There have been some very bold moves so far this offseason in the National Hockey League as some teams are in sell mode and others are preparing their fleet for another lengthy playoff run. Massive contracts have been given to secure top notch players who deserve the big pay day. With the salary cap rising each year, the deals seem to be more ludicrous each season that passes. Some teams will barely hit the salary cap floor and others will have to sell off assets they don’t want to keep. The NHL these days is all about salary cap management and growing a solid core to build around.
Teams like Chicago have an excellent core as we all know. They seem to have a group that can win, and add depth accordingly that continues to produce and contribute when needed. Two of my top ten impact players were moved from the Blackhawks roster and hope to succeed in their new habitat.
In no particular order I will list each player and go into depth on their contract, possible line mates, and their potential output for fantasy in the upcoming 2015/16 season.
Cam Talbot:
The Oilers had their targets set on Cam Talbot and paid quite handsomely for the goaltender. The end cost was a second and third round pick with each club exchanging their seventh round pick. The Oilers gave up picks 57, 79 and 184 and in return will receive pick 209.
As of now Talbot has a one-year contract that cannot be extended until January 1, 2016. At this point both he and his agent will have a good idea of what type of contract they will be in for with Edmonton.
Ultimately Edmonton’s goal was to upgrade between the pipes and they did so with the best option this summer, Cam Talbot. He finished last season with a .926 save percentage in 36 games. Talbot has 57 NHL games under his belt and will have to be on his game all season if he wants to continue to put up solid numbers like he did in New York. The Rangers defense and experience is much more competent than the Oilers system. Talbot will surely be an upgrade, but will without a doubt have his work cut out for him considering Edmonton was dead last in the league in goals against the past two seasons.
Personally I don’t see Talbot keeping those numbers he put up in New York, but I do think he will help get the Oilers back on track and out of the gutter. I would expect around a .915 save percentage and around 2.50 goals against average for the 28 year old net minder. Expect Cam Talbot to be the starter for the Oilers and hopefully double his number of games played this season with 57 starts or so. If Edmonton has any chance of making the playoffs it’s because they ride a red hot Talbot.
Phil Kessel:
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been in the seller’s market all Spring/Summer, and every General Manager in the league knows it. Did this hurt the return for sniper Phil Kessel? Perhaps a bit, but that seems to be fine by most Leafs fans as they are ready to embark on a full rebuild. Phil Kessel doesn’t is a perimeter player who can put the puck in the net, he creates a lot of offensive chances. He’s coming off a disappointing season in Toronto, but will likely have a career year next season with Malkin and or Crosby.
Kessel went from playing with Tyler Bozak who is likely one of the worst “first line… centers in the league, to playing with Crosby or Malkin, who are two of the best centers in the world. Regardless as to whom he plays with on what line when at even strength, you will see Kessel on the power play with both Malkin and Crosby.
Phil will have seven years left on his contract with the Penguins. He is quite the steal with a 6.8 million dollar cap hit, as Toronto eats 1.2 million each year for the next seven. As long as Phil continues to stay healthy and put the puck in the net, Pittsburgh fans will be more than happy with this deal; especially considering the cap only goes up.
Any combination of Kessel, Malkin, Crosby, Hornqvist, Kunitz, Perron, or Dupuis will work. There may be an odd man out, which would likely be Kunitz or Perron, but time will tell who falls to the third line. The Penguins have been ravaged with injuries over the last few years, so anything is possible. My best guess for lines would be something like this:
Dupuis-Crosby-Kessel Kunitz-Malkin-Hornqvist
The power play could look something like this:
Letang and Malkin on the point Kessel-Crosby-Hornqvist
I don’t think there is another power play in the league that could top this one. I predict Phil to pass the 40 goal mark, with around 50 assists. He will likely go within the first two rounds in just about any fantasy draft.
Patrick Sharp:
If there is one thing Patrick Sharp brings to the table other than his skills; it’s success. Sharp has been a part of three Stanley Cup championship teams. Dallas, who traded for Patrick are hoping he can bring the winning ways back to Dallas and raise his fourth Cup. Dallas has made three bold trades recently bringing in Seguin and Spezza, now Sharp.
Depending how the Stars want to set up their lines, Sharp will be slotted into the top 6 without question and will likely have Spezza or Seguin centering his line. One of the best players in the league Jamie Benn will possibly be on his off-wing. Whichever combination you use with these four, it will produce a lot of points.
Benn-Seguin-Sharp
The Stars will have an elite power play again this season with the addition of Sharp. They should have a good chance of making the playoffs this season with the addition of Niemi; he and Lehtonen who struggled last season will push each other for starts. Sharp missed 14 games last season and put up 43 points in 68 games; which is not bad production considering it wasn’t the most offensive year for the NHL. I expect Sharp to put up a 30 goal campaign next season if he is playing with Seguin and Benn; 30 goals and 40 assists for a 70 point season.
The trade was somewhat baffling to me as I felt Chicago gave up Sharp for a mediocre return. That happens when your team is so tight to the cap and you have to shed salary; your hands are tied. Patrick Sharp and Stephen Johns were traded to the Dallas Stars for defenseman Trevor Daley and left winger Ryan Garbutt. The Stars will pay 900 thousand of Garbutt’s salary each of the next two years to help Chicago with their cap issues.
Mike Green:
There was a time when Mike Green was one of the most productive offensive defensemen in the game. A few injuries have set him back and his game isn’t as physical or offensive since. A right handed defender with some offensive upside is exactly what the Detroit Red Wings were after this offseason. Green fits well with the Wings and should certainly get a lot of power play time on the point. Mike has had the luxury of playing on the power play for Washington for years with Ovechkin and Backstrom’s output; he tallied a lot of points over the years.
Green produced 10 goals and 35 assists for Washington last year in 72 games. In the last three seasons he’s missed on average about 10 games per, which isn’t too bad since he missed a lot of time the two previous years before that with concussion issues. Without a doubt he will get back on track with Detroit as long as he stays healthy, I could see an increase in points from last season and Green reaching the 50 points barrier in the red and white.
The three year deal will begin in October as Mike Green begins his 18 million dollar deal and we shall see if Jeff Blashill can keep the Wings playoff streak alive. Holland is not one to make a lot of high risk trades or UFA signings, but he did well this off season with the addition of Green and Brad Richards. Green will turn 30 years of age at the beginning of the season and will likely be on the second pairing 5 on 5 and get a lot of minutes on the power play where he thrives.
Kronwall-Ericsson Dekeyser-Green
The first power play will likely consist of:
Kronwall-Green Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Abdelkader
Carl Soderberg:
Many people are unaware that Soderberg is already 29 years old and will be 30 in October. He spent many years in Sweden solidifying his game before he made the big jump to the NHL. With only two years of NHL experience Sodeberg signed a five year contract with the Colorado Avalanche making 23.75 million.
Soderberg was moved around Boston’s lineup last season as they were struggling with injuries all season. Unless Colorado plans to move MacKinnon back to center, I would imagine Soderberg centers the second line for the Avalanche. He will likely get some powerplay time, but my guess is he would be on the second pairing; we shall see how it all shakes out since Colorado has a lot of fire power up front.
Boston’s hands were tied as they too were facing salary problems and unloaded the 29 year old Soderberg to Colorado for a sixth round pick in 2016. Carl produced 29 goals and 63 assists in his two years playing for the Bruins. This is another case of poor cap management; and Boston unloading another player with value for a minimal return.
The lines I foresee in Colorado this season:
Landeskog-Duchene-MacKinnon Tanguay-Soderberg-Iginla
I would imagine they would be the same or similar for Colorado’s power play; pending if Blake Comeau can make an impact on the Avalanche. Soderberg should be able to produce 50-55 points for the Avalanche in his new role as it looks like he will have an increased role with more ice time.
Be sure to keep an eye out for part two as Saad, Oshie, O’Reilly and Lucic are the remaining five impact players to discuss.
Thanks for reading!