Fansided

5 NHL teams that need to make a trade to save their season

By Derek Grochowski

ST. PAUL, MN - FEBRUARY 15: Alex Stalock #32 of the Minnesota Wild skates by Devan Dubnyk #40 of the Minnesota Wild as he tends to his creese before a game with the New Jersey Devils at Xcel Energy Center on February 15, 2019 in St. Paul, Minnesota.(Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, MN - FEBRUARY 15: Alex Stalock #32 of the Minnesota Wild skates by Devan Dubnyk #40 of the Minnesota Wild as he tends to his creese before a game with the New Jersey Devils at Xcel Energy Center on February 15, 2019 in St. Paul, Minnesota.(Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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DENVER, CO – FEBRUARY 16: Mikko Rantanen #96 of the Colorado Avalanche skates against the St. Louis Blues at the Pepsi Center on February 16, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – FEBRUARY 16: Mikko Rantanen #96 of the Colorado Avalanche skates against the St. Louis Blues at the Pepsi Center on February 16, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) /

2. Colorado Avalanche

After taking the NHL by storm at the end of last season the Colorado Avalanche were poised for big things this season. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen have been great. They both sit in the top ten overall in points for the league. Yet the Avalanche are not in a playoff spot this year. Missing the playoffs with this much production from two of your best players is just a massive disappointment.

Joe Sakic, general manager needs to get things right at this year’s deadline. The organization cannot hope for a miracle late season run like last year. The bottom half of their forward core is where they really struggle. They rely heavily on their top line for all of their offense. One line teams do not win games down the stretch and in the playoffs.

For as bad as the bottom half of the Western conference is the top is loaded with talented teams. The Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames are all legitimate Stanley Cup teams this year. If Colorado wants to make a big push, they will have to go big. Colorado sits with two first round picks in the upcoming draft. One of those belonged to Ottawa, with the Senators struggling that pick will likely be in the top ten for Colorado. They have the currency to pull the trigger on a big deal.

Targets for the Colorado Avalanche could be wide spread. If they want to take a chance at a rental for their bottom six they could target a player like Jakob Silfverberg from the Anaheim Ducks. He is having a slow season points wise but he fits the mold that Colorado plays. Now if Colorado wants to have some fun and add a top line piece they could be a quiet contender to add Artemi Panarin or Mark Stone. Adding an elite talent to balance their scoring over two lines would instantly move Colorado up the ranks of favorites in the West.

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