The Daily: How Pens Get Under Cap; Flyers May Be Worst Team

Last season, the Philadelphia Flyers ranked 26th out of 32 NHL teams. The latest Sportsnet offseason power rankings suggests they Flyers are now the leading candidate to be the league’s worst team.

The Sportsnet bottom five list includes: 32. Philadelphia; 31. San Jose; 30. Chicago; 29. Anaheim; 28. Arizona.

The power rankings list the Colorado Avalanche as  the No. 1 team.

The Ducks were the worst team this past season, and ended up with the No. 2 draft pick (Leo Carlsson). Sportsnet sees them as improved but not enough to push them out of contention for the worst spot.

This year’s draft prize is (at least for now) Boston University recruit Macklin Celebrini. He’s a Vancouver native who produced 46 goals and 86 points in 50 games for the Chicago Steel (United States Hockey League) in 2022-23.

Red Wings Offseason

Matt Luff’s return to the Red Wings’ organization this summer is more important than most people realize. The Red Wings appreciate him because he can be a major help for the Grand Rapids Griffins and be a big (6-foot-2, 200 pounds) role player if the parent club has injuries.  Luff posted 25 points in 28 points for the Griffins. He had five multi-point games. Luff has 106 NHL games on his resume.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• Dominik Kubalik told the Czech media that he wasn’t surprised he was included in the Alex DeBrincat deal.
• Detroit Red Wings prospect Noah Dower Nilsson out after shoulder surgery.
• How can the Red Wings become an above average scoring team this season. If they can join the league’s top 15 scoring teams they can significantly improve their playoff chances.

Hockey Now Network

Boston: Through Larry Brooks’ reporting, the Bruins confirmed that they did indeed terminate Mitchell Miller’s contract. Boston Bruins.

Buffalo: Sabres’ Devon Levi ranked third among NHL prospects. Where will he rank among NHL starters this season? Buffalo Sabres.

Chicago:  Does everyone win in the Kurashev arbitration award? Player happy with the money, but the Blackhawks get two years. Chicago Blackhawks.

Florida: George Richards looks at whether the Florida Panthers should and could take a run at signing Vladimir Tarasenko. Florida Panthers.

Pittsburgh: Dan Kingerski writes about the Penguins’ backup plan to dump salary if it’s not involved in an Erik Karlsson trade. Pittsburgh Penguins.

Vegas: Chris Gawlik weighs in about whether the Golden Knights are done making moves this offseason. Vegas Golden Knights.