Current:Home > FinanceCan Panthers, Oilers keep their teams together? Plenty of contracts are expiring. -AssetVision
Can Panthers, Oilers keep their teams together? Plenty of contracts are expiring.
View
Date:2025-04-15 13:11:59
The Florida Panthers have won their first NHL championship in their third trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Edmonton Oilers hope the future is bright after reaching the championship round for the first time in the Connor McDavid era and pushing back from a 3-0 deficit to force Game 7.
Can they keep their teams together?
The recent champion Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche showed that's more difficult in the salary cap era. But this year's finalists will benefit from the salary cap rising from $83.5 million to $88 million.
Here are the decisions that await the Panthers and Oilers:
What's next for the Florida Panthers?
The big offseason questions will be unrestricted free agent forward Sam Reinhart and defenseman Brandon Montour.
Reinhart, 28, had a career year with 57 goals, had 10 more in the playoffs and works well with Aleksander Barkov. He's due a big raise from this season's $6.5 million but might need to take a slight hometown discount.
Montour, 30, had 73 points in 2022-23 but dropped to 33 after offseason shoulder surgery. He's a coveted right-shot defenseman, but Gustav Forsling appears to have supplanted him as the top blue liner and just got an extension.
Other pending unrestricted free agent defensemen are offseason signees Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Dmitry Kulikov. Aaron Ekblad is entering the final year of his contract.
Among the forwards, trade deadline acquisition Vladimir Tarasenko is on a one-year deal. He has a Florida home and has been a good fit on the third line. Kyle Okposo, also acquired at the deadline, won his first Cup at 36. There are other bottom six forwards on the UFA list.
Anton Lundell is a restricted free agent, and Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe have one year left.
Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had two more years on his contract. Backup goalie Anthony Stolarz is unrestricted. Spencer Knight, who didn't play in the NHL this season, is in the system.
What's next for the Edmonton Oilers?
No. 2 scorer Leon Draisaitl is heading into his final season and is eligible for an extension. Connor McDavid has two years left on his deal and forwards Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evander Kane are signed beyond next season.
Defenseman Evan Bouchard, who has emerged as the Oilers' top defenseman, is eligible for an extension. He'll be a restricted free agent at the end of next season. Philip Broberg, who took big strides in the playoffs, is restricted.
The Oilers have a long list of UFAs. including their impressive third line of Mattias Janmark, Connor Brown and Adam Henrique. Warren Foegele, who had a four-game point streak in the final, is unrestricted, and Dylan Holloway is restricted.
Goalie Stuart Skinner has two years left on his deal at an inexpensive $2.6 million cap hit. The Oilers need to make a decision on veteran goalie Jack Campbell, who spent most of the season in the American Hockey League. Calvin Pickard is unrestricted.
veryGood! (986)
Related
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- Friend for life: Mourning dog in Thailand dies at owner's funeral
- Social media platform Bluesky nearing 25 million users in continued post
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- South Korea opposition leader Lee says impeaching Yoon best way to restore order
- 'The Later Daters': Cast, how to stream new Michelle Obama
- Not sure what to write in your holiday card? These tips can help: Video tutorial
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- Is that Cillian Murphy as a zombie in the '28 Years Later' trailer?
Ranking
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- Ohio Supreme Court sides with pharmacies in appeal of $650 million opioid judgment
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- Donald Trump is returning to the world stage. So is his trolling
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Orcas are hunting whale sharks. Is there anything they can't take down?
- Wisconsin kayaker who faked his death and fled to Eastern Europe is in custody, online records show
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
Recommendation
As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
TikTok asks Supreme Court to review ban legislation, content creators react: What to know
In a First, Arizona’s Attorney General Sues an Industrial Farm Over Its Water Use
Woman fired from Little India massage parlour arrested for smashing store's glass door
Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
Epic Games to give refunds after FTC says it 'tricked' Fortnite players into purchases
Epic Games to give refunds after FTC says it 'tricked' Fortnite players into purchases
US inflation likely edged up last month, though not enough to deter another Fed rate cut