Whenever I think about how an offseason signing in the NHL can impact the following trade deadline, I think of Taylor Hall.
Please recall back in 2020 when the talented left wing didn't find the long-term contract he wanted during his first foray into unrestricted free agency. So he decided to maximize his earning potential with an $8 million, one-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres. Maybe he could help them contend. Maybe they could help him pump his stats for another run at the UFA market.
Instead, the Sabres were terrible and Hall managed just two goals and 17 assists in 37 games. So they moved to Plan B: Moving Hall at the trade deadline to a contender in the Boston Bruins. He was great for them -- 14 points in 16 games -- and ended up getting that multi-year deal he was seeking (four years, $24 million) before their relationship ended with a trade to Chicago this summer.
As Hall exemplified, a contract signed in the summer doesn't always mean a player ends up finishing his season with the same team. Sometimes that's by design. Other times conditions change.
Here are 10 players who signed deals in the 2023 offseason who could end up on the move by the 2024 trade deadline.