What are some perfect fits for players on the trade block?
The first quarter of the 2026-27 NHL season is in the books, and it brings plenty of intrigue as the March Trade Deadline creeps closer, even though it’s still several months away.
On a recent episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, co-hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton welcomed in Daily Faceoff managing editor and reporter Matt Larkin to break down which players could find new homes in the near future, based on his recent trade board tier list.
Carter Hutton: Matt, I want your expert opinion on this. If you’re playing matchmaker across your trade board, give us one player and one team you really like, and you see that fit working off one of these guys who are available.
Matt Larkin: I have a couple. That’s because my brain is always just going a mile a minute. One that’s just pure fantasy-casting, and it’s almost like I can see one side of the trade, but the other side doesn’t make sense: Owen Tippett to the Edmonton Oilers. He’s got 98th-percentile speed. He’s so fast for a guy that big, and he’s a buy-low right now since he’s been struggling this year with the Philadelphia Flyers.
He’s got a hard shot, and I just think that’s the type of big-bodied player that can actually keep up with Connor McDavid. Yet it kind of falls apart when I think about what Edmonton would send to the Flyers.
If they trade Owen Tippett, it’s got to be for a center. I don’t think it really fits. More realistically, I would look at Alexander Nikishin to the Toronto Maple Leafs. We know he has a really high ceiling, and he could become a do-it-all defenseman if he finds a coach who trusts him and gives him more minutes and a bigger role. He was a star in the KHL, has high offensive upside and is physical. I think he’s a do-it-all defenseman. If he gets a chance to grow, we know the Leafs need that type of player to build around.
That’s what’s unique for the Carolina Hurricanes too; if you look at how dominant they’ve been, they started most of the season without Nikishin. He wasn’t playing, and when he plays, he’s not playing that many minutes, so they don’t really need him right now. What that means is Carolina, even as a contending team, is a trade partner that might be willing to accept futures for Nikishin and rebuild their pipeline. So if you’re the Leafs, you could say, ‘We’ll give you Colorado’s first and Ben Danford for Nikishin,’ and I think that’s the kind of deal I have in my head. Most contending teams would say no, but Carolina could afford that, so that is another fit that I think would be intriguing.
You can catch Matt Larkin’s full appearance and the rest of the episode right here.