Every NHL Team's Top Trade Chip at the Trade Deadline
When it comes to the upcoming NHL trade deadline, the immortal words of "Rowdy" Roddy Piper come to mind: "just when they think they got the answers, I change the questions."
We think we know who is going to be traded between now and March 21, but there's this feeling in the air that some wild things could go down. With the cap flattening for the foreseeable future, multiple teams dealing with various stages of rebuilding and a small number of high-end contenders, this deadline feels less predictable than in years gone by.
There are also multiple situations across the league where general managers could be forced to tip their hands about how they perceive the future of their franchise. For instance, if the San Jose Sharks trade Tomas Hertl despite having a small shot at making the playoffs, the message to that fanbase will be clear.
Ditto for the Montreal Canadiens, who are in the midst of a season so bad, they have scribes calling them "unwatchable." Changes are coming for the Habs, but just how drastic will new GM Kent Hughes get with the upcoming makeover? We'll find out in the coming week.
As we break down each team's best trade chip, we'll do our best to stay away from speculation and source reporters when possible. We'll have to connect some dots in some spaces, and will try to stay away from just saying "first-round pick" for most teams, although for a few of them, that will likely be what they are looking to trade.
As always, sound off in the comments with trades you think you'd like to see your favorite team make or not make. Sometimes making no moves is the best move, after all. Let's get into the weeds.
Anaheim Ducks: Hampus Lindholm
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New Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek's first order of business will be to (quickly) figure out whether or not to trade Hampus Lindholm. He's due to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, and losing him for nothing on the open market would be a big blow to the Pacific Division's most surprising team.
In the most recent edition of the 32 Thoughts column, mega insider Elliotte Friedman wrote the following about the situation in Anaheim:
"At some point, Anaheim considered paying a little more for less term, but I'm not sure how far that went before the GM change. I don't believe the Ducks, even if in a playoff position, can afford to keep Lindholm post-deadline unless they know he's staying."
He hasn't been featured prominently in trade rumors this year, but Lindholm could be on the move if he makes it clear that he wants to test the open market. The 28-year-old defenseman would be a fantastic addition for teams looking to make a deep playoff run and is capable of playing top-line minutes.
There are a few other quality blueliners who are likely to be traded, and if a contender whiffs on them, they could check in on Lindholm.
Arizona Coyotes: Jakob Chychrun
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If this were a list about the players most likely to be traded ahead of the deadline, Phil Kessel would be in this slot. He's not the most valuable chip the Arizona Coyotes possess, however. That title belongs to Jakob Chychrun, who is arguably the best player available league-wide right now, period.
Earlier this month, Sportsnet's Jeff Marek reported that Arizona was looking for "a young player, a high-end prospect plus a first-round pick," and a few weeks later noted that the Coyotes had received an offer that met those needs.
The former 16th-overall selection is garnering plenty of interest league-wide, and Arizona general manager Bill Armstrong could be trying to start a bidding war of sorts for his star defenseman. It's tough to blame him for doing so, too, as he looks to go scorched-earth rebuild in the desert.
Chychrun's game has Wile E. Coyote-d off of a cliff this season, but there's no reason to believe that he isn't still an All-Star blueliner. He's an excellent puck mover when he's playing with NHL-caliber talent, and a change of scenery would likely see him return to the levels we saw last year.
He's young (23), cost-controlled (three more seasons at $4.6 million) and talented. Chychrun isn't a rental—this is a player who can step in and make an immediate impact for the next three years and change.
Boston Bruins: Jake DeBrusk
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Calling Jake DeBrusk a valuable trade chip would be a bit of a mischaracterization. The Boston Bruins won't be able to trade him for some up-and-coming talent, high draft picks or established top-of-the-lineup player.
Instead, it seems far more likely that the B's will have to settle for swapping DeBrusk with another underperforming player with some pedigree.
In late January, Athletic beat reporter Fluto Shinzawa spoke to a source who said that "No one's ready to marry him" due to his up-and-down play. The $4.4 million qualifying offer he will require as a restricted free agent doesn't help either.
That's a pretty penny for a wing who is on pace for fewer than 30 points. The acquiring team would need to believe that playing up in their lineup would be a boost for DeBrusk, but that'd be more of a gamble than a sure thing.
There are a few fits that we could see, as discussed in early December, but it'll be interesting to see how this all unfolds. The Bruins could very well end up keeping DeBrusk, unsatisfied with the offers sent their way. He's been playing better as of late, with five points in his last seven games, but that won't be enough to get a team to pay top dollar for him.
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Buffalo Sabres: Colin Miller
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After trading away Jack Eichel back in November, the Buffalo Sabres are without their biggest trade chip. That doesn't mean they don't have any players that could interest contending teams looking for a rental, though.
None of them are even remotely close to Eichels' caliber but could still fetch some mid-round picks or mid-range prospects in return.
Defenseman Colin Miller is arguably their best trade chip at this point, with fellow defender Will Butcher and veteran goalie Craig Anderson also in the conversation.
Miller isn't the flashiest name, but for teams that strike out on Mark Giordano or John Klingberg, he would be a nice consolation prize.
Miller wouldn't move the needle as much as Giordano, Klingberg or a player of a similar level, but he also wouldn't cost the acquiring team nearly as much either.
When the Sabres traded for Miller in late June of 2019, they swapped a second-and fifth-round pick to the Vegas Golden Knights.
It shouldn't be too difficult for them to reattain those kinds of assets, and maybe an additional low-tier prospect or pick, depending on how the trade market unfolds.
Calgary Flames: Nikita Zadorov
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This is one of those situations where we're making an educated guess about a player who could be traded in the next several weeks. Nikita Zadorov hasn't been mentioned as a skater the Calgary Flames are actively looking to deal but could be swapped out regardless.
There are a few reasons for this.
Firstly, head coach Darryl Sutter hasn't been overly thrilled with Zadorov's play this season. He was given a chance to play inside the top four but had since slid down to the third pairing.
Calgary is looking to add a top-four blueliner and would likely need to shed money to do so. Zadorov's $3.8 million cap hit could be a salary general manager Brad Treliving looks to move to clear up the ledger a bit.
The Flames also have several big-name players who will need extensions this summer. Leading scorer Johnny Gaudreau is a pending unrestricted free agent and is due for a hefty raise over his current $6.8 million cap hit.
Calgary also needs to figure out how to make room to keep their trio of restricted free agents in Matthew Tkachuk, Oliver Kylington and Andrew Mangiapane.
Zadorov seems like a likely candidate to be the odd man out here, and there are always teams that are willing to take a chance on 26-year-old defenders with size.
Carolina Hurricanes: A Top Prospect
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The Carolina Hurricanes are sitting pretty as an organization. They are battling for the Presidents' Trophy and could very well finish the year as the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, is also in contention to finish as the top seed in that league. And to top that all off, they have the deepest prospect pool in the NHL, according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic.
"In terms of total quantity of good prospects, there is not a team in the NHL whose pool is as full as the Hurricanes'," wrote Wheeler, who ranked Carolina's prospect pool ninth overall in the league.
With so much depth in terms of futures, it's tough to imagine a scenario where general manager Don Waddell doesn't take a homerun swing on someone like John Klingberg.
They were connected to the Dallas Stars defenseman back in November, and as they look to win their first Stanley Cup since 2006, Carolina is in the position to improve without subtracting anything from its NHL roster.
That is an enviable spot to be in, and it won't be surprising to see them move someone like Ryan Suzuki or Jack Drury for a high-end piece.
Both Suzuki and Drury are great prospects, but another Stanley Cup banner would be worth more to the franchise.
The Hurricanes already gave up their first-round selection after the Montreal Canadiens decided not to match their offer sheet to Jesperi Kotkaniemi, so it'd make more sense for them to move a prospect than more picks.
Chicago Blackhawks: Marc-Andre Fleury
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Unless the Chicago Blackhawks take their less-than-one-percent chance to make the playoffs as a positive sign, it seems likely that they'll be a seller ahead of the trade deadline.
Their biggest trade chip, then, is goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. He has somehow gone from a beloved figure with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vegas Golden Knights to a mercenary for hire for contending teams.
He's already been connected to the Washington Capitals, and what an odd twist to Fleury's career that would be.
After years of battling against Washington while with the Penguins, he ends up with the Capitals as they try to win one more Stanley Cup before their core group goes the way of Chicago's. Hockey is strange sometimes.
Fleury has shown what he can do when he's skating on a playoff-caliber team, winning the Vezina Trophy a year ago while in Vegas. He only cost Chicago Mikael Hakkarainen, so they may actually be able to turn an asset profit by dealing their starting goalie at the deadline.
That'd leave the Blackhawks without a bonafide starter between the pipes, but at this juncture, they may as well tank it and hope the ping pong balls bounce their way this summer.
Colorado Avalanche: A Top Prospect
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The Colorado Avalanche are gunning for the Stanley Cup and it'd be shocking to see them trade away anyone off of their current roster. Elliotte Friedman recently said as much during a rumor roundup for Sportsnet.
"The thing Colorado has told other teams is that there's not many players they're that interested in moving off the roster. You can look at teams that can win the Stanley Cup, like, same thing with Vegas, we're all making up trade (rumors) for Vegas because they have to move something off the roster to get Eichel on there. But there's not a lot of players they really want to move. I think Colorado is the same way."
Colorado has already traded its first two picks in the 2022 draft, so if they don't want to trade away NHL talent, then it stands to reason that they'd have to move prospects to acquire pro-level talent. Their prospect pool isn't nearly as deep as Carolina's but that doesn't mean they don't have some enticing players they could dangle as trade bait.
We probably won't see them move someone like Alex Newhook, but someone like 2021 first-round pick Oskar Olausson could very much be in play. Especially if the Avalanche are serious about landing Claude Giroux as an all-in rental.
It would likely take a package of futures to land the Philadelphia Flyers captain, perhaps forcing Colorado to move some of their future picks as well. A less highly touted prospect like 2020 third-round pick Jean-Luc Foudy could be in play as well.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Patrik Laine
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The Columbus Blue Jackets are no strangers to making difficult roster choices, and they have another one to make about Patrik Laine.
Over the next few weeks, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has to decide whether to re-sign the forward to a long-term deal, elect for salary arbitration, which would allow Laine to test free agency in one year at 25 years old or trade him.
This is a tough one. When Laine is on, he's capable of scoring at a 40-goal pace and is one of the deadliest shooters in the NHL. Columbus hasn't seen that version of him very often, though. It's worth noting that he's been through a lot this year, dealing with the sudden death of his father in November.
Still, the Blue Jackets are running out of time to figure out exactly what kind of player Laine can consistently be and whether or not he has a place in the team's future. He's either going to be traded over the next 12 months or he'll be in Columbus for another five-plus years.
Those are the two most likely outcomes, and it isn't clear which way Kekalainen is leaning yet. If he does decide to trade Laine, however, he would far and away be Columbus' most valuable trade chip. Wings that are capable of scoring like him don't become available very often, and it's likely that the attaining team would be looking to re-up him for the foreseeable future.
That could allow the Blue Jackets to build some conditions into the trade, or even allow an extension to be worked out ahead of time. It'll be really interesting to see how this rebuilding franchise handles Laine in the coming weeks.
Dallas Stars: John Klingberg
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It's an odd trade deadline in that there are multiple top-pairing defensemen available for the right price. John Klingberg might be the best player available in general, as indicated in Lyle Richardson's most recent NHL trade big board, where he ranked the Dallas Stars defenseman No. 1.
Speculation surrounding Klingberg kicked into high gear in early January when the 29-year-old spoke frankly about how he felt like he hadn't been "appreciated" by the Stars during contract extension negotiations. Whereas the Coyotes can take their time finding a proper deal for Chychrun, Dallas doesn't have the luxury of time on their side.
Klingberg is slated to become a free agent this summer, and it's difficult to imagine the blueliner in Texas longer than the next few weeks.
His offensive prowess would be a monster boost to any acquiring team, but it's also clear that it'll cost a significant financial commitment to keep him. Back in October, Sportsnet's Jeff Marek reported that the defenseman wanted an eight-year deal worth between $62 and $68 million.
It's tough to imagine he's expecting less now. Klingberg is on pace for 44 points despite the distractions of trade rumors and could step right into a role on a top power-play unit. He won't come cheap, but for a team like the Carolina Hurricanes, he could be a real difference-maker.
Detroit Red Wings: Nick Leddy
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For contenders not looking to trade top prospects and picks for help on the back end, Nick Leddy should be of interest. He wouldn't have nearly the same kind of impact as Klingberg, but for a team that is looking to steady their second or third pairing—Calgary and the New York Rangers come to mind—the veteran could be a nice addition.
Leddy's 40-plus point campaigns are well behind him, and his play has dropped off since the Detroit Red Wings sent a second-round pick to the New York Islanders to acquire him. Ansar Khan of MLive.com was asked in a recent mailbag about which players general manager Steve Yzerman could look to trade at the deadline. His response is telling, in terms of Leddy's perceived value:
"He hasn’t played well enough offensively or defensively... but he is a veteran, mobile, puck-moving defenseman with ample postseason experience who would draw interest from a playoff-contending club.
The Red Wings traded a second-round pick to the New York Islanders for Leddy. Could they get one back for him? Probably not, but they’ll take what they can get for a player they aren’t going to re-sign."
Detroit has been better than expected this year but still aren't in contention for a playoff spot. It stands to reason that, under the right circumstance and in the right role, Leddy could be a productive member of a quality roster.
Edmonton Oilers: Kailer Yamamoto
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The Edmonton Oilers might be hesitant to shake up their roster at this juncture. They were in total free fall just a few weeks ago but appear to have finally found some footing over their last couple of games.
Edmonton is 5-4-1 in its last 10 contests and might have stumbled onto a trio of scoring lines that works now that Evander Kane is in the fold.
It still wouldn't be surprising to see general manager Ken Holland try to make an upgrade in net. Mike Smith is 39 and has only appeared in six games this season with a torn ligament in his thumb. That's left Stuart Skinner and Mikko Koskinen to man the crease, and the results have left a lot to be desired.
Among the 59 goalies who have appeared in at least 10 games this year, Skinner's GSAA (-0.6) ranks 33rd and Koskinen's minus-7.6 mark is sixth-worst out of that group. For a team trying to avoid wasting another year of Connor McDavid doing McDavid things, that isn't acceptable.
Kailer Yamamoto, who until recently had been playing middle-six minutes, could be the sort of player Holland looks to trade for goaltending help. He's shown the kind of flashes of upside that rival general managers don't mind gambling on, and it's been just two years since he scored 11 times in 27 games as a 21-year-old.
At 5'8" and 153 pounds, he's simply too small to play on a checking line effectively. If he doesn't stick on a line with Connor McDavid and Kane, then he wouldn't be suited for a tumble down the lineup. That lack of versatility may hurt his stock as the Oilers continue to shuffle lines to find consistent scoring.
Tyson Barrie could also be in play. He's got two years left after this one at a $4.5 million cap hit, and if Edmonton is going to make any drastic changes to its roster, it'll need to move some money around.
Barrie could find himself as trade bait if the Oilers sink any further out of playoff contention. MoneyPuck.com gives them less than a coin's flip of a chance to make the dance heading into the All-Star break.
Florida Panthers: A Top Wing Prospect
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Few teams have as many chips in the middle of the table that is the 2021-22 season as the Florida Panthers. They already traded away their first- and second-round selections in the 2022 draft (in the Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett deals, respectively) and don't have their second-rounder in 2024 either.
So if they go big-game hunting at the trade deadline, they won't have many high draft picks to use as ammo. Instead, the Panthers could dangle one of their top wing prospects as bait.
Prospect expert Scott Wheeler recently broke down Florida's prospect pool over at The Athletic, and wingers represent four of the organization's top five prospects. With the kind of talent the Panthers have at the NHL level up the middle, this makes sense.
It'd also make sense for Florida to move someone like Grigori Denisenko if it allowed them to acquire someone like Klingberg. He's been a solid contributor in the AHL this year with nine goals and 18 points through 30 games for the Charlotte Checkers and would likely be skating in the NHL if he was with a less stacked team.
The Panthers might have to give up some of their 2023 selections to make something happen, but the conversations are likely starting around prospects such as Denisenko.
Los Angeles Kings: 2022 Draft Selections
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Just as virtually no one predicted, the Los Angeles Kings are pushing for the top seed in the Pacific Division. This past summer, it appeared that this squad was on a trajectory similar to that of other rebuilding teams: solid young pieces in place but still a ways off from contending.
General manager Rob Blake deserves a ton of credit for being aggressive in improving his team, though. The additions of Phillip Danault via free agency and Viktor Arvidsson via trade have paid off in big ways for L.A. and give Kings a great shot at making the playoffs.
Would anyone be surprised if Blake moved out a few futures to further upgrade his squad? We wouldn't be. They have at least one pick in each round over the next three drafts and a prospect pool that Corey Pronman of The Athletic ranked fifth in September.
They've been connected to Chychrun since his name started popping up in trade rumors. That has pundits such as Austin Stanovich of The Hockey Writers clamoring for Los Angles to move mountains for the blueliner.
It'd take more than a pick to get it done, and one has to assume that Quinton Byfield would be the only truly untouchable young piece. That'd leave the likes of Tobias Bjornfot, Gabriel Vilardi, Rasmus Kupari and Alex Turcotte as other players who could be included in a deal.
Minnesota Wild: Cap Space
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This will be the last season until 2025 that the Minnesota Wild won't be in cap hell. The buyouts of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise saved them some space this short term, but next year they'll have nearly $13 million in dead cap space before seeing that number rise to almost $15 million over in 2024 and 2025.
At the deadline, however, general manager Bill Guerin will have a little over $11 million to play with, according to CapFriendly. Maybe Minnesota takes a swing on one of the bigger names on the rental market, but they aren't in the position to add to their roster beyond 2022.
This is why the Wild could do something rebuilding teams usually do: offer up their cap space to be the middle man in a larger trade involving two other organizations.
It's less fun than grabbing on one of the premier names on the market but could be the most prudent move for the future.
Of course, Guerin hasn't exactly been shy about gambling a bit during his time as a front office executive. The Wild are a good hockey team, and with their cap situation locking them up for the next three years, maybe they take a calculated risk and go for it.
Stanley Cup run or draft picks for the future? There are worse spots to be in if you're the Wild.
Montreal Canadians: Jeff Petry
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The Montreal Canadiens are in the midst of a nightmare season and could end up finishing as one of the worst teams—if not the worst team—of the salary-cap era. So it's safe to guess that no one on the team, save for Carey Price, is untouchable.
We've been hearing Ben Chiarot's name in the rumor mill for a majority of the season, and up until recently, he would have been Montreal's most valuable trade chip. That title now belongs to Jeff Petry, who—despite being in the first season of a four-year extension—is open to moving on.
Petry has struggled in 2021-22, but there isn't any single member of the Habs that hasn't. When he's not skating on a disaster of a team, he's consistently been a 40-plus point defender and capable of eating big minutes while with a strong defensive partner.
He's not going to carry a pairing by himself, but he's more than capable of taking on a role inside of a contender's top-four. It feels like an eternity ago, but Petry was an important cog for the Canadiens team that shocked everyone by making the Stanley Cup Final a year ago.
Unlike a Klingberg or Chychrun, Petry is believed to be available for a package that is on the smaller side. It'll be interesting to see if Montreal's new regime cleans house, starting with Petry.
Nashville Predators: Filip Forsberg
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Filip Forsberg isn't a name that we've heard in the rumor mill much this season, and the Nashville Predators have made it clear that they'd prefer to keep him around for a long time. His contract is up at the end of 2021-22 and will be due a hefty raise over the $6 million cap hit he carries now.
In a perfect world for the Predators, Forsberg expresses a mutual interest to stay in Nashville and an extension gets signed in the coming weeks. However, what happens if the forward's camp says that they're going to test the free-agent market and don't want to re-up with the team until he sees what else is out there?
That would put general manager David Poile in a tough spot, as the Predators have the third-best points percentage in the Central Division and are a near-lock to make the postseason. Would the veteran GM consider trading arguably his most effective forward before what could very well be this group's last playoff run?
It's almost inconceivable. Almost.
All it takes is one report that Forsberg isn't interested in re-signing to loosen the lid on the pickle jar. The optics wouldn't be great, but it'd be something that Poile would at least have to consider if someone blew his doors off with an incredible offer.
This isn't a move we're expecting, but the Predators are likely going to sit tight ahead of the deadline. If they have a big trade chip, it's pending UFA Forsberg.
New Jersey Devils: Jimmy Vesey
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The New Jersey Devils are in the same situation as a handful of rebuilding teams. They have their core pieces, Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton, in place and will not be looking to move those players. On the flip side, they don't have much NHL-level talent that could be viewed as a worthwhile rental by other general managers.
One player on an expiring deal who may make sense to contending clubs is forward Jimmy Vesey. He carries a cap hit of only $800,000, and for cap-strapped playoff squads looking for help in their bottom six, the former Hobey Baker Award winner will be an attractive option.
Vesey isn't going to blow the doors off offensively, though he is on pace for more than 10 goals this season. At this stage of his career, he's more well known for playing a hard, 200-foot game on a nightly basis. He's got the compete level that can really make a difference come playoff time and is also capable of taking on penalty-killing duties.
Odds are good he could be had for a mid-round draft pick, if not slightly less. That seems like a reasonable price to pay for a versatile player like Vesey, who can play up the lineup a bit if needed as well.
New York Islanders: Zach Parise
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When the New York Islanders signed Zach Parise during the offseason, it was likely with an eye toward the deep playoff run that seemed inevitable at the time. This was a team that was a Stanley Cup sleeper in predictions columns before the regular season started, but, as the saying goes, they play the games for a reason.
This just hasn't been the Islanders' year, so Parise would likely be available as a veteran rental for a mid-range pick if a postseason hopeful came knocking.
Like most skaters of this variety, organizations wouldn't be looking to the 37-year-old forward to be a point-per-game player in the postseason. Those days are well behind Parise, but he'd bring other intangibles that clubs seem to love down the stretch.
He's a longtime beloved player without a Stanley Cup ring to ride off into the sunset with. After winning in the first round, a team's mantra could quickly become "Win it for Zach." That isn't going to show up in possession metrics or zone-entry data, but it matters at that time of year when the schedule is grueling and the game tightens up.
Is it a romantic idea? Sure, but it's a romantic idea that's probably worth a fourth- or fifth-round selection if you think your team might need an emotional shot in the arm after the last two difficult seasons.
New York Rangers: 2022 First-Round Pick
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The New York Rangers are where some pundits thought the Islanders would be: buyers at the deadline and pushing for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. The Hurricanes have several games in hand on New York, so the Blueshirts probably won't be taking that top spot, but they're still more or less a lock to make the playoffs.
It's tempting to give Vitali Kravtsov the top trade chip distinction, but he's been on the trading block since mid-October and no NHL club has been willing to pay the asking price yet. The former ninth-overall pick also isn't a player who'd be able to help a team looking to go on a playoff run in a few months, so his value at this stage is limited.
Maybe he gets moved during the summer, but heading towards the trade deadline, general manager Chris Drury only has a few assets to work with. If he does go fishing for middle-six help, which Darren Dreger said the team was looking for back in the middle of November, their 2022 first-round selection could be dangled.
The team's 28th overall pick from 2018, Nils Lundkvist, is also believed to be available for a skater with term. This is according to ForeverBlueshirts.com. We could see New York push some futures out the door to try and win it all now, based on the season they've had up until this point.
They are way ahead of schedule in their rebuild, however, so it'll be curious to see which direction they go in the coming weeks.
Ottawa Senators: Chris Tierney
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The Ottawa Senators have seven unrestricted free agents on their roster, all of whom could be intriguing options for different playoff-ish teams around the NHL. If any of them are dealt, none of the trades would be of the blockbuster variety, but they don't always have to be.
It's tough to move money and term in-season, after all.
This is why someone like center Chris Tierney could be a valuable trade chip for Ottawa. Senators general manager Pierre Dorion recently sat down for a lengthy chat with Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun and had this to say about his deadline plans:
"If some pending UFA's have signed we might look to move them. There could be some pending UFA’s that we look to sign after the deadline because the deadline isn’t a time you can make a lot of hockey trades but a lot of my conversations with other GM’s have been about hockey trades and not just rentals. We’re always looking at improving our team."
Tierney has been solid defensively this year, which is impressive since the Senators aren't a great 5-on-5 team. He's the kind of skater that could be brought in and asked to play third-line minutes and turn out to be a difference-maker as a rental.
And if he doesn't work out, he probably didn't cost much to acquire in the first place. Just a classic rental option here, through and through.
Philadelphia Flyers: Claude Giroux
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It's strange to think that every game Claude Giroux plays for the Philadelphia Flyers could be his last with the only club he's ever been a part of. He's an organizational legend at this point, having spent his entire 985-game career with the franchise.
He's been a part of the team's DNA since his early 20s, but at the age of 34, it might be time for the veteran to ease into the ring-chasing part of his career. That's if he so chooses, which is something general manager Chuck Fletcher was adamant about.
Giroux recently said "there's a lot of time left" between now and the deadline, but that isn't really the case. If the Flyers are going to have time to make a deal work, they'll need to know his plans sooner rather than later.
There are a handful of squads that have been connected to the Flyers captain, and the landing spots are numerous. Among contenders, we saw the Rangers and Wild as possible fits. There's been a lot of rumblings about Giroux landing with Colorado, but Adrian Dater of ColoradoHockeyNow.com doesn't see the fit.
It's worth noting the center has full trade protection and is pretty much entirely in control of his own destiny as far as where he finishes the 2021-22 season.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Pierre-Olivier Joseph
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There's no reason to believe the Pittsburgh Penguins are actively shopping Pierre-Olivier Joseph. The 22-year-old defenseman is darn near NHL-ready and could find himself as a staple in Pennsylvania as early as next season.
The reason he's listed here, then, is because he's the most valuable chip Penguins general manager Ron Hextall could have available should he decide to bolster his team on the back end. Pittsburgh's defense is solid, only giving up 30 shots per night on average.
Moving Joseph wouldn't really be about this season, though. If contract extension talks with pending free agent Kris Letang stall out, then Hextall may be forced to move for some insurance on the right side of the blue line. There will be virtually no help available there via free agency, and if Letang walks, the Penguins would be left fishing for a top-line defenseman when there really aren't any available on the open market.
This could move the Penguins to be proactive, trading for someone like Jeff Petry who would insulate them against the possible loss of Letang. Joseph and a second-round pick probably get pretty close to getting that trade done, and it's something Hextall would have to take a long look at.
San Jose Sharks: Tomas Hertl
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It's tempting not to call Tomas Hertl the San Jose Sharks' most valuable trade chip because, as per his contract, he can only be moved to three different teams. It's tough to move a player like him during the regular season as it is, and who knows what the cap situations are for the three teams.
Still, top-line centers don't become available all that often, which is why the Sharks would prefer to keep Hertl in the fold. Over the summer, he spoke frankly about the kind of organization he wanted to land with moving forward, saying the following according to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic.
"If I change teams, I'll be looking at places where there'll be winning. But the other thing is if those teams would want me. It's complicated, but who knows? Maybe San Jose has a plan in mind and I don't fit into it for them."
That was back in September when it appeared that 2021-22 would be doom and gloom in San Jose. The Sharks haven't been good, but they haven't bottomed out, either. And Timo Meier appears to be a star in the making, which could make Hertl consider an extension.
If one isn't in place as the March 21 deadline approaches, though, the Sharks would have to trade Hertl. Losing him for nothing over the summer would be a massive blow, even though trading away such a likable player wouldn't be easy.
Seattle Kraken: Mark Giordano
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This NHL trade deadline holds few certainties. Some of the best players available have multiple seasons left under contract, so they don't need to be moved right now. That isn't the case for Seattle Kraken captain Mark Giordano. He's a legitimate locker room leader who is well-liked around the league and should have plenty of game left given the right situation.
Seattle has had a so-so inaugural campaign and won't be making the postseason, so moving Giordano for futures makes all the sense in the world. Meanwhile, Giordano is 37 and is still searching for his first Stanley Cup championship.
Giordano is not quite the player Ray Bourque was back in 2001 when he finally got his ring with the Avalanche, but his impact on a locker room could be similar. Out on the ice, he's capable of playing top-line minutes but could be a lights-out contributor on the second pairing for an elite club.
Longtime analyst Eric Duhatschek wonders if the Toronto native could be a fit with his hometown Maple Leafs, while Giordano continues to be connected to his old team, the Flames. He's another quintessential veteran rental who you hope lands in the best situation that allows him to compete for a Stanley Cup before his career winds to a close.
St. Louis Blues: Klim Kostin
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Technically Vladimir Tarasenko is the St. Louis Blues' most valuable trade chip, but the most recent word from Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic is that nothing is likely to happen on that front until the offseason. Plus, given how well the forward has played—he's on a point-per-game clip entering the All-Star break—and how likely it is for the Blues to make the postseason (around 90 percent chance), it's tough to imagine them moving Tarasenko this month anyway.
St. Louis might have the deepest forward group in the NHL, and the sudden emergence of Ville Husso as a high-end netminder means they're set in net. Where the Blues could use some help, however, is on the blue line.
They aren't exactly desperate to beef things of defensively, but if they're looking to make a deep run out of the Western Conference, they'll need to be better in that area than they have been. They don't have any particularly strong defenders when it comes to the breakout, which is why Giordano could be such an excellent rental option for St. Louis.
To secure that kind of talent, the Blues would need to trade a young player and/or prospect, and Klim Kostin fits that bill. He hasn't exactly smashed it out of the park during his first full season at the NHL level, but, again, this is a remarkably deep forward group. The former 31st overall pick from the 2017 draft might do well with the ol' change of scenery.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Probably Nothing
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The Tampa Bay Lightning are kind of like that friend you have who is impossible to buy gifts for because they already have everything. Such is life when you're one of the most well-constructed teams in the NHL, both out on the ice and from a salary cap standpoint.
Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois is no stranger to making big additions at the deadline, but Tampa just isn't positioned to do that in the coming weeks. He explained why to Joe Smith of The Athletic during an interview in mid-January:
"This year, we have no cap space. We have no one we can send to the minors without requiring waivers, and none of our players would clear waivers. We legitimately have no cap space. If we're looking to add a player, it means subtracting a player, and all of our players are good players on good contracts and provide really good value. So it's unlikely we're going to find a player we can acquire that brings more value for cap hit than whatever player we would be moving out."
In BriseBois' eyes, the Lightning already made their noteworthy additions over the offseason. They signed Corey Perry, Zach Bogosian and Pierre Edouard Bellemare to affordable contracts, so don't be looking at the Lightning to be doing much of anything barring an unfortunate injury that clears cap space
Toronto Maple Leafs: Picks and Prospects
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There are likely some players that the Toronto Maple Leafs will look to move on from during the offseason, but we probably aren't going to see someone like Jake Muzzin or Petr Mrazek moved in the coming weeks. They're just a bit too important to what Toronto wants to do in the postseason in 2021-22, while perhaps not factoring in so much down the line.
This is a team that has plenty of high-end talent but needs depth at pretty much every position. They'd like to add a defenseman to ease the burden on younger players like Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren. Jack Campbell has looked a bit more human lately, so maybe Toronto would like some insurance in goal. And the Maple Leafs are always looking for bottom-six help at forward, given how top-heavy their lineup is.
They're projected to have less than $3 million in cap space at the deadline, so they'd have to get creative if they wanted to trade for someone like Ben Chiarot. They have the usual assets at their disposal for a Stanley Cup contender that probably doesn't want to remove players from their NHL roster, and that's picks and prospects.
In his most recent analysis of the organization's prospect pool, Scott Wheeler noted that while the Maple Leafs may not have a top-flight young player, they have a ton of depth. We could see the team leverage some of that depth to bolster the odds of them winning their first title since 1967.
Vancouver Canucks: J.T. Miller
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J.T. Miller isn't viewed as the top player available as the trade deadline approaches, but he just might bring the most to the table, all things considered. He's the kind of player that, after a Stanley Cup run, you look back at it and wonder how it would have been possible without him.
There aren't a lot of options like that available; the kind of heart-and-soul veterans who still have enough ability to make an impact in all three zones. While some players on this list are here for their intangibles, Miller has all that and the ability to fit in as a first- or second-line center who plays with drive and gusto.
Pretty much everything in Vancouver went off the rails beside him, which is another reason why he should be such an attractive trade target for teams like the Avalanche and Rangers. The Bruins have also been connected to the pivot, with the asking price reportedly being "...a little more than a (first-round pick) and a highly touted prospect," according to Frank Seravalli of Sportsnet.
That seems reasonable for Miller, who has another year left on his deal at a reasonable cap hit of $5.25 million. It might take getting a team like Detroit of Arizona involved to shave the salary down, but Miller would be a giant add for any contending team.
Vegas Golden Knights: Evgenii Dadonov or Reilly Smith
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Jack Eichel is reportedly nearing his return and could be cleared for contact drills after the All-Star break. That means the salary cap reckoning that has been inevitable since the Vegas Golden Knights traded for the former Buffalo Sabres captain could come to a head well before the deadline in March.
From the time of the trade, the two most likely odd men out have been Evgenii Dadonov or Reilly Smith. Dan Rosen of NHL.com recently wrote as much here. They both carry $5 million cap hits, while the former will still be under contract next year while Smith will be eligible for free agency.
Smith is generally considered to be the more effective forward out of the two, which is why the Golden Knights would likely prefer to keep him for their upcoming run at a championship. They've been all-in since their first season, and keeping Smith despite his pending free agency would be pretty on-brand.
That leaves Dadonov as the most likely trade candidate, even if he isn't quite the most valuable. As Rosen noted, any team looking for a top-nine boost is going to try and leverage Vegas' cap situation against itself. This could be the first trade domino that falls in the coming weeks as we get closer to the trade cutoff.
Washington Capitals: Ilya Samsonov or Vitek Vanecek
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The Washington Capitals want to do all they can to make sure they make the most out of Alex Ovechkin while he's still a goal-scoring cheat code. He's continued to defy the aging curve in 2021-22 and is somehow on pace for his most productive season since 2010-11 at the age of 36. But that simply can't go on forever, as sad as that reality is.
Goaltending has held Washington back this season, plain and simple. Usually, it's a cop-out to chalk losses up to the goalies, an easy way to avoid looking at real problems that a team may have. In Washington's case, however, it's been true.
Among that same group of 59 goalies who've appeared in more than 10 contests, Ilya Samsonov's GSAA (minus-4.7) ranks 41st while Vanecek's 3.2 GSAA sits at 19th. Vanecek has more or less seized the starting job in Washington for the time being, but which one of them will be the long-term answer for the Capitals?
And are they willing to trust this precious playoff run with either young netminder? Both are restricted free agents next year, and either one could be dangled for a package that includes a veteran goalie. Marc-Andre Fleury has been connected to the Capitals for some time now but is allowed to submit a 10-team no-trade list.
It's unclear if he'd accept a trade to his formal rival, but there are multiple possible upgrades in net that Washington could consider.
Winnipeg Jets: Andrew Copp
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As the Winnipeg Jets slide further and further out of the playoff race, it becomes more likely that they'll look to move some of their pending unrestricted free agents for picks and prospects. The top two tradeable players they have are Paul Stastny and Andrew Copp, and at this stage of their respective careers, we see Copp as the more valuable player of the two.
He's evolved from a defense-first player to a forward who's on pace to score more than 20 goals this season. It's tough to add offense to a primarily shutdown-style game, but that is exactly what Copp has done. He's on pace to increase his point total for a third consecutive season, and at 27-years-old, still has some runway ahead of him as a contributor.
Murat Ates of The Athletic recently wrote in a mailbag that Copp has a few trade comparables, namely in 2019 when the Red Wings landed a second-round pick and a conditional third-round pick for Gustav Nyquist. And in the same year when the Rangers picked up a second-round pick with a laundry list of conditions attached to it.
Copp would be a slick add for a handful of teams that are looking for help at forward.
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