5 NHL Trades That Could Happen Before 2022 Training Camp | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

NHL training camps for the 2022-23 season open for the 32 teams on Sept. 21 and 22. Their respective general managers and coaches will be evaluating their rosters looking for areas of strength and weakness as they prepare for the start of the regular season in October.

Several teams sitting above the $82.5
million salary cap for the coming season will also be looking to shed
salaries. They can remain over the cap by 10 percent during training
camp and preseason but must be cap compliant when their respective
regular-season schedules begin next month.

Some teams, such as the Toronto Maple
Leafs, must get under the cap once they’ve signed all their remaining
restricted free agents. Others, like the New York Rangers, could be
looking to move out a player for other reasons.

Here are five NHL trades that could
occur before training camp opens later this week based on recent trade rumors. Feel free to
express your thoughts on this topic in the comments section below.

Dallas Stars goaltender Anton Khudobin (Mark LoMoglio/NHLI via Getty Images)

Two years ago, Anton Khudobin had a new
three-year contract in hand after backstopping the Dallas Stars to
the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. Perhaps before the start of training camp
or the start of the coming season, he could be playing for a
different team.

The Stars are hoping to get Jason
Robertson under contract when training camp opens next week. The
23-year-old winger is a restricted free agent who is coming off a
career-best performance of 41 goals and 79 points. He’ll be seeking a
significant pay raise coming off his entry-level contract.

Matthew DeFranks of The Dallas Morning News speculated on Sept. 13 that Robertson could get a three or four-year deal worth an annual salary-cap hit of $7 million. With $6.3 million in cap space, the Stars could be forced to make a cost-cutting trade to accommodate Robertson’s new contract.

DeFranks suggested Khudobin or Radek
Faksa as trade options. While the 36-year-old goaltender is returning
from offseason hip surgery, he could draw interest from clubs looking
for experienced and affordable goaltending depth. He’s signed to the
end of this season with an average annual value of $3.3 million.

Edmonton Oilers winger Jesse Puljujarvi (Derek Leung/Getty Images)

Jesse Puljujarvi avoided arbitration
with the Edmonton Oilers by signing a one-year, $3 million contract
on July 26. Nevertheless, the 24-year-old winger remains the subject
of frequent trade speculation. The Oilers must shed salary to make
room for a new contract for restricted free agent Ryan McLeod.

Chosen fourth overall by the Oilers in
the 2016 NHL draft, Puljujarvi has struggled to meet expectations as
a scorer. He’s totaled just 46 goals and 98 points in 259
regular-season games and five points in 20 playoff contests.

On Sept. 8, The Athletic’s Daniel
Nugent-Bowman reported Puljujarvi, winger Warren Foegele and
defenseman Tyson Barrie were considered to be trade options. Four days later, TSN’s
Ryan Rishaug tweeted the Oilers continued to pursue all trade
options for Puljujarvi to clear some cap space.

Puljujarvi could be enticing to some
teams as a potential reclamation project. His cap hit might prove
difficult to move given most clubs have limited cap room but there
could be someone willing to take the chance.

Montreal Canadiens winger Mike Hoffman celebrates a goal (David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Montreal Canadiens have had a busy offseason. Their notable moves included shipping Shea Weber to the Vegas Golden Knights for Evgeni Dadonov, trading two draft picks to the Chicago Blackhawks for Kirby
Dach, dealing Alexander Romanov to the New York Islanders for a 2022
first-rounder, and sending Jeff Petry to the Pittsburgh Penguins for
Mike Matheson.

General manager Kent Hughes might not
be done dealing. On July 29, Montreal Hockey Now’s Marco D’Amico
cited Hughes expressed a desire to add a right-shot defenseman. Habs
executive VP Jeff Gorton also pointed out that his club carries 15
to 16 forwards.

On Sept. 6, D’Amico reported sources claimed Canadiens forwards Christian Dvorak, Mike Hoffman and
Joel Armia were receiving some interest in the trade
market. Given their depth on the wing, he speculated Hoffman or Armia
could become a trade candidate. Hoffman carries an average annual
value of $4.5 million while Armia’s is $3.4 million.

The Canadiens also sit at $10.2 million
above the $82.5 million salary cap but can do so with goaltender
Carey Price placed on long-term injury reserve for the coming season.
Still, they could be seeking a dollar-in, dollar-out deal to shore up
their right side depth.

New York Rangers defenseman Nils Lundkvist (Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images).

On Sept. 1, the New York Post‘s Larry
Brooks reported the Rangers were attempting to trade Nils Lundkvist.
The 22-year-old defenseman is threatening not to report to training
camp if he’s not moved. He’s fallen down their depth chart behind
fellow right-side blueliners Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba and Braden
Schneider.

This situation is somewhat similar to
Vitali Kravtsov refusing to report to the Rangers’ AHL affiliate last
fall and demanding a trade. The winger was subsequently loaned to KHL
team Traktor Chelyabinsk for the season. When a trade failed to
materialize, Kravtsov signed a one-year contract with the Rangers and
is back trying to garner a roster spot.

Brooks reports Lundkvist wants to play
for an NHL club where he’ll have a better opportunity to earn
top-four minutes and power-play time. On Sept. 16, TSN cited USA
Today’s Vince Z. Mercogliano reporting the blueliner’s agent
confirmed they’ve requested a trade and his client won’t be reporting
to camp.

Perhaps the Montreal Canadiens will be a trade
partner. Montreal Hockey Now’s Marco D’Amico reported on Sept. 2 that
the Habs were in the market for a right-side defenseman and had
previously expressed an interest in some of the Rangers’ top
prospects.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Justin Holl (Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Toronto Maple Leafs approach
training camp with Rasmus Sandin still unsigned. If they get the
22-year-old defenseman inked to a new contract before or during
training camp, they’ll have to clear some cap space for him. They
currently sit above the $82.5 million cap by $1.5 million.

The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel observed on
Sept. 8 that defenseman Justin Holl and center Alex Kerfoot have been
mentioned as trade candidates. Kerfoot carries a $3.5 million
salary-cap hit for the coming season while Holl’s is $2 million.

Kerfoot seems like a viable trade
option given the Leafs’ offseason signing of center Calle Järnkrok
and their recent signing of Zach Aston-Reese to a professional tryout
offer. However, the Toronto Sun‘s Terry Koshan believes if the Leafs
were going to trade the 28-year-old Kerfoot they would’ve done it by
now.

Siegel felt that Holl is the more
likely to be moved. The 30-year-old defenseman has a 10-team no-trade
clause that could complicate things. Nevertheless, his affordable cap
hit could make him attractive to teams seeking a right-shot blueliner.

Salary info (as of Sept. 18, 2022) via Cap Friendly.