NHL offseason outlook: What to expect from every Pacific Division team (2024)

Success next season starts with decisions that general managers have to make now. Draft well or get an under-the-radar free agent signed to a reasonable contract, and reap the rewards for a decade or more.

Make the wrong move and you could be looking for a new job faster than an entry-level deal expires.

Here is a look at the questions facing every general manager in the Pacific Division and what options are available to them.

Projected salary-cap space was determined using capfriendly.com projected salary-cap expenditures against an estimated $83 million salary cap for next season.

Anaheim Ducks

2018-19 record: 35-37-10, sixth in division; missed playoffs for thefirst time since 2012

Projected cap space: $10.7 million

Notable free agents: Ryan Miller (UFA), Derek Grant (UFA), Korbinian Holzer (UFA), Chad Johnson (UFA)

Potential free-agent targets: Jordan Eberle, Anders Lee, Mats Zuccarello, Gustav Nyquist, Ryan Dzingel

Best fit: Ryan Dzingel. If the Ducks are going to nab anyone on the free-agent market, it has to fill a need vis-a-vis youth and likely slotting on the left side, and Dzingel fits that bill.

Outlook: The 2018-19 season was one ugly campaign from a team that flirted with contender status for a number of years but never quite got over the hump. The Ducks finished last in the NHL in goals scored per game and, with Ryan Kesler’s ongoing hip issues putting his future in doubt, declining production from Corey Perry and captain Ryan Getzlaf entering the twilight of his marvelous career, the Ducks need to freshen things up in a hurry. They’ll also need to make some hard decisions given they have very little cap room without getting some relief either via long-term injury or buyouts.

Priority one for GM Bob Murray will be finding the right replacement for veteran coach Randy Carlyle. Does Dallas Eakins get the nod after logging time with Ducks’ AHL affiliate? One team source was iffy on Eakins being a “lock” to take over, although his work in San Diego was given high marks and there is a general consensus that Eakins learned a great deal since his brief, stormy 113-game tenure as head coach in Edmonton.

You might assume that finding young offensive talent at the draft is a priority for the Ducks and having the ninth-overall pick gives them an outside chance at finding immediate help. But it’s worth noting that the Ducks spent all but two of their past 18 draft picks on forwards, so balancing the prospect pool will also be a consideration. The Ducks didn’t get any help with the draft lottery, but they have a second first-round pick courtesy of the trade-deadline deal that sent Brandon Montour to Buffalo. If the Ducks do go the forward route, look for them to try and bolster their depth down the middle, and Peyton Krebs of the WHL is one player who might be on their radar.

In spite of a dramatic and steep descent, the Ducks appear to have enough promising tools to make a quick rebound given the presence of prospects such as Sam Steel, Troy Terry and Max Jones. There was a time when the Ducks’ blue line roster was the envy of most NHL teams, but with Shea Theodore, Sami Vatanen, Marcus Pettersson and Montour gone, it is necessary that those who remain fulfill their promise. Jacob Larsson, the 27th-overall pick in 2015, has top-four potential. Although the power play did improve under Murray, the team still lacks the big shot from the point, our source noted.

The big decisions facing Murray, though, will be what to do with Perry, who still has two years at $8.625 million. Do the Ducks buy him out given they have good depth on the right side? That might be a more palatable option if Kesler goes on long-term injured reserve, freeing up some cash. Or do the Ducks keep Perry but accept he is really only a third- or fourth-line player now, which sets up some awkward dressing-room dynamics for a new coach, not to mention a huge drag on the team’s cap situation.

Arizona Coyotes

2018-19 record: 39-35-8, fourth in division; missed playoffs for the seventh straight season

Projected cap space: $9.9 million

Notable free agents: Richard Panik (UFA), Nick Cousins (RFA), Lawson Crouse (RFA), Mario Kempe (UFA), Josh Archibald (RFA), Ilya Lyubushkin (RFA), Calvin Pickard (UFA)

Potential free-agent targets: Jeff Skinner, Micheal Ferland, Gustav Nyquist

Best fit:Micheal Ferland. The power forward plays the kind of hockey that Rick Tocchet would love. But does Ferland fit their limited budget? That’s a whole other story, but he’d thrive with the ‘Yotes.

Outlook: What to make of the plucky Coyotes? They jumped 16 points in the standings in spite of a seemingly endless succession of injuries to key personnel yet stayed in the playoff hunt far longer than they should have. To assume that staying even a little healthier next season will mean an end to the playoff drought is naïve. They were 28th in goals per game and didn’t have a single 20-goal scorer. Defensively the team became elite, finishing tied for fifth in goals allowed per game thanks in large part to the work of backup Darcy Kuemper. That sets up an interesting dynamic next season.

“I don’t know how Darcy Kuemper isn’t a factor next year,” a former NHLer familiar with the team said.

GM John Chayka will be looking to boost the team’s offense, and he won’t have the luxury of a top-end draft pick as the Coyotes pick 14th overall. One player to watch would be Phil Kessel, who thrived working with Tocchet in Pittsburgh. The Penguins need to get younger while freeing up cap space. Would the Coyotes take on a potential defensive liability who provides point-a-game production and should boost the power play through the end of 2022-23 with a $6.8 million cap hit? He doesn’t really fit the team’s prime target, but the reality is Arizona is not a free-agent destination, so Chayka might have to be more creative if he wants (and has the resources) to add. There is also the potential for the Coyotes to once again leverage cap space into adding a young forward asset while taking on another team’s salary baggage. As The Athletic’s Craig Morgan noted, the cap-crunched Maple Leafs could be a good fit for that kind of deal.

Maybe the biggest offseason issue will be one that has dogged this team for a decade: What is the team’s future in the Phoenix area? Multiple sources indicated the answer is simple: none. There are no viable plans for a new arena in the area, and multiple sources believe the real future for this franchise lies in Houston where Tilman Fertitta, owner of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, indicated he’d like to have an NHL franchise in his building. Until this issue is finally resolved, it’s hard to imagine Chayka having the wherewithal to spend as he needs to make this a playoff team.

Calgary Flames

2018-19 record: 50-25-7, first in division; top seed in Western Conference

Projected cap space: $14.1 million

Notable free agents: Sam Bennett (RFA), Matthew Tkachuk (RFA), Garnet Hathaway (RFA), Andrew Mangiapane (RFA), Alan Quine, (RFA), Mike Smith (UFA), David Rittich (RFA)

Potential free-agent targets: Jordan Eberle, Kevin Hayes, Mats Zuccarello, Brett Connolly

Best fit: Brett Connolly. Yes, Johnny Gaudreau is pals with Kevin Hayes but don’t think that’s happening. Connolly is a winner and can play anywhere in the top nine and will be cheaper than Mats Zuccarello.

Outlook: Well, that went south in a big hurry.From top seed in the Western Conference to playoff ousting in just five games. GM Brad Treliving will have to carefully sort through the pain, disappointment and external noise to realize that the future still looks pretty bright for this team.

David Rittich, 26, emerged as a bona fide NHL player this season, and he is due a new contract as a restricted free agent. So, does Treliving go back to the Mike Smith/Rittich tandem? It seems that the presumptive goalie of the future, 6-foot-6 Jon Gillies, isn’t ready to take on an NHL backup role after an up-and-down season in the AHL, and there is a body of thought that Rittich will be in a better position to grow if he’s the man, not playing behind Smith. The defense remains one of the team’s great strengths although captain Mark Giordano will be 36 when next season starts. Still lots of great balance on the back end with youngsters Noah Hanifin, 22; Juuso Valimaki, 20; Oliver Kylington, 21; and Rasmus Andersson, 22. Does that set up the possibility that one of those prospects or a veteran such as T.J. Brodie or Travis Hamonic – both entering contract years – could be moved, giving Treliving’s flexibility to upgrade the right side of his top-nine forward group? The simple answer is yes, and Brodie would seem to be the most likely to go.

That brings us to the biggest offseason challenge: The James Neal deal is a disaster. Under contract through the 2023 season at a $5.75 million cap hit, Neal managed just seven goals during the regular season and none in the playoffs, and was a healthy scratch in Game 5. Buy out Neal? Trade him for an equally ugly contract – such as Andrew Ladd, who has ties to the Calgary area? Or bury him in the minors or simply hope he finds his way? The latter option is the most likely path, but after hitting virtually every right note in building this team, this is a tough one for Treliving.

While it’s likely going to be quiet vis-a-vis free agency, the Flames did take a run at Jason Zucker at the trade deadline, and it’s not inconceivable they revisit that option before July 1. Treliving also must figure out where talented agitator Matthew Tkachuk fits salary-wise as a pending restricted free agent. One longtime executive questioned whether this team is built for the rigors of NHL playoffs, but another source familiar with the team believes this is more of a hard lesson learned by a well-built team, but that they weren’t quite ready for the jump in the pace of play. The key will be next spring. “If this same thing happens next year, well then you have to look at everybody,” the source said. “You can’t have this happen two years in a row.”

Edmonton Oilers

2018-19 record: 35-38-9, seventh in division; missed playoffs for the 12th time in 13 seasons

Projected cap space: $12.5 million

Notable free agents: Tobias Rieder (RFA), Ty Rattie (RFA), Jujhar Khaira (RFA), Alex Chiasson (UFA), Alex Petrovic (UFA), Jesse Puljujarvi (RFA), Anthony Stolarz

Potential free-agent targets: Gustav Nyquist, Petr Mrazek, Jeff Skinner, Anders Lee, Micheal Ferland

Best fit: Petr Mrazek. Even though the Oilers’ biggest need is on the wings and perhaps a right-hand shot defenseman pending moves Ken Holland might make, they have no shot at being a playoff team without upgrading the goaltending.

Outlook: How bad is this team? Well, the Oilers just paid future Hall of Fame builder Ken Holland $5 million a year for five years to clean up this giant crater of a mess. That it’s come to this with arguably the best player in the game in Connor McDavid and another, Leon Draisaitl, who is on his way to superstardom, is mindboggling. Is Holland the right guy? Part of the skepticism that comes with this hire is that, in recent years, his Red Wings were a bit of a mess. There are onerous contracts that slowed the Red Wings’ retooling, and the drafting did not provide the relief that past Red Wings draft classes almost always provided. Whether this is a breakdown in scouting or developing, or a combination, at the end of the day the buck stops with Holland. Can Holland rediscover his mojo with a team that struggled to draft and develop, and is trying to get out from under onerous contracts?

In goal, very average Mikko Koskinen was inexplicably given a three-year contract extension with an average cap hit of $4.5 million and promptly turned in a 2.93 GAA and a .906 save percentage as the Oilers finished 25th in the league in goals allowed per game. Maybe Koskinen bounces back and they use a minor-league netminder as a backup, but that seems like a plan doomed to fail. That means going after an established free agent such as Brian Elliott, Semyon Varlamov or Petr Mrazek, or trying to add a young netminder via trade such as Jake Allen. Regardless, this would give only a modest hope of moving at least into the middle of the pack in terms of NHL netminding.

Up front, there are all kinds of baggage to go with the shining bright lights that are McDavid and Draisaitl. The Milan Lucic situation has to be dealt with as he followed his 10-goal disaster in 2017-18, with six goals in 2018-19. He is under contract through the 2022-23 season at $6 million annually. He also has a no-move clause, so Holland must either get clearance to buy him out or find a partner willing to take Lucic, which would cost more assets in the form of prospects, picks or an equally onerous contract coming back. Oy.

One has to imagine the Oilers could have added Alex Chiasson more cheaply had they worked out a deal in-season and, although his offensive production did wane with just five goals in his last 39 games after a mid-season injury, he still potted 22 goals and appears to want to be an Oiler, which is not nothing.

At some point, of course, Holland will have to hire a coach. Whomever that is will have to decide if Draisaitl, a natural center, should remain on the left side with McDavid or return to the middle. That only happens, of course, if there are adequate options to play with McDavid and/or Draisaitl on the wings. Would Holland throw in the eighth-overall pick in the draft as part of a package to gather some help on the wings that could grow with the team’s young stars? Would one of the emerging young blueliners in the Edmonton pipeline factor into a deal to bring in immediate help?

If the Oilers keep the pick, they could be looking at Matthew Boldy or Cole Caufield, but as talented as they are, they’re not likely to provide immediate assistance, and the team’s history of rushing prospects should put a moratorium on teenagers not named McDavid in the starting lineup for the immediate future. Holland will also have to decide what will become of another top pick wasting on the vine, Jesse Puljujarvi, who is a restricted free agent but has not developed as a No. 4 pick should develop.

The defense is actually a source of strength moving forward. Or should be. Oscar Klefbom and Darnell Nurse are good building block blueliners. Andrej Sekera has been hampered by injuries, and Holland will have to decide if Sekera provides an acceptable level of production as a 5-6 guy at $5.5 million for the next two years or they need to try and move him or buy him out. Adam Larsson’s name has cropped up in trade rumors in part because most of the top Oilers defensive prospects Evan Bouchard, Caleb Jones (a lefty who plays the right side), Ethan Bear and Joel Persson are right-side guys. Either way, Larsson is an important asset if he stays or goes.

One longtime western-based scout and former player said a positive is that the team’s AHL affiliate was still playing into May. “That’s a quiet good thing,” he said. Still, the Oilers lack the kind of legitimate puck-mover and power-play quarterback on the back end to help capitalize more regularly on the team’s obvious offensive gifts, which makes you wonder if there isn’t a way to make things work to go after a guy such as P.K. Subban, whose name is a regular in the rumor mill these days.

One longtime talent evaluator admitted he was surprised that Bob Nicholson was still at the helm given some of the missteps in recent years. But even with Holland in the fold, “you can’t just blow sh*t up,” the scout and former executive said. “Blow it up and do what? Wait for five years?” So much of whether Holland is going to be successful is tied up in the latitude he’ll have to hire whom he wants and make the moves he believes in as opposed to having to kowtow to a chorus of former Oilers voices whom owner Daryl Katz seems to favor. Holland said all the right things about having full autonomy to make decisions, and he’s staked a Hall of Fame resume that he is the guy to turn things around in Edmonton.

Los Angeles Kings

2018-19 record: 31-42-9, eighth in division; missed playoffs for third time in five seasons

Projected cap space: $11.3 million

Notable free agents: Alex Iafallo (RFA), Adrian Kempe (RFA), Brendan Leipsic (RFA), Jonny Brodzinski (UFA), Matt Roy (RFA)

Potential free-agent targets: Matt duch*ene, Kevin Hayes, Brock Nelson

Best fit: Kevin Hayes. He would bring size and grit to a team that shouldn’t forget its roots with the goal of getting back in the hunt. Plus, Hayes won’t be as expensive as some of the other options, and would make the team better and deeper down the middle.

Outlook: Well, that was about as ugly as it gets. And it doesn’t look to get any prettier anytime soon. Todd McLellan is the new Kings bench boss, and that is one reason for optimism. “One good thing is that Todd’s a worker,” a veteran scout, player and coach said. “And there’s a lot of work to do.”

Jonathan Quick, the former playoff MVP who has battled injury and inconsistency, might be a candidate to be moved given he does not have trade protection in his contract, with Jack Campbell and Cal Petersen showing they could provide a good foundation should GM Rob Blake find a taker for Quick’s $5.8 million cap hit through the 2022-23 season.

Up front, McLellan will have to find a way to figure out how or if Ilya Kovalchuk fits into the picture, as the Russian star moved down the lineup and then right out of it last season. The most likely option is that the team tries to move Kovalchuk while eating some of his $6.25 million annual cap hit for the next two seasons. The blue line is also in transition with the Kings facing the prospect of having to buy out Dion Phaneuf, who has two more years left at $5.25 million annually. Jeff Carter is another veteran player whose injury issues limited his productivity and whose ultimate value might be as a trade asset. It seems certain that, if he returns, Carter will remain on the wing as opposed to center. “Carter has gone from a player to a non-player,” the scout said. “It’s unbelievable.”

The bigger question is who will suit up for the Kings and how can they help turn things around. The Kings will start with the fifth-overall pick in June’s draft, having dropped from second in the lottery. It’s likely either talented forward Dylan Cozens or highly touted defenseman Bowen Byram will be available. Blake will also have a second first-round pick courtesy of the Jake Muzzin trade. And the Kings better not miss on either one given the dearth of NHL-ready talent in the pipeline. Gabe Vilardi, the 11th–overall pick in 2017, missed all but a handful of games with the Kings’ AHL affiliate with a back injury that has bothered him for two years.

Bigger picture, one of the troubling elements to this season is how the veterans seemed so willing to pile the blame at the feet of Willie Desjardins, with Tyler Toffoli describing practices as “pathetic.” Whatever happened to accountability? Seems in short supply for a team that not long ago was the standard bearer for character and work ethic. “It’ll be really interesting to see what happens there,” the scout said. “The fall from grace is staggering when you look at where they’ve gone. They’ve just fallen right off the map. Sometimes you take winning for granted, and that’s exactly what they look like.”

Vancouver Canucks

2018-19 record: 35-36-11, fifth in division; missed playoffs for fourth straight season

Projected cap space: $30 million

Notable free agents: Markus Granlund (RFA), Tyler Motte (RFA), Josh Leivo (RFA), Brock Boeser (RFA), Nikolay Goldobun (RFA), Alexander Edler (UFA), Ben Hutton (RFA), Derrick Pouliot (RFA), Josh Teves (RFA), Brogan Rafferty (RFA), Luke Schenn (UFA), Thatcher Demko (RFA)

Potential free-agent targets: Jeff Skinner, Ryan Dzingel, Gustav Nyquist

Best fit: Gustav Nyquist. He is one of those guys who can play anywhere in your top nine, and he had a nice run with the Sharks, an experience that would come in handy for the emerging Canucks.

Outlook: Two ways to look at this first season in the Elias Pettersson era for the Canucks: Either Vancouver has the corner piece to lead anevolving, young, talented team back to contender status or the clock is ticking to make sure they don’t squander a rare talent.

The defense is thin and desperately in need of a puck-moving stud for the future to join Quinn Hughes in the top four. When your season goes by the boards because 33-year-old Alexander Edler gets injured, you know you have some depth issues. Returning Edler seems like a positive step, pending dollar and term, but GM Jim Benning has to shore up the back end. Olli Juolevi, who had knee surgery in December that ended his promising AHL season, is in the mix. And if the Canucks go defense with the 10th-overall pick, Victor Soderstrom is on the radar, but otherwise, it’s bare bones prospect-wise.

Of equal importance is the need to find difference-makers on the wing to support Bo Horvat and Pettersson. That can be achieved a couple of ways, but it’ll start with Benning’s decision on what to do with their first-round pick. Can he turn that pick into an everyday top-six or top-nine winger? An initial look suggests big left-winger Matthew Boldy out of the USNTDP could be the guy.

One source familiar with the team feels it’s imperative to find a scoring winger to play with Brock Boeser and Pettersson, preferably someone with experience. “There are so many third- and fourth-line guys. They’re too bottom-heavy,” the source said. “They need at least one good scoring winger and probably two to so they have a decent top six.”

San Jose Sharks

2018-19 record: 46-27-9, second in division, made playoffs for 14th time in the past 15 seasons.

Projected cap space: $24 million

Notable free agents: Joe Pavelski (UFA), Joe Thornton (UFA), Gustav Nyquist (UFA), Joonas Donskoi (UFA), Timo Meier (RFA), Micheal Haley (UFA), Kevin Labanc (RFA), Erik Karlsson (UFA), Joakim Ryan (RFA), Tim Heed (UFA)

Potential free-agent targets: Joe Pavelski, Gustav Nyquist, Joonas Donskoi, Erik Karlsson

Best fit: Erik Karlsson. While it’s possible GM Doug Wilson will try and repatriate all or most of his bevy of unrestricted free agents, Karlsson has the potential to have the longest, most important impact of any of them, regardless of how the playoff season ends.

Outlook: Not sure Wilson gets the credit he’s due for keeping this team right in the thick of the Stanley Cup hunt year after year. The Sharks are the envy of virtually every other NHL team for their ability to stay playoff worthy without totally bankrupting their farm system. Argue whether they got lucky with the Cody Eakin major call in the first round or not, but there is a belief that this is the Sharks’ time. Who’s to argue that?

There were no assurances Karlsson was going to stick around when Wilson acquired him on the eve of the season. Despite a slow start and injuries this season, the two-time Norris Trophy winner is reminding everyone why the Sharks rolled the dice to obtain him. Karlsson will be an unrestricted free agent, and this playoff run is as much about whether the Sharks want to commit long-term to Karlsson – which would presumably be somewhere in the $10 million range annually – as it is about whether Karlsson wants to commit to this franchise. But that’s always been the reality of this relationship, and Wilson has established a pattern in not sweating whether he has a ton of free agents to deal with or not; that includes players with strong ties to the community, such as captain Joe Pavelski. It might have quietly rankled Pavelski, closing in on 1,000 NHL regular-season games all played in Sharks teal, that an extension wasn’t done during this his contract year. But it didn’t hamper his production, as he collected 38 goals and made an emotional return in the second round of the playoffs against Colorado and scored and added an assist in the deciding seventh game. Hard to imagine Pavelski will be anywhere else next season, but Wilson allowed Patrick Marleau to go to Toronto because he was concerned about the three years Marleau wanted on his last deal. Pavelski will turn 35 10 days into the free-agency period this summer.

One player who seems comfortable with the take-it-as-it-comes attitude toward contract security is Joe Thornton. He will turn 40 on July 2 and, if the Sharks end up with their first Stanley Cup, it’s hard to imagine a better way for Thornton to bring to a close his NHL career.

In addition to unrestricted free agents Karlsson, Pavelski, Gustav Nyquist and Joonas Donskoi, Wilson needs to find new contracts for key restricted free agents Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc. Those two forwards represent one of the organization’s strengths: seamlessly bringing along talented players to replace veterans who age out of the process. Meier had a breakout season with 30 goals at age 22, so there will be a big payday there to consider. If there has been one significant revelation this spring beyond the monster spring being had by Tomas Hertl, it’s been the play of netminder Martin Jones. No player was more roundly panned heading into the postseason than the 29-year-old netminder who is signed through the 2023-24 season. And with good reason. The Sharks were 16th among all playoff teams when it came to goals allowed during the regular season, and Jones, who had an .896 save percentage and 2.94 GAA in the regular season, never quite found his groove, leading the league in goals allowed in the first five minutes of games and periods not counting overtime. Through the first four games in the first round, it looked like Wilson would have to blow up his goaltending in the offseason. But since the middle of the first round, Jones has been spectacular. Assuming he doesn’t implode in the coming days, one of the team’s weakest elements appears now to have been stabilized, and that is no small thing heading into an offseason that could mean some hard decisions for the Sharks, including where to hold a Stanley Cup parade.

Vegas Golden Knights

2018-19 record: 43-32-7, third in division; made playoffs for second straight season

Projected cap space: $2 million

Notable free agents: William Karlsson (RFA), Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (UFA), Tomas Nosek (RFA), Brandon Pirri (UFA), Ryan Carpenter (UFA), Deryk Engelland (UFA), Jimmy Schuldt (RFA), Malcolm Subban (RFA), Nikita Gusev (RFA)

Potential free-agent targets: Erik Karlsson, Jake Gardiner, Tyler Myers

Best fit: Jake Gardiner. He won’t cost as much as Erik Karlsson but brings similar elements. Kelly McCrimmon will have to move some pieces up front to make this happen, but it could be a game-changer for the Golden Knights.

Outlook: For the first time in their brief but sun-dappled existence, the Golden Knights took one in the shins. No one is or should be immune from having to answer for the first-round exit, but to the team’s credit, it moved swiftly to ensure a stable future for the franchise. With less than two months to go before the draft in Vancouver and with rumors swirling about the possibility of assistant GM Kelly McCrimmon moving on to fill the vacant GM spot in Edmonton or become the GM of the new expansion team in Seattle, owner Bill Foley announced GM George McPhee would become president of hockey operations with McCrimmon taking over as GM.

As much as the building of this team was McPhee’s baby, McCrimmon’s fingerprints are all over the organization and the team is poised to bounce back in grand fashion given the bevy of young talent and assets the Golden Knights possess. Just for starters, they have nine picks in the draft, with five in the first three rounds. Not that McCrimmon doesn’t have challenges. The glut of salary-cap space the team enjoyed a year ago has evaporated with the big deals bestowed on Paul Stastny, Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty and now the Golden Knights have some holes to fill. Most notably the defense was exposed as wanting when it came to moving the puck to the team’s uber-talented forwards and joining in the offensive production.

The return of the versatile Erik Haula and arrival of talented Nikita Gusev makes for a crowded house, and now McCrimmon must figure who stays and who goes. But the biggest challenge will be finding a way to pay center William Karlsson. He’s a 30-goal guy, or should be, and is hugely important to the way coach Gerard Gallant wants to play. Malcolm Subban is also a restricted free agent, and it seems the team is committed to him as Marc-Andre Fleury’s stand-in. Deryk Engelland likely won’t return on the back end. And the blue line will be aided by the arrival of Hobey Baker finalist Jimmy Schuldt, who signed in early April and will be due a new contract as a restricted free agent, and Nic Hague seems ready to make an impact.

Want to think blue sky? Can McCrimmon work some magic by moving some of his plethora of talent up front to create cap space and attract unrestricted free agent Erik Karlsson after two years of flirtation with the two-time Norris Trophy winner? Or is there a deal to be made with center-starved Nashville for a guy such as P.K. Subban, whose name is in the rumor mill and one imagines would relish joining his brother in the desert? McPhee and his staff have done a remarkable job of harvesting resources, and they are still a very young team. “And it’s now a place where other players want to go,” one longtime executive noted. So, if it’s not Karlsson, then there’s no reason the Golden Knights couldn’t attract a top puck-mover such as Jake Gardiner if they can clear the cap space to accommodate the smooth-skating former Maple Leaf.

(Top photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)