TORONTO, ON — The rematch is set. For the second consecutive season, the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers will duke it out for hockey’s Holy Grail.
As I pack my bags for Edmonton – and, yes, I’m praying this year’s back-and-forth travel will be smoother than last year’s adventures (first world problems) – the spotlight on the NHL shines bright on Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers’ revenge tour. With the Panthers looking to go back-to-back, the storylines surrounding their club is also front and centre.
But as we skate into June, the bright lights of the Stanley Cup Final will also point in the direction of the silly season, as 30 other NHL clubs begin to ramp up their off-season planning.
Trade chatter is about to pick up and with a shallow free agent pool, some teams may be more inclined to dive into the trade market in the weeks leading up to the NHL Draft in Los Angeles.
The smoke will start to thicken a week from now, when the NHL Scouting Combine gets underway in Buffalo.
The Sabres, who brought in Jarmo Kekalainen as a Senior Advisor, will be an intriguing team to watch in the weeks ahead. With multiple players uneased with the team’s lack of advancement, there is an opportunity for Kekalainen and GM Kevyn Adams to be active – it is time the organization takes the next steps in its progression.
We have already reported Bowen Byram is in play, again, in Buffalo. Ahead of the trade deadline, names like Owen Power, J.J. Peterka and Alex Tuch were also tossed around as the vultures circled their prey. Is there more of a willingness to make bold moves now?
I am curious to see if the Sabres circle back on Elias Pettersson in Vancouver.
The 26-year-old centre will see his no-movement clause kick-in July 1 and the belief across the NHL is the Canucks will continue to entertain trade calls. It does not sound like the price tag has changed much, if at all, so a team will have to pay up to pry him out of B.C. Do the Sabres take another swing? They surely won’t be the lone team to try.
Pettersson won’t be the only topic of discussion surrounding the Canucks over the next few weeks. Goalie Thatcher Demko appears open to a change of scenery and is expected to be in play as he enters the final year of his contract.
