EARLY-SEASON TRADE TALK

TORONTO, ON — We are one week into the NHL regular-season and some teams are still looking for ways to free up salary cap space or a roster spot in order to accommodate their preferred lineups.

The Toronto Maple Leafs got out in front of things before the season got underway by moving forward Sam Lafferty to the Vancouver Canucks for a draft pick opening up both a roster position and extra cap space.

The Canucks, Montreal Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers are among the teams trying to do the same.

The Senators are scrambling to make a move to fit Shane Pinto and his expected cap hit onto their team, but their self-created cap mess isn’t going to solve itself – especially with Josh Norris inching closer to a return.

The Senators could have found the necessary cap space to accommodate Pinto’s expected AAV of between $2 million and $2.5 million by trading Mathieu Joseph and adding a premium sweetener, but GM Pierre Dorion hasn’t been willing to pay that price. They’ve explored moving defenceman Erik Brannstrom, as I reported last month, but they’ve come up empty.

Joseph, meanwhile, is off to a good start to the season with two goals and an assist in two games. The Philadelphia Flyers were willing to take on his contract if Ottawa added Tyler Boucher to the trade, but Dorion has refused.

Vancouver’s been trying to move Conor Garland for the last 18 months and with agent Judd Moldaver now representing the 28-year-old forward, the Canucks are hoping to get a deal done in the coming weeks, though that’s clearly easier said than done.

The Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets, Washington Capitals and Blue Jackets are some of the teams that have reportedly had conversations with the Canucks about Garland. While I don’t believe the Jets are currently engaged in talks, you can add the Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks to the mix of interested parties from what I have been told.

There are some discussions with Nashville centre around defenceman Dante Fabbro, a Vancouver native, while talks with the Blue Jackets are believed to involve blueliner Andrew Peeke.

Wherever Garland ends up, Vancouver is going to have to eat a chunk of his annual salary – likely between $1 million and $1.5 million – even if they take back a player. One team is looking to add Garland at a desired cap hit closer to $3 million. His AAV is $4.95 million. I don’t think the Canucks retain that much, but that provides an indicator as to what some teams are looking for and how tight the cap is across the League.

I give Garland a lot of credit. He has known the team has been trying to move him for a year and a half – basically since Jim Rutherford took over – and he’s been a good soldier throughout.

For teams interested in adding without subtracting a significant piece, which may be near impossible for some clubs, free agents Phil Kessel and Patrick Kane are options.

Kane will begin the process of syphoning through the list of interested parties in the next week or so, while Kessel has two legitimate options right now that are both contingent on those teams moving out money before bringing him in.

My understanding is Kessel is healthy and ready to join a team as soon as a deal can be ironed out. Unfortunately, for him, he has to play the waiting game.

CANES STILL WANT PESCE LONG-TERM

The Hurricanes are still hoping to get defenceman Brett Pesce signed to a long-term extension, but they’re going to have to up their offer from what was discussed in the summer.

Pesce is in the final year of a six-year, $24.15 million contract. He has a 15-team trade list as part of his contract, but the Hurricanes do not plan on moving him – they did have conversations with teams in the summer – unless they somehow fall out of the playoff picture, which seems highly unlikely.

Some players prefer to shut down contract negotiations during the summer, but I am led to believe that is not the case here and discussions between the Canes and Moldaver, Pesce’s agent, are still amicable.

In the summer, the Hurricanes were looking to get Pesce inked to a deal worth in the $4 million to $5 million range. That simply won’t work. Pesce would like to stay in Raleigh, but he wants a competitive salary and I suspect that will cost the Hurricanes closer to $7 million on a six-to-eight-year contract.

We’ll see the cap jump about $4 million to $5 million next summer, with another increase of anywhere from $2 million to $5 million more for the 2025-26 campaign. Between the cap increasing and clubs shedding bad, expiring contracts, some GMs are going to have a bucket of money to play with and adding a player like Pesce via free agency is going to be enticing.

Absent a significant improvement in Carolina’s present offer, I believe Pesce and his camp will play out the season and revisit talks before the FA market opens on July 1, 2024. If there isn’t any wiggle room in the numbers, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him test the waters.

GOAL SONG MANIA

The Maple Leafs are rotating goal songs this season – at least in the first half, anyway – and hoping one sticks. This topic has taken on a life of its own, and while I have fed into the hype, some within the organization are flabbergasted by the public uproar.

Last Wednesday’s goal song, “Pursuit of Happiness” by Kid Cudi, won’t be played again this season, as Nick Alberga reported Saturday. My understanding is a charitable organization voiced their concerns over the song’s lyrics and MLSE decided to scrap the track.

On Saturday, the goal song was “Dup Dup” by Mickie Krause, and tonight’s game will have another goal song.

Fans in Leafs Nation will hear new tunes every time they score in games against Original Six opponents, Next Generation games, ‘Throwback Thursdays,’ and the rest of the pack. Eventually, the team will settle on one song. Eventually.