Offseason Checklist: Toronto Maple Leafs
The offseason has arrived with the draft and free agency fast approaching. Accordingly, it’s time to look at what each team needs to accomplish this summer. Next up is a look at Toronto.
The Maple Leafs’ consistent run of strong regular-season play continued in 2024-25 with an 108-point season and their first division title in an 82-game season since 2000. While they did advance further in the postseason than in 22 years, they blew a 2-0 series lead in the second round against the eventual champion Panthers and failed to make their first Eastern Conference Final of the Auston Matthews era. General manager Brad Treliving now faces the most pivotal offseason in Toronto in years with multiple high-profile pending free agents and significant spending flexibility.
Identify Marner Replacements
Mitch Marner was the team’s third-highest-paid player at a $10.9MM cap hit as he completed the seven-year deal he signed as an RFA in 2019. He was easily set to become Toronto’s second-most or even highest-paid player ahead of Matthews this summer – that is, if he stayed with the Leafs instead of testing the open market. That won’t be the case, and the Leafs must now change from devoting resources to a Marner extension to identifying who can most effectively replace his production and add depth to the forward lineup.
Treliving is not finding a direct replacement for Marner’s 100-plus points; that much is certain. The trade-off for losing one of the league’s premier playmaking wingers will be the freedom of cap space re-allocation to improve the club’s depth lines while putting more trust in Matthews to anchor the top one. There will be at least two wingers acquired in Marner’s stead, either via trade or free agency. They already struck out on one – they were pretty interested in Mason Marchment before the Stars traded him to the Kraken last week.
They haven’t been heavily linked to the consensus No. 2 and No. 3 wingers on the market behind Marner this summer in Nikolaj Ehlers and Brock Boeser. There has, however, been heavy speculation about a fit between them and veteran Brad Marchand. Coming off a second-place finish in Conn Smythe Trophy voting after rattling off 20 points in 23 games in Florida’s Stanley Cup win, the Leafs are in a better position to give him a lucrative mid-term deal compared to most other contenders and would give him the opportunity to play at home in Canada for the first timem in his 13-year career. Even at his highest feasible price point, they’d still have another $2.5MM to $3MM to spend on a middle-six winger to complement names like William Nylander and Max Domi while presumably slotting Marchand in Marner’s slot alongside Matthews and Matthew Knies (more on him later).
After striking out on a player with upward top-nine mobility at a cheap price point in Marchment, that appears to be a path Treliving is heavily considering. Former 35-goal man Andrew Mangiapane is heading to the market after a tough season with the Capitals and should be available around that aforementioned price point. Toronto is among the teams reportedly showing a keen interest in signing him when free agency opens on July 1.
Ramp Up Knies, Tavares Talks
The more cost certainty they have, the more active the Maple Leafs can be in achieving checklist item No. 1 in nine days. Right now, they have very little. Their top RFA, Knies, and their top UFA with a chance of extending/returning, center John Tavares, remain without new deals. It’s not the best omen. The tone around the Leafs and Knies’ negotiations has been overwhelmingly positive from the outset, with reporting last month indicating neither side was worried about an offer-sheet threat and that there was a mutual understanding of what the final deal would end up looking like. There seemingly hasn’t been any notable progress in talks since that point, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period said Friday.
There’s similarly no extension imminent with Tavares, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic relayed in the last couple of days. That’s the more concerning bit of news. An offer sheet is always a possibility for Knies, but he at least remains under team control past July 1, and he has to actually sign the offer sheet for it to be of any significance. Tavares hitting the open market and leaving without a quick succession plan in place could result in disaster down the middle without a ton of suitable 2C replacements on the open market, particularly after Matt Duchene recently extended with the Stars on a quite team-friendly pact.
The act of re-signing Tavares frees up cap space, not limits it. His next deal won’t come anywhere close to his expiring $11MM cap hit, cementing both a discount at the center position for Toronto behind Matthews and added cost certainty to firm up the roster around the edges behind whatever the largest open-market splash they’re able to make ends up being.
There’s also the stipulation that while losing Marner’s point production without being able to get close to reconstructing it by committee would be tough to swallow, losing Tavares’ output in the same manner would be disastrous. While the 34-year-old may not have been fully worth the cap space he was taking up at the end of his deal, he was still an incredibly high-end producer last season. His 38 goals in 75 games were 12th in the league and marked his second-best goal-scoring season as a Leaf. He was also top-40 in the league in points per game at 0.99. Aside from veteran stopgap Mikael Granlund, there’s no UFA center with that kind of output as his ceiling. Among trade options, young Wild pivot Marco Rossi would be the only one fitting that bill, but Toronto wouldn’t be willing to part with the NHL-ready assets Minnesota wants in return, considering their existing issues navigating roster turnover this summer.
Explore Cap-Clearing Trade
Despite the lack of easily attainable potential replacements for their pending free agents, the Leafs at least have nearly $26MM in spending flexibility at the start of free agency to remove that as an immediately limiting factor. They could still open up their window of options even wider and prevent an August/September cap crunch by shedding a low-value contract now. They don’t have many, but there are a few among their depth forwards. Veteran winger Calle Järnkrok is entering the final year of his contract at a $2.1MM cap hit and has minimal trade protection with a 10-team no-trade list. He could be well-positioned to land them a legitimate return at that price point, but he could also be a cost-effective rebound candidate for them, too. Injuries limited him to just 19 regular-season games last year and he was underwhelming in the playoffs, but he’s averaged 38 points per 82 games since signing in Toronto three years ago.
A more desirable deal to move if possible would be David Kämpf, making $2.4MM against the cap through 2026-27 with a 10-team no-trade list that lapses in the summer of 2026. That’s notable as a team acquiring Kämpf now could flip him again next season without any contractual obstacle. He was an increasingly frequent healthy scratch last year, had 13 points and a minus-one rating in 59 games, and saw his ice time dip to a career-low 12:24 per game when dressed. He’s a true redundancy with a cheaper, higher-ceiling offensive option in the mix next year in Scott Laughton after being acquired from the Flyers at the trade deadline.
There’s also the matter of veteran enforcer Ryan Reaves, who remains under contract at a $1.35MM cap hit. They can reduce that to just $200K by waiving him and burying him in the minors like they did for the home stretch last year. They’ll presumably do that again if he’s still on the books, but if they can make the deal someone else’s problem for a low-round draft pick, they’ll presumably explore that to open up as much spending flexibility as possible.
Upgrade Scoring Depth
Any cap savings created by Toronto’s turnover this summer outside of direct replacements or new deals for pending UFAs should be staying with the forward group. There are a few reasons for this. For one, there’s little to no maneuverability (or motivation) to alter the personnel anywhere else on the roster. The Leafs have one of the league’s most cost-effective goaltending tandems, and their veteran defense corps shone bright under head coach Craig Berube last season. Even if they wanted to make a change, they already have nine defenders signed to one-way deals for next season, most with significant trade protection.
The secondary roster construction goal for Treliving this summer needs to be helping the club rediscover its offensive ceiling. Their 3.26 goals per game was still top 10 in the league in 2024-25, but their lowest output since the 2016-17 campaign nonetheless. While they had six 20-goal scorers last year, the dropoff after them was steep, and only eight players hit the 30-point mark.
In the past couple of years, these types of pickups have needed to wait until closer to training camp, as was the case with Steven Lorentz and Max Pacioretty in 2024. This offseason, Treliving has the spending flexibility up front to get cheap depth pickups out of the way early, but he might be better served to wait a couple of weeks for prices to come down.
Image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.
Free Agent Focus: Vancouver Canucks
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 Canucks.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Aatu Räty – Vancouver has a sneaky list of talent headed to the RFA market. The group is headlined by Aatu Räty, who split this season between the major and minor-league rosters. He performed beautifully in the AHL, netting 17 goals, 40 points, and a plus-nine through 43 appearances. The performance was a strong step up on Räty’s 52 points in 72 AHL games last season, though his impact at the NHL flight left something to be desired. The 22-year-old center did manage seven goals and 11 points through 33 appearances – a stat line complemented by his 57.7 percent faceoff win-rate. Those are stout numbers, but despite them, Räty wasn’t able to command more than a third-line role in the lineup. He’s shown flashes at the minor-flight, but will sign his next deal hoping for the promise of a hardy NHL chance next season. That could cap the potential price tag and term Räty can receive this summer, though he’ll be a must-sign option based on upside alone.
F Arshdeep Bains – The only Abbotsford Canuck to score more than Räty this year was Arshdeep Bains, who finished the season with 11 goals and 43 points in 50 games. The performance was a slight dip from the 55 points he scored in 59 games last season – but held Bains as one of the most important pieces of Vancouver’s minor-league lineup. Bains racked up 136 points in 175 AHL games, and one point in 21 NHL games, on the entry-level contract that pulled him out of undrafted free-agency in 2022. But he hasn’t yet found the imposing, physical edge that’d push him into Vancouver’s bottom-six. Vancouver would be hard-pressed to find a way to replace Bains’ top-end drive in the minors – and his performances so far suggest NHL upside in the near future. But with no breakout just yet, Bains is likely to also earn a cheap, prove-it deal this summer.
F Vitali Kravtsov – Once a top-10 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, there now seems no certainty that Kravtsov will ever have a full NHL career. He returned to Russia’s KHL last season, after spending parts of two seasons trying and failing to earn standing in the New York Rangers and Canucks lineups. He’s totaled just 12 points, split evenly, across 64 career games in the NHL – but had an incredible breakout season in the KHL this year. Kravtsov finished the year with 27 goals and 58 points in 66 KHL games, then added six goals and seven points in 19 playoff games. He looked every bit like the dangerous prospect that was once headed for NHL stardom. There seems to be a scant chance he entertains an NHL contract anytime soon, but his player rights will be invaluable for Vancouver to retain should he ever want another change of scenery.
Other RFAs: F Ty Glover, F Max Sasson, F Tristen Nielsen, D Jett Woo, D Cole McWard, D Christian Felton, G Nikita Tolopilo
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Brock Boeser – The Canucks’ off-season will be headlined by their handling of Brock Boeser. The high-scoring winger has
been on the fastrack to a separation with the Canucks for much of the year, with the team even shopping him around, unsuccessfully, at the NHL Trade Deadline. It will be the end of an era if and when Boeser leaves the Canucks lineup. He has been a perennial scorer since the 2017-18 season, and either paced for or exceeded the 25-goal mark in every single season excpet for the 2019-20 campaign. His career year came in 2023-24, when Boeser potted 40 goals and 73 assists – the most goals from any Canuck since Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler reached 41 in the 2010-11 season. That scoring upside will earn Boeser a hardy contract on the open market, though teams will need to be careful to not overpay a player who fell back to 25 goals this season.
F Pius Suter – Pius Suter will be another name to follow closely as Vancouver approaches the open market. He scored a career-high 25 goals and 46 points in 81 games this season – while holding down a reliable role in Vancouver’s middle-six. But Suter’s 18.1 shooting percentage this season stands five percent higher than his career-average of 13.1. He’s seemingly due for some regression, and there’s a good chance Vancouver doesn’t want to be the one holding a pricey bill when that comes. They also have to find ways to promote Räty into a notable role on his next deal, which will directly hurt Suter’s ice time. Should the Canucks get him signed to a reasonable contract, Suter would be a stout veteran to have in the lineup. But an expensive asking price should push the cap-strapped Canucks elsewhere.
D Noah Juulsen – For the last four seasons, Juulsen has served as a depth defender for Vancouver to lean against when they’re faced with injuries or slow play. But his quiet play hit a trench this year, as he posted no scoring and a minus-12 through 35 games in the lineup. With a new contract due, it seems unlikely that Vancouver brings back Juulsen into an NHL depth role. He’ll instead be set for a minor-league option, or change of scenery, as the Canucks attempt to open more space for their young prospects.
Other UFAs: F Philip Di Giuseppe, F Nathan Smith, D Guillaume Brisebois, D Christian Wolanin, D Akito Hirose
Projected Salary Cap
Vancouver faces a busy summer with little in the way of financial capital. They have just $12.16MM in projected cap space – a number that could be cut by as much as a third after Vancouver signs Suter, Raty, and Bains. With so little to work with, the Canucks’ summer should be headlined by cap-clearing moves and free agent additions, rather than re-signings.
Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia. Image courtesy of James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images.
Connor McDavid In No Rush To Sign Max-Term Extension With Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers have turned their sights towards July 1st following the end of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They face a loaded plate, with top defender Evan Bouchard in need of a new contract and franchise superstar Connor McDavid eligible for an extension when July rolls around. Both tasks will be top-list items for the Oilers, but it doesn’t seem McDavid is in the same rush to solidify his long-term future. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that McDavid will want to hear out Edmonton’s plans for the future before signing a new deal. When that deal does come, LeBrun adds that there’s no certainty it’s an eight-year contract, pointing towards the four-year contract that Auston Matthews signed last summer.
Matthew and McDavid are both represented by Judd Moldaver and Wasserman Hockey. Moldaver also represents Columbus’ Zach Werenski and New Jersey’s Brett Pesce, who are each on six-year contracts with their clubs. In fact, Moldaver’s only client on an eight-year deal is Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi, who made a point about staying in Music City for life when he signed his extension in 2019.
This news may seem like a wrench in Edmonton’s machine, but it’s little more than McDavid doing his due diligence before signing a deal that will likely carry him through the majority of his remaining career. Winning a Stanley Cup is a luxury afforded to only a few NHL legends, and McDavid is coming off the heels of back-to-back squandered opportunities.
The connection between McDavid and the Oilers franchise is as strong as any bond across the league. His name has become synonymous with all-time great Wayne Gretzky, whom McDavid routinely chases in both the regular season and playoff scoring records. With 1,082 points in 712 games, McDavid’s 1.52 points-per-game clock in as the third-most in NHL history, behind only Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. He’s a true great, who any team would make a dire effort to keep when faced with any chance of losing him.
But then again, Gretzky’s career spanned tenures with four separate clubs, even after he won four Cups and set all-time scoring records with the Oilers. His move away from Edmonton – and to the West Coast – was perhaps the greatest news to ever hit the league, and reports connected to McDavid suggest a similar pattern could emerge should the modern great ever want to change clubs. LeBrun shares that the Los Angeles Kings and former Oilers general manager Ken Holland are closely monitoring McDavid’s status up North. If any signs of a move shine through, the Kings could once again snatch a perennial superstar from under Edmonton’s nose. LeBrun further adds that the Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, and New York Rangers could join what’d likely be a small-group race to steal McDavid from the Oilers.
The Oilers are, luckily, just about as far from a decision as they can be. McDavid still has one year left on his current contract. He’s already scored 826 points in 503 games of his current deal, including an incredible 64-goal, 89-assist, 153-point performance in the 2022-23 season. A lot can happen in a year’s time, especially with the talent and assured scoring that McDavid brings to the lineup. Strong lineup additions and a return to the depths of the Stanley Cup Playoffs could go far in swaying McDavid’s confidence in sticking with the Oilers through the end of his career. But, another early exit on the back of a lineup that’s not full strength could sever the ties. The NHL will be entering near-unprecedented territory as McDavid eyes the structure, price tag, and location of his next contract – a deal almost guaranteed to set the new record in league salary.
Maple Leafs, Kraken To Pursue Andrew Mangiapane
The 2025 free agent market is beginning to wear thin. That could push teams to take aggressive runs at the few impactful lineup pieces available. One name already generating interest is Washington Capitals winger Andrew Mangiapane, who both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Seattle Kraken are expected to pursue if and when he reaches the open market, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. The rumor was later confirmed from a Leafs perspective by Sporstnet’s Nick Alberga, who points out Mangiapane’s past relationship with Leafs general manager Brad Treliving.
The winner of the growing Mangiapane sweepstakes will be landing a very interesting player. Mangiapane has played far above his 5-foot-10 frame for much of the last seven seasons. He earned his place in the league with a pair of 32-point performances in 2019-20 and 2020-21, then broke out in a big way with 35 goals and 55 points in 82 games of the 2021-22 season. Even as he fell back to Earth in the wake of a career-year, Mangiapane continued to post strong numbers, reaching or crossing the 40-point mark in both 2022-23 and 2023-24.
All five of Mangiapane’s strong scoring seasons came in a Calgary Flames jersey. He seemed to have secured a career role in the team’s middle-six, but that thought was extinguished when Mangiapane was traded to the Washington Capitals for a 2025 second-round pick last summer. The move instantly sparked questions of if and how Mangiapane could maintain his scoring with a new club. Those concerns were warranted when he posted just 28 points, split evenly, through 81 games of Washington’s season this year. He fell to a clear bottom-six role that continued on through the postseason, when he scored two points in 10 games.
But such a drop-off in scoring could indicate a return to admirable play could come with the a change of scenery. Mangiapane is one of the best value draft picks in Treliving’s managerial career, having gone from a sixth-round selection in 2015 to nearly-500 games in the NHL a decade later. That connection could make a move to the Toronto Maple Leafs – who are desperately in need of a scoring punch down their left-wing side – a natural next step. If not the Leafs, Mangiapane could also move to Seattle, who already have a track record of supporting his undersized, shoot-first style.
Mangiapane carried a lofty, $5.8MM cap hit through the last three years on his last deal. That mark is likely far north of what he’s set to earn this summer, but it could be enough to pull his price tag higher than expected – especially if a bidding war begins. Mangiapane’s final deal will be interesting to follow, and could precede the role he earns in his next team’s top-nine.
Free Agent Focus: Utah Mammoth
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 Mammoth.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Jack McBain – The sole season of the Utah Hockey Club’s existence will go down in NHL history – and near the top of the list of cult players will be Jack McBain. He continued to fill the important, impactful role in Utah’s bottom-six that he’s become known for over the last four seasons, but managed the best results yet. McBain scored a career-high 13 goals and 27 points while appearing in all 82 games of the season this year. The performance just narrowly usurps his 26 points career-high from each of the last two seasons. He also set a career-high in penalty minutes (78) and matched his personal-best plus-eight. McBain is only four seasons, and 241 games, into his NHL career – but it’s so far been marked by imposing, physical play and few costly mistakes. He’s likely on his way to earning a commendable deal, and stamping his place in the early days of Utah’s franchise, with a new contract this summer.
F Kailer Yamamoto – Utah’s only other RFA to play in NHL games this season is winger Kailer Yamamoto. He joined the Hockey Club on a one-year, two-way, league-minimum contract last summer, and earned an AHL assignment just a few weeks into the regular season. He went on to play in his first AHL games since the 2019-20 season and performed brilliantly. All of Yamamoto’s quick pace and jerky dekes translated to the minor flight. He led the Tucson Roadrunners in scoring for much of the season, and finished the year with 20 goals and 56 points in 54 games. That strong scoring earned Yamamoto 12 total appearances in the NHL before the year’s end, though he was only able to muster two goals and three points in those games. After a 2017 first-round selection, and years of questions, it seems Yamamoto’s style is set. He’s a dazzling minor-league scorer, who struggles to carry his flash to the top flight. A new contract should reward him as such, though Yamamoto is still a great asset to have in the pipeline.
Other RFA: D Montana Onyebuchi
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Nick Bjugstad – The 2023-24 season was the first of Bjugstad’s tenure in the Arizona, or Utah, pipeline – and it was marked by an incredible return to productivity. He scored 22 goals and 45 points in 76 games – the most he had scored since he potted 49 points in the 2017-18 season. It was an impressive performance that earned Bjugstad routine run with Utah’s second-line. But he fell back to Earth this year, and finished the season with just 19 points and 12 minutes of average ice time through 66 appearances. At a glance, it seems the curtains are beginning to close on Bjugstad’s fantastic, 12-year career through the NHL. But his veteran presence and potential to catch a scoring groove will still be coveted. Even 30 points would be enough to make him a worthwhile addition. Utah’s optimism that he can reach that mark will likely define whether he ends his career as a Mammoth, or with another move.
F Michael Carcone – Carcone played through his second full-time role in the NHL this season. He’s worked his way up through eight seasons in the minor leagues, where his hard-nosed presence and ability to drive a line was consistently challenged and proven. He’s carried those traits onto Utah’s fourth-line over the last two seasons. He scored 21 goals and 29 points in 74 games of last season, and a much more manageable seven goals and 19 points in 53 games this year. Those numbers don’t jump off the page – but they do equate to a yearly average of 18 goals and 31 points per season, when adjusted to a full 82-game pace. That’s a much more commendable mark, and there’s a good possibility that it earns Carcone a return to Utah’s fourth-line with a minimal-cost contract next season.
F Egor Sokolov – Sokolov will enter free agency as a Group 6 UFA this summer, earning the right to unrestricted negotiations after only appearing in 13 NHL games over the last four seasons. Every one of those appearances came in an Ottawa Senators jersey, and Sokolov only managed one goal and one assist to show for it. But he’s found a strong groove in the minors over the last two seasons – netting 46 goals in 71 games with the AHL’s Belleville Senators last year, and 44 points in 72 games with Tucson this year. He looked controlled and aggressive for mcuh of the year, but was also consistently planted as Tucson faced barrages from opponents. He’s in desperate need for a more defense-oriented style. At only 25 years old, he could still add those components in. If he does, he’ll have the size and scoring consistency to push for a hardy NHL role. That fact could make him worth locking up on a cheap, multi-year deal before July 1st.
D Robert Bortuzzo – While Bjugstad eyes retirement on the horizon, Bortuzzo could come face-to-face with it this summer. To say his role in Utah was minimal may be an understatement. He appeared in just 17 games on the season, and averaged fewer than 11 minutes of ice time. His absences were generally the result of a lower-body injury that held him out for all but two games after December 11th. But his on-ice impact is slowing down as well, and it seems Bortuzzo could soon be pushed to end his career at 577 games played, 76 points scored, and one Stanley Cup won. If he’s convinced to play for one more year, it will be in the role of seventh-defender for a team in need for a feisty and physical depth piece.
Other UFAs: F Travis Barron, F Sammy Walker, F Cameron Hebig, D Patrik Koch
Projected Salary Cap
Utah has absolutely minimal to worry about as the summer approaches. McBain stands as the only must-sign option among their pending free-agents, and the rest of the lot could be had for a very miniscule total. That means they’ll be able to dedicate the vast majority of their $20.36MM in projected cap space towards building the roster up this summer. The Mammoth finished the season just eight points out of a playoff spot, and could find the pieces needed to regain ground with one or two exciting additions this summer.
Offseason Checklist: Dallas Stars
The offseason has arrived with the draft and free agency fast approaching. Accordingly, it’s time to look at what each team needs to accomplish this summer. Next up is a look at Dallas.
The Stars went all-in this season, swinging a pair of significant trades near the trade deadline to add multiple key pieces in the hopes that doing so would help them take that next step and reach the Stanley Cup Final. Instead, despite the extra talent, they once again came up just short. Now, GM Jim Nill has some work in the coming weeks to do to keep as much of his core group together for next season.
Hire A New Coach
It’s not very often that a team that has the type of playoff success that Dallas has changes coaches. But a week after the Stars were eliminated, Nill elected to make a change, dismissing head coach Peter DeBoer after three seasons with the team, all of them ending with losses in the Western Conference Final. His handling of goaltender Jake Oettinger during and after the final game of the Edmonton series is believed to be a contributing factor in the decision, as was the fact that DeBoer was entering the final year of his contract with the team. Clearly, an extension wasn’t in the offing and rather than have a coach in his ‘lame duck’ year, they opted for a change.
The timing of the move was somewhat curious as, prior to the move, all the other vacancies around the league had been filled. Had Nill made the decision even a few days earlier, he could have had a chance to speak to some of the new bench bosses that were hired elsewhere.
Accordingly, the early thought was that Nill might just promote from within, meaning one of assistants Alain Nasreddine (who briefly ran the bench in New Jersey) or Misha Donskov, along with AHL head coach Neil Graham, would be the speculative favorites. In recent days, Oilers assistant Glen Gulutzan (who Nill fired as Dallas’ head coach in 2013) has become a speculative candidate for the opening as well.
Beyond those options, the usual options that came up in other coaching searches include veterans Bruce Boudreau, John Tortorella, Jay Woodcroft, and Gerard Gallant with first time options like Mitch Love, Jay Leach, and Manny Malhotra (who is still coaching in the Calder Cup Finals) potentially garnering consideration as the process goes on. Additionally, they’ll also have a lead assistant role to fill after Boston hired Steve Spott as an assistant coach with them on Friday.
This isn’t something they necessarily have to have done by the draft but when free agency comes around, potential targets will want to know who they’re playing for. With that in mind, a decision will need to be made relatively soon.
Clear Out A Defender (Or Two)
Nill has been quite busy in recent days on the transactions front, re-signing Matt Duchene to a four-year contract and then dealing away Mason Marchment to Seattle to balance the money from that move. They’ve since re-signed defenseman Nils Lundkvist and winger Mavrik Bourque to low-cost one-year deals. In doing so, they’ve dropped their cap space to $2.75MM per PuckPedia which sounds okay until you consider that they probably need to sign four forwards and possibly a defenseman with that money. With a minimum salary of $775K, something has to give.
While there has been some speculation about moving out a core player (one in particular we’ll get to shortly), it feels like the Stars would prefer to chip away at creating that space with multiple moves, the Marchment one being the first. To do that, the chipping away will need to come from the back end.
Veteran blueliner Mathew Dumba is the most logical candidate to remove from the roster. The first season of his two-year, $7.5MM contract did not go well at all with the 30-year-old struggling to the point where he didn’t play at all in the playoffs. That’s $3.75MM that could be used to round out the roster, perhaps to try to re-sign captain Jamie Benn.
But how to clear that contract remains to be seen. A buyout would lower the cap hit to $1.417MM next season but add $1.167MM to the books for 2026-27. Meanwhile, waiving and assigning him to the minors would only clear $1.15MM, leaving $2.6MM counting against the cap. In a perfect world, trading him without retention would be Plan A but it’s likely they’ll have to incentivize a team to take him and down several draft picks, that’s not the most appealing option either. But they’ll have to pick the best bad option and move forward from there.
There has also been some speculation about Ilya Lyubushkin. He has two years left on his contract signed last summer with a $3.25MM cap charge. He played more regularly during the regular season but wasn’t an every-game player in the playoffs for them. In a perfect world, they’d keep him on the third pairing but if additional funds need to be freed up, he could be a candidate to move as well. If nothing else, given the lack of depth of the market, Dallas should be able to move him without attaching assets unlike Dumba.
Whether it’s Dumba, Lyubushkin, or both, some more quick activity on the roster front will be needed from Nill before too long.
Make A Decision On Robertson
Knowing that a significant amount of cap space needed to be opened up (and that was before re-signing Duchene), there was plenty of speculation surrounding winger Jason Robertson. With a $7.75MM price tag, clearing that much money would allow them to not move as many players out to keep cap-compliant. Of course, doing so would also open up a significant hole on their top line. There are three options the Stars have here as he enters the final year of his contract which we’ll go through here.
Trade: While this seemed to be more of an option earlier this month, it appears that Dallas has told teams that they don’t want to go this route. But depending on how successful they are at clearing out the defensemen, it can’t be ruled out either. At a price tag that will be cheaper than most of the top wingers on the open market (for one year, at least), there should be strong interest in a player who has reached at least 80 points in three straight years and has scored more than 40 goals in two of the last four seasons. To keep the cap charge down, the bulk of the return could be futures-based but there would be room for them to pick up an entry-level forward who is already established, similar to Carolina’s addition of Logan Stankoven from Dallas in the Rantanen trade.
Extend: There’s a case to make that if the Stars don’t move Robertson, they should focus in on trying to sign him to a long-term extension this summer, eliminating any speculation about a trade coming into play as the season goes on. His qualifying offer jumps to $9.3MM and he’ll be arbitration-eligible while being one year away from UFA eligibility so it’s going to take a big offer to get something done now. Knowing the $104MM projection, simply matching his current cap hit percentage would make the offer $9.766MM which still feels on the low side given how productive he has been in the first three years of the deal. At this point, the price tag feels likely to start at the $11MM mark, especially if it’s an early deal getting done.
Hold: This one is rather self-explanatory. If they want to keep their options open, they can enter the season without an extension and if they struggle or find themselves too far apart on contract talks, then the idea of a trade could be entertained closer to the trade deadline or they could kick the can on extension discussions to this time next summer. It’s probably not their preferred option but it could easily happen.
Harley Extension Talks
Robertson isn’t the only prominent player entering the final year of his contract that Dallas has, as defenseman Thomas Harley is also in that situation. It took a while for the Stars to get a bridge deal done with him last fall but with their cap situation, they didn’t have much of a choice since a long-term pact wasn’t in the cards. They’ll be able to at least start talks on a new deal this summer but it would be surprising to see something get done early.
While there’s an $8.5MM projected increase to the Upper Limit between 2025-26 and 2026-27, Robertson projects to take up around half of that. And frankly, a long-term deal for Harley coming off the year he just had (50 points in over 23 minutes a night of action) is going to cost more than $8.5MM (his current cost plus the leftover increase after Robertson’s possible raise). So at this point, a long-term extension to one of Harley or Robertson could preclude one going to the other in the near future.
However, there is one other option they could go with and that’s a second bridge deal. Harley has three RFA-eligible years after this one so another two-year pact would fit within the remaining projected increase assuming Robertson signed an extension. Having said that, that’s not the type of deal that typically gets signed one year out.
With all of that in mind, this could very well be a case where both sides ultimately exchange numbers and decide that more time is needed. But Nill will need to get a sense at least of what Harley’s next deal will cost to help shape their offseason planning and determine how much future money they may need to try to clear off the books.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports.
Strong Market Developing For K’Andre Miller
While the Rangers opened up over $6MM in cap space when they moved Chris Kreider to Anaheim, they’re still expected to continue shaking up their roster. One of the potential casualties has long been speculated to be defenseman K’Andre Miller. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that between 12 and 15 teams have inquired about the 25-year-old.
Miller is a pending restricted free agent and is coming off a bridge contract that saw him carry a cap charge of $3.872MM. However, the back-loaded structure of that agreement makes it that his required qualifying offer is $4.646MM while also giving him salary arbitration eligibility. The belief has been that the Rangers aren’t prepared to give him a long-term deal while a short-term agreement takes him that much closer to testing unrestricted free agency, something he’s eligible for in 2027.
Before the Kreider trade, Miller was a speculative offer sheet candidate, knowing that New York still needs to re-sign winger Will Cuylle while wanting to add via free agency or trades. The Kreider trade lessens that risk to an extent as the Rangers now have $13.1MM in cap space, per PuckPedia.
Two years ago, it appeared as if the 25-year-old had taken a big step toward becoming an all-around key piece on New York’s back end. That season, Miller notched a career-best 43 points (including 38 at even strength) while logging nearly 22 minutes per game. But their cap situation at the time necessitated the bridge deal, something that might ultimately have worked out for the best for the team given what has happened since then.
Miller’s play took a step back in 2023-24 with his production dropping to 30 points while there were more defensive miscues than desired. This season, it was more of the same. His output dropped to just 27 points in 74 games while the defensive slipups were more frequent as the Rangers went from a projected preseason contender to a team that ultimately missed the playoffs altogether.
Despite that, Miller has five NHL seasons under his belt as a top-four defender. He’s willing to throw the body around (with over 100 hits in four straight seasons) and block shots, and as his 2022-23 performance showed, he has some offensive skills. Between that, a 6’5 frame, and being a strong skater, there’s a lot to work with which is why close to half the league has apparently kicked the tires on his availability, believing that a change of scenery and a new coach could help him get back to his previous form.
That certainly bodes well for GM Chris Drury. With the UFA market for defensemen not being particularly deep and Miller heading toward his prime years, it appears that the Rangers should be able to get a strong trade return for the blueliner although they’ll have an additional key roster spot to try to fill if and when a move gets made. But with a goal of continuing to shake up the core group in New York, this appears to be an increasingly viable way to do just that.
UFA Notes: Marner, Tavares, Toninato, Del Gaizo
As the top pending unrestricted free agent, winger Mitch Marner will have a chance to choose between a bunch of contract options. According to Pierre LeBrun in his latest post for The Athletic (subscription link), a couple of teams believe that Marner is considering signing just a two-year deal this summer with the hopes of getting a long-term contract in place in 2027 when the Upper Limit of the salary cap is projected to be around $113MM at that time. The value of the two-year pact would still likely surpass that of Mikko Rantanen’s AAV ($12MM) with Dallas, the new benchmark for a contract given to a winger. The 28-year-old had 27 goals and 75 assists in 81 games this season for the Maple Leafs while adding 13 points in 13 playoff contests.
Other news regarding players set to hit the open market next month:
- The Maple Leafs and center John Tavares are still not close on a new contract. Tavares has made it known that his desire is to remain with Toronto while the Leafs are hoping that he’ll leave some money on the table to do so. However, he’s the top middleman in a thinning UFA group at that position and is coming off a 38-goal, 74-point season. Realistically, he could push for $7.5MM or more on a multi-year deal if he gets to July 1st. Speculatively, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Toronto offering a long-term deal at a lower rate per season to maximize their cap flexibility this summer.
- Pending UFA center Dominic Toninato has dropped his agent Neil Sheehy, relays Murat Ates of The Athletic (subscription link). Instead of hiring a new one, he plans to represent himself in negotiations this summer. The 31-year-old has spent the last five seasons with the Jets although most of his playing time has come with AHL Manitoba. Toninato was held off the scoresheet in five games with Winnipeg this season while he had 18 goals and 18 assists with the Moose. He’s a strong candidate to sign another two-way pact with the team before much longer.
- Defenseman Marc Del Gaizo won’t be returning to the Predators next season, reports Lower Broad Hockey’s Nick Kieser (Twitter link). The 25-year-old is eligible to become a Group Six free agent next month and it appears that he’ll test the market instead of re-signing. Del Gaizo played in 44 games with Nashville this season, picking up nine points, 53 blocks, and 71 hits while averaging 16:45 per game. He also suited up in 30 games with AHL Milwaukee, notching eight goals and four assists after putting up at least 30 points at that level the previous two years.
Central Notes: Wild, Loponen, Marques
The Wild are closing in on hiring Greg Cronin as the new head coach of their AHL affiliate in Iowa, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). Cronin was the bench boss in Anaheim for the last two seasons before being let go after the season with Joel Quenneville taking over behind the bench for the Ducks. Cronin has been a coach for more than 35 years and has lots of experience running the show in the minors. Before joining Anaheim, Cronin used to coach Colorado’s affiliate, leading the Eagles to a 164-104-30 record over five years. Iowa hasn’t won a playoff round since 2019 and has only made the playoffs once in that span so a proven developmental coach like Cronin would be a nice pickup for Minnesota to help try and turn things around on the farm.
More from the Central:
- After spending a year in North America, Jets prospect Markus Loponen is heading back home. HPK in Finland announced that they’ve signed the center to a two-year contract. The 19-year-old was a fifth-round pick out of Karpat’s junior system, meaning the two-year signing rights rule for CHL prospects doesn’t apply; Winnipeg will have until June 1, 2028 to sign him. Loponen played with WHL Victoria this season, collecting 19 goals and 25 assists in 65 games.
- Predators prospect Miguel Marques is the latest player to make the move from the CHL to college hockey. Larry Mahoney of the Bangor Daily News relays that the forward has made a verbal commitment to join the University of Maine next season. The 19-year-old was a third-round pick by Nashville last year, going 87th overall after recording 74 points in 67 games with WHL Lethbridge. Marques missed a good chunk of this season due to a broken arm and dislocated elbow but was quite productive upon his return, tallying 38 points in 29 regular season games plus 17 more in 16 playoff outings.
Ilya Samsonov Won’t Re-Sign With Vegas, Will Test Free Agency
It will be a one-and-done stay for Ilya Samsonov in Vegas. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox reports that the goaltender does not intend to re-sign with the Golden Knights and will instead test the open market when free agency opens up on July 1st.
Samsonov didn’t have a great tour through free agency last year. After making $3.55MM in his final year in Toronto, the 28-year-old took nearly a 50% pay cut, inking a one-year, $1.8MM pact in Vegas. Seeing his salary take a dip wasn’t surprising given that his 2023-24 performance was the worst of his career, one that saw him record a 3.13 GAA and a .890 SV% in 40 starts with the Maple Leafs while even clearing waivers at one point. Joining Vegas seemed like a good idea for a soft landing spot to allow him to rebuild some value.
Whether he accomplished that to a significant degree is up for some debate, however. While he shaved 31 points off his GAA (down to 2.82), his save percentage only went up by one point although his Goals Saved Above Expected went up by nearly nine, per MoneyPuck. Instead of making the case that he can still be a starter or at least a platoon player, Samsonov basically cemented his status as being more of a backup goalie heading into his now third foray on the open market.
Still, Samsonov should be able to generate some interest in free agency in a UFA class that isn’t particularly deep. Jake Allen is the headliner and in a tier of his own while Samsonov will be competing with the likes of Alexandar Georgiev, Daniel Vladar, and Anton Forsberg to try to secure a contract to be a second-string option for next season.
As for Vegas, it’s possible that they could be on the lookout for a new backup themselves. While Adin Hill is now entrenched as the starter as he begins a new six-year deal next season, Akira Schmid is currently penciled as the backup but is coming off a rocky year with AHL Henderson. If they want a more proven option behind Hill, they could look to free agency but if they want to keep as much cap space intact as possible, they might opt to give Schmid the first opportunity to secure the number two role.