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Auston Matthews Addresses Marner Trade, Maple Leafs Trajectory

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Speaking publicly for the first time since long-time teammate Mitch Marner was traded, Toronto Maple Leafs all-star forward Auston Matthews shared his thoughts on the departure of his now former teammate. Matthews said the team will “obviously miss” Marner’s presence and referred to him as a great friend and teammate, per a video by TSN.

“That’s kind of the business side of it that is tough. Obviously, I wish him nothing but the best. But we’ll just keep it moving,” Matthews said.

Marner was acquired by the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade deal, resulting in an eight-year, $96MM deal. And while Marner’s time in Toronto ended on a sour note, there’s no denying that his departure leaves a significant void in the Leafs’ lineup from an offensive production standpoint. Just last season, Marner produced a career-high 102 points. While Matthews alluded to an abundance of changes being made to the lineup, he noted his excitement for the team’s chances heading into the 2025-26 season.

“Obviously, a lot of changes, but I’m excited about the guys we’ve brought in. I know we have a great team and a great group of guys in the locker room. So, I’m looking forward to getting started. Guys are going to have to take some steps, but it’s a good problem to have,” he said.

The Leafs added a series of depth players this offseason. They added forward Nicholas Roy in the Marner deal. In separate trades, they acquired forwards Dakota Joshua and Matias Maccelli for draft picks, as well as defenseman Henry Thrun from the Sharks in exchange for forward Ryan Reaves. In free agency, the team signed forwards Travis Boyd, Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Vinni Lettieri, and Michael Pezzetta, as well as defenseman Dakota Mermis. The team also signed forward Matthew Knies to a six-year, $46.5MM extension. Matthews said his mindset is the same heading into this season as in seasons past, noting that despite new faces on the roster, the goal of the franchise will remain the same.

Matthews also gave a brief but reassuring update on his health heading into training camp, responding simply, ’Good,’ when asked how he was feeling. He missed 15 games last season and revealed in May that he had been dealing with a “mystery” ailment that affected him throughout both the regular season and playoffs. His quick response now appears to put to rest any lingering concerns about the issue carrying over into the new season.

Mika Zibanejad Embraces Move To Wing

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For a team in transition — including a new head coach in Mike Sullivan and the trade of longtime fan-favorite Chris Kreider — the New York Rangers are also looking to determine what position former 90-point forward Mika Zibanejad will play this upcoming season.

NHL.com’s Dan Rosen reports that Zibanejad will likely start training camp as a right wing alongside center J.T. Miller. As Rosen outlines, Zibanejad and Sullivan met in the player’s native Sweden, where Zibanejad expressed both his developing chemistry with Miller and his desire to continue playing alongside him.

“As part of that conversation, one of the things he expressed to me is even though he lined up on the wing on the face-offs, he felt they were interchangeable in the sense that they could read off each other,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan added that both players are comfortable handling faceoffs regardless of their position on the ice and playing down low in the defensive zone. To that point, Zibanejad won faceoffs last season at a 52 percent clip, one of the highest marks of his career. However, that percentage pales in comparison to Miller’s 54.3 percent career win rate, which included a 57.6 percent mark last year. Both players have also established themselves as effective penalty killers with the ability to score shorthanded goals.

And while Sullivan acknowledged a desire for Zibanejad and Miller to continue building on their pre-existing chemistry, he also noted that each centering their own line, along with Vincent Trocheck, could create a solid foundation for the top three lines.

“Those are three pretty high-quality centermen,” Sullivan said. “I think it’s going to play itself out, but certainly the conversations I’ve had with Mika to this point I would envision us exploring keeping Mika with J.T.”

Zibanejad played in all 82 games last season, recording his fifth consecutive 20-goal campaign. However, his 62 points were his lowest total since the injury-shortened 2020-21 season. The 32-year-old also produced a -22 rating (the second lowest of his career), and his average ice time of 18:46 per game was his lowest since the 2017-18 season.

Zibanejad has spent nine seasons in the Big Apple and currently ranks eighth all-time in franchise history in goals (250) and points (589). He’s also tied for sixth in franchise history with 11 shorthanded goals and tied for second with seven hat tricks.

However, the forward isn’t just a franchise fixture. He continues to produce and is only two seasons removed from a 39-goal, 91-point campaign. A return to that form, whether at center or on the wing, would go a long way toward the franchise’s goal of returning to contention.

Mammoth’s Connor Ingram Cleared By NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program

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August 20th: Goaltender Connor Ingram has been cleared by the NHLPA to return to the NHL per Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune. He will return to the Utah roster looking to earn the advantage back from Karel Vejmelka, who posted a 9-6-3 record and .889 save percentage in 18 games after Ingram stepped away. Both goaltenders have years of NHL experience behind them, and strong cases for manning Utah’s starting role next season.

March 9th: Utah goaltender Connor Ingram entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program today and will be out indefinitely, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports. In a corresponding move, the club recalled netminder Jaxson Stauber from AHL Tucson earlier Sunday.

Ingram, now 27, missed most of the 2020-21 season after entering the program while a member of the Predators organization. He later told NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin that he sought help after dealing with undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder throughout his career. After moving to the Coyotes in the 2022 offseason, he emerged as their starter for the 2023-24 campaign and won the Masterton Trophy for the “player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey” after a 23-win, six-shutout campaign.

Now the No. 2 option to Karel Vejmelka in Utah, Ingram missed over a month with the team initially termed an upper-body injury earlier in the season. Upon his return, he informed reporters his mother had passed away and, understandably, took extended time off (via Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune).

In 22 starts for the Club this season, Ingram has a 9-8-4 record, .882 SV%, and a 3.27 GAA. The 25-year-old Stauber has done quite well when called upon to elevate from his minor-league starting role, posting a .925 SV% and 2.23 GAA in four appearances earlier this season.

All of us at Pro Hockey Rumors wish Ingram the best as he takes time away from the lineup. He’ll be eligible to return to play upon the determination of program administrators.

Afternoon Notes: Savage, Milano, ECHL

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Center prospect Red Savage is set to sign a two-year deal with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, per hockey insider Ken Campbell. The Detroit Red Wings relinquished Savage’s player rights on August 15th, after choosing not to sign the 2021 fourth-round pick to his entry-level contract.

Savage’s decision to turn pro comes on the heels of a long-term shoulder injury, sustained from an awkward fall into the boards in a January matchup against the Michigan Wolverines. The injury ended what was Savage’s first season as captain of the Michigan State Spartans, and limited him to just 11 points in 20 games on the season. He concludes his collegiate career with a combined 68 points in 125 games – split 30 points coming with Miami University of Ohio and 38 with the Spartans. Savage was lauded as a responsible, two-way center for both clubs and should find some immediate impact with the Americans, assuming he returns well from injury.

A move to Rochester will mark a reunion with head coach Michael Leone, who served as an assistant coach over Savage’s two years at the U.S. NTDP. Leone led Rochester to a 42-22-8 record and Division Final loss in his first year of pro coaching last season.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Washington Capitals forward Sonny Milano is back on the ice after an upper-body injury ended his season in November. He has been taking part in informal practices with his teammates recently, shares Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Silber adds that Milano hopes to make a push back onto the Capitals roster at training camp. Milano was in the midst of earning a daily lineup role when he suffered his injury. He scored an encouraging 40 goals and 90 points in 179 games in three seasons between 2021 and 2024 – though each year was limited by injury. Questions remained about Milano’s durability and defensive acumen. He didn’t have a chance to dissuade those concerns last year, but seems to be getting an early jump at proving he can stick in the NHL this season.
  • The ECHL has announced the approval of an expansion team in Augusta, Georgia set to begin play in the 2027-28 season. This marks a return to The Garden City for the ECHL. Augusta previously served as home to the Augusta Lynx, who folded after 10 seasons in 2008. The new team will be owned by former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, in partnership with David Hodges and Hodges Management Group, LLC. No team name or logo has been announced. The ECHL is also set to expand to New Mexico in the 2026-27 season. The league will grow to 32 clubs once both teams break ground, putting them on level-playing field with the AHL and NHL. That should allow for full partnership between three leagues. The Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets were the only clubs without an ECHL affiliate in the 2024-25 season.

Gulutzan Focused On Making Stars More Physical

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The Dallas Stars are in the midst of a frustrating streak. They’ve lost in the Western Conference Finals in each of the last three seasons, including back-to-back losses at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers. In an effort to curb their bad luck, Dallas went directly to the source to fill their head coaching vacancy earlier this summer. They hired Oilers assistant Glen Gulutzan, who brings the sharp assessment of Dallas’ roster that only a Conference rival could have. In an interview with Sean Shapiro of the Dallas Magazine, Gulutzan shared that his key focus for the 2025-26 Stars will be playing more physical.

Gulutzan’s critique of Dallas’ style certainly lands at a good time. The Stars delivered the fewest hits in the league, at even-strength, last season (1,160 total hits). They were also on the receiving end of more hits than any other club (1,963 total hits received). It was the second-straight season that Dallas ranked dead-last in the NHL in terms of hits-given versus hits-received – but Gulutzan’s urge to address that weakness won’t take too much improvement. The Oilers have also been among the league’s most out-hit clubs, ranking second-to-last in the 2024-25 season and fifth-to-last in 2023-24.

Even with that standing, Gulutzan acknowledged how much a dash of physicality transformed the Oilers. He pointed directly to the growth of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl over the last two seasons. McDavid recorded a career-high 118 hits in the 2023-24 season, while Draisaitl reached 58 hits, the second-highest mark of his career. Both players took a major step back in hits this season – McDavid recording just 40, and Draisaitl recording 23 – but star talent leaning into the physical game clearly inspired the Oilers lineup. Gulutzan told Shapiro:

You had to ask the elite players to use their skills and smarts to check, not to deliver big body checks, but to check and add a little physicality each shift… And the reality is that’s the evolution of that group. It happened because [McDavid and Draisitl] wanted it to happen, and reinforced it for everyone. I look at our team [in Dallas]. I’m putting the energy in the same spot

To their credit, Dallas does have their fair share of bruisers at the top of the lineup. Rookie Lian Bichsel managed an incredible 155 hits in just 38 games last season, confidently leading all NHL defensemen in hits-per-60 minutes played. The Stars also continue to receive heavy physicality from captain Jamie Benn, who has recorded at least 100 hits in three of the last four seasons – and 97 hits in his sole off-year. But Gulutzan will ask for more out of the rest of the team’s stars – a group likely to include Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston who managed 60, 53, 48, and 45 hits last season respectively.

A new brand of physicality could be the piece that pushes Dallas past their Western Conference foes. The Florida Panthers just won back-to-back Stanley Cups on the heels of high-pressure forechecking opening ground for their star scorers. That will be the mantra Dallas looks to adopt under new head coach Gulutzan, as they look to pave their way past the Western Conference for the first time since 2020 next season.

Hurricanes Hire Jesper Fast As Development Coach

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After confirming his retirement in June, former Hurricanes winger Jesper Fast is returning to the organization as a development coach, the team announced.

Fast’s career was truncated by a neck injury he sustained in Carolina’s final game of the 2023-24 regular season. He required surgery that sidelined him for the playoffs and kept him on injured reserve for the entirety of 2024-25 before his retirement announcement came a couple of months ago.

As such, 2025-26 will mark Fast’s sixth season affiliated with the organization in some capacity. The 33-year-old initially joined the Canes on a three-year, $6MM contract in free agency in 2020. He then signed a two-year, $4.8MM extension in 2023 that covered the end of his playing career.

The 6’1″ winger was one of the league’s best skaters when active, and he’ll look to bring that mentality to Carolina’s prospect pool in his new role. A sixth-round pick by the Rangers in 2010, he totaled 91 goals and 248 points in 703 career games while routinely serving as an adept penalty killer thanks to his great pace and above-average hockey sense.

Fast joins Daniel Bochner and Kevin McCarthy to round out the Canes’ group of development coaches. The trio serves under former NHL defenseman Peter Harrold, their director of player development.

Transaction Notes: Thompson, Korczak, Fusco

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Former Devils forward Tyce Thompson has signed a one-year deal in Kazakhstan with Barys Astana of the KHL, according to a team announcement.

Thompson, 26, is the younger brother of Sabres star Tage Thompson. He was a fourth-round pick by New Jersey in 2019 out of Providence College and appeared in 11 games for the club from 2020 to 2023, recording an assist and a -4 rating.

The speedy 6’1″, 194-lb winger spent most of his time in the Devils organization on assignment to AHL Binghamton/Utica, where he had 50 points in 98 games before he was traded to the Islanders for AHL depth winger Arnaud Durandeau early in the 2023-24 season. Thompson remained in the Islanders organization through the end of last season but saw his offensive effectiveness tumble with their affiliate in Bridgeport. He had just 35 points in 116 games for the Baby Isles after recording over half a point per game in the Devils’ system, taking on more of an agitator/checking role with a team-leading 102 PIMs last year.

As a result of his age and professional experience with a lack of NHL games under his belt, Thompson became a Group VI unrestricted free agent this offseason and was not re-signed by the Islanders. He now lands in the KHL with Barys, where he’ll make more than the $200K guarantee he had on his two-way deal with the Islanders last year.

Here are more minor moves from around hockey:

  • Ex-Rangers prospect Ryder Korczak is headed to Slovakia’s top league on a one-year deal with Vlci Zilina, the club announced on Facebook. Korczak, 23 in September, was a third-round pick by the Blueshirts in 2021. He turned pro out of WHL Moose Jaw at the end of the 2022-23 campaign and had 31 points in 107 games in parts of three seasons for AHL Hartford. He was traded to the Lightning in January for winger Lucas Edmonds. He finished the season with four points in 11 combined regular-season and playoff games for AHL Syracuse before being non-tendered by Tampa in June. With presumably no NHL or AHL offers on the table, the 5’10” center joins a club that gained promotion from Slovakia’s second division just one year ago.
  • Defenseman John Fusco, who came off the Maple Leafs’ reserve list last week, has signed an AHL deal with the Capitals’ affiliate in Hershey, the team announced yesterday. Fusco, 24, was a seventh-round pick by Toronto in 2020 but went unsigned coming off his senior season at Dartmouth last year. The undersized righty had 51 points in 112 career collegiate games with Harvard and the Big Green.

Avalanche Sign Victor Olofsson

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Aug. 20: Olofsson’s deal will pay him $1.575MM this season, PuckPedia reports. The team quickly confirmed his signing.

Aug. 19: According to a report from PuckPedia, the Colorado Avalanche are zeroing in on a one-year deal with unrestricted free agent forward Victor Olofsson. Olofsson represented one of the few remaining quality scoring options on the free agent market.

It’ll be a second straight one-year contract for Olofsson. He joined the Vegas Golden Knights last summer on his first trip through unrestricted free agency, reuniting with his former linemate with the Buffalo Sabres, Jack Eichel. He didn’t spend much of his time on the top line with Eichel, but he had a much better season than he did a year prior, scoring 15 goals and 29 points in 56 games, averaging 14:30 of ice time per night.

Still, it would’ve been difficult for Olofsson to have a worse season than his final year with the Sabres. In his last year with the club during the 2023-24 campaign, Olofsson mustered seven goals and 15 points in 51 games. It was objectively the worst season of his professional career, including his time in the Swedish Hockey League from 2013 to 2018.

It obfuscated the successful run he had with the Sabres earlier in his career. From 2019 to 2023, Olofsson was one of the better secondary scorers in the league, managing 81 goals and 163 points in 257 games with the Sabres. Furthermore, given that 56 of those points came on Buffalo’s power play, Olofsson was a notable offensive weapon with a man advantage.

The Avalanche have been stockpiling depth assets for the better part of two years now, and it’s easy to understand why. Colorado has dealt with considerable injury issues throughout the last few seasons, necessitating their need for more NHL-ready options. Last season, the Avalanche used 49 different players throughout the regular season, though they still finished the season as one of the better teams.

This means that Olofsson could have more access to playing time than he might otherwise expect. He’s certainly a better option for the Avalanche to use regularly than their recent acquisition, Daniil Gushchin, and is objectively a better option than Ivan Ivan.

Predators Sign First-Round Pick Brady Martin

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The Predators announced Wednesday that they’ve signed first-round pick Brady Martin. The fifth-overall pick receives his preset three-year entry-level deal, although salary and bonus terms weren’t disclosed.

A center out of the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds, Martin was the fourth forward off the board in June after defenseman Matthew Schaefer went first overall to the Islanders. The Predators were picking in the top five for the first time in over a decade, making Martin their highest-drafted player since Seth Jones went fourth in 2013. The organization hadn’t selected a forward in the top five since selecting David Legwand, their first draft pick in franchise history, second overall in 1998.

Martin is coming off his second season of high-level junior hockey and one of the draft’s biggest risers throughout 2024-25. After recording a 10-18–28 scoring line for the Greyhounds in his pre-draft season, he entered the year as a top-32 honorable mention in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s rankings but had risen to No. 26 on Wheeler’s board by the time November came around. He climbed up to No. 20 in February and No. 17 in March before a tear to end the season had him 10th on Wheeler’s board entering the draft.

His stock undoubtedly saw a boost on the back of Panthers center Sam Bennett’s playoff success – a solid long-term comparable for Martin’s heavy-hitting, two-way, physical game. While the 6’0″ pivot may not have the offensive ceiling of some forwards taken after him, he did hold his own with 33 goals and 72 points in 57 games for the Greyhounds last year to finish second on the team in scoring. He finished off the year with 11 points and a tournament-high +15 rating in seven games for Canada at the under-18 World Juniors, winning a gold medal and getting named to the tournament All-Star Team.

“He’s not just a worker type with secondary skill; there’s some play-driving and individual playmaking to his game as well,” Wheeler wrote in his final report. “He’s going to have a long career as a productive up-and-down-the-lineup center in the NHL and should be an excellent and unique middle-six C at minimum.”

Martin will likely be returning to Soo for 2025-26, but should be given an opportunity to earn at least a nine-game trial in training camp to avoid burning the first season of his contract. After that, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Martin seriously throw his hat in the ring for a second or third-line center role in Nashville for the 2026-27 season. Six of the top 13 picks from the 2024 draft – Macklin Celebrini, Artyom Levshunov, Ivan Demidov, Zayne Parekh, Zeev Buium, and Jett Luchanko – made their debuts last year.

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