With the NHL trade deadline one week away, contenders and teams on the playoff bubble are looking to put the finishing touches on their rosters for their run toward the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Elias Pettersson and Zach Whitecloud (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)

Two Western Conference clubs that could be burning up the phone lines are the Vegas Golden Knights and Vancouver Canucks.  The Golden Knights lead the Pacific Division with a 35-18-6 record, while the Canucks are in a battle for the final Western Conference wild-card spot with 65 points – one point ahead of the Calgary Flames and two points in front of Utah. 

Here are the main and secondary areas of need that each club will likely address before the March 7 trade deadline.

Vegas Golden Knights

Main Need: Top-Nine Forward 

GM Kelly McCrimmon recognized the need to add help up front well in advance of the deadline by taking a free swing with veteran left winger Brandon Saad, but with center William Karlsson injured and Mark Stone in a constant state of fragility, Vegas will likely be focused on adding another piece capable of playing in a scoring role and adding to the club’s depth before 3 p.m. next Friday. 

One place where Vegas set up camp this month was in Buffalo, where a pair of scouts were at five-straight Sabres home games. Buffalo has a pair of pending UFAs in Jordan Greenway and Jason Zucker, and forwards such as Dylan Cozens and Alex Tuch, who all would potentially fit what the Golden Knights are looking for. McCrimmon’s issue is that his club is low on NHL-ready prospects, and Vegas doesn't have its 2025 first-round pick, so it is probable the Knights will be relegated to the rental market over making a hockey deal. 

Secondary Need: Backup Goalie

One of the keys to the Golden Knights' 2023 Stanley Cup victory was having a Plan B between the pipes when Laurent Brossoit was injured in the second round. Adin Hill took them the rest of the way and this season has been the primary starter, but the club does not have a reliable second option in Ilya Samsonov, who had post-season issues in Washington and Toronto. There could be more dependable backup options on the market.

Vancouver Canucks

Main Need: Top-Six Center

The Canucks are in that uncertain position of being in a playoff spot but with players on expiring contracts (Brock Boeser) or who have disappointed this season (Elias Pettersson). GM Patrik Allvin has been busy this season, moving out center J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini and a first-round pick, and then flipping the draft choice to Pittsburgh for defenseman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O’Connor (both of whom signed extensions with Vancouver).

Elias Pettersson has continued to struggle since the departure of Miller and the Canucks continue to ponder whether to move him before the deadline or before his no-movement clause kicks in on July 1, but any deal would likely involve getting a center to replace him in the top six. Even if Allvin decides to hold off on dealing Pettersson, it is likely that adding help up the middle is at the top of Vancouver’s shopping list. 

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Secondary Need: Top-Four Defenseman 

The Canucks have one of the best defensemen in the NHL in Quinn Hughes, and they  added to their top four with the acquisition of Marcus Pettersson. But the injury to Filip Hronek this season has exposed the weakness of Vancouver’s blueline on the right side. Veteran Tyler Myers is better suited to bottom-pairing duty, and Mancini and 2023 first-rounder Tom Willander are a year or more away.  Allvin may seek the defenseman he is looking for over the summer in a trade or free agency, but he should seize the opportunity if it comes up before March 7.