Let's make a deal: Projecting six NHL summer trade...

Given that there are fewer impact players available via free agency this NHL offseason, there has been a considerable amount of buzz that there will be more veteran players traded. That feeling was amplified when Dylan Larkin requested a trade from the Detroit Red Wings during the course of the Stanley Cup Final. But which players will be traded, and where will they land? ESPN reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski identified six mutually beneficial summer trades, including a number of big-name stars and/or high draft picks. How many of these will come to pass in the coming weeks? Florida Panthers get: F Dylan Larkin, 2026 seventh-round pick (CGY) Detroit Red Wings get: F Anton Lundell, F Mackie Samoskevich, 2026 second-round pick (WSH) Why it works: It's not as if Detroit GM Steve Yzerman wants to be backed into a corner -- but he sort of is when it comes to Larkin. Given that the 29-year-old has a full no-trade clause -- and reports have indicated that his three approved destinations are Vegas, Minnesota and Florida -- Yzerman's best bet is to make the strongest deal he can among the available options. The Panthers have potential as the ideal trade partner. Florida's disappointing 2025-26 season should only motivate GM Bill Zito to explore every option in seeing the Panthers back as top Cup contenders. Adding a top-tier center such as Larkin is how to make that happen. Florida floundered in 2025-26 without Aleksander Barkov -- who was injured before the regular season and did not play because of ACL and MCL tears -- which only highlighted how the Panthers could stand to bolster their center depth. Larkin wouldn't come cheap, but Florida does have picks and players available to swap. Lundell is a rising star down the middle, and has proved his worth at critical points in both the regular season and playoffs for Florida in recent years. The No. 12 pick in 2020 put up six goals and 18 points in the Panthers' last Stanley Cup run, and took on more responsibility with Barkov out last season, collecting 18 goals and 44 points in 64 games. Samoskevich was the Panthers' first-round pick in 2021 and is coming off a strong second season with 12 goals and 32 points in 77 games. The 23-year-old will continue to improve and would give the Red Wings a potential top-six winger option for years into the future. A second-round pick in this year's draft also helps Detroit in the long term to keep building its prospect depth. A scenario such as this one gives Florida the type of game-changing talent that's rarely available, and offers the Red Wings several players and assets in return to bolster their overall depth and build for the future. -- Shilton Colorado Avalanche get: F Jake DeBrusk Washington Capitals get: F Valeri Nichushkin Vancouver Canucks get: 2026 first-round pick (ANA), 2026 third-round pick (NSH) Why it works: Perhaps the easiest way to digest this hypothetical is looking at what it means for each team involved. The Avalanche have a chance to make some adjustments to their roster after being swept in the Western Conference finals. The sweep led to questions about secondary offense and the power play. DeBrusk is a forward who could deliver solutions to those questions. His 19 power-play goals last season were third in the NHL, and his ability to get to the net front also gives the Avs another way to score goals at 5-on-5. No matter what happens with Alex Ovechkin, the Capitals still have areas of their roster worth addressing. Washington has developed a strong collection of promising options who are either natural wingers, or centers who can play on the wing. But adding more experience could help a team that missed the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot by four points. In Nichushkin, they would add an experienced, two-way winger who also fits within their organizational belief to have size up front (Nichushkin is 6-foot-4). Furthermore, as a three-time 20-goal scorer, he would help a team that finished 15th in goals per game last season. Vancouver's priority at the moment is doing whatever it can to make its future stronger. Moving on from DeBrusk in any potential trade comes with the belief that the Canucks can turn a five-time 20-goal scorer into more draft capital. In this scenario, they land the first-round pick the Capitals received from the Anaheim Ducks in the John Carlson trade, along with the third-round pick the Avalanche received from the Nashville Predators in the Ross Colton trade. This would give them picks No. 3, 18 and 24, which could boost that rebuild. -- Clark Carolina Hurricanes get: G Connor Hellebuyck Winnipeg Jets get: D Alexander Nikishin, F Bradly Nadeau, 2026 first-round pick Why it works: The Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup for a lot of reasons, but one of them was GM Eric Tulsky's loathing of complacency. He's as aggressive in the front office as coach Rod Brind'Amour's system is on the ice, constantly looking for ways to improve the roster. The Hurricanes won the Cup thanks to three rounds of Frederik Andersen's best postseason goaltending ever, and then three wins from Brandon Bussi -- a 27-year-old first-year NHL player -- in the Final, first stabilizing the position and then having the game of his life in Game 6. Andersen is an unrestricted free agent who turns 37 in October. Bussi is locked in at $1.9 million AAV for the next three seasons. Though Pyotr Kochetkov, a UFA in 2027, has been a dependable hand, he and Bussi aren't an inspiring duo in goal. But Hellebuyck and Bussi would give Carolina perhaps the best goaltending duo in the league. The NHL echo chamber is filled with speculation that Hellebuyck wants out of Winnipeg and that the Jets would entertain the move for certain players coming back the other way. They'd like to get add size on defense. Nikishin is 6-foot-3 and around 200 pounds, a 24-year-old defenseman with upside who is an RFA this summer. He was a rookie last season. They'd like to find a solution at center. Bradly Nadeau, a New Brunswick native, is a 21-year-old forward who lit up the AHL. His background is on the wing, but there's possibly a Logan Stankoven-esque transition to center in him, considering his playmaking skills. He has had a couple of tastes of the NHL, but nothing consistent. Toss in a low first-rounder this season and that's a solid package for a player looking to leave, one who has a no-movement clause. One assumed he'd waive it for the reigning Stanley Cup champion, in an understated market, behind a Rod Brind'Amour defense. -- Wyshynski Anaheim Ducks get: D Colton Parayko St. Louis Blues get: 2027 first-round pick and D Stian Solberg Why it works: Go take a look at the Ducks' defense right now. The players who are either under contract or team control, are still young. Meanwhile, veterans such as John Carlson, Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba are all UFAs who could hypothetically leave come free agency. Not that Parayko is a fix-all solution. But he would give the Ducks an experienced top-pairing, right-handed shot who can play heavy minutes. He would come at a cost both in terms of capital and salary, but would be a strong starting point toward adding to a defense that gave up too many high-danger scoring chances in the regular season. Let's say the Blues decide this is the offseason to move on from Parayko and others as part of what could at least be a retool. This swap is somewhat similar to the proposed offer that was submitted by the Buffalo Sabres ahead of the trade deadline that the Blues accepted only to have Parayko opt to decline the deal. But given that the Ducks are a returning playoff team and appear to be one that could challenge the Western Conference power dynamic in the years to come, it's possible that Parayko could accept going to Anaheim; that allows the Blues to acquire capital for the future while clearing Parayko's cap hit. -- Clark Minnesota Wild get: F Vincent Trocheck New York Rangers get: F Danila Yurov, 2027 first-round pick, 2027 fourth-round pick Why it works: The Wild are going to make their pitch for Dylan Larkin. Since he wields a no-trade clause, there's a decent possibility he might end up joining a few of his Team USA gold medalists and GM Bill Guerin, who built that Olympic roster. He's the kind of elite center the Wild desperately need in their lineup, which is a donut in a conference filled with powerhouses that go deep in the middle. But let's say that Detroit GM Steve Yzerman gets salty and doesn't give Larkin what he and the Wild probably want. Then it's on to Plan B for Minnesota, and that plan could include circling back on Trocheck. Trocheck, who turns 33 in July, is a Swiss Army knife of a player. He can move up and down the lineup in scoring and defensive roles. He can play on the power play and the penalty kill. He's good for about 60 points and upward of 25 goals per season. He's also a famously good locker room guy and team leader. Like Larkin, he won gold in Milan with Team USA, tallying three assists in six games while playing a shutdown defensive role. So Guerin knows what he's getting. Trocheck reportedly changed representation to super agent Pat Brisson, a good signal he expects to be on the move. One of the best things about him is his cap hit: $5.625 million annually through 2028-29. Assuming that Trocheck is the best option available for the Wild, the speedy 22-year-old Yurov and a low first-rounder could be enough to entice Rangers GM Chris Drury, depending on the other offers rolling in for Trocheck. It's fair value for a player his age. -- Wyshynski Montreal Canadiens get: F Mason McTavish Anaheim Ducks get: D David Reinbacher, 2026 second-round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick Why it works: Montreal's need for a second-line center behind Nick Suzuki became glaringly obvious as the Canadiens stumbled offensively through the Eastern Conference finals against the Canes. Their inability to generate shots -- not to mention goals -- stemmed from a lack of depth down the middle. There's a perfect opportunity to address that issue by bringing in McTavish. Montreal has shown interest in McTavish before -- inquiring on his status last year when he was at an impasse with Anaheim on negotiating a new contract -- but the Ducks did eventually ink the 23-year-old to a six-year, $42 million deal. But then nothing about the first season of that pact went to plan. McTavish failed to thrive under coach Joel Quenneville, and was a healthy scratch at times while producing 17 goals and 41 points in 75 games. A change of scenery seems like the best course for all involved -- and the Canadiens should be first in line. He has the talent to succeed as part of a young squad that's on a serious upswing. The Canadiens also have to be mindful of their future. Phillip Danault has only one year left on his deal, and if McTavish were to join now, he could take lessons from Danault (particularly on the defensive end) and provide Montreal with insurance in case the veteran moves on next summer. To a similar degree that the Canadiens require center depth, the Ducks could use an NHL-ready player on the back end. All three of Anaheim's top defensive veterans -- Gudas, Trouba and Carlson -- are unrestricted free agents. The Ducks could retain one or two, but adding Reinbacher -- the No. 5 pick in 2023 and only 21 years old -- would give Anaheim another potential cornerstone on its blue line. And in a draft as deep as the one coming, collecting picks is also going to benefit the Ducks' long-term goals of transitioning into a perennial playoff contender. It's possible Anaheim will want a little more of a sweetener for McTavish, so another seventh-round pick being tossed into the mix wouldn't hurt. But it's pretty clear McTavish's time in Anaheim is probably coming to a close, and Montreal is in a good position to give the Ducks a solid return. -- Shilton