The nature of lists this time of year depends greatly on the age of the person scratching them out.
If you’ve only recently learned to spell or are at a point where your parents just allowed you your first phone to tap notes on, your list is almost certainly a collection of wants.
If you’re a bleary-eyed adult trying to make the magic happen for the family, chances are you’re focused on a bunch of to-do bullet points that HAVE to get done in the next two weeks.
There’s a bit of a want vs. need dynamic to it all.
With Christmas around the corner, it’s worth remembering that NHL teams all have a collection of wants and needs, too. Some desires are rooted in necessity, while others could be considered more of a nice-to-have.
Either way, it’s officially gifting season and we’re here to hand something out to all 32 clubs, whether they desperately require it or not.
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1. Colorado Avalanche (21-2-7): With all that firepower, somehow the Avs have the 24th-ranked power play in the NHL. Colorado could use a few more PPGs.
2. Dallas Stars (21-5-5): It’s a big ask, but could this team land a right-shot defenceman for the top 4? Two seasons ago, they got one in Chris Tanev from the Calgary Flames. Could the clubs hook up again in a deal for righty (and pending-UFA) Rasmus Andersson?
3. Washington Capitals (18-9-3): How about a starting gig for Canada at the Olympics that Logan Thompson uses to prove he can be a big-game goalie.
4. Vegas Golden Knights (14-6-9): Hey Santa, can we keep Mark Stone healthy for a long stretch? He’s only played 13 games this season, but among guys who’ve competed in that many contests, Stone’s 1.69 points-per-game is second only to Nathan MacKinnon (1.70).
5. Carolina Hurricanes (18-9-2): Playoff scoring and reliable goaltending, just like last year! And the year before…and the year before…
6. Anaheim Ducks (19-10-1): The Ducks need some help on the PK, where the team is better than only five other NHL clubs.
7. Minnesota Wild (16-9-5): How about a big, splashy addition to help with the offence. Minny’s 2.73 goals-per-game ranks 26th in the league.
8. Philadelphia Flyers (16-9-3): The Flyers don’t have to ask for anything new; it would be enough to just keep the players they have and make it into the playoffs for the first time in an 82-game schedule since 2018.
9. Pittsburgh Penguins (14-7-7): One more season for 39-year-old Evgeni Malkin.
10. Los Angeles Kings (14-8-8): How about a three-way deal that lands Ryan O’Reilly in L.A., Phillip Danault back in Montreal and a Kings first-rounder with a Montreal prospect in Nashville?
11. Tampa Bay Lightning (17-11-2): An Atlantic Division title that does not come with the headache and trauma of playing the Panthers as a wild-card team in Rd. 1.
12. New York Islanders (17-11-3): Don’t get greedy, guys; moving up the lottery 10 spots to draft Matthew Schaefer only to find out he’s Rod Langway crossed with Bobby Orr is enough for one year.
13. Detroit Red Wings (17-11-3): Any all-world defencemen from Michigan at the centre of trade speculation the Wings could pursue?
14. Toronto Maple Leafs (14-11-4): A fourth good goalie in case Dennis Hildeby gets hurt.
15. Boston Bruins (18-13-0): Please, please let this be the real Morgan Geekie.
16. Florida Panthers (15-12-2): Did you know Santa’s official residence is located in Finland? Surely he’s got a soft spot for the Finns, so maybe he can deliver a healthy Aleksander Barkov for Game 1 of the playoffs.
17. New Jersey Devils (17-12-1): Forget Quinn Hughes; how about, when Jack Hughes returns to the lineup from his latest injury, we make it the start of, like, three years where the guy doesn’t miss a game.
18. Edmonton Oilers (13-11-6): “Dear Santa, nearly 20 years ago we traded for this goalie at the deadline named Dwayne Roloson who took us to the Cup final; any chance you could re-create history for us?”
19. Montreal Canadiens (15-11-3): This time of year, a red light is associated with Rudolph’s glowing nose. In Montreal, though, it means more awful goaltending from Sam Montembeault and Jakub Dobes. Canadiens fans will be begging St. Nick — and any other magic man they can think of — to have things change with touted prospect Jacob Fowler now on the scene.
20. Chicago Blackhawks (13-11-6): How about some underlying numbers that match the positivity of being in a playoff chase? Right now, the Hawks have the worst five-on-five expected goals percentage in the NHL, according to Moneypuck.
21. New York Rangers (15-13-4): It might be the Rangers who give us all something if they don’t re-sign Artemi Panarin and he becomes one of the few very intriguing UFA options on the open market.
22. Winnipeg Jets (14-14-1): Christmas could come a bit early in Manitoba as Connor Hellebuyck is back practising with the team. Really, it can’t come early enough.
23. Columbus Blue Jackets (13-11-6): Adam Fantilli has been good, but fans in Ohio would love to unwrap a reality where he makes the kind of Year 3 leap the two guys drafted ahead of him in 2023 — Connor Bedard and Leo Carlsson — have made.
24. Ottawa Senators (13-12-4): How about a bunch of Norris Trophy votes for Jake Sanderson?
25. Utah Mammoth (14-15-3): Utah is likely asking for it to be October again. After starting the year 8-2-0, the Mammoth are 6-13-3 in their past 22 outings.
26. San Jose Sharks (14-14-3): The World Junior Championship is a holiday tradition and the Sharks surely want Michael Misa — the second-overall selection last June — to go there, dominate and use that as a springboard to a positive second half to his rookie pro season.
27. Seattle Kraken (12-10-6): The first three things on Seattle’s list should be talent, talent and talent. The Kraken have scored 2.62 goals per game this year, fewer than everybody except the Calgary Flames.
28. St. Louis Blues (11-13-7): Are we at the point where Blues fans are just asking for good returns for signature franchise players like Brayden Schenn and Jordan Binnington?
29. Nashville Predators (11-14-4): If there’s one thing Nashville had for 20 years, it was a clear identity. Now it feels like time to ask for a new one.
30. Calgary Flames (12-16-4): “Dear Santa, we have never selected in the top 3 picks of the draft since moving to Calgary; can we just get one lottery win to stop all this arguing about whether to tank or not?”
31. Buffalo Sabres (12-14-4): Buffalo needs road wins in a bad way. The Sabres’ .286 points percentage as the visitor is the worst mark in the NHL.
32. Vancouver Canucks (11-16-3): A huge, huge Quinn Hughes haul, whenever it happens.
