2025 NHL Trade Deadline: Nine prospects who could be on the move

Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports

With less than two months until the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline on March 7, we’re delivering at least one deadline-focused story every day at Daily Faceoff.

Today, we look at some of the top NHL prospects who could be moved over the coming weeks:

2025 NHL Trade Deadline Countdown: 38 days

Nothing is guaranteed in sports, especially in a game that can be as random as hockey. Many GMs don’t care about what the club’s going to look like in five years due to how much turnover happens on an annual basis.

You’ll get the rare long-term NHL GMs – Doug Armstrong has been in his job in St. Louis since 2010, longer than anyone else. A total of 20 current GMs didn’t hold their positions when the league shut down operations due to COVID-19 in 2020, including two of the past three Stanley Cup champions.

So, while you always want to have a cupboard of quality future assets ready to go, the reality is GMs often need to focus on the present more than what lies ahead. Sometimes, that means trading major assets to get help, such as former Carolina Hurricanes GM Don Waddell sending three prospects and two draft picks (and forward Michael Bunting) to get a couple of months of decent hockey from Jake Guentzel.

Today, we’re looking at nine prospects who could be moved before the deadline this year. In the cases of each, they play on a team that projects to go all-in, are part of a positional logjam or might just need a change of scenery.

This isn’t linking any players to specific trade rumors or requests, but don’t be surprised if these guys are moved to bring in immediate help.

Aleksi Heimosalmi, D, 21 (Carolina Hurricanes)

The Hurricanes have some solid defensive depth, with Alexander Nikishin, Dominik Badinka, Scott Morrow, Noel Fransén, Timur Kol and Simon Forsmark making up a solid depth chart. And that doesn’t include veterans Scott Walker and Jaccob Slavin, who are both signed to long-term deals. Eventually, the Hurricanes will ned to fill some open roster spots as the vets move on, but given they have four active defenders signed until at least the end of 2026-27, earning a spot on this team could prove to be difficult.

Heimosalmi, though, could be an attractive trade piece. The Hurricanes traded for Mikko Rantanen over the weekend, but they’re likely not done. Heimosalmi is in his first year in North America, and he’s having a solid showing with a 20-point pace. He has never been a high-end offensive option, but he is skilled and is a tremendous skater. Heimosalmi has fallen down Carolina’s depth chart a bit, but plenty of organizations could use the 2021 second-rounder.

Antonio Stranges, LW, 22 (Dallas Stars)

Stranges is having a breakout season with the Texas Stars, putting himself on pace for 70 points in as many games. That’s a huge bump up from his first full AHL campaign last year when he had just 23 points in 55 outings – far below his 19-game run with 12 points in 2022-23. Stranges will be 23 at the time of the deadline, so he’s still young enough to be of interest to teams as a nice value-added piece when sending help to Dallas.

Mavrik Bourque might be a better trade piece for the Stars, but moving him wouldn’t be ideal. Stranges has never been projected to be a guy who could thrive in the bottom six because he lacks physicality and can struggle defensively. With the puck – both at speed and in a standstill – Stranges can compete with just about anyone, and a team looking to take a chance on the highly skilled winger could turn him into a solid NHLer.

One of Carter George/Hampton Slukynsky/Erik Portillo, G (Los Angeles Kings)

The Kings have the deepest goaltending pipeline in the league, which could give them incredible leverage. It’s not every day a team moves a top young keeper (the Kings did get Portillo in a deal from Buffalo a few years ago due to the Sabres’ own depth), and they could move one of them to snag a solid return. George’s stock is at an all-time high after an outstanding World Juniors and given how he’s carrying Owen Sound this year. Slukynsky, meanwhile, hasn’t played a ton of hockey for Western Michigan this year but should become the team’s No. 1 after Cameron Rowe finishes his college career. Slukynsky has been a standout at every level and should earn plenty of interest if the Kings look to buy in this year.

Both goaltenders are still a few years away from pro hockey, though. Portillo, meanwhile, is a 24-year-old who won his NHL debut earlier this year and is in the midst of another solid season in the AHL. He’s currently sharing the net with veteran Pheonix Copley, which is limiting Portillo’s playing time. There doesn’t seem to be a good, short-term route to him getting consistent NHL time, so he could be an interesting trade piece for a team needing some organizational depth.

Simon Nemec, D, 20 (New Jersey Devils)

Nemec turned some heads recently when he suggested to a Slovakian news outlet that he was unhappy with being in the American Hockey League after spending most of 2023-24 with the Devils. Had it not been for an abundance of injuries to the main club last year, Nemec likely would have remained in the minors for at least a second year before attempting to go full-time this time around. The 20-year-old D did start the season in the NHL, but he ultimately was sent back to Utica, where he has thrived.

But after getting selected second overall three seasons ago, you have to wonder if Nemec is in the team’s long-term plans. Based on his play in Utica, there’s a good argument that he doesn’t have much more to prove in the AHL. And while he plays a different game than Anton Silayev and Seamus Casey, perhaps Nemec is expendable at this point. He still has to prove he can be a consistent NHL contributor, but maybe that’ll be elsewhere.

Rutger McGroarty, LW, 20 (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Would the Penguins move on from a guy they traded another top prospect (Brayden Yager) to get just this past summer? Some scouts around the NHL have wondered about that. The highly rated prospect struggled in training camp and was ultimately sent down to the AHL after just three NHL games. It hasn’t been smooth sailing for McGroarty in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, with his 19 points tying him for seventh in team scoring.

McGroarty does so much with and without the puck that sometimes can be overlooked. He has size and speed, and the offense has been incredible this year, with him blasting past the 50-point mark as a sophomore in college. McGroarty battles so hard, so he does have an impact away from the puck. But there are still many who expect more from him, and it’ll be interesting to see if a team tries to buy low on him before the deadline.

Topi Niemelä, D, 22 (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Niemelä has been one of Toronto’s top prospects for about half a decade now, but he still hasn’t seen any NHL action to date. Under GM Brad Treliving, the team has looked to add grit and size to the back end, so the six-foot Niemelä has been slightly lost in the shuffle. He has also taken a step back production-wise with the Marlies while not showing a ton of progress with and without the puck, either.

But there are still many who think Niemelä can be an NHL defenseman. A fantastic showing during the two-game series against the Montreal Canadiens in September turned some heads, which is nice. Niemelä doesn’t have explosive speed and isn’t outstanding in any other skill – instead, he beats defenders with his play-reads and ability to get the puck out of the zone. The Leafs should be willing to move on from him at the deadline, even if Niemelä wouldn’t bring back the type of impact player that Easton Cowan would.

Brendan Brisson, LW/RW, 23 (Vegas Golden Knights)

Brisson is one of just a couple of first-rounders the Golden Knights haven’t traded yet, but it might make sense for both parties to move on. Taken 29th overall in 2020, Brisson showed promise after an electric two-year run at the University of Michigan, but there just hasn’t been enough progress in the AHL to suggest he’s a good fit for the Golden Knights moving forward.

In fact, this has been his least productive season to date. He had 19 goals and 38 points in Henderson last year and a decent eight points in 15 NHL games. This year, he hasn’t registered a single point in Vegas and has just four goals and 14 points in 31 AHL games – giving him a career-low rate of 28 points in 62 AHL outings. Being 13th in team scoring isn’t doing him many favors. Some scouts feel like he still has a decent ceiling, and his ability to play equally well on both wings helps. But as it stands, it just doesn’t seem like he’s ever going to make it work in Nevada.

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