Ken Campbell says the most successful NHL teams at the trade deadline make tweaks over overhauls with under-the-radar physical players. This season has available players who fit the bill.
It’s no secret that Calgary Flames defenceman Noah Hanifin has rocketed to the top of all the trade boards leading up to the NHL’s 8 March trade deadline. And whether the team that acquires him does so as a rental or with a contract extension in place, the price will be high.
Someone who thinks Hanifin will add what they need to their defence corps will probably do it. And history tells us that team probably won’t win the Stanley Cup. You know why? Because teams that are true Stanley Cup contenders generally are what they are by the time the trade deadline comes around. And they realise that, basically, they need a few tweaks to get them over the top, not an overhaul. If you need someone of that ilk this late in the season, you’re probably not good enough in the first place. That’s why the Vegas Golden Knights went out and got Ivan Barbashev last season. That’s why the Colorado Avalanche got Andrew Cogliano and Artturi Lehkonen in 2022, why the Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow in 2020. These are guys who generally go a little under the radar and often are the ones who provide the grit and physical play that translates well to the complete change in style that the post-season brings. So you can have Noah Hanifin. I’ll take the likes of Scott Laughton, Nic Dowd, Brandon Duhaime or Jordan Greenway. Perhaps even a Pavel Buchnevich or Adam Henrique if you want to go a little higher. And we’ll see who is lifting the Cup over his head in a couple of months.
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