For every massive deadline deal, there are a dozen others that barely make a ripple. Usually, only a few big names move each year, and not every team has the required assets or cap space to land one. Instead, many have to try and get better around the margins, seeing something that others don’t and perhaps an opportunity for an unheralded player to thrive in their lineup.
Whether it was someone like Stephane Matteau scoring a massive overtime goal for the New York Rangers during their Stanley Cup run in 1994, or Larry Murphy helping the Detroit Red Wings capture back-to-back championships in the late nineties after being shipped out of Toronto, or most recently, Vladimir Tarasenko being a perfect fit for the Florida Panthers in their first Stanley Cup triumph, subtle moves can still make a great impact.
Here are a few under-the-radar trade targets that could pay big dividends.
Alexis Lafreniere, New York Rangers
Alright, so maybe a former first-overall pick isn’t the perfect example of under the radar. Still, Lafreniere isn’t getting nearly as much attention as some other Ranger players on the trade market. New York has made it clear they’re open for business, and while everyone focuses on Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, there could be some decent value with Lafreniere if you can get him at a reasonable price.
Now that the cap is going up dramatically over the next couple of years, Lafreniere’s $7.4-million cap hit shouldn’t scare anyone off if they believe there’s still untapped potential in his game. What an acquiring team would be trying to uncover is the form he showed in 2023-24. That season Lafreniere scored 28 times and finished with 57 points, a fine campaign playing alongside Panarin and Trocheck. It appeared the Rangers had a top-line winger for years to come, but he took a big step back last year, and Lafreniere is again on pace for a very pedestrian 45 points in 2025-26.
What might catch a team’s eye more than anything is what Lafreniere did in the 2024 post-season. He followed up his best season in the NHL with eight goals and 14 points that spring, averaging nearly a point per game as the Rangers went all the way to the Eastern Conference Final. There is no shortage of teams looking for top-six forwards, especially those that have proven in the past they can deliver in the playoffs.
With all this said, it’s very possible the Rangers decide to keep Lafreniere, but if I were a team looking for help up front, I’d at least give New York a call to see what the asking price is. Lafreniere is still only 24 years old, and this wouldn’t be a rental situation. He has a history of playing with high-end talent, so if he goes to a team where he’s well insulated and doesn’t have to be the No. 1 guy, Lafreniere could be a key contributor for someone with a wide contention window.
Whitecloud has barely landed in Calgary, and his name is already surfacing in further trade speculation. Dealt to the Flames less than a week ago in the Rasmus Andersson deal, the former Vegas Golden Knight is something many teams are going to covet at the deadline. Whitecloud is a right-shot defenceman who’s been eating up nearly 19 minutes per game this season and has the capability of averaging 100 hits and 100 blocks per season. There will be no shortage of suitors for Whitecloud with a resume like that.
Not only that, but Whitecloud is a former Stanley Cup champion with Vegas and has 78 career playoff games to his credit. Add in the fact that the 29-year-old still has two years remaining on his deal beyond this one at a very friendly $2.7-million cap hit, and just about every contending team will have little trouble fitting Whitecloud onto their roster.
The Flames could very well keep Whitecloud around, but they need to look no further than last season at the benefits of turning around and flipping a veteran blue-liner. Luke Schenn was dealt from the Nashville Predators to the Pittsburgh Penguins before the 2025 deadline, along with Tommy Novak for a fourth-round pick and Michael Bunting, and the Pens immediately flipped him for a bigger return. They got a second and a fourth back for Schenn, and Whitecloud is a far superior and younger player than Schenn.
The Boston Bruins landed a return of Fraser Minten and a first-round pick for Brandon Carlo last year, and you have to think the gap between Whitecloud and Carlo isn’t massive. Calgary should at the very least test the waters and see what’s out there for Whitecloud.
It’s a shame Tolvanen has only played in 21 career post-season games because he’s built for the playoffs. A physical winger with some scoring punch, Tolvanen has a blend of skill and sandpaper that teams crave. The 26-year-old had more than 200 hits in each of the past two seasons and is well on his way to clear that mark again, with 123 already in 2025-26. He’s the type of player who can really wear you down over the course of a long series.
The Kraken forward can also chip in offensively, averaging 19 goals over the past four seasons. Tolvanen has the flexibility to play up and down the lineup, but would probably fit best as an upgrade to a third line on a contending team with a thin bottom six. He also makes just $3.4 million before becoming a UFA this summer, making him the perfect rental that shouldn’t cost an exorbitant amount to acquire. If Seattle can even retain a little bit of his salary, it’s only going to make Tolvanen’s market that much bigger.
What could make the Kraken pause on shipping out Tolvanen is their place in the standings. They are currently tied for the final wild-card spot and are still very much in the race, so they could ultimately decide to keep Tolvanen if they think he can help them get there. That said, they’ve lost six of their past eight games and have a minus-11 goal differential. Seattle has been overachieving for much of the season, and without a true elite talent on the roster, it’s hard to see them keeping pace with the rest of the bubble teams in the West the rest of the way. At the end of the day, the Kraken’s best bet may be to ultimately recoup an asset for Tolvanen.
32 Thoughts: The Podcast
Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.
Latest episode
Nick Blankenburg, Nashville Predators
Where can you find a right-shot defenceman, you ask? How about one that can also quarterback a power play? Enter Blackenburg, who has a check next to his name for both categories. The Predators rearguard filled in running the man advantage for Roman Josi admirably when he was sidelined earlier in the season, and seven of his 20 points have come on the power play.
Blankenburg can add an element of offence to the back end and is scoring at a 41-point pace right now. You can use him on your third pair and have someone who can quarterback your second power-play unit if needed, while also being able to lean on him for minutes in a pinch. He’s averaging nearly 18 and a half minutes a game this year, and on a team with a deep defence corps, you may be able to even get more out of Blankenburg if you only have to use him in the 16-17 range.
If there’s one thing working against him, though, it’s that Blankenburg is a little undersized. He’s only five-foot-nine and 177 pounds, so not exactly the prototypical blue-liner teams are looking for. Still, Blankenburg would be an excellent fit on a team that’s looking for a specific player who’s missing from their lineup. There’s been plenty of smaller defencemen who were late bloomers like Brian Rafalski and Dan Boyle, so perhaps Blankenburg could follow in that mould of someone who can move the puck and chip in offensively from the blue line. Whoever is looking to add Blankenburg should do so as a long-term investment and try to lock him up with a short, low-risk/high-reward extension.
The real question is, will Nashville be buyers or sellers? At one point, it looked like the Preds would be in competition for the first-overall pick, but they’ve clawed their way back into the race. It’s possible they might consider a move with Blankenburg that brings back a more experienced player who can make a bigger impact right now.
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