JotCast | PHR Live Chat: 4/23/25

PHR Live Chat: 4/23/25

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Josh Erickson

1:56

Hey folks, I'll get started with questions at the top of the hour!

2:00

Alright, let's get into it

Unclemike1526

2:00

Josh you said that the Hawks can't bring over Kantserov for next year because of his deal in the KHL. But if there is no agreement between the 2 leagues then there really isn't any reason that teams can't pay off their prospects last year because of the fact that there is no agreement then correct? I mean either there is an agreement or there isn't. Pretty sure the Russians wouldn't care to get their way right? Grey area or not I guess. Thoughts?

Josh Erickson

2:02

There's always going to be a gray area when there's a lack of a transfer agreement. I'm not sure how deeply this is legislated in the CBA, but I'm under the impression that the NHL prohibits (or at least frowns upon) its teams to buy players out of overseas contracts when no transfer agreement exists. It also depends on how the player's contract with their overseas club is written. In most KHL contracts, I believe there's no set NHL out-clause that would stipulate a dollar amount for the player to be bought out by the NHL team that owns their signing rights. In most cases, unless the KHL team agrees to a mutual termination with the player, the player has to come up with the funds to buy themselves out of the contract without the team's help.

2:03

And just because there's no transfer agreement doesn't mean the leagues have standing with each other to respect each others' contracts. The Ivan Fedotov situation was a rarity.

draft

2:03

If Schaefer doesn't play well at the World under 18, which prospects might unseat him as #1 overall ? Is he risking his top ranking by participating ?

Josh Erickson

2:05

I'm under the impression that Schaefer's still not quite 100% and is leaning toward not playing at the tournament after all, so I don't think that will be a factor. But at this stage, only James Hagens and Michael Misa are the only other options I believe teams would consider at first overall, most likely the latter.

DStars

2:05

Do u think Seattle would have made that coaching move after only 1 year unless they already have someone in mind? Not far from Carle’s home state of Alaska.

Josh Erickson

2:06

Not necessarily. I think the regression in their defensive structure this season was worrying enough for the reshaped front office to fire Bylsma independent of who his replacement might be.

prospect

2:07

Both Spellacy and Pharand are big wingers with similar numbers in the OHL. It appears Chicgao isn't signing Phaarnd

Why do you think Chicago may not sign Pharand if they signed Spellacy with similar output. Is he redundant or not as good a skater ?

Josh Erickson

2:08

It's more about redundancy, plus Spellacy is just nastier to play against and made a really strong impression in last year's training camp.

DDUBS30

2:08

Any thoughts as to who would be a good fit to become the new GM of the Islanders and do you think Roy will still be the head coach ?

Josh Erickson

2:12

I think Roy's earned another year. Whether the new GM agrees remains to be seen, but I'd retain him. He kept their 5-on-5 possession numbers above water. I'm not sure what this roster could have been expected to do with Barzal missing so much time. They don't have the scoring depth to sustain his loss. Ethan Sears of the New York Post put together a list of early speculative candidates yesterday. He mentions Mike Gillis in there and that's a really intriguing option. I think the likeliest option is probably Jarmo Kekäläinen, but it could still depend on if any other teams make FO changes.

Who's Fabio?

2:12

Is it fair to assume the Hughes brothers will all be starring in NJ at the start of next season?

Josh Erickson

2:13

Not at all. Vancouver will take Quinn Hughes extension talks down to the last possible minute, and Rutherford said as much yesterday. He's priority No. 1, they'll likely write him a blank check to stay, and it will be up to Quinn whether or not he wants to sign it. They'll see next season through before even entertaining the though of a move.

*thought, excuse me.

The Bennaissance

2:13

Benn's contract expires at the end of the year. Sounds like both the Stars and Benn want him to end his career in Dallas. What kind of contract will he get this summer?

Josh Erickson

2:17

I'm sure they both do. I just don't see how it works yet. Dallas has essentially locked themselves into needing to make a cap-clearing move just to be compliant next year after that Rantanen extension before even thinking about retaining any other big-name free agents. They have just $5.9MM in cap space with eight roster spots to fill – that's impossible even with all league-min players. They'll have to attach a draft pick to offload Mathew Dumba's deal. They just signed Sam Steel to that extension in February, but I'm not sure they can afford him at $2.1MM either. In any universe, Duchene is almost certainly gone. Benn likely lands a two-year deal at $5.5MM per on the open market. Dallas can't realistically match that even with those cap-clearing moves, but they could get to the high 4s. Wonder if they add term onto that deal to get him the same total cash.

Cristall

2:17

You were right about Bedard's Vanc area buddy Cristall (Chicago passed on him at #35) ! He has continued to shine since his trade to Spokane. Do you think he might make the Caps out of training camp ?

Josh Erickson

2:18

Yeah, he could be their Mangiapane replacement. Wouldn't be surprised to see him hit 45-55 points in the right deployment next year.

2:20

Man, Washington's gonna be pretty quiet this summer. They've already extended everybody they care about. Can't imagine a big-name addition at this stage – reap the rewards of your continued incredible drafting.

Anonymous GM

2:20

Do the leafs have a "problem" on their hands with Matthew Knies? He's going to command some decent coin based on the season he had and has looked great again so far in these playoffs.

Josh Erickson

2:22

I'm of the mind that priority No. 1 remains Marner. You don't let your MVP walk, and he's also looked great so far in this series. I imagine David Kämpf is offloaded in a cap-clearing move since he's started the playoffs in the press box. His $2.4MM in space should help if Toronto is serious about retaining all three of Marner, Knies, and Tavares. I still think the only way that works is if they convince Knies to bridge and have his contract match the length of Tavares' extension so they can "guarantee" space for a Knies payday in two or three years.

Kevin F

2:22

Lots of Russian prospects have signed recently. Is that simply because the season just ended? I feel like the KHL plays hardball to keep a lot of their players. Are they softening that stance? Or is this normal and I’m reading too much into it?

Josh Erickson

2:24

This is pretty normal. None of these players has terminated multi-year deals in the KHL. They were all on expiring deals. This used to be not of much fanfare at all, but the KHL recently modified its contracts to run through May 31. It used to be that a KHL prospect could join an NHL team without issue once their KHL season was over. Now, it just requires a bit more effort to convince the team to technically terminate the deal a few weeks early after their playoff elimination/regular season end.

2:26

The hardball you're thinking of likely relates to scenarios where a player was in the middle of a multi-year KHL contract, not one that just had a few weeks left on it with no games left to play.

Demidov

2:26

I recall some scouting reports on Demidov prior to the draft mentioned a possible problem with his skating stride. Was this overblown/inaccurate or has his skating improved ?

Josh Erickson

2:28

I'd call it overblown. He doesn't have a traditional stride (very straight-line player), but speed was never a problem. The worry was about how his skating style would adjust, which I personally never thought would be something that hinders him.

Anonymous GM

2:28

Are you surprised by how easily the Panthers handled the Lightning last night? I know it's one game and Ottawa proved that one game doesn't mean a team is done, but a visiting team winning game one that handily seems like a big problem

Josh Erickson

2:30

Eye-opening for sure without Ekblad, but not particularly. I had Panthers in six before the series started. I thought Florida was the better team in Game 1 but not to the degree that the score reflected. Hard to imagine Vasilevskiy performing that poorly again, but certainly a good omen for a Cats team where there were some legitimate concerns about chemistry/conditioning.

Draft Whisperer

2:30

Is McKenna on par with Bédard in your opinion or ahead/behind in terms of his skills in his draft season. He seems to just be playing chess right now with the WHL

Josh Erickson

2:31

Ahead by a not insignificant margin. I was mentioning to a friend the other day – the question isn't whether McKenna deserves to be hyped the same as Bedard, it's whether he's the best prospect since McDavid. That's where the comparisons should be directed.

coach

2:32

What is the latest on whether David Carle is leaving DU for the NHL ? What team(s) do you think would be a good fit for him ?

Josh Erickson

2:34

Not much new to report. Elliotte Friedman said on a recent 32 Thoughts pod that while there were talks of the Blackhawks making a gigantic offer to Carle as soon as Denver's season ended, that hasn't happened yet. Not to say it won't – they remain interested – but I don't think Carle has tipped teams off yet as to whether he's seriously considering leaving Denver. Hard to imagine a team that wouldn't benefit from his services, but I'd most like to see him with a younger team (CHI/ANA/SEA).

MikeD

2:34

what is Winnipeg's best option for another 2nd line winger or center this offseason via trade/promotion/signing? or should the jets roll vilardi on the second line and put iafallo up on the first line permanent? thx

Josh Erickson

2:36

Iafallo's gelling well there and has a history of it in LA. I wouldn't mind that. I think their focus should remain with getting Ehlers to stay because there isn't a better wing option on the open market this summer than him, aside from Marner.

2:37

I don't think they'll have room for another meaningful addition after re-signing Vilardi, Ehlers, and Samberg. Vilardi's gonna be in the $6.5MM range and Samberg in the 5s, I imagine.

Draft

2:38

Would it be cool to see the hawks get #1 and pair the cousins on the same team? (Bedard and McKenna)

Josh Erickson

2:39

I don't think Chicago hopes to be in the No. 1 race next year, but man... that would be an easy sell to me as a fan as a reason for a tank!

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