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Archives for April 2025

NHL Arbitration-Eligible Free Agents For 2025

April 24, 2025 at 12:12 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 3 Comments

Having already created a space to track this offseason’s pool of notable free agents at large, we’re turning our attention today to the restricted free agent class – more specifically, those who have accrued enough professional experience to be eligible for salary arbitration if they don’t reach extensions before July 1.

A player’s age determines arbitration eligibility as of September 15 of the calendar year in which they sign their entry-level contract. For those who sign between the ages of 18 and 20, they must have completed at least four seasons with at least 10 NHL games played. For players signing their first deal at 21, it’s three seasons with at least 10 games in any professional league (including AHL, ECHL, Europe, etc.). The years of experience requirement drops to two for players who signed at 22 or 23, and it drops to one for anyone who signed their first NHL contract at age 24 or older.

When a player is arbitration-eligible, both the player and the team can elect to have a hearing if they enter the 2025-26 league year without a new agreement. The first step in this process is, of course, extending a qualifying offer to the player before the June 30 deadline. Assuming the player opts not to accept their qualifying offer or sign an offer sheet, they can elect for an arbitration hearing by July 5. Doing so makes them ineligible for an offer sheet for the remainder of the offseason.

There are two windows for team-elected arbitration, and a team can only file for a hearing with two players each year. The first window ends on the later of June 15 or 48 hours after the Stanley Cup Final ends. Players who are bound to arbitration hearings by team elections in this window can still agree to offer sheets before July 5 and negate the team-elected arbitration hearing. Teams have a second window to elect arbitration for 24 hours after the player election window closes. Players can’t receive more than one team-elected arbitration hearing in their career, regardless of whether the case made it to a hearing.

There are plenty more nitty-gritty details to delve into regarding the specifics of arbitration rulings, but that information becomes more pertinent when we know which players will be subject to hearings this summer. It’s worth noting the number of players filing for arbitration has steadily declined over the past few seasons – only 14 opted to do so last summer after 20-plus did so in 2022 and 2023.

The list of arbitration-eligible RFAs for 2025 is listed below. This list, which can be found anytime under the “Pro Hockey Rumors Features” menu on the right sidebar on our desktop site or under the Flame icon on our mobile menu, will be updated later this offseason to note whether the player will be subject to arbitration this summer or not.

Each player’s minimum arbitration award (the lowest a team can file for based on the terms of the player’s previous contract) is noted in parentheses, although the actual cap hit of their next deal will almost certainly be higher if a qualifying offer is tendered.


Anaheim Ducks

  • Isac Lundeström ($1.5MM)
  • Brett Leason ($1.05MM)
  • Drew Helleson ($925K)
  • Josh Lopina ($925K)
  • Nikita Nesterenko ($874K)
  • Lukáš Dostál ($850K)
  • Judd Caulfield ($838K)

Boston Bruins

  • Morgan Geekie ($2MM)
  • Oliver Wahlstrom ($1MM)
  • John Farinacci ($950K)
  • John Beecher ($925K)
  • Marat Khusnutdinov ($925K)
  • Mason Lohrei ($925K)
  • Georgii Merkulov ($925K)
  • Jaxon Nelson ($870K)
  • Drew Bavaro ($868K)
  • Trevor Kuntar ($868K)
  • Daniil Misyul ($868K)
  • Jakub Lauko ($800K)
  • Ian Mitchell ($775K)

Buffalo Sabres

  • Bowen Byram ($3.93MM)
  • Ryan McLeod ($2.1MM)
  • Ryan Johnson ($925K)
  • Erik Brännström ($900K)
  • Bennett MacArthur ($868K)
  • Jacob Bernard-Docker ($825K)

Calgary Flames

  • Morgan Frost ($2.04MM)
  • Kevin Bahl ($1.2MM)
  • Waltteri Ignatjew ($870K)
  • Sam Morton ($870K)
  • Adam Klapka ($775K)
  • Yan Kuznetsov ($775K)
  • Connor Murphy ($775K)

Carolina Hurricanes

  • Domenick Fensore ($925K)
  • Anttoni Honka ($835K)
  • Yaniv Perets ($805K)
  • Skyler Brind’Amour ($775K)
  • Ty Smith ($775K)
  • Ryan Suzuki ($775K)

Chicago Blackhawks

  • Philipp Kurashev ($2.25MM)
  • Arvid Söderblom ($1MM)
  • Aku Raty ($925K)
  • Antti Saarela ($925K)
  • Louis Crevier ($775K)

Colorado Avalanche

  • Matthew Stienburg ($928K)
  • Sam Malinski ($850K)
  • John Ludvig ($775K)
  • Kevin Mandolese ($775K)
  • Trent Miner ($775K)
  • Jason Polin ($775K)

Columbus Blue Jackets

  • Jordan Harris ($1.4MM)
  • Daniil Tarasov ($1.35MM)
  • Hunter McKown ($950K)
  • Dmitri Voronkov ($925K)
  • Cole Clayton ($810K)

Dallas Stars

  • Nils Lundkvist ($1.25MM)
  • Benjamin Kraws ($850K)

Detroit Red Wings

  • Elmer Söderblom ($925K)
  • Antti Tuomisto ($868K)
  • Jonatan Berggren ($825K)
  • Albert Johansson ($775K)

Edmonton Oilers

  • Evan Bouchard ($3.66MM)
  • Cameron Wright ($952K)
  • Noah Philp ($775K)
  • Alec Regula ($775K)
  • Olivier Rodrigue ($775K)

Florida Panthers

  • Oliver Okuliar ($870K)
  • Wilmer Skoog ($870K)
  • Nathan Staios ($859K)
  • Zachary Uens ($859K)
  • Tobias Björnfot ($775K)
  • MacKenzie Entwistle ($775K)

Los Angeles Kings

  • Cole Krygier ($838K)
  • Jack Studnicka ($775K)

Minnesota Wild

  • Declan Chisholm ($1MM)
  • Luke Toporowski ($870K)
  • Graeme Clarke ($800K)
  • Adam Raška ($775K)

Montreal Canadiens

  • Cayden Primeau ($1.1MM)
  • Rafaël Harvey-Pinard ($1MM)
  • Jakub Dobes ($925K)
  • Jayden Struble ($868K)
  • Xavier Simoneau ($855K)
  • Noel Hoefenmayer ($775K)
  • Gustav Lindström ($775K)

Nashville Predators

  • Ondrej Pavel ($870K)
  • Jesse Ylönen ($775K)

New Jersey Devils

  • Cody Glass ($2.13MM)
  • Isaac Poulter ($830K)
  • Nolan Foote ($825K)
  • Santeri Hatakka ($775K)
  • Nathan Legare ($775K)

New York Islanders

  • Noah Dobson ($3.4MM)
  • Alexander Romanov ($2.13MM)
  • Scott Perunovich ($1.15MM)
  • Maxim Tsyplakov ($950K)
  • Travis Mitchell ($895K)
  • Aidan Fulp ($870K)
  • Simon Holmström ($850K)
  • Samuel Bolduc ($800K)
  • Adam Beckman ($775K)
  • Adam Boqvist ($775K)
  • Liam Foudy ($775K)
  • Marc Gatcomb ($775K)

New York Rangers

  • K’Andre Miller ($3.95MM)
  • Lucas Edmonds ($870K)
  • Adam Edstrom ($855K)
  • Zachary Jones ($825K)
  • Arthur Kaliyev ($825K)
  • Juuso Pärssinen ($775K)
  • Matthew Robertson ($775K)

Ottawa Senators

  • Fabian Zetterlund ($1.5MM)
  • Max Guenette ($775K)
  • Jan Jeník ($775K)
  • Nikolas Matinpalo ($775K)
  • Jamieson Rees ($775K)

Philadelphia Flyers

  • Noah Cates ($2.23MM)
  • Cameron York ($1.6MM)
  • Oscar Eklind ($950K)
  • Jakob Pelletier ($800K)

Pittsburgh Penguins

  • Connor Dewar ($1.18MM)
  • Conor Timmins ($1.1MM)
  • Pierre-Olivier Joseph ($950K)
  • Taylor Gauthier ($868K)
  • Philip Tomasino ($825K)
  • Emil Bemström ($775K)

San Jose Sharks

  • Klim Kostin ($2.2MM)
  • Carl Berglund ($950K)
  • Georgi Romanov ($950K)
  • Thomas Bordeleau ($874K)
  • Nikolai Kovalenko ($868K)
  • Noah Gregor ($850K)
  • Brandon Coe ($814K)
  • Gabriel Carriere ($805K)

Seattle Kraken

  • Kaapo Kakko ($2.04MM)
  • Tye Kartye ($868K)
  • Cale Fleury ($800K)
  • Ben Meyers ($775K)

St. Louis Blues

  • Anton Malmström ($950K)
  • Vadim Zherenko ($855K)
  • Nikita Alexandrov ($775K)
  • Joel Hofer ($775K)
  • Hunter Skinner ($775K)

Tampa Bay Lightning

  • Maxwell Crozier ($868K)
  • Jaydon Dureau ($850K)
  • Gage Goncalves ($775K)

Toronto Maple Leafs

  • Nicholas Robertson ($875K)
  • Dennis Hildeby ($855K)
  • Mikko Kokkonen ($855K)
  • Pontus Holmberg ($825K)
  • Reese Johnson ($775K)
  • Cédric Paré ($775K)

Utah Hockey Club

  • Jack McBain ($1.6MM)
  • Montana Onyebuchi ($825K)
  • Ben McCartney ($775K)
  • Kailer Yamamoto ($775K)

Vancouver Canucks

  • Nikita Tolopilo ($950K)
  • Christian Felton ($870K)
  • Tristen Nielsen ($870K)
  • Max Sasson ($870K)
  • Ty Glover ($868K)
  • Arshdeep Bains ($825K)
  • Cole McWard ($775K)
  • Jett Woo ($775K)

Vegas Golden Knights

  • Nicolas Hague ($2.3MM)
  • Cole Schwindt ($800K)
  • Raphael Lavoie ($775K)

Washington Capitals

  • Alexander Alexeyev ($875K)
  • Pierrick Dube ($870K)
  • Henrik Rybinski ($868K)
  • Mitchell Gibson ($775K)

Winnipeg Jets

  • Gabriel Vilardi ($3.06MM)
  • Dylan Samberg ($1.5MM)
  • Morgan Barron ($1.4MM)
  • Rasmus Kupari ($1.1MM)
  • Parker Ford ($868K)
  • Simon Lundmark ($775K)
  • Isaak Phillips ($775K)
  • Mason Shaw ($775K)

Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images (Byram) and Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images (Dobson).

Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

3 comments

Penguins Prospect Tanner Howe Undergoes ACL Reconstruction Surgery

April 24, 2025 at 11:47 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 2 Comments

2024 second-rounder Tanner Howe’s development will be on hold for quite a while. The Penguins forward prospect underwent ACL reconstruction surgery on his right knee yesterday and will need nine months of recovery time, the team announced.

It’s a terrible blow for Howe, whom Pittsburgh selected with the No. 46 overall pick in last year’s draft. A longtime linemate of Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard when the two were paired together with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League, Howe naturally has a strong scoring track record in major junior play. He’s held his own without Bedard, though, finishing his post-draft season with 18-28–46 in 47 games with Regina and the Calgary Hitmen.

Howe missed a chunk of the Hitmen’s postseason run due to his knee injury but still managed to post 2-7–9 in six games to end the year. Since he turns 20 in November, he was looking to make the jump to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the fall and make his professional debut. That’ll need to get put on hold while Howe misses training camp and at least the first half of 2025-26 recuperating from a serious procedure.

The hope is that by missing precious development time now, Howe isn’t jeopardizing his career by exacerbating his injury. Nonetheless, the high-energy 5’11”, 183-lb winger makes speed a crucial part of his game, making such a significant knee injury this early in his career cause for concern.

Howe ranked as the No. 6 prospect in Pittsburgh’s system when Scott Wheeler of The Athletic did his midseason rankings, placing second among left-wingers behind No. 1 Rutger McGroarty. He’s got a foreseeable path toward being a middle-six fixture for the Pens down the road if he can properly heal from this surgery.

Pittsburgh Penguins Tanner Howe

2 comments

Flyers’ Rasmus Ristolainen Out Six Months Following Triceps Surgery

April 24, 2025 at 10:22 am CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

Rasmus Ristolainen underwent successful surgery on his right triceps tendon last month, the team confirmed today, following a statement from GM Daniel Brière last weekend. The procedure carries a minimum six-month recovery time, so Ristolainen will miss at least the first few weeks of the 2025-26 season.

The 6’4″ right-shot defenseman missed the last two-plus months of the 2023-24 campaign with the same injury and had surgery to address it in early March, so he got more of a head start last summer. He was healthy out of the gate in 2024-25 and even churned out the best defensive results of his 12-year career, averaging north of 20 minutes per game for the first time in three years while recording a 4-15–19 scoring line in 63 games with a plus-three rating.

The Flyers attempted to move the 30-year-old Ristolainen at the trade deadline to capitalize on his strong season, but there weren’t any takers after setting a first-round pick as their asking price. They will now hope he can replicate his strong performance in a pairing with Egor Zamula next season, as Philly looks to inch closer toward playoff contention.

Undergoing the same surgery in back-to-back years is never a good sign, though, especially for a skater in the latter half of his career. The good news is he was able to rebound nicely from the procedure last year, so there’s plenty of optimism he can do so again.

Ristolainen still has two years left on his contract, carrying a $5.1MM cap hit, as part of the five-year, $25.5MM extension he signed in 2022.

Philadelphia Flyers Rasmus Ristolainen

0 comments

Kate Madigan To Interview For Islanders GM Vacancy

April 24, 2025 at 9:46 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 6 Comments

The Islanders will interview Devils assistant general manager Kate Madigan as part of their search to replace Lou Lamoriello at the helm of the front office, Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports.

Madigan, the daughter of former Islanders scout Jim Madigan, has been in the Devils’ front office since the 2017-18 season. Initially hired as an analyst, New Jersey promoted Madigan to their director of professional scouting in 2019 and again to executive director of hockey operations in 2020. After two years in that role, they made her the sixth woman to serve as an assistant general manager in NHL history in the 2022 offseason.

She’s now spent three seasons in that role, working alongside Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald, and could become the first woman to serve as GM of an NHL club on Long Island. She’s the first candidate to be firmly linked to the vacancy since the Isles announced Tuesday they wouldn’t be renewing Lamoriello’s contract. Since Lamoriello was also the team’s president of hockey operations, minority owner John Collins is the one overseeing the search for a new top hockey decision-maker.

Madigan is likely to face plenty of competition for the role. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet identified Kings senior advisor Marc Bergevin and former Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen as potential candidates on Wednesday’s 32 Thoughts podcast, although it’s not yet clear if they will be involved in the interview process. If they also opt to hire a separate president of hockey operations – a likely outcome if they choose a first-time NHL GM like Madigan – Friedman speculated that Ken Holland and Eddie Olczyk could be options there.

New York Islanders| Newsstand Kate Madigan

6 comments

Who Is The Best Player Currently Playing Outside The NHL?

April 24, 2025 at 8:30 am CDT | by Josh Cybulski 10 Comments

With Ivan Demidov recently joining the Montreal Canadiens, Alexander Nikishin joining the Hurricanes for practice, and Zeev Buium debuting with the Minnesota Wild, the list of top prospects playing outside the NHL has shrunk. This raises the question: Who is the top player in the world not playing in the NHL?

Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Josh Leivo tore up the KHL this season, setting a single-season goal record with 49. The 31-year-old also led the KHL scoring with 80 points in 62 games on his way to a career season, and at one point had four hat tricks in a month.

Leivo is no stranger to the NHL, having played 265 career games over 10 seasons, tallying 42 goals and 51 assists. The Innisfil, Ontario, native last played in the NHL during the 2022-23 season, scoring four goals and adding 12 assists in 51 games with the St. Louis Blues. Since then, Leivo has posted elite numbers in the KHL, but it would be challenging to anoint him as the top player outside the NHL, especially since this was the first season in which he’s played at that level.

Vladimir Tkachev is another KHL star who could make a case for being the best player in the world currently outside of the NHL. The 29-year-old had a cup of coffee in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings during the 2021-22 season, chipping in two helpers in four games. At the AHL level, Tkachev had seven goals and 22 assists in 41 games with the Ontario Reign that season, before returning to Russia.

Since linking up with Avangard Omsk of the KHL, Tkachev has been an elite scorer, posting a better-than-a-point-per-game average, including last year, when he registered 20 goals and 55 assists in 58 games. This past year, Tkachev missed seven months after suffering a ruptured Achilles and played in just four games. At 29, Tkachev is what he is in his bid to be the best player outside of the NHL. Still, given that his sample size from last season is so small, and he only has one elite professional season under his belt, it is hard to anoint him as the holder of that title now.

Regarding goaltenders outside the NHL, Sharks prospect Yaroslav Askarov is as good as it gets. The 11th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft has had a terrific AHL career thus far and was dominant this season, posting a .923 save percentage with four shutouts in 22 games. Askarov was a highly touted prospect before being drafted, drawing comparisons to Carey Price. He has good size, tracks the puck well, and has terrific athleticism. He is also very calm in the crease, which explains the comparisons to Price.

Askarov has all the makings of a franchise goalie, but at 22, he has yet to break through to the NHL full-time. He did play well in 13 NHL games this season, registering 1.7 goals saved above expected (as per MoneyPuck), and should leap full-time next year. Which begs the question: Is he the best player outside the NHL? The answer is probably no, but he should be included in the conversation. It won’t be long until he plays NHL hockey full-time, and if he establishes his game at the same time as the Sharks’ other top prospects, he could do some pretty remarkable things in San Jose.

The next name that comes to mind is another former NHLer, Nikita Gusev. The 32-year-old Gusev had a solid rookie season with New Jersey back in 2019-2020, posting 13 goals and 31 assists in 66 games. However, he followed it up with a subpar 2020-21 season, which led him to leave the NHL for the KHL. Since departing for Russia, Gusev has been a point-per-game player, even setting a new KHL single-season scoring record with 89 points in 68 games during the 2023-24 season. Given his consistency in recent seasons, a strong case could be made that Gusev is the top player in the world currently playing outside of the NHL until we discuss the last name on the list.

For many people, the first name that comes to mind is 17-year-old Gavin McKenna, and for good reason. McKenna is the projected first overall pick in 2026 and just finished a phenomenal season with the Medicine Hat Tigers, producing 41 goals and 88 assists in 56 games. McKenna has another season in junior hockey before he is drafted, and he will no doubt draw comparisons not just to recent first-overall selections Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, but also to a decade-defining talent like Connor McDavid, as well.

While he undoubtedly has the highest upside of any player currently playing outside of the NHL, it’s hard to say he is the definitive number one, but it is also hard to dispute it. He isn’t playing against men yet, and all the other players are competing in professional hockey in the world’s second- or third-best leagues. The comparison isn’t exactly apples to apples, but there can’t be one.

The debate likely comes down to Gusev and McKenna for being the best in the world outside the NHL. While the title is unofficial, it was previously held by Gusev before he made the move to the NHL. However, given McKenna’s historic season, he has completed arguably one of the best seasons ever in the CHL for a 17-year-old, and he makes the best case for the best player in the world outside of the NHL.

Pro Hockey Rumors Originals Gavin McKenna| Josh Leivo| Nikita Gusev| Vladimir Tkachyov| Yaroslav Askarov

10 comments

West Notes: Landeskog, Copley, George, Vilardi, Ehlers, Hronek

April 23, 2025 at 8:00 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 1 Comment

After flirting with an official comeback in Games 1 & 2, Gabriel Landeskog will suit up for the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3. The NHL proudly announced that Landeskog will play in his first game for the first time in 1,032 days.

Landeskog’s return to the NHL minutes is one of the most remarkable comebacks in professional sports. After captaining the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 2022, the Swedish winger underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, which is an operation more inclined to return an individual to a generic standard of mobility rather than professional sports. Through intense willpower, Landeskog was able to overcome.

It’ll be important for the rest of the Avalanche, too. Based on multiple interviews with players on the team, the void of Landeskog has been present for some time, and having him back in the lineup, even for a few shifts, should lead to intense motivation.

Other notes from the Western Conference:

  • The Los Angeles Kings have switched up their emergency third goalies for Game 2. The Kings announced they’ve recalled netminder Carter George from their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, and have reassigned Pheonix Copley in a corresponding roster move. Should George play, which is incredibly unlikely, it would be the first NHL appearance of his career.
  • There are a few injury updates for the Winnipeg Jets as their opening-round series transitions to St. Louis. Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reported that forward Gabriel Vilardi will travel with the team while Nikolaj Ehlers will not. Still, it’s important to note that Vilardi has yet to practice without a non-contact jersey, meaning he could remain a ways away from returning.
  • Team Czechia will have a quality defenseman join them for their IIHF World Championship gold medal repeat bid. Earlier today, it was announced that Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek will join his international team for the upcoming tournament. It’ll be the first time since the summer of 2022 that Hronek has played in the tournament when he tallied two assists in 10 contests.

Colorado Avalanche| IIHF| Injury| Los Angeles Kings| Team Czechia| Vancouver Canucks| Winnipeg Jets Carter George| Filip Hronek| Gabriel Landeskog| Gabriel Vilardi| Nikolaj Ehlers| Pheonix Copley

1 comment

Boston Bruins Notes: Geekie, Sweeney, Zacha, Beecher

April 23, 2025 at 6:33 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 6 Comments

Despite finishing toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings for the first time since the 2006-07 season, the Boston Bruins had a few bright spots on the year. One of them, Morgan Geekie, is entering the 2025-26 season on a $2MM salary and had been an oft-mentioned trade candidate for the Bruins throughout the year.

That’s unlikely to happen. Earlier today, Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub passed along a blunt statement from General Manager Don Sweeney indicating Geekie would be on the roster next year.

To be fair, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Boston recoup a haul for Geekie should they trade him. 30-goal scorers don’t grow on trees in the NHL, and certainly not on $2MM salaries. However, as a counterpoint, the Bruins did finish as one of the worst offensive teams in the 2024-25 campaign, and trading Geekie away does nothing to improve that. He’ll look to equal, if not improve upon, this year’s results as a pending restricted free agent, and the Bruins can decide then if they’d like to re-sign Geekie to a longer-term deal.

Other notes from the Bruins organization:

  • Much like Geekie, don’t expect Sweeney to depart the organization anytime soon, either. Speaking with reporters today, team President Cam Neely gave a glowing endorsement of Sweeney, saying, “Don has been a great GM in this league. Has everything gone right? No, it hasn’t. That’s just sports, but there’s been more good than bad. Don and his group, in my opinion, have earned the right to get us back to where we all want to be.” Sweeney has been at the helm of the Bruins’ front office for the last decade.
  • Fortunately, Boston will enter the summer months with a clean bill of health. Sweeney shared that forward Pavel Zacha had a minor, unspecified surgery, and John Beecher may also need one (Tweet Link). Other than that, the Bruins don’t expect any major surgeries throughout the offseason.

Boston Bruins Don Sweeney| John Beecher| Morgan Geekie| Pavel Zacha

6 comments

New York Rangers Agree To Multi-Year Extension With Chris Drury

April 23, 2025 at 4:35 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 30 Comments

The New York Rangers are sticking with the current leader of their front office. The Rangers announced a multi-year extension with General Manager Chris Drury.

In the announcement, MSG Sports Executive Chairman and CEO James Dolan wrote, “I am pleased that Chris will continue to lead the Rangers hockey operations in his role as President and General Manager. Over his tenure, Chris has shown passion for the Rangers, relentless work ethic, and a tireless pursuit of excellence. While we are all disappointed in what transpired this past season, I am confident in his ability to guide this organization to success.”

Despite working for New York’s front office since the 2015-16 season, Drury has spent the last four seasons as the team’s General Manager. Although he cannot be fully credited, the Rangers have appeared in two Eastern Conference Finals under Drury, additionally winning the President’s Trophy last season.

Beginning with the draft, Drury has made three selections in the first round, with his first being Brennan Othmann from the OHL’s Flint Firebirds in 2021. Othmann has yet to break out at the NHL level, but has been extremely successful with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. Drury’s most impressive selection came two years later, when the Rangers selected Gabriel Perreault with the 23rd overall pick. After an incredible two-year run with Boston College, Perreault projects to be a quality top-six forward for years to come in New York.

Unfortunately, Drury’s tenure as General Manager becomes checkered when analyzing his trade history. Drury is credited with trading away Brett Howden, Pavel Buchnevich, and Nils Lundkvist, while failing to bring back anything of legitimate value in those deals. Still, Drury can be aggressive on the trade market when he needs to be, acquiring Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, and J.T. Miller while being able to move the heavy contract of defenseman Jacob Trouba.

He’s been a toss-up when it comes to perusing the free agent market. Drury signed Barclay Goodrow and Patrik Nemeth to burdensome contracts, but also locked up Igor Shesterkin, Vincent Trocheck, Adam Fox, and Alexis Lafreniere to long-term deals.

Still, like it is for all of the Original Six organizations, the proof is in the pudding. Although some teams may feel content with two Conference Final appearances in three years, the Rangers faithful are still hungry for their first Stanley Cup banner in 31 years. Despite agreeing to a multi-year extension with the Rangers, the pressure to perform shouldn’t escape Drury.

New York Rangers| Newsstand| Transactions Chris Drury

30 comments

Philadelphia Flyers Dismiss Three Coaches

April 23, 2025 at 3:59 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 4 Comments

John Tortorella wasn’t the only one on the chopping block from the Philadelphia Flyers’ disappointing 2024-25 campaign. A short while ago, the Flyers announced they were not retaining Rocky Thompson or Darryl Williams as assistant coaches, nor Angelo Ricci as the club’s skills coach.

Williams is the most-veteran coach of the group, having started his professional coaching career as a video coach for the Vancouver Canucks in the 2008-09 season. He spent six years in that role, as well as enjoying the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011, before becoming an assistant coach for the New York Rangers in 2014-15. He was let go by the Rangers after the 2017-18 season, the same time the organization relieved head coach Alain Vigneault of his duties.  Interestingly enough, Williams became an assistant coach again in the 2021-22 season, this time with the Flyers.

Meanwhile, Thompson has enjoyed his longest stretch as an assistant coach with Philadelphia. He briefly served as the Edmonton Oilers assistant coach in 2014-15 and the San Jose Sharks’ in 2020-21. He served as the head coach of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires and AHL’s Chicago Wolves during the in-between years outside of the NHL, and joined the Flyers coaching staff for the 2022-23 season.

Ricci is arguably the least known of the trio, having only served as skills coach for the Buffalo Sabres and Flyers. Before his move to Philadelphia, Ricci was a youth hockey mainstay in Denver, serving as the Colorado Thunderbirds U16 AAA team from 2005 to 2020.

Coaches| Philadelphia Flyers Angelo Ricci| Darryl Williams| Rocky Thompson

4 comments

Metro Notes: Ansons, Flyers, Nikishin

April 23, 2025 at 3:06 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 17 Comments

According to Seth Rorabaugh of the Tribune-Review, the Pittsburgh Penguins are unlikely to issue forward prospect Raivis Ansons his $813K qualifying offer this summer. Ansons would become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career and would be a candidate to return overseas to continue his professional career.

The Penguins selected Ansons with the 149th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft from the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar. Ansons scored 13 goals and 35 points in 60 games during his draft year, and Pittsburgh believed he could be a long-term candidate in the bottom-six of the team’s forward group.

After a year in his native Latvia and a return trip to the QMJHL, Ansons signed his entry-level contract with the Penguins in 2022 and played for their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Unfortunately, his time in the AHL has been nothing short of a disaster, as Ansons has only managed five goals and 14 points in 87 career contests. Coupled with an undisclosed injury that limited him to nine games this year, the Penguins organization is seemingly ready to move on from one of their recent draft choices.

Other notes from the Metro Division:

  • Although General Manager Daniel Brière would like to add more pieces than he subtracts this offseason for the Philadelphia Flyers, don’t expect them to be wild spenders. Anthony Di Marco of DailyFaceoff writes that Brière will only look for specific areas of need, rather than go after the market’s biggest fish. The only hypothetical option Di Marco listed was Brock Nelson of the Colorado Avalanche on a three-year deal, given the Flyers’ need for centers. Meanwhile, although the team may like to improve their disappointing goaltending, Di Marco doesn’t believe Brière will be interested in any of the options on the free-agent market.
  • Despite having his entry-level contract reported two weeks ago, Alexander Nikishin has yet to play a game in the Carolina Hurricanes organization. Much of that can be explained away due to his visa issues, however, Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal passed along a note from Carolina General Manager Eric Tulsky indicating Nikishin hasn’t signed his entry-level contract yet. Fortunately, Tulsky pointed out they’re merely working out the deal’s finer points, and the organization doesn’t feel rushed to add Nikishin to a lineup that has won the first two games of their Round One series against the New Jersey Devils.

Carolina Hurricanes| Philadelphia Flyers| Pittsburgh Penguins Alexander Nikishin| Brock Nelson| Eric Tulsky| NHL Draft| Raivis Ansons

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