Five potential unsung heroes of the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline
With less than two months until the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline March 8, we’re delivering at least one deadline-focused story every day at Daily Faceoff.
In this article, we will look at five players who don’t get as much media attention as the bigger names but still have the ability to make a splash on trade deadline day and could help out a playoff team in a big way.
2024 NHL Trade Deadline Countdown: 41 days
Almost all the talk surrounding this year’s NHL Trade Deadline centers around the big names expected to be dealt in the coming weeks. A number of players including Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, and Sean Monahan have dominated the discourse surrounding the upcoming deadline. Those names will certainly be in high demand for numerous teams around the league. But sometimes, it’s the overlooked names, the support players, who end up making the most important impact.
So which players might be sleeper additions for contenders this time around?
Kevin Labanc, San Jose Sharks
Age: 28
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 185 lbs.
Contract: $4.725 million, ends 2023-24 (UFA)
Trade Clause: None
Labanc is a player who has mostly fallen off the radar in the hockey world. He was once an emerging star for the San Jose Sharks when he went from a sixth-round pick to a valuable secondary scorer five years later. He famously decided to bank on himself by signing a one-year, $1 million contract with the Sharks after putting up 56 points in the 2018-19 season.
The idea was to build on that season and cash out on a huge contract a few months later. Unfortunately for him, the Sharks imploded in 2019-20 and his personal stats took a hit. They decided to give him a long-term contract either way and he is now in the final season of a four-year, $18.9 million contract which pays him $4.725 million annually.
The last four seasons have been a bit of a rollercoaster for Labanc. He had a solid season in 2020-21, putting up 28 points in 55 games in the COVID-19 shortened season. The following year he only played 21 games due to injury problems. The winger had a mini resurgence in 2022-23 when he scored 33 points in 72 games, which was still not up to his expectations.
This season, in the midst of a Shark Tank if you will, Labanc has been a negligible asset with only two goals and seven points in 32 games. There are precious few players on the 2023-24 Sharks who can say they’ve having a good season and Labanc is definitely not one of them. Additionally, his contract was back-loaded so he’s owed $5.875 million this year in real dollars.
All of that paints an unflattering picture if you’re a contending team looking to add depth. However, Labanc is still a skilled player with all the tools to be impactful, in theory. Any trade involving the 28-year-old veteran will require the Sharks to retain a big chunk of his salary and the return would be minimal. There could be a few teams interested in him for the right price as a reclamation project. But most interested teams are likely going to opt to wait for the offseason to sign him.
Dominik Kubalik, Ottawa Senators
Age: 28
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 192 lbs.
Contract: $2.5 million, ends 2023-24 (UFA)
Trade Clause: None
Former Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion made it a priority to recoup a roster player in the Alex DeBrincat trade. That player ended up being Kubalik. Acquired alongside prospect Donovan Sebrango and a couple of draft picks, Kubalik was the only piece in the second DeBrincat trade that was able to make an immediate impact on the Senators’ lineup.
Unfortunately, while he’s been in the Senators’ lineup for nearly all the team’s games, he hasn’t made a significant impact on the ice. Through 41 games, Kubalik has nine goals and 12 points with a -17 rating. He played a minor role on the team when they were dealing with numerous injuries but now that almost everyone is back, he will be inevitably be pushed down the roster.
Kubalik has taken a big step down from last year when he scored 20 goals and 45 points for the Detroit Red Wings. He has a fantastic shot but he’s also very streaky and scores in bunches. He shocked the NHL by potting 30 goals in 68 games during his rookie season with the Chicago Blackhawks but hasn’t been able to replicate that since.
However, Kubalik is on an 82-game pace for 18 goals this year and if the Senators are willing to retain 50% of his contract, his cap hit will be very reasonable and he could fit under the cap on just about any team. The asking price will not be very high as his production has gone down and the Sens don’t really have a place for him on the team. The most he’ll return at the deadline is a third-round pick, but even that is somewhat unlikely. A fourth or fifth-round pick would be the most likely outcome.
Mario Ferraro, San Jose Sharks
Age: 25
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 209 lbs.
Contract: $3.25 million, ends 2025-26 (UFA)
Trade Clause: None
Ferraro is unlike the first two players on this list because he still has term left on his contract. He signed a four-year deal with the Sharks which began in the 2022-23 season and continues through the 2025-26 season. The Toronto, Ontario native is a defensive defenseman and hasn’t had the ability to shine on a contending team yet in his career.
He’s in the fifth season of his career and hasn’t played in a single playoff game yet. His career +/- rating of -78 reflects the fact that he’s been stuck on a rebuilding team for a big chunk of his prime. However, the defenseman is still young and if he gets dealt at the deadline, he’d return at least a couple of good assets for the Sharks.
The team is in full rebuild mode and they won’t necessarily want to part with a guy like Ferraro. He’s not on an expiring contract and could be a good player to build around instead of jettisoning him for picks. This season, he has one goal and 14 points in 47 games with a -21 rating. He currently leads all Sharks’ defensemen in scoring and leads all Sharks’ skaters in average ice time at 22:45 per game. The 25-year-old is an integral part of the team and the leadership group so it’s entirely up in the air whether the Sharks will ultimately decide to trade him.
If Ferraro does get dealt, the return would almost certainly include a early-round pick and potentially another asset or two. He’s a physical defender and many teams around the NHL would love to add a player with his skillset. He’s dealing with a lower-body injury at the moment but there’s been no indication he’d be out for the stretch run.
Anthony Duclair, San Jose Sharks
Age: 28
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 197 lbs.
Contract: $3 million, ends 2023-24 (UFA)
Trade Clause: None
There’s a pattern emerging with this list, as three of the players I talk about in this article are currently playing for the Sharks. And that’s no coincidence as the Sharks are a team likely to sell off just about anyone they can get a decent return for and isn’t part of their long-term plans. Duclair is someone who is almost certainly not part of the Sharks’ long-term plans.
The Sharks acquired Duclair this past offseason from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Steven Lorentz and a fifth-round pick. Duclair was coming off an injury-shortened 2022-23 season in which he only played in 20 regular season games. He did finish the season with a strong playoffs, helping the Panthers reach the Stanley Cup Final. So far this season, he has scored eight goals and 16 points through 43 games. Those aren’t great stats for a scoring winger but it is a good sign that he’s fully healthy again.
Duclair is in the last season of a three-year, $9 million contract and could end up being one of the most sought-after trade targets in this year’s trade deadline. His $3 million salary is too much to handle for most teams but with a significant salary retention, a lot of teams would be willing to part with a decent pick to add a guy like Duclair for their playoff run.
Duclair has the potential to be a game-breaking scoring winger but hasn’t found that touch since he scored 31 goals with the Panthers in 2021-22. It would be a smart bet for a contending team to acquire Duclair and put him on a line with two talented players and watch the magic happen.
Jordan Greenway, Buffalo Sabres
Current team: Buffalo Sabres
Age: 26
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 231 lbs.
Contract: $3 million, ends 2024-25 (UFA)
Trade Clause: None
Greenway is arguably having the best season of any player on this list. In the 112 minutes he’s played alongside Zach Benson and Casey Mittelstadt they’ve put up an amazing 61.5% Expected Goals. In a smaller sample size of 34 minutes played together, Greenway has a 67.6% Expected Goals while playing on a line with Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens. He has 13 points in 36 games this year, which isn’t a whole lot, but he has a stabilizing presence on whomever he plays with.
The 26-year-old winger has one more year remaining on his contract after this season so there’s no guarantee the Sabres will trade him at the deadline. The Sabres gave up a second and fifth-round pick to acquire Greenway from the Minnesota Wild last season so they’d probably want at least that in return this time around. If the Sabres were going to be a playoff team this year, they probably wouldn’t trade Greenway. However, seeing as their currently sitting in second-last place in the Atlantic Division, they might try to sell off some pieces and revisit the team in the offseason.
Greenway would likely return at least a mid-to-early-round pick in any deal because of his strong two-way play and contract length. He’s a versatile player and has the size to play a physical game. I’m sure the Sabres will be receiving a lot of calls for this player.
_____
Discover Betano.ca – a premium Sports Betting and Online Casino experience. Offering numerous unique and dynamic betting options along with diverse digital and live casino games, Betano is where The Game Starts Now. 19+. Please play responsibly.
_____