We are now officially under one month away from the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline. This year’s deadline is scheduled for Monday, March 21, at 3 p.m. ET. The deadline date is typically in February, but it’s later this year because the regular season schedule ends in late April instead of mid-April. Like in every season, there will be plenty of buyers, sellers and negotiations until the final minute this year.
The following month will be filled with talk of the deadline, players who could be moved, buyers and sellers and rental players. The deadline is next month, but all the teams will be ready with their plans, and the planning will continue in the coming days as they need to strengthen the teams.
Let’s have a look at the top targets in the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline:
Jakob Chychrun
2021-22 Stats: 2 G, 6 A in 29 GP
Age: 23
Contract: $4.6M cap hit, UFA in 2025
Jakob Chychrun is currently the defenseman and alternate captain for the Arizona Coyotes. He was drafted sixteenth overall by the Coyotes at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
On July 30, 2016, Chychrun signed a three-year NHL entry-level contract with the Coyotes. He scored his first NHL goal on October 20, 2016, against Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens.
When choosing him, the main concern for the teams will be his injury history. He has not played more than 68 games in a season.
Tomas Hertl
2021-22 Stats: 21 G, 16 A in 42 GP
Age: 28
Contract: $5.63M cap hit, UFA in 2022
Tomas Hertl is the forward and alternate captain for the San Jose Sharks. Hertl was selected 17th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Sharks. He is the first player born in the modern Czech Republic after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia to appear in an NHL game.
Hertl is tied for eighth in the league in goals and has already surpassed his last season’s total in eight fewer games. He’s a legit top-six forward with enough versatility to produce at centre and right-wing.
Ben Chiarot
2021-22 Stats:
Age: 30
Contract: $3.5M cap hit, UFA in 2022
There will be a fight between the teams to buy Ben Chiarot, the top rental defenseman available. After spending the first eight seasons of his professional career within the Thrashers/Jets franchise, Chiarot left as a free agent following the 2018–19 season to sign a three-year, $10.5 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens on July 4, 2019.
John Klingberg
2021-22 Stats: 1 G, 22 A in 33 GP
Age: 29
Contract: $4.25M cap hit, UFA in 2022
John Klingberg will be another top target as Dallas Stars could not provide a long term deal with the defenseman. He is one of the top defensemen in NHL, and After ranking first among NHL defensemen, Klingberg was named to the 2018 NHL All-Star Game and teammate Tyler Seguin. He finished the year with a career-high 67 points in 82 games.
