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Pacific: Kings, Stars could seek scoring help

Wednesday, 02.08.2012 / 10:00 AM / 2012 Trade Deadline

By Corey Masisak - NHL.com Staff Writer

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Pacific: Kings, Stars could seek scoring help
Heading into the trade deadline, a pair of teams hoping to stay in Stanley Cup Playoff contention could be looking to upgrade their offenses.
The trade deadline is fast approaching, and teams around the NHL are trying to decide whether to buy or sell, and what needs can or should be addressed. Increased parity in recent seasons has limited the number of teams willing to sell until the final days before the trade deadline, but there still have been plenty of deals and big names on the move.

This is going to be a division-by-division look around the NHL and the different needs, in the short- and long-term, each club might be looking to remedy between now and Feb. 27.

A quick note: Salary cap information comes from Capgeek.com. Acquisition space is different than a team's salary-cap space -- it is how much salary a team can add on that day and be in compliance from then until the end of the season. The number changes daily, but each team's figure for this exercise will be what it was Feb. 4 unless that team makes a major move.

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We started Monday with the Central Division and continued Tuesday with the Northwest Division. Up next is the Pacific Division.

SAN JOSE SHARKS
Record: 29-15-6, 64 points (third in the West)

Goals for: 2.78 (10th in the NHL)
Goals against: 2.28 (fifth)
Power play: 18.9 percent (T-ninth)
Penalty kill: 78.6 percent (26th)

Key injuries: RW Martin Havlat (due back before playoffs)
Acquisition space: $7.410 million

Skinny: GM Doug Wilson made some major changes during the offseason, adding defenseman Brent Burns and forward Martin Havlat, who is currently injured. He also made a couple of deft depth moves on defense by adding Colin White and Jim Vandermeer. The Sharks have a strong top five on the blue line and three valid options to be the No. 6.

With a healthy Havlat, San Jose can match firepower up front with just about any team, as well. If Wilson is going to look for help, it might be a third-line/energy forward who can play on the penalty kill. The Sharks are pretty thin in the prospect department, in part because of the Burns deal.

Expect Wilson to be pretty quiet, but he could make one of those under-the-radar deals that loom large in late May. He also has a goaltender (Antero Niittymaki) that he could send to a non-rival, but the return likely will be minimal.

LOS ANGELES KINGS
Record: 26-18-10, 62 points (7th)

Goals for: 2.11 (30th)
Goals against: 2.06 (3rd)
Power play: 15.7 percent (21st)
Penalty kill: 87.2 percent (4th)

Key injuries: Simon Gagne (out indefinitely)
Acquisition space: $2.306 million

Skinny: If GM Dean Lombardi can find a deal that will help coax more offense out of the Kings, expect him to be interested. The problem is with the players already on the roster -- they should be scoring significantly more goals than they are.

Jonathan Bernier
Goalie - LAK
RECORD: 3-5-1
GAA: 2.66 | SVP: 0.896
Lombardi also is not going to have a lot of cap room to work with, and the Kings have to decide if Simon Gagne is going to be able to return and be an impact player. The Kings would have more space available if Gagne ends up on the long-term injury list for the rest of the season, but then that creates an obvious hole to fill.

The best trade chip is backup goaltender Jonathan Bernier, but Lombardi would want a hefty return. He's shown a willingness to make significant moves around this time of year, so don't be surprised if the Kings are among the suitors for a top offensive player.

PHOENIX COYOTES
Record: 25-21-8, 56 points (9th)

Goals for: 2.61 (15th)
Goals against: 2.56 (9th)
Power play: 12.5 percent (29th)
Penalty kill: 83.6 percent (11th)

Key injuries: None
Acquisition space: $31.493 million

Skinny: Coach Dave Tippett and GM Don Maloney have managed to coax a team few expected to be playoff-worthy into the postseason in each of the past two seasons. Maloney may have some work to do this month if it is going to happen again.

Ray Whitney
Left Wing - PHX
GOALS: 16 | ASST: 31 | PTS: 47
SOG: 118 | +/-: 16
The Coyotes have been better than the sum of their parts in recent seasons, but they could use a jolt of offense up front, and a puck-moving defenseman wouldn't hurt, either. Maloney has been able to make subtle moves despite their ownership situation, and he added Rostislav Klesla last February.

If the Coyotes decide to go in the other direction, forwards Ray Whitney and Daymond Langkow could be coveted if they are willing to waive their no-move clauses. Maloney already has said captain Shane Doan will not be available. Phoenix has a couple of prized prospects on defense but a better long-term solution in net or an impact scorer up front would be a welcome addition for the future.

DALLAS STARS
Record: 27-23-2, 56 points (11th)

Goals for: 2.56 (17th)
Goals against: 2.81 (19th)
Power play: 14.6 percent (23rd)
Penalty kill: 82.3 percent (16th)

Key injuries: LW Brenden Morrow (due back mid-February)
Acquisition space: $42.871 million

Skinny: Dallas could be an interesting player this month. The Stars have stability in ownership and the space to acquire any player they want on the market.

Sheldon Souray
Defense - DAL
GOALS: 5 | ASST: 13 | PTS: 18
SOG: 129 | +/-: 11
The big question for the Stars and GM Joe Nieuwendyk is just how aggressive to be this month. It's possible he waits until the summer for any drastic maneuvers, but getting back to the postseason would be a big boost of momentum moving forward.

If the Stars decide to buy, one more top-six forward would be a nice addition. They also could look to move a pending unrestricted free agent defenseman like Nicklas Grossman or Sheldon Souray if things go south in the next couple of weeks.

ANAHEIM DUCKS
Record: 20-24-8, 48 points (13th)

Goals for: 2.56 (19th)
Goals against: 2.92 (T-24th)
Power play: 17.3 percent (16th)
Penalty kill: 83.7 percent (10th)

Key injuries: None
Acquisition space: $14.371 million

Skinny: After a nice run before the All-Star break, the Ducks have stalled a bit in their quest to make a run at playoff contention. It is probably time for GM Bob Murray to decide how much he wants to revamp his roster for next season.

Ryan Getzlaf
Center - ANA
GOALS: 8 | ASST: 28 | PTS: 36
SOG: 105 | +/-: -15
The question becomes this: Does he see how the team has played better with coach Bruce Boudreau and plan for minor tweaks, chalking this season up to a terrible start? Or does he make more definitive changes?

Murray doesn't have a lot of attractive pending unrestricted free agents (assuming Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu aren't available), but if he puts a core player on the market (think Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan, Lubomir Visnovsky), he could have many offers to consider. The Ducks are not particularly flush with impact prospects, and moving one of those three almost certainly would bring that type of return.

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