Which team needs to go all-in at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline?

With less than two months until the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline March 8, we’re delivering at least one deadline-focused story every day at Daily Faceoff.

Today, our Daily Faceoff Roundtable debates which contenders need to take an aggressive posture over the next six weeks.

2024 NHL Trade Deadline Countdown: 42 days

So much of the frenzied trade activity remains ahead of us as March 8 looms on the horizon. But as we inch toward that period, it’s a great time to think big picture and ask the Daily Faceoff Roundtable: Which team needs to go all-in at the 2024 Trade Deadline?

MATT LARKIN: How many meaningful runs does this New York Rangers core have left? Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider are 32. Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck are 30. Jacob Trouba is 29. Igor Shesterkin enters the final year of his contract next season. It helps that Alexis Lafreniere has made such strides this season, and Adam Fox and K’Andre Miller remain foundational pieces for years to come, but with many of the Blueshirts’ veteran core players about to age out of their primes, some regression years might loom. The Rangers took swings and whiffed at the deadline last year, losing in Round 1 after landing Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane, but that doesn’t mean they can’t try again. They own their first-round picks in the next three drafts. 

Given the horribly disheartening news of Filip Chytil’s setback injury in practice Friday while working his way back from a concussion, GM Chris Drury should fortify this squad up the middle and maybe even pursue an extra upgrade on the wing. The Metro is more wide open than it has been in years; that might not be the case next season if the New Jersey Devils get healthy. New York needs to have a short memory and shoot its shot – again.

SCOTT MAXWELL: I’m going to go with the Edmonton Oilers, because this might be their last season with at least some salary cap flexibility. Next season, they’re looking at $3.225 million in bonus overages from Connor Brown, and as much as $325,000 more from Corey Perry if he hits all of his bonuses, and then the following two seasons, they have to deal with new contracts to Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, who you can bet will come in at a heavy price, maybe even as much as $30 million combined between the two when it’s all said and done. Add in the fact that this team has been really good all season and only masked by bad goaltending to start the year, and it’s all the more reason they need to go all-in.

Of course, it’s not going to be easy, as the Oilers are currently projected by CapFriendly to have just more than $2.5 million in cap space at the deadline, but it is possible to make some big adds. Ideally you’d want to grab a top-six forward to really bolster their offense, a top-four defenseman to solidify that group, and maybe a decent backup option for Stuart Skinner in net, but that will be hard to do so with so little space, so they’ll likely need to move out money in the process. Whether that comes by throwing in some big assets to move Jack Campbell’s contract or if they do what they did with Tyson Barrie last season with someone like Cody Ceci or Evander Kane, it’s possible but it may cost a bit more. With how their prospect pool is looking right now, if any team is still trying to buy on anyone not on this roster, the Oilers should be all over it to help their team now, because this team is certainly worth maximizing your Cup chances on.

COLBY COHEN: My first thought reading this was Edmonton, but as I thought more and more I actually believe yet again, the Tampa Bay Lightning need to push all their chips in for another run. They’ve traded pick after pick over the last number of years acquiring the likes of Blake Coleman, Barclay Goodrow, Brandon Hagel, Tanner Jeannot…the list goes on. At times this year, I thought they were closer to a rebuild than another Stanley Cup, but after GM Julien BriseBois’ recent comments putting to bed the Steven Stamkos rumors, I believe Stamkos stays long-term and Tampa will continue to think about the now and not tomorrow. Nikita Kucherov is 30, Stamkos 33, Victor Hedman 33, Andrei Vasilevskiy 33, Brayden Point 27…. You get the picture, but with no first-round pick till 2026, you have to wonder what BriseBois even has to offer. Tampa has been one of the better teams in the league over the last few weeks and it seems Vasilevskiy is starting to look like himself again, which always makes this team dangerous. For the record, I don’t agree with this because I believe their Cup days are behind them, but based on what we have seen and heard, they are thinking differently, and this is why I don’t see any other way than to continue to go full throttle and go all in at the deadline. 

FRANK SERAVALLI: Man, this is a tough question, but I’m going to go with the Winnipeg Jets. Last year, the Jets showed that sometimes, less is more. They didn’t spend much to get Nino Niederreiter and Vladislav Namestnikov, and both of those guys are still with them today. They’ve been solid pick-ups. But with how stout this team has played defensively, how elite Connor Hellebuyck has been, I can’t help but think this is a prime year for the Jets to break through. This is not a young team and a young core. Cole Perfetti is the only player on the roster under 23. Some of their older defensemen are pending UFAs and they’ll need to conduct some offseason surgery. Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck are 30. I’m pretty sure they didn’t sign in Winnipeg long-term to see Kevin Cheveldayoff hoard draft picks. They’re facing stiff competition in the Central, but nothing sells tickets like a deep playoff run, a factor that also should be considered.

STEVEN ELLIS: I’m surprised nobody has picked the Boston Bruins yet. We saw the failures of last year, and everyone expected a big step down once Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired. But yet again, they’re on top of the league and looking unstoppable most nights.

The Bruins’ fall is going to a be a painful one. They have one of the worst prospect pipelines in the NHL, and it’s only a matter of time until Brad Marchand has nothing left in the tank. They’ve been building for another chance at the Stanley Cup since winning it back in 2011, and came close in 2013 and 2019. 

The issue? They don’t pick until the fourth round this year, but they do have their next two first-round picks. All of their prospects are replaceable if you can get the right piece to take the team further. Don’t waste a good opportunity here, especially with quality goaltenders. Do whatever it takes to spice this group up before it’s too late.

MIKE GOULD: Absolutely the Vancouver Canucks. They’re firing at all cylinders, they’re sending five players to the All-Star Game, and they have one of the most impressive records in the league. But … much like the 2022 Flames, these Canucks also have to deal with the looming threat of Elias Pettersson forcing his way to free agency. This is the year to push in the chips. The Canucks might never have it any better than they do right now.