Five teams that need to make a deal

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The trade deadline.

This is when a handful of National Hockey League cities experience the anxiety level going from "beads of sweat on the upper lip" to "embarrassing stains under the arms and shortness of breath."

These are the hours where a general manager will be judged, fairly or not, as bold or cowardly, foolhardy or aggressive, decisive or wimpy.

And every GM -- whether they are looking to dump assets to restock for the future or add assets to push into the playoffs or secure a better seed or at some point in June perhaps claim a championship -- looks to history and understands that the best-laid plans sometimes just end up so much dog's breakfast in your hands.

Especially for those GMs looking to add before 3 p.m. ET Monday, the recent reminders of best-laid plans gone awry -- Ryan Miller (.897 save percentage, 2.70 GAA in six playoff games for the St. Louis Blues last spring after being obtained from the Buffalo Sabres), Thomas Vanek (two goals, both in the same game, in the Montreal Canadiens' last 11 playoff games last season), Matt Moulson (one goal in 10 postseason games for the Minnesota Wild as they were knocked out in the second round last spring) -- will mock them as they make their calls and plot their strategy.

These buying GMs will, however, be fortified by the memories of Marian Gaborik lifting a Stanley Cup in Staples Center after being brought in by the Los Angeles Kings last June or Martin St. Louis guiding his new New York Rangers teammates to an unexpected berth in the Stanley Cup finals as they work to improve their hockey lot in life before time runs out.

Here are five buying teams upon whom the light shines brightly.

Chicago Blackhawks
As colleague Craig Custance pointed out in the wake of Friday's surprising acquisition of Kimmo Timonen from the Philadelphia Flyers, this is a high-risk, high-reward deal, with the Blackhawks hoping they end up sending two second-round picks to Philadelphia, as that will mean a deep playoff run. Still, by any measure the Blackhawks spent a lot to get a guy who hasn't played a single shift since April and has been recovering from a serious health issue (blood clots in his legs). And the bottom line is that Timonen's addition addresses a need for defensive depth. With Patrick Kane gone until late in the playoffs and with the team sliding sideways (they were shut out 4-0 by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday and are 2-3-1 in their past six), it seemed incumbent on GM Stan Bowman to add a significant piece up front. Which he did late Saturday, obtaining  Antoine Vermette from the Coyotes, the Blackhawks adding their top-six forward in exchange for a first-round pick in June and prospect Klas Dahlbeck.

Boston Bruins
Speaking of sideways, things are not good in Beantown these days. Before Saturday's lopsided win against the lowly Arizona Coyotes, the Bruins had managed just two wins in their past nine games (ironically, or maybe just coincidentally, one of those wins came last Sunday in a 6-2 whipping of the Blackhawks). Like Chicago, Boston is missing a key offensive piece for the long haul, as David Krejci was put on long-term injured reserve this week, leaving too much work to be done by too many unproven Bruin forwards. What is different about the Bruins is the perception, real or imagined, that ownership is so unhappy with the way the team is tracking that missing the playoffs or having a short playoff run would mean significant change in the team's organization -- to whit, the dismissal of GM Peter Chiarelli and/or head coach Claude Julien. Now, Chiarelli is too smart by half to make a panic move in the face of public angst that has been given voice by president and Hall of Famer Cam Neely in recent days. And, frankly, Chiarelli has previously felt pressure to get his team right at the right time. That said, the Bruins are being dogged by the Florida Panthers for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, and Panthers GM Dale Tallon upped the ante this week by shedding disgruntled winger Sean Bergenheim and adding five-time scoring champ Jaromir Jagr. Chiarelli would ideally like to bolster his blue line and add an impact forward in the form of perhaps an Antoine Vermette or Chris Stewart. Chiarelli has salary-cap issues to consider, but he's also got the smarts to make it happen.

Anaheim Ducks
On the topic of pressure from above, the Ducks are following their pattern of the past two seasons in which they are playing at a very high level during the regular season and will enjoy home-ice advantage at least through the first couple of rounds of the playoffs. What they're trying to do is avoid the other pattern established the past couple of years in which they could not make that home ice pay in the postseason, losing two years ago in seven games to the Detroit Red Wings in the first round and then losing in Game 7 at home against the Los Angeles Kings last spring. Although the Ducks acquired Tomas Fleischman from Florida on Saturday for a third-round draft pick and Dany Heatley, the biggest issue confronting this team (apart from whether their young goaltenders Frederik Andersen and John Gibson are ready for the long playoff haul) is the blue line. GM Bob Murray already swapped a promising young forward in Devante Smith-Pelly for another promising forward in Jiri Sekac from the Montreal Canadiens. But Murray needs to add another blueliner to stabilize the defensive corps. Jeff Petry and/or Zbynek Michalek are good choices, but Murray isn't afraid to think outside the box. If the Toronto Maple Leafs were willing to eat a big bite of Dion Phaneuf's salary, would he work in Anaheim? Just asking. Regardless, this is a Ducks team that needs to get to at least the conference finals, given their talent, and it's unlikely they get there without an upgrade on the blue line. Look for Murray to use his surplus of forwards with Fleischmann, who excelled under coach Bruce Boudreau in Washington, in the house.

Montreal Canadiens
GM Marc Bergevin is something of a folk hero in Montreal for the impressive strides the Canadiens have taken since he took over for the lamentable Pierre Gauthier in the summer of 2012. The Habs surprised many by advancing to the Eastern Conference finals last year, sweeping the Lightning and then besting the Bruins in an emotional seven-game set before losing to the New York Rangers after No. 1 netminder Carey Price was injured in Game 1 of the conference finals. This season the Canadiens, younger and more talented than a year ago thanks to shrewd deals pulled off by Bergevin, sit atop the standings in the Eastern Conference. With the conference so wide open, it is safe to say the Canadiens have the best shot at returning to their first Stanley Cup finals since 1993. But can this youthful, skilled team make that happen without help? The Canadiens are tops in the league in team defense by a considerable margin but could use some size/depth on the back end. As for up front, Jagr and his experience might have been a good fit before he went to Florida. They addressed some of their lack of size with the Smith-Pelly deal, but it would seem something else needs to be added to give the bleu, blanc et rouge their best shot at making Hab history this spring.

Washington Capitals
The Capitals are in an interesting spot. Pretty much locked into a playoff spot, they've hit a bit of a wobble as we head into the final days of the trade period. Rookie GM Brian MacLellan has shown in his brief tenure he's not afraid to spin the wheel. He paid handsomely last offseason for Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik to shore up the blue line and the moves have paid dividends, as has the hiring of Barry Trotz and his coaching staff. The Caps were in on Evander Kane before it was clear Kane was going to need season-ending shoulder surgery, so we know that MacLellan is not afraid to look long term in terms of adding a player with term and salary. However, on Saturday, he added defensive depth with a short-term answer in veteran Tim Gleason, who was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes for Jack Hillen. But that move has the feel of one of two shoes dropping. The Caps are a team that could use help down the middle and otherwise up front. They also have a pending unrestricted free agent in Mike Green, who would command a nice return from teams looking for a top-end offensive defenseman. But moving Green, who looks to line up with Gleason on the team's third defensive pairing, without filling that hole on the blue line is risky unless it's a deal that really allows the Caps to add not just for this spring, but for the long term. Could this team go to the conference finals or beyond as they are currently constituted? Sure. The Eastern Conference is that wide open. Can they get there without adding another chip up front? Well, that's another question entirely.

And while we're at it, how about three sellers who have to get the job done?

Arizona Coyotes
GM Don Maloney has a couple of big chips that are in play in defenseman Zbynek Michalek and forward Antoine Vermette. Martin Erat might draw attention, and if there's a mood for creativity in the desert, then defenseman Keith Yandle is in the mix, too. But the bottom line with a team that is as bad as it gets, Maloney needs to restock the shelves and do it in a hurry. In Vermette and Michalek, Maloney has to deliver a package brimming with a handful of second-round picks, if not a first-round pick and a couple of prospects.

Toronto Maple Leafs
OK, Dave Nonis is getting all kinds of deserved credit for dumping David Clarkson and the onerous deal to which Nonis signed the disappointing winger two summers ago. And Nonis got good to great return on Daniel Winnik, Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli in earlier deals. But if anyone thinks these players are what was wrong with a team that is about to miss the playoffs for the ninth time in the past 10 years, well, they need a new TV -- one with an actual screen. The core of this team is still in place, and if the changes management/ownership are talking about undertaking are really part of the Leafs' plans, then Nonis' hardest job is still in front of him. Most believe deals that could involve Phil Kessel and/or captain Dion Phaneuf will wait until the draft, but as Nonis has showed in recent days, never say never. Why not a blockbuster, then, before the clock ticks down Monday afternoon?

Dallas Stars
The Stars are cooked, and in spite of being the preseason darlings of the Western Conference, it's clear that GM Jim Nill still has tons of work to do in making this team a perennial playoff contender. That means he's got to clear the decks as best he can, and that will mean moving Erik Cole and possibly veteran glue guy Shawn Horcoff. A few weeks ago, the Stars might have been considered buyers, but Nill has to acknowledge the reality of the Stars' plight and go into sell mode. We know from Nill's acquisition of Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza the past two summers that he's not afraid of the big deal, and whether he's thinking Monday or the draft, we know Nill won't be afraid to move big pieces to try to get to where he's going.