First things first, it really sucks that there is no hockey right now. Many, myself included, are holding out hope that the Cup will be awarded, but I think the chances of that happening dwindle with each passing day. Unfortunately, it appears that we may never know what kind of noise the 2019/2020 Avs could have made in the playoffs
Obviously there are bigger things than sports going on right now, but we can’t focus on them 24/7. We need a distraction to help maintain our sanity. As such, I figured this would be a good time to remember that the future looks really bright for our favorite team.
The 2020 Off-Season
With many teams lamenting the fact that the stoppage will likely mean a stagnant cap, it is my feeling that this could (and should) benefit a team like the Avs. Sakic has the roster in great shape, and all of the important pieces up for a new contract are under team control. Thus, there should be no overpayments needed in a time when that is vitally important.
Internal free agents
Unrestricted free agents: Colin Wilson, Michael Hutchinson, Mark Barberio, Kevin Connauton, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Matt Nieto.
There are a couple names on that list that I’d be okay with keeping around at the right cost. It would have to be a one-year deal though, and I’m not sure too many of these guys would go for that. Also, I think the team needs to pursue upgrades. The Avs will be one of the few good teams with cap space to burn, and they should use that to their advantage.
I know some would like to see Namestnikov stay. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but I just don’t see it. I think he’ll be looking for a multi-year deal and will sign with a team like LA (they can offer him a larger role and larger paycheck). He was a fine deadline rental, but that’s all he’ll turn out to be.
What I would do is offer Barberio a one year deal at around $1.5M. If everyone is healthy, he’d once again be the 7th defenseman but would almost certainly get a fair amount of games when the inevitable injuries occur. If he chooses to pursue a more desirable role elsewhere, I wouldn’t blame him and would wish him good luck. Most likely this is what happens, but I’d try to keep him around for depth for one more season. I’d also keep Wilson in mind in case other options don’t work out. The team still needs depth, and I doubt he’ll be in high demand after his nightmare of a season.
Restricted Free Agents: Andre Burakovsky, Tyson Jost, Valeri Nichushkin, Vladislav Kamenev, Ryan Graves, Nikita Zadorov, and Logan O’Connor.
Here is where the hard work begins for Sakic and the front office. Most of these guys are keepers. The trick will be getting as much term as possible for a reasonable cost. The lower cap might actually help in this regard, as all teams are going to need to hold the line in negotiations.
Let’s take them one at a time:
- Andre Burakovsky – This is a guy the team gave up a fair amount to acquire. He is on the record as being less than a fan playing on short deals, so I think both the team and the player will be looking for some term At 25 years old, this is his best chance at a lucrative contract, but he’ll also want to consider his age when this next contract expires. A five-year deal seems to make sense for both parties. Given his lack of consistent production up until this year, I’m putting the AAV at $4.85M, though I could see it pushing closer to $5M.
- Tyson Jost – While he is one of the most polarizing players on the team, my personal opinion is that Jost has a lot to offer. He has learned to play a bottom six role effectively, and just needs to add the PK to his arsenal to be a truly valuable role player. Add that he still has untapped offensive upside, and this is a guy I’m keeping around. He’s 22 and has yet to earn that lucrative long-term deal, so two years at $1.45M seems to make sense. If he continues to grow, he’ll be in for a better payday when the bridge deal expires.
- Valeri Nichushkin – His 13 goals and 27 points don’t tell the full story. This is a guy that has been a positive for the team damn near every time he steps onto the ice. Hopefully he likes Colorado, because I would try to keep him around for a long time. He just turned 25, so his contract situation is much like that of Burakovsky. He would probably like a little longer term stability, so I’m giving it to him with a five year deal at $3.25M. Hopefully this ends up being a steal and he is a staple on the third line for years to come.
- Ryan Graves – Much like Nichushkin, Graves is a guy who turned out to be way more valuable than any of us would have thought. Let’s not go crazy though. While he might technically be on the top pairing, his ice time is under 19 minutes per game. To me that indicates he's an important player, but not one who is worthy of a Girard contract. If that’s what he’s after, then maybe the team trades his rights while his value is at a high point or settles via arbitration. I’m going to be optimistic though and assume the two parties come together on a four year deal at $3.75M. This puts Graves at 29 when he’s up for a new deal, which is a decent position to be in. If he continues to excel, then he’ll do fine.
- Nikita Zadorov – The only other contender for most polarizing player (neck and neck with Jost), the soon-to-be 25 years of age Zadorov will be looking for a longer deal. He may not get that from the Avs though. My thoughts are that one of him or Graves ends up in Montreal before the season starts. If negotiations with Graves go well, then Zadorov heads north. If not though, then maybe he is the one that stays on a four year deal. His current $3.2M would likely be close to what he’ll get. My assumption is that he ends up elsewhere though.
- Vladislav Kamenev – Here’s a dude that needs a change of scenery. He has potential, but he has been pushed out by the acquisitions Sakic has made over the last year. He’s only 23, so it’s reasonable to think he could still end up as an effective NHL player. Being the 13th forward isn’t doing him any favors though, so Colorado isn’t the place for him. I’m thinking he goes to Montreal along with one of Graves or Zadorov.
- Logan O’Connor – I mention him because he’s a good candidate for the 13th forward or the first call up in the event of injuries. He won’t be expensive, so there is no reason the team shouldn’t keep him around for a couple years.
Other Team’s Free Agents – The Targets
- Taylor Hall – Instead of giving up a haul (sorry) to get him, the team now has the chance to get the former Hart winner (rightfully runner-up) for nothing but a contract. He’s 28 and hasn’t been able to duplicate his MVP level performance since his injury, but that shouldn’t stop the Avs from inquiring about him. Adding that kind of talent to an already high flying forward group would frighten the rest of the league. The questions will be if his demands are reasonable. If he asks for Panarin money, then it might not work. Rantanen money could be doable though. I will say this, if he truly prioritizes winning, there may not be another destination where the acquiring team wouldn’t need to gut its roster to afford his contract. The Avs are certainly in a position to make a play. The price must be right though.
- Anthony Cirelli – Forget about Hall. In my opinion, this is the guy Sakic should be after. He’s not better than Hall, but he’s an up and coming player who is already considered a Selke candidate at only 22 years old. He should be peaking during his contract, whereas Hall would most likely be on the decline. Putting him at 3C after MacKinnon and Kadri rounds out the lineup quite nicely. Throw Nichushkin and Jost on his wing and you have a third line that can match up against anyone and put them on their heels. Cirelli wouldn’t be free (an offer sheet would cost a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the 2021 draft), but it would be worth it. Cup teams need a guy like him. Oh, and Tampa can’t afford to match a reasonable offer (see below):
Lightning Cap Space
Yzerman has been heralded as an amazing GM. Some of this is warranted. One of the things he did that his successor, Julien BriseBois, will not appreciate though is dish out no trade clauses like they were meaningless. As a result, the Lightning are in a tough spot.
Only the following players have (or are projected to have) a meaningful cap hit and can be traded before next season begins: Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Alex Killorn, Blake Coleman, Cedrique Paquette, Erik Cernak, Mikhail Sergachev, and Curtis McElhinney. Obviously they won’t move Kucherov and Point, and I doubt they move more than one of Coleman and Cernak (if they move either). Where does that leave things? See below:
Assuming (1) a flat cap, (2) a bare minimum 20 man roster, and (3) all of Killorn, Paquette, Cernak, Sergachev, and McElhinney are replaced by guys making $700k, Tampa comes out with $7.6M of cap space to sign Cirelli. That might get it done, but they would need to gut their roster in favor of fringe NHL players in order to make that happen. Cirelli is there for the taking at $7M over 6 years. It might be a little steep, but I would do this in a heartbeat.
Count Forwards Cap Hit Trade Protection 1 Kucherov 9,500,000 N 2 Stamkos 8,500,000 Y 3 Point 6,750,000 N 4 Palat 5,300,000 Y 5 Gourde 5,166,666 Y 6 Johnson 5,000,000 Y 7 Killorn Replaced 700,000 N 8 Coleman 1,800,000 N 9 Paquette Replaced 700,000 N 10 Goodrow 925,000 N 11 Verhaeghe 700,000 12 Cirelli
Defense 1 Hedman 7,875,000 Y 2 McDonagh 6,750,000 Y 3 Coburn 1,700,000 Y 4 Cernak Replaced 700,000 N 5 Foote 925,000 N 6 Sergachev Replaced 700,000 N
Goalies 1 Vaslilevskiy 9,500,000 N 2 McElhinney Replaced 700,000 N
Salary Cap 81,500,000 Total Cost 73,891,666 Cap Space 7,608,334
If I’m Sakic, I’d call BriseBois and let him know the team is exploring an offer sheet. Give him a chance to work out a trade instead. At the end of the day though, I would use the offer sheet if needed. The only thing that can save the Lightning are compliance buyouts. I really hope this doesn’t happen though, as it essentially penalizes teams that made good decisions and have no excessively shitty contracts. We’ll see though. This could be a game changer.
- Others – There are none. Get Cirelli! In all seriousness though, Mike Hoffman, Evgeni Dadonov, and Tyler Toffoli are a few of the UFAs available. Anthony Mantha, Dylan Strome, Ryan Strome, and a few others are RFAs that could be had, but I think any of these guys are less likely. It’s Hall or Cirelli in my mind. And if they can’t be had, then maybe just sign Wilson to a one year deal and revisit the options down the road.
The Trades
As previously mentioned, Kamenev and one of Zadorov and Graves are likely not part of the long-term puzzle. We have enough smoke to assume something between Colorado and Montreal could happen in the off season, and I think the Habs a team that could be interested in all of these guys. I’m assuming Zadorov and Kamenev are both in a Canadiens sweater by next season. In return, they send Chicago’s second round pick to the Avs. Bergevin has three picks in the second round, so I think he’d be pretty willing to part with one of them.
The other guy that may need to go is Cole. If the team lands Hall or Cirelli, they simply wouldn’t have the cap space to keep him without making a different move (e.g. trading Compher). They can, however, afford to retain some salary for the final year of his deal. I’m thinking maybe a team like the Bruins could be interested, as they might value the playoff experience Cole brings, especially if Chara finally retires. The return wouldn’t be anything to write home about, but maybe the Avs can get a third if they send Cole and a fifth (maybe even a fourth) to Boston..
The Draft
Assuming the team makes the moves outlined above, that gives the Avs a first, a second, and two thirds in the coming draft. This would be a big deal, as the talent pool is pretty deep. They should walk away with a couple more nice prospects to add to the pipeline. Guys I think might be around are Justin Barron (RD), Jacob Perreault (RW), Hendrix Lapierre (C), Ty Smilanic (C), Jean-Luc Foudy (C), and Dylan Holloway (LW). The more I look at the draft, the more guys I like too, so this is not a complete list.
The Team
That’s a ton of action, but it all culminates in the below. Note that moving on from Zadorov and Cole means Byram and Timmins are thrust into action. I think they’ll be ready, but it’s probably the most unnerving part of the lineup. Moving Compher would be a way to make Cole affordable, but I’m not sure that’s the best idea. I’m betting on the young studs and either keeping Barberio or signing someone similar as insurance.
| Salary Cap | 81,500,000 | ||||||
| Line/Pairing | Player | Position | Cap Hit | Shoots | Contract Through | Extensions | Notes |
| 1 | MacKinnon | C | 6,300,000 | Right | 2022/2023 | 2022/2023 | |
| 1 | Landeskog | LW | 5,571,429 | Left | 2020/2021 | 2020/2021 | |
| 1 | Rantanen | RW | 9,250,000 | Left | 2024/2025 | 2024/2025 | |
| 2 | Kadri | C | 4,500,000 | Left | 2021/2022 | 2021/2022 | |
| 2 | Donskoi | RW | 3,900,000 | Right | 2022/2023 | 2022/2023 | |
| 2 | Burakovsky | LW, RW | 4,850,000 | Right | 2019/2020 | 2024/2025 | Extended 5 years |
| 3 | Cirelli | LW | 7,000,000 | Left | 2026/2026 | 2026/2026 | Acquired via offer sheet |
| 3 | Jost | C, LW, RW | 1,450,000 | Left | 2019/2020 | 2021/2022 | Extended 2 years |
| 3 | Nichushkin | LW, RW | 3,250,000 | Left | 2019/2020 | 2024/2025 | Extended 5 years |
| 4 | Bellemare | C, LW | 1,800,000 | Left | 2020/2021 | 2020/2021 | |
| 4 | Calvert | LW, RW | 2,850,000 | ??? | 2020/2021 | 2020/2021 | |
| 4 | Compher | C, RW | 3,500,000 | Right | 2022/2023 | 2022/2023 | |
| N/A | O'Connor | RW | 750,000 | Right | 2019/2020 | 2021/2022 | Extended 2 years |
| N/A | ??? | ??? | 750,000 | ??? | 2021/2022 | 2021/2022 | Replaces Nieto |
| 1 | Graves | LD | 3,750,000 | Left | 2019/2020 | 2023/2024 | Extended 4 years |
| 1 | Makar | RD | 880,833 | Right | 2020/2021 | 2020/2021 | |
| 2 | Girard | LD | 5,000,000 | Left | 2026/2027 | 2026/2027 | |
| 2 | Johnson | RD | 6,000,000 | Right | 2022/2023 | 2022/2023 | |
| 3 | Byram | LD | 925,000 | Left | 2022/2023 | 2022/2023 | |
| 3 | Timmins | RD | 925,000 | Right | 2020/2021 | 2020/2021 | |
| N/A | ??? | ??? | 750,000 | ??? | 2020/2021 | 2020/2021 | Replaces Barberio |
| 1 | Grubauer | G | 3,333,333 | N/A | 2020/2021 | 2020/2021 | |
| 2 | Francouz | G | 2,000,000 | N/A | 2019/2020 | 2021/2022 |
| Total Cost | 79,285,595 |
| Dead Money | 1,500,000 |
| Cap Space | 714,405 |
| Landeskog | MacKinnon | Rantanen |
| Donskoi | Kadri | Burakovsky |
| Jost | Cirelli | Nichushkin |
| Calvert | Bellemare | Compher |
| Graves | Makar |
| Girard | Johnson |
| Byram | Timmins |
| Grubauer |
| Francouz |
The 2021 Off-Season
Expansion Draft
With a deep and talented team, this one should sting more than it did the last time. The team will lose a good player to Seattle, and there is no way around it. I’d be willing to discuss options with Ron Francis and give them a sweetener in return for them taking one of Compher and Donskoi. I like both players, but losing them is pretty palatable considering the depth of the prospect pool the team has.
I’m going to assume Seattle takes Donskoi and also gets a 2022 second for their trouble. The additional pick is essentially to keep them away from Johnson, who waives his NMC, and either Jost or Nichushkin (whichever is exposed). The same strategy holds if Graves is exposed (i.e. Johnson doesn't waive), but I did it this way for iluustration purposes.
The rest of my assumptions are as follows:
· Protected Forwards: MacKinnon, Rantanen, Landeskog, Kadri, Cirelli, Burakovsky, Jost
· Exposed Forwards: Nichushkin, Donskoi, Compher
· Protected Defensemen: Makar, Girard, Graves
· Exposed Defensemen: Johnson (waives NMC)
· Protected Goalie: Grubauer
· Exposed Goalie: Francouz
· Lost: Donskoi and a second in the 2022 draft
Other Actions
While Compher may have made it past the Seattle expansion draft, he doesn’t stick with the team. His $3.5M is just too much under my conservative assumptions for cap increases, and there are other players who are ready to step in. Maybe the cap goes up more than I’m predicting and they can keep him around, but he would be the first casualty of a cap crunch (in my opinion). There should be plenty of teams looking to replace a forward they lost in the expansion draft, so I would think Compher would be relatively easy to move if need be.
Combining the losses of Donskoi and Compher with the expiring Calvert and Bellemare contracts means the team has a number of spots to fill. Luckily they have a deep prospect pool, and plenty of guys should be ready to make the jump. Most noteworthy is Newhook, but Kaut, Bowers, and perhaps a guy like Perreault are also knocking on the door. I have Kovalenko filling the last slot this season, but you could pencil in Ranta, Beaucage, Mutala, etc. In short, there are options, and this is the year they may be needed.
Roster turnover aside, there are a number of players that need new contracts (Landeskog, Makar, Timmins, and Grubauer). I’m optimistic that these will get done and the numbers will be reasonable. There is a little wiggle room on these, but the days of having a bunch of cap space to play with are over.
The Team
Again, lots of action, but we are beginning to see things stabilize with the arrival of the team’s top prospects.
| Salary Cap | 83,500,000 | ||||||
| Line/Pairing | Player | Position | Cap Hit | Shoots | Contract Through | Extensions | Notes |
| 1 | MacKinnon | C | 6,300,000 | Right | 2022/2023 | 2022/2023 | |
| 1 | Landeskog | LW | 6,850,000 | Left | 2020/2021 | 2026/2027 | Extended 6 years |
| 1 | Rantanen | RW | 9,250,000 | Left | 2024/2025 | 2024/2025 | |
| 2 | Kadri | C | 4,500,000 | Left | 2021/2022 | 2021/2022 | |
| 2 | Newhook | C/LW | 925,000 | Left | 2023/2024 | 2023/2024 | Replaces Calvert |
| 2 | Burakovsky | LW, RW | 4,850,000 | Right | 2024/2025 | 2024/2025 | |
| 3 | Cirelli | LW | 7,000,000 | Left | 2026/2026 | 2026/2026 | |
| 3 | Jost | C, LW, RW | 1,450,000 | Left | 2021/2022 | 2021/2022 | |
| 3 | Nichushkin | LW, RW | 3,250,000 | Left | 2024/2025 | 2024/2025 | |
| 4 | Bowers | C | 925,000 | Left | 2021/2022 | 2021/2022 | Replaces Bellemare |
| 4 | Kaut | LW, RW | 925,000 | Right | 2022/2023 | 2022/2023 | Replaces Compher |
| 4 | Kovalenko | RW | 925,000 | Left | 2023/2024 | 2023/2024 | Replaces Donskoi |
| N/A | O'Connor | RW | 750,000 | Right | 2021/2022 | 2021/2022 | |
| N/A | ??? | ??? | 750,000 | ??? | 2021/2022 | 2021/2022 | |
| 1 | Girard | LD | 5,000,000 | Left | 2026/2027 | 2026/2027 | |
| 1 | Makar | RD | 8,500,000 | Right | 2020/2021 | 2028/2029 | Extended 8 years |
| 2 | Byram | LD | 925,000 | Left | 2022/2023 | 2022/2023 | |
| 2 | Timmins | RD | 2,400,000 | Right | 2020/2021 | 2023/2024 | Extended 3 years |
| 3 | Graves | LD | 3,750,000 | Left | 2023/2024 | 2023/2024 | |
| 3 | Johnson | RD | 6,000,000 | Right | 2022/2023 | 2022/2023 | |
| N/A | ??? | ??? | 750,000 | ??? | ??? | ??? | |
| 1 | Grubauer | G | 4,500,000 | N/A | 2020/2021 | 2023/2024 | Extended 3 years |
| 2 | Francouz | G | 2,000,000 | N/A | 2021/2022 | 2021/2022 |
| Total Cost | 82,475,000 |
| Dead Money | 0 |
| Cap Space | 1,025,000 |
| Landeskog | MacKinnon | Rantanen |
| Newhook | Kadri | Burakovsky |
| Jost | Cirelli | Nichushkin |
| Kaut | Bowers | Kovalenko |
| Girard | Makar |
| Byram | Timmins |
| Graves | Johnson |
| Grubauer |
| Francouz |
The 2022 Off-Season
The Arrivals
This year might be highlighted by the arrival of Annunen. While he will serve as the backup to Grubauer to begin with, the torch is clearly there for the taking. Obviously projecting the arrival of a goalie this far out is risky, but it just seems to make sense. Hopefully he continues the trend he’s currently on and can step in for Francouz, who hopefully finds a starting job, when the time comes.
I’m also hoping that the 2020 first round pick, whether it’s Perreault, Holloway, or someone else develops and is ready to make the jump. If not, there are plenty of options. The Avs should get a talented player in this draft though, so I’m optimistic that someone forces their way onto the roster.
Extending Free Agents
There are a few players who will need new contracts. Perhaps the most interesting will be Kadri, who will be 32 years old. Will the team want to extend him? If so, for how long? And what type of deal will he be looking for? They need to be careful here. Having Newhook, Cirelli, Jost, Bowers, and perhaps a Smilanic, Foudy, or Lapierre behind MacKinnon gives them a ton of depth down the middle, so losing Kadri would be something they can recover from. Hopefully they can get him on a reasonable deal though, as I think he still has a number of good years left in him.
Jost will also be interesting. Will he continue to perform like a bottom six player, or will that top six talent come out? If the latter, then his contract demands might have an effect on the team’s ability to keep Kadri. If the former, then maybe they keep both.
Bowers will also need a new contract, but I’m guessing this will be a bridge and get done pretty easily.
The Team
Pretty minimal roster turnover this year. There are a couple wrinkles though.
| Salary Cap | 88,500,000 | ||||||
| Line/Pairing | Player | Position | Cap Hit | Shoots | Contract Through | Extensions | Notes |
| 1 | MacKinnon | C | 6,300,000 | Right | 2022/2023 | 2022/2023 | |
| 1 | Landeskog | LW | 6,850,000 | Left | 2026/2027 | 2026/2027 | |
| 1 | Rantanen | RW | 9,250,000 | Left | 2024/2025 | 2024/2025 | |
| 2 | Kadri | C | 5,500,000 | Left | 2021/2022 | 2025/2026 | Extended 4 years |
| 2 | Newhook | C/LW | 925,000 | Left | 2023/2024 | 2023/2024 | |
| 2 | Burakovsky | LW, RW | 4,850,000 | Right | 2024/2025 | 2024/2025 | |
| 3 | Cirelli | LW | 7,000,000 | Left | 2026/2026 | 2026/2026 | |
| 3 | Jost | C, LW, RW | 3,500,000 | Left | 2021/2022 | 2026/2027 | Extended 5 years |
| 3 | Nichushkin | LW, RW | 3,250,000 | Left | 2024/2025 | 2024/2025 | |
| 4 | Bowers | C | 1,200,000 | Left | 2021/2022 | 2023/2024 | Extended 2 years |
| 4 | Kaut | RW | 925,000 | Right | 2022/2023 | 2022/2023 | |
| 4 | Perreault | RW | 925,000 | Right | 2023/2024 | 2023/2024 | Replaces Kovalenko |
| N/A | ??? | ??? | 750,000 | ??? | ??? | ??? | |
| N/A | ??? | ??? | 750,000 | ??? | ??? | ??? | |
| 1 | Girard | LD | 5,000,000 | Left | 2026/2027 | 2026/2027 | |
| 1 | Makar | RD | 8,850,000 | Right | 2028/2029 | 2028/2029 | |
| 2 | Byram | LD | 925,000 | Left | 2022/2023 | 2022/2023 | |
| 2 | Timmins | RD | 2,400,000 | Right | 2023/2024 | 2023/2024 | |
| 3 | Graves | LD | 3,750,000 | Left | 2023/2024 | 2023/2024 | |
| 3 | Johnson | RD | 6,000,000 | Right | 2022/2023 | 2022/2023 | |
| N/A | ??? | ??? | 750,000 | ??? | ??? | ??? | |
| 1 | Grubauer | G | 4,500,000 | N/A | 2023/2024 | 2023/2024 | |
| 2 | Annunen | G | 925,000 | N/A | 2023/2024 | 2023/2024 | Replaces Francouz |
| Total Cost | 85,075,000 |
| Dead Money | 0 |
| Cap Space | 3,425,000 |
| Landeskog | MacKinnon | Rantanen |
| Newhook | Kadri | Burakovsky |
| Jost | Cirelli | Nichushkin |
| Kaut | Bowers | Perreault |
| Girard | Makar |
| Byram | Timmins |
| Graves | Johnson |
| Grubauer |
| Annunen |
The 2023 Off-Season
Extending Free Agents
Here is where MacKinnon becomes filthy rich. He’s one of the best players in the world, and now finally he is paid as such. I’m assuming he comes through with that discount he has mentioned, which still results in a boatload of cash. The expiring Erik Johnson contract pays for it though, and the team is still cap compliant.
Byram will also get paid and become quite wealthy. Kaut will get a decent raise as well. If the can replace Johnson with Helleson or another player on a cheap contract though, then they should be just fine and hopefully have room for Newhook and others the following year.
The Team
Eventually someone will need to go in order to keep the team cap compliant. It’s not this year though, and the roster is still extremely strong.
| Salary Cap | 93,500,000 | ||||||
| Line/Pairing | Player | Position | Cap Hit | Shoots | Contract Through | Extensions | Notes |
| 1 | MacKinnon | C | 11,500,000 | Right | 2022/2023 | 2030/2031 | Extended 8 years |
| 1 | Landeskog | LW | 6,850,000 | Left | 2026/2027 | 2026/2027 | |
| 1 | Rantanen | RW | 9,250,000 | Left | 2024/2025 | 2024/2025 | |
| 2 | Kadri | C | 5,500,000 | Left | 2025/2026 | 2025/2026 | |
| 2 | Newhook | C/LW | 925,000 | Left | 2023/2024 | 2023/2024 | |
| 2 | Burakovsky | LW, RW | 4,850,000 | Right | 2024/2025 | 2024/2025 | |
| 3 | Cirelli | LW | 7,000,000 | Left | 2026/2026 | 2026/2026 | |
| 3 | Jost | C, LW, RW | 3,500,000 | Left | 2026/2027 | 2026/2027 | |
| 3 | Nichushkin | LW, RW | 3,250,000 | Left | 2024/2025 | 2024/2025 | |
| 4 | Bowers | C | 1,200,000 | Left | 2023/2024 | 2023/2024 | |
| 4 | Kaut | RW | 1,650,000 | Right | 2022/2023 | 2024/2025 | Extended 2 years |
| 4 | Perreault | RW | 925,000 | Right | 2023/2024 | 2023/2024 | |
| N/A | ??? | ??? | 750,000 | ??? | ??? | ??? | |
| N/A | ??? | ??? | 750,000 | ??? | ??? | ??? | |
| 1 | Girard | LD | 5,000,000 | Left | 2026/2027 | 2026/2027 | |
| 1 | Makar | RD | 8,850,000 | Right | 2028/2029 | 2028/2029 | |
| 2 | Byram | LD | 7,500,000 | Left | 2022/2023 | 2028/2029 | Extended 6 years |
| 2 | Timmins | RD | 2,400,000 | Right | 2023/2024 | 2023/2024 | |
| 3 | Graves | LD | 3,750,000 | Left | 2023/2024 | 2023/2024 | |
| 3 | Helleson | RD | 925,000 | Right | 2024/2025 | 2024/2025 | Replaces Johnson |
| N/A | ??? | ??? | 750,000 | ??? | ??? | ??? | |
| 1 | Grubauer | G | 4,500,000 | N/A | 2023/2024 | 2023/2024 | |
| 2 | Annunen | G | 925,000 | N/A | 2023/2024 | 2023/2024 |
| Total Cost | 92,500,000 |
| Dead Money | 0 |
| Cap Space | 1,000,000 |
| Landeskog | MacKinnon | Rantanen |
| Newhook | Kadri | Burakovsky |
| Jost | Cirelli | Nichushkin |
| Kaut | Bowers | Perreault |
| Girard | Makar |
| Byram | Timmins |
| Graves | Helleson |
| Grubauer |
| Annunen |
Beyond 2023
There is no reason why the window needs to end here. It’s going to get tougher with guys like Kadri and Landeskog getting older, but hopefully the younger players can step up and ease their load by gradually taking on more minutes. I think it’s a healthy mix of youth and experience that can continue for quite a while. Eventually MacKinnon won’t be the guy he is now, and that sucks to think about. You can’t just replace a guy like that. What you can do is build around him and give him as many chances to lead the team to the Cup as possible. It’s hard to look at this team on paper and think they don’t have a really good chance at one or more Cups during the remainder of his career. To me, it all starts now with the current off season. Load up on picks to the extent possible and get a Hall or Cirelli, with the latter being my preference. It will pay dividends.
