During the 2023 NHL Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks selected Roman Kantserov in the second round with the 44th overall pick. He has since become one of the top prospects in the entire organization.
Kantserov is developing into an incredible goal-scorer, as he led the KHL in goals during the 2025-26 season. He is now looking to translate that success to the NHL, where he will make his debut in 2026-27.
On Wednesday, Kantserov attended the NHLPA/Upper Deck Rookie Showcase as a member of their 2026 class. This took place at Blackhawks Ice Center in Chicago. Kantserov skated alongside some of the best prospects in the game right now, including fellow Blackhawks prospect Sacha Boisver and the number one overall pick made by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Gavin McKenna.
When asked about the Blackhawks during his media scrum, Kantserov had some interesting things to say. For one, he wants Connor Bedard to return from his injury as soon as possible, but he understands the magnitude of Patrick Kane coming back.
"It's [Bedard's injury] sad news," Kantserov said. "But Chicago signed Patrick Kane. The legend has come back. It's awesome.”
A lot of the young players on the team are going to be excited to play with Patrick Kane. Most of them grew up watching him.
“He's the greatest American player, all-time scorer, and this is a very good opportunity to play with him," Kantserov said of Kane. "Of course, if we play together with Bedard, maybe we can find the chemistry.”
Coming into the year, Kantserov is going to get some runway when it comes to ice time in the top six. If he has a good camp and preseason, playing with the team's top players is absolutely going to be in the cards for him.
Whether it is at even strength or on the power play, Kantserov is going to get looks with Patrick Kane early in the season. It will get even more lethal when Bedard returns. When it comes to his desire to build chemistry with them, it shouldn't be a problem, as they are all highly skilled players with experience playing with elite talent.
Chicago, whichever linemates they start Kantserov with, should see him score a fair number of goals. Whether it's the two stars in Bedard and Kane, or others like Frank Nazar or Anton Frondell, there is a lot of playmaking talent on the roster. Feeding it to a sniper like this could create a whole new dynamic to the overall offense.
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Towards the end of last season, the Winnipeg Jets made some adjustments to their roster, bringing up young talent to see what they had at the NHL level. One of the names recalled from the minors was Brad Lambert.
The former 2022 first-round pick got the call for 25 games last season, his largest NHL stint yet after appearing in just five and one games at the NHL level over the two prior seasons, respectively. Lambert finished the season with three goals and three assists for six points, hardly the kind of impact that quiets questions, leaving Jets fans wondering what comes next for the 22-year-old.
Lambert is slated to make Winnipeg's opening night roster, according to Elite Prospects, where he'll look to secure his longest look yet at the NHL level and could slot in on the wing rather than at center, a shift that's been floated as a way to simplify his role and let his speed and skating ability play a bigger part in his offensive game.
Daily Faceoff projects Lambert to open the season on the third line alongside Isak Rosen on the opposite wing, with Vladislav Namestnikov centering the trio, an intriguing look for Winnipeg's bottom six.
Lambert will likely cycle through different line combinations before the Jets land on something that sticks, as has often been the case throughout his brief NHL career so far.
The best-case scenario is a middle-six role, one that could even see him get chances on the second line and further opportunities to adjust to the pace of the NHL. The worst-case outcome would be a fourth-line role, or another trip back down to the AHL if things don't click early.
It's difficult to project exactly what Winnipeg will get out of Lambert this season, but a full, uninterrupted look figures to provide the biggest sample size yet of his game.
With his entry-level contract set to expire after this season and restricted free agency looming in 2027, how Lambert performs will likely be one of the more closely watched storylines for the Jets heading into the year.
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In an offseason in which its captain quit on his group to be a wingman in Florida and the franchise icon left the coaching staff to broaden his horizons in pursuit of an NHL head coaching gig, it certainly is not hard to become cynical about the Ottawa Senators’ chances in 2026-27.
The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn rated the Senators as being the second-least improved team this summer and, on many levels, it is understandable. Outsiders will look at the Senators’ wild card placement last season and offseason to conclude that they could finish outside the playoff picture in 2027.
Replacing Brady Tkachuk’s blend of skill and physicality is an impossible task, but after general manager Steve Staios acknowledged in his end-of-the-year availability that the backup goaltending position was his biggest misstep last year, entrusting those responsibilities to one of the worst statistical goaltenders in the NHL these past three years is a massive roll of the dice.
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss who might round out the top six in Ottawa.
Recency bias obviously adds weight and attention to what has been a relatively low-key series of additions for the Senators.
Re-signing Jordan Spence to a multi-year commitment at an affordable cost was a tidy piece of business. William Eklund won’t replace Tkachuk, but the organization is hoping he has a chance to pop for more offence and, at the very least, he should be a solid two-way addition to the team’s top six.
Staios has repeatedly referenced Justin Peters and Maciej Szwoch’s belief in Samuel Ersson’s tools over the past several weeks. There is so much volatility in NHL goaltending that Ersson could reward that confidence with significantly improved play. It also helps that he is Swedish, and that consideration could help favourably in building a relationship and battery with Linus Ullmark.
With so much emphasis on recent moves, it is easy to forget that Ottawa finished in the top-five in many important statistical categories.
According to Natural Stat Trick’s five-on-five data, the Senators finished in the top-five in the percentage of shots (52.85 CF%, 5th), shots on goal (54.08 SF%, 4th), expected goals (54.54 xGF%, 3rd), shots allowed per 60 (51.85 CA/60, 3rd), shots on goal allowed per 60 (23.37 SA/60) and expected goals allowed per 60 (2.32 xGA/60, 2nd).
On special teams, the Senators finished with the league’s eighth-ranked power play (24.0%), and after assistant coach Mike Yeo took over the penalty kill duties from Nolan Baumgartner on January 24th, the Senators had the second-best rate in the league (89.2%).
The Senators’ greatest strength lies in their structure and commitment to defence. They match one of the best and youngest bluelines in the NHL with incredible young centre depth. Provided the organization can maintain their strong five-on-five numbers, they should be in good shape.
It was widely documented last season that the Senators could not get saves. Had the team received league-average goaltending, they would have been one of the Atlantic Division's top three teams and sat comfortably in a playoff spot.
It is naive to believe that Ullmark can carry his exceptional playoff performance across a full slate of regular season games, but he can be significantly better than he was last season.
Perhaps most importantly, what is really exciting about this stage of the franchise’s development is how the team is well-positioned to make a splashy trade should the right player and fit become available.
Speaking to TSN 1200’s John Rodenburg last week, Staios expanded on this prospective development.
“The way we've positioned ourselves now, I always look back to where we're always trying to improve,” the general manager stated. “When I first came in the doors here in Ottawa and assessed where we were, and continue to build on our team and continue to improve our team. The position we're in now with not only the cap flexibility and the depth of our roster, but also draft assets and prospects that we didn't have when we got here (has changed).
“It’s not the exciting stuff that fans probably want to hear, but I think when you look at it on the work that we've done, sometimes it looks subtle, but there's there's ways that we've built up on this roster and the depth to continue to be a competitive team, but also give us the flexibility moving forward to be able to be in on things.
"And initially, when I got here, we were a little bit hamstrung, so there wasn't the optionality to look at these options. We certainly looked at them. We assessed them, but we just couldn't get in the game. We have put ourselves in a position now where we can get in the game.”
A recent report on RG.org by Daria Tuboltseva indicated that Columbus’ Kirill Marchenko may be close to being traded.
The 26-year-old right winger is in the final year of his contract that carries a $3.85 million cap hit per PuckPedia. His real salary for the 2026-27 season is $3.975 million. Marchenko has one more year of restricted free agency beyond this season before he can become an unrestricted free agent.
Listed at 6’3, 201 lbs, Marchenko tallied 27 goals and 67 points in 76 games last season while playing predominantly with Adam Fantilli and Mason Marchment. The winger has scored 20-plus goals in each of his four NHL seasons, with his best season occurring in 2024-25 when he recorded 31 goals and 74 points in 79 games.
Although they are different players, Marchenko’s impacts are not dissimilar from Senators winger Drake Batherson.
Marchenko’s age certainly aligns with the Senators’ core, but his goal-scoring ability would certainly fill a need. His five-on-five goals (0.91 G/60) and points (1.94 Pts/60) rates last season would have been the third-highest on the team behind Tim Stützle and Batherson.
The Alex DeBrincat deal illustrates why the lack of a controllable term leaves the Senators needing an extension in hand to justify incurring the significant opportunity cost to acquire good players. But, make no mistake, Marchenko represents the type of player the Senators should be targeting.
A shiny new toy may not arrive this summer, but with the Senators’ strengths, coupled with a reasonable expectation that the goaltending will be better, the organization should be poised to add at some point this season.
And assuming they do, they will put themselves in the conversation of being one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
By Graeme Nichols The Hockey News
This article first appeared at The Hockey News Ottawa. For full Senators coverage, check out one of The Hockey News headlines below:
The offseason for the Detroit Red Wings in the wake of missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 10th consecutive year has been filled with a pair of major storylines that have understandably grabbed the lion's share of fan attention.
In early June, captain Dylan Larkin's trade request was made public. And on July 15, the Red Wings announced that GM Steve Yzerman had stepped down from his role and that they were conducting a search for a successor.
The timing of Yzerman's departure from his role was nothing short of curious, as it took place not only after the 2026 NHL Draft in late June, but also two weeks into the start of the free agency period.
On the opening day of free agency, Yzerman inked former Boston Bruins forward Viktor Arvidsson to a two-year contract, while also signing former Florida Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov to a one-year pact; he also acquired grinding forward Keegan Kolesar via trade from the Vegas Golden Knights.
And while a handful of other depth players were signed, there haven't been any subsequent moves that have really moved the needle or could be considered of an aggressive nature.
That being said, there still remain far more questions than answers. The Red Wings have yet to announce any official interviews with potential successors to Yzerman, or given a timeline as to when a successor will be named.
Additionally, fans are wondering how the club will supplement the 57 points lost by Patrick Kane's departure to the Chicago Blackhawks, as well as how the ongoing standoff with Larkin will ultimately end.
There's also the status of defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who remains a restricted free agent.
There hasn't been much in term of answers for a fan base starved for winning hockey again with Training Camp less than two months away.
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One of the most pressing questions for the Detroit Red Wings this offseason was whether they'd be able to bring back future Hall of Fame winger Patrick Kane.
The Buffalo native, who turns 38 in November, is still a near point-per-game player, and the Red Wings couldn't afford to lose any more offense from a unit that finished with the 11th-worst scoring output in the NHL this past season.
The homecoming many expected, however, didn't play out in Detroit's favor. The Chicago Blackhawks instead offered Kane a two-year, $16 million deal carrying an $8 million cap hit, and he took it, returning to the franchise where he built the bulk of his Hall of Fame resume.
Few fans were upset with the decision, especially once the dollar figure became public. Some were downright stunned by Chicago's willingness to hand a three-time Stanley Cup champion that kind of money on the back end of his career.
Kane's $8 million cap hit lands just a shade below what Detroit stars Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider carry on their own deals, while coming in above the cap hit of notable linemate Alex DeBrincat.
There was little chance the Red Wings were ever going to match that kind of offer, and the Fourth Period's David Pagnotta made clear just how surprised he was by the number on a recent episode of Daily Faceoff's "The Sheet" podcast.
Pagnotta explained he did a triple take when the figure came across, adding that it wasn't as if Chicago lacked the cap space to make it work. He also said he had heard Kane was offered something closer to $5 million before the Blackhawks ultimately decided to sweeten the pot to ensure their longtime winger made his way back to the Windy City.
Detroit, meanwhile, never came close to that range as Kane's salary with the Red Wings topped out at $4 million across three one-year deals from 2023 through 2026, during which he remained a highly productive scorer, totaling 57 goals and 163 points in 189 games.
Chicago's willingness to more than double that price tag underscores just how much value the Blackhawks are placing on Kane's return, particularly with top center Connor Bedard expected to open next season on the shelf following offseason shoulder surgery.
Selected first overall by the Blackhawks in the 2007 NHL Draft, Kane spent the first 17 seasons of his career with the franchise, winning three Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015 along with the Calder Trophy, the Conn Smythe Trophy, the Art Ross Trophy, the Hart Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award.
In 1,161 games with Chicago, Kane recorded 446 goals and 779 assists for 1,225 points, numbers that rank him third in franchise history in goals and second in both assists and points.
Kane was one of the more reliable playmakers left on the Red Wings roster that struggled to generate offense last season, and his departure leaves the team searching for more answers up front as they continue chasing their first playoff berth in a decade.
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The NHL’s latest big contract signing has Vancouver Canucks fans excited.
Earlier today, the San Jose Sharks announced that star forward and BC-local Macklin Celebrini has signed a five-year contract extension beginning during the 2027–28 season. The contract expires after the 2031–32 season, during which Celebrini will become an unrestricted free-agent at the age of 26.
It’s safe to say that Canucks fans are very happy about the prospect of a potential Celebrini free-agency signing.
“Walked himself to UFA basically,” @LaheyHNIC wrote on X. “Incredible day for the Canucks.”
Celebrini’s contract is the second five-year extension signed by a player from North Vancouver, as Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard also inked a new contract in mid-July that will walk him to UFA status in 2031.
With both North Vancouver products set to become UFAs in the future, Canucks fans have already begun celebrating an outcome in which both Bedard and Celebrini return home to play for the Canucks.
“CELEBRINI AND BEDARD ONLY SIGNED FOR 5 YEARS, YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS !!!” @Springer4MVP said on X.
"This has to be the best off-season for the Canucks in the past decade. 2 hometown boys signing contracts that lineup perfectly with the Canucks rebuild. Couldn't ask for anything else," @Taj1944 commented. "Now they have to stay patient for 4-5 years and keep loading up with young talent."
“Bedard and Celebrini are both walking themselves to be 25 and 26 year old UFAs,” @Naughty4Novotny added. “They both want to come home and play for their favourite hockey team as soon as possible 🤩.”
“#Canucks have 5 years to put together a decent roster AND get a practice facility project built. Don’t let that time go to waste ⏳,” @LachInTheCrease wrote.
Only time will tell whether fans’ premature celebrations are a sign of something true to come along. For now, it appears the allure of two potential homecomings will be enough to keep Vancouver’s fanbase excited.
Apr 6, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) and Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard (98) face off during the second period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images
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We are at one of the quietest points of the offseason, but the New York Rangers still have two notable restricted free agents without a contract extension in place.
The futures of defensemen Scott Morrow and Vincent Iorio with the Rangers appear to be in flux, as both remain unsigned.
The Blueshirts acquired Morrow from the Carolina Hurricanes as part of the K’Andre Miller sign-and-trade package.
Despite coming into the 2025-26 season with some promise and expectation, the 23-year-old defenseman was unable to carve out a consistent role with the Rangers, bouncing up and down from the NHL and American Hockey League.
The 23-year-old defenseman played in 29 NHL games this past season, recording six points while averaging 15:40 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Rangers claimed Iorio off waivers from the San Jose Sharks on Jan. 31.
Iorio stuck around with the Rangers for the remainder of the season, but he was scratched for a handful of games. ‘
The 23-year-old defenseman posted three points in 27 games for New York while averaging 13:05 minutes.
The Rangers re-signed Braden Schneider to a one-year, $5.5 million contract extension, and acquired both Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson, which puts Morrow and Iorio in a difficult position to earn consistent playing time at the NHL level.
It’s unclear where the Rangers are regarding negotiations with Morrow and Iorio.
In the 21st century, only three teenagers have recorded 100-point seasons at the NHL level. A fourth, Steven Stamkos, came close, but finished with 95 points. On Wednesday morning, the San Jose Sharks signed forward Macklin Celebrini to a record-breaking deal. He's now projected to be the highest-paid player in the NHL during the 2027-28 season, although a lot can change between now and then. So, how does his new deal compare to previous teenage superstars?
Macklin Celebrini's 115 points is the most in San Jose Sharks history, and the fourth-most by a teenager in NHL history. He trails just two of hockey's all-time greats, Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby. Considering Gretzky's teenage seasons were almost half a century ago, we'll leave him out of this discussion and focus directly on Crosby to start.
Sidney Crosby
Crosby's first years in the NHL were a little different, as by the time he was due for his first big contract, he had already surpassed the 100-point threshold in back-to-back seasons. As a result, the Pittsburgh Penguins wanted to lock him up as quickly as possible and as soon as he became eligible for an extension, he got his new contract.
Crosby's first big deal was a five-year contract with an average annual value of $8.7 million. While that is over $10 million less than Celebrini's new cap hit, at the time, the salary cap was much lower. Crosby's cap hit took up 15.34% of the Penguins' cap space at the time, a significant sum, but a manageable one for the best player in the world.
Celebrini's cap percentage is a bit higher, sitting at 16.56%, but it's still in the same ballpark. The Sharks' young star had another feather in his cap as well. While the Sharks had superstars in the past, Celebrini already owns the franchise record for points in a season, something Crosby has never come close to doing because of franchise legends Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. As a result, it makes sense that the Sharks would have to give Celebrini a bit of a bump.
Connor McDavid
Roughly a decade ago, Edmonton Oilers standout Connor McDavid was coming off of his first 100-point season and was the face of a new generation of stars in the NHL. As a result, the Oilers locked up their budding superstar with an eight-year contract that carried an average annual value of $12.5 million. While it was quite a bit more money than Crosby had earned a decade prior, McDavid's cap percentage was just marginally higher at 15.72%.
Of course, the main difference between McDavid's contract and those of Celebrini and Crosby was the term. McDavid signed the maximum term, eight years, while both Celebrini and Crosby opted to go with shorter-term deals.
Interestingly though, both McDavid and Crosby have remained at the exact same cap hit for the rest of their careers, at least to this point anyway. While their contracts were sizeable at the beginning, their loyalty to their organizations, while occasionally questioned in the media, was always at the forefront as their careers progressed.
While many have criticized Celebrini's message of taking a "team-friendly" deal, in reality, he's taken almost the exact same contract as other players of his caliber historically. His cap percentage is slightly, but not significantly, higher and unlike McDavid and Crosby, Celebrini has the potential to be the best player in the history of his organization. While that's not meant as a slight on two future legends of the game, it means that the Sharks have to do whatever they can to keep Celebrini happy, even if it means paying slightly more.
Had he wanted to, Celebrini undoubtedly could have become the first player with a cap hit north of $20 million. Instead, he chose not to and followed in the shadow of Crosby and McDavid by taking slightly less than market value.
As we continue our exploration of the Atlantic, it's time to dissect the roster of the team responsible for the biggest change to the Senators' offseason.
After back-to-back Stanleys, the Florida Panthers finally hit a wall last season. Injuries not only knocked off their three-peat hopes but also ended their six-year run of making the playoffs.
It's not often the 25th-ranked NHL team has a chance to become the best team in the NHL, but here we are.
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy agree that Shane Pinto should move up to second line centre to help fill out the Sens top six.
Senators Offseason Summary
The Senators' summer changed dramatically when Brady Tkachuk requested a trade and was eventually sent to Florida for the ninth and 25th picks in the 2026 draft, a 2027 second-rounder and a 2029 first-round pick.
GM Steve Staios then flipped the ninth pick to San Jose for William Eklund and prospects Kasper Halttunen and Brandon Svoboda.
Ottawa also acquired Andre Burakovsky and goalie Samuel Ersson, while re-signing Claude Giroux, Nick Cousins, Jordan Spence and Leevi Merilainen.
The biggest question remains whether Eklund and Burakovsky can replace Tkachuk's offence.
Let's compare that with Florida's offseason.
Panthers Trades: Additions
Obviously, we start with Tkachuk, who arrived in Sunrise last month in the aforementioned trade.
The Panthers are at the cap and have almost all their top guys locked up for at least the next four years, so it will be interesting to see what happens when Brady becomes a UFA in 2028.
The Panthers also completely changed their goaltending.
Jacob Markstrom was added from New Jersey while Akira Schmid came over from Vegas for a 2028 third-round pick.
Florida also added more grit, acquiring Garnet Hathaway from Philadelphia and bringing back Radko Gudas from Anaheim. The Panthers also got former Sens buzzsaw Angus Crookshank in the Markstrom deal.
Panthers Trades: Subtractions
The Tkachuk trade cleaned out much of Florida's premium draft capital. They don't have a first-round pick for the next three years.
They gave up 23-year-old Mackie Samoskevich to Seattle to bring in a first-round pick they'd later have to send to Ottawa.
In a rugged UFA swap with Anaheim, they sent forward AJ Greer to the Ducks for Gudas. Both players re-signed with their new clubs.
The Markstrom deal with the Devils cost the Panthers Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist and minor league prospect Ben Steeves.
GM Bill Zito wasn't afraid to sacrifice depth and future assets to try and build a winner.
Panthers Free Agency
The Panthers' biggest losses came in free agency. Sergei Bobrovsky signed a three-year deal with Toronto after seven seasons and two Cups in Florida.
Backup Daniil Tarasov also left for Detroit, meaning the Panthers enter next season with an entirely new goalie tandem.
On the plus side, Florida signed Gudas to a six-year contract and added a familiar name for Senators fans in Lars Eller. Veteran defenseman Alexander Petrovic was also brought back on a two-year deal.
Who Had the Better Offseason?
The Panthers.
The Sens lost Brady Tkachuk, and their loss is Florida's gain. Tkachuk, Radko Gudas, and Garnet Hathaway ensure that the Panthers won't be much fun to play against.
If there's one reason for pause, it's in goal.
Markstrom is 36 and posted an .883 save percentage last season, while Schmid was at .893 in Vegas.
Aleksander Barkov missed all of last season, while Matthew Tkachuk, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart and several other important Panthers missed a lot of time as well.
Florida is healthy again, and their talent level is not only outrageous, but it's locked up and not leaving anytime soon. The numbers listed beside their best players are how long they're locked up for.
Brady Tkachuk (2) – Aleksander Barkov (4) – Sam Reinhart (6)
Carter Verhaeghe (5) – Sam Bennett (7) – Matthew Tkachuk (4)
Eetu Luostarinen (9) – Anton Lundell (4) – Brad Marchand (5)
Jonah Gadjovich(2) – Lars Eller – Garnet Hathaway
Gustav Forsling (6) – Aaron Ekblad (7)
Niko Mikkola (8) – Seth Jones (4)
Dmitry Kulikov (2) – Radko Gudas (6)
Unreal.
Just like last year, the Panthers have a better roster than most teams. They just need to stay healthy.
If they do, they look a lot more like the club that won consecutive Stanley Cups than the one that finished 25th last season.
On paper, they might be even better.
By Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article first appeared at The Hockey News Ottawa. For full Senators coverage, check out one of The Hockey News headlines below:
Jefferies, who recorded 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists) in 60 games for the Bridgeport Islanders this past season, received his qualifying offer worth $850,000 on June 5.
The 24-year-old was selected by the Islanders in the fourth round (No. 121) of the 2020 NHL Draft.
On Wednesday, the San Jose Sharks announced their five-year, $18.8 million contract extension with superstar forward Macklin Celebrini. San Jose selected Celebrini with the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, and he's already one of the best players in the NHL.
This came just under two weeks after Connor Brdard, who went number one overall a year before Celebrini, signed his extension. Bedard's, like Celebrini's, is a five-year deal, but it's only carrying a cap hit of $15 million. Bedard was already a restricted free agent, so his deal kicks in right now, while Celebrini's won't go into effect until the 2027-28 season.
Celebrini has had a better start to his NHL career than Bedard. On top of already being a much better defensive forward, his points per game (70 goals and 108 assists for 178 points in 152 games) top Bedard's (75 goals and 128 assists for 203 points).
This past season, however, Bedard had a breakout season. It wasn't at the level he thought it would be because of an injury that sidelined him for a month in December and January. At the time of the bad break, Bedard was right there with Celebrini in the top five of league scoring. While Bedard was out, Celebrini pulled away.
It was still a 30-goal point-per-game season for Bedard, but it was not close to the masterclass year that Celebrini had for the Sharks.
With all of that in mind, is Celebrini worth $3.8 million more than Bedard in this market? Both of their deals made them top-five players in the NHL in terms of average annual value, but Bedard makes a lot less.
Celebrini's AAV will account for 16.5% of San Jose's salary cap. Meanwhile, Bedard's is 14.4% of the Hawks' cap. For a variety of reasons, this is great business for the Blackhawks.
Neither guy would be making this much if the Philadelphia Flyers never tendered an offer sheet to Anaheim Duck forward Leo Carlsson, who went 2nd in Bedard's draft, for $18 million, but it did and each franchise responded accordingly.
Having an extra $3.8 million to work with when roster building is big for Kyle Davidson and his staff. If Bedard continues to develop his game and reaches Celebrini's level permanently (staying healthy will play a big role in that), the Blackhawks will be very thankful he took this deal.
Within the next handful of years, as the salary cap grows, both guys will be "underpaid", but Bedard showed incredible commitment to the Chicago Blackhawks and made sure there is enough to build a winning roster by avoiding any offer sheets and getting this contract done promptly.
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When the Philadelphia Flyers signed Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90 million offer sheet with an $18 million AAV, the contract was considered to be an outrageous one. Times, however, have simply changed, and a new big-money deal proves that.
Carlsson, 21, briefly became the highest-paid player in the entire NHL with that $18 million AAV, but that title, as of next year, is no longer one he holds.
Instead, the San Jose Sharks signed superstar forward Macklin Celebrini to a new five-year contract extension, which will make him the highest-paid player in the NHL when it kicks in on July 1, 2027.
Celebrini, 20, got the five-year, $94 million contract from the Sharks less than a month after Carlsson signed the Flyers' offer sheet, and his $18.8 million annual cap hit will account for 16.56% of the Sharks' salary cap, per PuckPedia.
Additionally, the structure of the deal is very similar to that of Carlsson's, as Celebrini will receive $19.85 million in signing bonuses in Years 1 and 2, and another $19.8 million in Year 3.
In each of the five years of the contract, Celebrini will make the majority of his cash in signing bonuses, and his actual base salary never exceeds $1 million.
The latter is also true of what the Flyers gave Carlsson.
The Swede will receive $19.95 million in signing bonuses this year, $18.1 million next year, and $17.05 million the year after.
That is all to say that the contracts signed here are almost identical, with the Flyers setting the baseline for the new generation of star players.
Of course, the Flyers are attempting to spend that kind of money because they do not have a player of their own from that pool, though the hope is that, with time and a bit of luck and investment, Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone can take that leap.
Fortunately for the Flyers, both of their young talents are wingers, so they'll end up being a bit cheaper than Carlsson and Celebrini once they hit their peaks.
And it goes without saying that the Flyers' search for a young, true No. 1 center still goes on, even after previously trading for and subsequently re-signing Trevor Zegras.
The price will be steep, but between Carlsson and Celebrini, they do know the price.
There is another major change coming to the Florida Panthers front office.
THN Florida has confirmed that longtime development executive and former team captain Bryan McCabe has parted ways with the franchise.
“Caber’s work within our hockey operations department was integral to our success, and we wish him nothing but the best in his next chapter,” said Panthers General Manager Bill Zito.
McCabe had been working to develop players in Florida’s pipeline since he was hired as a development coach in 2012 following his retirement as a player from the NHL.
In 2013 he was named Director of Player Development, and then four years later was promoted to Director of Player Personnel.
During his career, McCabe played three of his 15 NHL seasons for the Panthers, becoming the first defenseman in franchise history to be named team captain.
He racked up 104 points and 152 penalty minutes during his 199 games with Florida and played in his 1,000th NHL game while wearing a Panthers sweater.
“I spent 15 years with the Panthers, I made a lot of great relationships throughout the community and the organization, and I wish them nothing but the best moving forward,” McCabe told THN Florida. “South Florida is home to me, I raised my family there, and winning two Stanley Cups has been a dream come true. I loved my time there.”
Looking ahead, McCabe is expected to be highly coveted among teams looking to improve their development systems.
This summer the Panthers have already seen three members of their executive team depart the franchise, all heading to the New Jersey Devils.
First, the Devils hired former Florida assistant general manager and head of analytics Sunny Metha as their new general manager.
Then Metha turned around and hired Braden Birch, who served as Florida’s Director of Hockey Operations and Salary Cap Management, as his assistant general manager, and Leo Luongo, a key member of Florida’s Goaltending Excellence Department, as Jersey’s new Director of Goaltending.
For now, we’ll have to wait and see what the future has in store for McCabe.
Considering the success he found in Florida, it will be fun to see where he lands and what kind of impact he has during the next steps of his career.
NHL salaries are rising so quickly that Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby has dropped out of the top 50 and Minnesota Wild standout Kirill Kaprizov didn't get a chance to earn a paycheck with the title of top-paid player.
Carlsson's status was also surpassed when the San Jose Sharks announced on Tuesday, July 29, that Macklin Celebrini signed a five-year extension with an $18.8 million average. His deal won't kick in until the 2027-28 season.
Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard signed a five-year deal with a $15 million cap hit that makes him No. 3 overall in 2026-27 behind Carlsson and Kaprizov. Anaheim's Cutter Gauthier and Columbus' Adam Fantilli, restricted free agents without arbitration rights, have yet to sign for the upcoming season.
The NHL salary cap, which was stagnant after the pandemic, rose to $95.5 million last season and $104 million this season.
Crosby, whose $8.7 million cap hit is derived from his 87 jersey number, is now ranked 52nd in average annual value.
Here are the top 50 players in the league in cap hits, plus the top salaries and the top defensemen and goaltenders (money figures are from puckpedia.com):
Highest-paid NHL players by cap hit
Note: Sharks center Macklin Celebrini will average $18.8 million, starting in 2027-28
Top 50 plus ties
C Leo Carlsson, Ducks, $18,000,000
LW Kirill Kaprizov, Wild, $17,000,000
C Connor Bedard, Blackhawks, $15,000,000
C Leon Draisaitl, Oilers, $14,000,000
C Jack Eichel, Golden Knights, $13,500,000
C Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs, $13,250,000
C Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche, $12,604,000
C Connor McDavid, Oilers, $12,500,000
LW Jason Robertson, Stars, $12,000,000
RW Mitch Marner, Golden Knights, $12,000,000
RW Mikko Rantanen, Stars, $12,000,000
LW Kyle Connor, Jets, $12,000000
C Elias Pettersson, Canucks, $11,600,000
C/RW William Nylander, Maple Leafs, $11,500,000
C Martin Necas, Avalanche, $11,500,000
D Erik Karlsson, Penguins, $11,500,000
RW David Pastrnak, Bruins, $11,250,000
D Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres, $11,000,000
D Drew Doughty, Kings, $11,000,000
LW Artemi Panarin, Kings, $11,000,000
LW Pavel Dorofeyev, Rangers, $11,000,000
C Adrian Kempe, Kings, $10,625,000
D Thomas Harley, Stars, $10,587,000
D Evan Bouchard, Oilers, $10,500,000
RW Alex Tuch, Capitals, $10,500,000
LW Jonathan Huberdeau, Flames, $10,500,000
C Logan Cooley, Mammoth, $10,000,000
C Tyler Seguin, Stars, $9,850,0000
C Sebastian Aho, Hurricanes, $9,750,000
D Zach Werenski, Blue Jackets, $9,583,334
D Seth Jones, Panthers, $9,500,000
D Noah Dobson, Canadiens, $9,500,000
RW Nikita Kucherov, Lightning, $9,500,000
C Brayden Point, Lightning, $9,500,000
D Adam Fox, Rangers, $9,500,000
RW Mark Stone, Golden Knights, $9,500,000
D Charlie McAvoy, Bruins, $9,500,000
LW Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers, $9,500,000
D Darnell Nurse, Sharks, $9,250,000
C Mathew Barzal, Islanders, $9,150,000
C Trevor Zegras, Flyers, $9,125,000
D Roman Josi, Predators, $9,059,000
LW Jake Guentzel, Lightning, $9,000,000
D Dougie Hamilton, Devils, $9,000,000
D Cale Makar, Avalanche, $9,000,000
D Jakob Chychrun, Capitals, $9,000,000
D Luke Hughes, Devils, $9,000,000
D Jackson LaCombe, Ducks, $9,000,000
D Lane Hutson, Canadiens, $8,850,000
RW Timo Meier, Devils, $8,800,000
Highest-paid players by 2026-27 salary
Top 30, plus ties
C Leo Carlsson, Ducks, $20,800,000
LW Kirill Kaprizov, Wild, $19,100,000
C Jack Eichel, Golden Knights, $17,700,000
C Connor Bedard, Blackhawks, $17,000,000
C Leon Draisaitl, Oilers, $16,500,000
RW Alex Tuch, Capitals, $15,700,000
LW Kyle Connor, Jets, $15,000,000
C Connor McDavid, Oilers, $14,250,000
C Martin Necas, Avalanche, $14,000,000
RW Mitch Marner, Golden Knights, $14,000,000
LW Pavel Dorofeyev, Rangers, $14,000,000
C Logan Cooley, Mammoth, $13,000,000
D Thomas Harley, Stars, $13,000,000
C/RW William Nylander, Maple Leafs, $12,500,000
C Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche, $12,150,000
D Noah Dobson, Canadiens, $12,000,000
D Evan Bouchard, Oilers, $12,000,000
C Adrian Kempe, Kings, $12,000,000
LW Jason Robertson, Stars, $12,000,000
LW Artemi Panarin, Kings, $12,000,000
D Lane Hutson, Canadiens, $12,000,000
RW David Pastrnak, Bruins, $11,250,000
RW Mikko Rantanen, Stars, $11,250,000
C Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs, $11,080,000
D Drew Doughty, Kings, $11,000,000
D Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres, $11,000,000
D Darren Raddysh, Maple Leafs, $11,000,000
C Elias Pettersson, Canucks, $11,000,000
D Jacob Trouba, Sharks, $11,000,000
D Rasmus Andersson, Golden Knights, $10,500,000
LW Jonathan Huberdeau, Flames, $10,500,000
C Trevor Zegras, Flyers, $10,500,000
Highest-paid defenseman by cap hit
Note: Blackhawks defenseman Bowen Byram will have a $12.5 million cap hit, starting in 2027-28.
Top 30 plus ties
Erik Karlsson, Penguins, $11,500,000
Drew Doughty, Kings, $11,000,000
Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres, $11,000,000
Thomas Harley, Stars, $10,587,000
Evan Bouchard, Oilers, $10,500,000
Zach Werenski, Blue Jackets, $9,583,334
Seth Jones, Panthers, $9,500,000
Charlie McAvoy, Bruins, $9,500,000
Adam Fox, Rangers, $9,500,000
Noah Dobson, Canadiens, $9,500,000
Darnell Nurse, Sharks, $9,250,000
Roman Josi, Predators, $9,059,000
Dougie Hamilton, Devils, $9,000,000
Jakob Chychrun, Capitals, $9,000,000
Cale Makar, Avalanche, $9,000,000
Jackson LaCombe, Ducks, $9,000,000
Luke Hughes, Devils, $9,000,000
Lane Hutson, Canadiens, $8,850,000
Moritz Seider, Red Wings, $8,550,000
John Carlson, Lightning, $8,500,000
Darren Raddysh, Maple Leafs, $8,500,000
Ivan Provorov, Blue Jackets, $8,500,000
Rasmus Andersson, Golden Knights, $8,500,000
Mikhail Sergachev, Mammoth, $8,500,000
Brock Faber, Wild, $8,500,000
Miro Heiskanen, Stars, $8,450,000
Owen Power, Sabres, $8,350,000
Jacob Trouba, Sharks, $8,250,000
Jake Sanderson, Senators, $8,050,000
Victor Hedman, Lightning, $8,000,000
Thomas Chabot, Senators, $8,000,000
Philip Broberg, Blues, $8,000,000
Highest-paid goaltenders by cap hit
Top 30
Igor Shesterkin, Rangers, $11,567,857
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning, $9,500,000
Thatcher Demko, Canucks, $8,500,000
Connor Hellebuyck, Jets, $8,500,000
Jake Oettinger, Stars, $8,250,000
Jeremy Swayman, Bruins, $8,250,000
Linus Ullmark, Senators, $8,250,000
Ilya Sorokin, Islanders, $8,250,000
Juuse Saros, Predators, $7,740,000
Dustin Wolf, Flames, $7,500,000
Sergei Bobrovsky, Maple Leafs, $7,000,000
Filip Gustavsson, Wild, $6,800,000
Lukas Dostal, Ducks, $6,500,000
John Gibson, Red Wings, $6,400,000
Adin Hill, Golden Knights, $6,250,000
Jordan Binnington, Blues, $6,000,000
Jacob Markstrom, Panthers, $6,000,000
Philipp Grubauer, Kraken, $5,900,000
Logan Thompson, Capitals, $5,850,000
Spencer Knight, Blackhawks, $5,833,333
Elvis Merzlikins, Blue Jackets, $5,400,000
Tristan Jarry, Oilers, $5,375,000
MacKenzie Blackwood, Avalanche, $5,250,000
Darcy Kuemper, Kings, $5,250,000
Jet Greaves, Blue Jackets, $5,000,000
Joey Daccord, Kraken, $5,000,000
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Sabres, $4,750,000
Karel Vejmelka, Mammoth, $4,750,000
Kevin Lankinen, Canucks, $4,500,000
Joonas Korpisalo, Rangers, $4,000,000
What is the NHL salary cap for 2026-27 and beyond?
Celebrini has played two seasons and has totaled 70 goals and 178 points in 152 games. His 115 points last season broke Joe Thornton's previous franchise record of 114.
Roman Kantserov Will Sign ELC With Blackhawks, Begin NHL Career In 2026-27The Chicago Blackhawks will land Roman Kantserov. He will begin his NHL career next season. 
