Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Oilers Acquire Vasily Podkolzin From Canucks

at CDT | by 9 Comments

The Edmonton Oilers have acquired forward Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for the Ottawa Senators’ 2025 fourth-round pick. Edmonton acquired the pick alongside Roby Jarventie earlier this summer, in exchange for sending Ottawa forwrards Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson.

The timing of this deal can’t be ignored. Edmonton recently received two offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues, who are looking to steal away forward Dylan Holloway and defender Philip Broberg. The pair of offer sheets totals $6.87MM – a very difficult pill to swallow for an Oilers team already $8.225MM over the cap ceiling, not including potential long-term injured reserve. While an Oilers trade seemed imminent, this swap is far from what many were expecting – as Edmonton reels in a former top prospect and potential Holloway replacement.

If Podkolzin truly donns that title is yet to be seen. He proved a controversial pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, rounding out what was a loaded Top 10 after fighting his way into KHL ice time. Podkolzin stayed in Russia for two seasons after his draft selection, continuing to grow in a KHL role before moving directly into a middle-six role with the Canucks in 2021. He was productive as a rookie, appearing in 79 games and managing 14 goals and 26 points. But he’s struggled to hold onto that scoring in the years since, totaling just nine points across his last 58 NHL games. That belabored production has earned Podkolzin the first AHL games of his career, to some success. He’s scored 46 points in 72 minor-league games over the last two seasons – enough to earn routine call-ups back to the NHL, but not enough to inspire much excitement.

But that could be set to change in Edmonton. Podkozlin flaunted plenty of skill during his brief KHL career, but struggled to instill much tempo into the offense. That’s perhaps the thing the Oilers do best, largely thanks to just how talented Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins bring to the table. Holloway wasn’t getting much ice time with those superstars as he looked to establish his footing in the NHL, but Edmonton has shown a preference for icing shoot-first bruisers, like Connor Brown or Klim Kostin, with McDavid. Podkolzin stands at a similar frame to Holloway, but has built a bit more of knack for physicality as he’s cut his teeth in the minor leagues. A move to the Oilers offense will represent a chance to start over – potentially filling a recently departed role as the lineup’s young, high-upside winger.

2024 Professional Tryout Tracker

at CDT | by 5 Comments

This year, Pro Hockey Rumors will be keeping a running of list of all players attending training camps on professional tryouts. A few have gotten started in August, and many more will be announced in the coming weeks as unsigned veterans look to find homes and free agent up-and-comers look to get some stability in the lower levels of an organization.

This tracker can be found at any time under the Flame menu for mobile users and under the “Pro Hockey Rumors Features” menu on the right-hand desktop sidebar. It will be updated as new PTO signings come in, as well as when players are released or signed.

Last updated 10/12/24, 9:19 a.m.

August 15: Logan Brown, Lightning – Result: released Oct. 5
August 15: Jakub Vrana, Capitals – Result: SIGNED Oct. 8
August 20: Tanner Pearson, Golden Knights – Result: SIGNED Oct. 4
August 22: Nikolai Knyzhov, Penguins – Result: released Sep. 27
August 22: Sammy Blais, Canucks – Result: released Sep. 30
August 27: Skyler Brind’Amour et al., Hurricanes – Result: SIGNED Oct. 5
August 28: Austin Watson, Red Wings – Result: SIGNED Oct. 7
August 29: Eetu Mäkiniemi, Flyers – Result: SIGNED Sep. 24
August 31: Tyler Johnson, Bruins – Result: TBD
September 3: Steven Lorentz, Maple Leafs – Result: SIGNED Oct. 7
September 3: Tyson Barrie, Flames – Result: SIGNED Oct. 3
September 5: Jakub Zbořil, Devils – Result: released unknown date
September 5: Michael Hutchinson, Devils – Result: released Oct. 1
September 5: Calen Addison, Senators – Result: released Oct. 5
September 5: Nikolai Kulemin, Senators – Result: released Sep. 30
September 10: Adam Erne, Rangers – Result: released Oct. 1
September 10: Travis Dermott, Oilers – Result: SIGNED Oct. 8
September 10: Sam Gagner, Hurricanes – Result: released Oct. 6
September 11: Max Pacioretty, Maple Leafs – Result: SIGNED Oct. 7
September 11: Kailer Yamamoto, Utah – Result: SIGNED Oct. 6
September 11: Pierre-Édouard Bellemare, Avalanche – Result: released Oct. 3
September 11: Madison Bowey, Rangers – Result: released Oct. 1
September 11: Matt Luff, Panthers – Result: released Sep. 30
September 11: Boris Katchouk, Ducks – Result: released Sep. 30
September 11: Gustav Lindström, Ducks – Result: released Oct. 4
September 11: Mark Pysyk, Ducks – Result: released Oct. 4
September 12: Keith Kinkaid, Islanders – Result: released Oct. 2
September 13: Matt Martin, Islanders – Result: TBD
September 15: Kevin Labanc, Devils – Result: SIGNED Oct. 5 (with Blue Jackets)
September 15: Dylan Ferguson, Canucks – Result: released Sep. 22
September 17: Rocco Grimaldi, Hurricanes – Result: released Oct. 6
September 17: Jon Gillies, Maple Leafs – Result: released Oct. 3
September 17: John Leonard, Panthers – Result: released Sep. 30
September 18: Mike Hoffman, Oilers – Result: released Sep. 30
September 18: Lucas Johansen, Predators – Result: released Sep. 29
September 19: Aaron Dell, Sharks – Result: released Sep. 23
September 19: Joey Keane, Sharks – Result: released Sep. 29
September 19: Kasimir Kaskisuo, Bruins – Result: released Oct. 6
September 19: Dustin Tokarski, Senators – Result: released Oct. 5

Blackhawks Expect Taylor Hall To Be Cleared For Preseason

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Blackhawks made a splash on the trade market last summer when they acquired top-six winger Taylor Hall from the Bruins, but an injury to his ACL in his right knee derailed his campaign and shut him down back in November. After returning to practice in the final few days of the 2023-24 campaign, Hall told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he’s completed his recovery from surgery and expects to be medically cleared to play by team doctors upon arriving for training camp next month.

Hall, 32, was expected to be Connor Bedard’s primary wingman in the first-overall pick’s rookie season. It’s easy to see why they targeted the veteran, who won the Hart Trophy with the Devils in 2018 and was just one year removed from a 20-goal, 61-point season at the time of his acquisition. He also came at a substantial $6MM cap hit, one that the Bruins needed to get rid of to increase their spending flexibility and one Chicago needed to help them hit the cap floor. But while he fulfilled the latter objective, his on-ice impact was negligible at best, posting just four points and a -3 rating in 10 games before exiting the lineup entirely.

Uncertainty about how Hall may perform coming off knee surgery directly influenced the Blackhawks’ offseason plans. After signing the slightly younger Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen in free agency, Hall will likely be relegated to a second-line or even third-line role as he returns to the Chicago lineup. But if he’s needed to take on extra minutes, the 2010 first-overall pick “intends to come back hungry” after missing so much time, he tells Pope.

“I’m trying to take some rest breaks here and there because I’ve been working out and rehabbing for eight months now,” Hall said about his offseason recovery process. “You want to plateau — you want to be at your best — when training camp starts, and you don’t want to be fatigued from working out all summer. I’m playing around with that. But, in general, it feels like a normal offseason for me.” Notably, Pope says Hall has still yet to participate in any full-contact drills, but that’s expected to come with his clearance next month.

A solid rebound campaign from Hall, a pending UFA, likely has more value for Chicago in trade talks than it does in the standings table. They can comfortably retain up to 50% of his salary, making him a $3MM acquisition on deadline day, and his trade protection is limited to a 10-team no-trade list. Hall, who’s only made the playoffs five times in his 14 NHL seasons, would likely welcome a trade to any postseason contender regardless.

Morning Notes: Maple Leafs, Andersson, Sabres

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Unlike other teams that have recently claimed their offseason checklists are complete, the Maple Leafs are still open for business, general manager Brad Treliving said on TSN 1050 last week. “To me, we’ve still got five weeks or so till camp,” Treliving said. “And, you know, we’re not set yet. We continue to look at ways to make our team better.”

It’s more like four weeks now, but Treliving’s right in that there are still multiple minor moves Toronto intends to make before veterans roll in for training camp. Chief among them is likely finding a home for disgruntled winger Nicholas Robertson, who remains an unsigned RFA after reportedly requesting a trade in June. The 2019 second-round pick finally broke into an everyday role with the Leafs last season after a few years of being relegated to minor-league roles, producing well in a depth role with 14 goals and 27 points in 56 games. That was good enough for 39 points over a full 82-game sample, but his ice time remained limited at 11:23 per game. Going pointless and averaging less than 10 minutes per game in six playoff contests against the Bruins didn’t boost his stock.

That means there’s still an unknown ripple effect on the Leafs’ forward depth. They’ll undoubtedly replace Robertson’s role one way or another, either by recouping a similar player in a swap or making a UFA signing to avoid putting too much pressure on rookies Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten to crack the opening night roster. Doing so would be a tricky fit with the salary cap if injured defenseman Jani Hakanpaa ever puts pen to paper on his reported two-year, $3MM deal, though. As things stand, they only have $1.275MM in space with a roster size of 21, per PuckPedia, which is not enough to be cap-compliant with Hakanpaa on the roster to start the season.

More from around the league:

  • The Flames have been on a major selling spree for the past year, shedding a multitude of veterans as part of a significant roster overhaul. Top-four staple Rasmus Andersson was among the players Calgary was getting calls on before last year’s trade deadline, but they ultimately opted to keep the 27-year-old while trading away Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev instead. Nothing’s really changed on that front this summer, The Athletic’s Julian McKenzie said in a recent mailbag. Andersson isn’t off the trade block entirely, but it’ll take an overwhelmingly valued offer to pry him out of Alberta. He still has two years left on his deal at $4.55MM against the cap and has a six-team no-trade list.
  • Even with the Sabres entering training camp with Bowen Byram in tow for the first time, expect head coach Lindy Ruff to deploy Mattias Samuelsson on the team’s top pairing alongside Rasmus Dahlin to begin the season, writes Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. It’s a pairing that previous bench boss Don Granato used with aplomb when Samuelsson was in the lineup, but the promising stay-at-home defender has missed significant chunks of the past two seasons with injuries. With Byram then expected to slot in alongside Owen Power on their second pairing, the Sabres may be the only team in the league without a right-shot defenseman in their top four.

Snapshots: Celebrini, Ovechkin, Avalanche

at CDT | by 8 Comments

The San Jose Sharks are eagerly anticipating first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini, emphasized by new head coach Ryan Warsofsky, who told Tom Gulitti of NHL.com that he’s expecting Celebrini to drive the lineup. Warsofsky said, “He’s so driven. I think at times we’re going to have to reel him back just because he wants to go, go, go, but he’s a super competitive, self-driven young person, which you don’t see a lot this day and age. That’s what impressed me the most.”

There’s certainly plenty of opportunity available in San Jose. The Sharks couldn’t make it to 20 wins last season, largely thanks to their 2.20 goals-per-game – the second-lowest in the NHL since 2017, behind the Chicago Blackhawks’ 2.17 average last season. San Jose has since parted with Tomas Hertl, Anthony Duclair, Filip Zadina, and Mike Hoffman – four of their top seven scorers from last season. They’ve been replaced by new signees Tyler Toffoli and Alexander Wennberg, as well as team captain Logan Couture, who’s expected to return from injury soon, and fellow rookie Will Smith. But those additions pale in comparison to Celebrini, who’s coming off a collegiate season that made him the youngest Hobey Baker Trophy winner in NCAA history – one year after winning the USHL MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season. He’s a driven and impressive playmaker who seems poised for quick success. The Sharks will look to lean into that momentum by putting Celebrini into an immediate premier role in the lineup.

Other quick notes around the league:

  • Superstar Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin is planning to return to the United States in early September to prepare for his 20th NHL season, agent Gleb Chistyakov shared with MatchTV. Some Capitals have already returned to practices with their teammates, shares Sammi Silber of The Hockey News, though those skates remain informal. Ovechkin has stayed on the ice this summer, participating in a variety of event skates including a recent NHL vs KHL event that pitted Russia’s top pros against a menagerie of NHL stars. He’ll transition back into pro-mode soon, looking to continue his chase for Wayne Gretzky’s goal-scoring record into its second decade. Ovechkin currently sits 42 goals back from the record – a mark he’s reached in 13 different seasons, including in two of the last three years.
  • The Colorado Avalanche are still working to round out their lineup amid a cap crunch, which could lead the team to take advantage of professional try-outs as September rolls around. Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now posited four different options for a PTO, notably including former Ottawa Senators winger Dominik Kubalik. Rawal shared that Colorado frequently scouted Ottawa’s games last season and could be drawn to Kubalik’s scoring upside. The 28-year-old winger took a hard fall last season, netting just 11 goals and 15 points in 74 games – after scoring at least 30 points in his previous four NHL seasons. His rookie season in 2019-20 still stands as Kubalik’s career year, marked by 30 goals and 46 points in 68 games. He could rediscover that spark in Colorado, though he’ll first have to negotiate a PTO and win out a roster spot – both uphill battles.

Evening Notes: Acciari, Hamonic, Simpson

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Winger Noel Acciari has joined the list of Pittsburgh Penguins forwards on the trade market, as Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now shares that he and Lars Eller are among the likeliest to be moved. Kingeski adds that Eller could be the preferred option for the Penguins, though moving either player will only serve to open room for recent acquisitions Cody Glass, Blake Lizotte, and Anthony Beauvillier.

Acciari is the younger of the two by three years but could still prove the cheaper acquisition. He’s played for four teams over the last four seasons, scoring just 38 points in 152 games across that span. His per-game scoring decreased in each season, ending with a measly seven points in 55 games with the Penguins this year. Acciari’s aggression and physicality have kept him in the lineup –  though he was still subject to healthy scratches last year. Acciari is signed at a $2MM cap hit through the 2025-26 season – $450K cheaper than Eller, who expires next summer – a reasonable price for teams needing to bolster their bottom lines.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Defenseman Travis Hamonic has fully recovered from the knee injury that cut his 2023-24 campaign in half shares Steve Warne of The Hockey News. Hamonic recorded just six points in 48 games last season, though he also continued a track record of lacking poise with 40 penalty minutes. Hamonic is in the final year of a two-year, $2.2MM deal signed with the Senators last summer – though Warne mentions that he’ll have to fight for a lineup spot as players like Max Guenette and Jacob Bernard-Docker find their footing in the NHL.
  •  Longtime Montreal Canadiens scout and former pro Reid Simpson has stepped down from his role to pursue another opportunity in the NHL, confirms Le Journal de Montréal. The details of Simpson’s new role, including where he’s headed, haven’t yet been revealed, though it will mark his first move as an NHL staffer, after spending the last eight seasons in Montreal. Simpson’s playing career guided him through stints with nine NHL teams – including Philadelphia, Montreal, Nashville, and Pittsburgh. He carried those talents to Vityaz Chekhov of Russia’s top league in 2005, recording a daunting 531 penalty minutes across 77 games and two seasons with the team. Simpson is poised for new opportunity as an NHL staffer, now well past his career as a bruiser and his inaugural stint with the Canadiens.

Red Wings’ Goaltending Future Seems Clear

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Detroit Red Wings did little to solidify their goaltending room this summer, after a confusing 2023-24 campaign in net. Starter Ville Husso was besieged by injury and cold streaks last season. He was replaced by 31-year-old Alex Lyon, who performed admirably in what was the first full NHL season of his career. But both goalies are set for free agency in 2025 and, rather than committing to either party, the Red Wings instead signed 37-year-old Cam Talbot to a two-year, $5MM deal this summer. Detroit now carries a trio of fringe-starting-caliber goaltenders, all set to expire by 2026, making it clear that the team isn’t much worried about their current status in net – they’re already looking towards the future.

It’s hard to blame the Wings, who carry two of the world’s top goalie prospects in Trey Augustine and Sebastian Cossa. Both players have been revered prospects for years, with Cossa even earning rare first-round acclaim in 2021, while Augustine was taken in 2023’s second round.

Cossa quickly vindicated his early selection, supporting the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings to a league title in 2022 with a .913 save percentage in 46 games. He turned pro in the following year, though he’d join a Grand Rapids Griffins team that utilized eight different goalies in the 2022-23 season. That crowd relegated Cossa to a starting role in the ECHL where he perfectly matched his stat line with the Oil Kings. A strong start to the pros and proud showing at 2023’s training camp earned Cossa the starting role in Grand Rapids in this past season. The position awarded Cossa 40 games and he – call it a trend – once again posted a .913 as part of a winning year.

Meanwhile, Augustine kicked off his college career in style, serving as the freshman starter for a Michigan State team that won a conference championship and the Frozen Four quarterfinals. Augustine tallied a .915 in 35 games along the way – enough to earn him a nomination for Big Ten Goalie of the Year, though the award ultimately went to Wisconsin senior Kyle MacLellan. Perhaps motivated by that snubbing, Augustine proceeded to work his way onto Team USA’s World Championship roster, becoming the youngest goalie ever to represent the States at the event. When Red Wings teammate Alex Lyon went down with injury, Augustine then went one step further and actually played games – setting an impressive .929 save percentage in four games. The gravity of Augustine’s appearance at Worlds can’t be understated. Only a handful of U21 goalies have played multiple games at the event, placing Augustine among company like John Gibson, Arturs Silovs, Ilya Sorokin, Jesper Wallstedt, and Jacob Markstrom.

Cossa ceded 34 games to Grand Rapids’ backups last season, and will now look to maintain his .913 save percentages in a larger share of starts, amid competition like Carter Gylander, Gage Alexander, and Jack Campbell. Augustine will be in a similar position in collegiate hockey – confidently set for a starting role but looking to maintain strong play behind a Spartans defense that replaced Artyom Levshunov, Viktor Hurtig, and Nash Nienhuis with Vladislav Lukashevich and Owen West. That setting certainly presents a challenge, but it’s hard to imagine Augustine crumbling under pressure after such an electric freshman year.

Continued strong play could put both goalies on the fast track to the NHL as Detroit’s current crease heads to free agency. The inevitable question seems to be which top prospect is headed for the lion’s share of games when they finally break into the Red Wings lineup. Cossa carries the upper-hand in early projections, thanks to his 6’6” frame and proud pro experience up to this point. But Augustine’s athleticism and agility seem second-to-none – and his ability to perform with the spotlight on was made clear at the World Championship. The duo have an exciting position battle ahead of them, set to form a tandem that could be hard to forget. With one goalie relying on frame and positioning, and one on athleticism and skill, the Red Wings will hope they’re headed for a tandem akin to Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark, or perhaps more accurately the emerging tandem of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi.

Gabriel Landeskog Aiming For Early-Season Return

at CDT | by 3 Comments

One of the question marks surrounding the Avalanche this summer is the future of Gabriel Landeskog.  While it’s well-known that he was intending to try to return from continued knee issues that cost him the last two seasons, the realistic possibility of that happening wasn’t exactly obvious as it’s a situation that doesn’t come up too often.

Speaking with NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, head coach Jared Bednar indicated that Colorado’s captain will not be ready to return when the puck drops on the regular season in October.  However, Landeskog appears to be aiming for an early-season return.  That said, Bednar puts that timeline between the first month or two of the year, noting that the exact timing remains up to Landeskog.

The 31-year-old had quadriceps surgery during the 2020 playoffs and had knee surgery in March and October 2022.  He then underwent cartilage replacement surgery on his knee last May after the procedure six months earlier didn’t fix the injury.  Late last season, the team indicated that there was a possibility that Landeskog could return depending on how far they went in the playoffs.  However, they were ousted in the second round by Dallas and that return never materialized.

When healthy, Landeskog has been a key part of Colorado’s forward group.  In 2021-22, his last season of action, he recorded 30 goals and 29 assists in just 51 games as a mainstay on the top line.  Over his past four years (excluding the last two where he didn’t play), he has 230 points in 232 contests.  While it wouldn’t be realistic to expect Landeskog to come back and produce at a similar rate after being off for so long, his eventual return should still bolster their depth at a minimum while potentially giving them a boost lower in the lineup.

From a salary cap perspective, if the minimum return timeline for Landeskog is a month, he’ll be eligible to land back on LTIR to start the season.  Between that and Valeri Nichushkin not counting against the cap while in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, Colorado will safely be in cap compliance when the regular season gets underway.  But when (or if) both players can return, then they could be very tight to the Upper Limit depending on how they fill out their roster over the next couple of months.

In other injury news, Bednar indicated that winger Logan O’Connor should be ready to start the season after undergoing hip surgery in March.  However, he’s not as certain that winger Artturi Lehkonen will be medically cleared by the opener; he had shoulder surgery after the playoffs.  If he’s not available on opening night, the Avs will be down three of their top wingers to start the season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Poolman, Prosvetov, Stenlund

at CDT | by 2 Comments

With the Oilers needing to clear up some cap space to accommodate the offer sheets tendered to Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway this week, Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province wonders if the Canucks might be able to help in that regard.  Vancouver blueliner Tucker Poolman has played just three games over the last two seasons combined due to concussion issues and was on LTIR for all of 2023-24.  He has one year left on his contract but isn’t expected to play, meaning he’ll remain LTIR-eligible for the upcoming season.

The Canucks aren’t believed to want to incentivize a team to take that contract off their books but with his $2.5MM AAV coming close to Brett Kulak’s $2.75MM, perhaps there’s a basis for a swap.  Vancouver would likely have to add in that package, allowing Edmonton to get an asset in return instead of potentially having to part with one to clear a blueliner.  The Oilers would then be able to utilize Poolman and Evander Kane on LTIR, reducing the imminent need to free up any more cap room while Vancouver would get an NHL roster player in return for someone whose playing days are over.  It’s an odd idea on the surface but perhaps it becomes a palatable one before Edmonton has to decide on matching the offer sheets by Tuesday’s deadline.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Earlier this month, UFA goaltender Ivan Prosvetov officially signed a three-year deal with CSKA Moscow of the KHL. He did, however, have some NHL interest as the netminder told Championat’s Pavel Panyshev that he had a one-way offer on the table that he declined in order to return home.  The 25-year-old split last season between the NHL and AHL with Colorado, putting up a 3.16 GAA and a .895 SV% in 11 games with the Avs and a 2.33 GAA with a .921 SV% in 21 minor league appearances.  A good showing back home could have Prosvetov on the NHL radar again when his contract is up in 2027.
  • Kevin Stenlund’s decision to sign with Florida last summer was a wise one. He put up a career-best 11 goals in 2023-24 while winning the Stanley Cup.  The middleman told Hockeysverige’s Ronnie Ronnkvist that he was hoping to remain with the Panthers in free agency but those talks didn’t progress very far.  The 27-year-old wound up signing a two-year, $4MM deal with Utah, a price point that Florida simply wouldn’t have been able to afford to pay for someone in a depth role given their salary structure.

Blue Jackets Notes: Laine, Sillinger, Lindstrom, Tryouts

at CDT | by 5 Comments

While the Blue Jackets have taken care of most of their offseason business, there are a couple of matters for them to still attend to.  The biggest one is the Patrik Laine situation.  The winger has made it known that he would like to be traded and has been cleared from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.  However, GM Don Waddell indicated in an interview with Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers that they are not particularly close to finding a change of scenery for him:

Well, he’s still a Blue Jacket today and as we speak, I don’t have anything (newsworthy of) interest, but nothing that I had to make a decision on yet. Just some teams do their homework and trying to talk with Patrick and his agent and he thought about giving full permission to talk to teams. So, but as we are talking, I don’t have anything that on the table that would even make any sense for the Blue Jackets to make that deal.

The 26-year-old was limited to just 18 games last season where he had six goals and three assists before being shut down due to shoulder surgery in December; he entered the assistance program just over a month later.  For someone who has a cap hit of $8.7MM, that’s far from a great return.

However, Laine has a track record of being a productive scorer.  He has three 30-goal campaigns under his belt and three more of at least 22, two of which came in 2021-22 and 2022-23, seasons where he missed at least 26 games due to injury.  With that in mind, there is some recent success which should be of some value for interested teams.  But until they can make the money work (either with Columbus retaining money, taking a pricey contract back, or both), it doesn’t look like this is going to come to a quick resolution.

One element that might be resolved quickly, however, is Cole Sillinger’s next contract.  A report from The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline surfaced a little more than a week ago that the two sides were close on a new deal.  That still hasn’t been made official yet but Waddell acknowledged that an agreement is nearly done:

Yeah, we’re real close. His agent has been very, there’s been lots of talks going on, all very positive talks. We’re all within the striking distance. It’s just a matter of they have a position, we have a position and there’s no doubt in my mind it’ll get worked out.

The 21-year-old was the 12th overall pick in 2021 and made the jump to the NHL right away, notching 31 points in his rookie year before struggling considerably in his sophomore season.  However, Sillinger was able to rebound somewhat last season, notching 13 goals and 19 assists in 77 games while logging over 16 minutes a night of ice time.  That said, this appears to be a situation where a short-term second contract makes sense for both sides to better assess what Sillinger’s true offensive upside will be.

Meanwhile, Waddell provided an injury update on prospect Cayden Lindstrom.  The Blue Jackets drafted the middleman with the number four pick in June following a strong, albeit injury-riddled, WHL season with Medicine Hat where he had 27 goals and 19 assists in just 32 games.  Lindstrom has been working his way back from a back injury but has not yet been cleared to resume skating.  Accordingly, the GM suggested that he might not participate in next month’s rookie tournament unless he is deemed fully recovered at that time.

Lastly, Waddell didn’t rule out the possibility of giving out one or two tryout agreements in the coming weeks.  However, he noted that his preference is to have smaller groups for training camps and with an overhaul of the coaching staff, having the smaller group makes more sense this time around.  That said, with eight exhibition games in an 11-day stretch, having a veteran or two to help meet the minimum quota probably wouldn’t hurt.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top