The long-awaited Erik Karlsson trade has happened at last, in August no less. We here at Bleacher Report are somewhat bummed because we love big trades and they happen so rarely. But it also has us eyeing the next potential blockbuster.

Obviously, not all trades are made the same way, and not every trade will involve a player who has the elite skill set Karlsson does, but other notable players are grumbling about their situation, are unhappy with where things are headed or just don't like how it's going, period.

Some players' desire to find greener pastures is greater than that of others and the speculation surrounding them is louder in some cases than others. But training camp is almost a month away. Heck, prospect tournaments and camps open in a month proper.

Let's fire things up with a little speculative fun and look at seven players who may have their eyes elsewhere and scout out some potential landing spots for them.

Noah Hanifin, Calgary Flames

Things have been a bit sad in Calgary this offseason. After the Flames fired Darryl Sutter and brought in Ryan Huska as head coach, the thought was that would fix things up after Sutter's notoriously old-school, curmudgeonly ways made everyone want to get out of town.

Even with Sutter gone and Brad Treliving off to Toronto as the Leafs GM, the exodus isn't over, and a lot of players have been searching for ways out. Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk got out before it was cool, and Tyler Toffoli was part of the second wave of guys out of town. Defenseman Noah Hanifin could be next.

Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reported in June that Hanifin won't sign an extension with Calgary, and after the Flames saw Gaudreau leave town for nothing two summers ago, they can't exactly do that again.

The 26-year-old is a solid defenseman who plays big minutes, can contribute well offensively and is strong when it comes to puck possession and generating shots. After all, he was the No. 5 pick in the 2015 NHL draft, so he should be good.

Finding a team that would want Hanifin is the easy part, and he's in the final year of his contract, so it's a little easier still to trade him. With his skill set and ability to handle a game, he's a prime candidate for a contending team or one in need of blue-line help to make the playoffs.

Potential Trade Destinations: Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Washington

Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets

As in Calgary, players have been seemingly eager to get away from Winnipeg—albeit for different reasons.

Pierre-Luc Dubois got his wish to leave the Jets and was traded to Los Angeles. Blake Wheeler was bought out and landed with the Rangers.

Connor Hellebuyck has a year left on his contract but reportedly isn't interested in signing an extension with the Jets, according to The Athletic. The problem for Winnipeg is it really needs him to have any success, but when a star player has a year remaining and isn't excited about staying around, logic says you have to start shopping him.

Hellebuyck is 30 years old, but a goalie's aging curve is different than players at other positions, and they can have greater success for longer. Fortunately, the need for elite goaltending will always be there, and teams will pony up for it.

Renting a goalie makes it a little tougher to get a big price in return, but desperation creates opportunities, be it from injuries or a desire to make the postseason.

Hellebuyck is from Michigan and the Red Wings' goaltending is going to be under a microscope with how eager they are to get back to the playoffs. That they haven't made a deal for him already is kind of a surprise. If they wait, they'll be inviting other teams to drive up the cost. The Devils have been mentioned as having interest in him as well, per TSN's Pierre LeBrun (h/t the Hockey News), and that would be a lot of fun, too.

Possible Trade Destinations: Detroit, New Jersey, Buffalo, Los Angeles

Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals

We've been a bit obsessed with Evgeny Kuznetsov's future in Washington this summer. He demanded a trade last season, but this summer, Capitals GM Brian MacLellan said they were looking around to try to find a new place to send him, but trades didn't materialize.

The Russian has a $7.8 million cap hit for the next two seasons, which makes trading him a bit more difficult, but every team has players with swollen cap hits that they'd be comfortable moving to address a need.

The problem for Washington is Kuznetsov is coming off a terrible season and he is 31 years old.

Still, he had a great season two years ago, and that's an easy way to market him to an interested team. Sure, he wasn't great last season when the Caps weren't very good, but on a better team, he'd surely excel. There's at least one GM out there who would agree with that, but finding them and making the right deal? That's the hard part.

Ideally, Kuznetsov is a 60- to 75-point player with the kind of creativity and skill that helps other players shine as well. There are certainly teams that could use someone like that, especially ones that are lacking a playmaker in general.

One that comes to mind immediately is Nashville; and if anyone knows Kuznetsov well, it would be Predators GM Barry Trotz.

Possible Trade Destinations: Nashville, Chicago, Boston (good luck with that cap, though)

Elias Lindholm, Calgary Flames

We've gone over the ongoing mass exodus from Calgary, and Elias Lindholm might be another player who could be on the move.

His contract is up after this season, but it's unknown if he wants to stay with the Flames or would sign an extension. The Flames' hope, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, is that he would want to stay and help them get back into the playoffs and make life tough on other teams in the West. If he doesn't, Calgary will have little choice but to move him, and there will be suitors.

Ever since he's been in Calgary, the 28-year-old has been an excellent two-way forward capable of scoring a lot of goals and preventing opponents from doing the same. He's the sort of player every team would love to have, but there are a few that would have a clear need to bring him in right away.

It's hard not to think of the Boston Bruins, who just lost Patrice Bergeron to retirement, while David Krejci is likely not coming back also. No offense to Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha, but asking those two to play in their top-two lines all season sounds like it might cause Boston to fall back to the pack quickly.

The Bruins wouldn't be alone in wanting Lindholm, though. Two-way players like him are rare, and even if he's added as a rental player, he'll draw a crowd.

Possible Trade Destinations: Boston, Nashville, Montréal, Ottawa, Chicago, Winnipeg

William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs

It sure got quiet around Toronto, didn't it? When the Maple Leafs were bounced from the playoffs by the Florida Panthers and former GM Kyle Dubas wasn't retained, it felt like there would be a lot more moves on the way.

With new GM Brad Treliving in charge, the talk of trading someone cooled off in a big way, but isn't it a little too quiet? After all, the annual desire to trade one of William Nylander or Mitch Marner was there for a bit, but time helps to calm people down.

Even though Nylander was one of their best players in the postseason, he's often viewed as the most expendable name because he's not Auston Matthews and doesn't have a contract like the ones Marner and John Tavares have. That doesn't make him bad, it just makes him an easier target on a team that's always a whisper away from the top of the salary cap.

But Nylander, 27, is eligible to be a UFA next summer and wants $10 million per year in his next contract, according to SDPN's Chris Johnson. The Leafs can't sign him to that kind of deal, which would point toward his being moved at some point. There would be a lot of teams interested in him as a rental, and figuring out the extension after that would be interesting.

One team that sticks out for a potentially mutually beneficial trade of future UFAs is Carolina. A Nylander for Brett Pesce swap makes sense on paper and even more on a video game. Reality is tougher, unfortunately.

Potential Trade Destinations: Carolina, Nashville, Chicago

Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets

Like teammate Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele is due to be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Last offseason, he questioned the direction the team was going, and that was enough to set off alarms for anyone connected to the team and its fanbase.

As long as he doesn't have an extension signed or ready, the possibility he might walk exists, and that's not great considering he's their No. 1 center.

Players like Scheifele aren't always available, and it's rarer still if they hit free agency. That makes it a more urgent situation for teams to try to trade for him. Fortunately, talented players draw a crowd and interest never wanes, but cap space does.

Like our suggestion in a mutually beneficial trade with Nylander-for-Pesce, we have one in mind for Scheifele with the Calgary Flames for Elias Lindholm. Both players are soon-to-be UFAs, which means they'll still need to be signed to extensions, but the change of scenery might just be enough to make everyone happy.

Still, if that's not an idea that works out, the Jets won't run out of suitors for Scheifele. He's scored 60 or more points each season since 2015-16. That's 561 points in 567 games. Pretty good, and he flies under the radar because he plays in Manitoba. He's worth making the move for.

Possible Trade Destinations: Calgary, Columbus, Boston, Chicago, Detroit

Brett Pesce, Carolina Hurricanes

Getting a top-tier defenseman is difficult, and the Carolina Hurricanes have been living the life of luxury the past few seasons because they've had a few of them.

One of those great defenders is Brett Pesce, but he's due to be a free agent next summer. He's also due a raise from his $4.025 million cap hit, and that could be a problem for Carolina.

The Hurricanes want to keep the 28-year-old, but they would trade him if they can't get a deal worked out, per TSN's Pierre LeBrun. It also might explain why they snagged Dmitry Orlov in free agency to buoy themselves in case they have to move Pesce.

Finding a suitor for the right-handed defenseman would not be difficult. He's quietly one of the strongest defenders in the league and can put up 20-30 points per season. Strong and steady wins on the blue line in the NHL, and it'll also earn a nice payday as well.

Pesce on his own won't bring a "wow" factor in a breaking news bulletin on a trade, but the chances other big names could be involved as part of it would help make it a blockbuster kind of deal. Like the deal we pitched earlier with Pesce to Toronto for William Nylander. That's just one idea, and there would be plenty of teams inquiring about him if he's available.

Possible Trade Destinations: Toronto, Nashville, Buffalo, Ottawa, Dallas, Edmonton