We are in 2026 and the NHL season is half over. While the standings are close, some teams have revealed themselves as sellers, even some that are closer to a playoff spot than a normal seller would be.
While the wildcard spot to last place in the Eastern Conference is separated by six points and the cutoff is 46 points, the Western Conference cutoff is 41 points and last place has 34. But even teams who look to have even a chance to make the playoffs don’t have the roster to compete yet and could do better building for the future, starting next season.
David Pagnotta said, “Clubs like San Jose, St. Louis, Nashville, and the Canucks have accepted their fate, and remain willing to listen on a number of their players. Calgary isn’t there yet, though as of today, I still believe Rasmus Andersson…will be dealt.”
The San Jose Sharks are the most interesting, but also understandable choice of the teams. Macklin Celebrini is covering up a lot of problems with the Sharks with his elite level of play. The forward depth is bad and the team just isn’t there yet despite sitting in a wildcard spot. They could sell and still keep themselves in the race though. It would just properly open up spots for the future.The St. Louis Blues are three games under .500 and need to make some changes. They have good young talent and need them in better roles. This is a team that could be a contender in a couple of seasons if the roster is adjusted properly, but some of the veterans have to go and will likely end up going to playoff contenders this season or the offseason.The Nashville Predators have been playing well and are above .500 and just outside of the playoffs, but this team still seems fraudulent as they haven’t been able to sustain success for very long throughout the last two seasons. The core is older and even though a few young guys are stepping up, it isn’t enough to be anything more than a first round exit. Players like Jonathan Marchessault and Michael Bunting can be traded and the team would be able to carry on in a similar fashion.The Vancouver Canucks make perfect sense. They sold Quinn Hughes, their franchise player, for a big package, but those pieces aren’t all compete-now pieces. They’re young and are building blocks, but there are valuable assets the team could move on from to help reshape the team. They are four games under .500 and have the worst points percentage in the NHL. It is going to be another interesting season for buyers and sellers.
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