PLAYERS TO WATCH AHEAD OF THE NEW SEASON

TORONTO, ON — You can feel it in the air. Labo(u)r Day is behind us, training camps are just over a week away and players are hitting the ice in preparation for the new 2023-24 NHL campaign.

We witnessed a decent amount of off-season activity with players like Pierre-Luc Dubois, Ivan Provorov, Ryan Johansen, Alex DeBrincat and Erik Karlsson traded to different teams, as free agents found new homes throughout the summer.

With the puck officially set to drop on Oct. 10, the new season will be here before we know it. So, we might as well get a head start on some of the players who could be switching jerseys mid-year.

And while some names may very well end up on our Trade Watch List later in the season, there are varying reasons why the waters may be calmer for some than others.

For example, the Winnipeg Jets hope to remain competitive and challenge for a playoff spot this season, so moving goalie Connor Hellebuyck or Mark Scheifele without an equal or similar return seems unlikely, right now.

It is a similar mindset in Calgary, and while a few players have maintained their desires to play out their contracts and hits free agency next summer, both centremen Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund have expressed interest in signing extensions. Granted, Lindholm has not waivered from his demands – still believed to be in and around $9 million per season – while Backlund wants to see how the team performs before committing.

With that said, in alphabetical order, here is a look at 10 players to keep an eye on between now and the March 8, 2024 trade deadline.

Anthony Duclair, San Jose Sharks

Duclair, the casualty of a tight salary cap in South Florida, was dealt by the Panthers to the Sharks on July 1. He is in the final year of his contract and will be given every opportunity to play top-six minutes and boost his trade value. The Sharks aren’t hiding their rebuild and moving a secondary scoring threat in Duclair is something they may banking on.

Matt Dumba, Arizona Coyotes

A free agent casualty of the cap, Dumba jumped on to a one-year, $3.9 million deal with Arizona. He should play top-pair minutes in Tempe and will hoping to bank on an improved season ahead of next summer’s UFA crop. Given the Coyotes expectations this season, he’s a prime candidate to be moved by the deadline.

Dante Fabbro, Nashville Predators

The Preds were open to moving Fabbro prior to last season’s deadline and explored the possibility again in the early part of the off-season. He comes with a $2.5M cap hit and can become a restricted free agent, with arbitration rights, next July.

John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks

Depending on who you ask, the consensus Gibson is very much in play. He’s been available for parts of the last two seasons. Yes, yes, we know he loves Anaheim, but if the right opportunity presented itself, the Ducks would move him, and he would be open to a change of scenery. He has four years left on his contract, comes with a $6.4M cap hit, and owns a 10-team no-trade list.

Noah Hanifin, Calgary Flames

There’s no sugarcoating it, Hanifin would welcome a change. He might not get it until the season ends and his contract expires, but if the Flames fall out of the playoff race, or if they’re presented with a solid offer at any point between now and the trade deadline, he may get his wish.

Carter Hart, Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers explored trade discussions with some teams on Hart in the early going of the off-season. Our understanding if the team is willing to move him, but a trade is not likely to occur in the first part of the season, if at all during the 2023-24 campaign, which could lead to another intriguing off-season in Philly next summer. Either way, he will be a player to watch.

Adam Henrique, Anaheim Ducks

Henrique is in the last year of a five-year, $29.125 million contract and has a 10-team no-trade list. He will command interest if he has another 20-goal season and is another solid trade candidate around deadline time.

Kevin Labanc, San Jose Sharks

The Sharks shopped Labanc last season and over the summer, and the 27-year-old would be open to a move, as we’ve previously reported. He’s in the last year of his contract and if San Jose is willing to retain a portion of his contract – the Sharks have one retention slot left – he could be dealt this season.

Anthony Mantha, Washington Capitals

The Mantha experiment hasn’t exactly gone the way the Capitals had hoped, which is why the team has explored the trade market on him. They’d like to upgrade their top-six and moving out Matha and his $5.7M cap hit could give them the space to do so. He’s in the last year of his contract.

Tyler Myers, Vancouver Canucks

With his $5M bonus now paid, Myers is only due a total of $1M in salary this season. From a monetary standpoint, that’s a bargain. His $6M cap hit, however, isn’t optimal. If the Canucks aren’t in the playoff picture and Myers has a solid season – he’s in the last year of his deal – he could be on the move and Vancouver could eat a good chunk of his money to make a move work. He will have some say, though, with a 10-team no-trade list.

Hono(u)rable mentions:

• Casey DeSmith, Montreal Canadiens

• Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals

• Victor Olofsson, Buffalo Sabres

• Nikita Zadorov, Calgary Flames

• Jason Zucker, Arizona Coyotes