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Flames’ Joni Jurmo, Maple Leafs’ Ty Voit Have Contracts Terminated

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July 16: Jurmo and Voit cleared waivers and will have their deals terminated, according to Friedman.

July 15: Flames defense prospect Joni Jurmo and Maple Leafs forward prospect Ty Voit are both on unconditional waivers Tuesday to terminate their entry-level contracts, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Both have one year left on their deals and would have been restricted free agents in 2026. Any other NHL club can claim them within the next 24 hours; if not, their contracts will be voided, their remaining money forfeited, and they’ll become unrestricted free agents.

Jurmo, 23, was a third-round pick by the Canucks in 2020. Calgary acquired his signing rights in last year’s Elias Lindholm trade and signed him after his season in his native Finland concluded, bringing him to North America for 2024-25.

While Jurmo had played exclusively in Finland’s top-flight Liiga since 2021-22, the adjustment to North America was rough. The 6’4″, 207-lb lefty failed to capture a full-time AHL role with the Calgary Wranglers, going pointless with an even rating in 17 games. He fared much better in the ECHL with the Rapid City Rush, posting 10 points in 12 games, but his lack of success higher on the depth chart wasn’t a promising sign for his development so long after his draft year.

Jurmo likely wasn’t happy with the lack of overall playing time, either, and will presumably seek out a more stable role in Europe if he becomes a UFA tomorrow. In turn, Calgary will clear a contract slot and open up more playing time for their large pool of young defenders likely headed for the Wranglers this season.

Voit, 22, is a similar story. Toronto’s 2021 fifth-rounder was a star in the OHL after missing his draft year due to COVID, capping off his junior career with a 105-point showing in 67 games for the Sarnia Sting in 2022-23.

Injuries cost him nearly his entire 2023-24 season as he adjusted to the professional ranks, though. He still showed immense playmaking promise when healthy, recording eight points in only five games for the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers.

Despite that, Voit didn’t see a second of AHL action last season and instead spent the year back down in the ECHL, now with the Cincinnati Cyclones. His production entered a tailspin, posting a much more conservative 8-29–37 scoring line in 63 games.

The 5’9″ forward could still be in line for an AHL contract somewhere, even if NHL interest isn’t likely. There’s a potential fit with the Penguins – he’s a Pittsburgh native and was drafted by current Pens general manager Kyle Dubas when he was in Toronto.

Did The Jets Do Enough This Summer?

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The Winnipeg Jets were a powerhouse last year in the regular season, winning the Presidents’ Trophy thanks to a historic season from goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who secured his third Vezina Trophy as well as the Hart Trophy. Unfortunately, Hellebuyck and the Jets ran out of steam in the playoffs and were ousted in the second round.

The Dallas Stars unceremoniously knocked them out in just six games after Winnipeg narrowly escaped the first round against St. Louis, scoring in the final second of Game 7 before winning in overtime. The Jets weren’t expected to finish as high as they did last season, and after the summer they’ve had, they probably face lower expectations next year.

So, the question is: has Winnipeg done enough this summer to stay competitive in the Western Conference?

On the surface, teams that lose one of their top players to free agency generally don’t come away with a better group. That is precisely where the Jets find themselves after forward Nikolaj Ehlers took his talents to the Carolina Hurricanes, signing a six-year $51MM contract.

With Ehlers out of the picture after many months of speculation that he’d move on due to a lack of ice time, the Jets quickly took action to replace the loss. Winnipeg opted to replace Ehlers’ offense by committee rather than with an individual move, which was probably not a choice, but rather a necessity given their limited options.

Winnipeg decided to dive into the free agent market and managed to put together a few promising options to compensate for the loss of Ehlers’ offense. Their first move was to re-sign 37-year-old Jonathan Toews to the NHL after a two-year hiatus due to health issues.

The Winnipeg native hasn’t played since the 2022-23 season, and it’s uncertain what kind of contribution the three-time Stanley Cup champion can deliver. The last time Toews played, he scored 15 goals and added 16 assists in 53 games, ending with a -31 rating.

Since he was dealing with health problems then, it’s unfair to judge his past performance or predict similar results going forward. Still, he hasn’t played in the NHL for two seasons and is now 37 years old. Few players ever make a triumphant return in their mid to late 30s after a long absence, with Mario Lemieux being a notable exception.

It’s a gamble for the Jets to rely on Toews returning to his best, but if he does, he could replace a significant part of the offense Winnipeg lost when Ehlers went South. However, if he doesn’t, the Jets still have the option to pivot and use some of their substantial cap space to bring in extra help during the season. Winnipeg has nearly $20MM available under the cap with four players left to sign, so they should be able to leave room for mid-season acquisitions.

On July 1, the Jets also signed veteran forward Tanner Pearson to a one-year, $1MM contract. Pearson was a durable player early in his career, but injuries over the years have derailed his play, and he is now a shadow of his former self.

He was a decent playmaker at one point, but has become a liability on the possession front in recent seasons. That said, he comes to Winnipeg cheaply and should be able to produce around 25 points in a bottom-six role.

His impact on the Jets’ offense will be minimal, but given the low cost, Winnipeg could do much worse. It’s hard to believe, but Pearson is just 32 and posted 12 goals and 15 assists last season in 78 games, so there’s still some gas left in the tank for this season with the Jets.

The Jets also handed out a matching one-year, $1MM contract to forward Cole Koepke after he established himself as a regular NHL player last season. In Boston, the 27-year-old Minnesota native scored 10 goals and seven assists in 73 games while averaging just over 11 minutes per game. He will produce very little offense, but should provide the Jets with a player on their fourth line who can skate, get physical, and play a low-event, stable game.

Finally, the Jets signed the player who could provide the most offense in Ehlers’ absence, and that is 35-year-old Gustav Nyquist. The Halmstad, Sweden native played for Nashville and Minnesota last season and saw his offensive production drop sharply, falling from 75 points in 2023-24 to just 28 points last season.

His decline is quite puzzling, as his underlying numbers were decent, but everything that could go wrong for him did go wrong. He is still a good passer and could put up better numbers with Winnipeg if given the chance to play alongside some stronger players.

Nyquist will likely finish next season with over 28 points but is unlikely to repeat his 75-point performance. If he can raise his game and reach around 50 points, that would be a big win for Winnipeg, which is paying him just $3.25MM next season on a one-year deal.

Ultimately, the Jets made a series of low-risk, short-term signings in hopes of catching lightning in a bottle. These stopgaps will hold things together for the Jets as they aim to build on the success of this past season.

It’s hard to predict whether Toews, Nyquist, Pearson, and Koepke will be enough to replace the loss of Ehlers, but if they are, the Jets could be just as good as last season. If not, Winnipeg can always consider an in-season trade to boost its lineup.

Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Former NHL Goaltender Wayne Thomas Passes Away At Age 77

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Wayne Thomas, a long-time NHL executive and eight-year playing veteran as a goaltender, has passed away at age 77, “following a long battle with cancer,” according to a press release from the Sharks.

While undrafted, Thomas managed to appear in 243 NHL games between 1972 and 1981, compiling a 103-93-34 record for the Canadiens, Maple Leafs, and Rangers, with a 3.34 GAA and a .891 SV%. He earned an All-Star Game appearance in 1976 as Toronto’s starter, a season in which he saved 20.8 goals above average in 64 appearances.

Immediately after ending his playing career, Thomas transitioned into a coaching role with the Rangers. He later held goaltending/assistant coaching roles for the Blackhawks, Blues, and Sharks, as well as multiple minor-league clubs. Midway through the 1995-96 season, San Jose promoted him from assistant coach to assistant general manager, a role he held until he retired from the league following the 2014-15 campaign.

“While he achieved great success as a member of several NHL front offices, Wayne’s core passion was his daily work on and off the ice with NHL goaltenders throughout his coaching career, too many to list here, and he continued fruitful relationships with many of them up until his passing,” the Sharks wrote.

All of us at PHR send our condolences to Thomas’ family and friends, as well as the Sharks organization with whom he spent so many years.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Joe Veleno

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According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Montreal Canadiens are closing in on a contract for center Joe Veleno. It’ll be a coming-home party for the former first-round pick, who’s from Montreal and spent his junior days with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs and Drummondville Voltigeurs. The Canadiens confirmed it is a one-year, $900K contract for Veleno.

Veleno has had an unexpected path through the NHL. He was drafted 30th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2018 NHL Draft, using one of the picks acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Tomáš Tatar. It was a relatively steep fall in draft stock for Veleno, who had been projected as a top-10 talent on most boards before the 2017-18 season.

Still, his prospect pedigree grew a year after being drafted, putting together an impressive showing with the Voltigeurs, scoring 42 goals and 104 points in 59 games with a +63 rating. He was relatively successful throughout his time for Team Canada during the World Junior Championships, scoring one goal and eight points in 11 tournament contests over two years.

Unfortunately, he began to stagnate upon joining the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Veleno remained a quality defensive player, but the scoring capacity he showed at the junior level didn’t follow him into professional hockey.

Throughout his time in Detroit, Veleno was largely utilized in a bottom-six role, averaging 13:05 of ice time over five and a half seasons. He finished his tenure as a Red Wing with 35 goals and 74 points in 288 games with a dreadful -56 rating.

Still, his defensive metrics paint a different picture and prove he has some value on that side of the puck. He averaged a 90.3% on-ice save percentage throughout his time in Detroit, while starting 54.0% of his shifts in the defensive zone. His faceoff percentage (46.6%) is subpar for a defensive-minded center, but Veleno continued to hold his own.

Considering that the Red Wings were a lethargic defensive team throughout Veleno’s tenure, he proved to be one of the few bright spots defensively. His time with Detroit ended last season, when the team traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline for Petr Mrázek and Craig Smith.

Unsurprisingly, with a need to graduate more prospects to the NHL level, Veleno’s time in Chicago lasted 18 games. He was traded to the Seattle Kraken this offseason for André Burakovsky and was subsequently bought out by the Kraken.

In Montreal, it may be an opportunity for Veleno to become a full-time winger. Having Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, and Jake Evans on the roster for next season, Veleno doesn’t serve as an objective improvement over any of their available options.

There’s a decent chance Veleno will become a fourth-line left wing in Montreal, while serving as a center option if the team runs into injury trouble.

Hurricanes Re-Sign Skyler Brind’Amour, Domenick Fensore

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Jul. 16th: The Hurricanes confirmed Brind’Amour’s new contract via a team announcement. Carolina also announced that they’ve re-signed defenseman Domenick Fensore to a one-year, two-way contract. He’ll earn $775K at the NHL level and $70K at the AHL level, with $100K guaranteed.

Jul. 14th: Carolina has taken care of one of its remaining restricted free agents as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the Hurricanes have re-signed forward Skyler Brind’Amour to a one-year, two-way contract.  The deal will pay him $775K in the NHL, $90K in the AHL, and has a guaranteed payout of $100K.

The 25-year-old was originally a sixth-round pick by Edmonton back in 2017, going 177th overall.  However, after playing his college action at Quinnipiac, he didn’t sign with the Oilers, instead joining AHL Charlotte on a one-year deal for 2022-23.  After putting up eight points in 54 games with them, Brind’Amour inked a one-year, two-way pact with the Hurricanes for last season.

Brind’Amour spent most of 2024-25 with AHL Chicago and was a bit more productive than his professional debut, notching 16 goals and eight assists in 68 games.  With Carolina sitting many players for the final two games to keep them healthy for the playoffs, Brind’Amour was among the players recalled from the Wolves and he picked up his first career NHL goal in the final game of the season.

Brind’Amour will require waivers now to return to the minors but it seems unlikely that he will be picked up off the waiver wire.  Assuming he passes through unclaimed, he will once again serve as recallable depth for Carolina in 2025-26 and will once again be a restricted free agent next summer.

With the signing, the Hurricanes are now down to two remaining restricted free agents, both of whom primarily played for the Wolves last season – forward Ryan Suzuki, plus defensemen Ronan Seeley.

Samuel Kňažko Signs In Czechia

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are losing one of their organizational depth defenseman for the time being. According to a team announcement, defenseman Samuel Kňažko has signed a multi-year contract with HC Vítkovice of the Czech Extraliga.

Kňažko wasn’t the most well-known defensive prospect in the Blue Jackets system. The 22-year-old blue liner was selected with the 78th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft by Columbus, coming from TPS’s U20 SM-liiga program. He never displayed higher-level offensive talent, but he proved to be an efficient puck mover and more than capable in the defensive zone.

He came to North America for the 2021-22 season after transferring to the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. Kňažko scored five goals and 20 points in 27 games with a +14 rating, with one goal and six points in 26 postseason contests. He even suited up in seven games for Team Slovakia during the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, helping Slovakia to a bronze medal.

Unfortunately, since he started playing in the Blue Jackets organization with their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, his development has stagnated. Since the beginning of the 2022-23 AHL season, Kňažko has scored seven goals and 49 points in 149 regular-season contests with a -27 rating, and three assists in five Calder Cup playoff matchups. He only played in two games for Columbus over that stretch, going scoreless.

Carrying a bevy of defensemen in their pipeline and on their NHL roster, the Blue Jackets likely didn’t prioritize retaining Kňažko this offseason. He’ll join a Vítkovice team that finished 12th in the Extraliga during the 2024-25 season and was quickly eliminated in the wild-card round of the postseason.

Canucks Actively Looking To Open Up Cap Space

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While the majority of unrestricted free agent activity has already happened, there are a handful of players of some significance still looking for new homes.  But at this point, some teams will need to free up cap space if they want to add anyone off the open market.  It appears the Canucks are one of those as Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Vancouver is monitoring a couple of players still on the open market and are actively working to open up cap space before they could sign one.

The Canucks have been busy in recent weeks but a lot of their moves have been to either re-sign pending free agents or signing players to early extensions that kick in starting in 2026-27.  In the former category, blueliner Derek Forbort was re-signed last month to a one-year, $2MM pact while winger Brock Boeser inked a seven-year, $50.75MM contract just as free agency opened up.  Meanwhile, winger Conor Garland (six years, $36MM) and goaltender Thatcher Demko (three years, $25.5MM) inked extensions on the first day they were eligible.

Meanwhile, there hasn’t been a lot of roster turnover from last season.  Vancouver picked up winger Evander Kane from Edmonton in a cap-clearing move from the Oilers while losing center Pius Suter to St. Louis and defenseman Noah Juulsen to Philadelphia in free agency.  They also recently moved goaltender Arturs Silovs to Pittsburgh, knowing they were going to lose him on waivers in the fall.

But for the most part, the bulk of the core group remains intact from last season, one that saw them lose 19 points in the standings, going from winning the Pacific Division in 2023-24 to finishing fifth last season, missing the playoffs altogether.

However, if GM Patrik Allvin wants to add to his roster, he will definitely need to open up some extra cap flexibility while their current roster flexibility is somewhat limited as well.  Per PuckPedia, the Canucks have just $795K in cap space which doesn’t leave much wiggle room for in-season injury recalls let alone other moves.

Who could be moved is a matter of some question, however.  Center Teddy Blueger is in the final year of his deal at an affordable $1.8MM cap hit but he outperformed his contract a year ago so he might not be someone they want to move.  Nils Hoglander begins a new three-year, $9MM deal this season and took a step back offensively last year which probably doesn’t help his value.  Meanwhile, Dakota Joshua had a tough year after returning from testicular cancer so the three years and $9.75MM left on his deal could be viewed as problematic.

While there’s a belief that the Canucks underachieved last season, they haven’t done much to change up the core that finished off the year.  But if they want to add any other pieces to their group to help their chances of getting back into the playoffs, they need to create some cap room beforehand, a process that already appears to be underway.

Snapshots: Kostin, Jets, Blue Jackets

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Unrestricted free agent winger Klim Kostin has changed agents, signing with Shumi Babaev, the agent announced (Twitter link).  The 26-year-old had a sparing role last season in San Jose, recording just one goal and six assists in 35 games with 111 hits but is only two years removed from a 10-goal, 21-point season which could get him a look on a one-year deal somewhere in the coming weeks or a PTO deal at worst.  If a guaranteed contract doesn’t materialize, Kostin could be a candidate to return home and play in the KHL; Babaev’s announcement notes that he will be representing the winger when it comes to contract discussions with both leagues.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • The Jets showed interest in winger Andrew Mangiapane in free agency, relays Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press. The 29-year-old wound up signing a two-year, $7.2MM contract with Edmonton with a chance to play in their top six; Wiebe adds that Mangiapane left a bit of money on the table to do so, suggesting that Winnipeg’s offer was for a bit more than $3.6MM per season.  Mangiapane is coming off a quiet year that saw him record just 14 goals and 14 assists in 82 games with Washington, his third straight season of a decline in points after a career-best 35-goal, 55-point campaign with Calgary in 2021-22.
  • The Blue Jackets’ only move goalie-wise this summer was moving out Daniil Tarasov who is now the backup in Florida, leaving incumbents Elvis Merzlikins and Jet Greaves as the presumed tandem. However, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that Columbus is still looking to add a goalie.  Their desired target is someone with some AHL experience but who can hold his own in the NHL if need be.  Ideally, that would be a younger player but GM Don Waddell acknowledged that teams don’t want to give those ones up in a trade.  A waiver claim might wind up being the outcome and while that would mean carrying three goalies, the Blue Jackets are prepared to do so if need be next season.

Minor Transactions: 7/15/25

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It has been a busy 24 hours transactions-wise around the NHL with several restricted free agents signing before their qualifying offers expire later today.  Meanwhile, there have been some other minor signings involving free agents which we’ll run through here.

  • After spending the last four seasons in Seattle’s system on an NHL deal, defenseman Gustav Olofsson will be staying there on a different contract. The Kraken’s AHL affiliate in Coachella Valley announced that they’ve signed the blueliner to a two-year minor-league deal.  Olofsson is a veteran of 63 NHL games but saw just four games with Seattle.  Last season, the 30-year-old played in 51 games with the Firebirds, picking up three goals and 14 assists.
  • Lehigh Valley, affiliate of the Flyers, announced the signings of wingers Zayde Wisdom and Garrett Wilson to one-year deals. Wisdom was a fourth-round pick by Philadelphia back in 2020 and had 32 points in 68 games with the Phantoms last season but wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer last month.  Wilson, meanwhile, is a veteran of 84 NHL games but last played at the top level in 2019.  He had 14 goals and 14 assists in Lehigh Valley last season in 63 games.
  • After spending last season on a two-way deal with San Jose, unrestricted free agent defenseman Joey Keane is heading back to Russia as he has signed a two-year deal with Spartak Moskva, per a team release. The 26-year-old originally started in Carolina’s system but went to Spartak once his entry-level deal ended, spending two years there before coming back to North America last season.  In 2024-25, Keane had 11 points in 38 games, a stat line identical to his second season with Spartak.
  • Bruins prospect Cole Chandler has committed to Northeastern, reports the Northeastern Hockey Blog (Twitter link). The forward was a fifth-round pick last month after putting up 32 points in 64 games with QMJHL Shawinigan during the regular season while adding a dozen more in 16 playoff outings.  He’ll return to the Cataractes for the upcoming season and then move to the NCAA starting in 2026-27.

CBA Q&A: AHL/CHL Transfers, EBUGs, Preseason, LTIR, More

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In conjunction with last week’s callout, PHR’s Josh Erickson is answering some reader-submitted questions about the new Memorandum of Understanding and adjustments to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Some questions have been edited for clarity and style.

Mike_t – I’ve heard NHL teams can put a 19-year-old in the AHL starting next season or maybe the following season. Do you know if that is part of the new CBA?

Fargo Chipper – Does the CHL have to sign off on the reported eligibility of one 19-year-old player per team being allowed assignment to the AHL?

Starting with a bit of a two-fer here. You’re both onto something. Yes, it is part of the new MOU. Yes, the CHL will need to sign off on it before it happens. The exact text is that the NHL “will reopen its agreement with the CHL to seek to eliminate the mandatory return rule for 19-year-old Players.” The proposed modification allows teams to loan a single 19-year-old player who would otherwise be subject to the previous transfer agreement to the AHL.

As an aside, none of the changes outlined in the new MOU affect league operations for the 2025-26 season or the 2026 draft and free agency. The existing CBA/MOU combination remains valid through Sep. 15, 2026. Every modification laid out in the new MOU takes effect on that date.

blues1967 – What would be the pay scale for an EBUG, since they are expected to be ready for all 82 games? My understanding is their pay would NOT count against the salary cap, correct?

The second part of this question is the quickest to answer. An EBUG is not on the active roster or even signed to a standard NHL contract – that would prohibit them from serving as one, so they’re not considered for salary cap purposes, no.

The first is also pretty simple. Compensation for emergency backups wasn’t previously outlined in the CBA or previous MOUs, and that doesn’t change here. It is entirely up to the team to offer whatever compensation they see fit.

The MOU also stipulates that the EBUG “may also be employed by the Club in another capacity.” I imagine most teams will not “hire” a separate EBUG as a result and will instead give that responsibility to someone already in the organization, assuming they meet the new specific eligibility requirements, like a development coach who’s traveling with the team.

Those eligibility requirements are as follows, and I’ll paraphrase them as best as possible to get rid of the legalese:

  1. Can’t have previously played an NHL game under a standard contract, so previous EBUGs who have entered game action remain eligible,
  2. Can’t have played more than 80 professional hockey games,
  3. Can’t have played pro hockey in the last three seasons,
  4. Can’t have any other contractual obligation that would prevent them from honoring their EBUG responsibilities,
  5. Can’t be on another NHL team’s reserve list.

vincent k. mcmahon – So with the preseason now shortened to just four games with the upcoming CBA, do you think this will have any sort of effect on roster construction around that time? Also, do you see this affecting players who settle for a PTO?

I think the shortened preseason will have a minimal impact on roster construction, particularly for existing players under contract. However, it will have a more significant effect on players with PTO. I’ll address the remedies for this in a second.

As for contracted players, yes, it likely puts more emphasis on their regular-season play the previous year to fuel their candidacy for a roster spot and may result in more teams making decisions based on players they penciled into their lineup over the summer. Considering the fluidity of rosters in the NHL, I don’t see this as a significant impact in the big picture. If anything, it protects teams from perhaps rushing players who aren’t ready for NHL roles into them based on an impressive but small training camp/preseason sample size.

To clarify these new rules (beginning with the 2026-27 preseason), teams cannot schedule more than four preseason games during training camp, those games cannot start earlier than the fourth day of camp, and no one with at least 100 games played (or dressed for goaltenders) can dress for more than two preseason games.

Like I said, opening night roster spot “battles” are often overblown because NHL/AHL roster fluidity is generally vast, particularly with a rising cap. It’s the veteran PTO players who are getting disadvantaged because they now only have a two-game sample size. In contrast, they’d have previously skated in close to every matchup in a longer exhibition schedule.

To that end, the MOU introduces a new formal mid-season PTO agreement, allowing for the extension of an on-the-books tryout into the regular season at any point. That agreement does not permit the player to enter a regular-season game; however, it does essentially provide an exclusive 10-day training/practice window, during which the team has the first right of refusal on a contract if another club attempts to sign the player.

highflyballintorightfield – Can you confirm/correct/comment on this reading of the LTIR changes: 1. A team can replace a player on LTIR only with players of average-salary-or-less (that is, no replacing an injured star with an equivalent player) unless the injured player is deemed ineligible for the rest of the season, including playoffs. 2. In the playoffs, the season’s cap amount applies (with numerous counting rules for bonuses, retentions, etc., that I will assume make sense) to the 20-man roster for each game. 3. The teams or NHLPA can request a good-faith re-assessment of the playoff cap after two playoffs in use (2028).

I’ll go number-by-number on these:

  1. Correct, with a couple of caveats. Essentially, the maximum cap relief via in-season LTIR usage when the player is expected to return is limited to the league average salary for the prior campaign. If this rule were to take effect for 2025-26, the maximum LTIR relief per team would be $3.82MM, since that was the average salary for 2024-25. It will be higher when it takes effect for 2026-27, as the 2025-26 league-average salary is greater than that. Additionally, the injured player in question would be ineligible to dress in the regular season or playoffs, even if they’re medically cleared, if the team exceeded that relief threshold.
  2. Correct. Dead cap applies in full in the playoffs; the only difference is your healthy scratches don’t count.
  3. Mostly correct. They can have that discussion, but the current provisions are locked in through 2028-29. If they decide to scrap it entirely, that can’t happen until the 2030 playoffs.

KSHabs – What are your beliefs on A) How taxes affect contracts after the new CBA, B) Chances of new expansion teams and what divisions and expansion draft could look like, and C) Who is in line to succeed Bettman as he could likely retire within the next few years. Thanks!

None of the above, honestly. The state income tax “loophole,” if you even want to call it that, wasn’t discussed in this MOU. Status quo, no change.

This MOU also doesn’t discuss expansion, aside from players now receiving an additional $35,000 stipend unrelated to moving expenses, if claimed in an expansion draft (it’s unclear who pays this money). Expansion will remain directly tied to hockey-related revenue and the valuation of franchises. The league has a price they’ve set. If someone is willing to pay it and the league sees a viable market/situation, they’ll expand. As a result, there’s no indication as to whether or how expansion draft protection rules may change.

If you ask Bettman, he’ll say that speculation is unfounded. Realistically, he’s 73 years old. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly has been in that post for 20 years now and is 12 years younger than Bettman. It’s really hard not to see him ascending to the throne if he’s still working with the league when Bettman eventually retires.

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