4 Defensemen Likely to Be Traded Before the March 7 Deadline, Per Chris Johnston

With the NHL season approaching the quarter way mark for many teams, trade speculation has also begun to heat up, and with many Stanley Cup Playoff contenders looking to upgrade, there will be plenty of movement again during the 2024/25 campaign.

While we've heard plenty about names that could be available, top Insider Chris Johnston of The Athletic has now named four defenseman that he believes will be traded at some point this season.

He starts off with the obvious candidate in Ivan Provorov, who is a free agent after this season, and with the Blue Jackets not expected to remain in playoff contention, he is a perfect trade candidate.

With 1 goal and 4 points in 15 games played, he's not having the most productive campaign, but with veteran experience and proven production in the past, he's someone that defensive-needy contenders could look too on the cheap, especially for a team like the Edmonton Oilers.

Next up was Cam Fowler of the Anaheim Ducks, who has another year left on his deal after this one, carrying a cap hit of $6.5 million that would almost definitely force the Ducks to retain salary or send out a potential draft pick to make a deal happen.

Another player with term remaining is Rasmus Ristolainen of the Philadelphia Flyers, and while his deal carries a $5.1 million cap hit, it's safe to say that his play hasn't quite been at that level yet this season, so he'll be a major risk.

With just 31 games played a year ago, Ristolainen hasn't been on the ice much in recent times to prove what he can do, but at 30-years of age with two years left on his deal, he could be appealing to more than just teams going all-in for a Stanley Cup run this season.

Finally we have Cody Ceci, who was traded by the Edmonton Oilers this past summer, and while his reputation from the Oilers isn't the greatest, he has shown once again in 2024/25 that he's more than capable of being a second-pair defenseman on a great team.

The upcoming trade deadline is going to see plenty of movement throughout the league, and once more, moves made on that day can effect the Stanley Cup race, so expect all four of these players to garner immense interest as that time approaches.