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Oilers’ Jake Walman Fined Twice For Game 3 Incidents

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It was almost a guarantee that the NHL’s Department of Player Safety (DoPS) would have work to do after a hectic Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers. Earlier today, the DoPS shared that they had fined Oilers defenseman Jake Walman a total of $10K, the maximum allowable under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Walman earned a pair of fines from last night’s events. Walman received two minor penalties for the first incident, along with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for roughing Matthew Tkachuk. Meanwhile, Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad also received two minor penalties for roughing while defending his teammate.

The second incident took place outside the area of play. As he was exiting the ice, Walman had his glove taken and subsequently thrown into Florida’s bench by Panthers forward A.J. Greer. In response, Walman took one of the Oilers’ water bottles and began spraying it toward the Panthers’ bench, which earned an automatic fine.

Surprisingly, the DoPS only bestowed additional punishment to Walman from last night’s contest, and doesn’t seem likely to issue more. There were 35 penalties called in Game 3, of various forms, with 26 of them coming in the third period. Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse led the way with 19 PIMs, while Florida forward Jonah Gadjovich led the opposition with 15.

Atlantic Notes: Marchand, Peterka, Giroux

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Much has already been made of Brad Marchand’s upcoming trip through unrestricted free agency, with recent reports indicating he could earn as much as $8MM a year given his durability and impressive postseason performance with the Florida Panthers. Piggybacking off that report, TSN’s Chris Johnston shared today on TSN 1050 that Marchand will prioritize earning maximization on his next contract, rather than term.

According to Johnston, Marchand isn’t limiting his desire to salary, adding that a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs could make up with off-ice endorsements for what they lack in available dollars to spend. If that is the case, it would likely broaden Marchand’s market to include other large-market teams, such as the Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks, and New York Rangers, especially since these teams may not have as much financial flexibility as they approach the summer months.

Still, it wouldn’t be difficult for Marchand to find a new employer on the open market. He remains a capable top-six winger heading into his age-38 season, and his nearly point-per-game scoring average in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs should make him a priority for teams with a legitimate chance at the Stanley Cup next season.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • After already being named the top player on his trade board, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff lists Buffalo Sabre JJ Peterka as one of the likeliest candidates for an offer sheet this summer. It’s an interesting proposition to consider, as Seravalli lists Peterka’s potential offer sheet at the higher end of the fifth tier for compensation, which would require the signing team to send Buffalo their 2026 first, second, and third-round pick. Still, Buffalo has the financial flexibility to match nearly any offer sheet signed by Peterka, meaning they’ll have to weigh the hypothetical compensation against Peterka’s current value.
  • The Ottawa Senators and veteran Claude Giroux have reportedly been negotiating a new contract for a few weeks, and Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Citizen shares that those contract talks have reached a pivotal stage. The two sides met last week during the NHL Combine in Buffalo, and they continue to work toward an agreeable deal. Giroux recently completed a three-year, $19.5MM contract with the Senators in which he scored 71 goals and 193 points in 245 games.

Flames Sign Adam Klapka To Two-Year Contract

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According to a team announcement, the Calgary Flames have signed forward Adam Klapka to a two-year contract extension. The pending restricted free agent will earn an AAV of $1.25MM on his new deal.

Klapka will earn nearly double his salary from this past season, playing on a one-year, $775K contract through the 2024-25 season. The undrafted forward will remain a restricted free agent upon the expiry of this contract, though he will have earned his arbitration rights.

Fortunately for Klapka, the fully guaranteed contract likely means he’ll be on the Flames roster for much of the 2025-26 season. The Praha, Czechia native split his time during the 2024-25 campaign, registering 31 games with the Flames, and 33 games with their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers.

Each team knows exactly what Klapka brings to the table. He’s more of a point-producer at the AHL level, scoring 48 goals and 97 points in 158 games with AHL Calgary, and another six goals and 11 points in 16 postseason contests.

Still, he should have more to offer in the NHL now that he’s gotten his rookie season out of the way. Klapka finished 2024-25 with six goals and 10 points, while averaging 9:39 of ice time per game.

His main value comes through his physicality. Despite finishing last year tied for 21st on the team in games played, Klapka finished eighth in hits and should compete for the most on the team next season, should he play a full year.

Blue Jackets Expected To Pursue Mitch Marner

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With more than $40MM to spend and only a few notable holes to fill on the roster, the Columbus Blue Jackets will have difficulty being outspent on players this summer. Keeping that in mind, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic expects General Manager Don Waddell to be very involved in Mitch Marner’s market.

Unfortunately, the Blue Jackets’ ability to spend won’t alienate all of their competition this offseason, as a report from yesterday indicated the Anaheim Ducks are contemplating a record-breaking offer for Marner’s services. Still, Columbus has even more financial flexibility than Anaheim, making their pitch the most worthwhile part.

In his article, Portzline hinted at the fact that the Blue Jackets have pursued Marner before. After the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, when the Blue Jackets eliminated the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning in the opening round, the team’s top two talents, Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, departed via free agency.

Columbus’s General Manager at the time, Jarmo Kekäläinen, immediately contacted the Toronto Maple Leafs when Marner’s entry-level contract expired that same summer. Portzline doesn’t believe the Blue Jackets’ trade interest got to the point of exchanging names, as Marner signed a six-year, $65.41MM contract closer to training camp.

If Columbus ultimately signs Marner, they’ll have two of the most defensively responsible wingers in the league. Marner has finished in the top 10 of Selke Trophy voting in three out of the past five years, while Kirill Marchenko finished with a higher CorsiFor% and on-ice save percentage compared to Marner this season at even strength.

Bringing in Marner would also allow the Blue Jackets to bring in another star talent since the tragic death of Johnny Gaudreau on August 29th of last summer. Columbus embarked on a remarkably competitive season in honor of their late teammate, and adding a player of Marner’s talent would certainly boost the team’s morale level.

Unlike some of the other teams with an abundance of cap space this summer, the Blue Jackets would allow Marner to stay on a competitive roster, while also having a much smaller media presence compared to Toronto.

Ultimately, only time will tell what crest Marner will wear on his jersey next season. He won’t have a shortage of suitors, as several teams outside of Anaheim and Columbus have the available capital to make a run at his services.

Free Agent Focus: Montreal Canadiens

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Free agency is now under a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players 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 Canadiens.

Key Restricted Free Agents

G Jakub Dobes – Dobes’ NHL career couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. He won his first NHL start against the eventual Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers, stopping 34 of 34 shots. He finished the season with a 7-4-3 record in 15 starts with a .909 SV% and 2.74 GAA. If he were allowed to remove three difficult starts against the Rangers, Kings, and Kraken, Dobes would have finished the year with an impressive .924 SV%. Unfortunately for Dobes, with Sam Montembeault signed through the 2026-27 season and prospect Jacob Fowler rising through the ranks, he likely doesn’t have a long-term future with Montreal.

F Emil Heineman – Heineman came exactly as advertised to the Canadiens this season. Despite missing a chunk of games due to injury, the Leksand, Sweden native scored 10 goals and 18 points in 62 games, while averaging 11:24 of ice time per night. He was one of the most physical forwards on the team and managed solid possession metrics. Like many younger players, he has a few things to clean up in the defensive zone, which he’ll want to prioritize during offseason training if Martin St. Louis continues to utilize him in a defensive role next season.

D Jayden Struble – Struble serves as one of the more obvious non-tender candidates on the Canadiens’ roster. Montreal already has six defensemen signed through next season, and that’s without taking into account David Reinbacher competing for a spot on the roster during next year’s training camp. Still, Struble is an effective depth option, scoring two goals and 13 points in 56 games this past season while averaging nearly 15 minutes of ice time, with 124 hits.

Other RFAs: F Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, F Sean Farrell, F Xavier Simoneau, D Gustav Lindström, D Noel Hoefenmayer, D William Trudeau, G Cayden Primeau

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Christian Dvorak – Before the 2024-25 campaign, the Canadiens had been looking to offload Dvorak and his $4.45MM salary. Dvorak rewarded Montreal for keeping him, scoring 12 goals and 33 points in 82 games, while leading the team with a 55.6% faceoff percentage by a healthy margin. He’s becoming a better defensive player as he ages, and the Canadiens could use Dvorak’s skill set as a veteran player as they become more competitive, albeit at a far lower price point.

F Joel Armia – Similarly to Dvorak, Armia has been the subject of trade rumors for the last few years. Montreal went as far as to pass Armia through waivers at the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign in an attempt to rid themselves of his $3.4MM salary. In almost identical fashion, Armia rewarded the Canadiens for keeping him, scoring 11 goals and 29 points in 81 games, with many of those points coming at even strength. Still, Armia has significantly poorer possession metrics compared to his peers, and Montreal may look elsewhere for secondary scoring this offseason.

Other UFAs: F Michael Pezzetta, F Brandon Gignac, F Alex Barré-Boulet, G Connor Hughes

Projected Cap Space

The situation in Montreal becomes more convoluted when looking at their salary cap availability. The team only has around $6MM to spend, with much of their core intact. According to PuckPedia, the Canadiens already have 13 forwards, six defensemen, and two netminders penciled on next year’s roster. Still, if the Canadiens are looking to capitalize on their surprise return to the postseason this season, they could look to trade Carey Price’s contract with it’s $10.5MM (with a sweetener, of course) to a team like the San Jose Sharks, giving Montreal the capability to pursue nearly any player they’re interested in this summer.

Contract info courtesy of PuckPedia.

Photo courtesy of John Jones-Imagn Images

East Notes: Duclair, Marner, Marchand

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After being limited by injuries through much of the 2024-25 campaign, New York Islanders forward Anthony Duclair took a leave of absence from the team for the remaining eight games of the regular season due to a relatively public conflict with head coach Patrick Roy.

Still, in an interview with Andrew Gross of Newsday, new General Manager Mathieu Darche doesn’t believe Roy’s comments and Duclair’s leave from the team will have any long-standing implications. Gross quoted Darche, saying, “I have a little bit of a relationship with him. I did talk to him. He was in a good mood. We’re going to sit down, like I do with every other player.”

Darche went on to say that he’s hopeful Duclair will be ready for training camp in September. Regardless of his relationship with Roy, the Islanders’ front office will be expecting more from Duclair next season after scoring four goals and 11 points in 44 games shortly following a four-year, $14MM agreement with New York on the free agent market.

Other notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • Being the only team that can offer Mitch Marner an eight-year term before July 1st, Cam Robinson of EliteProspects has indicated the Toronto Maple Leafs could entertain a sign-and-trade scenario with Marner this offseason. The motivation behind the idea would be for Toronto to recoup some trade assets for Marner, rather than seeing him leave for nothing. However, a sign-and-trade at that level hasn’t been recorded since the Calgary Flames signed and traded Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers in 2022 for Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar. Given that any interested team could sign Marner to a seven-year deal, without having to give up any prized players, means this scenario is highly unlikely to play out this summer.
  • A few days ago on The Chris Johnston Show, TSN’s Chris Johnston shared his belief that Panther Brad Marchand will get a raise this summer. Aside from the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, and the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, Marchand has played fewer than 70 games in one season since his sophomore campaign, showing a quality level of longevity entering his age-38 season. Coupled with his impressive run to the Stanley Cup Final with the Panthers that’s seen Marchand score seven goals and 17 points in 19 contests, Johnston believes Marchand will earn an AAV of $8MM on his next contract, albeit on a shorter-term deal.

Free Agent Focus: Minnesota Wild

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Free agency is now under a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players 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 Wild.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Marco Rossi – Much has already been made of Rossi’s trip through restricted free agency this summer. The former ninth overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft is reportedly looking for a seven-year, $49MM contract with the Wild this summer, and the team has countered with a five-year, $25MM deal. It doesn’t seem like a bridgeable gap at this point, though much can change over the summer months. Despite having his name in the rumor mill for a few years, the trade rumors surrounding Rossi are reaching a peak, meaning it’s more than likely he’s moved this summer.

F Declan Chisholm – Minnesota acquired Chisholm on waivers from the Winnipeg Jets last season, and he quietly had a productive season for the Wild in 2024-25. He reached a career-high in scoring with two goals and 12 points in 66 contests, averaging just shy of 17 minutes of ice time per game. Furthermore, even though he started many of his shifts in the defensive zone, Chisholm finished the season with a quality 50.4% CorsiFor% at even strength, and a 91.5% on-ice save percentage at even strength. Chisholm would make for a reliable depth option to retain on a saturated defensive core.

Other RFAs: F Graeme Clarke, F Adam Raska, F Michael Milne, F Luke Toporowski, D Ryan O’Rourke

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Gustav Nyquist – The second iteration of the Nyquist experiment in Minnesota didn’t go as well as the first time. The last time the Wild acquired Nyquist at the 2022-23 season, he scored one goal and five points in three regular season contests, with another five assists in six playoff games. This time around, the Halmstad, Sweden native scored two goals and seven points in 22 games after a trade from the Nashville Predators, and went scoreless in the Wild’s opening-round matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights. There will be better options available to Minnesota on the free agent market to address their secondary scoring needs.

F Justin Brazeau – Like Nyquist, the Wild acquired Brazeau at this year’s trade deadline from the Boston Bruins. He was tasked with giving Minnesota more grit and defensive prowess in their bottom-six for their playoff push, and that’s exactly what he gave them. His ice time was cut by more than four and a half minutes when he was moved to the Wild, and his scoring followed. Still, Brazeau managed nearly two hits a game for Minnesota, and added 22 more in six postseason contests.

D Jon Merrill – Merrill is unlikely to sign another contract with the Wild. Unfortunately, he doesn’t do all that much aside from eat limited minutes. He managed a quality 91.4% on-ice save percentage at even strength in 70 games, but that was only good for fifth on the team among blue liners, meaning the Wild can easily replace his value internally.

Other UFAs: F Travis Boyd, F Devin Shore, F Tyler Madden, D Cameron Crotty, G Troy Grosenick, G Dylan Ferguson

Projected Cap Space

The time has finally come for Minnesota to forget about the buyout burden from Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. After paying the pair of former-veterans nearly $15MM last season, the Wild’s payment drops down to $1.7MM for the 2025-26 season, giving them nearly $16MM in salary cap flexibility with few roster spots to fill. Minnesota have already placed a priority on signing superstar Kirill Kaprizov to a long-term extension this summer, so they’ll have to game out any free agent additions with that extension in mind.

Contract info courtesy of PuckPedia.

Photo courtesy of Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

Contract Negotiations Begin Between Blue Jackets, Daniil Tarasov

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According to a new article from Daria Tuboltseva of RG, the Columbus Blue Jackets have started contract negotiations with Daniil Tarasov. Tarasov’s three-year, $3.15MM contract concluded at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

The Blue Jackets are in the driver’s seat for the negotiations. After a quality 2023-24 campaign, Tarasov had the worst season of his brief NHL career this past season, making him a candidate to be non-tendered this offseason if Tarasov doesn’t agree to Columbus’s offer.

In her interview with Tarasov, Tuboltseva quoted Tarasov saying, “Negotiations are ongoing. My agent is talking to the team’s management. There’s nothing concrete yet — just early discussions. The NHL season is still going, and the final is ahead. A lot will be decided later.”

It’s an interesting revelation given that Tarasov lost his role as the team’s backup toward the end of the season in favor of younger netminder Jet Greaves. The Russian goaltender concluded the 2024-25 season with a 7-10-2 record in 20 games with a .881 SV% and 3.54 GAA.

While already having Elvis Merzlikins and Greaves signed through next year, one could reasonably assume that the Blue Jackets will offer Tarasov no more than a league-minimum contract on a one-year deal. Tarasov didn’t give them confidence to re-sign him to a multi-year deal, and it may be the most he could find on the open market, anyway.

Still, that would be a healthy pay cut for Tarasov who made an AAV of $1.05MM for the last three years. He has not indicated if he’d return to the KHL if he doesn’t re-sign with Columbus, but it may be the most advantageous option for his professional career.

New York Rangers Expected To Have Busy Offseason

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According to Arthur Staple of The Athletic, the New York Rangers are expected to be one of the busier teams this offseason, along with the Buffalo Sabres, Seattle Kraken, and Utah Mammoth.

That wasn’t the only assertion Staple made in his report. He indicated that General Manager Chris Drury will look to shake up the roster and lists Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox, and Artemi Panarin as the only true untouchables on the roster.

The news comes with little surprise given that the trio was inarguably the top three performers on a disappointing Rangers team this past season. Still, outside of those three, it would make little sense for New York to part ways with the likes of J.T. Miller, Vincent Trocheck, or Gabriel Perreault, either, for various reasons.

Additionally, moving on from higher-priced players such as Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafrenière could prove difficult this offseason, given the Rangers would undoubtedly be selling low on either piece. However, if New York frees up some cap space, Staple believes they already have a target in place.

Vladislav Gavrikov, who has spent the last two-and-a-half years with the Los Angeles Kings, would immediately become an interest for the Rangers with more cap flexibility. Gavrikov has already indicated he’d like to sign a longer-term extension with Los Angeles, but the new regime led by Ken Holland could have different ideas.

The Russian defensive defenseman would immediately become one of the top options on the blue line in a thin free agent class. Gavrikov averaged above a 50.0% mark in CorsiFor% at even strength during this time with the Kings, and an on-ice save percentage at even strength of 91.6%.

Given that the Rangers finished 27th in the league in shots against and 25th in high-danger scoring chances against during the 2024-25 season, Gavrikov would help alleviate many of their issues. Still, assuming Gavrikov signs around the projected mark between $6.5MM and $7.5MM, the Rangers would have difficulty making that work at the present with only $8.4MM in cap space heading into the offseason.

Jakub Vrána Garnering Overseas Interest

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A once-efficient top-six scorer for the Washington Capitals and Detroit Red Wings could be headed overseas for his next job. In a report out of Sweden, the SHL’s Linköping HC is attempting to sign Jakub Vrána this offseason.

It would’ve been difficult for Vrána to find an NHL contract this summer. Marketed as a goal-scoring forward, Vrána hasn’t scored more than 20 points in a season in five years. The last time came during the 2020-21 season, when Vrána scored 19 goals and 36 points in 50 games split between the Capitals and Red Wings.

Due to injuries, a trip through the NHL and NHLPA Player Assistance Program, and a general lack of opportunity, Vrána’s scoring has completely dissipated since. There have been brief stretches where he’s scored in bunches, but those have been few and far between.

This past season, Vrána earned a second stint in Washington on the heels of a professional tryout agreement in preseason action. He got off to a decent start with the Capitals, scoring six goals and 10 points in 20 games with a +5 rating.

Unfortunately, his role with the Capitals quickly dissipated, and he was exposed on the waiver wire near the trade deadline, being claimed by the Nashville Predators.

A return to Linköping HC would be a homecoming for Vrána. He played for them from 2012-2014 before the beginning of his NHL career, scoring 14 goals and 27 points in 73 contests.

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