3 Teams That Will Have Close Eye On Them To Sell Early

While there are clear contenders and clear rebuilding teams, there are those that are somewhere in the middle and have some hope for this season. These teams need a while to see where they are really at for a season, and while some will thrive early and put themselves in good position to be in the playoffs race, others will falter early like the Nashville Predators in 2024-25 and make deals earlier.

According to Chris Johnston, "what I'm hearing from...buyers is that they'll be looking to pounce on any opponents who get off to a slow start. The Penguins, Bruins, and Islanders are among the possibilities that contenders will be monitoring closely."

The Pittsburgh Penguins are most clearly heading into a rebuild with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Erik Karlsson all older and near the end of their contracts. There are other high value options to move like Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust, and even Tristan Jarry. This is a team that is going to have a very tough time getting out to a quick start, and some teams might see a reason to pay up earlier than later for a player on the trade block.

The Boston Bruins look very weak up front, but their defense and goaltending can hold the team in there and save them. With injuries and underperformances, that wasn't the case last season and they sold, closer to the deadline though. The Bruins aren't the same powerhouse they were for many years and besides retooling much better than they did, some players will have to be moved out and probably will this season.

I have some higher hopes for the New York Islanders...if they stay healthy. They have some exciting new pieces in the lineup this season and Ilya Sorokin is still an elite level goalie. The strong defensive structure is still at the core of the team, but health is still a major concern. If the team is close to full strength, they will gain better chemistry and actually score an adequate amount of goals to be in the race. If what happened last season happens again, then I still think the team holds off and likely sells a bit further into the season.