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Canadiens Acquire, Extend Noah Dobson From Islanders

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The Montreal Canadiens are set to acquire high-scoring defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders, per NHL.com’s Kevin Weekes. The deal was later confirmed by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, who shares that the Islanders signed Dobson to a maximum-term, eight-year contract before moving him to Montreal. That extension will carry a total value of $76MM, or an annual average value of $9.5MM.

In return, the Islanders will receive both of Montreal’s draft picks in the 2025 first-round – picks 16 and 17 – as well as forward prospect Emil Heineman, per Friedman.

After multiple days of rumors, Montreal has landed the big fish in high-end scorer Dobson. The move will give Montreal more oomph to an already high-octane offensive group manning their blue-line. Dobson managed a career-year at the age of just 24 during the 2023-24 campaign, when he managed 10 goals and 70 points in 79 games. He became the first Islanders defenseman since Stanley Cup-winner Denis Potvin to reach the 60-assist mark.

That breakout performance was a gradual ramp-up after Dobson managed 13 goals and 51 points in 2021-22, and 13 goals and 49 points in 2022-23. He’s climbed the ranks of offensive output and reached double-digit goals in every full season of his NHL career. That includes reaching 10 goals again this year, though his point total took a surprising tumble to 39 points in 71 games played.

That sudden spike in scoring, and a fall to a minus-16 after posting a plus-12 last year, brought out many skeptics to Dobson’s overall upside. But it’s worth noting that New York scored the fifth-fewest goals in the NHL this season (222), 23 fewer than they managed in Dobson’s breakout campaign in 2024. A bulk of that decrease can be attributed to Islanders’ star forward Mathew Barzal missing all but 30 games of this season, after leading the Islanders in scoring in 2023-24.

Dobson’s scoring totals are near-second-to-none in the league. He ranks fifth among U25 defensemen in total goals scored over the last five seasons (49), behind Cale Makar (104), Rasmus Dahlin (70), Evan Bouchard (54), and Quinn Hughes (51). Dobson also ranks sixth in total points (223) behind Makar (378), Hughes (353), Dahlin (275), Adam Fox (266), and Bouchard (237).

But Dobson’s defensive prowess remains scrutinized. Among the same sample – U25 defenders over the last five years – only seven players have been on the ice for more goals-against than Dobson’s 346. He’s also been on the ice for the eighth-most expected goals-against (xGA; 385.53), per Evolving Hockey. Of the bunch, he boasts the fourth-best goal-differential (+82).

There’s a lot to like, and a lot to be nervous about in how Dobson has blazed his path through his first four full seasons in the NHL. But that argument aside, there seems no denying that he’s among the sheer best, young offensive-defensemen in the NHL. His growth into a star, top-pair role in New York far exceeded the 12th-overall draft spot he earned in the 2018 NHL Draft – and likely exceeds the paths any options at Montreal’s previous 16th and 17th overall slots this year would have yielded. He’s a premier scorer, and will join another emerging superstar on Montreal’s defense in Lane Hutson. Hutson reached the 60-assist mark as a 20-year-old rookie this season, and earned the Calder Trophy because of it.

Both Hutson and Dobson dominate possession on their line – and excel at gaining momentum through their drives in the neutral zone. They’ll be elusive and effective play-drivers, but man need to play off of each other’s pairings to give Montreal the best results. That will be where other young Montreal defenders have a chance to step up – with Kaiden Guhle and David Reinbacher likely the future glue pieces holding the offensive-stars down. How Montreal pursues that deployment, or even if they’ll maintain their current structure at all, will be headlines worth following through the rest of the summer.

Meanwhile Heineman will fall as the unheralded addition to a draft-day blockbuster. The 23-year-old winger played through his rookie NHL season in Montreal’s bottom-six this year. He managed 10 goals and 18 points through 62 games, though looked in need of a spark through multiple points in the year. This move marks the third time that Heineman has been moved by his NHL club – after previously being traded from the Florida Panthers to the Calgary Flames in a 2021 deal that landed Florida Sam Bennett; then from the Flames to the Canadiens in a 2022 trade that sent Tyler Toffoli to Calgary.

Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images.

Red Wings Sign William Lagesson To Two-Year Extension

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The Detroit Red Wings have signed defenseman William Lagesson to a two-year extension, per a team release. Lagesson spent the bulk of his season serving as the Red Wings’ seventh defenseman watching from the press box. He appeared in just 30 games on the full year: seven in the NHL and 23 in the AHL. He scored one assist in the NHL and nine points in the minor leagues.

Lagesson, 29, has fallen into the rut of a journeyman, depth defenseman over the last four seasons. He was originally a fourth-round draft pick to the Edmonton Oilers in 2014, and made his NHL debut with the club in the 2019-20 campaign. He filled a minimal NHL role through the 2021-22 campaign, ultimately totaling six assists, 22 penalty minutes, and a minus-three through his first 57 NHL games. After splitting much of the 2021-22 campaign split between major and minor leagues, the Oilers opted to send Lagesson and two draft picks – including the pick used to select Lane Hutson – to the Montreal Canadiens in a deal for defenseman Brett Kulak at the 2022 Trade Deadline.

Lagesson entered unrestricted free agency in the following summer, opening the door for him to sign a one-year, league-minimum contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. He spent his full time in the Hurricanes organization with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, where he managed a career-high 32 points and 46 penalty minutes in 65 games. He re-entered free agency in the following summer and landed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who returned him to a depth NHL role for the start of the 2023-24 season. He was placed on waivers in March of that season, and claimed by the Anaheim Ducks, who continued his NHL deployment. That pattern repeated itself this last season – with a league-minimum contract signed last summer, and a minimal role in Detroit this season.

A two year contract will be Lagesson’s longest since his three-year, entry-level contract signed in 2017. He may not have made too much of an impact through the 2024-25 season, and may still be looking for his first NHL goal after netting 12 points in 107 career games – but Detroit is clearly confident in his ability to continue serving as a depth defender worth keeping around.

NHL, NHLPA Announce MOU For Four-Year CBA Extension

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6/27: In a pre-draft press conference, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman shared that the league has agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding with the NHLPA that, when ratified, would cement a new, four-year CBA, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. The new CBA would begin in the 2026-27 season.

6/26: As expected, all signs indicate the NHL will avoid another lockout. According to multiple reports, the NHL and NHLPA are closing in on a four-year extension for the Collective Bargaining Agreement. In a comprehensive breakdown, which our readers are encouraged to visit, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported some of the more important items mentioned in the upcoming CBA.

Since the new CBA that was ratified in 1995, each NHL team has played an 82-game season, with 41 games at home and 41 away. That will no longer be the case. Due to player concerns about the extended pre-season schedule, the NHL will implement an 84-game schedule starting with the 2026-27 season, likely featuring 42 home games and 42 away games. The pre-season will be shortened to four games, and Seravalli notes that any player who’s accumulated 100 or more games at the NHL level will only be allowed to participate in two of those contests.

Additionally, this will be the last year that a team can re-sign or extend a player on an eight-year deal. Seravalli reports that players re-signing with their current team will be limited to a maximum of seven years, while contracts signed during unrestricted free agency or through offer sheets will be capped at six years. This could have bigger implications this summer, with more teams potentially scrambling to sign their current players while retaining the ability to add another year.

Meanwhile, to address arguably the most important and, objectively, the most-publicized issue, the NHL will create a ’comprehensive playoff salary cap mechanism’ to close the LTIR loophole. In recent years, some playoff-bound teams have placed injured players on LTIR during the regular season, providing them with additional salary cap space to acquire higher-priced talent at the trade deadline. Most of these cases have been investigated and subsequently cleared by the league. However, the NHL is continuing its investigation into the Edmonton Oilers’ use of LTIR with Evander Kane leading up to the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Lastly, of the large-scale updates, the league confirmed the projected salary cap upper limits for the upcoming three seasons. The cap will rise to $95.5MM in 2025-26, increase by approximately 9% to $104MM in 2026-27, and by another 9% to $113MM in 2027-28.

Seravalli added several other additions to the upcoming CBA. Drafted players’ signing rights will be uniform across the board until they’re 22 years old, the elimination of deferred salary, and the establishment of a permanent emergency backup goaltender who will travel with the teams.

Maple Leafs Sign John Tavares To Four-Year Extension

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the final stages of signing John Tavares to an extension. The move was first reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger. It was later confirmed by the player on the Instagram page for the John Tavares Foundation — and then by the team themselves. Dreger adds that the deal with be a four-year, $17.52MM extension with an annual average value of $4.38MM.

Tavares’ extension will include $2MM in deferred salary – a practice soon to be outlawed in the NHL’s next collective bargaining agreement, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic. Johnston also shares that Tavares’ deal will carry a no-movement clause through the first two seasons, and a five-team no-trade list in the final two.

Toronto gets an important piece of business accomplished, for a price well under what many Leafs fans expected. The deal is a near-$4MM discount against Tavares’ player value, calculated by The Athletic’s statistician Dom Luszczyscyn. Tavares was coming off of a monstrous, seven-year, $77MM contract signed with Toronto on July 1st, 2018. The deal ate up 13.84 percent of Toronto’s cap-hit at the time, and often served to limit the team’s roster flexibility, alongside lofty deals for Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander.

Now age 34, Tavares will drop his cap hit by nearly two-thirds, and likely ride out the remainder of his career in a Maple Leafs jersey. He’s a Mississauga native, with deep roots in and around the Leafs organization. That includes serving as the team’s captain from 2019 to 2024. He was replaced this season by Matthews.

Tavares’ last contract was often scrutinized, but his performance on the deal should be remembered fondly. He filled a hardy role as the team’s second-line center for the duration of the contract, and totaled 222 goals and 493 points in 515 games. That mark ranks third on the Maple Leafs since the start of the 2018-19 season, behind Marner (611 points in 498 games) and Matthews (595 points in 485 games). Tavares also scored 31 points in 51 playoff games in that stretch – fifth on the Leafs behind Matthews, Nylander, Marner, and Morgan Rielly.

Tavares has been a staple of every lineup he’s played for. Prior to joining his hometown Maple Leafs, he was the quintessential top-line center for the New York Islanders spanning nine seasons. The Islanders originally drafted Tavares first-overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, following the end of his exceptional status career in the OHL. He joined the team immediately following his draft, and scored an impressing 54 points in 81 games as a rookie.

His hot-start in the NHL continued to grow-and-grow over his time with the Islanders. Tavares recorded 31 goals and 81 points in the 2011-12 season, and topped that again with 38 goals and 86 points in 2014-15. By that time, he had already served two full years as the Islanders’ captain, and earned the second all-star berth of his career. Tavares would remain New York’s captain, and a perennial all-star, until he left the squad after the 2017-18 campaign.

Tavares’ departure from Long Island, NY was one of the most scrutinized moves in recent NHL history. It was seen by many as a captain abandoning his post, with a preference for the glitz and glamour of a big market. The Islanders have appeared in four of a possible six postseasons since Tavares’ departure, while Toronto has made the playoffs in every year since their big addition.

In a summer where Toronto seems headed for a sure breakup with superstar winger Marner, they’ll opt to not shake the boat too much by also losing Tavares. Instead, Tavares will remain locked-in as Toronto’s second-line center through the foreseeable future. He scored a stout 38 goals and 74 points in 75 games this season – his highest scoring pace since netting 36 goals and 80 points in 80 games of the 2022-23 campaign. Those are electric scoring totals for a player well over the hill of his NHL career. At a cheap price for the next four seasons, even two-thirds of those scoring totals would make Tavares a contract worth hanging onto.

Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports.

Sharks To Buy Out Marc-Édouard Vlasic

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June 27: Vlasic has cleared waivers and can now be bought out, according to Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN.

June 26: The current active longest-tenured member of the San Jose Sharks will see his run with the team conclude. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Sharks have placed defenseman Marc-Édouard Vlasic on unconditional waivers for contract termination. The Sharks organization has confirmed the news from Friedman.

Vlasic’s buyout from the Sharks marks an unceremonious end to an incredible tenure in San Jose. As it currently stands, Vlasic is the franchise’s second all-time in games played, eighth all-time in points, and first all-time in defensive point shares.

In his decision regarding the buyout, General Manager Mike Grier stated, “This was a difficult decision to make today, with how much Marc has meant to the San Jose organization for 19 years. I was fortunate enough to be here with Marc for his first season with the Sharks, and knew he would become a great defenseman. Over the course of his career in the NHL, Vlasic was one of the premier shutdown defensemen, earning tough defensive assignments on the ice against the best players in the world and doing it with effectiveness.”

There are no discrepancies in Grier’s statement. In his prime, Vlasic was arguably the game’s top shutdown defenseman, averaging nearly 22 minutes a game from 2009 to 2020, accruing 1,545 blocked shots and earning several nominations for the Lady Byng and Norris Trophies.

San Jose drafted Vlasic with the 35th overall pick of the 2005 NHL Draft, making his debut a few years later. Vlasic finished sixth in Calder Trophy voting that season, scoring three goals and 26 points in 81 games, and earned a spot on the NHL’s All-Rookie Team.

Since Corsi tracking began in the 2007-08 season, Vlasic had a rate of approximately 53.0% from 2007 to 2016, an impressive output for a defenseman who started nearly 57.0% of his shifts in the defensive zone. In that time, Vlasic never had an on-ice save percentage at even strength lower than 90.0%, proving his ability to keep pace with any opposing team’s top unit.

Vlasic’s value burned brightest during the Sharks’ run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016. The veteran scored one goal and 12 points in 24 postseason contests, finished at the top among the qualified players with a +14 rating, and averaged 2.83 blocked shots per game. Unfortunately, San Jose was unable to capture their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history, losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first half of their back-to-back run.

Due to his illustrious career with the organization, the Sharks signed Vlasic to an eight-year, $56MM contract in 2017, which was expected at the time to be his final contract in the NHL. Unfortunately, even two years into the deal, due to injuries and ’Father Time’ remaining undefeated, Vlasic’s contract quickly became an unappreciated anchor for San Jose.

Since the second year of the contract, Vlasic has scored 17 goals and 68 points in 358 games with a disastrous -90 rating. His possession metrics have similarly taken a nosedive, falling to 42.2% at even strength this past season. With several defensive prospects looking for regular playing time in 2025-26, the Sharks no longer had a necessity for Vlasic to remain on the roster.

Although the last several years will put a damper on his total output with the team, Vlasic concludes his career as a Shark with 84 goals and 379 points with a +42 rating in 1,323 games over 19 seasons, with an additional six goals, 39 points, and +20 rating in 142 postseason contests.

Now, San Jose will owe Vlasic a reduced rate of $4.67MM in 2025-26 and $1.167MM in 2026-27. According to PuckPedia, the Sharks have more than $44MM to spend this offseason and could become one of the most active teams in recent memory. Even if Grier doesn’t plan on exhausting all of San Jose’s financial flexibility this summer, he’ll need to spend more than $19MM to reach the cap floor.

Photo courtesy of Stan Szeto-Imagn Images.

Oilers Sign Trent Frederic To Eight-Year Extension

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11:00 a.m.: Frederic’s eight-year deal is official and is worth $30.8MM, as reported, the team confirmed.

9:05 a.m.: As expected, the Oilers are set to finalize an eight-year extension for forward Trent Frederic on Friday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The total value will be in the $30MM range for an AAV and cap hit of just under $4MM. TSN’s Darren Dreger narrows it down to a $3.85MM AAV for a total value of $30.8MM.

It’s a big payday for a player whom Edmonton hasn’t had a lot of eyes on since they acquired him from the Bruins before the trade deadline. He was dealing with an ankle injury at the time of the deal, only to re-injure it in his first game as an Oiler on April 5. He was back two weeks later for the playoffs, where the gritty and versatile 6’3″ forward was limited to four points in 22 games while averaging 11:24 per game.

That makes such a long-term and well-compensated commitment for someone who played as limited a role as Frederic did in the postseason quite shocking. Edmonton is clearly signing this deal not based on the role he played but the role they anticipate him playing moving forward, though. They’ve already lost a top-nine winger this offseason by trading Evander Kane to the Canucks and could still be poised to lose another in an additional cap-clearing trade. They could also lose all of Connor Brown, Kasperi Kapanen, Corey Perry, and Jeff Skinner to the open market next week, gutting their wing depth.

As such, Frederic is slated for a significant increase in deployment next season, potentially as high as top-six duties on a line with Leon Draisaitl or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins down the middle, depending on which one more frequently flexes up to play on Connor McDavid’s wing. In doing so, the Oilers hope he’ll not only rediscover but exceed the offensive form he found during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons with Boston.

The 2016 first-rounder’s development was a slow burn, but he finally arrived as a legitimate top-nine piece in those years, totaling 71 points and a +37 rating in 161 games despite only averaging 12:51 per game. He posted a career-high 18 goals, 40 points, and 204 hits in all 82 games with Boston last year before experiencing significant offensive regression in 2024-25. Before the deal to Edmonton, Frederic managed an 8-7–15 scoring line with a -14 rating in 57 games for the B’s.

While that explains the cap hit, it will remain interesting to hear the organization’s rationale for doling out an eight-year contract for a player already in their peak years at age 27 with a relatively limited track record of middle-six production. Frederic will now be under contract with Edmonton through the 2032-33 season, his age-34 campaign.

The Oilers will be down to $12.35MM in cap space for next season after Frederic’s deal is registered. The overwhelming majority of that will be taken up by a new deal for RFA defenseman Evan Bouchard that’s expected to cost at least $10MM. That would leave the Oilers with around $2-3MM in space to fill two roster spots, enough to round out the roster but not to make any high-profile additions.

Stars, Assistant Coach Misha Donskov Part Ways

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Stars assistant coach Misha Donskov has left the club to become a top coach and executive with Hockey Canada’s men’s national team program, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said Friday. Dallas later confirmed Donskov’s departure.

Donskov had been in Dallas for the past two seasons. He’d spent the previous seven years with the Golden Knights as their director of hockey operations and later assistant coach, working under now-former Stars bench boss Peter DeBoer in the latter role. While Vegas fired DeBoer and he joined Dallas in the 2022 offseason, Donskov joined him one year later.

There was some smoke about Donskov being interviewed for NHL head coaching vacancies this summer, particularly the Bruins’ job, but Dallas’ deep playoff run prevented him from interviewing. With their unexpected firing of DeBoer following their elimination, some wondered if Donskov would be considered for an internal promotion. He’s not one of the reported finalists, though, and will instead head elsewhere to further his career.

The 48-year-old has worked with the Canadian national team before, most recently as an assistant coach at the 4 Nations Face-Off. He was also an assistant for them at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and the World Championship. He’ll now serve as the head coach of their WC teams for the foreseeable future while serving as an associate coach at the World Juniors and an assistant at the 2026 Olympics under Lightning bench boss Jon Cooper.

The Stars now have two assistant coach vacancies to fill in addition to their head coach position. The team lost Steve Spott last week after he accepted an assistant role with the Bruins. Only assistant coach Alain Nasreddine and goalie coach Jeff Reese remain from this past season’s bench staff.

Blue Jackets, Canadiens In Talks To Acquire Noah Dobson

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It appears the Islanders are set to move on from pending RFA defenseman Noah Dobson with the Blue Jackets and Canadiens as the sole contenders to acquire him, Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic relayed earlier this morning that the Blues were also in the mix, but Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman added Dobson wasn’t interested in signing a new contract with a team in the Western Conference. Marco D’Amico of RG was among the first yesterday to identify a connection between Montreal and Dobson.

Things have materialized rather quickly here. Dobson’s name was in trade speculation as far back as February, but it was stressed that they were only willing to part with him in the context of a specific trade that would presumably have netted them a forward of similar caliber in return. Days later, Dobson changed his representation in advance of starting extension negotiations with the Islanders.

Evidently, those discussions weren’t productive. Other teams – including Columbus and Montreal – appear prepared to offer him a price tag of $9.5MM per season on a long-term deal, Johnston reports. It’s unclear if the Islanders ever got to that number on an eight-year deal. It’s worth noting that the Blue Jackets and Canadiens can’t offer Dobson an eight-year contract because he wasn’t on their reserve list at the trade deadline. If he signs one, it’ll be because New York executes a sign-and-trade instead of just dealing his signing rights.

Both the Blue Jackets and Canadiens have two first-round picks in tonight’s draft. Columbus holds No. 14 and No. 20 overall, while the Canadiens hold No. 16 and No. 17. The Islanders will presumably land one, if not both of those picks, in a trade return. While it’s looking like they’ll select consensus top defense prospect Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 overall selection tonight, they have an obvious interest and need for center help.

Long Island native James Hagens, once considered the top prospect in the class but now projected to go later in the top 10, would fill that need. They could presumably use one of the picks they acquire for Dobson as part of a package to trade up and land both names. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that’s the organization’s preferred outcome here, rather than recouping roster players in return for Dobson.

Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports.

Blue Jackets Sign Hunter McKown To Two-Way Deal

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The Blue Jackets announced Friday they’ve re-signed pending RFA center Hunter McKown to a two-way deal for 2025-26. His contract carries a $775K cap hit and NHL salary and a $90K minors salary with a $100K guarantee, PuckPedia reports.

McKown, 23 in August, returns to the Columbus organization for his third full professional season. The 6’1″ pivot was an undrafted free agent signing out of Colorado College late in the 2022-23 season on the heels of a standout junior campaign in which he scored 21 goals and 28 points in 38 games. With that entry-level deal now expiring, he was up for a new contract.

The San Jose, California native reported to the Blue Jackets’ roster immediately after signing. He got serious NHL reps down the stretch, scoring two assists with a minus-four rating in 12 appearances while logging 12:14 per game. There were things to like about the two-way center’s game: he won 55.2% of his draws out of the gate, quite impressive for a rookie, and had reasonably solid relative possession impacts despite not playing much of a physical game (five blocks, 12 hits).

McKown hasn’t seen NHL ice since then, though. He’s spent the entirety of the last two campaigns on assignment to AHL Cleveland, where he’s put together a 22-33–55 scoring line in 121 games. That includes 13 goals and 31 points with a minus-eight rating in 68 games this season.

He’s a good skater and has made some strides in his offensive development in Cleveland, signaling he may still have a future as a bottom-six piece in the NHL if he continues on this trajectory. As such, the Blue Jackets will get him signed now to avoid a bout with restricted free agency and a potential arbitration filing if he didn’t accept his qualifying offer. He’ll be an arb-eligible RFA again next summer as he’ll still be too young to qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency.

PHR’s 2025 Top 50 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents

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The past two weeks have already seen the offseason enter a period of high activity. Still, many big-ticket names remain available with just four days left to go until July 1. There’s only been a handful of last-minute re-signings, and while there’s sure to be more before the market opens, most of the top names look to be available.

While the depth of this year’s class doesn’t sniff last year’s, it does feature perhaps the highest-caliber player to test free agency since Artemi Panarin six years ago. As a reminder, our rankings and predictions are voted on by the entirety of our writing team based on a combination of talent perception and expected demand.

All predictions are independent and have no bearing on each other, while each player is presumed to be signing a one-way contract. Due to this year’s compact offseason schedule, voting was done before the buyout window opened and the June 30 qualifying offer deadline.

1. RW Mitch Marner / Anaheim Ducks / 7 years, $14.25MM AAV

Josh Erickson: It would surprise no one to hear that Marner was the unanimous No. 1 UFA among our writers. He’s the only bona fide top-line forward available and one of the league’s premier playmakers – not to mention he’s coming off a career-high 75 assists and 102 points in 2024-25. Since beginning his NHL career in 2016, the lifelong Maple Leaf is eighth in the league with 741 points in 657 games. After failing to advance past the second round with Toronto again, it’s become a foregone conclusion that he’ll be testing the open market and landing a well-compensated package to take his elite talent to another team.

Sign-and-trade with Golden Knights, 8 years, $12MM AAV

2. LW Nikolaj Ehlers / Carolina Hurricanes / 7 years, $8.5MM AAV

Josh: After Ehlers was limited to 0.74 points per game in 2023-24, his worst per-game showing in five years, there were questions about his long-term fit, and there was a legitimate chance of Winnipeg trading him before his walk year. The Jets stayed the course. While Ehlers lost a few games to injury, he rebounded with one of the better seasons of his career with 63 points in 69 games. A consistent top-six scoring threat who’s a slam dunk for 25 goals and 60 points, he’ll be among the most well-compensated players this summer, whether he stays in Winnipeg or not.

3. C Sam Bennett / Florida Panthers / 8 years, $8.25MM AAV

Josh: No one on this list has seen his stock rise more in the last few months than Bennett. The Flames selected him fourth overall in the 2014 draft, but it was a trade to Florida at the 2021 deadline that truly sparked his career. He’s got 196 points in 289 games since joining the Panthers and has served as their second-line center in back-to-back Stanley Cup wins, leveraging his hard-nosed and sometimes over-the-line style of play physically into a 15-goal, 22-point showing in this year’s playoffs that earned him a Conn Smythe Trophy. He’s a high-priority target for the Panthers to retain, and since they still haven’t worked out deals for their other pending UFAs, there’s little reason to believe this one won’t result in an extension.

Re-signed with Panthers, 8 years, $8MM AAV

4. C John Tavares / Toronto Maple Leafs / 4 years, $5MM AAV

Josh: While the veteran center is in no position to command the $11MM cap hit his expiring contract boasted, he’s still an extremely effective second-line center as he enters his mid-30s and would be a No. 1 option on weaker teams. He averaged 18:14 per game last season – his highest workload since COVID – and returned the favor with 38 goals and 74 points with a +10 rating in 75 games. While age-related decline is a valid fear in signing Tavares to any mid-to-long-term contract, he finished second in points among the players on his list and led them in goals by a significant margin. Whether he forgoes an extension with his hometown team and tests the market is the biggest question.

Re-signed with Maple Leafs, 4 years, $4.38MM AAV

5. D Aaron Ekblad / Florida Panthers / 7 years, $7.75MM AAV

Josh: It’s beginning to look like Ekblad may test the open market and find a new home after spending the first 11 years of his career with the Panthers. The 2014 first overall pick had dealt with health issues and declining point totals the past few years. He at least overcame the latter in 2024-25, rebounding for 33 points in 56 games while receiving expanded power-play deployment. He stayed healthy for the most part, too – most of his absence was due to a PED-related suspension late in the year.

Re-signed with Panthers, 8 years, $6.1MM AAV

6. RW Brock Boeser / Minnesota Wild / 6 years, $8.35MM AAV

Josh: Boeser will almost certainly move on from the Canucks this summer; they’re the only NHL organization he’s ever known since being drafted No. 23 overall in 2015. The 6’1″ winger seemingly delivered on his season a year ago, potting a career-high 40 goals and 73 points as the Canucks marched to a division title. Scoring woes plagued Vancouver this season, though, and his production dropped off to 25 goals and 50 points in 75 games. Injuries have been an issue for him over his entire career – he averages 64 points per 82 games but has only ever surpassed the 60-point mark once in actuality. While that would typically mean teams would be wary of giving him too large a contract this summer, his recent burst of production – and the fact he’s still just 28 – will be enough to make him one of the more well-compensated players on the open market this summer.

Re-signed with Canucks, 7 years, $7.25MM AAV

7. LW Brad Marchand / Toronto Maple Leafs / 2 years, $8MM AAV

Josh: While Marchand goes by many nicknames, Big Game Brad may be the most apt. After spending his entire career with the Bruins, the now-former Boston captain was shipped to the Panthers at the trade deadline. The 37-year-old had a somewhat underwhelming offensive showing in the regular season, which was presumably set to limit his market this summer. That all changed with a spectacular postseason showing, finishing as the runner-up to Bennett for the Conn Smythe after scoring 20 points in 23 games, including six goals in six Stanley Cup Final games. Age-related decline is a legitimate concern here, but teams may find him so desirable to give him more term than usual/expected to fend off other suitors.

Re-signed with Panthers, 6 years, $5.25MM AAV

8. D Vladislav Gavrikov / Detroit Red Wings / 7 years, $7.75MM AAV

Josh: Gavrikov enters the market as the top left-shot and top shutdown defenseman available after something of a breakout season in Los Angeles. The 29-year-old was given an extended run in top-pairing minutes for the first time to begin the season with Drew Doughty injured, and he delivered with his best NHL season out of his six. The 6’3″ Russian provided 30 points and a +26 rating while averaging north of 23 minutes per game. He also had spectacular possession impacts for his heavy defensive zone deployment. He’s shown he may not be the best fit on a weaker team in the past (his two-way numbers weren’t nearly as strong in his days with the Blue Jackets), but that likely won’t scare teams off, considering the strength of his platform year.

Signed with Rangers, 7 years, $7MM AAV

9. D Ivan Provorov / New York Rangers / 6 years, $7.25MM AAV

Josh: Provorov could be on the move to the third team of his career this summer. The Blue Jackets took a swing on retaining the pending UFA at the trade deadline – unfortunately, it didn’t materialize in a playoff berth and extension talks have reportedly been slow. He’s coming off a decent but not career year, posting 33 points and a +11 rating while logging heavy minutes in Columbus. One thing working in his favor despite historically average possession impacts and some visual defensive faults – he’s extremely durable, playing 696 out of 699 possible games since making his NHL debut in 2016-17.

Re-signed with Blue Jackets, 7 years, $8.5MM AAV

10. RW Claude Giroux / Ottawa Senators / 2 years, $5.25MM AAV

Josh: While Giroux is squarely in his twilight years, the 37-year-old still projects as an effective middle-six piece for the next couple of seasons. He still managed 15 goals and 50 points in 81 games for the Senators this season. While he’d likely prefer to remain with his hometown team after their first playoff appearance in a while in 2024, he remains without an extension a few days from the market opening. He’s a better fit stylistically on the wing at this stage of his career, but could be a great fit for a team looking for a veteran piece to pair with a young center who struggles in the dot. Giroux still takes a huge amount of faceoffs, winning a career-high 61.5% of them in 2024-25.

Re-signed with Senators, 1 year, $2MM AAV + $2.5MM in performance bonuses

11. C Mikael Granlund / Montreal Canadiens / 3 years, $5.5MM AAV

Brian La Rose: A couple of years ago, Granlund was basically salary ballast as part of the three-team Erik Karlsson trade.  But the opportunity to play a top-line role in San Jose gave the 33-year-old a chance to showcase that he can still be a solid offensive contributor with back-to-back seasons of at least 60 points while playing important penalty killing minutes as well.  That made him a key addition for Dallas at the trade deadline, and while he was a winger with them, he’ll be viewed as one of the better available centers in this market, putting him in a good position for another multi-year deal.

Signed with Ducks, 3 years, $7MM AAV

12. D Brent Burns / Carolina Hurricanes / 1 year, $5MM AAV

Josh: A Hall-of-Fame career is expected to continue for Burns in 2025-26 as he gears up for his 22nd NHL season. While he was still a top-pair threat heading into his age-39 season, Father Time began to catch up to him in 2024-25. He’ll enter the season at age 40 and coming off a highly underwhelming 29 points in 82 games while seeing a sharp reduction in minutes. He did finish as high as 10th in Norris Trophy voting as recently as two years ago and can still be a good top-four presence – something there aren’t many of on the open market this summer – but he likely won’t receive any multi-year offers.

13. D Dmitry Orlov / Los Angeles Kings / 3 years, $5.5MM AAV

Josh: Orlov was No. 1 on this list in 2023 amid an exceptionally weak class. He was coming off a career season then, not so much now. There’s no denying Orlov, 34 next month, can still be an effective top-four piece, but he never lived up to the $7.75MM cap hit he signed for on his two-year deal with Carolina. That was mostly due to his deployment; he averaged only 18:36 per game for the Canes after seeing over 20 minutes per night for most of his career. The undersized but physical lefty posted 28 points and a +16 rating in 76 games this year but saw his stock fall due to a tough postseason in which his declining foot speed was exposed.

14. C Pius Suter / Minnesota Wild / 3 years, $5MM AAV

Brian: Two years ago, Suter didn’t have a particularly strong market, eventually needing to wait nearly six weeks before signing a low-cost two-year deal with Vancouver.  That shouldn’t be the case this time around.  Suter is coming off a career year with the Canucks, one that saw him score 25 goals, putting him in a tie for third-most among pending UFAs.  He was tied with Bennett and Boeser and behind Tavares and Marner.  Pretty good company to be in.  However, his shooting percentage jumped over 18%, a rate that’s usually viewed as unsustainable while he has only surpassed the 30-point mark once.  That means there’s some risk with the signing if he reverts more toward his career numbers but as a versatile two-way player, he can be an effective addition even if the offense takes a step back.

15. LW Jonathan Drouin / Washington Capitals / 3 years, $4.5MM AAV

Josh: Reuniting with former junior teammate Nathan MacKinnon in Colorado has re-ignited Drouin’s career. The 2013 third-overall pick is still by no means a standalone top-line threat but has had two of the three best offensive seasons of his career with the Avalanche since first arriving in Denver as a free agent in 2023. While injuries, a common theme in Drouin’s career, limited him to 43 appearances this season, he still managed 11 goals and 37 points for the highest point-per-game output of his 11 NHL seasons. His value will be limited on the open market based on his career numbers outside of Colorado; in Tampa Bay and Montreal, Drouin averaged only 13 goals and 48 points per 82 games.

Signed with Islanders, 2 years, $4MM AAV

16. D Dante Fabbro / Columbus Blue Jackets / 6 years, $4.5MM AAV

Josh: Fabbro landed on waivers at the beginning of the season after he fell out of the regular lineup in Nashville. It was a blessing in disguise for the 2016 first-rounder, who was picked up by the Blue Jackets and emerged as a top-pairing threat alongside Zach Werenski. The 27-year-old had his birthday just last week and is one of the youngest options as a result. He had 26 points and a +20 rating in 68 games between Nashville and Columbus, averaging 20:54 per game with the best possession impacts of his career. He’s the second-best right-shot option on the market behind Ekblad and will get a nice bit of security if he doesn’t extend with the Jackets.

Re-signed with Blue Jackets, 4 years, $4.125MM AAV

17. RW Patrick Kane / Detroit Red Wings / 1 year, $5MM AAV

Josh: Kane has successfully rebounded from his major hip surgery two years ago. While not the perennial All-Star he was a decade ago, he’s still an effective top-six producer and future Hall-of-Famer. He’s scored 106 points in 122 games over the last two years with Detroit. His extreme defensive deficiencies at this stage of his career take away from his on-ice value, but the 36-year-old remains an effective point producer and a fine second-line option. Whether he’ll continue serving that role in Hockeytown remains to be seen, but it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see him extend what’s been a mutually beneficial fit so far.

Re-signed with Red Wings, 1 year, $3MM AAV + $4MM in potential performance bonuses

18. G Jake Allen / Philadelphia Flyers / 2 years, $3.5MM AAV

Brian: Allen hasn’t been a full-fledged starter for several years but is still considered the top goalie available on the open market this summer.  He’s coming off a solid showing in New Jersey as the backup to Jacob Markstrom and has played in at least 30 games in four straight seasons.  While there won’t be teams necessarily looking at him to be a number one option, he’s someone who can come in and stabilize the backup position and play starter minutes in the short term when injuries arise.  In a market bereft of proven and reliable options, Allen stands out as the one goaltender who can be counted on to be a steady performer, which will give him plenty of suitors.

Re-signed with Devils, 5 years, $1.8MM AAV

19. LW Andrei Kuzmenko / Los Angeles Kings / 3 years, $4.5MM AAV

Josh: Kuzmenko’s inconsistency has caused him to suit up for four different teams in his three-year NHL career, including two trades in 2024-25. It’s his high-end flashes and good timing that should lead to significant interest this summer, though. While he had just 11 goals in 66 games on the year after starting his NHL career with seasons of 39 and 22 tallies, respectively, he still put up a strong 5-12–17 scoring line in 22 games for the Kings after they picked him up from the Flyers at the deadline. He also had six points in six playoff games. While by no means a play-driver on his own, he’s proven time and again he can be a good fit as the third-best player on a line and a spectacular complementary scorer if deployed correctly.

Re-signed with Kings, 1 year, $4.3MM AAV

20. C Jack Roslovic / Philadelphia Flyers / 3 years, $3.5MM AAV

Brian: Roslovic has had his ups and downs and recent years and has been with three different organizations over the last 16 months.  However, while he’s prone to streakiness, he’s also one of the more consistent secondary scorers in terms of point production in this free agent class as he has surpassed the 30-point mark for the past five years.  Roslovic is coming off a 22-goal season and has shifted between center and the wing routinely over the years, a versatility that should be particularly appealing in a market that has lost some of its better options at center recently.

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