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Blues Not Planning To Use A Buyout This Offseason

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Like many teams this summer, cap space is at a premium for St. Louis this summer, leading to suggestions that they’ll try to move out a veteran player to free up some wiggle room.  If they wind up doing so, it won’t be via the buyout route as GM Doug Armstrong told reporters including Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he doesn’t see the Blues taking that approach with any of their players when the window opens up later this month.

As things stand, the Blues have around $7.5MM in cap room for next season, per CapFriendly, assuming that the Upper Limit only moves up by $1MM.  With that money, they have a few forwards to sign and possibly a backup goalie if they feel they’re better off with Joel Hofer getting one more season of starter minutes in the minors before moving up to the NHL full-time.  They have enough money to do those things but that won’t leave much left for roster improvements.  While Armstrong indicated that he will be looking to be active this summer, he understands the team isn’t a player or two away from getting back in the playoffs.

“I think there’s a little bit of you see the team that got in on the last couple of days go to the finals, it’s like let’s get there really quick again. We want to make sure that we’re doing things that are long-term success. I don’t see us being, as I said, very active. We’re going to be active, but we’re going to be smart active, we’re not just one player away from being a favorite to win.”

Some wondered if defenseman Marco Scandella could be a buyout candidate this summer with one year left on his deal that carries a $3.275MM cap charge.  He has struggled in recent seasons and dealt with injury woes in 2022-23 but he was able to return late in the year, making him buyout-eligible.  Such a move would have freed up $2MM in cap savings for next season but added $1MM in dead money for 2024-25.  Armstrong’s comments would appear to take that idea off the table although it wouldn’t be surprising to see the veteran shopped on the trade market in the coming weeks.

It has been quite a while since St. Louis went the route of a contract buyout as the team has done it only twice with the most recent coming back in 2009 when they opted to buy out the final season of Jay McKee’s contract.  It doesn’t appear as if they’ll be ending that streak this summer.

East Notes: Killorn, Orlov, Rangers

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The Lightning are believed to have made a long-term, low AAV offer to pending unrestricted free agent winger Alex Killorn, notes Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his latest 32 Thoughts column.  The 33-year-old is coming off a career year that saw him put up 27 goals and 37 assists in 82 games and has the most points of any player set to hit the open market.  After playing on a $4.45MM AAV deal that has been team-friendly the last couple of seasons, Killorn will have a chance at a sizable increase in free agency.  Tampa Bay would undoubtedly love to keep him in the fold but with minimal cap space to work with this summer, they can’t afford to pay market value.  Accordingly, their most realistic chance to keep him is a long-term agreement that would almost certainly be an overpayment by the time it expires but a low enough AAV that they can squeak him in under the Upper Limit.  Even so, that will be a tough sell.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • While the Bruins would likely want to keep defenseman Dmitry Orlov in the fold if they could free up enough cap space to do so, the veteran told Sport-Express’ Alexey Shevchenko that he’s looking forward to seeing what’s available in free agency. The 31-year-old is coming off another strong season, notching 36 points in 66 games between Washington and Boston while logging 22:33 per night, the second-highest ATOI of his career.  Orlov, who also indicated that he’s not planning to sign in the KHL, is coming off a contract that carries a $5.1MM AAV and is likely to get a fair bit more than that on the open market with a long-term agreement.
  • The Rangers have not yet interviewed Patrick Roy for their coaching vacancy, reports Larry Brooks of the New York Post. However, it’s worth noting that Roy is still coaching with his QMJHL team, Quebec, set to play the final game of the Memorial Cup on Sunday so perhaps at that time, GM Chris Drury might reach out to his former teammate.  Roy has some NHL experience under his belt having spent three seasons behind the bench in Colorado before abruptly resigning in 2016.  Among coaches still available New York has already interviewed Peter Laviolette and Jay Leach and the team is set to do so soon with John Hynes if they haven’t already done so.

Offseason Checklist: Minnesota Wild

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The offseason has arrived for all but the two 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 Minnesota.

Despite leading the NHL in dead cap space by a significant margin, the Wild were in the thick of the playoff race at the trade deadline, resulting in GM Bill Guerin opting to add several pieces to aid in what they hoped would be a long playoff run.  Instead, it was an early exit at the hands of Dallas.  The in-season flexibility they had is no more but Minnesota’s checklist this offseason involves trying to add proven (and thus, more expensive) players at multiple positions to their roster.

Look For Center Upgrade

This has been a long-standing issue for the Wild going back for years.  They have always had some strong pieces on their roster but finding consistent impact middlemen has been a challenge.  Joel Eriksson Ek is coming along nicely and has become a quality two-way top-six center but isn’t a top option.  Frederick Gaudreau has fared better than they could have hoped when they signed him in 2021 but he’s not an ideal top-six threat.  Ryan Hartman can play down the middle but is a better fit on the wing while Sam Steel isn’t the solution either.

In an ideal world, the Wild find a way to land a top center, filling a long-standing need and giving Kirill Kaprizov a true running mate on the top line.  But realistically, is that achievable?  There aren’t any true number one options in free agency and while Winnipeg might have an impact center available on the trade front, would they really move him within the division?  That doesn’t seem too likely.

Taking a step down, adding another second-line center, while still a difficult task in this market, would still be a big help.  That would at least allow them to mix and match the newcomer with Eriksson Ek which helps in matchups.  It would also give them a boost offensively after finishing 22nd in the NHL in goals scored.  However, it must be said that they only have about $9MM in cap space per CapFriendly with anywhere from six to eight players needing to fit into that money.  Finding a way to add some proven help down the middle would result in them subtracting from somewhere else on their roster.

Minnesota still likely has high hopes for Marco Rossi, the ninth-overall pick back in 2020.  A natural center, he could eventually fill a spot in the top six.  But that time won’t be coming next season after a tough showing that saw him record just one assist in 19 NHL games although he picked up 51 points in 53 games with AHL Iowa.  Down the road, Rossi could be an option but they shouldn’t be counting on him for too much in 2023-24.

Re-Sign Gustavsson

Last offseason, Guerin freed up some cap room by moving Cam Talbot to Ottawa for Filip Gustavsson, a move that opened up nearly $2.9MM in flexibility.  The swap certainly carried some risk to it as they went from a proven NHL netminder to one that had all of 27 games of experience with numbers that weren’t overly confidence-inspiring.  However, those concerns were unfounded as the 24-year-old had a simply dominant 2022-23 campaign, recording a 2.10 GAA and a .931 SV% in 39 games, ranking him second to only Boston’s Linus Ullmark in both categories.

The timing was great for such a showing as Gustavsson is set to become a restricted free agent this summer with salary arbitration rights for the first time.  He’s well-positioned to earn a significant raise on the $787.5K AAV he had the last two seasons although, with now just 66 regular season appearances under his belt, it’s fair to say that he doesn’t have enough of a track record to land true starter money (nor can they afford to give him that).

One question that Guerin will need to answer is how long he wants the deal to be.  Gustavsson is two years away from UFA eligibility while they also have top prospect Jesper Wallstedt waiting in the wings.  A long-term contract is out of the question but is the better play to do a medium-term agreement or a one-year pact that buys both sides more time to assess if his performance was a one-off or a sign of things to come?

The one-year deal would be cheaper (likely somewhere in the $3MM area) but it would also give him a quick ticket to file for arbitration in 2024 and go straight to unrestricted free agency the following year if he wanted.  On the slip side, a contract that buys out a year or two of UFA eligibility would likely push past the $4MM mark but give them a bit of certainty in the NHL with Marc-Andre Fleury’s deal up next summer and Wallstedt still a few years away from being ready to push for the starting job.  But can they afford that and accomplish everything else they want or need to this summer?  That could be tricky and ultimately dictate what direction they go with their young netminder.

Zuccarello Extension Talks

While his tenure with Minnesota got off to a bit of a slow start in 2019-20 in the first of his five-year deal, veteran winger Mats Zuccarello has been one of the key producers for the Wild since then.  The 35-year-old has frequently been on a line with Kaprizov and the results were certainly there this season as Zuccarello surpassed the 20-goal mark for the second time while picking up 67 points, the second-most of his career.  His two most productive years have been the last two seasons.  That’s certainly a strong selling point heading into extension talks this summer; Zuccarello is eligible for a new deal as of July 1st.

Zuccarello’s next deal will be a 35-plus agreement as he’ll be starting his age-37 season in 2024-25 but even so, there’s a good chance he’ll get a multi-year contract.  However, that age is likely to be a mitigating factor when it comes to the cost.  At a $6MM price tag currently, his recent level of production would typically move that AAV higher but it might not in this case.

Some teams have shown a willingness to add on an extra year than they might prefer in return for a lower cap hit and it wouldn’t be too shocking to see Minnesota do so here.  They still have two seasons of significant dead cap space from the Ryan Suter and Zach Parise buyouts before those costs dip by more than $13MM.  That would make it easier for them to carry Zuccarello a little longer on their books long-term while his accepting a similar (if not slightly lesser) cap charge now will help their short-term challenges for 2024-25.  This one doesn’t have to get done now but as the offseason progresses, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the two sides get the ball rolling on discussions.

Add Defensive Help

Minnesota’s back end is going to look a bit different on opening night in October compared to the unit that they iced at the end of the first round against Dallas.  Long-time Wild blueliner Mathew Dumba seems all but a lock to move on now following a tough year.  Trade deadline addition John Klingberg was a straight rental and isn’t expected to be back either.  On top of that, veteran Alex Goligoski clearly doesn’t seem to be a part of their plans moving forward after being scratched more than 30 times during the regular season and the entire first round.  He still has another year left at $2MM and it’s likely they wouldn’t mind finding a new home for him, assuming Goligoski waives his trade protection.

Additionally, there are questions about Calen Addison’s future with the team after he, too, sat in the playoffs.  The 23-year-old had a productive year with 29 points in 62 games and is set to become a restricted free agent for the first time this summer.  He should have some trade value if they decide to move him but that’s also going to open up another spot on the back end to fill.

Brock Faber will be around for his first full professional campaign after signing late in the season but there is definitely at least one opening to fill, even if Addison sticks around.  In a perfect world, a top-four blueliner to round out the top three of Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, and Jacob Middleton but again, that will be tricky given their current salary cap situation.  Guerin is going to have to get creative to address this in the coming weeks as a result.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Transactions: 6/3/23

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Free agency is now less than a month away and activity on the transaction front is starting to pick up around the hockey world.  With that in mind, we’ll keep track of some of the minor moves of some interest here.

  • Russian winger Konstantin Okulov has again opted not to pursue an NHL contract, instead signing a two-year extension with CSKA Moscow, the KHL team announced. The 28-year-old has drawn NHL interest on several occasions and likely would have had a fairly strong market again this year after notching 54 points in 60 games this season, putting him tied for tenth in league scoring.  If he continues to play at that level over the next two years, there could still be some NHL interest for him in 2025.
  • While Carl Lindbom signed his entry-level deal with Vegas back on Thursday, he won’t be debuting in North America next season. Instead, Farjestad of the SHL announced that Vegas has loaned the 20-year-old to them for the 2023-24 campaign.  Lindbom had strong numbers in Sweden’s second-tier Allsvenskan this season, posting a 1.86 GAA with a .930 SV% in 36 games and will now get a chance to try his hand at Sweden’s top level.
  • Former Canadiens center Lukas Vejdemo has signed a four-year deal with SHL Leksand, per a team release. The 27-year-old missed most of last season after suffering a hamstring injury late in the 2021-22 campaign but caught on late with Djurgarden of the second-tier Allsvenskan late in the season.  The term of this deal makes it unlikely that Vejdemo – who has two goals in 13 career NHL games – will get another opportunity in North America.

This post will be updated throughout the day.

Mike Babcock Expected To Be Named Blue Jackets Head Coach

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It was expected by now that the Blue Jackets would officially have their head coach in place by now.  However, earlier today, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported (Twitter link) that the delay isn’t tied to their own deliberations but rather that something and/or someone was holding up the process.

TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that the someone in question is Mike Babcock and the something pertains to his old contract in Toronto.  Dreger reports that Babcock is expected to become the new bench boss in Columbus but the hold-up in making the move official is due to his former deal with the Maple Leafs which doesn’t expire until the end of June.  Speculatively, based on this, it would seem like the Blue Jackets are waiting for the final month of his eight-year, $50MM contract from back in 2015 to end so that they won’t have to be responsible for paying for part of that.  (Babcock will receive that money no matter what, either all from Toronto or partially from Columbus with the Maple Leafs covering the difference.)

Babcock last coached in the NHL back in the 2019-20 campaign before being let go by Toronto after a sluggish 9-10-4 start to their season.  His tenure in Toronto wasn’t the greatest overall but it came on the heels of a successful ten-year run behind the bench in Detroit, anchored by a Stanley Cup title in 2008.  Overall, the 60-year-old has a 700-418-183 record over parts of 17 seasons between Anaheim, Detroit, and Toronto but word surfaced following his departure from the Maple Leafs about a toxic playing environment with both the Red Wings and Maple Leafs.  Internationally, he is the only member of the ’Triple Gold’ club among coaches (Olympics, World Championships, and a Stanley Cup).

Babcock was briefly behind the bench again in 2021-22, working with the University of Saskatchewan on a volunteer basis, receiving a two-year deal.  However, he stepped aside last summer, indicating at the time that he was retiring from coaching although he could change his mind if the right situation came up.  It appears that he feels the Blue Jackets are the right situation.

Columbus was active last summer, making a big splash on the free agent market in Johnny Gaudreau while working out a multi-year deal with Patrik Laine to give their attack a strong one-two punch.  However, it didn’t materialize in the form of victories as the Blue Jackets finished dead last in the Eastern Conference with just 59 points, a sizable drop from the 81 they had the year before.  That resulted in Brad Larsen being let go at the end of the season.

Babcock will now be tasked with trying to turn things around in Columbus, a team that has some quality youngsters in the organization already while they’re set to add another with the third-overall pick later this month, a selection that could yield the future top center they’ve long been seeking.  It’s a surprising turn of events for someone who hadn’t really been considered much in recent years for NHL coaching opportunities but if he’s able to get the Blue Jackets back into the playoff mix relatively quickly, he’ll have a chance at finishing his coaching career on a better note than it would have ended otherwise.

Assuming this hire is made official – though it might take a few more weeks – there are now three remaining head coaching vacancies in the NHL – the Ducks, Flames, and Rangers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

West Notes: Anaheim’s Coaching Search, McLeod, Hellebuyck

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The Ducks have managed to keep things quiet for the most part about their head coaching search in terms of who is under consideration.  Eric Stephens of The Athletic suggests (subscription link) that former Vancouver head coach Travis Green could be a possible fit for the role and knows the market well having played for the team twice while living in the Orange County area full-time.  Green spent parts of five seasons behind the bench in Vancouver with the team posting a 133-147-34 record and was considered for Anaheim’s coaching job back in 2016, a job that wound up going to Randy Carlyle.

Stephens also notes that there are three former head coaches that aren’t believed to be a part of GM Pat Verbeek’s wide net of options: Bruce Boudreau, Jeff Blashill, and Kevin Dineen.  He also speculates that AHL Colorado bench boss Greg Cronin could be under consideration for the position.  Cronin interviewed for Boston’s job last summer that ultimately went to Jim Montgomery.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Bruce McCurdy of the Edmonton Journal pegs Ryan McLeod’s next contract as a potentially tricky negotiation for the Oilers. The 23-year-old had a decent showing in Edmonton’s bottom six this season, setting new career highs in goals (11) and points (23) despite only playing in 57 games.  McLeod is now arbitration-eligible this summer and with 138 career NHL regular season appearances under his belt, has enough of a track record to land a decent-sized raise on the $798K he made in 2022-23.  Cap space is once again limited for the Oilers this summer so it might take some time for both sides to find the sweet spot on what’s likely to be another short-term agreement.
  • Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun examines some possible trade options for Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, calling him their biggest bargaining chip this summer. The veteran is about to enter the final year of his contract and has made it known that his desire is to win.  If Winnipeg doesn’t think they can extend him in the coming weeks, they could look to move him in the days leading up to the draft later this month.  Hellebuyck, who had a 2.49 GAA with a .920 SV% this season, has a $6.166MM AAV in the final year of his contract and is likely to command several million more on his next deal.  Billeck highlights Los Angeles, Buffalo, and Ottawa as some potential landing spots for the 30-year-old.

John Gibson Hoping For Trade From Ducks

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Goaltender John Gibson has been a fixture between the pipes in Anaheim for the better part of a decade now and is one of their longest-tenured players.  However, it appears that he’s hoping his time with the team has come to an end as Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that the veteran has told the team that he is ready for a change of scenery.  Lisa Dillman of the Orange County Register adds that the request was made last month.

In his end-of-season presser back in April, Gibson made it clear that he wants to win.  He hasn’t been doing much of that lately as the Ducks have missed the playoffs in each of the last five years.  Although they’ve made some good progress in their rebuild by adding several key youngsters to the puzzle (including another with the second-overall pick later this month), they’re still not at the point yet where they’re ready to emerge as a consistent playoff contender.

With the team in front of him struggling, Gibson has seen his performance drop steadily as well.  He posted a 3.99 GAA this season, leading the league in goals allowed (200) and losses (31) although he still managed a .899 SV% which is right around the league average.  His highest save percentage over the last four seasons is .904 after putting up four straight seasons of .917 or better so it’s not as if this was a one-time dip.

It’s Gibson’s previous performance back when Anaheim was a playoff-caliber team that is likely to have teams interested in him this summer.  How much of his weakened performance was due to the struggles of the team in front of him, particularly their back end which has gotten considerably weaker over the years?  Is he still an above-average goalie with a better team in front of him?  If teams believe so, he’ll shoot to either the top of the list or close to it for desired acquisitions this summer in a goalie market that doesn’t have a lot of number one options.

However, the 29-year-old does have a bit of a pricey contract, one that has four years remaining at a $6.4MM AAV.  While plenty of teams could use a goaltending upgrade, not many of them can necessarily afford to take on the full freight of that deal.  Anaheim hasn’t used any of their three salary retention slots for 2023-24 and beyond although it should be noted that they have two retentions on the books (defensemen John Klingberg and Dmitry Kulikov) until July 1st.  Would they be willing to carry some dead cap space for four seasons to help facilitate a trade?  Alternatively, taking a high-priced contract back as an offset might be more palatable for GM Pat Verbeek.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Anaheim look to get a goaltender back as part of a return if they move Gibson.  Veteran Anthony Stolarz battled injury issues this season and is set to his unrestricted free agency and while Lukas Dostal might be ready to move up full-time to the NHL, he’s far from ready to take over as the starter.  If not, they’ll have to turn to free agency for a replacement but Pittsburgh’s Tristan Jarry is the only true number one on the market, assuming he doesn’t re-sign in the coming weeks.

Seravalli noted that Gibson was available last summer but the asking price was quite high.  While their asking price is still likely on the high side, if they’re more motivated to move him now as a result of Gibson’s ask, there’s a good chance that he’ll be suiting up somewhere else next season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest on Anthony Mantha

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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

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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.

Free Agent Focus: Edmonton Oilers

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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 Edmonton Oilers.

Key Restricted Free Agents

D Evan Bouchard – Bouchard is coming off back-to-back 40+ point seasons and was an absolute wrecking ball on the powerplay in the playoffs for the Oilers as he put up four goals and 13 assists in just 12 games. Now those numbers are staggering, however all but two of those points came with the man advantage.

If the Oilers had infinite cap space, they would likely prefer to get their budding offensive defenseman on a long-term contract, however given their cap constraints they will likely need to look at a bridge deal for 2-3 years. There are plenty of recent comparables for Bouchard with Noah Dobson being the most recent. A two-year deal with an average annual value around $4MM appears like the likeliest of outcomes for Bouchard this summer.

F Klim Kostin – Kostin was finally able to make an impact at the NHL level after several years of struggling to break through from the AHL. The former first round pick had never topped nine points in any NHL season prior to this past year with Edmonton, he settled into a bottom-6 role after coming over in a trade from the St. Louis Blues and was able to post 11 goals and 10 assists in 57 games. The intriguing thing about Kostin is his skill set, he is better suited for a role on a skill line but saw very little of that this year as he rarely played with Connor McDavid and saw just 17 minutes with Leon Draisaitl (in which he scored twice). Edmonton will have a full training camp with Kostin and could have an opportunity to try him on a skill line to see if they can find a fit for a player who will be on a miniscule cap number. Edmonton was apprehensive to try Kostin on the top lines this season due to his struggles away from the puck, but with nothing on the line to start the year, it’ll be an experiment worth conducting. Kostin is likely due for a one-year contract that will be around $1MM.

C Ryan McLeod – McLeod has topped 20 points in back-to-back seasons while toiling away in the Oilers bottom six. He is a former second-round pick who was one of the few Oilers in the bottom six who could move the puck with both speed and purpose. While he is strong with the puck his defensive metrics leave a bit to be desired. McLeod is young and is likely just scratching the surface of what he could be for Edmonton long term. He is arbitration eligible this summer meaning that McLeod will have some leverage when it comes to his contract negotiations. He is coming off a season in which he posted 11 goals and 12 assists in 57 games so he won’t break the bank, however his next contract could eat into 1/3 of Edmonton’s remaining cap space.

Other RFAs: F Raphael Lavoie, F Noah Philp, G Olivier Rodrigue

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Nick Bjugstad – Bjugstad came over to the Oilers before the trade deadline and was just okay. He put up six points in 18 regular season games with the club and followed it up with three goals in 12 playoff games as the Oilers were dropped in the second round. This is the third time Bjugstad will test free agency in the past three years, but the first time he will do so coming off a season in which he topped 20 points. Bjugstad once looked like he would develop into a power forward but has never been able to assert himself in that way. He is a good bottom six option at this point in his career but likely one that has priced himself out of Edmonton’s plans.

C Derek Ryan – Ryan played admirably for the Oilers this season as their fourth line center putting up 13 goals and seven assists in 80 games. While it was a drop off in numbers from the year prior, Ryan was still a big part of a much-improved bottom six for Edmonton. Ryan is undersized and at 36 years old his best games are likely behind him, however if he’s willing to come back at a cap hit that is comparable to the $1.25MM he made last season, it is something the Oilers should explore. Ryan can still kill penalties and take a lot of the defensive zone draws, and if he can continue to chip in the odd goal it would be worth the minimal investment.

F Mattias Janmark – It feels like Janmark has been in the league forever but the Stockholm, Sweden native is just 30 years old. Janmark signed a one-year deal with Edmonton last summer and provided decent value on a $1.25MM AAV as he put up 10 goals and 15 assists in 66 games. Those kinds of numbers have been typical for Janmark as he has put up between 21-25 points in five straight seasons. At this point Janmark is what he is, a depth forward who can chip in offence from time to time.  Janmark will likely seek a comparable contract this offseason but given Edmonton’s cap constraints they may look elsewhere to see if they can find better value.

Other UFAs: F Justin Bailey, F Tyler Benson, D Jason Demers, D Slater Koekkoek, D Oscar Klefbom, F Devin Shore, D Ryan Murray, G Mike Smith

Projected Cap Space

Edmonton has precious little cap room to fill out their roster as they currently have just under $6MM in space and 17 players signed for next season. Filling out their roster with quality players is going to be difficult and as evidenced in the playoffs, this is a flawed hockey team that needs to upgrade in several key positions. Ken Holland has said he will return to the helm for their final season of his contract, and it may be his final kick at the can since he has been unable to get the Oilers over the hump and they have many of the same shortcomings they had when he took over the club four years ago.

The club has committed big money to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl but both men are still playing on favorable contracts given their talent level. The Oilers have them locked up for a few more seasons but they are running out of time to build a Stanley Cup contender despite having two of the best players in the world.  The Oilers will need to make good use of their limited cap space and in a perfect world would be able to shed a bad contract or two. It’s going to be a busy summer in Edmonton as they look to regroup after another disappointing playoff exit.

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

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