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 Calgary Flames just missed out on the playoffs again in the 2023-24 season, and finished the season with a total of 81 points, a 38-39-5 record; they like a few other teams in the Pacific Division seem like they are going through a rebuild and it might take a few seasons of losing before they are back in the playoffs. The first order of business is moving Jacob Markstrom, who has become disgruntled with the trade rumors, and they have to do everything in their power to get the most in return for their number 1 goalie. GM Craig Conroy will be a very busy man from now and the draft as they try to work out a deal for the Swedish netminder. If the Calgary Flames play their cards right this offseason, they will be building a very good team for the future. Before the 2024 NHL Draft, the Calgary Flames make two trades Calgary Flames trade Jacob Markstrom, Matthew Coronato, 1st Round pick '24 (from VAN) to the New Jersey Devils for Alexander Holtz, Jonas Siegenthaler, Akira Schmid, 1st...

The New Jersey Devils the playoffs in the 2023-24 season after making it into the second round of the playoffs last season, and finished the season with a total of 81 points, a 38-39-5 record; With Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier in the midst of their primes, the New Jersey Devils really need to start to buckle down and put together the pieces for a contending team. The good news is that the New Jersey Devils have the benefit of having the 10th overall pick, which they could move to acquire a netminder, and they also have plenty of cap space to add other players as well. This coming offseason is a big one for the New Jersey Devils front office because after striking out on a netminder last offseason, the pressure to acquire a netminder this offseason is immense for GM Tom Fitzgerald, who might be on the hotseat if he can't find a way to fix the mess. Before the 2024 NHL Draft, the New Jersey Devils make two major trades New Jersey Devils acquire Jacob Markstrom, Matthew Coronato, 1st...

The Pittsburgh Penguins just missed out on the playoffs again in the 2023-24 season, and finished the season with a total of 88 points, a 38-32-12 record; With Crosby and Malkin another year older and Letang and Karlsson also getting up there in age, the window to win another cup is quickly closing for the Pittsburgh Penguins. To make things even more complicated, the Penguins will only have 12.9 Million in cap space to fine tune their roster, so they can make another playoffs run. Unlike most other teams that missed the playoffs, the Penguins are not trying the rebuild, in fact they  might have to be ultra aggressive in the offseason to surround Crosby with the personnel he needs to make another run at the Stanley Cup.  Before the 2024 NHL Draft, two trades are made: Pittsburgh Penguins acquire the rights to Chandler Stephenson from the Vegas Golden Knights for 4th round pick '24. The Penguins also trade Ryan Graves, Samuel Poulin, Jonathan Gruden, 1st round pick '25 to Ottaw...

 The St. Louis Blues just missed out on the playoffs again in the 2023-24 season, and finished the season with a total of 92 points, a 43-33-6 record; St. Louis is one of those teams that has no direction, as they are stuck with a lot of aging players with bad contracts and are stuck in mediocracy unless they can find a way to move some of those contracts. Moving forward the Blues' primary goals should be trying to unload their bad contracts to gain picks and cap space and retool through the draft.  St. Louis has 8 draft picks in the 2024 NHL draft, this is who they should select. 2024 NHL Draft: 16-Michael Hage (C) 48-Spencer Gill (D) 56-Carson Wetsch (RW) 81-Timur Kol (D) 94-Hagen Burrows (LW) 113-Felix Lacerte (C) 145-Dawson Cowan (G) 209-Jan Golcic (D) 211-Maxim Velikov (RW) Though no big names jump out at you, this group of prospects is pretty solid and could play a vital role on the team a few years down the road. Retooling the Prospect pool is a long process, but the cr...

Here are some Defenseman you should trade for in Fantasy Hockey Brock Faber Brock Faber has been on fire in the last month of the season for the Minnesota Wild, putting up 2 goals, 11 assists, 7 PPP, 24 SOG, and 35 Blocks in that span. Faber is technically still a rookie this season, but he is already playing on the 1st D pair and 1st PP of the Wild. The Only defenseman who has more PPP in the last month is Cale Makar, who also has 7, so if you need powerplay production, Faber is an option. Since the Minnesota Wild isn't a team that many people pay attention to you might be a steal this gem of a defenseman for a lower price than he should be. Noah Hanifin Noah Hanifin is a defenseman who is rumored to be on the move, as the Calgary Flames are expected to be sellers at the Trade Deadline. If Hanifin is traded, he will be playing for a contending team and will likely put up better stats, so you should definitely try to acquire him before the trade deadline, while he doesn't have ...

 It is no secret that many teams around the league are trying to tank this season in order to land Connor Bedard, a potential generational talent. One of those teams that is among the favorites to land Bedard is the Montreal Canadiens, who are in dire need of game-changing talent. However, the Canadiens team is it is right now is too good, and would win too many games, so it would be best for them to trade away their valuable players. This is what the Montreal Canadiens need to better their chances at landing Connor Bedard. At the Trade Deadline, Montreal makes a few trades Montreal Canadiens trade Christian Dvorak, Mike Hoffman, and Josh Anderson to the Dallas Stars for Denis Gurianov, Ty Dellandrea, 1st round pick '24. This is a massive haul to get in return for three good players, who will instantly make the Dallas Stars better, while Montreal gets younger and are in better shape for the future. The Canadiens also trade Brendan Gallagher and Joel Edmundson to the  New York ...

Nicklas Backstrom is expected to miss the 2022-23 season after undergoing hip surgery, so if the Washington Capitals are to make the playoffs, they might need to do more than they have already done in the offseason to improve their team. This is what I would to ensure the Washington Capitals remain contenders without Nicklas Backstrom. With Backstrom, Tom Wilson, and Carl Hagelin on LTIR, they can spend 17.11 million over the cap; they already have a payroll of 88.82 million, which is already 6.32 million over the cap. Wilson and Hagelin are expected to be back this season, so they really only have 2.88 million to spend, if Backstrom is remaining on the LTIR the whole season. Washington added a bunch of rental players to replace their injured offensive players, but they haven't done much to improve their defense. The Offense of the Capitals is fine, but Washington really needs to improve their defense, if they are to contend in their division. Washington Capitals Make the following...

The New York Islanders missed the playoffs last season, and they didn't really do anything in the offseason to improve the team. In order for the Islanders to be a contender this season, they will need to make some moves to improve the team. This is how the New York Islanders can become a Contender this season. Before the season, the Islanders make two trades New York Islanders trade Josh Bailey, Kieffer Bellows, 2023 2nd round pick to the Arizona Coyotes for Shayne Gostisbehere, Nick Ritchie and a 2023 3rd round pick. The Islanders and Coyotes basically swap Bailey and a 2nd round pick for Gostisbehere and 3rd round pick, as well as Kieffer Bellows for Nick Ritchie. The Islanders also trade Semyon Varlamov to the Vegas Golden Knights for Laurent Brossoit, 2024 2nd round pick. The Golden Knights acquire a proven veteran goalie, who can help them while Robin Lehner is out this season. At the Trade Deadline, One major trade is made New York Islanders trade Simon Holmstrom, Nick Ritch...

The Vancouver Canucks are a borderline contending team right now and are unlikely to make the playoffs if they don't make any significant changes. This is what the Vancouver Canucks should do to improve the team. Vancouver Canucks make a few trades: Vancouver Canucks trade Tyler Myers and Tanner Pearson to the Buffalo Sabres for Casey Mittelstadt, Jacob Bryson, 2023 2nd round pick. This trade helps both teams address their needs but most importantly, Vancouver adds a young center with top 6 potential. JT Miller is traded to the New York Rangers for Nils Lundkvist, Vitali Kravtsov, 2023 1st round pick.  The Rangers get JT Miller to bolster their top 6, while the Canucks get two top prospects and a 1st round pick for a pending UFA. Vancouver Canucks sign the Following Free Agents: Tyler Motte-3yrs/1.8M per This is how the lineup looks like this season 2022-23 Vancouver Canucks N.Hoglander-E.Pettersson-B.Boeser C.Garland-B.Horvat-A.Kuzmenko I.Mikheyev-C.Mittelstadt-V.Podkolzin T.Motte...

The Vegas Golden Knights are in trouble now with Robin Lehner expected to be out the entire season and with Laurent Brossoit also out with injury. With their goaltending situation uncertain, Vegas will need to make some moves to improve their goaltending in order to be a contender this season. These are the moves that the Vegas Golden Knights should make: Vegas Golden Knights acquire Semyon Varlamov from the New York Islanders for a 2023 3rd round pick, and a 2024 5th round pick. This trade benefits both teams because the Islanders don't really need a $5 million backup with Ilya Sorokin primed to be the workhorse next season, while the Golden Knights really could use a veteran goalie to tandem with Logan Thompson in the absence of Robin Lehner. Vegas Golden Knights acquire Mike Hoffman from the Montreal Canadiens for Sakari Manninen, a 2025 3rd round pick. If Vegas Makes the playoffs, the 3rd round pick becomes a 2nd round pick. Mike Hoffman adds some scoring punch to their top 6 ...

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 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 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 ...