Kevin Hayes is the Flyers' lone representative at the NHL All-Star Game down in Florida. He'll skate with the Metro Division and participate in the accuracy shooting contest in his first-ever All-Star appearance.
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New faces: No. 1 overall 2020 draft choice and forward Alexis Lafreniere, drop the mic.
What to know: Forward Artemi Panarin is a bonafide scoring superstar and will take some pressure off Lafreniere-who is likely to not need it. And don t forget that Lafreniere takes some pressure off 2019 No. 2 overall draft pick, Kaapo Kakko, who will be better this season.
Outlook: The Blueshirts have a shot at divisional playoffs if Igor Shesterkin can fill the large goalie skates of Henrik Lundqvist, who was planning to haunt NYR as a Washington Capital until a heart condition shelved the beloved Swede at least for this NHL season. Alexandar Georgiev will pair with Shesterkin. If they are household hockey names by April, the Rangers will be rolling about a year or two ahead of the Stanley Cup master plan for this Original Six franchise.
F Josh Bailey ($5 million through 2023-24)
F Jordan Eberle ($5.5 million through 2023-24)
F Anders Lee ($7 million through 2025-26)
F Jean-Gabriel Pageau ($5 million through 2025-26)
F Brock Nelson ($6 million through 2024-25)
Lee’s deal already feels a bit on the high side for a player who has surpassed the 30-goal mark only twice in his career and is someone who typically slots in at around 50 points per season. He’s their captain and plays an important role, but the final couple of years may be rough; such is life with quite a few long-term UFA contracts, however. Nelson quietly had the best offensive output of his career despite the season being shortened, which has to be encouraging. It’s still early, but so far, so good in terms of living up to the higher-priced deal. Eberle had a good bounce-back year last season with a good showing in the playoffs, but his contract is also a little overpriced for his recent production.