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Columbus would like the old Steve Mason back. (Getty Images)
As you may or may not know, but you probably do know, Christmas is right around the corner. It is for many a time of giving and receiving presents. Well, in the NHL, no matter how good a team is, they could probably use something. Or, if your team is the Carolina Hurricanes, they need just about everything. So, with that in mind, I've decided to create a list of every NHL team's biggest need at the moment. Some of these could be solved with their current rosters, some would require trades, some, quite frankly, might be impossible. Still, 'tis the season for hope, right? Well, again, unless you are the Hurricanes. Today's the Western Conference's turn, tomorrow is the Eastern Conference.
Anaheim Ducks: Goaltending stability. Neither J.S. Giguere nor Jonas Hiller has really stepped up to the plate this year, and quite frankly the lack of a defined number one goalie probably isn't helping their play. The Ducks need one of their goalies to take control of the starter's job, and then Anaheim has to be sure they stand behind him.
Calgary Flames: More from Olli Jokinen. Jarome Iginla? Doing just fine. Rene Bourque? A pleasant surprise. Miikka Kiprusoff? Solid as ever. Jokinen? Only seven goals and 25 points so far. The Flames are headed to the playoffs, but if they want to make some noise once there, they need Jokinen to pick up the scoring.
Chicago Blackhawks: What to get the team that has seemingly everything? Quite frankly, they just need to hope Cristobal Huet's play remains strong all season and throughout the playoffs. If that's the case, maybe the best gift for the Hawks would be metal polish.
Colorado Avalanche: More of what they've had so far. The Avs are still in the playoff hunt to the surprise of pretty much everybody. Whatever they are doing, they just need to keep doing it. They are punching above their weight, but if they can keep it up the rebuilding process just took a huge step forward.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Steve Mason, last year's model. From a Calder winner and a Vezina finalist to a guy with a 3.41 GAA and a .887 SV%. He was supposed to be the guy in Columbus for years to come. Now, he's their biggest question mark, and the main reason it looks like the Jackets won't be returning to the postseason.
Dallas Stars: Instead of receiving a gift, they should be giving a gift to whoever came up with the one point for an overtime or shootout loss rule. The Stars have 11 OTLs so far. That's been the difference between playoff contention and bottom of the barrel.
Detroit Red Wings: Health. They just need all their guys back and healthy. They aren't just missing minor guys, some of their best players are missing huge swaths of the season. There has to be genuine concern about missing the playoffs now, and it is owed entirely to injuries.
Edmonton Oilers: A healthy, vintage Nikolai Khabibulin. The goaltending has been a big issue in Edmonton, and the Oilers don't score enough to make up for it. This is the main reason they now find themselves at the bottom of the Western Conference. Only Columbus has a worse goal differential out West, and we know how things are looking there. Only the return of the 'Bulin Wall of old could save the Oilers now.
Los Angeles Kings: The return of Ryan Smyth. Even without Smyth, the Kings have played exceptionally well and currently sit in second in the Pacific Division. However, with a healthy Smyth this team could not only lock up a playoff spot, but perhaps even with a series this postseason. He scored 23 points in 22 games before his injury, and he also helped propel Anze Kopitar to a great start. More of that could only bode well for the Kings.
Minnesota Wild: A refund on Marty Havlat. 30 games, 20 points, and a minus-11 rating. Thanks to Mikko Koivu and Niklas Backstrom, the Wild have overcome a poor start, but without Havlat performing the playoffs seem out of reach. Additionally, maybe a thank you gift for Finland is in order.
Nashville Predators: A legitimate scoring threat. Don't get me wrong, scoring by committee has done pretty well for the Preds thus far. However, if they could add a big time points producer, this could be a team that makes a run in the playoffs. Granted, those kind of players don't grow on trees, but one could possibly be found.
Phoenix Coyotes: Off ice stabilty. Fortunately, this one seems to be coming closer to fruition. Hopefully we hear in the not too distant future that the Coyotes' ownership is settled and the team is staying in Phoenix. Oh, also anybody with any scoring ability would be nice too.
San Jose Sharks: Playoff success. They'll have to wait a while to receive this gift, but after years of struggling in the postseason, I think the Sharks would gladly wait patiently for such a present.
St. Louis Blues: Last season. Those were good times for the Blues. They were an upstart cinderella playoff team. David Backes, David Perron, and Patrick Berglund looked like promising players. Alas, this is one gift that is impossible to receive. The Blues are stuck in this season, where things have not gone as planned, and where Berglund has a mere eight points.
Vancouver Canucks: Another Sedin. Hey, they really like the first two, I'm sure they would be glad to have another. Henrik (44 points) and Daniel (20 points in 18 games) are leading the way offensively as per usual, but the Canucks could still use a bit of offensive depth, particularly when it comes to goal scoring.
That's all for the Western Conference. Will any of these teams end up getting these gifts anytime soon? Only time will tell.
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