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.
Dennis Hull Passes Away At 81
In an unfortunate announcement, the Chicago Blackhawks revealed that long-time player Dennis Hull has passed away at the age of 81. Dennis was the younger brother of Bobby Hull and the uncle of Brett Hull.
By the time Dennis reached the “Black Hawks” for the 1964-65 season, Bobby had already become a phenom and earned his iconic nickname, the “Golden Jet”. Still, being overshadowed by his larger-than-life brother, Dennis put together a quality career in the NHL.
It took him a few years to get everything figured out, but by the 1966-67 season, he had become a consistent scoring threat. Even after Bobby departed for the WHA’s Winnipeg Jets in 1972 for a whopping $1MM signing bonus ($13.94MM in today’s dollars), Dennis remained with the Black Hawks. In total, he spent 13 years in Chicago, scoring 298 goals and 640 points in 904 games while playing in five All-Star Games.
Although he never won a Stanley Cup during his tenure with the Black Hawks (though he played in three finals), the highlight of Dennis’ career was the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union. Dennis initially intended to boycott the event because Bobby was excluded from the team due to his participation in the WHA. After receiving encouragement from his older brother, Dennis played on a line with Jean Ratelle and Rod Gilbert, scoring two goals and four points in four games, helping Canada to a series victory.
A few years later, Dennis would retire at the age of 33 after a one-year stint with the Detroit Red Wings. Despite appearing on a handful of broadcasts, Dennis lived a relatively private life after retirement. His most notable post after his playing career was as Athletic Director for the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.
We at PHR offer our condolences to Dennis’s friends, family, and loved ones.
Free Agent Focus: Chicago Blackhawks
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 Blackhawks.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Connor Bedard – Over a decade ago, the Blackhawks had just won their second Stanley Cup championship since 2010, and were looking to keep the core pieces together for the foreseeable future. A few days into the offseason ahead of the 2014-15 season, Chicago signed star forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews to identical eight-year, $84MM contracts. This summer, they will have a similar franchise-defining negotiation. It appears that discussions have begun, as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that both parties were looking into short- and long-term agreements. Bedard has led the team in scoring in each season of his career and is coming off a year in which he scored 30 goals and 75 points in 69 games. If the Blackhawks and Bedard reach a long-term contract, it will certainly exceed the eight-year, $80MM benchmark set by Logan Cooley last October.
D Kevin Korchinski – Drafted a year before Bedard, Korchinski hasn’t panned out as well despite being a top-10 selection. After spending his entire rookie campaign in Chicago, Korchinski has largely been in the AHL since. He has performed relatively well with the Rockford IceHogs, although not with as much offensive flair as he showed throughout his time with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. Over the last two years, Korchinski has scored five goals and 53 points in 109 AHL contests, with another one goal and four points in 29 NHL games. Assuming the Blackhawks still believe in his ability to become a consistent top-four defenseman, Korchinski is likely poised for a one- to two-year contract this summer with a relatively low cap hit.
D Ethan Del Mastro – Similar to Korchinski, Del Mastro hasn’t spent much of his time with Chicago the past two years. Since the start of the 2024-25 campaign, Del Mastro has registered two goals and seven points in 42 NHL games, with an additional two goals and 27 points in 92 AHL contests. Still, although he may be a non-tender candidate for other organizations, there’s a decent chance the Blackhawks will retain Del Mastro to continue as organizational depth.
Other RFAs: D Dmitri Kuzmin, D Ryan Mast, G Drew Commesso
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Ilya Mikheyev – As much as Chicago would have liked to retain Mikheyev for the future, it doesn’t sound like the relationship is going to last any longer. A few weeks ago, reports indicated that contract talks between Mikheyev and the Blackhawks had broken down, and the organization was actively looking to trade his negotiating rights to an interested team. He has remained a consistent middle-six forward for Chicago, scoring 38 goals and 70 points in 157 games over the past two years with a +6 rating. Given his ability to perform well on the penalty kill and on the defensive side of the puck at large, and his tertiary scoring ability, Mikheyev shouldn’t have a hard time finding a greener pasture this summer.
D Matt Grzelcyk – What a difference a year can make. After registering 40 points in 80 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins on a one-year, $2.75MM contract during the 2024-25 campaign, Grzelcyk was poised to take advantage of a thin free agent class and cash in on the best season of his career. Unfortunately, no teams took the bait. He instead settled on a one-year, $1MM contract with the Blackhawks after skating with the team on a PTO in September. The 32-year-old blue liner shouldn’t have any expectations of breaking the bank this summer after registering 12 assists in 69 games with Chicago, averaging 16:58 of ice time.
Other UFAs: F Sam Lafferty, F Joey Anderson, G Olivier Rodrigue
Projected Cap Space
As has been the case for the past few years, the Blackhawks don’t need to worry about cap space this summer. Entering the offseason, the Blackhawks are projected to have the second-most cap space, just behind the San Jose Sharks, with $40.16MM in available room. As mentioned, Bedard’s next deal, whether on a long-term deal or not, should take more than a quarter out of that, but they’ll still have ample room left to make some big additions. Unfortunately, as is well known, that’s unlikely to come on the free agent market unless Chicago hands out some unadvised deals. Presumably, they’ll look to the trade market to address their defensive needs.
Photos courtesy of David Gonzales (Bedard) and Charles LeClaire (Mikheyev) of Imagn Images. Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia.
Latest On Maple Leafs Head Coaching Search
A few days ago, Frank Seravalli of Victory+ reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs were expected to interview Anaheim Ducks assistant coach Jay Woodcroft for their head coaching vacancy. In today’s rendition of 32 Thoughts, not only did Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman throw cold water on Seravalli’s report, he extinguished it completely.
Friedman shared that there’s no expectation that Woodcroft will interview with the Maple Leafs, nor is there any expectation that they’ll ask permission to do so from the Ducks. Still, Friedman confirmed that Woodcroft has interviewed with the Los Angeles Kings for their head coaching vacancy.
At this point, the only other candidate connected to Toronto has been David Carle, the current head coach at the University of Denver. Given that he’s already coached the Pioneers to three National Championships and the United States to two gold medals at the IIHF World Junior Championship, there’s no question why the Maple Leafs would be targeting him.
Still, Carle has been hesitant to leave his situation just south of downtown Denver. Recent reports indicate that Carle is open to the idea of joining the Maple Leafs, but the two sides remain in the early stages of a potential hire. There is speculation that if the Colorado Avalanche part ways with Jared Bednar after a fourth consecutive playoff exit before the Stanley Cup Final, Carle would likely step in to take the role.
Other than that, there haven’t been many other candidates linked to Toronto. Bruce Cassidy, the former head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, has become a popular candidate on the West Coast, but hasn’t been linked to the Maple Leafs in any meaningful fashion. Furthermore, Kris Knoblauch, who was recently removed from his post as the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, is in a similar situation.
Regardless, for several reasons, new General Manager John Chayka may be playing things extremely close to the vest regarding Toronto’s next head coach. That’s a challenging modus operandi to sustain in Toronto’s media market, but the Maple Leafs will continue to proceed carefully in any case.
Lightning Sign Benjamin Rautiainen To Entry-Level Contract
The Tampa Bay Lightning have inked one of their draft selections from last summer. According to a team announcement, the Lightning have signed forward Benjamin Rautiainen to a three-year, entry-level contract. According to Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times, the Lightning had to buy out the final year of Rautiainen’s contract with Tappara to facilitate the deal.
As mentioned, Rautiainen, 20, was drafted 108th overall by the Lightning in the 2025 NHL Draft. The Tampere, Finland native was playing for the Finnish Liiga’s Tappara, scoring 10 goals and 33 points in 50 games with a +4 rating. Additionally, he registered two goals and four points in nine postseason contests.
This season, Rautiainen turned heads. He was easily the most dominant force in Finland’s professional ranks, scoring 25 goals and 77 points in 59 games with a +24 rating. The next closest scorer was Joachim Blichfeld (33 goals and 71 points in 52 games), who is seven years older than Rautiainen.
Always looking for cheap depth, Rautiainen made Tampa Bay’s decision relatively easy. Although it’s typically unreasonable to expect a younger player to make the jump from Europe to the NHL, unless they’re coming from the KHL, there’s a non-zero chance Rautiainen cracks the Lightning’s roster out of training camp, albeit as a 12th or 13th forward.
Still, it wouldn’t hurt Rautiainen to begin the 2026-27 season with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. Rautiainen’s ability to provide offense in multiple ways should blend well with his peers in Syracuse, who recently tied for eighth in AHL scoring.
Predators Sign Felix Nilsson To Entry-Level Contract
According to a team announcement, the Nashville Predators have signed forward Felix Nilsson to a three-year, entry-level contract. The Predators didn’t disclose the financial terms of the deal, but it will carry through the 2028-29 season.
Nilsson, 20, was drafted with the 43rd overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft by Nashville. He was coming off a solid season for Rögle BK’s under-20 team, scoring 19 goals and 41 points in 36 games with a +17 rating. Nilsson did appear in 18 games for Rögle BK in the SHL, though he went scoreless.
The Stockholm, Sweden native gradually became a full-time SHLer the next season. He established a relatively low bar, scoring one goal and three points in 41 games with a -5 rating. On the international scene, Nilsson registered one goal and eight points in 16 games for Team Sweden’s U19 & U20 teams.
During the 2024-25 campaign, Nilsson continued his evolution into a formidable top-six forward. He completed the season with five goals and 22 points in 40 games, finishing with a -3 rating, which showcased his above-average playmaking abilities. Playing for Team Sweden in the U20 IIHF World Junior Championship, the then 19-year-old recorded one goal and six points in seven games, helping Sweden reach the Bronze Medal game.
This season, it became apparent that Nilsson was ready to make the jump to North America. He recorded 14 goals and 40 points in 52 games, achieving a +18 rating. He tied for 18th in overall scoring while leading all under-21 players in points.
Unless the Predators make several subtractions to their forward corps this offseason, Nilsson will likely begin his professional career with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. The Admirals have been a solid team in recent history despite taking a step back this season.
Timo Meier Given One-Game Suspension In World Championship
According to a public announcement, the IIHF Disciplinary Commission has given a one-game suspension to Team Switzerland’s Timo Meier for a knee-on-knee hit in the quarterfinals against Team Sweden. It’s a tough blow to Team Switzerland, as they are looking to reach the Gold Medal game for the third consecutive season.
The play of note came in the second period of the quarterfinal matchup. Oskar Sundqvist received the puck in the offensive zone and quickly adjusted when Meier was attempting to deliver a check. Instead, Meier followed Sundqvist’s path and was given a minor penalty for the play.
As is typically the case, the IIHF Disciplinary Commission reviewed whether there was a reasonable expectation of Meier being able to get out of the way. If it’s clear that he wasn’t, there likely wouldn’t have been a suspension since intent would have been removed from the situation.
In the announcement, the Disciplinary Commission said, “The Disciplinary Panel determined that this was not a situation where a sudden movement by the opposing player created unavoidable contact. Rather, Meier adjusted to his opponent’s movement and extended his knee, causing direct knee-on-knee contact.”
Although he’s had his offensive struggles for the New Jersey Devils, that hasn’t been the case for Meier at the World Championships. Playing on the most dominant team thus far, Meier is third on the team in scoring with three goals and 11 points in eight games with a +10 rating.
Team Switzerland will have to beat Team Norway tomorrow to reach the Gold Medal game for the third consecutive year. Unlike the Swiss, the Norwegians have never reached the Gold Medal game and have only finished as high as fourth in the tournament, most recently in 1951.