Realistic Trade Ideas to Move Jacob Trouba and the NHL’s Worst Contracts
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There are some bad contracts around the NHL that some teams might want to move on from. Doing so might be difficult, but it is never impossible as recent NHL history has shown us that even some of the league’s worst contracts can be moved.
It just takes a little creativity and perhaps another team with a similar contract that it would also like to move.
So with that in mind, let’s look around the NHL at some of the league’s worst contracts and try to think of some trade ideas that might work.
Keep in mind that these are just our hypothetical ideas. These are not necessarily trades that are rumored or reported. We’re throwing some ideas against the wall and trying to think of something realistic or doable.
Let’s get into it.
Jacob Trouba to the Red Wings
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It seems more likely than not that Trouba will end up staying with the Rangers, making an offseason full of drama, speculation and rumors meaningless.
But in a perfect world, the Rangers would still like to move on from their captain
And they probably should still try.
Not only because they need the salary-cap space this season and next season, but they also need to do something to change their defense and become more mobile. Trouba is the Rangers’ captain and a thunderous hitter, but his actual on-ice contributions have rapidly declined. It’s a problem they should try to fix.
Especially if there is a team that might be interested. Like, say, Detroit.
That was always the most talked about team this offseason, and even though nothing came together (for one reason or another) let’s stick with that option.
For some reason, the Red Wings were the one team that reportedly had interest and there are ways to make it work — assuming Trouba would be willing to go there.
Detroit still has some salary cap flexibility, but that will disappear when Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider re-sign as restricted free agents. But it should still have some room to work with.
The Red Wings also have some contracts it could send back the other way to help make the money work. That includes Jeff Petry, Ben Chiarot, Olli Maatta or Justin Holl. Are any of those four players upgrades for the Rangers? Maybe not on paper.
But the name of the game is clearing money and opening the door for a different move on defense to get better.
Jonathan Huberdeau to St. Louis
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When the Flames traded Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers they hoped they got another top-line scorer back in return in Jonathan Huberdeau. And they certainly paid him like one, giving him a $10.5 million salary cap number through the 2027-28 season.
So far it has been nothing short of a disaster as Huberdeau’s offense has completely disappeared and he does not have enough value defensively to make up for that.
It’s a problem, and it did not get any better this past season even with a new coaching change.
Now that the Flames seem to be turning the page and gutting their roster over the past calendar year they would probably love to get out of that deal, and Huberdeau might look an opportunity to get a fresh start on a team that isn’t just starting to rebuild.
The St. Louis Blues might not be the best-case scenario when it comes to the latter point, but they could be a potential match in terms of a trade option.
The Blues have an interest in trying to compete, and they do have some solid players in place. They also have some big contracts on defense that could be moved.
My proposal: Colton Parayko for Huberdeau.
Both players are signed through the 2027-28 season, they are both in their early 30s and around the same age, and both might do well in new environments.
Parayko can still defend well and log big minutes, which is the type of player the Flames could use on their blue line after trading Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin the past two years. There would also be some salary cap savings if no money was retained.
The Blues could use an offensive boost after finishing 24th in goals scored this past season and also need to start finding ways to revamp a defense that is full of big contracts and has become stale over the years. They also have the salary cap space to handle the increase in money that Huberdeau would bring.
They would be taking a chance on Huberdeau bouncing back, but if he does that could be a nice boost to an offense that badly needs it.
Ryan Graves for Josh Anderson
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Some contracts are bad ideas the minute they get signed.
Montreal’s signing of Josh Anderson a few years ago and Pittsburgh’s signing of Ryan Graves before the 2023-24 season are two examples of that.
So let’s just give everybody a mulligan, swap the contracts, and hope that a fresh start could help both players.
Especially since they could both help potentially with some needs in this proposal.
The Penguins need more forward depth and somebody who can score some goals around the net, and there is a chance that Anderson could rebound a little bit this season if his shooting percentage bounces back up to his career norm. The Penguins would add about a million in salary in the short term, but Anderson’s contract expires a year sooner and he would probably fill a bigger need before then.
The Canadiens could use some additional help on defense. While Graves is not exactly somebody you want playing a major role, he is probably a better player than he showed a year ago. Mainly because it would be difficult to be worse. They would also save $1 million per season against the salary cap over the next three years.
Johnny Gaudreau for Sean Couturier
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The Columbus Blue Jackets shocked the hockey world a couple of years ago when they came out of nowhere to sign free-agent forward Johnny Gaudreau. Two years into his massive contract, they might be dealing with a case of buyer’s remorse as he has not played up to expectations or his contract.
Gaudreau might also be having some remorse as the Blue Jackets have been one of the NHL’s worst teams since he arrived, and while they do have a nice collection of young talent starting to make its way through the system they are still probably a few years away from serious contention.
Everybody might like a fresh start.
So let’s bring in the team that everybody assumed would be after Gaudreau in free agency two years ago but never really made an offer because of their salary cap situation — the Philadelphia Flyers.
This time they might be able to make something work because they have their problematic contract that they might like to move out in captain Sean Couturier.
There was some speculation that Couturier might be moved earlier this offseason — or that he might at least have interest in it — when he changed agents, but nothing ever came of it.
Both teams might also benefit from what each new player would bring.
The Flyers have a desperate need for more playmaking talent and offensive punch, both in terms of 5-on-5 play and on the power play. Couturier at this stage of his career does not seem likely to provide that. Gaudreau might.
Columbus, meanwhile, has a lot of talented young centers starting to work their way toward the NHL — and some that have real start potential — but they could probably use a veteran who can log tough defensive minutes and heavy assignments. Couturier might be able to do that and help shelter some of the young guys.
Both contracts run for four more seasons, but Gaudreau’s is worth about $2 million more per season. That might be an issue for the Flyers’ cap situation, but there are ways around that with salary retention or including another player in a hypothetical offer.
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