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What the price will be for big ticket players at 2025 NHL Trade Deadline
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Photo credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Justin Arenburg
Mar 6, 2025, 11:00 ESTUpdated: Mar 6, 2025, 08:17 EST
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If we’ve learned anything from the first couple trades of the deadline week, it’s the fact this is a seller’s deadline. Guys like Ryan Lindgren, Gustav Nyquist and Trent Frederic who are all good players, but on the much lower end of the top players available at this year’s deadline all fetching big returns for their teams.
Lindgren, who went to the Colorado Avalanche, and Frederic, who went to the Edmonton Oilers both received returns of second and fourth-round picks from the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins, while the Minnesota Wild needed a second-round pick to acquire 35-year-old Nyquist from the Nashville Predators.
With all the big names still on the market such as Brayden Schenn, Dylan Cozens and Brock Nelson, all players that the Toronto Maple Leafs have been connected to, it begs the question: what will it cost to get a player of that calibre on the Maple Leafs?
Here’s an estimated projection of what Schenn, Cozens and Nelson may cost if the Maple Leafs were to acquire one of them, while looking at a trade comparable from the past.
Brayden Schenn’s estimated cost: 2026 first-round pick, 2025 third-round pick, Nikita Grebenkin
Comparable trade: Tomas Hertl to the Golden Knights in 2024
Brayden Schenn is going to cost a lot if the Maple Leafs want him in the Blue and White, but it’s worth it. Looking at the Tomas Hertl deal from last year, the Vegas Golden Knights sent the San Jose Sharks a first-round pick for 2025 and David Edstrom, a legitimate prospect in exchange for Hertl and two third-round picks.
Before the Trent Frederic deal earlier in the week, that’s what I thought the price of Schenn would be, as the offensive production was almost the same, but a little better from Hertl’s side and the contract is a bit lower on Schenn’s side. It could potentially amount to an acquisition cost of a 2026 first-round pick and Fraser Minten.
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported the St. Louis Blues were looking for something exorbitant and seeing the price tag for Frederic, it makes me think this would more likely be the price tag for a deal.
The Maple Leafs can make the trade happen but will probably need to throw in someone like Max Domi to make the money work and find a third-party team willing to take money as well, while getting a couple picks back, just like Vegas did. Schenn would be the perfect fit as a third-line centre, while playing under Craig Berube, the same head coach that he won the Stanley Cup with back in 2019 with the St. Louis Blues.
Dylan Cozens’ estimated cost: 2026 first-round pick, 2027 first-round pick, Fraser Minten, Max Domi
Comparable trade: Jack Eichel to the Golden Knights in 2021
While Dylan Cozens isn’t quite on the same level as Jack Eichel, when he was traded back in November of 2021, the comparable is real because six years after being selected in the first round of the NHL Draft, the Buffalo Sabres might trade away another bright young centre in Cozens.
When Eichel was traded, the Sabres got back Peyton Krebs, Alex Tuch, a top-10 protected first-round pick in 2022 and a second-round pick in 2023. Obviously, Cozens isn’t going to get that, but he will still get a large return, and I think it’s a return any team should be willing to pay, especially the Maple Leafs. Just like the Schenn deal the Maple Leafs would need to put Max Domi in the deal and find a third-party team to make the money work.
This is the lowest Cozens’ value is going to be, and with him locked in at $7.1M annually until 2030, there aren’t many times that NHL player like this becomes available for trade. Trading two first-rounders and a legitimate prospect that could go into your top-nine is a lot, but this trade is something that could help the Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup this year.
Brock Nelson’s estimated cost: 2026 first-round pick, Fraser Minten
Comparable trade: Ryan O’Reilly to the Maple Leafs in 2023
Just like in 2023 when the Maple Leafs added Ryan O’Reilly to make one of the best centres groups in the NHL, the same thing could happen in 2025, if the Leafs were able to trade for Brock Nelson. The only difference is that the Leafs wouldn’t have to give up as much draft capital this time.
The Maple Leafs gave up Mikhail Abramov, Adam Gaudette, 2023 first-round pick, the Ottawa Senators 2023 third-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick in exchange for O’Reilly. They didn’t have a player like Fraser Minten they could trade away, at the time. While I don’t think it’s the best thing to trade Minten, he is more likely to be traded for a big-ticket player at the deadline than Easton Cowan
Nelson, like Schenn and Cozens, would be the perfect fit to strengthen the Maple Leafs down the middle of the ice and would be a great player to have on your team in the playoffs.
The price for all three players may be high, but during trade deadline season, we see the price increase for players. It’s just something the Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs will have to be comfortable dealing with if they want to make a big splash this year.
Get ready, hockey fans! The Daily Faceoff Deadline is happening on March 7th from 11 AM to 4 PM Eastern, and you won’t want to miss it. We’ll be LIVE, breaking down every trade and big move as it happens, with instant reactions and expert analysis from the Daily Faceoff crew. Plus, we’ve got special guests lined up throughout the show, offering exclusive insights from some of the biggest names in the game. From blockbuster trades to surprise moves, we’re covering it all. Tune in to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow Daily Faceoff socials on March 7th to catch all the action!
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