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Vegas Golden Knights Sign Carl Lindbom

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The Vegas Golden Knights have inked goalie Carl Lindbom to a three-year, entry-level contract, says the Las Vegas Sun’s Danny Webster. PuckPedia reports the deal carries an $840,000 cap hit.

Lindbom, 20, slipped all the way to 222nd overall in the 2021 Draft after he was limited to just eight junior games in the Swedish J20 Nationell season, posting a subpar .890 save percentage in the process. It’s been a sharp rise for Lindbom since then, and his numbers suggest a budding goalie with a potential NHL future.

In fact, Lindbom, who had his birthday just days ago, has gone from draft blip to professional world-beater in Sweden’s second-tier league, the Allsvenskan. Along with posting two shutouts in seven appearances for Sweden at the 2023 Men’s World Juniors, Lindbom took home Rookie of the Year and Goalie of the Year honors with the Allsvenksan’s Djurgårdens IF.

He posted a staggering .930 save percentage, seven shutouts, a 1.86 goals-against average, and a 25-11-0 record in 36 games, adding a .941 save percentage in five SHL qualification matches. Unfortunately, an injury in his fifth game knocked him out for the rest of the postseason, and Djurgården would lose to MoDo in the Allsvenskan championship series, keeping them in the second-tier league for 2023-24.

Lindbom is likely destined for the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights next season, where he’ll gun for a starting role with 24-year-old Jiri Patera, who made his NHL debut for the Golden Knights in 2022-23.

Patrick Kane Undergoes Hip Surgery, Out 4-6 Months

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Pending unrestricted free agent forward Patrick Kane underwent a hip resurfacing procedure today, according to his agent, Pat Brisson. The expected recovery time is four to six months, which will keep Kane out for most of training camp at a minimum.

Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, doctors are optimistic this won’t impact Kane’s career trajectory. This is the same procedure that Washington Capitals center Nicklas Bäckström underwent last offseason; he had 21 points in 39 games in 2022-23 after returning to play in January.

Kane has been dealing with hip issues for the past few seasons, but their severity evidently increased this season. Surgery was on the table as an option before his trade from the Chicago Blackhawks to the New York Rangers, and he recorded just 57 points, a career-low for him in a full season.

Hip resurfacing is similar to a hip replacement procedure but less invasive. Instead of entire parts of the hip being replaced with artificial components, only the damaged parts of the hip are trimmed away and replaced with a metal shell.

Given Kane’s age and the Rangers’ need to elevate their younger players in the lineup, it seemed rather unlikely the two parties would meet on an extension even without the recovery time from the surgery in the picture. The procedure now throws into question when (or if) a team will sign Kane – it’s not outlandish to predict he’ll still be looking for a home when the puck drops on the 2023-24 regular season.

The 34-year-old admitted early last month that he wasn’t fully healthy during the Rangers’ postseason run and would prioritize his healthy this offseason.

Drafted first overall in 2007, Kane has (assumedly) wrapped up his half-decade-plus-long career in Chicago with 446 goals and 1,225 points in 1,161 games. He had five goals and 12 points in 19 games down the stretch of the 2022-23 season with the Rangers.

Again, this doesn’t seem to be a career-ending procedure for Kane, but with the Rangers looking to maximize their competitiveness next season and Chicago focused on rebuilding, he’ll likely need to complete his recovery before donning a new uniform.

Penguins Notes: Lawrence, GM Search, Jarry

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With one-half of their next front office duo settled, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ organizational focus now turns toward hiring a new general manager. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli notes the field of candidates could expand if Dubas is given input into the hiring process, naming current Columbus analytical consultant Cam Lawrence as a possibility.

Lawrence, also the Chief Financial Officer at nutritional retail company GNC, was also previously involved with the Florida Panthers’ analytics and scouting department from 2015 to 2021. In that time, his input helped Florida acquire undervalued players such as Jonathan Marchessault, Carter Verhaeghe, and Reilly Smith. If hired, it would make Pittsburgh one of the most analytically proficient front offices in the league. Seravalli notes Pittsburgh did interview Lawrence earlier in their search process.

  • In his introductory press conference today, new president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas offered some insight into an updated timeline for their general manager search. Dubas said he plans to handle the beginning of this offseason, including the draft and free agency, as the interim general manager, meaning a new hire for the position is no longer imminent. Any move will likely come later in the offseason after the team’s roster situation for 2023-24 is settled.
  • No choice is bigger for Pittsburgh this offseason than what to do in the crease. Capable but injury-prone starter Tristan Jarry is slated for unrestricted free agency on July 1, and Dubas says he plans on meeting with Jarry and Penguins goalie coach Andy Chiodo before making a decision on whether to retain him. It doesn’t seem the team is willing to pay above market value to have him back, with Dubas saying the team “will be doing a very thorough evaluation of Tristan and review where he stands in the marketplace.”

Capitals Notes: Draft Rights, Fehervary, Dowd, Sandin

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Many NHL-drafted but unsigned players are set to become free agents today if they don’t sign within the next four hours. Today, The Athletic’s Tarik El-Bashir confirmed two Capitals prospects will hit the open market: Czech defenseman Martin Has and Canadian defender Dru Krebs.

Krebs, the brother of Buffalo Sabres forward Peyton Krebs, was selected in the sixth round of the 2021 NHL Draft. While he had a strong year in 2020-21 in limited action due to COVID, the 2021-22 campaign was nightmarish for him, finishing with just 19 points in 66 games with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers and a staggering -58 rating. He rebounded nicely this season, but the 20-year-old’s flaws displayed after his draft year likely signal an NHL future isn’t in the cards.

Has, 22, was a member of Washington’s 2019 draft class. The fifth-round pick played unsigned in the Capitals organization this year, registering 12 points in 50 games as a member of the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays.

  • Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan told reporters today that the team hasn’t begun speaking to pending restricted free agent defenseman Martin Fehervary about an extension yet, but “expects discussions to pick up soon.” Fehervary, Washington’s second-round pick in 2018, is coming off his entry-level deal. In his sophomore season with the Caps, the 23-year-old consistently played a top-four role and posted 16 points in 67 games.
  • MacLellan also said center Nic Dowd underwent core surgery recently, aiming to fix an ailment that was bugging him near the end of the season. Dowd is expected to recover in time for training camp in September. The 33-year-old bottom-six center has two seasons remaining at a cap hit of $1.3MM and is coming off a career-high 13 goals.
  • Lastly, in more positive news for Washington, MacLellan revealed the injury Swedish defenseman Rasmus Sandin sustained near the end of this year’s Men’s World Championship isn’t serious and carries no long-term concern. Sandin was electric for Washington after coming over from Toronto near the end of the season, posting 15 points in 19 games and averaging nearly 23 minutes per game. The 23-year-old former first-round pick will look to step into a consistent top-four role with the Caps next season, potentially alongside John Carlson.

Hilary Knight Named IIHF Female Player Of The Year

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United States hockey superstar Hilary Knight has made history as the inaugural recipient of the IIHF’s Female Player of the Year award, the international body announced Thursday morning.

Knight, 33, is an absolute stalwart in the sport, trailing perhaps only Canada’s Marie-Philip Poulin as the best active women’s hockey player on this side of the Atlantic. Per the IIHF, she received an overwhelming 40.9% of the total votes for the award.

Knight expressed her gratitude for being named the award’s initial recipient:

I am honored to be the first recipient of such a prestigious award. There are many talented women at this level, and it is a privilege to be recognized as the IIHF Female Player of the Year. Reflecting on this year it’s hard to pinpoint one highlight, rather a collection of memories shared with my teammates. I am grateful to be a part of such an incredible group and share these special moments with my friends. The sport and the women who play it deserve the largest stage and biggest spotlight. My hope is that the sport continues to grow and reach greater heights. Although hockey is a team sport, having awards and accolades that acknowledge accomplishments help drive more visibility. Thank you, IIHF, for creating this award, as it is important to recognize outstanding athletic performances.

The voting process involved members of the media from 16 IIHF member countries. Knight’s outstanding performances throughout the year, including her display at the 2023 Women’s World Championship in Brampton, earned her the award. She led all players at the tournament with eight goals in seven games, the tournament-record fifth time she’s achieved the feat.

Three of those eight goals came in the gold medal game against Canada. Her second goal in that game was the game-winner and marked her third game-winning goal in an IIHF Women’s World Championship gold medal game, another tournament record.

Across her career, Knight is a nine-time gold medallist at the Women’s Worlds, a one-time gold medallist and three-time silver medallist at the Olympics, and an Isobel Cup champion with the Boston Pride in 2016.

Boston Bruins’ Kai Wissmann Returning To Germany

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After a one-year attempt at making a pro hockey career in North America, Boston Bruins depth defenseman Kai Wissmann is returning to the DEL’s Eisbären Berlin for 2023-24, according to the team.

During his one-year stay in the Bruins organization, Wissmann, 26, never got an NHL look. However, a solid showing with Germany at the recently-concluded Men’s World Championship could have garnered Wissmann some NHL interest for next season, as it did after the 2022 edition of the tournament.

In his lone season with the Bruins, spent entirely with AHL Providence, Wissmann registered a goal and eight assists (nine points) in 31 games. He didn’t appear in any Calder Cup Playoff contests for Providence, failing to earn much of any responsibility at the AHL level.

Berlin announced that Wissmann signed a long-term deal but didn’t clarify its length. It’s safe to assume he’ll play the rest of his career overseas after being unable to secure an everyday AHL role in his mid-20s.

Before joining the Bruins in 2022, Wissmann had been a part of the Eisbären organization dating back to junior hockey in 2012. The only team he’s ever played for in the top German league, Wissmann has logged six goals, 62 assists, 68 points, and a +67 rating over nine seasons and 285 games with Berlin.

Wissmann had a career-high four goals and 20 points with Berlin in 2021-22, spearheading the NHL contract offer from Boston. He’s still technically a pending restricted free agent so the team can retain his NHL rights with a qualifying offer. Given the long-term commitment in Germany, that’s an improbable scenario.

Wissmann said the following on his return to his home country:

During my time in the AHL, I noticed more and more how much I missed the atmosphere in the different DEL arenas. Especially at our home games in the Mercedes-Benz Arena. I’m really looking forward to hearing the whole arena sing our polar bear song again before we enter through the polar bear’s head. When I think about it, I’m already motivated again for the coming season. It feels like coming home to me. Berlin is a great city.

Pittsburgh Penguins Name Kyle Dubas President Of Hockey Operations

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have hired former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas as their next president of hockey operations, the team said Thursday morning. The search will continue for a new GM after firing Ron Hextall at the end of the season.

Dubas succeeds the outgoing Brian Burke, the first person Pittsburgh had named to a president of hockey ops position in their front office in franchise history. According to the team, Dubas’ role will be to “oversee all aspects of the Penguins hockey operations department, including establishing the strategic vision and philosophy for the franchise.”

Pittsburgh fired both Hextall and Burke after one of the more dysfunctional seasons in recent memory for Pittsburgh, which ended a league-high 16-season playoff streak.

After nine seasons as GM and assistant GM in Toronto, Dubas will no longer be tasked with making player personnel decisions. He’ll essentially oversee whoever Pittsburgh hires for the GM role, guiding/mentoring them to construct a roster aligning with Dubas’ team vision.

To put it simply: Dubas will decide how to get the Penguins out of their aging, mediocre state. Pittsburgh’s pending GM hire’s performance will determine how effectively it happens.

Speculation continues about who that hire might be. Current reporting indicates a two-person race between Seattle Kraken assistant GM Jason Botterill and Tampa Bay Lightning assistant GM Mathieu Darche.

Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic also said Thursday morning that Pittsburgh had informed Dallas Stars front office member Stephen Greeley he was out of the running for the still-vacant GM role.

While playoff success didn’t follow Dubas much in Toronto, he did create and fine-tune a roster capable of contending for a championship. He oversaw three of the five best regular seasons in franchise history by points percentage (2019, 2022, 2023) and was at the helm when Toronto won their first playoff series in nearly two decades, defeating the defending Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

Dubas gave the following statement on joining the Penguins:

On behalf of my family, we are thrilled to join the Pittsburgh Penguins organization and all of the incredible people across Fenway Sports Group. I am deeply appreciative of the opportunity that lies ahead of me. The ownership group, FSG leadership and the Penguins staff on the ground in Pittsburgh have been absolutely outstanding. Everyone has demonstrated a clear commitment to building a best-in-class hockey operation. The rich history of winning and the competitiveness of the coaching staff and players were evident in each conversation I had about this position. The opportunity to work with such passionate and committed people, as well as the established character and leadership of the long-standing core group of talented players, gives me great enthusiasm for the challenge at hand. Our family has been made to feel extremely comfortable throughout this process and we are excited to now call Pittsburgh our home.

The outgoing Toronto GM said last month he would likely stay in Toronto or not work in the league next year, taking time to be with his family. That changed when Toronto president Brendan Shanahan made Dubas’ decision for him, letting him go with his contract with Toronto expiring this offseason.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

June 2023 Critical Dates Calendar

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There are a maximum of seven games left in the 2022-23 playoffs with the Golden Knights and Panthers kicking off the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday and the offseason activity is soon to begin.  When it does, it will come quickly as June is a particularly busy month on the calendar.  CapFriendly recently provided (Twitter link) an overview of the key dates ahead.  Here’s a rundown of those dates and their importance.

June 1:

4 PM CT: Deadline to sign certain draft picks.  If these players don’t sign by this time, the team who drafted or acquired the player will lose the rights.  If they remain draft-eligible, they’ll go back into the draft.  Otherwise, they’ll become unrestricted free agents.

4 PM CT: Deadline to tender a Bona Fide offer to 2022 draftees.  This one falls under the radar but teams actually have to extend an offer to each player they picked in order to retain their rights.  It only has to be a minimum salary agreement and can be done as a formality quickly after the draft.  Periodically, teams opt not to tender an offer and if that happens, they lose the rights to the player.

June 15:

4 PM CT: Deadline for teams to sign international players under contract for next season.  For example, a team has a European prospect that is signed through 2023-24.  In order to register a valid NHL contract for next season through the transfer agreement, the player must be signed by this time.  This also applies to players that are presently free agents in the NHL.

Later of June 15 or 48 hours after Stanley Cup Final ends:

Opening of the first buyout window.  This could come as late as June 21st if the Cup Final goes the distance.  Teams can execute regular buyouts, paying two-thirds of the remaining salary of the player over two times the remaining length of the contract.  That rate drops to one-third if the player is younger than 26 at the time of the buyout.

Deadline for first club-elected arbitration.  Teams can elect to take a player to arbitration instead of waiting to see if that player opts to file later in the summer.  It would be a way to ensure that a contract is in place instead of running the risk of a holdout.  Players can only be taken to arbitration once in their career and must be arbitration-eligible to do so; they can’t do so with unrestricted free agents.  It’s rare that a team goes this route and even rarer that it’s done at this point.  There is a second window that briefly opens in early July and that’s when the odd club-elected arbitration is announced.

June 28/29

NHL Entry Draft

June 30

4 PM CT – Closure of regular buyout window.  Teams could have a second window open up later in July if they have arbitration filings.

4 PM CT – Qualifying offer deadline.  Any player who doesn’t receive one will become an unrestricted free agent the next day.

6 PM CT – RFA Contact Period.  Players who have been tendered a qualifying offer are eligible to discuss offer sheets with other teams.  No formal offer can be made until free agency officially opens on July 1st at 11 AM CT.

If you’re wondering about a UFA Contact Period, there isn’t one of those anymore.  Officially, teams aren’t allowed to speak to unrestricted free agents until July 1st at 11 AM CT.  Unofficially, we know that rule isn’t exactly being enforced based on the high number of contracts officially announced mere minutes after the market officially opens up.

With more than 200 players joining teams in the draft, quite a few players being non-tendered, and, as things stand at least, more than 300 players set to hit the open market barring them re-signing, the final few days of June and the beginning of July figure to be quite the frenzy.  Between those and the usual increase in trade activity around that time, we’ll be in for a very busy stretch of transactions in the not-too-distant future.

West Notes: Domi, Savard, Weegar, Masters, Puistola

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Stars center Max Domi profiles as one of the top options on what is a thin UFA market for middlemen this summer but he told reporters including Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News that he’s hoping to remain with the team.  Acquired from Chicago at the trade deadline, the 28-year-old didn’t make too much of an immediate impact with only seven of his 56 points coming with Dallas but he was more productive in the playoffs, notching 13 points in their 19 contests.

Since his entry-level deal expired back in 2018, Domi hasn’t signed a contract longer than two years but indicated that getting some more stability would be something he’d like to do.  Meanwhile, with the Stars having a little over $7MM in projected cap space per CapFriendly and several forwards needing to be signed with that money, finding a financial fit could be tricky as Domi will certainly be looking for a raise on the $3MM he made this season.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Add Marc Savard’s name to the long list of head coaching candidates in Calgary as TSN’s Darren Dreger reported in a recent Insider Trading segment that the long-time NHL center is also under consideration. Savard has spent the last two seasons coaching with OHL Windsor and also has a single season behind an NHL bench, serving as an assistant in St. Louis in 2019-20.  The Flames are seeking a new bench boss after letting Darryl Sutter go at the beginning of the month.
  • Still with the Flames, MacKenzie Weegar has a new agent as Nick Riopel of Propulsion Sports Agency announced (Twitter link) that they are now representing the blueliner. He had previously been with Mazerolle & Lemay.  Weegar will begin his new contract next season, an eight-year deal that carries an AAV of $6.25MM, making him Calgary’s highest-paid defenseman.
  • Wild prospect Kyle Masters was quickly ruled out for the rest of the Memorial Cup after suffering an injury in Kamloops’ second game but he’ll be out for a while longer as Michael Russo of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that the lower-body injury will keep the blueliner sidelined for three months. While that means he should be ready for the start of training camp, it will certainly affect his summer training, hardly ideal as he looks to make the jump to playing with AHL Iowa next season.  Masters had 65 points in 66 games with the Blazers this season.
  • The Oilers are not expected to sign prospect Patrik Puistola in advance of tomorrow’s deadline, reports Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal (Twitter link). The 22-year-old was acquired as part of the Jesse Puljujarvi deal back in February and had a strong season with Jukurit in Finland’s top division, notching 40 points in 60 games.  However, Puistola is already under contract overseas through next season meaning Edmonton would have had to wait even longer to get him in North America.

Offseason Checklist: New York Islanders

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The offseason has arrived for all but the three teams that still have a shot at winning the Stanley Cup.  It’s time to examine what those eliminated squads will need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at the Islanders.

New York has made several bold moves over the last 12 months, first moving a first-round pick to add defenseman Alexander Romanov from Montreal before moving another first-rounder along with Anthony Beauvillier and Aatu Raty to acquire center Bo Horvat from Vancouver.  They wasted little time extending Horvat to a new deal with a cap hit of $8.5MM just months after extending Mathew Barzal on a max-term agreement worth $9.15MM per season.  Despite the aggressiveness from GM Lou Lamoriello, the end result was a quick exit from the playoffs.  While this summer shouldn’t feature much in the way of bold activity, the Isles still have some things to accomplish.

Sign A Backup Goalie

For the past four seasons, Semyon Varlamov has been an important netminder for the Islanders.  He has been quite consistent as well with his save percentage in three of those seasons ranging from .911 to .914; the outlier was his career-best performance in 2020-21 (.929) which saw him crack the top five in Vezina voting.  In the last two years, he has ceded playing time to Ilya Sorokin which made his $5MM AAV a bit on the high side but New York was able to play an above-average netminder in every game this season.  Not too many teams could say that.

However, the 35-year-old is set to hit the open market in July and with Sorokin entrenched as the starter, it’s reasonable to think that Varlamov will look to head elsewhere in the hopes of a bigger role although regardless of where he lands, it’s quite likely that he’ll be facing a cut in pay as well.  Lamoriello will need to find a replacement.  It would be surprising to see that replacement coming from inside the organization as veteran Cory Schneider is also set to hit the open market while AHL starter Jakub Skarek has yet to see NHL action.

With a projection of around $5.3MM in cap space per CapFriendly with other spots to fill (more on those later) and the fact that Sorokin is one of the better starters in the NHL, it would seem that this is a spot that Lamoriello can try to shop closer to the lower end of the market and target a second-stringer closer to the $1.5MM range.  Of course, there’s a risk in doing so if Sorokin gets hurt but many teams with a top goalie adopt this approach to allow them to spend more on other spots so it would be quite reasonable for New York to follow suit.

Clear Bailey’s Contract

Josh Bailey has been with the Islanders for quite a long time.  Very quietly, he ranks third in franchise history in games played, just three behind Denis Potvin for second.  He’s seventh in Islanders history in points and a decent showing next season could get him into the top five.  The 33-year-old has been with the team for 15 seasons now after making the jump to the NHL just months after being drafted in the first round back in 2008.  All things considered, he has been a pretty good ninth-overall selection.

And yet, in spite of all of this, one of the biggest keys to their offseason is the Islanders finding a way to offload the final year of Bailey’s contract, one that carries a $5MM AAV.  After more than 1,000 games played, he has started to slow down and his point production (25) this season was the second-lowest of his career.  The only time it was lower was the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign.  Bailey is being paid like a top-six forward but it’s fair to wonder if he can be that type of player anymore.

Let’s look back at their cap figure from earlier, around $5.3MM in cap space.  If they can find a way to move Bailey elsewhere, that comes close to doubling and all of a sudden, Lamoriello has some options to try to add to his roster.  If he’s unable to move him though, then they are going to be very limited in what they can do.

Of course, moving Bailey’s contract outright is going to be a challenge.  Yes, there are some teams who will be able to take on a bad deal for a season but they’re not going to do so without being properly incentivized.  With several teams needing to offload salary, the price to do it is going to be steep.  New York’s prospect pool has taken a hit lately and again, they don’t have a first-rounder in the upcoming draft.  If it costs a first-rounder to move that contract, are they going to be willing to do it?  Yes, they have all their upcoming second-round selections but two of those might not be enough if there are a high number of motivated teams that want or need to clear money.

There is another option to consider, the buyout.  It would save some money this season – $2.333MM – but when you factor in that another player (making at least $775K) has to fill his spot, the net savings aren’t enough to really give them many more spending options this summer.  Add that to the fact he’d carry a dead cap charge of $1.167MM in 2024-25 and it’s not a route they’re going to want to pursue.

For a decade and a half, Bailey has basically been a fixture in the lineup for the Islanders.  It’s a tough way to leave but expect them to be quite active in trying to prevent him from suiting up for a 16th season with the franchise.

Re-Sign Or Replace Mayfield

One of the things that Lamoriello needs more cap space to do this summer is to re-sign defenseman Scott Mayfield.  When former GM Garth Snow signed Mayfield to a five-year contract when he barely had 100 career NHL games under his belt, eyebrows were raised.  However, the AAV of that agreement – $1.45MM – was low enough to mitigate the risk while giving the blueliner a guaranteed payday after spending a lot of time in the minors.

Let’s just say that the contract worked out splendidly for the Isles.  Mayfield has been a steady regular throughout the life of the agreement, averaging just shy of 20 minutes a night over those five seasons.  Basically, he has been a top-four defenseman at a cost that is less than what a lot of teams pay their sixth option.

Now that Mayfield is set to hit the open market for the first time, he won’t be a bargain any longer.  The 30-year-old has a chance to triple that AAV (or at least come close to doing so), taking him closer to the $4MM mark, a number that would take up the majority of their limited cap room.  A right-shot defender, Mayfield will be one of the top options on that side of the ice in free agency.

Mayfield has made it clear that his desire is to remain with the Islanders but if his market price gets too high, New York will need to pivot elsewhere; one way or another, they’ll need to spend on a defender in the coming weeks.  But if they can create some extra cap flexibility sooner than later, there’s a good chance that Mayfield will get his wish and stay with the team that drafted him in the second round back in 2011.

Add Scoring Help

While the Islanders added Horvat midseason to try to help their offense, his production dipped upon being acquired as he had just seven goals in 30 regular season games after the swap while only tallying once in six playoff games.  The team finished 23rd in scoring despite Brock Nelson having a career year while Anders Lee matched his 28-goal showing from 2021-22; Zach Parise passed the 20-goal mark as well.

The problem is that those were the only players to have at least 20 goals on the season.  If the threshold is lowered to 15, only Kyle Palmieri clears that plateau and only sparingly.  Yes, injuries to him and Barzal didn’t help but full seasons from those two wouldn’t have moved them into being an above-average team offensively.

This is where freeing up Bailey’s salary could go a long way, assuming the space they have now is earmarked for the back end.  If they could use that on a more productive forward (one that would score more than the eight goals that Bailey potted), that would give them at least a small boost.  They wouldn’t be able to add a top liner for that money but any upgrade would help.  Oliver Wahlstrom – who also battled injury trouble this season – is young enough to still improve and him becoming a 20-goal player would also help.

There are enough pieces here to at least get to becoming a mid-pack team offensively; doing so would likely get them a few more wins which could be enough to push for a top-three seed in the division if all goes well next season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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