Imagine a summer when superstars such as Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs are available in the trade market. That could happen next year.
Imagine an NHL off-season when superstars such as Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid and Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews are part of a series of blockbuster trades.
It won’t be happening this year, but those moves could occur in the summer of 2027.
McDavid and Matthews will each have a year remaining on their contracts by July 1, 2027. That’s also the earliest date that they can sign extensions.
However, if the Oilers and Maple Leafs fail to rebound from their disappointing 2025-26 campaigns, both superstars could opt to wait and see how the 2027-28 season unfolds before putting pen to paper.
They could also decide that their chances of winning the Stanley Cup lie elsewhere and go to market when they become UFAs on July 1, 2028.
Another possibility is they could seek an immediate change of scenery and request a trade, using their no-movement clauses to determine their potential destinations.
Those scenarios would leave the Oilers and Maple Leafs facing a difficult decision. They can let those superstars play out their final season and risk losing them to free agency, attempt to move them by the 2028 trade deadline, or peddle them next summer.
The latter option could be the best one. McDavid and Matthews would have more trade value with a full season remaining on their contracts than they would as playoff rentals by the 2028 trade deadline.
Meanwhile, the Ottawa Senators could face a similar situation with captain and left winger Brady Tkachuk. So could the Columbus Blue Jackets with defenseman and Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski.
Both teams have struggled to make meaningful improvement.
The Senators finished only two points better this season than they did in 2024-25 and were swept from the opening round of the 2026 playoffs. As for the Blue Jackets, they narrowly missed the post-season for the second straight year.
Another season spinning their wheels could make Tkachuk and Werenski rethink their futures.
Meanwhile, with the Winnipeg Jets, there's reportedly "plenty of noise" regarding goaltender Connor Hellebuyck's future with the team.
So far, there's no indication that Hellebuyck wants out of Winnipeg or that the Jets are shopping him. However, he could change his mind if they fail to improve next season.
Unlike the others, Hellebuyck won't be UFA-eligible next summer. The three-time Vezina Trophy winner is signed through 2030-31 with an average annual value of $8.5 million.
However, Hellebuyck could follow the example of Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin and request a trade, using his no-movement clause to determine his landing spots.
Of course, none of these scenarios could occur. Those five teams could play well enough next season to keep their superstars happy and willing to sign extensions.
However, one or two of them could decide by next summer that it's time to move on, which could shake up the NHL landscape for years.
If all of them do, it would be the most significant summer trade market in living memory.
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