The Isles are reportedly looking to move the veteran so they don't risk losing him in the expansion draft for nothing.
Leddy recorded two goals and 29 assists in 56 games this past season while averaging 21:35 per contest. He added six points in 19 playoff games during New York's run to the final four. His underlying numbers have been poor, though.
Nick Leddy, reportedly on the trade block, has not been a strong playdriver at all in recent years despite strong offensive zone playmaking and prolific zone entries. #Islespic.twitter.com/XjWJmSLqso
New York is estimated to have nearly $12 million in cap space once Johnny Boychuk is placed on long-term injured reserve. However, the club has multiple key restricted free agents to re-sign, including Ilya Sorokin, Anthony Beauvillier, Michael Dal Colle, and Pelech.
In 2017, Vegas Golden Knights general manager George McPhee took full advantage of the expansion draft rules, making several side deals that immediately helped establish his team among the NHL's elite.
While most GMs have likely learned that it might be best to let an expansion team take one player instead of giving a new club multiple assets, there's still a handful of franchises for which side deals make sense. And Seattle Kraken GM Ron Francis is surely licking his chops at the prospect of fleecing a few teams the way McPhee did.
Below, we examine three clubs that might be eager to work out a handshake agreement with the Kraken ahead of the July 21 expansion draft.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Objective: Get rid of Tyler Johnson
Everyone is aware of the Lightning's cap crunch. It was temporarily alleviated this season with Nikita Kucherov landing on LTIR, but Tampa is in a bind once again. The defending champions will enter the offseason sitting nearly $5 million over the ceiling, according to CapFriendly.
The best way for the Lightning to get under the cap is to get rid of Tyler Johnson's contract, which carries a $5-million AAV through 2024. But that won't be easy after the 30-year-old went unclaimed on waivers before the start of the 2020-21 campaign - his worst NHL season. Plus, Tampa's protection list will leave several other valuable assets exposed.
The Bolts are likely going the 4-4-1 route, protecting the following:
Johnson's contract is the only undesirable one of the bunch, meaning the Kraken will be in the driver's seat for any side deal involving him.
In exchange for taking Johnson, Seattle could ask for the Lightning's first-round pick in 2022 or a player (likely Foote, Palat, or Killorn) and a 2021 third-round pick. Either deal would seem to benefit both sides, though it's possible the Kraken could demand even more.
Johnson would fit nicely with Seattle. Not only is he a native of Spokane, Washington, but he's also certainly capable of a bounce-back season in a more prominent role. The Kraken need to reach the cap floor and will have difficulty securing quality centers in the expansion draft.
Colorado Avalanche
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Objective: Protect Ryan Graves
Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic has built such a deep and talented roster that it's almost a foregone conclusion Colorado will lose a valuable piece in expansion. Fortunately, Erik Johnson is widely expected to waive his no-movement clause. The veteran defender has two years left on his deal at $6 million per season and missed all but four games in 2020-21 due to a concussion.
Here's how the Avalanche's projected protection list shakes out:
Pos.
Player
F
Nathan MacKinnon
F
Mikko Rantanen
F
Gabriel Landeskog
F
Nazem Kadri
F
Andre Burakovsky
F
Tyson Jost
F
Valeri Nichushkin
D
Cale Makar
D
Devon Toews
D
Samuel Girard
G
Philipp Grubauer
This scheme would leave Joonas Donskoi, J.T. Compher, and Ryan Graves as the most valuable assets available to the Kraken. Colorado surely doesn't want to lose Graves - young, affordable, 6-foot-5 defensemen don't grow on trees. But going 4-4-1 and exposing a valuable forward to protect the 26-year-old seems out of the question.
The Avalanche could offer Donskoi, Compher, and one of their many prospects (perhaps someone like Sampo Ranta) to keep the Kraken from choosing Graves. Seattle would get two proven NHL forwards and a prospect, while Colorado would clear cap space and keep a valuable defenseman. It could be a win-win.
Nashville Predators
Jeff Vinnick / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Objective: Get rid of Ryan Johansen or Matt Duchene
The Predators appear to be entering a transition period after shipping Viktor Arvidsson to the Los Angeles Kings for a pair of draft picks. GM David Poile was poised to be a deadline seller this past season before changing course amid his team's red-hot second half.
Nashville's two underachieving, high-priced centers have played big roles in the team's inability to get over the hump over the last two seasons. Ryan Johansen, 28, is signed for four more years with an $8-million annual cap hit and has 58 points in his last 116 games. Matt Duchene, 30, is signed for five more years at $8 million per season and has 55 points in 100 games since joining the Predators.
Poile would surely love to get one of those big contracts off his books, but it won't be easy. Nashville's protection list projects as follows:
Pos.
Player
F
Filip Forsberg
F
Colton Sissons
F
Luke Kunin
D
Roman Josi*
D
Ryan Ellis
D
Mattias Ekholm
D
Dante Fabbro
D
Alexandre Carrier
G
Juuse Saros
This setup leaves forward Calle Jarnkrok, who has one year left on his deal, as the most desirable exposed asset.
Nashville could perhaps offer Seattle a package of Fabbro, Jarnkrok, and one of its two 2021 second-round picks to take Duchene or Johansen. Fabbro, a 2016 first-round selection, seemingly fell out of favor with the Predators this postseason when they scratched him for the entirety of their first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes. But the 23-year-old right-handed blue-liner could still become a valuable building block for the Kraken.
The NHL announced plans during Monday's general manager meeting to have almost everything back to normal for the 2021-22 campaign.
The league is planning for a full 82-game season. The schedule, which will be released before the start of the NHL draft on July 23, is currently being drawn up in two forms: one that includes an Olympic break and one that doesn't. The league and IOC are still working on an agreement.
Fully vaccinated players will be allowed to return to pre-COVID-19 conditions. That means those players can travel without protocols and work out on and off the ice without being tested for COVID-19 or group size limitations. Those changes are contingent on North American vaccination rates continuing to rise and the Canadian federal government loosening travel restrictions.
Procedures for unvaccinated players have yet to be determined.
The league will also return to its pre-2020-21 alignment with the Metropolitan and Atlantic Divisions in the Eastern Conference and the Central and Pacific Divisions making up the Western Conference. Each team will play every other team at least twice. Canadian travel restrictions forced the league to create a division consisting entirely of clubs based in Canada last season.
With the Seattle Kraken joining the league, the Arizona Coyotes will move from the Pacific to the Central as planned.
The GMs also spent 45 minutes of the meeting focusing on the officiating standard for cross-checking. No rule change is planned yet, but there will be further discussions Tuesday.
Earlier this season, both Landeskog and the Avalanche stated they hoped to agree on a long-term extension. Colorado has over $25 million in cap space this offseason, according to Cap Friendly, but general manager Joe Sakic needs to work out new deals with several key players.
In addition to Landeskog, goaltender Philipp Grubauer, an unrestricted free agent, and defenseman Cale Makar, a restricted free agent, are looking to sign new contracts this summer. Both players could command big-ticket deals after seasons in which they were both nominated for awards.
The Blues have about $17.3 million in available funds this offseason but could create $7.5 million in additional space by dealing sniper Vladimir Tarasenko, who reportedly requested a trade. Forwards Mike Hoffman, Tyler Bozak, and Jaden Schwartz are notable UFAs on St. Louis' books, and defenseman Vince Dunn is an RFA.
Landeskog's 52 points this season are the most of any UFA available this year. He's spent his entire 10-year career with the Avalanche since being drafted second overall by the team in 2011 and has posted 512 points in 687 contests. The 28-year-old's last contract paid him $5.57 million per season.
Less than a week after the Tampa Bay Lightning won their second straight Stanley Cup, teams are already preparing for the Seattle expansion draft, the 2021 NHL Draft, and the start of free agency at the end of July.
It's all happening quickly, meaning now is the time to lock in early NHL value futures, with odds sure to change considerably over the next few weeks as teams shape their rosters for next season.
The Colorado Avalanche open as favorites to win the 2022 Stanley Cup despite the uncertainty surrounding captain and pending unrestricted free agent Gabriel Landeskog. Behind them are Vegas Golden Knights, followed by the Lightning, who will aim to be the first team to three-peat since the 1984 New York Islanders.
TEAM
ODDS
Colorado Avalanche
+500
Vegas Golden Knights
+600
Tampa Bay Lightning
+700
Toronto Maple Leafs
+1200
Boston Bruins
+1500
Carolina Hurricanes
+1500
Pittsburgh Penguins
+2300
Florida Panthers
+2400
Minnesota Wild
+2400
New York Islanders
+2500
New York Rangers
+2500
Edmonton Oilers
+2600
Montreal Canadiens
+2700
Philadelphia Flyers
+3000
Washington Capitals
+3000
Calgary Flames
+3200
Dallas Stars
+3500
St. Louis Blues
+3500
Winnipeg Jets
+4000
Nashville Predators
+5000
Seattle Kraken
+5000
Los Angeles Kings
+5500
Vancouver Canucks
+6000
Anaheim Ducks
+6500
Chicago Blackhawks
+6500
San Jose Sharks
+6500
Columbus Blue Jackets
+10000
New Jersey Devils
+10000
Arizona Coyotes
+12500
Ottawa Senators
+12500
Detroit Red Wings
+20000
Buffalo Sabres
+25000
Tampa Bay Lightning (+700)
Everyone is waiting for the Lightning to be stripped for parts this offseason, but the situation might not get so grave for Tampa GM Julien BriseBois. Mathieu Joseph and Ross Colton look ready to step up should the team lose pending free agents Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman, and the Lightning have done a terrific job finding bargain players - like Goodrow - to round out their roster.
Might they consider finding a new home for Steven Stamkos - who had just six five-on-five points in 23 playoff games - while he still offers value at his current $8.5-million salary? Tampa will look different next season, but don't rule out another repeat with the core set to stay largely intact.
Toronto Maple Leafs (+1200)
Though it's considered an old-school line of thought, playoff success has largely remained contingent on good goaltending, strong depth, and size on the back end. Championship clubs obviously have high-end talent as well, but that alone is not enough to win in the postseason. Teams can't play their offensive stars 24 minutes a night and expect to survive a long playoff run. The ice-time distributions among the forward groups of this season's final four teams confirm as much.
The Maple Leafs have as much high-end talent as any team, and general manager Kyle Dubas could add another top-six forward this offseason. But the bottom six is dire, and the cap space isn't there to fix it. The goaltending situation, meanwhile, remains a massive question mark. Without those components settled, it's hard to take Toronto seriously in a playoff setting.
New York Rangers (+2500)
The Rangers are sure to be a big liability for sportsbooks next season, with the bandwagon filling up fast as fans fall in love with their young talent. Though they should push for a playoff berth in a tough Eastern Conference, the growing pains that accompany such a young roster could be enough to hold this team back. There's also uncertainty about the Rangers' depth down the middle.
New York is being priced under the assumption that its young players - particularly Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko - make considerable strides, but development isn't linear. Buying into the Rangers at this price means buying what they could be. Investing in a team's potential instead of its most likely outcome is a surefire way to lose money in the long run.
Dallas Stars (+3500)
This is as good a time as any to buy in on a Stars team that couldn't buy a break last season. COVID-19 issues and weather postponements forced Dallas to play an impossibly condensed schedule while already hamstrung by fatigue and injuries - Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov, and Ben Bishop played a combined 14 games. Getting those three back will be key, as the Stars are expected to return virtually all of their 2020-21 roster, including a trio of emerging superstars in Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson, and Miro Heiskanen.
Seattle Kraken (+5000)
A Vegas-like first season from the Kraken is unrealistic - but also not impossible. The league's expansion format caters well to new teams, and the path is certainly there for GM Ron Francis to position this club for immediate success. Winning teams are built from the back out, and there will be no shortage of quality goaltenders and defensemen available to the Kraken in the expansion draft. Playing in a weak Pacific Division doesn't hurt, either.
Los Angeles Kings (+5500)
Speaking of a wide-open Pacific Division, the Kings - who have already been busy acquiring Viktor Arvidsson from the Predators - are another interesting team to watch. There's still some good hockey left in the core that remains from 2014, but it's the youngsters coming through the system who bettors should take note of. Los Angeles has the best farm system in the NHL and is about to be rewarded for it, with forwards Quinton Byfield, Arthur Kaliyev, Alex Turcotte, and Gabe Vilardi all expected to contribute next season.
The depth of the Kings' system gives them the flexibility to part with more of their significant draft capital, as they did once already for Arvidsson. They're being linked to several big-name players as general manager Rob Blake's rebuild nears completion, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him big-game hunting this offseason. Buy some early stock at 55-1.
New Jersey Devils (+10000)
There's a lot to like about the direction the Devils are heading. Injuries made it a lost year for Nico Hischier, but the club has to be thrilled with the steps taken by Jack Hughes. New Jersey is impressively deep down the middle with some exciting scoring on the wing. This team's glaring issue is defense, and though goaltending also plagued it last season, Mackenzie Blackwood deserves the benefit of the doubt.
If the Devils can improve their blue line and add some experience up front - they have the second-most cap space in the league to do so - they could surprise in a division featuring multiple other teams on the downswing.
Alex Moretto is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
The Blackhawks aren't retaining any salary in the deal. Keith, who turns 38 later this week, has two years left on his contract with an annual cap hit of $5.54 million, per CapFriendly. His deal includes a full no-movement clause, so Keith will have to be protected in the upcoming expansion draft unless he agrees to waive it.
Keith had reportedly expressed a desire to be closer to his family in Penticton, British Columbia, after 16 seasons in the Windy City.
The future Hall of Famer has shown serious signs of decline recently. He recorded 15 points in 54 games during the 2020-21 season while averaging 23:25 per contest. The underlying numbers were poor as well, especially on the defensive side of the puck.
However, Keith brings plenty of intangibles to the table. He's won three Stanley Cups, two Norris Trophies, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and two Olympic gold medals in his storied career.
Jones has registered five goals and 14 assists in 93 career NHL games over three seasons. The 24-year-old has one year left on his deal with an $850,000 cap hit. He'll become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights in 2022.
The Blackhawks, who now project to have over $10 million in cap space, are reportedly in the market for an elite defenseman. Seth Jones, Caleb's older brother, and pending UFA Dougie Hamilton are the two big-name rearguards known to be available for trade.
The third-round pick being sent to Chicago is conditional, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. The Oilers don't own a third-rounder in the upcoming draft.
