The SC finals are in the rearview and the longest season in NHL history is put to bed.
The NHL Awards are handed out on Thursday night and the draft begins Friday night at the Sphere in Vegas.
The off-season is expected to be a busy one with the first salary cap increase since COVID. The players association opted to leave salaries as is instead of accepting a pay cut during the COVID season(s) and to do that they basically borrowed against future earnings, which suppressed the cap at the current levels.
Anyway, lot of activity could happen between now, the draft and free agency. Several big names rumored to be on the trading block.
Trevor Zegras (MTL and NYR among those named as "interested")
Martin Necas
Patrik Laine
Linus Ullmark (just traded to OTT)
Nikolaj Ehlers
Maybe Mitch Marner and more and then there is buyouts, FA, etc.
Here is the Ullmark trade FWIW:
TRADE ALERT: The #Sens have acquired G Linus Ullmark from @NHLBruins in exchange for (Boston’s original) ’24 first-round draft pick (no. 25 overall), C Mark Kastelic and G Joonas Korpisalo. As part of the transaction, the #Sens will retain 25% of Korpisalo’s remaining salary.… pic.twitter.com/0xRMxi8wZS
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) June 24, 2024
LOL I know, what a jerk. for 64 of the 84 years since 1940 there was no cap and they barely one 1 Cup.
Irony is that the imposition of the hard cap included the one time salary dump that allowed him to get out of some of the stupid moves he made (i.e. Bobby Holik. UGH)
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a 2nd round pick.
you're trying to make me give you a better offer for a player I don't want. I'd rather have Zegras than Marner.
if he (Zegras) can pan out at C the Habs don't rely on Dach to stay healthy and are very strong at C.
Just curious, who are you willing to give up to get Zegras? He has never scored more than 65 points, usually with 20+ goals…and wasn’t he injured this past year? You can’t afford to have another Kirby Dach on your team.
Imknow he is young…23 years, so his upside may be higher….and I don’t want Marner either, but outside the playoffs, the kid is a beast.
First of all I will admit I am terrible at trade values/proposals.
Marner is not a bad player, that should be made clear, in fact he's a star, but for a player like him who would require significant players/draft picks and a large contract extension you need to make sure he fits in your contention window. Plus he makes over $10M for 2024-2025 that you need to fit into your cap.
The way you go from a bad team (MTL) to a dumpster fire is by adding players like Marner who are possibly going to age out of effectiveness (or even eliteness) before you are ready to contend and then you're left with bad player, bad team, bad contracts - the holy trinity of shittiness.
So, my proposal for Marner - unless I have visibility into the Habs plans for the rest of the roster to see how they plan to contend in the next 2-3 years, is not what Leafs fans would want.
Zegras age (and positional value if (big if) he can stay at center and be effective - he is ass on the dots right now) makes him a better fit for MTL
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a 2nd round pick.
you're trying to make me give you a better offer for a player I don't want. I'd rather have Zegras than Marner.
if he (Zegras) can pan out at C the Habs don't rely on Dach to stay healthy and are very strong at C.
Just curious, who are you willing to give up to get Zegras? He has never scored more than 65 points, usually with 20+ goals…and wasn’t he injured this past year? You can’t afford to have another Kirby Dach on your team.
Imknow he is young…23 years, so his upside may be higher….and I don’t want Marner either, but outside the playoffs, the kid is a beast.
You're looking and relying on stats as an end all be all. Anaheim had a horrible team, so I would say it's more impressive that Zegras was able to put up the numbers he did, with the supporting cast he did.
People also know Toronto needs to shed cap. No one will want to help them out
agreed, missed that initial reply but this is exactly right. Woll has 36 career games. Sorokin was runner up for Vez last year.
your an isles fan right Mike? would you do sorokin for marner? not sure if im biased having seen like 4 different carolina journeyman outplay nyi vez candidates in the last few years, but all things equal i think id take a PPG forward over an elite goalie knowing they already have a decent solution in goal with Varlamov for a few years. again would need some contingency that marner would be extended since sorokin is signed.
None are perfect comparisons but I think Ullmark is probably better than Sorokin and projects to be, but Markstrom could be or could not be - he's been that variable in his recent history so consider Sorokin in between the two.
Markstrom is a 2-year deal for MUCH less and allows NJD to keep searching for the future stalwart in net. I expect OTT will extend Ullmark, if not it's a bad trade, not awful they didn't give up a ton, but still bad.
As if the team needs another forward who doesn't like contact and physical play. Really concerning if this is their top FA priority this offseason.
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I think it is safe to say that not many people outside Woll's house see him as equivalent to Sorokin. Woll hasn't stuck in the NHL yet, Sorokin has been a Vezina finalist. He had an off year last year, no question, but comparing Woll at his very short career best to Sorokin at his career worst and deciding they are about the same is flat out silly.
agreed, missed that initial reply but this is exactly right. Woll has 36 career games. Sorokin was runner up for Vez last year.
your an isles fan right Mike? would you do sorokin for marner? not sure if im biased having seen like 4 different carolina journeyman outplay nyi vez candidates in the last few years, but all things equal i think id take a PPG forward over an elite goalie knowing they already have a decent solution in goal with Varlamov for a few years. again would need some contingency that marner would be extended since sorokin is signed.
I am an Islander fan, and I would not trade Sorokin for Marner straight up. I think the Sorokin we saw in 22-23 is closer to what we can expect from him over the course of much of his contract rather than the 23-24 version.
Marner is very good player but I think you have to expect a regression in the numbers playing on the less talents Isles than what he produced on the Leafs. I don’t think that would offset the drop off in talent you would get from Sorokin to ??? The Isles have nobody solid in the pipeline behind him.
Maybe you missed by point…..let’s say Sorokin is better than Woll. Okay, so how much better would he be? His save % or GAA might be very close, just like this past year. So, assuming Sorokin is slightly better, why would then Leaf’s trade a bona fide star who scores 90 points on a regular basis and is only 28 years old for a guy who might be marginally better than the guy we have now? To me that doesn’t make sense. If we lose Marner and get nothing back but a goalie…he doesn’t replace Mariner’s 90:points and he is maybe only marginally better than the guy we have already.
This doesn’t work for me…you can keep Sorokin.
I guarantee Kane provides more offense than almost anyone on roster they would put in the top 6 and he would not require a long-term commitment and probably not cost a ton.
He makes sense (as one of many moves).
Hart
Vezina
Norris
Calder
Lindsay
all awarded tonight
no idea why they need to make an event out of it but I guess maybe the award is more prestigious if it's not just a press release but also a ceremony. probably not going to watch. just not my thing.
Predictions?
I guarantee Kane provides more offense than almost anyone on roster they would put in the top 6 and he would not require a long-term commitment and probably not cost a ton.
He makes sense (as one of many moves).
The idea of Kane doesn't bother me in the least. Hard to get incredibly excited about it, but he's a significantly better player than he was in his prior brief stint here. He didn't just not perform -- he was significantly injured.
It isn't easy to find a player with as much playoff experience and scoring punch who won't cost you term and high AAV.
It's a pretty sensible match.
And if he specifically wants to be here, that's always a nice touch as well (yes, I know that and $3 will get you a subway ride).
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about Kane to NYR. In a vacuum sure if that's all they do, but wait and see how the off-season plays out.
I guarantee Kane provides more offense than almost anyone on roster they would put in the top 6 and he would not require a long-term commitment and probably not cost a ton.
He makes sense (as one of many moves).
The idea of Kane doesn't bother me in the least. Hard to get incredibly excited about it, but he's a significantly better player than he was in his prior brief stint here. He didn't just not perform -- he was significantly injured.
It isn't easy to find a player with as much playoff experience and scoring punch who won't cost you term and high AAV.
It's a pretty sensible match.
And if he specifically wants to be here, that's always a nice touch as well (yes, I know that and $3 will get you a subway ride).
That's exactly how I look at it.
And Kane wasn't bad in the playoffs last year. Relatively speaking. 3rd in the team in playoff points (6pts in 7 games) and was not a defensive liability.
So, doing things to maximize the 2 year window without tying up more capital beyond that than they already have committed seems like a good strategy.
Of course, as Twitter rumors abound regarding league interest in Trouba, perhaps there are things that will be done to more significantly re-imagine the roster in the short term.
send him outside of the Metro, please.
25 year old, probably matures into a ppg player, good size, can play a little bit physical or the skill game, good enough defender - easy top 6 player.
needs work on the dots to be playable at center, he is more of a W IMO, but could be a C if he can figure out face offs.
25 year old, probably matures into a ppg player, good size, can play a little bit physical or the skill game, good enough defender - easy top 6 player.
needs work on the dots to be playable at center, he is more of a W IMO, but could be a C if he can figure out face offs.
He'd probably fit more as a winger any way for the Devils.
I've been pretty vocal that I'd prefer to move him now, as much as I respect him.
My stance hasn't changed, but I'll wait to see numbers before I judge.
My real response is "define reasonable".
As for Devils I could see Patrik Elias (fellow Czech) pushing to look at Necas, but to be honest, while he has some ideal talents they could use at wing and is a good shooter, it would leave Dawson Mercer redundant to some degree.
I know they'd love to get Tkachuk out of Ottawa but not happening it seems with Ottawa trying to give it a go still until he asks to be traded again.
Suspect Devils hold the 10th to use and look at an interchangeable winger and a Dman in FA.
I've been pretty vocal that I'd prefer to move him now, as much as I respect him.
My stance hasn't changed, but I'll wait to see numbers before I judge.
My real response is "define reasonable".
They should play Miller and Fox together next year.
Holland, a HOFer for his work in DET (3 cups as GM, 1 as assistant GM) I thought was a good fit for EDM, but he continually failed to build a team around Connor McDavid. Whether it be goalies, depth, or something else, that team was always missing something.
Or is it McDavid? With his performance this post-season it would seem like no, but he should probably share some of the blame IMO.
As for Devils I could see Patrik Elias (fellow Czech) pushing to look at Necas, but to be honest, while he has some ideal talents they could use at wing and is a good shooter, it would leave Dawson Mercer redundant to some degree.
I know they'd love to get Tkachuk out of Ottawa but not happening it seems with Ottawa trying to give it a go still until he asks to be traded again.
Suspect Devils hold the 10th to use and look at an interchangeable winger and a Dman in FA.
I'm hoping that Brady Tkachuk let's Ottawa know that he will not re-sign with them before the draft so that he becomes available. The Devils have a lot of good pieces to offer Ottawa in exchange for Tkachuk. I think a package of the #10 pick, Dawson Mercer or Jesper Bratt, and Seamus Casey is a very attractive offer. The Devils could also include one of their goalies like Daws or Schmid.
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I think it is safe to say that not many people outside Woll's house see him as equivalent to Sorokin. Woll hasn't stuck in the NHL yet, Sorokin has been a Vezina finalist. He had an off year last year, no question, but comparing Woll at his very short career best to Sorokin at his career worst and deciding they are about the same is flat out silly.
Maybe you missed by point…..let’s say Sorokin is better than Woll. Okay, so how much better would he be? His save % or GAA might be very close, just like this past year. So, assuming Sorokin is slightly better, why would then Leaf’s trade a bona fide star who scores 90 points on a regular basis and is only 28 years old for a guy who might be marginally better than the guy we have now? To me that doesn’t make sense. If we lose Marner and get nothing back but a goalie…he doesn’t replace Mariner’s 90:points and he is maybe only marginally better than the guy we have already.
This doesn’t work for me…you can keep Sorokin.
The idea that Sorokin is only marginally better than Woll is where you are clearly projecting something that I think few people would agree with. Woll has played 34 NHL games. Sorokin was second in the Vezina voting two years ago.
Your argument is based on a massive projection I don't think most people would agree with. It is not hard to understand.
Doesn't want to sign with the Jets.
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is team going hard after Necas. Rumors of them buying out Skinner. They also might play Necas at C where he wants to.
As for Devils I could see Patrik Elias (fellow Czech) pushing to look at Necas, but to be honest, while he has some ideal talents they could use at wing and is a good shooter, it would leave Dawson Mercer redundant to some degree.
I know they'd love to get Tkachuk out of Ottawa but not happening it seems with Ottawa trying to give it a go still until he asks to be traded again.
Suspect Devils hold the 10th to use and look at an interchangeable winger and a Dman in FA.
I'm hoping that Brady Tkachuk let's Ottawa know that he will not re-sign with them before the draft so that he becomes available. The Devils have a lot of good pieces to offer Ottawa in exchange for Tkachuk. I think a package of the #10 pick, Dawson Mercer or Jesper Bratt, and Seamus Casey is a very attractive offer. The Devils could also include one of their goalies like Daws or Schmid.
I am not sure what the makeup of package could be or would be - Bratt is a huge playdriver and has shown ability to commit to 2 way play - yes he isn't a physical force like Tkachuk and has his streaks, but to me losing Bratt makes the forward corps worse and Tkachuck/Meier to me neither may really gel with Hughes plays. I think Fitzgerald is trying to juggle between changing the wings, but finding someone who could settle/stick with Hughes.
Mercer to me is an X-factor. He had a mediocre year last year, and needs to work on his game but he plays a style that is unique - even if some see some enigmatic play. I suspect he gets bridge deal but most teams if Devils try to add a top winger will demand him in return right now plus more.
Buffalo Sabres
@BuffaloSabres
We have acquired the 14th and 42nd overall picks in the 2024 NHL Draft from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for the 11th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Details: http://bufsabres.co/3XHFgBz
@FriedgeHNIC
Dakota Joshua re-signs in Vancouver (4x3.25M)
RE: #4---I read a linesman got hurt, which is why it was instituted... But agreed.
Betting it Buffalo. If not then then the Devils. What the hell if it's the Devils throw in a 5th or so and get the UFA rights to Pesci
If you believe it to be true, it means that pick #26 is the one MTL would trade if they do in fact trade a 2024 1st.
They do have 2 2025 1sts as well. Their own and Calgary's.
@TVASports
I think MTL would be a good trade partner if Demidov makes it past CBJ.
Mark Scheig
@mark_scheig
Per TSN, it is believed that the Philadelphia Flyers made an aggressive pitch to the Columbus Blue Jackets. #CBJ reportedly said no.
To Flyers: 4th overall pick.
To #CBJ: 12th overall pick, a roster player, 2025 first rounder.
Of note: the Flyers have two firsts in 2025.
6:14 PM · Jun 27, 2024
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@nhlupdate
#Canucks re-sign Tyler Myers to a three-year deal at a 3M cap hit
6:32 PM · Jun 27, 2024
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281
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Marco D'Amico
@mndamico
Artyom Levshunov's odds to go 2nd overall just shot up from -350 to -500 in the last two hours, while Demidov's slid from +210 to +280
Seems like the smart money may be coming in.
who am I kidding, lol, no one really reads this.
In exchange for the 28-year-old forward, the Flames received a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft which originally belonged to the Colorado Avalanche....
@FriedgeHNIC
Word at draft is Predators closing in on an eight-year extension with Juuse Saros
Not sure of the exact AAV, but apparently in the 7s. Clearly, Saros wanted to stay.
9:38 PM · Jun 27, 2024
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