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Snapshots: Penguins Ownership, Canucks, Pradel

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A few days ago, a report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggested that a new prospective owner for the Pittsburgh Penguins had emerged in the Hoffmann Family of Companies. In a subsequent report from Jason Mackey and Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the two allege that there’s much more smoke than previously believed.

According to the article and the multiple sources listed, the Hoffmann Family has a decisive lead on the other interested group led by Mario Lemieux, and may have already encouraged the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) to sell their entire stake in the Penguins since the Hoffmann Family is willing to pay the $1.75BB, on line with Forbes’ valuation of the franchise. There has been considerable secrecy throughout the sale process. Still, the sources listed by Mackey and Vensel believe that the Hoffmann Family has already signed a letter of intent with FSG.

It’s important to note that a letter of intent doesn’t necessarily confirm a sale. It simply allows the interested party an exclusive negotiating window and allows them a deeper look into the organization’s financials in good faith. Still, if the Hoffmann Family is seriously considering the full $1.75BB price for the Penguins, it’ll be hard for another buyer to come forward with a better offer.

Additional snapshots:

  • Drawing nearer to the start of training camp and preseason, the Vancouver Canucks announced a few changes to their Hockey Operations department. In a public announcement, General Manager Patrik Allvin revealed three significant staff changes: Brian Hamilton has been promoted to Head Equipment Manager, Ian Beckenstein has been appointed as the Video Coach, and Taylor Phillips has taken on the role of Executive Assistant of Hockey Operations. In terms of outside hires, the team brought in Evan Mathias as the Assistant Video Coach.
  • Recent draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings, Michal Pradel, will remain with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm for another year rather than join the WHL’s Regina Pats. According to a report from Kevin Allen of DET Hockey Now, Pradel will stay with the Storm so that he can play under the tutelage of former Red Wings Assistant Coach John Torchetti, who was named Tri-City’s new head coach this offseason. Although he spent much of the year in his native Slovakia, Pradel appeared in 14 games for the Storm last season, securing a 9-4-0 record with a .899 SV% and 2.41 GAA.

Mason Morelli Signs With KHL’s Barys Astana

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Forward Mason Morelli has signed with Barys Astana, Kazakhstan’s representative in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, according to a KHL press release. It’s a one-year deal.

Morelli, 29, got into NHL games with the Golden Knights each of the past two seasons. He made 10 appearances over the pair of campaigns, scoring four points and a -3 rating. Only one of those appearances came last year; the other nine were in 2023-24. He averaged 10:26 of ice time per game and controlled just 42.2% of shot attempts at even strength.

The 6’1″, 201-lb lefty was never drafted and only landed his first NHL contract, a two-year, two-way deal with Vegas, after four years on AHL deals with the Stockton Heat and Hershey Bears. The North Dakota native played primarily for the Henderson Silver Knights during his time in the Vegas organization, scoring 48 points in 104 games for them while primarily serving in a checking role. He served as an alternate captain for the minor-league club last year.

While a fine call-up option for fourth-line minutes, Morelli is likely looking for more stability and a potentially larger paycheck at this stage of his career than a two-way NHL contract provides. He’ll look to achieve both those objectives with Barys, which has been busy scooping up North American talent in the past few weeks as KHL training camps get underway. He was an unrestricted free agent after that two-way deal with the Knights expired.

Morelli becomes the sixth player on Astana’s roster with NHL experience, joining Ian McCoshen, Olivier Rodrigue, Tyce Thompson, Mike Vecchione, and Reilly Walsh.

Blackhawks Sign Frank Nazar To Seven-Year Extension

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The Blackhawks have officially announced a seven-year extension for pending RFA forward Frank Nazar. The deal will pay him an AAV and cap hit of $6.59MM for a total value of $46.13MM. The deal is paid entirely in base salary and is as follows, per PuckPedia:

2026-27: $9.1MM
2027-28: $8.66MM
2028-29: $6.6MM
2029-30: $5.46MM
2030-31: $5.46MM
2031-32: $5.46MM + 20-team no-trade clause
2032-33: $5.46MM + 20-team no-trade clause

It’s a gargantuan commitment to the 21-year-old Nazar considering his lack of NHL experience. The 2022 No. 13 overall pick lands the richest total-value contract in league history for someone with 56 or fewer career appearances, which is Nazar’s tally entering the 2025-26 campaign.

Nazar, who still has one year left on his entry-level contract before his extension will kick in for 2026-27, has yet to spend an entire season on the NHL roster. Last year was his first full run in the pros after two years at the University of Michigan, although he made his NHL debut in the final three games of 2023-24 after signing his ELC. He did not make the Blackhawks’ opening night roster but, after recording 11 goals and 24 points in 21 games for AHL Rockford, was recalled in mid-December shortly after Chicago’s coaching change and never looked back.

He faltered out of the gate, recording only one assist and a -5 rating through his first 10 appearances while averaging 14:44 of ice time per game. But under interim head coach Anders Sörenson, who had overseen his early-season success in Rockford, he was extended some patience. That paid off in the long run as Nazar built confidence, including a four-game point streak in January and a run of nine points in eight games in April to end the season.

All told, Nazar finished the season with a 12-14–26 scoring line 53 games – ninth on the team – and averaged nearly 16 minutes per game. While size concerns (5’10”, 190 lbs) created some detractors about his ability to hold down his natural center position in the NHL, he saw a fair amount of time as Chicago’s second-line middleman behind Connor Bedard. His most common deployment (107 minutes) amid an astronomical 91 different line combinations used by the Hawks last year was at 2C between Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teräväinen, although he did also see some time up on Bedard’s wing.

Nazar was seen as a top-10 threat in the 2022 class, but after slipping to Chicago and missing most of his freshman year at Michigan due to injury, there were warranted doubts about his development path. He silenced them quickly with a point-per-game sophomore showing for the Wolverines and has made about as good an adjustment to pro hockey as can be expected, given the lack of quality veteran support on the Hawks’ NHL roster.

A long-term bet at what’s even now a conservative second-line price point in 2025 could pay incredible dividends for the Blackhawks if he remains a long-term top-six piece, even if it’s on the wing, as the cap increases and they reward the other pieces of their young core with long-term deals. There’s also an incredible risk factor for someone still relatively early on their development track with less than a full season’s worth of NHL experience.

The only recent comparable for someone with his experience is Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov, who signed a five-year, $45MM contract after his rookie season (55 GP). Kaprizov, however, had far more professional experience after coming up through Russia’s KHL and was two years older than Nazar is now, making him a more projectable player. Kaprizov also took home the Calder Trophy that year and had twice the offensive output Nazar did.

As such, the Blackhawks are betting hard on Nazar being a long-term solution, either as a wingman for Bedard or as a second-line center behind him. There’s certainly reason for optimism – he’s developed well and is coming off a spectacular World Championship showing with the United States that earned him a spot at their Olympic orientation camp. He’ll be under contract through the 2032-33 season and can walk to unrestricted free agency upon expiry.

Getting Nazar’s extension out of the way now isn’t just about him, though. Chicago has two other big-ticket RFAs next summer – Bedard and new No. 1 goalie Spencer Knight – who will take serious resources to extend. They still have barely over $40MM in allocated cap hits for 2026-27, though, leaving them with virtually unlimited spending power under a projected $104MM cap.

Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet first reported the Blackhawks were signing Nazar to a seven-year extension. Bleacher Report’s Frank Seravalli reported a more accurate cap hit in the $6.6MM range.

List Of 2025 Signing Rights Expiring August 15

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Aug. 21: As PuckPedia notes, there’s a technicality in college free agency – the player does not become a UFA automatically; they have to submit paperwork declaring their free agency before their respective team actually loses their signing rights. Only 12 of the players below have actually completed that process. Those are Schmaltz (BOS), Hreschuk (CBJ), Bar (DAL), Campbell (NSH), Reid (NSH), Berg (NYI), Karpa (NYR), Spitserov (SJS), Gagne (TBL), Aucoin (TBL), Fusco (TOR), Kunz (VAN) AND Johnson (WSH). The remainder of the players listed below remain property of their draft teams for now, but are eligible to declare free agency at any time. Of the 12 players who have declared UFA status, only Gagne has signed an NHL contract with a different club.

July 9: Every year on August 15, NHL-drafted prospects coming out of the NCAA with at least four years of experience become free agents if they don’t sign entry-level contracts. That’s the easiest way to distill the lengthy fine print around expiring draft rights regarding collegiate players, which will be phased out in favor of uniform signing windows across leagues in the newly ratified Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Regardless, many players from the early 2020s draft classes who chose the college route and have yet to sign ELCs are slated to become UFAs in a few weeks’ time. Here’s the list of this year’s relevant players, courtesy of PuckPedia. An asterisk denotes the player is remaining in the organization for 2025-26 or beyond on an AHL contract. Each player’s initial draft position is noted in parentheses.

Anaheim Ducks: D Will Francis* (2019, 6-163)

Boston Bruins: F Jake Schmaltz* (2019, 7-192), D Ty Gallagher* (2021, 7-217)

Buffalo Sabres: F Matteo Costantini* (2020, 5-131)

Calgary Flames: D Jake Boltmann (2020, 3-80)

Carolina Hurricanes: none

Chicago Blackhawks: F Dominic James (2022, 6-173)

Colorado Avalanche: D Hank Kempf* (2021, 7-208 by NYR)

Columbus Blue Jackets: D Aidan Hreschuk (2021, 3-94 by CAR)

Dallas Stars: D Jack Bar (2021, 5-138)

Detroit Red Wings: F Red Savage (2021, 4-114)

Edmonton Oilers: F Matt Copponi* (2023, 7-216), F Joel Maatta (2022, 7-222), F Tomas Mazura (2019, 6-162), D Luca Munzenberger (2021, 3-90)

Florida Panthers: none

Los Angeles Kings: F Jack Hughes* (2022, 2-51), D Braden Doyle (2019, 6-157)

Minnesota Wild: none

Montreal Canadiens: none

Nashville Predators: F Chase McLane (2020, 7-209), F Isak Walther (2019, 6-179), D Luke Reid (2020, 6-166)

New Jersey Devils: none

New York Islanders: F Cameron Berg* (2021, 4-125)

New York Rangers: F Zakary Karpa* (2022, 6-191)

Ottawa Senators: none

Philadelphia Flyers: none

Pittsburgh Penguins: none

San Jose Sharks: F Timofey Spitserov (2020, 7-210)

Seattle Kraken: F Justin Janicke* (2021, 7-195)

St. Louis Blues: none

Tampa Bay Lightning: D Kyle Aucoin (2020, 6-156 by DET), D Alex Gagne (2021, 6-192)

Toronto Maple Leafs: F Wyatt Schingoethe (2020, 7-195), D John Fusco (2020, 7-189), D Mike Koster (2019, 5-146)

Utah Mammoth: none

Vancouver Canucks: F Jackson Kunz* (2020, 4-113)

Vegas Golden Knights: F Ryder Donovan (2019, 4-110)

Washington Capitals: D Brent Johnson (2021, 3-80)

Winnipeg Jets: none

Wild Making Progress In Contract Talks With Marco Rossi

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One way or another, it looks like RFA center Marco Rossi won’t be in limbo for much longer. After reports this morning indicated the Canucks and Kraken had shown renewed interest in trading for his signing rights, the Wild now made “significant progress” in talks to re-sign him and keep him in Minnesota, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic.

It’s not expected to be a long-term pact of any sort if it gets across the finish line, Russo relays, indicative of the two sides’ hesitancy to commit to each other over the past few months. After breaking out for 60 points and playing all 82 games in 2024-25, upping his rookie season production by 50%, Wild head coach John Hynes demoted Rossi to fourth-line duties during their first-round playoff loss to the Golden Knights. That prefaced a summer where general manager Bill Guerin’s focus was seemingly set on trading the young pivot rather than keeping him in the fold, looking to leverage him for a more experienced middleman.

There was an effective months-long moratorium on actual contract negotiations between Guerin and Rossi’s camp, led by The Will Sports Group’s Ian Pulver, with new talks likely kicking off only within the last couple of weeks. Rossi can only sign a deal up to three years in length to remain a restricted free agent upon expiry – a four-year commitment would make him UFA-eligible at the earliest possible point in 2029.

The Wild haven’t had many forwards in Rossi’s age range come up through their system in recent years, so it’s hard to gauge precedent. In applicable situations, Guerin and the Wild have tended to go long-term with who they perceive as core pieces, so zeroing in on a bridge pact is a notable departure that continues to signify his long-term future in Minnesota is anything but guaranteed. Minnesota’s other top-six center, Joel Eriksson Ek, was an RFA at age 24 coming off a two-year bridge and signed an eight-year pact. Defenseman Brock Faber got an eight-year extension last summer, before he even wrapped up his entry-level deal.

If there’s a desirable trade still to be had for the Wild involving Rossi, applying some cost certainty to him for the next year or two could end up boosting their odds of getting the deal across the finish line. Earlier in the summer, Rossi’s desire for a long-term contract in the $7MM range annually was the principal hold-up in talks, along with only a limited number of teams being willing to part with a top-six forward piece in kind to acquire him.

Locking in a bridge deal would remove one of those factors. It’s still up to Guerin to decide whether playoff success this season is a more realistic endeavor with Rossi in the fold compared to any of his potential replacements via trade, but the obstacles to finding the 2020 No. 9 overall pick a long-term home would be easier to overcome.

Will The Red Wings Finally Return To The Playoffs?

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The Red Wings haven’t made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season and are hoping to break their nine-year drought this year. They came close to snapping the streak in 2023-24, finishing fifth in the Atlantic Division with 91 points, but took a step back last season, falling to sixth in the division and 86 points. This summer, they identified goaltending as an area of concern and quickly traded for veteran netminder John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks.

Detroit also made a series of depth signings that they hope will close the gap between missing the postseason and making it. It’s hard to say whether general manager Steve Yzerman did enough to get the Red Wings over the hump, but it’s fair to say he was conservative in his approach, opting to steer clear of the heavy bidding in free agency for top-end talent. Whether that was by design or a case of circumstance is unknown, but Yzerman wasn’t able to land any big names, despite a great deal of cap space available.

Yzerman’s big move was acquiring Gibson, and he will likely team him up with fellow veteran Cam Talbot to give Detroit what they hope will be reliable goaltending. The Red Wings haven’t had a top-tier starter in quite some time, and they probably won’t rely solely on Gibson, as he’s more of a 1B option at this stage of his career. Outside of last season, he hasn’t been great since before the pandemic in 2020. Gibson’s struggles in Anaheim were well documented, and he remained with the Ducks through a significant rebuild despite their attempts to move him.

Gibson had trade protection, but his declining play over the past few seasons naturally reduced his trade value. Last season, Gibson finally posted a positive goal saved above expected at 15.3 (as per MoneyPuck). However, from 2019-24, he tallied a cumulative -60.8 goals saved above expected, which hurt his value on the trade market. If Detroit gets the 2019 to 2024 version of Gibson, it could be very problematic and might even jeopardize their season unless Talbot performs significantly better than expected. But if Gibson proves last year wasn’t a fluke and he’s recaptured his earlier form, he could be the key to helping Detroit close the gap.

From a salary cap perspective, the Red Wings facilitated the Gibson move by trading Petr Mrázek as part of the deal with Anaheim, as well as dealing Vladimir Tarasenko to the Wild in a separate agreement for future considerations. Tarasenko wasn’t a great fit in Detroit and doesn’t have good foot speed at this stage of his career. He scored just 11 goals and 22 assists last season, so his offensive output shouldn’t be too hard to replace.

Detroit hopes Mason Appleton can fill the offensive gap left by Tarasenko at a lower cost. The Red Wings signed the 29-year-old forward to a two-year, $5.8MM contract, expecting him to fit into the third line and add depth scoring. Appleton is only a year removed from a 36-point season with the Winnipeg Jets, and if he can return to that level, he will be a bargain. However, if he replicates last year’s form, at a $2.9MM cap hit, it might be hard to justify the price.

Appleton controls the puck frequently and is good at handling challenging defensive situations, but he doesn’t do a lot with the puck when he has it, so expecting him to replace Tarasenko might be a tall order. He scored 10 goals and 12 assists in 71 games last season, numbers that align more with his career averages, making those a more likely estimate of his production.

Up front, Detroit also added James van Riemsdyk and John Leonard. Leonard hasn’t played much in the NHL since a 44-game stint with San Jose during the 2020-21 season and probably won’t be a significant factor for Detroit this season. Conversely, van Riemsdyk has offered offensive value at a low cost over the past two seasons and should deliver a good return on his one-year $1MM contract. His 34 even-strength points last season are promising, and he remains a solid net-front presence despite being 36 years old. If van Riemsdyk can produce another 30-point season, he will effectively replace Tarasenko’s point production at less than 25% of the salary.

The remaining additions Detroit made this summer focused on the back end, as the Red Wings acquired a pair of former Ottawa Senators in Jacob Bernard-Docker and Travis Hamonic, along with Ian Mitchell. Bernard-Docker was a first-round pick by the Sens in 2018 but hasn’t been able to establish himself beyond a seventh defenseman. He will have every chance to do so in Detroit, as the Red Wings have a significant gap on the right side of their defense behind Moritz Seider, and Bernard-Docker could compete for one of those roles with Justin Holl, Albert Johansson, and Hamonic. Johansson, being a left-shot defenseman, could make a transition to the right side an issue, but given Detroit’s lack of depth, it might be their best option.

Speaking of Hamonic, his signing last week was somewhat unexpected, considering he isn’t particularly effective and seemed headed for a PTO this offseason. As PHR’s Josh Erickson noted at the time of the signing, “Ottawa was outscored 77-44 and out-chanced 787-635 with Hamonic on the ice at 5-on-5 in the last two years.” These figures raise concerns about whether Hamonic is to be part of Detroit’s NHL lineup, which could indicate that they have not effectively bolstered their defensive depth.

In terms of roster losses, aside from Tarasenko, the Red Wings didn’t lose much, as Alex Lyon, Jeff Petry, Craig Smith, and Tyler Motte left town. The team can easily replace these departing veterans with plenty of young talent and new faces ready to take over the roles those players held. While this summer can hardly be called a failure, it wasn’t exactly a homerun either. Detroit improved its goaltending, but Gibson isn’t a guarantee, and the defense in front of him isn’t much better than last year’s. Yzerman is counting on significant growth from young players this season, but that might not be enough to push Detroit to the next level.

Red Wings fans were probably disappointed by the lack of a high-profile signing this summer, but Detroit still has nearly $12MM in cap space (as per PuckPedia) and can make a move if it chooses to. All that to say, Yzerman not managing to lure one of the top free agents to Detroit will be seen as a failure if the team misses the playoffs again, and it might even cost him his job if necessary steps aren’t taken in the right direction.

Photo by Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports.

Canucks, Kraken Re-Engaging In Marco Rossi Trade Talks With Wild

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While previous reports indicated the Canucks and Kraken both had interest in acquiring Wild restricted free agent center Marco Rossi at various points during the offseason, talks have been quiet for weeks now after Minnesota didn’t land the type of offers they wanted. However, with less than a month now until training camp, they’re now restating their interest in acquiring him if “contract talks between Rossi and the Wild reach a point of no return,” a league source told RG’s James Murphy. Neither club has had intensive talks with Minnesota since mid-July at the latest, the source added.

Wild general manager Bill Guerin spoke to Murphy last week and gave a rather cliché non-update on talks with both Rossi and pending UFA superstar Kirill Kaprizov, saying there were “no real updates” on either player. The two sides haven’t had serious contract discussions since June, leaving them with little time to work out a new deal if a trade doesn’t come to fruition in the next few weeks. The latter outcome is undoubtedly the preferred outcome for both sides at this point, given how the summer has transpired, but that’s been difficult too with Rossi’s desire for a lucrative long-term commitment and the Wild’s need for a top-six forward coming the other way to stay competitive.

For those reasons, the Kraken seem like a better match on paper. As Murphy’s piece pointed out, Seattle has a nearly perfect veteran to offer to satiate Minnesota’s particular desires in Jared McCann, who they were reportedly open to moving last month.

McCann has been a staple atop Seattle’s roll-four-lines attack over the last four years as one of the crown jewels of their expansion draft haul. While he’s spent more time on the wing for the Kraken as his career has progressed, he has plenty of experience down the middle and could feasibly be a direct replacement for Rossi on the depth chart to join Joel Eriksson Ek as the Wild’s top-six pivots. The 29-year-old rattled off 61 points in 82 games last season, but that was actually his lowest per-game output since his first year in Seattle. He’s also due to reach unrestricted free agency in 2027.

While Seattle has a multitude of other veteran forwards slated to hit the open market next summer, there’s likely still an appetite from general manager Jason Botterill to better align the age of their forwards on longer-term deals to match their timeline to emerge as perennial playoff contenders – still a year or two away. Rossi, who put up a nearly identical scoring line to McCann last season and is more comfortable down the middle, would be more expensive to sign than McCann’s current $5MM cap hit but is nearly six years younger. Now entering his age-24 season, he’d be giving Seattle his prime in the middle of a cost-certain deal as the cap rises if they reached a long-term commitment out of the gate.

It’s harder to see how the Canucks could put together a competitive offer for Rossi. He would be an offensive improvement over their current young second-line piece, Filip Chytil, but his concussion history means he’s not likely to move the needle for Guerin, especially if McCann is a realistic option.

It’s also worth noting that the Kraken and Wild have already connected on a trade this summer. Seattle picked up center Frédérick Gaudreau in exchange for the 102nd overall pick in this year’s draft, which Minnesota used on skilled but undersized pivot Adam Benák.

Auston Matthews Addresses Marner Trade, Maple Leafs Trajectory

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Speaking publicly for the first time since long-time teammate Mitch Marner was traded, Toronto Maple Leafs all-star forward Auston Matthews shared his thoughts on the departure of his now former teammate. Matthews said the team will “obviously miss” Marner’s presence and referred to him as a great friend and teammate, per a video by TSN.

“That’s kind of the business side of it that is tough. Obviously, I wish him nothing but the best. But we’ll just keep it moving,” Matthews said.

Marner was acquired by the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade deal, resulting in an eight-year, $96MM deal. And while Marner’s time in Toronto ended on a sour note, there’s no denying that his departure leaves a significant void in the Leafs’ lineup from an offensive production standpoint. Just last season, Marner produced a career-high 102 points. While Matthews alluded to an abundance of changes being made to the lineup, he noted his excitement for the team’s chances heading into the 2025-26 season.

“Obviously, a lot of changes, but I’m excited about the guys we’ve brought in. I know we have a great team and a great group of guys in the locker room. So, I’m looking forward to getting started. Guys are going to have to take some steps, but it’s a good problem to have,” he said.

The Leafs added a series of depth players this offseason. They added forward Nicholas Roy in the Marner deal. In separate trades, they acquired forwards Dakota Joshua and Matias Maccelli for draft picks, as well as defenseman Henry Thrun from the Sharks in exchange for forward Ryan Reaves. In free agency, the team signed forwards Travis Boyd, Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Vinni Lettieri, and Michael Pezzetta, as well as defenseman Dakota Mermis. The team also signed forward Matthew Knies to a six-year, $46.5MM extension. Matthews said his mindset is the same heading into this season as in seasons past, noting that despite new faces on the roster, the goal of the franchise will remain the same.

Matthews also gave a brief but reassuring update on his health heading into training camp, responding simply, ’Good,’ when asked how he was feeling. He missed 15 games last season and revealed in May that he had been dealing with a “mystery” ailment that affected him throughout both the regular season and playoffs. His quick response now appears to put to rest any lingering concerns about the issue carrying over into the new season.

Mika Zibanejad Embraces Move To Wing

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For a team in transition — including a new head coach in Mike Sullivan and the trade of longtime fan-favorite Chris Kreider — the New York Rangers are also looking to determine what position former 90-point forward Mika Zibanejad will play this upcoming season.

NHL.com’s Dan Rosen reports that Zibanejad will likely start training camp as a right wing alongside center J.T. Miller. As Rosen outlines, Zibanejad and Sullivan met in the player’s native Sweden, where Zibanejad expressed both his developing chemistry with Miller and his desire to continue playing alongside him.

“As part of that conversation, one of the things he expressed to me is even though he lined up on the wing on the face-offs, he felt they were interchangeable in the sense that they could read off each other,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan added that both players are comfortable handling faceoffs regardless of their position on the ice and playing down low in the defensive zone. To that point, Zibanejad won faceoffs last season at a 52 percent clip, one of the highest marks of his career. However, that percentage pales in comparison to Miller’s 54.3 percent career win rate, which included a 57.6 percent mark last year. Both players have also established themselves as effective penalty killers with the ability to score shorthanded goals.

And while Sullivan acknowledged a desire for Zibanejad and Miller to continue building on their pre-existing chemistry, he also noted that each centering their own line, along with Vincent Trocheck, could create a solid foundation for the top three lines.

“Those are three pretty high-quality centermen,” Sullivan said. “I think it’s going to play itself out, but certainly the conversations I’ve had with Mika to this point I would envision us exploring keeping Mika with J.T.”

Zibanejad played in all 82 games last season, recording his fifth consecutive 20-goal campaign. However, his 62 points were his lowest total since the injury-shortened 2020-21 season. The 32-year-old also produced a -22 rating (the second lowest of his career), and his average ice time of 18:46 per game was his lowest since the 2017-18 season.

Zibanejad has spent nine seasons in the Big Apple and currently ranks eighth all-time in franchise history in goals (250) and points (589). He’s also tied for sixth in franchise history with 11 shorthanded goals and tied for second with seven hat tricks.

However, the forward isn’t just a franchise fixture. He continues to produce and is only two seasons removed from a 39-goal, 91-point campaign. A return to that form, whether at center or on the wing, would go a long way toward the franchise’s goal of returning to contention.

Mammoth’s Connor Ingram Cleared By NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program

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August 20th: Goaltender Connor Ingram has been cleared by the NHLPA to return to the NHL per Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune. He will return to the Utah roster looking to earn the advantage back from Karel Vejmelka, who posted a 9-6-3 record and .889 save percentage in 18 games after Ingram stepped away. Both goaltenders have years of NHL experience behind them, and strong cases for manning Utah’s starting role next season.

March 9th: Utah goaltender Connor Ingram entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program today and will be out indefinitely, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports. In a corresponding move, the club recalled netminder Jaxson Stauber from AHL Tucson earlier Sunday.

Ingram, now 27, missed most of the 2020-21 season after entering the program while a member of the Predators organization. He later told NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin that he sought help after dealing with undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder throughout his career. After moving to the Coyotes in the 2022 offseason, he emerged as their starter for the 2023-24 campaign and won the Masterton Trophy for the “player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey” after a 23-win, six-shutout campaign.

Now the No. 2 option to Karel Vejmelka in Utah, Ingram missed over a month with the team initially termed an upper-body injury earlier in the season. Upon his return, he informed reporters his mother had passed away and, understandably, took extended time off (via Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune).

In 22 starts for the Club this season, Ingram has a 9-8-4 record, .882 SV%, and a 3.27 GAA. The 25-year-old Stauber has done quite well when called upon to elevate from his minor-league starting role, posting a .925 SV% and 2.23 GAA in four appearances earlier this season.

All of us at Pro Hockey Rumors wish Ingram the best as he takes time away from the lineup. He’ll be eligible to return to play upon the determination of program administrators.

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