Can they get a deal done with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen? The Sabres goalie — who was fantastic in the second half of this past season — opted for salary arbitration. It would set a positive tone for the upcoming season if the team avoided that process and came together on a long-term pact with a 25-year-old puckstopper, who will undoubtably need to be at his best if the Sabres are to end a 13-season playoff drought.
Other notables:
### Detroit Red Wings:
Can they get Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond locked up? Detroit’s best two young players — and two of its best players, full stop — are RFAs in need of new contracts. Wings GM Steve Yzerman is a tough negotiator, but you have to believe the Detroit faithful hope he and the players come together on deals that will keep Seider and Raymond in the Motor City through their 20s.
### Montreal Canadiens:
Will they add a top-six forward who fits the plan? Because the Habs traded for Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook in consecutive off-seasons, there was a sense Montreal might target a similar player — very young, untapped potential — again this summer. Alternatively, the Canadiens also sniffed around accomplished veterans — Patrick Kane, Jonathan Marchessault — who might be willing to join the club on shorter-term UFA deals. Nothing came to fruition, but that doesn’t mean the Habs — with a glut of young D-men in the system representing possible trade chips — won’t yet find a way to add to its forward crew.
### Ottawa Senators:
Are they waiting for just the right moment to talk turkey with Linus Ullmark? Acquiring the 2023 Vezina winner was a coup for the Sens. The only hitch, of course, is he’s entering the final year of his contract and the Swede wasn’t about to rush into a long-term commitment with his new club. Maybe once he has a month or two in the organization, Ullmark and the Sens will enter into talks on a new deal.
### Philadelphia Flyers:
Will they trade Morgan Frost? The 25-year-old’s name was in trade rumours for a good chunk of the season. With much of the off-season dust settled, perhaps another club will circle back and see a 2017 first-rounder who needs a change of scenery to tease out a little more of his offensive potential.
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### Buffalo Sabres:
Can they get a deal done with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen? The Sabres goalie — who was fantastic in the second half of this past season — opted for salary arbitration. It would set a positive tone for the upcoming season if the team avoided that process and came together on a long-term pact with a 25-year-old puckstopper, who will undoubtably need to be at his best if the Sabres are to end a 13-season playoff drought.
Other notables:
### Detroit Red Wings:
Can they get Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond locked up? Detroit’s best two young players — and two of its best players, full stop — are RFAs in need of new contracts. Wings GM Steve Yzerman is a tough negotiator, but you have to believe the Detroit faithful hope he and the players come together on deals that will keep Seider and Raymond in the Motor City through their 20s.
### Montreal Canadiens:
Will they add a top-six forward who fits the plan? Because the Habs traded for Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook in consecutive off-seasons, there was a sense Montreal might target a similar player — very young, untapped potential — again this summer. Alternatively, the Canadiens also sniffed around accomplished veterans — Patrick Kane, Jonathan Marchessault — who might be willing to join the club on shorter-term UFA deals. Nothing came to fruition, but that doesn’t mean the Habs — with a glut of young D-men in the system representing possible trade chips — won’t yet find a way to add to its forward crew.
### Ottawa Senators:
Are they waiting for just the right moment to talk turkey with Linus Ullmark? Acquiring the 2023 Vezina winner was a coup for the Sens. The only hitch, of course, is he’s entering the final year of his contract and the Swede wasn’t about to rush into a long-term commitment with his new club. Maybe once he has a month or two in the organization, Ullmark and the Sens will enter into talks on a new deal.
### Philadelphia Flyers:
Will they trade Morgan Frost? The 25-year-old’s name was in trade rumours for a good chunk of the season. With much of the off-season dust settled, perhaps another club will circle back and see a 2017 first-rounder who needs a change of scenery to tease out a little more of his offensive potential.