Rob Blake stepped down as GM of the Los Angeles Kings on May 5. Eleven days later, they hired former Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland as Blake's replacement.
On May 22, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported Holland intends to be aggressive in this summer's trade and free-agent markets. He believes the new Kings GM could go “big-game hunting” to upgrade their roster following four straight first-round playoff exits to the Oilers.
The Kings have $21.7 million of projected cap room and 21 active roster players under contract for next season. LeBrun noted they have the cap space to make a big splash in the free-agent pool.
LeBrun wouldn't be surprised if Holland gets into the bidding for Mitch Marner if the Toronto Maple Leafs right winger tests the UFA market on July 1. He could pursue a more affordable option like Nikolaj Ehlers of the Winnipeg Jets or Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks.
The Hockey News’ Jim Parsons listed Boeser and Marner as targets as well as the Leafs’ John Tavares, Oilers’ Connor Brown and the Florida Panthers’ Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett, but he noted there will be a lot of competition for the high-end free agents.
Turning to the Montreal Canadiens, they're expected to pursue a second-line center via trade or free agency following the Stanley Cup playoffs.
TVA Sports' Tony Marinaro and Jean-Charles Lajoie recently looked at possible UFA options for the Canadiens. They felt Mikael Granlund of the Dallas Stars might be a good fit.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Granlund lacks the size that the Canadiens could seek in a second-line center, However, Marinaro and Lajoie believe he'd be a decent short-term addition. Lajoie recommended signing the 33-year-old Granlund even if the Habs find someone else to center their second line, citing his ability to step up into that role if injuries strike.
Granlund is completing a four-year contract with an average annual value of $5 million. He's coming off back-to-back seasons of 60-or-more points following a disappointing 2022-23 campaign with the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins.
In New Jersey, the Devils could move one or two players this summer to free up salary-cap space to address other roster needs.
James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now indicated the no-trade protection for 34-year-old forwards Ondrej Palat and Erik Haula will change on July 1. Palat's drops from a full no-movement clause to a 10-team no-trade list, while Haula's goes from a full no-trade to a six-team no-trade list.
Haula might be the easiest to move because he has a year left on his contract with an average annual value of $3.125 million. Palat has two years left at $6 million annually.
Nichols noted the Devils need more scoring, suggesting Drake Batherson of the Ottawa Senators, Alex Tuch of the Buffalo Sabres and Pavel Dorofeyev of the Vegas Golden Knights as trade targets.
However, the Senators are unlikely to move Batherson and his team-friendly contract, the Sabres are reportedly keen to sign Tuch to an extension, while the Golden Knights probably prefer to retain the 24-year-old Dorofeyev, who tallied 35 goals this season.
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