Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

Here’s a rundown of the original content here at PHR over the past seven days.

The Oilers are on the clock in our 2007 redraft series with the 21st selection, their third of the first round.  Their first two (Sam Gagner and Alex Plante) didn’t exactly work out as well as they hoped for while Riley Nash, their initial pick here, was traded away before he turned pro.  They’ve done a lot better in our redraft and you can make their final first-round selection for them here.

The NCAA season is now underway.  Zach took a look at some of the notable names to watch for among the top drafted prospects and those that are likely to hear their name called early in June.  He also examined some of the players that are slated to hit the UFA market in March or April depending on when their respective seasons come to an end.

With the puck dropping on the 2019-20 season, it’s prediction time.  Who will come out as the winners in the Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, and Pacific divisions?  The current leaders are the Lightning, Capitals, Blues, and Golden Knights.  Click the respective links to make your predictions.

The Maple Leafs are the final team to be featured in our Salary Cap Deep Dive series.  They’re using plenty of LTIR to stay in compliance and with so much money tied up in their core four up front, it will be interesting to see who they’re able to retain between the pipes and on the back end over the next few seasons as the deals for several key players expire.

California recently passed a bill allowing NCAA student-athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness.  College hockey isn’t exactly prominent there but Zach provided an overview of how this could wind up eventually affecting players in states that do have a significant college hockey presence as similar bills have been discussed elsewhere.  This doesn’t come into effect until January 2023 so there will undoubtedly be some legal challenges between now and then but it certainly could affect collegiate sports, including hockey, over the next few years.

Here is a rundown of the original content over the past seven days here at PHR.

Our look around the Atlantic Division salary cap situations continued as I took a look at the situations in Montreal and Ottawa while Holger did the same for Tampa Bay.  While the Canadiens and Senators sit well below the Upper Limit, the Lightning had to make cost-cutting moves this summer, a trend that is likely to continue over the next couple of offseasons as well.

At the start of every season, there are some coaches who are believed to be in danger of losing their job if their team gets off to a slow start.  We saw quite a few changes made last season and with a lot of teams expected to be tight in the standings due to increased parity around the league, there could be some quick changes made.  Which coaches are most in jeopardy?  Click here to make your prediction.

Gavin held his weekly Thursday chat.  Topics included the future of Jonathan Quick and Jeff Carter in Los Angeles, his take on the Justin Faulk trade, predictions of what teams could be making trades in the coming days, Philadelphia’s postseason changes, what type of new contracts Alex Pietrangelo and Brayden Schenn may try to get, and more.

The Penguins are on the clock in our 2007 redraft series.  They initially took Angelo Esposito who failed to make it into an NHL game and will certainly wind up with a better player in this exercise.  Make their selection here.

Our latest mailbag is now available.  Topics I tackled in this edition included waiver candidates, Toronto’s salary cap situation, the Faulk trade, forecasting the Metropolitan Division standings, and more.

Here is a rundown of the original content over the past seven days here at PHR.

Our look around the salary cap situation continues as we started our look at the Atlantic Division.  Zach broke down the situation for Boston while I did the same for Buffalo, Detroit, and Florida.  Despite missing the playoffs last year, both the Sabres and Panthers find themselves fairly close to the Upper Limit heading into the season.

There are five high-quality remaining restricted free agents around the league in Brayden Point (Tampa Bay), Mikko Rantanen (Colorado), Matthew Tkachuk (Calgary), plus Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine (Winnipeg).  At this point, it’s starting to look likely that at least one of these will carry over into the season.  Which player is most likely to remain unsigned when the puck gets dropped to start the regular season?  Make your prediction here.

Gavin held his weekly Thursday chat.  Topics included Jared Spurgeon’s long-term extension, the Dustin Byfuglien situation in Winnipeg, a prediction on Chris Kreider’s future with the Rangers, a projection for what top pick Jack Hughes does this season, a discussion on Carolina’s stockpiling of defensemen, and more.

Our 2007 redraft series continues as we wrap up the selections in the teens.  Winger Carl Hagelin went to the Rangers with the 17th selection while Lars Eller dropped five spots from his original draft slot but still wound up with the team that initially drafted him in St. Louis.  Anaheim is now on the clock and will undoubtedly wind up with a pick that had more NHL success than their actual selection.  Make your pick for them here.