2025 NHL Trade Deadline Goals for Every Team  

The 2025 NHL Trade Deadline (March 7) is a little more than a month away, and every team in the league has to have some sort of objective or goal as to what it wants to accomplish between now and then.

Some teams need to recognize the opportunity in front of them and go all-in for a Stanley Cup run.

Others need to start looking toward the future.

Maybe a few teams just need to sit, do nothing, and let patience win.

So let's try and help them out and discuss what each team's goal should be.

The Ducks are showing signs of progress in their rebuild, but they are still not ready to be a playoff team in the Western Conference. It's a slow build, but there is a nice pipeline of talent being built here.

They are not ready to buy, but they also don't have a ton to sell outside of some veterans like Brian Dumoulin who are not really going to bring back a huge return.

The one player that could be intriguing to watch is goalie John Gibson.

He has been mentioned in trade speculation for years now, but his declining play and contract have made him mostly unmovable.

But thanks to a resurgence in his play this season, there might be some renewed interest in him across the league. And there should be some motivation for the Ducks to move him to clear out some salary, and especially given the the emergence of 24-year-old goalie Lukas Dostal.

I am not saying the Bruins need to tear it all down and start over.

But I am saying they are probably not going to win this season even if they do make the playoffs, and that it would probably be short-sighted to try and add to this extremely flawed team. Especially after games like Tuesday where they get absolutely humiliated against a bad Buffalo team.

The goal here should be creating future salary-cap space and collecting more future assets so they can potentially position themselves to try and find the type of impact center they have been lacking since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired.

Trent Frederic is probably the most intriguing rental player they can sell, and his size and physical play would probably be a welcome addition for several GMs around the league.

But outside of players like David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman there should not be many untouchables here if the right offer presents itself.

Another year, another season at the bottom of the NHL standings, and another year of selling off players at the deadline.

It is, quite simply, the rebuild that never ends.

The question is what Buffalo is going to do about it this season.

Could they move Bowen Byram before he becomes a restricted free agent? Would they move Dylan Cozens to try and shake some things up? Pretty much anything is on the table.

Whether it is a major blockbuster or something smaller, veterans like Jason Zucker and Jordan Greenway have no reason to be on the roster in mid-March. Trade them and collect some more picks and get something while you can.

The Flames are in one of the toughest positions of any team in the NHL when it comes to this trade deadline.

They are in a position to make the playoffs and are exceeding expectations, but they are not really in a position where they should be clear buyers. They also do not really have much to sell that would not hurt their long-term outlook.

The best approach here is just to take things patiently, don't sell anybody you don't need to (like Rasmus Andersson) and don't give up any long-term assets for a short-term rental that is not going to move you any closer to serious contention.

Patience has to be the key here.

Carolina has already made its blockbuster trade by getting Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall from Colorado and Chicago respectively, adding a bona fide top-line star to a lineup that badly needed another game-changer.

Along with the addition of Hall, that adds a lot of scoring punch to a lineup that generally does everything well except finish come playoff time.

If the Hurricanes feel the need to do anything else it should probably just be some additional forward depth. But it doesn't need to be a lot. The heavy lifting is already done here.

The rebuild continues, and after trading Hall there are still a few veterans here that could be on the move including Ryan Donato, Pat Maroon, and Alec Martinez.

They might not bring a bunch back in return, but there is still a chance to add some more draft picks to a team that already has a lot of them.

If the Blackhawks were smart, they would collect as many picks as possible and then try to flip some of them this offseason for more immediate help.

The one thing they should not do before the trade deadline—retain significant salary in a Seth Jones trade. The only way it would make sense to move Jones is if somebody gives them a good offer that does not involve them eating salary.

The Avalanche have already made several major in-season moves, completely overhauling their goalie situation and then trading Rantanen to Carolina in one of the biggest pre-deadline moves in recent NHL memory.

While getting Martin Necas and Jack Drury is an acceptable return for a pending UFA, the real intrigue here is the fact it opened up some additional salary-cap space and also gave the Avalanche some additional draft picks.

That offers some short-term flexibility.

Even before trading Rantanen the Avalanche were going to need more scoring depth, and that is especially true now after the fact.

They need another center, they need more depth, and they need more forwards. Their window is still open for them to compete, but the roster as it currently sits is not going to get it done.

The Blue Jackets are quickly becoming one of the NHL's most interesting teams in both the short-term and long-term.

Entering the season it was pretty clear that they were accumulating a deep farm system full of young talent, and some of it is starting to make its presence felt in the NHL. They are exceeding expectations and have put themselves right in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

That could make them buyers over the next couple of weeks if they can prove they are capable of staying in the race. Even if they do buy, they shouldn't do anything outrageous or costly in terms of young assets or prime draft picks.

This is a situation that calls for some low-cost, low-risk rentals that can bring some veteran experience to a young team that is just starting to learn how to win and compete.

The Stars have one of the deepest rosters in the NHL and have been in the Western Conference Final in each of the past two years. Expectations for another deep playoff run are high, and they should be.

But for as good as things have looked, the Stars do have some big potential issues thanks to injuries that they might have to address in the coming weeks.

Veteran forward Tyler Seguin is likely done for the season, while star defenseman Miro Heiskanen suffered an ugly-looking injury on Tuesday night in Vegas.

Replacing Seguin should be high on management's priority list, while a long-term injury could Heiskanen could create an additional need on the blue line.

Given how close the Stars are to a championship and how close they have been the past two years, they should not be afraid to be aggressive. Draft picks and prospects should not stop them from landing an impact player who can help put them over the top.

The Red Wings have turned their season around after making a coaching change to bring in Todd McLellan, but they are still far from a lock to make the playoffs.

That leaves them in a mushy middle ground that will be tricky for general manager Steve Yzerman to navigate.

He might not need to sell off much, but if he is going to add it needs to be somebody that can help into the future and still has term remaining on their contract.

They could use another long-term top-six forward and certainly another long-term option near the top of the defense. If they can not find a player that fits either role, they would be best suited to stand pat and see what this group is capable of before re-evaluating their needs—and their roster—in the offseason.

Defensive depth was a big problem for the Oilers a year ago as they did not really have a reliable pairing after Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm that they could count on.

They could still use some additional help in that regard this season.

They are taking a flier on veteran John Klingberg to see if he still has something left to offer, but that is far from a sure thing. Even if Klingberg can help them, it still would not hurt to be on the lookout for another capable and steady top-four defenseman.

Somebody like Pittsburgh's Marcus Pettersson would be ideal.

The good news for the Panthers is they do not have a ton of needs and still have one of the best rosters in the NHL. So they do not need a lot.

That is especially good news because they have almost no salary-cap space and very little to actually trade in terms of prospects and draft picks, not owning any picks in 2025 until the fourth round.

If they can manage to snag a third-pairing or No. 7 defenseman that would be solid business.

There just is not a lot of flexibility here and not many huge needs.

The Kings are looking at another potential first-round matchup with the Edmonton Oilers (for what would be the fourth consecutive season) and are going to be under major pressure to finally knock them off (or whoever they end up playing in the first round).

It's a good roster that is deep down the middle, is one of the best defensive teams in the league despite losing Matt Roy in free agency and Drew Doughty to injury, and has even managed to solidify its goaltending with a nice bounce-back season from veteran goalie Darcy Kuemper.

But for as good as all of that might be, they still need a little extra scoring punch on the wing. Finding another top-six scorer should be high on the Kings' priority list to help them break through what has been a very limited ceiling the past few years.

The Wild have done a really solid job of navigating through a brutal salary-cap situation the past few years, and they are nearly out of the woods when it comes to the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts.

This year's team is solidly in a playoff position thanks to an MVP-caliber performance from Kirill Kaprizov (when he has been healthy) and some tremendous goaltending from Filip Gustavsson and veteran Marc-Andre Fleury.

The salary cap situation is still ugly, and injuries (most recently to Kaprizov) have really forced their hand a little bit, but if they can find some cheap scoring help they need to figure out a way to add it. Given the salary-cap situation, they are either going to need somebody to retain some salary or get creative with a third team involved that can retain some salary for them.

The Canadiens have taken a big step forward this season and are one of the eight teams currently fighting it out for two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference.

They have some high-end young talent and are getting a great bounce-back year from offseason addition Patrik Laine. There is a light at the end of the tunnel here and reasons for Canadiens fans to be optimistic about the medium-term and long-term outlooks.

But the Canadiens should not be fooled into trying to add too much this offseason, nor should they reject the idea of potentially moving some of their pending free agents that might not be in their long-term plans, specifically players like Christian Dvorak, Joel Armia and Jake Evans. You don't want to put yourself in a position where you lose players for nothing after you might have been able to flip them if you are not going to make the playoffs.

It might not be easy given how far they have come this season, but the Canadiens can not lose sight of the big picture. Sometimes you have to make some tough decisions.

There has not been a bigger disappointment in the NHL this season than the Nashville Predators, especially after their offseason spending spree that saw them add Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei in free agency.

As disappointing as the team has been, the Predators are not going to abandon this core group they have assembled after one bad season. But it should still look to sell on the edges of the roster where it can, specifically as it relates to veteran forward Gustav Nyquist before his contract expires after the season.

Nashville is going to enter the offseason with three first-round draft picks and two second-round picks, and can likely add to that capital with a Nyquist trade (probably a second-or third-round pick). That could give them some serious trade options to address whatever flaws still exist on the roster.

After missing the playoffs a year ago the Devils have had significantly better injury luck this season and fixed their biggest glaring weakness—goaltending.

That combination has again made the Devils a contender in the Eastern Conference, and they should have as good of a chance as anybody to make a run at the Stanley Cup.

They should not be afraid to swing for a home run move.

Whether it be another scoring winger, an additional center to keep adding depth down the middle, or some combination of the two the Devils should recognize the opportunity they have in front of them and not be afraid to go all in. They already did that to some degree in the offseason with the additions of Jacob Markstrom (goalie) and Brett Pesce (defense). They should not stop there.

General manager Lou Lamoriello does not like to give up on a season, and he does not like to sell, but he has to be reasonable and realistic about this.

His team is probably not making the playoffs, and he has two potentially attractive rental options in forwards Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri that might bring him a solid return. He needs to take advantage of that and avoid the temptation of trying to re-sign them or letting them walk after the season for nothing.

The Islanders are one of the oldest teams in hockey and re-signing either player (or both) would only add to that and further limit the short-term ceiling. Take advantage of the trade value they might have and give yourself some future assets and the flexibility that comes with that.

Sell. Sell. Sell.

What a bizarre season. What a bizarre team.

It's not like the Rangers have not found success recently. It is not like they have not been close to glory. They have been in the Eastern Conference Final in two of the past three seasons and quite literally had the best record in the NHL a year ago.

But despite that success and the expectations that come with it, the roster and team have always seemed flawed and just a step below the teams that actually win a championship.

Management does not always seem to understand that, or understand where the flaws are. Now that they are teetering on the edge of the Eastern Conference playoff bubble and falling short of expectations there seems to be some panic within the front office on what to do next.

Here is what they can not do, and what they should not do: They can not, and should not, trade young assets for another player on the wrong side of 30 like Vancouver's J.T. Miller, as has been rumored.

That is right out of the early 2000s, Glen Sather Rangers playbook. And that playbook stunk. They do not need another wrong-side-of-30s player with big money committed to them.

See where this core can take you, take a real, honest look at your flaws that exist in the offseason, and then go from there.

That's the goal here. Don't screw it up.

This looks to be the Senators' best chance to make the playoffs since their 2016-17 Eastern Conference Finals run, and they should be in a position to add.

Top-line talent has never really been the issue here for the Senators as they have some outstanding core players in Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk. The addition of Linus Ullmark over the summer fixed a huge weakness in net.

But they could still use another top-four defenseman—especially one that is a right-handed shot—and should be in the market to add somebody that fills that role if they are going to snap their playoff drought.

The Flyers' rebuild is showing some progress. They are, at the very least, competitive again and they have a legitimate cornerstone player in Matvei Michkov. Getting a player like that is the hard part.

Even though they are still "in it" in terms of the playoff race, it is not a very realistic goal this season. The rebuild is still ongoing, and they need to understand for this season. It's not the time to buy just yet, and while they do not have a lot of pending free agents if somebody gives you an offer you can not refuse for, say, a Scott Laughton, you have to consider it.

Keep stockpiling assets and start flipping them this offseason if you want to add something.

Be patient. Understand the long-term goal.

It is pretty obvious the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to be sellers.

It is also true that they are not going to trade off any of their legacy players like Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin.

It is more of a re-tooling than a full-scale rebuilding, and they have a lot of players they can flip.

Pending unrestricted free agents like Marcus Pettersson, Drew O'Connor, Matt Grzelcyk and Anthony Beauvillier seem like givens to go, while they are probably not opposed to trading players with term like Rickard Rakell or Michael Bunting if the right offer presents itself.

Keep collecting draft picks and young players, and it might give them the ability to flip some of them in the offseason for more immediate help if they want to try and compete sooner than later as long as Crosby and Malkin remain on the roster and still playing at a reasonably high level.

The Sharks are again one of the NHL's worst teams as they continue to navigate through the messy early years of a gigantic rebuild.

They do have a couple of big-time core players in Macklin Celebrini, William Eklund and Will Smith, but it is going to take some time to build up around them.

Selling is still going to be the name of the game here at the deadline.

That should include trading veteran forward Mikael Granlund for as much as they can get. Granlund has done an outstanding job in San Jose turning his career back around, and the Sharks deserve some credit for helping him do that and building up his trade value after he was basically a throw-in during the Erik Karlsson trade with Pittsburgh.

Given his point production, there might be some temptation to try and re-sign him.

They should resist that temptation.

Given his age, he is probably not going to fit in with the Sharks' timeline for contention, and by the time they do turn things around he is probably not going to be producing the way he is this season.

Sell him to the highest bidder and see how many future assets you can get back for him and keep building the Karlsson trade tree out.

The Kraken simply have not been able to get it right since entering the NHL.

They have struggled to find the consistent, immediate success the Vegas Golden Knights had, while the roster is just uninspiring with some really bad contracts.

The playoffs are almost certainly out of reach at this point this season, and that means it's time to move some pending free agents.

Yanni Gourde and Brandon Tanev are the two most likely players to be on the move, and both should have some serious rental value on the trade market.

Gourde's production has dramatically fallen off this season, but he could still slot in as a third-line center for a contender, while Tanev would be a welcome addition to a contender looking to add some defensive presence and energy to their bottom-six forward group.

The Blues are likely to miss the playoffs again, but they do not have a lot of clear options to sell.

At least as far as rental players are concerned.

Brandon Saad was placed on waivers on Tuesday, while Radek Faksa and Ryan Suter are really the only two pending unrestricted free agents on the roster that could be obvious trade candidates.

The Blues lost two draft picks before the season when they signed Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg away from the Edmonton Oilers as restricted free agents, and while both players have mostly panned out, it did cut into the Blues' draft pick pool.

Dealing Faksa at least could help replenish at least some of that.

The top half of the Lightning roster remains elite.

Nikita Kucherov is playing at an MVP level, Jake Guentzel has been a perfect addition, and Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli, Victor Hedman, and Andrei Vasilevksiy are still top-line players and producers.

But it's a very top-heavy team, and secondary scoring is an obvious need if they are going to do anything come playoff time.

Salary-cap space is tight, and trade assets are limited, so the Lightning are going to have to be creative and look for some cheaper options.

Every year we, as a hockey community, spend months yelling about the Maple Leafs defense and goaltending and how much they need to improve it if they are going to finally find success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Then every year they lose in the Stanley Cup Playoffs because they can not score enough goals and lose Games 5 and 6 of a series by a 2-1 margin or 1-0 margin.

They need a deeper offense.

That needs to be their focus. Specifically, they need a third-line center to help balance out the lineup.

The top-four core players of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares are all great. But the bottom half of the lineup still needs to do more.

Brock Nelson would be the ideal option as a third-line center, but if they can not get him they should be in the market for somebody like Yanni Gourde or a comparable player.

Normally I would not urge a team that is not guaranteed to make the playoffs this season to be an aggressive buyer at the trade deadline, but Utah might be an exception to that.

This is an exciting young team that could be poised to make a big move forward next season, and there might be a great opportunity for this club to make a big splash at some point in the very near future.

After more than a decade of ownership struggles, arena issues and no money to spend in Arizona, the franchise finally has real ownership and a steady future. They already made some big moves to address the defense in the offseason by adding John Marino and Mikhail Sergachev.

It has some exciting young forwards in place with Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther to go with veteran Clayton Keller.

Now it should try to take advantage of the salary-cap space it has to swing for a blockbuster addition that can help bring everything together.

It should not be a rental. But if there is a chance to a add top-line player with term remaining on their contract, they should try to be all over it.

Trade J.T. Miller.

Trade Elias Pettersson.

Trade both of them for all anybody cares.

Fire somebody.

Trade one of them or both of them and fire somebody.

It really does not matter which path they choose here, but the simple fact is the Canucks can not sit by and let this drama continue to build up under the surface and keep being a distraction. It is pretty obvious there is a problem with the core here and it is not going to get any better through patience and reasonable minds coming together.

The best course of action here would be to trade Miller given his age and contract, and the fact it would be nonsensical to trade a 26-year-old forward with a 100-point season already under his belt. You are not winning that trade, and it will probably set you back even further. But they have to do something. They have to do it sooner rather than later.

Vegas is always going to be one of the most aggressive buyers in the league, and with the Golden Knights playing like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender again you can be sure they will be looking to add something.

As always, they might need to get creative to make things work with the salary cap, but that has never been too daunting of an obstacle for them in the past.

The bigger issue might be the fact they have really depleted a lot of their trade assets over the past couple of years.

Does Vegas need a lot? Not really. At least nothing that is overly pressing. But another second- or third-line goal-scoring option would go a long way toward completing the roster.

After barely sneaking into the playoffs a year ago while being outscored by more than 30 goals, the Capitals went out this offseason and dramatically upgraded the roster with a series of moves that saw them add Jakob Chychrun, Matt Roy, Andrew Mangiapane, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Logan Thompson.

The result has been a team that is contending for the Presidents' Trophy and has almost overnight turned itself back into a top-tier Stanley Cup contender.

It is making Alex Ovechkin's run at Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record even more exciting.

One area the Capitals could stand to make an upgrade is with their center depth. They tried to address it earlier this season by bringing back Lars Eller in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins. They won their Stanley Cup in 2018 with Eller playing a third-line center role, but is he still capable of playing that role for a Stanley Cup contender at this stage of his career? It still might be a spot worth upgrading if you are the Capitals.

The Winnipeg Jets got off to the best start in the NHL this season and have built themselves a nice lead in the Central Division. They have the best goalie on the planet right now in Connor Hellebuyck and a handful of top-end players in Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey at the top of the lineup. A great goalie and a few top-line players can take a team a long way.

As good as the season has been, and as good as the top players are, it is worth wondering if this is a Stanley Cup roster as currently constructed.

The biggest potential weakness might be at second-line center where they really do not have another impact player after Scheifele.

This could be a good landing spot for Brock Nelson if the Islanders decide to move him.