Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Metro Notes: Chinakhov, Capitals, Brunicke, Kindel

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Yegor Chinakhov was vocal in his disapproval of head coach Dean Evason’s deployment of him earlier this preseason, and now it appears Chinakhov’s disapproval has extended to the player’s off-ice situation. According to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, Chinakhov has fired his longtime agent, Shumi Babaev and hired Rick Komarow of Maverick Sports Management. Portzline noted that Komarow is the agent of Chinakhov’s teammate and fellow Russian Dmitry Voronkov, and also represents four other Russians on NHL contracts: Pavel Dorofeyev, Danila Yurov, Sergei Murashov, and Nikita Novikov.

Whether this change in representation will include a retraction of Chinakhov’s offseason trade request is unclear, though the core reasoning behind the trade request (Chinakhov’s lack of ice time under coach Evason) has not changed. Per Portzline, Chinakhov spent most of the last week of practice “skating as the extra forward” and therefore appears to be unlikely to have a lineup spot for the team’s season-opening game against the Nashville Predators. The 2020 first-round pick scored a career-high 16 goals and 29 points in 53 games under former coach Pascal Vincent in 2023-24, but saw his ice time decline under Evason. It’s worth noting that the Blue Jackets’ fortunes as a team have improved markedly since Evason’s hire, meaning there is unlikely to be much organizational pressure for Evason’s apparent stance on the player to change, making an eventual trade appear to be, at this point, potentially the most suitable outcome for all parties involved. It remains to be seen whether Chinakhov’s swap in representation changes things.

More notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • The Washington Capitals defensemen Matt Roy and Dylan McIlrath suffered injuries, head coach Spencer Carbery said yesterday. (via NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti) According to Carbery, the pair of blueliners is not believed to have suffered “super significant” or long-term injuries, though their ailments (upper-body for Roy, lower-body for McIlrath) could keep them out for a week or two. The two players are still being evaluated, but should they end up missing a week or two of the season, Washington would need to find a player to fill Roy’s second-pairing slot in the meantime – 25-year-old Declan Chisholm, who has some experience playing the right side, appears the likeliest candidate.
  • The Athletic’s Josh Yohe wrote yesterday that the Pittsburgh Penguins’ bevy of roster moves indicates that teenagers Benjamin Kindel and Harrison Brunicke are set to make the team’s season-opening NHL roster. While a potential waiver claim could change things, it does appear as things stand that the pair of top Penguins prospects will make their NHL debuts on Tuesday night in Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers. As Brunicke’s brilliance this preseason has been covered extensively, the bigger surprise is Kindel, the team’s top pick from the 2025 draft. It now appears as though the Penguins will get the chance to see how Kindel’s game holds up against the physicality of NHL regular-season competition, though it remains unlikely he’ll remain on the team’s roster for the full season. A handful of games before being reassigned to the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen remains the likeliest outcome here, which would still, of course, be a valuable and positive step in Kindel’s development.

Morning Notes: Stockselius, Camper, McKenna

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Calgary Flames 2025 second-round pick Theo Stockselius had his WHL rights traded on Friday, with the Calgary Hitmen trading several draft picks to the Seattle Thunderbirds, including conditional rights to the team’s 2027 first-rounder. Regarding the trade, Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson reported that Stockselius won’t be heading to the Hitmen for now – he’ll remain with the SHL’s Djurgårdens – but that this trade paves the way for Stockselius to have the option of starting his career in North America close to his eventual pro landing spot.

The move is an intriguing one for the Flames, as the team’s parent company (Calgary Sports and Entertainment) are the owners of the Hitmen and have the Hitmen play out their home schedule in the Scotiabank Saddledome. Should Stockselius eventually land with the Flames, it would allow Calgary brass to keep a very close eye on his development and likely give them the ability to exert more control over his developmental process. Stockselius began this season with Djurgårdens’ J20 Nationell side, scoring seven points in five games. That performance earned him his first-ever SHL call-up, and he skated in just over seven minutes of the team’s 5-2 Saturday win over Malmö. Scouts generally project Stockselius, a rangy 6’3 center, as a potential middle-six NHL pivot.

Some other notes from around the hockey world:

  • Former college hockey star and longtime pro player Carter Camper announced his retirement on social media Friday, bringing to a close a 14-year career in professional hockey. While the 37-year-old only managed three NHL games, he did have a long, highly successful career in the AHL and later, the SHL. The former Hobey Baker Award finalist for Miami (OH) scored 421 points across 551 AHL games and 121 points in 137 SHL games, and also won the Liiga championship in his lone season in Finland’s top pro circuit with Tappara Tampere. Now with his career in hockey finished, Camper announced that he’s transitioning to a career as a financial advisor at global financial services company Morgan Stanley.
  • Top prospect Gavin McKenna made his NCAA debut for Penn State this weekend, and his performance only served to underscore his overwhelming likelihood to be the 2026 number-one overall pick, writes FloHockey’s Chris Peters. While McKenna was perhaps not the standout player from Penn State’s weekend series at Arizona State University (that honor would have to go to Carolina Hurricanes 2025 second-rounder Charlie Cerrato who managed six points in the two games played) he still found his way to make his mark. McKenna had two assists in his debut game and scored a game-winning goal in the second game of the series, an extremely impressive start for one of the youngest players in college hockey. Widely ranked as the 2026 draft class’ top player for several years now, this weekend’s series suggests that isn’t likely to change anytime soon, and that McKenna could potentially follow in 2024 top pick Macklin Celebrini’s footsteps in winning the Hobey Baker Award as a draft-eligible true freshman player.

Snapshots: Lapierre, Ritchie, Steen

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Washington Capitals did not enter the 2024-25 preseason with an abundance of NHL roles up for grabs, but that hasn’t stopped some roster hopefuls from making their mark on the team’s leadership. NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti relayed word from Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery that 2020 first-round pick Hendrix Lapierre has had an impressive preseason and may have played his way into the team’s third-line center role. Carbery told Gulitti that his level of confidence that Lapierre can play the center position and potentially earn “that third-line center role” has led to him considering alternate options for how to deploy other players – namely Connor McMichael moving back to the wing.

Should Lapierre claim the third-line center role, it’d be a significant, positive development for a player in need of exactly that. Lapierre looked like he was on the way to establishing himself as a full-time NHL player in 2023-24, scoring 22 points in 51 games. But he failed to build on that momentum in 2024-25: he was strong in the AHL (32 points in 32 games) but only played in 27 NHL games and only registered eight points. While at this stage it appears more unlikely he’ll meet his draft-year projection of becoming a top-six center, his progress so far this season is an encouraging sign that he still could become an impactful middle-six pivot, which remains a strong return for a first-rounder in the early 20’s range.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • The New York Islanders announced that young center Calum Ritchie has suffered a lower-body injury that will sideline him for at least one-to-two weeks. The 20-year-old pivot is entering his first season of professional hockey, something that is overwhelmingly likely to occur with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders. Ritchie is one of the Islanders’ top prospects and is widely considered to be a potential future top-six center. While this injury will slow him down, his performance in the OHL suggests he could be one of the top rookies in the AHL this season, assuming he does not play his way into the NHL too quickly.
  • The St. Louis Blues announced that special assistant to GM Doug Armstrong (and future GM) Alex Steen has been named to the management team of Sweden in advance of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy. According to a press release, Steen “will assist with scouting and roster selection” for his native Sweden. The move is notable in part due to the fact that Steen’s boss, Blues GM Doug Armstrong, has long been the top management figure for Hockey Canada’s men’s teams and will continue in that role for the 2026 Olympics. Sweden is among the top contenders to win a gold medal at the upcoming Olympics, alongside Canada and the United States.

Devils Trade Kurtis MacDermid To Senators For Zack MacEwen

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The New Jersey Devils have acquired winger Zack MacEwen from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Kurtis MacDermid, per a team announcement.

This trade is a swap of two highly physical, down-the-lineup players. MacEwen, 29, is a 6’4 227-pound winger set to play out the final season of a three-year, $775K AAV one-way contract. He was signed by the Senators before the 2023-24 season and has played in 51 games in Ottawa across the last two seasons. During his stint in Ottawa, MacEwen managed four goals and six points to go alongside 78 penalty minutes and 104 hits.

MacEwen was in a battle to earn an NHL roster spot in Ottawa to start the 2025-26 season, but was not considered to be a favorite to win a fourth-line role. Now, rather than potentially hit the waiver wire and be sent to the AHL’s Belleville Senators, MacEwen has received a new opportunity with the New Jersey Devils.

At face value, it appears the Devils’ primary motivation behind this trade was financial. While both players are highly physical talents, MacDermid is generally considered to be a marginally more imposing player than MacEwen. But MacEwen is making $775k this season, while MacDermid is set to make $1.15MM against the cap and carries an additional year of term. So in swapping the two players, the Devils have managed to save some cap space while replacing MacDermid with a player who is likely to fill a similar (if not identical) on-ice role.

Having just committed $9MM in cap space to Luke Hughes, this move allows the Devils to gain a marginal amount of additional financial flexibility moving forward.

From the Senators’ perspective there are valid reasons as to why they’d agree to pay the higher price for MacDermid compared to MacEwen. Beyond being just a little bit bigger than MacEwen, MacDermid has been a full-time NHL player since the 2019-20 season – he hasn’t played in the AHL over that entire span. (Meanwhile MacEwen played 30 games in the AHL last season.)

As a result, while the Senators have taken on a greater financial commitment, MacDermid very well could prove to be an upgrade over MacEwen. The Senators recent preseason game against their division rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, was a rambunctious, highly physical affair – and it led to some in Ottawa questioning the team’s level of toughness and ability to endure some of the game’s more physical players. (such as Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj) With this trade, it appears the Senators have made an attempt to reinforce their team’s toughness in advance of what is likely to be a set of bitterly-fought divisional matchups over the course of 2025-26.

Sabres Notes: Luukkonen, Kesselring, Mrtka

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Sabres issued multiple injury updates today, none of them particularly positive. Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is dealing with a new injury unrelated to the one that’s kept him out of commission thus far, head coach Lindy Ruff told WGR Sports Radio 550’s Paul Hamilton. According to Ruff, Luukkonen’s injury will keep him sidelined on a week-to-week timeline, ruling him out for the Sabres’ season-opening contest and perhaps several more after that.

Luukkonen, 26, has emerged as the Sabres’ undisputed number-one netminder over the last two years. He was brilliant in 2023-24 posting a .910 save percentage in 54 games, but took a step back in 2024-25. (.887 save percentage across 55 games) With Luukkonen sidelined moving forward, the Sabres will turn to one of Alex Lyon or Alexandar Georgiev as the team’s season-opening starting netminder. Georgiev was signed to a league-minimum deal just before the preseason, while Lyon signed a two-year $1.5MM AAV deal earlier in the offseason.

Some other notes from Western New York:

  • Luukkonen was not the only Sabre Ruff said would be out week-to-week: he also noted that defenseman Michael Kesselring would be out of commission on a similar timeline. That’s a tough blow for the Sabres, who acquired Kesselring in the JJ Peterka trade and had hoped his addition would go a long way to shoring up their defense. He still could, of course, but it now appears he’ll miss at least the start of the season. In his place, the Sabres could elevate Conor Timmins from the third pair to play next to Owen Power on the team’s second pairing, or Jacob Bryson could draw into the lineup to fill that role.
  • Ruff also said today that 2025 first-round pick Radim Mrtka is dealing with an illness and will be unable to play in the short-term as a result. Because of this, Rochester Americans defenseman Zach Metsa will be recalled to play in his place in the team’s final preseason game. Metsa, 26, is an NCAA National Championship-winning defenseman who scored an impressive 46 points in 69 games last year for the Americans. He’s expected to begin the season in Rochester, but if his stellar play continues he could be a name to watch for an NHL call-up down the line.

Seattle Kraken Sign Julius Miettinen To Entry-Level Contract

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Seattle Kraken have announced that forward Julius Miettinen has been signed to a three-year entry-level contract. Per the team release, Miettinen’s new contract will carry a $975K AAV.

Miettinen, 19, was a second-round pick of Seattle in the 2024 draft, selected 40th overall. Ranked as high as 22nd in the public sphere (TSN’s Craig Button) Miettinen drew appreciation from scouts for his combination of size (he stands 6’4, 207 pounds) and offensive ability. In his draft season with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, Miettinen scored 31 goals and 67 points in 66 regular-season games, and four points in nine postseason contests.

Last season was an up-and-down affair for Miettinen, as he managed to continue his steady production and earn a silver medal at the World Junior Championships, but did miss some time due to a lower-body injury. Miettinen is currently back in the WHL and has started off well, scoring two goals and four points in his first two games.

It is overwhelmingly likely Miettinen will not factor into the pro hockey equation for Seattle until his final junior campaign ends, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he enters training camp one year from now looking to steal an NHL role. Miettinen was recently ranked as the Kraken’s tenth-best prospect by EliteProspects, with their team noting how it’s “easy to see” Miettinen having an NHL career due to his projectable pro-ready qualities.

He’ll have to step forward and be a top WHL player with the Silvertips for that to be the likely short-term outcome, but regardless of his production, today’s contract signing paves the way for Miettinen to eventually push for a spot in Seattle down the line.

Snapshots: Reichel, McDavid, Koumontzis

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks have been active in recent days “engaging with teams” in trade talks centered around forward Lukas Reichel, according to Bleacher Report’s Frank Seravalli. Per Seravalli, the Blackhawks are “working on a deal” that will allow Reichel to land with another team within the next week and give the player a fresh opportunity with another club. Seravalli added that the expected trade will most likely not return anything of significant value to the Blackhawks – likely a mid-to-late-round draft pick – but is instead more about giving the player the chance to reset his NHL career in a new organization.

Such an outcome would be a disappointing end to Reichel’s tenure in Chicago, as the player once looked to be one of the club’s more promising young talents. The 2020 first-round pick had 15 points in 23 NHL games to close out the 2022-23 NHL season, and the year before had 57 points in 56 games in the AHL, extremely impressive numbers for a rookie forward still adjusting to the North American game. But Reichel was not able to build on that momentum, and for the last two years he has struggled to produce at the NHL level. As for where Reichel might be headed, that remains unclear at this time, but Sportsnet’s Mark Spector wrote today that the Edmonton Oilers will “for sure” have interest in acquiring the player. Oilers GM Stan Bowman led the Blackhawks Hockey Operations department that drafted Reichel, and could still be a believer in his NHL potential.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • With Minnesota Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov now signed, focus has shifted to other pending UFAs, including Connor McDavid, who is the consensus best hockey player on Earth. Chris Johnston said today on TSN’s Insider Trading that McDavid is not interested in signing an eight-year contract as Kaprizov did today, and is instead focused on signing a “two, three, or four-year contract.” With the salary cap set to rise dramatically over the next few years, it is surely financially sensible for McDavid to seek a contract that would allow him to ink a new contract at the age of 32 – when he’s still within, or very close to, his athletic peak. In addition, such a move might be sensible for his aim of winning a Stanley Cup, as a shorter-term contract would provide him with the flexibility to leave Edmonton should the franchise’s status as a true Stanley Cup contender begin to erode.
  • Former Calgary Flames 2018 fourth-round pick Demetrios Koumontzis signed a one-year contract with the ECHL’s Greensboro Gargoyles today, officially ending the player’s stint with the Idaho Steelheads. Koumontzis began his professional career at the end of the 2022-23 season with Idaho, signing there after a solid five-year NCAA career with the Arizona State Sun Devils. Koumontzis scored 15 goals and 39 points across 92 games for the Steelheads, and will now join a Gargoyles team embarking on its inaugural season.

Pacific Notes: Eichel, Kempe, Canucks Injuries

at CDT | by 1 Comment

With today’s news that one of the league’s biggest superstars has elected to sign a record-shattering eight-year contract extension with the Minnesota Wild, leaguewide focus has shifted to other stars currently without a contract for next season, including Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel. Eichel’s camp, which is led by Pat Brisson of CAA, is currently “engaged in ongoing contract discussions and negotiations” according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Pagnotta did note, though, that talks between the two parties are “currently going slow” and “a deal is not yet in the offing.”

Eichel, 28, is in line for a lucrative contract extension of his own. He has already proven himself to be a star first-line center in the NHL, one capable of leading a team to a Stanley Cup championship. Set to turn 29 in October, he’s positioned to sign what will be the largest contract of his career, and earlier this month it was reported that both Eichel and the Golden Knights agree that Eichel’s next deal should carry the maximum possible term. Pierre LeBrun said today on TSN’s Insider Trading that he isn’t sure whether Vegas will have the appetite to go too far above the $12MM AAV they pledged to Mitch Marner this past summer, while Eichel and his camp are likely to expect a number closer to the $14MM AAV owed to Leon Draisaitl on his contract extension.

Other notes from the Pacific Division:

  • A player in a similar, albeit not identical, boat to Eichel is Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe, who is also without a contract for next season. It was reported earlier this month by Pagnotta that Kempe’s camp was seeking an eight-year, $10MM AAV contract extension, while the Kings were hoping to sign a deal more in the range of $9MM AAV. With that disagreement in mind, both Kempe’s representatives (led by CAA’s J.P. Barry) and the Kings elected to postpone contract talks – likely until each side could see the value of Kaprizov’s contract. Now with that matter settled, both sides are set to resume contract negotiations, according to The Fourth Period’s Dennis Bernstein. While Kempe, 29, is not considered the same level of player as Kaprizov, he nonetheless has easily cleared the 70-point plateau in each of the last two seasons and has thrice scored at least 35 goals in a season. It would be fair to speculate that if the disagreement between Kempe’s camp and the Kings remains on whether he’s worth closer to $9MM and $10MM AAV on his next deal, the fact that Kaprizov will make $17MM will almost certainly aid Kempe’s side of the argument.
  • Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre reported that while both Conor Garland and Tyler Myers “have been managing minor” injuries during the Canucks’ preseason and training camp, both players “have asked” to play in Wednesday’s preseason game against the Calgary Flames. MacIntyre added that “neither” player is likely to be unfit to play in the team’s season opener. Both Garland and Myers are key veteran contributors to the Canucks: the feisty Garland is an important part of the team’s offensive identity in its middle-six, while Myers was the team’s number-four defenseman last season. With the Canucks entering an extremely important campaign, it’s encouraging news that neither player looks set to miss any regular-season time.

Metro Notes: Brunicke, Murashov, Ginning

at CDT | by 3 Comments

One of the emerging storylines coming out of Pittsburgh Penguins training camp has been the exceptional preseason performance of young defenseman Harrison Brunicke. The 19-year-old defenseman has drawn rave reviews for his play both in training camp and in preseason games, and that praise has come both from the media as well as people within the Penguins organization. The Athletic’s Josh Yohe reported today that “there is an appetite around the organization” for the Penguins to keep Brunicke on their season-opening NHL roster. Yohe also commented that “some people in the organization” are telling Yohe that Brunicke is “already the Penguins’ best defenseman.”

That’s high praise considering the Penguins blueline currently features three-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson and veteran Kris Letang, who was among the NHL’s top blueliners for more than a decade. Brunicke is a 6’3, 202-pound defenseman who was a second-round pick in 2024 out of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. Widely praised for his poise and mature, pro-ready game, Brunicke is not eligible to be loaned to the Penguins’ AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, and therefore the organization will need to decide whether the player is best served spending 2025-26 back in the WHL or in the NHL. It’s not an easy decision – and some clubs have in the past taken the more complicated route of using AHL conditioning stints to buy time until the player can be sent to the World Junior Championships – but based on Yohe’s reporting it appears the Penguins are likely to give the young defender a chance to start his NHL career.

Other notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • If Brunicke is the young Penguins player who has attracted the most buzz this preseason, netminder Sergei Murashov isn’t far behind him in second place. The 21-year-old 2022 fourth-round pick has been excellent in his preseason minutes and is coming off of a stellar debut season in the North American pro circuit. Yohe reports that the Penguins’ plan for Murashov is to give him “the bulk of the work in the AHL this season,” and noted that while the Penguins believe he could be a future number-one goalie, “they don’t want to impact his development” by bringing him to the NHL too fast. The Penguins have Tristan Jarry and Arturs Silovs set to form their tandem in net this season, so there is not an immediate need for Murashov at the NHL level. But based on everything he’s shown since arriving from Russia to the Penguins organization, he could become a legitimate factor in the team’s NHL plans as soon as next season.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have had a few positive storylines in preseason – namely the emerging chemistry between star sophomore Matvei Michkov and prized offseason addition Trevor Zegras – the competition for down-the-lineup defensive roles has not generated such positive buzz. Per The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz, Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet “hasn’t been overly encouraged” by the performances of the team’s depth blueliners – namely Helge Grans, Adam Ginning, and Noah Juulsen. Grans was placed on waivers yesterday and is not expected to factor into the team’s opening-night roster. While Ginning and Juulsen have left Tocchet wanting more this preseason, Kurz notes that the two could currently have a leg up in the battle for limited roster spots. According to Kurz, Emil Andrae “may simply be too small for the coaching staff’s liking” to dress in their opening-night lineup, while Egor Zamula “struggled mightily” in Monday’s preseason game and could be losing his grip on a lineup spot. As a result, a big opportunity could lie ahead for Ginning, who got into just one NHL game last season but played in a top-four role in the AHL.

West Notes: Dunn, Walman, Avalanche Recalls

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn is currently being evaluated for an injury and is considered out at this time on a day-to-day recovery timeline, per Kraken head coach Lane Lambert. (via team reporter/analyst Alison Lukan) Dunn did not practice today after suffering an injury in the team’s preseason contest yesterday against the Calgary Flames. At this moment, whether Dunn will be ready for the team’s season-opening game on October 9th is unclear.

Dunn, 28, is one of Seattle’s most important players. The blueliner led the team in time-on-ice per game in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, before this past summer’s signing of defender Brandon Montour. He also ranks second in points scored for the franchise all-time. Should Dunn end up missing regular-season time during this injury, his spot in the team’s lineup is likely to be taken by depth defenseman Josh Mahura. Alongside Dunn, Lambert also issued updates on the status of injured Kraken forwards Jared McCann and Chandler Stephenson, saying each is “progressing in the right direction.”

Additional notes from the Western Conference:

  • Edmonton Sports Talk’s Tom Gazzola relayed word from Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch that injured defenseman Jake Walman is expected to be ready in time for the club’s season opener on October 8th, but added that he will not play in tomorrow’s preseason game against Seattle and is unlikely to play in Friday’s game as well. Walman was sidelined with a day-to-day injury last week, and appears to now be nearing a return to the ice, though he’s not quite there yet. The 29-year-old is entering a crucial contract season and could position himself to receive a lucrative next contract should he find a way to replicate his form from 2024-25, when he posted 40 points in 65 games.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have recalled five players from their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles: defensemen Ronnie Attard and Alex Gagne, and forwards Tye Felhaber, Jason Polin, and T.J. Tynan. Four of five players (everyone but Gagne) in that group cleared waivers on Sunday, and now appear to have been recalled for the purpose of skating in, at the very least, the team’s preseason contest tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights. Tynan is the most notable veteran name of the crop as the two-time AHL MVP is expected to play a massive role for the Eagles.

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

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top