Quoting: rangersandislesfan
I know if someone came up with a list of the most likely NHL players to get traded this offseason, they would have Duchene, Landeskog, and all these big names. But often the big names don't get traded. So here is my list of the 15 most likely NHL players to actually be traded this offseason. Let's see how i do!
15 - Boone Jenner, Columbus Blue Jackets
Great season for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but not the best season for Boone Jenner. It's likely he's traded to give him a fresh start and give the Jackets a good return.
14 - Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche
Yeah, sure, most people would put him higher, but if we're talking most likely to ACTUALLY be traded, he'd make my list, but not as high as you may think, with the very high asking price.
13 - Anthony Duclair, Arizona Coyotes
Sure, the Coyotes have a good future and might want to keep some of their big future pieces. But Duclair has struggled lately. But i'm not putting him too high as the asking price will be high, and it could be higher than most GMs would want to give up.
12 - Eddie Lack, Carolina Hurricanes (Edit: Traded to Calgary)
Most people would put him higher, but i think Eddie Lack is a better goalie than some may think he is. I'd normally put him higher, but the price may be a 3rd or 4th round pick, when many GMs may only offer a 6th or 7th round pick.
11 - Sami Vatanen, Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks have problems coming up to the Expansion Draft. In net, they obviously protect John Gibson, and for forwards they would probably want to protect Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, Rickard Rakell, and Corey Perry. Then you'd think they then protect Jakob Silferberg, Andrew Cogliano, and then maybe Logan Shaw. Then on Defence, you'd think they'd just protect Vatanen, Cam Fowler, and Hampus Lindholm. However, Kevin Bieksa has a no trade clause, and Anaheim would rather lose Silferberg than one of Fowler, Vatanen, and Lindholm. So Anaheim may need to go 4-4-1, protecting Fowler, Vatanen, Lindholm, Bieksa, Gibson, Kesler, Getzlaf, Perry, and Rakell. Then they lose Jakob Silferberg. So that means they likely trade a defenseman. No way they move Lindholm with the way he's been playing, so it comes down to Fowler and Vatanen. With Vatanen having the tiniest bit of a bad year, he might be the guy to move.
10 - Nathan Beaulieu, Montreal Canadiens (Edit: Traded to Buffalo)
Montreal Canadiens defenseman, Nathan Beaulieu has been playing some good hockey lately ... until the 1st round of the playoffs, in the series against the New York Rangers. He didn't play game 6 (the final game of the series), as he was a healthy scratch, though i believe he had an injury (that was a rumour that was going around). The Canadiens should probably wait and see how the Rangers do this playoff (as they beat the Canadiens in round 1 and they might want to see if they had to play a good team or if they just didn't play their best), but in the end, they weren't happy with the way Beaulieu played recently, so he likely gets moved, as many teams are looking for Defence.
9 - Chris Tanev, Vancouver Canucks
Chris Tanev isn't too experienced in the playoffs, but he could be a big piece to making a team a good cup contender. The Canucks should seriously consider moving him if it means bringing a good, young player or prospect to Vancouver.
8 - Tyson Barrie, Colorado Avalanche
Barrie's bad plus-minus (+/-) was nothing to do with how he, himself played i'd say. He played on a bad team. Still though, the Colorado Avalanche hadn't been very good in 2014-15 or 2015-16. Then the fact that they finished 30th this year shows that they need to do something.
7 - Ryan Spooner, Boston Bruins
The Bruins need to fix their defence, and Spooner could be part of a package to get them a really good NHL ready defenseman. Charlie McAvoy could be part of that package too.
6 - Riley Sheahan, Detroit Red Wings
Riley Sheahan almost became the first player to ever take at least 100 shots on goal in one year without scoring any goals that year, but scored 2 goals in the Red Wings' last game of the season (the last game at Joe Louis Arena). But still, Sheahan got 2 goals, 11 assists, and 13 points in 80 games this season. The fact that he didn't score any goals until the last game of the season tells me he needs a fresh start.
5 - Jacob Trouba, Winnipeg Jets
Jacob Trouba missed the start of the season as he wasn't signed, but he finally re-signed with the Jets. He asked for a trade before the season, though it is unknown why he wants out of Winnipeg.
4 - Erik Gudbranson, Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks have some young defensemen coming in, and Gudbranson has had a bad year, so it's time to make room for the younger guys, as Gudbranson will be coming back from injury next year.
3 - Cody Eakin, Dallas Stars
The Stars need to make changes, and could get a pick for Eakin.
2 - Jason Pominville, Minnesota Wild (Edit: Traded to Buffalo)
Pominville hasn't fit in too well with the Wild, and they have the right forwards for them, though they could add some scoring. So i think it's likely he's moved.
1 - Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins have Matt Murray coming into the league, and he has been one of the best Goalies in the league lately. With the Vegas Golden Knights looking for a goalie, and each team only being allowed to protect one goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury could get picked up as the Golden Knights' goalie. The Penguins could get a good return for him, so they should go for that return instead of doing him for nothing.
Okay, i can look back at this when the 17-18 season starts and see how many got traded!
Thanks for reading!
Not many. You can't predict these things.
. Ilya left shortly after they lost the Cup Final to Kings for a reason 
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