Which players will likely get traded before deadline day?
While the NHL's trade deadline day rarely lives up to the hype, the days and weeks leading up to the cutoff have generated plenty of notable deals in recent years.
This year should be no different. We've already seen Mikko Rantanen get dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes in a blockbuster deal, as well as the notable additions of J.T. Miller and Seth Jones by the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers, respectively.
Who else will be moved ahead of the March 7 deadline?
Oddsmakers at theScore Bet/ESPN Bet believe several players will don a different uniform by the weekend, most notably St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn.
Schenn has -300 odds (75% implied probability) of being dealt before the deadline. While he's still under contract for another three seasons, the Blues seem to be shopping their captain.
It's worth noting that Jones was +275 to be traded before the Chicago Blackhawks shipped him to the Sunshine State.
Odds to be traded before March 8
| Player (Team) | Odds to be traded |
|---|---|
| Brayden Schenn (STL) | -300 |
| Joel Armia (MTL) | -200 |
| Ryan O'Reilly (NSH) | -200 |
| Brock Nelson (NYI) | -175 |
| John Gibson (ANA) | -175 |
| Jordan Binnington (STL) | -130 |
| Brock Boeser (VAN) | +150 |
| Dylan Cozens (BUF) | +175 |
| Mikko Rantanen (CAR) | +200 |
| Ivan Provorov (CBJ) | +300 |
| Erik Karlsson (PIT) | +400 |
| Trevor Zegras (ANA) | +500 |
| Elias Pettersson (VAN) | +800 |
| Sidney Crosby (PIT) | +875 |
| Mitch Marner (TOR) | +1600 |
Ryan O'Reilly is projected to be on the move yet again. The Blues traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the deadline in 2023, and the 34-year-old then signed with the Nashville Predators that summer.
The Predators are having a disastrous season after spending big on Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault this past offseason. They have the third-fewest points in the league and are clearly in sell mode.
Meanwhile, Rantanen could be moved again - oddsmakers have given him +200 odds (33.3% implied probability) to be traded for an unprecedented second time this year. He hasn't committed to his new club, and the Hurricanes could flip the pending unrestricted free agent if they don't believe they can sign him to an extension this offseason.
Finally, the Pittsburgh Penguins have two marquee names with a slim chance of being dealt: Erik Karlsson is +400 to be moved from the struggling Penguins, while Sidney Crosby is +875. The latter made it clear he doesn't want to be anywhere else but Pittsburgh amid rumors he could join his friend and fellow Nova Scotia native Nathan MacKinnon in Colorado.
However busy Stanley Cup contenders get this week, some big-name players will certainly be finishing the 2024-25 campaign in a new city.