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NHL Trade Talk’s 2024-25 Top 20 Trade Bait Board 2.0

Originally posted on NHL Trade Talk | By Spencer Lazary | Last updated Jan 8, 2025 8:27 PM ET

With the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline only two months away, the buzz around potential moves intensifies. Teams are evaluating their rosters, factoring in their playoff odds, and exploring deals to address critical needs. Whether it’s acquiring a game-changing forward, a reliable defenseman, or freeing up cap space, the trade market is set to deliver some blockbuster moves. And as the roster freeze kicks in on Friday, some teams are getting ahead of the rest of the market.

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This year’s trade bait board is packed with intriguing names—veteran stars looking for a fresh start, pending free agents who could be valuable rentals, and players on expiring contracts whose teams may choose to capitalize on their value.

These 20 names represent some of the most likely—and most exciting—candidates to be on the move before the deadline.

NHL Trade Talk Top 20 Trade Bait Board

Board Ranking	Player	Team & Contract	Interested Teams
1	Elias Pettersson	VAN 8 YRS/$11.6M	BUF, CAR, NYR
2	J.T. Miller	VAN 6 YRS/$8M	CHI, NYI, NYR
3	Mika Zibanejad	NYR 6 YRS/$8.5M	CHI, NSH, VGK
4	Chris Kreider	NYR 2 YRS/$6.5M	BOS, CAR, TOR
5	Brock Nelson	NYI 1 YR/$6M	DAL, EDM, TOR
6	Ivan Provorov	CBJ 1 YR/$4.7M	FLA, TBL, WSH
7	Yanni Gourde	SEA 1 YR/$5.1M	DAL, TBL, TOR
8	Bowen Byram	BUF 1 YR/$3.8M	FLA, SEA, VAN
9	John Gibson	ANA 3 YRS/$6.4M	CAR, DET, EDM
10	David Savard	MTL 1 YR/ $3.5M	DAL, EDM, LAK
11	Ryan O’Reilly	NSH 3 YRS/$4.5M	BOS, COL, TOR
12	Mathieu Olivier	CBJ 1 YR/$1.1M	MIN, MTL, WSH
13	Trent Frederic	BOS 1 YR/$2.3M	LAK, STL, WIN
14	Taylor Hall	CHI 1 YR/$6M	EDM, FLA, NYR
15	Marcus Pettersson	PIT 1 YR/$4M	EDM, FLA, VAN
16	Scott Laughton	PHI 2 YRS/$3M	OTT, TBL, TOR
17	Brandon Saad	STL 2 YRS/$4.5M	CAR, COL, PIT
18	Mike Matheson	MTL 2 YRS/ $4.8M	DAL, EDM, TB
19	Ryan Lindgren	NYR 1 YR/$4.5M	EDM, DET, TB
20	Mikael Granlund	SJS 1 YR/$5M	CAR, EDM, VGK
21	Vincent Desharnais	VAN 2 YRS/$2M	COL, EDM, MTL
22	Brandon Tanev	SEA 1YR/$3.5M	DAL, EDM, TOR
23	Rasmus Ristolainen	PHI 3 YRS/$5.1M	CGY, DAL, VAN
24	Cody Ceci	SJS 1 YR/$3.2M	CHI, EDM, FLA
25	Kyle Palmieri	NYI 1 YR/$5M	MIN, NJD, WIN
26	Will Borgen	NYR 1 YR/$2.7M	DAL, LAK, WIN
27	Gustav Nyquist	NSH 1 YR/$3.1M	CAR, FLA, WIN
28	Alexandar Georgiev	SJS 1 YR/$2.9M	DET, OTT, PIT
29	Nick Bjugstad	UHC 1 YR/$2.1M	EDM, MIN, TOR
30	Barclay Goodrow	SJS 2 YRS/$3.6M	COL, TBL, VGK
31	Alex Kerfoot	UHC 1 YR/$3.5M	COL, DAL, VGK
32	Ryan Donato	CHI 1 YR/$2M	CAR, FLA, LAK
33	Reilly Smith	NYR 1 YR/ $3.7M	COL, NJD, VGK
34	Jason Zucker	BUF 1 YR/$5M	FLA, NJD, VGK
35	Nick Robertson	TOR 1YR/$875K	CBJ, SEA, UH