The free agent market for the 2025 offseason is slowly starting to develop into a weaker class than normal, particularly in regards to high-end talent.

Yes, Mitch Marner seems like a very strong candidate to join it with how the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ playoff run has unfolded, combined with his lack of interest in signing an extension all year, but beyond that, you mostly have players that have the potential but not the certainty to be at that level in Brock Boeser or Nikolaj Ehlers, used to be at that level in Brad Marchand, John Tavares and Brent Burns, or seem set to be a poorly-aged contract in Sam Bennett or Aaron Ekblad.

So will that mean that we see the trade market open instead. If the game-breaking talent is lacking in free agency, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see teams pursue the trade avenue instead. While we don’t quite know what that market will consist of beyond some unresolved trade deadline targets like Elias Pettersson, it certainly has higher potential to be where a team can win the offseason.

Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk talked about the upcoming offseason, and how the trade market may just be where we see more of the action, on Daily Faceoff Live after being asked about what shiny new toy the Vegas Golden Knights may go after.

Frank Seravalli: It’s certainly possible. I think some of these teams are in a situation where they go, “Hey, I’m willing to consider just about anything.”

But here’s the funny thing about Vegas. You use the word affordable. It’s the city of lost wages. It’s where people go and spend money that they don’t even have. When have the Vegas Golden Knights ever cared about what’s affordable? They find ways to fit in $10 million players on the regular. You mean to tell me that you think the Vegas Golden Knights can’t find a way to shoehorn in a Mitch Marner if they wanted to. I think they could.

Tyler Yaremchuk: They would absolutely find a way if that’s the path they wanted to go.

You can watch the full episode here…

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