Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Assessing The Stars’ Contention Timeline

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Stars start the 2025-26 season as one of the top Stanley Cup contenders, featuring a strong core that still includes Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson, Jake Oettinger, Matt Duchene, Wyatt Johnston, Miro Heiskanen, and Mikko Rantanen. This group has several top scorers in their prime and a goaltender ready to lead the crease for years to come. The Stars faced significant salary cap pressures this summer but mostly managed to navigate them, re-signing their key UFAs for another push. Although this summer went pretty well, salary cap concerns will likely continue to pose challenges each year, raising the question: How much longer can the Stars remain contenders for the Stanley Cup?

This year will be interesting for the Stars as they manage injuries and call-ups, given they have just over $400K in salary cap space (per PuckPedia). However, next summer, they will have nearly $28MM available with 15 players already signed. That figure suggests an opportunity for Dallas to strengthen their lineup, but a closer look at its RFAs and potential issues begins to emerge. Forwards Robertson and Mavrik Bourque are RFAs, as are Thomas Harley and Nils Lundkvist on defense. Jamie Benn is a UFA, but that shouldn’t be a significant salary to absorb even if he remains productive.

Robertson’s contract could be the most important extension for the team if he signs with Dallas at all. The 26-year-old was linked to trade rumors this summer, and since he’s only two years away from becoming a UFA, Dallas faces a tough choice. Evolving Hockey estimates that if Robertson had been an RFA this summer, his market value with the Stars would be an eight-year deal worth $10.9MM annually. If he signs with another team, that drops to $10.5MM over seven years. AFP Analytics is even more ambitious with its estimate, projecting an $11.54MM AAV on a long-term deal. There’s a chance Robertson might have a tough season, which could lower his value. But it could also go the other way, raising it. Last year, Robertson scored 35 goals and 80 points in 82 games, but he’s only two years removed from a 109-point season and will be eager to reach those offensive numbers again. If he does, that $28MM in cap space next summer will quickly seem very small.

Now, aside from Robertson, the other significant looming extension is Harley’s, and it could surpass Robertson’s depending on each player’s season. AFP Analytics projects an eight-year deal at $10.75MM annually if Harley commits long-term, which would put Dallas at around $21MM for both players, roughly $7MM under the 2026-27 salary cap, assuming no other moves are made before then.

Here’s more bad news if you’re a Stars fan. Besides being capped out, there isn’t much help coming through prospects. Dallas’s system is ranked 31st in the NHL by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic after Bourque and Logan Stankoven moved up to the NHL (with Stankoven then being dealt to the Hurricanes). It’s a 10-place drop for the Stars, highlighting a significant problem in their Stanley Cup pursuit—they’ve traded away many picks and prospects. That’s okay when you’re a contender; in fact, you should do that. But you can’t keep doing it forever, and sooner or later, you run out of pieces in the cupboard. That’s precisely what has happened to Dallas.

Now, for the final bit of bad news. Dallas also lacks significant draft pick capital. They have no first-round pick in 2026 or 2028 and are missing their second-rounder in 2028 (per PuckPedia). Again, it’s not a huge deal if you win, but as you get closer to the final stages of your contention window, it becomes tougher to compete without the tools to improve your team.

A year from now, this could all be something to look back on and laugh if Dallas wins the 2026 Stanley Cup. However, if they don’t, the Stars may start to resemble another team from the past, one with a wealth of offensive stars and solid goaltending. Some might feel it’s too soon in Dallas’s journey to say this, and maybe it is. But if the Stars aren’t successful this season in their quest for a championship, they could dangerously mirror the San Jose Sharks from the 2000s and 2010s — a team that could win a round or two regularly, had plenty of offensive talent, but couldn’t seal the deal, leading to a painful rebuild that they are hoping to soon emerge from.

Despite the negative tone of the article, the Stars aren’t finished yet and should be able to compete for the next two to three years while their core remains in their prime. The favourable tax situation, along with great weather and a terrific team, should continue to attract free agents willing to accept less money than they might elsewhere, and could also motivate some of the Stars’ current players to take a pay cut to stay on a competitive team in Dallas.

Photo by Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Training Camp Cuts: 9/25/25

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

We’re now in the second week of training camp. Teams are still working their way through their initial cuts, sending amateur tryout invites and fringe prospects back to their junior teams as those regular seasons get underway. However, we could start to see some more targeted trimming today and over the weekend. We’re keeping track of today’s cuts in this piece, which will be updated as more roll in.

Calgary Flames (via team announcement)

F Hunter Laing (to WHL Saskatoon)

Los Angeles Kings (via team announcement)

D Henry Brzustewicz (to OHL London)
D Jared Woolley (to OHL London)

Ottawa Senators (via team announcement)

D Matthew Andonovski (to AHL Belleville)
F Wyatt Bongiovanni (to AHL Belleville, pending waivers)
F Tyler Boucher (to AHL Belleville)
F Xavier Bourgault (to AHL Belleville, pending waivers)
F Jake Chiasson (to AHL Belleville)
D Cameron Crotty (to AHL Belleville, pending waivers)
F Philippe Daoust (released from PTO to AHL Belleville)
D Jorian Donovan (to AHL Belleville)
D Tomas Hamara (to AHL Belleville)
F Landen Hookey (released from PTO to AHL Belleville)
G Jackson Parsons (to AHL Belleville)
F Oskar Pettersson (to AHL Belleville)
F Garrett Pilon (to AHL Belleville, pending waivers)
F Jamieson Rees (released from PTO to AHL Belleville)
G Hunter Shepard (to AHL Belleville, pending waivers)
D Djibril Touré (to AHL Belleville)
F Keean Washkurak (released from PTO to AHL Belleville)

Philadelphia Flyers (via team announcement)

F Sawyer Boulton (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Oscar Eklind (to AHL Lehigh Valley, pending waivers)
F Cooper Marody (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
G Yaniv Perets (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
G Keith Petruzzelli (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Massimo Rizzo (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Tucker Robertson (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Samu Tuomaala (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Garrett Wilson (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Zayde Wisdom (to AHL Lehigh Valley)

Pittsburgh Penguins (via team announcement)

D Quinn Beauchesne (to OHL Guelph)

Utah Mammoth (via team announcement)

G Connor Ingram (to AHL Tucson, pending waivers)

Avalanche Want To Hold In-Season Extension Talks With Martin Necas

at CDT | by 3 Comments

For some pending UFAs, the beginning of the regular season can be a stop-and-drop regarding extension negotiations. That doesn’t appear to be the case between the Avalanche and Martin Necas.

“Colorado has communicated clearly to the Necas camp that it wants to extend him at some point this season,” Pierre LeBrun writes for The Athletic, but those discussions “haven’t yet gotten into the nitty-gritty of exchanging offers and counteroffers.” The belief is they’re waiting to let Necas extend his sample size in Colorado into this regular season “before taking those discussions to the next level.”

Necas’ extension talks carry a different context than those of his peers for the 2026 UFA class. There’s arguably more pressure on the Avalanche to find a way to retain him than almost any other big-name free agent. He was the only high-end asset acquired when they dealt Mikko Rantanen to the Hurricanes in last January’s blockbuster deal – letting Necas walk will amount to them losing two top-line talents for almost nothing aside from depth center Jack Drury.

These talks also come at a time when Necas’ value is at an all-time high. The 2017 No. 12 overall pick has been prone to some significant season-to-season point swings in recent years, but he popped in a considerable way in 2024-25 by breaking the point-per-game threshold for the first time. He finished the year with a 27-56–83 scoring line in 79 appearances, closing out the year with 28 points in 30 games after arriving in Denver.

With that in mind, along with a quickly rising salary cap, Necas’ extension is projected to net him nearly $10MM per season on a seven-year deal, according to AFP Analytics. He, along with others like Adrian Kempe and Alex Tuch, is waiting for some of the A-list names like Connor McDavid and Kirill Kaprizov to sign deals and set the market for the 2026 class, LeBrun writes. With Kempe and Tuch also angling for eight-figure cap hits, Necas will as well. The Avs then run into the same problem they did with Rantanen – being hesitant to register such a large contract with franchise defenseman Cale Makar set to potentially double his $9MM cap hit when he becomes a free agent in 2027. Of course, that Rantanen deal was made before the league released official salary cap projections that were in significant excess of expectations.

Even for 2026-27 accounting, a $10MM cap hit for Necas could be something of a tight squeeze. Doing so would leave them with roughly $16MM in space to account for eight roster spots, according to PuckPedia. Outside of Necas, though, they don’t have any high-impact expiring names, so filling out those jobs with an average salary of $2MM might not be too much of an obstacle.

Oilers Working On Long-Term Extension For Jake Walman

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The Edmonton Oilers have a lot of work to do leading up to the season. Besides the elephant in the room, Connor McDavid, a UFA at season’s end, Frank Seravalli told Bleacher Report that the Oilers are making progress on a Jake Walman extension. Rumblings of such were previously discussed earlier in the month, and now it is believed to be a longer-term deal in the works, which could happen soon. 

Walman, 29, was acquired last March after a successful turnaround stint in San Jose, for a conditional 2026 first-round pick and fringe prospect Carl Berglund, proving to be tidy business from GM Mike Grier and the Sharks. The blue liner appeared in 38 combined regular and postseason games for the Oil, tallying 18 points and averaging over 20 minutes a night. 

Originally drafted 82nd overall in 2014 by the St. Louis Blues, the Toronto native established himself as an everyday defender with the Detroit Red Wings, netting a three-year, $10.2MM contract, only to be salary-dumped to San Jose after the 2023-24 campaign. Having proven himself once again, Walman seems to have found himself in a favorable situation in Edmonton, with an opportunity to take on a bigger role in the future as well. 

Walman could be due for a five-to-six-year deal in the $6.5MM annual range, according to AFP Analytics.

With Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse the only notable defensemen signed beyond the 2025-26 season, and well over $10MM in current defenders to be freed up, GM Stan Bowman has the opportunity to overhaul his d-corps, as the Oilers look to build the right supporting cast for their mega stars, and finally get over the hump toward a Stanley Cup. It is hard to ignore Mattias Ekholm, 35, another UFA at season’s end, and the possibility of Walman slotting in as a potential long term replacement on the left side – either entirely, or if the veteran Ekholm is re-signed with a more age-friendly role. 

Whether McDavid, or the supporting cast, it will be interesting to see which shoe falls first in Edmonton, and perhaps we will have an answer by season’s start. 

Injury Notes: Eller, Lucic, Zuccarello, Sturm

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Lars Eller told reporters today, including Bruce Garrioch of TSN, that he had abdominal surgery last July, from an ailment that had been lingering since last November. Despite the injury, the veteran center managed to skate in 80 regular season games between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals, notching 22 points, subsequently earning a one-year, $1.25MM contract with the Ottawa Senators, his fifth NHL club.

As per Garrioch, there is yet to be a decision on when Eller will debut for the Sens, soon to add to his Danish-leading 1,116 career NHL regular season games, but it appears he is on the right track. 

Other injury updates from across the NHL:

  • St. Louis Blues Head Coach Jim Montgomery told reporters, including Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic, that Milan Lucic is day-to-day with a groin injury. The former star is vying to extend his career, having missed the 2024-25 season before being signed to a professional tryout from the Blues on August 19, the latest of several past notable players to sign such tryouts with the organization. Lucic was unable to skate today, and as mentioned by Montgomery, the ailment is unfortunate timing as he fights to earn a spot.
  • Michael Russo of The Athletic noted a pair of back injuries affecting the Minnesota Wild. 38-year-old star Mats Zuccarello remains sidelined, and per Russo, there is no further update at this time. Previously, it has been raised that surgery is a possibility. Meanwhile, Nico Sturm, who signed a two-year deal to return to the Wild, will be held out for 4-5 days preemptively, due to a back injury sustained in a team scrimmage.

Oilers’ Vasily Podkolzin Takes Leave Of Absence

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Oilers winger Vasily Podkolzin will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from the club after his father, Alexander, “suddenly and tragically passed away last night,” the team said in a press release. He’s returned to his native Russia in the interim.

Whenever Podkolzin is ready to return – an understandably wide-ranging timeline – he’ll be walking into a top-nine role in Edmonton. The 24-year-old played in all 82 games for the Oilers last year and saw notable deployment alongside Leon Draisaitl as a checking winger, putting together an 8-16–24 scoring line while averaging 13:13 of ice time per night. He also led Edmonton in hits by a wide margin with 211.

That was enough to earn him a three-year extension with a $2.95MM cap hit, a deal he signed just yesterday. He otherwise would have been a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer after inking a two-year, $2MM deal with the Canucks in April 2024. Edmonton acquired him from Vancouver via trade before he played a game under that contract.

If Podkolzin does not return to the Oilers before the beginning of the regular season, he can be designated as a non-roster player and will not count against their 23-player roster limit. His current $1MM cap hit, however, would still count against their books. If he’s expected to miss at least 10 games and 24 days from the start of the campaign, they can place him on long-term injured reserve for potential salary relief if necessary.

All of us at PHR extend our condolences to the Podkolzin family.

Rangers Considering Noah Laba For Opening-Night Spot

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The Rangers are leaving the door open for center prospect Noah Laba to crack the opening night roster, head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters Wednesday, including Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic.

“It might be too early to have that conversation at this point, but [Laba] certainly has performed extremely well in this early part of camp,” Sullivan said. He added Laba is “one of” the players in the mix to hold down a third-line center job for the Blueshirts, along with leading contender Juuso Pärssinen, whom the club acquired from the Avalanche in last season’s Ryan Lindgren trade.

Laba, 22, certainly has pro-ready size at 6’2″ and 192 lbs. A 2022 fourth-round pick, his offensive ceiling will be the biggest concern about rushing him to major-league minutes. He signed his entry-level contract this year after wrapping up three seasons at Colorado College. While he had a standout sophomore campaign in 2023-24 with a 20-17–37 scoring line in 36 games to lead the team in every offensive category, he cooled off somewhat last year with a 10-16–26 line in 29 appearances. He was still the team’s focal point offensively, but he didn’t receive the laundry list of accolades he got the year prior, including being a Hobey Baker nominee and earning Best Defensive Forward and First All-Star Team honors from the NCHC.

After signing Laba in March – a deal that didn’t begin until this season anyway – he finished out the year with AHL Hartford on a tryout. He didn’t look particularly out of place there, recording a 3-2–5 scoring line in 11 games.

A third-line pivot piece is likely Laba’s long-term ceiling as a moderately productive but primarily defense-conscious center. Getting him a taste of what could be a long-term role for him wouldn’t be without precedent. The Rangers haven’t been afraid to graduate under-the-radar rookies virtually straight from college to the NHL. They did so last year with defenseman Victor Mancini, selected one round after Laba in 2022. He broke camp with the club and bounced between the NHL and AHL before being sent to the Canucks in the J.T. Miller deal. The same fate could befall the waiver-exempt Laba. Mancini made 15 NHL appearances and 23 in the AHL with Hartford before getting sent to the Canucks.

Outside of Pärssinen, Laba, and potentially veteran Jonny Brodzinski, the Rangers aren’t overflowing with depth center options who have the offensive utility to play a top-nine role. Even the leading contender comes with a fair amount of question marks. Pärssinen, 24, impressed with 25 points in 45 games in his first NHL stint with Nashville two years ago but hasn’t flashed that upside since. He had a 6-10–16 scoring line in 48 appearances with three different clubs last year, including a 2-3–5 line in 11 games to end the season in New York while averaging just 9:46 per game. With under $800K in cap space, though, their options to make a free-agent add to lock down the role are somewhat limited.

Training Camp Cuts: 9/24/25

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The 2025-26 NHL preseason is in full swing. As teams evaluate their younger talents and bubble players, they will continue to make roster cuts to reach the 23-man limit for opening night. As always, you can stay up to date with each team’s roster here. Today’s cuts are as follows:

Chicago Blackhawks (per team announcement)

F Nathan Behm (to WHL Kamloops)
F Parker Holmes (to OHL Brantford)
F Jack Pridham (to OHL Kitchener)
F Marek Vanacker (to OHL Brantford)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team announcement)

D Charlie Elick (to WHL Tri-City)

New York Islanders (per team announcement)

D Kashawn Aitcheson (to OHL Barrie)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team announcement)

F Matthew Gard (to WHL Red Deer)
D Andre Mondoux (released from ATO to OHL Kingston)
D Luke Vlooswyk (to WHL Red Deer)

Tampa Bay Lightning (per team announcement)

D Everett Baldwin (to QMJHL Saint John)
F Ethan Czata (to OHL Niagara)
F Aiden Foster (to WHL Prince George)
D Jan Golicic (to QMJHL Gatineau)
G Caleb Heil (to USHL Madison)
D Maddox Labre (released from ATO to QMJHL Victoriaville)
F Marco Mignosa (to OHL Sault Ste. Marie)
F Sam O’Reilly (to OHL London)
F Kaden Pitre (to OHL Flint)
D Grant Spada (to OHL Guelph)

Utah Mammoth (per team announcement)

F Coster Dunn (released from ATO to WHL Seattle)
F Carson Harmer (released from ATO to OHL Saginaw)
D Ludvig Lafton (to USHL Dubuque)
D Tomas Lavoie (to QMJHL Cape Breton)
D Max Psenicka (to WHL Portland)
D Veeti Vaisanen (to WHL Medicine Hat)

Felix Sandstrom Signs With Liiga’s Oulun Karpat

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Free agent goaltender Felix Sandström has signed on with Finnish powerhouse Kärpät, according to a team release. It’s a short-term deal with quite a few exceptions – the contract is only valid until Nov. 2 and includes an NHL out-clause, the team said.

Sandström, now 28, was a third-round pick by the Flyers in 2015 and was once a relatively promising prospect in their system. He ended up playing a career-high 20 games for them in the 2022-23 campaign, splitting backup duties with Samuel Ersson, but struggled with a .880 SV% and a 3.72 GAA. He spent most of the following season with AHL Lehigh Valley after clearing waivers and was unplayable in his brief call-up, recording a .823 SV% and -7.7 GSAA in a five-game window in March.

Along with an uninspiring .884 SV% in the minors that year, the Flyers had no qualms about letting him become an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 offseason. He landed a two-way commitment from the Sabres on the open market to serve as the No. 4 on their depth chart behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, James Reimer, and Devon Levi. He passed through waivers unclaimed at the beginning of the season and never saw a recall. He did see improved AHL numbers in Rochester, though, logging a .899 SV% and 2.86 GAA with a 12-5-2 record in 19 games.

That still didn’t lead to much interest in his services this summer, not even on a PTO for training camp. There may have been AHL-only offers out there but he held out for the hope of a more financially lucrative agreement to return to Europe. So far, not much of anything has panned out and he’ll now take a short-term deal in Finland with the hopes of impressing there and landing a two-way contract with an NHL team in need of goaltending depth.

Sandström last played in Europe in his native Sweden during the 2020-21 season. He had a .921 SV% in five games while on loan to Västerviks IK of Sweden’s second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan. He has never played in Finland before.

Kärpät has been the main producer of Finnish NHL players in recent years and has won seven Liiga titles since 2004, but none since 2018. They also finished below .500 last year and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since last being promoted to Finland’s top flight in 2000. They’re now dealing with an injury to starting netminder Niklas Rubin, who was off to a great start with a .934 SV% in four games. In the interim, Sandström will serve in tandem with Kraken prospect Visa Vedenpää, whom they selected in the sixth round in 2023.

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

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top