Decision time looms for Mats Zuccarello and Dallas Stars
Sean Shapiro of The Athletic: Mats Zuccarello totaled 11 points in 13 playoff games despite needing a shot to freeze his arm before every game. So, what can he do at 100% health? This line about Zuccarello speaks volumes.
“Either they go and re-sign Zuccarello, or they have to go out and find another legitimate top-six (forward). On a bad year, a guy is a 40-point guy. In a good year, he’s a 70-point guy,” an NHL scout said. “You saw the way (Tyler) Seguin and (Jamie) Benn played in that Nashville series, they were beasts. But I think a lot of it had to do with Zuccarello and (Roope) Hintz and (Jason) Dickinson saying, ‘Hey, we are going to produce, too.’ You could almost see a sense of relief in Jamie Benn’s game, like, ‘Oh fuck, thank god, I finally got some help.’”
Mats Zuccarello changed the dynamic. Not only was he creative but he helped other players up their offensive acumen. For Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, it was great to have a versatile player who, given space, could score as well. Unfortunately, Zuccarello may cost a little more but the forward will be worth it.
William Karlsson and the offer sheet?
David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal: The specter of the offer sheet looms for William Karlsson and the Vegas Golden Knights. However, will it happen? That is a matter for considerable debate. Some chatter exists that the salary cap may only go up to $81 or $82 million. Remember, the estimate was $83 million. Even a slight decrease has huge repercussions.
This RFA class is one of the most loaded ever and cap constraints are tight for quite a few teams. Unfortunately, this is a combination which could finally lead to offer sheets. Expectations are that Karlsson may have a nice bounce-back season which would increase his UFA price for 2020.
Does Karlsson file for arbitration or does he wait for the offer sheet? Undoubtedly, several teams like Carolina, Detroit, maybe even Philadelphia ponder how much they can offer the forward. If a team swoops in with a $7.5+ million offer, Vegas is likely in trouble as far as matching.