Buckle up. Exactly four weeks remain until the NHL Draft – and there will be a flurry of offseason activity from now until the Montreal Canadiens pick at No. 1 in a buzzing Bell Centre.

Daily Faceoff is back with our first Trade Targets board of the offseason. On Deadline Day, all of the top seven players on our board were moved, and in all, 27 players who appeared on our list were traded during the deadline period – making it one of the most accurate predictors of the action that’s ahead.

Heading into this offseason, the No. 2 overall pick is in play, along with a 41-goal scorer, a heartbeat center, an All-Star goaltender and maybe even one of the league’s most consistent scorers.

Here is our first Trade Targets list of the summer with 28 names in play:

Daily Faceoff’s Trade Targets 🎯

1. Alex DeBrincat
Left Wing, Chicago Blackhawks
Age: 24
Stats: 82 GP, 41 G, 37 A, 78 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $6.4 million AAV
Scoop: The question seems to be ‘when’ and not ‘if’ the Hawks will move the two-time 40-goal scorer. Is it this summer, or before next season’s trade deadline? If it seems odd that the rebuilding Blackhawks would want to move a sniper just hitting his prime with more goals than Nathan MacKinnon and Brad Marchand over the last four seasons, consider these three points: 1) DeBrincat is Chicago’s best trade chip to begin stockpiling future assets; 2) By the time Chicago gets to where it wants, he will be middle-aged by NHL standards; 3) With a $9 million qualifying offer due at the end of next season, they’d need to pay big to keep him on what should be a struggling squad.

2. Kevin Fiala
Left Wing, Minnesota Wild
Age: 25
Stats: 82 GP, 33 G, 52 A, 85 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, $5.1 million qualifying offer, Arbitration eligible
Scoop: There is no doubt, no question that the Wild would like to find a way to keep Fiala, who was such a big part of their offense last season. But with $12.7 million coming in dead cap space next season due to the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts, Fiala may simply be a luxury Minnesota cannot afford on an AAV somewhere between $7 and $8 million. The hope has to be a full season of Matt Boldy will fill the void, along with whatever useful and (comparatively) inexpensive pieces GM Bill Guerin can get in return for Fiala. It’s easy to envision Fiala playing alongside fellow Swiss countryman Nico Hischier in New Jersey.

3. Jakob Chychrun
Left Defense, Arizona Coyotes
Age: 24
Stats: 47 GP, 7 G, 14 A, 21 Pts
Contract: 3 more seasons, $4.6 million AAV
Scoop: As his name swirled in rumors last season, Chychrun said he learned one lesson: “Stay off the phone.” Chychrun also hinted in his end-of-season media availability that he isn’t up for more scorched earth rebuild in the Valley of the Sun. “That stuff is important to me. I want to be in a position where I’m getting ready to play [in the playoffs], not packing up and leaving the boys.” Will the Coyotes get their return? The four-piece package Arizona asked for was met with polarizing views from other GMs.

4. J.T. Miller
Center, Vancouver Canucks
Age: 29
Stats: 80 GP, 32 G, 67 A, 99 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $5.25 million AAV
Scoop: This summer is where the rubber meets the road for Miller in Vancouver. Miller is eligible to sign an extension as of July 1 and it’s going to be expensive. Miller has racked up 217 points in 202 games with the Canucks. Are the Canucks willing to pay on a long-term deal? Miller turns 31 at the end of the first season of a new deal. Does Miller, an Ohio native, want to stay in Vancouver? And are the Canucks willing to enter the season with Miller if no extension materializes? Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said recently on the DFO Rundown that the team will “know by the Draft” which way this is heading.

5. No. 2 overall pick
New Jersey Devils
Scoop: You’d have to go back more than two decades, to 2001, to find the last time a team traded out of a top three pick after landing there in the Draft Lottery. It was a whopper. The Islanders dealt the rights to the No. 2 pick (Jason Spezza) to Ottawa with Zdeno Chara and Bill Muckalt in exchange for Alexei Yashin. Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald says New Jersey is open to it this year: “I’m open to whatever can help our team improve.” If they decide to keep the pick, they’ll have their choice of one of Shane Wright, Juraj Slafkovsky, Logan Cooley or really talented defensemen David Jiricek and Simon Nemec. Good place to be.

6. Tony DeAngelo
Right Defense, Carolina Hurricanes
Age: 26
Stats: 64 GP, 10 G, 41 A, 51 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, Arbitration Eligible
Scoop: DeAngelo was in the conversation for the NHL’s Comeback Player of the Year as he revived his career in Carolina. He played at a 65-point pace in the regular season (over 82 games) and chipped in another 10 points from the backe nd in the playoffs. His one-year, $1 million contract was mutually beneficial – a bargain for the ‘Canes, and a lifeline for DeAngelo after being exiled from the Rangers. Now, Carolina likely won’t be able to afford to keep him, a player who the team says was “extremely well-liked” in their locker room.

7. John Gibson
Goaltender, Anaheim Ducks
Age: 28
Stats: 56 GP, 18-26-11, 3.19 GAA, .904 Sv%
Contract: 5 more seasons, $6.4 million AAV
Scoop: Quietly, Gibson’s name circulated among GMs in the days leading up to the March 21 trade deadline, floated by new Ducks manager Pat Verbeek as a lifeline to any teams in need of a netminder. That contract may be prohibitive in term, for a goaltender who has been below league average in save percentage for each of the last three seasons. Prior to that, Gibson was one of the most consistent and talented goalies in the league. His body language in Anaheim indicates frustration, so perhaps a change of scenery will energize him.

8. Tyson Barrie
Right Defense, Edmonton Oilers
Age: 30
Stats: 73 GP, 7 G, 34 A, 41 Pts
Contract: 2 more seasons, $4.5 million AAV
Scoop: The Oilers aren’t down on Barrie, so much as they’ll need to create salary cap flexibility if they’re going to take a run at re-signing Evander Kane. Sliding Barrie, an elite power play facilitator, elsewhere would be one way to try to achieve that. The ready-made defense solution would be if 2019 No. 8 overall pick Philip Broberg is ready to take the next step, to pick up the slack for Barrie on the right side with Cody Ceci and Evan Bouchard next season.

9. Pavel Zacha
Center, New Jersey Devils
Age: 25
Stats: 70 GP, 15 G, 21 A, 36 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, Arbitration Eligible
Scoop: It’s never a problem to be well-built down the middle, but it feels like the Devils have run out of room for Zacha in New Jersey with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier ahead of him at center. Zacha hit a new career-high in points (36) last season while playing the most minutes (1,179) of his career. There’d be no harm if the Devils were to keep Zacha, but the sense is that they’d be able to better parlay a return for him into more help elsewhere in the lineup.

10. Philippe Myers
Right Defense, Nashville Predators
Age: 25
Stats: 27 GP, 1 G, 3 A, 4 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $2.55 million AAV
Scoop: Why Myers, a player who has already passed through waivers? Myers represents a unique and quirky opportunity for a cap-strapped team that can trade for him and actually create salary cap space with a buyout. Because Myers is 25 and his deal is backloaded, his buyout would result in a $616,666 credit on next season’s cap, followed by a $633,334 charge the following season. This has happened before (see: Jared Cowen in 2016) and the Toronto Maple Leafs pounced on the deal.

11. Jeff Petry
Right Defense, Montreal Canadiens
Age: 34
Stats: 68 GP, 6 G, 21 A, 27 Pts
Contract: 3 more seasons, $6.25 million AAV
Scoop: Last season was a write-off for both Petry and the Montreal Canadiens. Both the player and team struggled, and the Habs acknowledged they would try to facilitate a trade to help Petry, whose family was back living in the U.S. That’s tough for any player. At the same time, the Canadiens know Petry didn’t suddenly forget how to play hockey, the pandemic restrictions have lifted now, and they aren’t willing to pay assets to move a player that is surely better than last season indicated. He’d be a solid backup plan in Pittsburgh if the Penguins aren’t able to re-sign Kris Letang.

12. John Marino
Right Defense, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 25
Stats: 81 GP, 1 G, 24 A, 25 Pts
Contract: 5 more seasons, $4.4 million AAV
Scoop: The Penguins received a few calls on Marino ahead of last season’s deadline but remained focused and committed on their playoff push. The truth is Marino is not Pittsburgh’s preferred choice to move on their back end. That would be Marcus Pettersson. But no team seems willing to take on Pettersson’s three more years at just over $4 million, while there are teams interested in Marino, and the Penguins have a real need to move money if they’re going to run it back with Letang, Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust next season.

13. Semyon Varlamov
Goaltender, New York Islanders
Age: 34
Stats: 31 GP, 10-17-2, 2.88 GAA, .912 Sv%
Contract: 1 more season, $5 million AAV
Scoop: Ilya Sorokin is the guy on the Island. There’s no question about that. Yes, you need two goaltenders to share the workload now more than ever, but Lou Lamoriello may be able to lean on Sorokin and use Varlamov’s $5 million to help rebuild a defense corps that is in desperate need of help. The Islanders had two 40-year-olds make up one-third of their blueline last year. There’d be lots of interest in Varlamov, who had a strong season and will have just one year’s worth of string attached.

14. Evgenii Dadonov
Left Wing, Vegas Golden Knights
Age: 33
Stats: 78 GP, 20 G, 23 A, 43 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $5 million AAV
Scoop: Not sure that Dadonov got enough credit for being able to properly park an awkward situation when his trade from Vegas to Anaheim was voided. He came back to finish the season with 16 points in 16 games. It was incredibly impressive for a guy who did nothing wrong. That said, the Golden Knights are over the salary cap already this summer, and well, they’ve already made it clear which player they were willing to pluck from their roster. Sense is the Golden Knights will actually check his 10-team, no-trade list this time. And hey, they might not have to give up a second-round pick to move him now.

15. One of Jesse Puljujarvi or Kailer Yamamoto
Forwards, Edmonton Oilers
Ages: 24, 23
Stats: 65 GP, 14 G, 22 A, 36 Pts / 81 GP, 20 G, 21 A, 41 Pts
Contract: Both Pending RFAs, both Arbitration Eligible
Scoop: It’s a safe bet that one of these two players will not be returning to the Oilers next season. Both are fan favorites. But both require new deals, likely both raises, and GM Ken Holland acknowledged that Edmonton will have to watch every dollar. “Am I willing to trade some assets in a deal that will make us better? Yes I am,” Holland said Wednesday. Edmonton’s preference would likely be to keep Yamamoto, but he would bring the bigger return.

16. Patric Hornqvist
Right Wing, Florida Panthers
Age: 35
Stats: 65 GP, 11 G, 17 A, 28 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $5.3 million
Scoop: The Cats are facing a cap crunch. They have $6.5 million in dead cap money hitting the books next season and Hornqvist is a player they can no longer afford. He is Florida’s fourth highest-paid forward under contract for next season but ninth in ice time. GM Bill Zito has been able to wiggle out of tough contracts – Anton Stralman, Brett Connolly – so expect no different this time around with the two-time Stanley Cup champion Hornqvist.

17. Carson Soucy
Left Defense, Seattle Kraken
Age: 27
Stats: 64 GP, 10 G, 11 A, 21 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $2.75 million AAV
Scoop: I don’t believe there is any push for the Kraken to move Soucy, but there is no shortage of interest in a player like him. At 6-foot-5, Soucy is a redwood tree on the back end, and he chipped in 10 goals last season to set a new career high in Seattle. If the Kraken are not going to be competitive next year – and won’t be re-signing him – then it makes sense to explore those trade conversations now.

18. Tanner Pearson, Jason Dickinson
Forwards, Vancouver Canucks
Ages: 29, 26
Stats: 68 GP, 14 G, 20 A, 34 Pts / 62 GP, 5 G, 6 A, 11 Pts
Contracts: 2 more seasons, $3.2 million AAV / 2 more seasons, $2.65 million AAV
Scoop: Rutherford said recently on the DFO Rundown that the amount of money the Canucks can move off their books will determine how big of a player they are on the trade and free agent market this summer. We know from Pittsburgh that Pearson is not Rutherford’s type of winger. He’s already traded him once. Dickinson is vastly overpaid for his production, but it will cost assets to move him. The Canucks will be working to try and find suitors for both.

19. Filip Zadina
Right Wing, Detroit Red Wings
Age: 22
Stats: 75 GP, 10 G, 14 A, 24 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, not eligible for arbitration
Scoop: There was no shortage of excitement around Zadina when the Red Wings selected him at No. 6 overall in 2018. GM Steve Yzerman doesn’t tip his hand, but the sense league-wide is a change of scenery is in order for Zadina. He is a gifted shooter, but the knock on him is that he’s become more of a perimeter player – and only a select few players (Alex Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos) can consistently score in today’s NHL from the outside. The big question is whether Yzerman pulls back to see how Zadina might respond under a new coach.

20. Contracts of Oscar Klefbom (EDM) and Shea Weber (MTL)
Klefbom: 1 season remaining, $4.17 million AAV
Weber: 4 seasons remaining, $7.86 million AAV
Scoop: We know there are no current plans for these players to resume their careers. But if at all possible, teams don’t like operating in LTIR, because they do not accrue salary cap space throughout the season. It’s not always easy to move these contracts, but they may help a team artificially reach the salary cap floor, or stockpile an additional asset or two. Montreal and Edmonton will both try – but the Canadiens might also have Carey Price on LTIR, which would make the point moot.

22. Justin Holl
Right Defense, Toronto Maple Leafs
Age: 30
Stats: 69 GP, 3 G, 20 A, 23 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $2 million AAV
Scoop: Holl has been passed on the Leafs’ depth chart by Timothy Liljegren, making him eminently available. His contract is not unreasonable for a third-pair defenseman who can chip in 20 points consistently, but it’s also fair to say Toronto probably should have moved him when there was more interest and his value was higher.

23. Ethan Bear
Right Defense, Carolina Hurricanes
Age: 24
Stats: 58 GP, 5 G, 9 A, 14 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, Arbitration Eligible
Scoop: After a solid start, Bear fell out of favor in Carolina. He was a healthy scratch for all 14 Hurricanes playoff games. There are questions lingering about Bear’s fitness and maturity, and this is unquestionably a massive summer for his career and future. Someone will take a shot to see if they can unlock a clearly talented player.

24. Josh Anderson
Right Wing, Montreal Canadiens
Age: 28
Stats: 69 GP, 19 G, 13 A, 32 Pts
Contract: 5 more seasons, $5.5 million AAV
Scoop: GM Kent Hughes’ phone has rang consistently with teams inquiring about Anderson, whose skillset makes him a rare breed in today’s NHL. Anderson has skill, he can move, he’s big and has brawn. Oh, yeah, and he’s locked up for five more seasons at a very reasonable number for a guy who has knocked on the 30-goal door. To date, the Habs have resisted the urge and likely some tempting offers, but you have to at least allow for the possibility that they get a ‘Godfather’ offer they cannot refuse.

25. Mark Scheifele
Center, Winnipeg Jets
Age: 29
Stats: 67 GP, 29 G, 41 A, 70 Pts
Contract: 2 more seasons, $6.13 million AAV
Scoop: When asked whether he expected Scheifele back next season, Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said last week: “Yeah, I do.” He wasn’t going to say: “No, I’m trading him.” I don’t believe trading No. 55 is high atop the Jets’ priority list, Cheveldayoff waited a long time to get a one-two punch down the middle like Schefiele and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Plus, it will be difficult – if not impossible – to get equal value in return. Scheifele has not asked for a trade, to our knowledge, but he may have a say in what comes next.

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Daily Faceoff’s Trade Targets 🎯

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