With the draft in the rearview mirror and the dust mostly settled on free agency, teams are assessing trade options as a last shot at significantly improving their situations before the 2018-19 season begins.
On free agency's opening day, one of the top names in trade rumors went off the board, as the Buffalo Sabres dealt Ryan O'Reilly to the St. Louis Blues. Now it appears that superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson will be the next star to be moved, with rumors swirling about his possibly heading to Tampa Bay.
Which other top players could be part of impact trades around the league? Which teams are looking to buy? Let's have a look.
Jeff Skinner, LW, Carolina Hurricanes
Best fit: Dallas Stars
It feels like Skinner's name has been in trade rumors since he was a teenager, but this finally might be the summer that the two-time 30-goal scorer gets moved. Carolina is in the process of overhauling its core, which could mean moving Skinner, who will become a free agent following the 2018-19 season.
Top-heavy Dallas desperately needs more production beyond its outstanding top line. Jason Spezza's role has been severely reduced from years past, leaving a hole in scoring that Skinner could fill. Despite playing on an offensively inept team, the 26-year-old winger cracked the top 100 in even-strength scoring rate, with 1.89 points per 60 minutes, ranking just ahead of new Philadelphia Flyer James van Riemsdyk (1.85 per 60).
Max Pacioretty, LW, Montreal Canadiens
Best fit: Anaheim Ducks
The veteran winger is entering the final year of his contract, so if Montreal can't sign him to a long-term deal, it should consider a move to focus on the future, especially given that his name has been floated in trade rumors for months.
The Ducks' days to win another Stanley Cup during the Ryan Getzlaf era are waning. A disappointing first-round out this spring could inspire them to look for more help on the wing. Corey Perry is coming off his lowest scoring output (aside from the shortened 2012-13 season) since his team was called the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Pacioretty may have had a down 2017-18 season, but he produced between 60 and 70 points in each of the previous four seasons and his shooting percentage was a mere 8.0 percent -- that's bound to rise next year. Put him alongside Getzlaf and the Ducks are instantly dangerous again.
Matt Dumba, D, Minnesota Wild
Best fit: Philadelphia Flyers
While Dumba has been criticized for his defensive shortcomings, it's clear his offensive ups are far outweighing his downs in the D-zone. Last season, only five players were on the ice for more goals scored by their team than Dumba. The former first-round pick scored 10 goals at 5-on-5, the third most in the NHL behind Victor Hedman and Ivan Provorov. Not only did he score at a torrid pace, Dumba's ice time increased to a career-high 23:49. With the statistical earmarks of a top-pair defender, the Wild might not be willing to pay his price as a restricted free agent.
If the Flyers added Dumba to the mix with Provorov and offensively gifted Shayne Gostisbehere, they would immediately have one of the most dangerous blue lines in the league. With big money coming off the books next season with Jori Lehtera and Wayne Simmonds set to hit the market, the Flyers could afford to pay Dumba top dollar. The Wild's asking price for their 24-year-old, however, should be sky-high.
Matt Duchene, C, Ottawa Senators
Best fit: New York Islanders
The sting of losing John Tavares could be softened by replacing him with another dynamic center. When the Senators acquired Duchene, they expected to be maintaining their spot among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Instead, things have fallen apart entirely and Ottawa should be fully rebuilding instead of hanging on to the former Colorado star for one more year.
As much as the Islanders struggled last season, they scored the third-most even-strength goals in the NHL. Duchene, who scored 23 goals in 68 games with the Sens, would ensure that the Isles wouldn't see a huge offensive drop in the post-Tavares era.
Justin Faulk, D, Carolina Hurricanes
Best fit: Chicago Blackhawks
It's fair to wonder if Chicago's window to win the Stanley Cup has closed, but last year's season in the basement was caused in large part by losing goalie Corey Crawford. They finished 24th in even-strength save percentage while ranking fourth in Corsi for percentage and 16th in even-strength goals. Still, the Blackhawks need someone to take some weight off the shoulders of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.
Detractors may point to Faulk's plus-minus, but he was over 50 percent in Corsi for percentage, scoring chance percentage and high-danger shot percentage, according to Natural Stat Trick. That suggests his fortune could change if he plays in front of better goaltending. A potential holdup to consider: Chicago will have a tough time mustering the assets to acquire a top defenseman via trade, though it does have some interesting young players available from the past couple of drafts.
Jason Zucker, LW, Minnesota Wild
Best fit: New Jersey Devils
Bruce Boudreau unlocked Zucker's offensive talent following years of ups and downs under Mike Yeo. In the last two seasons, he's notched 46 even-strength goals. In 2017-18, Zucker scored a career-high 33 goals in all situations, making him a valuable commodity. The one concern is whether he will be able to repeat it, which could cause some friction in contract negotiations (Zucker is a restricted free agent this offseason). He scored on 14.9 percent of shots -- a hard number to repeat.
If he does end up on the trade market, the Devils should be calling. They are relevant again thanks to Taylor Hall, but New Jersey is lacking in pure goal scoring and speed beyond its top line. Zucker can help fix that problem.
Artemi Panarin, LW, Columbus Blue Jackets
Best fit: Nashville Predators
After scoring 82 points in 2017-18, Panarin is a player the Blue Jackets would likely prefer to keep, but he is set to become an unrestricted free agent following the upcoming season. As of now, he's indicated he's not interested in signing long term with Columbus, though that could change.
While the Predators have steadily improved their forward group, they still finished just 12th in even-strength goals in 2017-18, tallying 14 fewer than the winner of the West, the Vegas Golden Knights. Adding more firepower to the wing would jolt the Preds back into the role of favorite to get back to the Cup Final. Even if Panarin was a one-year rental, it would be worth the price, considering players like P.K. Subban, Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Roman Josi are in their primes and goaltender Pekka Rinne is 35 years old.
Sam Reinhart, C, Buffalo Sabres
Best fit: Vancouver Canucks
With the Ryan O'Reilly deal in the books, it doesn't appear likely that the Sabres will move Reinhart, especially after a hot second half of the season. However, he is a restricted free agent and hasn't yet fulfilled the expectations that come along with being a top draft pick (he went No. 2 overall in 2014). His career high is just 15 even-strength goals, and Reinhart has yet to crack 18 minutes in average ice time per game for a season.
Vancouver doesn't seem to know whether it is rebuilding or not. Signings like Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel don't exactly scream "play the long game." Reinhart would give the Canucks a center who hasn't yet reached his ceiling to go along with young pieces Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, Jake Virtanen and top prospect Elias Pettersson (acknowledging that one of those players could head back to Buffalo in the deal).
Kevin Hayes, C, New York Rangers
Best fit: Colorado Avalanche
As often as Hayes has been involved in trade rumors, he has produced at a remarkably consistent pace. In his first four seasons, the former Boston College star has scored 15, 11, 15 and 17 even-strength goals. Last season, the RFA forward notched 25 goals in all situations, which might up the asking price.
Colorado made a huge jump in 2017-18, reaching the playoffs just one year after finishing dead last in the NHL. But as they look to take the next step as a legitimate contender, the Avs will need more depth scoring. Superstar center Nathan MacKinnon was on ice for 64 goals last season; the next-best Colorado forward (who was not on MacKinnon's line) was on ice for just 36 goals.
Artem Anisimov, C, Chicago Blackhawks
Best fit: Winnipeg Jets
The Jets surprisingly landed Paul Stastny at the trade deadline. He provided depth down the middle, scoring 13 points in 19 games during the regular season and another 15 in 17 postseason contests. Winnipeg was just as surprised to lose Stastny to Vegas in free agency, after reportedly clearing enough cap space to make him a good offer.
If Chicago is looking to move on from its veteran center, Anisimov could fill a role in Winnipeg's top nine forwards, giving the Jets more depth and versatility around stars Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine.