The Untouchables: Ranking each Dallas player's tradeability
Who is TRULY off limits ahead of the March 8 trade deadline?
Just to be up front, I don’t believe in the concept of “untouchables” and what constitutes a player that can’t or shouldn’t be traded. Unless a player is literally the best at their position, then why the hell wouldn’t you entertain the possibility of an upgrade? Strip away your familiarity bias, and you’ll have a hard time justifying the case for your favorite player as being ‘untouchable.’
What makes a player ‘untouchable’ is rarely about the players in a vacuum. It’s usually about everything except the player. Wyatt Johnston is untouchable because he’s growing into a top-line winger — but mainly because he’s still just 20 years old and making $894,000. Miro Heiskanen is untouchable not because he’s the best defensemen in hockey, but because his cap hit will be the envy of the league when the ceiling finally goes up.
The issue with the concept of “untouchability” is that we also rarely get a frame of reference. Trades like Cutter Gauthier for Jamie Drysdale, a top prospect for a top prospect, should happen more often. Vancouver packaging Hunter Brzustewicz for what they needed at the deadline, should happen more often. I’m not condoning these decisions, especially as someone extremely high on Brzustewicz and especially low on Lindholm’s cap in proportion to value — what I’m saying is that there’s a world where Vancouver gives up Brzustewicz for a player whose value is less market driven, just like there’s a world where Philadelphia gets ahead of the rumor mill, keeps everything on the downlow, and trades Gauthier for an even better defensive prospect.
I mention this because that’s the perspective I want to take into this exercise. Who has the intrinsic value of a truly irreplaceable player? These rankings will look a little strange but I hope I can convince you with clips, graphs, probably even a little bit of Hegel and Hume, and everything in between to make the case for each. For clarity, these are personal rankings. For extra clarity, this is a ranking in the context of this year’s trade deadline, just to give it that extra spice. But we’re also assuming a perfect world where any player from opposing teams is up for grabs.
For those that aren’t paid subscribers, here’s a full list of what you’re missing. That didn’t come across as passive aggressive did it? I hope not. Even those that can only get this far keep me writing as long as you keep reading.