Today I’m going to highlight the top young assets available on contenders heading into the 2023 NHL trade deadline. To define a “contender,” I’m using the teams that have a five percent chance or better of winning the Cup based on Dom’s model. That comprises Boston, Carolina, Colorado, Dallas, Edmonton, New Jersey, Toronto and Tampa Bay. I selectively excluded a few players like Luke Hughes, Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway due to them being on the roster or having a good chance to be on the playoff roster for their respective clubs or a recent No. 2 pick like Simon Nemec that I can’t see being on the market. Available doesn’t mean I’ve heard they’re being shopped, but I think there’s at least a plausible chance they could be moved.
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1. Alexander Nikishin, LHD, Carolina
It never hurts to ask. Do I think it would be wise to trade a big, mobile, physical 21-year-old defenseman who is top 10 in KHL scoring as of this writing? No, it would be a terrible idea. But every team that calls Carolina will likely at least inquire about the possibility of getting Nikishin and if there’s a chance Carolina feels they can’t get him signed then maybe he could be moved.
2. Logan Stankoven, C, Dallas
Stankoven has arguably been the best player in junior this year not named Connor Bedard. He’s an electric offensive talent between his great skating, skill, and goal-scoring ability to go with a tenacious compete level. He has everything except size. The second-round pick by Dallas in 2021 looks like someone who could be in the league soon, and it would be quite a piece to move but Dallas also has a very strong forward group already.
3. Matthew Knies, LW, Toronto
Knies is an interesting prospect for this type of article because I see a world where he’s helping Toronto in the playoffs. He has a big, thick frame to go with his great skill and work ethic, and could realistically make the jump this spring and be a decent top-nine winger for Toronto. He will be the name every team asks about in trade calls though, especially if someone is offering a major upgrade.
4. Lian Bichsel, LHD, Dallas
Bichsel was very good at the World Juniors and was Dallas’ most recent first-round pick. He’s a big, mobile, highly physical defenseman whose offense will be secondary as a pro. He’s a top NHL prospect, but his NHL timeline is likely the furthest out compared to Stankoven or Thomas Harley in the Stars system which is something to consider on the trade front.
5. Shakir Mukhamadullin, LHD, New Jersey
Mukhamadullin is an interesting trade chip. He’s a very good player. He’s a big defenseman who skates well and has shown offense at the KHL level too. He projects as a top-four NHL defenseman, but New Jersey has Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec coming and already has a strong club. Mukhamadullin may end up the odd man out in the roster battle and therefore makes a lot of sense to use in a deadline move.
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6. Colorado and Edmonton’s first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft
I’m making a delineation between Colorado and Edmonton’s first-round pick and the other clubs because as of now they are picking closer to 20 presuming they don’t make the final four or go on a big run in the final months, which is quite possible. Putting these picks above some recent first-round picks is not a commentary on the 2023 draft. I think by the time you get to the 20th pick in the draft it will start to look like a standard draft. But for a team drafting around there, they will likely think they can get a premium name on their list given they will probably have someone in their personal top 10-12 on the board still.
7. Alexander Holtz, RW, New Jersey
Holtz has often been a healthy scratch this season for New Jersey so I’m skeptical he’s part of their current playoff plans. It would be quite a move to deal the 7th overall pick from the 2020 NHL Draft, but his development has stagnated recently. I do think he’s a very good young player, he’s got a ton of skill and an elite shot, but his lack of pace and energy are concerns. New Jersey has a very good group of forwards, and if they don’t see a realistic path to Holtz being a part of their everyday top nine as of next season, then he could be a trade chip.
8. Reid Schaefer, LW, Edmonton
Schaefer has been an important part of a top WHL club in Seattle this season. He is a player type teams will covet as a big, physical winger who may not have amazing offensive abilities or footspeed but projects to score at a decent clip as a pro. He’s still quite young as a 2022 draftee, which could make him more appealing as a trade chip for the Oilers given they are trying to contend now.
9. Thomas Harley, LHD, Dallas
Harley hasn’t broken through yet in the NHL, but he has been a top defenseman in the AHL this season. A defender with his size and mobility who shows some offense versus men will be a priority ask for clubs and he looks like a potential second-pair defenseman in the NHL one day. I’m sure Stars fans would like to see both him and Bichsel on their blue line for a decade though.
10. Xavier Bourgault, RW, Edmonton
Bourgault is a highly skilled winger. He lit up the QMJHL due to his great skill and offensive sense. His first-year pro has gone well. The scoring hasn’t been there in huge numbers but he’s one of the youngest players in the AHL. Given their need for secondary scoring, I could see this being a tough piece for the Oilers to let go of, but Bourgault will be someone teams will ask about.
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11. Boston, Carolina, New Jersey, and Toronto’s first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft
Using the same analysis as above, while I have high prospect grades on the players below these picks, any team using a late first rounder will likely have that prospect on the top 20 of their list and think they have a good chance to bet on a strong middle-six forward or a second-pair defenseman.
12. Scott Morrow, RHD, Carolina
Morrow is having a down year compared to his 2021-22 season, but he remains a strong prospect and a good trade chip for Carolina. He’s a good-sized defenseman who can skate, is highly skilled, has great offensive hockey sense and can score goals. The issue is he’s not a great defender but his offensive tools are so good I think another team would covet him.
13. Nolan Foote, LW, New Jersey
Foote has already been part of one deadline deal already, so it’s not much of a take that he fits the criteria for a trade. He’s a good player. He’s big, he works hard, can score goals and has good hockey sense, but his skating limits him so there is some concern about whether he can handle the NHL pace. I see enough of a player there to where I think he can, but it hasn’t happened yet and the clock is ticking on the 22-year-old.
14. Mavrik Bourque, C, Dallas
Bourque’s first pro season started off bumpy, but he’s been scoring more lately and projects to have offense versus men. He has a lot of skill and arguably better hockey sense. He can run a power play and create a lot in the offensive zone. Bourque lacks ideal size and skating for the NHL though. He is a more typical trade piece in that he has a lot of potential, but isn’t a sure thing either.
15. Pyotr Kochetkov, G, Carolina
With both Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta set to become free agents this season, I don’t see Kochetkov being moved. He has shown he can look like an NHL goalie though in a limited sample. His hockey sense is just fine but he’s a tremendous athlete and looks like a good pro goaltender.
16. Arseni Gritsyuk, RW, New Jersey
Gritsyuk has been quite good in the KHL over the last two seasons. He’s a strong skating winger with very good offensive skills and a goal-scoring threat from range. He looks like a very nice 5th round pick. For New Jersey, they need to ask though does he have a real future in their top nine or just as quality depth? If Holtz can’t make their team can Gritsyuk? Maybe, maybe not. But those are questions I think management needs to ponder ahead of this deadline, especially as Gritsyuk’s KHL deal is set to expire this spring.
17. Topi Niemela, RHD, Toronto
Niemela’s offense is down this season in Finland, but I do think if he was on the market there would still be interest. He has excellent two-way hockey sense and is a good skater. He is undersized though and not that dynamic for a smaller defenseman so there is some risk. Those kinds of prospects tend to be part of deadline deals.
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Other assets of interest (alphabetical order):
Kevin Bahl LHD, New Jersey
John Beecher, C, Boston
Jackson Blake, RW, Carolina
Seamus Casey, RHD, New Jersey
Nico Daws/Akira Schmid, G, New Jersey
Jack Drury, C, Carolina
Jack Finley, C, Tampa Bay
Jean-Luc Foudy, RW, Colorado
Gage Goncalves, LW, Tampa Bay
Noel Gunler, RW, Carolina
Dennis Hildeby, G, Toronto
Isaac Howard, LW, Tampa Bay
Niko Huuhtanen, RW, Tampa Bay
Raphael Lavoie, RW, Edmonton
Mason Lohrei, LHD, Boston
Fabian Lysell, RW, Boston
Fraser Minten, C, Toronto
Nikita Okhotyuk, LHD, New Jersey
Oskar Olausson, RW, Colorado
Ryan Suzuki, C, Carolina
Jack Thompson, RHD, Tampa Bay
Carolina, Edmonton and New Jersey’s second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft
(Top photo of Nolan Foote: Stan Szeto / USA Today)
