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Did The Rangers Improve This Summer?

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The New York Rangers surprised a lot of folks last season, and not in a good way. An Eastern Conference Finalist in the 2023-24 season, the Rangers failed to make the playoffs last year, falling apart in the second half of the season amidst a string of controversial roster moves and underperforming veterans. The poor play and negativity surrounding the team led to a string of roster moves that saw New York move on from several long-serving veterans and pivot to younger players and new veterans, as well as a new voice behind the bench in head coach Mike Sullivan. All of the moves point to the Rangers trying to compete for the playoffs this season and get back to the top of the Eastern Conference standings, but have they done enough to get there? The Rangers are effectively hoping to redeem themselves this upcoming season after letting last year get away from them due to a litany of factors, and it’s always difficult to bet against a group seeking redemption, especially when a two-time Stanley Cup Champion is leading them.

The Rangers swung for the fences in their coaching search and landed one of the best in the business in Sullivan. The former Pittsburgh Penguins bench boss is a proven winner and has always garnered the respect of his players, especially his stars. Sullivan effectively navigated some prominent personalities during his time with the Penguins, but was able to get the best out of almost all of his players. The Penguins were a dumpster fire when Sullivan took over in 2015, and it appeared as though Pittsburgh was well on its way to squandering the primes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Phil Kessel. However, once Sullivan took over, the Penguins went on an unprecedented run of dominance that saw them win two Stanley Cups in his first 19 months on the job.

Sullivan can hardly be blamed for the ending of his time in Pittsburgh, as the Ron Hextall years took the Penguins from legitimate Stanley Cup contenders to a team that has missed the playoffs for three straight seasons. Those final three seasons saw Sullivan nearly guide some bad Penguins rosters to the playoffs, only to fall just short of the postseason. However, in New York, the Rangers are built to win now, even if they have spent the last nine months moving on from many veterans. Sullivan will be tasked with getting the most out of Mika Zibanejad and several other Rangers who had a down year last season.

The coaching change was hardly the only move New York made this summer, as the Rangers shipped out longtime veteran forward Chris Kreider and a 2025 fourth-round pick for Carey Terrance and a 2025 third-round pick. Kreider was an effective forward for a lot of years in New York, but the writing was on the wall for the past year that he would be shown the door. He could flourish again in Anaheim alongside some of their young stars, but the Rangers did well to get back two future assets in exchange for the aging veteran. The move didn’t do much to improve this season’s roster; however, it opened up valuable cap space that allowed the Rangers to make other moves.

Aside from Kreider, the Rangers also moved on from defenseman K’Andre Miller in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes. Miller figured to be a top-four fixture in New York, but the Rangers opted to cash in on the two-way defender and did okay to get back defensive prospect Scott Morrow in the trade, along with a conditional first-round pick and a second-round pick. While the trade weakened the Rangers for the next season, they did immediately turn around and sign Vladislav Gavrikov to a seven-year deal, which should improve their shutdown defense and help on the penalty kill. Now, the move to essentially replace Miller with Gavrikov will improve team defense. It does come at an offensive cost as Miller is the far superior offensive contributor; however, his defensive game leaves a lot to be desired.

Overall, it’s hard to call the Rangers’ defense improved, given that they are currently constructed to deploy Carson Soucy and William Borgen as their second pairing behind Gavrikov and Adam Fox. Now, no disrespect to either man, but that pairing isn’t likely to scare too many opponents, and it could allow teams to matchup favorably against that second pairing, exposing what can best be described as an average defensive core.

Upfront in the forward group, the Rangers didn’t do anything other than re-sign Matt Rempe, Adam Edstrom and Juuso Parssinen. The Rangers do have Gabriel Perreault in the fold now, but it’s hard to say whether or not he is ready to make an impact at the NHL level.

The Rangers do still have a solid top line with Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere. Still, outside of that, it’s hard to say what they will get from J.T. Miller, Zibanejad and the second line. If Miller and Zibanejad play the way they have in the years leading up to last year, the Rangers should see improvement as a team. However, if Zibanejad and Miller can’t reach previous levels, it will handcuff the Rangers and put a ton of pressure on their top line.

In the end, Igor Shesterkin’s play will likely decide the fate of the Rangers as it did last year. If Shesterkin can get back to his Vezina Trophy-winning level of play, the Rangers will probably be good enough to come out of the Metropolitan Division. But if he plays the way he did last season, the Rangers could fall to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings in a hurry. New York is not built to win with average goaltending and will likely require a Vezina-caliber season from Shesterkin to get a sniff at the playoffs.

Ultimately, the Rangers are banking on significant internal improvement as well as the rub from  Sullivan’s coaching and a bit of youth being injected into the lineup. It’s not what you would call a foolproof plan, but there is a remote possibility that the Rangers are better thanks to the minor tweaks and Sullivan’s coaching. That being said, there is also a possibility of a learning curve for Sullivan in New York, and perhaps the pressure of the Big Apple brings a more challenging environment for Sullivan to pad his resume.

In any event, the Rangers roster is worse than the one that left the ice at the end of last season, and Sullivan is going to have to find a way to light a fire under the holdovers who performed poorly last season. He’s done it in the past and gotten career years out of many players, so it remains to be seen just how much Sullivan can extract from this poorly constructed roster.

Photo by Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

What Happens If The Penguins Can’t Move Veterans?

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The Penguins find themselves in a strange position as a franchise. Management appears to have embraced the need to rebuild. Yet, they still have three franchise icons on the roster in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, along with several veterans who can still perform at a high level.

Pittsburgh entered this summer as an obvious seller at a time when it seemed there were no sellers, but they have yet to trade any of the veteran candidates and are just over a month away from starting training camp with those players still on the team. So, what will happen if forwards Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, and defenseman Erik Karlsson are still with the team when the season begins? That is where things could get very interesting.

With those players in the lineup, the Penguins can field one of the stronger top-nine groups in the NHL, led by Crosby, Rakell, and Rust, who were the only bright spots for the Penguins last season. Additionally, Malkin can still center a second line despite an apparent decline in his play, and he might get some help this season after a carousel of low-scoring depth wingers flanked him last year. Recently signed Anthony Mantha is a capable option to play with Malkin, along with trade deadline acquisition Thomas Novak, who only played a few games last season with Pittsburgh before suffering an injury.

If the Penguins decide to use Novak as a third-line pivot, they could look to rookie Ville Koivunen, who appears NHL-ready and might already be a top-six winger alongside Malkin. In any case, a top six like that is good enough to help the Penguins win some games, which might not be what Penguins fans are hoping for, especially with Gavin McKenna available in the NHL Entry Draft.

Beyond the top six, the Penguins have many potential options for their bottom six, including some costly depth veterans who might not make the lineup. If Novak ends up as Pittsburgh’s third-line center, he could be flanked on the wings by young players Rutger McGroarty and Philip Tomasino. Both are former first-round picks and have the ability to generate offense from the third line, something the Penguins haven’t seen from their bottom two lines in quite some time.

On the fourth line, the most likely lineup would be Blake Lizotte centering newcomer Justin Brazeau and Connor Dewar. That isn’t a bad fourth line, but the Penguins could also run Noel Acciari, Danton Heinen, or Kevin Hayes, who are all veterans making north of $2MM in the final year of their contracts and will be motivated to prove they still belong in the NHL.

The bottom line is that if Rust and Rakell aren’t traded, the Penguins have a forward group capable of getting a team to a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. However, their defensive unit is where it gets messy and might be the worst in the NHL.

General manager Kyle Dubas opted for quantity over quality this summer on the backend, which makes sense given the Penguins’ current situation as an organization. Dubas decided to buy low on a group of defensemen who badly needed a fresh start. Matt Dumba and Connor Clifton have both been effective in the past, but have recently fallen on hard times and were essentially traded to Pittsburgh along with assets as a cap dump. Their presence congests an already deep right side for the Penguins, as they currently have Kris Letang and the aforementioned Karlsson still in the top four, as well as 2024 second-round pick Harrison Brunicke, who could be NHL-ready, along with Jack St. Ivany and Philip Kemp.

The left side has even more players, but none of them are likely capable of top-pairing minutes for Pittsburgh, and they might not even have a solid second-pair option either. The Penguins’ left side is mediocre, with Ryan Graves and Owen Pickering as the most likely players to see time on the top two pairs. Beyond that, it is truly anyone’s guess, as Pittsburgh also brought in Caleb Jones, Parker Wotherspoon, and Alexander Alexeyev in free agency to join holdovers Graves, Pickering, Ryan Shea, and Sebastian Aho.

All in all, Dubas has assembled 14 potential NHL defensemen for the Penguins to use this season, with only two or possibly three capable of playing on the top two pairs. It’s a bold strategy and certainly a unique idea that will either end in total disaster or be a surprise of the season.

None of this will matter if Pittsburgh gets goaltending like they did last season, when Tristan Jarry struggled for most of the year before a late-season turnaround after two AHL demotions and a waiver wire pass. Jarry can win NHL games, as shown by his two All-Star Game appearances. However, if he plays like he did last season, Pittsburgh won’t be able to outscore the problem. But if Jarry can be league average next year and the Penguins keep the likes of Rust, Rakell, and Karlsson, that might be enough to put them in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.

The other variable in net is 24-year-old Arturs Silovs, who was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in mid-July. The reigning MVP of the Calder Cup Playoffs last season will suit up as an Olympian next year for Latvia and has the potential to make an impact in the NHL. Whether or not he makes an impact next season remains to be seen, but again, if he is league average as a backup for the Penguins, it would be an improvement on last season’s goaltending.

If Pittsburgh gets some goaltending and scores the way they are capable of, it could turn into a feel-good story for the Penguins, especially if Malkin’s NHL swan song is near. Having Letang and Crosby there for it would be pretty special.

Now, a lot would have to go right for Pittsburgh to make the postseason, and it would be nearly impossible if they move on from the veterans on the trade block. However, if their asking price isn’t met and the Penguins are left holding onto Rust, Rakell, and Karlsson, they might surprise some people, even if they remain flawed and older. The talent is there to make some noise; it’s just not guaranteed that the talent will still be present when the season begins.

Photo by Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Will Calvin De Haan Get Another NHL Job?

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Carp, Ontario native Calvin de Haan is currently navigating his fifth stint as an unrestricted free agent, four of which have occurred over the past four summers. Since signing a four-year contract in 2018, the 34-year-old defenseman has agreed to three consecutive one-year deals at or just above the NHL minimum.

It’s common for veteran depth players to wait until late in the summer to secure free agent contracts. However, considering de Haan signed early in free agency on July 1 and 2 in the previous two summers, it is surprising to see him still unsigned. This raises the question: will de Haan find an NHL team this summer, or will he need to explore options elsewhere?

Despite a decline in play after turning 30, de Haan has remained a low-maintenance depth defenceman who generally produces solid underlying stats in limited minutes. In 47 games last season, split between the Rangers and Avalanche, de Haan recorded eight assists, despite starting a staggering 65.9% of his shifts in the defensive zone, yet he still posted a decent Corsi share of 50.7%. Some will scoff at eight assists in 47 games, but offense has never been de Haan’s calling card. He has only surpassed 20 points in a season once, back in 2016-17, when he scored five goals and 20 assists in 82 games.

Those 82 games also marked a career high for the 2009 12th overall pick. It’s the only time he has played over 80 games in a season, and in fact, it’s one of only three occasions where the 13-year NHL veteran has played more than 70 games.

And therein lies another obstacle for de Haan: his inability to perform consistently over a full season. Considering his age and the mileage on his body, de Haan isn’t likely to become an ironman in his mid-30s, and teams are aware of this. That’s why de Haan has played for less than $1MM in three consecutive seasons despite showing good on-ice results.

Aside from health and availability, many other factors work against a player like de Haan. The NHL tends to favor younger players, and teams aim to add youth to their lineups. If a team is rebuilding, it might prefer not to have a veteran blocking prospects from gaining vital playing time.

The opposite side of that is veteran teams chasing a Stanley Cup might not view de Haan as a player who can realistically fit into their top six. This was probably true in Colorado last season, where de Haan signed for $800K on a one-year deal in early July but was ultimately traded to the Rangers as part of the Ryan Lindgren trade.

Two other issues work against de Haan. The first is his playing style. He is a throwback defenseman who plays a safe, responsible game and can kill penalties. General managers still like to employ such defensemen, but they also look for other qualities like size, physicality, or the ability to thread breakout passes to jumpstart the transition game. Unfortunately for de Haan, he isn’t overly big, and his hitting has declined as he has aged. He also isn’t an excellent passer, often relying on quick outs of the zone or deferring to his partners with better passing skills.

The second challenge facing de Haan this summer is that he was very vocal about his exit from the Rangers this past offseason, voicing his displeasure with how he was treated in New York and how little he played down the stretch. While some teams might value the veteran’s candour and transparency, others could see de Haan’s honesty as a red flag and a potential problem in the dressing room. It’s difficult to determine if this is a factor, as de Haan has historically been a good teammate in the NHL and has a solid reputation as a team player.

All in all, de Haan is in a situation that many NHL depth players have faced over the past decade: struggling to extend their NHL careers with one-year contracts and PTOs.

If this is the end for de Haan, he has already laid the groundwork for a potential shift to his post-playing career. He owns a brewery/restaurant in his hometown of Carp, which has become a fixture in the small village located west of Ottawa.

At 34 years old, it’s hard to imagine de Haan walking away, especially with the passion he displays when talking about playing hockey. He could follow former teammate Jimmy Vesey overseas to extend his career, but with roots in the Ottawa area and a solid 13-year NHL run, he might value being at home more than life abroad. Time will tell with de Haan, but given his skill level, he should find an NHL job for at least one more season.

Photo by Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Have The Oilers Improved This Summer?

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Few teams have experienced as much movement this summer as the Edmonton Oilers. After two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals losses, it was expected that management would make some adjustments, but most fans probably hoped those changes would focus on the goaltending. That didn’t happen, and most of the team’s overhaul has taken place with the forwards, where many veterans left in free agency. Edmonton did what it could to find suitable replacements, but it still feels like their forward group isn’t as strong as the one that skated off the ice after a game six loss to the Florida Panthers in June.

The Oilers started their offseason by trading forward Evander Kane to the Vancouver Canucks for a fourth-round pick this year. The Oilers needed to clear cap space urgently and managed to do so before the start of free agency on July 1st. Kane was expected to count $5.125MM against the Oilers’ cap on the final year of his four-year deal and was considered expendable by management. Kane isn’t the player he once was, but he could still skate, check, and shoot, and he was effective in the first three rounds of the playoffs. Edmonton probably didn’t want to move Kane, but given their situation this summer, they didn’t have many options.

Nearly a week after the Kane trade, Edmonton made another move, sending Viktor Arvidsson to the Boston Bruins for a 2027 fifth-round draft pick. The deal cleared $4MM in cap space for Edmonton and allowed them to re-sign top defenseman Evan Bouchard. Arvidsson never gained much traction with the Oilers, recording 15 goals and 12 assists in 67 games, but he was only a couple of years removed from posting 26 goals in a season with the Los Angeles Kings. Trading away Arvidsson and the final season of his two-year contract probably won’t make a big difference for the Oilers. Still, like Kane, it was a case of Edmonton selling low on a forward with a mid-tier deal and hoping to find a replacement with a lower salary.

Arvidsson wasn’t the only Oilers player to find a new home on July 1st; Connor Brown signed with the New Jersey Devils on a four-year, $12MM deal, Corey Perry signed a one-year contract with Los Angeles, and defenseman John Klingberg signed with San Jose. These moves certainly reduced the Oilers’ depth, but Edmonton did what it could to retain other potential UFAs on its roster while also finding buy-low options in free agency.

Edmonton secured Trent Frederic with an eight-year extension at $3.85MM annually and also re-signed Kasperi Kapanen on a one-year deal worth $1.3MM. Both Frederic and Kapanen are solid pros capable of playing in Edmonton’s bottom six, but their signings raise some concerns. The length of Frederic’s contract is excessive, especially for a player who scored eight goals and seven assists in 58 games last season. Meanwhile, Kapanen can go long stretches without producing, as he fluctuates offensively and offers limited defensive value. He’s not suited for the bottom six, but he’ll likely end up there because he’s not consistent enough for the top six.

On the same day as re-signing Kapanen, the Oilers also secured Bouchard with a four-year extension worth $42MM. The deal utilized most of the savings from trading Kane and Arvidsson, but it resolved one of the Oilers’ most pressing tasks this summer. Although the salary is eye-popping at $10.5MM per year, Bouchard has shown himself to be a top offensive defenseman in the NHL, even if he occasionally makes critical errors.

Once Edmonton had secured Bouchard, they had a clear idea of their available cap space for free agency. They proceeded to sign Andrew Mangiapane to a two-year deal and also added Curtis Lazar. Mangiapane’s contract was for two years at $7.2MM and could prove valuable for Edmonton if the 29-year-old can regain his scoring touch. The undersized forward played 81 games last season for the Washington Capitals and had a disappointing year, posting just 14 goals and 14 assists. The Toronto, Ontario native is three years removed from a 35-goal season and has been a reasonably consistent .5 PPG player throughout his career. He could be an option in the top six for the Oilers and possesses the skill set to fit that role.

Lazar, on the other hand, returns to Edmonton, a city where he played junior hockey in the WHL from 2011 to 2014. Lazar has moved around the NHL during his 11-year career, now playing for his seventh team, the Edmonton Oilers. Drafted 17th overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, he is primarily known as a solid penalty killer, capable of forechecking, but not producing much offense. He will effectively replace veteran Derek Ryan, who was not re-signed and remains a free agent. Lazar could see some time in the AHL this season, given that he is earning league minimum, and could very well be a 13th forward for the Oilers.

Finally, the Oilers’ last move of the summer was acquiring forward Isaac Howard from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forward Sam O’Reilly. Howard was a first-round pick of the Lightning in 2022 (31st overall). He was dominant last season in the NCAA, posting 26 goals and 26 assists in 37 games for Michigan State University. There is a lot of hope in Edmonton that Howard can jump into the top six and contribute, but there are no guarantees he will, and those expectations might be unrealistic, even though he is a talented prospect.

Considering the overall body of work so far this summer, the Oilers’ changes have been underwhelming. Losing Perry will no doubt hurt, as his net-front presence was crucial, especially in the playoffs, while Kane was a solid contributor in the first three rounds and helped Edmonton reach the finals. Overall, they’ve filled some of the gaps created by player departures, but it does seem like Edmonton lost some toughness and key veterans this summer, which could put them in a tough spot if they face the Florida Panthers for the third straight year.

The biggest miss so far is probably that Edmonton hasn’t addressed its goaltending issues, and it likely won’t be able to do much about it. Stuart Skinner seems to be the main guy between the pipes again, with Calvin Pickard backing him up. If the Oilers want to make a big boost this season, that’s where they’d get the most value, but because of their limited cap space, any move will likely need to be a lateral one financially, which could be tricky to pull off during the season.

Photo by Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Examining The Penguins’ Defense Core

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The Pittsburgh Penguins started the offseason as one of the few teams considered more of a seller than a buyer. Despite that, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas made some clever acquisitions in free agency and through trades, aiming to bolster a defense that was probably the weakest in the NHL last season. It’s uncertain if this group is any better than before, but they will look quite different when the puck drops in October. New head coach Dan Muse will have many options to choose from when he sets his starting lineup. But how exactly will that group come together?

You can’t talk about the Penguins’ defensive core without mentioning the status of three-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson, who may or may not be traded before training camp this fall. The Penguins would like to trade Karlsson (as per Josh Yohe of The Athletic), but they don’t see the 34-year-old as a liability and aren’t going to give him away for nothing, and rightfully so. The Penguins might trade Karlsson in the next two months, but if they don’t, they will face a logjam on the right side of their defense, which may not be the worst thing to start the season for various reasons.

The main benefit of having Karlsson is that it could lessen the load on veteran defender Kris Letang, who is coming off arguably the worst year of his career. The now 38-year-old posted nine goals and 21 assists in 74 games last season, marking the first time he didn’t reach 40 points since the 2016-17 season, when he scored 34 points in 41 games and suffered a season-ending neck injury. While injuries and age may have caught up with Letang, it’s also possible that he is being asked to do too much at this stage in his career, and trading Karlsson might not reduce his burden but could increase it. Pittsburgh has never really treated Karlsson as a top-pairing defenseman, but if they do keep him, it’s probably time to let Letang slide into the second pairing and move Karlsson up to the top unit. There’s also a remote chance that the Penguins could move Letang to the much weaker left side if they retain Karlsson, which they have tried in the past.

Behind Karlsson and Letang on the right side are newly acquired Connor Clifton and Matt Dumba, both of whom were salary dumps by their previous clubs. It’s tough to gauge how either man will fit in, but one or both will likely be playing on the third pairing. Clifton provides the Penguins with something they haven’t had in a defenseman for quite some time — a physical player who can throw hits. The 30-year-old struggled to find his game last season in Buffalo and needed a change of scenery this offseason. With one more year left on his contract, the Penguins hope he can rebound and become a valuable asset by the NHL Trade Deadline, making it likely they will shelter him on the third pairing to give him every chance to succeed.

The plan will likely resemble Dumba, who was once considered a top-pairing defenseman but is far from that now. He also plays with an edge, but doesn’t contribute much defensively or offensively beyond his willingness to shoot the puck. The move to acquire Dumba was mainly about the second-round pick that came with him, though he should still see time on the bottom pairing and could be moved up if the Penguins decide to part ways with Karlsson.

The interesting part on the right side involves Penguins’ defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke. The second-round pick in 2024 impressed many during his training camp last year, and he might be ready for NHL minutes this season. The 19-year-old probably won’t make the team due to the number of players on one-way contracts ahead of him on the depth chart. However, if he has another strong training camp, he could push his way onto the NHL roster. The Penguins are very high on Brunicke’s game and even see him as a potential future captain, but Yohe believes he will make his debut at the start of the 2026-27 season.

On the left side, the Penguins are a complete mess, and it all starts with Ryan Graves, who signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent on July 1st, 2023. At that time, the Penguins hoped the hulking defenseman would fit nicely alongside Letang and effectively replace the departing Brian Dumoulin. Things didn’t turn out that way, and Graves has been awful in Pittsburgh, sometimes becoming a healthy scratch and being sheltered from tougher competition whenever possible. His signing was the first mistake GM Kyle Dubas made during a summer that proved disastrous for the Penguins. Graves has been borderline unplayable over the last two seasons, and the hope in Pittsburgh is that the new coaching staff can improve his game and extract more than below-replacement-level play from him. Given the Penguins’ lack of high-end options on the left side, Graves will be given a long look to see if he can play a role in the Penguins’ top four.

Beyond Graves, there aren’t many options for Pittsburgh’s top four, but one player who might make it there someday is Owen Pickering. The 21-year-old doesn’t exactly wow with his play, but he showed last season that he’s probably ready to become a full-time NHLer. The 21st overall pick in 2022 played 25 games last season and didn’t look out of place, even though he was given challenging assignments on a very weak team. Pickering even saw some top-four minutes alongside Letang last season, but it will be tough for him to secure a full-time spot this season. Pittsburgh simply has too many players on one-way deals, and while Pickering’s future looks bright, he may have to spend another season in the AHL before earning a full-time role.

After Graves and Pickering, the Penguins have quite a bit of uncertainty on their blue line. This offseason, Pittsburgh signed Parker Wotherspoon to a two-year deal, along with Caleb Jones and Alexander Alexeyev. These players joined a crowded left side that also features Ryan Shea and Sebastian Aho. Among them, Wotherspoon and Shea likely have the best chances at NHL roles, but nothing is guaranteed. Alexeyev is an inauspicious addition, as he played only eight regular-season games last year, but he has good size at 6’4” and is a capable skater who can handle the puck. He might earn a spot on the NHL roster with a solid training camp.

The likeliest defensemen to start the season on the roster for the Penguins are Letang, Karlsson, Clifton, Dumba, Graves, Wotherspoon and Shea. Now, Penguins fans might not love the veteran-heavy defense core. Still, it will give all of the Penguins’ younger defensemen the chance to develop in the AHL with the Penguins’ forward prospects and could lead to something special for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Photo by Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Will The Flames Move Any Veteran Players?

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The Flames entered this summer looking to improve upon last season, but haven’t made many player additions. They have been busy thus far, signing several restricted free agents, including Morgan Frost and Kevin Bahl. However, they haven’t made any outside improvements to the roster and still have to take care of restricted free agent Connor Zary’s next deal. The Flames also have a couple of veterans whose names have been in trade rumors this summer, including defenseman Rasmus Andersson and center Nazem Kadri. Kadri’s name has popped up over the past few weeks, and he would be a desirable trade chip. Andersson has had his name in headlines for a while and has been linked with several teams, but no trade has materialized.

Calgary faces a tough dilemma with Andersson, who has one year remaining on his contract and will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2026. The Flames can attempt to move him this summer, but without an extension secured, teams might hesitate to meet a high asking price. The Flames aren’t eager to sell Andersson for less than they believe he’s worth, but they also wouldn’t be wise to sign him long-term right now, considering his recent decline in play. Andersson remains a vital trade piece for the Flames if they choose to make him one, and he could bring Calgary multiple assets even if he doesn’t agree to an extension.

The flip side is that Calgary is trying to rebuild, and trading away a capable right-shot defenseman in his prime will set the team back, as they are unlikely to get a roster player of equal value to Andersson in return. That said, Frank Seravalli reported over a month ago that both Andersson and the Flames have exchanged figures on a potential extension, and they don’t seem to be on the same page.

For his part, Andersson seems eager to test the market, as he has been selective about which teams he would negotiate a contract extension with, when asked by the Flames (according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic). It’s a bit of a gamble for the 28-year-old, as he is coming off two disappointing seasons and risks severe damage to his market value if he has another off year next season. Andersson is set to earn $4.55MM next season in the final year of a six-year, $27.3MM contract he signed back in January 2020. That deal initially proved to be a bargain for Calgary and has been closer to market value over the past two seasons.

Andersson’s offensive numbers took a significant hit last season, and his plus/minus was dreadful at -38. While plus/minus isn’t the best stat to gauge a player’s overall performance, a closer look reveals his PDO was only .953, suggesting a lot of bad luck. Nevertheless, the -38 is quite striking, and Andersson did face struggles defensively, along with poor puck management, last season. It would be a significant risk for Calgary to sign Andersson to an extension at this time, but trading him when his value is lower than it could be is also a gamble.

Calgary forward Kadri has also had his name mentioned this summer, and his situation is very different from Andersson’s. Kadri is coming off a strong season with 35 goals and 32 assists in 82 games and is six years older than the defender. He also has four years remaining on his contract, with a cap hit of $7MM, and he holds a no-movement clause.

The timing of a potential Kadri trade this summer seems unusual since he has significant control over where he would go and is just a year away from his full no-movement clause turning into a 13-team no-trade list, which could make him easier to move. However, Calgary might see risk in waiting to trade him because he will be 35 at the start of October and could begin to show signs of aging. It’s a delicate balance for Calgary as they try to improve and compete for the playoffs next season, and they wouldn’t exactly be dealing from a position of strength if they move Kadri.

Beyond Kadri, Calgary has Mikael Backlund, Frost, and Martin Pospisil as their second, third, and fourth-line centers, respectively. If anything, that is a group Calgary would probably like to add to, but it might not happen this off-season. Yegor Sharangovich and Zary could also play center for the Flames, but it would deplete an already thin forward group unless the Flames received NHL-ready forwards in return for Kadri.

All of this to say, that it doesn’t feel like the right time for Calgary to trade Kadri, but it definitely can’t be ruled out given Kadri’s age and contract. Andersson, on the other hand, is a wild card; the negotiations haven’t been significant on an extension, so it’s entirely possible he gets moved before the season and will almost certainly be traded at the NHL Trade Deadline unless he signs an extension.

Photo by David Gonzales-USA TODAY Sports

The Predators Are Banking On Internal Improvement

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The Nashville Predators “won” last summer’s free agency period, signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei to lucrative long-term contracts. The summer victory was short-lived, however, as the Predators struggled to start the season and never regained their footing, ultimately falling to the bottom of the Western Conference standings.

The regular season exposed Nashville, revealing that it was a flawed team that was far from contending for the playoffs. Now, a year later, the Predators have taken a very conservative approach to their summer spending, and alas, they are still a flawed team that might struggle to score this season.

One of the most significant issues for Nashville, if not the biggest, is that its center depth is lacking, particularly in the scoring department. Stamkos is slated to be their top-line pivot, followed by Ryan O’Reilly.

While Stamkos is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and O’Reilly could sneak in, they weren’t exactly driving offense last year. Beyond the two of them, the scoring dries up further as the Predators’ options are currently Fedor Svechkov, who had an okay rookie season, as well as Erik Haula and Michael McCarron. No disrespect to Haula or McCarron, who are both decent defensive forwards, but they aren’t going to drive a line and won’t contribute much to Nashville’s offense.

Now, Nashville has a lot of young center depth in the pipeline, including the recently drafted Brady Martin, but those prospects are all a few years away and won’t help this upcoming season. The prospects will need playing time at some point soon, which has led some to speculate that the Predators might consider trading O’Reilly. However, general manager Barry Trotz remains pretty committed to the players he signed last summer and can’t exactly spring for a rebuild, yet.

The Predators’ murky center situation is a microcosm for the whole roster. As it is currently constructed, many of the players in the lineup will be playing outside of their ideal slot. Sure, Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, Juuse Saros, O’Reilly, and Marchessault are all slotted fine. Still, Michael Bunting, for example, is currently in the top six and is probably best suited as a top-nine forward.

Speaking of Bunting, much of his season will hinge on how he starts. Last season in Pittsburgh, Bunting had an atrocious start to the season, with just a single assist in his first six games, before he was a healthy scratch. Bunting would play another 52 games in Pittsburgh, tallying 14 goals and 14 assists before he was traded to the Predators. Upon joining Nashville, Bunting played in 18 games to close out the season, registering five goals and four assists. The 29-year-old is a bit of a wild card in Nashville since he doesn’t do all that much away from the puck, but when he is on, he is a capable scorer who can post 20 goals and 50 points.

Much of Nashville’s hopes are like the hopes they have for Bunting. They are banking on internal improvement, perhaps better overall chemistry, and better luck. It’s not the worst strategy in the world, and probably a better course than blowing up the roster or trying to trade a pile of futures for short-term help.

The Predators had a pile of players experiencing down years. Stamkos, Marchessault, Bunting, Skjei, Josi and Saros all had off years, and if even half of them were to bounce back, we are looking at a very different Nashville team next season. However, there is no guarantee that they will bounce back; given the age of some of the players named, they may even regress further. However, Nashville is constrained by high-priced contracts and can only hope for some positive regression.

As far as team chemistry, the Predators would hardly be the first team to spend a significant amount of money in the summer only to have negative results. It’s happened in every major sport, including hockey, with perhaps the best example being the New York Rangers of the early 2000s, who repeatedly outspent every team in the league but couldn’t even get a sniff of the playoffs. The more the Rangers added at that time, the more the team’s chemistry became disjointed, which eventually led to a massive selloff towards the end of the 2004 season and ultimately a reset. The Predators have avoided adding much to their lineup this offseason; however, they have tinkered around the edges with the additions of defensemen Nicolas Hague and Nick Perbix.

Finally, as far as luck goes, Nashville didn’t have much of it last season, as evidenced by their PDO (shooting plus save percentages), which was dead last in the NHL at .970 (per MoneyPuck). Now, PDO alone doesn’t tell the whole story, but the top teams in the NHL typically have a PDO above 100, and the Predators were nowhere close to that. Much of that falls on the goaltender, Saros, who had the worst season of his career and will be looking to bounce back. If he can get back closer to his career average numbers, and the Predators’ offensive guys can get back to their career average shooting percentage, the Predators could make some moves in the Western Conference to try and climb back into the playoff conversation next season.

Photo by Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

The Sabres Are Still Stuck In Neutral

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The Buffalo Sabres haven’t made the playoffs in a long time. They set an NHL record this season by missing the postseason for 14 consecutive seasons, and don’t appear to be on track to break that streak this season.

The last time the Sabres played in a playoff game was a 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on April 26th, 2011. To put the event into perspective, consider that current NHL general managers Mike Grier and Daniel Briere participated in the game, and over on NBC, the television series The Voice premiered that night.

Buffalo has been stuck in a constant state of rebuilding that hasn’t managed to gain any momentum. Just a few seasons ago, it looked like the Sabres were on the verge of becoming a contender. Still, a series of poor trades, bad signings, and unfortunate player development have kept the Sabres at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

The fans in Buffalo are no doubt eager for something to cheer about, but unfortunately, the team hasn’t been able to satisfy that desire. The bad news for Buffalo is that much of their problems are self-inflicted, and since they haven’t course-corrected this summer, it’s fair to wonder: when will they turn things around?

It’s not as if Buffalo hasn’t had their fair share of good luck in the draft, selecting some terrific players late in the process, including Linus Ullmark in the sixth round back in 2012, Victor Olofsson in the seventh round in 2014, and Brandon Hagel in the sixth round in 2016. They’ve also managed to draft franchise cornerstones like Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.

However, where the team has fallen short – arguably the most glaring issue in drafting and development – is that they haven’t been able to retain their stars or have traded them away for little value.

The most obvious example here is Sam Reinhart, who was drafted second overall in 2014 and scored 20+ goals in five of his six seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, including 25 goals in his final year during the shortened 2020-21 season. The Sabres then traded Reinhart in the summer of 2021 for a return that included goaltender Devon Levi and a first-round pick that was later used to select Jiri Kulich.

Now, Reinhart had one year left on his contract, and many felt he wouldn’t sign long-term with Buffalo as they were rebuilding, even though Reinhart said otherwise. The trade could still work out for Buffalo, depending on Levi’s development and how 21-year-old Kulich progresses.

However, for Reinhart and the Panthers, it has been a great match, having reached the Stanley Cup Final three times and won two championships. Reinhart was a solid player for Buffalo, but in Florida, he has reached another level and become a key part of the Panthers’ team, averaging a point per game. The emergence of players like him has become a bit of a theme for former Sabres, as shown by our next star.

Not many people would have predicted that Ullmark would develop into a Vezina Trophy winner; however, there were signs that he was better than his numbers in Buffalo. Ullmark spent two seasons with the Sabres’ AHL affiliate in Rochester and was one of the top netminders in the league before making the full-time jump to the NHL.

He began his career as a backup for Carter Hutton but quickly took the starting job, posting a 50-47-13 career record with the Sabres, along with a 2.78 goals-against average and a .912 SV%. In the summer of 2021, the Swedish netminder moved to Boston, where he thrived with the heavyweight Bruins and left Sabres fans wondering what might have been.

There are likely several personal and professional reasons why Ullmark chose to leave Buffalo. Still, it was ultimately clear that the Sabres were pivoting towards a rebuild around the time of his departure.

Another missed opportunity, and perhaps one of the most painful, is Hagel. The Sabres chose to give up his rights back in 2018, and he later signed an ELC with the Chicago Blackhawks before being traded to Tampa Bay for two first-round picks.

Hagel recently represented Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off and has become a genuine top-six player at the age of 26. It’s another clear example of Buffalo getting things right at the draft but missing out on player retention. Now, Hagel is undoubtedly a different case than Reinhart and Ullmark, but it shows how deep the Sabres’ issues run.

Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams has taken some heat in recent years, and rightfully so, since he is responsible for building the roster. However, his record includes three situations that have aged so poorly they overshadow his entire GM resume.

The Reinhart trade with Florida was mentioned earlier and could turn out alright in the future, but the situation doesn’t look good right now. The other two major missteps were the Jack Eichel deal with Vegas, which brought in a couple of good players but none of Eichel’s calibre.

The trade wasn’t that bad, but the worst part of the Eichel saga was the lead-up to the move. Then there is the Brandon Montour trade with Florida. The Montour trade is especially painful and quite different from the other two moves. But, each of these situations led Buffalo to trade away the best player in each deal, only to see those players raise the Stanley Cup with their new team.

Now, Adams’ moves haven’t been all bad. The trade for defenseman Bowen Byram looks like a win, given the decline of Casey Mittelstadt, and the Ryan McLeod trade with Edmonton also looks like a decent move.

The Sabres have managed to bring in players with potential, but it never seems to catapult the Sabres into a winning team. Getting Alex Tuch in the Eichel deal was a nice story, and he’s had some good years, but he could follow so many before him in less than 12 months when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

All of this brings us to the current Sabres, who are once again fresh off trading away a talented young player. The Sabres traded JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth just a month ago in exchange for forward Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring.

The 23-year-old Peterka scored 27 goals and 41 assists in 77 games last season and was quick to sign a five-year extension with the Mammoth following the trade, something he wasn’t willing to do in Buffalo. Now, the verdict is still out on this trade because all three players involved are pretty young and aren’t yet finished products, but the return felt underwhelming at the time of the deal.

There does seem to be a pattern with players not signing long-term with the Sabres and opting to move to other cities. However, the Sabres have managed to secure their core players—Dahlin, Power, and Tage Thompson—with long-term contracts.

That said, it’s concerning that many players appear content to either ride out their current contract and bolt or use their leverage to pursue a trade. This doesn’t necessarily mean Reinhart or Ullmark did that, but it could explain a lot.

So here the Sabres are, down another potential star player in a long line of such players who never flourished in Buffalo. Sabres fans have watched star after star march to the Stanley Cup Final with other NHL teams without so much as a sniff of the playoffs in Buffalo. It’s a testament to Sabres fans that they continue to cheer for an organization that hasn’t given them much to cheer about in the last decade and a half, but it demonstrates the dedication of the fan base.

Photo by Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Did The Jets Do Enough This Summer?

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The Winnipeg Jets were a powerhouse last year in the regular season, winning the Presidents’ Trophy thanks to a historic season from goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who secured his third Vezina Trophy as well as the Hart Trophy. Unfortunately, Hellebuyck and the Jets ran out of steam in the playoffs and were ousted in the second round.

The Dallas Stars unceremoniously knocked them out in just six games after Winnipeg narrowly escaped the first round against St. Louis, scoring in the final second of Game 7 before winning in overtime. The Jets weren’t expected to finish as high as they did last season, and after the summer they’ve had, they probably face lower expectations next year.

So, the question is: has Winnipeg done enough this summer to stay competitive in the Western Conference?

On the surface, teams that lose one of their top players to free agency generally don’t come away with a better group. That is precisely where the Jets find themselves after forward Nikolaj Ehlers took his talents to the Carolina Hurricanes, signing a six-year $51MM contract.

With Ehlers out of the picture after many months of speculation that he’d move on due to a lack of ice time, the Jets quickly took action to replace the loss. Winnipeg opted to replace Ehlers’ offense by committee rather than with an individual move, which was probably not a choice, but rather a necessity given their limited options.

Winnipeg decided to dive into the free agent market and managed to put together a few promising options to compensate for the loss of Ehlers’ offense. Their first move was to re-sign 37-year-old Jonathan Toews to the NHL after a two-year hiatus due to health issues.

The Winnipeg native hasn’t played since the 2022-23 season, and it’s uncertain what kind of contribution the three-time Stanley Cup champion can deliver. The last time Toews played, he scored 15 goals and added 16 assists in 53 games, ending with a -31 rating.

Since he was dealing with health problems then, it’s unfair to judge his past performance or predict similar results going forward. Still, he hasn’t played in the NHL for two seasons and is now 37 years old. Few players ever make a triumphant return in their mid to late 30s after a long absence, with Mario Lemieux being a notable exception.

It’s a gamble for the Jets to rely on Toews returning to his best, but if he does, he could replace a significant part of the offense Winnipeg lost when Ehlers went South. However, if he doesn’t, the Jets still have the option to pivot and use some of their substantial cap space to bring in extra help during the season. Winnipeg has nearly $20MM available under the cap with four players left to sign, so they should be able to leave room for mid-season acquisitions.

On July 1, the Jets also signed veteran forward Tanner Pearson to a one-year, $1MM contract. Pearson was a durable player early in his career, but injuries over the years have derailed his play, and he is now a shadow of his former self.

He was a decent playmaker at one point, but has become a liability on the possession front in recent seasons. That said, he comes to Winnipeg cheaply and should be able to produce around 25 points in a bottom-six role.

His impact on the Jets’ offense will be minimal, but given the low cost, Winnipeg could do much worse. It’s hard to believe, but Pearson is just 32 and posted 12 goals and 15 assists last season in 78 games, so there’s still some gas left in the tank for this season with the Jets.

The Jets also handed out a matching one-year, $1MM contract to forward Cole Koepke after he established himself as a regular NHL player last season. In Boston, the 27-year-old Minnesota native scored 10 goals and seven assists in 73 games while averaging just over 11 minutes per game. He will produce very little offense, but should provide the Jets with a player on their fourth line who can skate, get physical, and play a low-event, stable game.

Finally, the Jets signed the player who could provide the most offense in Ehlers’ absence, and that is 35-year-old Gustav Nyquist. The Halmstad, Sweden native played for Nashville and Minnesota last season and saw his offensive production drop sharply, falling from 75 points in 2023-24 to just 28 points last season.

His decline is quite puzzling, as his underlying numbers were decent, but everything that could go wrong for him did go wrong. He is still a good passer and could put up better numbers with Winnipeg if given the chance to play alongside some stronger players.

Nyquist will likely finish next season with over 28 points but is unlikely to repeat his 75-point performance. If he can raise his game and reach around 50 points, that would be a big win for Winnipeg, which is paying him just $3.25MM next season on a one-year deal.

Ultimately, the Jets made a series of low-risk, short-term signings in hopes of catching lightning in a bottle. These stopgaps will hold things together for the Jets as they aim to build on the success of this past season.

It’s hard to predict whether Toews, Nyquist, Pearson, and Koepke will be enough to replace the loss of Ehlers, but if they are, the Jets could be just as good as last season. If not, Winnipeg can always consider an in-season trade to boost its lineup.

Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Breaking Down The Direction Of The Ducks

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The Ducks are still well under the salary cap ceiling, sitting about $29MM below the limit with four players left to sign to complete a 23-man roster (as per PuckPedia). While that’s certainly a lot of space under the cap, it’s not necessarily a positive sign, given how the Ducks have exhausted their salary cap space by signing and trading for high-priced veterans who are past their prime. A few years ago, the Ducks seemed poised for success, but they have made little progress in their rebuild, and if anything, their recent moves have hindered what could have been something special.

When Pat Verbeek became the general manager of the Ducks in February 2022, he knew the team was in the midst of a rebuild and aimed to make them a contender. He had a plan, and from a broad perspective, his approach to bring in veterans made sense to support younger players and a prospect pool ranked 12th, according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. The Ducks had been focusing on youth for a while and had some promising young players starting to get significant NHL minutes. Bringing in experienced players who had been there before would provide emerging stars like Trevor Zegras with a mentor figure to help them develop into skilled professionals.

The Ducks had a poor start to Verbeek’s tenure, falling further down the standings in 2022-23 with a 23-47-12 record to finish last in the Western Conference. On the ice, the Ducks finished 31st in the NHL in goals for and 32nd in goals against, with a -129-goal differential. The team’s performance can’t solely be blamed on Verbeek, who had only been in the role for a few months before summer 2022. However, his influence was evident in certain aspects of the team, particularly in the signings of a few free agents, some of whom were successful, while others were not.

Verbeek signed Frank Vatrano to a three-year deal in July 2022, which proved to be a great bargain. However, he also signed Ryan Strome to a five-year, $25MM contract. Strome has recorded 41 points in each of the last three seasons, but his below-average defensive metrics offset some of his offensive contributions. Defencemen John Klingberg and Nathan Beaulieu were also acquired that offseason and struggled to adjust to Anaheim’s lineup, posting some of the worst numbers of their careers. Klingberg was traded to Minnesota before the NHL Trade Deadline, and Beaulieu finished the season and has not played in the NHL since.

In the summer of 2023, Verbeek continued his trend of overestimating veterans by signing a couple of 33-year-old veterans, defenceman Radko Gudas and Alex Killorn. The Gudas signing was for three years at $4MM per season and was a sensible gamble given his abilities at the time. Gudas doesn’t put up points, but he has been reasonably practical, and rebuilding teams generally need to overpay in free agency. The Killorn signing, however, raised many eyebrows even though he was coming off a 64-point season with Tampa Bay. Killorn was signed to a four-year deal worth $25MM ($6.25MM annually) and has not come close to delivering enough value to justify his contract. That signing started a significant trend in Anaheim that continues today: overvaluing players’ past contributions.

Moving forward, Verbeek arguably made his best move in early 2024 when he acquired forward Cutter Gauthier from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a second-round pick. That move was a significant victory for the Ducks, strengthening their pool of young players with star potential.

After the Gauthier trade, Verbeek went back to work adding high-priced veterans to the lineup, trading for defenseman Brian Dumoulin in July 2024, and then eventually making a head-scratching trade for Jacob Trouba in late 2024. The Dumoulin trade turned out to be good business, as he was later flipped to New Jersey at the Trade Deadline for a second-round pick and a prospect, but the Trouba deal never made sense and still looks like a mistake to this day. The New York Rangers not only managed to get out from beneath Trouba’s $8MM cap hit but also received some value from Anaheim, acquiring defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth-round pick. Trouba has value due to his physicality, ability to block shots, and willingness to get involved in transition; however, his mobility and turnovers are significant issues that have persisted in Anaheim, not to mention his hefty cap hit. Verbeek then followed up this trade by moving on from Cam Fowler in a deal with St. Louis, where he retained $2.5MM in salary.

Continuing with his trend, Verbeek then acquired Chris Kreider from the Rangers along with a fourth-round pick, giving them another chance to move on from a bad contract. The Ducks sent back a third-round pick and the 2023 second-round pick (59th overall), Carey Terrance. The jury is still out on the Kreider move, and he remains a net-front presence who can still skate, but his numbers took a significant hit next season, and the Ducks are gambling on a 34-year-old with a lot of hard miles on his body to recapture his game. Kreider did have 22 goals last season, so it’s not impossible to imagine him providing value to the Ducks, but at $6.5MM per season for two more years, the Ducks overpaid for another veteran who may or may not work out.

Verbeek followed up this trade by moving Zegras for a second and fourth-round pick, in exchange for forward Ryan Poehling. While Poehling is quite suitable as a depth forward, the return felt disappointing for an injury-prone player with considerable offensive talent. Zegras has struggled with injuries over the past few seasons and may not work out in Philadelphia. However, for a team like the Ducks, which seems willing to gamble on veterans returning to form, it was unusual to see them sell low on a relatively young forward who could still bounce back.

Finally, you have the Ducks’ last handful of moves, which include trading goaltender John Gibson for Petr Mrazek (and two draft picks) as well as the signings of Mikael Granlund and Ville Husso. The Gibson trade was good business for Anaheim and moved them away from a player who had made headlines for the past couple of seasons, as his timeline didn’t match the one the Ducks were on. Acquiring Mrazek as part of the package was also reasonable, as it provided Anaheim with a temporary backup to play behind Lukas Dostal. What didn’t make sense was giving Husso two more years at $2.2MM per season, as he has been a below-average goaltender for the last three seasons and spent more time in the AHL last season than he did in the NHL. Now, the goaltender market was certainly weak this summer, but handing out that kind of contract to an AHL-level goalie to play in the minors is a major misfire.

Anaheim completed their free agent moves by signing forward Granlund to a three-year, $21MM contract. Granlund is a solid offensive player who can generate points and is a great passer. However, he is only two summers removed from being a salary cap dump in Pittsburgh and is nowhere near worth a $7MM price tag. He doesn’t contribute much defensively, but should boost their 30th-ranked offence.

Now, people will point to the veteran acquisitions and say that Anaheim has plenty of cap space, so it doesn’t matter if they spend money on players like Husso and Granlund. But the fact is that Anaheim was in a prime position to contend by now, yet they have made things worse by acquiring older, slower players who haven’t helped the younger ones so far.

Fans might also argue that Anaheim isn’t going to contend this year or next, so having these veterans on the books doesn’t affect the long-term strategy. However, Anaheim could have better utilized and weaponized its cap space to bring in younger players or acquire other assets by taking on teams’ bad contracts, similar to the strategy Pittsburgh has employed. There is nothing wrong with overpaying players during a rebuild, but eventually, the bill comes due. For Anaheim, it seems they are still paying that bill, and they might continue to do so for a few more seasons.

Photo by Danny Wild-Imagn Images

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