5 Trade Ideas for the NHL’s Worst Teams

5 Trade Ideas for the NHL’s Worst Teams0 of 5

Anaheim Ducks goaltender John GibsonJohn McCreary/NHLI via Getty Images

The NHL’s trade deadline is 3 p.m. ET on Friday, March 8. Between now and deadline day, expect plenty of speculation over which players will become trade candidates and where they could end up.

While deadline day is six weeks away, we can already determine several teams that are expected to become sellers. Most can be found near the bottom of the league standings, as their playoff hopes are fading daily. They include the San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks.

Potential buyers, meanwhile, are teams already holding playoff spots in the standings such as the Winnipeg Jets and New York Rangers. Others, like the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals, are vying for one of the two wild-card berths.

Players who could be available include Ducks goaltender John Gibson, who’s been the subject of trade speculation throughout this season. Another could be Ottawa defenseman Jakob Chychrun, who was acquired by the Senators from the Arizona Coyotes before last year’s trade deadline.

The following is our list of five trade ideas for some of this season’s worst NHL clubs. We’ll examine why the players mentioned would be good fits with their proposed trade destinations and what the losing clubs could gain in return.

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San Jose Sharks Trade Anthony Duclair to the New York Rangers1 of 5

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Sitting at the bottom of the league standings, the rebuilding San Jose Sharks are expected to be sellers at the trade deadline. Unlike last year when they had notable stars such as Erik Karlsson and Timo Meier as trade bait, they have mostly second-tier talent to offer up in pending free agents such as Mike Hoffman, Kevin Labanc and Anthony Declair.

Of those players, Duclair could have the best value. The 28-year-old winger carries an affordable cap hit of $3 million. He had a career-best 31-goal, 58-point performance with the Florida Panthers in 2021-22 and returned from injury last season to help them reach the 2023 Stanley Cup Final.

Perhaps Duclair would interest the New York Rangers, who drafted him in 2013. Rangers general manager Chris Drury wasn’t part of the club’s front office back then, but he could be in the market for an affordable middle-six right winger with Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafrenière struggling in recent games.

The Sharks will likely continue to stockpile draft picks and prospects this year as part of their rebuilding plan. It could cost the Rangers a second-round pick for Duclair, who they can afford with $3.7 million in projected trade deadline cap space.

Montreal Canadiens Trade Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets2 of 5

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The rebuilding Montreal Canadiens have shown some improvement, as they’ve played around .500 hockey this season. Still, they’re near the bottom of the Atlantic Division and are expected to be trade deadline sellers for the third straight year.

On Jan. 15, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels speculated Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes could move as many as five players by deadline day. Engels considered Sean Monahan as the most likely to move. The 29-year-old two-way center is among their leading scorers with 13 goals and 34 points in 48 games. He carries an affordable one-year, $1.9 million contract.

The Winnipeg Jets could be the front-runners for Monahan. On Jan. 16, the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reported hearing rumors the Jets are in the market for depth at center. Someone with Monahan’s skills and cap hit could be just what they’re looking for.

With $5.4 million in projected trade deadline cap space, the Jets can easily afford Monahan’s contract. The Canadiens could seek to add to their stockpile of draft picks by reacquiring the second-rounder currently held by the Jets. They could also consider adding more scoring among their prospects by seeking center Brad Lambert in return.

Columbus Blue Jackets Ship Elvis Merzļikins to the Chicago Blackhawks3 of 5

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Unhappy over a lack of playing time since Dec. 29, Elvis Merzļikins told the media on Jan. 12 that he and Columbus Blue Jackets management mutually agreed to explore a “new scenario.” Three days later, he confirmed that he had requested a trade.

Merzļikins, 29, could benefit from a change of scenery, but moving him won’t be easy. He struggled in 2022-23 but has shown some improvement this season. His contract is the bigger sticking point, with an average annual value of $5.4 million through 2026-27 and a 10-team no-trade clause.

Chicago could address that issue. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic included them on his list of potential trade destinations, noting the rebuilding club has plenty of cap space to absorb his contract. He suggested Merzļikins could be a good option for Chicago if unable to re-sign Petr Mrázek.

Mrázek has re-signed with Chicago, but Merzļikins could provide them with a solid goalie tandem. They might be able to get him for little in return, especially if they take on his full contract. With three picks in the second round and two third-rounders in this year’s draft, perhaps they can tempt the Jackets with one pick from each round in a package offer.

Ottawa Senators Send Jakob Chychrun to the Washington Capitals4 of 5

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Mired near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, the Ottawa Senators’ new general manager Steve Staios could start shaking things up by the trade deadline. According to the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch, Jakob Chychrun could be among his trade options, as other clubs are expressing interest in the 25-year-old defenseman.

Staios said Thursday that he hopes to re-sign Chychrun, who’s signed through next season with a $4.6 million cap hit. However, that could change if the two sides fail to reach an agreement on a contract extension or if the Senators receive a tempting trade offer before the deadline.

Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals are an aging club struggling to remain in playoff contention in the Eastern Conference. They could use an injection of skilled talent into their roster if they wish to retool and stay competitive, especially on the left side of their defensive corps.

The Senators are loaded with left-shot defensemen but need depth on the right side. Their asking price could include promising Ryan Chesley, who starred for the United States on their gold-medal team at the 2024 World Junior Championship.

Anaheim Ducks Trade John Gibson to the New Jersey Devils5 of 5

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As noted in our intro, Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson has frequently appeared in trade rumors this season. He is signed through 2026-27 with an average annual value of $6.4 million and a 10-team no-trade clause, so he doesn’t fit into his rebuilding club’s long-range plans.

If the Ducks trade Gibson, they’ll likely prefer moving his entire contract off their books. Doing so during the regular season, however, would be difficult, especially in a season where most teams have limited salary-cap space. However, the New Jersey Devils might be able to accommodate this.

The Devils are in desperate need of an experienced starting goaltender with NHL playoff experience. Current starter Vitek Vanecek’s stats are among the worst for NHL starters. Call-up Nico Daws’ numbers aren’t much better, and he could suffer the same fate as Akira Schmid, who shone briefly last season but is now back with their AHL affiliate in Binghamton.

Having placed sidelined defenseman Dougie Hamilton on long-term injury reserve, the Devils can afford Gibson’s cap hit. With plenty of young talent on their roster and within their system, they have assets to tempt the Ducks if the latter seeks to continue loading up with youth.

Stats (as of Jan. 25, 2024) via NHL.com with salary-cap info and line combinations via Cap Friendly.