Mailbag: Utah's playoff hopes, Stone's health, next contract for Draisaitl

Here is the Aug. 28 edition of the weekly NHL.com mailbag, where we answer your questions asked on X. Send your questions to @drosennhl and @NHLdotcom, and tag it with #OvertheBoards.

Who do you think is more improved between Utah and the Blackhawks? Do you think either contends for a playoff spot? -- @punmasterrifkin

The answer to your first question is the Chicago Blackhawks based on what to expect in the standings. The answer to your second question is the Utah Hockey Club based on where each team is situated in its rebuild.

Utah is a better team, with a better chance to contend for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after going 36-41-5 last season as the Arizona Coyotes; it was the most wins and points (77) the team had since 2018-19 (39 wins, 86 points). The Utah Hockey Club can contend for a playoff spot out of the Central Division. It'll be difficult to get there as the playoff line was 98 points last season. A 21-point improvement is a lot in one season, but Utah should be in the mix. And if it avoids a midseason slump, there will be meaningful games in March and potentially early April too.

Utah is on the cusp and the boost it gets from moving and filling Delta Center, which will seat 16,200 fans for NHL games this season, will be huge. There will be excitement and energy and it should translate on the ice. The additions of defensemen Mikhail Sergachev, John Marino and Ian Cole solidify a position that also includes Sean Durzi, Juuso Valimaki and Michael Kesselring. There's real reason for optimism up front with forward Clayton Keller joined by Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther and Matias Maccelli as legitimate scoring threats. Kevin Stenlund is a nice bottom-six addition coming off a Stanley Cup championship with the Florida Panthers. Utah can contend, but that doesn't mean Utah will be more improved this season than the Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks were 23-53-6 and last in the Central Division. They made some significant upgrades across their lineup with the additions of forwards Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Bertuzzi, Ilya Mikheyev and Pat Maroon; defensemen TJ Brodie and Alec Martinez; and goalie Laurent Brossoit. They should have a healthy Taylor Hall. Connor Bedard in his second season will be better than he was in his first, which should have the entire NHL on tilt. I could see the Blackhawks having the type of season Utah/Arizona had last season. If so, that's a 13-win, 25-point increase. Utah won't win 13 more games and improve by 25 points from last season, meaning the Blackhawks will show a greater improvement. They won't, however, be in contention for a playoff spot.

Is the environment at Prudential Center for a Devils-Rangers game one of the most unique in the NHL? I know fellow NJD fans hate the split crowd (I personally think it's great), but I'm not sure there's many other environments that beat it when both teams are good. -- @NJDtootant

It's a terrific atmosphere when the fans of each team are going at it in the same building, especially when the games are impactful for both teams, even if it angers some New Jersey fans. But it's hard to say it's the most unique in the NHL because there are other environments that are like it for the same reason.

The Rangers against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena is one. Rangers fans travel well, and they don't have to go that far to invade Islanders country. It's hard to say it's a split crowd, but I know it would be fantastic to see a Rangers-Islanders playoff series to gauge how many Rangers fans can infiltrate the building in Elmont. The Rangers and Islanders have not played in the playoffs since 1994.

Toronto Maple Leafs fans travel well to Buffalo and that can be a split crowd too. That's another one that is hard to gauge, though, because the Sabres have missed the playoffs for 13 straight seasons, and it's been easier for Toronto fans to get tickets for games in Buffalo. Let's have the Sabres become a contender again and see how challenging it is for Maple Leafs fans to get in the building.

All right, here's one to get the brain going: Who do you think would be on the average NHL player's Mount Rushmore of hip-hop artists, and do you think mandatory neck protectors are coming for the NHL? -- @TheYzerPlan

I have no answer for the first one and I won't even attempt to answer it. But the second one is the question that truly matters in the grand scheme of the NHL.

There's a very real possibility that at some point soon neck protection becomes mandatory, i.e. grandfathered into the NHL. The American Hockey League announced Friday that its Board of Governors unanimously approved the mandatory use of cut-resistant neck protection for all players and on-ice officials beginning this season. They previously made mandatory the use of cut-resistant socks and wrist sleeves for all players and officials last season.

The NHL and the NHL Players' Association have been in consultation about proper cut-resistant materials for necks, wrists and ankles for several seasons. Urgency for the matter increased last season when former NHL player Adam Johnson sustained a fatal neck wound from a skate blade during a game in Great Britain. The League and the NHLPA have been working with equipment companies to manufacture products for players to test and potentially use. Several players began wearing cut-resistant neckwear on their own last season as more materials became available. The NHL and NHLPA have a joint committee (Protective Equipment Sub-Committee) that studies the market for cut-resistant materials.

Eleven years ago, the NHL made mandatory use of visors for all players with fewer than 25 games of NHL experience. Now there are only a handful of players who are grandfathered under the rule, but eventually all players in the League will be required to wear one. The same thing could happen with cut-resistant materials for necks, wrists and ankles.

What are the real odds that Mark Stone can stay healthy for 82 games this year? Vegas needs him now more than ever. -- @Crow_Guitarist

The odds are low, as in don't bet on it happening, with all due respect to the Vegas Golden Knights captain. Stone never has played all 82 games during an NHL season. He played 80 games with the Ottawa Senators in 2014-15, his first full NHL season, but that's his high-water mark. He has missed 110 of 246 games the past three seasons because of persistent back issues in 2021-22 and 2022-23, and a lacerated spleen last season. Stone plays an effectively violent game, making him essential to Vegas' playoff hopes but prone to injury. The hope here is that he can play all 82 this season, but realistically that's not a very good bet.

Brock Boeser and Leon Draisaitl are pending UFAs, among others. Do you expect more long-term deals or bridge deals for players now that the cap went up? Are GMs trying to lock in players before the cap goes up again? -- @theashcity

The length of contracts will continue to depend on the player and what he wants vs. the team's desire and its salary cap structure. General managers always will try to lock in a player the team values to a new contract before his current contract expires. But the length of those contracts will continue to vary.

Some players will want the long-term stability of a seven- or eight-year contract. Teams don't always want to lock themselves into that sort of long-term relationship, especially if the player coming up on free agency has a lot of miles on him or is getting up there in age. Sometimes it works for both, though, as was the case with Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros, who signed an eight-year, $61.92 million contract ($7.74 million average annual value) on July 1. That contract, which starts next season, could turn out to be a bargain for the Predators because Saros is one of the best goalies in the NHL, and at 29 years old he should remain one for several years.

It also works for Saros because it gives him contract certainty for the next nine seasons.

Other players will want the flexibility of a shorter-term contract of 3-5 years. Auston Matthews is the perfect example; he signed a four-year, $53 million contract ($13.25 million AAV) last summer, when he still had one season remaining on a five-year, $58.17 million contract ($11.634 million AAV). The new contract kicks in this season, when Matthews will be 27 (his birthday is Sept. 17). He will play under this contract until he's 30, meaning he still will be in his prime when he's due for his next contract.

Instead of signing an eight-year contract, Matthews signing for four years gives him a chance to increase his earning potential in his next deal. His $13.25 million AAV could climb to north of $15 million or more four years from now. The Maple Leafs, though, can work with Matthews' $13.25 million AAV now because the cap is going up. Had Matthews signed a seven- or eight-year contract, would the AAV have been higher to maximize his earnings in the later years of the contract? Possibly. Instead, the player and team worked together to come to an agreement on a four-year contract that worked for both.

Draisaitl's next contract will be a big test for the Edmonton Oilers and the system at large. He is entering the last season of an eight-year, $68 million contract ($8.5 million AAV). The Oilers already know that whatever Draisaitl gets in his next contract will set the bar for Connor McDavid, who has two years remaining on his current contract that has a $12.5 million AAV. McDavid is expected to clear whatever salary bar Draisaitl sets. If Draisaitl opts for shorter term, it's possible McDavid will too, and vice versa.

There is no set standard other than to realize the cap is going up and it likely won't stop, but it still will be about player wants vs. team desires and coming to an agreement that works for both sides.