Montreal Canadiens pending unrestricted free agent Ben Chiarot was listed atop the first TSN Hockey Trade Bait board of the 2021-22 season on Tuesday.
The list, unveiled by TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston, has Dallas Stars goaltender Anton Khudobin at No. 2 and Boston Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk at No. 3.
Seattle Kraken captain Mark Giordano and San Jose Sharks centre Tomas Hertl rounded out the top five. Of the five, only Khudobin, who carries a $3.33 million cap hit through next season, is signed beyond this year, though DeBrusk is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent.
Detroit Red Wings defenceman Nick Leddy was listed at No. 6, followed by New York Rangers prospect Vitali Kravtsov and Minnesota Wild pending restricted free agent forward Kevin Fiala.
Arizona Coyotes veteran Phil Kessel is listed ninth, followed by Sharks winger Evander Kane, who is currently with the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL after serving a 21-game suspension for submitting a fake COVID-19 vaccination card.
The NHL's trade deadline is scheduled for March 21, roughly one month after the Olympic break ends.
Trade Bait
| Player | Pos | Age | GP | G | P | Cap Hit | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Ben Chiarot, Mtl | LD | 30 | 27 | 5 | 6 | $3.5M | UFA |
| 2. Anton Khudobin, Dal | G | 35 | 7 | 3.73 | 0.873 | $3.33M | 1 |
| 3. Jake DeBrusk, Bos | LW | 25 | 20 | 4 | 7 | $3.675M | RFA |
| 4. Mark Giordano, Sea | LD | 38 | 19 | 3 | 7 | $6.75M | UFA |
| 5. Tomas Hertl, SJ | C | 28 | 26 | 12 | 17 | $5.625M | UFA |
| 6. Nick Leddy, Det | LD | 30 | 26 | 0 | 7 | $5.5M | UFA |
| 7. Vitali Kravtsov, NYR* | RW | 21 | 11 | 5 | 8 | $925K | RFA |
| 8. Kevin Fiala, Min | RW | 25 | 25 | 3 | 15 | $5.1M | RFA |
| 9. Phil Kessel, Ari | RW | 34 | 25 | 3 | 14 | $8M | UFA |
| 10. Evander Kane, SJ | LW | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | $7M | 3 |
*KHL stats