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Draft Pick Currency Makes Buffalo Sabres Dangerous During Rebuild

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Plenty of people have been impressed with the work Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill has done this offseason to help turn around a franchise that is working on a seven year playoff drought. Not only did the Sabres get the chance to finally select first in the NHL Entry Draft, adding Rasmus Dahlin to a blue line that desperately needed playmakers, but Botterill has improved the team’s depth immensely with several trades. Jeff Skinner, Conor Sheary, Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka, and Tage Thompson are all in line for full-time roles in a remade forward group, while Carter Hutton and Linus Ullmark should give the team a solid goaltending tandem to work with.

The Sabres did trade away a quality center in Ryan O’Reilly, but it’s with that deal that perhaps the most interesting part of the offseason arises for Buffalo. Today, an unnamed NHL GM told Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal that “nobody’s trading their first-round draft picks for 2019” given the immense talent that several players at the Hlinka-Gretzky U18 tournament showed off. Though potential first-overall pick Jack Hughes wasn’t part of the tournament—he played earlier this summer at the World Junior Summer Showcase and was working in Toronto with Connor McDavid and others—the rest of the field was filled with names that should be called out in the first round next June. Gord Miller of TSN suggested that “at least a dozen” players in the Canada-Sweden will be first-round picks, though some of those (including superstar Alexis Lafreniere) aren’t eligible in 2019.

It’s that idea that no one is willing to trade 2019 first-round picks that comes back to Buffalo, as the Sabres have already acquired a pair this offseason. When Evander Kane re-signed with the San Jose Sharks the team committed to sending their top pick to Buffalo in June, accepting that the upgraded selection was worth keeping the power forward in town long-term. Should the Sharks miss the playoffs this season they do still have an option to send a pick in 2020 instead, though that would come with no protection and could potentially be a situation like the Senators find themselves in currently. Buffalo also has a third first-round pick via the St. Louis Blues, who included it in the O’Reilly deal. That pick also has some protection that could slide it forward to 2020, though only if it ends up a top-10 selection.

The situation the Sabres now find themselves in is an enviable one, holding three picks in what should be an excellent draft class while likely being good enough to battle for a wild card playoff spot already. Knowing that they hold extra selections, Buffalo could be one of the most dangerous teams around trade deadline time. If they believe they can make the playoffs, who is to say they won’t go after a top tier player to help them down the stretch, even one that may not be in town for long. Giving playoff experience to this young group is a must if they are trying to build a real contender, and with “nobody” else willing to move first-round selections the Sabres could find themselves with the most leverage on the market.

On the other hand, there could be a real benefit to keeping all three picks and simply building up a huge prospect pool. With a trio of Dahlin, Jack Eichel and Casey Mittelstadt forming the core of a playoff contender, adding even more talent from the latter half of the first round can only help insulate them going forward. Though they finished dead last in 2017-18 the Sabres are one of the most interesting teams to watch this season, almost regardless of their decision.

Atlantic Notes: Red Wings, Krug, Reinhart, Kotkaniemi

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With the last piece of major housekeeping completed in Detroit after the Red Wings signed star Dylan Larkin to a five-year, $30.5MM deal, the team now has to take a look at their salary cap, which they will be over, even after they move forward Johan Franzen to LTIR. General manager Ken Holland told The Athletic’s Craig Custance, they will likely be “in the neighborhood” of $1MM over the cap.

“We’re very tight,” Holland said on Friday of the cap situation. “With this deal, we’re probably a dribble over. Not a lot, but we’re over. We’re going to have to make some decisions moving forward.”

One possibility would be to bury the contracts of Martin Frk and Luke Witkowski in the minors. However, if the team believes that veteran Henrik Zetterberg could end up missing the season as his injuries haven’t improved this summer, the team could place him on LTIR as well and wouldn’t have anything else to worry about. Custance adds, however, that if Zetterberg does return, that likely would end the chances of 2018 first-round pick Filip Zadina of making the roster out of training camp.

  • In a mailbag series, Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports writes that with eight quality NHL defenseman on the roster, the team will likely make a trade before the season starts. The team has Torey Krug, Zdeno Chara, Adam McQuaid, John Moore, Kevan Miller, Matt Grzelcyk, Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo on the roster. The scribe writes that could mean that the team might be ready to move Krug if the team can get a big return for the blueliner. And they would need to, as Krug is one of the top offensive defensemen in the league as only Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman, Brent Burns and John Klingberg have more points over the last two seasons. He has 22 goals and 110 points combined in that time.
  • The Athletic’s Ryan Stimson (subscription required) wonders where restricted free agent Sam Reinhart should play next year in the Buffalo Sabres’ lineup once he signs. The 22-year-old center has been a decent center for the Sabres in the past, but saw his game blossom once he was moved up and played on the wing next to top-line center Jack Eichel. With the team moving on from Ryan O’Reilly and bringing in prospect Casey Mittelstadt, what should the team do with Reinhart? The scribe breaks down Reinhart’s game and wonders if it would be best for the youngster to take over the team’s No. 2 center position and ease Mittelstadt in.
  • The Athletic’s Mitch Brown (subscription required) ranks the Montreal Canadiens’ top five prospects with 2018 third-overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi listed as their top prospect. The young centerman, who flew up the draft boards in the final weeks, anchors a list of prospects that Brown believes is the most exciting in the last five or six years. He has been successful playing in the SM-liiga as an 18-year-old and is expected to fill that long-waited hole in the middle.

Overseas Notes: Lundestrom, Vesalainen, Free Agents, Paille

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While the Anaheim Ducks finalized an entry-level contract with newest first-round pick Isac Lundestrom yesterday, don’t expect to see him donning a Ducks jersey right away. Beat writer Eric Stephens reports that Lundestrom is expected to remain in Sweden for at least one more year to finish out his contract with the SHL’s Lulea. This would line up with the specifics of Lundestrom’s contract, which contains a European Assignment Clause for next season. After that, Lundestrom’s future is more of a mystery, but the high-ceiling center is still relatively raw and likely a few seasons away from an NHL debut.

  • Another prospect in limbo between the NHL and Europe is the Winnipeg Jets’ 2017 first-rounder, Kristian Vesalainen. The 19-year-old power forward had a breakout campaign last year, recording 43 point in 49 games between HPK and Karpat of the Liiga, the top pro league in his native Finland, and impressing at the World Juniors. However, Vesalainen’s contract in Finlad has expired and he remains an unsigned – and highly sought-after – free agent across the continent, having now spent time in both Sweden and Finland. Yet, Vesalainen may be holding out for a spot with the Jets this season. The budding young star has yet to sign his entry-level contract, but may be hoping that he can somehow work his way in to a loaded forward corps in Winnipeg. Otherwise, one would think that he would have already signed with another team in Europe.
  • Speaking of European free agents, Vesalainen is not the only recognizable name still available who played overseas last season. After a point-per-game season with SC Bern of the Swiss NLA, Mason Raymond still remains unsigned, perhaps hoping for NHL interest. Raymond, offensive defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti, and capable two-way forward Nick Spaling highlight NLA players awaiting jobs, while Brandon Gormley and Jonathon Blum are puck-moving defenders still looking for a contract after playing in the SHL and KHL respectively last year. In Finland, veteran defenseman Henrik Tallinder has remained productive well into his late thirties but is still looking for another shot, while consistent forward Jesse Saarinen, a top 20 per-game scorer in the Liiga, also remains unemployed.
  • Joining the list of European free agents today is long-time NHL checking forward Daniel Paille. Paille, 34, spent 11 years with the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers before departing for Sweden in 2016. Paille signed a three-year deal with Brynas IF of the SHL and played well in his first season. However, injuries limited the two-way forward to just 14 games last season and Brynas decided to move on. The team announced today that both they and Paille have mutually agreed to terminate the final year of the contract, allowing Brynas to get out from under the contract and allowing Paille to focus on getting healthy. At this point, it is unclear if Paille will be actively looking for work this season or if he is leaning toward taking the year off or perhaps hanging up the skates for good.

 

Atlantic Notes: Bogosian, Callahan, Tallon, Zetterberg

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Buffalo Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian hasn’t played 80 games in a season since the 2009-10 season and hasn’t played 70 games since the year after that. Injuries have plagued the 28-year-old defenseman throughout his entire career to the point where he played a career-low 18 games last year after undergoing hip surgery and now, despite the fact that Buffalo still owes him $5.1MM, he’s considered to be an afterthought.

Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News writes that Bogosian claims that he’s healthy for the first time in quite a while and can’t wait for training camp to start. Bogosian claims that January’s hip surgery has been an issue for years and now that it’s been corrected, he’s playing healthy finally as he debuted in Da Beauty League earlier this week.

“What I lot of people don’t realize about this surgery is that this is something I’ve been dealing with and playing with for years. It wasn’t like I kept randomly getting hurt,” Bogosian said. “I needed to get it fixed and we decided to be proactive about it because we knew it would be a long time. There’s never any great time for surgery but I’m glad to have it done when I did. I’m having a great summer of training now.”

The veteran defenseman still has a way to go to prove that he can be counted on by Buffalo. The team has made quite a few changes, including adding first-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin to it’s defense. A healthy Bogosian could only help this team even more.

  • The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required) writes that forward Ryan Callahan, who underwent shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum on May 31, said he remains on schedule, but likely won’t be available for the regular season until Nov. 1. He has been working out in the gym and is expected to start skating in mid-August. The 33-year-old injured his shoulder in January, but continued to play through it until the team was eliminated in the playoffs. Despite his grittiness, locker room presence and special teams skills, Callahan has been involved in frequent trade rumors due to the two years remaining on his deal at $5.8MM AAV. “Obviously there’s anxious moments waiting to see that happening,” Callahan said. “You’d have to be in a hole to not see rumors and things going on. Lucky I’ve been in the league long enough to know a lot of it is rumors and not a lot of it happens. You look at what you can control, and my total energy and effort is trying to get my shoulder healthy and get back as soon as possible.”
  • Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said he’s thrilled with the team’s success upgrading its offense this offseason, according to Jameson Olive of NHL.com. The Panthers biggest addition was trading for winger Mike Hoffman in which the team traded a 2019 second-rounder as well as 2018 fourth and fifth round picks for a 22-goal scorer who had worn out his welcome in Ottawa. “You have to pay a lot for that type of player in free agency; you have to trade some of your rosters players to get a talent like that. It was a very opportune time or us. It worked in our favor. It doesn’t happen very often, where certain teams have to unload cap and have to make deals that maybe they’re not really willing to do at the time. For us, it was the right choice. It was the right move. We did pay. I’m not one to give up draft picks that readily. I really appreciate the value of a good pick. It’s not like we gave up nothing. We gave up some future picks, but we also felt it was necessary to add that depth to our team, especially when it’s the type of player that Hoffman is.”
  • Helene St. James of the Detroit Free-Press looks back at past NHL drafts and evaluates the teams booms and busts over the years, headed by Henrik Zetterberg, who was the team’s seventh-round pick back in 1999 — and has already reached 19 seasons and 1,000 games.

Sabres Notes: Botterill, Skinner, Reinhart, Smith, Okposo

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The Buffalo Sabres acquisition of winger Jeff Skinner only suggests to a defeated Buffalo fanbase that the Sabres intend to shake things up and improve on their inability to even reach the playoffs since the 2010-11 season. However, Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News takes it a step further as he suggests that general manager Jason Botterill and the Sabres fleeced the Carolina Hurricanes in their stealing of Skinner and it shows how Buffalo means business.

The key to the deal is the fact that Buffalo didn’t give them anything off their current rosters for a top-line left wing. The only player they did hand over will be playing in the NHL next season. Of the picks that Botterill did give to Carolina, the GM didn’t give up one of the three first-rounders that Buffalo has in the 2019 draft. And for Buffalo, Harrington writes, it’s a no-lose for the Sabres. If Skinner signs a long-term deals, they win. If they trade him at the deadline, they should be able to get a similar return than what they paid for him in the first place.

  • The Athletic’s Jon Vogl (subscription required) writes that Skinner is currently focused on getting integrated in Buffalo and coach Phil Housley’s system and his mind is not on his contract. The 26-year-old has said he is not focused on his contract. “Our focus with Jeff is to make this transition into Buffalo as easy as possible for him,” general manager Jason Botterill said, “for him to get settled in, focused in on the start of the season, go through the process here for him to get to know his teammates, get to know Phil (Housley), get to know myself, and we’ll talk about things such as extensions or contract down the road.”
  • The Athletic’s Joe Yerdon writes that there is little movement on a contract for Sabres’ restricted free agent Sam Reinhart. Botterill said the team would be waiting until all arbitration cases are completed, which suggests that Reinhart and his camp wanted to see how everyone did before agreeing to a new deal. Reinhart is coming off a career-high 25 goals and 50 points.
  • In another Yerdon piece, the scribe writes that the Sabres are expecting a lot of development from their defensemen now that they have assistant coach Steve Smith aboard for this upcoming season. The former Carolina Hurricanes’ assistant is well known for working well with young defensemen including Justin Faulk, Brett Pesce, Jaccob Slavin and Noah Hanifin to name a few. He could have a positive affect on a number of players in Buffalo, including Rasmus Dahlin, Rasmus Ristolainen, Nathan Beaulieu, Marco Scandella and Brendan Guhle.
  • Scott Billeck of NBC Sports writes that this will be a big year for high-priced winger Kyle Okposo to prove himself. After suffering through two major concussions over the past two years, the 30-year-old needs a bounce back season after posting just 34 goals over the past two seasons. He’s likely going to start on the team’s second-line next to rookie center Casey Mittelstadt. However, he must show he can stay healthy to even come close to showing he’s worthy of the $6MM AAV he’s carrying for the next five years.

Snapshots: Faulk, Skinner, Hanifin

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The Carolina Hurricanes traded Jeff Skinner yesterday, and many immediately jumped to a conclusion that they would be dealing Justin Faulk in the coming weeks. Faulk’s name has been listed just behind Skinner’s as potential trade bait for months, and with the extremely deep Carolina blue line there was an assumption someone would have to be moved. That might not necessarily happen just yet, as GM Don Waddell told reporters including Luke DeCock and Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer:

We never said we wanted to trade Justin Faulk. People assumed when we picked up Dougie Hamilton that was the direction we were going to go, but we don’t feel that same way. We feel if we do stay status quo, we’re going to have one of the best defensive corps in the league. Saying that, if some team steps up to the plate for him or another of our players we’re going to continue to look at that.

Faulk has two years left on his current contract and is a talent puck-moving defenseman, but currently projects out as the Hurricanes third option on the right side behind Hamilton and Brett Pesce. While it’s not clear exactly how the team will deploy their big crop of defensemen, with other teams in the league starved for right-handed blue line help you would think some offers have been brought to Waddell already. Interestingly though Waddell revealed that Faulk has a 16-team no-trade clause, something that hadn’t previously been reported.

  • Skinner meanwhile had a conference call of his own today, and explained why he waived his no-movement clause to go to the Buffalo Sabres. Joe Yerdon of The Athletic passes on that Skinner is excited about the young core in Buffalo, and that he’s looking forward to playing with Jack Eichel if he gets the chance. The Hurricanes meanwhile didn’t bring any other offers to him to try to get him to waive his clause, though Waddell told DeCock and Alexander that there was a “very limited” list of teams the young forward would have considered. The Sabres will now get a chance to convince Skinner to re-sign, given that his contract will expire in the summer of 2019.
  • A former Hurricane was the subject of conversation on Sportsnet 960 radio today, when Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving joined The Big Show with Rob Kerr and Pat Steinberg. Treliving said that the team is working with Hanifin on a new contract and that they’re heading in a “positive” direction, admitting that the arbitration cases were their priority for most of the summer. With arbitration finished, the Flames have just Hanifin and Hunter Shinkaruk still to sign as restricted free agents.

Sabres Acquire Jeff Skinner

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The Sabres have added to their forward group, announcing that they have acquired winger Jeff Skinner from Carolina.  In return, the Hurricanes receive prospect winger Cliff Pu, a 2019 second-round pick, a 2020 third-round pick, and a 2020 sixth-rounder.

Skinner spent his entire eight-year career with Carolina and had been one of their more consistent scoring threats during that time.  He had scored at least 20 goals in six of those seasons (and one of the years he didn’t was the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign).

He is, however, coming off of bit a quieter year by his standards.  Last season, he played in all 82 games, tallying 24 goals and 25 assists which ranked him fourth in team scoring.  That production was down considerably from 2016-17 when he posted a career-best 63 points.

It was a bit surprising how much the Hurricanes seemed to be interested in moving Skinner but with Don Waddell now at the helm of the franchise instead of former GM Ron Francis who was much more methodical, Carolina has been trying to shake up their roster this summer.  This is the second significant move they’ve made this offseason with the other seeing defenseman Noah Hanifin and forward Elias Lindholm shipped to Calgary for a package highlighted by blueliner Dougie Hamilton.

The Sabres likely will envision their new acquisition playing alongside Jack Eichel on a new-look top line.  Eichel hasn’t had someone like Skinner to play with thus far in his career and the same can be said for Skinner not quite having someone like Eichel as his center.  That combination should have Buffalo fans more enthusiastic heading into the season and if the two click, Skinner should be in line for quite the season as free agency approaches.

Buffalo is taking on Skinner’s full $5.725MM cap hit (with a $6MM salary).  The winger also waived his no-move clause to facilitate a deal, something that Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer reported earlier this week was complicating their efforts to move him.

As for Pu, Carolina is bringing in a quality prospect who has been a productive OHL scorer since being drafted in the third round (69th overall) two years ago.  He split last season between London and Kingston, combining to score 29 goals and 55 assists in 65 games.  Pu is now signed to his entry-level deal and will likely start next season with Charlotte of the AHL.

It will be interesting to see if the Hurricanes look to replace Skinner outside of the organization now that they have some payroll freed up.  Alternatively, they could look to second-overall pick Andrei Svechnikov to step in and play a top-six role right away.  Either way, Carolina is going to look quite different when the puck drops on the new season in October.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen Signs In OHL

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If you’re a fan of the Buffalo Sabres and the OHL you’re in luck, as top goaltending prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has decided to play for the Sudbury Wolves this season instead of going back to Finland. Luukkonen was the third pick in the CHL import draft which was a strong indicator that he would come to North America right away. The Sabres signed him to a three-year entry-level contract in June, and were likely big supporters of coming over where they can see him more often.

Luukkonen, 19, was the Sabres second-round pick in 2017 and is among the top goaltending prospects in hockey. Standing 6’4″ already, at times it can seem as though Luukkonen fills up the entire net with his huge frame and yet still has quick movements and reflexes. His results have varied throughout his career in Finland, but there are few who doubt his potential to be a starting goaltender one day in the NHL. That’s a tough thing to live up to for any young netminder though since the game changes so much at each level, meaning this year will be a good test to see if he can dominate right away.

Sudbury struggled all over the ice last season and had poor performances in net, but should be improved this season in front of Luukkonen. If he can perform well this season, there could be a spot for him in the AHL as soon as 2019-20. The Sabres are promoting Linus Ullmark to the NHL this season and signed Carter Hutton for the next three years, but don’t have a ton of young depth at the position. Scott Wedgewood will be the likely starter in the AHL this season, but that could be just keeping the crease warm for Luukkonen’s arrival.

Arizona Coyotes Discussed Ryan O’Reilly With Buffalo Sabres

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In an almost unprecedented example of behind the scenes access, the Arizona Coyotes have released a 16-minute video that follows GM John Chayka as he prepared for the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The feature shows clips from scouting discussions and prospect interviews, eventually concluding with the Coyotes first-round selection of Barrett Hayton with the fifth-overall pick. In one particularly interesting scene though, Chayka is in his office speaking with Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill about a trade for forward Hudson Fasching, which would eventually be announced on June 14th.

Before Chayka hangs up, he mentions to Botterill some ongoing talks he had been having with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and mentions their previous discussions about Ryan O’Reilly. We can only hear Chayka’s side of the conversation, but it is quite an interesting reveal.

We’re working with Jim [Rutherford], Pittsburgh on a few things. I guess as it relates to our O’Reilly discussions, is there anything there that would entice you, that you would consider to be an important piece that you’d like as part of that deal? 

Whatever Botterill responded with wasn’t a good fit for Chayka, who responded that it would be “tough to do” while they still had things brewing with Pittsburgh. O’Reilly would end up being traded to the St. Louis Blues on July 1st just before his signing bonus was due to be paid, while the Coyotes failed to make a trade with the Penguins at all. Interestingly, there were reports that the Penguins had been interested in Max Domi, who was traded to the Montreal Canadiens just a day after the Fasching deal was completed.

While there are likely plenty of other examples of teams discussing O’Reilly before he was eventually traded, the fact that the Coyotes were interested at least in passing shows how the team is ready to start competing for the playoffs instead of stockpiling young assets. Arizona really took a step forward in the second half of last season, and should be an improved team that could jump up in the standings this season. While they didn’t acquire an excellent two-way center like O’Reilly, they did add Alex Galchenyuk, Michael Grabner and Vinnie Hinostroza to a forward group that already had solid talents like Clayton Keller and Derek Stepan.

The Contract Each Team Would Most Like To Trade: Part III

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Nearly every team has one of those players: a top talent they were excited to sign and never thought could do anything but help them. In hindsight, history shows that more often than not, expensive, long-term free agent contracts don’t work out. It may look good at first (or it may look bad right away to the outside observer), but players struggle to make their value last throughout a lengthy contract. Those contracts come back to bite teams and are hard to get rid of. As teams begin to finalize their rosters at this point in the off-season, many are struggling to make everyone fit under the salary cap and are regretting these past signings that exasperate a cap crunch that can be tough for even a mistake-free club. We already took a look at the first third and second third of the league; here are the contracts that each of the final ten teams would most like to trade, from Philadelphia to Winnipeg:

Philadelphia Flyers: Andrew MacDonald – two years, $10MM remaining

Based purely on salary versus what he brings to the table, Jori Lehtera’s $4.7MM contract is the worst on the Flyers. However, Philadelphia is far from cap trouble this season, currently among the five lightest payrolls in the league, and Lehtera’s deal expires after this season. However, next year the Flyers will need to re-sign or replace Wayne Simmonds, hand new deals to Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny, and likely find a new starting goalie. The cap crunch will be much more real and the over-inflated $5MM contract of Andrew MacDonald will hurt. MacDonald’s six-year, $30MM contract was immediately panned by the public and it wasn’t long after that he was buried in the minors for cap relief and to keep him out of the lineup. MacDonald simply is not the player he was with the New York Islanders earlier in his career when he could eat major minutes, was stellar in man-to-man defense, and could block shots with the best. What he is being paid now is far beyond what he is actually worth. Some would say that Radko Gudas is worse, but that is an argument that suffers from recency bias. Combining the past two seasons, Gudas actually has the same amount of points as MacDonald in fewer games and less ice time, a better plus/minus rating, far more shots, and of course infinitely more hits. At $3.35MM for the next two years, Gudas is a far better deal.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Carl Hagelin – one year, $4MM remaining

The real answer is that GM Jim Rutherford would not like to trade any more players. He already ditched two of his worst contracts by sending Matt Hunwick and Conor Sheary to the Buffalo Sabres and he isn’t eager to make another salary dump. However, the reality is that Rutherford is going to find it hard to manipulate his roster this season with just over $1MM in cap space. As such, it is likely that another Penguin could be on the move. An outside observer could easily point to the Jack Johnson contract as one that stands little chance of maintaining its value over the term and the same argument could be made for Patric Hornqvist as well. However, Rutherford just signed those deals and wouldn’t move them even if he could. That leaves a short list of players who could be moved and the only one that sticks out as being overpriced is Carl Hagelin. Hagelin has played an important part of the Penguins’ reign over the past few years, but at $4MM he has not cracked 40 points in any of the three seasons and can go cold for weeks at a time. Rutherford won’t make a move unless it can benefit the team, but if he can get another scoring winger in exchange for a package that dumps Hagelin’s salary, he’ll do it.

San Jose Sharks: None

Mikkel Boedker, Joel Ward, and Paul Martin are all gone. Two top forwards, the two best defensemen, and the starting goalie are all locked up long-term at a reasonable rate. The Sharks have almost $4.5MM in cap space this season, giving them room to add. Congratulations to GM Doug Wilson and his staff. This roster is the epitome of cap compliance mixed with depth and talent. There is not one contract that the team would be interested in dumping.

St. Louis Blues: Alexander Steen – three years, $17.25MM remaining

The Blues currently have all but $285K of their cap space committed to 24 players. The team may send Chris Thorburn or Jordan Nolan down to the AHL, but will only gain marginal space. Something else has to give. If they could target any player to move to alleviate some pressure, it would be Alexander Steen. With just seven forwards and three defensemen (as of now) signed beyond next season and the majority of players in line for raises or free agent replacements, these cap woes aren’t going away anytime soon and an expensive long-term deal needs to be shipped out. Understandably, St. Louis is all in this season and wouldn’t be eager to ship out an important top-six piece. However, Ryan O’Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, Brayden Schenn, and Jaden Schwartz are the new young core up front now and paying 34-year-old Steen $5.75MM for three more years for declining production just doesn’t make sense. The Blues could potentially land some nice pieces from another contender for Steen as well. Admittedly, the Tyler Bozak contract looks even worse than Steen’s, but the Blues won’t be looking to trade a player they just signed.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Ryan Callahan – two years, $11.6MM remaining

The long-term implications of several other deals aside, the Lightning’s Stanley Cup window is wide open and their focus is on the here and now. The one player really impeding their ability to add freely to the roster is Ryan Callahan. While GM Steve Yzerman has excelled at extending most of his core below market value, the six-year, $34.8MM contract for Callahan was a mistake. Injuries limited Callahan to just 18 games in 2016-17, but last year he played in 67 games yet he only managed to score 18 points. Callahan’s days as an impact player are over, but he is still being paid like one at $5.8MM. While Tampa Bay can manage this season with close to $3MM in cap space, they would have more to work with without him. However, Callahan’s contract will really present a major road block next summer, when the Bolts need to re-sign Brayden Point, Yanni Gourde, Anton Stralman, and more. There is no doubt that Yzerman will look to unload Callahan’s contract before it comes to that point.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Nikita Zaitsev – six years, $27MM remaining

The Maple Leafs severely jumped the gun when they rewarded Nikita Zaitsev with a seven-year deal after his rookie season in 2016-17. Although Zaitsev was an import, making his NHL debut at 25 years old, his situation epitomizes why bridge deals exist. Toronto sought to lock him up long term and gave him nearly a maximum term at $4.5MM, just $500K less per year than top defender Morgan Rielly. In his encore performance last season, he showed that he is not worthy of the salary nor length of that contract, dropping from 36 points to 13 points for the year, turning the puck over at an alarming rate, and eventually becoming a healthy scratch. This team simply can’t afford the type of long-term mistake that they made with Zaitsev. While it’s nice that they have Reilly, John Tavares, and Nazem Kadri signed long-term, it’s Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander they need to worry about. The Maple Leafs will have to balance multiple expensive, long-term deals moving forward and would love for Zaitsev’s to not be one of them.

Vancouver Canucks: Loui Eriksson – four years, $24MM remaining

It seems unlikely that the recently-signed deals for Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel will work out well, but they at least deserve some time. Loui Eriksson has had his time and has done nothing with it. While the Canucks aren’t under any cap pressure, they can’t enjoy seeing Eriksson’s $6MM cap hit – the highest on the team – on the books for four more years, especially when the bulk of his front-loaded salary has already been paid out. Eriksson was brought in with an expectation that he would be the ultimate fit with Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Instead, he has scored just 47 points combined over two seasons, less than his final season total with the Boston Bruins. The Sedins are now gone, the team is trying to get both younger and more physical and defensive-minded, and Eriksson is simply an expensive poor fit. There’s not much more to say about a player who desperately needs a change of scenery and a team that wants him gone.

Vegas Golden Knights: None

The Golden Knights are riding high after an outrageously successful first season in the NHL. It is highly unlikely that they see anything wrong with their current contracts, almost all of which were either hand-picked or signed by GM George McPhee. Give it some time and that could change. Reilly Smith is notorious for a significant drop in production in his second year with a team, but is signed for four more years at $5MM. Paul Stastny for three years at $6.5MM per seems like a solid deal, but he has always produced better surrounded by equal talent. Does Vegas have enough to justify his signing? A $2.775MM cap hit for Ryan Reaves doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense. Finally, there’s the three-year, $21MM extension for heroic goalie but also 33-year-old well-worn vet Marc-Andre Fleury, which could end poorly. And this isn’t even counting what could be a massive reactionary contract for one-year breakout star William Karlsson. The Knights don’t see any problems right now after finding immediate success, but if they slide significantly in year two, things could get ugly.

Washington Capitals: T.J. Oshie – seven years, $40.25MM remaining

No, it’s not Tom Wilson. The call of the question is which contract each team wants to trade, not which is objectively the worst. Wilson’s contract does seem excessive, but he is just 24 and could grow into that salary (doubtful but possible). Plus, the organization loves what he brings to the team. T.J. Oshie on the other hand is heading in the wrong direction. Oshie has done what he was brought in to do: help the Capitals win the Stanley Cup. It took a max eight-year term to keep Oshie off the market last summer and now Washington has their Cup but also has a 31-year-old with diminishing returns signed for seven more years. Oshie could absolutely still help the Capitals over the next few years, but it’s doubtful that he will be back in 60-point range in that time. He also will be nothing more than a cap space vacuum when he’s in his late thirties making $5.75MM. Oshie is a great player and one of the more likeable guys in the league, but this contract has little upside left. The Capitals would at the very least consider trading Oshie now, which can’t be said for most of their other core players.

Winnipeg Jets: Jacob Trouba – one year, $5.5MM remaining

The list ends with a tricky one. Is $5.5MM a fair value for Trouba? An arbitrator thinks so and the Jets would likely agree. However, Trouba’s contract has been a nightmare for the team. The young defenseman clearly does not want to be in Winnipeg and has set himself up for yet another arbitration clash next summer, after which he will bolt in free agency. The Jets have no long-term security with Trouba and that meddles with their future planning. With Blake Wheeler, Tyler Myers, and several others also in need of new contracts next summer, the Jets don’t need another Trouba arbitration award cutting into their cap space just so that he can walk after the season. The team will definitely look to get maximum value in a trade for Trouba over the next season.

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