In a year characterized by "making do", the sports world is no different. As the Stanley Cup playoffs conclude over this next month, we will look ahead into a very short, yet very exciting offseason. This includes the (virtual) NHL Draft, which is normally in June, and the start of Free Agency, normally slated to open at noon on July 1. Despite the delay, there is no doubt that hockey fans around the world, especially those who haven't watched their team compete in a little while, are anxiously awaiting the moves that will transpire starting in early October.
NHL Draft
The 2020 NHL Draft will take place virtually on October 6th and 7th. Round 1 will begin at 7 PM EST on Tuesday, followed by Rounds 2-7 beginning at noon on Wednesday. The first 27 picks of the draft are locked in, and the final 4 picks of the first round will be sorted out once the Stanley Cup has been won. The Rangers won last month's Draft Lottery, earning the right to draft highly sought-after prospect Alexis Lafreniere. In one of the deepest drafts in recent memory, it will be interesting to see what trades the general managers come up with, how far some players fall, and any surprise picks we didn't see coming.
Free Agency
This free agent class will certainly be an interesting one. There has been a lot of noise in recent months about players who could potentially be on the trading block, and what players want to/don't want to re-sign with their current teams. The talent potentially hitting the market is undeniable, especially when talking about the available goaltenders. Here's a look at who could be wearing a new sweater by the time the ball drops for 2021:
(Sorted by 2019-20 season stats)
Forwards
Mike Hoffman, FLA 29-30-59 in 69 GP
Taylor Hall, ARZ 16-36-52 in 65 GP
Evgeni Dadonov, FLA 25-22-47 in 69 GP
Tyler Toffoli, VAN 24-20-44 in 68 GP
Ilya Kovalchuk, WSH 10-16-26 in 46 GP
Defensemen
Torey Krug, BOS 9-40-49 in 61 GP
Alex Pietrangelo, STL 16-36-52 in 70 GP
Tyson Barrie, TOR 5-34-39 in 70 GP
Sami Vatanen, CAR 5-18-23 in 47 GP
Kevin Shattenkirk, TBL 8-26-34 in 70 GP
Erik Gustafsson, CGY 6-23-29 in 66 GP
Goaltenders
Braden Holtby, WSH 25-14-6, 3.11 GAA, .897 SV%
Jacob Markstrom, VAN 23-16-4, 2.75 GAA, .918 SV%
Robin Lehner, VGK 19-10-5, 2.89 GAA, .920 SV% [Lehner is expected to re-sign with Vegas]
Mike Smith, EDM 19-12-6, 2.95 GAA, .902 SV%
Thomas Greiss, NYI 16-9-4, 2.74 GAA, .913 SV%
Corey Crawford, CHI 16-20-3, 2.77 GAA, .917 SV%
This list might change drastically by the time Free Agency opens at noon on October 9th, but it will be interesting to see how negotiations go between now and then.
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