There is an interesting development regarding the 2020–21 salary cap. Because players and agents were trying to avoid putting too much salary into what could have been a lockout/strike season, there is less cash scheduled to be paid out next year. There are some big contracts on the way (Torey Krug, Alex Pietrangelo, etc.), but the overall amount of cash is still going to be lower. That’s good news for escrow haters, because (very early) predictions from both the NHL and NHLPA indicate that number will be very low. It’s too early to know for sure, but that opens the possibility the players add some breathing room by using more of their “inflator” on the cap. They can raise it up to five per cent, but have been going considerably lower the last couple of seasons. Cap-strapped clubs would love that news.

It’s been a difficult time for Jacob Markstrom, who missed Tuesday’s game against Ottawa to attend his father’s service. Through that, he has continued to play at a high level. He’s an unrestricted free agent, and contract talks are expected to begin in the next little while. As big as term and dollars always are, the Seattle expansion draft looms large over this, too.

Right now, Canada’s western-most team looks ahead of schedule. They have an elite offence, a top 10 defence, and their goalies have both been rock solid. Sure, they may not win the Western Conference this season, but they sure seem to be exiting a rebuild quickly.

Now, the most important contract Vancouver is going to have to deal with is Elias Pettersson’s in 2021 — and he seems to be in line to go over an $11 million AAV. Anything that puts that at risk cannot be considered. Beyond that, the Canucks have some inflated contracts on the books given to complementary pieces that could ultimately scuttle any dream of attempting to woo Hall.

Loui Eriksson is making $6 million through 2022. Tanner Pearson, Sven Baertschi, Micheal Ferland and Jay Beagle come in at over $13 million combined. Some, or all, of those would have to be shed to have any hope at snagging a fish this big from the UFA market.

But, especially if the Canucks make the playoffs this season, they’ll have to be feeling very confident that someone like Hall could really ignite this thing.