Salary Cap Deep Dive: Pittsburgh Penguins
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 that 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 heading into the 2024-25 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 Metropolitan Division, next up is the Penguins.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Current Cap Hit: $88,037,434 (above the $88MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Rutger McGroarty (three years, $950K)
Potential Bonuses
McGroarty: $500K
McGroarty was recently acquired from Winnipeg after the winger told the Jets he wouldn’t sign with them. He should have an opportunity to push for a roster spot right away (or at least be the first recall from the minors). Bonus-wise, the exact structure of the $500K isn’t publicized but it’s likely two ‘A’ bonuses ($425K in total) and $75K in games played. If he’s a regular, he should get the games played one at a minimum while his role will go a long way toward determining if he has a shot at one of the ‘A’ bonuses.
Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level
F Anthony Beauvillier ($1.25MM, UFA)
F Lars Eller ($2.45MM, UFA)
F Cody Glass ($2.5MM, RFA)
F Matthew Nieto ($900K, UFA)
F Drew O’Connor ($925K, UFA)
D Marcus Pettersson ($4.025MM, UFA)
F Jesse Puljujarvi ($800K, UFA)
D Matt Grzelcyk ($2.75MM, UFA)
Glass was acquired from Nashville in a cap-clearing move from them this summer. He’s only one season removed from a 35-point effort but struggled last year. He’ll need to get back to his 2022-23 level if he has a shot at getting a qualifying offer, one that would carry arbitration rights. As things stand, he’s a non-tender candidate. Eller remains a serviceable third-line center most nights, a role he has held for most of his career. However, he’ll be 36 when this deal is up and with offensive production usually under 35 points, he’s probably going to be going year-to-year moving forward at or slightly below this price tag. Beauvillier is also coming off a rough year between three separate teams, resulting in a $2.75MM pay cut. There’s room for him to rebound and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him land a multi-year deal next summer with a price tag above $2MM at a minimum.
O’Connor is coming off of his best season offensively by far after notching 33 points in 2023-24. While both sides will want to see if this is repeatable before approaching extension talks, if he can maintain those numbers, he could triple that price tag heading into next season. Nieto missed most of last season due to injury and is month-to-month heading into the start of the season, meaning he could land on LTIR to get the Penguins cap compliant. Given the injuries, he’ll probably be looking at a contract close to this price tag again next summer. Puljujarvi was a later-season signing last year and at this point, is simply looking to establish himself as a full-time NHL player once again. A small raise could be doable if he does that.
Pettersson is now the most notable pending UFA on the roster. He logged over 22 minutes a game last season while reaching 30 points for the first time, certainly a positive heading into early negotiations. He’ll be entering his age-29 year next season so his next deal could push past the $5MM mark on a longer-term agreement. Grzelcyk is looking to rebuild some value after a tough season in Boston. If he does, he could get back to the near-$3.7MM AAV from his past deal.
Signed Through 2025-26
F Noel Acciari ($2MM, UFA)
D Sebastian Aho ($775K, UFA)
F Michael Bunting ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Kevin Hayes ($3.571MM, UFA)*
F Blake Lizotte ($1.85MM, UFA)
F Evgeni Malkin ($6.1MM, UFA)
G Alex Nedeljkovic ($2.5MM, UFA)
*-Philadelphia is retaining an additional $3.571MM on Hayes’ contract.
Malkin’s contract went to the wire two years ago and it wound up being a case of term being used to keep the cap hit down. So far, he has provided a very strong return on the deal but he’s now 38 and showing signs of slowing down. That could make the final couple of seasons a bit tougher to deal with from a value perspective.
Bunting was acquired at the trade deadline as part of the Jake Guentzel trade and seemed to fit in better with the Penguins than he did in Carolina, coming close to averaging a point per game following the swap. Part of the challenge last summer for him was trying to argue that he could produce away from Toronto’s top line where he had spent the bulk of his still-limited NHL career (his first two full seasons at the top level). But Bunting managed to produce at a similar rate last year and if he has a couple more seasons around that level of production (he had 55 points in 2023-24), he should have a case at a longer-term deal next time out at a price tag closer to the $6MM mark.
Hayes was a faceoff ace for St. Louis last season but saw his point total nearly cut in half compared to 2022-23, resulting in the Blues parting with a second-round pick to shed the rest of the contract. Assuming he stays in a bottom-six role, his Pittsburgh portion of the contract is about what his market value might be in 2026. Acciari had a quiet first season with the Penguins on their fourth line. He’ll need a bounce-back effort to have a shot at matching this price tag even though he’s above average at the faceoff dot. Lizotte, meanwhile, was non-tendered by the Kings after a quiet season but his track record as an effective bottom-six piece helped earn this agreement. He’ll need to get back to scoring double-digit goals per season if he wants to cross the $2MM mark.
Aho came over from the Islanders in free agency, getting a one-way salary for the fourth and fifth straight seasons. Until he locks down a full-time top-six spot, however, he’s likely to stay close to the league minimum moving forward.
Nedeljkovic took over the starting job down the stretch last season, helping him earn this deal to avoid testing free agency. He has been hit or miss throughout his still relatively brief NHL career and will need two more seasons like last year to have a shot at getting back to that upper echelon of platoon options.
Signed Through 2026-27
F Sidney Crosby ($8.7MM, UFA)
D Erik Karlsson ($9.999MM, UFA)*
*-San Jose is retaining an additional $1.5MM on Karlsson’s contract.
Many expected Crosby to sign a contract extension on July 1st but it wound up taking more than two full months before he put pen to paper on this deal, maintaining the same cap hit he has had since 2008. He’s entering the final season of a now-illegal 12-year contract and at the time it was signed, some wondered if those last couple of years could be tough from a value perspective given that he’s entering his age-37 season. Considering he’s coming off yet another season of averaging more than a point per game (something he’s done in all 19 years), those concerns were unfounded, helping him earn this extension.
Karlsson, as expected, wasn’t able to match the 101 points he put up in his final season with San Jose. However, with 56, he was still well above average in that regard. It’s going to be next to impossible for the 34-year-old to provide surplus value on his cap hit but as long as he’s still one of the higher-end offensive players among NHL blueliners, they’ll do okay value-wise. He’s not a $10MM player at this point but he’s not necessarily too far off that mark either.
PHR Mailbag: Nurse, Maple Leafs, Swayman, LTIR, Preseason, Metropolitan Division
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include the Jeremy Swayman contract drama, handicapping the Metropolitan Division, and much more. If your question doesn’t appear here, check back next weekend for part two.
wreckage: Everyone knows and even Edmonton fans admit, they need to upgrade on Nurse as their 3D but it’s impossible at his contract, especially with his NMC. And now some certain ESPN guy is saying Seth Jones to EDM makes sense, despite the fact the time Caleb was there was tumultuous with their mother’s claims on the old Twitterverse. Does any of that rumor make sense? Even in the slightest?
First, let me say that I’m blissfully unaware of those claims from the Twitterverse which allows me to actually ponder the idea on its merits. Before getting into that, I’ll note that only six players remain from Caleb’s tenure with Edmonton with a different head coach, GM, president, and much more. The culture is different, the team is mostly different; if there were concerns before, those same concerns might not be around anymore.
On the surface, the idea of a swap with Darnell Nurse and Jones makes a lot of sense in theory if there’s a desire to make a change there. Nurse’s contract ($9.25MM through 2029-30) makes it incredibly difficult to swap him for an upgrade as a lot of teams will view the price tag as a negative. With Jones making similar money ($9.5MM through 2029-30), the cap charge isn’t the issue. It’s one overpaid blueliner for another. If both teams think that they’re better off with the other overpaid player, a swap would make sense. I don’t think it’ll happen though. I’d say Chicago says no given the left-defense organizational depth they have, making Nurse a bit redundant compared to the right side where they’re much thinner. But value-wise, it’s not a bad framework for a swap.
gowings2008: Is it crazy to think the Leafs are primed for a step back this year? There are so many question marks. Can Matthews, Nylander, and Marner repeat career years? Will Tavares continue to decline and how fast? Will Chris Tanev’s body hold up? Are they getting Florida OEL or Vancouver OEL? Are Knies and McMann legit? Do they even have an NHL fourth line? Is Woll really the answer with just 34 career starts? I really think if just a couple of these things don’t bounce in the Leafs’ direction, they’ll be on the outside looking in come playoff time. The Atlantic is no walk in the park, especially this year.
It’s not crazy to think that Toronto could take a significant step back this season. We know of them being a top regular season team under former coach Sheldon Keefe but will things be different under Craig Berube? They’re now built with an eye on being more effective in the playoffs. Will the uncertainty around Mitch Marner’s final year of his contract turn into a distraction? I don’t think so but it could. I’m not as worried about the defense and some of the other forwards that you mentioned but there is one giant wild card.
The goaltending isn’t just a question about Joseph Woll but also Anthony Stolarz. Neither player has even been a 1B option in the NHL. They each made career highs in starts last season, making 23 and 24 combined. There are 82 games in the regular season. How will they hold up under the bigger workload? And with oft-injured Matt Murray and Dennis Hildeby as the in-house options to turn to if injuries or general fatigue arise, they’re taking a risk.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the approach they’re taking. There’s upside to both Woll and Stolarz and if they even provide average goaltending, they’ll be fine. But if they falter, they could very well be in trouble.
But that said, I don’t see much reason to think they won’t be a top-three team in the Atlantic this season. While they have questions, no doubt, so do a lot of other teams not named Florida. In that case, I’d back the team with the track record of winning a lot of regular season games to continue doing so.
Johnny Z: So did Neely make the $64M contract offer to Jeremy Swayman and his agent sat on it and did not tell his client? Does Swayman take this offer and fires his agent? Will Neely take the offer off the table? Will Swayman end up on the trade block? What a mess!
First, let me say that this has turned into a bit of a bizarre situation. With the various reporting that’s out there, I get the sense that the $64MM might not have been offered but $62MM or $63MM might have been. So while Swayman’s agent is technically correct from a semantics perspective, the last offer compared to Cam Neely’s stated number is pretty close and probably wasn’t going to be the difference-maker in getting something done or not.
Enough time has passed since this was revealed so if the offer was going to be taken, it would have been taken by now. It sure seems like there’s still a pretty sizable gap to bridge which, evidently, is going to take some time. I don’t think we’re at the point of a more ‘nuclear option’ being an agent change, an offer revocation, or a trade demand. By all accounts, Swayman’s desire is to be in Boston and the Bruins clearly want him as their long-term starter which is why shorter-term agreements haven’t been discussed in much detail yet.
There are various pressure points that help to spur things, be it a trade (the deadline) or a contract (arbitration hearing, training camp, etc). The next one is the start of the regular season early next week where things get more complicated cap-wise as his cap charge for 2024-25 would be higher than his overall AAV (as long as it’s a multi-year deal). Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli explains that more in detail if you’re interested. Assuming something isn’t done by then, then there might be a waiting game to see if the leverage shifts. If Boston starts strong without him, that might lower Swayman’s price while if they falter, the Bruins might decide they have to go a bit higher to close a contract. Things took a turn for the worse this week with the public comments but I expect a deal will still get done…eventually.
rule78.1: How long do you think it will take for the NHL/NHLPA to address LTIR? Because someone within the Vegas organization has found all the holes and is taking full advantage of them.
For those who haven’t seen it, the latest LTIR situation saw Vegas remove the cap hit of Robin Lehner. Technically, Vegas was within their rights to attempt to terminate his contract because he didn’t (or couldn’t) report for his physical. I think in the end, the Golden Knights were prepared to do so, the NHLPA fully intended to grieve and this time, instead of just doing it and waiting to see the outcome of the hearing (like the Flyers are doing with Ryan Johansen, for example), they just worked out the compromise here.
One of the few things we know about this is that there’s a lot we don’t know. As ESPN’s Emily Kaplan relayed earlier this week, there was a specific reason why Lehner was unable to attend, one of a sensitive nature. Due to that, the NHL and NHLPA agreed that this is an “unprecedented and highly unique” case. So is this circumvention? I can definitely see the argument that it is but given how rarely in-season grievances involve restoring a cap charge, I think they might have just done the settlement early instead of reaching it in November or December or whenever the hearing would have happened.
As to your question, it’s a CBA matter since it’s related to salary cap accounting. It’s not something that can unilaterally be changed beforehand. The NHL has been doing its due diligence in terms of speaking to owners, presidents, and GMs to get a sense of the appetite for change. How many want to make a change and how big of one do they want? I think more want to change something than don’t but the extent of the change is up in the air.
The next CBA starts in 2026-27 and while both the NHL and NHLPA would probably like to have an agreement done before then, it’s unlikely any significant cap changes (including LTIR) would come into play until the new document is in effect. So for the next two years, the status quo is probably going to continue to be in place.
Waiver Wire: 10/5/24
With season-opening rosters due in just over 48 hours, it’s going to be a busy weekend on the waiver front across the NHL. A total of 14 players are on waivers today. The players below were first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link) unless otherwise specified. Meanwhile, Friedman relays (Twitter link) that of the 25 players on the wire yesterday, all cleared aside from John Ludvig who was claimed by Colorado.
Anaheim Ducks
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
D Kyle Capobianco
G Magnus Hellberg
F Cameron Hughes
F Kole Lind
D Alexander Petrovic
F Emilio Pettersen
Florida Panthers
Minnesota Wild (per team release)
New York Rangers
Seattle Kraken (per team announcement)
These players will be on waivers until 1:00 PM CT on Sunday.
Avalanche Claim John Ludvig Off Waivers
The Avalanche have added some defensive depth via the waiver wire. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve claimed blueliner John Ludvig off waivers from Pittsburgh.
It’s the second year in a row that the 24-year-old has been scooped off waivers in training camp. Last year, it was the Penguins claiming him from Florida.
Last season, Ludvig saw regular action with Pittsburgh when he wasn’t injured. However, injuries were an issue for him as he missed time with a concussion and an upper-body injury before undergoing offseason wrist surgery. In between, he played in 33 games, his first taste of NHL action. In those, he had three goals and two assists along with 47 penalty minutes, 33 blocks, and 72 hits in a little under 12 minutes per night.
Colorado is an interesting landing spot for Ludvig as they have already brought in three new blueliners this summer to shore up their depth in Oliver Kylington, Erik Brannstrom, and Calvin de Haan. They also have Sam Malinski who is now waiver-eligible so adding to that group comes as a bit of a surprise. Assuming he makes their opening roster on Monday, he’ll give them some extra physicality for games that he’s in the lineup.
Ludvig is in the second and final season of his two-year, two-way deal. The agreement pays $775K in the NHL and $150K should he make it to the minors. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer with arbitration eligibility if he plays in 47 games or more. Otherwise, he’ll qualify for Group Six unrestricted free agency.
Sharks Recall Four Players
The Sharks are the latest team to bring back some players from the minors to help close out their preseason schedule. The team announced (Twitter link) that defensemen Jeremie Bucheler and Jimmy Schuldt along with forwards Nolan Burke and Colin White have been recalled from AHL San Jose.
Schuldt and Burke are the two who are on NHL contracts. Schuldt has just one career NHL appearance under his belt with Vegas in 2019 after finishing his college career. Since then, he has spent time on several AHL teams, including the last two with Coachella Valley before signing with the Sharks this summer. Burke, meanwhile, was acquired in the Yaroslav Askarov trade to balance out contracts. The 21-year-old spent most of last season in the ECHL, notching 15 points and 32 penalty minutes in 47 games.
White and Bucheler are on AHL deals with the Barracuda and technically have inked PTO agreements once again with the Sharks after previously being released. White split last season between Pittsburgh and Montreal but was held off the scoresheet in 28 games. As for Bucheler, the 24-year-old is entering his first full professional campaign after wrapping up his college career last season with 18 points in 33 games with the University of Vermont.
All four players will likely be in uniform tonight against Vegas before being returned to the Barracuda before Monday’s season-opening roster deadline.
Blue Jackets Sign Kevin Labanc
With Columbus dealing with several injuries up front, GM Don Waddell had indicated they wanted to add some forward depth. They signed James van Riemsdyk soon after and they’ve now landed another veteran winger as well. The Blue Jackets announced that they have signed winger Kevin Labanc to a one-year, one-way contract worth $775K. Waddell released the following statement on the move:
Kevin Labanc has been a productive offensive player in this league for several years. He has an excellent shot and playmaking ability and given his character we believe he will fit in very well with our group.
The 28-year-old spent his first seven NHL seasons in San Jose with varying degrees of success. He put up 40 points in his sophomore year, besting that by 16 the following season, suggesting that he was set to become a key long-term contributor for the Sharks.
But things largely went off the rails after that. After signing a four-year, $18.9MM contract in 2020, Labanc’s production took a turn in the wrong direction as he only reached the 30-point mark once, that coming in 2022-23 when he had 33 in 72 games. Last season, he was a frequent healthy scratch, collecting just two goals and seven assists in 49 games when he was in the lineup.
Those struggles resulted in Labanc having to settle for a PTO agreement with the Devils heading into training camp. The move gave him a chance to showcase himself while allowing New Jersey to come closer to meeting the veteran minimum quota for preseason games with their main squad in Czechia as part of the Global Series.
The move worked out quite well for Labanc as he leads all players in preseason scoring with six goals in four games and is coming off a hat-trick in his most recent outing. Now, he was able to use that to land a guaranteed contract, albeit not with New Jersey, who quietly removed him from their training camp roster earlier today. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that the Devils offered Labanc the same contract but told him he’d need to start the season in the minors for salary cap purposes, something that won’t be the case for him with the Blue Jackets.
Columbus is currently without winger Dmitri Voronkov who was placed on IR yesterday while Boone Jenner and Justin Danforth are also expected to land on injured reserve before the start of the season. That should open up a spot for Labanc to slot in somewhere in their middle six once the regular season gets underway next week. With more replacements needed, it’s possible that the Blue Jackets will ultimately open the season above the Lower Limit despite getting an exemption from the league about having to be there on opening night.
Max Miller of The Hockey News was the first to report the signing.
Blackhawks Recall Nine Players, Sign Austin Strand To PTO
While some teams will be dressing close to their full lineups to end the preseason, the Blackhawks will not be one of them. Instead, the team announced that they’ve recalled nine players from AHL Rockford while also signing defenseman Austin Strand to a PTO agreement.
The forwards getting the brief promotion are Colton Dach, Cole Guttman, Frank Nazar, Zach Sanford, Samuel Savoie, and Landon Slaggert. Meanwhile, the blueliners receiving the extra preseason game are Louis Crevier, Ethan Del Mastro, and Kevin Korchinski.
Nazar and Korchinski are the headliners of the group. Both are projected to be key players long-term for the Blackhawks and should see regular NHL action at some point this season. Korchinski spent last season in Chicago as he was ineligible to play in the minors, notching 15 points in 76 games while Nazar was a late-season signing after leaving the University of Michigan. He scored in his NHL debut, his lone point in three contests.
Among the others, five of the seven recalls saw NHL action last season with only Dach and Savoie waiting for their first regular season opportunity at the top level. Of that group, Guttman saw the most action with 27 games (notching eight points) while Crevier had three helpers in 24 contests. Slaggert had four points in 16 appearances, Sanford had four helpers in 18 games after being claimed off waivers, while Del Mastro was held off the scoresheet in two outings.
All of these players had already been cut from training camp and barring any injuries of note in the coming days, are all expected to be returned to the IceHogs, potentially as soon as after tonight’s contest against St. Louis.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Philadelphia Flyers
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 that 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 heading into the 2024-25 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 Metropolitan Division, next up is the Flyers.
Philadelphia Flyers
Current Cap Hit: $84,829,763 (below the $88MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Tyson Foerster (one year, $863K)
F Matvei Michkov (three years, $950K)
Potential Bonuses
Michkov: $3.3MM
Michkov was able to get out of his contract two years early to the surprise of many, enabling him to come to North America this season. Projected to be a key cog of their rebuild, he’s likely someone they’ll want to sign long-term by the time this deal is up. From a bonus perspective, he has $1MM in ‘A’ bonuses, four at $250K apiece. If he plays the prominent role it looks like he will this season, those could be reachable although the ‘B’ bonus is highly unlikely to be met. Foerster’s first full NHL campaign was a solid one with 20 goals. That said, he’d need a significant breakout to bypass a bridge deal, especially with this management group generally leaning toward using those. In that case, something around the $3MM mark is where his next contract might land.
Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level
F Noah Cates ($2.625MM, RFA)
F Morgan Frost ($2.1MM, RFA)
D Erik Johnson ($1MM, UFA)
G Cal Petersen ($5MM, UFA)
D Cam York ($1.6MM, RFA)
Cates was someone who received a recent bridge contract, a move that looks wise on Philadelphia’s part given his struggles last season. He’ll need to get back to at least his rookie-season numbers (38 points in 82 games) to have a shot at a qualifying offer when he’ll have arbitration rights as well. Frost was no stranger to the rumor mill last season but still wound up with his second straight season of more than 40 points. If he hangs around that number again, he could double his $2.4MM qualifying offer on his next deal, one that likely will buy out some UFA-eligible years.
York finished off last season on a high note, providing plenty of optimism heading into this season. Yet another player who is on a bridge agreement, if he plays at the level that he finished at last year, tripling this price tag wouldn’t be out of the question while quadrupling it on a long-term deal could be doable as well. Johnson was picked up at the deadline to give them a serviceable veteran at the back of their lineup and was extended to fill that role for this season. He’ll be going year to year from here and considering he’s best served as a sixth defender, it’s unlikely he could command much more than this next time around.
Petersen has already cleared waivers and he’ll once again play in Lehigh Valley where he’ll carry a slightly reduced cap hit of $3.85MM. It’s safe to say he won’t come anywhere near that next time around; a six-figure deal is more likely.
Signed Through 2025-26
F Bobby Brink ($1.5MM, RFA)
F Nicolas Deslauriers ($1.75MM, UFA)
D Jamie Drysdale ($2.3MM, RFA)
G Samuel Ersson ($1.45MM, RFA)
G Ivan Fedotov ($3.25MM, UFA)
F Scott Laughton ($3MM, UFA)
F Ryan Poehling ($1.9MM, UFA)
D Yegor Zamula ($1.7MM, RFA)
When Laughton signed this contract at the 2021 trade deadline (taking himself out of trade talks in the process), it seemed like somewhat of a team-friendly deal at the time. It still is today. The 30-year-old isn’t the biggest offensive threat (only reaching 40 points once in his career) but is a solid defensive player. He should be able to add at least $1MM to this next time out on another multi-year agreement. Poehling accepted this deal as a midseason extension back in January, giving him a bit of stability after starting the year on his third team in as many seasons. He’s coming off his best offensive output (28 points) but will need to show that’s repeatable if he wants to get into that next tier of money.
Deslauriers got more money and term than many expected for an enforcer but his track record of scoring a bit more than a typical tough guy helped his marketability. That’s a harder sell now at this point of his career coming off a one-goal, four-point campaign. He still can fill that role but with the decline in production and the fact he’ll be 35 when this contract expires, it’s hard to see him getting this on his next deal. Brink is yet another player on a bridge deal after a season that saw him establish himself as a regular. He’ll have arbitration rights next time out and between that and ideally two more years of being a full-timer, he should at least get past $2MM, obviously more if he becomes more of a contributor offensively.
Drysdale was the key piece coming to Philadelphia in the Cutter Gauthier trade but as was the case at times in Anaheim, injuries limited him. He’s someone who has shown flashes of being an above-average player at the NHL level and if he puts it together and stays healthy, pushing past $6MM isn’t out of the question. But, if injuries continue to be an issue, a second one-year bridge agreement might be the safest play, one that would eclipse $3MM with arbitration rights. Zamula inked this bridge deal in early July after locking down a regular role last season. He’ll need to at least move past being more of a fifth or sixth defender over the next two seasons since his offensive game is somewhat limited (which will hurt him in an arbitration hearing). Notably, his qualifying offer in 2026 is only $1.4MM since signing bonus money doesn’t count in calculating those offers.
After a long battle to get him to North America, Fedotov debuted late in the season (although he struggled in limited action) and quickly received this two-year agreement, a sign of the faith the team has in him. He’ll need to establish himself as at least a 1B type of goaltender to hang around this price tag but if he plays up to expectations, this deal will be a team-friendly one for Philadelphia. The early extension to Ersson raised some eyebrows but after becoming their starter, it’s a move that looks great for the Flyers already. He will have one RFA-eligible season remaining once this deal expires and if he’s still in the starting role, it stands to reason that his next contract should be at least three times this one.
Signed Through 2026-27
D Ryan Ellis ($6.25MM, UFA)
F Garnet Hathaway ($2.375MM in 2024-25, $2.4MM in 2025-26 and 2026-27, UFA)
D Rasmus Ristolainen ($5.1MM, UFA)
Hathaway had a good first season for the Flyers while splitting time between the third and fourth lines. Rather than see what his market value would be this coming summer, he accepted an early extension at pretty much the same money. That gets him under contract through his age-35 season and at that point, it would be tough predicting that he’d get more than that if he’s still in that role. Ellis, meanwhile, will remain on LTIR, giving the Flyers the ability to spend above the cap if needed.
Ristolainen remains one of the more polarizing defensemen in the league. He’s someone who has played big minutes in all situations in the past and his contract is one where the price tag suggests that he should be in a second or third role. However, that wasn’t the case last year. His ice time – when healthy – was much more limited than usual and he responded with a decent performance in that role. It’s probably not enough to give him any standalone trade value but if it’s a case where less is more for Ristolainen, the Flyers could still get at least a bit of value on this contract, albeit on an above-market price point relative to last season’s ice time.
Snapshots: Knies, Brossoit, Barlow, Gustafsson
While the Maple Leafs have been working on (and might be nearing) an extension with pending UFA defenseman Jake McCabe, meaningful talks haven’t started with another one of their 2025 free agents. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports in their latest Insider Trading segment that there hasn’t been any meaningful dialogue regarding a new deal for winger Matthew Knies, who will be a restricted free agent next summer. The 21-year-old had a solid rookie season in 2023-24, collecting 15 goals and 20 assists in 80 games and appears to be one of their younger building blocks up front. That said, it wouldn’t be surprising if at least one of the two sides has indicated that they’d rather wait to see how things go this season to get a better sense of his value before kickstarting talks later on.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- While the Blackhawks won’t have their newest goaltender available for the start of the season, it appears he won’t be out for too long. Head coach Luke Richardson told reporters including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link) that Laurent Brossoit is on track to return roughly midway through their season-opening four-game road trip to start the season, meaning he might only miss a couple of games. The 31-year-old posted a 2.00 GAA with a .927 SV% in 23 games for Winnipeg last season, earning Brossoit a two-year, $6.6MM contract on the opening day of free agency this past summer.
- After requesting a trade earlier in the week, Jets prospect Colby Barlow is indeed on the move. OHL Oshawa announced that they have acquired the 19-year-old forward from Owen Sound in exchange for two players and six draft picks. Barlow was the 18th overall selection in 2023 following a 46-goal campaign with the Attack. However, his offensive numbers dipped last season although he still managed 40 goals and 58 points in 50 games before getting into three AHL contests. Barlow is too young to play there full-time this season but will be AHL-eligible next year, making this a pure one-year rental for the Generals.
- Still with the Jets, Murat Ates of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that forward David Gustafsson is listed as day-to-day due to a lower-body injury sustained in Wednesday’s game against Calgary. The 24-year-old played in 39 games with Winnipeg last season, notching three goals and four assists. He inked a two-year, $1.67MM one-way contract with the Jets back in July.
Gabriel Bourque Announces Retirement
Veteran winger Gabriel Bourque has decided to call it a career. The 34-year-old confirmed to Ciel 103’s Kevin Beaule that he has retired after 13 professional seasons.
Bourque was originally drafted back in 2009 by Nashville, going in the fifth round. He spent parts of six seasons with the Preds before heading to Colorado for three more years, then Winnipeg for one. He didn’t play at all in 2020-21 but opted to continue playing after that, spending the last three seasons suiting up with AHL Laval, Montreal’s affiliate but was limited to just 11 points in 43 games in 2023-24.
All told, Bourque ends his playing days with 413 career NHL appearances between the Predators, Avalanche, and Jets. He collected 40 goals, 63 assists, and 736 hits in those outings in a little over 12 minutes a night. He currently sits 44th in NHL games played from the 2009 draft class, a pretty good outcome for a fifth-round selection.
Meanwhile, Bourque was more productive in the minors. He saw AHL action in parts of nine years, tallying 65 goals and 104 assists in 364 games over that span. He won’t be walking away from hockey entirely, however, as he’s now an assistant coach at College Lionel-Groulx.