The trade deadline is one of the trickiest times of the year for NHL general managers.

Should contenders trust their current roster, or bring in reinforcements? And should bubble teams try to compete with the top dogs?

Last year, the Columbus Blue Jackets went all-in, acquiring Ryan Dzingel and Matt Duchene to take a run at the Stanley Cup. They went on to squeeze into the playoffs and shockingly sweep the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, but then bowed out in the second. The St. Louis Blues, meanwhile, took home the Cup after making just one minor deal on deadline day to bring in Michael Del Zotto, who didn't appear in a single game during the playoffs.

Let's take a look at the likely buyers and sellers, and which teams are facing tough decisions.

Big spenders

Tampa Bay Lightning

Top prospects: Cal Foote, Nolan Foote, Alexander Volkov, Taylor Raddysh, Boris Katchouk, Alex Barre-Boulet, Mathieu Joseph

Draft pick situation: The Lightning are missing just their fifth-round selection in the upcoming draft. They'll get an additional first-round pick in 2020 if the Canucks make the playoffs, and that selection transfers to next year if Vancouver misses the posteason. Tampa also owns the Red Wings' fourth-round selection and the Senators' sixth-round pick in this year's draft.

The Lightning will get two first-round picks either this year or in 2021. Few top contenders possess that sort of draft capital, so Tampa should use it to reinforce an already deep team. After a historic campaign and an embarrassing sweep in the first round last year, the Lightning will be back with a vengeance this postseason.

Boston Bruins

Top prospects: Jack Studnicka, Zach Senyshyn, Urho Vaakanainen, Anders Bjork, Trent Frederic, John Beecher, Axel Andersson

Draft pick situation: The Bruins sent away their fourth-round pick in the upcoming draft.

Once again sitting atop the league's standings, Boston will surely be looking to add some secondary scoring to help one of the league's top lines.

Colorado Avalanche

Top prospects: Bowen Byram, Shane Bowers, Conor Timmins, Alex Newhook, Martin Kaut

Draft pick situation: The Avalanche don't have their second-round pick in the upcoming draft. However, their picks from the Maple Leafs and Panthers make up for the team not owning its selections in the third and sixth rounds.

With a lot of cap space, Colorado can take on almost anybody's cap hit. General manager Joe Sakic can use one of the league's best prospect groups to mortgage a bit of his team's future while grabbing a title now and still remaining a top contender for years to come.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Top prospects: Samuel Poulin, Filip Hallander, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Kasper Bjorqvist, Nathan Legare

Draft pick situation: Pittsburgh is missing its first-, second- and seventh-round selections in the upcoming draft.

With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin entering the twilight of their careers, it's almost now or never for them to win another Cup. The Penguins made a big splash Monday, dealing away a first-round pick, Calen Adisson, and Alex Galchenyuk to bring in Jason Zucker from the Minnesota Wild. General manager Jim Rutherford may be content with just the single move, but there's still a chance he looks to add even more depth.

Sellers

New Jersey Devils

Players who can be moved: Wayne Simmonds, Sami Vatanen, P.K. Subban

The Devils took a big swing this past summer, bringing in Simmonds, Subban, and Nikita Gusev, and selecting Jack Hughes first overall. It didn't work out, but there was still a dedicated home-run effort.

The team shipped out Taylor Hall earlier this season, and there's now a young core in New Jersey to build upon. Selling off some veteran players at the deadline can go a long way for the Devils' rebuild.

Ottawa Senators

Players who can be moved: Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Anthony Duclair, Craig Anderson, Vladislav Namestnikov, Mikkel Boedker, Ron Hainsey, Dylan DeMelo, Chris Tierney

The Senators' roster turnover has been stunning, with just a handful of players left from their team that made it within one goal of the Stanley Cup Final in 2017.

It looks like Ottawa will have two lottery picks, one via the San Jose Sharks, and three second-round selections in this year's draft. The Senators would be wise to bring in even more assets, adding to their young core that includes Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot.

Los Angeles Kings

Players who can be moved: Tyler Toffoli, Alec Martinez, Trevor Lewis

The Kings are hoping to quickly rebuild because Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty aren't getting younger. Destined for a top-five pick in this year's draft, Los Angeles will need to add more talent to fast-track the process.

Bubble teams facing tough decisions

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs' core is set for the next several years, but there aren't many draft picks at their disposal. With just a few players set to hit free agency this summer and the recent emergence of blue-liners Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren, general manager Kyle Dubas needs to decide whether he should trust his group and ride out the season, or bring in another body or two.

Facing a tight playoff race in the East, there's no guarantee the Leafs will even make the postseason.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes have the misfortune of playing in one of the league's toughest divisions, and they're sitting in the second wild-card spot in the East despite earning 67 points.

Carolina holds a few picks in the upcoming draft, including an extra selection in each of the first three rounds. If general manager Don Wadell decides he wants to make a splash at the deadline, there's more than enough ammunition for him to work with.

Florida Panthers

In a major move this past summer, the Panthers paid Sergei Bobrovsky big bucks. Florida could now use some help defensively to support its high-octane group of forwards.

With the team in a close race against the Maple Leafs for the third spot in the Atlantic Division, there's also no guarantee the Panthers will make the playoffs. Bobrovsky took some time to settle into the crease in the Sunshine State, so perhaps general manager Dale Tallon decides to take a mulligan on the year.

Nashville Predators

David Poile seems to never sit still at the trade deadline. As usual, the Central Division is competitive, with Nashville eight points behind the Dallas Stars for third place. Thankfully, the Pacific Division has struggled all season long, leaving the wild-card spots in the West wide open.

Poile will need to decide whether it's worth being aggressive, especially if Nashville seems destined to be a wild-card team.

Vegas Golden Knights

There seems to be a new Pacific Division leader daily. Just four points separate the top five teams in the division, and the Golden Knights can easily end up taking the crown.

With a healthy amount of picks in the upcoming two drafts and a bitter taste in their mouth from last year's postseason result, the Golden Knights may look to bolster their roster. Last season, their acquisition of Mark Stone was the biggest trade at the deadline.

Winnipeg Jets

The Jets have been in dire need of a defenseman all season long, and they may be wise to add one while close to a playoff spot. Now that they know Dustin Byfuglien won't be returning this season, it could be time to act. If Winnipeg can catch fire at the right time, the club will be one of the toughest outs in the playoffs.

Edmonton Oilers

Boasting the league's top two scorers in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers should have no reason not to be a playoff team. Still, with the Pacific Division wide open, there is a chance they wind up missing the postseason. Given the elite level at which Draisaitl and McDavid are playing, failing to add some secondary scoring to help them would constitute a huge opportunity wasted. Ahead of his first trade deadline with the Oilers, Ken Holland has a number of tough decisions to mull over.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins' injury woes continue.

Rookie defenseman John Marino will undergo surgery Monday after taking a slap shot to his face on Thursday, and there is no timetable for his return to action, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, per NHL.com's Wes Crosby.

Marino was able to skate off the ice with the help of a trainer following the shot from Tampa Bay Lightning star Steven Stamkos, but he did not return to the game.

While it was initially believed that Marino had avoided a serious injury, he was later diagnosed with three broken bones in his cheek that would require surgery, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette's Matt Vensel reported Friday.

The 22-year-old Marino has been a revelation for the Penguins on the blue line this season. He's racked up five goals and 25 points in 51 games while averaging 20:19 minutes of ice time.

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The Blue Jackets have recalled forward Liam Foudy from the OHL's London Knights on an emergency basis, and he's set to make his NHL debut on Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Knights announced Sunday.

NHL teams are permitted to recall players from junior during the season under certain extenuating circumstances. Recalling Foudy is allowed after a mutual decision the Blue Jackets and Knights made, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.

Under the rules, Foudy can't stay in the NHL for more than five games or be in the league past March 1, Portzline adds.

The Blue Jackets selected the 20-year-old 18th overall in 2018. He's the Knights' co-captain this season and has recorded 20 goals and 43 points in 32 games.

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The Edmonton Oilers are finalizing a two-year contract extension with defenseman Darnell Nurse worth slightly more than $5.5 million annually, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.

The Oilers drafted the 25-year-old seventh overall in 2013. He's been a key defender for the team, averaging 21:35 minutes of ice time per game over his career. Nurse has appeared in 334 contests with Edmonton, racking up 28 goals and 112 points.

He's averaging 22:46 minutes this season and has recorded four goals and 24 points in 55 games.

Nurse, who's a pending restricted free agent, is now set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the extension, McKenzie adds.

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Patrik Laine is scoring goals at a historic rate.

With a hat trick on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators, the Winnipeg Jets forward now has 133 career goals. At 21 years old, Laine is tied with Brian Bellows for the seventh-most goals all time before turning 22.

Laine, who will turn 22 on April 19, has a chance to enter the top five, as he trails both Lemieux and Carpenter by just 12 goals.

The former second overall pick entered the NHL as an 18-year-old in 2016 and scored 36 goals in his rookie season before adding an impressive 44 in his sophomore year.

Laine is up to 23 goals and 51 points this season, already eclipsing his point total of 50 from 2018-19. Saturday's hat trick was the eighth of his career, according to the Winnipeg Sun's Scott Billeck.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs secured a 5-4 win at home against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, but head coach Sheldon Keefe isn't doing any cartwheels.

"Zero excitement," Keefe said postgame, according to TSN's Kristen Shilton. "Concern is a stretch. Disappointed. We need to get on our toes and get our swagger and confidence."

The Leafs appeared well on their way to securing a straightforward win. Leading 3-1 in the third period, they surrendered a trio of late goals and were forced to go to overtime, where captain John Tavares scored the game-winner with six seconds remaining to end a two-game losing streak.

Toronto blew a similar lead on home ice against the Florida Panthers on Monday, losing 5-3 after conceding four goals in the third frame.

Goaltender Jack Campbell, who was acquired via trade Wednesday, made his Leafs debut and allowed four goals on 30 shots.

"I got caught watching the guys making plays. I was just in awe. It's incredible, so I'm just glad I'm in the blue and white right now," Campbell said after securing his first win with his new club, according to Shilton.

The Leafs were without forward William Nylander, who missed out due to illness. He won't travel to Montreal with his teammates Friday for their game Saturday against the Canadiens, but he may join them in the morning if he's feeling better, Shilton adds.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired goaltender Jack Campbell and forward Kyle Clifford from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for forward Trevor Moore, a third round pick in 2020 and an additional conditional third round pick in 2021, the team announced Wednesday.

The Kings will retain 50% of Clifford's salary as a part of the transaction, according to the team.

More to come.

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In the fourth edition of theScore's Calder Trophy Power Rankings, two players who have been red-hot recently throw their hats into the ring.

5. Elvis Merzlikins, Columbus Blue Jackets

Are we witnessing Jordan Binnington 2.0? The St. Louis Blues netminder appeared in just 32 games last year but still finished second in Calder voting. Merzlikins, 25, could soon find himself in a similar situation.

Since Joonas Korpisalo went down with an injury in December, Merzlikins has started 11 games for the Blue Jackets, winning nine of them while posting three shutouts. He boasts a 9-6-4 record with a .926 save percentage and 2.39 goals-against average.

With Korpisalo set to return from injury, it's unclear what Merzlikin's workload will look like down the stretch. But if he can continue his dominant play and help Columbus reach the playoffs, his name will surely be in the Calder conversation.

4. Dominik Kubalik, Chicago Blackhawks

Kubalik must have found the switch to turn on the jets because he's been an absolute revelation of late. Originally selected 191st overall in the 2013 NHL Draft by the Los Angeles Kings, he's notched 21 goals in 49 games for the Blackhawks to lead all rookies in that category.

The 24-year-old has buried 10 of those tallies in just nine games in the month of January. It will be interesting to see if he and linemate Jonathan Toews can continue to create magic on the ice in the second half of the season and help Chicago maintain its surge up the standings.

3. Victor Olofsson, Buffalo Sabres

Despite missing the last three weeks of action with a wrist injury, Olofsson's season is still salvageable. He remains second in both goals (16) and points (35) among all rookie skaters and is slated to return to the Sabres' lineup at some point in the next few weeks.

If the 24-year-old retains his scoring touch once he's back to full health, he'll remain in the hunt for the Calder.

2. Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks boast the league's seventh-best power play, a fact that can be largely attributed to Hughes. His 18 power-play points are tops among all rookies and good for 17th in the league overall.

With just five goals this season, he hasn't found the back of the net as often as the other skaters on this list. His 29 assists, however, more than make up for that. Hughes' 21:36 of average ice time leads all rookies, and he's a key reason the Canucks are sitting first in the Pacific Division.

1. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche

When an injury in early December cost Makar eight games, many thought the Calder race had been blown wide open. But he hasn't missed a beat since returning to the lineup, recording nine points in his last 12 games.

Makar leads all rookies with 37 points and ranks second in team scoring for the Avalanche. Hughes has closed the gap recently, but it seems like the Calder Trophy is still Makar's to lose with more than half of the regular season in the books.

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Ahead of the much-anticipated Battle of Alberta rematch on Jan. 29, Matthew Tkachuk says he didn't carry any grudges into the All-Star Game.

"When it came down to it we're all there to have a fun time, and we all were enjoying each other's company," Tkachuk said to reporters on Monday, per TSN. "A bunch of really good guys honestly and I had a blast being around the rink. ... The fact that you can play as hard as we do for the whole year and for years and playoffs - a bunch of battles with each other - and you go there and it's like nothing honestly ever happened previous."

The Calgary Flames forward has earned a reputation in the league as an agitator and has riled up plenty of his opponents this year. After being involved in a skirmish with Edmonton Oilers forward Zack Kassian before the All-Star break, Kassian's teammate Leon Draisaitl joked that he'd get off the ice if he was put on with Tkachuk. Instead, Draisaitl and Tkachuk ended up combining to create a pretty nifty goal.

Although he's far from a fan favorite in Edmonton after his tactics led to a two-game suspension for Kassian, Tkachuk showed Oilers star Connor McDavid and the other All-Stars some love.

"Great guy (McDavid) honestly, being in the room with guys like him and the rest of the All-Stars, like I said earlier you forget about what's kind of going on. You're just there to have a good time with them and just talk hockey, talk life," Tkachuk said. "Being in the same room as him and some of the All-Stars, you're taken back a little bit and it's pretty cool to be there with them."

Tkachuk may be a nightmare for opponents to face during the regular season, but it seems as though any ill will toward him was put on pause during the weekend's festivities. The 22-year-old and his Pacific Division teammates won the 3-on-3 tournament and its $1-million prize.

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After watching the Canadian women edge out the Americans in the NHL All-Star Weekend's three-on-three event Friday, Mitch Marner and Frederik Andersen are voicing their support for the establishment of a viable women's professional hockey league.

"I think a lot of those players can play in this league. They got a lot of skill," Marner said, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox. "You saw it out there. I mean, the plays some of them made and the moves they were making, it was impressive to see."

The Toronto Maple Leafs forward is in favor of the NHL forming a WNHL, according to Fox.

"A lot of those players are great players, and to see them not in a league right now is disappointing," Marner said. "I really hope they get a league back up and running."

After the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) folded last year, players from both the CWHL and National Women's Hockey League announced they wouldn't play in any North American professional league for the 2019-20 season.

Instead, over 200 players formed the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA). The PWHPA's stated goal is to "promote, advance, and support a single, viable professional women's ice hockey league in North America."

Members of the PWHPA have appeared at the ECHL All-Star Classic, NHL All-Star Weekend, and have toured throughout North America to showcase their talent. All 20 players that participated in the three-on-three event at All-Star Weekend are a part of the PWHPA.

Andersen, whose younger sister, Amalie, plays hockey for the University of Maine, hopes there will soon be viable opportunities for women beyond the collegiate level.

"I don't know what the right answer is, but of course I want to see a women's side in the game for young girls to dream of playing in," the Maple Leafs goalie said. "I know firsthand with my sister. She goes to college. And after that, I don't know what really is the future.

"I think it's just important we keep trying to grow it and, hopefully, down the road, they can have something to strive for besides playing college."

Canadian forward Sarah Nurse, who participated in the three-on-three event, thought the competition was a great way to help further the goals of the PWHPA.

"It was a fabulous event," Nurse said, according to The Canadian Press. "For the current state of women's hockey and what we're doing this year, it was the perfect opportunity to really get that visibility and exposure."

The next PWHPA showcase will take place in Philadelphia on Feb. 29.

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