The Hockey Writers Daily - August 3, 2023
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In today’s edition we have a youth movement in Montreal, the worst Penguins contracts, a new potential top pairing for the Rangers, key additions in Vancouver, and much more.
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Canadiens Need to Make Room for Youth
With the signing of Jesse Ylonen, the Montreal Canadiens have no more players to get under contract. This gives them 26 players under contract to fill out their 23-man roster to start next season, which also creates a massive issue for general manager (GM) Kent Hughes.
With all the injuries last season, many of the young prospects got valuable playing time in the NHL and rightfully earned spots on the roster. Most of these players are waiver exempt, meaning they can easily play with Montreal or their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket, without being claimed by another team.
Penguins’ Worst Contracts for 2023-24
Now that we’ve explored their top financially sound contracts, let’s shift our focus to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ most problematic deals for the 2023-24 season. These commitments are weighing the team down like deadweight, amounting to nearly $19 million and consuming over 22 percent of their total cap space. Considering the potential uses for such a significant amount of capital, redirecting it towards more effective resources could significantly alter the team’s fortunes. There are five players that stick out as the main hindrances on the Penguins’ books.
Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Ho-Sang, Steeves, McMann & Lafferty
In this edition of Toronto Maple Leafs News & Rumors, I’ll look at former Toronto Marlie, Josh Ho-Sang, who is considering retiring rather than becoming a Russian citizen. That’s a requirement for him to continue his career in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). His club, Ufa Salavat Yulaev, has prepared the paperwork for his citizenship, which seems to be the cost of admission these days. Is it a wise decision?
Second, I’ll look at two Maple Leafs’ prospects – Alex Steeves and Bobby McMann – and consider who (perhaps both?) has the better shot of making the roster out of training camp or during the season. Third, there’s concern that the Maple Leafs’ recent roster changes have cost the team speed. Will that be a problem this season? If so, could Sam Lafferty earn more responsibility?
Canucks’ GM Allvin Adding Key Young Players
When general manager (GM) Patrik Allvin took on the job of fixing the Vancouver Canucks roster in Jan. 2022, he had a lot of work to do. Although he hasn’t fixed all of the organization’s problems after his first full season with the club, he has added young players to a club with a poor prospect pool and struggling blue line.
Former general manager Jim Benning leveraged the club’s future to improve the roster by trading away their 2020 and 2022 first-round draft picks. Instead, the team struggled and was a middle-of-the-pack club, missing the playoffs the past three seasons. However, Allvin has helped improve the aspects that Benning didn’t and has added to the prospect pool, which has been one of the league’s worst over the past few seasons.
Rangers Should Consider a Miller-Fox Top Defense Pairing
Peter Laviolette is entering his first season as the head coach of the New York Rangers, and this season will be a big test for this team. After coming off an embarrassing first-round exit to the New Jersey Devils, changes were made to the forward core and behind the bench. However, there were no major changes made to the defense group the Rangers have.
They are entering another season with the same top-four, which includes Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, K’Andre Miller and the captain, Jacob Trouba. While it is a good group of four, they have all had their struggles the past few seasons, and entering this season, Laviolette should be looking to shake up the top-four. This means switching up who they play with, and that means putting Miller with Fox and Lindgren with Trouba.
Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup Hopes Could Be Derailed By 3 Teams
The Carolina Hurricanes have the roster to go the distance. With a strong core, they’ve established themselves as an elite Cup contender and have become one of the strongest teams in the league. However, they are not alone. General Manager Don Waddell has gone all-in on the roster, but other teams could stand in their way. Here are three teams in the Eastern Conference that could prevent the Hurricanes from reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2023-24.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
Winnipeg Jets - Predicting Jets Extensions With Hellebuyck & Scheifele
St. Louis Blues - St. Louis Blues’ Top 5 Defense Prospects
NHL News & Rumors - Flames, Oilers, Maple Leafs, Ducks, Canadiens
From TSN - Ducks, Terry agree to seven-year, $49M extension
From Sportsnet - Winnipeg Jets sign forward Rasmus Kupari to two-year, $2M contract
From the NHL - NHL salary arbitration period completed
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