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Rangers Gauging Interest Level In K’Andre Miller

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This past season was a rough one for the Rangers who went from a perceived Stanley Cup contender to missing the playoffs altogether.  Along the way, GM Chris Drury tried to shake up his roster while some of his older veterans could still be available as further shakeups are believed to be desired.

It appears that one player who could be in the mix in a shakeup deal is defenseman K’Andre Miller.  In a recent appearance on Sportsnet 590 (video link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Miller’s name is definitely out there as Drury is trying to gauge the market for some of his players.

Two years ago, it looked like the 25-year-old had taken a big step forward toward becoming an all-situations core blueliner with a 43-point breakout year while logging more than 22 minutes a night.  While New York would have preferred to sign him to a long-term deal at that time, their cap situation forced them to pursue a bridge option instead with the sides agreeing on a two-year, $7.74MM pact.

Unfortunately for Miller and the Rangers, his play took a step back the following year and another step back this season.  Offensively, his output dropped to just 27 points in 74 games while some ill-timed defensive miscues helped contribute to the team going from being one of the stingier defensive teams in 2023-24 to one in the bottom half of the league in that category this season.

While this is generally the time that a player would sign a long-term deal coming off a bridge pact, Friedman suggests that the team isn’t ready to make that commitment at this point.  With two RFA-eligible seasons remaining, they could theoretically look to work out a one-year deal but the back-dated nature of his bridge deal puts his qualifying offer alone at $4.646MM.  Between that and Miller being eligible for salary arbitration, even a one-year deal might be costlier than they can afford.

Per PuckPedia, the Rangers enter the summer with just $8.4MM in cap space with Miller and winger Will Cuylle being their most prominent players to re-sign.  But considering the two of them alone could cost that much let alone filling out the rest of their roster or trying to add an impact player, it’s certainly understandable that Drury is at least exploring what level of interest would be out there in Miller to see if a feasible trade presents itself.  But if one does, New York will have a big hole to try to fill on their back end moving forward as well.

Central Notes: Marchessault, Taylor, Safonov

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While there has been some speculation that Predators winger Jonathan Marchessault might be open to a trade after an underwhelming first year with Nashville, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggests it might not be quite that simple.  In the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), he relayed that the list of teams Marchessault might actually be willing to go to is rather small.  Having played exclusively in no-tax states, there’s a sense that Marchessault would prefer not to take a big hit to his bottom line in pay with a move while preferring to go to a legitimate contender, a combination that not a lot of teams can offer.  That said, Marchessault can only control things to a certain point as he only has a 15-team no-trade clause in his deal, one that has four years remaining on it at a $5.5MM cap charge.

More from the Central:

  • The Predators have signed AHL head coach Karl Taylor to a contract extension, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). Taylor helped lead Milwaukee to the Central Division regular season title for the second straight year and a top-two finish for the fourth straight season so the extension should come as little surprise.  Taylor has been running Nashville’s farm team for the last seven seasons and has not yet had a chance to work at the NHL level.
  • Blackhawks prospect Ilya Safonov has signed a one-year contract extension with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL, per a team release. The 24-year-old center was a sixth-round pick by Chicago back in 2021, going 172nd overall.  Safonov had a minor role with Kazan at the time but had a breakout 37-point performance in 2022-23, providing some enthusiasm that he could come to North America and push for a spot with Chicago.  However, his production has dipped over the last two years; this season, he had 22 points in 51 outings and will now remain overseas for at least one more year.

Atlantic Notes: Robertson, Hutson, Heponiemi

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While Nicholas Robertson got into a career-high 69 games with the Maple Leafs this season, his trade request from last year still stands, reports Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic (subscription link).  The 23-year-old had a career-best 15 goals this season and even chipped in with a pair of points in three postseason outings.  However, playing time remained hard to come by as he averaged just 12 minutes a night of ice time and it’s clear he’d like a shot at a bigger role elsewhere.  Robertson is a pending restricted free agent owed a qualifying offer of just under $919K.  However, he’s also arbitration-eligible which could push his price tag closer to the $1.5MM range.  If Toronto isn’t willing to pay that price, Robertson could get his wish for a change of scenery in the coming weeks.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • While Lane Hutson will be eligible for a contract extension this summer, Arpon Basu of The Athletic posits (subscription link) that this file might not get done right away. The Canadiens have tried to keep their core players signing below captain Nick Suzuki’s $7.875MM but Hutson’s rookie year, his comparable players, plus the big increases coming in the salary cap will make that difficult.  It’s possible Montreal opts for a shorter-term pact to keep the AAV lower but it could also make sense to see what happens next year and decide from there.  Hutson, a Calder Trophy finalist, had six goals and 60 assists in 82 games this season.
  • After moving on from his team in Switzerland to become a free agent, it looked like there was a chance that Aleksi Heponiemi could be returning to the Panthers. However, that’s not the case as he recently inked a two-year deal with HV71 in the SHL, per a team release.  The 26-year-old has 25 career NHL games with Florida under his belt but after being primarily in the minors in North America, he headed overseas two years ago.  This past season with EHC Biel-Bienne, Heponiemi had 18 points in 37 games.  Florida will retain his rights as a restricted free agent through next summer.

Golden Knights Receiving Interest In Nicolas Hague

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Nicolas Hague has been one of the longest-tenured Golden Knights players.  He has spent the last six seasons with the team and was one of their first-ever draft picks back in 2017.  But his time in Vegas might be coming to an end as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that the team has started to field calls about Hague in advance of his upcoming restricted free agency.

The 26-year-old has never been a big point producer at the NHL level as his career high in that regard is just 17, set back in 2020-21 and 2022-23.  However, Hague has been a steady physical shutdown defender throughout his NHL career, a role he should be able to fill for several more years.

This past season, Hague played in 68 games for Vegas, picking up five goals and seven assists while averaging 17 minutes a night.  He also chipped in with 74 blocked shots and 82 hits, numbers that were a fair bit below the 111 and 153, respectively, he had the year before.

Hague is entering his final year of restricted free agency and will have arbitration eligibility for the first time.  His qualifying offer also checks in above his cap hit from the last three seasons at $2.7MM and it stands to reason he could push past $3MM on a one-year deal if he makes it to a hearing.  Meanwhile, a longer-term pact could land closer to the $4MM range.

That’s an amount that the Golden Knights might not be able to afford.  They presently have $9.6MM in cap room, per PuckPedia, but have several roster spots to fill with that money.  Reilly Smith, Victor Olofsson, Brandon Saad, and Ilya Samsonov highlight the list of pending unrestricted free agents while Hague and Alexander Holtz are the notable restricted free agents.  If Vegas wants to try to add a piece or two this summer, they’re going to have to go cheap to fill the other roster spots which could push Hague out, making his case one to keep an eye on over the next few weeks.

Pacific Notes: Demko, Richardson, Cull

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The offseason has already started for 30 of the NHL’s 32 teams, and David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period believes the busiest teams from that group has been the Vancouver Canucks. In one matter in particular, Pagnotta reports that Canucks netminder Thatcher Demko is open to a change of scenery this summer.

It’s a stark contrast from Jim Rutherford’s expressed desires at the end of the season. Rutherford bluntly said, “We would like to extend him.” Pagnotta’s report could indicate that Demko isn’t on the same page as the Canucks, is open to being traded if there isn’t an extension by the end of the offseason, or it’s just plain conjecture.

Any team interested in acquiring Demko will be trading for a gamble. He’s had storied issues staying healthy over the last two years, but still carries a career .910 SV% in 242 games. He’s reportedly entering the offseason healthy, so he’ll have a full summer of preparation, which could give goalie-hungry teams enough comfort to pull the trigger on a move.

Other notes from the Pacific Division:

  • Although the Seattle Kraken ultimately hired Lane Lambert as their next head coach, the team reportedly garnered interest from the Chicago Blackhawks’ former bench boss. Bill Meltzer, a contributor for the Philadelphia Flyers, reported that Luke Richardson expressed interest in the coaching vacancy in Seattle, but it is unclear whether he secured an interview. The Boston Bruins’ and Pittsburgh Penguins’ vacancies are the only two remaining for Richardson, and there’s no belief he’s a frontrunner for either.
  • The Calgary Flames have promoted the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers. Calgary announced they’ve added Trent Cull as an assistant coach on a full-time basis for the 2025-26 NHL season. Cull guided the Wranglers to two straight postseason appearances, losing in the Pacific Division semifinals during his first year and the First Round this postseason.

Prospect Notes: Sharks, Reschny, Verhoeff

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The San Jose Sharks are retaining their exclusive negotiating rights on three players from the 2024 NHL Draft. The Sharks announced they’ve issued bona fide offers to defensemen Nate Misskey and Colton Roberts, and forward Carson Wetsch.

Wetsch was the highest-drafted of the trio, being selected with the 82nd overall pick, while Misskey and Roberts were drafted in the fifth round, respectively. Wetsch had a nearly identical statistical campaign to his draft year, scoring 33 goals and 19 assists in 68 games, with another five goals and one assist in 11 postseason contests.

Still, Misskey may have shown that he has the highest upside this season. He scored 10 goals and 47 points in 63 games for the Victoria Royals, finishing as the team’s second-highest scoring defenseman. He’s already committed to the University of Massachusetts-Lowell for the 2025-26 NCAA season.

Other prospect notes:

  • The University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks got a major commitment earlier today. According to Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald, projected 2025 first-round pick Cole Reschny will play for the Hawks next year. Reschny’s offensive talents are evident, and he should help a storied program that has only won one Division Championship in the last decade. The Macklin, Saskatchewan native scored 26 goals and 92 points in 62 games as a 17-year-old for the WHL’s Victoria Royals this past season.
  • Reschny wasn’t the only top commit that the University of North Dakota received today. Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff reported that defenseman Keaton Verhoeff, projected to be a top-three selection in the 2026 NHL Draft, has also committed to the Fighting Hawks program. Verhoeff was Reschny’s teammate on the Royals this past year, scoring 21 goals and 45 points in 63 games as a 16-year-old, including one goal and 10 points in 11 postseason contests.

Seattle Kraken Sign Josh Mahura To Two-Year Contract

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The Seattle Kraken announced they’ve signed defenseman Josh Mahura to a two-year contract through the 2026-27 NHL season. The announcement indicated that Mahura will earn an AAV of $907.5K during the contract, meaning the total deal will be for $1.815MM.

Mahura recently wrapped up his first season with the Kraken. The former Anaheim Duck and Florida Panther became an unrestricted free agent last offseason after the Panthers denied an opportunity to qualify him, allowing him to sign with Seattle on the third day of the free agency period.

Still, he didn’t make the Kraken out of training camp. The team passed him through waivers on October 5th, shortly before the start of the 2024-25 season. Fortunately for the team, Mahura went through unclaimed, giving the Kraken some much-needed flexibility with his one-way contract.

Mahura only had to wait until the third game of the regular season to debut with Seattle, and he enjoyed another two extended stays on the roster after. The Kraken largely used him as a depth option, tallying nine assists in 64 games with a +5 rating while averaging 13:45 of ice time per night. It was Mahura’s highest games played total since 2022-23, when he scored four goals and 16 points in 82 games with Florida.

Seattle will enter the offseason with a largely intact defensive core, so Mahura should expect much of the same next season. He’s a quality option who can play on both sides of the blue line and can hold his own on the defensive side of the puck, as evidenced by his 91.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength.

Senators Begin Contract Talks With Claude Giroux

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May 30th: A few weeks after this initial report that informal discussions had begun, Garrioch shared today that face-to-face talks between Giroux and the Senators would start next week. The expectation is that if everything goes well, a new contract will be agreed upon then.

May 15th: Forward Claude Giroux highlights Ottawa’s list of pending unrestricted free agents but if they get their way, he won’t make it to the open market altogether.  Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the two sides have started informal discussions on a new contract for the 2025-26 season while GM Steve Staios is expected to meet with Giroux’s agent in the next few weeks to try to hammer out a deal.

Giroux joined the Senators three years ago as an unrestricted free agent, inking a three-year, $19.5MM deal on the opening day of free agency.  It’s fair to say the contract worked out quite well for Ottawa as the 37-year-old put up 71 goals and 122 assists in 245 games with the Sens while winning 59.1% of his faceoffs, one of the top rates in the NHL over that time.  This past season, he had 15 goals and 35 helpers in 81 outings while logging over 18 minutes a night of ice time.

While his age makes a raise quite unlikely, it wouldn’t be surprising if term is a key element in these negotiations.  Garrioch cites league executives who feel a one-year deal between $3MM and $4MM would be palatable for both sides while it’s worth noting that Giroux would be eligible for performance incentives in his deal if it’s a one-year pact.  However, given the anticipated demand for centers on the open market this summer, Giroux could have enough leverage to try to get a second year on the deal while also making him ineligible for those performance bonuses.

A veteran of 1,263 NHL games over parts of 18 seasons between Philadelphia, Florida, and Ottawa, Giroux has recorded 365 goals and 751 assists.  His 1,116 points put him in 66th place in NHL history in that regard.

Ottawa enters the offseason with around $17.5MM in cap space, per PuckPedia, giving Staios some flexibility to work with.  However, with that money, he has to re-sign or replace Giroux, re-sign trade deadline acquisition Fabian Zetterlund, add a second goalie (or promote Leevi Merilainen to the role), and fill out the roster with a handful of other pieces.  While that probably won’t leave them a lot of room to go shopping on the open market, they should have enough space to work with to get something done with Giroux in the coming weeks.

Avalanche Sign Ilya Nabokov To Entry-Level Contract

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5:19 p.m.: Nabokov won’t be heading to North America quite yet. Rawal reported that although the Avalanche have signed Nabokov to his entry-level contract, he’ll spend the 2025-26 season on loan with KHL Metallurg.

3:02 p.m.: As hinted at yesterday by Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette, the Colorado Avalanche have followed through in signing their highest-rated goaltending prospect. Colorado announced they’ve signed netminder Ilya Nabokov to a two-year entry-level contract through the 2026-27 season.

The Avalanche selected Nabokov 38th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, making him the first netminder off the board. He went to an organization that desperately needed him.

Colorado corrected many of their goaltending woes this year by swapping out Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen for Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. Especially in the Georgiev for Blackwood swap, the Avalanche traded a goaltender with a .874 SV% and 3.38 GAA in 18 games for a netminder that finished the season with a .913 SV% and 2.33 GAA in 37 games in Colorado.

Still, Blackwood’s performance hasn’t diminished the team’s excitement about Nabokov. The Kasli, Russia native compiled a 23-13-3 record in 43 games, boasting a .930 SV% and 2.15 GAA, throughout his draft year with the KHL’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk. That performance in the world’s arguably third-best professional league could have garnered first-round interest in Nabokov.

If the regular season didn’t show his promise, the 2023-24 Gagarin Cup playoffs did. Nabokov backstopped Metallurg to their third Gagarin Cup championship, managing a 16-6-0 record throughout the postseason with a .924 SV%, including four shutouts.

Considering the early-season goaltending struggles, there were some rumblings that the Avalanche could seek to pull Nabokov from the KHL sooner rather than later. Still, the team opted to leave him overseas for the 2024-25 KHL season, and he had another impressive year.

Continuing with Metallurg, Nabokov finished with a 23-17-6 record in 49 contests with a .923 SV% and 2.22 GAA, with three shutouts. Assuming the Avalanche stick with the Blackwood/Wedgewood tandem for the 2025-26 season, Nabokov will likely start with their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, while being a recall candidate should one of the former succumb to an injury.

Hurricanes Notes: Orlov, Burns, Jarvis, Chatfield

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There were plenty of updates from the Carolina Hurricanes today, including from a few of their pending unrestricted free agents. In particular, according to Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal, the team hasn’t started contract negotiations with Dmitry Orlov, but the defenseman still considers the Hurricanes an option.

Carolina likely hasn’t had talks with Orlov because he won’t be their highest priority entering the offseason. The Hurricanes have a remarkably impressive left side of their defensive core, featuring Jaccob Slavin, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Alexander Nikishin.

Still, Orlov is coming off an impressive season in his own right. The 13-year veteran scored six goals and 22 points in 76 games for Carolina this season and was one of their top options on the penalty kill. He sustained his physicality and again reached the 20-minute on-ice average after dipping below the threshold last season. He’ll find plenty of interest in his services on the free-agent market, particularly from the Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, New York Islanders, and San Jose Sharks, who each played below average with a man disadvantage.

Other notes from the Hurricanes:

  • On the other hand, there is one defenseman eager to stay in Raleigh. Earlier today, team reporter Walt Ruff shared a quote from veteran defenseman Brent Burns saying, “We’ll see what happens, but we love it here and would love for it to work out.” Whether or not it works out with the Hurricanes, it seems that Burns will return for a 22nd season. Still, he did show signs of slowing down this season, scoring six goals and 29 points in 82 games after tallying 43 points a year prior.
  • Moving over the injury-related news, Ruff reported that forward Seth Jarvis was dealing with the same shoulder injury from last year throughout the regular season and playoffs. According to the report, Ruff indicated that Jarvis has already ruled out surgery as an option to avoid missing the start of the 2025-26 campaign and to keep his name in contention for Team Canada’s 2026 Olympic roster.
  • Lastly, Lavalette reported that defenseman Jalen Chatfield was dealing with a hip injury and was close to returning before the Hurricanes were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Final. Chatfield, like many of his peers on Carolina’s roster, had a largely successful trip through Round One and Two of the 2024-25 Stanley Cup playoffs. He scored one goal in nine games with a +6 rating before suffering the injury in Game 4 against the Washington Capitals, and had a 92.2% on-ice save percentage at even strength.

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