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Islanders Name Rocky Thompson AHL Head Coach

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The Islanders have begun the process of rebuilding their minor-league coaching staff, which was cleaned out entirely after general manager Mathieu Darche assumed his post last month. The organization announced they’ve tabbed Rocky Thompson as AHL Bridgeport’s head coach.

Thompson, 47, brings 18 years of coaching experience to the struggling Baby Isles’ bench. He’d spent the past three years with the Flyers as an assistant under John Tortorella, mainly as a power-play coach. After Tortorella was fired with weeks left in the regular season, Thompson was let go as Philadelphia overhauled its support staff after the campaign concluded. The Flyers’ power play clicked at a league-worst 14.1% under Thompson since 2022-23.

While his last job doesn’t inspire much intrigue, his earlier resume does. Thompson served as the head coach of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves from 2017-18 to 2019-20 while they were affiliated with the Blues and Golden Knights, leading them to a Calder Cup Final appearance in 2019. He also coached the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires to a Memorial Cup win in 2017 as the host club, overseeing a roster led by future NHLers Mikhail Sergachev and Gabriel Vilardi.

Thompson’s previous coaching stops included an assistant role with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings from 2007-08 to 2009-10 and a stint with AHL Oklahoma City (the Oilers’ former affiliate) from 2010-11 to 2013-14 before making his debut as an NHL coach as an assistant with the Oilers in 2014-15. He also worked with the Sharks as an associate coach in the 2020-21 campaign.

The Calgary native was a third-round pick by the Flames in 1995 and played 25 NHL games across four seasons with them and the Panthers. He never recorded a point but did rack up 117 PIMs – spending more time in the box than on the ice (94:41).

Bridgeport’s coaching change comes after Rick Kowalsky oversaw the club for the last two seasons. He compiled a rather dubious 40-88-16 record, including an AHL-record low four home wins in 2024-25. Expect the Isles to be active in signing high-end minor-league depth this summer as a result to help create a more competitive environment for their younger prospects.

SHL’s Malmö Redhawks Sign Topi Niemelä

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The Malmö Redhawks of the Swedish Hockey League have agreed to a deal with defenseman Topi Niemelä for the 2025-26 season, according to a team announcement. Niemelä, a member of the Maple Leafs organization and a pending restricted free agent, can have his signing rights retained by Toronto until July 2029 if they tender him a qualifying offer.

All of Niemelä’s time with Toronto was spent at the AHL level, where he posted an 11-52–63 scoring line and a minus-eight rating over 135 appearances for the Marlies. That’s decent offensive production but not quite the pop they hoped for from the 6’0″ righty when they signed him to his entry-level contract in May 2022 and brought him over to North America near the end of the following season. Niemelä fell out of a regular role with the Marlies at points this past season, although he did still finish second among Marlies defensemen in scoring and played both of their postseason games in a first-round loss to Cleveland.

A third-round pick for the Leafs in the 2020 draft, there was hope he could outperform his draft slot when he erupted for a 10-goal, 32-point season in 48 games with Liiga’s Kärpät, taking a huge step forward in the top league in his native Finland in his age-19 season. Nonetheless, he had just 18 points in 58 games for Kärpät when Toronto loaned him back there the following season before bringing him over to the AHL.

After that breakout season, most had Niemelä tabbed as the top defense prospect in a Maple Leafs pool without many intriguing names to offer. He’s since been surpassed by shutdown righty Ben Danford, their first-round selection in 2024.

It remains to be seen if Niemelä will ever play for the Maple Leafs, but it stands to reason they’ll at least opt to retain his signing rights if and when he decides to return to North America given their lack of young organizational depth at the position. The 23-year-old will now look to regain some offensive confidence overseas in Malmö, where he joins a blue line headlined by former Islanders depth piece Robin Salo.

Five Key Stories: 6/16/25 – 6/22/25

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The Stanley Cup has been awarded with the Florida Panthers taking home the prize for the second straight year.  With the trophy now handed out, the offseason is in full effect and as is often the case, there was an influx of activity around the hockey world soon after that; the most notable news is recapped in our key stories.

Extensions: Some players have elected to not test free agency and instead signed new deals.  Among those was Blackhawks forward Ryan Donato who accepted a four-year, $16MM contract on the heels of a career year.  He entered the year with a career best of 31 points and finished it with a 31-goal, 31-assist campaign.  Rather than hit the open market, Donato decided to stay where things are going well and if he even comes close to this production moving forward, Chicago will do quite well here.  Meanwhile, Senators pending restricted free agent Fabian Zetterlund inked a three-year, $12.825MM pact.  Acquired from San Jose at the trade deadline, he reached the 40-point mark for the second straight season.  The deal buys Ottawa one more year of club control while Zetterlund will be able to hit the open market as a 28-year-old in 2028.

Coming Home: After missing the last two seasons due to Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, veteran center Jonathan Toews is returning to the NHL.  He’ll be doing so with his hometown team as he signed a one-year deal with the Jets.  The deal carries a $2MM base salary along with $5MM in potential performance bonuses based on games played and Winnipeg’s playoff success.  Notably, he’ll receive $550K for reaching the 20, 40, 60, and 80 games mark while making $500K for 50 games played and Winnipeg making the playoffs.  Toews spent the first 15 seasons of his career with Chicago, winning three Stanley Cups along the way while notching 883 points in 1,067 games.  It would be unrealistic to expect Toews to be a top point-producer at the age of 37 after being off for two years but he might be able to give Winnipeg a boost on the second line, a spot they’ve continually tried to find someone to fill in recent years.

Staying In Dallas: Another prominent pending UFA center took himself off the market as the Stars re-signed Matt Duchene to a four-year, $18MM contract.  The 34-year-old is actually coming off one of the best seasons of his career after putting up 82 points in 82 games this season, including a career-best 50 assists.  Had he gone to the open market, he was likely to land offers of several million more per year but he also would have priced himself out of what the Stars can afford.  Instead, Duchene got the long-term security he was seeking after playing on two straight one-year deals while the Stars get to keep the veteran on a below-market deal.  Technically, Duchene will be making more than that over the life of the contract as he’s still owed $1.55MM per season from Nashville for each of the next four years following the buyout of his contract with them back in 2023.

Winger Swaps: Needing to open up money following the Duchene re-signing, the Stars quickly moved winger Mason Marchment to Seattle for a 2026 third-round pick and Dallas’s 2025 fourth-round pick (previously acquired).  Marchment has two years left on his deal worth $4.5MM per season and has put 100 points over the last two years so the Kraken get some solid secondary scoring and some physicality at a pretty low price.  Meanwhile, to make room for him on the wing, the Kraken then flipped winger Andre Burakovsky to Chicago for center Joe Veleno.  Burakovsky has two years on his contract at $5.5MM per season and will look to rebound offensively after failing to notch 40 points in any of his three years with the Kraken.  Veleno, meanwhile, joins his third team in less than four months and is likely to play in Seattle’s bottom six next season if he’s still with them at that time.

First Players Named For Olympics: While the start of the next Winter Olympics is more than seven months away, the first six players for each country needed to be named this week.  Seven of the top ten NHL scorers from this season were among those named with the notable omissions being Canada’s Mitch Marner and USA’s Kyle Connor (Nikita Kucherov led the NHL in points but Russia will not be taking part in the event).  This will be the first time that NHL players play in the Olympics since 2014 and the tournament will begin on February 11th.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports.

Atlantic Notes: Giroux, Geekie, Tkachuk

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Earlier this weekend, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in his latest 32 Thoughts column that the Senators and Claude Giroux were battling over the bonus structure of his next deal.  However, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch adds that at this point, the base salary is still being worked on as well, with the belief that Giroux’s camp is looking for a salary around teammate David Perron’s $4MM; Ottawa is coming in below that.  As long as the 37-year-old signs a one-year contract, Giroux is eligible for performance incentives, including games played, points, and team playoff success.  While his days of being a top-line option are long gone, Giroux still projects as one of the better options available in free agency coming off a 50-point season.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Bruins forward Morgan Geekie told Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe that discussions on a new contract have been “pretty preliminary” so far. The 26-year-old was non-tendered the last time he was a pending restricted free agent, signing a two-year, $4MM deal with Boston that proved to be quite a bargain.  Geekie had 39 points in 2023-24 and then followed that up with a 33-goal, 57-point effort this season.  That could push his price tag past the $5MM mark on a multi-year deal this time around.  He’s arbitration-eligible but with hearings generally running from July 20 to August 4, it’s possible that Boston’s plan is to simply let him file for arbitration late next week and then start to have more substantive discussions on a new agreement at that time.
  • After playing through a torn adductor muscle for the entire postseason, Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk told reporters including Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald that he is 50-50 in terms of whether he’ll need surgery or not. He will take the next few weeks to let the injury heal on its own and then see if he’ll need to go under the knife.  If surgery is needed, it could put Tkachuk’s availability for the start of next season in question.  Despite the injury, he still managed to produce a point per game in Florida’s 23 playoff contests.

Free Agent Focus: Vegas Golden Knights

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Free agency is now less than two weeks away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Golden Knights.

Key Restricted Free Agents

D Nicolas Hague – Hague has been no stranger to the rumor mill in recent weeks with several teams believed to be inquiring about his services.  With Vegas looking to maximize its salary cap flexibility, it’s believed that the 26-year-old is available.  It wasn’t that long ago that Hague was viewed as a key young cog for the Golden Knights but while he started off his career in an encouraging fashion, his development has largely plateaued in recent years as he has settled in as more of a fifth or sixth defenseman.  He’s owed a qualifying offer of $2.7MM with arbitration eligibility and projects to earn a bit more than that, likely on a multi-year deal even coming off just a 12-point effort.

F Alexander Holtz – Things just have not gone as planned for the 2020 seventh-overall pick.  Unable to live up to expectations in New Jersey, Vegas picked him up last year in a draft-day swap with the thought that he’d build off the 28-point effort he had in 2023-24.  Instead, he struggled considerably, notching just 13 points in 53 games while being a healthy scratch at times and was even sent to AHL Henderson for a 16-game stint.  It’s unlikely that Vegas is ready to give up on Holtz just yet but a one-year deal at or around his $874K qualifying offer seems likely, giving him one more chance to lock down a spot.

F Cole Schwindt – A waiver claim from Calgary at the end of training camp, Schwindt stuck with the big club all season long but only got into 42 games, managing just eight points.  With less than 50 career NHL games under his belt, arbitration rights shouldn’t be too concerning for the Golden Knights so if they want to keep him around, they should feel comfortable extending the $840K qualifying offer.  If he winds up staying, it wouldn’t be surprising if that qualifying offer winds up being his next contract.

Other RFAs: D Lukas Cormier, F Raphael Lavoie, F Ivan Morozov (signed in Russia), F Jonas Rondbjerg, G Isaiah Saville

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Victor Olofsson – Olofsson elected to take a one-year, $1.075MM deal last summer with the Golden Knights in the hopes of rebuilding some of his value.  While injuries limited him to just 56 games, he did rebound somewhat, managing a respectable 15 goals and 14 assists despite seeing basically third-line minutes.  That’s not going to be enough to get him to what he made on his last deal when he was in Buffalo ($4.75MM) but it’s possible that he can get a multi-year deal somewhere around the $3MM range.  Olofsson had six goals with the man advantage this season; he has reached or beat that mark five times in the last six years, making him an intriguing option for teams looking for a little more firepower on the power play.

F Tanner Pearson – Pearson was one of the few players whose training camp tryout was successful as he inked a one-year deal for the minimum and gave them solid fourth-line minutes while staying healthy for the first time in several years.  Pearson probably is going to be viewed as someone earmarked for a similar role moving forward so his offers should come in at or around the $1MM mark.  But after having to play his way onto Vegas this season, he should have a bit more success on the open market this time around.

F Brandon Saad – After clearing waivers with St. Louis, Saad walked away from more than $5MM in guaranteed salary through next season in the hopes of finding another NHL opportunity.  That came with Vegas where he inked a pro-rated $1.5MM contract.  He fared reasonably well with them, notching 14 points in 29 games which is decent secondary scoring.  Now, he’ll look to recoup more of that money back on the open market but it would be surprising to see any offers come near his old $4.5MM AAV.  Something closer to half of that might be more realistic but he might be able to get a multi-year agreement out of it.

G Ilya Samsonov – Like Olofsson, Samsonov took a one-year deal last summer in the hopes of rebuilding some value following a particularly rough year in Toronto.  He probably didn’t hurt his value with a 2.82 GAA and a .891 SV% but he likely didn’t help it too much either and it has already been decided that he won’t be back in Vegas.  Coming off a $1.8MM contract, he could land something around a similar price tag this year but a multi-year commitment seems unlikely.

F Reilly Smith – Brought back for a second stint with the team in a trade with the Rangers at the trade deadline, Smith wasn’t able to produce at the same level as he did the first time around but, like Saad, provided decent secondary scoring.  Still, he has reached 40 points in each of the last two seasons so his camp may try to market the 34-year-old as a two-way middle-six option.  Coming off a $5MM AAV, it would be surprising to see him get a raise but his next contract might not be too much below that either.

Other UFAs: F Callahan Burke, F Mason Geertsen, D Robert Hagg (signed in SHL), D Dysin Mayo, F Mason Morelli, F Gage Quinney

Projected Cap Space

Vegas enters the summer with around $9.6MM in salary cap space which is better than it often has been for this franchise at this time of year.  However, they have a few players to sign with that money and they have been linked as a speculative landing spot for some of the more prominent pending unrestricted free agents.  They’ll need more cap space to do so, meaning a trade might be needed although the availability of Alex Pietrangelo for the start of next season is also in question.  If he’s going to be out long-term and the team goes back into LTIR, they could be in line to make a splash over the next few weeks.

Photos courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig (Hague) and Sergei Belski (Olofsson)-Imagn Images.  Contract info courtesy of PuckPedia.

Sabres Notes: Peterka, Byram, Samuelsson

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While NHL teams are preparing for the start of free agency, the Buffalo Sabres are actively working the phones on a few key potential trades, according to The Fourth Period.

The expectation is that general manager Kevyn Adams will be busy this week, with forward JJ Peterka at the top of the trade block rumor mill. Despite his youth, potential, and the fact that he seemingly fits perfectly into Buffalo’s long-term plans, Peterka is also considered an ideal candidate for a change of scenery.

While the Sabres appear to have hesitancy toward trading Peterka, the list of teams interested in his services continues to grow. And as Peterka nears restricted free agency, the Sabres are now more open to listening to offers for the 23-year-old, amidst the belief that Peterka’s preference would be to move on. Peterka set career highs this past season with 68 points, finishing tied for second on the team with defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, just behind forward Tage Thompson. The 23-year-old has increased his point total by 18 points in each of the last two seasons, and his stock is rising as he looks for his first long-term deal.

Elsewhere with the Sabres:

  • The league also appears to have significant interest in defender Bowen Byram, who originally joined the Sabres at the 2024 Trade Deadline in a one-for-one swap that sent center Casey Mittelstadt to the Colorado Avalanche. Byram was a staple in the Sabres’ top four during the 2024-25 season, playing all 82 games and averaging over 22 minutes per night. He also set career highs with 38 points and 116 blocked shots. While Byram has had some struggles in the defensive zone, his offensive upside and age make him an attractive option for teams looking to bolster their defensive core. Like Peterka, Byram is believed to be seeking a fresh start. Per The Fourth Period, the Sabres are not interested in moving either player for future assets and would prefer to receive NHL-ready talent in return.
  • The Fourth Period also notes that the Sabres are actively shopping defender Mattias Samuelsson, who put up 14 points in 62 games. The 25-year-old was selected by the Sabres in the second round of the 2018 draft and has played 212 games for the team over the course of five seasons. The 6’4″, 220-pound lefty has brought a physical presence to the Sabres over that span, posting more than 100 hits in each of the last four seasons, despite never playing more than the 62 games he suited up for last year. Samuelsson is entering the third year of a seven-year deal that carries a $4.285MM AAV.

Ducks Interested In Tavares, Boeser As Marner Backup

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While the Anaheim Ducks may be prepared to offer pending free agent Mitch Marner a record-breaking offer, the team is interested in several other additions if Marner signs elsewhere. This list includes veterans John Tavares and Brock Boeser, per The Fourth Period.

Anaheim holds more than $30MM in cap space (per PuckPedia), and ownership recently discussed the desire to build a Stanley Cup-caliber team as soon as possible, setting off speculation that they’ll aggressively pursue Marner. Yet with only one winner in that sweepstakes, the Ducks are also eyeing pending free agents like Tavares and Boeser to bolster their offense.

While Marner appears almost certain to leave Toronto, Tavares remains optimistic about re-signing with the Leafs. Still, at 36, he may view Anaheim’s cap-rich, rebuilding opportunity as perhaps his final shot at a big payday. After posting 38 goals last season (his most since the 2018-19 season), Tavares proved he still has a lot left in the tank. Although his next contract won’t match his current $11MM AAV, Tavares could still land a significant multi‑year deal if he tests the open market.

Anaheim is also among a host of teams reportedly tied to Boeser. As David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period reported, Boeser is a “longshot” to return to Vancouver, setting the stage for the 28-year-old sniper to hit the open market. While the interest in Boeser’s services appears lengthy, the type of deal he’ll command is a bit murkier than other pending free agents. Unlike Tavares, Boeser didn’t set the world on fire in his contract year. His goal total dropped from 40 during the 2023-24 season to just 25 last season. His points also fell by 23, and his plus/minus dropped from plus-23 to minus-25 year over year. Still, Boeser posted his sixth career season with at least 23 goals and remains on the right side of 30. The limited options in this free agent class also work to his advantage.

Heeding the turnaround desire from ownership, the Ducks have already had a busy offseason, including the hire of Joel Quenneville as head coach, trading for veteran forward Chris Kreider, and resigning pending restricted free agent Nikita Nesterenko. The team also faces a tough decision regarding goalie John Gibson, who has long been rumored to be on the trade block. Through it all, it’s expected that the Ducks will seek to add offensive firepower in free agency, with Tavares and/or Boeser potentially serving as solid backup options if they miss out on Marner.

Rangers Among Vladislav Gavrikov’s Preferred Destinations

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If Vladislav Gavrikov reaches the open market next week, there will be a high level of mutual interest between him and the Rangers. His preference remains to iron out an extension with the Kings, but if he’s unable to do so, New York is on a “short list of teams he is interested in joining,” writes David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.

Gavrikov has already been tagged as one of the Rangers’ top free-agent targets as they look to reshape a blue line that’s already undergone major surgery since the beginning of 2024-25. If signed, he would presumably come at the expense of pending RFA K’Andre Miller’s signing rights being traded elsewhere. New York has received strong interest on the trade market regarding the young defender, and with Gavrikov projected to command nearly $8MM per season on a long-term deal, they’d only have around $5MM in cap space left over after signing him with RFA winger William Cuylle in need of a new deal as well.

While Gavrikov’s puck-moving ability may be a step back from Miller’s ceiling, the veteran has been far more consistent over the past few years and offers greater defensive upside. That two-way presence – this past season was his second time hitting 30 points in his NHL career – combined with spectacular impacts and a willingness to get involved in the play physically would give Adam Fox the bona fide No. 2 defenseman and potential long-term partner he’s missed over the last few years with Ryan Lindgren’s decline and subsequent trade.

The Rangers would obviously end up paying a premium for Gavrikov’s services coming off a stellar platform year, but they’re in a position of need. There’s nothing resembling even a fringe first-pairing lefty in the organization, particularly if Miller isn’t re-upped, and Gavrikov has a highly desirable track record with his combination of heavy deployment and good two-way play over his six-year NHL career. Poor possession play has plagued the Rangers throughout the past few seasons, so much so that it may make more sense for new head coach Mike Sullivan to deploy Fox, who routinely boasts above-average possession impacts regardless of who his partner is, on a separate pairing from Gavrikov if he’s brought in.

Still, a long-term agreement with Gavrikov isn’t something the Rangers should rush into. They’ve had to make some undesirable cap dumps in the past few months because of similar moves. They already have two lengthy contracts on the books for defenders – Fox’s rather desirable $9.5MM cap hit through 2029 isn’t much of an issue, but William Borgen’s $4.1MM cap hit through 2030 could be a tricky one if he can’t manage to hold onto a consistent top-four role on the right side with the younger, more dynamic Braden Schneider breathing down his neck entering a contract year.

Examining The Sabres’ Alex Tuch Dilemma

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The Buffalo Sabres have been spinning their wheels for quite some time and appear headed for a summer that will define the franchise’s future. The team has plenty of attractive roster pieces but will need to make some significant contract decisions in the coming months regarding forward Alex Tuch, among others. Tuch is just over a year away from unrestricted free agency and can sign an extension on July 1. Buffalo will need to make a tough decision in the next few weeks about whether to sign Tuch to a lucrative extension or trade him away for what would hopefully be a sizable return.

The 29-year-old is entering the final season of a seven-year, $33.25MM contract he signed in July 2018 with the Vegas Golden Knights. He was eventually traded along with other assets for center Jack Eichel, and despite the Golden Knights winning the cup with Eichel on board, Tuch has proven to be an excellent addition for the Sabres. Tuch’s $4.75MM cap hit has represented a massive bargain for Buffalo over the last four seasons, as the Syracuse, New York native has been nearly a point-per-game player, accumulating 106 goals and 137 assists in 281 games with the Sabres. Although Tuch hasn’t been able to replicate his success from 2022-23, when he scored 36 goals and 43 assists in 74 games, he has continued to be a solid point producer, hitting 36 goals again this season along with 31 assists in 82 games.

So, what do the Sabres do with a player from Western New York who embodies the city’s culture but probably doesn’t fit the team’s timeline? Therein lies the Sabres’ difficulty with this decision, along with another complicated situation involving RFA forward JJ Peterka. The Sabres are reportedly listening to offers for Peterka and could trade him. The return would likely influence whether Tuch wants to remain a Sabres member or if the team wants to keep him. He has expressed a desire to stay, which isn’t surprising given that he grew up in the area.

Tuch will be 30 by the time he starts an extension, and if Buffalo went to seven or eight years on term, he would be in his late 30s on a high-ticket contract. Now, that’s not to say he would get such a term, but he will undoubtedly be seeking the most extended contract possible since it’s very likely that he might not sign another lucrative deal after this one.

There is no disputing Tuch’s on-ice value, leadership, or the fact that he is a fan favorite in Buffalo. However, the Sabres must ask themselves what is best for the franchise’s future. Do they want to pay top dollar for a forward on the wrong side of 30 years old? Can they get a lucrative return if they trade him this summer? And what message would they be sending their fans (and other Sabres players) if they moved on from Tuch and Peterka in the same summer?

Buffalo is uniquely positioned as a franchise, not in a good way. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2010-11 and haven’t finished higher than fifth in their division since 2011-12. The team has undergone multiple unsuccessful rebuilds, but it has finally assembled a solid core of players to build around. However, if they trade Tuch and Peterka for futures instead of roster players, veterans like Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin may start to grow restless, fearing it could lead to another few seasons of losing. At the same time, they wait for the young players to develop.

Tuch is a candidate for an extension, given his performance and intangibles. Examining the Sabres’ history as an organization, it is evident that they have often prioritized culture and loyalty over results. If that pattern continues, Tuch will likely be re-signed. This situation isn’t unique to Buffalo, as it’s common for teams to extend contracts for players they know may age poorly in the latter half, understanding that Buffalo’s loyalty could lead them to retain Tuch.

On the flip side, Buffalo has yet to experience a winning season during Tuch’s time with the team, and perhaps it’s time for the Sabres to allow new leadership voices to emerge. It’s not a reflection on Tuch as a player or person, but sometimes, when an organization struggles for too long, the old guard needs to depart before a fresh culture can develop. This has occurred with many teams trying to turn a corner after a rebuild, and often, teams recognize the need to part with veteran players to make way for younger stars to step up as leaders. Edmonton did this when they moved on from Taylor Hall in 2016, and nearly 20 years ago, the Penguins followed suit by letting go of almost every veteran, effectively entrusting the team to their young stars, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

Another factor for Buffalo to consider is that there are very few teams selling right now, which could increase their return on Tuch, as some teams will be left empty-handed after the initial scramble of unrestricted free agency. Buffalo could wait a bit after July 1 to assess the trade market and see if any moves pique their interest; if not, they could then consider an extension. There are a few wingers available, such as Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust, who will be cheaper from a cap-hit perspective, but with Tuch being a few years younger, he could fetch a better haul than either of those players.

Buffalo finds itself in a tough spot with Tuch, and time is running out. If they can’t either move him or extend his contract, they risk losing him for nothing a year from now or trading him at the NHL Trade Deadline for a lesser return. Neither scenario is ideal for Buffalo, which is why they need to act promptly. The situation would be less complicated if they weren’t also trying to move Peterka, but this is the reality the Sabres are facing, and they must choose a direction.

Photo by Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images

Lightning’s Nick Perbix Will Test Free Agency

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There will be no extension keeping Lightning defenseman Nicklaus Perbix off the open market before July 1, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports. The 27-year-old will instead look to cash in as the youngest option available among a thin class of right-shot defenders.

Perbix was a sixth-round pick of the Lightning back in 2017. Tampa retained his signing rights through his post-draft season with USHL Omaha and then during a full four NCAA seasons at St. Cloud State, where he won an NCHC regular-season title as a rookie and was named a First Team conference All-Star following his standout point-per-game senior season. That was enough for the 6’4″, 205-lb rearguard to land his entry-level contract with the Bolts.

The Minnesota native has essentially been a full-time NHLer since turning pro in 2022. Aside from a brief AHL stint to make his pro debut following the end of his senior year with St. Cloud State and a pair of minor-league contests the following year, he’s been a fixture on Tampa’s roster with utility up and down the lineup.

While he’s seen deployment as high as first-pairing duties with Victor Hedman, his overall ice time has been limited because he’s played under 100 minutes on special teams units in total over his three-year career. Perbix averaged 15:45 per game with the Bolts as a result. At 5-on-5, his most common partners over the last three years were Emil Martinsen Lilleberg (919:12), Hedman (893:26), and Mikhail Sergachev (570:12), according to Natural Stat Trick. Whether due to his time spent with more skilled partners in Hedman and Sergachev or not, Perbix’s point production has been solid considering his limited even-strength minutes. He’s consistently churned out 20-25 points, avoiding major injury troubles.

Nonetheless, it makes sense that the Lightning aren’t interested in retaining Perbix. He averaged just 14:41 per game last season, making it hard to justify matching the $2.65MM per season he’s projected to receive on a two-year deal on the open market, according to AFP Analytics. He totaled a 13-50–63 scoring line with a +27 rating in 220 games as a Bolt and will likely look to land somewhere where he has more of an opportunity to play both the power play and penalty kill.

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