7 NHL Trades That Should Have Happened During the 2026 Offseason

The NHL offseason has all but stopped completely after a hot couple of weeks.

However, even though we saw a fair number of juicy trades, there are more than a few big names who were rumored to be on the move and haven't gone anywhere.

Some players took themselves out of the running by signing extensions or having a change of heart, but others remain out there leaving us to wonder if there could still be something coming or if it'll be status quo when training camps open in September.

Those are the trades we'll be pondering today, the ones that weren't made that should have. It's not just for us in the takes business, but for the teams and even the players themselves who could stand to have a new situation or reinvigorated chances at a deep playoff run or shot at the Stanley Cup.

Shane Wright Out of Seattle

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You could argue there's no player in need of a change of scenery more than Seattle's Shane Wright and have a strong case.

During Wright's time with the Kraken, it's been an uphill battle to get to the NHL and now that he's established in the league, finding a means to breakout has been difficult with the coaching and management turnover there over the past few seasons.

Much has been expected of Wright since he was drafted fourth overall in 2022 after he was initially expected to be the No. 1 pick that year (Juraj Slafkovský was instead). After he put up 19 goals and 44 points in his first full season in 2024-2025, he had just 27 points last season and 12 goals.

The Kraken struggle to score, no doubt, but Wright trying to find his game while Seattle seeks to establish its own identity at the same time can make for a bad mix. Wright is going to be moved at some point, but that it hasn't happened yet makes us wonder if it will materialize at all.

Kirill Marchenko Out of Columbus

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For a moment, it seemed like the Columbus Blue Jackets were about to have a sudden rebuild after Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko said within days of each other that they wanted out. Although Werenski patched things up with Jackets GM Don Waddell and he's happy to stay there, the same can't be said for Marchenko.

Columbus' electrifying scoring winger has a year left on his contract before he becomes a restricted free agent and he's two years away from unrestricted free agency. He's due for an extension and it'll be pricey, but if he doesn't want to stay with the Blue Jackets, the team is in a sticky position.

Marchenko would be in high demand around the league. Montréal was believed to be sniffing around, although Marchenko's agent Dan Milstein shot that down himself repeatedly online.

Even if the Canadiens are or aren't serious, plenty of teams would be for a player like that. He's scored 102 goals in four seasons and had a career-high 31 two years ago that he followed up with 27 last season.

Dylan Larkin to the Minnesota Wild

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All while Dylan Larkin remains with the Detroit Red Wings, we'll be wondering "what if" about how things played out this summer.

Larkin's trade request to now-former GM Steve Yzerman rocked the organization. It was a sudden move from the team captain and one that perhaps helped usher in a change in the hierarchy in Detroit.

Although Yzerman is still with the organization in a new role, his successor will have Larkin's trade request front and center on their desk when they're hired.

Of the four teams Larkin reportedly wants to go to, Minnesota is the one that could use him most and has the assets to make a deal happen most readily.

Adding him to the Wild roster to play alongside Matt Boldy, Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes would make Minnesota much more dangerous. The kind of trade package the Wild could put together would also give the Red Wings a lot to work with both for now and the future.

This trade, or any move for Larkin, still could happen, but we're left wondering why it hasn't.

Matthew Knies Out of Toronto

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The Toronto Maple Leafs massively overhauled their roster this summer but did most of that work in free agency. Sure, they traded Brandon Carlo to St. Louis and Joseph Woll to Philadelphia, but there was even more rumored to be cooking and Matthew Knies's name was the most intriguing one out there.

Knies was tied up in rumors to the Canadiens, Sabres, Stars and Blackhawks and you could easily say that most teams in the NHL would want to have a talented young player like him to help push them ahead. Of course, the Leafs could also use Knies to do the same after adding Gavin McKenna in the draft to go along with Auston Matthews and William Nylander.

Still, given the depth additions the Leafs made, bringing in Sergei Bobrovsky and adding McKenna, are they going to be able to punch through the Atlantic Division maelstrom to get back to the playoffs?

The kind of trade package they'd get for Knies might have been more beneficial for them long-term and made them deeper in the short term as well. Then again, if two of the hottest pursuers are within your own division, that's enough to make anyone think twice about trading.

Jason Robertson to the Seattle Kraken

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Unlike the other trades on our list, this deal actually was agreed upon between the Dallas Stars and Seattle Kraken.

The Stars were set to accept a pile of first-round picks from Seattle for Jason Robertson who, at the time, was an unsigned RFA one year away from being an unrestricted free agent.

The Kraken had an extension offer in place for Robertson with the trade for $15 million per year for eight years, but he vetoed the move.

It was a stunning turn of events for everyone. In Robertson's case, he shot down a massive new contract with a team that wanted to acquire him. For the Kraken, they were left wondering what more they could have done to add a superstar player.

Robertson's future is still to be determined. The one-year, $12 million deal he signed with Dallas for this season raises the temperature on GM Jim Nill to get an extension worked out with him before next July 1 or else potentially see him walk away for nothing.

However, with the cap going up and Tyler Seguin's contract also ending after this season, there'll be plenty of cash to get Robertson locked in for a long time. Had the trade happened, it was believed the Stars would have used the first-round picks to obtain Matthew Knies from Toronto to replace Robertson. How fun would that have been on draft night?

But you have to feel for the Kraken on this one. They've been in need of a star player and Robertson was the right guy to target. However, they aren't contenders right now and when they will be is an even bigger question.

Morgan Rielly Out of Toronto

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While Toronto was able to add Gavin McKenna to their forward group full of star power, their defense still needs work. Long-time veteran Morgan Rielly has been a stalwart on the Leafs blue line but given with how overtasked he's been having to play as a No. 1 defender for so many years, a lot of us were wondering if it would've been better for both him and the team to part ways and see how things went elsewhere.

A lot of what Toronto has done in recent years felt like pressure release. Parting with Mitch Marner, firing Sheldon Keefe, letting Kyle Dubas walk away, all of these guys got to a boiling point before something had to give. Rielly hasn't been quite in that kind of position with the Leafs, but he has been there the longest and that kind of tenure usually leads to things coming to a head deciding to stay or go.

Rielly would've been in demand for teams in need of a solid veteran to better deepen their defense corps. Think of a team like San Jose before they added their pack of veterans on defense or Philadelphia who could use someone with Rielly's skill set. Perhaps if Toronto hadn't had such a massive overhaul of the roster and front office, maybe we would've seen a move like this.

Connor Hellebuyck to the Buffalo Sabres

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While a lot of Team USA players made news by wanting to explore new teams, Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck's end-of-season steam blowing after a tough year for his team made everyone wonder if he could be had. One team that looked into it strongly was the Buffalo Sabres.

While guys like Dylan Larkin and Zach Werenski were in the headlines around the NHL Draft, the Sabres and Jets kicked around ideas for a trade that would've sent Hellebuyck to Buffalo to become their next great goalie following in the footsteps of Ryan Miller and Dominik Hašek.

Based on speculation during draft weekend, the Sabres and Jets discussed the No. 4 and No. 8 pick being involved in the trade along with a host of players and prospects from Buffalo going to Winnipeg. A deal was never made and while the teams continued to talk going into the start of free agency, with names like Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Josh Norris being bandied about in rumors, both of those players had no-trade clauses that kicked in July 1 which would've gummed up any kind of trade talks if either or both were to be involved.

The Sabres didn't need to trade for a goalie given how well Luukkonen and Alex Lyon performed, but when a player like Hellebuyck could be had, who can blame them for taking a shot. Same goes for the Jets who likely would've pulled more than a few solid young players out of the Sabres in such a trade.