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Free Agent Focus 2025

Free Agent Focus: Edmonton Oilers

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Free agency is less than 48 hours away now, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Oilers.

Key Restricted Free Agents

D Evan Bouchard – The Oilers only have one player who qualifies for this section but Bouchard is certainly a significant one.  No, the 25-year-old didn’t match his output from 2023-24 although that was going to be hard to do after he put up 82 points in 81 games that year.  But even with a drop-off in production, he still finished fifth among all NHL blueliners with 67 points (14 goals, 53 assists) in 82 games.  In the playoffs, he had 23 points in 22 contests, down from 32 in 25 the year before but still extremely impressive.  While Bouchard isn’t known as being an elite defender, he has made strides at that end and has now shown himself to be one of the premier point producers from the back end.  Arbitration-eligible this summer, it’s quite possible that a long-term contract for him approaches the $10MM mark.

Other RFAs: F Jacob Perreault, F Noah Philp, G Olivier Rodrigue, F Cameron Wright

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Connor Brown – After a rocky first year in Edmonton, Brown took a low-cost one-year deal to stay with them last summer and fared much better, putting up 30 points during the regular season plus nine more in 20 playoff outings.  As always, he was a capable penalty killer as well.  While his days of being viewed as a secondary scorer may be done now, Brown has shown that he can still be an effective bottom-six piece so a multi-year offer at more than double the $1MM AAV he made this season should be doable.

F Kasperi Kapanen – A midseason waiver claim, Kapanen was okay in a limited role but still managed just 14 points in 67 games on the season.  He was better in the playoffs with six points in 12 games but found himself out of the lineup somewhat regularly as well.  A veteran of more than 500 NHL games now, the 28-year-old should be able to secure a deal at some point this summer but it could wind up being a little later in free agency at a price tag close to the minimum salary.

D John Klingberg – The 32-year-old is one of the bigger wild cards on the open market this summer.  He signed a deal midseason after recovering from hip surgery but didn’t play a lot after missing time due to illness and a late-season stint on LTIR.  But in the playoffs, Klingberg was in the lineup for all but three games and held his own in more than 19 minutes a night of playing time.  He’s not a top offensive threat as he was in his prime with Dallas but he’s capable of still helping out a bit on that end while his playoff performance will undoubtedly bolster his market heading into free agency, especially as a coveted right-shot player.  A big-money contract isn’t happening but he might be able to beat the $1.755MM he received when he was a free agent a few months ago.

F Corey Perry – Perry very quietly tallied 19 goals this season and is averaging 15.5 per year over the last four seasons while doing so playing almost exclusively in the bottom six.  He then went and added 10 more in 22 playoff contests.  Yes, he’s 40 but he has shown an ability to adapt and still contribute which will give him a strong market.  If he wants to continue to try to chase another Stanley Cup, he’ll probably have to keep settling for something in the $1MM range plus some bonuses.  But if he’s open to expanding his options past that, doubling that amount should be possible.

F Jeff Skinner – After being bought out by Buffalo, Skinner took a one-year, $3MM deal to give Edmonton some more proven secondary scoring while ideally bolstering his market for 2025.  That didn’t quite happen.  He managed just 16 goals and 13 assists and found himself a scratch at times during the regular season and quite frequently during the playoffs.  His track record is still good enough that there will be a market for his services this summer but it might wind up being another one-year deal at a bit of a dip from this season.

Other UFAs: D Ronald Attard, F Drake Caggiula (signed in Switzerland), D Connor Carrick (signed in Switzerland), G Collin Delia, D Travis Dermott, D Philip Kemp, F Lane Pederson, F Derek Ryan

Projected Cap Space

Following a busy week that included Evander Kane being traded to Vancouver and re-signing Trent Frederic to a surprising eight-year contract, the Oilers find themselves with a little over $12MM in cap space.  The bulk of that will be needed to get Bouchard under contract while they’ll want to shore up their depth as well.  That’s doable enough but if GM Stan Bowman wants to make a bigger splash, he’ll have to find a way to free up some cap space first.

Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire (Bouchard) and Sam Navarro (Klingberg)-Imagn Images.  Contract info courtesy of PuckPedia.

Free Agent Focus: Winnipeg Jets

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Free agency is now under a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Jets.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Gabriel Vilardi – Winnipeg enters the off-season with a few big names at the top of their list – but re-signing Vilardi will have to be their first order of business. The 25-year-old centerman finally had his breakout season this year, after years of flashing high upside through battles with injuries. He scored a career-high 27 goals, 34 assists, and 61 points in 71 games this season – while confidently manning the second-line center role behind Mark Scheifele. The performance was a natural ramp-up after Vilardi potted 23 goals in 63 games of 2022-23, and 22 goals in 47 games last year. He averaged over 18 minutes of ice time this season, and also potted 25 points on the power-play – second-most on the club behind Kyle Connor. Vilardi’s breakout year was helped along by a 20.8 shooting-percentage, two percent higher than his career-average, and a heap of power-play scoring. But even then, it seems hard to deny that he’s the right man to command Winnipeg’s second-line moving forward. That sentiment could set Vilardi up for a major, long-term contract sometime this summer.

D Dylan Samberg – Another top-of-list item will be finding a new contract for hefty defender Dylan Samberg after he graduated into top-end minutes this season. He averaged north of 21 minutes a night as part of a Jets blue-line that leaned heavily on their top-four. His sheer compete and willingness to make plays on both sides of the ice made the heavy utilization look wise. Samberg led the Jets lineup in blocked shots (120) and takeaways (33), while also working his way to a career-high 20 points and plus-34 through 60 games. He’s still only four years into his career, but has so far found strong defensive metrics and a positive plus-minus in every season. That’s an impressive bit of reliability, especially in a Jets’ defensive group that’s often unwavering. Samberg’s offensive upside may never fully come along, but his ability to step up and make plays against top-end competition will be hotly coveted. He seems like a sure bet to sign a long-term and pricey deal this summer.

F Morgan Barron – Barron’s lineup role doesn’t shimmer the same as his RFA company – but he’s found a firm groove on Winnipeg’s fourth-line that would likely be hard to replace. The 26-year-old winger stands at 6-foot-4, 220-pounds and used that size to great effect this season. He ranked fourth on the team in hits (122) despite averaging just a little over 10 minutes of ice time a game. He was also strong when he needed to step up to the faceoff dot – winning 52 percent of his 163 attempts. Best of all, Barron was able to fill the physical and often defense-first role while only accruing 16 penalty minutes through 74 games on the season — a career low in terms of penalties-per-game. He did only score 15 points across the full year, which continued his fall in scoring after netting 23 points last year, and a career-high 31 points the season before. But Barron is a hardy fourth-liner who isn’t at risk of assignment to the minor-leagues. He should be a confident and cheap re-signing for the Jets.

F Rasmus Kupari – Playing alongside Barron was depth center Rasmus Kupari – another player who found his keep from making the responsible plays, rather than high scoring. Kupari totaled just eight goals, 16 penalty minutes, and a minus-one through 59 games this season – but he also recorded a 52.5 percent faceoff win-rate on 499 draws, the highest success rate of any of Winnipeg’s predominant centermen. He was an impactful depth forward capable of making plays in every direction – and standing up to physical play when the moment called for it. Winnipeg may be enticed to try and find a better scoring fit on the open market, but Kupari would still be worth a cheap contract to fill the role of extra forward and toolsy centerman, if nothing else.

Other RFAs: F Kristian Vesalainen, F Mason Shaw, F Parker Ford, D Simon Lundmark, D Isaak Phillips, D Tyrel Bauer

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Nikolaj Ehlers – The headliner of Winnipeg’s summer will be the decision that Ehlers makes in free agency. He is set to head to the open market, and potentially bring a close to his decade-long tenure with the Jets franchise. Only three Jets have scored more than Ehlers’ 520 points in 674 games since he joined the club in 2015-16: Scheifele (720), Connor (582), and Blake Wheeler (560). That’s impressive company. Even more impressive is Ehlers’ ability to stay consistent. He scored his career-high 64 points in 82 games of the 2016-17 season, his sophomore year. But he managed to notch a new career-high in scoring pace with 24 goals and 63 points in just 69 games this year. Ehlers looks well cemented into his prime years right now, and should only continue to serve as a persistent scorer and transition monster wherever he lands next. 10 years in Winnipeg will be hard to leave behind – and the door isn’t closed yet – but after back-to-back, 60-point seasons, Ehlers is making the wise choice to find a payday while he still can.

F Mason Appleton – Appleton has expressed his interest in remaining apart of the Jets’ core, but that could be a hard sell after his scoring returned to Earth a bit this season. He saw a late-stage breakout last season, netting 14 goals and 36 points while appearing in all 82 games of the 2023-24 campaign. But that mark teetered on an 11.5 shooting percentage, and Appleton fell to just 10 goals and 22 points in 71 games on the back of a 9.3 shooting percentage this year. His career average shooting percentage sits somewhere between those two marks, suggesting that Appleton could find consistency scoring in the high-20s over the next few seasons. That could be enough to warrant an inexpensive contract, especially as Appleton continued to provide impact away from the puck. He recorded a plus-seven, 76 hits, and 15 takeaways on the year – fine-enough numbers for a player split between lines two and three. But the Jets have prospects beginning to knock on the door to NHL minutes. If any veteran would be set to lose on a role, it’d reason to be middle-six winger Appleton. He’s played with the Jets in all eight of his NHL seasons, though did take a trip to the Seattle Kraken for 49 games of the 2021-22 campaign. That familiarity will make him a name to watch in Winnipeg.

F Brandon Tanev – The Jets acquired Tanev from the Seattle Kraken at the Trade Deadline for a 2027 second-round pick. He had 17 points in 60 games on the season up until then, but dwindled to just five points in 19 games of Winnipeg’s second-half. But even with low-scoring in mind, the Jets seem to have gotten what they paid for out of the burly Tanev. He recorded 46 hits in his short time on the team, enough to earn the highest hits-per-60 mark on the roster and bring his year-long total up to a daunting 168 hits in 79 games. He also stayed out of the penalty box, with just six penalty minutes in a Jets jersey. Tanev began his career in Winnipeg way back in the 2016-17 season. He played through three full seasons with the club, before kicking off on a journey that’s winded through two years in Pittsburgh and four years in Seattle. But now, Tanev has found his way back home – and while he certainly won’t offer flashy upside, the chance to lock up his imposing physical presence for a full season would be tough for the Jets to ignore.

D Haydn Fleury – Once a top-10 pick in the NHL Draft, it seems Fleury is now headed towards a split with the NHL. He’s appeared with five different clubs over the last eight seasons, and not yet found a true role with any of them. The Jets awarded Fleury with 39 games this season – the most he’s played since the 2020-21 campaign – and he returned just seven assists, a minus-12, and six penalty minutes. Even his intangible stats raise an eyebrow, with only 56 blocked shots and 48 hits on the year. Fleury stepped up to the chance to earn a role, but ultimately ended his season with little flash. He’ll be a depth defender moving forward, and will likely only command a league-minimum salary and an extra-defender role, if he’s re-signed into the NHL.

Other UFAs: F Dominic Toninato, F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, D Dylan Coghlan, G Chris Driedger

Projected Cap Space

Winnipeg is entering the off-season with plenty of money to pursue whoever they’d like. They sit with $24.463MM in projected cap space. That mark could dwindle to just under $12MM, or less, by the time that Vilardi and Samberg sign career-defining contracts — but that should still be more than enough for the Jets to re-sign depth skaters and land big fish on the open market. It would also be enough to give Ehlers a much-deserved pay-raise, should he decide to return. The Jets led the Western Conference with a 56-22-4 record this season, and now enter the summer with enough money to bring in some impactful additions. Their off-season will be one to follow.

Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia. Photo courtesy of Terrence Lee-Imagn Images and Connor Hamilton-Imagn Images.

Free Agent Focus: Washington Capitals

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Free agency is now less than two weeks away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Capitals.

Key Restricted Free Agents

D Alexander Alexeyev – The good news for Alexeyev is that he was a full-time NHL roster player this season.  The bad news is that he only played in eight games during the regular season plus three more with AHL Hershey on a conditioning stint.  Granted, he did play a regular role in the playoffs with Martin Fehervary out of the lineup but this is hardly the most compelling case heading into an arbitration-eligible summer.  The 25-year-old does have 80 career NHL regular season games under his belt and has been a serviceable third-pairing player in a lot of those.  His qualifying offer checks in just under $919K and it wouldn’t be shocking to see a one-year deal come in around that cost, giving him one last chance to make a case for more regular playing time.  Alternatively, they could non-tender him and give Alexeyev a chance to catch on elsewhere.

F Hendrix Lapierre – Lapierre was a regular for the first three months of the season but was limited to just eight assists in 27 games before being sent to the Bears in late December where he stayed the rest of the way.  He fared well in that stint, averaging a point per game in 32 outings.  That said, he did get into 51 games with the Capitals in 2023-24 so he’s not one of those players who’s likely to take less than his $874K qualifying offer to get a one-way salary; he should be able to land a small raise.  But given his usage last season, both sides will likely want a one-year pact which should come in around the $1MM mark.

Other RFAs: F Pierrick Dube, G Mitchell Gibson, D Tobias Geisser (signed in Switzerland), F Henrik Rybinski

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Anthony Beauvillier – Once viewed as a projected top-six winger, Beauvillier’s stock fell considerably in 2023-24 to the point where he accepted a one-year, $1.25MM deal with Pittsburgh in the hopes of rebuilding some value.  He fared well with the Penguins and was flipped to Washington at the trade deadline where he was quiet down the stretch.  However, the 28-year-old then put up six points in 10 playoff games which will help his cause heading to the open market this time out.  It’s unlikely that he gets back to the $4.15MM price tag that he had from 2021-22 through 2023-24 considering that he only had 25 points this season but doubling his contract from last summer should be doable for Beauvillier.

D Ethan Bear – The decision to sign a two-year deal with Washington worth just over $2MM per season worked well for Bear from a financial perspective but not so much from a playing perspective as he ultimately played just 24 games for the Capitals and spent all of this season in Hershey.  Still, Bear has 275 career NHL appearances under his belt and is a right-shot player, the side that’s always in demand.  He’s a safe bet to get an NHL deal somewhere but his market might be good enough to push his price point around the $1MM mark.

F Lars Eller – The 36-year-old managed to get to double-digit goals this season for the fourth straight year and the 11th time in the last 12 seasons.  However, he is starting to slow down and might be better deployed primarily as a fourth liner who can move up when injuries arise.  There’s still a market for that type of player but it’ll be at a lower cost than the $

F Andrew Mangiapane – Most of GM Chris Patrick’s moves from last summer panned out well but Mangiapane’s acquisition was an exception as it didn’t yield the bounce-back they were hoping for.  Instead of rebounding and surpassing the 40 points he had the year before, his production dropped to a career-low 28 points.  While he has a 35-goal season under his belt from back in 2021-22, it’s also the only time he has even reached 20 in a single year.  Given his recent struggles, a shorter-term deal is likely and after making $5.8MM per year on his most recent contract, he’s unlikely to come close to that amount.  Something in the $3MM range per season is where his next contract might land.

F Taylor Raddysh – After being non-tendered by Chicago last summer, Raddysh took a low-cost one-year, $1MM contract early in free agency.  He did pretty well despite a limited role, notching 27 points while averaging a little more than 12 minutes a night of playing time.  Given the playing time, it’s unlikely that he’s going to be able to command a substantial raise but he could get a multi-year deal closer to $2MM per season than $1MM per year.  That would be a solid outcome for someone who was released just one year ago.

Other UFAs: F Nicklas Backstrom (signed in Sweden), F Alex Limoges, F Luke Philp, D Chase Priskie, F Michael Sgarbossa (signed in Switzerland), G Hunter Shepard, F Riley Sutter

Projected Cap Space

The Capitals enter the summer with $9.375MM in cap space with only a pair of low-cost restricted free agents to sign so Patrick is in a spot where he can add to his roster.  Whether they do that with a significant addition up front or spread things out to fill a few spots and leave some in-season wiggle room remains to be seen but either way, they’re likely to be bringing in some pieces over the coming weeks.

Photos courtesy of Geoff Burke (Beauvillier) and Nick Turchiaro (Mangiapane)-Imagn Images.  Contract info courtesy of PuckPedia.

Free Agent Focus: Vegas Golden Knights

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Free agency is now less than two weeks away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Golden Knights.

Key Restricted Free Agents

D Nicolas Hague – Hague has been no stranger to the rumor mill in recent weeks with several teams believed to be inquiring about his services.  With Vegas looking to maximize its salary cap flexibility, it’s believed that the 26-year-old is available.  It wasn’t that long ago that Hague was viewed as a key young cog for the Golden Knights but while he started off his career in an encouraging fashion, his development has largely plateaued in recent years as he has settled in as more of a fifth or sixth defenseman.  He’s owed a qualifying offer of $2.7MM with arbitration eligibility and projects to earn a bit more than that, likely on a multi-year deal even coming off just a 12-point effort.

F Alexander Holtz – Things just have not gone as planned for the 2020 seventh-overall pick.  Unable to live up to expectations in New Jersey, Vegas picked him up last year in a draft-day swap with the thought that he’d build off the 28-point effort he had in 2023-24.  Instead, he struggled considerably, notching just 13 points in 53 games while being a healthy scratch at times and was even sent to AHL Henderson for a 16-game stint.  It’s unlikely that Vegas is ready to give up on Holtz just yet but a one-year deal at or around his $874K qualifying offer seems likely, giving him one more chance to lock down a spot.

F Cole Schwindt – A waiver claim from Calgary at the end of training camp, Schwindt stuck with the big club all season long but only got into 42 games, managing just eight points.  With less than 50 career NHL games under his belt, arbitration rights shouldn’t be too concerning for the Golden Knights so if they want to keep him around, they should feel comfortable extending the $840K qualifying offer.  If he winds up staying, it wouldn’t be surprising if that qualifying offer winds up being his next contract.

Other RFAs: D Lukas Cormier, F Raphael Lavoie, F Ivan Morozov (signed in Russia), F Jonas Rondbjerg, G Isaiah Saville

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Victor Olofsson – Olofsson elected to take a one-year, $1.075MM deal last summer with the Golden Knights in the hopes of rebuilding some of his value.  While injuries limited him to just 56 games, he did rebound somewhat, managing a respectable 15 goals and 14 assists despite seeing basically third-line minutes.  That’s not going to be enough to get him to what he made on his last deal when he was in Buffalo ($4.75MM) but it’s possible that he can get a multi-year deal somewhere around the $3MM range.  Olofsson had six goals with the man advantage this season; he has reached or beat that mark five times in the last six years, making him an intriguing option for teams looking for a little more firepower on the power play.

F Tanner Pearson – Pearson was one of the few players whose training camp tryout was successful as he inked a one-year deal for the minimum and gave them solid fourth-line minutes while staying healthy for the first time in several years.  Pearson probably is going to be viewed as someone earmarked for a similar role moving forward so his offers should come in at or around the $1MM mark.  But after having to play his way onto Vegas this season, he should have a bit more success on the open market this time around.

F Brandon Saad – After clearing waivers with St. Louis, Saad walked away from more than $5MM in guaranteed salary through next season in the hopes of finding another NHL opportunity.  That came with Vegas where he inked a pro-rated $1.5MM contract.  He fared reasonably well with them, notching 14 points in 29 games which is decent secondary scoring.  Now, he’ll look to recoup more of that money back on the open market but it would be surprising to see any offers come near his old $4.5MM AAV.  Something closer to half of that might be more realistic but he might be able to get a multi-year agreement out of it.

G Ilya Samsonov – Like Olofsson, Samsonov took a one-year deal last summer in the hopes of rebuilding some value following a particularly rough year in Toronto.  He probably didn’t hurt his value with a 2.82 GAA and a .891 SV% but he likely didn’t help it too much either and it has already been decided that he won’t be back in Vegas.  Coming off a $1.8MM contract, he could land something around a similar price tag this year but a multi-year commitment seems unlikely.

F Reilly Smith – Brought back for a second stint with the team in a trade with the Rangers at the trade deadline, Smith wasn’t able to produce at the same level as he did the first time around but, like Saad, provided decent secondary scoring.  Still, he has reached 40 points in each of the last two seasons so his camp may try to market the 34-year-old as a two-way middle-six option.  Coming off a $5MM AAV, it would be surprising to see him get a raise but his next contract might not be too much below that either.

Other UFAs: F Callahan Burke, F Mason Geertsen, D Robert Hagg (signed in SHL), D Dysin Mayo, F Mason Morelli, F Gage Quinney

Projected Cap Space

Vegas enters the summer with around $9.6MM in salary cap space which is better than it often has been for this franchise at this time of year.  However, they have a few players to sign with that money and they have been linked as a speculative landing spot for some of the more prominent pending unrestricted free agents.  They’ll need more cap space to do so, meaning a trade might be needed although the availability of Alex Pietrangelo for the start of next season is also in question.  If he’s going to be out long-term and the team goes back into LTIR, they could be in line to make a splash over the next few weeks.

Photos courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig (Hague) and Sergei Belski (Olofsson)-Imagn Images.  Contract info courtesy of PuckPedia.

Free Agent Focus: Vancouver Canucks

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Free agency is now under a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Canucks.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Aatu Räty – Vancouver has a sneaky list of talent headed to the RFA market. The group is headlined by Aatu Räty, who split this season between the major and minor-league rosters. He performed beautifully in the AHL, netting 17 goals, 40 points, and a plus-nine through 43 appearances. The performance was a strong step up on Räty’s 52 points in 72 AHL games last season, though his impact at the NHL flight left something to be desired. The 22-year-old center did manage seven goals and 11 points through 33 appearances – a stat line complemented by his 57.7 percent faceoff win-rate. Those are stout numbers, but despite them, Räty wasn’t able to command more than a third-line role in the lineup. He’s shown flashes at the minor-flight, but will sign his next deal hoping for the promise of a hardy NHL chance next season. That could cap the potential price tag and term Räty can receive this summer, though he’ll be a must-sign option based on upside alone.

F Arshdeep Bains – The only Abbotsford Canuck to score more than Räty this year was Arshdeep Bains, who finished the season with 11 goals and 43 points in 50 games.  The performance was a slight dip from the 55 points he scored in 59 games last season – but held Bains as one of the most important pieces of Vancouver’s minor-league lineup. Bains racked up 136 points in 175 AHL games, and one point in 21 NHL games, on the entry-level contract that pulled him out of undrafted free-agency in 2022. But he hasn’t yet found the imposing, physical edge that’d push him into Vancouver’s bottom-six. Vancouver would be hard-pressed to find a way to replace Bains’ top-end drive in the minors – and his performances so far suggest NHL upside in the near future. But with no breakout just yet, Bains is likely to also earn a cheap, prove-it deal this summer.

F Vitali Kravtsov – Once a top-10 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, there now seems no certainty that Kravtsov will ever have a full NHL career. He returned to Russia’s KHL last season, after spending parts of two seasons trying and failing to earn standing in the New York Rangers and Canucks lineups. He’s totaled just 12 points, split evenly, across 64 career games in the NHL – but had an incredible breakout season in the KHL this year. Kravtsov finished the year with 27 goals and 58 points in 66 KHL games, then added six goals and seven points in 19 playoff games. He looked every bit like the dangerous prospect that was once headed for NHL stardom. There seems to be a scant chance he entertains an NHL contract anytime soon, but his player rights will be invaluable for Vancouver to retain should he ever want another change of scenery.

Other RFAs: F Ty Glover, F Max Sasson, F Tristen Nielsen, D Jett Woo, D Cole McWard, D Christian Felton, G Nikita Tolopilo

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Brock Boeser – The Canucks’ off-season will be headlined by their handling of Brock Boeser. The high-scoring winger has been on the fastrack to a separation with the Canucks for much of the year, with the team even shopping him around, unsuccessfully, at the NHL Trade Deadline. It will be the end of an era if and when Boeser leaves the Canucks lineup. He has been a perennial scorer since the 2017-18 season, and either paced for or exceeded the 25-goal mark in every single season excpet for the 2019-20 campaign. His career year came in 2023-24, when Boeser potted 40 goals and 73 assists – the most goals from any Canuck since Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler reached 41 in the 2010-11 season. That scoring upside will earn Boeser a hardy contract on the open market, though teams will need to be careful to not overpay a player who fell back to 25 goals this season.

F Pius Suter – Pius Suter will be another name to follow closely as Vancouver approaches the open market. He scored a career-high 25 goals and 46 points in 81 games this season – while holding down a reliable role in Vancouver’s middle-six. But Suter’s 18.1 shooting percentage this season stands five percent higher than his career-average of 13.1. He’s seemingly due for some regression, and there’s a good chance Vancouver doesn’t want to be the one holding a pricey bill when that comes. They also have to find ways to promote Räty into a notable role on his next deal, which will directly hurt Suter’s ice time. Should the Canucks get him signed to a reasonable contract, Suter would be a stout veteran to have in the lineup. But an expensive asking price should push the cap-strapped Canucks elsewhere.

D Noah Juulsen – For the last four seasons, Juulsen has served as a depth defender for Vancouver to lean against when they’re faced with injuries or slow play. But his quiet play hit a trench this year, as he posted no scoring and a minus-12 through 35 games in the lineup. With a new contract due, it seems unlikely that Vancouver brings back Juulsen into an NHL depth role. He’ll instead be set for a minor-league option, or change of scenery, as the Canucks attempt to open more space for their young prospects.

Other UFAs: F Philip Di Giuseppe, F Nathan Smith, D Guillaume Brisebois, D Christian Wolanin, D Akito Hirose

Projected Salary Cap

Vancouver faces a busy summer with little in the way of financial capital. They have just $12.16MM in projected cap space – a number that could be cut by as much as a third after Vancouver signs Suter, Raty, and Bains. With so little to work with, the Canucks’ summer should be headlined by cap-clearing moves and free agent additions, rather than re-signings.

Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia. Image courtesy of James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images.

Free Agent Focus: Utah Mammoth

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Free agency is now under a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Mammoth.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Jack McBain – The sole season of the Utah Hockey Club’s existence will go down in NHL history – and near the top of the list of cult players will be Jack McBain. He continued to fill the important, impactful role in Utah’s bottom-six that he’s become known for over the last four seasons, but managed the best results yet. McBain scored a career-high 13 goals and 27 points while appearing in all 82 games of the season this year. The performance just narrowly usurps his 26 points career-high from each of the last two seasons. He also set a career-high in penalty minutes (78) and matched his personal-best plus-eight. McBain is only four seasons, and 241 games, into his NHL career – but it’s so far been marked by imposing, physical play and few costly mistakes. He’s likely on his way to earning a commendable deal, and stamping his place in the early days of Utah’s franchise, with a new contract this summer.

F Kailer Yamamoto – Utah’s only other RFA to play in NHL games this season is winger Kailer Yamamoto. He joined the Hockey Club on a one-year, two-way, league-minimum contract last summer, and earned an AHL assignment just a few weeks into the regular season. He went on to play in his first AHL games since the 2019-20 season and performed brilliantly. All of Yamamoto’s quick pace and jerky dekes translated to the minor flight. He led the Tucson Roadrunners in scoring for much of the season, and finished the year with 20 goals and 56 points in 54 games. That strong scoring earned Yamamoto 12 total appearances in the NHL before the year’s end, though he was only able to muster two goals and three points in those games. After a 2017 first-round selection, and years of questions, it seems Yamamoto’s style is set. He’s a dazzling minor-league scorer, who struggles to carry his flash to the top flight. A new contract should reward him as such, though Yamamoto is still a great asset to have in the pipeline.

Other RFA: D Montana Onyebuchi

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Nick Bjugstad – The 2023-24 season was the first of Bjugstad’s tenure in the Arizona, or Utah, pipeline – and it was marked by an incredible return to productivity. He scored 22 goals and 45 points in 76 games – the most he had scored since he potted 49 points in the 2017-18 season. It was an impressive performance that earned Bjugstad routine run with Utah’s second-line. But he fell back to Earth this year, and finished the season with just 19 points and 12 minutes of average ice time through 66 appearances. At a glance, it seems the curtains are beginning to close on Bjugstad’s fantastic, 12-year career through the NHL. But his veteran presence and potential to catch a scoring groove will still be coveted. Even 30 points would be enough to make him a worthwhile addition. Utah’s optimism that he can reach that mark will likely define whether he ends his career as a Mammoth, or with another move.

F Michael Carcone – Carcone played through his second full-time role in the NHL this season. He’s worked his way up through eight seasons in the minor leagues, where his hard-nosed presence and ability to drive a line was consistently challenged and proven. He’s carried those traits onto Utah’s fourth-line over the last two seasons. He scored 21 goals and 29 points in 74 games of last season, and a much more manageable seven goals and 19 points in 53 games this year. Those numbers don’t jump off the page – but they do equate to a yearly average of 18 goals and 31 points per season, when adjusted to a full 82-game pace. That’s a much more commendable mark, and there’s a good possibility that it earns Carcone a return to Utah’s fourth-line with a minimal-cost contract next season.

F Egor Sokolov – Sokolov will enter free agency as a Group 6 UFA this summer, earning the right to unrestricted negotiations after only appearing in 13 NHL games over the last four seasons. Every one of those appearances came in an Ottawa Senators jersey, and Sokolov only managed one goal and one assist to show for it. But he’s found a strong groove in the minors over the last two seasons – netting 46 goals in 71 games with the AHL’s Belleville Senators last year, and 44 points in 72 games with Tucson this year. He looked controlled and aggressive for mcuh of the year, but was also consistently planted as Tucson faced barrages from opponents. He’s in desperate need for a more defense-oriented style. At only 25 years old, he could still add those components in. If he does, he’ll have the size and scoring consistency to push for a hardy NHL role. That fact could make him worth locking up on a cheap, multi-year deal before July 1st.

D Robert Bortuzzo – While Bjugstad eyes retirement on the horizon, Bortuzzo could come face-to-face with it this summer. To say his role in Utah was minimal may be an understatement. He appeared in just 17 games on the season, and averaged fewer than 11 minutes of ice time. His absences were generally the result of a lower-body injury that held him out for all but two games after December 11th. But his on-ice impact is slowing down as well, and it seems Bortuzzo could soon be pushed to end his career at 577 games played, 76 points scored, and one Stanley Cup won. If he’s convinced to play for one more year, it will be in the role of seventh-defender for a team in need for a feisty and physical depth piece.

Other UFAs: F Travis Barron, F Sammy Walker, F Cameron Hebig, D Patrik Koch

Projected Salary Cap

Utah has absolutely minimal to worry about as the summer approaches. McBain stands as the only must-sign option among their pending free-agents, and the rest of the lot could be had for a very miniscule total. That means they’ll be able to dedicate the vast majority of their $20.36MM in projected cap space towards building the roster up this summer. The Mammoth finished the season just eight points out of a playoff spot, and could find the pieces needed to regain ground with one or two exciting additions this summer.

Free Agent Focus: Toronto Maple Leafs

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Free agency is now less than two weeks away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Maple Leafs.

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Mitch Marner – It was a career year for the 28-year-old who reached the 100-point mark for the first time after coming up just short a couple of times recently.  He was second on the Maple Leafs in points in the playoffs.  And despite all that, it’s widely expected that he will reach the open market with both sides believed to be interested in a fresh start.  Players of Marner’s caliber rarely get to unrestricted free agency and the timing couldn’t be better with the big jump in the salary cap meaning that more teams have more cap flexibility.  As a result, while Mikko Rantanen recently set the NHL record for the highest AAV ($12MM) given to a winger, Marner is expected to eclipse that with speculation that multiple teams are ready to offer $14MM or more.  If he goes to free agency, he’ll be capped at seven years but if he and Toronto are open to it, a sign-and-trade by the end of June could allow him to get an eighth year and net the Maple Leafs a small return.

F John Tavares – Tavares eschewed pricier offers seven years ago in free agency to sign with his hometown team.  The seven-year, $77MM deal wound up aging pretty well as he had 493 points in 515 games with the Maple Leafs, being a high-end second option behind Auston Matthews.  Notably, he is coming off a particularly strong season that saw him notch 38 goals and 36 assists in 75 games.  His 74 points put him second among pending UFAs behind Marner.  While he’ll turn 35 in training camp, Tavares is well-positioned to land a multi-year deal at a price tag around the $7.5MM per season that Brock Nelson received to stay in Colorado since he’s the top center in a market that’s getting thinner in a hurry.  However, for the Maple Leafs to have enough cap room to truly shake up their roster, it’s reasonable to think they’ll be asking for him to leave some money on the table once again.

F Max Pacioretty – While it took until the eve of training camp to secure a deal last year, Pacioretty wound up being a serviceable depth piece for the Maple Leafs when healthy and then had a solid playoff showing with eight points in 11 games.  However, his days of being an every-game regular are likely over which will keep the contract offers closer to the $1MM mark in terms of base salary.  However, as long as he signs a one-year pact (which is the likeliest outcome at this stage of his career), he is eligible for performance incentives which is what he had in his deal this season which could push the total potential compensation more toward the $2MM range if a decent market for his services develops.

F Steven Lorentz – After playing a limited role with Florida in 2023-24, Lorentz became pretty much an every-game regular for Toronto this season, chipping in with 19 points in 80 games, matching those numbers from two years ago.  In doing so, he went from someone whose salary ceiling was at or near the league minimum to someone who should be able to surpass the $1MM mark next month on potentially a multi-year deal.

Other UFAs: F Nick Abruzzese, D Jani Hakanpaa, D Nicolas Mattinen (signed in Germany), D Dakota Mermis, G Matt Murray, F Alex Nylander, F Alex Steeves

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Matthew Knies – After a solid rookie season in 2023-24, Knies found another gear this season, notching 29 goals and 29 assists in 78 games while cementing a spot for himself on Toronto’s top line.  In doing so, he has become one of the top pending RFAs.  He’s the type of player the Maple Leafs would undoubtedly like to lock up on a long-term deal that buys some extra seasons of club control.  However, doing so could push the price tag around $8MM per season which would cut into their spending flexibility to reshape their roster.  As a result, it’s possible that the two sides look at a shorter-term bridge agreement.  The 22-year-old has five RFA-eligible years left so a bridge deal could be for two or three years with a price tag closer to the $4.5MM area, giving GM Brad Treliving more short-term flexibility while setting Knies up to cash in down the road when he’ll be closer to unrestricted free agency and have arbitration eligibility.

F Nick Robertson – A speculative trade candidate last year following his trade request, not a whole lot has changed since then.  The 23-year-old did collect a career-best 15 goals this season but once again failed to secure a full-time spot in the lineup and played just three times in the playoffs.  Accordingly, it’s believed that he’d still prefer a change of scenery.  Owed a qualifying offer of just under $919K, Robertson could get a bit more than that thanks to scoring 29 goals in 125 games over the last two seasons combined thanks to his arbitration eligibility.  That makes him a potential non-tender candidate if a new deal – with Toronto or elsewhere – can’t be reached by the end of the month as it’s unlikely a team will want to give him a chance to go to a hearing.

F Pontus Holmberg – Holmberg has worked his way up from being a depth player in the minors to one who has played in 122 NHL games over the last two seasons while also suiting up in all but one playoff game this spring.  His defensive game and positional versatility make him a useful depth player to have.  He’s owed a qualifying offer of just over $866K but his arbitration eligibility could give him a shot at doubling that, putting him into the same sphere as Robertson where the price tag could get a bit too high for a player who projects to be near the bottom of the lineup.

Other RFAs: G Dennis Hildeby, F Roni Hirvonen (signed in Finland), D Mikko Kokkonen, F Reese Johnson, D Topi Niemela, F Cedric Pare, D William Villeneuve

Projected Cap Space

The Maple Leafs are set to enter the summer with around $25.7MM in cap room, one of the larger amounts around the NHL.  It should be more than enough to dissuade an offer sheet for Knies, as well.  Of course, a lot of that stems from two of their top-four-paid players getting set to hit the open market as the top players at their respective positions.  The good news is that Treliving now has plenty of flexibility to work with but he also now has two significant holes to fill in his lineup and a pricey second contract for Knies to contend with.  But for the first time in a while, Toronto could look considerably different come October.

Photos courtesy of Nick Turchiaro (Marner) and Kim Klement Neitzel (Knies)-Imagn Images.  Contract info courtesy of PuckPedia.

Free Agent Focus: Tampa Bay Lightning

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Free agency is less than a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens.  There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.  We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Lightning.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Gage Goncalves – Even on a relatively deep Lightning team, Goncalves successfully parlayed an impressive run with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch into a full-time role at the NHL level. From 2022 to 2024, Goncalves scored 26 goals and 112 points in 140 AHL contests, with another four goals and 11 points in 12 postseason contests. This gave Tampa Bay the confidence to allow Goncalves a longer-term opportunity at the NHL level, and his tryout proved successful by all accounts. Goncalves scored eight goals and 20 points in 60 games for the Lightning while averaging 12:48 of ice time per night, and achieved a 92.0% on-ice save percentage at even strength. Given the roster flexibility he affords and arbitration eligibility status, Goncalves should earn a healthy bump on his $775K salary from last year, but it’ll likely be less than double.

Other RFAs: F Jaydon Dureau, F Ryder Korczak, F Waltteri Merela, G Hugo Alnefelt

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Nicklaus Perbix – Over the last three years, Perbix has scored 13 goals and 63 points in 220 regular-season contests, with a 51.2% CorsiFor% at even strength, and a 91.0% on-ice save percentage. This is a quality value for a defenseman who has averaged less than 16 minutes of ice time per game and has been playing on a $1.125MM AAV for the last two seasons. Unfortunately, his performance might have made it too expensive for him to continue with Tampa Bay. AFP Analytics projects Perbix to command a two-year, $5.2MM contract this offseason, which would take up almost 75% of the Lightning’s available cap space. Ultimately, the team will likely look for a cheaper right-handed option to fill in the gap or use a combination of Steven Santini and Maxwell Crozier next season.

F Luke Glendening – The University of Michigan alumnus may no longer have the capacity to score 20 points a year, nor is he in danger of receiving fringe votes for the Selke Trophy, but Glendening still holds value in a niche role. He remains one of the most effective faceoff takers in the league, winning 56.5% of his 1,829 draws taken with the Lightning. Given that he started 66.7% of his shifts in the defensive zone with Tampa Bay, Glendening ultimately gave the Lightning a better chance to retain possession and have an effective breakout. Still, even without the same faceoff talent, there may be better options available for Tampa Bay this offseason, at a similar league-minimum salary.

Other UFAs: F Cam Atkinson, F Anthony Angello, F Logan Brown, F Gabriel Fortier, D Derrick Pouliot, D Tobie Paquette-Bisson, G Matt Tomkins

Projected Cap Space

As alluded to earlier when talking about Perbix, the Lightning will again be limited by the salary cap this summer. Although there are no expectations this offseason, it is important to remember that Tampa Bay faced a similar situation last offseason and successfully acquired and signed the market’s top unrestricted free agent, Jake Guentzel. General Manager Julien BriseBois has shown time and time again that the Lightning can never truly be counted out of any available player, and it’ll be another interesting study to see how he weaponizes Tampa Bay’s projected $3.4MM in cap space this summer.

Free Agent Focus: St. Louis Blues

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Free agency is less than a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens.  There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.  We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Blues.

Key Restricted Free Agents

G Joel Hofer – If the Blues play out Hofer’s trip through restricted free agency the right way, Hofer will have a two-year deal by the end of the summer. The expiry of a new two-year agreement would line up exactly with the end of Jordan Binnington’s contract, giving Hofer and St. Louis an avenue for him to assume the role of starting netminder should he continue to improve. Hofer is coming off an impressive two-year stint as the Blues’ backup, managing a 31-20-4 record in 61 games with a .909 SV%, 2.65 GAA, 11.0 goals saved above average.

Other RFAs: F Nikita Alexandrov, F Mikhail Abramov, F Tanner Dickinson, D Hunter Skinner, D Anton Malmström, G Vadim Zherenko

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Ryan Suter – There’s a decent chance the Blues won’t have a decision to make for Suter this offseason. The 40-year-old veteran recently completed his 20th season at the NHL level, and despite indicating in March that he’d like to continue his playing career through the 2025-26 season, there may not be a robust market for him this offseason. After finishing the 2024-25 campaign with a 43.5% CorsiFor% at even strength, Suter’s best bet will be to wait out the market through the offseason and sign a league minimum deal as a seventh defenseman on a competitive roster should he continue his playing career.

F Radek Faksa – There’s a decent chance the Blues will look to retain Faksa this offseason. He’s a quality fourth-line center, winning 57.0% of faceoffs while starting 73.4% of his shifts in the defensive zone. St. Louis has a few young players looking to crack the roster for the 2025-26 campaign, but none of them are likely to affect Faksa’s role with the team. In early May, a report from Lou Korac of NHL.com suggested that Faksa and the Blues had already begun negotiations on a new deal, but nothing has come of them so far.

Other UFAs: F Mackenzie MacEachern, F Corey Andonovski

Projected Cap Space

Because they are projected to lose a small handful of players this offseason, the Blues won’t have much cap space entering the summer months. The Blues have just over $5 million in cap space, ranking fourth-lowest in the league, according to PuckPedia. Aside from re-signing Hofer, St. Louis already has a full roster for the 2025-26 season, and they could bank on their prospects filling in the remaining gaps. However, the Blues could use the upcoming buyout window to release Nick Leddy from the roster, saving them an additional $2MM, since they won’t be able to buy out the injured Torey Krug.

Free Agent Focus: San Jose Sharks

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Free agency is now two weeks away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Sharks.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Nikolai Kovalenko – Kovalenko split a rocky rookie season between the Avalanche and the Sharks. San Jose acquired him in December in the Mackenzie Blackwood trade. The Colorado 2018 sixth-rounder had been an increasingly highly-touted prospect in recent years amid an emergence as a top-line winger in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, and he was even thrust into NHL minutes with the Avs in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, he only had eight points in 28 games with Colorado before the trade, making him expendable for a win-now team. The 25-year-old fared better with the Sharks, putting up a 3-9–12 scoring line in 29 contests, but only averaged 12:40 per game – not as much playing time as he hoped nor expected on a team with as thin of a forward group as San Jose was dealing with this year. That led to reports shortly after the season ended that he was eyeing a KHL return. He hasn’t signed there yet, though, indicating he remains open to returning to the Sharks. Considering his backup options overseas, Kovalenko will likely be San Jose’s most well-compensated RFA if he stays with them despite only 57 games of NHL experience, potentially a two-year deal around $2MM per season.

D Jack Thompson – A 2020 third-round pick by the Lightning, Thompson made his NHL debut with Tampa Bay one season ago before being sent to the Sharks as the principal piece of the deal that sent Anthony Duclair to the Bolts as a deadline rental. The puck-moving righty has bounced between the Sharks and the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda ever since, but has looked good in the NHL minutes he’s received. While he only averaged 15:47 of ice time per game in his 31 NHL appearances in 2024-25, he managed a 4-6–10 scoring line with a respectable minus-nine rating on a club with a -105 goal differential. His possession impacts in limited even-strength deployment, a -0.5 relative CF% and a 50.4 xGF%, were impressive. He got a handful of power-play reps, too. The 23-year-old also posted a 3-11–14 line in 27 minor-league games. He won’t necessarily command a seven-figure cap hit on a deal for 2025-26 since he’s not quite established as a full-timer, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him land it anyway if the Sharks have him penciled into their opening-night lineup.

F Noah Gregor – Gregor returned for his second stint in the Bay Area as a result of the deadline deal that sent Fabian Zetterlund to the Senators. A fourth-round pick of the club back in 2016, the speedy depth forward hasn’t found the 10-goal/20-point production he had his first time around in San Jose. He totaled a 4-3–7 scoring line in 52 games on the year and only had one assist in 12 games with the Sharks after the move. He’s a potential non-tender candidate as they look to create flexibility for names like Thomas Bordeleau and Daniil Gushchin to compete for NHL jobs in training camp while leaving the door open for potential free-agent signings and potentially making a spot for a forward they select No. 2 overall in this year’s draft.

F Klim Kostin – Put Kostin in the potential non-tender camp as well. The 2017 first-rounder looked like he was finally getting his feet under him in San Jose last year after they acquired him from the Red Wings at the trade deadline, finishing 2023-24 with 10 points in 19 games while climbing his way into top-nine minutes. The Russian grinder didn’t receive that kind of deployment from the get-go this year, though, and spent much of the year injured or in the press box. He was limited to seven points in 35 games as a result. Now 26, the Sharks will look to replace his role with either a more established NHL option or a younger winger with more upside.

Other RFAs: F Carl Berglund, F Thomas Bordeleau, F Nolan Burke, F Brandon Coe, F Daniil Gushchin, F Mitchell Russell, G Gabriel Carriere, G Georgi Romanov

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

G Alexandar Georgiev – The Sharks already have clarity in the net next season. Top prospect Yaroslav Askarov is expected to take the reins as their starter or at least a 1A option in a tandem with a free-agent or trade acquisition. It won’t be Georgiev in the No. 2/1B role, though. The Sharks told him at the end of the regular season that they wouldn’t be offering him a new contract. Included for salary-matching/roster management purposes in the Blackwood deal, Georgiev logged a highly underwhelming .875 SV% and 3.88 GAA in 31 appearances with San Jose after the trade – “good” for -17.9 goals saved above expected on the season, including his time in Colorado, per MoneyPuck. A thin goalie market and his top-10 finish in Vezina Trophy voting two years ago could mean he gets an NHL opportunity elsewhere, but the 29-year-old Bulgarian native won’t be back in San Jose.

D Jan Rutta – The 34-year-old righty was brought in simply to serve as an NHL-experienced body on a paper-thin blue line when San Jose acquired him from the Penguins in 2023’s three-team Erik Karlsson trade. He’s historically been an above-average third-pairing option and has done well in sheltered top-four minutes as a grounding piece for a high-end partner. Neither of those situations met him in San Jose, where he had to serve as a top-four defender out of necessity. He averaged 18:38 per game over his two seasons with the Sharks and posted 28 points with a -24 rating in 123 games. The shutdown defender could still have a fit in San Jose, considering their lack of organizational depth on the right side, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him pursue a more conservative role on a more competitive team in free agency.

Other UFAs: F Walker Duehr, F Pavol Regenda (Group VI), F Scott Sabourin, F Colin White, D Jimmy Schuldt

Projected Cap Space

This number still doesn’t mean a whole lot to the Sharks, who will have a ton of players on entry-level deals and aren’t expected to be huge players in free agency as they proceed past the nexus of their rebuild. They’ll still look to add some supporting cast pieces to the roster, though, and will have plenty of room to do so in addition to re-upping any free agents they choose. Their $41.76MM in flexibility is the most in the league, per PuckPedia.

Photo courtesy of Stan Szeto-Imagn Images (Kovalenko) and D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images (Georgiev).

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