October is almost upon us with the regular season fast approaching. As is often the case at this time of year, contracts dominate the discussion and this week was no exception with a trio of deals being highlighted in our key stories.
McTavish Signs: For a while, the Ducks and RFA center Mason McTavish were believed to be well apart in contract talks. However, the two sides had a breakthrough, agreeing to a six-year, $42MM contract. The 22-year-old is coming off his best season, one that saw him notch 22 goals and 30 assists in 76 games. With the signing, McTavish is now tied for the highest AAV among Anaheim forwards, joining Troy Terry and Mikael Granlund. The deal will keep McTavish, a key piece of Anaheim’s future plans, in the fold through his prime years but only buys two extra years of club control, allowing McTavish to hit the open market when he’s only 28.
Toronto Goalies: It was an eventful week for Maple Leafs netminders. Joseph Woll has taken an indefinite leave of absence to tend to a family matter, calling into question his availability to start the season. With that in mind, Toronto has brought in veteran James Reimer on a PTO deal; if signed, he could either start as the backup or serve as recallable depth in the minors. Lastly, Anthony Stolarz, the other half of last year’s goalie duo, will be sticking around for a while as he signed a four-year, $15MM extension which will begin next season. The 31-year-old had a career year last season, posting a 2.14 GAA and a .926 SV% in 32 games with the Maple Leafs with that appearance total also representing a career high. Toronto’s goalie tandem is now locked up at less than $7.5MM per season through 2027-28 (and is just under $6.2MM this season with Stolarz still on his current contract).
Barkov Out Long-Term: Already without top-line winger Matthew Tkachuk for the first few months of the season, the Panthers will be playing the 2025-26 campaign without their top center. Aleksander Barkov was injured in practice, suffering injuries to his ACL and MCL, requiring surgery which will keep him out for seven to nine months. The 30-year-old has averaged more than a point per game in six of the last seven seasons while being the two-time reigning Selke Trophy winner as the NHL’s best defensive forward. At a minimum, Barkov will miss the entire regular season while if his recovery period goes to the long end of that timeline, he might not be available at all in the playoffs either as they look to win their third straight Stanley Cup title.
Podkolzin Signs, Steps Away: It was a bit of a whirlwind 24 hours for Oilers winger Vasily Podkolzin. First, he signed a three-year, $8.85MM contract extension that runs through the 2028-29 season. Acquired after Dylan Holloway’s offer sheet wasn’t matched, Podkolzin had a strong first year in Edmonton, picking up 24 points in the regular season before adding 10 more in 22 playoff contests. However, that same day, his father passed away. As a result, Podkolzin has taken a leave of absence to return to his native Russia and there is no timeline for his return.
Three For Fowler: Cam Fowler made an immediate impact for St. Louis after they acquired him from Anaheim back in December. He’ll now have the chance to make a longer-term impact as the Blues have signed him to a three-year, $18.3MM contract extension, keeping him signed until July 2029 when he’ll be approaching his 38th birthday. Following the swap, Fowler picked up 36 points in 51 games while logging nearly 22 minutes a night on a back end that dealt with some injuries last season. He was even more impactful in the playoffs, leading the team in scoring with 10 points in seven games. Maintaining that type of production is unlikely but Fowler should be in a position to be a key contributor on their back end for a while now.
Photo courtesy of Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images.