Hockeywiztalks Hockey Blog

The Nashville Predators were another team that had a surprising campaign in the 2023-24 season under rookie head coach, Andrew Brunette and managed to make the playoffs before losing in 7 to the Vancouver Canucks. The upcoming offseason is a massive one for the franchise as they have a huge decision to make regarding Juuse Saros, and whether or not they want to give him a long-term extension or not; if they choose to not offer him an extension, he could be traded for a massive haul, allowing 22-year-old Russian Goalie, Yaroslav Askarov to take over the reins in net.  The Nashville Predators have 10 picks in the 2024 NHL Draft. 2024 NHL Draft 22-Andrew Basha (LW/RW) 53-Matvei Shuravin (D) 55-Alexander Zetterberg (C) 59-Carson Wetsch (RW) 87-Joona Saarelainen (C) 94-Jack Berglund (LW) 99-Mikhail Yegorov (G) 119-Ben Danford (D) 214-Karl Sterner (RW) The Nashville Predators drafted a collection of solid prospects to improve their prospect pool, including Andrew Basha in the 1st round, ...

 The Vancouver Canucks' 2023-2024 season was a successful and surprising campaign because they were not expected to be major contenders initially, however, the Canucks exceeded expectations by winning their division and making a significant playoff run. Vancouver Canucks won the Pacific Divison title and managed to defeat Nashville in 7 games even though they were playing without Thatcher Demko and moved onto to play the Edmonton Oilers in the second round, but they would ultimately fall short in Game 7. After the success of last season, Vancouver should look to improve the team in the offseason, but they only have so much cap space to fill many holes on the roster. Vancouver Canucks buyout Ilya Mikheyev ; Buyout will leave a 1.55 million cap hit until 2028. A three-team trade is made between the Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins, and Carolina Hurricanes Vancouver Canucks get rights Jake Guentzel Boston Bruins get rights to Elias Lindholm  Carolina Hurricanes rights to Jake DeB...

The Florida Panthers have 10 free agents this offseason but only have 3 million in cap space left to re-sign those free agents. So if they are to re-sign any of those free agents, they will have to be clever and move around some big contracts. This is what the Florida Panthers should do in the offseason. Before the 2022 Draft, a few trades are made Florida Panthers trade Sergei Bobrovsky to the Edmonton Oilers for Jesse Puljujarvi, Carter Savoie, and a 2023 3rd-round pick . If the Oilers make the Conference Finals, the 3rd-round pick becomes a 1st-round pick. Florida retains 50% of Bobrovsky's contract. Even though Bobrovsky had a phenomenal season this year, it is best to trade him now because his contract will only get worse as he gets older. Claude Giroux is traded to the Ottawa Senators for 3rd round pick '22. If Giroux Signs with the Senators, the Panthers get a 2023 2nd-round pick. Claude Giroux has been linked with Ottawa for a while now, so Florida trades his rights to...

The Buffalo Sabres showed steps of improvement this season, but they are still far from being a playoff team especially in a tough Atlantic division. If Buffalo wants to be competitive in their division, they will need to improve their roster drastically in both the draft and in free agency. This is what I would do if I were GM of the Buffalo Sabres. Before the 2022 Draft, two trades are made Buffalo Sabres trade Victor Olofsson, Dustin Tokarski to the Vegas Golden Knights for Evgeni Dadonov, Laurent Brossoit, Brendan Brisson, 2022 2nd round pick. The Golden Knights are in win-now mode but they don't have much cap left and they need to dump both Dadonov and Brossoit's contracts, so for them to be able to get Olofsson in this deal is an added bonus. For Buffalo, they are banking on Dadonov having a bounceback season, Brendan Brisson to be a solid prospect down the road, and the scouts to draft someone to help the team in the 2nd round. The Sabres also trade Colin Miller, Vinnie ...

 The Ottawa Senators have been rebuilding for a few years now, and that trend will continue this offseason, as they try to build a contending team through the draft. In addition, they will also be adding some key free agents as well. This is what the Ottawa Senators should do in the offseason. Before the 2022 Draft, Ottawa Senators make a few trades are made Ottawa Senators trade Chris Tierney, Michael Del Zotto to the Seattle Kraken for 4th round pick '22, 5th round pick '23 Seattle get Chris Tierney and Michael Del Zotto from Ottawa in exchange for two draft picks The Senators also acquire Alex Killorn from Tampa Bay Lightning for Dylan Gambrell, Austin Watson, Lassi Thomson, 2nd round pick '22. The Lightning needs to move some salaries, and Alex Killorn is one of their cap casualties. For Ottawa, they will be getting a solid veteran forward who will help mentor their young players. Adam Gaudette and Victor Mete are traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for 5th round pick ...

 The Detroit Red Wings are having a disappointing season, but they can turn it around in the offseason, and build to be better next season.  These are the moves that I would make if I were GM of the Detroit Red Wings. Before the 2022 Draft, a few trades are made Detroit Red Wings trade Filip Zadina to the Arizona Coyotes for 1st round pick '22 This is a win-win trade for both teams because the Coyotes get a potential top 6 winger, while the Red Wings get Colorado's 1st round pick from this year's draft. Robby Fabbri and Jordan Oesterle are traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Ilya Mikheyev and Ilya Lyubushkin. If Neither of these players re-signs with Detroit, they get a 2023 3rd-round pick. Detroit retains 1.5 million of Robby Fabbri's Contract for the duration of it. This is basically a cap dump for the Red Wings, and for the Maple Leafs, they get two players to help the roster for two pending UFAs. The Red Wings also trade Dan DeKeyser to the Anaheim Ducks for Jaco...

The Montreal Canadiens had a disastrous season, but they can turn it around in the offseason, and build to be better next season. These are the moves that I would make if I were GM of the Montreal Canadiens. Before the 2022 Draft, a few trades are made Montreal Canadiens trade Jeff Petry to the Carolina Hurricanes for Ethan Bear, Ryan Suzuki, 1st round pick '23. The Hurricanes improve their defense with the addition of Jeff Petry, while the Canadiens get Ethan Bear, Ryan Suzuki, and a 1st round pick next year. The Canadiens also trade Jonathan Drouin, and Mike Hoffman to the LA Kings for Gabriel Vilardi, Jaret Anderson Dolan, 2nd round pick '22. The Kings get Jonathan Drouin and Mike Hoffman, two impact forwards, who will give an instant boost to the offense, while the Kings get two great prospects in Vilardi and Anderson-Dolan, as well as a 2nd round pick. Paul Byron and Joel Edmundsson are traded to the Edmonton Oilers for Kailer Yamamoto, 3rd round pick '23. Montreal ret...

 The New York Islanders have not gotten off to a great start to the season this year; for a team that went to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, this is surely a disappointing start. What is Wrong with the New York Islanders? What can be done to fix their issues? Issues with New York Islanders: 1. Lack of Goal Scoring 2. Defense isn't as good  3. Team is too old 4. Injuries The New York Islanders are last in the Metropolitan division and have scored the second-fewest goals in the entire league. A big reason for this is the loss of Jordan Eberle to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. Eberle had been a major part of their team and was one of their more reliable offensive players last year. After losing Eberle, the Islanders re-sign Kyle Palmieri and signed Zach Parise to provide depth scoring. The Isles have only scored 29 goals this season, only the Arizona Coyotes have scored fewer goals this season. One of the strengths of the Islanders teams' under Barry Trotz...

 The Minnesota Wild had a great season last year, but a major reason for that is the cause of the division they played in. Minnesota will be back in the Central Division this season, and will be fighting for a playoff spot with the likes of Chicago, St.Louis, Nashville, Dallas, and Winnipeg. Because of this, the Wild may struggle to make the playoffs this season. Key moves made in the Offseason: Bought out Zach Parise + Ryan Suter. lost Carson Soucy to Seattle Kraken in Expansion Draft. lost Marcus Johansson, Ian Cole to Free Agency. signed Alex Goligoski, Dmitry Kulikov, Jordie Benn, Jon Merrill in Free Agency. Re-signed Joel Eriksson to a long term deal. Locked up Kirill Kaprizov to a 5 yr deal. Re-signed Kevin Fiala for 1yr Offseason Review: Coming into this offseason, it was no secret that the Minnesota Wild need to create cap room in order to sign some of their key RFAs like Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Kevin Fiala. To nobody's surprise, the Wild bought out Zach Paris...

 This is a big offseason for the St.Louis Blues because they have a couple key free agents to re-sign, and in addition have to deal with the Vladimir Tarasenko saga as well. Before the expansion draft, the St.Louis Blues should work to trade Vladimir Tarasenko so they don't lose him for nothing. St.Louis Blues trade Vladimir Tarasenko to the New York Rangers for Kappo Kakko, Zachary Jones, 2nd round pick '22, 4th rd pick '21. If the Rangers make the playoffs or Tarasneko scores 30+ goals, the 2022 2nd round pick becomes a 1st round pick. This trade works out great for both teams because Tarasenko gets to play with Artemi Panarin, one of his best friends, while the Blues get a highly talented player in Kappo Kakko, who was underutilized by David Quinn, prospect defenseman Zachary Jones, and a 4th round pick. Depending on Tarasenko and the Rangers' performance next season, the 2nd round pick could become a 1st round pick. St.Louis Blues also trade Vince Dunn to the Edmont...

The Edmonton Oilers must improve their team in free agency if they are to be a legit contender in the Western Conference. These are the moves the Edmonton Oilers should make in free agency. Before the Free Agency period, they need to first move some players that might be exposed for the expansion draft. One of the players that could be in danger of being drafted by Seattle is Adam Larsson, who also happens to be a UFA. Adam Larsson is too important to the Oilers for them to lose him for nothing in the expansion draft, so they should move him beforehand. Edmonton Oilers trade Adam Larsson to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Alexandre Texier, 2nd round pick '22.  This is a trade that works out great for both teams because the Blue Jackets get a top 4 Right Handed defenseman, while the Oilers get a young forward in Alexandre Texier, who has top 6 potential and a 2nd round pick. Edmonton Oilers lose Ethan Bear to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. Before heading into free agency,...

 The Pittsburgh Penguins will have a difficult offseason ahead of them because they have an aging core, limited cap space but have many issues to address with their roster. This is what the Pittsburgh Penguins should do in Free Agency. Before the free agency begins, the Pittsburgh Penguins need to free up some cap space because they only have about 3.2 million in cap space heading into Free Agency. When looking at the payroll for the team, the first thing that sticks out is that they have 3 LD getting paid over 4 million per season; the Penguins will need to move one of those defensemen in order to free up cap room. The player who is is easier to move is Marcus Pettersson because the Penguins aren't moving Dumoulin, and Matheson can't be moved without giving up other assets. Pittsburgh Penguins trade Marcus Pettersson to the New Jersey Devils for a 2022 4th round pick. This is a win-win trade for both teams because by trading Pettersson, the Penguins free up more than 4 milli...

 After losing to the Montreal Canadiens in the 3rd round of the playoffs, the Vegas Golden Knights have some major decisions to make in the offseason before free agency because they really need to address some weaknesses on the team. Heading into the offseason, the Vegas Golden Knights have a little over 6 million in cap space to spend in free agency, so they will need to make some moves to free up some cap space.  Before the Draft, Vegas need to trade one of their starting goalies . The most logical thing to do is to trade Marc-Andre Fleury because he is the more established goalie and is coming off a Vezina Caliber year. Fleury's value has never been higher and if they don't trade him now, his value could drop off a cliff next year, so it is best to trade him before his play starts to decline. Vegas Golden Knights make a 3 team trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers. The Toronto Maple Leafs get Marc-Andre Fleury and Alex Chiasson (who is a pending UFA...

 The Colorado Avalanche got eliminated in the second round of the playoffs, so they will certainly be active in free agency to bolster their roster, in an attempt to build a championship roster. Heading into the Free Agency period, the Colorado Avalanche has about 25.5 million in cap space to spend, but before going out and signing new players, they will need to take care of some of their own free agents. Colorado has 9 UFAs; notable UFAs include Gabriel Landeskog, Philipp Grubauer, Brandon Saad, Pierre Eduoard-Bellemare, Devan Dubnyk, Matt Calvert and Patrik Nemeth. The Avs also have 3 RFAs; notable RFAs include Cale Makar and Tyson Jost. Devan Dubnyk, Matt Calvert, Patrik Nemeth don't get re-signed, so they walk to free agency. The top two UFAs that Colorado needs to re-sign are Gabriel Landeskog and Philipp Grubauer. Landeskog is the Captain of the team, so he should be the first priority; the Avs should pay Landeskog anywhere from 6-8 million for a long-term contract. Landeskog...

 The Montreal Canadiens are a borderline playoff team right now, but if they were to add a star player, they would immediately become a legit threat in the North Division. This is what the Montreal Canadiens need to do to become a legit contender. The Montreal Canadiens Make two major trades: Montreal Canadiens trade Phillip Danault, Joel Armia, Victor Mete, and a 2021 2nd round pick to the San Jose Sharks for Tomas Hertl, Marcus Sorensen. The Canadiens get Tomas Hertl, a great second-line center, and Marcus Sorensen, while the Sharks add Phillip Danault, a great two-way center, Joel Armia, and Victor Mete, two good depth players and a 2nd round pick. The Canadiens also trade Paul Byron, Artturi Lehkonen to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Emil Benstrom, Eric Robinson, and a 2021 3rd round pick. The Blue Jackets get Paul Byron and Artturi Lehkonen, two top 9 forwards, while the Canadiens get Emil Benstrom and Eric Robinson, two solid young players, and a 3rd round pick. The Montreal C...

 Even though the Vancouver Canucks should be a contending team this year, they can still improve their team to become a Stanley cup favorite. With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the moves the Vancouver Canucks could make to win a Stanley Cup. The Vancouver Canucks trade Michael Ferland, Brogan Rafferty, Sven Baertschi to the Detroit Red Wings for 3rd rd pick '21, 4th rd pick '21. The main purpose of this trade from Vancouver's perspective is to get rid of Michael Ferland and Sven Baertschi; from Detroit's point of view, this is low-risk trade, where they add some nice players for some draft picks. After creating more than 5 million in cap space, the Vancouver Canucks add some players in Free Agency: Derrick Brassard-1yr/2 million Corey Perry-1yr/1 million Madison Bowey-1yr/800k  The Vancouver Canucks finish the 2020-21 season as the second-best team in All-Canadian Division and the 4th best team in the Western Conference; the Canucks make it to the Weste...

 Taylor Hall is going to be one of the top free agents in 2020 and the Montreal Canadiens are one of the teams that are rumored to be after him. The Thing is that Montreal already has Tomas Tatar and Jonathan Drouin at LW, why would they need Taylor Hall? Well to put is simply, the Canadiens lack a star forward and Taylor Hall would provide that star power up front. If the Canadiens do end up signing Taylor Hall, the Canadiens would need to trade either one of those two players to address other needs on the roster. Before the 2020 draft, the Canadiens make a few trades: Montreal Canadiens trade Tomas Tatar, Max Domi to the Nashville Predators for Eeli Tolvanen, 1st round pick 2020. Nashville Needs skilled wingers with Mikael Granlund and Craig Smith leaving in Free Agency, so adding Tatar and Domi will more than fill that void. For Montreal, the get a young forward in Tolvanen and a 1st round pick. Montreal also trades Jeff Petry, Jonathan Drouin, Ryan Poehling, 1st round pick 2021...

Alex Pietrangelo is one of the top free agents in 2020 and the Toronto Maple Leafs would really love to add a defenseman of his caliber, especially because he would be the perfect defenseman to pair with Morgan Rielly on the 1st pair. However, if the Maple Leafs are to sign Alex Pietrangelo, they need to clear more cap space because the Leafs only have a little over 6 million in cap space this year. Before free agency, a few trades are made: Toronto Maple Leafs trade Andreas Johnsson, Travis Dermott to the Detroit Red Wings for Tiro Hirose, Joe Hicketts, 2nd round pick 2021. The Red Wings get a top 6 forward in Andreas Johnsson and a top 4 defenseman in Travis Dermott, while the Maple Leafs get a top 9 forward in Tiro Hirose, a top 6 defenseman in Joe Hicketts and a 2nd round pick. Maple Leafs also trade William Nylander, Timothy Liljegren to the Vancouver Canucks for Tyler Toffoli, Tanner Pearson, 1st round pick 2021. Vancouver Canucks get a dynamic top 6 forward in William Nylander t...