5 NHL Prospects and Young Players That Could Be Dealt at the 2026 Deadline
Prospects and flashy young players are the bread and butter of trade deadline bait. Whether a team's general manager actually trades for those young players over an aging veteran, broadcasters like to talk about as if he's on his way to the retirement home, is a different matter entirely, but their names are always dangled out there to spark conversation. And the question is always: who will it be?
While he's a little too old for the parameters of this article—we're looking at prospects and young professional players—I would be remiss if I did not mention the most prominent young player with a chance of moving, Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars. He's going to command a higher return than anyone else if he moves—and that is currently still an if, and frankly, I think if it happens, it's more likely to be a summer thing. But you never know with this league.
So who else do we think is likely to be used as trade bait?
Honorable Mentions
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A quick look at a few honorable mentions that didn't make it into the main part of the article: Trevor Connelly's name has been tossed around as a potential trade chip for the Vegas Golden Knights to use, but I don't know that I would go there this season. It's possible, of course, and goodness knows the Golden Knights don't have much in the way of prospects to trade.
Heading east, I feel like I mention Alexis Lafreniere of the New York Rangers every time I talk about young players who could be traded or who could use a change of scenery, and I stand by it every single time. He didn't get a deeper look because we've been there and discussed that, but I wouldn't be surprised if he moves.
Shane Wright, Seattle Kraken
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I am aware of the hypocrisy of stating that we aren't talking about Alexis Lafreniere, only to launch into a discussion about Shane Wright, yes. But Wright is different because I've seen his name bandied about quite a bit in the lead-up to the trade deadline. A common favorite proposal among fan discussions is Wright for Alexis Lafreniere, but that one probably isn't going to happen; it doesn't solve any other problems each team involved might want to address.
While I can't pretend to know where he might end up, I can tell NHL fans what they're getting if they trade for Wright.
First thing to know: while he hasn't necessarily lived up to those high-flying claims made about him back in his pre-draft days, he's an extremely smart player who is excellent on the forecheck and only just turned 22 years old. His offensive numbers haven't been where people want them to be, but it's worth noting that his career-high average time on ice is right at 14 minutes per game.
Give him a higher role and more time, and I wouldn't be surprised to see those offensive numbers rise, especially when playing with the right linemates.
Quentin Musty, San Jose Sharks
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First-round pick Quentin Musty has been thriving in his first AHL season, having finished up his OHL career with the Sudbury Wolves last year. Currently, the San Jose Barracuda winger is sitting at 26 points in 35 AHL games, and he's just downright fun to watch. (The latter has always been the case, to be clear, though he was one of many on my list of "guys who need to stop cherrypicking their offense.)
Are the Sharks going to make the playoffs? At this point, who can say? But they're certainly going to try, and that could mean adding new pieces before the deadline. Adding new pieces is costly, so it's a good thing they have a whole host of talented young prospects waiting in the wings.
Musty is one of those prospects who could be targeted by other teams in return for their players, and while I imagine the Sharks would prefer to keep him around, you can always go get new prospects. Harsh but true.
If your team acquires Quentin Musty, here's what you're going to get: a creative, entertaining winger who isn't afraid to try every play that comes into his (admittedly intelligent) head but whose skating isn't exactly the best. He certainly isn't lacking confidence, and while he could stand to add a physical dimension to his game, some team with faith in their skating coach could snatch him up and continue his development from high-risk prospect to high-reward player.
Conor Geekie, Tampa Bay Lightning
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I waffled for a bit on whether the Tampa Bay Lightning are more likely to trade Conor Geekie or Sam O'Reilly, and ultimately came down on the side of Geekie being the player other teams are most likely to go after.
Geekie, a center currently playing for the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL, has the size that NHL teams salivate after (he's 6'4" and 207 pounds) alongside a strong two-way game. Basically, if your general manager is looking to fill a prime Jonathan Toews-shaped hole in his heart, he might consider trading for Geekie.
Right now, Geekie sits at 46 points in 44 games with the Crunch this season, including 13 goals. I'm not worried about his offense translating to the NHL; for one thing, that's going to require consistent minutes at the NHL level, where he would fit quite well as a complementary player alongside top talent—regardless of what team it's with.
For another, just look at the rest of his game. Geekie's strong play away from the puck, consistent effort, and willingness to play the physical side of the game are just as appealing.
The Lightning may not have a particular desire to part with him, but they've shown in the past that they certainly aren't afraid to move pieces around when needed.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygård or Nate Danielson, Detroit Red Wings
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The Detroit Red Wings are very well positioned, in terms of their prospect pool, to take advantage of the pre-trade deadline market—with the right deals, they can be buyers, get the pieces they want, and not lose ground on young assets.
So obviously, I wanted to see if I could pinpoint who might be moving from their prospect pool. In the end, I couldn't choose between winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygård or center Nate Danielson. I imagine for teams making deals, it comes down to whether they want to be deeper at wing or center.
Danielson is in his second pro season, and while he's spent the most recent chunk of it with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL, he held his own during the time he spent with the Red Wings after making the team out of camp. He just needed more time to get stronger and faster, something that is pretty typical for young players. He's currently at 15 points in his 18 games with the Griffins, being trusted in just about every situation. He's a very appealing combination of size and skill, able to create off the rush.
Like Danielson, Brandsegg-Nygård made the Red Wings out of camp, but he only played 9 games before joining the Griffins. He's played 44 games and has 28 points at the time of writing. He plays heavy, not afraid to lay big hits and use his size to both power his shot and retrieve the puck from unsuspecting opponents. He's going to appeal to a different kind of team than Danielson might, because he plays a different kind of game.
