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Washington Capitals Acquire, Extend Declan Chisholm

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Jun. 30th: It didn’t take long for the Capitals to extend their newest blueliner. According to PuckPedia, Washington has signed Chisholm to a two-year, $3.2MM contract, with a flat $1.6MM salary each year. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 campaign.

Jun. 28th: The Minnesota Wild and Washington Capitals have gotten together on a defenseman trade. According to a team announcement, the Wild have traded Declan Chisholm and the 180th overall pick to the Capitals in exchange for Chase Priskie and the 123rd overall pick.

Thus ends a one-and-a-half-year run in Minnesota for Chisholm. The longtime depth defenseman was claimed off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets partway through he 2023-24 season and turned it into a consistent role with the Wild for some time. In large part due to injuries across Minnesota’s defensive core, Chisholm managed a career-high of 66 games played this past season.

Even further, Chisholm achieved career-highs across the board. He finished the season with two goals and 12 points, averaging nearly 17 minutes of ice time, with a -5 rating and 69 blocked shots. Additionally, his 50.4% CorsiFor% at even strength and 91.5% on-ice save percentage at even strength made him a quality depth piece for the Wild to have on hand.

Unfortunately, he’s unlikely to find a similar role in Washington. The Capitals already have seven defensemen signed through next season, without mentioning they’ll need a new contract for depth defenseman Alexander Alexeyev. If Chisholm isn’t content with moving back to the AHL, he’s an easy non-tender candidate heading into next week.

Meanwhile, Priskie has spent the last two years as a prominent blueliner for the AHL’s Hershey Bears and is expected to hold a similar role with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. He’s scored 20 goals and 69 points in 130 AHL contests over the past two years, with an additional four goals and 19 points in 28 postseason contests.

Michael Russo of The Athletic was the first to report that the Wild were trading Chisholm.

Wild’s Jonas Brodin Underwent Surgery, To Miss Start Of Season

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According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, General Manager Bill Guerin has confirmed that Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin underwent upper-body surgery a few weeks ago, and he’ll likely miss the beginning of the 2025-26 season.

It’s an interesting development considering Brodin played for Team Sweden at the 2025 IIHF World Championships a few weeks ago. After scoring three goals and seven points in 10 tournament contests, Russo indicated that despite being medically cleared to play in the international competition, Brodin’s upper-body injury flared up again.

If Guerin’s assessment is correct and Brodin misses several games at the start of the 2025-26 season, it will be the seventh consecutive year that he has not played 80 or more games. The 13-year veteran has been mired by injuries for much of his career, failing to register even 70 games in three straight years.

Being limited to only 50 regular-season games during the 2024-25 campaign, it was Brodin’s lowest games played total since his rookie campaign during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. Still, he was able to avoid his worst offensive output, managing four goals and 20 points with a +10 rating when available.

Because he’s such a quality option for Minnesota when healthy, it would be inappropriate to call Brodin’s contract a sunk cost. Sure, the Wild would like more availability from their third-highest-paid defenseman, but his ability when healthy makes up for the lost time.

It’ll be interesting to see how Guerin fills the void left by Brodin. Depending on the duration of his absence, the team may shift Marco Rossi’s trade negotiations towards a readily available top-four option. Still, due to their urgent need for a second-line center, Minnesota is likely to wait for Brodin’s return and utilize internal candidates to fill the gap.

Canucks, Golden Knights, Kings Interested In Bowen Byram

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After sending high-end winger, JJ Peterka, out West a few days ago to the Utah Mammoth, the Buffalo Sabres are reportedly working the phones on another one of their younger roster players. According to TSN’s Darren Dreger on the Barn Burner podcast, the Sabres are receiving consistent interest in defenseman Bowen Byram from the Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights, and Los Angeles Kings.

For the former two teams, it’s apparent that Byram is being viewed as an option on his off-hand. Operating on the assumption he’ll be in any acquiring team’s top-four, the Canucks already have Quinn Hughes and Marcus Pettersson on the left, while the Golden Knights have Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin.

Meanwhile, the Kings may view Byram as a sufficient replacement for Vladislav Gavrikov should the defensive blue liner depart in free agency. Byram isn’t nearly as good as Gavrikov in the defensive zone, but would bring far more offensive pressure and could create a quality pairing with fellow youngster, Brandt Clarke.

For context, there’s no trade close at the time of writing, but it’s become apparent that the Sabres are making a concerted effort to balance out the handedness of their defensive core. The team has already found one quality right-handed option in Michael Kesselring, and is likely seeking one more after moving Byram.

Unfortunately for Buffalo, it’s challenging to ascertain Byram’s value on the trade market. He has not made many significant strides since his time with the Colorado Avalanche, recording a 0.46 PPG average over the past three years, despite an increase in average ice time since arriving in New York.

Still, despite his billing as an offensive-minded defenseman, Byram can hold his own in the defensive zone, racking up 313 blocked shots in 246 career games, with a 90.1% on-ice save percentage at even strength. It’s also important to note that, unlike many of his peers in Buffalo, Byram has postseason experience and had his name put on the Cup in 2022 with Colorado.

Golden Knights, Maple Leafs Discussing Mitch Marner Trade

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According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Vegas Golden Knights and Toronto Maple Leafs are in active negotiations for a sign-and-trade deal that would see Mitch Marner end up in Nevada. Friedman followed up on the initial report, stating that forward Nicolas Roy is expected to be part of the return to Toronto if a deal is finalized. A few moments later, TSN’s Bruce Garrioch reported that the Maple Leafs requested defenseman Nicolas Hague in the return as well.

Although sign-and-trades of this caliber are exceptionally rare, the Golden Knights’ motivation to make the move now, instead of pursuing Marner for nothing in a few days, is likely twofold. Acquiring him with a new contract in place now eliminates all competition for his services, and would allow Vegas to add an eighth year to his contract via Toronto.

Besides the magnitude of the hypothetical trade, the news comes with little surprise. The Golden Knights are no stranger to making sizeable additions to the roster and have been linked to Marner by various outlets for several weeks.

Depending on the dollar amount for Marner’s next deal, Vegas should be able to get a deal done rather comfortably. Assuming Roy is in the trade, the Golden Knights would have approximately $8.6MM available in cap space, with an additional $8.8MM available if defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is headed for the long-term injured reserve.

Adding Marner to a forward core that already includes Jack Eichel and Mark Stone would be enough to create one of the most dynamic offenses in the league. Eichel was the team’s leader in points this past season, scoring 28 goals and 94 points in 77 games. Meanwhile, Marner recently concluded the best individual season of his career, scoring 27 goals and 102 points in 81 contests with a +18 rating.

Despite not having a 100-point scorer in their brief team history, Vegas was still able to finish with the league’s fifth-best offense this season, averaging 3.34 goals per game. Unfortunately, their defense may suffer as a result of the trade.

Assuming Pietrangelo is headed for the LTIR, and Hague is included in the trade, that leaves the Golden Knights in the unenviable position of giving consistent minutes to Ben Hutton and Kaedan Korczak throughout the 2025-26 campaign, with few dollars to improve. They may find better options on the trade market, but it’ll be challenging with Marner presumably anchoring their salary cap table.

According to Friedman, Vegas views their situation similarly when it comes to their defensive core. The insider for Sportsnet indicated earlier that the Golden Knights attempted to acquire defenseman Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames earlier this week, though nothing worthwhile came to fruition.

Meanwhile, while only knowing a few of the reported names hypothetically headed to Toronto, Roy would be a quality addition for the Maple Leafs. Although he’s best used as a third-line center, Roy would bring a ton of versatility to Toronto’s forward with the ability to play up and down a lineup.

He’s been a consistent secondary scorer for the Golden Knights over the past four years, scoring 57 goals and 141 points in 284 games with a +26 rating, averaging 15:48 of ice time per night while maintaining a 47.9% success rate in the faceoff dot. Additionally, he’s a capable presence in the playoffs, scoring three goals and 11 points in 22 postseason contests during Vegas’ run to a Stanley Cup title in 2023.

Moving to the blue line, Hague is a known commodity in the league and has generated plenty of interest this summer. Utilizing a similar playstyle to Jake McCabe, Hague is a quality top-four option who can eat meaningful minutes. Although he’s not much of a point producer, Hague is an incredibly physical defenseman and stalwart in the defensive zone, managing a 90.9% on-ice save percentage in 364 games as a Golden Knight.

St. Louis Blues Sign Joel Hofer To Two-Year Extension

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General Manager Doug Armstrong has followed through on his promise that netminder Joel Hofer wouldn’t be leaving the St. Louis Blues this offseason. According to a team announcement, the Blues have signed Hofer to a two-year, $6.8MM extension.

The new two-year agreement will take Hofer through the 2026-27 season in St. Louis, when he’ll become a restricted free agent for the last time in his career. Consequently, Hofer’s deal expires at the same time as his peer, Jordan Binnington, indicating that the Blues’ front office views Hofer as the heir apparent.

Since the Blues traded Ville Husso to the Detroit Red Wings ahead of the 2022-23 NHL season, Hofer has worked his way into the backup role in St. Louis. Hofer forced the Blues’ hand that season, managing a 27-15-5 record in 47 games with their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, with a .921 SV% and 2.50 GAA.

His first full season as Binnington’s backup couldn’t have gone much better. Hofer finished the year with a 15-12-1 record in 30 games with a .913 SV%, 2.65 GAA, and 8.2 goals saved above average (GSAA). Even in a backup role, Hofer finished 11th in Calder Trophy voting, the third-highest for a netminder behind Philadelphia Flyer Samuel Ersson and Carolina Hurricane Pyotr Kochetkov.

Despite the team in front of him improving, Hofer’s output remained stagnant during the 2024-25 campaign. He finished the season with a 16-8-3 record in 31 games with a .901 SV%, 2.64 GAA, and 2.8 GSAA. Fortunately, even though his SV% took a slight dip, it was largely only due to a few bad performances, as he finished with a .693 quality start percentage.

As Binnington enters the twilight years of his career, the Blues may find themselves starting Hofer between 35 and 40 games a year, rather than keep him in the low 30s. At any rate, St. Louis has guaranteed themselves a quality goaltending tandem for at least two more years.

Connor Brown Will Reportedly Test Free Agent Market

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As the Edmonton Oilers continue to create the necessary cap space to retain defenseman Evan Bouchard on a long-term deal this summer, more cap casualties will be had. According to TSN’s Ryan Rishaug, one of those casualties will be winger Connor Brown, who’s expected to find a new home on the free agent market.

Brown joined the Oilers ahead of the 2023-24 season, reuniting with his linemate from the OHL’s Erie Otters, Connor McDavid. After being snakebitten for much of his first year, Brown will likely conclude his Oilers tenure with 17 goals and 42 points in 153 games, averaging 13:27 of ice time per game.

Although he wasn’t one of their top secondary scorers, Brown became a quality tertiary option for Edmonton, especially in the playoffs. Throughout the Oilers’ back-to-back run to the Stanley Cup Final, Brown chipped in with seven goals and 15 points in 39 games with a +5 rating, averaging 13:51 of ice time.

Interested teams will be hopeful that Brown’s yips and injury issues are behind him, and he can return to being a multi-digit goal-scorer in consecutive years. In his defense, it wasn’t all that long ago that Brown found a comfortable home in the Ottawa Senators’ top-six, scoring 47 goals and 117 points in 191 games over three years.

Unfortunately, even though he’ll command a comfortable deal on the open market, Brown shouldn’t expect to be paid like a typical 20-goal scorer this summer. He does have that upside, but many teams will likely view him as a bottom-six scorer rather than a middle-six option.

Chicago Blackhawks Acquire 29th Overall Pick, Select Mason West

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According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Carolina Hurricanes have traded the 29th overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft to the Chicago Blackhawks for the 34th and 62nd overall picks, plus a fifth-round pick in 2027. With their third first-round pick of the evening, the Blackhawks have selected Mason West from the USHL’s Fargo Force.

West, who will be joining the NCAA’s Michigan State University Spartans in the fall of 2026-27, is an intriguing prospect for a few reasons. He’s a towering forward, considering his talent, standing at 6’6″, 218lbs. Although he finished the year with USHL Fargo, he spent much of the year with Edina High School in Minnesota, scoring 27 goals and 49 points in 31 games.

Once he transitioned to Fargo toward the end of the year, he scored one goal and nine points in 10 games. The most fascinating part about West is that he’s never been a full-time hockey player. Throughout his time with Edina, West doubled as a premier high school quarterback and could receive D1 scholarships if his senior season this autumn goes well.

Because of his non-zero chance of cracking an NFL roster someday, West was projected to fall into the second round, anywhere between the 45th and 55th overall picks. The Blackhawks see potential in West and believe he will continue his professional hockey career.

Pittsburgh Penguins Acquire 24th Overall Pick, Select Will Horcoff

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According to a team announcement, the Los Angeles Kings have traded the 24th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the 31st and 59th overall selections. Using the pick, the Penguins selected Will Horcoff from the University of Michigan.

Horcoff, the son of longtime Edmonton Oiler Shawn Horcoff, had a split season during the 2024-25 campaign. He began the year with the United States National Team Development Program in Plymouth, MI, scoring eight goals and 14 points in 28 games with a +5 rating.

After making the short trip to Ann Arbor, MI, for the second half of the season, Horcoff finished his first year with the Wolverines with four goals and 10 points in 18 contests. He also performed well on the international stage, scoring two goals and four points in seven games for Team USA at the U18 World Junior Championship.

Unfortunately, few believed that Horcoff had the necessary offensive talent to warrant a first-round selection, with several mocks projecting him to fall to the second round. Still, at 6’4″, he’ll immediately add size and physicality to the Penguins system, and is arguably one of, if not the best, defensive forward available at this year’s draft. At any rate, it’ll be a few years before Pittsburgh sees the value in this pick, as Horcoff is expected to return to Michigan in the fall.

Nashville Predators Acquire 21st Overall Pick, Select Cameron Reid

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According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Ottawa Senators have traded the 21st overall selection of the 2025 NHL Draft to the Nashville Predators for the 23rd and 67th overall picks. The Predators have selected Cameron Reid from the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers as the franchise’s newest player at the time of writing.

Reid joins the Predators’ system as a very high-floor defensive prospect, being projected right around the time of selection if not a few spots higher. He recently completed his second season with the Rangers, scoring 14 goals and 54 points in 67 games with a +39 rating.

Unfortunately, Reid looked a bit weaker in the postseason, tallying five assists in 14 postseason contests with a -5 rating. It was an identical output to last year’s postseason in four additional games.

Although he’s mostly associated with the two-way archetype, Reid’s offensive capabilities are the best part of his game. He is an exceptional skater with advanced hockey IQ for his age, and his draft stock rose this season due to his effortless joining of the rush.

In all seriousness, shot selection may be his only true weakness, which is true of most younger defensemen, anyway. If he continues his developmental trajectory, Reid should have no issue being a top-four blueliner on Nashville’s roster and finding a role on both special teams units.

Flyers Acquire 12th Overall Pick, Select Jack Nesbitt

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As first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Pittsburgh Penguins have traded the 12th overall pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for the 22nd and 31st overall selections. With their newfound pick, the Flyers selected forward Jack Nesbitt from the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires.

In what is considered a surprise selection by most analysts’ projections, the Flyers selected a player projected toward the bottom third of the first round, if not the second round. The most logical explanation is that Philadelphia believed other teams were interested in Nesbitt and were uncomfortable waiting until the 22nd pick to select him.

Still, he’s a prototypical Flyers player and has serious puck skills. Standing at 6’4″, 183 lbs, Nesbitt was selected as a center, but given his skating ability, is likely destined for a spot on the left wing. He recently concluded his second full year in Windsor, scoring 25 goals and 64 points in 65 games with a +12 rating, and winning the OHL’s Most Improved Player Award as voted on by the coaches.

Unfortunately, despite the raw scoring potential, there are serious concerns with Nesbitt’s skating ability. His scoring pace and effort level declined significantly toward the end of the 2024-25 campaign, tallying only one goal in 12 postseason contests with a -5 rating.

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