Edmonton’s Conor McDavid contract chatter dominates the early season as a cap surge looms, with the panel signaling a short‑term deal likely well under max payrolls and clarity arriving in the next 48 hours. The discussion centers on how the Oilers balance a marquee extension with Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins, Nurse and Hyman to stay competitive as the cap expands.

In Montreal, Lane Hudson’s contract talks and RCA tax considerations color Caufield and Suzuki’s horizon. Goalie depth across the league—Sorokin, Vasilevskiy, Gustafsson, Wolf, Ingram, Markström—frames decisions for the West, where Anaheim and Calgary figure as intriguing sleepers as preseason fades into opening night.

Ottawa carries playoff momentum into the season, leaning on Stutzle, Sanderson, and Brady Tkachuk as core drivers while Jordan Spence enhances a thinner back end and arena talks gain slow traction at Labretton Flats. Florida faces a Kachuk timeline setback but keeps its core intact, adding Luke Cunnan and juggling cap constraints to stay in the race. Boston’s shift to a Sturm-led, defense-first approach raises questions about scoring depth and goalie workload in a crowded Atlantic.

Five through six is a real-estate grab in this Monday mock draft, with Cale Makar and Kirill Kaprizov pegged as the obvious core pieces to anchor a title-run. The convo leans into a heavy-forward build, wary of spending early picks on goalies, and leans on elite peripherals from players like Pastrnak, McDavid, and MacKinnon to fuel counting stats. The boys dissect positional balance, the zero-goalie approach, and late-round value plays like Wyatt Johnston, Tage Thompson, and Noah Dobson, crafting a blueprint for a competitive lineup even before preseason has begun. The banter stays sharp on risk: rising stars, injury considerations, and the inevitable snipe picks that shift rosters in a flash.