Here’s a rundown of some of the original content at PHR over the past seven days.
For the second straight year, the Oilers will be heading into the season without the services of veteran defender Andrej Sekera. Zach broke down what’s left of the free agent market as well as some possibilities to hit the waiver wire if Edmonton decides to try to fill his spot with a cheap veteran.
Our Salary Cap Deep Dive series continues. I took a look at the situations for the Penguins, Devils, and Flames while Holger assessed the Kings.
Meanwhile, the Red Wings currently find themselves over the salary cap. Zach went over their situation including possibilities for long-term injury reserve, players that could be snuck through waivers, as well as some potential trade candidates.
While the salary cap rightfully gets most of the attention, there is also a contract cap in the NHL. Gavin notes that the Coyotes are presently right up against the limit and even if their signed junior-aged players don’t make the team, it’s a situation they’re going to have to carefully navigate throughout the season.
Troy Brouwer was a late entrant into the free agent market after the Flames used a window after their salary arbitration cases to buy out the remainder of his contract. Zach reviewed his free agent case and what type of deal he may have to settle for this summer.
Topics in our latest mailbag included a look at what the Senators should do with their notable pending unrestricted free agents, projects the Metropolitan Division, reviews Henrik Zetterberg’s injury situation and Detroit, and discusses whether Boston needs to make a move for top-six help now or wait until later in the season.
Teams have been looking overseas for players more and more frequently and this offseason has been no exception. Zach provided a listing of all of the signings and looked at some of the players that are already projected to have an impact in the NHL next season. Some of those players came from some non-traditional hockey markets; another non-traditional place that is starting to produce some talent is Southern California as Zach detailed.
With several key defensemen already inking long-term extensions to stick with their current teams, Toronto’s Jake Gardiner is quickly becoming one of the more intriguing UFAs on the back end. Zach previewed his situation, noting that if Toronto wants to keep their top forward group intact, they may have some difficulties finding enough cap space to keep him in the fold as well.