The NHL is on a trade moratorium until Dec. 28, but that doesn't mean that your fantasy league is in the same boat. The league takes a three-day holiday break starting Wednesday and doesn't return to action until Saturday evening in the East, so there is plenty of time to mull trades without the worry of losing a game of action.
Best of luck with your trades this week.
TRADE FOR
Jesper Bratt, RW, Devils (94 percent rostered)
I was going to write about Bratt last week, but I figured I had an extra week or two with Jack Hughes out of the lineup, after undergoing finger surgery last month. Well, lo and behold, Hughes was suddenly activated Sunday, making Bratt a much better play. Bratt has really struggled since Dec. 1, tallying one goal and two assists in 10 games. He has been close to a point-a-game player in his four previous seasons – 317 points in 321 games – but this season he has only 29 points in 37 appearances. He really missed his center during Hughes' 18-game absence and should regain his offensive flair quite quickly.
Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Bratt for Pavel Dorofeyev. (No offense with Dorofeyev, but, as mentioned above, Bratt is an 80-point per season scorer while Dorofeyev is strictly a goal scorer with 35 last season – and only 17 assists – as well as 15 tallies with eight assists in 34 games in 2025-26.)
Matthew Tkachuk, RW, Panthers (91 percent rostered)
Tkachuk has yet to play this season, but he is getting close after undergoing offseason surgery to repair a torn abductor muscle. He has been skating since Nov. 26, and I don't want to make the same mistake as I did with Bratt above, so I want to deal for him a week earlier than I normally would have. He is going to star down the stretch – if he remains healthy – and provide a huge boost to the Panthers as well as fantasy managers. Tkachuk has had a pair of 100-plus point seasons, and managed 57 points in 52 injury-riddled games last season.
Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Tkachuk and Jackson LaCombe for Drew Doughty and Sam Rinzel. (Getting the other team to throw in LaCombe makes this an outstanding trade for the veteran Doughty and rookie Rinzel. Tkachuk is more valuable than both Doughty and Rinzel, making this deal a no-brainer.)
William Nylander, RW, Maple Leafs (99 percent rostered)
This trade would have looked even better before Tuesday's tilt against Pittsburgh in which Nylander had two goals and two assists. He had been in a horrible slump, last finding the back of the net Nov. 26 in Columbus, but he could be back on track. Nylander has 13 goals and 40 points despite his prolonged slump and he could be difficult to acquire despite playing for the lowly Maple Leafs.
Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Nylander for Andrei Svechnikov. (Nylander is a perennial top scorer who has surpassed the 80-point mark in each of his last four seasons. Svechnikov's career best is 69 points set four seasons ago, and he has managed only nine goals and 24 points in 36 games this season.)
TRADE AWAY
John Gibson, G, Red Wings (46 percent rostered)
Gibson won his eighth straight game Tuesday, turning aside 19 shots in a 4-3 overtime win over Dallas. The victory gives Gibson a 12-7-1 record with two shutouts, a 3.01 GAA and an .891 save percentage. The winning streak looks great, but his peripherals are below par, and it just makes sense to deal Gibson at the height of his value.
Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Gibson for Bo Horvat. (Horvat is expected to return Saturday from a lower-body injury that has kept him out of action the past five games. He had five goals and an assist in his previous seven games, making him a buy candidate in fantasy.)
Rasmus Andersson, D, Flames (89 percent rostered)
Andersson had four goals and 10 points in his first eight games last season, when I suggested dealing him away. He has been on a tremendous tear since Nov. 15, tallying four goals and 15 assists in 17 games heading into action Tuesday. Andersson could get traded – according to the rumor mill, as he is a pending UFA at the end of the season – and he is no sure thing to retain a spot on the top power play if he is dealt elsewhere.
Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Andersson for Clayton Keller. (Keller had 90 points in 81 games last season, after seasons of 76 and 86 the previous two years. Andersson is a slightly better than average offensive defenseman in his best years.)
Roope Hintz, C, Stars (92 percent rostered)
Hintz has been hot of late with three goals and two assists in his last four games, giving him 12 goals and 31 points in 33 games. While he has managed to surpass a point a game just once in a full season (managing 75 points in 73 games in 2022-23), Hintz is certainly tradable at this stage of his career.
Example of a completed deal from the Yahoo Trade Market: Hintz for Artemi Panarin. (Panarin has been a stud throughout his NHL career, and while it seems that he has fallen back this season, he still has 14 goals and 38 points in 38 games. His worst season is better than Hintz's best.)
