Calgary Flames’ Noah Hanifin is new No. 1 on Daily Faceoff’s Trade Targets board

Credit: Noah Hanifin (© Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports)

In barely eight months on the job, Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy has turned pending free agents Tyler Toffoli, Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov into: one first-round pick, two third-round picks with the potential for a third on condition, one fifth-round pick, Yegor Sharangovich, Andrei Kuzmenko and prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo.

Conroy has moved quickly and dealt the premier rental center on the market, decimating the Trade Targets board. Lindholm was the No. 1 ranked player all season; Montreal’s Sean Monahan was No. 2, until they were moved within 48 hours of each other last week.

Now, Conroy has the rental defense market cornered as well. Teams have been salivating over the possibility of adding Chris Tanev. Now, if he wants, Conroy has the premier rental on the market as well in Noah Hanifin.

2024 Trade Deadline Countdown: 30 Days

With exactly one month to go until the NHL’s March 8 trade deadline, here is our latest Trade Targets board, which always seeks to blend a player’s market with the likelihood of a trade:

Trade Targets 🎯

1. Noah Hanifin
Left Defense, Calgary Flames
Age: 27
Stats: 50 GP, 9 G, 17 A, 26 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $4.95 million AAV
Scoop: They’ve been flexible and accommodating, but Flames need an answer from Hanifin. This is where the rubber meets the road. They put what was believed to be an eight-year, $60 million deal on the table early in the season – nearly exactly what Hanifin asked for – before he got cold feet and didn’t put pen to paper. That part hasn’t been all that comforting for the Flames, who knew last summer that his preference was to play in the U.S. long-term. But they’ve been cordial and kept the lines of communication open, still open to bringing him back. The Flames and Hanifin’s camp were scheduled to meet again this week with GM Craig Conroy needing an answer. If it’s a ’no,’ he’s got the premier rental defenseman on the market to move.

2. Chris Tanev
Right Defense, Calgary Flames
Age: 34
Stats: 47 GP, 1 G, 8 A, 9 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $4.5 million AAV
Scoop: Check out our deep dive on Tanev’s game. To get more juiced up, interested teams can just cue up his video from before the holidays in which he dove face first to quite literally eat a shot from the point. His reasoning? “Just trying to do whatever it takes to not get scored on,” Tanev said after the game. He oozes commitment and strong defensive play. He’s a warrior. It’s just also that willingness to do whatever it takes that gets him into trouble, as it seems like he’s going down the tunnel with a ding or dent on a near nightly basis. There are questions about his durability. But he’s only missed 20 games in 4 seasons with the Flames – and that makes him the perfect rental. But at least one non-playoff team (Ottawa) sees him as much more than that.

3. Adam Henrique
Center, Anaheim Ducks
Age: 34
Stats: 49 GP, 15 G, 18 A, 33 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $5.825 million AAV
Scoop: Is anyone more excited about the way the center market has shaped up than Ducks GM Pat Verbeek? Probably not. By process of elimination, Henrique has become the top rental center available with Lindholm and Monahan off the board. We took a long look at Henrique’s game to explain why he was always the third most attractive option after those two. But now, after both returned first-round picks, Henrique is all that’s left. That thin market has also caused teams to consider other options with term on their contract (see No. 5). But Henrique is eminently capable of holding down a second line center role. His footspeed has slowed, but his game is well thought-out and under control. His high Hockey IQ is a valuable commodity.

4. Marc-Andre Fleury
Goaltender, Minnesota Wild
Age: 39
Stats: 23 GP, 2.95 GAA, .897 Sv%
Contract: Pending UFA, $3.5 million AAV
Scoop: The Wild haven’t waved the white flag yet. And Fleury hasn’t raised his hand asking to be traded, which is the perfect reminder because he is in complete control of his destiny and destination with a full “no-move” clause. The 39-year-old has been asked to do a lot this season in Minnesota, sometimes without a lot of help in front of him. He has climbed to second all-time in wins and became the fourth goalie to hit 1,000 games played. But it sounds like if he is going to move before the deadline, the biggest question won’t just be best chance to win, but also how much an acquiring team intends to play him. Because Fleury wants to still be an impact piece.

5. Scott Laughton
Center, Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 29
Stats: 51 GP, 5 G, 15 A, 20 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $3 million AAV
Scoop: Three years ago, as the final minutes ticked down to the trade deadline, it was touch and go as to whether Laughton’s career with the Flyers would continue. He received significant interest on the market as a pending UFA, but the Flyers ultimately re-signed him to a five-year, $15 million extension. He still has two years left, but the Flyers have realized that the center market has gotten thin in a hurry with Lindholm and Monahan off the board, and Laughton may be a better alternative to teams than a rental in Henrique. His ice time has waned this season, down three minutes from last year, when he collected a career-high 18 goals as a conscientious two-way center with grit.

6. Sean Walker
Right Defense, Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 29
Stats: 51 GP, 5 G, 13 A, 18 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $2.65 million AAV
Scoop: Check out Walker’s in-depth trade deadline profile here. The Flyers are open to just about anything that will make them better for the long haul. In Los Angeles, Walker was as much of a cap casualty as he was a victim of a roster logjam – particularly on the right side of that defense. Sean Durzi was also moved and the Kings still have Drew Doughty, Jordan Spence, Matt Roy and then Brandt Clarke. Playing with fellow pending free agent Nick Seeler (see below), Walker is playing north of 21 minutes for the first time his career and is making the most of his new opportunity. The Flyers stand to reap the rewards of that, too.

7. Jake Allen
Goaltender, Montréal Canadiens
Ages: 33
Stats: 17 GP, 3.43 GAA, .901 Sv%
Contracts: 2 years remaining, $3.85 million AAV
Scoop: After moving Monahan, the Canadiens began making the rounds this week on Allen to size up the goalie market. One of the key aspects of the Monahan trade was not retaining any salary, keeping one slot open to either retain on Allen – or to use later at the deadline as a third-party broker. The Habs know it isn’t ideal to go through the entire season with three goalies. They love the growth in Cayden Primeau’s game. Allen is a calming veteran influence and well-respected teammate and tandem-mate. Now with Sam Montembeault extended, it is clear the crease is his for the longer view, and that makes Allen expendable to a team looking for experience and consistency.

8. Nic Dowd
Center, Washington Capitals
Age: 33
Stats: 39 GP, 7 G, 6 A, 13 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $1.3 million AAV
Scoop: To some casual fans, Dowd will feel like an ‘inside baseball’ addition to the Trade Targets board. But not to close Capitals observers. Dowd is a coach’s dream. He’s reliable, has great attention to detail in his game, and his work rate and work ethic are off the charts. He squeezes every drop out of his game. He’s hit double-digit goals each of the last three seasons. You can pencil him in for 25 points a year. And he’s chipped in a couple clutch playoff goals, too. For GMs, the interest will be strong, but the extra year on his deal at $1.3 million has them salivating.

9. Pavel Buchnevich
Left Wing, St. Louis Blues
Age: 28
Stats: 47 GP, 17 G, 22 A, 39 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $5.8 million AAV
Scoop: Is there a more unheralded point-per-game player in the league than Pavel Buchnevich? Hard to imagine. Buchnevich has 182 points in 183 games since arriving in St. Louis. It was a shrewd move then by GM Doug Armstrong to seize on the New York Rangers’ inability to pay him as an RFA. He cost just a second-round pick and Sammy Blais. Now, the prevailing thought among rival GMs is that Armstrong might cash in on Buchnevich before having to give him the next big raise. Because Buchnevich has played himself into a longer-term deal in the $7.5 to $8 million range per season. In the meantime, he’s more valuable to a team for two playoff runs at just $5.8 million than he is the Blues.

10. Jakob Chychrun
Left Defense, Ottawa Senators
Age: 25
Stats: 47 GP, 8 G, 20 A, 28 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $4.6 million AAV
Scoop: The Sens have been one of the most active teams in the league in recent weeks as they examine who will be part of their core for the long haul. Multiple teams have inquired about Chychrun, acquired from Arizona just 10 months ago, and they haven’t been told that Chychrun is unavailable. The truth is, the Senators have a logjam on the left side of their defense. Although Chychrun can play the right side, Thomas Chabot ($8 million) and Jake Sanderson ($8.05 million extension) are also both left-shooting defensemen. That’s $20.65 million in left-shooting defensemen, nearly a quarter of the total cap, and the question about an (expensive) extension for Chychrun will come up this summer. Ottawa has some important decisions to make.

11. Alexandre Carrier
Right Defense, Nashville Predators
Age: 27
Stats: 46 GP, 4 G, 10 A, 14 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $2.5 million AAV
Scoop: Carrier checks all the boxes when it comes to a trade deadline acquisition. He’s a rental who has been molded into a reliable, steady defender that can be a positive contributor at both ends of the ice, and he isn’t going to cost too much to add to your blueline. He is a plus-34 player for his career and has two Stanley Cup playoff series under his belt. The bigger question might be: Will the juice be worth the squeeze for Nashville? Or are the Preds better off keeping him relative to value in return?

12. Vladimir Tarasenko
Right Wing, Ottawa Senators
Age: 32
Stats: 45 GP, 13 G, 20 A, 33 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $5 million AAV
Scoop: Tarasenko changed agents for the second time in seventh months, hiring teammate Brady Tkachuk’s uncle, Craig Oster, of Newport Sports. What is he seeking with the agent change? We’re not entirely convinced the Senators want to move Tarasenko, who by the way owns a full “no-trade” clause. In what has been a disastrous season, sources say Tarasenko and Claude Giroux have been two important leading voices. They’ve been hugely beneficial to Ottawa’s younger guys mired in another lost season. Tarasenko has also produced above his pay rate. Sens GM Steve Staios admitted this week he hasn’t had discussions with Tarasenko on a contract. And even though he’s an easy UFA to cash in on, he’s not an absolute slam dunk to get traded.

13. Anthony Mantha
Right Wing, Washington Capitals
Age: 29
Stats: 44 GP, 15 G, 8 A, 23 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $5.7 million AAV
Scoop: Mantha is finding himself again under new coach Spencer Carbery. He’s up to 15 goals on the season, which is basically his best production since 2018-19 when he collected 25. He’s actually on pace for 27 over a full 78 games, which would be a new career high. The Capitals were ready to move on from Mantha last summer. At $5.7 million, though, that might prove a difficult contract to move. But maybe not if he continues at this pace, given the limited ice time. And if the Capitals are willing to retain half, that will help. It hasn’t quite been three years since the Capitals gave up a 1st, 2nd, Jakub Vrana and Richard Panik for him. Tough trade.

14. Brett Kulak
Left Defense, Edmonton Oilers
Age: 30
Stats: 46 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $2.75 million AAV
Scoop: The Oilers like Kulak. The Stony Plain, Alta., native likes playing in Edmonton. Full stop. It’s just that if the Oilers are going to manufacture salary cap space to make a big trade deadline acquisition, Kulak might have to be the casualty. Warren Foegele and Ryan McLeod have played well. Kulak does not have any trade protection. And swapping 22-year-old Philip Broberg with Kulak represents an immediate $2 million in savings on the cap. Broberg has played big minutes since going down to the AHL and has collected 14 points in 21 games. He’s ready to be in the NHL. And we know the Oilers are willing to make tough deadline decisions (Tyson Barrie) to improve.

15. Mikael Granlund
Center, San Jose Sharks
Age: 31
Stats: 38 GP, 5 G, 24 A, 29 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $5 million AAV
Scoop: Teams have kept a close eye on Granlund, who hasn’t played since Jan. 16 with an injury, but is skating and nearing a return. GM Mike Grier has spoken highly of Granlund since arriving from Pittsburgh as a cast-off in the Erik Karlsson trade. He really struggled with the Pens after being traded for a second-round pick last year, collecting just five points in 21 contests. Granlund looked a lot more like himself this year, netting 16 in his first 20 games as a Shark, and had eight even-strength points in one week in December. The Sharks only have one salary retention slot left, and they’re comfortable keeping him, but Granlund might bring the best trade return on their roster.

16. Brandon Duhaime
Left Wing, Minnesota Wild
Age: 26
Stats: 50 GP, 4 G, 2 A, 6 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $1.1 million AAV
Scoop: If you don’t watch the Wild play regularly, Duhaime’s stat line isn’t going to get you excited. But if you watch, his noticeable speed has certainly caught the attention of opposing teams. Duhaime is an ideal fourth line winger on a contender. He harnesses his speed and work ethic to be an aggressive, impact player on the forecheck. He makes smart plays. Last year, he chipped in with nine goals – nearly reaching double digits – and he barely cracks 10 minutes per night. He also has an edge and toughness to his game that is somewhat rare these days. Don’t be surprised to see a team take a swing on Duhaime.

17. Tyson Barrie
Right Defense, Nashville Predators
Age: 32
Stats: 32 GP, 1 G, 10 A, 11 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $4.5 million AAV
Scoop: Barrie has been grinding through a tough year in Nashville. He’s been a healthy scratch for a big chunk of the year and he’s been given permission to seek a trade. Put simply: When he does play, one of the best power play defensemen of his generation isn’t getting much of a look to create and increase his trade value. Barrie’s agent has been working the phones to try and find a fit at the deadline, so far to no avail. The good news for Barrie is he’s incredibly well respected as a locker room influence, one of the most connected players in the game, and every day that passes he gets just a little bit less expensive on the salary cap.

18. Matt Dumba
Right Defense, Arizona Coyotes
Age: 29
Stats: 44 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $3.9 million AAV
Scoop: Ready to return from injury, you can add Dumba to the list of rental, depth defensemen available ahead of the deadline. The Coyotes have scratched and clawed to try to make the playoffs, but they aren’t in a position where they can pass up any assets in return for their free agents. Dumba has been fine in the desert, if not unexceptional. A few teams kicked tires on him last year at the deadline in Minnesota, but his contract largely prevented a move. He lingered on the free agent market until Aug. 6, but Dumba could be a nice third pair addition on a contender at the right price.

19. Anthony Duclair
Left Wing, San Jose Sharks
Age: 28
Stats: 46 GP, 9 G, 8 A, 17 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $3 million AAV
Scoop: This season has gone in fits and starts for Duclair, who is highly motivated to be an impact player on a postseason team. The Sharks acquired Duclair from Florida in a salary cap dump, knowing that he might be a nice flippable asset at this time of year. The Duke hasn’t been able to get back to the 31-goal bar he set in 2021-22 in Florida – which has seen an Achilles tear get in the way. But he was really good for the Panthers in the playoffs last year on their run to the Final. His speed is still there, which makes him an attractive piece at a price that won’t break the bank.

20. Arthur Kaliyev
Winger, Los Angeles Kings
Age: 22
Stats: 38 GP, 6 G, 8 A, 14 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, $894,167 AAV
Scoop: The Kings are caught between a rock and a hard place with Kaliyev, who was an early second round pick in 2019. He’s clearly an NHL player – as evidenced by his 27 and 28-point seasons – but he’s on the outside of Todd McLellan’s lineup card. He’s also played too many games to be waiver eligible. So, he sits. Kaliyev has been a healthy scratch for four of the Kings’ last six games. He wants to play and feels like he’s deserved an opportunity to play. The tough part for the Kings is because he is sitting, he is a distressed asset, and they’re sledding uphill to try and find value in return. It might take a healthy dose of patience for all involved, or another player on another team who is in a similar situation.

21. Morgan Frost
Center, Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 24
Stats: 40 GP, 7 G, 15 A, 22 Pts
Contract: 1 more year, $2.1 million AAV
Scoop: Hold all tickets, but there may have been a breakthrough between John Tortorella and Frost several weeks ago, with Tortorella praising Frost for asking for a meeting and getting a few things off his chest. Up until that, things were, ahem, a little frosty between coach and player. Frost has been healthy scratched 11 times already this season. His ice time is down more than a minute from last season, when he put up 19 goals and 46 points. The Flyers aren’t opposed to moving Frost, but to this point, no team has stepped up with a legitimate offer for a change of scenery.

22. Jordan Greenway
Left Wing, Buffalo Sabres
Age: 26
Stats: 38 GP, 6 G, 8 A, 14 Pts
Contract: 1 more year, $3 million AAV
Scoop: It’s been a tough go in Buffalo for Greenway, who was acquired last year on Deadline Day from Minnesota in exchange for second and fifth-round picks. Greenway has posted seven goals in 45 total games with the Sabres. He’s missed chunks of time due to injury – and also missed a couple games this year for personal reasons. Nonetheless, teams are tantalized by his 6-foot-6 frame and a guy who put up some decent numbers in two shortened seasons with the Wild. He has a year left on that deal originally signed in Minnesota.

23. Jason Zucker
Left/Right Wing, Arizona Coyotes
Age: 32
Stats: 38 GP, 7 G, 10 A, 17 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $5.3 million AAV
Scoop: The Coyotes reached a bit with Zucker last summer, paying him a premium to take a one-year deal after a 27-goal season in Pittsburgh. Last year was a bit of a statistical outlier for Zucker, his best year since 2017-18, which also coincided with his best year for health in a while. Zucker has seen mostly middle six action with the Coyotes. The plus side to the premium of a one-year deal is that now Arizona can try to recoup some of that by moving him ahead of the deadline. Zucker does not have any no-trade protection. The down side is Zucker has struggled to produce in 46 career playoff games.

24. Mike Hoffman
Left Wing, San Jose Sharks
Age: 34
Stats: 49 GP, 8 G, 10 A, 18 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $4.5 million AAV
Scoop: The Sharks took on Hoffman’s contract as a salary cap dump in the Erik Karlsson trade (from Montreal) with the express intention of acquiring a flippable asset ahead of the March deadline. After a solid start to the season, that part is looking a bit in doubt now. He’s currently riding a 12-game scoring drought and has scored in one game since Nov. 25. He’s on track for 13 goals this year, and six of those game in a six-game stretch. The bright side: by the time March rolls around, with the amount remaining on his deal, teams might not even need San Jose to retain salary to bring him in. Hoffman has limited playoff experience but he’s scored at a slightly better rate in the postseason than the regular season.

25. Jon Merrill
Left Defense, Minnesota Wild
Age: 32
Stats: 34 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $1.2 million AAV
Scoop: He’s one of hockey’s true characters, and the Wild would like some salary cap flexibility heading into next season since Merrill still has one year left. A trade from Detroit to Montreal in 2021 helped put Merrill on the path to rejuvenating his career. He went for a fifth-round pick and Hayden Verbeek at the deadline, then helped the Habs reach the Stanley Cup Final. That earned him a shot in Minnesota, which he parlayed into a three-year extension that is probably one year too long for the Wild. Merrill is back to being an occasional healthy scratch. He’s a decent depth addition for an inexpensive price – and he’s rarely rattled under pressure.

26. Alexandre Texier
Left Wing, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 24
Stats: 48 GP, 8 G, 8 A, 16 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, $1.525 million AAV
Scoop: The Blue Jackets were publicly critical of Texier in discussing their brutal start to the season, lumping him in with a group of players they needed to see more from. He’s on the list of “change of scenery” players. A couple years ago, a few teams were interested when he had 20 points in 36 games, an intriguing name who then missed time with an injury and for personal reasons. Last season, Texier was loaned to Zurich in the Swiss National A league, and it tolled a year on his contract – which makes this year the final year of his deal.

27. Elvis Merzlikins
Goaltender, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 29
Stats: 28 GP, 3.22 GAA, .903 Sv%
Contract: 3 years remaining, $5.4 million AAV
Scoop: Did he? Didn’t he? It’s been a bizarre turn of events for Merzlikins in Columbus, who said that he requested a trade, and then the team said he did not. Semantics aside, the easiest way to explain it: Merzlikins needs a change of scenery. The Blue Jackets are keen to grant him one. However, his availability coincides with a market correction, which will likely see pay for mid-tier goalies squeezed considerably. Where does that leave Merzlikins with three years left? Not with much of a market to move, let alone for Columbus to extract value.

28. Nick Seeler
Left Defense, Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 30
Stats: 51 GP, 0 G, 7 A, 7 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $800,000 AAV
Scoop: After signing Owen Tippett and Ryan Poehling to extensions, they’re also leaning toward keeping Seeler now. I’ve been lobbying for a new nickname for Seeler: “Nicky Nails.” He is one of my favorite players to watch, a Human Nail Gun in action on a nightly basis. He is tough, he competes and he wrings every drop of out of his skillset through sheer effort. Did you know that Seeler is actually playing this season on a two-way contract that includes an AHL pay rate? He’s found a full-time NHL role under John Tortorella in Philadelphia, playing more than 17 minutes a night. Seeler is the ideal third pair defensive pick-up.

29. Tony DeAngelo
Right Defense, Carolina Hurricanes
Age: 28
Stats: 21 GP, 2 G, 7 A, 9 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $1.675 million AAV
Scoop: DeAngelo has languished has a healthy scratch of 27 of the last 32 games as the Canes have opted for Jalen Chatfield. Carolina likes Chatfield, who isn’t nearly as dynamic but seen by the team as a better defender and is a less expensive option on the right side. Chatfield earns less than half what DeAngelo does on the salary cap. DeAngelo has lingered for a while now on the trade market without much activity, which is interesting because other teams have selected less impactful defensemen off waivers, despite the fact that Carolina isn’t looking for anything in return for DeAngelo.

30. Jake Guentzel
Left Wing, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 29
Stats: 47 GP, 22 G, 28 A, 50 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $6 million AAV
Scoop: Guentzel is not in play just yet. His Pittsburgh Penguins sit five points out of a Wildcard spot but have three games in hand on Detroit. There have been vocal yelps from Pens players to hang on to Guentzel. And besides, GM Kyle Dubas owes this aging core every possible inch of runway to see if they can get in. If not, and it looks like they’ll miss for the second straight spring – even with Sidney Crosby turning back the clock – then Dubas will have little choice but to recoup as much as he can for an elite scoring winger. Guentzel would immediately become the most prized rental trade chip available before the deadline, which is certainly worth keeping an eye on.

31. Kevin Hayes
Center, St. Louis Blues
Age: 31
Stats: 49 GP, 10 G, 11 A, 21 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $3.57 AAV
Scoop: After getting acclimated in St. Louis, Hayes has been a pretty impactful player for the Blues, including an excellent December. Here’s where things get interesting: If the Blues are willing to retain half on Hayes’ contract, they could net a significant asset, with Hayes only counting as $1.785 million on the books for the next two years. He is on track for 20 goals and 40 points. He kills penalties. He is strong in his own end defensively. The Blues traded just a sixth-round pick to Philadelphia to get Hayes last summer. They could get back a lot more now for a relatively inexpensive, ideal third line center on a contender.

32. Jack Roslovic
Center / Right Wing, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 27
Stats: 27 GP, 2 G, 8 A, 10 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $4 million AAV
Scoop: Roslovic returned on Dec. 29 from an ankle injury that kept him out six weeks since mid-November. He has been quiet with two assist in the 13 games since. That said, he was off to a decent start to this season on a pure point production basis, though not sure anyone in Columbus feels particularly good about this year. Roslovic is a clearly talented player who has struggled to find consistency on a nightly basis in the NHL. Many thought a return home to Columbus would be the answer. At 26, some wonder if what he is now is set in stone, or whether someone can pull more out of him.

33. Andrew Peeke or Adam Boqvist
Defensemen, Columbus Blue Jackets
Ages: 25 / 23
Stats: 20 GP, 0 G, 6 A, 6 Pts / 20 GP, 0 G, 7 A, 7 Pts
Contracts: 2 years remaining, $2.75 million / 1 year remaining, $2.6 million (Boqvist RFA on expiration)
Scoop: The Blue Jackets have been looking to move a defenseman since training camp broke. Here’s the problem: neither Peeke nor Boqvist has much (if any) value. And Columbus is trying to clear a logjam on the back end. The Blue Jackets have hesitated to put either player on waivers, but even that might not clear up the problem. With term on both deals, it’s not likely either gets claimed. Peeke has been a healthy scratch for the bulk of the year and was a minus-41 last season. He could be trending toward an offseason buyout.

34. Kevin Labanc
Right Wing, San Jose Sharks
Age: 28
Stats: 32 GP, 2 G, 5 A, 7 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $4.725 million AAV
Scoop: It’s been an absolute slog in San Jose for Labanc, who began the season as a healthy scratch for consecutive games. Even when he’s been in the lineup, opportunity to produce has been scarce, seeing less than 10 minutes of ice time on nine occasions. It appears from the outside like Labanc’s confidence has been shattered. A fresh start is desperately needed. Will he get one? Tough to say a team is going to take a flier right now even with half retained – and the Sharks only have one salary cap retention spot left.

35. Trevor Zegras
Center, Anaheim Ducks
Age: 22
Stats: 20 GP, 4 G, 3 A, 7 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $5.75 million AAV
Scoop: To say that this season has been bumpy for Zegras would be kind. He missed most of training camp after the Ducks played hardball with his bridge deal, opting to pay him $5.75 million per year for three years, sending a message to the rest of the league that maybe they weren’t believers in him after back-to-back 60-point seasons. He scored just once in his first 12 games. Then Zegras missed the next six weeks (from Nov. 7 to Dec. 23) with a lower-body injury. And shortly after the holidays, one of his closest friends in Jamie Drysdale, was shipped off to the Flyers. Is Zegras next? He’s hurt again now, but Zegras is a name to watch this summer.

Next up: Joel Edmundson, Washington Capitals.

Traded: No. 1 Elias Lindholm; No. 2 Sean Monahan; No. 9 Andrei Kuzmenko.

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2024 Trade Deadline Countdown: 30 Days

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