The NHL trade deadline is Friday, March 8th at 3pm ET. Between now and deadline day, there will be a lot of speculation about which players will be trade candidates and where they will go.
The deadline is six weeks away, but we have already identified several teams that are expected to be sellers. Playoff hopes are dwindling by the day, with most teams sitting near the bottom of the league standings. Those include the San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators, and Anaheim Ducks.
Potential buyers, on the other hand, are teams that have already clinched a playoff berth, such as the Winnipeg Jets or New York Rangers. Other teams like the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals are vying for one of the two wild card spots.
Potential players include Ducks goaltender John Gibson, who has been the subject of trade speculation throughout this season. Another could be Ottawa defenseman Jacob Chychulun, who was acquired by the Senators from the Arizona Coyotes before last year's trade deadline.
Below is a list of five trade ideas for some of the worst NHL clubs this season. We'll take a look at why the players mentioned fit into the proposed trade destinations, and what the losing club could get in return.
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Despite sitting last in the league standings, the rebuilding San Jose Sharks are expected to be sellers at the trade deadline. Unlike last year, when they brought in big-name stars like Erik Karlsson and Timo Meier as trade bait, they mostly have second-tier talent to offer with pending free agents like Mike Hoffman, Kevin Laban and Anthony DeClair.
Of these players, Duclair may be the most valuable. The 28-year-old winger carries a reasonable cap hit of $3 million. He had a career-best 31-goal, 58-point performance with the Florida Panthers in 2021-22, helping them reach the 2023 Stanley Cup Final after returning from injury last season.
Perhaps Duclair will be interested in the New York Rangers, who drafted him in 2013. Rangers general manager Chris Drury, who was not part of the club's front office at the time, could be in the market for an affordable middle-six right winger with Kaapo Kakko. And Alexis Lafreniere has struggled in recent games.
The Sharks will continue to acquire draft picks and prospects this year as part of their rebuilding plan. This could cost the Rangers a second-round pick in Duclair, but they have $3.7 million in cap space at the expected trade deadline.
The rebuilding Montreal Canadiens have shown some improvement, playing around .500 in hockey this season. Still, they sit near the bottom of the Atlantic Division and are expected to be sellers at the trade deadline for the third year in a row.
On Jan. 15, Sportsnet's Eric Engels speculated that Canadiens GM Kent Hughes could move up to five players before deadline day. Engels believed Sean Monaghan was the most likely mover. The 29-year-old two-way center is one of the top scorers with 13 goals and 34 points in 48 games. He is on an affordable one-year, $1.9 million contract.
The Winnipeg Jets could be Monaghan's top choice. On January 16th, ottawa sun's Bruce Garriock reported that he's heard rumors that the Jets are looking for center depth. Someone with Monaghan's skills and cap hit could be exactly what they're looking for.
With $5.4 million in cap space at the expected trade deadline, the Jets could easily afford Monahan's contract. The Canadiens could look to increase their stockpile of draft picks by reacquiring the Jets' current second-round pick. They could also consider replacing center Brad Lambert to increase the scoring potential of a promising player.
Frustrated by the lack of playing time since Dec. 29, Elvis Melzikins told the media on Jan. 12 that he and Columbus Blue Jackets management were exploring “a new scenario.” He said it was mutually agreed to do so. Three days later, he confirmed he had requested a trade.
Melzikins, 29, could benefit from a change of scenery, but moving him won't be easy. Although he struggled in the 2022-23 season, he showed improvement this season. His contract, with an average annual salary of $5.4 million from 2026 to 2027 and a 10-team no-trade clause, is more at issue.
Chicago may be able to address that problem. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic added them to his list of potential trade targets, noting that the rebuilding club has plenty of cap space to absorb the signings. He suggested that Melzikins could be a good option for Chicago if they are unable to re-sign Petr Mrazek.
Mrazek re-signed with Chicago, but Merzikins could provide them with a solid goaltending tandem. They may be able to acquire him for little in return, especially if he takes on a full contract. With three second-round picks and two third-round picks in this year's draft, the Jackets may be able to tempt the Jackets with a package offer for one pick in each round.
With the Ottawa Senators sitting near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, new general manager Steve Staios could start turning things around before the trade deadline.by ottawa sunBruce Garriock and Jakob Chychurn could be trade options, as other clubs have shown interest in the 25-year-old defenceman.
Staos said Thursday that he wants to re-sign Chychurn, who is under contract through next season with a total cap hit of $4.6 million. However, that could change if the two sides cannot reach an agreement on a contract extension or if the Senators receive an attractive trade offer before the deadline.
The Washington Capitals, on the other hand, are an aging club that is struggling to stay in playoff contention in the Eastern Conference. They could add some skilled talent to the roster, especially if they want to reshape the left side of the defense and stay competitive.
The Senators have plenty of left-handed defensemen, but need depth on the right side. Their asking price could include prospect Ryan Chesley, who was part of the U.S. team that won gold at the 2024 World Junior Championships.
As mentioned in the intro, Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson has been frequently featured in trade rumors this season. The player is under contract through 2026-27, with an average annual salary of $6.4 million and a no-trade clause with 10 teams, so he doesn't fit into the rebuilding club's long-term plans.
If the Ducks were to trade Gibson, they would likely prefer to take his entire contract off the books. But doing that during the regular season would be difficult, especially in a season where most teams have limited salary cap space. But the New Jersey Devils might be able to handle this.
The Devils are in dire need of an experienced starting goaltender with NHL playoff experience. Current starter Vitek Vanecek's stats are among the worst of any NHL starter. Called-up Niko Dawes' numbers aren't as good, and he could suffer the same fate as Akira Schmidt, who flashed briefly last season but is now back with Binghamton's AHL affiliate.
By placing sidelined defenseman Dougie Hamilton on long-term injured reserve, the Devils can free up space on Gibson's cap hit. They have a lot of young talent on their roster and within their system, and they have the assets to tempt the Ducks if they try to continue to add youth.
Statistics (as of January 25, 2024) via NHL.com, salary cap information and line combinations via CapFriendly.
