The off-season plans for the New Jersey Devils' new GM have become a subject of interest in the rumor mill. Meanwhile, there could be some changes coming to the Seattle Kraken's roster this summer.
The New Jersey Devils officially introduced Sunny Mehta as their new GM last week.
He worked in their hockey analytics department from 2014 to 2018 before becoming an assistant GM with the Florida Panthers.
While Mehta begins his evaluation of the Devils, his potential plans for the roster have become a topic of interest in the rumor mill.
James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now believes the future of Dougie Hamilton should be among Mehta's priorities.
The 32-year-old puck-moving defenseman was the subject of frequent trade speculation going back to last summer. He has two years remaining on his contract worth an average annual value of $9 million.
Whatever happens with Hamilton could also determine Simon Nemec's future in New Jersey. The 22-year-old defenseman is completing his entry-level contract. His offensive game has improved, but his defensive play needs work.
Mehta must also open contract extension talks with captain Nico Hischier. The 27-year-old center will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next July.
Hischier's reluctance to talk about his contract with the media earlier this month raised some concern among Devils followers, although it was likely because he wanted to find out who the new GM was before getting into those discussions.
Hamilton and Nemec are the players worth monitoring during the off-season. If Mehta decides to retain Hamilton, it could make it difficult to find sufficient cap space to acquire a scoring forward. It would also affect how much Nemec gets on his new contract, unless he ends up as a trade chip.
Meanwhile, in Seattle, there are questions about which Kraken players might be playing elsewhere next season.
Shefte believes center Matty Beniers and promising left winger Berkly Catton are safe, and considers Chandler Stephenson's contract too expensive to move, but everyone else should be on the table. Shefte acknowledged re-signing pending UFA left winger Bobby McMann will be expensive but worthwhile if it doesn't get too costly.
Booth felt goaltender Philipp Grubauer's bounce-back season could improve his value in the trade market. He also thinks they should consider moving a defenseman such as Ryker Evans, Vince Dunn or Adam Larsson in a trade package for a scoring forward.
The Kraken finished this season 28th in goals-for and 23rd in goals against. They have just over $28 million in projected cap space with five NHL-caliber pending UFAs.
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