4 potential National Hockey League trade deadline deals

The NHL trade deadline is always one of the most exciting times of the year. With new faces in new places, all teams are invested in building their team up for the now or the future.

Suspense builds this time of year as fans clamor to know if their favorite team will be adding a significant piece to pursue Stanley Cup aspirations or trading away their favorite player with an eye toward a rebuild to set up future success. 

With trades already made involving high-end pieces and big-time Canadian markets like Elias Lindholm going from Calgary to Vancouver and Sean Monahan going from Montreal to Winnipeg, fans were able to catch a glimpse of the potential chaos that the trade deadline could bring.

However, things feel a little different than in years past. This season, it appears that there are only a handful of teams buying players while the majority of teams in the middle or near the bottom of the league like Calgary and Anaheim want to try and sell multiple pieces to acquire future assets.

There are a lot of trades that could be made before the NHL Trade Deadline

This creates an unbalanced market and could allow for buying teams to get some steals on the trade block. With that being said, there are still several intriguing names that bring a lot of value that are being discussed as possible trade chips for this NHL trade deadline coming up on March 8th.

With just over two weeks until the deadline approaches, it would be a fun exercise to go over some potential trades that could occur over the next few weeks.

Keep in mind these are hypothetical and not all of them are perfect but these trades have been made with what the realistic value and return for these teams and assets could be come March 8th. 

The New York Rangers could turn to the Anaheim Ducks for forward depth

New York Rangers Receive: Adam Henrique (50% retained)  (F) & Frank Vatrano (F)

Anaheim Ducks Receive: Kaapo Kakko (F), Barclay Goodrow (F), 2025 1st & 2026 3rd

It is no secret that the New York Rangers are looking for forward help. Especially at the center position. They are a team that lacks depth scoring outside of their top 4-5 forwards and is a team that has become reliant on power-play goals (although lately, that has struggled mightily too).

When looking at this team they need some help in the middle six, especially even more so now that Blake Wheeler is likely out for the season with a leg injury.

Giving up on Kaapo Kakko is not going to be an easy thing to do. Rangers fans saw this happen with Alexis Lafreniere the previous two years about potentially moving on from him and now he has blossomed into a very good hockey player and is producing at a half-point per game pace.

But something feels different with Kaako. His minutes are sheltered and he seems to have lost a role with this team. If the Rangers want to add at this trade deadline, Kaako is their biggest and best bargaining chip. Sending him to Anaheim is a great move for both parties.

For Anaheim, the fit is obvious. A developing young player who will fit the timeline of the Ducks way better than in New York.

Kakko will get a chance to play more minutes and grow his game alongside several younger pieces in Anaheim. In this deal, the Ducks would move on from two veterans after the season has yet again not gone the way they expected.

Henrique, a long-time Duck, gets moved in the final year of his contract and provides the Rangers with that third-line center they have desperately needed since Filip Chytil devastatingly went down with severe head injuries.

As for Frank Vatrano, New York gets back a familiar face. Vatrano is producing at an incredible pace this season with 24 goals and 42 points in 54 games. His contract looks like a value right now but being 30 puts him on the wrong side of the timeline for the Ducks.

Anaheim could ask for a prospect as well in this deal but in this scenario, the Rangers give up two picks instead of just the first-rounder. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames could go for another trade

Toronto Maple Leafs Receive: Noah Hanifin (D) 

Calgary Flames Receive: 2024 1st, Nicholas Robertson (F) & Timothy Liljegren (D)

The Toronto Maple Leafs seem to always be in the market for a defenseman this time of year. Last season they went out and got Jake McCabe, who has turned out to be a great addition to the blue line.

It has been evident this season that the Maple Leafs only have two defensemen worthy of a Top 4 spot on their roster, Morgan Reilly and Jake McCabe.

TJ Brodie has not played well this season and Timothy Liljegren has not progressed the way that many had hoped for him. This defensive unit is a mess and needs some serious overhaul.

Luckily for Toronto, there are several top-quality defensemen available at the deadline. Christopher Tanev, Jakob Chykrun, Colton Parayko, and Sean Walker were all names that were wrestled around here before landing on arguably the best player available at the deadline this year in Noah Hanifin.

Hanifin is an expiring contract and he is one of the most sought-after names available at this year’s deadline. That would be a natural fit for the Toronto Maple Leafs alongside Morgan Reilly finally stabilizing the top pairing for the Maple Leafs.

There is a world where Toronto tries to acquire both Hanifin and Tanev but in this scenario, the Leafs just grab Hanifin for a first, Nick Robertson and Liljegren. 

Parting with Robertson is going to be a tough pill for the Leafs. He has been a young player they have coveted for a few seasons and he finally is having stable ice time this season but the production has just not been there.

Moving him in this deal gives Calgary another young piece that they can add to their shallow prospect pool and group of younger NHL players to hopefully develop into a piece of their future.

With Auston Matthews playing the way he is this season, Toronto has to swing for the fences to try and capitalize on an Eastern Conference that has lacked separation and elite teams at the top for the majority of the year.

The New Jersey Devils could use some goaltending help this year

New Jersey Devils Receive: Jusse Saros (G)

Nashville Predators Receive: 2024 1st, Alexander Holtz (F) & Seamus Casey (D)

At the beginning of the season, if we were told that the New Jersey Devils would be out of a playoff spot post-all-star break, most people would have been confused.

Here we are in the middle of February and the Devils are four points out of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Most of this can be traced back to both superstar centers Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier missing multiple weeks throughout the beginning of the year due to injury but the goaltending has not been consistent for the Devils. 

Both Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid have above a 3.10 GAA and less than a .900 save percentage on the season. Even with the emergence of Nico Daws in recent weeks, if the Devils want to be a contender they need to swing for the fences and get an elite netminder.

Jusse Saros of the Nashville Predators is an option for them to consider as the trade deadline approaches.

Nashville is a team that is looking to retool on the fly and has a great young goaltender in Yaroslav Askarov who can take over the duties full-time for the Predators.

Jusse Saros has struggled this year but is still seen as a top-tier goaltender in the league and rightfully so. Nashville knows they can get a haul for him and a team like the New Jersey Devils that have a plethora of assets could give the Predators exactly what they are looking for. 

Because Saros is still under contract for another year after this season at just $5 million, he will cost a lot of assets. Nashville should be looking for a first-rounder, a top prospect, and an NHL-level player in return. In this deal, that is exactly what they get.

Alexander Holtz is still a young player that can develop into a top 6 forward but at the very least is a middle-six winger with scoring upside. Seamus Casey is one of the best prospects in the entire NHL.

With Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec already in the NHL, the Devils could look to want to keep Casey to truly solidify their blue line full of young talent, but to get a player of Saros’ caliber an elite prospect or elite NHL player will needed to be included to make the deal work. 

Nashville will get to reload their prospect pool with the addition of Casey and New Jersey can add an elite goaltender in Saros while cup-chasing in an Eastern Conference that is available for the taking.

In a corresponding move, Vitek Vanecek will likely be getting dealt from New Jersey to make room for Saros. The Devils give up a lot in this deal but it is not every day that a player of Saros’ caliber could be made available.