In today’s NHL Rumor Mill, we look at the latest on the Avalanche and Senators, plus an update on Matthew Knies’s status as a trade candidate.
THE DENVER POST: Corey Masisak recently looked at the offseason decisions facing the Colorado Avalanche with the salary cap for next season set at $104 million.
The good news is that most of their core players are under contract for next season. They have 17 active roster players signed through 2026-27. The bad news is they have less than $3 million in salary cap space, with four players eligible to become unrestricted free agents (including Brent Burns and Brent Kulak) and two players (including Jack Drury) becoming restricted free agents.
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (NHL Images)
Masisak wondered what kind of megadeal Cale Makar will get to re-sign with the Avalanche. The 27-year-old superstar defenseman is a year away from UFA status. He can sign an extension as early as July 1, which would go into effect next July.
Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov set a new standard with his contract extension that will pay him $17 million annually starting on July 1. Makar or Minnesota’s Quinn Hughes could exceed that on their next contracts.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The maximum individual salary for next season is $20.8 million. It wouldn’t be shocking if Makar (and Hughes) end up earning $20 million annually on their next contracts, either with their current clubs or elsewhere next summer as UFAs.
Masisak believes if the 42-year-old Burns wants to return, it’ll have to be on another one-year, $1 million contract. Kulak will have to accept a cap hit lower than his current $2.75 million to stay with the Avalanche after this season. Meanwhile, Drury has become a solid No. 4 center for the Avs. He has arbitration rights this summer, but he didn’t have great numbers this year. If the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup, Drury is the type of player who would be in demand in the trade market.
Ross Colton could become a trade candidate if the Avalanche needs to shed some salary to re-sign other players. He’s struggled offensively the past two seasons and began this postseason as a healthy scratch. Colton has a year left on his contract with a cap hit of $4 million.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Colton is the most obvious trade candidate, but his 12-team no-trade list gives him some measure of control over where he could go.
OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch recently compiled a “to-do list” for Senators general manager Steve Staios.
Topping the list is the Senators’ need for a 30-goal right winger with speed on center Tim Stutzle’s line. According to Garrioch, league sources claim St. Louis Blues winger Jordan Kyrou is available, but the asking price could be a high-end player, a prospect, and a first-round draft pick.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kyrou also has a full no-trade clause and could be unwilling to waive it. If he is open to a trade, it might not be to the Senators.
Garrioch also mentioned that there’s talk that the Seattle Kraken might move winger Jared McCann, but his production has declined.
The Senators also hope to add a big defenseman who can play big minutes. They could attempt to address that issue from within with promising blueliner Carter Yakemchuk. He doesn’t see them winning a bidding war for Darren Raddysh if the Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman hits the open market on July 1.
Garrioch indicated the Senators kicked tires on Blues rearguard Colton Parayko, who refused to waive his no-movement clause to go to the Buffalo Sabres. With the Blues in rebuild mode, Garrioch wondered if he might be open to a trade this summer.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Parayko has a full no-trade, not a full no-move clause. Regardless, he seemed determined to stay in St. Louis. The Blues are retooling more than rebuilding and could rebound next season. If he is willing to accept a trade, there’s no certainty he’ll join the Senators, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
The Senators reportedly pushed hard to acquire Rasmus Ristolainen from the Philadelphia Flyers, but couldn’t get it done before the trade deadline.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ristolainen’s solid play with the Flyers this season could ensure he stays with them for at least the final season of his current contract.
Garrioch believes the Senators must also find a reliable backup for starter Linus Ullmark. He suggested keeping an eye on pending UFA goalie Stuart Skinner, who isn’t expected to be back with the Pittsburgh Penguins next summer.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Skinner will likely want to sign with a club where he’ll have the chance to be the starting goalie. He won’t get that opportunity in Ottawa with Ullmark already filling that role.
AN UPDATE ON MATTHEW KNIES
SPORTSNET: Luke Fox was asked about the possibility of the Toronto Maple Leafs trading Matthew Knies with John Chayka as their general manager.
Knies has been the subject of trade speculation since the March deadline, but he doesn’t seem like he wants out of Toronto. Meanwhile, Chayka doesn’t sound like he’s keen to move Knies, having had his eye on the power forward since his days with the Junior Coyotes.
Chayka told Fox that he considers Knies to be a “really unique player”, adding that it would be hard-pressed to do better than Knies if you’re trying to improve the team.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The change in Leafs management makes it less likely that Knies will be available in this summer’s trade market. One can’t rule out the possibility that they get an irresistible offer, but it appears that Chayka sees him as a key part of the Leafs’ lineup.