The five best potential fits between player and team at the NHL deadline

2. Elias Pettersson, Center/Winger — Vancouver to Anaheim

This is almost certainly the type of trade you'd only see completed in EA Sports NHL 25, but the fit is almost too perfect. Anaheim is loaded up on two things — young talent and hard-edged, two-way players. The Ducks also have multiple centers who could take pressure off of Pettersson by allowing him to move to the wing permanently. They have slowly started to turn the corner in this rebuild. In a relatively low-pressure, non-traditional hockey market, Pettersson wouldn't need to be a superstar — just the elite puck handler with a laser shot and brilliant offensive instincts.   

3. Brayden Schenn, Center — St. Louis to Toronto

Schenn is a Stanley Cup winning captain, a center, can still contribute as a depth scorer and plays in all situations. He also won that Stanley Cup playing for current Toronto head coach Craig Berube in 2019.  Schenn's brother Luke is also a former fifth overall pick by the Leafs and former fan-favorite. There's a fair bit of familiarity here. Schenn's contract runs for three more seasons at $6.5 million per season.

4. Oliver Bjorkstrand, Winger — Seattle to Los Angeles

Bjorkstrand isn't a speedster and he isn't heavy, but he's one of the best bang-for-your-buck depth scorers available at the deadline. He's a relatively high volume shooter, five-time 20-goal scorer and the type of depth scorer you need down the lineup when top players begin to cancel each other out late in a series. He's been effective in the playoffs before — finishing with better than 0.5 points per game in three separate playoff trips. A manageable $5.4 million cap hit can be halved with full retention by Seattle, and he has another year remaining on his contract. 

5. Brandon Tanev, Winger — Seattle to Tampa Bay

Tanev has one of the elite motors in the game with a sterling reputation as a top-end skater, two-way player and all around pain to play against come playoff time. He will never be an elite scorer, but he's a Swiss Army knife that can play up and down a lineup in virtually any role. 

The trade deadline officially passes at 3:00 p.m. Friday, March 7.