When the NHL season was paused back in March, one of the main concerns from both the league and its teams was the revenue streaming, and with that, a potential lack of funding towards the salary cap. In order for the season to come back, the NHL and the NHLPA agreed to a four-year extension to the Collective Bargaining Agreement alongside a Return to Play Plan, including a change to the salary cap projections for the next few years, with the main aspect being that the NHL will feature a flat salary cap for the 2020-21 season.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding, effective July 10, 2020, “Upper Limit will remain at $81.5 Million until Preliminary HRR for the just completed League Year surpasses $3.3 Billion.”, which means that the upper limit will stay constant until the hockey-related revenue for a league year surpasses $3.3 billion. This does not go for the 2020-21 season, as the cap has been set with no change.

Due to the flat salary cap the NHL put in place, many teams will have to make savvy moves, and in this article, we will talk about five of those teams.

Note: All salary figures in this article are the values listed on capfriendly.com as of September 22nd, 2020.

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are in one of the more interesting cap crunches in the league, as all three of their significant free agents are restricted. Forward Mathew Barzal and defensemen Devon Toews and Ryan Pulock all have expiring contracts, and re-signing them will likely be priorities for the Islanders. Alongside them, the Islanders have a handful of unrestricted free agents (UFAs). There is a high chance that UFAs Derick Brassard, Tom Kuhnhackl, and Andy Greene may have played their final games as an Islander. Matt Martin, a fan favorite and part of the noted “identity line”, with Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck, is also expiring this offseason. The final UFA this offseason for the Islanders is Thomas Greiss, and his agent, Ray Petkau, spoke to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, stating that Greiss is likely going to hit the open market.

Due to the flat salary cap the NHL installed, the Islanders are slated to enter the offseason with approximately $8.9 million in cap space. There are, however, some players that could be on the move. One name that has been spoken about countless times is Nick Leddy, who is under contract for another two seasons at $5.5 million. Leddy is likely the Islanders’ most moveable asset, and there are internal replacements for him, such as Noah Dobson, who, due to the defensive depth, did not get as much of a run in the lineup as many expected him to. Other players that could be mentioned in a trade or buyout talks this offseason are Johnny Boychuk, Andrew Ladd, Thomas Hickey and Leo Komarov, but some more than others. Ladd’s name, in particular, gets brought up prominently in the fabled Zach Parise trade talks with the Minnesota Wild, which could be revisited despite many pros and cons to the move.

There also needs to be a third and final piece accounted for in this, and that is that some players that have higher cap hits may not be tradeable on their own. Salary retention and addition of other assets in deals would likely be necessary, as teams may not be willing to take on a “negative value” player without more involved. Despite the lack of a pick in the top-two rounds this season, and no second-round pick next season, the Islanders could use future picks or younger players that may not fit in the club’s future plans. If necessary, players such as Ruslan Iskhakov, Bode Wilde and Sebastian Aho could be brought up. No matter what, General Manager Lou Lamoriello has work to do this offseason.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a step ahead of the other four teams mentioned in this article, as they have already engaged in trade talks this offseason, making a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins. In that deal, the Leafs traded Kasperi Kapanen to the Penguins for a package that included the 15th overall pick, forward Evan Rodrigues, and up-and-coming prospect Filip Hallander. There is a high chance that the Leafs are not done making moves this offseason. Forwards Ilya Mikheyev, Denis Malgin, Evan Rodrigues and Frederik Gauthier, alongside defenseman Travis Dermott, are all restricted free agents. Forwards Kyle Clifford and Jason Spezza, and defensemen Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci, are unrestricted free agents.

The Leafs are projected to have about $6.1 million available headed into the offseason. For the RFAs, Mikheyev, Malgin, and Dermott are likely to re-sign with the Leafs, while Rodrigues and Gauthier could potentially test the open market as the Leafs could non-tender them. When it comes to the UFAs, there is a high chance that three, if not all, of the four, do not return to the Leafs. Clifford’s agent, Todd Reynolds, told Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun that his client will be testing the waters in free agency, and it is very unlikely either one of Barrie or Ceci return to the Leafs. The only one that people think could return is Spezza, as the 37-year-old succeeded in the Leafs’ bottom-six this year, and would not cost them much.

The Leafs do not have as many assets as the Islanders do when it comes to players that can be moved. The first, and most likely candidate to be moved, is forward Andreas Johnsson. Johnsson suffered a knee injury in February that required surgery, and he ended up playing in one playoff game this year, Game 5 of the Leafs’ defeat to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. He is on the books for another three seasons at $3.4 million, and his name has been floated around since the Leafs were eliminated. Another potential option for them to move is forward Alexander Kerfoot, a much more unlikely candidate. The Leafs have replacements within to fill these spots, as players such as Nicholas Robertson and Adam Brooks can serve in bottom-six roles next year.

Finally, goaltender Frederik Andersen has had success with the Leafs in the regular season but has had to take the majority of the workload due to the poor play of his counterparts in net prior to the addition of Jack Campbell. Andersen has also had to deal with a struggling defense in front of him during his tenure with the Leafs during both the regular season and in the playoffs. Some people in the NHL believe that the Leafs need a change in net, and if Andersen is dealt, that will show that General Manager Kyle Dubas is willing to make moves this offseason.

Vegas Golden Knights

The third team that has to deal with some issues this offseason is the Vegas Golden Knights. The past few seasons, Vegas has been one of the best teams in hockey, as well as one of the most talked-about destinations for some of the league’s best free agents. This offseason will not be any different, as players such as Alex Pietrangelo have already been talked about as top targets for the Golden Knights. The problem for Vegas is that, for the second-straight offseason, they are sitting near the cap ceiling, with about $5 million to spend. This season, though, it’s even more difficult with the flat salary cap the NHL put in place.

When it comes to Vegas, they are not as loaded in the number of free agents, but they have one in particular that stands out. Their restricted free agents are forwards Nick Cousins and Chandler Stephenson, while in the unrestricted free agent department, forward Tomas Nosek, defensemen Jon Merrill and Deryk Engelland, and goaltender Robin Lehner all have expiring contracts. Cousins is a non-tender candidate, while Merrill, Nosek, and Engelland are lesser priorities but could be brought back. Stephenson is likely to receive a contract offer as he played well after his acquisition from the Washington Capitals. Lehner is the most important name out of the bunch, as the Trade Deadline acquisition was lights out during the end of the regular season, and the majority of the playoffs for the Golden Knights, who were defeated by the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals.

When it comes to players that could potentially be moved, there are two that get brought up more than the others: goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and forward Paul Stastny. Fleury, the team’s first starting goalie, seems to be on the outskirts since Lehner arrived, and despite his large contract at $7 million the next two seasons, could be an attractive option for a team in need of a starting goalie. Stastny served as the Knights’ second-line center this year and was very productive, but with Vegas’ depth, they would be able to replace Stastny from within with someone such as Cody Glass. Either way, General Manager Kelly McCrimmon will be busy.

Arizona Coyotes

The Arizona Coyotes are in an interesting situation. After former General Manager John Chayka quit in late July, they implemented Steve Sullivan as the interim General Manager while headed to the Edmonton bubble for the playoffs. Since then, they were eliminated, were punished for violating combine testing protocols, and then they went out and hired Bill Armstrong, the Assistant General Manager and Director of Amateur Scouting of the St. Louis Blues, to be their General Manager, with the condition that he is not allowed to participate in the Coyotes’ actions at the 2020 NHL Draft. This past Tuesday, Armstrong fired Lindsay Hofford, the Assistant General Manager and Director of Scouting.

Armstrong is nowhere close to finished for the offseason, as the Coyotes have one of the more confusing cap crunches in the league, and are seriously affected by the flat salary cap the NHL has put in place. Forwards Vinnie Hinostroza and Christian Fischer, and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin are all restricted free agents, while forwards Brad Richardson, Taylor Hall, and Carl Soderberg, are unrestricted free agents. All three RFA’s are likely returnees, but the three UFA’s are in a much tougher spot with the possibility of returning. The player with the least likely chance to return is Hall, who was acquired with the perception of him being a rental. With a minuscule $1.1 million to spend heading into the offseason, moves will have to be made.

Five names that will be thrown around this offseason for the Coyotes are goaltender Darcy Kuemper, defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson, and forwards Derek Stepan, Michael Grabner and Phil Kessel. Kuemper has become one of the league’s best at his position, and he’s only getting better at 30-years-old. At two more years with a salary of $4.5 million, he has been floated around in trade talks since the offseason began, primarily due to the ability for the Coyotes to move one of their two goaltenders, and that despite both being well-equipped for the starter’s role, Kuemper could recoup more assets in return. The name that sticks out here is Phil Kessel. Kessel was acquired last offseason from the Pittsburgh Penguins and had a rough year in Arizona. At two more years and $6.8 million, the Coyotes may have to retain a small portion of his salary if a deal happens. No matter what, the Coyotes’ will have an interesting offseason ahead of them.

Tampa Bay Lightning

When talking about teams that always seem to be in a cap crunch, the Tampa Bay Lightning are at the top. The Eastern Conference’s representatives in the Stanley Cup Final will have a shorter break between the playoffs and the draft than 29 other teams, as the Dallas Stars’ offseason will begin exactly when the Lightning’s does. There will be some cap issues this offseason in Tampa, just a year after they traded J.T. Miller to the Vancouver Canucks on day two of the 2019 NHL Draft, and they will likely have to make a deal that models the Miller trade this offseason.

Defensemen Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak, and forwards Mitchell Stephens, Carter Verhaeghe, and Anthony Cirelli are all restricted free agents. Forward Patrick Maroon, and defensemen Jan Rutta, Luke Schenn, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Zach Bogosian are unrestricted free agents. That has to be the heftiest list that has been brought up, as three names stick out as RFA’s. Sergachev is one of the best young defensemen in the game, and the Lightning would be lucky if he took a team-friendly bridge contract this offseason. Cernak shouldn’t be overlooked, either. He is one of the top shutdown defensemen in the league, and will not ask for as much as Sergachev, but will ask for a pay raise. Cirelli, the fourth-place finisher in the Frank J. Selke Trophy voting this year, has become a star in the league the past two years, and will certainly ask for the contract he deserves.

Two names that could come up in trade talks this offseason are forwards Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson. Both Palat and Johnson are in the midst of their eighth NHL season, all of which with the Tampa Bay Lightning. They have been consistent point producers and have shown up in the big moments. Palat is under contract for another two seasons at $5.3 million, while Johnson has four more years at $5 million. Johnson is much more likely to be moved, albeit at a smaller price tag that Palat or Miller was last offseason. If the Lightning want to bring back all three of their main RFA’s and do more this offseason, General Manager Julien BriseBois has some work to do due to the flat salary cap the NHL agreed upon.

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