What Each Central Division Buyer Needs at Trade Deadline

The Central Division has been the most dominant division amongst top-heavy teams this year with the Avalanche, Stars, and Wild. These teams, plus the Utah Mammoth, all have really good chances of making the playoffs this year and could use some upgrades.

But when you look at each of the four teams, they each have different needs. A strength for one of these teams is a weakness of another. Colorado looks unstoppable, Dallas looks like a cup favorite, Minnesota is right there, and Utah has gone on a nice run without Logan Cooley.

But just because these four teams have played well so far this season does not mean they should stand pat at the Trade Deadline. They all can upgrade their roster to some degree.

Colorado Avalanche: Bottom Six Forward

The Avalanche have one of the league's best top six forwards that feature players like Nathan MacKinnon, Artturi Lehkonen, and Val Nichushkin, among others. But they have some forwards out hurt at the moment, so their bottom six is mainly filled with AHL guys.

And going into the playoffs, a team like Colorado is going to want to have their bottom six mainly be players that have experience and know what it takes to win. So upgrading in their bottom six while they wait to get their lineup fully healthy is never a bad idea.

Dallas Stars: Middle Six Forward

The Stars have a ton of good forwards on their roster in guys like Wyatt Johnston, Jason Robertson, Mikko Rantanen and Matt Duchene. But a big issue, among others, for Dallas is finding a way to replace Tyler Seguin.

Seguin is a big loss and will be out for a while as he is currently on IR with an injury. The Stars have guys in the lineup currently who are capable of replacing him, but it is a tough task. The Stars and general manager Jim Nill can never have too many forwards, especially when trying to find one to replace the veteran.

Minnesota Wild: Bottom Six Forward

The Wild made a splash a while ago when they brought superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes over from the Vancouver Canucks. So, a lot of their assets they could have used for a big trade are gone now, but they could still swing something for a bottom-six forward.

They are going to need more scoring from their bottom six if they want to go far in the playoffs, and some upgrades could be out there. The Wild's current bottom six are not very capable of that.

Utah Mammoth: Bottom Six Defenseman

The Mammoth are a team that does not, as of late, have a ton of playoff experience. Most of their defensemen currently on the roster do, but their bottom six defense could use an upgrade.

If they want to make a run in the playoffs, they are going to want to consider upgrading on that part of the roster. Their defense is pretty steady, but in the playoffs, teams that have defensemen who are tough and can block shots are needed. Utah should look there for an upgrade on the trade market.

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