Sportsnet's top 20 impactful NHL trade candidates who could move by the deadline

It took some time to get going, but after the Anthony Mantha trade to Vegas went down on Tuesday night, the floodgates have opened on the 2024 NHL trade market.

With time still left until Friday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline, some of the biggest names remain out there.

And though rumours around the goalie market have slowed, perhaps the Calgary Flames still find a deal involving Jacob Markstrom, who just last weekend voiced his frustration and pointed at Flames management's handling of the situation. Calgary's already sold off its biggest pending UFAs, but could a signed Markstrom soon follow them out the door?

Our updated list of the top 20 impactful trade candidates includes players of all sorts and, notably, more than a few who have contracts into next season.

With six trades made on a busy Wednesday, who will be the next domino to fall?

With files from insiders Iain MacIntyre, Mark Spector, Eric Francis, Luke Fox, Eric Engels and Rory Boylen, and scouting player cards from Jason Bukala, here is our latest top 18 trade candidates list, which will be updated as trades happen into Friday morning.

Jacob Markstrom, G, Calgary Flames
Contract: $6M through 2025-26

Whether he likes it or not, it’s likely the 34-year-old Flames goaltender won’t be moved by Friday’s deadline.

The Flames see him as an important part of their faint playoff hopes, and barring a last-minute Hail Mary from the Devils, he’ll be around until the summer when you can bet the Flames will entertain offers from a larger pool of bidders.

He has two more years left on his deal, making him an attractive addition when more teams have cap space and the realization their playoff failures could have been avoided if they had a veteran netminder.   

Trevor Zegras, C, Anaheim Ducks
Contract: $5.75M through 2025-26

Voted the NHL's most overrated player by his peers, Zegras is a buy-low trade candidate whose name has been floated as available. The Ducks showman only put up seven points through his first 20 games before suffering a broken ankle in January, but he's a two-time 60-point guy with skill to spare. A difficult contract negotiation resulted in a prickly player-management relationship and a three-year bridge deal that carries a $5.75-million cap hit through 2025-26. So far, the 22-year-old hasn't delivered on that value. GM Pat Verbeek is under no pressure to deal Zegras by March 8, but if a rival organization believes Zegras's best games lie ahead, a change of scenery could be the answer. Elliotte Friedman reports that the Flyers, who have already acquired Zegras's pal Jamie Drysdale, have taken a look.

Jakob Chychrun, D, Ottawa Senators
Contract: $4.6M through 2024-25

Here we go again. Neither Chychrun nor Senators GM Steve Staios is thrilled that the player's name is spinning through the rumour mill again. The top-four defenceman likes playing in Ottawa and still has a season beyond this one on his team-friendly contract ($4.6 million). But it's clear why teams are checking in on the situation. The Sens have an abundance of minutes-munching lefties — Thomas Chabot and the untouchable Jake Sanderson the others — and won't be able to easily give Chychrun his proper raise in 2025. Further, Staios is looking for a righty (hence the Chris Tanev report). Because he has term, there's no guarantee Chychrun is moved this week, but it's difficult to envision both he and Chabot staying put long term. The asking price is high: Do you want two playoff runs with him?

Pavel Buchnevich, LW, St. Louis Blues
Contract: $5.8M through 2024-25

He might be the best forward remaining on the market, and the price to acquire him will reflect that — especially if the St. Louis Blues are willing to eat 50 per cent of his contract, which counts for $5.8 million on the cap through the end of this season and next.

There’s a sense the Blues are in fact willing, which should help keep the market wide enough to somewhat mitigate the narrowing factor of Buchnevich’s 12-team no-trade clause. Again, no matter how big or small it is, the 28-year-old has produced 24 goals and 24 assists through 60 games this season, and that’s after producing more than a point per game in each of the two preceding seasons with the Blues. So yeah, that price is going to be (justifiably) high.

Jordan Eberle, RW, Seattle Kraken
Contract: $5.5M through 2023-24 (pending UFA)

A mere two games away from 1,000, it’s likely the 33-year-old won’t be receiving his silver stick from the Kraken.

While Seattle has remained in the wild card race with a great second-half push, GM Ron Francis demonstrated Wednesday he’s still willing to be a seller by trading Alex Wennberg. Eberle has expressed interest in re-signing with the Kraken but reports indicate those talks have fallen through over term, making the veteran forward expendable.

There are a long list of teams interested in the eight-time 20-goal man, including Toronto, L.A. and the Islanders. The Oilers and Panthers have also expressed interest, but it’s unsure if there’s still room for him after their moves up front Wednesday.

Mikael Granlund, C, San Jose Sharks
Contract: $5.1M through 2024-25

San Jose is wide open for business, and its most intriguing pieces have term. Granlund makes $5 million through 2024-25 and is considered a veteran leader on a roster that doesn't have an abundance of those. Responsible defensively with some scoring punch, he's played games as the Sharks' No. 1 centre but would slot into a middle-six checking role on a contender. His contract screams salary retention, but at age 32, you may be purchasing the last effective seasons of a versatile guy who may be rejuvenated by another shot at playoffs. Not a ton of smoke here, but the Rangers, Oilers, Avs and Leafs are a few clubs that could use more depth up the gut.

Scott Laughton, C, Philadelphia Flyers
Contract: $3M through 2025-26

With pure rentals Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan fetching first-rounders, a solid two-way centre like Philadelphia's Laughton should command that price plus — if the Flyers decide to part with one of their reliable glue guys. That's because the 29-year-old is locked up through 2025-26 with an affordable $3.5-million cap hit, and plenty of buyers would prefer to acquire players with term. That GM Danny Briere is receiving calls on Laughton makes sense. The Sabres, Rangers, Maple Leafs, Bruins, and Avalanche have all been cited as smart fits. But parting with a core member is another story, and Laughton's price is and should be steep considering the dearth of centres out there. Laughton himself has been adamant about his Flyer pride, but he has zero trade protection.

Mario Ferraro, D, San Jose Sharks
Contract: $3.25M through 2025-26

The speedy, hard-working defenceman remains a bit of a trade-deadline wildcard. Ferraro is 25 years old, plays big minutes for the Sharks (too many, actually, at 22:57 per game), is the kind of relentless worker bee coaches love and has two more seasons under contract at a modest $3.25 million. So why would Mike Grier trade him? Because it’s the Sharks and Ferraro, with term, can command better components for the San Jose rebuild than any of Grier’s unrestricted free agents. Ferraro isn’t close to a legitimate top-pair defenceman, but he would upgrade the bottom half on a lot of blue lines. The Maple Leafs and Oilers have been linked to him.

Reilly Smith, RW, Pittsburgh Penguins
Contract: $5M through 2024-25

A 32-year-old Cup winner with 26 goals and 79 points in 106 playoff games has to have some appeal, even at a $5-million cap hit through 2025. Still, Smith hasn’t worked out quite as well as hoped in Pittsburgh, and he has a 12-team no-trade clause that reduces the possible market for his services.

That doesn’t mean the Penguins will give him away. They won’t, and shoudn’t, so we’ll see where this ends up by 3 p.m. on Friday.

Tyler Toffoli, RW, New Jersey Devils
Contract: $4.25M through 2023-24 (pending UFA)

Losers of three straight, seven of their past 10, and with head coach Lindy Ruff fired, as New Jersey's playoff hopes fade it becomes more likely they'll trade a pending UFA like Toffoli if an extension isn't forthcoming. On pace for the first back-to-back 30-plus goal seasons of his career, the 31-year-old Toffoli brings the offence and would be a dangerous, experienced addition to a top six. Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald has said he's not shopping Toffoli, but teams are calling, and the right offer could shake him loose.

Frank Vatrano, RW, Anaheim Ducks
Contract: $3.65M through 2024-25

At 29, Frank Vatrano has emerged as a compelling deadline buy, with a career-high 29 goals, a career-high (matching) 19 assists, and a career-high 48 points — all in just 61 games for the rebuilding Anaheim Ducks. He’s not big — five-foot-11, 195 pounds — but he’s become a steady worker with above-average hands, who could likely finish next to a top-six distributing centreman like Leon Draisaitl, William Karlsson or Elias Lindholm, wherever the Swede ends up playing.

Vatrano comes with term — another season after this one at $3.65 million — which will pare down the suitors. But he’s motivated and rolling along pretty good, a 550-game player who next season will be in a contract year at age 30 — a true sweet spot for any team. Term will make Vatrano a tad more costly, and if he doesn't move at the 2024 deadline, you can bet he’ll be a popular rental a year from now.

Jason Zucker, LW, Arizona Coyotes
Contract: $5.3M through 2023-24 (pending UFA)

Having already been held out of action by the Coyotes due to deals pending, you can count on Zucker moving somewhere. He’s 32 and a proven scorer off the left side, although he could be near the end of the line with just nine goals this season. Also, Zucker is way over-priced with an AAV of $5.3-million. The Coyotes will lap up half of that, but still….

Look for a destination that’s seeking a middle-six scorer — Dallas, L.A., Vancouver, Boston, Carolina — and might want a veteran of 679 NHL games who has proven he can score, even if this year hasn’t been a fit in Arizona. He’s another motivated player who will be a UFA this summer, hankering to prove he’s worth a two-year deal, even though he’s only got nine goals this season. A productive playoff would change the perception on what Zucker has left in the tank, and Arizona won’t command much of a return for him. We’re betting he goes for a fourth-rounder.

Elvis Merzlikins, G, Columbus Blue Jackets
Contract: $5.4M through 2026-27

Elvis Merzlikins is a Latvian conundrum, wrapped up in a cocoon of Riga mystery.

Is Merzlikins high maintenance? Or has the train wreck that is the Columbus Blue Jackets franchise just exasperated him to the point of cashing out and asking for a trade earlier this season? Is his .904 saves percentage representative of his value? Or does it reflect the last-place team in front of him? He has stated that he sees himself as a No. 1, but what of a team that wants to acquire him as a 1-A?

Would Merzlikins be a peaceful partner to an Adin Hill, Joseph Woll or Alex Georgiev? Or must he go to a New Jersey where he’d be the undisputed No. 1?

The picks required to pry Merzlikins away from the only NHL team he’s ever known should be conditional.

Alexandre Carrier, D, Nashville Predators
Contract: $2.5M through 2023-24 (pending UFA)

The unheralded 27-year-old defenceman is on an expiring contract worth just $2.5 million and the Nashville Predators are going to need to do one of two things their Eastern Conference counterparts did on Wednesday: Sign him, or trade him despite being firmly in a playoff position at the moment. The Flyers, who have held down a spot from wire to wire, did both — signing Nick Seeler to a four-year contract and trading Sean Walker to the Colorado Avalanche — and provided a template for how this could turn out either way. And Carrier is somewhat of a mix between Seeler and Walker, as a five-foot-11 defenceman who plays with the type of jam Seeler does and has the versatility Walker possesses.

Maybe GM Barry Trotz stays in the middle on this one for now, because he’s reportedly looking to buy. But if he doesn’t, sacrificing Carrier as the right-handed defenceman market continues to thin out could net the Predators a nice piece or two for their future.

Nick Jensen, D, Washington Capitals
Contract: $4.05M through 2025-26

Leaned on heavily by head coach Spencer Carbery in defensive situations, Jensen logs more shorthanded time than any Caps defender and blocks more shots than any besides John Carlson, but you wouldn't call him a bruiser. The six-foot-one, 196-pound blueliner has only eight assists on the season, but is a rather impressive minus-1 given he rarely starts any shift in the offensive zone and the Caps are a woeful minus-33 as a team. Contract term may be tough for some teams so Washington may have to consider retaining salary for another couple years to maximize a return. But right shot defencemen like Jensen hold loads of value.

Matt Dumba, D, Arizona Coyotes
Contract: $3.9M through 2023-24 (pending UFA)

The 29-year-old was left without a chair when the free-agent music dimmed last summer and eventually signed a one-year, $3.9-million contract in August with the Coyotes. We think Arizona wanted Dumba so they could trade him at the deadline, but he has not done them any favours in value. He has contributed 13 points in 57 games this season while controlling just 45.7 per cent of shot attempts at five-on-five. Dumba still hits people, skates well and carries his stick right-handed, but GM Bill Armstrong will have to eat some salary to enable a deal. The Maple Leafs are constantly mentioned as a possible trade partner — mostly because Dumba outed them as one of the teams he spoke with that didn't sign him last summer.

Lars Eller, C, Pittsburgh Penguins
Contract: $2.45M through 2024-25

He’s a Stanley Cup winner with over 1,000 games of NHL experience and a contract that only expires next season. That it pays the 34-year-old a cap hit of $2.45 million to be a third/fourth-line centre on a contender shouldn’t be an impediment to deal, especially if a team can convince the Penguins to eat half his salary. They have only two retention slots left — possibly to be used up in deals involving Guentzel and Smith — but plenty of incentive to get younger, so they might just do it. Especially if they can squeeze a bit more out of the deal for Eller after seeing what Henrique fetched Anaheim in Wednesday’s trade with Edmonton.

Kaapo Kahkonen, G, San Jose Sharks
Contract: $2.75M through 2023-24 (pending UFA)

He won't be a replacement for Markstrom or Juuse Saros on the trade market, but Kahkonen would be a target for a team looking to upgrade perhaps on its No. 2. As the goalie market dries up, Kahkonen could represent one of the better options available. In limited games behind better defences in Minnesota, Kahkonen showed he could put together some good runs, but this year has been tough behind the Sharks, one of the worst teams in the league. According to MoneyPuck.com, Kahkonen's goals saved above expected rate is -1.8.

Nic Dowd, C, Washington Capitals
Contract: $1.3M through 2024-25

Depth centres are a coveted type of player around this time of season and Dowd is a great target for someone's bottom six, especially in a fourth line role. A solid defensive pivot capable of earning penalty kill minutes and winning key draws, Dowd also has sneaky offensive upside for someone playing that far down the lineup, with eight goals in 45 games. Hasn't played since Feb. 20 with a day-to-day injury, but the Caps have been playing it safe with this trade asset.

Max Pacioretty, LW, Washington Capitals
Contract: $2M through 2023-24 (pending UFA)

Coming back from two Achilles tears, Pacioretty was one of the league's better snipers at his best, but has just three goals in 26 games this season with the Capitals. As Washington looks to recoup assets, Pacioretty could be an intriguing buy low option for a team in need of scoring potential. And if the Caps retain money, he'll be easy to fit under any cap.