The NHL trade deadline is less than a month away (March 3rd at 3:00 PM EST), so trade news is on top of everyone’s minds. We’ve already seen some major trades such as Vladimir Tarasenko being traded to the New York Rangers and Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders. With this, I wanted to look at six players I have heard of being floated for trades. Let’s get into it.
Jakob Chychrun: Ottawa Senators/Toronto Maple Leafs
Jacob Chychrun has been a name in the trade conversation since last season but his team, the Arizona Coyotes, have yet to deal him until now it seems. The Coyotes announced before their game on February 11th that Chychrun was a healthy scratch for trade purposes. Many teams seem to be interested in the 24-year-old top-pairing defenseman, who is rather affordable for teams, carrying a $4.6 million cap hit until the end of the 2024-25 season. The Ottawa Senators have been a team that has been connected to Chychrun by a few different NHL insiders but I’d also love to see him as a part of the Toronto Maple Leafs. I see it being a one-for-one trade with a protected first-round pick for Arizona.
Ryan O'Reilly: Colorado Avalanche/Carolina Hurricanes
This season has not at all been kind to St. Louis Blues Captain Ryan O’Reilly. He is no longer the player that the Blues acquired. He’s getting older, has been dealing with an injury this season and his statistics, 11 goals and 17 points in 38 games, are not blowing anyone away. Even with these facts though, O’Reilly’s resume, leadership, and experience still have him as a hot commodity at the trade deadline. Where he could end up is a question that nobody seems to have an answer to. He could end up back with the Colorado Avalanche, who seem to be in desperate need of a solid second-line center with their long list of injuries. The Carolina Hurricanes also stand out as a team who could use the upgrade with players such as Jesperi Kotkaniemi not working in the lineup. With either of these teams, the St. Louis Blues would need a good deal in return, most likely a top prospect and their 2023 first-round pick.
Toews and Kane Stay With Chicago Blackhawks
There are many reasons that I think captain Jonathan Toews and star Patrick Kane will stay with the Chicago Blackhawks after the trade deadline. Both men have spent their entire careers in the city of Chicago and being in the final year of their contracts, I think they would both rather retire than be traded. On top of this, trading one or both of these players may cause more problems than solutions. With a completely new Blackhawks coaching and front office staff, the leadership of these two veterans is needed within the locker room. The Blackhawks seem to be on the right track for a rebuild but it will take a few years until the likes of Frank Nazar III, Drew Commesso and other prospects will be ready to play large minutes in the NHL. The best thing to do would be to keep both Toews and Kane through the end of their lengthy contracts and then re-evaluate from there. Trade them if they want to continue to play or let them retire with the organization that drafted them.
Timo Meier: New Jersey Devils/Toronto Maple Leafs
With Bo Horvat being traded to the New York Islanders and signing a nice new eight-year contract with the team, the player at the top of everyone’s list is San Jose Sharks right winger Timo Meier. The Sharks are going to be a seller at the trade deadline. They have already dealt defenseman Jaycob Megna to the Seattle Kraken in return for a conditional 2023 fourth-round draft pick. Meier is the perfect candidate for a team that is right on the cusp of making the playoffs. He’s young, at only 26 years old, and is having an amazing season with 30 goals and 21 assists in just 53 games so far. He has a ton of skill and seems to just keep getting better. The biggest problem with trading for Meier is that he truly only has one season with whatever team trades for him as he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2023-24 season. About a month ago, New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic that he’d like to add a top-six winger who would stick around. Meier fits this perfectly and would play well with the Devils' Jack Hughes and captain Nico Hischier. The Toronto Maple Leafs have also been interested in speaking with Meier and his agent, according to Kevin Weekes.
Kevin Hayes: Colorado Avalanche/Carolina Hurricanes
This trade is a long shot and I know that but I think it would be beneficial for Hayes. After spending most of his career playing center, new Philadelphia Flyers coach John Tortorella has played him as a right-wing for most of this season. The change doesn’t seem to have affected his production. Putting up 45 points in 51 games so far, Hayes is second among Flyers scorers and is on pace to have a career year. Just like Ryan O’Reilly, Hayes could be a good addition to the Colorado Avalanche or the Carolina Hurricanes bolstering that shaky second-line center spot but both of these players would more than likely be short-term solutions. Hayes is 30, has a 12-team no-trade list, and carries a $7.1 million average annual cap hit through the 2025-26 season, which means that the Flyers would have to retain at least part of his salary to make a trade happen.
These aren’t even half of the players who are on the trading block but they are by far the most interesting. On paper, they seem to be solid pairings and it's only a matter of time before we find out who stays and who goes.
Originally Published: February 2023 - Original Work
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