{"id":799137,"date":"2026-08-02T10:55:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T10:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/799137\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T10:55:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T10:55:11","slug":"phr-mailbag-predators-blues-bruins-flyers-revenues-panthers-pro-hockey-rumors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/799137\/","title":{"rendered":"PHR Mailbag: Predators, Blues, Bruins, Flyers, Revenues, Panthers \u2013 Pro Hockey Rumors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include Nashville\u2019s busy summer, what\u2019s next for the Flyers, and more.\u00a0 If your question doesn\u2019t appear here, check back in our last two mailbag<\/a> columns<\/a> while we\u2019ll have one more from our most recent call for questions.<\/p>\n

GBear: After all the acquisitions the Preds new GM MacFarland made this summer, it almost looks like they have too many NHL-caliber forwards now. Who possibly gets moved before the season begins?<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think they have too many forwards, to be honest.\u00a0 Yes, they\u2019ve added seven of them but they also had some openings to fill.\u00a0 Fedor Svechkov<\/a> and Zachary L\u2019Heureux<\/a> went to Colorado in trades.\u00a0 Erik Haula<\/a> and Tyson Jost<\/a> departed in free agency.\u00a0 And they didn\u2019t really replace Michael Bunting<\/a>, Michael McCarron<\/a>, or Cole Smith<\/a> when they were moved before the trade deadline.\u00a0 They just went with internal options instead.<\/p>\n

Accordingly, I don\u2019t think they necessarily have to move anyone.\u00a0 Speaking of those internal options late in the year, I could see Ozzy Wiesblatt<\/a> landing on waivers in the fall to try to get him back to the minors.\u00a0 Joakim Kemell<\/a> and Reid Schaefer<\/a> are still waiver-exempt so they can easily go back to AHL Milwaukee and play big minutes there.\u00a0 Assuming the rule tweak about a 19-year-old CHL player being able to play in the minors is done (reports peg it between being close to done and done), Brady Martin<\/a> can go to the Admirals as well.<\/p>\n

There are going to be injuries throughout the season and having some quality internal options getting big minutes in the minors to fill those roles when needed would be great.\u00a0 Add to that the likelihood of the Preds carrying 14 forwards to start and there\u2019s enough roster space for pretty much everyone.\u00a0 GM Chris MacFarland added a lot for sure but they have room for them without needing to move out anyone else.<\/p>\n

Nha Trang: Who\u2019s going to be the winner of the annual Rodrigues-Grzelcyk Musical Chairs Award for the free agent who hoped to cash in on millions, and is left slinking into a camp on a PTO?<\/p>\n

Two names come to mind.\u00a0 One is Patrik Laine<\/a>.\u00a0 I thought his market would be decent.\u00a0 A lower guaranteed salary on a one-year deal with some bonuses for games played and goals seems fair.\u00a0 With the lower guaranteed portion, it\u2019s something that a lot of teams could afford.\u00a0 I was expecting several teams to come in with something like that and I imagine his agent was too.\u00a0 At this point, I\u2019m not sure any have come in.\u00a0 If teams are that concerned about his skating and his play without the puck on his stick, his options might be limited in which case, a PTO might be the way to go.<\/p>\n

The other is Logan Stanley<\/a>.\u00a0 We saw speculation of hoping for $5MM per year or something in that range on at least a medium-term contract.\u00a0 Last season was a breakout year offensively but teams are aware of his history.\u00a0 He\u2019s a third-pairing player, ideally someone in a number six role.\u00a0 If that asking price doesn\u2019t come down, he\u2019ll eventually be facing a low multi-year offer or a short-term or PTO offer.<\/p>\n

vincent k. mcmahon: Who do you see the Blues running out on the third and fourth line come opening night?<\/p>\n

I see these as what could be the potential lines:<\/p>\n

Neighbours-Dvorsky-Berggren
Johnston-Suter-Toropchenko<\/p>\n

That still leaves Dube, Finley, Sunny, and Walker as options.\u00a0 This is also assuming Stenberg or another forward from Springfield doesn\u2019t crack the opening night roster.<\/p>\n

I could see Pius Suter<\/a> starting the season centering the third line with Dalibor Dvorsky<\/a> on the wing (alongside Jake Neighbours<\/a>).\u00a0 I don\u2019t think there\u2019s much harm in giving Dvorsky a bit of time on the wing while trying to see if Suter can find a higher gear than he had last season.\u00a0 For someone who has some offensive skill, having him on the fourth line feels like a waste of time so I think they\u2019ll give him a shot on the third.\u00a0 And even if Dvorsky is the center of the future on that trio, helping Suter\u2019s value as an expiring contract could be useful later in the season on the trade front.<\/p>\n

I agree that Alexey Toropchenko<\/a> should start on the fourth line.\u00a0 I\u2019m not a big Ross Johnston<\/a> fan but the contract he got means he\u2019s on the wing.\u00a0 But by moving Suter up, that means one of Jack Finley<\/a>, Oskar Sundqvist<\/a>, or Dillon Dube<\/a> has to center the trio.\u00a0 The fact Sundqvist accepted a two-way offer suggests to me he knows he\u2019s AHL-bound to start.\u00a0 Talent-wise, I\u2019d rather Dube over Finley but it comes down to who they think is easiest to get through waivers unclaimed.\u00a0 With Jonatan Berggren<\/a> and Nathan Walker<\/a> as the two extra forwards (Berggren will play a lot as injuries arise), Dube and Finley are fighting for the 4C spot and a spot on the roster altogether.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t shock me if they took Finley but my pick would be Dube so that there is a bit of skill on that trio.<\/p>\n

Skidrowe: Please rank the Bruins\u2019 greatest needs (1C, middle-six scoring winger, 1LD, 2RD)? Who\u2019s available and what would it take to get them?<\/p>\n

Flip your second and third options and I think they\u2019re in the right order.\u00a0 A top center has been a need for Boston for ages and that hasn\u2019t changed, even if they have hopes that James Hagens<\/a> can fill the role down the road.\u00a0 Pavel Zacha<\/a>\u2019s a nice piece but he\u2019s not a number one, nor is Elias Lindholm<\/a> at this stage of his career.\u00a0 The problem is that beyond Dylan Larkin<\/a> (who may or may not be available given Detroit\u2019s current GM situation), there isn\u2019t anyone readily available to fit that need.\u00a0 And you can quibble about Larkin being a number one on a contender, for that matter.\u00a0 If a true top center were to become available, the return would be more significant than the five draft picks (including three first-rounders) that Brady Tkachuk<\/a> received.<\/p>\n

By the nature of the role, a top-pairing left-shot defenseman would have to be next on the list.\u00a0 In a perfect world, Hampus Lindholm<\/a> fills the role but that hasn\u2019t worked too well just yet.\u00a0 I can\u2019t think of one that would be available in a trade, however, and there certainly aren\u2019t any players of that caliber left in free agency.\u00a0 As for a price tag, the Bowen Byram<\/a> return (an early first-round pick, a decent young blueliner, and a second-rounder) should serve as a reasonable benchmark, especially given the high prices being paid this summer.<\/p>\n

I think the Bruins think they\u2019ve solved the 2RD position with the William Borgen<\/a> pickup (I\u2019m not sold on that but their opinion matters more than mine) so that just leaves the middle-six winger.\u00a0 The good news is that filling this is still achievable without having to do much.\u00a0 Vladimir Tarasenko<\/a>, Michael Bunting<\/a>, and Eeli Tolvanen<\/a> are all still unsigned unrestricted free agents and will receive contracts that would fit inside Boston\u2019s current $5.3MM in cap space, per PuckPedia<\/a>.\u00a0 There\u2019s no need to turn to the trade market to fill that one; save the trade chips in case an opportunity to fill one of the more important spots comes up.<\/p>\n

Emoney123: What\u2019s next for the Flyers? Trade with Carolina for Alexander Nikishin<\/a> or Columbus for Kirill Marchenko<\/a>, possibility of an offer sheet to Adam Fantilli<\/a>? What type of contract will Matvei Michkov<\/a> sign before he becomes a restricted free agent next season or will he be included in a trade package?<\/p>\n

For the first set of questions, I\u2019m not sure there is a next move.\u00a0 Of the three, I suppose Nikishin is the most realistic; I don\u2019t think Marchenko is moving this summer and Fantilli probably isn\u2019t signing an offer sheet.\u00a0 Signing one that Columbus would think twice about matching would probably put the Flyers over the cap.\u00a0 Nikishin\u2019s asking price on his contract is rather substantial; he\u2019d be Philadelphia\u2019s top-paid defender by a big margin but if the goal is a core addition, he would fit the bill.<\/p>\n

I suspect the likeliest outcome is that they\u2019re largely done, however.\u00a0 Just because GM Daniel Briere was willing to throw just about everything at Leo Carlsson<\/a> doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re desperate for any big add.\u00a0 They were willing to go big to get the number one center that simply doesn\u2019t become available.\u00a0 But that doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re going to be that aggressive for the sake of taking another big swing.<\/p>\n

The Flyers are emerging from their rebuild but even that takes some time.\u00a0 They showed last year that when things can go right, this group has some promise.\u00a0 They\u2019ve locked up some key parts of that core group now and when the opportunity presents itself, they can try to strike.\u00a0 But that opportunity has probably come and gone this summer.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>As for Michkov, I\u2019ll say neither of those are likely to happen.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think they want to trade him (certainly not while he\u2019s coming off a quieter year than expected) and Briere has already indicated the intention to let the upcoming season play out first so an extension isn\u2019t forthcoming.\u00a0 That was before contracts started escalating in price quickly so now Michkov\u2019s camp should be even more willing to play out this year.\u00a0 If he has a breakout performance, he\u2019ll get a lot more next summer compared to what he would by signing now.\u00a0 Even if the big year doesn\u2019t happen, just getting back to the 60-point mark would be enough to bolster his value.\u00a0 Lots of times, an early extension makes sense but this time around, waiting things out is the smarter move for his camp.<\/p>\n

Jolly Roger: Can you compare the revenue growth rate between the major sports leagues in the years following Covid?<\/p>\n

I should start by noting that comparing the year-over-year revenue growth of other major sports leagues falls outside the scope of a hockey mailbag.\u00a0 To also properly do this would require an article much longer than the handful of paragraphs allotted to each mailbag question.\u00a0 But you piqued my curiosity so I\u2019ve tracked down some of the numbers to attempt to answer this.\u00a0 (Some league revenues from the most recent season have not been finalized so there are some estimates in here.)\u00a0 Note that figures below are listed in billions of dollars.<\/p>\n

NFL (via Business of Stats<\/a>)<\/p>\n

2021: $17.2
2022: $18.6
2023: $20.0
2024: $22.4
2025: $24.1<\/p>\n

Five-year growth rate: 40%<\/p>\n

NHL (via PuckProse<\/a> and the NHL<\/a>)<\/p>\n

2021-22: $5.3
2022-23: $5.3
2023-24: $6.5
2024-25: $6.8
2025-26: $7.5 to $8 (estimated)<\/p>\n

Five-year growth rate: 41.5% (using the lower part of the 25-26 range)<\/p>\n

NBA (via SportsValue<\/a> and Sportico<\/a>)<\/p>\n

2021-22: $10
2022-23: $10.6
2023-24: $11.3
2024-25: $12.75
2025-26: $14.3 (estimated)<\/p>\n

Five-year growth rate: 43%<\/p>\n

MLB<\/p>\n

(via SportsValue<\/a> and Forbes<\/a>)<\/p>\n

2021: $9.6
2022: $10.8
2023: $11.6
2024: $12.1
2025: $12.5 (estimated)<\/p>\n

Five-year growth rate: 30%<\/p>\n

From an NHL standpoint, their rate is right in line with the NFL and NBA and if the 2025-26 outcome is at the high end, it\u2019d even beat those two.\u00a0 We\u2019re talking significantly lower revenues on the whole but they\u2019re keeping pace pretty well while MLB\u2019s growth is a little slower.\u00a0 And that\u2019s why ownership across the league is probably quite happy with Gary Bettman at the moment with strong revenue growth and increasing franchise values.<\/p>\n

Jolly Roger: Do you expect the Tkachuk brothers to play on the same line to start the season?<\/p>\n

I think they\u2019ll get a shot to start the season.\u00a0 That\u2019s when you can most easily get away with the novelty of it and it also lines up with Sam Bennett<\/a> on a line that\u2019s skilled and not remotely fun to play against.\u00a0 From Florida\u2019s perspective, if that line works as a second unit, they\u2019ll be in great shape.\u00a0 They\u2019ll be broken up at times, I\u2019m sure, when injuries arise or they\u2019re trying to spark something, but I suspect Paul Maurice will give them a chance together right off the bat.\u00a0 Otherwise, he\u2019ll get a bunch of questions of \u2018when are they going to play together?\u2019 that will become a distraction.<\/p>\n

Jolly Roger: Do you consider the Markstrom\/Schmid tandem capable of winning the Cup, and which of them will be the starter in the playoffs?<\/p>\n

As we\u2019ve seen over the years, teams don\u2019t have to have a high-end starter to have success in the playoffs.\u00a0 Carolina got there with an injury-prone veteran and a waiver claim while Edmonton made the Cup Final the previous two years with a goalie tandem that was the envy of probably no one.\u00a0 It\u2019s just a matter of getting the right netminder(s) going at the right time.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, yes, I think this is a tandem that would be capable of winning the Cup, especially with the team in front of them.\u00a0 If the Panthers are fully healthy and stay that way, they\u2019ll just need good enough goaltending to have a shot at a long playoff run.\u00a0 I think Jacob Markstrom<\/a> will have a bit of a bounce-back year and go into the postseason as the starter.\u00a0 But with teams being more willing to go to a second-string option, it\u2019s far from a guarantee that he\u2019ll hold it.<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of Nick Wosika-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include Nashville\u2019s busy summer, what\u2019s next for the Flyers, and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":617609,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[385,5626,5627,99],"class_list":["post-799137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-nhl","tag-phr-mailbag","tag-pro-hockey-rumors-originals","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/799137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=799137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/799137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/617609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=799137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=799137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=799137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}