2026 NHL Trade Deadline: Top discount aisle candidates
Who doesn’t love a good bargain?
While the blockbuster trades get all of the attention on NHL trade deadline day, it’s actually the smaller, depth acquisitions that really put a Stanley Cup contending team over the top come playoff time.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at five players with cap hits of $3 million or less, who could be great fits on contending teams.
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Division previews
Atlantic Division trade deadline preview
Central Division trade deadline preview
Metropolitan Division trade deadline preview
Pacific Division trade deadline preview
Scott Laughton, Toronto Maple Leafs
Age: 31
Postion: Centre
2025-26 stats: 12 points (8G, 4A) in 43 games
Salary cap hit: $1.5 million, UFA next season
The Maple Leafs will be hard-pressed to recover what they gave up for Scott Laughton at last year’s trade deadline after sending Philadelphia a 2027 first-round draft pick as part of the trade package.
However, Laughton will be attractive for playoff teams. His paltry offensive numbers don’t overshadow how effective he is defensively and in the faceoff dot, where he wins 54.6 per cent of his draws.
Those skills make Laughton a great specialist on the penalty kill, where he averages 2:15 of ice time per game. The margins are thin in the playoffs and special teams often make the difference, so Toronto should hold firm on trying to recoup a first-round pick back for Laughton.
Bobby McMann, Toronto Maple Leafs
Age: 29
Postion: Winger
2025-26 stats: 32 points (19G, 13A) in 60 games
Salary cap hit: $1.35 million, UFA next season
Sticking with the Leafs, let’s look at another pending UFA forward, Bobby McMann, who is having a career year. He is on pace for 26 goals and 44 points, which would both be career-highs, and he provides a nice blend of size (six-foot-two, 217 pounds) and speed.
McMann is at his best when retrieving pucks in the offensive zone, which gives him an ability to play throughout the lineup. He’s spent some time this season playing on Auston Matthews’ wing, but he’s just as comfortable logging bottom-six minutes.
Evan Rodrigues, Florida Panthers
Age: 32
Postion: Centre/winger
2025-26 stats: 28 points (11G, 17A) in 60 games
Salary cap hit: $2 million, UFA after next season
Florida’s Evan Rodrigues provides a little more term with one year left on his contract after this season. He essentially becomes a cap causality with the possibility of captain Aleksander Barkov returning this season.
Rodrogues is a proven playoff performer, posting 15 points in each of the Panthers’ Stanley Cup runs over the last two years, and he’s a versatile with the ability to play at centre or on the wing. This is a guy who will find a way to make an impact whether he’s on a scoring line or checking line.
Braden Schneider, New York Rangers
Age: 24
Postion: Right-shot defenceman
2025-26 stats: 11 points (2G, 9A) in 60 games
Salary cap hit: $2.2 million, UFA next season
Braden Schneider would be a great target for teams thinking about contending this season and into the future. Injuries to Adam Fox have forced the Rangers to play Schneider higher up the lineup than he should be and I think he would thrive if he’s pushed down the depth chart on a better team.
At 24, Schnieder has time to further develop, while his six-foot-three frame and physicality can still make him impactful right now on the third pairing of a Stanley Cup contender.
Zach Whitecloud, Calgary Flames
Age: 29
Postion: Right-shot defenceman
2025-26 stats: 11 points (2G, 9A) in 59 games
Salary cap hit: $2.75 million, UFA in 2028-29
Zach Whitecloud was part of the return in the Rasmus Andersson trade, but he is solidly in the prime of his career and Calgary is in full blown rebuild mode, so the team has to at least consider moving him.
And Whitecloud already proved his effectiveness in the playoffs when he finished plus-14 over 22 games during Vegas’ run to the Stanley Cup in 2023. Teams will be calling the Flames about Whitecloud.