Trending ▲, Trending ▼: Rental values locking down as deadline nears
Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and other hockey figures trending upward and taking a step back.
▲ Alexandre Burrows
Few play the agitator role better than the Vancouver Canucks forward. Picking up a pair of goals in back-to-back games, Burrows wrapped the weekend with four points and kick-started his offensive game heading toward the deadline.
It's a nice change after Burrows scored just 16 points through his previous 48 contests, and while the streaky winger hasn't produced as he did in years gone by, he's an attractive asset as a pure rental. Burrows carries a $4.5-million cap hit, but it's a manageable contract, as his deal expires at season's end.
A key piece in the Canucks' run to the Finals in 2011, Burrows scored 17 points in 25 games and could be the final piece needed for clubs with similar aspirations this spring.
▼ Brian Gionta
The Buffalo Sabres captain could be marketed as a veteran voice, but that would be selling him short on his offensive game, which has remained consistent over the last several seasons.
With 27 points in 57 games, Gionta is on pace to complete the campaign with 39 points, topping his last two seasons and just one point back of his 2013-14 finish in his final year with the Montreal Canadiens. Gionta also brings Stanley Cup experience, as he lifted the Silver Mug with the New Jersey Devils in 2003.
The difficulty is his contract, and the limits within it. The veteran forward's deal restricts his movement to only five clubs, and while he could always expand on that list, there is no telling if that's a possibility, as Gionta stated his preference to continue his career with the Sabres.
▲ Martin Hanzal
No player has scored more goals in the last week than the Arizona Coyotes center, who picked up four markers in his past three outings, including two tallies in an overtime victory over the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
That's good news for Coyotes general manager John Chayka, who hopes to sell high on the prime pivot, who stands at 6-foot-6 and is desired for his strong checking game and heavy presence down the middle. That strength continues in the faceoff dot, where Hanzal ranks sixth league-wide at 55.8 percent (min. 900 faceoffs).
Throw in a scoring touch and Hanzal's value increases. With 14 goals on the season, the Czech center is just two back of his career-high, set in 2010-11, and on pace for a 22-goal campaign this year.
▼ Curtis Lazar
A one-time first-round pick and former junior star, the Ottawa Senators forward entered the NHL with high hopes, but hasn't been able to meet those expectations in his career's early going.
Lazar has recorded a single point in 29 games this season, and when demoted to the minors with the goal of getting his game back on track, the results weren't much better, as he tallied just four points through 13 games in the AHL. In all, Lazar has scored 36 points in 172 games over three seasons in Ottawa.
But the Senators haven't given up hope, and that's reflected in the team's curiously-high asking price, as reports indicate that it could take as much as a first- or second-round draft choice to pry Lazar from the Senators.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)