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Oilers’ Jake Walman Fined Twice For Game 3 Incidents

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It was almost a guarantee that the NHL’s Department of Player Safety (DoPS) would have work to do after a hectic Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers. Earlier today, the DoPS shared that they had fined Oilers defenseman Jake Walman a total of $10K, the maximum allowable under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Walman earned a pair of fines from last night’s events. Walman received two minor penalties for the first incident, along with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for roughing Matthew Tkachuk. Meanwhile, Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad also received two minor penalties for roughing while defending his teammate.

The second incident took place outside the area of play. As he was exiting the ice, Walman had his glove taken and subsequently thrown into Florida’s bench by Panthers forward A.J. Greer. In response, Walman took one of the Oilers’ water bottles and began spraying it toward the Panthers’ bench, which earned an automatic fine.

Surprisingly, the DoPS only bestowed additional punishment to Walman from last night’s contest, and doesn’t seem likely to issue more. There were 35 penalties called in Game 3, of various forms, with 26 of them coming in the third period. Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse led the way with 19 PIMs, while Florida forward Jonah Gadjovich led the opposition with 15.

Atlantic Notes: Marchand, Peterka, Giroux

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Much has already been made of Brad Marchand’s upcoming trip through unrestricted free agency, with recent reports indicating he could earn as much as $8MM a year given his durability and impressive postseason performance with the Florida Panthers. Piggybacking off that report, TSN’s Chris Johnston shared today on TSN 1050 that Marchand will prioritize earning maximization on his next contract, rather than term.

According to Johnston, Marchand isn’t limiting his desire to salary, adding that a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs could make up with off-ice endorsements for what they lack in available dollars to spend. If that is the case, it would likely broaden Marchand’s market to include other large-market teams, such as the Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks, and New York Rangers, especially since these teams may not have as much financial flexibility as they approach the summer months.

Still, it wouldn’t be difficult for Marchand to find a new employer on the open market. He remains a capable top-six winger heading into his age-38 season, and his nearly point-per-game scoring average in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs should make him a priority for teams with a legitimate chance at the Stanley Cup next season.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • After already being named the top player on his trade board, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff lists Buffalo Sabre JJ Peterka as one of the likeliest candidates for an offer sheet this summer. It’s an interesting proposition to consider, as Seravalli lists Peterka’s potential offer sheet at the higher end of the fifth tier for compensation, which would require the signing team to send Buffalo their 2026 first, second, and third-round pick. Still, Buffalo has the financial flexibility to match nearly any offer sheet signed by Peterka, meaning they’ll have to weigh the hypothetical compensation against Peterka’s current value.
  • The Ottawa Senators and veteran Claude Giroux have reportedly been negotiating a new contract for a few weeks, and Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Citizen shares that those contract talks have reached a pivotal stage. The two sides met last week during the NHL Combine in Buffalo, and they continue to work toward an agreeable deal. Giroux recently completed a three-year, $19.5MM contract with the Senators in which he scored 71 goals and 193 points in 245 games.

Flames Sign Adam Klapka To Two-Year Contract

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According to a team announcement, the Calgary Flames have signed forward Adam Klapka to a two-year contract extension. The pending restricted free agent will earn an AAV of $1.25MM on his new deal.

Klapka will earn nearly double his salary from this past season, playing on a one-year, $775K contract through the 2024-25 season. The undrafted forward will remain a restricted free agent upon the expiry of this contract, though he will have earned his arbitration rights.

Fortunately for Klapka, the fully guaranteed contract likely means he’ll be on the Flames roster for much of the 2025-26 season. The Praha, Czechia native split his time during the 2024-25 campaign, registering 31 games with the Flames, and 33 games with their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers.

Each team knows exactly what Klapka brings to the table. He’s more of a point-producer at the AHL level, scoring 48 goals and 97 points in 158 games with AHL Calgary, and another six goals and 11 points in 16 postseason contests.

Still, he should have more to offer in the NHL now that he’s gotten his rookie season out of the way. Klapka finished 2024-25 with six goals and 10 points, while averaging 9:39 of ice time per game.

His main value comes through his physicality. Despite finishing last year tied for 21st on the team in games played, Klapka finished eighth in hits and should compete for the most on the team next season, should he play a full year.

Blue Jackets Expected To Pursue Mitch Marner

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With more than $40MM to spend and only a few notable holes to fill on the roster, the Columbus Blue Jackets will have difficulty being outspent on players this summer. Keeping that in mind, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic expects General Manager Don Waddell to be very involved in Mitch Marner’s market.

Unfortunately, the Blue Jackets’ ability to spend won’t alienate all of their competition this offseason, as a report from yesterday indicated the Anaheim Ducks are contemplating a record-breaking offer for Marner’s services. Still, Columbus has even more financial flexibility than Anaheim, making their pitch the most worthwhile part.

In his article, Portzline hinted at the fact that the Blue Jackets have pursued Marner before. After the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, when the Blue Jackets eliminated the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning in the opening round, the team’s top two talents, Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, departed via free agency.

Columbus’s General Manager at the time, Jarmo Kekäläinen, immediately contacted the Toronto Maple Leafs when Marner’s entry-level contract expired that same summer. Portzline doesn’t believe the Blue Jackets’ trade interest got to the point of exchanging names, as Marner signed a six-year, $65.41MM contract closer to training camp.

If Columbus ultimately signs Marner, they’ll have two of the most defensively responsible wingers in the league. Marner has finished in the top 10 of Selke Trophy voting in three out of the past five years, while Kirill Marchenko finished with a higher CorsiFor% and on-ice save percentage compared to Marner this season at even strength.

Bringing in Marner would also allow the Blue Jackets to bring in another star talent since the tragic death of Johnny Gaudreau on August 29th of last summer. Columbus embarked on a remarkably competitive season in honor of their late teammate, and adding a player of Marner’s talent would certainly boost the team’s morale level.

Unlike some of the other teams with an abundance of cap space this summer, the Blue Jackets would allow Marner to stay on a competitive roster, while also having a much smaller media presence compared to Toronto.

Ultimately, only time will tell what crest Marner will wear on his jersey next season. He won’t have a shortage of suitors, as several teams outside of Anaheim and Columbus have the available capital to make a run at his services.

Max Pacioretty Interested In Extension With Maple Leafs

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June 10: Despite concerns raised earlier in the spring, it appears there’s progress toward a reunion between Pacioretty and Toronto. He’s “leaning toward a return after the Leafs expressed considerable interest in keeping him following a terrific postseason,” James Mirtle of The Athletic wrote yesterday. Whether that means a guaranteed contract or another PTO agreement while the Leafs figure out some salary cap considerations remains to be seen.

May 20: Veteran winger Max Pacioretty will become an unrestricted free agent again this summer after completing a one-year deal with the Maple Leafs. Whether he intends to sign another deal remains to be seen. He told reporters today, including Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic, that he isn’t sure if he’ll entertain the idea of an 18th NHL season.

The 36-year-old called this season a “very difficult” one for him due to being away from his family. The Connecticut native still managed to put together a second partial season in a row after undergoing three surgeries on his Achilles tendon in 2022 and 2023.

A training-camp catch-on after inking a tryout with the Leafs, Pacioretty was limited to 13 points in 37 regular-season contests because of various injuries unrelated to his Achilles issues. That didn’t stop him from being one of the most effective producers of the postseason, though. He ranked fourth on the Leafs in playoff scoring despite serving as a scratch for a pair of games in the first round, tallying three goals and five assists for eight points in 11 appearances, including the series-clincher in Game 6 over Ottawa. He did so while averaging just 12:51 per game, the lowest of anybody in the playoffs with multiple games played and at least 0.7 points per game.

Pacioretty, a slam-dunk 30-goal scorer in his prime, will likely get at least a few offers if he’s open to continuing his career. It’s unclear if Toronto would be interested in re-upping him, but it appears the feeling isn’t mutual, even if they did.

He’s still clicking at a 35-point pace per 82 games since resuming his career with the Capitals in 2023-24 following the Achilles tears. He doesn’t have the shooting talent he once did, finishing at just 5.5% over the last two campaigns, but he’s carved out a more physical checking role for himself in a team’s middle six while still managing to contribute some offense.

Minor Transactions: 6/10/25

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With the European transaction wire looking much busier than the NHL one at this point in the calendar, it’s worth taking a look at some former NHLers on the move overseas at Pro Hockey Rumors:

  • Former Blue Jackets first-rounder Gabriel Carlsson has signed a three-year contract with Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League. It’s a return to his home country for Carlsson, who departed the NHL for the SHL’s Växjö Lakers in 2023 but spent last season in Switzerland with the National League’s EV Zug. The 6’5″, 205-lb lefty recorded 18 points in 81 NHL games, mostly for Columbus, aside from a six-game run with the Capitals in his most recent NHL campaign. He spent most of that year with AHL Hershey, where he won a Calder Cup championship. Considering that stands as the defender’s most notable career accomplishment, he’s likely set to play the remainder of his career in Europe. The 28-year-old had 11 points, 40 PIMs, and a plus-four rating in 39 games for Zug this year.
  • Power forward Darren Archibald, who got a cup of coffee in the NHL in the late 2010s with the Canucks and Senators, is headed to Hungary to suit up for Fehérvár AV19 in the Austrian ICEHL. Now 35 years old, the Ontario native has spent the last four seasons in Germany with Grizzlys Wolfsburg, where he had a 70-60–130 scoring line with 117 PIMs in 196 DEL games. Archibald scored six goals, eight assists, and 14 points in 55 NHL games with Vancouver and Ottawa in the 2013-14, 2017-18, and 2018-19 seasons before heading to Europe in 2020. He previously logged 16 points in 15 ICEHL games with the Vienna Capitals in 2020-21.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Canadiens’ Lane Hutson Wins 2025 Calder Trophy

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Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson has been voted the 2025 Calder Memorial Trophy winner as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year, the league announced Tuesday.

It’s a fitting honor for Hutson, whose historic first season helped fuel Montreal to its first playoff berth in four years. His 60 assists and 66 points broke Hall-of-Famer Chris Chelios’ franchise records of 55 and 64, respectively, by a Canadiens defenseman in his first NHL season.

That offensive dominance by the 5’9″ rearguard, who fell to Montreal with the 62nd overall pick of the 2022 draft due to some overreactionary concerns about his diminutive frame, made him a clear No. 1 ROTY in voters’ eyes. While he wasn’t a unanimous first-place vote, 165 of 191 (86.4%) of ballots had him in the top slot, relays Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. No one else received first-place votes out of the other finalists for the award, Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf (15) and Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (11).

There was a clear demarcation between the top four and the rest of the pack. Outside of the finalists, only Flyers winger Matvei Michkov (eight second-place votes, 26 third-place votes) landed a top-three spot on voters’ ballots. The full voting breakdown, which involves a 10-7-5-3-1 points allocation as standard, is as follows:

  1. Hutson – 1,832 (165-26-0-0-0)
  2. Wolf – 1,169 (15-96-59-17-1)
  3. Celebrini – 1,104 (11-61-106-12-1)
  4. Michkov – 645 (0-8-26-151-6)
  5. F Cutter Gauthier (Ducks) – 92 (0-0-0-6-74)
  6. F Will Smith (Sharks) – 62 (0-0-0-2-56)
  7. F Logan Stankoven (Hurricanes) – 22 (0-0-0-2-16)
  8. F Zachary Bolduc (Blues) – 20 (0-0-0-1-17)
  9. F Jackson Blake (Hurricanes) – 9 (0-0-0-0-9)
  10. F Marco Kasper (Red Wings) – 7 (0-0-0-0-7)
  11. F Mackie Samoskevich (Panthers) – 2 (0-0-0-0-2)
  12. D Drew Helleson (Ducks) – 1 (0-0-0-0-1)
    D Denton Mateychuk (Blue Jackets) – 1 (0-0-0-0-1)

Hutson hitting the 60-assist plateau also tied him with Larry Murphy for the all-time record for most assists by a rookie rearguard and helped tie him for sixth in the league in scoring among all defenders this year with Lightning star Victor Hedman. He was the most efficient point-producer of the top nine highest-scoring defenders, averaging the lowest time on ice of the group at 22:44 per game.

While he’ll need to be paired with a strong, defensively grounded partner at even strength to achieve his maximum effectiveness at his peak, something Montreal seems to have found by icing Kaiden Guhle on his off side, he’s set up well to serve as the Habs’ No. 1 defenseman for years to come as they exit their rebuild with their new core. He’s also the first Canadien to win the Calder since Hall-of-Fame goalie Ken Dryden in 1972.

Image courtesy of Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images.

Penguins Aiming To Reduce Kris Letang’s Minutes

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The Penguins’ retool is in full swing. While the up-and-coming forward group benefits from having a still-effective Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, and Rickard Rakell to build and develop around, the same can’t be said for the defense corps.

Pittsburgh’s depth issues on the blue line are compounded by the fact that neither of their top two rearguards is expected to return in their current roles next season. In addition to trade talks involving Erik Karlsson likely serving as the dominant storyline of the Penguins’ offseason, the organization is looking to have right-side mainstay Kris Letang slot lower on the depth chart next year as he enters his age-38 campaign, Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports.

As Yohe writes, the Penguins’ front office believes a role reduction is the best way to get value out of the aging defender, who still has three seasons remaining on his contract at a $6.1MM price tag. This season marked Letang’s least effective performance in well over a decade. The lifelong Penguin, known primarily for his elite offensive ceiling, only managed a 9-21–30 scoring line in 74 games. That works out to 0.41 points per game, his worst offensive showing since the 2009-10 season. He only had 14 points in 39 games in the back half of the season, a 0.35 per-game rate.

His point production had already taken somewhat of a hit after the Karlsson pickup, since the latter superseded him on the top power play. That means most of his nosediving point totals had to do with a lack of even-strength output, a more concerning and less variable long-term factor. Letang recorded just 13 even-strength assists in 2024-25 after notching 35 of them, the second-highest mark of his career, the year before.

A reduction in minutes also makes sense for physical reasons. Letang is already fully recovered from the minor heart procedure he underwent in April to address the underlying cause of his two documented strokes, but it’s unrealistic to continue expecting him to shoulder such a high workload.

As Letang’s ice time decreased slightly for the third year in a row, there could be a more dramatic dropoff from the 23-minute range to the 20s next season as a result. He’s already entered the negative value stage that most knew was coming when he signed his six-year, $36.6MM extension in 2022. What wasn’t clear at the time was how the rest of the Penguins’ roster would look when that happened and how they would opt to move forward.

Nearly every scenario still involves Letang finishing his contract in Pittsburgh, Yohe writes. A buyout would be feasible if Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas decided he really needed the roster spot and additional cap space, but that’s rarely an avenue he takes. The negative reputational impact of paying the best defenseman in franchise history to not play for them likely outweighs any positives.

A trade is also out of the question. Letang’s no-movement clause notwithstanding, “it’s believed that no NHL teams are interested in Letang’s services” even if he decides to green-light a deal, according to Yohe.

Assuming Karlsson is moved, their plan for Letang only increases their desperate need for bodies on defense. That could increase their urgency to re-sign pending unrestricted free agent Matt Grzelcyk or put their names in the ring for one of the better free-agent blue-liners on a shorter-term deal while giving prospects like 2022 first-rounder Owen Pickering and 2024 second-rounder Harrison Brunicke a long leash to begin what could be an extremely difficult 2025-26 campaign defensively in Pittsburgh.

Bruins Will Retain Current Assistants, Hire Additional One

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The Bruins won’t see any additional coaching departures this offseason after appointing Marco Sturm as their new head coach last week, general manager Don Sweeney tells Jim McBride of the Boston Globe. Assistants Chris Kelly and Jay Leach, as well as goalie coach Bob Essensa, will comprise the majority of Sturm’s first support staff in Boston.

They will, however, look to hire a third assistant to replace Joe Sacco, Sweeney said. Sacco was promoted to interim head coach early this season following Jim Montgomery’s firing. However, after being informed he wouldn’t stay on, he departed the organization to join Mike Sullivan’s staff with the Rangers.

Still, confirming the retention of their assistants is a notable news item, particularly as it pertains to Leach. He was a candidate to gain promotion to the head coach job, and it isn’t unusual to see assistants depart an organization after not being promoted to head coach after going through the interview process.

The Bruins’ pending hire will presumably be tasked with managing their penalty kill. That’s the role Sacco held for his 11 seasons on Boston’s bench. He did quite a job with it. Only the Hurricanes (84.2%) have been a better club shorthanded than the Bruins (82.8%) over that span. Last season, though, Boston had just a 76.3% success rate on the PK, 24th in the NHL.

That leaves some big shoes to fill for whoever Sweeney and Sturm decide should complement their existing staff. The opening could be a fit for former Ducks head coach Greg Cronin, who took a more involved approach in the club’s special teams than a head coach usually does. He expressed interest in Boston’s vacancy soon after being let go by Anaheim. While he wasn’t identified as a candidate for the top job, there could be a fit for him as a specialist on staff.

Penalty-kill-oriented assistants looking for new homes this summer include Dave Lowry and Brent Thompson, previously of the Kraken and Ducks. Their list is almost certainly more expansive than that, of course.

Free Agent Focus: New Jersey Devils

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Free agency is now under a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Devils.

Key Restricted Free Agents

D Luke Hughes – Hughes is one of the top pending restricted free agents in the NHL, and the expectation is that the organization will do everything it can to lock up the defender before he reaches free agency. However, with just a projected $12MM in cap space, Hughes is expected to command a significant portion of that figure. In 71 games on the year, the 21-year-old essentially mirrored his rookie season production with seven goals and 44 points. New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald recently discussed the team’s urgency to resign Hughes, stating, “We’re just trying to figure out what’s best for Luke and for us and how do we make our team better with the funds that we have available… Both parties are in agreement… We’re going to get this done.” Now, the key questions are when the deal will be finalized and what the annual price tag will look like.

F Cody Glass – After bouncing around the league the last several years, Glass is hoping to have found a home in New Jersey. After being acquired from division rival Penguins in a trade deadline move, Glass contributed seven points in 14 regular-season games for the Devils. However, he provided zero points in five playoff games. At just 25 years old, Glass brings a pedigree the Devils may be eager to develop further, especially given the affordable price tag he’s expected to carry. In 253 games, Glass has posted 35 goals and 93 points.

Other RFAs: F Nolan Foote, D Santeri Hatakka, G Isaac Poulter

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Brian Dumoulin – A veteran of over 700 NHL games, Dumoulin brought a steady, reliable presence to the Devils’ blue line following his arrival at the trade deadline. The two-time Stanley Cup champion may be past his prime, but Dumoulin can still provide a team with veteran leadership in a second- or third-pairing role. That said, ’Dumo’ has plenty of mileage on his body — he surpassed the 1,000 blocked shots mark this past season — which could make a team with limited cap space hesitant to offer a multi-year deal to an aging blueliner.

G Jake Allen – While the optics of a 13-16-1 record don’t look great for Allen, they don’t tell the whole story of his season. Serving as the backup to starter Jacob Markstrom, Allen posted a respectable .906 save percentage, slightly better than Markstrom’s .900 mark. Allen recorded four shutouts on the season and posted a 2.66 goals-against average, reinforcing his value as one of the league’s more dependable backup goaltenders. However, with Allen turning 35 next season and Nico Daws waiting in the wings, his services may no longer be needed in New Jersey. While Allen recently noted his preference would be to stay in New Jersey, he will command quite a bit of interest on the open market.

F Curtis Lazar – With five forwards set to earn $6 million or more next season, the Devils will need to find low-cost options to fill out their bottom six. That’s where a reunion with someone like Lazar may make sense for the team. Lazar had a tough season in 2024-25, posting just five points in 48 games. However, he’s just one year removed from a career-best 25 points and a plus-10 rating in his first season with New Jersey. His expiring contract carried a modest $1 million cap hit, and that number is likely to stay in the same range. If the Devils are looking for a low-cost, veteran presence, bringing Lazar or Nathan Bastian back into the fold could work well.

Other UFAs: F Justin Dowling, F Daniel Sprong, F Nathan Bastian, F Maxwell Willman, F Samuel Laberge, F Marc McLaughlin (UFA-Group6), D Dennis Cholowski, D Tory Dello

Projected Cap Space

The Devils don’t have much wiggle room this offseason. According to PuckPedia, the team has just over $12 million available for free agency, and if a deal with Hughes gets done, that amount will be significantly reduced. Unless Fitzgerald and the front office trade away one of their current high-paid players, they’ll have to get creative to fill out the depth on the squad. They may also lean toward giving more opportunities to promising young players, like the aforementioned Daws, who won’t take up much cap space.

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