JotCast | PHR Live Chat: 6/18/25

PHR Live Chat: 6/18/25

Josh Erickson

1:56

Hi all, I'll get started with questions at the top of the hour!

Richard

2:00

the Cory Perry curse is real!

Josh Erickson

2:00

Yes, it is. That streak, combined with how many different teams he's lost with... we might never see a run like this again. Generational talent.

UFA

2:01

With their anemic offense, can the Blackhawks afford to play a game of chicken with Donato ? What could they get if they trade his signing rights, around a 4th round pick ?

Josh Erickson

2:02

I'm always of the mind that no news is good news. Things sounded relatively close with Donato a few months ago. I haven't heard anything pointing toward a breakdown in communication or a lack of productive talks. I would still expect something to get done. If not, I imagine that's likely the maximum return they could get for a few extra days of negotiating. For a player of his caliber, probably less than that. Maybe the rights to an unsigned prospect instead of a pick, too.

draft

2:02

Is it a fait accompli that Schaefer and Misa are going as the top two in some order ? is there anyone you've heard interests NYI or SJ as a dark horse (like Sennecke with Ducks in 2024)?

Josh Erickson

2:04

Pretty much, yeah. Hagens would be the only "dark horse" for No. 1 overall, but I believe the Islanders are pretty set on Schaefer and are pursuing other avenues to acquire a second top 10 pick to use on Hagens if he's still there. That move won't happen until the pick in question is on the clock, I'd assume.

I think the Sharks like Caleb Desnoyers, too. They view Schaefer as a decently clear-cut No. 1, I've heard, so he'll be their pick if the Islanders do something unexpected. If not, the only forwards they're considering with the selection are Misa and Desnoyers. I believe they'll still go with Misa.

RFAs

2:04

What do you think Chicago will do with RFAs Kaiser, Crevier and Kurashev ? Kurashev may not be qualified ?

Josh Erickson

2:06

I have no reason to believe Kurashev will receive a qualifying offer. If he does, it's because they know there's a different team willing to pay it as a fallback option and they're interested in trading for his signing rights. He won't be back with the Blackhawks next season, that's a relative certainty. I wouldn't be particularly surprised if one of Kaiser or Crevier go unqualified just because of the wealth of U-24 defenders the Hawks have, but I wouldn't be surprised if both of them are back as additional depth in case someone ahead of them on the depth chart doesn't work out. Gives them some added ammo to deal from their young D pool to upgrade the forward group if that's something Kyle Davidson opts to pursue.

LGD

2:07

Any chance these playoffs light a fire to switch the format? Would the PA bump this up on their CBA priority list a few spots? Asking for a friend.

Josh Erickson

2:07

Either Bettman or Daly, I forget who, said in an interview within the last few weeks that there was A) no appetite from the league to change it and B) it wasn't a sticking point in CBA negotiations at all. I wouldn't rule it out entirely, of course, but a change in playoff format remains exceedingly improbable.

Richard

2:08

Avs have almost zero cap space do you see them doing something big like trading Sam Girard? Or make small moves with what they have?

Josh Erickson

2:11

They quite literally have to make a cap-clearing move. They have $1.2MM in projected space with a roster of 19 players (12F-5D-2G). That's enough to sign a league-minimum player to be the sixth defenseman, but not enough to sign a second $775K guy to serve as a healthy scratch. They'll literally have to play a man short if there's a non-LTIR injury. They have a bit of early flexibility with O'Connor ($2.5MM) likely starting on LTIR, but they need the room to activate him, too.

One, potentially two, of Charlie Coyle, Ross Colton, Samuel Girard, and Josh Manson, will be traded to add significant flexibility and allow Colorado to spread a little more wealth around the bottom of their lineup/press box.

Miles Wood's name could be out there too, but I think that contract is harder to move with five years left on it.

*Four, excuse me.

Sircoblestone440

2:12

Do you think That with Dickinson ans Askarov add next year ans 20 millions at least invest in 2 top 6 forward and one top pair right handed defensemen San Jose can Play around a .500 record

Josh Erickson

2:16

A full year of Askarov receiving at least ~35 starts should naturally improve their record over what Georgiev/Vanecek did for them, for sure. I do think Sam Dickinson will be in the NHL. It's either there or juniors for him, and he ain't going back. I don't believe the Sharks are going to weaponize all the cap space they have just for the sake of using it. They'll go after players they like long-term or pursue some stopgaps, but landing a top UFA now on a long-term deal doesn't really align with their contention window, nor does it align with what Grier's done in his post so far. That said, I do expect the Sharks to have enough natural improvement from their existing talents to finish around the 75-point mark.

Michael Gillis

2:16

Good afternoon guys, curious who are some logical options the Bruins see as targets this off-season?

Josh Erickson

2:20

They've been connected to the Islanders' Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Haven't heard a ton of concrete stuff outside of that. I'm sure they're pursuing some more aggressive avenues for improvement as well. What's obvious is there's no desire for a long retool/rebuild process. They will still be making moves that help them be the best club possible in 2025-26, not a few years from now.

Draft Pick Hoarder

2:21

Teams like Pitt and Phil have tons of draft picks in the next few drafts. Teams like TBL and FL have almost none. What is the incubation period between drafting 4 or 5 great players and when they can realistically be expected to turn that into wins? 2 years? 5 years? Seems like the 2019 draft is just coming into maturity e.g Protas. So the Pennsylvania teams will stink for 5 more years. Conversely, when does the hangover show up when you miss drafting anyone like FL or TBL? Is that the same timeline?

Josh Erickson

2:23

The answer to your latter question has very little to do with draft success (although it has some impact) and much more to do with being efficient in the short- and long-term contracts you sign. Nobody's perfect in the latter part, and good drafting can help offset that. Lundell (2020) is the only relatively recent drafted-and-developed-in-house player on the Panthers.

2:24

If you get lucky with the lottery and end up with a pair of cornerstones in back-to-back years, then you're likely looking at a 2-3 year timeline. With the approach the Pens and Flyers are having to take here (at least so far), you're about right on the money with the 4-5 year range for most guys.

assistant coaches - anaheim

2:25

Any names linked for assistant coaches in Anaheim?

Josh Erickson

2:25

None yet, no.

DDUBS30

2:25

Josh , do you think the Islanders move down in the draft to acquire more assets…and if they keep the top pick …who is your guess …Schaefer or Misa ?

Josh Erickson

2:26

There's no appetite from the Isles to move down unless they're blown away, and I do think Schaefer is the pick for them. They may make other draft-related moves outside of 1OA, but Schaefer/Isles is a pretty safe thought.

vegas

2:26

is Vegas the most likely lanting spot for Marner?

Josh Erickson

2:28

Very serious contender? Yes. Most likely? You can't call them that until they actually manage to create the cap space they'll need to get him. Hypothesizing about potential cap dumps is nice, but none of them seem to be particularly close to fruition. If someone making at least $5MM against the cap is traded between now and July 1, then yes, I'd label them the favorite. But not yet.

Unclemike1526

2:29

Now that Brodie is gone what do you think the Hawks will do with Broissoit? Plus will the Hawks move up from 25 to take a shot at Ravensbergen? Gajan is looking more and more like a bad pick and you can never have enough Goalies. if the Hawks had taken Hrabal, Ravenbergen would be a pass but IDK. What do you think sir? Thanks

Josh Erickson

2:30

I still think the plan is to push Brossoit through waivers, get him back to playing a regular schedule in Rockford and boost his value for a trade. I don't imagine anything on that front happens this offseason. He'd need to clear a physical to get bought out anyway, not sure if he'd be able to do that yet.

2:33

Drafting goalies is generally a crap shoot. This draft is also a crap shoot at large past around the 16th pick. I wouldn't be surprised to see Chicago go Ravensbergen there as a result. That's around where I have him ranked personally. If not, they probably go for another forward. Not a ton of great-value D picks for that range. I doubt Malcolm Spence is still there, but if he is, that would be my pick for them. Would be intrigued by a name like Russian winger Alexander Zharovsky as well. They can afford the Russian "risk." If they're dead set on a D with that pick, righty Blake Fiddler would be the best-value option if available imo.

CAPS

2:33

Awesome move by FL/Barkov to give Nate Schmidt the Cup first. Such a fun and goofy guy to root for. But sticking Caps related how does GM plan a roster. A 40 goal scorer last year (or is it?) Spend the $ now to supplement a roster with Ovie? Do they go for a 3rd C or D or top6 winger? Which of these players are on their opening day roster Leonard, Frank, Miroshienko, Bueavilier, LaPierre, Milano?

Josh Erickson

2:37

I do think they'll be a cap team, yes. They have Lapierre and Alexeyev as RFAs to sign. They shouldn't take up more than $2MM combined. That leaves them with around $7MM to spend on a UFA signing, so expect them to sign a player who's projected anywhere from $5MM-$7MM. It'll likely be on a top-nine winger. Jonathan Drouin is a potential fit, IMO. Think someone of that caliber... if they go cheaper, they can keep Beauvillier too. Not sure they can afford the Ehlers/Boesers of the world. I'd anticipate Leonard and Lapierre on the opening night roster for sure. Not certain about the others.

Oilers Goaltending

2:37

Bouchard for Binnington: Who says no faster? And if they both said yes, could the Blues get a reunion with Jake Allen for a 60-40 time split with Joel Hofer?

Josh Erickson

2:39

Edmonton hangs up the phone before the sentence is finished. They have no appetite to trade Bouchard. If they were dangling him for goalie help, it wouldn't be for someone as old as Binnington. It's not a plausible framework. A far likelier outcome is attaching Pickard with assets to give Skinner a tandem partner who can take more of the workload off him.

John Gibson would have been a great fit in EDM, in my book. Really surprised they didn't see him as an upgrade. Wonder if they re-evaluate.

DStars

2:40

Would Marner or Ehlers put the Mammoth into at least the wild card next year?

Josh Erickson

2:41

They were one of the league's best possession teams this season. Utah probably gets there just based on positive regression, particularly with a better performance from whoever their No. 2 is next year behind Vejmelka, without any moves. Acquiring a player of that caliber without giving up an asset might be enough to get them a divisional berth, honestly.

Jim Nill

2:42

What is the trade value of Jason Robertson?

Josh Erickson

2:44

High. I think they've gotten their priorities right and are really more set on moving a combo of Marchment/Dumba/Lyubushkin now. But if they did move him (I wonder about Boston), it would likely be seventh overall plus another good asset like Matthew Poitras. Maybe another pick involved as well.

based

2:45

Hey Josh! I expect the Flyers to be active this summer. Is there an RFA you can see them targeting either through trade or offer sheet?

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