Mason McTavish garners most of the attention in the rumor mill, but there's speculation suggesting the Ducks could also trade a D-man. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs might move a goalie.
When it comes to Anaheim Ducks' trade rumors, most of the focus is on Mason McTavish.
With the Ducks facing expensive new contracts for rising stars Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier, and several teams seeking a second-line center, the 23-year-old McTavish's future is the subject of recent speculation.
However, another young Duck has also recently surfaced in the rumor pond.
On May 29, Harman Dayal of The Athletic included Olen Zellweger among his list of four RFA defensemen who could be traded this summer.
Zellweger, 22, is a left-shot, puck-moving blueliner completing his entry-level contract. Dayal noted that he averaged between 17 and 19 minutes of ice time over the past two seasons. However, Zellweger was a healthy scratch through the final four games of the regular season and nine playoff games.
Nick Goss of NBC Sports Boston had Zellweger on his list of players who could be good fits with the Bruins. Meanwhile, Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now suggested Zellweger or fellow RFA teammate Pavel Mintyukov as suitable trade targets for the retooling Penguins.
The Ducks have Jackson LaCombe and Mintyukov as left-side defensemen, with the latter seeing more playing time than Zellweger this season. That explains why pundits in other NHL markets see him as a potential trade candidate, especially if the Ducks end up lacking sufficient cap space to re-sign him.
PuckPedia indicates the Ducks are projected to have more than $38.7 million in cap space for 2026-27, which should be enough to lock up Carlsson, Gauthier, Zellweger and Mintyukov, especially with them all lacking arbitration rights this summer.
However, the Ducks might not spend to the ceiling for next season. That would make re-signing those four more difficult and could make one of them a trade candidate.
It certainly won't be Carlsson or Gauthier, and it might not be Mintyukov.
Turning to the Toronto Maple Leafs, there's been plenty of speculation about Matthew Knies or Morgan Rielly becoming trade candidates.
They could also opt to move out one of their goaltenders this summer.
Sportsnet's Luke Fox recently indicated that Joseph Woll, Anthony Stolarz and Dennis Hildeby will all be on one-way contracts next season. They must also clear waivers to be sent down to their farm team. Fox also pointed out that promising netminder Artur Akhtyamov will join them in 2027-28.
Given the dearth of quality goalies in this summer's free-agent market, it would seem the Leafs won't have a problem moving one of them.
However, Fox believes other goaltenders could be more enticing. They include Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues, Adin Hill of the Vegas Golden Knights, Devon Levi of the Buffalo Sabres and Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt of the Minnesota Wild.
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