For the first time since June, NHL games are being played again as the preseason started on Saturday. The preseason gives prospects and young players the opportunity to stand out with the hopes of earning a roster spot while letting veteran NHL players get back into shape for the upcoming season, both physically and mentally. Coaches also use the preseason as a time to test out certain line combinations in hopes of finding the best player combinations in time for the start of the regular season.
In the meantime, there have been two noteworthy pieces of news from around the NHL from the past week.
The Utah Hockey Club signed forward Dylan Guenther to an eight-year contract extension, paying him around $7.14 million per year. This is Utah’s first major signing of their short existence and a signing they view as locking up a key piece of their young core. Guenther’s young age of 21 makes it a risky signing for Utah because he is still a developing player and hasn’t yet fully proven his ability. However, with the flashes of talent he has shown, I am fully confident that he will become a star player very soon and that this contract will be of great value for both himself and Utah.
In other contractual news, the New Jersey Devils signed their forward Dawson Mercer to a three-year contract worth an annual value of $4 million. Mercer missed the beginning of training camp because he did not have a contract, but he’s now back at practice and getting ready for the season. It might have made more sense for the Devils to sign Mercer to a longer-term seven- or eight-year contract, but since the team is up against the salary cap, they did not have the financial flexibility to do so. Contracts like the one Mercer received are commonly referred to as “bridge deals” — meant to be a short-term solution till the team has the cap space needed in order to offer a long-term contract.
Two teams to keep an eye on during preseason play:
Boston Bruins: With goaltender Jeremy Swayman still unsigned, there is a scenario in which the regular season starts without him, making Joonas Korpisalo the starting goaltender. This could make the team’s preseason games extremely interesting, offering the chance to see how Korpisalo performs and to determine whether he could be a viable starter until Swayman and the Bruins work out a contract.
San Jose Sharks: It will be interesting to see how the first overall pick from the 2024 NHL draft, Macklin Celebrini, looks in gameplay. The Sharks view Celebrini as their franchise cornerstone, and the team will get their first taste of him during their preseason games.
