‘Own rental’ vs. trade bait: Five UFAs on bubble teams forcing tough Trade Deadline decisions

Detroit Red Wings right winger Patrick Kane

Credit: Jan 12, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane (88) gets into position for a face-off against the Seattle Kraken during the third period at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

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

Today, we look at some pending 2025 UFAs on bubble playoff contenders who will force their GMs to make difficult choices leading up to the Trade Deadline. Will they be retained as “own rentals” or dealt to elite Stanley Cup contenders?

2025 NHL Trade Deadline Countdown: 50 days

It’s one thing to trade pending UFA when you’re a really bad hockey team, accepting defeat and embracing a seller posture. It’s another to painfully pull the trigger when your team is hanging in the playoff race, its players wanting to believe they have a shot. Ask the Pittsburgh Penguins how it felt to swallow their pride and trade away Jake Guentzel last year.

Still, it was the mature decision from GM Kyle Dubas at the time, even if he got a poor return. The aging Penguins were on a declining trajectory and weren’t going to be a Cup threat even if they crawled into a Wildcard spot. But the circumstances are different for every bubble team. Sometimes, you’re floating on the playoff periphery because you’re a good team held back by injuries or a young team slowly ascending into contention. It’s not always as easy to cash out your UFA chips at the Trade Deadline in those scenarios – which is why we sometimes see valuable veteran trade chips retained as own rentals.

Which veterans on middling teams could teeter between own-rental status and trade bait in the next seven weeks? Consider these five.

Patrick Kane, Detroit Red Wings

I don’t blame any Wings fans who get their backs up seeing Kane’s name on this list. Your team is 7-2-0 since Todd McLellan took over as head coach, after all. Kane has gone Benjamin Button since the switch, too, catching fire for 13 points in eight games. But despite Detroit’s impressive surge, it still isn’t holding an Eastern Conference Wildcard spot, trailing the Columbus Blue Jackets by three points with a game in hand. So we obviously cannot forecast a surefire playoff berth for the Wings, as much as their fans want one after eight consecutive seasons without making it. If the Wings still sit on the periphery or worse a month from now, does GM Steve Yzerman begrudgingly entertain offers for Showtime? Kane’s recent explosion has demonstrated he still can be an offensive difference maker, now 19 months removed from hip resurfacing surgery. He has a full no-trade clause, but might he want to join a contender in hopes of a deep playoff run?

Ryan Lindgren, New York Rangers

We know GM Chris Drury is open to major shakeups – plural – during one of the most disappointing Ranger seasons this century relative to expectations. The process has already begun, with captain Jacob Trouba and underachieving former top prospect Kaapo Kakko dealt in December. But Drury may not be done; Lindgren is one of four Ranger defensemen landing on my colleague Frank Seravalli’s latest Trade Targets board. Adam Fox’s longtime partner on the Rangers’ top pair, Lindgren has been a shell of himself in 2024-25, having smashed his career single-season high in giveaways in just half a season. The play-driving splits with and without Fox are so bad that it’s tough to look away; Lindgren has been replacement level and Fox performs like his normal elite self this season when the two are separated. And yet…selling Lindgren isn’t the easiest choice. For one, the return might be disappointing when he’s playing arguably the worst hockey of his NHL career. Secondly: the Rangers are five points out of a playoff spot, so their season isn’t 100 percent in the toilet. Based on pure roster talent and goaltender Igor Shesterkin’s game-stealing ability when healthy, they could be a second-half surprise team, in which case they might still want a warrior like Lindgren around. Re-signing him doesn’t feel like a wise plan, but trading him isn’t the clear-cut best path yet, either.

Marcus Pettersson, Pittsburgh Penguins

He’s big, long, mobile and can function on a second pair in shutdown work. What shopping contender wouldn’t want Pettersson for their blueline? He’s the type of player who could net the Pens a first-round pick given the premium on top-four D-men at every Trade Deadline. But the Penguins’ dressing room still feels the sting of trading Guentzel last year, and the team stubbornly clings to the fringe of the playoff race on the strength of Sidney Crosby producing better than a point per game for the 20^th consecutive year. When he re-signed a two-year extension through 2026-27, it wasn’t to oversee a rebuild. He genuinely believed Pittsburgh could squeak back into the big dance this year. How can Dubas fold up the tent on his captain again? Pettersson is also just 28 and thus could conceivably re-sign to be part of the medium-term plan. He ranks high on our Trade Targets board in anticipation of demand, but the Pens still have a challenging decision to make on him.

Ivan Provorov, Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets have been an amazing story this season, defying the odds after enduring the horrific tragedy of Johnny Gaudreau’s death. It’s easy to root for them making the playoffs, and they’ll need top-four blueliner Provorov to do so. It’s thus not a big surprise to know GM Don Waddell hopes to re-sign Provorov. But what happens if the Blue Jackets slump at some point in the next couple months and slide out of a playoff position? The offers for Provorov would be plentiful and significant. Unlike the first three teams featured on his list, Columbus was in clear rebuild mode coming into this season and has become competitive ahead of schedule, so would dealing Provorov constitute sticking to the team’s long-term plan more than re-signing him would? It feels like Waddell needs to wait until the 11^th hour and truly understand how good his 2024-25 team is before making his choice.

Karel Vejmelka, Utah Hockey Club

It’s been exciting seeing Utah advancing past phase 1 of its rebuild and making splashy trades for veterans. It’s even possible GM Bill Armstrong does something bold at the deadline. But there’s the little problem of the standings to reconcile here. Utah is a fun story but sits six points out of a playoff spot. If they aren’t getting in, don’t they have to entertain some UFA selloffs? Vejmelka is an interesting candidate. He’s been elite for much of the year, sitting eighth in the NHL in goals saved above expected per 60. He’s made a strong case for Utah to re-sign him and move forward with him as their starter, one season after Connor Ingram had seemingly seized the 1A job. But the goalie market can shift in a hurry when injuries strike, and you never know if a contender will come forward with a Godfather offer to rent Vejmelka, who had mostly been mediocre before this season’s breakout. If Utah isn’t sniffing a playoff spot come March and hasn’t extended Vejmelka, does Armstrong listen on offers?

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