The NHL trade deadline for the 2024-25 season is at 3 p.m. ET Friday.

While a number of blockbusters have already happened — including Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes and Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers — there are some big names still reportedly available to contenders.

So, who gets traded next?

ESPN reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski devised logical trades that could happen before the deadline and benefit all teams involved, keeping salary cap implications in mind.

Let’s start with a deal that could substantially shift the balance of power in the Western Conference.

Winnipeg Jets get:
RW Mikko Rantanen

Carolina Hurricanes get:
LW Nikolaj Ehlers, C Rasmus Kupari

Carolina had the best of intentions entering its relationship with Rantanen. But the blockbuster trade that sent Rantanen from Colorado to the Hurricanes in January hasn’t produced the response for which Carolina had hoped. Rantanen has two goals and five points in nine games.

And if Rantanen — a pending unrestricted free agent — doesn’t seem keen on re-signing with the Canes, then Carolina might want to avoid another Jake Guentzel-type situation and part ways with Rantanen while he’s still a hot commodity — especially to a team like Winnipeg.

The Jets have soared all season and are in a prime position to compete for the Stanley Cup, and Rantanen gives them a better shot at it. Winnipeg is elite up front already, and Ehlers is certainly part of the reason, but if general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff sees Rantanen as an upgrade over Ehlers, he has to at least consider a swap, right? Ehlers is a pending UFA too, and there’s no guarantee Winnipeg can hold onto him anymore than Rantanen. This type of opportunity to acquire a player of Rantanen’s caliber doesn’t come along often.

On the other side, Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky has shown he isn’t exactly risk-averse. So, grabbing Ehlers, with the potential to use him on a Cup run now and get a longer-term deal done later, is appealing. And while Kupari has had a down season, he’s a sweetener of sort; a fresh start for the 24-year-old center (drafted 20th overall in 2018) could pay dividends for both player and team. Ultimately though, it’s Rantanen for Ehlers, and the way each skater could elevate their new squad is intriguing (and something we’d definitely like to see). — Shilton

Minnesota Wild get:
C Brock Nelson (at 25% of salary)

New York Islanders get:
2026 first-round pick, RW Charlie Stramel, 2026 fifth-round pick, retain 50% of Nelson’s salary

Buffalo Sabres get:
2026 third-round pick, retain 25% of Nelson’s salary

With Joel Eriksson Ek on injured reserve and Kirill Kaprizov on long-term injured reserve, the Wild must add more top-six help in their quest for a playoff berth. Nelson would fill that need as a proven, top-six center who can create and finish in the offensive end, while also having the two-way profile to fit within the Wild’s defensive structure.

The Wild already started the process of strengthening their top-six forward group on Saturday when they traded for veteran winger Gustav Nyquist from the Nashville Predators, sending a 2026 second-round pick to the Volunteer State. With Kaprizov (and his $9 million cap hit) on LTIR, the Wild have $6.632 million in deadline cap space, according to PuckPedia. But that’s only the case if the Wild feel Kaprizov won’t return until the start of the playoffs. For the sake of this deal, let’s assume they do.

While this might be a lot for the Wild to give up, getting Nelson at 25% of his $6 million cap hit would certainly help the playoff push. Remember, the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts come off the books this summer. At that time, they’ll have the cap space to re-sign Nelson, a pending UFA — and yes, a Warroad, Minnesota, native — if they elect to go that route.

So, how does this benefit the Islanders? Nelson is expected to be one of the more sought-after forwards ahead of Friday. With this deal, the Isles add a first-round pick along with a later-round pick and a prospect forward in Stramel, whom the Wild drafted 21st in 2023. The Isles need young talent in the worst way, and this jump-starts addressing that need. — Clark

Utah Hockey Club gets:
C Elias Pettersson, D Carson Soucy

Vancouver Canucks get:
C Barrett Hayton, LW Matias Maccelli, D Sean Durzi, G Michael Hrabal, 2026 second-round pick (OTT)

The Canucks had trade talks about both Pettersson and J.T. Miller before deciding to trade Miller to the New York Rangers on Jan. 31 — although, frankly, the Hurricanes opting to acquire Rantanen instead of either Canuck might have forced their hand.

With Miller and his personal beef with Pettersson gone, the 26-year-old center has been free and clear to rediscover his game … which he hasn’t, in any way, since Miller was traded. In his past nine games, Pettersson has two assists, skating to a minus-4. After being challenged to shoot more by coach Rick Tocchet, he has produced five shots in nine games. There’s still plenty of runway for Vancouver and Pettersson, who is signed through 2031-32 ($11.6 million AAV), but his regression this season is disturbing.

There are two recent trades that could serve as a model for a Pettersson deal, although neither are perfect comps. Jack Eichel was 25 when the Buffalo Sabres traded him to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021 for a lottery-protected first-round pick, a second-round pick, a top prospect in Peyton Krebs and a top-six winger in Alex Tuch. The standoff on Eichel’s medical dispute with Buffalo was a mitigating factor for the trade; ditto Pierre-Luc Dubois‘s pending free agency ahead of Winnipeg’s trade with the Los Angeles Kings in 2023, which netted them a second-rounder and three NHL players in Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari and Gabriel Vilardi.

Utah has some promising players but could use far more star power. Petterson and Logan Cooley up the middle for the next seven seasons could be a fantastic one-two punch, provided a change in scenery helps Pettersson find his game. Soucy has a no-trade clause and is signed through 2025-26, giving Utah another veteran stopper on the blue line (if he waives for this deal).

The Canucks, who are selling at the ebb of Pettersson’s value, pick up a couple of under-25 forwards in Hayton and Maccelli as well as Durzi, who could be a fixture on the Vancouver blue line for several seasons. Hrabal is a tall, 20-year-old goalie prospect with some upside.

There isn’t a home run in this package, nor is there a first-round pick; perhaps if they want one, they can forego either Durzi or Hrabal. But it does take the full freight of Petterson’s contract off their books before his no-movement clause kicks in this summer, ending a relationship with the center that has seen him go from franchise star to franchise pariah. — Wyshynski

Toronto Maple Leafs get:
C Brayden Schenn

St. Louis Blues get:
2026 first-round pick, C Fraser Minten

This is the time for Toronto to go all-in. Because if not now, well … when? The Leafs need another top-nine center to complement their existing forward group and to stack the middle ahead of what they hope is a long playoff run. Yes, it would hurt to part with Minten — whom the Leafs drafted 38th overall in 2022 — but you can’t get something for nothing, and Toronto has a serious deficiency that can be remedied by adding Schenn.

The Blues’ captain has a full no-trade clause, so he’d have to go along with the plan, first and foremost. But there’s familiarity between Schenn and Leafs coach Craig Berube from the latter’s time in St. Louis, which could ease the transition to a new team for Schenn and take away some of those post-trade pains. Schenn can take on heavy minutes and gives the Leafs a superior shutdown center option than anyone they have right now. Lining up Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Schenn would be the best Toronto’s looked in that department for a while. And the confidence boost it should provide would be huge.

On St. Louis’ side, it would be getting players to continue building toward a brighter future. The Blues have struggled to find their footing since winning the Stanley Cup in 2019, and collecting a prime prospect such as Minten along with another high draft pick goes a long way in stocking the cupboards with fresh talent.

These are two teams at a crossroads, and this trade could ultimately benefit both in heading down the desired path. — Shilton

Utah Hockey Club gets:
RW Rickard Rakell

Pittsburgh Penguins get:
LW Matias Maccelli, 2025 first-round pick, 2026 second-round pick (OTT)

This swap would prove beneficial for both sides in the short term and the long term.

Let’s start with Utah. The UHC has the draft capital and salary cap space to be a player at this deadline, with the idea that any potential move should have benefit beyond this season. Rakell can help it right away, and he also is under contract for three more seasons at $5 million annually. That allows the UHC to have cost certainty while adding a veteran winger to a core seeking to take the next step — is he enough to get the team to the playoffs in the first season in Salt Lake City? But that extended term on Rakell’s deal raises the trade price too.

Although Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang remain on the roster, the Penguins are planning for the future. Just take a look at how much draft capital the Penguins have accrued for the next three cycles:

• They have 11 picks in 2025, including two first-rounders and three third-rounders

• They have nine picks in 2026 and 2027, including extra second- and third-rounders in each

This deal ramps up their capital in the short and long term, which allows Kyle Dubas & Co. to rebuild a beleaguered farm system that held onto its first pick only four times since 2014. Maccelli, who has had a tough first season in Utah after a breakout in 2023-24 with the Coyotes, also allows them to get younger and add some upside to their NHL lineup. — Clark

Tampa Bay Lightning get:
C Yanni Gourde, RW JJ Peterka

Seattle Kraken get:
LW/RW Cam Atkinson, 2026 third-round pick, retain 50% of Gourde’s salary

Buffalo Sabres get:
2026 first-round pick (from TB, unprotected), 2025 second-round pick (LA), C Gage Goncalves, D Nick Perbix, retain 25% of Gourde’s salary

The Lightning are likely going to be a playoff team — a very top-heavy playoff team, whose top-six forwards carry most of the ice time and the offensive load. One could argue the Bolts haven’t had ideal balance up front since their halcyon days of Stanley Cup contention. So, why not bring back one of the most prominent names from that era to bolster this group?

Gourde was the team’s primary checking center during its back-to-back Cups, anchoring a dynamic line with Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow. Gourde is expected back from injury this week, ahead of Friday’s deadline. He’s still an effective defender with more offensive contribution than the Bolts get from down the lineup: 16 points in 35 games this season.

But GM Julien BriseBois usually isn’t one to just think about the present at the deadline. (Please recall the Brandon Hagel trade, one of the best in recent memory for Tampa Bay.) So, while using the Sabres to retain some salary on Gourde in order to facilitate the trade, the Lightning get aggressive and acquire Peterka, a tenacious winger who has 45 points in 56 games this season. Peterka will be a restricted free agent this summer and has a bit more proof of concept than Hagel did when the Lightning acquired him. The unprotected first in next year’s loaded draft is a big chip here, but the Sabres also get a young center in Goncalves and defenseman in Perbix, the latter of whose ice time is dropping ahead of unrestricted free agency this summer.

That package might not be enough to get Peterka, but the Lightning aren’t known to skimp on trade bounties. (Please recall the Tanner Jeannot deal.) Peterka is just the kind of young standout who could thrive in a Jon Cooper system and on the right side with Hagel and Brayden Point for years to come. — Wyshynski