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Poll: Who Is The Early Favorite For The 2025 Calder Trophy?

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The hockey world is in for a treat with the 2024-25 rookie class. A long list of top prospects seem destined for NHL roles, including former high-end draft picks and controversial prospects. Their pursuit of meaningful NHL ice time will be undercut by what’s sure to be an exciting race for the 2025 Calder Trophy. The NHL’s ’Rookie of the Year’ award stands as perhaps the most coveted and exclusive award in the league, having previously gone to franchise-defining talents like Connor Bedard this year, Kirill Kaprizov in 2021, and Cale Makar in 2020. With such a star-studded cast of contenders this year, the winner may have to reach the heights of that trio to win over voters.

That could prove an easy feat for the pair of Macklin Celebrini and Matvei Michkov – likely the leading favorites as things currently stand. Celebrini was the first overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft and is coming off a dazzling junior hockey career. After winning both the USHL’s ’Rookie of the Year’ and ’Most Valuable Player’ awards as a 16-year-old in 2022-23, Celebrini became the youngest player to ever win the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player this season. His prowess is undeniable. He’s a defiantly special playmaker, with all of the tools needed to match top speeds. Celebrini is set for a top-line role with the San Jose Sharks, while Michkov will fight for the same recognition from the Philadelphia Flyers.

Michkov is making the jump to the NHL a year earlier than expected, after being released from his contract with the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg this summer. He makes the move to North America after proudly leading HK Sochi. Despite playing on a farm club to SKA, Michkov has still managed 61 points in 77 KHL games over the last two seasons. His 41 points in 47 games this year marked the most of any U20 KHL skater since Kaprizov, the record holder, potted 42 points in 49 games in 2017. Where Celebrini is a quick-thinking and quicker-moving playmaker, Michkov is an all-skill scorer, capable of using a mix of incredibly agile skating, great stickhandling, and a knockout shot to embarrass opponents in the offensive end. The sky is the limit for the Russian phenom, who should finally receive proper support after spending the last two seasons on muddling rosters.

Celebrini and Michkov will be challenged for their spot by a long list of high-end forwards, including Will Smith – who could find himself playing second-fiddle to Celebrini in San Jose. Anaheim Ducks center Cutter Gauthier could also break into the conversation – undermining yet another boost to the Flyers’ prospect pool. But of the many contenders, it’s the dynamic duo of Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque who seem most overlooked in early Calder talks.

Stankoven was a lightning bolt in his first taste of the NHL. The first-year pro fought his way to an NHL call-up with a then-league-leading 57 points in his first 47 AHL games. The scoring didn’t stop in Dallas, as Stankoven proceeded to score 14 points in 24 games – the highest scoring pace (0.58) of any first-year Star since Jason Robertson in 2021 (0.88) and John Klingberg in 2015 (0.58). Stankoven was just one game shy of losing rookie eligibility when Dallas’ season ended, though he was quickly slotted back into the lineup during the playoffs – which don’t count against Calder Trophy eligibility. He continued to hone his game in the race for the Stanley Cup, netting eight points in 19 games and earning a routine role in Dallas’ middle-six.

If not Stankoven, then it’ll be his electric centerman Bourque who wins the title for Dallas. The two forwards were unstoppable with the AHL’s Texas Stars last season, playing with a pace and chemistry that opponents simply couldn’t keep up with. Bourque stayed red-hot even after Stankoven’s call-up, ultimately leading the AHL in scoring with 77 points in 71 games and earning the Les Cunningham Award as the league’s MVP. That was despite last season being just the second pro year of Bourque’s career. He was impressive, and found a way to score consistently despite his oft-criticized frame.

Even with all of the acclaim of the aforementioned forwards, the award could still find its way to other hands. Shakir Mukhamadullin in San Jose, Lane Hutson in Montreal, and Olen Zellweger in Anaheim are all prime candidates from the blue-line, while Dustin Wolf in Calgary and Yaroslav Askarov in Nashville stand as favorites in net – though the latter will have to fight his way above Juuse Saros. It seems the Calder Trophy debate could go in one of countless directions when the first puck is finally dropped – but who do you think will win out? Will it be dazzling star prospects Celebrini or Michkov? Will defensive supports overtake the top scorers? Or will a player like Brad Lambert subvert everyone’s expectations? Let us know by voting in the poll below and discussing in the comments!

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Sasha Chmelevski Still Intends To Return To NHL

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  • Speaking with Sport-Express’ Ivan Bohun, Sharks RFA forward Sasha Chmelevski indicated that he still intends to return to the NHL despite signing a three-year extension with Salavat Yulaev in late April. The 25-year-old has 24 career NHL appearances under his belt where he has 10 assists but he elected to return home where he has been quite productive.  Last season, Chmelevski picked up 27 goals and 29 assists in 67 games, leading to some speculation that San Jose might be able to trade his rights.  Chmelevski thinks a trade could have been an option but clearly, one never materialized.  Once this contract ends in 2027, Chmelevski will be 28 and an unrestricted free agent and it appears that will be when he attempts to return to North America.

Pacific Notes: Chernyshov, Pettersson, Holtz, Barr

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Sharks 2024 second-round pick Igor Chernyshov has officially found a place to play this season. As he said was likely the case last week, he’s inked a scholarship and development agreement with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League, per the club.

The 33rd overall pick in June was originally supposed to remain in his native Russia next season. He had one year left on his contract with Dynamo Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League, but he bought himself out of the deal last week and subsequently signed his entry-level contract with the Sharks.

Chernyshov, 18, will attend training camp for a brief period in San Jose before being returned to Saginaw, likely for the entire 2024-25 campaign. Doing so will slide the beginning of his entry-level contract to 2025-26.

The 6’3″, 203-lb winger had three goals and one assist for four points in 34 KHL games last season. He was much more productive in the junior ranks, posting 28 points (13 G, 15 A) in 22 games with MHK Dynamo Moscow.

More out of the Pacific Division:

  • When Chernyshov’s move to Saginaw was announced this morning, there was a brief thought that Ducks 2024 second-rounder Lucas Pettersson might join him in Michigan. That won’t be the case, however. Sources told Max Miller of The Hockey News and Scott Wheeler of The Athletic that he’ll remain in his native Sweden after being selected by the Spirit in the CHL Import Draft. Pettersson, 18, was selected two picks after Chernyshov in June. He’ll likely get some action in the pros with MoDo Hockey of the Swedish Hockey League, but could still spend a solid chunk of 2024-25 with their junior team. The 5’11” center was one of the Swedish junior circuit’s leading scorers last season, posting 57 points (27 goals, 30 assists) in 44 games for MoDo’s U-20 club.
  • The Golden Knights bought low on 2020 seventh-overall pick Alexander Holtz this summer, only parting ways with depth forward Paul Cotter and a 2025 third-rounder to acquire him and Akira Schmid from the Devils. Speaking to reporters, Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon said Holtz was “a player we had tremendous regard for as an amateur. We’re taking a swing at his upside and what a change can do sometimes for young players” (via James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now). McCrimmon thinks Holtz has “untapped potential that we feel we can unlock here to some degree with the opportunity,” he added. With Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson among the key departures from Vegas’ forward group this summer, Holtz will be relied upon as a top-nine scoring option for the Knights in 2024-25 with the potential to challenge for top-six minutes. The 22-year-old had 28 points in 82 games in New Jersey last year.
  • The Ducks have added to their minor-league coaching staff, hiring Dave Barr as an assistant for the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, per a team release. Barr, 63, spent last season as an assistant with the Chicago Wolves during their one year of operating independently of an NHL affiliation. He has 12 years of experience as an assistant at the game’s highest level, spending time on benches for the Avalanche, Wild, Devils, Sabres, Panthers and Sharks from 2008 to 2020. Before joining the Wolves last season, he spent two years as the head coach of the Vienna Capitals in Austria’s ICEHL.

Snapshots: Blackhawks, Pavelski, Skarek, Mersch

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After a very active free agent period that saw them bring in several veterans in an effort to become more competitive next season, it appears as if the Blackhawks are finished with trying to land at the bottom of the standings.  Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times suggests that they’re taking a risk in doing so since they haven’t landed a second high-end forward prospect to partner up with Connor Bedard down the road.  Chicago has ample defensive depth and some quality goalie prospects but among their forward prospects, there aren’t any who project as high-end top-line talent (someone like Frank Nazar could get there in time but the safer planning would be with him in a second-line role).  Having said that, the Blackhawks will have ample cap space moving forward so if they don’t draft a running mate for Bedard, they could try to land one in free agency down the road.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Former Sharks GM Doug Wilson acknowledged to Sheng Peng of NBC Sports Bay Area that he made a mistake in not retaining Joe Pavelski back in 2019. The veteran forward was coming off a strong year that saw him put up 38 goals but he had dealt with injuries the two years before that while they also committed big money to retain Evander Kane and Erik Karlsson, not leaving enough for them to pay market value for Pavelski’s services.  He went on to play five seasons in Dallas before calling it a career earlier this offseason.
  • Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News assesses the goaltending depth of the Islanders and suggests that Jakub Skarek’s time with the organization could be coming to an end. Marcus Hogberg is expected to serve as the starter with AHL Bridgeport while Henrik Tikkanen greatly outperformed Skarek last season and should serve as Hogberg’s backup.  Skarek has one year left on his deal so it’s possible that New York will look to flip the 24-year-old to a team looking for extra goalie depth.  If that fails, Rosner wonders if the two sides would consider a mutual contract termination which would allow him to try to catch on overseas.
  • Veteran free agent winger Michael Mersch is considering retirement, relays Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. The 31-year-old had been a staple for Buffalo’s AHL team in Rochester the past four seasons and is coming off a 15-goal, 38-point showing in 66 games in 2023-24.  Mersch has 17 career NHL appearances under his belt, all with Los Angeles back in the 2015-16 campaign.

Afternoon Notes: Perfetti, Chernyshov, Wranglers

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Recent trade rumors have suggested the Winnipeg Jets offered Cole Perfetti for Carolina Hurricane forward Martin Necas. However, Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Suns has emphasized that there’s no truth to the claim, though Carolina did show interest in acquiring Perfetti. Billeck adds that Necas wasn’t interested in signing long-term in Winnipeg, driving a wedge into trade negotiations.

Necas, 25, has since signed a two-year extension that walks him to unrestricted free agency in 2026, giving him a chance to hand-pick where he spends his prime years. Necas has come into form over the last two seasons, posting a collective 52 goals and 124 points in 159 games. He’s developed into a high-energy scorer with the ability to play both wing and center.

Perfetti, 22, offers that same flexibility, though he’s still searching for his footing at the NHL level. He managed 19 goals and 38 points in 71 games this season despite inconsistent, and controversial, ice time. Perfetti looks poised to join Necas’ ranks of top-six goal-scorers over the next few seasons, though the pair’s age disparity makes them tough to evaluate side-by-side.

Other notes from around the league:

  • San Jose Sharks prospect Igor Chernyshov shared with Sergey Demidov of Russia’s Responsible Gaming that he’ll likely be moving to the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit after San Jose’s training camp. Chernyshov signed his entry-level contract with the Sharks on Thursday and will move to the CHL with rare pro experience, having played in 39 games with the KHL’s Dynamo Moskva over the last two seasons. He’s scored just five points in those appearances – deceptively low considering the impact he brings shift-to-shift. Chernyshov showed a bit more offense in the MHL – Russia’s U21 junior league – with 66 points in 60 games over the same span. He will now be tasked with finding his footing and rediscovering that production in Saginaw, as he fights to earn a spot among San Jose’s pro ranks.
  • The AHL’s Calgary Wranglers have announced the signings of forward Connor Mylymok, defender Charles Martin, and goaltender Connor Murphy. Mylymok and Martin have inked two-year AHL/ECHL contracts, while Murphy re-signs with the Wranglers on a one-way AHL deal. Murphy found his stride after earning an AHL call-up last season, posting a .922 save percentage across 15 games with the Wranglers. With Dustin Wolf set for a promotion to the NHL, Murphy will battle with Devin Cooley and Waltteri Ignatjew for a hardy AHL role. Meanwhile, Mylymok and Martin will continue their pursuit of a call-up from the ECHL.

Sharks Sign Igor Chernyshov To Entry-Level Contract

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The San Jose Sharks have signed another player from their excellent 2024 draft class as the organization announced they have signed forward Igor Chernyshov to his entry-level contract. It was reported only yesterday that Chernyshov had terminated his contract with Dynamo Moscow of the KHL and would be heading to North America for the 2024-25 season.  PuckPedia reports that the deal will carry a $975K AAV and breaks down as follows:

2024-25: $852.5K salary, $97.5K signing bonus, $25K games played bonus, $85K AHL salary
2025-26: $877.5K salary, $97.5K signing bonus, $85K AHL salary
2026-27: $877.5K salary, $97.5K signing bonus, $85K AHL salary

Even with the entry-level contract for Chernyshov, there is little to no chance he will crack the Sharks’ opening night roster. San Jose will either loan Chernyshov to the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit or allow him to play with their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. The Spirit selected Chernyshov with the 56th overall selection of the most recent OHL Import Draft.

The young Russian forward slipped quite a bit in the 2024 NHL Draft, as TSN’s Bob McKenzie projected that he would land in the mid-to-late first round. As things would turn out, Chernyshov fell out of the first round entirely and landed with the Sharks in the second round with the 33rd overall pick. As his developmental path plays out, Chernyshov could be one of the sneakier selections in a very deep draft class.

Chernyshov spent much of the last three seasons with the MHL’s Dynamo Moscow where he recorded 38 goals and 77 points in 78 games. After nearly averaging a point per game in Russia’s top junior league, Dynamo Moscow of the KHL gave Chernyshov an opportunity before he had turned 18. Playing in arguably a top-three professional league in the world, Chernyshov scored four goals and one assist in 39 games.

A Russian prospect signing this quickly after being drafted is a good sign for the Sharks as it is apparent Chernyshov is excited about getting an opportunity in the NHL. After playing against some of the best talent in Russia for the last two years, sending Chernyshov to the OHL for a year may be a step back for the forward. Curtis Pashelka of San Jose Hockey Now reports the Sharks organization is set to decide on his future in the next couple of weeks.

Sharks RFA Egor Afanasyev Signs Three-Year Deal With CSKA Moscow

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Sharks RFA left winger Egor Afanasyev is returning to his native Russia. He’s signed a three-year deal with CSKA Moscow, per a press release from the Kontinental Hockey League.

Afanasyev, 23, was drafted 45th overall by Nashville in 2019. He signed his entry-level contract later that summer, spending one season on loan to the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires and another on loan to CSKA before arriving in the Preds’ system in earnest in 2021. The 6’4″, 212-lb winger spent most of the last three seasons playing with AHL Milwaukee, only making 19 NHL appearances for Nashville in brief call-up duties in 2022-23 and 2023-24. He posted a lone goal and a -8 rating while averaging 11:04 per game.

The Preds parted ways with Afanasyev in June, trading the RFA’s signing rights to the Sharks in exchange for struggling 2020 first-rounder Ozzy Wiesblatt. San Jose issued Afanasyev a qualifying offer before the June 30 deadline, retaining his signing rights, but weren’t able to agree to a deal. Shortly after free agency opened, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reported that Afanasyev was set to sign a two-year deal with CSKA. It ended up being a year longer than expected, but negotiations for Afanasyev to return home have evidently been ongoing for months.

Afanasyev has rarely played in Russia throughout his junior and professional career, however. He came to the United States in 2016, suiting up for a Detroit-based U16 team before beginning his major junior career in the United States Hockey League. His only notable experience in the Russian pyramid came on his one-year loan back to CSKA in the 2020-21 season, where he recorded six points (two goals, four assists) in 16 KHL games. He also appeared on brief loans to Zvezda Moscow in the VHL, Russia’s second-tier pro league, and Krasnaya Armiya Moscow in the MHL, Russia’s top junior league.

The three-year deal with CSKA isn’t quite long enough to walk Afanasyev to unrestricted free agency in the NHL’s eyes, though. He’ll be 26 years old upon expiry, so if he wants to return to the NHL in the summer of 2027 when his KHL deal runs out, the Sharks will still have his signing rights. Afanasyev won’t be a UFA until his 27th birthday, which is Jan. 23, 2028.

Igor Chernyshov Coming To North America This Season

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  • Beat writer for the San Jose Sharks, Curtis Pashelka, reports that Sharks’ prospect Igor Chernyshov has terminated his contract with Dynamo Moscow and will head to North America for the 2024-25 NHL season. There has been no indication that San Jose is trying to sign Chernyshov to his entry-level contract. Chernyshov was a potential first-round talent in the 2024 NHL Draft that fell to 33rd overall in the second round. The OHL’s Saginaw Spirit selected Chernyshov in the most recent OHL Import Draft with the 56th overall selection, and he will likely suit up for them next season.

    [SOURCE LINK]

2024 Salary Arbitration Tracker

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It has been a quieter year on the salary arbitration front across the NHL.  After 23 players filed last summer, just 14 did this time around.  As expected, most have settled so far with a few hearings still pending.  Here’s a rundown of who has settled and who still needs to sign.

Updated 7/30/24, 1:07 p.m.

Contracts Settled

D Jake Christiansen (Blue Jackets) – one year, $775K (two-way agreement)
F Connor Dewar (Maple Leafs) – one year, $1.18MM
F Jack Drury (Hurricanes) – two years, $3.45MM
D Ty Emberson (Sharks) – one year, $950K
G Jet Greaves (Blue Jackets) – two years, $1.625MM (two-way in 2024-25, one-way in 2025-26)
F Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Sabres) – five years, $23.75MM
F Beck Malenstyn (Sabres) – two years, $2.7MM
D J.J. Moser (Lightning) – two years, $6.75MM
F Joe Veleno (Red Wings) – two years, $4.55MM
F Oliver Wahlstrom (Islanders) – one year, $1MM
F Kirill Marchenko (Blue Jackets) – three years, $11.55MM
F Martin Necas (Hurricanes) – two years, $13MM
D Ryan Lindgren (Rangers) – one year, $4.5MM

Contracts Awarded

D Spencer Stastney (Predators) – two years, $1.675MM (two-way in 2024-25, one-way in 2025-26)

Scheduled Hearings

none

A reminder of some of the arbitration rules for the upcoming potential hearings:

  • A player and team can settle on a deal at any point before the hearing starts.
  • Once the hearing has taken place, the arbitration decision must be issued by email within 48 hours.
  • Arbitration awards can only be one or two years in length. (Players who are in their final year of restricted free agency are only entitled to a one-year agreement from an arbitrator.)
  • The team decides on the awarded term as these were all player-elected filings.
  • The team can walk away from the arbitration decision if a contract with an average annual value of more than $4.74MM is awarded.

Worth noting is that teams who have someone file for arbitration will receive a second buyout window three days after their final contract is settled or awarded.  The window lasts for 48 hours and the only eligible players to be bought out in this timeframe are those who have an AAV of $4MM or more and were on that team’s reserve list at the trade deadline back in March.

Carson Wetsch Added To Canada's WJSS Roster

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  • Sharks prospect Carson Wetsch has been added to Canada’s roster for the upcoming World Junior Summer Showcase, Hockey Canada announced (Twitter link). The winger was a third-round pick last month, going 82nd overall after a quality sophomore year with WHL Calgary, one that saw Wetsch record 25 goals and 25 assists in 67 games before a stint with Canada at the World Under-18s.

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