The Calgary Flames should be sellers before the trade deadline, and Jiri Hudler is one of their most intriguing assets.
The 32-year-old forward can play both center and right wing, and while his production has dropped off significantly following a career-best 76-point season in 2014-15, he's still a solid playmaker with occasional scoring touch.
Hudler is a pending unrestricted free agent with a $4-million cap hit, and while he has only nine goals and 24 assists in 51 games, he's elevating his trade value at the right time with nine points in his last 10 contests.
Here are three teams that should pursue Hudler:
St. Louis Blues
Alex Steen won't be ready to return from his injury for at least a month, and there's no guarantee he won't need more time to recover, making his playoff availability uncertain.
Either way, the Blues need to fill the void created by Steen's absence in the short term and cement their forward depth for the postseason even when he returns.
St. Louis will have less than $1 million in cap space on deadline day, but if the Blues can find a taker for under-performing veteran forward Troy Brouwer - a pending UFA with a cap hit of $3.66 million - that could facilitate a Hudler deal.
The Blues haven't advanced past the second round in nearly 15 years, but a move like this would help that cause.
New York Rangers
The Rangers could use an injection of offense with Rick Nash on the shelf due to a bone bruise that's escalated from a day-to-day concern to a month-long ailment.
Hudler's 2015-16 production has mirrored Nash's output in a number of ways:
| Player | GP | Points | PPP | ES Corsi For % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jiri Hudler | 51 | 33 | 7 | 48.4 |
| Rick Nash | 45 | 33 | 6 | 49 |
They're not the same player by any means, but Hudler could help kick-start a floundering Rangers power play and give New York an uptick in offensive skill up front. They'll have about $4.85 million in cap flexibility on deadline day, so adding his $4-million hit wouldn't be an issue.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers will need help on the left wing if Jonathan Huberdeau is forced to miss significant time, and Hudler can play on that side, too.
Even if Huberdeau makes a rapid return from his injury, Florida would benefit from Hudler's versatility, and they'll have plenty of cap space ($27 million) to do it.
The question for the Panthers is how much ownership is willing to spend to improve on a core group that's already shown plenty of promise.
(Analytics courtesy: War-On-Ice, cap figures courtesy: General Fanager)
