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Five NHL veterans who could be on the move

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The Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues are off to disappointing starts, and could be sellers in the trade market.

Many insiders are reporting that there’s a lot of trade chatter going on between general managers. Teams are pushing hard to make a move prior to the Dec. 19 roster freeze. But even if teams can’t pull the trigger on a deal before next week, all these talks should help set the table for trades later on in the season. So with that in mind, who are some of the bigger names that may find themselves on the move in the near future?

Alex Pietrangelo - D - St. Louis Blues: St. Louis has been one of the huge disappointments in the NHL this season. Their terrible start has them 13 points behind Colorado for third place in the Central Division and they’re 11 points behind Vegas for the final Wild Card spot. Trading their captain would be a huge move, but it appears as though it might be time for them to change things up. They won’t give Pietrangelo away though. There’s enough teams looking for quality defensemen, which means they should be able to get something significant back.

Jeff Carter - C/W - Los Angeles Kings: Like the Blues, the Kings have also been a huge bust in 2018-19. Carter’s had a tough year, but there’s still enough offense there to make him an intriguing addition for any competitive team. The 33-year-old has six goals and nine assists in 33 games, but he could regain his scoring touch if he ends up in the right situation. Carter has three years left on his deal at a cap hit of $5.272 million.

Jake Muzzin - D- Los Angeles Kings: Sticking with the Kings theme, Muzzin could be a valuable add for any team that doesn’t want to pay what it’s going to take to get Pietrangelo out of St. Louis. The Kings reportedly had a deal in place to send Muzzin to the Montreal Canadiens last summer as part of a deal for Max Pacioretty, but that ended up falling through. The 29-year-old has one year left on his contract at $4 million.

Jimmy Howard - G -Detroit Red Wings: Shockingly, the Red Wings still find themselves in the mix for a playoff spot. Will they be able to sneak in? Probably not, but it would be tough to envision them selling off assets at this moment. That doesn’t mean that won’t change though. Many teams are looking to upgrade between the pipes, and Howard is having a terrific year. One of the things that teams will like about the veteran, is that there’s no term left on his deal.

Phil Kessel - W - Pittsburgh Penguins: Alright, it would be surprising to see this happen, but there’s been enough chatter about it that it’s impossible to ignore. GM Jim Rutherford isn’t shy about making moves. His team is currently out of a playoff spot and they’re coming off an embarrassing loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Kessel still has three years left on his current deal, but he only accounts for $6.8 million because the Toronto Maple Leafs are retaining some of his salary.

MORE: Your 2018-19 NHL on NBC TV schedule

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Joey Alfieri is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @joeyalfieri.