NHL Trade Deadline Preview: Western Conference

The NHL's "real" trade deadline is Wednesday at 3 P.M. Eastern. Before the deadline, take a look at where each team in the Western Conference stands. Approximations of cap room are taken from nhlnumbers.com.

In the West, there are a number of teams that think they're still alive in the playoff chase, and the teams who look to be selling probably don't have a whole lot to sell.

Those barely outside the top eight could find it hard to find trade partners, depending on how other teams perceive themselves.

Central Division
Chicago Blackhawks

Record: 41-15-5, 87 points, 1st in Central, 2nd in West
Cap space: None
The Blackhawks are in an interesting position. Chicago is the best team in this division, and they're a real threat to win the Stanley Cup. However, they're doing it with questionable goaltending. They are going to be rumored as in the running for any goalie who becomes available at the deadline, despite their lack of cap room. Most people think Chicago will have to another young player after dealing Cam Barker to Minnesota. Patrick Sharp is a good candidate to get traded, but general manager Stan Bowman would be wise to keep Sharp and stand pat for now, unless someone wants Cristobal Huet's contract.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Record: 25-28-10, 60 points, 5th in Central, 14th in West
Cap space: Close to $6.5 million
The Ken Hitchcock firing might have been the biggest move Columbus can make. While they have to find a way to get Steve Mason right again, they could look at moving a guy like Raffi Torres or Fredrik Modin to a contender. It's been quite a fall this year for the Blue Jackets, who went from "promising young team" to "severe disappointment" faster than anyone in the NHL this season.

Detroit Red Wings

Record: 29-21-12, 70 points, 3rd in Central, 8th in West
Cap space: Virtually none
While Detroit's position makes them a good candidate to make a big move, they don't really have the cap room, and their recent history indicates any move they make will be relatively minor, maybe a pickup to improve depth. The Red Wings got Johan Franzen back, and with how long he was out, that's kind of like making a mid-season trade. If Detroit adds, look for them to try to get deeper on defense, but it seems like a safer bet that Detroit will go forward with the team they have now.

Nashville Predators

Record: 33-23-5, 71 points, 2nd in Central, 7th in West
Cap space: More than $8 million
The Predators should be credited, because they continue to field competitive teams despite some serious monetary restraints that are rather unique to their organization. While Nashville has a ton of cap room, any move they make is likely to be a rental player they have little chance of re-signing, because the money won't be there to re-sign the player. General manager David Poile and head coach Barry Trotz have typically resisted these moves, opting instead to build their team the way they always have. Not only that, but it's reasonable to suggest that any team dealing a big-time player -- even a rental -- to Nashville will ask for Cal O'Reilly or Colin Wilson in return. No chance. Instead, a deal like Monday's for Edmonton defenseman Denis Grebeshkov (Nashville gave up a second-round pick) is probably all you'll see.

St. Louis Blues

Record: 28-25-9, 65 points, 4th in Central, 12th in West
Cap space: A bit less than $7 million
Like Columbus, the Blues made a nice run to the playoffs last year, flamed out quickly, and haven't been the same since. They've shown some life under interim head coach Davis Payne, but this isn't a Dan Bylsma-like situation yet. One thing the Blues can hope for is even stronger play out of Erik Johnson and David Backes, both of whom played well in the Olympics. Getting a chance to play some high-level, high-stakes, highly-visible hockey for two weeks -- and playing well -- can only help the Blues. As for moves, they could decide that they're a seller and move veterans Keith Tkachuk or Paul Kariya, but team president John Davidson hasn't sounded like a guy inclined to part with either player.

Northwest Division
Calgary Flames

Record: 30-23-9, 69 points, 3rd in Northwest, 9th in West
Cap space: Around $2 million
The Dion Phaneuf and Olli Jokinen trades might not be all Calgary tries to do. Jay Bouwmeester has been terrible for Calgary, and Ian White is a free agent after the season. If general manager Darryl Sutter wants to shake things up even more, he has some options. Picked by some to contend for the Stanley Cup, this team has been a bust, not playing with nearly enough urgency at times and looking lost in the defensive zone. While all that is going on, goalie Miikka Kiprusoff has been very good, but as we all saw in the Olympics, he's still prone to historic meltdowns at bad times. Finding him a quality backup should be a priority if Calgary hopes to make a run in the playoffs.

Colorado Avalanche

Record: 35-21-6, 76 points, 2nd in Northwest, 6th in West
Cap space: Around $6 million
Yes, the Avalanche have plenty of cap room. Yes, they have a gaggle of young players they can consider moving without hurting organizational depth. That, however, doesn't mean Colorado is inclined to make those moves. Instead, look for the Avalanche to try to ride goalie Craig Anderson and a quality defense to the playoffs. If that doesn't work, they still have some nice young pieces to move forward with. There is no need to mortgage the future now when you've worked hard the last couple years to rebuild the organization as quickly as possible.

Edmonton Oilers

Record: 19-36-6, 44 points, 5th in Northwest, 15th in West
Cap space: Less than $1 million
The hiring of Pat Quinn as head coach was supposed to fix a lot of the problems Edmonton had last year. It hasn't worked. The Oilers have been plagued by poor goaltending, lackluster defensive play, and some awfully bad luck, and their propensity for losing heartbreaking games has sapped away at the team's will. They should be looking to move a couple veterans at the deadline, namely defenseman Sheldon Souray and forward Ethan Moreau. The market for Moreau might not be that great, but he could make a nice third- or fourth-line addition to a good team. Souray could be in high demand if he was capable of staying consistently healthy. His injury history will make his contract prohibitive for some teams.

Minnesota Wild

Record: 30-27-4, 64 points, 4th in Northwest, 13th in West
Cap space: Close to $1 million
Before they do anything, the Wild have to decide exactly what they are. Is this team a contender that should be trying to add a player or two for offensive production, or are they a non-playoff team that needs to focus more on adding young players and draft picks? The Kim Johnsson trade tells us nothing, because they traded an expiring contract and a young defenseman (2009 first-round pick Nick Leddy) for a really good young defenseman. What they do with Eric Belanger and goalie Josh Harding will be more telling, because if they're not a contender, and they don't intend to re-sign these players, they need to get something for them while they can.

Vancouver Canucks

Record: 37-22-2, 76 points, 1st in Northwest, 3rd in West
Cap space: Less than $500,000
The pieces are slowly coming together in Vancouver. The Canucks are scoring more, thanks to the Sedin twins, the signing of Mikael Samuelsson, and the emergence of young Mason Raymond. Roberto Luongo gives them a chance to win every game. What this team needs is another center (Belanger?) to help them in the faceoff circle, and it wouldn't hurt them to get a bit more depth on defense. The problem is that Vancouver really doesn't have the room to do much trading, unless they can find a contract to unload.

Pacific Division
Anaheim Ducks

Record: 30-25-7, 67 points, 5th in Pacific, 11th in West
Cap space: Virtually none
Like Minnesota, the Ducks have to decide how much of a contender they really are. With guys like Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne likely running out of time, it seems they will, at least, look at making an addition if they can. If they don't, it almost makes more sense to explore trading the veterans and build an impressive core of young talent. The Ducks can make the playoffs with this team, but they're not particularly deep, so another injury to a top-line player will make it very difficult for them to stay among the contenders.

Dallas Stars

Record: 28-21-12, 68 points, 4th in Pacific, 10th in West
Cap space: Around $6.5 million
The Stars have been up and down all season. While some of their guys have adjusted very well to new coach Marc Crawford, others haven't, and the lack of a deep farm system has forced Dallas to do the square peg-round hole dance. At the deadline, the Stars shouldn't be expected to do much. The weekend release of goalie Alex Auld -- claimed off waivers by the New York Rangers -- likely means Marty Turco is going to stay and play out his contract. That said, it's hard to believe the Stars wouldn't listen if someone made them an offer for the veteran, who is likely to leave as a free agent now that Dallas has acquired Kari Lehtonen.

Los Angeles Kings

Record: 37-20-4, 78 points, 3rd in Pacific, 5th in West
Cap space: A bit more than $2 million
With the offseason acquisitions of Ryan Smyth and Rob Scuderi, the Kings announced their intention to be more aggressive. Now, we'll see if they continue that mission. There could be some opportunities for Los Angeles to make a move at the deadline, and there is likely not a richer farm system in the NHL than this one. With more young players than roster spots at the NHL level, the Kings are in a prime position to take on money (at least short-term) and add pieces to a team that is already a legitimate playoff contender. Additional veterans like Carolina's Ray Whitney or Atlanta's Slava Kozlov could be attractive, provided they are willing to waive no-trade clauses to move to the West Coast.

Phoenix Coyotes

Record: 37-21-5, 79 points, 2nd in Pacific, 4th in West
Cap space: Around $15 million
This team is in a bit of a similar position to the Kings, in that they have plenty of cap room and a promising team to add to. However, it isn't clear that the Coyotes will be able to add money, and they would be wise to hold on to a pleothora of young talent in their system, because many of the roster-filling veterans are on short-term contracts. Not only that, but such a hard-working team needs to be careful adding players at this point. They're not guaranteed to be the right fit, and messing up the chemistry of this team could be a bigger mistake than anything.

San Jose Sharks

Record: 40-13-9, 89 points, 1st in Pacific, 1st in West
Cap space: Virtually none
Some teams made their big move before the pre-Olympic trade freeze. Others will make a big move before this "real" trade deadline. The Sharks may have made theirs before the season started, getting Dany Heatley from Ottawa to bolster their already-dangerous top line. San Jose is rich with young talent in their system, but there's no reason to think they will try to make a big splash at the deadline. Instead, look for the Sharks to dip their toe in the water for a veteran forward to help add balance to their scoring. Don't look for them to pull the trigger unless general manager Doug Wilson thinks it's a deal he can't pass up.