Predicting The Most Active Teams at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline

The NHL's annual trade deadline is scheduled for Friday, March 6, 2025, at 3 pm ET. While it's still three months away, several teams could end up becoming buyers and sellers well before deadline day.

Buyers tend to be Stanley Cup contenders hoping to land the missing piece of the championship puzzle. They are also playoff contenders trying to bolster their rosters to secure a postseason berth and improve their chances of a deep playoff run.

Sellers are often teams near the bottom of the standings that have little chance of rallying back into playoff contention by the end of the regular season. They can also be clubs on the postseason bubble who have decided it's not worth sacrificing future assets only to be eliminated from the opening round.

Looking at the standings as of Dec. 7, it's not difficult to guess which bottom-dwelling clubs are expected to become deadline sellers if they don't gain ground in the standings. Meanwhile, clubs near the top of the standings with salary-cap space and tradeable assets are the most likely to get busy in the trade market.

Follow along as we predict the teams that should be the most active in the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.

Anaheim Ducks

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The Anaheim Ducks spent the past several seasons rebuilding their roster under general manager Pat Verbeek. Those efforts are finally paying off this season, with the Ducks jockeying for first place in the Pacific Division.

Budding stars such as goaltender Lukáš Dostál, defensemen Jackson LaCombe and Olen Zellweger, and forwards Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, and Mason McTavish have fueled the Ducks' rise this season. So have the play of veterans acquired via trades, such as Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba.

The Ducks' improvement could turn them into trade deadline buyers for the first time in several seasons. They'll have $51.3 million in projected accrued cap space by the trade deadline. They also have plenty of trade capital to draw on with draft picks, prospects, and young roster players.

Verbeek has also shown a willingness to swing a big trade during the regular season by targeting teams looking to move veterans to free up cap space. That's how he landed Trouba last December from the New York Rangers, and his acquisition of Kreider from the Rangers in June.

The Ducks' run-and-gun style makes them one of the league's highest-scoring teams, but their goals-against per game (3.36) is among the league's highest, and their penalty-killing percentage (75.8) is among the worst. Verbeek could go shopping for some experienced defensive players by March 6.

Calgary Flames

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Stuck near the bottom of the standings since early October, the Calgary Flames are expected to become sellers. The club is transitioning toward younger players and could part ways with some of its veterans by the trade deadline.

Rasmus Andersson is considered the most likely to be moved by the deadline and sits atop our December NHL Trade Targets Rankings. The 29-year-old is due to become an unrestricted free agent next July. A highly-skilled all-around blueliner, he'll be among the top players in the UFA market.

Andersson could fetch the Flames a good return from a playoff contender looking to shore up their defense corps. A first-round pick and a top prospect could be part of the package for the Flames if there's a bidding war for his services.

Nazem Kadri has also frequently surfaced as a trade candidate, but Flames ownership insists they don't intend to move him. However, winger Blake Coleman has also popped up recently in the rumor mill. A two-time Stanley Cup champion with a year left on his contract, he could be a tempting target for contenders.

The Flames will be seeking young NHL-ready players as part of the returns for Andersson and Coleman. They prefer to retool the roster rather than a full-fledged rebuild.

Carolina Hurricanes

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Since the 2018-19 season, the Carolina Hurricanes have not missed the postseason. They've finished first or second in their division since the 2020-21 season and reached the Eastern Conference Final three times, including twice in the last three seasons, but have yet to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

Next June will mark 20 years since the Hurricanes won their first and only Stanley Cup. Management will be shopping around in the trade market, hoping to land the right player who can help them bring the Cup back to Raleigh.

Previous general manager Don Waddell and current GM Eric Tulsky have been willing to pursue notable talent in the trade market. Between them, they acquired Max Pacioretty, Brent Burns, Jake Guentzel, and Mikko Rantanen since 2022, but none of those players were able to end the Hurricanes' current Cup drought.

The Hurricanes are in "win-now" mode. They have a projected $39.5 million in trade deadline cap space and tradeable assets, including two first-round picks in 2028. They've made big swings in the market before, so there's little reason to believe they won't do it again.

Inconsistent goaltending remains an issue, but there are no surefire postseason starters currently in the trade market. Their pursuit of Guentzel in 2024 and Rantanen last season suggests they'll go after another high-scoring forward to improve their struggling power play.

Minnesota Wild

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After a sluggish start to this season, the Minnesota Wild have moved up among the top four teams in the Western Conference. If they remain there over the next three months, general manager Bill Guerin could become a trade-deadline buyer.

Having signed superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov to a long-term extension in September, Guerin could try to push open a Stanley Cup window for the Wild. His club will have $14.1 million in projected cap space for the trade deadline if he wants to go shopping by the deadline.

Since joining the NHL in 2000-01, the Wild have never reached the Stanley Cup Final. The last time they got close was their 2003 run to the Western Conference Final. They haven't advanced beyond the first round since 2015.

Most of the Wild's core players are in their mid-twenties to early-thirties. This could be an opportune time for Guerin to make additions to turn his club into a serious Stanley Cup contender.

That could mean sacrificing the Wild's first-round picks in 2026 and 2027. With youngsters Jesper Wallstedt, Zeev Buium, Liam Öhgren, and Danila Yurov already in the lineup, prospects Carson Lambos and Ryder Ritchie could become trade bait to add more scoring punch and defensive depth.

Nashville Predators

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The Nashville Predators were considered the big winners of the 2024 offseason, signing top free agents Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei to lucrative contracts. They also re-signed goaltender Juuse Saros to a long-term extension.

Those moves were supposed to help the Predators remain competitive as they eased younger players into the roster. Instead, they missed the playoffs last season and are poised to do so again, barring a significant reversal in their fortunes.

General manager Barry Trotz continues to stand by embattled head coach Andrew Brunette, which suggests that any significant changes will be to the roster. Those moves will probably occur closer to the trade deadline.

Stamkos, Marchessault, and Saros have surfaced in the rumor mill recently, with Stamkos and Saros making our December Trade Targets Rankings. Center Ryan O'Reilly has also become the subject of trade conjecture. He lacks no-trade protection, but Trotz will likely give him the final say.

Trading Stamkos, Marchessault, and Saros seems unlikely given their expensive cap hits and no-movement clauses, but we cannot rule it out. O'Reilly's affordable contract makes him the more reasonable trade target. Pending free agents Michael Bunting and Erik Haula could also be trade candidates.

St. Louis Blues

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Entering the 2025-26 campaign, the St. Louis Blues hoped to build on last season's promising stretch run, which propelled them into the playoffs. However, they currently find themselves near the bottom of the Western Conference standings.

Long-time Blues fans will recall that their club was in this position at this stage in 2018-19, only to rally back and win their first-ever Stanley Cup. However, it's unlikely that lightning will strike twice.

Last month, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong informed his peers that his club was "open for business." Some observers might consider this a ploy by Armstrong to motivate his players to improve, but if that's the case, the message hasn't worked.

The Blues' struggles have rekindled the trade rumors that dogged team captain Brayden Schenn last season. Goaltender Jordan Binnington has popped up as well, partly because he has a year left on his contract and might not fit into the club's long-term plans.

Barring another bounce-back second-half performance, Armstrong will likely be a seller by March. That will mean he'll start getting calls from teams interested in adding Schenn and Binnington to their rosters.

Vancouver Canucks

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The Vancouver Canucks have already signalled their intent to become sellers this season, so this isn't much of a prediction. Nevertheless, it's worthwhile to forecast how busy they might be.

Jim Rutherford, the Canucks' President of Hockey Operations, said his club must get younger. He's willing to entertain offers for some of his veterans. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said the available players include those eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer or those with two years remaining on their contracts.

Quinn Hughes falls into that latter category, and there's speculation that he might request a trade if the Canucks fail to improve by the deadline. However, Friedman indicated that the superstar defenseman is not among their tradeable players.

The UFA-eligible players include forwards Evander Kane and Kiefer Sherwood. Those with less than two years left on their contracts include defenseman Tyler Myers and forwards Filip Chytil and Drew O'Connor. All could draw varying degrees of interest in the trade market.

Sherwood has drawn the most attention so far. The 30-year-old winger is a speedy, feisty player whose style is well-suited to the physical grind of the postseason. He leads the Canucks with 12 goals, putting him on pace for a career-high of 35.

Stats and standings (as of Dec. 7, 2025) via NHL.com. Salary info via PuckPedia.