Five NHL Players Who Should Be On The Trade Market If Their Teams Start Slow

While NHL training camps haven't even opened yet, the trade winds are certainly swirling, and they will barely die down as September stretches into October.

Big transactions are, increasingly, the name of the game in the NHL. And as the financial realities of a $100-million salary cap combine with a growing trend toward teams knowing when to pull the chute on non-competitive rosters, more teams may be looking to move on from brand-name players after slow starts.

Considering that so many teams are entering the season with more cap space than has been customary the past several years, they might also be easier to pull off.

Here are just a few candidates who might find themselves on the trade block before Halloween:

At age 35, Ryan O'Reilly has just one year left on his current contract — and the previous regime for the Nashville Predators treated him as though he had a full no-trade clause even though he didn't.

But he also had one of the best offensive seasons of his career last year, so if the Predators get off to a slow start, maybe it's time for new GM Chris MacFarland to hang a for-sale sign around his neck. Every team in the league is on the lookout for a guy who can be your No. 2 center, put up 20-plus goals, and play good defense. O'Reilly fits that archetype perfectly.

And just FYI: Over the last six years, the Predators have never been first month over .500 in the first month of the season, and they have a combined record of 22-30-4 in that time.

The Calgary Flames are not particularly likely to be competitive in the Pacific Division unless they get a big turnaround from some key players.

If they struggle out of the gate, moving on from defenseman Zach Whitecloud — who has a dirt-cheap contract for the next two seasons — might be a good idea. He was already in trade rumors this summer, and his $2.75 million AAV along with the extra year of team control makes him extremely valuable.

Additionally, the Flames have made steps toward making their blue line younger anyway, so they can afford to shift off a veteran, even a decent one like Whitecloud, to perhaps take on a reclamation project along with a pick.

The Seattle Kraken are another team in the Pacific that doesn't really feel like it has a huge path forward, and Jared McCann is a 30-year-old, versatile forward who can pop in 20-plus goals like it's no big deal. And his cap hit is just $5 million.

How many teams do you think could use a guy like that?

Seattle is in a position where picks and prospects should really be the name of the game, so if they're slow starting, a player like McCann could make them the center of the trade market.

If or when the Winnipeg Jets trade Connor Hellebuyck, it's a clear signal that they're not likely to be competitive this season — and beyond.

In that case, it's easy to picture a lot of teams being interested in a guy like Vilardi, who is young-ish (27) and signed long-term (through 2031) at a pretty reasonable price ($7.5-million AAV).

Unlike some other players on the Jets who might be even more desirable in some ways, like Kyle Connor or Mark Scheifele, Vilardi has no trade protection of any kind.

This isn't to say the Jets should take any old deal for Vilardi, who had his first 30-goal season last year, but he's certainly an option to drop in the water and see who bites.

Stop me if you've heard this before: It's put up or shut up time for a New York Rangers forward prospect who's now firmly into his mid-20s and never really delivered on his promise.

If the Blueshirts get off to a slow start, one imagines a lack of production from Alexis Lafreniere, who has never reached 60 points in a season, will be part of the problem. He's not on the level of disappointment like Kaapo Kakko or Filip Chytil, and the Rangers can and should ask for a ton for him if they do put him out there.

But it would certainly be something to consider.

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