8 Trade Candidates Not Moved at the 2024 Deadline

Also, per Rutherford, Blues GM Doug Armstrong would not rule out extending Buchnevich once July 1 rolls around. Buchnevich has one year left on his contract at a cap hit of $5.875 million before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2025. He will get a relatively good bump from that number on his next contract, so the Blues will have a decision to make. 

It’ll be interesting to see what the Blues decide to do with Buchnevich during the offseason. They could likely get a very good return for him, but they’re also not the type of organization that strips it down to the bolts, and losing Buchnevich will hurt their chance of being competitive next season. 

Jakob Chychrun

Rumors of Jakob Chychrun potentially wanting out of Ottawa began to surface a few weeks before the trade deadline. Talks around him picked up in the days leading up to the deadline, but it doesn’t appear a trade got close. He stayed put with the Senators past Friday, but don’t be surprised if trade negotiations gain steam again ahead of the NHL Draft in June. 

Chychrun’s contract runs through the 2024-25 season and comes with an excellent cap hit of $4.6 million, which is well less than the value he provides. Despite the team’s struggles, he’s had a solid season for the Senators and would bolster just about any team’s top-four on the blue line. 

The Senators have a surplus of left-shot defensemen, so they will have to a decision to make over the summer. Will it be Chychrun they move? Could it be Thomas Chabot or Erik Brannstrom? That’ll likely lead to Chychrun’s name coming up in the rumor mill again as we approach the draft. 

Jacob Markström

The Calgary Flames reportedly had a deal in place with the New Jersey Devils for Jacob Markström, but they pulled back at the last minute after ownership decided against moving him. He’s having an excellent season, as he ranks in the top five in goals saved above expected. But after their deadline moves, it’s a bit odd that the Flames hung on to him.  

Even though Markström did not get traded before the deadline, it seems like a foregone conclusion that he will get dealt in the offseason. He has a no-move clause, but as reports indicated, he was willing to waive it to go to the Devils. He’ll turn 35 years old next season, and with the Flames having sold off Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev before the deadline, they’re unlikely to be Cup contenders any time soon. 

Where Markström ends up remains to be seen. The Devils will circle back on him during the offseason, but other teams who need goaltending — like the Los Angeles Kings — will likely throw their hat into the ring once talks pick up again during the offseason. 

Nick Seeler

Most thought heading into the season that the Philadelphia Flyers would sell players like Nick Seeler at the trade deadline. But they’ve been one of the surprise teams in the league and are hanging on to the third spot in the Metropolitan Division as of this writing. 

That led to them doing some buying and selling ahead of the deadline, but GM Danny Briere had some decisions to make on who he’d sell. He ended up trading Sean Walker to the Colorado Avalanche for a package that included a first-round pick but ended up re-signing Seeler to a four-year extension at a cap hit of $2.7 million. 

Like Walker, Seeler would have become a UFA this summer had the Flyers not agreed to an extension with him. He’s one of the better third-pair defenders in the NHL, so signing him made sense if they had no intention of trading him. They got him at a fair cap hit, so this seems unlikely to turn into a poisonous contract. 

Reilly Smith

Frank Seravalli’s final trade board stated that the Pittsburgh Penguins were getting more calls about Reilly Smith than Jake Guentzel. Even though that was the case, the Penguins hung on to him past the 3 PM deadline. Perhaps it’s because his contract runs through next season at a cap hit of $5 million, but it was surprising he stayed put considering the reported interest in him. 

We never heard of teams that showed interest in Smith compared to other forwards like Buchnevich and Guentzel. But if the Penguins decide to move on from him around the draft, there should be plenty of interest, especially if they retain 50 percent of his cap hit. He’s had a down year with the Penguins, totaling 29 points in 57 games. But his playoff experience will likely be attractive to contending teams.  

Frank Vatrano

Frank Vatrano is having a career season with 29 goals and 50 points in 63 games. The Anaheim Ducks could have cashed in on him if they decided to trade him, but the price was reportedly very high. The fact that he has a cap hit of just $3.65 million for the next season and a half is likely part of why GM Pat Verbeek held a high price for Vatrano. 

There were rumors of a reunion with the New York Rangers, but as mentioned, the price was just too high. Perhaps the Ducks consider moving him this offseason, but they may have missed a chance to sell high. He’s having a career season, and even though he has an excellent cap hit, there’s no guarantee he will repeat this season next year. So trading him at the draft or around then may be something they reconsider. 

Jordan Eberle

Jordan Eberle would have been one of the top trade targets on Friday since he was on an expiring contract. But he signed a two-year extension with the Seattle Kraken on Friday worth a cap hit of $4.75 million, taking him off the trade market. Among the teams interested were the Oilers, who were considering a reunion with one of their former first-round picks. 

The Kraken have struggled to score this season, and trading Eberle would have only made that worse. He’s on pace for 51 points, and scoring is a long-term concern for the Kraken. They need to add more offensive punch up front, so trading Eberle would have added something to GM Ron Francis’ to-do list for this offseason. 

Alexandre Carrier

It seemed like there was plenty of interest in defenseman Alexandre Carrier; Pierre LeBrun reported  they were listening to offers on him. But the Nashville Predators are 10-0-2 in their last 12 games and look to be in a pretty comfortable spot to clinch one of the wild card spots in the Western Conference. 

That’s likely why GM Barry Trotz hung on to Carrier, one of the more underrated top-four defenders in the league. They could regret the decision if they can’t agree to terms with him on an extension before July 1. Still, you can’t fault the decision since they’re one of the hottest teams in the NHL and look bound for the playoffs. 

There were plenty of fireworks at this year’s deadline. But with some of these names remaining with their current teams — especially Markström, Chychrun and Buchnevich — there could be plenty more to come during the offseason.