Hockeywiztalks Hockey Blog

The San Jose Sharks aren't quite good enough to be contenders, yet they aren't bad enough to be a lottery team yet, so they must make some moves to improve the team if they are to be a contender this season. Here is what I would to improve the San Jose Sharks. Before the season a few trades are made San Jose Sharks trade Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils for Damon Severson, Jesper Boqvist, Fabian Zetterlund, 1st round pick '24. The Sharks get a pretty good haul for Timo Meier, who is a good player, but he might not fit into the Sharks' long-term plan. On the flip side of the trade, Meier will make the Devils' top 6 a lot more lethal. The Sharks also trade Radim Simek,  '23 2nd, '25 3rd to the Chicago Blackhawks for 3rd round pick '23. The Sharks use a 2nd-round pick and 3rd-round pick to unload Radim Simek's contract. James Reimer is traded to the Buffalo Sabres for 2nd round pick '23, 6th round pick '24. The Sabres need a starting goalie a...

The Florida Panthers juggernaut of an offense last season, but not after losing a few key players in free agency and trading for Matthew Tkachuk, it seems like the Florida Panthers aren't as good a team heading into next season as they were in 2021-22. Here is what the Florida Panthers need to do to remain a contender. Florida Panthers make a few trades: Florida Panthers trade Sergei Bobrovsky to the LA Kings for Jonathan Quick, Gabriel Vilardi, 3rd round pick '23.   Florida retains 50% of Bobrovsky's contract. The Panthers are able to move Sergei Bobrovsky but they have to retain 50% of the contract; this is the best that Florida can hope for with a deal involving Bobrovsky. Florida also trades Anthony Duclair and Brandon Montour to the Dallas Stars for Jani Hakanpaa,  '24 2nd. The Panthers move some salary of their books, while at the same time adding some depth and physicality to their blueline. Florida Panthers acquire Bryan Little from Arizona Coyotes for Aleksi He...

The Boston Bruins only have about 4.75 million in cap space to re-sign Patrice Bergeron and Pavel Zacha, so in order to make some cap space, they will need to make some salary off their books. This is what the Boston Bruins need to do to remain a Contender in the Eastern Conference. Boston Bruins make a few trades Boston Bruins trade Nick Foligno, and John Beecher to the Arizona Coyotes for 5th round pick '24. The Bruins manage to dump Nick Foligno's contract, at the same time, it helps Arizona Reach the cap floor. Boston Bruins also trade Mike Reilly, Chris Wagner to the Anaheim Ducks for Derek Grant, 6th round pick '23. The Bruins shed 2.85 million in cap space while adding some depth to their fourth line. Craig Smith is traded to the Nashville Predators for Eeli Tolvanen. Boston saves 1.65 million in cap space, at the cost of a proven veterna scorer in Craig Smith. Boston Bruins re-sign the following players: Patrice Bergeron-1yr/8M per Pavel Zacha-3yrs/2.75M per This is...

 The New York Islanders are an aging team that desperately needs to overhaul their roster by moving out some of their overpaid veterans, and replacing them with younger players with more potential. The biggest weakness the Islanders have is on defense, and they really need to improve that if they are to contend next season. This is what the New York Islanders should do in the offseason. Before the 2022 Draft, a few trades are made New York Islanders trade Josh Bailey to the Nashville Predators for Eeli Tolvanen, Jeremy Lauzon, 3rd round pick '22. If Filip Forsberg doesn't return to Nashville, the Predators should try to add a veteran winger like Josh Bailey to boost their offense. The Islanders also trade Semyon Varlamov to the Buffalo Sabres for 4th round pick '22, 6th round pick '23.   If the Sabres make the playoffs, the Islanders get a 2023 2nd-round pick. The Islanders unload Varlamov's contract, while the Sabres get their number 1 goalie. The Isles also trade ...

The Winnipeg Jets are a team that is no man's land right because they aren't good enough to contend yet they aren't bad enough to be in the lottery. So what they should do is trade away some of their veterans for prospects and picks to start the rebuild. This is what the Winnipeg Jets need to do this offseason. Before the 2022 Draft, a few trades are made Winnipeg Jets trade Blake Wheeler to the New York Rangers for Kappo Kakko, Nils Lundkvist, and 2023 1st round pick. This is a win win trade for both teams, and it gives Blake Wheeler a chance to go win a Stanley Cup. Mark Scheifele is traded to the Anaheim Ducks for Isac Lundestrom, Jacob Perreault, 2022 1st round pick. This trade helps improve both teams significantly, and helps the Jets rebuild quickly. Adam Lowry, Nate Schmidt are traded to the Dallas Stars for Ty Dellandrea, a 2022 2nd-round pick. The Jets unload Nate Schmidt and Adam Lowry's contracts for Ty Dellandrea and a 2nd round pick. Brenden Dillon is trade...

 The Anaheim Ducks are a rebuilding team now but if they make the right moves, they will be a contending team very soon. This is what the Anaheim Ducks should do this offseason. Before the 2022 Draft, a few trades are made Anaheim Ducks trade John Gibson to the Buffalo Sabres for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Dylan Cozens, Jacob Bryson, 2022 1st round pick (16). The Ducks get a massive haul in exchange for John Gibson, which sees them get a top goaltender prospect, a really good young player in Dylan Cozens, Jacob Bryson, and the 16th pick in the 2022 Draft. The Ducks also trade Adam Henrique and Sonny Milano to the Minnesota Wild for Brandon Duhaime, a 2022 3rd round pick, and a conditional 2024 3rd round pick.   If Minnesota makes the second round of the playoffs, the 3rd round pick becomes a 2nd round pick. Anaheim retains 1.25 million of Adam Henrique's annual cap hit. This trade is more about moving Henrique off the roster so their young players can get more ice time next season....

The Edmonton Oilers reached the Conference Finals this year, which shows progress, but they still have lots to improve on and not too much cap room. The Objective for the Oilers this offseason should be to move some of their higher-paid veterans and acquire a goalie. This is what the Edmonton Oilers should do in the offseason. Before the 2022 Draft, a few trades are made Edmonton Oilers trade Jesse Puljujarvi and Warren Foegele to the Detroit Red Wings for Robby Fabbri and Filip Zadina. Detroit Retains 1.25 million of Robby Fabbri's annual cap hit. This is a good trade for both teams, as it gives both teams what they need and all players involved get a change in scenery. The Oilers also trade Kailer Yamamoto to the Nashville Predators for Luke Kunin, 3rd round pick '22. The Oilers might not be able to afford Kailer Yamamoto, so they ship him off to the Predators for Luke Kunin and a draft pick Tyson Barrie is traded to the Seattle Kraken for 2nd round pick '22. This could ...

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 Philadelphia Flyers are in rebuild mode now, so you can expect them to be very active in making transactions this offseason. Philadelphia should try and trade away any players that have trade value for picks and prospects and build the team up from scratch. This is what the Philadelphia Flyers should do this offseason. Before the 2022 draft, a few trades are made Philadelphia Flyers trade Cam Atkinson to the Vancouver Canucks for Conor Garland, Michael DiPietro, Danila Klimovich, and a conditional 2024 1st round pick.  The Flyers will get Vancouver's 2024 1st round pick if Cam Atkinson scores 25 or more goals in either of the next two seasons. This is a good trade for both teams because the Canucks get rid of Conor Garland's contract while, while adding a legit top 6 forward in Cam Atkinson; for the Flyers, they get two solid prospects in Michael DiPietro and Danila Klimovich, and a potential 1st round pick alongside Conor Garland in the deal.  The Flyers also trade Travis...

 The Pittsburgh Penguins have a tough offseason upcoming because they 6 major UFAs and 2 RFAs to resign and they only have about $29 million to do so. To make things tougher for the Penguins they don't have any of players in the system that can replace those players. Here is what I would do if I were GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Before the 2022 Draft, a few trades are made Pittsburgh Penguins trade Evgeni Malkin and Kasperi Kapanen to the Minnesota Wild for Kevin Fiala, Fredrick Gaudreau, 1st round pick '22. This is a win-win trade for both teams; Minnesota gets a top-line center in Evgeni Malkin to pair with Kirill Kaprizov, as well as Kasperi Kapanen to replace Kevin Fiala, while the Penguins get Kevin Fiala, a top 6 winger, Fredrick Gaudreau, an underrated center, and a 1st round pick. The Penguins also trade Kris Letang to the Montreal Canadiens for Kaiden Guhle, Ryan Poehling, Joshua Roy, 2nd round pick '22, 1st round pick '23. Montreal gets Kris Letang to be the...

 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 LA Kings are a rebuilding team right now, but if they make the right trades and draft correctly, they could become a dynasty. At the trade deadline, the LA Kings make one major trade: LA Kings trade Jeff Carter, Alex Aifallo to the Nashville Predators for Calle Jarnkrok, Rocco Grimaldi, and a 2021 2nd round pick. The Kings get Jarnkrok and Grimaldi, two solid role players, as well as a 2nd round pick for Jeff Carter and Alex Aifallo, a pending UFA. The LA Kings finish the 2020-21 season with the 4th worst record in the league. LA Kings lose Andreas Athanasiou to the Seattle Kraken in the Expansion draft. Before the 2021 draft, t he LA Kings trade Jonathan Quick to the Carolina Hurricanes for James Reimer, Brock McGinn, and a 2021 2nd round pick. The trade gives the Kings a reliable 1B to tandem with Cal Petersen, Brock McGinn, and a 2nd round pick. At the 2021 draft, LA Kings trade picks 58, 59 to the Detroit Red Wings for picks 51, and a 2022 2nd round pick. 2021 Draft 4-S...