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Greg Wyshynski
The first NHL trade tier rankings of the season are sadly lacking in Sidney Crosby content.
Many around the league were prepared for Crosby trade talk to become its own cottage industry in 2025-26, as the Pittsburgh Penguins star center sought a return to the Stanley Cup playoffs on another team. Alas, the Penguins might end up being Crosby’s playoff team, having amassed a .625 points percentage through 28 games and holding down a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. If they’re playing meaningful games this season, Crosby isn’t going anywhere — if he ever was in the first place.
Fear not! There are plenty of other fascinating names who could be traded this season, including one franchise defenseman in Vancouver who might be headed for a family reunion across the continent — or perhaps another destination.
The NHL trade deadline is March 6, 2026. Here’s a way-too-early look at some of the players who might be moved before that date, from the shocking possibilities to the pending free agents to the overlooked gems who could be the difference in winning the Stanley Cup.
This list was compiled through conversations with league executives and other sources, as well as media reports. ESPN insiders including Emily Kaplan added their input in its creation. Salary figures are from PuckPedia.
Let’s start with the player whose potential availability has helped define this NHL season.
Jump ahead: Shocking possibilities
Elite pending FAs
Elite players with term
25-and-under tier
Goaltenders
Glue guys up front
Glue guys on D
Bargain beauty contracts
Quinn Hughes tier
Quinn Hughes, D, Vancouver Canucks
The Quinn Hughes rumor mill is spinning like a centrifuge, mostly because the Canucks are a major disappointment and have signaled that they’re looking to reshape their roster. But that’s just the match that lit the powder keg.
Speculation that Hughes will be traded before his contract ($7.85 million average annual value) is up in summer 2027 has increased since team president Jim Rutherford said the defenseman “wants to play with his brothers,” Jack and Luke of the New Jersey Devils.
Quinn Hughes didn’t help quiet matters when he referred to Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald as “Fitzy” in a recent interview. Granted, Fitzgerald is part of the management team for Team USA, on which Quinn Hughes will play in the 2026 Winter Olympics. It’s also what his brothers call their boss. But that colloquialism didn’t help the mood of Canucks fans preparing for the inevitable.
Hughes, 26, is one of the two best defensemen in the NHL along with Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche. Since 2022, he’s first in assists (224 in 253 games) and second in points (266) behind Makar (284) among NHL defensemen. Vancouver can’t afford to botch this.
The Quinn Hughes situation will likely play out in one of four ways:
1. He declares his everlasting love for the Canucks and fealty to the Aquilini family by signing a contract extension to see this thing through in Vancouver. This is the unlikeliest scenario.
2. Rutherford’s declaration proves prophetic as the Canucks trade Hughes to New Jersey for a package that includes 21-year-old defenseman Simon Nemec. Quinn Hughes signs an extension that keeps him with the Devils through the 2031-32 season, when Luke Hughes can become an unrestricted free agent.
I think the Canucks’ actual target on the Devils is 26-year-old captain Nico Hischier, but it’s hard to imagine New Jersey gutting its depth like that considering how much time No. 1 center Jack Hughes has missed on an annual basis. If the Devils were to trade Hischier, they’d spend the rest of Quinn Hughes’ time in New Jersey looking for a player like Nico Hischier. If that’s the only way the Canucks will send them Quinn Hughes, why not just wait it out until he can join a Nico Hischier team? Speaking of which …
3. Quinn Hughes plays out the next two seasons in Vancouver as a lame-duck captain before leaving as an unrestricted free agent in summer 2027, most likely to New Jersey. It’s hard to imagine Vancouver would take this option rather than trading him.
4. The Canucks acknowledge the Quinn Hughes era in Vancouver is essentially done, maximize their trade return with contract terms left on his deal, and send him somewhere that gets Vancouver more positionally specific help than New Jersey can ante up.
The word out of Vancouver is that GM Patrik Allvin is seeking young players up front who can help the team immediately, with an emphasis on the center spot. How many teams would offer that up for two playoff runs with Quinn Hughes, plus the possibility of convincing him to stay long term? Or failing that, have him for the rest of this season and before trading him to the Devils themselves?
In this scenario, the Detroit Red Wings are the team that has immediately leaped to many minds. They have 21-year-old Marco Kasper, selected eighth in the 2022 draft. He’s struggling to find his game in the NHL but has a world of potential and over 100 games of experience. They also have 21-year-old Nate Danielson, selected ninth in 2023 and playing his rookie season for Detroit. The Red Wings also have players like 22-year-old defenseman Simon Edvinsson they could offer to Vancouver.
Detroit also has the potential to keep Quinn Hughes beyond 2027. Captain Dylan Larkin is a friend. The Hughes family put roots down in Michigan around seven years ago. The idea that Quinn could sign with Detroit and Jack could join him as a free agent in 2030 has wormed its way into the collective hockey consciousness online.
The Philadelphia Flyers have a personal connection to Quinn Hughes with beloved former coach Rick Tocchet behind their bench. The New York Rangers have desperate needs on their blue line, and some good young forwards who might attract the Canucks. Could the Anaheim Ducks package some of their young standouts for Quinn Hughes, assuming the Canucks would ever trade him within their division? Can we ever really count out teams such as the Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars in a situation like this, given how aggressive they’ve both been in pursuit of a Stanley Cup?
One team getting a ton of buzz this week is Washington. Rachel Kryshak, who writes about prospects for ESPN, speculated that the Capitals could add Quinn Hughes to “go for it” with Alex Ovechkin before rebuilding in the post-Ovi years. She believes center Connor McMichael or winger Ryan Leonard could entice Vancouver to make that deal.
Around the NHL, the consensus remains that Quinn Hughes will end up playing with Jack and Luke. It’s the “when and where?” that is the perplexing part.
Shocking possibilities tier
Jordan Kyrou, RW, St. Louis Blues
Artemi Panarin, LW, New York Rangers
Elias Pettersson, C, Vancouver Canucks
Morgan Rielly, D, Toronto Maple Leafs
Pettersson being traded would be shocking only because (A) it seemed like trading J.T. Miller meant keeping him around and (B) his contract AAV ($11.6 million through 2031-32) and protection (full no-movement clause) allowed a trade to happen. Otherwise, anyone can go in Vancouver.
Kyrou would be shocking only because the window seems closed on when the Blues could deal the 27-year-old winger. His no-trade clause started this season, and he remains in St. Louis despite some reports about his availability heading into last season’s draft. He has 16 points in 28 games but is currently week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Kyrou is signed for $8.125 million annually through 2030-31.
Panarin is an unrestricted free agent after this season with an $11,642,857 AAV. He’s the Rangers’ leading scorer after 31 games, with a 1.03 points-per-game average, helping New York to the playoff bubble in the crowded East. The intrigue here is whether Panarin and GM Chris Drury can find common ground on a contract. Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos thinks the Rangers want “an Anze Kopitar type of contract” with Panarin. “Kopitar made $10 million against the cap on his previous deal with the Kings, but signed a two-year extension with a $7 million AAV that will take him to the end of his career after this season ends,” Kypreos wrote.
Rielly is one of several Maple Leafs with trade protection, in his case a full no-movement clause. He is signed through 2029-30 at a $7.5 million AAV. Rielly has been terrific this season for Toronto, with 22 points in 28 games, skating 22 minutes per game. But the perception remains that he’s a better fit as a strong No. 2 on a good team. Since he’s 31 years old, could the Leafs decide to reshape their blue line by persuading the 13-year veteran and former member of the “Core Four” to move on?
Elite pending free agent tier
Rasmus Andersson, D, Calgary Flames
Mario Ferraro, D, San Jose Sharks
Jordan Eberle, RW, Seattle Kraken
Boone Jenner, C, Columbus Blue Jackets
Evander Kane, LW, Vancouver Canucks
Mason Marchment, F, Seattle Kraken
Nick Schmaltz, C Utah Mammoth
Jaden Schwartz, F, Seattle Kraken
Alex Tuch, RW, Buffalo Sabres
Andersson’s name has been on trade boards for two seasons running. He addressed that before the season, shooting down a rumor that he’d only accept a trade to the Vegas Golden Knights. Andersson is seeking a big number on his next contract after making $4.55 million annually against the salary cap on this one. He has a six-team no-trade list. The Dallas Stars have been heavily mentioned as a suitor, with a need for this kind of defenseman on their right side.
Ferraro is the only other defenseman in this tier. There was talk last season that he’d be open to a change in scenery, but that was before the Sharks started turning the corner a bit thanks to Macklin Celebrini. He plays 20:56 per game and makes just $3.25 million against the cap. If he’s not in the plans, he could bring something palpable back for GM Mike Grier.
The Canucks alerted the rest of the NHL recently that they’re willing to trade any of their pending free agents. Kane ($5.125 million, 16-team no-trade list) has only five goals in 29 games.
Jenner is an interesting name on the trade board. He’s 32 years old and has played 13 seasons with the Blue Jackets, the team he captains. While he has had some trouble staying in the lineup for the Jackets, he’s a leader, a “glue guy” and someone who can pop for 25 goals in a season. And it’s a sweetheart of a cap hit: Jenner has a $3.75 million AAV and an eight-team no-trade list.
Speaking of intangibles, that’s been Tuch’s calling card for years as an energetic forechecker winger who can also score 36 goals, as he did last season. Tuch has been with the Sabres, his favorite team growing up, for five seasons. If they aren’t in contention and can’t agree on an extension of his deal ($4.75 million), more than a few contenders will pony up to acquire him.
Contender status — and some trade protection — could determine the availability of Seattle’s slew of UFAs like Eberle ($4.75 million, no-trade clause), Schwartz ($5.5 million, limited no-trade clause) and Marchment ($4.5 million, limited no-trade clause).
Ditto Schmaltz with the Mammoth, who are going to be without leading goal scorer Logan Cooley for a while. He has been one of their leading scorers, with 36 points in 31 games. He makes $5.85 million against the cap. But Dave Pagnotta of Daily Faceoff noted that Schmaltz and the Mammoth discussed in the summer possible trade destinations where he’d be willing to sign an extension.
Elite players with term tier
Phillip Danault, C, Los Angeles Kings
Justin Faulk, D, St. Louis Blues
Conor Garland, RW, Vancouver Canucks
Nazem Kadri, C, Calgary Flames
Jonathan Marchessault, C, Nashville Predators
Tyler Myers, D, Vancouver Canucks
Ryan O’Reilly, C, Nashville Predators
Brayden Schenn, C, St. Louis Blues
Steven Stamkos, C, Nashville Predators
Owen Tippett, RW, Philadelphia Flyers
Pavel Zacha, C, Boston Bruins
It seems like everyone in the NHL is looking for help at center. Well, do we have a tier for them …
The biggest name here is Stamkos, the 35-year-old whose star has dimmed since arriving in Nashville. He has eight goals in 29 games, to go along with just three assists. Teams have called GM Barry Trotz about Stamkos’ availability, but as of recently there hadn’t been any concrete offers put in front of Stamkos, who has a full no-movement clause. Complicating things is his contract: $8 million annually through 2027-28. The Predators would have to pick up a portion of that to maximize their return, given Stamkos’ age and output.
Marchessault signed with Nashville in the same summer spree that landed Stamkos. He also has a full no-movement clause and makes $5.5 million against the cap. He has only nine points in 24 games for the Predators, but it’s hard to forget what the 34-year-old did during his Golden Knights days, including a Conn Smythe Trophy win as playoff MVP during their Stanley Cup championship in 2023.
But the Conn Smythe winner most likely to leave Nashville is O’Reilly. He has a friendly cap hit ($4.5 million annually) on a contract with two years left on it. Though he doesn’t have trade projection, Trotz will work with him on some preferred destinations. He has 22 points in 29 games and remains an ace on faceoffs (57.7%).
Danault wins 53.1% of his faceoffs and has hit 50 points in the past. His ice time has dropped for two straight seasons under coach Jim Hiller. NHL sources have indicated that there have been discussions about a parting of ways for the Kings and Danault, who has two years left at $5.5 million AAV and limited trade protection.
The availability of the other three centers here is dictated by their team’s on-ice results. Zacha, who has a $4.7 million AAV and two years left on his deal, was prominently mentioned as another trade possibility for GM Don Sweeney during the offseason, but is that still the case with the Bruins thriving under new coach Marco Sturm? Zacha has 22 points in 30 games.
Schenn has a 15-team no-trade clause, making $6.5 million against the cap until 2027-28. He has been in St. Louis for nine seasons. Defenseman Faulk has been there for seven seasons. He has two years left at $6.5 million AAV (with some trade protection), but his front-loaded contract means he’s making only $4.5 million in actual dollars this season and next.
The Blues could get a hefty return for Schenn. So could the Flames with Kadri, who is coveted around the league as a quintessential No. 2 or No. 3 center on a contending team. The 35-year-old makes $7 million against the cap annually through 2028-29 and has a 13-team no-trade list. The Flames have climbed back to contention in the West after a rough start, with Kadri scoring 26 points in 31 games. The real issue here: The Calgary hierarchy really likes having Kadri on this team. If he does move, it’s going to be for something substantial.
Depending on how deep the roster reconfigure goes in Vancouver, Garland and Myers could be part of it. Garland hasn’t even started his six-year, $36 million extension he signed in July. He has 15 points in 24 games for Vancouver. Myers is signed through next season with a minuscule $3 million annual cap hit but has a no-movement clause that he’s reportedly not keen on waiving. One wonders if that would include a potential trade to the Flyers and a reunion with former Canucks coach Rick Tocchet.
Speaking of the Flyers: Is Tippett’s name being out there just noise or something more palpable? His trade protection kicks in during the 2026-27 season. He makes $6.2 million annually against the cap through 2031-32. He has had three straight 20-plus goal seasons and had 19 points in the Flyers’ first 28 games.
The 25-and-under tier
Bowen Byram, D, Buffalo Sabres
Yegor Chinakhov, F, Columbus Blue Jackets
Brad Lambert, C, Winnipeg Jets
Pavel Mintyukov, D, Anaheim Ducks
Brennan Othmann, LW, New York Rangers
Nicholas Robertson, F, Toronto Maple Leafs
This is a tier of discontent.
Chinakhov requested a trade during the offseason but hasn’t done much to inspire potential suitors. He had four points in his first 24 games this season, with his ice time dropping to a minuscule 10:04 on average. He has had an injury-plagued career. Chinakhov makes $2.1 million against the salary cap and is a restricted free agent next summer.
Lambert has been disgruntled with his progress within the Jets organization for over a year now, having played just 10 games in the NHL after being selected 30th overall in 2022. The 21-year-old is signed through next season on a deal that carries an NHL cap hit of $1,136,667.
Mintyukov, 22, has expressed a desire to be moved by the Ducks if they’re not going to play him, but they could move him just to loosen up their logjam on defense, both at the NHL level and with what’s coming through their prospect pipeline. “Anaheim’s going to deal from a position of strength there,” one NHL executive said.
The Rangers have been looking for takers on Othmann, the 22-year-old 16th overall pick in 2021. The winger has been stuck in the AHL for three seasons, unable to earn a spot in the NHL either during training camp or in the season.
Robertson requested a trade in 2024 before re-signing with the Maple Leafs as a restricted free agent. Every time he’s scratched or takes criticism from his coach — Craig Berube recently said his play had “dropped off” — the 24-year-old is back in the rumor mill thanks to his $1.825 million cap hit.
Byram, meanwhile, signed a two-year deal with the Sabres in July ($6.25 million AAV) but that didn’t quiet speculation he could be traded. The bumpy start to his season, with 13 points in 30 games and a minus-11, might not have suitors lining up.
The goalie tier
Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
Laurent Brossoit, Chicago Blackhawks
Nico Daws, New Jersey Devils
Michael DiPietro, Boston Bruins
Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins
Elvis Merzlikins, Columbus Blue Jackets
Calvin Pickard, Edmonton Oilers
Stuart Skinner, Edmonton Oilers
Cam Talbot, Detroit Red Wings
Binnington said he’s focused on his “inner world” more than what his terrible season means for his Canadian Olympic team status. “Then the rest will take care of itself. That’s where my focus goes,” said the Blues goalie, whose general manager Doug Armstrong also happens to be the guy in charge of Canada’s Olympic roster.
He’s 7-7-5 with a .875 save percentage and a 3.29 goals-against average, with the second-worst goals saved above expected in the league (minus-7.7) via Money Puck. That hasn’t stopped fans from Edmonton to Montreal from wish-casting Binnington as the solution to their team’s goaltending problems. Binnington has an AAV of $6 million and a 14-team no-trade list. The question remains if Armstrong wants to move him — and move him at the nadir of his NHL career, no less — or keep the 4 Nations Face-Off standout around through 2026-27, when his contract ends.
In case anyone has missed the past two Stanley Cup Finals, the Oilers could use an upgrade in goal. Both Skinner and Pickard are pending unrestricted free agents. Theoretically, Edmonton would like to add a veteran upgrade over Pickard ($1 million AAV) to pair with Skinner ($2.6 million AAV). But considering Edmonton’s cap situation, it might be money in/money out with Skinner.
That was the rumor when Jarry was linked to the Oilers earlier this month, a deal that would have required Pittsburgh to retain part of his $5.375 million annual cap hit through 2027-28. But are the Penguins really looking to move a goalie that has helped backstop them to a wild-card spot with 11 goals saved above expected? Who’s going to have that conversation with Sid?
Brossoit is buried on the Blackhawks’ depth chart, having undergone knee surgery to revive his career. The 32-year-old has an NHL cap hit of $3.3 million. Daws ($812,500 AAV) and DiPietro ($812,500 AAV) are also buried on their teams’ depth charts.
The Blue Jackets have been looking for takers on Merzlikins for years. He has a $5.4 million AAV and is signed through next season.
The only reason the Red Wings conceivably move Talbot, who has been their best goalie, is if dominant 23-year-old AHL prospect Sebastian Cossa forces their hand. Talbot is a UFA after this season with a $2.5 million AAV. The same goes for Anthony Stolarz, who signed a four-year deal in September ($3.75 million AAV) but might have been market corrected by Dennis Hildeby while out with an illness.
Help up front tier
Michael Bunting, F, Nashville Predators
Blake Coleman, C, Calgary Flames
Jason Dickinson, C, Chicago Blackhawks
Erik Haula, C, Nashville Predators
Yegor Sharangovich, F, Calgary Flames
Eeli Tolvanen, F, Seattle Kraken
Alexander Wennberg, C, San Jose Sharks
Again, much depends on where teams are in the standings and how they view some of their pending free agents, like Dickinson and Wennberg.
Perhaps the most intriguing option here is Coleman, a Stanley Cup winner with the Lightning who can play a variety of roles on a contender.
“I could see Coleman moved, but there would have to be retention with that term,” an NHL executive said, noting that Coleman is signed through 2026-27.
Help on the blue line tier
Brandon Carlo, D, Toronto Maple Leafs
Ian Cole, D, Utah Mammoth
John Klingberg, D, San Jose Sharks
Timothy Liljegren, D, San Jose Sharks
Connor Murphy, D, Chicago Blackhawks
Jamie Oleksiak, D, Seattle Kraken
Brady Skjei, D, Nashville Predators
The majority of these defensemen are headed to unrestricted free agency. Murphy is an intriguing one, making $4.4 million against the cap with a limited no-trade clause. The Blackhawks have a loaded pipeline on defense and may not want to offer term to a 31-year-old Murphy.
Sportsnet’s Kypreos reported that the Leafs explored a Carlo trade in the offseason. He has a limited no-trade clause and makes $3.485 million against the cap, with Boston having retained 15% of his contract via trade last season.
As much as Stamkos has gotten grief for a dreadful tenure in Nashville, Skjei might have had the worse run since signing there in summer 2024. After hitting a four-year low in scoring along with a minus-24 last season, he has just eight points through 29 games this season, skating to a minus-15. Alas, his contract carries a $7 million cap hit through 2030-31 with a full no-movement clause. Hope he enjoys hot chicken. He’s probably going to be in Nashville for a while.
Bargain beauty contracts tier
Teddy Blueger, C, Vancouver Canucks
Erik Gustafsson, D, Detroit Red Wings
Ryan Lomberg, LW, Calgary Flames
Lukas Reichel, LW, Vancouver Canucks
Kiefer Sherwood, F, Vancouver Canucks
Kevin Stenlund, C, Utah Mammoth
Oskar Sundqvist, C, St. Louis Blues
All the players in this tier make $2 million against the cap or less.
For a minute there, Sherwood was one of the most coveted goal scorers in the NHL, with 12 goals in 20 games. That he then went the next 10 games without a goal shouldn’t discourage teams from seeking his services: He’s a hard-nosed competitor who plays physical and, as he’s shown this season, can put the puck in the net. Better still, he’s on an expiring contract with a $1.5 million AAV whose salary is below that ($1.3 million).
The Athletic reported that Vancouver is seeking “a good roster player and have also asked teams for a first-round pick.”
Blueger ($1.8 million) is another Canucks UFA potentially on the move. Reichel ($1.2 million) is an RFA next summer, having been acquired from Chicago in October. Things have not worked out: he’s been a healthy scratch with coach Adam Foote declaring, “We think there’s players right now slightly ahead of him.”
Lomberg ($2 million AAV) and Stenlund ($2 million AAV) both won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers. Sundqvist won Cups with Pittsburgh and St. Louis. The 31-year-old center makes $1.5 million against the cap. Gustafsson, meanwhile has seen more time in the AHL than NHL this season. The 33-year-old has a $2 million cap hit and is a UFA at the end of the season. A reunion with the Rangers, with whom he played in 2023-24, has been rumored.
But at this point, they’re all rumors. And based on the lack of player movement in the NHL over the last year under the rising salary cap, how many of these names actually change uniforms is anyone’s guess.
“Honestly, it’s so quiet right now. It sucks,” an NHL executive concluded.
