With it being a quiet week in terms of news and rumors around the NHL, the PHR writers have comprised plenty of original pieces. Here’s a sampling of some of the content to catch up on:
Atlantic Division
I broke down the salary cap situation for a trio of teams in Florida, Montreal, and Ottawa. Speaking of the Sens, Seth discussed a missed opportunity for Ottawa to unload one of the more cumbersome deals around the league in Bobby Ryan. Plus, vote in our poll on who will come out on top in the division.
Metropolitan Division
Seth examined Rick Nash’s future in New York as he enters the final year of his contract. Holger assessed how the Islanders will be relying on their youth more moving forward, which will be the case regardless of where John Tavares to play in 2017-18. He also looked into Philadelphia’s goaltending situation which is seemingly a big question heading into every year now. The battle for top spot is expected to be highly contested; make your choice as to who comes out on top.
Central Division
Zach took a look at Colorado’s holes in their defense corps as well as the potential viability of Houston as a hockey market. Seth discussed what has been a relatively quiet season in St. Louis and whether or not they missed out on some opportunities to improve. Gavin analyzed the upcoming roster crunch coming in Dallas in the very near future. He also continued his summer prediction poll series; make your pick for the division winner.
Pacific Division
Gavin broke down how the Golden Knights could still be able to take on another bad contract or two despite what they did in expansion. While no one realistically expects Vegas to win the division, which team will be able to do so?
Free Agency
Our free agent profiles continue as I took a look at P.A. Parenteau’s situation while Zach did the same for Dennis Wideman.
League-Wide
Seth went over some teams that are poised to rebound after injury-filled 2016-17 campaigns. Every year there are some picks from the most recent draft class that make the NHL right; Seth assessed which ones from June’s draft could do the same next season. Mutually terminated contracts don’t give the players any money but Seth also brought up how it can still be beneficial to the player being let go. Also on the CBA front, Gavin brought forth another look at how some top talents have been inking bonus-laden (and basically buyout-proof) contracts. He also suggested some third-year players who could be in line for breakout seasons.
Plus, Gavin held his weekly chat while I also tackled some reader questions in our latest edition of the PHR Mailbag.