PHR Playoff Primer: Florida Panthers vs Vegas Golden Knights
With the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs now underway, PHR makes its first foray into playoff series analysis with our 2023 Playoff Primers. Where does each team stand in their series, and what storylines could dominate on and off the ice? Our Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage concludes with the Stanley Cup Finals matchup between the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights.
Before the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals get underway, we know that one franchise will win its first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The last time this was true was back in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final, as the Washington Capitals defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.
For the Golden Knights, this will be their second Cup Final in six years, already becoming one of the most successful expansion franchises in the history of the league. Going on a Cinderella run for seemingly the entire year of their inception, the current iteration of the team has much more star talent than their last Finals appearance.
The Florida Panthers, a year removed from winning the President’s Trophy as the top regular season team, have mirrored the Golden Knights’ Cinderella run from six years ago. The last team to find a spot in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Panthers knocked off this year’s President’s Trophy winner, the Boston Bruins, followed up by knocking off the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes.
Regular Season Performance
Vegas: 51-22-9, 111 points, +43 goal differential
Florida: 42-32-8, 92 points, +17 goal differential
Head-To-Head
January 12, 2023: Vegas 4, Florida 2
March 7, 2023: Florida 2, Vegas 1
Season series tied 1-1-0
Team Storylines
In terms of offense, there are names that stick out immediately for both teams: Matthew Tkachuk for the Panthers, and Jack Eichel for Vegas. In 16 games for Tkachuk, the new pride of Florida has scored nine goals and 12 assists, including a whopping four game-winners. Already having four years of playoff experience under his belt with the Calgary Flames, this has been far and above Tkachuk’s best performance after the regular season.
Unlike Tkachuk, getting his first taste of NHL playoff action after many years spent with the rebuilding Buffalo Sabres, Eichel has shown exactly why he would have been a first-overall selection in any draft not featuring Connor McDavid. In 17 games played this postseason, Eichel has scored six goals and 12 assists, showing incredible prowess on Vegas’ powerplay.
Aside from their primary offensive weapon in Tkachuk, Florida has four other players that have scored over 10 points in this year’s playoffs, including Carter Verhaeghe, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, and Sam Bennett. Vegas, on the other hand, has a total of six players that have scored over 10 points, including Jonathan Marchessault, Ivan Barbashev, Mark Stone, William Karlsson, Chandler Stephenson, and Reilly Smith.
On defense, Florida’s primary defenseman in this year’s playoffs, and throughout much of the year has been Brandon Montour. Having a complete breakout year in the regular season, scoring 73 points in 80 games, Montour has kept up his excellent play throughout the playoffs. In 16 games, he’s scored six goals and three assists while averaging almost 28 minutes a night for the Panthers. If having a defenseman of Montour’s status wasn’t good enough, Florida also has the first-overall selection of the 2014 NHL Draft, Aaron Ekblad, in the midst, also carrying the ability to make big plays and eat steady minutes on the back end.
Clearly the best defenseman in Vegas, and arguably the top defenseman in this year’s playoffs, is Alex Pietrangelo. Although receiving a one-game suspension after slashing Edmonton Oilers’ all-star Leon Draisaitl, Pietrangelo has scored nine points in 16 games, averaging around 24 minutes a night for the Golden Knights. Carrying a rating of +8 up to this point, Pietrangelo has also been a fantastic powerplay quarterback for Vegas.
In net, as much as fans might think there is a larger separation between the two in terms of name recognition, both Sergei Bobrovsky and Adin Hill are playing some of the best goaltending of their individual careers. In 14 games for Bobrovsky, he has managed an 11-2-0 record, carrying a .935 SV% and a 2.21 GAA. Surprisingly, posting slightly better numbers than Bobrovsky, Hill has a 7-3-0 record in 11 games played, posting a .937 SV% and a 2.07 GAA.
Prediction
An often-used trope is especially good when it’s true, and in terms of this series, it could go either way. Both team’s are leaning on their star players for scoring, but are also receiving plenty of depth scoring as well. Both teams have minute-munching defensemen that can lead on both sides of the puck, and both teams have goaltenders that are playing superbly between the pipes.
Although it’s difficult to find any separation between these two teams, the one big distinction would be the goal differential, where Vegas holds a +10 advantage over the Panthers in that category. However, goal differential or not, the Panthers also hold a very slight advantage in winning percentage. Vegas was able to shut down McDavid, Draisaitl, and Roope Hintz, while Florida was table to silence Sebastian Aho, Mitch Marner, and David Pastrnak.
In the end, much like we’ve seen in past Stanley Cup Finals, the hockey gods will always have their way, and the more they win, the more it seems fate is on the side of the Panthers this year. Tkachuk has held the weight of his performance, and as the emotional leader above his shoulders for Florida throughout the playoffs, and look for him to replace that weight with 34.5 pounds of silver and nickel when all is said and done.
Prediction: Panthers win in seven games.
Latest on Anthony Mantha
Although there was a subtle expectation that he would eventually be put on the trading block, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports that Washington Capitals’ forward Anthony Mantha has officially been put on the trade block. Mantha will be entering the final year of a 4-year, $22.8MM contract extension that he signed with the Detroit Red Wings after the start of the 2020-21 NHL season.
In Mantha’s case, it will be particularly hard to gauge the potential trade value he might bring to the market this offseason. On one end, he has shown flashes in the past of being a potential 30-goal scorer at the professional level but has also shown flashes of being a pure salary dump.
This season, playing on a struggling Washington team, Mantha played in 67 games, scoring 11 goals and 16 assists. It was a far cry from the 49-goal and 96-point pace he carried in Detroit between 2017-19.
Simply to hypothesize, there are actually a few teams that may benefit from the style of game that Mantha would ultimately bring to a team. Although not maximizing his full offensive potential up to this point, Mantha has excelled throughout his career in terms of possession. His career average of 57.0 is by no means at the top of the NHL but would generally be regarded as a solid number for most players.
Free Agent Focus: Los Angeles Kings
Free agency is 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 Los Angeles Kings.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Gabriel Vilardi – Spending much of his 2021-22 season split between the Kings and their minor league affiliate, the Ontario Reign, this season became a pivotal year for the former 11th overall selection. With added pressure entering this season, Vilardi came through in a big way for Los Angeles.
Although losing some games to injury, Vilardi posted 23 goals and 18 assists in 63 games, finishing tied for fourth on the team in terms of goal-scoring. Defensively, Vilardi also held a positive advantage with the Kings, garnering 23 takeaways while only succumbing to 16 takeaways.
Aside from the topical numbers, Vilardi also aided Los Angeles with a 59.5 Corsi For %, showing that his deeper possession numbers progressed as well. Given the Kings’ salary cap situation, Vilardi may have to take a bridge deal, but he appears to be a player that Los Angeles may want to keep around for some time.
F Rasmus Kupari – Another first-round selection for the Kings (taken a year after Vilardi), Kupari has failed to break out in a large way. In 66 games for Kupari this season, he scored three goals and 12 assists, averaging about 10 minutes of ice time per game. Kupari has become a more physical player in Los Angeles, but he will need to raise his offensive prowess to be considered for a bigger role.
Other RFAs: F Jaret Anderson-Dolan, F Zack MacEwen, F Lias Andersson, F Aidan Dudas, F Samuel Fagemo, F Tyler Madden, F Nathan Schnarr, F Akil Thomas, F Taylor Ward, D Tobias Bjornfot, D Tobie Paquette-Bisson, G David Hrenak, G Jacob Ingham, G Matt Villalta
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
D Vladislav Gavrikov – Acquired in a trade deadline deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Gavrikov was exactly what Los Angeles needed heading into the playoffs. In 20 regular season games, he managed to score three goals and six assists but also managed a rating of +12 in an approximate average of 21 minutes a game.
In mid-May, it was reported that the Kings and Gavrikov were closing in on a contract extension, but little has been released after the fact. If Los Angeles and Gavrikov are able to come to an extension agreement, they will have added a formidable shutdown defenseman to their back end for the foreseeable future.
G Joonas Korpisalo – Also acquired in the Gavrikov trade at the deadline, Korpisalo finished the regular season with a 7-3-1 record, earning a .921 SV% and a 2.13 GAA after the trade. Korpisalo immediately became the starting goaltender the Kings desperately needed throughout the year but ultimately failed to help Los Angeles move past the first round of the 2023 playoffs.
In six playoff games, Korpisalo held a 2-4-0 record, only mustering a .892 SV% and a 3.77 GAA. As the playoffs conclude, and the Kings are determining their starting goaltender for next season, Korpisalo’s playoff performance may have scared Los Angeles away from making any future investment.
D Alexander Edler – If Edler does enter this year’s free agent market, he will likely have to settle for a league minimum salary. The longtime NHL veteran did the same last summer, signing a 1-year, $750K extension in Los Angeles, with another $750K available in performance bonuses.
Edler scored two goals and nine assists for the Kings this season and received just under 15 minutes of ice time per game, the lowest since his rookie season in the 2006-07 season. If Edler does continue his career, it will likely be with the Kings.
Other UFAs: None
Projected Cap Space
Heading into the offseason, the Kings are expected to have around $7.5MM available in cap space. If they do extend Vilardi and Gavrikov, those two contracts should eat into most of that remaining figure.
If Los Angeles is looking to make an addition, they will have to move out salary in some manner. With a loaded prospect system, if the Kings do move out a player in an effort to create salary relief, they are one of a few playoff teams to be able to fill that hole rather cheaply. As their young players continue to grow, there is a real possibility of Los Angeles returning a very similar team to the ice in 2023-24.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Snapshots: Hjorth, Trotz, Blue Jackets
As the deadline to sign players with expiring draft rights is tomorrow, the Columbus Blue Jackets will at least lose one player in the process. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that the Blue Jacket’s fourth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, Eric Hjorth, will not be signed by tomorrow’s deadline.
For the most part, Hjorth has spent most of his playing time since his draft year in the Swedish minor leagues. Most recently, playing in the HockeyAllsvenskan for the HC Vita Hasten, Hjorth scored three goals and six assists in 43 games played this year.
Although most teams are hoping for NHL-bound talent even into the later rounds, it does not appear that Columbus is missing out on a player that is ready for professional hockey in North America. Fortunately for the Blue Jackets, Hjorth is the only player in the organization that had expiring draft rights this season.
Other snapshots:
- In an interview with the press today, Barry Trotz partly explained the draft plan for the Nashville Predators this year. Alex Daugherty of PenaltyBoxRadio, reports that Trotz has told his scouts to “take some swings” and be aggressive in this month’s draft. Although coaching his teams to a relatively “boring” style of hockey, it appears that Trotz may employ a much different tactic as General Manager of the Predators.
- Earlier this week, it was reported that the Blue Jackets were on the edge of hiring the next head coach of the team. Unfortunately, Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports that the expectation is the team will not name a new head coach tonight, or at any point tomorrow. The Blue Jackets are still close to making a decision, but it appears that the front office has not yet come to a fully unanimous agreement.
Free Agent Focus: Detroit Red Wings
Free agency is now a little more than a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens up. 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 Detroit Red Wings.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Joe Veleno – As one of the higher touted prospects entering the 2018 NHL Draft, Veleno fell to Detroit at 30th overall, using the Vegas Golden Knights selection acquired in the Tomas Tatar trade. In his final season in the QMJHL, Veleno scored 104 points in 59 games, giving Red Wings’ fans a lot of optimism about his future.
Unfortunately, the relationship has been tepid up to this point, as Veleno reached a career-high in points this season, only scoring 20 points in 81 games. Although his offensive numbers have translated poorly from juniors, his play on the defensive side of the puck has actually improved considerably in his career.
Severely lacking in the faceoff dot, Veleno did have 30 takeaways compared to 17 giveaways this season. Throwing 152 hits as well for Detroit this season, Veleno carried a Defensive Point Share of 0.9, one of the highest on the team compared to the number of minutes played. If Detroit plans to cultivate Veleno into a defensive forward, they may need to move him out of the faceoff dot, but they will have ample space to continue his time wearing the Winged Wheel.
Other RFAs: F Matt Luff, D Gustav Lindstrom, F Pontus Andreasson, F Jasper Weatherby, D Seth Barton, D Jared McIsaac, D Wyatt Newpower, G John Lethemon
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Pius Suter – After not receiving a qualifying offer from the Chicago Blackhawks after the 2020-21 season, Suter became an under-the-radar signing for the Red Wings in the 2021-22 offseason. In his first season in Detroit, Suter scored 15 goals and 21 assists, improving on his numbers from the previous year.
Although scoring some big goals for the Red Wings this season, Suter took a dip in several departments this year. Although playing relatively the same amount of games this season, Suter had a 12-point drop in scoring, a 2.5% drop in faceoff percentage, and a 4.9% drop in Corsi For %. 
F Adam Erne – Becoming one of the better depth scorers in Detroit during the 2021-22 season, Erne seemed to be an odd man out for the Red Wings this year. On February 4th, 2023, Detroit placed Erne on waivers, and he would go on to clear one day later. With prospects making the jump to the NHL for the Red Wings, Erne has appeared to become a casualty of the youth movement.
G Alex Nedeljkovic – Acquired in a low-risk trade with the Carolina Hurricanes, Nedeljkovic had a subpar showing in his first season in Detroit. This year, Nedeljkovic had an even worse performance. Clearing waivers on January 16th, Nedeljkovic played in nine games prior, producing a 2-4-2 record, carrying a .880 SV% and a 3.88 GAA. Getting a second chance in March, Nedelkovic improved, posting a 2-2-0 record, and a .920 SV% with a 2.33 GAA.
Other UFAs: F Alex Chiasson, D Robert Hagg, D Jordan Oesterle, G Magnus Hellberg, D Mark Pysyk, F Dylan McLaughlin, F Danny O’Regan, F Chase Pearson, G Victor Brattstrom
Projected Cap Space
Hoping to be on the back end of a rebuilding effort, the Red Wings will have $30.66MM available to them this summer. With 16 players projected on the roster next season, Detroit has ample availability to get creative.
Expectedly, many of the available roster spots will be taken up by some of the team’s many prospects, but the Red Wings will have the ability to shop at the high end of the free-agent market this offseason.
Whether Steve Yzerman weaponizes his cap space by acquiring contracts and draft capital, or by making an acquisition to significantly improve the team, the financials included in any transaction will not be a factor for the Red Wings this summer.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
East Notes: Rangers, Holl, Maple Leafs
Already a day after his removal as the head coach of the Nashville Predators, John Hynes has plenty of interest from teams around the NHL. Per Mollie Walker of the New York Post, it appears that the New York Rangers have been given permission to interview Hynes for their head coaching vacancy.
The Rangers have already been heavily linked to Peter Laviolette, but with another veteran head coach now on the open market, it is only natural that the Rangers continue to do their due diligence. Having been a head coach in the NHL for the last nine seasons, Hynes fits the mold of an established coach that the Rangers appear to be after in their search.
In his first five years behind the bench of an NHL team, Hynes took the New Jersey Devils to a 150-159-45 record, appearing in the playoffs once during the 2017-18 season, losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. After his ouster in New Jersey, Hynes was hired by the Predators prior to the 2019-20 season.
In his four seasons in Nashville, Hynes coached the Predators to the playoffs three times, losing in the first round each year. After all was said and done in Nashville, Hynes held a 134-95-18 record with the Predators.
Other notes:
- In a report today from the Toronto Star, Kevin McGran reports that Justin Holl would like to return to the Toronto Maple Leafs next season. However, Holl’s agent, Brian Bartlett, recognizes that significant turnover is likely coming to the Maple Leafs’ roster this summer, and Holl could very well be an odd man out. Although providing good physical energy to Toronto’s bottom-four defensemen highlighted by his 139 blocks and 151 hits, Holl lacked mightily in the possession game with 28 takeaways compared to 56 giveaways.
- Confirming last week that the General Manager of the St.Louis Blues, Doug Armstrong, did not have an out clause in his contract to join the Maple Leafs as General Manager, Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest reports that Toronto never asked the Blues for permission to speak with Armstrong. Today, the Maple Leafs found their head of the front office by hiring Brad Treliving.
Free Agent Focus: Chicago Blackhawks
Free agency is now a little 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 continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Philipp Kurashev – Finishing off his third season in the NHL, Kurashev has yet to break out in any significant way with the Blackhawks. He was able to provide some decent depth scoring over the last two seasons, playing in a total of 137 games, scoring 15 goals and 31 assists. This year, due to the roster construction in Chicago, Kurashev was able to average about 17 and a half minutes on the ice, almost five minutes more than the previous season.
Unfortunately, on March 23rd of this year, Kurashev injured his shoulder, keeping him out for the rest of the season. Although he has been unable to have either an offensive or defensive breakout, he should be able to receive an ample amount of playing time in Chicago. The expectation is that the Blackhawks will select Connor Bedard with the first overall selection next month, which will likely be the most significant acquisition of the team over the summer. If this is the case, there are no other players that should eat into Kurashev’s minutes in the Windy City.
F Anders Bjork – After being acquired from the Boston Bruins on the other half of the Taylor Hall trade, Bjork was supposed to continue to grow into an offensive talent for the Buffalo Sabres. Unfortunately, that did not come to fruition for either side, and Bjork was sent to the Blackhawks for future considerations at this year’s trade deadline. In a handful of games for Chicago, Bjork did show some offensive prowess, scoring two goals and six assists in 13 games.
D Caleb Jones – Coming over from the Edmonton Oilers to play with his brother, Seth Jones, Caleb has become heavily utilized by the Blackhawks. After all was said and done this season, Jones finished third in average ice time on Chicago, only placing behind his brother and Connor Murphy. He has shown quite the ability to block shots and make hits, accruing over 100 of each this past year. As the Blackhawks look to create their next generation of hockey talent, Jones should add some extra stability throughout this transitional process.
Other RFAs: F Austin Wagner, D Ian Mitchell, F Joey Anderson, F Hunter Drew, F Maxim Golod, F Cameron Hillis, D Jakub Galvas, D Alec Regula
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Andreas Athanasiou – Thought to be a rental heading into this season, Athanasiou performed rather well for Chicago. Needing a grain of salt when analyzing the output from any player on the roster this season, Athanasiou was still able to score 20 goals and 20 assists, finishing third on the team in points (first place after the trades of Patrick Kane and Max Domi)
Although he would likely receive first-line even strength and power play minutes on this Blackhawk’s team, Chicago will have to make a decision on whether or not Athanasiou will be the appropriate winger to place with Bedard. If the team does go ahead with that option, Athanasiou may once again look for a one-year deal, raising his offensive output next to Bedard, and fully cash in next summer.
If Athanasiou does test the open market, he shouldn’t have any shortage of suitors, being that he can provide above-average secondary scoring to just about any team in the NHL. Although failing under the leadership of Todd McLellan and the Los Angeles Kings, Athanasiou has shown a talent to score throughout his entire career.
F Jonathan Toews – The only thing that has been confirmed about the future of Toews is that he will not be on the Blackhawks next season. Moving forward, especially taking into account his health issues and injury history, Toews will likely serve in a bottom-six role on a contending team next season if he does choose to play. At the time of the announcement, Chicago was unaware that it would have the privilege of selecting Bedard at the 2023 NHL Draft, but Toews would seem like a natural fit to help Bedard adjust to NHL life.
G Alex Stalock – Hampered by a bout of myocarditis losing him just about all of the 2021-22 NHL campaign, Stalock rebounded nicely for Chicago this year. He still dealt with some injury issues, but Stalock was able to post a 9-15-2 record, coupled with a .908 SV% and a 3.01 GAA. These numbers should find Stalock a backup role next year, and he eventually may find his way back to the Blackhawks. However, with Petr Mrazek receiving the largest share of starts, and the rise of Jaxson Stauber and Arvid Soderblom through the Chicago organization, Stalock may find himself elsewhere next season.
Other UFA’s: F Jujhar Khaira, D Andreas Englund, F Buddy Robinson, D Andy Welinski, G Anton Khudobin
Projected Cap Space
For the foreseeable future, cap space shouldn’t be an issue for the Blackhawks. Heading into this offseason, the team will have $41.7MM available to spend, and they should be able to weaponize that through trades. Even if the team makes a splash by bringing in another high-profile player to slot up next to Bedard, Chicago will still have ample space to take on a bad contract or too from cap-strapped teams.
Although the likes of Mrazek, Tyler Johnson, and Nikita Zaitsev will all be available for contract extensions on July 1st, Chicago likely will not be making any extensions like this yet. As prospects such as Kevin Korchinski, Frank Nazar, and Lukas Reichel make the full-time jump to the NHL, and factoring in the likely draft choice of Bedard this June, the Blackhawks will have a lot of flexibility moving forward to keep these young players for the long haul.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
IIHF Notes: Hall of Fame, Latvia, Bear
Earlier this morning, the IIHF officially inducted their 2023 Hall of Fame class, including former NHL stars such as Brian Leetch, Henrik Zetterberg, and Cristobal Huet. Also included in the induction: Sandra Dombrowski (official), Jimmy Foster (player), Kalervo Kummola (builder), Caroline Ouellette (player), Viktor Szelig (player), and Kimmo Leinonen (builder).
Although much is well known about their individual and team successes in the NHL, Leetch, Zetterberg, and Huet performed extremely well internationally as well. From 1987-2004, Leetch played in two World Championships, two World Cup of Hockey events, and three Olympic Games, scoring 41 points in 55 total games. In 1996, as he was captain of Team USA, Leetch helped the Americans to a gold medal in that year’s World Cup of Hockey.
Zetterberg, coming from Sweden, also played in quite a few international events, including four Olympic Games. In his second attempt in 2006, Zetterberg was able to help lead Team Sweden to a gold medal in the Turin, Italy Winter Olympics. Throughout his international career, spanning from 2001-2014 at the professional level, Zetterberg played in 73 international games, scoring 17 goals and 38 assists.
Going down as likely one of, if not the best hockey player to ever come out of France, Huet spent many years between the pipes for the French national team. Unfortunately, throughout his rather lengthy international career, Team France was only able to qualify for two Olympic Games, in 1998 and 2002. In 87 career games on the international scene, Huet racked up a total of 4,589 minutes played, adding six total shutouts for Team France.
Other notes:
- Earlier this morning, winning their first IIHF tournament medal in their country’s history, Team Latvia beat Team USA in overtime. Kristians Rubins, who is currently playing for the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL, scored both the game-tying goal and the game-winning goal, awarding Latvia the bronze medal. In the championship, Team Canada will face off against Team Germany.
- Rick Dhaliwal of the Vancouver Athletic reports that defenseman Ethan Bear has missed the last two games for Team Canada due to an upper-body injury. Bear, who will be a restricted free agent for the Vancouver Canucks this offseason, will return to Vancouver to be re-evaluated by team staff.
Daniel Briere To Consider Trading Carter Hart
The new General Manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, Daniel Briere, has acknowledged the possibility that goaltender Carter Hart may be on the move this summer. In a post from Philadelphia Hockey Now, Chuck Bausman reports the quote, where Briere said, “Most likely, Carter will be our goalie for the future, but I’m not in a position to turn down anything, I have to listen.”
After becoming the interim General Manager for the Flyers in March, Briere quickly acknowledged that Philadelphia was headed toward a rebuild. Failing to make the playoffs the last three seasons, Briere will be looking to change up his roster starting this summer.
In all likelihood, Hart will remain the Flyers’ goaltender of the future, but putting out the possibility of a trade to the public should raise some eyebrows. At still only 24 years old, and with Hart only becoming a restricted free agent at the conclusion of his current contract, Hart should be considered a building block in Philadelphia’s rebuilding efforts.
Aside from a disastrous 2020-21 season, Hart has shown to be a quality goaltender in the NHL. This past season, Hart started in 54 games, holding a record of 22-23-10, and posting a .907 SV% and a 2.94 GAA. Especially considering that the Flyers finished 23rd in the league in GA/G, Hart’s production added some much-needed stability to a lineup that his wholly lacking in that department.
If Philadelphia does end up moving on from Hart, factoring in his age, his performance, and the flexibility provided in his contract, there should be plenty of suitors for his services. For context, although not holding two above-average goaltenders like the 2012-13 Vancouver Canucks, the Canucks were able to trade Cory Schneider at the 2013 NHL Draft for the ninth overall pick, which would go on to become Bo Horvat.
Schneider did hold a longer string of success compared to Hart, but considering that Hart is three years younger compared to when Schneider was traded, and they hold similar contracts, the Flyers could conceivably receive a large haul for Hart.
Free Agent Focus: Carolina Hurricanes
Free agency is now a little 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 continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Jesse Puljujarvi – After being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers at the 2022-23 NHL trade deadline, Puljujarvi did not take a serious step in getting his offensive production back on track in Carolina. In 58 games with Edmonton prior to the move, Puljujarvi scored five goals and nine assists, also increasing his physical play by managing 112 hits. After the trade, Puljujarvi managed 17 games with the Hurricanes, only scoring two assists. Things did not improve much in the playoffs, as Puljujarvi only played in seven of a possible 15 games. The Hurricanes will likely give serious consideration to non-tendering Puljujarvi, making him an unrestricted free agent.
D Dylan Coghlan – Coming over in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights last summer that also landed Pacioretty in Carolina, Coghlan was primarily used as a depth defenseman for the Hurricanes this season. Only managing to suit up in 17 games, Coghlan scored three assists for Carolina, averaging almost 13 minutes of ice time a night. To his disadvantage, the Hurricanes’ defensive depth was simply too deep for Coghlan to find any more playing time.
Other RFAs: D Maxime Lajoie, F Dominik Bokk, F Stelio Mattheos, D Cavan Fitzgerald
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Max Pacioretty – In one of the most disappointing storylines from the Hurricanes this season, the offseason acquisition of Pacioretty did not pan out for the team. Shortly after the team acquired him, Pacioretty suffered a torn Achilles tendon during an offseason workout, which ruled him out for the first several months of the 2022-23 season.
Upon making his return on January 5th against the Nashville Predators, Pacioretty immediately became the player that Carolina was hoping he would be. In five games played, Pacioretty scored three goals, providing offense to a team that was severely lacking in that department in relation to their spot in the league standings.
In a horrible sequence, on January 19th, two weeks to the day that he made his return to the ice, Pacioretty once again suffered a torn Achilles in a game against the Minnesota Wild. Although it will be both incredibly physically and mentally difficult to make a return to the ice following this injury, the Hurricanes could look to retain Pacioretty at a much lower price point, given his injury history over the past couple of seasons. If he is to make another return to the NHL, Carolina would surely benefit from the offense that he has been able to provide to teams in the past.
D Shayne Gostisbehere – Acquired from the Arizona Coyotes for a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the addition of Gostisbehere to Carolina’s defensive core shored up all of the edges. Re-igniting his offensive flame since joining the Coyotes last season, Gostisbehere managed back-to-back seasons of being a half-point-per-game player. In 23 games in Carolina, Gostisbehere scored three goals and seven assists, while also adding three assists on the Hurricane’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals this season.
F Jordan Staal – Finishing off the last season of a 10-year, $60MM contract extension signed prior to the 2012-13 season, Staal has spent the majority of his career in Carolina. Taking over as full-time captain during the 2019-20 season, Staal has become a foundational leader in the Hurricanes locker room. Although his offensive contributions have waned over the last several years, Staal is still very much capable of providing 30-40 points each season and still remains one of the better defensive centers in the game, highlighted by his faceoff percentage and takeaways.
G Frederik Andersen – One season removed from winning the William M. Jennings trophy, the 2022-23 season did not go as planned for Andersen. Dealing with injuries for much of the season, Andersen managed to play in 34 games, posting a 21-11-1 record, garnering a .903 SV% and a 2.48 GAA. In the playoffs, however, Andersen found his game, accruing a 5-3-0 record with a .927 SV% and a 1.83 GAA.
Other UFA’s: F Jesper Fast, F Mackenzie MacEachern, F Paul Stastny, F Derek Stepan, D Calvin de Haan, G Antti Raanta, G Zach Sawchenko, D Jake Gardiner, F Ondrej Kase, F Jack Dugan, F Ryan Dzingel, F Malte Stromwall, D William Lagesson
Projected Cap Space
For their financial outlook, the Hurricanes are projected to have around $24.1MM available in cap space heading into the summer. They currently have eight forwards, five defensemen, and one goaltender currently projected on the roster. This should be plenty of money to fill in their depth around the edges, and even make some improvements in other areas of the team.
On July 1st, major players such as Sebastian Aho, Martin Necas, and Brett Pesce will all be able to sign extensions, and that should be where the priority lies for Carolina this offseason. The Hurricanes only have three players currently signed beyond the 2025-26 season, and will have to find ways to keep their core around if they wish to continue being a regular Stanley Cup contender.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.