A look at what the offseason could hold for the Golden Knights plus the latest on the Leafs and Jets in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
WHAT NEXT FOR THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS?
ESPN.COM: Ryan S. Clark believes Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon faces several roster decisions this offseason. One of them is what to do about pending unrestricted free agents Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson.
Winner of the 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, Marchessault is among the few remaining original members of the Golden Knights. He’ll be in line for a significant raise after all he’s done for them. So is Stephenson, who’s proven himself as a solid two-way forward who can anchor the second line and play in any scenario.
The Golden Knights’ limited cap space complicates things. They have less than $900k of projected cap space with 20 active roster players under contract.
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: Ed Graney wondered if Marchessault still has a future with the Golden Knights. He noted the 33-year-old winger is among the few “Golden Misfits” remaining but pointed out the club has parted ways with beloved players in the past (like Marc-Andre Fleury) and could so again.
Vegas Golden Knights winger Jonathan Marchessault (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Marchessault earned $5 million annually on his current contract while the 30-year-old Stephenson made $2.75 million.
The Golden Knights will get $5 million in cap relief if goaltender Robin Lehner remains on long-term injury reserve next season. That might be enough to pay Stephenson a decent raise but not for Marchessault. They’ll have to shed salary to retain both. Heck, they might have to shed salary for Stephenson if they decide to part ways with Marchessault.
THE LATEST ON THE LEAFS
TORONTO STAR/TORONTO SUN/THE HOCKEY NEWS: Kevin McGran, Terry Koshan and Michael Traikos looked at the challenging offseason questions facing the Maple Leafs during the offseason.
Koshan thinks Brendan Shanahan could be down to his last gasp as team president. He wonders if Shanahan will change his tune after years of putting his faith in core players Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares and Morgan Rielly. Shanahan has one year remaining on his contract.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment could give Shanahan one more season to fix the problem. After a decade on the job, however, it’s time to thank him for his service and look at replacing him with someone who’ll bring a fresh perspective.
McGran and Traikos believe firing head coach Sheldon Keefe would be the easiest decision. The Leafs need a new voice behind the bench capable of getting them them to play a better-structured and disciplined system.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Keefe signed a two-year contract extension last year. General manager Brad Treliving could give him another shot behind the bench but that seems unlikely now. It’s time for a coaching change after only one playoff series win in five seasons.
They also believe it’s time to trade Marner as it’s no longer working for him and the Leafs. The 27-year-old winger holds all the cards given his no-movement clause.
McGran believes Marner might be better off playing for a southern US team like Tampa Bay or Utah where the spotlight won’t be as intense. Traikos mentioned Utah, Columbus, Seattle or even Ottawa.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Marner might be open to a trade if management tells him he won’t get a contract extension. However, there’s no certainty under that scenario that he’ll agree to it. He could insist on finishing his contract with the Leafs hoping that a new team president or head coach can fight for him to be re-signed. If not, he can walk away next summer where he’ll find plenty of lucrative options elsewhere.
McGran also suggested the Leafs consider naming a new team captain, pursue a reliable starting goalie such as Calgary’s Jacob Markstrom (whom Treliving knows well), and beef up the blueline. Meanwhile, Traikos proposed finding a suitable defense partner for Rielly, re-signing gritty forward Tyler Bertuzzi, and bringing back Ilya Samsonov as a backup goalie on a reasonable contract.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Leafs have a projected cap space of $18.5 million with 16 active roster players under contract. That’ll hamper efforts to address most of their roster needs unless they can move Marner’s $10.9 million from their books.
UPDATE ON THE JETS
THE ATHLETIC: Murat Ates recently looked at the players who could stay or go for the Winnipeg Jets during the offseason.
Their untouchables include core players Mark Scheifele, Connor Hellebuyck, Josh Morrissey, Adam Lowry and Gabriel Vilardi. Pending UFA Tyler Toffoli and Colin Miller are expected to depart via free agency but Dylan DeMelo, Brenden Dillon and Sean Monahan could be re-signed.
Ates believes Nikolaj Ehlers will be shopped and likely moved before the NHL Draft on June 28-29. The 28-year-old winger is a year away from UFA eligibility and there’s some concern that they can afford to re-sign him. The Jets have floated his name in trade talks before and he could fetch someone to bolster their defense and/or bring in a first-round draft pick.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ehlers carries an average annual value of $6 million and a 10-team no-trade clause. He’s been a productive second-line winger but does have an injury history that could dampen his trade value, though he did play the full 82-game schedule this season for the first time since 2017-18.