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Summer Synopsis 2023

Summer Synopsis: Winnipeg Jets

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After qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons, the Winnipeg Jets entered more of a transitionary period this offseason than many expected. The team ended its contractual obligations to then-captain Blake Wheeler, as well as dealing Pierre-Luc Dubois to an up-and-coming Western Conference rival.

Nevertheless, after even more speculation of a full-on teardown, the Jets managed to extend both Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck, committing to a significant part of their core. In a tough Central Division, Winnipeg will again have another uphill battle to make it to the postseason.

Draft

1-18: F Colby Barlow, Owen (OHL)
3-82: F Zach Nehring, Shattuck (18U Prep)
5-146: F Jacob Julien, London (OHL)
5-151: G Thomas Milic, Seattle (WHL)
7-210: F Connor Levis, Kamloops (WHL)

Without much available in draft capital, the Jets were able to select Barlow in the back half of the first round, one of the better goal scorers out of the Ontario Hockey League last season. In 59 games played, Barlow would score 46 goals and 33 assists, finishing top-five in the league in goal-scoring. If his goal-scoring ability doesn’t dissipate, and he can bring it to professional hockey, Barlow should fit nicely into the future of Winnipeg’s top-six forward unit.

Aside from Barlow, the Jets primarily selected fringe players, as well as Milic in the fifth round. He was a standout player in the WHL last season, posting a 27-3-1 record for Seattle, garnering a .928 SV% as well as a 2.08 GAA. Aside from his time spent in the state of Washington, Milic helped lead Team Canada to a gold medal finish in the World Junior Championships, managing zero losses, with a .932 SV% and a 1.76 GAA.

Trade Acquisitions

F Alex Iafallo (trade with Los Angeles)
D Artemi Kniazev (trade with San Jose)
F Rasmus Kupari (trade with Los Angeles)
F Gabriel Vilardi (trade with Los Angeles)

Unable to acquire a first-round pick in the deal that sent Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings, the Jets were still able to acquire two players with upside potential. Kupari has yet to break out in any real way, but given the relevant proximity to his draft year, he should be able to become a long-term fixture in the Winnipeg lineup with more playing time.

Since the beginning of his career with the Kings, Iafallo has always proven to be a solid option in the middle-six of any organization, but the real prize for Winnipeg lies in Vilardi. Although dealing with injuries, after seeing an approximate two-minute average increase in playing time last season, Vilardi was able to score 23 goals and 18 assists in 63 games for Los Angeles. Now with the ability to play on the first line of a competitive team, Vilardi could see his production increase considerably.

UFA Signings

G Laurent Brossoit (one year, $1.75MM)
G Collin Delia (one year, $775K)
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (two year, $1.55MM)*
F Vladislav Namestnikov (two year, $4MM)
F Jeffrey Viel (one year, $775K)

*denotes two-way contract

After a back-and-forth season last year, Winnipeg was able to bring Brossoit back into the fold this offseason. Posting incredible regular season stats in a very limited set of games, Brossoit would entertain a 7-0-3 record, garnishing a .927 SV% and a 2.17 GAA. Finally returning to the Golden Knights for their playoff run, after posting very mild numbers, and succumbing to yet another injury, Brossoit would fully relinquish the net to Adin Hill, who would lead Vegas to its first Stanley Cup title in franchise history.

Aside from Brossoit, the Jets mostly nibbled around the edges of the free agency pool, most notably bringing back trade deadline acquisition Namestnikov to a two-year contract. In 20 games after being acquired from the San Jose Sharks, Namestnikov would score two goals and eight assists in 20 games, chipping in two assists in five playoff games.

RFA Re-Signings

F Morgan Barron (two year, $2.7MM)
D Declan Chisholm (one year, $775K)*
F Rasmus Kupari (two year, $2MM)
D Dylan Samberg (two year, $2.8MM)
D Logan Stanley (one year, $1MM)
F Gabriel Vilardi (two year, $6.875MM)

The Jets were able to sign both Vilardi and Kupari relatively quickly once acquired from Los Angeles, and proceeded to re-sign other important factors, using up most of their available cap space. However, one of the most surprising RFA signings of the offseason came out of Winnipeg in the retention of Stanley on defense.

In March, Stanley publicly requested a trade away from the Jets but instead chose to re-sign with the team in mid-August (albeit with limited negotiation power). Coming off of a relatively down season in 2022-23, even for his standards, Stanley was granted the chance to rebuild his value in the hopes of moving on from Winnipeg.

Departures

F Pierre-Luc Dubois (traded to Los Angeles)
F Loen Gawanke (traded to San Jose)
F Karson Kuhlman (NY Islanders, one year, $775K)
F Alex Limoges (Washington, one year, $775K)
F Kevin Stenlund (Florida, one year, $1MM)
F Blake Wheeler (NY Rangers, one year, $1.1MM)

In the middle of two career-high seasons for Wheeler between 2018-20, Winnipeg would sign him to a five-year, $41.25MM contract extension. Unfortunately, as the captain of the franchise, Wheeler would only see four of those years, before finally being bought out by the Jets this offseason. Losing him as a leader in the locker room is going to be a tough pill to swallow, but factoring in his production over the last couple of seasons, the Jets should be able to replace Wheeler on the ice adequately.

Receiving a solid return package for Dubois in the trade that sent him to the Kings, the Jets are left a little bit thin at the center position. For now, they will rely on top prospect, Cole Perfetti, to slide into Dubois’ formal role on the Jets’ second line. Given his skill set, Winnipeg should have every reason to believe that Perfetti can fit that role, but given his injury history, may not be the best short-term option if the team wishes to compete.

Salary Cap Outlook

If the Jets are indeed looking to compete for a Western Conference playoff spot this season, they will have ample cap space at the deadline to acquire any additional assets they may require. With $2.3MM in cap space heading into the season, as well as gaining an additional $16+ this offseason without much in the way of retention.

The team will have to ink a new deal with Perfetti, but given how he performs this season, should be able to fit it in comfortably given their cap situation. If the team is in a relatively competitive spot this season, look for the Jets as a potential suitor for the services of Elias Lindholm if he is unable to sign a new extension with the Calgary Flames by the trade deadline.

Key Questions

What Is Left To Add? For most clubs, the Jets are still in an envious position given their contract structure. They have their franchise center, defenseman, and goaltender signed to long-term contracts, but still feel as if they are missing an important cog in their organization. For the most part, the team could benefit greatly from adding an additional offensive weapon to their lineup, as it appears to be the only weak link. Depending on the performance of Vilardi, Kupari, and Iafallo, the Jets could be a surprise buyer at next year’s trade deadline.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Summer Synopsis: Washington Capitals

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The Washington Capitals had a quiet summer, entering the 2023-24 season with only a few key departures and a handful of additions to fill the gaps. They will have to rely on their veterans, but it will be their depth pieces that will likely determine Washington’s playoff hopes.

Draft

1-8: F Ryan Leonard, USNTDP (NTDP)
2-40: F Andrew Cristall, Kelowna (WHL)
4-104: F Patrick Thomas, Hamilton (OHL)
5-136: D Cameron Allen, Guelph (OHL)
7-200: F Brett Hyland, Brandon (WHL)
7-206: G Antoine Keller, Genève-Servette (Swiss U20)

The Capitals’ biggest splash of the summer undoubtedly came in the draft, where they brought in standout names in Leonard, Cristall, and Allen. Leonard headlines the group – a heavy-framed winger with phenomenal play-driving abilities and one of the better shots in the 2023 NHL Draft. He’s a promising forward headed to Boston College for the 2023-24 season, where he’ll stick with his linemates of the past two seasons: Will Smith and Gabriel Perreault.

Cristall was the only player who could challenge Connor Bedard’s scoring in the WHL this year, finishing with a staggering 95 points through only 54 games. He added another six points in seven games at the World U18 Championship, flexing that his scoring prowess isn’t limited to league play. However, many scouts had concerns with Cristall’s skating posture and ability to gel with teammates, leading to questions about his ability to translate to the next level. He’s a dominant winger with a strong shot and a great ability to work into the slot from the boards, but maintaining that dominance in the NHL will be a heavy ask. Cristall was considered a lock for the first round by many public scouting services but fell considerably when draft day came around. He’ll represent a boom-or-bust pick for the Capitals – exactly the thing that could help out the aging organization.

The same ’boom-or-bust’ prescription can be applied to Cameron Allen, who was arguably the most impressive defender at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup but very quickly lost his steam as the 2022-23 season rolled around. Allen is a tall defender who uses clean strides and good agility to keep up with his forwards and get involved in plays. But as the year went on, his quickness and ability to jump in and out of offensive attacks wore down – leading to disappointing results as Allen only recorded 25 points through 62 games. This was a step down from his rookie season in the OHL, where Allen netted 37 points in 65 games. Once lauded as a potential first-round pick, Allen fell considerably – speaking to the concerns surrounding him. The Capitals may have a long road ahead of them in developing Allen, but his upside could make it worthwhile.

Trade Acquisitions

D Joel Edmundson (trade with Montreal)

The Capitals sent a third and seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft to Montreal in exchange for Joel Edmundson, adding veteran support behind a blueline that doesn’t jump off of the page. While Edmundson has never been dominant, he remains a favorite of NHL execs thanks to his physical presence on the ice and leadership presence in the locker room. Unfortunately, he’ll start the 2023-24 campaign on injured reserve, nursing a fractured hand that required surgery in late September. He was given a timetable of four to six weeks for his return.

UFA Signings

F Matthew Phillips (one year, $775K)
F Alex Limoges (one year, $775K)*
D Chase Priskie (one year, $775K)*
F Max Pacioretty (one year, $2MM)
D Dylan McIlrath (two years, $1.55MM)*
G Hunter Shepard (two years, $1.55MM)*

The Capitals only gave out two one-way contracts to UFAs this summer. Luckily, they were given to two high-impact forwards. Pacioretty joins Washington after missing nearly the entire 2022-23 season with Carolina. Given he missed nearly the entirety of last season thanks to back-to-back Achilles injuries, Pacioretty’s $2MM contract can double in value if he hits all the games-played performance bonuses in his deal. For Washington, it’s a solid bet on a player who was on pace for 40 goals in each of his final two seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2020-21 and 2021-22. The 34-year-old seemed to still have his scoring touch in limited appearances last season with the Hurricanes, too, notching three markers in five contests. If he can slide into a top-six role upon his return, expect him to maintain some semblance of previous form.

The other major player of interest here is Phillips, who’s now made the roster out of training camp after spending years toiling in the minors for the Flames. He’s been one of the more explosive scorers in the AHL over the past two seasons, notching well over a point per game, but only has three NHL appearances to his name. He will increase significantly on that total this season, as he would require waivers to be assigned to AHL Hershey. The 25-year-old is projected to begin the season in a top-nine role.

RFA Re-Signings

D Martin Fehervary (three years, $8MM)
F Riley Sutter (one year, $775K)*

Washington’s lone major RFA signing was Fehervary, a 2018 second-round pick who’s well on his way to a consistent top-four role in the nation’s capital. He spent most of last season stapled to John Carlson on the team’s top pairing (when Carlson was healthy), but that spot is now in jeopardy with the trade acquisition of Rasmus Sandin at the tail end of last season. Still, the 24-year-old averaged 20 minutes per game on the nose last season and should provide dependable play over the next three seasons. He recorded 16 points in 67 contests last year.

Departures

D Bobby Nardella, (HV71, SHL)
F Carl Hagelin, (retirement from NHL)
F Connor Brown, (Edmonton, one year, $775K)
F Conor Sheary, (Tampa, three years, $6MM)
F Craig Smith, (Dallas, one year, $1MM)
D Gabriel Carlsson, (Växjö, SHL)
F Garrett Pilon, (Ottawa, one year, $775K)*
F Kody Clark, (unsigned UFA)
D Matt Irwin, (Vancouver, one year, $775K)*
F Mike Vecchione, (Hershey, AHL)
G Zachary Fucale, (Trakor, KHL)
F Henrik Borgstrom, (Hv71, SHL)

At the beginning of 2022-23, someone looking at this list would have called Brown the biggest departure. However, the winger sustained an ACL injury early in the season that ended his time in D.C. after just four games. It stands to reason, then, that Sheary will leave the biggest hole in the lineup, one that quickly looks to be replaced by a combination of Phillips and the Capitals’ other NHL-ready young talent. He’d been a solid middle-six contributor for the Caps over the past three seasons, solidifying himself as a solid bet for around 15 goals and 40 points.

Hagelin did not play last season as he attempted to rehab eye and hip injuries that eventually forced his retirement from the league. Smith disappointed mightily with the Boston Bruins last season, and he was dealt to Washington in the blockbuster Dmitry Orlov deadline deal. He fared a bit better in Washington, recording five goals in 22 contests, and he’ll now try and add value to the Stars’ fourth line.

Salary Cap Outlook

At the time of publication, the Capitals are in the midst of making paper transactions to maximize the LTIR relief of Pacioretty and Edmundson to begin the season. Because of that, they technically have $0 in cap space at the time of writing, per CapFriendly, but will have $1.75MM in flexibility to play with after placing Edmundson on LTIR (likely later today). That will last until he’s ready to return to the lineup.

Key Questions

Is Sandin The Real Deal?: The 23-year-old defenseman was electric after coming over via trade from Toronto last season, notching 15 points in just 19 games as a Cap while averaging nearly 23 minutes per game. If he can stay anywhere close to that pace next season, he’ll solidify himself as a suitable replacement for Orlov, who flew under the radar for a decade as one of the most underrated complementary players in the league behind Carlson. It’ll also force his value up in contract talks – Sandin is making just $1.4MM against the cap this season but is a restricted free agent next summer. A true breakout campaign could convince Washington to sign him to a long-term extension.

Can The Youth Movement Help Now?: Connor McMichael, Hendrix Lapierre and Ivan Miroshnichenko are all names under 23 looking to log NHL minutes for Washington this season. Can their campaigns be promising enough to convince the Caps’ brass that they’ll be enough to replace the aging core around Alex Ovechkin over the next few seasons as he chases the all-time goals record? If so, the team could look to rebound from an expected mediocre season in 2023-24 and remain closer to playoff contention in their captain’s twilight years.

What’s The Deal In The Crease?: Darcy Kuemper is still an undisputed NHL starter, but injuries remain a concern for the netminder as he enters his age 33 season. Backup Charlie Lindgren had a nice start to last season but flamed out near the end, recording a below-average save percentage of .899 on the year. Kuemper, meanwhile, posted a solid .907 but has also notched over a .920 in three of the last five seasons. He’s due for a bit of positive regression and, if that’s the case, could help keep Washington in the Wild Card conversation later into the season.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Summer Synopsis: Vancouver Canucks

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The Vancouver Canucks are back to square one, once again questioning whether their depth is strong enough to earn a spot in the playoffs. And while the team has done well at using free agency and trades to round out their roster, the Pacific Division has improved substantially around them – eating against Vancouver’s postseason hopes. How the club adjusts to what’s sure to be an eventful season ahead should be very telling of their short-term and long-term prospects.

Draft

1-11: D Tom Willander, Rögle (Sweden U20)
3-75: D Hunter Brzustewicz, Kitchener (OHL)
3-89: D Sawyer Mynio, Seattle (WHL)
4-105: F Ty Mueller, Nebraska-Omaha (NCAA, NCHC)
4-107: F Vilmer Alriksson, Djurgårdens (Sweden U20)
4-119: F Matthew Perkins, Youngstown (USHL)
6-171: D Aiden Celebrini, Brooks (AJHL)

The Canucks brought in four defenders at the draft, the most they’ve brought in in a single class since 2013. This group is headlined by Tom Willander, who Vancouver took shockingly early, selecting him two picks before Buffalo took Zach Benson and six spots ahead of Axel Sandin-Pellikka, the defender who played above Willander for Sweden’s national team. The Canucks will hope those picks don’t come back to haunt them, although Willander’s early showings have proven optimistic. The Swedish defender was lauded for his leadership abilities and composed two-way play, showing a great ability to command a line. Willander is also playing for Boston University this season, where he’ll likely serve as Lane Hutson’s batterymate and should continue to round out his two-way abilities.

After landing the reliable Willander, Vancouver favored offensive upside with their next pick, landing Hunter Brzustewicz, who was considered a First Round prospect by many public scouting agencies. Questions about how he’ll translate to the professional level, as well as concerns about his defensive abilities, pushed Brzustewicz down the draft board, but Vancouver could be landing a high-upside talent with their third-round pick. Brzustewicz recorded 51 assists and 57 points in 68 OHL games last season, ranking third among the league’s U19 defenders in scoring behind Ty Nelson and Michael Buchinger.

Vancouver was similarly targeted with the rest of their draft class, landing a large-frame defender in Mynio, two responsible and passive centermen in Mueller and Perkins, and a hometown talent in Celebrini. These picks add good depth to a Canucks prospect pool that could use a boost, although none of their selections jump off the page as immediate change-makers.

UFA Signings

D Carson Soucy (three years, $9.8MM)
D Ian Cole (one year, $3MM)
D Matt Irwin (one year, $775K)*
F Teddy Blueger (one year, $1.9MM)
F Tristen Nielsen (two years, $870K)*
G Zach Sawchenko (one year, $775K)*
F Pius Suter (two years, $3.2MM)

The Canucks brought in a slew of solid veteran talent through free agency, helping to solidify the depths of their NHL roster. Carson Soucy likely headlines the group and take on the biggest role, vying for a role in the team’s top four. Soucy can play either side on the blue line, although he favors left defense, giving him a prime shot at either the second-pair LD role or potentially even top-line minutes if Quinn Hughes doesn’t gel with new partners. But Soucy doesn’t have a clear run to the top four just yet, with Ian Cole also capable of winning over either position. Like Soucy, Cole is capable of playing either side and has shown prowess as a serviceable role player. The natural competition for ice time between Soucy and Cole should serve the Canucks blue line well, as both players will need to bring their A-game to try and beat out the other.

Vancouver faces a similar storyline with their newest forwards, adding the capable Pius Suter and Teddy Blueger down the middle. The duo will likely operate as the team’s third and fourth-line centers, although who wins out which role is yet to be seen. When it comes to statistics, the two are fairly evenly matched, with Suter recording 87 points through 216 career games and Blueger with 98 points through 268 career games. It’ll be a toss-up to see who wins out what role, but adding two 200-game veterans for cheap is slick work from a Vancouver team that struggled to make their depth pieces stand out last year.

RFA Re-Signings

D Noah Juulsen (two years, $1.55MM)*
D Akito Hirose (two years, $1.6MM)*
F Nils Hoglander (two years, $2.2MM)

Vancouver’s RFA signings all share a similar undertone of being talented players who have yet to solidify their NHL presence. The group is head manned by Nils Hoglander, the 40th-overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft. Hoglander has 141 NHL games on his resume but only 54 points to show for it. Half of these points came in his rookie year when Hoglander recorded 13 goals and 27 points in 56 games. He hasn’t been able to maintain that momentum in the two seasons since, earning his first taste of the AHL last year after starting the year in the NHL. And while it’s never encouraging to see a young forward move backward, Hoglander did perform admirably in the minor leagues, netting 32 points in 45 games. Vancouver will hope that means a newfound confidence for the goal-scoring winger, who could be a productive X-factor operating on their third line if all goes well.

Hirose appeared in seven NHL games last season, recording three points and playing just under 17-and-a-half minutes per night. Juulsen also got a handful of NHL appearances – 12 to be exact – but failed to score and averaged under 15 minutes of ice time. And while neither performance jumps off the page, the duo will likely serve as the first line of reserves in the event that any Canucks defenders miss time.

Departures

D Travis Dermott (Arizona, one year, $800K)*
D Ethan Bear (unsigned UFA)
G Collin Delia (Winnipeg, one year, $775K)
F Brady Keeper (Montreal, one year, $775K)*
F Tanner Pearson (trade with Montreal)
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Florida, one year, $2.25MM)
F Micheal Ferland (unsigned UFA)

Oliver Ekman-Larsson headlines the list of Canucks to switch teams this summer. The 32-year-old defenseman’s place on the roster has long been a point of contention since Vancouver acquired him from the Arizona Coyotes. Ekman-Larsson appeared in a total of 133 games as a Canuck, recording a mere seven goals and 51 points – far from the 40-or-50-point seasons he put up earlier in his career. This breakup felt imminent, and the Canucks did it by way of a contract buy-out. Vancouver will carry a cap penalty through the 2030-31 season as a result of this buy-out.

Outside of Ekman-Larsson, the Canucks only lost one player that appeared in more than 20 games last season: currently unsigned defender Ethan Bear. The now-26-year-old Bear recorded 16 points in 61 games with Vancouver last season, performing serviceably but not leaving a hole that can’t be filled by Soucy or Cole. Collin Delia operated as the team’s third-string goalie, appearing in 20 games compared to backup Spencer Martin’s 27 games and recording a modest .882 save percentage.

Otherwise, the Canucks lineup experienced little turnover – dealing Pearson to Montreal alongside a third-round pick in exchange for Casey DeSmith and cutting ties with Travis Dermott, who failed to successfully blend in with the rest of the Canucks lineup.

The summer saw minimal turnover for a team that made strong additions via free agency – a best-case scenario for Vancouver.

Salary Cap Outlook

Vancouver is held relatively tight to the cap, needing to move Tucker Poolman to long-term injured reserve to be cap-compliant. Once they make that move, the Canucks should have roughly $450K in cap space, just enough to get through the year without much stress. With Elias Pettersson set to be an arbitration-eligible RFA next summer, the Canucks are set to face difficult questions about their cap fairly soon. But they’re in fine enough standing for the short term.

Key Questions

What Encore Is In Store? While Vancouver faces a slurry of questions about their roster makeup, there’s no denying that they have one of the best centers and one of the best defenders in the entire NHL. Elias Pettersson shattered his career-high in scoring last season, netting 39 goals and 102 points in 80 games. And Quinn Hughes, the team’s newest captain, recorded a dazzling 76 points in 78 games. These seasons accounted for the highest-scoring season from a Vancouver defender ever, topping Hughes’ previous career-high of 68 points, and the highest-scoring performance from a Canuck forward since Daniel Sedin put up 104 points in 2011. Pettersson and Hughes are pivotal pieces of Vancouver’s success, and how they can build on their historic 2022-23 seasons should be a strong indicator of the team’s overall success this year.

Has Vancouver Found Their Goaltending Duo? Thatcher Demko won the starting job outright at the start of the 2021-22 season. In the two years since then, he’s had five different backups. Vancouver looked to curb that issue this year, finally bringing in a solid #2 in Casey DeSmith. DeSmith has performed very well throughout his NHL career, putting up a .912 save percentage through 134 career games, which should be enough to squash any worries about the Canucks goaltending. If that is the case, Vancouver could be ridding itself of one of their weakest links over the last few seasons.

Which Depth Forwards Will Step Up? The question of which depth pieces can be difference-makers has surrounded Vancouver for the past few seasons, to little avail. But new additions in Blueger and Suter, as well as newfound excitement surrounding players like Hoglander and Jack Studnicka, could be the reason for optimism. Many recent Stanley Cup champions have gotten to that point largely thanks to X-factors in their bottom six. Vancouver will need to find these impact players if they want to confidently establish themselves in a tough Pacific Division.

Summer Synopsis: Vegas Golden Knights

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The Vegas Golden Knights won the ultimate prize this past spring in just their sixth season in existence. It was a spectacular rise that is the envy of almost every franchise in the NHL. The Knights shot to their first championship just a year after they missed the playoffs and are looking like a possibility to repeat. Now just because a team looks as though they can repeat doesn’t mean they will. Only two teams have accomplished this feat in the past 25 years and they both required a lot of good luck both on and off the ice to accomplish it. No one knows if Vegas will be able to repeat, but there is little doubt that they must be one of the favorites to come out of a weak Western Conference.

Vegas was strapped once again by the salary cap this summer and had to move on from some players who had been with the club for a long time. But like every team that wins hockey’s ultimate prize, they will be counting on new blood to inject some energy into the lineup.

Draft

1-32: C David Edstrom, Frolunda-JR (Sweden-JR)
3-77: C Mathieu Cataford, Halifax (QMJHL)
3-96: D Arttu Karki, Severstal Tappara JR. (Finland-JR)
6-192: RW Tuomas Uronen, HIFK JR. (Finland-JR)

With the last pick in the first round of this year’s NHL entry draft, Vegas elected to take big two-way center Edstrom out of Sweden. The 18-year-old was a point-a-game player in almost every league he played in last season as he bounced around to different tournaments and league teams. He is slated to start the year in the SHL and will have the opportunity to play against men. Edstrom has a very balanced game that surprises a lot of people, he is an excellent passer, is very good off the rush and can turn from defense to offense very quickly. His transition game is very underrated, and it could become his calling card as he is sound defensively.
Cataford is unlikely to wow anyone with his offensive ability, but he is an honest player who is difficult to contend with in one-on-one battles and has a nose for the net. He is well suited to be a bottom-six NHLer as his defensive game is his strongest attribute. He is good at identifying defensive zone issues and is quick to close gaps, he has good speed north to south and can use his physicality to separate player from puck. His movement laterally isn’t great, and he will likely need to improve on it if he wants to become an NHL penalty killer.

Trade Acquisitions

None

UFA Signings

D Mason Geertsen (two years, $1.55MM)*

Due to cap constraints, the Golden Knights were far less active in free agency than they had been in any previous offseason. Mason Geertsen was signed to a two-way contract and will likely spend the bulk of the season in the AHL with Henderson. The 28-year-old offers little in the way of offensive production as he had just four goals and four assists last season in 61 AHL games with Utica. The native of Drayton Valley, Alberta, has dressed in 25 career NHL games with the New Jersey Devils and has yet to register a point.

RFA Re-Signings

LW Pavel Dorofeyev (one year, $825K)
C Brett Howden (two years, $3.8MM)
G Jiri Patera (one year, $775K)*
D Brayden Pachal (two years, $1.55MM)*

*-denotes two-way contract

Vegas didn’t have much business to take care of on the restricted free-agent market. Brett Howden is a player that scouts were high on when he first broke into the league with the New York Rangers in 2018-19. Howden registered six goals and 17 assists that season in 66 games and appeared poised to be a two-way threat from the center position. Now five years into his NHL career, Howden has never reached the same offensive numbers posting just six goals and seven assists in 54 games last season, however, his defensive game has improved over time. Howden’s lines don’t typically drive the play when he is on the ice, but he is defensively sound and has become much more responsible with the puck as his career has gone on. He is also sneaky good at stripping the puck off opponents using both his size and skill.

Departures

F Phil Kessel (unsigned UFA)
C Nolan Patrick (unsigned UFA)
C Sakari Manninen (signed in Champions Hockey League)
C Maxim Marushev (signed in KHL)
D Connor Corcoran (signed in AHL)
RW Spencer Foo (signed in KHL)
LW Reilly Smith (traded to Pittsburgh)
G Jonathan Quick (New York Rangers, one year, $825K)
G Laurent Brossoit (Winnipeg, one year, $1.75MM)
C Teddy Blueger (Vancouver, one year, $1.9MM)
F Sven Baertschi (Retired)

On paper it looks like Vegas lost a lot of pieces, however, a deeper dive into the list shows you that the Golden Knights only lost a single player that dressed in their Stanley Cup winning game this past June.

Smith was the cap casualty that allowed the Golden Knights to be cap-compliant for the upcoming season. The 32-year-old was shipped to Pittsburgh for a third-round pick in a trade that looks lopsided on paper but appears less so after putting it into context. Vegas badly needed to clear cap room and was able to recoup an asset for Smith rather than having to attach one to ship out another contract. As the summer went on teams had a difficult time moving out money and Vegas was able to shed all of Smith’s contract without having to retain any of his cap hit. Pittsburgh did well in the trade, Smith is still a terrific player and should have every opportunity to play alongside Evgeni Malkin.

Blueger dressed in just six games for Vegas during their run to the Stanley Cup. He has never been able to post much in the way of offense but is a decent penalty killer and a good defensive center. He was snakebit offensively last year but still managed to get a decent payday this summer from the Vancouver Canucks. Vegas has enough depth to overcome his departure and shouldn’t have too much cause for concern that he will not be in the lineup come opening night.

Kessel dressed in all 82 regular season games for the Golden Knights last season and registered 14 goals and 22 assists while averaging 12:49 of ice time a game. It was the first time Kessel had averaged less than 15 minutes a game since 2007-08. Kessel’s game has been in decline since his exit from Pittsburgh in 2019 and it became evident in April that he wasn’t able to keep up with the pace of playoff hockey. The 36-year-old had two assists in just four playoff games for Vegas and didn’t dress after the first round. He was not re-signed before July 1st allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent and to this point, he has gone unsigned which will likely mean the end of his incredible Iron Man streak.

Salary Cap Outlook

The Golden Knights salary cap situation was dire this offseason as evidenced by their lack of roster improvement. Long term the club currently has about $17MM available next summer to sign 6-7 players and depending on the salary cap increase that number could top $20MM. At first glance it seems like an opportunity to make a splash however Vegas has several key unrestricted free agents to re-sign in Chandler Stephenson and Jonathan Marchessault, who are both due raises on their current cap hits. Stephenson has posted several strong seasons and is currently making just $2.75MM, he should easily double that on his next contract.

Key Questions

Who Will Be The Starter? Adin Hill has a new two-year deal in hand, but he has yet to cement himself as an NHL starter despite having a Stanley Cup on his resume. Hill has never dressed in more than 27 NHL games in any one season and was a bit of a journeyman prior to being acquired for a fourth-round pick last summer. The good news for Vegas is that they still have Logan Thompson waiting in the wings and he showed last year that he is more than capable of taking hold of the net.

Can Vegas Repeat? Vegas was never really in danger in last year’s playoffs as they were able to neutralize the likes of Connor McDavid, Matthew Tkachuk, and Leon Draisaitl with stifling defense while riding the hot hand of Hill to the Stanley Cup final. Vegas used multiple goalies and had a lot of luck along the way, which begs the question as to whether they can win it all a second time. They have virtually the same roster that they did a year ago, meaning the odds of a repeat are actually pretty good.

Can Mark Stone Stay Healthy? Stone is a warrior, he showed that in the playoffs when he returned to the lineup to captain Vegas to their first Stanley Cup. Stone had 11 goals and 13 assists in 22 games while playing almost 19 minutes a night. However, he has played just 80 games over the past two seasons as he has dealt with back issues that have persisted. It will be interesting to see if his body can hold up to the grind of a gruelling 82-game regular season.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Summer Synopsis: Toronto Maple Leafs

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are entering a new era in the team’s history, replacing Kyle Dubas with Brad Treliving as the team’s general manager, and appointing Shane Doan to Jason Spezza’s special assistant role. These changes bring a culture shift and a new face in negotiations – something that’s already proving beneficial, with Auston Matthews signing a contract extension and William Nylander working towards a new deal. It’s also helped Toronto in the free-agent market, with big names coming in to fill the holes left by key departures. The Leafs enter the season with a strong roster, on paper, but they’ll need multiple players to embrace their newfound opportunity if they want to maintain the success they found last season.

Draft

1-28: F Easton Cowan, London (OHL)
5-153: F Hudson Malinoski, Brooks (AJHL)
6-185: D Noah Chadwick, Lethbridge (WHL)

The draft didn’t represent much of a test for Brad Treliving, who only had one pick in the top 150 of the draft. But even with one pick, Treliving found a way to make noise – drafting a player that many public scouting services viewed as a high-mid round pick in the First Round. And while the pick remains hotly debated, Cowan may have earned the title of ’biggest eye-opener’ out of the team’s training camp. He’s recorded one goal and two assists in two preseason games and looked solid throughout team skates, bringing credence to Toronto’s faith in him. He’ll return to the London Knights this season, looking to add next-level talent to a skillset that already looks natural in professional systems.

Toronto also brought in Malinoski, a re-entry forward who appeared on the Brooks Bandits second-line last season – his first year of juniors hockey – as well as Noah Chadwick, who played his first full season in the WHL last year. Interestingly, both players spent their 2021-22 playing in 18U hockey in Saskatoon, Malinoski with the Blazers, and Chadwick with the Contacts. The duo adds depth to Toronto’s center and left defense depth charts, both areas of need for the NHL club.

UFA Signings

D John Klingberg (one year, $4.2MM)
D Marshall Rifai (two years, $1.6MM)*
D Maxime Lajoie (one year, $775K)*
D William Lagesson (one year, $775K)*
F Ryan Reaves (three years, $4MM)
F Max Domi (one year, $3MM)
F Tyler Bertuzzi (one year, $5.5MM)
F Dylan Gambrell (one year, $775K)
D Simon Benoit (one year, $775K)
G Martin Jones (one year, $875K)

* indicates a two-way contract

The Leafs spent a combined $12.7MM on one year of John Klingberg, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Max Domi this off-season, spending big to patch holes at the top of their lineup. And while certainly on rich deals, all three players have the opportunity to be difference-makers quickly. Domi and Bertuzzi should get a full run at top-six minutes with the team’s forward group, while Klingberg’s upside could be as high as

playing on the top defensive pair.

Klingberg’s addition offers the Leafs one of the more solid blue lines they’ve iced in recent years. The 30-year-old defender has taken a step back in the latter half of his career, largely a result of a reoccurring bout with injuries. Klingberg hasn’t played in 75-or-more games since 2017-18, getting moved to injured reserve in each of the three subsequent seasons. But he does offer high-scoring upside, averaging 54 points-per-season over the course of his nine-year NHL career. He did miss parts of training camp with injury, fueling skeptics – although reports shared that his absence was largely precautionary. But if Klingberg can return to the dangerous form he possessed early in his career, he could be an X-factor for this Toronto lineup.

Domi and Bertuzzi bring similar impacts to the lineup: both gritty and physical forwards with solid scoring upside but concerns around injury history and discipline. Domi’s the volume shooter of the two, recording 179 shots last season. And while Domi hasn’t found consistent scoring in recent years, he did net 28 goals and 72 points in the 2018-19 season. That gives Toronto a fine-enough replacement for Michael Bunting in the team’s high-volume top-six. Bertuzzi brings more balance to the forward group, recording an impressive 30 goals and 62 points in just 68 games during the 2021-22 season. He lost that edge a bit last year but still flexes great upside. Toronto is needing to get creative with their top-six to fit in both Bertuzzi and Domi – doing things like moving Nylander to center – but if they can find a way to bring both players back to their former glory, it could give the team a scary forward group.

And while potentially impactful, these three signings didn’t raise eyes like the Leafs’ signing of 36-year-old Ryan Reaves did. In an effort to add the team’s obligatory enforcer, Treliving signed Reaves to a one-way deal that carries Reaves through his age-38 season, with a $1.35MM cap hit. This contract isn’t outrageous but it’s an interesting allocation of cap for a team already carrying Kyle Clifford. How Reaves slots into the day-to-day lineup will be interesting to follow, with the similarly-deployed Wayne Simmonds only appearing in 18 games last season.

The team rounded out free agency with a slew of attractive depth pieces, bringing in consistent bottom-six help in Gambrell and giving a second chance to players like Lagesson and Lajoie. It’s not certain whether any of these depth signings will impact the NHL roster but their additions provide comfortability behind the team’s main guys.

Key RFA Re-Signings

F Pontus Holmberg (two years, $1.6MM)
F Nick Abruzzese (two years, $775K)*
G Ilya Samsonov (one year, $3.6MM)

The Leafs RFA signings fail to jump off of the page. Ilya Samsonov is undoubtedly the most notable re-signing, giving the Leafs their starting goalie for at least the next season. Samsonov needed to file for salary arbitration to get a deal done, despite a clear path to the starter’s net, which could make for an interesting negotiations come next summer. Toronto also locked in low-cost, high-upside wingers in Holmberg and Abruzzese, likely to give both players a chance to earn a bigger contract in their next round of negotiations.

Key Departures

D Filip Kral (Lahti, Liiga)
D Mac Hollowell (New York Rangers, one year, $775K)*
D Victor Mete (Philadelphia, one year, $775K)*
F Alexander Kerfoot (Arizona, two years, $7MM)
D Carl Dahlstrom (Färjestad, SHL)
D Erik Gustafsson (New York Rangers, one year, $825K)
G Erik Kallgren (New Jersey, one year, $775K)*
D Jordie Benn (unsigned UFA)
D Justin Holl (Detroit, three years, $10.2MM)
D Luke Schenn (Nashville, three years, $8.25MM)
F Michael Bunting (Carolina, three years, $13.5MM)
F Noel Acciari (Pittsburgh, three years, $6MM)
F Radim Zohorna (Pittsburgh, one year, $775K)*
F Ryan O’Reilly (Nashville, four years, $18MM)
F Wayne Simmonds (unsigned UFA)
F Zach Aston-Reese (unsigned UFA)
F Semyon Der-Arguchintsev (Traktor, KHL)

* indicates a two-way contract

It’s impressive to see how strong of a lineup the Leafs are entering the season with, given the fact that they lost nearly a full lineup in NHL talent over the summer. Ryan O’Reilly and Michael Bunting headline the group – two top-of-the-lineup forwards, one boasting great goal-scoring upside and the other being a consistent standout for the Selke Trophy. They’re joined by middle-of-the-lineup pieces in Alexander Kerfoot, Luke Schenn, Noel Acciari, and Justin Holl – all getting modest deals in new locations fairly quickly. Interestingly, it was Kyle Dubas that signed Acciari and Radim Zohorna in Pittsburgh, bringing both forwards with him as he left Toronto.

Losing this much solid lineup talent could be enough to send a team into a panic. But Toronto’s lucrative signings of Bertuzzi, Domi, and Klingberg help patch holes in the top-end, while young depth pieces like Abruzzesse finally vie for a roster spot in the wake of changes to the bottom-six. The ability to handle such great turnover speaks to Toronto’s impressive depth and Treliving’s ability to bring in top free agents, and the team will remain competitive this year as a result.

These departures don’t represent a blow to the Toronto lineup as much as they represent boosts to the Leafs’ competition. Bunting brings even more volume and scoring to an already-strong Carolina Hurricanes lineup and O’Reilly could be the solidifying piece that the Nashville Predators needed. If, and how, these signings could impact Toronto’s push for the playoffs and Stanley Cup will be notable, even with the team’s ability to fill their holes.

Salary Cap Outlook

Toronto is, once again, pushing the boundaries of the NHL’s cap ceiling. The team will have just enough money to enter the season, after moving Jake Muzzin and Matt Murray to long-term injured reserve,  but they’ll likely still need to move on from one or two players to make enough breathing room for the rest of the year. But if there’s any team that can handle a tight bind with the cap, it’s Toronto.

Key Questions

Can The New Additions Fit In? If the Leafs end up making a run for the Cup, it’ll likely be largely thanks to their free agent signings. Bertuzzi, Domi, and Klingberg all represent really exciting upside, and seem to be passionate about getting a chance to play for Toronto. How each of them can embrace the new setting, cushier roles, and increased attention will be one of the biggest storylines of the year. This season could represent an explosive return to form, marked by impressive scoring totals, or another slide in already-slipping careers.

Who Will Be Starting By The End Of The Year? Ilya Samsonov has a clear hold over the starter’s net entering the season. But if he can

maintain that grip is yet to be seen. Not only does backup Joseph Woll offer competition – posting a .932 save percentage through seven NHL games last season – but the health of all Toronto goaltenders has warranted questioning in recent years. Samsonov himself battled plenty of injuries throughout last year, even missing time in the postseason with an upper-body injury. Reports out of training camp share that he’s back up to speed but with little goalie depth behind him and Woll, Toronto could be at risk of another stressful year between the pipes.

What Impact Will Matthew Knies and Nicholas Robertson Make? The Leafs should be adding two potential heavyweights to their roster full-time this season, in Matthew Knies and Nicholas Robertson. Both players have some form of NHL experience, with Knies playing 10 games between the regular season and playoffs last year and recording five points; while Robertson has recorded 31 career NHL games and seven career points. In a lineup flanked by free agent additions and open roster spots, Knies and Robertson should have every opportunity to show their worth. If they live up to the hype, they could be pivotal pieces of the Leafs roster for years to come.

Summer Synopsis: Tampa Bay Lightning

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The Tampa Bay Lightning’s upcoming season got turned on its head late in training camp, when it was announced that star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy underwent surgery and would miss the first two months of the year. Given their tight cap, Tampa will need to lean on Jonas Johansson, Hugo Alnefelt, and Matt Tomkins in Vasilevskiy’s absence. That’s a rocky leg to start the season on but with many of their core pieces still in place, Tampa is still sure to be a tough matchup and contender for the postseason.

Draft

2-37: F Ethan Gauthier, Sherbrooke (QMJHL)
4-115: F Jayson Shaugabay, Warroad (U.S. High School)
6-179: D Warren Clark, Steinbach (MJHL)
7-193: F Jack Harvey, Chicago (USHL)
7-211: F Ethan Hay, Flint (OHL)

Tampa entered the 2023 NHL Draft with only three draft picks, in the fourth, sixth, and seventh rounds. But two draft day swaps – sending Ross Colton to Colorado and Corey Perry to Chicago – earned them a second-round and seventh-round pick respectively. That let them make a bigger splash, drafting Ethan Gauthier, who was considered a First Round talent by many public scouting services. They also traded up for Minnesota’s reigning Mr. Hockey Award winner Jayson Shaugabay in the fourth round – earning another high-upside prospect. But their draft day was otherwise without much flair, drafting MJHL defender Warren Clark, two-time draft re-entry forward Jack Harvey, and the OHL’s Ethan Hay. The draft has not been a priority of the Lightning as they’ve roared to success over the last six years and that trend seemed to continue this season.

UFA Signings

F Conor Sheary (three years, $6MM)
G Jonas Johansson (two years, $1.6MM)
F Logan Brown (one year, $775K)*
F Luke Glendening (two years, $1.6MM)
F Mitchell Chaffee (one year, $775K)*
D Calvin de Haan (one year, $775K)
F Tyler Motte (one year, $800k)

* indicates a two-way contract

In typical fashion, Tampa patched the holes in their roster through free agency, getting a role player for all ends of the lineup. With the news of Vasilevskiy’s injury, Johansson steps into the biggest role. The 28-year-old goaltender has played with three different NHL clubs over the last four seasons, including two separate appearances with Colorado. But he hasn’t been able to earn consistent playing time anywhere, playing only 35 career games and recording a .887 save percentage. Tampa represents perhaps the biggest opportunity of his young NHL career and how he’ll adjust to an increased role will be a major storyline through the start of Tampa’s year.

Conor Sheary steps into a large role as welll; a candidate to fill in Alex Killorn’s spot in the top-six. The 31-year-old Sheary has developed into an admirable role player in his later career, recording 80 points in 153 games over his last two seasons with the Washington Capitals. He averaged 15:46 through 82 games last season, the most ice time and games that he’s played in his eight-year NHL career. Sheary is a good best for around 15 goals every season and has seemingly evaded the injury concerns that plagued the middle of his career. But it’s hard not to question how big of a role he can step into for the Lightning. Sheary will carry a $2MM cap hit until he’s 34.

And while Sheary may rotate with the top-nine, Motte, Brown, Glendening, and De Haan all represent important depth pieces. Motte likely has the easiest path to an everyday role, with openings on either side of the fourth line. Brown and Glendening will rival for the fourth-line center role, while De Haan should be able to earn a spot in the team’s defense rotation.

With their UFA signings, Tampa continues to prioritize filling out their depth – a focus they popularized through their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins and something re-emphasized by Cup winners like the St. Louis Blues or Washington Capitals. And with the key departures they’ve seen, these depth pieces will need to help bolster Tampa’s talented top-end.

RFA Re-Signings

F Cole Koepke (one year, $775K)*
F Gabriel Fortier (one year, $775K)*
F Tanner Jeannot (two years, $5.3MM)
F Brandon Hagel (eight years, $52MM)
D Darren Raddysh (two years, $2MM)

* indicates a two-way contract

Tampa’s biggest move of the summer comes in Brandon Hagel’s long-term extension, which carries a $6.5MM yearly cap hit starting in 2024-25. Tampa acquired Hagel in right before the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline, sending the Chicago Blackhawks Taylor Raddysh, Boris Katchouk, and two first-round picks in exchange for the winger and two fourth-round picks. One of the first-round picks involved in this deal turned into 2022 Draft prospect Oliver Moore, while the other is a 2024 Draft pick carrying top-10 protection (turning into a 2026 pick if Tampa earns a top-10 pick in the upcoming draft).

This past season was Hagel’s first full year in Tampa and he made the most of it, scoring 30 goals and 64 points in 81 games and adding an additional five points in six playoff games. He recorded these numbers while averaging just over 18-and-a-half minutes in ice time every game. Those are strong numbers for the now-25-year-old and Tampa clearly agrees, making him a consistent feature of their top-six for the foreseeable future.

The Lightning also re-signed Tanner Jeannot, who originally filed for salary arbitration but found terms on a multi-year deal with the club. Tampa acquired Jeannot at last season’s trade deadline, trading a pick in each of the first five rounds, throughout various drafts, and Cal Foote for the winger. Jeannot only played 20 games with the Lightning to end the year, recording four points, and represents one of the biggest question marks on the 2023-24 Lightning roster.

Other than re-signing recent trade deadline pickups, Tampa’s RFA signings continued to round out their depth. Although, interestingly, Darren Raddysh earned a one-way, $1MM-per-year contract. Raddysh played a mere 17 games with Tampa last season, the most the 27-year-old has played in one NHL season. The new deal suggests he’ll be a part of the NHL roster in the upcoming year, an exciting change for a defender that’s played the last six years in the AHL.

Departures

F Corey Perry (trade with Chicago)
F Ross Colton (trade with Colorado)
F Rudolfs Balcers (ZSC Lions, NL)
F Grant Mismash (Östersunds, HockeyAllsvenskan)
D Dmitri Semykin (SKA-Neva, VHL)
F Alex Killorn (Anaheim, four years, $25MM)
D Dominik Masin (Ilves, Liiga)
D Ian Cole (Vancouver, one year, $3MM)
G Maxime Lagace (unsigned UFA)
F Pierre-Cedric Labrie (unsigned UFA)
F Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (Seattle, one year, $775K)
D Trevor Carrick (Anaheim, one year, $775K)*
F Patrick Maroon (trade with Minnesota)

* indicates a two-way contract

Tampa had a slew of departures this off-season, including a major top-six piece in Alex Killorn. The 34-year-old forward recorded 27 goals

and 64 points with the Bolts last year, representing major shoes to be filled. Anaheim signed Killorn through his age-37 season, carrying a cap hit of $6.25MM in each of the next four seasons – a deal far too rich for the cap-strapped Lightning.

Ian Cole appeared in nearly 19-and-a-half minutes per night last season, now opening a hole in the team’s blue-line rotation. And while Ross Colton’s role was reduced to the bottom-six, his knack for coming up in clutch moments, and 30-to-40-point upside, will be difficult to replace.

In fact, Tampa will need to replace much of the bottom of their lineup, losing an three players that appeared in 70-or-more games for the squad last season in addition to Killorn, Cole, and Colton. While the team used UFA signings to fill these holes, it still represents significant turnover.

With no large-name replacement for Killorn’s scoring, and a lot of new faces in depth roles, Tampa will need to gel quickly if they want to maintain the success they’ve become known for.

Salary Cap Outlook

Tampa is, once again, very tightly bound by the salary cap. They’ll enter the season just at the cap ceiling, after moving Brent Seabrook’s contract to long-term injured reserve. But there’s very little opportunity for cap relief elsewhere, with Vasilevskiy’s injury not being long enough to garner any significant cap space.

Key Questions

How Will The Goalies Step Up? There’s no arguing the massive step down that Tampa takes in losing Vasilevskiy. His talent is so great that even two months without him can have substantial ramifications. If Tampa wants to avoid an ice cold start to the year, they’ll need both their blue line and their goaltenders to step up. And there’s certainly reason to think both can. Johansson has carried the faith of many NHL teams and Alnefelt performed admirably in the AHL last season. Matt Tomkins was also a standout in the SHL over the last two seasons, although he struggled in North American minor leagues earlier in his career. All three goalies will likely have their chance at making an impact – and which, if any, can take advantage of the opportunity will define Tampa’s season early on.

What is Tanner Jeannot’s Upside? The Lightning spent a seriously pretty penny on acquiring Jeannot at the deadline. But he didn’t necessarily jump off of the page in his early games with the club. Alex Killorn’s departure leaves a major need for scoring and grit in the team’s top-six. Jeannot can undoubtedly bring grit and physicality, and his 24 goals and 41 points in his rookie season speak to his scoring upside. With Tampa in need of more difference-makers, this season will be Jeannot’s chance to solidify himself in an NHL team’s top-six.

When, and How, Will Stamkos Extension Talks Come Up? While not directly impacting their next season, Steven Stamkos’ expiring contract is already a major focus of the team’s season. The future-Hall of Fame forward is set to hit free agency after this season and is reportedly yet to engage in extension talks with the club he’s spent his entire career with. He’s undeniably still an impact-player, recording 34 goals and 84 points last season, but more than that, Stamkos is a Tampa Bay legend. His next contract will likely carry him to retirement, so it will be interesting to see if Tampa offers him a path to do end his career with the club.

Summer Synopsis: St. Louis Blues

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For only the second time in the last decade, the St. Louis Blues failed to make the Stanley Cup playoffs. In a disappointing season seeing them finish sixth in the Central Division, and 12th in the Western Conference, the Blues moved on from big-name players such as Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly at last year’s trade deadline.

Now, St. Louis will be leaning more into their young stars, such as Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas. However, even after some notable additions this offseason, the Blues will still have an uphill battle to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs out of the Western Conference in the 2023-24 NHL season.

Draft

1-10: F Dalibor Dvorsky, AIK (HockeyAllsvenskan)
1-25: F Otto Stenberg, Frolunda HC (SHL)
1-29: D Theo Lindstein, Brynas IF (SHL)
3-74: D Quinton Burns, Kingston (OHL)
3-76: F Juraj Pekarcik, HK Nitra (Slovakia)
4-106: F Jakub Stancl, Vaxjo HC (SHL)
5-138: D Paul Fischer, USNTDP (USHL)
6-170: D Matthew Mayich, Ottawa (OHL)
7-202: F Nikita Susuyev, Spartak (KHL)

Putting quite an importance on building up their long-term center depth at this year’s draft, the Blues’ first selection, Dvorsky, should provide the team with just that. In some pre-draft boards, Dvorsky was seen going as high as sixth overall to the Arizona Coyotes, giving St. Louis the benefit of not having to reach for a center early in the first round. Last season playing for AIK, Dvorsky would suit up in 38 games for AIK, scoring six goals and 14 points.

On the latter two of their first-round selections, there were much more mixed reviews surrounding Stenberg and Lindstein. Lindstein is through-and-through a defense-first defenseman and should be a safer bet than Stenberg long-term for the Blues. Stenberg was not a bad selection for St. Louis by any means but did show some cause for concern in his first year of professional hockey in Sweden. Playing mostly against players much older than him, Stenberg only suited up in 23 games for Frolunda HC last season, scoring one goal and two assists.

UFA Signings

D Joshua Jacobs (one year, $775K)*
D Wyatt Kalynuk (one year, $775K)*
F Mackenzie MacEachern (two years, $1.55MM)
G Malcolm Subban (one year, $775K)*
F Oskar Sundqvist (one year, $775K)

*-denotes a two-way contract

Without much in the way of salary cap space due to the long-term extensions for both Kyrou and Thomas kicking in this year, the Blues mostly spent their dollars on forwards that could potentially help in the team’s bottom six, as well as defensemen and goaltending depth for their AHL affiliate. Sundqvist is the only free-agent acquisition likely to crack St. Louis’ roster out of camp, as he should be extremely familiar with the style of play in the organization, given his five-year run with the Blues from 2017-2022.

Most of these UFA signings will directly impact the Springfield Thunderbirds, who will look to make the Calder Cup playoffs for the third season in a row. Defense being the team’s biggest strength, they were able to finish ninth in the AHL in goals against last year, a statistic that Jacobs, Kalynuk, MacEachern, and Subban should all help continue. Now two years removed from reaching the Calder Cup Finals, the Thunderbirds could be a team to watch in the AHL yet again for the 2023-24 season.

Trade Acquisitions

F Kevin Hayes (acquired from Philadelphia)

A cousin of Blues legend, Keith Tkachuk, Hayes should shore up the void left by O’Reilly at the center position in St. Louis. Signing a massive seven-year, $50MM contract with the Philadelphia Flyers back in 2019, Hayes’ career in Philadelphia came to a close after regularly disagreeing with head coach John Tortorella. In his last season for the Flyers, Hayes would actually have one of the best offensive seasons of his career, even after being benched in several games. Playing in 81 regular season games, Hayes would score 18 goals and 36 assists, good for second on the team in scoring. With the Flyers retaining 50% ($3.57MM) of Hayes’ contract for the next three seasons, the Blues should get some solid value out of him on the second line.

RFA Re-Signings

F Hugh McGing (one year, $775K)*
D Scott Perunovich (one year, $775K)
F Alexey Toropchenko (two years, $2.5MM)
D Tyler Tucker (two years, $1.6MM)

Handling the would-be RFA status of both Kyrou and Thomas a little over a year ago, St. Louis did not have much in the way of notable RFA candidates this summer. If the rest of the blue line is healthy, Tucker should see limited action, and may even be a demotion candidate as the year continues.

Toropchenko, on the other hand, should see a decent amount of playing time in the team’s middle six this season. Playing in 69 regular season games last year, Toropchenko found the back of the net 10 times, while also tallying nine assists. The Blues only gave him about 12 minutes a night last year, and it is reasonable to assume that he will be around that number again, depending on the play of both Jakub Vrana and Kasperi Kapanen.

Departures

F Logan Brown (Tampa Bay, one year, $775K)
F Matthew Highmore (Ottawa, one year, $775K)
D Brady Lyle (Calgary, one year, $775K)
F Tyler Pitlick (NY Rangers, one year, $788K)
D Steven Santini (Los Angeles, one year, $800K)
F Nathan Todd (San Jose, two years, $1.55MM)

Much like their potential RFA candidates, the Blues didn’t stand to lose too much this offseason via free agency, especially after moving out O’Reilly and Tarasenko for future assets at the trade deadline. Their most notable loss will come from Pitlick, who played in 61 games for the Blues last season, scoring seven goals and nine assists.

This list could have been longer, however, as it was rumored the club was putting significant effort into moving out the contract of Torey Krug at the beginning of the summer to the Flyers in the Hayes deal, but was unable to include him in the transaction as Krug was able to deny the trade due to the No Trade Clause in his current deal.

Salary Cap Outlook

With a full roster and no LTIR candidates heading into the 2023-24 season, the Blues will have approximately $200K available in cap space, which will turn into $1.37MM in deadline space. Depending on which direction the Blues head this season, they will have plenty of established assets to move out at the trade deadline, and very little cap space to work with if they are hoping to gain a player or two.

Next summer, they will have around $13.4MM coming off of the books, giving them the option to add a few decent players via free agency or trade. If St. Louis is once again out of playoff contention in February/March of 2024, multi-year contracts such as Krug, Brandon Saad, and Nick Leddy could be on the trade block to loosen up even more financial flexibility.

Key Questions

Will They Get Back Into The Playoffs? Last season, the Blues were one year removed from a 109-point season, finishing third in the Central Division, losing in six games in the second round of the playoffs to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. In disappointing fashion, St. Louis was only able to reach 81 points on the year, finishing in sixth place in the Central, finishing well outside the playoff picture. The Avalanche and Dallas Stars project to be the top two teams in the division heading into the upcoming season, but the third spot seems relatively up for grabs. The Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets should still factor into the playoff picture, with the Arizona Coyotes looking more and more like a complete team, giving the Blues a lot to think about concerning their short-term competitive window. Kyrou and Thomas are already stars in the NHL, but the Blues still feel a player away to be considered a playoff lock for next season.

How Will The Team Improve Its Defense? It is true that Jordan Binnington shares a big part of the blame for the Blues finishing 27th in Goals Against last year, given that over a full year, the 2022-23 season was by far the worst of his career. Justin Faulk had a solid season by most standards, but Krug and Colton Parayko took a step back, with Nick Leddy, Robert Bortuzzo, and Marco Scandella continuing to lose the battle with ’Father Time’. Parayko, Leddy, and Krug are all signed for at least the next three seasons, with the team being able to move on from Scandella and Bortuzzo next offseason. If he maintains his health, prospect Scott Perunovich should be able to take one of the spots left by either Scandella or Bortuzzo, but it’s beginning to appear the Blues need to make a big-time move for a top-two defenseman, having failed to adequately replace the void left by Alex Pietrangelo.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Summer Synopsis: Seattle Kraken

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Not only did the sophomore year of the Seattle Kraken organization in the NHL result in a playoff berth, but the team was able to impress even further by eliminating the then-defending Stanley Cup champion, Colorado Avalanche, in their seven-game opening-round matchup. Led by emerging star and 2023 Calder Trophy winner Matthew Beniers, as well as a hodgepodge of veteran leaders thanks to the expansion draft, free agency, and well-timed trade acquisitions, this team still has an uphill battle in the Pacific Division.

It was a relatively quiet offseason for the Kraken, who are looking to build on their impressive season last year. Most of the talent acquired this summer primarily came out of the draft, with the team making no trades and largely nibbling around the edges of the free-agent market.

Draft

1-20: F Eduard Sale, HC Kometa Brno (Czechia)
2-50: F Carson Rehkopf, Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
2-52: F Oscar Fisker Molgaard, HV71 (SHL)
2-57: D Lukas Dragicevic, Tri-City Americans (WHL)
3-84: D Caden Price, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
4-116: F Andrei Loshko, Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)
5-148: D Kaden Hammell, Everett Silvertips (WHL)
6-168: G Visa Vedenpaa, Karpat U20 (U20 SM-sarja)
6-180: F Zeb Forsfjall, Skellefteå AIK (SHL)
7-212: F Zaccharya Wisdom, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)

Carrying a healthy mix of forwards, defensemen, and goaltenders, as well as a balance between North American and European skaters, the Kraken organization deepened all facets of their prospect cupboards at the 2023 NHL Draft.

The prize of the draft for Seattle, Sale, was one of the better selections in terms of return on investment. Only one year ago, Sale was frequently cited in the top 10 on most draft big boards, scoring 89 points in 39 games during his last season in Czechia’s top junior league. Unfortunately, in his first season against more seasoned veterans in Czechia’s professional league, Sale was only able to score seven goals and seven assists in 43 games, playing in an extremely limited role overseas. Nevertheless, Sale has all the intangibles to be a top-six forward in the NHL and should have better luck playing for the Barrie Colts this season.

In one of the higher upside swings for the team at this summer’s draft, the Kraken were able to select Dragicevic at 57th overall, the highest-scoring right-handed defenseman in the draft. Playing for the Americans last season in the WHL, Dragicevic put up 15 goals and 60 assists in 68 regular season games, showing excellent vision in transition and on the powerplay. There are quite a few questions surrounding his defensive side of the game, but most teams in the NHL would overlook defensive shortcomings for a potential point-per-game blueliner.

UFA Signings

F Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (one year, $775K)
D Connor Carrick (one year, $775K)*
D Brian Dumoulin (two years, $6.3MM)
F John Hayden (one year, $775K)*
D Mitch Reinke (one year, $775K)*
D Jimmy Schuldt (one year, $775K)*
F Devin Shore (one year, $775K)*
F Marian Studenic (one year, $775K)*
F Kailer Yamamoto (one year, $1.5MM)

*-denotes a two-way contract

By most metrics, Dumoulin had a subpar season last year with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was able to earn a career-high in assists (24) and points (25) but did see his CF% dip under career averages with a 45.2% showing, as well as his oiSV% at 88.5%. At only a two-year deal, it’s a relatively low-risk deal for the Kraken, who are now able to use Dumoulin to round out their top four and still have many of the blueliners present on the team last season.

One of the more under-the-radar signings not only for Seattle but across the entire NHL this summer is the one-year deal the team handed out to Yamamoto. He was originally acquired by the Detroit Red Wings in a salary dump deal earlier in the summer, and thanks to a buyout on June 30th, Yamamoto entered unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career. At still only 24 years old, Yamamoto still has quite a bit of talent to showcase, and with his offensive capabilities, as well as his above-average speed with and without the puck, should be able to translate smoothly to the Kraken organization.

RFA Re-Signings

D William Borgen (two years, $5.4MM)
D Vince Dunn (four years, $29.4MM)
D Cale Fleury (two years, $1.6MM)
F Kole Lind (one year, $775K)*

*-denotes a two-way contract

Heavily blocked on the depth chart during his time with the St.Louis Blues from 2017-2021, Dunn has thrived since joining the Kraken organization. Based on his last two seasons in Seattle, Dunn is one of, if not the best player selected by the Kraken in the 2021 Expansion Draft.

Matching a career-high in points in Seattle during the 2021-22 season, Dunn accelerated into an entirely different form last year, scoring 14 goals and 50 assists in 81 regular season games for the Kraken. Carrying his season momentum into the playoffs, Dunn would score one goal and six assists in 14 games, finishing second amongst defensemen on the team in points. Although the Kraken would have likely wanted to sign Dunn to a longer-term extension, this four-year deal will take Dunn to his age 30 season, giving him ample opportunity to get paid once again in unrestricted free agency.

Departures

F Ryan Donato (Chicago, two years, $4MM)
F Joonas Donskoi (Retirement)
F Morgan Geekie (Boston, two years, $4MM)
D Brogan Rafferty (Detroit, two years, $1.55MM)
D Carson Soucy (Vancouver, three years, $9.75MM)
F Daniel Sprong (Detroit, one year, $2MM)
F Alexander True (Florida, one year, $775K)

Much like Dunn, thanks to increased playing time with the upstart Kraken organization, Soucy was able to turn his career around in Seattle. Becoming one of the more unheralded two-way defensemen in the NHL, Soucy would regularly use his body to make important hits during the game and spend plenty of time on the Kraken penalty kill. The loss of Soucy shouldn’t slow down Seattle, however, as the acquisition of Dumoulin should offset much of the lost value.

The Kraken did lose three key middle-six forwards in Donato, Geekie, and Sprong, but the team should once again recoup a lot of the lost value with the acquisition of Yamamoto, and a full season from both Eeli Tolvanen and Shane Wright. As far as departures go for most cap-strapped playoff teams, the Kraken will leave this summer relatively unscathed.

Salary Cap Outlook

With only a little over $900K in cap space to work with for the regular season, the Kraken should be able to add one or two depth pieces at this year’s trade deadline, barring any players going on LTIR throughout the season. Next summer, not taking into consideration the eventual increase to the upper limit of the salary cap, the team will have approximately $23.7MM coming off of the books.

A good chunk of that money should go to contract extensions for both Beniers and Alexander Wennberg, with the team having the option to bring back Tolvanen, Yamamoto, Justin Schultz, and Jordan Eberle as well.

Key Questions

Can The Team Rely On Its Current Goaltending? As well as Philipp Grubauer played in the playoffs last year, the regular season was currently not as kind to him. Throughout the regular season, even on a team that won 46 games in the regular season, Grubauer would post a record of 17-14-4, carrying a SV% of .895 and a GAA of 2.85. These are not horrible numbers by any means, but the Kraken should be expecting more from a goaltender they have to pay $5.9MM a season for the next four years. If Grubauer can continue last year’s playoff performance into this year’s regular season, Seattle will be very comfortable with their goaltending situation. However, if Grubauer is not able to string along his successes, the Kraken do not have much in the way of internal solutions to shore up their goaltending.

Will This Team Make The Playoffs? Although not having a poor team on paper last season, few would have expected Seattle to make the playoffs out of the Western Conference. This season, with raised expectations, they are once again due for a bloodbath in the West. They will have plenty of problems in their own division, as the Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings are some of the most dangerous teams in the sport, and the Calgary Flames appear poised for some rejuvenation after last year’s disappointment. In the Central Division, the Kraken shouldn’t have to worry about the Avalanche or the Dallas Stars in the wild-card race but should face some competition from both the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets. It’s once again difficult to project the Kraken as one of the three divisional locks in the Pacific, so they will likely once again be locked into a tight wild-card race.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Summer Synopsis: San Jose Sharks

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The San Jose Sharks limped into the offseason of what was sure to be a franchise altering offseason. There was some excitement that the club was finally going to be able to get out from under Erik Karlsson’s gigantic cap hit and begin a full on rebuild that was a few years in the making. Ultimately the rebuild did start, but the return for their franchise defenseman was extremely underwhelming. Although people in some circles see the move as purely a cap dump, it was unlikely that the team was going to be a cap team in the next few seasons anyway which puts a damper on some of that talk.

San Jose is going to be bad this upcoming season, but based on the moves of General Manager Mike Grier, that is the plan as they embark on the first rebuild in San Jose since the mid-1990s.

Draft

1-4: C Will Smith, USA U-18 (USNDP)
1-26: F Quentin Musty, Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
2-36: F Kasper Halttunen, HIFK (Liiga)
3-71: C Brandon Svoboda, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
4-123: D Luca Cagnoni, Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
5-130: D Axel Landen, HV 71 Jr. (J20 Nationell)
5-132:D Eric Pohlkamp, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)
7-196: C David Klee, Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
7-203: F Yegor Rimashevsky, Dynamo Moscow Jr. (MHL)

Smith has a strong hockey sense and a terrific skill set that should help him have an excellent NHL career. This past season he dressed in 60 games for the United States National Team Development Program’s Under-18 team and finished second on the NTDP’s all-time single-season points list potting 51 goals to go along with 76 assists. He helped lead the group to a Gold Medal at the Under-18 Men’s World Championship while leading the tournament in scoring with nine goals and 11 assists. It might be a few seasons before Smith dons a Sharks jersey as he is currently committed to play at Boston College next season close to his hometown of Lexington, Massachusetts.

With the Sharks second first-round pick they drafted Musty out of the OHL. The former first overall pick in the 2021 OHL draft had a strong second half of last year and a good season overall posting 26 goals and 52 assists in 53 games. The Hamburg, New York native has good size at 6’2” and 200 pounds and should be able to use it along with his reach and skillset to score goals in the NHL. He hasn’t quite dominated the OHL yet, but given where he is at, he could be poised for a big year in Sudbury this upcoming season.

Trade Acquisitions

G – Mackenzie Blackwood (from New Jersey)
F – Anthony Duclair (from Florida)
D – Leon Gawanke (from Winnipeg)
F – Mikael Granlund (from Pittsburgh)
F – Mike Hoffman (from Montreal via Pittsburgh)
D – Jan Rutta (from Pittsburgh)

The Sharks made some interesting trades this offseason that if viewed in a vacuum seem to show a lack of direction. But if you look at the body of work over the course of the entire summer it becomes a little bit clearer that Mike Grier has a plan. Whether or not it will work remains to be seen, but the rebuild is in full force and Grier has taken to many different avenues to try and extract future value from players.

Duclair is the type of player that can provide efficient depth scoring at a very affordable price point. He is making just $3MM this season and is only a year removed from scoring over 30 goals for the Florida Panthers. While his acquisition doesn’t make sense for a team that is building for the future, the cost to acquire him was so low. If Duclair can bounce back and have a good season, San Jose should be able to move him at the trade deadline and acquire much better pieces than the ones they gave up getting him, which was a fifth-round pick and Steven Lorentz.

The story is the same for Blackwood, San Jose signed him to a two-year $4.7MM extension after acquiring him and are hoping he can provide league-average goaltending for the time being. Should he bounce back he could be another piece that San Jose flips out to grab some future draft picks or prospects.

The likes of Granlund, Hoffman and Rutta are all still NHL players, however, they each had become expendable with their former clubs. Granlund and Rutta were ill-advised moves that Ron Hextall had made in Pittsburgh that backfired almost immediately after they were made. Both players could find bounce-back seasons in San Jose which would make it possible to move them in the future for other assets. Rutta might be in tough though as he is slated to play in the Sharks top 4, a role he struggled in badly last season with the Penguins.

UFA Signings

D Kyle Burroughs (three years, $3.3MM)
C Ryan Carpenter (one year, $775K)*
F Scott Sabourin (two years, $1.55MM)*
RW Givani Smith (two years, $1.6MM)
C Nathan Todd (two years, $1.55MM)*
RW Filip Zadina (one year, $1.1MM)

The Sharks went into the offseason knowing that they were not going to be players for any of the bigger-name free agents as they were already trying to shed cap space and get younger. They weren’t completely inactive though as they made a few moves to add depth and toughness while bringing in a couple of projects who could be bounce-back candidates.

Mike Grier continued his trend of buying low on players as he opted to sign former Detroit Red Wings forward Zadina to a one-year deal. The 23-year-old hasn’t shown much in his short NHL career, but with more minutes and a bigger role, he could start to find the scoresheet with more frequency. The downside to the deal was almost non-existent for San Jose since they can just cut ties after the season if Zadina doesn’t work out. He will surely be motivated to prove the doubters wrong as every team in the league passed on picking him up under his previous contract leading to a mutual termination with Detroit.

RFA Re-Signings

G Eetu Makiniemi (one year, $775K)*
F Jacob Peterson (one year, $775K)
F Fabian Zetterlund (two years, $2.9MM)

*-denotes two-way contract

The Sharks didn’t have much in-house business to take care of this summer when it came to the restricted free-agent front. Zetterlund was the biggest piece of business to lock up as he and San Jose opted to sign a two-year bridge contract. Zetterlund was having a decent season with the New Jersey Devils posting six goals and 14 assists in 45 games before he was dealt mid-season in the Timo Meier swap. In 22 games with the Sharks, the 24-year-old failed to gain much traction as he posted just three assists and struggled to drive play in any meaningful way. His advanced analytics also took a sizable drop, which isn’t surprising given his move from a contending team to a rebuilding one. Zetterlund should be given a big role this upcoming season as the Sharks have fully entered a rebuild and will be looking to see whether he is part of the future or a piece they can move on from for future assets.

Departures

C Kyle Criscuolo (New Jersey, one year, $775K)*
G Aaron Dell (Columbus – PTO)
F Jonah Gadjovich (Charlotte Checkers – AHL)
C Noah Gregor (Toronto – PTO)
C Luke Johnson (Metallurg Magnitogorsk-KHL)
LW Andreas Johnsson (Pittsburgh, one year, $800K)
D Erik Karlsson (traded to Pittsburgh)
RW Martin Kaut (signed with HC Dynamo Pardubice-Czechia)
F Steven Lorentz (traded to Florida)
D Markus Nutivaara (retired)
D Derrick Pouliot (Dallas, one year, $775K)*
G James Reimer (Detroit, one year, $1.5MM)
F C.J. Suess (Manitoba – AHL)
D Andrej Sustr (signed Kölner Haie of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL)
LW Yevgeni Svechnikov (signed Ak Bars Kazan-KHL)
RW Max Veronneau (signed with Leksands IF-SHL)

The biggest and probably the only notable loss for the Sharks was reigning Norris Trophy winner Karlsson. The now Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman had a season for the ages and became the first defenseman to top 100 points in a season in three decades. Karlsson’s run in San Jose was mired with injuries and inconsistent play, despite his historical season last year. He could never push the Sharks over the hump and eventually, the team fell out of their window of contention leading to the trade with the Penguins.

Karlsson didn’t fit with the Sharks’ future and a move was the best thing for both sides long term. San Jose did get some pieces for Karlsson, just likely not what they would have hoped to get for an elite asset.

Outside of Karlsson, most of the departing Sharks players were replacement-level players at best and leave San Jose in a spot where they should have a ton of flexibility going forward, particularly if the salary cap does increase as it is expected to over the next few seasons.

Salary Cap Outlook

San Jose has cap space heading into this season and could have a ton of it next summer. With $4MM this year, and possibly around $40MM next summer, the options are almost endless. Now, barring a lot of major growth in their prospects it seems unlikely that Grier will be a major player for free agents next summer. But perhaps he could make moves to use some of his draft capital to acquire restricted free agents that better fit the Sharks’ timeline to being a contender. Grier has wiped out a lot of the team’s long-term financial commitments and could make some serious moves at a time when the cap will start to grow.

Key Questions

How Bad Will They Be? A lot of pundits have predicted that the Sharks will have the best odds to win the draft lottery at the end of the 2023-24 season, and while that would certainly jumpstart their rebuild, they must play the season first. The Sharks have some players who can put the puck in the net and even if management has their sights set on a future lottery pick, the players want to win hockey games and will do everything in their power to do so. But no matter how hard those players try, they will still likely be a bad team. How bad? Well, that remains to be seen. 30 wins seems steep for this group, but maybe they’ll surprise some people in a weak Western Conference.

Who Else Will Be Dealt? The Sharks still have several veterans under big contracts, and while Mike Grier has obviously made flexibility a priority, he still must reach the salary cap floor which means he can’t trade all of them. Marc-Édouard Vlasic is a player who has fallen off a cliff in recent years and owns perhaps the worst contract in the NHL, but he still provides a veteran presence and is almost untradeable. But could the Sharks look to take back other bad contracts to give the veteran defenseman a change of scenery? We’ll see.

Will Grier Weaponize His Cap Space? Mike Grier has almost $4MM in cap space for this season and could have close to $40MM next summer. Will he use his space to take on bad contracts while acquiring more picks and prospects for the future? It’s a tactic that many rebuilding teams have used to essentially purchase draft picks using short-term cap space, and it is something that Grier could utilize to add a lot of depth to the organization.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Summer Synopsis: Pittsburgh Penguins

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There is no gentle way to put this, the Pittsburgh Penguins were a mess last season. Despite having Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby both healthy for the first time in years, the Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and the first time during the Malkin/Crosby/Kris Letang era.

Penguins ownership addressed the disappointing season by relieving Ron Hextall and Brian Burke of their duties and set out to rebuild their hockey operations. They succeeded by hiring Kyle Dubas to run the organization’s hockey ops and he kickstarted a dramatic change in the team’s on-ice personnel.

No one knows if Dubas’ moves will work, but there is no arguing that he had a plan from the outset of the offseason and he has completely rebuilt the Penguins’ defense and bottom-six forward group. Whether it will be enough remains to be seen as the Penguins play in the most difficult division in hockey and the Eastern Conference is sure to be a buzzsaw this season.

Draft

1-14: C Brayden Yager, Moose Jaw (WHL)
3-91: D Emil Pieniniemi, Finland (SM-sarja)
5-142: RW Mikhail Ilyin, Severstal Cherepovets (KHL)
6-174: C Cooper Foster, Ottawa 67’s (OHL)
7-217: LW Emil Järventie, Finland SaiPa (Liiga)
7-223: D Kalle Kangas, Finland

Dubas opted to hang on to Pittsburgh’s highest first-round pick in quite some time rather than dealing it away to shed salary or acquire an impact player. While Yager will not likely make an impact during the Crosby/Malkin era that doesn’t mean he won’t be an impact player for the Penguins in the not-too-distant future. Many people expect the Penguins to go into a full rebuild in the next few years and Yager could become a good building block as he possesses terrific leadership skills and has a very high offensive ceiling. Yager does come with some risk as well, but high risk and high reward was a theme with the Penguins’ picks in the 2023 NHL entry draft.

Pittsburgh opted to take Pieniniemi in the third round and he brings a lot of mobility to the Penguins’ back end as well as good defensive instincts and a lot of intensity. Some have him projected as a possible top-4 defenseman in the future, but his development would be key in him reaching that kind of ceiling.

Mikhail Ilyin is an interesting pick in the fifth round as he is currently playing out his KHL contract in Russia. He doesn’t possess a very good shot but does have good offensive instincts and can be a playmaker from the center position.

The Penguins don’t have much in the prospect’s cupboard, but they did well to add some players with a lot of upside but that carry some risk. For Dubas and his draft position, he almost needs to take some gambles to see if he can hit on the next big thing for the Penguins.

Trade Acquisitions

F Dillon Hamaliuk (San Jose)
D Erik Karlsson (San Jose)
F Rem Pitlick (Montreal)
F Reilly Smith (Las Vegas)

It seemed very improbable the Penguins would be able to land Karlsson when the rumor popped up on July 1st. They spent most of their available cap space in free agency and the door appeared to slam shut on those rumblings. Except they never went away, and as the summer pressed on it seemed more likely the three-time Norris Trophy winner could in fact land with the Penguins. San Jose could never seem to get a trade market going for Karlsson’s services and Dubas and company remained diligent in their pursuit. Finally, on August 6th the deal was completed, and the Penguins were able to give up very little in terms of futures and somehow also managed to shed a lot of dead weight from their salary cap ledger. It was a major win for the Penguins, even if adding Karlsson comes with a mountain of risk.

How Karlsson will be used remains to be seen, but current power-play quarterback Letang has already said he will shift from the point to allow Karlsson to take his place. That alone should be huge for Pittsburgh as their powerplay was underwhelming last season, especially given the personnel they deployed with the man advantage.

Smith was also a big add for the Penguins at the cost of just a third-round pick. He will make for a terrific replacement in the Penguins’ top-six forward group and could be in line for a career year. Smith is fresh off winning the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights and will likely start the year with either Crosby or Malkin. While the 32-year-old isn’t a natural goal scorer, he is more than capable with the puck and is dynamic off the rush. He comes with two years left on his contract at $5MM per season, leaving little downside for the Penguins in this trade.

UFA Signings

C Noel Acciari (three years, $6MM)
D Will Butcher (one year, $775K)*
C Lars Eller (two years, $4.9MM)
D Ryan Graves (six years, $27MM)
G Magnus Hellberg (one year, $785K)
C Vinnie Hinostroza (one year, $775K)
G Tristan Jarry (five years, $26.875MM)
F Andreas Johnsson (one year, $800K)
F Joona Koppanen (two years, $1.55MM)
G Alex Nedeljkovic (one year, $1.5MM)
F Matt Nieto (two years, $1.8MM)
D Ryan Shea (one year, $775K)
F Radim Zahorna (one year, $775K)

*-denotes two-way contract

The Penguins had a decent amount of cap space entering the offseason but had a lot of holes to fill on a team that just wasn’t very good last year. Dubas quickly went to work in addressing his top defensive pairing, solidifying his goaltending, as well as building depth in the team’s bottom six forward group.

Ryan Graves is not a perfect top-pairing defenseman, but on Pittsburgh he doesn’t need to be. His job will be to fill the hole that Pittsburgh tried to fill by committee last season unsuccessfully. Graves will pair with Letang and should form a solid top-defensive pairing for the next few years. Graves won’t be asked to provide a ton of offense from the back end but is capable of chipping in having posted 26 points last year in 78 games. He will also benefit from getting more offensive zone starts as in New Jersey he started almost 63% of his shifts in the defensive zone.

Some people might think the Karlsson trade was Dubas’ biggest gamble, but I would venture to say it was the signing of netminder Jarry to a long-term deal. Jarry is a two-time all-star and has shown glimpses of being an above-average NHL netminder. However, those moments and accolades have been sandwiched between injuries and very inconsistent play. All that to say, signing Jarry was a risk for Pittsburgh. The goaltending market wasn’t great this offseason with left Dubas with few options and he went with the familiar one for the club. Whether it will pan out remains to be seen, but in his time with Pittsburgh Jarry has been unable to get the Penguins out of the first round, and this past season he couldn’t even get the team to the first round.

Nedeljkovic was an interesting signing for the Penguins as it cemented the departure of long-time backup Casey DeSmith. Nedeljkovic has had runs where he has looked like an NHL starter but has also had longer runs where he’s been run of out the game on a nightly basis. Which goaltender turns up in Pittsburgh will be something to keep an eye on, especially if Jarry has a year like he did last year.

RFA Re-Signings

F Jonathan Gruden (one year, $775K)*
F Alex Nylander (one year, $775K)
F Drew O’Connor (two years, $1.85MM)
F Valtteri Puustinen (one year, $775K)*
D Ty Smith (one year, $775K)

*-denotes two-way contract

O’Connor is a player the Penguins have been high on for several years. He was a highly sought-after college free agent and has had showings that would make you think he is an NHL player. Unfortunately, those glimpses have come only a handful of times and are always split up by long stretches of play where O’Connor looks invisible on the ice. O’Connor has eight goals and nine assists in 78 career NHL games and at 25-years-old he is no longer a prospect. He will be given every chance in Pittsburgh to show that he is a solution in the bottom six and with his size and speed he should be able to carve out a role. However, if he can’t, he will likely find himself shuttled back and forth between the NHL and the AHL.

Much like O’Connor, Nylander is a player who has shown glimpses of being an NHLer but hasn’t been able to put it all together. The Penguins tried Nylander in their top six last year in place of Bryan Rust, and he looked fine for a few games but didn’t appear to be a long-term answer. He is likely not suited for a bottom-six role, so if he is going to be in an NHL lineup it should be in more of a scoring role. Pittsburgh is banking on growth from Nylander this offseason and would likely love for him to be able to slide into the Penguins top-9 in some type of scoring capacity. But given his inability to be an impact player up until this point in his career, it’s a long shot at best.

Departures

F Josh Archibald (unsigned UFA)
C Nick Bonino (New York, one year, $800K)
F Drake Caggiula (Edmonton, two years, $1.55MM)*
G Casey DeSmith (traded to Montreal)
D Peter Diliberatore (PTO Arizona)
D Brian Dumoulin (Seattle, two years, $6.3MM)
F Mikael Granlund (traded to San Jose)
F Danton Heinen (PTO Boston)
D Dmitry Kulikov (Florida, one year, $1MM)
F Nathan Legare (traded to Montreal)
D Josh Maniscalco (Chicago (AHL), one year)
D Jeff Petry (traded to Montreal)
F Ryan Poehling (Philadelphia, one year, $1.4MM)
D Jan Rutta (traded to San Jose)
G Dustin Tokarski (Buffalo, one year, $775K)*
F Jason Zucker (Arizona, one year, $5.3MM)

Dubas moved on from a lot of Penguins players turning over nearly half of their NHL roster. The most notable loss is probably Zucker who had a terrific final season in Pittsburgh posting 27 goals and 21 assists in 78 games while being one of the few Penguins to show a pulse on most nights. Zucker had injury problems that plagued most of his time in Pittsburgh but was finally able to remain healthy last season. Dubas did well to replace Zucker with Smith, who should be able to replicate or better Zucker’s production.

Dumoulin was a long-time Penguins defenseman who was a big part of their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins. But his play really dropped off his last few seasons in Pittsburgh as he started to show his age and really struggled in high-leverage situations. Dumoulin along with Jeff Carter had become lightning rods for criticism as fans found it difficult to move past the glaring errors in the defensive zone that seemed to happen on a nightly basis. Dumoulin should be better insulated in Seattle and might see better results with the Kraken.

Granlund was never likely to fit in Pittsburgh given his lack of footspeed and forechecking. His skillset never really suited the Penguins system, and his acquisition was universally panned just moments after it happened. Granlund had just one goal and four assists in 21 games with the Penguins and was probably a big reason why Ron Hextall is no longer with the team.

Salary Cap Outlook

A lot of people have written the Penguins off as being at the end of their run as a contender. However next summer they have few impact players to sign and could have over $20MM in cap space available to them. Depending on how this season goes, the Penguins could load up for one more run in the Crosby/Malkin era. Dubas will have a lot of options going forward and could even add a long-term impact player in season, so long as he makes a dollar-for-dollar trade.

Key Questions

How Will Karlsson Fit In? The Karlsson trade has been widely viewed as a big win for the Penguins but how the trade will ultimately be viewed comes down to results on the ice. If Karlsson can quarterback the Penguins’ powerplay to much better results and show decent results at 5 on 5, it will be a big improvement for Pittsburgh. If his defensive lapses start to become glaring and he can’t improve the powerplay, it could be viewed in a negative light. It should be an interesting question going forward.

Can Jarry Be A Number One? Jarry was gifted the starter’s role when Pittsburgh dealt Matt Murray to the Ottawa Senators in 2020. Since that time, he’s been the default number-one goaltender for the Penguins because they’ve never had a better option. With him signed to a long-term lucrative extension, it’s obvious that Penguins management sees Jarry as their number one goalie. But will he provide the team with number-one goaltending?

Can Crosby And Malkin Stay Healthy? It’s been rare for the Penguins to have the services of both Crosby and Malkin for an entire season, however, last year they did, and they missed the playoffs. They are unlikely to have both players for a season given their age and their track records with injuries. Crosby has changed his game and is less explosive to the net, however, he has suffered fewer injuries recently. Malkin has tried to adapt his game as well. But can both men stay healthy for another season? Time will tell.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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