Six NHL Stars Who Could Be Traded During the 2024 Off-Season

Multiple rumored trades did not go down at this year's deadline, but the NHL could see some of these big-time names find new homes this summer.

The NHL season is nearing its conclusion, and with that, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are nearly underway, commencing an electric time of year for hockey fans. 

However, the playoffs come and go very quickly, which means the off-season is also getting closer. This summer should be an eventful one across the NHL, as teams will be looking to make changes to their rosters. Because of this, there's a real shot that we will see some big-name players get moved before the start of the 2024-25 campaign.

Let's discuss six NHL stars who could be traded during the summer now. 

Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark is a player to watch this offseason. Kevin Weekes reported the star netminder blocked a trade based on geography at the deadline. Since then, he has been dynamite for Boston, but he will likely be shopped during the summer regardless of his hot play down the stretch.

Fellow Bruins star goalie Jeremy Swayman is a pending RFA due for a significant raise. The Alaska native will be their starter for years to come, while Ullmark will turn 31 in July and enter the final season of his deal. Thus, an Ullmark trade is undoubtedly a possibility. 

Leading up to the 2024 NHL trade deadline, St. Louis Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich was heavily discussed in trade chatter. Interest in his services was quite high, with teams like the Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Vancouver Canucks being among the rumored suitors. 

While the Blues elected to keep Buchnevich for the season, that may change during the summer. The winger will be entering the final season of his contract, and the Blues could look to move him for a big haul instead of taking the risk of losing him for nothing in 2025 free agency. 

Jacob Markstrom is an obvious trade candidate heading into the 2024 NHL Offseason. The Calgary Flames parted ways with Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov this season. Yet, Markstrom almost joined this group of departures as a deal centering around him with the New Jersey Devils reportedly fell through.

After all of this and the direction the Flames are heading toward, a trade would be best for both parties. The Flames also have top prospect Dustin Wolf ready for a more prominent role, providing another notable reason why Markstrom will likely be moved. 

The 2023-24 season was another disaster for the Ottawa Senators. The expectation was that they would compete for a playoff spot, but they are once again near the bottom of the NHL standings. Because of their tough season, star defender Jakob Chychrun picked up a lot of steam in the rumor mill near the deadline. The Sens elected not to move him, but there's a chance that changes during the off-season. 

Chychrun, 26, will be entering the final season of his deal in 2024-25. If the Senators do not envision him as a long-term part of their roster or he makes it apparent that he does not want an extension, they may have no choice but to move him. If he's made available, one specific club to watch is the Los Angeles Kings. They have been connected to him in the past, and they could use a high-impact left-shot defender. 

Leading up to the deadline, Nashville Predators star goalie Juuse Saros was the subject of trade speculation. GM Barry Trotz confirmed that teams expressed interest in Saros, but the club was not actively shopping him. With that, the Predators being a playoff club factored into their decision to keep him.

However, with Saros being a potential UFA in July 2025, the Predators may explore his market this off-season. He has zero trade protection and would have the potential to net the Preds a massive return. Along with that, top prospect Yaroslav Askarov is waiting in the wings. 

Trevor Zegras is another star to watch this offseason. The young forward created some trade speculation leading up to the deadline and that is likely to continue over the summer.

While Zegras is a player the rebuilding Ducks could build around, he would also be a valuable trade piece for them to use to improve their roster elsewhere. The Ducks have many promising young centers like Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier in their system. Thus, the Ducks have a surplus down the middle and could, in theory, use the 23-year-old Zegras to bring in a high-impact defenseman if they wanted to. 

One team that had a reported interest in Zegras before the deadline passed was the Montreal Canadiens.