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Poll: Where Will Alex DeBrincat Play Next Season?

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Yesterday, the sale of the Ottawa Senators finally came to fruition, as a former minority owner of the Montreal Canadiens, Michael Andlauer, purchased the Senators for $950MM. The next question up for Ottawa this offseason is what to do with pending restricted free agent forward, Alex DeBrincat.

As the Stanley Cup Finals got underway, there were reports indicating that DeBrincat felt uneasy about signing a long-term extension with the Senators given their murky ownership situation at the time. However, recently, some reports indicated that DeBrincat had a desire to stay in Ottawa, citing his close relationship with the coaching staff and teammates.

Acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks offseason, the Senators paid a steep price, giving Chicago their seventh and 39th overall picks in last year’s draft, as well as their third-round selection in 2024. As DeBrincat is due a $9MM qualifying offer before the contract tender deadline, both the team and the player have to come to a conclusion soon.

Although not living up to his goal-scoring expectations this past season, DeBrincat did manage a career-high in assists with 39. An offensive specialist for much of his career, DeBrincat would be a great addition to most teams’ top six.

Where do you think DeBrincat will be playing next season?

Brandon Montour To Get Shoulder Surgery

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Much like the end of any Stanley Cup playoffs, both the Eastern and Western Conference finalists are now updating the public on the laundry list of injuries that affected their players throughout. As news already broke about both Matthew Tkachuk and Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers dealing with severe injuries, Brandon Montour will now join that list.

Kevin Weekes of ESPN reports that Montour is dealing with a torn labrum, and will require surgery that will keep him out for at least three months. With a reasonable timeline pointing towards a return in September, Montour should be ready to go for the start of training camp.

It is bad news any time a player gets dealt a debilitating injury such as a torn labrum, but the fact that Montour should not miss the start of next season is a positive for Florida, to say the least. This past season, Montour took his game to a different level, becoming one of, if not the best overall defenseman on the Panthers.

In 80 games played this year, Montour scored an impressive 16 goals and 57 assists, all while averaging just over 24 minutes a night. Approaching the final year of his three-year, $10.5MM contract, Montour has become quite the defenseman to build around in Florida, considering they only acquired him for a third-round pick in 2021 from the Buffalo Sabres.

In this year’s playoffs, Montour continued where he left off from the regular season, scoring five goals in seven games against the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs. However, his scoring seemed to dry up against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes, for unknown reasons at the time.

Obviously, Florida ended up winning both series, but Montour did have a 10-game span where he was kept completely off the scoreboard. Now with injuries finally being released, the torn labrum was likely the reasoning behind much of Montour’s lack of offensive prowess throughout that span of games.

Flames Sign Clark Bishop To Extension

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With the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals having reached its conclusion, the offseason is finally upon us. As new General Manager Craig Conroy begins his work on re-tooling the roster of the Calgary Flames, he has already gotten one small piece of work out of the way. This afternoon, the Flames announced the signing of Clark Bishop to a two-year, two-way deal.

The contract will pay Bishop a total of $775K each season at the NHL, a small raise compared to what he was earning this past season. Bishop was set to hit the unrestricted free-agent market in a few weeks.

The last time Bishop suited up for an NHL game was back in the 2021-22 season, playing nine games for the Ottawa Senators, producing only one assist. Coming over to the Flames organization last offseason, Bishop played the entire 2022-23 season with Calgary’s AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers.

In 64 games played at the AHL level, Bishop scored a respectable 11 goals and 12 assists, also notching two goals and one assist during the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs. The Wranglers were eliminated in the Division Finals against the Coachella Valley Firebirds but were the best regular season team in the AHL this year.

If the Flames deal with injuries next season, Bishop could be a viable call-up option to fill in a roster spot. However, if Calgary is able to manage a generally clean bill of health, Bishop will be helping the Wranglers repeat as the top team in the AHL.

 

Free Agent Focus: Florida Panthers

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Free agency is less 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 continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Florida Panthers.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Colin White – After a myriad of injuries plaguing his tenure with the Ottawa Senators, White, a former 21st overall selection of the Senators back in 2015, was not issued a qualifying offer by the team last summer. Towards mid-July, White signed on with the Panthers, inking a one-year, $1.2MM contract for the 2022-23 season.

Unfortunately, once again, White seems to be a strong candidate for a non-tender this offseason. A healthy scratch for several games, White accrued 68 games played this year, only scoring eight goals and seven assists. Failing to receive any additional time with special teams, the Panthers only give White a little under 10 minutes of ice time per night.

In White’s defense, he was dressed for 21 games during Florida’s recent run to the Stanley Cup Finals, helping the team out with two assists in the process. Using White every game in an impressive run may indicate that the Panthers do have intentions of keeping the forward around, however; most signs point to White and Florida heading in different directions this offseason.

Other RFAs: F Givani Smith, F Grigori Denisenko, F Aleksi Heponiemi, F Logan Hutsko, F Serron Noel, D Max Gildon, D John Ludvig

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Radko Gudas – To keep it plain, every team in the NHL knows what kind of player they’re getting in Gudas. An old-school stay-at-home defenseman, willing to sacrifice seemingly every part of his body for the betterment of his team. This year, Gudas kept to his ways, blocking 124 shots, and also throwing a whopping 312 hits in 72 games played.

During the Panthers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final, it was much of the same, as Gudas threw 91 hits in 21 playoff games for Florida. On the offensive side of his game, Gudas was able to produce a respectable two goals and 15 assists throughout the year.

As much value as Gudas may provide to every team across the league, it would be incredibly surprising if he was not still with the Panthers next season. Throughout the playoffs, it was clear that Gudas was a focal point in the Florida locker room, and had the respect of his teammates and coaching staff.

D Marc Staal  – Signed last offseason to a one-year, $750K contract, the Panthers certainly got a positive return on investment with Staal this season. Playing in all 82 games, Staal scored three goals and 12 assists, averaging just over 18 minutes of ice time per night.

Similar to Gudas, but not to the same degree, Staal was stellar on the defensive side of the puck, blocking 122 shots and garnering 14 takeaways. Not only were the topical defensive statistics in his favor, but Staal also finished this season with a 3.1 Defensive Point Shares. He should have plenty of suitors as a stable sixth or seventh defenseman, especially if he is once again only seeking a minimum salary for next season.

G Alex Lyon – Although regular starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky backed the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final, Lyon is one of the primary reasons that Florida made it to the playoffs in the first place. After taking over the crease in late March, Lyon finished his last nine games with a 6-2-1 record, posting an incredible .930 SV%.

The playoffs were not as impressive for Lyon, as his only starts came in the Panthers’ first-round matchup against the President’s Trophy-winning Boston Bruins. In those three starts, Lyon held a record of 1-2-0, only accruing a .902 SV% before finally ceding the net to Bobrovsky.

After his playoff performance, Florida will almost certainly be starting with Bobrovsky in net as the 2023-24 season gets underway, but Lyon may still have a spot in this lineup. As Spencer Knight remains in the NHLPA Player Assistance Program, the Panthers may like to keep Lyon as an insurance option.

Other UFAs: F Eric Staal, D Lucas Carlsson, D Casey Fitzgerald, G Evan Fitzpatrick, F Patric Hornqvist, F Henry Bowlby, F Connor Bunnaman, F Gerald Mayhew, D Anthony Bitetto, G Jean-Francois Berube

Projected Cap Space

As the most recent Eastern Conference Champions, the Panthers’ cap situation isn’t as concerning as some might expect. With Hornqvist’s $5.3MM salary coming off the books, Florida will have around $10.3MM to spend this offseason.

The Panthers do have a high quantity of both UFA’s and RFA’s this summer, but the quality of the players should prohibit Florida from losing too much cap space if they do plan to retain a majority of them.

Already a team built to contend for the Stanley Cup, Florida could use much of its cap space to find players that are larger and more physically imposing, as this is what held them back during their first trip to the Cup Final since 1996. If they do plan to run back a similar team for the 2023-24 season, the Panthers will need to work out extensions for both forward Sam Reinhart and defenseman, Brandon Montour.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

New York Rangers Hire Peter Laviolette

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June 13: The New York Post reported the New York Rangers were expected to name Laviolette their head coach today, and an official announcement from the team came in minutes later. General manager Chris Drury offered a statement:

We are thrilled that Peter will be the next Head Coach of the New York Rangers. With Peter’s extensive experience as a Head Coach in the National Hockey League, as well as the success his teams have had at several levels throughout his career, we are excited about what the future holds with him leading our team.

June 12: Shortly after the Calgary Flames named Ryan Huska their 21st head coach in franchise history, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the New York Rangers are prepared to name their 44th. Although nothing is officially complete now, Friedman writes that Peter Laviolette will man the bench for the Rangers next season unless something dramatic changes.

In just over two years spent as head coach of New York, the Rangers recently let go of head coach Gerard Gallant. In those two seasons spent in New York, Gallant coached the Rangers to a 99-46-19 record, losing in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022, and the first round of the playoffs in 2023. Coaching a team currently constructed as a Stanley Cup contender, the lack of playoff success likely pushed Gallant out the door.

About two weeks before Gallant’s exit in New York, Laviolette was also shown the door by his former employer, the Washington Capitals. Also coaching a team with expectations of playoff success, the Capitals finished this season with a 35-37-10 record and missed the playoffs entirely. After coaching in the United States Capital for three seasons, Laviolette finished his career in Washington with a coaching record of 115-78-27, including two first-round exits.

Although Gallant was able to coach the upstart Vegas Golden Knights to the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals, Laviolette is much more of a proven winner as a head coach. His first head coaching job in the NHL came all the way back during the 2001-02 season, coaching the New York Islanders for two seasons. Finishing his Islanders’ tenure with a 77-62-19-6 record, Laviolette was able to get the Islanders to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

After the Carolina Hurricanes fired then-head coach Paul Maurice after the 2002-03 season, Laviolette quickly joined on as head coach to replace him. Spending five seasons in Carolina, Laviolette’s stay with the Hurricanes was somewhat of a mixed bag. He only finished with a slight winning percentage, going 167-122-6-28, and missed the playoffs three times, having been fired midway through the 2008-09 season. Minus the playoff exits, Laviolette was able to coach the Hurricanes to their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history during the 2006 NHL Playoffs.

Although his tenure in Carolina was a mixed bag, after joining the Philadelphia Flyers as head coach before the 2009-10 season, Laviolette got off to a quick start. The Flyers made the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals but ultimately lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games. The following two seasons, the Flyers would be knocked out in the semi-finals in back-to-back years, but still finished as one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference.

After missing the playoffs entirely during the 2012-13 season, Laviolette was quickly dismissed after only three games into the 2014-15 season, not returning to the NHL for the rest of the year. Before the start of the 2014-15 season, Laviolette was named the new head coach of the Nashville Predators. For the first time since his stay with the Islanders, Laviolette was able to coach the Predators to the playoffs every year spent as head coach (before his firing during the 2019-20 season). The most notable playoff appearance in Nashville came during the 2016-17 season, as the team made the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history, losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.

In all, Laviolette has coached his team to the playoffs 13 times and missed the playoffs only five times after 18 full seasons of coaching. He has appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals three times, and his only successful one came with the Hurricanes back in 2006. The Rangers will become the fifth team that Laviolette has coached within the NHL’s Metropolitan Division.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Flames, Tkachuk, Kings

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Today, the Calgary Flames made the news official, hiring Ryan Huska as their next head coach. It appears, however, that their AHL head coach, Mitch Love, is not entirely enthusiastic about the Flames’ decision. Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff reports that although Love still has term left on his current contract with the Flames’ organization, he is open to all options moving forward.

Over the last two seasons, Love has been the head coach of the Stockton Heat, and now the Calgary Wranglers. In 140 games leading the bench, Love has accrued a total record of 96-33-9-3, finishing first in the Pacific Division in both seasons. Last season, he led the Heat to the Western Conference Finals in the Calder Cup playoffs and surprisingly were upset in the Division Finals this year by the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

In speaking with the media this afternoon, new Calgary General Manager, Craig Conroy, had this to say about Love’s situation, “Mitch is going to be a head coach in the NHL, 100%. I don’t question that, nor does he. But it’s all about being in a room with elite athletes with huge contracts, the rinks, the media… it’s a whole different animal when you get to NHL. The pressure that goes along with being a head coach in a Canadian Market when you’re trying to learn on the fly, the refs, the travel… the media… it’s a different beast in the NHL and I think to put him in that situation now wasn’t fair” (Tweet Link).

Conroy does seem to have faith that Love will one day become a head coach at the NHL level but deemed that the pressure in a Canadian market would be too much to handle for the young coach. The question is up in the air for how many General Managers across the league share the same opinion when it comes to Love, which could project him to an assistant coaching role in Calgary in the near future.

Other snapshots:

  • Having missed quite a bit of ice time during the Florida Panthers Game 4 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that forward Matthew Tkachuk was not seen at the Panthers’ practice today. Because of the nature of hockey players, especially during the Stanley Cup playoffs, it should still be expected for Tkachuk to play in an incredibly important Game 5. Being the deepest the young forward has ever gone through the playoffs, Tkachuk has shown signs of wear and tear throughout the last couple of series.
  • In recent reporting, it has been indicated that center Pierre-Luc Dubois will not sign a new contract with the Winnipeg Jets, and has requested a trade from the team. Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period reports that the last time Dubois was traded from the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Los Angeles Kings finished second to the Jets. It appears that Los Angeles still has quite a bit of interest in bringing Dubois into the mix, but with only a projected $7.3MM in cap space this summer, it will be difficult to sign Dubois to a long-term contract without moving out a significant contract.

 

Free Agent Focus: San Jose Sharks

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Free agency is less 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 continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the San Jose Sharks.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Noah Gregor – As the Sharks continue their rebuilding efforts, Gregor has quietly become a quality bottom-six option for San Jose to use throughout the season. Last year, Gregor had the best year of his career, scoring eight goals and 15 assists in 63 games. Gregor also had twice as many takeaways as giveaways and also managed to throw 118 hits for San Jose. This season, he continued much of the same, scoring 10 goals and seven assists in only 57 games.

Gregor once again made plenty of hits, and completed a good amount of takeaways, continuing to be a strong option for the Sharks given their current forward depth. Still only 24 years old, Gregor does not project to be anything more than what he currently is. There is some growth potential for a 30-point season, but Gregor may top out there offensively. As the Sharks continue their rebuild and find their way back to the Stanley Cup playoffs, Gregor has the play style that makes for a perfect deadline acquisition for a contending team in the near future.

Although he typically plays on the wing, San Jose may be able to recoup some assets in the next couple of years for Gregor should they trade him to a contending team. If they do stay course, and retain Gregor for the foreseeable future, he would be a great defensive option for the team once they do return to contention.

F Fabian Zetterlund – Unlike Gregor, Zetterlund does carry some serious offensive upside for the Sharks. Acquired in the trade that sent Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils, Zetterlund was one of the main pieces of San Jose’s return. Before the trade, the former 63rd overall pick scored six goals and 14 assists for the Devils in 45 games played this year.

His offense did not translate as well once he touched down in the Bay Area of California, earning only three assists in the next 22 games for the Sharks. Unfortunately for Zetterlund, in San Jose, he was only able to average just under 14 minutes of ice time per night.

In the next several years, if the Sharks are able to bump Zetterlund’s playing time to over 15 minutes a night on average, Zetterlund’s offensive capabilities should thrive. He has always been known as a player with impressive speed and has always stood out as one of the more engaged players on the forecheck.

Other RFAs: F Jacob Peterson, F Evgeny Svechnikov, F Jonah Gadjovich, F Martin Kaut, G Eetu Makiniemi, G Strauss Mann

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Andreas Johnsson – Also acquired in the deal for Meier, Johnsson was receiving almost completely zero playing time in New Jersey. After two years prior with the Devils, Johnsson had completely fallen out of favor with head coach Lindy Ruff.

Unfortunately, much of the same continued with the Sharks since the trade. In only 11 games played in San Jose, Johnsson had three assists, losing the rest of the season to an injury. For a one-time 40-point scorer with the Toronto Maple Leafs, it has been quite a fall from grace for Johnsson.

Although Johnsson may become a quality roster filler for San Jose during their rebuild, he is unlikely to find himself back in the Bay Area. Losing seemingly an entire season before unrestricted free agency has not typically worked out well in the past, and with a youth movement expected for the Sharks, Johnsson’s roster spot is likely better spent with a younger player.

G James Reimer – During the first year of his contract spent in San Jose, Reimer was actually quite good for the Sharks. In 48 games played during the 2021-22 season, Reimer held a 19-17-10 record, posting a .911 SV% and a 2.90 GAA. With not much of a solution in the net, Reimer held a trajectory of being a great stop-gap for the Sharks as they determined their long-term options.

This year, Reimer’s numbers fell off dramatically, holding a record of 12-21-8, managing a .890 SV% and a 3.48 GAA. Already having goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen in the mix, the Sharks shouldn’t be expected to retain Reimer this offseason. Likely not finding a role as starting goaltender this summer, Reimer could be coveted as a reliable backup option for most teams.

Other UFAs: F Jeffrey Viel, F Kyle Criscuolo, F C.J. Suess, D Derrick Pouliot, G Aaron Dell

Projected Cap Space

With a mostly mild crop of both restricted and unrestricted free agents heading into this offseason, San Jose’s salary cap situation looks more than manageable. Heading into this summer, the Sharks will have around $14.1MM to spend, with little of that being used to retain both Gregor and Zetterlund.

Given the decent amount of cap space, the Sharks should have a decent enough cushion to retain salaries on any potential trades this offseason. Although it would be in their best interest to clear these salaries overall, the likes of Erik Karlsson, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and potentially Logan Couture could all be on the block this summer.

Once a cap-strapped perennial contender every season, the Sharks’ salary cap situation is looking to open up more and more each year. As rookie General Manager Mike Grier continues to cultivate the roster for this team, the Sharks are going to have plenty of options moving forward.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

East Notes: DeBrincat, Hurricanes, Pesce

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In recent days, the trade market for Ottawa Senators forward Alex DeBrincat has heated up, as many sources have indicated that DeBrincat has given the Senators a list of teams that he would prefer to be traded to. As the Ottawa organization prepares to go through a sale in the next couple of weeks, DeBrincat has seemed to be apathetic towards signing a long-term deal with the Senators given the cloudy ownership situation.

To throw a little bit of cold water on the idea that DeBrincat may be moved by draft day this season, Steve Warne of The Hockey News reports from a source close to the family that DeBrincat is more than happy to continue his career in Canada’s capital. To quote the article, Warne writes, “[T]he 25-year-old winger remains open to staying with the Senators, but he is looking for term and wants to make sure he gets this right“.

Behind the scenes, it isn’t easy to fully ascertain the entire thought process that DeBrincat is putting into this situation, or which way he is leaning up to this point. All news indicates that he has not decided, but the Senators have given the young forward a deadline. By the draft, General Manager Pierre Dorion needs an answer from DeBrincat, as to whether he will sign a long-term deal in Ottawa, or if the team could make a trade to recoup some resources for his services.

Other notes:

  • With plenty of serviceable goaltenders set to hit the open market this summer, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that the Carolina Hurricanes are seeking to have their situation figured out sooner rather than later. Pagnotta did not hint to the point of anything being close, but simply that the Hurricanes are engaged in extension talks with both Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta. Realistically, Carolina will only keep around one of these netminders, likely having to determine the value proposition the team would receive from each based on their desired salary values. Having already signed Pyotr Kochetkov to a contract extension, the Hurricanes would likely be more than fine moving forward with only retaining one of these netminders.
  • Continuing on with the Hurricanes, David Pagnotta also reports that defenseman, Brett Pesce, has switched over his agent representation, joining Judd Moldaver of EVP Wasserman Hockey. Next season, Pesce will be entering the final year of a six-year, $24.15MM contract extension signed back in 2017. Over the last several seasons, Pesce’s contract has become one of the more team-friendly contracts in the NHL, and he and his agent will surely be looking for a significant raise next summer.

 

Dallas Stars Extend Alex Petrovic

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In a press release this evening, the Dallas Stars announced that the team has signed defenseman Alexander Petrovic to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The deal will pay Petrovic a total of $775K at the NHL level, and $375K at the AHL level.

Petrovic has had an important role in the Stars organization over the last several seasons despite not playing a game in Dallas. In 142 games spent with the Texas Stars of the AHL, Petrovic has scored a total of 14 goals and 32 assists, providing a good level of leadership to an otherwise young roster.

Before landing in Texas, Petrovic actually had quite a consistent career spent between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers. In the entirety of his career at the NHL level, Petrovic has played in 263 games, scoring five goals and 45 assists overall. It has been quite some time since Petrovic suited up at the game’s highest level, as his last game was with the Oilers back in 2019.

Due to the general health of the Stars’ defensemen, Petrovic hasn’t quite had the opportunity to play a game for Dallas. However, this summer, it’s expected that fellow-defenseman Joel Hanley will be leaving the Stars via unrestricted free agency, therefore giving Petrovic more of an opportunity as a potential call-up option next season.

Blackhawks Extend Andreas Athanasiou

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PuckPedia is reporting that the Chicago Blackhawks have signed pending unrestricted free agent forward, Andreas Athanasiou, to a 2-year, $8.5MM contract extension. Heading into this summer, Athanasiou was one of only a few Blackhawks scheduled to hit the open market.

In a few weeks, the expectation is that Chicago will select generational prospect, Connor Bedard, with the first overall selection of the 2023 NHL Draft. With the extension of Athanasiou, one of Bedard’s linemates should already be in place.

Originally signed by the Blackhawks to a 1-year, $3MM contract last offseason, it was expected that Chicago might peddle Athanasiou at the 2023 Trade Deadline, but decided to hold onto the forward instead. In 81 games for the Blackhawks this year, Athanasiou had a solid season, scoring 20 goals and 20 assists.

Primarily being known as a goal-scorer throughout his career, Athanasiou has managed to hit the 30-goal mark once, coming back in the 2018-19 season with the Detroit Red Wings. With the prospect of playing on a line with the NHL’s next big superstar, Athanasiou should be able to build on a productive season.

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