Who’s Dealt First? The NHL Roster Freeze Lifts Tonight

The Olympics are over, but the chaos never stops in the world of hockey, as the NHL roster freeze lifts at 11:59 PM tonight. Focus now shifts to who will be dealt next. Here are the most likely trade candidates and the teams circling them.

Vincent Trochek

Fresh off a gold medal win alongside other wild players such as Quinn Hughes, Brock Faber and Matt Boldy, many believe Vincent Trochek is the next player the Wild look to target. GM of both Team USA and the Minnesota Wild, Bill Guerin, has expressed a lot of interest in the Rangers center amid the team's search for a top 6 center. Trochek and Guerin just spent the entire Olympic break together, wouldn't be surprised if they've already had this discussion.

With the freeze lifting, it's believed that this is one of the first moves that will be made, as the Wild look to load up for a deep playoff run. The question is, what is this going to cost? Minnesota already sent its first-round pick and a plethora of young assets to Vancouver to acquire Quinn Hughes, so they don't have as big a selection when it comes to a Trochek deal.

The package is likely centred around 21-year-old Russian center, Danila Yurov, as the Rangers will look to add an NHL-ready center in return. However, Bill Guerin may have to throw in the team's 2027 first-round pick as well. This pick should be a late one as the Wild look to be contenders for the next few years with their strong young core. With the uncertainty on whether or not Quinn Hughes will re-sign before the end of his contract, now is the time for the Wild to go all in for a run at Lord Stanley.

Patrik Laine

The Patrik Laine situation is quite interesting, as he's a strangely perceived player league-wide. While being one of the most talented goal scorers in the league with his absolute rifle of a shot, injuries have turned him into a complete black hole in 5v5 play. With a clogged roster that has no spot for Laine, and a desire to free up cap space at the deadline, the Canadiens are looking to move off of his $8.7M cap hit.

The question is, what will the Habs have to attach to offload Laine's deal? Is a "future considerations" based deal with retention from Montreal enough? Or maybe he can just be the main piece going back for another deal they look to make with one of the rebuilding teams.

Regardless, it is nearly guaranteed that his time with Montreal will be up before deadline day, and reports suggest this could happen as soon as before the season resumes post-Olympics. Laine was a key piece in the Habs' playoff run last season, but with the Canadiens having the 7th-ranked power play in the league during his absence, he has no role on the roster.

Jordan Kyrou

Another name that's been swirling around since the NHL draft in June is Blues winger Jordan Kyrou. However, amid the Blues' struggles this season, Kyrou rumours have heated back up. Back then, Seattle and Montreal showed strong interest in him, but nothing ever materialized. His name has been thrown among those same teams, but others have joined the sweepstakes, including mentions of Carolina and the New York Islanders in recent weeks.

Some analysts think this is more of an offseason move, given his large contract and no-trade clause, but with the number of teams looking to load up, it looks increasingly likely. With the Blues looking to enter a rebuild, and Kyrou starting to enter his prime years, they could cash in on his value and look to the future. Also, every indication is that Kyrou is willing to be moved. Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk are also names to watch for the Blues.

Flames Veterans

Many Flames players have been mentioned prior to the deadline, with notable names being: Nazem Kadri, Blake Coleman, and recently Mackenzie Weegar.

We've talked about Kadri's connection with the Habs before, but he has heavy interest from many teams, as it seems nearly half the league needs a top-six center. Teams like the: Hurricanes, Kings, Stars, Avalanche and even Toronto have been mentioned in the past, but a lot of these teams don't like the $7M cap hit he carries till he's 38.

Blake Coleman's news has been all over the place, as a while ago it seemed like they were willing to keep him, now he's back in rumours. Montreal, Dallas, and Tampa were at the forefront of most rumours, but a lot of teams are apparently looking for his services, as he adds grit to any lineup.

Mackenzie Weegar to Ottawa has picked up a lot of steam recently, as the Senators seem to be desperate for help on the right side of their defence. Given that Weegar is an Ottawa native, this seems fairly likely to get done. However, with the Senators being six points out of a playoff spot and not owning a first-round pick this year, they will have to be careful not to give up too much for the 32-year-old defenceman who makes 6.25M a year till he's 37.

Canucks Mess - Evander Kane

The Vancouver Canucks have seemingly fallen apart this season, as they were already forced to trade their captain, 26-year-old superstar defenceman Quinn Hughes, earlier this season. Their return was solid, but with the overall talent of the team, they won't be competing for much without a full-scale rebuild.

For the Canucks, the most likely player to get dealt before the deadline would be veteran forward Evander Kane. Kane has been a very polarizing figure throughout his career, but he is still a good hockey player whose gritty style can help out a contending team come playoff time.

Contenders like Colorado, Dallas, and Tampa have checked in on him, but his cap hit ($5.125M) will require retention from the Canucks. Sitting dead last in the NHL, the Canucks should have no issue doing this, as he's only on a 1-year deal. Jake DeBrusk and Elias Peterson are also names to watch for the Canucks.

Who's Next?

As mentioned, these are the most likely names to get dealt post-freeze. However, there are plenty more players who can, and will, be moved before deadline day on March 6th. It feels like this is said every year, but with so many teams still firmly in the playoff mix, we should see a lot of teams looking to get better. If these early names are any indication, this trade deadline is shaping up to be a busy one.