Deen’s Daily: McDavid Defeated; Let Trades & Rumors Begin

The Stanley Cup Final has wrapped up, and the offseason is already in full swing. The buyout window approaches while trades and signings are breaking.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — June 19.

Colorado Hockey Now

With the Stanley Cup Final officially wrapped up, the buyout window is quickly approaching — as it opens 48 hours after the Stanley Cup is awarded.

I don’t envision the Avs going the buyout route with anyone. If Miles Wood’s deal was two years shorter, then perhaps? I just don’t think it’s an option at this time.

But it’s still worth noting that players who are bought out are often worthy of consideration on July 1. It’s not always a player at the end of the road who gets bought out. You can acquire valuable pieces that were simply being paid too much. Matt Duchene is probably the best example of this after the Predators dumped his massive contract. But there’s also Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Nate Schmidt — two defensemen who have won the Stanley Cup with Florida over the past 12 months. And played solid depth roles in doing so.

T.J. Brodie is rumored to be bought out by the Blackhawks, granted, he’s truly at the end of the road. I’m curious to see who else joins this list over the next week or so. Will any of them be worth the Avs’ time? We’ll find out.

Read More: Necas for Peterka: Are the Avalanche Positioned for a Sneaky One-for-One Trade?

Read More: Offseason Musings: Rumors Galore — An Avalanche of Opportunities to Explore

Stanley Cup Final Series

Game 1: EDM 4-3 OT (Series: 1-0 EDM)
Game 2: FLA 5-4 OT (Series: 1-1 tied)
Game 3: FLA 6-1 (Series: 2-1 FLA)
Game 4: EDM 5-4 OT (Series: 2-2 tied)
Game 5: FLA 5-2 (Series: 3-2 FLA)
Game 6: FLA 5-1 (Series: 4-2 FLA)

Around The NHL

Panthers Are Champions: The Panthers won their second straight Stanley Cup on Tuesday, defeating the Edmonton Oilers in six games in a series that, truthfully, wasn’t close. The first two games made it feel like we were on our way to the best seven games in SCF history. But it ended up being one-sided.

Connor McDavid seemed pretty defeated postgame, but in a different way from a year ago. In 2024, McDavid thought they were going to complete the comeback and win Game 7. This time, it felt like he knew that his team really had no chance. The way the Panthers locked in on the forecheck and kept them to the outside. It was no contest.

The Panthers now get to celebrate their repeat championship, while the Oilers go back to the drawing board a year out from McDavid’s unrestricted free agency status. Losing two years in a row to the same team is a tough, tough pill to swallow. It’s just another added element to an already intriguing offseason ahead.

Florida Hockey Now Stanley Cup Championship Stories

• Florida Panthers Take the Stanley Cup to the Beach, Again
• Matthew Tkachuk Played Through Series Injury
• Panthers Cup Parade is on Sunday

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: This is a fun bit of news. Bonino! Bonino! Bonino! He’s back in Pittsburgh as an assistant coach after announcing his retirement as a player.

Detroit Hockey Now: Remember Arvid Holm? He might be finding his way back to the AHL and NHL.

Chicago Hockey Now: The Blackhawks spent most of the winter trying to trade one of their highest scorers. Instead, they locked him up on Wednesday to a four-year, $16 million contract.

New Jersey Hockey Now: The trades have begun. The Devils struck a deal to send a depth forward to the Nashville Predators to clear more cap space.

Boston Hockey Now: Brad Marchand is a Stanley Cup champion. I understood at the time why the Bruins made that trade, but, maybe they should’ve just signed their captain?