This is a big offseason for the Carolina Hurricanes for a number of reasons. First up is just the magnitude of their UFAs/RFAs. They have all three goalies up for contracts – Mrazek and Reimer as UFA and Nedeljkovic as RFA – Jake Bean as an RFA, Andrei Svechnikov as an RFA, as well as a bevy of UFA bottom-6 guys. At the least, Nedeljkovic, Bean, and Svechnikov are all significant pieces of this team's future, so there is a lot of work to be done.

One name is missing from that list, and it's UFA Dougie Hamilton. Elliotte Friedman with the latest:

A sign the off-season is really revving up as the final four chase the Stanley Cup: Carolina has given Dougie Hamilton permission to talk to other NHL teams. Opens potential for a sign-and-trade.

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 14, 2021

Out of the gate: the reason for a sign-and-trade would be so a team can sign him for eight years instead of seven. What is that extra year worth to a team? It shouldn't be much, if anything, but the option is there. It feels to me like the Hurricanes are grasping a bit at straws here because they want to get something rather than nothing for a significant asset they're about to lose. One cannot blame others for grasping at straws when there aren't much better options available.

But it does seem like this is the end of Hamilton's tenure in Carolina, which is a shame all around. He was a great fit on that team and he is not replaceable. They might bring in other players or have young guys make a jump, but there were basically three straight seasons with Hamilton performing at a Norris-calibre level. Whatever player they sign, whatever rookie makes a jump, that is something that is just not replaceable.

So where does Hamilton go? Let us assume a sign-and-trade is something that happens here. (Personally, I feel as if this is unlikely as even though we won't be in a flat-cap situation in 4-5 years when Hamilton really starts aging as there are a lot of teams still with tight purse strings now.) I cannot imagine there'll be a significant bidding war here outside of maybe the half-dozen teams that can have legitimate interest, either due to assets or cap space.

Where are some potential landing spots? Here are a few that come to mind.

The first team that jumped out is Los Angeles. I guess they're the team that always jumps out but they're in the unique situation of having both a lot of cap space and an up-and-coming team that needs elite players all over the roster. All that said, it is probably not the wisest move to lock up Dougie Hamilton for seven or eight years when the also have Drew Doughty tied up until his late-30s. We need to look no further than San Jose for what happens when you have too many high-priced defencemen in their 30s that all start to decline. Hamilton turns 28 this week so it's not a huge concern yet, though, so maybe they want him around for the balance of the Kopitar contract.

As a side note: it's important to note that if Hamilton signs a seven-year deal somewhere, it'll run out at the age of 34. He is not a bruiser-type defenceman, so it's plausible he's worth whatever the contract is worth towards the end of the deal, unlike many long-term UFA deals.

How about this: a return to Boston? They have a bunch of contracts up this year but most of their core is intact, which means they definitely have the space to sign him. Hamilton would be a nice addition for them, giving them the PP1QB they seemed to miss all year while keeping Charlie McAvoy fresh for his defensive and PK assignments. The blue line was a glaring weakness in the postseason, too. I have no idea if there's interest on either side here, I'm just saying Boston is a team both in its Cup window and with the cap space to sign such a big-ticket player.

Keep an eye out for Detroit as well. This was the big year for them as it was the year some of their terrible contracts like Darren Helm and Valtteri Filppula ran out – I'm talking actual on-ice value not some off-ice intangibles. They have a bevy of RFAs, including a couple notables like Filip Hronek and Jakub Vrana, but this team is now, more or less, a blank slate. Danny DeKeyser and Frans Nielsen each still have one year left with at least $5M on each contract, but that's not a big issue for them in 2021-22, and they have nearly $50M in cap space for the upcoming offseason; they aren't expected to compete next season anyway. In other words, now is the time for Steve Yzerman to really make this his team. They have multiple picks in each of the first five rounds of this year's draft, which gives them the capital they need for a sign-and-trade. And can you imagine this blue line with Hronek/Seider/Hamilton for the next eight years? At the very least, it's a good start to a very solid back end. Throw in Troy Stecher and you have a solid top-4 as soon as October. That is something the Red Wings have not had in over half a decade.

Let me throw one final team out there, and it's a bit of a wild card: the Philadelphia Flyers. This is a team with Cup aspirations that fell completely on their face in the second half of this season. Now, this was largely related to goaltending, and we've heard about Carter Hart and the mental health problems a lot of players went through this year. I think it's fair to say we've seen the worst from Hart and he will improve from here. That doesn't mean the Flyers won't make a big splash. Here is something I thought of: Shayne Gostisbehere for Hamilton's rights? It clears cap space for the Flyers and the Hurricanes get a PPQB to replace Hamilton at less than half the price. The Hurricanes did a great job settling Hamilton down into a comfortable role, and I bet they can do the same for Gostisbehere.  

What do you guys think? If it's a sign-and-trade, where do you think Hamilton ends up?

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Staying with the Hurricanes, their former draft pick, Swiss forward Gregory Hoffmann, signed a one-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 28-year-old has been in the top Swiss league for years now, and has 72 goals in 136 games over his last three seasons. Our Dobber Prospects profile for him has him as a speedster with a great shot, but that was eight years ago. If he can translate that to the NHL, that's a great get for Columbus. However, this is Columbus, so we need to temper expectations here a little bit.

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While thinking of the Flyers, how about the season Joel Farabee just had?

It really was a remarkable campaign for the second-year player. (I do think one reason for the lack of awareness of Farabee's greatness is that he was neither a rookie nor elite enough to stand out among the upper-echelon of players. That left him in the muddled middle. All the same, it was a great year.) Let us count the ways:

• First among Flyers forwards in goals per 60 minutes, primary assists per 60 minutes, and points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5.
• First among Flyers forwards in goals per 60 minutes at all strengths.
• 12^th in the league among forwards in points/60 at 5-on-5, between Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.
• Fourth in the league among forwards in goals/60 at 5-on-5, between Brandon Saad and Brad Marchand.

On top of that he was a good – not great – offensive driver. In other words, he may not be a great playmaker, at least not right now, but he sure seems a good finisher.

Now, Farabee shot over 16 percent and we should expect a repeat of that. But it was his age-20 season and he's only going to get better. Hopefully, the lack of hype keeps his price depressed at the draft table next year because this should be a good team again and he may be their best sniper, which is saying something on that roster.

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The Rangers are set to name Gerard Gallant as the next Head Coach. He replaced David Quinn, who was let go following the season. Dobber had a breakdown of what this means here.

One thing Gallant's Vegas teams were notorious was really being on the forefront of constantly looking for seam passes in the offensive zone. I know it's a simple enough concept, but it really was a team philosophy. That type of offensive approach should only help all the top-end talent they have there. This is a good hire.

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Were it not for Carey Price, Vegas could have ran away with Game 1 early as he had to make a few 10-bell saves to keep Montreal in it. Vegas came away with a 4-1 win, which felt about right watching the game. I won't post all the GIFs, but this one was about as good as it gets:

.@CP0031 flashes the leather to keep it a two-goal game! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/pIxxf5XOOZ

— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) June 15, 2021

Needless to say, despite the score and maybe one of the goals, this game wasn't on his shoulders. The 4-1 final in Vegas's favour also spoke to how well Marc-André Fleury played, particularly early on when the Habs had some pressure. Both goalies played well, one team capitalized on their chances better than the other.

Vegas got goals from three defencemen in this one, one from each of Nick Holden, Alec Martinez, and Shea Theodore. That level of activity from the back end helps make up for games when the offence goes quiet sometimes.

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After battling post-concussion problems for years now, Dallas Stars defenceman Stephen Johns has retired from hockey:

The next chapter starts tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/omwxvb0upL

— Stephen Johns (@stjohns28) June 14, 2021

This is both incredibly hopeful and very sad. Johns seems to be at peace with what had to happen but it's clear he's struggled mightily with this for years, and that's awful. Having known a couple friends who had to quit pro/semi-pro hockey because of concussion issues, they had a litany of problems to deal with, a lot of it on their own. I am hopeful that Johns has a support system around him that can lift him up, because it can be a very dark place by yourself.

This is also a great cause that he's rollerblading for and speaks to the character of Johns as a person. I wouldn't presume to know him personally, but that he came out on the other side of what is a terrible tragedy with a perspective that made him want to help others is simply astonishing.

All the best to Johns and his family in their next chapter. I hope he finds peace.