{"id":30912,"date":"2025-07-29T03:34:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T03:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/30912\/"},"modified":"2025-07-29T03:34:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T03:34:08","slug":"trade-market-johansen-canadiens-offseason-moves-palat-centers-red-wings-mckenna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/30912\/","title":{"rendered":"Trade Market, Johansen, Canadiens, Offseason Moves, Palat, Centers, Red Wings, McKenna"},"content":{"rendered":"

Topics in this edition of the mailbag include good and bad moves from this summer\u2019s spending spree, possible contenders for the Gavin McKenna<\/a> sweepstakes, and more.\u00a0 If your question doesn\u2019t appear here, check back in our last two mailbag<\/a> columns<\/a>.<\/p>\n

RPIsFinest: Teams like the Leafs and Rangers seemed pretty open about the need for big changes this summer. Is this what they had in mind? Or are bigger moves coming? Or has the fact that a lot of the top UFAs opted to stay put hampered their plans?<\/p>\n

Now that the FA market has come and gone, do we see teams making some big trades to revamp their rosters or stand pat?<\/p>\n

I think the lack of impact talent to actually reach the open market really limited some planning.\u00a0 I suspect Toronto might have preferred to add a top-six piece to replace Mitch Marner<\/a> but flipped to adding better depth to their roster which I suspect was their Plan B all along.\u00a0 For the Rangers, they moved out two key pieces in Chris Kreider<\/a> and K\u2019Andre Miller<\/a> while adding Vladislav Gavrikov<\/a>.\u00a0 Coupled with some of the trades from last season including bringing in J.T. Miller<\/a>, I think they\u2019ve done the bulk of their big changes.\u00a0 In general though, I suspect more teams had bigger things in mind than they were able to do.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve seen speculation saying that the trade market is going to be more robust than normal in the next few weeks and some saying that the bigger moves might come in-season but earlier than the market typically heats up.\u00a0 I agree more with the latter.\u00a0 We\u2019re at the point of summer where the big player-for-player swap usually doesn\u2019t happen as teams tend to lean more toward keeping the one that they\u2019re familiar with.\u00a0 But if things don\u2019t get off to a great start 20 games in or so, they might be more inclined to try the shakeup.<\/p>\n

Da Hammerer: What has come of the situation between the Flyers and Ryan Johansen<\/a>? A friend implied he read an article or tweet the grievance was squashed, but I\u2019ve been unsuccessful in finding anything beyond the announcement of the grievance hearing that was scheduled. Of all the articles I\u2019ve read about their cap and dead cap hits, none mentioned any impact from Johansen\u2019s contract situation.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s not much out there about this situation.\u00a0 They\u2019ve gone ahead and held the hearing but the results were never revealed.\u00a0 Whether that means there was a settlement reached or the outcome is still pending remains to be seen.\u00a0 I suspect there\u2019s a good chance we won\u2019t hear about it either.<\/p>\n

As for the cap implications, let\u2019s start with the easy one first.\u00a0 Nashville also received cap relief from the Johansen contract termination but they operated so far below the salary cap all season long that even if the cap hit got retroactively reapplied, they\u2019d still be under last year\u2019s $88MM ceiling.\u00a0 So, for the Predators, they\u2019re fine.<\/p>\n

The Flyers are a little harder to pin down given that some of the daily tracking is done behind paywalls so I don\u2019t have a precise end-of-season number for them.\u00a0 And what is available has a bit of variance.\u00a0 CapWages<\/a> had their finishing space at $8.99MM but that included the LTIR pool for Ryan Ellis<\/a> ($6.25MM); back that out and they\u2019re at $2.74MM.\u00a0 PuckPedia<\/a> had them around $2.65M in mid-March so there\u2019s a rough range to work with.\u00a0 But Matvei Michkov<\/a>\u2019s $1MM in earned \u2018A\u2019 bonuses need to be deducted from that pool.\u00a0 Accordingly, if Johansen\u2019s cap charge was retroactively applied to last season, there would be around a $2.4MM overage or so applied to the upcoming season.\u00a0 That would push the Flyers into using LTIR as things stand, meaning that any earned bonuses in 2025-26 would then hit the cap in 2026-27.\u00a0 So, there\u2019s some murkiness about their situation but given how quiet things have been in this case, I don\u2019t expect it will come to that.<\/p>\n

KS Habs: Any further moves by Kent Hughes and the Canadiens? I know they have looked into a 2nd Line wing or center but there is not a lot on the market. Is there a chance Rossi, McTavish head back to the Habs or do they like try with Kirby Dach<\/a> at center again? A second question is what do you think a Lane Hutson<\/a> contract extension would look like? 8 x $10? Thanks!<\/p>\n

By all accounts, the Canadiens don\u2019t appear to be seriously pursuing Marco Rossi<\/a> at this time which, given their need and desire to upgrade down the middle, is a little telling.\u00a0 As for Mason McTavish<\/a>, I\u2019m sure they\u2019re interested in him but I\u2019m not sure why Anaheim would look into moving him.\u00a0 The absence of a contract for him isn\u2019t really an indication that he\u2019s available, it\u2019s just what happens with a lot of younger talents coming off entry-level deals without arbitration rights; these situations can often drag on.\u00a0 But if he were to become available, I\u2019m sure Montreal would make a serious push.\u00a0 But at this point, I expect they will head to training camp with the centers they have which means Dach getting another look down the middle.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>As for Hutson, I took a look at some comparables<\/a> for him a couple of months back and not much has changed since then with only one more to add to that range, his new teammate.\u00a0 Your proposal falls within the range of those comparable players and in this marketplace with the salary cap set to jump a couple more times, it\u2019s not crazy even though it\u2019s a sky-high number for someone who has all of one season under his belt.\u00a0 But I don\u2019t think Montreal would make that offer right now.\u00a0 When they just gave Noah Dobson<\/a>, a player with a 70-point season under his belt and a longer track record, $9.5MM per season for eight years, it feels like they wouldn\u2019t go higher for that on Hutson.\u00a0 It\u2019s notable that only two seasons of Dobson\u2019s deal were UFA years while Hutson has five in his.\u00a0 So, right now, I think their internal cap for a Hutson contract comes in below that.<\/p>\n

Schwa: When we look back in a couple of years, who will we look at as being the best\/worst deals (for signings and\/or trades)?<\/p>\n

You haven\u2019t specified which period to cover for these signings and trades so I\u2019m going to operate as if you\u2019re asking about the recent dealings and contracts from this offseason.<\/p>\n

For the best moves, I have some that might be surprising.\u00a0 Giving Jake Allen<\/a> five years when he\u2019s about to turn 35 is crazy in theory but they got him so far below market value (he likely would have landed more than double his $1.8MM AAV) on the open market that the risk is mitigated.\u00a0 Yes, there\u2019s a chance that he might have to be waived and buried in the minors by the end (at which point, the dead cap charge would be less than $500K) but there\u2019s so much surplus value in the first few years that it should work out well.\u00a0 I also liked the Aaron Ekblad<\/a> contract with Florida.\u00a0 Again, it might be problematic at the end but he\u2019s still a solid number two option and should be for several more years and that\u2019s a price that\u2019s well below current market value.\u00a0 He left a good chunk of money on the table to stay with the Panthers.\u00a0 As for a trade, I\u2019ll pick Matias Maccelli<\/a> to Toronto for a conditional third-round pick.\u00a0 If he goes back to being a legitimate top-six piece as he was in the final year in Arizona, that\u2019s a small price to pay (even if it\u2019s elevated to a second rounder) for a top-six piece with some team control.<\/p>\n

On the flip side, I have another Florida contract on the worst list, that being Brad Marchand<\/a>\u2019s six-year deal worth $5.25MM per season.\u00a0 If he\u2019s a top-six player, $5.25MM is fine.\u00a0 But he wasn\u2019t a top-six player with the Panthers and that isn\u2019t going to change unless injuries arise.\u00a0 So now, you have a high-priced third-liner signed until he\u2019s 43.\u00a0 I get trying to keep the band together but that could be a problem contract early and often.\u00a0 The other one that comes to mind covers a signing and trade, that being Nashville sending Jeremy Lauzon<\/a> and Colton Sissons<\/a> (with 50% salary retention) to Vegas for Nicolas Hague<\/a>.\u00a0 From a value perspective, that wasn\u2019t a great deal for the Predators on its face but add in four years at $5.5MM to a player who has largely been on the third pairing and it goes from bad to worse.\u00a0 I think Hague is a useful defender but to overpay in cost and contract on a team that doesn\u2019t seem particularly close to a playoff spot seemed largely unnecessary.<\/p>\n

DevilShark: Would the Sharks (or Hawks) do a solid to the Devils and pick up Palat like they did with Goodrow? Depth wing, good mentor. They still have issues with the cap floor too\u2026 I\u2019m surprised a solution hasn\u2019t materialized here for NJD.<\/p>\n

There are a few things that make an Ondrej Palat<\/a> trade to those teams less likely.\u00a0 The first is the two years remaining on his contract.\u00a0 Both San Jose and Chicago have taken on more than a one-year deal but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s something they want to do a lot of.\u00a0 Also, both teams are already comfortably above the cap ceiling for next season so that\u2019s not a factor as well.<\/p>\n

The second is Palat\u2019s 10-team no-trade clause.\u00a0 It\u2019s quite possible (if not probable) that he has those two teams and some other lower teams in the standings on his list to prevent the type of trade you\u2019re hoping for from actually happening.\u00a0 Most top teams won\u2019t accept a multi-year cap dump so stack the no-trade list with the teams at the bottom of the standings and he should be protected.\u00a0 And if you\u2019re thinking about merely waiving him as the Rangers did with Barclay Goodrow<\/a>, his no-move protection is basically a no-waivers clause so that\u2019s not on the table.<\/p>\n

The third is the money.\u00a0 Goodrow carries a $3.64MM cap charge.\u00a0 Andre Burakovsky<\/a> is at $5.5MM for two years but Chicago got to offload the final year of Joe Veleno<\/a>\u2019s contract which has to be factored in.\u00a0 Palat\u2019s older than both of them and at $6MM, he costs more too.\u00a0 That also means he\u2019ll cost more to be offloaded as in New Jersey will need to attach an asset or burn a retention slot to move him, something they probably don\u2019t want to do.\u00a0 I\u2019m not shocked a move hasn\u2019t materialized for the Devils as this is a harder sell given the cost of the contract.<\/p>\n

SkidRowe: Could you please compare and contrast Connor Bedard<\/a> and James Hagens<\/a>?<\/p>\n

I can try but as I\u2019ve noted before, scouting is not necessarily my strong suit.<\/p>\n

Offensively, both are strong skaters but their main skill is different.\u00a0 For Bedard, he\u2019s an elite shooter and while he\u2019s not a bad playmaker by any stretch (over time, with better linemates, I think we\u2019ll see that part of his game improve), his shot is his high-end threat.\u00a0 With Hagens, his passing is his standout skill.\u00a0 If you\u2019re looking for the more cerebral player, it\u2019s Hagens with Bedard being the bigger game-breaker.<\/p>\n

Defensively, it\u2019s a little harder to compare, largely because Bedard hasn\u2019t been in a spot to evaluate that.\u00a0 In junior, he was the go-to player who had the green light to cheat a bit defensively while in the NHL, he\u2019s basically had that same role with Chicago more focused on lottery odds than winning games.\u00a0 Over time as they get more competitive, it\u2019ll be interesting to see how that side of his game evolves.\u00a0 With Hagens, while he\u2019s more of an offense-first player (most top forward prospects are), he has adapted well enough to the college game at that end and showed improvement with his defensive reads. He might not be a true two-way threat but Hagens showed that he shouldn\u2019t be a big liability at that end of the ice.<\/p>\n

The other element to compare is positional.\u00a0 Bedard is undersized for a center and while he has been force-fed big minutes down the middle early in his career, the early returns of handling the position haven\u2019t been great.\u00a0 Again, part of that is the sink-or-swim approach and a bad surrounding cast but there\u2019s a case to be made that he might be better off on the wing.\u00a0 Hagens is similarly undersized but profiles better as a center with his more cerebral game and at least some defensive conscientiousness.\u00a0 He should stay at that position long-term while the more I see Bedard, the more I think the wing may make more sense for him.<\/p>\n

The Duke: Lightning Round II \u2013 Is there a race with Brossoit or is Knight the clear-cut starter? Who are Anaheim\u2019s opening night Top-6? Is Rossi re-signed or moved out? And, is it Perfetti\u2019s time to shine now that Ehlers is gone?<\/p>\n

1) I\u2019m honestly not sure Laurent Brossoit<\/a> is on the NHL roster next season let alone battling Spencer Knight<\/a> for playing time.\u00a0 I expect Arvid Soderblom<\/a> to be the backup and Brossoit at least starting out in Rockford to show he\u2019s back in good form.\u00a0 At that point, he might be movable with salary retention.\u00a0 Knight is their starter for the long haul.<\/p>\n

2) I think McTavish stays so you have him and Leo Carlsson<\/a> down the middle.\u00a0 I expect newcomer Mikael Granlund<\/a> to end up on the wing while Chris Kreider will be in the top six as well.\u00a0 Troy Terry<\/a> should stay there while Cutter Gauthier<\/a> showed enough down the stretch to also stay in the top-six.<\/p>\n

3) Rossi\u2019s case is going to take a while but I think he\u2019s ultimately going to bite the bullet on a bridge deal.\u00a0 The external interest doesn\u2019t seem to be as strong as he was hoping for, meaning Minnesota isn\u2019t going to get the type of return they want to move him.<\/p>\n

4) That would be safe to say.\u00a0 Jonathan Toews<\/a> could be a good addition and Gustav Nyquist<\/a> is serviceable but they don\u2019t have the offensive upside to take on Nikolaj Ehlers<\/a>\u2019 share of the attack.\u00a0 Cole Perfetti<\/a> might not get there but they\u2019re definitely counting on him having another gear to get to offensively.<\/p>\n

rule78.1: The Red Wings had a couple of major issues last season. Their ability to score 5-on-5 and their penalty kill.\u00a0 Do you see any improvement in these areas up to this point for this coming season after their signings?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at the offensive moves.\u00a0 They gave up Vladimir Tarasenko<\/a> and added James van Riemsdyk<\/a> and Mason Appleton<\/a>.\u00a0 On paper, that\u2019s not a lot better although van Riemsdyk was much better than usual at five-on-five last season.\u00a0 But generally, he\u2019s more of a power play specialist (nearly 43% of his goals from 2020-21 through 2023-24 were on the man advantage) so I think the even strength production might drop.\u00a0 At best, I think it\u2019s a wash beyond hoping for some internal improvement and bounce backs.<\/p>\n

Before digging into the second question, let\u2019s review the defensive moves.\u00a0 John Gibson<\/a> is now the starting goalie and as a team that needed to make some defensive changes, they added Jacob Bernard-Docker<\/a> to replace Jeff Petry<\/a>.\u00a0 I like the Bernard-Docker contract but that\u2019s not a needle-mover.<\/p>\n

But Gibson gives them a shot at improving shorthanded.\u00a0 If we look at Goals Saved Above Expected (per MoneyPuck<\/a>) at four-on-five, Cam Talbot<\/a> was one of the worst goalies in the league at -7.1.\u00a0 Alex Lyon<\/a> was at -2.3 and Petr Mrazek<\/a> was in that range, also including his time with Chicago.\u00a0 Gibson was still in the negative but at -0.5 which is at least closer to average.\u00a0 All else being equal (and given the skater group, it largely is), even average goaltending on the penalty kill will be an improvement.\u00a0 Appleton has killed penalties in the past as well so he could help.\u00a0 They\u2019ve improved a bit here but it still could be one of the weaker units overall.<\/p>\n

DevilShark: Where is McKenna getting drafted? Bottom few teams this year on paper?<\/p>\n

I think Chicago has to be on this list.\u00a0 A full season from Knight raises the floor and I feel Jeff Blashill will make them more competitive on a night-in, night-out basis.\u00a0 But they\u2019re a team that just wasn\u2019t any good last year and while they have money to do so, they didn\u2019t do much to add to their roster unless you think Burakovsky is in line to be a difference-maker.\u00a0 It\u2019s all part of the process but that process is going to involve another year of pain.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m tempted to put San Jose here as well.\u00a0 They\u2019ve been more active in terms of adding floor-raising veterans but their goaltending is a big question mark.\u00a0 I like Yaroslav Askarov<\/a> but is he going to be a difference-maker right away like Dustin Wolf<\/a> was in Calgary or will there be the more typical ups and downs?\u00a0 And with an up-and-down goalie like Alex Nedeljkovic<\/a> as the backup, it\u2019s a question mark.\u00a0 I could see them in the bottom three with poor goaltending or closer to the back of the bottom ten if Askarov pans out.<\/p>\n

As things stand today, Pittsburgh would be a tough one to pick here but I don\u2019t think they\u2019re done subtracting from their roster just yet.\u00a0 It seems like GM Kyle Dubas finally has the green light to take a step or two back so I think at some point, another move or two is made that sees them move an impactful win-now piece for some future assets.\u00a0 That might be enough to sneak them to the bottom of the East and sneak into the Gavin McKenna<\/a> sweepstakes.<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of\u00a0Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Topics in this edition of the mailbag include good and bad moves from this summer\u2019s spending spree, possible…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30913,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,11295,2368,82],"class_list":["post-30912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nhl","tag-phr-mailbag","tag-pro-hockey-rumors-originals","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30912\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}