On the Fly: Which GM has the most to lose at the deadline?

This week, theScore's NHL editors debate which general manager has the most to lose between now and the March 1 trade deadline.

Jim Benning

Josh Gold-Smith: Maybe Benning learned his lesson from last summer's free-agency debacle, but the Vancouver Canucks general manager is taking a relatively quiet approach to this trade deadline. Still, the GM widely regarded as the worst in the NHL has a great deal to prove and just as much to lose in the days leading up to March 1.

First things first, he has to admit the club isn't a legitimate playoff threat, even if the league's widespread faux parity has them within range of the final Western Conference postseason berth. The Canucks aren't going far even if they do manage to squeak into the playoffs, and the time is now to begin overhauling the roster.

Benning has to convince Alex Burrows, Jannik Hansen, and Ryan Miller to waive their respective clauses that limit the teams to which they can each be dealt. He has to acquire assets in return for this trio, especially because two of them (Burrows and Miller) are pending UFAs. If he fails to do this, it'll be just another chapter in his embarrassing GM tenure.

Ken Holland

Cory Wilkins: Ken Holland has been at the helm of the Detroit Red Wings for 20 years, and this season marks the first where his team will be a deadline seller.

The Red Wings sit second last in the East, ahead of only the Carolina Hurricanes, and are poised to miss the postseason for the first time since 1990.

The good news is, Detroit has a handful of pending unrestricted free agents available for sale, from defenseman Brendan Smith to crown-jewel forward Thomas Vanek. Holland could even up the ante if he opts to move blue-liner Mike Green, who is signed through the 2017-18 campaign.

Hockey fans will get to see how Holland operates as a seller and if he can kick-start the Red Wings' rebuild by bringing in premium assets. With so few sellers on the market less than a week before the trade deadline - only the Colorado Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes are truly out of the playoff mix - the Red Wings general manager has a prime opportunity to command top dollar in trade talks.

Steve Yzerman

Ian McLaren: The Tampa Bay Lightning are in quite the spot. After falling near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, Steve Yzerman's club has inched back into the playoff race, with an outside shot at making good on their apparent contender status ... IF they can squeak in without the services of captain Steven Stamkos for most of the season.

A spot among the final 16 is far from guaranteed, however, and the GM is left with big decisions to make prior to the trade deadline.

For example:

• Does he keep Ben Bishop for insurance down the stretch, or pull off a trade to avoid losing him for nothing in free agency or the expansion draft?
• Does he hold onto veteran forward Brian Boyle, or deal him to a playoff team in a clear seller's market?
• Does he float pending RFA Tyler Johnson, knowing Ondrej Palat and Jonathan Drouin will also be in need of new contracts this summer?

Things have not gone according to plan for the Lightning this season, and how Yzerman proceeds in the coming days could have a profound effect on the roster moving forward.

Bob Murray

Justin Cuthbert: Five days. It's all the time Bob Murray has left to board up his roster.

Perhaps the repercussions won't immediately be felt, but if the Anaheim Ducks fail to redistribute talent, and parlay wealth accrued on the back end into help up front, they stand to suffer one of the most significant losses when the Vegas Golden Knights choose their expansion roster.

Yet even having hoarded the rarest jewel, netting comparable value in return for a talented defender won't come at the snap of the fingers over the next few days. Few teams seem willing, or are in a position to move major assets.

More importantly, the Ducks cannot lose sight of the fact that they're slotted comfortably in a postseason seed in a wide-open Western Conference with the core designed to win a title still in place.

But should Murray reconfigure, and land an impact forward in a deal, he won't just be taking a major step towards solving the Ducks' expansion conundrum - he'll be providing a boost to a roster that seems to need a shake.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)