More than ever, the NHL is a young man's game. The coaches that have adjusted to that -- be it in their communication styles with the younger generation or their willingness to allow for mistakes and development -- have been the most successful.
Sometimes a player's development is derailed when a rebuilding team is bad for long enough that players are pushed down the depth chart because of lottery picks entering the fold. This was the case with Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale with the Anaheim Ducks, and both of them are now thriving with the Philadelphia Flyers. Rick Tocchet is not a young player's coach by any stretch (more on that in a bit), but Philadelphia capitalized on talent that was pushed lower on the depth chart in Anaheim and turned them into core players.
Kirby Dach floundered in his young career, but is now rejuvenated, when healthy, with the Montreal Canadiens. Though he's not the player who many expected he would become when he was picked No. 3 in 2019, he's a valuable middle-six player for a team in the conference finals.
Players flounder for a multitude of reasons: injury, lack of a developmental structure within the organization, lack of communication and connection with the coaching staff or most often, lack of opportunity to make mistakes and develop in a key role. Beckett Sennecke and Cutter Gauthier were allowed to develop for the Ducks in 2025-26 in a way that Zegras and Drysdale were not in previous seasons. Adam Fantilli and Tim Stutzle were given tremendous opportunities to develop in the way that other young players such as Kent Johnson, Mason McTavish and Matvei Michkov were not. The Minnesota Wild blocked the development of some of their players by signing veterans who provided negative value.
For one reason or another, there are many young players who would benefit from a trade to a team that is interested in letting young players flourish. Here are a dozen such candidates:
Matvei Michkov
F, Philadelphia Flyers
The biggest and most glaring young player in this category is Michkov. Tocchet is getting the best out of Zegras by elevating his role, but the coach's track record with star talent is poor. Clayton Keller and Elias Pettersson saw their production stunted under Tocchet, and it happened with Michkov in 2025-26 -- and his potential is greater than both. Put simply, Michkov does not appear to have the same latitude that Porter Martone and Zegras enjoy. Though some of that is probably related to his own training and approach, he has not been put in a position to succeed.
There is a difference between a development mistake and a lazy mistake. Lazy mistakes are the hooking penalties because your feet aren't moving on the backcheck. Developmental mistakes are a bad turnover at the blue line that goes the other way because the player was trying to create offense. Both of those are learning opportunities, but only one of them deserves a prolonged benching or removal from the lineup. If Michkov continues to be benched for developmental mistakes, his confidence wanes and he is unlikely to try to do the things that make him a potential superstar in the NHL.
Punishing a player for trying to make plays and failing is a choice, and it is a choice that actively makes your team worse in the long term. You might lose a few extra games in the course of your thin years, but when that player figures out when and how to make those plays at the NHL level, he will win you a lot more games with his skill set than you lost in the early years of his career.
If the pattern is repeating itself with Tocchet -- and there is no reason to believe it isn't -- the Flyers have a choice to make. They clearly aren't firing Tocchet, so that option can be removed. Either management forces him to give Michkov some room to develop and make mistakes while holding him accountable by missing a shift or two, or they trade Michkov before his value is destroyed.
Trading a player such as Michkov is dangerous, because if he goes to an organization willing to let players make mistakes to nurture development, there is a chance they traded a point-per-game star because the organizational approach to his development was poor.
Simon Nemec
D, New Jersey Devils
With a new front office regime in place led by Sunny Mehta, this might be a moot point because it's hard to imagine the Devils don't see Nemec's long-term value over some of the other defensemen in the organization.
Similar to Michkov, Nemec has not been afforded the same opportunity that another young defensemen in New Jersey has. His development cratered this season, despite being one of the best right-handed defense prospects in the NHL. The power-play time is not there. The developmental space afforded to the other young defenseman is not there.
There are rumblings that Nemec, who is a pending restricted free agent, wants out of New Jersey, and it isn't difficult to see why. He has not been given the opportunity to develop and flourish, and it's difficult to see a path to that given the presence of Luke Hughes, and the surplus of unwise trade protection handed to nearly every defenseman on the roster. Mehta probably wants to find a way to move one or two of the defensemen blocking Nemec's path, but that might prove difficult given the contract situations former GM Tom Fitzgerald left him with.
If Nemec is to be traded, the San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks would be at the top of the list of interested teams given their organizational needs. Nemec has shown he is good in transition and capable of driving offense when given the opportunity. If an acquiring team gives him top power-play minutes, it is likely Nemec would flourish in a top-four role.
Mason McTavish, Olen Zellweger
Anaheim Ducks
After years near the bottom of the NHL standings, the Ducks are well on their way to contention with more young talent than open lineup spots. Of course, the acquisition of Cutter Gauthier after his refusal to sign in Philadelphia was helpful, but the Ducks have drafted a tremendous amount of skilled young players. With primary focus on centers and defensemen, the Ducks are now loaded, and have a few players with trade value and potential to flourish in a new situation.
With the emergence of Jackson LaCombe, both Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov were bumped down the lineup; in Zellweger's case, he was pushed out of the lineup entirely. Zellweger is never going to get top power-play time in Anaheim with Lacombe signed long term. He has continued to develop nicely and is particularly effective on offense and in transition. He has the skating ability and the hockey sense to run a power play and drive offense from the blue line for an NHL team, with room to grow as 22-year-old.
Ditto for McTavish, whose role has diminished with the emergence of Leo Carlsson and the signing of Mikael Granlund. McTavish is an RFA this summer, and given the lack of unrestricted free agent talent available at the center position, could be primed for an offer sheet (or trade) and a bigger role with a new team. The versatile forward drives offensive play with a shoot-first mentality but has struggled to develop away from the puck. At 23, there is still time to develop defensive play, which is required for him to take the next step in his NHL career. Given the length of Granlund's contract, McTavish is unlikely to get an opportunity to play a regular second-line center role for Anaheim, but a team short on centers that is looking to add young talent would be wise to bet on him.
Matthew Poitras
F, Boston Bruins
The 22-year-old Poitras is another pending RFA center who probably played in the NHL before he was ready. The Bruins had major holes at center, and the then-18-year-old stepped into their lineup out of camp in 2024-25. Poitras has spent the majority of the past two seasons with AHL Providence, and is not producing at the level the Bruins had hoped. His production plateaued this season, and with the resurgence of Pavel Zacha and emergence of Fraser Minten and James Hagens, there is little room for Poitras to get another chance.
Though a move to the wing might facilitate production at the NHL level, Poitras has value as a right-handed center. A team willing to develop him, staying patient as he improves on both ends of the ice, and give him opportunities to contribute offensively could have itself a middle-six center. He's unlikely to get that opportunity in Boston, and the Bruins are probably considering a move for a player who can play elsewhere in their NHL lineup.
Kent Johnson
F, Columbus Blue Jackets
Johnson had his ice time plummet this season after a promising 2024-25 in which he was on pace for 70 points over 82 games. A dynamic playmaker with brilliant puck skills, Johnson struggled to produce and was passed over for offensive opportunities by Mason Marchment, Cole Sillinger and Conor Garland at various points in the season.
He's largely a perimeter player who needs to improve his speed and willingness to physically engage but has shown good off-puck instincts in transition and forechecking while still developing his defensive zone play. His lack of physicality and mistakes in the defensive zone have frustrated coaches and led to diminished ice time.
All of that doesn't take away from Johnson's natural talent, the ability to beat goalies with a wrister or a quick deke and manipulate defenders. He needs to develop while also getting the opportunity to play a bigger offensive role. He does not seem to be getting that in Columbus, and moving on might be best for both parties this offseason.
Kevin Korchinski
D, Chicago Blackhawks
Another pending RFA who has been passed on the depth chart, Korchinski is an obvious trade candidate for Chicago to use to acquire a skilled forward.
Korchinski will be 22 in June and has been passed by Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel for power-play time and offensive opportunities. After playing the majority of the season in the AHL and producing admirably, Korchinski is the prime candidate to make a positive impact with a regular NHL opportunity. He beats defenders one-on-one, attacks the middle of the ice, drives offensive play and has the potential to be a top-four defenseman in the NHL.
Chicago has more depth on the right side, but Korchinski needs offensive reps to meaningfully impact the game, and that feels out of reach with this franchise.
Hunter Haight, Samuel Hlavaj, David Spacek
Minnesota Wild
It is no secret the Wild are sorely lacking depth at center. Both Haight and Spacek are NHL-ready but have watched the NHL club opt to acquire and play veterans such as Zach Bogosian, Jeff Petry, Vladimir Tarasenko, Nick Foligno and Bobby Brink. Haight and Spacek deserved to play over some of those players, and might have contributed more to the Wild season.
The Wild have a glut of young talent because of their draft success over the past five years. So much so that it enabled them to trade three young NHL players for Quinn Hughes and still have prospects waiting for opportunities.
If the Wild don't intend to give Haight and Spacek full-time NHL opportunities next season despite their AHL development and the likelihood that their contributions would be more fruitful than some veterans, they are best to use those prospects to acquire players who fit with the club's future plans. Both probably would step in and be immediately impactful in middle of the lineup roles for their new teams.
Hlavaj is in a tough spot behind one of the best goaltending tandems in the NHL. He is hard-pressed to get a chance barring injury, unless the Wild trade one of their NHL tandem for an impactful center. That is something the Wild should consider given the depth of the center position in the Western Conference and the requirement to have center depth to be a true contender. But if the relationship between Hlavaj and the Wild is fractured enough because of lack of opportunity, he fits the bill of goalie who could play the lighter side of a tandem next season in the NHL and take steps forward.
Devon Levi, Sebastian Cossa
G, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings
Both goaltenders have made it known within hockey circles that their time in Buffalo and Detroit respectively, is done.
The Red Wings have Trey Augustine as their goalie of the future, and signed multiple veteran goalies, blocking Cossa from playing NHL games. Cossa's save percentage has been above .910 for three consecutive seasons in the AHL, and Detroit has given him a single NHL start. For reference, Jacob Fowler's save percentage in the AHL was .916 in 27 games this season, and Cossa's was .915 in 39 games. Given his performance, Cossa has more than earned his NHL opportunity, and a team would be wise to take a chance on the 23-year-old.
As for Levi, his case might be even stronger. His three AHL seasons have yielded save percentages of .927, .924 and .904. In 39 NHL appearances, his save percentage is .894, which isn't great, but it is better than the likes of many current NHLers had this season such as Linus Ullmark, Lukas Dostal, Stuart Skinner and Tristan Jarry.
The Edmonton Oilers should be at the front of the line for both goalies given their situation. Both are young, playing on inexpensive contracts and proven in the AHL. The Oilers know what they have, and more importantly, what they don't in goal. Short of signing Sergei Bobrovsky, taking a chance on a 23- or 24-year-old goalie feels like the best option. Given how poorly the Jarry experiment has gone, one must wonder if the Oilers should've acquired him at all.
Now that both young goaltenders are available and looking for an opportunity to play NHL games, the Oilers are positioned to provide them with that opportunity.