There is a realistic chance that five of the seven Canadian teams will make the NHL playoffs this spring.

Which five remains to be seen, with four of them still competing for wild-card spots in both conferences. Vancouver and Calgary in the West, Ottawa and Montreal in the East.

Only three are locks as of today, with Winnipeg, Toronto and Edmonton expected to represent the north again, barring a shocking collapse over the final quarter of the regular season.

Those three project as buyers ahead of Friday’s trade deadline, but Ottawa is eager for playoff hockey under new ownership, so the Senators could be equally aggressive in their pursuit of ringers.

Vancouver can go either way, with that decision to determine Brock Boeser’s fate.

Calgary is in the mix with enough veterans to make a push. But is getting playoff experience more valuable than acquiring future assets? Craig Conroy will be weighing his options.

Montreal is in the same boat as an anticipated seller but Marty St. Louis has the Habs in the hunt. Kent Hughes is still focused on the future but his asking prices will need to be met.

Speculation is rampant and rumours are swirling, as is always the case at this time of year with the deadline looming. So, what are the Canadian clubs looking for and who could they be targeting?

Let’s start at the top of the overall standings and work our way down, taking a look at the needs for each of the Canadian teams. And let’s make some predictions to make this more interesting.

Winnipeg Jets

The Jets are soaring and Kevin Cheveldayoff is back in the buyer’s seat with plenty of cap space at his disposal.

The needs include an upgrade at second line centre — no offence to Vladislav Namestnikov, who has performed admirably in earning an extension with Winnipeg — and another defender capable of contributing offensively.

Scott Laughton has been connected to Winnipeg but he isn’t a top-six driver, more of a responsible two-way type like Adam Lowry — making Laughton somewhat redundant.

Brock Nelson, Brayden Schenn and Ryan O’Reilly would be better targets to bolster the offence but obviously come with a steeper acquisition cost.

Dylan Cozens, Casey Mittelstadt and Trevor Zegras are younger options that could click with Nikolaj Ehlers and Cole Perfetti.

Schenn and Cozens might be the best fits in terms of wanting to be Jets, but Mittelstadt would be a nice complement to Perfetti stylistically.

On the back end, Bowen Byram, Noah Dobson and K’Andre Miller or Braden Schneider would be prime targets. Any of those four would be great additions.

The potential for a Cozens and Byram package would be mind-blowing.

Schenn and Schneider as a couple of former Brandon Wheat Kings would make for quite the Manitoba homecoming too.

Assuming Ivan Provorov isn’t available as another former Wheat King, Colton Parayko, Connor Murphy, Rasmus Ristolainen, Mario Ferraro and Matt Grzelcyk would round out the names of interest for Winnipeg.

The Jets could offer Rasmus Kupari and Ville Heinola with their first-round picks for the next three years as well as recent first-rounders like Brad Lambert, Brayden Yager and Colby Barlow, plus a plethora of intriguing forward prospects like Nikita Chibrikov, Dmitri Rashevsky, Chaz Lucius, Danny Zhilkin, Kevin He and Kieron Walton. They don’t have much coming on defence but Elias Salomonsson and Alfons Freij could be of interest.

Now for the fun part, a few predictions for the Jets:

Trade 1

To Winnipeg = Dylan Cozens and Bowen Byram

To Buffalo = Brad Lambert, Rasmus Kupari, Ville Heinola, 2025 1st Round Pick and conditional 2026 2nd Round Pick (upgraded to 1st Round Pick if Jets win Cup in 2025 or 2026)

Trade 2

To Winnipeg = Brayden Schenn

To St. Louis = Brad Lambert, Rasmus Kupari and a 2025 1st Round Pick

Trade 3

To Winnipeg = Braden Schneider

To New York Rangers = Ville Heinola, Kieron Walton and a 2026 2nd Round Pick

NOTES: Obviously all three trades can’t happen with overlapping assets, but Trade 1 would be quite the blockbuster, while Trades 2 & 3 could both come to fruition. How are we feeling Jets fans, loving or hating either of those scenarios?

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs could have some of the same targets — Schenn and Laughton, in particular — but they don’t have the same cap flexibility or the first-rounder in this year’s draft to dangle.

A bidding war between Winnipeg and Toronto likely tilts in favour of the Jets.

But the familiarity with Craig Berube and the possibility of retention from St. Louis has thrust Schenn into the spotlight. Nelson is on Toronto’s radar, too. Even Mikko Rantanen has been mentioned.

Another top-six scorer makes the most sense for Toronto, along with a bottom-six centre.

Berube would love to land both Schenn and Laughton — those are his types of players.

Another shutdown defender like David Savard or Carson Soucy could also be on the wish list. Or somebody with term like Connor Murphy or Jamie Oleksiak. Don’t rule out a Luke Schenn return to Toronto.

Nick Robertson has been working his tail off for Berube and starting to score more consistently, but he will almost certainly be part of the package to land a bigger fish.

Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten are trade bait as well. The 2026 first-round pick has to be in play too.

After those four assets, it’s a guessing game as to what the sellers could want from Toronto. Nikita Grebenkin, Ben Danford, Dennis Hildeby or Artur Akhtyamov, Topi Niemela, Roni Hirvonen, Nicholas Moldenhauer and Nick Abruzzese could come up in various conversations.

As for the predictions in La La Leaf Land:

Trade 1

To Toronto = Brayden Schenn (25% retained)

To St. Louis = Nick Robertson, Easton Cowan and a 2026 1st Round Pick

Trade 2

To Toronto = Scott Laughton

To Philadelphia = Fraser Minten, Nicholas Moldenhauer and a 2025 3rd Round Pick

Trade 3

To Toronto = Luke Schenn

To Nashville = Topi Niemela and a 2025 2nd Round Pick

NOTES: The cap prevents all three of these trades from happening but who wouldn’t want to see the Schenn brothers reunited in Toronto? Maybe those franchises in Florida. That would be a welcomed injection of truculence for Berube, but he might have to settle for Laughton as a consolation prize. Or Nelson, who could command the same package as Schenn despite being a rental.

Edmonton Oilers

For a team that came within a goal of winning the Stanley Cup in Game 7 last June, the Oilers have a lot of needs at this year’s deadline.

More scoring, better defending and quality goaltending are all on the list.

That doesn’t sound like a contender but Edmonton is among the betting favourites again — and will continue to be as long as the Oilers are led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

It’s the supporting cast that is still struggling to turn this team into one of the league’s elite in the regular season.

Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner and Adam Henrique haven’t provided as much secondary scoring as hoped.

Evander Kane’s status will dictate Edmonton’s next move, whether he remains sidelined as a playoff ringer or pushes to return sooner than later. If the latter, the Oilers might move Kane and target a healthy replacement.

Alex Tuch and Travis Konecny have been talked about. Brad Marchand and Mikko Rantanen have been dreamt about.

There is no doubt that Edmonton will be going all-in again. The Oilers will meet any asking price on the players they desire. No hesitation for selling the farm, depending who is available and what their cap will allow.

Stan Bowman will want to put his stamp on the roster during his first deadline as Edmonton’s general manager. The Oilers won’t be able to add everything, so he’ll need to determine the priorities.

If it’s defending, Bowman has familiarity with Connor Murphy from Chicago. Parayko, Oleksiak, Jacob Trouba and Brandon Carlo are also rugged shutdown types.

Ristolainen is another name that has been connected to Edmonton, on and off since the preseason.

Mike Matheson’s name isn’t really out there and Provorov’s name has been removed from some trade boards based on Columbus’s successful run. But the Oilers could swing for the fences on either of them.

If it’s goaltending, with Stuart Skinner struggling as of late and not exactly excelling in recent playoffs, then Jordan Binnington could be high on the list after backstopping Canada to the 4 Nations title.

John Gibson is apparently willing to waive for Edmonton but has been injury prone, including throughout this season. He isn’t as proven in terms of winning the big games, with Anaheim missing the playoffs the past six years.

Petr Mrazek and Karel Vejmelka could be cheaper options, if Binnington isn’t available and Gibson’s term is too much to stomach.

If Edmonton is seeking longer-term solutions, as the oldest team in the league, they could circle back to Buffalo and inquire about JJ Peterka as a German wingman for Draisaitl.

Those aforementioned Rangers defenders, K’Andre Miller and Braden Schneider, could also age nicely with Evan Bouchard.

The Oilers will be lucky to afford two of those targets and might have to aim lower if there isn’t a market for Kane in the present. Edmonton fans should temper their expectations for this deadline despite all those exciting names in the rumour mill.

The Oilers don’t have their first-round pick in 2025, which could complicate negotiations if other buyers are offering this year’s pick. Edmonton can do next year if sellers are willing to wait.

Matthew Savoie, Sam O’Reilly and Beau Akey are the premier prospects. Shane Lachance, Maksim Berezkin and Matvei Petrov would be secondary considerations. Perhaps Phil Kemp as a depth defender.

So how about some predictions for the Oilers?

Trade 1

To Edmonton = Connor Murphy and Petr Mrazek

To Chicago = Evander Kane, Maksim Berezkin, Shane Lachance and a 2025 2nd Round Pick

Trade 2

To Edmonton = Jordan Binnington and Colton Parayko

To St. Louis = Evander Kane, Stuart Skinner, Sam O’Reilly and Beau Akey

Trade 3

To Edmonton = Travis Konecny and Rasmus Ristolainen

To Philadelphia = Evander Kane, Matthew Savoie and a 2026 1st Round Pick (lottery protected)

NOTES: There are cap implications on some of these trades that might require retention, even with Kane going the other way. The mathematicians can figure that out, but those are three destinations that presumably wouldn’t be on Kane’s 16-team list. A couple may seem like overpayments for Edmonton but this is perceiving Kane’s value to be negligible, if not negative. With Trade 1, the Oilers would have to waive or trade Calvin Pickard, assuming they were sticking with Skinner and Mrazek. Chicago wouldn’t want a goaltender back after acquiring Spencer Knight for Seth Jones. If Kane wants to stick it out in Edmonton and stay sidelined until the playoffs, these trades could still happen without him, but that 2026 first would need to be included.

Ottawa Senators

The Senators are the last of the definitive buyers from Canada and might still opt for subtle moves.

Laughton would be a great fit for Ottawa. So would Yanni Gourde from Seattle.

Brock Nelson and Ryan O’Reilly would be the blockbuster additions.

Cozens would complement their core but Buffalo probably doesn’t want to deal him within the division.

Lawson Crouse would give them more of a physical presence up front. Luke Kunin could be intriguing too.

The return of Erik Karlsson would be a wild storyline but highly improbable. If Ottawa makes a move on the back end, Oleksiak or Ferraro could be on their radar.

The Sens may have to go the subtle route because they don’t have much buying power in terms of desirable assets or cap space.

Carter Yakemchuk isn’t going anywhere as an untouchable. The rest of their prospects aren’t moving the needle at the moment or not as centrepieces for any return.

They could package their first in 2025 with a roster player like Michael Amadio or Artem Zub for an upgrade.

That might be their best bet when it comes to predictions:

Trade 1

To Ottawa = Scott Laughton

To Philadelphia = 2025 1st Round Pick

Trade 2

To Ottawa = Yanni Gourde and Jamie Oleksiak

To Seattle = Jacob Bernard-Docker and a 2025 1st Round Pick

Trade 3

To Ottawa = Lawson Crouse and Michael Carcone

To Utah = Michael Amadio and Jacob Bernard-Docker

NOTES: The lack of quality prospects and cap space is a real roadblock for Ottawa, but any of these additions would give the Sens a nice boost for the stretch run. They may need to get creative to stay compliant, but standing pat might not be good enough to get in. This is a good year to go for it and get that experience. Not to mention keeping Brady Tkachuk in good spirits.

Vancouver Canucks

These Canucks are a far cry from the team that came within a win of the conference final last year.

They are still in the wild-card race despite not much going right for Vancouver this season.

Thatcher Demko’s lingering injury and Elias Pettersson’s ongoing struggles are real causes for concern.

Boeser doesn’t have a contract beyond this season, nor does head coach Rick Tocchet.

Those are issues that Patrik Allvin needs to address. Is Boeser getting extended or hanging around for the playoff push? Or should Allvin be shopping the former 40-goal scorer?

Carson Soucy and Nils Hoglander have been on the block for some time. Dakota Joshua could draw interest too.

The Canucks have cap space to be buyers but where do they even start?

Does Vancouver keep Boeser and try to bring in the other Brock, as in Nelson?

Is Mittelstadt a potential target? Or maybe Zegras?

Could they take a swing at the Schenn brothers?

Do they go back to Pittsburgh for Rickard Rakell?

There are more questions than answers in Vancouver right now.

Cozens and Byram were on the radar when debating between trading Pettersson or JT Miller, but Buffalo probably pumps the brakes on those talks in the present.

If the Canucks want to be buyers, the sellers will be asking for Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Tom Willander and their 2025 first-round pick. Some might back off to accept Aatu Raty, Danila Klimovich, Sawyer Mynio or Kirill Kudryavtsev.

So what to do with these predictions?

Trade 1

To Minnesota = Brock Boeser

To Vancouver = Riley Heidt and a conditional 2025 2nd Round Pick (upgraded to 2026 1st Round Pick, lottery protected, if Boeser extends with Minnesota)

Trade 2

To Vancouver = Brayden Schenn

To St. Louis = Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Nils Hoglander and a 2025 1st Round Pick

Trade 3

To Vancouver = Luke Schenn

To Nashville = 2026 2nd Round Pick

NOTES: All three of those trades could theoretically happen at the deadline, with Brayden Schenn being a good fit for Jake DeBrusk and replacing a lot of JT Miller’s intangibles. Luke Schenn has another year left, so those brothers would help restore Vancouver’s leadership. Allvin might prefer Liam Ohgren over Heidt from Minnesota but these deals signify a shift towards Western Canadian talent as Vancouver tries to change their culture.

Calgary Flames

The Flames have already made a significant move, fetching Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost from Philadelphia.

Conroy could continue to target players in their mid-twenties, particularly forwards.

Cozens and Mittelstadt immediately come to mind.

Crouse and Trent Frederic would add a different element.

Nick Robertson and Zegras could be worth the acquisition cost.

Nazem Kadri, Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman are leading by example for Calgary but could be traded for younger talents.

Calgary has two firsts in 2025, from Florida and New Jersey, so those picks could be used to further upgrade the roster. As could their second first in 2026, from Vegas.

Could John Gibson be of interest as an American mentor for Dustin Wolf? Dan Vladar would go the other way to pair with Lukas Dostal in Anaheim.

Calgary is rich with young defence prospects, including Jeremie Poirier, Hunter Brzustewicz, Etienne Morin, Henry Mews, Artem Grushnikov, Yan Kuznetsov, Nikita Okhotyuk and Joni Jurmo. That is assuming Zayne Parekh is untouchable as their future power-play quarterback.

Prediction time again:

Trade 1

To Calgary = Casey Mittelstadt and Calum Ritchie

To Colorado = Nazem Kadri and Jeremie Poirier

Trade 2

To Calgary = Dylan Cozens

To Buffalo = Two 2025 1sts via Florida and New Jersey

Trade 3

To Calgary = John Gibson (25% retained) and Trevor Zegras

To Anaheim = Dan Vladar and two 2025 1sts via Florida and New Jersey

NOTES: Kadri back to Colorado could be fathomable since the Avs haven’t been the same without him. Cozens may not be worth two firsts, but the Flames could covet him on a line with Connor Zary going forward. Is Conroy actually shopping those firsts for current upgrades? If so, Zegras could be another target. He’d pair well with Matt Coronato.

Montreal Canadiens

Last but not least, in terms of which Canadian teams will be busiest at the deadline, the Habs are set up to be sellers.

Jake Evans and David Savard will fetch quality returns for the future.

Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak could be moved, though Dvorak may require retention if Montreal wants to go down that road. They can only retain on one more player.

Josh Anderson still has two years left at $5.5 million but his style will appeal to playoff teams with the cap trending up.

Mike Matheson might be their most valuable trade chip, with another year left, but he is still their top overall defender on a young blue line. It would take a massive package to pry him out of Montreal.

Cayden Primeau is still looking for his change of scenery between the pipes.

Assuming Matheson and Anderson aren’t moving and the Canadiens will be more traditional sellers, these predictions are relatively bland:

Trade 1

To Tampa Bay = Jake Evans

To Montreal = Dylan Duke and a conditional 2025 2nd Round Pick (better pick between Minnesota and Toronto)

Trade 2

To Dallas = David Savard

To Montreal = 2026 2nd Round Pick and a conditional 2025 5th Round Pick (better pick between New Jersey and Dallas)

Trade 3

To Carolina = Joel Armia

To Montreal = Jack Roslovic and a 2027 4th Round Pick

NOTES: Nothing sexy here, just converting expiring assets into futures. Montreal will try to hold out for first-round picks but seconds might be the best they can do for Evans and Savard, assuming they can’t package them to the same place for a first like San Jose did with Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci. Those are still decent returns and Armia fits the bill for Carolina, while Montreal can test drive Roslovic down the stretch.

Final Thoughts

The Canadian teams are bound to be busy at this year’s deadline, both buying and selling.

Several of the names mentioned here will be on the move, but how many of these predictions will prove prophetic? Any of them? Care to share your predictions for the Canadian clubs or the deadline in general?

Predictions tend to be a fool’s game but they add to the entertainment value. And this deadline promises to be plenty entertaining, so settle in as an armchair GM and enjoy all the wheeling and dealing that is sure to occur this week!