Tick. Tock. We’re now one week away from Round 1 of the NHL Draft, zeroing in on historically the biggest trade period of the year – with all 32 teams in play as opposed to just the contenders at the trade deadline. And we’re waiting for the dam to break, as there’s lots of talk but not so much action, since so many teams are in the same boat. They’re almost all trying to improve, outside of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are moving toward tearing it down.

With that, we’ve got seven new names on our latest Trade Targets board:

Trade Targets 🎯

1. JJ Peterka
Left Wing, Buffalo Sabres
Age: 23
Stats: 77 GP, 27 G, 41 A, 68 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA
Scoop: There may be no better player available, period, on the trade market this summer – let alone one of Peterka’s age at 23, already a top-line producer. Embattled Sabres GM Kevyn Adams previously said he has no interest in trading Peterka, but he’s apparently come around on the inevitability. More than a handful of teams have expressed legitimate interest: both the Rangers and Islanders, Lightning, Blackhawks and Canucks, and they’re not alone. It sounds like Buffalo knows they can at least get an impactful roster player in return. What else is out there?

2. Marco Rossi
Center, Minnesota Wild
Age: 23
Stats: 82 GP, 24 G, 36 A, 60 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA
Scoop: Rossi himself seemed to cast some doubt on his future in the State of Hockey at his season-ending press conference, saying: “I don’t know. We’ll see.” He’s due for a big raise and the question is: Do the Wild want to pay him? It’s a tough spot because Minnesota could use more center depth, not less, but Rossi slid to the fourth line in the playoffs. But GM Bill Guerin’s original first-round pick in Minnesota would command a price in a thin center market – and perhaps he could swing a deal much like the one for the last RFA they chose to move on from in Kevin Fiala.

3. Bowen Byram
Left Defense, Buffalo Sabres
Age: 24
Stats: 82 GP, 7 G, 31 A, 38 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA
Scoop: So, what’s the plan for Byram in Buffalo? He was eligible for a contract extension 10 months ago, shortly after being acquired from Colorado. Yet it didn’t get done. His agent recently refuted a report that said Byram made a trade request. But there is still so much to unpack on Byram and his game. He turns 24 in a few weeks and just completed his first full, 82-game season after injuries had piled up in previous campaigns. That’s a big step. The Sabres continue to look for a blueliner, so perhaps that comes in conjunction with a separate Byram trade.

4. K’Andre Miller
Left Defense, New York Rangers
Age: 25
Stats: 74 GP, 7 G, 20 A, 27 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA
Scoop: One of the biggest lingering questions for GM Chris Drury is the makeup and foundation of the Blueshirts’ blueline. It’s no secret the Rangers have not defended well enough in front of Igor Shesterkin, and that spans multiple head coaches now. It’s on the personnel. Miller is just 25 and skates so effortlessly and efficiently, he should be part of the solution. But he’s also due a sizable raise and a contract that will have to buy UFA years. That’s expensive. There have been 12-15 teams in the mix on Miller in recent weeks.

5. Jonathan Marchessault
Right Wing, Nashville Predators
Age: 34
Stats: 78 GP, 21 G, 35 A, 56 Pts
Contract: 4 years remaining, $5.5 million AAV
Scoop: After a disastrous, 28th place finish, the Predators need to get younger. In a hurry. They got a little bit older this week in bringing back 34-year-old Erik Haula. And they’d be smart to also shed one of their long-term commitments to older players, too. The belief is Marchessault is open to moving on after one year in the Music City. His production dipped, like everyone’s, as Nashville struggled to score. But he’s eminently capable of bouncing back with a 30-goal season with strong value to the cap.

6. Evander Kane
Left Wing, Edmonton Oilers
Age: 33
Stats: 21 GP, 6 G, 6 A, 12 Pts (playoffs)
Contract: 1 year remaining, $5.125 million AAV
Scoop: Has Evander worn out his welcome in Edmonton? Or is it just time? While the NHL is still looking into the Oilers’ use of cap relief related to Kane’s injury, the Oilers are also looking for ways to free up salary cap space. No matter what is said about Kane, one thing is undeniable: he is a damn good hockey player. For missing the entirety of the regular season with multiple surgeries, he found a way to impact playoff games, even if it wasn’t as consistently as everyone wanted. He has a 16-team ‘no-trade’ and was speculated to be available in March.

7. Rasmus Andersson
Right Defense, Calgary Flames
Age: 28
Stats: 81 GP, 11 G, 20 A, 31 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $4.55 million AAV
Scoop: The Flames and Andersson’s camp were expected to trade numbers last week for the first time to see what an extension might look like. The tenor of those talks will determine what happens next. Fish or cut bait? Andersson presents great trade value, even after a relatively down year, for a right-shooting defenseman with an edge, double-digit goal scoring ability and a very reasonable cap hit. The Flames aren’t in a rush. They’d have no problem hanging onto him until the trade deadline to potentially watch his stock rise even higher.

8. Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Center, New York Islanders
Age: 32
Stats: 79 GP, 14 G, 28 A, 42 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $5 million AAV
Scoop: It’s amazing how quickly things change in the NHL, eh? One year ago, Pageau was on our Targets board as a possible salary cap dump as Lou Lamoriello was looking to free up space. Now? He had a strong season in a down statistical year for most Islanders. Pageau’s got legitimate positive trade equity in an incredibly thin center market. They’re all drying up on the UFA front: Nelson, Duchene, Donato, Gourde, now Toews. If the Islanders are keeping Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat, which seems like the plan, then they can cash in on Pageau and use that ammo to fill other holes.

9. John Gibson
Goaltender, Anaheim Ducks
Age: 31
Stats: 29 GP, 2.77 GAA, .912 SV%
Contract: 2 years remaining, $6.4 million AAV
Scoop: Is this the year? This is the fourth offseason Gibson has been readily available on the trade block, but everything seems to be lining up for both Gibson and the Ducks this time. There are only two years left on his deal. He is coming off a strong season, even if he ceded the starter’s job to Lukas Dostal. And the goaltending market is very thin this summer. Jake Allen is the big name free agent. Gibson should still have plenty left in the tank at age 31.

10. Charlie Coyle
Center, Colorado Avalanche
Age: 33
Stats: 83 GP, 17 G, 18 A, 35 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $5.25 million AAV
Scoop: Outside of Dallas, which has taken steps to remedy the situation with a Mason Marchment trade, there is arguably no team in a more precarious salary cap position than the Avalanche. They’re up against it. Down the middle, they have Nathan MacKinnon at $12.6m, now Brock Nelson locked up at $7.5m. Does that make Coyle a luxury at $5.25m playing in the 3C role? Many see it that way, which is why Coyle’s name percolated at the Scouting Combine in Buffalo. He is one of three Avs on the board as they look for flexibility.

11. Rights to Isaac Howard
Left Wing, Tampa Bay Lightning
Age: 21
Stats: 37 GP, 26 G, 26 A, 52 Pts (NCAA)
Contract: None
Scoop: The reigning Hobey Baker Award winner as top player in college hockey and the Lightning haven’t seen eye-to-eye, with both sides now acknowledging this is likely to end in a trade. Howard was drafted 31st overall in 2022. That means the clock is ticking on his rights being held exclusively by Tampa Bay, until Aug. 15, 2026. The Bolts will want to move him this summer before entering the final year of that exclusivity, when his rights potentially become less valuable as he’s months away from total free agency with the ability to sign anywhere.

12. Vladimir Tarasenko
Wing, Detroit Red Wings
Age: 33
Stats: 80 GP, 11 G, 22 A, 33 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $4.75 million AAV
Scoop: There was word that Tarasenko wasn’t thrilled with his arrangement in Detroit, leaving open the possibility that he’s on the move this summer for a better fit. His production dropped to a career-low 11 goals. He had that many in a 43-game run in Florida that saw him contribute to the 2024 Stanley Cup champs. When everything clicks, there are few better natural goal scorers in the game.

13. Erik Karlsson
Right Defense, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 34
Stats: 82 GP, 11 G, 42 A, 53 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $10 million AAV
Scoop: League sources are expecting Karlsson’s name to percolate as GM Kyle Dubas spools up a retool or rebuild to get Pittsburgh back on track. Karlsson has played two seasons in the Steel City and this one was better than the first. That $10 million cap hit will be difficult to navigate. But is there someone willing to give their blueline a shot in the arm with a capable quarterback? Karlsson turned back the clock at 4 Nations Face-Off. How much would the Penguins be willing to retain to make a deal work?

14. Bryan Rust
Right Wing, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 33
Stats: 71 GP, 31 G, 34 A, 65 Pts
Contract: 3 years remaining, $5.125 million AAV
Scoop: There’s zero doubt that Rust has more than lived up to his end of the bargain on his deal. With the roster crumbling around him, Rust put up a career year in goals, assists and points last year. The Penguins are one of the few teams in the NHL open to shifting their roster to be better for the long haul and not today. Doesn’t it then make sense for GM Kyle Dubas to get out from under Rust now while the gettin’ is good? There’s definitely interest. Rust’s trade protection expires on June 30.

15. Mattias Samuelsson
Defense, Buffalo Sabres
Age: 25
Stats: 62 GP, 4 G, 10 A, 14 Pts
Contract: 5 years remaining, $4.29 million AAV
Scoop: Well, this is spicy. Samuelsson is two seasons into a massive $30 million wager by GM Kevyn Adams that he’d pan out to be a bona fide top-four defenseman through 2030. That is not working out so far. Samuelsson is now under 20 minutes per night and the Sabres still struggle to defend as a team. He’s been listed as a trendy buyout candidate as he’s still under 26 and would carry just a $700k cap charge for the next 10 seasons, plus the Sabres would save $14+ million in real cash dollars. The only thing better than that is getting him off the books completely now if they feel the juice is no longer worth the squeeze.

16. Connor Murphy
Right Defense, Chicago Blackhawks
Age: 32
Stats: 68 GP, 2 G, 17 A, 19 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $4.4 million AAV
Scoop: And suddenly, the Blackhawks have too many defensemen. They might have even more if somehow Matt Schaefer falls to No. 3 in the Draft. With Alex Vlasic, Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov holding down the back end for the foreseeable future, Murphy could well be on the move. He is a steady and reliable veteran presence who can play physical – and he’s on the perfect contract.

17. Samuel Girard
Defense, Colorado Avalanche
Age: 27
Stats: 73 GP, 3 G, 21 A, 24 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $5 million AAV
Scoop: The Avalanche have had on-again, off-again conversations with Girard in trade talks going back three years now. Most teams have drawn a line at having no more than one undersized defenseman in their lineup, and for the Avs, that would mean Girard is the odd man out. The tricky part is the Avs struggled for depth on their blue line this season, particularly on their third pair, so they’ve got some work to do to fill out a more complete group with very limited cap space.

18. Matias Maccelli
Left Wing, Utah Mammoth
Age: 24
Stats: 55 GP, 8 G, 10 A, 18 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $3.425 million AAV
Scoop: In like a lion, out like a lamb? Maccelli burst onto the scene a few years ago as a 22-year-old fourth round pick who found near immediate success at every pro level. He racked up 49 points in 64 games in his first full NHL season, then improved with 17 goals and 57 points in his sophomore year. Last year, as the Yotes moved to Utah, not so much. He was on the outside looking in at a now-named Mammoth lineup, sitting for big chunks as a healthy scratch, an undersized winger who struggled to get to the middle. Now the Mammoth are considering alternatives.

19. Viktor Arvidsson
Right Wing, Edmonton Oilers
Age: 32
Stats: 67 GP, 15 G, 12 A, 27 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $4 million AAV
Scoop: Maybe this is one of those situations where it is mutually beneficial to move on. The Oilers will undoubtedly be trying to move Arvidsson, who became a spare part in the postseason – at a salary cap hit for next season that throws their books out of whack. But maybe heading into another contract year, it’s also better for Arvidsson to go to a place where he’ll get more opportunity.

20. Morgan Rielly
Left Defense, Toronto Maple Leafs
Age: 31
Stats: 82 GP, 7 G, 34 A, 41 Pts
Contract: 5 years remaining, $7.5 million AAV
Scoop: The Leafs need a puck-moving defenseman, someone who can help get them out of trouble efficiently and exit the zone with more ease. Rielly isn’t that anymore. He’s been a fine playoff contributor, surprisingly enough, but he isn’t an effective quarterback on the first power play unit and his game showed significant signs of slowing down this season. Should the Leafs make a move before that contract becomes onerous?

21. Carson Soucy
Defense, New York Rangers
Age: 30
Stats: 75 GP, 4 G, 9 A, 13 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $3.25 million AAV
Scoop: Soucy is no stranger to the Trade Targets board, staring down the potential of becoming the first player traded off the board twice in the same season. He agreed to waive his full ‘no-trade’ on March 6 to go from Vancouver to New York, a cross-continent swing that saw him get even less ice time (16:14) than he had in the Lower Mainland (18:22). That ‘no-trade’ remains, at least until July 1, so the pride of Irma, Alberta will have some say in what happens next.

22. Jamie Oleksiak
Defense, Seattle Kraken
Age: 32
Stats: 82 GP, 4 G, 13 A, 17 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $4.6 million AAV
Scoop: The Jason Botterill Era begins in Seattle and it will be fascinating to see how he remakes the Kraken. He has decisions to make, and one of the most pressing is what to do with a player like Oleksiak. He is eligible for an extension on July 1, but reaching an age that isn’t in sync with where Seattle is heading, so that would seem to suggest a trade is in order. But it doesn’t have to be this summer, he could be a trade deadline haul.

23. Ilya Lyubushkin
Right Defense, Dallas Stars
Age: 31
Stats: 80 GP, 1 G, 13 A, 14 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $3.25 million AAV
Scoop: One of the blunders of GM Jim Nill’s build last summer was handing out term and dollars to Lyubushkin and Matt Dumba to band-aid the right side of their defense. They were forced to support that unit with the addition of Cody Ceci at the Deadline, but it wasn’t enough. Now, the Stars are in cap hell and they’re trying to unload both Dumba and Lyubushkin, but a buyout may be the best option for Dumba. What can they get for Lyubushkin? And who can they replace him with on the back end?

24. Elvis Merzlikins
Goaltender, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 31
Stats: 53 GP, 3.18 GAA, .892 SV%, 1 SO
Contract: 2 years remaining, $5.4 million AAV
Scoop: Are the Blue Jackets going to shake up their crease? When you look at Columbus’ season, they were felled not by their offense (eighth in goals) but by their inability to keep pucks out of the net. They ranked 25th in goals against – giving up exactly as many as they scored. Part of that is on what happened in front of Merzlikins. Part of that is on Merzlikins. He holds a 10-team, no-trade list.

25. Noah Dobson
Right Defense, New York Islanders
Age: 25
Stats: 71 GP, 10 G, 29 A, 39 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA
Scoop: Thrown right into the fire, first-time GM Mathieu Darche has a huge decision to make on Dobson. He’s got a No. 1 overall pick coming into the fold likely in defenseman Matthew Schaefer. In the meantime, does Darche buck up to pay 70-point defenseman Dobson? He’s a 23-minute per night blueliner with obvious offensive upside who fits their age scheme, but he lacks some consistency and has immense trade value. We mentioned his initial ask was $11 million per season, which will obviously come in quite lower on the next new deal … but will it be on the Island?

26. Lukas Reichel
Forward, Chicago Blackhawks
Age: 23
Stats: 70 GP, 8 G, 14 A, 22 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $1.2 million AAV
Scoop: Speed to burn. Lot to learn. Consistency desired. There are moments when you watch Reichel play that you can’t believe he hasn’t strung it all together on a night-to-night basis in the NHL. He’s got some fantastic traits and could be an ideal contributor. And then there are moments where you aren’t sure if he was actually in the lineup or not. He won’t be expensive but he’s still relatively young. Some team has to be able to pull it out of him.

27. Pavel Zacha / Morgan Geekie
Center/Left Wing, Boston Bruins
Age: 28
Stats: 81 GP, 14 G, 33 A, 47 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $4.75 million AAV
Scoop: On the whole, Zacha has done just about everything the Bruins could’ve hoped since they acquired him from New Jersey for Erik Haula. He’s nipped at 60 points twice. He’s played admirably at center when called upon. He has an appealing value relative to the cap. Geekie had a true breakout season with 33 goals, nearly doubling his previous career high. And he’ll need to be paid. Boston is in an interesting summer of transition.

28. David Kampf
Center, Toronto Maple Leafs
Age: 30
Stats: 59 GP, 5 G, 8 A, 13 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $2.4 million AAV
Scoop: With a late-season injury, Kampf really faded into the background, with coach Craig Berube opting to keep him out of the lineup for most of the Stanley Cup playoffs as a healthy scratch. Now, Kampf has two years left at a number that isn’t problematic but probably still less than ideal for the Leafs. He is a quality utility player who competes, so they should be able to find a taker.

29. Damon Severson
Right Defense, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 30
Stats: 70 GP, 6 G, 19 A, 25 Pts
Contract: 6 years remaining, $6.25 million AAV
Scoop: This one was a bit of a surprise, admittedly, for a guy with six years left on his deal. He also has a full ‘no-trade’ clause and can veto any deal. But Severson’s name has popped up in recent discussions. In the grand scheme with the salary cap rising, his AAV is definitely reasonable and will continue to look better and better over the next few seasons. It’s the term that might make teams wince. Nonetheless, the big question is… if Severson is in play, what are the Blue Jackets up to?

30. Thatcher Demko
Goaltender, Vancouver Canucks
Age: 29
Stats: 23 GP, 2.90 GAA, .889 SV%, 1 SO
Contract: 1 year remaining, $5 million AAV
Scoop: The Canucks have an interesting dilemma on their hands. They have a talented goaltender who is one of the faces of their franchise dealing with a significant injury. He battled through it and put up respectable numbers, and looked great on some nights. But the Canucks also re-signed Kevin Lankinen to a five-year extension. And Demko’s deal is up after one more. Will they try to move him? Or do they like the tandem? Demko seemed awfully loyal to coach Rick Tocchet. Wondering if a reunion in Philadelphia is possible.

31. Nick Leddy
Left Defense, St. Louis Blues
Age: 34
Stats: 31 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $4 million AAV
Scoop: Blues GM Doug Armstrong hasn’t bought out a player during his tenure, so that means he’s likely looking to move Leddy on this summer. Leddy’s game fell off significantly last year, down almost four minutes per night in average ice time year-over-year and was limited to only 31 games. For the right team – one with oodles of cap space that can’t possibly be spent – Leddy might make sense to help nurture young defensemen around him in the final year of his deal.

32. Martin Necas
Right Wing, Colorado Avalanche
Age: 26
Stats: 79 GP, 27 G, 56 A, 83 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $6.5 million AAV
Scoop: And just like that, the Avalanche are back in the same spot now with the player they acquired for Mikko Rantanen that they were with Rantanen one year ago. Quality player. Needs new contract. Going to be expensive. What do we pay him? Here’s the thing: there’s a thought around the league that Necas might not sign for a $9 million AAV right now, hoping to potentially duplicate a season north of a point-per-game. Now what? And if Necas wouldn’t sign for $9m, wouldn’t they just have been better off keeping Rantanen at $12 or $12.5m?

33. Rights to Mitch Marner
Right Wing, Toronto Maple Leafs
Age: 28
Stats: 81 GP, 27 G, 75 A, 102 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA
Scoop: Neither side appears to be very willing to assist the other at this exact moment in time, a frosty relationship between team and player filled with finger pointing. But it might be mutually beneficial to come together over the next few weeks. Marner could jump the market with a preferred destination and work a sign-and-trade that gets him an eighth year on a deal, if interested. The Leafs could help orchestrate and recoup an asset, potentially as much as a second-round pick. Neither part is a game-changer, but could be helpful.

34. Jason Robertson
Left Wing, Dallas Stars
Age: 25
Stats: 82 GP, 35 G, 45 A, 80 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $7.75 million AAV
Scoop: The Stars have some franchise-altering decisions to make this summer. Is Robertson one of the foundational pillars? Or is he a player they can live without? His season was down then up. The first half cost him a roster spot on Team USA at the 4 Nations. The second half he was one of the best players in the league, finishing with 28 goals and 57 points in 48 games. And then, on a team with limited cap space and a roster to fill out, what will that next contract cost? And are the Stars willing to meet it? Players like Robertson don’t come around often.

35. Elias Pettersson
Center, Vancouver Canucks
Age: 26
Stats: 64 GP, 15 G, 30 A, 45 Pts
Contract: 7 years remaining, $11.6 million AAV
Scoop: This is a massive summer for Pettersson, whether he’s skating with the Canucks in October or elsewhere. He says an injury prevented a normal offseason of training last summer; the Canucks have been very clear about their disappointment on how he arrived to camp. So, ahead of a full no-trade clause kicking in on July 1, will Vancouver check his market value this summer? Will they seek to cut ties? Or will they roll the dice and hope his game rebounds to where it was two seasons ago?

So far, 34 players have been traded off the Trade Targets board this season:

Traded: No. 1 Mikko Rantanen; No. 1 J.T. Miller; No. 1 David Jiricek; No. 2 Chris Kreider; No. 2 Brock Nelson; No. 2 Scott Laughton; No. 3 Brandon Tanev; No. 4 Taylor Hall; No. 5. Brad Marchand; No. 5 Seth Jones; No. 5 Marcus Pettersson; No. 5 Reilly Smith; No. 6 Carson Soucy; No. 6 Jacob Trouba; No. 7 Casey Mittelstadt; No. 8 Joel Farabee; No. 12 Luke Schenn; No. 14 Trent Frederic; No. 14 Gustav Nyquist; No. 15 Cam Fowler; No. 18 Yanni Gourde; No. 18 Alexandre Carrier; No. 19 Erik Haula; No. 20 Oliver Bjorkstrand; No. 20 Brandon Carlo; No. 22 Cody Ceci; No. 23 Ryan Lindgren; No. 24 Morgan Frost; No. 24 Brian Dumoulin; No. 27 Dylan Cozens; No. 28 Andrei Kuzmenko; No. 32 Justin Brazeau; No. 34 Petr Mrazek; No. 38 Andrei Kuzmenko.

Re-Signed: No. 4 Jake Evans; No. 5 Frank Vatrano.

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POST SPONSORED BY bet365

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Trade Targets 🎯

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