PTO’s And Max Deals

from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe, Similar to the Bruins, the Oilers have questions at center, leading to their decision Monday to extend professional tryout (PTO) invites to veterans Sam Gagner and Brandon Sutter, a couple of right-shot pivots with Alberta connections. If Gagner survives the cut, it will be his third tour with the Oilers. He was drafted No. 6 overall by Edmonton in 2007 and made the varsity right out of OHL London, where he centered a supercharged trio with Patrick Kane and Sergei Kostitsyn on his wings (combined 394 points). Sutter is the son of ex-Islanders standout Brent Sutter and was selected No. 11 by Carolina in the same draft. He’s bigger (6 feet 3 inches, 190 pounds) than Gagner (5-11, 200), but Gagner has proven more nimble, productive, and durable over his career (1,015 games and 519 points).... - The deal Auston Matthews recently signed in Toronto, a four-year extension with a $13.25 million cap hit, should make him the highest-paid NHLer when the deal begins in October 2024. It represents a 13.8 percent bump over his expiring pact at $11.64 million. Worth remembering: No NHLer yet has signed a max contract, defined in the cap era as the equivalent of 20 percent of a team’s maximum payroll in year No. 1 of the pact. That figure would be $17 million if the cap for 2024-25 is set at $85 million. If so, Matthews at $13.25 million will be a 22.1 percent discount from that $17 million max. Connor McDavid, the game’s No. 1 force, has a cap hit of $12.5 million for the next three seasons. Upon expiration of the deal, he will be 29 and possibly poised to become the NHL’s first max player.... more on each of the above plus additional hockey topics...