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NHL: Which Eastern conference teams should stay, buy, and sell?

By Jasmine Yen

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 15: David Krejci #46 of the Boston Bruins skates between Kasperi Kapanen #24 and Andreas Johnsson #18 of the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on April 15, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Bruins 3-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 15: David Krejci #46 of the Boston Bruins skates between Kasperi Kapanen #24 and Andreas Johnsson #18 of the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on April 15, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Bruins 3-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Trade

1. Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes have a very strong team but the huge injury to their key defenseman Dougie Hamilton will force general manager Don Wadell to make a move. Jake Gardiner has not had his best season and the Hurricanes will want to beef up their defense before playoff time rolls around.

Hamilton is a right-shot defenseman and the Hurricanes could be interested in acquiring either Sami Vatanen from the New Jersey Devils or Jeff Petry from the Montreal Canadiens, both of which fit the mold.

Rumors have also been circulating about a potential trade between the Hurricanes and the Chicago Blackhawks for goaltender Robin Lehner. While James Reimer has been playing very well for Carolina, Petr Mrazek has been struggling and the team would have even more success with a goalie of Lehner’s calibre between the pipes.

Hurricanes interested in Lehner. light. Related Story

2. Boston Bruins

The biggest knock on the Boston Bruins every season is that they lack the offensive depth to go far in the playoffs. Last season, they acquired Charlie Coyle from the Minnesota Wild and that move paid massive dividends both in the playoffs and this season as well.

The team has been playing very well this season and is currently the top team in the Atlantic Division and the group is virtually unchanged from the one that made it to the Stanley Cup Finals half a year ago.

This team might not be interested in a playoff rental that will cost them future pieces, but they could be interested in another Coyle-like deal in which they trade for a player with more term or who can sign an extension. Perhaps a player like Andreas Athanasiou from the Detroit Red Wings who is a UFA at the end of the season and won’t cost much to resign?

3. Columbus Blue Jackets

No one saw this coming. When all the stars left Columbus in the summer, the team looked like a shell of its former self and a rebuild seemed to be imminent. Instead, John Tortorella has done the best job of his career and has turned this rag-tag group into a playoff contender that is extremely difficult to play against.

They are getting production from all kinds of players and their goaltenders have completely taken the team on their backs. Joonas Korpisalo was incredible until his injury and then Elvis Merzlinkins has carried the torch. Considering all the injuries to key players like Josh Anderson and Brandon Dubinsky, the success the Blue Jackets have been having has been nothing short of incredible.

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen has already proved last season that he’s willing to bet on his team and with the way his players have been performing this season, he has to reward them with some sort of trade. He shouldn’t go all in again, but he could get some scoring help and see how far their magic takes them.

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