Three Under the Radar Trade Targets

As the trade deadline approaches, it’s only logical to talk about the most popular names on the rumour mill. While it’s fun to discuss the possibility of Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, or Kevin Shattenkirk getting dealt, there are other names that are just as likely, maybe even more likely, to be actually be traded when deadline day rolls around. 

Without further adieu, here are three under the radar trade targets. 

There are a few reasons why Parenteau is an intriguing trade chip. First and foremost, he’s inexpensive. Parenteau carries a $1.25 million cap hit along with an expiring contract. If a contending team wants bottom-six scoring for a cheap price, Parenteau’s the perfect fit. Another appealing part of Parenteau’s value is that he likely wouldn’t have an impact on a team’s expansion draft plans. Teams won’t want to acquire a rental that needs to be protected for the upcoming expansion draft. Parenteau, a 33-year-old journeyman, won’t be interfering with any expansion plans if he were to be acquired.

Parenteau is a pure rental and it wouldn’t be terribly hard to acquire him seeing as though a third or fourth-round draft pick could likely pry Parenteau away from the Devils. A rebuilding team like the Devils would have no issue flipping an expiring UFA like Parenteau for a draft pick.

The Carolina Hurricanes future could be quite bright if they play their cards right. While Sebastian Aho, Jeff Skinner, and Elias Lindholm have the potential to be exciting players, it’s no secret Carolina needs more help up front. 

“If that’s an area of strength and you can address an area of weakness, we’d certainly look at those possibilities,” Francis told ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun last week. The Hurricanes have a plethora of young defenceman in Justin Faulk, Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, and Noah Hanifin. Not to mention prospects Haydn Fleury and Jake Bean who may not be that far away from making their respective NHL debuts. 

The Hurricanes can afford to give up a young defenceman in a trade and they might be wise to dangle Noah Hanifin in trade talks prior to the trade deadline.

Now it may seem surprising to think of Hanifin, 20, as possible trade bait. But Hanifin may have the most trade value of all the Canes defenceman and the return could be exactly what the Canes need to get to the next level. The other handful of valuable defenceman they have can help fill the void that Hanifin would leave and a team that is in desperate need of defensive help (Tampa Bay, Dallas, Boston, Colorado) could engage in a forward for defenceman type swap. Teams are willing to overpay for defence (as we saw this past summer with the Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson swap) and the Hurricanes could find themselves acquiring the missing piece to their puzzle by shipping out Hanifin. 

Vanek’s veteran experience, expiring contract and a recent run of production makes him a prime trade target for teams trying to add some ammunition for a Cup run. 

Teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Ottawa Senators could inquire on Vanek and a bidding war could get quite interesting for the Red Wings. The Wings could find themselves snagging a first round pick in return for Vanek’s services. For a team like Detroit, that’s desperate to rebuild, having two first round picks is golden.