Central Notes: Sakic, Koivu, Holmes
Following today’s news that General Manager Chris MacFarland would be leaving the Colorado Avalanche to join their division rival, the Nashville Predators, speculation began regarding who would take over as the team’s General Manager in Denver. As it turns out, the search for a new General Manager only took a few minutes.
According to Bailey Curtis of DNVR Avalanche, the Avalanche sent out a public relations memo indicating that President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic would resume his role as the team’s General Manager. The franchise legend has already served as the team’s General Manager for eight years, and is largely credited with building the Colorado team that won the Stanley Cup in 2022. Although he retained his right to have the final call on roster decisions, Sakic hasn’t formally held the title since the Avalanche hired MacFarland in 2022.
Still, the memo didn’t indicate that it would be a long-term arrangement. It specifically stated that Sakic would be the General Manager through the 2026 NHL Draft and the beginning of the 2026-27 campaign. Colorado could wait until next offseason to promote from within, or hire a General Manager from outside the organization next year.
Additional notes from the Central Division:
- Long-time captain for the Minnesota Wild, Mikko Koivu, is returning to the Central Division — just not with Minnesota. According to a team announcement, the St. Louis Blues have hired Koivu to serve as a European development consultant. The Blues’ press release indicated that Koviu will assist with development plans for European prospects drafted by St. Louis. He has been working as an assistant and development coach for the Finnish Liiga’s TPS, alongside his older brother, Saku Koivu.
- A Chicago Blackhawks prospect is on the move in the OHL. According to a league announcement, the Sarnia Sting have acquired forward Parker Holmes from the Brantford Bulldogs for a 2028 third-round pick and a 2028 sixth-round pick. Holmes was taken with the 107th overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft by the Blackhawks, and scored six goals and 17 points in 49 games for the Bulldogs this past season.
Aaron Ness Announces Retirement
According to an announcement from the AHL’s Hershey Bears, defenseman and captain Aaron Ness has retired. Ness has a handful of games of NHL experience, though most of his professional days were spent in the AHL.
Ness’ professional career began in 2008, being selected with the 40th overall pick of that summer’s draft by the New York Islanders. Drafted out of the infamous Minnesota state high school hockey pipeline, Ness jumped to the NCAA’s University of Minnesota the next season. He spent three years with the Golden Gophers, scoring six goals and 43 points in 111 games.
After his junior season, Ness signed his entry-level contract with the Islanders and began playing for their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. During his time with the Islanders organization, he spent most of it with the Sound Tigers, where he was named the team’s captain for the 2014-15 season. He had the second-best production of his AHL career that year, scoring eight goals and 45 points in 74 games.
Additionally, Ness earned an extended look in the NHL with New York. During the 2013-14 season, in a depth role, Ness registered one goal and three points in 20 games for the Islanders, averaging 14:48 of ice time per game. Unfortunately, that relationship didn’t last much longer, and Ness left as a free agent in 2015 to join the Washington Capitals.
The Capitals organization is where Ness enjoyed the best years of his career. From the beginning of the 2015-16 campaign to the 2017-18 season, Ness skated in 18 games for the Capitals while tallying three assists. Similar to his time with the Islanders, Ness spent most of his time in the AHL, this time with the Hershey Bears.
Ahead of the 2019-20 campaign, Ness signed with the Arizona Coyotes and left after two seasons to sign an AHL deal with the Providence Bruins. After his one-year stint in Rhode Island, Ness returned to the Bears on another AHL deal.
Now in his second stint with Hershey, Ness was immediately given a leadership position on the club and was named the team’s captain last season. He helped the Bears capture back-to-back Calder Cup championships in 2023 and 2024.
In total, Ness has a modest NHL scoring line of one goal and seven points in 72 games. Still, he amassed 61 goals and 339 points in 818 AHL games, with another two goals and 19 points in 81 postseason contests. Including his two Calder Cup rings, Ness enjoyed a 15-year career in the AHL, with over half of those being spent with the Bears. We at PHR congratulate Ness on his career and wish him the best in his next chapter.
Free Agent Focus: Detroit Red Wings
Free agency is just over a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. Even with the UFA crop being thinned out in recent months, there will be some quality veterans set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Red Wings.
Key Restricted Free Agents
D Simon Edvinsson – Regarding their internal free agents, Edvinsson will be the most important negotiation for the Red Wings this offseason. Not only has Edvinsson proven that he can handle heavy minutes, but he’s also a flawless partner next to Moritz Seider, something Detroit has struggled to fill the past two years. According to MoneyPuck, of the eight defensive pairings that finished with over 1000 minutes played, the combination of Edvinsson and Seider finished third with a 54.8% xGoals%. He’s mildly struggled on offense, scoring 16 goals and 56 points in 150 games the past two years, but Edvinsson has consistently put his body on the line to block shots, and uses his size and reach to his advantage on defense. On a long-term deal, AFP Analytics projects Edvinsson to sign a seven-year, $61.6MM ($8.8MM AAV). Given their unwillingness to pay anyone more than captain Dylan Larkin‘s $8.7MM salary, it’s far likelier that Edvinsson will sign closer to the $8MM to $8.25MM range, ensuring he remains below Larkin and Seider in the salary cap table.
G Sebastian Cossa – Despite being the subject of trade speculation heading into the offseason, it’s become clear that Cossa has become the heir-apparent in Detroit. The former 15th overall pick has been lights out for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins the past two years and will likely make the full-time jump to the NHL next season, albeit in a backup role. At some point, several years in the future, the Red Wings will likely be in a position to move one of Cossa or Trey Augustine off the roster, but that’s a ways away from being an issue. Throughout the past two years, the 6’6″, 209lbs netminder has managed a 47-23-10 record in 80 AHL contests with a SV% higher than .910 and a GAA lower than 2.50. Given that he only has one game of NHL experience, it’s likely that the two sides will agree on a one- to two-year deal this summer.
Other RFAs: F Carter Mazur, F Michael Milne, F Amadeus Lombardi, F Alexandre Doucet, F Jakub Rychlovsky, F Wojciech Stachowiak, D William Wallinder, D Eemil Viro, G Carter Gylander
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Patrick Kane – Of all the pending unrestricted free agents on the Red Wings, recent reporting indicates that Kane is the only one they have a desire to retain. It’s clear he’s lost a step, but a 19-year career and hip resurfacing surgery will do that to anyone. Regardless, the former MVP has continued to produce as a respectable secondary scorer, registering 16 goals and 57 points in 67 games this past season. During the past season, more injury concerns arose, but it seems that both Detroit and Kane would prefer a one-year deal anyway. Still, given his steady production, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kane re-up with the Red Wings for an identical one-year, $3MM contract this summer, with another $4MM available in performance bonuses.
F David Perron – Although Justin Faulk stole many of the eyes as the Red Wings’ big deadline acquisition, Detroit also returned a familiar face in Perron from the Ottawa Senators. Unfortunately, all signs indicate that the remarriage will end in another divorce. Perron was nearly unnoticeable in his second stint with the Red Wings, scoring three goals in 16 games with a -9 rating, averaging 13:59 of ice time per game. Given his recent injury concerns and distressing health concerns with his daughter, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Perron hang up his skates this summer. If he does continue to play, he should be able to find a bottom-six role elsewhere. However, after winning a Stanley Cup and enjoying a 19-year career, nobody would blame Perron if he decided to spend more time with his family.
F James van Riemsdyk – Detroit brought in ‘JVR’ last summer in the hopes that he would offer tertiary scoring and a veteran presence in the locker room. Through the first half of the season, that’s exactly what he provided. Heading into the Olympic break, van Riemsdyk had scored 14 goals and 25 points in 49 games, averaging 13:31 of ice time. Unfortunately, he and the rest of the team fell off a cliff after returning from the break. In his final 23 games, van Riemsdyk registered only one goal and six points. He is another bubble player that wouldn’t be surprising to see retire; however, if he does continue to play, the Los Angeles Kings, Winnipeg Jets, and New York Islanders all seem like decent landing spots for the 37-year-old winger.
Other UFAs: D Travis Hamonic, G Cam Talbot, F Austin Watson, F Eduards Tralmaks, D Erik Gustafsson, D Antti Tuomisto
Projected Cap Space
Detroit won’t have any issues making additions this summer. Even if the team spends $11MM to $13MM on retaining Edvinsson and Kane, they’ll still have more than $16MM to use to add to the roster. Although it’ll be difficult to move some bad contracts, the Red Wings could trim even more off the roster by trading Andrew Copp, J.T. Compher, Michael Rasmussen, and/or Mason Appleton. Unfortunately, it’ll be equally challenging to find suitable talent on the free agent market this summer. Detroit needs to prioritize goal-scoring and could likely use a fourth/fifth defenseman to help stabilize the defensive corps. Still, they are free to use the available dollars on the trade market, which is likely something General Manager Steve Yzerman will look toward this offseason.
Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire (Edvinsson) and Danny Wild (Kane) of Imagn Images. Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia.
Michigan Considered Frontrunners For Landon Dupont
As was the case with Gavin McKenna a year ago, there is plenty of speculation and excitement regarding where Landon Dupont will make his collegiate commitment. According to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, the University of Michigan appears to be the frontrunner for his services.
That isn’t to say that things can’t change, as they oftentimes do. Wheeler himself admitted that nothing is firm since Dupont’s season just ended yesterday. He’s expected to make the jump to the NCAA ahead of the 2027 NHL Draft, where he is expected to go first overall, but he hasn’t made a concrete decision just yet.
Outside of the Wolverines, the usual suspects have also expressed interest. Listing the University of Denver, the University of Minnesota, and Michigan State University, Dupont is at least guaranteed he’ll go to a good program. According to Wheeler, few schools have the same need as Michigan for a top-pairing defenseman, and even fewer possess the financial resources that the B1G program can allocate to any requirement.
If the Wolverines land Dupont, there’s no question they’ll have landed their top defenseman. Before turning 18, the Calgary, Alberta native has spent two years with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, scoring 35 goals and 133 points in 127 games. In this year’s postseason, Dupont registered five goals and 23 points in 17 games, helping the Silvertips to the Memorial Cup Final.
Multiple Players Have NHL Draft Rights Expire
According to PuckPedia, multiple prospects had their draft rights expire at the deadline today, meaning they’ll re-enter the 2026 NHL Draft or become unrestricted free agents.
Two distinct groups are impacted by this deadline. Prospects playing in the Canadian Major Junior leagues (OHL, QMJHL, or WHL) or those playing in Europe.
Of those players from the CHL who have played through their age-20 seasons, they’ll re-enter the 2026 NHL Draft, or become unrestricted free agents if they go undrafted. For the European players, they’ll become unrestricted free agents, though many typically stay in Europe to continue their professional careers.
The only other prospect whose draft rights expired, and didn’t meet either of the above requirements, was Toronto Maple Leafs 2025 draftee Matthew Hlacar. Hlacar was taken with the 217th overall pick of last year’s draft, and scored six goals and 12 points in 51 games for the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers this season. Toronto didn’t issue him a bona fide offer, which is simply tendering the player a league-minimum, entry-level deal to extend their signing rights.
The remaining prospects who will re-enter the 2026 NHL Draft or become UFAs are as follows:
D Ales Cech (Mammoth, 5-153, 2024)
D Simon Forsmark (Hurricanes, 4-101, 2022)
F Max Graham (Penguins, 5-139*, 2024)
F Petr Hauser (Oilers, 5-141**, 2022)
F Nils Juntorp (Hurricanes, 6-188***, 2022)
F Gustav Karlsson (Sabres, 6-187, 2022)
F Maximilian Kilpinen (Red Wings, 4-129, 2022)
D Kasper Kulonummi (Predators, 3-84, 2022)
F Hunter Laing (Flames, 6-170, 2024)
G Ryerson Leenders (Sabres, 7-219, 2024)
D Nathan Mayes (Maple Leafs, 7-225, 2024)
G Landon Miller (Red Wings, 4-126, 2024)
F Kaden Pitre (Lightning, 6-181, 2024)
F Joel Ratkovic Berndtsson (Sabres, 7-202, 2022)
F Santeri Sulku (Flyers, 7-197, 2022)
D Albin Sundin (Oilers, 6-183, 2024)
F Riku Tohila (Blackhawks, 7-199, 2022)
G Jakub Vondras (Hurricanes, 6-171, 2022)
* Originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils; traded to the Penguins in March 2025.
** Originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils; traded to the Oilers in March 2025.
*** Originally drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks; traded to the Hurricanes in January 2025.
Central Notes: Korchinski, Prospal, Rodrigue
After keeping him in the AHL for most of the past two years, the Chicago Blackhawks face a difficult scenario regarding Kevin Korchinski and his future. A restricted free agent this summer, Scott Powers of The Athletic believes they’ll retain Korchinski, while letting Ethan Del Mastro walk this offseason.
That’s not to say there was any indication the Blackhawks would let Korchinski head to a new team, but it’s still a question of where he fits. Powers rightly pointed out that Korchinski has little trade value (compared to his draft positioning) at the moment, is likely too good to return to the AHL, and not good enough to warrant consistent NHL playing time.
Hopefully, for Chicago’s sake, Korchinski has a big summer and comes into training camp like a bat out of hell. It wouldn’t do much for his development to keep him as the team’s seventh defenseman next season, but that’s the way things are headed unless he takes a major step forward.
Other notes from the Central Division:
- After spending the last three years with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, former player Václav Prospal may be headed to the NHL for the first time in his coaching career. On his 32 Thoughts podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicated that Prospal may join the St. Louis Blues next season as an assistant coach. The last time we worked in the NHL was in the 2013-14 season when he served as a professional scout for the New York Rangers.
- According to a team announcement, the Minnesota Wild have named Sylvain Rodrigue as the team’s Director of Goaltending, a newly created post. Rodrigue will be tasked with working closely with Minnesota’s goaltending coaches at all levels of the organization and creating development plans for all of the team’s netminders. Rodrigue spent the last two years with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers after spending nearly a decade in the Edmonton Oilers organization.
Panthers Sign Matvei Shuravin To Entry-Level Contract
According to an announcement from his agent, Dan Milstein, defenseman Matvei Shuravin has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers. The entry-level deal is expected to begin in the 2026-27 campaign.
Shuravin, 20, was drafted with the 97th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft by the Panthers. He was coming off a season primarily spent with the MHL’s Krasnaya Armiya Moskva, tallying seven assists in 22 games. In 11 games with the KHL’s CSKA Moskva, Shuravin scored two assists.
His post-draft season was spent again with the MHL’s Krasnaya Armiya Moskva, where his offensive prowess appeared to blossom. After registering single-digit scoring totals the year before, Shuravin finished the 2024-25 campaign with four goals and 24 points in 38 games with a +26 rating.
Unfortunately, Shuravin had little stability this past season. The Moscow, Russia native skated in 21 games for CSKA Moskva (KHL), 12 games for Zvezda Moskva (VHL), and 15 games for Krasnaya Armiya Moskva (MHL). He failed to register more than three points in any of the leagues.
The Panthers’ desire to sign him is likely two-fold. After a season marred by injuries, Florida is prioritizing depth this offseason. Shuravin was an easy target considering he is physically ready for North American hockey, and the organization already held his signing rights.
Additionally, the team may believe that better stability could help get Shuravin’s development back on track. He’s unlikely to make the Panthers’ opening night roster out of training camp, and assuming the team has fewer injuries next year, he should be able to spend most of, if not the entire year, with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
Canadiens, Ivan Demidov Have Mutual Interest In Long-Term Extension
Thanks to some shrewd extensions signed by the front office, the Montreal Canadiens arguably have the healthiest-looking long-term salary cap outlook. They’re expected to use some of that long-term space this summer in the form of a contract extension for Ivan Demidov.
In today’s end-of-season media availability, Demidov expectedly shared his desire to stay with the Canadiens for the foreseeable future. According to Marco D’Amico of RG Media, the front office shares a similar sentiment, quoting General Manager Kent Hughes, saying, “We know that Ivan likes playing in Montreal. We’ll talk to his agent in a few weeks. It all depends on whether the player prefers short-term or long-term contracts. We would prefer to sign him long-term.”
Additionally, team captain Nick Suzuki offered his own insight, according to D’Amico, saying he doesn’t think Demidov cares how much money he makes, only his ability to win.
Assuming everyone is telling the truth, and there’s no reason not to, it appears Demidov will sign a long-term extension with Montreal at some point this summer or next season. He’s already signed through next season thanks to his entry-level contract, but will become extension eligible on July 1st.
There’s no doubting his talent either. The former fifth overall pick is coming off an impressive rookie season, scoring 19 goals and 62 points in 82 games while averaging 15:30 of ice time. Despite being unlikely to win, that production warranted at least a top-three finish in the Calder Trophy voting this season.
He continued his strong play into the postseason, finishing with three goals and nine points in 19 contests, helping the Canadiens to the Eastern Conference Final.
If he does sign an extension, it’ll be interesting to see what dollar value the two sides agree to. Montreal has been willing to exceed Suzuki’s forward-leading $7.875MM salary on a pair of deals, but only for defensemen Noah Dobson and Lane Hutson. The Canadiens somehow managed to keep Juraj Slafkovsky under that threshold, but there’s no telling if Demidov will feel comfortable going there, especially with the rising salary cap.
According to AFP Analytics, on a long-term deal, Demidov is projected to land a seven-year, $58.1MM extension ($8.3MM AAV). Although he only has one season under his belt, that doesn’t seem like a bad number at face value. The Canadiens will likely try to get Demidov closer to the $8MM mark, if not below, while also approaching Suzuki about not being the highest-paid player on the team.
Montreal’s division rivals, the Detroit Red Wings, faced a similar situation two summers ago and were able to lock in Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider to long-term deals lower than captain Dylan Larkin‘s $8.7MM salary.
There’s no indication that Suzuki would be opposed to something like that, and those conversations are still a few weeks away, anyway. Still, with the salary cap rising to over $100MM this offseason, keeping Demidov’s future salary lower than Suzuki’s feels like an impossible task.
Avalanche Sign Nikita Novosyolov To Entry-Level Contract
The Colorado Avalanche have made quick work in adding to their goaltending depth. According to a team announcement, the Avalanche have signed netminder Nikita Novosyolov to a two-year, entry-level contract. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Novosyolov, 21, had no affiliation with the Avalanche before today’s signing. The Krasnoturyinsk, Russia native had never been drafted and had primarily been playing in the VHL for the past two years.
Still, there’s every indication that the young netminder would have spent next year in the KHL had he not signed with Colorado. Novosyolov is coming off an impressive season with the VHL’s Gornyak-UGMK, managing a 22-10-8 record in 40 games with a .932 SV% and 2.10 GAA, including three shutouts.
It would be one thing if the 2025-26 campaign just looked like a flash in the pan, but it’s remarkably similar to his 2024-25 production, and in more games. During the 2024-25 season, again with the Gornyak-UGMK, Novosyolov finished with a 14-4-5 record in 25 games with a .934 SV% and 2.24 GAA.
Unfortunately, Novosyolov doesn’t have a clear pathway to minutes, even with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. The Avalanche are already set between the pipes next season with the combination of Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood, whereas the Eagles have Ilya Nabokov and Trent Miner. However, in the likely event of injury, Novosyolov should have some AHL playing time next year.
Free Agent Focus: Colorado Avalanche
Free agency is just over a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. Even with the UFA crop being thinned out in recent months, there will be some quality veterans set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Avalanche.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Jack Drury – Not only has Drury become a stabilizing force in Colorado’s bottom-six, but he has also become one of the best bottom-six forwards in the entire league. Tying his career-high, Drury finished 10 goals and 27 points in 82 games while averaging 14:29 of ice time per game. Additionally, his 58.1% faceoff rate is even more impressive considering Drury began 63.8% of his shifts in the defensive zone. Given that he’s only one year away from reaching unrestricted free agency, it’s unlikely that Drury and the Avalanche will get together on a long-term deal this summer.
F Zakhar Bardakov – Despite averaging less than eight minutes of ice time per game, Bardakov remained on the NHL roster for much of the 2025-26 campaign. He had his moments, but was generally unimpressive, finishing with one goal and 10 points in 60 games. He maintained relatively solid defensive metrics and added 50 hits on the year, but didn’t do enough to earn a consistent NHL role. Still, given his familiarity with the NHL now, Colorado will likely keep him around to serve as depth since he won’t be too expensive to retain.
Other RFAs: F Sampo Ranta, F Daniil Gushchin, F Chase Bradley, F Taylor Makar, F Ivan Ivan, D Sergei Boikov
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
D Brent Burns – Burns is the primary suspect in the murder investigation of ‘Father Time’. Not only is he playing into his 40’s, but he also hasn’t missed a game in over a decade. He wasn’t a liability out there either, as the former 2003 draftee registered 12 goals and 35 points in 82 games, averaging just under 19 minutes of ice time per game. The Avalanche could use all the defensive depth it can get its hands on, and if Burns intends to keep playing and is interested in signing another bonus-laden deal, it should be a no-brainer for Colorado to keep him around.
D Brett Kulak – Outside of those on Team Canada at the Olympics, Kulak is the only player who got to play with Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Nathan MacKinnon throughout the regular season. During his time with the Avalanche, Kulak did what he did best: blocking shots and stepping up in the playoffs. Throughout postseason play, the 32-year-old blueliner finished with one goal and five points in 13 games with 25 blocked shots, averaging 20:38 of ice time. Unfortunately, unless Colorado can open up significantly more cap space, he’s unlikely to return this summer.
Other UFAs: F Joel Kiviranta, D Jack Ahcan, D Nick Blankenburg, F T.J. Tynan, F Alex Barre-Boulet, F Tye Felhaber, F Matthew Stienburg, F Valtteri Puustinen, F Jason Polin, D Jacob MacDonald, D Ronald Attard
Projected Cap Space
Colorado’s salary cap picture is an ugly one. Yes, the team has done a good job of locking in MacKinnon and Martin Necas, and maneuvering around the cap to bring in additional talent, but it’s all coming to a head in a year. Heading into the summer, the Avalanche only have approximately $2.98MM in salary cap breathing room. This should be enough to retain Drury and Burns, albeit barely, but it will be wholly insufficient to fill out the team’s depth for anything other than league minimum salaries. Additionally, Colorado is only one year away from ponying up new deals for Cale Makar and Artturi Lehkonen, so they’ll have to be prudent with every dollar spent this summer, and likely won’t want to lock themselves into anything extending beyond next season.
Photos courtesy of Dennis Lee (Drury) and Jeff Curry (Burns) of Imagn Images. Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia.