Evening Notes: Chinakhov, Oilers, Golden Knights, Stevenson
Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported that Yegor Chinakhov has not been happy with his role of late. The tantalizing 24-year-old has been skating on the Jackets’ fourth line, with no attention on the power play either. When asked about the role, Chinakhov said, “No comment.”
Portzline also mentioned Head Coach Dean Evason’s thoughts on the situation. The Jackets’ bench boss complimented the Russian forward’s play, but emphasized the team’s forward depth.
The remark is interesting, considering that Chinakhov requested a trade over the summer, only to backtrack just 10 days ago, saying he had reached an understanding with Evason and was open to staying with the Blue Jackets.
Columbus’ first-round choice in 2020 (21st overall), Chinakhov has flashed his high skill, lighting up the AHL in short stints, but has yet to put everything together in the NHL. The emergence of other forwards such as Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko has had Chinakhov on the outside looking in. It appears the former top prospect is at a crossroads that many have found themselves at: accepting a lesser role for the greater good to stick in the NHL, or finding a home elsewhere.
Elsewhere across the league:
- In Edmonton, Tony Brar of Oilers TV reported that Jake Walman, who has had rumblings of an extension lately, is day-to-day, but is expected to be ready for opening night. Vasily Podkolzin is expected to resume skating on Wednesday, after the tragic loss of his father.
- SinBin.vegas noted that two Golden Knights, Pavel Dorofeyev and Jeremy Lauzon, are both progressing, per Head Coach Bruce Cassidy. They will remain sidelined tomorrow and are questionable for the Knights’ remaining preseason games. Dorofeyev was an 82-game player last year, breaking out with an eye-popping 35 goals, while Lauzon only notched 28 games in Nashville due to injury, before an offseason trade to Vegas.
- Having been mentioned by Kevin Weekes last week, Elliotte Friedman echoed that the Capitals will likely lose goaltender Clay Stevenson on waivers, as reported by Russian Machine Never Breaks. The undrafted 26-year-old has yet to make a sizeable NHL impact (just one game played) but has caught the eye of many clubs, and could be the latest under-the-radar goaltender to burst onto the scene. Interestingly, Friedman noted the Rangers as a possible suitor, saying they pursued the Alberta native as a college free agent before the Capitals won out. Such a claim would especially be a blow to the marquee AHL franchise, the Hershey Bears. With Weekes pointing it out and Friedman following suit, Stevenson will be a name to watch closely.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/29/25
Eight days remain until the beginning of the regular season. After a weekend of heavy roster trimming, most clubs are down to their last few rounds of targeted cuts. We’re keeping track of today’s moves here at Pro Hockey Rumors.
Buffalo Sabres (per team announcement)
D Zachary Jones (to AHL Rochester, pending waivers)
F Jake Leschyshyn (to AHL Rochester, pending waivers)
Chicago Blackhawks (per team announcement)
G Drew Commesso (to AHL Rockford)
D Ashton Cumby (to AHL Rockford)
F Nick Lardis (to AHL Rockford)
F Samuel Savoie (to AHL Rockford)
F A.J. Spellacy (to OHL Windsor)
F Aidan Thompson (to AHL Rockford)
F Dominic Toninato (to AHL Rockford)
G Mitchell Weeks (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)
Colorado Avalanche (per team announcement)
F Taylor Makar (to AHL Colorado)
G Isak Posch (to AHL Colorado)
Edmonton Oilers (per team announcement)
G Matt Tomkins (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers)
Florida Panthers (per team announcement)
G Evan Cormier (released from PTO to AHL Charlotte)
G Kirill Gerasimyuk (to AHL Charlotte)
D Ludvig Jansson (to AHL Charlotte)
D Evan Nause (to AHL Charlotte)
Minnesota Wild (per team announcement)
F Nicolas Aube-Kubel (to AHL Iowa, pending waivers)
F Caedan Bankier (to AHL Iowa)
D Ben Gleason (to AHL Iowa, pending waivers)
G Samuel Hlavaj (to AHL Iowa)
F Ben Jones (to AHL Iowa, pending waivers)
D Matt Kiersted (to AHL Iowa, pending waivers)
F Rasmus Kumpulainen (to AHL Iowa)
D Carson Lambos (to AHL Iowa)
G Riley Mercer (to AHL Iowa)
D Wyatt Newpower (released from PTO to AHL Iowa)
D David Spacek (to AHL Iowa)
Nashville Predators (per team announcement)
F Daniel Carr (to AHL Milwaukee)
G Magnus Chrona (to AHL Milwaukee)
F David Edstrom (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Dylan Gambrell (to AHL Milwaukee)
D Andrew Gibson (to AHL Milwaukee)
G Ethan Haider (to AHL Milwaukee)
D Zack Hayes (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Kalan Lind (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Kyle Marino (to AHL Milwaukee)
D Jack Matier (to AHL Milwaukee)
D Chad Nychuk (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Cole O’Hara (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Isaac Ratcliffe (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Austin Roest (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Ryder Rolston (to AHL Milwaukee)
G T.J. Semptimphelter (to AHL Milwaukee)
D Ryan Ufko (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Oasiz Wiesblatt (to AHL Milwaukee)
F Joey Willis (to AHL Milwaukee)
New Jersey Devils (per team announcement)
F Tag Bertuzzi (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
G Tyler Brennan (to AHL Utica)
G Jeremy Brodeur (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
F Alexander Campbell (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
F Brian Carrabes (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
D Jimmy Dowd (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
F Josh Filmon (to AHL Utica)
D Jeremy Hanzel (to AHL Utica)
G Jakub Málek (to AHL Utica)
F Jack Malone (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
F Matyas Melovsky (to AHL Utica)
D Luke Reid (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
F Ryan Schmelzer (to AHL Utica, pending waivers)
F Cam Squires (to AHL Utica)
D Jackson van de Leest (released from PTO to AHL Utica)
F Dylan Wendt (to AHL Utica)
New York Rangers (per team announcement)
F Jaroslav Chmelar (to AHL Hartford)
D Jackson Dorrington (to AHL Hartford)
D Case McCarthy (to AHL Hartford)
D Andrej Sustr (released from PTO)
F Adam Sykora (to AHL Hartford)
F Kalle Vaisanen (to AHL Hartford)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team announcement)
F Callahan Burke (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Atley Calvert (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Finn Harding (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Aaron Huglen (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Nolan Renwick (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
San Jose Sharks (per Curtis Pashelka of Bay Area News Group)
F Filip Bystedt (to AHL San Jose)
F Igor Chernyshov (to AHL San Jose)
Toronto Maple Leafs (per team announcement)
G Kenneth Appleby (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
G Artur Akhtyamov (to AHL Toronto)
F Brandon Baddock (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Matthew Barbolini (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Travis Boyd (to AHL Toronto)
D Noah Chadwick (to AHL Toronto)
F Gunnarwolfe Fontaine (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Luke Grainger (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Benoit-Olivier Groulx (to AHL Toronto)
F Luke Haymes (to AHL Toronto)
F Reese Johnson (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Marc Johnstone (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Ben King (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Ryan Kirwan (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Braeden Kressler (to AHL Toronto)
F Vinni Lettieri (to AHL Toronto)
D Ryan McCleary (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Alexander Nylander (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Cédric Paré (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
D Rhett Parsons (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
G Vyacheslav Peksa (to AHL Toronto)
D John Prokop (to AHL Toronto)
F Jacob Quillan (to AHL Toronto)
F Nick Rhéaume (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
D Chas Sharpe (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Logan Shaw (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Marko Sikic (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Landon Sim (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
D Blake Smith (to AHL Toronto)
F Sam Stevens (released from PTO to AHL Toronto)
F Ryan Tverberg (to AHL Toronto)
F Borya Valis (to AHL Toronto)
D Cade Webber (to AHL Toronto)
Vancouver Canucks (per team announcement)
D Parker Alcos (to WHL Edmonton)
F Vilmer Alriksson (to AHL Abbotsford)
D Joe Arntsen (released from PTO to AHL Abbotsford)
F Danila Klimovich (to AHL Abbotsford)
D Nikolai Knyzhov (released from PTO to AHL Abbotsford)
G Aku Koskenvuo (to AHL Abbotsford)
D Kirill Kudryavtsev (to AHL Abbotsford)
F Joseph LaBate (to AHL Abbotsford, pending waivers)
D Jayden Lee (released from PTO to AHL Abbotsford)
F Mackenzie MacEachern (to AHL Abbotsford, pending waivers)
F Ty Mueller (to AHL Abbotsford)
G Jiri Patera (to AHL Abbotsford, pending waivers)
F Anri Ravinskis (to AHL Abbotsford)
D Jimmy Schuldt (to AHL Abbotsford, pending waivers)
F Chase Stillman (to AHL Abbotsford)
F Chase Wouters (released from PTO to AHL Abbotsford)
G Ty Young (to AHL Abbotsford)
Winnipeg Jets (per Murat Ates of The Athletic)
F Phillip Di Giuseppe (to AHL Manitoba, pending waivers)
F Mason Shaw (to AHL Manitoba, pending waivers)
F Danny Zhilkin (to AHL Manitoba)
Training Camp Cuts: 9/27/25
We are now 10 days away from opening night, now that training camp has reached its second Saturday. Over the next few days, teams will have some of their biggest cuts of the preseason, while also putting additional players up for claim on the waiver wire. Each team’s current roster can be found at our Training Camp Roster Tracker. Here is the list of today’s cuts:
Buffalo Sabres (per team release)
D Isaac Belliveau (to AHL Rochester)
F Matteo Costantini (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Riley Fiddler-Schultz (to AHL Rockford)
D Aidan Fulp (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Konsta Helenius (to AHL Rochester)
F Jagger Joshua (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Tyler Kopff (to AHL Rochester)
D Vsevolod Komarov (to AHL Rochester)
F Trevor Kuntar (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
D Noah Laaouan (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
G Topias Leinonen (to AHL Rochester)
G Devon Levi (to AHL Rochester)
D Zach Metsa (to AHL Rochester)
F Olivier Nadeau (to AHL Rochester)
F Viktor Neuchev (to AHL Rochester)
D Nikita Novikov (to AHL Rochester)
D Jack Rathbone (to AHL Rochester, pending waiver clearance)
G Scott Ratzlaff (to AHL Rochester)
F Isak Rosen (to AHL Rochester)
F Redmond Savage (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Graham Slaggert (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
D Peter Tischke (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Brendan Warren (released from PTO to AHL Rochester)
F Anton Wahlberg (to AHL Rochester)
Chicago Blackhawks (per team release)
D Cavan Fitzgerald (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)
D Taige Harding (to AHL Rockford)
D Dmitry Kuzmin (to AHL Rockford)
F Paul Ludwinski (to AHL Rockford)
D Ryan Mast (to AHL Rockford)
D Andrew Perrott (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)
F Brett Seney (released from PTO to AHL Rockford)
Colorado Avalanche (per team release)
F Alex Barre-Boulet (to AHL Colorado, pending waiver clearance)
F Tye Felhaber (to AHL Colorado, pending waiver clearance)
F Jason Polin (to AHL Colorado, pending waiver clearance)
F T.J. Tynan (to AHL Colorado, pending waiver clearance)
D Sean Behrens (to AHL Colorado)
F Ivan Ivan (to AHL Colorado)
F Jayson Megna (to AHL Colorado)
F Tristen Nielsen (to AHL Colorado)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
F Roman Ahcan (to AHL Cleveland)
F Riley Bezeau (to AHL Cleveland)
D Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm (to AHL Cleveland)
D Caleb MacDonald (to AHL Cleveland)
D Will MacKinnon (to AHL Cleveland)
D Dysin Mayo (to AHL Cleveland, pending waiver clearance)
F Hunter McKown (to AHL Cleveland, pending waiver clearance)
F Ryland Mosley (to AHL Cleveland)
D Guillaume Richard (to AHL Cleveland)
G Zachary Sawchenko (to AHL Cleveland, pending waiver clearance)
F Owen Sillinger (to AHL Cleveland, pending waiver clearance)
Edmonton Oilers (per team announcement)
D Josh Brown (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waiver clearance)
F Roby Jarventie (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waiver clearance)
G Samuel Jonsson (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Viljami Marjala (to AHL Bakersfield)
New York Islanders (per team announcement)
G Tristan Lennox (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Eetu Liukas (to AHL Bridgeport)
D Jesse Pulkkinen (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Gleb Veremyev (to AHL Bridgeport)
D Marshall Warren (to AHL Bridgeport)
New York Rangers (per team announcement)
F Nathan Aspinall (to OHL Flint)
Philadelphia Flyers (per team release)
D Spencer Gill (to QMJHL Blainville-Boisbriand)
F Jack Nesbitt (to OHL Windsor)
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release)
F Raivis Ansons (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D David Breazeale (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Tommy Budnick (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Kyle Criscuolo (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Brayden Edwards (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Zach Gallant (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Max Graham (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Brent Johnson (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Jordan Kaplan (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Gabe Klassen (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Daniel Laatsch (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Brett Murray (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
G Maxim Pavlenko (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Emil Pieniniemi (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Zach Urdahl (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
Seattle Kraken (per team announcements)
F JR Avon (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Lukas Dragicevic (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Jagger Firkus (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F David Goyette (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Kaden Hammell (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Justin Janicke (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Tyson Jugnauth (to AHL Coachella Valley)
G Niklas Kokko (to AHL Coachella Valley)
G Jack LaFontaine (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Andrei Loshko (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Ian McKinnon (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Jacob Melanson (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Logan Morrison (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Ty Nelson (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Gustav Olofsson (to AHL Coachella Valley)
G Victor Ostman (to AHL Coachella Valley)
D Caden Price (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Carson Rehkopf (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Lleyton Roed (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Eduard Sale (to AHL Coachella Valley)
F Nathan Villeneuve (to OHL Sudbury)
Vegas Golden Knights (per team announcement)
F Braeden Bowman (to AHL Henderson)
F Jakub Brabenec (to AHL Henderson)
F Mathieu Cataford (to AHL Henderson)
D Artur Cholach (to AHL Henderson)
D Jeremy Davies (to AHL Henderson)
F Jakub Demek (to AHL Henderson)
F/D Joe Fleming (to AHL Henderson)
F Jackson Hallum (to AHL Henderson)
F Ben Hemmerling (to AHL Henderson)
D Brandon Hickey (to AHL Henderson)
D Lucas Johansen (to AHL Henderson)
D Viliam Kmec (to AHL Henderson)
D Samuel Mayer (to AHL Henderson)
F Riley McKay (to AHL Henderson)
F Mitch McLain (to AHL Henderson)
F Devon Paliani (to AHL Henderson)
F Matyas Sapovaliv (to AHL Henderson)
D Christoffer Sedoff (to AHL Henderson)
F Sloan Stanick (to AHL Henderson)
F Trent Swick (to AHL Henderson)
F Kai Uchacz (to AHL Henderson)
F Tuomas Uronen (to AHL Henderson)
G Jesper Vikman (to AHL Henderson)
F Kevin Wall (to AHL Henderson)
G Cameron Whitehead (to AHL Henderson)
Washington Capitals (per team announcement)
F Zac Funk (to AHL Hershey)
G Mitch Gibson (to AHL Hershey)
F Ryan Hofer (to AHL Hershey)
F Lynden Lakovic (to WHL Moose Jaw)
D Aaron Ness (to AHL Hershey)
F Ludwig Persson (to AHL Hershey)
D Calle Rosen (to AHL Hershey, pending waivers)
F Spencer Smallman (to AHL Hershey, pending waivers)
F Matt Strome (to AHL Hershey)
F Alexander Suzdalev (to AHL Hershey)
Waivers: 9/27/25
As training camp cuts continue to occur, there will be an uptick in waiver placements over the next week and a half. Today is a particularly busy day on the wire with PuckPedia reporting that 20 players are now on waivers. Meanwhile, all of yesterday’s players cleared, per PuckPedia.
Buffalo Sabres
Calgary Flames
Columbus Blue Jackets
D Dysin Mayo
F Hunter McKown
G Zachary Sawchenko
F Owen Sillinger
Colorado Avalanche
F Alex Barre-Boulet
F Tye Felhaber
F Jason Polin
F T.J. Tynan
Edmonton Oilers
D Josh Brown
F James Hamblin
F Roby Jarventie
New York Islanders
St. Louis Blues
F Nikita Alexandrov
F Hugh McGing
Toronto Maple Leafs
F Travis Boyd
F Benoit-Olivier Groulx
F Vinni Lettieri
Vegas Golden Knights
For the most part, this is a group of veteran players who have cleared waivers multiple times in the past and should expect to do so here as well. That said, Lettieri has gotten into 72 NHL games over the last two seasons and could be appealing to a team looking for some extra depth down the middle. Alexandrov didn’t see any action with St. Louis last season but averaged just over a point per game with AHL Springfield last season and has 51 career NHL appearances under his belt. Boyd was a full-time NHL player as recently as 2022-23 and is one game shy of 300 for his career but has settled in as more of an AHL veteran since then.
At this time of year, it’s sometimes the younger players who might garner some attention and there are some on this list who could draw a look. Cormier and Poirier are only 23 and have shown some offensive upside in the past at both the QMJHL and AHL levels. Jarventie was once a prospect with some upside before an injury derailed his 2024-25 campaign but if there’s a team that thinks he has fully recovered, he could garner attention as well.
These players will be on waivers until 1 PM CT on Sunday.
Training Camp Cuts: 9/26/25
Today marks the second Friday of training camp. One week from now, we’ll be four days away from opening night. We continue to track roster cuts as they come across the wire. This piece will be updated throughout the day.
Buffalo Sabres (per team announcement)
D Noah Laberge (to QMJHL Newfoundland)
G Ryerson Leenders (to OHL Brantford)
Calgary Flames (per team announcement)
F Andrew Basha (to AHL Calgary)
F Parker Bell (to AHL Calgary)
F Lucas Ciona (to AHL Calgary)
F Martin Frk (to AHL Calgary)
F Alex Gallant (to AHL Calgary)
F Carter King (to AHL Calgary)
D Simon Mack (to AHL Calgary)
D Étienne Morin (to AHL Calgary)
G Connor Murphy (to AHL Calgary)
D Jérémie Poirier (to AHL Calgary pending waivers; placement will be Saturday)
G Arsenii Sergeev (to AHL Calgary)
F David Silye (to AHL Calgary)
F Carter Wilkie (to AHL Calgary)
Colorado Avalanche (per team announcement)
D Connor Kelley (to AHL Colorado)
D Hank Kempf (to AHL Colorado)
D Saige Weinstein (to AHL Colorado)
Columbus Blue Jackets (per Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic)
G Ivan Fedotov (to AHL Cleveland, pending waivers)
Edmonton Oilers (per team announcement)
D Beau Akey (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Connor Clattenburg (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Matt Copponi (to AHL Bakersfield)
G Nathaniel Day (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Seth Griffith (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Jayden Grubbe (to AHL Bakersfield)
F James Hamblin (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers; placement will be Saturday)
D Mason Millman (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Matvey Petrov (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Rem Pitlick (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Rhett Pitlick (to AHL Bakersfield)
D Luke Prokop (to AHL Bakersfield)
F James Stefan (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Brady Stonehouse (to AHL Bakersfield)
Nashville Predators (per team announcement)
D Scott Harrington (released from PTO)
D Cameron Reid (to OHL Kitchener)
New York Islanders (per Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic, team release, and Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News)
F Max Dorrington (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Liam Foudy (to AHL Bridgeport, pending waivers)
F Julien Gauthier (to AHL Bridgeport, pending waivers)
F Alex Jefferies (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Joey Larson (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Matthew Maggio (to AHL Bridgeport)
D Cole McWard (to AHL Bridgeport, pending waivers)
D Travis Mitchell (to AHL Bridgeport, pending waivers)
D Ross Mitton (to AHL Bridgeport)
D Calle Odelius (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Chris Terry (to AHL Bridgeport)
F Cam Thiesing (to AHL Bridgeport)
G Henrik Tikkanen (to AHL Bridgeport)
San Jose Sharks (per team announcement)
D Noah Beck (to AHL San Jose)
D Mattias Havelid (to AHL San Jose)
F Lucas Vanroboys (to AHL San Jose)
F Anthony Vincent (to AHL San Jose)
Utah Mammoth (per Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic, and a team release)
F Owen Allard (to AHL Tucson)
F Maksim Barbashev (to AHL Tucson)
D Kevin Connauton (to AHL Tucson, pending waivers)
F Caleb Desnoyers (to QMJHL Moncton)
D Artem Duda (to AHL Tucson)
F Michal Kunc (to AHL Tucson)
F Sam Lipkin (to AHL Tucson)
F Julian Lutz (to AHL Tucson)
F Miko Matikka (to AHL Tucson)
F Ryan McGregor (to AHL Tucson)
G Dryden McKay (to AHL Tucson)
D Lleyton Moore (to AHL Tucson)
F Noel Nordh (to AHL Tucson)
D Montana Onyebuchi (to AHL Tucson)
F Austin Poganski (to AHL Tucson)
F Jack Ricketts (to AHL Tucson)
D Maksymilian Szuber (to AHL Tucson)
F Ty Tullio (to AHL Tucson)
F Samuel Walker (to AHL Tucson)
G Dylan Wells (to AHL Tucson)
Vancouver Canucks (per team announcement)
D Sawyer Mynio (to AHL Abbotsford)
Washington Capitals (per Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic)
D Calle Rosen (to AHL Hershey, pending waivers)
F Spencer Smallman (to AHL Hershey, pending waivers)
Oilers Trialing Trent Frederic In Top-Line Role
The Oilers’ decision to dole out an eight-year, $30.8MM contract extension to trade deadline acquisition Trent Frederic was one of the more eye-popping bits of news from a busy late-June period. A $3.85MM cap hit with significant trade protection throughout the contract seemed on the steep side for a player who’s averaged 13 goals and 26 points per 82 games throughout his career and didn’t play a huge role in the playoffs for Edmonton last year, averaging 11:24 of ice time per game.
Yet it looks like Frederic, now Edmonton’s fifth-highest-paid forward, will have a prime opportunity to make good on that value, at least to begin the season. He’s been getting consistent reps on the Oilers’ top line in camp alongside Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid – a unit head coach Kris Knoblauch is intent on sticking with as usual first-liner Zach Hyman begins the season on injured reserve, he told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic.
“I want him playing with those guys for a bit to get some chemistry,” Knoblauch told Nugent-Bowman. “[Frederic] hasn’t had the opportunity to play top six much in his career. We hope that he can complement them.”
The evident hope when signing Frederic to that long-term deal was that his average stat line would be much closer to the success he enjoyed in a middle-six role with the Bruins in 2022-23 and 2023-24, not the injury-plagued season last year that saw him record just eight goals and 15 points in 58 games split between Boston and Edmonton. Over the prior two seasons, Frederic averaged an 18-18–36 scoring line per 82 games while averaging a conservative 12:51 per game. Nearly all of that production came at even strength with far lower-quality linemates than two of the top five players in the world. Scaling up his minutes and upping the quality of his teammates could conceivably make him a passable top-six solution, at least until Hyman can heal up from last season’s wrist injury and make his season debut. That’s expected to be sometime in November.
While the 2016 first-round pick is wholly untested in such an extended role, it’s clear to see the motivation for putting him there. As Nugent-Bowman writes, though, there are still some considerable kinks to work out. They played together in last night’s 4-1 exhibition loss to the Kraken, but “didn’t do much on Wednesday and was even scored against when Frederic couldn’t clear the puck at the defensive blue line.”
But where there’s an opening, there’s a potential to turn it into a long-term fit. The Oilers have the luxury of multiple top-end talents who can play center. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has seen the bulk of the minutes on the wing with McDavid and Hyman in recent years, while Draisaitl centered his own line. If Frederic works out well in a top-line role to begin the season, they can keep him there with McDavid and Hyman when the latter is healthy, allowing Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins to form a more balanced second line or to have RNH center his own unit behind Draisaitl’s.
Oilers Working On Long-Term Extension For Jake Walman
The Edmonton Oilers have a lot of work to do leading up to the season. Besides the elephant in the room, Connor McDavid, a UFA at season’s end, Frank Seravalli told Bleacher Report that the Oilers are making progress on a Jake Walman extension. Rumblings of such were previously discussed earlier in the month, and now it is believed to be a longer-term deal in the works, which could happen soon.
Walman, 29, was acquired last March after a successful turnaround stint in San Jose, for a conditional 2026 first-round pick and fringe prospect Carl Berglund, proving to be tidy business from GM Mike Grier and the Sharks. The blue liner appeared in 38 combined regular and postseason games for the Oil, tallying 18 points and averaging over 20 minutes a night.
Originally drafted 82nd overall in 2014 by the St. Louis Blues, the Toronto native established himself as an everyday defender with the Detroit Red Wings, netting a three-year, $10.2MM contract, only to be salary-dumped to San Jose after the 2023-24 campaign. Having proven himself once again, Walman seems to have found himself in a favorable situation in Edmonton, with an opportunity to take on a bigger role in the future as well.
Walman could be due for a five-to-six-year deal in the $6.5MM annual range, according to AFP Analytics.
With Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse the only notable defensemen signed beyond the 2025-26 season, and well over $10MM in current defenders to be freed up, GM Stan Bowman has the opportunity to overhaul his d-corps, as the Oilers look to build the right supporting cast for their mega stars, and finally get over the hump toward a Stanley Cup. It is hard to ignore Mattias Ekholm, 35, another UFA at season’s end, and the possibility of Walman slotting in as a potential long term replacement on the left side – either entirely, or if the veteran Ekholm is re-signed with a more age-friendly role.
Whether McDavid, or the supporting cast, it will be interesting to see which shoe falls first in Edmonton, and perhaps we will have an answer by season’s start.
Oilers’ Vasily Podkolzin Takes Leave Of Absence
Oilers winger Vasily Podkolzin will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from the club after his father, Alexander, “suddenly and tragically passed away last night,” the team said in a press release. He’s returned to his native Russia in the interim.
Whenever Podkolzin is ready to return – an understandably wide-ranging timeline – he’ll be walking into a top-nine role in Edmonton. The 24-year-old played in all 82 games for the Oilers last year and saw notable deployment alongside Leon Draisaitl as a checking winger, putting together an 8-16–24 scoring line while averaging 13:13 of ice time per night. He also led Edmonton in hits by a wide margin with 211.
That was enough to earn him a three-year extension with a $2.95MM cap hit, a deal he signed just yesterday. He otherwise would have been a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer after inking a two-year, $2MM deal with the Canucks in April 2024. Edmonton acquired him from Vancouver via trade before he played a game under that contract.
If Podkolzin does not return to the Oilers before the beginning of the regular season, he can be designated as a non-roster player and will not count against their 23-player roster limit. His current $1MM cap hit, however, would still count against their books. If he’s expected to miss at least 10 games and 24 days from the start of the campaign, they can place him on long-term injured reserve for potential salary relief if necessary.
All of us at PHR extend our condolences to the Podkolzin family.
Latest On Kris Knoblauch
- Insider Darren Dreger reported on TSN’s Insider Trading segment that Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch and Calgary Flames head coach Ryan Huska are both entering the final season of their current contracts, and while neither coach has a firm extension offer on the table, both coaches are names to watch entering 2025-26. Knoblauch has been nothing but a success in Edmonton, and although a Stanley Cup championship remains elusive, he’s still widely respected for guiding the team to back-to-back Western Conference titles. Huska hasn’t had the same level of success as Knoblauch, though he also doesn’t get to dress Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in his lineup on a nightly basis. While the third-year coach didn’t reach the playoffs in either of his first two seasons on the job, he oversaw a stellar rookie campaign from netminder Dustin Wolf and improved the team’s performance in 2024-25 compared to where it was in 2023-24.
Oilers Sign Vasily Podkolzin To Three-Year Extension
The Oilers and Vasily Podkolzin will avoid restricted free agency next summer. The club announced it has signed him to a three-year extension carrying an AAV of $2.95MM for a total value of $8.85MM. The deal breaks down into a $1MM signing bonus and $1.95MM base salary each season, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports.
Back in April of 2024, Podkolzin had agreed to a two-year, $2MM deal with the Canucks that looked to keep the former top-10 pick in Vancouver for another couple of years. He never played a game for the club on that contract, though. After the Oilers lost winger Dylan Holloway to an offer sheet four months later, they moved to recoup some forward depth and acquire Podkolzin from the ‘Nucks in exchange for a fourth-round pick. That was a buy-low price for the 2019 draft choice, who had two years of term and four years of team control remaining. He was set to have arbitration rights next summer, but instead will walk to unrestricted free agency in 2029 with this extension.
In Edmonton, Podkolzin reestablished himself as an NHL regular after spending his final few seasons in Vancouver watching his playing time dwindle. He skated in all 82 games for the first time, supplying an 8-16–24 scoring line with a +1 rating while averaging a career-high 13:13 per game. He spent a good portion of the year up in the top six as a checking presence on Leon Draisaitl‘s line, although he more routinely moved to bottom-six duties when the postseason rolled around. The 6’1″, 190-lb Russian led the club with 211 hits in the regular season and finished second among Edmonton forwards with 53 blocks.
Podkolzin, now 24, no longer has the offensive ceiling Vancouver hoped for when they selected him 10th overall six years ago. He’s nonetheless solidified himself as a reasonably valuable middle-six checking presence, although his point production still leaves much to be desired given how much time he saw along Draisaitl at even strength last year. He did score 14 goals in 79 games in his rookie campaign with Vancouver back in 2021-22, though. If he can rediscover that shooting touch, his nearly $3MM cap hit over the next few years should be more palatable as the cap continues to rise. If not, that’s a bit of a gamble the Oilers are taking on a type of talent that could be easily replaceable for a lower salary on the free agent market.
The Oilers now have nearly $62MM in salary commitments to just 12 players for their 2026-27 active roster. That leaves them with over $42MM in space to fill up to 11 jobs – a relatively reasonable target, but a number that will also drop quickly if they manage to extend franchise center Connor McDavid in the near future.