Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Offseason Checklist: Buffalo Sabres

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

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

The question in Buffalo in recent years has been, ‘Is this the year?’ when it comes to ending their playoff drought?  Once again, the answer this season was no and it wasn’t particularly close.  At this point, it appears as if it will be the status quo behind the bench and in the front office, though an experienced addition to the front office could be a possibility.  Either way, GM Kevyn Adams has a lot to do this summer, both in terms of keeping his young core intact while also trying to add to it.  Turning this group into a playoff team might be asking too much but some things can be done to get them closer to that goal.

Add Impact Right-Shot Defenseman

One area that Buffalo is well-stocked in is high-end left-shot defensemen.  Rasmus Dahlin turned the corner a few years ago and has emerged as an all-situations number one defender.  Owen Power, another first-overall selection, is only 22 and likely has another gear to get to while already being a top-four blueliner.  Meanwhile, Bowen Byram, who was acquired at the 2024 trade deadline, had his best NHL season and is a high-quality option himself.  That’s a good spot to be in for that side of the back end.

The problem is that their right-shot options have been nowhere near the same quality, a problem that has hindered them for several years now.  They’ve been unsuccessful at developing an in-house option to play in the top four (they moved out Henri Jokiharju back in March after several years of trying to get him to that level) and veterans they’ve signed to fill a spot (in recent years, Connor Clifton, Erik Johnson, and Ilya Lyubushkin) have been better suited for more limited roles.  They added Jacob Bernard-Docker from Ottawa in the Dylan Cozens trade but again, he’s better off on the third pairing.

The result of this has been having one of their big three playing on their off-side at times while also counting on Mattias Samuelsson to play on the right.  While most blueliners can switch sides, their effectiveness wanes when they do so and as a result, a position that should be a strong one for the Sabres continues to be a question.

It’s much easier said than done given the more limited supply of natural right-side rearguards but Adams needs to find a way to add at least one that can play on the second pairing.  Free agent options aren’t particularly plentiful behind Aaron Ekblad; Dante Fabbro, Brent Burns, and Cody Ceci represent the next wave of players who can play around 20 minutes a night.  Beyond that, for perspective, Jokiharju is in the next tier.  Accordingly, this feels like an area that will need to be addressed by a trade, presenting the opportunity for another big roster shakeup after the Cozens-Josh Norris swap at the deadline.

The point of wanting to address this meaningfully has come and gone.  If the Sabres truly have an intention of trying to push for a playoff spot in the near future, this is now a need, not a want.

Re-Sign Key RFAs

The Sabres are going to enter the offseason with a fair amount of cap space.  That’s the good news.  The not-as-good news is that a significant portion of their money is going to go toward keeping the group they have, not necessarily adding to it.  Byram, JJ Peterka, Jack Quinn, and Ryan McLeod are among those needing new contracts as restricted free agents this summer and all are heading for raises.

Byram is likely to be the most expensive of the bunch.  Exiting the bridge contract he signed with Colorado before being dealt, he’s coming off a career year offensively with 38 points, he played all 82 games for the first time, and he logged a career-best 22:42 per game.  These are things that will look quite appealing to an arbitrator as he’s now arbitration-eligible.  After playing on a $3.85MM deal the last two years, Byram’s qualifying offer will be $4.62MM and he’s likely to add at least a couple million more on a long-term deal; a price tag starting with a seven is very realistic.  He’s two years away from being UFA-eligible so another short-term contract won’t be ideal for the team.  That gives Byram a lot of the leverage heading into discussions.

Peterka is coming off his entry-level deal, giving Buffalo some more options.  To give themselves more flexibility this summer, they could opt for a bridge agreement, knowing there’s a jump coming in the cap for a couple of years that would allow them to afford the eventual higher payout.  Coming off a career-best 68 points, that deal could still cost upward of $5MM per year.  On the other hand, Adams could opt to pursue a long-term agreement that buys multiple years of additional club control.  That price would get a fair bit more expensive with the recent seven-year, $45.5MM extension Calgary gave Matt Coronato serving as a starting point.  With Peterka having more success and more experience, a similar deal for him would likely cost another million or so per season.  Long-term agreements for him and Byram would go through the bulk of their remaining cap room.

Another youngster is exiting his entry-level deal, winger Jack Quinn.  The good news is that he stayed healthy this year after a tough 2023-24 campaign but the bad news is that he only got to the offensive level of two years ago.  With that in mind and knowing their cap situation, a bridge deal makes the most sense for both sides, one that should check in around the $3MM range.  Ryan McLeod should come in considerably above that on his deal.  The center will have arbitration rights this time around and had a huge second half, tallying 27 points in 31 games from February on.  That should push his next deal to at least double his $2.1MM qualifying offer.

Knowing who all needs to be re-signed and the other roster holes that need to be filled, Adams will need to navigate his cap situation carefully.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see him try to clear out a bit of money to make sure he can keep these players and leave some wiggle room for elsewhere.

Work On Tuch Extension

While the Jack Eichel trade hasn’t worked out the best for the Sabres, they did get one core piece from it in Alex Tuch.  He has posted his three best offensive seasons the last three years, two of which saw him reach 36 goals.  He has become a legitimate top-line weapon for them while also being a strong contributor defensively.

Tuch is about to enter the final year of his contract and as of July 1st, he will be eligible for a contract extension.  After the season, he indicated a willingness to sign a long-term deal to stick around and it wouldn’t be surprising to see talks on that front get going as soon as possible.

He will be entering his age-30 year in 2026-27 so a max-term agreement of eight years could very well be on the table.  Frankly, Buffalo might want the eight years to allow that final season or two to potentially bring down the AAV.  Tuch is making $4.75MM and it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he could double that on his next contract in a further elevated cap environment.  Today, that number feels a little high but some deals handed out on the open market in July could adjust expectations and reset the pending UFA market fairly quickly.

This isn’t something that Buffalo has to get done right away.  But if the two sides can’t work out an extension, there will undoubtedly be trade speculation that follows which could be an unwanted distraction.  Getting something done would be the preferred outcome but failing that, at least making some progress on extension talks over the summer should be a reasonable goal for the Sabres here.

Examine Goalie Upgrades

Heading into the season, it looked like Buffalo had a reasonable plan in goal.  Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen would be the starter coming off a breakout year, Devon Levi would be the backup, and James Reimer would seemingly be the third-string option waiting in the wings in Rochester, ready to come up if Levi needed a multi-game stint with AHL Rochester.  It didn’t quite go as planned.

For starters, Reimer didn’t make it to the minors as Anaheim scooped him up.  In the meantime, Levi got off to a slow start, eventually getting demoted to the Amerks as soon as Reimer was reclaimed off waivers.  Meanwhile, Luukkonen dropped 23 points off his save percentage and ceded playing time to Reimer down the stretch.  Things couldn’t have gone much worse.

On the one hand, there’s room for optimism.  Luukkonen should bounce back, at least to a point and frankly, it would be hard for Levi to put up worse numbers.  There is a case to be made to go back to the plan from last season while bringing in a veteran third option (or even re-signing Reimer, potentially).

There’s a better case to be made to change things up, at least in the short term.  Levi is still waiver-exempt and while he played well with Rochester this season, he hasn’t even played 70 games at that level yet.  Another season of big minutes would be good for his development.  That would then leave an opening behind Luukkonen.

But instead of looking for a veteran depth option, Adams might be better off looking to bring in someone who can push Luukkonen for playing time.  It’s not a great UFA market but there are some pieces that would fit.  Daniel Vladar would be a bit of an upside add, banking on there still being some development in him.  Jake Allen could work as a platoon partner, a role he has had for a few years now.  Ilya Samsonov might welcome a shot at more playing time as well.  Putting some pressure on Luukkonen might bring out the better version of him more often while they likely wouldn’t give away quite as many points for backup goalie games.

Knowing Levi is still part of the long-term plan, Buffalo might only want to go short-term with this type of goalie but there shouldn’t be too many long-term deals going to UFA netminders.  But with what’s out there, there’s an opportunity here for an under-the-radar improvement that could be worth a few points in the standings and that’s worth putting the longer-term plan on pause for a year.

Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports.

Devils Part Ways With Multiple Coaches

at CDT | by 8 Comments

Following a first-round exit at the hands of Carolina, the Devils are making some changes to their coaching staff.  The team announced that the contracts of assistants Ryan McGill and Chris Taylor will not be renewed, nor will the deals of AHL Utica assistant coach David Cunniff and head video coach Jerry Dineen.  A search for their replacements has now started.

McGill has been behind an NHL bench each year since the 2017-18 campaign, spending five of those with Vegas and the last three with the Devils.  Additionally, he spent two years as an assistant in Calgary, making him one of the more experienced coaches to soon hit the open market.  His main responsibilities were to work with the team’s defense and penalty killing units.

As for Taylor, he spent the last five years as an assistant in New Jersey, his first taste of NHL coaching action after being the head coach at AHL Rochester for the three previous seasons, the team he played for at the end of his career.  His role was more of on the development side, working with their younger players.

Despite McGill and Taylor’s departures, there are still some holdovers on Sheldon Keefe’s staff.  Assistants Sergei Brylin and Jeremy Colliton were not listed among the list of non-renewals, nor was goalie coach Dave Rogalski.  With there already being two primary assistants on staff, it’s possible that the team opts to only fill one of the two positions and run with a leaner group moving forward.

Radim Zohorna Signs In Sweden

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Cross Radim Zohorna off the free agent list.  Rather than attempt a comeback in North America, he has decided to remain overseas.  However, instead of staying in the Swiss League, he’s off to Sweden as Farjestad announced that they’ve signed the forward to a two-year deal.

The 29-year-old looked like a possible late bloomer after showing some offensive upside in his native Czechia.  That, coupled with a 6’6 frame, was enough for Pittsburgh to ink him to an entry-level deal in 2020.  He split that season back home and in the Penguins’ system and held his own in eight NHL games, where he had four points.

That was enough to land him a longer look at the top level the following year when he got into 17 contests with Pittsburgh but in 2022-23, he found himself on waivers and was claimed by Calgary.  He subsequently cleared waivers soon after and spent most of the year in the minors while also getting a brief stint with Toronto.  The Penguins brought Zohorna back in 2023-24 on a two-way deal where he got into a career-best 33 games, bringing his tally to date to 68.

However, rather than search out another two-way pact in North America, Zohorna decided to try his hand overseas last summer, inking a one-year deal with HC Lugano.  Unfortunately, it was a bit of a quiet year offensively as he had nine goals and 13 assists in 39 games, numbers that were relatively close to his AHL production from the year before.  Now, he’s on the move once more with the hopes that a strong showing in Sweden could get him back on the NHL radar down the road.

Snapshots: Eklund, Colton, Ullmark, ECHL

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Sharks winger William Eklund is in stable condition after being taken to the hospital after being cut on the wrist in a tune-up game for the upcoming World Championship, Eklund’s agent, Todd Diamond, told Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now.  The incident occurred during a board battle with defenseman Filip Hronek.  Diamond noted early indications are that no key tendons or nerves were cut on the play.  The tournament begins next week, with Sweden as the event’s co-host. However, given the injury, it wouldn’t be surprising if Eklund didn’t participate now.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Avalanche forward Ross Colton took part in today’s morning skate in a non-contact jersey, relays Ewan Rawal of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link). The 28-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in the series opener against Dallas and hasn’t played since; the non-contact restriction today suggests he won’t be available for the series’ final game tonight.  Colton got off to a hot start this season before dealing with some injury issues, finishing up with 16 goals and 11 assists in 61 games.
  • Speaking at Ottawa’s locker clean-out day, Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark told reporters, including TSN’s Claire Hanna (Twitter link), that while he indicated that he’d have liked to play for Sweden at the upcoming World Championship, the team has decided to go in a different direction. Sweden is a co-host of the event, but they already have their three goalies for the event in Samuel Ersson, Arvid Soderblom, and Arvid Holm.
  • On Friday, the ECHL announced it will welcome New Mexico into the league for the 2026-27 season. They will be the 31st franchise, getting closer to being lined up with the 32 in the NHL and AHL.  The Stars will serve as hockey operations consultants to help the franchise get up and running, while suggestions for the team’s name are now being taken.

PHR Mailbag: Red Wings, Sharks, Blues, Rangers, Canadiens, Wild

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include the possibility of San Jose moving their top pick this year, offseason planning for the Blues, and much more.  If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in last weekend’s column.

gowings2008: What are the Red Wings offseason plans? Trade and draft targets? Will they shed some bad contracts? Seems after today that the players expect more from management than what they’ve gotten recently.

I have to think it’s going to be more of the same from Detroit this summer.  They’re going to operate as if they’re trying to make the playoffs which will have them looking to add multiple veterans, just as they did last year.  With GM Steve Yzerman generally believing in a longer-term development path, I’d be surprised if they’re penciling in a bunch of their top youngsters on the NHL roster next season.  More likely is that most of them start in Grand Rapids.

I don’t see them being particularly active on the trade front in terms of trying to trade for impact talent, short of trying to find a change of scenery trade for someone like Vladimir Tarasenko, a move that would likely see them getting a similarly-priced underachiever coming back the other way.  I’ve said before that I think there’s a trade option out there for Ben Chiarot in a similar type of swap and if they wanted to retain money, I suspect they could get a better return than expected.  The only bad contract I think they’ll shed would be Justin Holl; he’s the only true buyout candidate I think they have.

While you didn’t ask about free agent targets, I expect they’ll be in on pretty much every top-four defenseman that actually gets to the open market but that list is getting pretty small as it is.  Up front, I suspect they’ll look at the top center options available but those will probably price themselves out of what Detroit can afford, sending them toward wingers.  For some reason, Nikolaj Ehlers stands out as a target, someone who can add some secondary scoring.  Like Yzerman said in his presser this week, I expect them to get something done with Patrick Kane to keep him around as well.

Draft-wise, they sit 12th right now heading into next week’s lottery.  Assuming they stay there, defenseman Radim Mrtka feels like someone they’d consider.  Roger McQueen could be a candidate to slide given his injuries while Carter Bear could go in that range as well.

tucsontoro1: Lots of chatter about San Jose moving their #1 draft pick if they win the lottery. Seems counter-productive to a rebuild??

It feels like we get this type of chatter more regularly now but a lot of it is just that, chatter.  It’s fun to dream up scenarios about a team trading for the number one selection but the reality is that it doesn’t happen very often.  More recently, the last time it happened was 2003 and that was a trade-down from one to three.  In theory, the Sharks could do that, land an asset of some note, and still get a high-quality prospect.  While their prospect pool has certainly improved, it’s still not the deepest given how bare the cupboards were when GM Mike Grier took over.  In the right scenario, a move like that would be defensible.

I suspect that’s not the context you were asking with though; I imagine you were talking about trading the pick outright.  Generally speaking, that would run counter to a rebuild but it depends on who you were getting in return.  If San Jose could get a high pick from the last couple of drafts that’s established already that fits in with the age group of their young core that’s willing to sign a max-term deal when their current contract is up, it could make some sense.  Having said that, I’m not sure there’s a player like that available which is why a move is unlikely to happen.  And in terms of trading that pick for a more established star with only a few years of control remaining, that wouldn’t make sense for a team like the Sharks that’s still a few years away from contention.

vincent k. mcmahon: Looking at the Blues FA’s this year (Faksa, Suter, MacEachern), do you see them potentially bringing any of the three back or moving on from all three?

Also, is there anyone you see the Blues potentially buying out (Faulk, Leddy, Joseph, etc)?

I think at the right price point, they’d be interested in keeping Radek Faksa and Ryan Suter.  Faksa has been overpaid these last few years as his offense never came around but he’s consistently above-average on faceoffs, has good size, and can kill penalties.  If he took something around half his current price tag of $3.25MM, that might work.  As for Suter, he’s still a serviceable depth defender and accepted something with a base salary of the minimum last summer with some bonuses.  Something with that structure could be appealing again.  Perhaps not on the opening day of free agency but as most of the options come off the board, that’s something they could pivot back to depending on what else happens.

Before looking at the buyout question, let’s look at their cap situation.  As things stand, they have around $6MM in cap space, per PuckPedia, with Joel Hofer needing a new contract as an RFA.  Beyond that, they already have enough players signed to ice a full team.  A two-year bridge deal around the $2.5MM range for Hofer sounds about right so let’s give them $3MM in cap room, assuming Torey Krug is able to return next season.  Otherwise, he’d be LTIR-eligible again, opening up some extra wiggle room.  With that money, they don’t necessarily have to do anything to create more space.

With two years left on his contract, I think there would be a trade market for Justin Faulk this summer.  The UFA crop is weak and considering he’s a right-shot option, there should be teams willing to accept a small premium on the cap hit ($6.5MM) in exchange for a shorter-term agreement.  His full no-trade clause goes away in July so I don’t think a buyout is going to be needed if they want to move him.

I’d put Nick Leddy in the maybe column.  He only has one year left and they can drop the cap hit from $4MM to $2MM with a buyout next season while adding a $1MM charge in 2026-27.  He has struggled since returning from injury so he’s definitely on an above-market rate.  On the other hand, if they waived him and sent him down, he’d carry a $2.85MM cap charge next year with no hit the following year.  Is it worth taking $1MM in dead cap charges in 2026-27 to save $850K next season?  Maybe.

As for Mathieu Joseph, he’s also in the maybe column.  He hasn’t exactly provided much value on his contract ($2.95MM through next season) after being acquired from Ottawa.  A buyout would save $2.2MM next season and add a $1.1MM dead cap charge in in 2026-27 so the same question with Leddy largely applies here as well.  After receiving a third-round pick to take on his contract last summer, I wonder if they could try to make a similar move and clear the full money that way.  With more money in the system and a higher spending floor, I think we’ll see a few more of those moves in the coming weeks.

I’ll give you one other buyout option, Alexandre Texier.  He’ll be 25 so it’s only a one-third cost, not two-thirds.  If management feels it just didn’t work out, they could buy him out and save $1.75MM in space for next season while taking on a $350K dead cap charge in 2026-27.  If they want to open up a roster spot and a bit of room, that might be the easiest route to take.

Schwa: Predictions for NYR this offseason…

– Option on 1st round pick?

– Notable UFA/RFA decisions?

– Can the team retool, or do they need to rebuild? If the latter, will they?

Thanks!

There were a few other questions originally but they’ve either been covered recently or have been answered as Chris Drury will remain as GM while they wasted little time deciding their coaching situation, letting go of Peter Laviolette and bringing in Mike Sullivan as their new bench boss.

As a refresher, the Rangers moved their 2025 first-round pick as part of the J.T. Miller trade, a selection that was flipped to Pittsburgh soon after.  However, the conditions on that pick say that if it falls within the top 13, New York can keep it and move their 2026 pick instead, albeit unprotected.  It currently falls at #11 heading into the lottery so it’s locked into a top-13 position.  My inclination is that Drury assesses that this is a playoff-bound team next season and keeps the pick, thinking that next year’s could land somewhere in the 20s.  It’s not without its risks given that many felt this was a playoff team this year but the hiring of Sullivan suggests they’re all-in on pushing forward with this core group.

In terms of free agents, there isn’t much of note with their UFAs.  The two they have with NHL experience are Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Calvin de Haan and it’s fair to assume neither will return.  K’Andre Miller and William Cuylle are the key RFA’s.  Miller likely winds up with a short-term deal and with New York’s cap situation, they’ll be pushing for a short-term bridge for Cuylle.  Adam Edstrom and Matt Rempe should re-sign for cheap while it wouldn’t shock me if Arthur Kaliyev is non-tendered.  I’m leaning toward guessing that Zachary Jones gets a qualifying offer but his arbitration eligibility and desire to play more could have them going in an opposite direction.

The Sullivan hiring means they’re not interested in rebuilding.  The good news is that this team can retool.  I don’t think they’re as bad as their record was this year.  If they brought this team back exactly as it was with a quality coach like Sullivan behind the bench, I’d probably pick them as a playoff team.  They’re not going to be able to do much given their cap situation but they might not have to either.  Chris Kreider could be a trade option to move to open up some flexibility and change up one top-six piece but I think this roster won’t have too many changes come opening night in October.

Read more

Hurricanes Sign Frederik Andersen To Contract Extension

at CDT | by 2 Comments

3:30 PM: The team confirmed that they’ve signed Andersen to a one-year extension.  The deal carries a $2.75MM guaranteed salary plus $250K for 35 games played, $250K for 40 games played, and $250K if Carolina reaches the Eastern Conference Final with him playing in at least half of the playoff games.  That brings the potential value of the deal to $3.5MM.  GM Eric Tulsky released the following statement:

Frederik has played extremely well for us and ranks in the top 10 all-time for winning percentage by an NHL goalie. We’re excited that he will be staying with the team for next season.

2:03 PM: An already-thin UFA market for goaltenders could be getting weakened even further.  ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports (Twitter link) that the Hurricanes are closing in on finalizing a one-year extension with pending free agent Frederik Andersen.

Over four seasons with the Hurricanes, the 35-year-old has largely done well when healthy.  However, the challenge has simply been staying healthy.  Andersen has only played in 38 games over the past two seasons due to various injuries plus a blood-clotting condition.  Last year, he put up a stellar 1.82 GAA with a .932 SV% in 16 games while this season, he posted marks of 2.50 and .899, respectively.

Despite the limited action, Andersen was Carolina’s starting goalie for their first-round series against Carolina.  He played quite well in the first four games before suffering an undisclosed injury that caused him to come out early in that fourth game and miss Game 5.  However, team reporter Walt Ruff relayed today that Andersen was a full participant in practice for the second straight day, suggesting he should be good to go for the start of the second round against Washington.

Andersen’s soon-to-expire contract carries a $3.4MM AAV.  Given how much time he has missed the last couple of years, it would be surprising to see this next deal have that much in guaranteed money.  However, since he’s now 35 and apparently signing only a one-year deal, he is eligible to have performance bonuses in that contract.  Speculatively, that would lower the guaranteed cost while having some games played incentives that could push the potential value around what he has made over the last two seasons.

Andersen will once again form a tandem with Pyotr Kochetkov who still has two years left on his contract at a club-friendly $2MM charge.  That duo has been a cost-effective one (again, when healthy) for the last couple of years and that should continue now for at least one more year.

Carolina is shaping up to have plenty of cap space available this summer.  Following the re-signing of Taylor Hall earlier this week, the Hurricanes have around $32MM in room this summer, per PuckPedia.  Notably, they only have a handful of roster spots to use that money on.  While a new deal for Andersen will cut into that a bit, GM Eric Tulsky will certainly have lots of flexibility to try to add to his roster this summer.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.

Flames Sign Matt Coronato To Seven-Year Extension

at CDT | by 9 Comments

Set to become a restricted free agent this summer, Flames winger Matt Coronato has instead put pen to paper on his next deal early.  The team announced that they’ve signed Coronato to a seven-year, $45.5MM extension, one that will carry an AAV of $6.5MM per season.  PuckPedia reports the breakdown of the deal is as follows:

2025-26: $5MM salary, $2MM signing bonus
2026-27 through 2030-31: $6.5MM salary
2031-32: $6MM salary

The 22-year-old was a first-round pick by Calgary back in 2021, going 13th overall.  The Flames took a gradual development strategy with Coronato after picking him, as he spent two years at Harvard before turning pro in 2023.  He also didn’t go straight to the NHL as he spent half of his first full professional campaign in the AHL with the Wranglers where he had 42 points in 41 games before making the jump to a full-time NHL spot this season (aside from a two-game AHL stint in late October).

This season, Coronato finished tied with MacKenzie Weegar for third on the Flames in points with behind only Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau.  Meanwhile, his 24 goals put him third on the team in that department as well while he logged 17:35 per night of playing time.  That performance was good enough to secure him a spot on Team USA’s roster for the upcoming Worlds but following the results of an MRI, he opted to withdraw from the team as a preventive measure to recover and train on schedule for next season.

While it’s not common for a team to hand out a long-term deal to a player with only one full NHL season under his belt and a total of just 112 career appearances at the top level, GM Craig Conroy has rightfully determined that Coronato is going to be one of Calgary’s building blocks for the present and future.  With that in mind, it’s not surprising that getting a contract done was at the top of his to-do list this offseason.

It’s worth noting that Coronato had five years of club control remaining so they could have easily worked out a shorter-term agreement and then looked to lock him up on a more expensive pact down the road that would have kept him in the fold longer.  Instead, they’ve opted for the long-term deal now, meaning that Calgary only gets two years of extra control with this agreement while Coronato receives a 10-team no-trade clause in those final two seasons; players aren’t eligible for trade protection in their RFA-eligible years.

With the signing, the Flames now have around $67.7MM in commitments for next season, per PuckPedia, leaving Conroy with nearly $28MM in cap room to work with this summer.  Forwards Morgan Frost and Connor Zary along with defenseman Kevin Bahl are their most prominent remaining RFA-eligible players, while winger Anthony Mantha and goalie Daniel Vladar highlight their group of pending unrestricted free agents.

Photo courtesy of Brett Holmes-Imagn Images.

Central Notes: Cooley, Kaprizov, Mayich

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Utah will be eligible to sign center Logan Cooley to a contract extension as of July 1st as he’ll be entering the final year of his entry-level contract at that time.  Belle Fraser of The Salt Lake Tribune posits that the five-year, $42MM contract extension Dallas gave to Wyatt Johnston could be a comparable used in negotiations while the team might point to the eight-year, $57.14MM deal they gave Dylan Guenther as a starting point.  After recording 44 points in his rookie year, Cooley put up 25 goals and 40 assists in 75 games this season in a little under 18 minutes a night of playing time.  It’s likely both sides feel he has another level offensively to get to as well which would be factored into any new deal.  Between his draft status (third overall in 2022), the fact that he plays a premium position, and the big jumps coming to the salary cap, it wouldn’t be shocking to see an extension for Cooley push past the $9MM mark this summer.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • The Wild will be eligible to sign star winger Kirill Kaprizov to an extension as of July 1st and owner Craig Leipold has previously said they’ll pay whatever is necessary to keep him. But as John Shipley of the Pioneer Press notes, that alone might not be enough.  Kaprizov is in line for what will be a record-setting contract handed out to a winger and he can get that from Minnesota and likely several other teams if he was to get to unrestricted free agency.  Given that the Wild have yet to have much playoff success – they’ve lost in eight straight first rounds in ten years, the first team of the four major North American sports leagues to have that happen to them – it’s possible that Kaprizov might want to see what other opportunities await him and if there’s a better chance to play for a contending squad.  On the other hand, the Wild have much more cap flexibility to play with this summer and will surely be looking to try to make their roster look more like a contender.
  • Blues prospect Matthew Mayich will play at Clarkson University next season, the school announced (Twitter link). The 20-year-old was a sixth-round pick back in 2023, going 170th overall.  Mayich spent his four-year OHL career with Ottawa and saved his best performance for last, tallying 42 points in 66 games this season.  Louis originally was supposed to have his rights only through June 1st but with the change to allow CHL players to have NCAA eligibility, it remains unclear if that will affect signing timelines for players in that situation.

Offseason Checklist: Philadelphia Flyers

at CDT | by 5 Comments

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

A year ago, the Flyers nearly pulled off an improbable run before falling off to finish the regular season.  Unfortunately for them, that slide continued for most of the 2024-25 campaign and they finished tied for last in the Eastern Conference.  While GM Daniel Briere likely knew that expectations were a bit inflated based on their finish last year, dropping back this much wasn’t what he had in mind.  As a result, there’s a lot that they need to accomplish in the coming months.

Hire A New Coach

Heading into the final couple of months, the belief seemed to be that John Tortorella would last the season and then he and the team would sit down to discuss his future.  However, following a sequence that saw them drop 11 of 12 games in the final few weeks of the season, Briere decided to make a decision before the year ended, firing Tortorella in late March while elevating Brad Shaw to the interim head coaching role for the final nine games.

Interestingly, the Flyers turned things around following the change, picking up 11 points under Shaw while averaging four goals per game.  While nine games is a very small sample size and it’s hard to put much stock in playing out the stretch, their performance under Shaw should help the 61-year-old gain some legitimate consideration for the full-time nod.  What might hurt him is that his only other head coaching experience came nearly 20 years ago when he was promoted to an interim role midseason with the Islanders.

It will be interesting to see what Briere will choose to do here.  As a team that’s still rebuilding, a coach focused on development would make some sense.  And in that case, keeping Shaw in the role on a short-term deal could make some sense.  That would allow both sides more time to assess if he’s the coach that could run the team for the longer haul or if he’d be the one who gets them through this next phase before looking for more of a win-now coach after.

Having said that, Briere has talked about this team trying to take a step forward in the near future which could have him leaning toward a more experienced option.  There’s no shortage of veteran coaches on the market now if he wants to go that route.  Either way, if they have a preferred option, Briere will need to move quickly as some of these vacancies will likely be filled before too long.

Find A Goalie Upgrade

The Flyers have been trying to find a legitimate starting goalie for the better part of two generations now.  The hope was that Ivan Fedotov could be their goalie of the future; they held onto that hope for a long time while they waited for him to come over from Russia.  However, after posting a save percentage of just .880 this season, there’s a chance they run him through waivers in 2025-26.  He’s not the long-term solution.

Aleksei Kolosov also had some potential but no desire to bide his time in the minors.  He spent the bulk of the year in Philadelphia, struggled more than Fedotov did, then went back to Russia over returning to AHL Lehigh Valley.  At this point, while he might have some upside, he can’t be counted on as the solution either.

Samuel Ersson has shown some flashes of being a quality goaltender but has also struggled under the weight of being the de facto number one goalie the last two seasons.  It’s possible that he’s part of the longer-term solution as the second option but it would be surprising to see Briere and the Flyers think they have their future starter on their roster today.

With a stated goal to be more competitive next season, this is a position that needs to be upgraded.  Unfortunately for them, that’s something that will be easier said than done this summer.  The UFA market between the pipes doesn’t have a single sure-fire starter available so they can’t go that route.  Meanwhile, legitimate number ones aren’t traded a whole lot although they could make sense as a possible landing spot for John Gibson if this proves to be the summer Anaheim decides to move him.  That said, he’d carry some question marks as well.

At a time when there aren’t as many true legitimate number one goalies out there, finding one becomes that much harder.  But at this point, even an upgrade a tier below that could be enough to give the Flyers a few more wins next season.  Even with all of Ersson, Fedotov, and Kolosov signed, they need to find a way to add one more netminder to the group, one that will see big minutes next season.

Re-Sign Key RFAs

A lot has changed over the last season for Cam York.  This time last year, it looked like he had taken that step forward to cement himself as a core piece on the back end.  However, things didn’t go so well this season, calling that into question.  The 24-year-old is seeing his bridge deal come to an end this summer and while he’s going to land considerably more than $1.6MM either way, Briere is going to need to decide if he’s seen enough to lock York up long-term or push for another short-term contract.

York is three years away from UFA eligibility so they could look for another bridge agreement although they run the risk of him having a breakout and needing a much more expensive contract a couple of years from now.  Or worse, he decides he wants to test the open market and simply opts to take an arbitration award at the end.  On the other hand, if they’re uncertain about his long-term upside, another bridge makes sense.  Meanwhile, if they feel that York for sure is going to be part of the long-term core, then trying to work out a long-term agreement makes some sense although the cost of it will likely seem high relative to his performance this season.

Tyson Foerster is another RFA of note.  He only has two full NHL seasons under his belt but has reached the 20-goal mark each time including a 25-goal showing this year.  If the team feels the 2020 first-rounder has another level to get to, they could look to try to do a long-term agreement, not unlike the pact that former Flyer Joel Farabee received.  Otherwise, a short-term bridge contract will be coming his way, likely somewhere in the $3.5MM range.

Speaking of forwards, Noah Cates also needs a new deal as his bridge agreement will end at the end of June.  Notably, he’s only one year away from UFA eligibility and has arbitration rights this time around.  After a rough first year on his soon-to-expire deal, he bounced back with 37 points this season.  That should be enough to land him a small raise on another short-term contract as it’s unlikely Briere will be comfortable handing out a long-term agreement to someone who has run hot and cold over the last few years.

Flip The Switch

If the plan is to go from asset accumulation to starting to add pieces, the Flyers have a lot of work to do this summer to try to get back into playoff contention.  On top of needing a viable starting goaltender, their back end isn’t the strongest nor is their forward group which finished in the bottom ten in scoring despite the hot finish under Shaw.  It’s the fourth year in a row they’ve landed in the bottom ten in goals scored so this wasn’t a one-off either.

If they’re going to truly get back into the thick of things, they’ll need at least one top-six forward addition coupled with younger players like Matvei Michkov, Foerster, Owen Tippett, and Bobby Brink all taking steps forward offensively to move their attack closer to the middle of the pack.  Defensively, with York struggling a bit last year, Jamie Drysdale being up and down, and Rasmus Ristolainen set to miss the start of next season, there’s a legitimate need for at least one top-four defender if they’re serious about being in the mix in 2025-26.

The good news is that Philadelphia is well-positioned to try to add some core elements.  They have nearly $25MM in cap room per PuckPedia, an amount that can be added to if Ryan Ellis needs to be moved to LTIR.  Yes, new deals for their RFAs will cut into that but there will still be enough left for one or two additions of note.

Meanwhile, the Flyers have three first-round picks at their disposal next month along with four picks in the second round.  Some of those will undoubtedly be kept to add to their prospect pool but some of those selections could be dangled for win-now help, especially if they can add an experienced younger player who fits in age-wise with their current core.  Adding through free agency but they have some decent trade chips to dangle over the coming weeks to try to flip the switch from being a rebuilding team to one looking to make a push.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.

Mattias Ekholm Won’t Play In Second Round

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While the Oilers came back from a two-game deficit to beat Los Angeles in the first round, they won’t be getting any reinforcements on the back end for their next series against Vegas.  Daily Faceoff’s Jason Gregor relays (Twitter link) that blueliner Mattias Ekholm won’t be available to play in the second round.

The 34-year-old returned to the lineup late in the regular season after missing seven games due to an undisclosed injury.  However, he played just three shifts spanning 1:52 in that game before going down with an undisclosed injury that has kept him out of the lineup since then and will evidently hold him out for a couple more weeks at a minimum.

Ekholm’s absence is certainly a significant one.  He had a career year last season in his first full campaign with the team, notching 45 points while logging over 21 minutes a night.  This year, his output dipped a bit to 33 points in 65 games but his 22:12 ATOI was third on the team.

Notably, Ekholm was their anchor on the penalty kill during the regular season and his absence was certainly felt in the playoffs.  The Kings scored on 40% of their power play opportunities during the opening round as Edmonton struggled considerably when shorthanded but they’ll have to make do without their top defender on that unit for a while yet.

In Ekholm’s absence, Brett Kulak has taken on a much bigger role than usual while John Klingberg returned early in the first round and jumped into a top-four spot, a deployment that will likely continue when their series against the Golden Knights opens up next week.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top