NHL Notebook: Are we set to see a busy trade market this offseason?

There’s more than enough money to go around this summer and in the coming years with the NHL’s salary cap set to see exponential growth like never before.

It’s been long overdue as the league has grinded through a flat cap world, but there’s finally light at the end of that tunnel. The only problem? This year’s crop of free agents isn’t particularly strong, highlighted by the likes of Mitch Marner, Brock Boeser, John Tavares, Matt Duchene, Aaron Ekblad and Sam Bennett.

But once you start to get a dozen names down the list or so, it becomes apparent the ceiling of players starts to fall off.

That could see the NHL’s trade market opening up in a big way, and on Friday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk talked about that, and what could be in store for the Vegas Golden Knights after falling in five games to the Oilers.

Seravalli: It’s certainly possible. I think some of these teams are in a situation where they go, “Hey, I’m willing to consider just about anything.”

But here’s the funny thing about Vegas. You use the word affordable. It’s the city of lost wages. It’s where people go and spend money that they don’t even have. When have the Vegas Golden Knights ever cared about what’s affordable? They find ways to fit in $10 million players on the regular. You mean to tell me that you think the Vegas Golden Knights can’t find a way to shoehorn in a Mitch Marner if they wanted to. I think they could.

Yaremchuk: They would absolutely find a way if that’s the path they wanted to go.

Andersen showing up big for Hurricanes

Goaltending has been a contentious topic in Carolina as the team has ranked just a good clip below league average in terms of their team save percentage over the last two years.

Frederik Andersen’s been a bright spot over that time, posting a .913 save percentage, winning 26 of the 38 games he’s started, but health issues have limited his regular season playing time, leaving the likes of Pytor Kochetkov and Antti Raanta to split the majority of the work.

But Andersen’s found himself healthy at the right time in these playoffs, and has been a key reason why his Hurricanes were able to advance past the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals in short order, going 7-2 and posting a .937 save percentage and a 1.36 goals against average.

On Friday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Frank Seravalli talked about just how good he’s been.

Yaremchuk: One big difference maker, and it always is this time of year, but man, Freddie Andersen looks good. I know the Canes are so, so good at limiting shots against and limiting chances, but just looking at the numbers, 23 expected goals against for them in these Stanley Cup playoffs, they’ve only allowed 14. When you look at these numbers from Andersen, it’s video game stuff. Like, I feel their system gets a ton of the credit, but man, these numbers from Andersen are just draw dropping.

Seravalli: Like, I feel like it’s all again, their system gets all it gets, a ton of the credit, but man, these numbers from Anderson are just jaw-dropping. Yeah, and the other thing, too, is, I think these numbers are probably better than they may even appear because the canes have allowed so few shots. Any shot that goes in dings your save percentage that much more.

Seravalli: So, to me, when you see a .937, I really feel like it’s a lot higher than that in reality because they just don’t give up a ton. So, he’s been really good, signed one more year at a bargain, basically $3.5 million, that’s if he hits the performance bonuses, that’s as good as it gets. If you’re a team that doesn’t wanna spend huge on goaltending, take the risks that come with Freddie Andersen and his health, and you roll with it like the Canes have.