Headlines

  • Devils’ Jesper Bratt Undergoes Surgery To Address Multi-Season Injury
  • Ducks Name Joel Quenneville Head Coach
  • Maple Leafs’ Anthony Stolarz Ruled Out For Game 2
  • Utah Hockey Club Announces Mammoth As Team Name
  • Blues’ Torey Krug Not Expected To Resume Playing Career
  • Islanders Prefer Ken Holland For GM Vacancy
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • MLB Trade Rumors
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors

Pro Hockey Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • Atlantic
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Central
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Utah Mammoth
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Metropolitan
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Pacific
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Partners
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

PHR Mailbag

Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

February 12, 2025 at 11:30 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 35 Comments

The 4 Nations Face-Off will provide a breather from day-to-day transactions, leaving general managers added time to focus on what the next month may entail for their clubs before the March 7 trade deadline. There have been multiple big swaps already, but more are still to come, with Dylan Cozens, Seth Jones, Brock Nelson, and Rickard Rakell among the names who could be on the move.

With that in mind, it’s a good time for our next mailbag segment. Our last one was split into two parts. The first included forward targets for the Lightning, the likelihood of the Panthers retaining both Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad, and whether Jakob Chychrun will stick with the Capitals, among other topics. The second discussed offer sheet strategies for the summer, additions the Flyers could make to pair with Matvei Michkov, and whether Zach Werenski can bring a Norris Trophy to Columbus.

You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter/X or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run on the weekend.

Pro Hockey Rumors Originals PHR Mailbag

35 comments

PHR Mailbag: Offer Sheets, Flyers, Werenski, Rossi, Soderblom, Islanders, Standings

January 11, 2025 at 2:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include Zach Werenski’s Norris candidacy, forecasting the next contract for Marco Rossi, and much more.  If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in last weekend’s mailbag while we’ll run one more next weekend as well.

Gmm8811: It’s looking like the Broberg/Holloway offer sheets have worked out really well for the Blues. Do you foresee more GM’s taking a harder look at that option in the future? Thoughts on next year’s steals?

At this point, the Blues certainly have to be happy with how things turned out.  Philip Broberg is a legitimate top-four defender for them and Dylan Holloway has blown past his career bests offensively and turned into a capable top-six winger.  For what it’s worth, Edmonton pivoted relatively well with their low-cost replacements of Ty Emberson and Vasily Podkolzin, given the circumstances.  Those two aren’t playing at the level Broberg and Holloway are now but they are playing to the level those two likely would have performed at had they stayed with the Oilers.

That type of success story should make general managers a bit more willing to look into offer sheets as an option although I do think more of them get floated around than we ever see.  We only find out when one is signed, not when one is discussed between teams and agents.  With another fair-sized jump expected in the salary cap, there’s definitely going to be a chance for a strategic offer sheet or two this summer.

The challenge is finding a team that will be cap-strapped early in free agency.  There will be plenty, sure, but identifying them now isn’t as easy as there are many signings and trades to be made over the next six months.  It’s also finding a younger player who wants a shorter-term deal as with the divisor for offer sheet compensation only being a maximum of five (even on a contract longer than that) cranks up the draft pick cost too high to be worthwhile.

If Florida finds a way to re-sign or replace both Aaron Ekblad and Sam Bennett, they’re going to have to look at low-cost deals to round out their roster.  That could make someone like Mackie Samoskevich a bit vulnerable as the Panthers would probably prefer a cheap one-year contract while he could command a two-year or three-year deal from a team that sees him playing a bigger role and is willing to pay him accordingly.  If Seattle re-signs or replaces Yanni Gourde and Brandon Tanev, that might push them into a lower-cost deal with Ryker Evans so I think teams would sniff around that but he seems less likely.  If the Stars are active between retaining or replacing their veterans, they could be vulnerable if they force themselves to pursue shorter-term agreements with their RFAs.  Wyatt Johnston probably isn’t attainable but if there’s a team that really believes in Mavrik Bourque, I could see him garnering offer sheet interest as well.

Emoney123: Is there a trade or potential 2025 free agent the Flyers can pair with Michkov?

From a UFA perspective, it depends on whether Philadelphia views Mikko Rantanen as a center, a position he has played off and on with Colorado.  If Rantanen wants to go for top dollar (which likely takes him off the table to re-sign), the Flyers are one of the teams that would have enough cap space that they could plausibly afford him without needing to do much subtraction from their roster.  I suppose Mitch Marner fits as well if Matvei Michkov switches to the left wing as a left-hand shot but is that too much raw playmaking on one line?  That said, if the Flyers had a shot at adding a top talent like that, do it and figure the rest out later might be the best approach there.

On the trade front, Vancouver seems like the team to try to make a move with if they ultimately decide to move one of Elias Pettersson or J.T. Miller (who has full no-trade protection).  Legitimate top centers don’t come available too often and while both players have recent question marks, they also have a proven track record of recent production.  The cost for either would be significant, both in terms of current and future assets and with the Flyers still being in the build-up stage, a swap like that might not be at the most optimal time.  But again, with the scarcity of those types of players being traded, that shouldn’t dissuade GM Daniel Briere from inquiring at least about what it would cost to get one of them.

bottlesup: It might be a bit early, but is it safe to throw Werenski’s name into the Norris conversation?

I’d say it’s very safe to have Werenski in that mix.  He’s among the league leaders among blueliners for points, plays in all situations (all-around ability is right in the criteria for the award), and leads the NHL in average ice time.  When you’re in the mix offensively with the likes of Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes, you’re definitely doing something right.  He has undoubtedly played a significant role in the Blue Jackets surprisingly finding themselves in the battle for a playoff spot at the midway mark of the season, an outcome few would have seen coming.

I expect that their playoff situation will ultimately dictate whether he wins the award.  That, and staying healthy, of course.  It’s not unprecedented that a non-playoff blueliner wins it as Erik Karlsson did just two years ago.  However, his numbers were so far and beyond the rest (he had 25 points more than any other defender) that they were enough of a difference-maker.  Werenski isn’t going to have that luxury.  If the Blue Jackets come up short of a playoff spot, he’ll probably land plenty of second and third-place votes but that won’t be enough to win.  But if they get in, he’ll be the driving reason why which should sway lots of first-place votes his way and make the difference.

Zakis: What does a Marco Rossi extension look like?

Why are the Iowa Wild perpetually bad and has that had influence on prospects seemingly not reaching another level (thinking Hunt, Lambos, Jiricek)?

Back in the summer, I basically pegged Rossi’s range as a bridge deal starting with a three or a long-term deal starting with a five if he had a season similar to 2023-24 this year.  That clearly isn’t happening since he’s already nearly matched his point total from a year ago in half the games.  That’s certainly going to change the numbers.  The bridge deal now will probably start with a four and a longer-term agreement that buys out UFA years coming closer to the $7MM range depending on how many years it buys out.  (And if he produces at an even higher rate in the second half, those numbers will go up even more).

Despite the strong showing this season, I tend to lean toward the bridge deal for Rossi.  There has been a lot of smoke about the Wild not being fully sold on Rossi (who’s undersized for a center) and while the team has tried to quash that, I don’t think they’re going from being uncertain about him to handing him a long-term deal.  I also expect Minnesota to take advantage of their cap space and try to make a splash or two in free agency (or on the trade front) that might push them to have to go that route anyway.

As for the farm team, I didn’t realize the history was that bad.  For those who don’t follow Iowa, in their first 11 years of existence, they made the playoffs once and lost in the play-in round once.  There has been considerable turnover in terms of their coaching along the way as well.  Without watching them closely, I can’t begin to assess what’s happening beyond simple guesswork which doesn’t do any good.

I don’t think it’s fair to put David Jiricek in that group considering he’s barely been with them for a month but I would suggest that yes, a continuous losing environment doesn’t help from a development perspective.  Sometimes it’s good to have more prospects meaning the youngsters are getting playing time but I believe there’s value in being in a good spot, playing meaningful hockey, and seeing some playoff action.  It’s hard to objectively state that yes, that held some players back from getting to another level – it’s not that simple, obviously – but I’d say it hasn’t helped.

Unclemike1526: Not being able to watch the games this year, I’m just curious is Soderblom that much better or is it just a mirage? After being able to watch the last three games I’m not exactly missing watching them anyway. It would be nice to get an opinion. I’d dare say right now Soderblom is the best G on the Hawks since Laurent Brossoit can’t play. As bad as Soderblom was last year it’s hard to believe he is that much better.

It’s a combination of a couple of things.  Arvid Soderblom is still young (he’s 25) and it was reasonable to think he’d bounce back, at least to a point after a tough 2023-24 season.  Also, year-to-year volatility for goalies is pretty common, especially younger ones; if veterans can have big swings in performance, so can the unproven ones.  I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a mirage, it’s just a young goalie who hopefully improved after a tough year and with less than 20 appearances, it’s still too early to say much conclusively.

With Brossoit out and Petr Mrazek a veteran placeholder, you’re absolutely right in that Soderblom is their best option right now.  And with the Blackhawks going nowhere in the standings this year, they should be going to Soderblom more often right now so that they can better assess him.  There’s a reason why he was their goalie of the short-term future not long ago and a reason why they had to go add Brossoit in the summer since he played so poorly last year.  Right now, they need to get a better sense of what they have and see if he’s still part of the future plans.

Read more

FeeltheThunder: I read somewhere that the Islanders are in murky water (obviously) but if they don’t make the playoffs this season, they could start to consider a complete rebuild and surprisingly, sell off top talents like Mathew Barzal, Noah Dobson, Ilya Sorokin, and such during the summer. Granted, Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri are being considered potential trade deadline candidates this season but is this an actual possibility that top talents like Barzal, Dobson, Sorokin, and such could be up for grabs during the summer as these players would be some hot commodities among teams?

The Islanders enter the weekend in a tight battle to not be in last in the Eastern Conference and GM Lou Lamoriello indicated that he’s not even considering selling at this time.  I note this solely so I can say even if they do start selling later on, it’ll be the rentals, not the top players.

Now, you asked about the summer and I think the question that needs to be answered first is who the GM is for them this summer.  If it’s Lamoriello, then no, I don’t think he’ll even entertain the possibility of selling any of those players.  He truly believes in the core group of this team and he’s not going to be the one to dismantle it an embark on a longer-scale rebuild.

Now, if it isn’t Lamoriello in charge and a new GM gets a mandate to undergo bigger changes, that could be a different story.  If that happens, then some more prominent talent might become available.  I’m not sure how many of those three would plausibly move, however.  Sorokin isn’t having a great season and is signed through 2031-32 at $8.25MM per year.  I suspect teams will want to see him bounce back before making that type of commitment.  If he can get back to form, though, then yes, he could be made available if they’re getting a strong goalie prospect in return.

At 25, Dobson is young enough to be part of a longer-term core, even of a rebuilding team.  While I’m sure they’d get strong interest in him, I could see them electing to make him one of the veteran building blocks of a rebuilding team as well.  As for Barzal, he’s probably the most realistic although at a $9.15MM price tag through 2030-31, they wouldn’t be selling at the peak of his value.  Bo Horvat is someone else who could be in play in this scenario.  But until the GM question is answered, this is a path I don’t see them taking in the near future.

PyramidHeadcrab: New year, new speculation. Looking into 2025, who are your top picks to regress completely out of the playoff picture, and who puts on the thrusters to sneak into a surprise playoff spot?

And indulge me – who finishes at league bottom?

In the East, Boston is currently holding onto a Wild Card spot but boy, do they look vulnerable right now.  They’re not scoring much and Jeremy Swayman isn’t having a particularly strong year either.  They can still turn it around but I’m not overly optimistic.  Columbus is the other Wild Card team at the moment and while they’re a great story, I’d be surprised if they’re still there in April.  While it doesn’t make a ton of sense, I think Pittsburgh just sneaks in this time instead of just missing.  If Linus Ullmark can get back soon, I expect Ottawa would make a push and could get in.  If that doesn’t happen (who knows how long he’s out for), then I’m going to pick the Rangers to turn it around.  They’ve been a bit better as of late and with both Wild Card spots up for grabs, they’re good enough to get back into one of those.

Out West, the only top-three seed that could be up for grabs is the Central where Colorado is trying to grab one from the top Wild Card seed.  Between those four spots and the three in the Pacific, I feel those are all pretty safe barring a significant injury or two.  Vancouver holds the other Wild Card spot and with how things are going for them on and off the ice, I’d be surprised if they can hold onto it.  Utah would be a cool story for sure but with Jim Montgomery helping to stabilize St. Louis, the Blues are my pick to sneak into that last spot.

As for who finishes last, it’s a two-horse race between San Jose and Chicago.  The in-season coaching change hasn’t helped the Blackhawks turn things around and they’re likelier to sell more than the Sharks because they still have their retention slots available to them.  I’d lightly lean toward Chicago finishing 32nd in the standings as things stand.

Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.

Pro Hockey Rumors Originals PHR Mailbag

2 comments

PHR Mailbag: Lightning, Panthers, Chychrun, Hughes, Kings, Jets, Spengler Cup

January 5, 2025 at 6:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include the cap crunch the Panthers will be facing as they look to re-sign two key unrestricted free agents this summer, options for the Jets to solve their roster needs, and much more.  With so many questions this time around, we’ll break them into three separate pieces instead of the usual two.

FeeltheThunder: As a Tampa fan, I’m wondering the type of combo Tampa will go for in the trade deadline. Tampa is a much-improved team from last year (night and day, really). I feel Tampa may go for one or two forwards to add more additional depth to their middle/bottom six group like they did a few years ago with Brandon Hagel and Nick Paul (that’s worked out quite well). They have a pretty good defensive group overall and have some depth so I don’t know if adding a defensive piece is necessary. What do you think of the combo they’ll go with and who may the targets be?

I feel one name for starters (if available) Jake Evans from Montreal has a number of qualities Tampa tends to aim for in a player and Tampa/Montreal have traded in the past.

In follow-up comments, you also mentioned Luke Kunin (who I’ve tossed out before as a possible fit for them) and Will Cuylle (who might be one of the more untouchable Rangers at the moment).  I still like Kunin as a fit for them.  If memory serves, I had Mikael Granlund on that list previously, assuming they can make the money work with the Sharks out of retention slots.  I think he’s still a good fit for them too.

Evans is a good one as well although the asking price on him is going to be fairly high with the start he’s off to this season.  At a $1.7MM cap charge, he’ll be affordable for a lot of contenders which will drive up the acquisition cost.  If Buffalo sells, Jordan Greenway could be viewed as trying to refill the Tanner Jeannot slot, probably at a much lesser price point than what was paid to Nashville to get Jeannot.  Another center that could interest them is Sean Kuraly, someone who can kill penalties and play with an edge.  If Utah sells, Nick Bjugstad could also fit the bill.

If they go for two forwards, it’ll be a center/winger combo (and if they wound up with someone like Kunin who plays all three positions), even better for them.  Aside from Granlund, all are cheap enough that Tampa Bay could afford them outright without necessarily needing retention at the trade deadline if they’re able to stay healthy between now and then.

Having said that, it wouldn’t shock me if one of their additions is on the back end, looking for a third-pairing upgrade.  Someone who can kill penalties, play with an edge, and give them a bit more depth in case injuries arise.  In essence, something like the David Savard move a few years ago (just not at the cost of a first-round pick).  Depending on what happens with Savard in Montreal and what they look to do up front, he could be a potentially plausible fit again.

Sunshine swede: Do you think Panthers can extend both Ekblad and Bennett? Guess Bennett will earn a raise, while Ekblad might have a cut. What do you think about their next deals?

Keeping one is definitely doable but both could be a challenge.  Per PuckPedia, they have $72.5MM in commitments on the books for next season already to 15 players.  If the salary cap lands around the $92MM range (some could see it going higher but for now, that’s the 5% allowable increase), that gives them a little less than $20MM to work with, a bit less than that if they want to leave themselves some in-season wiggle room.

Coming into the season, Sam Bennett was probably looking at a long-term deal in the $6.5MM range.  Given the dearth of impact centers set to become an unrestricted free agent and the fact he’s on pace for career highs offensively across the board, it stands to reason that he could push past $7MM on his next deal.  Frankly, something along the lines of Aaron Ekblad’s current price tag ($7.5MM) wouldn’t shock me given his playoff success.

As for Ekblad, he’s also set to benefit from a fairly weak UFA market; it’s basically between him and Neal Pionk for the top veteran right-shot option available.  While he’s not the big point producer he was earlier in his career, he still plays a big defensive role, logs heavy minutes, and is on pace for around 40 points again.  I could see a small cut in his pay but I could also see a long-term deal at that price tag again depending on how many teams are serious about bidding for him.

If the two of them cost, say, $14MM combined, now you’re down to only around $5MM to re-sign Mackie Samoskevich and sign a couple of depth forwards and depth defenders.  That’d make it tough to do anything to materially improve the roster.  Of course, losing one of those two would certainly hurt things as well.  I think the likeliest outcome is that they only keep one but if they really want to make their roster more top-heavy, there’s a way to keep both of them around and then restructure a bit once their $14.5MM goalie tandem sees their contract expire in 2026.

2012orioles: Is a Jakob Chychrun extension with the Capitals going to happen?

Last month, Chychrun indicated to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox that he could see himself re-signing with Washington.  And frankly, it’s easy to see why.  The Caps have been one of the biggest pleasant surprises of the season with their roster makeover during the summer paying dividends with Chychrun playing a big role in that.  He’s on pace for a career year offensively with 11 goals and 14 assists in just 33 games.  His shooting percentage (15.1%) is a lot higher than his career average so there might be a bit of regression coming on the goal front but even so, he should blow past his personal benchmark of 41 points as long as he stays healthy.  In a contract year, that’s great news for him.

That next contract is going to be quite pricey, however.  He was probably in the $7MM range heading into the season and with the year he’s having offensively and the talk of a salary cap increase of more than 5%, it wouldn’t be shocking to see his next AAV start with an eight.  That might seem high but he’ll be 27 when he hits the open market; whoever signs him will be getting several of his prime years.

Can the Capitals be the team that gives him that contract?  I think they can be.  Per PuckPedia, they have $63.7MM on the books for 2025-26 with 14 players signed.  Granted, they need to sign a goalie tandem that will cost a lot more than the sub-$2MM they’re paying this year but there’s room for another big-ticket deal on the books.  Having said that, a Chychrun extension would push them past $30MM (probably closer to $32MM) on their back end so they may want to trim a bit.  But they can afford it and he’s a very good fit.  I think they can get it done.

DevilShark: What do you see as Hughes III ceiling in Norris voting this year? Could he crack the top 10?

Let’s recap his first half of the season.  Luke Hughes has three goals and 15 assists in 33 games so far.  Decent offensive numbers, sure, but hardly worthy of award consideration.  It’s even a step back from his per-game production from last season.  On top of that, his playing time is down by nearly two minutes a night from last year.  He sits fifth among New Jersey defenders in ATOI as a result.

Is this realistically the profile of a player who should be in consideration for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman?  Logically, doesn’t Hughes need to be New Jersey’s top blueliner to be even considered for the award?  While it’s worth noting that the Devils run three very balanced pairings, I don’t see a case to be made for him to land on a ballot let alone finish in the top ten in voting.

It wouldn’t shock me for Hughes to one day land in there.  Once he takes on a bigger role and if he can become the type of highly productive blueliner many project him to be, he’ll get into that range.  But that’s not going to happen this season.

rpoabr: What’s the trade that puts the LA Kings into true Cup contention? Doughty coming back soon (hopefully) should already be a boost.

Drew Doughty’s eventual return will be the biggest boost they get.  Adding a legitimate number one blueliner to the roster puts the rest of the back end in a more optimal spot on the depth chart and gives them a bit more depth in general.  If they stay healthy the rest of the way, they probably don’t need to make a move to add defensive depth so we can scratch that off the list of trade options.

But here’s the problem.  When Doughty returns (probably later this month), that’s the end of their cap space.  The Kings are operating in LTIR which means they haven’t been banking cap space.  Right now, they have lots to spend with an LTIR pool of more than $10MM.  When he comes back, they have to start trimming players to get back into cap compliance.  That puts them in a spot where they’re going to have to match money or get double retention on a player.  That means there isn’t a trade available to them this season that’s going to vault them into true Cup contention.

What could help put them into at least semi-contender status would be adding a top-six winger to help get them out of the middle of the pack offensively.  Making the money work would require double retention but players like Jason Zucker and Kyle Palmieri come to mind, players that will boost their middle six and should be acquirable for a package starting with a second-round pick.  But even with that, when you’re in a division with Vegas and Edmonton, they’re going to be hard-pressed to get to true Stanley Cup contention no matter what move(s) they make.

Read more

Cla23: What realistic trade can the Winnipeg Jets make to acquire a top-four defenseman or second-line center? I mean players with NMC, NTC, will probably not waive to come to the first-place overall Jets.

Winnipeg not being a ‘destination’ team certainly complicates things a bit for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff who will have to get creative to try to fill those holes.  At first glance, the easiest short-term solution for a second center is to flip a draft pick or two to San Jose for Mikael Granlund.  Granlund is producing well but with the Sharks unable to retain, I wonder if a 2026 second-round pick and a 2025 third-rounder is enough.  He doesn’t have any trade protection either and if there’s a good fit, I could see him being amenable to a deal to stick around.

On a longer-term basis, I wonder if they might be a team that could pry Dylan Cozens out of Buffalo.  The Sabres would want a similar young talent in return so the offer would need Cole Perfetti as one of the pieces.  I also think they’d need to add their first-round pick this year.  There might be another third element but more of the inconsequential variety.  That’s a high price but Cozens has five more years of team control at a price tag ($7.1MM) that Winnipeg can afford and would give them a capable second option behind Mark Scheifele.  If they want a young option to grow with their core (and doesn’t have trade protection), it’s going to be expensive.  And Buffalo gets someone who fits their core group age-wise, some cap relief if they intend to make a big splash in free agency, and another quality draft pick to use or trade for more of a win-now option.

Adding defensive help is going to be tough, especially a longer-term upgrade.  Teams moving a more cost-controlled option would want a younger piece with some upside in return and I don’t think players like Ville Heinola and Dylan Samberg (who was off to a nice start before getting injured) are the caliber of young blueliners they’d be seeking.  So, the rental market it is then.  I’d put Marcus Pettersson as a viable target for them with the return I suggested for Granlund potentially being enough (though I see Pittsburgh trying to hold out for a first-rounder).  And again, if the fit is good, maybe he stays and fills that need longer term.

Gmm8811: Need MORE Spengler Cup coverage!!! What have been the most significant signings of Spengler participants that weren’t on anyone’s radar? Who has benefitted the most from a good tournament showing?

Truthfully, I can’t think of any off the top of my head that would be considered significant signings from Spengler Cup participants over the years.  Anaheim gave Kodie Curran a two-year, $2MM one-way contract in 2020 a year after he played in the tournament.  A seven-figure salary for someone from there with minimal pro experience in North America would qualify as significant in comparison to some of the two-way deals given out.   Looking through the top scorers in recent years, none of them landed an NHL deal.

The who has benefitted question is a tough one to answer since I’m not sure what the perspective is.  If it’s benefitting from the tournament in the hopes of landing an NHL deal, there probably aren’t any.  Jonathan Hazen stood out to me in a positive way for the second straight year but he has another season and an option on his contract in Switzerland and is already 34 so he’s not landing an NHL chance.  If you’re asking from the standpoint of a good showing helping secure a contract overseas for next season, several I’m sure helped their chances but when you’re looking in the grand scheme of things, it’s a three-game or four-game event.  That’s probably too small a sample size to make any sort of conclusions from.

Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.

Pro Hockey Rumors Originals PHR Mailbag

2 comments

Submit Your Questions For The Next #PHRMailbag

January 1, 2025 at 3:54 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 36 Comments

With the holiday break in the rearview mirror, it’s time for the next edition of Brian La Rose’s PHR Mailbag.

Last month’s edition ran in two parts. The first dealt with some potential cap dumps, some Central Division teams’ interest in defensemen on the trade market, and the playing future of Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog. The second covered the state of the Flyers’ rebuild, potential buy-low trade candidates for the Canadiens, and some of the best off-season pickups.

You can submit your questions in the comment section below or by using #PHRMailbag on X/Twitter.

Uncategorized PHR Mailbag

36 comments

PHR Mailbag: Flyers, Canadiens, Knight, Blues, Summer Acquisitions, 4 Nations, Scouting

November 19, 2024 at 7:58 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include Philadelphia’s sluggish start, the top offseason acquisitions, and much more.  If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in our last mailbag.

Emoney123: The Flyers rebuild has stalled… how does it begin again? Ersson, Fedotov, and Kolosov seem like a circus in goal; scoring and defense are horrible… will the 2025 draft offer hope since they hold their own, Colorado, and potentially Edmonton’s [top-12 protected] first-round pick plus three second-round picks? Is Tortorella the right coach or Briere as GM? One playoff appearance in seven years, and that was six years ago.

I feel like the Flyers are a victim of misplaced expectations.  Going into last season, pretty much everyone thought they’d be one of the bottom feeders in the East.  But they proved to be more competitive early on and while they fell off the proverbial cliff down the stretch, they didn’t miss the playoffs by much.  That led to higher expectations for this season which was a mistake.

This is still a team that, on paper, isn’t all that good.  Yes, they added Matvei Michkov.  But this team wasn’t a rookie-season Michkov away from being a legitimate playoff threat.

So, has the rebuild really stalled?  Or is it actually back where it was supposed to be last season where they were expected to bottom out?

Will the draft provide some hope?  It should as their own selection should be relatively high and while the other two first-rounders are likely to be closer to the back, they still should get players who project to be NHL-quality pieces.  Three second-rounders give them a chance to deepen the prospect pool or to try to trade up from those late firsts to get a few spots higher.  The rebuild will be in better shape when the draft is completed.

I’ll hold off on the Tortorella part of your question (it comes up in the next one) but as for Daniel Briere, this is his second full season on the job.  Rebuilds take a lot longer than that to try to assess and as much as they didn’t have much success before then, they weren’t really in a full-scale rebuild either.  Realistically, it’s probably two years too early to really sit down and evaluate if they’re going in the right direction or not.  I think they’re in the right direction though and while the goaltending isn’t pretty right now, this is what they need to learn.  Will one of the three find another gear and show he’s part of the future plans?  They need to find that out but the process of getting to that answer isn’t always pretty.

Black Ace57: How do you think the season will go with Torts and Michkov? I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all to hold him accountable and bench him at times if he’s making mistakes or not putting in effort. Saying that, sometimes Torts goes too far with the Couturier benching last year being a good example. Do you think Torts will manage Michkov well or do you think he will be fired before the season is over?

I’m a bit old-school by nature and still think there’s a place for Tortorella-type coaches in the NHL.  I actually think he’s a good fit for Michkov in the youngsters’ early career.  Tortorella is generally viewed as firm but fair with his players; there isn’t much favoritism.  That means there shouldn’t be any thought that when Tortorella sits Michkov down that he’s going out of his way to pick on the youngster; he’s doing what he’d do with just about anyone.

I’ve always thought of Tortorella as someone who really wants to focus on the fundamentals and good work habits.  Isn’t that exactly what Michkov needs?  Learning to best weaponize his offensive skills will come over time but having someone really drill home the other stuff in the early stages of his career should only pay dividends down the road.

Going back to the Tortorella part of the last question, I think he’s a good fit for this group (including Michkov) for now.  But he generally doesn’t have a long shelf life with his teams and he’s probably not the coach who will lead them out of the rebuild.  I think he lasts the rest of this season but an offseason change wouldn’t shock me if they stay on this trajectory for the rest of the season.

Jaysen: Jake Evans is attracting a lot of interest right now. Personally, I don’t want my beloved Habitants to trade him. Really like the player. I hope they re-sign him. 3 yrs/3.5aav would be the max in terms of yrs and AAV.

The Habs are also looking for a forward with edge. What would be your top three targets that would fit with our rebuild/progression?

Let’s talk about Evans.  He’s off to a decent start to his season but he only has reached eight goals or more once and is on pace for 17 this year so this is probably an outlier of a start.  Going to that high of a price tag for someone with a track record of very limited production might not be the wisest move, especially with Owen Beck and Oliver Kapanen waiting in the wings.  I believe Montreal would like to keep him at the right price as an insurance policy and a capable defensive player but I’d be surprised if that number starts with a three.

On the other side of the coin, knowing that this is his first trip through unrestricted free agency, why would Evans limit himself to a three-year deal at this point?  Chances are he can get longer than that on the open market so if Montreal does want to lock him up, it’s probably going to take more years than three to get him.

As for the forward with edge, I’ve seen that report as well, coupled with the notion that it needs to be someone who fits their rebuild timeline.  In essence, they’re looking for a 23-year-old power forward (or someone around that age).  Those are in short supply and I’m not sure there’s a single one who realistically would be available.  This feels like the type of thing a front office leaks to make it look like they’re trying to add while knowing they’re basically looking for a unicorn so I can’t give you three suggestions there unfortunately; I can’t even come up with one that might plausibly be had.

Having said that, I think they might be open to a Denis Gurianov type of pickup like they did a couple of years ago for someone that’s a bit older than their prospect pool.  He was a younger player who had a bit of success in the past and they felt he could be a possible reclamation project.  And if that player happens to play with a bit of bite, even better.  We’re still a bit early in the season to know which younger players will be in this situation.  Frankly, my first inclinations of who could be in that spot in the coming weeks/months (Pontus Holmberg and Rasmus Kupari) don’t play with much jam.  If Buffalo decides to move on from Peyton Krebs though, he might be one they look at but generally speaking, players in this type of category are sell-low and I’m doubtful the Sabres are at that point with him yet.

Schwa: How is Spencer Knight viewed relative to other top young goalies at this point?

It wasn’t that long ago that Knight was viewed as one of the top young goalies in the league.  After a strong college career, he impressed in his first taste of action in the pros and was rightfully seen as Florida’s goalie of the future.  The three-year, $13.5MM contract he signed back in 2022 hasn’t aged well, however, and that deal might be influencing his perception a little bit.

For those who haven’t followed him, Knight missed a big chunk of the 2022-23 campaign after enrolling in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.  Ken Campbell of The Hockey News interviewed him if you want to learn more about why he was in there.  Then the following year, Florida opted to bring in Anthony Stolarz as the backup to Sergei Bobrovsky (a move that worked out quite well) to allow Knight to get a bigger workload in the minors.  He had a 2.41 GAA with a .905 SV% in 41 games with AHL Charlotte last season, numbers that were decent but not at the level of a top prospect either.

This year, Knight has been around NHL average in his first six outings with a 2.85 GAA and a .897 SV%.  Again, those numbers are decent (the average save percentage is hovering around .900 league-wide) but that’s not great bang for their buck.  Frankly, if he stays around that level, I wonder if Florida considers a buyout next summer, a move that would save them $3.75MM on the cap next season while adding $750K for 2026-27.  I don’t know if they’d do it but I think it’d be considered.

If I’m musing about a buyout, it’s fair to say he isn’t in the tier of other top young goalies anymore.  But with only 63 career NHL appearances, he’s not that far removed from prospect status either.  I expect Knight will get a little better as the season goes on and while he won’t get back to that top tier (where Yaroslav Askarov and Jesper Wallstedt are, for example), he’ll show enough to stay in Florida’s plans.

Gmm8811: I think the Blues have proved to be exactly what everyone thought they would be this year. How much further do they sink before Army starts showcasing youth and moving older vets for draft picks?

I don’t expect they’re going to sink much lower than they are, to be honest.  They’re 12th in the West which feels about where they should be and I agree, they’ve played up to a reasonable level of expectation so far.

But I don’t expect a sell-off to come anytime soon.  For starters, it’s too early in the year.  Teams with cap space don’t want to blow it this early unless it’s a highly impactful piece and St. Louis probably isn’t moving any of those.  The second is that the Blues don’t exactly have a whole lot to offer up veteran-wise.

Their most prominent rental up front is Radek Faksa and Dallas gave him away for free four months ago; it’s not as if he carries a lot of trade value.  With retention, maybe they get a late-round pick but that’s someone’s Plan C or D at the trade deadline, not now.  On the back end, Ryan Suter will be a solid trade chip but teams will want more of his games played bonuses to be reached before acquiring him which pushes him closer to a deadline move as well.

Among non-rentals, Brandon Saad has some value but at $4.5MM, that’s a hard salary to fit on the books this early in the season.  I could see him fetching a good return in late February/early March though when his remaining salary for this season is a lot lower.  Jordan Binnington at $6MM through 2026-27 could be a trade candidate but he might be easier to move in the summer than now.

I just don’t see a big sell-off from this team.  They’re going to want to keep most of their core guys and avoid a longer-scale rebuild which means most of what they have to offer are supporting pieces.  In the meantime, if they want to open up a spot for a youngster, it might come through someone landing on waivers (much like Kasperi Kapanen) and the prospect coming up into that vacated position.

DevilShark: Sample size is getting reasonable now… I’m curious who you think have been the best acquisitions at each position this season (FA or trade) in terms of driving their teams’ success.

Goalie: It’s hard not to pick Jacob Markstrom here.  Last season, injuries and bad goaltending were costly on a team that talent-wise should have been in the playoff mix.  Markstrom has come in and given them that stable goaltending and they’re first in the division.  And yet, he’s not my pick.  Instead, it’s Anthony Stolarz in Toronto.  With Joseph Woll injured to start the year, Stolarz took the starting job and has run with it and is once again among the league leaders in GAA and SV%.  If he wasn’t up to the task, they could easily be on the outside looking in at the playoffs right now.

Defense: Considering the Kraken are a .500 team, it’s hard to pick Brandon Montour here but I’m going to anyway.  His addition raised some eyebrows as he was coming off a tough year by recent standards in Florida.  But with Seattle, he is an all-situations impactful player which is exactly what they needed.  With Vince Dunn on LTIR, he absorbed even more responsibility.  I’d say his play is a big reason why they are where they are right now and not even lower in the standings.

Forward: This one’s a bit harder as some of the top performers statistically with new teams (such as Sean Monahan) are on teams who have struggled so far while others (someone like Stefan Noesen) are doing well but are in supporting roles.  So I’m going to use a different definition of success than you probably intended with this pick of Tyler Toffoli in San Jose.  The Sharks wanted to be more competitive this season and they have been; they’re far from the easy win they were a year ago.  They brought him in to be a leader on a young group and help take some offensive pressure off of them.  He checks both of those boxes and sits second on the team in scoring.  For what their goals are for this season, Toffoli is doing exactly what San Jose wants from him.

Read more

FearTheWilson: Which star(s) gets injured during the 4 Nations cash grab and costs their team(s) a shot at the Cup?

I don’t think it would be fair to sit here and randomly guess at who might suffer a significant injury.  But it is a big risk for teams and if there are some prominent players who wind up missing time from this, I wonder if we might see a push to go back to what they did in 1996 and played the event before training camp.  That way, a long-term injury wouldn’t be season-ending, at least in most cases and it would allow them to still have the All-Star Game.

As for this event being a cash grab, you’re not wrong.  But the NHL doesn’t have multi-billion-dollar television contracts with multiple rights holders as some other leagues do.  Frankly, some of these recent local TV deals aren’t exactly potential money-makers either, especially compared to what they were getting from Diamond before.  Their revenue growth has been much more incremental as a result and both players and owners want that to go up.  So yeah, they need to stage more events to put more money into the system.  But setting that cynicism aside, it’s the first bit of best-on-best hockey we’ve seen in a while which is something to look forward to.

Zakis: How do you evaluate players from the high school ranks, to the CHL, BCHL, NCAA, etc, to how they may or may not perform in the NHL?

I don’t see a lot of lower-level hockey all things considered and don’t fancy myself as much of a scout.  But when I am watching, the word projectability is always at the front of my mind and there are some questions I’ll consider as I watch.

The top players are the top players and are generally easier to identify so let’s skip them and move on.

For the lesser-known/lower-ranked players, do they have a high-end skill or two that projects to be NHL-caliber?  If yes, can the rest of their game come around to a decent enough level?  If you think the answer is yes, then you might have a player worth taking a flyer on.  (If a player has several high-end skills, they’re generally the higher-ranked ones which is what I mean by easier to identify.)

Some players have strong skills but their skating mechanics hold them back.  As a scout, you’re then trying to project if the mechanics can be repaired to get their skating to at least an average level.  For players who aren’t as developed physically, it’s about projecting their frame down the road.  For example, a player who’s undersized might be easy to knock off the puck now but a few years and some weight training later, is that still going to be an issue down the road?  Conversely, if a player is further ahead in his physical development at an early age, how much development runway is left?  Does their current physique skew their upside?

Generally, players at the high school/junior ranks often have the most projectability as they’re the furthest away from the NHL.  You’re often trying to forecast skill and physical development at the same time.  Most NCAA players are facing an older level of competition and often stay there for a while, taking some of the physical development questions out; there’s a reason we see an influx of undrafted college signings each year compared to a rush of undrafted CHL signings.  The ceilings of those players might not be the highest but they’re easier to project as players who can at least fill an organizational role for a little while.

I know I’m bouncing around a bit with this answer but not being a trained scout, I don’t have any sort of specific process to tell you that scouts typically follow.  But this is what I try to keep in mind if I’m watching or evaluating younger players.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pro Hockey Rumors Originals PHR Mailbag

0 comments

PHR Mailbag: Pricey Contracts, Blues, Stars, Landeskog, Lightning, Paper Moves, Blackhawks, Injury Disclosures

November 10, 2024 at 6:55 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 8 Comments

Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include why the time might not be right for Dallas to look into defensive help, speculating on possible trade targets for Tampa Bay, and much more.  If your question doesn’t appear here, watch for it in next weekend’s mailbag.

PyramidHeadcrab: With Columbus potentially looking to take on a big contract and San Jose actively improving by adding some talented misfits from other teams, who are some players you could see bound for each team as the season progresses?

And if Columbus does take on a big contract, do you think it will be another team paying to unload an overpayment contract, or a team like the Leafs offloading a decent contract as a result of their cap crunch?

I think Columbus is open to both options, as long as the contract they take on is a short-term one (see Dante Fabbro).  Knowing that they’ve typically been more of a budget team, they’re probably not going to want to spend some of their financial capital on a long-term pickup whose primary purpose is to add a draft pick or two.  But something for a year or two could be manageable.

In terms of who that could be, one of the names that comes to mind is Oliver Bjorkstrand who was healthy scratched recently.  Moved to Seattle as a cap-clearing move originally, he’s someone who should be comfortable in the market and it wouldn’t shock me if the Kraken try to move out a pricey contract to give themselves some cap flexibility as they’re really tight when everyone’s healthy.   I could see them being open to taking the final years of Ryan Ellis’ LTIR contract if Philadelphia wants to bank more cap space (or Ryan Johansen wins his grievance later on and gets at least part of his deal back on the books).  With that deal being insured, the actual cost outlay would be minimal in that sense.

I suspect they’d be open to taking a more reasonable deal off a cap-strapped team like Toronto but the Maple Leafs will be looking to move those pieces for some value while the Blue Jackets are probably looking to get a player plus a sweetener for taking a contract on.  With that in mind, I’m not sure that lines up at this point trade-wise for those teams.

Frankly, there aren’t a ton of pricey contracts out there that fit the bill.  When I wrote the piece about them last weekend talking about their willingness to do this, I didn’t bother getting into speculation as I don’t see a lot of fits for them.  Unless they’re willing to take on a longer-term agreement, I don’t necessarily see them accomplishing this in the coming months.

I don’t see the Sharks actively trying to add any other veteran players for a while.  They’re also a budget team and right now, they’re going to want to see how some of their younger pieces fare.  If some of them falter too much, then perhaps they look to see if there’s a rental veteran to bridge the gap but there are a lot of rental veterans out there.  At the trade deadline, perhaps they take on an expiring contract from a team that needs to move money to make a bigger splash but again, that could be a lot of players.  If another Timothy Liljegren-type trade comes around where they can get a mid-20s player with some control for a low cost, that might be their preferred route.  Before the season, I’d have said someone like Kaapo Kakko who was in trade speculation but that’s probably not an option at the moment.

vincent k. mcmahon: With the recent injury to Broberg and Leddy still out, do the Blues call up another d-man if they can or do they hold out until Leddy returns?  Also, do you think this might cause an issue with the chemistry of the d-pairings?

I’m a little surprised St. Louis hasn’t brought up a blueliner at this point, to be honest.  They’re already into LTIR so there isn’t a cap-related element to them electing not to do so.  Tyler Tucker is quite familiar with the systems already and would be a safe option to have as a seventh/reserve option while Corey Schueneman has experience in that role as well with Montreal and Colorado (to a lesser extent).  One of them easily could be up as insurance.

I wouldn’t be too worried about the chemistry of the defense pairings.  When Nick Leddy returns – which should be relatively soon – he will go back into the lineup and play a prominent role, deservedly so.  There will be injuries throughout the year or players struggling that will necessitate changes so it’s unlikely the defense pairings will stay together for any sort of extended stretch over the course of the season.

That’s a league-wide observation too, not a Blues-specific one.  Even teams with a proven defensive group will mix things up from time to time as you never know when you might be forced into making a change when injuries strike so St. Louis, a team whose back end is much less secure, shouldn’t have any concerns about needing to mix up their pairings.

bottlesup: Dallas making any calls on defenders? Fowler, Provorov, or even maybe Arber Xhekaj? Which would require the most in return then the one that would require the least?

I’m sure they’re making calls on defensemen but I doubt they’re seriously pursuing any at this time.  At the moment, per PuckPedia, Dallas can only add someone making around $1.7MM.  If their roster remains relatively unchanged, they could have the ability to add someone making more than $6MM.  Those are two very different pools to shop in.  In the first price range, maybe there’s a third-pairing upgrade.  That’s useful but doesn’t move the needle too much.  But at the deadline, being able to pick up $6MM opens up a lot more options, especially at a time when more teams are open to retaining salary.

I don’t see Cam Fowler being a viable option for the Stars solely because of the extra year on his contract.  Dallas can’t afford a $6.5MM player on the books for next season when Jake Oettinger’s big raise kicks in while Wyatt Johnston and Jamie Benn are among their free agents.  Unless Anaheim paid down half the contract (which would probably up the asking price to a first-round pick and then some), it’s probably not a great fit.

I don’t mind the Ivan Provorov option though.  While he’s a left-shot defender, he’s playing on the right in Columbus and that’s the side the Stars need an upgrade on.  Could he go in and cover 20-plus minutes a night and kill penalties?  I think so and that’s the type of player they need to take some pressure off the top options.  The Blue Jackets will likely be seeking a first-round pick and something else but should be willing to pay down half of their portion of his contract ($4.725MM) which should give them a long list of suitors.

Xhekaj is an odd fit.  He’s also a left-shot blueliner and hasn’t fared great when moved to his off-side.  He’s certainly cheaper ($1.3MM through next season) and has more club control but at most, he might crack the third pairing.  He’s also a hard player to peg value-wise.  I think there are teams who don’t view him as an NHL player and others who would pay a fairly high price tag given his physicality and a decent track record of offense at the lower levels.  It probably doesn’t get to the level of Provorov’s likely price tag but I don’t feel he’s the type of blueliner they should be going after.

mikeyziggy: With the latest update on Landeskog it certainly sounds like if it doesn’t happen this season it doesn’t happen at all. What team is going to take on his contract to free the Avs from the cap hit in the event he can’t play? That $7mil could go a long way in helping fix some of the problems up front.

For those who didn’t see the news earlier this week, the latest update on Gabriel Landeskog certainly wasn’t an ideal one.  Head coach Jared Bednar indicated that Landeskog had a setback as he continues to try to work his way back from a knee injury that has kept him out for the last couple of years.  However, Landeskog is still hoping to suit up at some point this season which doesn’t help the Avalanche in terms of the cap as they can’t spend that money on other players if they think he’s going to play before the playoffs begin.

Let’s use the scenario that says he can’t come back.  Frankly, that feels more and more like the probable scenario.  The Avs don’t necessarily have to trade him as they can just put him on LTIR and spend up to $7MM over the cap on their roster.  (It’s not quite that simplistic and involves optimal timing of placements and whatnot but that’s the gist of it.)  That’s not an ideal scenario to be in as it prevents them from banking in-season space and means any bonuses earned get charged the following season but it’s not as if that $7MM is unusable.

But the other option of trading the contract probably isn’t a great one either.  Landeskog still has four years left on his contract after this one.  That’s a long time for a team to willingly carry a permanent LTIR deal and the one team that was willing to do so (Arizona) is now in Utah with an owner willing to spend so they won’t be doing that anymore.  Is there a team that knows they’re going to be well below the cap through at least the 2028-29 season so that taking on Landeskog’s contract is a low-risk proposition?  I’m not sure there is, to be honest.  Maybe when there are two years left it’s an option but I don’t see the Avs shedding that deal anytime soon if his playing days are numbered.

FeeltheThunder: In Tampa, Nick Paul was on the second line with Hagel and Cirelli, the line was very successful at controlling puck possession at 5-on-5 and was one of the most dominant lines in the NHL over the first couple of games of the season. However, since Paul was put back on the third line at center, his possession numbers at 5-on-5 are starting to look like last year. Over the two-game span against the Wild and the Jets, Paul had an 18.58 on-ice expected goals for percentage share (xGF%) at 5-on-5, ranked lowest on the roster. Furthermore, his 33.62 on-ice shots for percentage (SF%) ranked last on the team. In other words, with Paul on the ice, the Lightning gave up two shots for one they produced. As management starts to think about in-season acquisitions, a third-line scoring forward should be at the top of the list for Tampa especially since Mikey Eyssimont isn’t producing (he’s a better fourth line guy) though Mitchell Chaffee is playing solid; who would you think be some valid options for that third line to help Paul and Chaffee?

I wouldn’t be too concerned about a rough couple of games on a different trio (though admittedly, things didn’t get much better in their last outing).  When you’re shifting to a different role on a different line at a different position, you get a bit of leeway.  That said, there needs to be improvement on that front relatively soon.

As for potential pickups, I think Tampa Bay would prefer to shop on the rental market given that they already have nearly $82MM on the books for next season, per PuckPedia.  I suspect GM Julien BriseBois would like to leave himself some flexibility to try to make a splash again next summer so a one-and-done acquisition would help make that happen.  With that in mind, I’ll limit my picks here to the rental market.

The first name that comes to mind isn’t necessarily a scorer.  I could see Luke Kunin making sense for them.  He could plausibly play the role Paul has now, allowing Paul to move back to the second line.  Kunin also plays with an edge physically, an element they lost when they moved Tanner Jeannot to Los Angeles over the summer.  Assuming they don’t have too many injuries between now and the deadline, the Lightning should be able to absorb his $2.75MM AAV in full as the Sharks don’t have any retention slots remaining.  If they have ample cap space, perhaps they aim higher in San Jose and try for Mikael Granlund ($5MM) which would add some offensive upside to the bottom six and again, probably allow Paul to move up.

As for other options, if Nashville can’t get out of its tailspin and winds up selling, Gustav Nyquist would add some pop on the wing if the plan is to keep Paul down the middle.  If Buffalo finds itself selling again, Jordan Greenway would add some size and scoring potential on that trio as well.  Meanwhile, if they want to pivot the third line into more of an outright checking line, someone like Joel Armia could be a low-cost flyer with some playoff experience.

@SakariL89761: When teams ’paper’ down players to the AHL or ’bank’ cap space, does it affect the players financially and if so, can the union stop it in the next CBA?

If the player is on a two-way contract, yes, it affects them financially as they’d receive their AHL salary for the day over their NHL salary, a difference of several thousand dollars.  If they’re on a one-way deal, the player actually saves a bit of money as there is no escrow taken off when the player is in the minors.

I’m not sure there’s a great way to stop it.  Frankly, I’m not certain the NHLPA would necessarily want to stop it.  If you put a cap on the number of assignments to the minors (like MLB did to try to cut down on the roster churning for optionable pitchers a couple of years ago), you could wind up taking away opportunities from deserving players later in the year if they’re ‘out of options’ so to speak as a team won’t want to call up a player they can’t send down anymore.

Meanwhile, some of the opportunities created for the players on the fringes of the roster are because teams can do the paper transactions.  In essence, their final roster spot only costs part of the $775K minimum salary.  But if you can’t shuffle the players, how many of those teams just won’t bother to carry the extra body?  (Or how many might not be able to afford it?)  Now you might be taking away opportunities for players in the minors, even if they’re only on the NHL roster part-time.

In a cap system that’s pretty restrictive, I can’t see there being any desire from teams to put any restrictions on this and with the NHLPA likely realizing that changing the system will negatively affect some members as well, I can’t see it being a high-priority item for them in CBA talks when they potentially get underway next year.

Read more

Unclemike1525: Isn’t there a draft rule that you can’t have a high pick so many years in a row? So even if the Hawks keep losing what would be the highest pick they could possibly get next year? How does that work or am I completely wrong? Thanks as always.

In 2021, the Draft Lottery rules changed and among the new rules put in is the cap on the number of times a team can move up.  The specific text is as follows:

No single team will be able to advance in the Draft order by reason of winning a Lottery Draw more than two (2) times in any five (5) year period.

Notably, this does not include maintaining your position with a lottery win.  So if a team finishes last and wins the draft lottery, it doesn’t count against one of their two victories above.

Chicago has two lottery wins under the new system.  They went from third to first in 2022, selecting Connor Bedard in the process.  That counts against their limit.  Last year, they won the second lottery but that allowed them to merely retain their position, not advance.  As a result, that one doesn’t count against the limit of two.  That means that there is no cap on how high they can pick in the 2025 draft.  Depending on what happens there will dictate their situation beyond then.

trak2k: I was amazed that the Edmonton Oilers said that Connor McDavid has an ankle injury and not just a lower-body injury.

Could you see more teams actually saying what the injury is, instead of just saying it’s an upper or lower-body injury?

I very much wish the answer to this was yes but no, most teams aren’t willingly going to disclose any specifics unless they absolutely have to.  We’ve even seen a couple of coaches take it a step further by saying their player has a ‘body injury’; it wouldn’t surprise me if we see that a bit more now.  The reality is that there’s little benefit to releasing that information and when you’re dealing with someone’s personal health information (and injury information qualifies), teams are going to opt to say as little as possible in most circumstances.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pro Hockey Rumors Originals PHR Mailbag

8 comments

Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

November 8, 2024 at 8:30 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 17 Comments

There’s already been a bit of early-season trade action with a bevy of unexpected hot starts and disappointing runs. With every team now across the 10-game mark in their schedule, we’ll open the space to answer questions from our readers in the mailbag.

The last edition was divided into two parts. The first discussed a potential solution to the Oilers’ Darnell Nurse problem, expectations for the Maple Leafs, and challenges for the Rangers to stay atop the Metropolitan Division. The second covered the beginnings of a likely lengthy Connor Bedard/Matvei Michkov rivalry and the first player to land a $20MM AAV, among other topics.

You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on X or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run on the weekend.

Uncategorized PHR Mailbag

17 comments

PHR Mailbag: Impact Youngsters, Record-Breaking Contract, Fowler, Goalies, Struggling Contender, Minors

October 13, 2024 at 6:19 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include a discussion about a Cam Fowler trade scenario, plenty of goalie talk, and much more.  If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in last weekend’s mailbag.

wreckage: Do you expect Michkov or Bedard to be more impactful going forward? Bedard may have more skill, slightly. Michkov likely has a deeper team behind him at the moment. For the next three years… who has more impact in the NHL?

I’ll go with Connor Bedard for this one.  Yes, Chicago has a weaker team on paper right now but Philadelphia is still rebuilding as well, despite them nearly making the playoffs last season.  Both teams are probably on the outside looking in for at least the first two of those three years.  The good news is that Matvei Michkov should get a lot of runway to play big minutes quickly like Bedard did last season but there’s only so much impact he can have on a non-playoff team.

Generally speaking, I’m going to lean toward a high-end center having more of an impact than a high-end winger on a year-to-year basis.  Bedard will be a year further ahead in his development, entering what should be a very pricey second contract at a time when Chicago should be starting to take some steps forward in the Central.  He’s going to be a big part of that.  Not to say Michkov shouldn’t be an impactful piece by any stretch but I expect most players won’t be quite as impactful as Bedard should be in a few years.

riverrat55: Who is the 1st player with the upcoming increase in the Salary Cap to ask for $20MM?

Before tackling this, we need to figure out our target cap percentage that will cost $20MM.  Teams, players and agents use this percentage as a direct comparable in negotiations.  (For anyone wondering, 20% is the maximum, a rate we haven’t seen reached in quite some time.  I remember some when the first cap came out but that’s about it.)  Auston Matthews’ contract is 15.06% of the cap while Leon Draisaitl’s recent one checks in at 15.91%.  Connor McDavid’s current one is 15.72% and I could see it eclipsing the 16% mark (which, on a $92MM-plus cap, puts the AAV in the $15MM range).  For the sake of this hypothetical, let’s put a target cap percentage at 16.5%.

Let’s do some quick math here.  $20MM divided by 16.5% = $121.212MM.  Why does this matter?  We need to project when the Upper Limit of the salary cap might get to this amount to see who will need a contract at this time.

This year, the cap is $88MM with a 5% capped increase next season and the year after that.  That would make the ceiling $92.4MM in 2025-26 and $97.02MM in 2026-27 before the CBA expires.  (The league did make this year’s cap a bit higher than the 5% increase so this isn’t a perfect scenario but close.)  It wouldn’t shock me to see a bit more of a jump after that, assuming revenues stay on their current trajectory.  Let’s say it’s a 10% boost post-CBA.  That makes the cap $106.72MM in 2027-28.  Let’s forecast 7% increases on average after that.  In 2028-29, it would be $114.19MM and in 2029-30, it’d be $122.19MM.  So, the 2029-30 season is the earliest we could see that price point.

Assuming that most core players will continue to sign max-term deals, that probably takes McDavid off the table.  Cale Makar is up in 2027 so he’s off the table.  Matthews’ deal expires in 2028 so he’s not going to get there either.  The rest of the established elite will either be signed through that time or on the backswing of their careers in 2030.

With that in mind, my guess would be Bedard if I’m picking a current player.  He’d have a shot at that in 2034 if he signs a max-term contract coming off his entry-level deal.  If he goes shorter-term, he could get there sooner.  We’re going to see a bigger jump in the cap coming sooner than later but even with that, it’s probably going to take a while to see someone reach $20MM unless there’s a material jump in the Upper Limit in the new CBA or some sort of other drastic change.

jminn: The Ducks want to trade Fowler. Kings could have a need, even though Cam is a lefty. Is there any chance Fowler moves up the freeway?

I’m going to be a little picky on the phrasing as it’s not necessarily that they’re looking to trade Fowler but rather that they’re willing to work with him on finding a new home.  If he winds up staying there for most or all of the season, I think that’s an outcome they’re okay with.

But semantics aside, I don’t think this is a good fit for Los Angeles and not because of the handedness.  Drew Doughty is expected to be back this season so while the Kings have around $10MM in cap room right now per PuckPedia, that money isn’t really spendable as they’ll need to get back to compliance before they can activate him.  That’s easy to do with a replacement from the minors but Fowler has a $6.5MM cap hit.  That means that barring further long-term injuries, the Kings would need to clear around $6.5MM off the books when the time comes to activate Doughty.  That’s going to be extremely difficult to do midseason.

Would Fowler help the Kings?  He certainly would.  But this isn’t the right move for them to make at this time.  Los Angeles needs to exhaust their internal options and see if Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence can take on bigger workloads.  Then, if that doesn’t go well, they can re-assess but even then, it’d have to be for a much cheaper option than Fowler.

Frozenaquatic: There’s an interesting conversation happening right now about goalie salaries. Obviously, the argument for lower salaries is that aside from Hellebuyck, even top goalies play about 60 – 65 games (even though starting pitchers command high salaries despite only playing 30 out of 162 games). And how much does a goalie matter for a championship (or was Darcy Kuemper the Trent Dilfer of the NHL–just an anomaly in a rare system that usually favors Tom Bradys/Vasilevskys)?

Another argument is that they are only as good as the system–how much will Ullmark regress behind a much worse Sens system and would Swayman regress that same amount? They’re also mercurial–Shesterkin could sign an eight-year, $104MM contract and begin an eight-year slump.

The argument for higher salaries is that they may affect those games more than the other players. Great goalies sometimes open a championship window. They can represent a winning culture that other players want to play for.

Where do you fall on the goalie salary spectrum?

Second question is: Do you know if players take playing with goalies into consideration when they sign UFA contracts with new teams?

Third question: if you were in a legacy fantasy league, would you take Askarov, Cossa, or Wallstedt?

1) In general, I’d say goalies have felt the squeeze in recent years.  With a lot of teams shifting closer to a platoon, there has certainly been a concerted effort to try to spend less at that position.  It also should be noted that the number of true higher-end starters has gone down which is part of the reason teams are looking for goalies to be closer to splitting the duties.

What has been interesting to me lately is that teams with a legitimate number one have largely managed to get that player locked up on what looks like a team-friendly agreement.  Part of me wonders if the fact a lot of teams are looking to cut costs between the pipes actually has deflated the marketability for some of those players.  While supply is low, it’s getting offset by perceived lower demand.

That’s what made the Jeremy Swayman saga particularly interesting as here’s a player trying to reach that upper tier (some would say he’s there already while others might want to see him play more first) that seemingly held out for top dollar.  It seems like Igor Shesterkin is hoping to do the same as well although, again, if he got to the open market, how many teams would realistically go after him?  How many would have the cap space and of those, how many would pay up that much for a goalie?  I’m intrigued to see how that one’s going to play out.

2) I can’t say this for certain either way but it would surprise me if more than a handful of skaters would put too much weight on who the goalie is when signing in free agency.  I’d say that’s too position-specific.  Free agents probably assess rosters on a more macro level – does the player want to go to a contender?  Does he want to go to a team that is thinner at a specific position in the hopes of securing a bigger role (and ideally a bigger contract)?  A UFA goalie would pay attention to who the incumbent player is for obvious reasons but I doubt a lot of skaters put a high emphasis on who the goalies are specifically when they’re pondering teams.

3) Long-term, it’s hard to pick against Yaroslav Askarov.  There’s a reason why he was considered by some as the best goalie outside North America a couple of years ago.  He’s now on a team that could be positioning itself to contend in a few years.  If it’s a long-term play you’d be going for, he’s it.  If you need someone who might get you more points in the short term, it’s Jesper Wallstedt.  Like Askarov, he’ll see some NHL action this season but he’s on a team that I expect will be more competitive.  Next season, he should be a full-timer on a team that has some cap space to make some noise next summer.

Read more

Nha Trang: What’s the team touted to be a top contender for the Cup that blows up completely this year?  I don’t mean a 55+ win team that bombs out of the first round, but one *expected* to be one that blows up in the regular season and just barely makes the playoffs at all, if that much.

It depends on the interpretation of top contender.  If we’re only talking about the obvious handful, I’m not sure I see any of them struggling to that extent.  (Technically, there was only one 55-win team last year.)  So, I’m going to expand the pool a bit and bring in the other 50-win teams from last season.

My pick of who is a presumed playoff contender that could wind up struggling a lot this year is Vancouver.  An awful lot went right last year.  They got several career seasons from their top players while leading the league in shooting percentage.  I think they’re bound for a bit of regression on that front.  Thatcher Demko seemingly not being 100% isn’t going to help either; if he has to manage the pain playing through his knee trouble, he probably can’t be counted on to play as much as he normally does.  There’s some give-back there as well.

Then there’s the division.  Vegas should bounce back after a down year by their standards and Los Angeles has what they think will be a goalie upgrade.  I know they’re without Doughty for a while but it wouldn’t shock me if they finished ahead of Vancouver.  Edmonton (who I imagine is a popular answer to this question for anyone pondering it themselves) should be ahead as well.  With that in mind, I have Vancouver as a Wild Card team at best, battling with Central teams to sneak in.  That would be a pretty big drop-off that I’m not sure a lot of people are necessarily predicting at this point.

If you want someone considered as more of a contender, it would be Colorado.  They’re dealing with a lot of injuries up front that might put them behind the proverbial eight-ball to start the year.  And if Alexandar Georgiev’s struggles between the pipes carry over (it has in his first two starts), they could be vulnerable.

Gmm8811: Any chance of seeing a deep dive article in the future on AHL and ECHL contracts? Do those leagues have 2-way contracts like the NHL? Do the minor leaguers have to pass through waivers like the big clubs? Is there a good site that deals with this kind of information? ECHL future expansion rumors?

Unfortunately, details on AHL and ECHL contracts are not publicly disclosed so there isn’t much we can cover or refer you to there.  There are two-way AHL-ECHL deals that pay different rates at each level similar to NHL-AHL agreements.  It feels like there has been an increase in those in recent years as teams use those for some of their recallable depth players to get around the strict ECHL weekly cap rules.  The weekly salary cap in that league this season is $15,130 per week for the first 30 days of the season and $14,600 per week after that with the weekly salary floor being $11,100.

As for waivers, that’s not a thing in the AHL like it is in the NHL but there is in the ECHL.  Players released by an ECHL team go on waivers and become eligible to be claimed.  Meanwhile, in the AHL, released players immediately become free agents.  If you’re on an AHL contract, you’re staying with that organization unless you’re traded, loaned, or released.  As for ECHL expansion, there isn’t a site that I’m aware of that tracks rumors about that.  That said, with 30 teams in that league, it stands to reason that they could try to get that to 32 in the near future and try to have an NHL and AHL affiliate for each one.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pro Hockey Rumors Originals PHR Mailbag

0 comments

PHR Mailbag: Nurse, Maple Leafs, Swayman, LTIR, Preseason, Metropolitan Division

October 5, 2024 at 2:19 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include the Jeremy Swayman contract drama, handicapping the Metropolitan Division, and much more.  If your question doesn’t appear here, check back next weekend for part two.

wreckage: Everyone knows and even Edmonton fans admit, they need to upgrade on Nurse as their 3D but it’s impossible at his contract, especially with his NMC. And now some certain ESPN guy is saying Seth Jones to EDM makes sense, despite the fact the time Caleb was there was tumultuous with their mother’s claims on the old Twitterverse. Does any of that rumor make sense? Even in the slightest?

First, let me say that I’m blissfully unaware of those claims from the Twitterverse which allows me to actually ponder the idea on its merits.  Before getting into that, I’ll note that only six players remain from Caleb’s tenure with Edmonton with a different head coach, GM, president, and much more.  The culture is different, the team is mostly different; if there were concerns before, those same concerns might not be around anymore.

On the surface, the idea of a swap with Darnell Nurse and Jones makes a lot of sense in theory if there’s a desire to make a change there.  Nurse’s contract ($9.25MM through 2029-30) makes it incredibly difficult to swap him for an upgrade as a lot of teams will view the price tag as a negative.  With Jones making similar money ($9.5MM through 2029-30), the cap charge isn’t the issue.  It’s one overpaid blueliner for another.  If both teams think that they’re better off with the other overpaid player, a swap would make sense.  I don’t think it’ll happen though.  I’d say Chicago says no given the left-defense organizational depth they have, making Nurse a bit redundant compared to the right side where they’re much thinner.  But value-wise, it’s not a bad framework for a swap.

gowings2008: Is it crazy to think the Leafs are primed for a step back this year? There are so many question marks. Can Matthews, Nylander, and Marner repeat career years? Will Tavares continue to decline and how fast? Will Chris Tanev’s body hold up? Are they getting Florida OEL or Vancouver OEL? Are Knies and McMann legit? Do they even have an NHL fourth line? Is Woll really the answer with just 34 career starts? I really think if just a couple of these things don’t bounce in the Leafs’ direction, they’ll be on the outside looking in come playoff time. The Atlantic is no walk in the park, especially this year.

It’s not crazy to think that Toronto could take a significant step back this season.  We know of them being a top regular season team under former coach Sheldon Keefe but will things be different under Craig Berube?  They’re now built with an eye on being more effective in the playoffs.  Will the uncertainty around Mitch Marner’s final year of his contract turn into a distraction?  I don’t think so but it could.  I’m not as worried about the defense and some of the other forwards that you mentioned but there is one giant wild card.

The goaltending isn’t just a question about Joseph Woll but also Anthony Stolarz.  Neither player has even been a 1B option in the NHL.  They each made career highs in starts last season, making 23 and 24 combined.  There are 82 games in the regular season.  How will they hold up under the bigger workload?  And with oft-injured Matt Murray and Dennis Hildeby as the in-house options to turn to if injuries or general fatigue arise, they’re taking a risk.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the approach they’re taking.  There’s upside to both Woll and Stolarz and if they even provide average goaltending, they’ll be fine.  But if they falter, they could very well be in trouble.

But that said, I don’t see much reason to think they won’t be a top-three team in the Atlantic this season.  While they have questions, no doubt, so do a lot of other teams not named Florida.  In that case, I’d back the team with the track record of winning a lot of regular season games to continue doing so.

Johnny Z: So did Neely make the $64M contract offer to Jeremy Swayman and his agent sat on it and did not tell his client? Does Swayman take this offer and fires his agent? Will Neely take the offer off the table? Will Swayman end up on the trade block? What a mess!

First, let me say that this has turned into a bit of a bizarre situation.  With the various reporting that’s out there, I get the sense that the $64MM might not have been offered but $62MM or $63MM might have been.  So while Swayman’s agent is technically correct from a semantics perspective, the last offer compared to Cam Neely’s stated number is pretty close and probably wasn’t going to be the difference-maker in getting something done or not.

Enough time has passed since this was revealed so if the offer was going to be taken, it would have been taken by now.  It sure seems like there’s still a pretty sizable gap to bridge which, evidently, is going to take some time.  I don’t think we’re at the point of a more ‘nuclear option’ being an agent change, an offer revocation, or a trade demand.  By all accounts, Swayman’s desire is to be in Boston and the Bruins clearly want him as their long-term starter which is why shorter-term agreements haven’t been discussed in much detail yet.

There are various pressure points that help to spur things, be it a trade (the deadline) or a contract (arbitration hearing, training camp, etc).  The next one is the start of the regular season early next week where things get more complicated cap-wise as his cap charge for 2024-25 would be higher than his overall AAV (as long as it’s a multi-year deal).  Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli explains that more in detail if you’re interested.  Assuming something isn’t done by then, then there might be a waiting game to see if the leverage shifts.  If Boston starts strong without him, that might lower Swayman’s price while if they falter, the Bruins might decide they have to go a bit higher to close a contract.  Things took a turn for the worse this week with the public comments but I expect a deal will still get done…eventually.

rule78.1: How long do you think it will take for the NHL/NHLPA to address LTIR? Because someone within the Vegas organization has found all the holes and is taking full advantage of them.

For those who haven’t seen it, the latest LTIR situation saw Vegas remove the cap hit of Robin Lehner.  Technically, Vegas was within their rights to attempt to terminate his contract because he didn’t (or couldn’t) report for his physical.  I think in the end, the Golden Knights were prepared to do so, the NHLPA fully intended to grieve and this time, instead of just doing it and waiting to see the outcome of the hearing (like the Flyers are doing with Ryan Johansen, for example), they just worked out the compromise here.

One of the few things we know about this is that there’s a lot we don’t know.  As ESPN’s Emily Kaplan relayed earlier this week, there was a specific reason why Lehner was unable to attend, one of a sensitive nature.  Due to that, the NHL and NHLPA agreed that this is an “unprecedented and highly unique” case.  So is this circumvention?  I can definitely see the argument that it is but given how rarely in-season grievances involve restoring a cap charge, I think they might have just done the settlement early instead of reaching it in November or December or whenever the hearing would have happened.

As to your question, it’s a CBA matter since it’s related to salary cap accounting.  It’s not something that can unilaterally be changed beforehand.  The NHL has been doing its due diligence in terms of speaking to owners, presidents, and GMs to get a sense of the appetite for change.  How many want to make a change and how big of one do they want?  I think more want to change something than don’t but the extent of the change is up in the air.

The next CBA starts in 2026-27 and while both the NHL and NHLPA would probably like to have an agreement done before then, it’s unlikely any significant cap changes (including LTIR) would come into play until the new document is in effect.  So for the next two years, the status quo is probably going to continue to be in place.

Read more

PyramidHeadcrab: Why is it that, during the preseason, teams will cut and send a few players down to the A, only to recall them literally the next day? I see this happen every year, and it’s always perplexing. I don’t really understand the purpose of this move – why not hold on to these players for a couple more days if the plan is to just bring them back anyway?

And what is the real-world implication of this? Do they get a call halfway to Charlotte to make a U-turn and head back to Sunrise?

Generally speaking, the timing of the recalls usually aren’t the next day although there are some exceptions.  But the really short-term ones could be related to waivers (wanting to get a player through early at a more advantageous time – goalies, in particular), some of it could be money-related (players in training camp get per diems so shuffling players back, or a coaching staff simply having a change of heart as to how many regulars they want to play in an upcoming game.

In your scenario, it’s possible that they get the call partway on their trip to the minors but it wouldn’t shock me if some of the players were told they were being sent down but also to stay in town for a day or two before making the trip in case they’re needed.  Maybe not for ones where the AHL team is close but in your Florida scenario, I’d hope they didn’t actually have someone make a U-turn partway.

The more common ones are those who are sent down for a few days and then return.  The bulk of the heavy cuts typically line up with the start of AHL training camps.  They’re sent down to line up with the start of those practices to get ready for the start of AHL preseason (which is now underway) and then if the NHL team wants to dress fewer regulars, they get recalled for spot duty for that game and go back after.  We’ve seen a lot of those already including several today (with probably more to come).

schaefman21: Almost everyone picking NYR to win Metro, however, didn’t the NYR set an NHL record for most come-from-behind wins in 2023-24 en route to their division title? If so, shouldn’t we expect some “regression to the mean” this year meaning the Metro is wide open to NJD, CAR, and NYR?

First, yes, the Rangers did set this record last season with 34 come-from-behind victories in the regular season plus six more in the playoffs.  I can see the logic in the argument that they may have had some good fortune in that but a lot of those comebacks were when they were down 1-0 or 2-1 early in the game.  Quite a few teams were in the 20s in that category last season; it’s not as if New York was miles ahead of everyone else in that regard.  But yes, some of those could be flipped.

However, the Rangers are largely running back the same team that won the division last season.  The Hurricanes, on the other hand, lost several players this summer with replacements that aren’t as impactful.  I think many would suggest that they’ve taken a step back or two talent-wise.  I think that more than offsets a handful of comebacks that could go the other way for the Rangers this season.

Could New Jersey make a run at the division?  I’d say it’s possible if they can stay healthy as they have improved considerably and looked pretty good in their two games in Prague.  But teams generally don’t miss the playoffs one year and win the division the next.  It’s not impossible but if I had to pick between them and the Rangers, the safer and more logical bet would be the team that did it a year ago and had little turnover.  It wouldn’t shock me if the Devils took the Metropolitan Division but I’d say the Rangers being the preseason speculative favorite makes sense to me.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pro Hockey Rumors Originals PHR Mailbag

4 comments

Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

October 3, 2024 at 6:26 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 27 Comments

Teams are in the process of getting their rosters set with some tough cuts to be made before the regular season officially gets underway.  With that in mind, it’s a good time to open up the mailbag.

Our last mailbag was split into two segments.  The first discussed the recent usage of deferred salary in contracts and if that’s a mechanism we should expect to see more often, RFA contract projections for Cole Perfetti and Lucas Raymond (coming in slightly below the actual amounts for both), if Anaheim can move two long-term veterans, and more.  Among the topics in the second was my annual prediction for a breakout player, discussing Calgary’s potentially tradable veterans, and what to expect from Connor Bedard’s sophomore season.

You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter/X or by leaving a comment down below.  The mailbag will run on the weekend.

Uncategorized PHR Mailbag

27 comments
AJAX Loader
Load More Posts
  • Top Stories
  • Recent

Devils’ Jesper Bratt Undergoes Surgery To Address Multi-Season Injury

Ducks Name Joel Quenneville Head Coach

Maple Leafs’ Anthony Stolarz Ruled Out For Game 2

Utah Hockey Club Announces Mammoth As Team Name

Blues’ Torey Krug Not Expected To Resume Playing Career

Islanders Prefer Ken Holland For GM Vacancy

Devils Sign Arseni Gritsyuk To Entry-Level Deal

New York Islanders, Utah Hockey Club Win 2025 NHL Draft Lottery

Lane Hutson, Macklin Celebrini, Dustin Wolf Named Calder Trophy Finalists

Sharks’ William Eklund Undergoes Surgery, Will Miss World Championship

Canucks GM Allvin States Team Is Interested In Retaining Brock Boeser

Jay McKee Could Be On Flyers Coaching Radar

Ducks Owner Henry Samueli Discusses Future Goals For Team

Heiskanen To Miss Game 3 For Stars

Golden Knights’ Mark Stone Out Day-To-Day

Snapshots: Fiala, Norringer, Bertucci, Hemming, Terness

Offseason Checklist: Seattle Kraken

Calvin Pickard Day-To-Day With Undisclosed Injury

Noah Cates Reportedly Leaning Toward Filing For Arbitration This Summer

Filip Roos Signs In Sweden

Rumors By Team

Rumors By Team

  • Avalanche Rumors
  • Blackhawks Rumors
  • Blue Jackets Rumors
  • Blues Rumors
  • Bruins Rumors
  • Canadiens Rumors
  • Canucks Rumors
  • Capitals Rumors
  • Devils Rumors
  • Ducks Rumors
  • Flames Rumors
  • Flyers Rumors
  • Golden Knights Rumors
  • Hurricanes Rumors
  • Islanders Rumors
  • Jets Rumors
  • Kings Rumors
  • Kraken Rumors
  • Lightning Rumors
  • Mammoth Rumors
  • Maple Leafs Rumors
  • Oilers Rumors
  • Panthers Rumors
  • Penguins Rumors
  • Predators Rumors
  • Rangers Rumors
  • Red Wings Rumors
  • Sabres Rumors
  • Senators Rumors
  • Sharks Rumors
  • Stars Rumors
  • Wild Rumors

Latest Rumors & News

Latest Rumors & News

  • Brock Boeser Rumors
  • Scott Laughton Rumors
  • Brock Nelson Rumors
  • Rickard Rakell Rumors
  • Mikko Rantanen Rumors

Pro Hockey Rumors Features

Pro Hockey Rumors Features

  • Support Pro Hockey Rumors And Go Ad-Free
  • 2024-25 Salary Cap Deep Dive Series
  • 2025 Trade Deadline Primers
  • 2025 NHL Free Agent List
  • 2026 NHL Free Agent List
  • Active Roster Tracker
  • Arbitration-Eligible Free Agents 2025
  • Draft Lottery Odds 2025
  • Trade Tracker
  • Pro Hockey Rumors On X
  • Pro Hockey Rumors Polls
  • Waiver Claims 2024-25

 

 

 

Navigation

  • Sitemap
  • Archives

PHR Info

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Commenting Policy

Connect

  • Contact Us
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS Feed

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top

Register

Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version