2026-27 NHL discussion thread

[GHT120]

3 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Talk about a crossroads for Detroit

 

The next GM and the Larkin trade/reconciliation are going to crush them or surge them 

 

Watching curiously 

 

Maybe Larkin becomes the first GM/Player in NHL history

[Prime Minister Koivu]

14 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

 

With Hage and Zharovsky coming next year where does Mantha fit?  He isn't useful a Bottom 6 player.

I think Zharovsky has 2 years in KHL and I’m not so sure we see Hage next year either - one more year in college 🤷‍♂️

 

Mantha wasn’t the ideal fit for us but he could have filled a gap

 

I still think Hughes is after a much bigger  catch this summer

[DON]

9 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

I think Zharovsky has 2 years in KHL and I’m not so sure we see Hage next year either - one more year in college 🤷‍♂️

Hage likely available when Michigan season over.

And if Zharovski has solid year in KHL, he will likely be coming earlier than 2 years, wont he?

[GHT120]

20 minutes ago, DON said:

Hage likely available when Michigan season over.

And if Zharovski has solid year in KHL, he will likely be coming earlier than 2 years, wont he?

 

Did Zharovsky not recently sign his entry level contract and this year is playing on loan to the KHL not under a KHL copntract?
In theory they could recall him any time but the consensus seemed to be that the release from his 26/27 KHL contract to allow him to sign that ELC was tied to him playing out the KHL season "on loan", or at least if/until the team is eliminated from playoff contention/the playoffs.

[dlbalr]

12 hours ago, GHT120 said:

Did Zharovsky not recently sign his entry level contract and this year is playing on loan to the KHL not under a KHL copntract?
In theory they could recall him any time but the consensus seemed to be that the release from his 26/27 KHL contract to allow him to sign that ELC was tied to him playing out the KHL season "on loan", or at least if/until the team is eliminated from playoff contention/the playoffs.

 

That was Konyushkov, not Zharovsky.  Zharovsky is still on a KHL contract.

[GHT120]

6 hours ago, dlbalr said:

That was Konyushkov, not Zharovsky.  Zharovsky is still on a KHL contract.

[DON]

$15m/yr for Bedard.

 

Blackhawks Re-Sign Connor Bedard – Pro Hockey Rumors

 

More notably, this contract also seemingly sets the window for the Blackhawks to get themselves back into contention.  Bedard is now set to become eligible to test the open market as a 26-year-old, where he should be in the prime of his career while setting himself up for a more lucrative payday at that time. 

[DON]

PHR Mailbag: Yzerman, Bourque, Robertson, Larkin, Jets, Korczak, Carlsson – Pro Hockey Rumors

 

...

MoneyBallJustWorks: What are you planning to be doing in 2030 when the next lockout hits because the Carlsson deal is going to set off a storm that will break owners.

 

Call me an optimist (which isn’t the case very often) but I don’t think the Leo Carlsson contract is a lockout-causer down the road.  Yes, it was a whopping overpayment that will have ramifications but the overpayments were coming either way.  This contract is good news for Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard who probably get a bit more now but those ones were going to be the precedent-setters that really reflect where the league is going money-wise.

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

4 hours ago, DON said:

...

MoneyBallJustWorks: What are you planning to be doing in 2030 when the next lockout hits because the Carlsson deal is going to set off a storm that will break owners.

 

Call me an optimist (which isn’t the case very often) but I don’t think the Leo Carlsson contract is a lockout-causer down the road.  Yes, it was a whopping overpayment that will have ramifications but the overpayments were coming either way.  This contract is good news for Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard who probably get a bit more now but those ones were going to be the precedent-setters that really reflect where the league is going money-wise.

 

I agree. Carlsson was in a unique position, a stud 21 year old RFA whose GM tired to play hard ball and made a huge strategic error. It doesn't mean other players can expect the same thing. 

[DON]

More examples why i couldnt care less what the cap is or how much it increases or not. 

2026 NHL offseason trends: Trades, RFA market, contracts and cap implications - The Athletic

 

This summer, though, Šimon Nemec, Pavel Mintyukov and Brandt Clarke have reset the market for non-star defensemen on second contracts. None of them are proven top-pair defenders yet — they all averaged less than 19 minutes per game over their ELCs, and Nemec and Mintyukov, in particular, also have very rough defensive metrics — yet they signed lucrative deals that simply wouldn’t have been possible three to five years ago.

[DON]

Nice to see prospects writer highlight where they went wrong, like Wright.

NHL prospects I was wrong about: Shane Wright, Easton Cowan, Beckett Sennecke - The Athletic

 

... He has become a good player, but he may not reach the 30-goal, 70-point ceiling I set for him at the end of my report that year, and Cooley and Slafkovský are already there while he’s in trade rumors. They had the defining attributes you couldn’t find in Wright (Cooley’s skating, pace and puck game, and Slafkovský’s sheer size and puck protection), too.

I think there was a missing je ne sais quoi in Wright as well. I’ll never forget the combine that year, where Slafkovský walked around the hotel in Buffalo like he owned the place and Wright looked like he was forcing it, trying to defend the status he once held. There is something to that — the aura — with the truly world-class athletes.

 

[GHT120]

 

 

[GHT120]

 

 

[Prime Minister Koivu]

Kane would have been an ok stop gap

 

I'm still hopeful that Hughes gets something done before season start but odds are that we start with what we got

[Commandant]

47 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Kane would have been an ok stop gap

 

I'm still hopeful that Hughes gets something done before season start but odds are that we start with what we got

 

I have no interest in Kane at 2 years, 8 million AAV.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

13 minutes ago, Commandant said:

 

I have no interest in Kane at 2 years, 8 million AAV.

Not the ideal fit but you don’t think he would have helped at 2C for two years?

 

I need to prepare my heart that Hughes does nothing this summer - because nothing was available 

[DON]

Kane isnt a centre, if that is what you mean?

[dlbalr]

44 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Not the ideal fit but you don’t think he would have helped at 2C for two years?

 

I need to prepare my heart that Hughes does nothing this summer - because nothing was available 

 

If you're committing $8M per season for two years, it can't be for a player who isn't an ideal fit.  That's a price tag that would put the Habs over the cap once Bolduc/Xhekaj re-sign, forcing them to sell under some duress.  They're only doing that for the right fit.

[Commandant]

58 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Not the ideal fit but you don’t think he would have helped at 2C for two years?

 

I need to prepare my heart that Hughes does nothing this summer - because nothing was available 

 

Considering hes never been a Centre in his entire NHL career, no he wouldnt have helped at 2C.

 

And id rather save the money for in season trades (and we dont have 8m to begin with so it would also meaning dumping someone).

[Prime Minister Koivu]

Fair enough folks 8 million is a lot

 

I didn’t mean Kane as 2C just that he kicks that can down the road

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

4 hours ago, Commandant said:

 

And id rather save the money for in season trades (and we dont have 8m to begin with so it would also meaning dumping someone).

 

Exactly, there are better ways to spend 8M/year. Habs would have no financial flexibility for the next couple years. As it stands now, next summer they will have a lot of flexibility. Save your powder for the right opportunity. I like that Hughes is patient. 

 

[DON]

SJ has couple of worst signings as do Oilers, on paper.

 

NHL’s 10 worst contracts, 2026 edition: Jonathan Huberdeau (again), Leo Carlsson and more - The Athletic

 

[GHT120]

The DANGER of the Internet ...

 

 

All it takes is access to a computer and an Internet connection to be a useless POS troll

[Prime Minister Koivu]

1 hour ago, GHT120 said:

The DANGER of the Internet ...

 

 

All it takes is access to a computer and an Internet connection to be a useless POS troll

Laine will be lucky to get a contract I think. 
 

This post is ridiculous but then Brière…

[DON]

Hopefully Habs have an even better year this coming season and be a preferred destination for UFAs next summer. Like Jason Robertson, Crosby or Malkin perhaps?

 

List Of 2027 Unrestricted Free Agents – Pro Hockey Rumors

 

Although there are still a few productive unrestricted free agents left to sign, most of the offseason moves for many teams have all been made. Now, we will look ahead to what could be a deep 2027 unrestricted free agent class. As we saw last season, it’s more than likely that many players, especially those at the high level, will sign extensions with their respective clubs. Still, if any of them do reach the market, it could make for a very interesting free agent season. The entire upcoming class of 2027 unrestricted free agency, separated by teams, is as follows: