The Sabres could be front-runners to acquire Blues center Robert Thomas, the Devils could entertain trade offers for defenseman Simon Nemec, while Jordan Kyrou and Blake Coleman continue to draw interest in the trade market.
The NHL's annual trade deadline is Friday at 3 p.m. ET.
Here's the latest on some of the notable players being discussed in media trade chatter.
Robert Thomas, C, St. Louis Blues
TSN's Darren Dreger reports the Buffalo Sabres have emerged as the front-runners for Robert Thomas.
He said talks have heated up between the Sabres and the St. Louis Blues. His colleague, Chris Johnston, believes those discussions have reached the point where they're talking about a package of four assets.
Marco D'Amico of RG.org reported the Montreal Canadiens are among the suitors for Thomas, but they're wary of the Blues' high asking price. His sources claim the Blues covet the Canadiens' top prospect Michael Hage and are also interested in defenseman Kaiden Guhle, as well as some of their blueline prospects. However, TSN's Pierre LeBrun thinks that the price is too high for the Canadiens.
D'Amico said the Detroit Red Wings and Utah Mammoth are also looking at Thomas. Jeremy Rutherford and Corey Pronman of The Athletic examined what it might cost the Mammoth to get Thomas. They won't part with Logan Cooley or Dylan Guenther because they're already key players for the Mammoth. It's unlikely they'll give up a top prospect such as Caleb Desnoyers or Dmitri Simashev.
The Anaheim Ducks could be a dark horse in the Thomas sweepstakes. Andrew Knoll of The Orange County Register believes they're well-positioned to make a splash in the trade pool, citing their plentiful salary-cap space and tradeable assets.
Jordan Kyrou, RW, St. Louis Blues
Kyrou hasn't surfaced as much in the rumor mill as Thomas, but it's believed the Blues are open to offers from the 27-year-old right winger. Like Thomas, he's signed through 2030-31 with an $8.125 million average annual value and full no-trade protection.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman believes Kyrou is among the players the Blues are willing to entertain offers for. The Hockey News' Julian Gaudio reports the New York Islanders are said to be interested in Thomas and Kyrou. However, the asking price could include top prospects Kashawn Aitcheson and center Danny Nelson.
Blake Coleman, RW, Calgary Flames
Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal included the 34-year-old Coleman among possible trade-deadline targets for the Golden Knights. He pointed out that they and the Flames already have a trade history, and they could use a center or a scoring winger.
It's almost a trade deadline tradition for the Vegas Golden Knights to swoop in and make a significant addition or two, even if they're seemingly handcuffed by limited cap space. However, they have a projected $3.78 million in trade deadline cap room, especially if William Karlsson ends up on season-ending LTIR. They might have to convince the Flames to retain part of Coleman's $4.9 million average annual value through 2026-27.
Simon Nemec, D, New Jersey Devils
TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported Wednesday that the Devils are taking calls about Nemec. He indicated that they're happy to keep the 22-year-old defenseman, but they're willing to listen if they receive an offer that would improve their forward lines in a real way.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.