The 2026 NHL trade deadline is less than 24 hours away and a few Stanley Cup contenders have been surprisingly quiet.
Speaking on Thursday’s Frankly Hockey podcast, NHL insider Frank Seravalli flagged eight teams — all in playoff position or on the bubble — that have yet to make a meaningful move despite clearly needing upgrades.
Time is suddenly running out.
Here’s where each of those eight buyers stands entering deadline day.
Detroit Red Wings
Detroit is the most motivated team on the list.
The Red Wings are the only Eastern Conference playoff team with a negative goal differential. Steve Yzerman needs a top-six center and a right-shot defenseman, and has the cap space and prospects to get deals done.
Pettersson, Trocheck, and Thomas have all been linked to Detroit over the past week and Kadri also remains in play.
Dylan Larkin reportedly called out the front office after last year’s inaction.
Yzerman won’t let that happen again.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tied atop the East and playing their best hockey, the Bolts need a right-shot defenseman with term, not a rental.
A Blake Coleman reunion has also been floated. BriseBois is one of the most aggressive deadline operators in the league.
Expect him to add before the buzzer.
Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina has reached three Eastern Conference Finals since 2019 without breaking through to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Hurricanes have been linked to Vincent Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad, and Robert Thomas but The Athletic’s Cory Lavalette has also floated the idea of Elias Pettersson heading to Raleigh.
Carolina holds Dallas’s first-round pick from the Rantanen trade and has the assets for a genuine swing.
Montreal Canadiens
Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov have pushed Montreal into playoff position ahead of schedule.
The pressing need is goaltending: Montembeault’s numbers have been ugly, and both Binnington and Bobrovsky have surfaced as targets.
Kent Hughes will be selective, but a goalie upgrade could be the move that takes this team to the next level.
Boston Bruins
Boston is one of the most fascinating cases of this deadline.
After trading Marchand and Carlo last year to begin a retool, Boston is somehow in Wild Card position.
GM Don Sweeney wants term, not a rental, which narrows the field considerably.
Don’t expect anything flashy but adding a right-shot defenseman is the main priority for the Bruins.
New York Islanders
Already active in smaller moves, the Islanders now want something more impactful.
Serious talks with Vancouver about Conor Garland have been reported, and Jordan Kyrou has also been linked to the Isles.
Rasmus Ristolainen is another name gaining traction. New York has the picks and prospect pool to get a deal done.
Anaheim Ducks
Nobody expected the Ducks to be buyers this year, but Cutter Gauthier, Beckett Sennecke, and Leo Carlsson have accelerated the timeline.
The need is a right-shot defenseman. Rasmus Ristolainen fits; so does Colton Parayko, who blocked a move to Buffalo but is reportedly open to a Western Conference destination.
GM Pat Verbeek won’t overpay, but he’s engaged.
Seattle Kraken
New GM Jason Botterill is still finding his footing, and several core players are in contract years.
If Seattle believes the playoffs are achievable, they buy.
If the math turns against them, Eberle, Schwartz, and potentially Shane Wright could be headed out the door instead.
Bottom Line
The buy side has been unusually slow this week, with no-trade clauses repeatedly gumming up the works. But the remaining market is legitimate: Trocheck, Thomas, Kyrou, Ristolainen, and potentially Stamkos are all still available.
Detroit and Carolina have the most firepower and the clearest motivation. Tampa and the Islanders look closest to closing something. Boston and Montreal will be calculated. Anaheim and Seattle could go either way.
The deadline is tomorrow. Somebody has to blink.
