NHL Mock Trades: Kings try for second-line scoring, Hurricanes land Buchnevich

With one week to go until the 2024 trade deadline, our task of making mock deals is getting more difficult.

Names are really starting to fall off the board, so we’re working with less and less all the time.

Also — as was the case with the first two instalments of mock trade pieces — we’re striking a balance between reasonable and fun, so you won’t see much “depth defenceman for fifth-round pick” here like you do in real life.

We’re aiming to make things at least a tiny bit spicy. 

With that in mind, let’s jump in to what quite possibly could be the final mock trade piece of the season for us, because next week will surely be all about the real transactions. 

Los Angeles Kings get:

Winger Reilly Smith*

Winger Max Pacioretty*

Washington Capitals get:

Winger Arthur Kaliyev

Pittsburgh Penguins get:

2025 Kings second-round pick

*Capitals retain 50 per cent of Smith’s salary

*Capitals retain 50 per cent of Pacioretty’s salary

Why the Kings do it:

L.A. ranks 27^th in goals per game since Dec. 1 at 2.67. Suffice it to say, the clubs that sit below it aren’t exactly contenders. Smith and Pacioretty have 13 goals between them this year, so it’s understood the Kings aren’t trading for Brett Hull here. But both guys have a pedigree. Smith won a Cup with Vegas last year and was a dependable 25-goal guy in the desert during his time there. Pacioretty, meanwhile, has had miserable injury luck seemingly forever, but the hands are still there and you’re talking about a guy with 74 playoff games on his career resume. With both Adrian Kempe and Viktor Arvidsson hurt, the Kings have to try something. Basically, Los Angeles is hoping at least one of the two wingers its acquiring capably fills a second-line scoring role.

Why the Capitals do it:

Washington is in very tough to make the playoffs and selling some parts makes sense. Retaining on Smith — whose contract runs through next season — and pending-UFA Pacioretty allows the Caps to bring in a 22-year-old, in Kaliyev, who everyone agrees has talent and may just need a scenery change and confidence boost to start realizing his potential. 

Why the Penguins do it:

Pittsburgh gets out from under Reilly’s contract without having to retain any salary, picking up a second-round pick in the process after surrendering a third to get him. That makes it more palatable to retain on a potential Jake Guentzel trade, which would obviously increase the return in that transaction.

Carolina Hurricanes get:

Winger Pavel Buchnevich

St. Louis Blues get:

Winger Martin Necas

Winger Jackson Blake

2024 Hurricanes first-round pick

2024 Flyers second-round pick, previously acquired

Why the Hurricanes do it:

If the Canes were going to trade Necas, you might think they’d rather blow that powder on a goalie. However, the only two potentially in-play guys he’d be worth moving for are Jacob Markstrom and Juuse Saros. Frankly, it just seems like neither of those guys is going anywhere right now. Instead, the Canes can pivot to acquiring a 28-year-old winger whose basically been a point-per-game player the past three seasons and has one more full year remaining on his contract. Necas is an RFA this summer, so there’s a bit of a contract crunch coming for him. This way, Carolina gets an upgrade right now and a little more cost certainty for next year, too. 

Why the Blues do it:

We know the bar is set high for any Buchnevich deal. Well, Necas had 71 points last year, just turned 25 and is six-foot-two. Consistency has eluded the Czech in Carolina, but St. Louis would have a chance to unlock that potential while still adding a prospect, in Blake, who is probably ready to turn pro after this NCAA year and has a great motor to go with some skill on the wing. 

New York Rangers get:

Winger Jason Zucker*

Arizona Coyotes get:

Winger Kaapo Kakko

*Arizona retains 50 per cent of Zucker’s salary.

Why the Rangers do it:

Zucker is stuck on eight goals this year, but he plays for a team that has lost 14 consecutive games and is ghastly undermanned at centre. This is a guy who tallied 27 times last year, so chances are he hasn’t completely forgotten how to find the net. Put Zucker with a centre of substance and you quite likely have a 20-goal guy on your hands. The Blueshirts need middle-six help and Kakko just isn’t giving it to them. It’s time to cut bait. With Arizona retaining half of Zucker’s money, it’s almost a wash cap-wise when you send Kakko out the door. 

Why the Coyotes do it:

I mean, they’ve got to do something. The last thing Arizona needs is more picks. Instead, the Coyotes bring in a big kid with nearly 300 NHL games under his belt who just turned 23. Sure, he’ll never live up to the lofty expectations created by his second-overall draft slot in 2019, but there’s still something to work with and, like Kaliyev, a new address and a shot of confidence could do wonders for Kakko.