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Sam Bennett’s Next Contract Expected To Exceed Teammate Verhaeghe’s

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Forward Sam Bennett is having a phenomenal postseason run for the Panthers, and it’s coming at an opportune time for the pending free agent. The soon-to-be 29-year-old is set to land a hefty contract, and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared on radio show SN590 that while the Panthers have reportedly offered Bennett a deal similar to Carter Verhaeghe’s recent extension, he believes it won’t be enough to keep him in Florida.

The Panthers and Verhaeghe agreed to an eight-year extension in October. He will earn $7MM each year of the deal, with $46MM of the $56MM being paid out in bonuses. Florida also gave Verhaeghe a six-year no-move clause that began this past season and will last the first five years of his new deal. However, Friedman believes Bennett has priced himself out of a similar deal.

“I think they tried to sign Bennett to the Verhaeghe deal, which was eight years times $7MM with bonus structure. That’s not going to get it done,” he said.

While Verhaeghe and Bennett posted similar regular-season numbers (Verhaeghe recorded 53 points to Bennett’s 51 this past season), Bennett has elevated his game in the postseason. While playing with his usual physicality, Bennett has taken his game to another level ahead of free agency with an impressive 15 goals in 22 postseason games. Add in that he and Mitch Marner are poised to set the market for free agents as the top two names available, and Bennett is poised for a big payday. Even if he takes a hometown discount to remain in Florida, he’ll command much more than his expiring deal, which came with a $4.425MM AAV. To keep Bennett in the fold, the Panthers may need to offer a deal closer to the eight-year, $69MM extension that kept star Sam Reinhart off the market last summer. That deal came with a cap hit of $8.625MM per season.

However, as Friedman points out, the Panthers have some other key pending free agents to consider, including franchise staple Aaron Ekblad and veteran Brad Marchand, who is having his own heroic postseason run. With $19MM in cap space, per PuckPedia, Panthers GM Bill Zito will need to get creative if he hopes to retain all three players next season. And while hometown discounts are always possible—especially for a team as successful as Florida—Friedman cautions that those can’t be relied upon.

“I think people can always take a little less, and that’s fine. Do what makes you happy. But while you’re always willing to take a little bit less, the question is how much? I think for every person that’s different. And I think there are some teams out there that are really prepared to make Marchand some big, short-term offers. And nothing in the playoffs has changed my opinion on that. In fact, it’s only grown. So, I think the biggest question for Florida is what they can do against what some other teams are going to be able to do,” he said.

Stars Sign Remi Poirier To Two-Year, Two-Way Contract

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The Dallas Stars have announced they’ve signed goaltender Remi Poirier to a two-year, two-way contract beginning next season. Poirier has spent the last three seasons with the AHL’s Texas Stars.

Dallas originally drafted Poirier in the sixth-round of the 2020 NHL Draft. He signed his entry-level contract two seasons later, after finishing a fourth year with the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques. His pro career kicked off in the ECHL, but he earned a promotion to the AHL after posting three shutouts and nine one-goal games through his first 22 games. He finished his rookie pro season split between tier-two and tier-three, ultimately finishing the year with a .928 save percentage in 23 ECHL games and a .907 Sv% in 16 AHL games.

The momentum from year one was enough to propel Poirier to the top of a closely-contested Texas goalie room last season. He played in 38 of Texas’ 72 games on the season, and posted a team-best .904 save percentage and 17-16-4 record. He seemed set to continue on as Texas’ starter into this season, until the Stars signed Magnus Hellberg to a one-year, two-way contract last August. Hellberg assumed the lion’s share of minutes over Poirier, though Poirier’s .908 Sv% in 31 games still trumped Hellberg’s .904 Sv% in 41 games.

Hellberg recently signed with Djugardens IF of Swedens’ SHL for next season. That move should open the door for Poirier to once again step into the AHL spotlight. He boasts a career-long stat line of a 43-32-8 record, .906 Sv%, and 2.86 goals-against-average in 85 games and four seasons.

Longtime Player Agent Steve Reich Passes Away

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O2K Sports Management has announced that legendary player agent Steve Reich has passed away. Reich worked in hockey for more than 30 years, and served as president of RBRT Sports Group from 1993 to 2000. He has represented legendary and Hall-of-Fame talents like Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis, Chris Chelios, and Luc Robitaille – as well as all-time winningest coach Scotty Bowman. He was also a must-know name when it came to player marketing and endorsements.

Reich’s journey through the hockey world was a fascinating one. He entered the world of sports management soon after college, following in the footsteps of his uncle Tom Reich, who represented baseball legends like Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey Jr., and Dock Ellis. All-time-great Lemieux was in need of new representation around the same time, and was connected to the Reich family. With that, the group moved forward – with Tom negotiating contracts and Steve handling endorsements. Eventually, that split faded and allowed Steve to step into a bigger partnership with some of the best players in NHL history.

In his early days of representing Lemieux and RBRT Sports Group, Reich also hired on a young Pat Brisson, who now represents some of the league’s best players, including Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin – shares Mike Colligan of The Hockey Writers. In addition to his headlining talents, Reich also represented Scott Gomez, Daniel Briere, Tom Barrasso, Kevin Stevens, and Brad Stuart – among many others. He was even listed as the signing agent on Vincent Trocheck’s current contract with the New York Rangers: a seven-year, $39.38MM deal signed in 2022.

Reich was equal parts sharp-and-strategic, and happy-and-easy-going. His enthusiasm, selflessness, and calming energy are often the first things mentioned by people reflecting on their experience with the all-time great. He was at the front lines of multiple monumental points in NHL history, including opting to step down from RBRT Sports Group in 2000 to support Lemieux in his return to the NHL. Pro Hockey Rumors sends our condolences to the Reich family, friends, and entire family at O2K Sports Management.

Snapshots: Nugent-Hopkins, Malkin, Marner

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Edmonton Oilers centerman Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is expected to stick in the lineup for Game 6 despite missing Monday’s practice, head coach Kris Knoblauch told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic. His off-day will instead be chalked up to rest, after Nugent-Hopkins appeared in 20 minutes of action in Game 5.

Nugent-Hopkins appeared in 24 minutes of ice time and scored two points in Edmonton’s 5-4 win over Florida in Game 4. He ranks third on the Oilers’ offense in ice time (19:44) and postseason scoring (20 points in 21 games) behind only Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. It’s the expected pecking order, but Nugent-Hopkins’ role has still been a crucial part of Edmonton’s postseason success. They’ll rest assured knowing he’s expected to appear in a must-win game on Tuesday.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Retirement winds are beginning to blow around Pittsburgh Penguins legend Evgeni Malkin. It remains unclear exactly when the Russian forward is expecting to retire, though sources around the team say Pittsburgh is unlikely to offer him a new contract next summer, per Josh Yohe of The Athletic. Malkin will enter unrestricted free agency after the 2025-26 season after riding out a four-year, $24.4MM contract. He posted the lowest scoring pace of his career this season, with 50 points in 68 games equating to 0.74 points-per-game. That mark surpassed his previous career-low of 0.82 set last season, when he scored 27 goals and 67 points in 82 games. Those numbers are still mighty impressive, and could earn Malkin a few more years even as he slows down. He could also be a candidate to leave the NHL with a few good years left, and finish his playing career in Russia’s KHL. Mettalurg Magnitogorsk continue to hold Malkin’s KHL rights. He previously appeared in 169 games and scored 156 points with the club.
  • Top free agent Mitch Marner may take his time deciding on a new landing spot when the market opens on July 1st, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared on his latest 32 Thoughts podcast. Friedman adds that Marner could have plans to establish meetings throughout multiple cities before he signs his next deal. Negotiations for Marner’s last contract – a six-year, $65.41MM deal signed in 2019 – notoriously dragged on through September. He posted multiple career-years on the deal, including breaking the century mark for the first time this season with 102 points in 81 games. Marner is likely to rival records with a lengthy and expensive deal this season. Taking time to ensure it’s with the right fit will be a helpful bit of due diligence.

Flames Promote Peter Hanlon To Assistant General Manager

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The Flames are promoting Peter Hanlon to an assistant general manager role, the club announced Monday. He isn’t replacing an existing AGM, instead, he’s augmenting Craig Conroy’s current AGMs in Dave Nonis and Brad Pascall.

Saying the promotion is a long time coming for Hanlon would be an understatement. He’s been with the Flames for nearly three decades, all in the Vice President of Communications role he was hired into in the 1997-98 season. A move from the communications team to the GM suite is unconventional, but Flames’ President of Hockey Operations Dan Maloney emphasized Hanlon’s 30 years of experience in the sport.

Hanlon worked very closely with all levels of the Flames organization in his role, including serving as the liaison between players and media or fans for many years. Now, GM Craig Conry shares Hanlon will focus on all aspects of hockey operations, including player evaluation, recruitment, and strategic planning.

The VP of comms role was just the second front-office job in hockey Hanlon landed in hockey. He’d previously been the Maple Leafs’ AHL team manager between 1991-92 and 1995-96. He joined the Leafs on their two most recent runs to the Eastern Conference Finals in that span, and worked closely with players like Doug Gilmour, Dave Andreychuk, Mats Sundin, and Larry Murphy. Hanlon graduated from that role into a job with the NHL’s central office for a year.

While an assistant general manager role will mark new opportunity, Hanlon’s roots in hockey are plain to see. He’ll assume his new role beginning on July 1st, right as Calgary looks to start spending their wealth of $26.9MM in projected cap space.

Andrew Mangiapane Switches Agents, Not Expected To Re-Sign With Capitals

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The Capitals don’t have many notable pending free agents. The ones with the most name value among them, Nicklas Bäckström and T.J. Oshie, spent the entire season on injured reserve and, in the latter’s case, have since retired. As such, it’s widely believed Washington will let most of them test the open market without much pushback while using the open cap space to pursue bigger fish in free agency.

That will be the case with one of their higher-priced ones. Winger Andrew Mangiapane will test free agency and isn’t expected to re-sign with the Caps, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports Monday. He’s also switched his representation from Raze Sports’ Ritchie Winter to RSG Hockey’s Allain Roy, Pagnotta adds. Winter is only the agent for two other regular NHLers, Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard and pending Jets UFA Mason Appleton. On the other hand, Roy is responsible for 44 active contracts with another 28 pending free agents he manages – 29 now with Mangiapane.

The 29-year-old winger will hit the open market with his stock arguably at its lowest point since he entered the league. Things in Washington didn’t go anywhere the way he wanted them to after the Caps acquired the Flames fixture from Calgary for a second-round pick last June. While nearly every other Capital had some form of a breakout or resurgence en route to their 111-point regular season, Mangiapane’s 28 points in 81 games were his lowest output since his 44-game rookie season in Calgary in 2018-19.

A sixth-round pick back in 2015, Mangiapane has settled in as more of a consistent 10-to-20-goal producer. He’s only topped the latter mark once, erupting for 35 goals in the 2021-22 season. Even with that outlier skewing the sample, he still averages 20 goals and 40 points per 82 games for his career. That’s naturally where Washington expected his production to fall, but he was passed over for top-six/nine minutes early in the season by names like Connor McMichael, Aliaksei Protas, and even Brandon Duhaime to some extent. He averaged only 13:02 per game with his production suffering as a result, limited to 14 goals and 14 assists despite shooting slightly above his 14.4% career average. Mangiapane’s 1.17 shots on goal per game were the lowest of any qualified season in his career.

A repeat of his usual 40-to-50-point production might have positioned him to recoup most of his previous $5.8MM AAV on the open market this summer. Now, his open-market projection is at $3.8MM per season on a two-year deal, according to AFP Analytics. Even that may be unrealistically high with a bevy of middle-six wingers available this offseason coming off better platform years.

The Caps, despite looking to add, still have some quality young internal replacement options for Mangiapane in a worst-case scenario. Recent first-rounders Ryan Leonard and Ivan Miroshnichenko are both legitimate candidates to be on their opening night roster next fall, even if the latter has less of a case.

Teams Announce Preliminary Six Players For 2026 Olympics

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12:00 p.m.: Updated to include the United States’ roster.
11:01 a.m.: Updated to include Canada’s roster.
10:32 a.m.: Updated to reflect France’s roster.
9:18 a.m.: Updated to reflect Denmark’s roster.
8:23 a.m.: Updated to reflect Slovakia’s roster.

7:49 a.m.: Throughout Monday, the IIHF is announcing teams’ preliminary rosters for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy. It’s the tournament’s first edition with NHL participation since 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Like the NHL did with the 4 Nations Face-Off, teams must lock in six players to their final roster well in advance. Of course, the field is now set after the IIHF confirmed a few weeks ago that Russia would not participate in the event, even under a Russian Olympic Committee banner as they did in 2018 and 2022, due to the country’s military aggression in Ukraine.

European teams’ preliminary six players were announced early in the morning, while those looking for North American teams must wait until later Monday. Here’s each team’s initial roster for the tournament, which will run from Feb. 5 to Feb. 22, 2026:

Group A

(1) Canada

F Sidney Crosby (Penguins)
F Nathan MacKinnon (Avalanche)
F Connor McDavid (Oilers)
F Brayden Point (Lightning)
F Sam Reinhart (Panthers)
D Cale Makar (Avalanche)

(2) Czechia

F Martin Nečas (Avalanche)
F Ondřej Palát (Devils)
F David Pastrňák (Bruins)
F Pavel Zacha (Bruins)
D Radko Gudas (Ducks)
G Lukáš Dostál (Ducks)

(3) Switzerland

F Kevin Fiala (Kings)
F Nico Hischier (Devils)
F Timo Meier (Devils)
F Nino Niederreiter (Jets)
D Roman Josi (Predators)
D Jonas Siegenthaler (Devils)

(4) France

F Pierre-Édouard Bellemare (Ajoie/NL)
F Jordann Perret (Mountfield/Czechia)
F Alexandre Texier (Blues)
D Yohann Auvitu (Vítkovice/Czechia)
D Jules Boscq (HPK/Liiga)
D Hugo Gallet (Tappara/Liiga)

Group B

(1) Finland

F Sebastian Aho (Hurricanes)
F Aleksander Barkov (Panthers)
F Mikko Rantanen (Stars)
D Miro Heiskanen (Stars)
D Esa Lindell (Stars)
G Juuse Saros (Predators)

(2) Sweden

F Adrian Kempe (Kings)
F Gabriel Landeskog (Avalanche)
F William Nylander (Maple Leafs)
F Lucas Raymond (Red Wings)
D Rasmus Dahlin (Sabres)
D Victor Hedman (Lightning)

(3) Slovakia

F Martin Pospisil (Flames)
F Juraj Slafkovsky (Canadiens)
F Tomáš Tatar (Zug/NL)
D Erik Černák (Lightning)
D Martin Fehérváry (Capitals)
D Simon Nemec (Devils)

(4) Italy

F Diego Kostner (Ambrì-Piotta/NL)
F Daniel Mantenuto (Bolzano/ICEHL)
F Tommy Purdeller (Pustertal/ICEHL)
D Thomas Larkin (Schwenninger/DEL)
D Luca Zanatta (Pustertal/ICEHL)
G Damian Clara (Ducks)

Group C

(1) United States

F Jack Eichel (Golden Knights)
F Auston Matthews (Maple Leafs)
F Brady Tkachuk (Senators)
F Matthew Tkachuk (Panthers)
D Quinn Hughes (Canucks)
D Charlie McAvoy (Bruins)

(2) Germany

F Leon Draisaitl (Oilers)
F Lukas Reichel (Blackhawks)
F Nico Sturm (Panthers)
F Tim Stützle (Senators)
D Moritz Seider (Red Wings)
G Philipp Grubauer (Kraken)

(3) Latvia

F Rodrigo Abols (Flyers)
F Teddy Blueger (Canucks)
F Zemgus Girgensons (Lightning)
D Uvis Balinskis (Panthers)
G Elvis Merzļikins (Blue Jackets)
G Arturs Silovs (Canucks)

(4) Denmark

F Oliver Bjorkstrand (Lightning)
F Nikolaj Ehlers (Jets)
F Lars Eller (Capitals)
F Jonas Røndbjerg (Golden Knights)
D Jesper Jensen Aabo (EC-KAC/ICEHL)
G Frederik Andersen (Hurricanes)

Kings Re-Sign Pheonix Copley

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11:59 a.m.: It’s a one-way deal for Copley, per the team’s Zach Dooley. That could be an indication the team is open to him starting the season as Kuemper’s backup.

11:31 a.m.: The Kings have re-signed pending UFA goaltender Pheonix Copley to a one-year deal that will pay him the league minimum of $775K next season, per a club announcement. It’s unclear whether it’s a one-way or two-way commitment.

The upcoming season will mark Copley’s fourth in Los Angeles. He was initially brought in for the 2022-23 season to serve as the No. 3 option/AHL starter behind Jonathan Quick and Calvin Petersen, a role he’d held for many years with the Blues and Capitals. Instead, Quick and Petersen both put up unplayable numbers, leading Copley to get the call-up and the lion’s share of the starts. In a career-high 37 appearances, he was more than serviceable with a .903 SV%, 2.64 GAA, and one shutout, helping L.A. to a 24-6-3 record in games he received the decision for. He was supplanted as the starter in the playoffs by trade deadline pickup Joonas Korpisalo, but he at least did enough to establish himself as a full-time NHL option.

L.A. brought him back on a one-year, $1.5MM deal for 2023-24 as a result. He started the year as UFA pickup Cam Talbot’s backup, but after going 4-1-2 with a .870 SV% and 3.16 GAA in just eight appearances, his season came to an end in December after undergoing ACL surgery.

The Kings still wanted to keep him around as an insurance option for this past season, though, signing him to another one-year deal after free agency opened. While Copley was back to full health, he’d slipped behind David Rittich on the depth chart and was back to serving in a more familiar No. 3 role. He allowed two goals on 12 shots in a relief appearance against the Maple Leafs early in the year, otherwise spending the campaign with AHL Ontario after clearing waivers. In his first extended minor-league stint in three years, the 33-year-old Alaskan was good with a 2.49 GAA, .904 SV%, two shutouts, and a 24-17-1 record in 42 games.

His numbers were far better than what top prospect Erik Portillo (.889 SV%, 2.82 GAA) put up as his backup. As a result, with Rittich slated to hit the open market this summer on the heels of an underwhelming 2024-25 performance, Copley might get another chance in training camp to be the Kings’ No. 2, this time behind 2025 Vezina Trophy finalist Darcy Kuemper.

Maple Leafs’ Roni Hirvonen Signs With Liiga’s Kärpät

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Maple Leafs center prospect Roni Hirvonen is returning home to Finland on a one-year contract with Liiga’s Kärpät, per a team announcement Monday. Hirvonen is a pending restricted free agent after completing his entry-level contract. Toronto can retain his NHL signing rights through the 2028-29 season if they issue him a qualifying offer.

A second-round pick by the Leafs in 2020, Hirvonen has been a serviceable middle-six forward in Finland and the AHL, but hasn’t seen much forward progression in his game. His point-per-game rates in his five seasons since being drafted are strikingly similar: 0.39 in 2020-21 with Ässät, 0.57 in 2021-22 and 0.49 in 2022-23 with HIFK, and 0.35 in 2023-24 and 0.36 in 2024-25 with Toronto’s AHL affiliate.

While the 5’10”, 179-lb Hirvonen is only 23 years old and likely still has upside as a fourth-line piece, the lack of offensive progression indicates nothing else in the tank. Unsurprisingly, his play style was always that of a more defensively-minded forward. Nonetheless, he’s dealt with some injuries. He hasn’t played close to a full AHL schedule since arriving in North America two years ago, posting a 17-17–34 scoring line for the Marlies while playing in 96 of 144 possible regular-season games.

Hirvonen likely wanted more opportunity to develop his two-way game and, as a result, will return to a more familiar environment and, ideally, more consistent playing time, before attempting a return to North America next offseason or further down the line. Notable players selected after Hirvonen in the 2020 draft include Will Cuylle (one spot after at No. 60 overall), Alex Laferriere (No. 83), and Nils Åman (No. 167).

Dante Fabbro, Blue Jackets Discussing Long-Term Extension

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The Blue Jackets have progressed in extension talks with pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Dante Fabbro, Andy Strickland of FanDuel Sports Network reports Monday. Strickland adds that it’s expected to be a long-term deal if finalized.

Fabbro isn’t Columbus’ top pending UFA in terms of market value, even among defensemen. That honor goes to the minute-munching Ivan Provorov. Yet getting a commitment from Fabbro is a highly important piece of business as well.

Perhaps no pending UFA saw their stock rise in-season as much as Fabbro. The soon-to-be 27-year-old was claimed off waivers from the Predators early in the season after failing to land a regular job in their lineup in his sixth full NHL season. Initially, the only hope was that Fabbro could provide some needed right-side depth on the Jackets’ blue line after losing veteran Erik Gudbranson for most of the season early on due to a shoulder injury.

Instead, Fabbro was given a trial in top-pairing duties at even strength alongside Norris Trophy finalist Zach Werenski and never left. The Werenski-Fabbro pairing was just one of seven league-wide to play over 1,000 minutes together at 5-on-5. Among the seven, they were the fifth-best at controlling play with a 54.4% share of expected goals, per MoneyPuck. It was Werenski’s best play-driving season with his primary partner since his second year in the league, when he and Seth Jones posted a 54.9 xGF% back in 2017-18.

Individually, Fabbro solidified himself as one of the best right-shot options available on the open market this summer behind Panthers pending UFA Aaron Ekblad. He made 62 appearances for Columbus after the waiver claim, posting a 9-17–26 scoring line and a +23 rating while averaging 21:39 per game. All were career highs, even when including his brief six-game sample with Nashville before the move. He also featured alongside Provorov on Columbus’ top penalty kill unit for most of the season, aside from when Gudbranson was healthy.

He would have been an extremely desirable target if he decided to test free agency as virtually the only defensively responsible righty with legitimate puck-moving ability and a recent history of substantial possession impacts in a top-four role. Instead, he’ll likely continue to play a key role with the Blue Jackets as they enter 2025-26 well-armed with the tools to enter a playoff contention window and end a five-year postseason drought.

Fabbro was projected to land a four-year deal worth around $4.5MM per season on the open market, according to AFP Analytics. A long-term deal that eats up more of the 2016 first-rounder’s prime will likely come in closer to the $5MM-$6MM range, though. With over $40MM in cap space to burn this summer, that shouldn’t impact their ability to make a competitive offer to retain Provorov while also leaving space to acquire one of the market’s top forwards.

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