Oct 1, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks heart Macklin Celebrini (71) in the course of the second interval in opposition to the Utah Hockey Membership at SAP Heart at San Jose. Necessary Credit score: Stan Szeto-Imagn Photographs The draft is one week away. Free-agency begins just a few days after that.
Welcome to the NHL low season, which has loads of compelling storylines to present a repair for followers between now and subsequent season.
Whereas this summer season’s free-agency crop doesn’t have a lot sizzle as previous years, it — together with the rising wage cap — creates the potential for some summertime commerce winds as golf equipment kick off their quest to Stanley Cup glory in 2027.
With that in thoughts, listed below are three groups poised to make main noise between now and puck drop on the 2026-27 marketing campaign.
San Jose Sharks
Led by one of many league’s greatest up-and-comers in Macklin Celebrini, the Sharks took a large bounce ahead final season, going from perennial also-rans to lacking the playoffs by 4 factors.
A blueprint for San Jose’s subsequent step may be discovered by state rivals, the Anaheim Geese. Each groups are loaded with younger expertise, and have loads of tantalizing prospects. Anaheim added veterans in key spots, and jumped right into a playoff place this previous season.
The Sharks have holes to fill and possess the property to add by way of commerce and salary-cap area to ink gamers focused on becoming a member of a group on the rise.
And thanks to the lottery, San Jose additionally owns the second general choose on this 12 months’s draft, giving the membership the choice to both add one other potential future star or utilizing it to purchase a giant piece instantly.
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal reached the Jap Convention ultimate in an thrilling playoff run, however obtained an enormous lesson in a five-game loss to the eventual Stanley Cup-champion Carolina Hurricanes.
That defeat will spark the gamers and the group to discover methods to take one other step. The place Montreal wants assist is clear, a second-line heart and top-four defenseman, ideally who can play on the best aspect.
Gamers for these roles are pricey to purchase, however the Canadiens are on the stage when it’s time to make a giant push for the likes of Detroit Crimson Wings captain Dylan Larkin, for instance.
One participant bandied about as commerce bait is high prospect Alexander Zharovsky, a second-round choose final 12 months who had a glowing season within the KHL.
St. Louis Blues
Positive, we might focus on Edmonton poised to signal Mike Babcock as coach (to paraphrase the film Dodgeball, “daring technique, let’s see if it pays off”), how the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers plan to pull out of the depths, and even how the Hurricanes plan to repeat.
Amidst all that, it’s St. Louis who piqued our curiosity. On paper, the Blues completed simply outdoors a playoff spot, however that’s thanks to a late-season push that ended with a four-game successful streak after they had been eradicated, and it’s apparent modifications are wanted.
The Blues have loads of cap area, prospects and a whack of useful draft picks — notably three first-round picks — if they need to go on a spending spree.
On the identical time, they’ve the likes of goaltender Jordan Binnington, defenseman Colton Parayko and forwards comparable to Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas as commerce chips ought to they decide to re-tool.
New normal supervisor Alexander Steen has the chance to make an enormous mark on the franchise. What lane will he select to take?
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