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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.

CBA Notes: Minimum Salary, LTIR, Draftees, Salary Retention, Olympics, Neck Guards

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Earlier today, league Commissioner Gary Bettman announced a Memorandum of Understanding between the NHL and NHLPA for a new agreed-upon Collective Bargaining Agreement beginning in the 2026-27 season. New details continue to emerge regarding the new agreement, one of which is regarding minimum salaries.

According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the league minimum salary will jump from $775K in 2025-26 to $1MM in 2029-30. Seravalli didn’t know if there would be a mild year-on-year increase for the minimum salary, just where it would end up by the time the next CBA ends.

Although the NHL hasn’t projected an upper limit of the salary cap for the 2029-30 season, it marks an odd relative dip in payment for league-minimum salaries. Assuming the cap continues to rise at its current pace of 9% each season, the upper limit for the 2029-30 season would be approximately $134.8MM. This means that a $775K salary in 2025-26 would account for 0.8% of a team’s cap hit, while a $1MM salary in 2029-30 would drop to 0.7%.

Other notes from the new CBA:

  • One of the biggest points of contention was the playoff implications of LTIR. The CBA includes a new salary cap for the playoffs. However, according to Seravalli, teams will only benefit from cap savings equal to the previous year’s average salary, rather than the full cap hit of the player. The only exception to this rule is if the player does not participate in the entire Stanley Cup playoffs.
  • Seravalli also pointed out the new draftee signing rules in the upcoming CBA. A team will hold the signing rights for four years on any 18-year-old that they draft tonight, and three years for any 19-year-old selected. Additionally, for those playing in the NCAA, their signing rights will only expire 30 days after they’ve confirmed with their drafting team that they’re no longer playing at the collegiate level.
  • According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the new CBA will mandate a 75-day window of allowable salary retention. In essence, the new rule effectively eliminated three-team trades at the deadline. If a team wants to orchestrate 75% salary retention on any given player, they’ll need to wait nearly 11 weeks to do so.
  • It’s now confirmed that NHL players will be included in the next two Olympic Games. According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, the new CBA includes language allowing the players to participate in the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps region of France.
  • As a new equipment rule, Seravalli announced that the NHL will make neck guards mandatory for any new player entering the league in the 2026-27 season and beyond. The new equipment rule is no doubt inspired by the late Adam Johnson, who tragically lost his life after getting cut in the neck by a skate in an EIHL game during the 2023-24 season.

Blackhawks Select Anton Frondell Third Overall

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The Chicago Blackhawks have added another high-end forward to their deep cupboard of prospects. With the third overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft, the Blackhawks selected Anton Frondell from the SHL’s Djurgårdens IF.

There’s a reason Frondell was listed as the top available European skater in this summer’s draft. The 6’1″, 205lbs Swede scored 11 goals and 25 points in 22 games for Djurgårdens IF HockeyAllsvenskan team, with another three goals and seven points in 16 postseason contests.

He shone on the international stage, too. The Trångsund, Sweden native scored one goal and three points in five tournament gams for Sweden’s U18 team at the U18 World Junior Championship this past season. Overall, Frondell was far and away Sweden’s top talent, scoring eight goals and 18 points in 19 international contests.

It’ll be interesting to see if Chicago decides to let Frondell make the jump to North America right away or continue his development overseas in the SHL with Djurgårdens IF, who have recently been promoted. At any rate, the Blackhawks organization and their fans will likely see Frondell participating in the 2025-26 U20 World Junior Championships.

As a natural center, Chicago may have cemented a powerful one-two punch down the middle with Frondell’s selection. Connor Bedard has already carved out his role as the team’s top center moving forward, which would allow Frondell to thrive on the second line or play on Bedard’s wing.

Islanders Select Matthew Schaefer First Overall

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As expected, the New York Islanders have selected defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the first overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft. Schaefer is the first defenseman chosen first overall since Owen Power in 2021, and only the sixth defenseman to achieve this since the 1992 NHL Draft, when the Ottawa Senators selected Chris Phillips.

Despite playing on the opposite side of the blue line, Schaefer’s presence at the top of the draft order made trading Noah Dobson all the more palatable for the Islanders. They’ll now have a younger defenseman with a higher ceiling, while acquiring additional assets in return.

Still, Schaefer is not your typical first overall selection, and there’s no questioning that the Islanders are making a gamble. Due to a broken collarbone suffered during the 2024-25 World Junior Championships, Schaefer finished the season with seven goals and 22 points in 17 games with the OHL’s Erie Otters.

Having that level of injury concern is never ideal entering your draft year, but a collarbone fracture shouldn’t carry any long-term issues. His talent speaks for itself, and that’s the exact reason he was chosen as this summer’s top selection.

Due to his lack of playing time throughout the 2024-25 season, Schaefer becomes an exercise in scouting raw talent for the NHL level. Without any shadow of a doubt, he has the capabilities to become a top-pairing defenseman long term.

In their 2025 NHL Draft Guide, Elite Prospects broke down Schaefer’s talent perfectly, saying:

“Schaefer controls games from the back end, making the play flow through him. An elite puck-rusher, he takes off from behind his net, using it as a shield against the forecheck, and traverses the defensive zone with a few long strides. He spots teammates in every direction, making both one-touch plays and elaborate, deceptive feeds. Attacking down, he grabs the spotlight and draws opponents to him, before turning and relaying the puck across.“

Trade Notes: Dobson, Marner, Karlsson, McBain

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The opening day of the 2025 NHL Draft got off to a quick start earlier today when the New York Islanders traded defenseman Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens for Emil Heineman and a pair of first-round picks. If the Islanders’ old General Manager, Lou Lamoriello, had it his way, Dobson would have already been wearing a different Canadian team’s uniform.

According to Arthur Staple, formerly of The Athletic, Lamoriello attempted to package Dobson with other pieces at last season’s trade deadline to acquire forward Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ultimately, likely due to Toronto’s disapproval at the time, no trade materialized between the two teams.

It stands to reason that the Islanders may have known Dobson was out of their price range on a long-term extension for some time, and the new administration faced similar issues as the last. At any rate, the Islanders now have approximately $21MM in cap space entering the offseason without a big-ticket extension on their horizon.

Other trade notes:

  • It’s a well-known fact that the Vegas Golden Knights are looking to trim their salary cap table so they can put together a legitimate pursuit for Marner. Still, it doesn’t appear that long-time forward William Karlsson will be a part of that exodus, as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that there’s little activity on the Karlsson trade front. The 11-year veteran is coming off an injury-riddled season and has two years left until he reaches unrestricted free agency, making him a difficult sell to other organizations.
  • According to Josh Yohe of The Athletic, the Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to capitalize on the lack of progress in contract negotiations between the Utah Mammoth and forward Jack McBain. Yohe indicated that McBain would be an ideal fit for the Penguins’ hole at third-line center, and his physicality and tertiary scoring ability are of great intrigue to General Manager Kyle Dubas.

Sharks To Buy Out Marc-Édouard Vlasic

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June 27: Vlasic has cleared waivers and can now be bought out, according to Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN.

June 26: The current active longest-tenured member of the San Jose Sharks will see his run with the team conclude. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Sharks have placed defenseman Marc-Édouard Vlasic on unconditional waivers for contract termination. The Sharks organization has confirmed the news from Friedman.

Vlasic’s buyout from the Sharks marks an unceremonious end to an incredible tenure in San Jose. As it currently stands, Vlasic is the franchise’s second all-time in games played, eighth all-time in points, and first all-time in defensive point shares.

In his decision regarding the buyout, General Manager Mike Grier stated, “This was a difficult decision to make today, with how much Marc has meant to the San Jose organization for 19 years. I was fortunate enough to be here with Marc for his first season with the Sharks, and knew he would become a great defenseman. Over the course of his career in the NHL, Vlasic was one of the premier shutdown defensemen, earning tough defensive assignments on the ice against the best players in the world and doing it with effectiveness.”

There are no discrepancies in Grier’s statement. In his prime, Vlasic was arguably the game’s top shutdown defenseman, averaging nearly 22 minutes a game from 2009 to 2020, accruing 1,545 blocked shots and earning several nominations for the Lady Byng and Norris Trophies.

San Jose drafted Vlasic with the 35th overall pick of the 2005 NHL Draft, making his debut a few years later. Vlasic finished sixth in Calder Trophy voting that season, scoring three goals and 26 points in 81 games, and earned a spot on the NHL’s All-Rookie Team.

Since Corsi tracking began in the 2007-08 season, Vlasic had a rate of approximately 53.0% from 2007 to 2016, an impressive output for a defenseman who started nearly 57.0% of his shifts in the defensive zone. In that time, Vlasic never had an on-ice save percentage at even strength lower than 90.0%, proving his ability to keep pace with any opposing team’s top unit.

Vlasic’s value burned brightest during the Sharks’ run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016. The veteran scored one goal and 12 points in 24 postseason contests, finished at the top among the qualified players with a +14 rating, and averaged 2.83 blocked shots per game. Unfortunately, San Jose was unable to capture their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history, losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first half of their back-to-back run.

Due to his illustrious career with the organization, the Sharks signed Vlasic to an eight-year, $56MM contract in 2017, which was expected at the time to be his final contract in the NHL. Unfortunately, even two years into the deal, due to injuries and ’Father Time’ remaining undefeated, Vlasic’s contract quickly became an unappreciated anchor for San Jose.

Since the second year of the contract, Vlasic has scored 17 goals and 68 points in 358 games with a disastrous -90 rating. His possession metrics have similarly taken a nosedive, falling to 42.2% at even strength this past season. With several defensive prospects looking for regular playing time in 2025-26, the Sharks no longer had a necessity for Vlasic to remain on the roster.

Although the last several years will put a damper on his total output with the team, Vlasic concludes his career as a Shark with 84 goals and 379 points with a +42 rating in 1,323 games over 19 seasons, with an additional six goals, 39 points, and +20 rating in 142 postseason contests.

Now, San Jose will owe Vlasic a reduced rate of $4.67MM in 2025-26 and $1.167MM in 2026-27. According to PuckPedia, the Sharks have more than $44MM to spend this offseason and could become one of the most active teams in recent memory. Even if Grier doesn’t plan on exhausting all of San Jose’s financial flexibility this summer, he’ll need to spend more than $19MM to reach the cap floor.

Photo courtesy of Stan Szeto-Imagn Images.

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