1. Bo Horvat
Center, Vancouver Canucks
Age: 27
Stats: 19 GP, 15 G, 6 A, 21 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $5.5 million AAV
Scoop: Communication has been scarce between the Canucks and Horvat’s camp, with the belief that contract talks broke off before training camp and have not resumed. Canucks president Jim Rutherford alluded to the idea that Horvat’s sizzling start means the captain could be the catalyst for core reconstruction: “The better he plays, the better return we can get for him,” Rutherford told Sportsnet 650 earlier this month. There is no shortage of teams interested in a top-flight center, either as a rental or long-term fit: Colorado, Detroit, Boston and Edmonton, to name a few.

2. Patrick Kane
Right Wing, Chicago Blackhawks
Age: 34
Stats: 18 GP, 3 G, 11 A, 14 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $10.5 million AAV
Scoop: As the calendar flips to December, expect the Blackhawks to begin an initial conversation with Kane to gauge his interest in a trade. It’s still early. Kane indicated in the summer that if he wanted to move at all, it would be closer to the deadline. Remember: "Showtime" holds all the cards with full no-move and full no-trade clauses. If you’re looking for a potential style of deal in both managing it and potential return package, look back on how Claude Giroux departed Philadelphia last spring.

3. Jonathan Toews
Center, Chicago Blackhawks
Age: 34
Stats: 18 GP, 8 G, 4 A, 12 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $10.5 million AAV
Scoop: Like Kane, Toews will determine his future with an identical contract and clauses. They also share the same agent in CAA Sports’ Pat Brisson, who will be working very closely with Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson as the process heats up. The difference is Kane has always been a sought after commodity, a player who makes teams drool. Toews used to be there – as a stingy, difficult-to-play-against center and unshakeable leader. He’s gotten back closer to the level that we last saw from him in 2019-20 before the pandemic, and that has everyone excited, including the Blackhawks.

4. Jakob Chychrun
Left Defense, Arizona Coyotes
Age: 24
Stats: 1 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 Pts
Contract: 2 more seasons, $4.6 million AAV
Scoop: The Chychrun saga has dragged on for more than a calendar year now, with the player making his intentions for a trade well-known now after Arizona first floated his name in discussions. He finally returned to the ice on Nov. 21, his first game since March 12, after undergoing wrist and ankle surgeries. His contract and cost certainty have teams salivating, but which player will they get? The 18-goal scorer from 2021? Or more of a second-pair blue-liner? That will determine whether Arizona’s high asking price will be met.

5. John Klingberg
Right Defense, Anaheim Ducks
Age: 30
Stats: 19 GP, 1 G, 7 A, 8 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $7 million AAV
Scoop: This was always the plan when Klingberg signed in Anaheim: Check out the fit, see how the season starts, and if things go sour, he’d be on the move as a flippable asset for the Ducks. It was a smart play for all sides after he lingered on the market. He’ll put $7 million in his pocket for the season, shoulder the security risk and hope to cash in again next summer. It’s been a mostly miserable start for all involved with the rebuilding Ducks, so we have an idea where this is heading. Klingberg holds a full “no-trade” until Jan. 1. Will someone attempt to jump the market for the premier rental defenseman available?

6. Timo Meier
Left Wing, San Jose Sharks
Age: 26
Stats: 21 GP, 9 G, 9 A, 18 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, $6 million AAV (Due $10 million Qualifying Offer)
Scoop: For all of the buzz Erik Karlsson has generated, Meier is the way more likely Shark to be on the move. San Jose signed Tomas Hertl in a similar spot last season, but after yet another tough start, it’s pretty clear the direction new GM Mike Grier wants to take this team. That means it’s unlikely the Sharks sink more money into a new deal with Meier. He is one of the few assets they can move freely. With the gigantic qualifying offer due to him at the end of the season, some teams may view and pursue him as a pending UFA instead of an RFA. If he’s to be considered an RFA, his starting value on the market is considerably less than the Alex DeBrincat deal last summer.

7. Anthony Duclair *
Left Wing, Florida Panthers
Age: 27
Stats: 74 GP, 31 G, 27 A, 58 Pts (2021-22)
Contract: 1 more season, $3 million AAV
Scoop: Duclair has an asterisk because he is representative of a trade the Panthers must make in order to be cap-compliant once he is healthy. Already skating, Duclair will be in range to return around Christmas from his July surgery to repair an Achilles tear. Right now, the Panthers are flying close to the sun with the cap, doing a nightly dance while playing with the minimum number of skaters. They’ve already had to play with a short bench once, and that may happen again. Since there is no one to send down, a trade is necessary (barring other injury) to make room to activate Duclair when he’s ready, but he may not be the one who ultimately goes.

8. Vladislav Gavrikov
Left Defense, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 27
Stats: 18 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 4 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $2.8 million AAV
Scoop: Everything has gone so wrong in Columbus that the Blue Jackets have reached the proverbial “our pets’ heads are falling off” stage. Injuries have mounted. Structure has been lacking, and Gavrikov is sitting there as a nice potential trade chip. It seems recently re-signed Andrew Peeke is Gavrikov’s ready replacement on the back end. Gavrikov is a strong defender, a true defense-first defenseman, and nearly every team can maneuver his cap hit. What does the package look like? The Blue Jackets received first- and third-round picks for David Savard in 2021. Gavrikov is probably a better player and definitely younger.

9. Sean Walker
Right Defense, Los Angeles Kings
Age: 28
Stats: 17 GP, 0 G, 3 A, 3 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $2.65 million AAV
Scoop: The Kings aren’t willing to give up on Walker quite yet, coming off a torn ACL and MCL, but there is no doubt the clock is ticking. They’ve got another right-shooting defenseman in Jordan Spence, 21, who right now is better than Walker and biding his time in AHL Ontario. Spence is ready and able to step into the lineup now, and Walker makes three times the money in the NHL, playing third-pair minutes. Los Angeles has a glut on defense. The Kings are in an enviable trading position, armed with more prospects and picks than they need as they chase down a second straight playoff appearance.

10. Erik Karlsson
Right Defense, San Jose Sharks
Age: 32
Stats: 21 GP, 11 G, 18 A, 29 Pts
Contract: 4 more seasons, $11.5 million AAV
Scoop: File it under the news but not news category when Grier said last week that he would be willing to listen on offers for Karlsson. What rebuilding GM is slamming the phone down if a team is willing to take an $11.5 million deal off your books? For that reason, moving Karlsson would be one of the most complicated transactions in league history. Either by space available or need, you can count the number of fits on a couple fingers. The Sharks likely won’t want to retain and be handcuffed, leaving only one retained transaction left available, but they’re probably going to have to in order to make it happen – if they can convince Karlsson to waive, too. It’s a mess, and right now, it’s a decided long shot.

11. Jack Roslovic
Center, Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 25
Stats: 15 GP, 1 G, 5 A, 6 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $4 million AAV
Scoop: See Gavrikov at No. 8 for what a disaster this season has been for Columbus. There have been some rumblings of late that the Blue Jackets are curious about the market for Roslovic, who was a big part of the deal for Pierre-Luc Dubois back in 2021. Roslovic’s point production has been solid, touching 20 goals for the first time last year, but his effort and work rate have been described as inconsistent. The difficult part for Columbus is it’d be trading when his value is low – and he’s a homegrown Columbus kid.

12. Nick Jensen
Right Defense, Washington Capitals
Age: 32
Stats: 20 GP, 1 G, 9 A, 10 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $2.5 million AAV
Scoop: The math is beginning to get daunting for the Capitals, who have been shellacked by injuries. They need to go something like 35-18-9 over their final 62 games to hit 96 points, the traditional barrier to entry for the playoffs. That’s a tall task. The exciting part for GM Brian MacLellan is he has more or less a blank slate moving forward. John Carlson is the only defenseman locked in for next season; there are 16 pending free agents and a lot of cap space to work with. Jensen will no doubt be in demand as a quality defender who withstands forechecking pressure well.

13. Andreas Athanasiou
Left Wing, Chicago Blackhawks
Age: 28
Stats: 18 GP, 5 G, 3 A, 8 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $3 million AAV
Scoop: Feels like we’re a long ways away from February 2020, just before the pandemic hit, when Athanasiou garnered two second-round picks from Edmonton. He struggled with injury in L.A. Now, he’s back to flying around again in Chicago with incredibly valuable speed. He is tied for second in the league with five breakaways this season, according to Stathletes, and generates a league-leading number of scoring chances off the rush. He is the perfect flippable asset for Chicago.

14. Shayne Gostisbehere
Left Defense, Arizona Coyotes
Age: 29
Stats: 17 GP, 4 G, 6 A, 10 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $4.5 million AAV
Scoop: Remember when the Flyers had to trade second- and seventh-round picks to Arizona in order to get out from Gostisbehere’s contract? That hurts. He’s found his confidence again in the desert after it crumbled under coach Dave Hakstol in Philadelphia. Not surprisingly, the former 65-point defenseman can still play. He’s very efficient moving the puck and a solid addition to any power play, and this isn’t a recent phenomenon: Ghost’s underlying metrics were damn good last season.

15. James Reimer
Goaltender, San Jose Sharks
Age: 34
Stats: 14 GP, 2.92 GAA, .906 Sv%
Contract: Pending UFA, $2.25 million AAV
Scoop: If any team runs into a pinch with goaltending, Reimer is the perfect solution. He’s as rock solid as they come in the most fickle position in pro sports. Here’s an incredible stat: In 13 full seasons in the NHL, Reimer has never finished a season with a sub-.900 save percentage. Reimer is steady, durable, and comes with a cap hit and contract that make him no-risk.

16. Brock Boeser
Right Wing, Vancouver Canucks
Age: 25
Stats: 13 GP, 2 G, 10 A, 12 Pts
Contract: 2 more seasons, $6.65 million AAV
Scoop: Rutherford said if this season continues to swirl down the drain, the Canucks will be forced to unload larger contracts. Outside of pending UFA Horvat (No. 1), Boeser is perhaps most moveable of those deals. He certainly hasn’t scored at his typical rate this season, but his contract isn’t hugely detrimental to his value. Boeser started slow and finished stronger last season with 29 points in 43 games.

17. Max Domi
Center/Left Wing, Chicago Blackhawks
Age: 27
Stats: 18 GP, 4 G, 8 A, 12 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $3 million AAV
Scoop: The Blackhawks aren’t in a position to say no to any asset harvest, though Domi and Athanasiou have been exactly what they were signed to be: smart bets. They’ve both fit in well on a line with Patrick Kane, and all three players are on the trade targets board.

18. Ryan Reaves
Right Wing, New York Rangers
Age: 35|
Stats: 12 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $1.75 million AAV
Scoop: Reaves has been a healthy scratch in four of the Rangers’ last five games. The belief is New York isn’t looking for much in return to gain the salary cap flexibility. There are more than just a couple teams (Edmonton?) looking for a little size and bite in their bottom-six forward groups.

19. Sean Monahan
Center, Montreal Canadiens
Age: 28
Stats: 18 GP, 3 G, 7 A, 10 Pts
Contract: Pending UFA, $6.375 million AAV
Scoop: What a great story Monahan has been, rehabbing from a significant hip surgery last April that cost him a proper send-off in Calgary. The Flames were forced to cough up a 2025 first-round pick to get out from under his contract. The contract makes a trade more difficult, but Monahan could be an ideal third-line center pickup for a playoff team – and a boon of an asset swing for Canadiens GM Kent Hughes and Co.

20. Kasperi Kapanen
Right Wing, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 26
Stats: 13 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $3.2 million AAV
Scoop: Of all the term handed out by GM Ron Hextall last summer, the extra year to Kapanen might be the most painful at this moment in time. Kapanen has struggled. His warts in compete and effort are there for all to see, and he’s not an inexpensive contract to offload given the circumstances, as Hextall has been one of the more active GMs out there trying to find a landing spot for him.

Next Update: December