Jack Eichel and the Golden Knights haven’t hidden their mutual desire to get a long-term extension in place although a deal hasn’t gotten along the finish line just yet. It appears they’re in agreement on the term side of things at least as Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic recently reported (video link) that both sides are happy with a maximum-term agreement of eight years. Meanwhile, Johnston adds that the likely range of an extension should fall between $13MM and $14MM per season, representing a fairly significant raise on the $10MM he’s receiving on his current deal. Eichel has averaged more than a point per game since joining Vegas four seasons ago (both in the regular season and playoffs) and is coming off a career year that saw him put up 28 goals and 66 assists in 77 games.
Golden Knights Rumors
Nicolas Hague Had Verbal Agreement With Knights Before Trade
In a recent interview with Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nashville Predators defenseman Nicolas Hague spoke about the end of his tenure with the Vegas Golden Knights. According to Hague, it doesn’t sound like he was given a particularly warm goodbye from the only organization he had ever known.
Even before the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, Hague believed he would be extended by the Golden Knights, saying, “I thought I had a deal done with Vegas done before the playoffs, and we had agreed on what it was going to be. On both sides, it was a word agreement. Obviously nothing was signed. Because I said to them, ‘We’re going into the playoffs. That’s the No. 1 priority right now and we’ll reconvene and get this done after the season.’ It was all good.”
As it turns out, Vegas pivoted away from their purported verbal agreement with Hague, needing to open the necessary cap space to acquire Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a sign-and-trade. The day before the trade was made for Marner, the Golden Knights traded Hague to the Predators for Jeremy Lauzon, Colton Sissons, and a 2027 third-round pick. Hague subsequently signed a four-year, $22MM extension in Nashville.
Trevor Connelly Absent From Golden Knights' Rookie Camp
- In an unfortunate update for the Vegas Golden Knights, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that prospect Trevor Connelly is not with the team for the opening of rookie camp. Webster reminds that Connelly suffered a leg injury earlier this summer at the World Juniors showcase, likely leading to his absence from the team’s rookie camp. There haven’t been any updates regarding Connelly’s availability for the team’s training camp, though he was likely destined to start with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, regardless.
[SOURCE LINK]
- In an unfortunate update for the Vegas Golden Knights, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that prospect Trevor Connelly is not with the team for the opening of rookie camp. Webster reminds that Connelly suffered a leg injury earlier this summer at the World Juniors showcase, likely leading to his absence from the team’s rookie camp. There haven’t been any updates regarding Connelly’s availability for the team’s training camp, though he was likely destined to start with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, regardless.
Extending Jack Eichel Will Be A Top Priority For Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights find their back to summer fireworks every single year. They pulled off a sign-and-trade deal for Mitch Marner this year, complete with an eight-year, $96MM contract for the superstar winger. Now, they face the looming task of signing top center Jack Eichel before he reaches free agency next July. Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said that Eichel’s deal will be a top priority for the club in a recent conversation with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. LeBrun further added that, while the two sides still have a long way to go, he’d be surprised if a deal didn’t get done.
Extension conversations between Eichel and Vegas began back in May, and the team began to work out contract estimates following their July acquisition of Marner. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggested that Vegas was ready to hand Eichel an even heftier deal than what Marner received – and with talks continuing at a strong cadence, it doesn’t seem that bar has created any barriers.
Targeting a deal richer than Marner’s will almost certainly land the value of Eichel’s next deal north of $100MM. That would put him among a limited, but growing, group of NHL stars to sign a nine-figure deal. Only seven players have signed such contracts – the most recent being Leon Draisaitl’s record-breaking $112MM contract with the Edmonton Oilers. That deal – which carries a $14MM cap hit for eight seasons – could be where Vegas begins conversations with Eichel. The 28-year-old centerman hasn’t yet crossed the century mark in scoring, but he’s planted deep roots in Vegas’ top forward role and seems set for a big year with Marner’s support.
Aside from the importance of signing your lineup star, Vegas will need to cement Eichel’s deal before they even think of budgeting for the 2026-27 season. The salary cap is expected to rise to $104MM – nearly $9MM more than next season’s limit – which should give Vegas plenty of space to give Eichel a raise of $4MM or $5MM per year. The Golden Knights will be pushing up against the cap ceiling this next season, and will only manage any cap relief by placing top defenseman Alex Pietrangelo on long-term injured reserve.
No matter where his salary ends up, Eichel’s next deal seems all-but-certain to carry through the bulk of his 30’s. They could be the best years of the one-time Stanley Cup winner’s career as well, as Vegas continues to load up on blue-chip talent through free agency and the draft. The Golden Knights will be as competitive as ever next season – with Marner’s debut, Pavel Dorofeyev’s follow-up, and Trevor Connelly’s push up the minor-leagues each providing plenty of sparks.
McCrimmon: Roster Movement For The Summer Likely Done, Confident In Internal Defense Options
With Alex Pietrangelo’s playing career likely over, the Golden Knights have a big hole to fill on their back end but beyond swapping Nicolas Hague for Jeremy Lauzon (and center Colton Sissons), Vegas hasn’t made any other moves on the blueline. It doesn’t appear that will change either. In an interview for The Athletic with Pierre LeBrun (subscription link), GM Kelly McCrimmon indicated that he thinks his roster is set for the upcoming season. He feels confident that Kaedan Korczak is now ready to step up and be a full-time regular after being more of a depth player through his first few NHL seasons. He also singled out veteran Ben Hutton, a frequent scratch last season, as someone who is capable of stepping up into a bigger role. More than $7.6MM over the cap already (before factoring in Pietrangelo’s eventual LTIR placement) per PuckPedia, there just isn’t much wiggle room for the Golden Knights to try to add to their back end even if McCrimmon was inclined to try to make another move.
Carey Price Trade Not A Necessity For Canadiens
Trade attention has once again zoned in on Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price as the league announces changes to the use of long-term injured reserve and salary cap in the postseason. The future Hall-of-Fame goaltender hasn’t played since 2021, after undergoing meniscus surgery to address a severe knee injury. Montreal has kept him on LTIR, and thus received full relief from his $10.5MM cap hit, in each of the three seasons since. That cap hit and LTIR relief could each be beneficial for teams across the league, but Canadiens’ general manager Kent Hughes told Sportsnet’s Eric Engels that he’s in no rush to find a deal. Hughes said:
We don’t have to trade Carey Price… If we can find a trade to move his contract that makes sense for us and makes sense for another team, we’ll pursue it. But we don’t have to.
The Canadiens are currently $5.93MM over the salary cap, per PuckPedia. Placing Price back on LTIR at the start of the season will bring them up to roughly $4.57MM in cap space, more than enough for next season. That cap relief underlines Hughes’ sentiment of not needing a deal, and would likely force Montreal to bring back another long-term injury in any Price trade. They could balance their budget by swapping Price for a player like Logan Couture from the San Jose Sharks, or even by acquiring Shea Weber’s contract from the Chicago Blackhawks. Both teams sit roughly $6MM over the salary cap floor as things stand, and could get a hardier budget by paying up for Price’s contract.
As for what Montreal could expect in return, the list of comparable IR moves has run a bit thin. Montreal used Weber’s contract to acquire NHL winger Evgenii Dadonov from the Vegas Golden Knights in 2022. He’s moved multiple times since – most recently in a trade to Chicago alongside minor-leaguer Aku Raty and the rights to Victor Soderstrom in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick.
In the year prior to Weber’s original move to Vegas, Chicago used Brent Seabrook’s contract to acquire NHL forward Tyler Johnson and a second-round pick. That could be a better structure to hope for – though it’s hard to gauge if the market remains the same four years later, and with the changes to LTIR. With no rush to make a deal, Montreal will have the luxury of sitting back until a strong offer comes through.
Mitch Marner Needed Full-Time Security After Last Year's Playoffs
- New star forward for the Vegas Golden Knights, Mitch Marner, opened up on his final days with the Toronto Maple Leafs at Team Canada’s Olympic orientation camp yesterday. Marner admitted that he and his family required full-time security at his residence in Canada for nearly two weeks after the Maple Leafs were eliminated in last year’s playoffs by the Florida Panthers. At the press conference, Marner said, “The market’s very passionate. They love their team. I know it, I was born and raised there. I’ve been a part of Leafs nation for a long time. But, when your family safety comes into question, especially having a new son, I don’t think it’s acceptable.“
[SOURCE LINK]
- New star forward for the Vegas Golden Knights, Mitch Marner, opened up on his final days with the Toronto Maple Leafs at Team Canada’s Olympic orientation camp yesterday. Marner admitted that he and his family required full-time security at his residence in Canada for nearly two weeks after the Maple Leafs were eliminated in last year’s playoffs by the Florida Panthers. At the press conference, Marner said, “The market’s very passionate. They love their team. I know it, I was born and raised there. I’ve been a part of Leafs nation for a long time. But, when your family safety comes into question, especially having a new son, I don’t think it’s acceptable.“
Silver Knights Re-Sign Papirny
- The Golden Knights’ AHL affiliate announced that they have brought back goaltender Jordan Papirny on a one-year minor-league deal. The 29-year-old has spent the last three seasons in their system but he hasn’t been able to secure an NHL deal. Last season, Papirny played in 28 games with ECHL Tahoe, putting up a 2.50 GAA and a .920 SV% along with four shutouts while getting into a pair of games with AHL Henderson.
Jack Eichel Remaining Patient On Extension
In Eichel’s case, Friedman said he would be “shocked” if the forward doesn’t remain with the Vegas Golden Knights long-term. However, that isn’t stopping the 28-year-old from trying to maximize the value of his next extension. Coming off a career-high 94-point season, Eichel is entering the final year of his contract, which carries a $10 million AAV — a number that’s likely to rise with any future extension.
Mitch Marner Didn’t Think Of Leaving Maple Leafs Until Summer
Winger Mitch Marner was wrapped up in drama and rumors for the bulk of his final years with the Toronto Maple Leafs. A move at the end of the controversial six-year, $65.41MM contract he signed in 2019 seemed all but certain as the summer approached – but despite that, teammate William Nylander emphasized that Marner was focused on the Leafs until the very end. Nylander told NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger:
I actually asked him during the season and he said he was concentrating on Toronto. I didn’t want to press him on that and let him be because it was obviously on his mind, but his play was focused on helping us. Then I asked him after the season and he wasn’t sure.
Aside from wanting to avoid thinking of looming contract negotiations, it’s no surprise to hear Marner remained invested in Toronto. He was born in Markham and grew up playing for the Vaughan Kings and Don Mills Flyers AAA organizations. Marner moved right down the road for juniors hockey, joining the OHL’s London Knights for two superstar seasons, before being drafted by his hometown club with the fourth-overall pick in 2015. He stayed in London for one additional season, before diving into a career that would lead him through 657 games and 741 points in a Maple Leafs jersey.
Despite the fairytale matchup, Marner’s years in Toronto seemed to be clouded by stress. He was ridiculed for a lack of effort, poor results or attitude, and clashes with coaches or teammates. That includes one incident from the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when Marner and Nylander exchanged heated words on the bench. Fans analyzed the event as signs of mounting tensions, but Nylander told Zeisberger that it was nothing to read into. He said that things happen in the heat of big games, and that it’s still tough to see Marner leave the club after nine years.
Nylander emphasized that Toronto will miss Marner both on and off of the ice. He leaves a monumental hole on the top line, after scoring a career-high 102 points in 81 games last season. That peak came after Marner rivaled the century mark for three straight seasons, even coming as close as 99 points in 80 games of the 2022-23 season. His breakthrough should provide the perfect ramp to another dazzling season among the Vegas Golden Knights’ star-studded lineup. After years of playing alongside Auston Matthews, Marner will now suit up next to Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, and should almost certainly provide the boost to help the former reach the 100-point mark as well.
Meanwhile, Nylander didn’t commit to filling Marner’s role on the top line next season. He said that he’ll be open to playing all throughout the lineup, and is only focused on dominating next season. Nylander also posted a career year last season, reaching a career-high 45 goals to round out 84 points, after he posted 40 goals and 98 points in 2023-24. It was Nylander’s third-straight year of playing in all 82 games. He’ll undeniably be the top bet to fill Marner’s impact, though Toronto may need to dig deep to fill the spot Nylander will vacate to step up in the lineup.