We’ve spilled an awful lot of digital ink on the theoretical trade value of pending free agents like Evander Kane, Teddy Blueger, and David Kämpf. But that theoretical value only ever becomes actual value if some other team is willing to pay the price tag. It takes two to tango and to trade.

With that in mind, today we’re looking ahead a month to the March 9 NHL Trade Deadline, and making some guesses about which of the other 31 teams will be shopping for a bottom-six centre between now and then. The Canucks have two of those on sale in Blueger and Kämpf, and, as we’ve pointed out before, there aren’t a lot of other rentals of the same variety available around the league. It’s a limited market of sellers, but how many buyers are out there?

Buffalo Sabres

Current Centre Depth: Tage Thompson, Josh Norris, Ryan McLeod, Noah Ostlund, Tyson Kozak

No looking back for the Buffalo Sabres. They entered the Olympic Break not just in a playoff position, but only two points back of third in their division, and with a game in hand. With their last postseason action coming back in 2011 – the same year the Canucks last went to the final – there is just no way the Sabres are going to do anything but attempt to secure their spot.

That will probably entail adding depth all over their roster. While the Sabres do have plenty of bottom-six options available, they could use a little more reliability in that department. Folks like Blueger and Kämpf, who can take faceoffs and kill penalties with regularity, will be of interest to them.

Carolina Hurricanes

Current Centre Depth: Sebastian Aho, Logan Stankoven, Jordan Staal, Mark Jankowski, Jesperi Kotkaniemi

The Hurricanes are a real enigma, as a perpetual Cup contender who still somehow always has a mountain of cap space available. This year, Carolina is heading toward the Trade Deadline with some $40 million in spending room, a number that almost sounds made-up. In any case, they’ve got the luxury to add wherever and whatever to their roster.

And a team with the luxury to spend will almost certainly do at least a little spending on their centre depth. The Hurricanes have some fine centres on hand already, but some of them are on the older side of things, and others are relatively new to the centre position at the NHL level. Additional depth, in the form of a responsible veteran, couldn’t hurt.

Colorado Avalanche

Current Centre Depth: Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson, Jack Drury, Zakhar Bardakov

The Avalanche are the best team in hockey right now, bar none. But even the best can be improved upon, and Colorado is a team that has succeeded despite a top-heavy build with a spotty bottom-six.

The Avalanche may solve this issue by buying a big fish, like, say, former Av Nazem Kadri, and then shuffling everyone else down the depth chart. But failing that, they’ll almost certainly look to at least add a piece or two at the centre position, and they’ll be primarily interested in adding some veteran savvy to the young duo of Drury and Bardakov they’ve currently got down there. The Avalanche look like one of the rosters where a Blueger-type could make the most positive impact.

Dallas Stars

Current Centre Depth: Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, Matt Duchene, Radek Faksa

The Stars are sort of the mirror image of the Colorado Avalanche, in that they’re a top contender with depth everywhere except the blueline. The Stars’ forward corps is loaded top-to-bottom, but they’ve suffered a major long-term injury to Tyler Seguin this season, and it’s unclear when or if he will return.

That loss could easily be supplemented with a veteran centre acquisition near the deadline; however, with limited cap space, the Stars will have to be bargain shopping. Either Blueger or Kämpf, with retention, would suit their purposes nicely.

Edmonton Oilers

Current Centre Depth: Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Trent Frederic, Adam Henrique

If we called the Avalanche “top-heavy,” we definitely have to apply that title to the Edmonton Oilers. One can never really criticize the centre depth of a team with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but the rest of the Edmonton centre corps have been lacking this year. This includes Trent Frederic, who is just starting a lucrative eight-year extension, but who has already found himself a regular healthy scratch.

With McDavid only signed to a two-year extension, the Oilers cannot afford to wait around. They’ll be on the lookout for cheap bottom-six additions at the deadline, and so long as the Canucks can stomach supporting a divisional rival, there will be at least a couple of intriguing options to choose from there.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Current Centre Depth: Sidney Crosby, Tommy Novak/Evgeni Malkin, Ben Kindel, Kevin Hayes

This wasn’t the way it was supposed to go. GM Patrik Allvin and Co. were meant to be picking pieces off the aging corpse of their former team, not the other way around. But the Penguins have found new life in 2025-26, and are sitting in second place in their division at the break.

They’re all but obligated to go for it in what might be their last run at the playoffs with Sidney Crosby in the fold. And with Evgeni Malkin spending much of this season on the wing, the centre position is probably their biggest area needing extra coverage. Why not a reunion, then, with a former Penguin in Blueger, bringing his career into a nice full circle?

San Jose Sharks

Current Centre Depth: Macklin Celebrini, Alexander Wennberg, Michael Misa, Zack Ostapchuk

As of the Olympic Break, the Sharks have fallen out of the playoffs. But they’re still in the race, and as long as they can stay there over the next few weeks, they’ll probably feel comfortable doing at least a little shopping at the deadline. After all, they’re already loaded on cap space, picks, and prospects.

The Sharks won’t want to go big-game hunting at this stage in their build. But they would probably have a lot of interest in some depth pieces that can provide both stability and mentorship for the remainder of this campaign. Faceoffs are always a tough spot for a team with young centres, and either Blueger or Kämpf could at least help out in that regard.

Seattle Kraken

Current Centre Depth: Matty Beniers, Chandler Stephenson, Shane Wright, Oskar Fisker Molgaard

The Canucks’ geographic rival has taken a step ahead of them this season, and remains in control of third place in the Pacific as of the break. They’ll make a concerted effort to make the playoffs, but they’ll do so with a roster as full of holes as Stanley Yelnats’ summer camp. Any area of the Kraken roster could use some additions, and that’s as true of the centre position as anywhere else – especially if the Kraken bend to Shane Wright’s trade request and deal him elsewhere.

It might also be nice for someone like Blueger, who has laid down some roots in Vancouver, to not have to move terribly far away.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Current Centre Depth: Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli, Nick Paul, Yanni Gourde, Dominic James

The Lightning are once again at the top of the Eastern Conference and looking like a genuine contender. They are, for the most part, a very deep team with a strong forward corps, but they’ve also been absolutely besieged by injuries this year.

Their two top centres, Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli, have injuries so serious that they were forced to miss the 2026 Winter Olympics. They’ll be back before the regular season is finished, but Tampa would be wise to acquire some backup in the meantime, and with limited cap space, that backup will have to come cheap. A 50% retained Blueger seems like a classic Lightning deadline acquisition, and goes a long way toward solidifying their postseason chances.

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