By: Chris Nosek

Once or twice a week, we’ll take a look around the league at various teams.

Anaheim Ducks

After losing nine straight games, the Ducks finally got back in the win column. They’ve now won three in a row. Today, they kick off a 5-game road trip in Colorado. The trip includes stops in Seattle and Edmonton. How they do on this trip will likely dictate the approach Pat Verbeek takes for the trade deadline. He has the pieces to pull off a major move. If they keep falling out of the race, will there be a game-changer available? Or will they need to wait until the off-season? If they perform well on the road trip, could they look to add? They have a lot of former Rangers, could they be a dark horse to make a move for Artemi Panarin? Could they try to pry Conor Garland out of Vancouver?

Boston Bruins

The Bruins lost out on Rasmus Andersson over the weekend. Based on rumors, they were just a contract extension away from getting the deal done. The fact that Sweeney didn’t pull the trigger and hope to get an extension should help Bruins fans relax. Some are going to worry because Sweeney is okay with parting from one of their 1st-round draft picks. They have four over the next two drafts. Trading one of them is acceptable. As long as the deal brings a top-four defenseman or a top-six scoring winger who is signed for multiple seasons. The question now is who they turn to now that Andersson is off the table. Could they pursue someone like Robert Thomas or Conor Garland?

Calgary Flames

After acquiring Zach Whitecloud in the deal sending Rasmus Andersson to Vegas, they immediately started getting calls on him. It sounds like they’re going to look at holding onto him for now. The Flames also find themselves only five points out of a playoff spot. They also hold multiple 1st-round picks in each of the next two drafts. With a new stadium on the way, could they decide to buy sooner rather than later? Could Craig Conroy opt to make Blake Coleman or Nazem Kadri available?

New Jersey Devils

The team is exploring trade options for Dougie Hamilton. The drama and fallout from not getting Quinn Hughes may have dissipated, but the roster still needs a shakeup. There are several young players in the organization who could make an impact at the NHL level. Will Shane Lachance, Angus Crookshank, and Seamus Casey get their NHL shot in New Jersey? Will other players get traded to open spots for them?

New York Rangers

The Rangers have become a mess since Chris Drury forced Barclay Goodrow to San Jose. Since then, he’s also dealt away Jacob Trouba, Chris Kreider, K’Andre Miller, Ryan Lindgren, Kaapo Kakko, and Filip Chytil. They have announced another rebuild has begun for them, and that just about everyone is available. They have five players who hold no-move clauses who aren’t available. The only player who has trade protection being made available is Artemi Panarin. So, who will Drury opt to move on from? Will the organization look to move on from Drury before this rebuild is over?

Ottawa Senators

Right now, the Senators’ biggest issues are all in the crease. They turned to Levi Merilainen for 11 straight games in an effort to try to get some consistency. They went 4-5-1 over that stretch. It sounds like Linus Ullmark will return to the team soon. However they still felt the need to add James Reimer. The players’ sentiment is that they appreciate the organization’s support amid rumors that ran rampant. Will Linus Ullmark return to the lineup on this roadtrip? Can he and James Reimer stabilize the crease? Can the team galvanize around the situation and overcome the five-point deficit they have for a playoff spot?

San Jose Sharks

The patience is starting to payoff in San Jose. While Macklin Celebrini is putting himself in Hart Trophy conversations, Alex Ndelkovic and Yaroslav Askarov have settled in the crease. Mike Grier has already made two small moves to add to the roster. The first move was bringing in Laurent Brossoit from Chicago for depth in the crease. The second move was just this week, as Kiefer Sherwood was brought in from Vancouver. As the trade chatter begins to pick up, it’s clear Mike Grier is in the middle of it all. However, the Sharks find themselves in a playoff position while having 10 pending unrestricted free agents. They’re in a position to buy while having valuable assets to sell. Mike Grier has been great in the GM chair so far, so fans have reason to be confident. However, this trade deadline will ultimately define the next chapter for the San Jose Sharks.

Vancouver Canucks

Quinn Hughes and Keifer Sherwood have been moved, thus marking the beginning of the rebuild. Rumors are circulating that teams are interested in Conor Garland, but Vancouver doesn’t want to move him. Meanwhile, their Head Coach, Adam Foote, is talking about the poor attitude and culture coming from the veteran players. Filip Hronek, Brock Boeser, and Conor Garland are the players Patrik Allvin will want to keep the most. However, they’re also the most valuable for another team to trade for. Allvin helped get the Canucks into this position. It’ll be interesting to see how much rope he’s given to get them out of it.