NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 4, 2026

by | Aug 4, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 4, 2026

The top-20 wingers for 2026-27, Senators coach Travis Green was surprised Brady Tkachuk wanted a trade, the latest front-office changes by the Islanders, Wild, and Maple Leafs, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NHL.COM: Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins, and Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild are among the NHL Network’s ranking of the league’s top-20 wingers.

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Follow the link above for the complete ranking and let us know what you think in the comments section below.

OTTAWA SUN: Senators head coach Travis Green admitted he was surprised that Brady Tkachuk wanted out of Ottawa. The Senators traded the 26-year-old left winger to the Florida Panthers in June.

Green said he went through a range of emotions when he learned that Tkachuk wanted a trade, including some anger. However, he said that he spoke with the winger following the trade, had a good conversation, wished him luck, and has moved on. Green was a teammate of Brady’s father, Keith, and said he will maintain a good relationship with the Tkachuk family.

As for the coming season, Green believes the Senators still have plenty of upside, citing the ongoing improvement of young players such as Jake Sanderson, Tim Stutzle, and Ridly Greig.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Tkachuk’s departure has some Senators fans believing the club will be better without the distraction over the status of their former captain. It will be interesting to see how they adjust this season and who fills the leadership role.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The New York Islanders officially announced the hiring of Evan Gold as their assistant general manager. Gold has also taken over as general manager of their AHL affiliate in Hamilton.

Gold has previously spent 11 seasons with the Boston Bruins in various front-office roles.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This hiring was not unexpected as Gold was rumored to be joining the Isles once his contract with the Bruins expired on Aug. 1.

TORONTO SUN: The Maple Leafs hired Andy O’Brien as their new head of sports performance. O’Brien is the long-time personal trainer of Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, whose clientele also includes Maple Leafs center John Tavares.

A native of Charlottetown, PEI, the 49-year-old O’Brien is founder and president of O’Brien Sports, with 25 years of experience in various athletic performance roles. He’s also been the high- performance consultant for the Florida Panthers since 2021.

DAILY FACEOFF: Former NHL defenseman Alex Goligoski has been moved from player development advisor to player development coach. He was initially hired by the Wild last year after retiring as an NHL player in 2024 following 17 seasons, including three with the Wild.

DAILY FACEOFF: Scott Maxwell recently listed the five most mediocre NHL teams of the past 10 years.

The Detroit Red Wings topped the list, followed by the Arizona Coyotes/Utah Mammoth, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, and Philadelphia Flyers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: What do you think, folks? Do those clubs belong on this list? Would you re-rank them? Is there another club that should be on this list? Let us know in the comments section.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 3, 2026

by | Aug 3, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 3, 2026

The cost of the next contract for Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, questions facing the Bruins this season, the latest on Blackhawks defenseman Artyom Levshunov, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

NEWSDAY: Andrew Gross believes Macklin Celebrini’s league-leading $18.8 million average annual value on his new contract will affect the cost for the New York Islanders to re-sign Matthew Schaefer.

New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer (NHL Images).

Schaefer, 18, won the Calder Memorial Trophy last season as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year. He’s in the second season of his entry-level contract, and can sign an extension as early as next July.

The salary cap will rise significantly in 2027-28 ($113.5 million), in turn raising the cap maximum for a player’s contract ($22.7 million). Gross speculated that a five-year, $95.5 million contract ($19.1 million AAV) might be enough to get Schaefer under contract next summer.

NEW YORK POST: Ethan Sears noted Schaefer’s recent comments about his next contract, in which the 18-year-old defenseman said he “didn’t care about money” and was letting his agent handle it. Nevertheless, Sears suggests that anything the budding superstar receives that falls under the maximum salary should be considered a hometown discount.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s unlikely that Islanders management will try to lowball Schaefer, especially if his sophomore season is as impressive as his debut in 2025-26. They probably won’t sign him to the maximum, but it could be between $19 million and $20 million annually.

NHL.COM: Amalie Benjamin looked at three notable questions facing the Boston Bruins this season.

Benjamin wondered if JJ Peterka will have a bounce-back season after struggling last season with the Utah Mammoth. She also pondered if young players such as Fraser Minten, Murat Khusnutdinov, and James Hagens can take another step forward in their development, and how the Bruins can shore up their blueline.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Regarding the third question, Benjamin noted that they recently acquired Will Borgen and brought back Connor Clifton via free agency. Whether they’ll improve the Bruins’ blueline depth remains to be seen.

THE ATHLETIC: Scott Powers reports Blackhawks defenseman Artyom Levshunov is spending most of his offseason training in Chicago to prepare for his sophomore season.

Levshunov, 20, had an up-and-down rookie campaign last season. He’s sticking in Chicago this year, hoping to build consistency and take the next step in his development. He said he’s getting more flexible and mobile, improving his movement on the ice and working on small details.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Chosen second overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, Levshunov is part of a Blackhawks defense corps with six members who are 25 and younger. They’ll be counting on him to make significant strides in his development this season.

CBS SPORTS: Utah Mammoth prospect Caleb Desnoyers injured his left leg playing for Canada at the World Junior Summer Showcase on Saturday. He left the game and didn’t return. There was no immediate update regarding the 19-year-old center’s condition.

DAILY FACEOFF: Defenseman Brad Hunt announced his retirement after a 10-season NHL career.

Hunt began his career in 2013-14 with the Edmonton Oilers, and also played for the St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, Vegas Golden Knights, Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks, and Colorado Avalanche. He had 26 goals and 60 assists for 86 points in 288 regular-season games, and appeared in five postseason contests.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 2, 2026

by | Aug 2, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 2, 2026

Making the case for Connor McDavid to become the league’s first $20 million player, Porter Martone could offset the Flyers’ inability to make a significant addition this summer, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Adam Proteau makes the case for Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid becoming the NHL’s first $20 million player.

Proteau acknowledged the possibility of Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar or Minnesota Wild blueliner Quinn Hughes getting there first. Both players are eligible to sign contract extensions before their current deals expire next July.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images)

McDavid is currently in the first season of a two-year contract at the bargain price of $12 million annually. Proteau believes no one would begrudge the 29-year-old center from seeking top dollar after leaving money on the table with his current contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McDavid is the best player in the world right now. If Makar or Hughes don’t reach the $20 million plateau, the Oilers superstar is the leading candidate to get there. A case could also be made for Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, especially if he has a healthy and productive performance this season.

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: A strong rookie season for winger Porter Martone could offset the Flyers’ inability to make a big splash in this summer’s trade and free-agent markets.

Martone, 19, made his NHL debut late last season with four goals and 10 points in nine regular-season games, followed by five points in 10 playoff contests.

The Flyers are excited to see what the 6’3”, 209-pound winger can do over the course of a full NHL campaign.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flyers attempted a major acquisition by signing Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson to a five-year offer sheet worth an average annual value of $18 million. However, the Ducks matched the offer, leaving the Flyers still seeking a reliable first-line center.

Martone won’t address the Flyers’ need for a top-line center, but could help them build on their promising performance last season, when they exceeded expectations by qualifying for the playoffs and upsetting the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round. If fellow winger Matvei Michkov bounces back from his disappointing sophomore season, he and Martone will provide the scoring punch necessary for the Flyers to remain a playoff contender in 2026-27.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice could break Scotty Bowman’s record for most NHL games coached in about one-and-a-half seasons if he helps his club rebound from a disappointing 2025-26.

With 2,019 regular-season games coached, Maurice sits second on the all-time list, only 129 games behind Bowman.

NEW YORK POST: Rangers forward Matt Rempe acknowledged he has a lot to prove in training camp next month after undergoing two surgeries last season to repair a broken thumb. The injury hampered his performance, limiting the 6’9” Rempe to just 26 games.

Rempe, 24, is in the final season of his contract and a roster spot isn’t assured. He’ll be battling with some of his former Hartford Wolfpack teammates for a spot among the Rangers’ bottom-six.

SPORTSNET: Sonny Sachdeva recently ranked the top five under-25 cores across the NHL.

The Montreal Canadiens topped the list, featuring forwards Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Ivan Demidov, defensemen Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle, and goaltenders Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler.

Next was the San Jose Sharks, led by forwards Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Michael Misa, and Ivar Stenberg, defenseman Sam Dickinson, and goaltender Yaroslav Askarov.

The Anaheim Ducks were third with a core featuring forwards Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, and Beckett Sennecke, and defensemen Jackson LaCombe and Pavel Mintyukov.

Coming in fourth were the Ottawa Senators with forwards Tim Stutzle, William Eklund, Dylan Cozens, Shane Pinto, and Ridly Greig, and defensemen Jake Sanderson and Jordan Spence.

The Philadelphia Flyers were ranked fifth, featuring forward Trevor Zegras, Porter Martone, Matvei Michkov, and Tyson Foerster, and defensemen Jamie Drysdale and Cam York.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Canadiens got the nod over the rest in part because their core players are well-distributed throughout their roster, though their weakness is their lack of a center among their group.

So what do you think, folks? Do you agree with this ranking? Is there another team that belongs on this list? Let us know in the comments below.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 1, 2026

by | Aug 1, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 1, 2026

The latest on the league’s expansion plans, the latest notable contract signings, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

THE SICK PODCAST: On Wednesday, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told “The Eye Test Podcast” hosts Pierre McGuire and Jimmy Murphy that the league and the owners are “primarily interested” in an expansion franchise in Houston, Texas.

Daly also said they haven’t ruled out Austin, Texas, as an expansion destination, noting that the latter has become an “up-and-coming market” that doesn’t have one of the major four pro sports franchises in it. However, he stressed that they are in the early stages of the process.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly (NHL.com).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Houston remains the front-runner unless there is difficulty for prospective ownership to come up with the $2 billion franchise fee. It’s also rumored that the league could return to Atlanta by the end of the decade.

Regarding the NHL’s new slate of weekday afternoon games in Europe, Daly indicated it’s part of the league’s plan to grow and market their product internationally. As for expansion into Europe, Daly didn’t rule out that possibility, but noted that there is currently no timetable due to obstacles to making that work over the course of an 84-game schedule.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Expansion into Europe is a more distant possibility than moving into other North American markets. The franchise fees, travel costs, and extra time zones are among the likely obstacles.

Daly also said the NHL remains interested in returning to Quebec City with an expansion franchise. However, they’ve yet to find a potential owner willing to operate a franchise long-term in that market. Daly also rejected the notion that the lower value of the Canadian dollar was a major obstacle to bringing a franchise to Quebec City, citing the strength of the other seven Canadian NHL markets.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Daly’s comments about Quebec City dispel the belief that the league no longer sees it as a market for an expansion franchise. Finding a suitable owner is an understandable hurdle given the high cost of the franchise fee.

It could be more affordable to relocate a franchise to Quebec City. However, there’s no indication that the league has any plans to move one of its teams to a new market.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: Sheng Peng reported the Sharks re-sign forward Collin Graf to a three-year, $12.75 million contract. Graf, 23, had completed his three-year entry-level contract. He’ll earn an average annual value of $4.25 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Graf had a promising sophomore season with 21 goals and 25 assists for 46 points in 81 games. Peng noted that he logged just over 200 shorthanded minutes, sitting seventh in the league in that category. Sharks general manager Mike Grier praised his versatility and work ethic.

Graf is getting a slightly higher AAV than the two-year, $7.8 million contract ($3.9 million) he was projected to receive. However, he got less than the $6.5 million on the projected seven-year, $45.5 million contract. 

PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins signed forward Tommy Novak to a three-year contract extension worth an AAV of $4.65 million starting in 2027-28. He’s earning $3.5 million on his current contract.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Novak exceeded the 40-point plateau last season, marking the third time he’s done so in his five-season NHL career.

DAILY FACEOFF: Former Florida Panthers winger Tomas Nosek signed with Czech team Dynamo Pardubice. The 33-year-old spent 11 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, Vegas Golden Knights, Boston Bruins, and the Panthers, winning the Stanley Cup with them in 2024-25.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nosek’s NHL career is likely over. The checking-line forward had 47 goals and 73 assists for 120 points in 514 games, and 17 points in 68 postseason contests.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: Earlier this week, the Blue Jackets hired Don Granato and Cody Ward as assistant coaches. Granato is the former head coach of the Buffalo Sabres, while Ward is the former assistant video coach for the San Jose Sharks.

SPORTSNET: On Thursday, the International Ice Hockey Federation upheld its ban on Russian participation for the 2026-27 season. Russia has been banned from participating in IIHF tournaments since invading Ukraine in February 2022.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 31, 2026

by | Jul 31, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 31, 2026

The potential effect of Sharks center Macklin Celebrini’s new contract on future signings, the latest on Maple Leafs prospect Gavin McKenna, three teams face a salary-cap crunch, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

THE ATHLETIC: James Mirtle believes Macklin Celebrini’s new contract spells the end of long-term deals for young NHL talent.

San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (NHL Images).

Celebrini, 20, signed a five-year contract extension with an NHL record average annual value of $18.8 million earlier this week. Mirtle believes those five-year deals, instead of the league maximum of eight years (dropping to seven years starting on Sept. 16), will become the norm for other rising young stars.

The NHL has only projected its salary cap to 2027-28, but Mirtle reports every league executive and player agent he’s spoken to believes the salary cap will rise dramatically starting in 2028. By 2031-32, the cap could reach between $150 million and $160 million.

That’s why Celebrini’s contract is five years long. By 2031-32, his new AAV will be only 12 percent of the salary cap, which will be a relative bargain historically.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The sharp increase in the salary cap is starting to change the landscape for NHL contracts.

Players will prefer shorter-term deals over the league maximum of seven years for players re-signing with their teams and six years for unrestricted free agents. Their contracts won’t age out too quickly, ensuring they can still maximize their value in their playing prime to keep pace with the rising cap.

By the way, the league maximum salary under a $150 million salary cap is $30 million. Under a $160 million cap, it’s $32 million.

NHL.COM: Speaking of Celebrini, he’s been training this summer with Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Gavin McKenna, who came away impressed with the offseason training regimen of the Sharks superstar.

“My trainers probably won’t like to hear this, but there was a week where we were on the ice for 17 hours,” McKenna said. “So, yeah, max crazy, but every skate out there, you’re getting better, and it’s a competitive group. So, I had a lot of fun with it.”

McKenna, 18, was chosen first overall in the 2026 NHL Draft by the Maple Leafs. He’s expected to make his NHL debut this season.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: McKenna is trying to follow in Celebrini’s footsteps. Training with the young superstar could give the Maple Leafs’ top prospect an edge as he begins his NHL career.

LA PAGE SPORTIVE: Louis-Andre Lariviere noted the Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars, and Vegas Golden Knights are feeling the pinch of their salary-cap crunch.

Because of the expensive contracts of stars such as Auston Matthews and William Nylander, the Maple Leafs are sitting above the $104 million salary cap by $2.75 million. They’re permitted to be above the cap by 10 percent during the offseason, but must shed a salary or two to become cap-compliant when their regular season begins in late September.

The cost of re-signing Jason Robertson to a one-year, $12 million contract pushed the Stars over the cap by $1.36 million. Like the Maple Leafs, they must make a cost-cutting move before their regular season begins.

As for the Golden Knights, they’re over the cap by $8.66 million, but are expected to place defenseman Alex Pietrangelo on long-term injury reserve to start the season to become cap-compliant.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Maple Leafs will likely place Max Domi ($3.75 million) on LTIR to get under the cap. He suffered complications from back surgery, and there is no firm timetable for his return to action. Meanwhile, the Stars could send a low-paid player or two to the minors to address their issue.

Speaking of the salary cap, I raised a point in yesterday’s Morning Coffee Headlines regarding the use of signing bonuses and whether it would be a contentious issue in the next round of collective bargaining. It was subsequently brought to my attention that the issue was already addressed. Signing bonuses will be capped at 60 percent of the total contract value for future contracts starting on Sept 16, 2026. Stick tap to foleyd7 for the info.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Bryan McCabe is moving on from his long-time stint in player development with the Florida Panthers. The former defenseman started as a development coach with the Panthers in 2012, became Director of Player Development a year later, and was promoted to Director of Player Personnel in 2017.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH: The Blue Jackets aren’t renewing the contract of Bob McElligott, who was their radio play-by-play broadcaster since 2009. It’s a cost-cutting measure for the club. They are expected to lose revenue by shifting to NHL Productions for TV broadcasts rather than contracting with a regional sports network.

RDS: Former NHL player Pierre Dagenais has become general manager of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL.

TSN: The Vancouver Canucks and the city of Vancouver are exploring the construction of a practice rink for the club.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 30, 2026

by | Jul 30, 2026

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – July 30, 2026

Reaction to Macklin Celebrini’s record-setting contract extension with the Sharks and its ramifications in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

SHARKS SIGN MACKLIN CELEBRINI TO NHL-RECORD CONTRACT.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: The Sharks signed center Macklin Celebrini to a five-year, $94 million contract extension.

Celebrini, 20, will earn an NHL record average annual value of $18.8 million, breaking the previous record of $18 million signed by Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson earlier this month. The contract begins in 2027-28, and he will be an unrestricted free agent upon its completion in 2031-32.

San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (NHL Images).

PuckPedia indicates that Celebrini will earn a base salary of $950,000 with a $19.85 million signing bonus for 2027-28 and 2028-29. He’ll earn a $1 million base salary with a $19.8 million signing bonus in 2029-30, $1 million with a $16.1 million signing bonus in 2030-31, and $1 million with a $13.5 million signing bonus and a full no-movement clause in 2031-32.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Celebrini has only played two NHL seasons, but he earned that whopping pay raise after finishing fourth among NHL scorers last season with a franchise-best 115 points. He is truly a generational talent who established himself among the NHL’s superstars last season, and the undisputed foundation player for the rebuilding Sharks.

Celebrini is another high-salaried player earning the bulk of his money in annual signing bonuses. It’ll be interesting to see if the league allows that practice to continue in the next CBA once the current one expires in September 2030.

Signing bonuses aren’t a salary-cap loophole because the total value of the bonus counts against the average annual value. What it does is guarantee players more money upfront, even if there’s a lockout or an unforeseen event (like a pandemic) that could shorten or shut down a season.

What could make signing bonuses a contentious issue is that wealthy teams can afford them more easily than small-market or cap-strapped teams. That could give deep-pocketed clubs an edge in re-signing talent, especially those eligible for unrestricted free-agent status.

It also creates the situation we saw with Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson. Earlier this month, he signed an expensive offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers, who gambled that the Ducks couldn’t afford to match it because of the hefty signing bonuses. The Ducks matched, but it created an expensive headache for them later.

Speaking of Carlsson’s offer sheet…

NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: Jordan Hall believes that Flyers GM Daniel Briere’s bold signing of Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90 million offer sheet led to Celebrini’s expensive new contract with the Sharks.

Briere’s offer sheet to Carlsson, which the Ducks matched, set the market for young talent such as Celebrini, and for Connor Bedard, who inked a five-year, $75 million contract ($15 million) with the Chicago Blackhawks on July 18.

With the salary cap rising to $113.5 million in 2027-28, and projected to reach $123 million in 2028-29, contracts for the league’s top stars will become more expensive.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The ripples from the Flyers’ bid to land Carlsson will be felt for years. It couldn’t have happened without the substantial increases in the salary cap.

It could also create a situation in which the NHL once again finds itself with “have” and “have-not” franchises, something the salary cap was supposed to address over 20 years ago. Teams in smaller markets could find it difficult simply to reach the annual salary cap minimum, losing players through free agency or cost-cutting trades to wealthier markets flush with cap space.

The NHL has a better revenue-sharing system in place to help small-market or struggling franchises than it did over 20 years ago. Nevertheless, it might not be enough to help some of them remain competitive against richer, well-managed teams.

TSN: It remains to be seen how Celebrini’s new deal affects the Columbus Blue Jackets’ efforts to re-sign Adam Fantilli and the Ducks’ efforts to re-sign Cutter Gauthier. Both are currently restricted free agents.

Meanwhile, the Celebrini and Carlsson contracts will also affect how much veteran superstars such as Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, and Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning. McDavid is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent in 2028, while Makar and Kucherov are UFA-eligible next July.

Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson and Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes will also be in line for substantial raises. Like Makar and Kucherov, they are slated to become UFAs next summer.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: One of those veterans will become the NHL’s first $20 million man. McDavid and Makar seem the most likely candidates. We can also add Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who is slated to join McDavid in the 2028 UFA class.

NBC SPORTS BAY AREA: Sheng Peng reports Sharks general manager Mike Grier said he didn’t think team owner Hasso Plattner would’ve hesitated to pay Celebrini the league maximum of $20.8 million annually if that’s what he wanted. He commended the young center for accepting less than market value as one of the best players in the league.

Peng believes Grier is now on the clock to build a playoff team around Celebrini, and eventually, a true Stanley Cup contender.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: With Celebrini re-signed, GM Mike Grier is shifting his focus to re-signing some other young Sharks.

Grier indicated that negotiations continue with Collin Graf’s camp, adding that the two sides are getting closer to a new contract. It’s projected the restricted free-agent forward could receive a two-year, $7.8 million deal or $45.5 million on a seven-year contract.

Like Celebrini, Will Smith can sign an extension this summer. Grier indicated that he’d like to get the 21-year-old forward under a long-term contract as soon as possible. It’s projected that Smith could get a five-year, $50 million deal ($10 million AAV).

NHL.COM: Sharks sophomore forward Michael Misa believes his rebuilding young team will take another step forward this season. The young club was in contention for a playoff berth throughout last season, finishing four points shy of a Western Conference wild-card berth.

Misa is excited to see what Celebrini will do for an encore this season after his 115-point sophomore campaign. The Sharks added veteran defensemen Darnell Nurse and Jacob Trouba, winger Mason Marchment, and goaltender Eric Comrie. They also signed top prospect Ivar Stenberg after selecting him with the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Sharks had little choice but to sign Celebrini to his expensive new contract. It will also cost a lot to re-sign Smith, something Grier understandably wants to do now before his value climbs again. Misa could also be another high-priced re-signing next summer if he blossoms as expected in his sophomore campaign.

Misa is justified in his excitement about his promising team’s future. However, building the Sharks into a contender got more expensive.

PuckPedia indicates that the Sharks currently have $34.7 million cap space for 2027-28, the first season under Celebrini’s new contract. Assuming Smith gets $10 million annually and Graf $6.5 million on long-term deals, they’ll have around $18.2 million left. That will give them more than enough to re-sign promising goalie Yaroslav Askarov, who is an RFA with arbitration rights next summer, and sufficient space to fill out the remainder of the roster.

However, it could become more costly over the following two years. That’s when Misa, Sam Dickinson, Igor Chernyshov, and Stenberg will be due for new contracts. They’ll also face finding suitable replacements for aging core players Tyler Toffoli and Dmitry Orlov, and for backup goalies Alex Nedeljkovic and Eric Comrie.

The rising cap should help Grier in his efforts to re-sign or replace those players. However, the cost of doing so could reach a point where they run out of sufficient salary-cap space to add the necessary depth to become a Stanley Cup contender.