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Nikita Kucherov Dealing With Injury

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The Tampa Bay Lightning may be without one of their best players when the season begins, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Nikita Kucherov is dealing with an injury that may keep him out “awhile.” The Lightning are expected to clarify the specifics later this week, but Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic adds that Kucherov got a hip injection last week.

Notably, as Friedman suggests, this could potentially be a fix for Tampa Bay’s cap problems. If Kucherov is forced onto long-term injured reserve, the team would theoretically not need to move any of their other high-priced assets to get under the $81.5MM salary cap ceiling. A return at any point during the regular season would obviously complicate the situation, though as James Mirtle of The Athletic points out with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, there is no salary cap come playoff time (which is only a few months away in a shortened season).

Still, losing Kucherov is obviously a huge blow for a team looking to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. The 27-year-old forward is one of the very best offensive players in the entire world and scored 85 points in 68 games last season. That, amazingly, only landed him the 13th spot in Hart Trophy voting, but the year prior he took home the Hart, Art Ross, and Ted Lindsay awards as the undisputed best player in the league. He recorded 41 goals and 128 points in 2018-19, a true example of how dominant Kucherov can be when healthy and surrounded by talent.

It may be some time before we get to see that Kucherov on the ice again.

Snapshots: Playoffs, Hoffman, Schedule, Travel, 2021-22 Season

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With the agreement between the NHL and NHLPA official now in the books after both sides have voted to approve it, teams would play their entire season within their own conference (altered conferences can be found here). From there, the playoffs will not alter from the regular season too much as the top four teams in each division will play against each other with 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 for the first two rounds, according to NHL.com’s John Shannon. Each division winner gets a spot in the Stanley Cup semifinals, seeded by their regular season points percentage.

  • With the rumors and now agreement on a 56-game season, the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that there is plenty of talks heating up around the top unrestricted free agent still available on the market in Mike Hoffman. The 31-year-old is coming off a 29-goal season last year in 69 games and had a 36-goal campaign the previous year. Garrioch reports that as many as six teams are in on him. However, most teams are already tight against the salary cap, which has complicated his status and why he has waited this long. Hoffman has been talked about in a number of situations, including Nashville, Boston and Columbus with several other teams in the mix.
  • Garrioch also notes that a schedule is expected to be released mid-week this week once the NHL comes to an agreement with the Canadian provinces. While most of the talk between the NHL and the Canadian provinces are centering around the Canucks and B.C., there still hasn’t been an agreement with the province of Ontario either regarding whether the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators will be able to play in their own rinks. It is believed that an agreement with Ontario should be easier to finalize, however, than with B.C. Garrioch adds that even if there is a province-wide lockdown, it shouldn’t affect Ottawa’s training camp, although access to the training facility would be really limited.
  • While restrictions should be better for players as they no longer will be forced into a bubble like during the playoffs, the travel restrictions for teams that go on the road will not be much better, according to TSN’s Frank Seravalli. Players and staff will be restricted to the game rink, practice rink or the hotel. No exceptions, including food.
  • Seravalli notes that NHL players have the right to opt out of the 2020-21 season, but the league “may investigate any circumstances … that these provisions were intentionally used to, or had the effect of, circumventing the CBA” for salary cap purposes.
  • Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that the NHL intends to return to a traditional season for 2021-22, which is expected to start in October. The league had initially hoped to get an 82-game season in this year, but instead will shorten the 2020-21 season in hopes of finishing their season in mid-July.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Chicago Blackhawks

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM.  Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2020-21 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Chicago Blackhawks

Current Cap Hit: $74,286,313 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Ian Mitchell (three years, $925K)
F Kirby Dach (two years, $925K)
F Pius Suter (one year, $925K)
D Adam Boqvist (two years, $894K)
F Alexander Nylander (one year, $863K)
D Lucas Carlsson (one year, $792K)

Potential Bonuses
Dach: $2.5MM
Mitchell: $850K
Suter: $850K
Boqvist: $850K
Nylander: $850K
Carlson: $83K

One of the biggest positives is the Blackhawks have accumulated quite a bit of talent on entry-level deals and most of them will be on entry-level deals for at least two years, giving Chicago some cheap, but highly productive players on their roster, something they need with their core being both expensive and aging. Dach has been the biggest revelation as the forward was an afterthought after being drafted third-overall in the 2019 draft behind Jack Hughes and Kappo Kakko, but Dach put up identical numbers in his first NHL season to those two, scoring eight goals and 23 points last season. Hughes (21 points) and Kaako (23 points) did not play in the playoffs, but Dach established himself as a top-six center during that time, posting six points in nine playoff games and could be in for a big year.

With the defense in flux, the Blackhawks will have to hope that some of their young blueliners are ready to take that next step. Boqvist established himself last year with 13 points in 41 games and could be ready for a full-time role in the top four. Next is Mitchell, fresh from a dominant three-year stint at the University of Denver, who is expected to step right in and contribute. Carlsson is another blueliner who stepped in last year and could help out at the back end of the defensive lineup.

The team brought in Suter from Switzerland after a breakout season in the Swiss League where he posted 30 goals and 53 points in 50 games there. The 24-year-old is likely to earn a potential middle-six role in his first season in Chicago. Nylander will be one of the biggest question marks this season. The 22-year-old has struggled to establish himself as a top prospect after being the eighth-overall pick in 2016 by Buffalo and while he scored 10 goals in his first full season in the NHL with the Blackhawks, he went scoreless in eight playoff games and will have to prove he is an up-and-coming player.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Zack Smith ($3.25MM, UFA)
D Nikita Zadorov ($3.2MM, RFA)
F Mattias Janmark ($2.25MM, UFA)
F David Kampf ($1MM, RFA)
F Lucas Wallmark ($950K, RFA)
D Nick Seeler ($725K, UFA)

The Blackhawks do have one decent-sized contract coming off the books in a year with Smith, who struggled putting up numbers in his first year in Chicago last year, scoring four goals and 11 points in 50 games and likely will be let go in a year. Janmark and Wallmark were given a one-year deal and will have to prove that they are worth bringing back on longer contracts. Kampf, who put up a career-high eight goals and provides solid defense, is another RFA who should earn a new contract.

Zadorov is an interesting addition. Acquired in a deal for Brandon Saad, the 6-foot-6 blueliner should add much needed size, grit and physicality to a defense that needs it, but will also need to be locked up in a year. After struggling to establish consistent playing time in Colorado, Zadorov could get quite a bit more playing time and could have a career season in Chicago.

Two Years Remaining

D Calvin de Haan ($4.55MM, UFA)
F Andrew Shaw ($3.9MM, UFA)
D Connor Murphy ($3.85MM, UFA)
F Dominik Kubalik ($3.7MM, RFA)
F Ryan Carpenter ($1MM, UFA)
G Collin Delia ($1MM, UFA)
G Malcolm Subban ($850K, UFA)
F Matthew Highmore ($725K, RFA)

De Haan and Murphy are two veteran blueliners who should fill in the top-four on defense, but if they can get something out of some of their young players, could be expendable and possibly moved at the trade deadline if either can produce. De Haan is coming off a 29-game season as he has been riddled with injuries, but is expected to be healthy and can be quite an impressive defenseman when healthy. The defensive-first Murphy posted a career-high 19 points last year and should be a fixture in their defense.

Kubalik was a big addition last year, putting up 30 goals and 46 points in his rookie campaign. The 25-year-old should continue to put up big numbers and is just another young player who has helped reshape the Blackhawks quick rebuild. If he continues his scoring ways, he will likely require an expensive long-term deal to retain him. Shaw is another player who must take his game to another level and prove his value.

The goaltending situation will also be interesting to watch. The team wants to see what it has in Delia and Subban. If one of the two succeeds, then they will be guaranteed a bigger deal, but neither has much experience at the NHL level and neither has ever been a starter in the NHL.

Three Years Remaining

F Patrick Kane ($10.5MM, UFA)
F Jonathan Toews ($10.5MM, UFA)
D Duncan Keith ($5.54MM, UFA)
F Alex DeBrincat ($6.4MM, RFA)

The huge overwhelming contracts of the former Stanley Cup core are suddenly down to a manageable three years and Kane, Toews and Keith (both 32) are aging reasonably well. Kane tallied 33 goals and 84 points in 70 games last year, making his contract quite palatable. Toews did see a decline in his production, going from 35 goals to just 18 goals last year. Yet Toews still posted 60 points in 70 games. The Blackhawks have to hope he can bounce back to his usual standards, otherwise the next three years will be challenging. Keith, on the other hand, is 37 years old now, meaning his contract won’t run out until he is 40 years old. However, the defenseman is still a solid player on the team’s blueline even if his offense is starting to decline.

The team also has high hopes for DeBrincat, who had a down year in 2019-20. He scored 28 goals in his rookie campaign, 40 goals in 2018-19, but struggled last year with just 18 goals and 45 points. Chicago will also have to hope that the five-foot-seven forward can find his scoring touch for this coming season.

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NHL, NHLPA Finalize Agreement On 56-Game Season

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Sunday: The NHL Board of Governors has approved the agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA with a tentative start on Jan. 13th, according to NHL.com’s John Shannon.

Friday: A resolution may finally be within reach for the league and its players on a format for the 2020-21 season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports this evening that the NHL and NHLPA have reached a tentative agreement on the terms of season, which would include a 56-game regular season schedule.

Of course, no agreement between the sides can be finalized until it is approved by each independently first. On that note, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the NHLPA and its player reps are expected to meet tonight while the NHL Board of Governors will meet this weekend.

Among the details trickling in are as follows:

  • The league will start on January 13 as hoped, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. Lavoie adds that the agreed-upon plan does include an all-Canadian division, as expected, though concerns exist about the logistics of cross-province travel.
  • TSN’s Frank Seravalli echoes that January 13 start date, though he opines that all dates could be subject to change. That includes training camp start dates as well, which he expects to be December 30 for the seven 2019-20 non-playoff teams and January 3 for all others.
  • Seravalli also reports that rosters are expected to remain at 23 players, but that each team may carry a taxi squad of four to six players who will travel and practice with the team, but will be paid their AHL salaries and will not count against the salary cap.
  • Seravalli adds that all players will be given the right to opt out of the season for personal or familial health concerns and that teams will have the decision of whether or not to toll the contract.
  • Friedman notes that salaries will not be pro-rated despite the shortened season. He also confirms that thre will be no preseason exhibition games.
  • Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater reports that the tentative plan is for every team to play out of their home building this season, at least at the outset, rather than playing in hub cities as some had speculated.
  • With the league expected to be broken down into four realigned divisions without any conference alignment, Friedman reports that each division will produce four playoff teams and the postseason will be inter-division until four division winners become the semifinalists for the 2021 Stanley Cup.

Taxi Squads Set Up For Upcoming 2020-21 Season

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While taxi squads have been rumored for more than a month, the NHL has officially put them into place for the 56-game season that starts on Jan. 13, including the guidelines set for them. Major League Baseball used a taxi squad during their 2000 season and the NHL has decided to use a similar system.

While the use of taxi squads is likely meant to keep players who just missed out on making the NHL roster as potential backups due to injury/COVID-19 related issues. However, teams could also look at it from a different perspective as well. With the danger that junior leagues seasons could be cancelled down the road, many teams may consider putting one or two of their top prospects on their taxi squad, which would allow the player exposure to their NHL teams and the ability to practice with them, which might be better than playing limited games in junior or trying to find them a permanent home overseas. There has been talk that there could be a rule that taxi squad players must play a certain amount of games to be eligible and cannot just sit there without playing in any games, but no word on whether a rule like that will be enacted. With the league prorating the entry-level slide, prospects would only be allowed to appear in six games before they would burn the first year of their entry-level contract, something teams wouldn’t want to do. So, a rule suggesting how much each taxi squad player must appear in could cause some issues.

According to CapFriendly, taxi squads will consist of four to six players and must include at least one goaltender, unless the NHL club is carrying three goaltenders on their roster. Waiver rules would still apply if the team wants to send them to the AHL and the salary cap implications would count as if the players were being buried in the minors (buried cap hit). Players will receive their full NHL salaries if they are on one-year deals, while two-year deal players will play for their AHL salary.

Taxi squad players are permitted to travel with the NHL squad, practice with them and join any team activities. They are not allowed to practice with any other group besides their NHL team, which includes not being allowed to practice or join in on any AHL functions. Players can be recalled to the NHL squad on any day, but must be done before 5 p.m. EST to play in that night’s game. Goaltenders can be recalled at any time if a team doesn’t have two active goaltenders to play.

If a taxi squad player is deemed unfit to play (injury, illness, COVID-19 quarantine), the NHL team can request the player not be counted as one of their six players.

Taxi squads will dissolve at the end of the NHL season.

Restart Notes: NHL Calendar, Canucks, Entry-Level Slide, Training Camps

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With the date set for a Jan. 13 agreement by the NHL and NHLPA, more dates have started filling into the NHL’s calendar for the upcoming season and beyond, according to The Athletic’s Scott Burnside (subscription required).

Training Camps Open (for seven non-playoff teams): Dec. 30

Training Camps Open (for everyone else): Jan. 3

Regular Season Begins: Jan. 13

RFA Signing Deadline: Feb. 11 (normally Dec. 1)

Contract Extensions: March 12 (normally Jan. 1 to sign extensions for 2021-22)

Trade Deadline: April 12

End of Regular Season: May 8

Seattle Expansion Draft: July 21

NHL Draft: July 23-24

Free Agency Begins: July 28

  • The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that the NHL continues to talk to all of Canada’s province’s, but is still working with B.C. and its health officials to try to get the Canucks to play in Vancouver. Pagnotta did say that a league source did say that if negotiations aren’t successful that the Canucks could still play in another city, maintaining an all-Canadian division. All options remain on the table. Like the San Jose Sharks begin training camp in Arizona, the Canucks may be forced to do the same thing, especially with Jan. 3 being not far away. Vancouver was a finalist to have one of the playoff bubbles last season, but the province of B.C. added extra restrictions at the last minute that forced the NHL to move its preparations to Edmonton.
  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the NHL has prorated entry-level slides for the upcoming shortened season. Up until now, an entry level could slide up to two years, but if the player appeared in 10 NHL games during one of those two years, their contracts officially begin. That number now changes to seven games, which could be significant as many younger players may find themselves on taxi squads and could find themselves getting into games. That also means that if a young player appears in more than six games, their contract officially begins. Those rules could have an effect on players such as Los Angeles’ Quinton Byfield, Winnipeg’s Cole Perfetti, Toronto’s Nick Robertson and Vegas’ Peyton Krebs, who may not have played this season, but could find playing time now, especially with the state of the junior league seasons in jeopardy.
  • In a separate tweet, Friedman also notes that NHL training camps will allow 36 skaters and an unlimited amount of goaltenders.

Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft Set For July 21

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The Seattle Kraken now know when they will have their team set up as TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that the expansion draft will be held on July 21, two days before the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He also notes that NHL teams will have to turn in their protection rosters to the league by July 17, giving Seattle four days to get ready for their draft.

All NHL teams (except the Vegas Golden Knights) will have to submit their protection roster of seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie or eight skaters and a goaltender to the league as part of Seattle’s $650MM price tag for joining the league, which should give the expansion team a good opportunity to jump into the league and compete immediately. The Golden Knights had the exact same criteria for their expansion draft in 2017 and took those advantages straight to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The real question is whether the Kraken can take advantage of the flat salary cap in order to get multiple side deals like Vegas was able to do before their expansion draft. The Golden Knights had many side deals that netted them significant core players. While there had been talk that teams weren’t likely to make the same mistakes they made in this coming expansion draft, the state of the league due to the pandemic, could give Seattle an opportunity to offer teams salary cap relief in exchange for top players/prospects or picks.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman also notes that no-movement clauses have also been extended into July, so that players who were supposed to have their NMC’s in place before the expansion draft will still have that.

The league has already prorated many key numbers to benefit the Kraken. Capfriendly reports that the 40/70 games played requirement for players to be exposed for the expansion draft that started in 2019/20 has been altered. Instead of 40/70, the league has prorated those numbers to 27/54 games. The career injury threshold of 60 consecutive games played will now be 41 games missed.

Minor Transactions: 12/19/20

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With news of a tentative agreement to begin the 2020-21 season, in less than a month nonetheless, the gears have begun to turn once again for NHL clubs. With many players on loan overseas needing to be recalled and others who are ready to get an early start to their season with an assignment to the ECHL, transactions are picking up and should continue grow in number over the coming weeks. Stay tuned for the many minor moves on the way:

  • One player who is not getting ready to start his season in any regard is Nathan Paetsch. After 17 pro seasons, the skilled defenseman has decided to hang up his skates at 37. The AHL’s Rochester Americans, with whom Paetsch played parts of seven seasons, including the past three, announced the veteran’s decision. Paetsch initially signed with the Buffalo Sabres back in 2003 after being drafted out of the WHL and spent his first seven pro seasons with the organization. Outside of one season in Germany, Paetsch has spent the past decade in the AHL playing mostly with Rochester and the Grand Rapids Griffins. He totaled 167 NHL games between Buffalo and the Columbus Blue Jackets and another 651 AHL games (and over 250 points) in a long, successful career.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have recalled Tyler Benson from his loan to Switzerland’s GCK Lions, the club announced. Benson was an impactful play-maker in his short time overseas, recording a team-leading 19 points in 15 games.  While the Oilers have added some depth this off-season, they still hope the well-regarded prospect can carve out an NHL role for himself after making his debut with seven games in Edmonton last season.
  • Nick Wolff has been recalled by the Boston Bruins from his loan to Hungary’s DVTK of the Slovakian Extraliga, the team announced. It was Wolff’s first pro experience after signing with the Bruins out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Wolff recorded five points in 18 games and racked up a fair amount of penalty minutes as well. The physical defenseman is not expected to compete for an NHL roster spot, but should take part in training camp. Wolff could potentially spend some time with the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen, a team that already has a number of Bruins prospects, most recent addition being free agent goaltender addition Callum Booth.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have assigned first-year pro prospect Jack Badini to the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers. The Harvard product was a third-round pick in 2017 and had been a productive player for the Crimson. However, the cancellation of the Ivy League winter season left Badini without a team and fast-forwarded his plans. It remains to be seen whether the two-way forward is truly ready for the pros just yet, so the Ducks will give him an early look at the “AA” level.

San Jose Sharks Expected To Open Season In Arizona

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With the NHL and NHLPA inching closer to a resolution on the 2020-21 season, teams are beginning to prepare for the reality of a forthcoming campaign. While the Canadian clubs have issues to work out before the season can begin, the San Jose Sharks are another team facing questions. Santa Clara County has banned contact sports locally through at least January 8, a policy that was recently extended and could be extended again as Coronavirus numbers remain high. This proves problematic for the Sharks, who as a reigning non-playoff team would be eligible to begin training camp on December 31 and may need to host games as early as January 13.

The Sharks’ solution appears to lie in following a fellow Bay Area team south. An anonymous source tells the Associated Press that San Jose will open their season in Arizona, much like how the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers have moved to Arizona to conclude their own season. While there is no word on whether the Sharks will share a facility with the Arizona Coyotes as the 49ers have done with the Arizona Cardinals, that is the expectation. Fortunately, this move will not disrupt the NHL’s current plan for realigned divisions and exclusive inter-division play this season, as both teams have been slotted for a new-look Pacific Division.

The AP source remained anonymous on this issue as details both on the league’s return to play and on the Sharks’ move have not been finalized nor have they been made public. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly took the same approach, telling the AP that he would not discuss details related to the Sharks’ plans as details of the restart still need to be papered and voted upon by the NHL Board of Governors and NHLPA both. The Sharks have additionally declined to comment on the relocation proposal. However, given the lack of any contrary reports, the restrictions facing San Jose, and the path already paved by the 49ers, it is a safe bet that the Sharks are Arizona-bound at least to open training camp and to begin their 2020-21 season.

PHR Mailbag: Rangers, Lightning, Ducks, Barkov, World Juniors, Steen, Trades

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Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include the Rangers’ chances of contention, Tampa Bay’s cap situation, Anaheim’s future, fits for Aleksander Barkov if he wants to leave Florida, World Juniors predictions, who could replace Alex Steen in St. Louis, and what the trade market may look like in this unique season.  If your question doesn’t appear here, watch for it in next weekend’s mailbag.

gg24: Are the Rangers a true contender?

This season?  I’d say no.  The short-term divisional realignment does not work in their favor.  Boston should still contend while Pittsburgh and Washington always seem to get near the top of the division as well.  Philadelphia is certainly a team on the rise and their fellow New York rivals in the Islanders have shown that even without an overly strong roster on paper, they’ll be in the mix as well.  The Rangers would have to jump two of those teams simply to make the playoffs (assuming they use divisional playoffs without a Wild Card system which would be needed due to the Canadian division).  Then they’d need to knock out two more to get to the final four which would be contender status for this season.  I don’t see that happening.

As much as they surpassed expectations last season, it’s important to remember that a lot of their core is still young and some have very little experience.  A lot went right down the stretch last year but a step back for some of their players isn’t entirely unrealistic.  There is a core in place that eventually should be able to get them to take another step or two forward (if they can keep them all in place as the players on entry-level deals sign richer second contracts) to get to that potential contender status.  But with everything mentioned here, I have a hard time thinking that they get to that tier this season.

decaghuard: Zetterberg contract to Tampa Bay rumor: if true, would this help Tampa Bay gain cap space?

First, a bit of background on where this is coming from for those that aren’t aware of it.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman cited it on a Sportsnet 960 appearance (audio link), noting that it came from Europe and that the speculation is that Tyler Johnson would be involved.  I’ll add that a one-for-one swap of those two contracts doesn’t make any sense for Detroit so I would expect the Lightning to have to add to do that deal.

To answer your question, yes, it effectively would give them some extra cap flexibility eventually, even with adding a little over $1MM in a cap hit with Henrik Zetterberg being on the books for $6.083MM while Johnson is at $5MM.  The kicker is that they still would need to move out another contract of note to try to avoid having to into offseason LTIR.  A deal like this would put them about $3MM over the Upper Limit and that’s why Alex Killorn’s name has been out there in trade speculation for most of the offseason.  If they can move him out and get back into compliance, they can then put Zetterberg on LTIR and have up to $6.083MM to use there.  (Their LTIR space would be that amount less whatever existing cap room they have at the time; they don’t automatically get the full amount.)

That money might be enough to get short-term deals for Anthony Cirelli and Erik Cernak done which would solve the cap problem for this season.  Of course, moving money at this time has proven to be difficult so even with that possible road map, it’s still much easier said than done.

JustPete: The Anaheim Ducks appear to be a mess this year. Over the cap, lacking a backup goalie, need help on offense and defense, facing the upcoming expansion draft – and the bright spots they do have are young and at least a year or two away.

Is it time for a new GM to lead the team into and out of the seemingly inevitable rebuilding year(s)?

I’m not too worried about Anaheim’s salary cap situation.  Yes, they’re a bit over but they can cut down some roster spots with waiver-exempt players at the start of the season, have Anthony Stolarz as a short-term backup, and then transfer Ryan Kesler to LTIR to free up cap room to bring in a better backup.  At least, that’s the ideal plan although at this point, there aren’t a whole lot of quality backups available; re-signing Ryan Miller may actually be their best option at this point.  There should be enough money left over to add help up front or on the back end as well (but not both).

Clearly, Anaheim’s ownership is content with the state of their retooling at this point considering things are where they are now so I don’t foresee Bob Murray being let go.  But if they decide to change their mind, this season would be the time to do so.

Ryan Getzlaf and David Backes will be unrestricted free agents next offseason while Corey Perry’s buyout cap hit drops back down.  Between those three, that’s over $17MM in savings and there aren’t any pending restricted free agents that will be looking at a big raise that year either.  That will give them ample cap space at a time where few teams have cap room.  They’re well-positioned to try to address some of those issues at that time so there is light at the end of the tunnel.  Between that and their younger players continuing to progress, there’s a path towards getting back to at least playoff contention.

Eaton Harass: Which team is the best fit for Barkov once he inevitably wants out of South Florida?

I certainly don’t expect Aleksander Barkov to ask for a trade even if the Panthers have a tough season.  His contract is up in 2022 and he’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency at that time so if he wants a change of scenery, he could very well wait to hit the open market and take his pick from what would certainly be no shortage of suitors.  Teams will be in a bit better shape cap-wise by that time and even if they’re not, adding a player of his caliber in free agency is worth the risk of going over in the summer and figuring out how to make it work later.

Of the 32 teams in the league at that time, there are only a handful that wouldn’t be a good fit.  The only ones that wouldn’t are teams that have a lot of spending down the middle with one of the top centers in the league (or two higher-priced ones on long-term contracts).

In the West, Calgary comes to mind.  Johnny Gaudreau (UFA), Mark Giordano (UFA), and Matthew Tkachuk (RFA) are among the expiring contracts at that time with Sean Monahan a year away from UFA eligibility.  Barkov would be a big upgrade down the middle and would allow them to potentially flip Monahan for a good return with Mikael Backlund remaining on the second line and Elias Lindholm staying on the wing.  The 2022 offseason figures to be when that roster undergoes that big change and adding an elite center would certainly bolster their future.

As for the East, my initial thought was Philadelphia with Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier among the pending UFAs that summer but if those two re-sign, it probably takes them out of the market.  Instead, I’ll say Detroit.  By then, their young core will be more ready to make an impact and while they’ve added some decent young pivots in Michael Rasmussen and Joe Veleno, they won’t be top-tier centers in the NHL.  A true number one is one of the big holes they still need to fill.  Adding Barkov would certainly accomplish that.

Barkov, a high-end two-way center, is the type of player that would fit in extremely well just about anywhere though so there may not be a true ‘best’ fit but rather a whole lot of great ones.

@bk656: Who do you think is going to win the 2021 World Junior Championships (assuming there are no issues with players testing positive or anything like that)?

Well, that second part didn’t even hold up long enough for me to attempt to comment on it.  The IIHF revealed yesterday that eight players from Germany tested positive which has forced them into quarantine until the day before the tournament begins.  But with due respect to them, that shouldn’t have any sort of significant effect on the outcome of the tournament.

On paper, it’s hard to go against Canada’s roster which is loaded with a whopping 20 first-round picks among their 22 skaters.  That’s unheard of in this tournament.  There are a couple of concerns, however.  A lot of their players haven’t played in a competitive setting at all this season and their goaltending isn’t the strongest on paper.  But if their defense is as good as it is on paper, they shouldn’t be relying on their goalies to win.

I’m intrigued by Russia.  I expect Yaroslav Askarov to be the best goalie in the tournament and they have some firepower up front, led by Rodion Amirov and Vasili Podkolzin.  The fact that their players have been playing for months now might also help give them a boost early on and offset their typical slow start.

Sweden has been hit by positive tests but they still have a very strong back end.  Their attack isn’t as deep as it could have been and that could hurt them while the USA is down a couple of important forwards that they were hoping to have available.  Both of those teams are still good enough to contend even without their full complement of top players but assuming Canada isn’t hurt by being off as long as they have been, I think it’s their tournament to lose.

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