5 Offseason Trade Ideas for Some of the NHL's Worst Teams

As the 2021-22 NHL regular season enters the home stretch, the general managers of the clubs already eliminated from playoff contention can turn their focus toward their offseason plans. Those preparations could involve making trades.

For a team beginning a roster rebuild, it might mean shipping out a veteran star for a return that will help them next season and beyond. The Chicago Blackhawks could fall into that category.

Clubs with limited salary-cap space, such as the Philadelphia Flyers, might seek a return that provides a more immediate turnaround in their fortunes. That would mean shipping out an established roster player in a cost-cutting move to free up cap space for other additions.

Here are some offseason trade ideas for some of this season's worst NHL teams. Feel free to express your opinion on this subject in the comments section below.

New Jersey Devils Acquire Adin Hill from the San Jose Sharks

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Injuries walloped the New Jersey Devils goaltending tandem of Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier this season. Blackwood dealt with neck and heel injuries, while Bernier was sidelined for the season by a hip injury. Despite the addition of Nico Daws, Jon Gillies and Andrew Hammond, the Devils have a goals-against per game (3.66) that ranks among the NHL's highest.

Blackwood and Bernier are both signed through next season, but the latter's injury appears career-threatening. That could force the Devils into the offseason trade market for a suitable replacement if they decide to send Daws back to their AHL affiliate in Utica for more seasoning.

Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald could consider giving the San Jose Sharks a call and inquire about the availability of Adin Hill. The 25-year-old goaltender has been hampered since Jan. 25 by a lower-body injury. When healthy, he's put up solid numbers with a career 2.74 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.

The Sharks need to shed a goalie after acquiring Kaapo Kahkonen from the Minnesota Wild at the trade deadline. At 6'6" and 214 pounds, Hill has excellent size and the potential to become a reliable starter. He also carries an affordable $2.175 million cap hit for 2022-23. Once he's fully recovered from his injury, he could prove to be a solid addition between the pipes for the Devils.

Seattle Kraken Acquire Travis Konecny from the Philadelphia Flyers

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This season was disappointing for the Seattle Kraken and Philadelphia Flyers, as both clubs will finish near the bottom of the overall standings. Perhaps the two teams could make a trade that would benefit each of them. 

On March 26, a reader asked The Athletic's Charlie O'Connor how the Flyers could clear sufficient salary-cap space to be competitive in this summer's free-agent market. He suggested moving either Travis Konecny, Ivan Provorov or Travis Sanheim, as each would have real trade value around the league.

Konecny, 25, could be a tempting trade option for the Kraken. A lack of scoring punch factored into their low placement in the standings during their inaugural season. Their 2.56 goals-per-game average is the league's fourth-lowest. Konecny is a former three-time 20-plus-goal scorer who could provide the Kraken with a much-needed boost in production.

With $59.6 million invested in 14 players for 2022-23, the Kraken can afford to absorb Konecny's $5.5 million annual cap hit through 2024-25. They lack sufficient depth in prospects to pitch to the Flyers, but they could draw upon their four second-round picks in this year's draft and three fourth-rounders to make a tempting bid.

Montreal Canadiens Trade Jeff Petry to the Dallas Stars

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After surprising the hockey world with an underdog run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, the Montreal Canadiens tumbled toward the bottom of the standings this season. Injuries to key stars such as Carey Price and Shea Weber plus the departure of Phillip Danault via free agency contributed to the decline, bringing about changes in the front office and behind the bench.

New general manager Kent Hughes wasted little time getting busy in this season's trade market. Between Feb. 14 and the March 21 trade deadline, he shipped winger Tyler Toffoli to the Calgary Flames, defenseman Ben Chiarot to the Florida Panthers, blueliner Brett Kulak to the Edmonton Oilers and winger Artturi Lehkonen to the Colorado Avalanche.

Hughes could be active in this summer's trade market as well, with Jeff Petry looking like a prime trade candidate. The 34-year-old defenseman is signed through 2024-25 with an annual cap hit of $6.25 million.

Hughes said he attempted to move Petry before the trade deadline, according to Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette. He also indicated he'd try again this summer when teams had more salary-cap space.

The Dallas Stars could take Petry off the Canadiens' hands. On Feb. 1, TSN's Pierre LeBrun cited a source suggesting they could see the veteran defenseman as a potential replacement for pending free agent John Klingberg. Hughes might prefer clearing Petry's cap hit from his books. His asking price could be a first-round pick and a promising young player like Mavrik Bourque or Thomas Harley.

Arizona Coyotes Trade Jakob Chychrun to the Los Angeles Kings

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Perched at the bottom of the NHL standings, the Arizona Coyotes are completing the first season of their rebuild under general manager Bill Armstrong. Should they finish with the league's worst record, they'll have the best chance of winning the first overall selection in the 2022 NHL draft lottery.

The Coyotes could also swing a major offseason trade to stock up their prospect cupboard. They entertained offers this season for Jakob Chychrun, making the 24-year-old defenseman among the most coveted players leading up to last month's trade deadline.

While Chychrun will finish this season with the Coyotes, Armstrong could attempt to move him this summer, perhaps during the 2022 NHL draft.

Armstrong might prefer shipping Chychrun to an Eastern Conference team. However, he could encounter difficulty finding a suitor willing to meet his asking price. On Jan. 8, Sportsnet's Jeff Marek reported Armstrong sought a first-round pick, a top prospect and a good young NHL player.

The Los Angeles Kings might be in the best position to swing that deal. On March 8, TSN's Darren Dreger reported they were among eight clubs with a serious interest in Chychrun.

The Kings need a top-pairing left-side defenseman to share the load with Drew Doughty. General manager Rob Blake could be willing to part with his 2022 first-rounder to land a player of Chychrun's caliber. They also have a deep pool of promising young talent to draw upon for trade bait to tempt the Coyotes, including first-rounders such as Alex Turcotte (2019) and Gabriel Vilardi (2017).

Chicago Blackhawks Trade Patrick Kane to the New York Rangers

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With the once-mighty Chicago Blackhawks about to miss the playoffs for the fourth time in five years, offseason changes could be afoot under new general manager Kyle Davidson. That could make long-time Blackhawks star Patrick Kane a trade candidate.

Kane, 33, remains among the NHL's elite stars with a team-leading 83 points in 69 games. He also has only one year remaining on his contract and might not want to stick with a rebuilding club while he's still putting up big numbers.

Davidson could attempt to peddle Kane to a Stanley Cup contender, but there might not be many that can afford his salary and a potentially expensive asking price from the Blackhawks. However, the New York Rangers could be a suitable trade candidate. They have plenty of promising young players on their roster and within their system to make a competitive bid for Kane.

Adding Kane for next season could turn the Rangers into an elite Cup contender. With $70.7 million invested in 16 players next season and center Ryan Strome to re-sign, they'd likely need the Blackhawks to retain half of Kane's $10.5 million cap hit. In turn, they could send a package of goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, winger Vitali Kravtsov, center Filip Chytil and prospect Zac Jones to Chicago.

Stats (as of April 13, 2022) via NHL.com. Salary info via Cap Friendly.