There were a number of interesting moves around the league this week, including a J.T. Miller trade, the Calgary Flames acquiring a young second line centre, Brandon Saad changing teams, and Adam Boqvist getting claimed on waivers. There are still a lot more moves on the horizon as the trade deadline approaches, with the 4 Nations Face-off potentially acting as another pressure point as well.
Let’s take a closer look at what might be on the horizon in the coming weeks in this edition of the rumour roundup.
More rumblings on the cap increase
NHL teams should have some unusual clarity on the future of the salary cap ceiling in the coming seasons. After years of stagnation, the cap will begin to rise once more. The current projection is that the cap ceiling will rise to $95.5M in 2025–26, $104M in 2026–27, and $113M in 2027–28.
There will be many consequences to the rise, some expected and others not so much. Obviously this is good news for players, who will earn more, as well as for teams that are closer to the cap ceiling who will gain some extra space. This should make players that are already signed long term more valuable from a cap perspective.
There is some concern that this might make it more difficult for Canadian teams to spend to the cap, as the Canadian dollar is weak at the moment. Some more speculative changes could transpire as well. High end players might opt for shorter contracts to maximize their earnings, although this would be a risky proposition.
At the end of the day, the coming free agent classes will be empowered, just as teams will have more opportunities available to them. With more foresight and more cap space, teams will employ different strategies to try to gain an edge. Some teams might be aggressive making big splashes through trade or free agency, while others might find new inefficiencies in the market.
Might there be new power dynamics in restricted free agency? Might the middle class of the league be squeezed again?
Buffalo Sabres still in a rut
Unfortunately for the Buffalo Sabres they seem to be their usual selves. This roster has a lot of young talent, but has once again fallen on its face. In a tight Eastern Conference playoff race involving many teams, the Sabres find themselves on the outskirts. For more than a decade the wheels have been spinning, each time ending similarly until high end players find greener pastures elsewhere.
Virtually no one on the roster is safe, as the answers remain elusive. Dylan Cozens and Bowan Byram are young core pieces that have been heavily involved in rumours this season. Owen Power now finds himself in a similar. It is difficult to keep morale in losing situations, an unfortunate pressure that has consistently plagued the Sabres over their playoff drought.
Is the Vancouver Canucks drama over?
Though J.T. Miller has been traded, the Canucks are far from being sorted. To varying extents there is uncertainty surrounding Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, and Thatcher Demko already. More might be on the docket as well, as the Canucks might need to reimagine their self image as a whole throughout the process.
For now the dressing room is altered, and perhaps the worst of the storm has passed. Getting younger with Filip Chytl and Victor Mancini, who should both be regulars in the lineup. Mancini is especially interesting, a young right shot defenceman who already strengthens the Canucks blueline. The cap space cleared has allowed them to add Marcus Pettersson to the blueline as well.
On the other hand, the mood might be soured. Perhaps the Canucks will be forced into a significant rebuild or retool. Trading nearly the entire core around captain Quinn Hughes seems ominously close, having already experienced a mass exodus in his career. The Canucks have at least given themselves a shot at rebounding this season.
Will the Los Angeles Kings add at deadline?
Scratched for two games in a row, young NHLer Brandt Clarke has been both brought up and dismissed as a potential trade target. Clarke is the highest scoring Los Angeles Kings defenceman, and is still coming into his own. Even with Sean Durzi already traded some teams might be smelling blood around the right side of the Kings blueline.
The Kings have had a fantastic season, and a big part of that is the patience that they have shown with younger players while retooling underneath Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. Another reason for it is the strength of their blueline, even without Doughty until this point. Vladislav Gavrikov has been incredible playing his weak side, and will continue to while Clarke sits.
Many NHL rookies hit a midseason wall, playing much more gruelling hockey over a larger number of games than usual. The condensed schedule does not help here either. Giving Clarke some rest might have its benefits as well. The Kings might well be tempted to add at the deadline, but dealing Clarke at this point would seem misguided and out of character.
There might be this who sense an opportunity to acquire Jordan Spence, who is probably pushed down the lineup in the end. Even then, the Kings trade efforts should be framed much more along the lines of players they are targeting rather than players they are selling.
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