Senators Acquire Andre Burakovsky
According to a team announcement, the Ottawa Senators have acquired forward Andre Burakovsky from the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2027 sixth-round pick. Frank Seravalli of Victory+ was the first to report the trade details.
It’s been some time since Burakovsky was considered a viable top-six winger. Dating back to his time with the Avalanche, Burakovsky scored 61 goals and 150 points in 191 games while in Denver, helping the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 2022.
Burakovsky parlayed his impressive year with Colorado into a five-year, $27.5MM contract with the upstart Seattle Kraken. Unfortunately, despite being relatively productive with the Kraken in his first year, injuries took their toll, and he has never fully recovered from that lost time.
Eventually, the Kraken ripped off the band-aid, sending Burakovsky to the Blackhawks for Joe Veleno, who they eventually bought out. In Chicago, he actually got off to a decent start, scoring 10 goals and 29 points in 41 games to begin the season.
However, his performance declined significantly during the second half of the season. Since mid-January, Burakovsky has registered one goal and four points in 34 games for the Blackhawks. Due to his lack of production, Burakovsky became a potential buyout candidate for Chicago, but they at least managed to receive an asset in return, regardless of its perceived value.
For Ottawa, despite the low acquisition cost, the trade almost appears as a favor to the Blackhawks. The Senators now have less than $10MM in cap space heading into the draft, and although they could use more offense, Burakovsky’s lengthy cold streaks cannot be overlooked. If Burakovsky goes through another one in Ottawa, they may be kicking themselves for trading for him rather than finding a more cost-effective option on the free agent market.
Afternoon Notes: Robertson, Bruins, Byram
The Dallas Stars are weighing all options with their leading scorer in need of a new contract. Dallas remains in contract negotiations with star winger Jason Robertson, but are also continuing to explore his trade market, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Robertson led Dallas with 45 goals and 96 points this season. The 2025-26 season marked his second time cresting both 45 goals and 50 assists in the same season, joining his career-best 109-point season in 2022-23.
Robertson will enter restricted free agency if he does not sign a new deal by July 1st. At 26 years old, he could rival the 100-point mark through the bulk of his next contract, though its price tag would eat up more than the projected $10.14MM cap space that Dallas wields, per PuckPedia. The Stars would need a cap-clearing move to bring Robertson back on a deal comparable to Mikko Rantanen (eight-years, $96MM). Signing such a deal would solidify the Stars’ core – with Rantanen, Wyatt Johnston, Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskanen, and Thomas Harley all signed through at least 2029. In such high-pressure talks, the Stars are doing their due diligence to vet all options.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Boston Bruins are hoping to re-sign both winger Viktor Arvidsson and defender Andrew Peeke this summer, general manager Don Sweeney told reporters including Bridgette Proulx of WEEI 93.7. The pair represent Boston’s top unrestricted free agents with free agency set to begin soon. Sweeney specified that there is interest from all sides on finding an agreeable extension. Peeke appeared in a shutdown, second-pair role for much of the year. He was a reliable hard-worker and finished the season with 14 points, 105 hits, and 135 shot blocks in 77 games played. Arvidsson also made an impact from the middle of the lineup. He scored 25 goals and 54 points in 69 games, an encouraging rise after Arvidsson failed to crack 30 points with the Edmonton Oilers last year. Both players should have spots in the lineup carved out for them should they return to Boston.
- Re-signing new acquisition Bowen Byram will be a top priority for the Chicago Blackhawks before free agency opens per Scott Powers of The Athletic. The two sides will target a long-term deal, which should solidify Byram’s standing as one of Chicago’s top defensemen for the foreseeable future. The 25 year old has a career-year with the Buffalo Sabres this season, marked by 11 goals and 42 points, both career-highs. He notched that scoring while spending much of the year next to former first-overall picks Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin. Despite strong company, Byram was not interested in signing a new deal with the Sabres per Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic. Instead, he sought a path to a number-one role on a blue-line. That is an opportunity he should have in full with a Blackhawks team that tried, and failed, to stick Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, and Alex Vlasic into their starring role last season.
Ilya Mikheyev Expected To Test Free Agency
- It’s been known for the last few weeks that winger Ilya Mikheyev would not be signing an extension with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks pivoted toward shopping Mikheyev’s signing rights to interested parties, but it turns out they didn’t get much traction there, either. According to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago is preparing to lose Mikheyev on the market for nothing next Wednesday. The middle-six forward has spent the past two years with the Blackhawks, scoring 38 goals and 70 points in 157 games with a +6 rating, averaging 16:32 of ice time per game.
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Chicago Blackhawks Acquire Bowen Byram
Buffalo Sabres’ defenseman Bowen Byram has been traded to the Chicago Blackhawks, as reported by Elliotte Friedman with Sportsnet.ca. The full terms, per The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta: Chicago also acquires forward Jordan Greenway, while Buffalo receives the No. 4 and No. 45 overall picks in the 2026 Draft along with defenseman Louis Crevier.
Byram, 25, is the centerpiece of the deal and the reason Chicago was willing to part with a top-five selection. The fourth overall pick in 2019 and a Stanley Cup winner with Colorado in 2022, he’s coming off a career year: 11 goals, 31 assists, and 42 points with a plus-15 rating across all 82 games, plus four goals in 13 playoff games as Buffalo won the Atlantic Division and a playoff round for the first time in over a decade. He’s a mobile, transition-driving puck-mover who spent the year bouncing between the top two pairings alongside Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin, and at 25 he fits the Bedard-era timeline far better than the veteran options on this summer’s market. The underlying numbers draw some skepticism, and the Sun-Times’ Ben Pope flagged exactly that when he floated Byram as a Chicago fit, but the skill, age, and pedigree are real.
The contract backdrop is seemingly what got him back on the trade block. Byram is entering the final season of the two-year, $12.5MM deal ($6.25MM AAV) he signed last July and was a year from unrestricted free agency. He’d made clear to Buffalo he wasn’t prepared to commit long-term, per Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos, with agent Darren Ferris reportedly seeking around $10MM annually, a number that would have made him Buffalo’s highest-paid defenseman behind Dahlin. The Blackhawks now have a year to convince him to stay long term before he can reach the open market, with plenty of cap space to make a deal work. Darren Dreger with TSN has reported that sources say Byram is happy to be joining the Blackhawks, and he wants to take on a bigger role than he previously had in Buffalo. Early signs are pointing to an extension getting done in the near future.
For Chicago, surrendering the No. 4 pick is the aggressive part. GM Kyle Davidson had been viewed as unlikely to move the selection, with the Hawks tied to several top prospects there, and Chicago has leaned on premium picks throughout its rebuild: Connor Bedard, Artyom Levshunov, and Anton Frondell all came inside the top four over the last three drafts. Trading out of the slot signals a pivot from accumulating lottery talent toward rounding out a young core that’s meant to start competing.
Chicago also takes on Greenway, a 6-foot-6 winger whose value here is size and salary more than scoring. Greenway, 29, carries a $4MM cap hit through 2026-27, mirroring Byram’s expiry, leaving both a year from unrestricted free agency, and is coming off an injury-wrecked season: one goal and six points with a minus-10 in just 40 games, with a career-low 12:27 of ice time. Multiple sports hernia surgeries have limited him to 74 games over the past two years. When healthy, he’s an effective fourth-line forechecker and penalty-killer, not the scoring complement to Bedard the Hawks have chased, but with north of $40MM in space, Chicago can absorb the contract easily, and the added money helps push the club toward the cap floor.
The piece coming back to Buffalo with real upside is Crevier, a towering 6-foot-8 right-shot defenseman fresh off a breakout. A seventh-round pick (188th overall) in 2020, Crevier opened 2025-26 as Chicago’s seventh defenseman and finished it on the top pairing next to Alex Vlasic as the Hawks’ shutdown duo, posting seven goals, 18 assists and 25 points with 95 blocks and 124 hits over 78 games at 17:08 a night. At a $900K cap hit through 2026-27 with restricted free agency to follow, he gives the Sabres a cheap, controllable, right-shot body; a genuine asset, not a salary makeweight.
For Buffalo, GM Jarmo Kekäläinen turns a player a year from walking, plus the unloading of Greenway’s contract into the No.4 overall pick, and mid second rounder, and a very serviceable right shot defenceman, and additonlly holds the No. 20 selection after moving up earlier this offseason. It will be extremely interesting to see what Buffalo does with their two first round selections in the days leading up to the draft. After what we have seen in the last 72 hours, it would be of no surprise to see Buffalo flip these picks to aquire a piece that makes them a more serious contender next season.
Minimal Progress In Bedard's Contract Talks
The Blackhawks have a big-ticket contract this summer with center Connor Bedard in need of a new deal. It doesn’t appear as if talks are going well thus far as Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times relays that it doesn’t sound like they’ve made much progress in those discussions. The top pick in 2023 is coming off his best season so far, one that saw him pick up 30 goals and 45 assists in 69 games but it’s widely expected that his best years are still to come. Accordingly, the two sides are going to be building a deal that pays him with the expectation of those big seasons. Pope speculates that the AAV could land between $13MM and $16MM depending on the term of the agreement. An eight-year deal can be signed until mid-September but Bedard’s camp could push for a shorter-term contract to allow him to sign a bigger one down the road.
Jonathan Toews Retires After 16-Year NHL Career
According to a team announcement, Jonathan Toews is retiring from professional hockey. As first reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger, the veteran center was expected to officially call an end to his illustrious professional hockey career.
After stepping away from the game for two full seasons to focus on his health and manage chronic immune response syndrome, in the 2025-26 season, the 38-year-old returned to the ice with his hometown Winnipeg Jets. “I have to say I’m satisfied; I’m fulfilled. I’m so thankful and grateful for the career I had,” said Toews per a Jets press release. Toews signed a one-year, $2MM deal with Winnipeg back on July 1, 2025.
Defying expectations regarding his physical stamina after his time off, Toews played a full 82 game season for the Jets, scoring 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points, all while logging a minus-20 rating on a lackluster season overall for the club, with the Jets finishing with a 35-35-12 record for 82 points and 7th in the Central Division.
Toews retires as one of the most respected, defensive-minded leaders of his generation. His legendary resume was built in his time with the Chicago Blackhawks, during which his 15 seasons as the captain of the Original Six franchise, he led a modern dynasty, winning three Stanley Cup championships in 2010, 2013, and 2015, earning the 2010 Conn Smythe trophy. He was also named to the NHL’s 100th Anniversary Team, and won the 2007-08 Art Ross trophy, the 2012-13 Selke Trophy, and the 2014-15 Mark Messier award.
Across his career, Toews is estimated to have earned over $120MM across his time as an NHLer. His entry-level contract, signed back in 2007 at age 19, paid him $8.4MM in total value. After three 50-plus point seasons, Chicago inked him on a five-year, $31.5MM ($6.3MM) contract extension through the 2014-15 campaign. After the dynasty’s peak years, capping off the third Stanley Cup victory, Chicago locked up Toews that summer on an eight-year, $84MM ($10.5MM AAV) contract that would take him from age 26 to age 35 in 2023 with a full no-movement clause.
Additionally, Toews is a two-time gold medalist with Canada at the Winter Olympic Games, being named the best forward at the tournament after scoring the most assists (7) and the best rating (+9) in 2010, as well as scoring the clinching goal in 2014. Previously, before he entered the NHL, he was a WCHA conference champion with North Dakota in 2005-06, as well as a two-time World Junior Gold Medalist, scoring the championship-winning goal, making the tournament all-star team, and becoming a Top 3 player on Canada behind a 63% faceoff%, notably in 2006-07.
After being selected third overall by the Blackhawks in the 2006 NHL Draft out of North Dakota, Toews closed his career with 383 goals, 529 assists, and 912 total points across 1,149 regular-season games, while maintaining a stellar plus-128 rating over his 16 active NHL seasons.
Photo Credit: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
Morning Notes: Byram, Arvidsson, Reid
The Chicago Blackhawks like Bowen Byram.
According to a recent article published by Scott Powers of The Athletic, Byram is a defenseman who fits the mold of what Chicago is looking for this offseason. The 25-year-old is set to enter the second season of a two-year contract at $6.25MM AAV, coming off a career year with the Buffalo Sabres, scoring 11 goals for 42 points, both career-high totals. The former fourth-overall pick served as a key piece who rounded out the Sabres’ top-4 defensive core on the left side en route to the team’s first playoff appearance since 2010-11.
The sense is that Chicago has future capital that they could offer in a deal with Buffalo, but in speaking to Powers’ colleague Matthew Fairburn, he tells that Buffalo would ideally be looking for a forward to replace the potential loss of Alex Tuch to the market, and that draft picks and prospects are a doubtful return Sabres would want. The Blackhawks have above $40MM in cap space this summer, and the acquisition of Byram would make him their highest-paid blueliner for next season and beyond, pending an extension for the former Stanley Cup Champion.
Additional Notes:
- Viktor Arvidsson was one of seven unrestricted free agents who scored more than 20 goals in the 2025-26 season. According to Pierre LeBrun’s rumblings, Arvidsson, who totaled 54 points in 69 games, and the Bruins have remained in talks regarding an extension to keep him in Boston. He senses that Bruins GM Don Sweeney is keen on returning the 33-year-old forward in black and gold, but wonders if the sides can get comfortable on term. AFP Analytics has his next contract projection at a two-year deal, around $4.9MM AAV, which would be his highest career cap hit, beating a former $4.25MM cap hit inked on a seven-year deal between his playing days in Los Angeles and before that, the Nashville Predators.
- Speaking of the Predators, one of the organization’s top prospects, Cameron Reid, committed to the University of Michigan, as he announced on his Instagram. The 21st overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft ended his third season in the OHL, scoring 56 points in 57 games and adding 14 points in 18 playoff games. He captained his Kitchener Rangers squad to an OHL championship and a CHL Memorial Cup victory. Head Coach Brandon Naurato adds a key piece to the Wolverines’ back end next season, as Reid joins fellow Predators goalie prospect Jack Ivankovic, also a former OHLer, along with forwards Malcolm Spence and Henry Mews from the Ontario League. Michigan will look to defend its Big 10 postseason title and push for an NCAA title game after losing to Denver in the Frozen Four.
Kyle Calder Passes Away At 47
In an unfortunate announcement, the Chicago Blackhawks shared that former player Kyle Calder has passed away at the age of 47. Calder spent 10 years in the NHL with the Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, and Anaheim Ducks.
A product of the WHL’s Regina Pats program, Calder began his professional career in 1997 when he was selected with the 130th overall pick (fifth round) in that summer’s draft by the Blackhawks. The Mannville, Alberta native spent a few more years with the Pats before transitioning to the professional ranks for the 1999-00 season.
Despite spending much of his first season in the IHL with the Cleveland Lumberjacks, Calder debuted with the Blackhawks, scoring one goal and two points in eight games. He improved his appearances to 43 games the following campaign, registering five goals and 15 points, averaging 12:43 of ice time.
The next four years, his age 23-27 seasons, were the most productive of his career in the NHL. All with the Blackhawks, Calder scored 79 goals and 193 points in 308 games, finishing sixth on the team in scoring during the 2001-02 season, and first in the 2005-06 campaign. Despite being the best player on the team, his performance with Chicago in 2005-06 ultimately spelled the end of his time with the organization for a brief period.
Heading into arbitration, Calder was awarded a one-year, $2.9MM contract, one that the Blackhawks were unwilling to accept. Chicago ultimately traded Calder to the Flyers for Michal Handzus. Still, he was sent back to the Blackhawks at that year’s trade deadline for Lasse Kukkonen and a third-round pick. Nevertheless, Chicago wasn’t exactly interested in re-acquiring their former top-scorer, and he was shipped to the Red Wings later that day for Jason Williams.
Following his brief stint with Detroit, Calder signed a two-year deal with the Kings ahead of the 2007-08 season. He became a relatively solid middle-six scorer, registering 15 goals and 47 points in 139 games, averaging 13:05 of ice time. Calder’s final game in the NHL came during the 2009-10 season with a 14-game stint with the Ducks.
After everything was all said and done, Calder finished his career with 114 goals and 294 points in 590 games, averaging 15:29 of ice time. We at PHR offer our condolences to Calder’s friends, family, former teammates, and loved ones.
Blackhawks To Make Roman Kantserov A Focal Piece
The Chicago Blackhawks landed an immediate lineup impact when top prospect Anton Frondell joined the club following the end of the SHL season. Frondell scored nine points in the first 12 games of his NHL career and operated at his best away from star Connor Bedard, helping to bolster the club’s top-six. While his ability to continue that performance will represent the highest potential for Chicago’s 2026-27 season, the club is also brimming with excitement over young KHL star Roman Kantserov, general manager Kyle Davidson told Scott Powers of The Athletic. Davidson said:
[Kantserov is] a major piece that we’re just really, really excited about. [We] have a lot of faith in what he’s going to do for us.
Kantserov has been a true terror for the KHL’s Magnitogorsk Metallurg since he debuted in the league at 18. Then the 2023-24 season, Kantserov’s rookie year was marked by quiet production – 15 points in 53 regular season games – until he broke out in the 2024 Gagarin Cup Playoffs. The teenager managed 13 points in 23 postseason games that year, fourth-most on the team and above NHL talents like Danila Yurov and Nikita Grebenkin, as Metallurg pushed for their first championship in eight years.
That breakout performance carried over into his age-19 season, when Kantserov finished second on the team with 38 points in 47 games. He also tied for third on the team in goals with 13. Even in a down year for Metallurg, Kantserov’s ability to bring confident and explosive offense to every shift stood out. As the club honed their offense for the 2025-26 season, so did Kantserov, who climbed to a team-leading 36 goals, and a second-ranked 64 points, in just 63 games. In total, his 117 points in 164 career games is the fourth-most ever achieved by a KHL player under the age of 22 – behind only Kirill Kaprizov, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Vladimir Tarasenko. Kantserov ties Kaprizov for the highest points-per-game average (0.71) among the group.
That success won’t automatically make Kantserov a standout, though. He holds some disadvantage as a 5-foot-9 winger. So far, his leg speed and lightning-quick thinking with the puck has proven strong enough to keep him free from worry, but Kantserov knows the NHL will be a different challenge. He told Powers:
My teammates tell me, Roman, the NHL is a different league. Everyone’s faster, stronger. You need to think faster. I’m staying on practice for extra time and, yeah, I’m trying to shoot faster, quick shots and trying practice on this stuff… I understand it’s a different league… I understand that it’s going to be fast, so I tried to do everything quickly, even in my league.
The Blackhawks have already seen positive signs from the 21 year old. Head coach Jeff Blashill praised Kantserov’s understanding of the game and commitment to the process. He also said that Kantserov should get an early chance to fill the bumper role on Chicago’s power-play, a spot Blashill thinks the young Russian could be uniquely fit for – akin to the likes of Brayden Point and Ivan Barbashev. Blashill said that Kantserov has clearly studied what works for NHL forwards in that role and already stands out as someone capable of bringing movement, and changing angles, to the position.
Chicago’s power-play has posted the ninth-lowest success rate (19 percent) since the 2020-21 season – but 2026-27 could be the year to want a feature role on the top unit. Bedard, Frondell, and Frank Nazar will likely fill out the remaining forward positions – each boasting a clear ability to both create and finish scoring chances. Kantserov could be the final touch to Chicago’s high-powered top unit, taking some stress off of the team’s search for a defenseman who can quarterback the power-play. That company could also quickly elevate Kantserov to prominent scoring, if he manages to play quick enough to stick in the role.
Plenty of uncertainty still exists around Kantserov’s NHL future. Kapriov and Matvei Michkov (66 points in 91 career games) are the only players with Kantserov’s small frame to break into prominent NHL roles. One of them has reached the upper echelon of the league while the other – once a star prospect – is fighting to figure out exactly where he fits. The challenge of adjusting to NHL speed and physicality will be an uphill battle for Kantserov, who will face the fight while rostered on one of the team’s struggling clubs. But if he finds his stride, the young Kantserov could truly be one of the greatest X-factors of the 2026-27 season – a fact the Blackhawks seem well prepared for.
Davidson: No Plans To Execute A Buyout This Offseason
- The buyout window is a week away so teams are starting to make their plans on that front. It appears that the Blackhawks won’t be among the teams executing one as GM Kyle Davidson told reporters including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he doesn’t plan to use one. Veteran winger Andre Burakovsky seemed like a potentially viable candidate with one year left at $5.5MM and only managed one goal and three assists in the final 37 games of the season. Instead, he’ll either be moved as salary ballast over the offseason or be back with Chicago in the fall.