NHL Free Agency is upon us and the question on everyone’s mind is will Johnny Gaudreau resign with the Calgary Flames or will he become a Philadelphia Flyer? Tonight, we look into what the future holds for the All Star Left Wing.
What happens if the Flyers are unable to secure Gaudreau? Would they possibly look at another Flame in Matthew Tkachuk, who Calgary is also looking to ink to a long-term contract? Or will the Flyers turn their attention towards their Keystone State rivals and steal Evgeni Malkin from the Pittsburgh Penguins? It’s become clear, if the Pens are going to bring Malkin back, it will be on their terms, not his. The club prioritized re-signing Kris Letang and got that done by signing the defenseman to a six-year, $36.6 million contract ($6.1 million AAV).
Also on the show, we’ll predict if Patrice Bergeron will take one last ride with the Boston Bruins or call it a career. Will David Krejci return to both the NHL and Bruins? Also, with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres all in the market for a No. 1 goalie, where will UFA netminders Darcy Kuemper (fresh off a Stanley Cup win), Jack Campbell, Braden Holtby, Jaroslav Halak, Thomas Greiss and Martin Jones land? Matt Murray, was on the table but late Monday evening, the Toronto Maple Leafs picked him up along with a 2023 3rd round draft pick & a 7th round pick in 2024 for future considerations.
The New York Rangers now need a backup to Vezina-winning goalie Igor Shesterkin after trading Alexandar Georgiev to the Colorado Avalanche. But a more pressing issue will be signing a second-line center with both Ryan Strome and Andrew Copp becoming unrestricted free agents. The Stanley Cup champs have a busy offseason in store with many FAs, and Nazem Kadri tops the list. Ondrej Palat could be one of the steals of this free-agent class if the Tampa Bay Lightning can't sign the forward. And John Klingberg could be on the move, as well! Will old friend Claude Giroux move back home and sign with the Ottawa Senators now that they have acquired Alex DeBrincat?
Answers to these questions and more plus a review of the 2022 NHL Draft, and don’t forget the Shootout, where the boys hit on rapid-fire topics to close us out!