Penguins Sign Nick Robertson To Two-Year Deal
According to Elliotte Friedman, the Penguins have settled with Nicholas Robertson on a new contract.
The forward was one of 15 RFAs who filed for Salary Arbitration. A few days ago, the dates for each player’s arbitration hearings were set, including Robertson. If a deal wasn’t reached before the proceedings, the Penguins had the option to choose between a one or two-year contract for Robertson, with the arbitrator settling the value of the contract.
His arbitration hearing was on the calendar for later this month, on July 28th. Robertson avoids that hearing by signing a two-year, $6.5MM ($3.25MM AAV) contract, per Friedman. The deal will pay him through the 2028-29 season, when he’ll turn 26 and become an RFA again.
He finished his 2025-26 season scoring 16 goals for 32 points with the Toronto Maple Leafs, setting career-highs for the former 2019 second-round pick. The Leafs traded him to Pittsburgh on July 1st for a 2028 fourth-round pick, reuniting Robertson with the GM who originally drafted him, Kyle Dubas.
The 24-year-old winger, a second-round pick in 2019, has profiled as a useful supplementary scoring forward in a middle-six role, especially in the last three seasons as a 20-30 point player, with 14, 15, and 16 goals in each of those three seasons. He’s built that up through his six bumpy seasons under the Toronto organization, where, with much trade speculation, linking him to the Penguins all the way back to 2024, he had signed two one-year deals after his entry-level contract’s end in 2024 and never received over 13 minutes of ice time.
Now with Pittsburgh, Robertson is a younger option within the forward group for the Penguins, turning 25 in September. The Pens now have around $13MM in cap space and 14 forwards on their books. It should be noted that Nicholas is the younger brother of Stars star Jason Robertson, who remains in need of a new contract. If the Penguins are attempting to pony up to acquire the American scorer, signing his brother is one way to start.
More to come.
Sabres Extend Peyton Krebs After Arbitration
According to Elliotte Friedman, the Buffalo Sabres and Peyton Krebs have settled their arbitration case.
Krebs will sign a four-year extension in Buffalo with a $4.5MM cap hit, per Friedman. The Sabres later confirmed the report. Krebs will make $18MM across that timeframe, having a modified no-trade clause that includes seven teams for the 2028-29 and 2029-30 seasons, which takes him into UFA status at age 29.
The young forward was one of 15 RFAs who filed for Salary Arbitration. Yesterday, the dates for each player’s arbitration hearings were set, including Krebs, who was scheduled for August 1st of this summer. If a deal wasn’t reached before the proceedings, the Sabres had the option to choose between a one or two-year contract for Krebs, with the arbitrator settling the value of the contract.
The 25-year-old is coming off a career-best 12 goals for 39 points in 2025-26 and was arbitration-eligible while being owed a $1.45MM qualifying offer. He added six points in six playoff games against the Boston Bruins, competing in 13 total postseason games for the Sabres in the second season of a two-year, $2.9MM ($1.45MM AAV) contract signed back in 2024. After serving as a bottom-six presence in previous seasons with Buffalo, Krebs was elevated into a top-line role with Tage Thompson and proved reliable.
“He’s like my Swiss Army Knife that I can just flip out a different blade at any time and let him go at it,” coach Lindy Ruff said per the press release.
Krebs joined the Sabres back in 2021, as part of the blockbuster trade package in return from the Vegas Golden Knights for Jack Eichel. Over the past couple of seasons, since that, he’s played 243 games, the most by a Sabre in a three-season span. He notably finished second on the Sabres in hits with 201, making him one of seven NHLers to produce as many hits with his point production. The Calgary native also provides much-needed speed for the up-and-coming Sabres, ranking one of the NHL’s faster skaters in the 92nd percentile for max speed at 23.28 mph and 90th percentile for 20-22 mph bursts, with 158 total in 2025-26.
The former 17th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft signed a three-year $2.59MM ($863K AAV) deal with the Golden Knights shortly after he was selected and didn’t make his NHL debut until the 2020-21 season, finishing out his major junior career with the Wenatchee Wild in the WHL, winning the leagues Player of the Year Award and finishing a silver medalist with Canada at the World Junior Championships.
The Sabres cut their cap space in half with the signing of Krebs to this extension. They now have $4.1MM in cap space with Krebs being the 14th forward now on the team’s books. Buffalo also still has the buyout of Jeff Skinner on their payroll, as it counts towards 6.2% of the team’s overall cap hit, denting them as they progress forward with the losses of Alex Tuch to Washington and trading Bowen Byram to Chicago. While bringing in defenseman Olen Zellweger, the Sabres could still have more in store if they can get fancy with their moves, with the intrigue of potentially acquiring goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and Buffalo native Patrick Kane remaining unsigned as a free agent.
Photo Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Maple Leafs Adding Daniel Alfredsson To Coaching Staff
According to Elliotte Friedman, Daniel Alfredsson is set to join the Maple Leafs coaching staff. The Hall of Famer, who spent the last three seasons as an Ottawa assistant coach, is expected to be named as Toronto’s associate head coach.
Alfredsson, 53, has been with the Senators in two separate stints. He served as a Senior Advisor to the club from 2015-17 and also as a development coach from 2023-24 before he was promoted to an assistant coach from December 18, 2023, up until this past season. He was also Sweden’s senior advisor in 2024-25 at the World Championships and their assistant coach at the NHL’s 4 Nations Faceoff.
Now, as Friedman points out, what was a bitter rivalry between Mats Sundin’s Leafs and Alfredsson’s Senators has now become a partnership in the Six. Toronto and Ottawa faced each other in the playoffs four times in five years during Alfredsson’s time with the Senators; Toronto won every series. Alfredsson’s connection with Sundin demonstrated respect for one another despite their clubs’ rivalries. The duo won gold together while representing Sweden at the 2006 Olympics in Turin.
The Leafs hired Sundin this offseason as a Senior Advisor after having a short tenure in management with his native Sweden. Before his first club gig in Toronto, he worked with Sweden’s men’s national team as a consultant on two occasions – first for the 2013 World Championship and again for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
In 18 NHL seasons, the first 17 with Ottawa, Alfredsson had 1,157 points, 444 were goals, 713 tallied as assists in 1,246 games, as well as 100 points in 124 playoff games. His 426 goals, 682 assists, and 1,108 points are all Senators records. His No. 11 was retired on Dec. 29, 2016, and he was the first modern-era player in Senators history to receive that honor.
More to come.
Ducks Sign Jeff Malott
Having lost Ross Johnston to St. Louis and Jeffrey Viel to Tampa Bay earlier in free agency, the Ducks have added some extra grit up front. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Anaheim Ducks have signed forward Jeff Malott. He receives a three-year contract worth $1.85MM per season.
The 29-year-old played his first full NHL season in 2025-26 with Los Angeles. Malott played in 58 games with the Kings, picking up three goals and six assists. In terms of his physical play, he added 55 penalty minutes and 166 hits despite averaging just 8:49 per night of playing time. He suited up in all four of their playoff contests and was held off the scoresheet while recording 14 penalty minutes and a dozen hits.
Last season’s action represents the majority of his NHL ice time. For his career, he has just 71 career NHL appearances under his belt, all but one coming with the Kings. The one exception was his NHL debut with Winnipeg back in 2021-22. Malott had just one other assist in his NHL action before this season. He also has parts of five AHL seasons to his credit, spanning 298 games. Malott has been much more productive in those, tallying 105 goals and 103 assists along with 318 penalty minutes.
Malott is likely to slot in on Anaheim’s fourth line and likely reprise the role he had in Los Angeles. Getting three years and that much guaranteed money given his limited experience is somewhat of a surprise but Viel had a similar track record before being acquired midway through last season and became a more important piece than originally expected. They’re banking on Malott being able to follow in those footsteps.
Three Potential Trade Fits For Zach Werenski
What team could match the value regarding a Zach Werenski trade?
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet has mentioned that the American defenseman is out there and referred to a few destinations that could trade for Werenski this offseason on the 32 Thoughts podcast.
Werenski finished the 2025-26 season scoring 22 goals for 81 points in 75 games this season. He received 113 first-place votes en route to winning a Norris Trophy. beating Colorado’s Cale Makar and Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin to win the best defenseman award. The 28-year-old led the Blue Jackets in assists, points, points-per-game, and finished third in goals. He became the 10th defenseman in NHL history to lead his team in scoring in consecutive campaigns, scoring 82 points in 2024-25.
But if there were teams that could inquire about the defenseman’s services, they’d have to pony up a big package to bring him back in a deal. Friedman also mentioned that Werenski would want to go to a team that has a chance to win. Whichever team gets him would have his deal on a short window, and compared to the Quinn Hughes situation in Minnesota, that team will have to ensure they can convince Werenski that they’re on the right track. Part of this also falls on Columbus GM Don Waddell in getting the best value for his star blue-liner.
The Grosse Pointe, Michigan native is set to enter the fifth season of a six-year contract that he signed back in July of 2021 with a total value of $57.5MM (9.583MM AAV). He’s spent his entire career in Columbus, signing a three-year $15MM ($5MM) deal in 2019 and his entry-level contract, which paid him $925K annually from 2016 to 2019. After being taken eighth overall in 2015 by Columbus, Werenski spent his post-draft season with the University of Michigan, scoring 36 points in 36 games.
It’s important to mention here that Werenski has a full no-movement clause in his contract until next year-end. In terms of teams that can fit and can provide a valuable return, Friedman mentioned a few options.
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks could accelerate their rebuild into a playoff-contending window by trading for Werenski if they believe their roster can get there. Friedman wondered how long it would take before San Jose becomes a prime destination for NHLers to want to sign. The Sharks are progressing into that window, but it’s not there yet. If Columbus wanted to acquire futures, the Sharks have a large surplus of those kinds of assets that they can afford to trade for Werenski. The question is, would they press the button, based on the team’s current pedigree in the East?
$39.4MM is a lot of cap space to work with this summer for San Jose, and four of their defensemen are set to head to market, two of whom are left-handed, making Dmitry Orlov ($6.5MM AAV) the highest-paid lefty defender for 2026-27. After next season, the Sharks will also benefit from open money getting off the buyouts of Martin Jones and Marc-Edouard Vlasic and the retained salary of Erik Karlsson.
Dallas Stars
The Stars signed Thomas Harley to an eight-year extension that will pay him above $10MM in AAV until 2034. The 24-year-old takes up a good chunk of the $32.5MM cap hit paid to all Dallas defenders. Friedman thinks the Stars are interested, but how would Harley feel about being in that deal after committing in Texas for eight years?
It was a big if, however, there doesn’t appear to be many better options in terms of fit for fit. The Jackets ideally would want a top-paid defenseman in return, and this would set them up where they’d have their guy locked in. It may be a little early to tell for the Stars, given the decisions needed on restricted free agents Jason Robertson and Mavrik Bourque. Columbus is on the cusp of the playoffs out east, and Harley in the return, while nowhere near the offensive output of Werenski, would provide a valuable return for the Jackets’ current core.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Friedman believes Toronto is going to check in on Werenski as well. After reloading in selecting Gavin McKenna first-overall and trading for Darren Raddysh, the Leafs could make another big splash and remedy their left side on defense. On the podcast, Friedman asked the weight of the return between the potential Stars offer and Toronto’s young forward Matthew Knies, whose signed until 2031 with a $7.75MM AAV.
The Leafs hold $22MM in cap space after their moves and are looking to reload back into playoff contention. In a potential return, if not Knies, given the Blue Jackets’ surplus of young talented forwards, does a large package including picks and one of Toronto’s young talents allow Morgan Rielly to be included as the big name blue liner in the positional swap? If this is the case, Werenski would have to consider similarly to San Jose, is that the right place to go, given their current status compared to other team’s windows.
Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Latest On Mason McTavish
The Anaheim Ducks are reportedly “deciding between” competing trade offers for center Mason McTavish from two teams: the St. Louis Blues and the New York Rangers. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic first reported that the Blues were involved, and his reporting was further supported by Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast.
According to Friedman, the Blues’ offer for McTavish centers around the No. 11 pick in today’s draft, while the Rangers’ offer centers around “a player.” Friedman did not want to speculate on which player the Rangers have built their offer around, but The Athletic’s Vincent Z. Mercogliano reported the player is not veteran Vincent Trocheck. Mercogliano also wrote that he has “gotten some pushback” on defenseman Braden Schneider as that centerpiece player in the Rangers’ offer.
It should be noted that, according to Friedman, the Ducks are not looking for draft picks as their end goal in any McTavish trade. The team is looking to add players who can help their roster on a more immediate basis, to add to a lineup that reached the second round of the playoffs this past season.
Presumably, that means that if the Ducks end up opting for St. Louis’ offer, the No. 11 pick they acquire would instantly become available for trade, which could perhaps be of interest to teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins who are reportedly interested in trading up and climbing the draft order.
In any case, it does appear relatively likely that McTavish will be traded at some point in the very near future, as early as today if the Ducks end up preferring St. Louis’ offer. Although he had a somewhat disappointing 2025-26 season, scoring a career-low 41 points in 75 games, the 2021 No. 3 overall pick remains one of the more talented centers available on the trade market.
If teams believe he can bounce back and become a solid No. 2 center, his current contract, which carries a $7MM AAV through 2030-31, could provide real surplus value. It seems the Rangers have eyed McTavish as a potential replacement for Trocheck, who is likely to be dealt this summer, while the Blues would most likely plug him into their lineup as their No. 2 pivot behind Robert Thomas.
Panthers Acquire Garnet Hathaway
According to Elliotte Friedman, the Florida Panthers are acquiring Garnet Hathaway, per a team announcement.
Along with Hathaway, the Panthers bring in a sixth-round pick in 2026, going back to Philadelphia are two draft picks: a fifth-round pick in 2026 and a 2027 fourth-round pick.
The Flyers will retain 50% of Hatahway’s $2.4MM cap hit. As a result of this, the Panthers will only pay Hathaway $1.2MM in 2026-27 for his age 34 season, making him the 12th highest paid forward on the Panthers and the fourth-line replacement of A.J. Greer, who, according to Pierre LeBrun, is headed to free agency on July 1. After trading four draft picks for Brady Tkachuk from Ottawa, the Panthers keep up the trend of reloading by bringing in physical forwards with seasoned experience who can help them win now.
Hathaway, 34, skated in 66 games with Philadelphia in 2025-26. He scored three points and led the Flyers with 252 hits, the ninth most among all NHL skaters last season. He was also the Flyers’ nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and scored two points in eight Stanley Cup Playoff games. The Naples, Florida native ends his career in Philadelphia with 18 goals, 23 assists, and 41 points in 215 games, the second-most he’s played with any team in his 11-year NHL career.
This will be Hathaway’s final season of a two-year deal signed by the Flyers back in 2025-26, which will earn him a total of $4.8MM in total salary. The Panthers now have just around $5.8MM in cap space to use towards free agency while they still evaluate the need for an NHL serviceable goaltender. Considering they have all roster spots ideally filled in, it would appear that, along with Greer, Vinnie Hinostroza, Tomas Nosek, Luke Kunin, and Noah Gregor are among the names likely to find new squads to play for, while GM Bill Zito continues his pursuit of getting his squad’s final need filled in.
The end of that two-year deal will be his sixth contract across his NHL tenure, spending his first three with the Calgary Flames from 2015 to 2019, signing league minimum deals for no more than two years at a time up until July 1st, 2019. In his first year of unrestricted free agency, he inked a four-year, $6MM ($1.5MM AAV) deal with the Washington Capitals, where he spent all four seasons until the 2022-23 deadline, when the record-breaking 65-win Boston Bruins acquired his services. After that season, Hathaway signed in Philadelphia, where he provided veteran leadership early on and decent production, but in 2025-26, his decline in production led to him falling back in the depth chart with Philadelphia’s young talent moving up the food chain.
As for the Flyers, this continues a trend they’ve been in dating back to last year’s playoff push, in the offloading of forwards they didn’t see fit for the future. Dating back to last season’s trade deadline, they sent Bobby Brink to Minnesota, Nicolas Deslauriers to Carolina, and now Hathaway to Florida, all to free up around $5MM to their now $33.6MM in cap space for this summer.
Most importantly for the Flyers’ to-do list, it includes their restricted free agents in need of contract extensions in forwards Trevor Zegras, Nikita Grebenkin, and Jamie Drysdale. All of whom acquired from outside the organization have come in and proven worthy as part of the future in Philadelphia.
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
Oilers Sign Connor Murphy To Long-Term Contract
According to a team press release, the Edmonton Oilers have signed defenseman Connor Murphy.
His deal will last five-years at $4.1MM per year, which will pay him $20.5MM total until 2031, when he’ll turn 38 years old. Details of the contract include a full no-movement clause from years one through three, when it’ll open up to a 16-team approved trade list in years four through five, per Puckpedia.
The 33-year-old right-shot defenseman spent 20 games in Edmonton, scoring four points and adding three in six playoff games after being traded north of the border by the Blackhawks on the last year of a four-year, $17.6MM ($4.4MM AAV) contract. In Chicago, Murphy played 60 games this past season before the trade, scoring 13 points in his ninth season with the club, leading the Blackhawks in blocks (87) and notched the second-highest short-handed ice time per game (2:57) at the time of the deal. Notably, he saw his usage on the blueline increase drastically, going from playing 16:34 of ice time per game in Chicago to 20:27 with Edmonton.
His game profiled as a player who could step up, skate, and defend well against a tough matchup; however, AFPAnalytics had his projection at a mere two years, making $3.6MM a season. Murphy cashed in for what is surely to be his final major contract. He joined fellow teammate from Chicago, forward Jason Dickinson, who the Oilers also extended not long ago at a five-year deal for $20MM.
Originally the 20th overall pick in the 2011 NHL draft, Murphy was selected by the Arizona Coyotes organization. He was one of thirty players in the NHL in 2025-26 who were originally drafted by the Coyotes, who are no longer an active team.
Murphy spent two seasons with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting before officially joining the NHL in the 2013-14 season. He ended up playing four years with his initial team before the Coyotes sent him in a package deal to Chicago for Niklas Hjalmarsson in the summer of 2017, just one year into the six-year, $23.1MM ($3.85MM) deal he signed with Arizona. In Chicago, tanking years with the Blackhawks proved not favorable, as Murphy saw just one playoff run in the Bubble in 2020. Extending to stay in 2022, he remained with Chicago up until this year’s trade deadline, where they retained 50% of his cap hit and took in a 2028 second-round pick from the Oilers for him.
In committing $8MM to their two former Blackhawk acquisitions, the Oilers have just $7.4MM in cap space remaining for the summer of 2026. As they approach July 1st, they still have notable free agent forwards to assess who remains with the team in Adam Henrique, Curtis Lazar, Kasperi Kapanen, Jack Roslovic, Max Jones, and RFA Colton Dach.
Six defenseman are currently under the Oilers’ books, but one particular player can add money for Edmonton to utilize for their 2026-27 roster. Darnell Nurse, who requested a trade, might force the Oilers to take on a portion of the $9.25MM cap hit that he’s owed for four more years in the event a deal is agreed upon. Regardless, Edmonton will free up more space as the Oilers try to maximize the cup-contention window of Connor McDavid, after two-straight Stanley Cup finals losses were followed up with a first-round exit this past playoffs to the Anaheim Ducks.
More to come.
Morning Notes: Sabres, Bobrovsky, Wright
The Buffalo Sabres are seeing developments among their big-name players whose names are among the headlines.
Darren Dreger of TSN reports that Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram remains a hot commodity among trade scenarios. The 25-year-old left defenseman is entering the second year of a two-year deal at $6.25MM AAV. He finished his 2025-26 season scoring 42 points in 82 games, adding 7 points in Buffalo’s 13 playoff games. The former Stanley Cup Champion with the Colorado Avalanche has expressed his yearning to remain in a cup-contending market, which would play a factor in his decision of where to go, and Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen wants to keep him long-term. A projection of 7-years at $9.5MM from AFPAnalytics is where the value is, but the question is whether Byram wants to ride the wagon or hop off.
Amid the Alex Tuch talk, Buffalo has also circled back on him, according to Dreger. Darren Raddysh off the board makes Tuch the highest scoring free agent set for the market on July 1, as he scored 66 points making just $4.75MM this past season. If the Sabres want to keep their hometown guy, who brings a blend of power, speed, and goal scoring around, they’ll have to accommodate him handsomely, perhaps in the double digits of AAV. If that falls through, Bowen Byram’s trade value might need to be presentable for the return of a top-six forward the Sabres would need to replace.
Additional Notes:
- According to Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts, Sergei Bobrovsky‘s familiarity with a few Maple Leafs might give him an incentive to join forces in Toronto. Friedman said that Leafs GM John Chayka isn’t done with his big moves, while referring to recent acquisition Samuel Errson as unlikely to be signed, he named Bobrovsky as a possibility. Goaltender Anthony Stolarz and forward Steven Lorentz, two former teammates who know him extremely well, might be factors in making the 37-year-old Russian join up in Toronto. The benefit for the Leafs and their situation is that they have the $18MM in space to spend on the two-time Stanley Cup champion who posted a Panthers-worst .877 save percentage and 3.07 goals-against average in 52 games last year.
- According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Seattle Kraken are continuing to rack up their screen time on the phone with other league GMs. After dealing for forward Mackie Samoskevich and signing forward Bobby McMann to a six-year extension, Jason Botterill is evaluating the future of former fourth overall pick Shane Wright, who enters the final year of his entry-level contract that pays him $886K annually. The Kraken have $22MM in cap space this summer and have many angles to approach with their 22-year-old center, who scored 27 points in 2025-26 after a career high 44 points the year before.
Maple Leafs Considering Joe Pavelski For Head Coaching Role
A totally unexpected name has entered into contention for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ vacant head coaching role: former San Jose Sharks forward Joe Pavelski. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Pavelski is “on the Maple Leafs’ radar as the team begins the next phase of its interview process.”
Pavelski’s presence as a candidate for Toronto’s vacancy stands in stark contrast to the other coaches Toronto is reportedly considering.
The other names that have surfaced, such as Peter Laviolette, Patrick Roy, and Dallas Eakins are all coaches with significant experience as an NHL head coach.
All three have been head coaches at multiple stops around the NHL. Pavelski, 41, is just two seasons removed from the end of his playing career.
Although Pavelski is indeed a significantly less experienced candidate than the others Toronto is reportedly considering, it’s not difficult to see why Toronto is looking at going in this direction. The team doesn’t need to go far to see how a team can benefit by placing its faith in a hugely respected, recently retired former player lacking in any formal professional coaching experience.
The Montreal Canadiens took a leap of faith early in their rebuild when they hired Hall of Fame winger Martin St. Louis to be their head coach, replacing Dominique Ducharme, the coach that won the team a Clarence S. Campbell Bowl less than a year earlier. St. Louis had been considered for an AHL coaching role in the past, and even served as a consultant for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but had not been a head coach outside of coaching his children in minor hockey.
The Canadiens made a bet that St. Louis’ unique perspective as a Hall of Fame player who had to battle his way into the NHL as an undersized waiver-wire depth forward, combined with his work ethic, character, and highly-regarded leadership skills would eventually make St. Louis a uniquely valuable head coach – even if he had to develop into that kind of role without much prior experience.
Montreal’s bet on St. Louis paid off handsomely. While it did not result in winning in the immediate term, the impact St. Louis had on player development was almost instant. Star prospect Cole Caufield had endured a nightmarish rookie campaign under Ducharme, but after St. Louis arrived, he took off.
Over the last two years, St. Louis’ player development acumen began to finally translate into the standings. He took the Canadiens to a surprising playoff berth last season, and this year, the team finished with 106 points in the standings. Montreal reeled off two consecutive upsets in the postseason, defeating a veteran Tampa Bay Lightning squad and a dominant Buffalo Sabres team in two dramatic seven-game series. While the Canadiens ultimately ran out of gas against the Carolina Hurricanes, St. Louis’ run to the Eastern Conference Final proved just how effective of an NHL coach he had developed into.
The Maple Leafs have watched Montreal – their arch-rival – enjoy a massive amount of success in large part because they took a leap of faith on a widely respected veteran player without coaching experience, betting that the intangible traits that made him a special player would also make him a special coach. It seems Toronto is considering making a similar bet of their own.
It’s worth noting that while the Maple Leafs are certainly eyeing the success Montreal has had with St. Louis, their situation is not an exact one-to-one comparable. When Montreal hired St. Louis, they did so on an interim basis in a season where they would finish in last place.
They were firmly in the early stages of their rebuild, and even if St. Louis’ tenure ended up not working out, the team’s recently-hired front office would have at least been able to rely on St. Louis, someone they trusted and had pre-existing connections to, to provide them with detailed information on players in order to help inform the team’s future plans.
In other words, St. Louis was under no pressure to immediately deliver wins. And that helped him, because he was not able to deliver those immediate wins, his instant impact came in the form of player development, and the winning took some time to arrive.
The Maple Leafs are not, at this point, at a similar stage. The team is under significant pressure to return to the postseason in 2026-27, as the club’s ability to retain franchise center Auston Matthews may depend on it. There will not be time for Pavelski to slowly come into his own as a winning coach the way St. Louis did – the franchise simply can’t afford to give him that kind of runway. So it’ll be a unique challenge if Pavelski ends up with the job, without question.
While it is far from certain that Pavelski would actually receive the job in Toronto, he does stand out as an ideal candidate in the St. Louis mold, even in the face of those aforementioned challenges. One of the greatest forwards in the history of the San Jose Sharks, Pavelski captained the team and led them on numerous deep playoff runs, including a run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016.
Pavelski’s work ethic, character, and leadership allowed him to have a 1,332-game NHL career with 1,068 points, one of the best careers ever for a player drafted in the seventh round. He even had some of the best years of his career in his late thirties on the Dallas Stars, serving as a veteran mentor to some of the team’s emerging young stars such as Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston.
According to Friedman, Pavelski has spent much of his early retirement like St. Louis – coaching his son in minor hockey. He spent the 2025-26 season as head coach of the Madison Capitols 15U AAA. One should not downplay the challenge of going from there to coaching the Maple Leafs – an NHL team in a supremely hockey-mad market – would be a real challenge.
But if there is any player who possesses the kind of work ethic, character, and leadership ability to handle the task, it would be Pavelski.
Photos courtesy of Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports