6 NHL Teams at Serious Risk of Blowing the 2023 Trade Deadline

As Friday's NHL trade deadline draws closer, several teams have made significant moves to improve their rosters. Playoff contenders such as the Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs have loaded up with notable talent for the remaining stretch of the regular season and the playoffs.

Sitting out of the playoff picture, the San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks and Washington Capitals have acquired draft picks and promising players to add depth to their prospect pipelines. Some of those picks and prospects could also become trade chips.

Playoff contenders such as the Carolina Hurricanes are expected to get busy in the days ahead. Those outside contention, such as the Columbus Blue Jackets, will likely peddle players who don't fit their long-term plans.

However, there are several clubs that could be in danger of failing to use the trade deadline to their advantage. Some are teams struggling to stay in the playoff picture, such as the Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins. Others are potential sellers, such as the Anaheim Ducks and Philadelphia Flyers.

Those four franchises are among six that are at risk of blowing this deadline. We'll examine the factors that could affect their efforts to add to their rosters or to ship out quality talent for the best returns.

Do you agree or disagree with our list? Is there a team missing? Let us know in the comments section below.

Mired near the bottom of the standings, the Ducks were expected to be sellers long before the trade deadline rolled around. General manager Pat Verbeek showed his willingness to wheel and deal at last year's deadline, shipping out pending free agents such as Josh Manson, Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell.

The Ducks have another handful of pending free agents this season to use as trade bait to bring in assets to advance their roster rebuild. However, they're not as enticing as last season's crop.

Defenseman John Klingberg is having the worst season of his career, while rearguard Kevin Shattenkirk is past his prime. Dmitry Kulikov and Nathan Beaulieu would be depth blueliners on a more competitive roster.

Veteran forwards Adam Henrique and Frank Vatrano could also be available. Henrique, 33, carries an average annual value of $5.8 million through next season, while the 28-year-old Vatrano is earning $3.7 million for two more seasons. Verbeek could perhaps entice a decent offer for Henrique by retaining part of his cap hit.

So far, however, Anaheim has yet to make a significant move. With playoff contenders having already acquired assets, he can't afford to wait much longer. Even if the returns prove to be less lucrative than hoped, they could still be used toward drafting and developing talent or as trade chips for other moves.

The last time the Buffalo Sabres qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs was 2011. After years of often painful rebuilding, they're jockeying with the Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers and Capitals for the final Eastern Conference playoff berth.

Most of their improvement this season has come thanks to rising stars such as Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin and Dylan Cozens. Veterans such as Jeff Skinner and the recently sidelined Alex Tuch have also played key roles.

With $79.1 million in projected trade deadline cap space, the Sabres have plenty of room to make an addition or two. On Wednesday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman noted general manager Kevyn Adams has said he won't budge from his process of building with young talent.

Friedman wrote that Adams should do something, even if it's a small move, to reward the players and long-suffering Sabres fans. Perhaps Adams will be swayed into action with Tuch listed as week-to-week because of a lower-body injury.

Adams doesn't have to pursue a big-name player, but maybe one or two savvy depth moves could improve the Sabres' playoff hopes. He made a minor move on Monday by acquiring depth defenseman Riley Stillman. However, resisting a golden opportunity to weaponize his cap space could prove costly down the stretch.

In summer 2022, the Flames underwent big changes. Franchise stars Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk were out, replaced by Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri. At first glance, the Flames seemed to adjust well to Gaudreau's departure via free agency and the trade of Tkachuk after he said he wouldn't sign a contract extension.

However, the season has told a different story. After finishing third in the Western Conference last season, the Flames entered Monday four points out of the final wild-card berth and in danger of sliding out of the playoff race.

Despite the additions of Huberdeau and Kadri, Calgary has struggled to score. It has dropped from 3.55 goals per game last season to 3.15. Trade rumors have linked the Flames to Canucks winger Brock Boeser and Flyers winger James van Riemsdyk.

General manager Brad Treliving must decide if he's going to stand pat, bolster his roster or become a seller to improve his club's chances in the draft lottery.

It's a difficult choice given the excitement entering this season. But Treliving is running out of time to reach a decision. The longer it takes him, the greater the risk of missing an opportunity to set his course and work it to his advantage.

It's no secret the Edmonton Oilers are in the market for a top-four defenseman. Rumors have linked them to the Sharks' Erik Karlsson, the Arizona Coyotes' Shayne Gostisbehere and the Blue Jackets' Vladislav Gavrikov.

The Oilers, however, are handcuffed by limited salary-cap space. With just $562,500 in projected trade deadline cap space, they must move salary if they're to bolster their blue line. Struggling winger Jesse Puljujarvi and his $3 million cap hit seems the likely trade candidate if a partner can be found.

Acquiring an expensive superstar such as Karlsson seems like a pipe dream. Affordable options such as Gostisbehere and Gavrikov won't be possibilities without dealing someone such as Puljujarvi.

Even then, it might require another club to retain a portion of the cap hit to make the dollars fit. That could mean including a sweetener such as a draft pick or prospect.

Edmonton general manager Ken Holland has little room for error. He must address the glaring need on the blue line or risk that weakness derailing the Oilers' hopes for the Stanley Cup. It'll require all his management skills to find a suitable dollar-in, dollar-out deal, even if it costs him a first-round draft pick and a top prospect.

The Flyers are likely to finish outside the playoff picture for the third consecutive season. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Gustav Elvin wrote that they should become "big sellers" by the deadline. He suggested they look at the market for pending free agent James van Riemsdyk as well as shed the contracts of Kevin Hayes and Ivan Provorov.

General manager Chuck Fletcher could move van Riemsdyk. On Saturday, Sportsnet's Jeff Marek reported the 33-year-old winger could be a good option for contenders such as the Vegas Golden Knights, Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets.

It could prove difficult to move Hayes and Provorov, who have term remaining on expensive contracts. Still, it would be worthwhile to look into it. If such deals aren't possible now, perhaps the framework for offseason trades involving those players can be hammered out.

However, there's no signal from the front office that Philadelphia intends to become a full-fledged seller. Elvin noted the organization pursued an "aggressive retool" in the offseason rather than a necessary roster rebuild. So far, the Flyers appear hesitant to do anything.

They have played better than expected under new head coach John Tortorella but entered Monday 11 points out of a playoff spot. This could be the best opportunity to change course and embrace a rebuild. Sticking with the retool would risk extending this mediocrity into 2023-24.

The Penguins have missed the playoffs only once since captain Sidney Crosby joined the team, and that was his rookie season of 2005-06. However, they had just three wins in eight games coming out of the All-Star break before picking up victories in their last two games. They're clinging to the final wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference.

General manager Ron Hextall must figure out whether he's a buyer or seller before the trade deadline. Will he make a move or two to bolster the roster and rise in the standings? Or will he decide this groups lacks the depth to win and start peddling players who don't fit the club's long-term plans?

Hextall has been a deadline buyer since taking over during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season. He added center Jeff Carter in 2021 and winger Rickard Rakell last year. Since the Blues plucked Kasperi Kapanen and his $3.2 million cap hit off waivers, Hextall has $2.1 million in projected trade deadline cap space.

The Athletic's Rob Rossi reported Friday that Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan wants Hextall to pursue Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun but that the GM doesn't want to pay the asking price, which includes two first-round picks.

Hextall could seek a player such as Chychrun with term on his contract or a pending free agent willing to re-sign with the Penguins. He told reporters Friday that he won't trade assets such as his 2023 first-round pick for a rental player. Nevertheless, he'll have to act fast if he intends to buy before the trade pool dries up.

Stats and standings accurate entering Monday's games and via NHL.com. Salary-cap and free-agent information via Cap Friendly. Additional information via Hockey Reference.