Some significant signings as well as what I am anticipating from the Central division teams to do before the season starts

Here I give my opinion on all the latest signings and I try to predict how the rest of the offseason will play out for each Central team so they can stay under the cap. 

Here is what moves I think each Central Division team could do before the start of the season to either get under or remain under the Salary Cap. 

Arizona 

Cap Space: $20.363 

How does Arizona stay under the Cap: for Arizona it isn’t how do they stay under the cap but more likely how do they stay above the cap floor as the Coyotes are above the cap floor for now but are only $1.5 above the floor and if some other things happen they may have to acquire another player. Now according to CapFriendly the Coyotes have $20.36 Million dollars in cap space and that is with a 24 man Roster (14F-9D-1G and that is not including RFA Barrett Hayton or a second goalie which they will need to have at the NHL level). Now the Coyotes will probably need to move a few defensemen and a forward down in order to have a 23 man roster and Brian Little who won’t play again can go on IR for the Coyotes and free up a roster spot but the big thing is Chychrun. Now Chychrun has said that he doesn’t want to be part of the Coyotes rebuild and I expect the Coyotes to try hard to find a trade before the season starts because I don’t think they would want Chychrun in that locker room to start the season so if they trade him they will fall below the cap floor so in a Chychrun trade they would probably have to take on some sort of player who has a decent amount of cap left for at least next year and in the Chychrun to Ottawa trade rumours the player coming back to balance the cap sounds like it would be Zaitsev which would keep the Coyotes above the cap floor but even with that I feel that they should go out and get a better backup goalie with a good amount of cap on his deal. Now the Coyotes have Gillies and Prosvetov as their possible backups but I think they could once again use their cap space to their advantage by taking one of Reimer/Hill in San Jose, Bernier in New Jersey or Brossoit in Vegas. Now they don’t really need to trade for a goalie because they have Gillies and Prosvetov but I think it would be a smart move and not a bad idea because all of those goalies are most likely 3rd string goalies on their teams when the season starts and have a decent cap hit and these teams could use the cap relief so they can get one of these goalies and a pick with it and then have them play well and because they only have one year left move them at the deadline for a pick which is what Arizona has been doing for the past year and a half by acquiring players and moving them so I think taking one of those four goalies would make sense as it would give them a trade chip, get them farther away from the cap floor and allow them to have a more experienced backup. So I expect the Coyotes trade Chychrun before the season starts and then to try and add some more cap and I would expect it to be in net as they are too close to the cap flooor and need some wiggle room but besides these moves I don’t expect much else from Arizona for the rest of the offseason. 

Chicago 

Cap Space: $10.59

How does Chicago stay under the Cap: the Blackhawks have plenty of cap space to work with right now but even though they have all of that cap space I feel like they are pretty much done making moves this offseason. So the Blackhawks currently have about $10.6 Million dollars in cap space according to CapFriendly and that is with them having a 21 man Roster (14F-5D-2G and that doesn’t include RFA’s Philipp Kurashev and Caleb Jones who are both still needing new contracts). Now the Blackhawks have completed their goal for the offseason which was start this rebuild the start of their rebuild and I can say for certain that they have gotten a lot worse and a lot younger especially in their forward group and should definitely be in the running for the worst record in the NHL this year and the right to draft Connor Bedard but as for this offseason I don’t see them doing much else because they already have a okay tandem in net with Stalock and Mrazek and they already have more then enough forwards in the NHL right now and as for their defence once they get Jones under contract they will have six NHL defensemen and they also have 3-4 good D prospects who could challenge for playing time this year so unless a good trade offer comes up or there are some injuries I don’t think that the Blackhawks will do anything more this offseason, and while I do believe 100% that Kane and Toews will both be traded before the trade deadline next year I think that both of those are in season moves and happen closer to the deadline and not in the later stages of the offseason so it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Blackhawks don’t do anything more for the rest of this season. 

Colorado 

Cap Space: $3.91

How does Colorado stay under the Cap: the Avalanche have done a pretty good job staying under the cap and keeping the band together this offseason but I still think they have at least one more move this offseason and I would guess that it happens with their forward group. Now according to CapFriendly the Avalanche still have about $3.9 Million in cap space and that is with them having a 21 man roster (11F-8D-2G and they have signed all their NHL level RFA’s so they don’t really need to sign anyone in their organization). Now the Avalanche have done a good job keeping most of the band together this offseason and are coming back with mostly the same roster but while they have a pretty good defence again this year and their goaltending while maybe not at the same level as last year is still pretty good, the forward group and especially the depth is a bit bare right now and that would be the place that I can see them trying to improve before the season starts. Now i think they need to call up at least two young players who will be ready to compete for a roster spot and that would take between $1.5-1.8 Million dollars and leave the Avalanche with just over $2 Million in cap space to add another forward. Now I think that free agency is the way to go for Colorado and I believe that a good winger such as Milano, Kessel, Rodrigues, Dahlen or Motte could be the Avalanche’s targets as long as they are willing to sign for somewhere between $1.5-2 Million but I think a good bottom six winger is the right play for the Avalanche as they need a bit better depth with their offensive group if any injuries occur. So I think the Avalanche will add a bottom six forward before the season starts to take some pressure off the younger players but other then that I don’t see the Avalanche doing much else before the season starts. 

Dallas

Cap Space: $10.336

How Does Dallas stay under the Cap: the Stars have a lot of cap space right now but with two significant RFA’s needing to be signed before the year begins I think that instead of adding that the Stars might actually subtract from their roster before the start of next season. Dallas according to CapFriendly currently has $10.3 Million in cap space and that is with a 22 man Roster (13F-7D-2G and that isn’t including big time RFA’s Jason Robertson and Jake Oettinger who are both still waiting to sign new deals with the Stars). Now the Stars must get new deals for Robertson and Oettinger ASAP as those players were huge to the team making the playoffs last year but I think it is very possible that if Oettinger signs a 2-3 year bridge deal and Robertson signs a long term 7-8 year deal that combined they will exceed $10 Million with Robertson getting around $7 Million and Oettinger around $3 Million and that would use up all their cap space and it is possible they could go above the cap after getting these two signed so they may have to make a cost cutting move. Now I expect it to all hinge on Khudobin as he is injured right now and will probably be on LTIR to start the season which would give the Stars a extra $3.3 Million in cap space but he might not be injured for the whole season and even if they buried him in the minors they would only get around $1.25 Million in cap relief so depending on his health I could see Dallas trying to move him but I don’t know if any team would want to trade for him so if they can’t move Khudobin then I think they consider moving Faksa. Faksa is a decent bottom six Center in my opinion but with 3 years left on his contract at a cap hit of $3.25 and the Stars having young Center’s like Johnston and Bourque possibly making the roster this year Faksa is falling out of a roster spot as well so if they can get someone to take on that contract it would definitely free up enough cap space to get the two RFA’s signed. So the Stars have to sign Robertson and Oettinger and then I would expect a cost cutting move at some point whether it be Khudobin or Faksa but after that I don’t see too much else happening for them this offseason. 

Minnesota 

Cap Space: $4.31

How does Minnesota stay under the Cap: the Wild have a little bit of cap space left as they work through the cap crunch they are in but with the forward group a bit bare right now I could see them trying to add another forward or two before next year starts. The Wild currently have $4.3 Million dollars in cap space according to CapFriendly and that is with a a 20 man roster (11F-7D-2G and the Wild have signed all of their RFA’s now so they don’t have to sign any of their players anymore). Now the Wild still have some cap space which is surprising to me considering they have a serious cap crunch going on right now but I definitely think they are not done as they haven’t been able to add to their forward group and they have a deep D-Corp to the point where they may be willing to part ways with one of them. So for their forward group they have 11 forwards right now and I expect two rookies such as Rossi, Chaffee, Beckman or even possibly Ohgren to make the team but I still see them trying to get a good middle six forward to pair with Boldy next year. Now they could go the free agent route where I could see them sign a guy like Milano, Rodrigues or Kessel who could play with Boldy but if they go the trade route the best fit in my opinion would be J.T Miller and maybe Puljujarvi or Bertuzzi but I think they will add a good middle six forward before the season starts one way or another. Now on the backend they have 8 NHL bodies and I see them going either route one where they bury Kulikov in the minors and open the spot for Calen Addison, or two they could trade away Kulikov or the other trade candidate on the backend that I see in Dumba in a trade to bring in the good forward that they need as I think with Kulikov and Dumbe in the final years of their deals they could bring in decent returns and it would help the Wild’s cap situation especially if they are acquiring a decent forward with a pretty big cap hit, but I still think burying Kulikov is the more likely scenario. So expect the Wild to acquire a middle six forward and maybe move out a defensemen before the season starts as they need to upgrade their offense but besides these possible moves I think Minnesota is pretty much done for this offseason. 

Nashville 

Cap Space: $2.395

How does Nashville stay under the Cap: the Predators have done a great job working around the cap to make this team better for next year and while I could see them doing something more I wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up doing nothing before the season got under way. Nashville has a pretty decent $2.4 Million dollars in Cap space according to CapFriendly and it is currently amongst a 22 man roster (13F-7D-2G and after signing Trenin they don’t have anymore RFA’s they need to sign). Now the Predators did a good job in the offseason to improve by bringing in guys like McDonagh and Niederriter as well as keeping Forsberg with the team but with the little cap space they have and really not being able to add another good player for the cap they have I think they are done as they have a solid 7 defensemen right now, Lankinen and Ingram can fight for the backup spot behind Saros and the Offense only needs one more guy to make a full roster and they have guys like Glass, Sanford and Evangelista who can compete for roster spots in the forward group so with this team being pretty deep right now I don’t foresee any major additions for the Predators in the offseason and I think they could sign a player on a two way deal to be a call up option in the minors but other then that the Predators offseason is pretty much done in my opinion. 

St.Louis 

Cap Space: $.625

How does St.Louis stay under the Cap: the Blues are tight to the cap right now and while they don’t have any player to resign they could still use some cap relief and with them having a bit too much body’s on the backend I would expect a defensemen trade might be in the cards for the Blues. St.Louis currently has about $.625 Thousand dollars in cap space according to CapFriendly and that is with the Blues currently having a 22 man Roster (13F-7D-2G and after signing Kostin they have no more RFA’s that they need to lock up so that part of the offseason is done now). So the Blues have done a okay job in my opinion as they haven’t done the best, bringing back Leddy, having Greiss replace Husso and have Acciari replace Bozak while losing Perron but with their lineup the way it is right now I would say they are pretty much done but there is still one clear cut thing left to do in my opinion and that is move a defender. The Blues have 7 NHL defensemen on the roster right now but that doesn’t include Perunovich who should play full time at the NHL level this year and with 8 defensemen right now, 5 of them play the left side so it makes sense that one of them ends up moving and I don’t see it being Leddy, Perunovich or Mikkola because they all recently signed new deals, and I while I think they would like to move Krug because his cap is pretty high and he had been mentioned in trade rumours earlier in the year but with his $6.5 Million dollar cap hit for the next 5 years and a NTC it would be extremely difficult to move him so I think they should move the much easier Marco Scandella. Scandella is a good 2nd or 3rd pair defensemen who plays really well and was playing top 4 minutes in St.Louis until they brought in Leddy but with so many left side defensemen it makes sense to move him and he wouldn’t be as hard to move as he only has a $3.28 Million dollar cap hit for the next two years and if a team has some injuries on the backend and is looking for a good defensemen then I think St.Louis will be able to find a trade for him, but besides trading Scandella or maybe Krug I don’t see the Blues doing anything else this offseason as they seem okay everywhere else on the roster. 

Winnipeg  

Cap Space: $6.28

How does Winnipeg remain under the Cap: the Jets still have a good amount of cap space and are all but done with the RFA’s they need to resign but they haven’t added basically anything this offseason and I would heavily expect them to add a few body’s to their forward group as well as maybe a body to their defence before the season gets underway. The Jets currently have a good amount of available cap space with $6.28 according to CapFriendly and that is with the Jets having a 20 man Roster (11F-7D-2G and after the Jets resigned Appleton it ment that they now have no RFA’s they need to sign and that part of the offseason is done). So the Jets have surprisingly done nothing so far this offseason as they have only signed there RFA’s and then lost a few depth pieces to free agency and brought in a few minor players to fill those roles but after so much talk that first Scheifele would be traded, then Wheeler then the fact that Dubois didn’t want to remain long term and it sounded like a trade to Montreal was imminent but it never happened as there has been a lot of talk but nothing doing this offseason and while I think they can make do with their goaltending and defence I feel that they must add something to their forward group to at least improve this offseason. The Jets have a few players that could come up with some NHL experience such as David Gustafsson, Kristian Reichel ot Kevin Stenlund and also a few rookies such as Chaz Lucius but I think they need at least one if not two more forwards to add to this group to make it better. I feel they could use two forwards, a middle six forward to replace the production that guys like Sanford and Copp put up last year, and a bottom six forward that could help balance their depth with the younger guys. Now I think that they will look to the free agent market for a bottom six forward and their are still a few decent bottom six forwards in free agency that Winnipeg could go after such as Motte, Gagner or Aston-Reese as all three of these guys are good bottom six forwards and I think could help out this Jets team. As for the middle six forward I think they could look to free agency and try to get a productive player such as Milano, Rodrigues or maybe even try to being over Phil Kessel to their team but I could also see them trying to get a young forward via trade like maybe a Zadina from Detroit, Puljujarvi from Edmonton or possibly even Kerfoot in Toronto, so I think that they will add two forwards to help this team improve but besides that I don’t really see anything else happening in the offseason for the Jets. 

Here is a list of all the NHL signings that have happened between AUG 3RD and AUG 6TH. 

Metro

Carolina 

Left Defensemen Maxime Lajoie and the Carolina Hurricanes have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.750 Thousand dollars and the deal is two way. Lajoie had a decent season last year getting into 5 NHL games as well as having 33 points in 60 AHL games last year and I think that while he could play at the NHL level and still be a good 3RD pair defensemen, after all of the offseason moves I think that he starts at the AHL level next year and is a call up option if the Hurricanes run into injury trouble. 

Columbus 

Winger Emil Bemstrom and the Columbus Blue Jackets have come to terms on a 2 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.900 Thousand dollars and the deal is 1 way. Bemstrom was able to play a decent amount of games last year as he put up 6 goals and 11 points in 41 games last season and I think after having a decent amount of NHL games in the last three seasons I think that Bemstrom will definitely make the NHL roster and possibly play consistent 4th line minutes for the Blue Jackets this year. 

New Jersey

Winger Jesper Bratt and the New Jersey Devils have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $5.45 Million dollars and the deal is 1 way. This took a lot longer then it probably should have as Bratt in my eyes deserved a lot more then $5.45 Million after putting up 73 points in 76 games and I think he remains in the top six for New Jersey probably on the top line with Hischier and if he can continue to produce he will get a lot more on his contract next year. 

Left Winger Miles Wood and the New Jersey Devils have come to terms on a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $3.2 Million dollars and the deal is 1 way. I didn’t think Wood would get this much money as he is coming off a season where he put up no points in only 3 games and although he had reached 20 points the previous 4 seasons I thought a new deal would’ve been closer to $2 Million, but he can now play in the middle six for the Devils this year and prove that he is still a pretty good and productive middle six forward. 

Atlantic 

Pacific 

Sam Navarro USA Today Sports

Calgary 

Left Winger Jonathan Huberdeau and the Calgary Flames have come to terms on a long term 8 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $10.5 Million dollars and the deal is 1 way and will begin at the start of the 2023-24 season. Huberdeau was acquired in the Matthew Tkachuk trade earlier this year and this signings is basically their Gaudreau replacement and although he hasn’t been able to play with the Flames yet, I strongly think that this will be a good contract for the next few years and while it might not end well I think he will be a absolute force on that top line with Lindholm. 

Edmonton 

Right Winger, Center Kailer Yamamoto and the Edmonton Oilers avoided arbitration by agreeing to a 2 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $3.1 Million dollars and the deal is 1 way. Yamamoto has been a steady and good producer for the Oilers especially after last year where he had a career year with 20 goals and 41 points in 81 games and I think that with this contract he will be able to continue to grow over the next few years and play with Draisaitl on the second line and be able to build off of this season. 

Winger Tyler Benson and the Edmonton Oilers have agreed to a 1 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $.750 Thousand dollars and the deal is two way. Benson hasn’t gotten too much of a NHL opportunity  as he only got into 19 games last year putting up a goal and a assist but had a solid 12 points in 18 AHL games and while I think he starts in the AHL this season and could be a call up option if injuries pop up, I also could see him play in a 4th line role next year if he shows he is ready for the NHL. 

San Jose 

Left Defensemen Mario Ferraro and the San Jose Sharks have come to terms on a 4 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $3.25 Million dollars and the deal is 1 way. Ferraro showed that he is a good top 4 defensemen last year again after he put up 14 points in 63 games last year and with Burns gone he will need to take more of a load this year and although he hadn’t been the flashiest of defensemen I still think that he can do a good job as a top 2 defensemen in San Jose. 

Vegas 

Right Winger, Center Keegan Kolesar and the Vegas Golden Knights have come to terms and avoided arbitration with a 3 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $1.4 Million dollars and the deal is 1 way. Kolesar is a great bottom six forward in my opinion and is coming off a great year where he had 7 goals and 24 points in 77 games and with this new deal he will be a great 4th line forward for the Golden Knights next year and should continue to build off of this career year. 

Central 

Colorado 

Left Winger Anton Blidh and the Colorado Avalanche have agreed to a 1 year contract that will carry a AAV of $.750 Thousand dollars and the deal is two way. Blidh has had trouble keeping a NHL opportunity after he had 2 goals and 9 points in 32 games with Boston last year and now he goes to the Avalanche where I think he could carve himself out a role on the fourth line if he proved he can be a consistent NHL forward but I think the more likely scenario is that he starts the year in the AHL and is a call up option for the Avalanche if they run into injury trouble. 

Nashville 

Left Winger, Center Yakov Trenin and the Nashville Predators agreed on the contract the arbitrator gave them as they agree to a 2 year contract extension that will carry a AAV of $1.7 Million dollars and the deal is 1 way. Trenin has a very effective season last year with the Nashville Predators putting up 17 goals and 24 points in 80 games last year and was one of their best players in the playoffs getting 3 goals in 4 playoff games and after finding good chemistry with Jeannot and Sissons I think he will remain as a third line player with those guys and build off his productive year.