Pettersson, Ristolainen, Provorov headline first Trade Targets board of 2024-25

Credit: Oct 26, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson (28) skates during warm up prior to a game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

It’s beginning to a lot like … trade season. Yes, Christmas is coming, too – but league sources indicate there is an uptick in trade conversation compared to normal with the number of teams struggling out of the gate.

With disappointing results, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators, Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins have all been active in examining the market. Now one month into the season, teams know enough on what they have, and more importantly what they lack.

The March 7 trade deadline is still four months off, but here is our first Trade Targets board of the season:

Trade Targets 🎯

1. Marcus Pettersson
Left Defense, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 28
Stats: 21 GP, 1 G, 8 A, 9 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $4,025,175 AAV
Scoop: Since the Penguins are open for business, Pettersson is one of the few players on the roster with real trade value. He’s in the final year of his deal at a reasonable cap number and he plays a solid enough game to be a reliable No. 4 defenseman. Where Pettersson struggles, with the puck on the breakout making a solid first pass, will limit his market in some ways. And the Pens only have one retained salary transaction remaining, so GM Kyle Dubas will need to be judicious in selecting which contract he’ll retain on.

2. Yanni Gourde
Center, Seattle Kraken
Age: 32
Stats: 19 GP, 1 G, 5 A, 6 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $5,166,667 AAV
Scoop: The Kraken have gotten calls on Gourde but don’t appear to be in any rush to move him – though it’s certainly trending in that direction before March 7. Gourde’s production has fallen as steadily as his ice time so far this season. He’s on track for a career-low 26 points over 82 games as new coach Dan Bylsma has used him in a third line role that has cut him back nearly two and a half minutes per game from his average in Seattle. No matter what, he’s still formerly a big contributor to a two-time Stanley Cup winner whom teams will want to acquire.

3. Rasmus Ristolainen
Right Defense, Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 30
Stats: 19 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 3 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $5.1 million AAV
Scoop: The defense market is thinning with each and every extension. Ristolainen’s name has circulated through the rumor mill and the Flyers are hoping he will generate enough buzz between now and March to net a solid return. Teams are still drawn to his size, though his ability to defend is still a question mark and his point production has slid. Staying healthy and on the ice will help everyone’s cause.

4. Ivan Provorov
Right Defense, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 27
Stats: 18 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $4.725 million AAV
Scoop: Interest will be ramping up in Provorov, who was on our Trade Targets board over the summer, but is now into the final year of his deal before becoming a free agent. He’s a great skater and with confidence can be an impact piece. It’s important to keep in mind: Provorov has already had his salary retained once (by Los Angeles), so his current $4.725 million is only able to be cut in half once more as GM Don Waddell considers his options.

5. Frank Vatrano
Right Wing, Anaheim Ducks
Age: 30
Stats: 17 GP, 2 G, 5 A, 7 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $3.65 million AAV
Scoop: Maybe the Ducks should have moved Vatrano last year during an all-world outlier season? Vatrano couldn’t miss last year, collecting a career-best 37 goals, crushing his previous high of 24. He beat his previous career best in points by nearly 50 percent, hitting 60 points, and was selected to the All-Star Game for the first time. He’s now in the final year of his deal and his scoring has dropped, but he was excellent for the Rangers in the 2022 playoffs as a deadline addition.

6. Joel Farabee
Left Wing, Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 24
Stats: 19 GP, 3 G, 5 A, 8 Pts
Contract: 3 years remaining, $5 million AAV
Scoop: This isn’t Farabee’s first appearance on the Trade Targets board – and the reason hasn’t changed. He’s still in need of a change of scenery. Last year, Farabee still produced 20 even-strength goals and 50 total points despite his seemingly perpetual position in John Tortorella’s doghouse. Imagine what he could do with a fresh start? The Flyers are open to anything and everything. And his contract shouldn’t be viewed as a detriment, but a positive, because the prime of his career is already locked up at a reasonable number.

7. Brandon Tanev
Right Wing, Seattle Kraken
Age: 32
Stats: 19 GP, 5 G, 3 A, 8 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $3.5 million AAV
Scoop: The Kraken may be forced to move a forward once defenseman Vince Dunn returns from injury and Tanev is a candidate given the interest in his game. He’s a fierce forechecker with speed and competitive juice that teams crave. He’s also been really productive of late: Tanev has four goals and two assists over his last five games. That makes him an ideal trade deadline target once the Kraken begin to make decisions, but nothing is imminent quite yet.

8. David Jiricek
Right Defense, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 20
Stats: 6 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $918,333 AAV
Scoop: How did we get here? The No. 6 overall pick from 2022 has been mishandled by different regimes and different coaching staffs now. Last year, he was shuttled back and forth between AHL Cleveland and Columbus in a lost season, with seemingly little still to prove in the minors. This year, he’d been scratched in favor of 37-year-old Jack Johnson, Jake Christiansen and waiver claim Dante Fabbro, and the Blue Jackets assigned Jiricek to the AHL Wednesday. It’s tough to envision an endgame in Columbus that sees everyone happy.

9. Mike Matheson
Left Defense, Montréal Canadiens
Age: 30
Stats: 19 GP, 1 G, 12 A, 13 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $4.875 million AAV
Scoop: Given the thin nature of their blueline, and their need to better support young defensemen assimilating into the lineup, the Canadiens don’t really want to move Matheson. But they may not have a choice given that his value will be arguably its highest before this deadline. Did you know Matheson was ninth among defensemen scoring last year with 62 points? He moves the puck, is comfortable playing the right side, and actually defends better than he’s given credit for when proper expectations are set. What the Canadiens will have to weigh is: they don’t really need many more picks, they need more tangible help.

10. Trevor Zegras
Left Wing, Anaheim Ducks
Age: 23
Stats: 18 GP, 2 G, 4 A, 6 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $5.75 million AAV
Scoop: Not every quarter to a season is equal, because it already feels like a loooong year for Zegras with the Ducks. He’s collected just a handful of points so far, giving him not quite 20 in his last 50 or so games. That’s a far cry from the 65-point player we saw in 2022-23 who was oozing passion for the game and was one of the brightest young stars, on the cover of a video game. GM Pat Verbeek doesn’t seem to be a believer in the player and the player could certainly use a change of scenery. He’s played like a shell of his former self.

11. Dan Vladar
Goaltender, Calgary Flames
Age: 27
Stats: 9 GP, 2.65 GAA, .906 Sv%
Contract: Pending UFA, $2.2 million AAV
Scoop: Very quietly, 23-year-old Dustin Wolf has entered the Calder Trophy conversation. And third goaltender Devin Cooley has been, well, on fire with a sterling .953 save percentage for the AHL’s Wranglers. That leaves Vladar as the obvious trade piece, now in the final year of his deal before becoming a free agent. He’s responded well following offseason surgery, putting up his best numbers in three seasons despite shouldering the tougher starts while Wolf finds his NHL footing.

12. Cam Fowler
Left Defense, Anaheim Ducks
Age: 32
Stats: 12 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $6.5 million AAV
Scoop: As Fowler returns from injury and closes in on becoming the second player to skate in all 1,000 games with the Anaheim Ducks (Ryan Getzlaf is the only), the Ducks and Fowler have been open and honest about what might come next. His minutes have been reduced as his production has slipped. He’d probably like to play on a more competitive team. It’s been a tough environment in Anaheim and most everyone’s game has been challenged, but with term on his deal, Fowler will be a really interesting piece.

13. Mario Ferraro
Left Defense, San Jose Sharks
Age: 26
Stats: 20 GP, 0 G, 3 A, 3 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $3.25 million AAV
Scoop: Teams have kept close tabs on Ferraro over the years as a guy who competes like hell and works. His game isn’t flashy, but his smile says it all. He’s a grinder. And he’s got term. And he doesn’t make a ton. Ferraro is personable and really well liked, and the Sharks certainly don’t have to move him. But he perhaps has the most valuable of any tradable player on the Sharks without a need to retain salary, so he should be in the mix.

14. Alexandre Carrier
Right Defense, Nashville Predators
Age: 28
Stats: 19 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $3.75 million AAV
Scoop: Sources indicate teams have been asking about Carrier as the Predators have stumbled out of the gate. Even though Nashville might have interest in beefing up its defense, not weakening it, Carrier has value on the market in the first year of his three-year deal that was signed on the opening of free agency to stay. There isn’t one facet of Carrier’s game that necessarily stands out, but he is well-rounded and good at almost everything, and he’s been a reliable and low-maintenance player.

15. Mathieu Olivier
Right Wing, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 27
Stats: 18 GP, 6 G, 2 A, 8 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $1.1 million AAV
Scoop: Olivier checks all of the boxes as the classic deadline pickup. Pending free agent? Check. Brings energy? Check. Hits everything that moves? Check. Scores the odd goal? Check. Surprisingly, Olivier has already racked up six goals barely a quarter of the way into the season, shooting 31.6 percent from the floor. He’s also good for about three hits a game and has three fights in the month of November.

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Pettersson, Ristolainen, Provorov headline first Trade Targets board of 2024-25

Trade Targets 🎯

Article presented by Amazon Prime

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