Images by Kyle Ross-Imagno
The last day of November saw what has become a rarity in today’s NHL salary cap world: two early-season trades involving roster players.
The Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators kicked things off on Saturday, with the Avalanche sending goaltender Justus Annunen and the 2025 Nashville Predators sixth-round pick Scott Wedgewood.
Related: Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche trade backup goaltenders
Later that day, the Columbus Blue Jackets traded defenseman David Jiricek and a 2025 fifth rounder to the Minnesota Wild for blueliner Daemon Hunt and four draft picks, including the Wild’s 2025 first rounder (protected in the top five).
Related: David Jiricek Becomes Newest Pillar for Minnesota Wild Blueline
With the NHL’s annual holiday roster freeze from Dec. 20-27, more teams could make changes over the next two weeks.
Most of the attention is on the New York Rangers after reports last week indicated that management was willing to accept offers for several veterans, including captain Jacob Trouba and forward Chris Kreider.
On November 26, Arthur Staple of The Athletic reported that GM Chris Drury had met with those veterans, describing the discussions as “honest and productive.” Two days later, TSN’s Darren Dreger said there was interest in Rangers winger Kaap Kakka , which is number one. – a $2.4 million annual contract, Dreger believes the Blueshirts won’t move the 23-year-old right winger unless someone meets their asking price.
On Friday, Staple cited a league source who claimed Drury recently contacted the Vancouver Canucks about bringing JT Miller back to Vancouver. Staple sees it as a long shot at best, citing Miller’s expensive long-term contract and the Rangers’ cap space. On Saturday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said the Rangers are trying to turn down the heat, not wanting to rush into a move they might regret later.
The fact is, Trouba and Kreider have expensive salaries that are difficult to move at a point in the season when most teams have little cap space. Meanwhile, Kakko played well in a third-line role. The Rangers are in no rush to sign him when they still own his rights as an RFA next summer.
Related: Three potential trade destinations for Rangers’ Chris Kreider
Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz took a look at five NHL centers the Philadelphia Flyers could target on the trade market this offseason. They are Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks, Marco Rossi of the Minnesota Wild, Dylan Cozens of the Buffalo Sabres, Shane Pinto of the Ottawa Senators and Brock Nelson of the New York Islanders.
Nelson, 33, is the oldest of the group and will be UFA eligible next summer, which doesn’t make him a good long-term fit for the Flyers’ rebuild.
Zegras and Rossi have previously appeared in the rumor mill. It would probably require a player-for-player trade to get one of these. Cozens and Pinto have struggled offensively this season, but their respective clubs are unlikely to want to give up on them given their potential.