Mailbag: Flames' retool; Josi of Predators preseason Norris Trophy favorite

Here is the Sept. 11 edition of the weekly NHL.com mailbag, where we answer your questions asked on X. Send your questions to @drosennhl and @NHLdotcom and tag it with #OvertheBoards.

Craig Conroy, the general manager of the Flames, has some decisions to make. Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri have been somewhat of a disappointment. Is it time to push the panic button and trigger a rebuild? What are his options heading into this season? -- @theashcity

There already is a retool happening in Calgary. It's hard to label it a rebuild because the Calgary Flames have too many long-term contracts on their books, handcuffing Conroy's ability to turn this into a full rebuild. Huberdeau is entering the second season of an eight-year contract ($10.5 million average annual value). Nazem Kadri is in the third season of a seven-year contract ($7.0 million AAV). Forward Yegor Sharangovich's five-year contract ($5.75 million AAV) he signed July 1 doesn't begin until next season; he's entering the second season of a two-year deal. Defenseman MacKenzie Weegar will be in the second season of an eight-year deal ($6.25 million AAV). That's why you can't hit the panic button and just go into a rebuild.

It's too much money and too many years tied into several players, but the Flames are clearly eyeing their future while trying to stay relevant in the present. They're being careful with their cap space. They did not make any big-money or long-term signings in the offseason, though they're hoping that the additions of Anthony Mantha (one year, $3.5 million), Jake Bean (two years, $1.75 million AAV) and Ryan Lomberg (two years, $2 million AAV) will help stabilize them this season by providing depth. They have two first-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft and two more in the 2026 NHL Draft. They had four in the first two rounds of the 2024 NHL Draft, selecting defenseman Zayne Parekh at No. 9 and forward Matvei Gridin at No. 28.

The Flames will incorporate more youth into their lineup, specifically 23-year-old goalie Dustin Wolf (3.16 goals-against average, .893 save percentage in 15 starts last season) joining Dan Vladar as the goalie tandem. There's also 21-year-old forward Matt Coronato, who last season had nine points (three goals, six assists) in 34 NHL games and 42 points (15 goals, 27 assists) in 41 American Hockey League games. Jakob Pelletier, a 23-year-old forward, is also expected to play a bigger role. He was limited to 31 games last season between the NHL and AHL because of shoulder injuries.

The Flames need Wolf, Coronato, Pelletier and any other young players they bring into the lineup to make an impact and prove they can be part of the solution in the coming seasons. They need to draft well. They need to let their prospects develop at their own pace. Don't rush and ruin. Beyond that, the Flames have to get Huberdeau going. He has underperformed relative to his contract with 107 points (27 goals, 80 assists) in 160 games over two seasons. He had 115 points (30 goals, 85 assists) in 80 games in 2021-22, his last season with the Florida Panthers. Getting him going to be a consistent playmaker and scorer is the No. 1 priority for the Flames. Kadri is fine. He had 75 points (29 goals, 46 assists) in 82 games last season. If he consistently produces at that level, he will live up to the contract.

Will Quinn Hughes win the Norris Trophy again and dominate even more? -- @ToddHeintz

He could. He's not my pick (I'll get to that in a moment), but no one would be surprised if the Vancouver Canucks defenseman successfully defended his Norris Trophy by winning the award that goes to the top defenseman in the NHL. He could build on last season, when he led his position with 92 points (17 goals, 75 assists). A 100-point season for a dynamic player like Hughes is not out of the question. The way he defends only adds to his dominance. He should no longer be underrated or questioned about his defense. It's solid.

There is a rich history of a player winning the Norris Trophy in back-to-back seasons, but the last time it happened was 2007-08, when Nicklas Lidstrom won it for a third straight time. Lidstrom was also voted winner three seasons in a row from 2001-03. Doug Harvey (four straight from 1954-58, three straight from 1959-62), Pierre Pilote (three straight from 1962-65), Bobby Orr (NHL record eight in a row from 1967-75), Denis Potvin (two straight from 1977-79), Rod Langway (two from 1982-84), Paul Coffey (two from 1984-86) and Ray Bourque (two from 1986-88 and again 1989-91) all won it at least in back-to-back seasons too.

However, my pick is Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi, who should benefit from the additions of forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, and defenseman Brady Skjei. With Stamkos and Marchessault, the Predators' power play should be better than it was last season and Josi is a huge part of that. He was tied with Adam Fox of the New York Rangers for fourth among defensemen with 33 points on the man-advantage last season despite Nashville finishing 16th (21.6 percent). The Predators in general should be a better team than last season, when they finished fourth in the Central Division with 99 points. A first-place finish is potentially in the cards this season and that will only enhance Josi's Norris Trophy profile. He won it in 2019-20. He will be a two-time winner before Hughes because he's winning it again this season.

Honest opinion and point projection for the Anaheim Ducks? -- @JonROTTKOA

Three words: Young. Rebuilding. Patience.

Honest projection: 66 points

The Ducks are building a brighter future. Leo Carlsson is 19. Cutter Gauthier and Pavel Mintyukov are 20, and Olen Zellweger turned 21 on Tuesday. Mason McTavish is 21. Jump ahead and Trevor Zegras is only 23, Heck, Troy Terry turned 27 on Tuesday, not young in the NHL but certainly not old, and in his prime. Lukas Dostal is 24 and could be the goalie of the future. John Gibson still has three seasons left on his contract. The Ducks had three of the first 35 picks in the 2024 draft and selected Beckett Sennecke with the No. 3 pick. He's a big part of the future now too.

It's all part of an ongoing rebuild. It all means patience is required. My main question is the future of Zegras. Is he going to be a part of it in Anaheim or will he eventually be traded? Zegras has a lot to prove. He has the talent, obvious skill, but needs to round out his game and stay healthy. This is a big season for him. He's tradeable, but the Ducks at this point would not be getting full value for Zegras because of last season, when he was injury-prone and limited to 31 games.

A healthy Zegras and a full season with Carlsson will give the Ducks a chance to score more goals. They scored 203 last season, 30th in the League and better than only the San Jose Sharks (180) and Chicago Blackhawks (178). Both are also rebuilding, but with Zegras, the Ducks should be a more dangerous team. If they can beef up their goal total even by 10-15 it could lead to another three, four or five wins. They had 59 points last season, when they were 14-38-0 in games decided by at least two goals. They had 58 points in 2022-23, when they scored 206 goals (31st). They'll score at least 215 this season and it'll get them 66 points, maybe more, and that's a step in the right direction.

Which remaining free agents could be reasonable steals for some NHL teams? -- @MrEd315

It's PTO (professional tryout contract) time in the NHL with players who are still unrestricted free agents looking to get a chance in training camp to make a roster. Teams take advantage of the PTO because it's essentially a free look at a player with no strings attached. If the player makes the desired impact in camp, he typically ends up with a one-year contract right around the NHL minimum. Tyler Johnson has a PTO with the Boston Bruins. Calen Addison has one with the Ottawa Senators, Tyson Barrie with the Flames, Tanner Pearson with the Vegas Golden Knights, Jakub Vrana with the Washington Capitals, Sammy Blais with the Canucks, Michael Hutchinson and Jakub Zboril with the New Jersey Devils, Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Kailer Yamamoto with the Utah Hockey Club.

Those are the ones we know about. Kevin Shattenkirk, James van Riemsdyk, Mike Hoffman and Tony DeAngelo are among the remaining UFAs who could land PTOs and be potential steals if they perform well in camp.

I know the Rangers tried it in the playoffs, but do you think they try Filip Chytil on the right side with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider? -- @punmasterrifkin

They tried it briefly in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year, but the Rangers view Chytil as a center and a big part of their depth down the middle. The expectation going into training camp is he will be the No. 3 center after Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck. They'll likely try a combination of players at right wing on the line with Zibanejad and left wing Chris Kreider. At some point Chytil might be one of them. It hasn't been ruled out, but Reilly Smith is expected to get the first crack at it. Kaapo Kakko could also get a look there and possibly rookie Brennan Othmann depending how he performs in rookie camp first and then at the beginning of training camp.