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.
Current NHL Free Agents
Pro Hockey Rumors’ up-to-date list of current free agents is below. These are players who are free agents during the 2024-25 season. The player’s 2024 age is in parentheses.
This list includes players who played at least 10 games in 2023-24 or finished the season on a roster. It also includes players who appeared in at least one game in 2024-25. It will continue to be updated throughout the season.
You can access this list anytime under the “Pro Hockey Rumors Features” menu on the right sidebar on our desktop site or in the Flame menu on our mobile site. If you have any corrections or omissions, please contact us.
Updated 12/19/24 (10:59am CT)
Unrestricted Free Agents
Centers
- Pierre-Édouard Bellemare (39)
- Note: Bellemare signed a one-year contract with Switzerland’s HC Ajoie on 10/31.
- Ryan Carpenter (33)
- Note: Carpenter signed a two-year contract with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls on 7/2.
- Sam Gagner (35)
- Michael McLeod (26)
- Note: McLeod signed a one-year contract with Russia’s Avangard Omsk on 11/19.
- Chris Tierney (30)
- Note: Tierney signed a one-year contract with Belarus’ Dinamo Minsk on 9/23.
- Colin White (27)
- Note: White signed a one-year contract with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda on 8/13.
Left Wingers
- Alexander Barabanov (30)
- Note: Barabanov signed a two-year contract with Russia’s Ak Bars Kazan on 8/1.
- Sammy Blais (28)
- Note: Blais signed a one-year contract with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks on 8/22.
- Dillon Dubé (26)
- Note: Dubé signed a one-year contract with Belarus’ Dinamo Minsk on 7/1.
- Adam Erne (29)
- Mike Hoffman (34)
- Boris Katchouk (26)
- Note: Katchouk signed a one-year contract with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on 10/8.
- Dominik Kubalík (29)
- Note: Kubalík signed a one-year contract with Switzerland’s HC Ambrì-Piotta on 9/4.
- Milan Lucic (36)
Right Wingers
- Cal Clutterbuck (37)
- Denis Gurianov (27)
- Note: Gurianov signed a two-year contract with Russia’s CSKA Moscow on 8/1.
- Filip Zadina (24)
- Note: Zadina signed a two-year contract with Switzerland’s HC Davos on 9/1.
Defensemen
- Calen Addison (24)
- Note: Addison signed a one-year contract with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights on 10/23.
- Tony DeAngelo (29)
- Note: DeAngelo signed a one-year contract with Russia’s SKA St. Petersburg on 9/23.
- Callan Foote (25)
- Note: Foote signed a one-year contract with Slovakia’s HK 32 Liptovsky Mikulas on 9/18.
- Mark Giordano (41)
- Lucas Johansen (27)
- Note: Johansen signed a one-year contract with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights on 11/7.
- John Klingberg (32)
- Nikita Zaitsev (33)
- Note: Zaitsev signed a four-year contract with Russia’s SKA St. Petersburg on 7/4.
Goaltenders
- Aaron Dell (35)
- Note: Dell signed a one-year contract with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda on 9/26.
- Carter Hart (26)
- Martin Jones (34)
Sabres Name Michael Leone AHL Head Coach
The Sabres have hired USA Hockey mainstay Michael Leone as the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, per a team announcement Thursday. Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald was the first to report the hiring yesterday.
Leone succeeds Seth Appert, who’d been the head coach of the Amerks for the past four seasons. He was recently promoted to the NHL bench and will serve as an assistant on Lindy Ruff‘s staff as he makes his return to Buffalo.
The 36-year-old Leone had a collegiate and low-level minors career as a player, topping out in the ECHL with the Toledo Walleye in the mid-2010s. After retiring, he immediately began his coaching career as an assistant with the ECHL’s Quad City Mallards for the 2017-18 season.
The Michigan native has quickly risen up the ranks ever since. He jumped to an assistant role with Bowling Green State University the following season before joining USA Hockey in 2019, first as an assistant with their national U-17 team on a squad that boasted Calder Trophy finalist Luke Hughes on its blue line.
He hopped between the U17 and U18 teams over the next few years, also serving as an assistant for the national team at various international tournaments, before moving back to league play in 2022. Tabbed as the GM and head coach of the Green Bay Gamblers of the major junior United States Hockey League, he’s guided them to a 66-41-17 record over the past two seasons.
Leone coached multiple NHL-affiliated prospects with the Gamblers this season, namely Blackhawks 2023 second-round pick Adam Gajan, NHL Utah prospect Julian Lutz, and Lightning 2023 fourth-round pick Jayson Shaugabay.
He’ll now be entrusted with the development of a deep Sabres prospect pool in which almost every player makes a stop in Rochester at some point. Next season’s roster is likely to include 2022 first-round picks Jiri Kulich and Noah Östlund up front, with other first-round picks Isak Rosen and Matthew Savoie being potential options to suit up for the Amerks if they don’t make the NHL roster out of camp.
Latest On Nikita Zadorov
Earlier Thursday, it appeared there might be some progress on extension talks between the Canucks and pending UFA defenseman Nikita Zadorov, according to Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre. However, that was quickly refuted by Zadorov’s agent, Dan Milstein, and additionally by a report from CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, who said the likelihood of Zadorov remaining in Vancouver was looking “bleak.”
Zadorov, 29, was successful in his short stint with the Canucks. Picked up from the Flames via trade in late November, he finished the year with 14 points, a +6 rating and a whopping 102 PIMs in 54 games in a Vancouver sweater while averaging 17:04 per contest.
The legend of the 6’6″, 250-lb defender grew in the postseason, where he was arguably the team’s second-most valuable blue liner behind Norris finalist Quinn Hughes. He exploded for four goals and eight points in only 13 games, supplementing that with a +3 rating and good underlying metrics while averaging over 20 minutes per night.
That certainly boosted his value as he wraps up a two-year, $7.5MM contract he signed with Calgary in 2022. The hulking Russian has now logged at least 20 points in three consecutive seasons, posted a career-high 125 PIMs this season, and posted strong possession quality numbers during his previous two seasons in Calgary.
Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported last month that Zadorov would likely seek a six-year, $36MM ($6MM AAV) deal should he hit the open market. For a player without a lengthy history of playing top-four minutes, though, that’s a prohibitively expensive price tag.
Evolving Hockey projects Zadorov to receive a three-year deal at a $4MM cap hit, more in line with what shutdown defender Erik Gudbranson received from the Blue Jackets two summers go. In all likelihood, his next deal will likely fall somewhere in the middle of those two figures.
Maple Leafs, Predators Linked To Brett Pesce
Expect the Maple Leafs and Predators to be two of the top suitors for Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce if he hits the open market next month, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports.
The Hurricanes are still attempting to extend Pesce after general manager Don Waddell resigned last month, but they haven’t been close to a deal since discussions started last summer. In fact, most believed he would be traded last summer to avoid losing him for nothing at the end of this season, but they took him off the trade block during training camp and decided to continue negotiations.
Recent reports around Pesce’s pending free agency suggest more of the same. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman believed the Canes were holding firm at an offer of around $5MM annually on a five-year deal that Pesce wasn’t willing to accept.
Nashville was one of the teams interested in acquiring him when he was made available for trade last summer, Pagnotta notes, so it’s of no surprise to see them linked to Pesce again. They’re looking for a top-four defender to replace Ryan McDonagh, whom they traded back to the Lightning last month after acquiring him from Tampa in the 2022 offseason.
Pesce would be a similar stylistic fit, but unlike McDonagh, he’s a right-shot. That gives him a greater potential of sliding upward in the lineup to play alongside captain Roman Josi, also a left-shot, on the team’s top pairing.
He’s used to heavy usage, averaging over 20 minutes per game for eight straight seasons. The 29-year-old is coming off a down year offensively with only three goals and 13 points in 70 games, but his career averages suggest the two-way blue-liner is more of a 25-to-30-point producer over a full season.
The New York native has earned sparse Norris consideration in the past, receiving votes in 2018 and 2020. His possession numbers are still strong, controlling 54.4% of shot attempts at even strength throughout his career. He’s also had an expected goals share north of 50% for the past four years, per Hockey Reference.
It’s no surprise to see Toronto engaged in Pesce rumors, either. They’ll be in on nearly all of the top defensemen on this summer’s UFA market, but especially right-shots. Ideally, second-year GM Brad Treliving is looking for a stable partner for top offensive blue liner Morgan Rielly, who’s had a rotating cast of shutdown partners over the past few seasons.
The Leafs lack puck-movers outside of Rielly among their defense corps, and while it’s not a hallmark of Pesce’s game, he would be a small upgrade over Jake McCabe and the outgoing T.J. Brodie in that regard. He’s eclipsed 20 assists four times in his career, including a career-high 25 helpers in 2022-23.
Evolving Hockey’s contract projections peg Pesce to land a six-year, $5.5MM AAV deal on the open market, slightly lengthier and richer than his rumored extension offer in Carolina. That would be feasible for both the Leafs and Preds, who enter the offseason with a decent amount of salary cap flexibility.
Kings Sign Akil Thomas To Two-Year Extension
June 6: The Kings made Thomas’ extension official Thursday. It carries a cap hit of $775K, confirming he’ll earn the league-minimum base salary in both seasons of the deal.
June 5: The Kings have agreed to terms on a two-year extension with center Akil Thomas, reports The Fourth Period’s Dennis Bernstein. Thomas was slated to become a restricted free agent on July 1. He’ll have a two-way salary structure next season before converting to a one-way deal in 2025-26.
A second-round pick of in 2018, Thomas returns for his fifth and sixth professional seasons in the Kings organization. He’s been a mainstay for their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, since making his professional debut in 2020.
Thomas only recently made his NHL debut, impressing with three goals and an assist in a late-season seven-game call-up a few months back. It was a good sign for the one-time World Juniors gold medalist, who was once viewed as one of the Kings’ top prospects but has had significant injury struggles in the past few years. His 71 combined games played for the Kings and Reign this season were his most at any level.
With added health came added production. The 24-year-old right-shot pivot served as an alternate captain for the Reign while putting up career highs offensively, ranking fourth on the team in scoring with 46 points (22 goals, 24 assists) in 64 games.
Thomas’ rookie deal ran out last summer, prompting him to sign a one-year, two-way deal that paid him $775K in the NHL and $100K in the minors this season. While financial details haven’t been reported yet, he’ll likely earn a significant AHL pay bump with the potential for a slightly increased NHL salary.
He’s no longer waiver-exempt, so if the Kings cut him from the roster, they would have to expose him to the league’s other 31 teams during training camp. Signing Thomas to a two-year deal is partially a deterrent to keep teams away from claiming him if they go that route, but a one-way commitment in the second half is a promising sign that they envision Thomas still capping out as an NHL contributor as he enters his mid-20s.
Lightning Sign Declan Carlile To Two-Year Extension
3:15 p.m.: Carlile’s deal carries a $775K base salary in both seasons, which will serve as his cap hit. He’ll earn $100K in AHL salary with a $150K guarantee next season, increasing to a $250K AHL salary with a $350K guarantee in 2025-26.
The Lightning have signed defenseman Declan Carlile to a two-year, two-way extension, per a team announcement Thursday. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Carlile, 24, made his NHL debut this season on Jan. 4 against the Wild, posting a +1 rating, one hit and two blocks in 11:27 of ice time. It remains his only major-league appearance to date.
The Bolts picked up the undrafted blue liner as a free agent signing out of Merrimack College in 2022, and his entry-level contract was set to expire this summer. He’s spent nearly all of the past two seasons on assignment to AHL Syracuse, where he finished second in scoring among defensemen this season with 27 points (seven goals, 20 assists) in 61 contests. He also added a goal and four assists in eight playoff games as the Crunch were eliminated in the North Division Finals by the Cleveland Monsters.
He’ll now remain in the Tampa Bay organization through the 2025-26 season. He’ll be a restricted free agent upon expiry, but he’ll be eligible to reach unrestricted free agency early via Group VI status if he plays fewer than 80 career NHL games by the time the extension runs out.
In the likely event that Carlile doesn’t crack the Bolts’ opening night roster, they won’t need to place him on waivers to return him to Syracuse to begin next season. He has one season and 69 NHL games played remaining until he loses his waiver exemption, meaning they would need to waive him to begin 2025-26 if he’s cut from training camp.
Sharks Looking To Add Top-Four Defenseman In Free Agency
The Sharks will look to pick up an experienced top-four blue liner when the free agent market opens July 1, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports.
San Jose, coming off a last-place 19 wins and 47 points, allowed the most goals in the league last season, conceding nearly four per game on average. That was despite largely solid performances in the net from Mackenzie Blackwood and Kaapo Kähkönen, their tandem for most of the season, who each performed slightly above expected, per MoneyPuck.
That places the blame squarely on an understaffed defense led by Mario Ferraro, journeyman depth piece Jan Rutta and rookie Henry Thrun. A blue line that was designed to fail after shipping out Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson to the Penguins over the summer performed as expected. According to MoneyPuck, the Sharks allowed 313 expected goals against in all situations, 24 more than the second-to-last Blue Jackets, who had 289.
Thus, with their big offseason splash at forward already set in the form of projected first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini, prioritizing defense on the open market is the logical choice for general manager Mike Grier. Most of the Sharks’ cast last season is set to return – veteran Jacob MacDonald (who played forward for half the season anyway) is the only pending UFA.
But pushing overworked depth pieces down the depth chart is never a bad thing, and any addition will have its benefits outside of the player’s skill set. Allowing for reduced minutes for the trio above, plus reduced responsibility for others like Calen Addison and Kyle Burroughs, should lead to a slight overall improvement in their defensive game.
In terms of specific targets, Sean Walker is a name to watch when Free Agent Frenzy begins, Pagnotta said. The 29-year-old is coming off a career season in which he scored 10 goals and 29 points in 81 games split between the Flyers and Avalanche, averaging a career-high 19:14 per game to boot.
Like everyone else on the Sharks’ roster, putting him in a top-pairing role is likely asking too much of him, but he’s still an upgrade on anyone they have. He logged a career-high 19:14 per game last season after toiling in third-pairing roles for the Kings the past few seasons, posting strong even-strength possession metrics (53.2 CF%) and logging significant time on the penalty kill in Philadelphia before being stripped of special teams usage on a deep Colorado blue line after a deadline deal sent him to Denver.
Walker’s market value has never been higher, too, and signing with a team with virtually infinite cap space this summer would allow him to take full advantage of it. Evolving Hockey projects him to land a five-year, $5MM AAV deal on the open market, but he could likely bump that figure up in negotiations to join a rebuilder in San Jose.
The Sharks won’t be alone in their pursuit of Walker, though. Pagnotta reports the Hurricanes, Maple Leafs, Predators and Stars are all expected to engage with the defender’s camp once free agency begins. After going without a point in 11 playoff games for the Avs with a -5 rating, it seems highly unlikely he’ll re-sign with a cap-strapped club dealing with financial uncertainty fueled by the futures of Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin.
There are plenty of other defenders with top-four experience for the Sharks to target if they don’t get Walker. While the biggest names like Brandon Montour and Brady Skjei seem unlikely to join a team in the throes of a rebuild, Alexandre Carrier, Matt Roy and former Shark Dylan DeMelo are names with top-four experience that could make sense.