from Travis Yost of TSN,

...we’re also about six months away from what could be one of the more intriguing free-agent classes in quite some time. Some of these names will be extended as the season progresses, but right now names like Sergei Bobrovsky, Jordan Eberle, Matt Duchene, Joe Pavelski, Artemi Panarin, Semyon Varlamov, Jeff Skinner, William Karlsson, Anders Lee, Eric Staal, and Gustav Nyquist all need new contracts.

That’s a lot of impactful names, and even if half of these guys end up extending before July 1 comes around, it will still be an interesting talent pool left to pick at for 30 other NHL teams.

Maybe the most interesting name on the list is Ottawa’s Mark Stone. Stone, if you recall, signed a one-year deal last summer to avoid arbitration. The one-year deal was curious, particularly since Stone – with Erik Karlsson now in San Jose – has emerged as a face of the franchise. And because of that one-year deal, Stone and the Ottawa front office can’t begin contract negotiations until the calendar flips over to 2019.

Stone’s player profile is fascinating. When Stone entered the league, there were significant questions about his ceiling as a player – primarily related to concerns about his skating ability. Those concerns never manifested. Stone’s not a lightning-quick skater, but his hockey sense and spatial awareness are exceptional.

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