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NHL Announces 2024-25 All-Star Teams

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Shortly after announcing this year’s All-Rookie Team, the NHL shared this year’s First and Second All-Star Teams. There are few surprises, with several of the recipients receiving votes for major awards around the league. The teams are as follows:

First Team

LW Kyle Connor (Jets) – Connor arguably completed the best season of his career, scoring 41 goals and 97 points, barely eclipsing his 93-point campaign in 2021-22 (although he did score 46 goals). Being the offensive leader for the Presidents Trophy-winning team made him a lock for All-Star Team honors, and he beat out Hagel by 100 votes.

C Nathan MacKinnon (Avalanche) – In the closest vote, MacKinnon nearly beat out Draisaitl as the league’s top center from the 2024-25 season, with Draisaitl receiving more First Team votes than MacKinnon. Still, the 2023-24 Most Valuable Player scored 10 more points than Draisaitl this year, while arguably being a larger part of his team’s success without having Connor McDavid as a teammate.

RW Nikita Kucherov (Lightning) – The reigning Art Ross Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award winner was a near-unanimous selection for First Team honors, with only two voters assessing he wasn’t worthy. Although he couldn’t match his 100-assist output from last year, Kucherov was again dominant for the Bolts, scoring 37 goals and 121 points in 78 games.

D Cale Makar (Avalanche) – This year’s James Norris Trophy winner received the most First Team votes of any player on the 2024-25 All-Star Teams with 189. Makar has been on one of the best offensive runs from a defenseman in recent memory, scoring 51 goals and 182 points in his last 157 games, with another six goals and 20 points in 18 postseason contests.

D Zach Werenski (Blue Jackets) – As one of the more unheralded members of the All-Star Team, Werenski came into his own during the 2024-25 campaign. He scored 23 goals and 82 points in 81 games, averaged 26:45 of ice time per game, and finished with 131 blocked shots. Being one of the prime reasons that the Columbus Blue Jackets nearly qualified for the postseason, it’s unsurprising Werenski received so many Norris votes and was named one of the league’s top defensemen.

G Connor Hellebuyck (Jets) – Despite tying with Kucherov with the second-most First Team votes, there was no clearer choice for the league’s top netminder than Hellebuyck. The American netminder secured the Vezina Trophy and Hart Memorial Trophy this season, leading the league in wins (47), GAA (2.00), shutouts(8), Goals Saved Above Average (41.6), and Adjusted Goals Against Average (2.13).

Second Team

LW Brandon Hagel (Lightning) – Hagel narrowly beat out Alex Ovechkin for Second Team honors despite the latter receiving more First Team votes. Regardless of Ovechkin’s impressive season, there’s no question the right decision was made with Hagel. The six-year veteran scored 35 goals and 90 points in 82 games for Tampa Bay this season, besting his career-high last season by 15 points. Additionally, unlike Ovechkin, Hagel finished ninth in Selke Trophy voting as one of the league’s top defensive forwards.

C Leon Draisaitl (Oilers) – As previously mentioned, the vote between Draisaitl and MacKinnon came down to the wire. Draisaitl finished with an equally impressive season, scoring 52 goals and 106 points in 71 games, securing the Maurice Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal-scorer. Furthermore, in a solid argument for Draisaitl, he finished sixth in Selke Trophy voting, far higher than MacKinnon, who placed 29th.

RW David Pastrňák (Bruins) – In another close vote, Pastrňák narrowly bested Toronto Maple Leaf Mitch Marner for the second-best right winger from the 2024-25 campaign. Despite a lackluster year from the Boston Bruins, who finished with the 28th-ranked offense, Pastrňák didn’t notice. The Czech winger scored 43 goals and 106 points in 82 games, and brought up his production over the last three years to 151 goals and 329 points in 246 games.

D Victor Hedman (Lightning) – The captain of the Lightning was also in a close vote, beating Winnipeg Jets’ Josh Morrissey by a few votes. There are arguments for both sides, but Hedman finished the year with more goals (15), assists (51), points (66), blocked shots (133), and CorsiFor% at even strength (53.5%) compared to Morrissey.

D Quinn Hughes (Canucks) – Hughes rightfully received the most Second Team votes of his counterparts. As the primary reason the Vancouver Canucks had any sense of competitiveness this year, Hughes scored 16 goals and 76 points in 68 games, averaging 25:44 of ice time a game. Had Hughes remained healthy for the entire 2024-25 campaign, he likely would have presented a bigger challenge to Makar and Werenski as the league’s top blueliner.

G Andrei Vasilevskiy (Lightning) – After a down 2023-24 campaign (comparatively to his career), Vasilevskiy returned to form in 2024-25. The former Vezina Trophy winner finished with a 38-20-5 record in 63 starts, with a .921 SV% and 2.18 GAA. It wasn’t enough to beat out Hellebuyck, but Vasilevskiy easily would have been named the league’s top netminder in any other year.

Avalanche, Jets, Lightning Interested In Jonathan Toews

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In today’s rendition of 32 Thoughts, Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman gave a brief update on Jonathan Toews’s market as he attempts to make a comeback to the NHL. Friedman listed the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Winnipeg Jets as likely suitors for the three-time Stanley Cup champion.

Perceived interest in Toews will likely revolve around his salary demands. Toews’ longtime counterpart with the Chicago Blackhawks, Patrick Kane, signed a one-year, $2.75MM contract with the Detroit Red Wings after undergoing a risky hip resurfacing surgery and missing nearly two months of the regular season. Fortunately for Kane, he was able to parlay his 2023-24 campaign into a $4MM base salary with the Red Wings, with another $2.5MM available in performance bonuses.

It’s difficult to make a direct comparison from Kane to Toews, as the latter has missed the last two seasons due to Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome and long COVID. After missing that much time, any team interested in Toews may only feel comfortable with a bonus-laden league minimum contract.

All three teams connected to Toews have a common denominator: they are all in their competitive window. Surprisingly, the first team listed, the Avalanche, has the lowest need for a bottom-six center at this time. Colorado finished the year with Charlie Coyle and Jack Drury centering their bottom two lines, and Toews doesn’t project as a notable improvement on either unless they’re willing to move Coyle to the wing.

The Winnipeg Jets, Toews’s hometown team, makes more sense at face value. Assuming that Winnipeg is uninterested in removing captain Adam Lowry from the third line, Toews makes more sense than Morgan Barron for the team’s fourth-line center, especially if they move Barron to the wing to replace Brandon Tanev. Barron has been an underrated defensive forward throughout his time in Manitoba, starting more than 65.0% of his shifts in the defensive zone during his Jets tenure and maintaining a positive rating. Barron would be equally capable on the wing, and Toews could comparatively provide more offense with a higher career faceoff percentage.

Arguably, Tampa Bay makes the most sense of the teams listed. The Lightning are expected to enter the offseason with less than $3.5MM in salary cap space and will have to find a replacement for Luke Glendening on the team’s fourth line. The team could conceivably move Zemgus Girgensons to that role, who’s signed through the 2026-27 season, since he spent much of his tenure with the Buffalo Sabres as a center. Still, the Lightning have highly prioritized faceoff success in that role recently, and Toews’ career 57.3% success rate far outweighs Girgensons’ 45.3%.

Aside from missing the last two years, it was apparent in 2022-23 that Toews had entered the twilight years of his career. Although he received Selke Trophy votes toward the end of his time with the Blackhawks, he was no longer considered one of the league’s top defensive forwards, and his offense cratered. However, it seems that competitive teams believe Toews has more left in the tank, and he’s seemingly prioritizing another Stanley Cup ring before he finally hangs up his skates.

Stars Reportedly Dialing Back Efforts To Trade Jason Robertson

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June 13th: According to today’s rendition of 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has heard that the Stars are already dialing back their efforts to explore moving Robertson this offseason. Friedman wouldn’t confirm whether it was because Dallas prefers to retain Robertson or if they hadn’t received adequate preliminary offers. Furthering this point, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period spoke on NHL Network, reporting that the Stars prefer to move Mason Marchment, Lyubushkin, or Dumba to alleviate their financial gridlock.

June 10th: It appears there’s some legitimate fire to the smoke that erupted last week when Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek opined the Stars could move winger Jason Robertson to ease their incredibly restrictive salary cap space this summer. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on 590 The FAN yesterday that Robertson’s name has indeed been floated in trade talks around the league, although “it’s not a guarantee that [he] goes.”

Robertson, 26 next month, has had a bit of a winding road since bursting onto the scene at the beginning of the decade. The 2017 second-rounder’s rookie season was the shortened 2021 campaign, scoring 45 points in 51 games to finish second on Dallas in scoring and place second in Calder Trophy voting behind Wild star Kirill Kaprizov. After eclipsing the point-per-game mark the following season, the two sides agreed on a four-year, $31MM deal after a lengthy run on the RFA market for Robertson.

It immediately looked like one of the best contracts in the league. Robertson erupted for a career-high 46 goals, 109 points, and a +37 rating while playing in all 82 games in the 2022-23 campaign, placing him fourth in MVP voting and tying for sixth in the NHL in scoring. Since then, Robertson has remained a veritable first-line piece but has seen his point production regress heavily, making him more of an ideal No. 2/3 forward instead of a team’s top scorer. He’s continued that ironman streak from the 2022-23 season but has just 80 points in each of the last two years, a 26% decrease in points per game from the heights of his breakout. His average ice time also dipped below 18 minutes per game in 2024-25 for the first time since his rookie season, and he was limited to six points in 11 postseason games after returning from a knee injury sustained in the final game of the regular season.

Aside from Dallas’ current unenviable cap situation, having just under $5MM in space with seven roster spots to fill, per PuckPedia, there are some peculiarities with Robertson’s contract that make him more of an understandable trade chip than at first glance. He’s still under team control as an RFA with arbitration rights when his extension expires next summer, and because his contract was somewhat significantly backloaded, he’s due a $9.3MM qualifying offer that’s much higher than his current $7.75MM cap hit. While Robertson’s upside remains tantalizing, is that QO number one the cap-crunched Stars are willing to even pay for one year, considering his more pedestrian offensive output over the past two seasons?

There are less efficient deals the Stars will presumably try to jettison first before becoming seriously engaged in Robertson talks. 2024 UFA defense pickups Mathew Dumba and Ilya Lyubushkin both flamed out and make $3.75MM and $3.25MM against the cap next season, respectively. They’d need to replace them with cheaper UFAs this summer, but packaging some futures to get rid of those contracts would at least open up the cap space to potentially retain two of their three main pending UFAs – forwards Jamie Benn, Matt Duchene, and Mikael Granlund. At present, they don’t stand much of a chance of even signing one while being able to fill out the rest of the roster.

If Dallas does structure a Robertson trade, they’ll presumably do so around a cost-effective player who can step into his top-six role directly – potentially a winger still on his entry-level deal – so they can use most of his cap hit to instead commit to extensions for the aforementioned UFAs and potentially pursue a depth defense upgrade.

Updates On Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad

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Although the organization’s main sights are on winning its second Stanley Cup championship in as many years, the Florida Panthers have a few key pending unrestricted free agents to worry about. In an interview on NHL Network, David Pagnotta believes negotiations are going much better with one than they are with the other.

A few days ago, James Mirtle of The Athletic reported that virtually no teams are expecting Sam Bennett to reach free agency, and Pagnotta believes that’s the case. In the interview, Pagnotta shared that Bennett and the Panthers are negotiating a new deal that would pay him approximately $64MM over eight years.

Bennett’s value largely comes from his postseason performances and the intangibles. AFP Analytics projected Bennett’s next deal around the six-year, $40MM range, which is reasonable given he’s only scored more than 50 points in one season. Still, he’s an extremely physical forward, has responded well to Florida’s possession-heavy scheme, and has a unique ability to get under the skin of opponents.

He’s been an instrumental part of the Panthers’ run to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals. Since the start of the 2022-23 postseason, Bennett has scored 26 goals and 50 points in 60 games, and is leading this year’s playoffs in goals. Outside of putting pucks in the net, Bennett has made headlines this postseason for his extracurricular activity, particularly his somewhat egregious physicality toward opposing teams’ netminders.

Unfortunately, negotiations aren’t going as smoothly with defenseman Aaron Ekblad, according to Pagnotta. Despite Ekblad’s public desire to remain with the only organization he’s known, Ekblad and his representation are asking for a similar or increased salary on his current $7.5MM AAV, but the Panthers only feel comfortable paying him in the $6MM range.

In Florida’s defense, Ekblad has had significant injury issues throughout his entire career, only playing in a full campaign in three seasons out of his 11-year career. Still, offering him a 20% pay decrease as the salary cap rises projects as an unbridgeable gap.

Ekblad is only a few weeks away from reaching unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career, and he could become more amenable to a lower salary if his comfortability in Florida outweighs his salary demands. Still, as a capable top-four right-handed defenseman, Ekblad should be able to match or increase his salary on the open market.

NHL Announces 2024-25 All-Rookie Team

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Considering the votes for the 2024-25 Calder Memorial Trophy, there weren’t many surprises on this year’s All-Rookie Team, which the NHL announced this morning. There were three unanimous selections, while the other three winners had a closer vote margin. The team is as follows:

G Dustin Wolf  (Flames) – Wolf finished second in Calder Trophy voting after a superb rookie campaign. The 24-year-old netminder finished the year with a 29-16-8 record in 53 starts with a .910 SV% and 2.64 GAA. Furthermore, Wolf finished with 15.1 Goals Saved Above Average according to Hockey Reference, and nearly backstopped the Calgary Flames to the postseason despite expectations of a rebuilding year.

D Lane Hutson (Canadiens) – Joining Wolf as another unanimous selection to the 2024-25 All-Rookie Team, Hutson was this year’s Calder Trophy winner. Scoring six goals and 66 points in 82 games while averaging 22:44 of ice time per game, Hutson joined Bobby Orr, Brian Leetch, and Quinn Hughes as the only defensemen to lead rookies in scoring during their respective inaugural campaigns.

D Denton Mateychuk (Blue Jackets) – Although he didn’t share similar point production to Hutson, Mateychuk had a quietly productive campaign for the Columbus Blue Jackets, scoring four goals and 13 points in 45 games, averaging 18:02 of ice time a night. Much of Mateychuk’s value came on the defensive side of the puck, securing a 91.4% on-ice save percentage at even strength despite starting 57.4% of his shifts in the defensive zone.

F Macklin Celebrini (Sharks) – As last summer’s first overall selection, expectations were high for Celebrini this season. He largely lived up to them, scoring 25 goals and 63 points in 70 games, finishing third in Calder Trophy voting. There were some significant defensive shortcomings in Celebrini’s game, but that should improve as he matures and has better teammates around him. He outscored last year’s Calder Trophy winner, Connor Bedard, by two points in two more games played.

F Cutter Gauthier (Ducks) – Gauthier finished with the fewest vote totals for an All-Rookie nod with 79 out of a potential 187. Still, it was enough to earn third place among forwards. Despite being streaky, Gauthier finished fifth in scoring on the Ducks with 20 goals and 44 points in 82 games. Gauthier’s offensive output should improve with increased ice time during the 2025-26 season, as he finished his rookie campaign averaging slightly above 14 minutes a night.

F Matvei Michkov (Flyers) – Although he wasn’t a unanimous selection like Wolf, Hutson, or Celebrini, Michkov finished one vote shy of those honors. He came exactly as advertised for the Philadelphia Flyers, scoring 26 goals and 63 points in 80 games, leading the team in goal-scoring and finishing second in total output. Like Celebrini, there were significant defensive shortcomings in Michkov’s game throughout the regular season, but those won’t be as important an issue for a winger.

Longtime Broadcaster Joe Bowen To Retire After 2025-26 Season

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Joe Bowen, the “Voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs”, announced that the 2025-26 season would be his last in a broadcast booth. By his admission, Bowen will finish his broadcasting career with more than 3,800 Maple Leafs games in the booth.

Bowen began his broadcasting career with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves, his hometown team, in the mid-1970s. It wasn’t until he made an organizational change to the AHL’s Nova Scotia Voyageurs in 1979 that he would earn a tryout with the Maple Leafs.

He debuted as Toronto’s fifth radio broadcaster in the 1982-83 season, and remained as the team’s main morning anchor and radio broadcaster. In 1995, Bowen almost lost his job when his employer, Telemedia Sports Network, lost the bid to broadcast Maple Leafs games on the radio to Q107.

Bowen eventually joined Q107 to remain in radio and became the organization’s primary radio broadcaster, with mild work in television on regional broadcasts. His work on television ended in 2014, when Rogers Communications purchased all rights to NHL games in the Canadian market.

For those who primarily listen to Maple Leafs games on the radio, many will remember Bowen’s iconic catchphrase, “Holy Mackinaw”, typically reserved for some of the most iconic goals in recent franchise history. Bowen won the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for his outstanding contributions to broadcasting in 2018 and will likely find a home in the Maple Leafs Hall of Fame once he finally hangs up the microphone.

Metropolitan Notes: York, Flyers Plans, Zibanejad

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With Noah Cates and Tyson Foerster recently signing extensions with the Philadelphia Flyers, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic wonders if pending restricted free agent defender Cam York is next.

As Kevin Kurz reports, sources close to York have indicated that discussions between the player and the Flyers have been ongoing for some time, with both short- and long-term contract options being considered. While York is coming off a down year compared to his 2023-24 season, where he established career highs in goals (10) and assists (20), he’s still only 24 years old and will more than likely benefit from the organization’s recent coaching change.

York and Flyers had a tumultuous 2024-25 season, with former head coach John Tortorella making York a healthy scratch on two separate occasions. After sustaining a shoulder injury early in the season that York later admitted impacted his performance, Tortorella also did not play York on the power play despite the unit finishing 30th in the league. Things ultimately came to a head on March 25 when York and Tortorella reportedly had a heated exchange during a 7-2 loss to the Maple Leafs. Tortorella was soon after fired, and York was disciplined by dressing but not skating in the following contest against the Canadians.

Still, the former first-round pick possesses potential that other teams may covet on the open market. For the Flyers to determine if extending York aligns with their long-term vision, they must assess whether his style complements the system Rick Tocchet intends to implement.

Elsewhere in the Metropolitan Division:

  • Sources confirmed to Kurz that the Flyers will not be in the market for big-name free agents come July 1. While general manager Daniel Briere and the front office have nearly $19MM in cap space (per PuckPedia), they seem content to continue to resign their own younger players. Excluding non-roster players, the Philadelphia Flyers have two restricted free agents remaining—York and winger Jakob Pelletier—and no unrestricted free agents. It appears the Flyers are opting to retain a roster similar to last season’s, with Tocchet and his coaching staff aiming to maximize player performance and development.
  • Rangers’ general manager Chris Drury kept veterans like Mika Zibanejad informed about his intentions regarding the trade of Chris Kreider, per Larry Brooks of the NY Post. Kreider and Zibanejad were teammates for the last nine years and helped lead the Rangers to much success in that time. The team officially traded Kreider to the Ducks today. Ironically, the trade reunites Kreider with Rangers former captain Jacob Trouba, who was dealt to Anaheim last season.

Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck Wins 2025 Vezina and Hart Trophies

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The NHL has announced that the Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck will take home both the 2025 Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender and the 2025 Hart Trophy as league MVP.

Hellebuyck beats out Los Angeles’ Darcy Kuemper and Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy for the Vezina award. This marks his third time winning the trophy. For the Hart, he finishes ahead of forwards Leon Draisaitl (Oilers) and Nikita Kucherov (Lightning). He becomes the first goalie since Carey Price in 2014-15 to win both awards.

Hellebuyck posted career-bests across the board this season, with a 2.00 goals-against-average, .925 save percentage, and 47 wins. He led the NHL in all three statistics among goaltenders with at least 35 games played.

Hellebuyck was at his home when he discovered he had won the Vezina. Surrounded by family and teammate Eric Comrie, the Hart Trophy was then brought out as an extra surprise.

“That moment was like putting a little cherry on top… I actually had no idea what this trophy looked like. Looking back, I’ll probably picture this day as one of the greatest of my career,” he said.

Hellebuyck had a monumental season, highlighted by posting the highest win percentage in NHL history. His 47 wins in 63 games equal out to 0.746 wins-per-game, defeating the previous record 0.727 posted by Braden Holtby in 2015-16. On a grand scale, Hellebuyck’s win total ranks third all-time behind Holtby (48 wins in 66 games, 2015-16) and Martin Brodeur (48 in 78, 2006-07). Hellebuyck also tied Bernie Parent and Roberto Luongo in wins, though he managed the feat in fewer games.

Hellebuyck joins Glenn Hall, Tony Esposito, and George Hainsworth as a three-time winner. Each one of the 12 other goaltenders to win at least three Vezina Trophies went on to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame – save for four-time winner Michel Larocque, backstop of the 1979 Stanley Cup-clinching Montreal Canadiens. Hellebuyck ran away with the Vezina voting, receiving all but one first place vote. MVP voting was much closer, but Hellebuyck edged out Draisaitl 1,346 to 1,209.

Hellebuyck’s prowess has rarely been questioned. He has posted a save percentage at or north of .920 in four of his last six seasons – only interrupted by a .916 and .910 in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, respectively. Every season, except for 2021-22, was coupled by a win percentage of at least 50 percent. That’s incredible consistency for an NHL starter – a fact that has earned Hellebuyck the third-highest cap hit ($8.5MM) among NHL goaltenders. He carries that price tag on a seven-year, $59.9MM contract signed with Winnipeg in 2023. That deal will carry Hellebuyck through his age-38 season in 2030-31.

Kraken Fire Assistant Coach Bob Woods

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As the Seattle Kraken continue to retool their coaching staff, the team announced today that they have relieved assistant coach Bob Woods of his duties after just one season with the organization.

General manager Jason Botterill said, “As Lane Lambert continues to evaluate the coaching staff, we have made the decision to relieve Bob Woods of his duties. We appreciate all of Bob’s hard work and dedication to the Kraken and wish him luck going forward.”

Woods was hired by the team last July to serve as a veteran support for then-head coach Dan Bylsma. However, following a disappointing season in which the Kraken finished with a 35–41–6 record, placing seventh in the Pacific Division, Bylsma was fired. In his place, the Kraken recently hired Lane Lambert, who will likely seek to add a coach who shares his defensive philosophies.

Woods, who was added to Bylsma’s staff last year to help coach the defensive unit, has a history of success working with notable defensemen such as John Carlson, Ryan Suter, and Jared Spurgeon over his coaching career. However, Seattle’s defense struggled last season, allowing 265 goals, one of the highest totals in the Western Conference.

Woods began his coaching career in 1998 as a player/coach in the ECHL, and also spent time coaching in the AHL, where he won the 2009 Calder Cup as head coach of the Hershey Bears. As an assistant in the NHL, Woods has spent time with the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres, and Minnesota Wild, in addition to his year with the Kraken.

Free Agent Focus: New York Rangers

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Free agency is now under a month 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 Rangers.

Key Restricted Free Agents

D K’Andre Miller – No pending free agent played a bigger role in New York’s lineup than K’Andre Miller last season. He played upwards of 24 minutes a night over the course of the year, and averaged out to 22 minutes across 74 appearances. He has now averaged top-pair minutes in all five of his seasons in the NHL, and managed to score or pace for 20 points and a positive plus-minus in every year. Skepticism around Miller’s impact has grown as he’s struggled to return to the 43-point career-high he set in the 2022-23 campaign — this year scoring just 27 points. The Rangers also posted a plus-12 goal differential with Miller off the ice, versus a minus-four when he was on the ice. But even despite that stat, his down year seems more the result of struggles team-wide. At 25 years old and with five years of top-end experience under his belt, Miller will be a player worth spending for this summer. Then again, a lofty asking price could make him a candidate for offer sheet rumors.

F William Cuylle – Closely behind Miller in impact is forward Will Cuylle, who grew into a routine second-line role after beginning the season in the bottom-six. He foreshadowed a strong year from the very start – netting six points in New York’s first six games of the year – and followed up on it with a career-high 45 points in 82 games. He’s now appeared in all but one of New York’s games over the last two seasons, making him one of only four Rangers with so much action. The persistent role led to a breakout performance – and a 24-point increase in scoring – this year. For a Rangers club facing plenty of questions and change this off-season, Cuylle’s lineup role seems like a certainty. The club will likely look to lock the promising 23-year-old up as soon as they can. His early breakout will make him a candidate for a short-term or long-term offer – with the determining factor likely to end up being the Rangers’ budget.

F Adam Edstrom – New York’s remaining RFAs are headlined by bottom-liners and lineup hopefuls. Edstrom served as the team’s diligent fourth-line center for much of the year, until a lower-body injury sustained on February 1st ended his season early. Before then, Edstrom was sporting a bleak nine points in 51 games played, while adding 27 penalty minutes and a minus-five. He was the composed centerpiece on what often ended up a bruising Rangers’ fourth-line. That steadiness, and a glimmer of upside following an early end to his first full NHL season, will make Edstrom an option worth re-signing — but his minimal ice time will keep his cost low.

F Matt Rempe – Counter to Edstrom is fan-favorite Rempe. There’s no arguing what Rempe brings to the game at this point. He’s a modern-day enforcer, tasked with throwing huge hits and haymaker punches every chance he can. That may be a proper role with Rempe’s 6-foot-9, 255-pound frame – but his eight points in 42 games casts some doubt on the positives of icing him. Rempe did post a plus-seven – tied for seventh-highest on the team – even despite also recording a team-high 67 penalty minutes. That’s an interesting balance, and sticks New York with the question of whether a towering fighter is part of their vision for the 2025-26 roster. If it is, Rempe’s new deal should come at minimal cost.

D Zachary Jones – Jones took another step towards an everyday lineup role this season. He appeared in 46 games on the year – more than his 31 appearances last year – but was a routine healthy scratch and managed just one goal and 11 points. Jones voiced frustrations about the minimal playing time to Remy Mastey of Yahoo! Sports partway through the year, on the heels of recording seven of his points in 12 games in December. But the public comments didn’t sway his role by much. At 24-years-old, Jones seems reasonably ready to take on a handful more games next year, but with minimal impact his minutes will likely continued to be confined to the third-pairing. He’ll be a low-cost, low-upside, depth option for New York this summer.

F Brendan Brisson – New York acquired prospect Brendan Brisson and a 2025 third-round pick when they sent winger Reilly Smith back to the Vegas Golden Knights at the Trade Deadline. It was a timely move for Brisson, who struggled to break into Vegas’ lineup and had recorded 19 points and a minus-24 in 45 games with the Henderson Silver Knights up to that point. He boosted those numbers ever so slightly with the Hartford Wolf Pack – with six points and a minus-nine in 16 games – though questions about Brisson’s upside still remain. He was a first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft and is still just 23-years-old. But a breakout will need to come sooner rather than later if he wants to find routine NHL minutes. A contract with a few years of term could do Brisson well, but his eight points in 24 NHL games could confine him to a one-year, two-way, prove-it deal.

F Arthur Kaliyev – Also needing to ’prove it’ is 23-year-old winger Arthur Kaliyev, who joined the Rangers partway through the year via waivers from the Los Angeles Kings. Fans were excited for the move at the time – hopeful that a move across the league could reignite the spark of upside he showed in his draft year. But Kaliyev wound up a healthy scratch with the Rangers after posting just four points in 14 games. He remains a high-upside, but low-floor player; propped up by his size and wrist shot, but hurt by his motor and positioning. At this point, the once fringe-first round pick will likely need to earn his keep on a dirt-cheap contract before New York commits to him long-term.

Other RFAs: F Jake Leschyshyn, F Lauri Pajuniemi, F Karl Henriksson, F Lucas Edmonds, D Matthew Robertson, G Dylan Garand, G Talyn Boyko

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Nicholas Aube-Kubel – Aube-Kubel suffered a lower-body injury in the Buffalo Sabres’ season opener on October 4th. He recovered by the end of the month, but continued to face injuries and minimal ice time throughout the rest of the year’s first half. With routine absences at the forefront of his season, Buffalo opted to waive Aube-Kubel, allowing New York to step up as the hopeful beneficiary. After netting two points in 19 games with Buffalo, the 29-year-old Aube-Kubel tacked on three scoreless games with the Rangers and one goal in three games with the Wolf Pack. It was a year to forget, but New York will hold the right to priority negotiations for a player who was once an impactful fourth-liner on the 2022 Stanley Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche. Aube-Kubel has 80 points in 304 NHL games across his career.

D Calvin de Haan – Defender Calvin de Haan was also limited in minutes this year, starting his year out on the Colorado Avalanche’s bottom-pairing before being moved to the Rangers ahead of the Trade Deadline. He appeared in just three games with New York, and managed one point and a plus-four. De Haan spoke publicly multiple times about his frustrations with not receiving ice time, even as the Rangers sustained multiple losses in a row – but his season nonetheless ended with minimal action. Of all of their pending free agents, de Haan seems like the likeliest to part with the Rangers this summer.

Other UFAs: F Riley Nash, F Alex Belzile, F Bo Groulx, D Chad Ruhwedel, D Ben Harpur, G Louis Domingue

Projected Cap Space

New York will enter the off-season with a projected $14.92MM in cap space. That should be more than enough to sign Miller and Cuylle to hardy deals that ensure their place in the next generation of the Rangers, while still leaving some space to bring back fourth-line fixtures Edstrom and Rempe. But those additions could quickly price the Rangers out of any notable moves on the open market, even after the team traded Chris Kreider’s full salary cap to the Anaheim Ducks for a no-cost return. That lack of flexibility could push the team to make some more cap-clearing moves before July 1st.

Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia. Photo courtesy of Danny Wild-Imagn Images.

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