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NHL Trade Talk’s 2024-25 Top 20 Trade Bait Board 3.0
NHL Trade Talk’s 2024-25 Top 20 Trade Bait Board: Which names are among those in the NHL most likely to be traded?
With the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline a month away, the buzz around potential moves intensifies. Teams evaluate their rosters, factoring in their playoff odds, and exploring deals to address critical needs. Whether it’s acquiring a game-changing forward, a reliable defenseman, or freeing up cap space, the trade market is set to deliver some blockbuster moves. And as the roster freeze kicks in on Friday, some teams are getting ahead of the rest of the market.
Despite the fact some big names have already been moved — including Mikko Rantanen, Marcus Pettersson, Martin Necas, and others — this year’s trade bait board is packed with intriguing names—veteran stars looking for a fresh start, pending free agents who could be valuable rentals, and players on expiring contracts whose teams may choose to capitalize on their value.
These 20 names represent some of the most likely—and most exciting—candidates to be on the move before the deadline.
NHL Trade Talk Top 20 Trade Bait Board
| Board Ranking | Player | Team & Contract | Interested Teams |
| 1 | Brock Nelson | NYI 1 YR/$6M | DAL, EDM, TOR |
| 2 | Casey Mittelstadt | COL 2 YRS/$5.7M | BOS, CGY, WIN |
| 3 | Dylan Cozens | BUF 5 YRS/$7.1M | CGY, PHI, VAN |
| 4 | Chris Kreider | NYR 2 YRS/$6.5M | BOS, CAR, TOR |
| 5 | Ryan Lindgren | NYR 1 YR/$4.5M | EDM, DET, TB |
| 6 | Oliver Bjorkstrand | SEA 1 YR/$5.4M | CBJ, UTH, VAN |
| 7 | Rasmus Ristolainen | PHI 3 YRS/$5.1M | CGY, UTH, VAN |
| 8 | Bowen Byram | BUF 1 YR/$3.8M | FLA, SEA, VAN |
| 9 | John Gibson | ANA 3 YRS/$6.4M | CAR, DET, EDM |
| 10 | Jamie Oleksiak | SEA 1 YR/ $4.6M | CBJ, DAL, TOR |
| 11 | Scott Laughton | PHI 2 YRS/$3M | OTT, TBL, TOR |
| 12 | Trent Frederic | BOS 1 YR/$2.3M | LAK, STL, WIN |
| 13 | Brandon Tanev | SEA 1YR/$3.5M | BOS, EDM, TOR |
| 14 | Gustav Nyquist | NSH 1 YR/$3.1M | CAR, COL, FLA |
| 15 | Kyle Palmieri | NYI 1 YR/$5M | MIN, NJD, WIN |
| 16 | Ryan Donato | CHI 1 YR/$2M | CAR, FLA, LAK |
| 17 | Alex Kerfoot | UHC 1 YR/$3.5M | COL, DAL, VGK |
| 18 | Jason Zucker | BUF 1 YR/$5M | FLA, NJD, VGK |
| 19 | Jake Evans | MTL1 YR/$1.7M | CGY, TBL, WSH |
| 20 | David Savard | MTL 1 YR/ $3.5M | DAL, EDM, LAK |
| 21 | Yanni Gourde | SEA 1 YR/$5.1M | DAL, TBL, TOR |
| 22 | Alexandar Georgiev | SJS 1 YR/$2.9M | DET, LAK, PIT |
| 23 | Nick Bjugstad | UHC 1 YR/$2.1M | EDM, MIN, TOR |
| 24 | Reilly Smith | NYR 1 YR/ $3.7M | COL, NJD, VGK |
| 25 | Nick Robertson | TOR 1YR/$875K | CBJ, SEA, UTH |
| 26 | Ryan O’Reilly | NSH3YRS/$4.5M | BOS, COL, TOR |
| 27 | Ivan Provorov | CBJ 1 YR/$4.7M | FLA, TBL, WSH |
| 28 | Jeff Skinner | EDM1 YR/$3M | DAL, TBL, COL, LAK |
| 29 | Barclay Goodrow | SJS2 YRS/$3.6M | COL, TBL, VGK |
| 30 | Brian Dumoulin | ANA1 YR/$3.1M | EDM, MIN, WIN |
Next: Is Current Flames Roster Playoff Bound Without Deadline Trades?
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