Devils Name Jeremy Colliton Associate Coach
June 11: The Devils have named Colliton as their associate coach in a team announcement Tuesday, directly replacing Green. No other changes are coming to their on-ice coaching staff this offseason.
June 7: Keep an eye on former Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton to join the Devils’ bench in an assistant capacity this offseason, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.
Colliton, 39, was fired as Chicago’s head coach in November 2021 after they began the 2021-22 campaign with a 1-9-2 record. He remained out of work for the remainder of the season but later joined the Canucks, serving as the head coach of their minor-league affiliate in Abbotsford for the last two seasons.
With his contract up this summer, though, it’s unlikely he’s returning to Vancouver. He’s also been viewed as an outside contender for the Sharks’ head coaching vacancy, the last one remaining in the league. However, San Jose appears close to a decision, and he’s not the leading candidate.
In New Jersey, Colliton would join a new-look coaching staff led by Sheldon Keefe, who quickly found a new home after being let go by the Maple Leafs. He’d fill the vacancy left by Travis Green, who was promoted to serve as interim head coach after Lindy Ruff‘s midseason firing and left this offseason to become head coach of the Senators.
Across parts of four seasons with the Blackhawks, Colliton had an 87-92-26 record (.488 points percentage). They made the playoffs once in his tenure, winning their 2020 Qualifying Round series against the Oilers before falling to the Golden Knights in first-round action.
Stars, Matt Duchene Have Mutual Interest In Extension
Matt Duchene wants to remain in the Lone Star State next season, he recently said on The Sweep Spot on Sportsradio 96.7FM/1310 the Ticket. The veteran forward said that “money is definitely not the No. 1 bucket,” implying he’d take a discount to sign an extension with the Stars.
That follows a report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman last week that Dallas is hoping to bring back both Duchene and defenseman Chris Tanev, who are slated to become unrestricted free agents next month.
Duchene, 33, had 25 goals and 65 points in 80 games for the Stars last season after signing a one-year, $3MM pact in free agency. He was an unexpected addition to the open market after the Predators bought out the final three seasons of his seven-year, $56MM contract.
The 2009 third-overall pick will be getting a decent paycheck from Nashville through 2029, so it’s foreseeable why he’d be especially willing to take a discount at this stage in his career. Duchene hit the 1,000-game plateau this past season but failed to reach his first Stanley Cup Final when Dallas lost to Edmonton in this year’s Western Conference Final.
Still, even a discounted raise on Duchene’s previous $3MM cap hit may be tough for Dallas to swallow. They enter the summer with $16.25MM in projected cap space but have 10 open roster spots, per CapFriendly.
He’s still an important piece that should be retained if possible. Duchene has hit 50 points in each of the past three seasons and would be an important factor in shouldering the loss of Joe Pavelski, who’s expected to retire and not return to the club. Slightly increased minutes for Duchene, as well as the continued development of youngsters Wyatt Johnston and Logan Stankoven, should help replace Pavelski’s 67 points last season by committee.
Senators Aggressively Pursuing Goaltending Upgrade
The Senators may add their name to the goalie carousel this summer. As the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch writes, general manager Steve Staios is becoming intent on upgrading the club’s situation between the pipes.
The Sens thought they had their man last summer when previous GM Pierre Dorion inked Joonas Korpisalo to a five-year, $20MM contract in free agency. The 30-year-old’s market value was at an all-time high after a strong stint to finish 2022-23 with the Kings, but he was unable to keep it going in Ottawa in his first full season as a true starter.
His 49 starts and 21 wins were career-highs, but there wasn’t much else to write home about his season. Korpisalo’s .890 SV% and 3.27 GAA both ranked near the bottom of the list of starters, and his -16.1 goals saved above expected was second-worst in the league to Chicago’s Arvid Söderblom, per MoneyPuck.
With new management in town and a clear directive to end the Sens’ seven-year playoff drought, one season of below-average play appears enough for a serious change to be considered. They’ve been “one of the most aggressive teams” in trade discussions for Flames netminder Jacob Markström, a league executive told Garrioch, and they’ve also contacted the Bruins about trading for 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark.
Even with the salary cap’s upper limit increasing to a record $88MM, the Sens may find themselves in a little bit of a cap crunch this summer. They’ve got $12.5MM in projected space with anywhere from five to seven roster spots to fill, including a new deal for pending RFA Shane Pinto. Offloading Korpisalo with four years left on his deal may be unrealistic in a goalie trade, but repurposing backup Anton Forsberg‘s $2.75MM in a trade, along with many other parts for a starter, could help ease any financial considerations.
They’re not viewed as the favorites for either Markström or Ullmark, though. The Devils have positioned themselves as the frontrunner in Markström talks. While it’s not clear who’s put together the most competitive offer to the Bruins for Ullmark, he’s got a 16-team no-trade list. The stuck-in-low-gear Senators might very well be on it. Even if Markström wasn’t so closely tied to New Jersey, he boasts a full no-move clause and could block a trade.
Nonetheless, it would be smart to count the Sens in for nearly every netminder who finds himself on the block this summer.
Lightning RFA Waltteri Merela Signs In Switzerland
After one season in the Lightning organization, forward Waltteri Merela is headed back overseas. The Finnish winger has signed a one-year deal with SC Bern of the Swiss National League, per a team announcement.
Merela, 25, is a pending restricted free agent. Tampa can retain his NHL rights until July 1, 2026, by issuing him a qualifying offer before the June 30 deadline.
Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois signed Merela as an undrafted free agent a little over a year ago, inking him to a one-year, two-way deal with an $870K cap hit. The 6’2″ right wing had been a two-way force in his native Finland in the preceding years, capping off his 2022-23 season with 14 points in 14 playoff games for Tappara as he helped the club win back-to-back Liiga championships.
Merela then made the Bolts out of camp, and while it wasn’t a huge surprise, he was far from a lock. While that indicated Tampa may have found a diamond in the rough, Merela struggled to produce, logging just one goal through 19 games before being sent to AHL Syracuse for the majority of the season. He wasn’t much of a factor possession-wise in his fourth-line minutes, posting a -2 rating and average shot attempt numbers while averaging 9:49 per game.
On the farm in Syracuse, Merela performed much better, potting 15 goals and 34 points in 55 games. Still, without a dedicated path back to NHL minutes with the Lightning next season, it’s unsurprising to see him try his luck overseas again. He’s still young enough that an NHL return may be in the cards someday.
Merela joins a Bern roster next season with a handful of former NHL talent, including Dominik Kahun and Patrik Nemeth.
Maple Leafs Linked To Laurent Brossoit
The Maple Leafs and netminder Laurent Brossoit will have mutual interest in a deal should he reach unrestricted free agency on July 1, The Athletic’s James Mirtle reports.
Brossoit, 31, is likely headed to market in search of a bigger role after making 22 starts last season behind Connor Hellebuyck with the Jets. He’s coming off a great season in his limited relief action, putting up a .927 SV%, 2.00 GAA and three shutouts, but without any history in a tandem role, he won’t command too much cash.
Those 22 starts were remarkably a career-high for the veteran netminder, who just completed his 10th NHL season. His career numbers (.911 SV%, 2.64 GAA) rival the other top options slated for the open market, like Anthony Stolarz and Cam Talbot, and he’s arguably been the best pure backup in the league over the past 18 months.
A member of the Cup-winning Golden Knights last season, Brossoit started the year on the injured list and was sent down to the minors upon his return to health in November. But he worked his way back to the Vegas roster later in the year, posting a .927 SV% in 10 starts and one relief appearance. That earned him the start in Game 1 of their postseason run against the Jets, and while an injury eventually forced him out of the crease and opened the door for Adin Hill, he’d re-established himself as a major-league talent.
As Mirtle posits, a short-term deal in the neighborhood of $3MM annually is a realistic bet for Brossoit. It’s similar to what Stolarz, who’s coming off a .925 SV% in 27 appearances behind Sergei Bobrovsky in Florida, should garner as well.
He would be Toronto’s replacement for Ilya Samsonov, who will hit free agency next month and isn’t expected back. He’d been serviceable but inconsistent in tandem action for them over the past two seasons, although he did backstop them to their first playoff series win of the Auston Matthews era against the Lightning in the first round in 2023.
In Toronto, Brossoit would nearly guarantee himself a new career-high in starts, assuming he avoids injuries. He’d serve in a tandem role with the younger Joseph Woll, who is slated to eventually take over as the Leafs’ long-term starter. Injuries limited him to 25 games last year, posting a respectable .907 SV%, but he’s also been excellent in brief playoff action over the last two seasons.
Blackhawks Notes: Kane, No. 2 Pick, Pending UFAs
Last month, The Athletic’s Scott Powers reported the Blackhawks were having internal discussions about trying to bring back franchise fixture Patrick Kane, who’s set to hit the open market this summer after a one-year deal with the Red Wings. However, speaking with reporters today at the pre-draft scouting combine, general manager Kyle Davidson said he “doesn’t foresee us going back on that” regarding a Kane reunion (via Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times).
Kane, 35, had 47 points in 50 games to close out the season in Detroit after recovering from offseason hip resurfacing surgery. It was a promising step for the future Hall-of-Famer, considering hip resurfacing procedures generally signal the end of a player’s career.
After showing he can still hang around in a top-six role, he’ll look to land a raise on his previous $2.75MM cap hit this summer, but it appears it won’t be with Chicago. The 2007 first-overall pick had 1,225 points in 1,161 games there to begin his career, amassing three Stanley Cups.
Elsewhere from Chi-town:
- To the surprise of no one, Davidson confirmed today the team isn’t shopping their second overall pick in this month’s draft (via NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis). The team is reportedly leaning toward selecting Belarusian defenseman Artyom Levshunov with the choice, their second top-two pick in the past two years.
- While preparing for the draft, Davidson said he’s still trying to retain some of their pending UFAs (via Pope). As Pope points out, depth winger Joey Anderson is likely a member of that group, although he’s an RFA that only needs a qualifying offer. Anderson, 25, had five goals and 17 points in 55 games for the Hawks this year. Their notable pending UFAs include Colin Blackwell, Tyler Johnson and Jarred Tinordi.
Rangers Notes: Kakko, Trouba, Core
Rangers general manager Chris Drury held his virtual end-of-season media availability today after his squad was bounced by the Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final. Among the topics of discussion was the future of 2019 second-overall pick Kaapo Kakko, who’s already found himself in trade rumors after being benched during the playoffs and reaching the end of his contract.
Drury compared Kakko’s situation to that of 2020 first-overall pick Alexis Lafrenière last summer, saying the team will “continue to try and find everything we can do to help him reach his potential” (via USA Today’s Vince Z. Mercogliano). Like Kakko, Lafrenière was a restricted free agent last summer but ended up sticking with the team and signing a two-year, $4.65MM deal in August.
It turned out to be the prudent choice. Under new head coach Peter Laviolette, Lafrenière was finally elevated to a consistent top-six role and scored 28 goals and 57 points while playing in all 82 games, all career highs. He was also one of the Rangers’ better playoff performers, adding eight goals and 14 points in 16 contests.
Unlike Lafrenière, though, Kakko looked to have taken a step forward last season after scoring 18 goals and 40 points but regressed heavily this year. The 23-year-old Finn averaged 13:17 per game, a career low, and mustered only 13 goals and 19 points in 61 games. Whether the Blueshirts hold onto his signing rights and attempt to continue developing him into a top-six threat or decide to move him remains to be seen.
More from Drury on the Rangers’ offseason and future:
- He also went out of his way to defend captain Jacob Trouba, who’s drawn public ire after a poor showing in their loss to the Panthers (via The Athletic’s Peter Baugh). “Jacob’s been an excellent captain and leader for us. … He gives us everything he can every single night.” The blue-liner had three goals and 22 points in 69 games this season, tied for his lowest offensive output per game since New York acquired him from the Jets in 2019. He did have seven points in 16 playoff games but got caved in defensively at even strength, only managing to control 41.6% of shot attempts.
- The third-year GM still believes their core of Adam Fox, Artemi Panarin and Igor Shesterkin can lead them to a championship after their Presidents’ Trophy-winning season. “I do believe in our players individually,” Drury said. “Now it’s part of the job to figure out if this group collectively can get us where we want to be. That process is already underway” (via Mercogliano).
2024 NHL Offseason Trades
Pro Hockey Rumors will track all of the trades made this offseason until the start of the 2024-25 season, updating this post with each transaction. This article can be found anytime throughout the offseason in our mobile menu under the Flame icon.
Trades are listed here in reverse chronological order, with the latest on top. So, if a player has been traded multiple times, the first team listed as having acquired him is the one that ended up with him. If a trade has not yet been formally finalized, it will be listed in italics.
Click on the date above each trade for our full story. We’ll continue to update this list with the latest specific details on picks and other compensation as they’re reported.
Here’s the full list of the NHL’s 2024 offseason trades:
2024-25 League Year
- Sharks acquire G Yaroslav Askarov, F Nolan Burke, and the Avalanche’s 2025 third-round pick.
- Predators acquire F David Edstrom, G Magnus Chrona, and the Golden Knights’ 2025 first-round pick (top-10 protected).
If the Golden Knights’ pick falls in the top 10 of the 2025 draft, the Sharks have the option to send their own first-round pick instead.
- Penguins acquire the signing rights to F Rutger McGroarty.
- Jets acquire F Brayden Yager.
- Oilers acquire the signing rights to D Paul Fischer and the Blues’ 2028 third-round pick.
- Blues acquire future considerations.
- Canadiens acquire F Patrik Laine and the Blue Jackets’ 2026 second-round pick.
- Blue Jackets acquire D Jordan Harris.
- Oilers acquire D Ty Emberson.
- Sharks acquire D Cody Ceci and the Oilers’ 2025 third-round pick.
- Oilers acquire F Vasily Podkolzin.
- Canucks acquire the Senators’ 2025 fourth-round pick.
- Penguins acquire F Cody Glass, the Wild’s 2025 third-round pick and the Predators’ 2026 sixth-round pick.
- Predators acquire F Jordan Frasca.
- Blues re-acquire their 2025 second-round pick and the Penguins’ 2026 fifth-round pick.
- Penguins acquire the Blues’ 2026 second-round pick and the Senators’ 2025 third-round pick.
- Avalanche acquire signing rights to G Kevin Mandolese and the Senators’ 2026 seventh-round pick.
- Senators acquire the Avalanche’s 2026 sixth-round pick.
- Senators acquire F Xavier Bourgault and F Jake Chiasson.
- Oilers acquire F Roby Jarventie and the Senators’ 2025 fourth-round pick.
- Jets acquire signing rights to D Dylan Coghlan.
- Hurricanes receive future considerations.
- Sabres acquire F Ryan McLeod and F Tyler Tullio.
- Oilers acquire F Matthew Savoie.
- Ducks acquire F Robby Fabbri and a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick.
- Red Wings acquire G Gage Alexander.
The Ducks will receive the earlier of the Red Wings’ own 2025 fourth-round pick or the Bruins’ 2025 fourth-round pick.
- Senators acquire signing rights to F Jan Jeník.
- Utah acquires signing rights to F Egor Sokolov.
- Ducks acquire D Brian Dumoulin.
- Kraken acquire the Ducks’ 2026 fourth-round pick.
- Blues acquire F Mathieu Joseph and the Senators’ 2025 third-round pick.
- Senators acquire future considerations.
- Blues acquire F Radek Faksa.
- Stars acquire future considerations.
- Rangers acquire F Reilly Smith (25% retained).
- Penguins acquire the Rangers’ 2025 fifth-round pick and 2027 second-round pick.
The Penguins will receive the lower of the two fifth-round picks the Rangers own (their own or the Wild’s).
- Capitals acquire D Jakob Chychrun.
- Senators acquire D Nick Jensen and the Capitals’ 2026 third-round pick.
2023-24 League Year
- Devils acquire D Johnathan Kovacevic.
- Canadiens acquire a 2026 fourth-round pick.
The pick will be the highest of the three fourth-round round picks that the Devils own (Devils, Jets, Stars).
- Penguins acquire F Bennett MacArthur.
- Lightning acquire F Lukas Svejkovsky.
- Lightning acquire signing rights to F Jake Guentzel.
- Hurricanes acquire the Lightning’s 2025 third-round pick.
- Maple Leafs acquire signing rights to D Chris Tanev.
- Stars acquire signing rights to F Max Ellis and the Maple Leafs’ 2026 seventh-round pick.
June 29
- Capitals acquire the Golden Knights’ 2024 seventh-round pick (No. 212 – F Miroslav Šatan).
- Golden Knights acquire the Capitals’ 2025 sixth-round pick.
June 29
- Kings acquire the Ducks’ 2024 sixth-round pick (No. 164 – D Jared Woolley).
- Ducks acquire the Kings’ 2024 sixth-round pick (No. 182 – F Austin Burnevik) and seventh-round pick (No. 214 – D Darels Uļjanskis).
- Golden Knights acquire signing rights to G Akira Schmid and F Alexander Holtz.
- Devils acquire F Paul Cotter and the Golden Knights’ 2025 third-round pick.
June 29
- Kraken acquire the Flyers’ 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 141 – F Clarke Caswell).
- Panthers acquire the Kraken’s 2024 sixth-round pick (No. 169 – F Stepan Gorbunov) and seventh-round pick (No. 201 – G Denis Gabdrakhmanov).
June 29
- Rangers acquire the Predators’ 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 119 – F Raoul Boilard).
- Predators acquire the Rangers’ 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 127 – F Viktor Nörringer) and 2026 seventh-round pick.
- Bruins acquire F Vinni Lettieri and the Wild’s 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 110 – D Elliott Groenewold).
- Wild acquire F Jakub Lauko and the Bruins’ 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 122 – D Aron Kiviharju).
June 29
- Jets acquire the Flyers’ 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 109 – F Kevin He).
- Sabres acquire the Jets’ 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 123 – D Simon-Pier Brunet) and seventh-round pick (No. 219 – G Ryerson Leenders).
June 29
- Flyers acquire the Devils’ 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 107 – F Heikki Ruohonen).
- Flames acquire the Kings’ 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 150 – F Luke Misa) and the Blues’ 2024 sixth-round pick (No. 177 – D Eric Jamieson).
June 29
- Blackhawks acquire the Hurricanes’ 2024 third-round pick (No. 92 – F Jack Pridham).
- Hurricanes acquire the Blackhawks’ 2025 third-round pick.
June 29
- Sharks acquire the Capitals’ 2024 third-round pick (No. 82 – F Carson Wetsch).
- Devils acquire the Lightning’s 2024 third-round pick (No. 85 – F Kasper Pikkarainen) and the Sharks’ 2025 sixth-round pick.
June 29
- Capitals acquire the Devils’ 2024 third-round pick (No. 75 – F Ilya Protas).
- Devils acquire the Capitals’ 2024 third-round pick (No. 82 – F Carson Wetsch) and 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 146 – G Veeti Louhivaara).
June 29
- Sabres acquire Utah’s 2024 third-round pick (No. 71 – F Brodie Ziemer).
- Avalanche acquire the Sabres’ 2024 third-round pick (No. 76 – F William Zellers) and the Panthers’ 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 161 – F Maxmilian Curran).
- Capitals acquire G Logan Thompson.
- Golden Knights acquire Islanders’ 2024 third-round pick (No. 83 – G Pavel Moysevich) and the Capitals’ 2025 third-round pick.
- Penguins acquire F Kevin Hayes and the Blues’ 2025 second-round pick.
- Blues acquire future considerations.
June 29
- Blue Jackets acquire the Hurricanes’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 60 – G Evan Gardner).
- Hurricanes acquire the Blue Jackets’ 2024 third-round pick (No. 69 – D Noel Fransén) and 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 133 – F Oskar Vuollet).
June 29
- Flyers acquire the Jets’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 59 – D Spencer Gill).
- Predators acquire the Flyers’ 2024 third-round pick (No. 77 – D Viggo Gustafsson) and the Wild’s 2025 third-round pick.
June 29
- Panthers acquire the Bruins’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 58 – F Linus Eriksson).
- Maple Leafs acquire the Panthers’ 2025 second-round pick and 2024 seventh-round pick (No. 225 – D Nathan Mayes).
- Kings acquire F Tanner Jeannot.
- Lightning acquire the Kings’ 2025 second-round pick and 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 118 – D Jan Goličič).
- Utah acquires D John Marino and the Avalanche’s 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 153 – D Aleš Čech).
- Devils acquire the Capitals’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 49 – G Mikhail Yegorov) and the Oilers’ 2025 second-round pick.
- Utah acquires D Mikhail Sergachev.
- Lightning acquire signing rights to D J.J. Moser, F Conor Geekie, Utah’s 2025 second-round pick and 2024 seventh-round pick (No. 199 – F Noah Steen).
- Sabres acquire signing rights to F Beck Malenstyn.
- Capitals acquire the Sabres’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 43 – D Cole Hutson).
- Oilers acquire the Panthers’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 32 – F Sam O’Reilly).
- Flyers acquire the Oilers’ 2025 OR 2026 first-round pick.
If the Oilers’ 2025 1st is top 12, the Flyers will receive an unprotected 2026 first-round pick. If the Oilers choose to trade the 2026 first-round pick, then the Flyers will receive an unprotected 2025 first-round pick.
- Blackhawks acquire the Hurricanes’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 27 – F Marek Vanacker).
- Hurricanes acquire the Blackhawks’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 34 – D Dominik Badinka) and the Islanders’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 50 – F Nikita Artamonov).
- Utah acquires the Avalanche’s 2024 first-round pick (No. 24 – F Cole Beaudoin).
- Avalanche acquire Utah’s 2024 second-round pick (No. 38 – G Ilya Nabokov), 2024 third-round pick (No. 71) and the Rangers’ 2025 second-round pick.
- Ducks acquire the Maple Leafs’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 23 – D Stian Solberg)
- Maple Leafs acquire the Oilers’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 31 – D Ben Danford) and the Bruins’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 58).
- Wild acquire the Flyers’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 12 – D Zeev Buium)
- Flyers acquire the Wild’s 2024 first-round pick (No. 13 – F Jett Luchanko) and 2025 third-round pick.
- Blues acquire signing rights to F Alexandre Texier (signed two-year, $4.2MM extension).
- Blue Jackets acquire the Blues’ 2025 fourth-round pick.
- Canadiens acquire the Kings’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 21 – F Michael Hage).
- Kings acquire the Jets’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 26 – F Liam Greentree), the Avalanche’s 2024 second-round pick (No. 57 – G Carter George) and the Canadiens’ 2024 seventh-round pick (No. 198 – F James Reeder).
- Capitals acquire F Andrew Mangiapane.
- Flames acquire the Avalanche’s 2025 second-round pick.
- Kings acquire D Kyle Burroughs.
- Sharks acquire signing rights to F Carl Grundström.
- Sharks acquire the Sabres’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 11 – D Sam Dickinson).
- Sabres acquire the Penguins’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 14 – F Konsta Helenius) and the Devils’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 42 – D Adam Kleber).
- Blackhawks acquire F Ilya Mikheyev (15% retained), signing rights to F Sam Lafferty and the Canucks’ 2027 second-round pick.
- Canucks acquire the Blackhawks’ 2027 fourth-round pick.
- Sharks acquire D Jake Walman and the Lightning’s 2024 second-round pick (No. 53 – D Leo Sahlin Wallenius).
- Red Wings acquire future considerations.
- Predators acquire D Andrew Gibson.
- Red Wings acquire signing rights to F Jesse Kiiskinen and the Lightning’s 2024 second-round pick (No. 53 – D Leo Sahlin Wallenius).
- Senators acquire G Linus Ullmark.
- Bruins acquire G Joonas Korpisalo (25% retained), F Mark Kastelic and their own 2024 first-round pick (No. 25 – F Dean Letourneau).
- Sharks acquire signing rights to F Egor Afanasyev.
- Predators acquire F Ozzy Wiesblatt.
- Devils acquire signing rights to F Adam Beckman.
- Wild acquire signing rights to F Graeme Clarke.
- Capitals acquire F Pierre-Luc Dubois.
- Kings acquire G Darcy Kuemper.
- Sharks acquire signing rights to F Ty Dellandrea.
- Stars acquire the Jets’ 2025 fourth-round pick.
- Devils acquire G Jacob Markström (31.25% retained).
- Flames acquire D Kevin Bahl and the Devils’ 2025 first-round pick (top 10 protected).
If the Devils’ 2025 first-round pick falls within the top 10, it defers to an unprotected 2026 first-round pick.
- Blackhawks acquire the Islanders’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 18 – F Sacha Boisvert) and 2024 second-round pick (No. 50 – F Nikita Artamonov).
- Islanders acquire the Lightning’s 2024 first-round pick (No. 20 – F Cole Eiserman), the Kings’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 54 – D Jesse Pulkkinen) and the Canucks’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 61 – F Kamil Bednarik).
- Lightning acquire D Ryan McDonagh and the Oilers’ 2024 fourth-round pick.
- Predators acquire the Lightning’s 2024 seventh-round pick (No. 213 – F Erik Påhlsson) and 2025 second-round pick.
Blackhawks Leaning Toward Artyom Levshunov At Second Overall
Much like last year’s draft, there’s a bit of a toss-up at second overall. The Sharks will take Hobey Baker Award winner Macklin Celebrini as the first-overall pick. However, with the second choice, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has a choice to make.
That choice is between Ivan Demidov, a Russian winger whose 60 points in 30 junior games gave him one of the best seasons at that level of all time, and Belarusian defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who logged heavy minutes as a freshman for Michigan State University this season and is the top blue liner in the class based on consolidated public rankings. Speaking on Friday’s episode of “The Athletic Hockey Show,” Scott Powers reports the team is leaning toward Levshunov with less than a month to go until draft day.
Levshunov would immediately become the Hawks’ top defense prospect, surpassing 2022 seventh-overall pick Kevin Korchinski. And like Korchinski two years ago, it seems unlikely he’d jump to the NHL immediately. A sophomore campaign at Michigan State makes sense for Levshunov before potentially turning pro in 2025.
It shouldn’t be ruled out completely, though. Levshunov is coming off a banner season that saw him named the Big Ten Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. He was named to the year-end First All-Star Team as well.
Levshunov’s nine goals, 26 assists, 35 points and +27 rating in 38 games helped the Spartans win their first regular-season and conference tournament championships since the conference’s inception in 2013. A right-shot defender, the 18-year-old already stands at 6’2″ and 209 lbs.
Chicago taking Levshunov off the board would leave Demidov available for the Ducks at third overall, becoming the crown jewel of an already deep pool of young forwards that includes Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish and Trevor Zegras. Demidov is the second-ranked prospect behind Celebrini in public consolidated rankings and TSN’s Bob McKenzie’s most recent polling of NHL scouts.
Sabres Open To Trading First-Round Pick
The Sabres are open to trading their 11th overall selection in this month’s draft, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.
If so, it would likely be in a swap for top-six forward help, per Friedman. They’re not the only team within the top 15 looking to move their selection, though. The Devils, slated to pick one spot before them at 10th overall, are also willing to trade their pick for immediate help, likely on the goaltending front.
To the surprise of many, the Sabres’ offense was their Achilles heel this season as their playoff drought extended to 13 years. After finishing third in the league in goals for in 2022-23 and missing the playoffs by one point, their snipers cratered. Buffalo scored 50 fewer goals this season than last, dropping their offense down to 22nd in the league.
The lack of scoring, influenced partly by their below-average 16.6% power play, wasted one of the best goaltending performances from a Sabres netminder in quite some time. 2017 second-round pick Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen took over as a bonafide starter, putting up a .910 SV% and five shutouts in 54 games with a 27-22-4 record.
Buffalo’s future is still bright as it stands. Luukkonen will be joined on a full-time basis by top goaltending prospect Devon Levi between the pipes next season after he posted a .927 SV% in 26 minor-league games. Their core on defense is set with Bowen Byram, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson.
But entering a 2024-25 campaign in which ending their playoff drought is a necessity, their high-ceiling offense does have a few question marks. Tage Thompson still managed to lead the team in goals with 29 while battling through injuries, but it’s a far cry from his totals of 38 and 47 the previous two years. A rebound should be expected if he stays healthy, but it can’t fall on him alone.
Alex Tuch is a true top-six producer but has had inconsistent results year-over-year. Is he more of a 60-point or 80-point player? Can the aging Jeff Skinner have a bounce-back year after being limited to 46 points?
Some of those concerns should be quelled by steps forward from a trio of under-25 forwards in Zach Benson, John-Jason Peterka and Jack Quinn – but the operative word there is “should.” They could also get a decent rookie season out of 2022 ninth-overall pick Matthew Savoie, but like the others, his best years are still a few seasons ahead of him.
While they do still have a deep prospect pool up front, there is still an obvious need for more established help. The top forward available on the trade market, Hurricanes pending RFA Martin Nečas, likely doesn’t fit the bill based on Carolina’s similar want for an established replacement rather than picks and prospects.
But could the Jets’ Nikolaj Ehlers, also likely on the move this summer without an extension past next season in the cards, be a match? The Danish winger has played a top-six role throughout his nine-year career and averages 27 goals and 62 points over an 82-game campaign. He’s entering the final season of a contract with a $6MM cap hit, more than affordable for the flush-with-space Sabres, and could potentially be had for the 11th overall pick alone without any other assets included.
Regardless, the shift into buyer mode for general manager Kevyn Adams appears clear with Lindy Ruff at the helm for his second stint as head coach.