That howl you hear in the distance is the call of summer’s dog days. As we roll toward mid-July, the pivot away from rinks and toward cottages and cabins is in full swing, with the hockey world’s collective watch increasingly tuned to island time.
But that doesn’t mean there’s a tick beside every item on the to-do list.
While most of a team’s heavy lifting is done at the draft and around the start of free agency on July 1, there’s still business to be conducted throughout the summer. So, with some hires, signings and — hopefully — still a meaningful trade or two to come, let’s take a quick look at one lingering question for each NHL squad.
On Thursday, we checked in with the Eastern Conference teams. In this edition, it’s time to focus on the West.
Anaheim Ducks: Will Trevor Zegras still be traded? The inability of Anaheim and Zegras to come together on a new contract was a summer-long issue in 2023. The talented American didn’t put pen to paper until just before the season began in the fall, and it feels like the trade speculation that surrounded him when he and the team were at an impasse just never went away after he inked his three-year deal. Zegras — who was limited to just 31 games last year due to injury — is 23 years old, and even if he’s an imperfect player, his offensive tool kit is one that draws interest around the league.
Calgary Flames: Will they take on a bad contract or two? Even with the cap spiking, there are always contending teams — Colorado, Florida and Vegas come to mind — in search of payroll breathing room. With Calgary having declared its status as a rebuilding squad, the Flames could extract draft and/or prospect capital for taking on a player with a bloated cap hit. Essentially, Calgary should be looking for situations like the one it was on the other end of a couple years ago, when the Flames paid Montreal a first-rounder to take oft-injured Sean Monahan off their books and the Canadiens double-dipped by grabbing that pick from Calgary and another a 2024 first from Winnipeg when they dealt a rehabilitated Monahan there after a season-and-a-half in Quebec.
Chicago Blackhawks: Has Connor Bedard been doing cartwheels since the start of free agency? We did off-season power rankings a mere week ago and I’m already regretting my decision to have Chicago near the bottom of the pile. Once it really sunk in how many needs GM Kyle Davidson addressed via free agency, I started to wonder how high this team could climb. It’s all in the name of improving the team around Bedard, who is now the centrepiece of a squad that might be fairly competitive thanks to the additions of Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen and Ilya Mikheyev — among others — up front, T.J. Brodie and Alec Martinez on the back end and Laurent Brossoit in the crease.
Colorado Avalanche: Will they extend Mikko Rantanen? The 27-year-old is one year away from hitting the open market, should he decide to go that route. This feels like a great match between player and team, though, so let’s see if they hammer something out this summer.
Dallas Stars: What does Thomas Harley’s deal come in at? Harley, who turns 23 in August, is coming off a breakout season and appears poised for stardom. He could be the Stars’ second-best defenceman for the next decade, behind Miro Heiskanen. Is this a bridge deal or a long-term monster? Also, any chance Dallas can scour the trade market for another D-man to help with the team’s one weakness?
Edmonton Oilers: How long will Jeff Jackson be the interim GM? To be fair, the CEO of hockey operations in Edmonton has done a nice job pinch-hitting as GM since Ken Holland departed. Jackson acquired Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson through free agency, while retaining deadline acquisition Adam Henrique on a two-year deal. Still, the Oilers will appoint a new general manager at some point and it’s Jackson’s job to make a good choice there, too.
Los Angeles Kings: Is Arthur Kaliyev’s time in L.A. finally up? Kaliyev has been on the outs with the Kings for a while now. He’s an RFA in need of a new deal and, perhaps, a new team to help unlock what many see as untapped potential.
Minnesota Wild: Will Filip Gustavsson be traded? Marc-Andre Fleury is returning for one final season and, at the other end of the age spectrum, highly regarded prospect Jesper Wallstedt may be ready for prime time after two seasons in the AHL. Gustavsson had a down year this past season, but was stellar in 2022-23 for Minny with a .931 save percentage in 39 outings. He’s got two years left at cap hit of $3.75 million. That means he’s not a huge gamble for any team acquiring him, while at the same time the Wild could clear valuable cap room.
Nashville Predators: Will they trade Yaroslav Askarov? Our second straight question about dealing a goalie. Had the Preds signed Juuse Saros only to an extension, you could see a world where Askarov came in and played behind the Finn for a couple years before moving on to be the No. 1 man somewhere else. However, included in GM Barry Trotz’s signing blitz this summer was established backup Scott Wedgewood. With the 31-year-old veteran locked into a pairing with Saros for the next two seasons, it’s easy to wonder if Askarov — who’s been dangled before — could be flipped to fill a need somewhere else. He just turned 22 and sure seems to have a bright NHL future.
San Jose Sharks: When does Henry Thrun get a new deal? Things are really quite settled in San Jose, with 2024 prized picks Macklin Celebrini and Sam Dickinson already inking their entry-level deals. Thrun may not be a headliner in the rebuild, but he was plucked from the Ducks in 2023 and played 20 minutes per night this past season in San Jose. He’s got good size and the RFA certainly seems to have a future somewhere on the Sharks blueline.
Seattle Kraken: What does Matty Beniers’ second contract look like? The 2023 rookie of the year got walloped by the dreaded sophomore slump in Year 2. Still, Beniers projects as the Kraken’s No. 1 man in the middle and the RFA needs a new contract.
St. Louis Blues: Is Doug Armstrong spending the summer scratching out Team Canada rosters? OK, we kid, but there really isn’t much to take care of in St. Louis. The one big thing hanging over the franchise was Pavel Buchnevich’s future and that was settled with his six-year extension. Maybe that leaves Armstrong, who will be Canada’s GM for the 4 Nations Face-off in February and the 2026 Olympics in Italy, some time to sit at the end of the dock and sketch out forward lines, defence pairs and — most intriguingly — figure out who the heck the best three Canadian goalies are.
Utah Hockey Club: Is there more coming? Utah already made a splash by acquiring Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino and Ian Cole for the blueline. Pair a clear desire to compete next season with a silly amount of draft pick capital left over from the Coyotes days and nearly $10 million of remaining cap space and you wonder if GM Bill Armstrong — who must be loving this — might go out and swing another deal.
Vancouver Canucks: Can they work out an extension with Brock Boeser? After what felt like years of trade rumours, Boeser re-inserted himself into the long-term Canucks conversation in a huge way with his 40-goal season this past year. He’s got one season remaining before he can hit the UFA market. Will Vancouver try to lock up the 27-year-old this summer or is the team comfortable playing out the 2024-25 season and seeing where this goes?
Vegas Golden Knights: What do these monsters have up their sleeve? This summer has been all about departures in Vegas, with Chandler Stephenson and 2023 playoff MVP Jonathan Marchessault departing via free agency. Don’t forget, Vegas made two in-season moves — trading for Tomas Hertl and Noah Hanifin — that will have a lasting impact on the Knights because Hertl has four years of term left on his deal and Hanifin signed an eight-year contract to remain in the desert after he was acquired from Calgary. Still, it feels like the moment you sleep on Vegas, it goes out and pulls off a move that triggers celebration among Knights fans and seething everywhere else.
Winnipeg Jets: Are there Nik Ehlers and Rutger McGroarty trades coming? We know Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is never in a rush. There was some sense both Ehlers — who has one year left before he can become a UFA — and McGroarty — a 2022 first-rounder whose pro future, apparently, is not in Winnipeg — could be moved around the draft and the start of free agency, but it didn’t happen. While there’s no guarantee either will be dealt this summer, the Jets have holes to fill on the roster and it’s pretty easy to envision a situation where one or both guys move before camp.
