The obvious trade pieces leading up to the deadline are impending unrestricted free agents. However, there are also other players that can be sold high, or players who are struggling that might need a fresh start elsewhere.

Here are some of the likely trade pieces in the Western Conference.

Adam Henrique – Anaheim – (33) – UFA – $5.825 million

Henrique has a limited no-trade clause that allows him to choose 10 teams that he can be traded to. He is a versatile forward who can slide up and down the top three lines. He's good in the face-off circle (54.1%) and can play on the power play and kill penalties. The flip side is that he has been in the playoffs just two times in his 12 full seasons in the league.

His salary will be a deterrent, bringing down his price tag to perhaps a second-round pick.

Frank Vatrano – Anaheim – (29) – signed until 24-25 – $3.65 million AAV

Vatrano shoots the puck a lot and scores in bursts. His 18 goals in 39 games are a little higher than normal, but a playoff-bound team would love to add secondary scoring to their roster. With the extra year under contract, he might bring back a fairly good prospect and/or a first-round pick.

Sam Carrick – Anaheim – (31) – UFA – $850k

Carrick is a bottom-six forward who is physical (66 hits in 38 games), can kill penalties, and is an option in the face-off circle (51.6%). His contract is cheap, and he could garner a third or fourth-round pick in return.

Liam O'Brien – Arizona – (29) – UFA – $775k

O'Brien could provide depth and grit for a playoff-bound team. He might struggle to be a regular in the lineup, but he would certainly provide some energy and physicality to the fourth line. He could bring back a fourth or fifth-round pick.

Nick Bjugstad – Arizona – (31) – signed until 24-25- $2.1 million AAV

Bjugstad is seeing elevated minutes (17:35) in a shut-down role with the Coyotes and has provided fairly good offense (0.57/g) in his first 37 games. He is a fixture on the penalty kill (42.6%) and can take face-offs (51.0%). He could attract offers of a second-round pick or more.

Matt Dumba – Arizona – (29) – UFA – $3.9 million

Any offense Dumba had seems to have disappeared, as he has transitioned into a defensive defender this year and last. He is physical (68 hits in 36g), blocks shots (48) and is on the first unit of the penalty kill (51.8%). His contract and uncertainty over his diminishing game might limit his return to a third-round pick.

Elias Lindholm – Calgary – (29) – UFA – $4.85 million

Lindholm might be one of the most sought-after trade targets as he can do everything. He can score goals, put up points, be physical if needed, take face-offs, run a power play, and kill penalties. It will certainly come down to where the Flames are in the playoff race, but the return on Lindholm might be too tempting to not take advantage of.

Noah Hanifin – Calgary – (26) – UFA – $4.95 million

Both Hanifin and Lindholm came over from Carolina in 2018, in exchange for Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland and the rights to Adam Fox. Hanifin is a very good third or fourth defender on most teams. He can provide some offense and is usually a pretty good defender away from the puck. He could command a pretty good price tag, upwards of what Lindholm might bring, which could be a prospect and a first or second-round pick.

Chris Tanev – Calgary – (34) – UFA – $4.5 million

Tanev's game is a little difficult to measure from his stats, as he doesn't have much offense to offer and he's not overly physical. He's appreciated around the league for his defending, both at even strength and especially on the penalty kill. His ability to shut down passing lanes and block shots is among the best in the league. In my mind, a team will need to offer up a second-round pick at the very least for Tanev.

Dillon Dube – Calgary – (25) – RFA – $2.3 million

This would be selling a player at his lowest point, but if the Flames don't plan on qualifying Dube next year, then at least they can get back a fourth or fifth-round pick if another team thinks that Dube can be even 75% of what he was last year.

Jason Dickinson – Chicago – (28) – UFA – $2.65 million

The Canucks had to give the Blackhawks a second-round pick to take Dickinson in 2022. Now, Chicago is in a position to perhaps get a third or fourth-round pick in return for him. It would be an absolute steal if they could get a second-round pick.

Petr Mrazek – Chicago – (31) – UFA – $3.8 million

I don't believe Mrazek will have a playoff-bound team thinking that he would be anything more than a solid backup, or a contingency plan in case the incumbent goalie got hurt or struggled. He's had a negative GSAA in five of his past six seasons and is just below even this year. He might get a third-round pick.

Jack Campbell – Edmonton – (31) – signed until 2027 – $5.0 million AAV

For the Oilers to trade this contract of Campbell's, they would need to include a first-round pick, another pick in the top two or three rounds, and a prospect like Philip Broberg or Dylan Holloway. That's probably not something the Oilers are willing to do. Their window with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl is closing and that cap space could bring in a pretty good player(s) who might take them over the top.

Marc-Andre Fleury – Minnesota – (39) – UFA – $3.5 million

Fleury has a full NMC and it's up to him whether he wants another playoff run – in the event the Wild are unable to get there. He would more than likely be acquired for a backup role, but plenty of backups have gone on to lead their team to a Stanley Cup. I doubt a team would give up more than a third-round pick for Fleury.

Kevin Lankinen – Nashville – (28) – UFA – $2.0 million

At this moment, the Predators are in the playoff picture but they're holding on by a thread. If they do fall out of the race, Lankinen would be an attractive option for a few teams because his contract is relatively cheap, and he's maintained a fairly average GSAA this year at close to zero. Depending on how he does and how the Predators do in the next month or so, his price could go up or down from a third-round pick.

Yakov Trenin – Nashville – (26) – UFA – $1.7 million

Trenin could be built for the playoffs. In 10 games over two years with the Predators he had five goals and 35 hits. He's physical, can pot the odd goal, and kills penalties. He could help a very good team by improving their depth in the bottom six (think Edmonton or Colorado).

Tommy Novak – Nashville – (26) – UFA – $800k

I'm a little surprised that Novak hasn't been extended by the Predators yet, but Filip Forsberg, Ryan O'Reilly and Gustav Nyquist have all been healthy to this point, which has taken some opportunity away from Novak. In his past 80 games with Nashville, he had 23 goals and 39 assists for 62 points. That's pretty impressive production. He could be attractive in free agency or as trade bait if it comes to that.

Mikael Granlund – San Jose -(31) – signed until 2025 – $5.0 million AAV

If the Sharks could trade Granlund, this might be the top of his value. He's been very good for the Sharks with 26 points in 33 games. I'm not sure there are many playoff teams that could afford the extra year on his contract, but there are a few pieces that San Jose could include to make things more palpable. Otherwise, the Sharks can wait till next year and hope Granlund plays well, as it'll be much easier to deal him then.

Kaapo Kahkonen – San Jose – (27) – UFA – $2.75 million

Kahkonen has been fairly good on a very bad team. He has almost kept his head above water over 19 games, with a save percentage of 90% and a GSAA of negative 1.74. His value is similar to most of the other goalies listed here, as he would be a depth/ backup option and might get a third-round pick in return.

Jordan Eberle – Seattle – (33) – UFA – $5.5 million

Eberle has scored some clutch goals in his career, but they are becoming more rare for the 33-year-old who has just four goals in 35 games. He has a limited no-trade clause, which would allow him to submit a list of 16 teams that he can't be traded to. His value is already diminished and the clause diminishes it even more. He might get a third-round pick in return if the Kraken fall out of the playoff race. 

Alexander Wennberg – Seattle – (29) – UFA – $4.5 million

Overall, Wennberg has been a little disappointing as a free agent who was signed for three years at $4.5 million AAV. He's been a good penalty-killer but hasn't provided the offense or face-off success that the Kraken hoped for. He has a limited no-trade clause which allows him to submit a list of 10 teams he can't be traded to. I think his value will be similar to Eberle’s.

Andrei Kuzmenko – Vancouver – (27) – signed until 2025 – $5.5 million AAV

Kuzmenko has been a healthy scratch five times by Rick Tocchet and has just eight goals and 19 points in 33 games. It has become obvious that he is not a player who Tocchet will or wants to rely on, so the Canucks might be forced to move him sooner than later. Of course, they had similar issues with Brock Boeser and Connor Garland, who both asked to be dealt at points over the past two years. Patience was rewarded in both cases when the players weren't traded. I'm not sure what value the Canucks could get for Kuzmenko, but they would probably like some cap space and/or a roster player in return. 

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions or players you'd like me to look at please message or follow me on Twitter @gampbler15.