Central Notes: Blackhawks, Jets, Hinote
The Blackhawks were one of the league’s more active teams in free agency at the beginning of this month, adding a decent slate of veteran talent to avoid overworking their prospects as they slowly begin to exit their rebuild stage. Expect two of those additions to flank Connor Bedard on the Hawks’ first line come opening night, writes The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus. Lazerus projects Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen to serve as Bedard’s wingers to begin 2024-25 after they each inked multi-year deals to come to Chicago.
Taylor Hall, who was acquired last summer to fill the “Bedard mentor” role but played only 10 games, will likely get second-line reps as he makes his return from knee surgery, Lazerus posits. One youngster noticeably absent from Lazerus’ lineup projection is 2022 13th overall pick Frank Nazar, who could fall victim to a numbers game and start this season on assignment to AHL Rockford. Unlike Lukas Reichel, Chicago’s 2020 first-round selection, Nazar doesn’t require waivers. The Hawks may prefer Reichel to start the season in the minors after struggling with just 16 points (5 G, 11 A) in 65 games in 2023-24, but doing so would risk exposing him to the league’s other 31 teams on the wire. Thus, Nazar will likely be headed to the AHL with roster spots needed for other veteran additions such as Pat Maroon, Ilya Mikheyev and Craig Smith.
Another player who could start the campaign in Rockford, this time for pure development reasons, is defenseman Kevin Korchinski. Chicago’s lack of depth on defense last season likely forced Korchinski into more NHL minutes than the team would have liked. With T.J. Brodie and Alec Martinez signed in free agency to provide depth and older prospects like Wyatt Kaiser and Isaak Phillips on the cusp of NHL minutes, the organization “wouldn’t mind another year’s worth of patience for any of his young defensemen, Korchinski (and Kaiser) included,” says Lazerus.
There’s more from the Central:
- After getting bounced by the Avalanche in the first round last year, the Jets enter 2024-25 with a new-look coaching staff. Scott Arniel has stepped into the big-boss chair to replace the retired Rick Bowness, while Dean Chynoweth and Davis Payne were brought in as external hires to fill a pair of assistant vacancies. To that end, Arniel is hosting a “summer coaching summit” to acclimate his new staff, report Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press. One focus under Arniel will be implementing more advanced stats into the Jets’ coaching strategy. “So, what we’re trying to do is funnel [statistics] to our coaching staff, so we can determine, ‘OK, what is it that we want? What do you guys want, what do you guys (in the analytics department) have?,” he told McIntyre and Wiebe.
- On Nashville Scene’s “It’s All Your Fault” podcast Monday, Dan Hinote spoke about why he parted ways with the Predators this offseason, leaving his assistant coach role there to take an AHL role in the Avalanche organization as the associate head coach of the Colorado Eagles. The 47-year-old, who played 353 games for the Avs between 1999 and 2006, said he prefers working in more of a development-oriented environment, something Nashville is shifting away from after adding a trio of high-profile veteran UFAs. “The thing about what I realize is that the part of the game that I love coaching the most is the development side,” Hinote said. “I had 10 years to not perfect it, but work on it. I’ve gotten there. I feel like I have a good recipe, I’ve had good results for a lot of guys that were kind of up and down and have now kind of solidified themselves as NHL’ers through this process, so I know it works. That’s kind of what it came to” (hat tip to Colorado Hockey Now’s Evan Rawal).
Blackhawks Re-Sign Louis Crevier, Isaak Phillips To Two-Way Deals
The Blackhawks have re-signed RFA defensemen Louis Crevier and Isaak Phillips to two-way deals for this season, per a team announcement. They’ll carry $775K cap hits if on the NHL roster.
Crevier, 23, was selected in the seventh round out of QMJHL Chicoutimi in 2020. He turned pro and signed his entry-level contract with Chicago in 2022, joining their AHL affiliate in Rockford. The hulking 6’8″, 227-lb stay-at-home defender made his NHL debut last season after spending all of 2022-23 in the minors, playing 24 games largely as an injury replacement. The Quebec City native notched his first three NHL assists, understandably struggling to maintain possession in defensively-oriented minutes on one of the league’s worst teams. His -16 rating, 37.7 CF% and 33.2 xGF% were in the league-wide basement last season, but understandable for a developing blue-liner making his NHL debut ahead of schedule.
It’s worth noting that after being a relative non-factor in Rockford in 2022-23, Crevier did take a demonstrable step forward in AHL action last season. He played increased minutes and showcased increased efficiency on both sides of the puck, logging 11 points (3 G, 8 A) and a +12 rating in 41 games. His above-average skating for his size clicked, a promising sign. That’s likely his ticket to a full-time NHL role somewhere down the line.
That full-time role likely won’t come next season after the Blackhawks bolstered their defensive depth earlier this month with a pair of veteran signings in T.J. Brodie and Alec Martinez. He’ll likely receive some outside consideration for the seventh D-man spot on the opening night roster, but he’ll face competition from a few other young blue-liners in the Chicago system, including Phillips.
Phillips, who was selected two rounds ahead of Crevier in 2020, entered RFA status this summer with more NHL experience than his counterpart. Also coming off the completion of his entry-level contract, he appeared in 33 games for the Hawks last season, posting six assists and a -26 rating while clocking in at over 17 minutes per night. The left-shot defender has 53 NHL games under his belt spread over the last three seasons, totaling a goal and 10 assists with a -37 rating.
He’s not as massive as Crevier, but he still has good size at 6’3″ and 205 lbs. He’s been a stronger all-around player in the minors, where he has 71 points (22 G, 49 A) in 171 games with Rockford over the past four seasons. He got an early start to his professional career after suiting up for Rockford in 2020-21, thanks to the OHL pausing operations due to COVID-19.
Crevier and Phillips were the Hawks’ last remaining unsigned RFAs this summer. Neither were eligible to file for salary arbitration last month, and Crevier was ineligible to sign or receive offer sheets as a 10.2(c) free agent. Both will be RFAs again in 2025.
Nic Petan Signs With KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan
Free agent forward Nic Petan is heading overseas. After playing in parts of the last nine NHL seasons, the undersized but versatile minor-league fixture has signed a one-year deal with Russia’s Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League, per a team announcement. Reports about the signing had been floating around for a few weeks, but it was only made official today.
Petan has always been one of the game’s more peculiar cases, failing to break into a full-time NHL role despite being an elite scoring threat at both the junior and AHL levels. The 2013 second-round pick of the Jets led the WHL in assists with the Portland Winterhawks in back-to-back seasons to bookend his selection, but he’s never managed to convert that offense to strong NHL numbers.
The 29-year-old has only averaged 19 appearances per season over the last nine years, skewed heavily by a 54-game stint on the Winnipeg roster in 2016-17. Since then, he hasn’t appeared in more than 20 games in a single season. In 170 career NHL appearances with the Jets, Maple Leafs, Wild and Canucks, he has 35 points (7 G, 28 A) with a -26 rating in fourth-line minutes, averaging 10:26 per game.
But the AHL has been a much different story for Petan, who’s averaged nearly a point per game there throughout his pro career. He’s compiled 289 points (95 G, 194 A) in 296 minor-league games since turning pro in 2015, but his tweener status has consistently limited his ability to earn consideration for any awards at the AHL level. He’s only ever been named to an AHL All-Star Game once, coming this past season. He had 40 points in 44 games for AHL Iowa while under contract with the Wild, serving as their otherwise hapless affiliate’s best offensive player. He was traded to the Rangers in a swap of minor-league forwards at the March 8 trade deadline, and he finished the season with eight points in 15 games for Hartford without seeing a recall to the Blueshirts.
Once again a UFA, Petan is opting for a premier role with more stability in the KHL rather than spending another season shuttling between NHL and AHL squads. In Kazan, he reunites with a former of recent AHL fixtures, including Riley Barber, Artemi Kniazev and Evgeny Svechnikov.
Poll: Who’s The Most Intriguing Available UFA?
The list of true impact UFAs available is empty nearly a month into free agency. There are only two players left – Tyler Johnson and James van Riemsdyk, both aging veterans – who scored more than 30 points last season. But aside from that established yet declining veteran crowd, there are still a few names with perhaps some untapped upside available for contenders and rebuilders alike.
Some remaining UFAs are getting the chance to switch teams before the usual 27-year-old/seven years of NHL service demarcation because they didn’t receive qualifying offers last month. Like impact veterans, most of them have been snapped up already. Only four remain who were full-time NHLers last year: Calen Addison, Boris Katchouk, Gustav Lindstrom and Kailer Yamamoto. Yamamoto, a first-round pick of the Oilers back in 2017, is the most experienced of the group by far at over 300 career games. He’s coming off a tough year with the Kraken after signing there as a free agent last summer (Edmonton traded him to the Red Wings, who subsequently bought him out, in a salary dump) but isn’t too far removed from a 20-goal, 41-point campaign in 2021-22.
Like Yamamoto, the other three have all changed teams since being drafted. Addison, a 2018 second-round pick of the Penguins, was traded to the Wild for Jason Zucker in 2020 before making his NHL debut. The defenseman did okay as a power-play specialist in Minnesota, posting five goals and 33 assists for 38 points in 92 games with a -24 rating. Early last season, he was traded again to the Sharks, where he finished the campaign with a goal and 11 assists in 60 games with a -35 rating on the league’s worst defensive team. At 24 years old, it’s unlikely he’ll develop the defensive acumen necessary for a top-four role, but he does carry significant upside as a third-pairing, second-power-play option.
Katchouk, 26, is on the hunt for his fourth team this summer. The 2016 second-round pick of the Lightning has also suited up for the Blackhawks and Senators after being traded to Chicago in 2022 in the Brandon Hagel deal and then claimed off waivers by Ottawa this March. The former AHL and OHL All-Star has 36 points (15 G, 21 A) in 176 games over the past three seasons playing on the wing. Lindstrom, who the Red Wings drafted in the second round a year after Katchouk, has a similar offensive profile with 35 points in 174 games from the blue line. He’s suited up exclusively in a bottom-pairing role for Detroit, Montreal and Anaheim, where he ended last season on a high note with six assists and a +12 rating in 32 games after being selected off waivers from the Habs in January.
There are also some under-30 reclamation projects available that reached UFA status outright this summer. Headlining that group is Dominik Kubalik, who was traded by the Red Wings to the Senators in last year’s Alex DeBrincat trade and proceeded to fall off the map entirely, limited to 11 goals and four assists in 74 games while seeing a career-low 12:07 ATOI. But the Czech winger, who turns 29 next month, has a pair of 20-goal seasons under his belt, including a 30-goal campaign with the Blackhawks back in 2019-20.
There’s also ex-Sharks winger Kevin Labanc, who fits a similar profile to Kubalik but has much more NHL experience, with eight seasons and nearly 500 games under his belt. The 2014 sixth-round pick was a solid secondary scoring option in the last few years of San Jose’s years-long window of competitiveness, culminating with a 17-goal, 56-point showing in 2018-19. But it’s been downhill for the New York native since, coming off a career-worst 2023-24 campaign in which he scored just twice and added seven assists with a -27 rating in 46 games. He averaged a career-low 11:37 per game and was a frequent healthy scratch.
On the blue line, the highest-ceiling option available is undoubtedly Oliver Kylington. The former Flames defenseman hit his stride in the 2021-22 campaign, breaking out for 31 points and a +34 rating in 73 games after a few seasons of serving as the seventh or eighth player on the Calgary defensive depth chart. But he spent the entire 2022-23 on personal leave back home in Sweden and played a reduced role upon returning in 2023-24, posting eight points (3 G, 5 A) with a -6 rating in 33 games. He’s still 27 years old and could still have a few seasons of fringe top-four play left in him in the right environment, though.
That brings us to today’s poll question: who do you think is the most intriguing or highest-ceiling player still available on the UFA market? Is it one of the players discussed above or someone else you’d like to see your team pick up on a cheap deal? Let us know by voting in the poll below and discussing in the comments.
If the embedded poll isn’t showing up, use this link to vote!
Jets Re-Sign Simon Lundmark To Two-Way Deal
The Jets have re-signed defense prospect Simon Lundmark to a one-year, two-way deal, per a team release. It’s an NHL salary and cap hit of $775K, although his AHL salary wasn’t disclosed by the team. However, Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press relays that Lundmark will make $100K in the minors.
The 51st pick of the 2019 draft, Lundmark spent all three seasons of his entry-level contract on assignment to AHL Manitoba. He became an RFA this summer after the Jets tendered him a qualifying offer.
Before signing his ELC in 2021, Lundmark spent two post-draft seasons with Linköping HC in his native Sweden. There, the right-shot defender scored twice and added 14 assists for 16 points in 118 games with a -20 rating before making the move across the pond.
Lundmark put up good offensive totals at the junior level in Sweden, but he was always projected as more of a stay-at-home defender in the professional ranks. That profile has held true on the farm, where he’s consistently averaged around 0.25 points per game across his three AHL seasons. In total, Lundmark has put up 48 points (12 goals, 36 assists) with a -17 rating in 188 games with Manitoba.
He’s still likely developed a bit slower than expected. Five years post-draft, the Jets would have at least liked Lundmark to earn an NHL recall at some point, even if he’d yet to establish himself as a full-timer.
That hasn’t been the case for the 23-year-old Stockholm native, but it could change next season with his new contract in hand. The loss of Brenden Dillon on the open market and the buyout of Nate Schmidt will open up some increased opportunities for the Jets’ young defenders, namely 2019 first-round pick Ville Heinola. But Lundmark, who was selected 31 spots after Heinola that year, should find himself in that conversation as well.
The youngsters will be competing with more experienced adds Dylan Coghlan and Haydn Fleury, who both signed two-way deals with Winnipeg this summer, for call-ups from Manitoba. Heinola, who’s logged 35 NHL appearances but spent all of last season in the minors, may be on the opening night roster this fall.
Players With No-Move, No-Trade Clauses In 2024-25
While NHL contracts are usually structured much simpler than those in other major professional sports, they do feature one commonality – trade protection. Players who would otherwise be eligible for unrestricted free agency (i.e., at least 27 years old or at least seven accrued NHL seasons) can negotiate no-movement clauses, no-trade clauses or modified no-trade clauses into their contracts. If a player not yet eligible for trade protection is signing a contract that covers UFA years, an NMC, NTC or M-NTC can kick in midway through the deal.
A no-trade clause is exactly what it sounds like. Any trade involving the player can only be executed with their approval.
A no-movement clause goes multiple steps further, also preventing a player from being assigned to the minors, exposed for an expansion draft, or waived without their approval.
A modified no-trade clause, also called a limited no-trade clause, only offers players trade protection to a certain number of teams.
With clause information from both PuckPedia and CapWages, here are each team’s players with some form of trade protection in the 2024-25 league year. These clauses, unless otherwise noted, may change as of July 1, 2025.
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Anaheim Ducks
No-Movement Clauses
none
No-Trade Clauses
Modified No-Trade Clauses
D Brian Dumoulin (10-team no-trade list), D Cam Fowler (four-team yes-trade list), G John Gibson (10-team no-trade list), D Radko Gudas (16-team no-trade list)
–
Boston Bruins
No-Movement Clauses
F Charlie Coyle, F Elias Lindholm, D Hampus Lindholm, D Charlie McAvoy, F David Pastrnak, D Nikita Zadorov
No-Trade Clauses
none
Modified No-Trade Clauses
D Brandon Carlo (10-team no-trade list), F Charlie Coyle (eight-team no-trade list), G Joonas Korpisalo (10-team no-trade list), F Brad Marchand (eight-team no-trade list), F Pavel Zacha (10-team no-trade list)
–
Buffalo Sabres
No-Movement Clauses
none
No-Trade Clauses
none
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Jordan Greenway (eight-team no-trade list), F Tage Thompson (five-team no-trade list), F Alex Tuch (five-team no-trade list)
–
Calgary Flames
No-Movement Clauses
F Mikael Backlund, F Jonathan Huberdeau, F Nazem Kadri
No-Trade Clauses
Modified No-Trade Clauses
D Rasmus Andersson (six-team no-trade list), F Blake Coleman (10-team yes-trade list), F Andrei Kuzmenko (12-team no-trade list), F Anthony Mantha (eight-team no-trade list)
–
Carolina Hurricanes
No-Movement Clauses
F Sebastian Aho, F William Carrier, D Jalen Chatfield, F Jordan Staal
No-Trade Clauses
F Jesper Fast (changes to 10-team no-trade list on Jan. 1, 2025)
Modified No-Trade Clauses
G Frederik Andersen (15-team no-trade list), D Brent Burns (three-team yes-trade list), D Shayne Gostisbehere (15-team no-trade list), F Jordan Martinook (10-team no-trade list), D Jaccob Slavin (15-team yes-trade list), D Sean Walker (15-team no-trade list)
–
Chicago Blackhawks
No-Movement Clauses
No-Trade Clauses
none
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Tyler Bertuzzi (12-team no-trade list), F Taylor Hall (10-team no-trade list), F Ilya Mikheyev (12-team no-trade list), D Connor Murphy (10-team no-trade list), F Teuvo Teravainen (eight-team no-trade list)
–
Colorado Avalanche
No-Movement Clauses
F Gabriel Landeskog, F Nathan MacKinnon, F Valeri Nichushkin, D Devon Toews
No-Trade Clauses
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Jonathan Drouin (nine-team no-trade list), D Samuel Girard (nine-team no-trade list), F Artturi Lehkonen (12-team no-trade list), D Josh Manson (12-team no-trade list), F Mikko Rantanen (nine-team no-trade list), F Miles Wood (six-team no-trade list)
–
Columbus Blue Jackets
No-Movement Clauses
F Johnny Gaudreau, F Sean Monahan, D Zach Werenski
No-Trade Clauses
Modified No-Trade Clauses
D Erik Gudbranson (10-team no-trade list), F Boone Jenner (eight-team no-trade list), F Sean Kuraly (10-team no-trade list), F Patrik Laine (10-team no-trade list), G Elvis Merzlikins (10-team no-trade list)
–
Dallas Stars
No-Movement Clauses
F Jamie Benn, F Roope Hintz, D Esa Lindell, F Tyler Seguin
No-Trade Clauses
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Evgenii Dadonov (10-team no-trade list), F Mason Marchment (10-team no-trade list)
–
Detroit Red Wings
No-Movement Clauses
none
No-Trade Clauses
F Patrick Kane, F Dylan Larkin, F Vladimir Tarasenko
Modified No-Trade Clauses
D Ben Chiarot (10-team no-trade list), F J.T. Compher (10-team no-trade list), F Andrew Copp (10-team no-trade list), F Alex DeBrincat (16-team no-trade list), D Justin Holl (10-team no-trade list), G Ville Husso (10-team no-trade list), D Jeff Petry (15-team no-trade list)
–
Edmonton Oilers
No-Movement Clauses
F Leon Draisaitl, F Zach Hyman, F Evander Kane, F Connor McDavid, F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, D Darnell Nurse, F Jeff Skinner
No-Trade Clauses
none
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Leon Draisaitl (10-team no-trade list), F Mattias Janmark (10-team no-trade list), F Evander Kane (16-team yes-trade list starting March 1, 2025)
–
Florida Panthers
No-Movement Clauses
F Aleksander Barkov, D Gustav Forsling, F Sam Reinhart, F Matthew Tkachuk
No-Trade Clauses
none
Modified No-Trade Clauses
G Sergei Bobrovsky (16-team no-trade list), D Aaron Ekblad (12-team no-trade list), F Sam Reinhart (16-team no-trade list)
–
Los Angeles Kings
No-Movement Clauses
F Kevin Fiala, D Vladislav Gavrikov, F Anze Kopitar
No-Trade Clauses
none
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Phillip Danault (10-team no-trade list), D Drew Doughty (seven-team yes-trade list), D Joel Edmundson (10-team no-trade list), F Warren Foegele (10-team no-trade list), F Tanner Jeannot (16-team no-trade list), F Adrian Kempe (10-team no-trade list), G Darcy Kuemper (10-team no-trade list)
–
Minnesota Wild
No-Movement Clauses
D Jonas Brodin, F Joel Eriksson Ek, G Marc-Andre Fleury, F Marcus Foligno, F Ryan Hartman, F Kirill Kaprizov, F Mats Zuccarello
No-Trade Clauses
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Joel Eriksson Ek (10-team no-trade list), F Frederick Gaudreau (15-team no-trade list), D Jared Spurgeon (10-team no-trade list)
–
Montreal Canadiens
No-Movement Clauses
F Brendan Gallagher, G Carey Price
No-Trade Clauses
none
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Josh Anderson (five-team no-trade list), F Christian Dvorak (eight-team no-trade list), F Brendan Gallagher (six-team no-trade list), D Mike Matheson (eight-team no-trade list)
–
Nashville Predators
No-Movement Clauses
F Filip Forsberg, D Roman Josi, F Jonathan Marchessault, D Brady Skjei, F Steven Stamkos
No-Trade Clauses
none
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Jonathan Marchessault (15-team no-trade list), D Brady Skjei (15-team no-trade list)
–
New Jersey Devils
No-Movement Clauses
F Jesper Bratt, D Dougie Hamilton, G Jacob Markstrom, F Timo Meier, F Ondrej Palat
No-Trade Clauses
D Brenden Dillon, F Erik Haula, D Brett Pesce
Modified No-Trade Clauses
G Jake Allen (three-team no-trade list), F Nico Hischier (10-team no-trade list), F Stefan Noesen (10-team no-trade list), D Jonas Siegenthaler (10-team no-trade list)
–
New York Islanders
No-Movement Clauses
No-Trade Clauses
F Anthony Duclair, F Bo Horvat, D Scott Mayfield, D Adam Pelech, D Ryan Pulock, G Semyon Varlamov
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Mathew Barzal (22-team no-trade list), F Pierre Engvall (16-team no-trade list), F Anders Lee (15-team no-trade list), F Brock Nelson (16-team no-trade list), F Jean-Gabriel Pageau (16-team no-trade list), F Kyle Palmieri (16-team no-trade list)
–
New York Rangers
No-Movement Clauses
F Artemi Panarin, F Vincent Trocheck, F Mika Zibanejad
No-Trade Clauses
none
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Chris Kreider (15-team no-trade list), G Jonathan Quick (20-team no-trade list), G Igor Shesterkin (10-team no-trade list), F Reilly Smith (eight-team no-trade list), D Jacob Trouba (15-team no-trade list)
–
Ottawa Senators
No-Movement Clauses
F Claude Giroux, D Travis Hamonic
No-Trade Clauses
none
Modified No-Trade Clauses
D Thomas Chabot (10-team no-trade list), F David Perron (15-team no-trade list), G Linus Ullmark (15-team no-trade list), D Artem Zub (10-team no-trade list)
–
Philadelphia Flyers
No-Movement Clauses
No-Trade Clauses
D Travis Sanheim, D Nick Seeler
Modified No-Trade Clauses
G Calvin Petersen (10-team no-trade list)
–
Pittsburgh Penguins
No-Movement Clauses
F Sidney Crosby, D Erik Karlsson, D Kris Letang, F Evgeni Malkin, F Bryan Rust
No-Trade Clauses
none
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Noel Acciari (eight-team no-trade list), F Michael Bunting (10-team no-trade list), D Ryan Graves (12-team no-trade list), F Kevin Hayes (12-team no-trade list), G Tristan Jarry (12-team no-trade list), D Marcus Pettersson (eight-team no-trade list), F Rickard Rakell (eight-team no-trade list)
–
San Jose Sharks
No-Movement Clauses
none
No-Trade Clauses
F Tyler Toffoli, F Alexander Wennberg
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Logan Couture (three-team yes-trade list), F Barclay Goodrow (15-team no-trade list), D Marc-Edouard Vlasic (three-team yes-trade list)
–
Seattle Kraken
No-Movement Clauses
No-Trade Clauses
D Vince Dunn, F Jordan Eberle, D Brandon Montour
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Oliver Bjorkstrand (10-team no-trade list), F Andre Burakovsky (10-team no-trade list), F Yanni Gourde (23-team yes-trade list), G Philipp Grubauer (10-team no-trade list), D Adam Larsson (10-team no-trade list), F Jared McCann (10-team no-trade list), D Jamie Oleksiak (16-team no-trade list), F Jaden Schwartz (terms unknown), F Brandon Tanev (10-team no-trade list)
–
St. Louis Blues
No-Movement Clauses
none
No-Trade Clauses
D Justin Faulk, D Torey Krug, D Nick Leddy, D Colton Parayko, F Brandon Saad, F Brayden Schenn
Modified No-Trade Clauses
G Jordan Binnington (18-team no-trade list), F Pavel Buchnevich (12-team no-trade list), F Radek Faksa (five-team no-trade list)
–
Tampa Bay Lightning
No-Movement Clauses
F Jake Guentzel, F Brayden Point, G Andrei Vasilevskiy
No-Trade Clauses
D Erik Cernak, D Ryan McDonagh, F Nick Paul
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Zemgus Girgensons (16-team yes-trade list), D Victor Hedman (10-team yes-trade list), F Nikita Kucherov (10-team yes-trade list), F Conor Sheary (16-team yes-trade list)
–
Toronto Maple Leafs
No-Movement Clauses
F Mitch Marner, F Auston Matthews, F William Nylander, D Morgan Rielly, D Chris Tanev, F John Tavares
No-Trade Clauses
none
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Max Domi (13-team no-trade list), D Oliver Ekman-Larsson (16-team no-trade list), F Calle Jarnkrok (10-team no-trade list), F David Kampf (10-team no-trade list), D Jake McCabe (seven-team no-trade list)
–
Utah Hockey Club
No-Movement Clauses
none
No-Trade Clauses
F Clayton Keller, D Mikhail Sergachev
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Alexander Kerfoot (10-team no-trade list), D John Marino (eight-team no-trade list), F Nick Schmaltz (10-team no-trade list)
–
Vancouver Canucks
No-Movement Clauses
F Jake DeBrusk, F J.T. Miller, D Tyler Myers
No-Trade Clauses
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Teddy Blueger (12-team no-trade list), F Brock Boeser (10-team no-trade list), F Danton Heinen (12-team no-trade list), F Dakota Joshua (12-team no-trade list)
–
Vegas Golden Knights
No-Movement Clauses
F Jack Eichel, F Tomas Hertl, D Alex Pietrangelo, F Mark Stone
No-Trade Clauses
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Ivan Barbashev (eight-team no-trade list), G Adin Hill (five-team no-trade list), F William Karlsson (10-team no-trade list), G Robin Lehner (five-team no-trade list), D Brayden McNabb (five-team no-trade list), D Shea Theodore (five-team no-trade list)
–
Washington Capitals
No-Movement Clauses
F Pierre-Luc Dubois, F Alex Ovechkin
No-Trade Clauses
none
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Nicklas Backstrom (15-team no-trade list), D John Carlson (10-team no-trade list), D Jakob Chychrun (10-team no-trade list), F Andrew Mangiapane (eight-team no-trade list), F T.J. Oshie (10-team no-trade list), F Alex Ovechkin (10-team no-trade list), D Matt Roy (15-team no-trade list), F Tom Wilson (14-team no-trade list)
–
Winnipeg Jets
No-Movement Clauses
G Connor Hellebuyck, D Josh Morrissey, F Mark Scheifele
No-Trade Clauses
none
Modified No-Trade Clauses
F Kyle Connor (10-team no-trade list), D Dylan DeMelo (10-team no-trade list), F Nikolaj Ehlers (10-team no-trade list), F Adam Lowry (six-team no-trade list), D Neal Pionk (six-team no-trade list)
Patrik Laine Exits NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program
Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine has been released from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program after being cleared by its doctors today, reports Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch.
The news comes amid a trade request from Laine that’s stood since at least June, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported at the time. As Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman points out, Laine is still recovering from clavicle/shoulder surgery that ended his 2023-24 season back in December. The Finnish winger entered the Player Assistance Program about five weeks after sustaining the injury.
Trade talks couldn’t progress with Laine in the program. It was widely reported that interested parties wanted to speak with Laine before acquiring him, which was prohibited before he was cleared. Now that he’s been released from the program, those talks with other teams can now commence. Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell declined to comment on Laine’s clearance and future trade talks today, per The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline.
Among potential landing spots for the 26-year-old, Friedman named the Kraken as a team to watch last month. The Athletic’s Michael Russo and Joe Smith later reported the Wild had engaged in preliminary discussions for the sniper as well.
Laine’s numerous injuries last season, including an upper-body ailment, limited him to just six goals and three assists in 18 games. But in the two preceding years, the 2016 second-overall pick had been a force for Columbus, averaging nearly a point per game (108 in 111 GP) while logging an ATOI of 18:58. When healthy, he remains a top-line winger, but the first part of this sentence is a large caveat. He hasn’t played more than 60 games in a season since before the pandemic.
Even with Laine out of the program, those injury concerns will remain. That’ll likely force Waddell to retain a solid chunk of his $8.7MM cap hit in a prospective trade to make it an appealing swap for both sides financially. Laine remains under contract through 2025-26, and he’ll be a UFA upon expiry. He can block a trade to 10 teams with his modified no-trade clause, per PuckPedia.
Outside of the trade discussions, it’s always good news to see a player cleared to return to action from the program. All of us at PHR wish Laine the best as he continues his NHL career.
Canadiens’ Rafaël Harvey-Pinard Undergoes Leg Surgery
Canadiens winger Rafaël Harvey-Pinard underwent successful surgery yesterday to repair a broken leg, the team announced. He’s expected to miss four months, putting his return to action around American Thanksgiving.
It’s tough news for Harvey-Pinard, who was already coming off an injury-plagued 2023-24 campaign. Various lower-body injuries limited him to 45 appearances, posting just two goals, eight assists, 10 points, and a -2 rating while taking only 26 shots on goal and averaging 12:38 per game. That was a massive step back from his 2022-23 showing when he erupted for 14 goals and 20 points in 34 games after a midseason call-up from AHL Laval.
The 25-year-old was a seventh-round pick of the Habs back in 2019 and has spent the five years since working his way up the organizational ladder. The 5’9″, 183-lb winger has always been a good scoring threat, averaging 1.06 points per game across five seasons in juniors in the QMJHL. He also put up an average of 0.74 points per game in three years to date with Laval, leading them in scoring back in 2021-22 with 56 points in 69 games.
Montreal’s depth chart at left wing is full of question marks entering the season behind 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky, who will reprise his first-line role alongside Cole Caufield and captain Nick Suzuki. But behind that, there was an opportunity for Harvey-Pinard to climb as far up as a second-line role on opening night with a strong preseason and training camp performance, competing with players like UFA signing Alex Barré-Boulet and veteran Brendan Gallagher. He’ll now have to work his way back into an everyday role upon returning from injury in late November.
Since he’s projected to miss more than 10 games and 24 days to open the season, Harvey-Pinard is a candidate to land on long-term injured reserve. His absence should mean more early playing time for those like enforcer Michael Pezzetta, and it indicates prospects such as Owen Beck, Filip Mesar and Joshua Roy should have a greater chance at making the opening night roster.
Trade, Waivers Still Options For Oliver Wahlstrom Following Settlement
Yesterday, Islanders winger Oliver Wahlstrom landed a new contract for this season, signing a one-year, $1MM pact to avoid an arbitration hearing next month. But that doesn’t do much to change the likelihood that he’ll be on their roster come opening night, according to Ethan Sears of the New York Post.
It appears not much has changed since general manager Lou Lamoriello said at the draft that the Isles were planning on qualifying Wahlstrom heading into free agency but would examine trade options as well. Wahlstrom himself was also noncommittal when asked if he would return to New York in 2024-25 during last season’s exit interviews in May.
The willingness from both sides to move on is reasonable. The 2018 11th overall pick has never managed more than 13 goals or 24 points in a single season, and an ACL tear in 2022-23 has limited him to just 67 total appearances over the last two campaigns. Even when in the lineup last season, Wahlstrom was a non-factor with two goals and six points in 32 games.
But when Wahlstrom filed for salary arbitration at the beginning of July, it meant discussions of him moving on would take a backseat until he settled or had a contract awarded via a hearing. That’s now in the rearview mirror, though, meaning trade rumors could heat up again between now and October.
If no trade materializes, the Islanders do have the option to send Wahlstrom to the minors for complete cap relief since his cap hit falls below the maximum buriable threshold of $1.15MM. However, he’s no longer waiver-exempt, and doing so would risk losing him for free on the wire at the end of preseason when teams are keen on poaching talent to address roster deficiencies that arose during camp.
Having Wahlstrom off the roster by opening night isn’t just motivated by his recent play and injury struggles. The Isles are completely capped out after signing him and won’t be able to carry a full 23-player roster. As it stands, they don’t have room to utilize international free agent signing Maxim Tsyplakov in the NHL as hoped without also placing someone like Hudson Fasching, Simon Holmström or Kyle MacLean on waivers. Trading or waiving Wahlstrom would give them the cap space required to do so, although it still wouldn’t be enough to open up cap space for a 23rd player on the roster.
Wahlstrom, 24, has 34 goals and 67 points in 193 NHL games since making his debut five seasons ago. If he ends up elsewhere in the next few months, the acquiring team would still have control over his signing rights next summer as an arbitration-eligible RFA.
NHL Teams Facing Fall Cap Crunches
There’s still plenty of time for NHL teams to sort out their active rosters and salary cap pictures this summer. After all, teams can exceed the $88MM upper limit by up to 10% during the offseason, and training camps are still nearly two months away.
Still, this year’s early July rush means that all the notable contracts for this season, at least in terms of salary cap impact, have likely already been handed out. It’s left a handful of teams with projected rosters that sit over the cap or, in one very peculiar case, right at it.
These teams must use a mix of long-term injured reserve placements, trades, and waivers to become cap-compliant before opening night. Per PuckPedia, here are the teams currently pacing to boast a projected cap hit above $88MM.
Washington Capitals
($98.27MM projected cap hit, $10.27MM above upper limit)
The Capitals have been one of the league’s most active teams this summer, making a pair of impact additions up front with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Andrew Mangiapane. They also reshaped their blue line, shipping out serviceable veteran Nick Jensen as part of a package to the Senators to pick up the younger, higher-upside Jakob Chychrun while also replacing Jensen’s shutdown role in free agency with the signing of Matt Roy.
They also went for cost-effectiveness with their goaltending duo, shipping out Darcy Kuemper and his $5.25MM cap hit to the Kings in the Dubois trade before acquiring serviceable tandem netminder Logan Thompson from the Golden Knights, who carries a cap hit of just $767K.
These moves have still left them with a handful of bloated deals for their veterans. But the biggest one of them all won’t be an issue. 36-year-old Nicklas Bäckström is entering the final season of his five-year, $46MM deal with a $9.2MM cap hit, but he’s not expected to play again due to lingering hip issues.
While many teams will look to avoid using LTIR to be cap-compliant to start the season, the Caps won’t be one of them. Bäckström will remain there as he did last season, but placing him on LTIR won’t be enough on its own to bring Washington’s total projected cap hit back under $88MM.
They’d still need to clear a little over $1MM in space, which begs the question of T.J. Oshie‘s health. The 37-year-old winger is also entering the final season of his contract at a $5.75MM cap hit, and a wide variety of injuries limited him to 52 games last season. As of earlier this month, Oshie said he hasn’t found a long-term solution to his recurring back issues that would allow him to comfortably play in 2024-25.
If nothing changes between now and September, Oshie could also land on LTIR, making them cap-compliant for opening night. But Washington would need to be reasonably confident that he’ll miss the entire campaign to avoid making any other cap-shedding moves, as they’d need to have space to activate him off LTIR if he becomes healthy enough to return to play.
Vegas Golden Knights
($91.64MM projected cap hit, $3.64MM above upper limit)
Unlike the Capitals, the Golden Knights were conservative in their offseason moves. Their cap crunch forced them to walk away from key offensive contributors Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson, among others, and their UFA pickups were limited to reclamation project-type pickups such as Victor Olofsson and Ilya Samsonov.
But like Washington, LTIR is Vegas’ only clear path to cap compliance in September. The status of 33-year-old netminder Robin Lehner remains a relative mystery as he enters the final season of his contract with a $5MM cap hit. He hasn’t played the last two seasons after undergoing hip surgery and hasn’t been seen with the team during that time.
General manager Kelly McCrimmon said in May that it’s likely Lehner will return to LTIR this fall. This would give the Knights about $1.36MM in space in an LTIR pool with a full 23-man roster, as projected by PuckPedia.
Philadelphia Flyers
($88.83MM projected cap hit, $830K above upper limit)
LTIR is a good safeguard for teams who need it to be cap-compliant, but it’s not ideal. Teams who utilize it don’t accrue cap space throughout the season, significantly limiting their flexibility come deadline day.
The Flyers have one LTIR-eligible contract in defenseman Ryan Ellis ($6.25MM cap hit through 2027). They also have Ryan Johansen signed at a $4MM cap hit next season, and his playing status is in doubt due to a hip injury that surfaced after they acquired him from the Avalanche at last year’s deadline. Unfortunately for them, if Johansen remains injured, they also can’t send him to the minors to knock $1.15MM off his cap hit. They attempted to do so last year, but it was reversed by the league after his injury came to light.
But notably, they don’t have any league-minimum contracts projected on their active roster to start the campaign, per PuckPedia. Their cheapest one is Tyson Foerster‘s entry-level contract, which boasts a cap hit of $863K. Thus, just one AHL assignment would be enough to make them cap-compliant without placing either Ellis or Johansen on LTIR. There aren’t any obvious candidates, though, as Foerster is coming off a 20-goal campaign and was one of their top two-way forwards last season.
The trade of a depth forward, such as 25-year-old pivot Ryan Poehling ($1.9MM cap hit through 2026), could be something to watch for if general manager Daniel Brière decides he wants to stay out of LTIR.
Edmonton Oilers
($88.35MM projected cap hit, $354K above upper limit)
Unlike the other teams on this list, the Oilers still have some offseason business to handle. RFAs Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway need new deals, meaning this projected cap hit is artificially low.
Also unlike the others, Edmonton doesn’t have an LTIR-bound contract next season. Considering PuckPedia’s projection above uses a roster size of 21, warranting them only one extra skater, a cap-clearing trade is coming for Edmonton sometime before the puck drops in October.
The most obvious candidate to move is defenseman Cody Ceci, who’s on an expiring contract with a $3.25MM cap hit. It would cost fewer assets to ship out than oft-injured winger Evander Kane, who’s locked in at a $5.125MM price tag for two more years. And with Ceci averaging north of 20 minutes per game for the last three seasons in Edmonton, they might be able to dump him for future considerations without attaching a draft pick to get out of his deal.
Others to watch
- The Islanders are currently at the $88MM upper limit after settling on a one-year, $1MM contract with Oliver Wahlstrom yesterday, PuckPedia projects. That figure comes using a roster size of 22, forcing international free agent signing Maxim Tsyplakov and his $950K cap hit on an entry-level deal to the minors.
- The Canucks are within just $16K of the cap after signing Daniel Sprong to a one-year, $975K contract last weekend. But that figure comes with a full 23-player roster projection, giving them a decent amount of flexibility in the case of short-term injuries. They can also place the final season of defenseman Tucker Poolman‘s $2.5MM cap hit contract on LTIR if necessary.
- The Predators are within $600K of the cap with a bare minimum 20-player roster and still have RFAs Juuso Pärssinen and Philip Tomasino to sign. After their big UFA spending spree, they’ll likely move out one of their depth defenders to open up space for an expanded roster, potentially 26-year-old Dante Fabbro (signed at $2.5MM through this season).
- The Lightning have $730K in projected cap space with one open roster spot. That’s tight, but with room for two healthy extras, they’ll probably start the season with no changes to their projected roster.
- The same can be said about the defending champion Panthers, who have $767K in space with a roster size of 22.