Brett Leason Receiving KHL Interest
A later entrant to this year’s UFA market, Brett Leason hasn’t been able to secure a contract in the first three weeks of free agency. But while the NHL interest might not be materializing, it appears he may have some options in Russia, as Sport-Express’s Artur Khairullin reports (Telegram link) that the winger is of interest to some KHL clubs. It’s unclear if the interest is mutual or if Leason’s intention is to remain in North America next season.
The 25-year-old spent the last three seasons with Anaheim after they claimed him off waivers from Washington in 2022. In 2023-24, Leason had a career year, notching 11 goals and 11 assists in 68 games. The Ducks non-tendered him to avoid giving him arbitration rights but quickly re-signed him to a one-year, $1.05MM contract.
However, last season didn’t go anywhere near as well for Leason. He was quieter offensively, putting up just five goals with a dozen assists in 62 games while still averaging around 13 minutes a night of action. Meanwhile, he was a healthy scratch for the other 20. Unsurprisingly, with Leason still being arbitration-eligible, he was non-tendered once again last month.
This time, there wasn’t a quick contract to be landed. But Leason, a six-foot-five winger, has been primarily deployed in a defensive role over the last couple of years and has logged regular minutes on the penalty kill which could make him worthy of consideration for some teams heading into training camp. Speculatively, Leason is the type of player that teams will likely look to bring in on a PTO. But if he wants something guaranteed before then, it looks like he may have some KHL options on the table.
Metropolitan Notes: Mantha, Chinakhov, Martone
While the Penguins are known to be selling, they did make an intriguing addition in free agency earlier this month as they signed winger Anthony Mantha to a one-year, $2.5MM contract with another $2MM in bonuses tied to games played. Speaking with reporters yesterday including Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the 30-year-old indicated that he has fully recovered from the torn ACL that ended his 2024-25 campaign after just 13 games. Mantha also noted that Pittsburgh showed interest in him last summer but he ultimately signed a one-year, $3.5MM pact with Calgary. With 303 points in 507 career NHL games, Mantha, if healthy, could be an intriguing piece for the Penguins next season, both as a player and a potential trade candidate.
More from the Metropolitan:
- For the second straight summer, the Blue Jackets are dealing with a public trade request. While there wasn’t much of a market for Patrik Laine a year ago, Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch opines that this shouldn’t be the case this time around when it comes to winger Yegor Chinakhov, who made his request public last week. With Chinakhov making a much more affordable $2.1MM (compared to Laine’s $8.7MM) and being on the final year of his contract, he should have a decent market, one that should allow Columbus to land an NHL-proven piece coming the other way.
- After committing to play for Michigan State yesterday, Flyers prospect Porter Martone will not be attending training camp in the fall, GM Daniel Briere acknowledged to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription link). Martone was the sixth overall selection in the draft last month but decided the best thing for his development would be to go to college, a decision he kept Philadelphia informed about along the way. Martone could theoretically still make his NHL debut next season as he’d be a potential candidate to sign once his season with the Spartans comes to an end.
Kraken Sign Kaapo Kakko To Three-Year Contract
Earlier today, the dates for the seven remaining arbitration-eligible players were revealed. However, one player who won’t need that hearing after all is Kraken winger Kaapo Kakko. The team announced that they’ve reached an agreement on a three-year contract that will pay $4.525MM per season after being set to exchange arbitration figures on Wednesday. GM Jason Botterill released the following statement:
Getting a contract done with Kaapo was a top priority this summer. We knew quickly he’d be a big part of our team moving forward. He’s got size, skill and tremendous playmaking ability, and isn’t afraid of going to the net. He fit in immediately with our group, and we’re thrilled to have him under contract.
The 24-year-old was the second overall selection back in 2019 by the Rangers and had seemingly been on thin ice in New York for a couple of years. The two sides agreed on a one-year, $2.4MM contract last offseason, well before qualifying offers were due to be submitted, avoiding any risk of the Rangers non-tendering him to avoid arbitration rights.
The deal seemingly represented a last-chance opportunity for Kakko and it’s fair to say he didn’t make the most of it. He managed just four goals and 10 assists in 30 games with New York and in December, the Rangers pulled the trigger on a trade, sending him to Seattle for defenseman Will Borgen, a 2025 third-round pick, and a 2026 sixth-round selection.
The change of scenery seemed to give Kakko a boost. He averaged just under a point per game over his first month with the Kraken and overall, he picked up 10 goals and 20 assists in 49 outings. Combining his stats with New York, Kakko’s 44 points represented a career high, giving him some leverage heading into contract talks this summer.
Considering that Kakko’s career numbers of 71 goals and 90 assists in 379 games is rather pedestrian, Jason Botterill is clearly banking on Kakko’s second-half production being a sign of things to come. He got the bigger role he was hoping for following the swap, logging a little over 17 minutes a night of playing time after averaging just over 13 minutes a night prior to the swap. It’s clear that, based on this deal, Seattle feels that Kakko can be a legitimate top-six forward for them moving forward.
Beyond his entry-level contract, this is the longest agreement that Kakko has signed. It’s a pact that buys out his first two UFA-eligible seasons, giving the Kraken a longer look at him. It will also allow Kakko to potentially reach the open market at 27 in 2028, putting him in a position to possibly secure a long-term, big-money agreement if he’s able to maintain and build off his strong first half-season with Seattle.
With the signing, the Kraken now have a little under $6.5MM in cap space, per PuckPedia. They still have one key restricted free agent to sign in defenseman Ryker Evans. He’s not arbitration-eligible but Botterill should have enough flexibility to sign him to a long-term agreement if the sides can work one out.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first to report the signing.
Photo courtesy of Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images.
Maxime Lajoie Signs With Avangard Omsk
July 22: Lajoie has indeed joined Avangard on a one-year contract, the team said.
July 19: Playing time in the NHL has been hard to come by in recent years for unrestricted free agent defenseman Maxime Lajoie. As a result, it appears that he may be changing things up for next season. Artur Khairullin of Sport-Express reports (Telegram link) that the blueliner could be signing with Avangard Omsk of the KHL.
The 27-year-old made a good first impression back in 2018-19. Not really on the NHL radar for Ottawa heading into training camp, he wound up making the team and played in 56 games with them before being sent down late in the season. Unfortunately for him, Lajoie’s playing time at the top level has largely been sparse since then as he has managed just 21 more appearances between Ottawa, Toronto, and Carolina.
Last summer, Lajoie inked a one-year deal with Seattle worth a guaranteed $500K but after he cleared waivers in training camp, he was not brought up the rest of the way. As a result, he spent the full season with AHL Coachella Valley and had a productive year, notching four goals and 34 assists in 70 games, putting him inside the top 20 for points by a defenseman.
That output was largely in line with his AHL production over his career. Across four different organizations over parts of eight seasons, Lajoie has 34 goals and 160 assists in 378 games. Notably, he qualifies as a veteran in the AHL, with teams only being able to play five of those (with more than 320 professional games) on any given night, a rule that has squeezed some capable players out of a job.
It’s unclear if that rule is hindering Lajoie now or if he’s merely looking to try something new since he has been cemented as an AHL regular but it appears he has at least one overseas option available to him now. If he makes it known that he’s open to a move across the pond, Lajoie is someone who could command interest from other leagues as well.
Five Key Stories: 7/14/25 – 7/20/25
With arbitration hearings on the horizon, some players and teams are working to get new deals in place quickly. Some of those contracts highlight the key stories of the past seven days.
Two For Byram: The Sabres elected to take defenseman Bowen Byram to salary arbitration earlier this month, avoiding the risk of an offer sheet. But in doing so, they gave him the right to request a two-year deal that would take him right to UFA eligibility at 26. They didn’t need a hearing in the end but Byram got his two-year deal, one that will carry a price tag of $6.25MM. Byram is coming off his first full season in Buffalo which was a career year, one that saw him record 38 points in 82 games while also averaging a career-high in ice time at 22:42 per game. This price tag is certainly reasonable for an improving top-four blueliner although the short term on the contract won’t do anything to get rid of the trade speculation that has followed him for several months now.
Chinakhov Wants Out: Speaking of trade speculation, there will be plenty of it surrounding Blue Jackets winger Yegor Chinakhov who has made his trade request public. The request had already been known to the team with discussions with other teams underway. Chinakhov, a 2020 first-round pick, cited “misunderstanding with the coach” as the reason for wanting out. He had seven goals and eight assists in 30 games last season but after returning from a back injury, he was predominantly a healthy scratch for the stretch run and their playoff push. Chinakhov has one year left on his contract a $2.1MM cap charge and will be a restricted free agent with salary arbitration eligibility next summer.
Vilardi Gets Long-Term Pact: Another player who was arbitration-bound was Jets winger Gabriel Vilardi. With two years of team control remaining, Winnipeg’s hope was that they’d be able to get him signed long-term. They did just that, inking him to a six-year, $45MM agreement. The centerpiece of the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade two summers ago, Vilardi took a step forward (when healthy) in 2023-24 and then blew past that last season, collecting 27 goals and 34 assists in 71 games. The price tag is certainly reasonable for someone who has shown he can be a top-six forward but his lengthy injury history (last season was the only time he reached the 70-game mark) also makes the agreement a bit riskier. That said, the Jets have another core piece under contract for the long haul.
Toronto Adds Grit: The Maple Leafs decided to use some of their remaining cap space to add some grit up front, acquiring winger Dakota Joshua from Vancouver for a 2028 fourth-round pick. Toronto actually drafted the 29-year-old back in 2014 but traded him to St. Louis for future considerations five years later. Joshua had a career year with Vancouver in 2023-24, notching 18 goals and 14 assists in 63 games but missed the start of last season while recovering from testicular cancer and struggled to play at the same level when he did return. Joshua has three years remaining on his contract, one that carries a $3.25MM AAV with Toronto picking up the full freight of that deal. It will now be interesting to see how Vancouver uses their freed-up cap room.
Ducks Duck Arbitration: The Ducks entered the week with two looming arbitration hearings and ended it with none. First, they signed goaltender Lukas Dostal to a five-year, $32.5MM contract. The 25-year-old took over as Anaheim’s starter and that status was cemented when John Gibson was moved to Detroit last month. Dostal played in 54 games last season, posting a 3.10 GAA and a .903 SV% playing behind one of the weaker back ends in the NHL; clearly, the Ducks feel he has another level to get to as the team continues to improve. Soon after that, they re-upped defenseman Drew Helleson to a two-year, $2.2MM pact. The 24-year-old played in 56 games with Anaheim in 2024-25, his first taste of extended NHL action. He will still be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent in the 2027 offseason when this agreement expires.
Photo courtesy of Terrence Lee-Imagn Images.
PHR Mailbag: Capitals, Sharks, Hamilton, Tanking, Bruins, Maple Leafs, Summer Winners And Losers
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include assessing San Jose’s busy last few weeks, early offseason winners and losers, and much more. If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in last weekend’s mailbag while we have one more to run from our last callout for questions next weekend.
letsgonats: The Capitals seemed to come in second place for the Ehlers sweepstakes. If McMichael moves to 3C, who is the 2nd line LW and 3rd line RW? It seems that the Caps trade a lot for Sourdif so he is given a 4th line winger slot. Do the Caps pull a trade we are not thinking about or do they take two from Beauvillier, Frank, Milano, Miroshnichenko, Cristall, Trineyev, or Lapierre and only a few have AHL options so waiver or trades for the others?
Before I answer your scenario, I’m going to throw another one out there. What if they flip McMichael and Pierre-Luc Dubois, a player who has played on the wing before? I could see them giving that a shot at some point as well, keeping both players in the top six. In your McMichael as the third-line center scenario, I think Ryan Leonard is on the right wing, allowing them to continue to ease him in. Right now, I think Anthony Beauvillier gets the spot on the second line to start at least. In a perfect world, a youngster forces his way into that spot but better to be conservative in early forecasting. And I agree on Justin Sourdif; at a minimum, he’s on the fourth line with Nic Dowd and Brandon Duhaime.
I don’t see Ivan Miroshnichenko or Bogdan Trineyev realistically pushing for a roster spot. The former is waiver-exempt while the latter will need waivers. Hendrix Lapierre makes it since he’s waiver-eligible and won’t get through without being claimed. I’d have him as the 13th forward which isn’t ideal development-wise. It wouldn’t shock me if Sonny Milano and Andrew Cristall are battling for the 3LW spot. If Cristall is ready, Milano lands on waivers and if not, he starts in Hershey. That leaves Ethen Frank who I think they’d be comfortable keeping as the 14th forward, something they can afford with their current cap space. That would push Dylan McIlrath to waivers but he has cleared several times before and should again.
With some waiver-exempt pieces, there isn’t as much of a logjam as it might seem. Honestly, I could see them sniffing around on another forward should one become available and if that pushes Frank to waivers, I think they’d be okay with that.
SirCobblestone: With the addition of the Sharks on defense (even if it’s not done I assume) and the potential add of Misa with Dickinson and Askarov, where do you see the Sharks land with a top six composed of Celebrini, Misa, Smith, and Eklund at Wing and Toffoli with Orlov and Klingberg. That should be a good add on defense.
You’re missing a top-six forward in there which I imagine will be Alexander Wennberg, at least until he’s traded as a rental center at some point in the season, allowing one of Will Smith or Michael Misa to get some time in at their natural position. That group has a lot of upside but teams with that many youngsters in prominent roles are going to struggle. There’s just no way around that with four entry-level forwards in the top six.
As for the defense, it has definitely improved with the additions of Dmitry Orlov, Nick Leddy, and John Klingberg but that’s a low bar to clear as San Jose’s back end was really bad last year. The problem is that it’s still not very good. Klingberg is a question mark defensively and Leddy is coming off a really rough year. Orlov is overpaid but decent at least. If Sam Dickinson is added to this group (they’re going to need to move out more than just Henry Thrun for that to happen), there will be some growing pains defensively although he’d give them a big lift offensively with Klingberg. This is the definition of a patchwork back end; of the seven they have signed now on one-way deals, only one (Orlov) is signed beyond this season. It’s better but this is still not a playoff-worthy group.
As for the goaltending, Yaroslav Askarov is the big wild card. Like many, I have high expectations for him over the long haul but for the upcoming season, there are going to be some growing pains as he adjusts to being the starter at the NHL level for the first time while playing behind a defense that still isn’t particularly strong. Alex Nedeljkovic is a serviceable backup but I expect his numbers to nosedive next season given the situation.
So, where do I see San Jose next season? Probably in the same spot where they were last season, in the basement of the Pacific Division. Things are definitely looking up and they’re not going to be down there for much longer but this is going to be another season where process and development are more important than results. They’re not ready to emerge from the rebuild yet and their activity this summer suggests GM Mike Grier is fully aware of that.
SpeakOfTheDevils: Let’s play hypothetical and say the Devils DO trade Dougie Hamilton, what kind of return could we be looking at??? And likeliest trading partners????
I’m going to go with the second question first here. I could see Toronto being in there as they could use a top offensive threat. Detroit has done next to nothing to improve a back end that certainly struggled last year so they’d be in the mix I’d think. I’m sure Dallas would love to swing that but the term remaining would be an option; I think they’re more of a fit for Erik Karlsson if Pittsburgh pays down a good chunk of his deal. Buffalo has been searching for an impact right-shot defender for ages now but it would surprise me if he’s on Hamilton’s list of 10 teams he’d accept a trade to.
Several teams can afford him but at the stage of the rebuild they’re in, they’re probably not a good fit. Others like Calgary and Winnipeg don’t seem like teams on his trade list either. And this is the problem; between Hamilton’s trade protection, cap hit, and performance, there’s not a great market for his services. I don’t even think Detroit would be on his yes list so we’re down to Toronto and if New Jersey wants to pay down some of the contract, maybe Dallas.
So, the short answer to your question in terms of a return is nothing that would justify trading Hamilton. If Pittsburgh trades Karlsson, they’ll be able to get positive value but probably nothing of consequence. Salary ballast, maybe a second-round pick, and perhaps something else. That’s something, but nothing to get excited about. Is Hamilton going to be able to bring back more that with three years left on his deal? Maybe if it’s more of a player-for-player straight-up swap (if Morgan Rielly was willing to waive his trade protection, maybe there’s a foundation of a trade there) but otherwise, I wouldn’t be counting on it. So, something around what I think Karlsson would get would be my answer to the first question.
Hamilton managed to be healthier last season but also dropped below 20 minutes a night which, for a $9MM blueliner, is a little concerning. With Johnathan Kovacevic out for a bit to start the season, I don’t expect them to seriously consider trading him. The Devils want to stay in the playoffs and Hamilton is a better insurance policy than whatever bits and pieces they could get in a trade.
tucsontoro1: Is it time for the league to do something substantial about tanking?
The Blackhawks are clearly in “full tank mode” for the 25–26 season.
Let me answer your question with a question – how would the league do that? The NHL has already lowered the draft odds and it hasn’t served as a deterrent. They’ve also put in something saying a team can’t advance their pick in the lottery more than twice in five years, a change that hasn’t garnered much attention yet since it hasn’t come into play.
The NBA gives equal odds for the bottom three finishers (and fourth is only a bit lower) but that didn’t stop teams from tanking for Cooper Flagg. And the end result for two drafts now has been a team with odds of 3% or less jumping up to the top spot (Dallas from 11th to take Flagg and Atlanta from 10th to take Zaccharie Risacher). Will that stop teams from tanking in basketball next season? Probably not.
MLB started drawing for the first six selections back in 2023 instead of going by reverse standings while also putting some restrictions on teams drafting in the lottery back-to-back times. Did that stop the Athletics from tanking for three straight years? Nope, even though they were slotted 11th in last week’s draft as a result of the rule changes. The White Sox were terrible last year but knew going in that they couldn’t pick in the lottery even if they had the worst record; clearly, it wasn’t a deterrent that prevented them from tanking. Meanwhile, there are some overtly tanking teams there this season too (including the White Sox again, no less). And the NFL still goes by reverse standings with teams already seemingly jockeying themselves for first overall.
Sure, the NHL could flatten the odds more or put more restrictions on picking in the top five, for example. But in the grand scheme of things, if that happened, does anyone think Chicago or San Jose would change course? In a system where top young talents are distributed through a draft system, teams are going to try to position themselves to have the best chance at getting one of those if they know they’re not in a spot to realistically contend for a playoff spot. This strategy, one that exists in each of the big four professional sports, isn’t going anywhere.
SkidRowe: What can the Bruins do? They need scoring and have only $2 million in cap space. Would you trade Zacha, Poitras, Mittelstadt, Minten, or Korpisalo?
I’m going to say no to trading Matthew Poitras or Fraser Minten. Might they fetch a capable veteran to help in the short term? I think they would. But they’re not going to bring back enough of a difference-maker to materially improve Boston’s fortunes. These are young centers with some promise and that’s the type of player they need to be keeping around as longer-term fits.
If Boston is confident that Michael DiPietro can be a capable NHL backup, moving Joonas Korpisalo makes sense in theory. Jeremy Swayman can probably handle a similar workload to last season, meaning DiPietro would only need to make 25 starts or so. The question here, however, is what market is there for a goalie right now, especially one with a cap charge of $3MM (not including the $1MM Ottawa is covering)? He could fit in Edmonton but they can’t afford him. Same with Vegas. Maybe Carolina but is he demonstrably better than their tandem? I like the idea of trading Korpisalo more than the potential of it actually happening but if it did, that’s something they could reinvest into their offense.
The other two are a little more interesting. Casey Mittelstadt isn’t a rental, he has a track record of some offensive success, and he’s a center. Given the immense demand for capable middlemen right now, I think there would be a good market for him. On the other hand, Boston’s center depth isn’t great and I’d like to see how he fares under new head coach Marco Sturm first. If the new system helps get him going, he could be more of a potential longer-term fit.
If Boston is comfortable with deploying one of the two young centers on a regular basis (or playing one of Sean Kuraly or Mikey Eyssimont on the third line), Pavel Zacha could be expendable. At $4.75MM, he’s someone some teams can afford and while he’s coming off a quieter year, 47 points is still decent; it was good enough for a share of third in team scoring. But it begs the question of why Boston, a team that needs firepower, would move one of their better point-getters from a year ago? Maybe if there’s a winger that’s signed or controllable for longer than Zacha (a pending UFA), there’s a lateral swap to be made but otherwise, I’d reassess closer to the trade deadline.
Despite Boston’s spending spree this summer, I don’t think they’ve done enough to get back to the playoff picture. Moving one of those pieces for a bit more firepower on the wing isn’t going to change that. So, personally, I wouldn’t be making any win-now trades unless this group proves me wrong and shows it’s worthy of some moves to help them in the second half of the season. Otherwise, Zacha could be a very useful rental for someone, yielding the Bruins a nice future asset in return.
Snapshots: Kopitar, Silovs, Dello, Emilio Pettersen
Kings center Anze Kopitar is in the final season of his contract and is eligible to sign an extension. However, while the team is hoping to get a new deal in place for Adrian Kempe, that won’t be the case for the captain. In an appearance on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio earlier this week (Twitter link), GM Ken Holland indicated that Kopitar’s camp has indicated that he isn’t looking to sign a new deal at this time and intends to take a year-by-year approach moving forward. The 37-year-old has played 1,454 games over his career in Los Angeles but is at the stage where it makes sense to assess things one year at a time. Last season, Kopitar was still quite productive, tallying 21 goals and 46 assists in 81 games along with nine points in seven playoff contests.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Before he was traded to Pittsburgh, the Oilers showed interest in goaltender Arturs Silovs, relays Postmedia’s Kurt Leavins. However, the Canucks indicated that they would not move him to Edmonton, their division rival. Knowing that Silovs was likely to be claimed on waivers in training camp, Vancouver elected to send him to the Penguins for a fourth-round pick and prospect Chase Stillman. But the fact that Edmonton was discussing Silovs suggests that GM Stan Bowman is keeping an eye on the goaltending market heading into training camp.
- UFA defenseman Tory Dello has inked a one-year deal with Karlovy Vary in Czechia, per a team release. The 28-year-old started the season in Detroit’s system but was traded to New Jersey just after the NHL trade deadline (but before the AHL one, keeping him eligible to play down the stretch). Between the two teams, Dello had eight points in 41 games; this will be his first stint overseas after spending the last five years in the AHL.
- UFA winger Mathias Emilio Pettersen is expected to sign with SHL Djurgarden, reports Hockey News SE’s Mattias Persson. The 25-year-old spent last season with AHL Texas, collecting nine goals and 20 assists in 70 regular season games while adding three points in 14 playoff contests. However, Emilio Pettersen wasn’t eligible to be tendered a qualifying offer last month as he qualified for Group Six unrestricted free agency and it appears he’ll be using that to take a chance at playing in a new league.
Grigori Denisenko Linked To KHL
Once viewed as a key prospect for Florida, Grigori Denisenko’s stock has slid in recent years, even after a move to Vegas. Now, it appears the unrestricted free agent could be heading back home as Artur Khairullin of Sport-Express reports (Telegram link) that the winger is in contract talks with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL.
The 25-year-old was a first-round pick by the Panthers back in 2018, going 15th overall after showing promise in Yaroslav’s minor league system at the MHL level. Denisenko made the jump to the KHL level the following year and spent two seasons there before coming to North America.
Denisenko spent most of his time with Florida in the minors, notching 63 points in 101 games over parts of three seasons while also getting into 26 games with the Panthers. However, they waived him in training camp in 2023 with Vegas putting in a claim, picking up the two seasons of his one-way contract in the process.
The change of scenery didn’t help Denisenko stay in the NHL for long as just one day later, he was back on waivers with Florida declining to place a claim to take him back.
Denisenko played in just seven games for the Golden Knights over those two years, with only one of those coming last season. He notched 10 goals and 14 assists in 42 games with AHL Henderson in 2024-25 before being moved to Nashville for future considerations back in February. But the change of scenery didn’t yield any NHL playing time as Denisenko stayed in the minors, picking up 15 points in 23 games with Milwaukee.
Denisenko has actually seen NHL action in five straight years, his only five seasons in North America. But the total of those outings was only 33 appearances, meaning that Denisenko qualified for Group Six unrestricted free agency this summer. Rather than try to land a two-way deal with another NHL team in the hopes of earning an in-season recall while injuries arise, it appears he has decided that returning home to the program he had success with earlier in his career makes the most sense.
Kings To Ramp Up Extension Talks With Adrian Kempe
Kings forward Adrian Kempe is now eligible for a contract extension and is currently slated to be one of the better options in a 2026 UFA pool. In an appearance on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio earlier this week (Twitter link), GM Ken Holland acknowledged that he’d like to get a deal done with Kempe and intends to ramp up discussions on that front soon.
The 28-year-old was a first-round pick by Los Angeles in 2014, going 29th overall. At the time, he was playing a regular role in the SHL which is impressive in itself for a draft-eligible player but Kempe wasn’t producing much offensively. Accordingly, one of the bigger questions at the time was around his potential to become a legitimate threat offensively, complementing his strong defensive game.
It has taken a while but Kempe has done just that. After having limited offensive production in the minors soon after being drafted with AHL Manchester and his first few seasons with Los Angeles, Kempe had a breakout year in 2021-22, notching 35 goals and making his first (and only) All-Star appearance. Considering his sluggish production beforehand, it was fair to question whether this was a blip or a sign of things to come so the two sides negotiated a four-year, $22MM contract that summer, one that bought the Kings two years of extra club control.
Kempe has certainly outperformed that contract in the first three seasons of it. He has notched at least 67 points in each one and is coming off a 35-goal, 73-point campaign in 2024-25, one that saw him edge past 19 minutes per night of playing time, a career best. Kempe has also been quite productive in the playoffs over that stretch, potting 13 goals and 10 assists in 17 postseason games, all against Edmonton. Suffice it to say, he’s looking at a substantial raise next time out.
Earlier this offseason, AFP Analytics projected a seven-year, $64.225MM deal for Kempe, one that would carry a $9.175MM AAV. When this contract kicks in for the 2026-27 campaign, the salary cap is expected to be $104MM at that time, a jump of $8.5MM. This year, the biggest contract for a winger was Nikolaj Ehlers’ six-year, $51MM deal with Carolina (a cap hit of $8.5MM) so it would make sense that Kempe’s number should check in a bit above that, at least based on the way the market has operated this summer.
A contract in that price range would make Kempe their highest-paid forward and second-highest-paid player behind defenseman Drew Doughty. With Kempe being among several contracts set to expire next summer, the Kings have nearly $38MM in room for that season, per PuckPedia, so Holland will have plenty of flexibility to work with to get a deal done for his top scorer from 2024-25.
East Notes: Panarin, Senators, Prokhorov
Players in the final year of a multi-year contract are now eligible to sign contract extensions. A few have but most of the headline names in the 2026 UFA class have yet to do so, including Rangers winger Artemi Panarin. Vincent Z. Mercogliano of the Rockland/Westchester Journal News argues that New York should hold off on trying to get the 33-year-old locked up to a new deal right away, wondering if there might be an opportunity to get a younger top-liner on the open market next summer when they will have a significant amount of cap space. Panarin saw his production drop considerably last season after putting up a career-high 120 points in 2023-24 but he still managed 37 goals and 52 assists in 80 games to lead New York in scoring once again. Panarin has a $11.643MM cap charge and given that he’ll be 34 when his next deal starts, he’ll be in tough to match that price tag at that time.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:
- The Senators are making significant progress on securing the land agreement at LeBreton Flats as the site for their next arena, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The team has been in discussions for this parcel of land for several years now and signed an agreement in principle to buy the land last September, assuming that an agreement on the price could be reached. After both sides had separate land valuations done that were well apart in value, there was still a gap to be bridged which apparently, progress is being made on. The belief is that even if this is finalized, the Sens will remain in their current arena for at least the next five years.
- Sabres prospect Yevgeni Prokhorov has signed a tryout deal with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL, per a team announcement on its Telegram page. The netminder was a seventh-round pick last month after spending last season in Dinamo’s MHL program where he posted a 2.19 GAA and a .903 SV% in 28 games. Prokhorov was a first-round pick in last month’s CHL Import Draft, going 23rd overall to OHL Flint, leading to some speculation that he could come to North America but it appears that isn’t on the table at the moment.