Alongside breaking NHL news, ProHockeyRumors staff pen original and engaging work. This weekend brought pieces on individual teams’ expansion draft issues, offseason considerations, and free agency. In case you missed them, here are the top five original pieces published this weekend:
Blue Jackets Must Convince Hartnell to Waive NMC
The Columbus Blue Jackets had an excellent season spurred by the exciting play of several young forwards. The team faces a potential setback, however, if they lose one of those young players to the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL expansion draft this summer. The biggest obstacle preventing the Blue Jackets from protecting all their young prospects is aging veteran forward Scott Hartnell. Hartnell has a No-Movement Cause, and the expansion draft rules require that any player with a NMC must be protected in the draft. That means that Columbus must protect Hartnell over one of its more promising younger players. The Blue Jackets can solve this issue by convincing Hartnell to waive his NMC.
Capitals Have Four of the Top Eight Unrestricted Free Agents
The Washington Capitals face some tough decisions this summer, and it has nothing to do with the expansion draft. According to the Hockey News’ Matt Larkin, the Capitals have four of the top eight unrestricted free agents. Kevin Shattenkirk, T.J. Oshie, Karl Alzner, and Justin Williams are all UFAs at seasons-end, and not all are guaranteed to re-sign with Washington. The Capitals’ decision will no doubt be swayed by how the team fares in the next few days. Down 3-1 to the Penguins, the Capitals could be eliminated from the playoffs in a year where they are the predominant favorite to win the Stanley Cup.
Offseason Keys: Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes enter the offseason with numerous unanswered questions. For starters, the team’s home is once again in jeopardy. Ownership is unhappy with the Glendale location, and a deal to move to the East Valley fell through. Trying to woo offseason talent is much harder when your home arena is always in question. On the ice, the Coyotes have to decide whether they want to keep veteran forward Shane Doan and veteran goalie Mike Smith. Doan, an unrestricted free agent this summer, has known no other team (unless you count when the Coyotes played in Winnipeg as the Jets), and is the face of the Coyotes. Smith still has two years left on his deal that pays him $5.67MM a year, but the Coyotes are far from contenders and could move him to a more-competitive team.
Offseason Keys: Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks will have one of the more exciting offseasons this summer. The team will decide whether to go full-rebuild or try to rebuild on the fly. New coach Travis Green may be the sacrificial lamb in all of this, but he’ll helm the ship during the next few years. The Canucks have two very important offseason decisions: re-sign Bo Horvat and decide on a goaltender. Horvat is an RFA this summer and should be in line for a decent raise. Whether Horvat garners a long term deal or a short term bridge contract will signal the team’s confidence in the young forward. As for goaltending, Ryan Miller is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and the veteran goalie may not want to stick around for a rebuild.
Course Adjustment for Colorado
The Colorado Avalanche will be the most-watched team this offseason. The team endured intense trade speculation surrounding franchise pieces Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene during the season, and those rumors will only grow stronger as the summer progresses. Many experts think that Colorado could get more for those players at the NHL Entry Draft, and Colorado’s unlucky draft lottery result—dropping down to the fourth pick—only fuels that speculation. Moreover, finishing last in the league despite some big names on the blue line may lead GM Joe Sakic to make some defensive changes.