Top 20 Players To Keep An Eye On At The 2021-22 NHL Trade Deadline
The NHL Trade deadline is fastly approaching. The deadline is on March 21st which gives teams a lot of time during the next two and a half months to decide what they want to do with some of their players.
This is definitely not going to be a quiet trade deadline. Like years pasts, there are teams contending for a championship that are going to want to add some talent to their roster. There are also some teams that are going to want to move on from some contracts they know they are not going to be bringing back during the following years.
This list might include some teams more than others, but that just is how the market is heating up. Teams that are out of the playoff picture looking to acquire assets are going to have to be more vocal at the deadline, while some teams already set up for the future might stand pat from the event.
Let’s jump in with the list:
1. Mark Giordano – Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken’s start has not been great, but it is nothing to be alarmed about because they have assets they can utilize at this upcoming deadline. One asset they should consider moving is their captain Mark Giordano.
The Kraken’s captain has played in the majority of the games this season and has averaged over 21 minutes of ice time a night. He is blocking a lot of shots and would be a great addition to a team looking to win a Stanley Cup. While the Kraken might be hesitant to say goodbye to their captain after half a season it definitely would be the right move as he is 38, on the last year of his contract, and deserves a chance at winning a Stanley Cup.
2. John Klingberg – Dallas Stars
When you have a player quoted saying they don’t feel appreciated that is not going to lead to success down the line. That is the situation the Dallas Stars find themselves in with John Klingberg, one of their best defensemen. Klingberg is coming up on the end of his seven-year 4.25 million a year contract and he thinks he deserves a pay raise.
While the two parties have been trying to find a good price for both sides, nothing has worked out yet.
3. Brendan Gallagher – Montreal Canadiens
While the NHL officials might not like Brendan Gallagher, his team definitely do. The Canadiens are going to have to make a decision into whether or not they are going to rebuild their team from the ground up. One player they would probably have to move if they are rebuilding is Brendan Gallagher. Gallagher is 29 and is signed through the 2026-27 season at 6.5 million so it is not an easy contract to trade, but anything can happen when a team is trying to compete.
Gallagher has been a name brought up a lot this past season with trade speculation, but his contract seems like he will be in Montreal for a long time – or bought out down the line.
4. Jake DeBrusk – Boston Bruins
Jake DeBrusk has been involved in trade rumors since the beginning of the season. The two sides want to get a trade done to give DeBrusk a fresh start with a new team. While there are definitely some teams that make sense, I think the issue is finding a deal that works for the Bruins in return.
DeBrusk should be traded at the deadline, but hey anything can happen.
5. Reilly Smith – Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights need to make room for Jack Eichel. One player they could trade is Reilly Smith who has a cap hit of five million for the remainder of this season. Trading Smith would help with the cap situation the Golden Knights find them in, but it won’t exactly end their problems either. Another player would have to be traded as well. Smith has almost 30 points on the year and he is a good top-six forward for a team looking to win now.
Knowing the Golden Knights need to make a trade to make the cap work on an Eichel deal means some team can really take advantage of the Golden Knights and add a nice piece to their contending roster in Smith.
6. J.T. Miller – Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks have bounced back with their new head coach Bruce Boudreau, but that doesn’t necessarily mean this team is in winnow mode. The core here is pretty young, and the Canucks need to do what is best for them in the future, not just this season.
Miller’s value is pretty high right now. He has been one of the team’s best forwards and is signed through the end of next season.
Moving Miller might put the Canucks in the best position to succeed. The team still does have a lot of talent to build around in Pettersson, Boeser, Horvat, Garland, and many others, plus it will allow them to add another young player or draft pick to add to the franchise down the line.
7. Marc-Andre Fleury – Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are going to have to trade Fleury if they are not in a playoff spot by March 21, or competing for one. Chicago has been pretty bad this season and that is most likely not going to change by the time March rolls along. The Hawks should let Fleury go to a team he wants to go to in order to compete for a championship again.
Fleury has all the cards here with a trade clause in his contract, plus he is a veteran player who is older. The Hawks should do the right thing and let him decide where he wants to play and then make a deal work after that. Plus he has a lot of value and for a team without a first-round pick picking up some assets is their top priority.
8. Dylan Strome – Chicago Blackhawks
Strome has not worked out with the Blackhawks since the team traded for him in 2018. This is one of those gambles that former general manager Stan Bowman made that just did not work out in the end. Similar to DeBrusk, Strome deserves a fresh start with a new team.
The Blackhawks probably are not going to get a lot of value in return for Strome, but for a contending team looking for a depth forward or sneaky third line acquisition, Strome wouldn’t be a bad option.
9. Nick Leddy – Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings were once in a playoff spot this season, but they seem to have fallen off a little bit. If the team were to decide to go all-in on this playoff run then they would definitely keep Nick Leddy on their roster, but Steve Yzerman definitely has the future in mind over this year.
Leddy is signed through the end of this season at 5.5 million dollars. The defensemen could re-sign with the Wings, but considering they are in the midst of a rebuild one would imagine Leddy would look elsewhere to play out the remainder of his career.
The Red Wings would probably net a decent return for Leddy as he is a good left-side defenseman who can play top pairing minutes, or make a top-four blue line that much better. This being the final year of his contract, the Wings could hold back some salary to make the deal worthwhile to another team to add the defenseman.
10. Claude Giroux – Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are still not there yet. After another season with hopes going into October, they are out of the picture come January. For Philadelphia now is a time to take stock at what is not working and fix it for the future.
One of the most movable players the team has would be their captain in Claude Giroux. Giroux is in the final year of his contract and is due 8.275 through the end of the year. While that is a lot of money, holding back some salary could make things easier in a trade. Giroux is playing at almost a point-per-game pace and would be a nice addition to a team looking for a boost in their top six going into a playoff run. Plus he is really strong in the faceoff dot which is good for a team looking to add a center.
11. Phil Kessel – Arizona Coyotes
Phil Kessel is in the final year of his contract worth 6.8 million and is definitely looking to get out of the desert. The Coyotes are looking to acquire as many prospects and draft picks as possible for their never-ending rebuild, and moving Kessel to a team in a playoff spot would be a good call for this team.
Kessel’s production might not be what it once was, but for a team looking to get that final boost for a playoff run adding a rejuvenated Kessel to their roster might be a good call. Remember he was once a big part of two championships in Pittsburgh. Considering the Coyotes could just lose him if he walks at the end of the season, one would imagine they would trade him before that happens.
12. Joonas Korpisalo – Columbus Blue Jackets
With Elvis Merzlikins signed long-term, Joonas Korpisalo is the odd goalie out in Columbus. At one point it looked like the team had two starting goalies with their roster, but this season Korpisalo’s numbers have fallen off a little bit.
We usually don’t see goalies traded a lot at the deadline but Korpisalo would probably walk from Columbus in the offseason so a team looking to pick up an insurance goalie for the playoffs would be well served to grab Korpisalo.
13. Evgeni Malkin – Pittsburgh Penguins
Evgeni Malkin is in the final of his contract, and the Penguins are not going to be competing for a Stanley Cup forever with this core. If the team wanted to get some assets in return for one of their franchise players they could move Malkin to a contender and move forward with their season knowing they added some value that can extend the window down the line.
Malkin has had trade rumors for a long time and considering this is the final year of his deal they are not ending right now. Considering he has a no-move clause, has a contract of 9.5 million, and has spent a lot of the season on long-term injury reserve, the chances of a Malkin trade are kind of low though – but hey, anything can happen!
14. Joe Pavelski – Dallas Stars
Joe Pavelski is in the final year of his contract with the Dallas Stars. He has a cap hit of 7 million dollars and a modified no-trade clause. The Stars are definitely not going to be in a playoff position this year with all of the tough teams ahead of them in the standings. So they could use this time to move a veteran forward who is competing for a championship in his career.
Pavelski is around a point per game right now with 29 points in his first 31 games on the season. He can still play serious minutes and is above 50 percent in the faceoff dot. A team looking to add a veteran presence would be lucky to add Pavelski, especially considering he has been to the Stanley Cup Final twice in the past ten years.
15. Max Domi – Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets cannot afford to let yet another player leave in free agency from their team. Domi is still relatively young at 26 and has a lot of good hockey ahead of him.
This would be a great third-line addition for a team looking to make that final push for the playoffs. The only thing is adding him would come at a high price in the cap hit and from a team looking to acquire assets in the draft.
16. Lawson Crouse – Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are all in on a rebuild, which means moving on from young talented forwards in the hopes of adding prospects and draft picks. While the Coyotes have basically already dealt everyone, they have another option to move in Lawson Crouse.
Crouse has 17 points in 32 games this season, a pretty good year for the team he is playing on this season. Putting up that many points with this roster makes it seem like he could be a good fit for a team looking for a player they can bet on for this year and the future.
Crouse definitely won’t be playing 18 plus minutes a night on any other roster, but he would be a good depth add for a team looking for depth scoring.
17. Dominik Kubalik – Chicago Blackhawks
Another Blackhawk is on the list. This time Dominik Kubalik. Kubalik is in the final year of his contract with the Blackhawks. The Hawks are just not playing the best hockey in the world right now, and without a first-round draft pick, they are going to have to reconsider keeping Kubalik with the team long term.
Right now Kubalik is playing top-line minutes with Jonathan Toews, but on another roster, he would be a great middle-six forward with a wicked shot for any team looking for another asset to their roster come playoff time.
18. Jakob Chychrun – Arizona Coyotes
Jakob Chychrun is arguably the best name on this list. He is still a young defenseman at just 23 and is signed for three more years at 4.6 million. Any team would be lucky to add him.
The only issue with a Chychrun trade is the fact that the Coyotes are going to have a high asking price. I do not think a team competing for a championship is going to want to move on a deal like this during the year. Trading for Chychrun probably is something that would go down during the offseason and not during the deadline as it is going to involve a lot of pieces and will add a piece for the future probably not the impending playoff run.
19. Jake Allen – Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens have not been great this season. They are near the bottom of the standings and are not going to be in the playoffs this year. If they are interested in acquiring assets for the rebuild or retooling of this roster then trading their goaltender Jake Allen might be the safest bet.
There are teams out there looking for a netminder, and moving Allen would give them some draft capital back in return. With the general manager position vacant in Montreal this probably is not going to happen right now, but hey anything is possible.
20. Patrick Kane – Chicago Blackhawks
The last name on this list needs no introduction. The Blackhawks are bad, and they need to do whatever they can to help get this rebuild along. Trading their star forward Patrick Kane would definitely bring back some assets in return, plus it would give him a shot at a championship again.
Kane does have a no-movement clause so any deal involving him would need to be cleared by him ahead of time. While it is unlikely the Blackhawks do trade Kane if the team doesn’t start winning a Kane trade would definitely make for an interesting trade deadline and playoff run with whatever team he lands on.