Dylan Larkin Requests Trade From Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings captain and No. 1 center Dylan Larkin has requested to be traded from the team, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Darren Dreger added that “this move has been in the works for a while.”
According to Friedman, that neither Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman nor Larkin’s agent Pat Brisson would comment on the report, but cited a “frosty relationship” between Larkin and Yzerman as potential factor that have contributed to Larkin’s decision, alongside the team’s inability to reach the postseason at any point beyond the center’s rookie campaign. 
Larkin made headlines at the end of the Red Wings’ season when he criticized Yzerman and the team’s hockey operations department for not adding enough talent at the trade deadline.
In his end-of-season media availability, Larkin told reporters “it was hard that we didn’t do anything,” and “we didn’t gain any momentum from the trade deadline. Guys were kind of down about it. So it would have been nice to add something and bring a little bit of a spark on the ice.”
The Red Wings traded first and second-round picks to the St. Louis Blues to acquire veteran Justin Faulk at the trade deadline. The club also traded a fourth-rounder to the Ottawa Senators for veteran forward David Perron. Those additions were not enough to halt the Red Wings’ second-half slide out of playoff position.
Per Emily Kaplan of ESPN, the issues between Larkin and the Red Wings’ front office “[date] back at least to testy contract negotiations in 2023,” meaning beyond just Larkin’s unhappiness with the team’s work at the trade deadline.
If his request is fulfilled, a Larkin trade would mark the end of the player’s decade-long tenure in Detroit. The Waterford, Michigan native has spent his entire hockey career in the state. He spent his amateur career at the U.S. National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Michigan, his collegiate career at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, his very brief minor-league career in Grand Rapids, and his NHL career in Detroit. That Larkin is not only willing to move on from the Red Wings, but is actively pursuing the move, suggests something in his relationship with the team has become fractured – though it is important to stress that is just speculation.
What’s clear is that this will not be an easy trade to complete. That is not because there will not be league-wide interest in Larkin, of course. Roster building in the NHL is defined by scarcity at the center position, and in-their-prime No. 1 centers are very rarely ever available on the trade market. Those factors alone will mean there is likely to be a massive amount of interest in Larkin from across the league. Rather, the path to an eventual Larkin trade will be a difficult one because of the two key parties involved at its outset, and the varying degrees of control and leverage each party has.
Larkin, 29, signed an eight-year contract extension with the Red Wings in March 2023. The deal carries an $8.7MM AAV (which may be below market-value for No. 1 centers at this point) and crucially carries a full no-trade clause through next season. That will allow Larkin to hand-pick what teams he is willing to be traded to.
In the past, players empowered by no-trade protections have been able to severely constrict how many teams their clubs are able to negotiate with, often dramatically reducing what the acquiring team needs to surrender in order to acquire the player. Notable examples of this include this past season’s Artemi Panarin deal, or the trade that brought Taylor Hall to the Boston Bruins from the Buffalo Sabres.
Although the no-trade clause gives Larkin the ability to exert a significant amount of control over the trade process, there are limits to his leverage. Larkin is under contract through the 2030-31 season, a factor that gives Yzerman and the Red Wings a considerable amount of their own leverage. Larkin has requested to be traded, but the Red Wings have zero obligation to acquiesce to his request. He is contracted to the team, and will remain so until his age-34 season. They are fully capable of retaining Larkin through what could be the end of his prime playing years.
That could limit the extent to which Larkin is able to wield his no-trade clause. If he wants to hand-pick his destination, leaving Detroit in a position where they would need to accept a sub-optimal return package for their No. 1 center, it’s likely the Red Wings would simply elect to keep Larkin. But if Larkin does want to be traded as his No. 1 priority, he may need to allow the Red Wings to open up the trade process and allow for as many bidders as possible. His best chance of securing a trade from Detroit could very well be Yzerman simply receiving an offer he can’t refuse – something that is unlikely to happen if he exercises his contractual right to severely restrict what teams he can be traded to.
There is also the chance that Detroit very simply will not entertain a Larkin trade, regardless of the player’s wishes. Teams typically only want to roster players who actually want to play there, but Larkin would not be the first player to make a trade request that goes unfulfilled. While Friedman called the relationship between Larkin and team management “frosty,” it may not be an irreparable fracture. For both Larkin and the Red Wings, the best course of action could very well be staying the course.
For the Red Wings, it’s difficult to imagine them winning a Larkin trade. As previously mentioned, finding a No. 1 center is extremely difficult in the NHL, let alone one who is under team control and within the prime years of his career. Larkin fits the bill there, having scored at just below a point-per-game rate over the last half-decade. The Red Wings are the owners of the league’s longest playoff drought, and are desperate to return to the playoffs after an extended rebuild.
For as much talent as the team has right now – like young stars Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond – they lack a center at Larkin’s level. J.T. Compher and Andrew Copp are both middle-six types, and top prospects Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson are both considered by most public-facing scouts to have a No. 2 center ceiling. Unless the Red Wings can find a pivot with true No. 1 center upside as part of a return package for Larkin (and the odds of doing that seem long), a Larkin trade could set their franchise back at an extremely important time.
But without question, there will be a lot of interest from around the league to navigate. The Minnesota Wild stick out as a team likely to be proactive in pursuing Larkin. Wild GM Bill Guerin got to see Larkin up close in his position as GM of the U.S. Men’s National Team, and Larkin’s efforts helped the nation secure a gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina. The Wild believe they have a championship-level roster, just missing a top-line center to pair with No. 2 pivot Joel Eriksson Ek. Larkin immediately surpasses Vincent Trocheck as the top veteran center potentially available via trade, meaning he will be a key target for Guerin.
Other teams, such as the Montreal Canadiens (who need a No. 2 center behind Nick Suzuki) and Los Angeles Kings (who need help at the position in the wake of Anze Kopitar‘s retirement) stick out as potential bidders. But in the former’s case, the Red Wings may be loath to deal Larkin to a division rival. And in the latter’s, the Kings may not be willing to part with the high-end assets necessary to put together a winning offer for Larkin.
In any case, this is an absolutely seismic development, one that has franchise-altering potential for the Red Wings. If the Red Wings do end up seriously considering trading Larkin, his presence on the trade market will likely shape the course of the offseason.
Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Free Agent Focus: Detroit Red Wings
Free agency is just over a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. Even with the UFA crop being thinned out in recent months, there will be some quality veterans 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 Red Wings.
Key Restricted Free Agents
D Simon Edvinsson – Regarding their internal free agents, Edvinsson will be the most important negotiation for the Red Wings this offseason. Not only has Edvinsson proven that he can handle heavy minutes, but he’s also a flawless partner next to Moritz Seider, something Detroit has struggled to fill the past two years. According to MoneyPuck, of the eight defensive pairings that finished with over 1000 minutes played, the combination of Edvinsson and Seider finished third with a 54.8% xGoals%. He’s mildly struggled on offense, scoring 16 goals and 56 points in 150 games the past two years, but Edvinsson has consistently put his body on the line to block shots, and uses his size and reach to his advantage on defense. On a long-term deal, AFP Analytics projects Edvinsson to sign a seven-year, $61.6MM ($8.8MM AAV). Given their unwillingness to pay anyone more than captain Dylan Larkin‘s $8.7MM salary, it’s far likelier that Edvinsson will sign closer to the $8MM to $8.25MM range, ensuring he remains below Larkin and Seider in the salary cap table.
G Sebastian Cossa – Despite being the subject of trade speculation heading into the offseason, it’s become clear that Cossa has become the heir-apparent in Detroit. The former 15th overall pick has been lights out for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins the past two years and will likely make the full-time jump to the NHL next season, albeit in a backup role. At some point, several years in the future, the Red Wings will likely be in a position to move one of Cossa or Trey Augustine off the roster, but that’s a ways away from being an issue. Throughout the past two years, the 6’6″, 209lbs netminder has managed a 47-23-10 record in 80 AHL contests with a SV% higher than .910 and a GAA lower than 2.50. Given that he only has one game of NHL experience, it’s likely that the two sides will agree on a one- to two-year deal this summer.
Other RFAs: F Carter Mazur, F Michael Milne, F Amadeus Lombardi, F Alexandre Doucet, F Jakub Rychlovsky, F Wojciech Stachowiak, D William Wallinder, D Eemil Viro, G Carter Gylander
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Patrick Kane – Of all the pending unrestricted free agents on the Red Wings, recent reporting indicates that Kane is the only one they have a desire to retain. It’s clear he’s lost a step, but a 19-year career and hip resurfacing surgery will do that to anyone. Regardless, the former MVP has continued to produce as a respectable secondary scorer, registering 16 goals and 57 points in 67 games this past season. During the past season, more injury concerns arose, but it seems that both Detroit and Kane would prefer a one-year deal anyway. Still, given his steady production, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kane re-up with the Red Wings for an identical one-year, $3MM contract this summer, with another $4MM available in performance bonuses.
F David Perron – Although Justin Faulk stole many of the eyes as the Red Wings’ big deadline acquisition, Detroit also returned a familiar face in Perron from the Ottawa Senators. Unfortunately, all signs indicate that the remarriage will end in another divorce. Perron was nearly unnoticeable in his second stint with the Red Wings, scoring three goals in 16 games with a -9 rating, averaging 13:59 of ice time per game. Given his recent injury concerns and distressing health concerns with his daughter, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Perron hang up his skates this summer. If he does continue to play, he should be able to find a bottom-six role elsewhere. However, after winning a Stanley Cup and enjoying a 19-year career, nobody would blame Perron if he decided to spend more time with his family.
F James van Riemsdyk – Detroit brought in ‘JVR’ last summer in the hopes that he would offer tertiary scoring and a veteran presence in the locker room. Through the first half of the season, that’s exactly what he provided. Heading into the Olympic break, van Riemsdyk had scored 14 goals and 25 points in 49 games, averaging 13:31 of ice time. Unfortunately, he and the rest of the team fell off a cliff after returning from the break. In his final 23 games, van Riemsdyk registered only one goal and six points. He is another bubble player that wouldn’t be surprising to see retire; however, if he does continue to play, the Los Angeles Kings, Winnipeg Jets, and New York Islanders all seem like decent landing spots for the 37-year-old winger.
Other UFAs: D Travis Hamonic, G Cam Talbot, F Austin Watson, F Eduards Tralmaks, D Erik Gustafsson, D Antti Tuomisto
Projected Cap Space
Detroit won’t have any issues making additions this summer. Even if the team spends $11MM to $13MM on retaining Edvinsson and Kane, they’ll still have more than $16MM to use to add to the roster. Although it’ll be difficult to move some bad contracts, the Red Wings could trim even more off the roster by trading Andrew Copp, J.T. Compher, Michael Rasmussen, and/or Mason Appleton. Unfortunately, it’ll be equally challenging to find suitable talent on the free agent market this summer. Detroit needs to prioritize goal-scoring and could likely use a fourth/fifth defenseman to help stabilize the defensive corps. Still, they are free to use the available dollars on the trade market, which is likely something General Manager Steve Yzerman will look toward this offseason.
Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire (Edvinsson) and Danny Wild (Kane) of Imagn Images. Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia.
Multiple Players Have NHL Draft Rights Expire
According to PuckPedia, multiple prospects had their draft rights expire at the deadline today, meaning they’ll re-enter the 2026 NHL Draft or become unrestricted free agents.
Two distinct groups are impacted by this deadline. Prospects playing in the Canadian Major Junior leagues (OHL, QMJHL, or WHL) or those playing in Europe.
Of those players from the CHL who have played through their age-20 seasons, they’ll re-enter the 2026 NHL Draft, or become unrestricted free agents if they go undrafted. For the European players, they’ll become unrestricted free agents, though many typically stay in Europe to continue their professional careers.
The only other prospect whose draft rights expired, and didn’t meet either of the above requirements, was Toronto Maple Leafs 2025 draftee Matthew Hlacar. Hlacar was taken with the 217th overall pick of last year’s draft, and scored six goals and 12 points in 51 games for the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers this season. Toronto didn’t issue him a bona fide offer, which is simply tendering the player a league-minimum, entry-level deal to extend their signing rights.
The remaining prospects who will re-enter the 2026 NHL Draft or become UFAs are as follows:
D Ales Cech (Mammoth, 5-153, 2024)
D Simon Forsmark (Hurricanes, 4-101, 2022)
F Max Graham (Penguins, 5-139*, 2024)
F Petr Hauser (Oilers, 5-141**, 2022)
F Nils Juntorp (Hurricanes, 6-188***, 2022)
F Gustav Karlsson (Sabres, 6-187, 2022)
F Maximilian Kilpinen (Red Wings, 4-129, 2022)
D Kasper Kulonummi (Predators, 3-84, 2022)
F Hunter Laing (Flames, 6-170, 2024)
G Ryerson Leenders (Sabres, 7-219, 2024)
D Nathan Mayes (Maple Leafs, 7-225, 2024)
G Landon Miller (Red Wings, 4-126, 2024)
F Kaden Pitre (Lightning, 6-181, 2024)
F Joel Ratkovic Berndtsson (Sabres, 7-202, 2022)
F Santeri Sulku (Flyers, 7-197, 2022)
D Albin Sundin (Oilers, 6-183, 2024)
F Riku Tohila (Blackhawks, 7-199, 2022)
G Jakub Vondras (Hurricanes, 6-171, 2022)
* Originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils; traded to the Penguins in March 2025.
** Originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils; traded to the Oilers in March 2025.
*** Originally drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks; traded to the Hurricanes in January 2025.
Dennis Hull Passes Away At 81
In an unfortunate announcement, the Chicago Blackhawks revealed that long-time player Dennis Hull has passed away at the age of 81. Dennis was the younger brother of Bobby Hull and the uncle of Brett Hull.
By the time Dennis reached the “Black Hawks” for the 1964-65 season, Bobby had already become a phenom and earned his iconic nickname, the “Golden Jet”. Still, being overshadowed by his larger-than-life brother, Dennis put together a quality career in the NHL.
It took him a few years to get everything figured out, but by the 1966-67 season, he had become a consistent scoring threat. Even after Bobby departed for the WHA’s Winnipeg Jets in 1972 for a whopping $1MM signing bonus ($13.94MM in today’s dollars), Dennis remained with the Black Hawks. In total, he spent 13 years in Chicago, scoring 298 goals and 640 points in 904 games while playing in five All-Star Games.
Although he never won a Stanley Cup during his tenure with the Black Hawks (though he played in three finals), the highlight of Dennis’ career was the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union. Dennis initially intended to boycott the event because Bobby was excluded from the team due to his participation in the WHA. After receiving encouragement from his older brother, Dennis played on a line with Jean Ratelle and Rod Gilbert, scoring two goals and four points in four games, helping Canada to a series victory.
A few years later, Dennis would retire at the age of 33 after a one-year stint with the Detroit Red Wings. Despite appearing on a handful of broadcasts, Dennis lived a relatively private life after retirement. His most notable post after his playing career was as Athletic Director for the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.
We at PHR offer our condolences to Dennis’s friends, family, and loved ones.
Morning Notes: Malkin, Kane, Pronger
Some familiar names from the 2000’s have circulated recently in the hockey world.
The biggest is one who, as expected, doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. Evgeni Malkin is not likely to sign anywhere but Pittsburgh, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. The long-time Russian star turns 40 a month after free agency opens on July 31, and his agent, J.P. Barry, has already been in discussions with the Pittsburgh Penguins about coming back on a one-year deal. The length appears to be consistent with both parties, but now it comes down to the question of how much money Malkin is to be paid.
Malkin is coming off the final season of a four-year contract worth $24.4MM ($6.1MM AAV). He finished his age-39 season with 19 goals for 61 points in a season where he played just 56 games, finishing fifth on Pittsburgh in scoring. That tally puts him at a cost of $100k per point, however, because of his contract being frontloaded, his $4.8MM in total salary from 2025-26 is likely where LeBrun believes the Penguins want to begin their number, while Malkin’s camp wants to start around his previous cap hit. It’s not out of the question that if Pittsburgh, who carries $42.5MM in cap space, wants to save as much as they can among their eight free agents and beyond, they can give Malkin performance bonuses to hinder the AAV on the contract.
Additional notes include:
- According to Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey Now, Patrick Kane‘s name has emerged as the potential lone unrestricted free agent that the Detroit Red Wings could be considered in re-signing in Hockeytown. The all-time American star finished with 57 points in 67 games in his third consecutive one-year contract with the Wings that paid him $3MM in his age 37 season. Kane’s cost per point carried a low $53K that Detroit would hope to continue benefiting from. If true, general manager Steve Yzerman will be parting ways with forwards David Perron and James van Riemsdyk, as well as defenseman Travis Hamonic and goaltender Cam Talbot. Simon Edvinsson is the lone defensive restricted free agent, and with $32.6MM in cap space to spare, a chunk of that will head towards the young Swede’s future paycheck.
- Allen’s tweet in particular referenced that van Riemsdyk’s spot, which fluctuated in many spots on the wing, would be filled by a younger player. Perhaps Carter Mazur (8 GP in 2025-26), Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (14 GP in 2025-26), and even Nate Danielson (28 GP in 2025-26) can compete for more ice time if this development comes to fruition.
- Chris Pronger interviewed for the Toronto Maple Leafs president of Hockey operations role, he confirmed as a guest on TSN 1050’s OverDrive show. The 51-year-old said that he had a good conversation about the team’s direction and his thoughts on their needs with MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelly. While he received positive feedback for his discussions, Toronto ultimately went for their options in John Chayka and Mats Sundin. Pronger previously denied rumors that he was interviewing for the Leafs GM role on another TSN show. The Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman, while working in media right now, isn’t opposed to a front office role but emphasized that it needs to be a situation that is right for him to take a new opportunity.
Offseason Checklist: Detroit Red Wings
The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t taking part in the playoffs plus those who have already been eliminated. Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at Detroit.
Patience has run out for the Detroit Red Wings. The team’s playoff drought has run into a decade, and there are still more questions than answers. Despite not only being in a playoff position for much of the season but leading the hotly contested Atlantic Division, a third consecutive collapse in March had the Red Wings on the outside looking in for this year’s postseason. The silver lining is that Detroit has oodles of money to spend and one of the deeper prospect pools in the league. Ultimately, it will require Steve Yzerman to bite the bullet, change his typically conservative approach, and make the changes necessary to get this Original Six franchise back into the playoffs.
Acquire Top-Six Center
This has been an issue plaguing the Red Wings and most of the league for some time. They’ve taken shots at it, mostly by signing Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher in back-to-back offseasons. This season, the hope was that Marco Kasper could assume that role after a solid rookie campaign. Unfortunately, Kasper was flat out of the gates and finished with nine goals and 19 points in 81 contests. His poor play since the start of the campaign vaulted Copp back into the top six.
Despite being one of the best faceoff takers in the league, Copp doesn’t have the offensive punch to warrant a spot in the top six. Yes, he finished with the second-highest scoring output of his career, but it mostly came by the way of assists with the benefit of playing on a line with Alex DeBrincat, who finished with 41 goals.
Detroit was heavily linked to Vincent Trocheck of the New York Rangers and Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues leading up to the deadline, but ultimately didn’t have the appetite to pay the heavy price to address their need. That’s generally a respectable position, given that the General Manager is tasked with managing the team’s assets as well as putting the best team out on the ice. Still, it was a noticeable hole from the jump, and the lack of aggressiveness left many fans, and likely the team, disappointed.
Given the Rangers’ direction, it’s safe to say that Trocheck will again be available for the right price this summer. For Thomas, there’s no indication what direction new General Manager Alex Steen will want to take the team, so it’s no longer a guarantee that he’ll be shopped. As for other options, the Red Wings could take an expensive flyer on Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks, go on the cheaper side and target Morgan Frost of the Calgary Flames, or go bold and try to pry Nico Hischier away from the New Jersey Devils, especially if his extension talks stall.
Re-Work Defensive Corps
One of the most peculiar themes from Detroit over the past several years has been the organization’s infatuation with Ben Chiarot. Yes, he’s physical and blocks shots, but he doesn’t have the on-ice awareness to have a meaningful role in the top four of the defensive corps. He hasn’t had an on-ice goals percentage greater than 50.0% since his time with the Winnipeg Jets, and he’s continued to get worse since then. Despite his decline in play, the Red Wings signed Chiarot to an extension, keeping him in HockeyTown through the 2028-29 campaign.
Although they started strong, Albert Johansson and Jacob Bernard-Docker both declined significantly towards the end of the season. Detroit attempted to give its defensive corps a jolt by acquiring Justin Faulk at the deadline, but he wasn’t enough to get them over the finish line. By the end of the season, the Red Wings could really only rely on their top unit of Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson.
Youngster Axel Sandin Pellikka still has a high ceiling, but has some maturing to do, which isn’t atypical for younger defensemen. Throughout the season, it was evident that the Red Wings’ coaching staff lacked trust in him during challenging situations, leading to his demotion to AHL Grand Rapids before the campaign ended.
Detroit hopes that a full season with Faulk next to Sandin Pellikka will be beneficial, especially if it moves Chiarot to a bottom-pairing role. However, if injuries occur, Detroit lacks sufficient reserves. The Red Wings should target a defenseman who will primarily play in the bottom pairing, but wouldn’t look out of place in the top four if needed. They should be able to recruit this on the free agent market this summer, such as Mario Ferraro, Logan Stanley, or Ryan Shea.
Lock Up Edvinsson
One key factor in solidifying the defensive corps is locking down Edvinsson this summer. He’s set to become a restricted free agent on July 1st without arbitration rights, giving Detroit plenty of time to work something out long-term.
Although he hasn’t taken off as immediately as Seider, it’s clear that the two play well together. Now a full-time player, Edvinsson has scored 16 goals and 56 points in 150 games over the past two years, averaging 21:43 of ice time per game. Additionally, he plays into his frame, blocking 292 shots and delivering 180 hits in that time. The pairing of Edvinsson and Seider played the third-most totals of any defensive pairing this year, and they finished with a 54.8% xGoals% in all situations, according to MoneyPuck.
At the very least, the Red Wings should target a five-year contract if not longer. Should they agree to a five-year deal, that would line Edvinsson up with Seider for their contract expirations. As of now, AFP Analytics projects Edvinsson to sign a seven-year, $61.4MM ($8.77MM AAV) on a long-term deal. It’s unlikely that Detroit would be willing to go above Seider’s $8.55MM salary on any new deal, so they would likely play hardball in getting Edvinsson down to an $8MM to $8.5MM range.
Add Depth Scoring
Connected to their need for a second-line center, the Red Wings must add additional scoring, particularly to their bottom-six. In what has become another theme for this team over the last few years, Detroit struggles to produce at even strength, costing them several games. This season, the team finished in 30th place in even-strength goals.
Of those that finished the season in Detroit, the combination of James van Riemsdyk, Michael Rasmussen, Mason Appleton, Compher, and Kasper finished with 47 goals on the season. As mentioned previously, DeBrincat finished with 41 himself.
Fortunately, the Red Wings don’t need to go big-game hunting in this regard. In fact, most of it could come from within. If Detroit can move Rasmussen and Appleton this summer, as well as let van Riemsdyk walk in free agency, the Red Wings could begin adding in some of their prospects to the NHL roster and let their youthful energy take over.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire of Imagn Images.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard To Join Norway At Worlds
Midway through the World Championship, Norway will get a significant boost to its roster. NHL.com’s Patrick Williams reports (Twitter link) that winger Michael Brandsegg-Nygard will fly to Switzerland to join the team for the rest of the tournament.
The 20-year-old got his first taste of NHL action this season, getting into 14 games for the Red Wings where he picked up his first point, an assist, while averaging 12:31 of ice time. Brandsegg-Nygard was much more productive in the minors, however, as he potted 20 goals and 24 assists in 60 games with AHL Grand Rapids in his first full season in North America.
Brandsegg-Nygard wasn’t expected to be available to suit up in this tournament with the Griffins being the top team in the Western Conference this season and the top seed left in the AHL playoffs after Providence was ousted early. However, Grand Rapids saw their playoff run come to an end last night, opening up the opportunity for the youngster to represent his country after putting up eight points in eight postseason contests.
Brandsegg-Nygard, the 15th overall pick back in 2024, becomes just the fifth NHL-affiliated player on the Norwegian roster. He’s the lone one of the five with NHL experience under his belt and is just one of two first-rounders, the other being Anaheim’s Stian Solberg (selected eight spots after Brandsegg-Nygard that year). Norway sits fifth in their pool standings at the moment and needs to get to fourth to qualify for the quarterfinals so they’ll be counting on Brandsegg-Nygard to come in and immediately be a key contributor.
These Mid-Season Contract Extensions Have Not Aged Well
This year has been unique for in-season contract extensions, as a rising salary cap put pressure on teams to lock up their pending free agents before they could even sniff the open market. What once looked like a promising free-agent class in the summer of 2026 quickly turned into a very thin market void of big names and impact players. Some of those extensions were signed with players who had thrived in previous years and/or started the season well, but faltered after signing their big new contract, leaving teams in a tough spot heading into the summer. Here are five contracts that the signing teams would presumably like to have back.
The first player on our list could very well turn things around next season, and that is Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley. The 24-year-old inked an eight-year, $84.7MM contract extension at the end of October ($10.587MM AAV), and it made perfect sense at the time, as Harley was the 15th-highest-scoring defenseman in the NHL over the previous three seasons, with 105 points in 166 games, and played a solid defensive game as well. However, he struggled this past season, posting his lowest offensive numbers in three years and struggling to drive play. Harley lacked a solid partner for much of the year, but given his new salary cap hit, the hope would be that he could overcome that obstacle, especially considering Dallas doesn’t have the cap space to really look at upgrades on their back end. Harley has plenty of time to turn things around, and he likely will, but Stars management has to be a little nervous about the deal they inked and the long-term ramifications if Harley can’t get his game back next season.
Sticking with Western Conference defensemen, Jake Walman of the Edmonton Oilers was a colossal disaster after signing his seven-year, $49MM extension with the team. The 30-year-old had been terrific after a trade from the San Jose Sharks, but after signing his extension in October, Walman began to struggle and never returned to his form for most of the season. Walman’s signing was made because Oilers management believed he was a good fit for the team’s style, with his solid first pass and heavy shot. But many of the warts in Walman’s game became evident as the season went on. He isn’t physical, he turns the puck over too much, and he doesn’t play a full season. These issues aren’t exactly unique, but for a player being signed to a $7MM AAV, you’d hope he would give you more than 21 points a season, something Walman has done just once in his NHL career. A big issue for the Oilers and Walman is that his contract will take him from his age 30-37 seasons, and at this point he is a finished product. It’s clear Edmonton overpaid to retain his services.
Moving up front, the Winnipeg Jets were quick to re-sign their captain Adam Lowry to a five-year, $25MM contract extension in late November. The deal looked fine at the time, though there were concerns about his age, as he was 32 at the time of signing, and five years is a long time for a player who plays the way he does. Lowry remains a solid shutdown center who can skate, outwork his opponents, and tilt the ice in the Jets’ favor. But given his age and style of play, it’s fair to wonder how much longer he can serve as a Jets top-nine center before his body breaks down and he is relegated to fourth-line duties. It’s a tough spot for Winnipeg because Lowry is a heart-and-soul player, but five years for him is a long time, and it’s a contract the Jets would probably like to renegotiate. Given the history with Lowry, the Jets would no doubt love to keep him in the fold, but at a lower cap rate.
Another late-October extension (two years, $12MM) was New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who had a decent first season with the Devils but was awful in his second year. The timing of this one was particularly peculiar, as Markstrom was off to a very slow start in October 2025, posting a 5.13 GAA and a .830 SV% in just four appearances. He was also coming off a lower-body injury and was 35 years old at the time, making the timing of the signing even stranger. Obviously, the Devils were concerned he might go on a heater and raise the price tag, but that never happened as Markstrom struggled through much of the year, finishing with a 3.07 GAA and a .883 SV%. Those numbers are clearly concerning, but the silver lining is that Markstrom has a history of struggling through a season and bouncing back the following year to get into Vezina Trophy contention, so a bounce-back season in 2026-27 can’t be discounted. However, for now the Devils must be looking at Markstrom’s $6MM AAV and wondering how much lower the number could have been or whether they should have gone in a different direction.
Finally, we have Detroit Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot, who inked a three-year extension this past January worth $3.85MM per season. The 35-year-old has his strengths, as he is reasonably good at skating and can move the puck. He’s also incredibly physical, playing on the edge much of the time and displaying a high level of orneriness in the defensive zone. But that is where his strengths wear off, and his weaknesses are becoming more glaring as he ages. Chiarot has been a drain on whoever he is paired with, particularly on the possession front, and he has posted the worst Wins Above Replacement score for two consecutive regular seasons (as per hockeystats.com). Chiarot can still be an effective defenseman in the NHL, but not in the top four, and that’s where Detroit may need to deploy him once again next season.
None of these contracts are going to be especially crippling to a team, but they do show how quickly the shine can wear off a high-priced extension and how much pressure teams are under to extend their players, thanks to a rising salary cap and many teams’ possession of additional cap space, chasing a few available players.
Genborg Released From ATO With Griffins
- Red Wings prospect Eddie Genborg has been released from his ATO with AHL Grand Rapids, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 19-year-old spent this season with SHL Timra, picking up 25 points in 43 games and then joined the Griffins in March after signing his entry-level deal. A 2025 second-round pick, Genborg played in 13 games during the regular season for them, picking up a goal and two assists while suiting up a couple of weeks ago for one playoff contest. However, he sustained an injury and hadn’t played since. Now, his season has come to an end and he will likely return to Grand Rapids for the 2026-27 campaign.
Raymond Added To Sweden's Roster For Worlds
- Canucks winger Nils Hoglander was expected to play for Sweden at the upcoming World Championship. However, that’s no longer the case as their federation announced (Twitter link) that Hoglander is withdrawing from the roster due to injury and will be replaced by Red Wings winger Lucas Raymond. Injuries were the theme of the year for Hoglander, who was limited to just 38 games. He struggled considerably in those outings, notching just two goals and three assists and was undoubtedly hoping to use this tournament as a springboard to his offseason. Meanwhile, Raymond’s addition is a big one for the Swedes. He surpassed the 70-point mark for the third straight year, notching 25 goals and 51 assists in 80 games.