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Panthers, Jesper Boqvist Agree To Two-Year Extension

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The Panthers announced they’ve agreed to terms with pending RFA center Jesper Boqvist on a two-year extension. He’ll remain in South Florida through the 2026-27 season. The contract is worth $3MM with a $1.5MM cap hit, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports.

The Falun, Sweden native parlayed a one-year prove-it deal in Sunrise to the highest payday of his career. It’s the first time in Boqvist’s career that he’ll earn more than a $925K AAV, and it’s nearly double what he’s making in Florida this season.

He was originally selected with the 36th overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft by the New Jersey Devils. After a few seasons with the SHL’s Brynäs IF, Boqvist transitioned to North American hockey for the 2019-20 season. It wasn’t an easy transition for Boqvist, as he scored four goals in 35 games for the Devils with a -11 rating. Still, his performance was remarkably better in the AHL with the Binghamton Devils, scoring eight goals and 11 points through 19 contests.

After a brief loan to Timrå IK of the HockeyAllsvenskan league, Boqvist returned to North America for the 2020-21 season. He improved mildly from his rookie campaign, scoring four goals and three assists in 28 games for New Jersey, and another two goals and five assists in eight games for the AHL Devils.

The 2021-22 season can effectively be characterized as Boqvist’s breakout season in the NHL. He scored 10 goals on 74 shots through 56 games, making for the fourth-best shooting percentage on the team. Still, it became apparent that Boqvist needed more maturity in the face-off dot, losing 62.7% out of 450 draws.

Since Boqvist hadn’t shown much talent outside of the 2021-22 campaign, the Devils brought him back cheaply on a one-year, $874K contract after his entry-level deal concluded. He produced similarly offensively, scoring 10 goals and 21 points, albeit in 12 more games. He maintained his efficiency shooting the puck, sitting third on the team with a 14.9% shooting percentage.

Unfortunately, New Jersey chose not to tender Boqvist a qualifying offer for the 2023-24 season, leading to a one-year league minimum salary deal with the Boston Bruins. He played much of the year for their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, scoring 10 goals and 23 points in 31 AHL contests.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers had a dearth of bottom-six forwards, thanks to a mass migration of their depth options last summer. Florida quickly signed Boqvist to his second straight league minimum deal on the second day of free agency.

It’s a signing that has worked out well for both parties. Boqvist has returned to a consistent third-line role with the Panthers, scoring 12 goals and 11 assists in 59 games while averaging 13:01 minutes of ice time per game. Meanwhile, his possession metrics have improved thanks to Florida’s system, as he’s averaged a 50.3% CorsiFor% at even strength this season, with an eye-popping 18.8% shooting percentage.

There are no expectations that Boqvist will return to center, given his career 36.9% faceoff percentage in 1,042 faceoffs. Still, he should remain an effective bottom-six winger in the Panthers’ lineup over the life of his new contract.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed to this article. 

Canadiens Sign Jake Evans To Four-Year Extension

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The Canadiens announced they’ve signed center Jake Evans to a four-year extension, taking him off the trade market. It’s worth a total of $11.4MM with a cap hit of $2.85MM. The contract doesn’t include trade protection, according to Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic.

Talks on the deal came to a head over the weekend after a few weeks of silence, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic adds. The 28-year-old “made the call he didn’t want to leave” and will remain in Montreal as the upstart club looks to challenge for their first playoff berth since reaching the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.

Evans, a seventh-round pick by the Habs back in 2014, was on that club. Now in his sixth NHL season, he’s been a bottom-six fixture for Montreal almost instantaneously upon getting his first taste of NHL hockey. Now a reliable producer in the 20-to-30-point range, he’s seen his ice time climb to the 16-minute range per game while seeing increased even-strength minutes and heavy penalty kill deployment, especially since the 2022-23 campaign.

Trade interest in Evans, who was set to be a UFA this summer, spiked after a scorching start to the campaign. He punched far above his weight offensively in the first half of the campaign, notching 10-13–23 in 37 appearances before New Year’s. He’s been far quieter as of late, limited to five points in his last 24 outings, but his winning draws at a career-best 52.8% clip and is still on pace for a career-high 38 points. He likely could have fetched a higher return than the second-rounder, fourth-rounder, and C-tier prospect the Bruins received for physical depth forward Trent Frederic today. He’ll instead opt to continue his career in Montreal on a deal that earns him less per season than his $3.4MM projection from AFP Analytics.

Evans hasn’t been a possession monster for the Habs, posting negative relative Corsi shares at even strength in every year since 2022-23. Those splits come amid heavy defensive zone usage, though, making his career 46.7 CF% and 46.6 xGF% defensible. In fact, his shutdown unit this season with Joel Armia and rookie Emil Heineman has graded out quite well defensively. They’re allowing just 1.79 expected goals against per 60 minutes, seventh-best in the league among lines with more than 150 minutes together, according to MoneyPuck.

The Toronto native thus elects to stick around with Montreal as they exit their rebuild. His play is a significant reason why they’re just one point out of a playoff spot during deadline week and have a 12% chance of leapfrogging at least the Red Wings, Rangers, and Senators for the final wild-card spot, per MoneyPuck. He’ll remain in a Habs sweater through the 2028-29 campaign, after which he’ll be a UFA at age 33.

The Canadiens now have $11.4MM in projected cap space for next season with six open roster spots, although they’ll have significant flexibility with retired goaltender Carey Price’s $10.5MM cap hit eligible for LTIR.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Oilers Acquire Trent Frederic

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The Oilers are acquiring forward Trent Frederic from the Bruins in a trade that will also involve the Devils as a third team, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Winger Max Jones is also headed from Boston to Edmonton in the deal, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports. The Devils announced they’ve acquired the rights to left-wing prospect Shane Lachance from the Oilers and will retain half of Frederic’s salary in the trade after the Bruins’ initial 50% retention, bringing his cap hit for Edmonton down to $575K from $2.3MM. New Jersey also dealt the signing rights to right-winger Petr Hauser to the Oilers to complete their involvement. Edmonton announced the full trade, which reads as follows:

Oilers receive: Frederic, Jones, signing rights to Hauser
Devils receive: Signing rights to Lachance
Bruins receive: D Maximus Wanner, the Blues’ 2025 second-round pick, and the Oilers’ 2026 fourth-round pick.

Frederic is currently week-to-week with a lower-body injury, and Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports there’s a possibility he won’t be cleared to play until the playoffs. In that case, the Oilers could place Frederic at his reduced cap hit on long-term injured reserve to open up additional spending flexibility for further moves ahead of Friday’s deadline.

Boston selected Frederic 29th overall in the 2016 draft, ahead of higher-ceiling forwards Alex DeBrincat and Jordan Kyrou who both went in the second round. After a brief but successful two-year collegiate stint at Wisconsin, the versatile depth piece took a couple of years to simmer in the minors, only emerging as a roster regular for the Bruins in the 2020-21 campaign.

Frederic spent a pair of seasons as a fourth-line fixture without much offensive pop, but the physical 6’3″ forward popped big time in Boston’s historic 65-win season in 2022-23. Skating primarily on the wing, he recorded 17-14–31 in 79 games despite averaging under 12 minutes per night, also finishing second among Bruins forwards with 105 hits.

In addition to spending more time down the middle, Frederic amped up his production last season. The Missouri native recorded a career-high 18-22–40 scoring line in 82 games, adding 204 hits while seeing a slight bump in his special teams deployment. But despite skating a career-high 13:55 per game in 2024-25, he hasn’t been able to keep up his scoring. Snakebit like the majority of his Boston teammates, Frederic has just 8-7–15 in 57 games with a career-worst -14 rating. His shooting percentage has regressed to 10.5% after hovering north of the 14% mark the prior two years.

While the drop in point totals is concerning, he’s established his floor as a high-end fourth-line piece with middle-six upside and will likely see an uptick in production depending on how he’s deployed amid a far more talented offensive group in Edmonton. His struggles this season, his expiring contract, and Boston’s slide down the standings made it almost a guarantee he’d be moved at the deadline. The 27-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent for the first time this summer after finishing out the year with the Oilers.

Frederic has posted similar offensive numbers to the Oilers’ current pair of third-line wingers in Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark, so it’s unclear if he’ll unseat either for a top-nine role. While faceoffs aren’t his strong suit (a career average of 44.4%), his experience playing down the middle also addresses an immediate need for an Edmonton squad without a legitimate fourth-line center. He could slot in there once he’s ready to return, relieving natural wingers like Kasperi Kapanen who have had to step into the role lately.

They also pick up Jones, who amounts to a failed offseason pickup for Boston. He managed only seven appearances for the Bs after signing a two-year, $2MM deal last offseason, going without a point and averaging 10:01 per game. Selected a few spots ahead of Frederic by the Ducks in the 2016 draft, Jones will remain on his minor-league assignment after clearing waivers in November but now reports to the Oilers’ affiliate in Bakersfield. His $1MM cap hit is completely buriable in the minors and thus carries no cap impact for Edmonton. Before the move, he posted 13-8–21 with a plus-one rating in 38 games for the P-Bruins.

Rounding out Edmonton’s haul in the deal is Hauser, who New Jersey selected in the fifth round in 2022. The 21-year-old is amid a tumultuous campaign in his native Czechia, playing for three different squads across the top-level and second-tier professional leagues. He has 1-10–11 in 63 Czech Extraliga games dating back to his top-level debut in the 2022-23 season. While he has great size at 6’4″ and 207 lbs, he wasn’t considered a meaningful prospect in the Devils organization by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic in his January ranking. He’s a low-ceiling, low-floor option whose signing rights will expire in June 2026.

The Oilers give up a decently intriguing prospect in Lachance for the Devils’ additional salary retention. The son of ex-NHLer and Devils head scout Scott Lachance was the No. 6 prospect in an already-thin Edmonton system, per Wheeler. The 6’5″ winger has suited up for Boston University the past two seasons after Edmonton selected him in the sixth round in 2021, posting 23-29–52 in 72 games while also serving as captain this season. New Jersey will hold his signing rights until the Aug. 15 following his final collegiate season.

In what’s been a strong rental market, Boston landing what’s slated to be a mid-tier second-round pick is some decent work by general manager Don Sweeney. Edmonton previously acquired the second-rounder from St. Louis as compensation for signing defenseman Philip Broberg to an offer sheet last August. The Bruins didn’t have a second-rounder in this year’s draft before the trade – they traded theirs to the Capitals in the 2023 Dmitry Orlov three-team deal.

Wanner was also one of the Oilers’ more notable prospects, checking in at No. 10 in Wheeler’s rankings. The 6’3″ righty isn’t a legitimate needle-mover for a Bruins pool that lacks high-end talent, though. Now 21, he was a seventh-round pick in the 2021 draft and projects as a likely No. 7/8 option on an NHL depth chart at his peak. He’s been limited to just two points in 22 games with Bakersfield this year after posting 7-10–17 in 68 games with a +13 rating in his first pro season last year. He’ll now report to Providence.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Avalanche, Adam Scheel Agree To Two-Way Deal

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The Avalanche are in agreement with goaltender Adam Scheel on a two-way deal for the remainder of the season, per PuckPedia. It carries the prorated league minimum of $775K as NHL salary and a $115K AHL salary. He’s waiver-exempt and was reassigned directly to AHL Colorado.

Scheel, 25, was on the Stars’ roster briefly in the 2021-22 campaign but hasn’t appeared in an NHL game. Dallas signed him as an undrafted free agent out of North Dakota in 2021, and he split time evenly between their AHL and ECHL affiliates before they non-tendered him in the 2023 offseason. Scheel has since played in the minors on AHL contracts since, spending last year as the starter for the then-independent Chicago Wolves. He recorded a promising .907 SV% in 42 games behind one of the league’s worst teams after spending nearly all of 2022-23 with the Stars’ ECHL affiliate in Idaho, but his performance didn’t yield any NHL interest.

He settled for an AHL contract again for 2024-25, this time with the Avalanche’s top minor-league affiliate. Much like his time in Dallas, he’s split time evenly between AHL Colorado and ECHL Utah this season. Unlike in past years, though, his AHL numbers are more impressive than his ECHL ones. Now part of a three-goalie rotation in the AHL for the Avs with Kevin Mandolese and Trent Miner, he has a 2.61 GAA, .911 SV%, and an 8-1-2 record in 11 outings with a pair of shutouts. He’s nothing more than another injury insurance/recall option for the Avs down the stretch, adding to the inexperienced aforementioned duo of Mandolese and Miner. He’s slated for Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer.

Blackhawks Trying To Move Petr Mrázek

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The Blackhawks will aggressively try to find a new home for goaltender Petr Mrázek this week, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. It’ll be difficult given a limited goalie market this season, but it’s no surprise they want to clear the veteran from their books after acquiring 2019 first-rounder Spencer Knight in last weekend’s blockbuster deal with the Panthers.

Mrázek was scratched for Knight’s stellar Chicago debut last night, with 25-year-old Arvid Söderblom serving as the backup instead. For the season as a whole, Mrázek has an underwhelming 3.46 GAA over 33 games, with a .890 SV% and similarly below-average numbers across the board – with the glaring exception of his .788 high-danger SV% that ranks 21st out of 55 qualified goalies, per MoneyPuck.

His dip from last season’s admirable showing in a career-high 56 appearances behind a lottery-bound Blackhawks defense only adds more fuel to Mrázek’s reputation as an inconsistent fringe starter option. Add in the fact he signed through next season at a $4.25MM cap hit and Chicago doesn’t have any open salary retention spots until the summer, and it’s clear they’ll likely need to wait to clear up their goalie logjam until after July 1 despite their best efforts to do so now.

There’s always the option to incorporate a third team into trade talks to retain the salary that the Blackhawks can’t. Still, with how quiet the goalie market is, it’s doubtful that interested parties would be willing to go through the trouble of such a complicated transaction with more significant needs to address. Only two starter/tandem options had been moved this season before Knight, and it was Mackenzie Blackwood heading from San Jose to Colorado with Alexandar Georgiev coming the other way. Anaheim’s John Gibson is Mrázek’s only other company on The Athletic’s latest trade board, and the only contenders needing netminding help (i.e. the Oilers) can’t afford either without damaging their ability to add elsewhere.

Bruins’ Brad Marchand Out Week-To-Week

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Bruins head coach Joe Sacco announced that left-winger Brad Marchand is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury (via Joe Haggerty of the Boston Sports Journal). The captain missed Sunday’s loss to the Wild after exiting the prior day’s game against the Penguins in the first period following a massive hit from defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph. He has not been placed on injured reserve but could be ahead of Thursday’s road game against the Hurricanes to allow Boston to carry an extra forward.

The aging star has been remarkably durable over the past few seasons, only missing a handful of games since offseason hip surgery ate into the beginning of his 2022-23 campaign. He’d also been on a hot streak entering the game against Pittsburgh, totaling 4-6–10 in his last 10 games. The injury designation comes just three days ahead of the trade deadline, but while Marchand is on an expiring contract, he doesn’t want to be moved and isn’t among the expanding group of players Boston is listening to trade offers for, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports.

Of course, his injury also limited Boston’s minimal likelihood of gaining ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They’ve gone 1-2-2 coming out of the 4 Nations break, and while they only sit two points back of the Red Wings for the second wild card spot, there’s three teams between them and Detroit. They’ve also played more games than the teams they’re chasing. As such, their playoff odds have dropped to 9.4%, per MoneyPuck.

Overall, this season has evidenced the 36-year-old’s slow but noticeable decline. With 21-26–47 in 61 games, he’s on pace for his lowest offensive output since the 2014-15 season. The team’s overall struggles to generate scoring chances this year also mean Marchand is on track to post a minus rating for the first time since his initial 20-game trial in Boston in 2009-10. Still, he’s been the best forward Boston has to offer outside of star David Pastrňák, still significantly outpacing their other top-six names like Charlie Coyle, Elias Lindholm, and Pavel Zacha.

With Marchand and Trent Frederic both on the shelf at the moment and the latter expected to be moved before Friday’s deadline, recent call-up Georgii Merkulov will get the opportunity to fill their top-six hole. The 24-year-old has just one assist in nine career NHL games but is tied for second on AHL Providence in scoring with 44 points in 47 games.

Blue Jackets Activate Yegor Chinakhov

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10:21 a.m.: The corresponding move for Chinakhov’s activation is an IR placement for Cole Sillinger, the team announced. General manager Don Waddell said late last week that the center is week-to-week with a shoulder injury.

9:58 a.m.: Columbus Blue Jackets winger Yegor Chinakhov is back to full health and set to be activated off of long-term injured reserve, head coach Dean Evason confirmed to NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda. Chinakhov has missed Columbus’ last 39 games with a back injury. It is believed to be the same injury that held Chinakhov out of 17 games at the end of last season and caused him discomfort during the team’s training camp. Chinakhov has since seen at least six different doctors about the injury, including one in Russia, and underwent a minor arthroscopic procedure per Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. Now with 22 games left on the schedule, Chinakhov will get his shot to shed the nagging injury.

Chinakhov, 24, had a hot start to the season before he had to step aside. He scored 14 points, split evenly, through the first 21 games of the year and earned his way into hardy top-six minutes. That put him on pace for 55 points across a full 82 games, which would have shattered the career-high 29 points he scored in 53 games last year. He broke into the NHL very young and showed signs of serious growing pains before he found his footing in Columbus’ lineup. But Chinakhov is there now, posting improved scoring in each of the last three seasons despite dealing with this nagging back injury in the latter two. Columbus has posted an outstanding 4-0 record and 21-to-10 goal differential since returning from the 4-Nations Face-Off break. That standing should let them ease Chinakhov back into his roster spot while they continue their pursuit of a playoff bid.

The Blue Jackets will need to make a roster move to open space for Chinakhov’s return. That move will likely be sending forward Mikael Pyyhtia back to the minor leagues, with Svoboda confirming he’ll be out of the lineup on Tuesday night. Columbus used an emergency recall on Pyyhtia on February 28th, after assigning him to the minors earlier in the month. He played in 12 minutes of Columbus’ Saturday night win over Detroit, but didn’t manage any scoring. Pyyhtia has recorded seven points in 47 NHL games and six points in 10 AHL games on the season.

Trade Deadline Notes: Nelson, Boeser, Panthers

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The Trade Deadline has appeared over the horizon and teams like the Colorado Avalanche are already doing what they can to get out ahead of the pack. They acquired forward Jimmy Vesey and defenseman Ryan Lindgren from the New York Rangers this weekend, and could still be attached to some of the market’s top names. That includes New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson per The Fourth Period, who adds Nelson could be the cheap acquisition Colorado needs to bolster their top-six.

Nelson, 33, is in the sunset years of his career but he’s still managing to produce. He has 19 goals and 41 points in 60 games this season, just one point behind Anders Lee and Bo Horvat for the team-lead in scoring. Nelson also earned a nod from USA Hockey by making this year’s 4-Nations Face-Off roster, where he played in four games but didn’t manage any scoring.

Nelson scored 36 goals and a career-high 75 points in 2022-23, and followed it with 34 goals and 69 points last season. He may be beginning to slow down but his offense could be spurred once again with a move away from the Isalnders – the only NHL team Nelson has ever played for. Because of that exclusivity, New York will certainly need a convincing offer to part ways with one of their top scorers. Nelson also has a 16-team no-trade clause on his contract, which is set to expire this summer. That could help him dictate where he ends up – though the 2022 Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche would certainly be a fine landing spot as the vet chases his first Cup win.

Other notes swirling around the Trade Deadline:

  • Recent reports have pointed towards an impasse forming between the Vancouver Canucks and Brock Boeser after the winger declined a five-year, $40MM contract extension. Now it seems the wedge could be driven in further, with TSN’s Darren Dreger sharing that the extension offer has been rescinded and that the team is exploring all options. Boeser is struggling to follow-up after scoring a career-high 40 goals last season – but he’s still performing at a higher level than in his early career. He has 18 goals and 36 points in 53 games this season, putting him on pace for 28 goals and 56 points on the year. That’s helped along by Boeser’s 17.3 shoting percentage this season – a step down from his 19.6 percent last year but still far above his career average of 14 percent. A high shooting percentage could be inflating Boeser’s numbers, or he could have finally found the goal-scoring groove he was looking for. With offers no longer on the table, it seems that answer will be found by a deadline buyer in need of shooting talent. Boeser has a modified no-trade clause that allows him to exempt 10 teams. His deal expires this summer.
  • The Florida Panthers helped break the market open with their swap of top goalie prospect Spencer Knight for top defenseman Seth Jones. That move pushed Florida right up against the wall of the salary cap – but they’ve opened up more breathing room by placing star Matthew Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve. Florida is now projected to have $8.71MM in cap space on deadline day, per PuckPedia, and they’re expected to use it. Chris Johnston of The Athletic shared that Panthers general manager Bill Zito has proven ambitious in years past, and could see a chance to bolster his lineup a bit further. The Panthers have made the Stanley Cup Finals in each of the last two seasons, and took away hardware last year. They’ll have their sights fully trained on repeating the feat this year – and a boost to their depth offense or a new backup goaltender would go far towards solidifying their chances.

Panthers Hope To Get Matthew Tkachuk Back For The Playoffs

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The Florida Panthers are hopeful that they will get star forward Matthew Tkachuk back into the lineup for the playoffs (as per George Richards of NHL.com). Panthers’ general manager spoke Monday saying that Tkachuk would be out for “an extended period of time” but didn’t mention any concrete dates for a potential return to action.

The 27-year-old suffered a lower-body injury during the 4 Nations Face-Off and missed the United States’ third round robin game against Sweden and skated for just 6:47 in the final against Canada. Tkachuk has not skated since the end of that tournament.

The Panthers placed Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve yesterday and can bank that cap space under the salary cap, which could open the door for more moves even though Florida just picked up defenseman Seth Jones over the weekend. The Panthers will likely be busy this week as they look to add to their lineup in hopes of defending their Stanley Cup title. Cap space is unlikely to be an issue for Florida to make moves at the deadline, however, finding assets to trade could be a problem. The Panthers do not have a single draft pick in the first three rounds of this year’s NHL Entry Draft and have just a second-round pick in the first three rounds of next year’s draft. Their prospect situation is even more dire as the Panthers were recently ranked dead last in the NHL in prospect pool rankings by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic.

It’s hard to imagine the team going deep without Tkachuk, who has been their heart and soul since coming over from Calgary in July 2022. Tkachuk has posted 22 goals and 35 assists in 52 games this season and has helped lead the Panthers to a 37-21-3 record which is good enough for second in the Atlantic Division. Tkachuk has been instrumental in getting Florida to the Stanley Cup Finals in back-to-back seasons, posting 17 goals and 29 assists in 44 playoff games since joining the Panthers.

Latest On The Pittsburgh Penguins

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The Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t expected to have a fire sale prior to the NHL Trade Deadline but they could be one of the busier teams this week according to Josh Yohe of The Athletic. Yohe projects that the Penguins will try and get their bigger moves done mid-week because they will be in Las Vegas on Friday and will have a difficult time getting players to the West Coast if they make moves right at the Deadline.

Yohe believes that Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas and his management team may have altered their plans due to the market shifting and becoming much more of a seller’s market. There are only six teams that are truly in sell mode, and this has led to first round picks being moved routinely in recent weeks. The Penguins have already acquired one in the swap with Vancouver for Marcus Pettersson and could be looking to land another for Rickard Rakell.

Dubas has been stockpiling young assets since last year’s Trade Deadline and is expected to move out more veterans in favor of futures. Most of the roster appears to be in play except for Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, and likely Kris Letang.

Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, and forwards Anthony Beauvillier and Noel Acciari are available and Yohe speculates that at least one of them will be moved. Grzelcyk and Beauvillier are UFAs this summer and are unlikely to remain in Pittsburgh long term, so moving them makes sense even though the return will be minimal. Acciari seems the least likely to go as he has another year on his deal at $2MM and Dubas has always had an affinity for the 33-year-old.

Then there is the Erik Karlsson $10MM question. Yohe guesses that a summer deal is more likely for the three-time Norris Trophy winner as no trade talks have happened yet and he hasn’t been asked to waive his no-trade clause. Penguins’ management reportedly believes that Karlsson would be willing to go to other teams, but the list of potential destinations isn’t long.

Several Western Conference teams have expressed interest in forward Rakell, but the Penguins don’t feel any pressure to move him. That being said, given that few teams are selling the Penguins might get an offer in the final few days that is too hard to refuse.

Regardless of what the Penguins do, it’s hard to imagine that they make any moves in net, the team reportedly would like to keep Alex Nedeljkovic around to mentor their younger goaltenders, and Tristan Jarry is unmovable at this point, other than perhaps swapping him for another overpriced player who is underperforming.

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