2025 Western Conference team-by-team Trade Deadline Objectives

Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson

Credit: Nov 12, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson (40) during a stop in play against the Calgary Flames in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

With exactly eight weeks remaining until the NHL’s March 7 trade deadline, we’ve got you covered one with deadline-focused story each day at Daily Faceoff.

Today we’re going to key in on each team’s top objectives in the Western Conference.

2025 NHL Trade Deadline Countdown: 56 Days

Let’s break the West down into categories by their expected deadline posture:

The Buyers

Edmonton Oilers
Top Objective: Second pair, right-shooting defenseman
Scoop: This has been penciled in since the day the Oilers lost Philip Broberg (and Dylan Holloway) via offer sheet. Ty Emberson has filled in admirably, and Brett Kulak has played on his off-hand side, but there is still a hole for a contending team that needs filling. Will it definitely be a right-shot? Maybe not, Oilers are flexible, but it should be a puck mover either way.

Colorado Avalanche
Top Objective: Middle-six center
Scoop: GM Chris MacFarland has been one of the most aggressive managers in the NHL this season. He’s changed out his goaltending tandem. He’s given Juuso Parssinen a spin down the middle. He has decisions to make with long-term future of Mikko Rantanen, but the best course of action now will be to add another center, likely using Gabriel Landeskog’s LTIR cash.

Dallas Stars
Top Objective: Impact, right-shooting defenseman
Scoop: The Stars are expected to be in the same market as the Oilers. It’s thin. The need was the same last year and GM Jim Nill brought in Chris Tanev. The bottom line in Big D: Ilya Lyubushkin, Nils Lundkvist and Matt Dumba is not a championship-caliber left side, and they could have $9.5 million in LTIR space to spend.

Los Angeles Kings
Top Objective: Left-shot defenseman
Scoop: Los Angeles has the opposite problem of most teams. They are stacked on the right side, particularly when Drew Doughty comes back – likely some time in late January/early February. That can push Vladislav Gavrikov back to the left side. But the Kings could still use a third-pair upgrade, because they’re well situated up front.

Minnesota Wild
Top Objective: Non-rental center
Scoop: This isn’t the first year we’ve talked about GM Bill Guerin committing assets to a center. The key will be adding someone that either has term, or could be confidently signed, such as Minnesota native Brock Nelson. For two reasons: 1) the Wild may not be seen as a Cup contender this year, but the addition will help, and 2) It will give them increased flexibility if they decide to not pay Marco Rossi this summer.

Utah Hockey Club
Top Objective: Middle-six winger
Scoop: If Utah can hang in the mix long enough to get Sean Durzi and John Marino back, they should take off – and deserve to be rewarded by GM Bill Armstrong. Now, if Armstrong takes the bat off the shoulder, it won’t likely be for a short-term fix but a player under team control or with term that can help beyond an inaugural season playoff chase. He’s got the assets, prospects and cap space to do it.

Vancouver Canucks
Top Objective: Top-four, puck-moving defenseman
Scoop: No surprise here. The Canucks have been pining for a more efficient puck-mover on the back end since training camp broke. They haven’t been able to find the right fit. Yes, Vancouver has played inconsistently this season, but they could be a handful in a playoff matchup if they can find the right gear. After spending so much last season on rentals, if adding now it wouldn’t be for just one playoff run.

Vegas Golden Knights
Top Objective: Middle six winger(s)
Scoop: Man, the Golden Knights haven’t gotten nearly enough love for being the best team in the league in the first half of the season. Their defense corps is loaded. There aren’t many holes to pick at, because Vegas has done such a solid job with contributing depth help. But if there is maybe one area to nitpick, it would be to potentially add a winger or two that can pack a scoring punch in the middle six. They don’t need much.

Winnipeg Jets
Top Objective: Second line center
Scoop: Few managers were more aggressive than Kevin Cheveldayoff last spring, striking early with Sean Monahan and late with Tyler Toffoli. Both were pure rentals, but that was fine because the Jets paid reasonable prices. The upgrade here could come at the center position. Vladislav Namestnikov has been a more-than-fine contributor, but certainly isn’t in the upper echelon of No. 2 centers in the league – buoyed by the fact that the Jets have one of the best in the No. 3 hole with Adam Lowry.

Hold the Line

Anaheim Ducks
Top Objective: Gather more intel on the core
Scoop: Over the last month, the record won’t have turned heads but the Ducks have given some of the better teams in the league great games. That’s provided some valuable intel to GM Pat Verbeek about the true core of his team on who should be staying and who should be going. There isn’t much to sell outside Brian Dumoulin and unless the Ducks can made a hockey trade, there probably isn’t much to buy on, either.

Calgary Flames
Top Objective: Young right-shooting center
Scoop: Since the start of training camp, GM Craig Conroy has been on the prowl for a young top-six center that can fit Calgary’s age scheme for years to come. If at all possible, the preference is for a right-shooting center, but he isn’t that picky. He’s checked in on Buffalo’s Dylan Cozens and plenty of others, a mission that will likely linger into the summer.

St. Louis Blues
Top Objective: Hope and pray
Scoop: GM Doug Armstrong has already done a lot of surgery this season. Coaching change. Addition of Cam Fowler. On top of the adding Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg late in the summer. It hasn’t changed much? By points percentage, the Blues are 11th in the West. Could they sneak in? Sure. Would anyone believe they could do damage? Not really.

It’s Complicated

Nashville Predators
Top Objective: Chart a path forward
Scoop: In Nov. 2023, GM Barry Trotz said the Preds were in a rebuild and two to three years away from competing. Eight months later, he spent $108.5 million on Steven Stamkos, Brady Skjei and Jonathan Marchessault. What are the Predators? Where are they heading?

The Sellers

Chicago Blackhawks
Top Objective: Sell judiciously
Scoop: There’s no doubt this season has been a disappointment in Chicago. GM Kyle Davidson could go scorched earth and sell off veterans, but to what end? The move here will be to assess the individual return for each available player and only move those who provide one that moves the needle, starting with Taylor Hall and going through the roster. There won’t be any ‘deals just to make them.’

San Jose Sharks
Top Objective: Ride the wave
Scoop: Vibes are strong in San Jose. Macklin Celebrini has provided some serious energy and coach Ryan Warsofsky has done an incredible job walking the line between competing, developing and keeping it light in what can be a long season. The Sharks don’t have any retained salary transaction slots, so even moving Mikael Granlund might be a little difficult at full-boat without a third-party broker, and that gets expensive for teams.

Seattle Kraken
Top Objective: Get as much you can
Scoop: The Kraken appear to be stuck in neutral, the New York Islanders of the West. They don’t have the star power to be a threat, they don’t have a true star bubbling in their pipeline, and they don’t necessarily have the means to get one by nature of their draft position. In the meantime, maximizing value for pending UFAs Yanni Gourde and Brandon Tanev should be the top priority as they try and get back in the mix.

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