Preds’ Askarov and Devils’ Marino, Holtz join Trade Targets on NHL Draft Day

Welcome to Draft Day. This might be one of the most topsy-turvy draft boards we see unfold on Friday night in Sphere in recent memory. Buckle up and enjoy it.

Here are 30 names in play in trade talks, with new names joining the board in Yaroslav Askarov, John Marino and Alexander Holtz.

Trade Targets 🎯

1. Mitch Marner
Right Wing, Toronto Maple Leafs
Age: 27
Stats: 69 GP, 26 G, 59 A, 85 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $10.9 million AAV
Scoop: GM Brad Treliving didn’t reveal much in his pre-Draft media availability on Wednesday in Vegas. He referred to Marner multiple times as “a star,” and told media to not read too much into the noise that’s out there. There’s a reason for the noise. We believe the Leafs will do everything in their power to attempt to move Marner this summer. They are entertaining conversations on Marner. Now, will a team will step up to pay a price commensurate to what Toronto believes is his value? And if that does happen, will Marner agree to waive his full ‘no-trade’ clause, or will he be steadfast in wanting to return? Those two things are a different story, but the fact is Toronto is trying.

2. Martin Necas
Right Wing, Carolina Hurricanes
Age: 25
Stats: 77 GP, 24 G, 29 A, 53 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, due $3.5 million qualifying offer
Scoop: New Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky is busier than a one-legged man in an ass-kicking competition. He’s fielding offers for Necas, he’s trying his best to keep Jake Guentzel, he’s starting to work on a Seth Jarvis extension, and oh yeah, this is his first Draft as a manager. That’s a lot. There is a belief that the New Jersey Devils have dangled the No. 10 overall pick in a deal for Necas, but if that were to materialize, it might not be until Draft night and in Round 1 itself depending on how the board breaks. Would that be a starting point for Carolina to consider? Columbus, Calgary, Boston, Detroit and Nashville are some of the other teams watching.

3. Nikolaj Ehlers
Left Wing, Winnipeg Jets
Age: 28
Stats: 82 GP, 25 G, 36 A, 61 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $6 million AAV
Scoop: If you take a look at his career arc and production, Ehlers is the model of consistency. But he might not be the model of predictability – for either the Jets’ coaching staff, now headed by Scott Arniel, or even his linemates. That likely makes him available as GM Kevin Cheveldayoff may tinker with his group a bit this summer following a disappointing first-round exit against Colorado. Winnipeg is all Ehlers has ever known, drafted No. 9 overall in 2014. He is also the only key member of the forward core who doesn’t have a long-term extension.

4. Top 10 Picks
Possibilities: CBJ No. 4 overall, MTL No. 5 overall, OTT No. 7 overall, NJD No. 10 overall
Scoop: Buckle up. This is one of the more unpredictable draft boards that we’ve seen in a while, which is why so many teams have either hinted at or openly said that their Top 10 pick is in play. And they might be in play right up until they’re on the clock on Friday night. Some say the Draft begins at No. 2. My personal belief is that it begins at No. 4 – and what will the Blue Jackets do? There will be no shortage of teams looking to move up or move down, depending on how the board breaks, and there’s a few teams at different stages of their builds interested in improving now where a high-end pick may not be as valuable to them as it is others.

5. Patrik Laine
Right Wing, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 26
Contract: 2 years remaining, $8.7 million AAV
Stats: 18 GP, 6 G, 3 A, 19 Pts
Scoop: Laine has reportedly requested a “fresh start” outside of Columbus and new GM Don Waddell is working to accommodate that. When asked specifically about Laine last week on Frankly Speaking, Waddell said: “We want players that want to play for the Columbus Blue Jackets.” As he was making the rounds shortly after taking the reins, Waddell said the question he was posing to players was whether they’d like to be part of the solution or part of the problem. Laine’s availability has been problematic, playing just 18 games in 2023-24 and entering the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in late January. Waddell said he recently underwent a shoulder “cleanout” operation, but it wasn’t a major procedure and he should be back to full health soon. He also called Laine a “game breaker” and that part has always been true. He’s scored at a 34-goal pace while playing in Columbus, but he is a distressed asset to move now.

7. Jakob Chychrun
Left Defense, Ottawa Senators
Age: 26
Stats: 82 GP, 14 G, 27 A, 41 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $4.6 million AAV
Scoop: Chychrun had an excellent season. He shed the label of an oft-injured defenseman, playing 82 games for the first time in his career. He tied a career-best with 41 points and was four short of a career-high in goals. He’s played better in Canada’s capital than he did in the desert. That means he’s also due a raise. And the fact is the Sens can’t afford to pay upwards of $24-plus million to just the left side of their defense with Jake Sanderson ($8.05m) and Thomas Chabot ($8m) plus a new deal for Chychrun. In a perfect world, they’d probably prefer to move Chabot, but that might not be realistic with the term and dollars remaining on his deal.

8. Jacob Trouba
Right Defense, New York Rangers
Age: 30
Contract: 2 years remaining, $8 million AAV
Stats: 69 GP, 3 G, 19 A, 22 Pts
Scoop: The Rangers are exploring all of their options this summer as GM Chris Drury remains as aggressive as ever trying to get New York over the hump. One of those options is potentially moving his captain. Trouba also just happens to be dropping down from a full ‘no-movement’ clause to a 15-team ‘no-trade’ list starting on Monday. Trouba has positive trade equity, despite the cap hit, because the term is so short with two years remaining. Teams crave his intensity, leadership and physicality. Are the Detroit Red Wings, looking to upgrade their blueline, a viable option for the Michigan native? In addition to upgrades up front, the Rangers are also grinding on an extension for Ryan Lindgren, and his initial asks appear to be pretty reasonable.

9. Yaroslav Askarov
Goaltender, Nashville Predators
Age: 22
Contract: 1 year remaining, $925,000
Stats: 2 GP, 1.47 GAA, .943 Sv%
Scoop: With Juuse Saros closing in on an eight-year, $62 million extension, there really is no path forward for 2020 No. 11 overall pick in net. Given that, there are also teams now wondering whether he’s likely to return to AHL Milwaukee for a third consecutive year. Does that mean time is of the essence for GM Barry Trotz to move Askarov? It was one year ago at the Draft, hosted in Nashville, that the Preds put Askarov on the table in potential trade talks. He’s had two excellent seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals. But the Predators are believed to be active on the backup goalie market, signaling they’d plan for him to start in the AHL, if he’s still in the organization.

10. Rutger McGroarty
Right Wing, Winnipeg Jets
Age: 20
Contract: Unsigned Reserve List
Stats: 36 GP, 16 G, 36 A, 52 Pts (at Univ. of Michigan)
Scoop: McGroarty’s name surfaced in trade rumors last week, which was a bit of a surprise as he’s a burgeoning prospect picked at No. 14 overall just two years ago. The Jets put on the full-court press to try to get McGroarty to leave Michigan after a fantastic sophomore season. But he decided to go back to school for his junior year. Did McGroarty request a trade? Both sides are mum on how we got here, but the point is, we’re here. Now, how do the Jets get equal value in return for McGroarty? That is the difficult part. McGroarty is a close friend of Cutter Gauthier, who forced his way out of Philadelphia, so getting a deal done sooner rather than later might be best for all parties.

11. John Marino
Right Defense, New Jersey Devils
Age: 27
Stats: 75 GP, 4 G, 21 A, 25 Pts
Contract: 3 years remaining, $4.4 million AAV
Scoop: Marino appears to be the odd-man out in New Jersey as the Devils are believed to be pursuing multiple free agent defensemen on Monday. With a healthy Dougie Hamilton, plus Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey, the Devils run out of room (and cap space) quickly on their roster. The Vancouver Canucks are one of the teams linked to Marino, a player Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin had in Pittsburgh – and signed him to his current contract. He’s an intriguing, cost-controlled checkdown option for Vancouver if they’re unable to keep Nikita Zadorov but are able to land a free agent like Jake Guentzel. Marino’s eight-team ‘no-trade’ clause kicks in on Monday.

12. Tanner Jeannot
Left Wing, Tampa Bay Lightning
Age: 27
Stats: 55 GP, 7 G, 7 A, 14 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $2.65 million AAV
Scoop: The Jeannot Experience in Tampa Bay is one of the few swings and misses on Julien BriseBois’s resume. Jeannot was acquired for a jaw-dropping price of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th round picks, plus Cal Foote, in Feb. 2023. He has a grand total of eight goals in 75 games. And now BriseBois has an opportunity, or better yet a need, to move on from his mistake to prevent it from compounding. There is an urgency to do so this week. For one, the Bolts need every dollar they can scrounge to try to re-sign captain Steven Stamkos. Maybe more importantly, Jeannot has trade protection that kicks in on Monday in a 16-team ‘no-trade’ list that would give Jeannot some measure of control that Tampa doesn’t need or want.

13. Ross Colton
Center, Colorado Avalanche
Age: 27
Stats: 80 GP, 17 G, 23 A, 40 Pts
Contract: 3 years remaining, $4 million AAV
Scoop: It was less than one calendar year ago, June 28, that the Avs acquired Colton as a cap casualty from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Now, one year later, Colton could be the same for the Avalanche. Colton is coming off a career-best 40-point season, too. It’s just that Colorado has so many hurdles to clear on the cap this summer that Colton may be the odd man out. They have to clear space for Gabriel Landeskog to be activated at some point next season. They aren’t sure about the status of Valeri Nichushkin, who is in Stage 3 of the Player Assistance program after a drug-related issue during the playoffs for the second year in a row. And they’ve also prioritized the re-signing of Jonathan Drouin. The arrival of Casey Mittelstadt would seemingly make a deal easier to move Colton at center, but I’m not sure Colorado sees it that way. Colton’s full ‘no-trade’ clause kicks in on July 1. He has no trade protection until then.

14. Pavel Buchnevich
Center, St. Louis Blues
Age: 29
Contract: 1 year remaining, $5.8 million AAV
Stats: 80 GP, 27 G, 36 A, 63 Pts
Scoop: With 206 points in 216 games in St. Louis, Buchnevich might be the most quiet point-per-game producer in the league. He was a hot commodity at the trade deadline as the Blues were asking for three first-round equivalents to move him with two playoff runs remaining at a bargain rate. Here’s the thing: Buchnevich is going to be due a serious raise, in the $8+ million cap hit range. Is GM Doug Armstrong really going to pony up to pay Buchnevich on a long-term deal in St. Louis? They like Buchnevich, no doubt about that. But how long and how much are they willing to commit to him? He’s eligible to sign a new deal this summer. It’s about to get real.

15. Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Center, New York Islanders
Age: 31
Stats: 82 GP, 11 G, 22 A, 33 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $5 million AAV
Scoop: Eleven months ago, the Islanders traded a second-round pick to Chicago to take Josh Bailey’s $5 million cap hit off their hands. Last week, the Islanders traded down in the first-round – which is ultra rare one month out from the Draft – and received an extra second-round pick in the process. Will Lou Lamoriello use that extra capital in an attempt to entice someone to take Pageau? The difference between Pageau and Bailey is that Pageau has an extra year remaining. The Blackhawks bought out Bailey. Pageau still has game left, but not at that price, and the Isles only have $6 million in space to add five more players.

16. Reilly Smith
Left Wing, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 33
Stats: 76 GP, 13 G, 27 A, 40 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $5 million AAV
Scoop: Smith was no stranger to the Trade Targets board last season. Oddly, he didn’t seem to generate as much buzz or interest as other wingers. He has Stanley Cup pedigree and is a proven playoff performer. He still ended up with 40 points in 76 games in a year with a ton of change, moving from Vegas to Pittsburgh. The Penguins could well hang onto him. They want to compete and Smith could help that cause. But at $5 million, if they find someone with solid interest in Smith, they could re-jig their cap picture a bit and perhaps find multiple players to aid their depth for that amount of money instead of a guy who finished the season on their third line with Lars Eller and Valtteri Puustinen.

17. One St. Louis Blues Defenseman
Possibilities: Torey Krug, Nick Leddy, Justin Faulk
Scoop: It’s no secret. For a couple years now, Armstrong has been looking to shake up St. Louis’ defense corps, to no avail. He tried to move Krug last summer, who held firm on his ‘no-trade’ clause. Now what? The Blues are in the same spot. They missed the playoffs for the second consecutive spring. And as currently constituted, the defense isn’t changing for the next few years unless Armstrong makes a move. Krug, Leddy and Faulk all have ‘no-trade’ clauses, which has put the Blues in a bind. There would definitely be interest in Colton Parayko. But the 6-foot-6 blueliner is the one guy they should keep, under contract for the next six seasons at what will only be a more valuable $6.5 million.

18. Alexander Holtz
Right Wing, New Jersey Devils
Age: 22
Stats: 82 GP, 16 G, 12 A, 28 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $894,000 AAV
Scoop: It was just five Drafts ago that the Devils used the No. 7 overall pick on Holtz, a clearly talented winger who just completed his first full NHL season last year. He notched 16 goals and saw some action on a line with Jack Hughes and Timo Meier late in the season. He was actually part of a Devils offer to San Jose for Meier at the Deadline a couple years back, and the Sharks passed on him for Shakir Mukhamadullin. Now what for Holtz? He is young, still has another year left on his entry-level deal, and will be under team control for the next five years. His availability at the Draft makes you wonder what else New Jersey will get up to in free agency.

19. Brandon Saad
Left Wing, St. Louis Blues
Age: 31
Stats: 82 GP, 26 G, 16 A, 42 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $4.5 million AAV
Scoop: There are rumblings that Saad is available as GM Doug Armstrong checks market prices as part of his due diligence in a quest to make the Blues better. It’s a bit surprising considering Saad is coming off the second-best goal scoring season of his career, netting 26 last year to finish tied for fourth on the team with Robert Thomas. However, if you think about it from Armstrong’s perspective, this might be the exact time to cash in on Saad with strong value on the market considering the two years remaining on his deal. It’s also the same old, same old in St. Louis: Saad has a full ‘no-trade’ clause for one more year, and he also happens to have the same agent as Krug, who blocked a trade last summer with that very clause.

20. Filip Gustavsson
Goaltender, Minnesota Wild
Age: 25
Stats: 45 GP, 3.06 GAA, .899 Sv%
Contract: 2 years remaining, $3.75 million AAV
Scoop: Gustavsson slides down the board from No. 9 as the Wild have struggled to find a trade partner willing to make a decent offer on him. And they’re not pushing it. One year ago at this time he was considered the savior of their season and a driving force on why they made the playoffs. Gustavsson wasn’t nearly as good last season. Beloved Marc-Andre Fleury is back for his 40-year-old campaign. And 2021 first-round pick Jesper Wallstedt is waiting patiently, ready to be mentored by Fleury. It’s not that the Wild don’t like or trust Gustavsson. They just have flexibility at the position and moving Gustavsson would free up $3.75 million to be used somewhere else for a team with $15.1 million in dead cap space this season. There should be a market for a mid-tier option like Gustavsson.

21. John Gibson
Goaltender, Anaheim Ducks
Age: 30
Stats: 46 GP, 3.58 GAA, .888 Sv%
Contract: 3 years remaining, $6.4 million AAV
Scoop: After residing on the Trade Targets board for the last three years, it appears the Ducks and Red Wings gained some traction this week on Gibson. There’s the potential for something to happen, and it would likely involve the Ducks retaining a portion of his deal. Gibson had a long-standing trade request looking for a change of scenery – and now the Ducks feel pretty confident turning the reins over to Lukas Dostal, who is nearly seven years younger. The Ducks could use a fresh start, so could Gibson. The time is right if there is a taker.

22. Morgan Frost
Center, Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 25
Stats: 71 GP, 13 G, 28 A, 41 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $2.1 million AAV
Scoop: After a rocky year that saw Frost sit as a healthy scratch for a chunk of time, it sure ended well. Frost closed the campaign with 30 points in 44 games in the 2024 calendar year. One thing that doesn’t appear to be changing: John Tortorella as Flyers coach. While some pushback from Frost seemed to do him well in Tortorella’s books, it’s not entirely clear whether they’ll ever see eye-to-eye. Or if Frost’s style of game will mesh with what Tortorella is looking for on a nightly basis. The Flyers see plenty of upside on Frost and wouldn’t hesitate to keep him. They’re also interested in anything creative thrown their way, so they’d be open to moving Frost and Joel Farabee and others in the right deal. But there hasn’t been much action on that front yet.

23. David Savard
Right Defense, Montréal Canadiens
Age: 33
Stats: 60 GP, 6 G, 18 A, 24 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $3.5 million AAV
Scoop: Last summer, the Habs unloaded another veteran defenseman in Joel Edmundson on July 1 in exchange for third and seventh-round picks. Savard is in a different position as a right-shooting defenseman, where there is a premium. But so are the Canadiens this time around. They will need a veteran presence to help shepherd the young guys through their lineup this season. But Montreal also has a bit of a logjam on defense, with plenty of right-shot guys coming. The Canadiens will be listening on Savard, even if they end up keeping him through the summer, to begin initial conversations in the lead-up to next year’s trade deadline.

24. Arthur Kaliyev
Right Wing, Los Angeles Kings
Age: 22
Stats: 51 GP, 7 G, 8 A, 15 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, due $874,125 qualifying offer
Scoop: The writing was on the wall for Kaliyev, the once promising prospect who was a healthy scratch for a huge chunk of the season – and all five playoff games against the Oilers. A reminder that all is not lost. Last year, Sean Walker was a healthy scratch for five Kings playoff games, was traded to Philadelphia, found his game again and will be one of the more sought-after defensemen on the free agent market this time around. It’s all about perspective. And Kaliyev has obvious talent, 13 and 14-goal seasons under his belt, as a waiver-required player who is trying to find his way.

25. Elvis Merzlikins
Goaltender, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 30
Stats: 41 GP, 3.45 GAA, .897 Sv%
Contract: 3 years remaining, $5.4 million AAV
Scoop: One of the first orders of business for new President and GM Waddell, aside from salivating over the Blue Jackets’ prospect pool, is to solve the Merzlikins issue. He made it clear that his trade request has been outstanding. And Waddell did say in his final press conference in Carolina that he didn’t have enough fingers or toes to count the players who wanted to be dealt in his tenure. Is there a fit for Merzlikins somewhere? His numbers are in the tank, but Columbus has had two dog-ass seasons, he wants a change of scenery, and he’s clearly a talented goalie. The belief is the Blue Jackets can find some traction on the trade market by retaining money.

26. Jeff Skinner
Left Wing, Buffalo Sabres
Age: 32
Stats: 74 GP, 24 G, 22 A, 46 Pts
Contract: 3 years remaining, $9 million AAV
Scoop: GM Kevyn Adams was vague when asked about the possibility of a Skinner buyout, but added that “nothing was off the table.” To be sure, Skinner didn’t play last season anywhere close to a $9 million level – and the next three years do not look pretty from a cap perspective. A buyout still feels at least a little premature. Skinner is one year removed from an 82-point campaign. Skinner has 92 goals over the last three seasons and the Sabres ranked 23rd in goals last season. They need more scoring, not less. But if Buffalo didn’t pour cold water all over the notion of a buyout, then you can guarantee they’ve floated him in trade talks, and retaining is easier than a buyout. Plus, if there was a market for Dubois, surely someone would like Skinner at a discounted price.

27. Christian Dvorak
Center, Montréal Canadiens
Age: 28
Stats: 30 GP, 5 G, 4 A, 9 Pts
Contract: 1 year remaining, $4.45 million AAV
Scoop: Dvorak has struggled to stay healthy in his time in Montréal, missing 96 games over his three-season tenure. He was acquired by the Marc Bergevin regime in September 2021 from Arizona in exchange for first and second-round picks, one of which is in this June’s Draft (No. 37 overall). It’s clear that Dvorak hasn’t worked out with the Habs. Even when healthy, he hasn’t been able to break through the ceiling that initially indicated promise in Arizona. Montreal will be moving on from him, the only questions are when (now or later) and how (trade or free agency).

28. Justin Holl
Right Defense, Detroit Red Wings
Age: 32
Stats: 38 GP, 0 G, 5 A, 5 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $3.4 million AAV
Scoop: Still trying to figure out exactly what the Wings saw in Holl when they decided to fork over $10.2 million to him in free agency last summer. That’s neither here nor there now. Holl spent a big chunk of the season as a healthy scratch and the Wings need to move on. He is a likely buyout candidate if GM Steve Yzerman can’t find a taker for Holl before July 1, as he’s trying hard to improve both the defense corps and in goal on the trade and free agent markets.

29. Darnell Nurse
Left Defense, Edmonton Oilers
Age: 28
Stats: 81 GP, 10 G, 22 A, 32 Pts
Contract: 6 years remaining, $9.25 million AAV
Scoop: We outlined the short and long-term problem that Nurse presents for the Oilers a few weeks back. This would be a difficult, complicated transaction to tackle – and there are so many unknowns now, including: who will be the next GM in Edmonton? What will his view of the situation be? At the very least, the Oilers should be looking for ways to be creative, maybe swap one problematic contract for another. Because Nurse could rebound into a solid Top 4 defender. But he’s already not on the first unit power play or penalty kill, he’s stuck on the second pair, and that doesn’t leave him much opportunity to play up to his $9.25 million cap hit. Other teams are already leery of his contract structure with regards to the $24 million in backloaded signing bonus that makes it almost impossible to buy out.

30. Trevor Zegras
Center, Anaheim Ducks
Age: 23
Stats: 31 GP, 5 G, 9 A, 15 Pts
Contract: 2 years remaining, $5.75 million AAV
Scoop: This season was a grind for Zegras. Period. Full stop. He was late to camp after GM Pat Verbeek ground him down on a bridge deal. Then he was injured (twice) and missed a total of 51 games. Zegras was believed to be part of the group of players pressured to participate in offseason training activities in Florida, which earned the Ducks a $50,000 fine. Oh, yeah, and his close friend Jamie Drysdale was traded to Philadelphia. There has definitely been some friction there. And the belief is the Ducks aren’t sold Zegras can add dimensions to his game. The Ducks are listening to expressions of interest but don’t seem to be in any rush to make a move.

TRADED: No. 4 Linus Ullmark; No. 6 Ilya Mikheyev; No. 8 Jacob Markstrom; No. 26 Andrew Mangiapane.