Landing a promising young player in a trade can instantly inject energy and talent into a team's lineup. This summer, three particular forwards on the rise could just find themselves the target of such a trade.

Nothing beats an NHL trade that involves a young, promising player.

Whether it was the Casey Mittelstadt for Bowen Byram swap or the Cutter Gauthier for Jamie Drysdale deal, the hockey world always seems to get revved up when hyped-up prospects are traded.

Heading into the 2024 NHL off-season, several high-end young players could be dealt this off-season. In the first part of this two-part series, we're examining three young forwards.

Marco Rossi, C, Minnesota Wild

At first glance, the thought of trading Rossi fresh off a 21-goal, 40-point campaign is utterly ridiculous. But according to The Athletic’s Michael Russo, the odds of Rossi being dealt are “higher than you’d think,” and if Minnesota can fetch a high-end prospect who’s bigger and faster than Rossi, it could pull the trigger on the deal.

Why?

As well-rounded as the 5-foot-9 center is — and while understanding he missed the entire season after his draft with myocarditis — Rossi isn’t an untouchable asset like Brock Faber, Jesper Wallstedt or Kirill Kaprizov.

Russo believes the club views Joel Eriksson Ek and Russian prospect Danila Yurov as their top two centers of the future. If that’s the case, deploying Rossi as the team’s third-line center doesn’t make much sense.

Selling high on Rossi would allow the Wild to diversify their assets and stock their non-center cupboard. And with center prospects like Marat Khusnutdinov and Riley Heidt in the system, Minnesota has plenty of viable candidates who could fill the void left by Rossi’s departure.

Cole Perfetti, C/LW, Winnipeg Jets

Cole Perfetti is coming off a rollercoaster season that ended on a steep decline, which could lead to a testy contract negotiation for the pending RFA.

He was a top-six regular for the first 43 games of the year. But he then had a combination of quiet stretches, and the Jets acquired Sean Monahan and Tyler Toffoli, causing Perfetti to spiral down the depth chart. He was scratched for 11 of Winnipeg’s final 39 regular-season games and didn’t dress in their first four playoff games.

Along the way, there were a few instances that one ought to think irked Perfetti and his camp.

The first came in the aftermath of Perfetti’s redemption game against the Los Angeles Kings on April. 1. Despite recording two goals (including the game-winner) and three points in that game, Perfetti was back in the press box just over a week later.

The second moment was ahead of Game 4 of the first round when the Jets elected to recall NHL tweener Axel-Jonsson Fjallby from the minors and insert him into the lineup instead of dressing the 2020 10th-overall pick. Perfetti ultimately entered the series in Game 5 and fared well, leaving many wondering why the Jets were so reluctant to dress him for so long.

That said, Perfetti did say he's excited to see Scott Arniel as the Jets' new coach, adding he thinks it's a great fit for the former associate coach.

"We had a really good relationship, and I thought I played some of my best hockey under him when he took over for Bones (Rick Bowness) for a bit, so those 12 games there," Perfetti told WinnipegJets.com on May 29. "I thought I really came out and played well and felt like he trusted me and gave me opportunity, so I'm excited for it."

Things may work out between the 22-year-old and the team. But if it doesn't and the right offer comes along from another NHL team that saw Perfetti fall down the lineup, it wouldn't be a complete shock if he does get moved for a defenseman or another young center.

Alexander Holtz, LW, New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils are bound to shuffle the deck.

One year after reaching the second round of the playoffs despite being the NHL’s youngest team, the Devils finished 10 points out of a wild-card spot. While injuries hindered them all season, New Jersey’s subpar defense core, poor goaltending and run-and-gun style of play aren’t at the level needed to be a Cup contender.

Alexander Holtz could be one of the roster players Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald dangles as trade bait.

Holtz, 22, is a skilled, albeit inconsistent, sniper coming off an up-and-down sophomore campaign with 16 goals and 28 points. He scored 12 of those goals in his first 43 games of the year, which is a 23-goal pace across an 82-game season. But in his final 39 games, he scored at an eight-goal pace.

While the 2020 seventh-overall pick has the tools to become an everyday second-line player someday, he could be a worthwhile trade asset for an organization that already has Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer up front.