This post was originally published on this site.
We’re less than a month away from the NHL’s March 6 trade deadline. That means teams have only a handful of games remaining before their front offices need to make big decisions.
With the NHL season on hold during the Milan Cortina Olympics, it’s a perfect time to survey our latest Big Board and identify some intriguing fits.
Enjoy our latest version of trade-board matchmaker.
Robert Thomas
Team: St. Louis Blues
Position: Center
Shoots: Right
Age: 26
Contract term: 2031 UFA
Current cap hit: $8,125,000
Trade Board ranking: No. 5
Advertisement
Johnston: Los Angeles Kings
Acquiring Artemi Panarin just before the roster freeze kicked in was a major splash dripping with “win now” ambitions, but it didn’t address the organization’s biggest need moving forward.
The Kings still have a chance to replace Anze Kopitar’s minutes before he officially retires after the season.
Even if Thomas isn’t quite at the Selke Trophy level the Kings have come to count on from Kopitar, he is a bona fide No. 1 center who is under contract into his early 30s. It’s not too often a player fitting that profile is available on the NHL’s trade market. This is a rare opportunity.
One of the best parts of the Panarin trade for the Kings is that they didn’t have to surrender any premium assets to complete it. The Blues are going to need a haul to part with Thomas, but the Kings are in a position to make an aggressive bid with first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 still in the cupboard, plus other young players and prospects to deal.
Mirtle: Carolina Hurricanes
Something tells me that Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky is going to keep swinging on the biggest fish until one is reeled in for the long term.
The Hurricanes have missed on Artemi Panarin, Mitch Marner and (sort of) Mikko Rantanen and Jake Guentzel of late, but Thomas would be an even better fit as a center, given he’d allow Logan Stankoven to shift to the wing and give Carolina two higher-end scoring lines.
Thomas has a full no-trade clause in his deal and five years remaining, so some of this would be contingent on where his head is at, but cap space and playing time won’t be an issue in Raleigh. His exceptional vision and two-way ability would fit in well under coach Rod Brind’Amour.
Unlike most of the league’s contenders, the Hurricanes have a first-round pick this year, too: the one they received from the Stars for Rantanen at last year’s deadline. But it’ll take a bigger haul than that to coax the Blues to give up one of their biggest stars.
Shane Wright
Team: Seattle Kraken
Position: Center
Shoots: Right
Age: 22
Contract term: 2027 RFA
Current cap hit: $886,666
Trade Board ranking: No. 4
Advertisement
Johnston: Winnipeg Jets
The Jets need to search out opportunities amid a step-back season, and the possibility of bringing in Wright could put the organization on a stronger footing moving forward.
For starters, the perpetual cycle of needing to acquire a second-line center at the trade deadline every year would immediately be stopped.
That’s a win in and of itself.
Of course, there’s going to be risk attached to any trade for a 22-year-old selected near the top of his draft class who is still playing on an entry-level contract. The Kraken are going to need something enticing in return, like Cole Perfetti, who is two years older than Wright and still has room to grow.
But given how sideways things have gone in Winnipeg in recent months, it’s a good time to take a swing. Fortune favors the bold.
Mirtle: New York Rangers
The Kraken are looking for a gamebreaker — and already took a big run at Artemi Panarin — so why not keep talking to Rangers GM Chris Drury and see if there’s a fit for another high-end piece as they try to surprise in the wide-open Pacific?
With the Rangers in retool/rebuild mode, they’ll likely find the former No. 4 pick (2022) enticing, especially if the acquisition cost is a package involving an older player (Vincent Trocheck) or an underperformer (Alexis Lafrenière).
Wright just turned 22 and has the high IQ that could allow him to develop into more of an offensive threat over time, especially if given more opportunity than the 13 minutes and change he’s had per night in Seattle this season. This could be a change of scenery deal on both sides, and sometimes those can pay off with surprising results.
Nazem Kadri
Team: Calgary Flames
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Age: 35
Contract term: 2029 UFA
Current cap hit: $7,000,000
Trade Board ranking: No. 9
Johnston: Montreal Canadiens
Even after acquiring Phillip Danault earlier in the season, the Canadiens could still use another center to strengthen their ability to go on a playoff run.
Advertisement
Kadri is a competitor who would immediately raise the ceiling in Montreal. While there’s legitimate concern around how well his contract will age, with another three seasons remaining after this one, the fact he would be in favor of a move to the Habs, according to league sources, should bring a measure of comfort. Kadri has a 13-team no-trade list, and Montreal isn’t on it
Acquisition cost shouldn’t be a significant barrier here, given the term left on Kadri’s deal, while the potential upside is apparent for anyone who watched him elevate during multiple long playoff runs with the Colorado Avalanche.
There was a time when Montreal might have held out hope Sidney Crosby would become available on the trade market, but that ship has now sailed with the Pittsburgh Penguins in a playoff spot. Surveying the list of other veteran centers available, they might not get a shot to add anyone better than Kadri.
Mirtle: Minnesota Wild
Another team with an obvious gap down the middle that a savvy veteran could help to fill.
The Wild have been excellent since their huge swing on Quinn Hughes, but they know they need another pivot to get out of the Central given the Avs’ and Stars’ depth. Kadri has been there and won before, with Colorado in 2022, and would fit in well with any of Minnesota’s big-shooting wingers. He plays on both sides of the puck and elevate in big moments.
Kadri is on the back nine in his career and has had a tough stretch of late in Calgary, but he’s also likely to be somewhat cheap given his cap hit and the term left on his deal. And Minnesota is well-positioned to absorb his salary, with a potential extension for Hughes still 18 months away.
Dougie Hamilton
Team: New Jersey Devils
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Right
Age: 32
Contract term: 2028 UFA
Current cap hit: $9,000,000
Trade Board ranking: No. 6
Advertisement
Johnston: Carolina Hurricanes
Hamilton enjoyed three productive seasons in Raleigh, N.C., before getting a free-agent offer he couldn’t refuse from the Devils in 2022. However, the relationship ended on good terms, and there would be obvious comfort from both sides with a reunion.
Acquiring Hamilton as a mildly distressed asset also fits the profile of how the Hurricanes tend to do business.
The Devils may not have the same urgency to trade the veteran defenseman as they did earlier in the season because of an injury to Luke Hughes, but it’s no secret that they’re looking to get out from under the weight of Hamilton’s contract amid a terribly disappointing season.
Hamilton has battled injuries the past couple of seasons, but there have been some recent signs of strong play. That’s critical for a team with Stanley Cup ambitions. And while Carolina may not have a glaring hole in its lineup that needs patching, the Hurricanes are a team forever looking for upgrades that make sense wherever they can find them.
Mirtle: Toronto Maple Leafs
I was told by a league source that this was highly unlikely in mid-January, but call me stubborn: There’s a good fit here, should the Devils decide to sell low on the big right-shot defenseman.
The retooling Leafs need to remake their defense to have more of a playmaking element, and with Chris Tanev (injuries) and Morgan Rielly (underperformance) both having cloudy futures in Toronto, there are going to be cap dollars and big minutes available.
The Leafs’ first attempts at a deal here, per the source, were contingent on a lot of retention — understandably not ideal for New Jersey — but what if they opted to take on the bulk of the AAV? Toronto lacks many high-end picks or prospects, but if this becomes a cap dump, Hamilton brings an intriguing mix, including the ability to quarterback a top power play with star talent.
And cap room is no longer an issue in Toronto.
The Leafs are going to have to get a lot bolder and take some chances to right the ship next season; swinging hard on an oft-injured $9 million reclamation project qualifies.