With the NHL regular season hitting the homestretch and the NHL trade deadline looming next Monday, many teams will be looking to tighten up their blue lines.
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With the push to the postseason underway and just one week remaining for teams to finalize their rosters heading into their final battles for playoff positioning, defenseman will be a high commodity for many clubs.
While a lot of teams are still duking it out for top positioning in the Stanley Cup playoff picture, several teams that are already looking ahead to 2015-16 could be trying to deal some players away while some that are in the mix may move a defenseman if the right deal comes along.
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Here are three possible blue liners who could be donning different uniforms come the 3 p.m. ET deadline next Monday.
1) Keith Yandle, Arizona Coyotes: Yandle has one year and $5.5 million remaining on his deal and he is one of several Coyotes players that have been linked to trade rumors over the course of this season.
There have been plenty of teams that are reportedly interested in Yandle, but he will assuredly come with a hefty price tag to the tune of a top forward in a potential swap.
Yandle, 28, leads all NHL blue liners with 26 power play points and paces Arizona with 36 assists and 40 points while ranking second on the team with an average of 23:57 time on ice.
The Coyotes are looking to sell prior to the deadline as the team is 13th in the Western Conference, 22 points out of a playoff spot.
2) Dion Phaneuf, Toronto Maple Leafs: Phaneuf, the captain of the Maple Leafs, has been the subject of criticism in Toronto as of late, but a change of scenery could be just the boost he needs.
The one problem the Leafs will undoubtedly run into when trying to deal the scrappy Phaneuf is his contract as his current deal has six more years on it with a cap charge of $7 million.
Phaneuf, 29, has 22 points this season off of two goals and 20 assists, which has led to a lot of negativity in Toronto this season.
The Maple Leafs have plummeted to 14th in the Eastern Conference in a dreadful season and are 14 points out of a playoff position.
3) Mike Green, Washington Capitals: This could be a longshot with the Capitals knee-deep in a playoff race, but Green is only under contract through the end of this season and the team might not want to risk losing him for nothing.
While Green is used primarily on the third pairing on defense, his ability to produce points on the power play makes him a valuable asset to Washington, but also a possibly hot commodity on the trade market.
Green is a pending unrestricted free agent, so if the Capitals don't want to risk losing him for nothing, they could unload him by next week's deadline. The defenseman is making $6 million this season, but the Capitals may not be able to offer him that much or more when the season ends.
Green, 29, is third on the Capitals this season in assists (31) and power play points (15) and fourth in overall points (36).
The Capitals (76 points), currently hold the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, but are also in a tight race with the Pittsburgh Penguins (77), New York Rangers (78), and New York Islanders (80) in the Metropolitan Division, so a move may not be looming.
Plenty of things may happen between now and next Monday as the NHL trade deadline rapidly approaches.
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