Kraken Extend Joey Daccord
The Kraken announced they’ve put pen to paper with goaltender Joey Daccord on a contract extension. It’s a five-year deal worth $25MM, adds Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, keeping him in Seattle through the 2029-30 season. The 28-year-old will earn an average of $5MM per year.
Daccord was slated to hit unrestricted free agency next summer for the first time, but this deal will keep him off the open market until shortly before his 34th birthday. That means he’ll spend most, if not all, of his prime in Seattle, where he broke out as a legitimate tandem option last season after spending the overwhelming majority of his first four professional seasons in the minors.
Daccord entered the 2023-24 season as the Kraken’s backup option behind Philipp Grubauer, set to be promoted to full-time NHL duties for the first time after guiding AHL Coachella Valley to the Calder Cup Final in its first season. It’s hard to imagine a better first year for Daccord, who not only established himself as a legitimate NHL option but pushed himself ahead of Grubauer on the depth chart.
His .916 SV% tied Boston’s Jeremy Swayman for seventh in the league among goalies with at least 20 appearances, and he added three shutouts and stopped 16.8 goals above average while making 46 starts and four relief appearances. He had a .926 SV% at even strength, second in the league among starters behind Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck. His strong showing didn’t result in any outside Vezina consideration, but he did earn a couple of third-team All-Star votes at the end of the year.
It’s been a lengthy road to NHL relevancy for Daccord, who was a seventh-round pick of the Senators all the way back in 2015 out of the Massachusetts prep school ranks. Two years later, he was in the NCAA, playing a key role in helping the formerly independent Arizona State to Division I relevancy. He was named to the West region’s Second All-American Team in his junior outing in 2018-19 when he backstopped the Sun Devils with a 21-13-1 record and .926 SV% in 35 appearances. That was enough for the Sens to sign him and bring him to the pros.
Daccord posted decent numbers in minor-league action for the Sens, but injuries and COVID limited his total playing time. After nine NHL appearances in Ottawa, logging a 1-4-1 record and a .894 SV%, he was left unprotected in the 2021 expansion draft and was claimed by Seattle. He was viewed as a high-ceiling option but cleared waivers at the beginning of 2022-23, even after posting a .925 SV% in his first year in the Kraken organization in 34 games with AHL Charlotte.
Now, Daccord’s AHL days are behind him after posting a .918 SV% in 98 appearances at the second-tier level. A $25MM deal is certainly a significant commitment from the Kraken to a netminder with fewer than 70 NHL games under his belt, but his robust workload last year gave them enough confidence to ink the contract.
Unfortunately, it also means Seattle will be carrying an expensive tandem of Daccord and Grubauer totaling $10.9MM against the cap for the next two seasons after this one. Grubauer, who’s struggled heavily with a .893 SV% and -39.0 GSAA in 131 appearances for the Kraken since their inaugural season, still has three years left on his deal at a $5.9MM cap hit. He has a 10-team no-trade list, but the cap-strapped Kraken might be able to unload him next summer with only two seasons left on his contract if they’re willing to attach a sweetener. That would allow them to land a more cost-effective option to partner with or back up Daccord.
The Kraken now have $79.15MM tied up in 15 players for next season, leaving them roughly $13.35MM in flexibility for eight players, assuming the cap rises as expected to $92.5MM. Notable pending UFAs include Yanni Gourde, Brandon Tanev, William Borgen, and Josh Mahura, while notable RFAs include Ryker Evans and Tye Kartye.
ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was the first to report that Daccord and the Kraken were nearing an extension. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report the terms of the contract.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Senators Sign Linus Ullmark To Four-Year Extension
The Senators have signed goaltender Linus Ullmark to a four-year, $33MM extension, the team announced today. TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report the news. It will carry a cap hit of $8.25MM and keep him in Canada’s capital through the 2028-29 season.
Per PuckPedia, Ullmark’s contract contains a full no-move clause. It’s also paid out entirely in base salary with no signing bonuses. He’ll earn $7MM in 2025-26 and $8MM in 2026-27 before earning $9MM annually in the final two years of the deal.
The deal closes a brief period of uncertainty for the Sens, who parted ways with the No. 25 pick in this year’s draft, Joonas Korpisalo, and Mark Kastelic to bring the 2023 Vezina Trophy winner in from the Bruins over the offseason without any assurances the pending free agent would sign an extension. Instead, the 31-year-old will avoid becoming a UFA for the second time in his career and play out the remainder of his prime years in Ottawa.
However, Ullmark isn’t doing his new team any favors with a discount on his market value. His $8.25MM cap hit is identical to the eight-year deal his former tandem partner Jeremy Swayman signed to remain in Boston long-term. He’s much older, though, and while he’s been a decidedly above-average netminder for five years in a row now, he likely couldn’t have commanded a more prosperous deal on the open market. That does offer some explanation for why he’s opted to sign this agreement so soon into extension talks, which were nonexistent as recently as two weeks ago, per reports.
But it’s also quickly coming into view that Swayman has already accomplished his self-stated goal of resetting the goalie market with his contract. Before he signed, it would have been hard to imagine Ullmark landing a contract just $250K shy annually of the recent long-term extension that Connor Hellebuyck, a more established bona fide No. 1, signed in Winnipeg not too long ago. Now, however, Ullmark easily becomes the fourth-highest-paid goalie in the league next season, although he’ll drop to fifth at some point. He was the second-best goalie atop the 2025 UFA class, outmatched by Rangers star Igor Shesterkin. But after reportedly rejecting an eight-year, $88MM offer to keep him in New York, the latter remains without a deal.
After spending his entire career until the 2021 offseason in the Sabres organization, Ullmark cashed in with a four-year, $20MM deal with the Bruins. The Swede had posted solid numbers in limited action in Buffalo but emerged as an outright star in Boston, delivering a rock-solid .917 SV% and 11.0 GSAA in 41 appearances in his first season as the Bruins dealt with the retirement of franchise netminder Tuukka Rask. He split the net evenly with the rookie Swayman that year, a sign of things to come.
Not many goalies can win the Vezina in a full season with fewer than 50 appearances to show for it, but if there will ever be an exception to the rule, it was Ullmark’s 2022-23 campaign. His play was astounding and one of the biggest factors fueling the Bruins’ record 65-win regular season, posting a 40-6-1 record in 49 appearances with a league-leading .938 SV%, 1.89 GAA, and eye-popping 48.5 GSAA. He took home the Vezina, shared the Jennings Trophy with Swayman (who was solid in his own right with a .920 SV%), and finished 10th in Hart Trophy voting.
Even in a regression season, Ullmark was still among the league’s premier goalies in 2023-24. He finished sixth in Vezina voting after logging a .915 SV%, a 2.57 GAA, and two shutouts with a 22-10-7 record. But his level of play was just slightly bested by Swayman, who started a slim majority of Boston’s games for the first time and took over completely in postseason play. With Swayman reaching restricted free agency this offseason and Ullmark set to hit the open market the following year, the writing was on the wall for Boston to part ways with the veteran and his bargain $5MM cap hit to make room for the younger netminder and to upgrade other areas of their roster, which had relied too heavily on elite goaltending in recent years.
For the Senators, acquiring Ullmark already addressed their biggest weakness. Extending him only gives them further runway with this core to finally return to playoff contention amid a seven-year drought. In nearly every sense, last year’s Ottawa team should have taken a step forward, controlling the majority of scoring chances, shot attempts, and high-danger chances at even strength. Horrid showings between the pipes from Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg doomed them, though, as their combined -30.9 GSAA tanked the Sens’ record back below the .500 mark and far away from a wild card spot.
With Ullmark instead of Korpisalo last season, there’s a very real argument that Ottawa would have ended its playoff drought already. The only question mark will be whether Ullmark can handle an increased workload with diminished support in the form of Forsberg as his backup. He’s never made more than 50 appearances in a season and has made more than 40 starts just once, during his Vezina-winning campaign.
Looking at the 2025-26 season, Ottawa now has $75.4MM wrapped up in 13 players after Ullmark’s extension, per PuckPedia. Assuming the cap jumps to a reported $92.5MM ceiling, the Sens have just over $17MM to fill 10 roster spots, including an extension for pending RFA Ridly Greig.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Florida Panthers Extend Carter Verhaeghe
The Florida Panthers have come to terms on an extension with one of their best forwards from their run to a Stanley Cup championship a season ago. The team announces they have agreed to an eight-year extension with forward Carter Verhaeghe beginning next season.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Verhaeghe will earn $7MM each year of the deal with $46MM of the $56MM being paid out in bonuses. Friedman also adds that Florida gave Verhaeghe a six-year no-move clause that will begin this season and last the first five years of his new deal.
Verhaeghe had an odd pathway toward becoming one of the most consistent forwards on a Stanley Cup championship team. The Toronto Maple Leafs originally drafted him with the 82nd overall pick of the 2013 draft but he would only play two games in the organization by way of two appearances with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies in 2013-14. The Maple Leafs moved on quickly from Verhaeghe despite two solid years with the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs as he was moved in the trade that brought Michael Grabner to Toronto.
His time in the New York Islanders organization was eerily similar to his time with the Maple Leafs playing exclusively in the AHL or ECHL. He failed to move his way up the Islanders’ depth chart and the team moved him to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a minor 2017 trade for Kristers Gudļevskis. His offensive potential was beginning to blossom upon his arrival in Tampa Bay scoring 51 goals and 130 points in 134 games for the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch from 2017-19.
Verhaeghe made his NHL debut over six years after being drafted on October 3rd, 2019. He skated in 52 games for the Lightning that season scoring nine goals and 13 points while averaging 9:22 of ice time. He also played sparingly in Tampa Bay’s run to the Stanley Cup Final that season tallying two assists in eight games while getting his name on the Cup for the first time in his career.
The Bolts were seemingly unimpressed by Verhaeghe’s pedestrian scoring output in his rookie campaign and non-tendered him over the offseason. Their interstate rivals, the Panthers, acted quickly by signing Verhaeghe to a two-year, $2MM contract.
His major breakout happened almost instantaneously with the Panthers. He scored 18 goals and 36 points in 43 games for Florida in the Covid-shortened 2020-21 campaign and quickly became one of the best bargain contracts in the league. Verhaeghe followed up his breakout campaign with another solid year with 24 goals and 55 points in 78 contests which firmly cemented him in the Panthers’ top six. 
The last two years have been Verhaeghe’s best with 76 goals and 145 points in 157 games since the start of the 2022-23 NHL season. He’s also been one of Florida’s best playoff performers in the team’s back-to-back runs to the Stanley Cup Final scoring 18 goals and 38 points in 45 postseason contests.
General manager of the Panthers, Bill Zito, spoke highly of Verhaeghe by saying, “Carter is one of our most trusted players. South Florida has watched him evolve into one of the NHL’s most elite goal scorers while also being a relentless forechecker. His willpower and perseverance have allowed him to repeatedly succeed as a critical performer on the biggest stages. He is an integral part of our team now and into the future, and we are thrilled to see him remain a part of our core group“.
Florida is making a major push to lock in their core for the foreseeable future and keep their contention window wide open. Verhaeghe’s extension marks the sixth Panthers’ player with at least six years left on their contract including Gustav Forsling, Sam Reinhart, Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, and Anton Lundell.
Artem Anisimov Announces Retirement
Veteran forward Artem Anisimov has retired, the NHLPA confirmed today. The 36-year-old hangs up his skates after a 13-year run in the NHL with four different teams.
It marks the end of a very respectable career for the Russian center, whom the Rangers selected in the second round of the 2006 draft. A solid two-way pick out of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl organization, he was in North America with AHL Hartford one year later and had cracked New York’s NHL roster as a full-timer beginning with his age 21 season.
Anisimov was an extremely reliable middle-six piece over his first few seasons. After making the Rangers’ opening night roster for the first time in 2009, he would go nearly two and a half years without missing a game. Anisimov churned out 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points in his first NHL campaign before having his best year in New York in his sophomore year, finishing fifth on the team in scoring in 2010-11 with 44 points (18 G, 16 A) while averaging 16:12 per game and taking over 700 draws.
The 2012 offseason brought an end to Anisimov’s time in Manhattan, however. He was one of many pieces sent to the Blue Jackets in that summer’s blockbuster swap that sent Rick Nash to New York. His tenure in Columbus was met with a bit less fanfare, struggling a bit with injuries and seeing slightly diminished possession impacts compared to his time with the Rangers. He did, however, set a career-high in goals with 22 while with the Jackets in 2013-14, helping the franchise to their second playoff appearance in team history.
A pending unrestricted free agent entering the 2015 offseason, it was clear Anisimov’s long-term future wasn’t in Columbus. He was sent to the Blackhawks in a swap that essentially amounted to a one-for-one deal with Brandon Saad going the other way, with none of the minor assets included in the trade having any long-term relevance. Unfortunately for Anisimov, he joined Chicago on the back end of their championship window and never captured a ring with them. But he did have the best years of his career in the Windy City after signing a five-year, $22.75MM extension. He hit the 20-goal mark three years in a row and earned Selke votes in 2016.
After totaling 155 points in 291 games with the Hawks, he was sent to the Senators for Zack Smith. Injuries finally caught up to him after a relatively healthy career, though, limiting him to 68 appearances over the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. He never landed another NHL contract after becoming a UFA in 2021, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. After spending the 2021-22 campaign back home with Lokomotiv, he played out the last two campaigns on AHL deals with the Flyers’ and Rangers’ affiliates in search of another NHL try that never came.
In 771 career appearances, Anisimov put together 180 goals, 196 assists, and 376 points. He recorded a -17 rating, 214 PIMs, and a 46.1% career win rate in the dot. He also added 17 points in 43 postseason games with the Rangers (2009, 2011, 2012), Blue Jackets (2014), and Blackhawks (2016, 2017). His career earnings totaled nearly $37.5MM, per CapWages. All of us at PHR congratulate Anisimov on his strong career.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Report: Igor Shesterkin Rejected Eight-Year, $88MM Extension Offer
The Rangers will have to pay a historic amount to keep their star netminder off next year’s unrestricted free agent market. Igor Shesterkin has rejected an eight-year extension offer from the Blueshirts worth $88MM, reports Kevin Weekes of ESPN. The deal would have made him the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history.
Not only is Shesterkin the highest-profile goaltender set to be available in free agency next summer, he would be the highest-profile goaltender to hit UFA status in the salary cap era. But there’s a clear interest from the player’s side to remain in New York. They’ve been in contract talks since at least August, although a report from the New York Post’s Mollie Walker back in June indicated Shesterkin was likely looking for a $12MM price tag per season on an eight-year extension.
If Shesterkin and agent Maxim Moliver have held to that figure, then there’s still a $1MM gap to bridge between the Rangers and the 28-year-old. Walker wrote last month that Shesterkin would stop contract negotiations once the regular season started, so if there isn’t significant movement before New York opens its season in Pittsburgh tomorrow night, Rangers general manager Chris Drury will have the entire 82-game schedule to ponder whether he’s willing to shell out the additional cash to keep Shesterkin in Manhattan.
All signs up to this point indicate the Rangers were and still are willing to give Shesterkin the richest goalie contract ever, eclipsing Carey Price‘s eight-year, $84MM extension with the Canadiens. That obviously hasn’t changed considering their $88MM offer, but Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff’s report last month that the Rangers were “unfazed” by Shesterkin’s unwillingness to negotiate during the season suggests they anticipated being able to get him to come down slightly from his $12MM AAV ask.
It’s certainly a gamble on Shesterkin’s part to reject the offer. He now essentially controls his destiny with his performance this season. A second career Vezina nomination likely cements his ability to land north of $12MM annually on the open market, while a still elite but more inconsistent showing like last year’s (.912 SV%, 2.58 GAA, 14.2 GSAA) likely keeps him in the 11s.
While the markets are completely different for skaters and goaltenders, it’s clear Shesterkin is looking to capitalize on an expected run of inflated contracts for franchise cornerstones after the Oilers forked over $14MM annually to keep Leon Draisaitl on an eight-year extension, the richest contract since the 2012 lockout. The Bruins signing restricted free agent netminder Jeremy Swayman to an eight-year, $66MM deal over the weekend likely helps Shesterkin’s case as well. The Russian has superior career regular-season and playoff numbers to his Eastern Conference counterpart and has started 50-plus games in each of the last three seasons – something Swayman’s never done.
Simply put, losing Shesterkin in the middle of their championship contention window is not an option for the Rangers, who have been a much more pedestrian possession club at even strength than you’d expect, given their record over the past few years. Shesterkin has saved 82.38 goals above expected over the past three years, per Evolving Hockey, second to only Jets star Connor Hellebuyck. He stopped 86.58 in that frame but logged 24 more games played. There’s an extremely strong argument that he’s the league’s best goaltender, and there’s nothing resembling a succession plan in the Rangers’ prospect pipeline.
With more clarity on next year’s salary cap likely to come as the season progresses, Drury may be more willing to allocate the money needed to keep Shesterkin when the season wraps up. However, a successful season for the Rangers results in a Stanley Cup Final appearance, which would leave only a few days for Drury and Shesterkin’s camp to work out a deal if he remains unwilling to negotiate while game action is ongoing.
Capitals Sign Jakub Vrana
Oct. 8: The Capitals have made Vrana’s signing official. It’s a league-minimum deal, as reported.
Oct. 7: The Washington Capitals are bringing back a familiar face on a guaranteed contract. PuckPedia reported earlier today that the organization will sign forward Jakub Vrana to a one-year, $775K contract after playing on a professional tryout agreement for the preseason.
Vrana’s contract won’t be registered until tomorrow when the Capitals are expected to make the signing official. He will start the season on Washington’s opening night roster and play his first game with the organization in over three years.
He was originally drafted by the Capitals with the 13th overall pick of the 2014 NHL Draft and debuted with the club in 2016-17. It wasn’t an encouraging start to his NHL career, with three goals and six points in his first 21 games.
His play picked up over the next three years, with 62 goals and 126 points for the Capitals in 224 games from 2018-2020. He played a part in Washington’s run to their first Stanley Cup championship in the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, scoring three goals and eight points in 23 games, including the first goal of the clincher.
Although Vrana was an emerging member of the Capitals’ top six, the team traded him to the Detroit Red Wings during the 2020-21 season for Anthony Mantha. He got off to an electric start on a poor Red Wings team with eight goals and 11 points in 11 games.
His time in the Motor City was shortlived thanks to injuries and a stint in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. He finished his tenure in Detroit with 22 goals and 32 points in 42 games before being traded to the St. Louis Blues in 2022-23.
Vrana finished the 2023-24 season with two goals and six points in 21 games while being demoted to their AHL affiliate for much of the year. He’s far removed from earning the three-year, $15.75MM contract the Red Wings gave him in 2021, but Vrana and the Capitals hope he can turn his career around in a familiar environment.
2024-25 Opening Night Roster Tracker
Opening night rosters are due Monday at 4 p.m. Central, one of the many critical 2024-25 campaign dates. Some teams still need to make their last few cuts today to get down to 23 players, while others are already at or under the maximum and are just waiting to make things official. As announcements come across the wire, each team’s initial 2024-25 season roster will be listed here.
Originally published 8:56 a.m.
Last updated 8:02 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks (per team release)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (13): Leo Carlsson, Robby Fabbri, Cutter Gauthier, Ross Johnston, Alex Killorn, Brett Leason, Isac Lundestrom, Brock McGinn, Mason McTavish, Ryan Strome, Troy Terry, Frank Vatrano, Trevor Zegras
Defensemen (8): Brian Dumoulin, Cam Fowler, Radko Gudas, Jackson LaCombe, Tristan Luneau, Pavel Mintyukov, Urho Vaakanainen, Olen Zellweger
Goaltenders (2): Lukas Dostal, James Reimer
IR: G John Gibson
Projected cap space: $20,640,833, per PuckPedia
Boston Bruins (per team release)
Roster size: 22/23
Forwards (13): John Beecher, Justin Brazeau, Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic, Morgan Geekie, Max Jones, Mark Kastelic, Cole Koepke, Elias Lindholm, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Riley Tufte, Pavel Zacha
Defensemen (7): Brandon Carlo, Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, Charlie McAvoy, Andrew Peeke, Parker Wotherspoon, Nikita Zadorov
Goaltenders (2): Joonas Korpisalo, Jeremy Swayman
IR: D Ian Mitchell, F Matthew Poitras, D Alec Regula
Projected cap space: $145,261, per PuckPedia
Calgary Flames (per team release)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (13): Mikael Backlund, Blake Coleman, Matthew Coronato, Samuel Honzek, Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri, Adam Klapka, Andrei Kuzmenko, Ryan Lomberg, Anthony Mantha, Martin Pospisil, Kevin Rooney, Connor Zary
Defensemen (8): Rasmus Andersson, Kevin Bahl, Tyson Barrie, Jake Bean, Joel Hanley, Daniil Miromanov, Brayden Pachal, MacKenzie Weegar
Goaltenders (2): Daniel Vladař, Dustin Wolf
IR: F Yegor Sharangovich
Projected cap space: $18,630,833, per PuckPedia
Carolina Hurricanes (per team release)
Roster size: 22/23
Forwards (13): Sebastian Aho, William Carrier, Jack Drury, Seth Jarvis, Tyson Jost, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Brendan Lemieux, Jordan Martinook, Martin Necas, Eric Robinson, Jack Roslovic, Jordan Staal, Andrei Svechnikov
Defensemen (7): Brent Burns, Jalen Chatfield, Shayne Gostisbehere, Bryce Montgomery, Dmitry Orlov, Jaccob Slavin, Sean Walker
Goaltenders (2): Frederik Andersen, Pyotr Kochetkov
IR: F Jesper Fast, D Joakim Ryan
LTIR: D Riley Stillman
Projected cap space: $774,997, per PuckPedia (LTIR Pool)
Chicago Blackhawks (per team release)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (14): Joey Anderson, Andreas Athanasiou, Connor Bedard, Tyler Bertuzzi, Jason Dickinson, Ryan Donato, Nick Foligno, Taylor Hall, Philipp Kurashev, Pat Maroon, Ilya Mikheyev, Lukas Reichel, Craig Smith, Teuvo Teravainen
Defensemen (7): T.J. Brodie, Nolan Allan, Seth Jones, Alec Martinez, Connor Murphy, Isaak Phillips, Alex Vlasic
Goaltenders (2): Petr Mrazek, Arvid Soderblom
IR: G Laurent Brossoit
SOIR: D Wyatt Kaiser, D Artyom Levshunov
Projected cap space: $4,646,614, per PuckPedia
Colorado Avalanche (per team release)
Roster size: 21/23
Forwards (11): Ross Colton, Jonathan Drouin, Parker Kelly, Joel Kiviranta, Nathan MacKinnon, Casey Mittelstadt, Logan O’Connor, Mikko Rantanen, Calum Ritchie, Chris Wagner, Miles Wood
Defensemen (8): Calvin de Haan, Samuel Girard, Oliver Kylington, John Ludvig, Cale Makar, Sam Malinski, Josh Manson, Devon Toews
Goaltenders (2): Justus Annunen, Alexandar Georgiev
IR: F Gabriel Landeskog, F Artturi Lehkonen, D Tucker Poolman
Suspended: F Valeri Nichushkin
Projected cap space: $44,375, per PuckPedia
*Forwards Ivan Ivan and Nikolai Kovalenko are expected to be recalled prior to the Avalanche’s season opener against the Golden Knights on Wednesday after one or more of their IR players are moved to LTIR.
Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (13): Zach Aston-Reese, Yegor Chinakhov, Adam Fantilli, Dylan Gambrell, Kent Johnson, Sean Kuraly, Kevin Labanc, Kirill Marchenko, Sean Monahan, Mathieu Olivier, Mikael Pyyhtia, Cole Sillinger, James van Riemsdyk
Defensemen (8): Jake Christiansen, Erik Gudbranson, Jordan Harris, David Jiricek, Jack Johnson, Ivan Provorov, Damon Severson, Zach Werenski
Goaltenders (2): Elvis Merzlikins, Daniil Tarasov
IR: F Boone Jenner
SOIR: F Justin Danforth, F Jordan Dumais, F Max McCue
Projected cap space: $20,335,990, per PuckPedia
Dallas Stars (per team release)
Roster size: 22/23
Forwards (12): Jamie Benn, Colin Blackwell, Oskar Bäck, Evgenii Dadonov, Matt Duchene, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, Mason Marchment, Jason Robertson, Tyler Seguin, Logan Stankoven, Sam Steel
Defensemen (7): Mathew Dumba, Thomas Harley, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, Nils Lundkvist, Ilya Lyubushkin, Brendan Smith
Goaltenders (2): Casey DeSmith, Jake Oettinger
IR: F Mavrik Bourque
Projected cap space: $2,353,612, per PuckPedia
Detroit Red Wings (per team release)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (13): Jonatan Berggren, J.T. Compher, Andrew Copp, Alex DeBrincat, Christian Fischer, Patrick Kane, Dylan Larkin, Tyler Motte, Michael Rasmussen, Lucas Raymond, Vladimir Tarasenko, Joe Veleno, Austin Watson
Defensemen (7): Ben Chiarot, Simon Edvinsson, Erik Gustafsson, Albert Johansson, Olli Maatta, Jeff Petry, Moritz Seider
Goaltenders (3): Ville Husso, Alex Lyon, Cam Talbot
SOIR: D Shai Buium, F Tim Gettinger
Projected cap space: $573,194, per PuckPedia
Edmonton Oilers (per PuckPedia)
Roster size: 22/23
Forwards (14): Viktor Arvidsson, Connor Brown, Leon Draisaitl, Adam Henrique, Zach Hyman, Mattias Janmark, Evander Kane, Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Corey Perry, Vasily Podkolzin, Derek Ryan, Matthew Savoie, Jeff Skinner
Defensemen (6): Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Ty Emberson, Brett Kulak, Darnell Nurse, Troy Stecher
Goalies (2): Calvin Pickard, Stuart Skinner
Projected cap space: $952,053, per PuckPedia
* The Oilers are expected to place Kane ($5.125MM) on LTIR tomorrow and register the one-year, $925K agreement with forward Cameron Wright tomorrow.
Florida Panthers (per team release)
Roster size: 22/23
Forwards (13): Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, Jesper Boqvist, MacKenzie Entwistle, Jonah Gadjovich, A.J. Greer, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, Sam Reinhart, Evan Rodrigues, Mackie Samoskevich, Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe
Defensemen (7): Uvis Balinskis, Adam Boqvist, Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, Dmitry Kulikov, Niko Mikkola, Nate Schmidt
Goaltenders (2): Sergei Bobrovsky, Chris Driedger
IR: F Tomas Nosek, D Justin Sourdif
Projected cap space: $130,455, per PuckPedia
Los Angeles Kings (per team release)
Roster size: 22/23
Forwards (12): Quinton Byfield, Phillip Danault, Kevin Fiala, Warren Foegele, Tanner Jeannot, Adrian Kempe, Anže Kopitar, Alex Laferriere, Trevor Lewis, Trevor Moore, Akil Thomas, Alex Turcotte
Defensemen (8): Michael Anderson, Kyle Burroughs, Brandt Clarke, Joel Edmundson, Andreas Englund, Vladislav Gavrikov, Caleb Jones, Jordan Spence
Goaltenders (2): Darcy Kuemper, David Rittich
IR: D Drew Doughty, F Arthur Kaliyev
Projected cap space: $546,666, per PuckPedia
Montreal Canadiens (per Sportsnet’s Eric Engels)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (14): Josh Anderson, Joel Armia, Alex Barré-Boulet, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Christian Dvorak, Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher, Emil Heineman*, Oliver Kapanen, Alex Newhook, Michael Pezzetta, Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki
Defensemen (7): Justin Barron, Kaiden Guhle, Lane Hutson, Mike Matheson, David Savard, Jayden Struble, Arber Xhekaj*
Goaltenders (2): Sam Montembeault, Cayden Primeau
IR: F Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, F Patrik Laine
LTIR: G Carey Price
Projected cap space: $-1,187,084, per PuckPedia
*Expect to see Heineman and Xhekaj sent to AHL Laval on Monday in a paper transaction before being recalled on Tuesday, per PuckPedia. That would allow them to start the season under the cap without Price’s $10.5MM cap hit on LTIR, giving them the best possible capture when they add him to LTIR in the hours following the opening night roster deadline.
Nashville Predators (per team release)
Roster size: 21/23
Forwards (13): Luke Evangelista, Filip Forsberg, Mark Jankowski, Jonathan Marchessault, Michael McCarron, Thomas Novak, Gustav Nyquist, Ryan O’Reilly, Juuso Parssinen, Colton Sissons, Cole Smith, Steven Stamkos, Philip Tomasino
Defensemen (6): Alexandre Carrier, Dante Fabbro, Roman Josi, Jeremy Lauzon, Luke Schenn, Brady Skjei
Goaltenders (2): Juuse Saros, Scott Wedgewood
SOIR: F Austin Roest, D Spencer Stastney, F Fedor Svechkov
Projected cap space: $5,242,285, per PuckPedia
New Jersey Devils (per team release)
Roster size: 21/23
Forwards (13): Nathan Bastian, Jesper Bratt, Paul Cotter, Erik Haula, Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Curtis Lazar, Kurtis MacDermid, Timo Meier, Dawson Mercer, Stefan Noesen, Ondrej Palat, Tomas Tatar
Defensemen (6): Seamus Casey, Brenden Dillon, Dougie Hamilton, Johnathan Kovacevic, Simon Nemec, Jonas Siegenthaler
Goaltenders (2): Jake Allen, Jacob Markstrom
IR: D Santeri Hatakka, D Luke Hughes, D Brett Pesce
SOIR: F Adam Beckman, F Josh Filmon, D Topias Vilen
Projected cap space: $441,859, per PuckPedia
New York Islanders (per team release)
Roster size: 22/23
Forwards (13): Mathew Barzal, Casey Cizikas, Anthony Duclair, Julien Gauthier, Simon Holmstrom, Bo Horvat, Anders Lee, Kyle MacLean, Brock Nelson, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Kyle Palmieri, Max Tsyplakov, Oliver Wahlstrom
Defensemen (7): Dennis Cholowski, Noah Dobson, Scott Mayfield, Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, Mike Reilly, Alexander Romanov
Goaltenders (2): Ilya Sorokin, Semyon Varlamov
Projected cap space: $212,500, per PuckPedia
Ottawa Senators (per team website)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (14): Michael Amadio, Drake Batherson, Nick Cousins, Adam Gaudette, Claude Giroux, Noah Gregor, Ridly Greig, Matthew Highmore, Zack MacEwen, Joshua Norris, David Perron, Shane Pinto, Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk
Defensemen (7): Jacob Bernard-Docker, Thomas Chabot, Travis Hamonic, Nick Jensen, Tyler Kleven, Jake Sanderson, Artem Zub
Goaltenders (2): Anton Forsberg, Linus Ullmark
Projected cap space: $871,134, per PuckPedia
Philadelphia Flyers (per team website)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (14): Bobby Brink, Noah Cates, Sean Couturier, Nicolas Deslauriers, Joel Farabee, Tyson Foerster, Morgan Frost, Garnet Hathaway, Travis Konecny, Scott Laughton, Jett Luchanko, Matvei Michkov, Ryan Poehling, Owen Tippett
Defensemen (7): Jamie Drysdale, Erik Johnson, Rasmus Ristolainen, Travis Sanheim, Nick Seeler, Cameron York, Yegor Zamula
Goaltenders (2): Samuel Ersson, Ivan Fedotov
IR: D Ryan Ellis
Projected cap space: $2,195,238, per PuckPedia
Pittsburgh Penguins (per team release)
Roster size: 22/23
Forwards (13): Noel Acciari, Anthony Beauvillier, Michael Bunting, Sidney Crosby, Lars Eller, Cody Glass, Kevin Hayes, Evgeni Malkin, Rutger McGroarty, Drew O’Connor, Jesse Puljujärvi, Valtteri Puustinen, Rickard Rakell
Defensemen (7): Ryan Graves, Matt Grzelcyk, Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Marcus Pettersson, Ryan Shea, Jack St. Ivany
Goaltenders (2): Joel Blomqvist, Tristan Jarry
IR: F Blake Lizotte, F Bryan Rust, G Alex Nedeljkovic
LTIR: F Matthew Nieto
SOIR: F Vasiliy Ponomarev
Projected cap space: $820,715, per PuckPedia (LTIR pool)
San Jose Sharks (per team release)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (15): Macklin Celebrini, Ty Dellandrea, William Eklund, Barclay Goodrow, Mikael Granlund, Carl Grundström, Daniil Gushchin, Klim Kostin, Luke Kunin, Givani Smith, Will Smith, Nico Sturm, Tyler Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg, Fabian Zetterlund
Defensemen (6): Matt Benning, Cody Ceci, Mario Ferraro, Jan Rutta, Henry Thrun, Jake Walman
Goaltenders (2): Mackenzie Blackwood, Vítek Vaněček
SOIR: F Thomas Bordeleau, D Lucas Carlsson, F Igor Chernyshov, D Shakir Mukhamadullin
IR: F Logan Couture, D Marc-Édouard Vlasic
Projected cap space: $9,081,407, per PuckPedia
Seattle Kraken (per team release)
Roster size: 21/23
Forwards (12): Matthew Beniers, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Andre Burakovsky, Jordan Eberle, Yanni Gourde, Tye Kartye, Jared McCann, Jaden Schwartz, Chandler Stephenson, Brandon Tanev, Eeli Tolvanen, Shane Wright
Defensemen (7): William Borgen, Vince Dunn, Ryker Evans, Adam Larsson, Josh Mahura, Brandon Montour, Jamie Oleksiak
Goaltenders (2): Joey Daccord, Philipp Grubauer
Projected cap space: $4,286, per PuckPedia
St. Louis Blues (per team release)
Roster size: 22/23
Forwards (12): Pavel Buchnevich, Radek Faksa, Dylan Holloway, Mathieu Joseph, Kasperi Kapanen, Jordan Kyrou, Jake Neighbours, Brayden Schenn, Alexandre Texier, Robert Thomas, Alexey Toropchenko, Nathan Walker
Defensemen (8): Philip Broberg, Justin Faulk, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Matthew Kessel, Nick Leddy, Colton Parayko, Scott Perunovich, Ryan Suter
Goaltenders (2): Jordan Binnington, Joel Hofer
IR: D Adam Jiricek, D Torey Krug, F Simon Robertsson, F Brandon Saad, F Oskar Sundqvist
Projected cap space: $467,792, per PuckPedia
Toronto Maple Leafs (per team release)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (13): Max Domi, Pontus Holmberg, David Kämpf, Matthew Knies, Steven Lorentz, Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, Bobby McMann, William Nylander, Max Pacioretty, Ryan Reaves, Nicholas Robertson, John Tavares
Defensemen (8): Simon Benoit, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Timothy Liljegren, Jake McCabe, Philippe Myers, Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev, Conor Timmins
Goaltenders (2): Anthony Stolarz, Joseph Woll
IR: F Connor Dewar
LTIR: D Jani Hakanpää, F Calle Järnkrok, D Dakota Mermis
SOIR: F Fraser Minten
Projected cap space: $4,344,999, per PuckPedia (LTIR pool)
Utah Hockey Club (per PuckPedia)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (14): Michael Carcone, Logan Cooley, Lawson Crouse, Josh Doan, Dylan Guenther, Barrett Hayton, Clayton Keller, Alexander Kerfoot, Matias Maccelli, Jack McBain, Liam O’Brien, Nick Schmaltz, Kevin Stenlund, Kailer Yamamoto
Defensemen (7): Robert Bortuzzo, Ian Cole, Sean Durzi, Michael Kesselring, Vladislav Kolyachonok, Mikhail Sergachev, Juuso Valimaki
Goalies (2): Connor Ingram, Karel Vejmelka
IR: F Nick Bjugstad, D John Marino, D Shea Weber
Projected cap space: $8,370,357, per PuckPedia
Vancouver Canucks (per team release)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (13): Nils Åman, Teddy Blueger, Brock Boeser, Jake DeBrusk, Conor Garland, Danton Heinen, Nils Höglander, J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, Aatu Räty, Kiefer Sherwood, Daniel Sprong, Pius Suter
Defensemen (8): Vincent Desharnais, Derek Forbort, Mark Friedman, Filip Hronek, Quinn Hughes, Noah Juulsen, Tyler Myers, Carson Soucy
Goalies (2): Kevin Lankinen, Artūrs Šilovs
IR: G Thatcher Demko, F Dakota Joshua
Projected cap space: $479,166, per PuckPedia
Winnipeg Jets (per team release)
Roster size: 23/23
Forwards (13): Mason Appleton, Morgan Barron, Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers, David Gustafsson, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, Adam Lowry, Vladislav Namestnikov, Nino Niederreiter, Cole Perfetti, Mark Scheifele, Gabriel Vilardi
Defensemen (7): Dylan Coghlan, Dylan DeMelo, Haydn Fleury, Colin Miller, Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk, Dylan Samberg
Goaltenders (3): Eric Comrie, Connor Hellebuyck, Kaapo Kähkönen
IR: D Logan Stanley
SOIR: D Ville Heinola
Projected cap space: $1,751,309, per PuckPedia
Wild Sign Jesper Wallstedt To Two-Year Extension
The Wild announced today that they’ve signed goaltender Jesper Wallstedt to a two-year, $4.4MM extension, keeping him under contract through the 2026-27 season. It’s a one-way deal in both years with a cap hit of $2.2MM.
It’s a significant commitment to a goalie with just three NHL starts under his belt, but it’s indicative of his status as arguably the best prospect at the position in the sport. Wallstedt, who turns 22 next month, was under consideration for a top-10 pick throughout most of his draft year in 2021 but ended up falling to Minnesota at No. 20 overall.
Thus far, nothing indicates they should be unhappy with the pick. The 6’3″, 214-lb netminder has kept a rather hapless AHL Iowa team afloat during his two seasons in North America, posting a 2.69 GAA, .909 SV%, three shutouts, and a 40-34-9 record in 83 appearances as their starter. He’s been outstanding in senior-level international play as well, logging a .947 SV% in three appearances for Sweden at the 2023 World Championship.
His NHL career got off to a bit of a rocky start, allowing seven goals on 34 shots in his debut against the Stars on Jan. 10 last season. But he came back with a much more solid performance in two showings against the Blackhawks and Sharks in April, stopping 51 of 53 shots he faced in those games.
He enters 2024-25 on the Wild’s opening night roster with a 2-1-0 record and .897 SV% in his brief NHL showing. He’ll look to build on that while competing with Filip Gustavsson and 40-year-old vet Marc-André Fleury for starts in a three-goalie rotation in Minnesota. He could cement himself as the No. 2 option behind Gustavsson, with Fleury’s workload likely to stay low in his final NHL season.
Wallstedt will still be an RFA upon the expiry of his extension in 2027. He won’t be eligible to test the UFA market until 2030 at the earliest.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Ducks Claim James Reimer Off Waivers From Sabres
The Ducks have claimed netminder James Reimer off waivers from the Sabres, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
Reimer, 36, has over 500 games of NHL experience and was still serviceable in a rotation role for the Red Wings last year but was knocked squarely into a third-string spot on the Sabres’ depth chart behind Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen after signing a one-year, $1MM deal there in July. He was largely expected to land on waivers unless Buffalo opted to carry three goalies.
While the veteran was solid enough for Detroit in 2023-24, his 20 starts and five relief appearances were both career-lows. His .904 SV%, 3.11 GAA, and 0.3 GSAA were all marked steps forward from the prior year’s showing with the rebuilding Sharks, however, and he’s still likely worth a shot as a full-time backup somewhere.
He’ll get that chance in Anaheim, at least for now. The Ducks were looking for a veteran name to add to the mix with John Gibson on the shelf to start the season after getting his appendix removed nearly two weeks ago. He’s still one to four weeks away from a return, meaning rookie Calle Clang (who has no NHL games played under his belt) was set to start the year as the backup to youngster Lukáš Dostál. After claiming Reimer, though, the Ducks can return Clang to AHL San Diego.
The Ducks now have their opening night roster set in stone at 13 forwards, eight defenders, and two goalies, assuming Clang is sent down. They’ll have $20.64MM in projected cap space after the acquisition, per PuckPedia.
Maple Leafs Sign Max Pacioretty, Steven Lorentz; Extend Cade Webber
The Maple Leafs have signed forwards Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz to one-year deals after they attended training camp on professional tryouts, the team announced Monday. They’ve also signed pending restricted free agent defenseman Cade Webber to a two-year extension, keeping him under contract through the 2026-27 season.
Pacioretty’s deal is a 35+ contract with a cap hit of $873,770 with up to $626,230 in additional performance bonuses, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports. He’ll receive half those bonuses if he plays 10 games this season and all if he plays 35. The total potential value of the contract is $1.5MM. Lorentz’s deal is a straightforward one-way, league-minimum pact worth $775K, per Seravalli. Webber’s contract carries an $825K cap hit and is a two-way deal in 2025-26 before becoming a one-way pact in 2026-27, adds Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic.
Pacioretty, 35, is looking to get back on track in Toronto after a pair of Achilles tendon tears cost him most of the past two seasons. After playing just five games with the Hurricanes in 2022-23, he signed with the Capitals last summer. He made his season debut after completing his recovery in January, but his goal-scoring output plummeted from years past. ‘Patches’ shot just 4.2%, scoring four goals in 47 contests while adding 19 assists for 23 points.
The former Canadiens captain is a six-time 30-goal scorer, though. While he likely won’t land top-six minutes in Toronto and thus has virtually no chance of replicating that feat, his shooting percentage should rebound to its usual 10 to 12 percent and put him back on track for double-digit scoring totals in a third-line role if he stays healthy. That’s certainly a big if, considering he hasn’t played more than 50 games in a season since the 2019-20 campaign. Still, he’ll likely open the season as the team’s 3LW alongside Pontus Holmberg and Bobby McMann or Nicholas Robertson.
Lorentz, 28, brings a Stanley Cup ring and 230 games of NHL experience to Toronto’s fourth line. The natural center played 16 of the Panthers’ 24 playoff games last year en route to the franchise’s first championship, scoring twice and adding an assist for three points with a -1 rating while averaging 7:07 per game. He won’t be much of an offensive factor, averaging seven goals and 15 points per 82 games throughout his regular season career. But he’s serviceable enough in the faceoff dot, winning 48.7% of his draws, and his possession quality numbers at even strength are historically above water. He’ll likely start at left wing, with David Kämpf centering the Leafs’ fourth line.
Webber won’t be making his NHL debut in the next few days. He’s waiver-exempt and will need to be assigned to AHL Toronto today so the Leafs can reduce their opening-night roster to a maximum of 23 players. However, the 2019 fourth-round pick stayed in the mix until the end and has seemingly impressed the Leafs since signing his entry-level contract at the end of last season. The stay-at-home defender is coming off a four-year run at Boston University, where he served as an alternate captain last year and posted six assists and a +15 rating in 38 games. He should still be in line for his NHL debut at some point this year, even if it’s not during opening week.
Pacioretty’s oddly specific cap hit has much to do with Toronto optimizing their long-term injured reserve capture to open the season, giving them as much financial flexibility as possible while dealing with some injuries. As outlined by The Score’s Kyle Cushman, the Leafs are expected to submit an opening-night roster with just $1 in cap space pending multiple moves, including returning top forward prospect Easton Cowan to his junior team, placing Fraser Minten on season-opening injured reserve with his high ankle sprain, placing Connor Dewar on standard IR, and placing Jani Hakanpää, Calle Järnkrok, and Dakota Mermis on LTIR.