Breaking down what is a busy and crucial July schedule in the NHL
It is going to be a busy month of July in the NHL.
There is no such thing as an offseason in major sports any more given the never-ending news cycle and social media, and that will be the case in the NHL in the month of July with a lot to look forward to.
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
We’re less than 24 hours removed from the Tampa Bay Lightning beating the Montreal Canadiens in five games in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final to win back-to-back championships, but already the focus has now shifted to what’s next.
This is a huge year for the National Hockey League with the Seattle Kraken entering as the league’s 32nd franchise, and they are two weeks out from constructing their first-ever roster at the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft.
The 2021 NHL Entry Draft is also just a couple of weeks away, and then we will have Free Agency and, before you know it, Training Camps will open and preseason will be upon us with the league returning to a normal 82-game schedule for the 2021-22 season after last year was compromised due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Getting back to normality will be more than welcome and we got a taste of that in the Stanley Cup Final with certain arenas back to full capacity, while NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will also be relieved to return to the traditional 82-game schedule given that this is both the first year for the Kraken and the league’s blockbuster new TV deals with ESPN and TNT.
Therefore, there is lots on the docket for the month of July as the NHL now prepares for what should be a historic 2021-22 season in more ways than one, so let’s catch you up on all the key dates and events you need to know…
Breaking down all the key dates in a busy July in the NHL
July 8th – First Buyout Period Begins
Friday could be a busy, busy day in the NHL. With the 2021 Expansion Draft coming up and teams having to deal with a flat cap for the second straight year due to the Pandemic, there will be a lot of franchises pushing money down the road by buying out big contracts in order to get cap compliant for the 2020-21 season.
One very active team could be the Tampa Bay Lightning who face some tough decisions when it comes to the makeup of their roster. General Manager Julien BriseBois is going to have to part with some key pieces in order to get cap compliant, and even Head Coach Jon Cooper and Captain Steven Stamkos admitted that this season’s Stanley Cup win was extra special because they know this team is on the cusp of being broken up.
One name to keep an eye on is veteran forward Tyler Johnson, who recorded seven points (4 G, 3 A) in 23 games this postseason, including scoring two goals in Game 3 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, and he’s likely to be moved be it via a Buyout or a trade.
Other intriguing Buyout candidates include defenseman Tony DeAngelo who didn’t play for the New York Rangers at all last season after burning his bridges with the franchise, Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise, Edmonton Oilers forward James Neal, Vancouver Canucks veteran Loui Eriksson and San Jose Sharks goaltender Martin Jones.
The reason the Buyout window, which runs through July 27th, is so compelling this offseason is due to both the flat cap of $81.5 million and the introduction of the Seattle Kraken to the NHL, with teams looking to protect as many key players as possible with the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft on the horizon.
It could be the busiest period for Buyouts we’ve seen in quite some time.
And, for your information, players with no-move clauses can be bought out immediately, but anyone else must pass through unconditional waivers first.
July 17th – Protection List Deadline for Expansion Draft
All teams in the National Hockey League – apart from the Vegas Golden Knights because they are exempt from this process – must submit their protected lists for the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft by 5:00 P.M. ET.
This will be the green light for the Seattle Kraken to really put their team-building process into overdrive, and they will construct the first roster in franchise history from the lists submitted.
With the salary cap remaining at $81.5 million for the 2021-22 season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and with a number of teams already tight to the cap, there could be some big names left unprotected for the Kraken to select and then build their franchise around, including the likes of P.K. Subban, Matt Dumba and Ondrej Palat to name just a few.
It is also worth remembering that Seattle could make some trades in advance, as was the case with the Golden Knights, and they’ve already been linked with Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith, so the next couple of weeks could be wild in the NHL.
Here’s a few other key dates to make note of as it pertains to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft:
- July 13 – Deadline for players being asked to waive their no-move clause for the Expansion Draft.
- July 16 – Last day for teams to put a player on waivers for the Expansion Draft, and the deadline for players to agree to waive their no-move clauses.
- July 17 – The Expansion Draft trade and waiver freeze begins at 3:00 P.M.
- July 18 – Deadline for the NHL to approve and then distribute the protection lists to all teams by 10:00 A.M., when they will also be made public. Seattle can also start interviewing UFAs and RFAs that are available for selection on this day but, if they sign them, that signing will count as a selection from that team. So, for example, if Ryan Getzlaf was left exposed by the Anaheim Ducks and he signed a contract with the Kraken, that would count as a selection from Anaheim.
July 21 – 2021 NHL Expansion Draft
This is the night where the Seattle Kraken will officially start building their team, with the marquee event set to be aired live on ESPN2 from 8:00 P.M. ET. The Kraken will need to submit their Expansion Draft choices to the NHL by 10:00 A.M that morning, and then the hockey world will watch on in intrigue as General Manager Ron Francis makes history by officially selecting the first players in franchise history for the Kraken.
July 23 – 2021 NHL Entry Draft Day 1
There will be no time for rest in the NHL this offseason with the 2021 NHL Entry Draft taking place just a couple of days after the Expansion Draft.
The First Round will take place on July 23 in the NHL Network Studios, and the Buffalo Sabres will have the No. 1 overall pick after winning the NHL Draft Lottery in April. The Kraken will have a chance to add an elite stud from the get-go with the No. 2 overall selection, and we’ve listed the full order of Round 1 below.
It is worth noting that the Tampa Bay Lightning were awarded the 31st pick after winning the 2021 Stanley Cup but, as part of the David Savard trade, the Columbus Blue Jackets will now hold the rights to that selection. Meanwhile, the Arizona Coyotes won’t have a pick in the First Round after violating the NHL Combine Testing Policy in 2019-20.
Some of the top prospects available in this year’s Draft include Michigan defenseman Owen Powers, who is expected to go to Buffalo with the First Overall pick, defenseman Luke Hughes, brother of Jack and Quinn Hughes, could join brother Jack with the New Jersey Devils, and left wing William Eklund is someone that could go in the top five.
We’ll have a lot more on the Draft, including Mock Drafts, in the coming days.
The 2021 NHL Entry Draft will also air on ESPN 2 at 8:00 P.M. ET.
2021 NHL Entry Draft First Round Order:
- Buffalo Sabres
- Seattle Kraken
- Anaheim Ducks
- New Jersey Devils
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Detroit Red Wings
- San Jose Sharks
- Los Angeles Kings
- Vancouver Canucks
- Ottawa Senators
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Calgary Flames
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Dallas Stars
- New York Rangers
- St. Louis Blues
- Winnipeg Jets
- Nashville Predators
- Edmonton Oilers
- Boston Bruins
- Minnesota Wild
- Detroit Red Wings (from Washington Capitals)
- Florida Panthers
- Columbus Blue Jackets (from Toronto Maple Leafs)
- Minnesota Wild (from Pittsburgh Penguins)
- Carolina Hurricanes
- Colorado Avalanche
- New Jersey Devils (from New York Islanders)
- Vegas Golden Knights
- Montreal Canadiens
- Columbus Blue Jackets (from Tampa Bay Lightning)
July 24 – 2021 NHL Entry Draft Day 2
Rounds 2 through 7 of the NHL Entry Draft will take place on Saturday, and it could be a busy day of trades as teams try to get under the cap, move up or down in order to either pick a particular prospect or stock up on picks, and there could be a lot of movement given the uncertainty around the last few rounds of Draft because of the lack of scouting due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
July 28 – NHL Free Agency Begins
This could be a huge summer in NHL Free Agency with some big names potentially available as we officially enter the offseason.
Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin leads the field of UFAs, although it would be surprising if the forward didn’t re-sign with the Caps. Another name to keep an eye on is Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton, while the likes of Taylor Hall, Ryan Getzlaf, David Krejci, Tuukka Rask and David Savard could all be looking for new teams.
When it comes to RFAs, the list is deep with stud defensemen Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche), Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks) and Miro Heiskanen (Dallas Stars) all needing new deals, as do the likes of Vancouver Canucks phenom Elias Pettersson, Minnesota Wild forward and 2020-21 Calder Trophy winner Kirill Kaprizov, Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk and New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin.
That’s just a handful of pending RFAs, too. And, with teams dealing with a flat cap for the second straight year, that could lead to some young talent being available, maybe more offer sheets or some big-name veterans being traded in order for franchises to free up the money to sign their young studs to new contracts.
So, in a nutshell, this could be a huge and significant offseason when it comes to player movement.
September 22 – Training Camps Open
Although this hasn’t been confirmed yet, it is expected that all NHL Training Camps will open on this date with the league expecting a normal schedule in 2021-22, which is certainly welcome news to everyone.
The big storyline throughout Training Camps will of course be the Seattle Kraken as they prepare for life in the NHL and their first-ever game in franchise history, which will come in the preseason.
October 12 – 2021-22 NHL Season Begins
As already mentioned, the NHL is planning on a full 82-game schedule with a return to normal divisions in 2021-22, which is huge given that it is the debut year for the Seattle Kraken and also for the new TV deals with ESPN and TNT.
Multiple sources, including ESPN, have pretty much confirmed that the season opener will be on Oct. 12, although we are still waiting official confirmation from the league on that.
Next. Tampa Bay repeat as Stanley Cup Champions. dark
However, normality will return to the NHL in 2021-22 and that is certainly great news, and the wait for the regular season should be a quick one given how busy the offseason, and the month of July in particular, is shaping up to be.