With a stacked 2019 free-agent class and several teams well out of the playoff hunt, it appears to be a buyers' market leading up to the NHL's trade deadline. It's possible Artemi Panarin, Wayne Simmonds, Matt Duchene, Mark Stone, and other big names could be moved before Feb. 25, setting up one of the most anticipated deadlines in recent years.

Here are three teams that should be in pursuit of an impact player over the next few weeks:

Nashville Predators

The Predators are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders due to stellar goaltending and arguably the league's best defensive core. However, the Preds rank outside the top 10 in the league in goals per game and own the NHL's 30th-ranked power play. To put themselves over the top, they need some extra offensive punch.

Outside of Filip Forsberg, Nashville doesn't have a game-breaking talent up front. Adding an impact forward such as Duchene, Stone, or Panarin - who the club has reportedly inquired about - would change that.

The Predators dealt a second-round pick to the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday for Brian Boyle, but Nashville still has its first-rounder to dangle in trade talks.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins' trio of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak form arguably the league's best line, but the rest of Boston's roster doesn't pose as much of an offensive threat. David Krejci is having a nice year, but the Bruins severely lack scoring depth in their bottom-nine forward group.

Inserting one of the available wingers, such as Panarin, Stone, or Simmonds - who Boston has reportedly shown interest in - would give the Bruins two formidable lines, making them a nightmare for opponents to match up against in the postseason.

Atlantic Division rivals like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs have an embarrassment of riches up front, meaning the Bruins should be in heavy pursuit of an impact player if they have Stanley Cup aspirations.

New York Islanders

Preseason pundits predicted the Islanders would be sellers at the 2019 trade deadline. However, despite losing franchise player John Tavares in the offseason, the Isles find themselves atop the Metropolitan Division.

New York has both the cap room and enough draft picks and young prospects to be serious players ahead of the deadline. Moreover, with several contracts coming off the books after this season, the team could acquire one of the aforementioned pending unrestricted free agents and sign them to a long-term extension before they hit the open market.

The Isles have been the stingiest defensive team in the league this season, but adding a dynamic forward up front could make the club a force to be reckoned with down the stretch.

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Near the end of every NHL offseason, there are inevitably a few half-decent players looking for a contract for one reason or another.

Some are shunned because of injuries, age, or diminished production, some are casualties of the salary cap or a buyout, and some are cast aside simply due to roster circumstances.

Here's a trio of players who've been done in by factors largely out of their control:

Scott Hartnell

Hartnell had a number of things working against him this summer. His age was obviously a factor, but equally significant was the fact that the Nashville Predators have a player with sky-high upside likely taking his spot in the lineup.

The grizzled forward turned 36 in April, and that, combined with highly anticipated prospect Eeli Tolvanen's arrival and the Nashville Predators' depth at left wing, all but spelled the end of Hartnell's second tenure with the team.

While Hartnell's overall offensive production dipped in 2017-18, he still managed to score 13 goals and drive possession with a 51.24 even-strength Corsi For percentage. The consistently durable veteran played only 62 games last season, his lowest total in a full campaign since 2003-04 and the first time he appeared in fewer than 77 contests in an 82-game campaign since 2006-07.

Brooks Orpik

Orpik may have a home, but there's no doubt the system failed him after he had his salary trimmed thanks to some financial maneuvering by the Washington Capitals and the Colorado Avalanche.

Orpik had one year and $4.5 million in base salary (at a $5.5-million cap hit) left on his deal with the Capitals. They included him in the Philipp Grubauer trade at the draft, and the Avalanche promptly bought out the remaining year of Orpik's deal. About a month later, the Capitals re-signed Orpik on a one-year, $1-million contract.

He's owed $1.5 million in buyout payments in each of the next two seasons, and he's reportedly eligible for separate $250,000 bonuses if he hits 20 and 40 games played this season. However, he'll turn 38 later this month, so it's not a foregone conclusion that he'll hit both of those benchmarks.

Luca Sbisa

Sbisa played the first month of last season in the Vegas Golden Knights' top four alongside Nate Schmidt, contributing eight points in the first 16 games. But then he got hurt, missed about three weeks, and was in and out of the lineup for the rest of the 82-game schedule.

Making matters worse for the 28-year-old blue-liner, the Golden Knights stopped negotiating an extension with him after he suffered the injury and let him walk as an unrestricted free agent at season's end, even after he came back and played in the playoffs.

Sbisa's season ended in embarrassing fashion, as his turnover behind the Vegas Golden Knights' net allowed Lars Eller to score the eventual Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Washington Capitals. However, he did provide some value when healthy, chipping in 14 points in 30 regular-season games and adding four assists in 12 playoff contests.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)
(Analytics courtesy: Corsica Hockey)

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