With the surprisingly competitive 4 Nations Face-Off now in the rearview (congratulations, Canada), all eyes are back on the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, which is now under two weeks away (March 7th). The deadline dealings have already begun in earnest, with Mikko Rantanen, J.T. Miller, Mikael Granlund, and Marcus Pettersson – four of the biggest targets on most insiders’ trade boards – swapping jerseys before the international tournament took place.
Though the Seattle Kraken have not yet made a move, they should be one of the most active sellers in the lead up to the deadline due to their place in the standings and having a number of pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) who should attract much attention around the league.
The Kraken are currently seventh in the Pacific Division with a record of 25-30-4 in 59 games (54 points) and are nine points back of the Vancouver Canucks for the Western Conference’s second wildcard spot. There are four other teams standing between them and the Canucks, with each holding at least one game in hand on the Kraken.
I already highlighted three of the Kraken’s most valuable trade assets prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off, so this column will focus on which players the Kraken could target to expedite their rebuild. This means once-promising players who have not hit their potential or have not gotten an extended opportunity in a bigger role. Seattle has already hit on several of those kinds of players over the years (Daniel Sprong, Eeli Tolvanen, and 2019 second-overall pick Kaapo Kakko), so they should continue to return to the well.
With that in mind, let’s dive into three intriguing trade targets for the Kraken. Each player is listed with their remaining contract terms, not including this season.
Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks
Contract: One year, $5.75 million cap hit
Of the players on this list, 23-year-old forward Trevor Zegras has been the one most discussed in trade talks around the league over the past year and change. He broke out into public consciousness with a pair of 60-point seasons during his 20- and 21-year-old seasons, made waves by pulling off “The Michigan” during a game, and was named a cover athlete for the NHL 23 video game. The sky seemed like the limit for the American, but the two seasons since have not gone according to plan.
Injury troubles, tense contract negotiations, and a new defense-first system implemented by incoming head coach Greg Cronin have limited Zegras to 31 points in 65 games since the start of the 2023-24 season. The creativity and audaciousness that made the 2022 Calder Trophy finalist such a sensation seemed to have fallen to the wayside.
Zegras is a restricted free agent (RFA) during the 2026 offseason, so the Kraken could get a very talented player on a one-year show-me deal and later extend him or easily cut bait if his play does not improve in a new environment. The Kraken have lacked forwards with such tantalizing potential, so buying low on Zegras could be worth the price.
Bowen Byram, Buffalo Sabres
Contract: RFA 2025 Offseason
It’s not often that former fourth-overall picks are traded twice within the span of a year, but that appears to be the case with 23-year-old defenseman Bowen Byram. The native of British Columbia was picked fourth in 2019 by the Colorado Avalanche, was a big part of their 2022 Stanley Cup win, and was traded to the Buffalo Sabres last season for Casey Mittelstadt as the Avalanche looked to address their second-line center spot.
Byram isn’t on the trade block due to poor play, as he’s tallied seven goals and tied a career-high with 29 points in 55 games to date this season. As a left-handed blueliner, Byram is buried behind the Sabres’ twin pillars of Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin, both of whom have hefty, long-term contracts running through the 2027-28 season.
Teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning (Victor Hedman, Mikhail Sergachev, Ryan McDonagh) won multiple Stanley Cups by pairing top-end lefties with less heralded partners on the right, but the Sabres are far away from championship contention and could use the depth elsewhere.
The Sabres are currently set to have $33 million in cap space next season but will need to award new contracts to several RFAs, including J.J. Peterka, Ryan McLeod, Jack Quinn, and Devon Levi. They could also re-sign unrestricted free agents (UFAs) in Jason Zucker ($5 million) or Jordan Greenway ($3 million) but should have around $10-15 million in space even if all of those players return.
Byram earned $3.85 million this season and could seek a big raise on a long-term contract, but a bridge deal may be more appealing to him if he can find his way onto a team that can offer him a bigger role. Brandon Montour, Vince Dunn, and Ryker Evans all stand in the way of a regular stint on the primary power play, but potentially trading one or both of Jamie Oleksiak and Adam Larsson could open up greater usage at five-on-five.
It also bears stating that while the Kraken have plenty of star forward prospects in the pipeline, the organization’s depth at defense is sorely lacking in comparison. Byram – or the next name – could significantly address that weakness.
Brandt Clarke, Los Angeles Kings
Contract: One year, $0.863 million cap hit
If seeing Byram’s name on this list comes as a shock, consider how surprising it was to see Brandt Clarke potentially hit the trade market. A 22-year-old, 6-foot-2, right-handed defender with nearly 100 games of NHL experience rarely hits the market, and even less frequently if they are a former top-10 draft pick (2021). He has produced 25 points in 52 games this season while taking the injured Drew Doughty’s spot in the lineup.
What has pulled Clarke’s name into discussions is the state of the Los Angeles Kings’ contention window. Key players in Anze Kopitar (37), Doughty (35), Darcy Kuemper (34), Phillip Danualt (32), Vladislav Gavrikov (29), Kevin Fiala (28), and Adrian Kempe (28) are all either in their prime or on the wrong side of it. This reality is pushing the Kings to capitalize before these players truly age out or decline, and that means potentially sacrificing Clarke, Alex Turcotte (24), Alex Laferriere (23), or Quinton Byfield (22) for more prime-aged stars.
Clarke saw an increase in usage while Doughty missed nearly all of the first half of the season, but he has not played more than 15 minutes in a game since January 11th. Their positional similarity and Clarke’s defensive deficiencies could ultimately lead to his exit. While the circumstances were different, star defensive prospect David Jiricek was recently traded to the Minnesota Wild by the Columbus Blue Jackets, so such a move is not unprecedented.
Like Zegras, Clark is an RFA during the 2026 offseason and could have a true breakout campaign in 2025-26 since the Kraken are in dire need of a young right-handed blueliner with Montour, Oleksiak, and Larsson all 30 or older. It might take a major package to land the blue-chip prospect, but the Kraken can trade on their prospect forward depth to address an area of concern.
Honorable Mentions
- Noah Dobson, New York Islanders (RFA 2025 Offseason, $4 million cap hit)
- Peyton Krebs, Buffalo Sabres (One year, $1.45 million cap hit)
- Dylan Cozens, Buffalo Sabres (Three years, $7.1 million cap hit)
- Jack Quinn, Buffalo Sabres (RFA 2025 Offseason, $0.863 million cap hit)
For whatever reason, teams around the league are growing unsatisfied with players who were, as of very recently, considered high-end prospects. They and the players involved may feel like a clean break, and a fresh start is in the best interest of both parties, and teams such as the Kraken should take advantage of the discord. NHL rebuilds can often be costly, lengthy, and bear little to no fruit. However, taking bets on slightly-used commodities like the players above can be a nifty trick to bypass the worst consequences of re-tools or teardowns. Will the Kraken choose this path or continue treading water in the mushy middle?
Data courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, NHL, and PuckPedia.
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