Every NHL Team's Most Untouchable Player This Offseason
Whenever NHL fans talk potential trades—whether it be rumor, speculation or just fantasy stuff—the "untouchable players" always get mentioned.
We want this player on our team, but we are not giving up this player to make it happen.
Teams no doubt have their own list of untouchables, but it is probably not as extensive as you might think. Pretty much anybody can get moved if the price is right, and most players have a price. Some are just more expensive than others.
A few things stand out in what makes a player untouchable.
Production, talent and overall value to the team is at the top of the list. Fifty-goal scorers do not exactly grow on trees, and teams probably aren't going to let them get away. Same is true for a Norris Trophy-level defender or a Vezina-level goalie.
Age and contract also play a big role. A top-tier player at a valuable position who is still in their prime or signed to a cap-friendly contract has enormous value.
There is also the handful of players who are not only productive, talented and valuable but are also just destined to play their entire career with one team.
With all of that in mind, let's get into it. Every NHL team's most untouchable player.
Atlantic Division
1 of 4
Boston Bruins: David Pastrnak
In years past, this title would belong to Patrice Bergeron, but he is near the end of his career and appears set on either playing in Boston or retiring. Meanwhile, Pastrnak has developed into the Bruins' most dynamic offensive player and is one of the best goal scorers in the league. He is also still in the prime of his career and just signed an eight-year, $90 million contract extension to keep him from free agency. He is not going anywhere.
Buffalo Sabres: Tage Thompson
You could make a strong argument for Rasmus Dahlin or maybe even Owen Power given their role on defense, as well as their upside. But Thompson has rapidly turned into one of the most dominant forces in the entire NHL, bringing a nearly unmatched combination of size and skill to the ice. He has scored 82 goals since the start of the 2021-22 season and has given the Sabres' latest rebuild a much-needed jolt of energy. He is now the franchise player.
Detroit Red Wings: Moritz Seider
Seider is one of the key pieces to Steve Yzerman's rebuild in Detroit. He turns 22 in early April, and Stanley Cup contenders need a defenseman who can play shutdown defense and provide some scoring punch from the blue line. Seider has the ability to do all of that. Yzerman knows the impact a defenseman like that can have on a team from his days running the Tampa Bay Lightning with Victor Hedman, and Seider has the potential to be that player in Detroit.
Florida Panthers: Aleksander Barkov
Barkov is one of the best all-around players in hockey and does everything you want a No. 1 center to do at only 27 years old. He has averaged well over a point per game since the start of the 2017-18 season and is one of the best defensive players in the league, finishing in the top five of the league's Selke Trophy voting four times and winning it in the 2020-21 season. The Panthers have him signed long-term for $10 million per year.
Montreal Canadiens: Nick Suzuki
You could go with either Suzuki or Cole Caufield here, and neither answer would be wrong. Both players are not only outstanding young talents but figure to be major parts of the Canadiens' long-term outlook. But we are going to give the untouchable tag to Suzuki because he is in the first year of an eight-year, $63 million contract and is already the captain of the team at 23 years old. He has been a 20-plus-goal, 60-plus-point forward the past two years, and his best days might still be ahead of him.
Ottawa Senators: Tim Stützle
It is not often that a team can trade a player as good as Erik Karlsson and still get a great return, but the Senators managed to pull that off a couple of years ago. One of the key pieces to that deal was a first-round pick that turned out to be the No. 3 overall selection in the 2020 class. They used that pick on tützle, and he has rapidly become one of their cornerstone players. He is still only 21 years old, just topped the 80-point mark, is already an outstanding possession driver and is locked into a long-term contract (eight years, $8.35 million per season) that should prove to be a steal against the cap as he continues to enter his prime. You do not trade this guy.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Andrei Vasilevskiy
The Lightning could have multiple answers. Steven Stamkos? Legacy player and team captain. Nikita Kucherov? Dominant offensive force. Brayden Point? Another dominant offensive force. Victor Hedman? One of the best all-around defensemen of his era. All of them are multiple-time Stanley Cup champions. But Vasilevskiy is the best goalie of his generation. As good as the other players mentioned here are, the Lightning played a full season without Kucherov and were still a top team. They won a Stanley Cup getting about five minutes of playoff hockey from Stamkos. They would not have had that same level of success without Vasilevskiy, and at 28 he still has some excellent years ahead of him.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews
It is actually not hard to imagine a scenario where Auston Matthews ultimately ends up playing for a team that is not the Toronto Maple Leafs. But if that does happen, it will be by way of free agency in a few years. It is not going to be through a trade. Matthews has been the focal point of the Maple Leafs' organization the past seven years and is one of the most dominant goal scorers in the league. The only thing that kept him from consistently hitting the 40-goal mark early in his career was injuries. When he stayed healthy and got a full season, he led the league in back-to-back years and is still probably going to score 40 in a "down" year.
Metropolitan Division
2 of 4
Carolina Hurricanes: Andrei Svechnikov
Sebastian Aho would have been the other candidate here, but he has just one year remaining on his current contract. Svechnikov is not only a couple of years younger, but he is also signed for another six years at what has to be considered a below-market cap hit of $7.75 million per season. His goal-scoring has not quite taken off the way it was expected to, but he is a tremendous all-around player and top-line scorer whose best days are still ahead.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Zach Werenski
It's tough to find someone in Columbus clearly off the table in trade talks. It will end up being their first-round pick if they win the draft lottery, but for the time being let's say Werenski is most untouchable. At 25 years old, he plays a premium position on defense, is one of the most productive players in the league at the position when he is healthy and signed a massive long-term deal a year ago.
New Jersey Devils: Jack Hughes
This is one of the easier calls in the league. While the Devils do have one of the best young rosters in the league with a bunch of players that are in it for the long haul, Hughes is has completely changed the direction of the entire organization. A No. 1 overall pick who has lived up to the hype and become a bona fide superstar. He does not turn 22 until May, his cap hit is only $8 million per year and he is already one of the best players in the league. You do not just build your team around a player like this, you build a potential champion around him.
New York Islanders: Ilya Sorokin
There is never anything impressive about the way the Islanders play, and while they do have some very good players (Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat, Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, Noah Dobson), the one thing that keeps them consistently competitive is the goaltending of Sorokin. He is one of the top three or four goalies in hockey, and this team would probably stink without him. He only costs $4 million against the salary cap through the end of next season, but his next contract should be a doozy.
New York Rangers: Igor Shesterkin
This is very similar to the Islanders' situation, only the team in front of the All-World goalie is actually legitimately good. Defenseman Adam Fox gets very close to the untouchable tag here given his production at just 25 years old, but Shesterkin is the engine that makes this machine run. They would not have sniffed the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago without him, and he is simply one of the best goalies in the world. The Rangers just need to make sure they give him a legitimate supporting cast to actually get a championship.
Philadelphia Flyers: Cam York
The Flyers really should be trying to trade anybody of interest to other teams. This is one of the worst rosters in the league and seems to be on the verge of a serious rebuild. Every veteran must go! That leaves the untouchables in the lower age range, and 22-year-old York might be at the top of that list. He is not yet a star, but he is one of the team's best young players and has a chance to still be in Philadelphia for the next good Flyers team.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Sidney Crosby
Alongside the next player on the list, this is the definition of a legacy player. Crosby is the second-best player in franchise history after Mario Lemieux and is probably already among the top 10 players in league history. Not only that, he is still one of the best players in the NHL even at 35 years old. He is also still signed to a laughably below-market-value contract, counting just $8.7 million against the salary cap. The Penguins' big three of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are all still great players and under contract for the next few years. None of them are likely to be moving on, but Crosby is definitely not going anywhere.
Washington Capitals: Alex Ovechkin
Ovechkin is still one of the elite goal scorers and, unlike Crosby, is the greatest player in his franchise's history. There is no way he is going to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record in another NHL jersey. The Capitals may not be a serious contender at this point, but Ovechkin is not going anywhere. Nor should he.
Central Division
3 of 4
Arizona Coyotes: Logan Cooley
If the Coyotes' rebuild does not have room for an in-his-prime defenseman signed to a below-market contract in Jakob Chychrun, then players like Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz or Lawson Crouse probably should not get very comfortable. Cooley, though, has legitimate superstar potential and should be the main building block of the Coyotes' future.
Chicago Blackhawks: Kevin Korchinski
In a full-scale rebuild, the Blackhawks would have to consider a reasonable offer for almost anybody on the NHL roster. Korchinski is, for the time being, one of the top prospects in the organization after being drafted No. 7 overall in the 2022 class with one of the picks acquired for star goal scorer Alex DeBrincat.
Colorado Avalanche: Cale Makar
Nathan MacKinnon would be a fine choice. He is one of the most important players on one of the league's best teams. But Makar is three years younger at 24 years old, has averaged more than a point per game for his career as a defenseman, already has a Norris Trophy, a Conn Smythe Trophy and a Stanley Cup to his resume and has probably only just scratched the surface of what he can be in the NHL. MacKinnon is a superstar and is probably on track for a Hall of Fame career. But Makar might be an all-time great at his position.
Dallas Stars: Jason Robertson
The Stars are one of the best teams in the Western Conference, and Robertson is a huge part of their climb toward Stanley Cup contender status. He is not only one of the most productive players in the league, he is also one of the most entertaining and very high on the must-see list of young forwards at 23 years old. He also only counts $7.75 million against the cap over the next three seasons. His skill, production and contract at that age makes him one of the most valuable players in hockey.
Minnesota Wild: Kirill Kaprizov
It is rare that one player can completely transform the identity of an entire organization, but Kaprizov's arrival in Minnesota three years ago did just that. Even when the Wild were a really good team throughout their existence, there was never really anything exciting about the way they played. But Kaprizov not only helped them become a top team in the Western Conference, he helped them become one of the more entertaining teams in the league. He has three more years on his contract at $9 million per season, and even though the Wild have a salary-cap crunch in the next few years, it's extremely hard to imagine them moving him.
Nashville Predators: Roman Josi
Josi is 32 years old carries a $9.06 million cap hit through the 2027-28 season, and the Predators appear to have leveled off as a bubble playoff team that is going to sit somewhere around 8-10 in the Western Conference standings. Not an ideal spot to be in. They could probably use somewhat of a rebuild, and that started a little bit at the deadline with the trades of Mattias Ekholm, Nino Niederreiter, Tanner Jeannot and Mikael Granlund. But Josi is now the face of the team and still an elite player at his position. Trading him might make some sense from a rebuilding standpoint, but it just does not seem like something there is a huge appetite for unless he initiates it.
St. Louis Blues: Robert Thomas
This has been a really disappointing season for the Blues, and it resulted in the trades of long-time standouts Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O'Reilly. But the Blues still have a couple of really good young players to build around long-term in Robert Thomas (23) and Jordan Kyrou (24). They are nearly identical in terms of their production, have matching $8.13 million cap hits and are both legit top-line talents who can be built around through 2030-31. Thomas gets the slight edge on the untouchable scale just because he is slightly younger.
Winnipeg Jets: Kyle Connor
Starting goalie Connor Hellebuyck has been the driving force behind whatever success this franchise has had lately, but he is 29 years old and his contract expires after next season. Connor, on the other hand, is 26 and signed for three more seasons at just over $7 million per year. He is a proven, consistent 30-goal scorer. He might not score 47 again like he did a year ago, but he is a star at forward.
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Pacific Division
4 of 4
Anaheim Ducks: Trevor Zegras
The Ducks are still years away from contention, but they do have outstanding young talent to build around. Zegras is the top talent of them all. Not only is he young and under team control for years (he is RFA-eligible after this season, though), but he is also one of their top producers and one of the most entertaining players in the league. He is already a 60-point player and, having just passed his 22nd birthday, still has his best years ahead of him.
Calgary Flames: Jonathan Huberdeau
The Flames season has been a mess from top to bottom, and Huberdeau might be at the top of the list of disappointments. But he is a proven top scorer in the league and was signed through the 2030-31 season after being acquired in the Matthew Tkachuk trade. The Flames need him if they are going to contend any time soon.
Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid
Players like McDavid do not come around very often. He is doing things offensively that have not been done since the days of Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky and peak Jaromír Jágr, and he is only just now at the height of his powers. The Oilers already traded away a couple of all-time greats in their history (Gretzky, Paul Coffey), but they are not going to trade away another unless he demands it. Now that the Oilers have finally put a good team around him, they may not even have to worry about that.
Los Angeles Kings: Anze Kopitar
Kopitar helped bring two Stanley Cups to the Kings and is also still the No. 1 center on a team that has rapidly rebuilt itself into being a Stanley Cup contender again. Kopitar might be turning 36 in August, but he can still bring it at both ends of the ice.
San Jose Sharks: William Eklund
The Sharks have already traded away veterans Brent Burns and Timo Meier, and it is only a matter of when, and not if, Erik Karlsson joins them. The rebuild is here, and it needs to be significant given how bad the Sharks have been this season. Eklund is their best prospect and best young NHL player, and there is no reason to even consider moving him right now before his age-21 season.
Seattle Kraken: Matty Beniers
The first draft pick in Kraken history, Beniers is on his way to being the Kraken's first home-grown star. In fact, Beniers might be one of the most valuable players in hockey from a salary-cap standpoint. Not only is he a core player and key contributor for a likely playoff team, he is still on his entry-level contract through the end of next season, counting just under $1 million against the salary cap.
Vancouver Canucks: Elias Pettersson
Pettersson has been one of the brightest spots in another dismal year for the Canucks this season, making a serious push at 100 points. He is young, exceptionally skilled never takes penalties, is fun to watch and still has another year on his contract at only $7.35 million before he is eligible for restricted free agency. He is the Canucks' best player and should be their cornerstone for the next decade.
Vegas Golden Knights: Jack Eichel
Ever since they entered the NHL, the Golden Knights have been all about acquiring stars Eichel was one of their biggest acquisitions and solved one of their biggest organizational needs: a true No. 1 center who could be a game-changer offensively. That is the one thing they lacked that has consistently held them back from winning a Stanley Cup. Eichel's injury history has been a concern, and his production has not quite been what was hoped, but he is still a top-line center and a key piece for a Stanley Cup contender.
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