Offseason Checklist: Vegas Golden Knights
The offseason has arrived for all but two teams now with the playoffs nearing an end. Accordingly, it’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming weeks with free agency fast approaching. Next up is a look at Vegas.
After being a Wild Card team last season, the Golden Knights won the Pacific Division this year and made it a round further in the playoffs before being ousted by Edmonton in the second round. While it’s a step in the right direction, GM Kelly McCrimmon will still have some work to do this summer to tweak his group and set them up for the future.
Open Up Cap Space
On the surface, $9.6MM in cap space (per PuckPedia) isn’t too bad. Frankly, it’s more than they’ve had in past years in late spring. But that also comes with several key veterans getting set to hit the open market next month, including wingers Reilly Smith, Victor Olofsson, and Brandon Saad, along with goaltender Ilya Samsonov. Suffice it to say, those four players alone will probably cost that much or more next month.
So, if McCrimmon wants to add anyone of consequence to his group, he will need to open up some flexibility, something that is going to be easier said than done. William Karlsson was a logical speculative candidate with two years left on his contract at a $5.9MM AAV but that has been ruled out already.
Speculatively, their top talents are probably not in play. Their lower-cost ones aren’t necessarily going to move the needle in terms of opening up enough space to do something. And there aren’t too many in the medium-term cost category, especially with Karlsson off the table. Basically, that leaves defenseman Brayden McNabb ($3.65MM) and Ivan Barbashev ($5MM) as the only pieces that could be moved that could open up enough meaningful space to contribute toward a signing.
At this point, it certainly sounds like they’d like to open up enough flexibility to do something. How they create enough space to do so will be interesting to follow.
Work On Eichel Extension
This is something that McCrimmon highlighted at the end of the season as a priority, getting center Jack Eichel signed to a contract extension. He’ll be entering the final year of his contract in July, making him eligible to put pen to paper on a new deal. The two sides have already held preliminary talks but getting something across the finish line will be the goal.
The 28-year-old has done quite well with Vegas since being acquired four seasons ago following a prolonged battle with his former team in Buffalo as to what type of neck surgery to pursue. Eichel eventually got his way with the artificial disc procedure being done upon being acquired and while he has battled injuries along the way, that particular injury hasn’t been an issue since. He is coming off a career year that saw him record personal bests in assists (66) and points (94) and is averaging more than a point per game since the trade. He has also become a reliable defensive player, seeing regular time on the penalty kill and landing in the top five in Selke Trophy voting. Basically, Eichel is an all-around number one center, the type of player that is very hard to come by.
Eichel is already at the $10MM per season mark and it’s unlikely that a small increase to that will be enough to get it done thanks to the projected significant jumps to the Upper Limit of the salary cap over the next few years. His current deal was worth 12.58% of the salary cap at the time it was signed. Early projections for the salary cap for 2026-27 when his next contract will kick in have the ceiling at $104MM. Simply using the same 12.58% figure against that number, that would run his price tag up to $13.083MM per season. For now, at least, that would make him the third-highest-paid player in the league behind Leon Draisaitl ($14MM) and Auston Matthews ($13.25MM), a pair of middlemen themselves.
That’s pretty high territory for a player who has only reached the 80-point mark twice in his career, this season and back in 2018-19. It’s not that Eichel doesn’t produce at a point-per-game level, but he does have a history of injuries; his rookie year (2015-16) was the only time he reached the 80-game mark in a season. It wouldn’t be surprising to see McCrimmon try to factor that into the negotiation to try to get that AAV at least a little lower but Eichel’s camp should know that unless there’s a serious injury next season, he’d hit the open market as arguably the top player available at a premium position which could very well drive the price tag closer to Draisaitl’s mark. Are the Golden Knights willing to go that high to get something done now? We’ll find out over the next few months.
Defensive Decisions
The UFAs listed earlier aren’t the only expiring contracts the Golden Knights will be contending with this summer as defenseman Nicolas Hague is going to be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent. Owed a $2.7MM qualifying offer this summer, the expectation is that he’ll be looking to land more than that. Given their cap situation, there has been no shortage of speculation that he’ll move.
However, there have also been suggestions that Alex Pietrangelo’s availability to start the season could be in question. While he was in the lineup following the 4 Nations Face-Off, he was playing through an injury the rest of the way including the playoffs and at 35 with over 1,200 NHL games under his belt (regular season and playoffs), he might be nearing the point where he’s going to be playing through some lingering issues for the final two years of his contract. Only the Golden Knights know his true availability to start 2025-26 but even if he is good to go, would the uncertainty make them consider adding on the back end? Would that make them lean toward keeping Hague, even though he’s a left-hand shot?
It’s expected that Kaedan Korczak will get a look at more of a regular role next season but he and Zach Whitecloud are the only other two right-hand shots on the back end in Vegas. Both are more third-pairing types of players so if they’re worried about Pietrangelo’s full-season availability, they might want to sniff around the right-shot market. That would cut into their cap space, obviously, but that type of insurance would be valuable. It could come from moving Hague for a right-shot piece or moving him for futures and signing one in free agency. One option would be an older player eligible for bonuses on a one-year deal (someone like Brent Burns), allowing them to push some of the costs to 2026-27 and potentially allow them to keep their full back end intact. There are some options here.
Failing that, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them try to add a veteran or two on the open market that could start with AHL Henderson but come up if and when injuries arise. The Hague speculation is plentiful but that probably won’t be the only headline from their back end this summer.
Look For Backup Goalie
After a disappointing year with Toronto in 2023-24, Samsonov opted to sign a one-year deal with Vegas in the hopes that he’d rebuild some of his value and be in better shape to hit the open market this summer. While he shaved 31 points off his GAA (down to 2.83), his SV% only improved by one point to .891, still below league average. At this point, it would be surprising if he returned.
Vegas did add Akira Schmid in a trade on the second day of the draft last year, acquiring him as part of the return in the deal that sent Paul Cotter to New Jersey. With Adin Hill and Samsonov comprising the tandem with the Golden Knights, Schmid spent most of this season in the AHL with the Silver Knights where he struggled, posting a 3.58 GAA and a .886 SV% in 30 outings, numbers that don’t exactly scream promotion-ready.
Granted, Schmid did well in limited duty in five games (three starts) with Vegas and he did have a good run late in 2022-23 with the Devils but then lost the backup job the following season relatively quickly. With just 48 NHL games under his belt (just 36 starts), is he ready to play 30 or more games with the Golden Knights? That’s not a given.
Schmid’s contract makes him appealing (a $875K AAV) but would they be better trying to spend closer to twice as much and get a more proven option or find another Samsonov-type goalie looking to bounce back? This isn’t necessarily a top-priority need but with the goalie market typically moving quickly once free agency opens up, a decision to that question will need to be made fairly quickly.
Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.
Bruins Sign Victor Soderstrom
Boston didn’t waste any time getting their newest blueliner under contract. After acquiring the rights to Victor Soderstrom on Friday, the Bruins announced that they’ve signed the defenseman to a one-year, two-way contract. The NHL portion of the deal will pay the minimum salary of $775K while the AHL salary was not disclosed.
The 24-year-old was a first-round pick back in 2019 when Arizona drafted him 11th overall. However, his development has not quite gone as well as the then-Coyotes would have hoped.
While Soderstrom saw NHL action in four straight seasons from 2020-21 through 2023-24, he only got into 53 games overall. Instead, he spent most of his time in North America in the minors, spanning 170 contests. His 2023-24 performance was arguably his best as he had 32 points in 62 games with AHL Springfield but that didn’t yield much in the way of a chance in Arizona as he played just three times with them that year, leading him to voice his frustration with his lack of opportunity.
As a result, Soderstrom didn’t want to re-sign with that organization (which moved to Utah last offseason) while, at the time at least, Utah didn’t want to trade him. At an impasse, the blueliner decided to go back home, signing a two-year deal with SHL Brynas. With one year left on that agreement, it’s clear that the agreement had an NHL out clause.
Soderstrom had a solid season in Sweden, posting nine goals and 28 assists in 49 regular season games with Brynas while logging over 22 minutes a night of playing time. While he didn’t post points at the same level in the playoffs, he chipped in with eight points in 17 outings in a little more than 23 minutes per game of ice time. Along the way, Chicago acquired his rights as part of the move that saw them add Shea Weber‘s contract to their books and the thought was that the Blackhawks might try to sign Soderstrom themselves this summer.
Clearly, that didn’t happen and Chicago’s prospect depth on the back end might have had something to do with that, leading to Friday’s trade. Boston’s right-shot defensive depth isn’t as deep as Charlie McAvoy and Andrew Peeke are the only two regular blueliners who shoot from that side. As a result, there could be an opportunity for Soderstrom to push for a roster spot with the Bruins although a lot can change between now and the start of training camp that could affect that chance. Either way, Soderstrom will be getting a second opportunity to play in North America this season.
Metropolitan Notes: Jones, Soucy, Poulin
The Rangers have had contract discussions with pending RFA defenseman Zac Jones, reports Mollie Walker of the New York Post (subscription link). The 24-year-old expressed frustration with his usage earlier in the season; while he set a new career-high in games played, he still only suited up 46 times, recording 11 points in a little over 17 minutes per night of playing time. His camp had permission to explore trade options during the season but nothing materialized in terms of a move. He’s owed a qualifying offer of just over $866K but also has arbitration eligibility which is something New York would likely prefer to avoid. That might explain the early discussions as if the two sides can’t find a suitable deal, Jones could be a non-tender candidate at the end of the month to avoid the risk of a possible arbitration award that’s higher than they want to pay.
More from the Metropolitan:
- While the future of K’Andre Miller with the Rangers remains murky, Arthur Staple of The Athletic suggests (subscription link) that clearing out the final year of Carson Soucy’s contract is something else New York will be looking to do on the left side of their back end. The 30-year-old was acquired from Vancouver near the trade deadline as a buy-low addition with the hopes that a change of scenery could give him a boost. Instead, that didn’t happen and Soucy was even briefly scratched. He had 13 points, 106 hits, and 113 blocks in 75 games this season but with a year and $3.25MM left on his contract, GM Chris Drury likely feels that money could be better spent elsewhere. Soucy has a full no-trade clause until July 1st when that protection drops to a 12-team no-trade list.
- This season wasn’t a great one for Penguins winger Samuel Poulin. He cleared waivers during training camp and outside of a seven-game stint with Pittsburgh (six of which came in November), playing time at the top level was hard to come by. Even so, Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review feels that the 24-year-old still has a chance to be in Pittsburgh’s plans. With the team planning to get younger, the fact that he had a career-best 41 points with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, and his size as the heaviest player in the organization, Poulin could very well find himself in the mix with the big club next season. If not, he’ll have to pass through waivers again and could be a candidate to be claimed with his stronger showing in the minors this year.
Hurricanes Linked To Amir Miftakhov
With veterans Dustin Tokarski and Spencer Martin set to be unrestricted free agents next month, the Hurricanes are expected to make a move to add some depth at the goaltending position. That move could be coming soon as Championat’s Rustam Imanov reports that netminder Amir Miftakhov has rejected extension offers from KHL Ak Bars Kazan and is in the final stages of talks with Carolina about a contract for the upcoming season.
The 25-year-old was a sixth-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2020, going 186th overall. He signed an entry-level deal with them the following year and split the 2021-22 season between AHL Syracuse (22 games) and ECHL Orlando (five appearances). However, Miftakhov wanted to return home instead of staying in the minors and had the final two years of his contract terminated in July 2022.
Since then, Miftakhov has played in the KHL. This past season, he played in 30 games with Kazan, posting a strong 2.18 GAA and a .927 SV% along the way. Those were largely in line with his career numbers of a 2.19 GAA and a .922 SV% in 82 outings over parts of five seasons at that level.
While that performance probably isn’t going to be enough to give him a shot at a full-time spot with the Hurricanes (assuming a deal gets finalized), it could give him a chance to be the starter at AHL Chicago, putting him in line to be the first goalie recalled if injuries arise to Frederik Andersen or Pyotr Kochetkov. It appears that opportunity might be enough for Miftakhov to give playing in North America another shot.
Brandon Gignac Signs In Swiss League
Rather than test free agency next month, pending UFA Brandon Gignac has decided to head overseas. EHC Kloten in Switzerland announced that they’ve inked the center to a two-year contract.
The 27-year-old was originally drafted by New Jersey in the third round back in 2016. However, playing time was hard to come by at the top level as he made just one NHL appearance with them before being non-tendered in 2021.
That brought him to Montreal’s farm team on a minor-league deal, one that he was able to convert to a two-year, two-way NHL pact in 2023-24. When that happened, Gignac got into seven games with the Canadiens, scoring once while logging a little under 12 minutes a night of playing time. Meanwhile, he had a career year in the AHL with Laval that season, notching 55 points in 61 games.
Coming off that season, there was some thought that Gignac could push for a back-of-the-roster spot with Montreal this year or at least be in line for a recall when injuries arise. However, after clearing waivers in training camp, Gignac suffered a long-term injury that caused him to miss 53 games, putting an end to any hopes of a promotion. He returned for the playoffs and had just three points in 12 games.
Knowing that an NHL opportunity likely wasn’t going to be on the table this summer, Gignac’s options likely would have been limited to two-way offers next month. Instead of taking another one of those, he’ll now try his hand in a new league altogether.
Penguins Re-Sign Bokondji Imama To One-Year Contract
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed depth forward Bokondji Imama to a one-year, two-way contract that carries a league-minimum $775K salary at the NHL level. Imama split the 2024-25 season between the NHL and AHL rosters, and appeared in a career-high 16 games with the Pittsburgh lineup.
Imama blazed his style at the top flight this season. After years of establishing himself as a minor-league bruiser, he showed the control needed to maintain that title at the top level – with 30 penalty minutes and a plus-two in his NHL appearances. He also chipped in 47 penalty minutes and a minus-one in 24 AHL games – a modest total relative to seasons past. Imama led the Belleville Senators in PIMs last season, with 115 through 53 appearances. He held the same title with the 2021-22 Tucson Roadrunners, where he racked up a daunting 178 PIMs in 54 games played.
Through eight seasons in the AHL, Imama has averaged just over nine points a year. He’s a low-scoring, low-minutes depth forward with the smooth skating and pest tendencies to continue finding work at a pro level. A one-year deal will keep him in Pittsburgh’s depth charts as the team looks to move into a new era, with a much younger lineup. That fact could earn Imama even more ice time at the NHL level next season, though any minutes are likely to come in an extra-forward role.
Jaromir Jagr Hopes To Play 38th Professional Season
Enough will never be enough for former NHL superstar Jaromir Jagr. The two-time Stanley Cup Winner, five-time Art Ross Trophy winner, and future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer called an end to his NHL career in 2017-18, after 24 years in the league. But he’s continued his journey in pro hockey through this season, spending the last seven years with Rytíři Kladno in the Czechia Extraliga. Now, after completion of his 37th season in pro hockey, the legendary Jagr committed to one more year on TNT’s pre-game broadcast for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Jagr will extend his career after previously stating the 2024-25 season would be his last. But he performed well throughout the year, netting five goals and 16 points in 39 appearances. He told the TNT broadcast crew:
“I still love the game. I love to practice. I don’t want to get fat. I lost some weight right now, like 20 pounds, so I feel a little bit better… I just do it just to be healthy, and I just enjoy the existence…”
That sentiment will launch Jagr one step closer to spending four decades in pro hockey. He’s now 53 years old and no longer holds the majority ownership stake in Kladno’s hockey club – selling an 80 percent ownership stake in January, after previously serving as a rare combination of club player and owner for 14 years. It was under that title that Jagr supported Kladno’s surge back to Czechia’s top pro league in 2018, and then again in 2021. The team has stayed at the top level in the three seasons since.
Jagr’s physical upkeep seemed to be declining through last season. He only appeared in 15 games on the season, and – for the first time in his life – didn’t record a goal all season long. But he bounced back to form this year, appearing in more games than he has since the 2021-22 campaign, when he scored 19 points in 43 games.
With health back on his side, Jagr will look to continue Kladno’s surge at the top flight. The club finished second-to-last in the Extraliga last year, though they avoided relegation by four wins. Aside from Jagr, they were led by Eduards Tralmaks, who recently signed with the Detroit Red Wings after netting 51 points in 48 Czech games last season.
Jagr’s trophy cabinet has been filled beyond capacity. He’s a member of the Triple Gold Club – a winner of Gold Medals at the World Championship, Olympic Games, and a Stanley Cup winner – on top of taking home hardware at truly every level he’s appeared in. He may fall shy of repeating that in Czechia next season, but one more year will push Jagr even closer to the illustrious, unheralded feat of playing 40 years in pro sports.
Ducks Sign Lucas Pettersson To Entry-Level Contract
The Anaheim Ducks have signed 2024 second-round draft pick Lucas Pettersson to a three-year, entry-level contract. Pettersson split his season between Sweden’s SHL and HockeyAllsvenskan, and is expected to return to the SHL’s MoDo Hockey next year.
Pettersson had a quiet introduction to the pro flight. He earned a call-up to the SHL after netting eight points in eight games in Sweden’s U20 league – but struggled to find a clear groove in a fourth-line SHL role. Recognizing the struggles following numerous lineup changes, MoDo opted to send Pettersson to the HockeyAllsvenskan (HA) for the entirety of January. Having his feet under him launched Pettersson’s performance. He scored a hat trick in his first game on assignment, then proceeded to net 14 points in 12 HA games throughout January and early February.
Pettersson followed his hot streak in the HA with a quartet of international friendlies with Sweden’s U20 club. He scored three points in the four games, but didn’t stay lit when he returned to league play in mid-February. By the time he rediscovered his pace – with four points in three HA games to end February – MoDo opted to bring the dynamic forward back to the top flight.
When all was said and done, Pettersson ended his season with 19 points in 26 HA games, one assist in 29 SHL games, and eight points in eight J20 (U20) games. His 0.73 point-per-game scoring pace in the HA fell just behind 2025 NHL Draft stars Anton Frondell (0.86) and Victor Eklund (0.74) on the league’s U19 leaderboards. The trio posted the highest scoring paces since Noah Ostlund (0.70, 2022-23), Lucas Elvenes (0.95, 2017-18), and Elias Pettersson (0.95, 2016-17).
Lucas Pettersson earned high-end consideration for much of the 2024 draft season. He earned a second-round bid after posting 27 goals and 57 points in 44 J20 games, though some outlets had him ranked as high as an early-20s talent. He’s a flashy, agile forward with strong puck-skills and sharp offensive instinct. Those traits will need to become consistent and refined as he eyes a move to North America, but another year in the SHL could go far in preparing Pettersson to join an often Swede-friendly Ducks lineup.
Blackhawks Trade Rights To Victor Soderstrom To Bruins
The Chicago Blackhawks have traded the rights to Swedish defenseman Victor Soderstrom to the Boston Bruins in exchange for defense prospect Ryan Mast and a seventh-round pick, per Scott Powers of The Athletic. Soderstrom made a return to Sweden’s SHL this season, after spending the last four years muddling through the Arizona Coyotes depth chart. Chicago acquired his rights alongside the rights to depth forward Aku Raty and retired defender Shea Weber at the 2025 Trade Deadline. In return, the now-Utah Mammoth received a 2026 fifth-round pick.
It’s an apt time to buy high on Soderstrom’s NHL rights. He had a true breakout year in the SHL, netting nine goals and 37 points in 49 appearances. Those marks ranked Soderstrom second on the Brynas IF blue-line in scoring, two points behind Charle-Edouard D’Astous. Soderstrom had no shortage of flashy plays over the course of Brynas’ season, using deceptive stickhandling and instinctive offense to blow by opponents and set up his teammates. One of his favorite targets was former Anaheim Ducks winger Jakob Silfverberg, who led Brynas in scoring with 47 points in 52 games.
But despite the strong return to Swedish pros, Soderstrom’s tenure in North America is still one to forget. He was originally drafted 11th-overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, but quickly struggled to find a role in the Arizona pipeline. He joined the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners in 2020-21 and scored 10 points in 32 games played, good enough to also earn the first four games of his NHL career, where he potted two points. But Soderstrom then ran cold, and didn’t manage any scoring through 16 NHL appearances in the following year. He did bolster his minor-league scoring, though, with 19 points in 32 games – just enough to earn another trip to the NHL in 2022-23. That tenure proved a bit more promising – headlined by nine points in 30 games – but Soderstrom again struggled to make it stick. He completed two more productive seasons in the minors, but closed his trip through North America with a measly 11 points in 53 NHL games, despite 82 points in 170 AHL games.
A move to Boston will mark another potential home for the flashy puck-handler. The Bruins could sorely use a right-shot defender after trading shutdown man Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Deadline. Soderstrom is still only 24-years-old and could reasonably spend a few more years in Sweden before offering Boston his prime years. That will be the upside Boston hopes for, at least – though it’s a shrewd bet at the cost of just a depth prospect and fifth-round pick.
The other focal piece of the move, defender Ryan Mast, played through his rookie year in the AHL this season. He recorded just five points, 19 penalty minutes, and a plus-seven through 37 games with the Providence Bruins – quaint totals after he posted 16 points in 47 ECHL games last year. Mast is 6-foot-5 and plays his best hockey on the defensive side of the puck, where he uses a long and effective reach to force opponents into the corners and away from the puck. Hot scoring won’t be what many fans remember Mast for, but he could find his way into a small NHL role with a few more years of learning to handle pro offenses. He’ll be a low-risk, low-reward addition to a Blackhawks’ pipeline geared firmly on the future.
Penguins Sign Melvin Fernstrom To Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward prospect Melvin Fernstrom to a three-year, entry-level contract. Fernstrom was originally drafted in the third-round of the 2024 NHL Draft by the Vancouver Canucks. He was traded to the Penguins ahead of this year’s Trade Deadline, alongside a first-round pick and two depth pros in the deal that send Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor to Vancouver.
Fernstrom spent the bulk of the 2024-25 season with Orebro HK of Sweden’s SHL. It was his first full year of professional hockey and he dotted it with eight goals and 17 points in 48 appearances. That stat line doesn’t jump off the page, but Fernstrom’s scoring did lead all U19 skaters in the SHL. In fact, his scoring total falls closely in line with current and former NHL fixtures like Magnus Paajarvi, Adrian Kempe, and Alexander Holtz — who all managed either 16 or 17 points in their own U19 seasons in the SHL.
For his part, Fernstrom earned his pro role on the back of responsible and smooth hockey across the board. He’s a strong skater even despite a lanky frame, and uses that to find his spots and weave between his teammates well. When he can’t, he has a laser wrist-shot that’s dangerous anywhere below the tops of the circles. He may not fall into the clear category of playmaker, but showed an abundance of confidence in handling the puck around pro defenders and finding ways to set up his teammates.
Fernstrom recorded 63 points in 45 games in Sweden’s U20 league – and added eight points in seven games at the World U18 Championship – in his draft year last season. That stat line, and his smooth style, led to a confident third-round selection, though some public scouts like Craig Button had him ranked as a second-round talent. Fernstrom was a priority addition to the Pettersson trade, and Pittsburgh will now take the first step in trying to bank on the upside he offers. Fernstrom is expected to return to the SHL next season, but could be a candidate to join the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins when Orebro’s 2025-26 campaign concludes.