Hey-o to all my cap-friendlies out there!  Hope everyone is having a great week thus far.

Two seasons ago the New York Rangers traded a second rounder to Chicago for Patrick Kane and when it happened, I tried to think of any deadline (key word there), trade that really vaulted a club to either was impactful in a deep playoff run or resulted in raising the Stanley Cup. The most recent example I could come up with was Kevin Shattenkirk going to the Capitals from St. Louis back in 2019 which doesn't really move the needle too much does it? Point being, most "big names" typically aren't on the move come March for any multitude of reasons.

Just taking a glance at the landscape of the league this season I think this is going to be the case again this season and we have a unique mix of clubs right now that are right in this thing or should probably be better off standing wise where they currently are. With that comes the usual suspect clubs that deal players now buyers instead of sellers and that can also lead to some of those basement clubs not wanting to be a third-party broker come March.

Back in 2015, the Blackhawks traded for Antonine Vermette which yes, not a blockbuster deal by any means but without him they don't win the Stanley Cup. There are examples of players like this all over the league in its history and I really think we could be looking at acquisitions like this, middle-tier players that get into the right situation. As an NHL club the end goal should of course be to win the Stanley Cup, this is how bad teams become mediocre and so on, but if your one and only goal is to raise a banner then you're going to be one of 29 other clubs that are disappointed come June. Your goal should be to make it to the second week of May because if you're one of the clubs that made it to that point, it means you were more than good enough to remain relevant, but it also lets you roll the dice on winning a Cup because anything can happen come round two. So, who are those mid-tiers that could maybe help you get to that point and who could some clubs that right now has the bank open for business.

Anthony Duclair– LW/RW – San Jose – 28 years old
Contract: $3M – One year remaining

No, not Thomas Hertl, he's in San Jose forever. Here we're talking about Anthony Duclair to me is a player that I think a handful of clubs are going to be interested in nearing the deadline and there's both cap and performance reasons as to why. It might not be jump off the page numbers but with five points in his last three games and an IPP close to 60 on this San Jose club I could see interested parties coming to the table. Plus, at his cap number a club could potentially take on his entire salary or move money over in a trade to potentially get him over in a trade. I think this is a player that's ultimately dealt that could help a team down the stretch and for San Jose they have every incentive in the world to go ahead and move him now anyways. As for him signing long-term at whatever destination he ends up being on come the summer I'd imagine that most clubs would be hesitant to sign him long term. He's had some bad injuries to overcome in the past that sure, he didn't have control over, but it doesn't help his case. What also might be troublesome is if he decides to represent himself again as he has in the past.

John Gibson– G – Anaheim – 30 years old
Contract: $6.4M – Three years remaining – M-NTC

As much as I have been a full supporter of the #FreeGibby movement going on over in Anaheim in the past I'm not so sure this is going to be a player that is going to be easy to move. That said, I think his name is going to start popping up in trade rumors (if it hasn't already) and will be a player that would absolutely help a team down the stretch and well into the future. There are issues here though to work through and the first is his cap hit as I'm not sure clubs are going to be lining up to take on that AAV but I could see a roadmap to where the Ducks eat a small number of it for this season or a third club is brought in. Every season (or thereabouts) there's a goaltender for a contending team that is slated to miss time due to injury and if Gibson is healthy, I think he could be a player on the move. It does also help here that he would be under contract past being acquired so there would be no pressure to get some sort of extension in place.

This is a Ducks club that is in it for right now but lately their play has started to slip and even prior to that I would watch this club night in, and night out have to play from behind. Right now, they have one first round pick for this upcoming season and moving Gibson would undoubtfully get them another one. I would be cautious though when it comes to obtaining a draft pick for a player. Of course, a first round pick holds values, but I feel like as fans either your team is in great shape because you have picks or you're in horrible shape because you don't when in reality sometimes the value of late picks don't carry over much. For example here if the Ducks (or any club for that matter) were to trade a player for a 2024 first to a club that ends up in the Cup Finals, would you rather have pick #29-#30, or keep the asset that is still under contract?

Washington Capitals –

At first I wrote down Anthony Mantha who has been playing well the last week or so and I think absolutely fits the mold of a player that given the right situation could be a gamechanger come playoffs. I crossed his name off though and thought that maybe Washington like Trevor van Riemsdyk but that forced me to cross his name off and take a stroll up and down the Capitals roster and I came to the conclusion here that I think this might be the fire sale club this season? I thought that the way that this Capitals club could compete here would be the bridge of sorts that their young players and vets really start to mesh together. So far this hasn't been the case and if last season is any indication, this club might be going to full sell mode. It's always easier in sports to lean towards blow it up rather than retool, but in the Capitals case I feel like they can get value for some of their pieces instead of continuing on the path that they're currently on now. They'll be a club to keep an eye on in the weeks to come.

Chicago Blackhawks –

Bank's open for business! Any contenders out there looking to make a deal and can't get the money to work? Well, you've come to the right place, for a nominal fee of a third or fourth round pick, we'll take some of that pesky contract money off your hands for the rest of this season. The NHL club with the most cap space finds themselves on a mid-season slide and I can't see that turning around anytime soon. With little incentive, or really chance, to compete why not take some money back in trades to get assets in return? If I'm them I don't kid myself on what I have on the ice, even if this club were to get hot before deadline. The goal here is build, and if that means grabbing a bad contract or two along the way so be it, that's just the direction the league is headed. Last season it became more prevalent than ever that there's going to be more three-team trades and that has everything to do with how cap-strapped most of the league is right now.

*For continued fantasy news and notes, follow me on Twitter @ndySanz.