The needs of NHL teams will surely evolve in the lead-up to the March 6 trade deadline, and which teams are buyers and sellers probably will as well.

However, with the league’s holiday roster freeze now in place, it’s a good time to try to find some early fits.

With that in mind, and with an eye on our latest NHL trade big board, let’s play matchmaker.

Rasmus Andersson

Team: Calgary Flames
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Right
Age: 29
Contract term: 2026 UFA
Current cap hit: $4,550,000
Trade Board ranking: No. 1

LeBrun: Vegas Golden Knights

There’s always a chance that the Flames re-sign the pending UFA, top-four right-handed defenseman. But it’s not the likeliest outcome at this point.

Why a trade to Vegas? Well, to start, it came pretty close to happening in June. And in my mind, the Knights still have a hole in their lineup from Alex Pietrangelo missing the season. The problem is that Vegas would have to find a new way to entice the Flames, as the Knights have traded away some of the players who were in the June trade discussion (such as Nicolas Hague to the Nashville Predators).

But here’s another reason I like Vegas as a fit: The Flames know that in a perfect world, they trade Andersson with an agreement that he’ll sign an extension with his new team, to augment the trade return. Andersson was willing to extend with Vegas in the summer as part of a potential trade. Let’s see both clubs revisit this scenario then.

Johnston: Los Angeles Kings

Another team that explored a trade fit for Andersson last summer, the Kings remain a sensible destination with a blue line that could use a jolt. He’s produced much more offensively than any current Los Angeles defenseman this season and brings a swagger to go with his all-situations ability.

What isn’t clear is whether Andersson would consider signing an extension with the Kings after he showed a reluctance to do that when the teams spoke last offseason. The price needed to get the Swede out of Calgary will likely be steep, especially for a team looking at him as a rental.

Still, veteran Kings general manager Ken Holland has never shied away from taking a big swing during his Hall of Fame career.

Getting Rasmus Andersson signed to an extension as part of a trade would help maximize his value. (Cameron Bartlett / Getty Images)

Steven Stamkos

Team: Nashville Predators
Position: Center
Shoots: Right
Age: 35
Contract term: 2028 UFA
Current cap hit: $8,000,000
Trade Board ranking: No. 5

LeBrun: New Jersey Devils

There certainly is no guarantee Stamkos goes anywhere. For one, the Predators have turned around their season. Secondly, Stamkos has a full no-move clause and enjoys living in Nashville with his family, so he’s not going to jump at just any opportunity.

Having said that, the Preds will be willing to move Stamkos regardless of where they are in the standings because they’re transitioning the roster to younger pieces over the next few years.

Stamkos has two more years on his deal after this season at an $8 million cap hit.

We know the Devils have talked about Stamkos internally, and we know New Jersey would like to boost its offense. Moving Ondrej Palat and his $6 million cap hit (signed through next season, with a 10-team list as part of his modified no-trade) would make sense as part of this deal to make the math work.

The Devils were one of the teams in talks with Stamkos in free agency in July 2023, so there’s some background there, which is not nothing. There’s probably a better chance than not that Stamkos stays put, but if he goes, I like New Jersey as an option.

Johnston: New York Islanders

I was tempted to propose a reunion with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but there probably isn’t enough water passed under the bridge to allow that to happen.

But why not a move to Long Island, where former Lightning exec Mathieu Darche is now calling the shots? The Islanders are hanging in the playoff race, but could use an offensive boost to help them get there. After a sluggish start, Stamkos has been finding the net with much more regularity and still has the finishing ability to boost a power play.

Pairing him with a pass-first center such as Mathew Barzal might even allow him to turn back the clock.

Ryan O’Reilly

Team: Nashville Predators
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Age: 34
Contract term: 2027 UFA
Current cap hit: $4,500,000
Trade Board ranking: No. 14

LeBrun: Minnesota Wild

OK, I stole this idea from our Wild expert, Michael Russo. But I agree it makes sense.

The Wild need a center who can win draws, and O’Reilly can still contribute offensively, is a Cup champion and is the type of character guy Wild general manager and president of hockey operations Bill Guerin loves, as far as the culture piece of it.

Now, as I recently reported, my understanding is that O’Reilly’s agent Pat Morris let it be known to some teams that had shown interest this season that O’Reilly wasn’t ready to go down this path at this point. O’Reilly sees himself as part of the solution in Nashville and doesn’t want to abandon ship. I can certainly see a world in which he doesn’t go anywhere.

But there’s still time for things to change before the trade deadline. At a $4.5 million cap hit this year and next, O’Reilly is good value and especially so if the Wild could get the Predators to retain.

I believe the price on O’Reilly would be a first-round pick and a top prospect. The Wild already moved their 2026 first-round pick in the Quinn Hughes deal, but they do have a first-rounder in 2027. There might be other ways to entice Nashville, too.

There is a very long list of teams that covet O’Reilly. But a trade to Minnesota does make sense.

Johnston: Colorado Avalanche

O’Reilly doesn’t have a no-trade, but the Predators intend to treat him as if he does. Do you know what may compel a guy to jump off the ship and give the team the go-ahead to look at moving him?

The chance to go home again. At least in a manner of speaking. The Avalanche drafted O’Reilly and gave him his NHL start as a teenager, and they’ve now got room to add up the middle during a season where they’re all-in chasing a Stanley Cup. It has the makings of a comfortable situation for all involved.

Now, it would require O’Reilly to embrace a reduced role from the one he currently has in Nashville, with Nathan MacKinnon and Brock Nelson slotted ahead of him in the Avs lineup. But the chance to join the league’s top team in a full-circle transaction might make that more palatable.

O’Reilly has already played 427 career games for Colorado. Why not add to that total?

Kiefer Sherwood

Team: Vancouver Canucks
Position: Winger
Shoots: Right
Age: 30
Contract term: 2026 UFA
Current cap hit: $1,500,000
Trade Board ranking: No. 2

LeBrun: Dallas Stars

We know the Stars have already kicked tires on the pending unrestricted free agent. And that was before Tyler Seguin was lost long-term to an ACL injury.

Dallas doesn’t have a first-round pick in June, as it was dealt last season to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Mikko Rantanen deal. I wonder if the Stars would entice the Canucks with 23-year-old forward Mavrik Bourque? The 30th pick from the 2020 NHL Draft hasn’t quite measured up yet to the offensive potential he showed in the AHL in 2023-24 (77 points in 71 games). The Canucks are seeking younger players as they continue their post-Quinn Hughes roster retool.

I’m not sure if Bourque is the answer, but I do think there’s a match here somehow between the Stars and Canucks.

Johnston: Boston Bruins

Sherwood is a prototypical Bruin: big, fast and tenacious on the forecheck. As such, he’s viewed as a player who would be a great fit in an organization that is building back up following last year’s reset.

What’s more, the Canucks and Bruins have explored potential trade fits on a variety of players dating to the summer.

The biggest hurdle here might be the asking price. Vancouver is seeking a meaningful return for a player who looks poised to blow past 20 goals for the first time in his career, and Boston isn’t expected to be chasing rentals at this deadline. However, these teams might be able to thread the needle if this trade comes with a contract extension for Sherwood, which is something he’d be open to.