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Hockey Canada Announces Preliminary Roster For 2026 Olympics

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Hockey Canada will host an orientation camp from Aug. 26 to 28 in Calgary in preparation for its men’s, women’s, and para hockey teams as they begin to formulate their rosters for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, the governing body announced Friday.

That number includes 42 NHL players, locking in a list of potential names for the final rosters, which can be a maximum of 25 players (22 skaters, three goalies). The IIHF had previously announced Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Connor McDavid, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart as the country’s first six players back in June.

One position that appears set for the Canadians is goaltending. Only three netminders are on their orientation camp roster: Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill, and Sam Montembeault. That’s the same trio that backstopped Canada to a win in February’s 4 Nations Face-Off.

Here’s the full initial talent pool that Canada’s braintrust will be choosing from, with an asterisk by each of the six players already locked into the roster:

Forwards

Connor Bedard (Blackhawks)
Sam Bennett (Panthers)
Quinton Byfield (Kings)
Macklin Celebrini (Sharks)
Anthony Cirelli (Lightning)
Sidney Crosby (Penguins)*
Brandon Hagel (Lightning)
Bo Horvat (Islanders)
Zach Hyman (Oilers)
Seth Jarvis (Hurricanes)
Wyatt Johnston (Stars)
Travis Konecny (Flyers)
Nathan MacKinnon (Avalanche)*
Brad Marchand (Panthers)
Mitch Marner (Golden Knights)
Connor McDavid (Oilers)*
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Oilers)
Brayden Point (Lightning)*
Sam Reinhart (Panthers)*
Mark Scheifele (Jets)
Mark Stone (Golden Knights)
Nick Suzuki (Canadiens)
John Tavares (Maple Leafs)
Robert Thomas (Blues)
Carter Verhaeghe (Panthers)
Tom Wilson (Capitals)

Defensemen

Evan Bouchard (Oilers)
Noah Dobson (Canadiens)
Drew Doughty (Kings)
Aaron Ekblad (Panthers)
Thomas Harley (Stars)
Cale Makar (Avalanche)*
Brandon Montour (Kraken)
Josh Morrissey (Jets)
Colton Parayko (Blues)
Travis Sanheim (Flyers)
Shea Theodore (Golden Knights)
Devon Toews (Avalanche)
MacKenzie Weegar (Flames)

Goaltenders

Jordan Binnington (Blues)
Adin Hill (Golden Knights)
Sam Montembeault (Canadiens)

Hockey Canada has already announced its front office, led by Blues GM Doug Armstrong with Lightning GM Julien BriseBois, Stars GM Jim Nill, and Bruins GM Don Sweeney as his assistants. Penguins GM Kyle Dubas is Canada’s director of player personnel and also had input in orientation camp selection, per the release, along with head coach Jon Cooper and former Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf, who’s with the team as a player relations advisor.

International Notes: Henman, Little, Good Bogg

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After spending the last four years in the minors with the Kraken organization, center Luke Henman is headed to Finland on a one-year deal with Ilves, the Liiga club announced today.

Henman, 25, was actually the first signing in Seattle franchise history in 2021. He was a fourth-round pick of the Hurricanes in 2018 but never signed, instead becoming an unrestricted free agent.

He’d remained in the Seattle organization ever since, recording 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points in 229 AHL games for their affiliates in Charlotte and Coachella Valley. They re-signed him last summer after his entry-level contract expired, but since Henman was old enough and had accrued enough experience for Group VI unrestricted free agency this year, he was ineligible for a qualifying offer and wasn’t retained.

The Nova Scotia native will now head to Ilves, one of two Liiga clubs based in the city of Tampere. While the club is light on NHL-experienced talent, they’ve finished second in Liiga in three straight years as they aim to capture their first title since 1985.

There’s more from overseas:

  • American winger Broc Little has announced his retirement, according to the SHL’s Linköping HC. Little, 37, was an ECAC champion and All-Star with Yale but was never drafted and never signed an NHL contract. He spent the vast majority of his professional career in Europe aside from a 21-game AHL stint with Springfield and Iowa back in 2013-14. He played 10 of his 14 pro seasons for Linköping, where he’s served as an alternate captain since 2018 and led the SHL in goals twice. His 367 points in 454 games for Linköping are fifth in franchise history.
  • Islanders defense prospect Dennis Good Bogg has found a place to play next season, signing with Väsby IK of HockeyEttan, Sweden’s third division. Good Bogg, 21, was a seventh-round pick in 2023, and New York holds his signing rights for two more years. Unless something changes drastically, he likely won’t ever sign an NHL contract. The 6’2″, 201-lb lefty has yet to reach Sweden’s top flight and has struggled at lower levels. He split last season between second-tier club Östersunds and third-tier club Mariestad, combining for just three points and a -10 rating in 35 games.

Arbitration Breakdown: Nicholas Robertson

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Every player to file for arbitration so far this offseason has avoided a hearing, and only one case even got remotely close. That likely won’t be the case for the Maple Leafs and Nicholas Robertson, who have until their hearing starts on Sunday to settle before an arbitrator’s award will decide their fate.

Filings

Team: $1.2MM
Player: $2.25MM
Midpoint: $1.725MM

(via Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet)

The Numbers

Nothing much really changed last season for Robertson. After a trade request last summer didn’t come to fruition, he ended up inking a one-year, $875K deal to return to Toronto in hopes of landing a more consistent role in their top-nine forward group. That didn’t happen. While he did make a career-high 69 appearances, the 23-year-old’s usage remained conservative at 12 minutes per game, and his point pace dropped off from his 2023-24 performance. He finished the year with 15 goals – seventh on the team – but only seven assists for 22 points, a rate of 0.32 per game after he recorded 0.48 per game the year before in lesser minutes.

The younger brother of Stars centerpiece Jason Robertson has always been viewed as one of the higher-ceiling young offensive options in Toronto’s system. He’s shown it in flashes, but it’s clear at this stage he needs a longer leash and more minutes to truly be effective without many other elements to his game (although he did manage a career-high 79 hits last year).

Whether he’ll receive that in Toronto remains to be seen. In any event, the Leafs’ seven-figure filing is significantly higher than his $775K cap hit from 2024-25, so it’s clear they’re anticipating on him playing a slightly more regular role in 2025-26 and will presumably count on him for more depth scoring in the wake of Mitch Marner’s departure. But for a player with just over 150 career appearances, it’s going to be a tad difficult to project how a potential hearing may shake out.

2024-25 Stats: 69 GP, 15-7–22, -1 rating, 16 PIMs, 112 shots, 12:00 ATOI
Career Stats: 156 GP, 32-24–56, +2 rating, 24 PIMs, 258 shots, 11:28 ATOI

Potential Comparables

Comparable contracts are restricted to those signed within restricted free agency, which means UFA deals and entry-level pacts are ineligible to be used.  The contracts below fit within those parameters.  Player salaries (or current-year equivalents) also fall within the parameters of the submitted numbers by both sides.  Career stats listed are as of the time of signing.

Jonatan Berggren (Red Wings) – Berggren is a year older than Robertson and has fewer seasons of NHL experience, but they’ve both clicked at around a 30-point pace for their career in similar deployment. Like Robertson, Berggren’s platform year saw him play the most games of his career, but not with the best per-game production rate. While an imperfect science, there’s good evidence for both sides here to argue for a deal closer to the midpoint rather than an extreme swing toward either Toronto’s or the player’s filing.

Contract (2025): One year, $1.825MM AAV, 1.9 CH%
Platform Stats: 75 GP, 12-12–24, -13 rating, 14 PIMs, 88 shots, 12:59 ATOI
Career Stats: 154 GP, 29-29–58, -28 rating, 32 PIMs, 200 shots, 13:01 ATOI

Sonny Milano (Ducks) – This may be the best comparable available aside from its outdatedness. Milano was also coming off his age-23 season and, like Robertson, had five years of NHL experience despite the lower games-played total. Note the higher cap hit percentage since the deal was signed five years ago – that might be something Robertson’s camp puts on the table to get him closer to or at the $2MM mark for his award (a 2.1 CH% with a $95.5MM cap ceiling is almost exactly $2MM on the dot).

Contract (2020): Two years, $1.7MM AAV, 2.1 CH%
Platform Stats: 55 GP, 7-16–23, -7 rating, 26 PIMs, 75 shots, 13:06 ATOI
Career Stats: 125 GP, 22-25–47, -17 rating, 36 PIMs, 153 shots, 12:07 ATOI

Jack Quinn (Sabres) – Quinn comes across near the higher end of these comparables. While the perception around Quinn having a down year last season may have some truth to it, the numbers still point to him being at least a tier above Robertson in terms of what he’s actually produced. Add in Quinn’s draft pedigree as a No. 9 overall pick, and it’s easier to see why Robertson’s filing wasn’t higher than it was, although his camp may still attempt to draw comparisons to convince the arbitrator to side with them outright.

Contract (2025): Two years, $3.375MM AAV, 3.5 CH%
Platform Stats: 74 GP, 15-24–39, -18 rating, 18 PIMs, 123 shots, 14:52 ATOI
Career Stats: 178 GP, 39-58–97, -26 rating, 41 PIMs, 311 shots, 14:33 ATOI

Filip Zadina (Red Wings) – Aside from the draft pedigree, Zadina’s comparable here is also a pretty direct one. He was only one year younger than Robertson was at the time of their contract signings, but had seen more deployment to the tune of similar career offensive results with worse defensive impacts. Given the cap percentage, this would come across as a more advantageous comparable for Robertson.

Contract (2022): Three years, $1.825MM AAV, 2.2 CH%
Platform Stats: 74 GP, 10-14–24, -24 rating, 10 PIMs, 154 shots, 14:11 ATOI
Career Stats: 160 GP, 25-36–61, -46 rating, 12 PIMs, 329 shots, 15:13 ATOI

Projection

Since Robertson was the one to file and has multiple years of team control remaining, the Maple Leafs can pick a one or two-year term for his next contract after the arbitrator awards the AAV. Considering his inconsistent year-to-year pace, it stands to reason they’d pick a one-year deal to make him a more attractive trade chip if he doesn’t pan out this year (or give themselves the option to walk away entirely next summer).

The comparable contracts advocate for a deal near the midpoint but slightly in Robertson’s favor, likely in the $1.8MM-$2MM range. It may not be as much as he wanted, but it still doubles last year’s salary and will give him a seven-figure salary for the first time in his career.

Image courtesy of John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images.

Czechia’s HC Dynamo Pardubice Signs Jakub Lauko

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HC Dynamo Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga has signed forward Jakub Lauko to a three-year deal, the team announced today. Lauko wasn’t tendered by the Bruins in June, and after presumably not receiving any suitable NHL offers as an unrestricted free agent, he’ll be returning to his home country.

Lauko put up a career-high five goals and 11 points in 56 games in an injury-plagued campaign split between the Wild and Bruins last season, missing long stretches of the early going with Minnesota while dealing with a muscular lower-body issue. Lauko played in all 18 games for Boston after they re-acquired him from Minnesota at the deadline in the Justin Brazeau deal, finishing the year with five points and 50 hits while averaging 12:07 per game.

After making his NHL debut with Boston in 2022-23, four years after they drafted him in the third round of the 2018 draft, the Bruins moved him to the Wild last summer in exchange for veteran depth forward Vinni Lettieri. While Minnesota was hoping the young energy winger could flash a little more upside than he had in his first two years in Boston, he struggled to produce like everyone else the Wild tried in a fourth-line role. He had six points and a minus-five rating with 69 hits in 38 appearances for the Wild before getting shipped back to the B’s.

The Prague native now returns home to build on his previous Extraliga experience, which includes stints with Piráti Chomutov (2016-18) and HC Energie Karlovy Vary (2020-21). He has a 10-11–21 scoring line in 95 career Extraliga games, but he presumably hopes returning home helps him rediscover his offensive game. In his post-draft season, Lauko came to North America to play junior hockey and recorded 41 points in only 44 games for the QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies en route to a Memorial Cup championship.

Entering his age-25 season, there’s still time for Lauko to put himself back on the NHL radar by the time his contract with Dynamo ends. He joins a Pardubice roster that has over 1,100 combined games of NHL experience with names like Libor Hájek, Lukáš Sedlák, and Vladimír Sobotka. They’re looking to get over the hump after back-to-back Extraliga final losses in 2024 and 2025.

Free Agent Profile: Max Pacioretty

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Despite registering multi-goal seasons (six of those being 30-goal campaigns) for the bulk of his NHL career, veteran winger Max Pacioretty can no longer be relied upon as a primary scorer, nor a secondary one. Essentially, since his second Achilles tendon tear in mid-January of the 2022-23 season with the Carolina Hurricanes, Pacioretty has been a shell of the player he once was.

Still, despite a down season (for his standards) with the Washington Capitals throughout the 2023-24 campaign, Pacioretty turned a professional tryout agreement into a bonus-laden deal with the Maple Leafs last summer. Unfortunately for his earning power, Pacioretty spent much of his year on the injured reserve, scoring five goals and 13 points in 37 contests, averaging 13:30 of ice time.

He turned things around during a brief playoff stretch, scoring three goals and eight points in 11 games while averaging 12:51 of ice time. Hindsight being 20/20, Pacioretty’s strong postseason performance wasn’t good enough to earn him a guaranteed contract early on this summer, but he did finish fourth on the Maple Leafs in playoff scoring ahead of John Tavares and Matthew Knies. Pacioretty hasn’t given any indication this summer that he’s ready to hang up his skates, as he believes he has a little more left in the tank to offer a contending team.

Stats

2024-25: 37 GP, 5 G, 8 A, 13 PTS, -2, 16 PIMS, 70 shots, 13:30 ATOI, 48.4 CF%
Career: 939 GP, 335 G, 346 A, 681 PTS, +53, 80 PIMS, 3,048 shots, 17:16 ATOI, 53.4 CF%

Potential Suitors

It’s already public information that Pacioretty would like to be close to southeastern Michigan, where he spent his collegiate hockey days with the University of Michigan Wolverines, and where he and his family reside in the off-season (the latter lives there year-round). Assuming Toronto is no longer interested in retaining Pacioretty, only two options remain.

The Columbus Blue Jackets would be the next closest option outside of the Detroit Red Wings, being approximately 80 miles closer to his family than the Maple Leafs offered. There is a pending trade request from Columbus’s Yegor Chinakhov, making Pacioretty a potential stopgap if they don’t get another winger in a hypothetical trade.

While the Red Wings have seemingly addressed their need for a veteran winger this offseason by signing James van Riemsdyk, they have also realized that they cannot rely on consistent offensive production from anyone other than Lucas Raymond. Even as a veteran with postseason experience, Pacioretty may even resign to a plug-and-play role, being a healthy scratch most nights unless needed for additional offense, if only for a chance to play closer to his family.

Projected Contract

Although he doesn’t know where he’s playing yet, Pacioretty should know exactly what kind of contract he’s getting. Due to the consistent injury concern, Pacioretty should only receive a one-year deal with a salary between $775K and $850K. The signing team could include a handful of games played bonuses, as did the Maple Leafs, but those may not even be required to give Pacioretty another chance to close out his career on a positive note.

Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.

Stefan Matteau Announces Retirement, Becomes Coach

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Jul. 31st: Matteau will only have to take a different pathway around the bench for the next portion of his career following his playing days on the ice. According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, Matteau will become the next assistant coach for AHL Cleveland. He’ll replace former coach Mark Letestu, who became the next head coach of the AHL’s Colorado Eagles this offseason.

May 12th: Longtime minor-leaguer Stefan Matteau has retired, the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters announced Monday.

Matteau, 31, had spent the last two seasons on AHL deals with the Blue Jackets’ affiliate. Injuries limited him to only four goals and 13 points in 30 games during that time, but he did dress as the team’s captain when healthy in 2024-25 and contributed seven points in 15 games.

The son of former NHLer Stephane Matteau kicked off his professional career with a bang. A versatile 6’2″, 207-lb forward with good skating and a heavy-hitting game, he went 29th overall to the Devils in the 2012 draft. His post-draft season was peculiar – he was recalled midway through the campaign from his junior team, the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. He spent two months with the Devils before finishing the campaign in juniors again. That initial stretch of three points in 17 games in New Jersey for Matteau would end up standing as one of his career’s most extended NHL stretches.

The Illinois native never spent a full season on an NHL roster and bounced between the Devils, Canadiens, Golden Knights, Avalanche, and Blue Jackets over his 13-year professional career that included seven partial seasons of NHL action. He last played with Colorado in the 2021-22 campaign and totaled a 6-5–11 scoring line in 92 appearances with a -18 rating, averaging 10:15 per game.

Matteau spent nearly all of his career on this side of the Atlantic aside from the 2022-23 campaign, which he split between Sweden’s Linköping HC and Germany’s ERC Ingolstadt. He posted 21 points in 35 regular-season games between the two overseas clubs, including 20 in just 19 games with Ingolstadt.

As for his AHL career, the power winger wraps it up with 76-93–169 in 411 games across 10 seasons with 477 PIMs. All of us at PHR wish Matteau the best in retirement.

Snapshots: Zary, Eklund, Brennan

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The Calgary Flames grabbed headlines yesterday after signing forward Martin Pospisil to a three-year, $7.5MM extension. Still, restricted free agent forward Connor Zary remains unsigned heading into August, and negotiations are reportedly moving more slowly than expected.

In a new article from Daniel Austin of The Calgary Herald, when asked about Zary’s status, the journalist quoted Flames General Manager Craig Conroy saying, “We’re talking. It’s been slow, though. Even with Pospisil, there comes a point where it heats up and you think ‘Now we’re close’ and then you’re able to get it done really quick. Pospisil was probably two, three months we were talking with (agent Dan Millstein).”

Much of the disagreement reportedly centers on the contract length, with the Flames favoring a bridge deal and Zary advocating for a long-term contract. In all seriousness, Zary likely hasn’t earned a long-term deal yet, unless he’s willing to take a below-market salary. Over the past two years, the former 24th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft has scored 27 goals and recorded 61 points in 117 games with the Flames, achieving a +5 rating while averaging 15:39 of ice time per game.

Other snapshots:

  • To little surprise, Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News reported earlier that recent first-round pick of the New York Islanders, Victor Eklund, won’t join the team for rookie camp or development camp in a few weeks. It’s already well known that this summer’s 16th overall selection will play for the SHL’s Djurgårdens IF this next season, and may lose his spot in the lineup if he misses the first few weeks of the regular season for Islanders training camp. Since he isn’t vying for a role on New York’s opening night roster, it makes far more sense for Eklund to continue his development overseas.
  • According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, the Columbus Blue Jackets have hired Barry Brennan as their new strength and conditioning coach. Brennan had previously served as the Blue Jackets’ conditioning coach from 2005 to 2010, before serving in the same role with the Atlanta Thrashers for the 2010-11 season, before becoming a team consultant for the KHL’s CSKA Moskva. He’ll replace now-former strength and conditioning coach Kevin Collins, who had been serving in the role since Brennan’s departure ahead of the 2010-11 season.

Easton Cowan Hoping To Join Maple Leafs Out Of Training Camp

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After sending All-Star winger Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade, the Toronto Maple Leafs have looked to fill their new offensive void by committee. Using the cap space left by Marner, the Maple Leafs have acquired Matias Maccelli, Nicolas Roy, and Dakota Joshua via trade. Still, there is a promising prospect eager to be part of the new equation.

Enter the 28th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, Easton Cowan. Cowan is coming off an impressive three-year stint with the OHL’s London Knights, scoring 83 goals and 218 points in 168 games, with a +72 rating. He has also been a phenom in postseason action, scoring 32 goals and 94 points in 55 playoff games with a +41 rating, helping the Knights win two OHL championships and reach two Memorial Cup Final appearances, winning the most recent one this past season.

In a recent interview on Sportsnet’s The FAN Morning Show with hosts Ben Ennis and Brent Gunning, Knights head coach Dale Hunter said he expects Cowan to make the Maple Leafs roster out of training camp, saying, “He’s going to push to make the team and play well for the Leafs. Every organization needs young guys pushing to make the team, and it’ll make the Leafs better. I’m betting he’s going to make it, so that’s a good thing for the Leafs.”

Although it’s nice to hear a positive recommendation from his recent coach, Cowan has enough confidence for the both of them. During a team media availability after a development camp skate in early July, Cowan was quoted as saying, “This time last year, I wasn’t as good as I am now. Just being able to manage the puck better, I’ve learned that a lot this year, and obviously with the Knights organization, they helped me out a lot. I felt when games got bigger, I got better. Those are the games I love to play in, when there’s a lot of people watching and there’s high stakes.”

If it’s a high-stakes environment he craves, it’s a high-stakes environment he shall receive in Toronto. Although it was only the second time that the Maple Leafs had moved beyond the opening round of the playoffs in the last two decades, the postseason fell well short of expectations. Of arguably any team in the NHL for the foreseeable future, the stakes are the highest in Toronto.

Unfortunately for Cowan, he’ll have to have a flawless training camp to crack the opening night roster. The Maple Leafs already have 14 forwards signed to one-way contracts next season, without counting RFA forward Nicholas Robertson, who may be back with the club despite his ongoing trade request.

His pathway will become extremely narrow if Toronto decides to retain Robertson for the upcoming season. However, he could take one of the roster spots from Calle Järnkrok or Michael Pezzetta. Assuming he can beat out one of the latter two for a roster spot, Cowan could then work his way up to a top-six role throughout the regular season.

Have The Oilers Improved This Summer?

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Few teams have experienced as much movement this summer as the Edmonton Oilers. After two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals losses, it was expected that management would make some adjustments, but most fans probably hoped those changes would focus on the goaltending. That didn’t happen, and most of the team’s overhaul has taken place with the forwards, where many veterans left in free agency. Edmonton did what it could to find suitable replacements, but it still feels like their forward group isn’t as strong as the one that skated off the ice after a game six loss to the Florida Panthers in June.

The Oilers started their offseason by trading forward Evander Kane to the Vancouver Canucks for a fourth-round pick this year. The Oilers needed to clear cap space urgently and managed to do so before the start of free agency on July 1st. Kane was expected to count $5.125MM against the Oilers’ cap on the final year of his four-year deal and was considered expendable by management. Kane isn’t the player he once was, but he could still skate, check, and shoot, and he was effective in the first three rounds of the playoffs. Edmonton probably didn’t want to move Kane, but given their situation this summer, they didn’t have many options.

Nearly a week after the Kane trade, Edmonton made another move, sending Viktor Arvidsson to the Boston Bruins for a 2027 fifth-round draft pick. The deal cleared $4MM in cap space for Edmonton and allowed them to re-sign top defenseman Evan Bouchard. Arvidsson never gained much traction with the Oilers, recording 15 goals and 12 assists in 67 games, but he was only a couple of years removed from posting 26 goals in a season with the Los Angeles Kings. Trading away Arvidsson and the final season of his two-year contract probably won’t make a big difference for the Oilers. Still, like Kane, it was a case of Edmonton selling low on a forward with a mid-tier deal and hoping to find a replacement with a lower salary.

Arvidsson wasn’t the only Oilers player to find a new home on July 1st; Connor Brown signed with the New Jersey Devils on a four-year, $12MM deal, Corey Perry signed a one-year contract with Los Angeles, and defenseman John Klingberg signed with San Jose. These moves certainly reduced the Oilers’ depth, but Edmonton did what it could to retain other potential UFAs on its roster while also finding buy-low options in free agency.

Edmonton secured Trent Frederic with an eight-year extension at $3.85MM annually and also re-signed Kasperi Kapanen on a one-year deal worth $1.3MM. Both Frederic and Kapanen are solid pros capable of playing in Edmonton’s bottom six, but their signings raise some concerns. The length of Frederic’s contract is excessive, especially for a player who scored eight goals and seven assists in 58 games last season. Meanwhile, Kapanen can go long stretches without producing, as he fluctuates offensively and offers limited defensive value. He’s not suited for the bottom six, but he’ll likely end up there because he’s not consistent enough for the top six.

On the same day as re-signing Kapanen, the Oilers also secured Bouchard with a four-year extension worth $42MM. The deal utilized most of the savings from trading Kane and Arvidsson, but it resolved one of the Oilers’ most pressing tasks this summer. Although the salary is eye-popping at $10.5MM per year, Bouchard has shown himself to be a top offensive defenseman in the NHL, even if he occasionally makes critical errors.

Once Edmonton had secured Bouchard, they had a clear idea of their available cap space for free agency. They proceeded to sign Andrew Mangiapane to a two-year deal and also added Curtis Lazar. Mangiapane’s contract was for two years at $7.2MM and could prove valuable for Edmonton if the 29-year-old can regain his scoring touch. The undersized forward played 81 games last season for the Washington Capitals and had a disappointing year, posting just 14 goals and 14 assists. The Toronto, Ontario native is three years removed from a 35-goal season and has been a reasonably consistent .5 PPG player throughout his career. He could be an option in the top six for the Oilers and possesses the skill set to fit that role.

Lazar, on the other hand, returns to Edmonton, a city where he played junior hockey in the WHL from 2011 to 2014. Lazar has moved around the NHL during his 11-year career, now playing for his seventh team, the Edmonton Oilers. Drafted 17th overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, he is primarily known as a solid penalty killer, capable of forechecking, but not producing much offense. He will effectively replace veteran Derek Ryan, who was not re-signed and remains a free agent. Lazar could see some time in the AHL this season, given that he is earning league minimum, and could very well be a 13th forward for the Oilers.

Finally, the Oilers’ last move of the summer was acquiring forward Isaac Howard from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forward Sam O’Reilly. Howard was a first-round pick of the Lightning in 2022 (31st overall). He was dominant last season in the NCAA, posting 26 goals and 26 assists in 37 games for Michigan State University. There is a lot of hope in Edmonton that Howard can jump into the top six and contribute, but there are no guarantees he will, and those expectations might be unrealistic, even though he is a talented prospect.

Considering the overall body of work so far this summer, the Oilers’ changes have been underwhelming. Losing Perry will no doubt hurt, as his net-front presence was crucial, especially in the playoffs, while Kane was a solid contributor in the first three rounds and helped Edmonton reach the finals. Overall, they’ve filled some of the gaps created by player departures, but it does seem like Edmonton lost some toughness and key veterans this summer, which could put them in a tough spot if they face the Florida Panthers for the third straight year.

The biggest miss so far is probably that Edmonton hasn’t addressed its goaltending issues, and it likely won’t be able to do much about it. Stuart Skinner seems to be the main guy between the pipes again, with Calvin Pickard backing him up. If the Oilers want to make a big boost this season, that’s where they’d get the most value, but because of their limited cap space, any move will likely need to be a lateral one financially, which could be tricky to pull off during the season.

Photo by Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Poll: Will The Penguins Be Able To Trade Erik Karlsson?

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Before the offseason began, it became clear that the Penguins were uniquely positioned as one of the league’s true few sellers who had no plans of contending for a playoff spot in 2026. Even with an understaffed roster, particularly on the blue line, they do still have some valuable trade chips to leverage in order to recoup additional future assets for their ongoing rebuild while also giving them a greater chance at a high-end pick in a stacked 2026 draft class.

While wingers Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust will likely yield the most calls and have rather movable contracts, defenseman Erik Karlsson has also been on the shopping block since last season’s trade deadline. Aside from the declining veteran’s $10MM cap hit being virtually immovable without at least an additional 20% worth of retention, he has a no-movement clause through the remainder of his deal, which expires following the 2026-27 season.

Moving him, even with retention, is a sensible goal for the Penguins if they can yield a significant return. The 35-year-old obviously doesn’t fit into their long-term plans, and shedding some of his salary opens up more flexibility to take on more shorter-term undesirable contracts in the near future in exchange for additional futures, similar to their pickup of Matt Dumba from the Stars earlier this month.

That no-movement clause, which Karlsson waived to facilitate a trade to Pittsburgh from San Jose following his Norris-winning campaign in 2023, makes generating that significant return a difficult feat. He’s produced at a decent 55-point pace over his two seasons with the Pens and hasn’t missed a game since his acquisition, but a look under the hood reveals declining possession impacts to pair with his already solidified one-dimensional reputation as an offensive-minded rearguard.

While he usually helps his team generate significantly more shot attempts to help offset those poor defensive impacts, his +2.0% relative Corsi at even strength last year was among the worst of his career, as was his 48.4 xGF%. Entering his age-35 season, it’s not exactly as if there’s hope for a rebound there unless he’s deployed in an extremely insulated possession system.

Even if the Penguins are able to make Karlsson a $7MM-$8MM player for the next two seasons, the Venn diagram of teams that can afford him and those he’d be willing to waive his NMC for isn’t favorable. He’s willing to move but is only considering waiving his clause for a select few Stanley Cup contenders, according to reports earlier this month. That’s both foreseeable and reasonable – Karlsson has yet to reach a Stanley Cup Final in his 16-year NHL career.

That makes it hard to see many speculative fits outside of a potential move to the Hurricanes, who have something of a hole on the right side of their blue line after losing Karlsson’s former teammate, Brent Burns, to Colorado in free agency. They’ve got the space ($10.64MM) to burn and the high-end possession system to insulate his defensive shortcomings, particularly if he’s given license to play top-pairing minutes with one of the league’s top pure shutdown rearguards in Jaccob Slavin.

He’s not an extremely pressing need for Carolina with some other skilled puck-movers on their back end and a potential game-breaker in Russian rookie Alexander Nikishin, though. There will be questions, both from the public and likely within the Canes’ front office, of whether it’s wise to spend their remaining cap space on an area of strength rather than trying to pursue options to address their hole at second-line center.

PHR readers – how do you think things will shake out? Will the Penguins be able to get a Karlsson deal done? If so, how much money will they need to retain to make it happen? Vote in our poll below:

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