It has been a busy few weeks across the NHL. We have a repeat Stanley Cup champion, the draft has come and gone, and many players find themselves on new teams following some big trades and plenty of free agent signings with the bulk of the heavy lifting now finished on the offseason.
With that in mind, it’s a good time to reopen the mailbag. Our last call for questions yielded enough topics for three columns. The first discussed Connor Hellebuyck’s playoff struggles, Florida’s playoff proficiency, and more. Topics in the second included an assessment of the Avalanche, ideal second center options for Montreal, and some offseason predictions. The third included some talk about the Blackhawks, a Noah Dobson prediction (that didn’t quite hold up), and what Detroit needed to do this summer to have a successful offseason.
You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter/X or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run this weekend.
The Capitals seemed to come in second place for the Ehlers sweepstakes. If McMichael moves to 3C who is 2nd line LW and 3rd line RW. It seems that the Caps trade a lot for Sourdif so he is given 4th line winger slot. Do the caps pull a trade we are not thinking about or do they take 2 from Beauvilier, Frank, Milano, Miroschienko, Cristall, Trineyev, LaPierre? and only a few have AHL options so waiver or trades for the others?
Teams like the Leafs and Rangers seemed pretty open about the need for big changes this summer. Is this what they had in mind? Or are bigger moves coming? Or has the fact that a lot of the top UFAs opted to stay put hamper their plans?
Now that that FA market has come and gone, do we see teams making some big trades to revamp their rosters or stand pat?
With the addition of the sharks on défense even if its not done i assume. And the potentiel ad of Misa with Dickinson ans Askarov.
Where Do you ses the sharks land with a top 6 compose of Celebrini Misa Smith ans Eklund at Wing and Toffoli with Orlov and Klinberg That should be good ad on on defense.
Mailbag question – What has come of the situation between the Flyers and Ryan Johansen? A friend implied he read an article or tweet the grievance was squashed, but I’ve been unsuccessful in finding anything beyond the announcement of the grievance hearing that was scheduled. Of all the articles I’ve read about their cap and dead cap hits, none mentioned any impact from Johansen’s contract situation.
Lets play hypothetical and say the Devils DO trade Dougie Hamilton what kind of return could we be looking at??? and likeliest trading partners????
What would the Blues have to pay for Byram? Is Jiricek, Stenberg, and offersheet compensation reasonable?
Any further moves by Kent Hughes and the Canadiens? I know they have looked into a 2nd Line wing or center but there is not alot on the market. Is their a chance Rossi, McTavish head back to the Habs or do they like try with Kirby Dach at center again? A second question is what do you think a Lane Hutson contract extension would look like? 8 x $10? Thanks!
Is K’Andre Miller worth the price Carolina paid to get him? Also, who is your pick for best sneaky good/under-the-radar trade or free agency acquisition so far this offseason?
Definitely happy with the return as an NYR fan. But I am also nervous to play against him going forward – with the structure CAR plays with, I can see him realizing his potential.
Do the Blues ultimately pull off a trade for Bowen Byram?
I imagine the Maple Leafs aren’t done tinkering with their lineup. what do you see as the next move for this team and do you think they are a tougher team to play against today than they were at the end of last year?
not counting the Panthers, which team do you think has had the best off-season to date (noting it’s early) and which team have you been disappointed with so far?
When we look back in a couple of years, who will we look at as being the best / worst deals (for signings and/or trades)?