Holiday NHL Wishlist: Trades We’d Love to See This Christmas

Happy Holidays to NHL Trade Talk readers and hockey fans. The holiday season is here, and with so many rumors circulating the league, the holiday roster freeze gives us time to reflect on the biggest stories and make a wish list of trades we’d like to see this Christmas when NHL GMs can return to work.

Here’s our holiday hockey wishlist of trades we’d love to see under the tree this year.

Get the Canucks Some Cheery NHL Christmas Spirit

Given the ongoing drama in Vancouver, fans hoping for trades might want to keep a close eye on the Canucks. Two players in particular—J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson—could potentially benefit from a change of scenery to start the New Year. While both have denied any tension, it’s clear something isn’t clicking. With multiple reports hinting at friction between the two, this storyline is becoming impossible to ignore.

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The Canucks just need to decide who they move. Rick Tocchet told the media last week: “You don’t have to play PlayStation together or go to dinner. But you’re working toward the same goal.” It’s not clear what’s happening in Vancouver now.

Figure out who wants to win as a member of the Canucks more than they want to pout and be upset. Keep that person and trade the guy who can’t get over it.

Rangers Need to Trade Out Their Grinchy GM

Technically, you can’t trade a general manager. That said, the New York Rangers need to swap theirs out. Chris Drury has lost the room in New York and players aren’t happy with how he’s managing the team. He’s already traded Jacob Trouba, who wasn’t the problem. He then dealt Kaapo Kakko, who wasn’t the problem. Now he’s supporting the benching of Chris Kreider and likely others who aren’t the problem.

If Drury refuses to make a coaching change, and his personnel moves aren’t working, it’s time the GM goes. One could argue that former GM Jeff Gorton left the Rangers in a good spot before he moved to Montreal. The Rangers have been unraveling ever since.

Get Bedard Some Holiday Help in Chicago

Despite thinking they’d put together a better team, the Chicago Blackhawks are still struggling. They added significant pieces over the summer in Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen in the hopes that these forwards would give Connor Bedard some run support. Bedard is having a solid season, but he’s taken some criticism for not necessarily having the sophomore breakout people were expecting. It’s certainly not his fault.

The Blackhawks need to find assets that will help. Settle things with Taylor Hall, even if that means trading him.

Hurricanes Need a Goaltender for Christmas

The Carolina Hurricanes have everything they need to be competitive except a goaltender. Injuries have been a huge concern for Frederik Andersen, and the team is asking a lot of Pyotr Kochetkov, Spencer Martin, and Dustin Tokarski. The Hurricanes need a solid and reliable starter.

Kochetkov looks like he could be a keeper, but the Hurricanes need more than a netminder who has played 90 career NHL games. Could Dan Vladar be available out of Calgary if the Flames fall out of contention? What happens if the Rangers really start to disintegrate? Would Jonathan Quick be an option?

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