As the NHL draft arrives, there is a ton of speculation in the rumor mill regarding players such as Martin Necas, Jake Guentzel, Kaapo Kakko and more.

The 2024 NHL draft in Las Vegas begins with the first round on Friday, June 28, and finishes the following day with the remaining six rounds.

Much of the focus will be on the top prospects. There's also plenty of trade speculation about several established NHL stars. Here's a brief look at the latest.

Martin Necas: TSN's Pierre LeBrun reports one team has jumped to the head of the queue for the 25-year-old Carolina Hurricanes winger. This club is offering up a 2024 first-rounder, and LeBrun thinks they could be the one that completes a deal for Necas.  Meanwhile, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli speculated the Devils could pitch the 10th-overall pick for Necas. 

The Hockey News' Jacob Stoller listed Necas as one of five players he speculated could get traded on draft day. And should Necas reach free agency, Ryan Henkel speculated it wouldn't be all that surprising if another team signs the pending RFA to an offer sheet.

Jake Guentzel: It's believed the Carolina Hurricanes are trying to re-sign the 29-year-old winger before his UFA eligibility on July 1. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman thinks several “really good teams” are wondering if they can afford to acquire his rights and sign him to a new contract. ESPN's Emily Kaplan mentioned the Hurricanes are the only team to offer Guentzel an eighth year on a new contract as they look to re-sign him, but they could do a sign-and-trade as well.

Aaron Ekblad: The Hockey News' David Dwork reports the Florida Panthers could peddle the 28-year-old defenseman. Ekblad's no-movement clause reverts to a 12-team no-trade list on July 1. He has a year remaining on his contract, with an average annual value of $7.5 million. Earlier this month, we cited the Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons reporting the Panthers wanted to move Ekblad to free up cap room to re-sign Brandon Montour.  

Nikolaj Ehlers: The Winnipeg Sun's Scott Billeck thinks the 28-year-old winger could fetch the Jets a first-rounder in this year's draft. He also speculated Ehlers could become a trade chip for a left-side defenseman, suggesting Jakob Chychrun of the Ottawa Senators and Adam Larsson of the Seattle Kraken as potential targets. The Hockey News' Stefen Rosner reported earlier this month the Islanders are interested in Ehlers and said they remain interested entering Friday.

Nazem Kadri: Toronto Star columnist Nick Kypreos wondered where Nazem Kadri sees himself in the rebuilding Calgary Flames plans. He raised the possibility of the 33-year-old center waiving his no-movement clause. The Flames traded Andrew Mangiapane to the Washington Capitals Thursday night.

John Gibson: The Anaheim Ducks goaltender frequently surfaced in off-season trade speculation over the past two years. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman believes Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman has spoken to the Ducks about Gibson.  

Tristan Jarry: The Pittsburgh Penguins' recent re-signing of Alex Nedeljkovic has Friedman wondering if they might move Jarry. The 29-year-old Penguins starting goalie has four years left on his contract, with an average annual value of $5.375 million and a 10-team no-trade list.  

Kaapo Kakko: The second-overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft, Kakko recently signed a one-year, $2.4 million contract. However, the New York Post's Larry Brooks reports the Rangers are aggressively shopping the 23-year-old winger. They could bundle him with the 30th-overall pick to move higher in the first round. Kaplan mentioned the contract is cost certainty, but it sounds like the team and player may welcome a change of scenery.

Which players do you think will get traded before July 1? Share your thoughts by clicking here or by commenting below.

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