All 31 NHL teams are quite busy this weekend as they prepare for the 2018 NHL draft. What's going on behind the scenes? Our NHL reporters and insiders -- Greg Wyshynski, Emily Kaplan and Chris Peters -- have their ears to the ground in Dallas.
Here's a look at what we're hearing on the draft floor regarding draft pick preferences, players jumping up boards or sliding down, players on the move, teams trading up or down and more. This file will be updated and expanded throughout draft weekend.
It's Vegas, so the cards are being kept close to the vest for Golden Knights general manager George McPhee. A source claims he's expected to make a large money offer for free-agent defenseman John Carlson if he does to market, but Washington Capitals GM Brian MacLellan said they're "close" to getting Carlson on a new contract after clearing Brooks Orpik's salary from the books.
All eyes are on the Ottawa Senators and what they do with Erik Karlsson, but the Carolina Hurricanes might be the most active team in terms of trades on draft weekend. During the playoffs, one personnel executive shared that, from what he understood, there were "only a few untouchables" on the Canes roster.
Forward Jeff Skinner is very much in play. He's due $5.725 million against the cap in the last year of his contract, and it's that next deal that has the Hurricanes looking to move him.
What else could they do? According to a source, neither Cam Ward nor Scott Darling will be the starting goalie for the team next season, so that position will have to be addressed via trade or unrestricted free agency. What they won't do is blow up the team. Owner Tom Dundon has taken a good look at the roster, and instead of believing this is a dramatic reshaping, he sees it as a one- to two-year return to contention.
The Ottawa Senators of course are entertaining offers on Erik Karlsson and Zack Smith, but a new name has emerged at the draft: Craig Anderson. Word is the Senators are looking to move their starting goaltender, who has been with the team since 2011. The 37-year-old still has two years remaining on his contract, with a cap hit of $4.75 million. The Buffalo Sabres could be an interested party, especially as GM Jason Botterill revealed on Friday that he had to make a "difficult decision" in not extending a qualifying offer for Robin Lehner. Buffalo does have 24-year-old Linus Ullmark in the system but likely would need a veteran to supplement.
There has been some chatter about the Vegas Golden Knights potentially using some of their surplus of picks for 2019 to try to move back into the first round this year. That might depend entirely on who is still on the board late on Day 1, as well as just how seriously they might be considering a run at Erik Karlsson. They have just one pick in the first three rounds -- a second-round selection that's No. 61 overall -- but one first-rounder, two second-rounders and three third-round picks in 2019 to play with.
"We have a lot of cap space. We might have close to $40 million when it's all said and done. But the moves we make are going to be about the composition of the team. We're not going to foul up the way these guys are together," owner Bill Foley told ESPN. "We're going to bring in the right people, with the right temperament, that are true team players."
Many in the NHL were shocked this week when word got out that Artemi Panarin was not ready to sign a long-term extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Panarin's camp hasn't ruled out the possibility altogether. GM Jarmo Kekalainen reiterated on Friday that his priority is to "do everything we can to persuade him to stay in Columbus long term." However, Kekalainen told reporters he would consider offers: "If somebody throws something at us that will make our team better in the long run, and it makes sense for the organization, we have to listen and look at it."
Panarin, 26, scored 82 points this season. No other Blue Jackets forward cracked 50 points. He becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer. A list of teams interested in Panarin's services? Well, just about everyone.
The San Jose Sharks are clearing the decks for something. Paul Martin was put on unconditional waivers for the purpose of buying out the final year of his contract, giving San Jose another $4.85 million in cap space. Combine that with the Mikkel Boedker trade and the Sharks now have over $20 million in cap space. Some of that money will go to RFA Tomas Hertl. The hockey world prays that some of it goes to another season of Joe Thornton. But the rest of the allocation? Defenseman Erik Karlsson, center John Tavares and winger Ilya Kovalchuk could all be on the radar. Kovalchuk is focusing on four teams, and San Jose is one of them.