Happy Monday y’all! And happy Father’s Day to all the dads! Being a dad is the best feeling in the world. I have two little ones and my 16-team dynasty calls me daddy since I’ve won two straight titles, suckahs!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Troy Terry<\/a> of the Anaheim Ducks underwent successful hip surgery at the beginning of June (no wonder he wasn’t hitting anyone if he was playing with this for so long), meaning he will be out for five to six months. That timeline suggests the winger should return to the lineup between American Thanksgiving and Christmas. That is a big spot in the Ducks lineup to fill and the first player who should be given that spot is Beckett Sennecke<\/a>. The rookie finished with 60 points in 2025-26 and he has a golden opportunity to build on his Calder nomination. After averaging 17 and a half minutes per contest and a modest 12% shooting percentage, I wouldn’t expect a major uptick in the 60-point total, but if he takes advantage of the extra ice, he could approach the 30-goal mark and 75 points.<\/p>\n Their next option could be someone not currently in the organization. With Mason McTavish<\/a>‘s name being thrown around all year, both sides may be looking for a fresh start. We won’t speculate on what could happen, but the Ducks just made it to the second round and they want to build on that.<\/p>\n \u2014-<\/p>\n Keeping the topic in Anaheim, it has also been reported that John Carlson<\/a> and Jacob Trouba<\/a> will be hitting the free agent market. Carlson wants to play in the East and Trouba is looking to maximize his earnings while cashing in on his best season in five years. If the Ducks lose these two and Radko Gudas<\/a>, their entire right side will need to be replaced. The organization has a ton of young players who can answer the bell, so look for Tristian Luneau and Stain Solberg to compete in camp for a role on this team.<\/p>\n Much like the situation with Terry, the Ducks could also look outside the organization to fill these spots since their right side was full of veteran experience. One name they were linked to at the trade deadline was Colton Parayko<\/a>. The big righty would be a perfect fit next to Jackson LaCombe<\/a> or a good shelter partner for one of their young defensemen. Again, with all the McTavish talk, maybe they use him to bolster up their defense, but until then, it would be a purely speculative game.<\/p>\n \u2014-<\/p>\n The Vegas Golden Knights went a different route with their new head coaching, hiring a first time NHL bench boss. Ryan Craig was the head coach in Henderson for their AHL team and a former captain of the Brandon Wheat Kings. His current boss, Kelly McCrimmon, is familiar with Craig as he was his coach in the WHL, but maybe Vegas has a hefty tab paying all of the other coaches they have fired in the last four years and their coaching budget is over the limit.\u00a0<\/p>\n While management will have to work some things out in the books, the Golden Knights expect success every season so the pressure will be on right away for the rookie coach. I love to see rookie coaches and out of the box hires, but Vegas was probably the last organization that I would guess would take that risk.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014-<\/p>\n The Seattle Kraken have acquired Mackie Samoskevich<\/a> in exchange for a first in 2026 and a second in 2027. Looking at the capital that was traded to acquire him, Samoskevich should receive ample opportunities to succeed. He was buried on a deep Florida roster, but did record back-to-back double digit powerplay point seasons. The American winger could be a nice late round pick in redraft leagues for 2026-27 as he also provides nice peripheral stats as well.<\/p>\n In other Seattle news, the team re-signed Bobby McMann<\/a>. He fit right in with the Kraken, scoring 10 goals in 18 games, but now that he has secured a six-year deal, we’ll see if he can keep putting the puck in the net.<\/p>\n \u2014-<\/p>\n We have reached one of the most fun times of the year, draft week. Dreams will be made for many kids on Friday and we will hopefully get some activity on the trade front (Brady Tkachuk<\/a> and the Senators started us off with a bang!)<\/p>\n The Western Conference was not the strongest this season, with eight teams in the top 11 being from the West.<\/p>\n Toronto Maple Leafs<\/p>\n San Jose Sharks<\/p>\n Vancouver Canucks<\/p>\n Chicago Blackhawks<\/p>\n New York Rangers<\/p>\n Calgary Flames<\/p>\n Seattle Kraken<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets<\/p>\n Ottawa Senators<\/p>\n Nashville Predators<\/p>\n St. Louis Blues<\/p>\n After drafting Michael Misa<\/a> with the second overall pick last year, the last thing the Sharks need is another forward, but it would be VERY tough to skip over Ivar Stenberg as he looks to be the most NHL ready and most well-rounded player in this year’s group. At three, the Canucks have the opportunity to draft the son of their new head coach, Caleb Malhotra. The Blackhawks have a number of young forwards so defenseman Chase Reid would look great in that black and red. For more draft and prospect coverage, check out the team over at DobberProspects<\/a>. They truly know their stuff; alum Jokke Nevalainen just won a Stanley Cup as a part of the Carolina Hurricanes scouting department, congrats Jokke!<\/p>\n \u2014-<\/p>\n Shoot me your thoughts on what will happen at the draft this week @LAM1926 on Twitter<\/a>. Have a great week everyone!<\/p>\n