Offseason Checklist: Minnesota Wild
The offseason has arrived for all but a handful of teams who are still taking part in the playoffs. Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at Minnesota.
After making the playoffs last season, expectations were relatively high for the Wild this season. They weren’t quite supposed to be at the top of the division but were squarely expected to be in the mix. That didn’t happen, resulting in an early-season coaching change. While they rebounded somewhat under John Hynes, they still came up short of making it back to the postseason. Now, GM Bill Guerin will be looking to make some tweaks to his roster although the bigger swings may have to come a little farther down the road. Here’s what should be on his checklist this summer.
Examine Gustavsson Trade Options
What a difference a year can make. This time last year, Filip Gustavsson was coming off finishing second in the NHL in GAA (2.10) and SV% (.931), albeit in just 39 games. Still, he did well enough to earn a three-year, $11.25MM contract after filing for salary arbitration and it looked like their goalie situation was relatively settled, at least for the short term.
This season, it was a different story. The 25-year-old saw his GAA jump by nearly a full goal per game, going to 3.06 while losing 32 points off his save percentage. He still picked up a few extra starts but simply failed to lock down the number one job as they were hoping for. That likely played a role in their decision to give Marc-Andre Fleury a one-year, $2.5MM extension last month for his 21st and final NHL campaign.
By all accounts, it appears that they feel Jesper Wallstedt, long viewed as their goalie of the future, is ready for full-time NHL duty. Clearly, they’re not trading Fleury (who has a no-move clause) after just signing him. Accordingly, unless they plan to carry three goalies (or shuttle Wallstedt) back and forth between Minnesota and AHL Iowa, it appears that Gustavsson may be the odd man out.
Early indications are that this could be a summer where there is more activity than usual on the trade front when it comes to goaltenders which is good news and bad news for the Wild. It’s good in that there will be more teams looking for options but with a larger supply of netminders potentially available, they’ll be hard-pressed to command a return of some significance, especially with Gustavsson coming off a down season. Guerin will need to determine what the best offer will be in the coming weeks and if that’s worth making a move now or potentially carrying three goalies into next season and see what the market looks like as the year goes on.
Work On Faber Extension
Last season, Brock Faber joined Minnesota for the final two games of the regular season and then suited up in all six playoff games in their opening-round loss to Dallas. He had a limited role in the postseason – perfectly understandable for someone just coming out of college – but showed enough to make it look like he could hold his own over a full NHL season in 2023-24.
Let’s just say he did better than that. A lot better, in fact. Instead of just holding his own, he became the Wild’s top defenseman pretty quickly. Not having Jared Spurgeon for most of the year due to injury certainly expedited that ascension but Faber more than earned the extra work as well. The end result was the 21-year-old leading all Minnesota blueliners with 47 points, 20 more than second-place Jonas Brodin. He logged nearly 25 minutes a night which not only led all Minnesota players but he had the sixth-highest ATOI in the entire NHL. He played big minutes on both special teams units as well. This is not the type of workload you’d expect a rookie who is now barely a year removed from playing college to be carrying.
The fact that he did so while playing on an entry-level deal was huge for the Wild. It’s great news for next season as well. But after that, the price tag is going to skyrocket and justifiably so.
The final year of Faber’s contract begins on July 1st, making him eligible to sign an extension at that time. While there is definitely some risk in handing out what would be one of the richest extensions in franchise history to a player with one full season under his belt, there’s also some risk in not signing him now and then Faber going and having an even better effort in 2024-25 in which case the price would go even higher.
Minnesota’s camp will likely try to use recent deals that Jake Sanderson ($8.05MM) and Owen Power ($8.35MM) signed as comparables but Faber has been more impactful in his early career which means his camp could push for $9MM or more, especially knowing that the deal won’t kick in until 2025-26 when the salary cap could be higher than $90MM. A new agreement doesn’t necessarily have to get done in the coming months but it stands to reason that this will be one of the higher priorities for Guerin.
Free Up Cap Space
The Wild have been operating well below the salary cap for the past several years thanks to the buyouts of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise back in 2021. It was an outcome that Guerin knew he was getting into but he wanted to reshape the roster. While there are still five years left on their respective buyout charges, next season is the last of the whopping charges with each player carrying a dead cap charge of $7.371MM. (That number drops to $833K starting in 2025-26 which is much more manageable although a good chunk of the savings will be going to Faber.)
Guerin was aggressive with signing some veteran players to early extensions last season which has left Minnesota with minimal space to work with this summer assuming none of them are moved. Per CapFriendly, they have less than $6MM left in cap room with a handful of roster spots to fill. While it’s worth noting that of their pending free agents, none project to command a pricey contract, they also won’t have a lot of flexibility to work with to add to their roster.
Accordingly, finding a way to open up a bit more flexibility would certainly help. If they move Gustavsson and promote Wallstedt, that would free up $2.825MM to work with. Could they find a home for the final year and $2MM left on Marcus Johansson’s deal? Even flipping Jonathon Merrill’s $1.2MM elsewhere and carrying a cheaper seventh defender would give them some extra room. Every little bit is going to make a difference if they want to try to add an impact piece in the coming months.
Add Top-Six Forward
Speaking of impact pieces, they need one up front. After being in the top five in scoring in 2021-22, the Wild haven’t cracked the top 20 in that department over the last two seasons. While Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Joel Eriksson Ek gave them a solid 105 goals combined, the rest of their forwards tallied just 108 combined. That means the secondary scoring wasn’t there consistently enough.
Minnesota will be hoping there will be some internal growth to help bridge some of that gap. Marco Rossi had a solid rookie year and they’ll be counting on more from him. They’ll hope that Liam Ohgren and Marat Khusnutdinov can become capable producers in their first full seasons in North America and if that happens, their offense could get back toward the middle of the pack.
That said, they could certainly benefit from a more proven addition to the lineup. At a minimum, that player would serve as a bridge piece for some of the youngsters (a group that also includes Danila Yurov who could debut late in the 2024-25 campaign) to have some time to step up. If some of those younger pieces are ready sooner than later, then the veteran helps create a third scoring line which could only help things.
The good news is that there are plenty of these types of players available in free agency. Someone like David Perron would fit if they want just a short-term addition to let the youngsters get a bit more time to develop. Same with Adam Henrique if they want to add down the middle. If they want to aim higher, Tyler Toffoli, Teuvo Teravainen, and Vladimir Tarasenko stand out on the wing while someone like Chandler Stephenson would help at center.
The challenge, of course, is most of the players in this group will take up the majority (if not all of) Minnesota’s current cap space. That makes it a bit more important to open up some more flexibility on that front before the calendar flips to July and free agency opens up.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
West Notes: Sharks, Stauber, Hintz
Considering where the Sharks are in their rebuild, it might not make sense on the surface for them to be buyers this summer. However, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now suggests in a piece for NBC Sports Bay Area that it would be advisable for San Jose to be buyers in certain circumstances, such as adding insurance down the middle with some uncertainty surrounding Logan Couture which could also take a bit of pressure off expected top pick Macklin Celebrini.
Additionally, there’s a case to be made that the Sharks should add multiple defenders to a group that struggled considerably this season. That would allow someone like Mario Ferraro to play in a more optimal spot on the depth chart which could help from a possible future trade standpoint while ideally creating a more competitive environment. With more than $38MM in cap room this summer per CapFriendly, GM Mike Grier can look to be active in free agency, take on some unwanted contracts while adding more future pieces or, more likely, a combination of both options will be utilized in the coming weeks.
More from the Western Conference:
- Scott Powers of The Athletic suggests (subscription link) that the Blackhawks may opt to move on from goalie Jaxson Stauber this fall. The 25-year-old held his own in six NHL appearances in 2022-23 but spent all of this year with AHL Rockford, posting a 2.85 GAA with a .902 SV% in 31 games. A pending restricted free agent, it’s possible that Chicago would look to bring in more of an experienced netminder to work alongside Drew Commesso while also giving them some insurance if Arvid Soderblom struggles again next season.
- The decision on Roope Hintz’s availability for tonight’s second game against Edmonton will come down to the wire. Stars head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters including Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News that the center is listed as a game-time decision. The 27-year-old has been out since suffering an upper-body injury in the fourth game last round. He took part in the morning skate today but was also skating with the projected scratches so it appears he’ll be a true game-time call.
Tyler Toffoli Expected To Test Free Agency
The Jets will be now turning their focus to their roster after Scott Arniel was elevated to the head coaching position on Friday. With several free agents of note and not a lot of cap space to work with, they’ll face a situation of trying to pick between who to keep and who to let go. It appears that winger Tyler Toffoli will be among the ones that move on as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that the veteran is expected to hit the open market in July.
The 32-year-old has moved around in recent years. This time a year ago, he was with Calgary before being moved to New Jersey after early extension talks went nowhere. Then at the trade deadline, he was on the move again with Winnipeg flipping a 2024 third-round pick and a 2025 second-rounder to get him as a rental to give their offense a boost in the tight Central Division.
The change of scenery bolstered Winnipeg’s attack but Toffoli saw his numbers dip somewhat. After putting up 26 goals and 18 assists in 61 games with the Devils, the veteran recorded seven goals and four helpers in 18 regular season games with the Jets. Like many of Winnipeg’s key forwards, Toffoli was somewhat quiet in their five-game loss in the opening round, recording just two goals.
Toffoli was one of the more prominent scorers available in his last trip through free agency back in 2020. However, in a deflated market, he wound up settling for a four-year, $17MM agreement with Montreal. Despite playing for four years on that contract, Toffoli wound up being pretty consistent, notching at least 20 goals each time while tallying 115 times in 287 games; that works out to an average of 33 goals per 82 contests. With a lot of teams looking to add scoring this summer, this should work out in Toffoli’s favor.
While the fact he has bounced around so much lately may raise some eyeballs (he played for two different teams in 2019-20 before signing with Montreal the following summer), Toffoli has shown that he can produce in a new system quite quickly. Accordingly, he should be well-positioned to earn another multi-year agreement and could push to land a contract in the range of last year’s top-paid forward Alex Killorn, who inked a four-year, $25MM agreement with Anaheim. That would be a nice improvement after how things went for Toffoli last time out.
Rangers Recall 13 Players
With the Rangers seeing their AHL team eliminated in the Atlantic Division Finals earlier this week, they were free to recall some players to the big club to serve as their ‘Black Aces’ squad. After taking a few days, they’ve made their choices on who to bring up. AHL Hartford announced that the Rangers have promoted goaltender Dylan Garand, defensemen Ben Harpur, Connor Mackey, Victor Mancini, Matthew Robertson, and Brandon Scanlin, and forwards Alex Belzile, Brett Berard, Anton Blidh, Jake Leschyshyn, Brennan Othmann, Tyler Pitlick, and Adam Sykora from the Wolf Pack.
Garand was briefly up with the Rangers earlier in the playoffs when third-stringer Louis Domingue was unavailable but didn’t see any game action. The 21-year-old didn’t have a particularly strong regular season with a 3.03 GAA and a .898 SV% in 39 regular season games but was quite sharp in the playoffs, improving those numbers to 2.59 and .922 respectively in nine appearances.
Among the blueliners, only Mackey and Scanlin saw action with the Rangers during the regular season, getting into one game apiece; one of them would likely be the first from this group to get the call to play if necessary. Harpur has the most experience with 198 career appearances (including 42 with New York in 2022-23) but missed most of the season due to injury which likely takes him off the table. Mancini, meanwhile, is eligible to practice but not play as his entry-level contract doesn’t officially begin until next season.
As for the forwards, all but Belzile, Berard, and Sykora got into at least one NHL contest in 2023-24. Pitlick led the way on that front with 34 appearances but was limited to just a goal and three assists while averaging a little over 10 minutes a night. That said, he’d be the safest player to put in the lineup if necessary given his familiarity. Othmann is one of their top prospects and had a strong year in Hartford with 49 points in 67 games. While it would be riskier to put him in, his style of play fits in with the physicality of the postseason while Othmann could provide some potential offensive upside if Peter Laviolette has to shake things up.
Atlantic Notes: Perron, Domi, Sobolev
Red Wings winger David Perron is slated to reach unrestricted free agency this summer after two seasons with Detroit. However, as he told Sebastien Lajoie of La Tribune, his preference would be to avoid hitting the open market and simply stick around with the Red Wings. The soon-to-be 36-year-old was a productive secondary scorer this season, notching 17 goals and 30 assists in 76 games, finishing just a point shy of cracking the top five in team scoring. Perron added that he plans to play for at least two more years which means he’ll likely be looking for a multi-year deal this summer. His set-to-expire deal carried an AAV of $4.75MM and it’s possible he could land a bit more this time around.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- While there is believed to be mutual interest in an extension for Maple Leafs forward Max Domi, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (subscription link) that no numbers have been exchanged yet which suggests that talks haven’t really begun yet. The 29-year-old managed just nine goals this season after putting up 20 in 2022-23 but he did record 37 assists, the second-highest total of his career. Having played for six teams in the last five years, it seems safe to suggest that Domi will be looking for a multi-year after playing on one-year, $3MM contracts the last two seasons.
- Canadiens prospect Daniil Sobolev has signed a two-year deal with Spartak of the KHL, per a team release. The 21-year-old blueliner was a fifth-round pick by Montreal back in 2021, going 142nd overall. Sobolev split this season between OHL Niagara and Brantford, notching seven goals and 18 assists in 64 games. The Canadiens have until June 1st, 2025 to sign Sobolev so he’ll need a big year overseas to have a chance at landing an entry-level deal.
Hurricanes Allowing Don Waddell To Speak With Other Teams
Until recently, the pending expiring contract for head coach Rod Brind’Amour was generating off-ice headlines in Carolina. That file was taken care of recently with a long-term extension for Brind’Amour and the rest of the coaching staff. Those deals were obviously also signed by team President and GM Don Waddell.
Now, it appears Waddell’s contract is set to draw some attention. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Waddell’s deal is set to expire at the end of the league year and that the Hurricanes have granted him permission to speak to other teams. LeBrun adds that Carolina has had internal conversations about a new GM in anticipation of his eventual departure.
Waddell has been with the organization for a decade now. He was originally named President of Gale Force Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the team, back in 2014. Waddell then added the GM title to his duties back in May 2018 and has held both roles ever since.
His time with Carolina isn’t the only time the 65-year-old has worked in a front office as he also held both titles at times in Atlanta before leaving the team in 2011. That type of experience along with Carolina’s recent success will be intriguing to some teams looking to add to their front office either as a GM, president, or both.
At the moment, the only GM vacancy is in Columbus, a team that is known to be looking for experience and will likely be looking to shake up their front office; bringing in someone with Waddell’s pedigree could certainly help that program. To that end, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Waddell interviewed with the Blue Jackets today.
It’s a bit surprising to see Carolina being willing to let the managerial architect of their recent success depart or at least talk to other teams about potential opportunities. However, they do have some internal candidates who could be ready to be elevated to the top role.
Assistant GM Eric Tulsky has had interviews elsewhere over the years and could be deemed ready to take on the full-time GM role. Darren Yorke, another Assistant GM, has been with the organization for the last 14 years, working his way up from video scout to his current title which he has held for the last four years. Meanwhile, long-time Hurricane Justin Williams has been a Special Assistant to Waddell for the past four years and could be a dark horse candidate if the job does indeed become available in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, just when it looked like we were done with an off-ice contractual situation in Carolina garnering plenty of attention around the rest of the NHL, that clearly is no longer the case as now it’s Waddell’s time for the spotlight.
Snapshots: Hronek, Mikheyev, Okhotyuk, Abramov
Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek had a career year this season, notching 48 points in 81 games while logging over 23 minutes a night in his first full year in Vancouver. The timing couldn’t have been much better as he’s eligible for restricted free agency with arbitration eligibility this summer. While a long-term deal has been expected for a while, Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic report (subscription link) that there has been very little progress made on a new agreement nor have their been any sort of substantive negotiations in several months. Hronek is owed a $5.28MM qualifying offer next month, one they’ll have no issue tendering as a long-term agreement is likely to run past the $7MM mark.
More from around the hockey world:
- Still with Vancouver, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggested in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that the Canucks might consider buying out Ilya Mikheyev this offseason. The 29-year-old wound up with a respectable 11 goals and 20 assists in 78 games this season but his production cratered as the year went on as he managed just a single tally and nine helpers in his final 45 regular season and was held off the scoresheet altogether in 11 playoff contests. Mikheyev has two years left on his deal that carries a $4.75MM AAV; a buyout would carry a cap charge of $1.15MM next season, $2.15MM in 2025-26, and $1.55MM for two more years after that.
- A pair of young NHL players were traded recently in the KHL. CSKA announced that they traded the rights to Blues prospect Mikhail Abramov in exchange for Flames blueliner Nikita Okhotyuk. Abramov picked up 14 goals and 22 assists in 59 games with AHL Springfield this season and has yet to play at the NHL level. Okhotyuk, meanwhile, spent most of the season in San Jose before being acquired late in the season by Calgary; he notched nine points, 80 blocks, and 147 hits in 52 NHL games. Both players are set to become restricted free agents in July.
East Notes: Marchand, Okposo, Devils, McGuire
Speaking with reporters yesterday including Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald at their season-ending media availability, Bruins GM Don Sweeney indicated that one of his goals this summer is to make captain Brad Marchand “a Bruin for life”. The 36-year-old will be entering the final year of his contract next season, making him eligible for an extension as of July 1st. Marchand had his second straight 67-point effort in 2023-24 and has notched at least 60 points in nine straight years. His current deal carries a $6.125MM AAV and his performance since then should be enough to land a higher number although it’s possible that he opts for more of a team-friendly agreement. Don’t expect this to be one of their top priorities, however, with Sweeney indicating that the front-burner issues (pertaining to next season’s roster) need to get taken care of first.
Elsewhere in the East:
- In an interview with Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link), Panthers winger Kyle Okposo noted that he’s not sure if this will be his final season. The 36-year-old has seen his production drop in recent years while he has had a limited role since joining Florida at the deadline following a trade from Buffalo. With 12 goals and 10 assists during the regular season, Okposo will likely garner at least some interest in free agency but the offers will likely check in at a number closer to the league minimum of $775K instead of the $2.5MM guarantee he received last summer. (That number will jump to $3MM if Florida wins the Stanley Cup.)
- Before they hired Sheldon Keefe as their new head coach, the Devils interviewed Sharks assistant coach Ryan Warsofsky for the role, relays NJ Advance Media’s Ryan Novozinsky. Warsofsky has now interviewed for a pair of head coaching vacancies this offseason, also receiving an interview from San Jose. Warsofsky has only been an NHL assistant for the last two seasons but does have head coaching experience with ECHL South Carolina and AHL Chicago.
- The Capitals have invited center Ryan McGuire to development camp this summer, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). The 21-year-old had a strong junior year at Colgate, notching 14 goals and 12 assists in 34 games but has elected to transfer to Northeastern next season.
Kings Sign Kaleb Lawrence
The June 1st deadline to sign many prospects across the league is fast approaching and in the coming days, several players should sign entry-level deals with their respective teams. One of those is forward Kaleb Lawrence as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the Kings have signed him to a three-year contract. The deal carries an AAV of $852.5K and breaks down as follows:
2024-25: $775K base salary, $77.5K signing bonus, $82.5K AHL salary
2025-26: $775K base salary, $77.5K signing bonus, $82.5K AHL salary
2026-27: $775K base salary, $77.5K signing bonus, $82.5K AHL salary
The 21-year-old was a seventh-round pick by Los Angeles back in 2022 with the Kings opting to take a late flyer on a 6’7 forward after playing in just two games in the previous two seasons combined due to injury and COVID-19 wiping out the 2020-21 OHL campaign. After being picked, Lawrence had a decent showing with Owen Sound, collecting 16 goals and 21 assists in 50 games.
Lawrence was then moved to Ottawa in the offseason and produced at a similar rate this season, collecting 10 goals and eight helpers in 30 games before being traded to London in January. With the Knights, he added 10 goals and nine assists in 28 regular season contests before adding nine more points in eight playoff appearances. His season hasn’t come to an end yet either even after the OHL championship as he’ll take part in the Memorial Cup which begins on Friday.
Given his age, Lawrence will be too old to return to the junior level next season. Instead, he’ll get his feet wet in the pros, either with AHL Ontario or ECHL Greenville.
Free Agent Focus: Winnipeg Jets
Free agency is now just a bit more than a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. We begin our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Jets.
Key Restricted Free Agents
D Ville Heinola – This season didn’t quite go as planned for Heinola. Hoping to earn a roster spot in training camp, he instead fractured his ankle late in camp, keeping him shelved until January. Upon his return, he was assigned to AHL Manitoba and while he was quite productive with the Moose, he never got the call. The best news for Heinola is that he’ll be waiver-eligible next season and it’s hard to see a scenario where he clears waivers. Accordingly, instead of signing a two-way deal worth the minimum in the NHL with a higher AHL salary, he could simply elect to accept his $874K qualifying offer (even though it’d carry a $70K AHL salary) knowing that he’s highly unlikely to be in the minors next season.
F Cole Perfetti – Perfetti took a step forward offensively this season, notching 19 goals and 19 assists in 71 regular season games, not bad numbers for someone in his sophomore year. However, he found himself in the press box most nights when it counted the most, ending his campaign on a bit of a low note. At this point, it’s unlikely that either side would want to work out a long-term agreement; a bridge deal makes much more sense especially with him tailing off toward the end of the year. That deal should check in somewhere around the $3MM range depending on how many years it goes for.
D Logan Stanley – In 2022-23, Stanley was a frequent healthy scratch and rarely played which led to some wondering if he’d be tendered a qualifying offer with arbitration rights. Things really didn’t change this year. The 25-year-old was limited to just 28 games (including playoffs) while averaging less than 14 minutes a night. The qualifying offer is just $1MM and arbitration eligibility shouldn’t be too much of a concern here but if they see him squarely in seventh defenseman territory, how deep into seven figures do they want to go for that role? Regardless of what happens, another one-year deal around this price point should be coming his way, either from Winnipeg or somewhere else.
Other RFAs: F David Gustafsson, D Artemi Kniazev, D Simon Lundmark, G Oskari Salminen
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
G Laurent Brossoit – The decision to return to Winnipeg certainly worked out well for Brossoit. After spending most of 2022-23 in the minors, he was one of the top backups in the league this season, posting a 2.00 GAA along with a .927 SV% in 23 games. He’s played well enough to earn a fair-sized raise on the $1.75MM he made this year which will price him out of what the Jets can afford. That said, he has just 140 NHL appearances under his belt which might stop him from getting top-end backup money. Still, he could push for closer to $3MM and potentially a multi-year deal, a solid outcome for someone who was in the minors not too long ago.
D Dylan DeMelo – The 31-year-old has shown slow but steady improvement throughout his career and is coming off his best performance so far, notching 31 points while averaging nearly 22 minutes a night during the season, both career-bests. He also finished second in the league in plus/minus, checking in at +46. Being a right-shot defender will certainly help bolster DeMelo’s market as well. Four years ago, the four-year, $12MM deal looked a bit risky for someone who had exclusively been on the third pairing. In the end, it was a bargain and DeMelo is now well-positioned to land another contract that long while adding at least a million per season more to that price tag.
D Brenden Dillon – Dillon isn’t going to hit the scoresheet very often but as far as dependable physical blueliners go, he’s a good one. He has had that role for the past three years with the Jets, logging around 19 minutes a game while logging some big minutes shorthanded. It appears that Winnipeg is leaning toward moving on (his leaving opens up a spot for Heinola) but Dillon should have a solid market this summer. His set-to-expire contract carries a $3.9MM AAV and on a blueline market that isn’t the deepest in July, he should check in around that amount again on another multi-year agreement.
F Sean Monahan – The Jets parted with their first-round pick to bring in Monahan back in February and the fit was nearly seamless as he slotted in on their second line. After several injury-riddled seasons, the 29-year-old actually led the NHL in games played with 83 which will certainly help his case, as will his 26-goal, 33-point showing. His market will be an interesting one as there likely will be some teams still wary given Monahan’s injury history. That likely takes a long-term agreement off the table. However, he’s among the top few centers available and the market for those players can go up quickly. A multi-year agreement past the $4MM mark should be achievable and if the demand is fairly high, $5MM or more shouldn’t be impossible to reach.
F Tyler Toffoli – After a breakout year with Calgary last season, it was fair to expect a drop-off in production. Having said that, while his assists dropped by 17, he only went down by one goal, going from 34 to 33, putting him fourth among UFAs in that department. His last trip through free agency didn’t go as well as he hoped, resulting in a four-year, $17MM contract that wound up being a team-friendly agreement rather quickly. Now 32 and having shown he can produce with several teams, he should have a stronger market this time around. That should give him a chance for another deal around the length of his last one with a price tag that pushes the $6MM mark.
Other UFAs: D Kyle Capobianco, G Collin Delia, F Jeff Malott, D Colin Miller, F Kristian Reichel, D Ashton Sautner, F Jeffrey Viel
Projected Cap Space
The Jets head into the offseason with a little over $13MM in cap space which clearly isn’t enough to bring back everyone. They can likely afford to keep one of the two defensemen and it seems like DeMelo is their preferred option. Up front, they might be able to keep one of Monahan or Toffoli but not both and that assumes that Perfetti winds up on a shorter-term contract. They’ll also likely opt for a low-cost backup behind Connor Hellebuyck whose new seven-year, $59.5MM deal begins in July. If they keep a forward and a defenseman, re-sign their RFAs, and add a cheaper backup, that might just about be it for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff this summer.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.