The 2025 NHL Trade Deadline is March 7 and there are still teams figuring out if they’re buyers or sellers, considering how tight the standings are in both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference.
It’s safe to say that most contenders are looking to sure up the defense position, whether it’s a top-four upgrade or simply adding depth, when hoping for an extended run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Already, the Vancouver Canucks swung a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins for defenseman Marcus Pettersson, and the Dallas Stars acquired veteran defenseman Cody Ceci from the San Jose Sharks. Back in December, the New York Rangers made a pair of trades to pick up defensemen Will Borgen from the Seattle Kraken and Urho Vaakanainen from the Anaheim Ducks.
But there are still plenty of defensemen on the trading block. Let’s take a look.
All contract information courtesy PuckPedia
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10. Brian Dumoulin – Anaheim Ducks
Dumoulin is playing nearly 20 minutes a night for the woeful Ducks, and would be a nice depth rental for a contender. He’s a two-time Stanley Cup champion on an expiring contract, so there’s going to be a market for him.
9. David Savard – Montreal Canadiens
Savard remains a hard-nosed shot-blocking defenseman even at the age of 34. He’s lost ice time since Montreal acquired William Carrier earlier in the season and will draw interest ahead of the deadline because he’s a right-shot and 2021 Stanley Cup champion on an expiring contract who can still play.
8. Jamie Oleksiak – Seattle Kraken
Oleksiak has another season after this remaining on his contract and the Kraken like him, so it’s not a given he’ll be traded. But teams will be calling on the 32-year-old, who’s a big (6-foot-7, 252 pounds), tough, shutdown defenseman signed for a manageable $4.6 million next season.
7. Ryan Lindgren – New York Rangers
The Rangers have a difficult decision to make on Lindgren, the heart-and-soul top-pair defenseman who’s an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. It’s unlikely they re-sign him due to excessive wear and tear, but will they keep the 27-year-old as their own deadline rental because they’d create too big a void on their defense corps by dealing him? If they do move Lindgren, expect the Rangers to be seeking a fairly significant return.
6. Connor Murphy – Chicago Blackhawks
There’s a big risk, but possibly a higher reward for any team looking to acquire Murphy. It can be argued that the 31-year-old is the best defenseman on this list. However, he’s missed significant time due to injury in three of the past four seasons and is coming off a recent groin injury. The flip side is that he’s a 6-foot-4 right-shot defenseman, who’s averaged 20 minutes of quality TOI per game in his career. Plus, an acquiring team would get him for another season after this, for $4.4 million.
5. Mario Ferraro – San Jose Sharks
Tough as nails, Ferraro looks and plays like an old-school rugged defenseman. He blocks shots, is physical in his own end and a durable 20-minute left-shot defenseman. Still only 26 and with one season left on his contract at an affordable $3.25 salary cap hit, there are going to be teams interested in landing Ferraro for two playoff runs.
4. Rasmus Ristolainen – Philadelphia Flyers
Though he withdrew from the 4 Nations Face-Off with an upper-body injury, teams will still be clamoring for Ristolainen should he be healthy again near the deadline. He’s only 30 and has two years after this remaining on his contract at $5.1 million annually. So, perhaps it’d be easier to trade him in the offseason. But the Flyers seem motivated to shake things up, so all bets are off.
3. Ivan Provorov – Columbus Blue Jackets
Provorov would be atop this list if it didn’t feel like the Blue Jackets are going to hang on to him and make a run at a Stanley Cup playoff berth. The 28-year-old is an unrestricted free agent when the season ends but there’s word that both sides would love to get a deal done to keep him in Columbus. However, the Blue Jackets should be able to get back a sizeable return for a Provorov rental. He’s a minute-munching two-way defenseman that’s an easy fit in a contender’s top-four. So, this is a massive decision for the Blue Jackets, who should at least field calls to best understand what the Provorov market looks like.
2. Carson Soucy – Vancouver Canucks
Soucy lost playing time as soon as Marcus Pettersson arrived from the Penguins, so it’s appear he’ll be shipped out ahead of the deadline. The 30-year-old is a big (6-foot-5, 208 pounds) shutdown defenseman, who’s physical and blocks a lot of shots. He’s a nice fit on a second defense pair and has one year left at an affordable $3.3 million on his contract.
1. Bowen Byram – Buffalo Sabres
If the Sabres decide to move Byram, they could get a haul in return. Byram is only 23 years old and still getting better, already tying his NHL career high with 29 points this season. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche is playing more than 23 minutes a night for the Sabres, who acquired him for Casey Mittelstadt a year ago. The only reason why Buffalo would move him is because he’s due a major raise as an RFA with arbitration rights after this season and the Sabres are already paying big bucks to young d-men Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson.
