Which players could kick off the NHL trade market this month?

A lot has been made about the lack of trade action so far this NHL season. It’s not that we haven’t seen a single move made, but when the highlights are the Edmonton Oilers taking on Connor Ingram as a reclamation project and Lukas Reichel moving to an injury-plagued Vancouver Canucks team (and potentially already on the move again), it’s not exactly an exciting market. Some of that is due to a lack of sellers, and some is due to the newly implemented playoff salary cap making it harder for teams already up against the salary cap to make moves work.

But also, early season moves aren’t super common. Last season, Olli Maatta, Timothy Liljegren, Lars Eller, Philip Tomasino, Scott Wedgewood and David Jiricek were the only names of any note traded prior to December, but the action did pick up in the final month of the calendar year. Jacob Trouba, Mackenzie Blackwood, Cam Fowler, Kaapo Kakko, Alexandre Carrier and Juuso Parssinen were all on the move in December, and the trades rarely slowed down, with deals in the New Year including Mikko Rantanen (twice), J.T. Miller, Seth Jones and Brad Marchand.

So with December now underway, will we see similar movement around the holidays? The standings may still be super tight, but there are already a few teams reportedly looking to make moves, and a couple more teams well outside the playoffs destined to sell. All it takes is one stone to drop, and the market starts rolling.

Today, I’m going to look at several different players who seem most likely to be on the move in December, and as a result, will finally kick off a slow trade market.

Rasmus Andersson/Nazem Kadri, Calgary Flames

Why a trade might happen: Considering how far out of the playoff picture the Flames already are, they seem like an obvious candidate to move some players. With a 9-15-4 record, they already sit six points outside a playoff spot, and while ownership and management are a bit reluctant to commit to a rebuild so quickly, it feels inevitable. When they do, they may have the best center and defenseman on the market in Kadri and Andersson, so it’s possible a team is eager to get a deal for either player done well before the deadline while they’re still available.

Why a trade might not happen… yet: The Flames are currently in a stretch of 4-2-1 in their past seven games. It’s not enough to put them in the playoff conversation yet, but it’s enough for them to go from well outside the conversation to the fringes of it. However, with how much Flames ownership likes to avoid full-on rebuilds, this little run might be enough for them to hold off on a trade until the start of the new year. Andersson in particular should be gone before the deadline if Calgary has any common sense, but they may just procrastinate making that move for a little longer.

Any goaltender

Why a trade might happen: The existence of the Edmonton Oilers already puts the possibility of a goalie trade happening relatively high, as they are now in their third season of fans and media clamoring for upgrades on Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. But it’s not just Edmonton. The Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs and Utah Mammoth all have struggles in the crease, and all of them have playoff aspirations (or they did at the start the season). Some will likely hope for internal improvement from their goalies, but the market is definitely there, and the Colorado Avalanche‘s goalie overhaul last December may prove to teams it’s possible if they act soon enough.

Why a trade might not happen… yet: While you could make the excuse of the standings being too close for any option on this list, with goalies it matters all the more. Teams may be hesitant to move on from one of their netminders while they remain in the playoff hunt (Tristan Jarry, Elvis Merzlikins) at the risk of losing some depth at the position. And then the goalies whom teams would want to move aren’t having good seasons (John Gibson, Cam Talbot) or haven’t played in a while (Laurent Brossoit), so teams looking for help in the crease don’t see those options as an improvement. Then there’s the few teams who are actually in the window of selling in Calgary, Nashville and Vancouver: are they trading Dustin Wolf, Juuse Saros or Thatcher Demko right now? Definitely not.

Yegor Chinakhov, Columbus Blue Jackets

Why a trade might happen: Last season, one of the first moves to kick off the trade season was a disgruntled Blue Jacket in David Jiricek getting dealt to a new team to get a new opportunity. So why not try it again? Chinakhov requested a trade in the summer, and while Columbus hasn’t found a suitor just yet, maybe now is the time they do. Teams now know who they are this season and what they need, so considering he’s tied for 31st in 5v5 goals for per 60 minutes since the 2023-24 season and only getting 10:18 a night with the Blue Jackets, maybe a team looking for a buy-low candidate for their top six takes a swing on him.

Why a trade might not happen… yet: An injury to Kirill Marchenko has given Chinakhov some opportunities in the top six, so that alone could deter Columbus from making a move at this moment, but even then, he already finds himself back on the fourth line. Considering the trade talks are largely driven by Chinakhov’s request, it also wouldn’t be a surprise if the Blue Jackets aren’t itching to pull the trigger on a deal in hopes the 2020 first-rounder either finds a role he likes and rescinds the request. Or they just want to see how high the bidding war goes before dealing him. With that in mind, this might be something that happens in 2026.

Ryan O’Reilly, Nashville Predators

Why a trade might happen: Have you seen O’Reilly these days? He hasn’t looked like he hates his job this much since his time with the Buffalo Sabres. All jokes aside, Nashville is one of the few teams already far enough out of a playoff spot to justify selling, and if I were to pick one Predator who could move soon, it’s probably O’Reilly. Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos have expensive enough contracts that they’re more likely to be moved in the summer, and Michael Bunting and Erik Haula aren’t big-enough names to justify rushing the market just yet. That leaves O’Reilly, and on top of him seemingly wanting out of Nashville as soon as possible, there are some teams looking for some help down the middle in the wake of injuries like the Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils, so they may rush to make a move.

Why a trade might not happen… yet: Honestly, the only reason I could see an O’Reilly trade not happening is if Barry Trotz wants to wait on the market just a little bit longer. The Predators don’t have to move him now if they don’t find the right price, so unless O’Reilly specifically requests a trade, maybe Nashville waits. That said, the market won’t have as many suitors as it will right now, so there may not be a better time to drive up the price.

Kiefer Sherwood, Vancouver Canucks

Why a trade might happen: The Canucks are the only team with actual reports out there of them looking to start moving on from veterans on the team, as with a 10-14-3 record, they have clearly decided this year isn’t their year. If there’s any player who makes sense to sell high right now, it’s Sherwood. The Canucks will never get more for him than they will now, as he’s already cooling off from his torrid start of nine goals in 12 games, with only three in his last 14. Even then, teams will be all over him considering his scoring prowess over the last two seasons and the physicality he brings to the table will be helpful come playoff time. There’s already reports of a few teams looking to add him, so it feels like this trade may happen sooner rather than later.

Why a trade might not happen… yet: Much like O’Reilly, it may just come down to Patrik Allvin wanting to be patient and see where the trade market goes with Sherwood. Considering he’s already regressed from his hot start, the Canucks may be playing with fire if they wait too long, but otherwise, they don’t have to move Sherwood until March 6 if they don’t see the right deal. Still, if there was a potential trade target on this list for whom a move feels the most imminent, it’s Sherwood.

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