5 under-the-radar NHLers who should be targeted before the trade deadline

As top names continue to drop off the board in the lead-up to Friday's trade deadline, more focus is shifting to players in the secondary market, a number of whom can make a notable impact should they move by the end of this week.

Here are five under-the-radar NHLers who teams should target before the trade deadline.

Nick Schmaltz, Arizona Coyotes

A name recently appearing in trade rumors is Arizona Coyotes forward Schmaltz. If the 27-year-old is available, multiple teams should be seriously interested in the underrated winger.

Acquiring a player with term remaining on their contract can be tricky at the trade deadline. This is especially true when the player has a significant salary. In Schmaltz's case, his $5.85-million cap hit through 2025-26 is a tough deal to bring in for any contending team.

That being said, a few teams that can certainly make it work and have the need. The Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes are likely in the market for a top-six forward and have maneuverability both this year and into the future.

Considering Schmaltz has a 10-team no-trade list that kicks in this summer, it makes a lot of sense for the Coyotes to entertain offers now.

Schmaltz's scoring has flown under the radar over the past two seasons. His 0.92 points per game since the start of 2021-22 ranks 60th in the league among players with at least 82 games played over this span. That's ahead of the likes of Alex DeBrincat, Sam Reinhart, and Nikolaj Ehlers.

The Wisconsin native is a high-end playmaker. According to Corey Sznajder's tracked data, Schmaltz is in the 90th percentile or above in shot assists, chance assists, high-danger assists, and rush assists. He's also among the league's best entering the offensive zone with the puck on his stick (97th percentile in carry entries) and exiting the defensive end with control (95th percentile in pass exits).

Should he be traded, Schmaltz would be among the highest-impact players to move despite not being one of the top names.

Jakub Vrana, Detroit Red Wings

Few NHL players are as fascinating as Detroit Red Wings forward Vrana.

He's been a potent threat when on the ice over the past three seasons. Since 2020-21, Vrana ranks among the league's most efficient goal-scorers at five-on-five.

He's also missed significant time due to various injuries, didn't play in the early part of the 2022-23 campaign while receiving care from the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, and cleared waivers in January.

There may not be a bigger boom-or-bust player available at the deadline than Vrana. Despite his $5.25-million cap hit through next season and all of the risks involved, he's still a worthwhile swing at the deadline.

Simply put, goal-scorers with Vrana's upside don't typically become available. Everyone recognizes that he isn't an Auston Matthews- or David Pastrnak-level scorer, but he doesn't need to be for his cap hit to be worth it. Middle-six wingers who can score as efficiently as Vrana are valuable. Factor in the likelihood of the Red Wings adding a sweetener to move the contract, and there's too much potential to pass on.

It'd be a shame if Vrana doesn't move at the deadline and goes back to spending time in the AHL. Someone should take the gamble, whether it be a team on the playoff bubble with cap space or a club that misses out on Timo Meier and pivots to try and find goal-scoring elsewhere.

Nick Jensen, Washington Capitals

Editor's Note: Jensen signed a 3-year, $12.15M contract extension to stay with Washington later Tuesday after this story was published.

An unexpected seller emerged last week when the Washington Capitals shipped pending unrestricted free agents Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway to the Boston Bruins.

It's safe to assume the Capitals aren't done shedding players from their roster after trading their best healthy defenseman. Another Washington blue-liner that should be on many teams' radars is Jensen.

The 32-year-old is in the midst of a splendid year, having already broken his career high in points with 24 while playing 20:58 per game, the highest mark of his NHL tenure.

Jensen has often gone overlooked despite being a consistently strong defensive presence. Since he became a full-time NHLer in 2017-18, only Chris Tanev has accumulated more defensive goals above replacement.

Jensen's excellent defensive metrics are thanks in large part to a superb ability to retrieve pucks and break out of the zone with control. From Corey Sznajder's tracked data, Jensen is in the 98th percentile in defensive zone retrievals and 97th percentile in carry exits.

Numerous teams in the playoff mix could use a defender like Jensen. As underrated as he is, it wouldn't be a surprise to see a bidding war develop for the Minnesota native.

Dante Fabbro, Nashville Predators

A drop in production has resulted in Nashville Predators defenseman Fabbro reportedly becoming available. Still only 24 years old, the former first-round pick makes for a prime buy-low candidate at the deadline.

With just eight points through 43 games, a career-low 15:57 per game, and an impending $2.4-million qualifying offer in the summer, the market for Fabbro likely leans toward teams on the outside of the playoff picture with cap space.

Don't let the basic stats fool you - Fabbro is still a quality puck-moving blue-liner. He's in the 95th percentile in pass entries and the 90th percentile in pass exits, results based largely on his league-leading success rate retrieving the puck in the defensive zone, according to Corey Sznajder's tracked data.

Two teams that would be smart to inquire about Fabbro are the Ottawa Senators and the San Jose Sharks.

The Senators are still in need of a top-four right-side defenseman. Fabbro's ability to break the puck out of the defensive zone makes for an intriguing potential fit with Jake Sanderson and their exciting top-six forward group.

As for the Sharks, Fabbro played his first two years at Boston University under current San Jose coach David Quinn. He knows the player well, and the Sharks have plenty of ice time to go around to help build Fabbro's stock back up.

Mikey Eyssimont, San Jose Sharks

Prior to 2022-23, Eyssimont was a full-time AHLer with one notable offensive season under his belt as a professional.

This season, Eyssimont has taken his opportunity in the NHL and run with it, spending the early part of the campaign with the Winnipeg Jets and later being claimed off waivers by the Sharks.

Across 38 games with the two teams, the 26-year-old has four goals and 13 points. Nothing remarkable, but solid production nonetheless.

Eyssimont begins to stand out as an intriguing target when you look a bit deeper. He leads the Sharks at five-on-five in Corsi For rating (58.1%) and expected goals for (64.1%), outscoring the opposition 16-14 as well. Even in Winnipeg, Eyssimont was posting above-average metrics.

As a result of his strong play, Eyssimont has gone from playing 9:16 in his Sharks debut to featuring on the top line and playing 19:13 in his most recent outing.

Of course, that's not to suggest Eyssimont is a top-line player. With a league-minimum cap hit of $750,000 and restricted free-agent status in the summer, the Littleton, Colorado, native would make for a truly under-the-radar add for a capped-out playoff team looking to bolster depth at the bottom of their lineup.

Statistics via Natural Stat Trick, Evolving Hockey, All Three Zones, JFresh