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Five Key Stories: 5/19/25 – 5/25/25

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As the playoffs role on, most teams are onto their offseason to-do lists.  Not surprisingly, the bulk of the key stories from the past seven days come from the contract front beyond the United States picking up their first World Championship gold medal since 1933.

Extension For Sweeney: After executing Boston’s biggest selloff at the trade deadline in quite a while, Don Sweeney will get a chance to build the Bruins back up after he signed a two-year contract extension.  Originally signed through next season, he is now under contract through the 2027-28 campaign.  Sweeney has been at the helm in Boston since 2015 and this is only the second time in his tenure that Boston missed the playoffs.  The Bruins have more than $26MM in flexibility this summer, per PuckPedia, putting Sweeney in a position where he can be more aggressive than usual in terms of adding to his roster in the coming weeks.

Blue Jackets Open To Moving Top Picks: After narrowly missing the playoffs, it appears that the Blue Jackets are willing to make a splash on the trade front.  GM Don Waddell revealed that he is 100% willing to move both of his first-round picks in the right deal.  Columbus holds the 14th selection (their own) and the 20th pick (previously acquired from Minnesota).  That gives them some ammunition to try to move up closer to the top ten or perhaps to try to acquire a player who fits within the age of their core group that still has some club control remaining.  If they don’t find a trade fit, one of the NHL’s deeper prospect pools will get a lot stronger.

Blashill To Blackhawks: One of the head coaching vacancies has been filled with the Blackhawks hiring Tampa Bay assistant Jeff Blashill as their next bench boss.  He takes over for Anders Sorensen who finished the season in an interim role although it’s expected he’ll remain on the staff as an assistant moving forward alongside Michael Peca who comes over from the Rangers.  This is Blashill’s second stint as an NHL head coach after spending seven seasons in that role with Detroit.  The Red Wings were at the end of their long playoff run at the time and Blashill’s teams only made the postseason once while playing to a 204-261-72 record overall.  With Chicago looking to take a step or two forward toward becoming more competitive, Blashill should be able to do just that over the next few years.

Sabres Gauging Byram’s Market: Sabres blueliner Bowen Byram has been in trade speculation off and on over his brief tenure with Buffalo and it appears that talk is on again following a report that suggests they’re gauging what his trade value might be.  The 23-year-old is coming off a career year offensively that saw him put up 38 points while also playing in all 82 games for the first time.  The timing of that was great for him as he’s a restricted free agent this summer with arbitration eligibility, putting him in line for a significant increase on the $3.85MM per year he made on his bridge deal.  Accordingly, it appears the Sabres are looking to see if a trade might be a better option over making the third high-paid defender behind Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.

Islanders Hire Darche: The Islanders have found their replacement for Lou Lamoriello as they have named Mathieu Darche as their next general manager and executive vice president of hockey operations.  Darche had been part of Tampa Bay’s front office for the past six years, including spending the last two as an assistant GM.  He’ll now be tasked with reshaping a New York group that has been near the middle in recent years, either just making or missing the playoffs.  They also spoke to Brendan Shanahan about a role in their front office before Toronto officially announced that they won’t be renewing his contract but with Darche getting the dual title, it doesn’t appear that Shanahan will be joining the Isles.

Photo courtesy of Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports.

Snapshots: Brown, Hintz, Koppanen

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Oilers winger Connor Brown left today’s victory over Dallas with an upper-body injury.  He was injured late in the second period on a hit from Alex Petrovic.  Speaking with reporters postgame (video link), head coach Kris Knoblauch indicated that there was no immediate update on Brown’s status.  The 31-year-old has been a quality secondary scorer in the playoffs with five goals and three assists in 14 games despite being questionable for a few games with another injury.  If Brown isn’t available for Tuesday’s matchup, one of Viktor Arvidsson or Jeff Skinner would likely take his place in the lineup.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • With Roope Hintz being a late scratch against Edmonton, Stars head coach Peter DeBoer was asked after today’s game about his status. He noted (video link) that the center wasn’t particularly close to being able to play and had he been close, he would have played.  Hintz took the pregame warmup but left only a few minutes in and DeBoer’s comments appear to call into question Hintz’s potential availability on Tuesday.  Hintz has five goals and six assists through 15 playoff games, good for a share of second in team scoring heading into today’s loss.
  • Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review suggests that pending UFA winger Joona Koppanen would be wise to move on in free agency this summer in a move that could work well for him and the Penguins. The 27-year-old played in 11 games with Pittsburgh this season, scoring once while adding 23 points in 56 AHL contests with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  While Koppanen can kill penalties, Kyle Dubas tends to prefer a lot of depth which could put him further down the depth chart if he were to re-sign compared to some other teams where a path to a recall could be easier to reach.

Offseason Checklist: Vancouver Canucks

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The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t taking part in the playoffs plus those already eliminated through the first couple of rounds.  Accordingly, it’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at Vancouver.

While there were some questions about the Canucks heading into the season despite a solid showing in 2023-24, this past season was a strange one.  From struggles to injuries to in-fighting, the team never found its footing, missed the playoffs, and couldn’t come to terms with Rick Tocchet on a contract extension, leading to a coaching change with Adam Foote being promoted into the top job.  Even with that item checked off, GM Patrik Allvin has some work to do in the coming months.

Add Impact Center

With the J.T. Miller situation coming to a head midseason, the Canucks were able to get a center back as part of the return in Filip Chytil.  But with all due respect to Chytil, the two players are at considerably different levels.  One has been a recent top liner, the other more of a middle-six piece with a concerning concussion history.   If they were mapping out more of their ideal center situation, Chytil would probably head into next season as a third liner.  They have Elias Pettersson locked up long-term (more on him shortly) but there’s still a need for a top-six middleman.

In terms of internal options, Aatu Raty should be a full-time NHL player soon but he’s more of a bottom-six option himself.   Dakota Joshua and Teddy Blueger are capable bottom-six pieces but don’t produce enough to be a top-six piece.  Pius Suter acquitted himself quite well this season and stepped into a bigger role, scoring 25 goals.  However, he’s a pending unrestricted free agent and his market should be much stronger than it was two years ago when the Canucks got him on a low-cost deal that proved to be quite the bargain.  Basically, there is no internal option beyond hoping Chytil can stay healthy and find a level he has yet to reach offensively.

Team president Jim Rutherford suggested earlier this month that the team might look to get the bulk of its spending done before free agency opens up.  Accordingly, they may be intending on trying to acquire another middleman via a trade, a lofty goal considering few impact centers are typically made available.  Unless the Canucks are looking to make another core-shaking swap, they may have some difficulty finding a fit in a trade.

The good news is that, at least for now, the UFA market down the middle is a bit deeper than usual.  There are short-term options like John Tavares and Claude Giroux on expiring deals.  Matt Duchene, Brock Nelson, Mikael Granlund, and Ryan Donato could plausibly command multi-year agreements though nothing overly long-term.  Sam Bennett will land a lucrative long-term deal that probably won’t age the greatest but he’s out there too.  It’s never easy to add a key center but the free agent route may make more sense for them to go here.

Examine Pettersson Options

Having just gone over how Vancouver already needs one top-six center, it feels a little counterintuitive to suggest they also need to look into their options with the one top-sixer they have in Pettersson.  But after the way his season went, it feels like this is something they have to look into.

The 26-year-old signed an eight-year, $92.8MM contract in early March 2024, the first season of which is now in the books.  At the time he signed the deal in 2024, he had 75 points in 62 games, a pace that would have given him a shot at a second straight 100-point season.  After that point, he limped to the finish line with just 14 points in his final 20 outings.

Unfortunately for him and the Canucks, that proved to be a sign of things to come.  This season was nothing short of disastrous.  On the ice, Pettersson put up the lowest full-season point total of his career with only 15 goals and 30 assists in 64 games.  Effectively, he was giving them second-line numbers while playing top-line minutes and making $11.6MM, making him one of the top-paid pivots in the NHL.  And, of course, there was the off-ice issue of his feud with Miller that ultimately led to the veteran being moved away while the distraction seemed to linger all season long, even after the trade.

While Pettersson’s value is far from its peak (given the contract, it might be at its worst), Allvin will still likely look into what options might exist.  As players who aren’t UFA-eligible aren’t eligible for trade protection, Pettersson still has another month and a bit without any sort of restrictions until July 1st at which point, a full no-move clause kicks in for the life of the contract.  At that point, dealing Pettersson would become harder with his ability to veto deals, something that isn’t the case for the next five weeks and change.  Getting them to retain significant salary is unlikely with seven years left on the contract but if there’s a big shakeup option out that would see them get an impact center back as part of the return, it would behoove them to look into it at the very least.

Replace Boeser

The last few months have been a little strange when it comes to winger Brock Boeser.  He looked like a strong candidate to be moved before the trade deadline with Vancouver being out of the playoff picture and the two sides not close on an extension but a move never materialized.  Allvin then took the rare step of admitting that the offers for the pending UFA were not particularly strong, a decision that some interpreted as trying to push back against a higher asking price from Boeser’s camp.

Then, at the end of the season when pending free agents generally at least say they’d like to return, Boeser stated that it was unlikely that would happen, suggesting he fully intends to hit the open market.  While there’s still time for things to change on that front – Allvin suggested as much recently – that doesn’t seem likely to happen.  Accordingly, this is an instance where the focus is likelier to shift to replacing the 28-year-old, not re-signing him.

Vancouver enters the offseason with around $16.7MM in cap space, per PuckPedia.  With no impactful restricted free agents to deal with and a handful of roster spots to fill (including a spot or two on the back end), they have enough flexibility to make at least one addition of note.  However, if their big add is down the middle, they might not be able to aim at a player in Boeser’s tier to replace him, one that’s likely to cost somewhere around the $8MM mark which might take Nikolaj Ehlers off the table.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the Canucks are looking for someone more around the $5MM range, allowing them to spend a bit of money on those final spots on the back end.  Options around that price point could include Kyle Palmieri, Jonathan Drouin, Patrick Kane, and former Canuck Andrei Kuzmenko.  To be able to afford that top tier on the wing, they’d likely have to commit to re-signing Suter as their other center before getting to July 1st.  Otherwise, who they bring in probably won’t be as good as the winger they’ll be losing.

Demko Extension Talks

This was a tough season for goaltender Thatcher Demko.  His injury from the playoffs lingered, resulting in him missing the first two months of the season and getting a pretty light workload beyond that point as he made just 23 starts.  The 29-year-old also posted a career-low .889 SV% while Kevin Lankinen, brought in early in training camp as insurance, wound up getting a five-year extension in-season, cementing him as part of the plans moving forward.

Demko is entering the final season of his contract next season and considering the year he just had, it would make sense for both sides to see how 2025-26 plays out or at least starts before entertaining the idea of an extension.  However, Rutherford made a point of saying back in April (video link) that it’s something they intend to look into:

We would like to extend him. It’s going to be a matter of how much risk is the team willing to take and how much risk is he willing to take as to the term of that contract.

Going into this season, Demko’s contract looked like a team-friendly one.  Signed at a $5MM price tag and coming off a year as a Vezina runner-up, it looked like he could be heading toward top-end territory.  Based on recent comparables, that would push his AAV past the $8MM mark on a long-term deal.  But with the uncertainty around his injury and the year he just had, Demko isn’t in a spot to command that.

While Rutherford expressed optimism that a different approach to training should help keep Demko healthy moving forward, this feels like a case where they’d likely prefer a shorter-term agreement.  Speculatively, it wouldn’t be shocking if their target price point was around the current one, keeping their combined goalie spending around the $10MM mark.  Unless Demko is worried about his struggles carrying over, it would be surprising to see something get done here but considering it’s a stated goal of the organization to work on this summer, it warrants the final spot on this list.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports.

USA Wins Gold At IIHF On Thompson’s OT Winner

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With a heroic goal from Tage Thompson in overtime, the United States beat Switzerland 1-0 to capture the country’s first gold medal in the IIHF Men’s World Hockey Championship since 1933.

As Andrew Podnieks of IIHF.com reports, Thompson beat goalie and tournament MVP Leonardo Genoni to the blocker side with 17:58 remaining in overtime to score the game’s only goal. Thompson erupted in celebration, jumping into the corner boards before being mobbed by his teammates. Unsurprisingly, Thompson was named Player of the Game. The goal was assisted by Logan Cooley and Brady Skjei.

The U.S. controlled the game and led in shots 40-25, but Genoni continued to turn aside quality scoring chances until Thompson was able to deliver the golden goal. His saves included stopping Conor Garland on a penalty shot. Incredibly, Thompson’s goal broke Genoni’s 243:27 shutout streak that spanned five games and included three consecutive shutouts.

On the other end, Boston Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman stopped every shot that came his way, backstopping his country to a gold medal. After falling 3-0 to Switzerland earlier in the tournament, the U.S. got its revenge in the rematch thanks in large part to Swayman’s performance.

In a touching tribute following the contest, U.S. players draped a Johnny Gaudreau jersey over the trophy. Gaudreau, who tallied 43 points in five appearances in the tournament, remains a key source of inspiration for U.S. teams. As team leaders posed for photos before lifting the trophy, Gaudreau’s number 13 stood front and center—a fitting symbol of his impact on American hockey.

The championship victory represents America’s first major win in international play since the 1996 World Cup.

Jalen Chatfield And Sean Walker Unlikely For Game 4

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After missing Game 3 against the Florida Panthers, the Carolina Hurricanes will appear to be without two key defenders for Game 4. Coach Rod Brind’Amour announced he doesn’t expect to have either Jalen Chatfield or Sean Walker, per NHL.com reporter Dan Rosen.

Both defenders remain out with undisclosed injuries. The 29-year-old Chatfield has been out since the final game of last round’s matchup against the Capitals. While Chatfield has been a full participant at practice for some time, he hasn’t been able to clear the final hurdle to return to the lineup. Chatfield averaged a career high of 18:53 of ice time per game during the regular season, and that figure has climbed to 20:24 during the playoffs. He has contributed one goal and a plus-six rating in nine playoff games thus far.

Walker, who appeared to suffer his injury in the second period of Game 2 (he didn’t return for the third), took part in Saturday’s practice but wasn’t back in the lineup for Game 3.

“I don’t know because I haven’t even been down to the medical part yet, but if they couldn’t play (Saturday), it’s probably doubtful they play,” Brind’Amour said Sunday.

With that said, it does appear the coach is holding out hope. He said he hopes he’s wrong about their availability, though that may be more a reflection of the team’s desperation down 3-0 than genuine optimism about their chances of returning.

“That’s my guess. I hope not. Maybe I’m wrong. But that one, we won’t know until (Monday) on that,” he said.

Rookies Scott Morrow and Alexander Nikishin filled in for the two veterans during Game 3, but both struggled mightily, combining for a minus-six rating. In three games this postseason, Morrow has a minus-five rating and no points while averaging just 12:04 of ice time per game. Nikiskin, who has been thrown into the fire by starting his NHL career during these playoffs, has skated in two games with a minus-four rating.

While the Hurricanes have run into the buzzsaw that is the defending champions, they may still wonder how the series might have unfolded with a healthy Chatfield and Walker, especially with their replacements being talented but inexperienced rookies.

Mattias Ekholm Remains Out For Oilers

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The Edmonton Oilers will continue to wait for the return of their top defender, as veteran Mattias Ekholm remains out of the lineup. Before the game, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported that head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed there would be no changes to the lineup, indirectly indicating that Ekholm would remain out.

Despite fully participating in practice, Ekholm remains out after sustaining an injury that has limited him to just one game since late March. He returned for a single game on April 11 after a seven-game absence, only to aggravate his injury again. The Oilers announced before the start of the Western Conference Final that Ekholm would miss the first two games of the series, with a possible return afterward. However, the team will now assess his availability beyond Game 3.

The 34-year-old played in 65 regular-season games, recording nine goals and 33 points while averaging 22:12 of ice time per game. While the Oilers have continued to find success without Ekholm in the fold, his return would undoubtedly support the team’s efforts. While he has posted 360 career regular-season points in 884 games on the blueline, he has elevated his game even more in the playoffs. His postseason points-per-game average (0.46) currently exceeds his career regular-season mark, and his solid performance in last year’s playoffs (10 points and a plus-nine rating), played a key role in the club’s run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

That said, rust is still likely to be a factor, even for a player with over 1,000 career games between the regular season and postseason. In his absence, the Oilers have used a variety of combinations on the back end, which includes the likes of Ty Emberson and Troy Stecher.

Roope Hintz Unavailable For Game 3

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2:03 p.m.: Hintz is out for Game 3, the Stars’ Bruce LeVine relays. Back will re-enter the lineup in his place.

1:01 p.m.: The Stars may have center Roope Hintz in their lineup for today’s matinee Game 3 of the Western Conference Final against the Oilers after all. He’s a game-time decision after taking a slash to the left skate from Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse that prematurely ended his Game 2, head coach Pete DeBoer told reporters today (including Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News).

Hintz needed assistance getting off the ice after the slash from Nurse early in the third period, which initially yielded a major penalty but was reduced to a minor upon review. Nurse was also not subject to supplemental discipline for the play.

After a tough postseason showing in last year’s run to the WCF, Hintz has looked more like his usual self in the 2025 playoffs. He’s put up a 5-6–11 scoring line through 15 games, tied for second on the team in scoring with Thomas Harley, and is tied for the league lead in playoff power-play goals with three alongside teammate Mikael Granlund. Only Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston are seeing more ice time per game among Stars forwards than Hintz, who’s logging 17:47 on a nightly basis.

Most of Hintz’s scoring came in the first round against the Avalanche, though, namely a four-point effort in Game 6. He’s managed just one assist in his last five games dating back to Game 4 of the second round against the Jets. They’d prefer him healthy and effective to break a true deadlock so far in the West Final, which is tied 1-1 with the Oilers and Stars also tied in aggregate scoring at 6-6.

If Hintz can’t play, either Mavrik Bourque or Oskar Back will enter the lineup in his stead. Bourque hasn’t played since Game 4 of the first round, while Back has just three appearances in the second round and WCF combined – he did play in Game 1 before being replaced by Colin Blackwell in Friday’s loss.

Panthers Notes: Jones, Reinhart, Mikkola, Greer

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Seth Jones has played up to his ceiling as a top-pairing defenseman in the Panthers’ playoff run. On the verge of advancing to their third straight Stanley Cup Final, Jones has six points and a +11 rating in 15 games while averaging the most minutes per game of any Florida skater, by far, at 25:20 per night.

Rejuvenated after being acquired from the Blackhawks before the deadline, Jones’ game is back to where it was during the heights of his career several years ago with the Blue Jackets. He spoke to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times last week about the transition from being the minute-munching option on a rebuilding Hawks team to being back in a competitive environment in Florida.

“It definitely feels like there’s some pressure off [me] after the trade,” Jones told Pope. “In Chicago, I was just forcing things and trying to do too much – out of my realm, to be honest. It was always hopefully for the betterment of the team, in my opinion, [even though] it didn’t always turn out that way or look that way. But here, I can just play my game.”

“This system forces the defensemen to get up, gap up, be tight and force [opposing] wingers to make plays under pressure,” Jones continued – all obvious strengths of his game throughout his 12-year career. “Everyone is responsible and understands their job.”

There’s more out of Florida as they gear up for a potential series-clinching Game 4:

  • Winger Sam Reinhart’s status for Game 4 remains in the air after he missed Game 3 due to a lower-body injury, head coach Paul Maurice told reporters (including NHL.com’s Dan Rosen). His day-to-day designation hasn’t changed, and he’s been neither cleared nor ruled out for tomorrow’s contest. He’s been limited to four goals and 11 points through 14 games – significantly below pace compared to last year’s 10 goals in 24 playoff games and this year’s 81 points in 79 regular-season games. Still, he remains Florida’s leader in average time on ice among forwards at 20:07 per game.
  • Rangy defender Niko Mikkola is expected to be available for tomorrow’s game after sustaining an apparent upper-body injury last night, Maurice said (via Eric Engels of Sportsnet). After scoring a goal in the third period, Mikkola appeared to injure his shoulder in a collision with the boards and didn’t play the final 12 minutes of the 6-2 win. Skating primarily as Jones’ partner in the postseason, the 28-year-old has five points and a plus-six rating through 15 contests while averaging 19:19 per game.
  • The “should be good to go” status is the same for winger A.J. Greer, Maurice said (per the team’s Jameson Olive). It’s unclear what ailed him, but he left the bench with just over four minutes left in the game. The fourth-line heavyweight has played in eight straight games after starting the playoffs as a healthy scratch. He’s got two goals and an assist, all coming in his last six games.

What Can The Avalanche Do This Summer?

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The Colorado Avalanche were bounced in the first round of this year’s playoffs in catastrophic fashion, blowing a third-period lead in Game 7 to the Dallas Stars. Despite the early exit this year, Colorado remains a team that will be in playoff contention again next season. However, as their core ages and pieces start to move out, their window to win another Stanley Cup is quickly closing. Colorado has 18 players signed for next season (11 forwards, five defensemen, and two goalies) for $86.8MM (per PuckPedia). While that isn’t a terrible position to be in, that is where the rosy outlook ends, as the Avalanche do have some notable free agents to try and retain and a few contracts they would probably like to shed. So, what can they do to remain a contender?

The Avalanche faced a situation that wasn’t dissimilar to that of previous Stanley Cup Champions. Their depth has been eroded, their prospect cupboard emptied, and their draft pick capital dwindling. A lot of that happened because Colorado took healthy runs at essential players, which worked out well as they won a championship in 2022. But since then, Colorado has had to patch the holes in their lineup with less-than-ideal solutions.

For the Avalanche, one of the key areas of concern has become their center depth, which has become a weakness following the departure of Nazem Kadri in free agency. On their second line, the Avalanche have tried Casey Mittelstadt, Ryan Johansen, Alex Newhook, J.T. Compher, Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle. That’s a list of talented players, but none have been able to stick, which has created a major issue for Colorado.

If the Avalanche hope to contend again, they need to solidify that position, which will be easier said than done. There are a few options available in free agency. Still, unless the Avalanche dump a contract such as Ross Colton ($4MM) or Josh Manson ($4.5MM), they will not have the required cap space to compete for a free agent center such as Nelson, John Tavares or Sam Bennett and fill out the rest of their roster.

One might think that if Colorado can’t make a move in free agency, they could look at trading for a center. However, their lack of draft picks and prospects makes acquiring an impact center nearly impossible on the trade market unless they can trade a player on their roster and recoup some significant assets. Colorado has no picks in the first three rounds of the subsequent two drafts and only has maybe two or three prospects who project to make an impact in the NHL.

A player like Manson might be an option to move, as he doesn’t appear to be a top-four NHL defenseman anymore and probably needs to be at his current salary ($4.5MM) and Colorado’s cap constraints. Teams likely wouldn’t line up to acquire him at that price, but if Colorado could move him, it would allow them to upgrade their second defensive pairing and maybe take some of the pressure off Cale Makar and Devon Toews. The Avalanche could also move Manson via trade and slide Sam Malinski into the top four, but it would be a massive gamble as he probably isn’t ready for that type of assignment. With limited cap space, it is unlikely that Colorado can keep Manson and try to upgrade their top four, which means they will need to make some type of decision this summer or opt to remain status quo and focus their attention on the forwards.

Trading players off the current roster could help Colorado move to restock the cupboards, but it will leave them in a challenging position for this upcoming season if they further reduce their team depth. The Washington Capitals pulled off a similar move just a few years ago, shedding several costly veterans but keeping their core players to make another run eventually. It worked out well for the Capitals as they have now reaped the rewards of their gamble, but there are no guarantees that their strategy could work in Colorado. It’s a delicate line to straddle as Colorado will try to avoid the same fate as previous Stanley Cup Champions who either constructed their roster poorly or waited too long to pivot into a retool.

A key for Colorado is not to panic because of a first-round playoff exit and to recognize the unique position that the club is in. They were a period away from advancing to the second round of the playoffs over Dallas, and likely would have gotten past Winnipeg to reach the Western Conference Finals. The window is open for them to contend, and their star players remain at a high level. The Avalanche need to be aggressive with the cap space and remaining tradeable assets and try to push to position the team for another deep playoff run. It seems counterproductive for Colorado to subtract from their current roster depth in an attempt to get younger for future playoff pushes. Colorado must steal a line from John Cena and understand, “My time is now.” It should make for interesting theatre to see how keen they are on taking calculated risks this summer after a playoff loss that has undoubtedly left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

The pipeline is bare, the cap space is limited, but Colorado has pieces in place that would be the envy of almost every NHL team. The so-called heavy lifting is done; now it is up to Joe Sakic and Chris MacFarland to put a series of moves together that will elevate the likes of MacKinnon and Makar to try and win another Stanley Cup before the Avalanche’s window to contend slams shut.

Photo by Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Free Agent Focus: Anaheim Ducks

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Free agency is just over 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 start our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Ducks.

Key Restricted Free Agents

G Lukas Dostal – Dostal had been viewed as Anaheim’s goalie of the future for some time now. He rewarded the franchise’s faith in spades with a breakout 2024-25 campaign. Now entirely supplanting John Gibson as the team’s No. 1 option between the pipes, his numbers slipped a bit down the stretch but still managed a 23-23-7 record, a .903 SV%, a 3.10 GAA, and one shutout in a career-high 54 appearances behind one of the league’s worst defensive teams. He’s owed a qualifying offer of just $892.5K coming off a cheap partial two-way deal, but will land much more than that on his coming deal, especially with arbitration rights in his back pocket. A one-year bridge likely keeps Dostal in the $4MM range, but for a Ducks club with ample salary cap flexibility, general manager Pat Verbeek could award him something in the $5MM-$6MM range on a mid-term deal if they’re unprepared to go eight years.

F Mason McTavish – McTavish’s game has steadily improved since being drafted third overall in 2021, and this season was no different. While the 22-year-old was robbed of a full 82-game schedule due to a few here-and-there injuries, he still set career-highs with 22 goals, 30 assists, and 52 points in 76 appearances. Now a legitimate top-six center with still room to grow, he’ll significantly outpace the $874,125 qualifying offer he’s owed as he comes off his entry-level deal. A deal in the $4MM range on a shorter-term commitment seems apt if the Ducks are still uncertain about his ceiling. Still, with his linear development so far, he could earn a long-term deal approaching the $7MM mark to lock him in as Anaheim’s No. 2 center behind Leo Carlsson long-term.

F Isac Lundestrom – A first-round pick back in 2018, Lundestrom’s role hasn’t fluctuated much since establishing himself as a full-timer in the shortened 2020-21 campaign. His ice time has steadily decreased as the player they once thought could be a long-term, defensively responsible third-line pivot hasn’t produced the level of offense they’d like for that role. 2024-25 was Lundestrom’s worst offensive performance of his five-year run as a full-time NHLer at just 0.19 points per game (4-11–15 in 79 GP). That’s not to say he’s not valuable – he’s one of the Ducks’ top penalty killers, and his possession metrics this season were passable given his extended defensive zone deployment at 5-on-5. Still, he’s likely more of a high-end fourth-line option long-term than a third-line one. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him accept his $1.5MM qualifying offer as a result, or take a multi-year deal in that range annually to gain some added stability in Anaheim if he desires.

F Brett Leason – Claimed off waivers from the Capitals at the beginning of the 2022-23 season, Leason capped off his third year in Anaheim with nine healthy scratches in 12 games. He was still serviceable in bottom-six minutes, scoring 17 points in 62 games with a minus-two rating in similarly heavy defensive deployment to Lundestrom. Still, he’s at risk of being non-tendered for the second consecutive year. Of course, he signed a one-year, $1.05MM contract on the first day of free agency to return to the Ducks despite not receiving a qualifying offer, but his willingness to do so again may be diminished after his lack of usage to end the campaign.

D Drew Helleson – Helleson, 23, somewhat surprisingly emerged as a roster fixture this year. He didn’t play anywhere close to a full schedule, suiting up 56 times, but remained on the Ducks’ roster for the balance of the season after being recalled from AHL San Diego in mid-November. The 6’3″, 214-lb righty did better than most would have expected given his limited minor-league success, posting 13 points and a plus-six rating in bottom-pairing minutes (16:21 ATOI). A 2019 second-round pick of the Avalanche who was acquired for Josh Manson in 2022, Helleson’s likely earned an opening-night job in the fall. He could even challenge Jacob Trouba for top-four minutes next year since the latter was a non-factor after his early-season acquisition from the Rangers.

Other RFAs: F Judd Caulfield, G Calle Clang, F Sam Colangelo, F Josh Lopina, F Jan Mysak, F Nikita Nesterenko, F Tim Washe

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Robby Fabbri – When healthy, Fabbri has been a decent secondary scorer throughout his nine-year NHL career. However, injuries have been a constant, and this year was no different. Knee surgery and a hand injury took away nearly half of his 2024-25 campaign, and he ended the year with an 8-8–16 scoring line in 44 contests. The 29-year-old has still hit at least 30 points twice in the last four years despite significant absences, which should help his case on the open market. With 2024 No. 3 overall pick Beckett Sennecke pushing for an opening-night job and the Ducks likely to be active in free agency, though, there may not be a fit for him on next year’s team. If they want to retain him, his injury concerns should make him a low-cost pickup around $1MM.

F Brock McGinn – From one injury-prone winger to another, McGinn’s season ended back in December due to ACL reconstruction. His recovery timeline may stretch into next year’s training camp, so his hope will likely be for a PTO opportunity somewhere, which could still be Anaheim, instead of searching for a guaranteed contract. Still, the defensive-minded winger has made just 50 appearances over the last two seasons combined with 11 points and a minus-four rating. They could still want to keep him in the fold with his over 500 games of experience, though, compared to some more unknown quantities in the system as a 13th or 14th forward.

D Oliver Kylington – Acquired at the deadline in what was effectively a three-team deal with the Avalanche and Islanders involving Brock Nelson, Kylington didn’t get much of an opportunity down the stretch in Anaheim. He averaged just 10:48 per game in six appearances, including his time in Colorado, where he spent most of the year in the press box with only 19 appearances to his name. The 28-year-old is now three years removed from his 31-point, +34 campaign with Calgary, and hopes of returning to those heights as a No. 2 left-shot option are slimmer than ever. He’s ticketed for a league-minimum or even two-way deal this summer, and it likely won’t be with the Ducks, who have plenty of young defenseman still to rotate/graduate into NHL minutes.

G Ville Husso – Husso began the season with the Red Wings, where he’d tumbled down to No. 3 on the depth chart and had cleared waivers in the final season of a three-year, $14.25MM contract. Anaheim, who had injuries to their AHL netminders and Gibson missing significant chunks of action, picked him up down the stretch to serve as a veteran backup option for Dostal. He did quite well in the few starts he received, posting a .925 SV% and 2.99 GAA in four appearances. While it’s a small sample size, that could go a long way toward earning Husso a chance at a No. 2 job next year on the open market instead of settling for a two-way deal and likely lengthy AHL assignments.

Other UFAs: F Justin Bailey, G Oscar Dansk, F Carson Meyer

Projected Cap Space

Few teams have more cap space than the Ducks this summer. They check in at $38.7MM, including $2.5MM worth of retention on the final season of Cam Fowler’s contract. A good amount of that will get eaten up by new deals for Dostal and McTavish, but they’ll still have over $25MM to spend after getting those deals done. As a result, expect them to be active on both the trade and free agent markets this summer as they aim to end their playoff drought at seven years.

Photos courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images (Dostal) and Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images (Fabbri). Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia.

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