PHR Mailbag

Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include trade candidates for the Rangers, Jake Allen’s future in St. Louis, the top players outside of North America, a notable player that could soon be on the move, and what Vancouver should do with a pair of veteran defensemen.

acarneglia: Who are the Rangers most likely trade candidates, partners, and returns?

Hayes stands out as one that’s likely to go.  They have Mika Zibanejad signed through 2021-22 and youngsters Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson both appear to be part of the long-term future as does Brett Howden so there isn’t going to be room for Hayes down the road.  Winger Mats Zuccarello, another pending UFA, is probably one that’s going to move unless they decide they want to hand him a long-term extension.  In terms of non-rentals, winger Vladislav Namestnikov is already out there but with his $4MM price tag, he’s not as much of a guarantee to move.  I wonder about winger Jimmy Vesey – he’s clearly a secondary option in New York so would a contending team value him a little more?

In terms of potential partners, that’s a little more difficult to lock down so early in the season.  Contending teams are going to want Hayes and Zuccarello but for the most part, those teams haven’t separated themselves from the pack yet.  Those trades won’t likely happen until closer to the trade deadline for salary cap purposes.  Namestnikov would likely be coveted by teams that have a player in a similar situation to swap.  This wouldn’t be limited to contenders; in fact, a non-playoff team hoping that a change of scenery may make the most sense.  I think he could be a fit in Carolina, who is known to be looking to add a forward that can play in the top-six although they don’t really have a comparable contract to send back.  As for Vesey, his market would be larger – contending teams would want him to upgrade their third line scoring while a non-contender may want to take a chance in the hope that a larger role could lead to a breakout.

As for returns, Hayes doesn’t have the track record like Paul Stastny does but I think a comparable return (a first-rounder, prospect, and a conditional mid-round pick) is something they can push for.  While Zuccarello is more proven, wingers are easier to get than impact centers so his return should be lower, potentially in a second rounder plus a decent prospect range.  A return for Namestnikov would be negligible given his struggles – either a comparable contract or a mid-to-late pick if the acquiring is assuming the contract outright.  As for Vesey, his return could go a couple of different ways – a quality prospect if the Rangers want someone closer to playing now or if they want to go the draft pick route, I could see the asking price being a second rounder or a lesser pick plus a prospect.

Paul Heyman: Is it time the Blues move on from Jake Allen? If so what could they possibly get in a trade?

If St. Louis believes that they have a good enough team that they can win with adequate-to-average goaltending, I’d say no.  Allen’s contract is towards the lower end of the pay scale for starting goalies and can use some of those savings relative to a better but more expensive starter to add to their roster.

However, if they make the determination that they need their goalie to steal a few more games along the way, then I’d say they should be looking to move him.  Allen is who he is at this point; I don’t think there’s any hidden upside in his game remaining.

The Blues are a team that has had goaltending questions for a while so I’d be inclined to look for an upgrade even if it further tightens their cap space.  However, there are two factors that would work against them here.  First, quality starting goalies don’t get moved in-season very often and aside from Sergei Bobrovsky as a rental, that’s probably not going to change.  The second is their cap situation.  St. Louis doesn’t have a lot of extra cap room so on top of moving Allen out in a trade, they’d also probably have to include a roster player of some consequence.  That certainly would lessen the odds of a move over the next few months.

In a perfect world, I’d suggest that Allen and whichever roster player gets moved with him yields another starter, one that’s a bit more reliable.  A deal like that would make sense to do around the draft given the current factors working against them.  Between the newcomer and Ville Husso ideally upgrading the number two spot, they’d be in better shape for 2019-20.  But for 2018-19, I think they’re going to go with what they have, even if they’ve already decided to pursue an upgrade in the offseason.

ThePriceWasRight: Top 3 fav retro jerseys? Vancouver Skate blade jerseys? Anaheim Mighty Ducks? North Stars?

I have to admit, I’m not a big jersey aficionado, especially when it comes to retro ones so chances are there are probably some good ones I’m not thinking of.  I liked the simpler variation of the Vancouver skate blade one that was used in the early 1990s so I’d have that on there.  New Jersey’s red/green combo in the 1980s was also really nice and I find green to be underused in uniform colors.  Washington’s blue set in the late 1990s wasn’t the most popular but I always liked those – it’s a different shade of blue than most uniforms have.  I can’t qualify a jersey from just two seasons as ‘retro’ but the Kings’ 50th anniversary gray sweater was another one I really liked – another very underused color among uniforms.

Robert H: Who are the three or four best players currently not in the NHL or AHL?

The KHL is the place to look here.  I’ll give you two sets of players, prospects and veterans.

For the prospects, Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov has emerged as a high-quality player.  He played extremely well at the Olympics while he isn’t among the top scorers in the league, there is legitimate optimism about his NHL upside.  Unfortunately for Minnesota, he’s signed in the KHL through next season although that hasn’t stopped GM Paul Fenton from starting his sales pitch for 2020-21 already.  The Golden Knights’ acquisition of winger Nikita Gusev largely went under the radar at the time given all of the hype around the expansion draft but he has been a high-end scorer for several years now.  Vegas will undoubtedly be looking to bring him across the pond for next year.  I’m a fan of Islanders goalie prospect Ilya Sorokin and Rangers netminder Igor Shestyorkin and I believe both have legitimate NHL upside.  The Islanders will have to wait at least one more year for Sorokin but the Rangers could make a push to bring Shestyorkin over for next season.

In terms of veterans, long-time Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk is still going strong and is a core player for SKA St. Petersburg.  Nigel Dawes was never a productive player in the NHL but the winger has emerged as a star in that league, routinely playing near or beating a point-per-game mark.   Winger Sergei Mozyakin never went to the NHL after being a draft pick of Columbus back in 2002 but he has been an elite KHL player for a long time.

I’ll toss in one non-KHL player.  Swiss goalie Leonardo Genoni is a little undersized but has been a top-flight player in the NLA for a decade and I’m surprised he’s never even attempted to land an NHL job.  His current contract expires at the end of the season but he already inked a five-year deal with his new team for 2019-20 and beyond already.

Dylan: Who will be the first big-name player to be traded this season, and to where?

I think many would expect William Nylander to be dealt very soon but I still think a contract eventually gets worked out with Toronto so I’ll go with someone else.

Some may not qualify Kings winger Tyler Toffoli as a big-name guy but he has quietly hit or at least played at a 20-goal pace in each of the past four seasons so he at least qualifies as an impact player.  Los Angeles isn’t done making changes by all accounts and if they continue their freefall, they’ll shift their focus towards trying to free up some salary cap flexibility which brings Toffoli and his $4.6MM deal through 2019-20 to the forefront.

As for where he could land, I’d look at teams that are underachieving offensively or have already stated their desire to add top-six help.  Boston’s known to be looking for some firepower although their preference is to add a center over a winger.  Carolina wants Nylander but they’ve also looked into other top-six forwards as well and I expect Toffoli is one of those.  I wouldn’t sleep on a team like Chicago having interest either.  However, I’ll pick the Hurricanes as a landing spot as their Plan B for when Nylander re-ups with Toronto.

It will probably be a while before more of the prominent players are dealt.  Matt Duchene could go if they can’t get an extension done but they’re still talking.  Mark Stone is in a similar boat in Ottawa although he can’t even consider extending until January.  The Rangers seem to want to wait to move which takes players like Zuccarello and Hayes off the table for now.  Columbus doesn’t want to move Artemi Panarin so that will be a late swap if one happens at all and I suspect Bobrovsky is in a similar boat.  Some of these players will go but not anytime soon.

@canuckjake16: With Edler out & Tanev newly returned is there a point in exploring trade options or do they simply, as of today, have more value overall in staying & signing with the Canucks, lots can happen between now & then understandably but signing does provide mentorship

In Alex Edler’s case, there would certainly be a market for his services but there are two questions in play.  The first is can he stay healthy?  That has been an issue for him routinely in recent years and as you noted, he’s hurt again.  The other is would he waive his no-trade clause?  Edler has stated in the past that his preference is to remain with Vancouver so even if the Canucks wanted to move him, I don’t think it’s a guarantee that Edler would waive.  I’m not sold on Vancouver hanging on to a playoff spot so from a long-term standpoint, I’d look to move him and indicate to him beforehand that a reunion next summer would be desirable.

As for Chris Tanev, it’s a catch-22.  There are plenty of teams that could use him in their lineup.  However, considering his own historical injury struggles, it’s hard to see a team parting with a good enough asset to make it worthwhile for Vancouver (who has leaned on him heavily this year) to move him.  If Tanev can stay healthy all season and someone looking for a stay-at-home blueliner is willing to pony up a notable return, I’d move him.  Otherwise, the time isn’t right to sell low knowing that he has another year left on his contract.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

This edition of the mailbag looks at potential landing spots for Joel Quenneville, possible trade targets for Boston, more discussion about William Nylander, and Vancouver’s strong start to the season.

pawtucket: Which team does Mr. Quenneville coach next and what are the percentages for each. Here are your options:

LA Kings
St. Louis Blues
Philadelphia Flyers
Detroit Red Wings

First off, add me to the list of people who think Chicago made a mistake here.  The Blackhawks, as currently constructed, aren’t a contending team like they once were.  They also have something they haven’t had much of in recent years – cap space.  I believe the proper move would have been to make an addition to the roster to see if that got them going.  If not, then this decision would have made more sense.  I get that Jeremy Colliton is a promising young coach but he was already in their system; this option was available to them six weeks from now if they opted to do a trade before the firing.

Of the teams you list, the only one I’d give reasonably-high odds to is St. Louis.  Mike Yeo’s job appears to be in jeopardy and if Quenneville wants to jump back in as soon as possible, this could be a spot that is made available in the next little while.  Accordingly, I’ll give them the top percentage at 40%.  I suspect Plan A for the Kings is that Willie Desjardins does well enough to earn the full-time job and that Marco Sturm would be Plan B.  This one won’t be an option until the summer at the earliest so I couldn’t go more than 5% here.  I don’t think the Flyers are planning on making a coaching change anytime soon and if they did, Ron Hextall strikes me as the type of GM who wouldn’t be coveting an old-school type like Quenneville so I can’t go higher than 5% here either.  As a rebuilding team, it wouldn’t make sense for Detroit to want Quenneville and his high price tag while it wouldn’t make sense for him to go there either so I’ll put that one at 0%.  (If Jeff Blashill is let go in-season, they have a logical interim replacement in Dan Bylsma already.)

I’m going to toss a few other teams out there.  Anaheim is off to a slow start and while they’ve been hit hard with injuries, I could see them making a move over the next couple of months.  They’re in win-now mode so a veteran like Quenneville would be the type of coach they’re looking for so I’ll peg them at 25%.  While Edmonton has rebounded from a slow start, another sizable losing streak would have Todd McLellan’s job in question again.  They’re another team in win-now mode so I’ll put them at 20%.  I’d also give Pittsburgh low odds here.  Jim Rutherford isn’t happy with how things are going and has limited cap space to address it.  If he can’t change the team, might he change the coach?  I’ll put them at the remaining 5%.

case7187: We hear that the B’s are looking to add to the teams’ 3rd line who could be a realistic option?

In particular, Boston’s preference is to add some help down the middle to help cover the void created when they opted not to re-sign Riley Nash in free agency.  With the young players they have on the horizon, I suspect their preference would be a short-term contract if they’re looking to add a veteran.

Kevin Hayes of the Rangers is going to be a highly sought after center between now and the trade deadline but the asking price will be steep.  I also suspect New York will want to wait to move him until closer to the trade deadline.  At that time, there will be less of a financial obligation for cap-strapped contenders to take on.  If Boston wants to do something sooner than later, they may have to look elsewhere.

I wonder if there’s a swap to be made with Pittsburgh for Derick Brassard.  He hasn’t fit in as well as the Penguins had hoped to the point where they’ve tried him on the wing.  If Boston is indeed willing to part with a young winger like Anders Bjork or Danton Heinen as has been suggested in recent weeks, I think there could be a fit for a trade.

On the lower end of the scale, Detroit’s Luke Glendening makes some sense as a target.  He doesn’t have the offensive upside that Nash does but he can win faceoffs and kill penalties while shifting between the third and fourth lines.  He wouldn’t have the type of impact the others would but would at least serve as some insurance.  He has two years left after this one but at a reasonable $1.8MM rate.

The challenge with hoping to add a center is simply that the market doesn’t really open up for those players until further into the season.  As a result, they’ll likely have to stick with David Backes down the middle for a little while longer.

There’s also the report that they’d like to move one of their underachieving youngsters for another young forward but those deals often take some time to materialize as many teams don’t want to take the risk of moving someone too soon.  Assuming Boston can make a trade like that, it’s hard to imagine that they’d get an established center in return so that may be one to shore up the wing with an eye on adding a center closer to the deadline.

fireballer: What happens if the Leafs simply don’t trade Nylander and he doesn’t play this season. Does he remain a restricted free agent after the season is over or does he become unrestricted?

Nothing changes on the Nylander front if we get past December 1st and he remains unsigned when it comes to his NHL situation.  He will still be a restricted free agent without salary arbitration eligibility and he will still be on track for unrestricted free agency in the 2023 offseason.  Of course, if he goes past December 1st without an NHL contract, he’ll be ineligible to play in the NHL for the rest of the season and would likely sign somewhere overseas.

binarydaddy: What’s the latest on the Nylander contract talks and/or possible trade destinations and packages that #LeafsNation can expect?

The latest is that nothing has changed from a couple of weeks ago.  Both sides are well apart in terms of the AAV on a long-term contract and while there has been some talk about a bridge deal, it appears to be more of a last-ditch option at this point.  All in all, we’re about two weeks away from this getting really interesting.

While it has been stated that plenty of teams have already expressed an interest in trading for him, I question how many actually have the key young player that Toronto would covet in return and the cap space to deal with a higher cap hit for this season relative to the AAV of the full contract.  (The longer this goes, the more bloated the 2018-19 cap hit is going to be and could head towards the $9MM – $10MM mark.)  This isn’t a situation where the Maple Leafs are going to accept a number four defenseman, a middle-six forward, and a draft pick.  If they move Nylander, it’s going to be for someone that can be a part of their core for a long time.

I think that limits the number of serious suitors to just a few teams.  Carolina is widely known to be interested but Toronto shouldn’t even entertain the notion of moving him there unless one of defensemen Jaccob Slavin or Brett Pesce are in the deal.  (Justin Faulk would help them but doesn’t have the team control that the others do.)  Philadelphia has been suggested as a fit but blueliner Ivan Provorov is unlikely to be in there and while Travis Sanheim has upside, he can’t be a centerpiece yet and I can’t see them taking a deal headlined by someone like Travis Konecny either.  Would the Flyers move Shayne Gostisbehere and would Toronto accept him as the top player coming back?  I suspect the Ducks would have plenty of interest but their salary cap situation would make a move difficult.

He’d be a nice fit in Nashville but the Preds probably aren’t breaking up the top four on their back end.  You can insert quite a few teams in a sentence like that as well – Nylander could help a ton of teams but they either lack the requisite type of player that GM Kyle Dubas likely wants or aren’t going to be willing to part with it.

That’s why I’m still of the mindset that a trade is unlikely.  If they want to seriously explore the idea of dealing William Nylander, the offseason makes a lot more sense to do so than now.  My projection a few weeks ago was a six-year deal but the closer this gets to December 1st, the higher the likelihood of a bridge contract gets.  That would get him signed, give Toronto a boost to put them in further contention, and basically allow them to punt the decision on whether they can fit all of their forwards in or not down the road.  It’s not a big win for anyone but at this stage of the game, the ‘perfect contract’ isn’t happening for either side.

ThePriceWasRight: Recognizing it’s still early but are the Canucks for real? Not top 10 on PK, PP, goals for or goals against would say this is a little lucky.

I’m not sold on them being for real just yet.  This isn’t an indictment on Vancouver specifically but we’re at the point of the season where most of the top teams aren’t firing on all cylinders.  In three of the four divisions, there’s someone in the top-three that hardly anyone would have expected to be in the playoff picture (the Canucks, Canadiens, and Islanders).  I’m not prepared to call any of their starts a sign of things to come at this point of the season.

Elias Pettersson is off to a very strong start but I can’t see him maintaining close to a goal per game average.  Brock Boeser is going to be out for a little while now as well.  There are also some concerns about their defense, especially with Alex Edler already on IR.  Plus, the goalie tandem of Jacob Markstrom and Anders Nilsson hasn’t got the job done in the past so it’s hard to have faith that all of a sudden, they will be able to take a big step forward.

Vancouver’s off to a good start and at the very least, it’s going to keep them around the playoff hunt for a while.  However, they’ll need to keep this up until closer to the midway mark of the season before it’s time to say their start is for real.

If your question wasn’t answered, watch for it to be covered in next weekend’s mailbag.  You can still submit questions here.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

This edition of the PHR Mailbag discusses some teams that are struggling early on, the free agent situation in Columbus, the surprising Rangers, a top Vegas prospect, the Stars, and a certain unsigned Toronto winger.

ThePriceWasRight: Should Florida Panthers fans be worried?

Yes and no.  On the one hand, I’m concerned about their goaltending.  Florida paid James Reimer a significant amount of money to provide them with a starting-caliber insurance policy for whenever Roberto Luongo gets injured.  He simply has not provided them with that level of play this season and that is a big reason for their early struggles.  Luongo is still a couple of weeks away and if Reimer doesn’t turn it around, they’re going to have a bit of a hill to climb to get into the playoffs.

On the other hand, the Panthers have quietly put together one of the more underrated attacks in the league.   They should be able to stay near the three-goal per game mark once again so once Luongo returns (or Reimer improves), they’ll be back in the win column pretty quickly.  Even with Buffalo, Montreal, and even Ottawa off to better than expected starts, I still expect Florida to leapfrog those teams which would at the very least have them soundly in the mix for a Wild Card spot.

@bdaly77: Will the Flyers ever be good?

I thought Philadelphia was good (albeit streaky) last year and with James van Riemsdyk on the shelf, this is basically the same team.  Not surprisingly, they’ve been up and down thus far.  The Flyers are in a slow build in that they’re expecting a lot of their core youngsters to generate the year-to-year improvement and the gains have been incremental thus far.  If they stick with that mindset, they’re probably a couple of years from getting to that next tier.

If you’re thinking that a couple of years from now seems a lot like the timeline for Carter Hart to really make an impact, that’s my thought as well.  Give this team good, consistent goaltending and a lot of the ebbs and flows of the last few years should also go away which should help them take off in the standings.  In the interim, van Riemsdyk’s eventual return should allow them to outscore some of their troubles; they’re not going to allow four goals per game all season long.

met man: How many more years are left on Marc Staal’s contract? I hope it’s over after 2018/19.

Staal has three seasons left on his current deal (including this one) with a $5.7MM cap hit and a full no-move clause (which could come into play if Seattle’s expansion team debuts in 2020-21).  The ‘good’ news here is that his contract isn’t really preventing New York from doing anything at the moment.  They have a reasonable chunk of salary cap space (with the ability to move several waiver-exempt players back and forth to and from the minors to make more room if needed) and new bench boss David Quinn has already benched one expensive underachiever so if he decides that Staal shouldn’t be in the lineup, he probably won’t hesitate to sit him down.  Barring a swap of bad contracts at some point this season, they’ll have to decide in the summer if they’re betting off buying out the remaining two years of his contract.

Paul Heyman: Could Mike Yeo be on his way out if the Blues don’t perform well in the next few weeks or in the next few months, also when is the defense going to help out Jake Allen and Chad Johnson?

Generally speaking, I’m a proponent of showing patience when it comes to coaches.  There has been a fair bit of turnover so it’s not all that shocking that there are some early-season struggles.  That said, there certainly seems to be a lot of speculation lately that something could be up between the bench and they have a former NHL bench boss in Craig Berube if they need to make a change.  I’d still give the team more time to jell but I wouldn’t be shocked if a change was made in the next few weeks if they can’t get back on track.

As for their defense, I don’t think it’s a particularly bad unit, especially to the point where they’re allowing four goals per game.  (Like Philadelphia, I don’t expect that to continue much longer.)  They’re working with a new defensive coach in Mike van Ryn so that may account for some of the issues as they change things up a little bit.  Beyond that, I think they’ll get themselves sorted out eventually.

ThePriceWasRight: Columbus can’t really risk losing both Bob and Panarin for nothing right? Both have to be moved if they think they aren’t re-signing.

A lot is going to depend on where they are in the postseason picture closer to the trade deadline.  If they’re in contention, it’s a tough sell to the fans (and the team) to sell off two of their best players, even if it’s the more practical move long-term.  If they’re at or below a Wild Card spot though, I could see the Blue Jackets making the push to deal both even if it results in them falling out of contention.  Basically, short-term pain for long-term gain is a lot easier to sell if you’re not at or near the top of the division.

A complicating factor here is that the typical market for a rental starting goalie is going to be small.  While most teams would love to add an impact player like Artemi Panarin (and would pay a hefty price to do so), only a handful at most will be looking for an upgrade between the pipes.  If that is indeed the case (injuries could certainly change things between now and the trade deadline in February), then GM Jarmo Kekalainen could opt to hold onto Sergei Bobrovsky over taking a middling return for him in the hopes that he can be convinced to stick around (at a price tag that doesn’t set a new benchmark for goaltenders).

@Joewalton9090: Is Dallas looking for scoring depth?

It’s too early in the year for notable depth players to be moved – ones that could make an impact between now and the end of the season.  Accordingly, at this particular moment, they’re probably not on the hunt for scoring depth.  Assuming the injury bug doesn’t bite them too much more than it already has though, the Stars should have enough salary cap room to add one notable player for the stretch run if they’re still in the hunt at that time.

The question then becomes where should they try to improve?  Another impact scoring winger would give them a second line that could really pack a scoring punch.  However, defense has been an issue for a while in Dallas so on the surface, it may make more sense to try to get a top-four blueliner and in the process, move a few players down into roles they’re more suited for.  If I was GM Jim Nill, I’d lean towards getting help on the back end – the Stars have enough firepower that a lack of scoring isn’t likely to be a problem.

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While William Nylander was a popular topic among the mailbag questions, there were still some queries regarding other topics around the league.  This edition of the mailbag looks at the impact of some significant injuries, Nick Ritchie’s situation in Anaheim, Filip Zadina, teams struggling out of the gate defensively, and a slow start in St. Louis.

ByeTheNumbers: Lots of big injuries to start the season: Luongo, JVR, Perry, etc. Who fares the worst?

I think Anaheim is hit the hardest out of that group.  There are already some question marks surrounding the health of core players like Ryan Kesler and Patrick Eaves and with Ondrej Kase also on the shelf, their depth is getting tested.  Because of the long-term nature of Corey Perry’s injury, they at least have LTIR space to work with if they want to add help from outside of the organization.  However, with their financial commitments beyond this season (more than $74MM which doesn’t include Ritchie), any addition would need to be on an expiring contract.

I think the Panthers and Flyers are relatively well-equipped to handle their injuries.  Everyone knows Roberto Luongo’s an injury risk at this point which is why Florida gave Michael Hutchinson $1.3MM to start in the minors and be a capable recall option whenever Luongo goes down.  A tandem of Hutchinson and James Reimer isn’t going to steal them a lot of games but they should be able to tread water at the very least.  As for Philadelphia, losing James van Riemsdyk hurts but they basically have their entire offense back from last year, a team that was around the middle of the pack in scoring.  They should be able to overcome missing van Riemsdyk for now, as long as their goaltending holds up.

ThePriceWasRight: How long do the Nylander and Ritchie sagas play out? Maple Leafs have shown they likely don’t need Nylander but could still use a shutdown d-man. Anaheim, on the other hand, could use some offense in its lineup.

Of the two I think Ritchie and Anaheim will get a deal done first.  While the Ducks could use some offensive upgrades due to their injuries, I’m not sure Ritchie (who had just ten goals last year) really moves the needle for them too much; he’s more of a middle-six player.  The team wants a three-year bridge deal and Ritchie’s hoping for one year with the idea that a strong season will set him up for a bigger contract next summer.  Given how much they have committed already for next year though, I’m not surprised that Anaheim appears to be looking for some more cost certainty here.  Eventually, I have to think they’ll meet in the middle within the next week or two.

Nylander was covered previously in the Nylander-specific edition of the mailbag.

Mark Black: What are the implications of the Zadina loan clarification in terms of finances? Do the Mooseheads receive any financial compensation from the Red Wings/NHL in terms of transfer fees or does that money go to Zadina’s originating team? How much did the Mooseheads lose out on aside from a very good roster player?

This is a really intriguing question but considering the required documents to answer this aren’t available publicly (the NHL-CHL Player Transfer Agreement, the PTA between the NHL and the Czech Republic, and the loan agreement between Halifax and Pardubice), I can only give you a general guess on the answer.

Zadina was ruled eligible to play in the AHL this season which is noteworthy.  Had he been classified as a CHL player, he wouldn’t have been able to as the PTA between the NHL and CHL would have prevented him from doing so.  The age/years of experience restriction that exists in that agreement does not exist in international ones which is why Zadina is currently suiting up in Grand Rapids.  With that in mind, I’d have to surmise that in the eyes of the league, the transfer fees would go to the Czech Republic.  (And without the actual agreements, I can’t even speculate on what the price paid would be.)

While it certainly feels like Halifax gets the short end of the stick here, they wound up getting very good value on their top pick in the 2017 Import Draft in that Zadina became an impact player right away.  Most teams have to wait a year or two before their import selections really blossom (such as the two they took in the most recent draft) so even though he wound up being a one-and-done player (and likely not getting much, if anything, in transfer fees), the Mooseheads still have to be somewhat pleased with what they got out of Zadina.

ThePriceWasRight: Which team is more in need of immediate defensive help?

Toronto 13 GA in 3 games
Chicago 14 GA in 3 games
Pittsburgh 13 GA in 2 games

Considering Chicago has multiple injuries on defense and is still without Corey Crawford, I wouldn’t worry too much about them just yet.  If they allow goals like this when they’re fully healthy though, then it’s trouble.  Pittsburgh hasn’t had a great back end on paper for a while now and it hasn’t held them back so I think they’re okay for now.  Before the season is out though, I think some sort of small upgrade would be useful.

As for Toronto, their defensive woes can be covered as long as their attack is at the level it’s at now.  I can’t see their offense averaging five goals per game all season but even when that comes down, they can still outscore their defensive struggles most nights.  That will allow them to bide their time so while an upgrade is needed at some point, it doesn’t have to be a move that’s made in the short-term either.

At this time of the season, most trades are depth-based so it’s going to take some time for a team to be willing to part with a top-four blueliner that would represent a tangible upgrade for most clubs, including these three.

Paul Heyman: When is the Blues offense/defense going to help Jake Allen win a game this season?

The offense had a good showing on Thursday night but it’s not too surprising that it’s off to a somewhat slow start.  The Blues are integrating quite a few new players into their system – half of their top-eight forwards in terms of ATOI weren’t on the team last year.  On top of that, they’re also playing two top youngsters in Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou who weren’t with the team either.  When half of their forwards weren’t there last season (even more when you factor in Robby Fabbri’s eventual return), there are going to be growing pains.  If this question is coming up 30 games from now, then there will be cause for concern.

I think they’ll be okay defensively before too long.  Getting Joel Edmundson back is a big help and if Jay Bouwmeester can stay healthy, that will also shore up the depth on their back end while Vince Dunn should be able to play a bigger role after a good rookie year as well.  This isn’t a group that should be winning too many games on their own but, when healthy, they shouldn’t be costing the Blues too many either.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Topics in this edition of the mailbag include the Adam McQuaid deal, Calder contenders, Artemi Panarin’s situation, rookies in Chicago, the latest big move in Vegas, and the odd situation surrounding defenseman Jake Dotchin.

acarneglia: Why would the Rangers part with Kampfer, a 4th, and a 7th to land McQuaid?

On the surface, a team that’s firmly in a rebuild parting with a pair of draft picks plus Steven Kampfer to land a one-year rental in McQuaid seems a little iffy.  I was a bit surprised at the move myself at first but I think I have an idea about the logic.

For starters, if Brendan Smith ultimately winds up back in the minors, the Rangers would have had just two defenders over the age of 25.  I know youth movements are all about playing the younger players but a veteran supporting cast is still needed.  McQuaid is someone that will be comfortable in a supporting role and won’t have to play every game.  They’ll get a chance to determine if he’s a fit in that type of role beyond this season.

If not, they can turn around and deal him before the trade deadline.  There are always contending teams looking to add depth defenders and it’s quite reasonable to think that they can at least get the fourth-rounder back, if not beat it depending on how McQuaid fares.  With that in mind, consider that Kampfer likely would have been waiver-bound anyway (meaning they would have run the risk of losing him for free), so how much did they really give up in the end?

It’s a low-risk move overall.  They’ll get a look at him to see if he’s a fit beyond 2018-19 and if not, they’ll flip him and recover a good chunk back of what they gave up.

Pawtucket: Who are the sleeper rookies/sophomores that may have big years this year? So rookies not picked in the top 5 and sophomores that were not considered for the Calder.

Technically, Filip Zadina (sixth overall back in June) qualifies but he’s a bit of an obvious choice so I won’t pick him.  Instead, here are five other players to ponder.

While everyone talks about Rasmus Dahlin in Buffalo, I think their top pick from 2017 in center Casey Mittelstadt (seventh overall) could be poised for a big role right off the bat.  He impressed late last season and if they opt to put Sam Reinhart as a winger, Mittelstadt could have a top-six role before too long which should have him in line for a very productive season.

A little more under the radar would be Carolina center Martin Necas.  The injury to Victor Rask paves the way for the 12th pick in 2017 to play a top-six role to start the season.  He’s coming off of a nice season in the Czech League, was dominant at the World Juniors, and played quite well at the Worlds back in May as well and if he carries that over, he could hold down that top-six spot even when the team is fully healthy.

In terms of true dark horses, I’d suggest Bruins forward Ryan Donato.  Boston didn’t hesitate to use him down the stretch last season and he played quite well.  With a vacancy in their top-six up for grabs, he could have a shot at landing it or at least a third line role to start.  I think Florida center Henrik Borgstrom (23rd overall in 2016) could have a big year but playing behind Aleksander Barkov and Vincent Trocheck, he’ll probably be too far under the radar to be a Calder contender.  Even so, he should have a big impact for the Panthers.  Then there’s winger Kristian Vesalainen (24th in 2017) in Winnipeg.  The Jets haven’t hesitated to put key rookies in crucial roles and if Vesalainen cracks the roster, he could follow suit.

The likes of Dahlin, Andrei Svechnikov, Zadina, and Elias Pettersson appear to be the early favorites to take home the Calder but some of these players should be in the mix as well.

@MexiCaliBlue19: What’s the deal with Artemi Panarin?

Based on comments his agent made, it sounds like Panarin does like Columbus but just not enough to commit to spending the next eight years there as things currently stand.  Unless something changes (such as the Blue Jackets becoming a top-flight contender or Panarin being willing to sign another short-term deal), there appears to be a stalemate.  Given that he is pegged to be one of the top unrestricted free agents next summer, he has little motivation to accept a short-term deal when he can command a max-term deal in free agency.

At this point, what GM Jarmo Kekalainen will need to decide is whether or not they’re better off dealing him (for what would likely be a futures-based return) or to use him as an ‘internal rental’ in the hopes of making a long postseason run.  Of course, the latter route means that there’s a very good chance that they would lose him for nothing come July but their playoff hopes are a lot better with him than without.

Earlier this week, Panarin ruled out having any further discussions regarding a contract extension so he appears intent to hit the open market one way or another.  With that in mind, a parting of the ways seems inevitable at this point.

Gerald Arrington: As an avid Chicago Blackhawks fan, I am interested in projections for rookies Dominik Kahun, Victor Ejdsell, Dylan Sikura, Jacob Nilsson. How will they fit in with the core players and which rookie will have the biggest impact for the team?

I’d peg Sikura as the likeliest one to have a notable impact.  He’s a skilled but small forward that is probably best suited to play in the top-six (or an offensive-minded third line).  He acquitted himself well in a limited sample size last season and he should be able to lock down a regular role.

I liked the addition of Ejdsell back at the trade deadline.  He can play both center and the left wing and it was on the wing that he showed some offensive upside with Rockford in the playoffs.  That said, I’m not sold that it will translate into consistent NHL production.  He’s a bottom-six player in the NHL and while he could hold down a fourth line spot right away, I could see them starting him in the minors instead to give him more development time.

I’ve liked Kahun’s play internationally for Germany going back to the World Juniors but I’m not sure it will translate to the NHL.  I have some doubts about his offensive game but his two-way game is good enough to give him a chance to maybe play on a third line.  His European Assignment Clause could help him stick around to start the season but I don’t think he’ll have the same impact as Sikura.

As for Nilsson, I suspect he’ll start in Rockford with the hopes of playing his way into a call-up midseason.  There’s a connection with head coach Jeremy Colliton from his days with Mora which likely played a role in him choosing to sign with the Blackhawks.  He may see some action on injury recall but I don’t think his NHL impact will be too substantial this coming season.

Other than Sikura, I don’t there will be much of an impact with their core.  The other players project to be cheaper roster fillers than ones that will see much time with Chicago’s top players.  Sikura, if all goes well, can get to that level and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him alongside one of Jonathan Toews or Artem Anisimov at times in 2018-19.

Zack35: Even though Vegas made it to the Cup Final, does it make sense to just switch gears from trying to build through the draft, to now trading a bunch of picks for Tatar, and then Suzuki in the deal for Pacioretty? It just doesn’t make sense to me. After Glass and Brannstrom they don’t have a lot coming.

@KylePickering4: How good is the second line in Vegas going to be now that they have Pacioretty and Stastny?

To be fair, has anything really made sense with Vegas over their first year of existence?  They weren’t supposed to be more than maybe somewhat competitive early on but after a trip to the Stanley Cup Final, it certainly seems like they’re in their window to contend now.  Those windows don’t come around too often so I understand why they’re taking their big swing even though it goes against all traditional logic of a new team in the league.

Their move to acquire Tomas Tatar didn’t make much sense at the time and looks even worse now but Max Pacioretty is a different class of player.  He’s still a legitimate top liner and should be able to replace (and probably improve upon) James Neal’s output from last year.  They gave up a lot in Nick Suzuki but getting a core player for five years makes that justifiable even though they don’t yet have the deepest of prospect pools.  That said, they shouldn’t be making too many more of these types of trades.

I’m not convinced that everything is going to go as well as it did last year.  A lot of players vastly outperformed expectations and some regression is to be expected.  However, adding Pacioretty and Paul Stastny to the mix should help offset some of that regression.

If the two close friends (and teammates internationally) wind up playing together, that will be a very strong second line.  I think someone like Alex Tuch would be a nice complementary piece for that unit as he has the skill to keep up and make teams pay if they focus their attention on the other two.  Assuming the top line can produce at a somewhat comparable rate as last season, the Golden Knights shouldn’t have too many issues getting production up front.

Connorsoxfan: What the heck is going on with Jake Dotchin?

Does anyone else feel like there’s more going on than what’s currently out there?  I get that his conditioning is poor and that it’s the second straight year that it has happened.  Conditioning can be improved though.  With that in mind, how did he clear waivers?  A young, right-shot defenseman with NHL experience on a good team that has a cap hit that’s cheaper than some minor league call-up options should not be going through unclaimed based on what’s out there publicly.

What’s really intriguing about this is the possibility of other teams following suit and trying to terminate contracts based on poor conditioning.  (We’ve already seen that happen once earlier today.)  Not many are going to bat an eye for a depth player like Dotchin but what if a team tries it with a more significant player on a bigger contract?  What level of poor conditioning constitutes a “material breach” of a contract?  Are teams going to try to put in specific conditioning standards into writing now with the idea that if they’re not met, they have an easy out?

Even if Dotchin finds another team, I wonder if the NHLPA still looks to grieve this if for no other reason than to try to prevent this from becoming a more frequent occurrence.  One agent told Joe Smith of The Athletic (Twitter link) that this could be the beginning of the proverbial Pandora’s Box and I’m inclined to agree.  Dotchin’s case is fairly notable in itself in my opinion but the long-term effects of this, if it stands, could be quite significant.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.