NHL Trade Board: When will Red Wings end standoffs with Larkin, Edvinsson?
Building an NHL trade board is a more urgent exercise than it used to be this early in the hockey calendar. But it’s a new world out there. We have players with multiple years left on their contracts requesting trades. We have a rapidly skyrocketing salary cap making it easier to move chunky AAVs. We’ve already seen some significant trades since the 2026-27 regular season started, none bigger than the Winnipeg Jets sending superstar goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils last month.
In publishing our first trade-candidate list of the season, we aren’t merely rhyming off some names to bookmark for the March 1 deadline. We’re keeping tabs on a cluster of players who could, really, get moved at any moment. Exciting stuff.
With that, let’s dive into the 2026-27 DFO Trade Board, version 1, with the names tiered by likelihood.
First, a refresher on the rules of the game:
I’ve compiled players for this board with a committee approach across The Nation Network, consisting of:
(a) Intel provided from the various insiders appearing across our shows and/or publishing content for us, from the Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta, to The Sheet’s Jeff Marek, to DFO contributor Anthony Di Marco and more;
(b) My own information based on conversations I have around the league;
(c) Absorbing the external reporting and trade chatter already out there as public knowledge;
(d) Hypothesizing a handful of names not yet publicly on the block.
Let’s get to it.
TIER 1: Obvious trade candidates
Dylan Larkin, C, Detroit Red Wings
Age: 30
Cap hit: $8,700,000 through 2030-31
(No-trade clause; 10-team trade list provided to Detroit)
Now that Larkin has stepped back off the ice, the urgency to make a deal spikes – for Detroit to stay competitive and for Larkin to avoid getting rusty. Pagnotta projects the resolution to come by, give or take, American Thanksgiving. Larkin’s 10-team trade list: the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning, Utah Mammoth, Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals. The sooner he expands that list, the quicker a deal might come. With the center market so thin, the Wings should still get a real haul for him despite a perceived lack of leverage.
Simon Edvinsson, D, Detroit Red Wings
Age: 23
Restricted free agent
The Wings insist they don’t want to trade Edvinsson, which is understandable. Why trade a big, rangy, well-rounded blueliner just as he’s maturing into his prime years? He’s the type of player literally every team needs. That said: plenty of reports from Edvinsson’s side suggest he’s fed up with the way Detroit has handled contract talks and is open to a move. There’s also the Dec. 1 signing deadline if he wants to play this season. Translation: we should expect something to happen, be it a trade or new contract, before the month is up.
Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning
Age: 33
Cap hit: $9,500,000, pending UFA
(10-team trade list)
It’s over for Kucherov in Tampa after this season. That’s what his agent, Dan Milstein, has explicitly told DFO. That doesn’t mean things can’t change, but the disrespect Kucherov feels from Lightning GM Julien BriseBois appears to be irreparable. According to sources close to the situation, however, we shouldn’t necessarily expect an immediate trade. For one, Kucherov has a great relationship with his teammates and coach Jon Cooper and genuinely still enjoys playing with them. Kucherov also needs time to consider his options for his next destination, sources say. Nevertheless: as much as Kucherov and his camp might feel content to play out the season in Tampa, it remains to be seen if it will make things uncomfortable in the room, and it won’t stop suitors from coming forward with offers. That’s why Kucherov lands in tier 1 of this list. It’s tough to imagine this saga dragging all the way to July 1, even if his camp is fine with that happening.
Alexander Nikishin, D, Carolina Hurricanes
Age: 25
Cap hit: $3,000,000, pending RFA
Nikishin signed a one-year contract as a “resolution” to his standoff with the Canes and recently returned to game action now that he’s fit enough to meet coach Rod Brind’Amour’s high standard. But Nikishin is still all but done in Carolina, ready to land somewhere he’ll have the opportunity to play more minutes. With his size, skill, physicality, and all-around upside he showcased as a star in the KHL, his list of suitors will be justifiably significant. With the Canes dominating in the standings, however, GM Eric Tulsky is under little pressure to rush a deal.
Connor Zary, C, Calgary Flames
Age: 25
Cap hit: $3,775,000 through 2027-28
Awaiting a trade, Zary is dutifully grinding out games in the AHL with the Flames’ farm club, the Calgary Wranglers, after he cleared waivers. Why trade for him if he wasn’t even worth a claim? Because a trade could offer another team a shot to move out a contract they don’t love. A hockey deal like that is the most likely path for Zary to exit Calgary, as the Flames have already used two of their three salary-retention slots and wouldn’t want to waste one here.
Ivan Miroshnichenko, RW, Washington Capitals
Age: 22
Cap hit: $925,000 through 2027-28
Miroshnichenko, a 2022 first-round pick, has some legit offensive talent, but he’s had a tough time cracking the Caps’ crowded depth chart. As his agent, Milstein, told DFO’s Pagnotta and Marek last week: “He’s a very good young player, very promising with superstar potential. Unfortunately, or fortunately for Washington, they have way too many guys, way too many bodies. And this season, he cannot be playing every single night… So as a result, we are looking for a home, working closely with the Washington Capitals, and hopeful that in the near future, he would be joining another team where he would have an opportunity to play in a top-six role.”
Dmitry Voronkov, LW, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 26
Cap hit: $4,175,000, pending RFA
Voronkov’s NHL career started promisingly; he averaged 23 goals per 82 games across his first three seasons. But he’s not a Rick Bowness favorite, a frequent healthy scratch early this season. The Jackets simply can’t be using more than $4 million in cap space for a press-boxer. That said, there’s a market for Voronkov, who has shown upside and brings great size at 6-foot-5 and 234 pounds.
Zach Whitecloud, D, Calgary Flames
Age: 29
Cap hit: $2,750,000 through 2027-28
Whitecloud has been a top-four fixture on Calgary’s blueline since he arrived there in the Rasmus Andersson trade last season. Whitecloud’s actual on-ice defensive results aren’t very good, but they come against a high quality of competition. With his affordable AAV, righthandedness and penalty-killing experience, he’d be a perfectly fine third-pair addition for a contender. But the Flames aren’t out of the playoff hunt, and we hear they’d rather not trade Whitecloud if they can help it. If they sink in the standings by the winter, however, GM Craig Conroy’s posture may change.
Pavel Zacha, C, Boston Bruins
Age: 29
Cap hit: $4,750,000, pending UFA
(Eight-team no-trade list)
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. In the land of no centers on the market, a second-line-caliber one might end up being paid like a first-liner. Zacha’s career-best 30 goals in 2025-26 were fuelled by unsustainable 22.9 percent shooting; predictably, he’s regressed closer to his career norm this season and is pacing for a still-good 25 goals in 84 games. Zacha isn’t a true difference maker, but he’s big, pretty well-rounded, strong on faceoffs and just skilled enough that he can gel with other high-end players. His open-market value is likely much higher than what the Bruins are willing to pay to extend him, so a divorce might make sense for both sides. But if GM Don Sweeney knows that’s going to happen, will it make Zacha a logical in-season trade chip?
Rasmus Ristolainen, D, Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 32
Cap hit: $5,100,000, pending UFA
The Flyers probably should’ve sold high on Ristolainen last year. His minutes are way down, and he’s struggling along with their entire D-corps, currently grading out as a fifth-percentile defensive player. There will be a market for his size, reach and physicality, but the return feels like it’ll be much lower than GM Danny Briere could’ve gotten even last season.
Ryan Hartman, C, Minnesota Wild
Age: 32
Cap hit $4,000,000, pending UFA
(10-team no-trade list)
It feels like Hartman has topped the “cap casualty” trade board for a while now. With the Wild opting for a super line with Joel Eriksson Ek between Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, Hartman isn’t getting his typical scoring-unit opportunities, and his numbers are suffering early this season. That said, he’s a center, and he’s only a year removed from a 23-goal season. He could be plenty useful to a lower-end team looking to play him a lot more – when he signs his next deal. For this season, he’s a possible sacrificial lamb if the Wild need to move money out while chasing a big-name target, such as Larkin.
Sam Montembeault, G, Montreal Canadiens
Age: 30
Cap hit: $3,150,000, pending UFA
Montembeault is not even two years removed from being deemed good enough to make Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. He hasn’t been the same since, but he still has a modicum of upside. He’s no better than third on Montreal’s depth chart, so it makes plenty of sense to move him – once he’s healthy. He’s almost done working his way back from a lower-body injury that he sustained during a practice in October.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C, Carolina Hurricanes
Age: 26
Cap hit: $4,820,000 through 2029-30
(10-team no-trade list)
It’s hard to believe the Canes are still paying Kotkaniemi until 2030. With so many years left, his contract isn’t a cinch to move, though the rising cap renders his AAV more reasonable than it used to be. He also has found a spark in his game early this season, albeit his five goals in 17 games are buoyed by unsustainable 25 percent shooting, and he’s still playing just 11:48 per contest. It feels like the hot start is nothing more than a potential lure in the water to attract trade suitors.
Nino Niederreiter, LW, Winnipeg Jets
Age: 34
Cap hit: $4,000,000, pending UFA
As Pagnotta reports, the Jets are shopping the veteran Niederreiter, who simply isn’t part of the team’s plans anymore and has been a healthy scratch multiple times this season. He’s been a trusted middle-six forward for most of his career and simply needs a change of scenery.
Drew O’Connor, LW, Vancouver Canucks
Age: 28
Cap hit: $2,500,000, pending UFA
(12-team no-trade list)
There has to be a certain comfort in the Canucks knowing exactly who they are. They’re miles out of a playoff spot already. Their pending UFAs’ fates feel all but sealed. O’Connor will make plenty of sense to a playoff team as a fourth-line addition. He’s one of the fastest skaters in the league even at 6-foot-4 and 209 pounds, he kills penalties, and he has a bit of scoring touch, with a respectable career high of 17 goals.
Teuvo Teravainen, LW, Chicago Blackhawks
Age: 32
Cap hit: $5,400,000, pending UFA
(Eight-team no-trade list)
‘Turbo’ isn’t consistently playing in Chicago’s top six. He’s a pending UFA. He’s just not a fit in the Windy City anymore, and numerous reports indicate the Blackhawks are actively shopping him now. He still has enough raw skill that he could boost someone’s depth scoring and work on their PP2 unit, and he actually has underrated defensive acumen, meaning he could hold his own even if he plays in the bottom six on his next team.
Jordan Greenway, LW, Chicago Blackhawks
Age: 29
Cap hit: $4,000,000, pending UFA
(Five-team no-trade list)
Greenway is also reportedly on the block as the desperate Hawks look to shake things up. He’s a decent target for any team seeking size and snarl for their checking line, though he doesn’t seem to have much offense left in his game anymore.
TIER 2: Names to keep an eye on
Morgan Frost, C, Calgary Flames
Age: 27
Cap hit: $4,375,000, pending UFA
(Eight-team no-trade list)
The Flames may have to pay a premium to retain Frost with the center market projecting to be so thin. Frost’s agent, Darren Ferris, is notorious for trying to walk his players to UFA status. That said, Frost declared last month that he wants to stay in Calgary, and we’re hearing the interest is mutual. So maybe he ends up part of GM Craig Conroy’s long-term plan rather than the latest in a long line of veterans sold off since he took over the post.
Matvei Michkov, LW, Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 21
Cap hit: $950,000 through 2026-27
It was already feeling like things were coming to a head between Michkov and coach Rick Tocchet. Michkov liking social media posts about his lack of ice time a few days ago may have been the canary in a coal mine. Next came the spat with teammate Nick Seeler on camera Monday night, and, per a report from ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, the notion that the mercurial but talented Michkov wants a new start elsewhere. The Flyers reportedly were caught off guard by the leak, but maybe Michkov is the piece they use to land a center.
Scott Mayfield, D, New York Islanders
Age: 34
Cap hit: $3,500,000 through 2029-30
(No-trade clause)
Mayfield has insisted he wants to be an Islander, and GM Mathieu Darche has denied trade rumors, but the whispers we’ve heard suggest Mayfield remains a name to watch. He has only dressed for six games this season. His AAV is much too big for him to sit in the press box and, as much as he insists he’s happy where he is, I’ll go out on a limb and suggest he might consider waiving his no-trade clause for somewhere he could, you know, play. But he’s a big body who isn’t bad defensively in third-pair-caliber matchups. He could be an injury stopgap for another team – though I imagine the Isles would have to retain salary to make a trade appealing.
Ryan O’Reilly, C, Nashville Predators
Age: 35
Cap hit: $4,500,000, pending UFA
O’Reilly remains a strong shutdown center who is elite on faceoffs, he’s coming off the second-best offensive season of his career, and he’s producing a point per game this season, so he’s as valuable as ever and should command a higher AAV on this next deal after the no-state-tax Preds landed him for a relative bargain three years ago. They seem to be determined to compete in the present, judging by the flurry of moves made by new GM Chris MacFarland over the offseason, but O’Reilly will be an extremely popular Trade Deadline rental target should the Preds disappoint again.
Owen Tippett, RW, Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 27
Cap hit: $6,200,000 through 2031-32
(10-team no-trade list)
The Flyers’ top NHL talent is heavily concentrated on the wings. Should they attempt to diversify their depth chart for help up the middle, might the underachieving Tippett be sacrificed? He has less trade protection than Travis Konecny. And Tippett makes for an uber-intriguing buy low because he possesses such a rare combination of size and tools, including 97th percentile shot power and 98th percentile top speed.
John Gibson, G, Detroit Red Wings
Age: 33
Cap hit: $6,400,000, pending UFA
(10-team no-trade list)
Gibson was outstanding for the Red Wings last season under duress. This season: ironically, just as Detroit’s defensive play has improved, he’s struggling, badly outplayed by Daniil Tarasov, and Gibson is now injured to boot. If the Wings are ready to try a Tarasov/Trey Augustine duo in net, they will have to consider walking away from Gibson and getting something for him before the deadline.
Kirby Dach, C, Montreal Canadiens
Age: 25
Cap hit: $3,600,000, pending UFA
Dach, a top-three pick in the 2019 Draft, has never put it all together, first as a Blackhawk, then as a Hab, be it due to injuries or inconsistency. He’s a pending UFA, and his cap hit may have to go if Montreal wants to chase a big-ticket acquisition. There should still be a market for Dach given his size and raw talent.
Justin Faulk, D, Detroit Red Wings
Age: 34
Cap hit: $6,500,000
(15-team no-trade list)
Faulk’s best years are behind him, but he’s a minute-munching, right-shot defenseman who still skates quite well for his age, so there will be a decent market for him at the Trade Deadline as a rental if the Wings end up sellers.
Danila Yurov, C, Minnesota Wild
Age: 22
Cap hit: $972,500 through 2027-28
AND/OR
Charlie Stramel, C, Minnesota Wild
Age: 22
Cap hit: $1,075,000 through 2028-29
I’m placing Yurov and Stramel together as a single entry, because it seems every trade rumor or report on the Wild’s pursuit of a top forward includes GM Bill Guerin having to decide whether to send a package including these two. Yurov has shown promise as a two-way center at the NHL level, while big pivot Stramel is viewed as a high-floor if low-ceiling prospect who is a near lock to be a helpful bottom-sixer in his NHL career. As one executive theorized to Di Marco, however: would those two actually be enough to land Minnesota Larkin? It’s debatable, and a third team may have to jump in to make the pieces fit.
Rickard Rakell, LW, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 33
Cap hit: $5,000,000 through 2027-28
(Eight-team no-trade list)
All the goodwill the Pens built up with their surprising 2025-26 season is eroding quickly. They have the worst record in the Eastern Conference. General manager Kyle Dubas will soon have to appraise his assets, starting with those on expiring deals, and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on the weekend that the Pens are looking to get younger and faster and checking to see which of their veterans would be amenable to moves. Rakell is past his prime but still has plenty of game left as a top-six forward. He could net the Pens a solid return, possibly a first-round pick.
Bryan Rust, RW, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 34
Cap hit: $5,125,000 through 2027-28
Rust is the higher-end target compared to Rakell. While Rust is a perpetual injury risk who never gets through a full season unscathed, he remains extremely productive when he’s in Pittsburgh’s lineup. Across the seven seasons preceding this one, he averaged 33 goals and 70 points per 82 games. He could be a legitimate difference maker for a contender, and his NMC evaporated after 2024-25.
Yakov Trenin, C, Minnesota Wild
Age: 29
Cap hit: $3,500,000 through 2027-28
(10-team no-trade list)
To call Trenin a physical player would be quite the understatement. His 413 hits last season were the second-most in NHL history, and he’s tracking for north of 370 in 2026-27. But he’s only lightly used in Minnesota, playing 13:10 per night as a bottom-sixer, and his cap hit might have to move out if the Wild are trying to land their big-fish forward. Their projected Trade Deadline cap space sits at just $3.37 million. The Athletic’s Michael Russo and Joe Smith reported over the summer that the Wild were actively trying to deal Trenin for cap purposes.
Jake DeBrusk, LW, Vancouver Canucks
Age: 30
Cap hit: $5,500,000 through 2030-31
(No-movement clause)
A DeBrusk trade makes more sense now than it did a year ago. The Canucks are in true scorched-earth mode, and DeBrusk is under contract with them until he’s 34. Does he want to burn the good years he has left on a team that looks years away from the playoffs? Maybe that NMC isn’t so ironclad. His cap hit relative to his production is now pretty palatable, too. A $5.5-million AAV in 2027-28, when the cap will be $113.5 million, is the same as a $4.26-million cap hit in 2024-25, the year DeBrusk’s deal began.
Travis Konecny, RW, Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 29
Cap hit: $8,750,000 through 2032-33
(No-movement clause)
It’s no secret the Flyers badly need an impactful center. There’s a reason they chucked $18 million at Leo Carlsson. Getting one may require sacrificing a quality winger. As Di Marco reports, Konecny isn’t the likeliest of the Flyer forwards to get moved, and he does have the full NMC – but GM Danny Briere may have to explore some ambitious ideas if his team doesn’t right the ship soon.
TIER 3: Big names, blockbuster potential, too soon
Quinn Hughes, D, Minnesota Wild: The Wild can’t move their best player in the middle of a Stanley Cup push. The worst-case scenario is probably 2024-25 Mitch Marner: stay with the team for the playoff run, rights traded for some pieces before July 1.
Elias Pettersson, C, Vancouver Canucks: Still a chunky cap hit to move relative to his production, even in the rising-cap world, but he’s having a much better year so far. At least, the surface numbers say that. The Canucks might be wise to sell high.
Roman Josi, D, Nashville Predators: Would certainly boost a contender with his puck-moving acumen, but the Preds are competitive-ish so far, meaning he won’t be available just yet.
Mathew Barzal, C, New York Islanders: It feels like he could use a fresh start. But the chronic knee problems are highly concerning.
Jason Robertson, LW, Dallas Stars: It’s difficult to imagine him and the Stars getting in bed together long-term after such contentious negotiations. But they need him this season; it only makes sense to trade him if it’s in a hockey deal that helps them now. How about Kucherov, one for one?
TIER 4: Trade chips later in season if teams sell
Erik Karlsson, D, Pittsburgh Penguins
Jordan Binnington, G, St. Louis Blues
Vince Dunn, D, Seattle Kraken
Ian Cole, D, Chicago Blackhawks
Andrew Copp, C, Detroit Red Wings
Ross Colton, C, Nashville Predators
Andrei Kuzmenko, LW, Pittsburgh Penguins
Ryan Donato, C, Chicago Blackhawks
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