Snapshots: Samsonov, KHL, Evason
Nearly two months into free agency, veteran goaltender Ilya Samsonov finds himself still looking for a team to play with this season. It appears at least one KHL team investigated the potential of bringing him back home as KHL Metallurg Sports Director Evgeny Biryukov told Match TV’s Nikita Maximov that he talked to the 28-year-old about playing for them but Samsonov’s intention is to remain in the NHL for the upcoming season. Samsonov posted a 2.82 GAA and a .891 SV% in 29 starts last season with Vegas, numbers that weren’t too much of an improvement over 2023-24 when he was in Toronto. At this point, he may have to settle for a training camp PTO and hope to land a second-string option from there.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Still with the KHL, player agent Darryl Wolski relayed (Twitter link) the top-five KHL salaries for the upcoming season. Long-time AHL winger Rocco Grimaldi has the highest base salary, checking in around $1.19MM US. Meanwhile, winger Daniel Sprong has the highest potential pay day when factoring in performance bonuses. After making $975K last season, his base salary this year is close to that while if he reaches his incentives, he could ultimately wind up with a raise compared to a year ago. Former NHL winger Dmitrij Jaskin is the only other player with a seven-figure USD salary in that league this season.
- Dean Evason had a solid first year in Columbus, helping lead the Blue Jackets to an improbable late-season playoff push that ultimately came up just short. It turns out he very nearly didn’t have the opportunity to join them as Michael Arace of The Columbus Dispatch noted in a thorough profile of the bench boss that it looked like he was going to land the head coaching job in Seattle until they decided to promote Dan Bylsma from the AHL to the top job instead. Bylsma, of course, was let go back in April after just one season behind their bench.
Snapshots: Backlund, Senators, Miftakhov
While Flames center Mikael Backlund recently commented on the future of one of his teammates with the organization, he also discussed his own. Speaking with The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription link), the 36-year-old indicated that he is hoping to sign a contract extension to continue with Calgary. The Flames have been the only NHL organization that Backlund has known after they drafted him in the first round back in 2007. Last season, Backlund played in 76 games, picking up 15 goals and 17 assists in a little under 19 minutes a night of playing time. He’s entering the final year of his contract that carries a $4.5MM cap charge and notably, his trade protection drops to a 15-team no-trade list in January.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- The Senators announced that they have reached an affiliation agreement with ECHL Allen for the upcoming season. They had previously been affiliated with the Americans in 2022-23 and 2023-24 before Utah stepped in and became their affiliate last season, leaving Ottawa without an ECHL squad. Now, the situations have been reversed with the Sens getting their affiliation back while the Mammoth look like they won’t have one in the 30-team league.
- Carolina’s signing of goaltender Amir Miftakhov this summer came as a bit of a surprise since he’s only a few years removed from terminating his entry-level contract to return home to Russia. However, he noted to Evening Kazan’s Dmitry Yashkin that the Hurricanes actually attempted to bring him back to North America in 2023, only one full season after leaving Tampa Bay’s organization but he decided that staying in the KHL a little longer made sense. He also noted that there is no European Assignment Clause in his contract and that he won’t be looking to head home midseason again if he winds up in the minors as expected with AHL Chicago.
Snapshots: Panthers, Clara, Malmstrom
Last season, the Panthers used the LTIR flexibility from Matthew Tkachuk to add big at the trade deadline. Adam Proteau of The Hockey News argues that Florida should take the same approach and use the savings to add a rental player before the season starts. While that would only increase the amount of cap space they’d need to open up when he returns midseason (barring further long-term injuries), it would also give them a boost in the first half. While the Panthers came on strong in the playoffs, they struggled a bit down the stretch with Tkachuk out of the lineup and a slower start this season could complicate things in a tight Atlantic Division. Accordingly, the idea of pre-renting a player makes some sense in theory with an eye on fortifying their roster for the first half but the need to open up room to welcome Tkachuk back later on would only be intensified, rarely an ideal position to be in midseason.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- After a season that saw him play at four different levels plus internationally for Italy, Ducks prospect Damian Clara is hoping for more stability this season. He has already been loaned to SHL Brynas and as he told Gefle Dagblad’s Daniel Sandstrom, both he and Anaheim were in agreement that returning to Brynas (where he played in 2023-24) was the only viable option for him. The Ducks have already signed him to an entry-level contract but with three other prospect netminders signed who need playing time, keeping him in Sweden made sense. Clara had a 3.19 GAA and a .879 SV% in 21 SHL games last season with Farjestad. He has already been named to Italy’s roster for the upcoming Olympics as well.
- After being non-tendered by St. Louis back in June, defenseman Anton Malmstrom signed a one-year deal in Sweden. However, he indicated to HockeySverige’s Robin Olausson that he did have offers to remain in North America although he didn’t indicate if they were NHL two-way offers or merely minor-league pacts. The 25-year-old signed with St. Louis as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and split his time since then between the AHL and ECHL levels.
Snapshots: Kuznetsov, Kings, Josefson
Veteran center Evgeny Kuznetsov remains unsigned for the upcoming season. After signing a four-year deal in the KHL last summer with SKA St. Petersburg, the agreement was terminated a few months ago with the veteran looking to return to the NHL. Speaking with SovSport’s Vladimir Okishev, Kuznetsov’s agent Shumi Babayev said that there is a 90% chance that his client will sign with an NHL team. The 33-year-old was once a true top-line middleman in the NHL but his last season in the league in 2023-24 saw him struggle with more of a limited role as he notched just 24 points in 63 games between Washington and Carolina. Still, in a free agent market that is largely bereft of centers at this point, he could be worth a low-cost flyer in the coming weeks.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider provides an inside look at how the Kings operated during the draft. At one point, they looked into a trade-up scenario from their original slot of 24 before moving down which was their original plan leading into the night. However, with just two of their preferred selections on the board when they dealt down to 31, they looked at trading back up after moving down to ensure they’d get Henry Brzustewicz. However, they ultimately were able to get him as planned where they were. Dooley’s piece also discusses their activity on the second day, including the trade of defenseman Jordan Spence to Ottawa.
- After having to retire following the 2020-21 season due to concussion trouble, former first-round pick Jacob Josefson is attempting a comeback at the age of 34, recently speaking with Expressen in Sweden (video link) about his efforts. Josefson spent parts of eight seasons in the NHL, seven of which came with New Jersey who picked him 20th overall back in 2009. He opted to return home to play in the SHL back in 2018 and spent three seasons with Djurgarden before having to hang up his skates. His attempt to make a comeback kicked off with that same team in a preseason game on Friday.
Snapshots: Penguins Ownership, Canucks, Pradel
A few days ago, a report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggested that a new prospective owner for the Pittsburgh Penguins had emerged in the Hoffmann Family of Companies. In a subsequent report from Jason Mackey and Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the two allege that there’s much more smoke than previously believed.
According to the article and the multiple sources listed, the Hoffmann Family has a decisive lead on the other interested group led by Mario Lemieux, and may have already encouraged the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) to sell their entire stake in the Penguins since the Hoffmann Family is willing to pay the $1.75BB, on line with Forbes’ valuation of the franchise. There has been considerable secrecy throughout the sale process. Still, the sources listed by Mackey and Vensel believe that the Hoffmann Family has already signed a letter of intent with FSG.
It’s important to note that a letter of intent doesn’t necessarily confirm a sale. It simply allows the interested party an exclusive negotiating window and allows them a deeper look into the organization’s financials in good faith. Still, if the Hoffmann Family is seriously considering the full $1.75BB price for the Penguins, it’ll be hard for another buyer to come forward with a better offer.
Additional snapshots:
- Drawing nearer to the start of training camp and preseason, the Vancouver Canucks announced a few changes to their Hockey Operations department. In a public announcement, General Manager Patrik Allvin revealed three significant staff changes: Brian Hamilton has been promoted to Head Equipment Manager, Ian Beckenstein has been appointed as the Video Coach, and Taylor Phillips has taken on the role of Executive Assistant of Hockey Operations. In terms of outside hires, the team brought in Evan Mathias as the Assistant Video Coach.
- Recent draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings, Michal Pradel, will remain with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm for another year rather than join the WHL’s Regina Pats. According to a report from Kevin Allen of DET Hockey Now, Pradel will stay with the Storm so that he can play under the tutelage of former Red Wings Assistant Coach John Torchetti, who was named Tri-City’s new head coach this offseason. Although he spent much of the year in his native Slovakia, Pradel appeared in 14 games for the Storm last season, securing a 9-4-0 record with a .899 SV% and 2.41 GAA.
Snapshots: Valentini, Thornton, Nikishin, Wilsby
Initially announced by the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers and later confirmed by the University of Michigan, a top prospect for the 2026 NHL Draft will play for a different team next season. Adam Valentini will be joining the Wolverines next season rather than the Rangers.
The Toronto native is projected to be a late first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, but his prospect ranking could rise following his performance with Team Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He finished the tournament with four goals and nine points in five games, after scoring 17 goals and 39 points in 58 games with the USHL’s Chicago Steel.
Moving from the OHL to the NCAA will be a significant risk for Valentini. If he performs well against much older competition, he could find his way into being a late lottery selection. Still, if the transition goes poorly, Valentini could fall out of the first round altogether. Furthermore, with the Wolverines having one of the youngest rosters in the Big Ten Conference next season, there’s no guarantee the team around him can lift him if he falters.
Other snapshots:
- According to a post on his LinkedIn, and shared by Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub, former NHL enforcer Shawn Thornton is moving on from his position with the Florida Panthers. Despite not sharing the next role of his career, Thornton had been working as the Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations for the Panthers for the last four years. Without speculating too much on his next chapter, it’s realistic to think that Thornton has found another role in hockey operations elsewhere.
- In a new interview with Daria Tuboltseva of RG Media, Carolina Hurricanes Alexander Nikishin spoke at length about his preparation for what’s expected to be the first full season in the NHL this upcoming year. Up to this point, Nikishin only has four postseason games under his belt from the 2024-25 Stanley Cup playoffs, but he did play the entire regular season with the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg. In the interview, he spoke about how seriously he’s taking his preparation for the upcoming campaign, saying, “I want to train properly. My first NHL experience was a lesson – I realized what I need to work on. Now it will be easier because I already know the guys, the staff, the locker room, how practices go. I can’t wait for the season, but preparation is the key. I want to be as useful for the team as possible, without being the weak link.“
- A few weeks ago, reports emerged that Nashville Predators defenseman Spencer Stastney considered retiring last summer. Similarly, a new interview between Rasmus Kågstrom of Hockeysverige and defenseman Adam Wilsby indicates that the latter was considering a return to his native Sweden rather than continue his pursuit of an NHL role. As things turned out, Wilsby spent most of his time playing for the Predators last season and has a decent chance to make the team out of training camp this September. In the interview, Wilsby was quoted as saying, “Of course, I started thinking about where I would take the next step. At the same time, I felt like I wasn’t quite done with the US yet. I felt like it would either work out, or I would probably end up going to Europe. It’s great that it paid off.“
Snapshots: Janmark, Puistola, Kotkaniemi
With the Oilers adding some extra depth up front this summer, there should be some good battles at training camp next month. To that end, Allan Mitchell of The Athletic suggests (subscription link) that winger Mattias Janmark’s roster spot could be in some jeopardy. The 32-year-old had a 25-point campaign just a couple of years ago but since then, he has only managed six goals and 24 assists combined, including only two goals in 80 games last season. While his speed and defensive game are assets, they could free up $1.15MM in cap space by waiving and demoting him to the minors, lowering his cap charge to $300K. That would certainly give them some extra breathing room on the salary cap with PuckPedia currently projecting them to open the season at barely $225K under the Upper Limit. Carrying one less roster player would help in that regard and Janmark being that casualty would maximize their flexibility.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Still with the Oilers, it appears as if they at least thought about bringing in another forward from Europe to add to their depth as they did with David Tomasek. Forward Patrik Puistola acknowledged to Nerikes Allehanda’s David Hellsing that he was aware of some speculation that Edmonton was readying a contract offer for him although a formal offer never ultimately materialized. Puistola was drafted in the third round by Carolina back in 2019 with his rights being moved to the Oilers in 2023 although those rights have since lapsed, making him an unrestricted free agent. After a strong season with SHL Orebro last year and four goals at the Worlds for Finland, Puistola could be someone to keep an eye on to come to North America next year.
- The Maple Leafs have hired Mikael Kotkaniemi as a European Scout, Kotkaniemi announced on LinkedIn. He has been a coach in Finland for the better part of the last two decades including at the Liiga level and most recently coached Finland’s Under-18 program. This will be Kotkaniemi’s first scouting role and the first time working for an NHL franchise.
Snapshots: Ekblad, Red Wings, Gadowsky, Desnoyers
On the heels of winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship, the Florida Panthers continued to impress the hockey world by re-signing their three biggest pending unrestricted free agents entering the offseason: Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Aaron Ekblad. Even more impressively, the Panthers were able to re-sign the latter two for deals well short of their projected value on the open market.
Still, it’s well known that Ekblad especially turned down some serious money to return to the only organization he’s ever known. In a new mailbag with James Mirtle of The Athletic, Mirtle claims that the Detroit Red Wings were ready and willing to give Ekblad a notable payday to move north for likely the remaining years of his professional career. While that may be true, we’ll never know what the Red Wings were willing to offer Ekblad since he never reached unrestricted free agency; therefore, he couldn’t negotiate with other teams.
Mirtle argued that Ekblad’s situation might be different due to his strong affection for the Panthers organization. However, most top-tier free agents are reluctant to sign with Detroit, as the team has not made the postseason since the 2015-16 season and has not won a playoff series since the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign. Still, the Red Wings will enter the 2025-26 season with the seventh-most cap space of any team, and will have even more for what is shaping up to be a loaded free agent class next summer.
Other snapshots:
- The new U.S. Collegiate Select Team for the 2025 Spengler Cup has named its head coach for the upcoming tournament. According to Adam Kimelman, the deputy managing editor of NHL.com, the head coach of the new team will be Guy Gadowsky, the current head coach of the NCAA’s Penn State University. Gadowsky has coached the Nittany Lions for the last 15 years, being the program’s first head coach while playing under the NCAA banner, and was responsible for bringing in the biggest recruit in NCAA history a few weeks ago, Gavin McKenna.
- Earlier today, it was announced that Caleb Desnoyers, the recent fourth overall pick of the Utah Mammoth, had undergone wrist surgery and would miss the next three months of action. In somewhat of a silver lining, despite dealing with injuries to both of his wrists throughout last season, Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake City Tribune reports that Desnoyers only underwent surgery on one of his wrists. This likely shortened the recovery timeline and is a good vote of confidence that the medical team he’s working with believes rehabbing it will be enough.
Snapshots: Belleville, Lightning, Tullio, AHL
In the wake of groundbreaking news regarding a new NHL arena, the Ottawa Senators have also announced a three-year extension of the Belleville Senators’ lease agreement with Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre. The deal additionally includes the option to extend for an additional five years, effectively gluing the AHL Senators to Belleville until between 2030 and 2035.
Ottawa will make a confident move to keep their AHL club just a few hours away. This news comes despite the fact that Belleville has ranked in the bottom-three of AHL attendance in each of the last two seasons, with an average of 2,823 fans each game per HockeyDB. Belleville did come closer to 3,000 fans per game this season, and will look to cross that mark with a new commitment to the city.
Their one-ice performances have fluctuated in their eight years of existence. The Baby Sens have made the postseason only twice, though they did finish first and third in their division in 2020 and 2021, when the postseason was either cancelled early or outright. The club has shown glimmers of hope, and should only improve as Ottawa continues to stack their depth chart.
Other quick notes from across the NHL:
- In more arena news, the Tampa Bay Lightning have announced a new name for their home base shares Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. The arena formerly known as AMALIE Arena will now be named Benchmark International Arena, after naming rights were sold to the Tampa-based acquisitions firm. Details of the sale were not revealed, other than that it will run for multiple years and include $3MM in nonprofit contributions to the arena. Amalie Motor Oil Company, who held the naming rights since 2014, will continue to serve as a corporate partner of the Lightning.
- Right winger Tyler Tullio will continue his journey across the AHL. He has signed a contract with the Tuscon Roadrunners for next season, per Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey. Tullio was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in 2024, as part of the deal that swapped top prospect Matthew Savoie for pro center Ryan McLeod. He spent 30 games with the Rochester Americans, before being loaned to the Calgary Wranglers for the rest of the season. He totaled 15 points in 43 games this season, just narrowly below the scoring pace he managed when he scored 21 points in 54 games in 2023-24, or 26 points in 63 games in 2022-23, with the Bakersfield Condors. Tullio was a fifth-round selection in the 2020 NHL Draft and should provide a nice boost of speed to Tuscon’s lineup.
- The AHL has named Stephen Thomson as their new Vice President of Hockey Operations, per NHL.com’s Mark Divver. Divver adds that Thomson will be responsible for overseeing on-ice operations, including management of officials and disciplinary processes. Thomson has been with the AHL’s league office since 2022. He will replace Hayley Moore, who left for a role with popular agency Quartexx Management. The AHL also announced that Jeff Jordan has been hired as the Director of Hockey Operations and Central Registry after spending the last five years with the Springfield Thunderbirds. The league has also promoted Michael Demarin to Senior Manager of Hockey Administration and Governance; and Shannon Chiras to Manager of Hockey Operations.
Snapshots: Cooley, Murray, Mastrodonato
With max-term contracts for re-signings set to shrink from eight years to seven next year, some feel teams will look to push to get their players signed this summer to guarantee that eighth season. Among those eligible to sign now is Mammoth center Logan Cooley, a player Utah would undoubtedly like to lock up, especially with GM Bill Armstrong favoring long-term deals for core pieces as soon as possible. However, Brogan Houston of the Deseret News recently argued that it’s not in Cooley’s best interest for him to extend now. Given his stature as a young potential top-line center, he’d have to have a disastrous season to really tank his value compared to what it might be now while with the rising cap, it might be better for him to wait until next summer when the maximum term drops, allowing him to reach unrestricted free agency a year sooner. AFP Analytics pegged a potential long-term extension for Cooley this summer to come in around seven years at around $9.5MM.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Winger Brett Murray has been with the Sabres for the better part of a decade after he was drafted by them back in 2016. However, now that he’s on the open market, he’ll be looking for a new team as his agent Dave Gagner told Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald that the organization has informed Murray that they won’t be offering a contract to him. The 27-year-old played in three games with Buffalo last season and has 26 appearances at the top level under his belt. Murray spent most of last year with AHL Rochester where he had 27 goals and 22 assists in 66 games. However, he now qualifies as a veteran under AHL roster rules which has likely limited his marketability so far.
- The Kings have added some extra minor-league depth as their AHL affiliate in Ontario announced the signing of forward Keaton Mastrodonato to a one-year deal. The 24-year-old has two full professional seasons under his belt, split between the AHL and ECHL levels. Last season, Mastrodonato was held off the scoresheet in the 13 games with AHL Colorado but was quite productive with ECHL Utah, tallying 19 goals and 30 assists in 53 outings with the Grizzlies.