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Marco Rossi’s Contract Demand Becoming A Roadblock

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Marco Rossi’s asking price for his next contract is quickly becoming an issue, and not only for the Minnesota Wild. Earlier today, in an article by Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff, he indicates that teams aren’t interested in Rossi if his seven-year, $49MM extension demand remains.

Di Marco indicates that the Philadelphia Flyers had ’lukewarm’ interest in Rossi dating back to 2024. The discussions at that time centered on Morgan Frost, before he was traded in a separate deal to the Calgary Flames. According to a source, the Wild are interested in recently extended Tyson Foerster, along with one of the Flyers’ late first-round picks for the upcoming draft, originally belonging to the Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers.

Later on, in an article from Michael Russo of The Athletic, Minnesota General Manager Bill Guerin denied Di Marco’s report, saying, “I’ve talked to lots of teams about lots of players — not just Marco — and names come up all the time, but there’s never been any serious discussion with anybody yet.”

According to Russo’s report, the Wild have offered Rossi a five-year, $25MM extension and a shorter-term offer for an undisclosed amount. Regardless, there seems to be a clear disconnect between the team’s assessment of Rossi’s value and his own.

It is unlikely that Minnesota will meet Rossi’s asking price for an extension. The Wild gave the same contract to winger Matt Boldy, who scored 102 points on his entry-level contract, compared to Rossi’s 101. The sticking point is that Boldy did it in 60 fewer games played.

Still, Rossi could make a solid case for himself by comparing himself to Flames forward Matthew Coronato. Coronato signed a seven-year, $45.5MM extension with Calgary a few weeks ago, and he had 13 fewer points than Rossi this past season.

At this point in the negotiation, there doesn’t seem to be a bridgeable gap between Minnesota and Rossi, unless he opts for the shorter-term offer. Russo listed the Buffalo Sabres, Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Montreal Canadiens, and Vancouver Canucks as suitable candidates should they pivot to trading their former ninth-overall selection.

Pacific Notes: Demko, Richardson, Cull

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The offseason has already started for 30 of the NHL’s 32 teams, and David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period believes the busiest teams from that group has been the Vancouver Canucks. In one matter in particular, Pagnotta reports that Canucks netminder Thatcher Demko is open to a change of scenery this summer.

It’s a stark contrast from Jim Rutherford’s expressed desires at the end of the season. Rutherford bluntly said, “We would like to extend him.” Pagnotta’s report could indicate that Demko isn’t on the same page as the Canucks, is open to being traded if there isn’t an extension by the end of the offseason, or it’s just plain conjecture.

Any team interested in acquiring Demko will be trading for a gamble. He’s had storied issues staying healthy over the last two years, but still carries a career .910 SV% in 242 games. He’s reportedly entering the offseason healthy, so he’ll have a full summer of preparation, which could give goalie-hungry teams enough comfort to pull the trigger on a move.

Other notes from the Pacific Division:

  • Although the Seattle Kraken ultimately hired Lane Lambert as their next head coach, the team reportedly garnered interest from the Chicago Blackhawks’ former bench boss. Bill Meltzer, a contributor for the Philadelphia Flyers, reported that Luke Richardson expressed interest in the coaching vacancy in Seattle, but it is unclear whether he secured an interview. The Boston Bruins’ and Pittsburgh Penguins’ vacancies are the only two remaining for Richardson, and there’s no belief he’s a frontrunner for either.
  • The Calgary Flames have promoted the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers. Calgary announced they’ve added Trent Cull as an assistant coach on a full-time basis for the 2025-26 NHL season. Cull guided the Wranglers to two straight postseason appearances, losing in the Pacific Division semifinals during his first year and the First Round this postseason.

Prospect Notes: Sharks, Reschny, Verhoeff

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The San Jose Sharks are retaining their exclusive negotiating rights on three players from the 2024 NHL Draft. The Sharks announced they’ve issued bona fide offers to defensemen Nate Misskey and Colton Roberts, and forward Carson Wetsch.

Wetsch was the highest-drafted of the trio, being selected with the 82nd overall pick, while Misskey and Roberts were drafted in the fifth round, respectively. Wetsch had a nearly identical statistical campaign to his draft year, scoring 33 goals and 19 assists in 68 games, with another five goals and one assist in 11 postseason contests.

Still, Misskey may have shown that he has the highest upside this season. He scored 10 goals and 47 points in 63 games for the Victoria Royals, finishing as the team’s second-highest scoring defenseman. He’s already committed to the University of Massachusetts-Lowell for the 2025-26 NCAA season.

Other prospect notes:

  • The University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks got a major commitment earlier today. According to Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald, projected 2025 first-round pick Cole Reschny will play for the Hawks next year. Reschny’s offensive talents are evident, and he should help a storied program that has only won one Division Championship in the last decade. The Macklin, Saskatchewan native scored 26 goals and 92 points in 62 games as a 17-year-old for the WHL’s Victoria Royals this past season.
  • Reschny wasn’t the only top commit that the University of North Dakota received today. Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff reported that defenseman Keaton Verhoeff, projected to be a top-three selection in the 2026 NHL Draft, has also committed to the Fighting Hawks program. Verhoeff was Reschny’s teammate on the Royals this past year, scoring 21 goals and 45 points in 63 games as a 16-year-old, including one goal and 10 points in 11 postseason contests.

Seattle Kraken Sign Josh Mahura To Two-Year Contract

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The Seattle Kraken announced they’ve signed defenseman Josh Mahura to a two-year contract through the 2026-27 NHL season. The announcement indicated that Mahura will earn an AAV of $907.5K during the contract, meaning the total deal will be for $1.815MM.

Mahura recently wrapped up his first season with the Kraken. The former Anaheim Duck and Florida Panther became an unrestricted free agent last offseason after the Panthers denied an opportunity to qualify him, allowing him to sign with Seattle on the third day of the free agency period.

Still, he didn’t make the Kraken out of training camp. The team passed him through waivers on October 5th, shortly before the start of the 2024-25 season. Fortunately for the team, Mahura went through unclaimed, giving the Kraken some much-needed flexibility with his one-way contract.

Mahura only had to wait until the third game of the regular season to debut with Seattle, and he enjoyed another two extended stays on the roster after. The Kraken largely used him as a depth option, tallying nine assists in 64 games with a +5 rating while averaging 13:45 of ice time per night. It was Mahura’s highest games played total since 2022-23, when he scored four goals and 16 points in 82 games with Florida.

Seattle will enter the offseason with a largely intact defensive core, so Mahura should expect much of the same next season. He’s a quality option who can play on both sides of the blue line and can hold his own on the defensive side of the puck, as evidenced by his 91.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength.

Avalanche Sign Ilya Nabokov To Entry-Level Contract

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5:19 p.m.: Nabokov won’t be heading to North America quite yet. Rawal reported that although the Avalanche have signed Nabokov to his entry-level contract, he’ll spend the 2025-26 season on loan with KHL Metallurg.

3:02 p.m.: As hinted at yesterday by Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette, the Colorado Avalanche have followed through in signing their highest-rated goaltending prospect. Colorado announced they’ve signed netminder Ilya Nabokov to a two-year entry-level contract through the 2026-27 season.

The Avalanche selected Nabokov 38th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, making him the first netminder off the board. He went to an organization that desperately needed him.

Colorado corrected many of their goaltending woes this year by swapping out Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen for Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. Especially in the Georgiev for Blackwood swap, the Avalanche traded a goaltender with a .874 SV% and 3.38 GAA in 18 games for a netminder that finished the season with a .913 SV% and 2.33 GAA in 37 games in Colorado.

Still, Blackwood’s performance hasn’t diminished the team’s excitement about Nabokov. The Kasli, Russia native compiled a 23-13-3 record in 43 games, boasting a .930 SV% and 2.15 GAA, throughout his draft year with the KHL’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk. That performance in the world’s arguably third-best professional league could have garnered first-round interest in Nabokov.

If the regular season didn’t show his promise, the 2023-24 Gagarin Cup playoffs did. Nabokov backstopped Metallurg to their third Gagarin Cup championship, managing a 16-6-0 record throughout the postseason with a .924 SV%, including four shutouts.

Considering the early-season goaltending struggles, there were some rumblings that the Avalanche could seek to pull Nabokov from the KHL sooner rather than later. Still, the team opted to leave him overseas for the 2024-25 KHL season, and he had another impressive year.

Continuing with Metallurg, Nabokov finished with a 23-17-6 record in 49 contests with a .923 SV% and 2.22 GAA, with three shutouts. Assuming the Avalanche stick with the Blackwood/Wedgewood tandem for the 2025-26 season, Nabokov will likely start with their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, while being a recall candidate should one of the former succumb to an injury.

Hurricanes Notes: Orlov, Burns, Jarvis, Chatfield

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There were plenty of updates from the Carolina Hurricanes today, including from a few of their pending unrestricted free agents. In particular, according to Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal, the team hasn’t started contract negotiations with Dmitry Orlov, but the defenseman still considers the Hurricanes an option.

Carolina likely hasn’t had talks with Orlov because he won’t be their highest priority entering the offseason. The Hurricanes have a remarkably impressive left side of their defensive core, featuring Jaccob Slavin, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Alexander Nikishin.

Still, Orlov is coming off an impressive season in his own right. The 13-year veteran scored six goals and 22 points in 76 games for Carolina this season and was one of their top options on the penalty kill. He sustained his physicality and again reached the 20-minute on-ice average after dipping below the threshold last season. He’ll find plenty of interest in his services on the free-agent market, particularly from the Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, New York Islanders, and San Jose Sharks, who each played below average with a man disadvantage.

Other notes from the Hurricanes:

  • On the other hand, there is one defenseman eager to stay in Raleigh. Earlier today, team reporter Walt Ruff shared a quote from veteran defenseman Brent Burns saying, “We’ll see what happens, but we love it here and would love for it to work out.” Whether or not it works out with the Hurricanes, it seems that Burns will return for a 22nd season. Still, he did show signs of slowing down this season, scoring six goals and 29 points in 82 games after tallying 43 points a year prior.
  • Moving over the injury-related news, Ruff reported that forward Seth Jarvis was dealing with the same shoulder injury from last year throughout the regular season and playoffs. According to the report, Ruff indicated that Jarvis has already ruled out surgery as an option to avoid missing the start of the 2025-26 campaign and to keep his name in contention for Team Canada’s 2026 Olympic roster.
  • Lastly, Lavalette reported that defenseman Jalen Chatfield was dealing with a hip injury and was close to returning before the Hurricanes were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Final. Chatfield, like many of his peers on Carolina’s roster, had a largely successful trip through Round One and Two of the 2024-25 Stanley Cup playoffs. He scored one goal in nine games with a +6 rating before suffering the injury in Game 4 against the Washington Capitals, and had a 92.2% on-ice save percentage at even strength.

Atlantic Notes: Peterka, Woodcroft, Panthers

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In his new trade board entering the offseason, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff opines that Buffalo Sabres forward JJ Peterka is the top trade target. Peterka tied for second in scoring among Sabres players this season and will become a restricted free agent on July 1st.

Seravalli writes that several teams put together offers at the trade deadline for Peterka, but Buffalo General Manager Kevyn Adams had no interest in trading him. Despite Seravalli’s claim that a ’change of scenery’ is in order, it’s difficult to imagine the Sabres moving on from one of their top forwards this summer.

Still, Peterka has come into his own over the last two years, scoring 55 goals and 118 points in 159 games, with 93 of those points coming at even strength. It is reasonable to assume that Buffalo would receive a generous offer for Peterka, but he seems like a player the team should want to keep around for the long term. According to PuckPedia, the Sabres will have more than $23MM entering the offseason, giving them plenty of flexibility to seek a long-term contract with Peterka.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • Despite Washington Capitals assistant coach Mitch Love and Ontario Reign head coach Marco Sturm being labelled as the finalists for the Boston Bruins head coaching vacancy, Jimmy Murphy of RG has heard otherwise. Murphy posited that the Bruins have already begun ’talking money’ with coaching candidate Jay Woodcroft, but admits that Love and Sturm are still in the mix. There have not been other specific indications that the Bruins are negotiating a deal with Woodcroft, as the situation regarding the Bruins’ head coaching remains very uncertain.
  • In a humorous and candid quote, Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice describes the contrast between his team’s behaviour on the ice and off the ice. Giving most of the credit to captain Aleksander Barkov, Michael Russo of The Athletic writes about the Panthers’ tenacity, and sometimes dirty play during games, and their stout humility and respect in between puck drops. Recognizing this, Russo quoted Maurice, saying, “Have you ever shotgunned a beer? Have you ever been to church? Would you shotgun a beer in church? That doesn’t make you a hypocrite. There’s a context and a place for all things.“

Oilers Notes: Bowman, Ekholm, Hyman

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In an interview with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Edmonton Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman, spoke highly of the Oilers’ two defensive additions throughout the regular season, John Klingberg and Jake Walman. Bowman had always believed that the Oilers’ defense was the most glaring issue, saying, “That was something that struck me early in the season.”

The relationship between the Oilers and Klingberg began in November. Bowman articulated that Edmonton needed a capable puck-moving defenseman to play behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and that was the reason the team went after Klingberg. Bowman said, “We started talking to him in November, knowing he wouldn’t be back (from injury) for a while. But that was the style of player that I thought would really complement our group. Of course, you think of the defensive side, but I thought we defended well as a team.”

That was largely the same reasoning he used for pursuing Walman at the trade deadline. LeBrun quoted Bowman saying, “Walman is along the same lines, because I believed in the group we had on the defensive side. I felt if we could add to it, this was sort of the look that I was hoping would come to be.” The two have been instrumental in the Oilers’ run to the Western Conference Finals, combining for seven points in 27 games with a +19 rating, averaging more than 19 minutes of ice time per game.

More notes from the Oilers:

  • Staying on Edmonton’s blue line, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic recognized the strong play of defenseman Troy Stecher and the harsh reality eventually coming his way. In five games this postseason, Stecher has averaged an exceptional 100.0% on-ice save percentage at even strength, allowing Edmonton to play him without hesitation. Unfortunately, given the other pieces on the blue, Stecher will be the one removed from the blue line once Mattias Ekholm returns. Still, thanks to his play over the last several games, the Oilers won’t hesitate to put him back in the lineup should there be another defensive injury.
  • As noted in a new article from Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com, one player who’s stepped up his game in the postseason after a difficult regular season is Zach Hyman. In the article, which our readers are encouraged to read in its entirety, he blamed concussion issues and the fact that he wasn’t considered for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off as the reason he scored half as many goals as he did during the 2023-24 campaign. Still, he’s been phenomenal in the postseason, scoring five goals and 11 points in 14 games with 109 hits.

Connor Brown Out For Game 4, Calvin Pickard Questionable

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The Edmonton Oilers are confirmed to be without one forward as they look to take a commanding lead in the Western Conference Final in Game 4. According to TSN’s Ryan Rishaug, head coach Kris Knoblauch shared that Connor Brown won’t be in the lineup tomorrow, but netminder Calvin Pickard may return in a backup role.

Brown left the Oilers’ Game 3 victory on Saturday after being hit by Dallas Stars defenseman Alexander Petrovic in the second period. Edmonton listed Brown as having an upper-body injury, but it was clear from the hit that the injury could be isolated to the head. The 10-year veteran had been enjoying the best playoff run of his career, scoring five goals and eight points through the Oilers’ first 14 games of the postseason.

Luckily, Edmonton has a few effective options to replace Brown in the lineup. One of Viktor Arvidsson or Jeff Skinner could get the call, with the former being the likeliest option. Arvidsson has already appeared in nine games for the Oilers this postseason, scoring one goal and four points while averaging 11:06 of ice time per night.

Meanwhile, Pickard could get his first opportunity since Game 2 of Edmonton’s Round Two matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights. Although he wasn’t great, Pickard was exactly what the Oilers needed when starting netminder Stuart Skinner began to falter, managing a 6-0-0 record in seven games with a .888 SV%.

Still, it’s unlikely the Oilers will need Pickard to hurry back from injury if Skinner’s recent play continues. He’s been exceptional since reprising his role as the team’s starter in Game 3 against the Golden Knights, posting a 4-2-0 record in six games with a .936 SV%, including three shutouts.

Russia To Be Barred From 2026 Winter Olympics

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Sammi Silber of The Hockey News relays that the International Olympic Committee will officially bar the Russian Federation from participating in the 2026 Winter Olympics. It’ll mark the second consecutive Winter Olympic Games that Russia has been barred from due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Silber included a few quotes from IIHF President Luc Tardif regarding the decision. Tardif said, “The IOC is the organizer – we only deal with the competition (the hockey tournaments) itself. We have been pressuring them to make a decision, one way or another, because we’re getting closer to the Olympics and we need to know. Recently, they asked us to send them a schedule without Russia, so that’s where we are. The official statement is pending but the IOC has told us that they are informing the Russian Olympic Committee that they are not participating in the Olympics.”

It will be interesting to see how concrete the announcement will be and whether the United States and European Union’s ongoing peace efforts will impact Russia’s participation. There has been plenty of conjecture from all parties involved about the peace efforts, and there doesn’t seem to be an agreement on the horizon. Still, that could change before the Olympic torch is lit in Milan.

The news impacts the NHL and its players quite heavily. The 2026 Olympic Games were likely the last time NHL legends such as Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin would have participated as active players.

Each player’s last time participating in the illustrious international competition came more than a decade ago, in their home country. Still, Russia didn’t make it past the quarterfinals of the playoff round, losing to Team Finland. Ovechkin scored one goal and one assists in five games, while Malkin scored one goal and two assists in five games.

There’s a small chance that each player could still participate in the 2030 Winter Olympics after their NHL careers have concluded. Regardless, two of the game’s best players of all-time won’t participate in the next one.

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