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Salary Cap Deep Dive: Dallas Stars

September 2, 2024 at 9:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t often see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2024-25 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia. We begin with a look at the Central Division; next up is Dallas.

Dallas Stars

Current Cap Hit: $81,756,241 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Mavrik Bourque (one year, $894K)
F Wyatt Johnston (one year, $894K)
F Logan Stankoven (two years, $814K)

Potential Bonuses
Johnston: $318.75K
Stankoven: $82.5K
Total: $401.25K

It’s fair to say that Johnston has provided significant value on his contract so far. After putting up 24 goals and 41 points in his rookie season, those numbers jumped to 32 and 65 respectively last year while also tying for the team lead in playoff scoring. This is the type of player that the Stars will want to lock up on a long-term agreement. However, that deal is going to be quite pricey. At this point, if Johnston has even a similar performance this coming season let alone a more productive effort, he could be looking for $8MM or more on that second contract. If their cap situation ultimately dictates a short-term second deal, it’s likely to come in around the $6MM range.

Stankoven was one of the top scorers in the minors last season before being recalled and was productive in a middle-six role. Assuming he locks down a full-time spot this year, he could make a case for a longer-term second contract, one that is a bit too early to project at this point. Bourque eventually took over as the top scorer at the AHL level with Stankoven’s departure and only got into one regular season game with Dallas. That should change this season but unless he has a big year offensively, he’s someone who will likely wind up with a bridge deal for his second contract.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

F Jamie Benn ($9.5MM, UFA)
F Colin Blackwell ($775K, UFA)
F Evgenii Dadonov ($2.25MM, UFA)
F Matt Duchene ($3MM, UFA)
D Esa Lindell ($5.8MM, UFA)
D Nils Lundkvist ($1.25MM, RFA)
G Jake Oettinger ($4MM, RFA)
D Brendan Smith ($1MM, UFA)
F Sam Steel ($1.2MM, UFA)

When Benn signed this contract, he was among the top-scoring wingers in the NHL. While he hasn’t been able to get to that level of production (high-80s in points) since then, he has rebounded nicely over the last couple of seasons, notching 78 and 60 points respectively. While that’s not a great return on this price tag, he’s still producing like a core player. Given his age when his next contract will begin (36), the AAV might be closer to the $5MM mark. If he signs a one-year deal next time out, he’ll be eligible for performance incentives, similar to what Dallas had been doing with Joe Pavelski before his retirement.

Duchene was a late entrant to the free agent market last summer so the one-year, $3MM deal he signed then made sense for both sides, seemingly positioning himself for a raise and a multi-year guarantee this past summer. Instead, he opted to stick around on the same contract, leaving some money and security on the table in the process. It’s possible he agrees to do so again next summer but if he doesn’t, he could still land a three-year (or so) agreement closer to $4.5MM per season. Dadonov wasn’t as productive as he was late in the 2022-23 season after being acquired but with 23 points in 51 games, he still provided a decent return on this deal. He has indicated that he doesn’t want any early extension talks and has left the door open to finishing up his career in the KHL.

Steel had a decent season in the bottom six but his arbitration eligibility was a concern, resulting in him being non-tendered. While he did have some interest elsewhere, he ultimately elected to remain with the Stars. With that outside interest, Steel should be able to land this deal or a bit more next summer if he has a similar showing this season. Blackwell struggled with injuries the last two seasons which certainly didn’t help his cause going into free agency. Nonetheless, as a capable penalty killer who can play center in a pinch, he could rebuild his value with a good showing in 2024-25 and push past the $1MM mark on his next contract.

Lindell is one of the more intriguing defensemen league-wide who is heading into the final year of his contract. When he signed this contract back in 2019, he was coming off a bridge deal and what looked like a breakout 32-point campaign. If he could find another gear offensively, Lindell would become quite a bargain at this price point. Instead, he hasn’t gotten back to that total since with his best output coming this past season at 26. While Lindell is still a very capable defensive defender, the limited production will limit his market to an extent as will the fact he’ll be 31 when his next contract starts. With the cap starting to go up, a small raise could be doable but if he wants a long-term agreement (seven or eight years), it wouldn’t be surprising if the AAV came in slightly below this, barring an offensive breakout in the coming months.

Lundkvist hasn’t been able to provide the secondary offensive contributions Dallas was hoping for when they moved a pair of draft picks (including a first-rounder) for him in 2022. Then, when the playoffs came around, his playing time was just 4:28 per night in a dozen games when he wasn’t a healthy scratch. Thus, it wasn’t entirely shocking that he was non-tendered to avoid arbitration although the fact he was brought back might have. He’ll once again look to earn some trust from the coaching staff (and perhaps a small raise if he’s able to do so) but will be a non-tender candidate next summer as well. Smith came over in free agency and is set to play a depth role. Now 35, it’s likely he’ll be going year-to-year on similarly-priced contracts from here on out.

Signed Through 2025-26

D Matt Dumba ($3.75MM, UFA)
F Mason Marchment ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Jason Robertson ($7.75MM, RFA)

Robertson has emerged as a legitimate top-line star, notching 268 points in 238 games over the last three seasons. Signing after a 41-goal effort, the two sides worked out a rare four-year bridge deal, one that gives Dallas some good value on the contract while also setting him up for a pricier contract in his final RFA-eligible campaign. He’s owed a qualifying offer of $9.3MM with arbitration rights at that time and unless he struggles over the next couple of seasons, there’s a good chance he’ll push past the $10MM mark in 2026. Marchment, meanwhile, rebounded nicely after a quiet first season in Dallas. If he stays near the 50-point mark over the next two seasons, he’ll have demonstrated enough consistency to give him a much stronger market, especially with the premium typically given to power forwards. That could push his next price tag past $6MM per season.

Dumba didn’t get the long-term deal he sought last summer, resulting in him taking a one-year pact with an eye on having more success this summer. That didn’t exactly happen as he had a quiet season in Arizona before finishing up with Tampa Bay, putting him back on the open market in a similar spot. Getting two years at this money was more due to his track record than his performance last season; he’ll need to rebound if he wants a chance to get past the $4MM mark again in 2026.

Signed Through 2026-27

G Casey DeSmith ($1MM, UFA)
D Ilya Lyubushkin ($3.25MM, UFA)
F Tyler Seguin ($9.85MM, UFA)

It was expected that the best was yet to come from Seguin when he signed this contract in 2018. While his best showing came just after this contract was signed (in the last season of his old deal), he has struggled since then, only putting up more than 50 points just once, that coming last season when he got to 52. He’s still a capable top-six player but this is a price tag that’s well above market value. His next deal might check in closer to half of this one as a result.

Lyubushkin rarely plays above the third pairing but did well enough last season to command his best contract so far. That said, unless he can take on a bit more of a workload, it’s hard to see him getting another raise in 2027 as this is already on the rich side for someone destined to play around 16-17 minutes a night.

DeSmith gave Vancouver a small boost at the backup goalie position last season but after being surpassed by Arturs Silovs on the depth chart in the playoffs, it was clear DeSmith would be going elsewhere. He elected for stability and a winning environment over chasing top dollar, giving the Stars a reliable second-string option at a below-market cost.

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

D Miro Heiskanen ($8.45MM through 2027-28)
F Roope Hintz ($8.45MM through 2027-28)

Hintz is someone who probably has gone under the radar but he has reached the 30-goal mark in each of the last three seasons. He isn’t a top-end point producer like Robertson, however, which may serve as a limiter if that doesn’t change much in the back half of the contract. Even so, he should have a shot at a small raise in 2028 with the potential for more if the point total goes up.

As for Heiskanen, he has emerged as a legitimate two-way star on the back end and is producing at a level that already makes his price tag a team-friendly one. A legitimate all-around number one blueliner, he’ll potentially hit the open market in 2029 where a max-term contract should be awaiting him along with a cap hit in the double digits.

Buyouts

D Ryan Suter ($783K in 2024-25, $1.433MM in 2025-26)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

D Thomas Harley – Harley has only one full NHL season under his belt, that coming last year. However, with 15 goals and 32 assists, he was a key cog on their back end and projects to be so for the long haul. However, Dallas would be hard-pressed to fit in a long-term agreement into their current cap situation so a bridge deal in the $4MM range may be the end result.

Best Value: (non-entry-level) Duchene
Worst Value: Seguin

Looking Ahead

Cap space may be hard to come by this season for Dallas depending on what Harley’s deal winds up at and their willingness (or lack thereof) to carry a full-sized roster. If they operate at 21 or 22 players, they may be able to bank enough in-season space to try to make a move at the trade deadline, presumably to upgrade their back end. But if they wind up with 23 on the active roster (or some injury trouble), then they’ll be closer to cap-in, cap-out like a lot of contenders will be.

Dallas is relatively well-positioned moving forward. While Johnston, Oettinger, and Lindell will be in line for pricey contracts next summer, they have a lot coming off the books to help offset that. Seguin’s deal expiring in 2026 gives them some future flexibility to help afford eventual increases down the road as well. They’re not going to be in a spot where they’ll be able to add a significant piece to their existing core (unless they can develop one from within) but the Stars shouldn’t find themselves in a spot where they have to part with a key piece to afford the rest either. All things considered, GM Jim Nill has a relatively clean set of books to work with as a result.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Colorado Avalanche

September 1, 2024 at 7:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Colorado Avalanche

Current Cap Hit: $85,993,750 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Nikolai Kovalenko (one year, $896K)

Potential Bonuses
Kovalenko: $57.5K

Kovalenko spent most of the first season of his contract in Russia before coming to North America for a brief stint in the minors plus a couple of playoff appearances with the Avs. Projected as a middle-six winger, his waiver exemption could work against him if Colorado is looking to bank early-season space but he should still be able to hit a good chunk of his games-played bonus. Between that and his limited experience thus far, he’s a safe bet for a short-term second contract. If he produces to expectations, that deal could approach the $2MM mark.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

D Erik Brannstrom ($900K, RFA)
D Calvin de Haan ($800K, UFA)
F Jonathan Drouin ($2.5MM, UFA)
G Alexandar Georgiev ($3.4MM, UFA)
F Logan O’Connor ($1.05MM, UFA)
F Joel Kiviranta ($775K, UFA)
D Oliver Kylington ($1.05MM, UFA)
D Sam Malinski ($850K, RFA)
F Mikko Rantanen ($9.25MM, UFA)
F Chris Wagner ($775K, UFA)

Rantanen is clearly the headliner on this list. The 27-year-old has become one of the top wingers in the NHL and is coming off his second straight season of more than 100 points. League-wide, only five players have more points than him over the last three seasons; three of those are making at least $2MM more than he is. New York’s Artemi Panarin is currently the winger with the highest AAV in NHL history; it stands to reason that Rantanen will be looking to at least pass that on his next agreement. His linemate (we’ll get to him shortly) probably sits as the benchmark that Colorado won’t want to clear but a max-term agreement around the $12MM mark per season is a definite possibility.

The decision for Drouin to take a cheap one-year deal with the Avs last summer to help rebuild some value worked as he had a career-best 56 points. However, his market was still fairly limited, which resulted in another one-year deal on the opening day of free agency. Perhaps a second strong year will bolster his market next time out. O’Connor was in the middle of a breakout performance last season and had a shot at 40 points. If he produces at a similar rate this season, he could triple his current AAV. Wagner and Kiviranta will battle for spots at the end of the roster and will get them or be beaten out by others at that price point. At this point in their careers, both players will be going year-to-year, likely on two-way deals like they have now.

Kylington didn’t appear to have a strong market in free agency, resulting in a pay cut as he’ll look to do like Drouin and rebuild some value. If he can establish himself as a full-timer after missing as much time as he has, he could at least double this next time out. Brannstrom was non-tendered by Ottawa and had to settle for a low-cost deal as well. He’ll be looking to do like Kylington but Colorado will have the ability to control him for another year, albeit with arbitration rights which could scare the Avs off from a qualifying offer. Malinski has primarily played in the minors but did well in limited action last season and is now waiver-eligible which could help keep him on the NHL roster. As for de Haan, he had a limited role with Tampa Bay last season and is likely going to remain close to the minimum salary moving forward.

Georgiev is one of the more intriguing pending UFA netminders. He has led the league in wins the last two seasons and led the NHL in minutes played in 2023-24. For someone making high-end backup money, that’s a strong return on their investment. However, his numbers were particularly mediocre after a solid performance the year before. That makes his next contract tough to project; if he’s closer to last season’s numbers, he might have a hard time commanding $5MM per season. But if he goes back to his 2022-23 performance, a contract starting with a six could be doable.

Signed Through 2025-26

G Justus Annunen ($837.5K, RFA)
F Parker Kelly ($825K, UFA)
D/F Jacob MacDonald ($775K, UFA)
D Josh Manson ($4.5MM, UFA)

Despite a bounce-back season, the Senators opted to non-tender Kelly to avoid the arbitration risk, sending him to the open market early. Even if he can’t put up 18 points again, if he can add grit to the fourth line and effectively kill penalties, he’ll have a much stronger market in 2026 in a more favorable cap environment.

Manson was able to stay healthy last season which is something that had been a challenge for him in previous years. Even so, he was fifth among Colorado blueliners in ATOI; this price tag for a high-end third-pairing player is on the high side. Unless he stays healthy the next two years and can move into a top-four role, he’ll be hard-pressed to make this on his next contract. MacDonald returns for a second stint in the organization but with the extra blueliners they’ve brought in since then, his best shot to stick might be as a forward.

Annunen split last season between the NHL and AHL and will now get his first full NHL campaign. He performed quite well in limited duty with the Avs last season and if he can push to take over as the starter by the time this deal is up, he will be in line for a significant raise with arbitration eligibility.

Signed Through 2026-27

F Ross Colton ($4MM, UFA)
D Samuel Girard ($5MM, UFA)
F Artturi Lehkonen ($4.5MM, UFA)
D Cale Makar ($9MM, UFA)
F Casey Mittelstadt ($5.75MM, UFA)

Mittelstadt came over at the trade deadline from Buffalo in one of the biggest swaps of the season, one that saw Bowen Byram go the other way. However, it was a bit surprising that Colorado opted for this contract, one that only bought them one more year of club control although it kept the AAV at a more manageable rate. He’ll need to take another step forward offensively and get closer to at least the 65-70-point mark to break into that next salary tier which would start around $7MM.

Lehkonen’s acquisition from Montreal has sparked another offensive level although he has battled injuries the last two seasons. If he can keep producing at a 60-point pace while playing a strong defensive game, he should be able to add a couple million to his next contract. At $4MM, Colton is a bit expensive for a third center but he is coming off a career season offensively so it’s a luxury they’ve decided they can still afford for now. If he holds around the 40-point mark, he could land similar money next time out.

Makar set new personal bests in assists and points last season while being a Norris finalist for the fourth straight year. It’s not very often that a player making $9MM could be viewed as a team-friendly bargain but that is the case here. At this point, there’s little reason to think that he won’t be setting a record-breaking agreement for a defenseman, surpassing Erik Karlsson’s $11.5MM AAV on his next contract. Girard missed time due to injury and a month in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and in between, he found his minutes dropped to the lowest they’ve been since his rookie year. That said, he’s still a legitimate top-four defender. His smaller stature will hurt him but if he can get back to the level he played at in 2021-22 and 2022-23, he could land at least a small raise.

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

F Gabriel Landeskog ($7MM through 2028-29)
F Nathan MacKinnon ($12.6MM through 2030-31)
F Valeri Nichushkin ($6.125MM through 2029-30)
D Devon Toews ($7.25MM through 2030-31)
F Miles Wood ($2.5MM through 2028-29)

When MacKinnon came off his entry-level deal, the $6.3MM price tag he received on his long-term extension was perceived by some as a bit risky after failing to reach his rookie-season production in his second and third years. As we know now, it wound up being a very team-friendly agreement rather quickly. That eventually paved the way for him to set what was briefly the richest contract in terms of AAV in league history, just ahead of Connor McDavid. (It has since been surpassed by Auston Matthews.) Given the cost, it’s hard to see this becoming a team-friendly pact but he still provided good value in the first year of it last season, finishing second in the league in scoring. As long as he keeps that up, they’ll be fine with the price tag.

The other two forwards in this group have significant question marks. Landeskog has missed the last two seasons with knee trouble and while he’s hoping to play early on this season, his effectiveness will be far from guaranteed. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him struggle which could make this contract a rough one if he’s able to play and not land on LTIR. Nichushkin, meanwhile, was put back into the Player Assistance Program in the middle of a stellar playoff performance. He’s in there for at least the first month of the season and will not count against the cap during that time; the cap number at the beginning of this article is with him not on the books. When he’s playing, Nichushkin is certainly living up to his contract but with the next stage of the program being an automatic one-year suspension at a minimum, that will loom over him and Colorado.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: (non-entry-level) Georgiev
Worst Value: Manson

Looking Ahead

The upcoming season is interesting from a cap perspective. In an ideal world, Colorado would operate below the cap to start the year and avoid needing to put Landeskog on LTIR. Doing so would allow them to bank some space, meaning they’d have less to clear when he and Nichushkin return. Once that happens, they’ll be a capped-out squad needing to match money.

At the moment, the Avs have nearly $71MM in commitments for 2025-26, a number that will jump considerably if Rantanen signs his extension. By the time they do that, re-sign or replace Georgiev, and round out the roster, they won’t have much flexibility next summer either. The 2027 offseason is when they’ll start to have some ability to change up the roster but with several core players needing new deals then, that cap space could go away quickly. It’s fair to say that GM Chris MacFarland will be navigating through some tight cap situations in the near future.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Looking Ahead At Early Training Camp Battles

September 1, 2024 at 12:30 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 2 Comments

The 2024 offseason is nearly at its end and many teams are looking ahead toward training camp. A few teams have unfinished business to attend to but most heavy lifting is completed across the league. Training camp and preseason contests give the team a first glance at new talent and also bring along the strenuous process of trimming the team down to a 23-man roster before opening night in October. This will not be an exhaustive list by any stretch of the imagination but a few notable training camp battles have already developed after a lengthy summer.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes have sustained one of the most successful stretches outside a Stanley Cup title in organizational history. The team has made the playoffs for six straight seasons and has regularly boasted one of the deeper lineups in the league over that stretch. Unfortunately, the team lost valuable talent in Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, Brett Pesce, and Brady Skjei this summer, leading many to believe this team has taken a noticeable step backward this offseason. The team filled in their blue line adequately with Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere on low-cost deals but there is still a glaring hole on the team’s second line.

Martin Necas could slot into a center or right-wing role on the second line. The possession-heavy Hurricane offense makes him a better option on the wing due to poor faceoff percentage throughout his career. That leaves Carolina to choose from Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jack Drury, Jack Roslovic, or Jordan Staal to middle the team’s second-line with another question mark at left wing. This battle will mainly come down to prospects Bradly Nadeau and Jackson Blake as many of the other wingers on the team are better-positioned in bottom-six roles. Neither have the upper hand at the outset as both showed off promising talent in the NCAA last season at the University of Maine and the University of North Dakota, respectively, and it will be an interesting battle to see play out in a few weeks.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings are headed into year six of the ’Yzerplan’ and have yet to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs. The organization came close last year as they tied with the Washington Capitals in points for the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference only to miss out due to the first tiebreaker. Poised to make headlines this summer in the hopes of icing a playoff-caliber roster in a tough Atlantic Division — the Red Wings fell flat. Their biggest moves of the summer were retaining forward Patrick Kane on a one-year deal, signing Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year pact, and signing goaltender Cam Talbot to complete their goaltending trio.

Detroit seemingly already has a full roster heading into training camp in a few weeks. Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson, Carter Mazur, and Nate Danielson are poised to challenge for a full-time spot in the lineup which could lead the Red Wings to some difficult choices in October. The team will eventually have to begin graduating their glut of prospects to the NHL level but most of them are blocked by the numerous acquisitions general manager Steve Yzerman has made over the last few years. Don’t be surprised if Detroit becomes an active trade candidate before the season opens to make room for some of their prospects.

Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild are set to open the 2024-25 NHL season with two-and-a-half goalies on the roster to the surprise of many. After the team extended uber-popular goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to a one-year deal in mid-April the going notion was that the Wild would pursue a trade of Filip Gustavsson over the summer to open up a spot for top prospect Jesper Wallstedt. It shouldn’t be a make-or-break season for Wallstedt if the Wild keep him down in the minors for another year but he has little left to prove at the AHL level.

Gustavsson could still be a viable trade candidate throughout the season with a manageable $3.75MM cap hit for the next two years. It’s still difficult to view Minnesota not capitalizing on an active goaltending trade market this summer as anything other than a misstep. Wallstedt is a naturally good goaltending prospect already and the Wild have a unique opportunity to have him learn under one of the game’s all-time best in Fleury. It would be a surprise to see Minnesota move on from Gustavsson at this point in the offseason. Wallstedt could certainly play himself into a third-string position for Minnesota this season which could create quite the rotation between the pipes.

Montreal Canadiens

As the Canadiens look to rebound from a multi-year retooling effort the team has created quite a glut of potential on the blue line. Defensemen Mike Matheson and Kaiden Guhle already strike as long-term options on the back end but the team will need to piece together a defensive core with seven different options. It would be wise for Montreal to enter training camp with a very open mind for the defensive core outside of Matheson and Guhle.

This reasonably leaves five other spots available which will be filled out by prospects Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, and David Reinbacher with David Savard, Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble, and Justin Barron left to pick from. All the options individually offer their unique skill set to the Canadiens’ blue line but they are another potentially active trade candidate heading into the season.

Pittsburgh Penguins

On the opposite side of the coin compared to the Canadiens; the Penguins will need to thin out their group of forwards heading into the regular season. Pittsburgh’s roster breakdown shows 14 forwards on the active roster with Emil Bemstrom and Jesse Puljujarvi in the minors according to PuckPedia. Rutger McGroarty and Drew O’Connor should be the main camp battle to who plays on the wing next to Sidney Crosby but the team’s bottom-six appears too saturated.

It should be a multi-tiered training camp battle as each player to pick from plays a different style of hockey. Depending on whether the Penguins want more scoring in the bottom-six or a more defensive-minded approach it will ultimately chart the trajectory of several players. Bemstrom, Puljujarvi, Lars Eller, Noel Acciari, Anthony Beauvillier, and Valtteri Puustinen all represent the notable talent who will compete for these spots once training camp begins in a few weeks.

St. Louis Blues

The Blues were originally thought to be a team looking to thin out their defensive core this offseason. The team instead brought in Ryan Suter, Philip Broberg, and Pierre-Olivier Joseph while only moving on from Marco Scandella. The team may be without defenseman Torey Krug for the entire regular season which opens up a spot on the left side of the defense but the team will ultimately have to cut the roster.

The choice will become less complicated if the team is without Krug for the regular season as the only battle of training camp will come down to Suter and Joseph as the team’s seventh defenseman. A roster spot hangs on the availability of Krug for the 2024-25 NHL season which makes for an interesting camp battle between several members of the Blues’ defensive core.

Summer Synopsis: Edmonton Oilers

September 1, 2024 at 10:24 am CDT | by Josh Cybulski 1 Comment

The Edmonton Oilers were a win away from capturing the franchise’s sixth Stanley Cup and first, since 1990 but fell to the Florida Panthers in seven games. The team shook off previous playoff disappointments to win the Western Conference but fell short of the ultimate goal. This summer the team has made a pile of personnel changes, replacing general manager Ken Holland with former Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman. The new management group wasted little time overhauling the roster and dealt with a very unorthodox roster situation last month with two offer sheets that saw them lose two young players for draft picks. It appears that Edmonton’s roster is still very much under construction, and they do have some flexibility heading into training camp.

Draft

1-32: C Sam O’Reilly, London (OHL)
2-64: G Eemil Vinni, JoKP (Mestis)
5-160: LW Connor Clattenburg, Flint (OHL)
6-183: D Albin Sundin, Frölunda HC (SHL)
6-192: C Dalyn Wakely, North Bay (OHL)
7-196: C William Nicholl, London (OHL)
7-218: DBauer Berry, Muskegon (USHL)

The Oilers have one of the worst farm systems in the NHL and used the 2024 draft to try and replenish their many needs in the prospect pipeline. The Oilers moved into the first round and grabbed O’Reilly from the OHL’s London Knights. Edmonton was higher on the two-way center than most scouts but should end up with a player who can help them upfront. O’Reilly isn’t the quickest center, but he is elusive and has good offensive instincts that should allow him to create chances for linemates.

The Oilers selected a goaltender late in the second round, taking Vinni with the 64th selection. Many scouts had the Finnish goaltender as the most athletic netminder in the draft and the most complete. Edmonton has struggled to draft and develop goaltenders in the past but might have the goalie of the future in Vinni. The 18-year-old moves well, has good rebound control, and is a good size at 6’3” and 187 pounds.

The Oilers didn’t have another pick until the fifth round and they used it to select Clattenburg out of the OHL. The Arnprior, Ontario native won’t contribute much offensively but has no fear on the ice and is a big disruptor in the offensive zone. Some scouts believe that Edmonton reached when selecting Clattenburg, but the Oilers really don’t have another player like him in their organization.

Sundin is a two-way defenseman who will need to improve his skating if he hopes to become an NHL defenseman. He isn’t afraid to get physical and has good defensive instincts, controlling his gaps effectively and using his reach to break up plays in the defensive zone.

Trade Acquisitions

D Ty Emberson (San Jose)
D Paul Fischer (St. Louis)
F Vasily Podkolzin (Vancouver)
C Matthew Savoie (Buffalo)

Edmonton acquired Savoie from the Buffalo Sabres in a trade that was highly praised from an Edmonton perspective. Savoie was drafted ninth overall in the 2022 NHL entry draft and is an intriguing offensive prospect. His dynamic skating should allow him to flourish with the Oilers, particularly if he gets time on the power play, a place where he has excelled at every level. The 20-year-old is equal parts shooter and passer and can create offense in transition and with his playmaking. The knock on Savoie is his size as he stands just 5’9” tall. However, he doesn’t play like a smaller player and isn’t afraid to get into the dirty areas of the ice.

Podkolzin was acquired as a Dylan Holloway replacement and offers many of the same traits as Savoie (albeit at a lower skill level). The 23-year-old is a former tenth overall pick in 2019 and is also a speedy winger, with skill, who isn’t afraid to get physical. Despite his obvious talent, Podkolzin hasn’t been able to put it all together at the NHL level and has just four goals and five assists in 58 NHL games over the last two seasons. He is very much a project but should get an opportunity in Edmonton’s top nine given his offensive pedigree.

Emberson was brought over in the Cody Ceci trade and is a downgrade from the veteran defenseman despite offering a similar skillset. Emberson is a stay-at-home defenseman who won’t offer much offensively or jump in on the rush very often. He is a decent skater and can skate the puck out of trouble in the defensive zone, but his passing isn’t great and he tends to keep it simple rather than stretching out for breakout passes or moving the puck through traffic. He should be able to play in Edmonton’s bottom pairing this season.

UFA Signings

F Viktor Arvidsson (two-year, $8MM)
F Connor Brown (one-year, $1MM)
D Josh Brown (three-year, $3MM)
G Collin Delia (one-year, $775K)*
C Adam Henrique (two-year, $6MM)
F Mattias Janmark (three-year, $4.35MM)
F Corey Perry (one-year, $1.15MM)
G Calvin Pickard (two-year, $2MM)
F Jeff Skinner (one-year, $3MM)
D Troy Stecher (two-year, $1.575MM)

* denotes a two-way contract

Much of Edmonton’s work in free agency was to re-sign veteran players that they’d brought into the lineup over the past year. The Oilers brought back Connor Brown, Henrique, Janmark, Perry, Pickard and Stecher while adding low-risk options Skinner and Arvidsson to improve their forward group.

Skinner will be very interesting to keep an eye on this season as he has been a 40-goal scorer multiple times during his career and will have an opportunity to play with very high-end linemates in Edmonton. Skinner had just 24 goals last year but topped 30 goals in the two years before that and should have enough left in the tank to top 30 goals once again next season. Skinner has never played in NHL playoff games, holding the distinction of playing 1006 NHL games without a playoff appearance, but should finally break that drought this season with the Oilers.

The 31-year-old Arvidsson is a strong candidate for a bounce-back year having played just 18 games last season due to injury. The Oilers took a calculated risk in signing the two-time 30-goal scorer to a two-year deal but will be rewarded if he can stay healthy. Arvidsson had 15 points in 18 games last season and was fantastic the year prior, dressing in 77 games while registering 26 goals and 33 assists. Arvidsson is still a terrific skater which should translate well to Edmonton’s style of play, and he is a good shooter that can make plays with the puck on his stick. He should do well with the Oilers.

RFA Re-Signings

D Cam Dineen (two-year, $1.55MM)*
F James Hamblin (two-year, $1.55MM)*
D Noel Hoefenmayer (one-year, $775K)*
C Raphael Lavoie (one-year, $775K)*

* denotes a two-way contract

Edmonton had several restricted free agents to deal with this summer before receiving multiple offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues. Outside of the players they lost to the Blues, Edmonton was quiet on the RFA market, signing their remaining players to two-way contracts.

The most notable of the group is center Lavoie who had another strong season in the AHL last year. Lavoie is probably ready for the NHL, but given the Oilers’ forward depth, he might not receive an opportunity. Lavoie has great size and can skate, but his work in the defensive zone continues to hold him back from being a regular NHL contributor. If he can clean that up, he should get a long look at the NHL in the not-too-distant future.

Departures

D Philip Broberg (St. Louis, two-year, $9.16MM)
G Jack Campbell (Detroit, one-year, $775K)
F Sam Carrick (New York, three-year, $3MM)
D Vincent Desharnais (Vancouver, two-year, $4MM)
F Adam Erne (unsigned free agent)
G Ryan Fanti (Syracuse, signed AHL contract)
F Warren Foegele (Los Angeles, three-year, $10.5MM)
F Sam Gagner (unsigned free agent)
C Seth Griffith (Bakersfield, signed AHL contract)
F Dylan Holloway (St. Louis, two-year, $4,580,914)
F Brad Malone (retired)
F Greg McKegg (unsigned free agent)
F Ryan McLeod (traded to Buffalo)
D Markus Niemelainen (unsigned free agent)
F Carter Savoie (signed with TPS in the Finnish Liiga)

* denotes a two-way contract

Edmonton played the long game with Holloway and Broberg and it ultimately led to both players receiving offer sheets, and while it certainly stings to lose both players, it shouldn’t be an earth-shattering loss in the short term. Broberg had yet to establish himself as an everyday NHLer in Edmonton and Holloway was very much a fourth liner going into next season.

Beyond those two, Edmonton didn’t lose much talent this offseason. McLeod will hurt their depth up front a little bit, but Edmonton did a nice job filling out their forward ranks with other transactions.

Getting Jack Campbell’s contract off the books was an absolute must, and while it stings to pay a player for six more seasons not to play for your team, the short-term savings will allow the Oilers to bring in more depth during their competitive window. Campbell had become unplayable in Edmonton and needed a fresh start elsewhere, which Edmonton granted him when they facilitated his buyout.

Salary Cap Outlook

The Oilers will enter the season with roughly $945K in salary cap space but could see that number increase if Evander Kane is sidelined to start the season. Edmonton has room to make a move in season and could look to add a free agent or bring in a veteran on a PTO. The Oilers have a glaring hole on their second defensive pairing and will need to get creative to fill it. Long term, Edmonton’s salary cap situation is murky as they will have to sign their biggest stars (Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard) to long-term extensions over the next two years.

Key Questions

Will Draisaitl Re-sign? The Oilers are exactly ten months away from seeing Draisaitl walk out the door for nothing in free agency. While it’s rare for players of his skill level to hit the open market, it’s not unheard of. Edmonton finally showed they can win in the playoffs and build a team around Draisaitl and McDavid, they’ve done it with both stars on bargain deals, particularly Draisaitl who is counting just $8.5MM against the salary cap next season. It seems likely he will re-sign in Edmonton; however, it is not a foregone conclusion, and it could get interesting if he doesn’t sign before the start of the season.

Can The Team Find Another Gear? It’s not often that teams lose in the Stanley Cup Finals and return the following season but look no further than the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers to see that it is possible. Florida lost in the 2023 final and returned this past year to win it all, can Edmonton do the same? On paper, the Oilers look better upfront, and weaker defensively, how that will balance out remains to be seen, but they are certainly capable of making another run. Especially if McDavid and Draisaitl are firing on all cylinders.

How Will The New Additions Fit In? Edmonton shuffled a lot of the furniture around in their forward group and will have to figure out a way to fit in two new top-six forwards without disturbing the existing chemistry. Arvidsson and Skinner are both veterans who have changed teams before and should be able to find their role in the new environment. However, nothing is guaranteed and there is always a risk when turning things over. On the backend is where Edmonton could feel some pain points, the losses of Ceci and Broberg aren’t insurmountable, but not having adequate replacements could become an issue as the season drags on.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Summer Synopsis: Detroit Red Wings

August 31, 2024 at 9:49 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley 6 Comments

The Detroit Red Wings missed the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs by the thinnest of margins after tying with the Washington Capitals in points, but falling five games shy of Washington’s regulation wins. It was splitting hairs, and while Washington went on to be unceremoniously swept by the New York Rangers, it was nonetheless encouraging to see Detroit mixed up with playoff hopefuls. The Red Wings are currently riding an eight-year playoff drought – set on trusting that the long-term outlook of general manager Steve Yzerman (creatively dubbed the ‘Yzerplan’) will return them to their previous glory. But one summer of high-turnover removed from their first 90-point season in nine years, Detroit still doesn’t jump off the page as a playoff favorite.

Draft

1-15: F Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Mora IK, Sweden
2-47: F Max Plante, USA U18, NTDP
3-80: F Ondrej Becher, Prince George, WHL
4-126: G Landon Miller, Soo, OHL
5-144: D John Whipple, USA U18, NTDP
6-176: X Charlie Forslund, Falu IF, Sweden
7-203: F Austin Baker, USA U18, NTDP
7-208: X Fisher Scott, Dubuque, USHL

Yzerman kicked off the summer in typical Red Wings style: opting to take an under-discussed European with their first-round pick. This year’s selection of Brandsegg-Nygård is a bit less egregious than most, largely thanks to his already-established role in the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier pro league. Brandsegg-Nygård managed 18 points across 41 games with Mora IK this season, while also supporting Norway internationally at the World Juniors and World Championship. He scored five points in both tournaments, playing five games in the former and seven in the latter. All the while, Brandsegg-Nygård looked as reliable as they come with his two-way play, excelling at forcing turnovers and playing through contact. His upside isn’t as high as those drafted around him, but Brandsegg-Nygård seems to have all of the fixings of an eventual lock in the NHL lineup.

Detroit will have to hope that’s the case, if for no other reason than to elevate a draft class that’s otherwise a bit lackluster. The Red Wings made a pair of interesting picks in the second and third rounds, first taking the undersized but highly intelligent Max Plante, balanced out by hefty role specialist Ondrej Becher. The pair matches up nicely – both showing the ability to support their teammates from anywhere in the offensive end, but also lacking a layer of explosivity or assured decision-making.

That missing piece will make Plante and Becher’s climb to the pros tough, but they’re still both more projectable than Detroit’s string of late-round picks defined by players with clear standout traits and glaring pitfalls. Charlie Forslund and Austin Baker are perhaps the most interesting – bot high-energy power-forwards unafraid of playing into the dirty areas of the ice. Where Baker earns his role with gritty play behind the net and in the corners, Forslund has found good use of his heavy shot. But the latter is also extremely unproven, getting drafted directly out of Sweden’s U18 league.

Joining the pair of power-forwards are high-upside picks Landon Miller – an athletic goaltender with a six-foot-five frame, but poor track record; Fisher Scott – a diligent defenseman on his own side of the red line; and John Whipple – once a top defense prospect in his age group who’s sacrificed offensive upside for added physicality. All three players have pieces to add after last season, but should find more upside as they settle into stronger roles next season.

UFA Signings

F Jakub Rychlovsky (two-year, $1.9MM)*
F Patrick Kane (extended one-year, $4MM)
F Christian Fischer (one-year, $1.1MM)
F Vladimir Tarasenko (two-years, $9.5MM)
F Tyler Motte (one-year, $800K)
F Joe Snively (one-year, $775K)*
F Sheldon Dries (two-years, $1.6MM)*
D Erik Gustafsson (two-years, $4MM)
D Tory Dello (one-year, $775K)*
G Cam Talbot (two-years, $5MM)
G Jack Campbell (one-year, $775K)*

* denotes two-way contract

The Red Wings were facing looming turnover this summer and chose to embrace it with open arms, finding multiple long-term NHL veterans to fill the holes in their lineup. That started with re-signing Patrick Kane to a true, one-year contract – after he joined the team midway through last season. Kane managed an impressive 47 points in 50 games, but continued to let up opportunity off of the puck. Those concerns could be mitigated by Vladimir Tarasenko, likely Kane’s new wing pairing. Tarasenko recorded 55 points in 77 games last season, split between the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers, and seemed to be on an upswing in a career plagued by fluctuating defensive performances.

Tarasenko and Kane each bring 100 games worth of playoff experience and Stanley Cup precedent – invaluable experience for a Red Wings team needing a push. But they’ll likely be the only ones to impact the top ranks of Detroit’s lineup. Their free agent signings otherwise fill the menial and gritty roles down the depth chart, with Christian Fischer and Tyler Motte bound for a fourth-line battle, while Erik Gustafsson carries his depth offense to yet another new blue-line.

But then there’s Cam Talbot, who joins a goalie room that was seemingly already filled by Ville Husso and Alex Lyon. Talbot started for the Los Angeles Kings last season, posting a commendable .913 through 54 appearances. That was better than either Husso or Lyon managed in Detroit, and Talbot now carries the added distinction of being the only Red Wings signed through the 2025-26 season. But it seems premature to assume he’ll be the first choice for the starting role in a room with $4.75MM-man Husso, and emerging minor-league veteran Lyon. The trio will be entrenched in a deep position battle when training camp opens up – one that may not have much impact on Detroit’s long-term outlook.

It’s also worth taking a moment to point out the signing of undrafted free agent Jakub Rychlovsky – a 23-year-old winger who scored 26 goals and 46 points in 51 Czechia Extraliga games last season. He’s a well-built, shoot-first winger who could claw his way into strong opportunity on an open Red Wings’ bottom-six.

Trade Acquisitions

G Gage Alexander (acquired from Anaheim)

Detroit acquired Gage Alexander in return for Robby Fabbri and a fourth-round pick in their only trade action of the summer. It was a deal that seemed more designed to trim lineup fat than anything else, undercut by Alexander’s struggles as a pro. He’s managed an .884 save percentage through 22 ECHL games, and a .887 in 16 AHL games, over the last two seasons, losing ground to a the many other goalies fighting for ice time in Anaheim’s minor leagues. Alexander is a sharp and athletic skater but has major holes to patch before he’s ready for the top flight. He’ll look to hone those abilities and earn a spot on the Grand Rapids Griffins this season.

RFA Re-Signings

F Joe Veleno (two-years, $4.6MM)

Begrudginly, the Red Wings’ only RFA action has come through Joe Veleno’s bridge contract. The deal itself is good value. Veleno showed he can hold strong Detroit’s third-line center role last season, managing a stout 12 goals and 28 points in 80 games. He’ll now get a chance to really plant his feet in the lineup and earn a pay raise before his prime.

But Detroit is still working on new deals for franchise pieces Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider. Unlike the ongoing negotiations of Jeremy Swayman or Seth Jarvis (the latter recently resolved), there’s been little update on where Detroit sits with their two lineup pillars. The Red Wings have just enough cap space to give both players as much as $8.75MM a year on new deals – which should be enough to secure both long-term – but may opt for bridge contracts amid a growing salary cap. The duo joins Jonatan Berggren, who scored 56 points in 53 AHL games last season, as Detroit’s only remaining RFAs.

Departures

F Theodor Niederbach (unsigned draft pick, unrestricted free agent)
F Daniel Sprong (Vancouver, one-year, $975K)
F David Perron (Ottawa, two-years, $8MM)
F Matt Luff(unrestricted free agent)
F Taro Hirose (unrestricted free agent)
F Zach-Aston Reese (Vegas, one-year, $775K)*
F Robby Fabbri (traded to Anaheim)
D Jake Walman (traded to San Jose)
D Tnias Mathurin (unsigned draft pick, unrestricted free agent)
D Radim Simek (unrestricted free agent)
D Shayne Gostisbehere (Carolina, three-years, $9.6MM)
G John Lethemon (signed with Liberec, Czechia Extraliga)
G James Reimer (Buffalo, one-year, $1MM)
G Michael Hutchinson (unrestricted free agent)

* denotes two-way contract

Detroit’s heft of free agent signings was necessitated by a long list of departures, kicked off by the pre-draft and surprising trade of Jake Walman to San Jose. Yzerman revealed that the move was a needed cap-dump, but that doesn’t make losing the prolific partner of star defender Seider any easier. Walman scored 12 goals last season, the most of any Red Wings defender since Mike Green in 2016-17. Third on the list is Gostisbehere’s 10 goals last season. But now both defenders are headed for new opportunities, to be replaced by Gustafsson and Detroit’s top defense prospects, like Simon Edvinsson. That’s encouraging turnover for a team amid a rebuild, but the Red Wings are suddenly in the mix of playoff hopes – and could be prone to losing a step with such a shift on the back end.

The loss of pivotal middle-six wingers Perron and Sprong also opens glaring holes, though Detroit did better at matching the missing shooting talent with the signing of Tarasenko. He should make up for one of the veterans, leaving one open spot for a scoring winger on Detroit’s third line. That could prove a good opportunity for prospects like Berggren or Brandsegg-Nygård, though it’ll be a role ultimately filled in training camp.

Interestingly, Detroit also let numerous draft picks walk to free agency this summer – but replaced them with signings of undrafted free agents like Rychlovsky, Snively, and Dries. There will be plenty of openings in Grand Rapids this season, giving the new faces a chance to form into the sub-in support Detroit’s offense needs.

Salary Cap Outlook

The Red Wings enter September with $17.65MM in cap space, per PuckPedia. Their RFAs will zap that up quickly once they’re signed, which could make it difficult for the Wings to maintain enough cap space to be comfortable during the regular season. Detroit isn’t out of the weeds of cap troubles just yet. The extent of their troubles will become clear when Raymond and Seider land on a price.

Key Questions

Is Cam Talbot The Starter? Cam Talbot has taken on the role of traveling nurse in his later career, bouncing around goalie-needy teams and always findingstrong results. He’s posted a .911 save percentage in 198 games over the last five seasons, as part of four different clubs. It’s not much of a secret that the tandem of Ville Husso and Alex Lyon wasn’t going to get Detroit to the playoffs, but to see them bid for Talbot’s traveling support is a certain surprise. That’s emphasized by the red-hot emergence of Sebastian Cossa in the minor-leagues. One of the two star goalie prospects in Detroit’s system, Cossa managed a .913 save percentage in 40 AHL games last year – and could challenge the NHL roster sooner rather than later. That’s a lot of competition for one spot, and all four options carry their own right to ice time. Who wins out the Red Wings’ crease – and the extent of role give to Ville Husso and his $4.75MM cap hit – could go a long way towards determining whether this season will be the year that Detroit breaks their playoff drought.

Which Prospects Will Emerge? The Red Wings are entering September down a winger and a defender, and aren’t in much of a position to buy any more free agents. That should spell a great opportunity for top prospects like Nate Danielson, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Simon Edvinsson, and Shai Buium. All four are expected to attend Detroit’s training camp and each boast the talent to warrant NHL games, though there’s no guessing how comfortable they look once they’re in the lineup. If not with one of their prospects, Detroit will need to fill their fringe with the lackluster-but-consistent impacts of vets like Tyler Motte and Erik Gustafsson. The quartet of top prospects would be much, much more exciting options – but they’ll first need to win a spot out of camp.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Chicago Blackhawks

August 31, 2024 at 12:41 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Chicago Blackhawks

Current Cap Hit: $81,322,500 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Connor Bedard (two years, $950K)
D Kevin Korchinski (two years, $918.3K)
F Frank Nazar (two years, $950K)

Potential Bonuses
Bedard: $3.5MM
Korchinski: $1MM
Nazar: $900K
Total: $5.4MM

Expectations were quite high for Bedard, the 2023 top pick, heading into his rookie year. He was given every opportunity to play a prominent role and be the go-to threat on the power play. He was a bit overmatched at times defensively but acquitted himself quite well, showing that he could be the next generational talent as he has been hyped up to be. At a minimum, he should be able to hit the $1MM in ‘A’ bonuses but he’d need to be among the league’s top scorers to have a shot at the rest of them. When it comes to his next contract, if he lives up to expectations, Connor McDavid’s eight-year, $100MM agreement could very well be the comparable.

Korchinski also had some defensive struggles but logged consistent top-four minutes as a junior-aged blueliner which is something that doesn’t occur very often. On a team that should be at least a bit more competitive this coming season, he should be able to put up some improved offensive numbers, giving him a chance at pushing for his four ‘A’ bonuses as well. If that part of his game comes around, he could be in line for a significant second contract of his own, one that could push past the $6MM mark (potentially more depending on the numbers). Nazar is somewhat of a wild card as he could be deployed in Chicago’s top six or they could opt to start him in the minors and bring him up midseason. If it’s the latter, it’d be unlikely that he’d land a long-term second contract since he already burned the first year of his deal last season.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

F Andreas Athanasiou ($4.25MM, UFA)
F Ryan Donato ($2MM, UFA)
F Taylor Hall ($6MM, UFA)
F Philipp Kurashev ($2.25MM, RFA)
F Pat Maroon ($1.3MM, UFA)
D Alec Martinez ($4MM, UFA)
D Isaak Phillips ($775K, RFA)
F Craig Smith ($1MM, UFA)

Chicago’s big acquisition last summer on the trade front was Hall, a capable top-six forward, to help give Bedard some support. He only played in ten games before undergoing season-ending knee surgery. He’ll need a big bounce-back year if he wants a chance at a contract that’s close to this price point. Athanasiou’s contract seemed pricey at the time he was signed but Chicago was paying an above-market rate to keep a veteran they liked. With several youngsters getting development time in Rockford, Athanasiou may not get another one of those deals and if that winds up being the case, he hasn’t had great success on the open market before so he could be in for a pay cut as well.

Kurashev had a breakout performance last season, more than doubling his previous career high in points, picking up 54 while spending a lot of time on the top line. While that might not be the permanent landing spot for him based on how their prospects develop, he has positioned himself for a sizable raise on his $2.25MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights. Another 50-point performance could push him into $5MM territory. Donato put up similar numbers to his two seasons in Seattle but is another player who hasn’t had great success in free agency before. A similar showing in 2024-25 might not be enough to land a raise with teams trying to spend a bit less in their top six. Maroon and Smith came in this summer to shore up Chicago’s depth; both players will be going year-to-year in all likelihood from here on out on contracts that are likely to stay around their current respective price points.

Martinez was another veteran signing designed to make the team more competitive now and keep some prospects with the IceHogs to help their development. He’s not the core player he was a few years ago and this felt like another short-term overpayment. If he plays in a fourth or fifth role this season, he’ll be hard-pressed to get this much next summer. Phillips is on a two-way deal but is now waiver-eligible. That might be enough to keep him on the roster in a seventh role as there’s no guarantee he’d pass through unclaimed. He’ll need to carve out some regular playing time if he wants to get to a seven-figure one-way salary.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Joey Anderson ($800K, UFA)
D T.J. Brodie ($3.75MM, UFA)
G Laurent Brossoit ($3.3MM, UFA)
F Jason Dickinson ($4.25MM, UFA)
F Nick Foligno ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Ilya Mikheyev ($4.0375MM, UFA)*
G Petr Mrazek ($4.25MM, UFA)
D Connor Murphy ($4.4MM, UFA)
F Lukas Reichel ($1.2MM, RFA)

*-Vancouver is retaining an additional $712.5K on Mikheyev’s deal.

Foligno was also acquired from Boston last summer and quickly signed an above-market one-year deal. Things went well enough that he received an above-market two-year extension which starts in 2024-25. Foligno is miscast as a full-time top-six player but remains an effective veteran. That said, it’s hard to picture recent history repeating itself on his next deal. Dickinson’s contract also feels like an overpayment but he is coming off a 22-goal campaign; if he can stay in that range, they’ll at least get a decent return out of it while the 29-year-old could have a shot at a similar price tag for more term on his next deal.

Mikheyev was acquired as a cap dump from Vancouver after a particularly rough season in 2023-24. When he’s on, he’s an effective second-line winger but if his offensive struggles continue in 2024-25, he becomes a buyout candidate next summer. Reichel quickly opted for a bridge contract back in May. He’ll be owed a $1.3MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights in 2026 and if he’s able to secure even a full-time middle-six spot, he could have a shot at doubling that or more. Anderson was non-tendered in June to avoid giving him arbitration rights but quickly re-signed this contract, one which gives him a one-way salary for only the second (and third) time of his career. He’s a low-cost depth piece and with Chicago’s youngsters eventually getting more expensive, the Blackhawks will need to keep this roster spot around that price tag whether it’s with Anderson or someone else down the road.

Murphy, when healthy, remains a solid stay-at-home second-pairing blueliner. However, he has missed significant time with injuries in two of the last three seasons. Still, if he can stay healthy and in the same role for two more years, he could land a multi-year deal around this price tag two years from now. Brodie came over as another free agent pickup after a year in Toronto that started off okay but saw him struggle to finish. He won’t be tasked with as much ice time in Chicago which should help but when this contract is up, he’s probably going to have to go year-to-year moving forward.

Mrazek put up a respectable .907 SV% last season on a team that struggled considerably which helped earn him this two-year extension, one that is also above-market. He’ll need to put up better numbers over the next two seasons to have a shot at bettering his price tag two years from now. Brossoit’s decision to return to Winnipeg proved to be wise as he thrived in limited duty, making him one of the better options in free agency this summer. That said, with a still-limited track record, he couldn’t command top dollar. He’ll have a chance over the next two years to show that he can carry a bigger workload which could put him in line for another raise if things go well in Chicago.

Signed Through 2026-27

F Teuvo Teravainen ($5.4MM, UFA)

Teravainen had a bounce-back year with Carolina, potting a career-best 25 goals which made him one of the more prominent wingers in free agency. It was a bit surprising to see him land just a three-year agreement but he’ll have a chance to play a prominent role which, if all goes well, could allow him to put up some good numbers, giving him a chance to beat this price three years from now.

Signed Through 2027-28 Or Longer

F Tyler Bertuzzi ($5.5MM through 2027-28)
D Seth Jones ($9.5MM through 2029-30)
D Alex Vlasic ($4.6MM through 2029-30)

Bertuzzi didn’t have much success in free agency a year ago, eventually settling for a one-year deal with the hopes of boosting his value for 2024. That didn’t exactly happen although his value didn’t drop either; he received the same AAV he had with the Maple Leafs where he’ll be counted on to help establish a second scoring line. He’ll be 33 when this deal is up so unless he finds another scoring level with Chicago, he might be in tough to beat this deal in 2028.

A lot has changed for Jones in his three years with Chicago. Acquired and signed to be the top piece of the back end for what was intended to be a playoff-bound team, he now finds himself anchoring the back end for a team with no playoff plans for probably a couple more years at least. He’s a player that the Blackhawks would be hard-pressed to move because of the contract as while he’s a legitimate top-pairing blueliner, he’s not necessarily a true number one option on a top team despite being tied for the fifth-highest AAV among all NHL defenders. Jones can still log heavy minutes for years to come but as Korchinski gets more comfortable offensively, he could start cutting into Jones’ offensive numbers which have already dipped over the last two years.

Vlasic’s contract was an interesting one. He went into last season with only 21 career NHL appearances over his first two years but then became a core shutdown defender. Chicago is clearly banking on Vlasic continuing to improve and if that happens, this contract will hold up well while positioning him to have a shot at one more long-term deal as he’ll be 29 when he becomes UFA-eligible.

Buyouts

F Josh Bailey ($1.167MM in 2024-25)

Retained Salary Transactions

D Jake McCabe ($2MM in 2024-25)

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: (non-entry-level): Reichel
Worst Value: Jones

Looking Ahead

With more than $6MM in projected cap space, Chicago is well-covered on that front heading into the season. That said, there’s a good chance that bonuses will cut a couple million or more off that number when the campaign comes to an end. But still, there’s enough wiggle room for GM Kyle Davidson to get creative to further utilize some of their remaining space.

Long term, the books are currently about as clean as anyone’s around the league. With just four NHL players signed for more than two years, they will have the financial flexibility to start to add more impactful pieces while still having ample space to afford what will be lofty second contracts for Bedard and Korchinski. They’re not getting great value on their spending now but that should soon change once some of these veteran placeholder contracts come to an end.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Checking In On 2024 First-Round Picks

August 30, 2024 at 2:31 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 1 Comment

Most of the players selected in the first round of the 2024 draft have signed their entry-level contracts, but very few will actually suit up for their NHL clubs or AHL affiliates in the fall. Here’s a look at where all 32 of this year’s first-round talents project to spend their time in their post-draft season.

1. San Jose Sharks: Macklin Celebrini, F

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Sharks

Celebrini isn’t the only high-end pick to sign his entry-level contract coming out of college, but he is the only one who’s a sure bet to start the season on an NHL roster. The 18-year-old phenom will likely be given a shot to anchor the Sharks’ first line down the middle out of the gate. Seeing him on assignment to the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, this season would be a huge surprise.

2. Chicago Blackhawks: Artyom Levshunov, D

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Rockford IceHogs (AHL)

When the Blackhawks drafted Levshunov earlier this summer, there was some uncertainty about whether he would turn pro following his freshman season at Michigan State University. It didn’t last long, though, as he signed his ELC with Chicago less than two weeks after being drafted. However, their signings of veterans T.J. Brodie and Alec Martinez in free agency muddy his path to a roster spot. Early-season injuries or an exceptional training camp could land Levshunov a nine-game trial with the Blackhawks but expect to see most of his action this season come in the minors.

3. Anaheim Ducks: Beckett Sennecke, F

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Oshawa Generals (OHL)

Sennecke is the first player here who’s ineligible for an AHL assignment this season because he was drafted out of the Canadian Hockey League. It’s either Anaheim or Oshawa for the surprise third-overall pick. It’ll end up being the latter, as he likely needs at least another full year of development time in juniors before he’s ready to compete for a roster spot.

4. Columbus Blue Jackets: Cayden Lindstrom, F

Status: Not signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)

Lindstrom isn’t signed yet, but he’s expected to do so next month. The pivot is still recovering from a herniated disc in his back that limited him to 32 games with the Tigers last season. Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell already confirmed that barring an unforeseen development, Lindstrom will be loaned back to Medicine Hat for 2024-25, although a nine-game trial isn’t out of the question.

5. Montreal Canadiens: Ivan Demidov, F

Status: Not signed
Expected 2024-25 team: SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)

There’s no real rush to sign Demidov. As a player drafted out of a Russian league, the Habs own his signing rights indefinitely. The dynamic winger spent the entirety of his draft year in his native country’s junior circuit, though, which would have been an unprecedented jump to NHL ice in 2024-25. As such, Demidov will play out the final season of his contract with SKA, which has already announced its season-opening roster with Demidov on it as compared to their junior or minor-league affiliate. All signs point to Demidov signing his ELC and arriving in Montreal at the end of the KHL season, potentially still with a few games left on the Habs’ 2024-25 schedule.

6. Utah Hockey Club: Tij Iginla, F

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Kelowna Rockets (WHL)

As one of the younger players in the class and a late riser, there’s little question about Utah returning its first-ever draft pick to juniors. Iginla will look to build on his 84-point season with Kelowna and will challenge more seriously for a roster spot with Utah in 2025-26.

7. Ottawa Senators: Carter Yakemchuk, D

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Calgary Hitmen (WHL)

Yakemchuk will return to the Hitmen for 2024-25, but unlike most other CHL-drafted players in this class, he only has to wait one year until he’s eligible to play in the AHL full-time. That’s due to his late September birthday, which made him one of the oldest players eligible for selection for the first time in 2024. The 6’3″ right-shot likely won’t have a lot to prove in juniors after this season, either. After all, he led all WHL defenders in goals last year with 30.

8. Seattle Kraken: Berkly Catton, F

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Spokane Chiefs (WHL)

Seattle selected Catton out of their own backyard. The skilled center still needs to improve his all-around game before looking for NHL ice with the Kraken. His raucous 116-point campaign with Spokane last year could earn him some outside consideration for a nine-game trial, but all signs point to him being loaned out to Eastern Washington for 2024-25.

9. Calgary Flames: Zayne Parekh, D

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Saginaw Spirit (OHL)

Parekh likely needs a bit more seasoning in Saginaw to round out his defensive game before he’s ready for the pros. But the dynamic right-shot defender has little left to prove after being named the CHL’s Defenseman of the Year last season, and he should be expected on the Flames’ opening-night roster in 2025-26.

10. New Jersey Devils: Anton Silayev, D

Status: Not signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)

All of what can be said about Demidov applies to Silayev, except his much larger defensive counterpart is much more of a project development-wise. Accordingly, the hulking defender is under contract for two more years with Torpedo, and he’s fully expected to play that out before signing his ELC with Jersey as soon as 2026. He’ll feature heavily on Nizhny Novgorod’s blue line again after spending all of his draft year’s regular season in the big leagues.

11. San Jose Sharks: Sam Dickinson, D

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: London Knights (OHL)

Dickinson is a decently well-rounded package already and likely isn’t too far away from NHL ice. But throwing him to the wolves on the Sharks’ paper-thin blue line would be a major mistake for his development, and it’s not an outcome that appears to be under consideration. He’ll return to the powerhouse Knights, where he had 70 points in 68 games last year.

12. Minnesota Wild: Zeev Buium, D

Status: Not signed
Expected 2024-25 team: University of Denver (NCAA/NCHC)

Buium will be returning to Denver for his sophomore season, but it’s likely to be his final before arriving in Minnesota (or AHL Iowa) in 2025. The cerebral yet skilled two-way defender was a nominee for the Hobey Baker as a freshman and exploded for 50 points in 42 games from the blue line as Denver won the national championship.

13. Philadelphia Flyers: Jett Luchanko, F

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Guelph Storm (OHL)

Another late birthday from the class, expect Luchanko to take his full two years of runway left in the OHL. The Flyers don’t risk losing him after getting his ELC taken care of already this summer. He’ll play a starring role with the Storm in the coming weeks.

14. Buffalo Sabres: Konsta Helenius, F

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Rochester Americans (AHL)

Normally, players drafted out of European leagues must be offered back to their overseas clubs before their NHL team attempts to send them to the minors early on in their development. But that provision is lifted for first-round picks, and expect the Sabres to take advantage of it with Helenius. The versatile forward has one of the highest floors of any prospect in this draft class and excelled in a professional environment last season, posting 36 points in 51 games for Jukurit in Finland’s Liiga. He’ll look to lock down top-six minutes with the Sabres’ affiliate in Rochester early on, but NHL games this season aren’t out of the question.

15. Detroit Red Wings: Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, F

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Skellefteå AIK (SHL)

The highest-drafted Norwegian in league history has been playing in neighboring Sweden since 2021, and that’s where he’ll likely remain for 2024-25. Brandsegg-Nygård said after signing his entry-level contract last month that there hasn’t been a decision made on where he’ll play this season. While he’ll attend Red Wings training camp, he’s listed on Skellefteå’s roster in a few places and will likely head back to Scandinavia after being cut. He spent last season in Sweden’s second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan, posting 18 points in 41 games with Mora IK.

16. St. Louis Blues: Adam Jiříček, D

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)

Jiříček and the Blues had myriad playing options for 2024-25. It appears they’ve settled on the easiest level of competition as he looks to get his feet back under him following an injury-plagued draft year. While he was eligible for assignment to their AHL affiliate in Springfield or back to his professional club in Czechia, HC Plzeň, he’s expected to slide down to junior hockey after being selected by the Bulldogs in the CHL Import Draft one year ago.

17. Washington Capitals: Terik Parascak, F

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Prince George Cougars (WHL)

Parascak was a quick riser on draft boards this year, and his 6’0″ frame, combined with his well-rounded offensive skill set, makes him an intriguing pickup by Washington. His defensive awareness isn’t ready for the pros yet, though, and he wouldn’t have been eligible for an AHL assignment anyway. Back to Prince George, he goes.

18. Chicago Blackhawks: Sacha Boisvert, F

Status: Not signed
Expected 2024-25 team: University of North Dakota (NCAA/NCHC)

Boisvert looks to be a solid middle-six pivot for the Hawks down the line, but he’s a few years away. The Quebec native spent last year in juniors with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks and will begin his collegiate career at North Dakota this fall. He’ll likely stick with the Fighting Hawks for at least two or three years before turning pro with Chicago.

19. Vegas Golden Knights: Trevor Connelly, F

Status: Not signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Providence College (NCAA/Hockey East)

Rinse and repeat most of the last paragraph for Connelly, although the high-tempo winger is nearly the polar opposite of Boisvert’s play style. But like Boisvert, he’ll be making the jump from the USHL to the NCAA this fall and isn’t expected to be one-and-done in college.

20. New York Islanders: Cole Eiserman, F

Status: Not signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Boston University (NCAA/Hockey East)

Eiserman will enter his freshman year at BU after displaying his electric goal-scoring ability with the U.S. National Development Team Program. Criticisms of his game as one-dimensional are valid, though, and his adjustment to older and larger competition in the NCAA circuit will be something for Isles fans to keep tabs on. His superstar-level shooting accuracy makes it plausible that he’ll turn pro following his freshman year, though.

21. Montreal Canadiens: Michael Hage, F

Status: Not signed
Expected 2024-25 team: University of Michigan (NCAA/Big 10)

Hage wraps up the string of USHL/NTDP-to-NCAA jumps here. The two-way, playmaking pivot will play an important role for the Wolverines in his freshman year, with last year’s three leading scorers all signing NHL contracts this summer. Like Boisvert and Connelly, though, Hage is likely looking at multiple seasons of NCAA play before signing his ELC.

22. Nashville Predators: Yegor Surin, F

Status: Not signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)

Surin is signed for two more seasons with Lokomotiv, so the earliest the Preds will likely be able to sign him is 2026. A true throwback power forward, the 6’1″ Russian will look to make the jump to consistent KHL minutes after spending most of last season with Yaroslavl’s junior team, where he had 52 points and 108 PIMs in 42 games.

23. Anaheim Ducks: Stian Solberg, D

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Färjestad BK (SHL)

Solberg would have been Norway’s new draft record-holder if not for Brandsegg-Nygård. Like his countryman, he’ll likely be loaned out to Sweden this season but to a rival club in Färjestad. It’s a bigger jump for the defender, though, who’s yet to play professionally outside of a weak Norwegian league.

24. Utah Hockey Club: Cole Beaudoin, F

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Barrie Colts (OHL)

Beaudoin is one of the more projectable picks in this first round, and Utah’s new fanbase can be reasonably confident he’ll pan out as a steady bottom-six fixture down the middle. But they’ll likely have to wait two seasons to see him, as a pair of season-opening loans back to Barrie likely await him this year and next.

25. Boston Bruins: Dean Letourneau, F

Status: Not signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Boston College (NCAA/Hockey East)

Figuratively and literally, Letourneau is the biggest project in this class. The center already checks in at 6’7″ and 214 lbs, but the sniper has only seen low-level competition in the Canadian high school system. However, that will change this fall as he looks to bring his pro-ready frame to the NCAA.

26. Los Angeles Kings: Liam Greentree, F

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Windsor Spitfires (OHL)

Greentree will return to the Spitfires in a few weeks, although he’ll get an extended look at the Kings’ camp, in all likelihood. His Jan. 1 birthday means he’s just hours short of being eligible to jump to the AHL for 2025-26, so he could be facing two more years in Windsor if he can’t crack the NHL roster in a year’s time. The physical, playmaking winger served as Windsor’s captain last season and led the fledgling club in scoring by a wide margin with 90 points in 64 games.

27. Chicago Blackhawks: Marek Vanacker, F

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)

Vanacker was the last of the Hawks’ three first-rounders this year and the second to sign his ELC after Levshunov. The high-IQ winger will return to Brantford to hone his skills for at least another season, likely two.

28. Calgary Flames: Matvei Gridin, F

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)

Gridin has had an unconventional summer. Initially expected to make the jump from the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks to the University of Michigan, he instead opted to sign his ELC with the Flames and forego his collegiate eligibility. That doesn’t mean he’ll be turning pro, however. The QMJHL’s Val-d’Or Foreurs made him the first overall pick in this year’s CHL Import Draft, but the club is expected to trade him to Shawinigan before the season starts, reports Pierre-Olivier Poulin of Le Citoyen. Gridin, who posted 83 points in 60 games last season with Muskegon, will see his entry-level deal slide at least one year with his projected loan to the Cataractes.

29. Dallas Stars: Emil Hemming, F

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Barrie Colts (OHL)

Hemming will also arrive in the CHL for the first time in his post-draft season. The Finnish winger spent last season at home with Liiga’s TPS, where he recorded 11 points in 40 games. He’ll look to torch some easier competition in Barrie, who managed to snag him at 15th overall in this year’s CHL Import Draft amid doubts that he’d come to North America right away.

30. New York Rangers: EJ Emery, D

Status: Not signed
Expected 2024-25 team: University of North Dakota (NCAA/NCHC)

Emery projects as a solid, smooth-skating stay-at-home defender who can log heavy minutes, especially on the penalty kill. But he’ll need a few years in college to hone his craft, so Rangers fans should expect to see him stick with North Dakota for a while – potentially a full four years – before he turns pro.

31. Toronto Maple Leafs: Ben Danford, D

Status: Signed
Expected 2024-25 team: Oshawa Generals (OHL)

Also a mobile stay-at-home defender, the Leafs will loan Danford back to juniors for the next two seasons, in all likelihood, before he can join the Leafs or AHL Marlies in 2026-27.

32. Edmonton Oilers: Sam O’Reilly, F

Status: Not signed
Expected 2024-25 team: London Knights (OHL)

O’Reilly is still waiting to put pen to paper on a deal with the Oilers, who traded back into the first round to select him. The 6’1″ pivot will remain with the Knights, where he had 56 points in 68 games last season en route to a league championship.

Checking In On Notable Remaining Unrestricted Free Agents

August 29, 2024 at 10:13 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 3 Comments

It’s been pretty quiet on the UFA market for weeks now. All the names from our list of top 50 UFAs are signed and have been for quite some time. We’re starting to see names settle for professional tryout agreements, with Sammy Blais (Canucks), Tanner Pearson (Golden Knights) and Jakub Vrána (Capitals) some of the notable names to ink early PTOs. The last UFA signing was depth netminder Magnus Hellberg to the Stars over two weeks ago.

Winger Max Pacioretty is one of the top remaining names. He missed the cut for our top 50 after being limited to just four goals in 47 games with the Capitals last season, indicative of his largely forgettable stint in the nation’s capital. But before back-to-back Achilles tendon tears tarnished his career in 2022 and 2023, he was one of the league’s better snipers when healthy.

That pre-injury form is still helping out his market value a tad. He’ll likely be the next UFA domino to fall and won’t appear to need a PTO to land a deal for 2024-25, with Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reporting last week that Pacioretty was mulling offers from at least three teams. It’ll likely be a league-minimum salary with some potential performance bonuses for ’Patches,’ eligible for a 35+ contract.

Veteran forward James van Riemsdyk was a narrower miss on our top 50 list and led remaining UFAs in points per game last season with 0.54. He could be due for even more production this year after shooting a career-low 7.7% with the Bruins in 2023-24, still managing 11 goals and 38 points in 71 games in third-line minutes. If he shot at his 11.8% career average, JVR would have lit the lamp six more times for 17 goals.

Van Riemsdyk had only 29 points in 61 games with the Flyers the year before and settled for a one-year, $1MM pact in Boston. After a bit of a rebound year in Beantown, he’s likely looking for a small raise, but his search may be in vain this late in the summer.

The most appealing unsigned defenseman is likely Kevin Shattenkirk, JVR’s teammate with the Bruins last season. He’s no longer the fringe Norris contender and offensive force he was with the Blues in the mid-2010s. Still, he’s remained a pretty capable puck-mover for the Bruins, Ducks and Lightning the past few years and kept his head above water defensively in third-pairing minutes in Boston.

Here are some other UFAs who’ll likely generate interest from NHL teams before the season begins:

Goalies

Kevin Lankinen has been an extremely serviceable backup for Nashville the last two seasons, recording a .912 SV% in 43 games for the Predators. Martin Jones and Antti Raanta are veteran netminders with loads of NHL experience (466 and 277 NHL GP, respectively). However, Raanta’s usually solid tandem play plummeted to a horrific .872 SV% in 24 games last year with the Hurricanes, ending up on waivers and going unclaimed.

At this stage, Aaron Dell, Michael Hutchinson, Keith Kinkaid, and Dustin Tokarski are all AHL depth options. However, they could still land a two-way NHL deal as a mentor for an organization’s up-and-coming netminders and provide an experienced call-up option in a pinch.

Defensemen

The list of solid two-way defenders left on the board is slim. Teams still looking for defense help on the UFA market are likely doing so for a power-play or penalty-kill specialist. Calen Addison fits the bill of the former and has the highest upside of any signing. He’s still just 24 but hit the open market after being unqualified by the Sharks. He struggled to produce last season, limited to a goal and 17 points in 72 games, but he was effective on the Wild’s second PP unit the year before with 29 points in 62 games.

A team interested in adding some puck-moving/offensive help on the blue line might also take a look at Shattenkirk, Justin Schultz (0.43 career P/GP), Tyson Barrie (0.62 career P/GP), Tony DeAngelo (0.57 career P/GP), or John Klingberg (0.65 career P/GP).

Veteran blueliners Robert Bortuzzo and Jarred Tinordi can provide some literal punch as No. 6/7 defenders but don’t provide any offensive upside. The former went pointless in 27 games with the Blues and Islanders last season.

Teams prioritizing a locker-room presence will consider Mark Giordano, who turns 41 in October. Giordano was the oldest active player in the league last season with the Maple Leafs, but the historical offensive force had only nine points in 46 games while averaging 16:37 per game. However, He boasts nearly 1,150 games of experience and has served as a team captain for nine of his 18 NHL seasons.

Forwards

Teams have the most UFA options up front. 2018 sixth-overall pick Filip Zadina has recently seen his name pop up in headlines, first as a rumored PTO signing by the Sabres, but that quickly fell through. There appears to be interest from at least a few other teams in signing him to a standard deal. He’s still just 24 years old and has that top-10 pick pedigree, but he’s never been able to eclipse the 25-point mark despite being given brief opportunities in a top-six role in Detroit before landing with the Sharks last season.

Wingers dominate the available names, but teams looking for a depth forward who can take reps at center have some veteran options in Pierre-Édouard Bellemare, Nick Cousins, Sam Gagner, Tyler Johnson, and Chris Tierney.

Outside of the names already mentioned, some other decent bottom-six depth scorers available on the wing include Mike Hoffman, Kyle Okposo, Blake Wheeler, and Kailer Yamamoto.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Highest-Paid NHL Players By Team

August 29, 2024 at 9:10 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 6 Comments

We listed the top 50 highest-paid NHL players on Wednesday for the 2024-25 season. That list is a good tool for pointing out what stars are actually getting paid and identifying some inefficient spending habits among the richer deals, but it didn’t include every team. Five clubs – the Ducks, Islanders, Flyers, Sharks, and Kraken – didn’t have anyone in that top 50, essentially a list of players making over $10MM in guaranteed salary this season.

Our list of the highest-paid players for 2024-25 is also limited in its long-term scope. Predators free-agent signing Brady Skjei, for example, cracked the top 50 and will earn eight figures this season. But he’s on a front-loaded contract and will fall off the list next year with a significant salary reduction coming in the second season of his fresh seven-year deal.

Today, we’re shifting our focus to the highest-paid players by team. This will allow us to check in on the clubs that weren’t represented on our initial list and identify some of the league’s most lucrative multiyear commitments – we’ve included each club’s highest-paid player for the current season (by 2024-25 total salary) and its highest-paid player in total (by total guaranteed base salary and signing bonuses still unpaid).

Anaheim Ducks

2024-25: Cam Fowler ($7.5MM)
Total: Troy Terry (six years, $42MM)

Boston Bruins

2024-25: David Pastrňák ($13MM)
Total: David Pastrňák (seven years, $77MM)

Buffalo Sabres

2024-25: Rasmus Dahlin ($13MM)
Total: Rasmus Dahlin (eight years, $88MM)

Calgary Flames

2024-25: Jonathan Huberdeau ($10.5MM)
Total: Jonathan Huberdeau (seven years, $73.5MM)

Carolina Hurricanes

2024-25: Sebastian Aho ($12MM)
Total: Sebastian Aho (eight years, $78MM)

Chicago Blackhawks

2024-25: Seth Jones ($12.5MM)
Total: Seth Jones (six years, $53.5MM)

Colorado Avalanche

2024-25: Nathan MacKinnon ($16.5MM)
Total: Nathan MacKinnon (seven years, $84.3MM)

Columbus Blue Jackets

2024-25: Zach Werenski ($11.5MM)
Total: Johnny Gaudreau (five years, $48.75MM)

Dallas Stars

2024-25: Roope Hintz ($11.25MM)
Total: Roope Hintz (seven years, $56.1MM)

Detroit Red Wings

2024-25: Dylan Larkin ($11MM)
Total: Dylan Larkin (seven years, $59.6MM)

Edmonton Oilers

2024-25: Darnell Nurse ($12MM)
Total: Darnell Nurse (six years, $51.6MM)

Florida Panthers

2024-25: Aleksander Barkov ($12MM)
Total: Sam Reinhart (eight years, $69MM)

Los Angeles Kings

2024-25: Drew Doughty ($11MM)
Total: Kevin Fiala (five years, $40.5MM)

Minnesota Wild

2024-25: Kirill Kaprizov ($10MM)
Total: Brock Faber (nine years, $68.925MM)
- Note: this figure includes the final season of Faber’s entry-level contract in 2024-25 before his eight-year, $68MM extension kicks in the following season. As part of the last year of his ELC, Faber can earn up to $250K in additional performance bonuses.

Montreal Canadiens

2024-25: Nick Suzuki ($10MM)
Total: Juraj Slafkovsky (nine years, $61.75MM)
- Note: this figure includes the final season of Slafkovsky’s entry-level contract in 2024-25 before his eight-year, $60.8MM extension kicks in the following season. As part of the last year of his ELC, Slafkovsky can earn up to $3.5MM in additional performance bonuses.

Nashville Predators

2024-25: Filip Forsberg / Brady Skjei ($10MM)
Total: Juuse Saros (nine years, $66.92MM)
- Note: Saros is still owed $5MM as part of his current contract in 2024-25 before his eight-year, $61.92MM extension kicks in the following season.

New Jersey Devils

2024-25: Dougie Hamilton ($12.6MM)
Total: Timo Meier (seven years, $58.4MM)

New York Islanders

2024-25: Mathew Barzal ($9.15MM)
Total: Ilya Sorokin (eight years, $66MM)

New York Rangers

2024-25: Adam Fox ($12MM)
Total: Mika Zibanejad (six years, $50MM)

Ottawa Senators

2024-25: Brady Tkachuk ($10.5MM)
Total: Jake Sanderson (eight years, $64.4MM)

Philadelphia Flyers

2024-25: Sean Couturier ($9MM)
Total: Travis Konecny (nine years, $77MM)
- Note: Konecny is still owed $7MM as part of his current contract in 2024-25 before his eight-year, $70MM extension kicks in the following season.

Pittsburgh Penguins

2024-25: Erik Karlsson ($11MM)
- Note: the Penguins only owe Karlsson $9,565,215 (86.9565%) of his salary. The other 13.0435% was retained by the Sharks in an Aug. 2023 trade.
Total: Erik Karlsson (three years, $27.5MM)
- Note: the Penguins will only pay Karlsson $23,913,038 (86.9565%) of his salary due to the aforementioned salary retention by the Sharks.

San Jose Sharks

2024-25: Logan Couture / Marc-Édouard Vlasic ($7MM)
Total: Tyler Toffoli (four years, $24MM)

Seattle Kraken

2024-25: Vince Dunn / Brandon Montour ($8MM)
Total: Matthew Beniers / Brandon Montour (seven years, $50MM)

St. Louis Blues

2024-25: Jordan Kyrou / Robert Thomas ($10.9MM)
Total: Jordan Kyrou / Robert Thomas (seven years, $56MM)

Tampa Bay Lightning

2024-25: Jake Guentzel ($13,263,157)
Total: Jake Guentzel (seven years, $63MM)

Toronto Maple Leafs

2024-25: Auston Matthews ($16.7MM)
Total: William Nylander (eight years, $92MM)

Utah Hockey Club

2024-25: Mikhail Sergachev ($11.05MM)
Total: Mikhail Sergachev (seven years, $56.95MM)

Vancouver Canucks

2024-25: Elias Pettersson ($14.5MM)
Total: Elias Pettersson (eight years, $92.8MM)

Vegas Golden Knights

2024-25: Alex Pietrangelo ($12.5MM)
Total: Noah Hanifin (eight years, $58.8MM)

Washington Capitals

2024-25: Pierre-Luc Dubois ($11.25MM)
Total: Pierre-Luc Dubois (seven years, $59MM)

Winnipeg Jets

2024-25: Connor Hellebuyck / Mark Scheifele ($10MM)
Total: Connor Hellebuyck / Mark Scheifele (seven years, $59.5MM)

Information from PuckPedia was used in the creation of this post.

Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.

NHL’s Top 50 Highest-Paid Players For 2024-25

August 28, 2024 at 9:20 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 7 Comments

Many of the NHL’s highest cap hits don’t match those players’ actual salaries, mainly as front-loaded deals enter their later stages. That’s why a player like Connor McDavid remains among the highest cap hits in the league at $12.5MM despite signing his deal seven years ago. Still, his actual compensation from base salary and signing bonuses has dropped to an unremarkable $10MM compared to some of the NHL’s other elite talents.

When a player signs a long-term deal, it’s up to the team and player to structure it. In some cases, teams will prefer to spread cash out evenly throughout the contract, meaning the total salary being paid out matches or very nearly matches their cap hit. In some cases, though, deals will be front-loaded with excess money paid to the players in the first few seasons of the contract. This, assuming the deal isn’t paid out primarily in signing bonuses, makes a potential buyout much more palatable if needed near the end of the agreement.

With some help from PuckPedia’s player dashboard, listed below are the top 50 highest-paid NHL players for the 2024-25 season. The players on this list don’t necessarily have the largest contracts out there in terms of total value remaining, and some of them may have wildly lower or higher cap hits than their total salary this season indicates. This top 50 only considers the current league year with the players’ 2024-25 combined base salary and signing bonuses listed.

Here are the NHL’s highest-paid players for the 2024-25 season, with the cutoff point closest to the $10MM mark than ever before:

Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs: $16.7MM
Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche: $16.5MM
Elias Pettersson, Canucks: $14.5MM
William Nylander, Maple Leafs: $13.5MM
Jake Guentzel, Lightning: $13.26MM
Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres: $13MM
David Pastrňák, Bruins: $13MM
Dougie Hamilton, Devils: $12.6MM
Seth Jones, Blackhawks: $12.5MM
Alex Pietrangelo, Golden Knights: $12.5MM
Sebastian Aho, Hurricanes: $12MM
Aleksander Barkov, Panthers: $12MM
Adam Fox, Rangers: $12MM
Darnell Nurse, Oilers: $12MM
Brayden Point, Lightning: $12MM
Charlie McAvoy, Bruins: $11.5MM
Zach Werenski, Blue Jackets: $11.5MM
Pierre-Luc Dubois, Capitals: $11.25MM
Roope Hintz, Stars: $11.25MM
Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers: $11.25MM
Timo Meier, Devils: $11.1MM
Mikhail Sergachev, Utah: $11.05MM
Drew Doughty, Kings: $11MM
Miro Heiskanen, Stars: $11MM
Erik Karlsson, Penguins: $11MM
Dylan Larkin, Red Wings: $11MM
Alex Ovechkin, Capitals: $11MM
Sam Reinhart, Panthers: $11MM
Mark Stone, Golden Knights: $11MM
Jordan Kyrou, Blues: $10.9MM
Robert Thomas, Blues: $10.9MM
Cale Makar, Avalanche: $10.6MM
Jonathan Huberdeau, Flames: $10.5MM
Brady Tkachuk, Senators: $10.5MM
Mika Zibanejad, Rangers: $10.5MM
Tomáš Hertl, Golden Knights: $10.25MM
Thomas Chabot, Senators: $10MM
Jack Eichel, Golden Knights: $10MM
Filip Forsberg, Predators: $10MM
Connor Hellebuyck, Jets: $10MM
Kirill Kaprizov, Wild: $10MM
Elias Lindholm, Bruins: $10MM
Connor McDavid, Oilers: $10MM
Artemi Panarin, Rangers: $10MM
Morgan Rielly, Maple Leafs: $10MM
Mark Scheifele, Jets: $10MM
Brady Skjei, Predators: $10MM
Nick Suzuki, Canadiens: $10MM
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning: $10MM
Cole Caufield, Canadiens: $9.975MM

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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