Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Golden Knights Rumors

Golden Knights Sign Callahan Burke, Robert Hägg

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Golden Knights have brought in forward Callahan Burke and defenseman Robert Hägg on one-year deals for 2024-25, per their CapFriendly pages. Burke’s is a two-way deal paying him $775K in the NHL and $300K in the minors, while Hägg’s contract is a one-way worth $775K.

Burke, 27, began his professional career as an undrafted free agent signing by the AHL’s Colorado Eagles in 2020 out of Notre Dame. The Massachusetts native worked his way up the organizational ladder, playing a season and a half for the Eagles before earning an entry-level deal from the Avalanche in December of 2021. He remained with the Avs on two-way deals for the next few seasons, eventually making his NHL debut over a two-game stint early in the 2022-23 campaign.

The Avs traded Burke to the Hurricanes just after this past season began, but without a full-time AHL affiliate in 2023-24, Carolina loaned him back to the Eagles for the entirety of the year aside from a one-game call-up in October. He didn’t register a point in his three combined NHL showings over the past two seasons, posting a -1 rating while averaging 8:14 per game. The 5’10”, 183-lb forward is coming off a decent season with the Eagles, tying his career-high of 16 goals and 39 points in 57 games.

He provides some veteran experience for AHL Henderson, where he’s likely destined for should he clear waivers during training camp.

Despite being signed to a one-way deal, a similar fate likely belies Hägg, who played just five games with the Ducks last season and spent nearly all of the campaign on assignment to AHL San Diego. Now 29, the Swede is a decent call-up option with nearly 350 games of NHL experience. He could provide some decent competition for Ben Hutton and Kaedan Korczak for an extra defense spot out of camp, but the latter signing a two-year, one-way deal earlier this week indicates Vegas is likely ready to give the 23-year-old more consistent big-league minutes.

Hägg was a second-round pick of the Flyers in 2013, suiting up in 236 games for them over five seasons before being traded to the Sabres in 2021. Since then, he’s played spot duty on the Panthers’ and Red Wings’ blue lines as well as Anaheim’s.

Nashville Offered More Years To Marchessault Than Vegas

at CDT | by 13 Comments

After forward Jonathan Marchessault signed a five-year, $27.5MM contract with the Nashville Predators at the start of free agency, one of the main questions surrounding his departure from the Vegas Golden Knights is how hard the team tried to retain him. Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game reports that Vegas offered Marchessault a similar salary but the years offered were well off his expectations.

Questions will surely arise about why the Golden Knights were unwilling to offer one of the original ’misfits’ a five-year term; especially if they were willing to compete with other teams on salary. Marchessault had spent the last seven years of his career in Vegas where he’s recorded 192 goals and 417 points in 514 games while scoring another 36 goals and 75 points in 95 playoff games en route to a Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup Championship in 2023.

[SOURCE LINK]

Golden Knights Sign Akira Schmid

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The Vegas Golden Knights have signed goaltender Akira Schmid to a two-year, one-way contract with a salary of $875K in both seasons, per CapFriendly.

It’s been under a week since the Golden Knights acquired Schmid and Alexander Holtz from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Paul Cotter and a third-round pick in 2025. Due to his approximate $850K salary from 2021-2024, Schmid’s qualifying offer with Vegas would have been close to $900K, which the team decided not to extend to Schmid.

Only on the free agent market for a few days, Schmid officially joins the Golden Knights with plans on starting the year with their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. Vegas already filled the hole left by the trade of Logan Thompson, as they’ve signed goaltender Ilya Samsonov to assume the role of backup.

The past two seasons for Schmid could not be more dissimilar even though he totaled nearly the same amount of games played. On the backs of an impressively strong year from the rest of the young roster, Schmid recorded a 9-5-2 record while posting a .922 save percentage and 2.13 goals against average. Somehow, in only a year, Schmid recorded a 5-9-1 record for New Jersey, earning a .895 SV% and 3.15 GAA.

It will be difficult for Vegas to surmise exactly what goaltender they will be getting after such a stark contrast in performance. By starting in Henderson, Schmid will join a team on the rise as they look to qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time since the 2021-22 AHL season.

Golden Knights Sign Victor Olofsson

at CDT | by 9 Comments

1:17 p.m.: Vegas has confirmed the Olofsson signing.

12:20 p.m.: The Golden Knights are expected to add some depth scoring in the form of UFA winger Victor Olofsson, PuckPedia reports. It’ll be a one-year deal worth $1.075MM, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.

With the signing, the 28-year-old Olofsson leaves the only NHL home he’s ever known. A seventh-round pick of the Sabres, Olofsson ended up giving Buffalo great value for such a late-round selection. While a well-documented one-dimensional talent, he’s a three-time 20-goal scorer and is two years removed from a career-best 49 points in 72 games with the Sabres.

2023-24 was an extremely trying campaign for Olofsson, though, and it was clear he wouldn’t be brought back. After a difficult start to the season, he requested a trade prior to the deadline, although GM Kevyn Adams couldn’t find a deal. Now, he had a bit more agency in finding his next team on the open market.

Last year was inarguably Olofsson’s worst since breaking into the league in 2019. He was a frequent healthy scratch and was rendered largely ineffective when in the lineup, limited to seven goals and 15 points in 51 games in solely fourth-line minutes (11:34 per game). And without his goal-scoring, there isn’t much to like about his game. Looking at traditional plus-minus ratings to develop an informed opinion about a player’s defensive acumen isn’t always the best idea, but his career -63 rating in 314 games is telling. He’s also never had an xGF% above 50 at even strength in his five full NHL seasons and has struggled to control shot attempts, particularly over the past two seasons.

However, it’s a no-risk signing for Vegas at a one-year term with a cap hit that’s fully buriable in the minors. They’ll need a group effort to shoulder the loss of forwards Michael Amadio, Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson, who all headed elsewhere when the UFA market opened yesterday.

Marchessault’s 40-plus goals last season will be especially difficult to replace, but a full season of deadline add Tomáš Hertl will take a lot of that burden away from Vegas’ young players and depth additions like Olofsson. He joins a group of secondary scorers that includes Golden Knights draft picks Brendan Brisson and Pavel Dorofeyev, as well as Devils 2020 top-10 selection Alexander Holtz, who was acquired via trade over the weekend and will be relied upon to help replace the aforementioned trio’s offense by committee.

Minor Free Agent Signings: Pacific Division

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

With over 180 deals signed during the first day of free agency yesterday, some smaller names may have gotten lost in the shuffle. Here’s a list of names that have inked two-way deals with Pacific Division clubs since the market opened yesterday, per CapFriendly. Some of these may have been included in our main coverage yesterday, while others went under the radar. All contracts carry the league-minimum $775K cap hit unless stated otherwise). Those listed here are likely to begin 2024-25 with each team’s AHL affiliate.

Anaheim Ducks

none

Calgary Flames

G Devin Cooley (two years)
F Martin Frk (one year)

Edmonton Oilers

D Connor Carrick (one year)
G Collin Delia (one year)
F James Hamblin (two years)
D Noel Hoefenmayer (one year)
F Noah Philp (one year)

Los Angeles Kings

F Glenn Gawdin (two years)
F Tyler Madden (one year)
F Jack Studnicka (one year)
D Reilly Walsh (one year)

San Jose Sharks

D Lucas Carlsson (two years, $800K cap hit)
D Jimmy Schuldt (one year)

Seattle Kraken

F Brandon Biro (one year)
D Nikolas Brouillard (one year)
D Maxime Lajoie (one year)
F Mitchell Stephens (two years)

Vancouver Canucks

G Jiří Patera (one year)
F Nathan Smith (one year)

Vegas Golden Knights

F Zach Aston-Reese (one year)

Golden Knights Sign Ilya Samsonov; Extend Pavel Dorofeyev, Kaedan Korczak

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The Golden Knights have found Logan Thompson’s replacement on the open market, inking Ilya Samsonov to a one-year pact today, per a team release. They’ve also re-signed RFA forward Pavel Dorofeyev ($1.835MM AAV) and defenseman Kaedan Korczak ($825K) to two-year deals (per PuckPedia). It’s a $1.8MM cap hit for Samsonov, GM Kelly McCrimmon confirmed.

Vegas may have honored a reported trade request by dealing Thompson to the Capitals for a pair of third-round picks over the weekend, but they’ve now had to settle for a more expensive and arguably worse replacement on the open market. Samsonov costs more than twice as much as Thompson, whose cap hit was in the $700K range, and is coming off a roller-coaster-like 2023-24 campaign with Toronto that saw him finish with an underwhelming .890 SV% and 3.13 GAA in 40 games.

Samsonov started in Game 1 of the Maple Leafs’ first-round series against the Bruins but struggled to the tune of a .896 SV% and 3.01 GAA in the series. He was briefly pulled for the younger Joseph Woll, who was nearly instrumental in Toronto’s Games 5 and 6 wins, but an injury to Woll forced Samsonov back into action for the Leafs’ Game 7 loss.

A quick look at Samsonov’s stats indicates he’s also been yo-yo-like from year to year, something Vegas is banking on with this signing. A rebound year could end up proving to be a good value for his cap hit, but it’s certainly more of a gamble than retaining Thompson. He’ll likely start the season as a pure backup to Adin Hill but could work his way into tandem consideration. Barring injuries, it’s unlikely he’ll play 40+ games like he has with Toronto the past two years. Samsonov had previously expressed a desire for a multi-year deal this summer, too, so settling for a one-year pact likely indicates there wasn’t much of a market.

Dorofeyev returns and will be relied upon heavily to provide cheap depth scoring over the course of his two-year bridge deal. The 23-year-old Russian was limited to 47 games last year and was routinely the 13th forward on a deep Vegas offense, but was a great tertiary scoring option when in the lineup. Going back over the last three years, Dorofeyev has 20 goals and 33 points through his first 67 NHL games – a 40-point pace. He’s proven he can handle third-line minutes, although with the Knights losing all of Michael Amadio, Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson today, he may find his way into top-six duties by the end of the season.

Korczak should also be considered for a regular NHL role next season after Alec Martinez departed for the Blackhawks today. The 2019 second-round pick is still only 23 and was solid in major league action last year, accumulating nine points and a +12 rating in 29 games for Vegas. He’ll be in sure contention for a roster spot out of the gate.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Golden Knights Sign Zach Aston-Reese, Tanner Laczynski

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The Vegas Golden Knights will shore up some depth at the forward position as player agent Dan Milstein reports the team has signed forward Zach Aston-Reese worth $775K at the NHL level and $475K in the AHL. They’re also bringing in depth forward Tanner Laczynski on a two-year, one-way deal worth $775K, per PuckPedia.

This move continues Aston-Reese’s journey across the NHL, with his last stop coming on a two-way deal with the Detroit Red Wings. Aston-Reese spent the bulks of that deal in the AHL, recording 14 goals and 30 points in 61 appearances and adding two points in nine playoff games. It was a down year, underlined by Aston-Reese’s lack of scoring through three NHL appearances.

Aston-Reese was once a stoutly-valued fourth-liner, staking his claim with five meager years with the Pittsburgh Penguins between 2017 and 2022. He was traded to the Anaheim Ducks ahead of the 2023 Trade Deadline, as a part of a package for Rickard Rakell that also featured goaltender Calle Clang, forward Dominik Simon, and the second-round pick used to select top defense prospect Tristan Luneau. Aston-Reese would play in just 17 games with the Ducks, posting four points, before leaving the team for the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency. Toronto brought Aston-Reese a career-high 77 games, though his scoring remained meager, at just 14 points. Now in Vegas, Aston-Reese should provide an added layer of forward depth, though his overall NHL upside appears to be close to snuffed out.

Vegas also adds Laczynski for the same depth purposes, signing him after a breakout season in the AHL that saw Laczynski post 17 goals and 44 points in 49 games. It was the first high-scoring year of Laczynski’s professional career, which has been hampered at all levels by injury since his debut in the 2020-21 season. He’s suffered a string of hip and lower-body injuries, even requiring two separate hip surgeries in 2021. A healthy year ahead could pay dividends for Laczynski and the Golden Knights – with scoring upside evident but a full season hard to come by.

Free Agent Rumors: Stamkos, Bennett, Verhaeghe, Stolarz, Ekman-Larsson, Grzelcyk, Martinez

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Devils are in the market for a top-six forward today, and they may end up as one of the finalists for Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, per ESPN’s Kevin Weekes.

They’ll be one of many teams making Stamkos’ agent’s phone ring off the hook today. TSN’s Bob McKenzie also expects the Ducks, Hurricanes, Predators and Red Wings to make aggressive pushes for the future Hall-of-Fame forward.

A return to Tampa Bay is extremely unlikely for Stamkos, whose 555 career goals and 1,082 games played have all come in a Lightning uniform. They weren’t close to an extension as of last weekend, and their signing of top UFA left winger Jake Guentzel to a seven-year, $63MM deal this morning has all but completely boxed him out.

More from around the Eastern Conference amid an already busy morning:

  • The Panthers are working hard on extensions for forwards Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe as they become eligible to sign at 11 a.m. CT today, sources tell David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. They’ve already gotten one big piece of business done today by keeping Sam Reinhart away from the open market on an eight-year, $69MM deal, but Bennett and Verhaeghe are two crucial pieces of their top-six forward group that remain unsigned past next season. It’s unclear what these deals may look like, but Reinhart taking a considerable discount on market value to remain in South Florida is surely a good indicator that Panthers GM Bill Zito can get them locked into deals that won’t break the bank.
  • TSN’s Darren Dreger adds the Panthers are also trying to re-sign UFA netminder Anthony Stolarz, but they have some competition. The Blackhawks and Maple Leafs are also in the mix for the veteran’s services. While a career backup, he’s one of the best options on the market in a UFA class devoid of starters. He was electric when used in Florida last year, posting a .925 SV% and 2.03 GAA in 27 appearances.
  • After making Chris Tanev’s six-year deal official, expect the Leafs to add another veteran blue liner in Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dreger says. OEL is coming off a Stanley Cup win in Florida after putting up 32 points in 80 regular-season games, averaging 18:24 per night. He’d likely anchor a third pairing in Toronto on the left side behind Morgan Rielly and Jake McCabe.
  • The Penguins are among the teams linked to defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, The Athletic’s Josh Yohe reports. Grzelcyk is likely on his way out of Boston after spending the entirety of his eight-year, 445-game career there. He had 11 points and a +13 rating in 63 games last season while logging 17:36 per night.
  • Alec Martinez could continue his NHL career with the Blackhawks on a one-year deal, per TSN’s Bob McKenzie. The three-time Cup winner fell down the Golden Knights’ depth chart last year, limited to 55 games due to injuries and healthy scratches. He still managed 17 points, though, his most offense in three years, but had a -2 rating while averaging 19:03 per game.

Jonathan Marchessault To Hit Open Market

at CDT | by 2 Comments

It appears the Jonathan Marchessault era in Vegas is over. The Golden Knights’ 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy winner didn’t agree to an extension as of last night and is set to find a new home in free agency today, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports.

Getting a Marchessault extension done in Vegas was always going to be a difficult proposition without a significant cap-clearing move, something that hasn’t happened to date. He’s likely to command upward of $6MM annually on the open market, a figure that would have swallowed up all of the Golden Knights’ remaining space, even with goaltender Robin Lehner’s $5MM cap hit projected to remain on long-term injured reserve next season.

Among the teams expected to express interest in the 33-year-old today include the Devils, reports The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta. They’re on the hunt for a top-six winger, especially after parting ways with prospect Alexander Holtz via trade to the Golden Knights and with Dawson Mercer and Ondřej Palát coming off underwhelming seasons.

Both Vegas and Marchessault were intent on a reunion, but today’s news isn’t the most surprising. LeBrun had indicated last week that Marchessault was preparing to move on from Sin City without an agreement in close reach.

The Québec native immediately becomes one of the most attractive goal-scoring options on the market and will almost certainly have a new home within hours. He’s coming off a career-high 42 goals for Vegas while also playing in all 82 games for the second time in his career. He added 27 assists for 69 points, six short of his career-high of 75 set with the Knights back in 2017-18. Some regression should be expected, though, as he shot 4.2% higher than his career average of 11.6% last year.

Golden Knights Trade For Alexander Holtz, Akira Schmid

at CDT | by 8 Comments

The Vegas Golden Knights have acquired goaltender Akira Schmid and forward Alexander Holtz from the New Jersey Devils, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). In return, New Jersey has received forward Paul Cotter and Vegas’ 2025 third-round pick.

This trade provides Vegas a quick fill-in for Logan Thompson after they dealt him to the Washington Capitals for two picks. Thompson served as Vegas’ starter in the wake of injuries to Adin Hill last season, posting 25 wins and a .908 save percentage in 46 starts. It was a strong year for Thompson that warrants another shot at opportunity. He’ll search for that in Washington, while Vegas brings in Schmid, 24, who’s filled a much more typical backup role with the Devils. He posted a measly five wins and .895 save percentage this year, but was much more effective as a rookie last season, when he managed nine wins and a .922 save percentage in 18 games. Schmid is still in need of a bigger sample size, but his career .899 save percentage through 43 games suggests a modest NHL upside.

The Golden Knights will get to test that upside alongside the surprising addition of top young forward Alexander Holtz. Previously the seventh-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Holtz struggled to earn consistent ice time under previous Devils head coach Lindy Ruff. Even then, Holtz found his way to good effect, recording 16 goals and 28 points while playing in all 82 games this season. Holtz seemed rife with upside this season, even amidst an ever-changing role. Consistency in the Vegas top-six could lead to a major pay-off, though Holtz will have to fight with Pavel Dorofeyev for the role of young sniper atop the Vegas depth charts.

Meanwhile, New Jersey receives the projectable role of Cotter. He stepped as Vegas’ full-time fourth-line centerman this year, recording 25 points and 41 penalty minutes through 76 games. It was his second full-year on an NHL roster, having recorded 13 goals and 18 points in 55 games last year. Cotter doesn’t inspire too much down the lineup, though he should be a responsible addition to New Jersey’s bottom lines.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top