Oscar Klefbom Confirms Retirement
Aug. 20: According to the NHL Alumni Association, Klefbom officially filed retirement paperwork today.
Aug. 8: Former Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom, who hasn’t played a game since August 2020 due to a shoulder injury, has confirmed his retirement, via Rasmus Kagstrom of Hockey Sverige.
“It is as it is. I wasn’t quite done with hockey as a sport. But now it’s over,” Klefbom said (translated from Swedish). “I am very happy with my career. I’m just grateful that I got the chance to play as many games as I did – even though it was as an injury. I gained a lot of trust, got to take part in a fantastic journey. There are really two sides to the coin – because although I am grateful, I would have liked to be here today. On the ice. As a player.”
Klefbom also confirmed he played with his eventual career-ending shoulder injury throughout nearly all of his seven-year NHL career. Regarding the wait to officially announce his retirement, the 31-year-old said: “It was a choice I made. I talked to Edmonton that I wanted to lay very low with what was going to happen and what the situation is. They were perfectly ‘fine’ with that. From my side, it was also because I thought it was so difficult to talk about it.”
For a brief time, Klefbom was one of the league’s premier two-way defenders. Selected 19th overall in 2011 out of Sweden’s Farjestad BK, Klefbom remained in his home country for two more seasons before making the jump to North America in 2013-14.
He was mostly an AHLer in his first season, suiting up in 48 contests for the Oklahoma City Barons. But he did get a taste of NHL action, posting three points in 17 appearances. It wasn’t much of an impact, but he’d make a large jump in his development in the 2014 offseason and became a staple of the Oilers’ top four in just his second season in the system.
Klefbom would go on to play 378 games in an Edmonton sweater, scoring 34 goals and 122 assists for 156 points (0.41 per game). He had a career -64 rating, understandable for a player routinely averaging north of 22 minutes per game on an Oilers club that only made the playoffs twice in his tenure. His even strength possession numbers on the whole were positive, logging a 1.4 relative CF% and 50.1 xGF% at even strength, per Hockey Reference. He was a major part of Edmonton’s power play and penalty kill units, especially near the end of his abbreviated career.
The Karlstad native has been a UFA for over a year after his seven-year, $29.17MM contract with the Oilers expired in 2023. He spent the final three seasons of the contract entirely on long-term injured reserve.
Klefbom made clear in his interview that he wants to return to hockey in some capacity, but whether that’s in the NHL or Sweden remains to be seen.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Oilers Decline To Match Offer Sheets For Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway
The Oilers have let Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway head to the Blues today by declining to match the offer sheets they signed last week, the team announced.
As such, Broberg and Holloway will enter into valid two-year contracts with the Blues. Broberg’s deal has a total value of $9.16MM and a $4.58MM cap hit, while Holloway’s has a total value of $4.58MM and a $2.29MM cap hit. Upon expiry in 2026, each will become restricted free agents with arbitration rights.
Edmonton will receive the Blues’ 2025 second and third-round picks as compensation for the Broberg and Holloway offers. St. Louis had previously traded away next year’s second-rounder but re-acquired it from the Penguins minutes before announcing the offer sheets last week.
Broberg, 23, was the eighth overall pick in the 2019 draft after dominating that year’s U18 World Championship, being named the tournament’s best defenseman, an All-Star, and a top-three player on the team while winning a gold medal with Sweden. Unfortunately, he hasn’t yet been able to convert that draft pedigree into a full-time NHL role. He’s bounced between the Oilers and their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, limiting Edmonton’s willingness to give him a deal with a seven-figure AAV, let alone one in the $4MM range.
2023-24 marked a regression for Broberg, who got just 12 regular-season appearances after making a career-high 46 the season before. The left-shot averaged 11:37 per game, his shortest leash since making his NHL debut three years ago, and had two assists with a -3 rating. However, he was able to unlock a new gear in the minors. He’d been a two-way force with the Condors since arriving in North America in 2021 but took things to a new level last season with five goals, 33 assists, 38 points, and a +11 rating in 49 games. His 0.78 points per game were fourth in the league among defenders with at least 15 games played.
Broberg entered restricted free agency for the first time on a bit of a high note after re-entering the Oilers lineup during the tail end of their run to the Stanley Cup Final. He got into 10 games in May and June, getting top-four spot duty alongside Darnell Nurse and averaging 15:48 per game. He seemed to respond well, posting three points and a +8 rating, but his shot attempt metrics were quite poor, and his rating has more to do with an artificially high .969 SV% from Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner while Broberg was on the ice. The eye test indicated he was playing with more confidence, though, despite being bumped to his weak side playing with Nurse.
Holloway is a similar story. The 6’1″ forward, who turns 23 next month, was the No. 14 overall pick a year after Broberg and, had he been eight days older, would have been eligible for the 2022 draft instead. In his post-draft season, Holloway enjoyed a standout sophomore campaign at the University of Wisconsin, where he had 35 points in just 23 games and was named to the Big 10 conference’s First All-Star Team and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award for the top collegiate player. However, like his Swedish counterpart, Holloway has failed to avoid AHL assignments through each of his three professional seasons thus far.
However, Holloway has gotten more runway at the NHL level, making 89 appearances combined over the past two campaigns. He’s likely a safer bet to be an impact piece for St. Louis this season despite his contract being worth half as much as Broberg’s. With Edmonton’s world-beating forward depth, there have been limited opportunities for Holloway to land a spot higher up in the lineup, limiting his usage to 10:21 per game. That’s resulted in a relatively meager career offensive output of nine goals and 18 points, 0.20 per game.
Like Broberg, Holloway’s minor-league showings have been strong, most recently scoring 10 goals and six assists in 18 games with the Condors last season. But with the pending move to the Blues, both players’ days of seeing AHL ice are over. The Blues’ entire left defense depth chart becomes a tossup with Broberg, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Scott Perunovich and veterans Nick Leddy and Ryan Suter, neither of whom have any set roles entering the season. There’s also the matter of Torey Krug, who could miss the entire 2024-25 season if he undergoes surgery to correct pre-arthritic conditions in his left ankle. If he’s out, there’s a chance for Broberg to earn a top-four job come opening night with a strong training camp.
Likewise, the Blues’ below-average forward depth gives Holloway a fighting chance at claiming a top-nine role when the Blues kick off the NHL’s Opening Night festivities against the Kraken on Oct. 8. There are options galore for the Blues to utilize Holloway, who can play both left-wing and center, in a wide-open competition with depth players like Mathieu Joseph, Kasperi Kapanen and Alexandre Texier.
It’s all part of a clear directive from St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong to get younger and faster this summer, picking up more cost-effective depth pieces like Joseph and Texier to help boost a team with a roster now barely recognizable from its 2019 Stanley Cup win.
The Blues will be down to just $470K in projected cap space after taking on the contracts, but that’s assuming a roster size of two players over the 23-man limit. If they sent a pair of league-minimum contracts down to the minors, they’ll begin the season with just over $2MM in space.
After letting both players walk, the Oilers’ pathway to cap compliance is now clear. It’ll be a tight fit, but they have a few options to submit a cap-compliant opening night roster with at least one healthy extra, as outlined by PuckPedia. On the ice, they went out and acquired cheaper replacements for Broberg and Holloway on the trade market by picking up Ty Emberson from the Sharks and Vasily Podkolzin from the Canucks, but said goodbye to top-four fixture Cody Ceci and his $3.25MM cap hit in the process.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report that the Oilers would not be matching the offer sheets.
Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Canadiens Acquire Patrik Laine
The Canadiens announced the acquisition of scoring winger Patrik Laine and a 2026 second-round pick from the Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Jordan Harris. No salary is retained in the swap.
Montreal has been on the lookout for top-six scoring help for quite some time. They’ve slowly added to their rebuilding group over the past few summers, taking on younger projects via trade like Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook. This is the biggest swing that general manager Kent Hughes has taken, though, picking up a more established yet expensive sniper.
They’re taking on an extremely high-ceiling talent in Laine and buying low while doing it, taking on a second-round pick for their troubles and only parting with Harris, an intriguing defender that was buried among their litany of other blue-line prospects. Laine’s lack of availability the past few seasons tanked his trade value, with various injuries and a lengthy stint in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program capping his 2023-24 campaign at just 18 appearances. He hasn’t played more than 60 games in a season since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
But when he’s on, he’s on. Even while battling through both upper and lower body injuries, Laine was close to a point-per-game player over his first two full seasons in Columbus. His best offensive season came in a Blue Jackets uniform in 2021-22, when he notched 26 goals and 56 points in 56 games. That prompted then-Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen to award Laine a four-year, $34.8MM deal, the same one that his successor, Don Waddell, has now had to surrender a draft pick to shed.
In the first year of the deal, Laine largely kept up the pace, churning out 22 goals and 52 points in 55 games even while shooting 12%, a conservative figure compared to his 14.7% career average. But last season, Laine was injured from the start and clashed with new head coach Pascal Vincent, who deployed him for a career-low 15:13 per game. As such, he was limited to six goals and nine points before his campaign ended in December.
It’s an expensive gamble for Montreal, who’s on the hook for an $8.7MM cap hit through 2025-26. But after taking months away to mentally reset and rehab his various injuries, Laine seems primed to return to form – if he can avoid re-injury. The 2016 second-overall pick hit 30-plus goals in the first three seasons of his NHL career with the Jets, and he had 28 goals in 68 games in 2019-20 before the pandemic ended the regular season. It was the shortened 2020-21 campaign, during which Laine was dealt to Columbus following a trade request, that first showed a chink in the armor of his goal-scoring ability. He was limited to just 12 goals and 24 points in 46 games on the year, managing just 82 shots on goal.
But he was on pace for well over 30 goals in each of the following two seasons with the Jackets, and that’s the player Montreal hopes can revitalize an offense that’s placed bottom-10 in the league for three years in a row. He, along with Cole Caufield and 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky, give the Habs three top-six wingers who can all likely be penciled in for more than 60 points next year. Slafkovsky, entering his third NHL season, broke out for 20 goals and 50 points with Montreal last year after being moved to top-line usage alongside Caufield and captain Nick Suzuki.
Laine likely won’t bump Caufield out of first-line minutes, but the right-winger will be tasked with anchoring their second line, potentially alongside the aforementioned Dach and Newhook. The 26-year-old would be the oldest member of that trio, a reversal from his time in Columbus, which was spent mostly on a line anchored by veteran Boone Jenner.
Salary-wise, PuckPedia notes that the Habs are now over the cap by a projected $1.1MM with a 23-man roster, including LTIR-bound netminder Carey Price. Montreal will likely submit a bare-bones season-opening roster with a couple of waiver-exempt players papered down to the AHL to remain cap-compliant before placing Price and his $10.5MM cap hit on LTIR after the season starts, opening up a large chunk of in-season maneuverability.
As for the Blue Jackets’ end of things, they free up a decent amount of spending money for the next two seasons and recoup an NHL-caliber defender. Harris, 24, was a third-round pick by the Canadiens in 2018 and has since developed into a serviceable third-pairing option. His possession quality numbers have been poor, as to be expected for a young player on a basement team, but his shot attempt share at even strength has been above team average over the last two years. He’s posted eight goals, 24 assists and 32 points in 131 games, including 14 points in 56 games last year.
Harris gives the Blue Jackets another option to compete for left-shot third-pairing duties out of the gate behind Zach Werenski and Ivan Provorov. He’ll need to ward off challenges from UFA signing Jack Johnson and two-time AHL All-Star Jake Christiansen for the job, though. Even if he’s not in the opening night lineup, it’s hard to envision him starting any lower than No. 7 on the depth chart. He’s no longer waiver-exempt and carries a $1.4MM cap hit, more than the maximum that’s buriable in the minors.
Columbus can start contract discussions with Harris whenever they wish, as he’s already extension-eligible. If he reaches restricted free agency next summer, he’ll be eligible to file for arbitration.
The Blue Jackets now have north of $18MM in cap space after the swap, PuckPedia projects. That’s enough to add whoever they want at the trade deadline if their young core breaks out this season, but it’s also more than enough flexibility to take on money to relieve contenders if they’re still in seller mode by the trade deadline.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report that Laine had been traded to Montreal. Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Yaroslav Askarov Requests Trade From Predators
10:34 a.m.: Trotz issued a statement on Askarov’s reported request (via John Glennon of the Nashville Post):
We are aware of the report today and our expectation is for the player to report to training camp and compete for a job in September.
8:21 a.m.: Predators goaltender Yaroslav Askarov has requested a trade, according to Kevin Weekes of ESPN. As per Weekes, Askarov has also informed the team that he won’t report to their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, if he remains with the team at the end of training camp and is sent to the minors.
Askarov has been a sought-after trade candidate for the past few seasons as a top-10 prospect at his position without a clear path to a starting role in Nashville. They’ve already used him as trade bait twice, putting him in play to acquire a top-five pick at the 2023 and 2024 drafts. Askarov is one year away from restricted free agency and is entering the final season of his entry-level contract at a $925K cap hit. He remains waiver-exempt for this season and next.
The 22-year-old has been in North America for two seasons, during which he’s put together a pair of All-Star campaigns for the Admirals. He made over 40 appearances each year, a heavy workload for the minor leagues, and posted a combined 2.55 GAA, .911 SV%, nine shutouts, and a 56-29-6 record in 92 games.
After being picked 11th overall by the Predators in 2020, Askarov has only made two NHL starts and one relief appearance since coming over from his native Russia. He had a tough showing in his debut in 2022-23 but rebounded with solid numbers in limited action last year, totaling a .914 SV% across 140 minutes of play across the two campaigns.
But Askarov’s path to the starter’s crease in Nashville evaporated when the Preds signed Juuse Saros to an eight-year, $61.92MM extension on July 1. There was still a chance he’d crack the team out of camp for the first time in 2024-25 as Saros’ backup, but that also went away after Nashville inked veteran Scott Wedgewood to a two-year deal a few hours later.
While the trade request is a significant development, it’s not surprising. Askarov’s agent, Gold Star Hockey’s Dan Milstein, said in an interview last month that he was “working with the club on different options” regarding his future and that Askarov feels he’s established himself as an NHL-ready talent. The Preds’ moves this offseason also firmly state general manager Barry Trotz‘s intentions to exit rebuild mode, signing three of the top names on the UFA market in Jonathan Marchessault, Brady Skjei and Steven Stamkos.
When Nashville shopped Askarov in the past, the Canadiens consistently came up as his most likely destination. But reporting indicated it was Nashville putting Askarov in play to land the No. 5 pick both times, not the Habs displaying interest in prying him away. Montreal has Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau signed to one-way contracts this season, so if Askarov ends up in Montreal, he may have to wait for a roster spot until Primeau reaches restricted free agency next summer unless the Habs make a corresponding trade.
Even with his draft pedigree and strong development track so far, Askarov’s limited NHL action makes it unlikely that any team will take a chance on him as their starter as soon as this fall. Thus, look for teams with expandability and uncertainty at the backup position to insert themselves into trade talks. The Lightning, a frequent trade partner for Nashville in recent years, would likely want an upgrade on Jonas Johansson and his career .880 SV%, far below the league average. Whether they have the assets to acquire him is entirely different. At the draft, Trotz preferred to land an established NHLer or a similarly touted prospect in return, but that was before his free-agent spending spree.
But Askarov, who’s still five years from being eligible for unrestricted free agency, has little say in where he ends up without trade protection. However, given his six-figure AAV, there likely won’t be any trades extinguished by a lack of cap space on behalf of the acquiring club.
Oilers Trade Cody Ceci, Pick for Ty Emberson
The Edmonton Oilers have traded defenseman Cody Ceci and a 2025 third-round pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenseman Ty Emberson. The deal was initially reported by Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, who adds that no salary cap was retained. Spector mentions that moving Ceci’s $3.25MM cap hit could give Edmonton enough space to retain defenseman Philip Broberg while forward Dylan Holloway could be headed to the St. Louis Blues. Both players recently signed two-year offer sheets with the Blues – Broberg’s totaling $9.16MM in salary and Holloway’s totaling $4.58MM.
The two restricted free agents are in similar spots in their careers – yet to vindicate their first-round precedent, though still carving out routine roles in Edmonton’s lineup. They were utilized similarly, averaging roughly 11:30 in ice time this season, though Holloway played 38 games to Broberg’s 12. Retaining both players would cost the Oilers $6.87MM in cap hit – a tough bill to pay for an Oilers team that was already $8.225MM over the cap ceiling. It seems the team is opting to hold onto the defenseman, though it will cost them near-800-game veteran Cody Ceci.
Despite routinely receiving criticism, Ceci was an anchor of Edmonton’s top-four last season, averaging 20 minutes of total ice time and more penalty-kill time than any other Oiler. He ended the year with five goals and 25 points in 79 games this season, adding five points in 24 playoff games – where he notoriously partnered with Darnell Nurse for some of the best and worst moments of the postseason. After three years in Edmonton, Ceci will move to his fifth NHL franchise in this trade. He’ll seemingly – and perhaps surprisingly – become San Jose’s top right defenseman, joining a room occupied by Jan Rutta and Matt Benning. He’ll be the second-most experienced on the blue-line, though leader Marc-Edouard Vlasic – who’s just four games shy of 1,300 career games, though he became a routine healthy scratch last season.
Ceci’s departure opens a big hole in the Oilers’ blue line, which could finally yield the opportunity that Broberg’s been waiting for. He’s only averaged 12:42 in ice time through 81 career games and hasn’t played over 19 minutes in a single game since November of 2021. Broberg has yielded 13 career points in the limited role, though stepping into top-four minutes could be enough to kick the former top-10 pick into high gear.
That could cost them winger Holloway, who’s scored 18 career points – and added seven in 25 games this postseason. Holloway was drafted 14th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, selected after a strong freshman year at the University of Wisconsin, where he totaled 52 points in 58 games over two years in Wisconsin before turning pro in 2021. He has since bounced between the NHL and AHL lineups, showing flashes of promise as a hefty play-driver but never finding his spark. His 6-foot-1, 206-pound frame is just 10 pounds heavier than winger Vasily Podkolzin, who Edmonton acquired for a 2025 third-round pick earlier today. Podkolzin fits into the same conversation as Holloway and Broberg – a former top draft pick struggling to show what he can do at the top level. The size similarities and Podkolzin’s cheap $1MM cap hit seem to back the idea that Holloway could be headed to St. Louis – though nothing is official yet.
Regardless of their decision with Broberg and Holloway, Edmonton emerges from this swap with young defender Ty Emberson, who played through his first 30 NHL games last season, scoring 10 points and showing value as a shutdown defender on a struggling San Jose roster. But a lower-body laceration suffered in February cut Emberson’s rookie year short, leaving Sharks fans guessing where his upside might fall.
Multiple teams have shown interest in Emberson at one point. He was initially drafted by the Arizona Coyotes ahead of a three-year tenure at the University of Wisconsin, where he managed 34 points in 101 games. Emberson turned pro with the Tuscon Roadrunners in 2020, getting a taste of tougher competition before a 2022 trade to the New York Rangers in exchange for Patrick Nemeth and draft picks in 2025 and 2026. New York signed Emberson to a one-year, league-minimum contract but placed him on waivers two months later. San Jose placed a claim as the fourth team on the priority list, ultimately pushing Emberson into his first NHL role. He’ll now move to Edmonton with the chance for even more growth as he battles Broberg and Nurse for ice time on the right-hand side.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Oilers Acquire Vasily Podkolzin From Canucks
The Edmonton Oilers have acquired forward Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for the Ottawa Senators’ 2025 fourth-round pick. Edmonton acquired the pick alongside Roby Jarventie earlier this summer, in exchange for sending Ottawa forwrards Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson.
The timing of this deal can’t be ignored. Edmonton recently received two offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues, who are looking to steal away forward Dylan Holloway and defender Philip Broberg. The pair of offer sheets totals $6.87MM – a very difficult pill to swallow for an Oilers team already $8.225MM over the cap ceiling, not including potential long-term injured reserve. While an Oilers trade seemed imminent, this swap is far from what many were expecting – as Edmonton reels in a former top prospect and potential Holloway replacement.
If Podkolzin truly donns that title is yet to be seen. He proved a controversial pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, rounding out what was a loaded Top 10 after fighting his way into KHL ice time. Podkolzin stayed in Russia for two seasons after his draft selection, continuing to grow in a KHL role before moving directly into a middle-six role with the Canucks in 2021. He was productive as a rookie, appearing in 79 games and managing 14 goals and 26 points. But he’s struggled to hold onto that scoring in the years since, totaling just nine points across his last 58 NHL games. That belabored production has earned Podkolzin the first AHL games of his career, to some success. He’s scored 46 points in 72 minor-league games over the last two seasons – enough to earn routine call-ups back to the NHL, but not enough to inspire much excitement.
But that could be set to change in Edmonton. Podkozlin flaunted plenty of skill during his brief KHL career, but struggled to instill much tempo into the offense. That’s perhaps the thing the Oilers do best, largely thanks to just how talented Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins bring to the table. Holloway wasn’t getting much ice time with those superstars as he looked to establish his footing in the NHL, but Edmonton has shown a preference for icing shoot-first bruisers, like Connor Brown or Klim Kostin, with McDavid. Podkolzin stands at a similar frame to Holloway, but has built a bit more of knack for physicality as he’s cut his teeth in the minor leagues. A move to the Oilers offense will represent a chance to start over – potentially filling a recently departed role as the lineup’s young, high-upside winger.
Gabriel Landeskog Aiming For Early-Season Return
One of the question marks surrounding the Avalanche this summer is the future of Gabriel Landeskog. While it’s well-known that he was intending to try to return from continued knee issues that cost him the last two seasons, the realistic possibility of that happening wasn’t exactly obvious as it’s a situation that doesn’t come up too often.
Speaking with NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, head coach Jared Bednar indicated that Colorado’s captain will not be ready to return when the puck drops on the regular season in October. However, Landeskog appears to be aiming for an early-season return. That said, Bednar puts that timeline between the first month or two of the year, noting that the exact timing remains up to Landeskog.
The 31-year-old had quadriceps surgery during the 2020 playoffs and had knee surgery in March and October 2022. He then underwent cartilage replacement surgery on his knee last May after the procedure six months earlier didn’t fix the injury. Late last season, the team indicated that there was a possibility that Landeskog could return depending on how far they went in the playoffs. However, they were ousted in the second round by Dallas and that return never materialized.
When healthy, Landeskog has been a key part of Colorado’s forward group. In 2021-22, his last season of action, he recorded 30 goals and 29 assists in just 51 games as a mainstay on the top line. Over his past four years (excluding the last two where he didn’t play), he has 230 points in 232 contests. While it wouldn’t be realistic to expect Landeskog to come back and produce at a similar rate after being off for so long, his eventual return should still bolster their depth at a minimum while potentially giving them a boost lower in the lineup.
From a salary cap perspective, if the minimum return timeline for Landeskog is a month, he’ll be eligible to land back on LTIR to start the season. Between that and Valeri Nichushkin not counting against the cap while in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, Colorado will safely be in cap compliance when the regular season gets underway. But when (or if) both players can return, then they could be very tight to the Upper Limit depending on how they fill out their roster over the next couple of months.
In other injury news, Bednar indicated that winger Logan O’Connor should be ready to start the season after undergoing hip surgery in March. However, he’s not as certain that winger Artturi Lehkonen will be medically cleared by the opener; he had shoulder surgery after the playoffs. If he’s not available on opening night, the Avs will be down three of their top wingers to start the season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Milan Lucic Hopes To Return To NHL, Still In Player Assistance Program
Former Bruins forward Milan Lucic has been training this summer and hopes to return to the NHL, reports Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Lucic has not played since being arrested for a domestic incident last November that resulted in assault and battery charges. Those charges were dropped in February after his wife declined to testify against him, but the Bruins said that he would remain on an indefinite leave of absence for the remainder of the campaign.
Lucic has not officially been suspended from league play by commissioner Gary Bettman, Seravalli clarifies, but notes that the league still needs to clear him to play since he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program following his arrest. League doctors have not yet cleared him to exit the program.
Unlike other North American professional sports leagues, the NHL has no dedicated domestic violence policy. As things stand, with no suspension from the league, Lucic would be eligible to sign with any team if he’s cleared from the program.
The 36-year-old, who was a second-round pick of the Bruins and played for them through the 2014-15 season, signed a one-year contract to return to Boston last summer. He became an unrestricted free agent last month after playing just four games in 2023-24.
List Of Draft Rights Expiring August 15
Aug. 15: Save for a few updates made in the last few weeks, all the players below have not signed entry-level contracts and will become free agents today.
July 25: Every year on August 15, NHL-drafted players coming off their final season of collegiate hockey see their exclusive signing rights expire if not inked to an entry-level contract. This year’s crop of prospects set to hit the free agent market after wrapping up their NCAA careers can be found below.
This list was compiled using reserve list data over at CapWages but was modified at PHR’s discretion to remove players who have confirmed their return to NCAA play for a fifth/graduate season, thus delaying the expiry of their signing rights to August 2025. If a player has signed a contract elsewhere for this season, we’ve noted that as well.
Anaheim Ducks
F Jack Perbix (116th overall, 2018)
Boston Bruins
F Quinn Olson (92nd overall, 2019) signed AHL contract with Ontario Reign (LAK) for 2024-25
Chicago Blackhawks
F Liam Gorman (177th overall, 2018)
Dallas Stars
G Cole Brady (127th overall, 2019) drafted by Devils, rights acquired in this year’s Chris Tanev three-way trade with Flames
Detroit Red Wings
D Cooper Moore (128th overall, 2019)
F Sam Stange (97th overall, 2020)
Florida Panthers
D Carter Berger (106th overall, 2019) signed AHL contract with Hartford Wolf Pack (NYR) for 2024-25
C Owen Lindmark (137th overall, 2019)
Los Angeles Kings
D Ben Meehan (140th overall, 2020)
Montreal Canadiens
F Ty Smilanic (74th overall, 2020) drafted by Panthers, signing rights acquired in 2022 trade for Ben Chiarot
Nashville Predators
F Alexander Campbell (65th overall, 2019) signed AHL contract with Milwaukee Admirals (NSH) for 2024-25
G Ethan Haider (148th overall, 2019) signed AHL contract with Milwaukee Admirals (NSH) for 2024-25
Philadelphia Flyers
F Bryce Brodzinski (196th overall, 2019)
Pittsburgh Penguins
F Chase Yoder (170th overall, 2020)
San Jose Sharks
F Alex Young (196th overall, 2020)
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Nick Capone (157th overall, 2020)
D Eamon Powell (116th overall, 2020)
F McKade Webster (213th overall, 2019)
Toronto Maple Leafs
F Veeti Miettinen (168th overall, 2020) signed with KalPa (Liiga) through 2025-26
Utah Hockey Club
F Carson Bantle (142nd overall, 2020)
Vancouver Canucks
F Jack Malone (180th overall, 2019) signed AHL contract with Utica Comets (NJD) through 2025-26
G Matthew Thiessen (192nd overall, 2018)
Vegas Golden Knights
F Ryder Donovan (110th overall, 2019)
Winnipeg Jets
F Harrison Blaisdell (134th overall, 2019)
G Logan Neaton (144th overall, 2019)
Jakub Vrana Joins Capitals On PTO
The Capitals are bringing in free-agent winger Jakub Vrana on a PTO for training camp, per a team announcement.
It’s a homecoming of sorts for Vrana, who the Caps drafted 14th overall in 2014. The 6’0″, 195-lb winger once looked to be well on his way to becoming a top-six fixture in the nation’s capital, recording back-to-back seasons of 24 and 25 goals just before the COVID-19 pandemic. But Washington decided to part ways with him the following season, trading him to the Red Wings at the 2021 deadline as part of a package that fetched them Anthony Mantha.
Things started well for Vrana in Detroit. He finished 2020-21 on a tear, recording eight goals and three assists for 11 points in 11 games. An RFA that summer, he inked a three-year, $15.75MM deal that looked to be good value for a player who had established himself as a consistent 20-goal threat.
However, a shoulder injury sustained during training camp in the fall cost him most of 2021-22, a setback he’s never truly recovered from. Vrana played just 31 games for Detroit after the surgery amid a months-long stint in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and multiple minor-league assignments, culminating in a trade to the Blues at the 2023 deadline.
Once again, early returns were strong for Vrana after a change of scenery. He averaged 15:10 per game across 20 appearances for St. Louis to close the season, his highest usage since his post-deadline stint with Detroit two years earlier. He responded with 10 goals and 14 points in 20 games, finishing second on the team in goals during that span.
Unfortunately, the momentum didn’t carry over into last season. Vrana started the season back in a bottom-six role and had just two goals and six points in 19 games before the Blues placed him on waivers in mid-December. He cleared without incident and, aside from a brief call-up in January, spent the rest of the season on assignment to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds.
Vrana had good numbers on the farm, posting 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points in 42 games. His 0.86 points per game ranked second behind Adam Gaudette‘s 1.06. But after failing to land an everyday role in St. Louis, it wasn’t surprising to see them let him walk to unrestricted free agency this summer.
Now 28, Vrana faces an uphill climb to earn a spot on the NHL roster out of camp with the Capitals. He’ll be in competition with a pair of recent first-round picks in Hendrix Lapierre and Ivan Miroshnichenko, and he also may need to supersede UFA pickup Taylor Raddysh, who had 14 points in 73 games with the Blackhawks last season. There will be a spot for him if he can show enough flashes of his pre-surgery form, though, and he could end up being a bargain-bin pickup on a two-way deal.
In 284 games with Washington from 2016 to 2021, Vrana had 76 goals, 81 assists, 157 points, and a +36 rating in 284 regular-season games. He shot 13.1% and averaged 13:41 per game. He contributed three goals and five assists in 23 playoff games during the Capitals’ 2018 Stanley Cup win but had no points in 15 combined playoff games in 2019 and 2020.
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