The Colorado Avalanche were the best team in the regular season last year, and clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Again, the Avalanche lost in the second round to the Vegas Golden Knights. It was another disappointing season after they were one of the favorites to reach the Stanley Cup Final. The second round exit is a familiar one to the Avalanche.
The Avalanche couldn’t sign goaltender Philipp Grubauer to a new contract so they lost him to the Seattle Kraken. The team also lost defensemen Ryan Graves and Connor Timmins in two separate trades. Joonas Donskoi was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the Expansion Draft. Brandon Saad and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare were lost in free agency. Defenseman Ryan Murray was the team’s big offseason free agent signing. Goaltender Darcy Kuemper and d-man Kurtis MacDermid were brought in via trades. The Avalanche focused on re-signing big names like Cale Makar, team captain Gabriel Landeskog, and Tyson Jost to new contracts.
The forward group is on the smaller side, but they have a good combination of speed and skill. The big guns like Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen will produce their fair share of goals and assists. The biggest concern for the team is the depth scoring since they are counting on some young guys to fill some voids. Logan O’Connor, Sampo Ranta and Alex Newhook will be expected to do some scoring and chip in on the offensive side of the puck, but I’m not sure how that will go. The group is a good mix of veterans and younger guys, but when called upon can the younger guys step up and produce?
The defense has a chance to be one of the best, if not the best in the League, but that is a big IF. They have decent size, can skate, move the puck, and aren’t afraid to be creative in the offensive zone. The starting seven are: Bowen Byram, Samuel Girard, Erik Johnson, Jack Johnson, MacDermid, Makar, and Murray. Devon Toews is starting the season on the inured reserve list. The group is decent in its own end of the ice, and some can act like fourth forwards when they are on the ice. It is a nice group of veterans and younger players, who have experience. They have some stay-at-home defenseman and some offensive-minded guys.
The goaltending position is where things start to get a bit dicey for the Avalanche. They let Grubauer go in free agency and by this time most of the goalies were already signed. The team went out and traded for Kuemper, who came from the Arizona Coyotes for defenseman Connor Timmins and a draft pick. Pavel Francouz was set to be the backup, but he is out for a significant amount of time with an injury and rehab. Jonas Johansson is now the backup, and let’s just say, I’m hoping that Kuemper can stay healthy since I don’t think that Johansson can handle anything but backup duties.
The power play should be in the top 10 of the League again this season. The team was ranked eighth last season at 22.7%. The top unit has a ton of chemistry and moves the puck around really well. They also seem to get shots off when they are open that are usually on target. The penalty kill should be close to the top 10 again, and maybe even better, especially if Kuemper has anything to say about it.
Kuemper was acquired by the Avalanche after losing their starter from last season in free agency. The Avalanche needed a starting goalie and had to get one via trade since there weren’t any options left in free agency. I don’t think people realize how good this guy could be since he played for the Arizona Coyotes the last three seasons. The Coyotes have not had a decent team in a while, and Kuemper was solid in his time there. In four seasons with the Coyotes, he had a .920 save percentage to go with a 2.43 goals against average. The down side was that he was injured a lot, so if he can stay healthy he should be good with the defense in front of him.
Nazem Kadri didn’t play horribly last season, he just got in his own way again. He was suspended in the playoffs again and the Avalanche missed him. He played all 56 games last season, and had 11 goals, 21 assists and 32 points, which isn’t a bad season overall. The Avalanche need him to play smart no matter the situation and realize that he can’t lose his cool and make the stupid decision to hit someone from behind again. He is an important piece to the Avalanche puzzle and with second line minutes and decent line mates, he should be able to do just that.
Byram is a highly touted Avalanche prospect, who happens to be another young defenseman. The 20-year-old only played in 19 games las season since he was injured. He showed flashes of offensive ability, but he does need to work on his defensive game a bit. If he is paired with a veteran defenseman like Johnson or Murray it would only benefit him, and he could have a breakout offensive season while improving on his defensive game.
Head coach Jared Bednar will be under pressure to get this team on a deep Stanley Cup Playoffs run. He is entering his sixth season and there are some new faces on this team, but most of the roster has played the past couple of seasons with Bednar as their head coach. The team has improved while he has been the bench boss. The only downside has been the three consecutive second round exits in the postseason. The Avalanche are a heavy favorite to once again go to and win the Stanley Cup Final. If this team doesn’t make a deep run this postseason than Bednar could find himself on the hot seat come summer.
The scoring depth is the key to this season. We all know that the top line of Landskog, MacKinnon, and Ratanen will put up points and produce. After those three, the depth gets a little thin. The Avalanche are going to need guys like Kadri, Valeri Nichushkin, and Jost to step up and be engaged in each game. The defense will pitch in on the offensive side of the puck with players like Makar, Samuel Girard and Byram. The defense pitching in on offense will help the scoring depth, but will it be enough? The team is going to rely on some youngsters to chip in, and it will need to happen if the Avalanche intend to make a deep run.
There have been injuries to major players in the past few years for the Avalanche, and that can’t happen this year. The health of the Avalanche is going to be the x-factor for the team this year. The most important player who needs to stay healthy is goalie Kuemper. He’s injury prone, but the Avalanche have already lost Francouz, who would have been his backup for a while. Johansson as the backup is an unknown having not played more than 15 games in a season.
The Avalanche will finally get over the hump and make it out of the second round. They will ride the momentum all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. They may or may not win the Stanley Cup this season, but they will make it there. The goaltending situation will certainly be something to keep an eye on with this team.
(Photo: Gavin Napier/Icon Sportswire)
The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to bounce back from yet another disappointing first-round playoff exit in last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. The team finished as the top seed in the re-aligned North Division, but they couldn’t beat the Montreal Canadiens in the postseason. The postseason has not been friendly to the Leafs the past few years, as they’ve exited them in the first round. The Leafs are hoping that this is the year that the team can make it past the first round of the playoffs.
The Leafs had a pretty decent offseason signing a lot of depth players on cap friendly deals. The team has a lot of money wrapped up in the core players, and couldn’t make a big move without moving one of them. The contracts are not cap friendly, so they could be hard to move now and down the line with the flat cap. The additions included goaltender Petr Mrazek, and forwards Ondrej Kase and David Kampf to name a few players. They did lose Frederik Andersen, Zach Bogosian and Nick Foligno among others. Now the biggest question is can this core manage to get past the first round of the postseason?
The Maple Leafs roster has been set for the season, and there is a surprise or two among the forwards. Ilya Mikeyev injured his finger late in preseason, and is expected to be long-term. Michael Amadio made the team over Adam Brooks, who was lost after being placed on waivers. Michael Bunting, a free agent signing, also had a decent camp and is on the Open Night roster. There is decent size among the forward group, and the Maple Leafs will be able to put a balanced lineup on the ice.
The forward group is a combination of skilled and gritty players, who have some speed. There are some question marks like Amadio and Bunting, but those questions should be answered early, and there is other depth in the organization. The forwards do lack physicality, but have a ton of skill that can be used for scoring or playmaking. The forwards are mostly veteran players, who can help the younger players should they struggle.
The Leafs’ failed to improve the defense and that could cost them some games and points this season. The team still lacks a number one defenseman, and are relying on the same group from last season. The group is on the smaller side, but they can eat up minutes. Justin Holl and TJ Brodie are more of the stay-at-home defensemen, as they block shots, and don’t take too many chances in the offensive zone.Travis Dermott will likely be on the third pairing and can occasionally get on the board in the offensive zone.
Morgan Rielly is a decent all-around defenseman, but he isn’t the number one guy that the Leafs need on the blue line. He will contribute on the offensive side of the puck, and can be the quarterback on the first power play unit. Rielly is solid in his own zone but can be caught out of position from time-to-time. Jake Muzzin brings some physicality and shot blocking to the blue line. He can also put up some points, if needed.
The Leafs power play finished in the middle of the pack last season and that isn’t good enough considering the talent that they have on the first power play unit alone. Players like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Rielly, who bring a ton of skill to the power play. The penalty kill needs to improve this season for the Maple Leafs to have a chance at finishing in a playoff position. The penalty kill was not good last season, but it should improve as I’m looking for the goalies to make some saves that need to be made.
I’m looking for Kase to surprise some people in Toronto this season. Yes, he is injury-prone, but he got through camp and preseason healthy. If he can stay healthy then he could have a good season. Kase should get third line minutes, and that should help him to stay healthy, while still getting his chances. He can set up teammates or score goals, which will help with his point production. I think Kase stays healthy this season and scores at least 20 goals for the Leafs.
Wayne Simmonds should have a bounce back season for the Maple Leafs. He only played in 38 games last season and had seven goals, two assists and nine points. He is on the decline and will likely play fourth line minutes, but if he is used right, he should be able to pitch in 10-15 goals. The best way to use him is to stick him in front of the net on the power play and let him go to work. If the defensemen can get the shot on net, then Simmonds can be ithere looking for the deflection or rebound chance.
Alex Kerfoot has a chance to have a breakout season since he could be playing top six minutes. He’ll likely begin playing third line minutes, but if Auston Matthews misses any time, he could be moved up into the top six. While with the Leafs he hasn’t amassed more than 30 points in either of the two seasons, but when playing for the Colorado Avalanche, Kerfoot managed two 40-plus point seasons. The talent level is also different than what he played with while with the Avalanche. If he’s put in the right spot with the right players then he can have a breakout season.
Leafs’ head coach Sheldon Keefe is under pressure this season . I know that this is his first real training camp and preseason, but the Leafs haven’t gotten past the qualifying or first round of the postseason in his two seasons. The core is comprised of veteran players so they should know his system, and know what he expects out of them. If the team fails to make a deep postseason run then you could see Keefe on the hot seat or gone this summer.
The defense is going to be the key to the team’s success this season. While the offense is going to produce and put pucks in the net, the defense still lacks a true number one defenseman. The defense is going to have to be a team effort with the forwards buying in and getting back to help out. As a group, the defense can move the puck and get involved in the offense, but they need to be smart and avoid turnovers and mistakes. Opposing teams will take advantage of those turnovers and mistakes which will lead to scoring chances and goals.
Mrazek and Jack Campbell are going to be the Leafs’ x-factor for the 2021-22 season. The goalies have to come ready to play and stay healthy. The duo need to make sure that they make saves and not give up easy goals because the defense will give up some chances and leave them out to dry. Campbell will need to prove that he can be a number one goaltender since I don’t trust Mrazek as a number one, but he is a decent backup goalie.
I’m predicting that the Maple Leafs make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and make it out of the first round. Marner and Matthews will have monster seasons, and finally make it into the second round. The Leafs will hit the wall in the second round and the goalies will struggle ending Toronto’s season. It will be an interesting season especially seeing if Campbell can take over the net, or if Mrazek has to step up for the team.
The Toronto Maple Leafs had another early Stanley Cup Playoffs exit last season. The Maple Leafs finished the regular season on top of the North Division but couldn’t beat the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the postseason. The team can’t seem to make a deep postseason run, losing in the first round four of the past five seasons. The 2020 postseason was an expanded field due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Leafs couldn’t make it past the qualifying round. The team has the talent on the roster to potentially make a deep postseason run.
Toronto’s offseason started with the team signing a couple of veteran players to new contracts. Wayne Simmonds signed a new two-year, $1.8 million contract that has a $900,000 cap hit per season. Jason Spezza signed a one-year, $750,000 deal. The veteran players may be on the decline, but they bring leadership and experience to the team. Simmonds and Spezza want to play in Toronto given the deals that they signed. Simmonds will see bottom-six minutes, and some power play time. Spezza will see bottom-six minutes and could be a healthy scratch depending on his play, but it should be good for the younger players to have his leadership around.
Travis Dermott signed a two-year, $3 million deal, and the cap hit is $1.5 million per season for the Maple Leafs. The restricted free agent defenseman was signed to a bridge deal. The 24-year-old played 51 games last season, and he had two goals, four assists, six points, and averaged 13:13 of ice time. Dermott will occasionally contribute to the offense. Last season was a down year for the defenseman and the bridge deal made sense for both sides as Dermott tries to have a bounce-back season.
The Maple Leafs traded Filip Hallander and a 2023 seventh-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for forward Jared McCann. Kyle Dubas and the Leafs then decided to leave McCann and his $2.94 million contract exposed in the expansion draft. The Seattle Kraken took the bait and drafted the 25-year-old. The trade and leaving McCann exposed may not have made sense at the time, but it was a good move. I don’t know how McCann would have fit in on the roster, and there were cheaper depth options available in free agency. It seems like the McCann deal was made to help the Penguins clear some cap space.
Dubas and the Leafs were busy this offseason trying to replace depth players that departed from the team. The Leafs lost some big names in free agency like Frederik Andersen, Nick Foligno, Joe Thornton, and Zach Bogosian. The biggest loss was forward Zach Hyman, who signed a seven-year, $38.5 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers. The cap hit came in at $5.5 million per season, which the Leafs would not have been able to afford with the flat cap. The Leafs will miss Hyman’s production, even with the small decline the past two seasons, and will need someone to step up to play top-six minutes. Despite the loss of a top-six forward, Dubas made the right decision to let Hyman sign elsewhere.
Dubas seemed focused on bringing in depth scoring in free agency. The biggest move though was signing goaltender Petr Mrazek to a three-year, $11.4 million contract. The contract has a $3.8 million cap hit per season. Mrazek was signed after Andersen left in free agency, and will be Jack Campbell‘s partner between the pipes this season. Mrazek played well for the Carolina Hurricanes for three seasons and had solid numbers behind the Hurricanes’ solid defense. I don’t know if Mrazek will be the answer in net for the Maple Leafs, but I know that he won’t have the same defense playing in front of him that he had while with the Hurricanes. It could be a long season, and not in a good way, for the goaltender and fans.
The Maple Leafs brought in five depth players on low risk, high reward type contracts. Kurtis Gabriel signed a one-year, $750,000 contract, and he will bring some grit to the team. He also doesn’t have a problem standing up for his teammates. Michael Bunting signed a two-year, $1.9 million deal, and he should bring some goal scoring to the table. David Kampf agreed to a two-year, $3 million deal with a cap hit of $1.5 million per season. The 26-year-old should add some scoring depth to the bottom six.
Ondrej Kase signed a one-year, $1.25 million contract, and it fits the low risk, high reward mantra since he is often injured. When healthy, he can bring some production and versatility to the bottom six. Nick Ritchie got the biggest contract of the depth players signing a two-year, $5 million deal that has a $2.5 million cap hit per season. The 25-year-old could help to replace some of the offense lost from Hyman’s departure, and isn’t afraid to play physical.
The Maple Leafs signed seven players to one-year, two-way contracts for organizational depth. Most, if not all, of the players will start the season in the American Hockey League. The seven players are Joseph Woll, Joseph Duszak, Brendan Menell, Carl Dahlstrom, Alex Biega, Michael Amadio, and Brett Seney.
Dubas and the Leafs earned a B this offseason. The team did lose Hyman, and that could come back to bite them, but it was done for cap purposes. I like the depth players who were signed in free agency. The fact that Dubas went low risk, high reward to sign some decent bottom-six players also factored into the grade. The only move that could come back to haunt the Leafs is the signing of Mrazek. Yes, he had a solid previous three seasons, but that was behind a solid Hurricanes’ defense. I’m worried that he won’t put up those same numbers behind the Leafs’ defense and possibly buckle under pressure.
The Nashville Predators are coming off another disappointing season after losing in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. The team was lucky to make the postseason in a tough redesigned Central Division due to COVID-19 restrictions. The team was inconsistent from start to finish and had trouble finding the back of the net. The points leader was defenseman Roman Josi who had 33 points. It seemed like general manager David Poile’s goal was to start a rebuild while still trying to be competitive on the ice.
The Predators’ offseason started with a bang. Viktor Arvidsson was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for two draft picks, which included a 2021 second-round and a 2022 third-round pick. The move was probably made because of the upcoming expansion draft, and Arvidsson was one player the Predators would not have protected. Arvidsson spent the last seven seasons in Nashville but had his fill of injuries while with the team. He managed to put up offensive numbers, and it may be hard for the team to replace his production. The trade also freed up $4.25 million in cap space over the next three seasons.
The Predators’ offseason continued with the announcement of the retirement of goaltender Pekka Rinne. There were rumors during the season that it could be his last season, and it was made official over the summer. Rinne was drafted by the team in 2004 and played his whole career with the organization. In 683 games, he was 369-213-75 with a .917 save percentage, and 2.43 goals against average. He was an integral part of the franchise and helped to lead the Predators to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017. It may have been time for Rinne to retire, but I’m interested in seeing how much it impacts Juuse Saros, who has been Rinne’s partner in net for the past few years.
The next offseason move made by Poile fit under the rebuild category. The Predators traded away 30-year-old defenseman Ryan Ellis to the Philadelphia Flyers for youngsters Phillipe Myers and Nolan Patrick. Patrick was then traded to the Vegas Golden Knights for forward Cody Glass. Ellis played 10 seasons with the Predators and was injured last season. The trade gave the Predators cap space, and now Myers should get a chance to see some regular minutes in the NHL if he can stay healthy. Myers is a big defenseman who can skate and will contribute in the offensive zone. He has the tools to be a good defenseman, but his defensive game needs some work, which should come with some playing time.
Glass, who was acquired from the Golden Knights, has played in only 66 NHL games. In those games, he has nine goals, 13 assists, and 22 points with an average 13:51 of ice time. When Glass was in the Golden Knights’ lineup, he played bottom six minutes, but a change of scenery and a chance at a bigger role could help his game.
The Predators, like all the other NHL teams, had to make tough decisions on which players to protect and which to leave exposed for the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft. The Predators lost forward Calle Jarnkrok to the Kraken with the pick, but another $2 million came off of the books for the Predators’ upcoming season. Jarnkrok was another long-time Predators player, spending eight seasons in navy and gold. He was a solid player having scored 10 or more goals in the past six seasons, to go with 25-plus points. Jarnkrok’s production can be replaced, but with him the Predators lost another veteran player that contributed to the offense. The forward was also versatile in that he could play up-and-down the lineup.
During free agency, the Predators let Erik Haula and Brad Richardson walk. They also let a lot of organization depth go, but Haula and Richardson were the most notable players lost in free agency. The one addition in free agency was backup goaltender David Rittich, who signed a one-year, $1.25 million contract. Rittich will be Saros’ backup, which he should be well-suited to do. The Predators let forward Mikael Granlund test the free agency waters but re-signed him to a four-year, $20 million deal. In 130 games, Granlund scored 31 goals, 31 assists, and 62 points while averaging 18:20 of ice time. Granlund will be 30 in February and is past his prime years, and for this reason, I feel like Poile overpaid for Granlund’s services.
Poile did manage to re-sign most of his young players to new contracts. The biggest one went to goalie Saros, who signed a four-year, $20 million deal. It comes with a $5 million cap hit per season. Saros started taking over the Predators’ number one goalie spot during the 2019-20 season when he played in 40 games and faired pretty well. He was the number one goalie last season and played well. In 36 games, he was 21-11-1 with 2.28 goals against average, and a .927 save percentage. The contract is based on his past two seasons of work and could turn out to be a steal, but right now looks like a bit of an overpayment.
The Predators signed Mathieu Olivier to a two-year, $1.5 million contract that comes with a $750,000 cap hit. Tanner Jeannot signed a new two-year, $1.6 million deal. Another big signing was that of defenseman Dante Fabbro, who earned a two-year, $4.8 million deal. Fabbro’s contract came with a $2.4 million cap hit. Eeli Tolvanen, who was good on the power play last season, received a three-year deal worth $4.35 million, and a $1.45 million cap hit per season. I like the bridge contracts that were given to the kids because Poile can see how they do with more NHL playing time. If the Predators are in a better position in the next two to three years then they can be used as trade assets or given new contracts.
I give Poile and the Predators a C-minus for the offseason moves that were made. A big part of this grade is that they traded or lost a lot of experience and leadership for unknown, younger players. He still does have Josi and Matthas Ekhlom on the blue line. The Predators overpaid Saros and Granlund in their new deals. It seems like Poile is banking on veterans like Matt Duchene, Ryan Johansen, and Filip Forsberg to have a bounce back seasons, and it will be needed.
The Florida Panthers finished second in a revamped 2020-21 Central Division behind the Carolina Hurricanes. The team played the last 21 games of the regular season without top defenseman Aaron Ekblad. They finished the regular season with a 15-5-1 record after losing Ekblad and won its final six games to get into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Panthers drew the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round and were out in six games. The first-round series between the two Florida teams was the most entertaining, and it was fast-paced.
The Panthers didn’t need to do much in the offseason, but they did add a few players. The management team mainly took care of its players this offseason, which was a good idea. Some key contributors needed new contracts, but also a few tough decisions. The offseason started with the Panthers signing defenseman Kevin Connauton to a one-year, $825,000 contract. A team can never have too many depth defensemen, and Connauton came at a cap-friendly price.
Bill Zito’s next moves were to re-sign a couple of players to three-year extensions. The first was defenseman Gustav Forsling, who was claimed off of waivers from the Hurricanes last season. Forsling’s deal was worth $8 million and came with a cap hit of $2,666,667 per season. Then Anthony Duclair was given a three-year, $9 million deal, that came with a $3 million cap hit per season. Duclair had ten goals, 22 assists, 32 points, and averaged 15:41 of ice time per game last season. It was a good investment for the Panthers since Duclair is only 26 and fit well with them last season. The move also brings more depth to the scoring, and that can only be a good thing.
After extending the two players, the Panthers decided to buy out the contract of Keith Yandle, who was a veteran defenseman for the team. There wasn’t much room for Yandle on the blue line as he’s getting older and saw a decline in his play. Yandle is a third-pairing defenseman and power play specialist at this point in his career. Even though the Panthers lost the leadership on the blue line, this was a good move that gave them some cap flexibility.
The team lost free-agent goaltender Chris Driedger, to the Seattle Kraken in the Expansion Draft. Driedger was due a significant raise after putting up solid numbers as the backup the last two seasons. The Panthers could afford to lose the goalie since they have Sergei Bobrovsky as the starter. Spencer Knight, who played well in his limited time with the team last season, is more than capable of playing more games at the NHL level. Knight was able to get some playoff experience as Bobrovksy and Driedger struggled at times in the 2021 postseason.
Following the loss of Driedger, the Panthers went out and acquired forward Sam Reinhart from the Buffalo Sabres. In return goalie prospect, Devon Levi and a first-round draft pick went to the Sabres. Reinhart was one of the few players that had a decent season for the lowly Sabres last year but was a restricted free agent and needed a raise. In 84 games, Reinhart had 25 goals, 15 assists, 40 points and averaged 19:32 of ice time per game. The forward has scored 20-plus goals the past four seasons and isn’t afraid to go to the net or shoot the puck when given the chance. The Panthers signed him to a new three-year, $19.5 million deal shortly after trading for him.
Management signed Sam Bennett, acquired late last season from the Calgary Flames to a new four-year contract. Bennett was a restricted free agent, and the new deal was worth $17.7 million with a cap hit of$4.425 million per season. In 10 games, the forward had six goals, nine assists, and 15 points. The production continued in the postseason until he was suspended for an illegal hit. The 25-year-old will bring more scoring depth to the lineup. I’ll admit the $4.425 million per season seems like an overpayment for a player who hasn’t scored more than 27 points in the past five seasons, but he did seem to play better once he got traded.
The Panthers lost some players in free agency, namely Driedger, Lucas Wallmark, Alexander Wennberg, and Brady Keeper. When those four players are the biggest losses in the offseason then the team is in pretty good shape. The only loss that could come back to haunt them is Driedger, but that will depend on the play of Bobrovsky and Knight. Knight played well in his limited action last season. If the Panthers hope to have a successful season, then Bobrovsky needs to have a bounce-back year.
During free agency, the team added veteran forward Joe Thornton and re-signed defenseman Brandon Montour. Thornton signed a cap-friendly one-year, $750,000 contract. I like this deal because a team can never have too much depth or leadership, even if Thornton is on the decline. Thornton should see some bottom-six and power play time with the Panthers. Montour was acquired last season from the Sabres and signed a new three-year, $10.5 million deal this offseason. The 27-year-old offensive defenseman would be a good option to replace Yandle as the quarterback of one of the power play units. Montour will likely play top-four minutes on the Panthers’ blue line this season.
The Panthers signed some organizational depth and those players will likely start in the American Hockey League. This included Lucas Carlsson, Noah Juulsen, Juho Lammikko, and Chase Priskie. Each player received a one-year, $750,000 contract. These players won’t crack the roster to start the NHL season, but who knows what will come down the line because, during an 82 game season, injuries happen.
Overall, I give the Panthers an A for this offseason. The team didn’t lose much in free agency and managed to re-sign some key players. Zito also managed to get a top-six forward and sign him to a reasonable contract extension. The biggest reason for the high grade is the Aleksander Barkov contract extension. Yes, it is eight years and came with a $10 million cap hit per season, but Barkov is the team’s captain and top-line center. He won the Selke Trophy last season as the NHL’s best defensive forward, and he is only 26 years old. Another reason I’m a fan of this deal is that the Panthers are committing to a player who is the face of the franchise.
(Photo: Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)
Before Wednesday night’s final preseason game for the Bruins, Jack Studnicka had been slotting in on the second line between Taylor Hall and Craig Smith, pushing for a chance at that center spot as Charlie Coyle was recuperating. During the offseason Coyle underwent two surgeries on his left knee. The first was to repair an avulsion fracture in his kneecap while the second was to mend a small tear of the patellar tendon. It was these injuries that had diminished his abilities last season and the playoffs.
Coyle had just this final preseason game to shake off some of the rust and see how he was progressing before things get real on October 16 in the Boston Bruins‘ home opener against the Dallas Stars.
It was anticipated that, if healthy, Coyle would be playing center on that second line—the replacement for the departure of David Krejci—when the regular season began. There were a few who had some doubts that he could raise his game enough to be productive on that line.
With the Bruins and the Washington Capitals dressing what is largely expected to be close to their regular season rosters on Wednesday evening, it gave Coyle an opportunity to measure where he was in his recuperation and training. He made sure to punctuate his debut with a goal in the first period, some quality puck protection, good backchecking, solid hustle, and an assist in the second period. He finished the evening having put three shots on goal, registering one hit, and executing two takeaways.
“I thought Charlie was solid through the middle in terms of accelerating and kicking it out. So, playing north south hockey, I thought it was good for them [the second line]. They use their speed on the wings. Charlie was obviously able to keep up. Obviously his first game, so there was some shifts that he was more fatigued than the other guys just from lack of game action. But I thought that was good for him. He played the middle of the ice, got it outside speed and as a result there was some good attacks at the net,” said Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy.
Coyle did look strong on the ice. Watching him skate and work with Hall and Smith, he looked much better during his shifts than he had last season. He seemed more comfortable in the game, aware of where he was. He was also back to doing some of the things he did when the Bruins first acquired him from the Minnesota Wild at the trade deadline in February 2019.
“It’s still a work in progress. You know, I’ve been trying to do everything I can to have the strength, have the power in my stride with the limited time I’ve had. So, there’s definitely a ways to go and I’m just going to keep working at it and get better and better,” Coyle said.
As the game continued, it was interesting observing his chemistry with his new linemates. Though it will take some time for them to have true chemistry, what they were accomplishing during the game, on such limited time together, hints to what a solid line they could become when that chemistry clicks.
For the Bruins, they now have ten days to settle on their roster and prepare for their first game of the 2021-22 season. For Coyle, it is a chance to look at what he did Wednesday night and use that as a benchmark on which to build. And for Studnicka, while Coyle is making his case for that second line center position, Studnicka still remains with the Boston club at this point.
(Photo: Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire)
Taylor Hall was acquired by the Boston Bruins during the trade deadline last season. Before arriving in Boston, he spent the first half of the season in New York, with the Buffalo Sabres, where he had just two goals with 17 assists in 37 games—the lowest numbers of his NHL career. He was put on the second line, David Krejci’s line and along with Craig Smith showed some quick chemistry. In the 16 remaining regular season games he put up 8 goals and 6 assists proving to be a solid add to the team in black and gold.
During the offseason the Bruins inked a deal with Hall to keep him in Boston for the coming four seasons. The 29-year-old winger signed the contract on July 23rd and Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney was pleased to lock him up while Hall seemed equally thrilled to be remaining in Boston.
“I knew right away, after playing five or six games in Boston, I wanted to be a part of the group and it was up to me to try to play well and show up well enough to have them want me to be a part of it,” Hall said after signing.
Though the Bruins were eliminated in the second round of the postseason, Hall seemed to have already become a part of the fabric that is the Bruins’ image.
“I felt really comfortable right off the bat last year… and that’s a credit to the leadership group. The guys that have laid a foundation. And it’s not just the leadership group, it’s the guys before them—Zdeno Chara and Milan Lucic, Andrew Ference. These guys, they did a great job showing the way. Been on four teams in the last two season, so I’ve been in a few dressing rooms. You can tell right away when you walk in what the vibe is, and I’ve really enjoyed the vibe of Boston,” Hall said of his feelings last season.
Of course, feeling a good vibe and feeling comfortable, there are still adjustments to new systems in a time of the season when there isn’t a lot of practice time and the grind is unforgiving. Adding that it was a condensed season as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 issues, and that didn’t give Hall much time before playing in the deep end and just dealing with whatever came.
He’s a professional, so of course he took it all in stride. But this season he’s had a chance to be on the ice with the Bruins from the beginning—experiencing not only training camp, but Captain’s practices as well. And perhaps it is even more important this year with the somewhat unexpected exit of his last season linemate Krejci who elected to go to his native Czech Republic to play this year with HC Olomouc of the Czech Extraliga.
I was curious how he felt about getting that exposure with the team this season from the beginning.
“Yeah, it’s been great. I think training camp is where you really get a lot of kinks out and you really understand the system. Like, just coming to the rink today, you know, I felt a much more heightened sense of calm just because I’ve been around here. I’ve played the system. I’ve played with these guys a lot. I know the coaching staff. And just the last week of training camp, I think it’s gotten me to another level in my game of just being comfortable with everyone here. And hopefully I can improve on my season last year with that added comfort,” Hall shared.
Of course, with Krejci’s exit, there is spot open on the power play, and Hall showed in Thursday night’s preseason tilt against the Philadelphia Flyers that he might be a good fit on the first unit. His pass to Brad Marchand gave the Bruins their first goal of the game, a game-tying goal, just seven seconds into the power play at 9:17 of the first period.
When asked about how long he had worked with Marchand and that power play unit, Hall confessed they had only worked a bit on that during practice Thursday morning. The lack of prep time speaks to the level of skill of both players but also could hint to what an impressive power play the Bruins could have this season.
Hall also had an assist on Brandon Carlo’s even strength goal later in the opening frame—a goal that turned out to be the game winner. Hall looked strong in the Bruins preseason game Thursday night. While management is still looking at some of the other players, it isn’t known if Hall will play again on Saturday. His position on the opening night roster is secure, but it is good to see what he has already done, and it looks like he is picking up where he left off last season.
The Dallas Stars failed to qualify for the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs just one season after going on a run to the Stanley Cup Final. The team faced an injury bug during the regular season, and was also dealing with COVID-19, and its restrictions. Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov missed time, and these two players are a big part of the Stars’ offense. The Stars didn’t have to do much this offseason to improve, but some moves had me wondering why they were made.
The team made a few moves before the rosters froze for the 2021 Expansion Draft. Tanner Kero and Rhett Gardner, two young players, were re-signed to new two-year, two-way deals. The Stars re-signed veteran forward Blake Comeau, to a new one-year, $1 million contract. The team had the hard decision of who to protect and who to leave unprotected for the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft. The Stars lost big, physical defenseman Jamie Oleksiak to the Kraken.
The first big new of the Stars’ offseason came when the team announced they had signed restricted free agent defenseman Miro Heiskanen to a new deal. The eight-year extension is for $67.6 million with a $8.45 million cap hit per season. The Heiskanen deal seemed to have started a trend among NHL general managers giving young, good defensemen long-term contracts with a high cap hit. This contract seems like a steal for the Stars though since Heiskanen has evolved into a top-pair, all around defenseman. The defenseman can skate, move the puck and plays a solid game in his own zone. In the past three seasons, he had 28 goals, 67 assists, 95 points and averaged 23:50 of ice time per game. His numbers slipped a bit last season, but the Stars were missing some key players, and I fully expect the youngster to bounce back this season.
Full disclosure, as a Philadelphia Flyers fan, I often wonder what the team would look like if they had drafted Heiskanen over Nolan Patrick who was traded by the Flyers in the offseason. I know at the time, the Flyers need wasn’t on the blue line, but that doesn’t stop me from wondering how this kid would have fit in on the Flyers blue line.
With the Heiskanen signing, there was going to be a cap casualty or two. In this case Stars’ GM, Jim Nill, traded Jason Dickinson to the Vancouver Canucks for a 2021 third-round draft pick. Dickinson was a restricted free agent due to get a significant raise. He played third line minutes, but last season saw an increase in his minutes due to the Stars’ injuries. He was a versatile player, who could play up-and-down the lineup.
Nill and the Stars were busy during free agency replacing depth players that moved on. There were three players who signed a one-year, two-way contract in Andreas Borgman, Alexander Petrovic and Colton Point. These players will likely be organizational depth. Nill added versatile, veteran forward Luke Glendening on a two-year, $3 million contract, and he will likely compete for a third or fourth line roster spot. Winger Michael Raffl signed a one-year, $1.1 million deal. Raffl is a veteran forward who can contribute on the penalty kill and provide a bit of offense to the bottom six. The only issue with Raffl is his injuries, but when healthy he’s a solid bottom six player.
Defenseman Jani Hakanpaa signed a three-year, $4.5 million contract with a $1.5 million cap hit. Hakanpaa will likely be a sixth or seventh defenseman for the Stars. One of the Stars big name free agent signings was defenseman Ryan Suter, who was bought out by the Minnesota Wild, making him a free agent. The 36-year-old saw a decline in his production last season, but still played top pairing minutes. Suter signed a four-year, $14.6 million contract with a $3.65 million cap hit per season. It could be a steal if he bounces back and doesn’t continue on his decline.
The other signing by Nill in the offseason was goalie Braden Holtby, who signed a one-year, $2 million deal. This signing was a bit puzzling to me since the Stars have three other goalies on the current roster in Jake Oettinger, Anton Khudobin, and Ben Bishop. Would Oettinger start in the minors for playing time with Khudobin and Holtby tending the net? If that’s the case, where does Ben Bishop fit in? Is Holtby goaltending depth in case Khubodin should get hurt or doesn’t perform to expectations? I get that this was a low risk, high reward type of signing, but it’s one that doesn’t make sense to me at all.
The Stars did lose defenseman Stephen Johns to retirement due to lingering concussion symptoms. The biggest loss in free agency was probably Andrew Cogliano and his veteran leadership. The team also lost Mark Pysyk, Justin Dowling, Sami Vatanen and Taylor Fedun in free agency.
Nill made sure to get restricted free agent Joel Kiviranta a new two-year, $2.1 million deal that came with a $1.05 million cap hit. He has only played in 37 regular season games the past two seasons. Kiviranta had his breakout during the Stars’ 2020 run to the Stanley Cup Final. In 14 games, he had five goals, one assist, six points and one game-winning goal while playing bottom six minutes. The 25-year-old can find the back of the net and provides decent depth production. It should be interesting to see if Kiviranta can have a breakout in the regular season this year.
I give Nill a C for his offseason moves. Sure, he extended key restricted free agents like Heiskanen and Kiviranta. The Stars also brought in some veteran guys via free agency, but I think the top guys will have to do most of the scoring again this season. The two deals that made me give Nill a C were the Suter and Holtby deals. The Suter deal is a risky one, for sure, because he is 36, and had a down season last year. The Holtby deal just didn’t make sense to me at all since the Stars already have three NHL goalies on its roster.
The Colorado Avalanche had a disappointing season even though they won the President’s Trophy as the NHL’s best team. The Vegas Golden Knights sent the Avalanche packing after the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In the team’s defense, there were some injuries and games rescheduled due to COVID. The Avalanche would have to figure out a way to navigate an offseason that included the Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft. The offseason included making trades, managing the cap, getting key players re-signed, and signing some depth players.
The first piece of the team’s offseason was creating cap space to re-sign two key players. The Avalanche traded defenseman Ryan Graves to the New Jersey Devils for Mikhail Maltsev. Graves played top-four minutes for the Avalanche the past few seasons, but about $3.2 million over the next two years came off the books with the trade. Maltsev will be an unrestricted free agent this summer but should get an opportunity to show what he can do on the ice in training camp. This was a good deal since it cleared cap space, brought in a young player, and the team is stacked with young talent on the blue line.
The Avs then lost forward Joonas Donskoi to the Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. In 116 games played over the past two seasons, Donskoi had 33 goals, 31 assists, and 64 points. He played third or fourth line minutes while with the team and had decent production. The Avalanche may miss his production, but won’t miss his $3.9 million cap hit over the next two seasons. I’m sure it wasn’t easy to lose Donskoi and his production, but I understand why he was left unprotected for the Draft.
The second piece, and possibly the most important, piece of news was the re-signing of restricted free agent defenseman Cale Makar. The 22-year-old signed a new six-year, $54 million contract which came with a $9 million per season cap hit. Makar made an immediate impact for the Avalanche after getting called up with six points in 10 playoffs games in 2019. The young defenseman has been great in his first two full seasons even with the craziness of COVID-19. He won the Calder Trophy as best rookie for the 2019-20 season and finished second in the Norris Trophy voting as the League’s best defenseman. The raise and investment was a good one for the Avalanche since Makar is young and hasn’t even reached his prime yet.
The Avs picked up depth defenseman Kurtis MacDermid, who could fill the role of the sixth or seventh defenseman on the team. The team then went and re-signed captain Gabriel Landeskog to a new contract before he hit free agency. The deal is eight years, $56 million, and comes with a $7 million per season cap hit. The veteran has played for the team for the past 10 seasons after being drafted by them. The 28-year-old has had some injuries in the past few seasons, but when he’s healthy, he produces. He may be entering his prime, and the eight years are the thing that bothers me about this contract.
The Avalanche lost a few key players in free agency like Philipp Grubauer, Brandon Saad, and Pierre-Eduoard Bellemare. Saad and Bellemare were cap casualties since both are depth players that will be replaced. The Avalanche couldn’t agree to a new contract with its Vezina Finalist goalie, Grubauer, so he signed with the Kraken in free agency. After losing Grubauer, the team went and made a trade with the Arizona Coyotes. The Avalanche acquired goalie Darcy Kuemper for defenseman Connor Timmins. Kuemper is a good goalie, but his issue is staying healthy, and that is the biggest reason to be skeptical of this trade.
In free agency, the Avalanche let some of the organizational depth go and replaced it with new faces. The Avalanche signed the following players to one-year deals: Roland McKeown, Stefan Matteau, Dylan Sikura, Jordan Gross, Ryan Murray, and Darren Helm. The signings should create battles for depth spots on the roster come training camp. Helm, should he make the team, will bring more veteran leadership, while Sikura could bring some speed to the bottom six. Jack Johnson and Artem Anisimov are invited to training camp.
The Avs re-signed some of its restricted free agents, starting with Jayson Megna, who signed a two-year deal worth $1.5 million. Tyson Jost, a versatile forward, signed a new two-year, $4 million deal. The Avalanche also signed defenseman Dennis Gilbert to a new one-year, $750,000 contract.
The Avalanche receives a B- for the offseason. I liked the Makar signing because the kid will be a stud on the blue line for years to come. The Graves trade made sense to shed some cap, and the team is loaded with young talent on the blue line. The fact that Makar is under contract and should report on time to training camp is big. There are still teams that do not have notable restricted free agents under contract.
I am not a fan of the Landeskog contract because he is under contract for the next eight years and is 28 years old. It could be hard to move down the road if needed. Another reason for the B- is the goalie situation. I get that the Avalanche have a decent goalie now, but he is injury-prone, and my biggest concern is if he can stay healthy. Grubauer was a Vezina Trophy Finalist and played phenomenal last season despite the team losing in the second round.
Kevyn Adams and the Buffalo Sabres have had an offseason to forget. The team underperformed again in a shortened 2020-2021 season. Granted, the Sabres missed their best player and captain, Jack Eichel, for most of the season. The team looked like it wasn’t even trying most nights and leaving the goalies to make the save. Ralph Krueger was fired late in the season, and Don Granato took over. Under Granato, players looked looser, more relaxed, and started to look like they were having fun again.
Eichel was out of the lineup due to an upper-body injury, and this was just the beginning of the soap opera. There were reports that Eichel needed to get neck surgery to improve, and the Sabres’ organization was not allowing him to get it. The surgery was not a common one among hockey players, and the team wasn’t sure how he would recover. The Sabres did have him on the trade block around the NHL Entry Draft, but the asking price was too high for most teams because of the injury situation. As of now, Eichel is still on the Sabres’ roster and it will be interesting to see how this saga turns out. Does he not report to camp, sit out, or get traded? Only time will tell.
Adams and the Pegulas decided to remove the interim tag from the head coach and sign Don Granato to a three-year deal. This was the right move for the team. Granato seemed to let the players play and keep it simple after he took over the bench last season. He used players right and put them in situations to succeed. The team will likely be on a bit of the younger side this season, and I think Granato could help make them better, even though they’ll be in the hunt to win the NHL Lottery again this season.
Adams started the offseason with Will Borgen going to the Seattle Kraken in the NHL Expansion Draft. He quickly bounced back and managed to pull off a good trade before the NHL Entry Draft. The Sabres traded defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen to the Philadelphia Flyers for the 2021 13th overall pick in the 2021 Draft, a third-round pick in the 2023 Draft, and defenseman Robert Hagg. The trade was a good one by Adams, and the Flyers overpaid for Ristolainen. There were probably other teams looking for Ristolainen’s services, which could have played a part in the haul. Hagg is a serviceable third-pairing defenseman who can kill penalties and doesn’t shy away from playing a physical game.
Drake Caggiula signed a one-year, $750,000 contract extension for the 2021-2022 season. Caggiula played 11 games with the Sabres last season and had two goals, one assist, and three points. The left winger has never played a full season in the NHL and will likely be a bottom-six depth player for the Sabres. Then again with the way this roster is shaping up, he could very well be a top-six player. It was a cost-effective deal for the Sabres, and Caggiula will have a chance to prove himself while with the team.
The Sabres lost players in free agency like Linus Ullmark, Jake McCabe, and Carter Hutton. Sabres fans would probably agree that it was time for these guys to go since the team didn’t turn around with them on the roster, but they were better than anything brought in by the Sabres brass in free agency. Adams and the Sabres couldn’t come to terms, and by the time Ullmark hit free agency, there wasn’t much left in the goalie market, so the team wound up signing Craig Anderson and Aaron Dell. There wasn’t an upgrade made in goal for the team this offseason.
Will Butcher and Mark Pysyk were the notable defensemen that were acquired in the offseason. Butcher was acquired in a trade with the New Jersey Devils, and Pysyk signed a free agency deal. Butcher had a decent first three seasons in the NHL but only played 23 games last season and became expendable after the Devils signed Dougie Hamilton to a substantial free agency deal. Butcher is a mobile defenseman who can move the puck, play top-four minutes and contribute offensively. Pysyk will likely play bottom-pairing minutes or be the oft-scratched seventh defenseman.
Adams was able to re-sign some restricted free agents to decent bridge deals. Brandon Davidson signed a new one-year deal worth $750,000. Forward Rasmus Asplund got a new two-year deal worth $825,000 per season. He had seven goals, four assists, and 11 points in 28 games last season. Casey Fitzgerald, the 24-year-old defenseman, signed a new two-year contract with a $750,000 cap hit per season. Fitzgerald has yet to make his NHL Debut, but has a good shot to do that this season. Adams re-signed Henri Jokiharju and forward Casey Mittelstadt to new three-year deals with a $2.5 million cap hit per season.
The Sabres did manage to get something for forward Sam Reinhart, who was a restricted free agent and due a big payday. It is just like the Sabres to trade a guy who has scored 20-plus goals in five of his last six seasons played because he was due a pay raise. In Adams’ defense, he was able to get a goalie prospect and a first-round 2022 Draft pick for Reinhart. I think that the Sabres will miss the goal-scoring and his ability to play top-six minutes. Reinhart wasn’t the best 200-foot player, but his ability to find the back of the net will be missed.
The Sabres still do not have defenseman Rasmus Dahlin under contract for the 2021-22 season. He is a restricted free agent and could opt to sit out until he has a new contract. The 21-year-old had a good rookie season under Phil Housley including 44 points in 82 games. His second season, first with Ralph Krueger, his numbers dipped a bit, but he was a bit better defensively. Last season was a strange one. Dahlin’s game was a complete disaster. Adams needs to get a deal done before camp starts because the last thing you want is another potential distraction off the ice for this team.
There are two reasons why the Sabres received a D-, and not a F for their final offseason grade. The first reason was the big haul that Adams managed to bring in for Ristolainen. The other reason was signing Don Granato to a new contract, and removing the interim head coach tag from last season. Once he took over behind the bench, the team played looser and were actually making some games competitive.
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