NOT ALL CANADIAN NHL TEAMS WILL BE SHOPPING
Key players on offer when free agency opens Friday, but some may stand pat
Wow, what a day.
Edmonton trades Taylor Hall to New Jersey for Adam Larsson. Montreal swaps P.K. Subban for Nashville’s Shea Weber. And Steven Stamkos, who was set to become the biggest free agent of all-time, decides to re-sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Are we missing anyone? Yes, it was a wild day of activity. And while it looks like all the major moves have been made, July 1 could still be a chance for Canadian teams to continue to rebuild and improve upon what was a disastrous last season.
With the market set to open, here is a look at what the seven Canadian teams could be looking for:
CALGARY FLAMES
The week that was: Calgary beefed up its back end by acquiring No. 1 goalie Brian Elliott from St. Louis and then trading for Ottawa forward Alex Chiasson, who gets a fresh start under his former Dallas head coach Glen Gulutzan. The Flames also used their No. 6 pick on power forward Matthew Tkachuk, a late birthday whose 6-foot-1 and 195-pound frame could make him NHL-ready.
The week ahead: The Flames have their hands full in re-signing Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, so don’t expect them to be too active in signing outside help. But after goalie Joni Ortio was one of the RFAs the team chose not to extend a qualifying offer to, Calgary is in need of a goaltender who can share the net with Elliott, who hasn’t played more than 46 games in each of the last five years.
Best-case scenario: The Flames sign goalie James Reimer and leave a spot open for either Tkachuk or a late-summer addition.
EDMONTON OILERS
The week that was: Although it was seen as a bonus when Jesse Puljujarvi fell into Edmonton’s lap at the No. 4 spot, picking yet another winger was a curious move for a team that has desperately needed a top-pairing defenceman. But then the Oilers traded winger Hall to the Devils for defenceman Larsson. It was a steep price to pay, but keep in mind that Larsson is only 23 years old and averaged 22-plus minutes a night — and had a plus15 rating — on a New Jersey team that allowed 24 more goals than it scored. The week ahead: The Oilers gave tours of their new arena to pending free agents Milan Lucic and
defenceman Jason Demers this week.
Best-case scenario: Edmonton signs Lucic, who won’t replace Hall’s offence but can still score 20 goals while providing the Oilers a physical presence that they have been missing.
MONTREAL CANADIENS
The week that was: The Canadiens, who had denied they were shopping P.K. Subban, ultimately traded the polarizing defenceman to the Predators for Shea Weber — a more complete and lowmaintenance defender. It capped off a busy week for the Habs, who also shipped out centre Lars Eller (to Washington) and brought in winger Andrew Shaw (from Chicago), and used their No. 9 pick on 6-foot-3 and 206-pound defenceman Mikhail Sergachev.
The week ahead: Shaw, who was signed to a six-year $23.4-million contract, gives the Habs more bite up front, but the team desperately needs goal-scorers — preferably big ones — that can take the pressure off Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk.
Best-case scenario: A year ago, the Habs took a one-year, $1-million chance on Alex Semin that blew up spectacularly. This year, look for a safer option in the speedy Mikkel Boedker.
OTTAWA SENATORS
The week that was: After two years of middling returns, the Senators traded Chiasson to Calgary for defenceman Pat Sieloff, who adds depth to their back end. The team also drafted 6-foot-6 Logan Brown (11th overall), although Ottawa will likely have to wait another year or two for him.
The week ahead: With 82 points, Erik Karlsson led the Senators in scoring for the third straight year. It’s impressive, but at the same time the team cannot rely on its defenceman to carry the offensive load. Finding someone who can score on Ottawa’s tight budget is going to be tough.
Best-case scenario: Though he had a down year in Calgary, Jiri Hudler scored six goals and 11 points in 19 games after getting traded to Florida. He might not be the 31-goal scorer he was in 2014-15, but he could reach the 20-goal mark.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
The week that was: Toronto sped up its rebuild by acquiring No. 1 goalie Frederik Andersen in a trade with the Ducks and then drafting franchise centre Auston Matthews with the No. 1 pick. The only thing that could have made the week better was if a certain 50-goal scorer did not re-sign with his old team in Tampa Bay.
The week ahead: Steven Stamkos is not coming to Toronto after all. Maybe that’s for the best. Now that he’s off the market, the team can go after a veteran, such as Troy Brouwer or David Backes, who has a smaller cap hit.
Best-case scenario: The Leafs stay the course with the players already on the roster and a month from now sign Hobey Baker winner Jimmy Vesey, who becomes a UFA on Aug. 15, and can grow with the team.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
The week that was: The Canucks were fined $50,000 for comments GM Jim Benning made in regards to P.K. Subban’s availability. While Subban’s trade to Nashville makes the fine hurt more, the team still landed a potential No. 1 defenceman in Olli Juolevi (fifth overall), who some believe can jump straight to the NHL and onto a pairing with recently acquired Erik Gudbranson.
The week ahead: With the Sedins getting older and producing at a lower clip (Daniel had 61 points and Henrik had 55 points), the Canucks need players who can score. The team has been wining and dining Lucic, who is from Vancouver, and are likely also targeting Kyle Okposo, who scored 22 goals last season.
Best-case scenario: Forget Lucic, who costs too much. The ex-Bruin that the Canucks should be going after is Loui Eriksson.
WINNIPEG JETS
The week that was: Patrik Laine won’t score 50 goals in his first year in the NHL, but it’s not unrealistic to assume the No. 2 overall pick will jump right in and put up Calder Trophy-type numbers.
The week ahead: Re-signing Mark Scheifele, Jacob Trouba and the other RFAs is the top priority, but it won’t necessarily come easy. According to a report out of Boston, the Bruins are preparing a seven-year, $49-million offer sheet for Trouba. Best-case scenario: The Jets, who have defencemen Josh Morrisey (13th overall, 2013) and Logan Stanley (18th, 2016) in the pipeline, should take the picks over Trouba and then sign Brouwer, who scored 18 goals in the regular season — and another eight in 20 games in the playoffs — to fill the leadership void left by Andrew Ladd.