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Snapshots: Ristolainen, McDavid, Malhotra, Sabres

September 16, 2025 at 9:01 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 13 Comments

As expected when he underwent triceps surgery back in March after suffering an injury there for the second straight season, Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen won’t be available to start the season.  Speaking with reporters today (video link), GM Daniel Briere indicated that the blueliner is progressing well but won’t join the team until a month or two into the season.  The 30-year-old had a bounce-back showing last season, picking up 19 points along with 94 blocks and 97 hits in 63 games while averaging over 20 minutes a night.  He was recently cleared to resume skating in a non-contact jersey.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • With Oilers superstar Connor McDavid entering the final year of his contract, some are surprised that a deal hasn’t been signed yet. In his latest column for The Athletic (subscription link), Chris Johnston relays that the center isn’t believed to be seeking a specific number in terms of AAV.  The benchmark on that front has moved several times in recent years with his teammate Leon Draisaitl ($14MM) now the leader.  It’s widely expected that McDavid will surpass that number by a sizable margin but there isn’t a particular target in mind.
  • The Canucks announced that they have exercised the team option on Abbotsford head coach Manny Malhotra’s contract, keeping him signed through the 2026-27 season. Malhotra had quite the first season in Vancouver’s system, leading Abbotsford to a 44-24-2-2 record in the regular season, including a late-season 13-game winning streak that gave them plenty of momentum heading into the playoffs.  There, they went 16-8 overall on their way to the Calder Cup title, making the decision to extend his contract a very simple one.
  • While many teams are revealing their training camp rosters, the Sabres are trimming theirs. The team announced that forwards Matous Kucharcik, Melvin Novotny, Ryan Rucinski, and Ashton Schultz, along with defenseman Luke Dragusica, have all been returned to their respective junior teams.  The four forwards were all part of Buffalo’s draft class back in June.

Buffalo Sabres| Edmonton Oilers| Philadelphia Flyers| Snapshots| Vancouver Canucks Connor McDavid| Manny Malhotra| Rasmus Ristolainen

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Wild Not Entertaining Trade Offers For Kirill Kaprizov

September 16, 2025 at 7:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 14 Comments

Earlier this offseason, the Wild made headlines when it was reported that they were willing to offer $16MM per season to pending unrestricted free agent winger Kirill Kaprizov.  Meanwhile, the winger himself made headlines when that offer (with an eight-year term) was rejected.  Understandably, there has been plenty of speculation about what Kaprizov’s future with the Wild might be.

However, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported in a TSN Early Trading segment that while teams are calling Minnesota GM Bill Guerin to try to assess if the 28-year-old might be available, they are being told that offers are not being entertained at this time.  To that end, Michael Russo of The Athletic reported today on the DFO Rundown (video link) that as of yet, Kaprizov’s camp hasn’t been approached for a list of teams he would accept a trade to; he has a full no-move clause and can veto any deal.

Despite the setback of having that record-breaking offer declined, the Wild are still operating with the internal belief that Kaprizov wants to remain in Minnesota.  It might be a case of his agent Paul Theofanous hoping to get a bit more money on the AAV, the year-to-year structure (salary and signing bonus money), or potentially a preference to take a shorter-term contract as some players are starting to want to do.  However, LeBrun also characterized the discussions between the two sides as “not cordial” so at first glance, an agreement shouldn’t be expected in the near future.

When healthy, Kaprizov is among the NHL’s elite talents and has 386 points in 319 career regular season games after coming to North America for his age-23 year.  He looked to be well on his way to setting new personal benchmarks last season but injuries ultimately limited him to just 41 games where he still managed 25 goals and 31 assists to finish third on the team in scoring.  Meanwhile, despite the injuries, Kaprizov was quite productive in the playoffs, notching five goals and four assists in their first-round loss to Vegas.

Considering the Wild have already gone higher than what some teams might be inclined to offer Kaprizov if he made it to free agency next summer, it will be interesting to see what their next move may wind up being.  Just don’t expect that move to be the initiation of trade discussions, an option that it appears they’re not ready to think about considering just yet.

Minnesota Wild Kirill Kaprizov

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Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

September 16, 2025 at 6:57 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 6 Comments

The wait for hockey to return is just about over.  While the regular season is still a few weeks away, training camps are opening this week and preseason play will soon follow.  With that in mind, it’s a good time to once again open up the mailbag.

Our last call for questions yielded enough for three separate columns.  The first discussed the significant movement from CHL players to the NCAA, the now rapidly increasing salary cap, and August 15th free agents.  Topics in the second included the Robertson brothers and the state of the Bruins heading into the season.  Meanwhile, the third included talk about Toronto’s top six, my annual prediction for a breakout player, and potential playoff newcomers.

You can submit a question by using #PHRMailbag on Twitter/X or by leaving a comment down below. The mailbag will run this weekend.

Uncategorized PHR Mailbag

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Summer Synopsis: Philadelphia Flyers

September 13, 2025 at 6:35 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 6 Comments

With training camps now almost upon us, the bulk of the heavy lifting has been done from a roster perspective.  Most unrestricted free agents have found new homes, the arbitration period has come and gone, and the trade market has cooled.  Accordingly, it’s a good time to take a look at what each team has accomplished this offseason.  Next up is a look at Philadelphia.

A year removed from narrowly missing the playoffs, the Flyers took a step back last season, ultimately resulting in them parting ways with John Tortorella.  Rick Tocchet was brought in from Vancouver to take over behind the bench while GM Daniel Briere decided to largely stay the course as their rebuild continues but a pair of expensive forwards were brought in to try to bolster their group up front.

Draft

1-6 – F Porter Martone, Brampton (OHL)
1-12 – F Jack Nesbitt, Windsor (OHL)
2-38 – D Carter Amico, U.S. U18 (NTDP)
2-40 – F Jack Murtagh, U.S. U18 (NTDP)
2-48 – F Shane Vansaghi, Michigan State (Big 10)
2-57 – F Matthew Gard, Red Deer (WHL)
5-132 – F Max Westergard, Frolunda (Sweden U20)
5-157 – D Luke Vlooswyk, Red Deer (WHL)
6-164 – F Nathan Quinn, Quebec (QMJHL)

As the Flyers re-tool their team and look to build their next core of players capable of cotending for a Stanley Cup, one of the key needs for the franchise has been a high-level center capable of filling the all-important number-one center role.  32-year-old Sean Couturier has filled that role for the team in recent years, and remains a strong shutdown center.  But he hasn’t been a high-end offensive contributor in several years, and it would be somewhat unreasonable to expect him to suddenly once again produce at a near point-per-game rate.  So, with such a clear need established for the organization, many entered the 2025 draft expecting the Flyers to select a pivot with their top choice: potentially college hockey star James Hagens, OHL playmaking dynamo Jake O’Brien, or the high-upside Roger McQueen.

NHL teams generally draft using a “best player available, regardless of position” approach, and position typically comes into play when trying to decide between two similarly-rated players. So, rather than use their number-six pick to fill a key organizational need, they drafted the player they believed was the best available: Martone, a winger. That the Flyers passed over three highly-ranked center prospects to draft Martone says a lot about just how highly the organization regards the 6’3 Brampton Steelheads captain.  Martone possesses rare offensive skill for someone his size, and has downright elite playmaking instincts.  Martone ranked third on Bob McKenzie’s list, and was recently ranked by Eliteprospects as the fourth-best skater prospect in all of hockey.  Alongside Michkov, Martone could be the second star winger in Philadelphia.

Behind Martone, the Flyers elected to trade two of their other first-rounders to jump up to the #12 slot to select OHL pivot Nesbitt, filling a key organizational need.  The general consensus from scouts in the public sphere has been that Nesbitt projects more as a middle-six center with rare, valuable secondary qualities, rather than as a true top-of-the-lineup offensive force.  With that said, Nesbitt offers prototypical size and strength at the position, and his potential value down the road should not be discounted.

The Flyers then made their mark on the second day of the draft with four second-round picks.  They were able to add athletic blueliner Amico at #38, who could have been ranked even higher had he not suffered a season-ending injury early in his campaign.  They then selected Murtagh, a responsible two-way forward who will play for Boston University in 2025-26 and was ranked inside the first round by some outlets.  After Murtagh, the Flyers doubled down on taking projectable players with pro qualities by adding Vansaghi, who EliteProspects called “the ultimate bottom-six checking forward” in its draft coverage.  With their final second-rounder, the Flyers took Gard, a hulking six-foot-five pivot whose defensive responsibilty has garnered praise from scouts.

After their second-round shopping spree, the Flyers didn’t pick until the fifth-round, where they took Westergard from of Frölunda’s J20 Nationell team.  Westergard began 2025-26 with Frölunda’s senior team, skating in four Champions Hockey League games as well as an SHL game, and recording two assists in the team’s 5-2 August victory over Switzerland’s Lausanne HC.

Trade Acquisitions

F Tucker Robertson (from Seattle)
F Trevor Zegras (from Anaheim)

At one point, Zegras looked to be a long-term core fixture for the Ducks.  He had a pair of 60-plus-point seasons in his first two NHL campaigns and things were looking up.  However, injuries have been a problem for the last two years while his production took a big step downward and Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek decided to sell low, giving Zegras a fresh start along the way.  He should slot in as a top-six forward right away, likely starting on the wing although he could get a look down the middle at some point.  It’s a big year for him as he’s in the final season of a contract that pays $5.75MM per season, a number that will stand as his qualifying offer next summer.  If things don’t go well again, he could wind up as a non-tender candidate, an outcome that would have seemed crazy when this deal was signed in 2023.

UFA Signings

F Rodrigo Abols (one year, $800K)^
F Christian Dvorak (one year, $5.4MM)
D Dennis Gilbert (one year, $875K)
D Noah Juulsen (one year, $900K)
F Lane Pederson (one year, $775K)*
G Daniel Vladar (two years, $6.7MM)

*-denotes two-way contract
^-denotes re-signing

Briere opted for the short-term overpayment to bring in help down the middle with Dvorak, a player who got back to the 30-point mark for the first time in three years last season.  But while offensive production has been an issue for him, he is a reliable defensive center and well above average at the faceoff dot.  Those elements will help the Flyers in the short term and if they wind up being outside the playoff picture in the second half, he’s someone they could retain on to help facilitate a move.

In a goalie market that didn’t have much depth at the start and lost some of that depth before free agency opened up, Vladar was one of the beneficiaries.  He started last season as a platoon partner to Dustin Wolf, allowing the youngster to get eased into his first full NHL campaign.  But in the second half, Wolf took over as the full-fledged starter with Vladar only making eight starts from February through April.  Even so, he entered free agency as the top netminder available.  Clearly, Briere thinks that Vladar has another level to get to and that he can compete for the starting spot in a goaltending group that is also bringing back all three goalies they had last season.

The additions of Juulsen and Gilbert give some extra depth and grit to a back end that isn’t expected to be fully healthy to start the season with Rasmus Ristolainen still recovering from triceps surgery.  Juulsen is well-known to Tocchet who had him in Vancouver.  When the group is fully healthy, however, playing time for both veterans could be hard to come by.

The re-signing of Abols and addition of Pederson helped shore up the club’s veteran depth, with both players expected to occupy roles either at the tail end of the club’s NHL roster or at the top of their AHL lineup.  The Flyers signed Abols, 29, from the SHL last season and he rewarded them by scoring 32 points in 47 AHL games and five points in 22 NHL games.  That quality performance earned him a significant raise from a $450k AHL salary to a full one-way deal.

For Pederson, this signing will present him with an opportunity to resume his place as one of the AHL’s more consistent scorers.  Pederson’s 2024-25 season was limited to 18 games after the forward underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in February.

RFA Re-Signings

F Noah Cates (four years, $16MM)
F Tyson Foerster (two years, $7.5MM)
D Helge Grans (two years, $1.55MM)*
F Oscar Eklind (one year, $800K)
D Cameron York (five years, $25.75MM)

*-denotes two-way contract

The Flyers had a notable cohort of restricted free agents to re-sign this past summer, including three NHL regulars.  The largest signing by total value was that of York, the club’s 2019 first-round selection.  It was a difficult 2024-25 for York, without question. Late last season, he was benched for the entirety of the Flyers’ victory over the Montreal Canadiens, for reasons interim head coach Brad Shaw described as “disciplinary.”  York reportedly had a verbal altercation with former coach John Tortorella, and his difficult season was compounded by a notable decline in some key personal statistics: his point total decreased from 30 in 2023-24 to 17 last season, and his time-on-ice per game went down nearly a full two minutes.

But despite York’s year to forget, the Flyers doubled down on the talented blueliner as a core piece for the next half-decade.  York’s $5.15MM AAV is the second-highest among the club’s active defensemen, and its likely he’ll step into a top-pairing role alongside Travis Sanheim under new coach Rick Tocchet.

The second major name the Flyers re-signed was Foerster, a 2020 first-rounder who enjoyed career-best offensive production in 2024-25.  Foerster is a natural goal-scorer and his total of 25 ranked second on the team, only behind star rookie Matvei Michkov.  Foerster underwent offseason surgery after suffering an injury while representing Canada at the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championship, but he’s expected to be ready to go in time of the start of the regular season.  While the Flyers weren’t able to come to an agreement on a longer-term deal with Foerster, as long as he can continue his solid upwards trajectory (or at least repeat his scoring of last season) he should be able to provide the team with a solid surplus value on its $3.75MM AAV investment.

One of the more encouraging stories from the 2024-25 Flyers was the bounce-back season had by Cates, a reliable defensive center. Cates has been a developmental success story for the franchise as a 2017 fifth-rounder, and he came just one point shy of tying his career-high last year.  After a difficult 2023-24 season saw his point total decline from 38 to 18, there was some question as to whether Cates would have the offensive chops be able to hold down a meaningful NHL role in the long term.  He answered those questions emphatically in 2024-25, and the Flyers rewarded him with a four-year, $4MM AAV extension.

Grans and Eklind are not quite as high-profile players as the aforementioned trio, and that is reflected in the value of each player’s extension. The Flyers signed Eklind, 27, out of the SHL last year and he put together a decent debut season on North American ice. Veteran European pro free agent signings have a somewhat spotty record transitioning to the North American game, but Eklind managed to hold his own. He got into 64 games for the Phantoms and scored 22 points.

Grans, 23, is the 2020 35th-overall pick who the Flyers acquired in the 2023 Ivan Provorov trade.  Grans played most of last season in Lehigh Valley, scoring eight points in a largely shutdown role.  His defensive abilities earned him his first NHL call-up, and he ended up dressing for six games with the Flyers last year.  Grans is subject to waivers, but the second season on his new contract at a full one-way, $800k price tag could provide the Flyers with some degree of protection against a claim.  The added financial commitment could potentially motivate an interested team to go in a different direction on the waiver wire, assuming Grans does not make the Flyers’ opening-night roster.

Departures

F J-R Avon (trade with Seattle)
D Louis Belpedio (signed with Washington)
F Elliot Desnoyers (signed with Iowa, AHL)
F Rhett Gardner (signed in Russia)
D Ben Gleason (signed with Minnesota)
F Olle Lycksell (signed with Ottawa)
G Eetu Makiniemi (signed in Finland)
F Jakob Pelletier (signed with Tampa Bay)
G Calvin Petersen (signed with Minnesota)
F Ryan Poehling (trade with Anaheim)
F Givani Smith (signed PTO with Carolina)
F Zayde Wisdom (signed with Lehigh Valley, AHL)

*-denotes two-way contract

The Flyers’ most significant departure, from a financial perspective, undoubtedly Petersen.  The veteran netminder played in just five total games for the Flyers across his two-year stint in the organization, and the expiration of his contract provided Briere with an additional $5MM in cap space to work with.

The most consequential loss, from an on-ice perspective, is the inclusion of Poehling in the trade that brought Zegras to Philadelphia.  Poehling is not a star player by any means, but he scored 12 goals, 31 points, and had developed into a meaningful member of the team’s bottom-six.  In Philadelphia, Poehling was able to reach new heights as an NHLer, not only setting career-highs in production but also serving a useful role on Tortorella’s penalty kill.  With that said, Briere’s investment in Dvorak (who plays a similar role to Poehling) should help the club absorb his loss.

Lycksell, 26, led AHL Lehigh Valley in scoring last season, but the Flyers elected not to re-sign the player after he put up just 10 points across almost 40 NHL games between 2023-24 and 2024-25. Pelletier, a 2019 first-round pick of the Calgary Flames, was acquired via trade by the Flyers but only managed eight points in his 25-game stay with the club, and was not retained.

Salary Cap Outlook

At first glance, the $370K in cap space they’re listed at per PuckPedia looks concerning.  However, they do have more flexibility than this.  If Ivan Fedotov is waived and demoted as expected, that would open up $1.15MM in room.  Additionally, Ryan Ellis is LTIR-eligible and is out for the season, meaning Philadelphia would get the full $6.25MM (less cap space at the time of placement), not the reduced amount for players expected to return in-season.  While going into that would open up the potential for bonus carryover penalties, it would give them ample protection against a rash of injuries or would allow Briere to try to add a player should the Flyers find themselves in the playoff picture when the trade deadline comes around in March.

Key Questions

Will Vladar Stabilize The Goaltending?

The Flyers have long been believers in the potential of Samuel Ersson, who has been a nice find for the team since being drafted 143th overall in 2018.  But Ersson, now 25, has looked overwhelmed at times as the club’s go-to number-one netminder since the departure of Carter Hart, and his overall body of work simply has not been good enough.  Ersson put together an .890 save percentage across 51 games in 2023-24, and a very poor .883 mark this past season. Among goalies who played in at least 30 games last season, Ersson’s .883 save percentage ranked second-worst in the NHL, ahead of only recent Sabres signing Alexandar Georgiev. (.875)

While the Flyers are likely still believers in Ersson, and he remains overwhelmingly likely to play a solid role for the team moving forward, the team did bring in some additional help at the position.  Philadelphia added Vladar, who played in 30 games last season and posted an .898 save percentage.  While it is relatively unlikely that Vladar, 28, will suddenly transform into an elite netminder, it is somewhat more reasonable to expect him to be able to help stabilize the position for the organization.  Vladar has put together some quality stretches over the course of his 105-game NHL career thusfar, and he has the opportunity to get a more consistent diet of starts with the Flyers than he was able to get in Calgary.  The Flyers have quite a few question marks across their roster as they attempt to re-tool and return to the playoffs, but perhaps no player on the team has a greater opportunity to make his mark than Vladar.

How Will Michkov’s Sophomore Year Go?

Michkov, the 2023 seventh-overall pick, was one of the most highly-regarded prospects in hockey and his debut in Philadelphia was met with sky-high expectations. The 20-year-old Russian phenom more than met those lofty standards, coming second on the team in scoring with 26 goals and 63 points. Michkov possesses rare offensive talent, and it’s easy to imagine him quickly becoming the team’s most lethal scoring threat – if he isn’t there already.

The importance of Michkov to the Flyers’ future cannot be overstated.  That is why one of the key storylines for the club’s upcoming season will be whether Michkov is able to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump, continue to grow offensively, and find a way to round out his game a little more on the other end of the ice.  Nobody should expect Michkov to grow into a suffocating defensive force, and Michkov would probably not be best served trying to make too many drastic changes to how he plays.  But NHL coaches have high expectations for their players in terms of defensive responsibility, and Michkov at times fell short of those expectations in his nonetheless brilliant rookie season.  If Michkov can find a way to more sustainably balance his lethal offensive instincts with a reasonable level of commitment to defense that satisfies Tocchet, he could reach new heights of stardom and surpass Travis Konecny as the Flyers’ most valuable all-around force.

Will The Duo of Former Top Ducks Picks Take Needed Steps Forward?

Through two separate trades, the Flyers were able to acquire the two top-ten draft choices the Ducks made between 2019 and 2020: Zegras and Jamie Drysdale.  Zegras is entering his first season in Philadelphia, and has a clear mandate entering an extremely important 2025-26 season: show he can still be the kind of impactful, high-level contributor he was early in his tenure with the Ducks.  Injuries and inconsistent play have dimmed Zegras’ star quite a bit since he broke into the league with back-to-back 60-plus point seasons in his first two full NHL campaigns.  The Flyers will be hoping that a change of scenery will do wonders in helping Zegras return to his formerly dynamic offensive identity.

As for Drysdale, 2025-26 will be his third season wearing Flyers orange, and he’s in a situation with some key similarities, and important differences, to Zegras.  Drysdale has also had to deal with persistent injury trouble, although he did manage to get into 70 games for the club last season.  For Drysdale, the challenge has been finding a way to make a consistent, high-level impact on both ends of the ice.  Drysdale has the pedigree and potential to be a key two-way force for the Flyers, but with his contract set to expire at the end of the year, he’ll need to take some concrete steps forward to maintain his place at (or near) the center of the team’s future plans.

Ethan Hetu also contributed to this column.

Photos courtesy of Jeff Curry and Perry Nelson-Imagn Images.

Philadelphia Flyers| Summer Synopsis 2025 Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

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Salary Cap Deep Dive: St. Louis Blues

September 13, 2025 at 4:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those who don’t often see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2025-26 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia.  We’re currently covering the Central Division, next up are the Blues.

St. Louis Blues

Current Cap Hit: $94,874,849 (below the $95.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Logan Mailloux (one year, $875K)
F Jimmy Snuggerud (two years, $950K)

Potential Bonuses
Snuggerud: $800K

Snuggerud joined St. Louis for the stretch run last season after his college campaign ended and made a solid first impression with four points in seven games while adding four more in their first-round loss to Winnipeg.  He should land a middle-six role, giving him a shot at reaching some of his ‘A’ bonuses.  He’s someone that, if all goes well, they’d want to sign long-term but with several other core youngsters up by then, can they afford to do so?

Mailloux came over from Montreal in a one-for-one swap for Zachary Bolduc in a swap of 2021 first-round picks.  He has shown plenty of offensive promise in his first two seasons and should have a chance to come in and be a secondary contributor on their back end.  At this point, it’s likely he’ll land a bridge agreement which, depending on his production this season, could plausibly run anywhere between $1.5MM and $2.5MM.

Signed Through 2025-26, Non-Entry-Level

D Philip Broberg ($4.581MM, RFA)
D Cam Fowler ($4MM, UFA)*
F Dylan Holloway ($2.29MM, RFA)
D Matthew Kessel ($800K, RFA)
F Mathieu Joseph ($2.95MM, UFA)
F Oskar Sundqvist ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Alexandre Texier ($2.1MM, RFA)
F Alexey Toropchenko ($1.7MM, UFA)
F Nathan Walker ($775K, UFA)

*-Anaheim is retaining an additional $2.5MM on Fowler’s contract.

Joseph was acquired from Ottawa with St. Louis picking up a third-round pick to take on the rest of his contract.  He wasn’t particularly impactful in his first season with the Blues and while he’s only a year removed from a 35-point year, a similar showing in 2025-26 could have his next deal coming closer to half of this amount.  On the other hand, Holloway is on the rise.  Acquired for a third-round pick via the offer sheet (not the one they got to take on Joseph), he had a breakout year with 63 points, good for third on the team in scoring.  With arbitration rights next summer, a similar showing this season could have him more in the $7MM range on a long-term deal.  What a difference a year can make after being limited on the depth chart in Edmonton.

Texier was also brought in last summer with the hopes that a change of scenery could help him most consistently show the upside he briefly displayed with Columbus.  Instead, injuries were once again an issue and his playing time was a career-low when he was in the lineup.  At this point, he might be a non-tender candidate or needing to sign for close to his $2.1MM qualifying offer.  Toropchenko surprisingly signed this one-year deal last October and while he brought plenty of physicality, he also only scored four goals in 80 games.  A small raise could nonetheless come his way but if he remains around the 20-point range, he should land somewhere around the $2.25MM mark next year.

Sundqvist has been an effective bottom-six center for a good chunk of his two stints with St. Louis but still had to settle for a minimum contract just two summers ago.  He’s done enough to earn a small raise but given his market limitations the last time he tested the market, it might only be worth a few hundred thousand per season.  Walker had his best season in 2024-25, becoming more of an every-game player but his overall track record remains that of a depth piece.  The increase to the minimum salary guarantees him a raise to $850K and it’s possible he can do a little better than that.

Broberg’s offer sheet was much riskier than Holloway’s given the higher cap hit associated with it and what was at the time a very limited track record.  But the opportunity to play regular minutes in the top four for the first time in his career helped him break out and look more like the player Edmonton hoped he’d be when they drafted him eighth overall in 2019.  Now, the deal has gone from a risky one to a team-friendly pact.  Also like Holloway, Broberg will be arbitration-eligible next summer, putting him in a position for a big jump again.  A long-term pact will likely run them past the $7MM mark while if they needed short-term flexibility, a one-year deal could be an option but still might check in around $6MM.

Fowler was an impactful pickup by GM Doug Armstrong early in the season as he stepped right into a top-four role.  For the portion that they’re paying him, he’s a nice bargain.  While he’s unlikely to command a price tag at the full portion of his current deal ($6.5MM), it’ll take more than what the Blues are currently paying him to keep him around.  A two-or three-year deal around the midpoint of those two numbers might be enough.  Kessel technically needs to play in ten NHL games to remain a restricted free agent, otherwise he’s a Group Six unrestricted free agent.  Last season wasn’t as good as the year before in the NHL but he’s now waiver-eligible and should be up with St. Louis for the full campaign.  If he can lock down a full-time role, he could plausibly double his current cost.  If he’s more of a depth option, then something a little over the $1MM mark might make sense.

Signed Through 2026-27

G Jordan Binnington ($6MM, UFA)
F Nick Bjugstad ($1.75MM, UFA)
D Justin Faulk ($6.5MM, UFA)
G Joel Hofer ($3.4MM, RFA)
D Torey Krug ($6.5MM, UFA)
F Jake Neighbours ($3.75MM, RFA)
F Pius Suter ($4.125MM, UFA)
D Tyler Tucker ($925K, UFA)

Suter had a breakout year with Vancouver and with so few centers on the open market, it looked like he was poised to cash in.  Instead, while he landed a nice raise over the $1.6MM he made in each of the last two years, only securing two seasons was a bit surprising.  If he reverts to being more of a third liner as he has been, it’s still not really an overpay, making it a low-risk addition.  Clearly, teams want to see him repeat his 46 points before committing big term and big dollars.

Neighbours continued to show steady improvement but St. Louis wasn’t in a spot to give him a long-term deal, making it another bridge pact.  His production hasn’t quite taken off as much as Holloway’s but as a power forward, even maintaining a point total in the mid-40s would have him set for a notable raise on his $4MM qualifying offer.  If he continues to progress, he could very well double his current cap charge.  Bjugstad had a strong first year in Arizona but struggled last season with Utah which hurt his market.  Still, he has been more of a bottom-six producer for the most part in recent years and at this price tag, there isn’t much risk.

Let’s get Krug out of the way quickly.  He won’t play this season and probably won’t play next year, meaning he’ll again be LTIR-eligible.  Under the new rules, St. Louis would get the full allotment of LTIR room (minus any amount they’re below the cap when they place him there.)  Doing so means they can’t accrue cap space and any bonuses hit roll over to 2026-27 so their preferred method at this point is probably trying to avoid it.  But while the LTIR change will affect a lot of teams and players this season, Krug will be one of the exceptions.

Faulk is not the higher-end offensive threat he was in his prime and as he nears the 1,000-game mark with the minutes he’s logged, he could start to wear down before too much longer.  Nonetheless, he was still an all-situations top-pairing piece in terms of usage last season so even with the drop in production, they’ve still received a reasonable return in recent years.  But if the drop continues, he will wind up with a drop of a couple million or so on his next contract.  Tucker cleared waivers back in October but wound up playing a relatively regular role in the second half on the third pairing, a role he might be able to reprise.  If he can become a full-timer, things will be looking up two years from now when doubling this could be an option.  But if he remains more of a reserve player, he’ll stay in that range of being a little above the minimum salary.

It hasn’t always been pretty with Binnington on this contract with there being more ups and downs than teams typically like from their starter.  But the good generally has outweighed the bad while he has been one of the workhorses around the league in recent years.  Since he’s not in that top tier, he probably isn’t going to be able to reach the $8MM level that a few have hit but another multi-year pact at or even a little above this price point is feasible.  As the Blues have done several times with their players, Hofer also received a bridge deal, one that gives them more time to assess if he can ultimately supplant Binnington as the starter.  If so, he could land around where Binnington is now.  If not, he likely wouldn’t get a big jump off where he is now as the high-end backup ceiling isn’t much higher than this at the moment.

Signed Through 2027-28

F Brayden Schenn ($6.5MM, UFA)

After two of his better offensive seasons in 2021-22 and 2022-23, Schenn’s production has come down over the last couple of years to more around the 50-point mark.  Considering his physicality and the fact he plays center, this still isn’t a terrible price tag for someone who is deployed as a second liner.  But with over 1,000 games under his belt now and the style he plays, there are going to be some concerns about his ability to provide similar value over these final three years.

Read more

Signed Through 2028-29

None

Signed Through 2029-30 Or Longer

F Pavel Buchnevich ($8MM through 2030-31)
F Jordan Kyrou ($8.125MM through 2030-31)
D Colton Parayko ($6.5MM through 2029-30)
F Robert Thomas ($8.125MM through 2030-31)

Thomas and Kyrou signed identical contracts two months apart but since then, their paths have differed a bit.  Thomas has emerged as a legitimate top-line center, averaging over a point per game the last two seasons, moving this contract to a team-friendly one already.  Meanwhile, Kyrou hasn’t quite gotten to that level yet although he’s averaging 71 points over the past four years which is still solid overall.  But that didn’t stop the trade speculation before July 1st when his trade protection kicked in.  It’s clear that Thomas is viewed as a core untouchable while Kyrou isn’t quite in that category.  But even so, his contract should hold up well in what’s expected to be an inflationary environment over the next few years.

Buchnevich signed this contract last summer as an early extension but he still saw his output dip for the third straight year, going from 75 points to 57 over that stretch.  If he stays around this level moving forward, St. Louis could get some reasonable value from this contract but it’s fair to say that they’re paying him to be more in the 65-point range consistently where his deal would hold up a lot better.

Parayko battled some injuries last season but still had arguably his best year overall.  An all-situations top-pairing player, he also set career highs in goals and points, helping to cover Krug’s absence and the offensive decline from Faulk.  If he can stay healthy (and given his back troubles in the past, it is a legitimate if), this deal should hold up rather well.  It will be tough for it to be the internal ceiling on the back end though given the new cap environment.

Still To Sign

None

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Carryover Bonus Overage Penalty

$2.153MM

Best Value: (non-entry-level) Holloway
Worst Value: Joseph

Looking Ahead

While things look pretty tight right now, having Krug’s LTIR-eligible contract gives the Blues a fair bit of wiggle room, just with the risk of another carryover penalty (though not as large as the one they’re dealing with this year).  Barring a trade or carrying a shorter roster, it feels like they’re going to land in LTIR at some point whenever injuries arise but there should be enough wiggle room to add a player or two in-season if they need to.

St. Louis is going to be in a tighter situation than a lot of teams next summer.  Yes, around $32MM in space is nice but around half of that could wind up going to Holloway and Broberg, not to mention the vacancy to fill with Fowler (even if it’s a re-signing).  It’s manageable but adding a core piece could be tricky.  Things open up after that, however, with just five players signed for more than two years, giving incoming GM Alex Steen a lot of leeway to reshape this roster.  It’s just something that isn’t going to happen right after he takes over.

Photos courtesy of John E. Sokolowski and Stan Szeto-Imagn Images.

Salary Cap Deep Dive 2025| St. Louis Blues Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

1 comment

East Notes: Chinakhov, Peeke, Bear

September 13, 2025 at 2:56 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

While Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakhov has already returned to Columbus in advance of training camp, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic notes (subscription link) that his trade request hasn’t been rescinded.  The 24-year-old started strong with 14 points in 21 games but then suffered a back injury that kept him out for several months while undergoing a treatment back in Russia that the team didn’t approve of.  Then, upon returning, his ice time was more limited while also being a healthy scratch multiple times, resulting in just one assist in his final nine appearances.  Chinakhov has one year left on his bridge contract worth $2.1MM and will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see a team looking to make a change-of-scenery type of trade showing interest in Chinakhov in the coming weeks.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke played a fairly big role in the second half of last season, logging nearly 21 minutes a night when their back end dealt with some major injuries. While he fared relatively well in those extra minutes, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that the team hasn’t initiated contract extension talks yet and could wait until later in the season when they have a better sense of where they stand.  Peeke was brought in at the 2024 trade deadline from Columbus and has largely been a fourth or fifth defender in Boston.  He has one year left on his contract with a $2.75MM cap charge and should be able to get a bump up on that on his next deal.
  • The Red Wings announced (Twitter link) that prospect Carter Bear will not take part in their rookie games but is expected to be ready for training camp. Detroit picked the forward 13th overall back in June following a strong season with WHL Everett that saw him score 40 goals and add 42 assists in just 56 games.  However, he sustained a torn Achilles tendon in early March and it appears that Detroit isn’t going to chance it with the injury and will hold him out this weekend as a precaution.

Boston Bruins| Columbus Blue Jackets| Detroit Red Wings Andrew Peeke| Carter Bear| Yegor Chinakhov

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Carter Hart Expected To Receive Interest From Multiple Teams

September 13, 2025 at 1:48 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 17 Comments

Earlier this week, the NHL announced that the five Hockey Canada players who were found not guilty of sexual assault earlier this summer would be suspended to December 1st but would be eligible to sign an NHL contract as of October 15th.  It appears that goaltender Carter Hart will get an opportunity to continue his career; Chris Johnston reports in his latest piece for The Athletic (subscription link) that Hart is expected to receive interest from multiple teams and should have a handshake deal in place by the start of next month.

Hart last played near the midway point of the 2023-24 season before taking a leave from the team when charges were about to be laid.  Then, when his contract expired, the Flyers didn’t issue a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The 27-year-old has played in 227 career NHL contests, all with the Flyers who drafted him in the second round back in 2016.  Hart started off quite strong with Philadelphia before his performance started to dip, coinciding with their struggles in the standings.  Overall, he has a 2.94 GAA along with a .906 SV% and six shutouts over his six-season career.

While there has been some speculation that the Flyers could look to bring him back, Johnston suggests that’s unlikely to be the case as Hart is believed to be looking for a fresh start.  Meanwhile, Philadelphia already has Samuel Ersson and newcomer Daniel Vladar in the fold while prospect Aleksei Kolosov will also be in camp with the team, as will Ivan Fedotov who looks like a waiver candidate as things stand.

Johnston added that Hart is almost certainly going to sign with a U.S.-based team which would take the long-speculated possibility of the netminder signing with his hometown team in Edmonton.  There were no teams specified as likely landing spots but his priorities are finding a team with a chance to win but also provides him a chance at meaningful playing time.

Despite the long layoff, Johnston expects that Hart will get a multi-year contract from whoever he signs with.  That said, it would be surprising if he received more than the $3.979MM he was making with the Flyers on his last contract so it might be in Hart’s best interest to look for a shorter-term pact if he is able to be an impact performer with his next team.

Even if an agreement is reached by the start of next month, he’ll have to wait a couple of weeks to officially sign it.  From there, Hart would be able to practice with the team for a month to work on conditioning before being granted a conditioning stint in mid-November where he will see his first taste of AHL action since 2019.

2025 Free Agency Carter Hart

17 comments

Pacific Notes: Eichel, Lund, Jarventie

September 13, 2025 at 12:39 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Jack Eichel and the Golden Knights haven’t hidden their mutual desire to get a long-term extension in place although a deal hasn’t gotten along the finish line just yet.  It appears they’re in agreement on the term side of things at least as Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic recently reported (video link) that both sides are happy with a maximum-term agreement of eight years.  Meanwhile, Johnston adds that the likely range of an extension should fall between $13MM and $14MM per season, representing a fairly significant raise on the $10MM he’s receiving on his current deal.  Eichel has averaged more than a point per game since joining Vegas four seasons ago (both in the regular season and playoffs) and is coming off a career year that saw him put up 28 goals and 66 assists in 77 games.

More from the Pacific:

  • Sharks winger Cameron Lund left Friday’s rookie tournament game in the third period after taking a hit to the head, notes Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest. The 21-year-old signed with San Jose late in the season after his college campaign came to an end and fit in relatively, picking up two goals and an assist in 11 appearances in 11:30 per night of action.  While Lund probably wasn’t going to be in serious contention to break camp with the big club, this injury could take any chance of that happening off the table.
  • Although he plausibly could have been at Edmonton’s rookie camp, the Oilers elected to not have Roby Jarventie participate as a precaution, relays Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. The winger was limited to just two games last season due to a knee injury and briefly signed in Finland for this year before having a change of heart and re-upping with Edmonton.  Rookie tournament games tend to be a little more erratic than preseason ones so it isn’t surprising to see them not taking any chances.  Jarventie has seven NHL games under his belt from his time with Ottawa and could be in the mix for ice time with the Oilers this season if he’s able to stay healthy.

Edmonton Oilers| San Jose Sharks| Vegas Golden Knights Cameron Lund| Jack Eichel| Roby Järventie

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Blackhawks Sign Spencer Knight To Three-Year Extension

September 13, 2025 at 11:01 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 5 Comments

When the Blackhawks acquired Spencer Knight from Florida as part of the Seth Jones deal prior to the trade deadline, they picked up who they feel can be their goalie of the future in the swap.  They’ve now made sure he’ll be in the fold for a while longer as the team announced that they’ve inked the netminder to a three-year extension worth $17.5MM, or $5.833MM per season.  GM Kyle Davidson released the following statement:

After joining the team in March, Spencer quickly cemented himself as a crucial piece of our future. A talented, young goaltender, he brings athleticism, sound positioning and a calm demeanor to his game, and we’re excited to watch Spencer continue to flourish in Chicago over the next four seasons.

Knight was a first-round pick by Florida back in 2019, going 13th overall.  He quickly made the jump to the pros in 2020 and was the full-time backup for the Panthers in 2021-22.  Soon after, Florida saw fit to give him a fairly significant bridge deal for a netminder with limited experience, signing him to a three-year, $13.5MM pact, the last season of which comes in 2025-26 with the extension running through 2028-29.

Florida didn’t get a great return on that deal at the beginning.  Knight stepped away from the team in February 2023 to enter the Player Assistance Program to treat his Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.  The following year (the first of the new contract) was spent entirely at the AHL level with the Panthers prioritizing getting Knight as much playing time as possible while Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz comprised Florida’s tandem.  He played relatively well with AHL Charlotte, posting a 2.41 GAA along with a .905 SV% in 45 games that season.

Stolarz moved on to Toronto last season, paving the way for Knight (now waiver-eligible) to return to the Panthers.  He played in 23 games with Florida in 2024-25, putting up a 2.40 GAA and a .907 SV%, both better than the NHL average.  That was good enough to make him the centerpiece of the return for Jones and Chicago gave Knight plenty of playing time down the stretch.  The 24-year-old suited up in 15 contests for the Blackhawks following the swap where he had a 3.18 GAA and a .893 SV% on a group that was prioritizing giving some of their prospects plenty of playing time late in the year.

This deal buys Chicago only one extra year of team control as he still had two RFA-eligible years remaining after this one.  PuckPedia relays (Twitter link) that the contract is front-loaded, paying $7.25MM in 2026-27, $5.75MM in 2027-28, and $4.5MM in 2028-29; he’ll also have a 15-team no-trade clause that year.

Knight will enter the season at the head of a goaltending trio that has quietly become one of the more expensive groups in the league.  Arvid Soderblom begins the first year of his new two-year, $5.5MM pact and will likely be the backup while veteran Laurent Brossoit, who didn’t play last season due to injury, has one year left on his agreement at $3.3MM.

But while this contract cements Knight as the starter for a little while longer, it stops short of handing him the job for the long haul.  That should prove appealing for their prospects as Drew Commesso and Adam Gajan were both second-round picks that Chicago hopes can be part of the future plans as well.  Commesso had a solid year with AHL Rockford in 2024-25 while making his NHL debut while Gajan struggled in his first taste of college action and is probably a couple of years away from turning pro.  If one of them breaks through and seriously pushes for the starting job, Chicago can still pivot and go in that direction while if not, they’ll get the next few years to see if Knight is the right fit for the job for the long haul.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that Chicago was signing Knight to an extension.  Bleacher Report’s Frank Seravalli was the first to report the terms.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.

Chicago Blackhawks| Newsstand| Transactions Spencer Knight

5 comments

Mackenzie Blackwood And Samuel Girard Dealing With Injuries

September 13, 2025 at 9:57 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

The Avalanche knew that they wouldn’t have their full roster available to start the season with winger Logan O’Connor still working his way back from hip surgery.  It appears he’s not the only one dealing with injury concerns though.  Brennan Vogt of Hockey Mountain High reports that goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood and defenseman Samuel Girard are also banged up heading into training camp.

Blackwood didn’t skate with the team during captain’s skates all week and on Friday, worked with goalie coach Jussi Parkilla but voiced some pain when pushing off his right leg during one of the drills.  Notably, he wasn’t taking shots either; combined, those suggest he’s not fully healthy heading into camp.  Blackwood is beginning a five-year, $26.25MM contract signed soon after being acquired in an early-season trade from San Jose.  Scott Wedgewood enters camp as the backup and could be in line for a bit more work early on.  If Blackwood were to miss time to start the season, Trent Miner would likely break camp as the interim backup.

As for Girard, Vogt relays that the blueliner didn’t take part in any of the optional skates since August 17th until yesterday and was skating gingerly in a non-contact sweater, suggesting he could be dealing with a lower-body issue.  The 27-year-old has had some injury trouble for several consecutive seasons now but when healthy, has been a capable top-four blueliner while also being only one of two left-hand shots in their projected top-six.

Colorado currently has around $1.325MM in cap space as things stand, per PuckPedia, meaning that they don’t have to place O’Connor on LTIR.  However, if Blackwood and Girard’s injuries drag into the regular season, operating below the cap ceiling without needing LTIR could become a little trickier, a small subplot to keep an eye on over the next few weeks.

Colorado Avalanche| Injury MacKenzie Blackwood| Samuel Girard

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