For NHL teams, it seems easier to sell at the Trade Deadline than to buy. Sellers just have put players on the market, find the bests deal for them, and recoup some draft picks and prospects. Easy, right?
Not necessarily. There are different levels to selling. There are the traditional sellers, who are only looking to move on from some pending UFAs and recoup some value. There are good teams having unlucky years who may not want to give away too many pieces in hopes of contending again next season. There are rebuilding teams who want to sell everything in hopes of starting new cores from scratch.
Unlike the Eastern Conference, the Western Conference trade market is a bit easier to get a grasp of, as there are several more vocal sellers. In fact, most big moves that occurred so far this season came from West sellers, whether it’s Kiefer Sherwood, Rasmus Andersson or Quinn Hughes. Even the fringe playoff teams are leaning closer to selling because it’s the better long-term option than a sweep defeat to the Colorado Avalanche.
With that in mind, let’s dive into how far these sellers should go. In addition to the traditional sellers, we’ll also look at teams still in the playoff race with players surfacing in rumors and teams who entered the season in a rebuild/retool mode, overachieved, and aren’t as clear cut of sellers as expected.
Potential Assets to Move: Pavel Mintyukov (D), Ryan Strome (C).
What’s the Game Plan?: Operate for the long term.
The Ducks were one of the league’s hottest teams to start the season but have since faded into the heat of the playoff race. They’re aiming for their first postseason appearance since 2018, but it has gone from a strong possibility to much more in the air. This is still a young team with a few more prospects yet to scratch the NHL, so Anaheim should not be buying rentals for high picks and prospects for the sake of going on a run this year. But if an opportunity presents itself to bring in a player with more long-term value (or maybe use their $11 million to add some more draft/prospect capital), the Ducks should keep an open mind to improve there.
Potential Assets to Move: Blake Coleman (LW), Nazem Kadri (C), Ryan Lomberg (LW).
What’s the Game Plan?: Sell, sell, sell.
The Flames’ conservative ownership kept the team from being true sellers for most of the season. But with Andersson off to the Vegas Golden Knights, it’s safe to say Calgary has established their position on the trade market. They have some young pieces in place, but they lack a high-end piece, one they could get in the 2026 Draft. With that in mind, sell what you can, but maybe don’t completely dismantle the team considering how close they were to a playoff spot last season. Coleman and Lomberg are great starts, and if a team blows the doors off for Kadri, the Flames should consider that as well.
Potential Assets to Move: Nick Foligno (C), Connor Murphy (D), Jason Dickinson (C), Ilya Mikheyev (LW).
What’s the Game Plan?: Sell the UFAs.
The Blackhawks are a great example of the dangers of not having a set rebuild plan. To start, they stripped it all down, including not giving a qualifying offer to Dylan Strome, until almost nothing of value was left. They learned from that mistake but went too far the other way and hung on to veterans like Foligno, Dickinson, Ryan Donato and Petr Mrazek amidst strong seasons when their value was at their highest. Now, the likes of Foligno and Dickinson are UFAs again, but nowhere near the value they were last time around. Even Murphy could have gone for much more at past deadlines when he had term. While Chicago doesn’t have any top-tier trade targets this time around (Tyler Bertuzzi and Andre Burakovsky are probably closer to legit top-six forward options than sell high candidates), they should amend their previous mistakes and move on from the veteran depth pieces if the right deals come around.
Potential Assets to Move: N/A.
What’s the Game Plan?: See where you’re at on March 6.
The Kings are in the playoff race at this point in time, and after four straight playoff appearances, they’re likely leaning towards buy. In fact, bowing out in the first round all four times would motivate Los Angeles to buy even more. But with seven games before the deadline, a slump at the wrong time could put them too far behind. In that case, selling is the better option, and in that case, a punt would be the best path. They should take a look at what Andrei Kuzmenko and Corey Perry are worth on the market, and if teams are sending great offers for other players, definitely consider it. Ideally, the Kings could have used Adrian Kempe as an elite trade chip if he was a UFA in this scenario, but locking him up long term isn’t a bad spot to be in either.
Potential Assets to Move: Steven Stamkos (C), Ryan O’Reilly (C), Jonathan Marchessault (RW), Michael Bunting (LW), Erik Haula (C).
What’s the Game Plan?: Find a GM replacement, then sell where you can.
Barry Trotz surprised the hockey world when he announced he would be stepping down from his role as general manager on Monday, and it’s a move that completely alters the Predators’ trade deadline plans. Before I would have said to sell but also maybe wouldn’t have trusted Trotz to do the job. However, with the longtime Preds coach leaving his GM post once they find a replacement, the Predators will probably want to make that hiring first before worrying about the trade deadline, as the new guy may want to implement his own vision. However, they should look to make the hire soon, because you might not find a better time to move on from Stamkos’ contract.
Potential Assets to Move: Mario Ferraro (D), John Klingberg (D), Timothy Liljegren (D), Alex Nedeljkovic (G).
What’s the Game Plan?: Operate for the long-term.
The Sharks have already shown their hand a bit by acquiring Kiefer Sherwood from the Canucks in hopes to make a push for the playoffs. It didn’t cost them too many assets in the trade, and if San Jose plans on buying at the deadline, they either need to look for cheap deals like that, or make long-term investments (Elias Pettersson? Robert Thomas?). However, they shouldn’t also pass up any opportunities to sell off an asset that may have plenty of value to other buyers. If a team is offering a first-round pick+ for Ferraro, it would be foolish to pass that up.
Potential Assets to Move: Shane Wright (C), Jared McCann (LW), Jaden Schwartz (LW), Jamie Oleksiak (D), Jordan Eberle (RW), Eeli Tolvanen (LW).
What’s the Game Plan?: See where you’re at on March 6.
Oh Seattle, you just can’t avoid mediocrity, can you? It’s been apparent for three seasons that a reboot is needed with this Kraken squad, and yet they’ve managed to always end up in no man’s land: too good to tear it all down, but too bad to make the playoffs. With several pending UFAs, this season would have been perfect to sell, but they sit in third place in a weak Pacific Division and could potentially make the playoffs, although the race is close enough that falling out is conceivable. The Kraken should probably play out the next month before making any commitments for what they want to do this season, although the smartest choice long-term would be to sell.
Potential Assets to Move: Brayden Schenn (C), Justin Faulk (D), Mathieu Joseph (RW), Oskar Sundqvist (C), Jordan Kyrou (RW), Robert Thomas (C), Jordan Binnington (G)
What’s the Game Plan?: Slow your roll just a bit.
The Blues have proven that last season’s run to the playoffs was a flash in the pan, and as a result, they sit 12 points out of a playoff spot, and seem set to sell. And sell they certainly should. Should they move on from veterans like Schenn and Faulk while they still have value? Of course. Depth pieces on expiring contracts like Joseph and Sundqvist? Definitely. Binnington, the second he has value from the Olympics? Before you can say Oh Canada. But Thomas and Kyrou? That feels a tad bit extreme to me. If Doug Armstrong and his GM heir Alex Steen are set on a full-blown rebuild and think Thomas and Kyrou will be too old by the time St. Louis will be competitive again, then maybe you move either player while they’re in their prime. But if the Blues are leaning towards a retool, trading them makes no sense, especially Kyrou while his value is at its lowest.
Potential Assets to Move: Nick Schmaltz (C).
What’s the Game Plan?: Buy intelligently.
Going back to this group’s days as the Arizona Coyotes, the Mammoth have made the playoffs just once since 2012, and that was by finishing 11th in the West and making it into the playoffs via a play-in during the pandemic. This season might be the closest they’ve been to making the playoffs, and while they’ve had their inconsistencies, the underlying numbers indicate this team could surprise people come playoff time. Because of that, it makes sense for them to buy at the deadline, but in a smart way. Don’t just throw draft picks at random players, buy with a vision of keeping them around for several years. This core is still in their infant years, after all.
Potential Assets to Move: Evander Kane (LW), Lukas Reichel (LW), Teddy Blueger (C), Elias Pettersson (C), Jake DeBrusk (LW), Conor Garland (RW).
What’s the Game Plan?: Scorched Earth!
If you asked me two months go what direction the Canucks should have gone, I would have said a soft rebuild or a retool in an attempt to reset the team with the core of Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson still intact. But with Hughes gone, is there really a point in trying to salvage this core? They don’t need to send everyone packing, but if teams are offering great deals, they’d be fools not to at least consider them. Pettersson clearly needs a change of scenery, and DeBrusk and Garland likely didn’t sign up for rebuilds. Vancouver is currently the only team open about being in a rebuild, and while they shouldn’t go overboard and leave their younger players drowning, it’s probably not the worst idea to leave no traces of this toxic core.
Potential Assets to Move: Brad Lambert (C), Luke Schenn (D), Logan Stanley (D), Gustav Nyquist (LW), Jonathan Toews (C).
What’s the Game Plan?: Punt the season and try again next year.
I’m probably one of the biggest doubters of this Jets’ core, but even I think it’ll be hard for them to do a full rebuild while Connor Hellebuyck, Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey are on the team. They haven’t played well this season, even with Hellebuyck healthy, but they’re picking up heat recently and could very well be in the playoff conversation shortly. Unless they surge too much and find themselves in a playoff spot by the time the deadline comes around, trading away free agents for some draft picks and prospects and trying again next season is the way to go. The perfect example: Logan Stanley. The six-foot-seven defenseman has struggled in his own end for years but is chipping in offensively this season (his nine goals through 53 games is four more than his career total entering the season). You aren’t ever going to get a better return for him, so sell high instead of locking him up to a new deal.
