Several teams are in advanced trade talks, with some significant names being discussed. There’s going to be no shortage of big trades before 3:00pm ET Friday.
St. Louis Blues have no shortage of suitors for Robert Thomas
The Robert Thomas sweepstakes are as hot as anyone throughout the entire league at the moment. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong is engaged with several teams on trade offers, as there’s been no shortage of interest in the 26-year-old centre. Thomas is signed through 2031 at $8.1 million AAV, and he holds all the say in the matter with his no-trade clause.
Thomas returned to the lineup over the weekend after missing 13 games with a lower-body injury, and off the ice he’s going to have several new teams to pick from this week. The Boston Bruins and Utah Mammoth are rumoured to be the most interested. The Mammoth are looking to make a huge splash ahead of Friday, as GM Bill Armstrong would love to upgrade his top six, and add also a top-four defenceman. If Utah closes the deal on Thomas, expect one of Cole Beaudoin or Tij Iginla to be heading to St. Louis as part of the trade package.
The Bruins are very serious on Thomas and have just $4.6 million in cap space to work with, so this trade would involve at least one significant contract heading to St. Louis off Boston’s roster. The B’s trade package will also very likely include one or two of – Matthew Poitras, Dean Letourneau, or James Hagens.
Keep an eye on the New York Islanders as well, as the Blues would loved to land prospects Cole Eiserman and Kashawn Aitcheson in the deal.
Minnesota Wild zoned in on Rangers’ Vincent Trocheck
Don’t be surprised to see another blockbuster deal from Wild GM Bill Guerin. Quinn Hughes was just the beginning this season, by the sounds of it, as the Wild are very interested in landing New York Rangers’ Vincent Trocheck.
Trocheck, 32, owns a $5.6 million cap hit through the 2029 season, and holds a 12-team no-trade clause. He’s a force in all three zones, plays on both sides of special teams, and has posted 38 points in 45 games this season, averaging 20:52 of ice-time, winning 57% of his faceoffs.
The Wild $10.4 million in deadline cap space, so can easily facilitate the deal, it’s going to come down to exactly what Rangers’ GM Chris Drury is looking in return for his top-line centre. The Wild moved their 2026 first-rounder to Vancouver for Hughes, so if Drury wants a top pick, he’ll have to wait until 2027. Don’t be shocked to see the Rangers zone in on 22-year-old forward Danila Yurov, who’s registered 22 points in 54 games this season. A prospect is likely heading to New York as well, and could wind up being one of David Jiricek or David Spacek off their AHL blueline.
While Guerin had been offering goaltender Jesper Wallstedt in trade offers this season, it doesn’t appear likely that Drury has any interest with Igor Shesterkin locked in as the team’s starter for years to come. Ryan Hartman? Potentially.
Quick hits heading into trade deadline week:
- Maple Leafs are selling and have held discussions around Bobby McMann, Nicolas Roy, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Scott Laughton, Max Domi, Simon Benoit, Brandon Carlo, and Matias Maccelli.
- Calgary Flames are aiming to move Nazem Kadri, Zach Whitecloud and Blake Coleman this week, while it sounds less likely a team pays the heavy price tag on defenceman Mackenzie Weegar.
- Montreal Canadiens are open to including pending free-agent forward Patrik Laine in trade offers. Laine’s prohibitive cap hit is something the Canadiens are looking to get rid of, as they start their contention window.
- Edmonton Oilers placed Andrew Mangiapane on waivers over the weekend, as trade talks went nowhere the past couple of weeks.
- Los Angeles Kings fired head coach Jim Hiller, replacing him with D.J Smith. The Kings enter the week three points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
- Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington was recently linked to the Canadiens, but at this point, it doesn’t sound likely the two teams agree on a deal before Friday afternoon.
- Nashville Predators have received a ton of interest in Ryan O’Reilly, including from the Wild, Colorado Avalanche, and Dallas Stars, but at this point, O’Reilly’s made it clear as day he has no interest going anywhere. The same goes for Steven Stamkos, who shot down trade rumors over the weekend. Michael Bunting on the other hand, could very well be moved before Friday.
- Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin admitted there’s no movement on his contract extension in Pittsburgh, and is frustrated he’ll have to wait until the offseason to know if he’ll be finishing his career as a Pen.
- Columbus Blue Jackets are expected to trade forward Kent Johnson before Friday afternoon.
- Vancouver Canucks are expected to move Evander Kane and David Kampf this week, and there’s been lots of speculation brewing, as the Detroit Red Wings have zeroed in on Elias Pettersson. The Canucks also have Conor Garland and Jake DeBrusk as prime trade candidates.
- New Jersey Devils are expected to move Dougie Hamilton this week, with the Carolina Hurricanes and Maple Leafs among the more serious suitors