Headlines

  • Maple Leafs’ Matthew Knies Questionable For Game 7
  • Ken Holland Accepts Kings GM Position
  • Nicklas Bäckström To Attempt Resuming Playing Career In Sweden
  • Golden Knights, Jack Eichel Have Had Preliminary Extension Talks
  • Wild Sign Danila Yurov To Entry-Level Contract
  • Johnston: “Zero Reason” To Believe Mitch Marner Signs Extension With Maple Leafs
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • MLB Trade Rumors
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors

Pro Hockey Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • Atlantic
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Central
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Utah Mammoth
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Metropolitan
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Pacific
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Partners
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Stars Re-Sign Sam Steel

July 1, 2024 at 6:08 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

July 1, 6:08 a.m.: While the team hasn’t announced it, CapFriendly reflects that Steel’s deal has been signed.

June 30, 10:40 p.m.: Although he wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer earlier today, it looks like Sam Steel will be staying in Dallas.  Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports (Twitter link) that the center is expected to ink a one-year, $1.2MM contract to remain with the Stars.

The 26-year-old has actually been non-tendered in three straight years to avoid giving him arbitration eligibility which could have pushed the price tag higher than his previous teams wanted to pay.  That resulted in Anaheim letting him go in 2022 while Minnesota did the same last summer, paving the way for him to sign a one-year, $850K deal with the Stars on the open day of free agency last summer.

Steel had a quality year with Dallas in their bottom six, recording 24 points in 77 games while averaging a little over 13 minutes per game including nearly two minutes per night shorthanded.  He also suited up in all 19 playoff contests, picking up a goal and four helpers.

For his career, Steel has played in 339 NHL games between the Ducks, Wild, and Stars.  While he was a high-end scorer in junior, that hasn’t translated to the pros as he has just 43 goals and 74 assists in those appearances; the fact that he has become a capable defensive forward will help extend his career as it makes him a better fit to play in the bottom six.

In the end, Steel will wind up with a $350K raise, a pretty good outcome as it will be the first seven-figure contract of his career.  Meanwhile, the Stars were able to avoid the risk of going to arbitration while ensuring they can keep him at a rate they can afford.  With at least seven more players needed to fill out their roster, expect Dallas to be busy in the coming days.

Dallas Stars Sam Steel

0 comments

Snapshots: Murray, Canucks, Studenic, Lomberg

June 30, 2024 at 11:03 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Defenseman Ryan Murray has had a long history when it comes to chronic back injuries.  He played just 13 games in 2022-23 and didn’t play anywhere this past season.  However, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Murray had surgery which he believes has solved his chronic back troubles and he will be looking to land a PTO with an NHL team this summer.  The 29-year-old was the second-overall pick back in 2012 and has played in 445 career contests at the top level so far, recording 15 goals, 116 assists, and 716 blocked shots.  PTO agreements often take longer to materialize so Murray will likely have to wait a while to see what opportunities might become available closer to training camp in September.

More from around the hockey world:

  • Although the expectation was that the Canucks would go with Arturs Silovs as Thatcher Demko’s backup next season, that might no longer be the case.  Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic report (subscription link) that Vancouver will be shopping for a veteran netminder on the open market and it appears that they’re willing to spend around $1.5MM for that player.  Casey DeSmith served as the second-string option this past season but does not appear to be an option at this time.  Silovs still has one year of waiver exemption remaining so there’s a case to be made that he’d be better served playing as the starter in the minors over seeing second-string duty with Vancouver.
  • Kraken free agent winger Marian Studenic has inked a two-year deal with SHL Farjestad, per a team release. The 25-year-old spent most of the year with AHL Coachella Valley, recording 15 goals and 29 assists in 64 games, earning him a two-game recall to Seattle.  Studenic also added 11 points in 18 playoff contests for the Firebirds.  However, rather than stick around in the minors, he’s opting to try his hand overseas.
  • Pending UFA winger Ryan Lomberg appears to have priced himself past what the Panthers can afford, relays David Dwork of The Hockey News (Twitter link). The 29-year-old put up 12 goals and 20 points in 2022-23 but was limited to just five goals and two assists in 75 games this past season although he added a career-high 175 hits.  Lomberg played on an $800K AAV for the last two years and Florida will need to have several players at that price point again next season.  If Lomberg believes he can beat that on the open market – a reasonable assumption – then he’ll have to go elsewhere to get it.

Florida Panthers| SHL| Seattle Kraken| Snapshots| Vancouver Canucks Marian Studenic| Ryan Lomberg| Ryan Murray

0 comments

Free Agent Notes: Reinhart, Ekman-Larsson, Joseph, Lafferty

June 30, 2024 at 10:18 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 8 Comments

Contract discussions between the Panthers and Sam Reinhart appear to be going down to the wire, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link).  The 28-year-old is coming off a career year, one that saw him score 57 goals and 37 assists while playing in all 82 games, setting new personal bests in goals and points.  He didn’t produce at quite the same rate in the playoffs but still managed 16 points in 24 games to help lead Florida to their first Stanley Cup title.  Reinhart is in line for a significant raise on the $6.5MM AAV he had over the last three seasons while getting a max-term agreement.  However, the length of that max-term contract is about to change.  Unless a contract is agreed to by 11 PM CT, Florida will be capped at offering only seven years.  If a deal is reached before that time, they can make it an eight-year agreement.

More free agent news:

  • While the Panthers are hoping to keep Reinhart in the fold, it looks like they won’t be re-signing Oliver Ekman-Larsson, at least not yet. Rick Dhaliwal of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the veteran blueliner will be testing the open market.  After being bought out by Vancouver last summer, the 32-year-old signed a one-year, $2.25MM deal with Florida to try to rebuild his value.  The move worked as Ekman-Larsson had a solid season, notching 32 points in 80 games while logging over 18 minutes a night.  He also recorded six points in 24 playoff contests.
  • Although the Penguins non-tendered defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph earlier today, TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that the two sides are still discussing a new deal. The 24-year-old had more of a limited role in 2023-24, getting into 52 games where he had 11 points while logging a little over 15 minutes a night.  Joseph was arbitration-eligible and Pittsburgh didn’t want to give him that option, resulting in him not getting his qualifying offer.  It’s a tactic we’re seeing more of lately with teams then sometimes circling back to work out a deal after.  We’ll see if this is one of those cases.
  • While the Blackhawks asked for the negotiating rights to Sam Lafferty to be added in the Ilya Mikheyev trade earlier this week, Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus of The Athletic report (subscription link) that the veteran will test the market. Lafferty spent parts of two years with Chicago and had discussions on a new deal with them following his rights being acquired but instead will see what’s out there.  The 29-year-old had 13 goals and 11 assists in 79 games with Vancouver after being acquired late in training camp from Toronto.

Chicago Blackhawks| Florida Panthers| Pittsburgh Penguins Oliver Ekman-Larsson| Pierre-Olivier Joseph| Sam Lafferty| Sam Reinhart

8 comments

Oliver Kylington To Test Free Agency

June 30, 2024 at 9:42 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

For the past several weeks, the Flames and Oliver Kylington had been talking about a new contract with a mutual desire to get something done.  Early in the day, Sportsnet’s Eric Francis reported that Calgary hadn’t given up hope on getting a new deal in place.  However, TSN’s Salim Valji reports (Twitter link) that the blueliner will indeed hit the open market tomorrow.

Kylington is one of the wild cards of this year’s free agent class.  In 2021-22, he had a breakout campaign, collecting nine goals and 22 assists in 73 games while logging over 18 minutes a night.  It looked like he had arrived as a legitimate full-time NHL blueliner, resulting in Calgary giving him a two-year, $5MM agreement.

However, the 27-year-old hardly played on that contract.  He took all of 2022-23 away from the team and missed half of this season to focus on his mental health.  When he did return in January, the Flames were cautious with him, easing him in.  Overall, Kylington played in 33 games, picking up three goals and five assists while averaging 17:15 per contest.

For his career, Kylington has played in just 201 games, recording 55 points.  That’s not a significant body of work for a typical unrestricted free agent to be negotiating off of but TSN’s Darren Dreger relays (Twitter link) that Kylington’s camp is hoping for a two-year deal with a small increase off his $2.5MM AAV from the last two years.

Contending teams might be looking for more certainty when it comes to distributing their largely limited free agent dollars around.  However, teams with more flexibility might be intrigued by the potential upside if they feel Kylington can get back to the level he was at back in 2021-22.  If a few of those feel that way, he might be able to get the type of commitment he’s looking for.

Calgary Flames Oliver Kylington

0 comments

Atlantic Notes: Swayman, Bruins, Roy, Bertuzzi, Xhekaj

June 30, 2024 at 8:58 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

With Linus Ullmark now in Ottawa, Jeremy Swayman is the Bruins’ undisputed goalie of the present and future moving forward.  However, it doesn’t appear as if much progress has been made on a new deal, according to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli (Twitter link).  Last summer, the two sides wound up going through salary arbitration with the netminder receiving a one-year, $3.475MM award.  This past season, the 25-year-old posted a 2.52 GAA with a .916 SV% in 44 regular season games before putting forth a better showing in the playoffs, playing to a 2.15 GAA and a .933 SV% in a dozen postseason contests.  It stands to reason that both sides would like to get a long-term agreement done; that type of deal should carry a price tag of at least $6MM.

More from the Atlantic Division:

  • Still with the Bruins, Kevin Paul Dupont of The Boston Globe suggests that they could be in position to land a pair of prominent Vancouver free agents when the market opens up on Monday, linking Boston to both center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov. Lindholm is coming off a down year but still managed 15 goals and 29 assists in 75 games.  He’d give Boston a legitimate two-way middleman after they didn’t really replace Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci last summer.  Zadorov, meanwhile, split the year between Calgary and Vancouver, notching 20 points and 177 hits in 75 games.  However, he was quite impactful in the playoffs, recording four goals and four assists in 13 contests while logging over 20 minutes a game, putting himself in a spot to land a big raise on the $3.5MM he made in 2023-24 on a long-term agreement.
  • The Senators are expected to make an aggressive pitch for pending UFA defenseman Matt Roy, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The 29-year-old is positioned to be one of the top right-shot defenders to hit the open market on Monday and is coming off a strong year that saw him record 25 points, 197 blocks, and 152 hits in 81 games while averaging just under 21 minutes a night.  After making $3.15MM the last three seasons, he could potentially come close to doubling that in free agency which would be very difficult for Ottawa to fit into their current salary structure.
  • While the Maple Leafs were hoping to re-sign winger Tyler Bertuzzi, that won’t be the case according to TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link) who notes that the contract he’s expected to get is more than what Toronto can afford. The 29-year-old couldn’t get a multi-year deal at his asking price last summer, instead settling for a one-year, $5.5MM agreement with the Maple Leafs.  Bertuzzi picked up 21 goals and 22 assists in 81 games during the regular season.  That, coupled with his production in the past (three other years of at least 20 goals) has Dreger feeling that Bertuzzi will land a deal around four years at more than $5MM per season.
  • Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj received a qualifying offer today but a new agent will be handling the discussions. Bartlett Hockey announced (Twitter link) that they’ve signed Xhekaj along with his brother Florian Xhekaj as new clients.  Arber played in 44 games in his sophomore year with Montreal, picking up 10 points, 125 hits, and 81 penalty minutes while averaging just under 16 minutes a night.  He also played in 17 games with AHL Laval, recording 11 points.  Florian, meanwhile, is a Canadiens prospect and will begin his entry-level agreement next season.

Boston Bruins| Montreal Canadiens| Ottawa Senators| Toronto Maple Leafs Arber Xhekaj| David Krejci| Elias Lindholm| Jeremy Swayman| Matt Roy| Nikita Zadorov| Tyler Bertuzzi

1 comment

Predators Nearing Agreement With Alexandre Carrier

June 30, 2024 at 7:43 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Defenseman Alexandre Carrier won’t be hitting the open market on Monday after all.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the two sides are close to finalizing a new contract.  Terms of the potential agreement have not been disclosed.

After a rough 2022-23 showing, the 27-year-old had a nice bounce-back effort this past season.  Carrier played in 73 games, scoring a career-best four goals while adding 16 assists and a career-high 137 blocked shots while logging a little under 19 minutes a night.  He was one of their most-used penalty killers, averaging more than two minutes a night shorthanded.  He added a goal and two assists with 19 blocks in six playoff contests where his ATOI jumped to over 21 minutes per game.

For his career, Carrier has played in 217 NHL games, all with Nashville who drafted him in the fourth round (115th overall) back in 2015.  He has just 10 goals and 52 assists to his name but has become an effective shot blocker and defensive blueliner, even earning a spot on the All-Rookie team back in 2021-22.

Carrier played on a one-year, $2.5MM deal in 2023-24, an agreement that gave him a nice raise based on his play the past couple of years while giving the Preds a chance to walk away if he couldn’t get back to his form from a couple of years ago.  Since he was able to rebound nicely, Carrier should be in line for a nice raise and a multi-year pact this time around.

Nashville Predators Alexandre Carrier

0 comments

Shane Pinto Hoping To Be Offer-Sheeted

June 30, 2024 at 6:39 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 14 Comments

Offer sheets are a rarity in the NHL and it’s even rarer that there is word of a player believed to be trying to solicit one on the opening day of free agency.  However, that appears to be the case in Ottawa as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports (Twitter link) that Shane Pinto’s camp will be looking to get an offer sheet when the market opens up on Monday.

[Related: Offer Sheet Thresholds for 2024]

The Senators and Pinto haven’t had much success with contract talks.  Last year, the two sides weren’t close to an agreement for most of the summer and just when it looked like they were closing in on an agreement, the 23-year-old was suspended for the first half of the season for a violation of the league’s gambling policy.  Upon being reinstated, he didn’t have much choice but to accept a pro-rated deal for the minimum salary of $775K.

To his credit, Pinto was rather productive for the Sens down the stretch, notching nine goals and 18 assists while logging over 18 minutes a night.  That brought him up to 30 goals and 40 assists in 140 career NHL appearances.

Both sides were believed to be interested in a long-term agreement but a report in mid-May suggested that they were far apart on money with Pinto’s camp believed to be seeking around $5MM on that contract.  The report that he’s now seeking an offer sheet indicates that they remain far apart in discussions.

A $5MM asking price pegs the required compensation at a first-round pick and a third-round pick.  Both of those must be 2025 selections and the offer-sheeting team must have their own picks to use; they can’t substitute one from another team.  That means that 16 teams are ineligible to attempt to give Pinto an offer sheet at that threshold, per CapFriendly, unless they’re able to re-acquire their own selections first.

Once the market officially opens up at 11 AM CT on Monday, there will generally be a free-for-all when it comes to unrestricted free agent signings so if Pinto is to get his way and get an offer sheet, he may have to be patient and wait for the dust to settle before assessing if there is a viable option out there.  Unlike many restricted free agents, salary arbitration isn’t an option as he is ineligible for one this summer so if he wants to show the Sens that he’s worth the money he’s seeking, an offer sheet is the only route he can take.

Ottawa Senators Shane Pinto

14 comments

Blues Re-Sign Hunter Skinner

June 30, 2024 at 6:04 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Blues took care of one of their potential restricted free agents today, announcing that they’ve re-signed defenseman Hunter Skinner to a one-year, two-way deal.  The contract pays $775K in the NHL and $80K at the AHL level.

The 23-year-old was originally a fourth-round pick by the Rangers back in 2019 and joined St. Louis as part of the Vladimir Tarasenko trade back in February 2023.  Skinner split his playing time that season between their two AHL affiliates plus New York’s ECHL squad.

This past season, Skinner was a full-timer in the AHL, getting into a career-best 50 games with Springfield.  He picked up three goals and seven assists along with 94 penalty minutes, bringing his career totals at that level to 33 points and 151 PIMS in 132 contests.

Skinner will be waiver-eligible for the first time next season so he’ll have to pass through unclaimed during training camp to make it back to the Thunderbirds.

St. Louis Blues| Transactions Hunter Skinner

0 comments

RFA Notes: Brannstrom, Yamamoto, Ylonen, McDonough, Shaw

June 27, 2024 at 9:13 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

The Senators will soon have a decision to make on pending RFA defenseman Erik Brannstrom who is owed a $2MM qualifying offer on Sunday, one that carries arbitration rights.  However, they’re hoping to not be the ones to have to make that decision in the end as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays (Twitter link) that Ottawa is continuing its efforts to try to trade the 24-year-old.  Being a strong offensive threat in Sweden helped make Brannstrom the 15th overall selection back in 2017 but he hasn’t been able to become a consistent threat at that end in the NHL.  This season, Brannstrom had 20 points in 76 games, a handful of which were spent as a winger.

Other news surrounding pending restricted free agents:

  • The Kraken have given winger Kailer Yamamoto permission to speak to other teams, GM Ron Francis told team broadcaster Alison Lukan (Twitter link). Yamamoto signed with them as an unrestricted free agent after he was non-tendered by Detroit last summer just after his rights were acquired from Edmonton.  The 25-year-old had a quiet season, notching eight goals and eight assists in 59 games while averaging less than 12 minutes a night after logging at least 16 in each of the last four years.  Yamamoto’s qualifier comes in at $1.5MM but carries arbitration rights where his past production could push the price tag past the $2MM mark.  It appears that’s a price they don’t want to pay as it looks like he’ll be non-tendered once again on Sunday.
  • Canadiens winger Jesse Ylonen will be non-tendered this weekend, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). The 24-year-old played his first full NHL campaign this season but recorded just four goals and four assists in 59 games after putting up 17 points in 36 appearances with Montreal in 2022-23.  His qualifying offer would have cost just over $813K but the team has determined they’re better off giving someone else a chance in that spot.
  • The Canucks will be parting ways with winger Aidan McDonough, reports Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic (Twitter link). This decision comes as somewhat of a surprise given how hard they worked to sign him in 2023, burning the first year of the deal right away when he got into six games with Vancouver.  However, the 24-year-old had a quiet rookie year with AHL Abbotsford, notching 11 goals and eight assists in 58 games, a performance they’ve deemed not good enough to give him a two-way qualifying offer.
  • The Wild have informed Mason Shaw that he’ll be non-tendered for the second straight year, notes Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). Shaw battled back from a torn ACL to earn a new deal with Minnesota back in February and he got into 20 games with the big club, recording three points and 29 hits while averaging just over eight minutes a night.

Minnesota Wild| Montreal Canadiens| Ottawa Senators| Seattle Kraken| Vancouver Canucks Aidan McDonough| Erik Brannstrom| Jesse Ylonen| Kailer Yamamoto| Mason Shaw

1 comment

Offseason Checklist: Florida Panthers

June 27, 2024 at 8:21 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 7 Comments

After this year’s Stanley Cup champion was crowned, the offseason has arrived for everyone. It’s time to examine what teams will need to accomplish over the coming months.  Last up is a look at the Cup champion Panthers.

After reaching the Cup Final last year before bowing out fairly quickly to Vegas, there was only one way Florida could improve on their fortunes.  They did just that, surviving losing three straight to Edmonton to erase a 3-0 series lead to win their first title in franchise history.  Now, GM Bill Zito has a lot to contend with concerning his roster for the summer and not a lot of time to do it.

Try To Keep Key UFAs

The Panthers have a sizable list of pending unrestricted free agents, many of which are core pieces.  How successful their offseason ultimately is will be determined by how many they’re able to keep or how well they’re able to replace them with the roughly $19.5MM in cap room they have, per CapFriendly.

Up front, the biggest name is Sam Reinhart.  After a quieter second season in Florida, the 28-year-old turned things around, putting together a career year that saw him put up 57 goals and 94 points during the regular season while adding 16 points in the playoffs.  A strong defensive player, Reinhart can also play down the middle if called upon which would only boost his value.  After making an average of $6.5MM over the last three years, Reinhart is well-positioned to earn a significant raise and a long-term deal.  He could conceivably cost up to half of Florida’s remaining cap room.

Then there’s Vladimir Tarasenko.  After his market didn’t materialize as planned, he settled for a one-year, $5MM deal with Ottawa, who flipped him to the Panthers at the trade deadline.  Notably, the 32-year-old made it known he’d only waive to go to Florida.  With 23 goals and 32 assists, he should be able to command a similar-sized price tag which could price him out of their range unless he’s willing to take a team-friendly deal.

On the back end, they took care of one key pending free agent when they signed Gustav Forsling to an eight-year, $46MM extension to keep him away from the open market.  But they have the top blueliner from this year’s class in Brandon Montour as well.  The 30-year-old broke out with Florida, living up to the high-end potential many felt he had.  He posted a career-best 73 points in 2022-23 but only managed 33 in 66 games during the regular season which will likely lower his overall price.  Having said that, he could still more than double the $3.5MM AAV he had over the past three years which could make it hard to keep him around.  Oliver Ekman-Larsson also had a nice bounce-back year and is set to hit the open market where he should command more than the $2.275MM he made this season.

Early Extension Talks

If those pending free agents weren’t notable enough, the Panthers have three key pieces that will be entering the final year of their respective contracts on July 1st, making them extension-eligible at that time.  While getting them locked up early isn’t necessary, Zito at least needs to get a sense of what those players are looking for as that will likely impact how many of their current free agents (who should all command multi-year contracts this time around) they’re able to try to re-sign.

One of those players is Carter Verhaeghe.  When he first arrived with Florida, he had yet to establish himself as a full-time NHL player.  Now, just four years later, he has been one of the better bargains in the NHL while his offensive game has taken off.  In 2022-23, he potted 42 goals and 31 assists and followed that up with 34 goals and 38 helpers this season.  Those are top-line numbers that will have him positioned to command a long-term agreement and a significant raise.  For context, Verhaeghe made just $1MM in his first two seasons with the Panthers and currently has a cap charge of $4.167MM.  Next time out, he could potentially double it with an AAV that should check in around the $8MM range.

Meanwhile, Aaron Ekblad will soon be in need of a new deal on the back end.  The agreement that he’s on now was a record-setting deal at the time for a defenseman coming off his entry-level contract as he took an eight-year deal that carried a $7.5MM AAV.  While he never really took off offensively (aside from the 2021-22 campaign), the Panthers have still done rather well with that contract as Ekblad has been a workhorse for most of that time.  However, he dealt with some injury issues this season while his playing time was more limited; his 20:52 per game was a career-low.  It’s possible that Florida will try to get him to take a bit less this time around which makes it more challenging to see a deal get done in the coming weeks.  Those discussions will come with a new agent as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that he’s now represented by Newport’s Craig Oster.

Then there’s Sam Bennett.  His regular season numbers don’t jump off the page (his career-high in points is 49) but he’s coming off two strong playoff performances that saw him produce at a better rate, something that doesn’t generally happen.  On top of that, he’s a power forward who also plays center.  That’s a combination that will have a lot of teams gearing up to put in offers so it stands to reason that he’s in line for a considerable raise on his current $4.425MM AAV.

Again, they don’t have to get these players signed just yet.  Simply knowing what the asking prices are likely to be should give Zito enough information to formulate his plan for his pending free agents.

Knight Decision

With Spencer Knight spending a good chunk of 2022-23 away from the team while being in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, Zito decided he needed some insurance between the pipes, inking Anthony Stolarz to a one-year, $1.1MM contract, a deal that couldn’t have worked out any better for them.  With Knight being young enough to get to the minors without waivers, he entered the season as Florida’s third-string option.

From a games-played perspective, things worked out relatively well for Knight as he played 45 times, his highest amount of appearances since his draft year.  However, his numbers with AHL Charlotte weren’t dominant by any stretch the way you’d hope someone making $4.5MM would be able to put up.  While he finished eighth among qualifying netminders in GAA (2.41), his SV% (.905) was only good for a tie for 28th place.  He got to play but management was probably hoping he’d have been more effective.

At this point, Stolarz is likely to price himself out of what Florida can afford as he’s slated to be one of the better options in a UFA goaltending class that is relatively weak.  Accordingly, Zito needs to decide if Knight is ready to re-assume the second-string duty behind Sergei Bobrovsky.  If so, then he has his very expensive tandem in place.  If not, then he’ll need to find a replacement.

And if the decision is made that Knight isn’t going to be the backup next season, Florida will need to contemplate a buyout.  He’s young enough that the buyout cost would only be $750K for four years.  If he’s buried in the minors again (he remains waiver-exempt), the cap charge would be $3.325MM.  That $2.575MM difference could be enough for a lower-cost backup on a deal similar to the one Stolarz received a year ago while freeing up funds to up an offer to one of their core free agents.

Knight didn’t play a single second for Florida during the regular season or playoffs but he could still play a big role in what the Panthers can and can’t do in the coming days and weeks.

Add Low-Cost Depth

Last summer, Zito had to make some low-cost acquisitions, bringing in Kevin Stenlund, Steven Lorentz, Dmitry Kulikov, Mike Reilly, Uvis Balinskis, and Stolarz on cheap deals worth $1.1MM or less.  For the most part, they did quite well with those pickups.

Now, Zito will be trying to repeat that level of success on what’s likely to be a mostly new group (only Balinskis is still signed) while also trying to replace some other veteran UFAs including Ryan Lomberg and Nick Cousins.  They could be looking at signing five or six forwards and a couple of defensemen with their remaining cap space while keeping in mind how much some of those top players are likely to command on the open market.

It’s quite possible that the $1.1MM line might be too steep for the Panthers this time around.  Now, they might have to shop for options much closer to the league minimum if not right at the $775K minimum salary to stretch every dollar.  Zito will have to find a way to find veterans who can provide a similar level of performance as his group from last summer while being even more constrained financially, assuming he’s able to keep at least one of his key free agents.  That will be a tough needle to thread for a second straight year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Florida Panthers| Offseason Checklist 2024| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

7 comments
« Previous Page
Load More Posts
    Top Stories

    Maple Leafs’ Matthew Knies Questionable For Game 7

    Ken Holland Accepts Kings GM Position

    Nicklas Bäckström To Attempt Resuming Playing Career In Sweden

    Golden Knights, Jack Eichel Have Had Preliminary Extension Talks

    Wild Sign Danila Yurov To Entry-Level Contract

    Johnston: “Zero Reason” To Believe Mitch Marner Signs Extension With Maple Leafs

    Brad Shaw Won’t Return To Flyers

    Full 2025 NHL Draft Order

    Sam Gagner Confirms Retirement, Joins Senators’ Front Office

    Mark Stone Out For Game 5

    Recent

    Robert Hagg To Sign In SHL

    Maple Leafs’ Matthew Knies Questionable For Game 7

    Depth Wingers Will Define Golden Knights’ Summer

    Evening Notes: Tocchet, Ekholm, Pickard, Smith

    Central Notes: Yurov, Benn, Goodman

    Capitals Reassign Ethan Bear, Clay Stevenson, Mitchell Gibson

    Ken Holland Accepts Kings GM Position

    Nicklas Bäckström To Attempt Resuming Playing Career In Sweden

    Capitals’ Ryan Chesley Signs Entry-Level Deal

    Golden Knights, Jack Eichel Have Had Preliminary Extension Talks

    Rumors By Team

    Rumors By Team

    • Avalanche Rumors
    • Blackhawks Rumors
    • Blue Jackets Rumors
    • Blues Rumors
    • Bruins Rumors
    • Canadiens Rumors
    • Canucks Rumors
    • Capitals Rumors
    • Devils Rumors
    • Ducks Rumors
    • Flames Rumors
    • Flyers Rumors
    • Golden Knights Rumors
    • Hurricanes Rumors
    • Islanders Rumors
    • Jets Rumors
    • Kings Rumors
    • Kraken Rumors
    • Lightning Rumors
    • Mammoth Rumors
    • Maple Leafs Rumors
    • Oilers Rumors
    • Panthers Rumors
    • Penguins Rumors
    • Predators Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Red Wings Rumors
    • Sabres Rumors
    • Senators Rumors
    • Sharks Rumors
    • Stars Rumors
    • Wild Rumors

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Brock Boeser Rumors
    • Scott Laughton Rumors
    • Brock Nelson Rumors
    • Rickard Rakell Rumors
    • Mikko Rantanen Rumors

    Pro Hockey Rumors Features

    Pro Hockey Rumors Features

    • Support Pro Hockey Rumors And Go Ad-Free
    • 2024-25 Salary Cap Deep Dive Series
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Primers
    • 2025 NHL Free Agent List
    • 2026 NHL Free Agent List
    • Active Roster Tracker
    • Arbitration-Eligible Free Agents 2025
    • Draft Order 2025
    • Trade Tracker
    • Pro Hockey Rumors On X
    • Pro Hockey Rumors Polls
    • Waiver Claims 2024-25

     

     

     

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives

    PHR Info

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Commenting Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

    scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version