The Edmonton Oilers added some depth between the pipes, agreeing to terms with Swift Current Broncos netminder Stuart Skinner on a three-year entry-level contract, the Oilers announced Monday.
Skinner finished the Western Hockey League regular season with a 16-6-1 record and a .914 save percentage across 25 appearances. He then stacked up another 16 victories in the playoffs to guide Swift Current to its first trip to the Memorial Cup since 1993, winning the WHL championship on Sunday night.
The 2018 Memorial Cup will take place later this month in Regina, Saskatchewan, and includes the host Pats along with the Broncos, the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, and the Hamilton Bulldogs.
The Oilers selected Skinner with the 78th pick in last year's draft.
With the Stanley Cup Playoffs winding down it's time to consider how players still competing in the postseason have better positioned themselves ahead of free agency.
Here are three standouts who could cash in when the market opens on July 1.
John Carlson, D, Washington Capitals
We've seen this before. On his contract year, a player has a career-best season and then gets a nice raise during free agency. Carlson, who wrapped the regular season with a career-high 68 points, could be next to get that contract-year bump, especially with his high-end production continuing into the third round of the postseason.
Prior to the 2017-18 campaign, Carlson's career high was 55 points, and he's averaged 51 points over the past three years (adjusted for 82 games). That's more good news for Carlson's agent, who is sure to highlight the veteran blue-liner's status as the top right-handed shot available. The next best option is an older, injury-riddled, and less productive Mike Green.
Paul Stastny, C, Winnipeg Jets
Dealt from St. Louis to Winnipeg at the trade deadline, Stastny's production saw only a slight increase following the deal, up 0.05 points per contest. But he's raised his play in the postseason, tallying 15 points through 13 games to outpace key offensive threats like Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Kyle Connor.
If John Tavares becomes a free agent he'll undoubtedly be the top center available. But teams that miss out on the New York Islanders captain can come calling for Stastny. Currently on a $7-million contract, Stastny's strong playoffs after a pedestrian regular season in St. Louis could earn him a similar annual figure.
James Neal, RW, Vegas Golden Knights
There's a lot to like about Neal, and more than just intriguing intangibles like grit and leadership that typically boost a player's value in free agency.
The savvy winger also brings a steady scoring touch. He's displayed that throughout his career, including Neal's first year with the expansion Vegas Golden Knights. Neal continues to be a proven veteran who delivers when it matters. He's tied for fourth in Vegas playoff scoring with seven points over 11 games.
Adding to the intrigue is that the 30-year-old has never reached free agency, meaning many teams will finally have their shot at signing him to their squad.
Following reports of a rift stemming from the Toronto Maple Leafs' exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, head coach Mike Babcock visited star player Auston Matthews in his native Arizona earlier this month.
Babcock says the face time allowed them to work out any outstanding issues.
"He wants to be better, I want him to be better, I want our team to be better," Babcock told TSN's Darren Dreger. "He wants to be playing now, so that's what we're working towards. He wants to be the best two-way player in the game, so we're going to work as hard as we can.
"It's not going to be rosy every day. It never is. Anyone who perceives the NHL that things are going good every day, it's not like that. It's a competitive, competitive atmosphere."
The meeting came after Matthews, who maintained a point-per-game pace throughout the regular season, struggled to a two-point showing in Toronto's opening-round series against the Boston Bruins.
And while Matthews took flack for failing to find the scoresheet more frequently, Babcock was also the target of criticism after he elected not to double-shift his star player against a banged-up Boston squad.
For now, it appears they've cleared the air.
"There's a big difference between being 28 and totally established, and being 20," Babcock added. "We've got a lot of young people on our team, so that guidance is going to continue to happen. But we're excited about our group."
The Maple Leafs finished the regular season with a franchise-best 105 points.
Scott Hartnell's second tour of duty in Nashville is over.
The veteran forward and pending unrestricted free agent won't be offered a contract extension, Predators general manager David Poile announced Monday.
The news comes after Hartnell was held off the scoresheet in four playoff appearances. He played just one game against the Colorado Avalanche in the opening round, then dressed for three of seven contests against the Winnipeg Jets in the semifinals.
Hartnell signed a one-year, $1-million contract with the Predators last offseason.
He finished the regular season with 13 goals and 11 assists in 62 games. It was a slight decrease in production for the 36-year-old, who tallied 37 points in 78 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets a year ago.
The Predators originally selected Hartnell with the sixth overall pick in the 2000 draft. He spent his first six seasons with the franchise prior to a 2007 trade that sent him to the Philadelphia Flyers.
In 1,249 career games, he has registered 327 goals and 380 assists.
Fisher originally announced his retirement last offseason following the Predators' run to the Stanley Cup Final, but returned in January with the hope of taking one last shot at a championship.
In all, Fisher appeared in 16 regular-season games, picking up two goals and two assists along the way. He finished the postseason with one goal in 12 appearances.
Fisher ends his 18-season career, split between the Predators and Ottawa Senators, with 278 goals and 311 assists in 1,104 games.
The 37-year-old left open the possibility of accepting an off-ice role with Nashville.
It's time for the conference finals, and to get you prepared for the Western showdown between the Winnipeg Jets and Vegas Golden Knights, we've prepared a statistical breakdown to set the table. (Advanced stats at 5-on-5 courtesy: Corsica)
Jets 2C vs. Golden Knights 1P
Jets
Stat
Golden Knights
8-4
Playoff Record
8-2
15
Goal Differential
12
53.02% (3rd)
5-on-5 Corsi
51.47% (5th)
7.45% (11th)
Shooting Percentage
7.69% (10th)
.942 (4th)
Save Percentage
.965 (1st)
101.61 (4th)
PDO
104.2 (1st)
Mark Scheifele (15)
Leading Scorer
Reilly Smith & Jonathan Marchessault (11)
If the Cinderella season is to continue for the Vegas Golden Knights, it will need to go through Canada's last standing team, the Winnipeg Jets.
The two sides will meet in the conference finals after knocking out playoff heavyweights in the semifinals, with Game 1 set for Saturday in Winnipeg. It marks just the fourth time the two teams have linked up this season, as the Golden Knights took two of three regular-season contests against the Jets.
Key to a series win for Winnipeg will be continued dominance of their high-powered offense, led by the likes of Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, and Patrik Laine. But in order to do so, they'll need to solve Golden Knights netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, who boasts a remarkable .951 save percentage through two rounds of postseason action.
The latest odds favor the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the Stanley Cup, which would mark the franchise's first championship since 2004.
Team
Odds
Lightning
2-1
Jets
11-5
Golden Knights
7-2
Capitals
4-1
Meanwhile, the top odds also favor the Lightning's conference finals matchup against the Washington Capitals to last either five or seven games:
Results
Odds
Capitals win in 4
20-1
Capitals win in 5
10-1
Capitals win in 6
9-2
Capitals win in 7
11-2
Lightning win in 4
9-1
Lightning win in 5
7-2
Lightning win in 6
9-2
Lightning win in 7
7-2
In the Western Conference, oddsmakers anticipate the Winnipeg Jets to eliminate the Vegas Golden Knights in Round 3, earning the right to line up against the Lightning in the Stanley Cup Finals:
Results
Odds
Golden Knights win in 4
16-1
Golden Knights win in 5
17-2
Golden Knights win in 6
9-2
Golden Knights win in 7
11-2
Jets win in 4
11-1
Jets win in 5
9-2
Jets win in 6
9-2
Jets win in 7
4-1
The conference finals kick off Friday when the Lightning and Capitals will face off, while the Jets and Golden Knights get underway Saturday.
