3 NHL players at risk of a trade after holiday roster freeze.

There was a ton of trade chatter around the National Hockey League in December but, as is always the case around this time of year, that chatter came to a grinding halt last week when the NHL's holiday roster freeze took effect. As of Saturday however that roster freeze has been lifted which means that players around the league are once again in danger of being moved.

Today I'll be looking at a trio of players that I believe are at risk of such a move, with rumors of a potential trade hounding each and every one of them.

#1 Chris Kreider - New York Rangers.

After a series of roster shakeups already taking place for the New York Rangers this season the team made the surprising decision to make veteran forward Chris Kreider a healthy scratch on December 23rd just ahead of the holiday roster freeze. Needless to say that move raised more than a few eyebrows around the NHL.

The Rangers made a similar move with both former captain Jacob Trouba and former first round pick Kaapo Kakko just prior to trading both those players this season, leaving many to wonder if Kreider will be the next to go.

#2 Brock Nelson - New York Islanders.

Staying in New York, rumors have swirled around Islanders forward Brock Nelson with many believing that Nelson is destined to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. Nelson has spent his entire career with the New York Islanders thus far but with the team once again trending in the wrong direction, and Nelson currently in the 6th year of a 6 year contract, there are those who believe he won't be finishing this season with the only team he has ever played for.

Nelson carries an average annual value and cap hit of $6 million which might make it more likely that we see this trade closer to the trade deadline.

#3 Yanni Gourde - Seattle Kraken.

Another player that is currently in the 6th year of a 6 year deal, Gourde has been another player whose name has recently come up in trade chatter around the league. Gourde's contract carries an average annual value and salary cap hit of just over $5.1 million per season which could also result in him being moved closer to the trade deadline, but the 33 year old is exactly the kind of player playoff teams would be looking for to round out their roster.

Not only is Gourde a capable centerman, but he is one with previous championship experience with a pair of Stanley Cup rings to his name from his time as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning.