Headlines

  • Avalanche, Jets, Lightning Interested In Jonathan Toews
  • Stars Reportedly Dialing Back Efforts To Trade Jason Robertson
  • Updates On Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad
  • Kings’ Anže Kopitar Wins 2024-25 Lady Byng Trophy
  • Ducks Acquire Chris Kreider From Rangers
  • Multiple Teams Interested In Sabres’ Bowen Byram
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • MLB Trade Rumors
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors

Pro Hockey Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • Atlantic
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Central
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Utah Mammoth
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Metropolitan
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Pacific
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Partners
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Newsstand

Aleksander Barkov Wins Frank J. Selke Trophy, King Clancy Memorial Trophy

June 2, 2025 at 10:09 am CDT | by Gabriel Foley 8 Comments

The NHL has announced that Florida Panthers centerman Aleksander Barkov is the winner of the 2024-25 Frank J. Selke Trophy and King Clancy Memorial Trophy. The Selke Trophy is awarded annually to the forward who exhibits the best defensive acumen. The King Clancy Memorial Trophy is awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off of the ice. This is the third time that Barkov has won the Selke, and the first time he has won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy.

Full voting results can be found here, courtesy of The Athletic’s Chris Johnston.

Barkov joins prestigious company with his third Selke win. He now sits alongside NHL stars Pavel Datsyuk, Guy Carbonneau, and Jere Lehtinen as the only players to have won the award three different times. Only two players rank above the quartet – legendary Bruins centerman Patrice Bergeron with six wins, and former Montreal Canadiens captain Bob Gainey with four wins..

Barkov’s place among greats is certainly fitting. He has built a strong reputation as a tireless worker – with the pace to win puck battles; the strength to win physical battles; and the tenacity to force opportune turnovers. Barkov posted the fourth-best xGA/60 (expected goals-against per 60-minutes) among all forwards with at least 850 minutes of ice time this season, per Evolving Hockey. Of note, no players ahead of him filled such a prominent top-end role for their club. In fact, Barkov’s 1.93 xGA/60 this season was far-and-away a career-best – trumping his previous best-mark of 1.97 set in the 2014-15 season.

It’s Barkov’s tenacity, drive, and ability to shutdown opponents that earned him both the Selke Trophy and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. He embodied a lead-by-example style and has carried Florida to new heights as a result. The team has developed into a true modern-day dynasty, slated to appear in their third-consecutive Stanley Cup Final beginning this week. Florida lost in their first appearance, but managed to defeat the Edmonton Oilers to win the first Cup in franchise history last season. The Conn Smythe Trophy for 2024 playoff MVP controversially went to Oilers superstar Connor McDavid, though Barkov was the second-place vote on 15 of the 17 ballots.

Interestingly, the 2024-25 season will also mark the first time in Selke Trophy history that teammates will finish as the top two finalists, with winger Sam Reinhart ranking second behind Barkov. Reinhart was one of the only players to post a better xGA/60 than Barkov this season, though their marks are only separated by 0.01. Reinhart finished fourth in Selke voting last season. The pair of Panthers finish ahead of Florida compatriot and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli.

Florida Panthers| NHL| Newsstand Aleksander Barkov

8 comments

Seattle Kraken Sign Josh Mahura To Two-Year Contract

May 30, 2025 at 6:29 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 1 Comment

The Seattle Kraken announced they’ve signed defenseman Josh Mahura to a two-year contract through the 2026-27 NHL season. The announcement indicated that Mahura will earn an AAV of $907.5K during the contract, meaning the total deal will be for $1.815MM.

Mahura recently wrapped up his first season with the Kraken. The former Anaheim Duck and Florida Panther became an unrestricted free agent last offseason after the Panthers denied an opportunity to qualify him, allowing him to sign with Seattle on the third day of the free agency period.

Still, he didn’t make the Kraken out of training camp. The team passed him through waivers on October 5th, shortly before the start of the 2024-25 season. Fortunately for the team, Mahura went through unclaimed, giving the Kraken some much-needed flexibility with his one-way contract.

Mahura only had to wait until the third game of the regular season to debut with Seattle, and he enjoyed another two extended stays on the roster after. The Kraken largely used him as a depth option, tallying nine assists in 64 games with a +5 rating while averaging 13:45 of ice time per night. It was Mahura’s highest games played total since 2022-23, when he scored four goals and 16 points in 82 games with Florida.

Seattle will enter the offseason with a largely intact defensive core, so Mahura should expect much of the same next season. He’s a quality option who can play on both sides of the blue line and can hold his own on the defensive side of the puck, as evidenced by his 91.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength.

Newsstand| Seattle Kraken| Transactions Josh Mahura

1 comment

Avalanche Sign Ilya Nabokov To Entry-Level Contract

May 30, 2025 at 5:19 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 3 Comments

5:19 p.m.: Nabokov won’t be heading to North America quite yet. Rawal reported that although the Avalanche have signed Nabokov to his entry-level contract, he’ll spend the 2025-26 season on loan with KHL Metallurg.

3:02 p.m.: As hinted at yesterday by Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette, the Colorado Avalanche have followed through in signing their highest-rated goaltending prospect. Colorado announced they’ve signed netminder Ilya Nabokov to a two-year entry-level contract through the 2026-27 season.

The Avalanche selected Nabokov 38th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, making him the first netminder off the board. He went to an organization that desperately needed him.

Colorado corrected many of their goaltending woes this year by swapping out Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen for Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. Especially in the Georgiev for Blackwood swap, the Avalanche traded a goaltender with a .874 SV% and 3.38 GAA in 18 games for a netminder that finished the season with a .913 SV% and 2.33 GAA in 37 games in Colorado.

Still, Blackwood’s performance hasn’t diminished the team’s excitement about Nabokov. The Kasli, Russia native compiled a 23-13-3 record in 43 games, boasting a .930 SV% and 2.15 GAA, throughout his draft year with the KHL’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk. That performance in the world’s arguably third-best professional league could have garnered first-round interest in Nabokov.

If the regular season didn’t show his promise, the 2023-24 Gagarin Cup playoffs did. Nabokov backstopped Metallurg to their third Gagarin Cup championship, managing a 16-6-0 record throughout the postseason with a .924 SV%, including four shutouts.

Considering the early-season goaltending struggles, there were some rumblings that the Avalanche could seek to pull Nabokov from the KHL sooner rather than later. Still, the team opted to leave him overseas for the 2024-25 KHL season, and he had another impressive year.

Continuing with Metallurg, Nabokov finished with a 23-17-6 record in 49 contests with a .923 SV% and 2.22 GAA, with three shutouts. Assuming the Avalanche stick with the Blackwood/Wedgewood tandem for the 2025-26 season, Nabokov will likely start with their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, while being a recall candidate should one of the former succumb to an injury.

Colorado Avalanche| Newsstand| Transactions Ilya Nabokov

3 comments

Maple Leafs Won’t Ask Morgan Rielly To Waive No-Move Clause

May 30, 2025 at 2:00 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 7 Comments

As the Maple Leafs undergo a retooling this summer following another failed attempt to reach the Eastern Conference Final, there have been some questions around the future of defenseman Morgan Rielly. Their longest-tenured player and highest-paid rearguard carries a full no-move clause for the five years remaining on his contract, though. At least this summer, Toronto general manager Brad Treliving has no intention of asking him to waive it, Pierre LeBrun said on TSN’s Insider Trading yesterday.

“He loves being a Leaf… I don’t think that needs to be a talking point going forward here,” LeBrun said. There have been questions about nearly every player on Toronto’s roster, not just because of their playoff record, but because this will be the first summer with Treliving in full control of the Leafs’ hockey operations decisions. While he’s entering his third season as Toronto’s GM, it’s his first without the oversight of president Brendan Shanahan, whom the organization said earlier this month won’t be retained.

Treliving pledged “DNA changes” during his end-of-season media availability, but it appears that’s less referring to the 31-year-old Rielly compared to the likelihood of letting star winger Mitch Marner walk in free agency. Rielly had a difficult start to the season under new head coach Craig Berube, posting 19 points and a -10 rating through his first 41 games. He improved to 22 points and a plus-two rating in the second half of the year, though, and didn’t miss a game all season. In the playoffs, Rielly recorded points in the first three games of both the first and second round but failed to get on the scoresheet later on in each series. He had a playoff-low minus-three rating in Toronto’s season-ending Game 7 loss to the Panthers.

While the Leafs now have plenty of efficient contracts on defense with Treliving’s work over the past few years, Rielly’s isn’t one of them. Calling him a No. 1 defenseman on a championship-contending team is a bit of a stretch, especially for a player whose calling card has always been his offensive skill and point production. His 0.50 points per game last season were his worst output in seven years, and his 21:23 average ice time per game was his lowest since the 2014-15 campaign. Jake McCabe actually led Toronto’s blue line in ATOI by a slim margin this year, the first time since 2017-18 that Rielly hasn’t been the Leafs’ most-used defender on a nightly basis.

A $7.5MM cap hit isn’t a drastic overpay for someone who still has legitimate rebound potential to the 50-60 point range, but the five years remaining on his contract might have limited his trade market even if he was willing to waive his NMC. Regardless, if the Leafs have plans of acquiring a new top defenseman this summer, they’ll need to do it by leveraging someone other than Rielly.

Image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.

Newsstand| Toronto Maple Leafs Morgan Rielly

7 comments

Islanders Sign Kyle Palmieri, Adam Boqvist To Extensions

May 30, 2025 at 11:55 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 4 Comments

The Islanders announced they signed pending UFA winger Kyle Palmieri and RFA defenseman Adam Boqvist to two-year and one-year contract extensions, respectively. Boqvist’s deal carries a cap hit of $850K, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. Palmieri’s is worth $4.75MM per season for a total value of $9.5MM, Friedman adds. His deal also includes a full no-trade clause in 2025-26 and a 16-team no-trade list in 2026-27, according to PuckPedia.

The two signings are the first of general manager Mathieu Darche’s tenure after they made his hiring official one week ago, succeeding Lou Lamoriello. Lamoriello had held extension talks with both players before the Islanders announced he’d been let go. They hit pause while the organization conducted its GM search, but it appears they were high on Darche’s list to get across the finish line in his first several days on the job.

Palmieri, 34, has spent parts of five seasons on Long Island and will look to extend that number to seven with this new deal. Initially acquired from the Devils at the 2021 trade deadline, he spent about a month testing free agency the following summer before returning to New York on a four-year, $20MM contract.

It was an eye-raising commitment at the time, especially for a player who finished the regular season with just four points in 17 games after his acquisition. It largely worked out in the end, though. Palmieri returned to his ways as a consistent 20-goal winger, putting himself on pace for the mark in his last three seasons with the Isles. He hasn’t missed a game since the 2022-23 campaign and even tied his career-high 30 goals one year ago. He followed that up with a 24-goal, 48-point showing this season, placing him third on the Islanders in scoring and 14th among pending unrestricted free agents.

That makes his price tag a smart one for his relatively projectable goal-scoring touch, although the Islanders would presumably like to decrease his deployment from the 18:31 per game he hit last season, a career high. While a known commodity offensively, he’s never been particularly adept away from the puck, and those concerns perhaps overshadowed his decent production in 2024-25. His -17 rating was a team-low and a career-low. The Islanders also allowed 30.24 shots per 60 minutes with Palmieri on the ice at 5-on-5, the worst figure of any New York skater with at least 200 minutes played, per Natural Stat Trick.

Palmieri should still be able to hover around the 20-goal mark in slightly decreased usage to limit his defensive drawbacks, particularly if Darche’s roster retooling gives him a two-way, playmaking center to partner with lower in the lineup. The new deal is a slight pay cut from his previous $5MM cap hit, a notable factor in the Islanders’ ability to spend this offseason amid the largest year-to-year salary cap jump in history.

As for Boqvist, he lands some stability after a tumultuous 2024-25 campaign. The 2018 eighth overall pick’s offseason began on a sour note when he was bought out by the Blue Jackets with one year remaining on a three-year, $7.8MM contract. He landed with the Panthers on a league-minimum contract to play with his brother, Jesper Boqvist, but managed only 18 appearances in the first four months of the campaign before ending up on waivers.

The Islanders, in need of puck-movers on the back end with injuries to Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock, took a flyer on the 24-year-old Swede. He was a serviceable depth piece down the stretch, even rotating into the lineup at center at times, recording eight points and a minus-five rating in 17 games. The 6’0″ righty averaged 15:22 per game after the claim.

It remains to be seen whether Boqvist is in the opening night lineup next fall, but he’s likely done enough to at least earn a roster spot and stick around as a healthy extra if the Isles need more scoring punch on the power play. Like Palmieri, Boqvist’s defensive game has been his biggest wart at the NHL level. He’s never been particularly physical, and his play style doesn’t warrant being a good shot suppressor through pure puck possession, but he did have some decent 5-on-5 defense numbers in New York. His 25.99 shots against per 60 minutes ranked ninth on the club out of 26 skaters to play at least 200 minutes, and his 2.40 expected goals against per 60 ranked 10th.

Boqvist will be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent next summer. The Islanders still have nearly $21MM in cap space after today’s extensions, per PuckPedia.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.

New York Islanders| Newsstand| Transactions Adam Boqvist| Kyle Palmieri

4 comments

Sabres Hire Jarmo Kekäläinen As Senior Advisor

May 30, 2025 at 9:33 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 9 Comments

The Sabres have named former Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen as a senior advisor to GM Kevyn Adams, per a team release.

Kekäläinen “will be involved in all areas of the hockey department,” the club said. This is Kekäläinen’s first NHL job since Columbus relieved him of his duties as GM in February 2024. He’s been working in his native Finland since then as a senior advisor to Helsinki’s HIFK. Still, he’s interviewed for multiple NHL GM vacancies in the meantime, including the Hurricanes’ last year and the Islanders’ earlier this month.

It’s no secret the Sabres were looking to hire a more established NHL executive to work with the much younger Adams this summer as the franchise navigates a turning point amid their league-record 14-year playoff drought. They’ve been linked to recently-fired Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello and Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan at points over the last few weeks, but opted for Kekäläinen instead.

“As we navigated the process of hiring for this role, it very quickly became apparent that Jarmo was an ideal candidate to augment our front office,” Adams said in a statement. “From his extensive history in scouting, his long tenure as an NHL general manager and his vast experience at the international and European pro levels, Jarmo has a remarkable resume and a long history of success in this league. I spoke with a number of candidates about this role and it’s clear to me that Jarmo is a perfect fit for our team. I couldn’t be more excited to add another significant piece to our front office as we continue the process of adding to our staff.”

Kekäläinen will advise Adams as the duo determines whether to trade or extend a slate of pending restricted free agents that includes defenseman Bowen Byram and winger JJ Peterka. Also on the team’s offseason checklist is a new deal for center Ryan McLeod and opening extension talks with winger Alex Tuch.

The 58-year-old Kekäläinen hopes today’s appointment is a stepping stone back to an NHL GM role, whether that ends up being in Buffalo or elsewhere. He was one of the league’s longest-tenured GMs until his firing in Columbus, which hired him midway through the 2012-13 campaign. Before that, he spent three years as the Senators’ director of player personnel (1999-2002) and eight years with the Blues as their director of amateur scouting and assistant GM (2002-2010).

Buffalo Sabres| Newsstand Jarmo Kekäläinen| Kevyn Adams

9 comments

Kraken Hire Lane Lambert As Head Coach

May 29, 2025 at 7:20 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 13 Comments

After a long search, the Kraken have found their new bench boss.  The team announced that Lane Lambert has been hired as the third head coach in franchise history.  GM Jason Botterill released the following statement:

After conducting an extensive search, we’re thrilled to announce Lane as our new head coach. We cast a wide net for suitable candidates. What impressed us throughout the interview process was Lane’s strategy and vision for this team. He was an integral part of the Capitals winning the Cup and the Islanders advancing to two straight Eastern Conference finals. We have full confidence in Lane to lead this team behind the bench.

Lambert will be taking over behind the bench from Dan Bylsma who was let go after just one year.  He had previously replaced Dave Hakstol who served as the head coach for the franchise’s first three seasons.  The hire shouldn’t come as too much surprise as earlier this week, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Lambert had emerged as the frontrunner for the position.

This will be Lambert’s second stint leading a team.  The 60-year-old spent 127 games in charge of the Islanders but was let go partway through the 2023-24 season and replaced by Patrick Roy.  Over that time, the Isles put up a 61-46-20 record while making the playoffs in 2022-23 where they lost in the first round.

The playoff success Botterill alludes to in his statement came when Lambert wasn’t in the top job.  He spent four years with Washington as an assistant including 2018 when the Capitals won the Stanley Cup.  Lambert followed Barry Trotz to the Islanders the following year while receiving a promotion to associate coach; their two Eastern Conference Final appearances came while he was in that role.  This past season, Lambert was an associate coach with Toronto who now has an opening to fill on their staff.

Lambert will now be tasked with turning around a Kraken team that impressed considerably in its sophomore season when they amassed 100 points in the regular season but has struggled since, putting up 81 and 76 over the last two.  One area of focus will undoubtedly be on the back end as they went from allowing the eighth-fewest goals in 2023-24 to 24th in that category this season while their possession game took a big hit as well.

With this hiring, there are now just two head coach vacancies remaining across the NHL: Pittsburgh and Boston.  The belief is that the Penguins are looking to finalize a hire before the end of the month while the Bruins have been whittling down their shortlist in recent days as well so it may not be much longer before all 32 spots are spoken for.

Photo courtesy of Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports.

Newsstand| Seattle Kraken Lane Lambert

13 comments

Flyers Sign Tyson Foerster To Two-Year Extension

May 29, 2025 at 2:16 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 4 Comments

2:16 p.m.: Foester’s two-year extension is official as reported, the club announced Thursday afternoon.

12:13 p.m.: The Flyers are closing in on a two-year extension with pending RFA winger Tyson Foerster, according to Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff. It’s a $7.5MM contract worth $3.75MM per season, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. Foerster will earn $3.5MM in base salary next season and $4MM in 2026-27 with no signing bonuses, per Kevin Kurz of The Athletic.

Philadelphia’s decision to bridge Foerster instead of giving him a long-term deal is an interesting one that bucks the league-wide trend. Foerster, 23, just finished a strong sophomore season after an impressive rookie campaign, particularly considering his defensive play. The right-shot winger posted 33 points, an even rating, and 102 hits for the Flyers in 77 games in his first year, placing him seventh in Calder Trophy voting for the league’s top rookie and even earning him some outside consideration for the Selke Trophy as the league’s top defensive forward. He got heavy deployment, averaging over 17 minutes per game, and controlled 54.1% of shot attempts at even strength – this after recording seven points through his first eight NHL games the year prior.

Things only improved for him in 2024-25. He was healthy scratched once early in the season by former head coach John Tortorella after a slow start, but quickly regained his top-nine role and didn’t miss a game the rest of the way. He scored 25 goals and 43 points in 81 appearances, the former of which ranked second on the team behind star rookie Matvei Michkov’s 26 tallies. While his possession numbers took a small hit, his on-ice shot suppression impacts were still third on the team at 24.19 SA/60 at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Foerster had not accrued enough NHL experience to be eligible for salary arbitration if he didn’t have a new deal by July. His deal comes across as slightly shorter and a tad pricier per season than the three-year, $3.3MM AAV deal AFP Analytics projected him to receive. The 2020 23rd overall pick will be an RFA again with one year of team control left when his extension expires in 2027.

The Philadelphia forward group remains lacking outside of the high-end offensive upside that Michkov, Travis Konecny, and, to some degree, Owen Tippett offer. Strong two-way play from their secondary forwards has always been a hallmark of the club’s identity, though, and it’ll presumably stay that way with head coach Rick Tocchet now at the helm. Foerster fits that bill expertly with an above-average finishing touch as well, and he’s also one of their stockier forwards at 6’2″ and 214 lbs.

Bridging Foerster does leave some more financial flexibility for the Flyers now to be aggressive on the trade and free agency markets in an effort to end their five-year playoff drought. The club still has nearly $23MM in cap space after Foerster’s deal, per PuckPedia, but there are still notable RFAs to sign in Noah Cates, Jakob Pelletier, and Cameron York.

Image courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images.

Newsstand| Philadelphia Flyers Tyson Foerster

4 comments

Jonathan Toews Will Pursue NHL Contract In Free Agency

May 29, 2025 at 1:25 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 8 Comments

Four-time All-Star center Jonathan Toews informed his agent yesterday he’s “100 percent committed to coming back to the NHL next season,” reports The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun. Toews, who hasn’t played since 2023 due to Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome and long COVID, opened up about his absence last December and said he remained hopeful about making an NHL return. He’s been working out in Arizona for the past few months as he determined whether he could handle a return.

Toews turned 37 last month. He’s only played two of the last five years, as his health issues also caused him to sit out the entirety of the 2020-21 campaign. Upon returning, he was understandably nowhere close to the elite two-way center he’d been for most of his career. He scored 68 points in 124 games with a -45 rating across the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons before stepping away from the game when his contract expired two summers ago.

The earlier stages of his career need no introduction. The third overall pick of the 2006 draft was named Chicago’s captain in just his second year in the league and led them to three Stanley Cups in six years, scoring 383 points in 419 games with a +148 rating across the Hawks’ six-year championship window from 2009-10 to 2014-15. He was one of the league’s top faceoff men, winning 57.3% of his draws over his 15-year career, and won the Conn Smythe trophy in Chicago’s first Cup win in 2010 after leading the playoffs with 22 assists in 22 games.

While Toews’ most recent seasons on a rebuilding Chicago roster were underwhelming, there are still reasons for optimism in a potential return to play. The extended time off and altered rehabilitation schedule likely have him in better physical shape than he was in his last comeback in 2021. Despite the gnarly plus/minus rating, his raw possession impacts were still positive in those 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns as well. He posted Corsi shares of 48.5% and 44.4% at even strength on clubs that posted Corsi shares of 46.0% and 43.9% on the whole, respectively. He remained elite on draws, too, including a career-best 63.1% win rate in his most recent season.

He’ll almost certainly receive one-way offers as a result. Since he’s not currently under contract, he doesn’t need to wait until July 1 to sign a contract for 2025-26 and can start talking with teams now. Given his age, he’s eligible for performance bonuses in his deal. That’s certainly an important consideration for a cap-strapped team, which could acquire him at a low cap hit initially and not take a big financial risk if he can’t be a full-time contributor.

Likely to be the most aggressive among his suitors are his hometown Jets, especially after they received news that captain Adam Lowry will miss the beginning of next season after undergoing hip surgery. Winnipeg was linked to Toews back in January when he alluded to making a comeback for 2025-26. While there’s no guarantee Toews will be able to handle anything above fourth-line deployment next year, he would at least give Winnipeg some added depth at a position of weakness down the middle, especially with Lowry unavailable for a stretch.

Newsstand Jonathan Toews

8 comments

Sharks Re-Sign Shakir Mukhamadullin

May 29, 2025 at 12:03 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

The Sharks announced they’ve re-signed defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin to a one-year, $1MM contract. He was set to become a restricted free agent this summer.

Mukhamadullin, 23, just wrapped up his second full season in the Sharks organization. He was a first-round pick (No. 20 overall) by the Devils in 2020 but was traded to San Jose in the 2023 Timo Meier deal before he could make his NHL debut. He’s split the following two years between the NHL and AHL as he climbs up the organizational depth chart.

He has 33 games of NHL experience, 30 of which came this past season. The lefty has always carried intrigue based on his high-end skating ability coupled with his 6’4″, 200-lb frame, and he’s flashed his upside as a potential long-term top-four piece in San Jose. He averaged over 21 minutes of ice time across a three-game stint to open his NHL career in January 2024 amid a strong debut season in the North American minors with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, whom he led in scoring among defensemen in 2023-24 with 27 assists and 34 points in 55 games.

His 2024-25 campaign started on the non-roster list due to a lower-body injury, and he was returned to the minors when cleared to play in late October. He’d get his first NHL recall of the season in early December, and he stuck with the big club for the majority of the balance of the campaign. Mukhamadullin put up a 2-7–9 scoring line with a minus-seven rating while averaging 18:04 per game, also contributing 51 blocks and 25 hits. He graded out quite well defensively, sitting near the high end of the Sharks’ Corsi leaderboard at a 48.0 CF% at even strength. San Jose also allowed 2.7 goals against per 60 minutes with Mukhamadullin on the ice at even strength, the best figure among Sharks defensemen with at least 10 games played. It’s worth noting that Mukhamadullin also averaged north of a minute per game on the penalty kill.

The Sharks still have Mario Ferraro, Henry Thrun, and Marc-Édouard Vlasic penciled in as their three left-shot defenders for 2025-26, but there’s still upward mobility there for Mukhamadullin. Ferraro could end up as a trade candidate, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 38-year-old Vlasic, who played just 27 games in 2024-25, relegated to the press box more consistently. There’s also the possibility that fellow lefty Sam Dickinson, whom San Jose drafted 11th overall in 2024, lands an opening-night role next fall after being named the OHL’s Most Outstanding defenseman in 2024-25.

A seven-figure commitment certainly indicates the Sharks plan on Mukhamadullin making the opening night roster and playing more of a regular NHL role as he continues on what’s been a promising development path thus far. He’ll start requiring waivers next year if San Jose wants to send him to the minors anyway, something they won’t be willing to expose him to.

Newsstand| San Jose Sharks| Transactions Shakir Mukhamadullin

0 comments
« Previous Page
Load More Posts
    Top Stories

    Avalanche, Jets, Lightning Interested In Jonathan Toews

    Stars Reportedly Dialing Back Efforts To Trade Jason Robertson

    Updates On Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad

    Kings’ Anže Kopitar Wins 2024-25 Lady Byng Trophy

    Ducks Acquire Chris Kreider From Rangers

    Multiple Teams Interested In Sabres’ Bowen Byram

    Mario Lemieux-Led Group Interested In Stake In Penguins

    Cale Makar Wins 2025 Norris Trophy

    Blue Jackets Expected To Pursue Mitch Marner

    Canadiens’ Lane Hutson Wins 2025 Calder Trophy

    Recent

    Red Wings Goalie Prospect Rudy Guimond Decommits From Yale

    Free Agent Focus: Ottawa Senators

    Multiple Teams Showing Interest In Jean-Gabriel Pageau

    Hurricanes Expected To Sign Stanislav Yarovoi

    Jets Sign Alfons Freij

    Canadiens Sign Vinzenz Rohrer

    Offseason Checklist: Vegas Golden Knights

    Bruins Sign Victor Soderstrom

    Free Agent Focus: New York Islanders

    Metropolitan Notes: Jones, Soucy, Poulin

    Rumors By Team

    Rumors By Team

    • Avalanche Rumors
    • Blackhawks Rumors
    • Blue Jackets Rumors
    • Blues Rumors
    • Bruins Rumors
    • Canadiens Rumors
    • Canucks Rumors
    • Capitals Rumors
    • Devils Rumors
    • Ducks Rumors
    • Flames Rumors
    • Flyers Rumors
    • Golden Knights Rumors
    • Hurricanes Rumors
    • Islanders Rumors
    • Jets Rumors
    • Kings Rumors
    • Kraken Rumors
    • Lightning Rumors
    • Mammoth Rumors
    • Maple Leafs Rumors
    • Oilers Rumors
    • Panthers Rumors
    • Penguins Rumors
    • Predators Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Red Wings Rumors
    • Sabres Rumors
    • Senators Rumors
    • Sharks Rumors
    • Stars Rumors
    • Wild Rumors

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Sam Bennett Rumors
    • Nikolaj Ehlers Rumors
    • Mitch Marner Rumors
    • Marco Rossi Rumors

    Pro Hockey Rumors Features

    Pro Hockey Rumors Features

    • Support Pro Hockey Rumors And Go Ad-Free
    • 2025 Free Agent Focus Series
    • 2025 Offseason Checklist Series
    • 2025 NHL Free Agent List
    • 2026 NHL Free Agent List
    • Active Roster Tracker
    • Coaching Staff Directory
    • Draft Order 2025
    • Offseason Trade Tracker
    • Pro Hockey Rumors On X
    • Pro Hockey Rumors Polls
    • Waiver Claims 2024-25

     

     

     

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives

    PHR Info

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Commenting Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

    scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version