Some say only one team wins the NHL’s trade deadline.

Last year, it was the Chicago Blackhawks. The year before, the Los Angeles Kings. Yes, only the team that goes on to win the Stanley Cup can say it made the right moves to put it over the top but, even then, not really.

Last year, the Blackhawks added one major piece at the deadline — forward Antoine Vermette from the Arizona Coyotes for prospect Klas Dahlbeck and a first-round pick in 2015, which turned into Kelowna speedster Nick Merkley.

Vermette got his name on the Cup sure enough, even though he was also an occasional healthy scratch through Chicago’s deep run. He put up four goals and three assists in 20 post-season games.

One of his goals, to be fair, was in overtime against Anaheim in the Western Conference final. But now, Vermette is a Coyote again, is a teammate of Dahlbeck’s, who is now an NHL regular, and maybe in the future with Merkley.

No regrets in Chicago, but maybe — just maybe — the Coyotes got the better of the Hawks in the long run.

“That’s the cost of doing business,” said San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson, who beefed up his team by adding defenceman Roman Polak and forward Nick Spaling from the Leafs on Monday. “You take the emotions out of it. It’s all supply and demand.”

As the NHL marches toward the Feb. 29, 3 p.m. trade deadline, the pressure will be amped up on GMs who think they can make the playoffs, or those who think they are a player or two away from the Stanley Cup.

“I don’t think it’s pressure,” Wilson replied. “It’s just doing your job: Evaluating your team and what you can add. Then you look at what the cost is and the timing to get it done. Everybody wants to compete. In our case, our group has worked their butts off and have earned this chance to add some players who can help them.”

For the also-rans, the art of the deadline deal is the opportunity to lay the groundwork for future seasons.

“It’s all about making your team better,” Flames GM Brad Treliving told reporters in Calgary. “Sometimes you’re trying to make your team better for tomorrow, and sometimes you’re trying to make your team better for today.”

The busiest team this week will probably be the one which has been busiest already: The Maple Leafs, who have made a number of trades already (Dion Phaneuf to Ottawa, Shawn Matthias to Colorado, Richard Panik to Chicago and the Spaling-Polak deal).

Toronto GM Lou Lamoriello has a roster built to be dismantled at the deadline. The goal now is to turn the likes of pending unrestricted free agents James Reimer, Michael Grabner, P.A. Parenteau and Brad Boyes, among others, into prospect and picks.

“There’s always talk at this time, a little more than usual,” says Lamoriello. “There’ll be more talk. What transpires after that, I only know from our side and where we sit.”

Obviously, only one team will win the Stanley Cup.

Some will pat themselves on the back when the draft comes, while others will wake up with regret.

“You want deals to work for both teams,” Wilson said. “And you always want to create a culture. If you’re trying to win, it comes down to having the right people. It’s important to do your research to bring in people who are great teammates and who get what we’re trying to do.

“You look at the whole season and ask ‘Where can you add people?’ What you’re trying to do is hit the sweet spot of allowing your young players to compete to make the team. But you also want to give your coaching staff and veterans the ingredients they need.”

On the move?

Steve Stamkos is not getting traded this week, Lightning GM Steve Yzerman made that abundantly clear. So who will be traded?

Here are the most likely suspects:

F Bryan Bickell, Blackhawks

The Leafs kicked the tires on Bickell — who may be finished as an NHLer — and are waiting to hear back from Chicago. The 29-year-old power forward has one year left on a deal with an average cap hit of $4 million (U.S.), which is hurting the Blackhawks’ cap situation. He’s in the minors, and $3.05 million still counts against the cap. The Leafs would take him — they can easily afford him — if there was something else in it for them. Depending on what the Blackhawks want to do, they might just be desperate enough to sweeten the deal. If the Hawks move him, it means they have something else up their sleeve.

F Jonathan Drouin, Lightning

Everyone’s favourite 21-year-old holdout may have gotten some bad advice from agent Allan Walsh, or maybe he’s just too proud to admit he was wrong. But quitting the minors to force the hand of Yzerman to make a trade does not help improve one’s standing in the eyes of other GMs. Yzerman is looking for a roster player who can help with a Cup run and a high-end prospect to replace the former third overall pick. The most likely landing spot is Colorado, where centre Nathan MacKinnon would love to be re-united with his former Halifax Moosehead winger (head coach Patrick Roy might have a soft spot for players who force trades from their original organization).

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C Eric Staal, Hurricanes

GM Ron Francis has not asked Staal to waive his no-trade clause, but he wouldn’t do that anyway until he had an offer he wants. Staal is in the driver’s seat and it’s a conundrum for Francis, who was a teammate of Staal’s when Carolina won its lone Cup in 2006. The Hurricanes are better than expected, maybe a year ahead of schedule, but aren’t getting the crowds and are more looking to the future. The team is looking for new owners to infuse some cash, and Staal is earning $9.5 million (the cap hit is $8.25 million). His best years are behind him but he’s open to a move. A good playoff run could revive his reputation and land him a bigger deal this summer. He could be the kind of depth centre a playoff team would covet: Think Chicago, maybe Minnesota.

LW Andrew Ladd, Jets

Ladd might end up being the most sought after player in some time. A leader and a solid two-way player, a consistent producer offensively and a reasonable salary at $4.5 million, he’d fit into any playoff-bound team. The Corsi crowd loves him. The Jets are in the cat-bird seat here, and will get a solid return for their captain, who is headed for unrestricted free agency. He won a Cup with Chicago in 2010. Most likely, Los Angeles is a landing spot, with Marian Gaborik and Anze Kopitar injured. Florida GM Dale Tallon had Ladd (in Chicago) and has a lot of prospects to deal (Brandon Pirri perhaps?). A veteran like Ladd could help the youthful Panthers in their first serious playoff run in some time. There could be a bidding war.

D Dan Hamhuis, Canucks

GM Jim Benning might not be as all-in on a youth movement as Canuck fans want him to be, but Hamhuis would garner a big return. Hamhuis signed a cap-friendly deal — a.k.a. the home-town discount — to continue play for the Canucks and got a no-trade clause because of it. The $4.5-million cap hit would fit nicely into just about any team looking for a top-four defenceman. The Blackhawks need defencemen, but the 33-year-old Hamhuis might be a better fit with the Sharks. Like Staal, a good playoff run for Hamhuis could pay dividends July 1.

D Kris Russell, Flames

At 28, Russell is in the prime of his career and looking for a July 1 raise from the $2.6 million he currently makes. He would fit on any blue line, although the analytics crowd says he’s overrated. The Flames want him back, but aren’t afraid of testing the trade market to see what they could get. They are a young team and could part with a veteran blue-liner for the right price. The Flames are also looking to move Jiri Hudler, a veteran winger whose underperformance helped lead to Calgary’s demise. The Islanders, who have promised to honour the trade request of defenceman Travis Hamonic, are an interesting match.

Keith Yandle, Rangers

First-year GM Jeff Gorton can smell a playoff berth, but also knows that his predecessor, Glen Sather, gave up a lot of the Rangers’ future for thwarted Cup runs. Yandle was acquired last year at the cost of, among others, Anthony Duclair, Oliver Kylington and a first-round pick this summer. Gorton could be talked into trying to recoup some of that lost youth by moving Yandle, a 29-year-old unrestricted this summer who is looking for a raise from $2.65 million. The Red Wings would be in the mix.

F Loui Eriksson, Bruins

New Bruins GM Don Sweeney is in a tight spot. Few believe the Bruins are as good as their record indicates. Fewer believe they’re in for a long playoff run. So what to do with 30-year-old Eriksson, a top producing winger, a pending UFA seeking big money over six years? He’d draw big return; he was the key player Boston got from Dallas in the Tyler Seguin deal. The Bruins are older and need to get younger. Anaheim could use him.

F Mikkel Boedker, Coyotes

Coyotes GM Dan Maloney would love to re-sign Boedker, a steady if not spectacular producer. Offers have been made. Most believe he signs by the deadline or Boedker will get traded. Maloney would want someone solid back for the 28-year old, within his core group’s age frame. A top young prospect will do, maybe Drouin. Or maybe 20-year-old Valeri Nichushkin of the Dallas Stars, whose playing time has diminished because GM Jim Nill added veteran players to be able to handle the Blackhawks.

Around the rink

Not a big fan of the NHL’s re-designed website. Rosters seem totally random, players not listed alphabetical or numeric or by points. So strike one to the brains at MLB who took over NHL.com . . . The Wild are 4-0-0 under interim head coach John Torchetti following a stretch in which they lost 13 of 14 games (1-11-2), including eight straight (0-6-2), under Mike Yeo . . . Sunday’s crowd of 50,426 at the Chicago-Minnesota game raised total attendance for the league’s 17 regular-season outdoor games to 970,960 — an average of 57,115 per game. The NHL should pass one million stadium spectators Saturday at Coors Field (Detroit vs. Colorado) . . . Commissioner Gary Bettman told the Pioneer Press the World Cup of Hockey “will be the starting point to a concerted international presence ― a more regular presence.” . . . The puck drops Friday on the Clarkson Cup playoffs in the CWHL: Montreal Canadiennes vs. Toronto Furies.