With the NHL’s March 21st trade deadline just around the corner, it’s officially gut check time for several franchises around the league. With a full 10pts separating the final wildcard spot from the pack in the East, teams have a good idea of how realistic their playoff aspirations are at the moment.
Out West however, things become a bit murkier as Anaheim, Edmonton, and Vancouver are all within 4pts of a wildcard spot. The Pacific Division in particular is getting crowded in a hurry as teams are leapfrogging one another on an almost nightly basis.
Which is precisely why franchises like the Ducks and Canucks feature numerous players on industry insider’s trade lists. They could be amongst the most active sellers on deadline day or elect to stand pat and see how far their young rosters can take them down the stretch.
We count down the top 30 trade assets heading into Monday March 21st. Keep in mind that factors like: Age, contract, and likelihood of actually being moved all factor into these rankings, and are not based solely on points production.
| Rank | Player (Team) | POS | AGE | STATUS/AAV |
| 1 | Jakob Chychrun (ARI) | D | 23 | 3 YEARS/$4.6M |
| 2 | Claude Giroux (PHI) | C | 34 | UFA/$8.275M |
| 3 | Ben Chiarot (MTL) | D | 30 | UFA/$3.5M |
| 4 | Hampus Linholm (ANA) | D | 28 | UFA/$5.2M |
| 5 | J.T. Miller (VAN) | F | 29 | 1 YEAR/$5.25M |
| 6 | Filip Forsberg (NSH) | F | 26 | UFA/$6M |
| 7 | Travis Konecny (PHI) | LW | 24 | 3 YEARS/$5.5M |
| 8 | Phil Kessel (ARI) | RW | 34 | UFA/$6.8M |
| 9 | Mark Giordano (SEA) | D | 38 | UFA/$6.75M |
| 10 | John Klingberg (DAL) | D | 29 | UFA/$4.25M |
| 11 | Marc-Andre Fleury (CHI) | G | 37 | UFA/$7M |
| 12 | Tomas Hertl (SJS) | C | 28 | UFA/$5.625M |
| 13 | Rickard Rakell (ANA) | LW | 28 | UFA/$3.8M |
| 14 | Max Domi (CBJ) | F | 26 | UFA/$5.3M |
| 15 | Dylan Strome (CHI) | F | 24 | RFA/$3M |
| 16 | Vitali Kravtsov (NYR) | RW | 22 | RFA/$925K |
| 17 | Andrew Copp (WPG) | F | 27 | UFA/$3.64M |
| 18 | Jake DeBrusk (BOS) | LW | 25 | RFA/$3.675M |
| 19 | Brock Boeser (VAN) | RW | 25 | RFA/$5.875M |
| 20 | Calvin de Haan (CHI) | D | 30 | UFA/$4.55M |
| 21 | Alexandar Georgiev (NYR) | G | 26 | RFA/$2.425M |
| 22 | Pavel Zacha (NJD) | C | 24 | RFA/$2.25M |
| 23 | Owen Tippett (FLA) | RW | 44 | RFA/$1.6M |
| 24 | Calle Jarnkrok (SEA) | RW | 30 | UFA/$2M |
| 25 | Joonas Korpisalo (CBJ) | G | 27 | UFA/$2.8M |
| 26 | Anton Khudobin (DAL) | G | 35 | 1 YEAR/$2.2M |
| 27 | Artturi Lehkonen (MTL) | F | 26 | RFA/$2.3M |
| 28 | Josh Manson (ANA) | D | 30 | UFA/$4.1M |
| 29 | Conor Garland (VAN) | F | 25 | 4 YEARS/$4.95M |
| 30 | Jeff Petry (MTL) | D | 34 | 3 YEARS/$6.25M |
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner