It has certainly been an eventful past few weeks around the NHL with a very busy trade deadline plus a rare trade that was approved and later invalidated by the league. On top of that, the push for the playoffs is heating up with battles for seeding in the Eastern Conference and several spots up for grabs in the very tight Western Conference.
With that in mind, it’s time to run another edition of the PHR Mailbag. If you missed the last one, it was broken into two parts. The first one focused on several trade deadline scenarios while the second looked at how St. Louis can afford to keep pending UFA Ville Husso, the future of Winnipeg’s core forward group, and much more.
You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run on the weekend.
Early top FA predictions please!!!
What would a trade package look like for the Ducks to trade up and grab Shane Wright at the number 1 spot in the draft?
Who are the Devils 1A and 1B goalies next year? Assuming Bernier is done and Blackwood gets traded
The islanders have one of the oldest teams in the league, limited cap space, lack scoring depth & need to sign some defenseman this summer. Is there any way out of this mess or will they be just another team who came close but couldn’t win?
How about some predictions for the major trophies: Hart, Norris, Vezina, Selke?
Love it. Real tough choices. Had to check BetMGM to see what Vegas thinks after reading your post. They got Makar as the heavy favorite for the Norris @-275. Guy is magical but im taking Josi @+250. Igor @-400 for the Vezina, rightly so.
All-knowing and -seeing MB Crystal Ball, please weigh-in on the following queries: 1. How do the SJS & Preds goaltending shake out next season and the next few years? 2. Career trajectories for Mssrs Zadina & Sandin (are either on new teams soon)? 3. And finally, what team does John Gibson suit up for next season? As always, much thanks.
Can you maybe give some insights how the teams approach Russian players for the draft? Is this business as usual, or could players be reluctant switching to North America? Could Russian top talent even drop down to 3rd/4th round because of uncertainty?
What is the time limit for signing a draft pick and how long does a team have the rights for a signed draft pick? Is there a time limit for how a pick can stay in say juniors (or whatever leave they came from) once they are signed before they have to go to either the NHL minor leagues or the NHL itself?
Thanks….
Also is it better to draft for need or draft the best available player? Depending on course on draft position and or what a team needs
Are there teams other than Vegas and Minnesota that may be interested in Shea Weber’s contrat? And why?
Much has been made of the poor performance of Seattle’s goal tending tandem in their first season. I’m wondering how the Kraken’s team defensive stats such as shots allowed compare to Grubaur and Dreidger’s 20/21 teams, Colorado and Florida.
What is the Flyers’ plan? They haven’t really established a core ready to contend and they don’t want to rebuild.
As a Columbus fan, I’ve watched other teams lay siege to our goalies all season long because of poor defensive play. Is the Jackets best bet to take their time and solve this through the draft and player development or might there be reasonable solutions available through trade or free agency. The Jackets have clearly overachieved this year, but they are a long way from where they want to be with the current roster. I fear regression next season if their blueline issues are not resolved.
Thoughts on Flyers HC for next year? Is Chuck gonna stick with Yeo? Or does he (I hope) see the need to go outside the organization and find some one to help change the culture?
Assuming Blashill is replaced this off season, who are the top candidates besides Lane Lambert?
With the Wild extending Goligoski and bringing Middleton into the fold, where do they go with the D group for next season? Does Dumba get traded, will they deal one their D prospects for prospect forwards or stand pat?
In the first 5 games tonight in the NHL, the 5 winning teams won by a combined score of 28 to 6. This isnt uncommon on many nights in the NHL. What ideas do you have to improve the competitiveness in games, and in particular (especially in the Eastern conference), not have a dozen or more teams effectively out of the playoff race by January?
I would love to see the Blues resign both Ville Husso and Charlie Lindgren. Move Binnington to Toronto for 2 or 3 prospects from their reserve list. Makes room for the Blues upcoming kids from being blocked. MUCH needed cap space would be realized.
What can the L.A. Kings be expected to do with their prospects who are mostly RDs or Cs? Cs can be moved to the wings if they can score. But moving defensemen to their wrong side is seldom a good move. Do they start looking to trade a few prospects this summer or before the draft for the players they feel wiil help them next year?
What are Kadri’s next contract terms and which team gives it to him?
A second question, if I could. San Jose: $70 million committed next year to only 17 NHL contracts, and major bucks committed to elderly, underproducing players. Buy out Vlasic? Someone else? Bribe another team to take Burns’ or Karlsson’s contract off their hands? Hold their noses and pray? What’s the solution?