Colorado’s Ross Colton joins Trade Targets as NHL trade market heats up

Credit: © Isaiah J. Downing

Boom. Two sizable trades on Wednesday and the NHL trade market is suddenly cooking with gas. The biggest change in the last 24 hours came on the goaltending market – where as many as half of the interested teams filled their void when New Jersey traded for Jacob Markstrom and Los Angeles swapped for Darcy Kuemper.

That leaves more goalies available than clear needs for starters – especially when you consider the quality in the Top 10 on our Trade Targets board with Boston’s Linus Ullmark, Nashville’s Juuse Saros and Minnesota’s Filip Gustavsson. Add in Laurent Brossoit on the free agent market on July 1 and there’s only so many teams looking, now down to Toronto, Ottawa and perhaps Colorado.

With one week until the hockey world convenes in Las Vegas for the Draft, here’s Daily Faceoff’s latest Trade Targets with 25 names in play:

Trade Targets 🎯

1. Mitch Marner
Right Wing, Toronto Maple Leafs
Age: 27
Stats: 69 GP, 26 G, 59 A, 85 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $10.9 million AAV
Scoop: President Brendan Shanahan said it: “We will consider everything,” and Marner is at the center of it all. He wants to be a Maple Leaf, that much is clear, as his camp has signaled he intends to play out his deal. But it’s way less clear if the Leafs want the one player who seems to crack under the pressure of the playoffs more than others. And it’s decision time. Marner is entering the last year of his deal, so it’s either time to extend him this summer, or move him. Yes, he holds the full ‘no-move’ clause, but if Toronto signals that no extension is coming, wouldn’t it be in Marner’s best interest facilitate a move to a preferred destination to play out a contract year?

2. Martin Necas
Right Wing, Carolina Hurricanes
Age: 25
Stats: 77 GP, 24 G, 29 A, 53 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, due $3.5 million qualifying offer
Scoop: There has been no shortage of interest and offers for Necas, but nothing tantalizing enough to make Carolina pull the trigger yet. Necas has apparently made it clear to the Canes that he’s looking for more opportunity, which is difficult to find with Seth Jarvis and Andrei Svechnikov ahead of you on the depth chart. More than half the league has made a serious inquiry to Carolina demonstrating that they really want to get their hands on Necas. Necas is due a sizable raise and that will need to be baked into the equation of a deal. Don’t sleep on the Blue Jackets with Necas’ old GM, Don Waddell, now in Columbus. Calgary, Boston, Chicago, Detroit and Nashville are also believed to be among the teams that have closely followed the action.

3. Nikolaj Ehlers
Left Wing, Winnipeg Jets
Age: 28
Stats: 82 GP, 25 G, 36 A, 61 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $6 million AAV
Scoop: If you take a look at his career arc and production, Ehlers is the model of consistency. But he might not be the model of predictability – for either the Jets’ coaching staff, now headed by Scott Arniel, or even his linemates. That likely makes him available as GM Kevin Cheveldayoff may tinker with his group a bit this summer following a disappointing first-round exit against Colorado. Winnipeg is all Ehlers has ever known, drafted No. 9 overall in 2014. He is also the only key member of the forward core who doesn’t have a long-term extension.

4. Linus Ullmark
Goaltender, Boston Bruins
Age: 30
Stats: 40 GP, 2.58 GAA, .915 Sv%
Contract: 1 year remaining, $5 million AAV
Scoop: The Bruins very nearly traded Ullmark to Los Angeles during deadline week, agreeing to a deal with the Kings that the reigning Vezina winner nixed with his ‘no-trade’ clause. GM Don Sweeney wasn’t thrilled at the time, but said last month: “You guys do a hell of a job figuring those things out, piecing them together.” Jeremy Swayman is clearly the goalie of the present and future in the Hub. And Ullmark will be one of the hottest commodities on the trade market over the next few weeks. In addition to the Kings, keep an eye on the Sens. Ullmark reminded us his ‘no-trade’ list is in place for a reason, though.

5. Patrik Laine
Right Wing, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 26
Contract: 2 years remaining, $8.7 million AAV
Stats: 18 GP, 6 G, 3 A, 19 Pts
Scoop: Laine has reportedly requested a “fresh start” outside of Columbus and new GM Don Waddell is working to accommodate that. When asked specifically about Laine last week on Frankly Speaking, Waddell said: “We want players that want to play for the Columbus Blue Jackets.” As he was making the rounds shortly after taking the reins, Waddell said the question he was posing to players was whether they’d like to be part of the solution or part of the problem. Laine’s availability has been problematic, playing just 18 games in 2023-24 and entering the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in late January. Waddell said he recently underwent a shoulder “cleanout” operation, but it wasn’t a major procedure and he should be back to full health soon. He also called Laine a “game breaker” and that part has always been true. He’s scored at a 34-goal pace while playing in Columbus, but he is a distressed asset to move now.

6. Ilya Mikheyev
Left Wing, Vancouver Canucks
Age: 29
Contract: 2 years remaining, $4.75 million AAV
Stats: 78 GP, 11 G, 20 A, 31 Pts
Scoop: The Canucks have been working to move Mikheyev since shortly after their playoff run concluded. They also offered him to teams around the trade deadline. After a tough playoff, Mikheyev’s contract is gumming up the works on Vancouver’s offseason. They can’t more aggressively pursue multiple pending free agents (Nikita Zadorov) until they can get clearer view of their cap picture. Mikheyev scored just one goal in the final 61 games of the season (including playoffs), which is hard to do. As a result, teams are asking the Canucks to attach an asset to Mikheyev to move him, something they are balking at – saying that it takes a full year to recover from ACL repair, and Mikheyev should be much better next season.

7. Jakob Chychrun
Left Defense, Ottawa Senators
Age: 26
Stats: 82 GP, 14 G, 27 A, 41 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $4.6 million AAV
Scoop: Chychrun had an excellent season. He shed the label of an oft-injured defenseman, playing 82 games for the first time in his career. He tied a career-best with 41 points and was four short of a career-high in goals. He’s played better in Canada’s capital than he did in the desert. That means he’s also due a raise. And the fact is the Sens can’t afford to pay upwards of $24-plus million to just the left side of their defense with Jake Sanderson ($8.05m) and Thomas Chabot ($8m) plus a new deal for Chychrun. In a perfect world, they’d probably prefer to move Chabot, but that might not be realistic with the term and dollars remaining on his deal.

8. Ross Colton
Center, Colorado Avalanche
Age: 27
Stats: 80 GP, 17 G, 23 A, 40 Pts
Contract: 3 years remaining, $4 million AAV
Scoop: It was less than one calendar year ago, June 28, that the Avs acquired Colton as a cap casualty from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Now, one year later, Colton could be the same for the Avalanche. Colton is coming off a career-best 40-point season, too. It’s just that Colorado has so many hurdles to clear on the cap this summer that Colton may be the odd man out. They have to clear space for Gabriel Landeskog to be activated at some point next season. They aren’t sure about the status of Valeri Nichushkin, who is in Stage 3 of the Player Assistance program after a drug-related issue during the playoffs for the second year in a row. And they’ve also prioritized the re-signing of Jonathan Drouin. The arrival of Casey Mittelstadt at center, who also needs a new deal, makes it easier to move Colton, who should have plenty of trade equity – but the Avs will have to act fast because Colton’s full ‘no-trade’ clause kicks in on July 1. He has no trade protection until then.

9. Filip Gustavsson
Goaltender, Minnesota Wild
Age: 25
Stats: 45 GP, 3.06 GAA, .899 Sv%
Contract: 2 years remaining, $3.75 million AAV
Scoop: The Wild are open for business and listening on Gustavsson, who one year ago at this time was considered the savior of their season and a driving force on why they made the playoffs. Gustavsson wasn’t nearly as good last season. Beloved Marc-Andre Fleury is back for his 40-year-old campaign. And 2021 first-round pick Jesper Wallstedt is waiting patiently, ready to be mentored by Fleury. It’s not that the Wild don’t like or trust Gustavsson. They just have flexibility at the position and moving Gustavsson would free up $3.75 million to be used somewhere else for a team with $15.1 million in dead cap space this season. There should be a market for a mid-tier option like Gustavsson.

10. Juuse Saros
Goaltender, Nashville Predators
Age: 29
Stats: 64 GP, 2.86 GAA, .906 Sv%
Contract: 1 year remaining, $5 million AAV
Scoop: One year ago, Preds GM Barry Trotz dangled Yaroslav Askarov in the hours before Round 1 of the Draft, looking to make a splash as hosts in Nashvegas. This year, it might be Saros who is on the move, after another impressive season for Askarov in AHL Milwaukee. It’s going to cost a ton, though. Nashville has no issue hanging onto Saros and re-signing the undersized Finn to a long-term deal. Saros was average in the Preds’ first-round loss to Vancouver, and he admitted that his next contract sometimes weighs on him.

11. Rights to Jake Guentzel
Left Wing, Carolina Hurricanes
Age: 29
Contract: Pending UFA
Stats: 77 GP, 30 G, 47 A, 77 Pts
Scoop: The Hurricanes had been in dialogue with Guentzel about a contract extension virtually since he was acquired at the trade deadline, to no avail. They’ve since let it be known that they’re willing to trade Guentzel’s signing rights to a team who wants to get a jump on the market in exchange for a mid-round pick. They’ll also help execute a sign-and-trade for any team interested in adding an eighth year to the contract to massage the cap hit. Guentzel enjoyed his run in Carolina. But he’s come this far, might as well see what the market bears. Over the last six seasons, Guentzel is 14th in goals, 17th in points per game and 29th in points.

12. Pavel Buchnevich
Center, St. Louis Blues
Age: 29
Contract: 1 year remaining, $5.8 million AAV
Stats: 80 GP, 27 G, 36 A, 63 Pts
Scoop: With 206 points in 216 games in St. Louis, Buchnevich might be the most quiet point-per-game producer in the league. He was a hot commodity at the trade deadline as the Blues were asking for three first-round equivalents to move him with two playoff runs remaining at a bargain rate. Here’s the thing: Buchnevich is going to be due a serious raise, in the $8+ million cap hit range. Is GM Doug Armstrong really going to pony up to pay Buchnevich on a long-term deal in St. Louis? They like Buchnevich, no doubt about that. But how long and how much are they willing to commit to him? He’s eligible to sign a new deal this summer. It’s about to get real.

13. Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Center, New York Islanders
Age: 31
Stats: 82 GP, 11 G, 22 A, 33 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $5 million AAV
Scoop: Eleven months ago, the Islanders traded a second-round pick to Chicago to take Josh Bailey’s $5 million cap hit off their hands. Last week, the Islanders traded down in the first-round – which is ultra rare one month out from the Draft – and received an extra second-round pick in the process. Will Lou Lamoriello use that extra capital in an attempt to entice someone to take Pageau? The difference between Pageau and Bailey is that Pageau has an extra year remaining. The Blackhawks bought out Bailey. Pageau still has game left, but not at that price, and the Isles only have $6 million in space to add five more players.

14. Reilly Smith
Left Wing, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 33
Stats: 76 GP, 13 G, 27 A, 40 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $5 million AAV
Scoop: Smith was no stranger to the Trade Targets board last season. Oddly, he didn’t seem to generate as much buzz or interest as other wingers. He has Stanley Cup pedigree and is a proven playoff performer. He still ended up with 40 points in 76 games in a year with a ton of change, moving from Vegas to Pittsburgh. The Penguins could well hang onto him. They want to compete and Smith could help that cause. But at $5 million, if they find someone with solid interest in Smith, they could re-jig their cap picture a bit and perhaps find multiple players to aid their depth for that amount of money instead of a guy who finished the season on their third line with Lars Eller and Valtteri Puustinen.

15. One St. Louis Blues Defenseman
Possibilities: Torey Krug, Nick Leddy, Justin Faulk
Scoop: It’s no secret. For a couple years now, Armstrong has been looking to shake up St. Louis’ defense corps, to no avail. He tried to move Krug last summer, who held firm on his ‘no-trade’ clause. Now what? The Blues are in the same spot. They missed the playoffs for the second consecutive spring. And as currently constituted, the defense isn’t changing for the next few years unless Armstrong makes a move. Krug, Leddy and Faulk all have ‘no-trade’ clauses, which has put the Blues in a bind. There would definitely be interest in Colton Parayko. But the 6-foot-6 blueliner is the one guy they should keep, under contract for the next six seasons at what will only be a more valuable $6.5 million.

16. Brandon Saad
Left Wing, St. Louis Blues
Age: 31
Contract: 2 years remaining, $4.5 million AAV
Stats: 82 GP, 26 G, 16 A, 42 Pts
Scoop: There are rumblings that Saad is available as GM Doug Armstrong checks market prices as part of his due diligence in a quest to make the Blues better. It’s a bit surprising considering Saad is coming off the second-best goal scoring season of his career, netting 26 last year to finish tied for fourth on the team with Robert Thomas. However, if you think about it from Armstrong’s perspective, this might be the exact time to cash in on Saad with strong value on the market considering the two years remaining on his deal. It’s also the same old, same old in St. Louis: Saad has a full ‘no-trade’ clause for one more year, and he also happens to have the same agent as Krug, who blocked a trade last summer with that very clause.

17. Morgan Frost
Center, Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 25
Stats: 71 GP, 13 G, 28 A, 41 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $2.1 million AAV
Scoop: After a rocky year that saw Frost sit as a healthy scratch for a chunk of time, it sure ended well. Frost closed the campaign with 30 points in 44 games in the 2024 calendar year. One thing that doesn’t appear to be changing: John Tortorella as Flyers coach. While some pushback from Frost seemed to do him well in Tortorella’s books, it’s not entirely clear whether they’ll ever see eye-to-eye. Or if Frost’s style of game will mesh with what Tortorella is looking for on a nightly basis. The Flyers see plenty of upside on Frost and wouldn’t hesitate to keep him. They’re also interested in anything creative thrown their way, so they’d be open to moving Frost and Joel Farabee and others in the right deal. But there hasn’t been much action on that front yet.

18. David Savard
Right Defense, Montréal Canadiens
Age: 33
Stats: 60 GP, 6 G, 18 A, 24 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $3.5 million AAV
Scoop: Last summer, the Habs unloaded another veteran defenseman in Joel Edmundson on July 1 in exchange for third and seventh-round picks. Savard is in a different position as a right-shooting defenseman, where there is a premium. But so are the Canadiens this time around. They will need a veteran presence to help shepherd the young guys through their lineup this season. But Montreal also has a bit of a logjam on defense, with plenty of right-shot guys coming. The Canadiens will be listening on Savard, even if they end up keeping him through the summer, to begin initial conversations in the lead-up to next year’s trade deadline.

19. Arthur Kaliyev
Right Wing, Los Angeles Kings
Age: 22
Stats: 51 GP, 7 G, 8 A, 15 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, due $874,125 qualifying offer
Scoop: The writing was on the wall for Kaliyev, the once promising prospect who was a healthy scratch for a huge chunk of the season – and all five playoff games against the Oilers. A reminder that all is not lost. Last year, Sean Walker was a healthy scratch for five Kings playoff games, was traded to Philadelphia, found his game again and will be one of the more sought-after defensemen on the free agent market this time around. It’s all about perspective. And Kaliyev has obvious talent, 13 and 14-goal seasons under his belt, as a waiver-required player who is trying to find his way.

20. Elvis Merzlikins
Goaltender, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 30
Stats: 41 GP, 3.45 GAA, .897 Sv%
Contract: 3 years remaining, $5.4 million AAV
Scoop: One of the first orders of business for new President and GM Waddell, aside from salivating over the Blue Jackets’ prospect pool, is to solve the Merzlikins issue. He made it clear that his trade request has been outstanding. And Waddell did say in his final press conference in Carolina that he didn’t have enough fingers or toes to count the players who wanted to be dealt in his tenure. Is there a fit for Merzlikins somewhere? His numbers are in the tank, but Columbus has had two dog-ass seasons, he wants a change of scenery, and he’s clearly a talented goalie. The belief is the Blue Jackets can find some traction on the trade market by retaining money.

21. Jeff Skinner
Left Wing, Buffalo Sabres
Age: 32
Stats: 74 GP, 24 G, 22 A, 46 Pts
Contract: 3 years remaining, $9 million AAV
Scoop: GM Kevyn Adams was vague on Thursday when asked about the possibility of a Skinner buyout, but added that “nothing was off the table.” To be sure, Skinner didn’t play last season anywhere close to a $9 million level – and the next three years do not look pretty from a cap perspective. A buyout still feels at least a little premature. Skinner is one year removed from an 82-point campaign. Skinner has 92 goals over the last three seasons and the Sabres ranked 23rd in goals last season. They need more scoring, not less. But if Buffalo didn’t pour cold water all over the notion of a buyout, then you can guarantee they’ve floated him in trade talks, and retaining is easier than a buyout. Plus, if there was a market for Dubois, surely someone would like Skinner at a discounted price.

22. Andrew Mangiapane
Left Wing, Calgary Flames
Age: 28
Stats: 75 GP, 14 G, 26 A, 40 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $5.8 million AAV
Scoop: If you view Mangiapane’s season through the prism of his entire career, with the exception of one statistical outlier in 2021-22, he pretty much nailed his averages this season. Approximately 16-18 goals (over a full 82 GP) and 38-42 points. The problem? Mangiapane was paid commensurately for that one outlier season, when he collected 35 goals and 55 points. It also came in a summer when the Flames lost Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, so there was reason to make sure they kept him. Now? Mangiapane will be walking next summer anyway, so might as well start conversations now, or keep him as a rental at the deadline.

23. Christian Dvorak
Center, Montréal Canadiens
Age: 28
Stats: 30 GP, 5 G, 4 A, 9 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $4.45 million AAV
Scoop: Dvorak has struggled to stay healthy in his time in Montréal, missing 96 games over his three-season tenure. He was acquired by the Marc Bergevin regime in September 2021 from Arizona in exchange for first and second-round picks, one of which is in this June’s Draft (No. 37 overall). It’s clear that Dvorak hasn’t worked out with the Habs. Even when healthy, he hasn’t been able to break through the ceiling that initially indicated promise in Arizona. Montreal will be moving on from him, the only questions are when (now or later) and how (trade or free agency).

24. Darnell Nurse
Left Defense, Edmonton Oilers
Age: 28
Stats: 81 GP, 10 G, 22 A, 32 Pts
Contract: 6 years remaining, $9.25 million AAV
Scoop: We outlined the short and long-term problem that Nurse presents for the Oilers on Tuesday. This would be a difficult, complicated transaction to tackle – and there are so many unknowns now, including: who will be the next GM in Edmonton? What will his view of the situation be? At the very least, the Oilers should be looking for ways to be creative, maybe swap one problematic contract for another. Because Nurse could rebound into a solid Top 4 defender. But he’s already not on the first unit power play or penalty kill, he’s stuck on the second pair, and that doesn’t leave him much opportunity to play up to his $9.25 million cap hit. Other teams are already leery of his contract structure with regards to the $24 million in backloaded signing bonus that makes it almost impossible to buy out.

25. Trevor Zegras
Center, Anaheim Ducks
Age: 23
Contract: 2 years remaining, $5.75 million AAV
Stats: 31 GP, 5 G, 9 A, 15 Pts
Scoop: This season was a grind for Zegras. Period. Full stop. He was late to camp after GM Pat Verbeek ground him down on a bridge deal. Then he was injured (twice) and missed a total of 51 games. Zegras was believed to be part of the group of players pressured to participate in offseason training activities in Florida, which earned the Ducks a $50,000 fine. Oh, yeah, and his close friend Jamie Drysdale was traded to Philadelphia. There has definitely been some friction there. And the belief is the Ducks aren’t sold Zegras can add dimensions to his game. But he finished the season on a high note with eight points in eight games. Was that to show teams watching he can do it? Or to show the Ducks?

TRADED: No. 8 Jacob Markstrom.

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Colorado’s Ross Colton joins Trade Targets as NHL trade market heats up

Trade Targets 🎯

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