2026 NHL Trade Board Signals Seller's Market for Veterans

Chris Johnston’s Top 25 NHL trade board, published May 28 2026, ranks Rangers center Vincent Trocheck first at a $5.625 million AAV locked through 2029.

High-Salary Veterans Anchor the Board

Vincent Trocheck sits at number one because his contract runs through 2029 and his 12-team no-trade list shrinks to ten teams in 2026-27, giving New York flexibility to move him without full veto power. Jordan Kyrou follows at number three on an $8.125 million AAV deal through 2031 with a full no-trade clause, making any deal hinge on St. Louis absorbing salary or receiving immediate help. Morgan Rielly lands at number five on a $7.5 million AAV through 2030 with a no-movement clause, so Toronto must extract equal long-term value or face retention. Darnell Nurse ranks sixth at $9.25 million AAV through 2030 under a no-movement clause, positioning Edmonton to shed the largest single cap hit among defensemen on the list. Elias Pettersson appears at number ten on an $11.6 million AAV through 2032 with a no-movement clause, the highest cap figure among skaters and the clearest signal that Vancouver views him as movable only for a massive return.

Young RFAs and Draft Picks Create Value Windows

Simon Nemec holds the seventh spot as a restricted free agent whose bridge or long-term deal will dictate New Jersey’s cap flexibility beyond next season. Shane Wright sits at number eleven on an $886,666 AAV through 2027, the lowest cap hit among top prospects and the clearest example of Seattle using arbitration rights to retain control. Matthew Knies ranks twelfth at a $7.75 million AAV through 2031, giving Toronto a cost-controlled winger who could be flipped for immediate roster help or kept as a core piece. Michael Kesselring and Devon Levi occupy spots eighteen and nineteen as Buffalo restricted free agents and a $812,500 AAV goaltender through 2027, respectively, offering the Sabres low-cost assets to shed salary while rebuilding. Chicago’s number-four pick at number twenty-one and San Jose’s number-two pick at number two illustrate how draft capital now trades above mid-tier veterans on this board.

Contenders Must Weigh Retention Costs Against Future Flexibility

Adin Hill at number nine carries a $6.25 million AAV through 2031 and a ten-team no-trade list, forcing Vegas to decide between extending him or moving the contract before it becomes immovable. Jordan Binnington ranks eighth at $6 million AAV through 2027 with a shrinking no-trade list, giving St. Louis a short-term window to move the netminder without full retention. Mason McTavish at number four on a $7 million AAV through 2031 and Robert Thomas at number fifteen on the same $8.125 million AAV through 2031 create a Blues logjam at center that only a multi-asset deal can resolve. Colton Parayko at number sixteen on $6.5 million AAV through 2030 with a no-trade clause adds another high-salary St. Louis piece that must be packaged to create cap space. The presence of eight free agents on the Minnesota Wild roster, including Ryan Hartman at number twenty-three on a $4 million AAV through 2027, shows how teams with $15 million in projected cap space will target these movable contracts rather than pure rentals.

The board therefore forecasts a summer where cap-strapped clubs exchange veterans for prospects and picks, resetting their windows while buyers acquire proven production at known costs.