5 important questions heading into the NHL's offseason frenzy

The dust has settled on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the NHL is rapidly approaching an avalanche of transactions, with the entry draft, expansion draft, and free agency all occurring before the end of July.

With so much action on the horizon, we ask five pressing questions surrounding key talking points for what promises to be a high-octane offseason.

1. Will Jack Eichel be dealt? Sara Schmidle / National Hockey League / Getty

Regardless of what may occur this offseason, no event will be as seismic as a potential trade involving the Buffalo Sabres captain. It's highly unlikely to happen before the expansion draft, but until Eichel pulls a Sabres jersey over his head again, the hockey world will be wondering when and where he's playing next.

The state of Eichel's neck injury is still largely unknown, and while he and the team are working towards a solution - whatever that may mean - the forward's incendiary comments towards the organization at the end of the year led many to believe bridges have been burned for good. And as much as it may sting for Buffalo and its loyal fans, now is the best time to trade him. Eichel's market will shrink considerably after the coming season, as a full no-move clause kicks in for the final four years of his contract starting in 2022-23.

Do the Los Angeles Kings dip into their deep pool of assets to accelerate their rebuild with a new No. 1 center? Is there a contender, say Vegas or Boston, lurking for Eichel's services? It's hard to predict now, but one thing is clear: Once the Seattle Kraken's draft concludes and the initial wave of free agency is wrapped up, Eichel watch will be in full force.

2. Who will be Seattle's biggest get? Brian Babineau / National Hockey League / Getty

The Kraken will have their fair share of depth options to choose from, but will they end up with any stars? The Vegas Golden Knights targeted skilled, cost-effective players with upside when they picked their squad in 2017, and they have since blossomed into foundational pieces. But Marc-Andre Fleury - easily the biggest name available in that draft - instantly became the face of NHL's 31st franchise.

Could P.K. Subban be that guy in Seattle? The Devils are likely to expose Subban, and the defenseman would instantly provide the Kraken with a recognizable household name. The 32-year-old's $9 million cap hit would also help reach the cap floor and is easily affordable for one season.

If not Subban, Braden Holtby, Mark Giordano, Jakub Voracek, and Washington state native Tyler Johnson could be among the biggest names on Seattle's radar.

3. Who will Lightning have to cut loose? Scott Audette / National Hockey League / Getty

After winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in unprecedented circumstances, the Tampa Bay Lightning are facing a significant roster reset. This isn't to say the club is approaching a full-scale rebuild - Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, Victor Hedman, and Andrei Vasilevskiy remain a formidable core. However, the depth that played such a crucial role in each championship is going to take a major hit.

The Lightning were a well-documented $18 million over the salary limit in the playoffs, and they now carry a combined $85 million hit heading into the 2021-22 campaign, according to Cap Friendly. The financial squeeze likely means goodbye for pending unrestricted free agents David Savard, Barclay Goodrow, and Blake Coleman, and more bodies will have to go for Tampa to become cap compliant.

The Bolts are bound to lose a key player in the expansion draft regardless of the format they choose. If the franchise protects seven forwards, it risks losing Ryan McDonagh or Erik Cernak on the back end. If Tampa chooses to keep the blue line intact and protect eight total skaters, Johnson, Yanni Gourde, Alex Killorn, and Ondrej Palat will likely be available for the Kraken.

Will Julien BriseBois be able to swing a trade to minimize damage, or are the defending champs going to have to face this offseason head-on as the unit navigates a retooling?

4. Is Dougie Hamilton done in Carolina? Jamie Sabau / National Hockey League / Getty

The Carolina Hurricanes put the NHL on notice by permitting Hamilton to explore the free-agent market shortly after their playoff run ended. Carolina's unorthodox move could result in an enormous loss for a team that appears on the cusp of a major playoff run. There's a reasonable chance the Canes retain the star defender, but Hamilton deserves a hefty payday regardless of who provides the contract.

Hamilton ranks first among all defensemen with 42 goals and third with 609 shots since joining Carolina in 2018. The 28-year-old is also a possession monster, pacing every blue-liner that has at least 2,500 minutes logged with a 57.73 expected goals rate at five-on-five, according to Evolving Hockey. There are plenty of clubs across the league that could use his presence in their top four.

The seven-year, $61.6 million ($8.8 million average annual value) contract Alex Pietrangelo inked as last season's prized UFA defenseman is a fair comparison for Hamilton to shoot for, given he's younger and more productive offensively. If that's too steep for the Hurricanes, the Hamilton sweepstakes should be one of the stories of the summer.

5. How will RFA landscape shake out? Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty

One of this offseason's less-publicized talking points is the incredibly deep group of restricted free agents coming off their entry-level contracts. Cale Makar, Kirill Kaprizov, Elias Pettersson, Miro Heiskanen, Quinn Hughes, Andrei Svechnikov, and Patrik Laine are all stars who need new deals.

It's fair to assume Makar will come out of the negotiating period with the most lucrative contract, as he's the most established youngster of the group. Evolving Hockey predicts he could earn a whopping $10.34 million per season on an eight-year commitment, and it's tough to deny he's worth every penny. While Makar's impending negotiations with the Colorado Avalanche seem relatively straightforward, there's far less certainty with the rest of the crop.

How much can the Minnesota Wild afford to pay Kaprizov with Ryan Suter's and Zach Parise's bought-out cap hits handcuffing the club for the next four campaigns? And is the young Russian dynamo willing to sign long-term if there's limited flexibility to surround him with good players?

Can the Vancouver Canucks find a way to bridge both Pettersson and Hughes? Or will the franchise sink the majority of its cap space into the two young stars before their value inflates down the road?

These scenarios cover just the tip of the iceberg in what could be a monumental summer for some of the game's brightest young guns.

Copyright (C) 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.