Real Kyper’s Trade Board 5.0: Setting up deadline week

The first few games back from the Olympics have given teams a better idea of how they need to approach this week, with the trade deadline coming up Friday at 3 p.m. ET / noon PT.

The heat is on some teams to add significant players to their roster. That includes those we deem Stanley Cup contenders, but there are a few others farther down the standings who are feeling that pressure to buy.

There’s no better example of this than the Utah Mammoth.

A huge 5-2 win over division-rival Minnesota last Friday fuelled Utah’s drive to use a number of assets to try to drive the team forward. A 4-0 loss on Sunday to Chicago ended a 1-2-0 home stint before they head on the road for five games. By the time the Mammoth return to Utah next week, they could have a big name added to the roster.

Word is that there is tremendous pressure on Utah GM Bill Armstrong to help the team make the playoffs this season. With 66 points, the Mammoth hold the first wild-card spot in the West, four points clear of San Jose, Nashville and Los Angeles, who sit just outside the playoff cutline.

According to some sources, one of Utah’s targets is St. Louis centre Robert Thomas.

Utah has the assets that would appeal to the Blues and possibly be able to pull off this blockbuster trade.

St. Louis would like to bring back more than just an abundance of draft capital, so one could see how a deal would need to be built around one of the Mammoth’s top three prospects: Tij Iginla, Cole Beaudoin or Caleb Desnoyers.

We should also keep an eye on Nick Schmaltz, who is second on Utah in goals and points, but a pending UFA this July. He and Logan Cooley are Utah’s 1-2 punch down the middle, but if a deal for Thomas is made, will that change Utah’s minds on re-signing Schmaltz to a new contract?

For now, I’m keeping Schmaltz off my trade board, but will see how things play out this week.

The Edmonton Oilers are another team facing pressure to be active this week. Losses to Anaheim and San Jose exposed the Oilers’ need for a defensive upgrade and they’re only in a playoff spot by four points. They are at their wit’s end right now about how to fix this, with minimal draft capital and right up against the salary cap. They are pursuing Oliver Ekman-Larsson from Toronto, but will have to meet Brad Treliving’s asking price. Could Edmonton’s 2027 first-round pick be in play? What about a prospect like Ike Howard or young NHLer like Matt Savoie? Those are the only two young players they have who would have any true value to other NHL teams. 

Edmonton is playing it cool, but there is growing concern and a feeling they need to shake it up because they’re trending in the wrong direction. There is too much at stake here to stand pat.

Seattle, holding on to the West’s second wild card with 65 points, would love to increase its chances of making the post-season. The Kraken would love to add an impact scorer like Jake DeBrusk from Vancouver to cover pending UFAs Jaden Schwartz and Jordan Eberle, who are both in their mid-30s.

San Jose had two huge wins over Edmonton and Winnipeg over the weekend, and is three points out of a wild-card spot. GM Mike Grier would love to give Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith and Yaroslav Askarov some playoff experience this early in their development, but he won’t alter his longer-term objective. Because of that, the Sharks will still be taking calls on pending UFA defenceman Mario Ferraro. We should also keep an eye on Kiefer Sherwood, who the Sharks traded for earlier this season. Sherwood’s ask on a contract extension remains high — in the ballpark of $5 million — so San Jose has a decision to make on him. There are rumblings he’s on the verge of being thrown back into the market.

We’ve gotten some clarity on Steven Stamkos, who wants to be part of Nashville’s playoff push. The Predators have earned three of a possible four points since the Olympic break ended and are also three points out of the playoffs. Stamkos is coming off my trade board, as are Jonathan Marchessault and Ryan O’Reilly because, at the moment, the feeling is that they’re not going anywhere. However, we’ll continue to monitor how Nashville does this week and will adjust accordingly.

In the East, Montreal is similar to Utah with how many young assets and draft picks it has available to trade. Sitting third in the Atlantic, the Canadiens feel some motivation to make a splash and really push their competitive window forward. Montreal could compete with Utah in a possible Thomas trade, and the Blues would be targeting Michael Hage as a starting point.

And we can’t rule out Detroit on Thomas either. The Red Wings are in the mix with Montreal and Utah as a team that is flush with assets and maybe being ready to push some of those chips in to try to break their nine-season playoff drought.

What about the Florida Panthers? Regulation losses to Buffalo and the Islanders hurt their outlook, and they start the week eight points out of a playoff spot. Sergei Bobrovsky’s agent and the team are talking this week about his next contract and what might happen from here.

The amount of playoff hockey he’s played over the past three seasons is the equivalent to a full extra season. He has the option to take care of some of the wear and tear and come back next season stronger. Whether that’s with Florida or somewhere else remains to be seen. Bobrovsky, who’s on an expiring contract, has a 16-team no-trade list and, while he’s not on my trade board today, he’s another player I’m watching this week to determine if he belongs on here.

This latest trade board will be updated all week as the market continues to develop. Many things are bound to change over the next few days, and you can find all the latest here on my trade board.

For now, on to the current list …

There is momentum growing toward a trade here and Blues GM Doug Armstrong is trying to hit a home run with Thomas. On Sunday, Thomas played his first game in nearly two months, scoring an empty-net goal and adding an assist in a 3-1 win over Minnesota. With a no-trade clause, Thomas is in total control here. If Utah or Montreal does make St. Louis the best offer, does Thomas think about joining either of those teams? Thomas still could shut this down and revisit his options in the summer.

In some ways, Thomas is like Elias Pettersson in that they’re both in the early parts of long-term contracts, but know they’re not long for the teams they’re on. They could put this talk to bed for 20 more games and work with the team in the off-season.

St. Louis is also not being forced into a move here, so if Armstrong can’t find the big return he’s looking for, he’ll wait for the summer.

This may yet turn into a summer decision, but the connection with the Red Wings isn’t going away. With Vancouver in full sell mode, getting a centre in his prime years with a 102-point season in his past might be an opportunity to pounce on, though the risk is obvious now. A minus-2 outing with just 14:20 of ice time in Saturday’s loss was a tough look for Pettersson and may give any of the teams kicking tires a moment of pause.

There is a bit of a game of chicken going on here. There are teams asking about Kadri, including Colorado, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2022. But will the Flames be forced to retain some of his $7 million AAV if they want to let him go? That’s being explored, but it’s not something Calgary wants to do.

However, the price on Kadri will be dependent on Calgary’s ability to retain. Colorado could make it work at full value, but would prefer the flexibility of a lowered-cap hit. The Flames have to consider how much better the return would be by retaining money.

There are a few good centres out there and the clock is ticking on Calgary’s decision with Kadri. Will salary retention be the difference in him staying or going?

A lot of teams would like to take a run at Tippett, and he’s far from untouchable as the Flyers are looking for change. Tippett’s contract is friendly enough ($6.2 million for another six seasons) and he has top-six pedigree. He also doesn’t have any trade protection this season, but a partial no-trade is introduced to his contract in 2026-27. What’s interesting about Tippett is that he doesn’t necessarily have to go to a contending team. This is a player anyone can use to help build out a top six over the next five years, so any team could be in on him. This is the ultimate “hockey-trade” candidate.

Fifth on the Rangers in scoring, and in Year 1 of a long-term, $7.45 million contract, there might not be any takers for Lafreniere. However, like Pettersson, whose value is also low with a high cap hit, Lafreniere is still young enough (24) that some teams like to think they could steal him from the Rangers. He’s a talented player and a new start may help.

There is still an outside chance Montreal takes a run at getting Binnington, but it’s highly unlikely Edmonton is going to look at him, given they’re in dire need of a top-four defenceman. Binnington has that big-game potential and could help a team get over the hump. I mentioned last week that Carolina might think about Binnington as well, even though they’ve re-signed Brandon Bussi. They have to have Tampa Bay, and Andrei Vasilevskiy, in mind.

The conditions for a Wallstedt trade are clear and the return has to be just right for it to happen this week. Minnesota had a big 5-2 win over Colorado after returning, but a 5-2 loss to Utah and a 3-1 loss to St. Louis serve as a reminder why it still would like to add another scorer. With Filip Gustavsson signed to a long-term contract that kicks in next season, Wallstedt is an intriguing trade asset to try to pick up that top-six forward with. Contending for the Calder Trophy, Wallstedt’s GAA is 4.20 and his save percentage .877 since the start of 2026.

The Leafs aren’t getting rid of everybody, but have a number of players who could be had. Max Domi, Mattias Maccelli and Calle Jarnkrok could all be moved if there are takers. But Ekman-Larsson is one of the three available Leafs (along with Scott Laughton and Bobby McMann) who could bring real value back to the team. He has another two years left on his contract and can play either side of the ice.

The Leafs are asking for a lot in an Ekman-Larsson deal. It will be tricky because of his age, and chances are if you’re a contending team, you’re not necessarily looking for a top-four defenceman, so what is the market for OEL? The Oilers do need a top-four addition, which is why they have been connected to Ekman-Larsson. If Toronto moves a notable defenceman, it’ll be him. There is no market for Morgan Rielly, and the Leafs have Jake McCabe on an affordable long-term deal.

A highly anticipated Trocheck trade should get done this week, though he has some say in the matter. Armed with a 12-team no-trade list, Trocheck does not want to go to the West, where some teams have shown interest. The Minnesota Wild remain a team to watch here, and may have a chance since they aren’t all the way out west, and because GM Bill Guerin had him on the American Olympic team.

All eyes are still on Weegar, who was an addition to my trade board last week after hearing rumblings about teams coming after this right-shot defenceman. As with Kadri, the Flames could push this decision back, but Weegar is a 32-year-old who may not fit into Calgary’s long-term winning window. The Senators are still a team to watch here.

Detroit is still interested in bringing Myers aboard, but he’s got a no-movement clause and is considering what’s in front of him. He didn’t turn down Detroit this far along to say he’d never go there. Rather, he’s looking over options before revisiting the Red Wings. However, by making Detroit wait, the Red Wings could change direction and pursue Rasmus Ristolainen or another defenceman instead. We’ll see how this develops. Myers might yet be a Red Wing by week’s end.

Two more post-Olympics losses leaves no doubt that the Canucks are considering all trades, big and small, and they could be one of the most active teams this week. DeBrusk comes with the risk of acquiring him in the middle of a down season, but just one year removed from scoring 28 goals, the upside of getting him as an effective complementary scorer has teams thinking a lot about this player.

Another Blue struggling to score this season, Kyrou turns 28 in May and has three 70-point seasons on his resume. On a long-term contract, he’s another player teams might think they can try to steal, though it’s hard to see Armstrong giving in to an offer that’s less than a big return to set up incoming GM Alex Steen. If that’s not out there this week, and if Kyrou isn’t persuaded to waive his no-trade clause, he will be revisited in the summer.

An all-situations, right-handed defenceman who can run a power play, Faulk’s value is steady this season as St. Louis’ highest-scoring blue-liner. He’ll turn 34 later this month and has only partial trade protection, but the sense is growing that he is generating a market among a few Cup contenders, including Edmonton, and is likely to move by Friday.

With Luke Hughes back in the lineup, a trade focus returns to Hamilton, who scored the game-winning goal in New Jersey’s 3-1 win over St. Louis on Saturday. The big challenge will continue to be his $9 million AAV, and a contract that still has another two years left on it. That cap hit may complicate someone’s playoff-cap projection and is a big number to commit to for another couple of seasons.

Even though the Flyers have won two of three games since the Olympic break, they are still six points out and looking to shake something up. Even though he’s not a rental until next season, Ristolainen is the type of player who is highly attractive to Cup contenders — big, right-shot, physical, top-four blue-liner who can play heavy minutes.

He is not looking to move on from St. Louis, but Schenn’s 15-team no-trade list does give the Blues options on how to proceed and, if it came to it, the centre might be willing to consider waiving his clause if it means joining a contender. Schenn wins face-offs and plays a physical brand of hockey. A saturated market of centres will make for an interesting situation with the 34-year-old.

Coleman returned to the lineup for all three of Calgary’s post-Olympics games, showing prospective buyers that he’s healthy and ready for the stretch drive. A depth/complementary winger who plays physical, has won two Stanley Cups and is still on pace for 18 goals after missing a month of games, the Flames have been fielding calls on Coleman for some time and it’s not believed his 10-team no-trade list will hurt the chances of a deal getting done.

One of the players Toronto could move for a notable return, Laughton is a valued depth centre who can play a tough, gritty game and wins over 56 per cent of his face-offs. He’s said he’d like to remain in Toronto, but the Leafs have to be real with their situation. Laughton is a rental player making just $1.5 million with the Leafs after the Flyers retained salary in the trade that brought him to Toronto. They have to take advantage of that value and move him now.

Another Maple Leaf who would be pursued as a rental, there is still a chance Toronto keeps and re-signs McMann, if his extension would come in somewhere closer to $4 million than $5 million. A poor 0-3 return to NHL action has put Toronto in an even deeper hole and makes them much more likely to sell off multiple players now than they wanted to a week ago. The ideal return for McMann is a first-round pick, though it’s hard to say if there’s a team out there willing to pay it, seeing McMann as something more than a reliable third-liner.

Seattle had no trouble putting up five goals against Vancouver on Saturday, but managed just one goal in each game against Dallas and St. Louis earlier in the week, both losses. The Kraken are 24th in goals per game, last among any team in a playoff spot today. Though this is a top-10 team in GAA, they have a minus-6 goal differential and badly want to find a scoring driver. They made a big run at Artemi Panarin and couldn’t get it done, but they’re motivated to acquire that sort of player somewhere else this week. Wright, a 22-year-old centre, is an enticing young player Seattle would make available for a big move like that.

After a couple of big weekend wins, the Sharks are in the thick of a playoff race, but have only one more game (vs. Montreal) to assess their situation before the trade deadline. There is still a long-term plan here, and so with only one blue-liner signed for next season, a player such as Ferraro will be explored as a rental candidate. A left-shooting defenceman who logs a lot of PK minutes for San Jose, don’t be surprised if the Sharks are a soft seller for the right return. There is a demand for defencemen and San Jose is still not sure exactly what it is this season: playoff team or not?

Montreal would be open to retaining money on Laine’s expiring deal and the cost of acquisition won’t be too high for him because he hasn’t played since October. Laine looks to be a low-risk pickup with decent scoring upside if healthy. Remember, he scored 20 goals in 52 games for Montreal last season.

The Rangers want to turn over some of what they have here, and while most of that attention will be on a few veterans, 24-year-old Schneider is still a potential trade candidate. Another right-shot and physical blue-liner, Schneider is early enough in his career that he’s only an RFA this summer and so will be more than a rental. If a team is comfortable projecting what his extension looks like, Schneider will be an appealing target.

Ten points back of the playoffs, Chicago has to have next year in mind and that means exploring the possibility of getting something back for pending UFA defenceman Murphy. A physical, shot-blocking and right-shooting defenceman, Murphy plays big penalty-kill minutes and would either be a top-four pick-up or, perhaps, give the third pair a boost for someone else’s playoff run.

The Jets have picked up four of a possible six points since the Olympic break, but still sit nine points out of the playoffs. Jonathan Toews has said he doesn’t want to go, and the sense is there are no blockbuster moves coming out of Winnipeg. But, pending UFA Stanley is another big, physical defenceman, the kind that tends to generate a bit of a market during trade deadline week.

While the Carolina connection with Pettersson in Vancouver won’t go away, neither will Kotkaniemi’s association with the rumour. A bit of a project at 25 years old, but in his eighth NHL season, Kotkaniemi hasn’t gotten into Carolina’s lineup since the Olympic break. The fact he plays centre and is still so young makes him a moveable asset because teams are always looking to add down the middle.

There will be no problem having Vancouver retain up to half of Kane’s $5.125 million cap hit as they will look to maximize whatever return they can get for the 34-year-old who has 10 goals this season. When engaged, Kane can play physical and has complementary scoring upside. He scored 25 points in 53 playoff games with Edmonton the past three seasons.

I’ve taken the biggest names from the Predators off my trade board for now, but this is a team that still does want to pick up younger players or draft capital, and so McCarron is someone they’ll consider moving as a rental. The 30-year-old plays a heavy-hitting game and I believe there are 10-12 teams after him. That kind of attention will make it hard for Nashville to say no. Other, more expensive pending UFAs such as Michael Bunting or Erik Haula could also still be pulled out of Nashville.

Deslauriers had a big fight with Tanner Jeannot over the weekend. He has played in only 22 games this season and won’t pull a big return, but the fact is that some teams will spend this week looking to add toughness, and that’s where Deslauriers might come in.