5 Teams Contenders Should Target at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline

When the NHL returns from the Olympic break, there are only going to be a handful of games before the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline. It is closer than you realize, and we already have a pretty good sense of who the NHL's buyers and sellers will be.

When it comes to the latter, there are five teams that contenders should be targeting in the coming weeks when it comes to filling out their roster and fixing their needs.

Let's take a look at them.

Calgary Flames

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The Flames already made one big move -- and the expected move -- by trading veteran defenseman and pending unrestricted free agent Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights.

But will they stop there?

This is still a team going through a bit of a rebuild with an eye toward the future.

They also have some really significant trade chips that could bring big returns.

Nazem Kadri might be the best of those trade options, not only because he is the type of gritty, two-way center that teams love this time of year, but also because he is a center in a weak trade market down the middle. His contract still has some potentially concerning team (three more years at $7 million per season), and he is already 35 years old, but he can still help a contender in the short-term.

Winger Blake Coleman will also be an attractive option for contenders, given his two-way play and the fact that he, like Kadri, also has Stanley Cup-winning experience.

His offensive production has dropped a bit, and he is dealing with an injury at the moment, but his contract ($4.9 million through next season) is reasonable.

Then there is defenseman Zach Whitecloud. He came over in the Andersson trade and could be a potential flip to increase the return. He has term left on his contract at a fairly affordable rate, and is a solid enough defender that contenders should have an interest.

The Flames have a chance to really add to their prospect pool and draft pick collection. They should be aggressive sellers.

Nashville Predators

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Nashville is in a really weird situation right now, given the uncertainty of their general manager role. Barry Trotz is stepping aside, but no replacement is in place. How active is Trotz going to be? How active will ownership want him to be, given that someone new will be taking over the team and would probably like to put their stamp on it?

If they are active, there are several intriguing trade options here.

Veterans Steven Stamkos and Ryan O'Reilly would no doubt be of interest to contenders, especially given the way Stamkos has been on an absolute heater offensively since the first month of the season.

O'Reilly is also having a big year offensively (nearly a point-per-game pace) and is still a tough two-way player.

Both could help put a contender over the top.

On a smaller scale, veteran forward Michael Bunting is not going to bring big headlines or a big return, but he is an annoying player to line up against (which teams love to have) and will make a push for 20 goals this season. He might not be a star, but he could be a solid depth addition to a playoff team's middle-six lineup.

Given the contract situations of Stamkos and O'Reilly, they are under no pressure to make any major moves, but they should at least be open to the idea. The Predators are stuck in that undesirable middle ground and will eventually need to pick a direction.

They already have a strong farm system, and they have some trade chips that could be valuable and help bring in more young talent to complement what they have on the way.

New York Rangers

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The Rangers are very much open for business. Not only are they headed toward their second consecutive non-playoff season, but they are also the worst team in the Eastern Conference and among the few obvious sellers in the NHL right now.

In fact, the selling has already begun with the Artemi Panarin and Carson Soucy trades.

Given those trades and the fact that they already sent out their latest "we are rebuilding" letter, it is a good bet that more trades could be coming.

The most obvious candidate on the roster now is Vincent Trocheck, and they would probably be wise to listen to what teams are offering. While Team USA received justified criticism for including him on the Olympic roster, he is still a very good NHL player and one who could help many contenders. His contract is not a liability, and he is a solid enough two-way player that there should be no shortage of teams interested in him.

Colorado and Minnesota are two obvious contenders with a big need for more center depth to potentially put them over the top. If the Rangers want to bring in some young talent and picks, Trocheck would be an obvious player to dangle.

The Rangers should also be a team that contenders want to call because it remains to be seen whether Chris Drury is up to the task of successfully pulling off this retool. Many of his moves have backfired over the years, and he seems more reactive than proactive. You might be able to get a good deal here if you are a contender.

St. Louis Blues

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This has been a miserable season for the Blues, and one that has quickly gotten away from them. They need to be sellers. They will almost certainly be sellers. The question is how much they will sell, and how willing they are to tear this all down.

Veteran defenseman Justin Faulk seems like a very logical candidate to be moved. He is still a solid player with term remaining on his contract beyond this season. The attractive thing about that term is the actual dollars he is owed is actually less than his salary cap hit due to the front-loaded nature of his contract.

That could be attractive to teams.

Goalie Jordan Binnington has been awful for most of the season, but could a strong showing for Team Canada in the Olympics give teams a reason to take a swing at him? That would only add to the "big game" reputation he seems to be cultivating.

The wild-cards here are forwards Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas.

Both players are core players for the Blues. They are also both signed to long-term contracts that are likely to be below market value in a rising cap environment. But they have trade protections in their deals, and it would require the Blues to really give up on this core and decide they need a fresh start across the board.

The odds of them being moved seem low, but this might be the time to call the Blues and ask about them and see if you can pounce and land the type of top-line forward that does not come available very often.

Vancouver Canucks

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The Canucks need some sort of rebuild, and they might finally be inching their way toward it. Grudgingly. They already moved Quinn Hughes and Kiefer Sherwood for relatively big returns, and they probably will not -- and should not -- stop there.

Evander Kane is going to go at some point. It is just simply a matter of where, and not if.

Players with terms remaining, like Conor Garland and Jake DeBrusk, could also be potential targets.

But what about Elias Pettersson?

He has been better this season, for sure. But he has still not returned to the 100-point form he displayed in the past. Are we getting closer to "change of scenery" territory here? On one hand, that would be an enormous risk for the Canucks. He is still their biggest talent and best player, and if there is even a remote chance he returns to playing -- and producing -- like a franchise player, they will want that to happen for them, not for somebody else.

It would also be nearly impossible for them to come out ahead on any trade involving him at this point. Not many teams can take on his contract, and his back-to-back down years are going to leave his value at probably its lowest possible point. Not exactly an ideal trade situation.

But if you are a team with salary cap space and in need of big-time offensive talent, maybe you should see if they are willing to do business. They were willing to listen a year ago. Maybe they still are. It only takes one phone call, one offer, and one team willing to take a chance.