The Athletic Hockey Show (Jan 30, 2026): Which Top NHL Prospects Could Be Dealt by the Trade Deadline?

Episode Overview

This episode of The Athletic Hockey Show (Prospect Series), hosted by Max Bultman, features The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler and Corey Pronman, and Flow Hockey’s Chris Peters. The main focus is on the upcoming NHL trade deadline: which top young NHL prospects might be moved, the dynamics facing playoff bubble teams like Detroit and Montreal, and a deep dive into the 2026 Draft class. The crew also debates player value, positional scarcity, trade philosophy, and the closely-matched top prospects for the next draft.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Which Teams Have Prospects to Deal – Detroit, Montreal, & More

• Max Bultman kicks off (01:29), highlighting how Detroit and Montreal, thanks to years of rebuilding, now possess deep prospect pools—making them notable candidates to move premium young pieces for impact NHL talent at the deadline.
• Scott Wheeler elaborates (02:13): Both teams face a "push all-in or stay patient" dilemma. Neither are considered true top-tier contenders yet (compared to Colorado, Carolina, or Tampa), but both could justify moving secondary prospects—especially goaltenders like Trey Augustine or Sebastian Cossa in Detroit’s case, or AHL defensemen like Adam Engstrom or David Reinbacher in Montreal’s.
• Corey Pronman adds (04:21): Moving blue-chip prospects (e.g., Detroit’s Nate Danielson, Montreal’s Michael Hage) would only make sense for cost-controlled, impactful returns—a young player with term, not a rental.
• Chris Peters notes (05:10): The real intrigue with prospect trades is that "the big names almost never move, so the ones who do probably should get you excited."

Notable Quote

• "I don’t know if I would move any of those pieces if I was those teams, but the next group I would think about..."
  — Scott Wheeler (03:32)

2. Trade Value, Position of Strength, and Lessons from Toronto (06:51–11:37)

• Scott Wheeler: Other contender teams (Edmonton, Dallas, Vegas, etc.) have “pretty much dealt all their futures," making Detroit/Montreal’s deep prospect pools a rarity—and perhaps less leverage for sellers.
• Corey Pronman/Max Bultman: Rental trades can backfire, as seen in Toronto’s recent asset-draining moves that netted only middling roster players and cost them high picks (e.g., Fraser Minten, now excelling in Boston).
• Lesson: Teams must be absolutely sure they're truly contending before trading prime futures.

Notable Quotes

• "If you're gonna spend and spend and spend, you better be damn sure your NHL roster is not just a playoff team, but a contending team."
  — Max Bultman (10:17)

3. Detroit’s Goaltending Conundrum: Cossa vs. Augustine (11:37–15:23)

• Scott Wheeler: With Sebastian Cossa losing waiver exemption next year and Trey Augustine possibly turning pro, Detroit faces a looming decision: which young goalie to invest in or potentially trade?
• Corey Pronman: "I don’t know that they do have to pick" right now; timelines suggest Cossa can arrive to back up John Gibson next season, while Augustine develops in the AHL. The bigger decision is "what to do with Gibson in a year’s time" (12:17).
• Long-term risk: If Detroit fails to sign Augustine, awkwardness could arise—a situation reminiscent of Buffalo’s goaltending logjam with Devin Levi and Erik Portillo (13:55).

Notable Quotes

• "If we, if they don’t sign him this summer, then things start getting awkward."
  — Scott Wheeler (14:14)

4. Minnesota Wild’s Dilemma: Moving a Goalie or a Blue-Chip Prospect? (15:35–20:26)

• Minnesota has two premium goaltenders: Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson, and could face strong trade temptation as ‘buyers.’
• Scott Wheeler: Moving Wallstedt is risky ("Is he a legit #1? Maybe, maybe not." 16:06). Might make sense "if the right true top-six center comes available"—names like Robert Thomas are dream acquisitions, but the price would be steep (18:35).
• Chris Peters points out: Trading from goaltending depth leaves you one injury away from trouble, and the AHL backup situation is far from ideal (19:23).
• Concerns: Goalie scarcity in the NHL this year makes dealing one all the more dangerous (20:26).

Notable Quotes

• "I’d be really scared of trading a guy I think is an actual legit goalie."
  — Scott Wheeler (20:26)

5. 2026 NHL Draft: Tightest Top-Tier in Years (24:04–35:47)

Debate: Who Goes #1? No Clear-Cut Top Pick

Prospect Tiers, Traits, and Comparisons

• Gavin McKenna: Highly skilled, "elite brain", but perimeter game and average skating limit his universal appeal (24:29).
  • "He’s the most skilled player in the draft... but is he a play driver at even strength?"
    — Scott Wheeler (24:29)
  • Congested field at the top: even NHL scouts are split "from McKenna, Fairhoff... Carson Carls, Chase Reed, Al Smits, Ty and Lawrence" (26:08).
• Scott has McKenna at 2 behind Ivar Stenberg.
  • "Stenberg just continues to be noticeable and productive," especially in the SHL.
• Defense over Winger? Neither McKenna nor Stenberg is a skating phenom or a sure-thing, 100-point winger; top D options (Chase Reed, Keaton Verhoff, Albert Smith) are all considered solid but not Norris-candidate types.
• Chris Peters: This draft “doesn’t have a real #1 pick” compared to stronger recent years (32:31).
  • "Probably McKenna is the most exciting, but really... there’s a ton of questions about him."
• Relative value: (31:16) On choosing between past prospects: "I’d probably have liked Stützla more at the time than I like either of those wingers... (and) Jake Sanderson is a monster."

Notable Quote

• "We don’t have a number one pick in this draft. We really don’t."
  — Chris Peters (32:31)
• "If you're sold that this offense is going to be like an 80, 90 plus-point guy who competes hard and can win battles against pros... even at 5'11", that's a really, really exciting player."
  — Scott Wheeler on Ivar Stenberg (34:54)

6. Big Movers, Prospect Debates & the Rest of the First Round

Tynan Lawrence’s Slide and Center Debate (37:05–41:25)

• Lawrence, who previously topped Pronman’s list, has slipped to #5 after a less-impressive college transition. Malhotra at Brantford is surging; both could go in the top five if they can sustain offensive production.
• "I don’t think it’s a given that Lawrence is going to be the first center picked."
  — Corey Pronman (38:52)
• Miami University’s Ilya Morozov, a big, competitive center: divisive opinions—Pronman ranks him at #17, Wheeler at #28. Scouts are watching, but concerns about offensive ceiling linger (41:25–46:43).

Notable Assessments

• "He’s a really exciting profile, [but] his minutes have been reduced... I haven’t quite been able to get [Morozov] into my top 17."
  — Scott Wheeler (42:43)

7. Draft Rankings Debate: Ryan Lynn vs. Dax Rudolph and the 2nd Tier Defensemen (46:43–54:58)

• Ryan Lynn (WHL): Wheeler ranks him #7, Pronman #23, due to his completeness and intelligence despite average size. The main division is over his comparability to Dax Rudolph (taller, also from the WHL, and more productive this year).
• “I think [Lynn] is a much more complete player at this age than Adam Boqvist was at the same age and has been just as productive.”
  — Scott Wheeler (47:14)
• “If Ryan Lynn were on Prince Albert, he would also be leading Prince Albert in scoring.”
  — Max Bultman (54:26)
• Broader point: Wide variances in draft boards reflect the lack of a clear top tier outside the first 2–3 picks.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (By Timestamp)

• On trading prospects for rentals: "If you’re going to pull the trigger on [a top prospect], you better be sure you’re getting a player who can actually move the needle."
  — Max Bultman (10:58)
• On the Wild’s goalie situation: "They need Robert Thomas... you’re not going to win a Stanley Cup with Danila Yurov and Eriksson Ek as your top guys down the middle."
  — Max Bultman (17:47)
• On 2026 Draft: "There’s a lot of really great debates, obviously going to be centered around McKenna just because of the profile and long history of scoring for this player."
  — Scott Wheeler (26:08)
• On draft depth: "We can have these debates among ourselves... in the end, we know how the NHL thinks about these things."
  — Chris Peters (52:28)

Segment Timestamps

• [01:29] – Prospect-trade landscape for Detroit, Montreal, Minnesota
• [06:51] – Toronto’s trade lessons and rental risk
• [11:37] – Detroit’s goalie logjam and contract implications
• [15:35] – Minnesota’s goaltender strategy; Wallstedt trade debate
• [24:04] – 2026 Draft: top-four, prospect tiers, positional value
• [37:05] – Tynan Lawrence, center depth, Malhotra
• [41:25] – Morozov debate: high ceiling, low recent offense
• [46:43] – Scott vs. Corey: Ryan Lynn or Dax Rudolph?
• [54:58] – Closing thoughts, where to find the full draft rankings

Episode Tone & Style

The hosts maintain a sharp, analytic, and collegial tone. They blend deep scouting insight, data discussion, and real-world NHL trade consequences with friendly debate and practical caution for NHL GMs. The overall style is insightful and accessible, matching the audience of sophisticated NHL fans and aspiring front office minds.

Wrap-up

This episode delivers a comprehensive look at the trade-deadline outlook for top NHL prospects and an up-to-the-minute snapshot of the 2026 Draft’s crowded top tier. If you’re tracking which blue-chip names your favorite team might trade—or draft—this spring, you’ll find this breakdown essential.