While activity around the NHL has largely slowed down with the offseason in full swing, there was still some notable news across the league. Here’s a rundown of the top stories from the past seven days.
Sprong To Vancouver: With Joe Pavelski making his previously-reported retirement official, Daniel Sprong was the highest-scoring free agent remaining after a whirlwind first few days of free agency. It took a while but an agreement finally came together as he signed a one-year, $975K contract with the Canucks. The 27-year-old recorded his second straight season of 40-plus points in 2023-24, picking up 18 goals and 25 assists in 43 games with Detroit but wound up having to settle for less than half of his previous $2MM contract. Sprong will likely be used in a familiar role with Vancouver, one that sees him playing in their bottom six as he should slot in behind Brock Boeser and Conor Garland on the right side.
Done For The Year Already? The Blues could be without veteran defenseman Torey Krug for the entire 2024-25 season. The team announced that they detected pre-arthritic conditions in his left ankle stemming from a fractured ankle earlier in his career. The 33-year-old will spend the next couple of months undergoing physical therapy that will focus on pain relief, strengthening, and range-of-motion exercises to see if the joints in his ankle can stabilize enough to return to the ice. Krug had 39 points in 77 games for St. Louis last season and has three years remaining on his contract with a $6.5MM AAV.
Five For Byfield: Instead of working out a long-term agreement or a bridge contract, the Kings and forward Quinton Byfield split the difference; the two sides worked out a five-year, $31.25MM contract. The deal contains a 10-team no-trade clause in 2028-29, the only year he was eligible for one. The 21-year-old had a breakout effort last season, recording 20 goals and 35 assists in 80 games while becoming a full-time top-six forward. With the signing, Los Angeles gains one extra year of club control on Byfield who will be UFA-eligible when the contract expires in 2029 and if he picks up from where he left off, this could be a team-friendly pact fairly quickly.
Kuznetsov Leaves Carolina: The Hurricanes now have one less forward on their roster after center Evgeny Kuznetsov requested to terminate the final year of his contract. He subsequently cleared unconditional waivers and was released. Kuznetsov was limited to just 24 points between Washington and Carolina last season while also spending time in the Player Assistance Program. He walks away from what would have been a $6MM base salary and it’s widely expected he’ll sign in the KHL. Carolina, meanwhile, did keep a different forward around as they reached a two-year, $3.45MM agreement with forward Jack Drury, avoiding salary arbitration.
Trouba Staying Put: After plenty of trade speculation around the draft, it appears that defenseman Jacob Trouba will be staying with the Rangers after all. Following a report of a possible trade to Detroit, Arthur Staple of The Athletic relayed that the deal wasn’t as close as suggested and that GM Chris Drury has reached out to Trouba to do some fence-mending following the speculation. Trouba has made it known that he does not want to leave New York but his no-movement clause shifted to a 15-team no-trade clause on July 1st. He has two years left on his contract with an $8MM cap charge.
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