NHL salary dump trade candidates prior to free agency opening

The NHL's trade market has been picking up steam in recent days, and on Monday we saw a genre of trade that is unglamorous, but undoubtedly useful: the salary dump.

More specifically, Taylor Hall joined the Chicago Blackhawks as the up-and-coming team with minimal salary obligations on the books was willing to take on a player with a sizeable salary, hoping to see him bounce back from an unimpressive season.

Despite the relatively flat salary cap, there are plenty of teams with flexibility as the offseason kicks into high gear — and one way they can use it is to acquire players who aren't strong value propositions but still have legitimate on-ice value.

These guys can be acquired for very little and used as trade chips later if they improve their production, or simply slot in as productive lineup pieces. Here are few guys that teams with a little money burning a hole in their pockets could try scooping up in the coming days:

Mikael Granlund - LW/C

Current team: Pittsburgh Penguins

Contract terms: Two years remaining with a $5 million cap hit

Why the Penguins might want to move on: Granlund is coming off an adequate offensive season with 41 points in 79 games, but he didn't fare well when he got to Pittsburgh in a midseason trade.

After arriving from the Nashville Predators, he produced just one goal and four assists in 21 games and watched his average ice time fall to 15:35. For a little context, he hadn't skated less than 17:19 per night in any season since his rookie campaign in 2012-13.

The Penguins are not in a severe cap crunch by any means, with a projected $20.2 million in space, but they have key contributors like starting goaltender Tristan Jarry and scoring winger Jason Zucker hitting free agency. Pittsburgh also has a sense of urgency to maximize its window while Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang are still performing at an elite level.

Moving Granlund could help create even more flexibility for Kyle Dubas and his front office, while buying him out would put just $1.83 million on the books through 2026-27.

Why he might appeal to another team: Although Granlund did not excel in a short stint with the Penguins, he's still produced 105 points in the last two seasons. There's reason to believe he could put up points at a solid clip again in a more offensive role than he got in Pittsburgh — where he had an even-strength defensive-zone start rate of 67.7%.

Granlund fits best in a top-six role. While he's probably not a top-six player for a championship contender at this point in his career, he has something to offer to a team that's low on offensive talent and high on cap space.

The 31-year-old could be a floor raiser for a team on the way up like the Blackhawks or the Detroit Red Wings. Because he's only under contract for two more years, his somewhat onerous cap hit would be gone by the time a team like that was ready to challenge for a Cup.

Radek Faksa - C

Current team: Dallas Stars

Contract terms: Two years remaining with a $3.25 million cap hit and a five-team no-trade list.

Why the Stars might want to move on: Faksa is a handy player that the Stars could undoubtedly use, but he might be a luxury they cannot afford. The team projects to have $7.39 million in cap space, which isn't much to supplement a squad built to win now.

Faksa's decreasing usage in recent years also implies that Dallas values him less than they used to, as his average ice time over the last three seasons has gone from 17:26, to 15:46, to 13:43.

A team in a more flexible situation than the Stars might see Faksa as an asset, but there's a chance that Dallas might find paying a forward who hasn't topped 20 points since 2018-19 more than $3 million a bridge too far.

Why he might appeal to another team: While Faksa is no offensive force, he's a stellar faceoff man who's won 55.6% of his draws over the last three season, and his defensive acumen has earned him down ballot Selke Trophy votes in three different campaigns.

At the age of 29, he should have plenty of good hockey left in him, and he has the kind of size (6-foot-3, 225 pounds) that never goes out of style.

While rostering Faksa at $3.25 million over the next two years isn't the most efficient use of funds, it wouldn't be a bad play for a team like the Florida Panthers that lacks bottom-six depth down the middle. A Colorado Avalanche squad that could lose J.T. Compher and Lars Eller in free agency might also work — though that fit might require some salary retention.

Kevin Labanc - RW

Current team: San Jose Sharks

Contract terms: One year remaining with a $4.725 million cap hit

Why the Sharks might want to move on: Labanc simply hasn't been productive since signing a four-year, $18.9 million contract in 2020. Since that deal was inked, Labanc has just 67 points in 148 games — and he's a small playmaker who needs to be putting points on the board to create value.

San Jose isn't in dire need of short-term cap relief, but the Sharks are a young team that needs to giving as much time as possible to players who have a future with the franchise. After a run of middling seasons, Labanc doesn't seem to meet that criteria, and buying him out would push money into the future.

Why he might appeal to another team: Labanc is a frustrating player because he has moments of brilliance that suggest he possesses the skills to produce more than he does.

Like Granlund, he feels like a fit for an team without serious win-now aspirations willing to give him some power play time and a relatively prominent role. The best hope for Labanc is that a strong early-season showing might make him a trade asset at the deadline.

Although that's a route the Sharks could theoretically pursue, they might be tired of the winger by now. He'd be a more compelling trade chip if he went to another team and thrived, as that would suggest that the situation in San Jose had been holding him back in recent years.

Jordan Greenway - LW

Current team: Buffalo Sabres

Contract terms: Two years remaining with a $3 million cap hit and an eight-team no-trade list coming into effect in 2024-25

Why the Sabres might want to move on: The Sabres acquired Greenway on March 3, but a look at their salary cap situation indicates that he might be a tough piece to fit over the next two years.

Buffalo has a moderate amount of projected cap space this offseason ($13.68 million), but after 2023-24 their list of restricted free agents includes Rasmus Dahlin, Casey Mittelstadt, Peyton Krebs, Henri Jokiharju, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

They may also look for more help in net and are trying to push a young group towards contention, which may require some veteran reinforcements. What seems like a solid amount of cap flexibility could easily get swallowed up in a hurry.

That makes a burly bottom-six forward who managed 11 points in 2023-24 tough to keep on the books for the next two seasons. Moving him now would also prevent his incoming trade protection from affecting any transaction.

Why he might appeal to another team: Greenway isn't much of an offensive threat, never scoring more than 12 goals or producing more than 32 points in a season, but has has other qualities GMs like.

He's massive at 6-foot-6, 231 pounds, and he's no stranger to throwing his body around all over the ice.

He also has occasional moments that hint at more offensive skill than his production suggests, and at the age of 26, he might still have some room to grow as a player.

Size and nastiness tend to have value around the league and it's easy to see a team valuing Greenway at what he's paid, even if it's a bit steep for a Sabres team with plenty of payroll obligations on the way.