The 9 Teams That Will Have the Biggest Influence at the NHL 2024 Trade Deadline

Joe YerdonMarch 2, 2024The 9 Teams That Will Have the Biggest Influence at the NHL 2024 Trade Deadline0 of 9

Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images

We’ve got less than a week to go until the NHL trade deadline hits and although we’re finally seeing some deals start to happen, there’s a good chance there will be a lot more action to come while teams decide if they’re in or out and if they’re buyers or sellers.

Some teams are carrying a lot of weight when it comes to how and who they’re going to move (if they even move them at all) while others are in a position to move players out no matter what. Whatever the case may be, some teams will be able to help decide whether this deadline will be busy or not.

We’ve picked out a small handful of teams who have been busy already (Calgary, Anaheim), have been rumored to be active come deadline day, or have all the pieces necessary to make any kind of deal they want to make if they want to make it. In all, we’ll look at nine teams who could/should be movers and shakers by the March 8 deadline.

Anaheim Ducks1 of 9

John Gibson and Adam HenriqueChris Tanouye/NHLI via Getty Images

The Anaheim Ducks have already gotten some trade work done after they moved defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin back to the Toronto Maple Leafs for draft picks. Lyubushkin is just one player, but the lead Duck on the rumor mill is still waiting to see if he goes.

Center Adam Henrique is arguably the best center to be had during this deadline. He can score, he can win draws and he can grow one heck of a playoff mustache too if you remember his playoff runs with the New Jersey Devils.

At 34 years old, Henrique has all the veteran savvy a team in need of help up the middle could want for the playoffs. He’s scored big goals in the postseason in the past and he’s a classic big-game player. Demand should be high for him, particularly after other centers like Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm have already moved.

High-scoring forward Frank Vatrano is a hot name out there as well and for good reason. He’s scored 29 goals this season and he’s signed through next season with a $3.65 million cap hit. The Rangers or Carolina, among others, would be great stops for him if the Ducks decide to move him.

There’s also goalie John Gibson who, by now, is a veteran of the trade speculation racket. One of these years he’s going to be moved, right? With three more years on his contract after this year with a $6.4 million cap hit, it wouldn’t seem likely he’ll be traded at the deadline, but the rumors will always be there.

Philadelphia Flyers2 of 9

Sean Walker and Scott LaughtonTim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

The Philadelphia Flyers are going to be fascinating to watch for the next week. They’ve been struggling of late, but they’re shaping up to be a playoff team in the middle of a rebuild. That means they could be buying and selling.

With defensemen Sean Walker and Nick Seeler playing outstanding hockey and set to be unrestricted free agents this summer, that would ideally put them in place to be moved. But the Flyers want to win, too. It’s a conundrum for GM Danny Brière to be in.

Philly should be busy when it comes to defensemen, but if anything, they should be adding them. Rasmus Ristolainen and Jamie Drysdale are both injured and while it’s giving them a chance to look at younger guys like Ronnie Attard and Yegor Zamula, if they want to make noise in the playoffs, they’ll need a little more.

There have been rumors about Philly possibly moving forwards Scott Laughton, Morgan Frost, and Bobby Brink too, although you’d imagine Frost and Brink would be good players to have as part of the active rebuild they’ve got going on.

It’s never boring in Philadelphia and the deadline shouldn’t be a dull one this year.

New Jersey Devils3 of 9

Alexander HoltzRich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images

The New Jersey Devils are in some kind of way.

Injuries have been a persistent problem all season and their goaltending has been abysmal all around all season long. It’s a mess and these issues may end up costing head coach Lindy Ruff his job.

If they want to get help on the blue line or in goal, they have NHL-ready younger players and draft picks to make a deal happen. They’ve been reportedly close to landing Jacob Markström from Calgary and the time to make that trade was probably two months ago.

If they want to get into the playoffs this year it may mean sacrificing Dawson Mercer and/or Alexander Holtz to make it happen. The Devils are in a frightful spot and the relative inaction to improve the situation this season makes for a stark contrast to last season when they went all-in and snagged Timo Meier.

Seattle Kraken4 of 9

Jordan EberleSteph Chambers/Getty Images

The Seattle Kraken are emulating their namesake creature a bit closely this year. They’re in the deep and they’re a bit of a mystery as to when or if they’ll strike.

Seattle is just on the outside of the playoff picture trailing Los Angeles and Nashville and neck-and-neck with Calgary and St. Louis in that distant pursuit. The Flames are busy trading everyone away, but the Kraken have been a bit snakebit this year after such a fantastic previous season.

If the Kraken decided to cash out and get busy dealing, Jordan Eberle would be a hotly pursued winger. He can score and his history of coming up big in big moments has followed him since junior hockey. Alexander Wennberg would be another interesting possibility for a team looking for help up the middle. Tomas Tatar and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare would be easier players to trade for as well.

Defenseman Justin Schultz has some pedigree from how he played for the Pittsburgh Penguins during their more recent Stanley Cup seasons and he too is a UFA-to-be.

That’s a lot of guys with names and solid reputations that could move, but for a new team like the Kraken, cashing out a bunch of chips in year three may not be the PR move they’re looking to make.

Pittsburgh Penguins5 of 9

Jake GuentzelJeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be worth keeping a very close eye on over the next week.

They’re in the playoff race, but on the outside of it, fighting with a horde of other teams to get there. If they’re not able to run into the deadline on a winning streak, the players going out will have bigger names than the ones that would be coming in otherwise.

The biggest player to watch is Jake Guentzel. He’s an elite goal scorer and if the Penguins decide to deal him, they’ll have their pick of teams to choose from to get their best offers. Teams like Edmonton, Carolina, Winnipeg, Colorado, and countless others should all try to throw their hats into that ring.

But it’s not only Guentzel, but there’s also Reilly Smith who could be on the move one way or the other. Smith hasn’t had the best season with the Penguins, but he could be rejuvenated elsewhere. A reunion in Florida or Vegas would make tons of sense and would give either of those teams a lot of help they may not exactly need come playoff time.

Maybe Alex Nedeljkovic or Marcus Pettersson could be options as well, but if the Pens are truly selling, anything goes because as old as they are, GM Kyle Dubas said they must get younger and they’re not going to rebuild to do it.

Nashville Predators6 of 9

Alexandre CarrierJohn Russell/NHLI via Getty Images

The Nashville Predators won’t exactly be shaking and quaking the trade deadline, but they could be a team that sees a lot of depth action around them, both buying and selling.

Other teams around the league have been sniffing around defenseman Alexandre Carrier, who’s had a nice season and plays a very steady game on the blue line. If a team needs an offensive defenseman and someone who could benefit by just getting out of Nashville, Tyson Barrie could be more easily acquired.

The Predators love forward Thomas Novak but he’s due to be a free agent with a sizable raise from his close to league-minimum salary this summer. He provides grit and goals, two things teams love to have in the playoffs. There’s also the real wildcard, but deeply unlikely, possibility that Juuse Saros could be moved, but with Nashville in a playoff spot at the moment and looking good, that seems like a long shot by light years.

If the Predators are going to add, you’d have to think forwards and defensive depth would be on the list if they’re going to prepare for the playoffs, but don’t expect any big splashes from Music City.

Ottawa Senators7 of 9

Vladimir Tarasenko, Dominik Kubalik, and Jakob Chychrun Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Another team that’s never dull at the trade deadline is the Ottawa Senators and that may not be any different this time around.

The Sens have UFA-to-be winger Vladimir Tarasenko available and perhaps the New York Rangers would consider him again after they picked him up from St. Louis at this time a year ago. We know what Tarasenko can add to any team, although he’s more of a depth add now than he is a headline scorer.

Forward Dominik Kubalik could also be a depth add for a team hoping a change of scenery would do him a world of good. He’s got 12 points in 53 games and a minus-24 plus/minus rating (we know, we know…) so it’s unlikely he’ll be a hot commodity. Maybe another team sees something Ottawa doesn’t.

There’s also been chatter about defenseman Jakob Chychrun potentially being available and it makes sense. He’s 25 years old and a year away from becoming an unrestricted free agent. He’s very good and any team looking to add him now would be wise to get in early to try and get an extension done with him.

Buffalo Sabres8 of 9

Erik JohnsonDavid Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Buffalo Sabres could wield the hammer at the deadline if they wanted to.

It’s not so much about the players they could move as it is the deals they could make happen using their stockpile of assets.

Casey Mittelstadt is the name getting most of the attention, although for Buffalo to do that it would have to be an extremely spot-on offer that lands them the players they feel they’re missing to become a regular playoff team. You can argue Buffalo would be much better off getting a long-term extension done with Mittelstadt than trading him away.

The Sabres will likely trade Erik Johnson to a team in need of a veteran, Cup-winning right-hand shot defenseman. He’s admitted he’s struggled this season, but he’d be valuable in a depth role for a contender. He certainly was in Colorado a couple of years ago.

Forwards Kyle Okposo, Zemgus Girgensons and Victor Olofsson could be moved although for Okposo the situation would have to be good enough for him to uproot for the final few months of the season and playoffs. Girgensons is beloved by ownership and Olofsson has had a very down season and been a healthy scratch quite often.

But if Buffalo opts to make a deal with future seasons in mind, similar to when they added Jordan Greenway last year, they have copious prospects to use to make a deal of any kind of magnitude. If the pressure to get to the playoffs gets to GM Kevyn Adams, he can pull the trigger on any attractive deal that comes his way.

Calgary Flames9 of 9

Noah Hanifin and Jacob MarkstromTerence Leung/NHLI via Getty Images

The Calgary Flames have been open for business all season long and they’re likely not done dealing yet.

They’ve already traded Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm to Vancouver and sent Chris Tanev to Dallas this week. They’ve still got UFA-to-be defenseman Noah Hanifin and goalie Jacob Markström hot on the market with Hanifin looking to be the most likely to go. With teams like Boston and Toronto in need of defensive help among others, it’s a seller’s market for GM Craig Conroy.

When it comes to Markström, it would seem like the New Jersey Devils would be the most likely spot given their goaltending issues, but loads of teams need goaltending help and are not necessarily contenders either.

The guy to look to for a potentially interesting trade is defenseman Rasmus Andersson. The big skilled Swede has a nice contract ($4.55 million cap hit and two more years after this one) and a nice game, too. A team trying to add Andersson to their blue line would be wise to do so.