The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs are underway, which means half of the NHL is competing for a championship right now.

That also means the other half of the league is sitting at home watching on TV while their front offices try to figure out moves to get them back into the postseason as soon as possible.

Here, we focus on the latter group of clubs and offer one trade idea each of them should consider this offseason.

In some cases it will be a specific player or position they should go after; in others, it might be them moving a player off of their roster for more help in the short or long term, or perhaps open up more salary-cap space.

Teams are listed and sorted in order of their finish in the 2023-24 NHL standings from least amount of points to most.

San Jose Sharks: Buy Draft Picks and Prospects by Taking on Bad Contracts

The reality for the San Jose Sharks in the short term is very bleak.

The organization is still in the early stage of a massive rebuild. Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl are all already gone, and they have already used all three of their salary-retention spots for the 2024-25 season.

They are years away from contending and need to be thinking in the long term.

However, the one thing they have working in their favor this offseason is the fact that they have over $38 million in salary-cap space at their disposal.

They need to put that to use as a dumping ground for some of the league's bad contracts that other teams are looking to trade. In doing so, they can stockpile more draft picks and prospects and give themselves more potential long-term assets.

Chicago Blackhawks: Trade for a Second-Line Center

The Chicago Blackhawks are past the point of tearing down, and now is the time to build around Connor Bedard.

The 18-year-old is clearly the future of the franchise and the team's long-term No. 1 center, so it now needs to work on giving him some help in the form of a second-line center who can play behind him and give the Blackhawks a 1-2 punch.

They have the assets to do so. Chicago has seven picks in the first three rounds of the 2024 NHL draft, including two first-round selections and three second-rounders.

Could the Blackhawks make Anaheim an offer it can't refuse for Trevor Zegras? Could they make a push for Casey Mittelstadt's RFA rights as Colorado deals with its salary-cap crunch? It doesn't hurt to ask.

Jason Dickinson and Nick Foligno are fine veteran options for the bottom six, but they aren't going to help Chicago make a meaningful step forward as second-line centers. That's a big spot that needs addressed.

Anaheim Ducks: Move Frank Vatrano to the Highest Bidder

Frank Vatrano's name was a big one in the trade-deadline rumor mill, but the Anaheim Ducks decided to hang on to him since they were under no pressure to trade him given the fact that his contract still has term remaining on it.

And while it might seem ridiculous on the surface to trade a 37-goal scorer who only cost $3.65 million against the salary cap, this might be the ideal time to move him if you are the Ducks.

Sell high, buy low. This would be the definition of selling high.

Vatrano is coming off a career season—meaning his value is probably as high as it is ever going to be—and his relatively cheap contract should make him an even more attractive trade asset.

The 30-year-old is also probably not going to be a player who sticks around in Anaheim as part of its ongoing rebuild, nor should he be the type of player it looks to commit big money to on a contract extension.

While the Ducks need to start taking a step forward, they are probably at least a year or two from serious playoff contention. It is unlikely Vatrano, who turns 31 next season, is still a part of the team at that point.

Anaheim could probably get a strong return in the form of another first-round pick or some strong prospects at positions of need. It is also unlikely he ever comes close to scoring the way he did this season.

Put up the for sale sign and sort out the offers that inevitably roll in.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Trade Boone Jenner

The Columbus Blue Jackets received a lot of interest in Boone Jenner at the 2023-24 NHL trade deadline, but interim general manager John Davidson was in no rush to deal him.

The biggest reason might have been the fact that Davidson did not want to make any major changes, preferring to wait for the new incoming GM to make the moves they want.

Dealing Jenner would be a good place for a new general manager to start retooling a bad roster.

As important as Jenner has been to the Blue Jackets over the years, this is a team in need of a major overhaul and needs to slam the reset button on most of the roster.

Jenner is one of the few players on the team who would have considerable trade value that could bring back a meaningful return. And, at 31, he might not be a part of the next good Blue Jackets team.

He is still signed for two more years at just a little more than $3.7 million per season and has been a steady 20-goal scorer the past few years. This could be the time to move him.

Montreal Canadiens: Trade for Defense

The Montreal Canadiens have a couple of promising young forwards in place with Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovský serving as their cornerstones.

They also have a couple of NHL-caliber goalies to work with in the short term with Cayden Primeau and Sam Montembeault both being under contract for next season.

What they need is more defensive help.

The Canadiens were one of the worst defensive teams in the league in 2023-24, finishing 30th in the league in expected goals against per 60 minutes. They have some young players on defense coming through the pipeline, and Mike Matheson has been a great fit at times, but they need more high-end players to lead their defense.

Montreal does not have a ton of salary-cap flexibility, and it's an extremely thin crop of unrestricted free-agent defensemen.

A trade might be the best approach, and the Canadiens have a mountain of draft picks to deal from in the coming seasons.

Utah: Trade for Linus Ullmark

Let's get bold. And a little wild.

Utah's new ownership is going to want to win, and win quickly to establish a strong fanbase with its new team. There are some intriguing pieces on this roster who could be the foundation of something competitive, but they need something to help bring it all together.

Nothing does that more than strong goaltending, and Linus Ullmark would not only be a significant upgrade to the current roster, but he would also be a big-name add for the debut season in Salt Lake City to help get fans excited.

At some point, the Boston Bruins are going to have to make a decision with their goalie rotation and commit to one of them, and Jeremy Swayman seems like he will eventually be that guy. Dealing Ullmark could bring in a nice collection of picks or prospects while also creating some desperately needed salary-cap space.

The Bruins were reportedly willing to move Ullmark at the deadline, and it would not be a stretch to see them explore that again.

His no-trade clause might get in the way, but for now, we are going to assume the 30-year-old would be willing to move.

Ottawa Senators: Trade for Kaapo Kakko's RFA Rights

The Senators were a massive disappointment during the 2023-24 season, and there's going to be some pressure for them to not only get closer to the playoffs this season but also get in.

While goaltending and defensive play has been a huge issue, they also have some major flaws when it comes to their forward and scoring depth.

Kaapo Kakko's RFA rights would be an intriguing option for the Senators to make a push for.

For one, the New York Rangers have a big decision to make with the 23-year-old. Do they still believe he can take a big step forward? Can they afford him and his likely raise under the salary cap? Do they want to try to afford him under the salary cap given what he has done so far? If the answer to those questions is no, a trade might be the most prudent option.

And he would certainly draw some interest.

While Kakko has not blossomed into a star, he is the type of player the Senators could use to round out their forward lineup and give them some actual depth. He can score 15 goals while also playing a physical game that sees him do a lot of the dirty work on whatever line he is a part of.

The Senators could use a player like that in their lineup.

Seattle Kraken: Trade for Scoring Help

The Seattle Kraken's dip in goal-scoring during the 2023-24 season should have been expected.

Almost all of their goal-scoring surge during the 2022-23 season was the result of career-high shooting percentages across the roster, and they were numbers that were probably never going to be repeated year in and year out.

They weren't repeated, and the Kraken ended up being one of the worst offensive teams in the league.

Matty Beniers bouncing back will help, as would the emergence of top prospect Shane Wright, but the Kraken can't just sit around and wait for improvements from within.

They also need to get aggressive and try to add some help from the outside.

They also have the salary-cap flexibility to be active in both free agency and the trade market. With only 15 players under contract for the 2024-25 season, they still have more than $23 million in salary-cap space at their disposal. While they do have a couple of significant restricted free agents to sign (including Beniers), nobody there should break the budget.

The Kraken did not have a single 30-goal scorer this season and only two players top the 50-point mark.

That is not good enough and it is the No. 1 area that needs to be addressed, especially after Joey Daccord helped to solidify the goaltending position this season.

Calgary Flames: Trade Jacob Markstrom

The Calgary Flames have been regressing for a couple of years now and spent the 2023-24 season starting their retooling by trading forward Elias Lindholm, defenseman Chris Tanev and defenseman Noah Hanifin on their way to a second straight non-playoff season.

Starting goalie Jacob Markstrom was also a part of those trade rumors going into the deadline, but he remained in Calgary with a few years still remaining on his contract.

Now might be the time to move the 34-year-old.

His performance bounced back a little during the 2023-24 season, and given his age there is no guarantee he maintains that for the long term or continues on an upward trajectory.

Markstrom is also unlikely to significantly change the outlook for the Flames in the short or long term given how weak the rest of the roster is and how many bad contracts it has (Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri specifically).

There are also enough contending teams in need of goaltending help that Markstrom should be attractive on the trade market, and the Flames need to take advantage of that to get out from the remainder of his contract and continuing their retooling.

Speaking of those potential contenders that could (or should) have an interest, there is one clear team that should be interested in Markstrom this offseason should he become available in trade talks.

New Jersey Devils: Get Jacob Markstrom

There were a lot of issues for the 2023-24 New Jersey Devils, and goaltending was at the top of the list.

It might also be the one fix that could solve the most problems in one move.

That move should be to make a push to acquire Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames.

Not only would he be a significant upgrade over what the Devils used this past season, but they also have the salary-cap space and assets to acquire a goalie of the Swede's caliber. They have nearly $20 million in cap space to play with and boast a deep farm system while also still owning their first-round pick.

The concern here would be that Markstrom is going to be 35 next season and has not always posted dominant numbers the past couple of years. But getting an opportunity to play behind a better, more structured team defensively might be a big boost for him.

Even if he just repeated his 2023-24 season (.905 save percentage), that would still be significantly better than what the Devils goalies gave them.

Buffalo Sabres: Trade for Scott Laughton

When the 2023-24 season began, the Buffalo Sabres were a popular pick to make the playoffs and finally end their postseason drought. They missed by just one point the year prior and had a young roster that seemed to be finally trending in the right direction.

But a lot of the things that went right in 2022-23 to bring them to the brink of playoff contention suddenly went wrong last season, including a major regression from their offense.

The entire Sabres forward group needs to address some big weaknesses, but one of the biggest holes relates to its depth and the lack of a true third-line center.

Scott Laughton would be an ideal fit, and there might be an incentive for the Flyers to trade him.

Philadelphia is still in the middle of its rebuild and is going to be looking for some changes of its own this offseason.

Adding a player like Laughton would do wonders to help extend the Sabres' lineup and give them a player who could play on multiple different lines. He would be an ideal third-line center due to his ability to push the 40-point mark and defend well, and he is still under contract for a few more years.

Philadelphia Flyers: Trade One of Their 1st-Round Picks

When the Philadelphia Flyers season ended, head coach John Tortorella made it very simple: They need more talent.

Even though the team exceeded all expectations this season and managed to hang around in the playoff race until the end of the regular season, it still has some significant shortcomings on the roster. Especially when it comes to its goal-scoring, power play and forward depth.

Matvei Michkov is the Flyers' prized prospect and should be in the NHL within the next year or two, and he could be a franchise-changer. But he alone is not going to be enough.

One thing Philadelphia should look to do this offseason is trade one of its two first-round picks (its own and Florida's pick) for more immediate scoring help.

Given the number of teams that will need to shed some salary, and the number of scorers who could be available, it might be an opportunity for the Flyers to package one of those picks to more talent into the lineup right away.

They made significant strides this season defensively and have a potential starting goalie in Ivan Fedotov. Now they need some more scoring depth to help bring it all together.

Minnesota Wild: Trade the 1st-Round Pick

Even though the Minnesota Wild saw a 16-point drop in the standings and missed the playoffs, there are some reasons for optimism that they could turn things around in short order.

They have top-line players including a bona fide star in Kirill Kaprizov. They also saw two young players emerge as potential building blocks in 2023-24, with defenseman Brock Faber and forward Marco Rossi both having breakout seasons.

They also saw their 5-on-5 performance remain relatively steady and close to what they did a year ago, only to have the entire thing be undone by a down goaltending year from Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury.

If they can bounce back next season, that would be a game-changer for the Wild and help them become competitive again a lot faster than anybody might realize.

Minnesota also still has one more year to deal with the buyouts to Zach Parise and Ryan Suter and the impacts they have on the team's salary cap.

Because of those buyouts, the Wild aren't in a position to trade prospects (they need as much cheap talent as they can get), and some of their contracts are not really ideal trade chips due to no-trade clauses and the commitment involved with them.

The first-round draft pick, however, might be intriguing for some teams and could help Minnesota bring in some much-needed scoring depth.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Find a Taker for Tristan Jarry

The Pittsburgh Penguins have quite a few contracts they might like to move this offseason, including Ryan Graves, Rickard Rakell and Reilly Smith. But one they should be seriously looking to move is Tristan Jarry.

They re-signed the goalie to a long-term contract prior to the 2023-24 season despite the fact that he had been an unreliable question mark over the past few years.

Jarry hasn't always been consistent, he has faded down the stretch in seasons, had injury issues and never really come through in a big moment for them.

Almost all of those things remained true this season, at least as it related to his inconsistency and poorly timed second-half struggles. Even worse, he ended up losing his starting job to Alex Nedeljkovic late in the season when the Penguins were playing must-win games.

They need a more reliable goalie and more salary-cap space. Moving on from Jarry might be a way to help fix both of those issues.

That, of course, is assuming the Penguins can find a taker for the remainder of his five-year, $26 million contract.

Detroit Red Wings: Trade For a No. 2 Defenseman

The Detroit Red Wings got so close to ending their playoff drought this season, but they still need a few more pieces to get over the hump.

Those pieces all relate entirely to goal prevention.

An upgrade in net would help, but what the Red Wings really need right now is another top-four defenseman who can either play alongside Moritz Seider or help lead a second-pairing.

The Red Wings' lack of depth on defense this season required Seider, 23, to take on a major role that resulted in him playing all of the big minutes, getting all of the tough assignments and not really getting much support around him.

Adding a No. 2 defenseman who can take some of that weight off of him would not only improve the Red Wings' overall roster, but it could also help free up Seider to allow him to truly break out and become the star player Detroit needs him to be.

A potential target they should consider: Jakub Chychrun. The Red Wings already made one big move with the Senators this past season to get Alex DeBrincat, and they should go back to that well this offseason, especially with Ottawa needing to add some forward and scoring depth.

It might be a good match for a hockey trade where two teams can deal from a position of depth to fill positions of weakness.

St. Louis Blues: Trade Pavel Buchnevich for Defense Help

The Blues nearly traded Pavel Buchnevich at the trade deadline, and now that he is entering the final year of his contract, it seems like a trade is even more possible this offseason.

It might be a good opportunity for St. Louis to not only move him but also to try to get some help on its blue line.

The Blues' defense has been a major problem ever since they lost Alex Pietrangelo and Vince Dunn, and they haven't done anything to meaningfully address it in the years since.

Part of that has been some poor decision-making by the front office. Another part of it has been the fact that they have some big money tied up in veterans Colton Parayko, Nick Leddy, Justin Faulk and Torey Krug that are nearly impossible to move.

Either way, the position is not good enough and something needs to be done about.

If the Blues do end up moving Buchnevich, arguably their most tradable asset, getting defensive help back should be considered a must.