The 2025 NHL Draft is almost here, and while it gives each team renewed hope for the future, it also provides general managers the opportunity to wheel and deal. With the salary cap shooting upward, teams may be willing to get a little more aggressive on the trade market this summer.
Between the rising cap and a lackluster free agency class, there is the potential for some blockbuster deals to develop over the next few weeks. Some notable names, like Jason Robertson and Marco Rossi, have already been swirling around in trade rumors for weeks now.
With the NHL Draft rapidly approaching, the rumors and speculation will only heat up even more. Whether a team is trying to create more salary cap flexibility, jumpstart a rebuild or become a contender, there are some trades to be made this weekend.
This is an exciting time to be a hockey fan because there are so many possibilities as general managers start tinkering with their rosters ahead of free agency on July 1. With that in mind, we have highlighted notable players who could be on the move sooner rather than later.
Here are our eight biggest trade targets ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft.
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Bizarre as it may seem, Robertson’s name has been out there in trade rumors since the Stars’ season ended in the Western Conference Final. Robertson is one of the best young scorers in the game, but Dallas is brushing up against the salary cap with just 18 players on the active roster, and Robertson is in the final year of his current contract.
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Robertson has scored 151 goals, which ranks 14th in that span. The 25-year-old is nearing his prime, and he will still be under team control as a restricted free agent in 2026. Robertson will be due a substantial raise over the $7.75 million he’s set to make in 2024-25, but teams should be lining up to make their best offers for him. I imagine the Stars will explore every avenue to make the money work without dealing Robertson, but if they can’t, he could be on the move during the draft this weekend.
Rossi, 23, is a restricted free agent coming off a 60-point season. As a result, the young center probably wants a hefty pay bump, but the Wild may not be willing to meet Rossi’s ask. Considering the lack of quality centers on the free agency market, a young player like Rossi could command a decent haul for Minnesota.
The No. 9 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Rossi already looks like a reliable top-six center with 45 goals and 55 assists combined over the last two seasons. Rossi’s size (5-foot-9 and 182 pounds) may give teams pause about counting on him to become a bona fide first-line center, but a new contract in the range of $7 million per year would be pretty reasonable given Rossi’s age and the rising salary cap.
Entering the final year of his current contract, Andersson will almost certainly be on the move if he and the Flames don’t make any progress on a contract extension in the coming weeks. Even as a one-year rental, Andersson could provide a lot of value to Stanley Cup contenders looking to improve their top four defensemen.
Throughout most of his time in Calgary, Andersson has been a quality shutdown defenseman who can also provide offense on a regular basis. That said, Andersson’s stock has dropped in the two years since Darryl Sutter was fired. With Ryan Huska at the helm, Andersson’s five-on-five numbers have taken a notable dip. It’s probably not a coincidence that the team as a whole has gotten worse around him, but it should give teams some pause. Still, Andersson has shown that he can be a highly effective two-way defenseman in the right environment.
It seems like Miller has been a trade target in New York for a couple of years now, but this summer seems like the most logical time for the Rangers to move him. Miller is a restricted free agent, and the team has already started to shake things up following a disappointing 2024-25 campaign. Miller may be the next one out the door.
Miller, 6-5 and 210 pounds, is the type of big and mobile defender that NHL teams covet these days. The issue is that the on-ice results haven’t quite been there. When it comes to expected goals at five-on-five, Miller has been underwater in each of his five seasons with the Rangers. Miller is still just 25, and he could easily flourish in the right environment. It will be fascinating to see what kind of return the Rangers get and what Miller’s next contract looks like.
It’s not exactly a secret that Marchessault’s first year in Nashville was not a great fit for either side. Marchessault posted 21 goals and 35 assists in 78 games, marking his worst season since at least 2016-17. The 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy winner may be looking for a fresh start elsewhere, and the Predators would probably be willing to oblige.
Marchessault, 34, has four more years left on his current contract at $5.5 million. That’s not ideal for a player his age, but it’s not an albatross with the NHL salary cap rising rapidly each year. Besides, Marchessault isn’t that far removed from scoring 42 goals with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023-24. Marchessault does have a no-movement clause in his contract, so he would have control over his destination if a trade does happen.
Gibson’s play had been trending downward over the last few years, but he had a resurgent 2024-25 campaign. The veteran goaltender split time with youngster Lukas Dostal, and he thrived in the lighter workload. Now would be the time for the Ducks to sell high as Gibson has two years left on his contract at $6.4 million per season.
In his 29 appearances last season, Gibson posted a .912 save percentage and 9.29 goals saved above average, per Natural Stat Trick. Gibson turned back the clock and looked capable of stealing games, as he did so many times from 2015-19. Gibson would be a good target for any team looking to make a relatively low-cost upgrade in net this offseason (looking at you, Edmonton).
Don’t let the Maple Leafs’ $25 million in salary cap space fool you. Mitch Marner, John Tavares and Matthew Knies all need new contracts this summer. Even if Marner leaves, re-signing the other two will take up a significant chunk of that space, which is why Toronto might be willing to part ways with Morgan Rielly in hopes of creating some flexibility.
Now 31 years old, Rielly may not be quite as effective as he once was, and that showed in his production and five-on-five impacts last season. Despite that, Rielly is still capable of succeeding in a top-four role. Would another team be willing to take on the remaining five years of Rielly’s contract at $7.5 million per season? Would Rielly be willing to waive his no-movement clause for the right destination? Those questions may be answered in the near future.
Karlsson’s tenure with the Penguins hasn’t really worked out, and he may be in a different uniform to start the 2025-26 season. If a contending team wants a player who can generate some offense from the blue line, Karlsson will be a target, although the Penguins will probably have to eat some of his $11.5 million salary in order to make a deal happen.
Never a defensive juggernaut, that part of Karlsson’s game remains a concern, but teams interested in him wouldn’t exactly ask Karlsson to play a shutdown role. With 109 points combined over the last two years, Karlsson can still push the pace from the back end, and he can quarterback the power play. Pittsburgh did generate 3.0 xGF/60 with Karlsson on the ice at five-on-five last year, per Natural Stat Trick. That’s a good indication Karlsson can still impact the game offensively, even if he isn’t worth his enormous cap hit anymore.
