NHL Rumors: Rangers, Avalanche, Canucks, Oilers, Stars – Hockey Writers – NHL Rumors

In today's round of NHL rumors, what will the New York Rangers do this offseason after being eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Florida Panthers? Meanwhile, will the Colorado Avalanche work on Mikko Rantanen's contract extension? Will Tyler Myers be back with the Vancouver Canucks next season? Finally, can the Edmonton Oilers shut down the Dallas Stars on Sunday night and win the Western Conference Championship?

Rangers Offseason Expectations Include New Sheskerkin Contract

According to ESPN's Kristen Shilton and Ryan S. Clark, the New York Rangers are unlikely to make any major changes or overhaul their roster this summer. Instead, the Rangers will focus on minor adjustments and securing a contract for their top netminder. They are expected to remain a top contender in the Eastern Conference, as long as Igor Shesterkin maintains his high performance and their top stars are at their best again.

Their top priority should be securing Shesterkin to a new long-term deal. It will be a deal that makes him the highest paid goaltender in the NHL. As he approaches unrestricted free agency next year, contract negotiations should begin this summer.

Additionally, the Rangers need to analyze why they are failing in key moments of the game. Identifying factors that are missing from next season's lineup is important. The team made coaching changes, acquired top players, and showed patience with young talent like Alexis Lafreniere. This offseason, the focus is on identifying and correcting their mistakes.

Avalanche and Mikko Rantanen Contract News

With nine agents pending, perhaps the Colorado Avalanche's biggest concern in the offseason is winger Mikko Rantanen. He is eligible for a contract extension on July 1. Corey Masisak of The Denver Post notes that Rantanen's extension talks could be similar to those of David Pastrnak, who signed an eight-year, $90 million contract with the Boston Bruins through March 2023.

Related: NHL Rumors: Leafs, Red Wings, Lightning, Jets

General Manager Chris MacFarland aims to build around Nathan MacKinnon, Rantanen, Cale Makar, and Devon Toews. Also, any potential trade rumors are inaccurate unless the two sides are miles apart on what an extension would look like.

Masisak writes:

There has been chatter online from Avs fans about trading Rantanen. Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now has some quick reasons why that doesn't make sense. The team doesn't know what it's getting from forwards Gabe Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin, and trading away their best wing would leave the team even better.

source – Avalanche Journal: What could Mikko Rantanen's next contract look like? – Corey Masisak – Denver Post – 06/01/2024

Tyler Myers Will Have to Wait for Canucks Other Moves

Canucks analyst Rick Dhaliwal spoke with Tyler Myers' agent, JP Barry, and was told that the defenseman understands that he will have to wait for an extension in Vancouver because he is not a priority for the Canucks. He quotes Barry, who said, “They know we want to be there but I think they have other priorities first. Tyler loves the city and speaks highly of the coaches.”

“I don't think we're the first in line so we'll have to see what happens here,” added Barry. Myers had an improved season and Barry was the first to admit that part of it was because the team was better as a whole.

The Oilers Have a Chance to Win the Western Conference Finals Series

Edmonton will play Dallas tonight in Game 6 to eliminate the Stars. The Oilers played well, but the Stars won't go down without a fight. As revealed by Sports 1440's Jason Gregor and Oilers Nation, there are players on this Oilers roster who have incredibly strong records in games to win a series.

You write:

In the McDavid/Draisaitl era the Oilers went 6-1 in the series. Draisaitl is 4-6-10 and McDavid is 4-4-8 in those games. Bouchard is 1-7-8 in five games. EDM has several players who have never lost a game in their career: Brett Kulak and Warren Foegele (8-0), Derek Ryan (6-0), Ryan McLeod and Bouchard (5-0), Adam Henrique (4-0), Stuart Skinner and Vincent Desharnais (3-0), Dylan Holloway (2-0) and Philip Broberg and Sam Carrick (1-0).

The Oilers don't want to let this series go back to Dallas in Game 7. Edmonton needs to treat this game as if a loss means they're out of the playoffs, even though they technically don't have to win.

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