Despite notching only 12 goals and 25 points last season, Los Angeles Kings winger Tobias Rieder is becoming quite the hot commodity in NHL free-agent circles.
Rieder was drafted by the Oilers in the fourth round of the 2011 NHL Draft but played most of his career with the Arizona Coyotes before being dealt to the Kings in February in exchange for backup netminder Darcy Kuemper.
The Toronto Maple Leafs might be knee-deep in the John Tavares sweepstakes, but that doesn't mean the team isn't still open for business when it comes to other players in its system.
After a season in which the Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies won the Calder Cup, the club's two goalies are garnering interest at the NHL level, as Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports the Buds have fielded calls on both Garret Sparks and Calvin Pickard.
Sparks, a 2011 seventh-round pick of the Leafs, was lights-out for the Marlies over their Calder run, registering a 14-5-0 record to go along with a 2.22 goals-against average and .915 save percentage in the playoffs.
As for Pickard, who was acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights in October, he put up solid numbers during the regular season, owning a 21-9-1 record and .918 save percentage.
Both 'tenders have proven they can hang in the NHL, and with Freddy Andersen anchoring the blue paint for Toronto and backup Curtis McElhinney under contract for next season, either Pickard or Sparks could find themselves rocking different colors next year.
"We are very pleased to sign Kevin to a contract extension," general manager John Chayka said. "Kevin is a versatile defenseman with a great work ethic. He had an excellent season last year and he adds depth to our blue line. We're happy to have him back."
Connauton, 28, is coming off a very respectable season for the Desert Dogs, as the underrated rearguard registered a career high in goals (11) and chipped in with 10 assists in just over 15 minutes of ice time per night.
He might not be generating the kind of attention that another highly sought-after center is, but Sabres pivot Ryan O'Reilly's name has been in the mix regarding a potential deal out of Buffalo over the last couple weeks.
Most recently, reports indicated the team had a deal in place during Friday's draft that would have sent O'Reilly to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a first-round pick. However, that deal did not exist, according Buffalo general manager Jason Botterill.
"There are a ton of rumors our there about Ryan and I think a lot of them are very creative," Botterill told Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News.
Botterill was then asked whether there was a deal in place at the draft, to which he responded, "No."
O'Reilly has been drawing interest from a number of clubs recently, including the Canadiens, who have an obvious need at the center position. The 27-year-old enjoyed a solid offensive campaign for the Sabres last season, racking up 24 goals and 37 assists in 81 games.
He has five years remaining on his current contract, which carries an annual average value of $7.5 million.
Every few summers a pending superstar free agent gets the NHL buzzing over a highly-anticipated move to a new market. This summer, that player is longtime New York Islanders forward and franchise cornerstone John Tavares.
Other than the half-season of donning the red, black, and yellow for SC Bern of Switzerland's National League (he played 28 games for the team during the 2012-13 NHL lockout), Tavares has only ever rocked Islanders colors, so the situation he would be moving to has to be just the right fit. Also, it should be noted that the Islanders are still the likely front-runners to retain his services.
Regardless, we take a look at, and rank, the five teams Tavares will speak to over the next few days based on which club would be the best fit for the perennial All-Star center.
5. Dallas Stars
Projected 2018-19 available salary-cap space: $19.8M.
Market: While everything might be bigger in Texas, Big D doesn't exactly boast a storied hockey culture. However, the ninth-largest city in the United States (1.38-million people) has all of the big-market appeals.
Aside from the night life and stellar barbecue, Tavares could more seriously be enticed by the lack of income tax on his paychecks he would receive should he be employed in the state of Texas.
Dallas might not top the list, but don't count out the impact that star players like Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Alexander Radulov could have on Tavares' decision-making process.
Potential line combo:
Left Wing
Center
Right Wing
Remi Elie
Tavares
Alexander Radulov
Best-fit rating: 4/10.
4. Tampa Bay Lightning
Projected 2018-19 available salary-cap space: $10.5M.
Market: Speaking of states with no income tax, Florida's white beaches and clear-blue shorelines aren't the only bonuses that come along with playing in the Sunshine State. In addition to the extra coin he would pocket by playing in Tampa Bay, South Florida would also provide the perfect kind of calm hockey setting Tavares is rumored to be interested in.
However, the Lightning are up against the cap next season and will have both Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point commanding serious loot in 2019. Steve Yzerman's hands look to be tied.
However, if Stevie Y can work some magic with his roster, the extra cash, decreased media scrutiny, and potential to play with a close friend and elite sharpshooter in Steven Stamkos might just be enough to have Tavares heading to Tampa.
Potential line combo:
Left Wing
Center
Right Wing
Ondrej Palat
Tavares
J.T. Miller
Best-fit rating: 6/10.
3. Boston Bruins
Projected 2018-19 available salary-cap space: $11.9M.
Market: If it's a storied history of winning that Tavares craves, he need look no further than the Bruins, a team which has qualified for the playoffs nine of the last 11 seasons.
Boston isn't as flashy as other cities on the list, but in terms of its hockey culture, Bean Town is one of the very best. It's long been rumored that Tavares, a quiet and composed individual both on and off the ice, has always had eyes for a subdued market - something the hockey-crazed New England area is not.
It should also be noted that the Bruins already own a handful of forwards on long-term contracts north of the $6-million mark, so Boston general manager Don Sweeney would have to do some roster shuffling to make room for Tavares.
However, if Tavares were to jump ship and join the Bs, he would be joining a team already boasting one of the best top lines in the business with Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak. He could relish an opportunity to play more of a supporting role rather than having to shoulder the burden of being the lone face of the franchise in New York.
Potential line combo:
Left Wing
Center
Right Wing
Jake DeBrusk
Tavares
Danton Heinen
Best-fit rating: 6.5/10.
2. Toronto Maple Leafs
Projected 2018-19 available salary-cap space: $24.6M.
Market: Take a deep breath, Toronto. Just because he sits second on this list doesn't mean that an order for a Tavares jersey in every colorway needs to be placed ... just yet.
Aside from the obvious draw of playing in his hometown, the Maple Leafs can offer Tavares the legitimate chance of winning right now. And while the same can be said for the other clubs on our list, Toronto employs one of the best young lineups in the NHL, making sustained success a real possibility.
Toronto's crazed hockey market and rabid media have proven to affect even the most grizzled of hockey vets, and the city is truly gasping for a winner. Needless to say, the pressures of playing in Canada's biggest city are intense. The Leafs will also have to come up with the cash to lock down William Nylander, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner over the next 12 months, which could potentially be the biggest hurdle to clear in getting Johnny T in blue and white.
There really is no telling if Tavares wants to subject himself to the media meat-grinder in Toronto, but the chance to bring the Cup back to where he grew up might be a deciding factor.
Potential line combo:
Left Wing
Center
Right Wing
Patrick Marleau
Tavares
Mitch Marner
Best-fit rating: 8/10
1. San Jose Sharks
Projected 2018-19 available salary-cap space: $18.8M.
Market: Everything about San Jose seems to fit the mold as Tavares' town. Aside from the Nor Cal appeal of living in the Bay Area with the Pacific Ocean as his everyday backdrop, Tavares could be lured to the Sharks with the promise of living in relative obscurity.
He may be a big-name star in NHL circles, but playing in San Jose could afford Tavares the type of anonymity that he's looking for, regardless of how the team performs.
The Sharks also have a proven track record of recent success, failing to qualify for the playoffs only twice in the past 20 seasons. The team also employs the services of some of the best players in the league, with Brent Burns on the blue line and Joe Pavelski up front.
San Jose's beautiful setting, hockey culture, cap flexibility, and on-ice product has it in prime position to land the biggest free agent in recent memory.
Frk is coming off a season in which he tallied 11 goals and 14 assists in 68 games for the Wings. While Bertuzzi split the season between Grand Rapids of the AHL and Detroit, registering seven goals and 17 assists to go along with 39 penalty minutes in 48 games for the big club.
Both forwards were set to become free agents as of July 1, with Frk being of the unrestricted variety.
The Carolina Hurricanes traded forward Elias Lindholm and blue-liner Noah Hanifin to the Calgary Flames for defenseman Dougie Hamilton, forward Micheal Ferland, and defenseman Adam Fox, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.
Orpik was sent to Colorado along with former Capitals teammate and backup netminder Philipp Grubauer in exchange for Washington's 47th pick in this year's draft. But it's become clear the Avs were focused on Grubauer as the focal point of the deal, and always intended on buying Orpik out of the final year of his contract (he has a cap hit of $5.5 million).
The 37-year-old is fresh off a Stanley Cup run with the Caps. Orpik played all 24 postseason games while registering one goal and four assists, so he should have some teams interested in adding his veteran skill set.
Orpik was a first-round selection of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2000 NHL Draft.
Reports at the end of May indicated a potential rift between Pens head coach Mike Sullivan and the 92-point man over Kessel's frustration with not playing enough minutes on superstar Evgeni Malkin's wing in the postseason. And earlier this week, it was reported that Kessel would even consider a trade out of Pittsburgh.
Sullivan attempted to clear the air about their relationship on Friday.
"My relationship with Phil has been the same for three seasons," Sullivan said, according to Josh Yohe of The Athletic.
"It hasn't changed. It's evolved because we've been through different experiences both as a group and as individuals. But my relationship with Phil is the same as it's always been. It's one of mutual respect. That's how I see it."
The Penguins came up short of the final this season, but the team has been consistently successful over the last handful of years. Much of that has to do with both Kessel and Sullivan, so reports of conflict between the two came as somewhat of a surprise.
"Phil had a great season for us," Sullivan said. "He had one of the best seasons of his career. He was one of our better players for a lot of the season. He's a guy who helped contribute and put our team in position to compete for the Stanley Cup."
Sullivan added, "The reality is, our relationship is as good as it's ever been."
Regardless of Kessel's rumored willingness to accept a deal elsewhere, he remains under contract with the Penguins for another four seasons at a cap hit of $6.8 million ($1.2 million is still paid by the Toronto Maple Leafs).
Hughes is not only one of the most complete skaters in the draft, but he's also one of the most exciting, as his offensive talent and ability to take over games cemented him among the top-ranked North American skaters for most of the year.
"Last season in his Draft-2 year, Hughes was a point-per-game player in 26 USHL games. Those numbers are almost unheard of for a defenseman his age. To give you an idea of just how good they are, no other defenseman in USHL history has put up a better points-per-game ratio in his Draft-1 year (i.e. the season leading up to his draft). That includes fellow Americans Seth Jones and Charlie McAvoy, who are widely considered some of the top defensemen among USA Hockey’s younger set," theScore's draft expert Hannah Stuart wrote.
High hockey IQ and quickness make Hughes the prototypical offensive rearguard, as evidenced by his 29 assists in 37 games for the Wolverines this season. He also chipped in with one goal and four apples in seven games for Team USA at this year's World Junior Championship while earning a bronze medal.
Quinn's limited 5-foot-10 frame could spook some teams from selecting him in the top five, but an offensively elite puck-moving D-man with wheels like his won't be around long past that.
