Five American League Veterans Who Could Make Solid Depth Acquisitions at the NHL Trade Deadline

The clock is ticking. We're just days away from the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, and it's the last chance for teams to shore up their rosters before one final playoff push, or conversely, to set the table for next season and beyond. 

For those looking to contend for the richest prize in the sport, depth is always a hot commodity. A veteran presence, sure hand and hot stick are all key to going deep in the playoffs, and teams may need to look no further than the AHL for the answers to said questions.

The Hockey News cruised through the current AHL rosters and picked five veteran pros with considerable AHL and NHL experience that could make for a solid, and cost-effective, depth addition for clubs at the deadline. 

Brad Hunt

NHL clubs looking to shore up their blueline with a gritty, reliable veteran d-man with plenty of experience should look no further than Colorado's Brad Hunt.

With 288 NHL games punched with the Oilers, Blues, Predators, Golden Knights, Wild, Canucks and Avalanche, the undrafted 35-year-old is producing at his steadiest clip in years with the AHL's Colorado Eagles. 

Though 54 games the Maple Ridge native has racked up 15 goals and 44 points, his highest point totals since the 2014-15 season while holding down a sturdy plus-13.

Adam Gaudette

What more can be said about the season Adam Gaudette is having? 

The 27-year-old leads the American League with 31 goals, adding 19 assists for a plus-point-per-game pace of 50 points in 49 appearances with the Springfield Thunderbirds.

The fifth-round draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks has 70 points across 220 NHL games with the Canucks, Blackhawks, Senators and Blues. He could serve as a cost-effective source of secondary scoring for playoff-contending clubs. 

Rocco Grimaldi 

Thirty-one-year-old Rocco Grimaldi is quietly having one of the most consistent offensive seasons of his career.

A point-per-game player with the affiliate-less Chicago Wolves (28 goals, 23 assists, 51 points in as many games), Grimaldi is no stranger to the show, logging 67 points in 203 NHL games with the Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators across parts of eight season.

He's a veteran presence who can score when called upon, though he's often on the short end of the equation for goals against, currently holding a -26 with the Wolves, now standing at a -34 in his past three AHL seasons. 

Charles Hudon

It's been a winding road for former Canadiens draft pick Charles Hudon.

The product of the QMJHL, who has divided his pro career between the NHL, AHL and Swiss-A league, has 41 points in 134 NHL games. Not too shabby.

Still only 29, Hudon has been steady with Ontario Reign, putting up 18 goals and 44 points in 48 games. He's a solid two-way forward comfortable in multiple situations and would serve as a steady hand in the bottom half of the lineup. 

Nic Petan 

Much like Hudon, it's been a wild ride for 28-year-old Nic Petan, a former second-round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets. 

The WHL product, who put up back-to-back 100-point campaigns with the Portland Winterhawks, has bounced back and forth between the NHL and AHL since breaking into the pros in 2015-16.

Through 170 games, Petan has proven to be a tough, reliable forward with 35 points across his NHL tenure. In the AHL, when given a chance to shine, he's flexed his offensive muscle, currently putting up 40 points in 44 games with the Iowa Wild, a team he logged 23 goals and 62 points for a season prior.