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Ducks Sign Lucas Pettersson To Entry-Level Contract

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The Anaheim Ducks have signed 2024 second-round draft pick Lucas Pettersson to a three-year, entry-level contract. Pettersson split his season between Sweden’s SHL and HockeyAllsvenskan, and is expected to return to the SHL’s MoDo Hockey next year.

Pettersson had a quiet introduction to the pro flight. He earned a call-up to the SHL after netting eight points in eight games in Sweden’s U20 league – but struggled to find a clear groove in a fourth-line SHL role. Recognizing the struggles following numerous lineup changes, MoDo opted to send Pettersson to the HockeyAllsvenskan (HA) for the entirety of January. Having his feet under him launched Pettersson’s performance. He scored a hat trick in his first game on assignment, then proceeded to net 14 points in 12 HA games throughout January and early February.

Pettersson followed his hot streak in the HA with a quartet of international friendlies with Sweden’s U20 club. He scored three points in the four games, but didn’t stay lit when he returned to league play in mid-February. By the time he rediscovered his pace – with four points in three HA games to end February – MoDo opted to bring the dynamic forward back to the top flight.

When all was said and done, Pettersson ended his season with 19 points in 26 HA games, one assist in 29 SHL games, and eight points in eight J20 (U20) games. His 0.73 point-per-game scoring pace in the HA fell just behind 2025 NHL Draft stars Anton Frondell (0.86) and Victor Eklund (0.74) on the league’s U19 leaderboards. The trio posted the highest scoring paces since Noah Ostlund (0.70, 2022-23), Lucas Elvenes (0.95, 2017-18), and Elias Pettersson (0.95, 2016-17).

Lucas Pettersson earned high-end consideration for much of the 2024 draft season. He earned a second-round bid after posting 27 goals and 57 points in 44 J20 games, though some outlets had him ranked as high as an early-20s talent. He’s a flashy, agile forward with strong puck-skills and sharp offensive instinct. Those traits will need to become consistent and refined as he eyes a move to North America, but another year in the SHL could go far in preparing Pettersson to join an often Swede-friendly Ducks lineup.

Blackhawks Trade Rights To Victor Soderstrom To Bruins

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The Chicago Blackhawks have traded the rights to Swedish defenseman Victor Soderstrom to the Boston Bruins in exchange for defense prospect Ryan Mast and a seventh-round pick, per Scott Powers of The Athletic. Soderstrom made a return to Sweden’s SHL this season, after spending the last four years muddling through the Arizona Coyotes depth chart. Chicago acquired his rights alongside the rights to depth forward Aku Raty and retired defender Shea Weber at the 2025 Trade Deadline. In return, the now-Utah Mammoth received a 2026 fifth-round pick.

It’s an apt time to buy high on Soderstrom’s NHL rights. He had a true breakout year in the SHL, netting nine goals and 37 points in 49 appearances. Those marks ranked Soderstrom second on the Brynas IF blue-line in scoring, two points behind Charle-Edouard D’Astous. Soderstrom had no shortage of flashy plays over the course of Brynas’ season, using deceptive stickhandling and instinctive offense to blow by opponents and set up his teammates. One of his favorite targets was former Anaheim Ducks winger Jakob Silfverberg, who led Brynas in scoring with 47 points in 52 games.

But despite the strong return to Swedish pros, Soderstrom’s tenure in North America is still one to forget. He was originally drafted 11th-overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, but quickly struggled to find a role in the Arizona pipeline. He joined the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners in 2020-21 and scored 10 points in 32 games played, good enough to also earn the first four games of his NHL career, where he potted two points. But Soderstrom then ran cold, and didn’t manage any scoring through 16 NHL appearances in the following year. He did bolster his minor-league scoring, though, with 19 points in 32 games – just enough to earn another trip to the NHL in 2022-23. That tenure proved a bit more promising – headlined by nine points in 30 games – but Soderstrom again struggled to make it stick. He completed two more productive seasons in the minors, but closed his trip through North America with a measly 11 points in 53 NHL games, despite 82 points in 170 AHL games.

A move to Boston will mark another potential home for the flashy puck-handler. The Bruins could sorely use a right-shot defender after trading shutdown man Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Deadline. Soderstrom is still only 24-years-old and could reasonably spend a few more years in Sweden before offering Boston his prime years. That will be the upside Boston hopes for, at least – though it’s a shrewd bet at the cost of just a depth prospect and fifth-round pick.

The other focal piece of the move, defender Ryan Mast, played through his rookie year in the AHL this season. He recorded just five points, 19 penalty minutes, and a plus-seven through 37 games with the Providence Bruins – quaint totals after he posted 16 points in 47 ECHL games last year. Mast is 6-foot-5 and plays his best hockey on the defensive side of the puck, where he uses a long and effective reach to force opponents into the corners and away from the puck. Hot scoring won’t be what many fans remember Mast for, but he could find his way into a small NHL role with a few more years of learning to handle pro offenses. He’ll be a low-risk, low-reward addition to a Blackhawks’ pipeline geared firmly on the future.

Penguins Sign Melvin Fernstrom To Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward prospect Melvin Fernstrom to a three-year, entry-level contract. Fernstrom was originally drafted in the third-round of the 2024 NHL Draft by the Vancouver Canucks. He was traded to the Penguins ahead of this year’s Trade Deadline, alongside a first-round pick and two depth pros in the deal that send Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor to Vancouver.

Fernstrom spent the bulk of the 2024-25 season with Orebro HK of Sweden’s SHL. It was his first full year of professional hockey and he dotted it with eight goals and 17 points in 48 appearances. That stat line doesn’t jump off the page, but Fernstrom’s scoring did lead all U19 skaters in the SHL. In fact, his scoring total falls closely in line with current and former NHL fixtures like Magnus Paajarvi, Adrian Kempe, and Alexander Holtz — who all managed either 16 or 17 points in their own U19 seasons in the SHL.

For his part, Fernstrom earned his pro role on the back of responsible and smooth hockey across the board. He’s a strong skater even despite a lanky frame, and uses that to find his spots and weave between his teammates well. When he can’t, he has a laser wrist-shot that’s dangerous anywhere below the tops of the circles. He may not fall into the clear category of playmaker, but showed an abundance of confidence in handling the puck around pro defenders and finding ways to set up his teammates.

Fernstrom recorded 63 points in 45 games in Sweden’s U20 league – and added eight points in seven games at the World U18 Championship – in his draft year last season. That stat line, and his smooth style, led to a confident third-round selection, though some public scouts like Craig Button had him ranked as a second-round talent. Fernstrom was a priority addition to the Pettersson trade, and Pittsburgh will now take the first step in trying to bank on the upside he offers. Fernstrom is expected to return to the SHL next season, but could be a candidate to join the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins when Orebro’s 2025-26 campaign concludes.

Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck Wins 2025 Vezina and Hart Trophies

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The NHL has announced that the Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck will take home both the 2025 Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender and the 2025 Hart Trophy as league MVP.

Hellebuyck beats out Los Angeles’ Darcy Kuemper and Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy for the Vezina award. This marks his third time winning the trophy. For the Hart, he finishes ahead of forwards Leon Draisaitl (Oilers) and Nikita Kucherov (Lightning). He becomes the first goalie since Carey Price in 2014-15 to win both awards.

Hellebuyck posted career-bests across the board this season, with a 2.00 goals-against-average, .925 save percentage, and 47 wins. He led the NHL in all three statistics among goaltenders with at least 35 games played.

Hellebuyck was at his home when he discovered he had won the Vezina. Surrounded by family and teammate Eric Comrie, the Hart Trophy was then brought out as an extra surprise.

“That moment was like putting a little cherry on top… I actually had no idea what this trophy looked like. Looking back, I’ll probably picture this day as one of the greatest of my career,” he said.

Hellebuyck had a monumental season, highlighted by posting the highest win percentage in NHL history. His 47 wins in 63 games equal out to 0.746 wins-per-game, defeating the previous record 0.727 posted by Braden Holtby in 2015-16. On a grand scale, Hellebuyck’s win total ranks third all-time behind Holtby (48 wins in 66 games, 2015-16) and Martin Brodeur (48 in 78, 2006-07). Hellebuyck also tied Bernie Parent and Roberto Luongo in wins, though he managed the feat in fewer games.

Hellebuyck joins Glenn Hall, Tony Esposito, and George Hainsworth as a three-time winner. Each one of the 12 other goaltenders to win at least three Vezina Trophies went on to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame – save for four-time winner Michel Larocque, backstop of the 1979 Stanley Cup-clinching Montreal Canadiens. Hellebuyck ran away with the Vezina voting, receiving all but one first place vote. MVP voting was much closer, but Hellebuyck edged out Draisaitl 1,346 to 1,209.

Hellebuyck’s prowess has rarely been questioned. He has posted a save percentage at or north of .920 in four of his last six seasons – only interrupted by a .916 and .910 in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, respectively. Every season, except for 2021-22, was coupled by a win percentage of at least 50 percent. That’s incredible consistency for an NHL starter – a fact that has earned Hellebuyck the third-highest cap hit ($8.5MM) among NHL goaltenders. He carries that price tag on a seven-year, $59.9MM contract signed with Winnipeg in 2023. That deal will carry Hellebuyck through his age-38 season in 2030-31.

Free Agent Focus: New York Rangers

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Free agency is now under a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Rangers.

Key Restricted Free Agents

D K’Andre Miller – No pending free agent played a bigger role in New York’s lineup than K’Andre Miller last season. He played upwards of 24 minutes a night over the course of the year, and averaged out to 22 minutes across 74 appearances. He has now averaged top-pair minutes in all five of his seasons in the NHL, and managed to score or pace for 20 points and a positive plus-minus in every year. Skepticism around Miller’s impact has grown as he’s struggled to return to the 43-point career-high he set in the 2022-23 campaign — this year scoring just 27 points. The Rangers also posted a plus-12 goal differential with Miller off the ice, versus a minus-four when he was on the ice. But even despite that stat, his down year seems more the result of struggles team-wide. At 25 years old and with five years of top-end experience under his belt, Miller will be a player worth spending for this summer. Then again, a lofty asking price could make him a candidate for offer sheet rumors.

F William Cuylle – Closely behind Miller in impact is forward Will Cuylle, who grew into a routine second-line role after beginning the season in the bottom-six. He foreshadowed a strong year from the very start – netting six points in New York’s first six games of the year – and followed up on it with a career-high 45 points in 82 games. He’s now appeared in all but one of New York’s games over the last two seasons, making him one of only four Rangers with so much action. The persistent role led to a breakout performance – and a 24-point increase in scoring – this year. For a Rangers club facing plenty of questions and change this off-season, Cuylle’s lineup role seems like a certainty. The club will likely look to lock the promising 23-year-old up as soon as they can. His early breakout will make him a candidate for a short-term or long-term offer – with the determining factor likely to end up being the Rangers’ budget.

F Adam Edstrom – New York’s remaining RFAs are headlined by bottom-liners and lineup hopefuls. Edstrom served as the team’s diligent fourth-line center for much of the year, until a lower-body injury sustained on February 1st ended his season early. Before then, Edstrom was sporting a bleak nine points in 51 games played, while adding 27 penalty minutes and a minus-five. He was the composed centerpiece on what often ended up a bruising Rangers’ fourth-line. That steadiness, and a glimmer of upside following an early end to his first full NHL season, will make Edstrom an option worth re-signing — but his minimal ice time will keep his cost low.

F Matt Rempe – Counter to Edstrom is fan-favorite Rempe. There’s no arguing what Rempe brings to the game at this point. He’s a modern-day enforcer, tasked with throwing huge hits and haymaker punches every chance he can. That may be a proper role with Rempe’s 6-foot-9, 255-pound frame – but his eight points in 42 games casts some doubt on the positives of icing him. Rempe did post a plus-seven – tied for seventh-highest on the team – even despite also recording a team-high 67 penalty minutes. That’s an interesting balance, and sticks New York with the question of whether a towering fighter is part of their vision for the 2025-26 roster. If it is, Rempe’s new deal should come at minimal cost.

D Zachary Jones – Jones took another step towards an everyday lineup role this season. He appeared in 46 games on the year – more than his 31 appearances last year – but was a routine healthy scratch and managed just one goal and 11 points. Jones voiced frustrations about the minimal playing time to Remy Mastey of Yahoo! Sports partway through the year, on the heels of recording seven of his points in 12 games in December. But the public comments didn’t sway his role by much. At 24-years-old, Jones seems reasonably ready to take on a handful more games next year, but with minimal impact his minutes will likely continued to be confined to the third-pairing. He’ll be a low-cost, low-upside, depth option for New York this summer.

F Brendan Brisson – New York acquired prospect Brendan Brisson and a 2025 third-round pick when they sent winger Reilly Smith back to the Vegas Golden Knights at the Trade Deadline. It was a timely move for Brisson, who struggled to break into Vegas’ lineup and had recorded 19 points and a minus-24 in 45 games with the Henderson Silver Knights up to that point. He boosted those numbers ever so slightly with the Hartford Wolf Pack – with six points and a minus-nine in 16 games – though questions about Brisson’s upside still remain. He was a first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft and is still just 23-years-old. But a breakout will need to come sooner rather than later if he wants to find routine NHL minutes. A contract with a few years of term could do Brisson well, but his eight points in 24 NHL games could confine him to a one-year, two-way, prove-it deal.

F Arthur Kaliyev – Also needing to ’prove it’ is 23-year-old winger Arthur Kaliyev, who joined the Rangers partway through the year via waivers from the Los Angeles Kings. Fans were excited for the move at the time – hopeful that a move across the league could reignite the spark of upside he showed in his draft year. But Kaliyev wound up a healthy scratch with the Rangers after posting just four points in 14 games. He remains a high-upside, but low-floor player; propped up by his size and wrist shot, but hurt by his motor and positioning. At this point, the once fringe-first round pick will likely need to earn his keep on a dirt-cheap contract before New York commits to him long-term.

Other RFAs: F Jake Leschyshyn, F Lauri Pajuniemi, F Karl Henriksson, F Lucas Edmonds, D Matthew Robertson, G Dylan Garand, G Talyn Boyko

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Nicholas Aube-Kubel – Aube-Kubel suffered a lower-body injury in the Buffalo Sabres’ season opener on October 4th. He recovered by the end of the month, but continued to face injuries and minimal ice time throughout the rest of the year’s first half. With routine absences at the forefront of his season, Buffalo opted to waive Aube-Kubel, allowing New York to step up as the hopeful beneficiary. After netting two points in 19 games with Buffalo, the 29-year-old Aube-Kubel tacked on three scoreless games with the Rangers and one goal in three games with the Wolf Pack. It was a year to forget, but New York will hold the right to priority negotiations for a player who was once an impactful fourth-liner on the 2022 Stanley Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche. Aube-Kubel has 80 points in 304 NHL games across his career.

D Calvin de Haan – Defender Calvin de Haan was also limited in minutes this year, starting his year out on the Colorado Avalanche’s bottom-pairing before being moved to the Rangers ahead of the Trade Deadline. He appeared in just three games with New York, and managed one point and a plus-four. De Haan spoke publicly multiple times about his frustrations with not receiving ice time, even as the Rangers sustained multiple losses in a row – but his season nonetheless ended with minimal action. Of all of their pending free agents, de Haan seems like the likeliest to part with the Rangers this summer.

Other UFAs: F Riley Nash, F Alex Belzile, F Bo Groulx, D Chad Ruhwedel, D Ben Harpur, G Louis Domingue

Projected Cap Space

New York will enter the off-season with a projected $14.92MM in cap space. That should be more than enough to sign Miller and Cuylle to hardy deals that ensure their place in the next generation of the Rangers, while still leaving some space to bring back fourth-line fixtures Edstrom and Rempe. But those additions could quickly price the Rangers out of any notable moves on the open market, even after the team traded Chris Kreider’s full salary cap to the Anaheim Ducks for a no-cost return. That lack of flexibility could push the team to make some more cap-clearing moves before July 1st.

Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia. Photo courtesy of Danny Wild-Imagn Images.

Predators’ Jonathan Marchessault Generating Trade Interest

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The Nashville Predators are set for a busy summer. They have multiple first-round picks, over $17MM in projected cap space, and a clear need for some kind of identity after bets on veteran contracts last summer failed to pan out. Nashville could soon find a release valve from one of those contracts, with teams reportedly callinga bout winger Jonathan Marchessault per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Pagnotta adds that Marchessault has not yet been asked to waive his no-movement clause, and that Nashville doesn’t expect to explore a trade.

The Predators signed Marchessault to a five-year, $27.5MM contract last summer, following the first 40-goal season of his career. But his scoring totals fell back down to Earth this season. He scored just 21 goals and 56 points in 78 games, a modest stat line helped along by 35 assists – the most Marchessault has recorded since the 2021-22 campaign. A 20-goal, 50-point season is an impressive mark for a 34-year-old winger, and a $5.5MM cap hit – but Marchessault struggled to takeover a line as Nashville’s season fell over. That fact, and head coach Andrew Brunette’s insistence on icing his top two lines, led Marchessault to a career-worst minus-29. He was outscored at even-strength 37-to-49, good for a goals-for percentage of just 43 percent.

Marchessault’s numbers don’t come close to being the worst on the Predators’, and his scoring still placed him second on the team and three points ahead of future Hall-of-Famer Steven Stamkos. But his stat line did highlight the shaky ground he walked with the Predators. Just two seasons after winning the 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup, Marchessault found himself struggling to lift up a defeated roster. It’s likely that sentiment that teams around the league are recognizing – and with the salary cap rising a record $7.5MM next season, his price tag could be easily budgeted for.

It’s no secret that Marchessault is among the best playoff performers. He was a major contributor to all six of Vegas’ postseason runs, and potted a team-leading 13 goals in 22 games of their 2023 Cup win. Marchessault comes to life in summer hockey, with an impressive ability to stay hot from game-to-game. He recorded 36 goals, 75 points, and a plus-36 in 95 playoff games with the Golden Knights, dating back to their first postseason in 2018. Those performances and a manageable cap hit could make him a tremendous value for teams struggling to break their glass ceilings in the postseason – groups like the Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Even a reunion with Vegas could make sense, after the team  managed the second-lowest goals-per-game in the Western Conference this postseason.

His strong contributions have carried over to the regular season as well. Prior to this year, Marchessault had either scored or paced for at least 25 goals in all eight of the full seasons of his NHL career. He made a statement with 27 goals, 48 assists, and 75 points in 77 games of Vegas’ inaugural season, then showed he could still flash with 42 goals and 69 points in 82 games last year. It’s an impressive bout of longevity, though age will seemingly catch up to him sooner or later. He’s entering his age-35 season, and that could drive down his value even despite high goal-scoring upside. Those will be the factors that teams try to balance as they look to convince Nashville to sell their veterans and add $5MM more to their cap space.

Penguins’ Vasiliy Ponomarev Signs In KHL

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June 11: As expected, Ponomarev has indeed signed in the KHL after Avangard Omsk acquired his rights.  The team announced on its Telegram account that they’ve signed him to a three-year contract.  Ponomarev will still be RFA-eligible at the end of the contract so as long as he’s tendered a qualifying offer at the end of this month, Pittsburgh will still hold his NHL rights.

June 6: The Pittsburgh Penguins could soon lose a promising young winger. 23-year-old Vasiliy Ponomarev is expected to sign in the KHL after not being guaranteed NHL playing time next season from Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas, shares Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now. Dubas adds that Ponomarev has switched his Russian representation and is in the midst of working out a KHL deal. The GM also added that Pittsburgh will issue a qualifying offer to the young forward, and thus will retain his rights for the duration of his European stay.

Ponomarev’s KHL rights were traded to Avangard Omsk on Wednesday. He made his pro debut in the Moscow Spartak pipeline in 2021-22, stepping into 14 KHL games and recording two points with the club. He also appeared in 21 games in the VHL – Russia’s second-tier pro league – that season and scored 13 points. It was all a part of Ponomarev’s brief return to Russian hockey after he was drafted out of Canada’s QMJHL in 2020. He returned to America at the tail end of the 2021-22 campaign, and spent his first 29 AHL games supporting the Chicago Wolves in a push to the Calder Cup championship. He scored 16 points in those appearances.

Ponomarev kept the good times rolling in his first full season in the AHL, netting 24 goals and 46 points in 64 games with the Wolves – and adding one goal and one assist in his the first two NHL games with the Carolina Hurricanes. But the Hurricanes ultimately opted against the gritty Russian – and loaned him to the Tuscon Roadrunners, then traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins, partway through the 2023-24 campaign. Ponomarev has since appeared in 59 games with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he’s recorded 16 goals and 42 points. He also appeared in seven games in the NHL lineup this season, but didn’t manage any scoring.

At 23 and with a history of international travel between seasons, news of a return to the KHL won’t entirely rule out Ponomarev’s chances at playing full-time for the Penguins one day. He’s been a productive and physical forward at the AHL levels, but has so far received minimal opportunity to do the same in the NHL. A move back to Russia will mark a chance to play in a league somewhere between North America’s pros – and a chance for Ponomarev to prove he can be a top-end center on a productive pro club.

Multiple Teams Interested In Sabres’ Bowen Byram

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The looming NHL Draft has kicked the trade market into its off-season form. Forwards Jason Robertson, Mason Marchment, and Martin Necas have headlined rumors so far. Now, the Buffalo Sabres could offer the top defenseman on the trade market, with NHL.com’s Kevin Weekes reporting that multiple teams are interested in acquiring former Stanley Cup champion Bowen Byram. The Sabres were said to be gauging Byram’s market interest following the end of the regular season, though the player’s agent walked back those reports a day later.

It seems Byram will have a market if Buffalo indeed tries to move him. He originally joined the Sabres at the 2024 Trade Deadline in a one-for-one swap that sent center Casey Mittelstadt to the Colorado Avalanche. Byram was in the midst of a stout year in Colorado, with 20 points in 55 games. He finished the year off with nine points, and strong all-around play, in 18 games with the Sabres. That performance earned Byram an everyday role in Buffalo’s top-four this season, often spent playing alongside fellow left-shot defender Rasmus Dahlin.

A full season in a top role naturally led Byram to a career-year. He recorded a career-high 31 assists and 38 points while playing in all 82 games of Buffalo’s season – one of only two Sabres to play in every game. His scoring ranked third on Buffalo’s blue line behind Dahlin (68 points) and 2021 first-overall pick Owen Power (40 points). Byram’s year was marred by hot-and-cold play and glaring question marks, but it nonetheless stood out as the first true statement performance for the former fourth-overall pick. He showed he could stand up well to a top role and even hold down the fort as his top-end linemates faced missed games.

Those facts will make the 23-year-old Byram hard to miss. He ranks 41st among active defensemen in career scoring before the age of 24 with 110 points in 246 games. That places him among company like Zach Bogosian (114 P in 352 GP) and Marc-Edouard Vlasic (110 P in 389 GP) – though, on a per-game basis, Byram’s 0.45 P/GP rank 30th between Oliver Ekman-Larsson (0.45, 154 P in 340 GP) and Morgan Rielly (0.44, 171 P in 388 GP).

Signs seem to point towards Byram still sitting as a young defender with sky-high potential, even if he hasn’t found a permanent lineup role just yet. But that sentiment has rung true for many years, despite Byram’s hot-and-cold struggles continuing through a move across the league. In offering Byram in a trade, the Sabres will be banking on a solid year in a top role being enough to increase their return on 2024’s investment. Byram could make plenty of sense for a playoff contender looking to get younger without losing strength – or a young up-and-comer that misses out on top 2025 NHL Draft left-defense prospect Matthew Schaefer, like the San Jose Sharks or Chicago Blackhawks.

The cost of Byram on the open market will be a situation to monitor as the Sabres eye potentially changing their standing in the 2025 draft. They currently select at ninth overall, directly after the Seattle Kraken and before the Anaheim Ducks.

Mario Lemieux-Led Group Interested In Stake In Penguins

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5:00 PM: FSG has issued a statement following reports of Lemieux’s interest, walking back claims that a stake in the Penguins is up for sale shares Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. FSG’s statement mentioned that the Penguins are only interested in finding a small, passive partner. They went on to add that they’re engaging multiple potential investors – potentially hinting at more than the one engaged investment group mentioned by LeBrun.

3:30 PM: The Pittsburgh Penguins’ ownership group could be due for yet another shakeup. Franchise legend Mario Lemieux, billionaire Ronald Burkle, and partner David Morehouse owned the majority stake in the club as a subsidiary of Lemieux LP from 1999 to 2021, but made a major move to sell the franchise to the Fenway Sports Group just before 2022. Now, three years later, Lemieux and co are interested in rebuying a stake in the Penguins’ franchise, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

Lemieux continued to serve as a club chairman through this season – but his renewed interest in returning to the ownership chair will come as welcome news for Penguins fans. LeBrun adds that Lemieux, Burkle, and Morehouse’s interest comes after Fenway Sports Group (FSG) expressed interest in selling a partial stake in the company. He also shared that the Hall-of-Famer isn’t the only party interested in the offer, and that FSG owner John Henry is also in discussions with another group.

Lemieux LP would be buying back into the team at a considerable markup. Their 2021 sale to FSG cost a reported $900MM, per TSN, but the most recent Forbes ranking claimed that the club has nearly doubled in value ($1.75B). Having a mainstay of Penguins hockey at the helm could be beneficial as the club looks to maintain that evaluation through the retirement of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang – three legends all likely to end their careers in the new few years. FSG has employed general manager Kyle Dubas to lead the ship through their looming change. He’s already taken steps towards the future by replacing decade-long head coach Mike Sullivan with NHL-rookie Dan Muse.

The legacy of Lemieux in Pittsburgh can’t be understated. He, with help from Burkle, saved the club from bankruptcy for an estimated $1.07MM in 1999 – one year after Lemieux was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He’d return to play five more seasons with the club from 2000 to 2006, capping off a career that many regard as one of the NHL’s finest. Lemieux recorded an incredible 1,723 points in 915 career games, and built a trophy cabinet that’s simply second-to-none. Among it are two Stanley Cup wins, which he earned with a boost from partner-in-crime Jaromir Jagr. Lemieux spent the entirety of his career in the Steel City, and knows the passion of Pittsburgh fans as well as any. His return to an owner role will be a journey worth following, even if it is still many steps away.

Free Agent Focus: Nashville Predators

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Free agency is now under a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Predators.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Luke Evangelista – The Predators have just one restricted free agent on their NHL roster. It’s forward Luke Evangelista, who appeared in 68 of Nashville’s games this season while working around a lower-body injury suffered midseason. Despite the missed games, the 23-year-old Evangelista was able to continue his hot performances in the NHL lineup. He posted 10 goals and 32 points on the year, putting him on pace to match his 39 points in 80 games last season, had he appeared in all 82 games. That’s stout consistency down Nashville’s roster, bolstered by Evangelista’s growing confidence in being the physical forward on his line. His growth marks one of the team’s few true positives from a down year. A short-term deal could carry Evangelista into the golden years of his career – and hopefully his first 40-point season – at a minimal price.

F Jesse Ylonen – Nashville acquired Ylonen ahead of the 2025 Trade Deadline in a minor-league swap for Anthony Angello. Both players were impactful in their new landing spots – each netting 10 points in 19 games through the remaining regular season. But Ylonen seemed to really cement a top-six role in the AHL with four points in nine playoff games. He finished the season with 29 points in 75 games – bleak scoring, but enough of a footing to provide a solid ramp into next season. Ylonen has managed 12 goals and 29 points in 111 career games in the NHL, all coming with the Montreal Canadiens. A league-minimum deal could offer him his first chance to break out of the AHL with a new club – and could land Nashville a bottom-line winger with the ability to hit and push play.

Other RFAs: F Jordan Frasca, F Ondrej Pavel, D Luke Prokop

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Jakub Vrana – Vrana was another midseason addition in Nashville, joining the team via waivers from the Capitals in early March. He played the rest of the year in the NHL, appearing in 13 games in Nashville’s bottom-six. He posted a bleak three points and minus-10 in those appearances, again appearing to struggle with NHL responsibility. That was despite netting 11 points in 26 games with the Capitals earlier in the year. Vrana has run through the last few seasons unable to land a solid role at the NHL level, but he scored 36 points in 42 games of his most recent AHL stint (2023-24). That’s strong scoring, and could convince Nashville to bring him back as a focal piece of the Milwaukee Admirals lineup.

D Marc Del Gaizo – Of all of their pending free agents, Del Gaizo is absolutely Nashville’s most important. He played through his formal rookie season this year, appearing in 46 games and netting nine points. Those appearances were intercut with 30 games and 12 points in the AHL – then five points in 10 AHL playoff games. The stats may not jump off the page, but the former UMass standout looked more and more comfortable handling an NHL role. He’ll come at a low cost this summer, but could find his way into a near-permanent NHL role as soon as next season.

F Kieffer Bellows – Bellows was one of many productive veterans on the Admirals this year. He ranked sixth on the team in scoring with 15 goals and 31 points in 44 games – then posted a fantastic nine points in 10 playoff games. He also added four points in 19 NHL games. Those appearances held Bellows close to a pro role throughout the entire season, and maintained his momentum after netting 49 points in 52 games with the Toronto Marlies last year. He’s a minor-league fixture, but a certainly productive one that Nashville may struggle to replace one-for-one on the open market.

Other UFAs: F Grigori Denisenko, D Mark Friedman, D Jake Livingstone

Projected Cap Space

The Predators have little to worry about with the off-season approaching. Even after a dismal season, the team’s NHL lineup and top prospects are all signed through next season. That means that the team will be able to dedicate the vast majority of their $17.31MM in projected cap space to bringing in new additions from the open market. They’ve been one of the team’s most active teams on the transaction wire since general manager Barry Trotz took over. That should continue as Trotz handles plenty of firepower this summer.

Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia. Photo courtesy of Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports.

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