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Bruins Promote Adam McQuaid, Hire Ben Smith

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Former Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid is now carving out a successful career for himself in their front office. The club announced today that he’s been promoted to a director of player development role, among a few other minor hockey ops hirings and promotions.

It’s a new role in the organization, so McQuaid will presumably be taking some work off an assistant GM’s plate. Boston didn’t have a particularly large player development department – it consisted of McQuaid, their lone dedicated skater development coach and coordinator since his hiring in 2021, and longtime NHL netminder Mike Dunham as their goalie development coach.

While a reward for McQuaid’s work so far, the title change is also a signifier for Boston’s organizational repositioning from contender to retooler. The club was a big seller at last year’s trade deadline and added center James Hagens – their top prospect since selecting Charlie McAvoy nearly a decade ago – with the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s draft.

The Bruins are also bringing up Nick Neary from their AHL staff to join the big club. The 30-year-old joined the Providence Bruins in 2020 as a video coordinator before being promoted to the club’s video coach and manager of hockey operations prior to last season. He’ll now serve on the NHL staff as an assistant video coordinator under Mathew Myers, who’s been Boston’s video coach since 2019. Replacing Neary in Providence is Cam Wolbach, who lands his first documented hockey staffing job. He played high school hockey in Massachusetts as well as ACHA Division II hockey with Bentley University.

Joining McQuaid in Boston’s player development department is former NHL forward Ben Smith, who’s been brought on under McQuaid as a player development coordinator. It doubles as a retirement announcement for the 37-year-old, who had been playing in Germany since heading overseas in 2018. He suited up for Boston College but never played for the Bruins. Smith won a Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2013 and recorded 54 points in 237 NHL games for them, the Maple Leafs, Sharks, and Avalanche.

Flames Notes: Wolf, Andersson, Parekh

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The Flames announced a seven-year, $52.5MM extension for premier young netminder Dustin Wolf this morning ahead of the final season of his entry-level contract. The deal, which carries a cap hit of $7.5MM, will make him among the league’s 10 highest-paid goalies when it takes effect in 2026-27.

Now, PuckPedia has the full breakdown of the contract. The deal will be paid out almost entirely in base salary, with only one up-front $2MM signing bonus in the first year. That will be paired with a $6MM base salary to give him $8MM in total compensation out of the gate. From 2027-28 through 2031-32, he’ll earn an even $7.5MM per year. The difference between his first-year compensation and the $7.5MM average annual value will be made up in the contract’s final year in 2032-33, when he’ll take a small pay cut to $7MM.

Wolf’s deal also includes relatively limited trade protection. He’s not eligible for it until 2028-29, when he’d otherwise be eligible for unrestricted free agency. From that point forward, he’ll have a 10-team no-trade list, but no full movement protection is included in the deal.

There’s more out of Calgary today:

  • While all parties have acknowledged pending UFA Rasmus Andersson will be traded at some point this season, the defender rebuked claims over the offseason that he was only willing to extend with one team – believed to be the Golden Knights. That would obviously have handcuffed Calgary from moving him elsewhere or even landing market value from Vegas, something Andersson said he’d never do, according to Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960.
  • Top defense prospect Zayne Parekh isn’t fully recovered from the lower-body injury he sustained earlier this summer, general manager Craig Conroy told Steinberg. “The hope is that he’ll be ready for training camp,” Conroy said, indicating he likely won’t participate in any rookie camp activities in the days leading up to full camp beginning at the end of next week. He did skate today, Conroy confirmed, a welcome sign ahead of a pivotal camp that could lead to him carving out a roster spot. The 2024 No. 9 overall pick scored in his NHL debut last year and has led the OHL in scoring among defensemen in back-to-back years, although he’s still ineligible for a full-time assignment to AHL Calgary.

Joe Pavelski, Scott Gomez, Zach Parise Named To U.S. Hockey Hall Of Fame

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Longtime NHL forwards Joe Pavelski, Scott Gomez, and Zach Parise are the headliners of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame’s 2025 induction class, the organization announced Wednesday.

Pavelski and Parise are the most recently retired of the group and are both coming off their first seasons on the sidelines after announcing their retirements last year, although the latter has yet to actually file his retirement paperwork. Pavelski has already had quite the successful post-hockey career, leaning into golf and winning the celebrity American Century Championship in July.

Of course, it’s his league and international play that is earning him this honor. He’ll likely be a fringe Hockey Hall of Fame candidate when all is said and done, but the Wisconsin native was one of the league’s most consistent players since debuting with the Sharks during the 2006-07 season. A seventh-round pick in the famed 2003 draft, Pavelski leveraged a highly successful collegiate tenure in his home state into an 18-year NHL career with San Jose and Dallas, recording 1,068 points in 1,332 games to rank 74th on the league’s all-time scoring list.

’Captain America’s’ international resume is more limited than one would think, but he was part of the American squad that took home silver at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He also appeared for the top national team at the 2009 World Championships, the 2014 Winter Olympics, and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey – a team he did actually serve as captain for. He had three goals and nine assists for 12 points in 20 top-level international games and advanced to two Stanley Cup Finals (2016, 2020).

Parise was the No. 17 overall pick of that same draft and debuted a season earlier than Pavelski, but injuries meant his total games played ended up lower at 1,254. He was more of an early peaker, namely his back-to-back 80-point seasons with the Devils in 2008-09 and 2009-10, but still managed 434 goals and 889 points for his career. That ranks 29th in scoring since the 2005 lockout.

However, Parise has a much more expansive international resume. He suited up for the U.S.’ top junior and senior national teams on nine different occasions, starting with the 2002 under-18 World Juniors and ending with the 2016 World Cup. He was the Americans’ leading scorer in their silver medal pursuit in 2010 with four goals and eight points in six games, earning a spot on the tournament All-Star Team. He also won gold at the U18 and U20 World Juniors, earning MVP honors at the latter tournament in 2004 with 11 points in six games.

Gomez, 45, has been retired for much longer. He last suited up for the Senators in 2016 but has remained active in staff roles, now serving as the head coach for the USHL’s Chicago Steel. He played for the U.S. at the 2004 World Cup and the 2006 Winter Olympics, early into an NHL career that saw him become the first Latino player and first Alaskan to win the Calder Trophy. He finished his NHL career with 756 points in 1,079 games for the Devils, Rangers, Canadiens, Sharks, Panthers, Blues, and Sens.

Rounding out this year’s class are two-time Olympic medalist Tara Mounsey (1998, 2002) for the women’s program and photographer Bruce Bennett, who was the Islanders’ team photographer from 1982 to 2004 and has shot over 7.5 million photos since beginning his career in the sport in 1974. He’s still active and will be working at the upcoming 2026 Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

Kraken Hire Ryan Jankowski As Assistant General Manager

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The Kraken announced that longtime NHL scout and executive Ryan Jankowski has been hired as an assistant general manager ahead of the 2025-26 season. They didn’t provide much detail on Jankowski’s exact role, but he’ll presumably serve at the top of their scouting hierarchy above director of pro scouting Dave Baseggio and director of amateur scouting Robert Kron.

Now 51, the uncle of Hurricanes forward Mark Jankowski has been in NHL front offices for the better part of the last two decades. The Calgary native doesn’t have a playing background. Nonetheless, today’s news is still something of a homecoming for Jankowski, whose first job in hockey was as a scout in Washington state for the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL. He worked for them from 1997 to 2003 before being picked up as a scout by the Islanders.

Jankowski was promoted to an assistant GM with the Isles two years into his tenure, a role he held until he departed the organization in 2010. He immediately caught on with the Canadiens’ scouting staff, staying there for three years before taking a role with Hockey Canada. He served as the junior program’s head scout from 2013-15 and then as their director of player personnel from 2015-17. During that time, he won a bronze medal with the U-18 group at the World Juniors in 2014 and 2015 and a silver medal with the U-20 team in 2017.

In 2017, he returned to the NHL as the Sabres’ director of amateur scouting. He accepted the same role with the Coyotes in 2020 and followed the rest of the team’s hockey operations staff to Utah last summer, serving as the Mammoth’s director of amateur scouting for their first season. He’ll now depart for another fresh-faced franchise as they undergo a front office restructuring, highlighted by Ron Francis being promoted from GM to president of hockey operations with Jason Botterill, who Jankowski worked with in Buffalo, replacing him.

2025 International Signings Recap: SHL

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Weeks into NHL free agency and months into most European leagues’ signing windows, it’s a good time to review the notable action that has seen NHL-experienced players find new homes in other countries. We’re starting with the Swedish Hockey League with signings that have come across the wire in the last two months:

F Kieffer Bellows – one year, Brynas IF: Bellows heads overseas for the first time after playing in four NHL organizations in the last three seasons (link to signing article).

D Gabriel Carlsson – three years, Farjestad BK: The 2015 first-round pick lands some stability in his home country after spending last season with Switzerland’s EV Zug. The physical shutdown lefty last played in the NHL with the Capitals in 2022-23 and only managed 81 career games despite appearing in seven straight seasons, mainly with the Blue Jackets, who drafted him No. 29 overall. He has previous SHL experience with Linköping HC in his teenage years and also played for Växjö Lakers HC in the 2023-24 season, where he scored 26 points with a +18 rating in 45 games.

G Collin Delia – one year, Brynas IF: Delia, 31, served as the Oilers’ fourth-stringer last season and had a .906 SV% in 28 games for AHL Bakersfield (link to signing article).

F Gabriel Fortier – two years, Leksands IF: Fortier was a Group VI unrestricted free agent after playing the last five seasons in the Lightning organization, mostly with AHL Syracuse. The 2018 second-round pick played 11 NHL games across the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, scoring once, but didn’t see action in the last two years. His scoring has steadily declined, posting only 19 points in 50 games last year, so it’s not particularly surprising to see him head overseas.

D Mark Friedman – two years, Rogle BK: A solid press box option on NHL rosters for a few years, Friedman was mostly relegated to AHL action last season and will now look for more stability and ice time overseas (link to signing article).

D Robert Hagg – one year, Brynas IF: Hagg spent last season on a two-way deal with the Golden Knights, spending most of the year in the AHL but getting into a pair of NHL contests (link to signing article).

G Magnus Hellberg – three years, Djurgardens IF: Hellberg jumps back to his homeland after spending last season as the Stars’ No. 3 option and starter for AHL Texas, posting a .904 SV% in 41 games (link to signing article).

F Aleksi Heponiemi – two years, HV71: Heponiemi, whose NHL rights are still owned by the Panthers, hasn’t played for them since the 2022-23 campaign (link to signing article).

F Jere Innala – one year, Frolunda HC: Innala’s NHL sample ends after one season with the Avalanche, going pointless in 17 games for them in 2024-25 (link to signing article).

F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby – three years, Brynas IF: Jonsson-Fjallby last played in the NHL with the Jets in 2023-24 and spent all of last season on assignment to AHL Manitoba (link to signing article).

D Michal Kempny – one year, Brynas IF: A member of the Capitals team that won the 2018 Stanley Cup, Kempny has been in Europe since mutually terminating his contract with the Kraken at the beginning of the 2022-23 season. He spent the last three years in his home country with HC Sparta Prague of the Czech Extraliga. Although he was a top point producer early on, he recorded just eight points in 24 games last year. He turns 35 in September and will now look to play a supporting role on the reigning SHL regular season champions.

F Justin Kloos – two years, HV71: It’s a lateral move for the 31-year-old, who’s already spent the last four years in the SHL with Leksand. The speedy but undersized forward has two NHL games to his name, one each with the Wild and Ducks in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns, respectively. He was an undrafted free agent signed by the Wild out of the University of Minnesota in 2017 and was a strong AHL producer for a few years. However, he has been overseas since 2019, also spending one year in Russia with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. He scored 47 goals and 106 points in 177 games with Leksand.

F Janne Kuokkanen – four years, Malmö Redhawks: Kuokkanen, 27, has alternated between Switzerland and Sweden since heading to Europe in 2022, but now lands some stability with Malmö. He registered over a point per game for them previously in the 2023-24 season. The Finnish native made 119 NHL appearances for the Hurricanes and Devils from 2017-22, scoring 14 goals and 46 points with a -26 rating.

F Karson Kuhlman – one year, Rogle BK: Kuhlman has nearly 150 games of NHL experience with the Bruins, Kraken, and Jets. He spent last season in Finland with Lukko, where he put together a 21-25–46 scoring line in 60 games (link to signing article).

D Paul Ladue – one year, Rogle BK: LaDue stays in Sweden’s top flight after spending last season with MoDo, which has been relegated to the HockeyAllsvenskan for 2025-26. The 32-year-old is a veteran of 70 NHL games with the Kings and Islanders from 2016 to 2022. Last year was his first overseas stint after being a consistent farmhand in the Isles’ system for AHL Bridgeport. He scored 17 points with a minus-seven rating in 50 games for MoDo.

D Gustav Lindstrom – five years, Djurgardens IF: The 2017 second-round pick spent last season in the Montreal organization with AHL Laval, recording 11 points and a +18 rating in 42 games (link to signing article).

F Sean Malone – two years, Orebro HK: A longtime Sabres farmhand with two games of NHL experience with them and the Predators, Malone last saw NHL ice with Nashville in 2020-21 and last played in North America for AHL Rochester in 2022-23. The 6’0″ Buffalo native has played in Switzerland for the previous two years, scoring 20 goals and 67 points in 90 National League games for the SCL Tigers.

F Lukas Rousek – two years, HV71: Rousek, 26, did not see NHL ice with the Sabres in 2024-25 after making 17 appearances for them across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns (link to signing article).

F Joe Snively – one year, Djurgardens IF: Snively, long a top AHL producer, heads over to help the newly-promoted Djurgarden after spending last season on a two-way deal with the Red Wings (link to signing article).

F Jesse Ylonen – two years, Djurgardens IF: Ylonen chose Djurgarden after not getting into any NHL action last season with either the Lightning or Predators, instead recording 35 points in 66 games across their AHL affiliates (link to signing article).

Canucks Sign Braeden Cootes To Entry-Level Contract

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The Vancouver Canucks have signed centerman Braeden Cootes to a three-year, $2.93MM entry-level contract. Cootes was recently selected 15th-overall in the 2025 NHL Draft. He will have the ability to earn $500K in bonuses in each year of the contract, per Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK News. In comparing to Vancouver’s last two first-round picks, Dhaliwal points out that Cootes’ bonus is above winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki ($475K) but lesser than Tom Willander ($800K) on a per-season basis.

Cootes becomes the fourth player from his draft class to sign, after standing tall at Vancouver’s development camp. He’s a true middle-lane center, who showed a strong ability to work with his linemates to push pucks down the ice and generate scoring chances. While serving as the team’s captain, Cootes led the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds in scoring with 63 points in 60 games. He was a great couple with top Thunderbirds defenseman – and Buffalo Sabres ninth-overall draft pick – Radim Mrtka, who scored 35 points in 43 games.

Cootes rounded out a strong draft year with a stellar performance at the World U18 Championship. He led Team Canada with 12 points, split evenly, in just seven games played – while also wearing the ’C’ for his country. That scoring was more than fifth-overall pick Brady Martin, who finished second on the team with 11 points.

That precedent of strong scoring will now push Cootes onto his first pro contract. He will forgo NCAA eligibility with this deal, meaning the Vancouver roster or a return to the WHL will be his only options for next season. Given Cootes’ room to add more dynamic playmaking, and explosivity, into his game – a return to juniors seems more likely.

Lightning’s Nick Perbix Will Test Free Agency

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There will be no extension keeping Lightning defenseman Nicklaus Perbix off the open market before July 1, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports. The 27-year-old will instead look to cash in as the youngest option available among a thin class of right-shot defenders.

Perbix was a sixth-round pick of the Lightning back in 2017. Tampa retained his signing rights through his post-draft season with USHL Omaha and then during a full four NCAA seasons at St. Cloud State, where he won an NCHC regular-season title as a rookie and was named a First Team conference All-Star following his standout point-per-game senior season. That was enough for the 6’4″, 205-lb rearguard to land his entry-level contract with the Bolts.

The Minnesota native has essentially been a full-time NHLer since turning pro in 2022. Aside from a brief AHL stint to make his pro debut following the end of his senior year with St. Cloud State and a pair of minor-league contests the following year, he’s been a fixture on Tampa’s roster with utility up and down the lineup.

While he’s seen deployment as high as first-pairing duties with Victor Hedman, his overall ice time has been limited because he’s played under 100 minutes on special teams units in total over his three-year career. Perbix averaged 15:45 per game with the Bolts as a result. At 5-on-5, his most common partners over the last three years were Emil Martinsen Lilleberg (919:12), Hedman (893:26), and Mikhail Sergachev (570:12), according to Natural Stat Trick. Whether due to his time spent with more skilled partners in Hedman and Sergachev or not, Perbix’s point production has been solid considering his limited even-strength minutes. He’s consistently churned out 20-25 points, avoiding major injury troubles.

Nonetheless, it makes sense that the Lightning aren’t interested in retaining Perbix. He averaged just 14:41 per game last season, making it hard to justify matching the $2.65MM per season he’s projected to receive on a two-year deal on the open market, according to AFP Analytics. He totaled a 13-50–63 scoring line with a +27 rating in 220 games as a Bolt and will likely look to land somewhere where he has more of an opportunity to play both the power play and penalty kill.

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Free Agent Focus: Columbus Blue Jackets

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Free agency is now under a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Blue Jackets. 

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Dmitri Voronkov – A number of players had breakout campaigns for the Jackets in 2024-25. Voronkov wasn’t chief among them, but he was up there. After a strong rookie campaign last year, the 24-year-old received loads of top-line deployment at even strength with Kirill Marchenko on his opposite wing and either Adam Fantilli or Sean Monahan down the middle. His 23 goals and 47 points didn’t explode off the page, but it’s still serviceable top-six output and a steady improvement on 2023-24’s 18-16–34 scoring line in two more appearances. Voronkov averaged 16:47 per game, a figure that shouldn’t see much variation heading into next year. The 6’5″, 227-lb winger also played as you’d expect given his frame – 71 hits and quite good defensive impacts. With some room to grow, Columbus is likely looking at a long-term deal in the $6MM range annually. A bridge deal, if they go that route, should be more attainable in the high $3MMs or low $4MMs in terms of AAV.

D Jordan Harris – Harris was picked up from the Canadiens in last summer’s Patrik Laine trade. He’d become a fine bottom-pairing and even fringe top-four option with Montreal last year, but the 24-year-old spent most of the year as the odd man out on the Columbus blue line, even with Erik Gudbranson missing most of the season. After posting just five points and a minus-one rating in 33 games while averaging a minuscule 11:23 per game, there’s reason to believe the Blue Jackets don’t have an appetite to issue him his $1.4MM qualifying offer. The 2018 third-round pick could be on the open market this summer as a result.

G Daniil Tarasov – Like Harris, Tarasov is a non-tender candidate later this month. The 26-year-old Russian could still have some untapped upside, but a roster crunch in net likely means he won’t discover it in Columbus. He was superseded as a top-two option for the Jackets down the stretch by the younger Jet Greaves, who looks to serve in tandem with Elvis Merzlikins next year. He struggled when given the chance to start in 2024-25, posting a 7-10-2 record, .881 SV%, and 3.54 GAA in 20 appearances. He’s also due a seven-figure qualifying offer ($1.26MM) and has arbitration rights, neither of which work in his favor for being retained as a No. 3 option.

Other RFAs: F Hunter McKown, F Mikael Pyyhtia, D Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm, D Cole Clayton, D Daemon Hunt, D Samuel Knazko

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Ivan Provorov – Some extensions in the back half of the season vaulted Provorov into being the consensus No. 3 UFA available this summer on the blue line behind Aaron Ekblad and former Blue Jacket Vladislav Gavrikov. The 28-year-old has been a fine fit in Columbus since his acquisition two years ago, though, and there could still be a long-term fit on the left side behind Zach Werenski, even with top prospect Denton Mateychuk emerging as an NHL option. He managed a +11 rating and 33 points in 82 games this year, his first time in the black since 2020-21, but his possession metrics (47.9 CF%, 45.6 xGF% at even strength) are still lacking for someone logging over 23 minutes per game. Regardless, a weak UFA market on defense and his usability in heavy minutes likely mean the Jackets will need to offer a long-term deal in the $7MM range per season to keep him around.

D Dante Fabbro – Provorov isn’t the only core member of the Jackets’ top four at risk of hitting the open market. Claimed off waivers from the Predators early in the season, Fabbro was a revelation and quickly stapled himself alongside Werenski in top-pairing duties. It wouldn’t be particularly surprising to see Columbus pour more resources into re-upping Fabbro, who’s their best right-shot option at present ahead of Gudbranson and Damon Severson, than Provorov. His brief track record in extended usage will likely limit his value to under $5MM annually. After the waiver claim, Fabbro had 26 points and a +23 rating in 62 games for the Jackets while controlling 54.4% of expected goals alongside Werenski, per MoneyPuck.

F Sean Kuraly – The Ohio native came home on a four-year, $10MM contract in free agency in 2021. He responded with a career-high 30 points in 77 games, but the checking center’s offense has steadily dwindled since then. While still an alternate captain, his average ice time of 11:46 in 2024-25 was the lowest of his NHL career in a full season. He still managed 17 points and a respectable minus-four rating in heavy defensive deployment, though, and he finished third on the team with 163 hits. The 32-year-old remains a good fourth-line piece and could find a shorter-term deal to stay in Columbus at a slight discount on his current $2.5MM cap hit.

F Justin Danforth – After spending most of his pro career in the minors or overseas, Danforth made his NHL debut with the Jackets in his age-28 season four years ago. Now 32, the diminutive but physical forward posted a 9-12–21 scoring line in 61 games last year while averaging a career-high 14:23 per game. He’s primarily a winger but can flex in at center. Still, he’s the most expendable among their more pertinent UFAs and could be the one out the door to make roster space for a big splash or an up-and-coming prospect making the jump. He’s likely in the market for a multi-year but sub-$2MM cap hit contract this summer.

Other UFAs: F Christian Fischer, F Trey Fix-Wolansky, F Dylan Gambrell, F Luke Kunin, F Kevin Labanc, F Joseph LaBate, F Owen Sillinger, F James van Riemsdyk, D Jack Johnson, G Zachary Sawchenko

Projected Cap Space

Only the Sharks have more cap space for 2025-26 at present than the Blue Jackets. They’ve got $40.4MM to work with despite already having 18 roster players inked for next year, per PuckPedia. Cap space won’t be an obstacle for re-signing anybody with mutual interest in an extension or making competitive offers for some of the top players available on the open market.

Images courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images (Voronkov) and Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images (Provorov). Contract info courtesy of PuckPedia.

Rangers Testing The Market For K’Andre Miller

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With new head coach Mike Sullivan at the helm, the New York Rangers are ready to begin the next chapter in their franchise’s story—one that may not include a key defender from recent seasons.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on his 32 Thoughts Podcast that the Rangers are gauging trade interest in pending restricted free agent K’Andre Miller. Friedman compared Miller’s situation to that of the Sabres’ Bowen Byram, another young, high-pedigree defender who could benefit from a change of scenery. As Friedman notes, “It’s not a guarantee, but they are testing the market.”

The 25-year-old Miller is coming off a down year, mirroring the performance of many members of the Rangers’ core who disappointed this season. In 74 games, Miller scored seven goals, 27 points, and posted a zero plus/minus rating. While he tied his career high with 21:57 of ice time per game, Miller also set a career high with 97 giveaways. Moreover, his 107 hits and 110 blocked shots were his lowest totals since his rookie season.

GM Chris Drury will need to decide if trading Miller is the best move for the team, but if a trade doesn’t bring a defender back to New York, the Rangers will likely have to target the position in free agency. As the roster currently stands, the Rangers have five defensemen under contract for the 2025-26 season, which includes Adam Fox, William Borgen, Braden Schneider, Carson Soucy, and Urho Vaakanainen. And like Miller, Matthew Robertson and Zachary Jones are set for restricted free agency, while veteran Calvin de Haan is set to become an unrestricted free agent.

While Miller didn’t have the season he’d hoped for heading into restricted free agency, he could benefit from playing under Sullivan, especially if the coach brings his patented style that helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win two Stanley Cups. In Pittsburgh, Sullivan favored a fast-paced style of play that relied on mobile defenders—something Miller excels at.

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