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Senators Shopping Mathieu Joseph

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This time a year ago, there was some speculation about Mathieu Joseph’s future with the Senators.  The team had limited cap room and needed to make some additions to the roster while keeping enough money to re-sign Shane Pinto which made Joseph a potential candidate to be moved.  As it turns out, that didn’t need to happen and they managed to stay cap-compliant throughout the year.

Fast forward to today and not a lot has evidently changed.  The Sens have some cap flexibility but need to re-sign Pinto again to a considerably pricier deal and once that’s done, they might not have enough left to add a key piece to their roster.  Accordingly, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Ottawa is trying to move Joseph before the draft begins on June 28th.

The 27-year-old is coming off a solid showing this season after struggling mightily in 2022-23, his first full season with the team.  Joseph notched 11 goals and 24 assists in 72 games, setting new career highs in assists and points along the way.  He was rewarded with a boost in playing time, going up to 16:28 per night while seeing action on both special teams units.

On the surface, this doesn’t seem like the type of player Ottawa should be trading.  However, Joseph has two years left on a contract that carries a $2.95MM AAV.  That is on the pricey end for a role player and if they could find a way to move him and have a lower-cost piece take his place, that might give GM Steve Staios enough extra flexibility to try to add an impact free agent.

Of course, the rest of the league knows that Joseph’s contract is a bit on the high side and with many other teams looking to try to make some splashes this summer, quite a few will be looking to save their cap room for those moves later in the offseason so the market for Joseph might not be particularly strong.  That said, Ottawa should have a better chance to move him now coming off a career year compared to the three-goal, 18-point performance he put up in 2022-23.  Will that be enough to find a trade fit by the draft this time around?  We’ll find out the answer to that within the next few weeks.

Morning Notes: Ullmark, Saros, Bemstrom

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Andrew Fantucchio of Boston Hockey Now writes that in his opinion the Boston Bruins have no reason to be in a hurry to trade goaltender Linus Ullmark as he has one year left on his deal and the Bruins could conceivably keep the netminder for the remainder of his deal. Ullmark has a lot of contractual control over where he is traded and could nix trades to nearly half of the league.

Goaltenders have been traded in recent years for a minimal return, including recent Vezina Trophy winners. However, as Fantucchio writes, the Ullmark situation is different than that of Marc-Andre Fleury who was dealt in July 2021 in what amounted to a salary cap dump. Fantucchio theorizes that if the Bruins are patient with the Ullmark trade it could drive up the asking price as teams might become desperate for goaltending as the market dries up.

In other morning notes:

  • It appears that Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros is prepared to let the goaltender market develop before signing his next deal. Jonathan Bailey of Nashville Hockey Now writes that Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet made his weekly appearance on 102.5 The Game on the Caroline, Willy, and D-Mase show to discuss the future of the Predators netminder. On the show, Friedman said that Saros is willing to see what kind of a contract New York Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin signs before he signs a new contract. Shesterkin figures to sign the richest goalie contract ever, and while Saros won’t reach the same kind of money, he can likely command a large percentage of that.
  • Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now writes that he doesn’t think the Pittsburgh Penguins will offer restricted free agent Emil Bemstrom a contract before the June 25th deadline to submit a qualifying offer. Bemstrom was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets and struggled to carve out a role in Pittsburgh despite the Penguins having a very poor bottom-six forward group. The 25-year-old is due a $945K qualifying offer and given the Penguins’ shortcomings it would be reckless to allocate that kind of cap space on a player that would be a 13th forward.

Free Agent Focus: Philadelphia Flyers

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Free agency is now just a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens.  There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.  We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Flyers.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Bobby Brink – Brink finally found consistent playing time in the NHL, dressing in 57 games, potting 11 goals and 12 assists. The former second-round pick competes hard despite being an undersized, below-average skater and has good hands and vision around the net. Brink showed he can be part of the Flyers core going forward and is a good bet to get a bridge contract for 2-3 years with an AAV between $1MM-$2M.

G Carter Hart – Carter Hart is owed a $4.479MM qualifying offer and given his legal status it is unlikely that he will receive an offer, which the league hasn’t yet. The Flyers already have Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov under contract for next season, and it was reported in April that Hart’s trial likely won’t begin until the end of 2025.

D Yegor Zamula – Zamula enjoyed his first full season in the NHL in 2023-24 after spending parts of the previous three years with the Flyers. The 24-year-old showed good mobility and poise in the defensive zone and moves the puck well with a confident first pass, however, he is not an offensive playmaker and lacks consistency. He will also need to find a way to use his 6’3” frame more effectively when defending the net. Zamula also figures to receive a bridge contract from the Flyers in the range of $1MM – $2MM.

Other RFAs:  D Adam Ginning, D Mason Millman, D Will Zmolek

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

F Denis Gurianov – Gurianov is an intriguing free agent as he has a good pedigree having been drafted 12th overall back in 2015, however, the 27-year-old hasn’t been able to put his skillset together at the NHL despite being given ample opportunities. He played just four games for the Flyers last season after coming over in a mid-season trade from Nashville and posted zero points while dominating on the possession front (60% CF% as per Hockey Reference). Gurianov has a 20-season to his credit but has bounced between four organizations the last two years and seems destined for a new one this summer.

D Erik Johnson – Johnson is a former first-overall pick that brings almost no offense but handles his duty in the defensive zone with physicality. There is no flash to Johnson’s game, but he can still provide a good safety blanket if paired on a third pairing with an offensively-minded defensive partner. Johnson made $3.25MM last season on a one-year deal but is unlikely to duplicate that number this offseason. Another one-year contract is in order for the 36-year-old, but it seems unlikely that the Flyers will be a fit for him.

D Marc Staal –Staal is nearing the end of his career, but he remains an NHL player at this stage, albeit in the role of a sixth or seventh defenseman. The Thunder Bay, Ontario native remains a good shot blocker and battler along the boards and in front of his own net, but he is very limited with his skating and the puck on his stick. Staal has trouble playing against teams with speed as he has issues containing the puck carrier and finding space to make plays with the puck. Staal is likely to get another one-year contract in the $1MM range, although it seems unlikely it will be with the Flyers.

Other UFAs: C Adam Brooks, F Tanner Laczynski, F Cooper Marody, D Victor Mete, G Felix Sandstrom

Projected Cap Space

The Flyers have precious little in the way of cap space as they head into the offseason. As of right now, they have just a tick above $500K in room under the cap. That number will grow closer to $7MM when the club accounts for LTIR candidates. Philadelphia has a laundry list of needs and very little room to maneuver which is why the team is considering buyouts for several overpriced veterans. The Flyers will also have the pending free agency of Travis Konecny to consider as he is just a year away from unrestricted free agency. The team will need to get creative if they want to address some of their needs which could make for a busy summer for general manager Daniel Briere.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Flyers Considering Buying Out Cal Petersen And Cam Atkinson

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This past season was a tough one for Flyers winger Cam Atkinson who found himself a healthy scratch on several occasions while underachieving offensively.  Meanwhile, it was even worse for goaltender Cal Petersen who spent most of the season in the minors and struggled in his brief action with Philadelphia.

On top of that, cap space is at a premium for the Flyers as CapFriendly projects them to have barely $500K in regular cap room this summer which isn’t enough to try to make any sort of upgrade to their roster.  Accordingly, GM Daniel Briere acknowledged to NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman that the team is considering all of its options when it comes to opening up cap space, including buying out the veterans when the window to do so opens up later this month.  However, no decision has been made at this time.

Atkinson is coming off the quietest full season of his career.  The 35-year-old notched just 13 goals and 15 assists in 70 games while seeing his ice time drop to a little under 16 minutes a night.  While he was a legitimate top-line threat earlier in his career, he has become a secondary scorer but one that carries a hefty price tag with a $5.875MM AAV.  That would be a difficult contract to move without incentivizing a team to take it on which makes the idea of a buyout more palatable.  They’d save a little over $3.5MM for 2024-25 if they went this route with Atkinson but would add a $1.76MM dead cap charge to their books in 2025-26.

As for Petersen, he was acquired in a salary dump from Los Angeles this summer.  At one point, it looked like he could start as the backup and allow Samuel Ersson to spend more time in the minors but instead, the 29-year-old was waived and spent most of the year in Lehigh Valley.  He didn’t have a particularly strong campaign there either, posting a 2.71 GAA and a .902 SV% in 28 regular season appearances.  Meanwhile, in five games with the Flyers, Petersen notched a .864 SV% while allowing 18 goals in five games.  A buyout for him would reduce his cap charge from $5MM to just $1MM for 2024-25 but add $2MM onto the 2025-26 books.

It’s worth noting that Philadelphia does have other cap room available to them as Ryan Ellis is set to remain on LTIR for next season, freeing up a potential $6.25MM in extra flexibility.  However, going deep into that would prevent them from banking any in-season cap room so ideally, they’d like to try to avoid it.

There’s also the uncertainty with Ryan Johansen’s situation.  Briere indicated to Kimelman that there’s no clarity yet when it comes to the center:

He’s going through some kind of rehab. He had an injection; claims he has a hip injury. At this point, honestly I’m not too sure where it’s at. We’re not sure if he’s going to need surgery, or if he’s going to be ready for camp. We don’t really know at this point.

Johansen has one year left on his deal with the Flyers being responsible for a $4MM cap charge.  If he’s unavailable to play at all, he would then be LTIR-eligible, giving them more wiggle room if they opted to use that.  However, the fact there is some lingering uncertainty about Johansen’s health takes a buyout off the table as injured players can’t be bought out, making Petersen and Atkinson the potentially viable options on that front.

The first buyout window will open up two days after the Stanley Cup ends and run through June 30th so while there is still time for Briere to make a decision on what to do with Atkinson and Petersen, he’ll have to move quickly once the window opens if they do indeed decide to part with one or both of them.

Prospect Notes: Celebrini, Letourneau, MacKinnon, Gordin

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While it has been widely expected that Macklin Celebrini will turn pro and play in the NHL in 2024-25, the center told NHL.com’s Mike Morreale earlier this week that he hasn’t decided his plans for next season just yet.  Celebrini is the presumptive top pick in the draft later this month and most of the time, number one selections make the jump right away.  However, it’s possible that Celebrini could opt for a second season at Boston College and then turn pro with San Jose (assuming they pick him as expected) for the stretch run, a route that Owen Power did after being the top selection back in 2021.

Other prospect news from around the hockey world:

  • The departure of Will Smith to San Jose has had a domino effect for draft prospect Dean Letourneau. The Score’s John Matisz relays (Twitter link) that with Smith turning pro, Letourneau has opted to play at Boston College next season instead of starting in 2025-26.  Letourneau, a potential late first-round pick, had a dominant showing at the Canadian high school level, recording 61 goals and 66 assists in just 56 games.
  • Predators prospect blueliner Dylan MacKinnon has been traded in the QMJHL. Moncton announced that they acquired the 19-year-old from Halifax in exchange for a trio of draft picks, one in each of the first three rounds.  MacKinnon was a third-round pick in 2023, going 83rd overall and is coming off a three-goal, 16-point campaign.  Nashville holds his rights until June 1, 2025 so MacKinnon will be hoping for a big year to secure a contract.
  • Canadiens prospect Alexander Gordin has been traded in Russia. Avtomobilist of the KHL announced that they acquired the winger as part of a three-way trade and signed him to a one-year deal.  Montreal drafted the 22-year-old back in the sixth round in 2020 but Gordin has spent limited time in the KHL since then.  This year, he played for Ryazan-VDV in the second-tier VHL, tallying 18 goals and 22 assists in 53 games.  The Canadiens hold Gordin’s rights indefinitely since no transfer agreement is in place with Russia.

Casey DeSmith Expected To Test Free Agency

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After being acquired right before training camp, Casey DeSmith had a solid season between the pipes for Vancouver.  However, it appears it will be one and done for his time with the Canucks as Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic reported in a recent appearance on Sportsnet 650 (audio link) that there have been no contract talks for the pending unrestricted free agent and that the team is likely to go with Arturs Silovs as their backup next season.

Vancouver acquired the 32-year-old from Montreal in mid-September, sending winger Tanner Pearson and a 2025 third-round pick the other way.  In doing so, they were able to get an upgrade behind starter Thatcher Demko while also freeing up $1.45MM in cap space.

DeSmith played in 29 games during the regular season where he posted a 2.89 GAA and a .895 SV%, the latter number being a career low.  Nonetheless, that still represented a considerable upgrade over the .871 mark from Spencer Martin and .882 from Collin Delia back in 2022-23.  DeSmith also made a pair of playoff appearances following Demko’s injury before being injured himself.  That gave the net to Silovs who took the net and ran with it for the rest of Vancouver’s postseason.

While Silovs is also a pending free agent, it stands to reason that he’ll earn a fair bit less on his next contract than DeSmith.  Silovs is only eligible for restricted free agency and with just 19 career NHL appearances (regular season and playoffs combined), they should be able to get him signed on a short-term bridge contract around the $1MM range.  Those savings could be useful as they look to try to re-sign some of their key pending unrestricted free agents, highlighted by Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov.

As for DeSmith, despite his lower save percentage, he could be in line for a raise from the $1.8MM he made in each of the last two years.  It’s not a great free agent class for goaltenders and there’s a good chance several backups will be moving around.  That should create enough openings for there to be a market for DeSmith’s services once the market opens up on July 1st.

Blackhawks Notes: Kane, No. 2 Pick, Pending UFAs

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Last month, The Athletic’s Scott Powers reported the Blackhawks were having internal discussions about trying to bring back franchise fixture Patrick Kane, who’s set to hit the open market this summer after a one-year deal with the Red Wings. However, speaking with reporters today at the pre-draft scouting combine, general manager Kyle Davidson said he “doesn’t foresee us going back on that” regarding a Kane reunion (via Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times).

Kane, 35, had 47 points in 50 games to close out the season in Detroit after recovering from offseason hip resurfacing surgery. It was a promising step for the future Hall-of-Famer, considering hip resurfacing procedures generally signal the end of a player’s career.

After showing he can still hang around in a top-six role, he’ll look to land a raise on his previous $2.75MM cap hit this summer, but it appears it won’t be with Chicago. The 2007 first-overall pick had 1,225 points in 1,161 games there to begin his career, amassing three Stanley Cups.

Elsewhere from Chi-town:

  • To the surprise of no one, Davidson confirmed today the team isn’t shopping their second overall pick in this month’s draft (via NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis). The team is reportedly leaning toward selecting Belarusian defenseman Artyom Levshunov with the choice, their second top-two pick in the past two years.
  • While preparing for the draft, Davidson said he’s still trying to retain some of their pending UFAs (via Pope). As Pope points out, depth winger Joey Anderson is likely a member of that group, although he’s an RFA that only needs a qualifying offer. Anderson, 25, had five goals and 17 points in 55 games for the Hawks this year. Their notable pending UFAs include Colin Blackwell, Tyler Johnson and Jarred Tinordi.

Rangers Notes: Kakko, Trouba, Core

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Rangers general manager Chris Drury held his virtual end-of-season media availability today after his squad was bounced by the Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final. Among the topics of discussion was the future of 2019 second-overall pick Kaapo Kakko, who’s already found himself in trade rumors after being benched during the playoffs and reaching the end of his contract.

Drury compared Kakko’s situation to that of 2020 first-overall pick Alexis Lafrenière last summer, saying the team will “continue to try and find everything we can do to help him reach his potential” (via USA Today’s Vince Z. Mercogliano). Like Kakko, Lafrenière was a restricted free agent last summer but ended up sticking with the team and signing a two-year, $4.65MM deal in August.

It turned out to be the prudent choice. Under new head coach Peter Laviolette, Lafrenière was finally elevated to a consistent top-six role and scored 28 goals and 57 points while playing in all 82 games, all career highs. He was also one of the Rangers’ better playoff performers, adding eight goals and 14 points in 16 contests.

Unlike Lafrenière, though, Kakko looked to have taken a step forward last season after scoring 18 goals and 40 points but regressed heavily this year. The 23-year-old Finn averaged 13:17 per game, a career low, and mustered only 13 goals and 19 points in 61 games. Whether the Blueshirts hold onto his signing rights and attempt to continue developing him into a top-six threat or decide to move him remains to be seen.

More from Drury on the Rangers’ offseason and future:

  • He also went out of his way to defend captain Jacob Trouba, who’s drawn public ire after a poor showing in their loss to the Panthers (via The Athletic’s Peter Baugh). “Jacob’s been an excellent captain and leader for us. … He gives us everything he can every single night.” The blue-liner had three goals and 22 points in 69 games this season, tied for his lowest offensive output per game since New York acquired him from the Jets in 2019. He did have seven points in 16 playoff games but got caved in defensively at even strength, only managing to control 41.6% of shot attempts.
  • The third-year GM still believes their core of Adam Fox, Artemi Panarin and Igor Shesterkin can lead them to a championship after their Presidents’ Trophy-winning season. “I do believe in our players individually,” Drury said. “Now it’s part of the job to figure out if this group collectively can get us where we want to be. That process is already underway” (via Mercogliano).

2024 NHL Offseason Trades

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Pro Hockey Rumors will track all of the trades made this offseason until the start of the 2024-25 season, updating this post with each transaction. This article can be found anytime throughout the offseason in our mobile menu under the Flame icon.

Trades are listed here in reverse chronological order, with the latest on top. So, if a player has been traded multiple times, the first team listed as having acquired him is the one that ended up with him. If a trade has not yet been formally finalized, it will be listed in italics.

Click on the date above each trade for our full story. We’ll continue to update this list with the latest specific details on picks and other compensation as they’re reported.

Here’s the full list of the NHL’s 2024 offseason trades:

2024-25 League Year

August 23

If the Golden Knights’ pick falls in the top 10 of the 2025 draft, the Sharks have the option to send their own first-round pick instead.

August 22

August 20

  • Oilers acquire the signing rights to D Paul Fischer and the Blues’ 2028 third-round pick.
  • Blues acquire future considerations.

August 19

August 18

  • Oilers acquire D Ty Emberson.
  • Sharks acquire D Cody Ceci and the Oilers’ 2025 third-round pick.

August 18

  • Oilers acquire F Vasily Podkolzin.
  • Canucks acquire the Senators’ 2025 fourth-round pick.

August 14

  • Penguins acquire F Cody Glass, the Wild’s 2025 third-round pick and the Predators’ 2026 sixth-round pick.
  • Predators acquire F Jordan Frasca.

August 14

  • Blues re-acquire their 2025 second-round pick and the Penguins’ 2026 fifth-round pick.
  • Penguins acquire the Blues’ 2026 second-round pick and the Senators’ 2025 third-round pick.

July 15

  • Avalanche acquire signing rights to G Kevin Mandolese and the Senators’ 2026 seventh-round pick.
  • Senators acquire the Avalanche’s 2026 sixth-round pick.

July 15

July 6

  • Jets acquire signing rights to D Dylan Coghlan.
  • Hurricanes receive future considerations.

July 5

July 3

  • Ducks acquire F Robby Fabbri and a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick.
  • Red Wings acquire G Gage Alexander.

The Ducks will receive the earlier of the Red Wings’ own 2025 fourth-round pick or the Bruins’ 2025 fourth-round pick.

July 3

July 2

  • Ducks acquire D Brian Dumoulin.
  • Kraken acquire the Ducks’ 2026 fourth-round pick.

July 2

  • Blues acquire F Mathieu Joseph and the Senators’ 2025 third-round pick.
  • Senators acquire future considerations.

July 2

  • Blues acquire F Radek Faksa.
  • Stars acquire future considerations.

July 1

  • Rangers acquire F Reilly Smith (25% retained).
  • Penguins acquire the Rangers’ 2025 fifth-round pick and 2027 second-round pick.

The Penguins will receive the lower of the two fifth-round picks the Rangers own (their own or the Wild’s).

July 1

2023-24 League Year

June 30

The pick will be the highest of the three fourth-round round picks that the Devils own (Devils, Jets, Stars).

June 30

  • Penguins acquire F Bennett MacArthur.
  • Lightning acquire F Lukas Svejkovsky.

June 30

  • Lightning acquire signing rights to F Jake Guentzel.
  • Hurricanes acquire the Lightning’s 2025 third-round pick.

June 29

  • Maple Leafs acquire signing rights to D Chris Tanev.
  • Stars acquire signing rights to F Max Ellis and the Maple Leafs’ 2026 seventh-round pick.

June 29

  • Capitals acquire the Golden Knights’ 2024 seventh-round pick (No. 212 – F Miroslav Šatan).
  • Golden Knights acquire the Capitals’ 2025 sixth-round pick.

June 29

June 29

June 29

June 29

  • Rangers acquire the Predators’ 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 119 – F Raoul Boilard).
  • Predators acquire the Rangers’ 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 127 – F Viktor Nörringer) and 2026 seventh-round pick.

June 29

June 29

  • Jets acquire the Flyers’ 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 109 – F Kevin He).
  • Sabres acquire the Jets’ 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 123 – D Simon-Pier Brunet) and seventh-round pick (No. 219 – G Ryerson Leenders).

June 29

  • Flyers acquire the Devils’ 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 107 – F Heikki Ruohonen).
  • Flames acquire the Kings’ 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 150 – F Luke Misa) and the Blues’ 2024 sixth-round pick (No. 177 – D Eric Jamieson).

June 29

  • Blackhawks acquire the Hurricanes’ 2024 third-round pick (No. 92 – F Jack Pridham).
  • Hurricanes acquire the Blackhawks’ 2025 third-round pick.

June 29

  • Sharks acquire the Capitals’ 2024 third-round pick (No. 82 – F Carson Wetsch).
  • Devils acquire the Lightning’s 2024 third-round pick (No. 85 – F Kasper Pikkarainen) and the Sharks’ 2025 sixth-round pick.

June 29

  • Capitals acquire the Devils’ 2024 third-round pick (No. 75 – F Ilya Protas).
  • Devils acquire the Capitals’ 2024 third-round pick (No. 82 – F Carson Wetsch) and 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 146 – G Veeti Louhivaara).

June 29

  • Sabres acquire Utah’s 2024 third-round pick (No. 71 – F Brodie Ziemer).
  • Avalanche acquire the Sabres’ 2024 third-round pick (No. 76 – F William Zellers) and the Panthers’ 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 161 – F Maxmilian Curran).

June 29

  • Capitals acquire G Logan Thompson.
  • Golden Knights acquire Islanders’ 2024 third-round pick (No. 83 – G Pavel Moysevich) and the Capitals’ 2025 third-round pick.

June 29

  • Penguins acquire F Kevin Hayes and the Blues’ 2025 second-round pick.
  • Blues acquire future considerations.

June 29

  • Blue Jackets acquire the Hurricanes’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 60 – G Evan Gardner).
  • Hurricanes acquire the Blue Jackets’ 2024 third-round pick (No. 69 – D Noel Fransén) and 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 133 – F Oskar Vuollet).

June 29

  • Flyers acquire the Jets’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 59 – D Spencer Gill).
  • Predators acquire the Flyers’ 2024 third-round pick (No. 77 – D Viggo Gustafsson) and the Wild’s 2025 third-round pick.

June 29

  • Panthers acquire the Bruins’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 58 – F Linus Eriksson).
  • Maple Leafs acquire the Panthers’ 2025 second-round pick and 2024 seventh-round pick (No. 225 – D Nathan Mayes).

June 29

  • Kings acquire F Tanner Jeannot.
  • Lightning acquire the Kings’ 2025 second-round pick and 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 118 – D Jan Goličič).

June 29

  • Utah acquires D John Marino and the Avalanche’s 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 153 – D Aleš Čech).
  • Devils acquire the Capitals’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 49 – G Mikhail Yegorov) and the Oilers’ 2025 second-round pick.

June 29

June 29

  • Sabres acquire signing rights to F Beck Malenstyn.
  • Capitals acquire the Sabres’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 43 – D Cole Hutson).

June 28

  • Oilers acquire the Panthers’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 32 – F Sam O’Reilly).
  • Flyers acquire the Oilers’ 2025 OR 2026 first-round pick.

If the Oilers’ 2025 1st is top 12, the Flyers will receive an unprotected 2026 first-round pick. If the Oilers choose to trade the 2026 first-round pick, then the Flyers will receive an unprotected 2025 first-round pick.

June 28

  • Blackhawks acquire the Hurricanes’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 27 – F Marek Vanacker).
  • Hurricanes acquire the Blackhawks’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 34 – D Dominik Badinka) and the Islanders’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 50 – F Nikita Artamonov).

June 28

  • Utah acquires the Avalanche’s 2024 first-round pick (No. 24 – F Cole Beaudoin).
  • Avalanche acquire Utah’s 2024 second-round pick (No. 38 – G Ilya Nabokov), 2024 third-round pick (No. 71) and the Rangers’ 2025 second-round pick.

June 28

  • Ducks acquire the Maple Leafs’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 23 – D Stian Solberg)
  • Maple Leafs acquire the Oilers’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 31 – D Ben Danford) and the Bruins’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 58).

June 28

  • Wild acquire the Flyers’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 12 – D Zeev Buium)
  • Flyers acquire the Wild’s 2024 first-round pick (No. 13 – F Jett Luchanko) and 2025 third-round pick.

June 28

  • Blues acquire signing rights to F Alexandre Texier (signed two-year, $4.2MM extension).
  • Blue Jackets acquire the Blues’ 2025 fourth-round pick.

June 28

  • Canadiens acquire the Kings’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 21 – F Michael Hage).
  • Kings acquire the Jets’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 26 – F Liam Greentree), the Avalanche’s 2024 second-round pick (No. 57 – G Carter George) and the Canadiens’ 2024 seventh-round pick (No. 198 – F James Reeder).

June 27

  • Capitals acquire F Andrew Mangiapane.
  • Flames acquire the Avalanche’s 2025 second-round pick.

June 27

June 27

  • Sharks acquire the Sabres’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 11 – D Sam Dickinson).
  • Sabres acquire the Penguins’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 14 – F Konsta Helenius) and the Devils’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 42 – D Adam Kleber).

June 26

  • Blackhawks acquire F Ilya Mikheyev (15% retained), signing rights to F Sam Lafferty and the Canucks’ 2027 second-round pick.
  • Canucks acquire the Blackhawks’ 2027 fourth-round pick.

June 25

  • Sharks acquire D Jake Walman and the Lightning’s 2024 second-round pick (No. 53 – D Leo Sahlin Wallenius).
  • Red Wings acquire future considerations.

June 25

June 24

June 23

June 21

June 19

June 19

  • Sharks acquire signing rights to F Ty Dellandrea.
  • Stars acquire the Jets’ 2025 fourth-round pick.

June 19

  • Devils acquire G Jacob Markström (31.25% retained).
  • Flames acquire D Kevin Bahl and the Devils’ 2025 first-round pick (top 10 protected).

If the Devils’ 2025 first-round pick falls within the top 10, it defers to an unprotected 2026 first-round pick.

May 24

  • Blackhawks acquire the Islanders’ 2024 first-round pick (No. 18 – F Sacha Boisvert) and 2024 second-round pick (No. 50 – F Nikita Artamonov).
  • Islanders acquire the Lightning’s 2024 first-round pick (No. 20 – F Cole Eiserman), the Kings’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 54 – D Jesse Pulkkinen) and the Canucks’ 2024 second-round pick (No. 61 – F Kamil Bednarik).

May 21

  • Lightning acquire D Ryan McDonagh and the Oilers’ 2024 fourth-round pick.
  • Predators acquire the Lightning’s 2024 seventh-round pick (No. 213 – F Erik Påhlsson) and 2025 second-round pick.

Blackhawks Leaning Toward Artyom Levshunov At Second Overall

at CDT | by 14 Comments

Much like last year’s draft, there’s a bit of a toss-up at second overall. The Sharks will take Hobey Baker Award winner Macklin Celebrini as the first-overall pick. However, with the second choice, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has a choice to make.

That choice is between Ivan Demidov, a Russian winger whose 60 points in 30 junior games gave him one of the best seasons at that level of all time, and Belarusian defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who logged heavy minutes as a freshman for Michigan State University this season and is the top blue liner in the class based on consolidated public rankings. Speaking on Friday’s episode of “The Athletic Hockey Show,” Scott Powers reports the team is leaning toward Levshunov with less than a month to go until draft day.

Levshunov would immediately become the Hawks’ top defense prospect, surpassing 2022 seventh-overall pick Kevin Korchinski. And like Korchinski two years ago, it seems unlikely he’d jump to the NHL immediately. A sophomore campaign at Michigan State makes sense for Levshunov before potentially turning pro in 2025.

It shouldn’t be ruled out completely, though. Levshunov is coming off a banner season that saw him named the Big Ten Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. He was named to the year-end First All-Star Team as well.

Levshunov’s nine goals, 26 assists, 35 points and +27 rating in 38 games helped the Spartans win their first regular-season and conference tournament championships since the conference’s inception in 2013. A right-shot defender, the 18-year-old already stands at 6’2″ and 209 lbs.

Chicago taking Levshunov off the board would leave Demidov available for the Ducks at third overall, becoming the crown jewel of an already deep pool of young forwards that includes Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish and Trevor Zegras. Demidov is the second-ranked prospect behind Celebrini in public consolidated rankings and TSN’s Bob McKenzie’s most recent polling of NHL scouts.

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