As top names continue to drop off the board in the lead-up to Friday's trade deadline, more focus is shifting to players in the secondary market, a number of whom can make a notable impact should they move by the end of this week.

Here are five under-the-radar NHLers who teams should target before the trade deadline.

Nick Schmaltz, Arizona Coyotes

A name recently appearing in trade rumors is Arizona Coyotes forward Schmaltz. If the 27-year-old is available, multiple teams should be seriously interested in the underrated winger.

Acquiring a player with term remaining on their contract can be tricky at the trade deadline. This is especially true when the player has a significant salary. In Schmaltz's case, his $5.85-million cap hit through 2025-26 is a tough deal to bring in for any contending team.

That being said, a few teams that can certainly make it work and have the need. The Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes are likely in the market for a top-six forward and have maneuverability both this year and into the future.

Considering Schmaltz has a 10-team no-trade list that kicks in this summer, it makes a lot of sense for the Coyotes to entertain offers now.

Schmaltz's scoring has flown under the radar over the past two seasons. His 0.92 points per game since the start of 2021-22 ranks 60th in the league among players with at least 82 games played over this span. That's ahead of the likes of Alex DeBrincat, Sam Reinhart, and Nikolaj Ehlers.

The Wisconsin native is a high-end playmaker. According to Corey Sznajder's tracked data, Schmaltz is in the 90th percentile or above in shot assists, chance assists, high-danger assists, and rush assists. He's also among the league's best entering the offensive zone with the puck on his stick (97th percentile in carry entries) and exiting the defensive end with control (95th percentile in pass exits).

Should he be traded, Schmaltz would be among the highest-impact players to move despite not being one of the top names.

Jakub Vrana, Detroit Red Wings

Few NHL players are as fascinating as Detroit Red Wings forward Vrana.

He's been a potent threat when on the ice over the past three seasons. Since 2020-21, Vrana ranks among the league's most efficient goal-scorers at five-on-five.

He's also missed significant time due to various injuries, didn't play in the early part of the 2022-23 campaign while receiving care from the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, and cleared waivers in January.

There may not be a bigger boom-or-bust player available at the deadline than Vrana. Despite his $5.25-million cap hit through next season and all of the risks involved, he's still a worthwhile swing at the deadline.

Simply put, goal-scorers with Vrana's upside don't typically become available. Everyone recognizes that he isn't an Auston Matthews- or David Pastrnak-level scorer, but he doesn't need to be for his cap hit to be worth it. Middle-six wingers who can score as efficiently as Vrana are valuable. Factor in the likelihood of the Red Wings adding a sweetener to move the contract, and there's too much potential to pass on.

It'd be a shame if Vrana doesn't move at the deadline and continues to spend time in the AHL. Someone should take the gamble, whether it be a team on the playoff bubble with cap space or a club that misses out on Timo Meier and pivots to try and find goal-scoring elsewhere.

Nick Jensen, Washington Capitals

An unexpected seller emerged last week when the Washington Capitals shipped pending unrestricted free agents Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway to the Boston Bruins.

It's safe to assume the Capitals aren't done shedding players from their roster after trading their best healthy defenseman. Another Washington blue-liner that should be on many teams' radars is Jensen.

The 32-year-old is in the midst of a splendid year, having already broken his career high in points with 24 while playing 20:58 per game, the highest mark of his NHL tenure.

Jensen has often gone overlooked despite being a consistently strong defensive presence. Since he became a full-time NHLer in 2017-18, only Chris Tanev has accumulated more defensive goals above replacement.

Jensen's excellent defensive metrics are thanks in large part to a superb ability to retrieve pucks and break out of the zone with control. From Corey Sznajder's tracked data, Jensen is in the 98th percentile in defensive zone retrievals and 97th percentile in carry exits.

Numerous teams in the playoff mix could use a defender like Jensen. As underrated as he is, it wouldn't be a surprise to see a bidding war develop for the Minnesota native.

Dante Fabbro, Nashville Predators

A drop in production has resulted in Nashville Predators defenseman Fabbro reportedly becoming available. Still only 24 years old, the former first-round pick makes for a prime buy-low candidate at the deadline.

With just eight points through 43 games, a career-low 15:57 per game, and an impending $2.4-million qualifying offer in the summer, the market for Fabbro likely leans toward teams on the outside of the playoff picture with cap space.

Don't let the basic stats fool you - Fabbro is still a quality puck-moving blue-liner. He's in the 95th percentile in pass entries and the 90th percentile in pass exits, results based largely on his league-leading success rate retrieving the puck in the defensive zone, according to Corey Sznajder's tracked data.

Two teams that would be smart to inquire about Fabbro are the Ottawa Senators and the San Jose Sharks.

The Senators are still in need of a top-four right-side defenseman. Fabbro's ability to break the puck out of the defensive zone makes for an intriguing potential fit with Jake Sanderson and their exciting top-six forward group.

As for the Sharks, Fabbro played his first two years at Boston University under current San Jose coach David Quinn. He knows the player well, and the Sharks have plenty of ice time to go around to help build Fabbro's stock back up.

Mikey Eyssimont, San Jose Sharks

Prior to 2022-23, Eyssimont was a full-time AHLer with one notable offensive season under his belt as a professional.

This season, Eyssimont has taken his opportunity in the NHL and run with it, spending the early part of the campaign with the Winnipeg Jets and later being claimed off waivers by the Sharks.

Across 38 games with the two teams, the 26-year-old has four goals and 13 points. Nothing remarkable, but solid production nonetheless.

Eyssimont begins to stand out as an intriguing target when you look a bit deeper. He leads the Sharks at five-on-five in Corsi For rating (58.1%) and expected goals for (64.1%), outscoring the opposition 16-14 as well. Even in Winnipeg, Eyssimont was posting above-average metrics.

As a result of his strong play, Eyssimont has gone from playing 9:16 in his Sharks debut to featuring on the top line and playing 19:13 in his most recent outing.

Of course, that's not to suggest Eyssimont is a top-line player. With a league-minimum cap hit of $750,000 and restricted free-agent status in the summer, the Littleton, Colorado, native would make for a truly under-the-radar add for a capped-out playoff team looking to bolster depth at the bottom of their lineup.

Statistics via Natural Stat Trick, Evolving Hockey, All Three Zones, JFresh

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With most of the available big-name forwards already spoken for, Philadelphia Flyers center Kevin Hayes has started to draw some interest.

The Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, and Minnesota Wild have checked in on the 30-year-old's availability, reports Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.

Hayes has three seasons remaining on his pact after this one and would come with a cap hit of about $7.14 million. The Flyers would realistically have to retain some of that salary to make a deal work.

His contract carries a 12-team no-trade list, but Seravalli reports that Carolina, Colorado, and Minnesota aren't on it.

A first-time All-Star this season, Hayes ranks second on the Flyers with 17 goals and 48 points in 60 games. He's just two points away from surpassing his previous career high that he set with the New York Rangers in 2016-17.

All three potential suitors could use some help down the middle.

The Avalanche have turned to J.T. Compher to fill in as second-line center following Nazem Kadri's offseason departure but are lacking high-quality depth.

Carolina could use an upgrade on Jesperi Kotkaniemi behind Sebastian Aho, and the Hurricanes have yet to join the arms race currently going on in the Eastern Conference.

Wild general manager Bill Guerin said recently he wants to reward the team for its hot streak of late by being "very active" ahead of the deadline. However, Minnesota's dead-cap space will rise to nearly $15 million in 2023-24 and 2024-25 due to the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.

The trade deadline is March 3 at 3 p.m. ET.

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The Vancouver Canucks activated No. 1 goaltender Thatcher Demko from injured reserve Monday, the team announced. He'll start Monday's game against the Dallas Stars.

Vancouver assigned fellow netminder Arturs Silovs to the AHL in a corresponding move.

Demko hasn't played since suffering a lower-body ailment Dec. 1 against the Florida Panthers. The 27-year-old - who finished seventh in Vezina Trophy voting last year - has endured a poor season, posting an .883 save percentage in 15 contests.

Silovs, 21, posted a .908 save percentage in four games with the Canucks.

Between Demko, Silovs, Collin Delia, and Spencer Martin, the Canucks rank last in the NHL with a team save percentage of .872 entering Monday.

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San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier didn't explicitly say he wouldn't trade star defenseman Erik Karlsson at the March 3 deadline, but he certainly poured some cold water on the idea.

"There's teams that still always want to check in when you've got a great player like that who can make a difference and maybe win you a Stanley Cup," he told reporters Sunday evening. "I think there's always a little bit of interest, but at the same time, I think, with five days to go until the deadline to make everything work, it might be something that's difficult to pull off.

"But at the end of the day, if someone wants him bad enough, as they say, 'Where there's a will, there's a way.' ... At this time, I'm anticipating him being here for the rest of the season. ... Anything can change at the drop of a hat, right?"

Karlsson is making a serious push for his third Norris Trophy this season. The 32-year-old has 77 points in 60 games and is on pace for 105 points. He'd be the first blue-liner to reach the century mark since Brian Leetch in 1991-92.

The veteran's resurgence has turned some heads, with the Edmonton Oilers reportedly being among the interested parties. However, Karlsson has four seasons remaining on his pact after this one with a monstrous cap hit of $11.5 million, which has evidently been an impediment to any potential deals.

Karlsson's contract carries a no-movement clause but said Grier hasn't approached him about it.

"I think it'd be weird if he comes now with three days left to ask me to waive my no-move," Karlsson said, according to NBC Sports' Sheng Peng. "We've had plenty of time for that if that was the case."

Grier acknowledged that moving Karlsson in the offseason would be "easier to do."

One major domino already fell Sunday for the retooling Sharks. Grier made his biggest move as general manager, sending pending restricted free agent Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils in a swap that included nine players and four picks.

Karlsson addressed the blockbuster deal Monday.

"You trade a guy like Timo, I don't think that shows that this is going to be a quick turnaround," he said. "It's unfortunate. ... (I) understand what needs to be done from an organizational perspective, and it just sucks that it happened to be where I'm at in this stage of my career."

Karlsson said in January that he loves San Jose but had hoped the team's return to contention was within his "timeline," adding that if it wasn't, it would be a "different discussion."

San Jose is in seventh place in the Pacific Division with an 18-30-12 record. The Meier-less Sharks take on the Montreal Canadians on Tuesday.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired defenseman Jake McCabe, forward Sam Lafferty, and two conditional draft picks from the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.

The Maple Leafs send forward Joey Anderson, forward Pavel Gogolev, a conditional 2025 first-round pick, and a 2026 second-round pick to Chicago in the transaction.

Toronto's 2025 first-round pick is top-10 protected. If the selection is in the top 10, Chicago will receive a 2026 first-rounder, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Chicago is retaining 50% of McCabe's salary in the trade. Toronto will receive the blue-liner at a $2-million cap hit through 2024-25.

McCabe has 20 points in 55 games while averaging 19:29 per game. The 29-year-old left shot is in the second season of a four-year contract signed with the Blackhawks in 2021.

Lafferty's 10 goals and 21 points this season are already career highs. The 27-year-old is averaging 15:07 and has won 52.4% of his faceoffs. The right-shot center is signed through next season at a $1.15-million cap hit.

Anderson cleared waivers Thursday. He's played 14 games with the Maple Leafs this season, tallying two goals and three points. The 24-year-old has 14 goals and 27 points in 30 contests in the AHL and is a pending restricted free agent. He was acquired by Toronto in 2020 for Andreas Johnsson.

Gogolev was signed by the Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2021. The 23-year-old has spent a majority of the campaign in the ECHL, where he has 21 goals and 48 points in 33 games.

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New York Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller was handed a match penalty and ejected from Sunday's contest against the Los Angeles Kings after spitting on Drew Doughty.

Miller issued an apology Monday on Twitter, insisting the incident was accidental.

The NHL Department of Player Safety has punished players for spitting on an opponent before. Garnet Hathaway, then a member of the Washington Capitals, was banned for three games in 2019.

Miller's exit in the first period dropped the Rangers to 15 skaters and four defensemen. New York dressed Braden Schneider and Ryan Carpenter, but neither player is taking shifts to protect them from injury.

The Rangers are reportedly pushing toward finalizing a trade for Patrick Kane, and sending Schneider or Carpenter to the AHL after the contest helps their cap flexibility. Injured players cannot be assigned to the minors.

New York entered the game without blue-liner Ryan Lindgren, who was injured Saturday.

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