Devon Toews
Projected Contract: Four years, $3.5M AAV
We have arrived. Other than Sergachev, Devon Toews might be my favorite candidate to sign to an offer sheet this offseason. He was highly underrated for the Islanders, who have $8.9M in cap space. They are without a second-round pick in next year’s draft, and given that they don’t have a first or second-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, there might be some incentive to gain some draft capital back.
At 26, Toews is the oldest of the three guys listed here, but he’s also the closest to a first pairing LHD. He played on all three pairings for the Islanders last year and tallied 6 goals with 22 assists in 68 games.
He logs a ton of minutes every game – 20:31 to be exact – and Toews has become an excellent shot-blocker just two years into the league. His even-strength metrics are encouraging, with a 50.8 Corsi-for percentage and 52.2 expected goals-for percentage.
While he’s not the powerplay monster than Vince Dunn is, Toews contributed a goal and 5 assists on the man advantage. And he shined in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring 2 goals with 8 assists in 22 games. An accepted offer sheet would cost the Kings a second-round pick in 2021.