First off, congratulations to the Tampa Bay Lightning on going back to back. This is well deserved, but just keep in mind that you’re the 2nd team that has gone back to back in the cap era that should have succeeded earlier before heading into an expansion draft next season after beating the 8th seed in the Stanley Cup Final. Just saying. No matter what, this is going to be a very exciting offseason. Seth Jones has said that he won’t be resigning with the Blue Jackets before free agency in 2022, Jack Eichel and the Sabres are currently going through a breakup, and Vladimir Tarasenko has just requested a trade out of St. Louis. So, it’s time to talk about it before we head into a bunch of expansion draft talks starting on the 18th. Let’s start with Seth Jones.
First, let's set some guidelines. Jones would be traded to a team that needs some offensive help from the blueline that also has a hole on their right side. I think a first and a solid prospect plus a player to make the cap work will be a deal that Columbus will accept for Seth Jones. Jones has 1 year left on his contract that has an AAV of $5,400,000. I don’t think that he’s worth nearly as much as I will bring up here, but this is what I think NHL GMs will pay for him. So what teams fit these criteria?
One of those is the Edmonton Oilers. If the Oilers don’t want to resign Tyson Barrie, for what I think will be more than the $5,400,000 that Seth Jones currently makes, Jones isn’t a terrible option to replace him. The problem with them is that the Oilers have Ethan Bear, who is certainly good enough to be playing top 4 minutes, and Adam Larsson. Edmonton liked the defence that Larsson played last season, and all signs are pointed to the Oilers resigning Larsson. If they do, and it isn’t very expensive, or they don’t resign him, I can see a Jones trade happening. With the Duncan Keith deal just being finalized, I don’t see the Oilers also trading for Seth Jones. I could be completely wrong, and I think if they can make the cap work, it’s a good fit for Jones. Probably something along the lines of their 2022 first and Philip Broberg or Dylan Holloway.
One team that I don’t hear about when it comes to Seth Jones is the Winnipeg Jets. They’re a team that made it to the 2nd round this season before their best center got himself suspended for the rest of the series where they got swept by the Habs. They are going to go into a Central Divison next season with Colorado, Minnesota, Dallas and St. Louis. If Winnipeg improved enough this offseason, the Jets have a legitimate chance to be the 2nd seed, but more than likely the 3rd seed. Either way, adding Seth Jones may be seen as enough of an improvement to get over the hump. They have ~$20,000,000 in cap space and not really any expensive players to resign. A right side of Neal Pionk and Seth Jones isn’t anything to scoff at, despite how overrated I think he is. I think that the Jets 2021 first and Kristian Vesalainen might get it done.
The Philadelphia Flyers need to make some desperate moves this offseason. They were somehow seen as the favourites to win the East Division this past season, but they managed to finish 6th out of 8 teams. That desperate move? Bringing in a defenceman who is probably not as good as he is seen as being to play with Ivan Provorov, a defenceman who is also looked at in that light. I can see Philadelphia dealing their 2022 first along with Cam York and Shayne Ghostisbehere. Maybe even Nolan Patrick instead of Cam York. It really depends on how well the Flyers think that Patrick will rebound heading into the future. Either way, I think that it’s fair for the Flyers to think that this is a move that they need to make. It’s probably going to be a bad move, but I think that Philly is the most likely destination for Jones as of today.
Apparently, the Blackhawks are involved here, and as little sense as I think it makes for Chicago, I’m going to talk about it. With Duncan Keith being moved to Edmonton, the Blackhawks certainly have the cap space to make this deal. Besides the fact that they’re a very young team who should be trying to rebuild, they want to spend that extra money on Seth Jones for some reason. He’ll be 27 at the start of next season, and if they give him anything more than a 4 or 5-year extension his contract will be dead cap for a while, just like Keith was and is Seabrook right now. They do have the assets, as well as the hole on the right side to make this deal, I just don’t see how this helps Chicago now. They aren’t going to suddenly become a contender or anything, they might barely squeak into the playoffs, and that’s a big might for me. I’d say that the Blackhawks 2022 first-rounder as well as Alex Nylander? Maybe a guy like Lukas Reichel or Nicolas Beaudin? I’m not sure, but if Chicago does pull this deal off I don’t think that it would benefit them whatsoever.
As for Jones, let’s set some guidelines for teams who want to make a Tarasenko trade. They’d more than likely be looking for a scorer who can slot in at Right Wing somewhere in your top 6. Tarasenkos $7,500,000 for the next 2 seasons have to be taken into account as well. I’d say that the package for Tarasenko will be a 1st or 2nd round pick, a prospect, and a forward or a defenceman who can play for St. Louis right now.
Like the Seth Jones deal, I think that the Oilers can certainly pull this deal off. They currently have a top 6 of Nugent-Hopkins-McDavid-Puljujarvi and Yamamoto-Draisaitl-Kassian. Now that isn’t their exact lines, but you get the gist, it isn’t very good. With the Nugent-Hopkins extension, 5 of those 6 are probably going to be Oilers for at least 3 seasons. So, why not add an offensive threat for at least the next two seasons? Imagine a line of Yamamoto-Draisaitl-Tarasenko? I think they have the assets for the deal as well. With Tarasenko only playing 34 games over the past 2 seasons, his value isn’t nearly as high as you would think it would be. I think that the Oilers' 1st or 2nd round pick in 2022, Zack Kassian, Raphael Lavoie or possibly Evan Bouchard if the Oilers don’t want to take the time to develop him. Despite the Oilers needing defensive help, I think that their awful forward depth could improve heavily by upgrading Zach Kassian, who has a career-high of 15 goals in 59 games, to Vladimir Tarasenko, who has a 40 goal in 80 games season. Imagine him next to McDavid or Draisaitl? I think it’s a great fit that can realistically happen.
After a breakout season, the Florida Panthers are looking to be a legit Stanley Cup contender in the top-heavy Atlantic division. If Ekblad stayed healthy and they had solid goaltending in the first round, there’s a legit chance that they could’ve beaten the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning. So, what do they need to take the next step? Well, they’re pretty weak on Right Wing. They acquired Patric Hornqvist last offseason, and while he had a good year, I don’t think you can rely on him for next season. So, what would the package look like? There are rumours that the Blues want to move Vince Dunn, so maybe this could be an even bigger deal. So, let’s make a deal for each of the trades. For both Tarasenko and Dunn, I think that the Panthers would move their 2021 1st overall pick, which is 23rd overall, Keith Yandle, and Aleksi Heponiemi. If you were to do this deal without Vince Dunn, I think that the Panthers wouldn’t include Heponiemi. Yandle and Florida almost parted ways before last season started, and I wouldn’t be surprised for this to be the offseason that he gets moved. Yandle has a contract with a $6,350,000 AAV over the next 2 seasons, which makes the cap pretty close for this deal. Florida would have to sign Vince Dunn to a contract as well, as he is an RFA this offseason.
After Tom Wilson managed to single-handedly tear the New York Rangers organization apart, the Rangers have to make a strong push for the playoffs next season. A Metropolitan division with the Hurricanes, Penguins, Islanders, and Capitals isn’t going to be easy whatsoever. Making a push to get a top line of Panarin, Zibanejad, and Tarasenko could push them into a playoff team right away. They have ~$23,000,000 of cap space, and they only need to sign Chytil, Buchnevich, and Shesterkin. That should leave the Rangers with ~$10,000,000 in cap space, so this move is certainly something they can do. I think that Braden Schneider and the Rangers’ 2022 first could be something that gets this deal done. It would be a great deal for the Rangers, despite them having Fox to sign next season as well. I feel like a Trouba deal will be coming next offseason if this deal does go through, but I don’t think that the Rangers have as good of a case as the Oilers or the Panthers.
From the one team in Alberta to the next, the Calgary Flames also have a chance in the Tarasenko sweepstakes. However, Tarasenko might be dealt for someone with higher value if the deal is with Calgary. Tkachuk isn’t very happy with how the Flames' new coach, Darryl Sutter, handled his play during the regular season. With Tkachuk needing a new contract after this season, and the Flames desperately needing to be retooled, they may become desperate and make a blockbuster deal with the Blues. There’s a strong possibility that the Flames could lose Giordano to Seattle in the upcoming expansion draft, so acquiring an RFA left-handed defenceman that can play in the top 4 could help. So, this deal could make a lot of sense. Also, Keith Tkachuk, Matthew’s father, is a St. Louis Blues legend. Vladimir Tarasenko, Vince Dunn, and Klim Kostin to the Calgary Flames for Matthew Tkachuk. I think this deal only happens if Giordano gets taken by the Kraken and the Flames get very desperate to keep competing for a playoff spot, and Tkachuk really wants to be traded.
When you’re at your friend's birthday party and the cake comes out, you always want the biggest piece. Jack Eichel is that piece of cake. Now, in saying that, he won’t be a piece of cake to trade for. A 24-year-old center who’s locked up to a $10,000,000 AAV over the next 5 seasons. He may be coming off of a terrible neck injury, which may turn some heads away, but it’s Jack Eichel for god's sake. Buffalo needs players to play for them, so I at least expect a good young player, a top-tier prospect, and at least 1 first-round pick, will have to head Buffalos way. Before we look at some teams, keep in mind that I have no idea what Jack Eichel's market value is right now. He’s going to be coming off of neck surgery, and he will more than likely miss a good bit of the start of next season. I may be undervaluing him, I may be overvaluing him, I have no idea. These are just pure speculation.
After losing their own star center early last season, the Columbus Blue Jackets are in dire need of their own Jack Eichel. They desperately need to rebuild, and I think that this is a very possible move. Imagine a duo of Jack Eichel and Patrik Laine? Columbus has ~$24,000,000 in cap space with just Patrik Laine to sign, so they certainly have the room to add in an Eichel-like contract. In my eyes, Eichel to Columbus for Emil Bemstrom, Yegor Chinakov, Boone Jenner, the 5th overall pick and the 31st overall pick. Bemstrom can play NHL minutes for the Sabres, and will probably be a solid middle 6 player. Chinakov is a player who isn’t NHL ready but still has good potential. Boone Jenner can play productive minutes on your third line right now, and he only has 1 season left on his contract. The Sabres will certainly be more attracted to the 5th overall pick than the rest of these assets, but that 31st overall pick is certainly a solid asset as well.
Now, hear me out. After a miracle playoff run by the Montreal Canadiens, you have to think they go all in moving forward. It looks like their top center, Philip Danault will explore his options in free agency this summer and more than likely leave. With a lot of young assets and a very bright future, and Eichel to Montreal trade could make a lot of sense for both teams. The Canadiens have a lot of expiring contracts this offseason, so they don’t have that many current assets that make a lot of sense to head to Buffalo. However, there’s one player who has notably been benched a lot by the Canadiens so far in his young career. Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Despite not having a fantastic career so far, Kotkaniemi still has the potential to be an excellent top 6 center in the future. So, I think that a package of Kotkaniemi, Josh Brook, and the Canadiens 2022 1st round pick could get the deal done. They may also have to include another draft pick, but you get the idea.
This one depends on the Minnesota Wild resigning Kirill Kaprizov, as there are rumours of him going back to Russia. Now, imagine Kaprizov centred by Jack Eichel instead of Victor Rask. Minnesota wants to move into contention, and why not do that by trading a young, locked-up number 1 center? It makes complete sense for the Wild and they also have the assets to do it. The problem is that the Wild doesn’t have the most cap space in the world. They currently have ~$16,000,000 in cap space, with both Kaprizov and Fiala to sign. I feel like they’ll both take up somewhere from $12,000,000 to $14,000,000, which doesn’t leave the Wild with much cap space whatsoever. If the Wild lose Matt Dumba in the expansion draft, that gives them an extra $6,000,000 in cap space. If Suter declines his no-movement clause and the Wild gives the Kraken a sweetener to take him, the Wild will get ~$7,500,000 in cap space. Either way, this is my trade. This trade is dependant on one of Dumba or Suter going to Seattle, and Kaprizov and Fiala taking up less than $14,000,000 of Minnesota's cap space. So, I think that Victor Rask, Carson Soucy, Matthew Boldy, the 21st overall pick, and the Wilds 1st rounder in 2022. Moving Rask and Soucy clears up an additional $6,750,000 in cap space, so the Wild would only take on $3,250,000 immediately for Eichel.
The reason why I have the Wild giving up a better package than both the Blue Jackets and the Canadiens is that they don’t have key assets. Columbus has the 5th overall pick, and the Canadiens have Kotkaniemi. The Wild would need to have much more going to Buffalo than either of those teams or there’s no shot they’re going to get Eichel if packages like these get offered to the Sabres.
The New York Rangers have been linked to Eichel since before the 2021 season. After the Tom Wilson incident, the Rangers probably want to make a big move this offseason. They’ve shown that they want to make the playoffs, and like the Tarasenko deal earlier, I can see the Rangers making a move for Eichel. Again, after signing Shesterkin and Buchnevich the Rangers should have ~$10,000,000 in cap space, so I can certainly see them pulling this deal off. The biggest question is if they include one of their top prospects from the past two drafts in Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere. I don’t know if Kaapo Kakko is going to become the player we all thought that he would, but he still has fantastic potential. I’m not sure if the Rangers are willing much longer, and if they have a chance to get that 2nd elite center on their roster, I don’t see how they don’t pull the trigger. Kappo Kakko, Braden Schneider, Brett Howden, and the Rangers 1st round pick in 2022 should be able to get the deal done.
The LA Kings have a lot to do this offseason. With the Victor Arvidsson trade, the Kings have shown that they are going to try to make a playoff push in the weak Pacific Division. It’s certainly a realistic goal, and a trade for Jack Eichel could certainly make that happen. They have the deepest prospect pool in the NHL by a wide margin, and they certainly have the assets to pull this one-off. The Kings currently have ~$15,000,000 in cap space with the vast majority of their team already locked up through next season. I think that Gabriel Vilardi, Oli Maatta, Lias Andersson, and the Kings' 8th overall pick in this upcoming draft would get the deal done. Vilardi is a very good center prospect that isn’t really needed on a Kings team that already has Kopitar and Eichel with Byfield coming in full-time next season. Olli Maatta is a player who has 1 season left on his contract and can fill a roster spot on Buffalo. Lias Andersson is a player who I’m just not a fan of, but he may get a chance to prove himself once and for all in Buffalo.
My final possible destination for Eichel is the one that would be the most fun in my eyes, and that would be the Seattle Kraken. I’ve already decided that the Seattle Kraken will be my team in the Western Conference, and I can’t wait to see what they look like after the July 21st expansion draft. They don’t have any assets right now besides the 2nd overall pick, but I don’t see them dealing that for Eichel purely because we don’t know how good he will be after his injury, and for an expansion team giving up a pick that high is a humongous risk. I can’t put a trade together, but how fun would this be? I think that it would be great for the league, and the Kraken. Getting a superstar right out of the gate as an expansion team would bring in a lot more of an audience, although I do think that the Climate Pledge Arena will be packed on day 1 anyways.