2025 NHL Trade Deadline: Top 5 under-the-radar additions to watch

Credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images

We’re less than a month from the NHL’s March 7 trade deadline, and we’ve got you covered at Daily Faceoff with at least one trade-focused story every day until Deadline Day.

Today, we’re looking at some unheralded players who could give your team a nice boost in the arm this spring.

2025 NHL Trade Deadline Countdown: 26 days

Brock Nelson? Boring. Dylan Cozens? Lame. Bowen Byram? Whatever.

Those are some of the biggest names on Frank Seravalli’s latest trade targets board. All three have been linked in rumors for a while now, and it won’t be surprising if they’re all donning new colors a month from now.

But that’s no fun. And often, the big-name moves don’t pay off with a Stanley Cup in late June. Just ask the Tampa Bay Lightning, who made a habit of getting more underrated players for the postseason. They snagged Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow for their 2020 Cup win and traded for David Savard in 2021. The only moves the Pittsburgh Penguins (2017) and Washington Capitals (2018) made in their respective Cup wins were to shore up their defensive depth.

So, which players not getting as much attention could become impact adds heading into the spring? Using Seravalli’s board as a base, here’s a look at five under-the-radar trade targets this year:

5. Zac Jones, LHD (New York Rangers)

Contract: Pending RFA, $812,500 AAV
Age: 24

At one point, Jones looked like the next hot commodity coming out of Cale Makar’s alma mater of UMass. Jones won just about everything in 2020-21, and even nabbed bronze at the 2021 World Championship after making his NHL debut a few weeks earlier. But playing time has been difficult to come by – after skating in just 31 games last year, Jones has often found himself on the sideline in 2024-25. In fact, he only played one game during a 44-day stretch from Dec. 20 until Feb. 2.

At this point, Jones just needs to play. He’s 24 with only 96 NHL games over five seasons – and given he left college after just two years, that’s not ideal. He had a solid outing in his return earlier this week – arguably one of his best games of the season. But the inability to get into the lineup consistently has plagued him, and it just doesn’t seem like it’s going to work out in the Big Apple. A new home could do wonders for Jones.

4. Brian Dumoulin, LHD (Anaheim Ducks)

Contract: Pending UFA, $3.15 million AAV
Age: 33

Dumoulin has never had more than 25 points in a season and currently has zero goals with the Ducks. He has never been a No. 1 defenseman, and, more often than not, he has found himself on the bottom-pairing in Anaheim. To the average fan, there’s nothing sexy about Dumoulin’s game – but he’s exactly the type of player teams like to target at the NHL Trade Deadline.

He’s 6-foot-4, has great mobility and can play a ton of minutes. Dumoulin is defensive-minded, and he’s committed to making sure the puck doesn’t get near his goalie. He isn’t overly physical like you typically find from larger rearguards, but he also rarely makes a dumb mistake in his own zone. He has always paired alongside puck-moving defenders because he’s simply reliable. With Anaheim, his biggest focus has been helping the younger defenders develop as a rugged veteran presence. Teams looking for a shutdown option for the postseason should be giving the Ducks a call.

3. Justin Brazeau, RW (Boston Bruins)

Contract: Pending UFA, $775,000 AAV
Age: 27

Brazeau turned heads last year when the then-26-year-old made his unexpected NHL debut with the Bruins. He finished the year off with seven points in 19 games and then proceeded to crack the roster for Boston’s playoff run. Since then, he has become a solid depth piece for a Bruins team with no shortage of bottom-six help, with Brazeau putting himself on pace for 15 goals and 30 points.

For a player making the league minimum, that’s huge. It also helps that he has a reputation for being a workhorse who fights for every opportunity to win any battle. He has great size at 6-foot-5 and while he’s not overly aggressive, he knows how to use his frame. Brazeau is the type of player you want playing deep in your lineup for the playoffs because he’s difficult to play against. The fact he’s good for the odd goal every now and then is just gravy. If it works out, great. If not, he’s cheap and set to become a UFA, so there’s no risk attached.

2. Trent Frederic, C/LW (Boston Bruins)

Contract: Pending UFA, $2.3 million AAV
Age: 26

You see all those comments about Brazeau? It’s the same deal for Frederic, but he has much more NHL experience. He had a career-high of 40 points and 69 penalty minutes last year, and while he won’t come close to that in 2024-25, he’s still an absolute pest. The 6-foot-3 physical forward has shown he can play just about anywhere you need him, and he’s a solid two-way threat, too.

This is the first year where Frederic won’t see an increase in his offensive production, but he’s still valuable in a bottom-six role and doesn’t cost much, either. In the right situation, he has proven he can put up close to 20 goals. That’s not happening this year, though, and with the 26-year-old set to become a UFA, the Bruins can move on and allow him to chase a championship this year before hitting the open market.

1. Joel Armia, RW (Montreal Canadiens)

Contract: Pending UFA, $3.4 million AAV
Age: 31

Armia started the 2023-24 season by clearing waivers and spending eight games in the AHL for the first time in eight years. He played decently when he returned to Montreal, but most would have written him off at that point as a washed-up depth player who just couldn’t handle the pace of the NHL anymore. But here we are in his seventh season in Montreal and Armia is having a breakthrough campaign. He’s on pace for 36 points, which would be a nice step up from the 30 he had in 58 games in 2019-20.

Armia has given Montreal some serious help on a third line featuring potential trade chip Jake Evans. The Finnish winger can be difficult to play against, playing a solid shutdown role while also firing off his booming shot. At 6-foot-3, he has a good frame, too. It’s been a while since Armia played some meaningful hockey in the spring, but he had two decent runs with the Canadiens in 2020 and 2021 and could be an impact bottom-six piece for a team looking to go deep this year.

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