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Poll: Who Will Be The Top Free Agent Available In 2019?

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The 2019 Superclass is losing some of its power. At this point a few months ago, hockey fans across North America were drooling with anticipation while thinking about the group of players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2019. There were some incredible defensemen set to hit the open market, and real questions about whether their current teams would be able to hammer out an extension in time. Now, just six weeks into that extension period and we’ve already seen several names crossed off the list.

On July 1st alone, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Drew Doughty, Ryan McDonagh and Niklas Hjalmarsson were all removed from a possible free agent frenzy by inking huge contract extensions with their respective teams. Ekman-Larsson and Doughty would re-up for eight years each, while McDonagh would receive seven and Hjalmarsson an extra two. It took a few more weeks but Ryan Ellis would join them with an eight-year extension of his own, taking another elite defenseman off the market well before anyone could even prepare a sales pitch.

It wasn’t just defensemen. Logan Couture received an eight-year $64MM extension from the San Jose Sharks as soon as they could give it out, and Adam Henrique was given five more years from their state rival Anaheim Ducks. Marc-Andre Fleury was rewarded for his playoff performance with a three-year deal that makes him one of the highest-paid goaltenders in the league, despite only playing 46 regular season games for the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18.

A ton of talent has already been locked up, but it wasn’t dubbed a Superclass because of just a few players. The 2019 market still has a long list of talent scheduled, including superstar forwards like Tyler Seguin and Artemi Panarin. Erik Karlsson hasn’t signed an extension with the Ottawa Senators and may still be traded before the season, while Sergei Bobrovsky and Pekka Rinne provide some elite goaltending options if they aren’t re-signed.

So who will be the best free agent to make it all the way to market? After John Tavares showed that a superstar can indeed change teams in the prime of their career, who will be next to follow the money (or the home cooking) to a new club? Cast your vote below not for the player who you think is currently the best, but the best player you think will actually become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, 2019. Explain your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Poll: Who Are The Best Defensemen In The NHL?

at CDT | by 8 Comments

Last week the hockey world exploded into debate when the NHL Network released their list of the Top 20 Centers in the league. They had Connor McDavid ahead of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin at the top of the list, while others like Jonathan Toews were left off completely. At PHR we did our own poll in which readers were asked to rank the ten best, and after more than 10,000 votes the list looked quite different. The PHR community-voted Top 20 Center list currently looks like this:

  1. Sidney Crosby (1,213 votes)
  2. Connor McDavid (1,127 votes)
  3. Evgeni Malkin (817 votes)
  4. John Tavares (797 votes)
  5. Patrice Bergeron (732 votes)
  6. Auston Matthews (696 votes)
  7. Nathan MacKinnon (689 votes)
  8. Steven Stamkos (596 votes)
  9. Anze Kopitar (591 votes)
  10. Mark Scheifele (435 votes)
  11. Tyler Seguin (401 votes)
  12. Evgeny Kuznetsov (335 votes)
  13. Jonathan Toews (307 votes)
  14. Nicklas Backstrom (301 votes)
  15. Jack Eichel (237 votes)
  16. Aleksander Barkov (160 votes)
  17. Ryan Getzlaf (156 votes)
  18. Ryan O’Reilly (100 votes)
  19. Sean Couturier (99 votes)
  20. Mathew Barzal (85 votes)

Today, the network released their ranking of the Top 20 Defensemen in the NHL right now. At the very top is Victor Hedman, who has established himself as not only one of the best two-way defensemen in recent history, but an absolute superstar for the Tampa Bay Lightning capable of taking home a Norris trophy in any season. Hedman took home the trophy for the 2017-18 season after averaging nearly 26 minutes a night and recording 63 points in 77 games. Behind him though will bring plenty of controversy, as the rest of the list contains some interesting decisions and leaves out several seemingly deserving candidates.

Drew Doughty, Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns and P.K. Subban, winners of four out of the five previous Norris trophies before Hedman took home this year’s award round out the top five. Duncan Keith, who won his second Norris in 2013-14, is nowhere to be found on the list after a down year with the Chicago Blackhawks. Taking up spots previously given to older players like Keith are a handful of youngsters, including Zach Werenski, Seth Jones, and Charlie McAvoy.

Just like the center debate, we’d like to ask you at PHR who you think deserves to be on the list. Can others like Ivan Provorov, Hampus Lindholm, Mattias Ekholm or Marc-Edouard Vlasic make it into the top group? Once again we’ll ask you to cast your vote by selecting 10 names. Makes sure to leave a comment below on who you think deserves to be recognized, or your thoughts on how the center poll ended. We’ve included many of the names that could be considered, but if you think we’ve missed someone important make to to leave his name down below.

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Poll: Who Is The Best UFA Left On The Market?

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The unrestricted free agent frenzy dried up extremely quickly this season, and we haven’t seen single contract signed in the first week of August. The last UFA to ink a deal was Matt Read, who signed a two-way contract with the Minnesota Wild to try and compete for some fourth line minutes and continue his NHL career. Though the cap situation for many teams is quite tight and roster spots are more and more valuable every year, it is somewhat shocking to see how much NHL experience is still out there. The talent of the remaining players can be questioned, but the league has always seemed willing to give veteran players a chance on one-year deals in the past.

Last August, we saw older players like Matt Cullen, Francois Beauchemin, Drew Stafford and Matt Hendricks given another chance to extend their careers while several minor league players were brought back on two-way contracts. That is still bound to happen over the next few weeks, but the more surprising part is how many veteran names may be left searching for a professional tryout or heading to Europe to find work. There are dozens of skaters who played in at least one NHL game last season still available on the UFA market, and several goaltenders including three with plenty of previous experience.

So which would you most likely sign if you had control of your favorite franchise? Rick Nash may be the obvious choice, given his relative youth and previous star status, but he’s been kept out of our poll given that he hasn’t even decided whether he wants to play next season. Nash may come back to the game at some point, but right now he should be considered off limits. Among the other names though there are several players who’ve shown real effectiveness in the past, some even as recently as last season.

Cast your vote to decide who is the best free agent left on the market, and make sure to leave a comment down below explaining your choice. We’ve included many of the available options, but speak up if there’s someone you think is being overlooked.

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Poll: Who Will Be The First Coach Fired In 2018-19?

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Not a single NHL head coach was fired during the 2017-18 season, though several changes have been made since. Barry Trotz and Bill Peters resigned their positions in Washington and Carolina, and were each hired to replace the outgoing bench bosses in New York and Calgary. Those two were Doug Weight and Glen Gulutzan, who both failed to get their teams to the playoffs in year two of their coaching history (Weight replaced Jack Capuano partway through the 2016-17 season). Assistant coaches moved up the ladder in Washington and Carolina, while the NCAA ranks were mined for new openings for the Dallas Stars and New York Rangers. Jim Montgomery and David Quinn took over for Ken Hitchcock and Alain Vingeault respectively, bringing new ideas and fresh faces to the NHL coaching circuit.

It’s not new for coaches to be fired in the offseason, but seeing no one sent packing during the year is a very rare occurrence. It was the first time it had happened since 1966-67, meaning the likelihood of it happening again in 2018-19 seems very low. So then, who will be the first to feel the seat burning underneath him? The last time we asked a question like this the readers correctly guessed that Vingeault was on his way out, but also listed Claude Julien in Montreal, Jeff Blashill in Detroit and Rick Tocchet in Arizona as possibilities.

Who will be the first coach fired in 2018-19? Will it happen at all? Cast your vote below and make sure to explain why in the comment section.

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Poll: Which Playoff Team Won’t Make It In 2019?

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Yesterday we asked which non-playoff team would end up in the postseason tournament in 2019, and the St. Louis Blues have received a huge amount of support. After some big moves this offseason including acquiring Ryan O’Reilly, Tyler Bozak and David Perron, the Blues are leading the poll with almost 30% of the vote. That’s more than 700 votes ahead of the Ottawa Senators, who are bringing up the rear with just 0.82% of voters thinking they’ll make it back. St. Louis is certainly a good candidate to make it back to the postseason, but the second place team might be an even more interesting case.

The Buffalo Sabres finished dead last in 2017-18 and were lucky enough to win the rights to draft defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, and yet sit second in our poll of teams who could make the jump to the postseason. One would think it’s not often that teams go from dead last in the NHL to the playoffs in one season, but it has actually happened the past two years. The Toronto Maple Leafs rode a rookie wave led by Auston Matthews to sneak into the playoffs in 2016-17, and the Colorado Avalanche found incredible success on the back of Nathan MacKinnon last year. Can the Sabres make it a three-peat of teams going from prison-to-playoffs?

If the Sabres or Blues are to make it into the postseason in 2018-19, someone else will have to drop out. Today we ask you to predict what team that will be, given their offseason and situation heading into next year. Will a superstar-driven team experience a drop like the Edmonton Oilers did last season, when even Connor McDavid’s second consecutive Ted Lindsay Award wasn’t enough to get them to the playoffs? Which team will blow it up at the deadline and admit they can’t truly contend for the Stanley Cup like the New York Rangers did earlier this year? Who will be the biggest disappointment and miss the playoffs entirely despite loading up this summer?

Cast your vote below and make sure to leave your reasoning in the comment section!

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Poll: Which Non-Playoff Team Will Make It In 2019?

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We’ve seen a large amount of turnover on NHL rosters over the last few months, with the trade deadline, entry draft and plenty of action in free agency. Now as we get closer to training camp every team in the NHL has its sights set on the playoffs and a chance at the Stanley Cup. Even those who finished outside the postseason picture last season are aiming for a different result in 2018-19, and everyone who did get into the tournament is just hoping to hold on.

Last summer we asked which non-playoff team from 2016-17 would make it in 2017-18 and the results were clear. The Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning were the easy favorites, earning more than 18% of the vote each. Unfortunately for Dallas that prediction didn’t come true, as the team missed the postseason for second consecutive year. Not so for the Lightning though, who bounced back from an injury plagued year to once again be a force in the Eastern Conference.

Interestingly the Colorado Avalanche came in last with just 11 votes (0.73%) after posting a historically bad 2016-17 season, and yet the team bounced back and just made the playoffs in the Western Conference. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen were a huge part of that, but a solid performance by the entire roster should be credited for them finding their footing again last season. Can the Buffalo Sabres do a similar basement-to-playoffs run in 2018-19 with their young core of Jack Eichel, Rasmus Dahlin and Casey Mittelstadt?

Cast your vote below on who you think will make the playoffs in 2018-19 and make sure to explain your choice in the comment section below. Even leave your thoughts on who will fail to reach the postseason next year.

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Poll: Should The Ottawa Senators Trade Mark Stone?

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The Ottawa Senators have just two weeks to sign Mark Stone before an arbitrator awards a one-year contract that would send him to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2019. His hearing is scheduled for August 3rd, after which there will still be a short window to get a deal done before the one-year deal is awarded. Getting him signed to a multi-year contract appears to be a priority, but what if the team can’t get him to sign this summer?

If Stone makes it to the arbitration award and the Senators decide not to walk away from it, it would put them in an interesting situation. He wouldn’t be eligible to sign an extension—or even discuss one—until January 1st, 2019 since he’s on a one-year deal, which would also put him just a few months from the end of the season and a potential bidding war for his services on the open market. After all, Stone has developed into one of the most consistent two-way wingers in the NHL and put up 62 points in just 58 games during the 2017-18 season. His ability to create turnovers and strip unsuspecting players of the puck is almost unmatched around the league, and he can be used in many different offensive roles depending on the situation. Though there are other top forwards scheduled for free agency next offseason, Stone would be right among them as one of the top options available.

So, if there is any indication that Stone won’t sign a multi-year contract in the next two weeks should the Senators consider trading him? The team has already lost Mike Hoffman this summer to the Florida Panthers, and traded Dion Phaneuf at the deadline to free up some cap space last season. If it’s to be believed that captain Erik Karlsson is the next one out the door, what is left for Stone to accomplish this season for the club? The Senators aren’t expected to compete for the playoffs let alone the Stanley Cup, and could be several years away from contention given that they also owe their 2019 first-round pick to Colorado for Matt Duchene—who is also scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2019. Would moving Stone following his arbitration hearing be the ideal time? Should the team be considering it even if they can work out a multi-year deal with their 26-year old forward? Or is waiting to see how the team reacts this year the best option?

Cast your vote below and explain how you’d be approaching the situation in Ottawa if you were GM Pierre Dorion. Is Stone part of the turnaround, or just an asset to get a head start on the incoming rebuild?

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Poll: Who Will Be The Next Big Name To Be Traded?

at CDT | by 3 Comments

We’re getting close to the slowest time of the year for NHL news, as arbitration cases start to be wrapped up and teams are finished their free agent shopping. Through August there won’t be a ton of intrigue in terms of new contracts, but it’s shaping up to be a very interesting month with regards to the trade market.

The biggest name remains Erik Karlsson, the Ottawa Senators captain who is heading into the final year of his current contract. Still a superstar defenseman, Karlsson could command a huge package from nearly any team in the league if he’s willing to sign an extension, but his feelings on the situation still aren’t entirely clear. Now 28 years old, Karlsson has always maintained his love for the city of Ottawa and it’s not exactly apparent where else he would want to spend the next chapter of his life and career. To give up a package including top prospects, an acquiring team would want to know they have him for more than just one year.

Other than Karlsson though, there are other huge names still floating out there. Artemi Panarin, Max Pacioretty and Jeff Skinner have all been rumored as available in one sense or another and could supply a big offensive boost to any acquiring team. Panarin especially could draw a huge package given his overall offensive repertoire, but all three are marked with the same issue that hurts Karlsson’s trade value—each of them has just one year left on their current deals.

It seems unlikely that all of them will begin the year on their current teams, but the market has been quiet for some time as teams deal with other things. That might change in August after arbitration ends, and teams have a full concept of where their financial situation and roster structure has landed. Who do you think will be the first to move? We’ve included a list of oft-rumored players, but feel free to share your idea in the comments below!

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Poll: Who Has Had The Worst Offseason So Far?

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The free agent market is nearly completely dry—though there remains a few bargain additions who could provide some value on defense—and many teams have already blown their cap space for next season. The trade market has already seen most of its action, and though Erik Karlsson and Max Pacioretty are still expected to be moved there may not be many improvements left to be made for the majority of the league.

Yesterday we asked which team had improved the most through the first part of the offseason, and the answer was clear among our readers. More than 31% of the vote went to the St. Louis Blues, with the Toronto Maple Leafs coming in with 24% as well. No other team registered even 7%, while Nashville was the only team who didn’t receive a single vote. Today we ask the opposite: who has had the worst offseason so far?

The first reaction may be to look at where the Blues and Maple Leafs acquired their biggest additions. St. Louis signed David Perron and Tyler Bozak out of Vegas and Toronto respectively, but made the most significant change by trading for Ryan O’Reilly from the Buffalo Sabres. The Blues clearly improved for next season in the deal, but it’s hard to write off what the Sabres got in return. The two franchises are at very different stages in their competitive windows, and while Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka were overpaid, underperforming players for St. Louis, they are also substantial improvements to the bottom-six for the Sabres.

For Toronto, their only real big move has come at the hands of the New York Islanders. John Tavares left the only team he’s ever known to return to the place he grew up, and no franchise would be able to immediately fill the hole left by a franchise center. The Islanders though have tried to fill it with several players, inking a number of depth forwards in an attempt to spread out some of the load next season. Toronto themselves lost a lot in free agency, seeing Bozak and James van Riemsdyk head to new locales. They’ll be just fine with their summer thanks to the addition of Tavares, but it didn’t come without a cost.

There are plenty of teams who made almost no splash at all when free agency opened. The New Jersey Devils tried but failed to add to their forward group, while the San Jose Sharks didn’t add a single unrestricted free agent outside of Joe Thornton and Dylan DeMelo, both of whom are returning to the team they’ve played on for years. Then there are the teams who found themselves selling instead of buying. The Ottawa Senators have dealt with scandal after scandal the past few months, and ended up having to move out Mike Hoffman at a discount and now may move their franchise defenseman before the season begins. The Montreal Canadiens swapped out Alex Galchenyuk for Max Domi, but were also told that Paul Byron, Andrew Shaw and Shea Weber would all likely miss the start of the season—the latter in danger of missing much more.

Cast your vote below on who you believe has had the worst offseason so far, taking into account all that has happened since the Stanley Cup was awarded to the Washington Capitals. Make sure to explain your reasoning in the comment section below.

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Poll: Which Team Has Improved The Most So Far?

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The summer of 2018 has already seen quite a few huge changes across the NHL landscape. Though the free agent market was relatively thin, it included one of the best players to ever see the open market in John Tavares. The Toronto boy chose his hometown Maple Leafs, making up for some of the losses the rest of their roster experienced. The Islanders decided to go with a committee approach to replace Tavares, and could find themselves with a more balanced attack in 2018-19.

There were others who hit big in free agency, even if they missed out on the top name. The Philadelphia Flyers brought in a familiar face in James van Riemsdyk, giving their top-six another 30-goal scorer and powerplay specialist while the Vegas Golden Knights added some more center depth in Paul Stastny and an underrated defenseman in Nick Holden.

The St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames were both busy in free agency, adding the likes of David Perron, Tyler Bozak, James Neal and Derek Ryan, but did their biggest damage on the trade market. The Blues brought in Ryan O’Reilly to solidify the center position, while the Flames flipped Dougie Hamilton and others for more young talent. Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin are expected to play large roles with Calgary next season, as they try to bounce back from their disappointing season.

What about a team like the Buffalo Sabres, who added some experience with players like Conor Sheary, Carter Hutton, Matt Hunwick, Vladimir Sobotka and Patrik Berglund, while also landing the top pick in the draft. Rasmus Dahlin is expected to make an impact for the Sabres right away, and could make the team a playoff contender immediately with some improved performances around him. The Detroit Red Wings also added a ton of talent through the draft, but likely won’t see it pay off for several seasons. They instead hope that Jonathan Bernier and others can help them stay competitive in the short term.

So who is the most improved for 2018-19? Which team will take the biggest step forward, and who can place the credit for that on their new additions? Cast your vote below, and make sure to explain your position in the comments.

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