NHL Mailbag: Will we see any more trades this summer?

The continued dog days of summer mean another DFO mailbag.

Why not turn some of the spotlight over the summer to our readers after nine months of hogging it to ourselves?

Let’s jump right in.

We were promised trades. Why were we lied to?

— Tommy Huds (@TommyHuds) July 31, 2025

I feel like we go through this every off-season, and every year, fans come away heavily disappointed. Yes, every summer usually begins with the promise and suspense of eventual blockbuster trades – yet fans are often disappointed. The fact is – even with a rising salary cap – executing high-profile trades is difficult in the NHL; more so when there is so much parity and not enough sellers across the league. 

Bowen Byram of the Buffalo Sabres is the one name I am personally surprised to have not been traded. He signed a two-year extension with the Sabres a few weeks back. At this point in the summer, I have to imagine he is staying put. It just goes to show that even though discussions are being had it doesn’t always mean that deals are imminent. 

Signings or trades you could see happening still this offseason. I know it’s kind of a generic one but sort of a slow offseason

— ps8734 (@ps87342) July 29, 2025

This is a piggyback off of the first question, but it is fun to conjure up a potential trade on the horizon. I am not sure if he will move eventually, but I am very curious to see what happens with Mason McTavish with the Anaheim Ducks. After the trade of Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers, I can’t imagine that McTavish doesn’t stay put in Anaheim. But with each passing day as we get deeper into the summer, you have to wonder how this all plays out. 

If there is an eventual path to McTavish being moved, you can be sure that there will be no shortage of teams waiting in line to inquire about his services. The first one that jumps is the Montreal Canadiens, who have a lot of questions down the middle beyond captain Nick Suzuki. Not sure what a deal could look like, but the Canadiens are a club that I’d reckon would be keeping close tabs on McTavish’s availability. 

Will Alex Bump be on the Flyers opening night roster?

— NHL Fan (@BRKLH7) July 30, 2025

Short answer to this: yes. The Flyers are looking to take a step forward this season, but that doesn’t mean GM Danny Briere won’t be looking for younger players to make the jump and contribute. 

Drafted in the fifth round of 2022, Bump’s impressive 47 points in 44 games with Western Michigan University last season has turned heads. After turning pro and registering three points in two regular-season games in the AHL last (regular) season, Bump seems to have the inside track on cracking the Flyers’ opening-night roster. The Flyers aren’t especially deep at left wing, and with the injury to Tyson Foerster – which may sideline him to start the season – the path is there for Bump to jump on. 

For argument’s sake, let’s say Foerster is healthy to start the year. I see Bump starting on the third line with some combination of Noah Cates, Christian Dvorak and Bobby Brink. If Foerster isn’t ready to go? Then Bump will have every opportunity to crack the top-six up front. 

In the Eastern Conference, I’m going with the Flyers. I don’t like what I’m seeing from the Metropolitan Division and the taking is there for the Flyers to jump into the top three. The Carolina Hurricanes will likely be at the top, but are the Washington Capitals going to repeat last season? Will the New Jersey Devils be able to rekindle what they had in 2022? I like what the Flyers did this offseason, and if they can get half-decent goaltending, they’ll be able to be on the bubble right until the end.

It’s going to happen sooner or later, but the Utah Mammoth is my pick for the Western Conference. They are in a tough Central Division, but a wild-card seed seems almost like destiny for the Mammoth at this point. The moves GM Bill Armstrong has made over the last number of seasons have paid dividends; if they can sustain a healthy blueline, I see the Mammoth carving out a bottom seed in the West this coming season. 

I have admittedly not heard anything regarding the Toronto Maple Leafs, but any addition would likely require GM Brad Treliving to move some money out the door. Forwards Calle Jarnkrok and David Kampf are top candidates (at least on paper) to be cleared out to shed salary, but there doesn’t seem to have been any talks recently to potentially move either player. 

As for who the Leafs could target, maybe Jack Roslovic could be an option? There is no way that you can replace Mitch Marner’s production with one player, so the Leafs will have to do it by committee. Getting internal advancements from forwards Matthew Knies and Max Domi in their respective offensive outputs may be the best hope the Leafs have to make up for Marner’s offense.