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James van Riemsdyk

New Jersey Devils Pursued Patrick Maroon, James Van Riemsdyk

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The New Jersey Devils have signed just one forward—Kurtis Gabriel—in free agency, but it hasn’t been for lack of trying. GM Ray Shero spoke to media today including radio play-by-play announcer Matt Loughlin and admitted that the team had pursued James van Riemsdyk and Patrick Maroon, before they both ultimately signed elsewhere. Maroon specifically was offered more money to stay in New Jersey than he received from the St. Louis Blues, but made the decision to return to his hometown and play closer to his young son.

New Jersey has an incredible amount of cap space this summer, but can’t seem to find any free agents to spend it on after trying and failing with a few forwards. Michael Grabner, who also was acquired at the trade deadline like Maroon, signed a three-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes. The Devils have a good young group of players and a superstar in Taylor Hall they have to start thinking about an extension for—Hall has two years remaining on his current deal—but could still afford to add a few names and salary before the beginning of the year. They made the playoffs in 2017-18 somewhat surprisingly and should try to continue that level of play going forward.

There’s plenty of work to do for the Devils, who have seven restricted free agents still to sign, but it is surprising there hasn’t been more announced so far. There is obviously opportunities to use that cap space as an asset, similar to the way they took Marcus Johansson off the hands of the Washington Capitals last year for a discounted price. If more situations like the reported Erik Karlsson-Tampa Bay negotiations—ones that have apparently included a search for a third team to take on salary—arise this summer you can bet the Devils will be involved.

Still, it is disappointing for a fan base that was hoping for some substantial additions in free agency. Maroon fit in quite well with the team after coming over from the Edmonton Oilers, scoring 13 points in 17 games for them down the stretch and adding some size up front. van Riemsdyk too could have given them an elite net front presence and added goal scoring, something they could use as they try to support Hall and Nico Hischier going forward. There isn’t much left on the open market, meaning they might have to wait until next season to really take part in the free agent frenzy.

Snapshots: Hossa, Zadina, Brassard

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The Chicago Blackhawks have been quieter than usual this offseason and one reason that has been the case is that while it has some cap room to work with, the team didn’t have enough to make a major splash in free agency. The team had been linked at one time or another to players such as James van Riemsdyk, James Neal and David Perron, but were unable to work out a deal and a lot of that has to do with cap space. With its minor moves made after free agency began when the team inked Chris Kunitz, Cam Ward and Brandon Manning, the team only has just over $2MM to work with.

That’s where the contract of Marian Hossa comes in. His contract of $5.275MM is still stuck on the books for yet another offseason until the team can put it on LTIR to free up the money at the start of the NHL season. That’s what Chicago did last season, using that money to sign defenseman Cody Franson and using it on shuttling AHL talent back and forth all season. However, that didn’t work, according to The Athletic’s Scott Powers.

The general belief was the team wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice and would attempt to deal the bloated contract to a team that needs the contract to get them to the cap floor. However, there haven’t been any takers as teams want an asset in return for them to take on the 39-year-old’s contract, which the Blackhawks don’t want to do. They were burned back in 2016 when they threw in Teuvo Teravainen to Carolina to get the Hurricanes to take Bryan Bickell’s final year of his contract off their books. Teravainen put up 64 points this season.

One way or another, especially if the team still has plans to make a big offseason move, is to find a way to get Hossa and his contract permanently off their books, even if they have to give up a prospect.

  • With questions surrounding where prized 2018 first-rounder Filip Zadina may end up if he doesn’t make the Detroit Red Wings NHL lineup next season has been up for debate as there are rumors that the sixth-overall pick does not have to return to his junior team next season and could be eligible to jump right to the AHL. However, regardless on how the NHL decides that case, NBC Sports James O’Brien writes that it shouldn’t even matter. He writes that the team shouldn’t want Zadina to make the team next season as the team’s main focus should be to garner another high-end lottery pick next season to complete their rebuild. A 25-goal season by the flashy winger, who many had pegged as the No. 3 pick in the draft, could vault the team to that unenviable position of not being good enough to make the playoffs, but not being bad enough to get an elite prospect either. O’Brien hopes that the addition of free agent Thomas Vanek might help force Zadina to get much needed development time in the minors, no matter where he ends up.
  • Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that while he envisions the Pittsburgh Penguins keeping Phil Kessel, who has been rumored to be moved out for much of the offseason, he could see the team move on from trade deadline acquisition Derick Brassard. The team suddenly has five centers and of them all Brassard is the most expendable. He has one year remaining on his deal at $3MM, but struggled to produce once he got to Pittsburgh, especially in the playoffs, posting just four points in 12 playoff games.

Michael Grabner Signs With Arizona Coyotes

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The Arizona Coyotes have added some speed to their forward group, signing Michael Grabner for three years at an average annual value of $3.35MM.

Arizona, who supposedly was aggressively pursuing James van Riemsdyk, settled for Grabner, who comes with a solid pricetag. Arizona, who had a solid second-half of the season last year is trying to build on their veteran players and adding a successful scoring sniper is a solid addition to their top-six lines. Unfortunately, Grabner is well known to be a streaky player as the veteran has posted a 34-goal season, along with a 27-goal and a 25-goal season, but has also put up nine and 12-goal seasons.

The 30-year-old has bounced around a lot (although he did have a five-year stint with the New York Islanders), but he has become a solid trade commodity. He signed a two-year deal with the Rangers in 2016 and after posting 27 goals in 2016-17 and 25 goals in just 59 games last year, he was a moved to the New Jersey Devils, where he managed to score just two goals in 21 games.

In Arizona, Grabner could find himself fighting for a spot on the team’s No. 1 line alongside former Rangers’ teammate Derek Stepan.

Flyers Expected To Sign James Van Riemsdyk

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One of the top free agents has made his choice.  Winger James van Riemsdyk has agreed to terms on a contract with the Flyers, reports TSN’s Frank Seravalli (Twitter link).  ESPN’s John Buccigross adds (via Twitter) that it’s a five-year, $35MM deal.

The move represents a return home, so to speak as Philadelphia initially drafted van Riemsdyk second overall back in 2007.  He spent three seasons with the Flyers before he was dealt to Toronto in exchange for defenseman Luke Schenn back in the 2012 offseason.

The 29-year-old has really emerged as a scorer over the last several years, scoring at least 27 times in four of the last five seasons.  He took that to another level in 2017-18, tallying a career-high 36 goals despite seeing his ice time cut to just 14:54 per game.  It’s doubtful that he will see that type of ice time in Philadelphia, who will be poised to hand him a spot in their top six and a bigger role overall.

In his career, van Riemsdyk has played in 609 games between Toronto and Philadelphia, scoring 201 goals while adding 192 assists.  His 393 points rank ninth overall among all players selected in 2007.

GM Ron Hextall had been on record saying that he wasn’t looking to give a max-term deal in free agency and this certainly accomplishes that.  It’s likely that they paid a little more in terms of the AAV to get him to leave a couple of years on the table which is probably a prudent decision.  We had projected a six-year, $42MM contract for him (a $6MM AAV) while ranking him second overall on our Top 50 UFA list.

Heading into today, the Flyers had just shy of $21.75MM in cap space to work with, per CapFriendly.  While this deal takes away about a third of that, they still should have plenty of room to continue to be players in free agency.  However, Hextall has also stated that the team is mindful that top youngsters Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny are in need of new contracts next summer so it’s unlikely that Philadelphia will use all of their remaining cap space on multi-year commitments.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Van Riemsdyk, Komorov, Lehner, Mrazek, Brodziak

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While the free agent market is escalating fast as the window opens tomorrow, the bidding war that surrounds unrestricted free agent center James van Riemsdyk has increased in the last few hours. The Toronto Maple Leafs winger, who tallied a career-high 36 goals last year, is being heavily courted by several teams. TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports (Tweet link) that nothing is close yet and the free agent is still deliberating and hasn’t narrowed down his list beyond a handful of teams.

Regardless, optimism is abound as Arizona Sports 98.7 Sports host John Gambadoro (Tweet link) writes that the Arizona Coyotes are aggressively in the mix for van Riemsdyk and could get an answer as soon as tonight as to where the free agent will sign. AZ Sports Craig Morgan (Tweet link) adds that there is optimism that the Coyotes are a serious contender. The Athletic’s James Mirtle writes (Tweet link) that the Buffalo Sabres are also pushing hard for van Riemsdyk and it looks like the veteran sniper could break the bank with his deal.

  • The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (Tweet link) writes the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Rangers are both interested in unrestricted free agent Leo Komarov. The former Toronto Maple Leafs’ center had a down year as the 31-year-old scored just seven goals and 19 points in 74 games. The veteran instigator is coming off a four-year, $11.8MM deal that he signed back in 2014.
  • With the goaltending market already spinning at high speeds, the Carolina Hurricanes must sort out their goaltending situation quickly, according to Chip Alexander of the News & Observer. With backup Cam Ward expected to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks and the struggles that surrounded starter Scott Darling last year, the team must find someone who can share duties with Darling, especially if he struggles for a second-straight year. Alexander writes the team has shown interest in former starters Robin Lehner and Petr Mrazek, both goalies who were not given qualifying offers earlier this week.
  • Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that while there are reports that Blues’ unrestricted free agent Kyle Brodziak is close to signing a deal with the Edmonton Oilers, the Blues are still in the mix to re-sign their veteran center. The 34-year-old center played three years in St. Louis and posted his best numbers yet, tallying 10 goals and 33 points.

 

Free Agent Rumor Round-Up: Roussel, Calvert, Hickey, Rieder, Perron, And More

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The Vancouver Canucks are closing in on an agreement with one of their top free agent targets. After Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Canucks were talking to two-way winger Antoine Roussel, colleague Rick Dhaliwal did some digging and discovered that the two sides were close on a long-term deal. Dhaliwal expects Roussel to sign a four-year deal worth more than $3MM per year with Vancouver. The former Dallas Stars brings grit and energy to the Canucks and has previously teased 30+ point potential. If the 28-year-old Frenchman can reach those levels of production while maintaining his notorious physical game, this could be a great signing by GM Jim Benning. However, it is well above what many would have expected Roussel to sign in both term and salary and could just as well be a disaster for Vancouver. Roussel is ranked 38th on PHR’s Top 50 Free Agents list with an estimated contract of two years and just over $2MM AAV.

[RELATED: PHR’s 2018 Top 50 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents]

  • Friedman has also linked the Colorado Avalanche and forward Matt Calvert. TSN’s Darren Dreger is among a few sources who have also heard about that pairing. Calvert, 28, has played his entire career for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but Dreger seems convinced that he is definitely on the move. The versatile, two-way winger would be a nice fit as a bottom-six regular who can fill gaps in the top-six, much like the role that Blake Comeau played for the team.
  • Dreger also reports that interest is high in defenseman Thomas Hickey. A shallow defense market is likely boosting the value of the serviceable defenseman, who is a tough defensive match-up and a dangerous off-the-puck play-maker, but prone to mistake when moving play. Many speculated that the Islanders would turn their attention to re-signing Hickey once the John Tavares situation had sorted itself out, but with Tavares dragging his feet and Hickey in talks with numerous teams, New York may not get that chance. We predicted that Hickey would land with the Montreal Canadiens on a multi-year deal in PHR’s Top 50 Free Agents list.
  • Another player getting a lot of attention is winger Tobias Rieder and the status of his suitors is changing quickly as the price rises. Just earlier today, the Vancouver Canucks were the first team confirmed to be in on Rieder and by now that list has increased dramatically. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that the Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, and Ottawa Senators are also in the running and that the price has gotten so high as to drive the Edmonton Oilers out of the bidding. The Athletic’s Craig Custance confirms the interest from the Canucks, Flames, and Habs and adds the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers to the list of interested parties. All this for a player that the Los Angeles Kings deemed unworthy of a qualifying offer.
  • As expected, David Perron is also one of the hottest names on the free agent market and his former team, the Vegas Golden Knights, are seemingly out of the running. Friedman calls it “very unlikely” that Perron returns to Las Vegas, where he set a career high with 66 points this season. For an idea on the price for Perron, he landed at #5 on the PHR Top 50 Free Agents list with a projected six-year, $32MM contract, which could be a conservative guess.
  • One team that is somewhat surprisingly in talks with Perron is Arizona. Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports details the off-season so far from the Coyotes and lists Perron, James van Riemsdyk, and Michael Grabner as Arizona’s top targets. Morgan also says that the team has not ruled out bringing back veteran forward Brad Richardson as well.
  • The Boston Bruins are moving on from Anton Khudobin and reportedly working fast to find his replacement. Beat writer Matt Kalman and The Boston Globe’s Kevin-Paul Dupont both hear that the team is very interested in Kari Lehtonen as the new backup to Tuukka Rask. With many talented goalies on the market, Lehtonen has flown under the radar somewhat despite incredibly comparable numbers to Khudobin in more starts and superior numbers to the likes of Jonathan Bernier, Cam Ward, Robin Lehner and others. Lehtonen also had the highest Quality Start rate of any of that group in 2017-18. Even here at PHR we may have underestimated Lehtonen, making him our sixth-best goalie among the Top 50 free agents.
  • Unsurprisingly, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun notes that the Washington Capitals have checked in with defenseman Brooks Orpik. A veteran leader and key contributor to their Stanley Cup run, the Capitals faced little choice but to trade Orpik away earlier this off-season in order to clear cap space to maintain their championship roster. Now that he has subsequently been bought out by the Colorado Avalanche, Orpik is fair game and could return to D.C. at a much more affordable rate. However, LeBrun warns that other teams are also in the running and Orpik may not take a discount rate in Washington over more legitimate offers.

 

UFA Notes: Van Riemsdyk, Rieder, Chimera, Brodziak, Sbisa

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The Blue Jackets have reached out to representatives for winger James van Riemsdyk during this week’s interview period, notes Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (Twitter link).  However, it appears that they’re not going to be able to land the 29-year-old.  He’s coming off of a career year in goals with 36 despite playing less than 15 minutes per game and has scored at least 27 goals in four of the last five seasons.  (The one year he didn’t was one where he had injury troubles but scored at a 29-goal pace.)  Meanwhile, TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that there are eight teams still in the mix for van Riemsdyk but that his previous team, Toronto, is not believed to be among them.

Other notes from unrestricted free agency:

  • The Canucks spoke with winger Tobias Rieder’s agent today, reports Sportsnet 650’s Rick Dhaliwal (via Twitter). The two sides are expected to speak later as well.  Rieder went unqualified by the Kings on Monday and he has interest from roughly half a dozen teams around the league.
  • There appears to be mutual interest between the Oilers and winger Jason Chimera, reports TSN’s Ryan Rishaug (Twitter link). The 39-year-old is from Edmonton and with the team having limited cap space this summer, they’re going to be shopping for bargain deals.  Chimera is coming off of a quiet year split between the Islanders and Ducks where he scored just three times but he put up 20 goals in each of the previous two seasons.
  • Center Kyle Brodziak is expected to narrow his list of teams he’s considering down to three later today, Sportsnet’s Mark Spector tweets. He adds the Oilers could very well be the favorite to land him which bring things full circle for the 34-year-old, who was drafted in the seventh round by Edmonton back in 2003.  Brodziak is coming off his best offensive performance (33 points) since 2011-12.
  • Vegas has yet to make defenseman Luca Sbisa an offer, his agent told Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link). He had an injury-riddled campaign that saw him play in just 30 regular season games although he still managed to put up 14 points, his highest total in six years.  He was a regular for the most part during the Golden Knights’ run to the Stanley Cup Final but it appears he will be playing elsewhere in 2018-19.

Draft Notes: Tkachuk, Blackhawks, Flyers

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One of the most well-known players in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft will be Brady Tkachuk, brother of Matthew Tkachuk, both who are sons of Keith Tkachuk. And while many know his name on sight, the 18-year-old physical and fast-skating wing is one of the most debated players in the draft with some having him go as high as the No. 3 pick with others having him slip out of the top-10.

While there is little doubt that he will succeed in the NHL, according to Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, but how he will compare to his brother. At 6-foot-3, the powerful Tkachuk posted eight goals and 31 points in his inaugural season at Boston University. Matthew, meanwhile, who went sixth-overall in the 2016 draft, scored 30 goals in his lone junior season with the OHL London Knights before getting drafted. But, there is a split between which sibling is better with many thinking that Brady might be the better player.

“He has a little more finesse to his game,” NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr said. “Matthew and their dad could go right through the door at you, but Brady may be a little more deceptive with his skill set. But he still has the same drive and tenacity that drives him to the net — except he can also get there with an end-to-end rush.”

  • Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) breaks down the draft, team by team, to judge how willing each team is to trade their first-round pick. The most interesting observation is Custance notes that the Chicago Blackhawks are the most likely team to trade their first-round pick at No. 8. He notes that general manager Stan Bowman intends to make a major move this offseason, which could come in the form of center John Tavares or winger James van Riemsdyk, but the Hawks might consider trying to acquire a major player for their first-round pick instead as they want to make one last run with their core group of players.
  • Sam Carchidi of Philly.com writes that considering the draft success over the last four years by Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall and the fact that the team has nine draft picks, including the No. 14 and No. 19 picks in the first round, don’t be surprised to see some wheeling and dealing during the draft next weekend. While Carchidi said he trusts Hextall to draft two quality players with those two first picks, he wouldn’t be surprised if Hextall considers moving up in the draft, using both picks to move into the top 10. With many scouts suggesting that the No. 3 through No. 12 picks are interchangeable, the Flyers may be interested in moving into that range. The scribe adds that one legitimate possibility is trying to acquire Vancouver’s No. 7 pick, which the team is dangling.

Toronto Notes: Keefe, Dubas, Draft, Greening

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While winning a Calder Cup championship historically bodes well for that AHL head coach, so far it doesn’t look like it will help Toronto Marlies head coach Sheldon Keefe with getting an NHL gig.

Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that no NHL team has requested permission from the Maple Leafs to speak with Keefe. The 37-year-old highly-touted coach was on many teams list earlier this offseason when there were many coaching lists. He was rumored to have been on the candidate list for job openings in Dallas and the New York Rangers. However, most of the NHL coaching vacancies were already filled before his team finished their playoff run.

Now there are only two current NHL head coaching positions remaining and the Washington Capitals are technically already set as the team is expected to either re-sign Barry Trotz, who is a free agent, or promote assistant coach Todd Reirden. That leaves the New York Islanders, which seems like a good fit with former Maple Leafs Lou Lamoriello now in charge in New York. However, Lamoriello is well-known for keeping things to himself.

Keefe posted a 150-63-15 record in three seasons with the Toronto Marlies with two all-star appearances and two 54-win seasons in that span. Nine NHL coaches currently sport AHL titles, so it’s likely Keefe will get that opportunity at some point, but whether it will be this year might be another question.

  • Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said the team has made no definitive decisions on their unrestricted free agents, which include James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov amongst others, according to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler. The scribe reports that Dubas is still in touch with their agents, but speculates that it sounds like nothing is in the works. Dubas also said that he expects that the success of the Marlies will have an effect on their outlook on free agency as many of those players will be in the mix for next year’s Maple Leafs’ roster.
  • While the perception is that Dubas has a draft history of trading down, the GM said he is more than willing to consider moving up in this draft, especially with all the assets the team has, according to The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel. “I think if there is an opportunity for us to add players that can help our team, we have the capital in draft choices to be able to do so,” Dubas said.
  • TSN’s Kristen Shilton reports that Colin Greening has chosen to re-sign with the Toronto Marlies as he has signed a one-year deal with the AHL franchise. The alternate captain of the Calder Cup champions opted to return to the team after posting 16 goals this season as a veteran presence for the team. After playing in 286 NHL games throughout his career, he has accepted his role as a veteran leader for the minor league franchise. He played a critical role in the Marlies’ playoff run, putting up four goals and nine points.

Free Agent Focus: Colorado Avalanche

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Free agency is now a little less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Colorado’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Matthew Nieto — The 25-year-old, who was picked up off of waivers from the San Jose Sharks has found a home in Colorado after the team rewarded him a year ago with a $1MM contract as a restricted free agent, posting a career high in goals with 15 and forcing his way to some second-line action. Primarily used as a fourth-line defensive option, Nieto has started to show his potential.

One key to Nieto’s success has been getting regular playing time. After playing in a career-low 59 games between two teams last year, he got into 74 games and averaged almost 15 minutes a game. Now with his game improving and the potential to earn a second or third-line role with the team next year, Nieto looks to get a raise from his deal a year ago.

D Patrik Nemeth — After years of not being able to find a full-time role with the Dallas Stars, Nemeth, like Nieto, seems to have found a home with the Avalanche. The 26-year-old blueliner was claimed off waivers at the beginning of the season and immediately made an impact on the Avalanche’s defense. Often teamed with Tyson Barrie on the first line, Nemeth has developed into a solid shutdown defender, although he doesn’t provide much offense (3 goals, 15 points in 68 games). After signing at $945K last season, Nemeth should get himself a significant raise as well.

Other RFA’s: D Mason Geersten, F Felix Girard, D Jesse Graham, D Ryan Graves, G Spencer Martin, F Reid Petryk, D Duncan Siemens, F Nail Yakupov.

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: G Jonathan Bernier — The Avalanche goaltending combination of Semyon Varlamov and Bernier was just OK, but the combination was good enough to vault the team to the playoff for the first time in years. Bernier, who finished the season with a 19-13-3 record with a 2.85 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 37 starts, had moments where he dazzled, including a stretch of nine consecutive wins between Dec. 31 and Jan. 22. Due to a Varlamov injury, Bernier was forced to start in all playoff games and struggled against a good Nashville team, allowing 14 goals in four games as well as being pulled once.

The team must decide whether Bernier is the answer to their goaltending problems as the team needs a backup who can fill in long-term for the injury-prone Varlamov. The team could opt to look at a Carter Hutton, but that might cost the team too much, while the team’s top goaltending prospects are still a year or two away, although the team could turn to streaky UFA Andrew Hammond, who performed well in the playoffs against Nashville in three appearances.

F Blake Comeau — The 32-year-old veteran continues to produce in a bottom-line role for the Avalanche and after another solid season which puts him at 13 goals and 34 points, Comeau is another key veteran who provides a young Colorado team with that leadership the team needs. He has had quite an effect on players like Nieto and J.T. Compher and after finishing up a three-year, $7.2MM deal at $2.4MM AAV, he may want a similar deal to finish out his career.

Other UFA’s: G Joe Cannata, F Joe Colborne, F Rocco Grimaldi, G Andrew Hammond, F Trent Vogelhuber.

Projected Cap Space: With more than $22MM in cap space to work with, depending where the upper limit lands. That should give the team the possibility of going after a free agent or two, but with the team still developing its team through youth, Colorado hasn’t been a major talking point, yet anyway, for unrestricted free agents. However, the idea of the team going after James van Riemsdyk and placing him next to Nathan MacKinnon wouldn’t be a bad look either.

Regardless, the team also must use some of that cap space toward possible extension as the team may want to lock up promising star Mikko Rantanen as soon as possible, which he can do on July 1.

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