Rink Rat

Hockey musings, scuttlebutt, and innuendo

[Rink Rat @darinkrat]

Honestly, good for Philly. I thought for sure they were gonna overpay him

[Elliotte Friedman @FriedgeHNIC]

Jamie Drysdale and Philadelphia have settled to avoid arbitration

4 x $6.5M

[Rink Rat @darinkrat]

@AllenCaps1995 Yzer-concept

[Rink Rat @darinkrat]

Dylan Larkin:

[Detroit Red Wings @DetroitRedWings]

An update from the Detroit Red Wings.

Read more » https://t.co/sBjMqnwnJh

[Rink Rat @darinkrat]

I will say it till I’m blue in the face: especially at the top of the draft, TAKE THE BEST PLAYER REGARDLESS OF POSITION.

You can always use your surplus of talent in one area to trade and fill a deficiency. It’s harder to build a team by reaching to fill needs.

[Big Head Hockey @bigheadhcky]

In 2018, Toronto paid John Tavares $11m x 7 years creating what became the core four (Tavares, Marner, Nylander, Matthews). Four elite forwards that were meant to lead Toronto to the promise land.

They never won it all as a group.

One of the biggest factors was how much money they had committed to forwards (especially in a covid flat cap environment) while lacking a true #1 defenseman.

What followed:

• In 2019, the late Ottawa Senators owner, Eugene Melnyk, said the Leafs "forgot about defense" during their rebuild. They proceeded to draft 4 defensemen with their next 7 first round picks. Constructing an elite defensive squad without much offensive firepower. Just 3 goals in 4 games vs Carolina Round 1 in 2026.

• In 2022, New Jersey was the best young team in hockey with Jack & Luke Hughes, Alex Holtz, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt leading the charge. With their 2nd overall selection in 2022, they drafted Simon Nemec, a defenseman, instead of Logan Cooley/Shane Wright. In 2024, they drafted another defenseman. In 2026 they missed the playoffs with the 31st ranked goals/60.

• In 2024, Chicago already had Connor Bedard ahead of Oliver Moore and Frank Nazar as their future offensive weapons. With the 2nd overall pick in 2024, they grabbed Artem Levshyunov over Beckett Sennecke and, notably, Ivan Demidov. In 2026, they traded their 4th overall pick for a defenseman while Connor Bedard notoriously has 0 winger support entering year #4.

Seems like a lot of franchises find their star player and then are terrified to end up like Toronto.

[Rink Rat @darinkrat]

@JFreshHockey Alex DeBrincat

[Rink Rat @darinkrat]

This is absolutely correct and no one should be blaming Leo Carlsson for failing to live up to this contract. He basically never will. Be mad at the GM who dragged his feet and built up such bad will with the player that he had to match a poison pill offer sheet

[JFresh @JFreshHockey]

All the talk about "how can Leo Carlsson justify the cap hit"

he basically can't. he was intentionally overpaid for tactical reasons. he's not going to be the best player in the NHL, which is what he'd have to be for 17% of the cap to be "reasonable."

[Rink Rat @darinkrat]

Or, and I’m just spitballing here, you could stop handing out these NMCs like candy

[Andy Strickland @andystrickland]

Speaking to an #NHL Exec…he suggests if a player negotiates a no-trade or a no move clause in their contract but then requests to be traded prior to the expiration of their deal, the NTC should be voided and the team should be allowed to trade the player to any team in the league.

[Rink Rat @darinkrat]

A man of culture I see

[Carolina Hurricanes @Canes]

This is what Jarvy was referring to when he said “ambiance”

[New Jersey Devils @NJDevils]

Do it, cowards.

[Rink Rat @darinkrat]

Daniel Briere looking at Bedard now that Anaheim matched

[Rink Rat @darinkrat]

The better of two horrible options. This immediately becomes one of the worst contracts in the NHL (all due respect to Leo, who is going to develop into a very good 1C)

[Anaheim Ducks @AnaheimDucks]

Five more years of LEO!
https://t.co/3uscSK2GmJ

[Rink Rat @darinkrat]

So he’ll be back just in time for the Hawks to be eliminated from the playoff race again

[NHL News @PuckReportNHL]

BREAKING: Connor Bedard OUT for 4 months after undergoing successful shoulder surgery #Blackhawks

[Rink Rat @darinkrat]

Another victim of the Cronin reign of terror

[NHL Rumour Report @NHLRumourReport]

Frank Seravalli: Re Leo Carlsson offer sheet: Between [former coach] Greg Cronin, between the tough negotiating, there's a real growing sense...Leo Carlsson doesn't wanna be [in Anaheim] anymore - Oilers Now (7/6)

[NHL Rumour Report @NHLRumourReport]

Josh Yohe: It’s almost certainly going to be Sergei Murashov and Arturs Silovs starting in Pittsburgh next season - The Athletic (7/1)

[Gino Hard @GinoHard_]

The Wingmen podcast "caused some problems" in the Senators locker room, per @FriedgeHNIC 👀

One player felt it was the final nail in the coffin after all the previous noise surrounding Tkachuk

[Evan Atkins @EvanAtkinsNHL]

I’m told the Anaheim Ducks have went to the NHL in search of an additional compensatory first round pick from the Philadelphia Flyers for the Leo Carlsson offer sheet

Verbeek believes the Ducks are entitled to the additional first as Carlsson will have the highest AAV in the NHL

[Rink Rat @darinkrat]

Wouldn’t shock me at all if RFAs start leveraging offer sheets against the dumber teams. Good on Minty, but that’s a terrible deal for the Ducks

[Frank Seravalli @frank_seravalli]

Sounds like the looming offer sheet will ultimately produce a deal in Anaheim as Mintyukov's preference is to be a Duck.

[Rink Rat @darinkrat]

This is the most chaotic evil plan I’ve ever seen

[Rink Rat @darinkrat]

@MikeBartner

[Rink Rat @darinkrat]

This is my fault for changing my attitude and thinking Verbeek was actually a decent GM

[Big Head Hockey @bigheadhcky]

Anaheim Ducks this offseason:

• traded Olen Zellweger for a 2nd round pick
• traded Mason McTavish for two first round picks
• lost Jacob Trouba to free agency
• lost John Carlson (traded his rights for a late pick)
• Leo Carlsson signed a $90m offer sheet

Disaster.