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Best of the rest: Top 5 rentals ahead of the trade deadline

Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Ben Bishop and Martin Hanzal are off the board, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of players for GMs to get their hands on prior to the trade deadline.

Here are five of the best rental players likely to move before March 1:

Kevin Shattenkirk

The secret is out. The St. Louis Blues are sure to deal the puck-moving defenseman before the deadline, particularly as a pure rental, after previous attempts to move him in a sign-and-trade deal were rebuffed.

A year ago, the Blues carried a pair of pending unrestricted free agents into the playoffs in forwards David Backes and Troy Brouwer, only to lose both in free agency. General manager Doug Armstrong doesn't want to see the same happen with Shattenkirk. The blue-liner carries an affordable $4.25-million cap hit, making it easier for the Blues to find a trade match.

Thomas Vanek

The Detroit Red Wings winger is a prime trade chip ahead of the deadline. After his contract was bought out by the Minnesota Wild a year ago, Vanek has experienced a resurgence with the Red Wings. With 38 points in 47 games, only Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg has outpaced the veteran.

Vanek is considered a pure rental, as the Red Wings have expressed an interest in re-signing the winger, particularly if he's willing to return on a similar cap hit to the $2.6 million he earned this season.

Radim Vrbata

Hanzal is en route to St. Paul, while his former teammate is also a good bet to be on the move.

The veteran winger made his third tour of duty in the desert after agreeing to a bonus-laden contract with the Arizona Coyotes in the offseason. Vrbata has already eclipsed his extra money for games played and points scored, and the next round of bonus cash comes in the playoffs. He'll earn $250,000 if the team qualifies for the playoffs, and another quarter-million for each round they win.

The veteran winger leads the Coyotes with 44 points.

Patrick Sharp

It doesn't hurt to add a winner when bulking up for the postseason, and the Dallas Stars winger offers that in spades. Sharp won three Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks, most recently in 2015.

The question is whether Sharp is the same player who had his best campaign with the Blackhawks in 2013-14, recording 78 points. He's now in his second season in Dallas, where he has battled concussion concerns, tallying 15 points in 36 games this season.

Brian Boyle

He's not Hanzal on the scoresheet, but the two aren't all that different up the middle. The hulking pivot is a valuable option at center ice, one the Tampa Bay Lightning would like to cash in on before the deadline. Boyle can chip in offensively, too, with 13 goals to his credit this season.

Boyle could become the go-to target for general managers who lost out on the Hanzal sweepstakes. That's good news for Lightning GM Steve Yzerman, who kicked off the trade cycle Sunday, dealing Bishop to the Los Angeles Kings.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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