from Elliotte Friedman of CBC,

At some point, it's no longer coaching. It's about the way the group chooses to play. Eakins could start benching more guys, a road he's already been down with Nail Yakupov. But this could go even bigger.

The salary cap is going up and the average annual values going up with it. Why are teams chasing Evander Kane and Max Pacioretty? Because they are locked up long-term to contracts of excellent value.

How long is it going to be before Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are seen the same way? Think about it, because the Oilers have to.

30 THOUGHTS

-. Another thing MacTavish will do - if he hasn't already - is call Nashville Predators capo David Poile and say, "If you decide to trade No. 6, I'm in. I've got what you want. There's no better fit in the league." The Predators had no choice but to match the Philadelphia Flyers' offer sheet for Shea Weber. They needed control of the asset and credibility among the fan base after losing Ryan Suter. But things are changing in Tennessee.

-. The market is restless. The Predators were ecstatic to draft Seth Jones. But it meant not getting a highly skilled forward, which was the original plan. If a Weber package includes one of Edmonton's recent first-round picks (not Yakupov after the Alexander Radulov experiment) and this year's first-rounder, you can sell that. Of course, Edmonton will have 28 competitors if this scenario becomes reality.

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