Sabres, Mammoth Elect Salary Arbitration With Bowen Byram, Jack McBain
The Sabres and Mammoth will pursue team-elected salary arbitration with defenseman Bowen Byram and center Jack McBain, respectively, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
That brings the total number of players with potential arbitration hearings this summer to 13, along with the 11 players who elected arbitration before yesterday’s deadline. As with player-elected arbitration, team-elected arbitration removes the threat of an offer sheet. The Sabres and Byram – and the Mammoth and McBain – are now locked into short-term contracts with each other if they don’t come to an agreement before their hearing.
Unlike with player-elected arbitration, a team cannot walk away from an arbitration award if the AAV is above $4.85MM since they’re the ones who pursued the hearing. They’ll be at the mercy of whatever AAV the arbitrator awards if their negotiations reach a hearing, and the player can select whether it’ll be a one or two-year contract. Both Byram and McBain could walk themselves to unrestricted free agency in 2027 by opting for two-year deals; they would still be RFAs next summer if they opted for one-year commitments.
While the tea leaves still point toward a positive outcome between McBain and Utah, the Sabres and Byram are likely going to need to take advantage of the hearing. Byram opted not to elect arbitration yesterday as he looks to cash in following a career season, something Buffalo is reluctant to do with two other left-shot defenders, Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, already among their highest-paid players. He could have been offer-sheeted as late as today at 4:00 p.m. CT when team filings were due, but no other team decided to force the Sabres’ hand.
If things between the Sabres and Byram do need a hearing to settle, it won’t be prohibitive for Buffalo. The club still has $13.64MM in cap space remaining, per PuckPedia. That should be more than enough to handle new deals for Byram and fellow RFA defenseman Conor Timmins, who filed for player-elected arbitration.
In the meantime, Buffalo is still free to pursue a trade for Byram, although with the threat of a hearing looming, it’ll need to be a sign-and-trade unless they wait until after his arbitration award to do so.
If Byram and McBain opt for one-year deals, Buffalo and Utah cannot pursue team-elected arbitration with them again in 2026. Players can only receive one team-elected arbitration in their career, regardless of whether the situation reaches a hearing or not.
Mammoth Begin Extension Talks With Logan Cooley
The Utah Mammoth have begun discussing a contract extension with top young center Logan Cooley, per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports. Cooley has one more year remaining on the three-year, $2.85MM entry-level contract he signed in July of 2023. His $950K cap hit makes him the cheapest forward currently signed to Utah’s roster.
Cooley has a true breakout season this year. He took full reigns over Utah’s top-line center role and reached an impressive 25 goals and 40 assists in 75 games. He became just the 13th player since 2000 to reach 25 goals and 65 points in a single season before their 22nd birthday. The last players to reach that mark were Wyatt Johnston (65 points in 2023-24), Tim Stutzle (90 points in 2022-23), and Connor McDavid (106 points in 2017-18).
Cooley has reached a high shelf early into his hockey career. Even his rookie year set franchise headlines, with 20 goals and 44 points last season making him the fourth-highest scoring rookie in Arizona Coyotes club history. He matched the scoring totals of a rookie Anthony Duclair with those marks. That season came on the heels of a stellar freshman year at the University of Minnesota, where Cooley scored 22 goals and 60 points in just 39 games.
Just two years in, and before the age of 22, it’s already clear that the 2022 third-overall pick can stand up to major minutes in Utah. The team has gone as far as keeping Cooley top of mind in their draft day approaches – drafting impactful two-way center Caleb Desnoyers in the top 10 last weekend to compliment Cooley’s downhill offensive drive.
With so much attention around embedding Cooley into the future plans, he’ll likely be the topmost priority for the Mammoth between this summer and next. They boast nearly $11MM in projected cap space this summer, and should have just as much room with Nick Schmaltz, Alexander Kerfoot, and Ian Cole set to come off the books next year. Cooley seems set for a major year this season – and could rack up more-and-more of a payday with a hot performance. His baseline for a new deal will likely be the eight-year, $66.8MM deal that Ottawa signed Stutzle to in 2022. That deal carries an annual average value of $8.35MM. But with the rise in cap ceiling in the last few years, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Cooley settle in closer to $9MM.
Getting Cooley settled to a long-term contract will go a long way towards pulling Utah into their future. They have a strong youth presence beginning to break into the top flight, with Cooley backed by Dylan Guenther, JJ Peterka, Tij Iginla, Daniil But, and Desnoyers. That group, and their company on top of the Mammoth prospect chart, will look to push the club into a new generation following looming separations with many top veterans. Cooley will be the leader of the bunch, and likely push forward as Utah’s top-line center of the future.
Photo courtesy of Rob Gray-Imagn Images.
Two-Way Deals: 7/1/25
As major signings come in around the NHL today with the 2025-26 league year beginning, teams are shoring up their minor-league depth as well by signing players to two-way contracts. We’re keeping track of those signings today in this article, which will be continuously updated. Deals are one year unless otherwise noted.
Boston Bruins
F Riley Tufte ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
D Jonathan Aspirot ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
G Luke Cavallin ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
Buffalo Sabres
F Riley Fiddler-Schultz ($865K NHL/$90K SB/$35K PB/$85K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years, entry-level
F Carson Meyer ($775K NHL/$350K AHL Y1 – $375K AHL Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
D Mason Geertsen ($775K NHL/$425K AHL) – Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet // two years
D Zachary Jones ($900K NHL/$550K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Zach Metsa ($775K NHL/$250K AHL/$325K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Calgary Flames
D Nick Cicek ($775K NHL) – team release
Carolina Hurricanes
G Amir Miftakhov ($775K NHL/$100K AHL/$240K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Chicago Blackhawks
F Dominic Toninato ($850K NHL) – team release // two years
Colorado Avalanche
F T.J. Tynan (unknown) – team release
D Jack Ahcan (unknown) – team release
D Ronald Attard ($775K NHL/$450K AHL/$500K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Columbus Blue Jackets
F Owen Sillinger (unknown) – team release
D Christian Jaros (unknown) – team release
Dallas Stars
D Niilopekka Muhonen (unknown) – team release // three years, entry-level
Edmonton Oilers
D Riley Stillman ($775K NHL/$475K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
G Matt Tomkins ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$450 Y2 gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years
Florida Panthers
F Nolan Foote ($775K NHL/$150K AHL/$250K gt’d) – PuckPedia
F Jack Studnicka ($775K NHL/$450K AHL) – Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic
G Brandon Bussi ($775K NHL/$400K AHL) – PuckPedia
G Kirill Gerasimyuk (unknown) – team release // two years, entry-level
Los Angeles Kings
F Cole Guttman ($775K NHL/$450K Y1 – $475K Y2 AHL/$475K gt’d Y1 – $500K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
Minnesota Wild
F Tyler Pitlick ($775K NHL/$300K Y1 – $350K Y2 AHL/$325K gt’d Y1 – $375K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
D Ben Gleason ($800K NHL/$475K AHL) – PuckPedia
Montreal Canadiens
F Alex Belzile (unknown) – team release
D Nathan Clurman ($775K NHL/$125K AHL/$140K gt’d) – PuckPedia
New Jersey Devils
D Calen Addison ($775K NHL/$325K AHL/$400K gt’d) – PuckPedia
F Angus Crookshank ($775K NHL/$425K AHL/$475K gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years, one-way in 2026-27
New York Islanders
F Matthew Highmore (unknown) – team release
D Ethan Bear ($775K NHL/$325K AHL/$425K gt’d) – PuckPedia
D Cole McWard (unknown) – team release
New York Rangers
D Derrick Pouliot ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$425K gt’d Y1 – $450K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
Ottawa Senators
F Wyatt Bongiovanni ($775K NHL/$160K AHL) – PuckPedia
F Olle Lycksell ($775K NHL/$450K AHL/$500K gt’d) – Darren Dreger of TSN
Philadelphia Flyers
F Lane Pederson ($775K NHL/$525K AHL) – PuckPedia
San Jose Sharks
F Jimmy Huntington (unknown) – team release
F Samuel Laberge (unknown) – team release
F Colin White ($775K NHL/$425K AHL/$475K gt’d) – PuckPedia
D Cole Clayton (unknown) – team release
St. Louis Blues
F Matt Luff ($775K NHL/$400K AHL) – PuckPedia
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Nicholas Abruzzese (unknown) – team release
F Tristan Allard (unknown) – team release // two years, entry-level
F Boris Katchouk (unknown) – team release
D Simon Lundmark ($775K NHL/$250K AHL/$350K gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years
G Ryan Fanti ($775K NHL/$80K AHL) – PuckPedia
Utah Mammoth
F Kailer Yamamoto ($775K NHL/$500K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Scott Perunovich ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$500K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Vancouver Canucks
F Joseph LaBate ($775K NHL/$350K AHL) – PuckPedia
F Mackenzie MacEachern ($775K NHL/$575K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
D Jimmy Schuldt ($775K NHL/$500K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
Winnipeg Jets
F Phillip Di Giuseppe ($775K NHL/$450K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Kale Clague (unknown) – Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet
Mammoth Sign Vítek Vaněček To One-Year Deal
The Mammoth announced they’ve signed goaltender Vítek Vaněček to a one-year deal. He’ll earn $1.5MM, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports.
Shortly after winning the first Stanley Cup of his career with the Florida Panthers, Vaněček finds a new home rather quickly in Salt Lake City. Unfortunately for his earning power, unrestricted free agency couldn’t have come after a worse season.
There was a time when Vaněček was seen as a quality starting option throughout the league. Throughout the first two years of his NHL career, Vaněček recorded a 41-22-10 record with the Washington Capitals with a .908 SV% and 2.68 GAA as the team’s backup.
Needing some help in the crease, the New Jersey Devils added Vaněček ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, and he played well, managing a 33-11-4 record with a .911 SV%, 2.45 GAA, and securing 8.6 Goals Saved Above Average. Unfortunately, it’s been all downhill since for the Havlickuv Brod, Czechia native.
Vaněček’s output has cratered over the last two years across three different organizations. Starting with the Devils in the 2023-24 season and continuing with a combination of the San Jose Sharks and Panthers in the most recent season, Vaněček has achieved a record of 22 wins, 23 losses, and 7 overtime/shootout losses. His SV% stood at .887, while his GAA of 3.37 resulted in a GSAA of -23.2.
Likely viewed as a third-string option in Utah, Vaněček should find semi-consistent playing time for the time being while Connor Ingram works his way through the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Upon Ingram’s return from the program, Vaněček will likely take a back seat with the Mammoth if he doesn’t find himself on the waiver wire.
PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article.
Mammoth Sign Nate Schmidt, Brandon Tanev To Three-Year Deals
The Mammoth have signed winger Brandon Tanev to a three-year, $7.5MM contract worth $2.5MM per season, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The team also announced they’ve signed defenseman Nate Schmidt to a three-year contract worth $3.5MM per season.
Just like last offseason, Utah is quickly solidifying its defensive core and strengthening the bottom six of its forward group. Impressively, Schmidt parlayed a one-year league minimum agreement with the Florida Panthers into a three-year contract with the Mammoth.
There’s reason to believe he’s earned that deal. Schmidt scored five goals and 19 points in 80 games for the Panthers last year with a +4 rating, while averaging 16:32 of ice time per game. His possession quality skyrocketed to a 57.4% CorsiFor% at even strength, and he’ll come to Salt Lake City as a Stanley Cup champion.
Unfortunately, Schmidt’s signing could spell the end for Juuso Välimäki‘s time in Utah. After scoring four goals and 34 points in 78 games for the Arizona Coyotes in 2022-23, Välimäki’s output dropped to two goals and five points in 43 games with Utah last season. According to PuckPedia, the Mammoth now has nine defensemen signed to one-way contracts for the 2025-26 season. This supports the idea that Välimäki could be buried or traded to another organization.
Meanwhile, the Mammoth have also added Tanev, who was one of the better bottom-six options on the market this summer. He’s been a quality physical winger for the last several years, scoring 33 goals and 73 points in 227 games between the Seattle Kraken and Winnipeg Jets, with 506 hits.
He has an element to his game that the Mammoth desperately need if they hope to make a statement next season. Utah only had five players deliver more than 100 hits last season, and one of them, Nick Bjugstad, already departed the team earlier today. Now, with Tanev in hand, the Mammoth could put together one of the game’s most physical lines by placing Tanev next to center Jack McBain.
PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article.
Mammoth Working Out New Deal With Kailer Yamamoto
- Earlier today, the Utah Mammoth announced that they had not issued a qualifying offer to winger Kailer Yamamoto. Still, that doesn’t mean they’re uninterested in retaining him, as Craig Morgan of The Sedona Conference reported that the Mammoth and Yamamoto are continuing to work toward a new contract. Despite scoring 20 goals and 56 points in 54 games with their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, Yamamoto only appeared in 12 games for Utah this past season, scoring one goal and three points. Having the skill set of a top-six forward, it’s unlikely he’ll find an avenue to that role with the Mammoth moving forward.
[SOURCE LINK]
- Earlier today, the Utah Mammoth announced that they had not issued a qualifying offer to winger Kailer Yamamoto. Still, that doesn’t mean they’re uninterested in retaining him, as Craig Morgan of The Sedona Conference reported that the Mammoth and Yamamoto are continuing to work toward a new contract. Despite scoring 20 goals and 56 points in 54 games with their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, Yamamoto only appeared in 12 games for Utah this past season, scoring one goal and three points. Having the skill set of a top-six forward, it’s unlikely he’ll find an avenue to that role with the Mammoth moving forward.
Mammoth Sign Montana Onyebuchi To Two-Year Extension
The Utah Mammoth have signed bruising depth defenseman Montana Onyebuchi to a two-year, two-way contract extension. The deal will carry a league-minimum, $775K salary at the NHL level. Onyebuchi was set to become a restricted free agent on Tuesday.
Onyebuchi has yet to make his NHL debut, but he’s found a niche as the hard-hitting presence backing the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. He stands at an imposing 6-foot-3, 220 pounds and used that size to rival Curtis Douglas for the Roadrunners’ lead in penalty minutes over the last two seasons. This year, Onyebuchi posted 10 points and 112 penalty minutes through 64 appearances. That mark falls just shy of the mammoth 145 penalty minutes he recorded in 49 games last season, to go along with nine points.
The bruising role has long been a familiar one for Onyebuchi. He played his junior hockey years in the WHL and routinely rivaled one penalty per game on average. That presence peaked in the 2018-19 season — his age-19 season — when Onyebuchi amassed 122 penalty minutes and 20 points through 66 games with the Kamloops Blazers. He’d continue to post high-end PIMs through the next two WHL seasons, doing just enough to catch the eyes of the San Jose Sharks organization ahead of the 2021-22 campaign. San Jose signed Onyebuchi to a minor-league contract and he quickly brought his imposing presence to the pro flight — racking up 137 PIMs in 46 games of his AHL rookie season, a mark that was underlined by his 20 PIMs in eight ECHL games that season as well.
While hard-hits and time in the penalty box are the core of Onyebuchi’s game, his presence in the lineup has still proven invaluable. He recorded an assist and no PIMs in three games of the Calder Cup Playoffs this season. A two-year deal will put Onyebuchi back on the path to carving out an everyday role with the Roadrunners, and will continue to make him an option should be the Mammoth ever need a fighter at the top flight.
Maple Leafs Acquire Matias Maccelli From Mammoth
The Maple Leafs have acquired winger Matias Maccelli from the Mammoth in exchange for their 2027 third-round pick, both teams announced. The pick will upgrade to Toronto’s 2029 second-rounder if Maccelli records at least 51 points in 2025-26 and the Leafs make the playoffs.
The change of scenery comes after a disastrous campaign for Maccelli, one of the few Utah players who took a measurable step back after the players moved there from Arizona. He was reportedly shopped around at the trade deadline, but no move came to fruition. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports Maccelli did submit an official trade request to Utah GM Bill Armstrong during the season.
It’s likely a worthwhile bet on Toronto’s part on Maccelli’s ceiling. He was a fourth-round pick by the Coyotes back in 2019, but immediately popped as a strong point producer in his native Finland and in the AHL. He forced his way into a full-time role with Arizona in 2022 and was a legitimate top-six piece for the Coyotes in their last two years of existence, finishing fourth in Calder Trophy voting back in 2022-23 on the back of an 11-goal, 49-point showing in 64 games. He continued to hover around that pace in 2023-24, playing in all 82 games for the Yotes and finishing third on the team with 57 points.
Amid increased competition from younger, higher-profile names like Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther, Maccelli’s production and ice time tumbled in Utah. He ended up spending a good part of the latter half of the year in the press box and had just eight goals and 18 points in 55 games on the year. That came with a career-low -13 rating and 13:44 average time on ice as well.
The Leafs hope Maccelli can see increased production, presumably as their second-line left wing alongside John Tavares and William Nylander, a position that was a bit of a revolving door throughout the 2024-25 campaign. He should, theoretically, fit in quite well as the primary playmaker on that line beside two incredibly skilled goal-scorers. Toronto’s focus will now turn toward finding a Mitch Marner substitute in free agency for their top line alongside Matthew Knies and Auston Matthews. After acquiring Maccelli, who’s signed through next season at a $3.425MM cap hit and will be an RFA upon expiry, they still have $10.1MM in space, per PuckPedia.
Utah doesn’t really need to make a corresponding move to replace Maccelli, who spent a good portion of the season out of the lineup anyway. They come out well here, too, for getting a potential second-rounder after the poor showing Maccelli had in 2024-25. They now have $18.4MM in cap space for next season with Jack McBain as their only notable RFA, per PuckPedia.
Darren Dreger of TSN was first to report the trade.
Image courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.
Free Agent Notes: Marchand, Gavrikov, Provorov, Granlund, Faksa, Pezzetta
If the Panthers can’t get a deal done to keep Brad Marchand in Florida before the market opens tomorrow, Darren Dreger of TSN expects the Bruins, Mammoth, and Maple Leafs to be his most aggressive suitors in free agency.
A Boston reunion would be surprising given there’s been no change in the front office that wasn’t willing to match Marchand’s cheaper requests for an extension during the season, resulting in the Bruins trading their captain to the Panthers at the deadline. Nonetheless, it’s a financially feasible move for them and one that would address their rather significant need for top-six forwards. The club still has $12.74MM in cap space after getting extensions done for names like John Beecher, Morgan Geekie, and Henri Jokiharju in the last 24 hours, per PuckPedia. Marchand would likely command a contract in the $8MM range annually if he hits the open market.
While Utah has seemed to dial back its rhetoric of making a significant free agent splash, instead placing complete trust in its young core and opting for more youthful pickups via trade, like JJ Peterka, Marchand might make more sense on a shorter-term contract. They still have nearly $15MM in cap space and enter 2025-26 with one of the youngest forward groups in the league – their only forwards 30 or older are Alexander Kerfoot and Liam O’Brien.
The Leafs also have their cap flexibility for Tuesday dialed in after getting rather affordable extensions done for Matthew Knies ($7.75MM) and John Tavares ($4.38MM AAV) in the last few days. They’d presumably be one of the more appealing fits for Marchand to remain both with a contending team and in a top-six role, potentially even seeing top-line minutes in place of the departing Mitch Marner.
Here are a few more rumors from around the NHL ahead of the official start of free agency on Tuesday:
- Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic relays that the Kings are making a last-ditch effort today to reach an extension with defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov. While general manager Ken Holland said over the weekend he expects Gavrikov to test the market, L.A. still hasn’t heard back from Gavrikov’s camp on their final offer.
- While things were quiet on extension talks between the Blue Jackets and defenseman Ivan Provorov for weeks, they re-engaged in negotiations yesterday, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports. They presumably decided getting yesterday’s extension for Dante Fabbro done, ensuring they retain depth on their weaker right side of the blue line, was a priority over Provorov’s talks.
- Center Mikael Granlund and the Stars continue to have mutual interest in an extension, according to LeBrun. It still looks unlikely something will get done before tomorrow with the Stars having just $980K in projected cap space for next season, but they could reach a handshake agreement if Dallas is confident they can move out other contracts to make Granlund’s money work. They’ve already been successful in retaining vets Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene on below-market-value deals.
- Depth pivot Radek Faksa will have plenty of options tomorrow if he reaches the market, given the lack of centers available, but there’s still the possibility he stays with the Blues. The two sides remain in extension talks, says Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic.
- The Maple Leafs are among the teams expected to have interest in Canadiens enforcer Michael Pezzetta, assuming he hits the market tomorrow, reports LeBrun.
Penguins Linked To Jack McBain
- According to Josh Yohe of The Athletic, the Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to capitalize on the lack of progress in contract negotiations between the Utah Mammoth and forward Jack McBain. Yohe indicated that McBain would be an ideal fit for the Penguins’ hole at third-line center, and his physicality and tertiary scoring ability are of great intrigue to General Manager Kyle Dubas.
[SOURCE LINK]
- According to Josh Yohe of The Athletic, the Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to capitalize on the lack of progress in contract negotiations between the Utah Mammoth and forward Jack McBain. Yohe indicated that McBain would be an ideal fit for the Penguins’ hole at third-line center, and his physicality and tertiary scoring ability are of great intrigue to General Manager Kyle Dubas.