Buckle up; this one is a big bargain bin. With the NHL draft approaching fast, it will undoubtedly be one of the best draft classes of all time. Tons of talent with high ceilings available as low as the mid-to-late second round. Teams might be able to accelerate their rebuild if they draft the right players. Hidden gems are everywhere, and let’s try to dissect this all in today’s edition of Bargain Bin on Friday, June 23rd.
Calgary Flames
It has been a month since Craig Conroy was hired as General Manager of the Calgary Flames, and he already has a lot on his plate since his hiring. Let’s take a look at just some of what Conroy has had thrown his way recently.
Noah Hanafin
We’ve already discussed this on a previous bargain bin, but with more confirmation being available, it is known that Noah Hanafin is available via trade, and the player has made it clear he is not signing an extension in Calgary. Hanafin saying he won’t sign an extension doesn’t necessarily guarantee a trade. It just provides an answer to the team on where he stands as of right now.
Elias Lindholm
Frank Seravalli was on top of Calgary going up in Flames yesterday. Seravalli notes that Calgary recently made a large offer to re-sign Elias Lindholm and is currently waiting on Lindholm’s response. No answer has been given to Calgary, but speculation around the league is that Lindholm is unwilling to re-sign in Calgary.
Lindholm, who is currently 28 years old, is in the final year of his six-year contract worth $4.85 million annually. Lindholm has posted career-high numbers in this contract, 51 assists in the 2018-19 season, 42 goals and 82 points, and a whopping plus/minus of plus 61 in the 2021-22 season. Lindholm can certainly net a nice pay raise around the $6-$6.75 million range if he continues to post strong numbers. Lindholm’s 2022-23 campaign saw him net 22 goals and 42 assists for 64 points in 80 games.
Mikael Backlund
Backlund has been a Calgary Flame since he was drafted 24th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He is currently in the final year of his six-year contract, worth $5.35 million annually. Backlund is coming off a career-high season in assists and points, posting 19 goals and 37 assists for 56 points in 82 games. Even at 34 years old, Backlund has shown that he might have another three-to-four seasons left in the tank.
Conroy has hopes that Backlund’s intention not to re-sign in Calgary changes, as he’s been a part of the team for the past 15 seasons. Though, if the decision doesn’t change, there will be some pivotal changes made.
Tyler Toffoli
The Calgary Flames acquired Tyler Toffoli via a trade in February of 2022. Calgary gave up Tyler Pitlick, Emil Heineman, a 2022 1st round pick, a 2023 5th round pick, and a 2023 4th round pick. The 31-year-old Toffoli is in the final year of his four-year contract worth $4.25 million annually, and it is a lucrative contract to take a flyer on. Toffoli is coming off of a career season all around the stat sheet, posting 34 goals and 39 assists for 73 points in 82 games. Toffoli has also made it known that he is leaning toward not re-signing in Calgary.
While Conroy would probably like to retain Toffoli, it is the right time to build into the future with the Calgary Flames. Trade players for future assets and build a strong team three or four years from now.
Winnipeg Jets
There has been a ton of news swirling around the Winnipeg Jets as of late, and one of the biggest stories isn’t regarding their players. Recently, the Jets organization held an internal meeting to discuss the future of the team and its direction as soon as next season. It has been known that Kevin Cheveldayoff was trying to avoid a rebuild and retool. Now, Cheveldayoff is willing to embrace a rebuild with the team.
With all of the news coming to light recently, the Jets will quickly shift their focus to acquiring futures, especially with the draft coming up sooner rather than later.
Pierre-Luc Dubois
The Dubois saga might be coming to an end sooner than we thought. Per Elliotte Friedman on the most recent 32 Thoughts podcast, Dubois will narrow his list down to two to three teams in the next two to three days. Per the team’s request, the Jets want this done by the draft. It is speculated that the teams involved in this list will likely be Montreal, Los Angeles, and Boston.
Comparable trades will be similar to what Los Angeles gave up to acquire Kevin Fiala, Minnesota received Brock Faber and a 2022 1st-round pick for Fiala’s signing rights. The price for a Dubois sign-and-trade will possibly include another high-end prospect and another draft pick or two.
Blake Wheeler
The former captain of the Winnipeg Jets will have a new home for the 2023-24 season. Wheeler is in the final year of his five-year contract, worth $8.25 million annually. While the Jets look to give the team a huge facelift, they are ready to move players as soon as possible.
The only bump in the road is the fact that Wheeler has a five-team trade list, which will cause issues with when and where he is traded. Wheeler is three seasons removed from his back-to-back 91-point seasons, and since then, he’s stayed at just under a point-per-game pace. The contract at half retention shouldn’t be too hard to move.
However, if the Jets cannot find a suitor for Wheeler, he will be the next player to be bought out this offseason. The buyout would span two seasons and while costing the Jets both in salary and cap hit $2.75 million.
Chicago Blackhawks
It has been widely reported that the Chicago Blackhawks are looking for talented/experienced players to sign short-term deals to play in their top six next season. Per Elliotte Friedman, the Blackhawks have been circling on the idea of signing Vladimir Tarasenko on a one or two-year contract to play on Connor Bedard’s wing.
Furthering speculation on the Blackhawks, Chicago will also look to add highly physical players for their up-and-coming young stars. Chicago has just over $37.5 million in cap space and will likely weaponize it this offseason to be minorly competitive ahead of the 2023-24 season.
Board of Governors
On Thursday, June 22nd, the National Hockey League held its Board of Governors meeting in Manhattan, New York. There will be no added commentary to any of the news released.
- NHL commissioner Gary Bettman recommended players to not wear themed jerseys for pre-game warmups. This includes all themed jerseys.
- The 2023-24 NHL Salary Cap has been set at $83.5 million. Commissioner Gary Bettman notes that the 2024-25 NHL Salary Cap is likely to jump between $4-7.5 million, though he notes that it’s way premature as of right now.
- No news on the Senator’s sale process being finalized per Gary Bettman. Bettman also notes that the sale should be completed by September.
- Bettman notes that the board should have a good handle on the Coyotes’ situation and that they’re evaluating all potential options.
- Finally, Bettman mentioned that Stan Bowman and Joel Quenneville have asked to meet to discuss reinstatement from their suspensions. This meeting is scheduled to happen next month, per Elliotte Friedman.
2023 NHL Draft
With the draft fast approaching, there’s a lot to consider ahead of day one of draft day. There are tons of teams looking to weaponize the large sum of draft picks they own to their advantage, or teams are looking to receive more draft picks. Ahead of Wednesday, June 28th, it will certainly be interesting to see what happens.
Washington Capitals
It is no secret right now that the Washington Capitals want a shot at drafting Matvei Michkov, the only problem in the way is the fact that they have the eighth overall selection in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Washington can play it safe by moving up to fourth overall and hoping that Michkov is available by that time.
With Anaheim pondering the possibility of selecting Matvei Michkov second overall instead of Adam Fantilli, the options are limitless inside of the top 10 for this year’s draft.
Philadelphia Flyers
There has been speculation that Flyers GM Danny Briere is looking to add another first-round pick by draft day. A potential trade partner could be St Louis, the Blues currently own three first-round picks this year, and Briere might have players that interest the Blues.
Konecny, Hart, and Laughton are three players that come to mind as potential trade candidates to net the Flyers another first-round pick.
St. Louis Blues
I previously mentioned that the Blues own three first-round picks, more specifically, the Blues own the 10th, 25th, and 29th overall picks in this year’s draft. It has been noted that the Blues are dangling these three picks to gather some trade interest, and per Jeff Marek on his Jeff Marek Show, there’s been a ton of interest so far.
I could easily see the Blues moving one or both of their later selections to bring in players that help them now.
Toronto Maple Leafs
New Leafs GM Brad Treliving has a lot to deal with so far, and one of them is finding immediate help. It’s been reported, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, that Toronto is willing to move their 28th overall pick for immediate help.
However, with a draft being this deep, it will certainly be a steep ask for any teams trying to acquire more picks.
Speaking of the Leafs, Brad Treliving has made it clear that it is an expectation to have contract extensions finalized with Auston Matthews and William Nylander by opening night. While this can shape up to be an interesting summer, draft day is around the corner, and the Leafs might find a talent that suits well into Treliving’s vision for the team.
