Even though the NHL trade deadline isn’t for another three weeks, many fantasy leagues have already seen their own trade deadlines pass. 

The trade deadline was this past Saturday in one of my dynasty leagues. In another one of my keeper leagues, deals are allowed until the Sunday after the NHL trade deadline. 

If your deadline hasn’t happened yet, it’s time to take stock of where you realistically are in your quest for a championship. If you’re in a keeper league and are out of the running, you need to start looking at potentially trading your one-year wonders for underachieving young players that could help you win a championship down the line.

Below are 10 of those players you should be looking at acquiring within the next few weeks. For this list, we’re looking at players under the age of 25. I’m staying away from the obvious players that will cost plenty, as it would be difficult to trade for a Moritz Seider or a Trevor Zegras, for example. Instead, the players on this list will be those you might be able to acquire at a lower price than it will cost in the offseason or even next year. You want to acquire players before they break out, not after. Think of Cole Caufield as an example. You could have gotten him for much more affordable before Marty St. Louis was brought in as Montreal’s coach. Now that Caufield has 10 points in his last eight games, his value has jumped.

This doesn’t mean you’ll get these players inexpensively, but you’re hoping the other GM is frustrated or wants to make a big move. Not all GMs would be willing to trade players before they break out, but it’s worth checking in on the less-savvy GMs.  

10. Yegor Chinakhov

The Russian rookie hasn’t been all that noticeable from a fantasy perspective this year, as he has six goals and 11 points in 43 games. There was a stage when he was pointless in 14 straight games, and he has three in his last 10. He was also a healthy scratch on Sunday afternoon. So why recommend trading for him? Simple. The Blue Jackets will do everything they can to see him succeed. They went off the board choosing him in the first round of the 2020 draft (some didn’t have Chinakhov on their draft board at all). They do not want to see him fail. It may take a few years (think Jesse Puljujarvi without the two years playing overseas), but the team won’t hold him back. 

9. Anthony Beauvillier

I once called Beauvillier one of the top 10 most overhyped young players. I still stand by that statement, but overhyped does not mean you don’t want them on your team. This is an excellent time to grab the 24-year-old player. He has a habit of starting slow, so he may be cheaper now than he will be in a few weeks when/if he heats up. This season was also tough for the Islanders with a crazy road trip to start the season and then Covid issues, so one wouldn’t blame you if you chose to ignore this season for Islanders players when evaluating them this summer. 

8. Martin Necas

Not every player has a linear production line that is continuously moving up. Some go up and down. Necas was underrated last season when putting up a 63-point pace over 82 games. Many may have missed it thanks to the shortened season since he finished with 41 points. This year, Necas’ production has dropped across the board. His 82-game pace is down to 48 points. His shooting percentage is down, his shot rate has dropped and his ice time is falling. His hits per game and blocked shots per game have also declined from last season. This is the pure definition of a buy low. If you’ve ever been a believer of Necas, now is the time to cash in. 

7. Stuart Skinner

Skinner is the only player on my list not currently in the NHL, but trading for him will depend on what the Edmonton Oilers choose to do with their goaltending over the next six months. Mikko Koskinen is a UFA this summer and Mike Smith is a UFA next summer. There are rumours they could trade for someone like Marc-Andre Fleury, but that would be a short-term solution. Maybe the team signs someone like Jack Campbell, Darcy Kuemper or Ville Husso in the offseason and Skinner becomes an afterthought. Or maybe the team signs Thomas Greiss, Marc-Andre Fleury or Martin Jones, and the door for Skinner to take over within a couple of years opens even wider. If you’re into high-risk, high-reward, Skinner is the man for you. 

6. Kirby Dach

Dach hasn’t taken that significant step forward like many fantasy general managers had hoped for. If anything, he’s taken a step back. His production is down from a 46-point pace last season to a 34-point pace this year. His ice time in his last 16 games is two minutes per night lower than his first 34 games. He’s lost his spot on the top power-play unit, and although he spent the first half of the season alongside Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, he’s now alongside Sam Lafferty, Brandon Hagel, Philip Kurashev and Henrik Borgstrom. Things look low now, but don’t forget that he was a third overall pick in 2019. There’s also the chance with Kane and Jonathan Toews becoming UFAs in 2023, the team may choose to go with a rebuild, leaving Dach as one of the team’s top players and fewer obstacles for top ice time/power-play time. 

5. Alex Newhook

The Colorado rookie is having a fine first campaign with 21 points in 43 games, but his value will surely rise within the next few years. The Avalanche has plenty of free agents this offseason, but the two most important ones for Newhook owners are Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky. Both will command big bucks next season, and the Avs may be content to let them both walk. If that happens, that’s two top-six spots that open up; one as a winger on the top line, and the other as a center on the second line. That also opens a spot on the top power-play unit. That’s a big potential promotion for Newhook.

4. Evan Bouchard

One of the victims of the Oilers’ coaching change on February 10 has been Bouchard. Before the change, Bouchard was averaging 21:42 minutes a night and had just taken over the role as the quarterback on the team’s top power-play unit. He was also getting plenty of shorthanded ice time. In those 44 games under coach Dave Tippett, Bouchard averaged 2.48 shots, one hit and 1.5 blocked shots per game. Since the coaching change, Bouchard is averaging 14:41 per night, has only been above 15:05 of ice time in two games and hasn’t reached 19 minutes in a single contest. He’s been taken off the top power-play unit and doesn’t kill penalties anymore. In these nine games, he is averaging 1.44 shots, 0.89 hits and 0.44 blocked shots per game. It’s a small sample size, but he’s not getting the chance to produce. Now is a great time to buy low as he’s still considered the future of the Edmonton defense. 

3. Peyton Krebs

The Sabres rookie hasn’t taken the league by storm, but he’s been surprisingly productive over the past five weeks. In his past 14 games, he has nine points, three of which have come with the man advantage. This follows just one point in his first 15 games split between Vegas and Buffalo. He’s now on the top power-play unit and is averaging 15:45 minutes a night in those 14 games (up from 14:31 in his first 15 games). He’s too good for the AHL, so he’s probably in the NHL to stay. He doesn’t contribute much in other peripheral categories, so his value is greater in points-only leagues. 

2. Kaapo Kakko

It’s been three seasons now for Kakko, and he hasn’t shown any improvement when it comes to production. Now he’s been out of the lineup for more than a month with an upper-body injury. Anyone that has owned Kakko for the past three years has to be frustrated. The Rangers are still giving Kakko plenty of opportunities when he is in the lineup and can usually be found in a top-six role. The Rangers are choosing to be patient with Kakko, giving him plenty of chances to find his groove. 

1. Bowen Byram

There are a lot of risks for Byram, but the payoff could be well worth it. Let’s look at the risks first. Byram has played only 18 games this season (and none since January 10) as he has dealt with concussions. One concussion is scary, but him coming back into the lineup for only four games before missing more time is a big red flag. There’s also the issue that it would be tough for him to move into a top-offensive role with Cale Makar and Devon Toews dominating. But when Byram has been in the lineup, he’s been awesome, with 11 points in 18 games, a 50-point pace. You might find the Byram owner is willing to forego the headache of owning Byram and might be able to get him cheaper.