This year’s Stanley Cup ended unusually late for a year that was not interrupted by the Olympic break or the Covid quarantine. For managers, this leaves little time to celebrate their success: they must urgently prepare for the draft and figure out their plans for the NHL free agent market, which opens on July 1. The two finalists have the least time to think: in what conditions will they start the new season?
“Edmonton”
Players under contract: 14/23 Roof space: $10.03 million WASP: h. Broberg, n. Holloway; National Security Agency: v. Picard, z. Dearne, z. Stecher, n. Brown, n. Carrick, n. Perry, n. Yanmark, n. Gagne, n. Voegele, n. Perry.
Ken Holland leaves Edmonton
Photo: JASON FRANSON/AP/TASS
There were rumors that Ken Holland would leave the Oilers even before the team reached the Stanley Cup Final. Despite a couple of visible failures, such as Campbell’s contract being settled in the AHL and Nurse’s wild extension, most of the steps of the Holland era were correct. The former Detroit coach inherited a team where the smoldering embers were mostly behind McDavid, and this year we saw that there was some depth in Edmonton. Holland signed blockbuster contracts (Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins extension) and nabbed important players at the deadline (Ekholm, Henrik).
The club announced the departure of the general manager; in the summer, the Oilers will assemble a new boss and he will have to do something about the main mistake of Holland’s five-year plan. It is difficult to find a contract in the NHL with less value than Campbell’s; it can only be matched with the help of assets that the team already lacks. The American goaltender is now the leading candidate to terminate his contract, and this move will allow the team to save $3.9 million next season. In this case, almost $15 million will be freed up, leaving the team room for a reserve.
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However, in the 2024 offseason, managers will already have to make plans for the 2025 offseason. After a year, Draisaitl and Bouchard’s contracts expire: the German can enter the NSA market, Edmonton preserves the rights of the Canadian. Even after Draisaitl played his worst in the final and played with extreme indifference in the moment with Rinehart’s “golden goal” in the seventh game, half the league will be after him. Well, in one more year, McDavid’s contract expires and, as insiders reported, preserving the club’s key trio could cost $40 million, which, even with a significantly increased cap hit, could once again destroy the entire balance of the roster.
Adam Henrik
Photo: Rebecca Blackwell/AP/TASS
Well, now Edmonton needs to reassemble the lower links. The trio of Janmark-Henrik-Brown, who performed so well in the playoffs, is coming to the market in full force. In this case, the club would probably like to first keep Henrik, who could become an ideal third centre after the Canadian-German pair. But at the same time it would be useful to keep Voegele, who in terms of points in equal compositions was not inferior to the same RNH, playing mainly on the flank of Draisaitl. It is necessary to find a second goalkeeper – Picard, who occupied this position during the season, initially looked like a temporary figure.
If the club buys out Campbell’s contract (and it is difficult to imagine a different scenario), then the funds released should be sufficient for most of the necessary extensions. However, next offseason’s “piano in the bushes” is unlikely to allow management to sign any of the role players to a long-term contract, meaning the painful deck-shuffling will continue into the future. new season.
“Florida”
Players under contract: 14/23 Roof space: $19.52 million WASP: h. Makhura, no. Lundell; National Security Agency: north. Stolarz, z. Kulikov, z. Ekman-Larsson, s. Montour, n. Rinehart, n. Tarasenko, no. Lomberg, no. Cousins, n. Okposo, n. Stenlund, no. Lorenz.
“Florida” will have greater financial resources in a similar situation on paper. The only problem is that now the Panthers need to renew the contracts of two of the most important people on the team: Sam Rinehart, who scored 57 goals this season, and the team’s main defenseman, Brandon Montour. Until now it seems impossible to fit two peas on a spoon.
On paper, a top defender is less common than a top winger, but Rinehart’s case is special. It’s not just the 57 goals in the regular season and ten more in the playoffs: in three seasons in Florida, Sam has averaged more than a point per game, is a magnet for pucks and has proven that he is the ideal player for the style that has helped him. the team reaches a double-digit lead in consecutive finals. It’s easy to imagine a team in the NRA market putting an offer on the table that starts at $10 million, but Florida taxes, terms and having a championship team could make up for the extra money.
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Montour’s best year came last season, when almost the rest of the team was struggling. 73 points last regular season was the best season Panthers defensemen had in the team’s 30-year history. In other championships, the defender has never scored 40 points, but his good grip and experience in championships make him a rare commodity on the NCA market. In theory, Florida could have extended Montour last year, but the defenseman came into the playoffs injured and went to the operating table in the summer. Insiders have already reported that Toronto really wants to see the defender in their lineup.
Sam Rinehart
Photo: Derik Hamilton/AP/TASS
One of the most authoritative insiders, Pierre Lebrun, is confident that Rinehart will remain with the team. “I have spoken to Sam throughout the season and he loves playing for Florida. He is happy here and has a great relationship with general manager Bill Zito. He does not want to leave the team, he is ready to compromise financially, not to mention the lack of state taxes.” Lebrun believes that Rinehart will receive an amount between 8 and 9 million dollars, but the journalist no longer believes in the possibility of renewing Montour’s contract. This is logical considering that the new deal should be the largest in his career for the defender; it is difficult to expect discounts here.
Otherwise, Florida will have the same advantages as before, and it’s not just about zero taxes, but also the standard of living. It’s easy to imagine the Panthers trying to repeat the Ekman-Larsson trick: There should be several notable names on the market this year who could be interested in a buyout. Don’t expect lower-level players to ask for big raises; guys like Lomberg are unlikely to be as effective at other clubs. Perhaps young players like 2021 first-round pick Samoskevich, who has already been added to the lineup, will join the team.
Will Tarasenko and Kulikov still be on the team? Here we should rather expect the preservation of the defender: Dmitry is already signing quite modest contracts as a player of the third pair, Florida has been familiar to him for a long time and he can afford that kind of money. But Tarasenko, if he wants to stay in the south, will have to reduce the financial demands on him, but a player who still shows productivity at the top-six level is unlikely to do so.
However, in any scenario, Florida retains its core of Barkov – Tkachuk – Ekblad – and this should allow the team to remain among the Stanley Cup contenders for the foreseeable future. It is not for nothing that American journalists call Bill Zito a magician who knows how to “pull rabbits out of a hat”, and competent but unexpected moves can be expected from the “Panthers”.
