Blue Jackets Sign Charlie Coyle To Six-Year Extension
According to a team announcement, the Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Charlie Coyle to a six-year, $36MM ($6MM AAV) extension. Coyle was considered one of the top available unrestricted free agents heading into the offseason.
Earlier this morning, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK reported that the Blue Jackets and Coyle were nearing an extension. Shortly thereafter, Pierre LeBrun of TSN added that both sides were ‘working on language’ as the talks progressed.
This contract will take Coyle through the 2031-32 season, when he’ll turn 40 years old. The length ties his previous high in contract years signed in Boston when he extended with the Bruins after the 2018-19 season.
The 34-year-old forward was set to be an unrestricted free agent coming off a six-year contract that paid him $31.50MM ($5.25MM AAV). Coyle finished the 2025-26 season in Columbus, resurging back to his former scoring ways. He was fourth on the Blue Jackets in scoring, tallying 20 goals for 58 points in his fifth consecutive season playing in 82 games. That mark with Columbus was his second-highest point total within that six-year contract span, with the highest production coming out of his 2023-24 campaign, where he reached 60 points in the Bruins centennial season.
Coyle’s new extension provides him with some stability in a time of his career where he has bounced around, to say the least. Coyle was a victim of the Bruins’ reset, where they dealt away the majority of their outer core to recoup future assets. The Weymouth, MA native was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche and produced 13 points in 19 regular-season games and added an assist in their seven-game, first-round loss to the Dallas Stars. The Avalanche then sent him to Columbus over the summer, where he played out the remainder of his deal before this extension.
Originally a first-round pick of the San Jose Sharks, Coyle never donned the teal and orange after he was selected 28th overall in the 2010 NHL draft. He became a key part of the package traded to Minnesota in exchange for Brent Burns, where Coyle signed his entry-level contract. After providing back-to-back 30-point campaigns in his early twenties, the Wild extended Coyle to a five-year, $16MM ($3.2MM AAV) contract. In the final year of that deal, they dealt him to Boston for Ryan Donato. Coyle proved himself as a key piece in Boston, providing 16 points in 24 playoff games en route to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, where Boston lost in seven games. The Bruins signed him shortly after to the contract that he just finished up in Ohio.
Coyle will assumbly finish out his career in Columbus, adding a blend of scoring, steady two-way play, and veteran leadership to a team that is on the cusp of making the dance in a tough Eastern Conference.
Columbus entered their offseason with over $40MM in cap space before the Coyle extension. Now the Blue Jackets have around $34MM to work with in a summer where they’re looking to build off a 92-point campaign that saw them fall seven points short of an Eastern Conference Wild Card spot that would’ve snapped their Stanley Cup Playoffs drought dating back to the 2019-20 season.
Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell will need to make several decisions this summer to supplement Coyle’s return. Unrestricted free agents for Columbus include forwards Mason Marchment, Danton Heinen, and captain Boone Jenner, as well as defensemen Erik Gudbranson and Brendan Smith. Along with Cole Sillinger and Egor Zamula as restricted free agents, former third overall pick Adam Fantilli, who scored a career-high 59 points at age 21, and goaltender Jet Greaves, who finished ninth in the NHL with 16.5 goals saved above expected, are restricted expiring deals.
They’ll have some added money from the expirations of buried and bought-out contracts from Adam Boqvist, Alexander Wennberg, and Ivan Fedotov. All three will come off the books and contribute $3.55MM to the space they can use to bring back key players.
Shane Doan, Maple Leafs Mutually Part Ways
The Toronto Maple Leafs have mutually parted ways with special assistant Shane Doan per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Doan’s contract in Toronto was set to expire on June 30. He was originally hired by former Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving in 2023 and will step away before he has a chance to work alongside new general manager John Chayka.
Chayka took over the Arizona Coyotes general manager role in 2016, at the record-setting age of 26. Doan was the team’s star, having spent the last 12 seasons as the Coyotes’ captain. He was 40 years old entering the 2016-17 season and had lost the spark of his previous peak. That was proved when Doan only managed 27 points in 74 games – a mark that was deemed too low to re-sign him through his 40s despite Doan’s desire to keep playing, per ESPN. Arizona sought a trade through the season but, when no offers came through, Doan made the decision to retire in 2017.
Doan was hired as Arizona’s Director of Hockey Administration in 2020. He continued on in that role until the Coyotes were relocated to Utah following the 2022-23 season. The Coyotes’ move opened the door for Doan to grow his roots in NHL front offices. He moved into a Maple Leafs advisory role left vacant when Jason Spezza joined Kyle Dubas in a move to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Spezza has since taken on an assistant general manager and AHL general manager role with the Penguins.
Those could be the roles next in line for Doan, who will now be a managerial free agent amid a lot of change in NHL front offices. He could find a chance to move back to the NHL’s Pacific Division with vacancies in the Seattle Kraken or Vancouver Canucks front offices. Doan also played five seasons with current Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere and could bring invaluable experience as Philadelphia looks to repeat their playoff berth this season.
Hurricanes Sign Mark Jankowski To Two-Year Extension
According to a team announcement, the Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Mark Jankowski to a two-year extension through the 2027-28 season. The two-year extension is worth $3.7MM ($1.85MM AAV). Jankowski is in the final season of a two-year, $1.6MM ($800K AAV) contract that he originally signed with the Nashville Predators.
In the announcement, General Manager Eric Tulsky said, “Mark has been an excellent fit for our organization throughout his time here. He’s proven he can contribute in different ways, and we are glad he’s chosen to remain with the organization.”
Jankowski has spent his career bouncing between the NHL and AHL, including stints with the Calgary Flames, where he tallied a career-high 32 points in the 2018-19 season. He then played a year in Pittsburgh and Buffalo before signing with the Predators, playing between their farm system in Milwaukee and Nashville. This extension eclipses his previous highest contract value of $3.35MM ($1.68MM AAV) with the Flames in 2018-19.
The 31-year-old forward finished the 2025-26 regular season with 11 goals and 21 points in 68 games. He’s added an assist in eight playoff games so far this postseason. The Hamilton, Ontario native has been a mainstay for Carolina in their bottom-six since last year. The Hurricanes acquired Jankowski in a deal at the 2025 trade deadline that sent him from the Predators to the Hurricanes in exchange for their fifth-round pick in 2026.
The Hurricanes still have around $12.4MM in cap space entering this summer. Their unrestricted free agents include Nicolas Deslauriers in the forward group, as well as defenseman Mike Reilly and goaltender Frederik Andersen, with only Alexander Nikishin as a restricted free agent to round out their expiring deals. Carolina will also have Jusso Valimaki’s buried contract coming off the books, which will free up a small $850K.
Rangers’ Benoit Allaire To Retire After Free Agency
The 2025-26 season will be the last for longtime New York Rangers goalie coach Benoit Allaire, per a team announcement. Allaire will stick around the team through the NHL Draft and start of free agency, per Peter Baugh of The Athletic, before he calls a 29-year career in the NHL to a close.
Allaire has overseen some of the NHL’s top goaltenders as they rose to starting roles. His career began as a goaltending coach with the Montreal Canadiens in 1996. Right away, Allaire was involved in notable NHL careers, working with 20-year-olds Jose Theodore and Tomas Vokoun. Both were overshadowed by a 22-year-old Jocelyn Thibault, who played 61 games of the 1996-97 season.
Theodore and Vokoun went on to play in 647 and 700 games in their NHL careers, respectively, while Allaire jumped to the Phoenix Coyotes for their second season in 1997-98. He joined forces with Nikolai Khabibulin, who was in his third season as Phoenix’s starter. Khabibulin allowed the most goals in the NHL (184) in 1997-98, but, after a year with Allaire, reached a .923 save percentage in 63 games of the 1998-99 season. That mark would stand as the highest in Khabibulin’s 18-year NHL career, though he moved to the Tampa Bay Lightning for the 2000-01 season. Allaire stayed in Phoenix for five more seasons, leaning on Sean Burke to fill the Coyotes’ crease until Brian Boucher moved to Phoenix in 2002-03.
With the Coyotes goalie room stabilized by Boucher, Burke, and Brent Johnson, Allaire moved to the Rangers ahead of the 2005-06 season. It was on Broadway that Allaire would build his legacy. He took over goalie coach duties in Henrik Lundqvist‘s rookie season. Lundqvist finished the year as a Vezina Trophy finalist and fourth in Calder Trophy voting, after recording 30 wins and a .922 save percentage in 53 games.
He was an immediate star who would move through the 2010s as a perennial Vezina candidate with save percentages consistently north of .920. With Lundqvist’s career fading as 2020 approached, Allaire’s attention turned towards finding his next star. That successor would be Igor Shesterkin, who has seamlessly taken over Lundqvist’s spot on annual Vezina ballots. Shesterkin has a career .917 save percentage in 325 games, including a .912 in 51 games this season.
Allaire has molded countless goaltenders into long-term, NHL starters. He also worked with Kevin Weekes, Cam Talbot, Alexandar Georgiev, and Antti Raanta. His name rings loud in NHL circles, and the Rangers will feel the absence of their Director of Goaltending. New York promoted Allaire to a full-time director role in the 2024-25 season.
In the same year, they promoted Hartford Wolf Pack goalie coach Jeff Malcolm to the top flight. Malcolm is a veteran of the Hartford lineup as both a player and a coach – and has spent the last two seasons learning to make up for Allaire’s eventual retirement. He will take the reins moving forward, while the Rangers can rely on Shesterkin, who is signed through the 2032-33 season.
Leafs’ John Chayka To Meet With Auston Matthews, Craig Berube
The Toronto Maple Leafs have opened the doors to a new age after hiring John Chayka as general manager and Mats Sundin as a senior advisor. First order of business for the new staff will be finding how they want to define Toronto’s short-term goals – a task helped along by the club’s win at the 2026 NHL Draft lottery. With the top pick in hand, Chayka is now turning his attention towards meeting with the club’s most influential figures – head coach Craig Berube and franchise star Auston Matthews – in the near-future, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic on Thursday’s episode of TSN Overdrive.
There are conflicting reports of if a meeting date has been set yet, though. TSN’s Darren Dreger joined Overdrive to share that Chayka and Matthews do not have a date carved out yet, despite LeBrun’s mention of the inevitable meeting.
Whenever a meeting is held, the question to both Berube and Matthews will likely be the same: what role do you want to play in the Maple Leafs’ next few seasons? Reports have varied on Matthews’ commitment to the club that drafted him first-overall in 2016. He has already secured the franchise record with 428 career goals, passing Sundin’s 420 career goals earlier this season. Matthews also ranks fourth on the club with 780 career points. He has delivered a true star to the Toronto area, though the Maple Leafs weren’t able to turn that asset into postseason success, even with the support of Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares.
Through nine consecutive postseason appearances between 2017 and 2025, Matthews has been the one under the microscope – especially after picking up the team’s captaincy in 2024. His game has faced scrutiny at every level – criticisms that are hard to curb as Matthews attempts to recover from an MCL tear sustained in March of this season. That injury contributed to Matthews only potting 53 points in 60 games this season, his first under a point-per-game since his rookie season in 2016-17.
With two seasons left on a four-year, $53MM contract signed in 2023, Matthews will have to answer the question of if he can handle the heat. The postseason will remain Toronto’s primary goal for as long as Matthews, Nylander, and Tavares are headlining the offense. If those runs will include Berube is yet to be seen, after the Stanley Cup-winning head coach failed to lead the Maple Leafs to the playoffs in his second season with the club. Berube led Toronto to 52 wins last season. He has made the postseason in five of his nine years manning an NHL bench, excluding his mid-season firing from the 2023-24 St. Louis Blues.
Should Matthews want to explore greener pastures, or Chayka decide to move on from Berube, the Maple Leafs would again be faced with having to fill a major hole. Matthews’ departure would bump Tavares into a starring role and clear path for Gavin McKenna – or another choice at first-overall – to move into a spotlight role. Dismissing Berube would make the Maple Leafs a top candidate for coaching free agents like Bruce Cassidy, Dean Evason, Jay Woodcroft, or Gerard Gallant. More changes would only further separate the Maple Leafs from their era of short-lived playoff runs – a task Chayka will begin to face before the 2026 NHL Draft rolls around.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.
Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid Named Hart Trophy Finalists
According to an announcement from the league, Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers are the three finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy. The award is given annually “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.”
Although he hasn’t won the award since the 2018-19 campaign, Kucherov becomes a finalist for the league-MVP for the third consecutive year. Despite not leading the league in scoring this season, it’s hard to argue that Kucherov isn’t deserving of the award. Given the number of injuries the Lightning dealt with this season, especially to the defensive corps, there’s no telling how bad the season could have gone if they didn’t have Kucherov’s point-producing offense (although a significant argument can be made that it was Andrei Vasilevskiy doing the heavy lifting).
Most impressively, Kucherov managed his fourth consecutive season in which he managed to register more than 80 assists. His final scoring line was 44 goals and 130 points in 76 games with a +43 rating, averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per game. In some of the major scoring categories, Kucherov ranked eighth in goals (44), second in assists (86), second in points (130), third in goals created (46.3), fourth in even-strength goals (35), fourth in goals per game (0.58), first in assists per game (1.13), first in points per game (1.71), and second in goals created per game (0.61).
MacKinnon, on the other hand, has a strong case, being the most dominant player on the most dominant team. Like Kucherov, he has become synonymous with the award over the last several years, finishing in the top five in voting for four consecutive years, and winning the award in the 2023-24 campaign.
He’s already won one major award this year, taking home the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the highest-scoring player. MacKinnon finished with 53 goals and 127 points in 80 games with a +57 rating, averaging north of 22 minutes of ice time per game. Compared to the other finalists, MacKinnon finished first in goals (53), third in assists (74), third in points (127), second in goals created (48.0), first in even-strength goals (42), first in goals per game (0.66), fifth in assists per game (0.93), third in points per game (1.59), and third goals created per game (0.60).
Meanwhile, everything that is true of Kucherov and MacKinnon is true of McDavid. The 29-year-old has already won the award three times and has finished in the top 10 in voting every year of his career after his rookie campaign. As incredible as McDavid has been throughout his career, he quietly had the second-highest scoring season of his career, scoring 48 goals and 138 points in 82 games with a +17 rating, averaging nearly 23 minutes of ice time per game.
Taking home the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s highest-scoring, McDavid finished third in goals (48), first in assists (90), first in points (138), first in goals created (50.5), fifth in even strength goals (34), third in goals per game (0.59), second in assists per game (1.10), second in points per game (1.68), and first in goals created per game (0.62).
Despite each of the three finalists having a strong claim for the award, the conversation can’t be had without mentioning youngster Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks. The language used by the NHL regarding the award, along with the writers who make up the PHWA’s interpretation of it, has sparked considerable debate in recent years.
The argument regarding MacKinnon doesn’t seem as convincing, considering how dominant his teammates on the Avalanche were this year. However, there is a valid point that the Lightning and Oilers might not have made the playoffs this season if they hadn’t had either player available, though this is likely less applicable to the Lightning.
Even though the Sharks didn’t qualify for postseason play, there’s little rationality that the team would have been in striking distance of a playoff spot without Celebrini. The second-year forward scored 45 goals and 115 points in 82 games for the Sharks this season, with the next closest player, Will Smith, finishing with 59 points (albeit in limited action due to injuries). Furthermore, the gap between Celebrini’s and Smith’s point totals, 115 and 59, respectively, is significantly more than the gaps that Kucherov, MacKinnon, or McDavid had on their teams this season.
Regardless, the votes have already been cast, and we’ll find out in a few short weeks which one of the trio will ultimately be named the league MVP for the 2025-26 season.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig of USA TODAY Sports.
Stars’ Focus Is On Re-Signing Jason Robertson
The Dallas Stars’ summer will be headlined by a difficult cap crunch. With only $11.11MM in projected cap space, Dallas must decide how to re-sign nine pending free agents. That includes star winger Jason Robertson coming off a 96-point season. Robertson’s extension will be a top priority and is something Stars general manager Jim Nill wants done sooner rather than later, he told Dallas News’ Lia Assimakopoulos. Nill added that he hopes Robertson can be a Star for the rest of his career.
Robertson played in every game of the four-year, $31MM contract he signed with Dallas in 2022. The contract spanned his break into the top echelon of NHL scorers. He had a career-year in the first season of his deal, reaching 46 goals and 109 points. That was 40 points more than he managed in the 2021-22 season, a jump that led many to wonder if the century-scoring was merely a lucky fluke. Those concerns grew louder as Robertson continued to thrive in a loaded Dallas top-six, but only reached 80 points, in each of the next two seasons.
It seemed the century mark would indeed stay out of reach, until Robertson showed his ability to chase the mark this season. He fell four points short – but did find his way onto a formidable top-line next to Wyatt Johnston and Mikko Rantanen, who ranked second and third on the Stars in scoring behind Robertson. The space that Rantanen’s addition, and Johnston’s breakout, lended Robertson helped the sharpshooter pace for 100-points for most of the season. He is near the peak of his career at 26 years old and, should he find a long-term deal in Dallas, could have at least a few more seasons of 100-point potential next to Johnston and Rantanen.
That will be the impact Dallas hopes to bring back this summer. Rantanen will offer a strong baseline for Robertson’s negotiations after signing an eight-year, $96MM contract with Dallas last year. The Stars will need to find a way to shed some cap to fit another contract of that size under their cap. Finding a way to move defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin would net the Stars $3.25MM in cap space. Lyubushkin hasn’t managed to clinch a role in the Stars’ roster over the last two seasons. He has played with five teams across his eight-year career in the NHL and could garner the interest of one of the league’s rebuilders, like the Vancouver Canucks or Chicago Blackhawks. Dallas would need to include a rich premium to move that much cap space before July 1st – but nearly any price would be worthwhile to bring back a scorer like Robertson.
The upside and reliability that Robertson has offered the Stars is invaluable. If he secures a long-term deal, Dallas will have their star-studded top-line signed through the next five years, at least. That will be incredible, year-over-year security as the team faces the retirement of veterans like Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Matt Duchene. With so much value riding on Robertson’s contract negotiations, it’s no wonder why Dallas wants it to be the first order of business.
Rasmus Dahlin, Cale Makar, Zach Werenski Named Norris Trophy Finalists
As part of revealing the finalists for major league awards, the NHL announced the Norris Trophy finalists today. According to a league announcement, Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres, Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, and Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets are the three finalists to be named the “defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-around ability in the position.”
Although he’s earned multiple votes over the last three years, this is the first time that Dahlin, 26, has been named a finalist for the Norris Trophy. Throughout the first four years of his career, there were several questions regarding Dahlin, particularly if he was the top defenseman that the Sabres believed he would be when they drafted him.
Over the last four years, he has proven he is everything Buffalo hoped he would be, if not more. Since the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign, Dahlin has scored 71 goals and 274 points in 379 games, topping out with a 19-goal, 74-point performance this season. Additionally, he’s averaged nearly 25 minutes a night over that stretch, showing he can play in every situation comfortably. He’s physical, he blocks shots, he puts a ton of them on net, and he has captained the Sabres to the playoffs for the first time in 14 years.
Unlike Dahlin, Makar’s name has become synonymous with the Norris Trophy throughout his career. Throughout his career, Makar has been a finalist for the Norris Trophy six times, winning the award twice. Even when he wasn’t a finalist during his rookie campaign, he still finished top-10 in voting.
Still, it’s fair to argue that Makar took a step back offensively this season. After posting back-to-back 90-point campaigns in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, Makar dropped back to 20 goals and 79 points this season. Regardless, he sustained more than a point per game on average, blocked over 100 shots, finished with a +32 rating, and was the top defenseman on the top team in the league.
Meanwhile, Werenski finished as a Norris Trophy finalist for the second year in a row, at the very least. The Gross Pointe, MI native finished 22 goals and 81 points in 75 games, averaging over 26 minutes of ice time per night. Although he doesn’t block as many shots as Dahlin or Makar, and didn’t have a double-digit rating, Weresnki played in every situation and led the Blue Jackets in scoring by a 14-point margin, which is extremely uncommon for a defenseman.
Unfortunately, given that each of the finalists’ all-around game, it’s a toss-up who will ultimately come away with the award this season.
Although it’s difficult to argue either Dahlin, Makar, or Werenski out of being a finalist, there are a few other defensemen who easily could have found their way into the top three. Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers, who finished as the highest-scoring defenseman this season with 21 goals and 95 points in 82 games, has a case, as does Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens, who finished with 12 goals and 78 points in 82 games, with a +36 rating.
Penguins Sign Connor Dewar To Two-Year Extension
The Pittsburgh Penguins are getting a head start on returning some of their depth players from this past season. According to a team announcement, the Penguins have signed forward Connor Dewar to a two-year, $4.5MM ($2.25MM AAV) extension.
There’s little argument that he doesn’t deserve the raise. Pittsburgh acquired Dewar from the Toronto Maple Leafs at last year’s deadline, and the team signed him to a one-year, $1.1MM contract last summer.
He took that opportunity and ran with it. Much like the rest of his peers, Dewar played a role in the Penguins’ rejuvination this season, finishing with the best individual performance of his career. In 78 games, Dewar scored 14 goals and 30 points with a +16 rating, averaging just under 14 minutes of ice time per game.
The closest he had ever come to that production was during the 2023-24 season with the Minnesota Wild and the Maple Leafs. In 74 games that season, Dewar tallied 11 goals and 19 points in 74 contests, though much of that production came in Minnesota. Typically in a bottom-six role throughout his career, Dewar proved that he could be a key tertiary contributor in a middle-six role this season.
Despite being eliminated by their intra-state rivals in Round One of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, Dewar kept up his solid play in the postseason. In six games, the Manitoba native scored two goals with 19 hits, averaging 13:49 of ice time.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Penguins can afford Dewar similar ice time next season. Pittsburgh already has 10 forwards signed through the 2026-27 campaign, and will likely attempt to promote more prospects to the NHL for a further injection of youth. The Penguins need to focus on reducing the number of bubble forwards on their roster. However, it’s already evident that they are pleased to keep players like Dewar, who displays a strong work ethic and can make valuable contributions to the lower lines of the forward group.
NHL Sets Salary Cap For 2026-27 Season
The NHL’s financial landscape is officially shifting toward a period of unprecedented growth. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the league has formally notified its 32 member clubs of the confirmed team payroll ranges for the 2026-27 season. These figures represent a significant victory for the NHLPA and front offices, as hockey-related revenue continues to surge, finally moving past the stagnant cap era of the early 2020s.
For the first time in league history, the salary cap ceiling is poised to break into nine digits. The league has officially set the Upper Limit at $104 million. To maintain the necessary spread across the league, the Midpoint has been established at $90.4 million, while the Lower Limit will rise to $76.9 million. Perhaps most notably for the league’s elite superstars, the maximum individual player salary, which is set at 20% of the upper limit, will climb to $20.8 million per season.
This jump to $104 million marks a massive increase of roughly $8.5 million over the previous year’s projections. This rapid escalation provides vital breathing room for teams currently navigating difficult salary cap situations. Organizations that have locked their core players into long-term deals will see those contracts take a significantly smaller percentage of the overall pool. An $8 million AAV contract that once felt like a burden will soon represent a much more manageable portion of a team’s total budget, allowing General Managers to be more aggressive in the free-agent market while retaining their homegrown talent.
The rising floor also creates a unique dynamic for rebuilding teams. With a minimum spending requirement of $76.9 million, clubs heavy on entry-level contracts will be forced to spend more aggressively to stay compliant. This could lead to a busier trade market where rebuilding teams take on veteran contracts in exchange for draft assets, or it could result in higher-value, short-term “bridge” deals for veteran leaders brought in to mentor young prospects.
With the 2026-27 numbers now set in stone, front offices finally have the clarity needed to plan their long-term rosters. Fans should expect a flurry of contract extensions this summer as agents and GMs look to navigate this new, high-ceiling market before the next wave of superstars resets the bar for what a “max contract” looks like in the modern NHL.