5 under the radar names that could be acquired at the trade deadline

In just two weeks, the NHL will be thrown into chaos as multiple top contending teams search for the missing piece to their potential Stanley Cup run. Every year, there are certain players that every team seems to be linked to.

In 2022, several teams were linked to players such as Mark Giordano, Claude Giroux, and Hampus Lindholm before they were traded to Toronto, Florida, and Boston, respectively.

Last season, the St. Louis Blues' fire sale was the talk of the league with players like Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O'Reilly being shipped out of town.

This season, the focus is on the Calgary Flames and their potential roster shakeup. Elias Lindholm has already left and Noah Hanifin, Jacob Markstrom, and Christopher Tanev may follow suit. Many of the top teams in the league are interested in acquiring a Flames player.

The NHL has a lot of players that could be moved this trade deadline season

However, there are several good players available before the deadline in the coming weeks. Many believe that this could be one of the craziest deadlines that we have seen in recent memory, with players like Jake Guentzel, Pavel Buchnevich, and even Jusse Saros potentially being on the move.

However, the crop of talent does not stop there as several players that can provide a spark to a contending team that is not being talked about enough.

This list could be extensive but here are the four names that could be looked at as potential steals and difference-makers when the deadline wraps itself up on March 8th.

Anthony Duclair is someone that could be on the move this year.

Anthony Duclair was once one of the most underrated goal scorers in the NHL putting up back-to-back 20-goal seasons for the Florida Panthers from 2020-2022. He helped them make a push to the Stanley Cup Final last season when he came back from injury.

However, due to cap restraints he was traded to the rebuilding Sharks and has struggled to produce on a very poor and thin roster.

With just 19 points in 50 games, the return value of Anthony Duclair will not be much for the San Jose Sharks which presents him as a perfect buy-low candidate for a contending team needing middle-six goal-scoring upside.

As a pending UFA at the end of the season and a cap hit of only 3 million dollars, Duclair will not cost a lot for a contending team like the New York Rangers or Carolina Hurricanes if they strike out on the major names available like a Frank Vatrano, Vladimir Tarasenko or Pavel Buchnevich.

Jordan Eberle is someone that the Seattle Kraken might move on from.

The Seattle Kraken are in an interesting spot this trade deadline. Only sitting a few points out of the second wild-card spot, they could choose to keep the team together and make a push for the playoffs.

Given Joey Daccord's play in the net, he could steal a series for the Kraken and help them advance a round. However, although not impossible, it is highly unlikely. The Kraken are listening to trade offers on some of their pending free agents.

Jordan Eberle is a leader on this team that would be a tough loss for Seattle. Although that may be true, the return for Eberle could be too much to pass up as a contending team would be willing to throw multiple assets at the pending free agent to bolster their top six.

At a cap hit of 5.5 million dollars, Seattle could look to retain salary to maximize the value of Eberle in a trade that could bring back a first-round pick and more.

The obvious fit for Eberle is his former team in the Edmonton Oilers who are desperately looking to add a forward within their top six. Eberle, who spent his first seven seasons with the team, would be a natural fit for the Oilers in their hopes for a deep playoff run.

Philip Broberg would be great for someone looking for a defenseman

The Edmonton Oilers are going to try and be buyers at the deadline to bring in some star power now that they're firmly in the Stanley Cup race. If they're going to do so, former first-round pick Philip Broberg is almost certainly going to be going in the package back.

The former top-ten pick back in 2019 has had trouble finding his way in Edmonton. Appearing in 79 games for the Oilers since making his debut in 2021, Broberg has yet to spend more than half a season up in the NHL.

After failing to find consistent minutes with the Edmonton Oilers, it could benefit Broberg to be sent elsewhere in a trade for a top player for Broberg to try and unleash any untapped potential he has.

It would be a surprise if Broberg gets moved in a deal that doesn't involve Edmonton getting a major piece in return but a team could look to buy low on Broberg if the Oilers make him available.

Teams like St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Seattle all could look to acquire Broberg if they are intending to move one of their wingers that are on the trade block.

Nic Dowd is a forward that the Washington Capitals could trade away

Usually, the center market at the trade deadline is the most coveted among all positions. However, this year the lack of impact centers available at the deadline has allowed some interesting names to float to the top of the buyer's radar.

Nic Dowd is not a household name and he is not much of a point-getter. However, he is one of the best defensive forwards in the entire NHL and is great in the faceoff circle.

When post-season play comes around puck possession off the draw and shutdown defense in the middle of the ice are incredibly important. Dowd is one of the league's best at both.

Washington could look to capitalize on the value of Dowd's defensive prowess and gather a first-round pick from a contending team but a trade structured to the Tanner Jeannot trade to Tampa Bay last season is a likely outcome.

At 1.3 million dollars for the next two years, Dowd could be a buy-low candidate for a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs or Dallas Stars looking to take their team to the next level defensively.