It’s the trade deadline time of the year. It’s that time when everyone speculates and wonders what the next big deal will be and when it will happen. There are some big names on the trade block and big names who aren’t rentals either.
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However, the under-the-radar trades are the ones to watch. It’s what happened last season with the Florida Panthers. They didn’t acquire Mikko Rantanen or another star player but they swooped in and resurrected Seth Jones’s career with a high-value move. Then, in the final hour or minutes, the Panthers landed Brad Marchand, who would play a key role in the Cup run.
Who can become this season’s Marchand? Who can a contender acquire who is overlooked and can make an impact in a new setting? There are plenty of names to keep in mind with the trade deadline just days away.
Shane Wright to the Lightning
It’s no secret that Shane Wright’s tenure with the Seattle Kraken flopped. They landed him with the fourth pick in the 2022 draft and hoped he would be an elite two-way center. He’s struggled to find a steady role with the NHL, and a few years in, it’s clear he’s at an impasse with the Kraken.
Plenty of teams will bet on the upside, which is a top-six two-way center. Now is the time to acquire him since his value has gone down, and a few contenders might make a run at him. The Tampa Bay Lightning have the best record in the Eastern Conference and don’t need another elite forward, per se but can use some depth.
Adding Wright gives them that and the right boost for their third or fourth line for a Cup run. Plus, like the Brandon Hagel addition at the 2022 trade deadline, it can transform him into a top-six player, especially with a great supporting cast.
The Lightning are one team that makes too much sense. Yet, multiple teams check off this box. The Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, and Utah Mammoth are teams that can use another center with top-six upside and have the willingness to give the young player a chance.
Alexis Lafreniere to the Montreal Canadiens
Another top pick who never lived up to his potential. The New York Rangers are in seller’s mode, and the question is how far they go to tear things down. The Artemi Panarin trade suggests a retool. A Vincent Trocheck trade suggests a rebuild. All eyes are on Trocheck but another player to keep in mind, especially because he’s not a rental, is Lafreniere.
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Lafreniere is the type of player the Montreal Canadiens would want. The Quebec ties make it an easy connection for the player and the team, plus he’s a proven scorer in the playoffs, as his 2023-24 run showed with eight goals and six assists in 16 games. The Canadiens are looking for another player to help them not just for this season but multiple Cup runs, and Lafreniere, as a middle-six winger, checks that box.
The other benefit for both sides is that the Canadiens have the pieces to make this trade work. They have prospects throughout their system, some of whom won’t make the NHL team because there’s already an elite talent playing that role. The Rangers, meanwhile, need help in their farm system, and this trade gives them that.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi to the Florida Panthers
It’s a matter of when and not if the Carolina Hurricanes move on from Jesperi Kotkaniemi. There’s some surprise it hasn’t happened yet with a buyout in the offseason. With three and a half more seasons left on his $4.8 average annual value (AAV) deal, the Hurricanes can cut their losses now and get some value back.
The Hurricanes are contenders but this is a side move they can make. They are looking to make a splash and free up cap space in the process. Trading Kotkaniemi helps them do that, and all they need is one team that is still willing to bet on his skill.
The Florida Panthers are a team that can add him to their third-line center spot and work from there. The cap space is tricky but the fit isn’t. Kotkaniemi has the skill to work well on the same line as Eetu Luostarainen and Evan Rodrigues (plus could join the other Finnish skaters in the Panthers lineup). Even if the team fails to make the playoffs, this can be a great long-term bet on Kotkaniemi, who can keep a contention window open if everything works out.
Connor Murphy to the Stars
If the Chicago Blackhawks make a trade, the player they can move is Connor Murphy. By no means is he a reclamaiion project, on the contrary, he’s been a steady defenseman on a terrible team for years. Yet, a trade involving him might go unnoticed until the team that landed him is on a deep playoff run.
The Dallas Stars seem like the type of team that makes this trade. Jim Nill was the one who acquired Max Domi from the Blackhawks for a playoff run and Chris Tanev from the Calgary Flames, two deals that gave them valuable rentals for a run. Murphy fits the bill as a shutdown defenseman, and considering the Stars lack the assets for a big splash, this might be the move.
Claude Giroux to the Avalanche
The question here is whether Claude Giroux wants to retire with his hometown team or wants to make one more run at the Stanley Cup. The Ottawa Senators are on the fringe and can make a push for the playoffs but if things go south, they can flip the veteran forward at the last second.
It would be fitting for the Avalanche to acquire a veteran for one more run at the Cup; they have some history with it. On the ice, the Avalanche can use another winger and possibly a third-line center to get them over the hump. Giroux can add that boost to give them multiple lines that can come at teams in waves.
Other Under-The-Radar Players to Keep in Mind
The American Hockey League (AHL) has a handful of prospects that might get moved in a trade this week. If a team wants to make a splash, it might need to part with a top prospect to do so.
- Sebastian Cossa is the elite goaltender who comes to mind. The Detroit Red Wings are in a good spot to make the playoffs but if they want to add an elite player, he’s the player they move, especially since they have another goaltending prospect waiting in the wings (Trey Augustine).
- Under the same theme, the Boston Bruins might want to move Michael DiPietro, who is the reigning AHL goaltender of the year, while the Buffalo Sabres might look at trading Devon Levi.
- Speaking of the Bruins, a prospect who has boosted his value this year is Dans Locmelis, the Latvian winger with 15 goals in Providence who stood out on the Olympic stage as well. He’s out for the season with an upper-body injury but proved he can be an elite player at the next level, certainly on the offensive end.
- Speaking of the Sabres, Konsta Helenius is a name to watch. He’s got the skill to be a great player in the NHL, and if the Sabres want to make the playoffs, he’s a valuable trade chip they can use.
- Out west, the Edmonton Oilers have a few prospects in Bakersfield, and considering they look to add every season, it will be interesting to see if they flip one for another veteran. Maybe Isaac Howard is traded as part of the Oliver Ekman-Larsson deal?
It’s a busy week, so it’s time to follow everything. It will be fun to see who gets moved and which teams end up making the high-value trade at the end of the day.
