NHL Halfway Mark

So the NHL has finally hit the halfway point and all the teams have now had a good look as to what their team has and what it needs. The trade deadline is the next mark to hit and teams have definitely made decisions on what's needed. Just like the free agency period, mobile offensive defencemen have always been a need. Tampa Bay is the biggest example of the lack of a decent defenceman. Dan Boyle aside, defence has always been the major issue for the Lightning.
Looking back, Tampa Bay management might have wanted to reconsider their drafting of Steven Stamkos first overall in the draft. 5 other defencemen were drafted in the top 10, Drew Doughty and Luke Schenn (Before his injury) are both playing considerable roles on their respective teams. The need for an offensive defenceman has been shown to be a heavily needed. The template for this team formula is Detroit. Rafalski, Lindstrom are both strong offensive Defencemen. Even Wade Redden was given a 6million dollar contract over 6 years. Although he's been on the decline in recent years, the need for such a defenceman in New York was obvious. Tamps Bay is now one of the last teams in the league and is a good shot to be either first or second in the draft. Given first, I can hardly see them make the same mistake and pick Tavares over Hedman. It can be argued that Hedman didn't look strong in the World Juniors but many say he was injured. Healthy or not, Hedman's stock has dropped from his performance. Some should take solace in the fact he showed a feistier side by sticking up for his goalie. Regardless of Hedman's current stock value, he is a "puckmoving" defenceman and will be highly coveted by anyone who picks him. Should Tampa pick up Tavares they'll likely end up in the same spot they are this year.
On the topic of the Lightning, the rumour of Lacavalier being moved is a big one. Stamkos is a centre who, despite being so highly touted, hasn't shown the offensive skill he was expected to have. The same result may very well fall on Tavares. Tavares has been labelled as Crosby without the skating ability. In today's NHL, the need for speed is paramount. No matter how skilled you are, if every player can catch up on you, you're not going to go far. If Lacavalier is traded, Tampa will indeed need a number one centre and Tavares or Stamkos will certainly be needed.
The main issue though, is the dysfunction shown in Tampa. The fiasco with Dan Boyle was not only cold hearted, but flat out disloyal. To consistently tell someone they're the centre of the team's defence and turn around and force them to waive their no-trade clause is a huge slap in the face. History is almost bound to repeat with Lecavalier. He now has a long term contract that was to make him a Lightning player for the rest of his career. He's the captain of that team and now rumours swirl about him being traded. As the saying goes, where there's smoke there's fire and right now, there's a whole lot of smoke. Based on the aforementioned Boyle situation, Tampa's denial of a trade offer is hardly anything to take seriously.
Speaking of trade rumours, reports say that the offer Montreal is making is Higgins, Plekanec, Gorges and a 1st round draft pick. Montreal would certainly love to bring in the skilled centre, bringing him home to Montreal. The issue is what they're going to do after the season. Lacavalier is making 8million a year for the next decade and Montreal has currently 11 players up for free agency in the off season. However, unlike most teams, they have Markov locked up for the next 3 years. This ensures that they continueto have their puck-moving defenceman. Following this recurring theme, Tampa lacks such a defenceman and the question remains, what does this trade do to ensure that they get the needed player? The answer is nothing. Josh Gorges is not an offensive player and Montreal's record will certainly keep them from having a high draft pick. As a result, aside from a couple of offensive players, there's nothing else to improve the Lightning. Rumour or not, Montreal will need a better offer unless Tampa Pulls pulls the trigger on the deal just to make a splash.
Following in Tampa's broken template is the Ottawa Senators. Ottawa's struggles have been lingering since last season. Despite their blazing start, the team has lacked consistency and the ability to play the full 60 minutes of a game. The only solace Sens fans have is the rising stock of Erik Karlsson, the first round pick from last year. Karlsson looked good on te smaller ice but he'll likely need a year in the AHL just to get used to the North American style. The Senators will still need a puck moving defenceman next season. Currently, their struggles have left them near the bottom and now they are close to getting a good pick in the draft. The draft would best work for them should they pick Hedman. Just like Tampa, the need for such a player is paramount for Ottawa. The loss of Joe Corvo was the last mobile defenceman Ottawa had following Redden's decline in stature. The acquisition of Brendanbell has not resulted in the dessired way and Ottawa's defence is being forced to play out of character. The team needs a shakeup and players like Mike Fisher and Antoine Vermette will need to step up or be dealt.
Fisher is an interesting case. He's dubbed more of a third line centre and potentially the best third line centre in the league. That said, a 5million dollar contract for a third line player is definitely not a workable contract. Despite being a fan favourite, his 20-game goaless droughts are unacceptable on a team that heavily lacks secondary scoring. It is understandable that Ottawa needed to keep core players but the heavily inflated contracts given to third line players is a binding problem that sadly won't be resolved until either the contracts end or a player is dealt. Word is that the oilers have been interested in Mike Fisher. Ottawa's window has closed and the need to rebuild is evident. Fisher's value could be potentially high and Bryan Murray could get back a draft pick or maybe a prospect. The Oilers are looking for grit and with luck Sam Gagner, who's experiencing his sophomore jinx, may be part of a deal to Ottawa.
Another player being called out is Jason Spezza. The issue with this is that his value is low. To trade away the team's number 1 centre with little hope of such a player in return is hardly something Fans in Ottawa, let alone ownership would allow to occur. Ottawa needs to make a trade to change the room, if not to dump salary.