The Sheet with Jeff Marek - On the Sheet: Hart Levine on Free Agency and Aaron Ekblad's Extension

Episode Date: July 1, 2025

Jeff Marek is joined by Hart Levine from PuckPedia to break down everything you need to know heading into NHL Free Agency, which opens tomorrow. From cap space projections to key players to watch, they cover all the major storylines as the market gets set to openShout out to our sponsors!👍🏼 Fan Duel: https://www.fanduel.com/👍🏼Budweiser: https://www.budweiser.ca/ca_enReach out to [e-mail] to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!If you liked this, check out:🚨 OTT - Coming in Hot Sens | https://www.youtube.com/c/thewallyandmethotshow🚨 TOR - LeafsNation | https://www.youtube.com/@theleafsnation401🚨 EDM - OilersNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Oilersnationdotcom🚨 VAN - CanucksArmy | https://www.youtube.com/@Canucks_Army🚨 CGY - FlamesNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Flames_Nation🚨 Daily Faceoff Fantasy & Betting | www.youtube.com/@DFOFantasyandBetting____________________________________________________________________________________________Connect with us on ⬇️Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/daily_faceoff💻 Website: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com🐦 Follow on twitter: https://x.com/DailyFaceoff💻 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailyfaceoffDaily Faceoff Merch:https://nationgear.ca/collections/daily-faceoff Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of The Sheet is sponsored by the OCS Summer Pre-Roll Sale. Sometimes when you roll your own joint, things can turn out a little differently than what you expected. Maybe it's a little too loose, maybe it's a little too flimsy. There's a million ways to roll a joint wrong, but there's one roll that's always perfect. The Pre-Roll. Shop the Summer Pre-Roll and Infused Pre--roll sale today at ocs.ca and participating retailers. Nonetheless, teams have been reminded, tampering bad. Puckpedia good. You want to talk about a great resource that we all use and listen Puckpedia is near and dear to my heart. That's something that is

that's a tab that is always open. Like I'm not sure about you like that that is one that we all have open 24 7 and someone that keeps that thing powered and fueled and updated is heart Levine the genius the brains behind Puckpedia heart joins me now how's that for an introduction did I did I hit all the bullet points here the The creator, the nerve center, the nucleus, the driver. I need some color correction. I'm turning to red. I'm turning to red. You gotta touch, fix the color. Wow. Thank you so much. Don't worry. We'll start to knock you down to peg. Bring you back down now. All right. Yeah. This guy doesn't know a wrist shot from a wrist

watch. I don't know what he's doing on this program. He's got a fancy logo. Listen, thanks so much for stopping by. Very much looking forward to working with you tomorrow. As we all say here, we've, and everybody in the industry has admired your work for a long time. You have a lot to be proud of with Pacpedia. You know, I started the show off by saying, we're looking at free agents, we're looking at trades,

we're looking at offer sheets, we're looking at sign and trades, like all kinds of things that you keep track of on Pacpedia. As we head into the official day of negotiations with free agents, clears the road again for a fact. What are you most curious about? Hart, you've done this plenty of times now. That's a good question. Again, thank you so much for the kind words. I'm really curious to see if the deals will maybe trickle out a little later than when the bell opens on July 1st last year. I think what prompted the memo was, you know, it was just like boom, boom, boom. There were a lot of deals known that were out within the first couple of minutes.

I wonder if, uh, you know, people are a little more careful and it, it comes out a little slower. That'll be one thing. Um, another thing that I'm really interested in, um, maybe not around tampering, but guys looking at extensions, we usually see a bunch of extensions on July 1st this year though, it was really interesting. So, so players that have one year left on their contract, it's a really unique time. They can sign for eight years with their team, or if they wait till next summer and go to market,

they're only signing for six years with a new team. So it's the first time, it's really like a two year difference for those players that have a year left on their contract. So that's really something I'm interested in seeing. Like, are we gonna see a bunch of those eight year deals which we would often see? Or maybe there'll be less of them more of them

that's something for me to watch. It's an interesting wrinkle and coming off the draft like listen a lot of us had questions about all the information that's trickled out about what's gonna be in the in the new CBA and just as a quick detour here I knew we're gonna get here in this conversation so let's have it now it seems as if and you know outside of dress code I'm trying to find a place where the players actually won something in this. As you know one veteran of the CBA wars said to me this weekend as he sort of perused all the information that is contained and still more info was trickling out

he said this is a CBA done by chat GPPT. He's like, I don't see anything in here. I certainly don't see anything here from the NHL Players Association. One of the things too is it seems that the system now, Hart, is becoming more and more restrictive, is ruling more and more on the owner's side of things. Like I don't know where all this is headed and this is gonna be a four year extension which will take us of five year labor and ownership piece here.

But just as a quick aside, when you looked at some of the details, does it seem to you as if you're taking a breath and the Python is squeezing that much more every time you exhale on this thing? Yeah, I agree with that sentiment and that's definitely agents are feeling the same thing. The most common thing I heard is what did we get out of this? They did get some wins.

They got some of the like employer taxes that anyone has a paycheck employers pay in the way that CBA is working now. Those actually came out of the players share. So that's now not going to be in the way that the CBA is working now those actually came out of the players share So that's now not gonna be the players share but when you add up the math It's like less than point one percent of the revenue pie So you could say maybe they were really at forty nine point nine percent before and now they're at fifty point Oh, so it's it's something it's small and then the playoff bonus pool, you know, it seems like a big number You know several million more but when you break it down, like

by guy, I got to make that wins the cup is maybe getting a, you know, an extra hundred thousand dollars, which, hey, I'll take that. But for when you're making millions, that's probably not a life changer. Yeah. And then there's your point, there's a lot of things that I think that the owners are League One and in terms of that was on their wishlist, you know, the term limits at one point was a hill to dial in for Bill Daly, right? So they got that reduced. And then you get some in the bucket of who the hell even wanted that, which was like, to me, that the stopping the double retention, I can't find one person

that knows who wanted that. Why did anybody want that? Like what, what is the benefit of having less trade deadline action? It spurs movement and spurs excitement in the league. There's a lot of people that follow sports that don't even watch the games. They just like the transaction aspect of it, right? And so why are we going to reduce that? The LTR piece also is going to reduce some deadline transactions. I understand like why we needed something there. We could talk about

was this the best way? But getting rid of the double retention at the same time, that's really hard to understand what the benefit of that is. I've never heard anyone complain about it on either side. It's something that I've never heard anyone gross about. The rare lose-lose in a negotiation piece. I mean, everyone seems fine with it, teams seem fine with it, players have no problem with it. That one is... now one thing I want before we... I don't know if we can revisit CBA talk, I tend to hear people sort of glaze over

when you get too deep. Take it to the beach, folks. When it gets published, take the CBA to the beach. You really want to be a party of one? Take the collective bargaining agreement to the beach and enjoy yourself. Bob McKenzie, who when he does come back, drops bombs. See hurdle deal, Vegas Golden Knights. Bob McKenzie reporting, all signs point to Aaron Ekblad and Florida making progress on a long-term deal that assuming it's finalized would take the veteran defensemen out of free agency. Now that's what that's a whopper you know Bill Zito has said you know there is a way there is a way for us to resign the big three. They did Bennett eight times eight according to Bob McKenzie looks like Aaron Ekblad and the Panthers are making progress here. We wonder about

Brad Marchand of course through all of it but I can see a lot of teams that if Aaron Ekblad is off the market I can see Utah saying damn. I could see the Los Angeles Kings saying damn. I could see the little Columbus Blue Jackets who are trying to find someone desperately finding a right hand shot to play with Danton Matejchuk saying damn. I could also see Vladislav Gavrkoff saying ooo this is juicy now for me. All of a sudden. I was like Matt Grislich. Matt Grislich, 40 points, highest scoring defenseman out there.

Yeah, yeah. It's a thin market for D. You know, so you take one off and all of a sudden, ooooh, a lot of other players become juicy. What do you make of the Bob McKenzie report with Aaron Echblad if he indeed is going off market? That's interesting. It was already a thin Darket, like I mentioned.

I mean, Matt Grislick, the probably the most offensive player out there. And then, you know, I wonder if an Orlov or Proverov, I don't think the doors are closed on either of those players resigning with their teams. So that could also reduce the market. Brent Burns at a ripe age of 40, I think he's definitely getting a contract and he's looking more and more attractive to teams, right? And how about even a guy like a Nick Perbix coming from the Lightning? Certainly wasn't on anybody's like top target list, but he's like, really I'm looking, he's one of the only guys under 30 for scoring defensemen like him and Ryan Lindgren, but he's got a little bit, you know, maybe a touch

more offense. Yeah. So that that'll be interesting to see on the D market how the dominoes fall. The first thing I thought of when you mentioned that is what does that mean for Marshann? Like, are they going to be able to get all three or it always seemed like that would be tough and one person is going to be squeezed out. We all assumed it was Eklad. so now, Marshan, is he gonna be a leaf or a mammoth or, you know, someone else? Did you know socks are one of the most requested clothing items by organizations addressing homelessness? Bombas also makes incredibly comfy underwear and t-shirts,

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That's bombas.ca slash the sheet and use the sheet at checkout. That's an interesting one here. Uh, again, this, this is going to test everything that Bill Zito has. Like I'll be really curious to see where the decimal point is on, on Aaron Ackblad if they can get it done. You know, interesting note, you mentioned Ivan Provov. I think that he wants to go back to Columbus.

I really do. Like I think that, I think that he likes it there. I mentioned earlier, they're looking for someone to play with Dan Matejchuk. It seems as if one of the issues with the Blue Jackets is, you know, what do they do with that Damon Severson contract? Which right now is really holding up a lot of things that Don Waddell wants to do with that back end.

Would that be fair? That be fair to you? Yeah, I think they, I mean, when they went for Severson, remember that was a sign in trade as well. They wanted to add to their D, you know, they added Proverof, but it didn't, doesn't seem like it quite worked out. So yeah, they want to add to it.

And at some point you might have to subtract. I mean, the one thing is, like I'm looking right now, they have 28 and a half million of cap space, plenty of room, and so I guess it doesn't hurt to bump a guy like Christensen down out of your depth chart, but yeah, I think that they're players. They definitely seem to recognize that you build from the D out,

and they'd locked out Fabro too, which I think he would have had quite a bit of interest on the market. So definitely a team to watch at D. and they'd locked out Fabro too, which I think he would have had quite a bit of interest on the market. So definitely a team to watch at D. So I threw out there the Corey Perry this afternoon on TwitterX and a couple of things that I wonder about here.

One, as much as he might wanna go back and as much as Edmonton might want him to go back, I'm not sure that they have bluntly, I don't think that, I'm not sure they have the money to bring them back. They're right up against the salary cap and they have business to do with their their net mining situation as I said too I still don't have any clarity if Dustin Schwartz is coming back as the as a goalie coach of the Edmonton Oilers

that may be one piece of the goalie puzzle with the Edmonton Oilers but nonetheless back to Corey Perry you know with Glenn Gullitzen in Dallas, Edmonton coach, one of his Edmonton coaches, and with Ken Holland in Los Angeles who brought Corey Perry to LA in the first place, I wonder if Corey Perry does make it to to market tomorrow. Those would be a couple of potential landing spots. I mean, how much brain power have you used on Corey Perry in the last 24 hours, Hart? I've used some, yeah. I think what's interesting, like a guy like Corey Perry,

I mean, if you take his age away, I mean, the guy had a really good playoffs and he had 19 goals, 30 points in the regular season. And then he's probably looking at contracts, you know, for like a Jamie Ben, maybe even like a Claude Gir, and thinking, Hey, like, why do I need to sign for just a million bucks with like, last year, he was I think, 1.15 and 250,000 of bonuses, like, why do I have to settle for that? The flip side of that is he is 40. He's 100

million plus career earnings. And so should you be picking the place where you're going to enjoy the hockey the most have the best chance to win and really like, when made a hundred million, it doesn't matter if you get paid one million, two million, three million, four million this year. It's, you know, it's easy for us to tell Corey Perry what to add to his bank account this season. So I, I, I see like from a market standpoint, he can get more from other places. I think you mentioned Dallas. I think there's some other Western teams that would be quite interested in him. So that'll be the trick.

And I think for the Oilers, yeah, it's trying to bring the band back together at discounts and knowing that there's a robust market. I think Connor Brown has, there's some long offers waiting for him on July 1st, probably more term and more dollars than he could get from Edmonton. So, you know, like that's another one.

He seems like a great fit in the locker room. If you follow a little bit on the social you see, he seems at all the weddings and parties with the teams and very well liked. You know, he was overpaid two years ago, probably underpaid this last year. And so yeah, where does he want to be? Does he want to get some security in? So that'll be another one to see, does he go to the market? And then that also, if he leaves, Corey Perry leaves, maybe that does open up Edmonton to bringing someone else. I don't know if we're talking big name player, but potentially more guys in that couple million dollar

range. Okay, so we'll follow the wedding theme. So Ivan Provov was at Patrick Lyon's wedding last week, so that means Provov was going to Montreal then. Is that my reading this right, clearly? You got it, nailed it. But then Zach Warenki's wedding is coming up, so maybe that means he's staying with Columbus.

I'm so confused about this one, Hart. I don't know how to read the wedding tea leaves how our players are gonna sign. That's a whole beat. We need a wedding tea leaves beat. Wedding insider, hockey wedding insider. Who's at who's wedding and where does that mean they're going? So listen, last summer it was a Broberg and Holloway and the st. Louis blues making the big splash with the the two offer sheets

You know, I again I wondered off the top of the show It sounds like there's at least a couple of players that are in the offer sheet market Right now. I'm not exactly sure who they are, but I'm told there's a couple which shouldn't surprise anybody. Do you think it's going to be a frisky offer sheet market this year, maybe more so than subsequent years where the salary cap is really going to go up and teams, you know, are going to be comfortable saying, go ahead, offer sheet my guy, I got the cap space, it's a match. I think we're now going forward, we're in at least a state where agents can use it as a credible threat and use that to drive the price up.

I mean, I think before, you know, teams, agents would threaten them and teams would kind of laugh like, sure, like there's also a chance that a meteor is going to hit the building today, right? Like it just didn't really happen. And now it's far more credible. I think we're seeing it, you know, some of the RFAs have already signed, you see that there's a little bit more pressure on them to do it. I think, you know, actually teams will be happy when some

guys file for arbitration, which takes them off the board for offer sheets. Maybe we even see some team elected arbitration again to take them off the board for offer sheets. So there's definitely a threat of it. Will we see some of them happen? You know, it's tough. I would, my over under, I'd say there's probably going to be one just because you know, there's a good chance we'll see at least one, but there was, I had quite a few guys on my potential lists that are off the board, like a Maverick Borkard, that would be a nice sneaky one. I think like a Jack Quinn maybe. And obviously we'd heard

the Paterka rumblings. And again, you don't know, did they leverage that threat to get a deal, even with nyes, didn't seem like he wanted to leave, but did he leverage that threat and pressure, deadlines and pressure spurs on deals, does that drive to a deal? I think like with Edmonton, there was probably some complacency last year thinking,

hey, there's no rush, we have to training camp, let's squeeze these guys and get them down, as close to a million or a million and a half as possible. It didn't really occur to them that, hey, there's no rush. We have to training camp. Let's squeeze these guys and get them down, you know, as close to a million or a million and a half as possible. It didn't really occur to them that hey, there's an offer sheet threat. And so now I just think teams won't have that that mentality and and and something to think about. And then you look at like in New Jersey, Luke Hughes, who's not offer sheet eligible because he's what's called in the capital, the-C. He didn't play enough, doesn't have enough experience to actually be an official RFA. He doesn't, he's not eligible for an offer sheet. And maybe that contract, just when we look at it

at the end of the off season, does the Luke Hughes contract seem a little more team friendly than like maybe a Matthew Nye's contract, just knowing that there's that extra pressure or not having that pressure. Eight times 6.1 for RECBLAD, according to Elliot. Haircut, a haircut to stay in Florida. Because he was where, 7.5 before, right?

Yeah. He was 7.5, 7.6 with the Florida Panthers. He was at 7.5, yeah. 7.5. He was eight times 7.5 before. So he takes a haircut to stay. So at 29, he'd take a haircut, yeah. What was eight times 7.5 before. So at 29, taking a haircut, yeah. What do you think the market would have been for him?

Again, I keep looking at Utah, but. We looked at some of the D available. Like I think if you can put a guy in your top four, maybe you could squint and see him as a top parent guy. I mean, that's to me, 70 million all day. You think he's got more upside, maybe you could squint and see him as a top parent guy. I mean, that's to me, 70 million all day. You think he's got more upside, maybe you get closer to nine. Like we're going to see a big number, I think on Gavrkov, for example. You know, I think, uh, Proverall is not going to sign for, for too little. So I think if you went to market, you're looking,

you know, in the sevens probably, um, something to keep in mind though, how would it affect them? The market is he did have that PD suspension right at the end of the season and the team in the sevens probably. Something to keep in mind though, how would it affect the market is he did have that PD suspension right at the end of the season and the teams discount for an injury, do they discount for coming off a PD suspension. So I guess we won't see or we won't find that out now. And Florida obviously had more inside knowledge into that situation than any other team would. So, but I think, yeah, that sound you hear are the agents for the other UFA defensemen going cha-ching, cha-ching now that there's another guy off the board.

Wow. Um, I'll tell you, uh, Gavrikov looking better and better here. Now it's, it's always, you know, Brian Burke would always tell me, you know, there's, there's, there's two times where managers always overpay. You know, I'll say, oh, we're idiots. There's two times of the year, we always overpay for defensemen. One, trade deadline. And then we really shoot ourselves in the foot with defensemen on July 1st. Boy, we spent, this is my bad Brian Burke impression here. He always talks about how they always spend too much money on July 1st on defensemen. And I'm guessing considering how everybody needs it, No one's got it seemingly. We're gonna see a lot of overpays here

for D starting tomorrow. I think it's like supply and demand. I think the other place we're gonna see what feels like overpays is on the Goli market. Like you look at the UFA goalies, only two out of 900 save percent is Jake Allen and Anton Forsberg. I think we're gonna see guys that we're not quite sure

if they're like number two, maybe number three goalies getting a couple million plus. There's just so few goalies available. So that's the other area where yeah, there's some scarcity and prices drive up, just like the Toronto housing market, right? Like it's all supply and demand. Oh, nice to slide that one in there.

Okay, so of the names that are available, and'll see what happens with with Aaron Echblad. It looks like he's staying with the Florida Panthers. So maybe they didn't need Seth Jones, Aaron Echblad insurance after all. This wasn't like Justin Falk with Alex Patrangelo insurance, which St. Louis ended up needing after all. How do you see the Mitch Marner situation right now? And there's the sidebar, of course, of tampering. I had a governor text me over the weekend saying, don't expect this one to go away anytime soon. What do you think?

Well, I mean, I'd been hearing just like you, that Vegas seemed like the front runner for the last week or two. And there was still a lot of talk that Dallas was sort of on Varner's list and there was some interest on that side as well. So I kept hearing those are the teams, those California teams I think really wanted to get in the mix, just never really seemed like there was a lot of buzz or traction,

as a mutual fit or that they were gonna really be in the running. So, but it also been hearing you on a short term. So when you hear sign in trade, obviously the reason to do a sign in trade, other than to jump the market is to potentially get the eight years from Toronto. So maybe he's had a change of thought there and wants a long-term deal. But it's interesting to see that, you know, whenever there's a big guy, person on the market, we always put Vegas down just automatically and they're back at the plate swinging away

again, right? Obviously, Patrangelo, you know, he's 8.8 probably on LTR Island for the rest of his career. You know, that always seems to work out like again, these teams that always seem tight, how are they going to make it work? It always works out. And I think now we're also seeing there's so much cap space in the market. There's so many teams that want to get better. That contracts that you used to have to pay a premium to move, I think now we're also seeing there's so much cap space in the market. There's so many teams that want to get better that that contracts that you used to have to pay a premium to move, I think are much, uh, easily, much easier to move out. Now. I think we'll see a lot of that. I think we'll even see like a carry price contract potentially move, um, before training camp.

He's got a September 1st bonus and then he's only at a $2 million salary after that. I mean, there's teams that need to get to the floor or at least need to have a more respectable looking cap number and if either they just do it for that or they get a small asset from Montreal, yeah, I think contracts are a lot more movable now. Kerry Price, you were San Jose shark, congratulations. I think so, Chicago, San Jose,

I'd put those on the list for sure. How do you see them, I mean, listen, they're not major players and they're still going to be, you know, uh, uh, you know, they still gonna be bad teams for a while here. We all know about the prospects, but it takes a while for these guys to all develop. Of course.

And we just went through the draft and there's more. Um, but how do you see, how do you see teams like San Jose and the Chicago Blackhawks fitting into what we're going to see in the next few days? Just by way of, you know what? We'll take your bad contract, sure, but you got to send us some our way. Yeah, I think they're going to be active.

I mean, they have money, they have to spend. I mean, like San Jose is only at 44 million cap it right now, right? So that they got a lot of money to spend just to get to the floor. And so do they want to do it? You know, the model, like we saw with Chicago was overpaying on one and two year deals for veteran guys to add some money. San Jose didn't

really go that route. I mean, they signed to Foley to a decent deal, but it was four years. I think what these teams will have to be cognizant is at some point they do want to be good and make a step. And if you have these long-term commitments, that makes it difficult. I mean, the obvious example people point to is Toronto, when they signed Tavares, and at the time it seemed like they had plenty of room, and then it obviously complicated things as their star players came off their entry-level deals

and they needed to get paid real money. So I think like San Jose in particular, they've got, you know, Celebrini's gonna get a huge deal. You need to watch for that. Chicago, it seems like, you know, maybe that Bidart contract's not to be quite as big as initially thought, but they also have probably more volume of guys that seem like they have potential to really hit. So these teams

have to be careful. Like they need to spend to get to the floor. They need to spend to put a competitive team, but you know, they don't necessarily want to hamstring themselves going forward. Especially if they, it's a good problem to have but if they have three four guys that are gonna be you know in the ten Plus million dollar range in a couple of years. You got to start factoring that in already You know, I was having a conversation with someone at the combine who said like look I don't think the Badaard is gonna do his deal right now Probably do the why would he sometimes during during the season? But he said like, I expect it to be a $10 million AAV. They're building this whole thing around him.

Do you agree with that, Hart? I think so. I mean, if he's not gonna get that like why sign long-term? I mean, from his perspective, I certainly think play out your contract and see if you're coming off a better season. And yeah, I mean, I think also we're gonna have to get used to like $10 million isn't what it used to be

Right, you know like looking to adoption. There's a lot of sticker shock nine and a half million Yeah, but just a few years ago like I don't know how they make ends meet at 10 million dollars How can you make ends meet just a few years ago like nine and a half million was like seven and a half Right. So like of course, you know 15 million in a couple years will be the new 10 million You know, so it's just the the way that the cap is increasing. We've been in a state where basically five years it's flat. You get used to everything kind of feeling equivalent and you don't have to factor that in and it's going to really change. So if you can get Bidart for like, you know, 10 million to me, that's not an eight year number for him. That's probably a little bit shorter.

Yeah. I think you rush and you sign that right away before he changes his mind. This has been great. Very much looking forward to working with you tomorrow. Hart Levine, the curator, the brain trust, the nucleus, the nerve center, all of it's of the great talkapedia. Thanks pal, look forward to talking to you tomorrow morning. You're getting up early for it.

Thanks so much. Very early, yeah, looking forward to it. Thanks. Get the coffee on for Heart with You. I went to the dark man, he tried to give me a little medicine I'm like, nah man, that's fine I'm not against those methods, but I knew It's me, myself and how this gon' be fixed in my mind I do wanna break it

I turned on the music I do wanna break it I turned on the music I do wanna back up I turned on the music It's enough, enough, enough That you're sometimes losing Helping on the days that went wrong