Offseason Checklist: Vegas Golden Knights
The offseason has arrived for all but two teams now with the playoffs nearing an end. Accordingly, it’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming weeks with free agency fast approaching. Next up is a look at Vegas.
After being a Wild Card team last season, the Golden Knights won the Pacific Division this year and made it a round further in the playoffs before being ousted by Edmonton in the second round. While it’s a step in the right direction, GM Kelly McCrimmon will still have some work to do this summer to tweak his group and set them up for the future.
Open Up Cap Space
On the surface, $9.6MM in cap space (per PuckPedia) isn’t too bad. Frankly, it’s more than they’ve had in past years in late spring. But that also comes with several key veterans getting set to hit the open market next month, including wingers Reilly Smith, Victor Olofsson, and Brandon Saad, along with goaltender Ilya Samsonov. Suffice it to say, those four players alone will probably cost that much or more next month.
So, if McCrimmon wants to add anyone of consequence to his group, he will need to open up some flexibility, something that is going to be easier said than done. William Karlsson was a logical speculative candidate with two years left on his contract at a $5.9MM AAV but that has been ruled out already.
Speculatively, their top talents are probably not in play. Their lower-cost ones aren’t necessarily going to move the needle in terms of opening up enough space to do something. And there aren’t too many in the medium-term cost category, especially with Karlsson off the table. Basically, that leaves defenseman Brayden McNabb ($3.65MM) and Ivan Barbashev ($5MM) as the only pieces that could be moved that could open up enough meaningful space to contribute toward a signing.
At this point, it certainly sounds like they’d like to open up enough flexibility to do something. How they create enough space to do so will be interesting to follow.
Work On Eichel Extension
This is something that McCrimmon highlighted at the end of the season as a priority, getting center Jack Eichel signed to a contract extension. He’ll be entering the final year of his contract in July, making him eligible to put pen to paper on a new deal. The two sides have already held preliminary talks but getting something across the finish line will be the goal.
The 28-year-old has done quite well with Vegas since being acquired four seasons ago following a prolonged battle with his former team in Buffalo as to what type of neck surgery to pursue. Eichel eventually got his way with the artificial disc procedure being done upon being acquired and while he has battled injuries along the way, that particular injury hasn’t been an issue since. He is coming off a career year that saw him record personal bests in assists (66) and points (94) and is averaging more than a point per game since the trade. He has also become a reliable defensive player, seeing regular time on the penalty kill and landing in the top five in Selke Trophy voting. Basically, Eichel is an all-around number one center, the type of player that is very hard to come by.
Eichel is already at the $10MM per season mark and it’s unlikely that a small increase to that will be enough to get it done thanks to the projected significant jumps to the Upper Limit of the salary cap over the next few years. His current deal was worth 12.58% of the salary cap at the time it was signed. Early projections for the salary cap for 2026-27 when his next contract will kick in have the ceiling at $104MM. Simply using the same 12.58% figure against that number, that would run his price tag up to $13.083MM per season. For now, at least, that would make him the third-highest-paid player in the league behind Leon Draisaitl ($14MM) and Auston Matthews ($13.25MM), a pair of middlemen themselves.
That’s pretty high territory for a player who has only reached the 80-point mark twice in his career, this season and back in 2018-19. It’s not that Eichel doesn’t produce at a point-per-game level, but he does have a history of injuries; his rookie year (2015-16) was the only time he reached the 80-game mark in a season. It wouldn’t be surprising to see McCrimmon try to factor that into the negotiation to try to get that AAV at least a little lower but Eichel’s camp should know that unless there’s a serious injury next season, he’d hit the open market as arguably the top player available at a premium position which could very well drive the price tag closer to Draisaitl’s mark. Are the Golden Knights willing to go that high to get something done now? We’ll find out over the next few months.
Defensive Decisions
The UFAs listed earlier aren’t the only expiring contracts the Golden Knights will be contending with this summer as defenseman Nicolas Hague is going to be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent. Owed a $2.7MM qualifying offer this summer, the expectation is that he’ll be looking to land more than that. Given their cap situation, there has been no shortage of speculation that he’ll move.
However, there have also been suggestions that Alex Pietrangelo’s availability to start the season could be in question. While he was in the lineup following the 4 Nations Face-Off, he was playing through an injury the rest of the way including the playoffs and at 35 with over 1,200 NHL games under his belt (regular season and playoffs), he might be nearing the point where he’s going to be playing through some lingering issues for the final two years of his contract. Only the Golden Knights know his true availability to start 2025-26 but even if he is good to go, would the uncertainty make them consider adding on the back end? Would that make them lean toward keeping Hague, even though he’s a left-hand shot?
It’s expected that Kaedan Korczak will get a look at more of a regular role next season but he and Zach Whitecloud are the only other two right-hand shots on the back end in Vegas. Both are more third-pairing types of players so if they’re worried about Pietrangelo’s full-season availability, they might want to sniff around the right-shot market. That would cut into their cap space, obviously, but that type of insurance would be valuable. It could come from moving Hague for a right-shot piece or moving him for futures and signing one in free agency. One option would be an older player eligible for bonuses on a one-year deal (someone like Brent Burns), allowing them to push some of the costs to 2026-27 and potentially allow them to keep their full back end intact. There are some options here.
Failing that, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them try to add a veteran or two on the open market that could start with AHL Henderson but come up if and when injuries arise. The Hague speculation is plentiful but that probably won’t be the only headline from their back end this summer.
Look For Backup Goalie
After a disappointing year with Toronto in 2023-24, Samsonov opted to sign a one-year deal with Vegas in the hopes that he’d rebuild some of his value and be in better shape to hit the open market this summer. While he shaved 31 points off his GAA (down to 2.83), his SV% only improved by one point to .891, still below league average. At this point, it would be surprising if he returned.
Vegas did add Akira Schmid in a trade on the second day of the draft last year, acquiring him as part of the return in the deal that sent Paul Cotter to New Jersey. With Adin Hill and Samsonov comprising the tandem with the Golden Knights, Schmid spent most of this season in the AHL with the Silver Knights where he struggled, posting a 3.58 GAA and a .886 SV% in 30 outings, numbers that don’t exactly scream promotion-ready.
Granted, Schmid did well in limited duty in five games (three starts) with Vegas and he did have a good run late in 2022-23 with the Devils but then lost the backup job the following season relatively quickly. With just 48 NHL games under his belt (just 36 starts), is he ready to play 30 or more games with the Golden Knights? That’s not a given.
Schmid’s contract makes him appealing (a $875K AAV) but would they be better trying to spend closer to twice as much and get a more proven option or find another Samsonov-type goalie looking to bounce back? This isn’t necessarily a top-priority need but with the goalie market typically moving quickly once free agency opens up, a decision to that question will need to be made fairly quickly.
Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.
Bruins Sign Victor Soderstrom
Boston didn’t waste any time getting their newest blueliner under contract. After acquiring the rights to Victor Soderstrom on Friday, the Bruins announced that they’ve signed the defenseman to a one-year, two-way contract. The NHL portion of the deal will pay the minimum salary of $775K while the AHL salary was not disclosed.
The 24-year-old was a first-round pick back in 2019 when Arizona drafted him 11th overall. However, his development has not quite gone as well as the then-Coyotes would have hoped.
While Soderstrom saw NHL action in four straight seasons from 2020-21 through 2023-24, he only got into 53 games overall. Instead, he spent most of his time in North America in the minors, spanning 170 contests. His 2023-24 performance was arguably his best as he had 32 points in 62 games with AHL Springfield but that didn’t yield much in the way of a chance in Arizona as he played just three times with them that year, leading him to voice his frustration with his lack of opportunity.
As a result, Soderstrom didn’t want to re-sign with that organization (which moved to Utah last offseason) while, at the time at least, Utah didn’t want to trade him. At an impasse, the blueliner decided to go back home, signing a two-year deal with SHL Brynas. With one year left on that agreement, it’s clear that the agreement had an NHL out clause.
Soderstrom had a solid season in Sweden, posting nine goals and 28 assists in 49 regular season games with Brynas while logging over 22 minutes a night of playing time. While he didn’t post points at the same level in the playoffs, he chipped in with eight points in 17 outings in a little more than 23 minutes per game of ice time. Along the way, Chicago acquired his rights as part of the move that saw them add Shea Weber‘s contract to their books and the thought was that the Blackhawks might try to sign Soderstrom themselves this summer.
Clearly, that didn’t happen and Chicago’s prospect depth on the back end might have had something to do with that, leading to Friday’s trade. Boston’s right-shot defensive depth isn’t as deep as Charlie McAvoy and Andrew Peeke are the only two regular blueliners who shoot from that side. As a result, there could be an opportunity for Soderstrom to push for a roster spot with the Bruins although a lot can change between now and the start of training camp that could affect that chance. Either way, Soderstrom will be getting a second opportunity to play in North America this season.
Metropolitan Notes: Jones, Soucy, Poulin
The Rangers have had contract discussions with pending RFA defenseman Zac Jones, reports Mollie Walker of the New York Post (subscription link). The 24-year-old expressed frustration with his usage earlier in the season; while he set a new career-high in games played, he still only suited up 46 times, recording 11 points in a little over 17 minutes per night of playing time. His camp had permission to explore trade options during the season but nothing materialized in terms of a move. He’s owed a qualifying offer of just over $866K but also has arbitration eligibility which is something New York would likely prefer to avoid. That might explain the early discussions as if the two sides can’t find a suitable deal, Jones could be a non-tender candidate at the end of the month to avoid the risk of a possible arbitration award that’s higher than they want to pay.
More from the Metropolitan:
- While the future of K’Andre Miller with the Rangers remains murky, Arthur Staple of The Athletic suggests (subscription link) that clearing out the final year of Carson Soucy’s contract is something else New York will be looking to do on the left side of their back end. The 30-year-old was acquired from Vancouver near the trade deadline as a buy-low addition with the hopes that a change of scenery could give him a boost. Instead, that didn’t happen and Soucy was even briefly scratched. He had 13 points, 106 hits, and 113 blocks in 75 games this season but with a year and $3.25MM left on his contract, GM Chris Drury likely feels that money could be better spent elsewhere. Soucy has a full no-trade clause until July 1st when that protection drops to a 12-team no-trade list.
- This season wasn’t a great one for Penguins winger Samuel Poulin. He cleared waivers during training camp and outside of a seven-game stint with Pittsburgh (six of which came in November), playing time at the top level was hard to come by. Even so, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review feels that the 24-year-old still has a chance to be in Pittsburgh’s plans. With the team planning to get younger, the fact that he had a career-best 41 points with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, and his size as the heaviest player in the organization, Poulin could very well find himself in the mix with the big club next season. If not, he’ll have to pass through waivers again and could be a candidate to be claimed with his stronger showing in the minors this year.
Hurricanes Linked To Amir Miftakhov
With veterans Dustin Tokarski and Spencer Martin set to be unrestricted free agents next month, the Hurricanes are expected to make a move to add some depth at the goaltending position. That move could be coming soon as Championat’s Rustam Imanov reports that netminder Amir Miftakhov has rejected extension offers from KHL Ak Bars Kazan and is in the final stages of talks with Carolina about a contract for the upcoming season.
The 25-year-old was a sixth-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2020, going 186th overall. He signed an entry-level deal with them the following year and split the 2021-22 season between AHL Syracuse (22 games) and ECHL Orlando (five appearances). However, Miftakhov wanted to return home instead of staying in the minors and had the final two years of his contract terminated in July 2022.
Since then, Miftakhov has played in the KHL. This past season, he played in 30 games with Kazan, posting a strong 2.18 GAA and a .927 SV% along the way. Those were largely in line with his career numbers of a 2.19 GAA and a .922 SV% in 82 outings over parts of five seasons at that level.
While that performance probably isn’t going to be enough to give him a shot at a full-time spot with the Hurricanes (assuming a deal gets finalized), it could give him a chance to be the starter at AHL Chicago, putting him in line to be the first goalie recalled if injuries arise to Frederik Andersen or Pyotr Kochetkov. It appears that opportunity might be enough for Miftakhov to give playing in North America another shot.
Brandon Gignac Signs In Swiss League
Rather than test free agency next month, pending UFA Brandon Gignac has decided to head overseas. EHC Kloten in Switzerland announced that they’ve inked the center to a two-year contract.
The 27-year-old was originally drafted by New Jersey in the third round back in 2016. However, playing time was hard to come by at the top level as he made just one NHL appearance with them before being non-tendered in 2021.
That brought him to Montreal’s farm team on a minor-league deal, one that he was able to convert to a two-year, two-way NHL pact in 2023-24. When that happened, Gignac got into seven games with the Canadiens, scoring once while logging a little under 12 minutes a night of playing time. Meanwhile, he had a career year in the AHL with Laval that season, notching 55 points in 61 games.
Coming off that season, there was some thought that Gignac could push for a back-of-the-roster spot with Montreal this year or at least be in line for a recall when injuries arise. However, after clearing waivers in training camp, Gignac suffered a long-term injury that caused him to miss 53 games, putting an end to any hopes of a promotion. He returned for the playoffs and had just three points in 12 games.
Knowing that an NHL opportunity likely wasn’t going to be on the table this summer, Gignac’s options likely would have been limited to two-way offers next month. Instead of taking another one of those, he’ll now try his hand in a new league altogether.
Offseason Checklist: St. Louis Blues
The offseason has arrived for all but two teams now with the playoffs nearing an end. Accordingly, it’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming weeks with free agency fast approaching. Next up is a look at St. Louis.
It was an eventful year for the Blues who made an early-season coaching change and wound up going on a significant late-season run to propel themselves into a playoff spot before being ousted by Winnipeg in the opening round. GM Doug Armstrong doesn’t have a lot of salary cap flexibility to work with but he will be tasked with making at least some tweaks to his group this summer.
Continue To Reshape The Defense
A good chunk of the back end for the Blues has been around for quite a while now with three veterans being around for at least the last four years. While they made a key addition early in the season with the acquisition of Cam Fowler following the summer signing of Philip Broberg, there’s still some work to be done.
Colton Parayko isn’t going anywhere. Neither is Broberg. Fowler is heading into the final year of his deal but at this point, he’s more of an extension candidate than a trade candidate. After that, there are some question marks.
Justin Faulk is no stranger to trade speculation and was even in some recent speculation heading into the trade deadline when it looked like St. Louis would be selling, not standing pat. He has two years left on his contract with a $6.5MM cap charge. Originally, it looked as if those last couple of seasons could be tough from a cap perspective but he’s still logging 22 minutes a night and is above-average offensively. With the UFA class not exactly being deep, he’s a viable trade chip not just to clear money but to get real value in return. With Broberg, Fowler, and Parayko being capable of playing the offensive roles, Faulk could become expendable.
Nick Leddy is entering the final year of a four-year, $16MM deal. The first two years weren’t bad but he battled injuries this season and struggled when he was in the lineup. It would be surprising if they could offload the final year of the deal but if they wanted to retain salary or take a player back in a change-of-scenery type of swap, there might be a chance to move him as well.
Torey Krug seems unlikely to play next season which could give them some extra flexibility. They have around $5MM in cap space per PuckPedia although Krug landing on LTIR could give them up to $6.5MM in additional spending room. Meanwhile, Matthew Kessel and Tyler Tucker have shown they can be useful players in a depth role but aren’t ready for top-four duty just yet.
In a perfect world, Armstrong would add a top-four defender, one who is a bit more geared toward filling a shutdown role. If Faulk is still around, they’d be in a good spot of having five top-four blueliners. Or if that acquisition makes Faulk expendable, they’d have a chance to cash in on a solid trade chip. Broberg and Fowler have helped reshape the back end but there’s still some work to be done there.
Extension Talks For Bridge Deals
The Blues went with bridge deals for the two players they signed on offer sheets from Edmonton (Broberg and Dylan Holloway). Both will be entering the final year of their respective contracts on July 1st, making them extension-eligible. While getting both of them signed would be a tall task, getting a sense of what those next deals might cost would be worthwhile for long-term planning as Alex Steen gets set to take Armstrong’s spot as GM next year.
Broberg was a wild card coming over from Edmonton. After not locking down a regular spot in the lineup in 2023-24 during the regular season, he played a little more often in the playoffs but even with that, his $4.581MM offer sheet was still a wild overpayment based on what he had to that point of his career.
But Broberg managed to not only live up to that deal this season but even make it look at least a little bit like a team-friendly pact. He quickly became a top-four threat, logging over 20 minutes a night and did pretty well offensively considering the low power play time he had. Basically, he lived up to his eighth-overall billing. Now, it’s fair to say that an extension is going to be a step or two above this rate. Broberg has two RFA years left after next season so this will be the contract they’ll want to go long-term on. With the anticipated jump coming to the Upper Limit and the projection that Broberg can build off the year he had, that type of agreement could conceivably push past the $7MM threshold, if not a little higher.
As for Holloway, he was the bigger bargain of the two, taking a $2.29MM contract and finishing third in the team in scoring with 26 goals and 37 assists, numbers that seemed unfathomable given his usage with the Oilers previously. We saw Calgary’s Matthew Coronato get seven years at $6.5MM without hitting the 50-point mark, a plateau that Holloway already has gone through. Like Broberg, he’ll have two RFA years left after this contract and it wouldn’t be surprising to see his camp asking for something starting with an eight on a long-term deal.
It would be surprising to see either player sign this early after just one year. But even knowing how much extra money they’re going to need to set aside for 2026-27 could affect how they approach this summer.
Find A ‘200-Foot Offensive Player’
If this seems like an oddly specific category, there’s a reason for that. At the end of the season, when Armstrong was asked what he’d like to add to his roster, this was his answer. With that being a stated goal, it’s fair to say they’re going to go out and try to add one of those pieces.
The Blues finished 13th in offense this season so this type of player doesn’t necessarily have to be a high-producing one, just one that can play a two-way game and move around the lineup when needed. Speculatively, a 40-to-50-point player fits the bill, preferably a center to give them some extra depth while also giving them options if Brayden Schenn were to find his way back into trade talks.
Of course, this is not necessarily the easiest profile of player to find. There are only six UFA forwards in that particular point range and realistically, only two of those profile as two-way players, winger Reilly Smith and center Pius Suter. Each of them would likely take up the bulk of their remaining base cap space, forcing them back into using LTIR for Krug.
With that in mind, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Armstrong try to land this type of player on the trade market. While his second-round picks are off the table for the next three years, they still have all of their first-round selections and boast a prospect pool that has been improved as of late. That should be enough trade capital for him to work with if he wants to swing a deal to add to his group up front.
Re-Sign Hofer
Joel Hofer has been one of the better bargain goalies in the NHL over the last couple of seasons. Signed to a league-minimum contract, he has been an above-average backup to Jordan Binnington over that span, posting a 2.65 GAA and a .909 SV% in 65 games over that span. It’s safe to say that the bridge contract worked for both sides; St. Louis got a team-friendly deal while Hofer got a chance to prove himself and did exactly that.
Now is the time for him to cash in. That is, at least in theory. Knowing their desire to add a 200-foot offensive forward and the speculated desire to continue to build up their back end, it’s fair to wonder how much they’re going to have left for the backup goalie position.
Armstrong probably wouldn’t mind working out a long-term deal with Hofer, giving the Blues at least some stability with Binnington only having two years left on his contract. But the longer the contract, the higher the price tag will be, cutting into what they can spend elsewhere.
With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Blues pursue a second bridge deal with Hofer. He has three RFA-eligible seasons remaining and though they’re all arbitration-eligible, they can use the extra club control to kick this one down the road. A two-year deal would see him expire at the same time as Binnington and should cost around $3MM per season while a one-year pact would see the price tag go a bit lower, potentially around the $2.5MM mark. Hofer is the lone NHL RFA St. Louis has so Armstrong can push this past the start of free agency and potentially let what happens there dictate what they do with Hofer.
Photo courtesy of John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images.
Golden Knights Not Shopping William Karlsson
In recent weeks, there has been speculation that the Golden Knights would like to free up some salary cap flexibility heading into free agency next month. While that may still be the case, one of the speculated potential casualties is actually not in play; Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Vegas is not looking to move center William Karlsson.
Karlsson is one of the few remaining original members of the team after joining them in the 2017 Expansion Draft. Throughout his time in Vegas, he has been a reliable two-way center and has signed two separate deals with the team.
However, the 32-year-old is coming off a rather quiet season. Limited to just 53 games during the regular season due to injuries, Karlsson put up just nine goals and 20 assists while seeing his playing time drop to 17:01 per night. His point total and ATOI were both the lowest they had been since he joined the Golden Knights.
With Jack Eichel entrenched as the number one center and a stated desire to sign him to a long-term extension this summer and Tomas Hertl in the fold for another five years, it’s understandable why some wondered if Karlsson could be in play. And with just two seasons remaining on his contract with a $5.9MM price tag plus a strong track record, Vegas would have been in a great position to command a strong return for his services.
But center depth is difficult to part with if you can afford to keep it. Both Eichel and Hertl have a track record of dealing with injuries themselves so having three top-six-caliber middlemen is a great luxury to have while keeping Nicolas Roy and Brett Howden in the bottom six.
Speaking of cap space, the Golden Knights presently have around $9.6MM in room, per PuckPedia. However, they have several players to spend that money on with wingers Reilly Smith, Victor Olofsson, Brandon Saad, and goalie Ilya Samsonov all set to become unrestricted free agents next month, with Nicolas Hague, frequently mentioned in trade speculation himself, becoming an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent in July. But while it’s understandable that Vegas wants to open up extra cap space heading into free agency, it appears it won’t be coming from one of their longest-serving players.
Snapshots: Islanders, Andersson, Hrabal, Jedlicka
With the Islanders missing the playoffs this season, some wondered if new GM Mathieu Darche might look to make a big shakeup on the trade front. If he does, their two top forwards won’t be involved. In his latest column for The Athletic (subscription link), Pierre LeBrun relays that Darche has told forwards Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal that they will not be moved this summer. Horvat would have been an intriguing name on the center market while Barzal, who has been more of a winger lately but is a natural middleman himself, also would have drawn a lot of interest but instead, they’ll remain the focal points of a New York group that Darche feels can get back into the playoff mix next season.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Extension talks between the Flames and defenseman Rasmus Andersson are expected to continue this week with the two sides exchanging numbers for the first time, reports Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. Andersson is eligible to sign a new deal as of July 1st and it’s one that should carry a significant increase on his current $4.55MM price tag. While he’s coming off a bit of a down year, he still managed 31 points in 81 games and as a right-shot rearguard who plays in all situations, he’ll be highly sought after should he hit the open market in 2026.
- The Mammoth tried to sign goaltender Michael Hrabal after this season, his college head coach Greg Carvel stated in a recent Sick Podcast appearance (video link). The 20-year-old was the 38th overall pick back in 2023 and has spent the past two seasons at the University of Massachusetts. Hrabal posted a 2.37 GAA with a .924 SV% in 36 games for the Minutemen which seemingly was enough for Utah to want to turn him pro. Instead, Hrabal has decided to return for his junior year and seems like a strong candidate to sign after that.
- While the Avalanche relinquished the rights to prospect Maros Jedlicka on June 1st, he’ll be remaining with the organization for now. Colorado’s AHL affiliate announced that they’ve signed the forward to a one-year contract for next season. Jedlicka started this year playing at home in Czechia, collecting two assists in a dozen games for HC Kometa Brno before coming to North America in mid-November. Jedlicka played in 18 games for the Eagles this season, picking up three goals and two assists and while that wasn’t enough to earn an NHL contract, it was enough for the Avs to keep him around in their system at least.
Senators Expected To Begin Extension Talks With Adam Gaudette Soon
With free agency now less than three weeks away, the Senators have been busy trying to get their top pending unrestricted free agent, Claude Giroux, locked up before he hits the open market. It appears that he’s not the only UFA that they intend to try to sign early as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the Sens are expected to start talks on a new deal with Adam Gaudette.
The 28-year-old has largely bounced around his eight-year professional career, spending time with five different organizations. Gaudette came back for a second stint with Ottawa last summer, inking a one-year, two-way deal with an eye on him being a key contributor with AHL Belleville and coming up for stints with the big club when needed.
That didn’t go quite as planned. In fact, it went better. While Gaudette cleared waivers in October, he never actually suited up in the minors this season. Beyond a few one-day stints with Belleville, he was exclusively up with Ottawa. Along the way, he played in 81 games, scoring a career-best 19 goals along with seven assists; that goal total is particularly notable considering he averaged just 10:25 per game of ice time. He added three points in six games in their opening-round playoff loss to Toronto.
While Gaudette had 33 points back in 59 games with Vancouver, this was his first season of being a full-time NHL player. Overall, he has suited up in 301 contests at the top level, notching 46 goals and 50 assists along the way. All told, not a bad showing from a fifth-round pick.
However, despite the success he has had at times, Gaudette has yet to earn a seven-figure single-season salary throughout his career. He should have a chance to do that this time around but he might not beat the $1MM mark by too much considering the limited ice time he had this season and the fact he had primarily been a minor leaguer the previous two years. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Ottawa, like a lot of teams, try to keep their spots at the end of the roster close to the minimum salary to increase their spending flexibility so it will be interesting to see if an early agreement can be worked out to keep Gaudette off the open market.
Metropolitan Notes: Orlov, Flyers, Hollowell
The expectation is that Hurricanes defenseman Dmitry Orlov will test the open market next month, reports Pierre LeBrun in his latest column for The Athletic (subscription link). The 33-year-old was somewhat of a surprise signing two years ago when he joined Carolina, eschewing a longer-term offer to accept a two-year, $15.5MM deal, one that was above-market at the time. Orlov averaged 20 minutes a game this season while chipping in with six goals and 22 assists, making it nine straight years that he has eclipsed the 20-point mark. While he likely won’t beat his most recent price tag, he should generate some strong interest in free agency.
More from the Metropolitan:
- While the Flyers have been suggested as a possible team interested in Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) word from a team source that this is not the case. Hague is a pending restricted free agent and with the expectation that he’ll be looking for a fair bit more than his $2.7MM qualifying offer, he has become a speculative trade candidate. Philadelphia already has four left-shot blueliners signed for next season with Cameron York, another lefty, becoming a restricted free agent next month.
- Pending UFA defenseman Mac Hollowell won’t be hitting the open market to see what North American options he might have. Instead, the 26-year-old has signed with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL, the league announced. Hollowell has been a productive player in the minors but outside of six appearances with Toronto in 2022-23, his NHL opportunities have been limited so he’ll try his hand overseas now. He had a goal and 30 assists in 56 games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season after a 44-point showing with Hartford in 2023-24.