Over the next week, pending unrestricted free agents - or "rentals" - will be swapped from Team A to Team B as buyers buy and sellers sell in advance of the NHL's March 3 trade deadline. There's a predictable progression to it all.

What's less predictable is the fate of non-rentals. Deals involving players under team control are often classified as "change of scenery" moves, as at least one player involved is being flipped after a period of diminished ice time or poor performance. Usually, this non-rental has failed to meet lofty expectations set by a high draft slot or strong start to a pro career.

The players discussed below could be traded within the next week, or in the offseason, or never. What connects all eight: It's time for a change and multiple teams should be trying to acquire the player.

(Note: We excluded Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun and Red Wings forward Jakub Vrana from this exercise because their respective situations have been well publicized.)

Brock Boeser, Canucks

2022-23 stats: 10 goals, 27 assists in 50 games (16:55 average)
Contract status: $6.65M cap hit, signed through 2024-25

Boeser, who turned 26 on Saturday, has been through the wringer in Vancouver.

Off the ice, Boeser could only watch from afar as his father's health worsened over multiple years, ultimately leading to his death in 2022. On the ice, he's endured plenty of scoring slumps and injury rehabs, while two playoff series wins in the 2020 playoff bubble count as the lone marker of team success.

Despite producing at a 30-goal pace three times, Boeser's never reached the 30-goal mark in six seasons because he's exceeded 70 games only once. The right winger can truly wire the puck and has utility as a secondary trigger man on the power play. The longstanding conundrum: if Boeser isn't scoring goals, what is he doing to add value?

In order to move Boeser - whose agent has been trying to broker a trade for several months - Vancouver likely needs to retain salary. His hometown team, the Minnesota Wild, is a possible landing spot. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Wednesday the Flames have "kicked tires" on Boeser and the Capitals also appear to be interested.

Kasperi Kapanen, Penguins

2022-23 stats: 7 goals, 13 assists in 43 games (12:02 average)
Contract status: $3.2M cap hit, signed through 2023-24

The Penguins tossed Kapanen a bone in the form of a two-year, $6.4-million extension this past offseason. It was a bad bet then and looks worse now. Kapanen was placed on waivers Friday. On Saturday afternoon, he'll either be claimed by another team or sent to AHL Wilkes Barre/Scranton.

Kapanen's been wildly inconsistent this season, tallying pointless streaks of nine games and four games (twice) over just 43 total contests. The 26-year-old Finn possesses blazing speed, but his hockey sense appears decidedly below average. He's now firmly in the Andreas Athanasiou/Michael Grabner tier of ultra-quick forwards whose top trait is far and away their skating ability.

When not scratched by frustrated coach Mike Sullivan, Kapanen has largely played with Jeff Carter and Brock McGinn. In 164 five-on-five minutes together, the third-line trio has been outscored 8-6 and crushed in the expected goals battle (a pitiful 39.3% xGF). While Kapanen could certainly use a fresh start, the former 20-goal scorer's stock has never been lower.

Yet there may be a fit in Vancouver. The front office is searching for NHLers in their early-to-mid 20s and Canucks president Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin, both formerly of the Penguins, know Kapanen well.

Filip Zadina, Red Wings

2022-23 stats: 2 goals, 2 assists in 14 games (12:51 average)
Contract status: $1.825M cap hit, signed through 2024-25

Zadina, 23, is a classic change-of-scenery candidate.

The Czechia native ticks all the boxes: He's a former high pick (sixth overall in 2018) who's failed to live up to expectations; his current GM isn't the GM who called his name on draft day; the AHL and NHL coaching staffs, as well as the Red Wings' development department, have invested a lot of time and energy into improving his game with limited results; he's battled injuries; his contract isn't prohibitive (money or term).

Surely, at least one team - maybe retooling franchises like the Blues, Capitals, or Islanders - is willing to take a flier on Zadina and his potential. Out of junior, the left winger profiled as a future NHL sniper after potting 44 goals in 57 games in his draft year. He's far from it right now, though still fairly young.

Jesse Puljujarvi, Oilers

2022-23 stats: 5 goals, 9 assists in 56 games (12:26 average)
Contract status: $3M cap hit, pending RFA

Puljujarvi remains a polarizing figure more than 300 games into his career.

He's a north-south winger with tremendous size (6-foot-4, 201 pounds), and he's hard on the forecheck and posts excellent underlying numbers. However, Puljujarvi has struggled to produce offense this year while playing 364 of his 648 five-on-five minutes with Connor McDavid or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

Overall, Puljujarvi's ice time is down four minutes from last season, and Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft hasn't been afraid to remove him from the lineup. Would the hockey world - from Woodcroft to the average fan - look at him differently if he was a fourth-round pick instead of the No. 4 pick in 2016? Probably.

There's a template for redemption. Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin, a somewhat similar player, has flourished after a change of scenery. Perhaps Puljujarvi, 24, blossoms into Nichushkin lite one day.

The Hurricanes are reportedly interested in Puljujarvi. Meanwhile, the Canucks (searching for NHLers in their early-to-mid 20s), Coyotes (looking to fill the lineup with NHLers, period), and Lightning (strong development track record) come to mind as other potential suitors.

Denis Gurianov, Stars

2022-23 stats: 2 goals, 7 assists in 42 games (12:12 average)
Contract status: $2.9M cap hit, pending RFA

Stars fans have asked themselves the same question for at least two seasons: Is this the year Gurianov breaks out as an impact top-six winger?

Spoiler alert: Gurianov, goalless in his past 21 games, has yet to break out despite now playing under three different head coaches.

The 25-year-old, who checks in at 6-foot-3, has world-class speed and a heavy shot and has unleashed these weapons several times since breaking into the league in 2018. At his best, he's an intoxicating talent. At his worst, he's frustratingly inconsistent - so much potential, not enough execution.

For the contending Stars, Gurianov could be a nice trade chip. Dallas could package him with a second-round pick for a rental. In that scenario: the Stars remove Gurianov's cap hit, Gurianov gets a fresh start, and the other team receives an NHL player (albeit a flawed one) and a relatively high pick for its trouble.

Cal Foote, Lightning

2022-23 stats: 1 goal, 2 assists in 25 games (14:12 average)
Contract status: $850,000 cap hit, pending RFA

It's never a good sign when a late-round pick signed out of college immediately leapfrogs you on the depth chart.

That's what happened to Foote, the No. 14 pick in 2017, who was replaced in the lineup by Nick Perbix early in the season and no longer appears to be part of the long-term Lightning core.

Foote's a physical blue-liner with 129 games of NHL experience (116 regular season, 13 playoffs). He's right handed, so always in demand. His salary is low on his expiring deal and will stay that way given how little he's played in 2022-23. So, yes, there are a few things to like about the son of longtime NHLer Adam Foote.

The older Foote, by the way, is an assistant coach for the Canucks. Perhaps Vancouver is the right landing spot. Really, any rebuilding or retooling club - from the Flyers and Blackhawks to the Panthers and Blues - should be considering Foote. He's worth a shot.

Dante Fabbro, Predators

2022-23 stats: 1 goal, 7 assists in 53 games (16:03 average)
Contract status: $2.4M cap hit, pending RFA

Fabbro, a righty with puck skills, hasn't developed into the difference-maker Nashville envisioned when the Boston University defenseman turned pro in 2019. This season, coach John Hynes has slashed Fabbro's ice time by three minutes, and he's producing at only a 12-point pace over 82 games.

Fabbro, 24, could be on the move any day now, especially with the Predators currently on the outside of the Western Conference playoff race. Fabbro will be one of the easier players to flip since the club's cap sheet is filled with undesirable contracts.

Similar to Foote, Fabbro's young enough to persuade teams into thinking there's untapped potential. Sportsnet's Jeff Marek linked Fabbro to the Sharks, partly because David Quinn coached Fabbro in college.

John Gibson, Ducks

2022-23 stats: .900 save percentage, .513 quality-start rate in 40 games
Contract status: $6.4M cap hit, signed through 2026-27

Gibson's the outlier of this group - and not just because he's a goalie. He's also the oldest by three years, his contract runs longest by two years, he wasn't a first-round pick, and at one point he was considered a legitimate star.

Still, Gibson, a career Duck, might need a change of scenery more than anybody in the entire league. He's been peppered with rubber the past few years, and he leads all goalies in 2022-23 in total shots faced, slot shots faced, and inner slot shots faced. The 29-year-old must be at his wit's end.

Further, Gibson's prime (which arguably has already passed) doesn't align with the Ducks' timeline to contend. Flipping him now would give the promising tandem of Anthony Stolarz and Lukas Dostal extra runway. It's not like Anaheim's primed to challenge for a playoff spot next year, either.

Gibson's contract is pricey and long - not ideal for trade purposes. But, whether it's the Kings or Sabres, there are teams that need stability between the pipes and could easily stomach the drawbacks.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

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After stumbling out of the All-Star break, the Minnesota Wild's five-game point streak has general manager Bill Guerin interested in being a major player at the trade deadline.

"They're showing me they're serious," Guerin told The Athletic's Joe Smith on Friday. "We're going to be in a dogfight until the very end. We'd like to be active. What we can do or whatever we'll be able to do is another story. But we have to take a look at being very active."

The Wild already helped broker major trades for other teams in the past week. Minnesota acted as a third party for additional retention in Ryan O'Reilly's move to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Dmitry Orlov's trade to the Boston Bruins.

"I think we've managed our cap well and have flexibility that's important," Guerin said. "But it just doesn't mean that we're going to go out and use it all, because that costs assets. And we're just not necessarily in that spot."

Minnesota is in a unique position with upward of $10 million in available cap space at the trade deadline but limited room to maneuver past this season. The Wild's dead cap space rises to nearly $15 million in 2023-24 due to the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.

Guerin added they don't want to trade first-round picks or top prospects. With the lowest goals for record of any team currently in a playoff position, his preference is to make additions at forward.

Despite speculation that defenseman Matt Dumba could be traded, the pending unrestricted free agent appears set to remain with the Wild through the end of the campaign.

"I would lean that way," Guerin said of keeping Dumba. "Matt's played really well. His game is in a very good place. Right-shot defensemen who can skate - it's tough to replace. Matt being a big part of the room and the organization for a number of years, it's not an easy thing to do."

The Wild are third in the Central Division with a 32-21-6 record. The Colorado Avalanche are one point back of Minnesota with three games in hand.

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Less than 24 hours after St. Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube questioned his players' dedication, young star Robert Thomas stood up for his teammates.

"Yeah, it's obviously frustrating to hear that," Thomas said of Berube's harsh criticism during an appearance on "The Opening Drive" on Friday. "I've been a part of this team for a long time. What he said couldn't be further from the truth. I know everyone in that room cares."

Berube was the talk of the hockey world following the Blues' 3-2 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks that saw his team surrender a 2-1 lead with 29 seconds remaining in regulation.

A clearly frustrated Berube said St. Louis' best players "don't play with any passion." When asked why he wasn't getting what he wanted from his top guys, he quipped, "I guess they don't care about the team."

Berube doubled down on his comments on Friday.

"I don't regret things, no. Like I said, we need to be better as a team," he said, according to NHL.com's Lou Korac. "Individuals need to be better, and that's the bottom line. We need to be better. I need to be better. Coaching staff needs to be better.

"So, we've got to work on getting better. Sometimes you say things, and hopefully, you get a response."

Thomas, who was a minus-two and failed to register a point during the loss, echoed Berube's emphasis on accountability. The 23-year-old will enter the first season of an eight-year, $65-million extension in 2023-24 and is largely viewed as a key piece of the Blues' future.

"You always learn through winning, you learn a lot about what it takes to win and how a team should be in order to succeed," Thomas said. "I think you learn even more when you're losing and when you're going through a disaster. I think this is the best time for guys to step up, including myself."

The Blues are currently navigating a time of mass change. With the team's playoff hopes dwindling, St. Louis parted ways with pending unrestricted free agents and franchise mainstays Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O'Reilly earlier this month.

After sending Tarasenko to the New York Rangers, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said the team's 2019 Stanley Cup-winning era was over.

Armstrong confronted Thursday's postgame drama in a press conference on Friday.

"We can allow this to snowball, and we can allow this to be the talking point of how we're going to finish the rest of this season, or we can address it, understand the raw emotion of it," he said. "But at some point, you have to move on. Today is the day we have to move on."

The Blues' next chance to move forward will come Saturday against the floundering Pittsburgh Penguins.

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Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak was handed a two-game suspension for elbowing Buffalo Sabres captain Kyle Okposo during Thursday's contest, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced.

The incident occurred late in the third period of the Sabres' 6-5 overtime victory. Cernak did not receive a penalty and Okposo was able to stay on the bench, but he didn't take another shift.

More to come.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward Kasperi Kapanen on waivers Friday afternoon.

Kapanen has seven goals and 20 points through 43 contests this season. He is signed through 2023-24 at a cap hit of $3.2 million.

The 26-year-old has fallen out of favor in Pittsburgh, finding himself a healthy scratch and playing the lowest average ice time of his career since his rookie campaign.

"When a team doesn't live up to expectations, change is inevitable - that's part of it," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "(Kapanen) is a really talented player. To a certain extent, it's on all of us because we didn't find a way to maximize his potential."

"The feeling was that last year was a bit of a down year and that he would bounce back," general manager Ron Hextall said. "He's still almost a half-a-point-a-game guy. I think he can be a productive player. Unfortunately, it hasn't worked here. Tough decisions have to be made along the way, and that's what this was."

Should Kapanen clear waivers and be sent down to the AHL, the Penguins will gain $1.125 million in cap space.

Kapanen's best offensive year came in the shortened 2020-21 season when he tallied 11 goals and 30 points in 40 games. His lone 20-goal campaign came in 2018-19 with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Penguins acquired Kapanen in August 2020 from the Maple Leafs along with Pontus Aberg and Jesper Lindgren in exchange for Filip Hallander, Evan Rodrigues, David Warsofsky, and a 2020 first-round pick that was used to draft Rodion Amirov.

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We have a busy weekend of hockey ahead of us with 16 games scheduled over the next couple of days. Let's get right into our best bets.

Wild (+180) @ Maple Leafs (-210)

The Wild are having a miserable time offensively right now. Although they have won four consecutive games, they've only scored more than three goals once since the middle of January.

As such, it should be no surprise that 12 of their last 13 games have gone under 6.5 goals, and I don't expect that to change Friday night in Toronto.

For one, both teams are above average defensively. At five-on-five, the Wild rank fifth in expected goals against per 60 this season, while the Maple Leafs rank fifth over the past 10 games.

With the Wild in a back-to-back situation and their offense struggling, they'll likely lean on their defense and try to keep this game as compact as possible. If and when breakdowns do arise, the goaltending should hold up.

Filip Gustavsson has very quietly been one of the better goaltenders in the NHL this season. While that may seem like an egregious claim on the surface, the numbers support it.

He owns a remarkable .928 save percentage through 26 starts and is one of the leaders in goals saved above expected. Gustavsson slots seventh in total GSAE and sits only behind Linus Ullmark and Ilya Sorokin on a per-game basis.

At the other end, Ilya Samsonov's numbers have tailed off a little bit of late, but they're still well above average for the season. He's more than capable of holding his own against this anemic Wild attack.

Some of the top-tier finishers in this game could make things a little sweaty, but with strong defense and goaltending and a high total, there's plenty of reason to believe this game goes under the number.

Bet: Under 6.5 (-130)

Oilers (TBD) @ Blue Jackets (TBD)

I love, love, love what I'm seeing from the Oilers. They've picked up points in nine of the last 10 games and the numbers suggest that is no fluke.

At five-on-five, they have controlled a whopping 59% of the expected goals during this stretch, which is second to only the Hurricanes.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know a team with superstars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will pile up the points when consistently outchancing the opposition. That's what we're seeing right now.

There is every reason to believe their dominance will continue against the Blue Jackets. Columbus has some of the worst underlying numbers in the league this season and things will likely continue to get worse as the team subtracts players from the lineup leading up to the trade deadline.

Elvis Merzlikins getting the start in this game would be a nice cherry on top. The Jackets generally switch goaltenders following a loss. With Joonas Korpisalo losing last time out, we should see Merzlikins back between the pipes in this game.

Among 63 netminders with at least 15 appearances this season, Merzlikins ranks dead last in goals saved above expected per start. He has largely played very poorly and I don't see that changing against the kind of firepower Edmonton possesses.

Bet: Oilers -1.5 (would play to -120)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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