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This week’s power rankings will look at one player from each team that could be moved “soon”. That could mean before this year’s trade deadline or it could mean early in the off-season.
There are some players under contract on this list, there are others that will be unrestricted free agents or even restricted free agents. You’ll also find players at every position, including between the pipes.
The player’s are ranked based on the potential impact they could make on a roster down the stretch. Hey, and if you disagree, let me hear about it!
Here are this week’s rankings:
1 - Filip Forsberg – W – Nashville Predators:
Reports have surfaced that the Preds are listening to offers on Forsberg, who is scheduled to become a UFA at the end of the season. The 27-year-old is a special talent, but the Preds may need to move on from him if they believe they won’t be able to sign him. He has 27 goals and 46 points in 42 games.
2 - Tomas Hertl – C – San Jose Sharks:
Hertl will be one of the main attractions on the free-agent market if he doesn’t re-sign with the Sharks (or someone else) this season. The 28-year-old has 22 goals and 42 points in 55 games this season, but he’s shown that he can produce more than that when he’s fully healthy. This would be a big acquisition for any franchise.
3 - Brock Boeser – W – Vancouver Canucks:
Boeser could change a team’s top-six, but it would likely take a lot to get him out of Vancouver. The 25-year-old has 16 goals and 17 assists in 51 games, but he’s capable of more when things are going his way. He’ll be a restricted free agent at the end of the year, so his trade value won’t diminish at all because of his contract status.
4 - Jakob Chychrun – D – Arizona Coyotes:
The rebuilding Coyotes probably shouldn’t be in a hurry to trade the 23-year-old, but they’ll probably be able to get a massive haul for him. He has three years remaining on his contract at a reasonable $4.6 million cap hit.
5 - Claude Giroux – F – Philadelphia Flyers:
It’s weird to try to envision Giroux in another team’s jersey, but the veteran and the Flyers could be headed for a separation. The 34-year-old could be a perfect rental for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. He has 17 goals and a reasonable 40 points in 52 outings.
6 - Samuel Girard – D – Colorado Avalanche;
The Avs don’t have to get rid of Girard, but there was talk that he was available last summer. He’ll be making $5 million per year until 2026-27, and he’s struggled at times in the playoffs. Another tough postseason could lead to him being moved. There’s just no reason for the move to happen in-season.
7 - John Klingberg – D – Dallas Stars:
Klingberg isn’t having his best season, but he’s still a very capable puck-moving defenseman. The 29-year-old has one goal and 25 assists in 47 games, and he would upgrade any team’s blue line this year. His contract demands could impact his value on the trade market.
8 - Matt Dumba – D – Minnesota Wild:
Dumba’s name always seems to come up in trade rumors, but the Wild have yet to pull the trigger on a move for their defenseman. The 27-year-old has a respectable 20 points in 41 games and he averages almost 24 minutes of ice time per game. He has one year remaining on his contract at a cap hit of $6 million.
9 - Hampus Lindholm – D – Anaheim Ducks:
The Ducks have to make trade decisions on Lindholm, Rickard Rakell and Josh Manson because all three are pending UFAs. Lindholm has good size, skating ability and feel for the game. He’s also just 28 years old. He currently averages 22:43 of ice time for Anaheim this season.
10 - Alexandar Georgiev – G- New York Rangers:
Georgiev could be a starting goalie on a few other teams, but it doesn’t make sense for the Rangers to trade him right now. He’s a quality insurance option for New York in case something was to happen to Igor Shesterkin. He could realistically be moved at the draft or in the off-season.
11 - Jordan Binnington – G – St. Louis Blues:
This might be a bit of a stretch, but Binnington has struggled and there are still so many years left on his contract at a cap hit of $6 million. Could they find someone to take him off their hands? Would they even want to move him? A trade won’t be made before the deadline, but a team looking to upgrade in goal might be willing to roll the dice on him.
12 - Jesperi Kotkaniemi - C - Carolina Hurricanes:
Kotkaniemi was a controversial offseason acquisition that was made via offer-sheet. He and head coach Rod Brind’Amour haven’t been on the same page this year, so it looks like he could be on the way out after one year. Trading him away with a $6.1 million salary won’t be easy though. The 21-year-old has 11 goals and 11 assists in 52 games this season.
13 - Max Domi – W – Columbus Blue Jackets:
This may or may not happen this year, but it just feels like Domi will wind up being a Toronto Maple Leaf at some point. He grew up around the organization because his father, Tie, spent a number of years on the roster. The 27-year-old hasn’t been able to replicate that 72-point season he put together a few years ago. He’s a decent depth scorer though.
14 - Marc-Andre Fleury – G – Chicago Blackhawks:
It’s tough to judge the 37-year-old on the season he’s put together thus far because the Hawks have been disappointing in front of him, too. He has a 17-19-4 record with a 2.83 goals-against-average and a .911 save percentage this season.
15 - Andrew Copp – C – Winnipeg Jets:
Copp and Paul Stastny are two players the Jets will need to make a decision on very quickly. Winnipeg isn’t out of the playoff picture yet, but they need to have an incredible second half of the year to get in. Copp is a quality middle-six forward that could fetch a nice return. Should the Jets move him though? They should probably try to sign him to an extension.
16 - Pavel Zacha - C - New Jersey Devils:
Zacha will never live up to the hype that comes with being a sixth overall pick, but he’s made some improvements. The 24-year-old has 13 goals and 14 assists in 52 games this season. He’s scheduled to become an RFA at the end of the regular season.
17 - Tampa Bay’s first-round draft pick:
Alright, this is a cop out. It’s difficult to envision the Lightning parting ways with any roster players at this point. The two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions could very well win another Stanley Cup, so they could dangle their first-round pick. The only issue is that they don’t have a second, third or fourth-round draft pick in 2022. But when you can win it all, you have to go for it.
18 - Ilya Samsonov - G - Washington Capitals:
The Caps don’t appear to be completely satisfied with their goalie situation short term, but Vitek Vanecek has been relatively consistent when healthy. Samsonov could fetch a decent return in a trade given his age and upside. The 25-year-old has a 17-9-3 record in 2021-22.
19 - Kasperi Kapanen – W – Pittsburgh Penguins:
The Penguins don’t have much cap space, so they could opt to ship Kapanen out of town for a second time. He makes $3.2 million this year and he’s scheduled to become an RFA at season’s end. The 25-year-old has nine goals and 17 assists in 56 games this season.
20 - Jake DeBrusk – W – Boston Bruins:
The Bruins are in a good spot, as they’re comfortably in a Wild Card position in the East. Trading DeBrusk for future assets doesn’t really make sense, but it seems like they’ve been trying to move him for a while now. He’s a pending RFA and he’s managed to score a respectable 15 goals in 51 games.
21 - Evgenii Dadonov – W – Vegas Golden Knights:
Dadonov was a curious acquisition for a Golden Knights team that didn’t have much cap space. He has one year remaining on a deal that will pay him $5 million, and he hasn’t been very productive. If the Golden Knights need to active Mark Stone and Alec Martinez before the end of the regular season, they’ll need to shed some salary.
22 - Owen Tippett - W - Florida Panthers:
Tippett was the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, but he’s struggled to produce in the league. He was six goals and eight assists in 42 games this season. The 23-year-old is just two years into his NHL career, so there’s plenty of time for him to develop into a good player. The Panthers could use him to upgrade their current roster.
23 - Jaret Anderson-Dolan - W - Los Angeles Kings:
The Kings don’t have to get rid of Anderson-Dolan at all costs, but this team has found a way to get into the playoff picture this year. They could easily sacrifice one of their many prospects or even a draft pick. The 22-year-old has yet to pick up a point in four games this year, but he has 37 points in 39 AHL games in 2021-22.
24 - Mark Giordano – D – Seattle Kraken:
The 38-year-old has done as well as could be expected on an expansion team, but he could be on his way out of Seattle. The Kraken could use his leadership though. They could opt to move him at the deadline and then re-sign him once free agency begins if he’s open to that.
25 - Ben Chiarot – D – Montreal Canadiens:
Chiarot isn’t much of an offensive force, but he brings a ruggedness and physicality to the blue line. Many insiders have suggested that he could fetch the Habs a first-round pick and more, so it’ll be interesting to see what a contender is willing to give up for the pending UFA.
26 - Nick Leddy – D – Detroit Red Wings:
Leddy could’ve likely fetched a big return a few years ago when he was with the Islanders, but his production has dropped off. He has one goal and 11 assists in 51 games this year, but he averages a solid 21:22 of ice time.
27 - Mikko Koskinen - G - Edmonton Oilers:
The Oilers clearly need a goalie, but they don’t have much salary cap room. In order to upgrade between the pipes, they may need a team to take back Koskinen’s expiring contract. Whether or not that can be done remains to be seen though. The pressure is on because they can’t keep wasting Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl‘s prime years.
28 - Cal Clutterbuck – W – New York Islanders:
Even though he’s 34 years old, someone will take a chance on Clutterbuck if the Islanders make him available. He can still play an energy role on a fourth line and certain teams will value that come playoff time. He has 13 points in 52 games this season. He’ll be a UFA at the end of the season.
29 - Travis Dermott - D - Toronto Maple Leafs:
The Leafs defender has five points and a plus-6 rating in 39 games this season. The 25-year-old is a bottom-pairing defenseman that could see more ice time if he goes to a team that isn’t as competitive as the Maple Leafs are right now. Dermott could fetch Toronto a decent draft pick.
30 - Colin Miller – D – Buffalo Sabres:
Miller has been out with an upper-body injury since Jan. 17, so he needs to get healthy. But competing teams are always looking to add quality depth on defense, and he could definitely provide that. He’ll be a UFA at the end of the season.
31 - Nick Paul – W – Ottawa Senators:
Paul can be a solid, big-bodied third-line player on a good team and he’s just 26 years old. The Sens forward has 10 goals and 17 points in 53 games this season, which is reasonable for a depth player. His contract expires this summer.
32 - Dillon Dube – W – Calgary Flames:
The Flames have already surrendered a first-round pick and more for Tyler Toffoli, so they could look to make a depth acquisition before the deadline. Dube is just 23 years old and he could be of value to a rebuilding team. He has just 14 points in 51 games though.
