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Edmonton Oilers Make Multiple Coaching Changes

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Some changes are coming to the Edmonton Oilers’ coaching staff for the 2025-26 campaign. The Oilers announced they’ve hired Paul McFarland as an assistant coach, Peter Aubry as a goaltending coach, and Conor Allen as a skills coach. Making room for McFarland as an assistant, Edmonton also shared that legendary defenseman Paul Coffey will return to his previous role as a special advisor to ownership and hockey operations.

It’ll mark a return to the NHL for McFarland. He’s had three brief trips through the NHL, spending two years as an assistant coach for the Florida Panthers, one year as an assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and three years as an assistant coach for the Seattle Kraken.

The Richmond Hill, Ontario native spent last season serving as the head coach of the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen, guiding them back into the WHL postseason. McFarland coached the Hitmen to a 45-17-3-3 record with a +83 differential. Unfortunately, their success ended relatively early, losing in the second round of the WHL playoffs to the Lethbridge Hurricanes in seven games.

Meanwhile, Aubry replaces Dustin Schwartz as the Oilers’ goaltending coach, who had been serving in the role since the 2014-15 season. Schwartz had presided over some strong play from Cam Talbot, Mikko Koskinen, and Stuart Skinner over the last decade, but the team’s performance in the crease over the past two years warranted a change in mentorship.

Despite serving as the associate coach for the NCAA’s University of Nebraska-Omaha for the past two years, Aubrey has plenty of professional experience to fall back on. He served as the developmental goaltending coach for the Chicago Blackhawks from 2015 to 2023, helping graduate prospects such as Anton Forsberg, Kevin Lankinen, and Collin Delia to the NHL level. Unfortunately, since the Blackhawks had Corey Crawford for much of Aubrey’s time, none of his proteges had a real opportunity to flourish in Chicago.

Lastly, Allen is making the long trek from Plymouth, MI, to Alberta after being an assistant coach for the U.S. National U17 team last season. He’s a veteran of 284 games at the AHL level, scoring 22 goals and 93 points with a -37 rating, and of seven NHL contests with the New York Rangers from 2013 to 2015.

Jeff Marek of Daily Faceoff was the first to report that the Oilers were expected to hire McFarland. 

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron To Two-Year Deal

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According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Winnipeg Jets have taken one of their restricted free agents off the board. Friedman reports that the Jets have re-signed Morgan Barron to a two-year, $3.7MM contract, with an AAV of $1.85MM.

As expected, Winnipeg and Barron came to an arrangement relatively quickly after the latter filed for salary arbitration on July 5th. The two parties were less than a week away from the start of arbitration hearings. Still, by filing for arbitration, Barron eliminated his opportunity to negotiate with other teams about an offer sheet, meaning both sides were in a comfortable spot.

The deal seems like a fair compromise for both sides. Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press reported that Barron will earn a $1.7MM salary in the first year of the deal, and $2MM in the second. It’s only a moderate bump in pay from Barron’s previous $1.35MM salary, but the two-year structure will walk him into unrestricted free agency after the 2026-27 campaign.

It’s also a fair price for a center that is destined for a fourth-line role. After extending Vladislav Namestnikov and inking Jonathan Toews to a contract, the Jets effectively eliminated any chance for Barron to move up on the depth chart, assuming a healthy roster.

He’s a quality defensive center to have in a fourth-line role, despite having some noticeable flaws. He’s chipped in at times offensively, scoring 27 goals and 54 points in 224 games for Winnipeg over the last three years, averaging 11:19 of ice time per game. He’s averaged a strong 93.3% on-ice save percentage at even strength in Manitoba, but his 48.8% success rate in the faceoff dot leaves a lot to be desired, especially considering that he starts a majority of his shifts in the defensive zone.

Still, given his defensive prowess and the physicality he brings to the bottom of the lineup, the Jets have been willing to overlook a slightly subpar faceoff percentage from Barron. They’ll retain some continuity in their lineup, and Barron’s offensive contributions may increase next season, given the Jets’ additions of Gustav Nyquist, Tanner Pearson, and Cole Koepke this summer.

Photo courtesy of Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images.

Montreal Canadiens Wish To Retain Mike Matheson

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After acquiring defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders shortly before the start of free agency, the Montreal Canadiens solidified the top four of their defensive core for the foreseeable future. Montreal has Dobson and Kaiden Guhle signed to long-term contracts, is one year away from having the option to do the same with phenom Lane Hutson, and has former fifth-overall pick David Reinbacher waiting in the wings.

With the need for ample salary cap space to sign Hutson next offseason, speculation has arisen that the Canadiens might consider trading blue liner Mike Matheson for center help or allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. However, it doesn’t appear that the organization believes they have to lose Matheson, nor do they want to.

In a new interview with James Murphy of RG Media, Montreal’s Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, Jeff Gorton, spoke highly of Matheson, saying, “If you look at Mike’s body of work since he came to Montreal, he’s been a really good player. So, sure, he takes criticism once in a while, but he might play upwards of 25 minutes a game sometimes, right? He’s been huge right now, and we all realize that. So, there are no decisions made on Mike right now. Obviously, he’s got a year left on his contract, but he’s been a very, very, solid player for us. He’s a very good penalty killer; he plays against the best players every night, and there’s not much he doesn’t do.”

There’s plenty of truth to Gorton’s vote of confidence. After scoring 138 points in 417 games through the first seven years of his career between the Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins, Matheson has become a legitimate top-four defenseman in Montreal, scoring 25 goals and 127 points in 210 contests, averaging 25:07 of ice time per game.

Matheson leaves something to be desired in his underlying metrics as he’s averaged a 45.6% CorsiFor% at even strength and 89.6% on-ice save percentage at even strength since coming to Montreal. Still, it’s important to note that, like Gorton said, Matheson typically lines up against the opposing team’s top forwards, giving more context to those numbers.

The 10-year veteran will assuredly seek a healthy increase on his $4.875MM salary next offseason, especially with the upper limit of the salary cap continuing to rise. Thankfully, even with the pending contract for Hutson, the Canadiens should have the financial flexibility to extend him if they desire. Including Matheson’s expiring contract, Montreal has another $19.2MM coming off the books next summer from Patrik Laine’s and Carey Price’s contracts, although the latter has been stashed on LTIR for several years.

Still, if the Canadiens truly want to keep Matheson beyond the 2025-26 campaign, it serves as something they’ll want to get completed sooner rather than later. With more teams looking to become competitive and with more available dollars floating around, Matheson could get a premier payday on the open market next summer, and there are certainly other teams that may be willing to outspend Montreal for his services.

Five Key Stories: 7/7/25 – 7/13/25

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While the bulk of the roster activity occurred on or around July 1st, there was still some movement of note over the past week, including a big CHL to NCAA transfer.  We’ll run down the top moves from around the NHL in our key stories.

Five For Two: A pair of arbitration-eligible restricted free agents inked five-year deals.  First, the Flyers signed blueliner Cameron York to a five-year, $25.75MM pact.  The deal buys out his first two seasons of UFA eligibility.  York had a career year in 2023-24 but struggled last season, notching just 17 points in 66 games while clashing at times with former head coach John Tortorella.  He’ll get a fresh start under Rick Tocchet next season with plenty of job security as well.  Meanwhile, not long after Utah opted to take Jack McBain to arbitration, the two sides agreed on a five-year, $21.25MM deal, one that gives the Mammoth three extra years of team control.  McBain set career highs in goals (13) and points (27) last season while coming up just short of reaching 300 hits for the second time in his career.  The signing ensures that an important part of their bottom six won’t be going anywhere for a while.

Howard Saga Ends: After deciding that he didn’t want to sign with Tampa Bay, prospect winger Isaac Howard has a new home as he was acquired by Edmonton for center Sam O’Reilly.  Howard subsequently signed a three-year, entry-level deal upon being acquired.  Howard was the 31st pick in 2022 and is coming off his junior year at Michigan State where he finished fifth in NCAA scoring, showing he’s ready for the next test.  He didn’t want to take that step with the Lightning but will with the Oilers.  O’Reilly, meanwhile, was the 32nd pick in 2024 and is coming off a solid showing with OHL London.  He’s expected to return to junior next season but immediately becomes one of Tampa Bay’s better prospects, allowing them to salvage a solid return from a tough situation.

Dallas Dumps Dumba: Needing to clear cap space, it was only a matter of time before the Stars made a move.  That move came in the form of trading defenseman Mathew Dumba along with a 2028 second-round pick to Pittsburgh for blueliner Vladislav Kolyachonok.  Dallas inked Dumba to a two-year, $7.5MM contract last summer but he struggled mightily, notching just 10 points in 63 games with some defensive struggles that saw him dropped to the third pairing during the season and benched outright in the playoffs.  Needing to get cap-compliant, the cost of doing so was one of their better draft picks which the rebuilding Penguins will be happy with getting at the cost of some cap room.  Kolyachonok, meanwhile, played in 37 NHL games last season between Utah and Pittsburgh and could be in the mix for a spot at the back of the roster for the Stars.

Manson’s Sticking Around: Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson has been a speculative trade candidate at times when Colorado looked like it needed to open up salary cap room.  However, he has been with the team for more than three years now and will be staying for a while longer as he signed a two-year, $7.9MM extension that begins in the 2026-27 season.  The 33-year-old has been a dependable defensive and physical presence when healthy but he has missed significant time due to injury in two of the last three years.  Manson is now just one of two Avs blueliners signed for the 2027-28 campaign; the other is Devon Toews.

More San Jose Movement: A busy summer in San Jose continued this week.  First, the team flipped defenseman Henry Thrun to Toronto for winger Ryan Reaves in a swap of players on expiring contracts.  Thrun was unlikely to break camp with the Sharks given their additions on the back end in recent weeks while Reaves could find himself in a reserve role like he had with the Maple Leafs last season.  They followed that move up with the signing of veteran winger Jeff Skinner to a one-year, $3MM contract.  The 33-year-old is coming off a quiet year with Edmonton that saw him record 15 goals and 12 assists in 72 games while logging just 13 minutes a night of ice time.  It stands to reason that he’ll get more of a chance with the Sharks, who have now changed up close to 40% of their roster from last season.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.

Lightning Sign Scott Sabourin

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The Lightning have added some grit up front for their system as the team announced that they’ve signed winger Scott Sabourin to a one-year, two-way contract.  Financial terms were not disclosed but PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that it’s worth $775K in the NHL, $250K in the minors, and has a guaranteed payout of $350K.

The 32-year-old has seen NHL action in five of the last six seasons but it has been minimal, to say the least.  Sabourin played in just one game last season with the Sharks, an outing in late January.  Over his career, he has made 47 appearances at the top level, picking up two goals and six assists along with 103 hits and 58 penalty minutes.

Sabourin has been much more of a factor in the minors, however.  Last season, he notched 10 goals and 15 assists plus 111 penalty minutes in 68 games with San Jose’s AHL affiliate, the Barracuda.  That extended his streak of consecutive seasons with double-digit goals and at least 100 penalty minutes to three.  Overall, he has 88 goals, 93 assists, and 1,223 penalty minutes in 532 AHL contests over parts of 12 seasons.

Originally signed as an undrafted free agent back in 2013, Sabourin has now signed eight NHL contracts across six different organizations.  He’s likely to begin next season with AHL Syracuse while being a recall option if Tampa Bay decides that they want some extra physicality in the lineup for certain matchups.

Alex Ovechkin Could Play Beyond 2025-26

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All-time leading goal scorer Alexander Ovechkin dismissed reports of a possible retirement next season as ’nonsense,’ and previously noted that he plans to continue playing as long as his love for the game remains strong, reports Sammi Silber of DC Backcheck.

He told reporters during locker clean-out day that he fully intended to honor the final year of his contract but was unsure of his future beyond that, saying he hadn’t given any thought to whether or not he’d be open to extension talks with the Caps as soon as he becomes eligible to sign one on July 1. However, as Silber notes, speculation about Ovechkin’s potential retirement following next season was actually sparked by the Capitals themselves, when a social media post mistakenly referred to next season as the captain’s last. With one year left on his current deal and the goal-scoring record secured, the puzzle pieces were in place to assume next year would be Ovechkin’s last.

However, speaking with Russian-based Sport-Express, Ovechkin dismissed any retirement rumors as ’pure nonsense.’ He also hinted that anything could happen regarding his career, including a potential return to Russia to finish his playing days. That echoes comments Ovechkin made to Silber back in February, where he expressed his interest in playing for as long as his love for the game remains intact, which could include extending his NHL career.

Ovechkin, 39, proved last season that he isn’t slowing down. Not only did he break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring mark, but he also scored 44 goals and 73 points in just 65 games. He added five goals in 10 playoff games this last season. Over the last four seasons (age 36-39), he has produced 167 goals and is just three away from 900 for his career.

Although Ovechkin has nothing left to prove in the NHL, he could reach the 1,000-goal milestone if he stays in the league. Remarkably, he continues to perform at a high level despite playing a physically demanding style throughout his career. Not only does Ovechkin have the most goals in league history, but is also third all-time in hits, trailing leader Cal Clutterbuck by less than 300.

Hurricanes Expressed Interest In Retaining Burns, But With Reduced Role

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The Carolina Hurricanes came into the offseason with a lot of cap space and were going to make a push to sign big-name free agents. Offensively, they did just that, signing free agent Nikolaj Ehlers to a six-year, $51MM deal. The team also seems eager to continue to bolster their offensive group and is reportedly eyeing Pittsburgh Penguins veterans Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust.

However, the team also revamped their defensive unit, highlighted by a sign-and-trade for K’Andre Miller, which sent right-shot defender Scott Morrow the other way, and the signing of depth defenseman Mike Reilly. The Hurricanes also opted to let veteran Brent Burns walk in free agency, though there was interest in keeping the potential Hall of Famer in a lesser role. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on his 32 Thoughts podcast, Carolina informed Burns that, should he stay with the team, his role would be diminished.

“In Carolina, it’s not that they didn’t want to keep him. It’s that they told him that his role was going to decrease. And I’ve seen this before. Even if players are being told the truth by their team, they have such pride and sometimes they like to go somewhere else and take a lesser role than the place where they already are,” Friedman said.

Friedman noted that the Hurricanes are satisfied with their current group of blueliners, believing they fit seamlessly into Coach Rod Brind’Amour’s system. Miller will undoubtedly be a key part of that system for years to come after signing an eight-year deal worth a total value of $60MM for $7.5MM per season. The Hurricanes will also likely rely on the continued development of Alexander Nikishin, who began his NHL career in the playoffs last season.

Burns eventually landed a one-year deal with the Avalanche. Burns, 40, comes to the Avalanche after registering 29 points in 82 games with the Carolina Hurricanes last season. While his offensive numbers dipped considerably in 2024-25, he still logged a hefty 20:57 of ice time per game on the season. He added five points in 15 playoff contests.

 

 

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs From Canucks

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired goaltender Arturs Silovs from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for forward prospect Chase Stillman and a 2027 fourth-round pick.

Pittsburgh will move to acquire a goalie just a few weeks after trading Alex Nedeljkovic to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2028 third-round pick. In turning to Silovs, Pittsburgh finds a goalie who is both five years younger than Nedeljkovic, and more experienced in the playoffs.

Silovs stepped into the Canucks’ starting role during the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs with only nine games of NHL experience under his belt, following an injury to Thatcher Demko. He posted one shutout, but otherwise managed a 5-5-0 record and .898 save percentage.

He found his way back to a split role in a crowded Abbotsford Canucks goalie room this season – but fought back into the role of playoff starter after posting a team-best .908 save percentage in 21 games. Back at the helm, Silovs drove Abbotsford to a Calder Cup Championship with a .931 save percentage and 16-7-0 record. He’s a red-hot hand with upside, who will seem to settle in between the role of AHL starter and NHL backup next season. That’s exactly the support Pittsburgh could use, allowing the team to bump Joel Blomqvist up to number-two on the depth chart while still maintaining competition for the backup role.

On the other side, Vancouver invest further into their depth forward group. Stillman was a first-round selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, after a weird draft year where eight games in Denmark’s U20 league, and seven games at the World U-18 Championship, was his only gametime. He returned to the OHL for two seasons following his draft selection, and totaled 97 points in 158 games split between the Sudbury Wolves and Peterborough Petes. He served as an assistant captain for both clubs.

Stillman turned pro with the AHL’s Utica Comets in the 2023-24 season. He recorded a modest 14 goals, 24 points, and 72 penalty minutes in 54 games as a rookie, but struggled to fight his way into a routine, top-end role in the lineup. Those challenges reached a peak on a caved-in Utica lineup this season. Stillman started the year with just nine points in 46 games with the Comets, prompting a move to the Penguins organization at the Trade Deadline. He was traded alongside Max Graham and a 2027 third-round pick in the deal that landed New Jersey Cody Glass and Jonathan Gruden.

Stillman continued to struggle in his move to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He scored just three points in 21 games with the club, and will now find himself on the move once again. Luckily, he could be headed for a golden opportunity with Abbotsford, who will be looking for a replacement for Sammy Blais’ top-six role. Blais scored 59 points across 74 games with the AHL’s Canucks last season, and his mix of grit and finesse was a major boost in the team’s run to a league title. Stillman will look to grab hold of that important role, while Silovs tries to find enough footing to jump to the NHL.

Kieffer Bellows Signs One-Year Deal With SHL’s Brynas IF

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Former Nashville Predators winger Kieffer Bellows has decided to take his talents overseas after reaching unrestricted free agency this summer. He has signed a one-year contract with Brynas IF of Sweden’s SHL, per a press release on the team’s website. This will be Bellows’ first stint in European pros after spending the last seven seasons split between the NHL and AHL.

Bellows never found more than a fourth-line role at the top level, and often served more as an injury fill-in through his stints with the New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, and Predators. That role often landed Bellows on the top-line of his club’s AHL roster, where his talents as a high-motor, physical scorer shined through much clearer. He recorded 19 points and a lofty 101 penalty minutes in 73 games of his rookie AHL season, all the way back in 2018-19. He swung the needle back towards scoring in his sophomore campaign – netting 22 goals, 31 points, and 49 penalty minutes in 52 AHL games during the 2019-20 season.

That swing earned Bellows a move to the NHL in 2020 – one that wouldn’t be reversed until the 2022-23 season. By then, he had amassed 95 career games and 28 points at the NHL level – with nearly half of both coming during his 2021-22 season with the Islanders, when Bellows potted 19 points in 45 games. But his game continued to seem better-suited for the minor flight, and Bellows went on to add to his resume with 90 points and 112 PIMs through 108 AHL games between 2022 and 2025. That includes 31 points and 56 PIMs with the Milwaukee Admirals this year – a performance that was intercut by Bellows also racking up four points in 19 games with the Predators.

On the heels of that surge back to AHL success, Bellows will now opt to move to Sweden. He joins a strong Brynas roster that finished first in the league, but lost to Lulea in the championship, last season. Bellows should take up the role of top-six grinder complimenting former NHL names like Jakob Silfverberg, Oskar Lindblom, and Johan Larsson. He’ll also join up with NHL prospects Michal Svrcek (Detroit), Lucas Pettersson (Anaheim), and Gustav Hillstrom (New Jersey).

Tristan Luneau Poised To Make Big Impact For Ducks

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The Anaheim Ducks have quietly built an impressive stockpile of talented, young defenders. Players like Jackson LaCombe, Olen Zellweger, and Pavel Mintyukov are beginning to prove as much on the left-hand side, but Anaheim is still searching for that same kind of breakout on the right-side. After a fantastic rookie season in the minor leagues, Tristan Luneau who seems best positioned to bring exactly that jolt as soon as next season.

There’s a steep learning curve for young defenders transitioning to the pro flight – especially for slight-framed, puck-movers who don’t engage physically like Luneau. He showed signs of those struggles in the seven NHL games, and six AHL games, he played through in the 2023-24 season. While Luneau’s three points in the NHL was an impressive jump to production, he struggled to clear out the front of the net or stop opponents from entering the defensive end. Luneau was set to mitigate those early-career learning pains with a trip to the 2024 World Junior Championship – where he surely would’ve dominated his younger peers – before an illness and eventual knee infection effectively ended his season before the tournament even began.

With that, Luneau’s first year of pro hockey – and his first chance to represent Team Canada – came to an abrupt close. It left the Victoriaville-native in a confusing spot. His nifty puck-handling and blue-line playmaking translated seamlessly to the top flight, but he showed through multiple areas of needed growth. With a long-term absence to boot, Anaheim opted for the safe approach for Luneau’s return in the 2024-25 season – defaulting him to the minor-leagues for the entire season after a brief, six-game stint in the NHL in October.

A year removed, that decision has paid dividends. Luneau finished the year with 52 points in 59 games. That scoring pace – 0.88 points-per-game – is the third-highest a U21 defender has managed in the AHL since 2000, and interestingly the highest from a defender outside of the Los Angeles Kings pipeline (Brandt Clarke, 0.92 in 2023-24; Jordan Spence, 0.91 in 2021-22). On top of reaching a tremendous scoring height, Luneau also added a heap of confidence in the gritty areas of the ice. He was diving into puck battles and scrums in the slot with the prowess his 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame should provide. The result was not only an increased ability to win pucks in the corners, and hold his ground in the slot – but truly more opportunities for Luneau to win possession and command movement up the ice.

He, in many ways, returned to the end-to-end commander role he became known for in the QMJHL. Luneau was creating as many plays as he joined, and worked his way onto the AHL’s end-of-season All-Rookie team as a result. He was once an incredibly high-regarded prospect, earning first-round acclaim through points of his juniors career. Anaheim eventually landed Luneau in the middle of the 2022 second-round, and early returns seem to suggest he’s on the way to becoming a day-two steal. Luneau showed his ability to score at a top level through his first seven games in the NHL two seasons ago. Now – after vindicating that ability with a dominant year in the minors – he’s added the additional oomph needed to stretch his offense across a full season.

With a season-ending injury now well in the rearview mirror, Luneau seems poised to jump quickly back into the NHL, where his downhill-drive could pair perfectly with the all-three-zones ability of LaCombe or Mintyukov. He’ll be a favorite to make the Ducks roster directly out of training camp, and could soon be yet another young player to find his way to success on the Anaheim blue-line.

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