Around these parts, we’ll do our best to give you everything you need to know about the Columbus Blue Jackets. We’ll also fill you in on the stories you may not have heard about (or those you didn’t think you need to know about), the social media buzz around the league, along with a few random nuggets for good measure.
Think of it as your morning coffee with a shot of hockey talk.
GIVE US YOUR LISTS: And we’re off and running.
The expansion draft is less than a week away (it’s actually THIS week) and the action is starting to pick up. On Sunday morning, the Vegas Golden Knights and GM George McPhee got their first look at the 30 clubs and their official lists of protected players, and there were a few surprises.
One of them is Detroit Red Wings goaltender Petr Mrazek, who is younger, more affordable and had a better year than mainstay Jimmy Howard. Perhaps there’s a chance that Vegas has its eyes on a different Detroit player, but that’s a curious call from Ken Holland, who emphatically stated that he’s not making any side deals.
One name that is coming out as unprotected: DET G Petr Mrazek. With Marc-Andre Fleury going to LV, that's an interesting one.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 18, 2017
Another is Nashville Predators forward James Neal, a pure goal scorer coming off a long playoff run. He’s been around for a while and consistently scores goals year in and year out, but Predators GM David Poile opted to protect center Calle Jarnkrok and leave Neal unprotected.
If it hasn’t been done already, you can expect Poile to actively work with McPhee on a deal to avoid selecting Neal, who is one of the top offensive weapons for Nashville. Stay tuned on that one.
The Minnesota Wild protected speedy forward Jason Zucker, long thought to be a prime candidate for Vegas – in part because he’s a Las Vegas native, and also because they would like to keep reliable center Eric Staal, who signed with the Wild as a free agent last summer. Instead, it was Staal left unprotected by Minnesota, and he would be a solid pickup for a Vegas team that’s trying to be competitive in its inaugural season.
The Blue Jackets opted to go in a 7-3-1 list format, with Jack Johnson among the unprotected defensemen and Matt Calvert and William Karlsson up front. Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg are the primary unprotected goaltenders.
With the trade freeze in effect until later this (a freeze that does not apply to the Golden Knights), GMs are blowing up McPhee’s phone to make side deals on their unprotected players but also, there’s the potential for deals on another teams’ lists who Vegas may take in exchange for another asset.
It was a crazy, frenetic NHL news cycle on Sunday and it’s only revving up. This will be a fun week, one of the most exciting and active that the league has seen in quite some time.
THIS CAP AIN'T FLAT: Following rampant speculation that the NHL’s salary cap would remain stagnant for the coming season (and subsequent panic about what it could mean for several teams at or near the upper limit), the NHLPA and its membership voted to use the escalator for 2017-18.
With the increase, the salary cap ceiling will increase to $75 million U.S., while the cap floor will be set at $55.4 million.
And of course, even with the increase, the Chicago Blackhawks are slightly above the upper limit as the offseason madness is set to begin. It’s safe to say they’ll be a busy bunch in the weeks ahead, looking to make some tweaks and moves after being swept out of the opening round by the Predators.
The Blue Jackets are among those teams who will benefit from the adjusted salary cap; they’ve got approximately $4 million in cap room, but that’s not considering potential moves to free up additional room. They could, as reported, move David Clarkson’s contract and attempt to trade veteran winger Scott Hartnell.
If they can free up some room, look out for an aggressive and determined Jarmo Kekalainen on the trade market. The Blue Jackets want to go big game hunting for offensive talent, and armed with space under the cap, they could do some damage.
ICYMI: We've handicapped some of the available Blue Jackets players and their potential appeal to Vegas ... Which Columbus representatives could collect hardware at the NHL Awards? Here's our advance look ... Ryan Murray was one of few from the 2012 draft's top 10 to be protected by their clubs ... This primer has everything you need to prepare for this week's expansion draft madness.
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