Every Team's Wishlist at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline
The 2024 NHL trade deadline is one month away, and we've seen some teams get a head start on moves, with the Vancouver Canucks acquiring Elias Lindholm and the Winnipeg Jets adding Sean Monahan.
Lindholm and Monahan were two of the pending free agents expected to be dealt, and their trades not only limited the number of available options remaining but also helped set a price tag for other rentals.
Every team in the league will have some sort of a wishlist on what it would like to get over the next month, and we're going to take a team-by-team look at what those lists might look like.
For some teams, it might be the player or position that could help solidify the roster for a potential Stanley Cup run; for others, it might be hoping for an increasing market—and price tag—on a player they would like to sell.
Let's get into it and see what each team might like to acquire over the next month.
Anaheim Ducks: Another 1st-Round Pick
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The Ducks' rebuild is still probably a year or two away from paying off, and the 2023-24 season has quickly turned into another lost campaign.
That means the name of the game is, again, selling veterans who are not part of their long-term outlook for future assets.
The most realistic trade candidate here is veteran center Adam Henrique.
The 34-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent and, based on the value for players such as Lindholm and Monahan, it wouldn't be a stretch to think the Ducks could land a first-round pick for him in a deal, especially given the number of Stanley Cup contenders that need center help, including the Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and New York Rangers.
Henrique is having a strong season offensively with 15 goals and 33 total points through the Ducks' first 49 games, putting him on pace for 25 goals and 55 points over an 82-game season.
He is the top center rental still available, and the Ducks should be doing their utmost to shop him as aggressively as possible.
Arizona Coyotes: Defenseman with Term on Contract
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This is the most intriguing roster the Coyotes have had in years, and they are within striking distance of a playoff spot coming out of the All-Star break.
They might not make it, they might fade in the second half, and they are certainly not in the market for a big-time rental.
However, if they could find a way to land a defenseman who has some term and team control remaining on their contract, that would be a nice place to start their wishlist.
The Coyotes do not have a single defenseman under contract for next season. Veterans Matt Dumba and Travis Dermott are unrestricted free agents, while every other defenseman—including Sean Durzi—is an RFA.
There is no guarantee Dumba or Dermott will be back, and it might be nice to get a head start on filling those spots with somebody who could not only help them make a playoff push this season but also be in place for next season.
Boston Bruins: Center Help
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The retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí left a big hole in the Bruins' lineup down the middle, but it hasn't stopped them from being a top contender in the Eastern Conference.
Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha have done a solid job taking on expanded and elevated roles, but Boston could still use a little more depth down the middle if it's going to take a serious run at the Cup.
Lindholm would have been an ideal fit, but the Bruins did not have the trade assets to match the price Vancouver paid to land him.
Could they turn their attention to Henrique as a fallback option?
As good as the team's record is, there are some flaws below the surface, especially as it relates to its 5-on-5 play. Its 5-on-5 goal differential is still among the best in the league, but a lot of that has been driven by the elite play of goaltending duo Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman.
The Bruins' expected goals share during 5-on-5 play has dropped from eighth in the NHL a year ago down to 16th this season.
They could use some help, but there is one big hurdle in front of them: What do they have to offer?
Their farm system is one of the thinnest in the NHL, and they do not own a first-, second-, or third-round pick in this year's draft. Their 2025 second-round pick is also gone.
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Buffalo Sabres: Desperate Buyers
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Nothing about the 2023-24 season has gone according to plan for the Sabres, and they are in danger of extending their playoff drought to a 13th consecutive season.
They shouldn't be in a position to buy at the deadline unless something unforeseen falls into their lap.
They don't have a lot to sell, but pending unrestricted free agents like Victor Olofsson, Zemgus Girgensons, Kyle Okposo, and Erik Johnson do offer some potential players to flip.
The best hope here is that teams get desperate in looking for depth and maybe overpay to fill out their roster.
Nobody here is going to bring them a significant asset or a first-round pick, but if they could load up on some second or third-round selections, it might give them some trade capital to use in the offseason to either move up in some draft rounds or flip for immediate NHL help.
Calgary Flames: More 1st-Round Picks
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No team is better positioned to sell this season than the Flames, and they already cashed in on one deal by getting a first-round pick from the Canucks for Lindholm.
They also have two of the top potential defensemen on the market in Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev, which could allow them to get more first-round picks from contenders.
And if they wanted to get bold, there is almost certainly a goalie market for Jacob Markstrom and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar.
The Flames have not had the bounce-back season they hoped for, due in large part to the continued disappointment of last year's big-money additions Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri.
If they could stockpile more first-round picks, it would not only give them future assets to rebuild around, but it could also maybe give them trade capital to use as a sweetener to dump a contact they do not want.
Carolina Hurricanes: Goalie Depth
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The Hurricanes have regularly had one of the best rosters in the NHL with few weaknesses over the past few years. That remains true this season, especially now they have Andrei Svechnikov back in the lineup.
The one potential flaw that exists on this team, though, is in net where they haven't really found any consistency from any of their options.
They rank 30th in the NHL in 5-on-5 save percentage, while Antti Raanta, Pyotr Kochetkov and Frederik Andersen all have save percentages that are either .900 or worse.
Raanta and Andersen have been a reliable duo for a couple of seasons, but injuries and age have taken their toll, and Carolina doesn't really have anybody it should feel totally confident in at the moment.
Projecting goaltending performance is always an uncertainty in hockey, but that isn't the position you want to be lacking in when the playoffs start.
Chicago Blackhawks: Draft Picks
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Even with the arrival of Connor Bedard, this is still a team in the early stages of its rebuild. The name of the game is maximizing as many future assets as possible.
That's easier said than done, though.
The Blackhawks don't have a ton of obvious trade candidates, having already sold off most of the veterans on the roster a year ago to help position the team for Bedard.
They also lost a potential trade chip in Taylor Hall to a season-ending injury and then re-signed possible trade candidates in Nick Foligno and Petr Mrazek to extensions this season.
They still have some pending free agents in Colin Blackwell, Rem Pitlick and Jarred Tinordi, but they seem unlikely to bring back major returns.
Still, the best way to go about building through the draft is to give yourself as many picks as possible to increase the odds of hitting one. They already have 26 selections over the next three seasons, and any more they can add would be helpful.
Colorado Avalanche: Second-Line Center
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The Avalanche still haven't filled the void left when Nazem Kadri signed with the Calgary Flames in free agency prior to the 2022-23 season, and it remains the one noticeable hole on an otherwise loaded roster.
They attempted to fix that by taking a chance on Ryan Johansen this offseason at a discounted salary, but he hasn't really given them what they need out of that spot.
The problem they are going to run into is there is only one center remaining on the rental market who would be a clear upgrade (Henrique). But they do still have their first-round pick to use as a trade asset, which could give them an edge over other center-needy teams such as Boston.
Columbus Blue Jackets: A Real Plan and Vision
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The Blue Jackets are always one of the NHL's biggest wild cards in terms of roster moves because they tend to be extremely aggressive while also not having any sort of long-term plan.
That leads to some eye-opening moves and a lot of intrigue, but it hasn't really produced anything close to positive results.
The Blue Jackets have a lot of players who could (perhaps should) be moved, but do you really trust this front office to make the right moves and get things going in the right direction?
Their biggest need at the top of their wishlist should be some sort of defined plan and strategy other than just throwing random big-money contracts around and hoping something sticks. They might need a whole new front office for that to actually happen.
Dallas Stars: Defense Depth
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The Stars are one of the best offensive teams in the NHL with an exceptional group of forwards.
However, they do have some shortcomings defensively and enter the second half 14th in the league in goals against (3.06 against per game). Part of that is due to starting goalie Jake Oettinger having a down year, but Dallas could also use some depth on its blue line after Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley.
Oettinger returning to form would go a long way toward solving some of the Stars' goal-prevention issues, but defense is where their trade deadline interests should be. They do not need a game-changer, just some quality depth for their second- or third-pairing.
They have a little more than $1 million in salary-cap space to work with, while also still having their first-round pick to deal.
Their Stanley Cup window will never be more wide open than it is over the next year or two, and they should be aggressively working to find a deal that can put them over the top.
Detroit Red Wings: Defense
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The Red Wings are in a similar situation as the Stars.
Offense? Absolutely no problem.
Defense? Big problem.
The Red Wings could use some goaltending help, but they also have some pretty major issues with the way they defend in front of their goalies. They rank 23rd in expected goals against per 60 minutes and are 29th in expected goals share during 5-on-5 play.
The other issue is that their lack of quality depth on the blue line has forced them to utilize Moritz Seider in almost an exclusively defensive role with some of the most difficult defensive assignments in the league.
Giving the 22-year-old some help could help free him up and allow him to make an even bigger impact offensively.
Edmonton Oilers: Goaltending Depth
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The Oilers are the hottest team in hockey and have made their disappointing start a distant memory. Everything about their overall performance suggests they can be one of the top Stanley Cup contenders this year.
Their superstars are playing great, their underlying numbers are among the best in hockey at 5-on-5, and they defend much better than they get credit for. Just about the only question mark they have right now is if they will get enough goaltending to hold everything together.
Stuart Skinner has taken a step forward after a bad start, but is he the guy to backstop them to a Cup? And if not, do they have a reliable option behind him?
They don't necessarily need a superstar in goal. They just need competence and a safety net in case Skinner hits a poorly timed slump.
Goaltending might be the only thing slowing the Oilers down.
Florida Panthers: Depth Scoring
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The Panthers are not shy about making big moves, but their options are going to be limited this season unless they find a way to move some big money out the other way.
They have almost no salary-cap space to work with, don't have a first-or second-round pick this season, no first-round pick next year and do not have a particularly deep farm system. That certainly limits the options.
However, management knows this team's Stanley Cup window is wide open, and after reaching the Final a year ago and with no truly dominant team in the Eastern Conference to stand in their way, they may not get many better opportunities to go for it.
Some cheap scoring depth that only costs a mid-round pick is probably the best they can hope for given the circumstances and what they have to offer.
Los Angeles Kings: Goal Scoring
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The Kings looked like the best team in hockey through the first month of the season but have cratered since then. Their slump has gotten so bad that it resulted in the firing of head coach Todd McLellan at the All-Star break.
Their biggest need is for more finishing talent as there is a significant gap between their 5-on-5 expected goal numbers (2.95) and actual goals scored numbers (2.59).
The best improvement might not come from a trade, but from some of their own players already on the roster. They are paying Pierre-Luc Dubois $8.5 million a year to be a difference-maker, but he's been one of the league's most disappointing players with just 10 goals and 20 total points in 48 games.
The Kings need to find more scoring help on the wings if they are going to turn this season around and get back to being the team we saw in the first month of the campaign.
Minnesota Wild: Salary-Cap Relief
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This is shaping up to be a lost season for the WIld as they rapidly fall away in the Western Conference playoff race.
They don't really have a lot of pieces to trade, especially after re-signing several pending free agents, nor are they really in a position to add.
What they really need is to figure out a way to get some salary-cap relief.
They are still dealing with the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts that are eating up more than $14 million in salary-cap space. That has made it nearly impossible to build out a deep, competitive roster.
They had a lot of flaws last year and superb goaltending from Filip Gustavsson bailed them out. They are not getting that same level of play this season, and it's exposing their issues.
They need to shed cap space to help turn things around next season.
Montreal Canadiens: Teams Fighting over Jake Allen
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The Canadiens already took care of some nifty business by turning Monahan into two first-round draft picks: the first-round pick they got from Calgary to take on his contract and then the pick they received from Winnipeg to acquire him.
They might have an opportunity to hit another home run with Jake Allen.
There are several top contenders in need of goaltending depth, and netminder is the one position where the Canadiens have some quality depth.
Allen is the most logical trade candidate.
Goalie trades can sometimes be underwhelming, but if the Canadiens can get a few contenders interested, they might have an opportunity to drive up the price and potentially land yet another first-round pick.
A second-round pick should be the bare minimum.
Nashville Predators: Penalty Kill
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The Predators still don't seem to know exactly what they are or what direction they want to take from a big-picture perspective, but they have managed to play themselves into playoff contention this season.
The best and most logical course of action might be to not do anything dramatic and see what this team can do and reassess in the offseason. There isn't a single move that is going to make this fringe playoff team a serious contender this season.
If allowed to make the playoffs, most teams are going to do what they can to get in.
The biggest area Nashville needs to improve is its penalty kill, where it ranks 26th in the league
The Predators are loaded with draft picks over the next two years, owning seven picks in the first four rounds this year and two first-round picks in 2025. It would not hurt to flip one or two of those picks to help solidify their defensive play and depth.
New Jersey Devils: Goaltending
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The Devils need two things before the trade deadline: Keep their top players healthy, especially Jack Hughes, and find somebody who can stop the puck.
The former is just going to come down to timing and luck, but the latter has been a concern all year, and it should have been a bigger worry in the offseason when the Devils were still swimming in salary-cap space.
Vitek Vanecek, Akira Schmid and Nico Daws have combined for an .889 all situations save percentage this season, significantly below the league average.
That isn't going to cut it in a seven-game series. And it may prevent them from even getting to a seven-game series if they can't start collecting more points in the standings after the All-Star break.
It is a position that needed to be addressed before the season, and now things are starting to reach a critical point.
This can be one of the league's best teams when healthy, but the lack of goaltending is going to hold the Devils back if they do not find a way to address it.
New York Islanders: Some Excitement
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The Islanders are still clinging to playoff hopes, but there is nothing overly exciting or interesting about them or the way they play.
This has been true for a couple of years now, but they were at least really good defensively at times under Barry Trotz.
This team, though? It's just bland.
Maybe Patrick Roy can help change that in some small way behind the bench, but the roster is lacking in impact players and creativity.
The Islanders do not score a lot at even-strength. They don't defend particularly well for a team with a reputation for being good defensively, and their penalty kill is lousy.
Pretty much everything good that happens for them comes as a result of the power play and their goaltending.
They just need a spark that isn't a head coaching change.
New York Rangers: Forward Depth
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The head coach is different, but the team is mostly the same in terms of how it plays and how it is built.
In each of the past two years, the Rangers have needed to make significant moves at the trade deadline to solidify their 5-on-5 scoring depth, and they again find themselves in that position this season.
The situation is even more dire with the news that forward Filip Chytil is out for the remainder of the season.
The top half of the Rangers' lineup with Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck, Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin is good enough to compete with any team in the league. But there is a pretty dramatic drop in talent and production once you get beyond that group.
Two years ago, they needed to add Frank Vatrano and Andrew Copp before the deadline to strengthen the lineup. One year ago, it was Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko.
They will need to work some of that deadline magic again if they are going to have a chance to get over the playoff hump and become a serious Stanley Cup contender.
Ottawa Senators: Everything
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This was supposed to be the year when the Senators' rebuild resulted in some real progress that would have hopefully produced a playoff spot.
Instead, everything has gone wrong and exposed several weaknesses on the roster.
Their forward depth in the bottom six is lacking, their defensive-zone play has been bad, and their goaltending, which they tried to solve by making a risky signing on Joonas Korpisalo, has been terrible.
There is a good enough core here that they still don't need to hit the reset button just yet, but there is a lot of work to be done.
Moving Jakob Chychrun might be a good way too get some assets back, either in the form of draft picks that could be flipped later or young players, to help fix some of those depth issues.
Philadelphia Flyers: Some Patience
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The Flyers are ahead of schedule in their rebuild, but that doesn't mean the long-term vision and plan should change. It also doesn't mean they are ready to be significant buyers just yet.
Maybe they can shop the 2024 first-round pick they have that belongs to the Florida Panthers if it means getting somebody with term remaining on their contract.
Maybe they can make a small move or two around the edges.
But this is a team that, despite its early success, is still short on impact talent and seems to be trending in the wrong direction overall.
Stay the course. Be patient. Don't overthink it.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Jake Guentzel Contract Extension
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Nobody, not even the Penguins themselves, seems to know if they intend to buy or sell before the trade deadline.
If they decide to sell, Jake Guentzel would be the most logical candidate given his pending free agency and high value.
But if the Penguins have any desire to compete for a playoff spot this season and also keep Sidney Crosby happy next season as he goes into the final year of his contract, having Guentzel around would be beneficial.
The best way to ensure that would be with a new contract extension.
There does not seem to be much progress on that front, and it won't be cheap to complete, but Guentzel is the best winger Crosby has had in his career. He remains a top-line talent and one of the best pure goal scorers in the league, and he still fits in with the current core.
San Jose Sharks: Future Assets
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The Sharks were expected to be bad this season, and they may have exceeded those expectations in all the wrong ways.
This is an "everything must go" type of situation, and outside of the team's select few best young players, they should be trying to shop as many names as they can for as many future assets as they can acquire.
Anthony Duclair seems like a given to be traded, and there is probably a market for goalie Kaapo Kahkonen. This is still the very early stages of a long-term rebuild, and anyone who doesn't project to be a productive part of the roster two or three years from now should be on the block.
Draft picks. Prospects. Young NHLers under team control. Anything like that has to be on the Sharks' list.
Seattle Kraken: Scoring
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The Kraken should have been seen as a candidate to regress this season because so much of their goal-scoring last season was driven by shooting percentages.
That might carry an offense for an individual season, but no team is going to maintain the level they shot at a year ago every season.
And they haven't.
The Kraken have dropped all the way down to 27th in the league in goal-scoring, and it is clearly their biggest need coming out of the All-Star break.
There is some internal hope with Jaden Schwartz being back in the lineup, and they would love to see Matty Beniers bounce back from a tough first half. But even if they start producing more, they still need more depth if they are going to be competitive in a tough Western Conference.
The playoffs are within reach, but they need to score more.
St. Louis Blues: Defense
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Defense has been a persistent problem for the Blues for a couple of years now, but they haven't really done anything to address it.
The blue line is loaded with questionable contracts that will be tough to move (Colton Parayko, Justin Faulk, Torey Krug and Nick Leddy are accounting for more than $23 million in cap space for the next several years), and a position that was once an organizational strength is now one of its biggest undoings.
The only three NHL teams that allow more expected goals per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play are Chicago, Montreal and San Jose. Those three teams are not the company you want to be keeping this season in, well, anything.
The Blues are still hanging around in the Western Conference playoff race, but there is only going to be so much they can do with a team that defends as poorly as they have.
They have ignored the position long enough.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Defense
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The Lightning are in some unfamiliar territory here, ranking 23rd in the NHL in goals against per game.
A lot of that can be explained away to goaltending issues, specifically around Andrei Vasilevskiy's early-season absence and his struggles since returning to the lineup. Not having any proven backups behind him has also been an issue.
There is still the very real possibility that Vasilevskiy gets back on track after the All-Star break and can at least play closer to the level we have grown to expect from him.
Even if he does, though, the Lightning are still 17th in the NHL in expected goals against during 5-on-5 play and 19th in all situations, indicating that their defensive play has only been average at best.
Goaltending inconsistency is a problem, but it's not all on them.
The Lightning's top forwards are still as dynamic as ever and scoring goals in bunches, but the defense needs some work.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Defense
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Every trade deadline, thousands of words get spilled trying to convince everyone that defense is what the Maple Leafs need.
In most cases, that narrative has been overstated.
Statistically, their defense has typically played well only to be undone in the playoffs by goaltending or a lack of depth scoring. While they still have those concerns this season, this is also the year when they actually do need a defensive upgrade.
Not only have they been ineffective as a team defensively at both even strength and on the penalty kill, but injuries have also limited them.
The question is whether Maple Leafs management thinks this roster is good enough to add to at the deadline. They are a playoff team, but nothing about them screams "Cup contender," and they might be more than just a minor move away from getting there.
Vancouver Canucks: Penalty-Kill Help
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There is a lot to love about the Canucks right now. They are one of the most exciting teams in the league offensively, they are getting outstanding goaltending from both Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith, and they just added a significant piece in Lindholm.
There is not much that needs done here outside of a couple minor moves around the edges.
One area that could use some shoring up is the penalty kill where the Canucks are only 15th in the NHL this season.
It might be in their interest to place another call to the Flames to see what it would take to get Chris Tanev as a short-term rental to add a little more defensive presence to their blue line.
Vegas Golden Knights: Depth at Left Wing
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Early on, the Golden Knights not only looked like one of the best teams in hockey, but they also looked like they were on their way to a potential Stanley Cup repeat.
Now they are in danger of losing a top-two spot in the Pacific Division and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The biggest glaring weakness on the roster right now is the left-wing spot which has been a black hole for offense this season.
Vegas' front office is one of the most aggressive in hockey and will no doubt do everything in its power to fix that before the deadline. The question is whether it can find a solution in the trade market.
The Golden Knights are 14th in the league in goals per game, and the left-wing spot has been the biggest drain on that number.
Washington Capitals: Repeating the 2023 Deadline
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The Capitals are another team that is in a gray area between clear buyer and clear seller.
They are not well-positioned to make the playoffs, but as long as Alex Ovechkin is on the roster and chasing Wayne Gretzky's goals record, they are never going to totally give up and start rebuilding.
It is not a position you want to stay in forever, though, because you do need to pick a direction and stick with it at some point, but a chance for the Capitals to maybe sell off some pending free agents (Anthony Mantha, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Joel Edmundson) or other veterans still under contract.
They could then try flip some of those assets for a younger player who could be a part of both the present and future, as they did a year ago in acquiring Rasmus Sandin from Toronto after trading several veterans at the deadline.
Winnipeg Jets: Defensive Depth
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The Jets are in a near-identical position as the Canucks.
They are a top team in the Western Conference (seemingly out of nowhere), have a top-heavy lineup of of impact players who are playing exceptionally well, are getting sensational goaltending, and they already made a big move to address center depth by adding Monahan from the Canadiens.
They don't need a lot at this point.
They also have Mark Scheifele set to return to the lineup this week.
Just about the only thing that might be of interest for the Jets is maybe some defensive depth to help round out their lineup and improve a penalty kill unit that is 25th in the NHL.
All data in this article via NHL.com, CapFriendly and Natural Stat Trick.
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