NHL Trade Deadline: Which Teams Will Be Sellers?

For the following six NHL teams, it may be time to admit that this just isn’t your year. 

Sure, you can try switching up the lines, taking the team on a golfing trip, or, the most common remedy, fire your coach. But eventually, you have to look in the mirror and accept your fate.

For three teams in the Eastern Conference and three teams in the Western Conference, selling at the trade deadline could be the best thing to do to make the 2025-26 season a successful one. 

Here’s a look at six of the most intriguing sellers with their Stanley Cup odds as of January 6. 

Ranking NHL Trade Deadline Selling Teams

1. Nashville Predators (+25000)

Despite a 7-3-0 stretch in their last 10 games, the Predators are probably the NHL’s most likely seller. 

Nashville currently sits in fifth place in the Central Division with a 19-18-4 record. They’ve got 42 team points this season and have a -18 goal differential. According to Hockey Reference’s simple rating system, they’re a bottom-five team in the league. 

Forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Ryan O’Reilly are both hot names in the trade rumors circles. It’s possible that both could be traded. 

The team will probably stop short of trading 35-year-old center Steven Stamkos, who’s having a solid season with 18 goals in 41 games. The Athletic ranked Stamkos as their fifth most valuable trade prospect on their Trade Board rankings. 

Moving Stamkos could be a little too damaging to Nashville’s nucleus. But then again, how much do they value the, frankly, irrelevant nucleus that they have? 

2. Vancouver Canucks (+50000)

The Canucks are another obvious seller at the deadline after they moved on from their superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes last month. 

It’s no secret that 30-year-old forward Kiefer Sherwood is probably on the move. He’ll garner a lot of interest as a depth forward for a playoff team. 

Other, more ancillary pieces in Vancouver could be on the move, like 23-year-old Lukas Reichel or 34-year-old Evander Kane. Kane brings a lot of playoff experience, having played in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals with the Oilers. 

Could they fully restart their roster by moving on from some bigger names like Elias Pettersson or Brock Boeser? It’s certainly possible. 

However, with the team having the shortest odds to finish last in the league, they may not have to do much else to earn a first overall pick or other top lottery selection. If you’re already hurtling towards the lottery, it probably makes more sense from a team-building perspective to retain some of your top-tier veteran talent for a quicker retool. 

3. Ottawa Senators (+4000)

Ottawa currently sits last in the Atlantic Division and second-to-last in the Eastern Conference with a 20-16-5 record. Despite that, they’re still a -110 favorite to make the playoffs and have decent odds to win the Stanley Cup at +4000. 

But I don’t see how the Senators could earn a playoff spot over some of the teams above them. 

They’re not beating out the current top three seeds in their division — the Red Wings, Lightning, and Canadiens — for a playoff berth. And they’re probably going to have a tough time beating out some combination of the Flyers, Devils, Panthers, or Bruins for a Wild Card spot. 

The smart course of action for Ottawa: make a few smaller seller’s moves at the deadline and build up for the future. 

Even if they squeak into the playoffs, they’re not going to be able to do much. 

Wouldn’t the Sens front office value some valuable assets that could help you become a team that has a chance to do something in the playoffs over a meaningless first-round exit?

4. New York Rangers (+6600)

The Rangers haven’t changed much after hoping to find a fresh start when bringing in head coach Mike Sullivan. New York is second-to-last in the Metropolitan Division with a 20-18-6 record. 

This team really doesn’t have that much to be proud of outside of another stellar year from goalie Igor Shesterkin. Shesterkin is single-handedly keeping the Rangers’ ship from completely sinking. He has a league-best 7.6 goalie point share. 

They have +200 odds to make the playoffs and are a long shot at +6600 to win the Stanley Cup. 

Whatever’s going wrong in New York over the last few seasons is not going to improve with another season of standing pat at the deadline and either being a last-minute out or a last-minute in for the playoffs. 

Among the names likely to be on the move is 22-year-old winger Brennan Othman, who showed up at number 31 on The Athletic’s trade board. 

5. Winnipeg Jets (+10000)

The Jets may not make the playoffs a season after winning the President’s Trophy. Winnipeg’s odds to make the playoffs are currently set at +400. 

They’re currently at the bottom of the Western Conference in team points, with 34. They’ve also scored the fifth fewest goals in the West. 

Worst of all, Connor Hellebuyck is average, and his reign of Vezina Trophy wins is likely to end. He’s not in the top ten of goals saved above average or goalie point shares. 

Look for players like 32-year-old forward Alex Iafallo and 36-year-old Luke Schenn to be offered up at the trade deadline. 

6. Toronto Maple Leafs (+5000)

This ain’t your year, champ. 

As much as it hurts to see this, the Maple Leafs are not a good team. We won’t have the great fortune of watching them choke in the playoffs this year because they might not even make it. 

Injuries and the loss of a dynamic scorer in Mitch Marner have doomed Toronto’s season from the start. Right now, they’re tied with Ottawa for the second-fewest team points in the Eastern Conference. They’ve gone 5-3-2 in their last 10 games. 

BetMGM has the Maple Leafs’ odds of making the playoffs set at +240 and their odds of winning the Stanley Cup at +5000. 

They will most certainly not blow it up at the deadline. But they may look to shed some of their depth pieces. Their 29-year-old defenseman, Brandon Carlo, is likely to be moved. 

I wonder if they regret giving up a stud forward prospect in Fraser Minten to their biggest rival to get less than a year out of Carlo. At least they didn’t also give up their first-round pick this year. Oh, wait.