Deen’s Daily: Ehlers Heads East; Burns Itching For a Stanley Cup; Trades Coming?

The Hurricanes won the last big UFA sweepstakes. The newest Avs defenseman met with media. Also, will the trade market finally kick back up?

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — July 4.

Colorado Hockey Now

The Avalanche officially lost the Nikolaj Ehlers sweepstakes.

He’s on his way to the Carolina Hurricanes after signing a six-year, $8.5 million AAV contract.

So, if I have this right, the Canes are now going to have $14.5 million against the cap for Logan Stankoven and Ehlers. That’s a bit more than what they were offering Mikko Rantanen before he was sent to Dallas.

What else do the Avs have in mind? Well, we can’t really answer that right now. But Chris MacFarland made it very clear that they’re not done. He’s looking at trade options, keeping tabs on some depth UFA options, and might even circle back with Joel Kiviranta or Erik Johnson.

That logjam on the right side of the blueline is certainly something to keep an eye on. And of course, remaking the third line at forward.

READ MORE: ‘There’s One Big Goal Still’: Burns is Excited to Join Avs

Brent Burns met with media via Zoom on Thursday morning. One of the reasons why he’s still playing and chose the Avalanche as his next destination is exactly what you think.

He wants to win a Stanley Cup.

My colleague Colleen Flynn covered that and other topics from his presser in the story linked above.

Also, you can read my Deen’s View piece below. It’s behind the paywall and covers all my thoughts on what the Burns signing means for the rest of the lineup.

Methinks at least one, if not two other blueliners will be dealt this summer. MacFarland tends to keep us on our toes. So sit tight and enjoy the ride.

READ MORE: Deen’s View: At 40, Burns Isn’t Done Yet — But Where Does He Fit on Colorado’s Blue Line? (+)

Around The NHL

Montreal Hockey Now: The Habs’ blueline is going to look a lot different with Noah Dobson. Here’s a very early roster projection on the back end.

Detroit Hockey Now: Steve Yzerman fought the urge to overpay in free agency for once. But that doesn’t necessarily mean his offseason is done

Boston Hockey Now: So, the Bruins did a lot this week. I’m not sure how much of it actually helps but here we are. Our fine folks at Boston Hockey Now try to make sense of their new depth chart.