What will Wednesday bring at the NHL Central Registry? It doesn\u2019t represent any final form of Trade Deadline but should produce a certain degree of urgency among GMs. As of 3:00 p.m. ET Feb. 4 through 11:59 p.m. ET Feb. 22, no trades can happen while the NHL shuts down for its 2026 Olympic break. When trading resumes, GMs won\u2019t even have two weeks left to get their dealing done before the official deadline March 6.<\/p>\n
Not only is there motivation to deal this week simply because of the time constraints, but doing so greatly benefits any traded players. Imagine getting dealt Feb. 4 but not having to practise with your new team until Feb. 17 and not playing until at least Feb. 25. That would provide significant time to acclimatize, figure out living arrangements, decide whether your family is staying or joining you and so on. Don\u2019t be surprised, then, if we get a \u2018Mini Deadline\u2019 effect with a few deals leading up to 3:00 p.m ET Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Since our last update, we also have, on paper, a much clearer divide between haves and have-nots in the NHL standings. We now have five Western Conference teams eight or more points out of playoff spots and six Eastern Conference teams seven or more points out. Plenty of eyeballs are trained on the Toronto Maple Leafs, who haven\u2019t sold since 2015-16, the last time they missed the postseason and sit seven points out of a Wildcard position. Will they accept defeat and cash out their expiring assets? Will they embrace a larger retool and consider selling high on some impact players with term left? General manager Brad Treliving has major soul searching to do over the next month.<\/p>\n
With that, here\u2019s an updated edition of the Daily Faceoff Trade Board, tiered by trade likelihood.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve compiled names for this board via a committee approach across The Nation Network, consisting of:<\/p>\n
(a) Intel provided from the various insiders appearing across our shows and\/or publishing content for us, from the Fourth Period\u2019s David Pagnotta to Sportsnet\u2019s Elliotte Friedman to DFO\u2019s own Anthony Di Marco and more;<\/p>\n
(b) My own information;<\/p>\n
(c) Absorbing the external reporting and trade chatter already out there as public knowledge;<\/p>\n
(d) Hypothesizing a handful of names not yet publicly on the block that could be later this season.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s dive into the board. Contract information\u00a0courtesy of our friends at PuckPedia<\/a>.<\/p>\n TIER 1: Obvious trade candidates<\/p>\n Artemi Panarin, LW,\u00a0New York Rangers<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 34 The Bread Man era is ending in Manhattan. Last month, the Rangers released The Letter 2.0, informing their fans the franchise is entering a retool phase and committing to get younger, and GM Chris Drury told Panarin he won\u2019t be re-signed. That doesn\u2019t come as a massive surprise given it was already established that he wouldn\u2019t be taking a pay cut. And why would he when he\u2019s still producing better than a point per game and almost every top-tier 2026 UFA has already re-signed with his team? He and the Rangers will work on a trade now.\u00a0The list of suitors will be plentiful<\/a>. The Rangers will want to find a package that brings in some combination of first-round pick + legit prospect + young NHLer (ideally all three), but they\u2019ll be limited by Panarin\u2019s leverage. He has a full NMC and gets to pick his destination in the end.<\/p>\n Dougie Hamilton, D,\u00a0New Jersey Devils<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 32 Hamilton\u2019s no-movement clause softened to a 10-team trade list beginning with this season. He\u2019ll always have his knuckle-draggin\u2019 haters as a player with lackadaisical body language, and his scoring has evaporated this year, but he\u2019s perennially a strong play-driving defenseman. Not that he\u2019s on this board for his perceived external trade value per se; it\u2019s more that the Devils would like to offload his hefty cap hit to clear space. Hamilton\u2019s camp has expressed a willingness to expand his 10-team trade list in hopes of finding him a new home, so a trade feels inevitable,\u00a0albeit it won\u2019t be the easiest to work out given his AAV<\/a>. The playoff salary cap and double-salary-retention crackdown will make pricier players harder to move at the deadline this year, don\u2019t forget.<\/p>\n Brayden Schenn, C,\u00a0St. Louis Blues<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 34 Schenn is not a $6.5-million player anymore. The Blues would almost certainly need to retain salary to facilitate a trade, especially since he has a couple years of term left. But Schenn at a discounted price could still boost a team\u2019s third line and bring brawny veteran leadership.<\/p>\n Justin Faulk, D,\u00a0St. Louis Blues<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 33 Faulk plays 22 minutes a night in his sleep. He\u2019s still plenty mobile for his age. He\u2019s one of the game\u2019s more prolific shot blockers. He chips in a healthy amount of goals from the point, and he\u2019s a right shot. So, yeah, he\u2019ll have plenty of suitors should the Blues decide they can\u2019t recover from their lackluster first half. Faulk offers the extra year of term as a \u2018luxury rental\u2019 to boot.<\/p>\n Blake Coleman, LW, Calgary Flames<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 34 He\u2019s a proven two-time Stanley Cup winner who can deliver 20 goals, occasionally more, while assisting on the penalty kill and playing a feisty, physical game. What contender wouldn\u2019t want him for third-line and PK1 work? The Flames could always sit on him a year and move him as a rental next season, but the demand for his services should be sufficient this year when it\u2019s stretch-run time. A reunion\u00a0with the team that drafted him, the New Jersey Devils<\/a>, could make sense given he can play center in a pinch, but should we also keep an eye on his other former team, the Tampa Bay Lightning?\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s Pierre LeBrun floated that idea<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ryan Hartman, C,\u00a0Minnesota Wild<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 31 Ideally, a team acquiring Hartman uses him as a third-line center, not a second-liner, but the agitator has succeeded in the past playing as high as the first line, though he doesn\u2019t seem to have the upside he once did. The Wild don\u2019t appear to be done after landing Quinn Hughes. They want to upgrade at center next but may need to dump Hartman\u2019s cap hit first and have been dangling him,\u00a0reported Pagnotta on Daily Faceoff Live earlier this season<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bobby McMann, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 29 I can understand if some Leaf fans feel trepidation over the idea of cashing out McMann. A tenacious, late-blooming left winger going to market at 29 years old sounds a lot like Zach Hyman. But Hyman\u2019s career trajectory is the exception, not the norm. McMann is likely close to his peak value and could return a second- or even first-round pick given his unique size\/speed package.<\/p>\n Shane Wright, C,\u00a0Seattle Kraken<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 22 The Kraken are seemingly searching for a splashy add to their top-six forward group and potentially willing to sacrifice Wright to do so,\u00a0Pagnotta reported on\u00a0The DFO Rundown\u00a0last month<\/a>. Wright would be a fascinating buy; he still has another year left at his entry-level AAV after this one, and he has proven to be an efficient scorer in his (extremely) limited opportunities, averaging 18 goals per 82 games for his career despite playing only 13:39 per night.<\/p>\n Robert Thomas, C,\u00a0St. Louis Blues<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 26 Color me skeptical on this one. Thomas\u2019 name is out there in the trade rumor mill, we know, but it would take quite an offer to pry St. Louis\u2019 No. 1 center away. Over the past three seasons, he\u2019s third in assists per 60 at 5-on-5 league-wide. He\u2019s 26 and in his prime. The Blues would want to trade him why, exactly? Still, I\u2019ve moved him up because the noise won\u2019t go away. Friedman tabled Thomas as a interesting Leafs trade target last week, and I couldn\u2019t shake the Doug Gilmour<\/a> trade comparison in my head.<\/p>\n Vincent Trocheck, C,\u00a0New York Rangers<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 32 The Blueshirts aren\u2019t obligated to move Trocheck the way they are the expiring Panarin, but it wouldn\u2019t be the worst idea to explore a trade now while Trocheck\u2019s value remains high. With his mix of scoring ability, agitation tactics, physicality and faceoff acumen, he\u2019d be a dream No. 2 center for almost any contender. The Wild and Hurricanes, in particular, would be ideal landing spots for his services.<\/p>\n Steven Stamkos, C,\u00a0Nashville Predators<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 35 Stamkos is not the superstar he was in his Tampa Bay Lightning glory days, but he\u2019s been far better this season than last, scoring at a 40-goal pace. Couldn\u2019t he still help a contender as a cog in a high-functioning machine who assists the power play with his one-timer? Picture late-career Brett Hull as a Detroit Red Wing. Despite Nashville hanging on the fringe of the Western Conference Wildcard picture, there was no indication trade talks were called off as a result. But does that change now that Barry Trotz has stepped down as GM? Everything gets messier for Nashville\u2019s would-be trade candidates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nazem Kadri, C,\u00a0Calgary Flames<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 35 The classic conundrum for Flames GM Craig Conroy: even if you\u2019re in the midst of a rebuild and have already traded most of your core over the past couple seasons\u2026don\u2019t you need a few veteran tone setters to hang around and teach the kids how to win? That would be a reason to hold Kadri. But he could also command a significant return given his impact as a scorer and emotional leader. Now that the Habs landed Danault, would the Wild be the most logical place for Kadri to land?\u00a0They have interest, reports Di Marco<\/a>. Dallas could be a strong fit as well.<\/p>\n Ryan O\u2019Reilly, C,\u00a0Nashville Predators<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 34 It was jarring to see O\u2019Reilly mercilessly trash his own play in a post-game scrum a few months back. The last time he spoke like that, he was on his way out of Buffalo, and he makes too much sense as a popular trade target given he\u2019s a Conn Smythe Trophy winner and brainy two-way center who plays a clean shutdown game. He still has enough gas left in him to bolster a contender\u2019s middle six. But the Preds are still in the playoff race.<\/p>\n Elias Pettersson, C,\u00a0Vancouver Canucks<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 27 Pettersson doesn\u2019t get enough credit for his all-around play, but, yes, he\u2019s nowhere close to an $11.6-million player right now.\u00a0Insider Frank Seravalli has reported \u201cgrowing suspicion\u201d\u00a0<\/a>that a Pettersson trade goes down soon. Like, really soon. Like, before the Olympics soon. But that\u2019s a monstrous cap hit to navigate, especially with the playoff salary cap in place now. Still, the Rantanen trade(s) last season have established that anything can happen. Pettersson is still young enough to reassert himself as a star if he finds the right situation<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jonathan Marchessault, RW,\u00a0Nashville Predators<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 35 If you\u2019re shopping in Music City, Conn Smythe winners apparently do grow on trees? Marchessault is another. But he\u2019s a much more difficult player to appraise compared to Stamkos and O\u2019Reilly. Is Marchessault worth taking on for three more seasons after this one? Was his 42-goal season at 33 years old an extreme outlier a couple seasons back? Given his competitiveness and playoff success, he\u2019d still be a pretty nice depth add if Nashville retained some money.\u00a0As Pagnotta explained on DFO Live\u00a0<\/a>last month, Marchessault was still in play despite the team\u2019s improvement, but how does the Trotz news change things?.<\/p>\n Jesper Wallstedt, G, Minnesota Wild<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 23 Would the Wild really move their talented, cost-controlled young goaltender in the midst of his breakout season? There\u2019s fire with that smoke. Between Kirill Kaprizov\u2019s record-setting contract and the Quinn Hughes trade, GM Bill Guerin is as all-in as it gets. His team has a gaping hole at center. If there\u2019s a chance to bring in a Thomas or Kadri type, do you sacrifice Wallstedt and roll with Filip Gustavsson as your unquestioned No. 1 going forward?<\/p>\n Pavel Mintyukov, D,\u00a0Anaheim Ducks<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 22 After multiple healthy scratches this season, Mintyukov is open to being moved if it means he\u2019ll get a larger opportunity elsewhere,\u00a0Friedman reported<\/a>\u00a0earlier this season. Mintyukov was the 10th\u00a0overall pick in the 2022 Draft and still has a do-it-all skill set, but he\u2019s been passed on the Ducks\u2019 depth chart by dynamic young D-men such as Jackson LaCombe and Olen Zellweger. Mintyukov\u2019s potential hasn\u2019t gone anywhere after just 181 career games. He makes a helluva buy-low on a franchise looking to retool.<\/p>\n Scott Laughton, C, Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 31 Oh, the cruel irony. As a Trade Deadline acquisition for a buyer version of the Leafs a year ago, Laughton never looked comfortable or confident and seemed to press. This season, he looks more like himself and has become a much louder dressing room voice\u2026just in time for the Leafs to plummet out of the playoff picture as his contract expires. He\u2019s expressed interest in re-signing but would attract plenty of contenders seeking bottom-six center help.<\/p>\n Brad Lambert, C,\u00a0Winnipeg Jets<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 22 As insider Frank Seravalli reported\u00a0<\/a>earlier this season, Lambert has been granted permission to seek a trade. Even during his draft year, he carried boom-bust status as a clearly gifted but volatile talent, and he\u2019s skewed more toward the bust side, struggling to break through and earn a large opportunity at the NHL level. Still, he\u2019s young enough and skilled enough that perhaps he\u2019d blossom on a team willing to play him more. An interesting reclamation project.<\/p>\n Michael Bunting, LW,\u00a0Nashville Predators<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 30 Bunting\u2019s 10-team no-trade list disappeared after last season,\u00a0so he\u2019s a clear trade candidate<\/a>\u00a0playing on an expiring deal. Throughout his career, he\u2019s shown the ability to produce in spurts when paired with high-end linemates. His agitation skills can also shift momentum in playoff series if he stays on the right side of the line, which isn\u2019t always a guarantee. Bunting\u2019s value isn\u2019t nearly what it was a couple years back, but he could still be a sneaky-helpful depth addition.<\/p>\n Andrew Mangiapane, LW,\u00a0Edmonton Oilers<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 29 It just hasn\u2019t worked in Edmonton. He\u2019s scored six times in 47 games, he\u2019s buried on the fourth line, he expressed anger over the healthy scratches, and his agent has been granted permission to find a trade for him. Maybe a new environment energizes Mangiapane, but his trade value isn\u2019t exactly high right now, so a deal isn\u2019t a lock to get done immediately.<\/p>\n Lukas Reichel, LW,\u00a0Vancouver Canucks<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 23 That was quick.\u00a0The Canucks acquired<\/a>\u00a0Reichel from the Chicago Blackhawks in October, and the Canucks made him available for a trade by November. He\u2019s running out of chances to translate his speed and skill into NHL production. Prospects of this ilk are common: your skill set only works on a scoring line, and if there are no opportunities there, your skill set doesn\u2019t work on a depth line. It\u2019s difficult for players like that to find homes at the NHL level. He passed through waivers unclaimed in December, which gives you a sense of how he\u2019s valued around the league at the moment. Maybe he can increase his worth with a strong showing for Germany at the Olympics.<\/p>\n Emil Andrae, D,\u00a0Philadelphia Flyers<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 23 Even though his under-the-hood numbers were strong last season, the undersized Andrae hasn\u2019t won over the Flyers brass,\u00a0per Di Marco<\/a>, and doesn\u2019t appear to be part of their long-term plans. His play driving continues to be better than the eye test, so he could actually be a low-key steal of an acquisition for a team that knows how to deploy him.<\/p>\n Evander Kane, LW,\u00a0Vancouver Canucks<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 34 The local-boy-returns-home story was neat, but Kane is an expiring, declining asset on a sinking ship. He won\u2019t be a frontline player again at this stage of his career, but could a veteran contender with a strong dressing-room culture find a spot for him as a bottom-six shift disturber who can still chip in the odd goal? I think yes, if Vancouver retains half his salary.<\/p>\n Teddy Blueger, C,\u00a0Vancouver Canucks<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 31 Blueger has played just nine games this season and finally returned from his lower-body injury last month, just in time to boost his trade value. Strong on draws and a penalty-kill fixture, he\u2019s a prototypical fourth-line pivot. He\u2019s also the hottest he\u2019s ever been, with five goals already in his nine games.<\/p>\n Luke Schenn, D,\u00a0Winnipeg Jets<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 36 Looks like we\u2019re doing this again. Schenn is slowing down at 36, only logging 13:47 a night for the disappointing Jets, but his brute strength, nasty streak and dressing-room leadership will always make him attractive to a contender when, as the saying goes, there\u2019s no such thing as too many defensemen during the playoffs. Schenn has played for nine teams in his 18-season career; will he add a 10th\u00a0or rejoin a club he played for previously?<\/p>\n Mathieu Joseph, RW,\u00a0St. Louis Blues<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 28 The Blues\u00a0remain open for business<\/a>. And while they have multiple higher-end assets potentially available, plenty of teams can use fast, feisty checking forwards like the 2020-21 Stanley Cup winner Joseph and can likely get him for a mid- to late-round pick.<\/p>\n Oskar Sundqvist, C,\u00a0St. Louis Blues<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 31 See above re: Joseph, but as a bonus, fellow checker Sundqvist is a\u00a0two-time Stanley Cup winner with a heavy game at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds.<\/p>\n Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C,\u00a0Carolina Hurricanes<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 25 It\u2019s easy to forget Kotkaniemi is still somehow just 25; he was the NHL\u2019s youngest player when the Montreal Canadiens rushed him into duty straight out of the Draft in 2018-19. Perhaps that\u2019s why he\u2019s never realized his potential and never really settled in as a scorer or checker. Now truly an afterthought, he\u2019s dressed for just 34 games this season, though some of his absences were due to an ankle injury. He averages a career low 11:06 of ice time per game. He\u2019s a classic \u201cfresh start\u201d candidate, and,\u00a0as Friedman reported last month<\/a>, the Canes are fielding offers for him. Maybe he\u2019d thrive with a larger opportunity elsewhere.<\/p>\n Brandon Carlo, D,\u00a0Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 29 Mike Komisarek 2.0? Carlo was big, physically imposing, heavy on opposing forwards\u2026until he became a Maple Leaf, apparently. He\u2019s a shell of his old self. He averaged 4.66 hits per 60 in nine seasons as a Boston Bruin. As a Leaf: 3.42, including 3.05 this season. Maybe that\u2019s because he wasn\u2019t healthy, dealing with a foot injury that required surgery after a setback. Or maybe Carlo isn\u2019t cut out for the market. Still just 29, he could return to form in the right situation, and his AAV remains a bargain. He seemingly fit a need for the Leafs a year ago, but now they\u2019re big, slow and redundant on \u2018D.\u2019 They won\u2019t get the equivalent of Fraser Minten and a first-round pick for Carlo, but maybe they can recoup the pick portion of that package somewhere. Then again, with righty Chris Tanev likely done for the rest of the regular season, is Carlo no longer expendable? It\u2019s a matter of whether the Leafs are ready to give up on this year.<\/p>\n Logan Stanley, D,\u00a0Winnipeg Jets<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 27 Stanley is still young enough to be part of Winnipeg\u2019s present and future. But with his blend of size and snarl, he could be quite a sought-after commodity, the type that could net something pretty shiny in a trade.\u00a0Winnipeg Sports Talk\u2019s\u00a0Michael Remis appeared on DFO Live last month and\u00a0theorized that Stanley could net Winnipeg a high pick<\/a>.<\/p>\n Simon Benoit, D,\u00a0Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 27 Benoit is your classic rugged depth defenseman who intimidates with his open-ice hitting and protects his net with his shot blocking. He carries a reasonable contract that extends through next season. Should the Leafs slip too far in the playoff picture, he\u2019d be a logical piece to cash out for high mid-round pick.<\/p>\n Ilya Mikheyev, LW, Chicago Blackhawks<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 31 Every playoff team needs depth players just like Mikheyev. He can kill penalties, he\u2019s strong on the wall, he\u2019s reasonably big and he can chip in the odd goal. The question becomes: do the Hawks have to re-sign some of their veterans? They can\u2019t churn them all into picks if they want to build a winning team around Connor Bedard.<\/p>\n Patrik Laine, RW, Montreal Canadiens<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 27 Laine has missed all but five games this season and will sit out the Olympics with an abdominal issue. But here\u2019s where the playoff salary cap really makes things interesting. Laine is set to return before the season is up, and the Habs don\u2019t have the cap space to make any additional moves with him in the lineup. They need to offload his $8.7 million if they want to add any important pieces by the Trade Deadline. Laine controls where he goes thanks to his 10-team no-trade list, but maybe he\u2019d be happy landing somewhere he could enjoy a larger role. He could boost someone\u2019s power play as a sniper for rent.<\/p>\n Jason Dickinson, C, Chicago Blackhawks<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 30 Your quintessential fourth-line center depth target. He and Mikheyev are Chicago\u2019s PK1 forwards and, despite the team\u2019s struggle to stay in the playoff race, the Hawks boast the NHL\u2019s top-ranked penalty kill. Given he plays center, Dickinson might attract a larger return than Mikheyev.<\/p>\n Connor Murphy, D, Chicago Blackhawks<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 32 See a theme? Make that three quarters of Chicago\u2019s PK1 unit on our board, echoing The Athletic, whose Chicago-based reporters have Murphy, Dickinson and Mikheyev ranked as the Hawks\u2019 top three trade chips<\/a>. Murphy has munched minutes on bad teams but could function nicely as a third-pair banger and penalty-killing specialist on a higher-end club.<\/p>\n TIER 2: Names to keep an eye on<\/p>\n Charlie Coyle, C,\u00a0Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 33 Coyle has been a revelation for Columbus this season, one of the league\u2019s top defensive forwards. But if the Jackets find themselves too far out of the race in a couple weeks, they\u2019ll have to punt here, right? His size, 100-plus games of playoff experience and penalty-killing ability scream \u201cthird-line center on Cup contender.\u201d How about that\u00a0three-team\u00a0no-trade list, eh? He must really hate those teams.<\/p>\n Jordan Kyrou, RW, St. Louis Blues<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 27 Kyrou\u2019s a first-line talent with three 30-goal campaigns to his name. But he\u2019s been a disaster this year, an $8.125-million healthy scratch at one point, and it sure feels like he could use a reset on a new team. Note that he controls his destiny via a full no-trade clause that doesn\u2019t become a modified no-trade until the final season of his deal.<\/p>\n Boone Jenner, C,\u00a0Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 32 Here\u2019s where the East\u2019s parity makes things so complicated. If the Blue Jackets can get hot for a couple weeks: no reason to deal their captain and all-time games leader and more reason to expect he\u2019ll re-sign. If not: a heart-and-soul forward like Jenner\u00a0would invite a feeding frenzy if he\u2019s available.<\/a><\/p>\n MacKenzie Weegar, D, Calgary Flames<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 32 It\u2019s been a rough year by Weegar\u2019s lofty standards. But he can still eat huge minutes and move the needle as a versatile all-situations blueliner. Would anyone take on his AAV for five more seasons? His hometown Ottawa Senators have inquired about his services, reports The Ottawa Citizen\u2019s Bruce Garrioch<\/a>. And $6.25 million isn\u2019t horrible filtered through the rising-cap lens. We go from $95.5 million this season to $104 million and $113.5 million in the next two, per the NHL\u2019s most recent payroll estimates.<\/p>\n Jean-Gabriel Pageau, C,\u00a0New York Islanders<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 33 Pageau could be off the table if the Islanders stay competitive into March. What a fun story they\u2019ve been, led by historically amazing rookie blueliner Matthew Schaefer. If they slip, Pageau should attract interest, however. He\u2019s a classic third-line center who excels on faceoffs and historically elevates his scoring rate in the playoffs. I moved Anders Lee down a couple tiers, as you can\u2019t trade your captain when you\u2019re third in the division, but Pageau is averaging his lowest ice time in 11 years and feels more expendable.<\/p>\n Sam Montembeault, G,\u00a0Montreal Canadiens<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 29 Yes, he was always keeping the seat warm for Jacob Fowler, but we all thought Montembeault had a lot more time, right? His game went in the toilet this season, costing him an Olympic roster spot with Canada and earning him a conditioning stint with AHL Laval. He\u2019s back with the big club now and trying to recapture his game, but a three-goalie battery feels crowded, and Montembeault has showcased sufficient upside to warrant another team taking a chance on him.<\/p>\n Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D, Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 34 How \u201cover\u201d is it for the Treliving-era Leafs? If it\u2019s \u201cretool and reload,\u201d you retain \u2018OEL,\u2019 who has two years left at an excellent price and has become a crucially malleable member of the D-corps. But if it\u2019s \u201cscorched earth\u201d over, the Leafs would be wise to sell high given Ekman-Larsson has reached his mid-30s. He could fetch a nice return with his two extra years of term.<\/p>\n Braden Schneider, D, New York Rangers<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 24 Schneider fits the classic bill of \u201cShouldn\u2019t this seller team be looking for more Braden Schneiders rather than trading Braden Schneider?\u201d Maybe, but he hasn\u2019t blossomed as a Blueshirt, and he could command a nice trade return as big, strong, relatively young right-shot defenseman. Maybe Drury doesn\u2019t actively shop him but at least fields the offers in case one is too good to pass up.<\/p>\n Tyler Myers, D, Vancouver Canucks<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 36 Myers controls his fate and only changes addresses if he wants to. But he\u2019s 36 and has advanced past Round 2 of the playoffs once in his 16 completed NHL seasons. His only chance to chase a ring is to accept a trade to a contender, on which he could play a third-pair role.<\/p>\n Nick Robertson, RW,\u00a0Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 24 Robertson has seemingly been on the trade block for so long that he\u2019s paying rent at this point. He also requested to be moved before the 2024-25 season. And now he\u2019s switched agents to share one with brother Jason. Does it still make sense to deal Nick, though? With all their injuries this season, the Leafs have finally granted him his wish and played him higher in the lineup for spurts, and he has produced on and off, though not without the odd healthy scratch. Dealing Robertson would make an old, slow team older and slower, so it\u2019s hardly a foregone conclusion we see him moved.<\/p>\n Rasmus Ristolainen, D,\u00a0Philadelphia Flyers<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 31 Ristolainen is back after triceps surgery and playing close to 20 minutes a night \u00a0If available, he should attract some trade interest now that his contract is more palatable given the rising salary cap and the fact he has just one season left after this one.\u00a0Under the tutelage of John Tortorella and Brad Shaw,<\/a>\u00a0Ristolainen improved as a rangy, physical defender, and Rick Tocchet, in theory, should be another good fit to help Ristolainen\u2019s game. The Flyers aren\u2019t\u00a0actively shopping him but are definitely still open to moving him for the right price<\/a>, Di Marco reported last month. And with the Flyers sliding in the standings, maybe the decision becomes easier, though interest doesn\u2019t seem to be high<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mario Ferraro, D,\u00a0San Jose Sharks<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 27 If Macklin Celebrini has anything to say about it, the Sharks will remain in playoff contention and won\u2019t be sellers come March. The Sherwood addition changes a lot; it doesn\u2019t feel like San Jose\u2019s pending UFAs are locks to move unless the team slumps badly between now and March 6. Ferraro is a warrior who would make a fine addition to a second or third pair on a contender and whose defensive metrics would likely improve in that environment.<\/p>\n Jared McCann, LW,\u00a0Seattle Kraken<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 29 The Kraken can\u2019t seem to get out of their own way, winning just enough to remain in the playoff race. If they\u2019re smart, they\u2019ll understand the need to reset and that McCann would be quite a coveted asset approaching the deadline. He\u2019s had a hard time staying healthy this year but was pretty durable before 2025-26 and averages 32 goals per 82 games in four seasons and change since joining the Kraken.<\/p>\n Jake DeBrusk, LW,\u00a0Vancouver Canucks<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 29 Finding the right fit won\u2019t be easy given all that term left on his deal. But the streaky DeBrusk could augment a contender; he averages 26 goals per 82 games in the postseason for his career. It\u2019s a matter of whether short-term help is worth the long-term sting on your cap.<\/p>\n Conor Garland, RW,\u00a0Vancouver Canucks<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 29 Nick Foligno, C,\u00a0Chicago Blackhawks<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 38 Think Kyle Okposo in 2023-24. Foligno is almost at the end of the line, but perhaps a contender would pick him up as a legendarily great dressing-room presence in hopes of getting him a ring. He has no official movement restrictions on his contract, but he took a leave of absence earlier this season to be with his daughter who had heart surgery, so he obviously would only be traded if he really wanted to go.<\/p>\n Jonathan Quick, G,\u00a0New York Rangers<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 40 Quick has his Stanley Cup rings. He\u2019s playing for his hometown team. He has plenty of control over where he lands. He doesn\u2019t have to go anywhere. But what if an injury arises and creates an opportunity for him to play a key role on a contending team, as he briefly did for Vegas three years ago?<\/p>\n John Klingberg, D,\u00a0San Jose Sharks<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 33 Sharks GM Mike Grier would be smart to sell high on Klingberg\u2019s revival, finding a trade partner needing power-play augmentation, but that can\u2019t be the play now that San Jose has entered buyer mode, hence me dropping Klingberg down a tier. Interestingly, he had a no-trade clause until Jan. 30, which has now changed to a 14-team no-trade list.<\/p>\n Ryan Strome, C,\u00a0Anaheim Ducks<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 32 Strome\u2019s average ice time has dropped to 12:05 per game, and that\u2019s when he\u2019s not healthy scratched. He\u2019s simply not a big part of Anaheim\u2019s core anymore, it seems, despite the fact he\u2019s a respected dressing-room leader on a young team. Could there be a hockey trade out there involving a team that could use him for a larger role in its top nine?<\/p>\n Max Domi, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 30 Domi will always be a defensive liability. But he\u2019s a productive 5-on-5 facilitator, quietly sitting sixth among all NHL forwards in primary assists per 60 over the past three years, and he plays with an edge. Given he can shift all over a team\u2019s top nine, at wing or center, his AAV is hardly prohibitive.<\/p>\n Matias Maccelli, LW,\u00a0Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 25 Once the Leafs bumped out assistant coach Marc Savard and handed the power-play reins to Steve Sullivan, Maccelli saw looks on the top unit and seemed rejuvenated. The surge was short-lived, though, and he\u2019s since been demoted to PP2. Back to expendable status?<\/p>\n Anthony Stolarz, G, Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 32 The Leafs have a logjam forming in net between Stolarz, Woll and the emerging Dennis Hildeby, with Artur Akhtyamov also showing promise in the AHL. If you have to move one netminder from the stable: Stolarz is the oldest, the most expensive, has the worst injury history, and has played the poorest of the group this season. Could that make him the odd man out? On the flip side, all those traits might give him the lowest trade value among Toronto\u2019s tenders.<\/p>\n Gustav Nyquist, RW, Winnipeg Jets<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 36 Nyquist will never again match his shocking 75-point campaign of two years ago with Nashville. But he\u2019s a consummate pro whose attitude rubs off on young players, and he might have one more spark of offense in him if placed in the right role. He should come cheap given his age.<\/p>\n Calle Jarnkrok, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 34 He\u2019s just a fourth-liner at this stage of his career, but he can dutifully play a checking role, and his simple hustle makes coaches happy. The Leafs may as well try to get something for him.<\/p>\n Ryan Lomberg, LW, Calgary Flames<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 31 Lomberg plays bigger than his 5-foot-9, 184-pound frame. He\u2019s a physical, energetic forward who can alter momentum with a hit-happy shift. He\u2019s also a proven Stanley Cup cog, having dressed for eight games during Florida\u2019s 2023-24 run. The winning pedigree and jam in his game should have some contenders sniffing around him.<\/p>\n Timothy Liljegren, D, San Jose Sharks<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 26 It feels like Liljegren should\u2019ve had a better career up to this point. As a smooth-skating righthanded blueliner with good puck skills, he has value in this league. But he struggled to establish himself as a regular with Toronto, and it doesn\u2019t sound like he\u2019s part of San Jose\u2019s long-term plans. If they\u2019re hovering on the bubble by March 6, it might be worth jettisoning him given he\u2019s an expiring asset.<\/p>\n Claude Giroux, RW, Ottawa Senators<\/p>\n Age: 38 Giroux calls Ottawa his offseason home and thus has a comfortable situation there, hence the team-friendly cap hit. But he\u2019s also in season 19 of a Hall-of-Very-Good career and doesn\u2019t have that Stanley Cup. Should the Sens fall too far out of contention, would Giroux be up for joining a contender? He could be an asset for faceoffs, scoring depth and maybe a second power-play unit.<\/p>\n Alex Tuch, RW,\u00a0Buffalo Sabres<\/a><\/p>\n Age: 29
Cap hit: $11,842,657, pending UFA
(No-movement clause)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $9,000,000 through 2027-28
(10-team trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $6,500,000 through 2027-28
(15-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $6,500,000 through 2026-27
(15-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $4,900,000 through 2026-27
(10-team trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $4,000,000 through 2026-27
(15-team no-trade clause)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $1,350,000, pending UFA<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $866,667 through 2026-27<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $8,125,000 through 2030-31
(No-trade clause)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $5,625,000 through 2028-29
(12-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $8,000,000 through 2027-28
(No-movement clause)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $7,000,000 through 2028-29
(13-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $4,500,000 through 2026-27<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $11,600,000 through 2031-32
(No-movement clause)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $5,500,000 through 2028-29
(15-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $2,200,000 through 2026-27<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $918,333,\u00a0pending RFA<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $1,500,000 (50% of $3,000,000 retained by PHI), pending UFA<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $886,667\u00a0through 2026-27<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $4,500,000, pending UFA<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $3,600,000 through 2026-27
(No-trade clause)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $1,200,000, pending RFA<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $903,333, pending RFA<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $5,125,000, pending UFA
(16-team trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $1,800,000, pending UFA
(12-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $2,750,000, pending UFA<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $2,950,000, pending UFA<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $1,500,000, pending UFA<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $4,820,000 through 2029-30
(10-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $4,100,000 through 2026-27
(Eight-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $1,250,000, pending UFA<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $1,350,000 through 2026-27<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $4,037,500 (15% of $4,750,000 million retained by VAN), pending UFA
(12-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $8,700,000, pending UFA
(10-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $4,250,000, pending UFA<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $4,400,000, pending UFA
(10-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $5,250,000, pending UFA
(3-team no trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $8,125,000 through 2030-31
(No-trade clause)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $3,750,000, pending UFA
(Eight-team no-trade clause)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $6,250,000 through 2030-31
(No-trade clause)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $5,000,000, pending UFA
(16-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $3,150,000 through 2026-27<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $3,500,000 through 2027-28
(16-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n
$2,200,000, pending RFA<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $3,000,000 through 2026-27
(No-movement clause)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $1,825,000, pending RFA<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $5,100,000 through 2026-27<\/p>\n
2025-26 cap hit: $3,250,000, pending UFA<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $5,000,000 through 2026-27
(10-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $5,500,000 through 2030-31
(No-movement clause)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $4,950,000 through 2025-26; $6,000,000 from 2026-27 through 2031-32
Whoa. Garland on the block when his six-year extension hasn\u2019t even begun? That contract was signed before the Canucks and Garland knew the team would veer off a cliff and trade Quinn Hughes. If we think of his already-signed contract as a price a team could pay in free agency\u2026could there be a market for his speed and scrappiness? Per Pagnotta,\u00a0the Canucks are taking calls on Garland,<\/a>\u00a0who is \u201cnot for sale\u201d but whose NMC kicks in this summer.<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $4,500,000, pending UFA<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $1,550,000, pending UFA
(20-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $4,000,000, pending UFA
(14-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $5,000,000 through 2026-27<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $3,750,000 through 2027-28
(13-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $3,425,000, pending RFA<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $2,500,000 through 2025-26; $3,750,000 through 2029-30
(16-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $3,250,000, pending UFA<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $2,100,000, pending UFA
(10-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $2,000,000 pending UFA<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $3,000,000, pending UFA<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $2,000,000, pending UFA
(No-movement clause)<\/p>\n
Cap hit: $4,750,000, pending UFA
(Five-team no-trade list)<\/p>\n