NHL Trade Bait List for 2026 Offseason

We’ve made it, everyone. The NHL Draft is here, and free agency is less than a week away. With the free-agent class being what it is, there is potential for an active trade market this offseason; it sure seems as if it’s already begun.

With that, let’s look at some possible trade candidates aggregated from sources such as The Athletic (From ‘NHL offseason trade board 4.0: NHL offseason trade board 4.0: The floodgates have opened. Who’s next?’ – The Athletic, 6/23/2026), Sportsnet, The Fourth Period, and Frank Seravalli. There are plenty new names in this update, so let’s get to it.

A Quick Overview of the NHL Trade Market

If you’re a team looking for a center, heading to the trade market is likely your best bet. Boone Jenner is the top free-agent center since Evgeni Malkin and Charlie Coyle signed extensions with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Fortunately, there are some potentially intriguing names available for trade. The New York Rangers held on to Vincent Trocheck at this season’s trade deadline, hoping to extract more value in an offseason trade. He’s among the top centers available, but there’s also Mason McTavish, Pavel Zacha and Dylan Larkin, who requested a trade from the Detroit Red Wings a few weeks ago.

Even secondary options, such as Shane Wright, could be good buy-low candidates for teams looking to improve their center depth. Wright took a step back this season and should not cost much for teams to acquire.

Cap dumps could also be among the popular trades this summer. Players such as Darnell Nurse, Morgan Rielly, and Jordan Binnington have popped up on pretty much every trade board and could all benefit from changes of scenery. Their pricey cap hits may make them difficult to move, but perhaps there’ll be some takers with the salary cap ceiling rising to $104 million this summer and $113 million next year.

Overall, there are plenty of interesting names available heading into the NHL Draft tomorrow night. Among the new targets are Larkin, Jason Robertson, and Connor Hellebuyck. Without further ado, here are our top 30 trade candidates entering the draft.