START OF STANLEY CUP FINAL MEANS START OF SILLY SEASON

TORONTO, ON — The rematch is set. For the second consecutive season, the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers will duke it out for hockey’s Holy Grail.

As I pack my bags for Edmonton – and, yes, I’m praying this year’s back-and-forth travel will be smoother than last year’s adventures (first world problems) – the spotlight on the NHL shines bright on Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers’ revenge tour. With the Panthers looking to go back-to-back, the storylines surrounding their club is also front and centre.

But as we skate into June, the bright lights of the Stanley Cup Final will also point in the direction of the silly season, as 30 other NHL clubs begin to ramp up their off-season planning.

Trade chatter is about to pick up and with a shallow free agent pool, some teams may be more inclined to dive into the trade market in the weeks leading up to the NHL Draft in Los Angeles.

The smoke will start to thicken a week from now, when the NHL Scouting Combine gets underway in Buffalo.

The Sabres, who brought in Jarmo Kekalainen as a Senior Advisor, will be an intriguing team to watch in the weeks ahead. With multiple players uneased with the team’s lack of advancement, there is an opportunity for Kekalainen and GM Kevyn Adams to be active – it is time the organization takes the next steps in its progression.

We have already reported Bowen Byram is in play, again, in Buffalo. Ahead of the trade deadline, names like Owen Power, J.J. Peterka and Alex Tuch were also tossed around as the vultures circled their prey. Is there more of a willingness to make bold moves now?

I am curious to see if the Sabres circle back on Elias Pettersson in Vancouver.

The 26-year-old centre will see his no-movement clause kick-in July 1 and the belief across the NHL is the Canucks will continue to entertain trade calls. It does not sound like the price tag has changed much, if at all, so a team will have to pay up to pry him out of B.C. Do the Sabres take another swing? They surely won’t be the lone team to try.

Pettersson won’t be the only topic of discussion surrounding the Canucks over the next few weeks. Goalie Thatcher Demko appears open to a change of scenery and is expected to be in play as he enters the final year of his contract.

Demko, who has a $5 million cap hit and does not own any no-trade protection, has had health concerns, but he is excited to have a normal summer. I’m told he is not battling any issues and is already training for next season, and with the Canucks committed to Kevin Lankinen, teams evaluating their goaltending position will be an option for Vancouver.

The focus in Vancouver seems to be centred around adding more offence up front and replacing Brock Boeser, who will become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Boeser, 28, is a “longshot” to re-sign with the Canucks, one team source confirmed to me this week. He is prepared to move on to the next chapter of his career and will attract significant interest this summer, especially given the limited market.

There are plenty of questions in Toronto, too, especially after GM Brad Treliving met with the media on Thursday. I was in attendance and understood Treliving’s apologetic tone when he offered little insight on multiple subjects since he and his staff haven’t fully mapped out their plan. Do I believe they don’t have an idea where they stand with Mitch Marner and John Tavares? Absolutely not. But I get where he is coming from.

An extension for Tavares is much more likely than one with Marner at this point in time. All indications are Marner is heading to free agency. He hasn’t closed the door on a return to Toronto, but he wants to evaluate his options.

It has been widely reported which teams will come knocking on Marner’s door if/when he becomes available. I don’t subscribe to the sign-and-trade theory – it just won’t play out that way. Now, could the Leafs trade his rights for a draft pick to give a team a headstart in contract negotiations? That seems more plausible.

Just about every team will poke around, but I believe Marner has a list of seven or eight teams he prefers to go to if the offers are in place. Los Angeles and Vegas are two of those clubs. Teams with a boatload of cap space may be willing to go above and beyond financially, like Anaheim, Columbus and San Jose, but would Marner prefer to sign with a club closer to contention?

Speaking of Vegas, the Golden Knights have just over $9.6 million in salary cap space and a few decent holes to fill. Word on the street is they are entertaining calls on defenceman Nic Hague, who is set to become a restricted free agent July 1 and is due for a solid paycheck.

Multiple sources indicated this week that Vegas has already started to engage in trade discussions involving Hague, who brings size, accountability and a championship pedigree to any club looking to strengthen their defensive corps. Several teams will be poking around, and this should be something to keep an eye on leading up to Draft weekend.

We are two days from June and the action is just starting to percolate. Once Boston and Pittsburgh announce their Head Coach hirings in the coming days, we’ll start to hear more out of their camps, as well.

The silly season has returned. Let’s see how silly things get this year.

HERE AND THERE

• First order of business for Islanders GM Mathieu Darche: finalize the contract extensions for defenceman Adam Boqvist (one-year) and veteran winger Kyle Palmieri (two-years). Both players had “handshake” agreements under former GM Lou Lamoriello – I believe Palmieri’s deal was in place since the trade deadline – and both sought clarity after the team announced Lou wasn’t returning. Darche honoured both deals, with some say from up top.

• Darche also indicated they plan on moving forward with the first-overall pick in the Draft, but I would not be shocked if the San Jose Sharks, holding the second-overall selection, make an attempt to move up to draft Matthew Schaefer.

• As I reported Thursday on the social platform formerly known as Twitter, Brock Nelson is open to signing a contract with the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs and Nelson’s camp are expected to pick up discussions in the coming weeks, and while nothing is set in stone and he may very well hit July 1, there is mutual interest.

• Luke Richardson, who interviewed for some of the Head Coach positions that were vacant out there, is under consideration for a role on Rick Tocchet’s bench in Philadelphia.

• The Calgary Flames are making a change behind their bench. I reported earlier this month that Brad Larsen is sticking around. Yesterday, I tweeted (X’d?) that Dan Lambert is not returning next season. Not yet confirmed, but some whispers that Wranglers coach Trent Cull jump back to Calgary as an assistant coach.

• Expect the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins to announce their Head Coach hirings at some point this weekend, possibly by Monday.

• Edmonton inquired about Jeremy Swayman this season, well after he signed his deal with Boston, but with how much Stuart Skinner gets criticized, Stu seems to be doing fine in net for the Oilers.

• It is still very fresh, and a lot of people are still dissecting Pete DeBoer’s goalie decision and post-game comments, but the Dallas Stars have less than $5 million in salary cap space this off-season. Some league sources believe Mason Marchment and his $4.5 million cap hit will be in play.

• Plenty of chatter surrounding the New York Rangers these days. K’Andre Miller, Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad are just three names swirling around out there.

• Reports suggesting Jonathan Marchessault is available are accurate, as far as I have gathered. But he has a 15-team no-trade list that was strategically put together, so we shall see if Nashville gets to the finish line on anything.

• The Utah Mammoth are believed to be open to moving the fourth-overall pick. Some believe Utah GM Bill Armstrong will consider trading the pick for a young top-six, NHL-proven forward.