6 NHL Trades That Should Have Happened During the 2024 Offseason

6 NHL Trades That Should Have Happened During the 2024 Offseason0 of 6

Jacob TroubaBruce Bennett/Getty Images

If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “Oh, what could’ve been” during an NHL season, chances are you’re thinking about that time your favorite team was targeting a player in free agency or a trade that they missed out on snagging.

Sometimes, the line between contending and being an also-ran can be crossed by making that one big move.

This summer, we’ve seen plenty of names in trade rumors but are still with the teams they were playing for in the first place. Whether that’s because players used their no-trade protection, negotiations fell apart or everything just fizzled out in general, these trades that could have been are the ones that should have been.

We’re highlighting six players whose names came up in rumors this offseason and why they’re still with their teams and what would’ve changed if they were moved. Plenty of trade rumors come with grains of salt of varying sizes, but we’ll let our imaginations lead the way a little here.

Mitch Marner to Anywhere Out of Toronto1 of 6

Nick Lachance/Toronto Star via Getty Images

We’re on year two of Mitch Marner Trade Watch, but he remains a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Even now with the 27-year-old entering the final year of his contract and the possibility of becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer, he and the Leafs are holding their ground and letting it all play out.

Marner is a Toronto guy. He loves playing for the Maple Leafs, and the team benefits because he is one of the league’s premier scorers and a high-level defender on the puck. He’s a key reason why they have been one of the league’s top teams since he entered the NHL.

With each early playoff exit, though, the pressure rises to figure out how to prevent that from happening again but finding the right players to trade for the help required gets more difficult.

They’re not about to trade Auston Matthews. William Nylander just signed a big-money extension in Toronto, so he’s staying. They’re thin on defense, so moving Morgan Rielly would be deeply counterproductive and John Tavares, who’s also entering the final year of his contract, turns 34 before the season begins.

That always puts Marner in the crosshairs for trade talk and now that his contract is up after this season, it’s the right time to make a deal. At least it would’ve been, anyway.

It’s hard to imagine him playing anywhere other than Toronto at this point, but if they bow out of the playoffs in the first or second round again, the possibility they lose him for nothing will loom ominously.

Trevor Zegras to a Contender2 of 6

Ethan Cairns/Getty Images

When Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale battled with Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek last summer over their restricted free agent status, it raised a lot of eyebrows around the league.

Fast-forward to January 2024 and Drysdale was traded to Philadelphia for Cutter Gauthier, which made the possibility that the Ducks would move Zegras even more plausible.

This summer, trade speculation swirled around the skilled forward with a knack for making highlight-reel plays. Any team with a need for forward help, be it the Montréal Canadiens or Buffalo Sabres or Boston Bruins among others, there would be some mention of Zegras.

And he would be an intriguing player to put into a different situation because his skill level is so high. His creativity is off the charts, and he’s still only 23 years old.

Twice he’s had 60-plus points in a season and after missing most of last season with injuries, it feels like it’s the ideal time to “buy low” on him in a trade, particularly with how Leo Carlsson has stepped in immediately as an offense driver.

The Ducks are on the rise, and moving Zegras now to alter the way they want to attack this rebuild is the kind of move that could benefit everyone.

Martin Necas to the Boston Bruins3 of 6

Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images

One of the most surprising things this summer is seeing Martin Necas still with the Carolina Hurricanes. Arguably, no other NHL forward had more speculation around them this offseason than the Czech.

Necas entered this summer as a restricted free agent and much of the discussion centered around how he and the team might not come to an agreement on a long-term extension.

He eventually signed a two-year, $13 million deal with Carolina that will walk the 25-year-old to unrestricted free agency when it ends, which essentially starts the clock on when, not if, he’ll be traded before then.

But there were teams ready to make a move for Necas, per Frank Seravalli at The Daily Faceoff. The Winnipeg Jets had an offer involving forward Cole Perfetti and prospect Rutger McGroarty, while the Buffalo Sabres were another team with heavy interest.

Elliotte Friedman also kicked around the idea on 32 Thoughts that the Boston Bruins had interest in Necas and that Linus Ullmark, who ultimately was traded to the Ottawa Senators, could have been part of such a deal.

Necas is a very good player and a capable offensive forward. His 53 points last season tied him with Teuvo Teravainen for third on the Hurricanes behind Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis.

Moving Necas now would have ideally netted Carolina a solid return in either prospects or another young NHL player. Even though he wasn’t traded this offseason, it feels like a situation that’s still unresolved despite the new contract.

Jacob Trouba to the Detroit Red Wings4 of 6

Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images

The New York Rangers and Jacob Trouba sure did have a dramatic offseason.

The 30-year-old struggled during the playoffs, and the Blueshirts fell short of the Stanley Cup Final after losing to the eventual champion Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.

Rumors kicked up immediately about Trouba after the Rangers exited the postseason. Some kicked around the idea that the team would buy out the final two years of his contract to move on from him, but ultimately the speculation centered around a trade.

Trouba, a Michigan native and former star at the University of Michigan, was believed to be headed to the Detroit Red Wings. It was reported that he was asked by the Rangers for the 15 teams on his no-trade list, but in the end, the Rangers captain wasn’t dealt.

It’s been a little awkward for those on the outside since it all went down, but Trouba said all of that is behind him and they’re ready to get going for the upcoming season.

Having a no-trade clause is important for players because it allows them to control their destinies to an extent. But given how rough the playoffs were for Trouba, it seemed the kind of situation where a change of scenery would’ve helped everyone out.

The Red Wings would have been able to add a hometown guy and a nasty, physical presence on their blue line, while the Rangers could have gotten some help to get further under the salary-cap ceiling.

Nikolaj Ehlers Out of Winnipeg 5 of 6

Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images

The Winnipeg Jets were a team that swirled around trade rumors all summer, but they didn’t make any big deals in the end.

They’ve got a prospect in Rutger McGroarty who wants to go elsewhere, but they’ve also got a scorer in Nikolaj Ehlers who is entering the final year of his contract, and any discussion about an extension has been absent and The Fourth Period reported he has no interest in one.

That would seem to set the table for a trade, surely?

When you look around the NHL, there’s no shortage of teams who could use secondary scoring help. Buffalo could, especially after it bought out Jeff Skinner. You can throw Boston, Carolina, Detroit, the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh and Washington onto the pile as well. With Ehlers on an expiring deal, making a trade would seemingly be a little easier to do.

It’s never over until it’s over, but if the 28-year-old has no interest in signing an extension, moving him now or at the deadline as a rental are the best times to do it. Doing it now would have meant solving a potential issue before it becomes pressing.

But Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is known for not making trades just to make them. Heck, we all thought Connor Hellebuyck and/or Mark Scheifele would be dealt a year ago and both guys re-signed in Winnipeg.

If the Jets have to sweat it out come trade-deadline time, they may regret not getting a deal done now.

Pavel Buchnevich to a Contender6 of 6

Scott Rovak/NHLI via Getty Images

It was always a bit odd to see Pavel Buchnevich’s name come up in trade rumors over the past year. After all, he was (at the time) two years away from hitting free agency and one of the St. Louis Blues’ top scorers.

The 29-year-old won’t be traded anytime soon after he signed a six-year, $48 million extension on July 2, and that’s credit to Blues GM Doug Armstrong for getting that potentially tricky situation resolved quickly.

It probably helped that the Blues were sniffing around a playoff spot last season, but a trade this summer would’ve been a great idea if they hadn’t been.

Buchnevich would’ve arguably been the best player to get in a trade. Over the past three seasons, he’s had 206 points in 216 games and averaged nearly 28 goals per season. His type of ability would play well anywhere, but he would’ve been a major target for teams in need of scoring help in the top six, especially Stanley Cup contenders.

Be it Carolina, Vegas, Edmonton or former club the New York Rangers, all of them (and more) would’ve been rushing to the phones to try to add the versatile scorer.

Trading Buchnevich would have been brutal for the Blues, but it would also have spiced up this offseason in a way not seen since they cultivated Carolina Reaper peppers. The jockeying to acquire him would have been incredible.

Instead, the Blues locked up one of their top scorers and emboldened their desire to get back to the playoffs.

As always, we want to hear what you think of all this, so please tell us in the comments.