Every NHL Team's Nightmare Trade Deadline Scenario
The 2023 NHL trade deadline is a week away, and no matter where your team is in the standings, you probably have some sort of an idea of what you want the deadline to look like.
Maybe you want your general manager to buy aggressively and look for that impact player to put your team over the top.
Maybe your team is near the bottom of the standings and needs to start looking ahead.
Or maybe you simply do not trust your general manager and want them to sit back and do nothing.
No matter the situation, you have a vision for your team.
But what if that vision goes all wrong? We are going to take a look at the potential nightmare scenario for every team at the deadline. That could be anything from your team not getting the player or addressing the position it needs, a rival improving its roster by stealing the player you want, or perhaps a trade already made that ends up going poorly.
Let's dig into all of the potential nightmare scenarios, looking at it on a division-by-division basis.
Atlantic Division
1 of 4
Boston Bruins: The Bruins have the best team in the league and are on track for one of the best regular-season performances in NHL history. The only concern is whether or not they added the right player in Dmitry Orlov from the Washington Capitals and if those resources and salary-cap space could have been utilized elsewhere.
Buffalo Sabres: It would be a nightmare for the Sabres if they did not recognize the opportunity in front of them. They have a chance to end a decade-plus-long playoff drought and have one of the most exciting teams in the league. They also have a loaded farm system and are swimming in salary-cap space. Their window is just opening, and they have a chance to add pretty much any player they want.
It would be a shame to miss that opportunity. Jakob Chychrun? Erik Karlsson? A forward with a term remaining on their deal? A potential long-term goalie? See who you can get to make a serious push.
Detroit Red Wings: The Red Wings are most likely going to hold on to pending unrestricted free agents Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi for a playoff push. That sets up a very possible nightmare situation where they still end up missing the playoffs and then lose one or both on the open market.
Florida Panthers: The Panthers have made a lot of missteps over the past year, from some of their trade deadline additions a year ago to not upgrading their defense this offseason to bringing in a consistently mediocre head coach in Paul Maurice. They need to shed salaries to help improve the defense, but they can not trade the wrong players. Moving somebody like Sam Reinhart or Anthony Duclair (especially at his lowest value) could be problematic.
Montréal Canadiens: The Canadiens do not figure to be very active ahead of the trade deadline but should be looking to explore whether or not they can shed some of their larger contracts to create some salary-cap flexibility for this offseason. If there is a market for Josh Anderson, Christian Dvorak or Mike Matheson (even if he has been very good), they should aggressively explore those options. Not doing so might be a missed opportunity.
Ottawa Senators: The Senators just need to avoid making an ill-advised trade, either giving up too much to add a player they do not need or selling a player they should not be selling. Even after their big offseason, this was never going to be a playoff team. They just needed to show progress. They are starting to do that.
They should not sell off any of their core players, and they are not yet ready to be trade deadline buyers. Honestly, the best approach here might be just standing pat and seeing where this roster can take them this season. Anything other than that would be making a move for the sake of making a move.
Toronto Maple Leafs: The Maple Leafs already made their big pre-deadline move by getting Ryan O'Reilly and Noel Acciari from the St. Louis Blues. In theory, it looks like a great deal for the Maple Leafs to get a center that has been one of the league's best two-way players with a proven track record of playoff success for a championship team.
Toronto desperately needs to find playoff success, and adding somebody like O'Reilly could be a significant addition.
But O'Reilly has had an extremely down year (by his standards) and is a pending unrestricted free agent after this season. The nightmare scenario here is that O'Reilly is simply cooked, and Toronto fizzles out in the first round again against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It would be hard to imagine general manager Kyle Dubas and head coach Sheldon Keefe getting another chance if that happens.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Every year, Tampa Bay pays a premium for cheap, bottom-six players with terms remaining on their contracts. Blake Coleman. Barclay Goodrow. Brandon Hagel. Nick Paul. This year? They traded Cal Foote and five future draft picks to Nashville for Tanner Jeannot.
The Lightning are gambling that Jeannot sees a bounce back in his shooting percentage and returns to the 20-goal form he saw a year ago. If he does that and helps Tampa Bay go another big playoff run, nobody cares about that price. But what if he does not bounce back? That trade has really depleted their draft capital and could limit their flexibility to add more players in the future.
Metropolitan Division
2 of 4
Carolina Hurricanes: The potential nightmare scenario here would simply be missing out on a big addition.
Carolina needs some additional scoring punch after losing big offseason addition Max Pacioretty for almost the entire season. His absence, though, has given the Hurricanes a ton of salary-cap room to play with. But Carolina has already missed out on Vladimir Tarasenko, Timo Meier, Bo Horvat and Ryan O'Reilly, while Patrick Kane seems to have his sights set on the New York Rangers. Not only have the Hurricanes missed out on all of the big players so far, but they have also gone to other contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Columbus Blue Jackets: The Blue Jackets' season has been a complete disaster in every way on the ice, and the one bright spot at this point has been the potential for a big return for defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov. They seemingly felt they were so close to a deal that they have been holding him out of the lineup for nearly two weeks. But that interest has seemingly cooled off around the league, and the price may not be what they originally hoped. Not being able to maximize that asset would be disappointing.
New Jersey Devils: The good news for the Devils is that they landed Timo Meier from the San Jose Sharks and did not have to give up any of their best young players, like Dawson Mercer, Alexander Holtz, Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes. That is a major win. The only thing that can make it a loss? What if Meier does not fit in like they hoped or hits a slump in the second half? It is not likely, but sometimes trade deadline acquisitions have struggled in the stretch run. The Devils bypassed potential goaltending help.
New York Islanders: Adding and signing Bo Horvat was a strong move and was a much-needed one for general manager Lou Lamoriello. Horvat has also not really disappointed in the early going. But even with that, the Islanders are facing an uphill battle to make the playoffs, especially as Mathew Barzal misses time due to an injury. The problem for the Islanders is they added a big-time offensive star, lost their other star and might end up missing the playoffs in a very tough Eastern Conference.
New York Rangers: The Rangers made one big splash by getting Vladimir Tarasenko and are on the verge of making another in Patrick Kane. Those are potential impact forwards and the type of big names that really get people's attention.
But what if they acquired the wrong players or addressed the wrong needs? The Rangers definitely need more 5-on-5 help, and they need to do a better job defending and driving possession. Those are areas in which Kane does not excel, and his offense has not been as consistently dominant as it has been in the past. Combined with his hip injury, what if he does not make the impact they hope for while ignoring other more pressing needs?
The other potential nightmare scenario is if Vitali Kravtsov goes to Vancouver and pans out the way the Rangers hoped he would after never really giving him a chance.
Philadelphia Flyers: Joel Farabee's agent recently drew the ire of head coach John Tortorella after reportedly suggesting that he was unhappy in Philadelphia, starting speculation that maybe he could be on the trade block.
If you are a Flyers fan, you do not want to see the team trade Farabee because he is still so young and has the potential to be a key player in their rebuild. He is having such a down year that dealing him now would be doing so at his lowest possible value. That is a losing recipe.
Pittsburgh Penguins: GM Ron Hextall has bungled the Penguins' depth so much that he is watching his team fight to simply make the playoffs despite having Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin remain healthy and wildly productive, all while playing below-market contracts.
Hextall has fallen into the same habit with the Penguins that he had in Philadelphia, where he is needlessly patient and slow to make changes. The Penguins are clearly all-in on this season after keeping the core together, and Hextall has not done his part to help them. Letting the trade deadline go without adding help while everybody around him gets better would be a pretty big failure.
Washington Capitals: The Capitals' miss here might have been misevaluating what their roster is and what might have been tradable assets. They are falling behind in the Eastern Conference playoff race and extended players like Dylan Strome and Sonny Milano to long-term deals when they might have been attractive trade chips.
The Capitals are rapidly aging and have a lot of problems on the roster, and they might be setting themselves up to be stuck in limbo for the foreseeable future. They maybe should sell off more than just Dmitry Orlov.
Central Division
3 of 4
Arizona Coyotes: The Coyotes have been dangling defenseman Jakob Chychrun in trade talks for what seems like three years now, and it seems like the time has finally come to deal him. Chychrun, who has been scratched for two weeks now, is their most valuable trade asset given his age (25), cheap contract and his ability and production. They cannot waste this trade and have to get the most return possible. The nightmare scenario here would be not getting a franchise-changing return after waiting so long to deal him. And given how trade-deadline moves typically go, that seems like a very real possibility.
Chicago Blackhawks: The Blackhawks' nightmare scenario is already sort of playing out. Their two big trade pieces this year were always going to be longtime superstars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. But Toews is not going to be traded as he remains sidelined because of some health reasons, while Kane has tied the franchise's hands by only wanting to go to one team, which will almost certainly bring his price tag down. Their best trade chip might end up being Max Domi.
Colorado Avalanche: The Avalanche need to get healthier, yes. But they could also use some additional center depth. Their first major addition at the deadline has been re-adding Jack Johnson. If that remains as their only addition and they don't address their center depth, it would represent their nightmare scenario.
Dallas Stars: The Stars are taking the chance that Evgenii Dadonov bounces back and rediscovers some of his scoring touch, but they took a little bit of a gamble in trading Denis Gurianov for him. Gurianov has flashed top-six potential over the years in Dallas but always seemed to fall out of favor. What if Dadonov continues to struggle and Gurianov goes to Montréal and excels with a real opportunity?
Minnesota Wild: The Wild have done a solid job managing a tough salary-cap situation caused by the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts, and they actually have a little bit of cap flexibility to play with ahead of the trade deadline. Their nightmare scenario will hit if they are unable to take advantage of that flexibility and give Kirill Kaprizov some help in a year where the Western Conference is completely wide open.
Nashville Predators: The Predators are clearly ready to hit the reset button with general manager David Poile stepping aside after the season and the team already trading Nino Niederreiter and Tanner Jeannot for a ton of draft picks. The question is will they continue to sell off players and perhaps sell off the wrong player for the wrong price? You want to make sure if you are going to trade somebody like Mattias Ekholm, or perhaps even Jusse Saros, that you are getting maximum value back.
St. Louis Blues: The Blues have been one of the most aggressive sellers at the deadline, already moving Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O'Reilly, Noel Acciari and Ivan Barbashev for multiple first-round draft picks and prospects. Given the way the Blues' season is going, there could be more.
The nightmare scenario might be if Blues management misjudges where this team is and what it needs to do, and that might already be happening. After trading all of those veteran players, the Blues made the curious decision to claim Kasperi Kapanen off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins despite his $3.2 million salary-cap hit for next season. That is not exactly the type of move you expect from a rebuilding team that is selling off. Maybe the Blues think they are better than they are and this season is a fluke, and they trade those newfound draft picks and prospects for players that do not help advance them in the short- or long-term.
Winnipeg Jets: Nino Niederreiter is probably going to be the Jets' only significant addition, and it seems like a strong move given his production, term remaining on his contract and the low price to acquire him (only a second-round pick). The risk is that he simply does not fit. There is not really any evidence to suggest that he won't, but the Jets are on the playoff bubble at the moment and this is their one big move. It needs to work.
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Pacific Division
4 of 4
Anaheim Ducks: The Anaheim Ducks signed John Klingberg in free agency with the hope they could rebuild his value and flip him for some future assets at the trade deadline. But he has had a miserable year (and so have the Ducks). Now they are facing a nightmare scenario where Klingberg's value remains low, and they have to figure out a way to sell him after every team in the league passed over him in free agency.
Calgary Flames: The Flames have been one of the league's biggest disappointments this season and are now suddenly in danger of missing the playoffs. Is it a roster problem or a coach problem? The nightmare scenario here would be selling off players that are not the problem and sticking with a coach who is holding things back.
Edmonton Oilers: Each year, general manager Ken Holland has mostly sat on his hands at the NHL trade deadline and not given Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl the additional help they need. He cannot be patient. He cannot sit back. He has the two best offensive players in the world in their primes and playing at obscenely high levels. If he does not make a big splash at the deadline to help secure a definite playoff spot and give them a chance to win the Stanley Cup, he will have failed miserably. He has to make a big move.
Los Angeles Kings: If the Kings do not do something to address their goaltending situation, it would be a waste of what has been another huge step forward in their rebuild. With a little goaltending help they might be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender in the Western Conference. Their options are now to find a goalie or spend an entire offseason asking themselves "what if?"
San Jose Sharks: Their nightmare scenario is already playing out as their rebuild begins. After giving away Brent Burns for nothing before the season, they sold off one of their best players in Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils for a quantity-over-quality package that did not include a single one of the Devils' best young players. The only way this could get worse is if they trade Erik Karlsson for a less-than-stellar return in the middle of an historic season offensively.
Seattle Kraken: Just like their divisional rival in Los Angeles, it would be a shame if the Kraken wasted what could be a special season without upgrading their goaltending. Goaltending was the single biggest thing that held them back in their debut season, and it is starting to happen again.
Vancouver Canucks: The Canucks' situation might be one of the worst in the NHL right now. They have a bad salary-cap outlook, embarrassed themselves with their coaching change and are badly disappointing on the ice. When it comes to their cap outlook, the potential nightmare occur if they're not able to shed some of their bad contracts. J.T. Miller's no-trade clause kicks in next year. Conor Garland and Brock Boeser might need a change. Sell off what you can while you can.
Vegas Golden Knights: From the moment they arrived in the NHL, the Golden Knights have loved going after big names and finding ways to add as many stars as they can. With Mark Stone on long-term injured reserve, they again have some flexibility to add more talent. They could use a little depth all over the lineup, including in goal where Logan Thompson remains sidelined and they have no proven starter for a playoff run. A failure to utilize that cap space and add somebody to put them over the top in a watered down Western Conference might be a big missed opportunity for a team that has been Stanley Cup or bust from its very first season in the league.
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