The NHL summer trading season got off to an uncharacteristically early start, as the Vancouver Canucks traded forward Jared McCann and a 2nd and 4th round picks to the Florida Panthers for defenseman Erik Gudbranson and a 5th round pick on Wednesday and the San Jose Sharks swapped prospect Dylan Sadowy to the Detroit Red Wings for a 2017 third round pick.
The pair of deals are indicative of teams looking to get a jump on the off-season maneuvering. According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, the Panthers needed to move Gudbranson's $3.5 Million salary to create some cap flexibility to sign forward Vincent Trocheck to a contract extension.
The Sharks moved the 20-year-old Sadowy (a 2014 draft pick) prior to the June 1st deadline for unsigned draft picks to recoup a third rounder.
The Maple Leafs may be another club itching to get things done early and could potentially make a pre-emptive move to clear a salary like center Tyler Bozak with Auston Matthews their likely top selection at the NHL Draft.
Bozak has two years remaining on his current contract and could be a good fit for a club looking for a second-or-third line center with the cost certainty of his $4.2 Million cap hit, while at the same time clearing cap space to potentially sign Tampa center Steven Stamkos on July 1.
With the Lightning eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, the picture of whether the 26-year-old Markham, ON native's representatives and GM Steve Yzerman can reach an agreement on a contract extension should become clearer.
Tampa has exclusive rights with Stamkos until June 26th, when the five-day negotiating window prior to free agency begins, but there are many who believe that he will not return to Florida if he is not signed before the NHL Draft in Buffalo.
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The Penguins win slightly clarifies the positioning of the Leafs second first-round pick obtained in the Phil Kessel deal last July. If the San Jose Sharks win the Stanley Cup, the Pittsburgh pick will be 29th overall. If the Pens are victorious, the Leafs will have the top pick and the final pick on the first round on Friday, June 24 and the first pick on the second day of the draft.
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Mitch Marner and the London Knights will play in the Memorial Cup Final against either Red Deer or Rouyn-Noranda on Sunday and the Maple Leafs 2015 top pick may attain a pair of impressive milestones.
The Knights forward has 13 points (2 goals, 11 assists) in three games and is four points from achieving the Memorial Cup record for most points. Marner also could be the first player since 2005 (Corey Perry) to win the the OHL's Most Outstanding Player, playoff MVP and the Memorial Cup MVP in the same season.
In spite of all those accolades, there is still a realistic chance that the Thornhill, ON native could end up back in the OHL next season.
Due to the agreement between the CHL and NHL, the 19-year-old Marner cannot play in the American Hockey League and can only play for the Leafs or London next year, while European prospects like William Nylander and Kasperi Kapanen were able to play in the AHL at 18 years old.
"My view of it is when hockey people get together in an unemotional environment, without specific examples, they say the best thing to do is play in the CHL or NHL," CHL Commissioner David Branch said in an interview with
Kyle Cicerella of Canadian Press . "That's not something we push at (NHL clubs), that's what hockey people have collectively agreed to. I still feel that the best place to play as a teenager is the Canadian Hockey League."
Many believe that Marner will have nothing left to prove in the OHL next season, but returning him to the Knights will be the only option if Leafs coach Mike Babcock determines that he is not ready to handle the physical rigors of the NHL.
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