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Rangers Sign Conor Sheary To PTO

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In an effort to extend his NHL career, veteran winger Conor Sheary has agreed to a professional tryout (PTO) with the New York Rangers, per the NY Post’s Mollie Walker.

Sheary has played in 593 games throughout his 10-year career, posting 124 goals and 267 points. He has also shown an ability to elevate his game in big moments during the playoffs, as evidenced by his contributions to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ back-to-back Stanley Cup wins early in his career, when he often played a key role alongside Sidney Crosby. Notably, some of his best professional seasons came in Pittsburgh under head coach Mike Sullivan. After signing a five-year deal in May to lead the Rangers, Sullivan is bringing in a familiar face as he looks to implement a new game plan in New York.

However, Sheary has struggled in recent years. After producing just 15 points in 57 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2023-24 season—his lowest output since his rookie year—he dressed in only five games last season with the team. He spent the majority of his year with Tampa’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, where he produced 20 goals and 61 points in 59 games.

Sheary, 33, will now look to rejuvenate his career with the Rangers, a team in the midst of transition. Beyond the obvious changes that come with a new head coach, the team has also seen longtime staples Chris Kreider and K’Andre Miller depart, while adding forward Taylor Raddysh and prospect Carey Terrance. While PTOs are anything but guaranteed, Sheary’s history of producing quality offense, combined with his relationship with Sullivan, should give him a strong chance to make the opening night roster.

Free Agent Profile: Joel Kiviranta

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Perhaps no remaining free agent is harder to gauge than forward Joel Kiviranta, who flashed unexpected scoring touch last season with the Colorado Avalanche that vastly deviated from his career norm. In 79 games last season, Kiviranta produced 16 goals, doubling his previous career high of eight goals during the 2022-23 season with the Dallas Stars. The 29-year-old native of Finland was aided by a 19 percent shooting percentage, nearly doubling his career average of 10.9 percent.

With that said, he made the most of his career-high 12:31 average ice time, which included setting career highs in goals, assists, points, plus/minus rating, faceoff percentage, and blocked shots. He also recorded 114 hits—the second-highest total of his career—and contributed on the penalty kill, notching his second career shorthanded goal last season. Although he achieved career-high marks in the regular season, things came to a halt in the postseason, as Kiviranta posted zero points across seven games while averaging 10:05 of ice time per game.

While his shooting success from last season is nearly impossible to sustain, he could still appeal to a team looking for a veteran presence in its bottom six who can contribute offensively. Remarkably, his 16 goals last season rank second among all remaining free agents, trailing only Jack Roslovic.

Stats

2024-25: 79 GP, 16 G, 7 A, 23 PTS, +15, 20 PIMS, 84 shots, 12:31 ATOI, 46.7 CF%
Career: 298 GP, 35 G, 25 A, 60 PTS, +1, 92 PIMS, 320 shots, 11:16 ATOI, 47.7 CF%

Potential Suitors

As previously discussed, Kiviranta’s 16 goals last season are likely more of an aberration than an expectation moving forward. This likely leaves him seeking a fourth-line role, with the potential to move up the lineup if needed. To that end, a wide range of teams could kick the tires on adding the veteran, at a minimum to compete for a roster spot.

While this time of year is ideal for rebuilding teams to pick up veterans with hopes of flipping them at the deadline for assets, Kiviranta likely doesn’t fit into that strategy. His best path to a new contract may lie with a contending team in need of a veteran depth piece—like his most recent employer, the Avalanche. A reunion isn’t out of the question.

Projected Contract

It’s hard to believe, after a 16-goal season, that Kiviranta’s contract may be similar to last year’s $775,000 deal he signed with Colorado, but here we are. This late into free agency, his best opportunity may come without a guaranteed roster spot on opening night. Even so, given his experience, physicality, and ability to contribute on the penalty kill, he could still earn a one-year, one-way deal.

Photo credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Carter Hart, Others Found Not Guilty In Hockey Canada Sexual Assault Trial

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Jul. 25th: As expected, the five players will not be immediately accepted back into the NHL despite yesterday’s verdict. According to a public announcement, the league released a statement, saying, “The allegations made in this case, even if not determined to have been criminal, were very disturbing and the behavior at issue was unacceptable. We will be reviewing and considering the judge’s findings. While we conduct that analysis and determine next steps, the players charged in this case are ineligible to play in the League.”

Jul. 24th: Carter Hart, the first of five players charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault involving the 2018 Canadian men’s national junior team to hear his verdict, has been found not guilty by Justice Maria Carroccia in London, Ontario, according to reporting from The Athletic. Dillon Dube, Callan Foote and Alex Formenton have also been found not guilty of sexual assault. The fifth player charged, Michael McLeod, has received the same verdict. He was the only player charged with two counts – one of sexual assault and one of being a party to the offense.

The allegations against Dube, Foote, Formenton, Hart, and McLeod first became public in May of 2022, when reports emerged that Hockey Canada had paid to settle a lawsuit with a woman, known in court documents as E.M., who said she was sexually assaulted by eight players “over several hours” in a London hotel room on July 18, 2018. No charges were levied as a result of the initial investigation by local police, which was closed in February 2019, but the case was reopened after the 2022 report.

Formal charges were then brought against the five defendants on Jan. 30, 2024. The trial began on April 22, 2025, and the verdicts were reached solely by Justice Carroccia after two mistrials influenced her to dismiss the jury.

The NHL does not have a formal policy for players accused of or charged with domestic violence, sexual assault, or similar crimes. Instead, the four players who were under NHL contracts at the time – Dube, Foote, Hart, and McLeod – were granted indefinite leaves of absence by their clubs shortly before the charges were announced. All of them were pending restricted free agents on expiring contracts and were not extended qualifying offers, making them unrestricted free agents as of July 1, 2024.

Today’s not guilty verdict indicates the Canadian prosecutorial team “failed to meet its onus on any of the counts before me,” Justice Carroccia said today. She did not find reasonable doubt that any of the players’ contact with E.M. was non-consensual, which was the main point of contention in the trial that could have led to a guilty verdict.

When asked about the playing eligibility of the defendants, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has continually deferred action until after a verdict was reached. While none of the players are formally suspended by the league, similar situations have routinely required some sort of permission from league offices for them to play in or return to the NHL. If teams approach any of them with a contract offer, they will presumably wait for that guidance before registering the deal.

Sharks, Avalanche Swap Daniil Gushchin, Oskar Olausson

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According to a team announcement from the San Jose Sharks, the Sharks have traded forward Daniil Gushchin to the Colorado Avalanche for forward Oskar Olausson. The former is still a restricted free agent while Olausson has one year remaining on his entry-level contract.

It’s a change-of-scenery trade for both forwards, with the beneficiaries being the two teams’ respective AHL affiliates. The only noticeable difference between the two is that Gushchin is considered more NHL-ready, but isn’t quite good enough to be an NHL regular.

The Yekaterinburg, Russia native was drafted by San Jose with the 76th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft. He was coming off a relatively impressive season with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks, scoring 22 goals and 47 points in 42 games with a +21 rating. After another season in Muskegon and one with the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs, Gushchin became a full-time player for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda beginning in the 2022-23 campaign.

He has enjoyed plenty of offensive success throughout his time with the AHL’s San Jose, scoring 70 goals and 150 points in 182 games, with one goal in four postseason contests. Unfortunately, Gushchin has left much to be desired on the defensive side of the puck, owning a -48 career rating. Still, Gushchin’s ability to score will make the AHL’s Colorado Eagles that much harder to play against, given that they led the AHL in scoring last season with 250.

Unlike Gushchin, the Avalanche used a first-round selection to draft Olausson, who went 28th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft. He was a top-level talent for HV71’s U20 team, scoring 14 goals and 27 points in 16 games. Olausson transitioned to North American hockey a year later, scoring 26 goals and 49 points in 55 games split between the OHL’s Barrie Colts and Oshawa Generals. Given his success in one of the top Canadian major junior leagues, the Avalanche hoped Olausson could be a key contributor in a few years.

Unfortunately, his play with AHL Colorado has zapped much of that hope. Since joining the Eagles ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, the same year Gushchin became a full-time AHL player, Olausson has scored 33 goals and 66 points in 163 contests, with one goal and eight points in 17 playoff games.

Both players have spent limited time in the NHL since making their professional debuts. Gushchin has the edge, featuring in 18 games compared to Olausson’s four. Still, neither player should be expected to drastically improve those totals in 2025-26, unless their NHL club sustains multiple injuries to their forward core.

Snapshots: Tsyplakov, Knyzhov, Phillips

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The Islanders settled with winger Maxim Tsyplakov before an arbitration hearing earlier today, with the two sides agreeing to a two-year deal with a $2.25MM cap hit. Tsyplakov came down significantly from his initial ask of a $3MM AAV to get the deal done, reports Stefen Rosner of NHL.com. Tsyplakov’s camp lowered their ask to the $2.75MM range once they realized they wouldn’t get Isles general manager Mathieu Darche to acquiesce and dole out a $3MM cap hit. However, when that still wasn’t doing the trick, they ended up settling for the eventual $2.25MM figure out of fear that an arbitrator would dole out a lower award, Rosner reports, particularly as Tsyplakov would only have been eligible for a one-year contract if he reached a hearing, as he was only one year away from UFA eligibility.

Here’s more from around the hockey world today:

  • The Canucks’ AHL affiliate in Abbotsford announced four signings today, including former Sharks defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov. His brief 81-game NHL career with San Jose was derailed by a core muscle surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2021-22 season, and he hasn’t played in the NHL since the Sharks bought him out following the 2023-24 campaign. He landed a PTO with the Penguins in training camp last fall, but that only yielded an AHL contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The 27-year-old lefty was later traded to the Grand Rapids Griffins in March. He totaled six points and a +1 rating in 26 appearances for the two clubs, along with one assist and a -6 rating in six appearances for the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones.
  • Flames defense prospect Mace’o Phillips will delay his college commitment for the University of Minnesota for a year and instead join the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers for his post-draft season, Ryan Sikes of Puck Preps reports. Calgary’s third-round pick (No. 80) in last month’s draft will now wait to join the NCAA ranks until 2026-27. The 6’6″, 234-lb shutdown lefty spent last year with the U.S. National Team Development Program’s under-18 squad, where he posted six points and a -11 rating with a whopping 103 PIMs in 60 appearances.

East Notes: Timmins, Järnkrok, Garand

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The Sabres and restricted free agent defenseman Conor Timmins are not close on a new contract with his arbitration hearing eight days away, according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.

Two of the seven players who filed for arbitration and didn’t reach settlements in the first few weeks of July have since settled since their hearing dates were announced. Arbitration hearings were initially slated to begin today with the Kraken and Kaapo Kakko, but they reached a three-year settlement earlier in the week. Earlier today, the Islanders also signed Maxim Tsyplakov to a two-year, $4.5MM deal.

That leaves Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Söderblom with the first hearing on Monday if the two sides don’t come to an agreement over the weekend. As for Timmins, Pagnotta says there has been no traction on the talks, and the two sides expect to use the hearing to resolve their dispute.

Buffalo acquired Timmins from the Penguins on draft day in something of a salary dump, sending older, more expensive righty Connor Clifton to Pittsburgh. The Sabres were his third team in a few months after beginning the season with the Maple Leafs, where the offensive-minded righty only had eight points in 51 games. He was then traded to the Penguins at the deadline as the Leafs freed up roster space to make other pickups, notably Brandon Carlo and Scott Laughton.

General manager Kevyn Adams said when Buffalo picked him that he’s a player they’ve had their eyes on for a while. Timmins could be in line for an increased role in Buffalo with only Michael Kesselring alongside him as a right-shot defenseman on their projected active roster, and because of that, he’s likely looking for more than what the Sabres are currently willing to offer. The 2017 No. 32 overall pick has 46 points in 159 career NHL games with the Avalanche, Coyotes, Maple Leafs, and Penguins.

There’s more out of the Eastern Conference:

  • Things are similarly quiet with the Maple Leafs as they continue to shop veteran forward Calle Järnkrok to clear cap space, Pagnotta said. There haven’t been any teams linked to him as “the market hasn’t been vibrant,” Pagnotta wrote, but Toronto continues to make clear he’s available as they eye other moves to help fill the Mitch Marner void. While he only has one year left on his deal, they’re inhibited by Järnkrok’s 10-team no-trade list and the fact that he’s only played in 71 out of a possible 164 games (43.3%) over the last two seasons due to various injuries. He had one goal and seven points in 19 games last season after recovering from sports hernia surgery.
  • The Rangers aren’t concerned about reaching an agreement with RFA goalie Dylan Garand, Peter Baugh of The Athletic writes. The 23-year-old is the organization’s top prospect between the pipes and is firmly entrenched as their third-stringer with Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick still comprising their NHL tandem, but both sides see a pathway for him to make the jump to the NHL in 2026-27, Baugh writes. After posting sub-.900 save percentages in his first two professional seasons, Garand improved to a .913 mark in 39 games for the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack in 2024-25.

Islanders Sign Maxim Tsyplakov To Two-Year Deal

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The Islanders have avoided an arbitration hearing with restricted free agent winger Maxim Tsyplakov and signed him to a two-year, $4.5MM contract, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Tsyplakov’s hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, so the settlement comes with four days to spare. Of the seven players who made it to mid-July without having their arbitration cases settled, two of them have now agreed to new deals. The Kraken reached a three-year, $13.575MM deal with Kaapo Kakko, whose hearing was initially scheduled for today, last Tuesday.

The situation surrounding Tsyplakov was rare in that he was eligible for arbitration immediately after his rookie season. That’s rarely the case, but since he signed his first NHL contract last summer at the age of 25, he only needed one season’s worth of 10 games of professional experience to qualify.

In the end, they avoid a hearing and reach a resolution to reward Tsyplakov, who was viewed as the top international free agent on last summer’s market, following a rookie season that saw the Russian forward adjust well to North American ice. There were questions about his offensive ceiling, considering his previous KHL track record – he’d never scored more than 10 goals in a pro season before his 31-goal, 47-point breakout for Spartak Moscow in 2023-24 – but he mainly put those to bed in his first season on the Island.

Tsyplakov obviously didn’t reproduce his KHL numbers, but he settled in well as a valuable middle-six checking winger. His 10-25–35 scoring line in 77 games ranked eighth on the team in point production, and there’s likely room for improvement moving forward after he only shot 8.6% in 2024-25. Tsyplakov also ranked fifth on the team in hits with 140 while averaging 14:58 per game, 1:31 of which came on the power play. He didn’t see any penalty kill usage but provided good possession impacts at even strength with a 51.6 CF%, 2.8% better than how the team fared without him on the ice.

Since his underlying numbers suggest replicable offensive production, a $2.25MM cap hit seems like good value for Tsyplakov’s services, even if he sees his minutes reduced slightly with the free agent signings of Jonathan Drouin and Maxim Shabanov, another KHL pickup, likely pushing him down the depth chart somewhat. The Islanders now have $1.625MM in projected cap space this season with a full roster, according to PuckPedia.

The deal walks Tsyplakov, who turns 27 in September, to unrestricted free agency in 2027.

Image courtesy of Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images.

Examining The Penguins’ Defense Core

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The Pittsburgh Penguins started the offseason as one of the few teams considered more of a seller than a buyer. Despite that, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas made some clever acquisitions in free agency and through trades, aiming to bolster a defense that was probably the weakest in the NHL last season. It’s uncertain if this group is any better than before, but they will look quite different when the puck drops in October. New head coach Dan Muse will have many options to choose from when he sets his starting lineup. But how exactly will that group come together?

You can’t talk about the Penguins’ defensive core without mentioning the status of three-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson, who may or may not be traded before training camp this fall. The Penguins would like to trade Karlsson (as per Josh Yohe of The Athletic), but they don’t see the 34-year-old as a liability and aren’t going to give him away for nothing, and rightfully so. The Penguins might trade Karlsson in the next two months, but if they don’t, they will face a logjam on the right side of their defense, which may not be the worst thing to start the season for various reasons.

The main benefit of having Karlsson is that it could lessen the load on veteran defender Kris Letang, who is coming off arguably the worst year of his career. The now 38-year-old posted nine goals and 21 assists in 74 games last season, marking the first time he didn’t reach 40 points since the 2016-17 season, when he scored 34 points in 41 games and suffered a season-ending neck injury. While injuries and age may have caught up with Letang, it’s also possible that he is being asked to do too much at this stage in his career, and trading Karlsson might not reduce his burden but could increase it. Pittsburgh has never really treated Karlsson as a top-pairing defenseman, but if they do keep him, it’s probably time to let Letang slide into the second pairing and move Karlsson up to the top unit. There’s also a remote chance that the Penguins could move Letang to the much weaker left side if they retain Karlsson, which they have tried in the past.

Behind Karlsson and Letang on the right side are newly acquired Connor Clifton and Matt Dumba, both of whom were salary dumps by their previous clubs. It’s tough to gauge how either man will fit in, but one or both will likely be playing on the third pairing. Clifton provides the Penguins with something they haven’t had in a defenseman for quite some time — a physical player who can throw hits. The 30-year-old struggled to find his game last season in Buffalo and needed a change of scenery this offseason. With one more year left on his contract, the Penguins hope he can rebound and become a valuable asset by the NHL Trade Deadline, making it likely they will shelter him on the third pairing to give him every chance to succeed.

The plan will likely resemble Dumba, who was once considered a top-pairing defenseman but is far from that now. He also plays with an edge, but doesn’t contribute much defensively or offensively beyond his willingness to shoot the puck. The move to acquire Dumba was mainly about the second-round pick that came with him, though he should still see time on the bottom pairing and could be moved up if the Penguins decide to part ways with Karlsson.

The interesting part on the right side involves Penguins’ defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke. The second-round pick in 2024 impressed many during his training camp last year, and he might be ready for NHL minutes this season. The 19-year-old probably won’t make the team due to the number of players on one-way contracts ahead of him on the depth chart. However, if he has another strong training camp, he could push his way onto the NHL roster. The Penguins are very high on Brunicke’s game and even see him as a potential future captain, but Yohe believes he will make his debut at the start of the 2026-27 season.

On the left side, the Penguins are a complete mess, and it all starts with Ryan Graves, who signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent on July 1st, 2023. At that time, the Penguins hoped the hulking defenseman would fit nicely alongside Letang and effectively replace the departing Brian Dumoulin. Things didn’t turn out that way, and Graves has been awful in Pittsburgh, sometimes becoming a healthy scratch and being sheltered from tougher competition whenever possible. His signing was the first mistake GM Kyle Dubas made during a summer that proved disastrous for the Penguins. Graves has been borderline unplayable over the last two seasons, and the hope in Pittsburgh is that the new coaching staff can improve his game and extract more than below-replacement-level play from him. Given the Penguins’ lack of high-end options on the left side, Graves will be given a long look to see if he can play a role in the Penguins’ top four.

Beyond Graves, there aren’t many options for Pittsburgh’s top four, but one player who might make it there someday is Owen Pickering. The 21-year-old doesn’t exactly wow with his play, but he showed last season that he’s probably ready to become a full-time NHLer. The 21st overall pick in 2022 played 25 games last season and didn’t look out of place, even though he was given challenging assignments on a very weak team. Pickering even saw some top-four minutes alongside Letang last season, but it will be tough for him to secure a full-time spot this season. Pittsburgh simply has too many players on one-way deals, and while Pickering’s future looks bright, he may have to spend another season in the AHL before earning a full-time role.

After Graves and Pickering, the Penguins have quite a bit of uncertainty on their blue line. This offseason, Pittsburgh signed Parker Wotherspoon to a two-year deal, along with Caleb Jones and Alexander Alexeyev. These players joined a crowded left side that also features Ryan Shea and Sebastian Aho. Among them, Wotherspoon and Shea likely have the best chances at NHL roles, but nothing is guaranteed. Alexeyev is an inauspicious addition, as he played only eight regular-season games last year, but he has good size at 6’4” and is a capable skater who can handle the puck. He might earn a spot on the NHL roster with a solid training camp.

The likeliest defensemen to start the season on the roster for the Penguins are Letang, Karlsson, Clifton, Dumba, Graves, Wotherspoon and Shea. Now, Penguins fans might not love the veteran-heavy defense core. Still, it will give all of the Penguins’ younger defensemen the chance to develop in the AHL with the Penguins’ forward prospects and could lead to something special for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Photo by Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Morning Notes: Berard, Nabokov, Kärki

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Rangers winger Brett Berard played through most of his rookie season with a labrum tear, he told Mollie Walker of the New York Post.

He sustained the shoulder injury back in November in what was just his fourth career NHL game, but it wasn’t significant enough to keep him out of game action through the remainder of the regular season. While he was initially named to the United States’ roster for the 2025 World Championship on the heels of his first taste of NHL hockey, he ended up pulling out to fully rehab the injury as he aims to crack New York’s opening night roster for the first time in the fall.

“Just kind of lingered all year, wore a brace all year,” Berard said. “It was good to kind of get that situated. It feels good, it feels strong. So just trying to get it all better, but we feel a lot better now.”

Berard, who turns 23 in September, scored six goals and 10 points in 35 appearances for the Rangers last season while averaging 10:43 per game. The 2020 fifth-round pick will likely build on that deployment this season, as the Blueshirts’ roster turnover over the last few months means there are a couple of top-nine spots for the taking, one of which he’ll hope to grab. The diminutive but high-energy lefty also scored 23 points in 30 games for the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack last season.

More from around the league:

  • Avalanche goaltending prospect Ilya Nabokov has officially put pen to paper on a one-year deal to keep him in Russia for 2025-26 with the KHL’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk, the league announced. Nabokov signed his entry-level contract with Colorado in May, but it was quickly reported that the Avs planned to loan him back to Metallurg for the upcoming season. While he was initially draft-eligible in 2021, he was finally selected in the second round in 2024 on the heels of a dominant postseason for Metallurg that earned him a Gagarin Cup championship, playoff MVP honors, and the KHL’s Rookie of the Year award. He’ll likely compete for the No. 2 job behind Mackenzie Blackwood when he comes to North America in 2026-27.
  • Golden Knights defense prospect Arttu Kärki is on the move in his native Finland, with HIFK announcing they’ve signed him to a two-year contract. Vegas selected Kärki in the third round of the 2023 draft but hasn’t yet signed him; they have until June 1, 2027, to do so before they lose his rights. The 20-year-old lefty got his first taste of professional hockey last season and split the campaign between Tappara and Ässät in Finland’s top league, recording 14 points and a -11 rating in 43 games. The shot-minded rearguard will look for more offensive success as he remains in Liiga with HIFK.

Hurricanes Sign Jackson Blake To Eight-Year Extension

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The Hurricanes announced Thursday night that they’ve signed winger Jackson Blake to an eight-year, $45MM extension that will kick in for the 2026-27. While that would normally mean an average annual value and cap hit of $5.625MM, the actual cap hit of the contract will fall in the $5.1MM range due to deferred compensation, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The contract buys out the extent of Blake’s RFA eligibility and will make him a UFA following the 2033-34 season.

Blake’s stock has been on the rise since immediately after Carolina selected him in the fourth round in 2021. He was a USHL All-Star in his post-draft season with the Chicago Steel before making the jump to NCAA hockey with North Dakota, where he totaled 102 points in 79 games in two seasons – earning a Hobey Baker finalist nod in his sophomore year. He signed his entry-level contract with the Hurricanes in April 2024 and joined them for the brief remainder of the regular season.

In his first full pro season, Blake hit the ground running. He made the Canes out of camp and had five points through his first nine games despite seeing less than 12 minutes of ice time per night. That offense didn’t quite hold up the rest of the way, though.

While he ended up seeing significant deployment alongside Sebastian Aho at even strength, he ended up finishing the year with a 17-17–34 scoring line in 80 games, finishing ninth on the team in scoring and ninth in Calder Trophy voting as the league’s Rookie of the Year. That’s fine production, especially considering he averaged under 14 minutes per game on the year. He’ll need to build on it to justify that cap hit, though, especially with so much risk attached to a max-term deal.

The good news is that Blake has another year left on his entry-level contract to continue his development before he’ll need to start justifying that cap hit. The son of former NHLer Jason Blake turns 22 next month, yet with this deal, he’s guaranteed to surpass his dad’s career earnings.

Carolina has historically opted to sign their young players for as long and as early as possible, a trend that continues here. Sometimes, it’s paid off – their eight-year, $59.4MM commitment to Seth Jarvis last offseason looks like a steal after he put up a repeat 67-point performance in 2024-25. There’s also the glaring example of where that strategy has failed regarding center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, whose $4.82MM cap hit looks more stomachable now with a rising ceiling but is still well above his market value four years into the deal. The jury is still out on newly-acquired Logan Stankoven, who they inked to an eight-year, $48MM extension at the beginning of the month.

Blake’s deal will be one of the last of its kind. It contains two elements – deferred compensation and an eight-year term – that will be outlawed when the new CBA Memorandum of Understanding takes effect on Sep. 15, 2026. If he waited until reaching RFA status next summer to sign, a lengthy negotiation could have lost him that eighth year if the two sides didn’t come to terms until the beginning of training camp.

With the salary cap’s Upper Limit projected to reach $104MM in 2026-27, the Hurricanes have around $16MM in projected space with Blake’s and Stankoven’s deals taken care of. While they’re projected to be Carolina’s 11th and 12th highest-paid forwards on their opening night roster this season, they’ll be their fifth and sixth-highest paid forwards in 2026-27.

Image courtesy of Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images.

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