The end of the 2023-24 NHL regular season is less than two weeks away (Apr. 18) with the opening games of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs beginning on Apr. 20 . Hockey fans will be fixated on the two-month chase for hockey's holy grail. Teams eliminated from postseason contention can trade with each other following the end of the regular season. Most will likely wait until the end of the playoffs to start making moves. Meanwhile, the rumor mill continues to churn, focussing on potential free agents and possible trade candidates. There's already speculation over whether the
Florida Panthers can get scoring star Sam Reinhart signed before he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Meanwhile, some pundits ponder the cost for the Edmonton Oilers to ink Leon Draisaitl to a contract extension before his UFA eligibility next year. How much stock should we put into this conjecture? Follow along as we examine the latest rumors to determine those worth buying or selling. You can express your views on this topic in the app comments below. Poised to miss the playoffs for the second straight season, the St. Louis Blues could attempt to shake up their roster in the offseason. That could involve trying to trade one of their expensive defensemen to free up salary-cap space and make room for younger, more affordable talent. The Blues have four veteran defensemen – Colton Parayko, Torey Krug, Justin Faulk and Nick Leddy – signed beyond next season. Parayko, Krug and Faulk each carry annual average values of $6.5 million while Leddy's is $4 million. Each one also has a full no-trade clause. On March 28, The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford expressed doubt that Blues general manager Doug Armstrong would attempt to buy out one of those defensemen, pointing out he hasn't gone the buyout route since 2010. Rutherford speculated Armstrong could package one of those blueliners with a draft pick or prospect to move them via trade. Meanwhile, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli suggested Parayko would have the most value but he's probably the defenseman the Blues would least like to move. He also noted they attempted to trade Torey Krug last summer. He used his no-trade clause to reject a move to the Philadelphia Flyers. Verdict: Buy Armstrong might have to bundle one of those players with a pick or prospect but he should be able to find a new home for one of them. The attempt to move Krug last summer indicated there could be teams interested in one of those blueliners. Their no-trade clauses make it difficult but perhaps one of them would waive it for the right club. Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras appeared in our March 23rd edition of Buying or Selling the latest offseason rumors. At the time, we felt there was a low possibility the Ducks would trade the 23-year-old based on general manager Pat Verbeek claiming he hadn't shopped him leading up to the March trade deadline. Zegras' recent return from a fractured leg stoked speculation about his future with the Ducks. On March 30, the
New York Pos t's Larry Brooks suggested he needed a change of scenery after watching the frustrated forward destroy a penalty box camera during a game in Seattle. The following day, TNT Sports' Anson Carter noted the Ducks have considerable depth in promising centers such as Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier. He wondered if there would be room for Zegras as the Ducks attempt to improve their defense corps
Chicago Hockey Now's Nate Brown examined the pros and cons for the rebuilding Blackhawks to acquire Zegras. He believes the Ducks would set a high asking price for Zegras despite his disappointing 2023-24 season. Brown felt it best for Chicago to wait a year to see where they were with their rebuild and gauge Zegras's availability by then. Verdict: Sell Verbeek might not shop Zegras this summer but he could listen to trade offers. However, as Brown suggests, the asking price will be steep, perhaps deliberately to scare off potential suitors. The Ducks GM seems intent on giving Zegras the opportunity for a bounce-back performance next season.
Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner has one year left on his six-year contract with an average annual value of $10.9 million. The 26-year-old is due to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. He'll seek a big raise after linemate Auston Matthews inked a four-year extension worth $13.3 million and William Nylander got an eight-year deal worth $11.5 million. NHL.com's Dan Rosen believes the Leafs must re-sign Marner because he's too valuable to lose to free agency. On March 27, Rosen made the case by calling Marner the Leafs' "do-everything forward", citing his strong play at both ends of the rinks. "He's a Selke Trophy player," wrote Rosen. Rosen believes the Leafs can afford a hefty raise for Marner because the salary cap should be over $90 million when the winger's next contract kicks in for 2025-26. John Tavares' $11 million AAV will be off the Leafs books by then, giving them more wiggle room for Marner's new deal. Marner's current expensive cap hit and Selke-worthy play ensures he'll be among the Leafs' highest-paid players. Rosen suggested the Leafs project their '25-'26 payroll with Marner, Matthews and Nylander accounting for $38 million. Verdict: Buy Rosen's projection means Marner would get roughly the same AAV as Matthews. It could be a little less than $13.3 million but not by much, probably no lower than $12.5 million. The Leafs will pay it for reasons cited by Rosen unless Marner decides he wants to test the market. Sam Reinhart couldn't have picked a better season to have a career year. The 28-year-old Florida Panthers forward reached the vaunted 50-goal plateau for the first time, sitting second among this season's scorers with 53 goals. He's also the second player in Panthers history to do so, joining Hall-of-Famer Pavel Bure. Reinhart is also slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He's coming off a three-year contract with the Panthers worth an average annual value of $6.5 million. The Panthers, meanwhile, carry a projected cap hit of $20.7 million for 2024-25 with 13 active players under contract. During the March 26th edition of TSN's "Insider Trading", Darren Dreger noted there was good dialogue regarding a contract extension between Panthers management and the Reinhart camp. However, he believes it will get expensive for the Panthers to keep him in the fold. Dreger mentioned Toronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander (eight years, $92 million ) and Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson (eight years, $92.8 million ) recently signed new contracts. Based on those deals, he suggested the number for Reinhart will be significant. Verdict: Buy The lack of a state tax in Florida could see Reinhart agree to slightly less than market value to remain with the Panthers, perhaps just under $10 million annually on a long-term deal. They can afford him but it could come at the cost of letting defenseman Brandon Montour depart as a UFA on July 1. Leon Draisaitl is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2025. The earliest the Edmonton Oilers can sign the 28-year-old center to a contract extension is when this year's free-agent market opens on July 1. Draisaitl is in the seventh season of his eight-year contract with an average annual value of $8.5 million. That deal turned into a considerable bargain for the Oilers as Draisaitl scored at least 50 goals three times and has five 100-point seasons. In 2019-20, he won the Hart Memorial Trophy , the Art Ross Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award . On March 25, the Edmonton Journal 's Jim Matheson speculated it could go two ways if Draisaitl wants to remain an Oiler. He could emulate Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews and sign a four-year contract that gives him another shot at UFA status while still in his prime. He could seek as much as Matthew's $13.3 million AAV or perhaps a little more Another option is signing an eight-year contract like Nathan MacKinnon did with the
Colorado Avalanche at a slight hometown discount of $12.6 million . Matheson pointed out that MacKinnon signed that deal when the salary cap was $82.5 million. He doubted the Oilers could get Draisaitl for less than $13 million annually. Verdict: Buy Draisaitl is one of the NHL's elite players, forming a potent one-two-scoring punch with Connor McDavid. The Oilers will want him signed this summer to avoid his contract situation becoming an unnecessary distraction next season. He could get between $13 million and $14 million annually on his next deal. Stats (as of Apr. 5, 2024) via NHL.com . Salary information via Cap Friendly. Additional info via Hockey-Reference.com .