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Here is the July 10 edition of the NHL.com mailbag, where we answer your questions asked on X. Send your questions to @drosennhl and @NHLdotcom, and tag it with #OvertheBoards.

Do you foresee any major blockbuster moves this offseason or was the July 1 flurry the last of the excitement until the season starts? — @baYsYckwrYteboY

It’s quiet for now, but you never know when the blockbuster is lurking around the corner. Don’t forget that two years ago the Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers executed the trade involving Matthew Tkachuk, Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar on July 22, nine days after the free-agent market opened on July 13. But there are questions involving some players that have not been answered yet.

Will Mitch Marner be traded, re-signed, or go into the season, the last on his six-year contract ($10.903 million average annual value), without his future with the Toronto Maple Leafs ironed out? The same question is being asked of Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers. He’s entering the last of an eight-year contract ($8.5 million AAV).

Will the Winnipeg Jets trade Nikolaj Ehlers, who has one year remaining on his contract ($6 million AAV)?

There’s been a lot of smoke and rumors about the New York Rangers and if they’re going to be able to move defenseman Jacob Trouba, who has two years left on his contract ($8 million AAV). Will they?

We know the Columbus Blue Jackets want to move forward Patrik Laine, who has two years left on his contract ($8.7 million AAV). When will that happen, if they’re able to find a trade partner?

Is Martin Necas going to remain with the Carolina Hurricanes or will they trade him? Necas is a restricted free agent.

There are various things still present in the marketplace. Is it possible that any of them could result in a blockbuster before the season starts? There are no guarantees, but it is certainly reasonable to answer in the affirmative.

How do you see a Patrik Laine trade being executed? Is this similar to the Evgeny Kuznetsov trade? Are the Capitals in the mix for Laine? — @samb999

A possible comparison can be drawn to the Kuznetsov trade on March 8, where the Washington Capitals traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Washington also agreed to cover 50 percent of Kuznetsov’s remaining salary cap charge, which amounts to $7.8 million AAV. Columbus is likely aiming for a more favorable outcome in a potential Laine trade.

Laine, who is currently 26 years old, surpasses Kuznetsov in age as he is 32 (31 at the time of his trade). Despite Kuznetsov’s slightly lower age, Laine exhibits a greater potential due to his superior goal-scoring ability and younger age. Additionally, Laine’s contract carries a higher Average Annual Value (AAV) of $8.7 million and extends for two more seasons compared to Kuznetsov’s.

The problem lies in his current enrollment in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, making it uncertain when or if he will be discharged from it. Any team interested in acquiring Laine deserves transparency regarding his situation and availability. This lack of clarity is a significant hindrance in the Blue Jackets’ attempts to trade him.

It is difficult to imagine a situation where a team agrees to pay Laine’s full Average Annual Value (AAV). Columbus will likely need to retain some salary in order to facilitate this trade. However, considering Laine’s young age, there is a possibility that the Blue Jackets could receive a second-round pick, if not a first-round selection, in exchange for him.

As for teams in the mix, that is hard to determine, but the Capitals don’t appear to presently have the cap space to take on Laine’s AAV, even if it’s cut in half to $4.35 million, unless there is clarity on T.J. Oshie‘s future. If Washington has to put him on long-term injured reserve, it’ll free up $5.75 million off its cap. The other way to do it to send a player back to Columbus in the trade, but that will likely be a player plus the draft pick, not one or the other.

How would you rate the job Kyle Dubas has done? I’m missing a clearcut strategy. — @hausismojoe

Dubas’s performance as the general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins is difficult to evaluate since he is still in the early stages of executing his desired job.

He’s trying to ride the fine line of staying playoff relevant while the Penguins still have Sidney Crosby and also start to plan for life after No. 87. That is the strategy and it became obvious at the 2024 NHL Draft, when Pittsburgh acquired center Kevin Hayes from the St. Louis Blues.

Hayes used to be the main asset in trade deals, but this time the Blues included a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to entice the Penguins to take Hayes and his $3.571 million cap charge for the next two seasons. In return, the Penguins traded future considerations, with their main focus being on acquiring the draft pick. While it would be a bonus if Hayes contributes to Pittsburgh’s success in the current and upcoming seasons, the Penguins primarily sought the draft pick to secure their long-term plans. Evaluating Dubas’ current performance would be unjust as his role is challenging and will continue to be so.

Are the Rangers still Stanley Cup contenders even though they’ve made almost zero improvements to their team? — @GosnellMike7

Yes.

Instead of making hasty, uninformed observations due to the Rangers’ lack of success in free agency, let’s thoroughly analyze the situation.

They won the Presidents’ Trophy and reached the Eastern Conference Final, losing to the team that won the Stanley Cup. That team, the Florida Panthers, has lost some key pieces since winning the Cup, including defensemen Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and depth forwards Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan Lomberg, Kevin Stenlund and Kyle Okposo.

Meanwhile, the Rangers replaced Barclay Goodrow with Sam Carrick, a fourth-line center swap, and, assuming they go this route, it’ll be Zac Jones and not Erik Gustafsson, who signed with the Detroit Red Wings, on the third defense pair with Trouba to start the season. Maybe new addition Reilly Smith can be the answer at right wing on the line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Kaapo Kakko could get traded, but Brennan Othmann might be ready for the NHL, potentially giving New York a third line of Filip Chytil between Will Cuylle and Othmann to start the season. They have Carrick, Jimmy Vesey, Matt Rempe, Adam Edstrom and Jonny Brodzinski for bottom-six roles.

Currently, the Rangers’ roster remains largely unchanged with the exception of Goodrow and Gustafsson. This implies that the key players who led the team to win the Presidents’ Trophy and make it to the conference final are still intact. Making it to the conference final indicates that the Rangers are a strong contender for the Stanley Cup. Thus, there is no justification to assume that the Rangers have lost their contender status solely due to the absence of a high-priced free agent signing or a major trade.

Are you a bit surprised that the Predators signed Scott Wedgewood to be the backup for Juuse Saros? I would have thought Barry Trotz and Andrew Brunette would have ran a Saros-Yaroslav Askarov tandem. From a trade standpoint, wouldn’t Nashville want Askarov in the NHL to potentially increase the return? — @LittlestOfMen

It comes as no surprise that the Predators have inked Wedgewood to a two-year contract worth $1.5 million on average per year. This move allows them the opportunity to assess the situation and decide on the optimal course of action for Askarov, who still has one more year remaining on his entry-level agreement, with an annual value of $925,000.

It is possible that Askarov’s exceptional performance during training camp may lead the Predators to send Wedgewood’s contract to the American Hockey League. This move would have a minimal impact on their salary cap, making it a plausible scenario.

In addition, Nashville might consider that Askarov could benefit from further development in the AHL and choose to begin his career in Milwaukee. It is always advantageous for a goaltender to have a sufficient amount of experience in the AHL before transitioning to the NHL.

If Askarov continues to progress at his current rate, it is probable that Wedgewood will not complete his two-year contract with the Predators.

Assuming Nashville doesn’t trade Askarov beforehand, let’s project that Saros and Wedgewood will be the primary goaltenders for the majority of this season. Looking ahead to the 2025-26 season, we anticipate Saros and Askarov taking the starting position for Nashville.

Keep in mind that the Predators will be paying a total of $6.5 million this season for Saros and Wedgewood. However, it’s important to note that Saros’ new eight-year contract, with an average annual value of $7.74 million, won’t come into effect until the 2025-26 season.

In your opinion, what kinds of strides has Buffalo made for its roster during this offseason? Has it been an upgrade or not? — @MrEd315

Judging it on small moves, the Sabres have done a solid job upgrading. They added depth up front by signing forwards Jason Zucker (one year, $5 million), Sam Lafferty (two years, $2 million AAV) and Nicolas Aube-Kubel (one year, $1.5 million), and acquiring forwards Ryan McLeod and Beck Malenstyn in separate trades. All of it is nice. Maybe in the end the depth makes the difference for the Sabres to end what is now a 13-year playoff drought. Depth is key, but only if the top end players pull their weight. That’s the big question for Buffalo — can its top-end players like defensemen Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Bowen Byram, and forwards Alex Tuch, Dylan Cozens, Tage Thompson, JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn do enough to make the depth matter? It seems like every year we say the same thing about the Sabres; they’ve made enough strides and now they’re playoff ready, but every year they fail to meet those expectations. So, let’s lower the expectations and see if they can be better.