Minor Transactions: 8/4/25
As we creep a little closer to training camps starting up, there have been a handful of minor moves around the hockey world recently. We’ll run through those here.
- Veteran goaltender Anton Khudobin has announced his retirement at the age of 39, Shaiba.kz relays. Khudobin spent parts of 14 seasons in the NHL, compiling a 114-92-33 record with a 2.52 GAA and a .916 SV% with six different teams. After spending most of 2022-23 in the minors, he opted to play in Russia but didn’t play much at the VHL or KHL levels. Khudobin didn’t suit up at all last season but has now made his retirement official.
- The Hurricanes’ affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, announced (Twitter link) the re-signing of center Nikita Pavlychev and the signing of defenseman Jacob Friend to one-year contracts. Pavlychev had his best AHL performance last season, picking up 25 points in 63 games after primarily playing in the ECHL for the previous four years. As for Friend, he split last season between playing in Austria and Germany but has three years of playing in the minor pros in North America.
- After being moved in the KHL just a few days ago, Matvei Guskov has a new team once again as he has signed with HK Sochi. The Wild drafted Guskov in the fifth round back in 2019 but he has struggled since then, especially last season where he had just four goals in 38 games spread between three other KHL teams. Sochi’s rosters usually aren’t as deep so Guskov may have a pathway to a bigger role and more production now with this move. Minnesota continues to hold his NHL signing rights indefinitely.
- AHL Rockford, affiliate of the Blackhawks, announced the signing of defenseman Tyson Feist to a one-year deal. The 24-year-old only played in six AHL games last season, spending most of the year with ECHL Orlando where he had 17 points in 57 appearances. However, Feist saw action in 32 AHL contests in 2023-24 and will be looking to see more regular action at that level in 2025-26.
Islanders Sign Matthew Schaefer
Back in June, the Islanders made Matthew Schaefer the first overall pick in the draft. Now, they have their newest top prospect under contract as the team announced that they’ve signed the defenseman to a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms were not disclosed but PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that, as expected, Schaefer has received the maximum allowable. That means he carries a $975K cap charge including signing bonus money plus an additional $3.5MM in potential performance bonuses, $1MM in ‘A’ bonuses and $2.5MM in harder to reach ‘B’ bonuses.
The 17-year-old (who will turn 18 next month) didn’t enter last season as the presumptive top selection. However, a strong start with OHL Erie vaulted him into the discussion heading to the World Juniors. He only played in two games there for Canada before suffering a broken clavicle that ended his season. Prior to the injury, he had seven goals and 15 assists in just 17 contests for the Otters. That was a five-point improvement on the year before, despite playing in 39 fewer games.
That was enough for new GM Mathieu Darche to make him the new centerpiece of their future back end, especially since they dealt their previous top defender, Noah Dobson, to Montreal on draft day for two more first-round picks along with winger Emil Heineman. New York is all in on Schaefer being the type of all-situations number one defender that is extremely difficult to come by.
That said, while it’s customary for first overall selections to make the jump to the NHL right away, there’s a case to be made that he could benefit from not doing that. With how much time he missed, he could be better off with one more developmental year under his belt before making the jump. However, it’s worth noting that if the Islanders feel the same way, he will have to return to Erie as he is no longer eligible to play NCAA hockey having now signed his entry-level pact.
If he winds up playing fewer than ten NHL games next season, his contract will slide. Alternatively, they could look at the lesser-known threshold of 40 games on the NHL active roster. If Schaefer came in below that and then was sent back, he’d burn the first year of his contract but not accrue a season of service time toward UFA eligibility.
Speculatively, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Schaefer at least break camp with the Islanders with the team assessing how things are going from there. They didn’t bring anyone in to take Dobson’s spot on the back end while Mike Reilly also left via free agency, signing with Carolina. As a result, there’s a definite opening on their back end for Schaefer to fill next season and while he doesn’t have quite the experience that top picks usually have by now, he has the talent to come in and be a difference-maker quite quickly.
Five Key Stories: 7/28/25 – 8/3/25
The arbitration period has come to an end with the final few players settling before the point of getting to a hearing. Those deals are included in the key stories from the past seven days.
Kings Re-Sign Last RFA: The Kings took care of their final remaining restricted free agent, signing winger Alex Laferriere to a three-year, $12.3MM contract. The 23-year-old has two full NHL seasons under his belt with his 2024-25 campaign being a solid one as he collected 19 goals and 23 assists in 77 games while working his way into being a regular in the top six. He also chipped in with a trio of helpers in their first-round playoff exit at the hands of Edmonton. Laferriere didn’t have salary arbitration eligibility this summer but he will when this deal expires in 2028. At that point, he’ll be a year away from unrestricted free agency.
Not Retiring Yet: While Nicklas Backstrom’s NHL contract quietly came to an end last month, his career isn’t over just yet as he has signed a one-year deal with SHL Brynas. The 37-year-old didn’t play at all last season and was limited to just eight games in 2023-24 after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery, a procedure that ended his NHL career, one that saw him eclipse 1,000 points in a little over 1,100 games with Washington. Backstrom now returns to the program that he grew up in as he looks to extend his playing career a little longer.
Three For Samberg: The first player to get to the point of filing arbitration briefs, Dylan Samberg and the Jets had quite a gap to bridge. However, they were able to reach an agreement, working out a three-year, $17.25MM contract. The deal buys Winnipeg two extra years of team control while those two years will also see Samberg have a six-team no-trade clause. After being more of a depth player for his first few seasons in the NHL, the 26-year-old had a breakout season, logging over 21 minutes a night on the back end while becoming their most trusted shutdown defender. Samberg also had his best offensive season, collecting 20 points in 60 games plus three more in the playoffs when his ice time went past 24 minutes per contest.
Flames Extend A Forward: One player who didn’t need a new contract right away was Flames forward Martin Pospisil, whose bridge deal runs through the upcoming season. However, he has a new pact in place as the two sides agreed on a three-year, $7.5MM extension that runs through the 2028-29 campaign. The 25-year-old is coming off his first full NHL campaign but was quieter than expected offensively, notching just four goals in 81 games although he did add 21 assists. Pospisil was also one of the hit leaders league-wide last season, picking up 301 while spending a bit of time down the middle. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent when this deal expires.
More Arbitration Avoidances: Two more players also got contracts done to avoid an arbitration hearing. Canadiens defenseman Jayden Struble reached a two-year, $2.825MM pact well before hearing submissions were due. He played in 56 games for the second straight season, collecting 13 points and 124 hits in a little under 15 minutes a night of playing time. Meanwhile, Toronto and winger Nicholas Robertson got to the point of exchanging pre-hearing numbers but settled the next day just above the midpoint on a one-year, $1.825MM contract. Robertson had a career-high 15 goals in 69 games last season but also spent time as a healthy scratch, especially during the playoffs when he only made three appearances. Both players will be arbitration-eligible RFAs at the end of their respective deals.
Photo courtesy of James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images.
Summer Synopsis: Winnipeg Jets
Now more than a month into the new league year, the bulk of the heavy lifting has been done from a roster perspective. Most unrestricted free agents have found new homes, the arbitration period has come and gone, and the trade market has cooled. Accordingly, it’s a good time to take a look at what each team has accomplished this offseason. We begin with a look at Winnipeg.
Expectations weren’t particularly high for the Jets heading into last season on the heels of a coaching change and the roster from an ugly first-round exit largely remaining intact. But Winnipeg was a big surprise, winning the Presidents’ Trophy for the team with the most points during the regular season while making it to the second round in the playoffs. There have been more changes roster-wise this time around but the core largely remains intact, meaning expectations will be higher than they were at this point a year ago despite being in a tough Central Division.
Draft
1-28 – D Sascha Boumedienne, Boston University (Hockey East)
3-92 – F Owen Martin, Spokane (WHL)
5-156 – F Viktor Klingsell, Skelleftea (Sweden U20)
6-188 – D Edison Engle, Dubuque (USHL)
7-220 – F Jacob Cloutier, Saginaw (OHL)
Boumedienne entered last season as one of the more intriguing blueliners in that he was already getting exposed to college hockey, playing at Boston University. While he held down a regular role, it wasn’t a particularly prominent one which caused him to slide down some rankings. While his output was rather low, he was behind some key offensive defenders so the hope is that over time, Boumedienne will be able to grow that part of his game, helping pave the way for him to become a second-pairing blueliner down the road. While the Jets have strong defensive depth today, their prospect cupboard at that position is a little thinner so he should fill that gap nicely.
Martin, a Manitoba native, dealt with a fractured foot that cost him a couple of months last season but he was still a productive player with Spokane with 34 points in 39 regular season games, giving his draft stock a boost in the process. More of a two-way player, Martin is probably four seasons away from being NHL-ready.
The other three players have similar timelines as well. Klingsell was productive in Skelleftea’s junior system but still has to work his way up to the pro ranks over there, a process that will take some time. Engle is expected to move to the OHL next season as a one-and-done player, beginning his college tenure in 2026-27, meaning Winnipeg could hold his rights for up to five seasons. As for Cloutier, he played his first full OHL campaign last season and fared pretty well with 47 points in 67 games. They’ll only have two years to sign him as things stand as the changes to draft rights only change in the next CBA.
Trade Acquisitions
While the Jets had a fair amount of roster turnover this offseason, none of it has come from the trade front so far.
UFA Signings
D Kale Clague (one year, $775K)*
F Walker Duehr (one year, $775K)*
F Phillip Di Giuseppe (one year, $775K)*
F Samuel Fagemo (one year, $775K)*
D Haydn Fleury (two years, $1.8MM)^
F Cole Koepke (one year, $1MM)
F Gustav Nyquist (one year, $3.2MM)
F Tanner Pearson (one year, $1MM)
G Isaac Poulter (one year, $775K)*
F Mason Shaw (one year, $775K)*^
F Jonathan Toews (one year, $2MM plus $5MM in performance incentives)
*-denotes two-way contract
^-denotes re-signing
Toews was the headliner from this group, agreeing to terms a week and a half before free agency started. He didn’t play at all last season as he recovered from Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome so there are some questions about his ability to last the season and if he can fill the second-line center vacancy that has been somewhat of a revolving door in recent years. The bonuses are tied to games played (and some playoff success) which isn’t a shock and hedges their bets in case he’s unable to make it through an 82-game campaign unscathed. Toews had 31 points in 53 games in 2022-23, his last NHL season. If he can produce around that point-per-game rate, he’ll be able to play a key role for them.
Nyquist is coming off a down year, notching just 28 points after putting up a career-high 75 in 2023-24. Still, he’s a middle-six winger who can help deepen the attack while also potentially slotting in on the penalty kill. For one year, it’s a reasonable move, especially if they think his offense will bounce back this season.
Pearson needed a training camp PTO to eventually land a deal with Vegas and became a valuable fourth liner while Koepke was a regular for the first time last year in Boston, adding some physicality to their fourth line. Both players are likely to play similar roles on a new-look fourth line for Winnipeg next season. The remainder of their signings are of the depth variety though a handful of their two-way forwards could plausibly see time with Winnipeg at some point in 2025-26.
RFA Re-Signings
F Morgan Barron (two years, $3.7MM)
D Tyrel Bauer (one year, $775K)*
F Parker Ford (two years, $1.6MM)*
D Isaak Phillips (two years, $1.6MM)*
D Dylan Samberg (three years, $17.25MM)
F Gabriel Vilardi (six years, $45MM)
*-denotes two-way contract
Vilardi was the big ticket for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff to deal with this summer. The centerpiece of the return for Pierre-Luc Dubois last summer, Vilardi had his best season by a significant margin, tallying 27 goals and 34 assists in 71 games during the regular season, setting personal bests across the board including in games played. Two years away from UFA eligibility, the question was would both sides commit to a long-term deal and clearly, they were comfortable doing so. This deal ensures that a key cog of Winnipeg’s forward group is sticking around for the long haul; it’s particularly notable after another key cog departed on the open market last month.
There was quite a gap to bridge in the arbitration filings between Samberg and the team but they settled on this contract, a deal that buys Winnipeg an extra two years of club control. He’s coming off a breakout year, one that saw him move from being a depth defender to a key part of their top four and their top shutdown option. It’s not always easy to find the proper market value for that type of player but the Jets are banking on Samberg staying at this level moving forward.
Barron is likely to be the lone holdover from the fourth line, a role he has filled for the last couple of seasons after being deployed on the third line a bit more often in 2022-23. A natural center, he has primarily played on the wing since becoming a regular with Winnipeg but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him shift over since last year’s fourth line center isn’t with them for the upcoming season.
Departures
F Mason Appleton (Detroit, two years, $5.8MM)
D Dylan Coghlan (Vegas, one year, $775K)
G Chris Driedger (Chelyabinsk, KHL)
F Nikolaj Ehlers (Carolina, six years, $51MM)
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (Brynas, SHL)
F Rasmus Kupari (Lugano, NL)
F Simon Lundmark (Tampa Bay, two years, $1.55MM)*
F Brandon Tanev (Utah, three years, $7.5MM)
F Dominic Toninato (Chicago, two years, $1.7MM)*
*-denotes two-way contract
Ehlers is the obvious headliner from the group. He had suggested in the past that he felt that he should be getting more ice time given his success when healthy so it wasn’t a shock that he tested the open market although he may have a similar role with Carolina than he had in Winnipeg. When healthy, Ehlers has been a consistent 20-plus goal-scorer and while the Jets added some forward depth, none of their acquisitions are likely to reach that mark, creating a void that’s going to need to be filled by committee.
Appleton wasn’t able to replicate his breakout 36-point effort from 2023-24 despite being a middle-six regular for most of the year. While the two aren’t necessarily the same player stylistically, Nyquist is likely to take his spot on the roster. Tanev was a trade deadline acquisition with an eye on adding some grit to the fourth line. He was decent in that role down the stretch but moved on in free agency with Koepke effectively being his replacement.
Kupari opted to sign overseas in early June, a move that came as some surprise. But clearly, he was looking to play somewhere where he could have more of an offensive opportunity and he’ll get that in Switzerland. He received a two-year deal, one that walks him right to UFA eligibility although Winnipeg issued a qualifying offer to retain his rights in the short term. Jonsson-Fjallby and Toninato didn’t see much NHL action last season but have been among the regular recalls in recent years. Players like Duehr and Di Giuseppe figure to take those spots on the depth chart.
Salary Cap Outlook
By structuring Toews’ contract with $5MM of bonuses and not adding any big-ticket contracts in free agency, Winnipeg is in pretty good shape to start the season with a little over $3.8MM in cap space, per PuckPedia. A good chunk of that money could ultimately be used to pay for some of the bonuses that Toews reaches but if the Jets are in contention heading toward the trade deadline, they could instead spend their cap room on win-now help, pushing some of the bonuses onto their 2026-27 cap in the process. Cheveldayoff has left himself some decent wiggle room heading into the season.
Key Questions
Will Connor Be Extended? Two years ago, Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele signed long-term extensions entering the final year of their deals, keeping Winnipeg in a spot to be competitive at a minimum for the long haul. Last year, Ehlers clearly didn’t do the same. What will happen to this year’s core player on an expiring deal, Kyle Connor? He has notched at least 30 goals in four straight years and is coming off a season that saw him score 41 goals and 56 assists for a career-best 97 points. A legitimate top-line scorer, Connor appears to be well on his way toward landing a contract with at least a double-digit AAV. The Jets have the cap space to give him that type of deal but will they be able to get it done?
Will Winnipeg Move Some Defensive Surplus? With Fleury re-signing just before free agency, Winnipeg fits itself with nine defensemen on one-way contracts. Considering it’s unlikely they’ll carry just 12 forwards and nine defenders, something has to give. Ville Heinola, their former top prospect, hasn’t played much between injuries and being a waiver-blocked healthy scratch last season but they might get a bit of interest in his services. Logan Stanley once had a trade request in play and after five seasons with the Jets, he still hasn’t progressed past being a low-minute third-pairing piece when he’s in the lineup. But, at six-foot-seven, someone would take a flyer on him. If Fleury is eyed as the ideal seventh option, both Heinola and Stanley are on the outside looking in. Will they find a trade for one or try to sneak one through waivers?
Can Perfetti Take The Next Step? Winnipeg has taken the slow and steady route with Cole Perfetti. The 10th overall pick in 2020 has seen his playing time managed carefully to the point where he only nudged past the 15-minute mark for the first time last season, a year that saw him reach 50 points. With Ehlers gone and their newcomers being more secondary options, it feels like Perfetti should have a chance to secure a bit more playing time. If he has success in that role, he’d go a long way toward helping replace the offense Ehlers brought to the table while positioning himself nicely for a trip through restricted free agency next summer when he’ll have salary arbitration rights for the first time.
Photos courtesy of Jamie Sabau (Toews) and Terrence Lee (Vilardi and Connor)-Imagn Images.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Carolina Hurricanes
Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those who don’t often see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2025-26 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia. We’re currently covering the Metropolitan Division, first up are the Hurricanes.
Carolina Hurricanes
Current Cap Hit: $84,855,709 (below the $95.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Jackson Blake (one year, $905.8K)
D Alexander Nikishin (one year, $925K)
F Logan Stankoven (one year, $814.1K)
Potential Bonuses
Nikishin: $3MM
Stankoven: $32.5K
Total: $3.0325MM
Blake and Stankoven will be on very team-friendly contracts for one more season before their long-term agreements kick in. We’ll cover them in more detail at that time while noting that Stankoven’s bonus is tied to games played; as long as he stays healthy, that should easily be met.
Nikishin’s long-awaited NHL debut wound up taking longer than expected as he didn’t suit up for Carolina right away after joining the team, leading to some brief concern that a formal agreement wouldn’t be finalized. But he ultimately signed and projects to be a regular for the Hurricanes this season. Some of the $1MM of ‘A’ bonuses might be reachable but the $2MM of ‘B’ bonuses are highly unlikely.
Signed Through 2025-26, Non-Entry-Level
G Frederik Andersen ($2MM, UFA)
F Mark Jankowski ($800K, UFA)
F Tyson Jost ($775K, UFA)
D Mike Reilly ($1.1MM, UFA)
Potential Bonuses
Andersen: $750K
Jankowski was a late-season pickup from Nashville and fared well with eight goals down the stretch. However, he has largely been a depth piece in his career so while a small raise is coming his way no matter what thanks to the pending increase in minimum salary, his next deal might not land too much higher than that. Jost was up and down last season and had a very limited role when he was in the lineup for the Hurricanes. As things stand, he’s someone who’s likely to remain around the minimum salary.
Reilly missed most of the season while recovering from a procedure on his heart to correct an issue discovered while he was out with a concussion. He has been more of a sixth or seventh defender in recent years and projects to land in that same range with the Hurricanes. That should keep him around this range moving forward.
When healthy, Andersen has been a decent starter but staying healthy has been a big challenge. He has failed to reach 35 games in three straight years and four of the last five. That particular games played mark is notable as that’s the first threshold of his bonuses for $250K with another $250K coming at 40 games (plus $250K if Carolina makes it back to the East Final and he plays in half the games or more). There isn’t much risk with this contract as if the injury issues return, he’s still a lower-cost second option while if he’s healthy and meets those bonuses, he’s probably going to provide a lot of value at that price. Because of the injuries, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him going year-to-year from here on out with structures similar to this.
Signed Through 2026-27
D Jalen Chatfield ($3MM, UFA)
D Shayne Gostisbehere ($3.2MM, UFA)
G Pyotr Kochetkov ($2MM, UFA)
F Jordan Martinook ($3.05MM, UFA)
F Jordan Staal ($2.9MM, UFA)
Martinook was more of a depth player over his first few seasons with the Hurricanes but has become one of their more versatile forwards and is often deployed in the middle six. The end result has been three straight seasons over 30 points. But even with the cap set to jump, it’s hard to forecast a sizable raise on his next contract. A few more years with a small raise might be doable though. Staal, on the other hand, took a big pay cut on this deal to stick around. He’ll be heading for his age-39 year in 2027-28 so a one-year deal with incentives is likely if he decides to keep playing with the combined value coming in around his current price tag.
Gostisbehere was brought back last summer for a second stint with the team to be a depth player at even strength but a power play specialist. He was exactly that, notching 27 of his 45 points with the man advantage. The even strength limitations and his smaller stature limit his earnings upside but this is a niche role he can fill for a few more years. If he has a couple more years of 40-plus points, an AAV starting with a four next time is doable on a short-term deal. Chatfield had largely been a third-pairing player until last season when he was trusted with a bigger role. He isn’t a big point producer but if he gets through these next two seasons around the 18-19-minute mark at the level he played last season, he could push past $4MM as well in 2027 on a longer-term agreement than the three-year pact he inked last summer.
Kochetkov’s contract was a curious one. Signed back in late 2022 with hardly any NHL time under his belt, it has aged pretty well so far as he has carried the bulk of the work for the first two seasons of the agreement. While his overall consistency is a bit spotty compared to some netminders, the good outweighs the bad and if you have a strong-side platoon goalie at this price, you’re doing well. If Kochetkov continues on this trajectory, his next deal could land around the $5MM mark.
Signed Through 2027-28
F Taylor Hall ($3.167MM, UFA)
Hall was the other part of the original Mikko Rantanen deal but unlike Rantanen, he decided he wanted to stick around. The former Hart Trophy winner certainly isn’t that caliber of player anymore although he’s still a decent secondary scorer. Even if he’s on the third line, if he stays around the 42 points he had last season, Carolina should do fine with this deal. He’ll be almost 38 heading into 2028-29, however, so one-year contracts are likely beyond this one.
Signed Through 2028-29
F Eric Robinson ($1.7MM, UFA)
F Andrei Svechnikov ($7.75MM, UFA)
D Sean Walker ($3.6MM, UFA)
Svechnikov bypassed the bridge contract to sign a max-term agreement four years ago with the hope that he’d be providing surplus value in the back half. He’s not quite there yet especially coming off a down year but his performance the previous two seasons suggests he can get to that level still. At a minimum, he’s a second liner with good size and physicality and with the forecasted jumps coming to the cap, he could beat this deal four years from now, even if he stays at his 2024-25 form. Robinson had a career year last season, fitting in extremely well in Carolina’s system for the first time, earning a four-year agreement in the process. For someone who has reached double digits in goals in three of the last four years, there’s a good chance this deal works out well in the long run.
Walker’s career year in 2023-24 landed him a five-year deal last summer and it looked like he had established himself as a second-pairing blueliner. His usage last season was a step back, however, ranking last out of their six regular defenders. This price tag is on the high side for a sixth option but right now, it’s a luxury they can easily afford.
West Notes: Oilers, Parekh, Nielsen
While a significant chunk of extension speculation surrounding the Oilers involves Connor McDavid, there are other notables also entering the final year of their respective contracts, highlighted by defensemen Mattias Ekholm and Jake Walman along with their goaltending tandem. Earlier this week in an appearance on Oilers Now (audio link), GM Stan Bowman indicated that there have been a couple of preliminary talks with the agents for some of their pending UFAs and that he feels those discussions will pick up over the next six weeks or so to see if there’s something that lines up for both sides heading into training camp. Edmonton has around $45MM in cap room for 2026-27 per PuckPedia, with a big chunk of that earmarked for McDavid’s next contract. However, there will still be ample space for them to re-up some of their other key expiring deals while still allowing for a bit of flexibility to reshape their roster next summer.
More from out West:
- Earlier this week, the Flames announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Zayne Parekh wouldn’t take part in the World Junior Summer Showcase due to a lower-body injury. However, the injury isn’t believed to be significant and he’s expected to be a full participant in training camp. The 19-year-old scored in his NHL debut back in April and has tallied 33 goals in each of the last two seasons at the OHL level while amassing 203 points between 2023-24 and 2024-25. He’s still ineligible to play in the AHL but his offensive production with OHL Saginaw should give him a real chance to make Calgary’s roster in the fall.
- The Avalanche’s AHL affiliate has announced the signing of forward Tristen Nielsen to a one-year deal. The 25-year-old became an unrestricted free agent after being non-tendered by Vancouver back in June. Nielsen spent last season with AHL Abbotsford and was a capable secondary scorer, notching 15 goals and 13 assists in 67 regular season games while chipping in with nine points in 24 playoff contests on the way to their Calder Cup title.
Central Notes: Girard, Milota, Guskov
While Colorado ultimately wasn’t able to re-sign defenseman Ryan Lindgren (who instead inked a four-year deal with Seattle), their efforts to do so called into question the future of Samuel Girard with the team. Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now speculates that the Avalanche could be open to moving the blueliner. While he was deployed as their third defender during the regular season, his usage dropped to third-pairing minutes in the postseason and if head coach Jared Bednar feels that’s the more optimal spot for him moving forward, he’d be a pricey third-pairing player at $5MM through the next two seasons.
Although the Avs are into cap compliance after some offseason shuffling, they could still use some more flexibility on that front, especially with Martin Necas eyeing a significant extension for 2026-27. On the other hand, Girard is one of just two left-shot blueliners in the Avalanche’s top six so if they were to move him, it might be more of a player-for-player swap that would see them get another blueliner in return rather than a true cap-clearing move.
Elsewhere in the Central:
- Predators prospect Jakub Milota has been traded in the QMJHL as Cape Breton announced that they traded the netminder to Blainville-Boisbriand. The 19-year-old was a fourth-round pick in 2024, going 99th overall and is coming off a decent season with the Eagles that saw him post a 3.22 GAA and a .903 SV% while also earning a late-season ATO with AHL Milwaukee. The Preds have until June 1, 2026 to sign Milota so it’s safe to say 2025-26 will be a key season for him.
- Wild draft pick Matvei Guskov is on the move in the KHL as the league announced earlier this week that he has been traded from Traktor Chelyabinsk to Severstal Cherepovets. The 24-year-old was a fifth-round pick back in 2019 with Minnesota holding his rights indefinitely with no transfer agreement in place between the NHL and the Russian Hockey Federation. Guskov is coming off a tough year that saw him record just one goal and three assists in 38 games between three different KHL teams.
Maple Leafs Re-Sign Nicholas Robertson
There will be no arbitration hearings in the NHL this summer. The last remaining case has settled as the Maple Leafs announced that they have re-signed winger Nicholas Robertson to a one-year, $1.825MM contract.
The agreement comes one day after the two sides made their submissions in advance of Sunday’s scheduled hearing. Toronto filed at $1.2MM while Robertson’s camp came in at $2.25MM. The midpoint of those numbers is $1.725MM so Robertson was able to beat that by $100K with this agreement while it represents a big raise on the $875K he received last season.
The 23-year-old has shown himself to be a capable depth scorer but that alone hasn’t been enough to stay in the lineup with much consistency. After notching 14 goals in 56 games in 2023-24, Robertson was able to slightly beat that total last season, tallying 15 times while adding seven assists in 69 games. He also averaged a career-high 12:00 per game of playing time.
However, while he was in the lineup more often than not during the regular season, that wasn’t the case in the playoffs. Robertson played in just three games for the Maple Leafs during the playoffs despite picking up points in two of those outings, a goal and an assist.
The lack of consistent playing time led Robertson to request a trade last summer, an ask that wasn’t granted. At this point, it doesn’t appear as if the request has been dropped either. However, a $1.825MM price tag for a player who hasn’t been able to stay in the lineup on a regular basis might be on the high side for some teams although a swap of young forwards on similar contracts could be a viable path to a change of scenery for Robertson.
On the other hand, Toronto’s most prominent offseason addition up front to replace Mitch Marner was winger Matias Maccelli, acquired from Utah. With the Maple Leafs looking to ice a more balanced lineup, there could be a chance for Robertson to get more of a look in a top-six or even top-nine role in 2025-26 and if that were to happen, he might be inclined to rescind his request to be moved.
With the signing, Toronto has all its NHL restricted free agents under contract but they still have a pair of prospects to re-sign over the coming weeks in goaltender Dennis Hildeby and defenseman William Villeneuve. While Hildeby was arbitration-eligible, he declined to file for a hearing early last month.
Now that Robertson is signed, the cap picture for the Maple Leafs looks clearer. Per PuckPedia, Toronto has around $1.1MM in flexibility, albeit with 24 players on its roster with the maximum being 23 healthy players. That gives GM Brad Treliving a bit of wiggle room to work with while they’re believed to be looking to move winger Calle Jarnkrok ($2.1MM) and David Kampf ($2.4MM) to open up both cap and roster space. Their ability (or lack thereof) to do so might ultimately dictate if they can make any other moves this summer.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the deal.
PHR Mailbag: Trade Market, Johansen, Canadiens, Offseason Moves, Palat, Centers, Red Wings, McKenna
Topics in this edition of the mailbag include good and bad moves from this summer’s spending spree, possible contenders for the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes, and more. If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in our last two mailbag columns.
RPIsFinest: Teams like the Leafs and Rangers seemed pretty open about the need for big changes this summer. Is this what they had in mind? Or are bigger moves coming? Or has the fact that a lot of the top UFAs opted to stay put hampered their plans?
Now that the FA market has come and gone, do we see teams making some big trades to revamp their rosters or stand pat?
I think the lack of impact talent to actually reach the open market really limited some planning. I suspect Toronto might have preferred to add a top-six piece to replace Mitch Marner but flipped to adding better depth to their roster which I suspect was their Plan B all along. For the Rangers, they moved out two key pieces in Chris Kreider and K’Andre Miller while adding Vladislav Gavrikov. Coupled with some of the trades from last season including bringing in J.T. Miller, I think they’ve done the bulk of their big changes. In general though, I suspect more teams had bigger things in mind than they were able to do.
I’ve seen speculation saying that the trade market is going to be more robust than normal in the next few weeks and some saying that the bigger moves might come in-season but earlier than the market typically heats up. I agree more with the latter. We’re at the point of summer where the big player-for-player swap usually doesn’t happen as teams tend to lean more toward keeping the one that they’re familiar with. But if things don’t get off to a great start 20 games in or so, they might be more inclined to try the shakeup.
Da Hammerer: What has come of the situation between the Flyers and Ryan Johansen? A friend implied he read an article or tweet the grievance was squashed, but I’ve been unsuccessful in finding anything beyond the announcement of the grievance hearing that was scheduled. Of all the articles I’ve read about their cap and dead cap hits, none mentioned any impact from Johansen’s contract situation.
There’s not much out there about this situation. They’ve gone ahead and held the hearing but the results were never revealed. Whether that means there was a settlement reached or the outcome is still pending remains to be seen. I suspect there’s a good chance we won’t hear about it either.
As for the cap implications, let’s start with the easy one first. Nashville also received cap relief from the Johansen contract termination but they operated so far below the salary cap all season long that even if the cap hit got retroactively reapplied, they’d still be under last year’s $88MM ceiling. So, for the Predators, they’re fine.
The Flyers are a little harder to pin down given that some of the daily tracking is done behind paywalls so I don’t have a precise end-of-season number for them. And what is available has a bit of variance. CapWages had their finishing space at $8.99MM but that included the LTIR pool for Ryan Ellis ($6.25MM); back that out and they’re at $2.74MM. PuckPedia had them around $2.65M in mid-March so there’s a rough range to work with. But Matvei Michkov’s $1MM in earned ‘A’ bonuses need to be deducted from that pool. Accordingly, if Johansen’s cap charge was retroactively applied to last season, there would be around a $2.4MM overage or so applied to the upcoming season. That would push the Flyers into using LTIR as things stand, meaning that any earned bonuses in 2025-26 would then hit the cap in 2026-27. So, there’s some murkiness about their situation but given how quiet things have been in this case, I don’t expect it will come to that.
KS Habs: Any further moves by Kent Hughes and the Canadiens? I know they have looked into a 2nd Line wing or center but there is not a lot on the market. Is there a chance Rossi, McTavish head back to the Habs or do they like try with Kirby Dach at center again? A second question is what do you think a Lane Hutson contract extension would look like? 8 x $10? Thanks!
By all accounts, the Canadiens don’t appear to be seriously pursuing Marco Rossi at this time which, given their need and desire to upgrade down the middle, is a little telling. As for Mason McTavish, I’m sure they’re interested in him but I’m not sure why Anaheim would look into moving him. The absence of a contract for him isn’t really an indication that he’s available, it’s just what happens with a lot of younger talents coming off entry-level deals without arbitration rights; these situations can often drag on. But if he were to become available, I’m sure Montreal would make a serious push. But at this point, I expect they will head to training camp with the centers they have which means Dach getting another look down the middle.
As for Hutson, I took a look at some comparables for him a couple of months back and not much has changed since then with only one more to add to that range, his new teammate. Your proposal falls within the range of those comparable players and in this marketplace with the salary cap set to jump a couple more times, it’s not crazy even though it’s a sky-high number for someone who has all of one season under his belt. But I don’t think Montreal would make that offer right now. When they just gave Noah Dobson, a player with a 70-point season under his belt and a longer track record, $9.5MM per season for eight years, it feels like they wouldn’t go higher for that on Hutson. It’s notable that only two seasons of Dobson’s deal were UFA years while Hutson has five in his. So, right now, I think their internal cap for a Hutson contract comes in below that.
Schwa: When we look back in a couple of years, who will we look at as being the best/worst deals (for signings and/or trades)?
You haven’t specified which period to cover for these signings and trades so I’m going to operate as if you’re asking about the recent dealings and contracts from this offseason.
For the best moves, I have some that might be surprising. Giving Jake Allen five years when he’s about to turn 35 is crazy in theory but they got him so far below market value (he likely would have landed more than double his $1.8MM AAV) on the open market that the risk is mitigated. Yes, there’s a chance that he might have to be waived and buried in the minors by the end (at which point, the dead cap charge would be less than $500K) but there’s so much surplus value in the first few years that it should work out well. I also liked the Aaron Ekblad contract with Florida. Again, it might be problematic at the end but he’s still a solid number two option and should be for several more years and that’s a price that’s well below current market value. He left a good chunk of money on the table to stay with the Panthers. As for a trade, I’ll pick Matias Maccelli to Toronto for a conditional third-round pick. If he goes back to being a legitimate top-six piece as he was in the final year in Arizona, that’s a small price to pay (even if it’s elevated to a second rounder) for a top-six piece with some team control.
On the flip side, I have another Florida contract on the worst list, that being Brad Marchand’s six-year deal worth $5.25MM per season. If he’s a top-six player, $5.25MM is fine. But he wasn’t a top-six player with the Panthers and that isn’t going to change unless injuries arise. So now, you have a high-priced third-liner signed until he’s 43. I get trying to keep the band together but that could be a problem contract early and often. The other one that comes to mind covers a signing and trade, that being Nashville sending Jeremy Lauzon and Colton Sissons (with 50% salary retention) to Vegas for Nicolas Hague. From a value perspective, that wasn’t a great deal for the Predators on its face but add in four years at $5.5MM to a player who has largely been on the third pairing and it goes from bad to worse. I think Hague is a useful defender but to overpay in cost and contract on a team that doesn’t seem particularly close to a playoff spot seemed largely unnecessary.
DevilShark: Would the Sharks (or Hawks) do a solid to the Devils and pick up Palat like they did with Goodrow? Depth wing, good mentor. They still have issues with the cap floor too… I’m surprised a solution hasn’t materialized here for NJD.
There are a few things that make an Ondrej Palat trade to those teams less likely. The first is the two years remaining on his contract. Both San Jose and Chicago have taken on more than a one-year deal but I don’t think it’s something they want to do a lot of. Also, both teams are already comfortably above the cap ceiling for next season so that’s not a factor as well.
The second is Palat’s 10-team no-trade clause. It’s quite possible (if not probable) that he has those two teams and some other lower teams in the standings on his list to prevent the type of trade you’re hoping for from actually happening. Most top teams won’t accept a multi-year cap dump so stack the no-trade list with the teams at the bottom of the standings and he should be protected. And if you’re thinking about merely waiving him as the Rangers did with Barclay Goodrow, his no-move protection is basically a no-waivers clause so that’s not on the table.
The third is the money. Goodrow carries a $3.64MM cap charge. Andre Burakovsky is at $5.5MM for two years but Chicago got to offload the final year of Joe Veleno’s contract which has to be factored in. Palat’s older than both of them and at $6MM, he costs more too. That also means he’ll cost more to be offloaded as in New Jersey will need to attach an asset or burn a retention slot to move him, something they probably don’t want to do. I’m not shocked a move hasn’t materialized for the Devils as this is a harder sell given the cost of the contract.
SkidRowe: Could you please compare and contrast Connor Bedard and James Hagens?
I can try but as I’ve noted before, scouting is not necessarily my strong suit.
Offensively, both are strong skaters but their main skill is different. For Bedard, he’s an elite shooter and while he’s not a bad playmaker by any stretch (over time, with better linemates, I think we’ll see that part of his game improve), his shot is his high-end threat. With Hagens, his passing is his standout skill. If you’re looking for the more cerebral player, it’s Hagens with Bedard being the bigger game-breaker.
Defensively, it’s a little harder to compare, largely because Bedard hasn’t been in a spot to evaluate that. In junior, he was the go-to player who had the green light to cheat a bit defensively while in the NHL, he’s basically had that same role with Chicago more focused on lottery odds than winning games. Over time as they get more competitive, it’ll be interesting to see how that side of his game evolves. With Hagens, while he’s more of an offense-first player (most top forward prospects are), he has adapted well enough to the college game at that end and showed improvement with his defensive reads. He might not be a true two-way threat but Hagens showed that he shouldn’t be a big liability at that end of the ice.
The other element to compare is positional. Bedard is undersized for a center and while he has been force-fed big minutes down the middle early in his career, the early returns of handling the position haven’t been great. Again, part of that is the sink-or-swim approach and a bad surrounding cast but there’s a case to be made that he might be better off on the wing. Hagens is similarly undersized but profiles better as a center with his more cerebral game and at least some defensive conscientiousness. He should stay at that position long-term while the more I see Bedard, the more I think the wing may make more sense for him.
East Notes: Dadonov, Gritsyuk, Hagens, Peddle
One of the more under-the-radar signings on the opening day of unrestricted free agency this month was the Devils signing winger Evgenii Dadonov to a one-year, $1MM contract that also contains $2.25MM in games played and playoff bonuses. He told Sports.ru’s Dmitry Shevchenko that he had two or three other similar offers on the table in terms of money and bonus-laden structure while not giving much consideration to the offers made for him to return home to the KHL. Dadonov is coming off a 20-goal, 20-assist season in Dallas but saw his role reduced in the playoffs which likely didn’t help his cause on the open market this month.
Elsewhere in the East:
- Still with the Devils, prospect winger Arseni Gritsyuk acknowledged to Alexey Shevchenko of Sport-Express that he has a European Assignment Clause in his deal. It will kick in if he’s not on New Jersey’s roster by November 15th. The 24-year-old had a strong showing with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL last season, notching 17 goals and 27 assists in 49 games, helping earn him a one-year, entry-level pact back in May. It appears Gritsyuk is open to starting the season with AHL Utica but only for a short period of time.
- While the Bruins could probably use James Hagens in their lineup for the upcoming season, Boston.com’s Conor Ryan suggests that the best thing for their new top prospect would be to stay in college for another year. Hagens was a point-per-game player in 37 games for Boston College last season, an impressive performance as an underager, leading some to think he could be ready to make the jump. But rather than throw him into the mix in what could be another retooling season, Hagens might be better off being the undisputed top player for the Eagles (following the departures of Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault) for next season, then getting a few games in with Boston once his college campaign comes to an end.
- Penguins prospect Brady Peddle has decided to head to major junior as QMJHL Charlottetown announced that they’ve signed the blueliner for the upcoming season. The 18-year-old was a third-round pick last month, going 91st overall after spending last year with USHL Waterloo where he had 10 points in 62 regular season games and 10 more in 15 playoff outings. Peddle is committed to Michigan State for 2026-27 and that appears to remain the intention so his junior stint is expected to just be for 2025-26.