JotCast | PHR Live Chat: 8/20/25

PHR Live Chat: 8/20/25

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Josh Erickson

1:30

Apologies for the no-show last week, jury duty called. Start dropping your questions, I'll begin answering at the top of the hour!

2:00

Alright, let's get started

Dan

2:00

Thanks for the chat. The Blues, like so many teams, need that 2nd line offensive center. Dvorsky was drafted as a center but talk now is he may start at wing. It seems Justin Carbonneau has all the physical needs to be a solid 2C. Any chance he spends his year in junior at center?

Josh Erickson

2:02

He may start at wing in the NHL, but I don't think his long-term projection as a center is affected. That decision is for a couple of reasons. One, he needs a little more development before he's ready to handle top-nine minutes down the middle for a team intent on making the playoffs. That's a factor here. The other is roster math; they have plenty of other stopgap Cs in the system, and his best chance of making the NHL roster out of camp would be on the wing. I don't think that's the right path with Justin Carbonneau, and I have no indication that's being considered.

2:02

How would you rank the following forwards in order of likelihood to stay with the Kraken past the 2025-26 season: Tolvanen, Marchment, Eberle, and Schwartz?

Josh Erickson

2:04

I think you have them in the correct order. Tolvanen and Marchment are the highest-ceiling goal-scoring options of the two, but the former would likely end up being more advantageous to retain financially and is significantly younger, so he fits better with their timeline for competitiveness. I could see an argument for Eberle being the No. 2 more likely to stay over Marchment, but he's only made the playoffs five times in 15 NHL seasons. I get the sense that he (and Schwartz) will want to go Cup-chasing as they have every right to do.

Unclemike1526

2:04

Since you've educated me that Shea Webers deal is needed to hit the Hawks Cap floor, Do they have the ability to move Murphy and Broissoit for picks or do they have to keep them also? Would they have to make a deal for another contract to trade either? Seems like a perfect time to make a deal for some other teams LTIR nightmare for some more picks. Thanks Josh!

Josh Erickson

2:07

They have enough cushion to trade one of Connor Murphy or Laurent Brossoit without taking a contract back, but not both. They make $7.7MM combined against the cap, and the Hawks are only clear of the floor by roughly $6.25MM.

I should clarify this – the Blackhawks *could technically* place Weber on LTIR and stay above the cap floor since LTIR only wipes the cap hit equivalent to the optimized relief, which in Chicago's current situation would be $0. It simply makes no sense when standard IR achieves the same purpose with less red tape, and there's no precedent for teams using LTIR unless they absolutely need to.

Pokey Reddick

2:08

Will the Jets entertain trade offers for Kyle Connor this fall, if he is not interest in re-signing? If so, what kind of package would they request?

Josh Erickson

2:09

I highly doubt it. They didn't really explore that last season with Nikolaj Ehlers, and his intent to test free agency was far more defined and public than Connor's at this stage. They would have to pursue a Mikko Rantanen-type trade. A team coming off a Presidents' Trophy win isn't trading a 45-goal, 90-point winger for futures.

LGD

2:10

Top blue lines:

Thomas Hickey’s top 5 MTL, WSH, DAL, FLA, COL The Athletic’s top 5 EDM, COL, WPG, DAL, VAN TSN Talent tier 1 COL, CAR, DAL, EDM, OTT Who’s your top 5 or 10? Not necessarily in order. Thanks!

Josh Erickson

2:14

I personally have trouble finding the right balance between rewarding teams with elite talent but significant third-pairing weaknesses vs. teams that I think have an extremely balanced group. In constructing a roster, I tend to prefer the latter. The Canadiens' talent level is intriguing, but the two-way makeup of the group as a whole concerns me and I wouldn't have them in that range.

I'm going to take you up on not putting them in order, but I would have the Capitals, Stars, Panthers, Oilers, and Jets as my five.

Actually, swap the Oilers out for the Avalanche. Forgot they signed Burns for a sec.

Wild About Kirill

2:14

Does a swap of Rossi and Zuccarello to Pitt for Rust, Rakell, (and maybe a pick) make sense for both parties?

Josh Erickson

2:15

That makes little to no sense for Pittsburgh. They're not moving either Rakell or Rust for a package with just Rossi as the 'futures' piece, let alone both. Zuccarello offers no benefit to them, I don't think they'd take him for free given their current spot on the rebuild trajectory.

Martin Necas

2:16

What do you think he'll get on his next contract, and do you believe it will come from the Avs or somebody else?

Josh Erickson

2:18

I would think it comes from the Avs. I'm not sure what other options they have than to commit. They don't have enough money coming off the books to really go for a splash next offseason in UFA if he leaves, and that's assuming not everyone re-signs. I would anticipate a max-term deal in the $9.5MM-$10.5MM range per season, assuming he continues to click around a point per game.

2:18

It's been a slow start to the 8/15 college FA signing period. Any idea about Savage, James or Hreschuk ?

Josh Erickson

2:19

Haven't heard anything. I would still expect the former two to receive some NHL calls, AHL deal is almost definitely the path for Aidan Hreschuk.

Ron Duguay

2:19

Are the Blue Shirts done with their roster until opening night? Maybe a defense needy team wants Soucy during training camp, or is that wishful thinking? Thanks!

Josh Erickson

2:20

Given how slow things have been movement-wise since July 1, I'm not holding my breath on anything. You're on the right track with any transaction being a dump, not an add. They're within $800K of the cap, so not a lot of flexibility there.

2:21

My big question: where does Scott Morrow slot in long-term? Their right side as constructed (Fox/Borgen/Schneider) likely isn't going anywhere anytime soon. I thought the Borgen extension made no sense when it was signed and it looks worse now.

Mammoth13

2:21

How much and for what term do you think Cooley gets?

Josh Erickson

2:22

Bill Armstrong likes to go long, and I can't say I blame him with how projectable his young talent is. I would guess seven years at $9.5MM per.

contract limit

2:23

What are Ottawa and Chicago saving their 10 remaining contract slots for ? How much flexibility do they need going forward ?

Josh Erickson

2:25

I wouldn't read anything into it. The contract limit only becomes a factor when teams start getting really close to it. For whatever reason, those teams just haven't yet reached their ideal mix of minor league experience vs. upside yet and will presumably add to it slightly in the weeks to come.

Rags Fan

2:25

Is Rempe an actual NHL player? I dont see the appeal.... he's a hot mess. I feel like the Rangers have better options to fill his roster spot.... maybe its just me. Thoughts??

Josh Erickson

2:27

He can be if coached/developed properly! I see legitimate utility there as a fourth-line checker if playing the game is made his primary objective, not ending up in the penalty box. As the Leafs found out quickly with Ryan Reaves, there's simply no benefit for having a pure enforcer as part of an 18-skater group in today's NHL anymore. Keep in mind that he's still just 23 and still has some development runway ahead of him.

Mc Kenna

2:27

If Mc Kenna has a disappointing freshman year at college, will that affect his draft position like it did Hagens or is he so far ahead that he'll still go first in 2026 ?

Josh Erickson

2:29

Depends way too much on his challengers to give a yes/no answer. It would take some kind of monster season from Keaton Verhoeff to even put him in the conversation, one that I don't think he quite has the skating ability to put together yet.

Dan

2:29

Recent article noted that the most likely AHL players to get called up by Blues were Kaskimäki or Peterson. Wondering why Alexandrov, a ppg player in AHL isn’t viewed in same light?

Josh Erickson

2:31

It's as simple as age. Alexandrov will be 25 in November. He's pretty clearly set as a 14th/15th forward long-term. I believe the discussion that was being had was more to do with younger prospects than with players in Alexandrov's age group.

DStars

2:31

What do u think a theoretical trade return would look like for Jason Robertson? High draft picks/ prospects?

Josh Erickson

2:32

I don't think they'd necessarily be looking to shed his cap hit outright. It'll be more about landing someone with more long-term cost certainty than what Robertson carries – that's the concern right now that's keeping speculation alive.

Kyle

2:33

Do you think the Blues improved the team over last year's version?

Josh Erickson

2:37

Not by a gargantuan degree, but slightly. I would posit the total value of Bjugstad and Suter's performances next season outweigh what Bolduc and Faksa brought last season. I still don't like the Bolduc/Mailloux swap given their long-term trajectories, though. Mailloux could be a more impactful puck-moving option than Ryan Suter was for them but he needs to make leaps and bounds defensively. Plopping him in there out of the gate risks icing arguably the league's biggest liability if he hasn't noticeably improved on that side of the puck.

DStars

2:37

who do you think could potentially be the top destinations for Rasmus Anderson if stalled contract negotiations continue?

Josh Erickson

2:38

Would really surprise me if it's not Dallas or Vegas. He has a six-team no-trade list, and I'm remembering correctly, reports have indicated both the Kings and Senators are on it. Haven't really heard anyone else sniffing around there.

14 and counting…..

2:38

Over/under GMKA adds a forward to the top 9 ranks? Has to add someone. NO WAY Benson is anything more than a fringe 3rd line forward.

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