Nashville’s Mattias Ekholm is available on first 2023 Trade Targets board
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Happy New Year. Welcome to 2023, where now on the other side of the holiday roster freeze, the NHL’s 32 general managers are officially on the clock – as Tuesday marks exactly two months until the 2023 trade deadline on March 3.
What a deadline this could shape into. In a season where cap space is ultra scarce, the Trade Targets board is a veritable smorgasbord of big names and big impact players potentially on the move.
2023 Trade Deadline Countdown: 60 Days
We’ve got you covered over the next two months at Daily Faceoff with one trade deadline-focused story each day. First up is our first Trade Targets board of the calendar year, which always seeks to blend a player’s prominence with his likelihood of a trade:
Trade Targets 🎯
1. Bo Horvat
Center, Vancouver Canucks
Age: 27
Stats: 36 GP, 26 G, 14 A, 40 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $5.5 million AAV
Scoop: Contract talks between the Canucks and Horvat’s camp have gone cold again after word leaked that Horvat rejected an increased offer in December. There’s no official confirmation, but some believe that offer was in the neighborhood of 8 years x $7-7.5 million, which is a big step up from where Vancouver was previously. Will the Canucks take another run at re-signing their captain before the deadline? It feels like the stage has been set ever since Canucks president Jim Rutherford told Sportsnet 650: “The better he plays, the better return we can get for him.”
2. Jakob Chychrun
Left Defense, Arizona Coyotes
Age: 24
Stats: 19 GP, 4 G, 13 A, 17 Pts
Contract: 2 more seasons, $4.6 million AAV
Scoop: Give him credit: After this saga has dragged on for more than a calendar year, Chychrun has knocked it out of the park with his play since returning on Nov. 21. His point production has been outstanding, on track for a 70-plus point season over a full campaign, and he’s been mobile and defended well. He’s living up to a top-pair defenseman, and there were questions about that. That would seem to justify Arizona’s asking price of essentially two first-round picks (or equivalents) plus a prospect. The common sense thinking is a team will step up now having seen it (again), but how imminent is that?
3. Patrick Kane
Right Wing, Chicago Blackhawks
Age: 34
Stats: 36 GP, 7 G, 20 A, 27 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $10.5 million AAV
Scoop: The Blackhawks and Kane’s camp, led by CAA Sports’ Pat Brisson, have yet to engage in any sort of meaningful dialogue about Kane (and Toews’) future in Chicago. That’s expected to pick up in the next few weeks. The Hawks are on pace for a meager 45 points this season, which would be the worst showing in the NHL’s salary cap-era. It’s still early. And ‘Showtime’ holds all the cards with full ‘no-move’ and ‘no-trade clauses. If you’re looking for a potential style of deal in both managing it and potential return package, look back on how Claude Giroux departed Philadelphia last spring. Giroux only provided one potential destination. Will Kane and Toews consider more?
4. Timo Meier
Left Wing, San Jose Sharks
Age: 26
Stats: 39 GP, 21 G, 17 A, 38 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, $6 million AAV (Due $10 million Qualifying Offer)
Scoop: For all of the buzz Erik Karlsson has generated, Meier is the way more likely Shark to be on the move. San Jose signed Tomas Hertl in a similar spot last season, but after yet another tough start, it’s pretty clear the direction new GM Mike Grier wants to take this team. That means it’s unlikely the Sharks sink more money into a new deal with Meier. He is one of the few assets they can move freely. With the gigantic qualifying offer due to him at the end of the season, some teams may view and pursue him as a pending UFA rather than an RFA. Meier is trending toward his first career 40-goal season, leads the Sharks in goals, and leads their forwards in points.
5. Jonathan Toews
Center, Chicago Blackhawks
Age: 34
Stats: 35 GP, 11 G, 9 A, 20 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $10.5 million AAV
Scoop: Like Kane, Toews will determine his future with an identical contract and clauses. They also share the same agent, who will be working very closely with Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson as the process heats up. The difference is Kane has always been a sought after commodity, a player who makes teams drool. Toews used to be there – as a stingy, difficult to play against center and unshakeable leader. He looked like he had gotten back closer to the level that we last saw from him in 2019-20 before the pandemic, but he’s slowed down a bit of late as the Hawks have sunk in the standings.
6. John Klingberg
Right Defense, Anaheim Ducks
Age: 30
Stats: 31 GP, 4 G, 7 A, 11 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $7 million AAV
Scoop: This was always the plan when Klingberg signed in Anaheim: Check out the fit, see how the season starts, and if things go sour, he’d be on the move as a flippable asset for the Ducks. It was a smart play for all sides after he lingered on the market. He’ll put $7 million in his pocket for the season, shoulder the security risk, and hope to cash in again next summer. Klingberg has struggled this season. But it’s been a mostly miserable start for all involved with the rebuilding Ducks, so we have an idea where this is heading. Klingberg’s full ‘no-trade’ clause expired on New Year’s Day. Will someone attempt to jump the market for the premier rental defenseman available?
7. Mattias Ekholm
Left Defense, Nashville Predators
Age: 32
Stats: 35 GP, 2 G, 9 A, 11 Pts
Contract: 3 more seasons, $6.25 million AAV
Scoop: Yes, it was just over a year ago that Ekholm signed a 4-year deal worth $25 million with the Predators, mainly to avoid a situation exactly like this one – where he is on the market. But Predators GM David Poile has some uncomfortable decisions to make as Nashville has regressed to a likely non-playoff team saddled with expensive, term-laden contracts. We’re told Poile is ready to consider moving Ekholm, and will have a few other cards are on the table. Could Ryan McDonagh also be available? McDonagh was convinced to waive his ‘no-trade’ clause to leave Tampa Bay, and that might be a tall ask this time around. And Ekholm doesn’t have any ‘no-trade’ protection in his deal. Buckle up on Lower Broadway.
8. Anthony Duclair *
Left Wing, Florida Panthers
Age: 27
Stats: 74 GP, 31 G, 27 A, 58 Pts (2021-22)
Contract: 1 more season, $3 million AAV
Scoop: Duclair has an asterisk because he is representative of a trade the Panthers must make in order to be cap compliant once everyone on the roster is healthy. Or, maybe that should say if everyone gets healthy. Duclair appears to still be a couple weeks away from returning from his July surgery to repair an Achilles tear. Patric Hornqvist is also out indefinitely with a concussion, but he is skating again with the team in a non-contact jersey. Can the Cats milk these injuries a bit to avoid a trade of significance? Maybe. But the Panthers are flying close to the sun with the cap. They’ve had to play with a short bench multiple times. Since there is no one to trade down, a trade is necessary (barring other injury) to make room for Duclair and Hornqvist when ready. But Duclair might not be the one that goes.
9. Vladislav Gavrikov
Left Defense, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 27
Stats: 35 GP, 2 G, 7 A, 9 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $2.8 million AAV
Scoop: Everything has gone so wrong in Columbus that the Blue Jackets have reached the proverbial “Our pets’ heads are falling off” stage. Injuries have mounted. Structure has been lacking. And Gavrikov is sitting there as a nice potential trade chip. Gavrikov is a strong defender, a true defense-first defenseman, and nearly every team can maneuver his cap hit. What does the package look like? The Blue Jackets received first and third-round picks for David Savard in 2021. Gavrikov is probably a better player and definitely younger. A haul for Gavrikov would be the one bright spot in a sad season for the CBJ.
10. Erik Karlsson
Right Defense, San Jose Sharks
Age: 32
Stats: 39 GP, 13 G, 40 A, 53 Pts
Contract: 4 more seasons, $11.5 million AAV
Scoop: Every night, Karlsson does something that makes your jaw hit the floor. He’s leading the league in assists, on pace to become the NHL’s first 100-point defenseman since Brian Leetch in 1992-93. And his general manager, Mike Grier, said in November he’s willing to listen to offers. The truth is, what rebuilding GM is slamming the phone down if a team is willing to take an $11.5 million deal off your books? For that reason, moving Karlsson would be one of the most complicated transactions in league history. Either by space available or need, you can count the number of fits on a couple fingers. The Sharks likely won’t want to retain and be handcuffed, leaving only one retained salary transaction left available. But they’re probably going to have to in order to make it happen. Any trade of Karlsson still feels like a real longshot.
11. Shayne Gostisbehere
Left Defense, Arizona Coyotes
Age: 29
Stats: 35 GP, 9 G, 17 A, 26 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $4.5 million AAV
Scoop: Remember when the Flyers had to trade a second and seventh round pick to Arizona in order to get out from Gostisbehere’s contract? That hurts. He’s found his confidence again in the desert after it crumbled under coach Dave Hakstol in Philadelphia. Not surprisingly, the former 65-point defenseman can still play. He’s rejuvenated his game and is on track to hit 60 points again. He’s very efficient moving the puck and a solid addition to any power play. And this isn’t a recent phenomenon: Ghost’s underlying metrics were damn good last season.
12. Ryan O’Reilly
Center, St. Louis Blues
Age: 31
Stats: 31 GP, 10 G, 6 A, 16 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $7.5 million AAV
Scoop: The Blues announced on Monday that O’Reilly would be re-evaluated in six weeks for a broken foot. That pegs a potential return sometime around two weeks before the deadline. A quick sampling of opposing teams indicated that the injury would not hamper their interest or return in a deal for O’Reilly – it may even enhance it, knowing they’d be acquiring a rested player. There is no doubt O’Reilly has struggled at times this season in his contract year. The entire Blues team has struggled with consistency. It seemed unthinkable heading into the season that O’Reilly would be a trade candidate, but with the Blues on the outside of the playoff picture, an uncomfortable conversation around their captain is on the table.
13. James van Riemsdyk
Left Wing, Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 33
Stats: 18 GP, 5 G, 10 A, 15 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $7 million AAV
Scoop: Death, taxes and ‘JVR’ scoring at a 22-goal clip in the NHL. Those are three things you can bank on. Van Riemsdyk has rebounded from a fractured finger earlier this season into his usual form. He’s never been fleet of foot, so his speed isn’t a concern, because he has a knack like few others to find the puck at the exact right moment. It’s for that reason that ‘JVR’ is the 12th-best net-front scorer in the NHL, according to our Archetype Rankings series. If the Flyers are willing to retain half, which every indication is they would be willing to do, they can salvage a nice asset from a most disappointing season. That’s a long way from having to pay to move him last summer.
14. Vladimir Tarasenko
Right Wing, St. Louis Blues
Age: 31
Stats: 34 GP, 10 G, 19 A, 29 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $7.5 million AAV
Scoop: Like O’Reilly, Tarasenko is on the shelf for a bit with a hand injury that will keep him out at least a month. Unlike O’Reilly’s, his injury is a little more ambiguous, and teams will want to see that there are no ill effects on the sniper’s shot when he is ready to return. The good news is that he should have plenty of time before the deadline to prove that he is back to full strength. Perhaps then, Tarasenko can finally find his way out of St. Louis, as his 2021 trade request has never been rescinded. He holds the keys on his next destination by virtue of a full ‘no-trade’ clause.
15. Max Domi
Center/Left Wing, Chicago Blackhawks
Age: 27
Stats: 26 GP, 11 G, 13 A, 24 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $3 million AAV
Scoop: The Blackhawks aren’t in a position to say no to any asset harvest, though Domi and Andreas Athanasiou have been exactly what they were signed to be. Smart bets. They’ve both fit in well on a line with Patrick Kane – and all three players are on the Trade Targets board. Domi has delivered for Chicago in an impressive way, certainly better than some of the bigger name top-six forwards on this board who would theoretically be more expensive. Keep in mind: Domi netted an OT winner for the Hurricanes last year in the playoffs. One playoff contribution like that, winning one postseason game, would be enough to justify an acquisition.
16. Ivan Barbashev
Right Wing, St. Louis Blues
Age: 27
Stats: 37 GP, 5 G, 11 A, 16 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $2.25 million AAV
Scoop: With Tarasenko and O’Reilly out, Armstrong mentioned it was a “tremendous opportunity” for other players to step up – and Barbashev is undoubtedly one of the recipients of that opportunity. He collected 26 goals and 60 points last season and also saw a chunk of time at center. He’s playing on the first unit power play now and has a chance to get back on the type of pace he was playing at last season. That’s a tall ask, given his start to the season. But he’s a talented player on an inexpensive, expiring contract that could have real value for the Blues.
17. Gustav Nyquist
Left Wing, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 33
Stats: 35 GP, 8 G, 10 A, 18 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $5.5 million AAV
Scoop: Nyquist is in the second tier of scoring wingers available, a player who quietly and reliably collects his half-point-per-game numbers without much fanfare. Four years ago, Nyquist was acquired by the Sharks for second and third-round picks, and he delivered with 11 points in 20 playoff games as San Jose advanced to the Western Conference Final. He signed a four-year deal in Columbus and has delivered on basically the same production level, just a consistent producer. His salary cap hit is manageable when halved by the Blue Jackets and could provide a decent return.
18. Jack Roslovic
Center, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 25
Stats: 32 GP, 3 G, 16 A, 19 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $4 million AAV
Scoop: There have been some rumblings of late that the Blue Jackets are curious about the market for Roslovic, who was a big part of the deal for Pierre-Luc Dubois back in 2021. Unlike Gavrikov and Nyquist, Roslovic would represent a hockey trade. Roslovic’s point production has been solid, touching 20 goals for the first time last year, but his effort and work rate has been described as inconsistent. The difficult part for Columbus is they’d be trading when his value is low – and he’s a homegrown Columbus kid. Roslovic has 13 points in his last 14 games.
19. Brock Boeser
Right Wing, Vancouver Canucks
Age: 25
Stats: 28 GP, 6 G, 14 A, 20 Pts
Contract: 2 more seasons, $6.65 million AAV
Scoop: Canucks president Jim Rutherford said if this season continues to swirl down the drain, they will be forced to unload larger contracts. Outside of pending UFA Horvat (No. 1), Boeser is perhaps most moveable of those deals. He certainly hasn’t scored at his typical rate this season, but Boeser started slow and finished stronger last season with 29 points in 43 games. His contract probably has him overpaid by approximately $1 million, which devalues the return in a trade, but if the Canucks are looking to create salary cap space then Boeser is certainly an avenue.
20. Jake McCabe
Left Defense, Chicago Blackhawks
Age: 29
Stats: 33 GP, 1 G, 8 A, 9 Pts
Contract: 2 more seasons, $4 million AAV
Scoop: The Oilers were one of the teams recently linked to McCabe, who is a solid defender with term on his contract. However, McCabe has a seven-team ‘no-trade’ list and given that it’s an odd number, it’s fair to speculate as to how many Canadian teams would be included on that list. The Blackhawks aren’t in any rush to move McCabe, a character player they see value in to help steady the ship over the course of their rebuild. There’s no mistaking they’re willing to consider anything that comes their way, though.
21. Joel Edmundson
Left Defense, Montreal Canadiens
Age: 29
Stats: 27 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $3.5 million AAV
Scoop: With one year remaining on his contract, Edmundson might not be at the top of the Habs’ list of players to move, but as teams scour the market for defensemen, he will have value with both Stanley Cup pedigree and cost certainty. The Canadiens have taken a beating in the standings over the last month, which hasn’t been pretty for anyone, but teams have plenty of tape on Edmundson to understand his value and contribution to a contending team.
22. Andreas Athanasiou
Left Wing, Chicago Blackhawks
Age: 28
Stats: 35 GP, 8 G, 4 A, 12 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $3 million AAV
Scoop: Feels like we’re a long ways away from Feb. 2020, just before the pandemic hit, when Athanasiou garnered two second-round picks from Edmonton. He struggled with injury in L.A. Now, he’s back to flying around again in Chicago with incredibly valuable speed. He is tied for second in the league with five breakaways this season, according to Stathletes, and generates a league-leading number of scoring chances off the rush. He is the perfect flippable asset for Chicago.
23. James Reimer
Goaltender, San Jose Sharks
Age: 34
Stats: 21 GP, 3.18 GAA, .896 Sv%
Contract: Pending UFA, $2.25 million AAV
Scoop: It’s a little early to map out the goaltending market, but if any team runs into a pinch with goaltending, Reimer is the perfect solution. He’s as rock solid as they come in the most fickle position in pro sports. Here’s an incredible stat: In 13 full seasons in the NHL, Reimer has never finished a season with a sub-.900 save percentage. This would be the first if it holds up. But it’s hard to place the blame at his feet with the group in front of him. Reimer is steady, durable and comes with a cap hit and contract that makes him no-risk.
24. Teddy Blueger
Center, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 26
Stats: 22 GP, 1 G, 6 A, 7 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $2.2 million AAV
Scoop: If the Penguins are looking to make a move at the deadline to bolster Sidney Crosby’s squad, they’re going to have to get creative. They have no salary cap space and limited prospects of interest. It’s unlikely a team is willing to take on Kasperi Kapanen unless the Penguins pay to do so. That might mean someone like Blueger could be on the move to clear space. GM Ron Hextall is loathe to part ways with centers, but Blueger’s ice time is down almost three minutes from last season and teams would find his versatile skillset valuable.
25. Ryan Merkley
Right Defense, San Jose Sharks
Age: 22
Stats: 0 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, $863K AAV
Scoop: The Sharks recently sent a note to all 31 teams letting them know that Merkley is available. The 2018 first-round pick requested a trade and the Sharks are trying to accommodate his wishes. Merkley played 39 games last year for the Sharks, but hasn’t made it back to the NHL this year, playing the entire season to this point with the San Jose Barracuda. Merkley has 44 points in 93 career AHL games and has waiver eligibility through the end of this season.
TRADED: No. 18 Ryan Reaves.
Next up: Sean Monahan, Montreal Canadiens.
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