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Five Key Stories: 6/3/24 – 6/9/24

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The Stanley Cup Final is now underway and although there typically isn’t a lot of activity around the NHL during the final series, there was still some notable news and notes from the past week which is recapped in our key stories.

Salary Cap Set: With the players’ share of the overage they received during the pandemic-shortened season now repaid, the salary cap is getting a nice boost heading into next season.  The league has set the Upper Limit of the cap at $88MM, an increase of $4.5MM from 2023-24’s number.  The cap had been going up by just $1MM per year while the escrow portion was paid off.  Meanwhile, the increase at the top end means that the minimum cap expenditure is also going up, from $61.7MM this season to $65MM in 2024-25.  Many teams have been cap-strapped in recent years and while this increase won’t solve all of that, it will provide at least a bit of flexibility moving forward.

Kekalainen Linked To Hurricanes: With Don Waddell leaving Carolina for Columbus, the Hurricanes now have a GM vacancy to fill.  It appears one of the contenders for the role is former Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen.  While Columbus didn’t fare well over the last few years of his tenure, Kekalainen would add some experience to an organization that’s planning to go with a by-committee approach when it comes to decision-making, a process that will also involve owner Tom Dundon.  In the meantime, one of the decisions the Hurricanes have to make is what to do with pending UFA winger Jake Guentzel who appears intent on testing free agency.  For the time being, it appears Carolina has made his negotiating rights available for a draft pick.

Pavelski Expected To Retire: While he stressed that this was not an official retirement announcement, Stars forward Joe Pavelski said that he believes that he has played his final NHL season.  The 39-year-old spent the first 13 years of his career in San Jose before moving to Dallas in 2019-20 after not being able to secure a multi-year agreement with the Sharks.  The change of scenery worked out quite well for both sides as Pavelski had his two best seasons with Dallas and even managed 67 points this season.  If this is indeed it for him, Pavelski finishes up with 476 goals and 592 assists in 1,332 regular season games while chipping in with 143 points in 201 playoff contests.  He reached the top-25 in all-time playoff appearances last round against Edmonton.

Lottery Picks Available: Teams looking to move up in the draft order could have some options in the coming weeks as reports suggest that the Devils and Sabres are open to moving their first-round selections, slotted at 10th and 11th respectively.  Both teams are looking to rebound from disappointing seasons and aren’t believed to be looking for a pick swap but rather are dangling the selection to make an impact addition that can help them win now.  We’ll find out over the coming weeks if they get an offer to their liking to part with a lottery selection.

Ehlers Not Interested In Extension: Nikolaj Ehlers has been a key part of Winnipeg’s forward group for the past nine years but it appears he would like his time with them to end sooner than later.  He is believed to have indicated that he is not interested in signing an extension with the Jets and would welcome a trade.  Ehlers has one year left on his contract at $6MM and will be UFA-eligible in 2025.  Coming off a 25-goal, 61-point campaign, he’s likely in line for a raise on that price tag and if Winnipeg is open to allowing extension talks to occur prior to a trade, they could get a better return for Ehlers over dealing him strictly as a rental player.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Domi, Girgensons, Escrow, Draft

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Maple Leafs forward Max Domi told Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun that he knows his agent Judd Moldaver has been in discussions with GM Brad Treliving but declined to comment on the status of negotiations.  Domi signed a one-year, $3MM deal with Toronto last summer but saw his goal total drop from 20 a year ago to just nine this season.  However, his 38 assists were his best since the 2018-19 campaign.  That could still put him in line for a raise this summer on a multi-year agreement.  Toronto has a little less than $19MM in cap room per CapFriendly but they have multiple key pieces to try to sign into that space which could make fitting in a raise for Domi a little harder.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • The Sabres are interested in re-signing pending unrestricted free agent Zemgus Girgensons, relays Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. The 30-year-old has spent the last ten seasons with Buffalo after they drafted him in the first round back in 2012.  However, Girgensons hasn’t reached the 20-point mark since his sophomore year and while he provides some value in a limited checking role, it could make sense for both sides for the forward to ultimately move on.
  • After years of losing money to escrow, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that players could receive the full 6% escrow payment back plus potentially a small top-up to their salary to balance the players’ share at 50% of Hockey Related Revenues. If that happens, it will be the first time the players receive a top-up since the 2011-12 campaign.  Any top-up would not affect salary cap calculations for the 2023-24 season.
  • In the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that some agents feel the draft needs to be shortened to as little as four rounds. Most of the players who ultimately don’t sign with the teams that drafted them come from the final few rounds so some believe they should have the opportunity to be free agents earlier compared to waiting for their rights to be relinquished.  The last time the draft was cut was back in 2005 when it went from nine rounds to the current seven.  This is a collectively bargained issue so no changes will be on the short-term horizon.

Offseason Checklist: Nashville Predators

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The offseason has arrived for all but the two teams who are still taking part in the playoffs.  For the rest, it’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months.  Next up is a look at Nashville.

It looked like Nashville was pivoting to a rebuild with the moves they made last summer but instead, it wound up being more of the same even with some core pieces gone and other new core players in place.  The Preds went on a major hot streak in the second half of the season, recording at least a point in a franchise-record 18 straight games which helped secure them a Wild Card spot.  However, they weren’t able to muster up much offense in the playoffs, resulting in a first-round elimination.  Now, assuming they’re not looking to rebuild now, GM Barry Trotz will have several objectives to try to accomplish this summer.

Replace McDonagh

Trotz made one notable move this offseason, sending Ryan McDonagh back to Tampa Bay, fulfilling a request from the blueliner.  In doing so, he took one of their more notable defenders out of their lineup.  While they offloaded his full $6.75MM cap hit and got a second-rounder, they didn’t get anything back that could help the current roster while creating a big hole to fill.

This past season, McDonagh was second on the team in ice time behind only Roman Josi.  He was also second in points by a blueliner and blocked shots while leading all Nashville players in shorthanded ice time.  Suffice it to say, they need to find an impactful replacement.

Brandon Montour is the only pending unrestricted free agent who averaged more than McDonagh’s 21:47 per game in 2023-24.  Having said that, veterans like Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce can also fill that void.  Chris Tanev would be a shorter-term addition to cover some hard defensive minutes while Matt Roy could be more of an under-the-radar fit.  Alternatively, they could look to the trade market.

With Alexandre Carrier and Tyson Barrie also set to hit the open market next month, the Preds will also have some work to do in terms of adding some depth.  But on top of that, they’re going to need to find a top-three defender if they want to hang around the playoff picture.

Decide Saros’ Future

This time a year ago, there was speculation that the Predators were open to moving Yaroslav Askarov with an eye on making a splash either at the draft or to upgrade their roster.  Clearly, that never materialized and the young netminder had a strong season with AHL Milwaukee and remains their goaltender of the future.

How close the future is remains to be seen, however.  Veteran goaltender Juuse Saros is set to enter the final year of his contract next season, one that carries a below-market $5MM AAV.  The 29-year-old’s numbers for the year weren’t spectacular but he was much better in the second half of the year and had a strong showing in the playoffs.  That has him well-positioned to earn a considerable raise on his next deal.  On the surface, he could make a case for a contract similar to the seven-year, $59.5MM pact ($8.5MM AAV) that Connor Hellebuyck signed with Winnipeg last season.

With Askarov in the picture, is it advisable for them to commit that type of deal to Saros?  If they feel they should do that, then it’s possible that Askarov could be in play once again.  On the flip side, if Trotz feels that it’s not worth paying that type of contract, then the decision becomes about trading him now or keeping him into next season and re-assessing closer to the trade deadline.

If they look to move him in the coming weeks, it might be tough to elicit top value with Jacob Markstrom and Linus Ullmark (among others) believed to be available as well.  While that means there could be more demand for starting goalies, the higher supply could lower the offers coming Nashville’s way.  Generally speaking, teams typically get better returns if they move a goalie in the offseason but it’s certainly possible that this isn’t the case this year with the other netminders in play.

On the surface, this could be Nashville’s biggest decision of the summer.  Is it time to hand the reins to Askarov?  They’ll have to determine the answer to this question probably within the next few weeks.

Add Scoring Depth

Under Andrew Brunette, the Predators went from 27th in goals scored in 2022-23 to 10th this season, gaining 40 extra goals in the process.  However, they struggled considerably in that department in their opening-round loss to Vancouver, scoring just a dozen times in six games even with the Canucks playing most of that series without starting goaltender Thatcher Demko.

To that in, despite their improvement in the regular season, Trotz told Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (subscription link) that he’s looking to add up front, particularly in their top nine so they’re not as reliant on the top line as they were at times.  Before looking at the external options, they will need to consider some internal ones, however.

Youngsters Juuso Parssinen, Philip Tomasino, and Egor Afanasyev all spent time in the minors this season (the latter almost the entire year) but are all now waiver-eligible moving forward.  Parssinen and Tomasino have had some success in Nashville at times but haven’t been the most consistent so far.  Trotz will need to identify which ones are in the plans for 2024-25 and if any aren’t, this might be the time to try to move them before running the risk of having to sneak them through waivers.  But one (or more) of them establishing themselves as regulars next season should help their offensive depth at a minimum.

As for free agent options, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them take a run at re-signing Jason Zucker who fit in pretty well after being acquired at the trade deadline.  Beyond that, since their focus seems to be on improving their depth, they’re probably not going to be targeting the top end of the UFA class.  But veterans like Tyler Toffoli and Vladimir Tarasenko could appeal as multi-year veteran options while Jake DeBrusk and Teuvo Teravainen could be longer-term fits.  With $26MM in cap space per CapFriendly, they will have room to add a forward or two even after addressing their defensive situation.

Improve Penalty Kill

During the regular season, Nashville’s penalty was a trouble spot.  Their success rate dropped to just 76.9%, good for 22nd in the league.  For comparison, they were at 82.6% in 2022-23, good for a three-way tie for fourth in the NHL in that regard.  The slippage shorthanded likely played a role in their decision to let assistant coach Dan Hinote go late last month as one of his responsibilities was running the penalty kill.

For starters, they’ll need to find a replacement for Hinote behind the bench who will likely take on his old role.  That’s something they’d probably like to have in place before free agency opens up next month.

It wouldn’t be surprising if penalty killing acumen will be among the priorities that Nashville uses to round out their back end to replace Carrier (assuming he doesn’t re-sign) and Barrie.  There are plenty of depth defensemen available on the open market, several of which can handle heavy penalty killing roles while the lower-end blueliners are typically easier to get on the trade market.  They should be able to address this in the coming weeks.

Things get a little harder when it comes to their forwards.  They already have ten returning forwards, not including the three now-waiver-eligible ones mentioned earlier.  If they bring Zucker back and/or add another offensive forward, that fills one hold but probably doesn’t address the penalty killing element unless they’re bringing in a notable two-way player.  It might require shaking up the fourth line that was quietly effective or moving out someone already there to open up a roster spot to bring in more of a penalty killing specialist to help get this unit back on track.  It’s not a must-fix priority but it’s one that Trotz will likely try to address nonetheless.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Penguins GM Kyle Dubas Discusses Offseason Plans

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Last offseason was an eventful one for Penguins President and GM Kyle Dubas.  He wound up losing his job in Toronto only to be hired by Pittsburgh soon after.  Meanwhile, a search for a GM resulted in Dubas simply removing the interim tag from himself.

On the ice, the Penguins were active both on the trade front and free agency.  They added Erik Karlsson in a three-way deal with San Jose and Montreal and Reilly Smith from Vegas on the draft front while adding Ryan Graves, Alex Nedeljkovic, and Lars Eller (among others) on the open market.  But the end result wasn’t an improvement in the standings as they finished fifth in the Metropolitan Division for the second straight year and missed the playoffs.

This time around, it appears the Penguins will be taking a different approach to their summer activity.  Dubas told NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman that the priority will be replenishing their younger assets:

The major focus for us is on right now acquiring as many young players, as many prospects and as many draft picks as we can to try to infuse the team with really good young talent, young players and then have that stocked up for the future as well and attempt to get us back into contention as quickly as we can.

The stated goal of trying to get younger should come as no surprise.  After all, the Penguins had the highest average age of any NHL team in 2023-24.  But it also then stands to reason that Dubas might not be as aggressive when it comes to adding veteran win-now pieces.  Per CapFriendly, they have a little under $13MM in cap room and if prospect Joel Blomqvist ultimately replaces Nedeljkovic (a pending UFA), they won’t have any key free agents of note to contend with; there will be room to add pieces as a result.

In that scenario, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dubas look to some of the younger options on the open market such as Jake DeBrusk or Anthony Duclair, players who can help the team but are still a few years younger than the average age of the team to help them get a little younger and quicker.

Meanwhile, one of the other items on their summer to-do list will be working on an extension for Sidney Crosby.  Dubas had this to say about getting his captain extended:

The key for us is, because of the importance of it and how much Sid means to the organization and the city, we want to keep that as quiet as possible and go through it.  And then hopefully as we get through this summer, get a sense where everybody’s at and then let everybody know at the right time.

The 36-year-old has been Pittsburgh’s franchise forward since he was selected first overall back in 2025.  He has averaged more than a point per game in all 19 NHL seasons, tying Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record while Crosby now sits tenth in all-time scoring.  He has carried a cap hit of $8.7MM since the 2008-09 season and with how he has played since then, there’s a case to be made that he could get that much or more on an extension.

The length of the deal will ultimately dictate what happens on that front as it’s quite possible that Pittsburgh could do what they did with mainstays Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang when their deals were up, giving them a longer term than expected in an effort to keep the cap hits down.  One way or the other, it seems quite likely that a new deal for Crosby will get done at some point this summer.

West Notes: Utah, Cataford, Foegele

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The franchise outlook is certainly different for Utah following their move from Arizona, a move that should give GM Bill Armstrong plenty more options in terms of adding to his roster.  However, as he noted to NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman, the relocation won’t do anything in terms of affecting their plans when it comes to the draft later this month.  Utah only has one first-rounder (sixth overall) but with 13 total selections, they have the most of any team.  Armstrong suggested that while they won’t pick for need within their first few selections, they’re open to picking more based on positional need as the draft moves along.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Golden Knights prospect Mathieu Cataford is on the move in the QMJHL as Rimouski announced that they’ve acquired him from Halifax in exchange for five draft picks. The 19-year-old was a third-round pick back in 2023 and was a high-end producer in junior this season, notching 40 goals and 50 assists in 65 games.  Cataford, who has already signed his entry-level deal, also got into four regular season contests with AHL Henderson where he picked up two assists; he’s not eligible to play full-time at that level until the 2025-26 season, however.
  • After missing the last three games, Oilers winger Warren Foegele returns to the lineup tonight against Florida, relays Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press (Twitter link). He’s expected to take the place of veteran Derek Ryan.  Foegele had a career year during the regular season, one which saw him score 20 goals and 21 assists, both personal bests.  A pending unrestricted free agent, a strong finish to his postseason would certainly give him a boost heading into his first trip to the open market.

Avalanche And Jonathan Drouin Have Started Contract Talks

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Avalanche winger Jonathan Drouin is one of the more intriguing pending unrestricted free agents available this summer.  After taking a low-cost contract with Colorado, he had a career year offensively, positioning himself for a considerable raise on the open market this time around.

Both Drouin and Colorado management have expressed a desire to get a new deal in place.  His agent Allan Walsh from Octagon indicated on his latest podcast (audio link) that he met with GM Chris MacFarland earlier this week at the NHL Combine to kickstart discussions and that both sides remain interested in getting something done.

However, as MacFarland acknowledged to Corey Masisak of The Denver Post, there are some complicating factors at play.  While they’re hopeful that captain Gabriel Landeskog can return, there is still some uncertainty on that front.  Meanwhile, Valeri Nichushkin will be away from the team for at least the first few weeks of the season while being in the third stage of the Player Assistance Program.  He won’t count against the salary cap during that time but will he be able to return after the six-month mark?  That question certainly also complicates their spending planning.

Unlike dealing with a restricted free agent where financial decisions could be pushed until later in the summer, Drouin’s unrestricted status doesn’t afford them that luxury.  Accordingly, MacFarland stated that this is something that will need to come together sooner than later:

It’s something over the next 10 days to two weeks we’re going to have to try and put our heads together. But really, it’s math. You can’t expect the player to come back on a low-level deal after what he did. It’s a matter of, can you find the space, how do you find the space, and when can you find the space?

In 2022-23, Drouin recorded just two goals and 27 assists in 58 games with Montreal, leading to a one-year, $825K contract with Colorado last July.  The move worked out quite well with both sides as the 29-year-old put up 19 goals and 37 helpers in 79 contests while logging over 18 minutes a night for the first time.  As a result, as MacFarland himself stated, the option for a low-cost agreement isn’t going to be there this time around.

On his contract with Montreal, Drouin carried a $5.5MM AAV.  It’s unlikely that he could command that much on a long-term agreement even with the year he had but something in the $4.5MM to $5MM range could be achievable, especially if several teams believe he’s back on track now coming off the year he had.

With trade activity unlikely to seriously pick up until after the Stanley Cup Final ends, MacFarland and the Avs have a bit of time to determine if they can either afford to re-sign Drouin at market value or take the risk of signing him and see what happens later with Landeskog and Nichushkin, knowing it could complicate things in-season.  But as much as it would be a risk to go that route, it would also be a risk to lose him outright with the uncertainty surrounding the other two wingers.  Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see something get done to keep him around in the coming weeks.

Snapshots: Conditional Picks, Tocchet, Thunderbirds

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The final series of the playoffs gets underway tonight with Edmonton taking on Florida.  The events and outcome of the Stanley Cup Final will also affect the draft order in the next three years.  As CapFriendly notes (Twitter link), the following four late-season trades will be finalized based on whoever wins this series:

Ducks/Oilers: The 2025 fifth-round pick that went to Anaheim in the Adam Henrique trade will upgrade to a 2025 4th round pick if Edmonton wins.

Sabres/Panthers: The 2024 seventh-rounder acquired by Buffalo for Kyle Okposo will upgrade to a 2024 fifth-round pick if Florida wins.  (Florida would also incur a $500K cap penalty next season in this scenario as that is payable to Okposo if they win.)

Senators/Panthers: The 2024 fourth-round pick that Ottawa received for Vladimir Tarasenko will become a 2026 third-rounder if Florida wins the series.

Penguins/Panthers: The 2025 seventh-round pick Pittsburgh acquired for Magnus Hellberg will convey if Hellberg plays in two games this round.  Hellberg is on Florida’s active roster as a Black Ace recall but has yet to play this postseason.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet is heading into the final guaranteed season of his contract next season though there is a team option for 2025-26 as well. The bench boss told reporters including Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province that there have yet to be any discussions about a contract extension, nor is he concerned about that.  Tocchet led Vancouver to a surprising first-place finish in the Pacific Division with 109 points, helping him earn the Jack Adams Award last month.
  • The AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds (affiliate of the Blues) announced that they’ve hired long-time NHL blueliner Jaroslav Modry and AHL veteran Chad Wiseman as their new assistant coaches. Modry spent the last three seasons coaching in his native Czechia while Wiseman had been coaching with OHL Guelph since 2018-19.  They join NHL veteran Steve Konowalchuk on a new-look coaching staff.

Senators Shopping Mathieu Joseph

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This time a year ago, there was some speculation about Mathieu Joseph’s future with the Senators.  The team had limited cap room and needed to make some additions to the roster while keeping enough money to re-sign Shane Pinto which made Joseph a potential candidate to be moved.  As it turns out, that didn’t need to happen and they managed to stay cap-compliant throughout the year.

Fast forward to today and not a lot has evidently changed.  The Sens have some cap flexibility but need to re-sign Pinto again to a considerably pricier deal and once that’s done, they might not have enough left to add a key piece to their roster.  Accordingly, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Ottawa is trying to move Joseph before the draft begins on June 28th.

The 27-year-old is coming off a solid showing this season after struggling mightily in 2022-23, his first full season with the team.  Joseph notched 11 goals and 24 assists in 72 games, setting new career highs in assists and points along the way.  He was rewarded with a boost in playing time, going up to 16:28 per night while seeing action on both special teams units.

On the surface, this doesn’t seem like the type of player Ottawa should be trading.  However, Joseph has two years left on a contract that carries a $2.95MM AAV.  That is on the pricey end for a role player and if they could find a way to move him and have a lower-cost piece take his place, that might give GM Steve Staios enough extra flexibility to try to add an impact free agent.

Of course, the rest of the league knows that Joseph’s contract is a bit on the high side and with many other teams looking to try to make some splashes this summer, quite a few will be looking to save their cap room for those moves later in the offseason so the market for Joseph might not be particularly strong.  That said, Ottawa should have a better chance to move him now coming off a career year compared to the three-goal, 18-point performance he put up in 2022-23.  Will that be enough to find a trade fit by the draft this time around?  We’ll find out the answer to that within the next few weeks.

Flyers Considering Buying Out Cal Petersen And Cam Atkinson

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This past season was a tough one for Flyers winger Cam Atkinson who found himself a healthy scratch on several occasions while underachieving offensively.  Meanwhile, it was even worse for goaltender Cal Petersen who spent most of the season in the minors and struggled in his brief action with Philadelphia.

On top of that, cap space is at a premium for the Flyers as CapFriendly projects them to have barely $500K in regular cap room this summer which isn’t enough to try to make any sort of upgrade to their roster.  Accordingly, GM Daniel Briere acknowledged to NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman that the team is considering all of its options when it comes to opening up cap space, including buying out the veterans when the window to do so opens up later this month.  However, no decision has been made at this time.

Atkinson is coming off the quietest full season of his career.  The 35-year-old notched just 13 goals and 15 assists in 70 games while seeing his ice time drop to a little under 16 minutes a night.  While he was a legitimate top-line threat earlier in his career, he has become a secondary scorer but one that carries a hefty price tag with a $5.875MM AAV.  That would be a difficult contract to move without incentivizing a team to take it on which makes the idea of a buyout more palatable.  They’d save a little over $3.5MM for 2024-25 if they went this route with Atkinson but would add a $1.76MM dead cap charge to their books in 2025-26.

As for Petersen, he was acquired in a salary dump from Los Angeles this summer.  At one point, it looked like he could start as the backup and allow Samuel Ersson to spend more time in the minors but instead, the 29-year-old was waived and spent most of the year in Lehigh Valley.  He didn’t have a particularly strong campaign there either, posting a 2.71 GAA and a .902 SV% in 28 regular season appearances.  Meanwhile, in five games with the Flyers, Petersen notched a .864 SV% while allowing 18 goals in five games.  A buyout for him would reduce his cap charge from $5MM to just $1MM for 2024-25 but add $2MM onto the 2025-26 books.

It’s worth noting that Philadelphia does have other cap room available to them as Ryan Ellis is set to remain on LTIR for next season, freeing up a potential $6.25MM in extra flexibility.  However, going deep into that would prevent them from banking any in-season cap room so ideally, they’d like to try to avoid it.

There’s also the uncertainty with Ryan Johansen’s situation.  Briere indicated to Kimelman that there’s no clarity yet when it comes to the center:

He’s going through some kind of rehab. He had an injection; claims he has a hip injury. At this point, honestly I’m not too sure where it’s at. We’re not sure if he’s going to need surgery, or if he’s going to be ready for camp. We don’t really know at this point.

Johansen has one year left on his deal with the Flyers being responsible for a $4MM cap charge.  If he’s unavailable to play at all, he would then be LTIR-eligible, giving them more wiggle room if they opted to use that.  However, the fact there is some lingering uncertainty about Johansen’s health takes a buyout off the table as injured players can’t be bought out, making Petersen and Atkinson the potentially viable options on that front.

The first buyout window will open up two days after the Stanley Cup ends and run through June 30th so while there is still time for Briere to make a decision on what to do with Atkinson and Petersen, he’ll have to move quickly once the window opens if they do indeed decide to part with one or both of them.

Prospect Notes: Celebrini, Letourneau, MacKinnon, Gordin

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While it has been widely expected that Macklin Celebrini will turn pro and play in the NHL in 2024-25, the center told NHL.com’s Mike Morreale earlier this week that he hasn’t decided his plans for next season just yet.  Celebrini is the presumptive top pick in the draft later this month and most of the time, number one selections make the jump right away.  However, it’s possible that Celebrini could opt for a second season at Boston College and then turn pro with San Jose (assuming they pick him as expected) for the stretch run, a route that Owen Power did after being the top selection back in 2021.

Other prospect news from around the hockey world:

  • The departure of Will Smith to San Jose has had a domino effect for draft prospect Dean Letourneau. The Score’s John Matisz relays (Twitter link) that with Smith turning pro, Letourneau has opted to play at Boston College next season instead of starting in 2025-26.  Letourneau, a potential late first-round pick, had a dominant showing at the Canadian high school level, recording 61 goals and 66 assists in just 56 games.
  • Predators prospect blueliner Dylan MacKinnon has been traded in the QMJHL. Moncton announced that they acquired the 19-year-old from Halifax in exchange for a trio of draft picks, one in each of the first three rounds.  MacKinnon was a third-round pick in 2023, going 83rd overall and is coming off a three-goal, 16-point campaign.  Nashville holds his rights until June 1, 2025 so MacKinnon will be hoping for a big year to secure a contract.
  • Canadiens prospect Alexander Gordin has been traded in Russia. Avtomobilist of the KHL announced that they acquired the winger as part of a three-way trade and signed him to a one-year deal.  Montreal drafted the 22-year-old back in the sixth round in 2020 but Gordin has spent limited time in the KHL since then.  This year, he played for Ryazan-VDV in the second-tier VHL, tallying 18 goals and 22 assists in 53 games.  The Canadiens hold Gordin’s rights indefinitely since no transfer agreement is in place with Russia.

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