Adam Henrique is a veteran center who has significant value throughout the NHL as the March 8 trade deadline approaches.

Henrique has been a dominant member of the Anaheim Ducks ever since he was traded by the New Jersey Devils early in the 2017-18 season. At the time, Henrique was a 27-year-old player who was on the verge of stardom. He was coming into his own as he was hitting the prime of his career.

Henrique had his best moments in the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs with the Devils. That year, New Jersey made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Los Angeles Kings, and while the Devils came up on the short end of that matchup, Henrique played in all 24 games and scored 5 goals and 8 assists. Three of his postseason goals were game winners, and Henrique looked like he had that clutch gene that would make him a substantial playoff performer.

That was the only season he made the playoffs with the Devils, and he has only made the playoffs once since being acquired by the Ducks. To make it even worse, that playoff season was his first with Anaheim and the Ducks were eliminated in 4 straight games.

Henrique will be a free agent at the end of the season, so it's clear that he will be moved by the trade deadline as long as the Ducks don't ask for too much in return. There are at least 2 teams that will be interested in making a serious move to acquire his services.

Edmonton Oilers looking for veteran strength, could find it in Henrique

The Oilers were perhaps the league's coldest team at the start of the season, and as they approach the All-Star break, they are clearly the hottest team. Connor McDavid & Co. have won 16 games in a row and they are playing up to their enormous potential.

However, at some point, their winning streak will come to an end, and the Oilers will find themselves in a fight for playoff positioning.

As well as the Oilers have been playing, the perception of this team is that they will go as far as McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can take them. The belief is that they need depth, and if they could add a veteran center who could join McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, it would increase this team's stability and overall confidence.

Henrique could be the player who does just that for the Oilers. At this point he is not a superstar, but he is productive with 15 goals and 17 assists in 48 games. He could slot right in to the No. 3 center role for the Oilers.

Golden Knights have designs on defending their Stanley Cup, may be interested in Henrique

The Vegas Golden Knights were brilliant at the start of the season, and the defending Stanley Cup champions raced out to a strong position in the Pacific Division. After playing brilliant hockey in the first two months of the season, head coach Bruce Cassidy's team has had a difficult time maintaining that level.

They are in second place in the Pacific Division, seven points behind the surprising Vancouver Canucks and five points ahead of the third-place Oilers.

Injuries have been a factor in the Golden Knights' inconsistency, and improving their roster by adding a center like Henrique could go a long way towards  strengthening their position.

Expect the Golden Knights to make a move for Henrique at some point prior to the trade deadline. He would give this team the depth that is needed to make another run at the Stanley Cup.

They also don't want to see the Oilers get stronger at their expense. If the Golden Knights can prevent the Oilers from acquiring a veteran center who would improve their depth, expect them to make a move to do just that.

Ducks have to be realistic

Anaheim knows that it will not have any claim on Adam Henrique in the offseason since he will be an unrestricted free agent. The Ducks also know that while they had a fine start to the season, they are nowhere near a playoff position.

The Ducks have to make it known that they are willing to deal the veteran center, and willing to take backs some of his $5.825 million salary. There are other teams that are likely to join the fray, and that would clearly be beneficial to the team.

If the Ducks make it known that they are going to trade Henrique and not force their trade partner to take on all of his salary, they could complete a lucrative deal.