Lightning Need to Look at These 3 Cap-Friendly Trade Deadline Targets
The NHL trade deadline is Friday, March 7, 2025, at 3 p.m. ET. After the 3 p.m. deadline, players can still be moved in trades, but any player dealt after that will not be available to play for their new team until the following season. With the playoffs in sight, the Tampa Bay Lightning could be one of the more involved participants as they look to improve their roster with a deep playoff run in mind.
Earlier, our THW colleague Jack Pollatta wrote about potential targets for the Lightning, including Kyle Palmieri and Alex Tuch. While both players would be excellent additions, they may be too costly to acquire and fit salaries to keep under the salary cap.
Instead, we will look at three players reported as available at the trade deadline and would be salary-cap friendly to the Lightning.
Ryan Donato
Unlike many of his teammates, Ryan Donato is in the midst of an outstanding season as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. In fact, he is having a career year at 28 years old. Through 53 games, he has 19 goals and 37 points. His career high was last season when he put up 18 goals and 30 points through 78 games. The former Harvard standout is the type of forward that can play up and down the lineup, and he would be a valuable asset in the Lightning’s bottom-six forward group that has struggled to help the team offensively.
Donato’s $2 million cap hit should work for Tampa. His asking price would also work, as the consensus is that a team would need to give a second or third-round draft pick for his services. The Lightning don’t have a third-round pick this year, but they have two second-round picks acquired via trades that should be enough to execute the trade.
Jake Evans
In 56 games this season, Jake Evans has scored 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points, two goals and two points behind his career best. He also has a very low cap hit, which would be $1.7 million for the rest of the season, after which he will become an unrestricted free agent (UFA). Evans and the Montreal Canadiens are far apart in their contract negotiations, making it likely that he will be dealt by the trade deadline, providing a solid bottom-six forward to a playoff-contending team.
The speculated asking price for Evans is also something that the Lightning could do, as it will likely take a second-round pick to acquire him. This seems to be a fair price for a player with Evans’ versatility and reliability. He can effectively play center or wing in a bottom-six role, although his scoring ability is limited. He would also be the ideal candidate for the Lightning as a strong defensive player who can contribute on the scoresheet.
Mario Ferraro
If the Lightning are shut out of acquiring depth at the forward position or decide to go in another direction, the San Jose Sharks defenseman would also give their blue line some depth. Mario Ferraro has appeared in 57 games this season with the Sharks, with five goals, 11 points, 81 blocks, and 117 hits. The 26-year-old had three goals and set new career highs with 18 assists and 21 points last season in San Jose.
The left-shot blueliner is signed until the end of the 2025-26 season, with an easily affordable $3.25 million cap hit. He also has no trade protection, making a potential move to the Lightning even easier. Ferraro would be an excellent addition to the Lightning, likely playing on the second defensive unit, where his steady defensive play with some offensive upside would give the team some added depth heading into the playoffs.
Also, Consider Trent Frederic
The Boston Bruins were just on the outer edge of the playoff picture, two points back of the wild card spots in the Eastern Conference heading into the resumption of play after the 4 Nations Face-Off. If the Bruins fall out of the playoff race or think they may be unable to make a deep run, Trent Frederic is one of the names that has surfaced to be moved at the trade deadline.
Frederic is having a down season offensively, with just eight goals after back-to-back seasons of 18 and 17 goals, which has hindered contract talks with the Bruins. However, he’s still making opponents feel his 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame at a high rate, with 147 hits in 55 games. Last season, he doled out a punishing 204 of them. He would fit in well in this Lightning lineup and would give the team that added depth to make a deep playoff run.
With less than two weeks until the March 7 trade deadline, there will certainly be a lot of news swirling around teams and players that may make moves before this date passes. As a team looking to win another Stanley Cup, the Lightning are sure to be one of the teams that could make a move to bolster their roster for a strong stretch and playoff run.
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