Trade call underway now. Full deal:
To #RaiseUp: Mikko Rantanen, Taylor Hall
To #GoAvsGo: Martin Necas, Jack Drury, 2025 2nd Round Pick, 2026 4th Round Pick (all from Carolina)
To #Blackhawks: 2025 3rd Round Pick (their own returned from Carolina), 50% of Rantanen’s salary
Jeff Skinner, signed 1x$3M by EDM, is an all-offence scoring winger. Shoot-first player, great finisher, slow foot speed but plays off the rush, very little defensive involvement, forechecking, or physicality. Pure skill player. #LetsGoOilers
Veteran Jani Hakanpää, 32, making half as much as Timothy Liljegren ($1.5 million AAV) and presents competition on the Maple Leafs' right side.
Big body (6-foot-6, 225 pounds). Averaged 18:39 with Dallas last season. Hits, blocks shots, kills penalties.
Sean Walker, signed 5x$3.6M by CAR, is a skilled offensive defenceman who can carry the puck and create scoring opportunities and goals. Did well at basically everything this season on PHI's second pair. Concern would be size and if he can repeat this season. #LetsGoCanes
Shayne Gostisbehere, signed 3x$3.2M by CAR, is a puck-moving offensive defenceman. Great passer, great shot (which he'll use plenty), no physicality, has the best penalty differential of any defenceman in the past three seasons (+34). #LetsGoCanes
Juraj Slafkovsky, signed to an 8x$7.6M extension by MTL, is a talented big young winger whose game took a massive step forward in his sophomore season, especially playmaking. Still progress to be made but a no-brainer move for the Canadiens. #GoHabsGo
Timothy Liljegren on signing extension with Leafs:
"Toronto was always the place I wanted to be. I’m happy we got it done ... it was pretty easy talking with Toronto so, you know, it feels good to get it done."
Johnathan Kovacevic, acquired by NJ, is a puck-carrying two-way defenceman who's active in his own end and kills penalties. Has done solid work for MTL in a third pair role. #NJDevils
Matt Grzelcyk, signed 1x$2.8M by PIT, is a puck-moving defenceman. Very active in transition. Once an analytical darling and has a 65% goal share at 5v5 in the past three seasons, but ice time is down and is a frequent playoff scratch. There are tools, but it's a reclamation.