Mailbag: Sleeper players to watch in Qualifiers, Sabres future

Here is the June 17 edition of Dan Rosen's weekly mailbag. If you have a question, tweet it to @drosennhl and use #OvertheBoards.

With rumors to take 28 players to the hub cities, what player that wasn't a regular during the season could you see having an impact in the Stanley Cup Playoffs? -- @BillMcJesus

Though nothing has been set in terms of roster size, to answer your question, here are four players who could make an impact in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers and beyond:

Barrett Hayton, Arizona Coyotes:The center, who was the No. 5 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, could be an important contributor in a limited role for the Coyotes in their qualifier series against the Nashville Predators. He was limited to 20 games this season (one goal, three assists) in part because he injured his shoulder playing for Canada at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship, and with Arizona already having Nick Schmaltz, Derek Stepan, Christian Dvorak and Carl Soderberg down the middle, there would have to be movement to allow Hayton an opportunity if he earns it. However, his hockey IQ should allow him to play in pressure-filled situations.

Eeli Tolvanen, Nashville Predators: Tolvanen, the No. 30 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, will be given a chance to make an impact against Arizona in the qualifier series, Nashville general manager David Poile said in an interview with 104.5 The Zone. The forward's shot is among his best attributes and should help boost the Predators power play, which was tied for 24th in the NHL this season (17.3 percent). Tolvanen scored seven power-play goals with Milwaukee of the American Hockey League, and he was fourth in the league with 191 shots on goal.

Liam Foudy, Columbus Blue Jackets: Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen said in an interview I did with him last month that the forward will be given an opportunity to be a regular in the lineup in the qualifier series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Foudy, a first-round pick (No. 18) in the 2018 NHL Draft, had an assist in two games with the Blue Jackets after being recalled on an emergency basis from London of the Ontario Hockey League in February. He scored 68 points (28 goals, 40 assists) in 45 OHL games and also scored three goals for Canada to help it win the gold medal at the WJC. Columbus will be getting back forwards Alexandre Texier, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Nathan Gerbe from injuries, but Foudy kills penalties, applies pressure and skates well, all of which fit the Blue Jackets' style.

Morgan Geekie, Carolina Hurricanes: The forward played in Carolina's last two games before the season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus and had four points (three goals, one assist). It was an impressive showing that should give Geekie, the No. 67 pick in the 2017 draft, an opportunity to impress coach Rod Brind'Amour in training camp and perhaps in their qualifier series against the New York Rangers. Geekie had 42 points (22 goals, 20 assists) in 55 games with Charlotte of the AHL, and with Carolina having 12 forwards listed on its current roster, there is room for him if he earns it.

If the Buffalo Sabres win the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery is there any chance Alexis Lafreniere would pull an Eric Lindros and choose not to play for the Sabres? -- @TomO01450200

Lafreniere should 100 percent play for the Sabres if they win the lottery and select him. The opportunity to play with center Jack Eichel -- assuming he's still with Buffalo -- and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and be an essential part of that young core in a terrific hockey market would be a welcome and enticing opportunity. He could be the left wing on Eichel's line for years to come provided the Sabres keep the center. Everything has to be on the table now that Buffalo has fired general manager Jason Botterill and replaced him with Kevyn Adams, who was previously the Sabres senior vice president of business administration after being their player development coach and an assistant. But for Lafreniere, or any top prospect, it's enticing to imagine how big of a star you could become in Buffalo if you become a major part of the solution that gets the Sabres back into Stanley Cup Playoff contention, and, dare we say, leads them to their first Stanley Cup championship.

Where do you see the Sabres needing to make changes in their lineup? I feel a need is to find a strong second-line center. They seem to have an abundance of bottom-six players and maybe a few they could lose. -- @GoldenSaucerGuy

Buffalo's center depth after Eichel is a major concern, but there is hope for the future. The problem is it might take some more patience, and that's as thin as paper in Buffalo right now. Dylan Cozens, the No. 7 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, projects as the future No. 2 center, perhaps as early as next season. He had 85 points (38 goals, 47 assists) in 51 games with Lethbridge of the Western Hockey League this season. Casey Mittelstadt was supposed to be the next No. 2 center, but he hasn't come close to fulfilling that potential. The No. 8 pick in the 2017 draft had nine points (four goals, five assists) in 31 games with the Sabres this season before being sent back to Rochester of the AHL in December. There, he had 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 36 games. However, Mittelstadt has played 114 NHL games, and I think a player can't be fully analyzed for what he will be in the NHL until he's played 200. Mittelstadt, if he earns it, will get the opportunity next season to come close to that mark, and then we'll know if he can be an answer down the middle for Buffalo, even if it's as the No. 3 center behind Eichel and Cozens. The Sabres invested a high draft pick to get Mittelstadt, so I think they need to give him next season to prove himself. Either way, it'll look a lot different with legitimate center depth behind Eichel. Cozens and Mittelstadt have the chance to supply that, but it's not going to happen right away. I'm a firm believer in building your team down the middle because you can mix and match on the wing if you have centers that drive lines to success. The Sabres don't have to dig into free agency or trades to do it, they need to rely on the development of the players they already have.

Why are people putting an asterisk on this season when more games were played than the [lockout] shortened season? -- @jtthenutt

That's an opinion people may have because the season was interrupted and the full regular season wasn't completed. The fact is winning the Stanley Cup this season, Video: Alexis Lafreniere Chats With Brian Lawton by Nicholas J. Cotsonika, could be as challenging, if not more challenging, than it would be in normal times. Eight more teams have a chance than usual. There will be no home-ice advantage, only two hub cities. There will be no fans in the building, eliminating the emotion and energy the players always receive from the crowd noise. Sixteen of the teams will have to play a maximum of five more games (the qualifiers are a best-of-5 series) to win the Stanley Cup. All this after participating in a training camp for what could be three weeks and then moving on to live in what can loosely be called a bubble, possibly without seeing their families, for two months. I wouldn't put an asterisk next to the 2020 Stanley Cup champion. I'd highlight it and put gold stars around it in the record books instead.

Any update on the New Jersey Devils' general manager and coach search? -- @matt12r

Nothing that I've seen or heard since Mike G. Morreale Video: Alexis Lafreniere Chats With Brian Lawton, the general manager, is interviewing candidates for the coaching position.

The key point in that story as it relates to your question is Fitzgerald said nothing has changed since the season was paused. He's still the GM and Alain Nasreddine is still the coach. Obviously, the Devils are looking for a coach and, as Morreale reported, Nasreddine is a candidate. He should be. He did a good job after taking over for John Hynes on Dec. 3, and New Jersey was trending in a positive direction when the season was paused. The Devils were 19-16-8 and ranked first in the NHL on the penalty kill (86.0 percent) after Nasreddine took over. Under Hynes, New Jersey was 9-13-4 and ranked 23rd on the penalty kill (76.5 percent).

What's interesting to me is Fitzgerald is doing the work without the title as permanent general manager. My thinking here is if the status quo doesn't have to be interrupted right now -- for example, there is no deadline such as the draft or free agency coming up soon -- then the Devils likely feel there is no real reason to address the situation yet. When the status quo changes, including the potential for Fitzgerald to tell New Jersey he's seeking a permanent GM job elsewhere, if one becomes available, then the team will have to address it. For now, Fitzgerald can work with executive vice president Martin Brodeur, president Jake Reynolds, other executives and co-owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer to find the Devils' next coach.