I feel like we go through this every off-season, and every year, fans come away heavily disappointed. Yes, every summer usually begins with the promise and suspense of eventual blockbuster trades \u2013 yet fans are often disappointed. The fact is \u2013 even with a rising salary cap \u2013 executing high-profile trades is difficult in the NHL; more so when there is so much parity and not enough sellers across the league.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bowen Byram of the Buffalo Sabres <\/a>is the one name I am personally surprised to have not been traded. He signed a two-year extension with the Sabres a few weeks back. At this point in the summer, I have to imagine he is staying put. It just goes to show that even though discussions are being had it doesn\u2019t always mean that deals are imminent.\u00a0<\/p>\n Signings or trades you could see happening still this offseason. I know it\u2019s kind of a generic one but sort of a slow offseason<\/p>\n \u2014 ps8734 (@ps87342) July 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n This is a piggyback off of the first question, but it is fun to conjure up a potential trade on the horizon. I am not sure if he will move eventually, but I am very curious to see what happens with Mason McTavish with the Anaheim Ducks.<\/a> After the trade of Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers, I can\u2019t imagine that McTavish doesn\u2019t stay put in Anaheim. But with each passing day as we get deeper into the summer, you have to wonder how this all plays out.\u00a0<\/p>\n If there is an eventual path to McTavish being moved, you can be sure that there will be no shortage of teams waiting in line to inquire about his services. The first one that jumps is the Montreal Canadiens, who have a lot of questions down the middle beyond captain Nick Suzuki. Not sure what a deal could look like, but the Canadiens are a club that I\u2019d reckon would be keeping close tabs on McTavish\u2019s availability.\u00a0<\/p>\n Will Alex Bump be on the Flyers opening night roster?<\/p>\n \u2014 NHL Fan (@BRKLH7) July 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Short answer to this: yes. The Flyers<\/a> are looking to take a step forward this season, but that doesn\u2019t mean GM Danny Briere won\u2019t be looking for younger players to make the jump and contribute.\u00a0<\/p>\n Drafted in the fifth round of 2022, Bump\u2019s impressive 47 points in 44 games with Western Michigan University last season has turned heads. After turning pro and registering three points in two regular-season games in the AHL last (regular) season, Bump seems to have the inside track on cracking the Flyers\u2019 opening-night roster. The Flyers aren\u2019t especially deep at left wing, and with the injury to Tyson Foerster \u2013 which may sideline him to start the season \u2013 the path is there for Bump to jump on.\u00a0<\/p>\n For argument\u2019s sake, let\u2019s say Foerster is healthy to start the year. I see Bump starting on the third line with some combination of Noah Cates, Christian Dvorak and Bobby Brink. If Foerster isn\u2019t ready to go? Then Bump will have every opportunity to crack the top-six up front.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the Eastern Conference, I\u2019m going with the Flyers. I don\u2019t like what I\u2019m seeing from the Metropolitan Division and the taking is there for the Flyers to jump into the top three. The Carolina Hurricanes <\/a>will likely be at the top, but are the Washington Capitals<\/a> going to repeat last season? Will the New Jersey Devils<\/a> be able to rekindle what they had in 2022? I like what the Flyers did this offseason, and if they can get half-decent goaltending, they\u2019ll be able to be on the bubble right until the end.<\/p>\n It\u2019s going to happen sooner or later, but the Utah Mammoth<\/a> is my pick for the Western Conference. They are in a tough Central Division, but a wild-card seed seems almost like destiny for the Mammoth at this point. The moves GM Bill Armstrong has made over the last number of seasons have paid dividends; if they can sustain a healthy blueline, I see the Mammoth carving out a bottom seed in the West this coming season.\u00a0<\/p>\n I have admittedly not heard anything regarding the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a>, but any addition would likely require GM Brad Treliving to move some money out the door. Forwards Calle Jarnkrok and David Kampf are top candidates (at least on paper) to be cleared out to shed salary, but there doesn\u2019t seem to have been any talks recently to potentially move either player.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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