Panthers Not Expected To Trade Evan Rodrigues
Although they are free to do so during the offseason, the Florida Panthers are currently $3.725MM over the upper limit of the salary cap. This means that in a few months, the Panthers will need to trim nearly $4MM from their active roster for a cap-compliant lineup, and many have speculated that Evan Rodrigues and his $3MM salary could be a consequence of that reality.
Still, no guarantee it’ll happen, and it’s even appearing unlikely. In the most recent rendition of 32 Thoughts with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the journalist said he doesn’t believe Florida will trade Rodrigues this offseason, despite the need for additional cap space.
Rodrigues’ spot on the roster was likely made safe by the recent injury update, again from Friedman, regarding winger Matthew Tkachuk. Friedman shared a few days ago that he doesn’t believe Tkachuk will play meaningful hockey until the Winter Olympics next season due to a torn adductor muscle suffered during the postseason. If that’s the case, the Panthers could place Tkachuk and his $9.5MM on LTIR for the first five months of the regular season, giving them more than enough space for cap compliance.
General Manager Bill Zito has already been commended this summer for his ability to retain a large portion of the lineup that won the franchise its second consecutive Stanley Cup championship a few months ago. Again, although they’d likely much rather have Tkachuk in the lineup for the entire regular season, Zito has avoided a situation where he’d have to move on from Rodrigues.
Rodrigues has never been a true top-six piece at the NHL level, but has offered teams the flexibility to move him anywhere around the lineup. The Panthers have gotten exactly what they expected out of him when they signed him to a four-year, $12MM agreement before the 2023-24 season.
Since donning the Panthers’ crest, Rodrigues has scored 27 goals and 71 points in 162 games with a +22 rating, averaging 15:12 of ice time per game. He’s been a consistent physical presence in the team’s middle-six, and has even provided them with quality defense as evidenced by his 91.9% on-ice save percentage at even strength.
Rodrigues, like many of his teammates in Sunrise, has elevated his performance during the postseason. In the Panthers’ two most recent Stanley Cup Final victories, he has scored nine goals and accumulated a total of 30 points in 45 games. Additionally, he has recorded 98 hits and averages 15:24 of ice time per game. He’s never been the most important player on Florida’s roster, or even the most well-known, but the franchise recognizes the value he brings and has done well to retain him.
Is Kirill Kaprizov Worth A Record-Setting Contract?
All signs point to the Minnesota Wild signing All-Star winger Kirill Kaprizov to a massive extension this summer. Recent reports suggest that the Wild will likely sign Kaprizov to an eight-year, $120MM contract. This deal would surpass Leon Draisaitl‘s contract for the league’s highest average annual value (AAV). Still, it would fall $4MM short of Alex Ovechkin‘s record for the largest contract ever signed in the NHL. This raises the question: Is Kaprizov worth such a significant investment?
Unfortunately, Kaprizov is coming off the worst season of his career thanks to injuries. He finished the campaign with 41 games played in the regular season, and another six in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. Although he missed half the season, he scored 25 goals in 56 games, finishing third on the team in scoring and 16th in Hart Memorial Trophy voting.
Finishing that high in team-scoring for a playoff team while losing half the year to injuries is a testament to Kaprizov’s value. Since joining Minnesota for the 2020-21 NHL season, he’s scored 185 goals and 386 points in 319 games, far and away the highest on the team over that stretch.
Kaprizov’s contract demands ultimately come down to one equation. Assuming he’s signed to the $15MM figure, Minnesota must ask if he’s worth 14.4% of their cap for the 2026-27 season, and even less throughout the subsequent years.
It’s a fairly easy equation to sort through. Over the past five years, Kaprizov has been directly involved in 386 goals scored by the Wild. To understand his impact, we can analyze his point contribution to the total number of goals the entire team has scored during that period.
Since Kaprizov began his career, Minnesota has scored 1,197 goals. Factoring in Kaprizov’s contributions, it’s easy to ascertain he’s been involved in 32.2% of the Wild’s goals, despite missing many games due to injuries.
Given that he’s accounted for one-third of the team’s offense since coming into the league, it seems like an easy investment to make for the Wild. Unfortunately, his injuries are cause for concern, and they could become an issue throughout negotiations when agreeing to a final dollar amount.
Regardless, the good news is that Minnesota appears to realize exactly what they have in Kaprizov. Their only pathway to contention runs through him, and they’re seemingly ready to recognize him financially for that.
His hypothetical $15MM AAV won’t last long as the league’s highest, with Connor McDavid prepared to earn more on his next contract with the Edmonton Oilers, or elsewhere. Still, although it’s not commonplace to make wingers some of the league’s highest-paid, Kaprizov is worth every penny.
Photo courtesy of Nick Wosika-Imagn Images.
Boston Bruins Hoping For A Reset
It doesn’t take a committed hockey fan to know that the 2024-25 season was a disappointment for the Boston Bruins. After finishing as one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference during the 2023-24 campaign with 109 points, Boston fell well short of the postseason last year with a 33-point difference in the standings.
The reset button was first hit at last year’s trade deadline, when the Bruins traded Trent Frederic, Max Jones, Justin Brazeau, Charlie Coyle, Brad Marchand, and Brandon Carlo for a collection of prospects and draft capital. By trading away several role players and their captain, Boston opened itself up to a change in leadership and culture.
To some, there hasn’t been enough change to the Bruins’ identity with Cam Neely and Don Sweeney remaining in their leadership positions after a disastrous campaign. Still, we already know that David Pastrňák and Charlie McAvoy will lead the changes, and hopefully a renaissance, on the ice.
Marco Sturm, the new head coach, understands the changes needed for the Bruins to return to contention, as he mentioned in his introductory press conference. Sturm plans to draw inspiration from Boston’s culture during his playing days in the organization in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
When asked about the transition from the old guard, Sturm was quoted as saying, “We’ve got to reestablish the whole thing because these guys are not here anymore. So, now it’s going to be up to us and the new group to lead this group to a new era.”
Similarly, Sweeney spoke about Boston’s ability to be harder to play against this season, saying, “I think we’ve always been a team, since I’ve been here, that prides ourself in that. That’s the defensive structure I talked about. At times last year, even when we had our group, we were an easy out. I can’t stand for that. So, we are going to reestablish that.”
Unfortunately, Sturm won’t have the most talented locker room at his disposal. Boston largely added around the fringes this offseason, adding Tanner Jeannot, Sean Kuraly, Viktor Arvidsson, Michael Eyssimont, and Jordan Harris. The summer additions have made the Bruins a more complete team, though they are not necessarily better.
There’s no doubting that Boston has plenty of work to do in their quest back toward contention. It likely won’t come this year in arguably the toughest division in the league. Still, it’ll be interesting to see how Sturm’s new system and cultural influence is received in the locker room throughout the regular season.
East Notes: Barnhill, Guimond, Bohlsen, Mayer
One of the New York Rangers’ quality defensive prospects has changed his collegiate commitment. According to Mike McMahon of College Hockey Insider, instead of waiting until next season to join Northeastern University, defenseman Sean Barnhill will join Michigan State University for the upcoming campaign.
This summer’s 70th overall selection, the Scottsdale, AZ native recently completed his first and only season with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints. It was a modest offensive output for Barnhill, scoring four goals and 12 points in 54 games with a +9 rating, adding another assist in seven postseason contests.
What he lacks in offensive talent, he makes up for on the defensive side of the puck. Standing at 6’5″ and 214 lbs, Barnhill uses his reach effectively and has the foot speed to keep up with smaller forwards. Despite transferring to the NCAA level a year early, opposing forwards will have difficulty finding their way to the net through Barnhill.
Other notes from the Eastern Conference:
- Despite being drafted 169th overall by the Detroit Red Wings back in the 2023 NHL Draft, netminder Rudy Guimond has finally committed to a collegiate program for the upcoming season. Guimond announced on his Instagram that he will be attending Harvard University this fall, after playing the last two years with the USHL’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats. He had an outstanding season in Moncton last year, finishing with a perfect 16-0-0 record in 16 games, a .940 SV%, a 1.73 GAA, and three shutouts.
- The Hershey Bears, AHL affiliate to the Washington Capitals, have made a pair of free agent signings, according to a team announcement. Forward Kaden Bohlsen and defenseman Connor Mayer will join the Bears for the upcoming 2025-26 campaign. Bohlsen is coming off a quality season with Minnesota State University (Mankato), while Mayer spent a few games last season with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles.
Red Wings’ Jonatan Berggren Set For Watershed Season
There aren’t many holdovers from the Ken Holland era for the Detroit Red Wings. Even though the long-time General Manager is only six years removed from leading Detroit’s front office, Dylan Larkin, Michael Rasmussen, and Jonatan Berggren are the only three who have survived the transition to Steve Yzerman. Given that the former two already have concrete spots on the Red Wings’ roster moving forward, Berggren is gearing up for what could be a make-or-break season in HockeyTown.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Berggren was considered one of Detroit’s better prospects. The Red Wings selected the Uppsala, Sweden native with the 33rd overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft out of the SHL’s Skellefteå AIK program. It took a few years for Berggren to make the jump to professional hockey in his home country, but he capped it off with an impressive 12-goal, 45-point effort in 48 games for them in the 2020-21 SHL season.
Having a dire need for offense, the Red Wings brought Berggren overseas for the 2021-22 campaign, starting with their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. He rewarded Detroit for their confidence in his abilities, scoring 21 goals and 64 points in 70 games during his rookie season, finishing second in rookie scoring behind JJ Peterka, then of the AHL’s Rochester Americans.
Finishing as one of the worst offensive teams for the 2021-22 campaign, the Red Wings recalled Berggren for his NHL debut during the 2022-23 season. Unfortunately, despite a higher-than-normal shooting percentage and quality CorsiFor% at even strength, Berggren finished his rookie season with 15 goals and 28 points in 67 games with a -14 rating, averaging 13:28 of ice time per game.
Adding several forwards during the following offseason, Berggren quickly lost his spot on Detroit’s roster. He failed to make the team out of training camp and became the subject of trade rumors with the Red Wings looking to take a step toward contention. For some reason or another, no trade materialized, and Berggren finished the campaign with 24 goals and 56 points in 55 games at the AHL level, with another two goals and six points in 12 NHL contests.
The trade speculation regarding Berggren continued into the offseason before finally signing a one-year, $825K contract with the Red Wings a week before training camp. Unlike the previous campaign, he made the team out of camp and finished the 2024-25 season with 12 goals and 24 points in 75 games, averaging 12:59 of ice time per night. Although he had been known for his offense throughout his days as a prospect, Berggren was a defensive bright spot for Detroit last season, finishing with a 91.1% on-ice save percentage at even strength, one of the highest marks on the team considering his ATOI.
Still, with the Red Wings again looking to take a step toward contention, and Berggren becoming arbitration-eligible next offseason, his future in Detroit may rely on the quality of his 2025-26 campaign. Berggren acknowledged as much in a recent interview with team correspondent, Jonathan Mills, saying, “Last year was a good year for me. I feel like I got more opportunity after Todd [McLellan] became head coach, and I think I played better. This one-year deal is a prove-it-deal for me. I want to show what I can do.”
Putting more pressure on Berggren this season, Detroit has numerous forward prospects looking to make the full-time jump to the NHL level. Nate Danielson, Amadeus Lombardi, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, and Carter Mazur, to name a few, are pushing hard to get to the next level, and Berggren could be one of the first casualties.
There’s always a need for defensive-minded forwards at the NHL level. Still, there is a not-so-subtle expectation that Berggren will become more of an efficient point producer with the Red Wings. If he’s unable to do that this upcoming season, there’s a decent chance he’ll be removed from any of Detroit’s future planning.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.
Metro Notes: Pyyhtia, Hunt, Lindstrom, Ritchie
Outside of a pending trade request from winger Yegor Chinakhov, the Columbus Blue Jackets have already completed most of their heavy lifting this offseason. Still, on the fringes of their summer to-do list, restricted free agents Mikael Pyyhtia and Daemon Hunt are without contracts for the upcoming season.
According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, there is zero concern from the organization that deals won’t get completed with either player. Neither Pyyhtia nor Hunt has arbitration rights, so there’s no real fear of leaving them unsigned through August.
Furthermore, there’s little chance either player will be a huge factor for the Blue Jackets next season, anyway. Pyyhtia underwent a lengthy 47-game tryout with the team last season, but spent the second half of the year in the AHL after recording only four goals and seven points. Meanwhile, Hunt’s only game last season came with the Minnesota Wild before being moved in the David Jiříček trade.
Other notes from the Metro Division:
- Staying in Columbus, the fourth-overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, Cayden Lindstrom, expressed his appreciation for the organization last season despite not registering a game. In an interview with Craig Merz of NHL.com, Lindstrom spoke about staying in Columbus around the team after his back surgery last season, saying, “I took so much and learned so much from all the older guys and they gave me so many pointers and cues that I’ll remember forever.” Lindstrom will play for the NCAA’s Michigan State University Spartans next season.
- Moving east in the Metro Division, New York Islanders youngster Calum Ritchie is hoping to make the team’s opening night roster out of training camp. In a recent interview with Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, Ritchie said, “I’m going to come in here and work as hard as I can to show them what I’ve got.” Ritchie was one of the main pieces acquired by the Islanders last offseason from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for center Brock Nelson. The 27th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft scored 15 goals and 70 points in 47 games for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals last season.
Free Agent Profile: Max Pacioretty
Despite registering multi-goal seasons (six of those being 30-goal campaigns) for the bulk of his NHL career, veteran winger Max Pacioretty can no longer be relied upon as a primary scorer, nor a secondary one. Essentially, since his second Achilles tendon tear in mid-January of the 2022-23 season with the Carolina Hurricanes, Pacioretty has been a shell of the player he once was.
Still, despite a down season (for his standards) with the Washington Capitals throughout the 2023-24 campaign, Pacioretty turned a professional tryout agreement into a bonus-laden deal with the Maple Leafs last summer. Unfortunately for his earning power, Pacioretty spent much of his year on the injured reserve, scoring five goals and 13 points in 37 contests, averaging 13:30 of ice time.
He turned things around during a brief playoff stretch, scoring three goals and eight points in 11 games while averaging 12:51 of ice time. Hindsight being 20/20, Pacioretty’s strong postseason performance wasn’t good enough to earn him a guaranteed contract early on this summer, but he did finish fourth on the Maple Leafs in playoff scoring ahead of John Tavares and Matthew Knies. Pacioretty hasn’t given any indication this summer that he’s ready to hang up his skates, as he believes he has a little more left in the tank to offer a contending team.
Stats
2024-25: 37 GP, 5 G, 8 A, 13 PTS, -2, 16 PIMS, 70 shots, 13:30 ATOI, 48.4 CF%
Career: 939 GP, 335 G, 346 A, 681 PTS, +53, 80 PIMS, 3,048 shots, 17:16 ATOI, 53.4 CF%
Potential Suitors
It’s already public information that Pacioretty would like to be close to southeastern Michigan, where he spent his collegiate hockey days with the University of Michigan Wolverines, and where he and his family reside in the off-season (the latter lives there year-round). Assuming Toronto is no longer interested in retaining Pacioretty, only two options remain.
The Columbus Blue Jackets would be the next closest option outside of the Detroit Red Wings, being approximately 80 miles closer to his family than the Maple Leafs offered. There is a pending trade request from Columbus’s Yegor Chinakhov, making Pacioretty a potential stopgap if they don’t get another winger in a hypothetical trade.
While the Red Wings have seemingly addressed their need for a veteran winger this offseason by signing James van Riemsdyk, they have also realized that they cannot rely on consistent offensive production from anyone other than Lucas Raymond. Even as a veteran with postseason experience, Pacioretty may even resign to a plug-and-play role, being a healthy scratch most nights unless needed for additional offense, if only for a chance to play closer to his family.
Projected Contract
Although he doesn’t know where he’s playing yet, Pacioretty should know exactly what kind of contract he’s getting. Due to the consistent injury concern, Pacioretty should only receive a one-year deal with a salary between $775K and $850K. The signing team could include a handful of games played bonuses, as did the Maple Leafs, but those may not even be required to give Pacioretty another chance to close out his career on a positive note.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.
Snapshots: Zary, Eklund, Brennan
The Calgary Flames grabbed headlines yesterday after signing forward Martin Pospisil to a three-year, $7.5MM extension. Still, restricted free agent forward Connor Zary remains unsigned heading into August, and negotiations are reportedly moving more slowly than expected.
In a new article from Daniel Austin of The Calgary Herald, when asked about Zary’s status, the journalist quoted Flames General Manager Craig Conroy saying, “We’re talking. It’s been slow, though. Even with Pospisil, there comes a point where it heats up and you think ‘Now we’re close’ and then you’re able to get it done really quick. Pospisil was probably two, three months we were talking with (agent Dan Millstein).”
Much of the disagreement reportedly centers on the contract length, with the Flames favoring a bridge deal and Zary advocating for a long-term contract. In all seriousness, Zary likely hasn’t earned a long-term deal yet, unless he’s willing to take a below-market salary. Over the past two years, the former 24th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft has scored 27 goals and recorded 61 points in 117 games with the Flames, achieving a +5 rating while averaging 15:39 of ice time per game.
Other snapshots:
- To little surprise, Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News reported earlier that recent first-round pick of the New York Islanders, Victor Eklund, won’t join the team for rookie camp or development camp in a few weeks. It’s already well known that this summer’s 16th overall selection will play for the SHL’s Djurgårdens IF this next season, and may lose his spot in the lineup if he misses the first few weeks of the regular season for Islanders training camp. Since he isn’t vying for a role on New York’s opening night roster, it makes far more sense for Eklund to continue his development overseas.
- According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, the Columbus Blue Jackets have hired Barry Brennan as their new strength and conditioning coach. Brennan had previously served as the Blue Jackets’ conditioning coach from 2005 to 2010, before serving in the same role with the Atlanta Thrashers for the 2010-11 season, before becoming a team consultant for the KHL’s CSKA Moskva. He’ll replace now-former strength and conditioning coach Kevin Collins, who had been serving in the role since Brennan’s departure ahead of the 2010-11 season.
Easton Cowan Hoping To Join Maple Leafs Out Of Training Camp
After sending All-Star winger Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade, the Toronto Maple Leafs have looked to fill their new offensive void by committee. Using the cap space left by Marner, the Maple Leafs have acquired Matias Maccelli, Nicolas Roy, and Dakota Joshua via trade. Still, there is a promising prospect eager to be part of the new equation.
Enter the 28th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, Easton Cowan. Cowan is coming off an impressive three-year stint with the OHL’s London Knights, scoring 83 goals and 218 points in 168 games, with a +72 rating. He has also been a phenom in postseason action, scoring 32 goals and 94 points in 55 playoff games with a +41 rating, helping the Knights win two OHL championships and reach two Memorial Cup Final appearances, winning the most recent one this past season.
In a recent interview on Sportsnet’s The FAN Morning Show with hosts Ben Ennis and Brent Gunning, Knights head coach Dale Hunter said he expects Cowan to make the Maple Leafs roster out of training camp, saying, “He’s going to push to make the team and play well for the Leafs. Every organization needs young guys pushing to make the team, and it’ll make the Leafs better. I’m betting he’s going to make it, so that’s a good thing for the Leafs.”
Although it’s nice to hear a positive recommendation from his recent coach, Cowan has enough confidence for the both of them. During a team media availability after a development camp skate in early July, Cowan was quoted as saying, “This time last year, I wasn’t as good as I am now. Just being able to manage the puck better, I’ve learned that a lot this year, and obviously with the Knights organization, they helped me out a lot. I felt when games got bigger, I got better. Those are the games I love to play in, when there’s a lot of people watching and there’s high stakes.”
If it’s a high-stakes environment he craves, it’s a high-stakes environment he shall receive in Toronto. Although it was only the second time that the Maple Leafs had moved beyond the opening round of the playoffs in the last two decades, the postseason fell well short of expectations. Of arguably any team in the NHL for the foreseeable future, the stakes are the highest in Toronto.
Unfortunately for Cowan, he’ll have to have a flawless training camp to crack the opening night roster. The Maple Leafs already have 14 forwards signed to one-way contracts next season, without counting RFA forward Nicholas Robertson, who may be back with the club despite his ongoing trade request.
His pathway will become extremely narrow if Toronto decides to retain Robertson for the upcoming season. However, he could take one of the roster spots from Calle Järnkrok or Michael Pezzetta. Assuming he can beat out one of the latter two for a roster spot, Cowan could then work his way up to a top-six role throughout the regular season.
Snapshots: Pacioretty, Rossi, True
Heading into August, one of the better veteran scoring options left on the market is winger Max Pacioretty. Michael Augello of The Hockey News theorized on five (although it’s actually seven) potential destinations for Pacioretty in what could be the last season of his professional career.
Pacioretty (36) is coming off another injury-plagued season, this time with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In his lowest-producing offensive season since his sophomore campaign with the Montreal Canadiens during the 2009-10 season, Pacioretty scored five goals and 13 points in 37 games, averaging 13:30 of ice time per game. Fortunately, Pacioretty had a stronger showing in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, scoring three goals and eight points in 11 games, including the series-clincher in the Maple Leafs’ opening-round series against the Ottawa Senators.
Augello’s hypothetical destinations include Pacioretty’s former teams: the Canadiens and Maple Leafs, a team from the New York metropolitan area, the Detroit Red Wings, or the Edmonton Oilers. Whether for geographical location, nostalgic purposes, or for putting him in the best position to win the first Stanley Cup of his career, all five destinations make sense for Pacioretty in the twilight years of his career.
Other snapshots:
- In a minor update to the impasse between center Marco Rossi and the Minnesota Wild, Joe Smith and Michael Russo of The Athletic indicated in a new article that the two sides haven’t spoken since June. The gap is well known, with Rossi seeking a long-term deal similar to that of his teammate Matt Boldy, while the Wild remain firm in their desire for a bridge contract. The pair of journalists argues that Rossi is unlikely to sign a new deal, let alone speak to Minnesota’s management, until the start of training camp in September.
- According to a team announcement, former NHL and AHL veteran Alexander True has signed a one-year deal with the Finnish Liiga’s JYP. Now two years removed from playing in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers, True’s first professional season overseas was fairly disappointing. Playing for the SHL’s MoDo Hockey, True scored seven goals and 17 points in 52 games with a -15 rating last season.