The NHL draft weekend is when trade activity involving established players usually occurs.

Here's a brief look at the notable trade candidates heading into this year's draft. 

Noah Dobson, New York Islanders: Ethan Sears of the New York PostreportsIslanders GM Mathieu Darche hasn't pivoted from trying to re-sign Dobson to trading him. Nevertheless, a recent report claiming the 25-year-old defenseman seeks an $11-million cap hit on his next contract has stoked some trade speculation. The Hockey News' Stefen Rosner said there's word the St. Louis Blues poked around about Dobson, while The Athletic's Chris Johnston claimed the Montreal Canadiens are among the interested teams as well. 

Bowen Byram, Buffalo Sabres: The Buffalo News' Mike Harrington believes the 24-year-old defenseman could be shopped for a top-six forward to replace recently traded right winger JJ Peterka. He's an RFA with arbitration rights coming off a two-year contract with an average annual value of $3.85 million. TSN's Darren Dreger suggests the Los Angeles Kings, Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche could have him on their radar.

Jordan Kyrou, St. Louis Blues: Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatchcited Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli putting the 26-year-old right winger at No. 2 on his trade targets list. He acknowledged Kyrou's value to the Blues but indicated his trade value has never been higher. The Hockey News' Michael DeRosa also notes Kyrou's no-trade clause begins on July 1 and lasts through 2029-30. The Blues are deep on the wing but need help at center.

Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh Penguins: Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports the 35-year-old defenseman is open to waiving his no-movement clause for a contender. However, his hefty contract (including a $5-million signing bonus due July 1) remains a significant sticking point. THN.com's Kelsey Surmacz also noted the Penguins are already thin on their blueline.

Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars: Conflicting reports in recent weeks claim the Stars are entertaining trade offers or have no plans to move the 25-year-old left winger. After re-signing Jamie Benn, the Stars have less than $1 million in cap space, which could make Robertson a cost-cutting trade candidate.

Rasmus Andersson, Calgary Flames: Recent contract extension talks between the two sides reportedly didn't go well. RG.Org's Marco D'Amico reports the Flames are taking trade calls about Andersson. The 28-year-old defenseman is a year away from UFA eligibility. D'Amico listed the Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Canadiens and Boston Bruins among the potential suitors.

K'Andre Miller, New York Rangers: The 25-year-old defenseman is an RFA with arbitration rights, but he's also been a fixture in the rumor mill since the Rangers' season ended in April. The latest speculation linked Miller to the Blue Jackets, who could use a left-side defenseman if Ivan Provorov heads to free agency on July 1.

Viktor Arvidsson, Edmonton Oilers: The 32-year-old right winger has a year on his contract with an average annual value of $4.4 million and a full no-movement clause. However, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports his agent is working with the Oilers to find a suitable trade destination as the club seeks to free up more cap space.

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Insider reports suggest New York has narrowed down Noah Dobson sweepstakes to Montreal and Columbus

We expected some fireworks on draft day this year and it looks like we're about to get a massive move with the New York Islanders reportedly down to two suitors in a potential deal for defenceman Noah Dobson. 

Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) on XNew, for @TheAthletic: Sources say the Noah Dobson sweepstakes is down to two teams ... Montreal and Columbus ... with a deal expected to come together soon 🔗⬇️ https://t.co/zPjwPPv4GR https://t.co/zPjwPPv4GR

We had been hearing lots of rumors over the past few days as to who would land the 25-year-old Summerside native with the final two teams being the Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets.

David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) on XColumbus and Montreal have been discussing their first rounders with teams. Habs have picks 16+17, Blue Jackets have picks 14+20. If a team trades one or both, a roster player may join the package. Voronkov may be in play from CBJ end.

The deal could be huge for betting markets as one of the two teams will land a former 70-point producer at one point and could elevate a squad into playoff contention. This also opens the door for the Islanders to potentially trade up and draft their hometown kid James Hagens out of Boston College.

Montreal made the postseason this past year and with the addition of a player like Dobson, we could easily pencil them in to be playoff contenders once again. Columbus appeared to be a playoff team early in the season with a late season slide taking them out of the running. 

The Blue Jackets with Dobson would certainly be in the playoff picture and could make them a great value bet to make the playoffs. 

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While the Nashville Predators aren't the oldest franchise in the NHL, they have a lot of history of picking in the first round of the NHL Draft.

In its 27-year history, the Predators have selected 25 times in the first round. Amongst those first-round selections, some have had massive success in Nashville, others have found it elsewhere, and a few have been busts.

With the Predators picking fifth, 23rd and 26th overall in this year's draft, we take a look back at every first-round pick by Nashville. 

MORE: Analyzing every Nashville Predators first round NHL Draft pick: 1998-2002

MORE: Analyzing every Nashville Predators first round NHL Draft Pick: 2003-2008 

MORE: Analyzing every Nashville Predators first round NHL Draft Pick: 2009-2016

MORE: Analyzing every Nashville Predators first round NHL Draft pick: 2017-2021 

2022: Joakim Kemell (forward, 17th overall) 

With the 17th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, the Predators selected the second-best European skater in the class, Finnish forward Joakim Kemell. 

He played for JYP Jyväskylä in the Finnish Elite League during his draft year, scoring 23 points in 39 games. Kemell also played for Finland at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, scoring 12 points in seven games and winning a Silver Medal. 

After being drafted, Kemell returned to JYP Jyväskylä, where he recorded 15 points in 43 games. He'd later join the Admirals toward the tail end of the season, scoring 14 points in 13 games. 

Since arriving in North America, Kemell has made significant progress and has become one of the Admirals' top producers. This past season, he had 40 points in 65 games and eight points in 10 playoff games. 

It was the second straight season in which Kemell registered 40+ points in Milwaukee. He also made his debut with the Predators last season, appearing in two games. 

Based on Kemell's progress, this could really be a breakout year for the forward and he could possibly earn a full-time spot in Nashville. 

2023: Matthew Wood (forward, 15th overall) 

Matthew Wood was greeted by an ovation from fans as he was selected by the 2023 NHL Draft host, the Nashville Predators, when he was selected 15th overall. 

At 6-foot-5-inches and 205 pounds from the University of Connecticut, which sounds more like an NBA lineup announcement, Wood scored 34 points in 35 games in his first collegiate season.

He'd spend two more years in the NCAA, playing with the Huskies for the 2023-24 season and scoring 28 points in 35 games. He transferred to the University of Minnesota for the 2024-25 season, recording 39 points in 39 games. 

Wood also made his Predators debut last season, recording one point in six games. 

Wood has been putting up consistent, strong numbers over the last three years in the NCAA. It'll be interesting to see if he can translate that play in a longer professional campaign next year, whether that be with Nashville or Milwaukee. 

2023: Tanner Molendyk (defenseman, 24th overall) 

A trade with the Edmonton Oilers in February 2023, sending Mattias Ekholm and a sixth-round pick to the Oilers for a first-round pick, a fourth-round pick, Tyson Barrie and Reid Schaefer, gave Nashville Tanner Molendyk at 24th overall. 

Molendyk sold himself as an offensively minded defenseman, scoring 37 points in 67 games with the Saskatoon Blades in the Western Hockey League. He'd return to the Blades for the 2023-24 season, netting an impressive 56 points in 50 games.

This past season, he was traded from Saskatoon to the Medicine Hat Tigers. His production didn't fall off as he scored a combined 47 points in 49 games in the regular season. In the playoffs, he scored 20 points in 18 games, won the WHL Championship, and advanced all the way to the Memorial Cup Final. 

Exhausting his junior eligibility, this is going to be a big year for Molendyk, arriving in the Predators system. He's proven to be a force in juniors, and if he can translate his game to the professional level, the sky is the limit for Molendyk. 

2024: Yegor Surin (center, 22nd overall) 

The future is slowly falling into place for the Predators after four strong first-round picks, capped off by Russian center Yegor Surin in 2024. 

Selected 22nd overall, Surin spent the majority of his draft year with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv's junior team, scoring 52 points in 42 games and logging 108 penalty minutes.

With a 6-foot-2-inch, 198-pound build, he could be the center the Predators have been looking for. 

He returned to Russia this season and played for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv's KHL team, achieving tremendous success. Surin scored 14 points in 41 regular season games, seven points in 19 games and won the Gagarin Cup at just 18 years old. 

Surin still has one year left on his contract with Lokomotiv, which is set to expire on May 31, 2026. 

The 2025 NHL Draft is just hours away, and Don Waddell holds two first-round picks. He prefers not to use them and to instead trade them to improve his team, so what will he do? 

Another day, another rumor, and they won't stop until this is over. 

RG.org's Marco D'Amico reports that the CBJ are not only interested in Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson, but have "been in on him for a while now," and that "it goes back to the trade deadline. He’s one of a few guys I know Don is following up on.”

D’Amico also says that Waddell is pushing hard for Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson, but Elliotte Friedman says the Jackets won't be players for Dobson. 

Waddell told the media yesterday that he's had trade talks with a few teams and could move up 8th or higher range. He said yesterday, “We’ll make our hockey club better for today, but we’ve also got to guard the future. So, if we end up keeping both (first-round) picks and picking them, then we’ll get players for the future. I’m still pretty confident there’s something that’s going to break here before the draft, and if it happens, great. If it doesn’t, we’ll move forward."

One of D'Amico's sources also told him, “It’s no secret that Don wants to improve his goaltending. I know they’ve talked to the Canucks about [Thatcher] Demko before, but it seems like the Canucks may sign him to an extension. So what about [Arturs] Šilovs?"

The Canucks have a goalie problem of their own in that they have too many, so why not use one as trade bait? I suspect Šilovs is off the table, so would Waddel pursue Thatcher Demko? The American goaltender has had some injury concerns, but could still be a really good goalie. 

Kevin Lankinen probably isn't going anywhere either. 

With all this goalie talk, Waddell still has one problem - What to do with Elvis Merzļikins? That's the $5.4 million question. 

If you follow the Columbus Blue Jackets, get ready for the next two days as the moves could make your head spin. 

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Blue Jackets Acquire Brendan Gaunce From WildThe Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that they have acquired Brendan Gaunce from the Minnesota Wild today in exchange for forward Cameron Butler. 

Daniil Tarasov Traded To Florida PanthersPierre LeBrun has reported that goalie Daniil Tarasov has been traded to the Florida Panthers today. 

REPORT: NHL, NHLPA Set To Announce New CBA On FridayIf you're an old NHL fan like me, when CBA's are brought up, it immediately gives me anxiety. In 2004, an NHL lockout resulted in the cancellation of the entire season, which revolved around a salary cap. That lockout is the reason the Blue Jackets are celebrating their 25th anniversary in 25-26, instead of last season. 

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