1 Big Trade Every NHL Team Can Make This Season

It’s always fun to play fantasy general manager (GM) and speculate about the possible trades that can happen in the season. The extra layer to this is, as a fan, taking all the prospects or depth players in a proposed trade and swapping them for the one star and saying, “Looks fair to me.”

Every team can make a splash of some sort this season. Whether it’s buying or selling, anyone can make a blockbuster deal. So, let’s look at one that every team can reasonably pull off (It’s worth noting that two teams will be involved in each trade, making this a shorter list than 32 teams).

Pittsburgh Penguins Trade Sidney Crosby to the Montreal Canadiens

The Sidney Crosby trade rumors are only just beginning. For a rebuilding Penguins team, they can deal him for a haul but they must do it at his own fruition (his no-trade clause can handicap them). If he gives them a shortlist, the Canadiens should be on it, and it could make for a big trade.

The prospect the Penguins will want in the return is Ivan Demidov. It’s unlikely the Canadiens move on from a player who is the heavy Calder trophy favorite and projects as a superstar. So, a more likely trade involves David Reinbacher, Owen Beck, and a first round pick. The move would make the Canadiens the team to beat in the Eastern Conference as they’d suddenly have Crosby surrounded by plenty of young talent. 

Seattle Kraken Trade Jordan Eberle to the Tampa Bay Lightning 

The Lightning can keep their contention window open by adding scoring to their lineup. They have elite talent in their top six but need a middle-six winger to round things out. They don’t have a lot to offer in any type of trade, so acquiring Eberle, who is on the decline and heading to free agency anyway, makes sense. 

Calgary Flames Trade Nazem Kadri to the New Jersey Devils

This is a trade that makes too much sense. The Devils will be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference next season but to win the Cup, they need a physical two-way presence in the middle of the lineup. Nazem Kadri, even in his 30s, is that, and the Flames can move him for young NHL-ready players like Simon Nemec. 

Calgary Flames Trade Rasmus Andersson to the Philadelphia Flyers 

On the same note, for the Flames, it’s only a matter of time before they trade Rasmus Andersson, who is heading to free agency after the season. It seems odd for the Flyers to buy in and get a defenseman but there’s a chance they are only a few points out at the trade deadline and make a move to round out the defense. 

The Flames are looking for young NHL-caliber players and are hoping to improve their offense. The Flyers have prospects on top of prospects, specifically at the forward position. It’s why an Andersson addition with Samu Tuomaala and Oliver Bonk going the other way makes sense. 

New York Rangers Trade Artemi Panarin to the Colorado Avalanche 

The Rangers are in a tough spot with Artemi Panarin. The star winger is in the final year of his contract, and if he doesn’t sign a long-term deal, the Rangers can look to trade him while retooling in the process. If there’s one team that can look to buy, even without many assets to do so, it’s the Avalanche, who have the core to make a run but need that spark from the wing. 

Winnipeg Jets Trade Kyle Connor to the Detroit Red Wings

Like Artemi Panarin, Kyle Connor is an elite winger heading to free agency. The Jets will try to sign him but like many players in Winnipeg, there’s always the question about whether he wants to leave and play for a big-market team. 

Connor would want to play for his hometown team, the Red Wings. Likewise, the Red Wings have the prospects to move and the urgency to make the playoffs. This is a trade that can easily happen, especially if both teams are in the right spots to make this move by midseason. 

Boston Bruins Trade Jeremy Swayman to the Edmonton Oilers

There was plenty of talk in the summer about the Oilers adding goaltending, especially since Stuart Skinner let them down in the Final. The problem is that there are only so many needle-moving goaltenders available. There’s still an elite goaltender in Jeremy Swayman, so the Oilers can roll the dice on him while going all in. 

Minnesota Wild Trade Kirill Kaprizov to the Chicago Blackhawks

There are only so many teams that can afford to acquire and then sign Kirill Kaprizov. The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the teams. They have the space to give him a $20 million average annual value deal and have the prospects to move as well. It’s a deal that can have the Blackhawks go from rebuilding to contending overnight. 

Buffalo Sabres Trade Tage Thompson to the Anaheim Ducks

If there’s one trade that the Sabres can make, assuming they’ll avoid selling until they must, it’s moving Tage Thompson for a haul. The Ducks are a team that can make the deal, as they have the young talent to flip in a deal while keeping their core together. Watch out for the Ducks, especially if they are in the playoff conversation after all. 

St. Louis Blues Trade Jordan Binnington to the Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes do the same song and dance every season. They have a great forward unit, a better defense, and questionable goaltending. This time around, they should make a splash and get a playoff-proven goaltender. Jordan Binnington, for all his in-season issues, is that, and the Blues might take a step back this season, putting their goaltender and the two years left on his contract on the trade block. 

Nashville Predators Trade Ryan O’Reilly to the Washington Capitals

The Capitals were a pleasant surprise last season and can make a push for the Cup this time around. Adding Ryan O’Reilly further strengthens an already great forward unit, and better yet, the Capitals have the goaltender to move in a deal as they can trade third-stringer Clay Stevenson, giving the Predators a young backup to help out Juuse Saros in the net. 

New York Islanders Trade Anders Lee to the Toronto Maple Leafs 

Anders Lee is a great fit with the Maple Leafs and what they need for a Cup run. Will he replace Mitch Marner? No. However, he brings things that Marner doesn’t. Lee offers proven leadership, a netfront scoring presence and physical play in the trenches. These are all things the Maple Leafs need. The only question is what the return will be, and that depends on the season Lee has. 

Islanders Trade Jean-Gabriel Pageau to Utah

Utah needs a needle-mover. They have a lot of good players but they lack a star to carry them to the playoffs and on a deep playoff run. That said, acquiring Jean-Gabriel Pageau is a great way to add stability to the center position for a team that needs it. 

Vancouver Canucks Trade Elias Pettersson to the Columbus Blue Jackets

This list wouldn’t be complete without an Elias Pettersson trade on it. Even with the no-movement clause, there’s always a chance the Canucks look to trade away Pettersson, especially if a teardown is inevitable. 

The Blue Jackets seem like a fit for this type of move, where they add an elite center to their top six to make a push for the playoffs and beyond. They have the prospects to make a move but more importantly, have a frustrated Yegor Chinakov who they can put in a deal to add Pettersson. 

Los Angeles Kings Trade Drew Doughty to the Florida Panthers

Now wouldn’t this be something? The Panthers are going to add at the trade deadline as they look to win their third Cup title in a row. They will look to round out the defensive unit and can acquire Drew Doughty to do so. Sure, the veteran defenseman is looking to retire with the Kings, and it’s unlikely they’ll move a face of the franchise. However, there’s a chance the Kings fall apart this season and Doughty will want to do what Brad Marchand did last season: join the best team in the league with a chance to win the Cup one more time. 

Dallas Stars Trade Jason Robertson to the Ottawa Senators

It’s hard to see the Dallas Stars trading Jason Robertson in a rebuild-type deal. This is a team in the Cup conversation, and any type of trade will be a “hockey trade” or, at the very least, similar to what the Avalanche got when they moved Mikko Rantanen. The Senators have the young NHL-caliber players to flip in a deal that benefits both sides.  Note: This hypothetical trade is based off a premise that the Stars cannot get Robertson extended on a multi-year contract. Conversely, Ottawa would also have to be in position to extend the big scoring forward.

San Jose Sharks Trade Nick Leddy to the Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights will be on the lookout for defensemen, especially puck-moving blue liners, with Alex Pietrangelo being on LTIR. Nick Leddy is well past his prime but still handles the puck and sets up the offense. With the veteran on a one-year deal, there’s a good chance the rebuilding Sharks send him to the Golden Knights, who are looking to make a push for the Cup””.