The Anaheim Ducks are making one thing clear about Leo Carlsson: they’re not planning to let him go anywhere.
Elliotte Friedman reported that Anaheim would match any offer sheet for Carlsson, and that stance is part of why the Ducks have been quiet on the transaction front. The idea, according to Friedman, is to keep their cap situation in good shape so they’re prepared if an offer sheet ever comes their way.
In Tampa Bay, general manager Julien BriseBois didn’t exactly close the door on more moves, but he did make it sound like the Lightning already feel better after their latest addition. Asked if they were done, BriseBois said, “We’ve added a player that’s probably gonna play about 20 minutes a night for us…really reliable.
We’re better than we were yesterday when we last spoke. If there’s another opportunity for us to be even better, we’ll capitalize on it if we can.”
The Edmonton Oilers may still have one more significant move in mind, and it sounds like it would be up front. Daily Faceoff’s Tom Gazzola said he believes Edmonton is still looking for a top-six forward.
Tyler Yaremchuk asked Gazzola, “What do you think Stan Bowman still wants to do here before he heads off to the cottage?”
Gazzola’s answer pointed straight to the top of the lineup: “I think they probably still want a top-six forward. You know, they have a lot of depth guys, let’s call them, and there’s a lot of veteran players on this roster.
And good teams, contenders, have good NHL players from top to bottom. Not guys that are tweeners trying to prove themselves.
And we’ve seen in the past here in Edmonton, I think Peter Chiarelli was guilty of doing it, leaning too much in 2017 on Jujhar Khaira, Matt Benning, and Drake Caggiula, and those guys weren’t ready. And the Oilers went from a team on the cusp of making the Conference Final.
Getting rid of, you know, remember they got rid of (Jordan) Eberle, people look at that, go, that wasn’t great. And they got rid of Patty Maroon and a bunch of veterans.
But those are NHL guys, and here I look at this roster and there’s a lot of depth and solid careers of proven NHL players, so that’s important.
But yeah, if they’re going to add something, they probably want another guy that could play in the top-six and not just put like a placeholder in there or somebody trying to find his game at the NHL level. Ie. Ike Howard.”
In Other News...
Claude Giroux Decision Leaves Oilers Fans With One Brutal Feeling
Claude Girouxs free-agent search has reportedly come down to a short-term return to familiar territory, a reminder that even at 38 he still has plenty to offer a contender. He led the NHL in faceoff percentage last season and continues to bring the kind of production and durability that keep him on the radar for teams looking to squeeze value out of a veteran center.
For Edmonton, the sting is less about a splashy miss than the reality of how thin the margin can be when a player like Giroux is weighing his options. A one-year arrangement with performance bonuses makes sense for a veteran in his stage of the career, and it also underscores why this decision matters so much to teams trying to add help without tying themselves down for long. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Still Have One Free Agency Problem They Havent Solved
The free-agent market has thinned out, but there are still a few veteran names hanging around for teams looking to add one more layer of experience before the season gets rolling. Edmonton is in that conversation, too, with several established forwards and defensemen still available and the kind of track records that make them worth at least a look if a club wants offense, depth, or a little more playoff know-how.
For the Oilers, the question is less about whether there are options and more about which one makes the most sense at this stage. Anthony Mantha, Patrick Kane, Claude Giroux and Vladimir Tarasenko all fit the broad profile of players who could interest Edmonton, but the market has not settled yet and nothing appears close to being finalized. That leaves the Oilers waiting on a veteran answer to a problem that still has not been solved. [Read more 🡒]