4 NHL Teams That Could Be Kingmakers at the 2025 Trade Deadline

We are less than a month away from the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, and when the league resumes following the 4 Nations Tournament, there are only going to be a couple of weeks of games before teams have to finalize their rosters for the postseason.

At this point, we should have a pretty good idea as to which teams will be buying and selling, and now it's just a matter of who is willing to meet the price for players that could put them over the top for a championship.

While it does not always work out exactly as planned, the right addition at the trade deadline can absolutely play a big role in a championship run.

Today we are going to take a slightly different look at the trade deadline and examine some of the sellers that could potentially be "kingmakers" for other contending teams around the league by having the player that could be the missing piece of another team's puzzle.

A lot of teams will sell. Not every team has pieces to sell that can make a big difference.

In other words—which sellers have the most impactful trade pieces that could make a difference for somebody else?

We have four teams in mind.

Let's talk about them.

There is already a big asterisk here as it relates to the Islanders, because they have to actually be willing to sell before the March 7 deadline. That is far from a guarantee. Not only because general manager Lou Lamoriello almost never sells in-season, but also because the Islanders have been surging over the past few weeks and have put themselves back into the fringes of playoff contention in the Eastern Conference wild-card race.

Realistically speaking, they are not likely to make the playoffs. It would take quite a push in the second half with some help from the teams ahead of them.

It is certainly possible, it is just not particularly likely.

Even if they do manage to sneak in the playoffs, they would almost certainly be decisive underdogs against any of the top-seeded teams they would play in the opening round. Unless Ilya Sorokin went on an insane two-week run it would probably be a very, very short postseason experience.

They should probably sell.

If they do they have two of the more significant rental players that could be available over the next month in center Brock Nelson and winger Kyle Palmieri.

Both players are pending UFAs, both players are in their mid-30s, both are on pace for over 25 goals this season and both would be among the most productive rental players available. Given how it has been something of a seller's market so far, the Islanders could probably do really well for one or both if they moved them. Especially Nelson given the number of contenders that could use a second-line center (Winnipeg) or even a third-line center to really extend their lineup (Toronto, Washington).

There is still a good chance that the Islanders hold on to both players, and potentially even re-sign one of them, but they could also be a key Stanley Cup piece for another contender this season. The Islanders would be crazy not to at least explore it.

The Sabres have had a track record in recent years of turning fellow NHL teams into Stanley Cup champions with players they have traded away.

Shortly after they sent Ryan O'Reilly to the St. Louis Blues, they won their first-ever Stanley Cup.

It was a similar story after they sent a disgruntled Jack Eichel to the Vegas Golden Knights where he played a massive role in their first-ever championship.

Sam Reinhart never became a true superstar in Buffalo, but he did after being traded to the Florida Panthers and ended up being a focal point for their first-ever Stanley Cup-winning team. Defenseman Brandon Montour and forward Evan Rodrigues ( both former Sabres) also played significant depth roles on that championship roster.

It has happened before.

It could happen again.

While pending UFA's like Jason Zucker could be nice depth players for a contender, the real intrigue here would be if the Sabres decide to move somebody like Dylan Cozens or Bowen Byram.

They have reportedly set an extremely high price on Cozens, and his production has fallen off the past year-and-a-half following his 2022-23 breakout, he seems like the type of player who could get out of Buffalo, get into a better environment with more talent around him, and just absolutely go off.

It is a similar story for Byram who has, statistically speaking, been one of the few bright spots on an otherwise bad Sabres team.

The Penguins have already started to sell, moving center Lars Eller, defenseman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O'Connor since the start of the regular season. They will move more.

It's a waste of time to speculate on them moving players like Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, but they do still have some players that could make significant impacts on a contender if somebody wants to meet their price.

Bryan Rust might not be on the untouchable list with Crosby and Malkin, but he is the exact type of player a contending GM would probably give up a lot for. Productive. Championship history. A track record for playing a strong two-way game when the lights shine the brightest. He's a legacy player in Pittsburgh due to his proximity to back-to-back championships, but everybody has a price.

Winger Rickard Rakell is on a 40-goal pace this season and is signed long-term at a very reasonable $5 million per season. A team that needs another top-six winger (Vegas, New Jersey, Los Angeles) would probably love to have him. It would probably require a lot of assets given his production and contract situation, but again, every GM and player has a price.

The true wild card here might be defenseman Erik Karlsson. He has been good during his time in Pittsburgh, but not quite what the Penguins were expecting when they initially acquired him from the San Jose Sharks, while they would probably like to move on from the remainder of his contract. He is still seeking a Stanley Cup, and he might be starting to come to the realization that may not happen in Pittsburgh given their re-tooling. He could still be a difference-maker for somebody because of his offense. That contract might be hard to move in-season, however.

Any of those players could be the missing piece of a puzzle for a contender.

Now let's get wild.

What exactly are the Boston Bruins going to do at the trade deadline?

At this point nobody really knows for certain because they are still in contention for a playoff spot, but nobody that has watched them or follows them should believe in their ability to win.

They lack a No. 1 center, they do not do anything particularly well, and the one big strength they have had the past couple of years (an elite goaltending duo) is not what it used to be.

They SHOULD probably sell.

Trent Frederic seems like a given to go. Maybe Brandon Carlo could go.

But what about the other big pending UFA on the roster, Brad Marchand?

Opposing teams and fans might hate playing against him, but you can be sure of one thing: There are 31 opposing general managers and head coaches in the NHL that would crawl over five miles of broken glass to get him on their team. Especially for a playoff run.

He might be 36 years old, he might not be the player he was at his peak a few years ago, but he is still one heck of an all-around hockey player and pest that he could rapidly elevate a contender as a short-term rental.

Contenders should call.

The Bruins should at least listen when they do.