Five Key Stories: 7/7/25 – 7/13/25
While the bulk of the roster activity occurred on or around July 1st, there was still some movement of note over the past week, including a big CHL to NCAA transfer. We’ll run down the top moves from around the NHL in our key stories.
Five For Two: A pair of arbitration-eligible restricted free agents inked five-year deals. First, the Flyers signed blueliner Cameron York to a five-year, $25.75MM pact. The deal buys out his first two seasons of UFA eligibility. York had a career year in 2023-24 but struggled last season, notching just 17 points in 66 games while clashing at times with former head coach John Tortorella. He’ll get a fresh start under Rick Tocchet next season with plenty of job security as well. Meanwhile, not long after Utah opted to take Jack McBain to arbitration, the two sides agreed on a five-year, $21.25MM deal, one that gives the Mammoth three extra years of team control. McBain set career highs in goals (13) and points (27) last season while coming up just short of reaching 300 hits for the second time in his career. The signing ensures that an important part of their bottom six won’t be going anywhere for a while.
Howard Saga Ends: After deciding that he didn’t want to sign with Tampa Bay, prospect winger Isaac Howard has a new home as he was acquired by Edmonton for center Sam O’Reilly. Howard subsequently signed a three-year, entry-level deal upon being acquired. Howard was the 31st pick in 2022 and is coming off his junior year at Michigan State where he finished fifth in NCAA scoring, showing he’s ready for the next test. He didn’t want to take that step with the Lightning but will with the Oilers. O’Reilly, meanwhile, was the 32nd pick in 2024 and is coming off a solid showing with OHL London. He’s expected to return to junior next season but immediately becomes one of Tampa Bay’s better prospects, allowing them to salvage a solid return from a tough situation.
Dallas Dumps Dumba: Needing to clear cap space, it was only a matter of time before the Stars made a move. That move came in the form of trading defenseman Mathew Dumba along with a 2028 second-round pick to Pittsburgh for blueliner Vladislav Kolyachonok. Dallas inked Dumba to a two-year, $7.5MM contract last summer but he struggled mightily, notching just 10 points in 63 games with some defensive struggles that saw him dropped to the third pairing during the season and benched outright in the playoffs. Needing to get cap-compliant, the cost of doing so was one of their better draft picks which the rebuilding Penguins will be happy with getting at the cost of some cap room. Kolyachonok, meanwhile, played in 37 NHL games last season between Utah and Pittsburgh and could be in the mix for a spot at the back of the roster for the Stars.
Manson’s Sticking Around: Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson has been a speculative trade candidate at times when Colorado looked like it needed to open up salary cap room. However, he has been with the team for more than three years now and will be staying for a while longer as he signed a two-year, $7.9MM extension that begins in the 2026-27 season. The 33-year-old has been a dependable defensive and physical presence when healthy but he has missed significant time due to injury in two of the last three years. Manson is now just one of two Avs blueliners signed for the 2027-28 campaign; the other is Devon Toews.
More San Jose Movement: A busy summer in San Jose continued this week. First, the team flipped defenseman Henry Thrun to Toronto for winger Ryan Reaves in a swap of players on expiring contracts. Thrun was unlikely to break camp with the Sharks given their additions on the back end in recent weeks while Reaves could find himself in a reserve role like he had with the Maple Leafs last season. They followed that move up with the signing of veteran winger Jeff Skinner to a one-year, $3MM contract. The 33-year-old is coming off a quiet year with Edmonton that saw him record 15 goals and 12 assists in 72 games while logging just 13 minutes a night of ice time. It stands to reason that he’ll get more of a chance with the Sharks, who have now changed up close to 40% of their roster from last season.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.
Kieffer Bellows Signs One-Year Deal With SHL’s Brynas IF
Former Nashville Predators winger Kieffer Bellows has decided to take his talents overseas after reaching unrestricted free agency this summer. He has signed a one-year contract with Brynas IF of Sweden’s SHL, per a press release on the team’s website. This will be Bellows’ first stint in European pros after spending the last seven seasons split between the NHL and AHL.
Bellows never found more than a fourth-line role at the top level, and often served more as an injury fill-in through his stints with the New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, and Predators. That role often landed Bellows on the top-line of his club’s AHL roster, where his talents as a high-motor, physical scorer shined through much clearer. He recorded 19 points and a lofty 101 penalty minutes in 73 games of his rookie AHL season, all the way back in 2018-19. He swung the needle back towards scoring in his sophomore campaign – netting 22 goals, 31 points, and 49 penalty minutes in 52 AHL games during the 2019-20 season.
That swing earned Bellows a move to the NHL in 2020 – one that wouldn’t be reversed until the 2022-23 season. By then, he had amassed 95 career games and 28 points at the NHL level – with nearly half of both coming during his 2021-22 season with the Islanders, when Bellows potted 19 points in 45 games. But his game continued to seem better-suited for the minor flight, and Bellows went on to add to his resume with 90 points and 112 PIMs through 108 AHL games between 2022 and 2025. That includes 31 points and 56 PIMs with the Milwaukee Admirals this year – a performance that was intercut by Bellows also racking up four points in 19 games with the Predators.
On the heels of that surge back to AHL success, Bellows will now opt to move to Sweden. He joins a strong Brynas roster that finished first in the league, but lost to Lulea in the championship, last season. Bellows should take up the role of top-six grinder complimenting former NHL names like Jakob Silfverberg, Oskar Lindblom, and Johan Larsson. He’ll also join up with NHL prospects Michal Svrcek (Detroit), Lucas Pettersson (Anaheim), and Gustav Hillstrom (New Jersey).
Tristan Luneau Poised To Make Big Impact For Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks have quietly built an impressive stockpile of talented, young defenders. Players like Jackson LaCombe, Olen Zellweger, and Pavel Mintyukov are beginning to prove as much on the left-hand side, but Anaheim is still searching for that same kind of breakout on the right-side. After a fantastic rookie season in the minor leagues, Tristan Luneau who seems best positioned to bring exactly that jolt as soon as next season.
There’s a steep learning curve for young defenders transitioning to the pro flight – especially for slight-framed, puck-movers who don’t engage physically like Luneau. He showed signs of those struggles in the seven NHL games, and six AHL games, he played through in the 2023-24 season. While Luneau’s three points in the NHL was an impressive jump to production, he struggled to clear out the front of the net or stop opponents from entering the defensive end. Luneau was set to mitigate those early-career learning pains with a trip to the 2024 World Junior Championship – where he surely would’ve dominated his younger peers – before an illness and eventual knee infection effectively ended his season before the tournament even began.
With that, Luneau’s first year of pro hockey – and his first chance to represent Team Canada – came to an abrupt close. It left the Victoriaville-native in a confusing spot. His nifty puck-handling and blue-line playmaking translated seamlessly to the top flight, but he showed through multiple areas of needed growth. With a long-term absence to boot, Anaheim opted for the safe approach for Luneau’s return in the 2024-25 season – defaulting him to the minor-leagues for the entire season after a brief, six-game stint in the NHL in October.
A year removed, that decision has paid dividends. Luneau finished the year with 52 points in 59 games. That scoring pace – 0.88 points-per-game – is the third-highest a U21 defender has managed in the AHL since 2000, and interestingly the highest from a defender outside of the Los Angeles Kings pipeline (Brandt Clarke, 0.92 in 2023-24; Jordan Spence, 0.91 in 2021-22). On top of reaching a tremendous scoring height, Luneau also added a heap of confidence in the gritty areas of the ice. He was diving into puck battles and scrums in the slot with the prowess his 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame should provide. The result was not only an increased ability to win pucks in the corners, and hold his ground in the slot – but truly more opportunities for Luneau to win possession and command movement up the ice.
He, in many ways, returned to the end-to-end commander role he became known for in the QMJHL. Luneau was creating as many plays as he joined, and worked his way onto the AHL’s end-of-season All-Rookie team as a result. He was once an incredibly high-regarded prospect, earning first-round acclaim through points of his juniors career. Anaheim eventually landed Luneau in the middle of the 2022 second-round, and early returns seem to suggest he’s on the way to becoming a day-two steal. Luneau showed his ability to score at a top level through his first seven games in the NHL two seasons ago. Now – after vindicating that ability with a dominant year in the minors – he’s added the additional oomph needed to stretch his offense across a full season.
With a season-ending injury now well in the rearview mirror, Luneau seems poised to jump quickly back into the NHL, where his downhill-drive could pair perfectly with the all-three-zones ability of LaCombe or Mintyukov. He’ll be a favorite to make the Ducks roster directly out of training camp, and could soon be yet another young player to find his way to success on the Anaheim blue-line.
Sharks Notes: Offseason Plans, Thrun, Dickinson, Leddy
The San Jose Sharks have had yet another massively productive off-season. They’ve reeled in a special talent in second-overall pick Michael Misa, then turned around to find multiple legitimate lineup additions through the acquisition of Alex Nedeljkovic via trade, and John Klingberg, Dmitry Orlov, and Jeff Skinner via free agent contracts. The Sharks looks set to roll out a lineup much hardier than last year’s. With that, general manager Mike Grier shared that the team is likely done for the summer, unless an enticing trade comes along, in a recent media availability captured by Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group.
Grier went on to acknowledge that San Jose acquired goaltender Yaroslav Askarov late last August, after Nashville began shopping around the top Russian prospect. The Sharks pulled off that move at the cost of high-end prospect David Edstrom, goalie prospect Magnus Chrona, and a conditional 2025 first-round pick. That’s a lofty amount of assets to move out so close to the start of the season, and Grier’s acknowledgement of that fact could be proof that San Jose will be ready to make a worthwhile move happen, if the opportunity presents itself. If not, the Sharks seem set to enter the 2025-26 season as bottom-feeders once more – looking to reel in a high 2026 draft pick and provide their young stars, like Macklin Celebrini, a chance to take a stride forward.
Other notes out of San Jose:
- Grier also spoke to the team’s recent swap of young defender Henry Thrun for veteran enforcer Ryan Reaves. He shared that Thrun was the odd-man-out on the blue-line, as San Jose prepares for potential surges into the lineup from Shakir Mukhamadullin or rookie Sam Dickinson, per Max Miller of the Sharks Hockey Digest. Grier added that Dickinson seemed like a player ready to take advantage of any opportunity thrown his way. The praise for Dickinson should come as welcome news for Sharks fans eager to see how the Memorial Cup-winner can translate to the pro flights. Dickinson is still under CHL protection, meaning his only options for next season will be making the NHL roster or returning to the OHL, where he recently posted 29 goals and 91 points in 55 games en route to back-to-back league championships.
- The press conference closed with Grier claiming no comment on recent reports that the St. Louis Blues waived Nick Leddy after he refused a trade to the Sharks, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now and originally reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. San Jose had waiver priority after finishing last season in dead-last, setting them up for a guaranteed claim on Leddy once he hit waivers. That’s exactly what transpired, and now the 15-year veteran will play through the final year of his contract on a low-grade Sharks roster. Grier did share that Leddy expressed exxcitement over a chance to earn a bigger lineup role and live on the West Coast for the first time in his career. Leddy played his 1,000th NHL game in the 2023-24 season, and scored five points in 31 games through an injury-riddled year last season.
Blues’ First-Rounder Justin Carbonneau Will Return To QMJHL
St. Louis Blues first-round pick Justin Carbonneau has announced he will return to the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada next season, after rumors that he was considering a move to the NCAA’s Boston College. The Armada announced the news through a post to their social media.
St. Louis recently drafted Carbonneau with the 19th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
This news will send shockwaves around Quebec’s junior league. Carbonneau was among the league’s best last season, tying for second in the league in goals (46) and outright ranking second in points (89) through 62 games. He rounded out his statline with 61 penalty minutes and just a plus-three, speaking to the incredibly high-event minutes Carbonneau earned while leading the Armada offense.
Carbonneau earned his offense with a powerful, heavy drive on the puck. He was among the QMJHL’s most explosive wingers moving down the ice, and used a strong frame and hard shot to generate dangerous chances in the offensive end. Carbonneau was also often the Armada’s pest, and routinely found himself in the middle of net-front shoving matches after the whistle. News of his return will land like a big acquisition in Blainsville-Boisbrand, as they lock up a player capable of rivaling the century mark in points or penalty minutes next season.
Carbonneau was thee standout of St. Louis’ recent development camp. He showed off all of the nasty grit, hard shooting, and determined drive that led him to the heights of the QMJHL this year. Those talents mix well with other emerging Blues, including Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud, Dalibor Dvorsky. That match – and a right-wing role vacated by the trade of Zachary Bolduc – could ramp Carbonneau into an NHL role as soon as next year, assuming he stays hot through the 2025-26 campaign.
Wild Re-Sign Michael Milne
The Minnesota Wild have signed forward Michael Milne to a one-year, two-way contract. Milne was a restricted-free agent. He will now play through the 2025-26 season on a deal that pays out $775K at the NHL level, and $100K at the AHL level.
Milne just wrapped up his third professional season, and his third in a daily role with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. He’s improved each year, ultimately working up to a career-high 15 goals and 26 points in 60 games this season. Those marks were high enough to land Milne fifth on Iowa’s roster in goals, though his minus-15 marks a new career-low, and his overall scoring pace dwindled from the 21 points he scored in 40 games last year. Even despite those fluctuations, Milne showed through enough to earn his NHL debut in November. He appeared in six minutes of action and managed no scoring in his sole game with the Minnesota roster.
Milne is still finding his footing at the pro flight. He was originally a third-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, after being passed over in the 2021 class. He earned that draft spot after netting 51 goals, 100 points, and a plus-74 in 83 games with the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice through the 2021-22 season. The Minnesota Wild opted to turn Milne pro immediately following that campaign, though his early showings have left a bit more to be desired. A low-stakes, one-year deal will give Milne a chance to show he has what it takes to lock in a top role on the Iowa roster, after briefly flirting with top-six minutes through points last season. He could even stand to earn more NHL attention with a hot season, after stepping in as an injury fill-in last season.
Blue Jackets’ Pyotr Andreyanov Signs Five-Year Deal In Russia
Columbus Blue Jackets goalie prospect Pyotr Andreyanov has signed a five-year deal with CSKA of Russia’s KHL, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. The deal will carry Andreyanov through his age-23 season in Russia’s top flight. Andreyanov was recently selected 20th overall in the 2025 NHL Draft. Notably, the deal includes an NHL release clause after the fourth season, according to Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers.
This move may come as a shock to many after Columbus selected Andreyanov about 20 spots earlier than many predicted. But sources available to ProHockeyRumors have indicated that the netminder’s plan to sign long-term in Russia was arranged before the draft took place, and comes with a clear intention to move to North America when the deal concludes. That’s excellent news for the Blue Jackets, who land another Russian phenom with this selection.
Andreyanov is lauded as one of Russia’s best goalies in recent memory. He posted a dazzling 23-6-6 record and .942 save percentage through 37 games in the MHL – Russia’s U21 league – this season. That performance gave mere decimals away from breaking the league’s save percentage record among draft-age goalies. That mark is currently held by New York’s Igor Shesterkin (.947).
Andreyanov earned that flashy season on the back of impressive athleticism. He was regarded by many as both the fastest and most controlled goaltender in the class, with an exceptional ability to track the puck and stay locked in between movements. He doesn’t get bogged down by traffic and shows the sly-grin determination to stop every chance that comes his way. Andreyanov is an exceptional goalie talent in many regards – and while his sharp and explosive movements can sometimes land him outside of his crease, there’s a shortlist of other Russians who would place above the CSKA Red Army netminder.
Columbus will add Andreyanov to an already stacked pipeline of goalie prospects. He’ll join compatriot Sergei Ivanov – a 2023 fifth-round pick – at the top of the Blue Jackets’ list. Ivanov posted a .911 save percentage with HK Sochi – often a bottom-ranked club in the KHL – this season. He had a much better save percentage of .943 in 38 KHL games last year. With Andreyanov and Ivanov in the system, the Blue Jackets could soon be relieved of their goalie concerns, once they convince top Russians to come overseas.
Golden Knights Beginning To Work Out Jack Eichel Extension
The Vegas Golden Knights have found a way to afford an eight-year, $96MM contract for incoming winger Mitch Marner. Even with shrewd cap planning, Vegas has ended up $7.64MM over the salary cap. That overage will be addressed when Alex Pietrangelo‘s $8.8MM cap hit is placed on long-term injured reserve, but the Golden Knights will face much of the same challenge next year, with star center Jack Eichel set to head to unrestricted free agency following the 2025-26 season. Vegas is already working out what Eichel’s could look like – with an expectation that it could be pricier than Marner’s new deal, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared on the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast.
Directly comparing Eichel and Marner may be a difficult task, but there’s no arguing the Massachusetts native is among the top echelon of NHL forwards. Eichel scored a career-high 94 points in 77 games this season, then added an additional 10 points in 11 postseason games. The performance was a true peak after Eichel managed strong scoring in each of his first three seasons with Vegas. That includes scoring 26 points in 22 games as the Golden Knights chased their first Stanley Cup win in 2023.
Eichel joined the Golden Knights in 2021, following a true saga of clashing relationships and trade rumors. He was in the midst of recovering from a herniated disc in his neck at the time, setting off an injury and recovery that was often undefined and confusing. Eichel sustained the herniated disc on March 7th and was declared as out for the remainder of the 2020-21 season just over one month later. But there was conflict over if he should undergo surgery to address the issue. Eichel preferred an artificial disc replacement procedure, while Buffalo preferred a fusion surgery. Eichel’s lawyers later commented on the debate, scolding the Sabres for not letting the player choose his option in July of 2021. Eichel continued forward with no surgery, and failed his team physical at the onset of the 2021-22 season – prompting Buffalo to strip him of the team’s captaincy.
That stripped ‘C’ kicked off a lucrative trade market that looped in many of the league’s top teams. Ultimately, in November of 2021, it was the Golden Knights who won out the sweepstakes – acquiring Eichel for the cost of center prospect Peyton Krebs, pro winger Alex Tuch, a first-round pick used on Noah Ostlund, and a conditional second-round pick that Buffalo flipped to the Minnesota Wild. Vegas granted Eichel the permission to undergo his desired surgery immediately following the move, and he managed to make his Vegas debut just four months later in February of 2022.
Since then, Eichel has been a perennial scorer for the Golden Knights. He scored 66 points in 67 games of his first full year with the club, then followed it up with 68 points in 63 games last season. Health remained a concern, but Eichel proved he can play well above his baseline when he plays through 70-or-more games in a season. His 94-point year this season confidently passed his previous career-high of 82 points set in 77 games of the 2018-19 season. With the strong year, Eichel has now reached 608 points in 616 NHL games.
There may still be some nerves about Eichel’s ability to repeat the 90-point year. But given a bill of good health, and a brand new superstar linemate in Marner, it seems more-and-more certain that Eichel will return to his dominant ways. He’ll be playing for a contract this season, and could surpass the cap hit of both Marner and Mikko Rantanen given his premium role as a top-line center. Eichel added a 45.6 faceoff-percentage and 55 blocked shots to his stat line this season. He finished third in Lady Byng Trophy voting, and fifth in both Hart Trophy and Selke Trophy voting. With a strong year next season, Eichel could end up a favorite to win multiple player trophies.
Canucks Sign Braeden Cootes To Entry-Level Contract
The Vancouver Canucks have signed centerman Braeden Cootes to a three-year, $2.93MM entry-level contract. Cootes was recently selected 15th-overall in the 2025 NHL Draft. He will have the ability to earn $500K in bonuses in each year of the contract, per Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK News. In comparing to Vancouver’s last two first-round picks, Dhaliwal points out that Cootes’ bonus is above winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki ($475K) but lesser than Tom Willander ($800K) on a per-season basis.
Cootes becomes the fourth player from his draft class to sign, after standing tall at Vancouver’s development camp. He’s a true middle-lane center, who showed a strong ability to work with his linemates to push pucks down the ice and generate scoring chances. While serving as the team’s captain, Cootes led the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds in scoring with 63 points in 60 games. He was a great couple with top Thunderbirds defenseman – and Buffalo Sabres ninth-overall draft pick – Radim Mrtka, who scored 35 points in 43 games.
Cootes rounded out a strong draft year with a stellar performance at the World U18 Championship. He led Team Canada with 12 points, split evenly, in just seven games played – while also wearing the ‘C’ for his country. That scoring was more than fifth-overall pick Brady Martin, who finished second on the team with 11 points.
That precedent of strong scoring will now push Cootes onto his first pro contract. He will forgo NCAA eligibility with this deal, meaning the Vancouver roster or a return to the WHL will be his only options for next season. Given Cootes’ room to add more dynamic playmaking, and explosivity, into his game – a return to juniors seems more likely.
Strategic Drafting Will Keep Capitals Competitive
The Washington Capitals seemed well on their way towards reclusion a few seasons ago. They managed to win the first Stanley Cup in franchise history in 2018 – but by 2022, only eight members of the Cup-winning roster were still in Washington. The club fell entirely out of the postseason by 2023, marking their first summer absence since 2015. That miss sparked an upheaval of the Capitals’ coaching staff. The new group – headmanned by rookie NHL head coach Spencer Carbery – has returned the Capitals to the playoffs on the back of a clear ability to develop certain styles.
The Capitals have leaned into Carbery’s vision for the lineup in all aspects of their roster building – but most notably, in their draft selections. A team once honed in on finding the balance between high-offense forwards and all-defense defenders has steadied over the last two draft classes. In doing so, Washington has not only found their way back to the postseason – but also managed to surge to the top ranks of NHL prospect pools.
Their class is undoubtedly led by first-round picks Ryan Leonard, Terik Parascak, and Lynden Lakovic. All three play a chippy, physical style of hockey – with strong shots and a clear ability to find space off of the boards and in the corners. Their physical upside speaks to some layer of certainty in the bump-and-grind Capitals lineup, even if it requires the extra years of development, akin to Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre, the latter of who appeared to come along with a hot year in the AHL.
But the Capitals reach the tops of prospect value with their picks outside of the first-round. Their group may be most truly headlined by defender Cole Hutson, who posted an absurd 48 points in 39 games of his freshman season at Boston University. He was the Terriers’ top defender as they raced to a National Championship loss, and is the younger brother of Montreal’s Lane Hutson, who recorded a record-setting 62 assists in his rookie NHL season this year.
Hutson is followed by towering forward Ilya Protas, the younger brother of current Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas. Ilya was drafted out of the USHL, but moved to the OHL for this season. That proved an incredibly lucrative bet, as the 6-foot-5 forward blazed his way to 50 goals and 124 points in just 61 games with the Windsor Spitfires. He improved across the board – adding smoother skating and more confident stickhandling – and seems well set on paving his way into the pros.
But through the top names, it’s winger Eriks Mateiko – a burly Latvian recently dominating the QMJHL – and Swiss-defender Leon Muggli who offer the truest glimpse into what Washington has prioritized. The team has consistently found ways to land not only tall, heavy draft picks — but players who play with a physical edge and truly know how to utilize their size to their advantage. That’s the exact trait that’s elevated players like Protas and McMichael to early-career success. Even the recent resurgence of Dylan Strome and Pierre-Luc Dubois can be attributed to Washington’s unique ability to take a calm and assertive approach to offense, rather the run-and-gun style many teams attempt to skill their way into.
Washington impressively flaunted their ability to land that style of player in the 2025 draft. Lakovic is a hefty winger who could improve his ability to break-through the defense – making him a perfect match in Washington – and fellow top-pick Milton Gastrin is a lumbering and slow centerman capable of making quick plays. But it’s, again, their late picks that define Washington’s potential. They swept up re-entry forward Jackson Crowder in the fifth round, folding in a layer of responsible and physical play in a 6-foot-3 frame. Better than that, Washington managed to land hefty Swedish defenseman Aron Dahlqvist in the sixth round — nearly three rounds later than many pundits predicted. Dahlqvist is a ball of grit and aggression, with powerful strides and fundamental hitting. He digs into opponents – and that physical prowess earned him 16 games in Sweden’s SHL this season, even despite the fact that Dahlqvist didn’t score in any of those appearances.
Both scouts and fans have raised questions with, seemingly, every Capitals prospect. But the team is clearly confident in the style they’re searching for. The focus is squarely on landing physically mature, and capable, players at every group — players that well fit into the development style that Carbery has already utilized on some of the 2024-25 squad’s top players. That should glean multiple NHL roster players, especially given the acknowledgement Washington’s pool has earned from the public sphere. The Capitals are back in the postseason and, with most of the roster locked up for the short-term, seem well positioned to return to their yearly summer hockey. With the boost of smart, situational drafting backing the NHL lineup – Washington, and head coach Carbery, could be well on their way to landing even more successful draft picks, and maintaining their status for many years to come.