30 NHL stars who could be traded this offseason

17. Josh Anderson, Montreal Canadiens

Josh Anderson is another player who is coming off a down season, but he has some serious years left on his deal. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? His play style, going back to that “playoff hockey” style, will be desirable to teams. He’s basically the light version of Tom Wilson when he’s playing at his best. Is that worth $5.5 million over the next three seasons?

The Montreal Canadiens are no closer to contention than they seemed two years ago. They will be selling some pieces this offseason to get the timeline in the right place (more on that later). Despite being where they are in their timeline, they have less than $10 million to spend this offseason. Giving them 50 percent more to work with from a Josh Anderson move makes sense.

However, the Canadiens will likely be asked to retain salary on this deal, which will take away a lot of the value for them. We have to look at this from the side of the acquiring team. Anderson is coming off a 20-point season and is on the wrong side of 30. 

Anderson still has value. Low value, but value nonetheless. He might have zero value next offseason, and the Canadiens would then just have to buy him out. We see them doing what they can to put him in a different position where they can use the cap space to make better moves for their future, and he can try to reclaim his career in a winning situation.