Karlsson, van Riemsdyk among players to watch ahead of NHL Trade Deadline

The 2023 NHL Trade Deadline is Friday at 3 p.m. ET.
Here are players to watch, broken down by position and in alphabetical order, with the deadline approaching:

FORWARDS

Brock Boeser, Vancouver Canucks
Boeser has been linked to trade rumors the past several seasons and could be moved with the Canucks out of the Stanley Cup Playoff picture. The 25-year-old has two years remaining on his contract and has scored at least 23 goals in four of the previous five seasons.
Nick Bonino, San Jose Sharks
Bonino isn't known for his offense, but he's a smart player who can play in all situations. He is averaging 1:36 of power-play ice time, 2:14 of short-handed ice time, and is winning close to 50 percent of his face-offs this season (48.6 percent). The 34-year-old is also a two-time Stanley Cup champion (2015, 2016 with Pittsburgh Penguins) with 105 games of playoff experience. He can become a UFA after the season.
James van Riemsdyk, Philadelphia Flyers
Van Riemsdyk would be a nice fit for any team looking for forward depth. The 33-year-old is a pending UFA and has nearly 600 points in more than 900 games to go along with 20 goals in 71 playoff games.

DEFENSEMEN

Justin Braun, Philadelphia Flyers
Braun joined the New York Rangers prior to their run to the Eastern Conference Final last season and could help a contender again. The 36-year-old stay-at-home defenseman is a pending UFA.
Matt Dumba, Minnesota Wild
The 28-year-old has 13 points, his fewest in his nine full NHL seasons, and has been a healthy scratch on several occasions this season. Dumba, who is a pending UFA, can provide physicality and grit.
Erik Karlsson, San Jose Sharks
Karlsson is closing in on what would be his best NHL season. He leads all defensemen in goals, assists and points, and the Sharks may have to take on some of his salary cap charge ($11.5 million average annual value for the next four seasons after this one). The 32-year-old would make any team better, but how much are teams willing to give up for his services? So far, the Sharks have not asked Karlsson to waive his no-movement clause.
John Klingberg, Anaheim Ducks
Klingberg was not moved at the deadline last season and signed a one-year contract with the Ducks in the offseason. With Anaheim out of the playoff mix, the 30-year-old could be on the move again. Klingberg averages more than 20 minutes of ice time per game and can play in all situations.

GOALIES

John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks
The 29-year-old has been a workhorse for the Ducks over the past decade, although he hasn't won many games in the past three seasons with Anaheim ranking last in the NHL in goals per game since 2020-21. Gibson, who would help any team in need of a goalie, has four seasons remaining on his contract.
James Reimer, San Jose Sharks
The 34-year-old has been both a starter and a backup over the course of his NHL career and has played in the postseason for three teams, the last coming in 2020 with the Carolina Hurricanes. Reimer is a pending UFA who has made at least 21 starts in each of his 13 NHL seasons.
Semyon Varlamov, New York Islanders
Varlamov, 34, hasn't been called upon quite as much this season with the emergence of Ilya Sorokin, but he's been solid. A pending UFA, Varlamov helped New York reached the third round of the playoffs in 2020 and 2021 and could be on the move if the Islanders fall further out of the wild-card race. He has started 58 playoff games in his NHL career.
Karel Vejmelka, Arizona Coyotes
Vejmelka won 13 games as a rookie in 2021-22 and has been the Coyotes' No. 1 goalie this season with a respectable goals-against average and save percentage for a team struggling on both ends of the ice. The 26-year-old has two seasons remaining on his contract.