For the first time four years, the Florida Panthers are part of the National Hockey League playoffs. When the league begins the Eastern Conference qualifying round of their tournament on Aug. 1 in the hub city of Toronto, the Panthers will face the New York Islanders. Related: Los Angeles Kings’ 50-Goal Scorers The Panthers have
Free Agents
Though we don’t know when the Anaheim Ducks will see the ice again or when free agency will officially start, it’s not too early to speculate how the team can start filling some holes via the open market. The defense has been a sore spot over the past couple seasons, ever since the trades of
This is going to be a crucial offseason, as another year passes by with no playoffs for the Buffalo Sabres. Management should know by now that the 2020-21 season is going to be a make-or-break year for so many personnel. Here I’ll dive into the Sabres’ restricted and unrestricted free agents that management should sign.
As we discussed last week, the Toronto Maple Leafs are making moves in the international free agent pool, signing Alexander Barabanov and Mikko Lehtonen – filling in some depth roles in the process. But what are they going to do when NHL free agency opens? On July 1, 2018, the Maple Leafs landed the ultimate
Although the NHL is kicking around ideas for how they can continue the 2019-20 season, so far it’s still on hold, and so is the start of free agency for now. It feels premature to speculate on who the Anaheim Ducks should target in free agency, considering we don’t know when it will happen, but there
The Colorado Avalanche face some interesting choices over the offseason. They could be set for another substantial roster change. Currently, 12 players listed on the team’s starting roster sit on contracts ending whenever the 2019-20 season’s over. It’s the perfect time to look at each player and consider their chances of staying with the team.
For the Tampa Bay Lightning, the 2019-20 season was supposed to be one of redemption. After years of postseason meltdowns, Tampa Bay needed to win a Stanley Cup with their stacked roster that was considered one of the best in the NHL. As the playoffs approached, things were looking good, with everything in place to
The book is out on the Edmonton Oilers’ offensive depth problem. After Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the production drops drastically. At this point in the season, McDavid and Draisaitl have scored 35 out of the team’s 86 goals. That’s 40% of the team’s goals. That’s not healthy. That’s a dependency. Related: Jesse Puljujarvi and
P.K. Subban doesn’t want to give advice to all the unsigned young players around the NHL. He just vividly remembers his own experience as a restricted free agent. Before he signed a short, so-called “bridge” contract, he took some motherly advice. “My mom picked up the phone and called me and said: ‘P.K., listen, you’re
Nick Foligno isn’t bitter or upset about the mass exodus of free agents from the Columbus Blue Jackets this summer. It’s just that in a few cases, he doesn’t quite understand the logic. Nick Foligno (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers) Star winger Artemi Panarin, No. 1 goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and trade deadline acquisition Matt
Now that the calendar has flipped to August, the PTOs are going to start coming fast and furious. There have already been a couple announced — Michal Neuvirth in Toronto and Chris Stewart in Philadelphia — but with training camps just over a month away, most of the players still without contracts are contemplating professional
report this ad The Dallas Stars’ roster will see a surprising turnover after finishing the season one goal shy of their first Western Conference Final appearance since 2008. Only considering players who played at least 20 NHL games in 2018-19 (Marc Methot’s injury-riddled year being the one exception), there are three new arrivals and six
report this ad It’s been a bad month for the Winnipeg Jets’ blue line. Rugged, sturdy defenseman Ben Chiarot is the most recent departure in what’s been a mass exodus from the Jets’ d-corp. On Thursday, he signed a three-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens, becoming the third experienced d-man this offseason — following closely
On July 1, the Ottawa Senators signed Tyler Ennis to a one-year, $800,000 contract. It was not what fans hoped the team would do, expecting general manager Pierre Dorion to be a much bigger player in free agency. Yet, when the dust settled, Ennis was the only free agent signing who offered offensive potential; only
report this ad July 1st is a chaotic day for NHL general managers. It’s when dozens of players become free agents, signing contracts with contenders, rebuilding teams, and middle-of-the-road clubs looking to make a deep playoff run. This year, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman started off by signing three players: forward Valtteri Filppula, defenseman
report this ad While other teams made splashes in the first day of free agency, the Buffalo Sabres did not. The organization added four players–center Curtis Lazar, defenseman John Gilmour, goalie Andrew Hammond and forward Jean-Sebastien Dea. Not exactly household names. They make the value acquisitions of Colin Miller and Jimmy Vesey seem earth-shattering. Miller
report this ad The 2019 NHL Entry Draft is fast approaching, and teams have the majority of their focus on the draft. But teams will also need to keep an eye just past the draft, to July 1 and the start of free agency. The opening day of free agency is one of the biggest
report this ad Eric Staal, Anze Kopitar, Gustav Nyquist, Brett Connolly – what do these players all have in common? They all scored 22 goals in the 2018-19 season. But Connolly does not seem to fit this group. He has quietly developed into a steady player who provides secondary, even-strength scoring. What that should mean