The NHL’s trade market was heating up Saturday, and the Minnesota Wild struck by acquiring veteran winger Gustav Nyquist from Nashville in exchange for a second-round draft pick. This follows an earlier trade Saturday that saw the Colorado Avalanche land defenseman Ryan Lindgren from the New York Rangers.

Gustav Nyquist (Sergei Belski-Imagn Images)

To be sure, the Central Division clearly means business. And just look at what else has been happening with Central teams: the Winnipeg Jets are the hottest team in the league, and one that doesn’t really need to acquire anyone at the moment. But the Dallas Stars made a splash in early February, picking up winger Mikael Granlund from San Jose exactly a month ago.

Teams aren’t waiting until the NHL’s March 7 trade deadline arrives – they’re being proactive and striking before their competitors do. And that could prove to be the best strategy to go on a lengthy Stanley Cup playoff run.

Other teams in the league would be well-advised to follow the Central Division’s lead and bring in talent. Because although the Stars, Avalanche and Wild did have to pay a price to improve their depth and overall talent, they didn’t have to pay a huge one. Nyquist had 50 percent of his salary retained by Nashville, and Lindgren had half of his salary retained by the Rangers. Meanwhile, Granlund did cost the Stars a first-round draft pick, but Dallas also got defensive depth in that trade in the form of veteran Cody Ceci.

You can see, then, why many teams don’t want to wait until the final moments before the deadline arrives. There could well be a bidding war for talent at that point, and no team should want to be caught up in the frenzy if they can get a deal done sooner than later.

The Central Division may be the most competitive in the league right now, so it’s obvious why teams are making notable moves. However, the Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions also have serious competition among teams looking to just sneak into the playoffs – we’re thinking of the Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers – or to take advantage of their current spot at the top of their division (i.e. the Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, New Jersey Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning). There’s only a finite amount of talent to go around, so it’s incumbent on NHL GMs to get the jump on their competition and land needle-moving talent right now.

It’s shaping up to be a seller’s market, and that means some non-playoff teams can afford to be patient in advance of the trade deadline. But the many teams that are almost assuredly going to be buyers need to get in on the trade front as soon as possible. The longer they wait, the less likely they’re going to wind up with the help they may need to have a successful year. The stakes are sky-high, and the trades we’re starting to see are a reflection of that desperation.

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