9 NHL Teams With Big Decisions to Make at the 2026 Trade Deadline

We're just weeks away from the Olympic trade freeze, and we're less than two months away from the trade deadline. We've already seen two trades leading up to the Olympics: Rasmus Andersson to the Golden Knights and Kiefer Sherwood to the Sharks.

We aren't expecting an abundance of sellers this trade deadline. Only four teams in the East have records below .500. With so few obvious sellers, and with Quinn Hughes, Andersson, and Sherwood off the board, the urgency is picking up for contending teams and sellers alike.

Here are nine NHL teams with some of the biggest decisions to make at the trade deadline.

Carolina Hurricanes

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Sebastian Aho

The Hurricanes are the only team in the Metropolitan Division that has been even remotely consistent, and that shows in the standings as they sit comfortably in the No. 1 division spot by a whopping seven points.

On the one hand, this means they've already put together a solid team and don't have to make any desperation moves at the deadline to qualify for the playoffs.

On the other hand, they've known for a while their team is headed for the playoffs, they've had time to think about what luxuries best suit their team, and they've had tons of sporadic injuries on the blue line.

The 'Canes like to keep their blue line particularly deep. Could they run it back with Dougie Hamilton? He was a great fit in Carolina.

Could they attempt a Mikko Rantanen situation again? They've shown us in the Eric Tulsky era that they aren't afraid to take big swings that benefit their present and future.

With their window to win the Cup getting smaller and smaller, you get the sense the Canes could take one more swing for the fences this deadline.

Minnesota Wild

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Quinn Hughes

In acquiring Quinn Hughes, the Wild made what will likely end up as the trade of the year—before trade deadline talk even really started.

Now, Hughes has been a perfect fit as he's settled in, and after grinding and grinding away, the Wild are tied with the Stars with 65 points for No. 2 in the Central.

The notorious Central division is going to be the hardest first round to get out of by far, so can we confidently say that the Wild are done dealing? Probably not.

Could GM Bill Guerin finesse some more center depth? You can never have enough of that come the playoffs, no matter how stacked your roster is.

Guerin has an interesting advantage as GM of Team USA at the Olympics—perhaps he'll keep an eye on Vincent Trocheck, who will be one of the Rangers' strongest assets in a fire sale that seems inevitable at this point.

New York Rangers

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GM Chris Drury has again addressed the Rangers fanbase via letter. You know what that means: It's time for another trade deadline fire sale.

If your team has to make some changes, there's no better time to be a seller than right now, so the Rangers might as well take advantage of the hungry buyers' market.

New York is the only team in the Eastern Conference right now with a sub-.500 record, and the team has plenty of intriguing players to deal with.

Pending UFA Artemi Panarin is the biggest name among those likely to be dealt. Vincent Trocheck is the type of chippy yet skilled player any team would want for a playoff run.

Maybe the question in New York isn't who they will trade, but who will be left once the deadline has passed?

Young Up and Comers: Canadiens, Mammoth, Sabres, and Sharks

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Lane Hutson and Macklin Celebrini

There's a robust group of young up-and-comers this trade deadline that could make things extra interesting.

Will the Canadiens decide they're all in on continuing this playoff window and finish the retool as they go? They've proved they can come back from some struggles. They've been respectable in the East and currently own a playoff spot. Could they go for a player who could help them out now—and extend far into the future?

The Sharks sort of answered our question in acquiring Kiefer Sherwood earlier this week. He's a spirited forward who fits right in with fast-paced San Jose, as Macklin Celebrini's epic sophomore season has kept them right on the bubble.

Perhaps the vote of confidence—and the skill—the Sherwood acquisition provides is enough to send them to the postseason ahead of schedule.

Meanwhile, the Mammoth are separating themselves in the Central. No one is catching up to those top three, but Utah is the only Central team even close. They could sneak into the playoffs with a few savvy moves this deadline.

And, of course, we've found ourselves sitting here wondering what to make of the Sabres.

Jarmo Kekäläinen gets his first crack at the trade deadline as Buffalo GM, and he was known for his fair share of aggressive moves during his time with Columbus.

Toronto Maple Leafs

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Anything goes in the wild, wild East this year. Just when it looked like the Leafs were at the bottom of the barrel for good, their recent string of wins has forced them back into the playoff conversation.

This bodes well for a team that would have been in an extremely tricky place as a seller. Auston Matthews' value is probably the worst it's been. Any enticing trade chip like Mathew Knies would just have to be replaced anyway, and this core has already tried the "firing the coach" and the "firing the GM" routes.

Still, there are fundamental flaws with this iteration of the Leafs. They have been scoring less than ever, the power play has looked off all season, and the defense hasn't been as burly as they'd hoped.

These Leafs aren't going on a deep Cup run, but they aren't prepared to blow it all up. Plus, they don't have many assets to give that a rebuilding seller would actually want. It feels like the best they can do is a low-key depth move as they hope for another playoff appearance.

Vancouver Canucks

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Elias Pettersson

It's safe to say the rebuild has begun in Vancouver. The front office got a solid haul for Quinn Hughes, which was an absolute necessity when you're dealing with a top-two active NHL defenseman.

Things fell apart quickly after Hughes' departure, though, and the Canucks are now on an 11-game losing streak. They followed up the Hughes move with the Sherwood trade earlier this week, so they're emerging as the biggest seller of the deadline.

Who could be next?

There are plenty of rental options Vancouver can ship away, with Evander Kane at the top of that list. Elias Pettersson's name has also come up.

There's a sense that the Canucks will hear teams out on just about any player. It'll be fascinating to see who they actually end up dealing with—and what the market price will be.

Keep your eye on Vancouver to get a pulse on the market leading up to the actual deadline.