We all knew the Philadelphia Flyers drafted a big, strong, defenseman when they drafted Maksim Sokolovskii in the 2026 NHL Draft, but we may have underestimated how strong the 18-year-old already is.
As a 6-foot-7, 240-pound rearguard who scored only eight points last year, that is the strength of Sokolovskii's game, after all.
But he's a young, developing prospect who won't really be working out and doing significant amounts of training until next year, when he joins the University of Maine at the NCAA level.
In the meantime, the OHL London Knights had Sokolovskii flip a... 1,000-pound tire in an offseason training video as part of their promotion for their tickets, which go on sale on Friday, according to their post.
The Russian Flyers prospect was only 17 when he was drafted by Philadelphia in the 2026 draft at the end of June, for some context. Imagine how strong Sokolovskii will be in six, seven, or eight years from now?
Obviously, other parts of Sokolovskii's game will need to come along as he progresses in his development. He does have some puck skills and flair, but his puck handling and passing are inconsistent and reduce his ceiling as a player.
If nothing else, though, Sokolovskii's training eliminates any concerns, if there ever were any, about being able to handle competition against older players at the collegiate level next year, since he can already bully anybody he faces in the OHL.
Following an impressive showing at Flyers development camp early last month, Sokolovskii is the undisputed top Flyers prospect at the left defense position, and this only cements his place further.
Barring something unforeseen, the Philadelphia Flyers more or less have their NHL roster set heading into training camp next month.
After a long wait, the Flyers finally re-signed exciting forward prospect Nikita Grebenkin on Thursday evening, inking the Russian winger to a two-year, $2.2 million contract with a $1.1 million AAV.
Grebenkin, 23, recently switched agents, going from Gold Star Hockey powerhouse Dan Milstein to Adel Mansurov of Newport Sports, who wrapped up this lengthy but relatively straightforward negotiation with the Flyers.
And now that Grebenkin is signed, the Flyers have 14 NHL forwards under contract. Unless general manager Danny Briere and Co. swing a trade in the next five weeks, or an injury happens, Grebenkin and his 13 peers are your NHL forwards going into opening night.
The former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect will have to battle with Carl Grundstrom and Noel Acciari for playing time after suffering a season-ending injury in March.
Veterans Luke Glendening and Garnet Hathaway had filled in for Grebenkin after his injury, but Denver Barkey and Alex Bump have established themselves, and Noel Acciari got a decent chunk of money with his $2.8 million cap hit earned in free agency. Tyson Foerster is healthy now, too, so Grebenkin will have to work for the minutes he gets next season and moving forward.
As for the rest of the roster, the last remaining free agent the Flyers have is defenseman Hunter McDonald.
The 6-foot-4, 24-year-old defenseman played in the Flyers' season finale against the Montreal Canadiens last year, making his NHL debut and recording his first NHL point--an assist--in 15:11 of ice time, posting a +3 rating and four penalty minutes.
The Flyers still rate McDonald highly, as further evidenced by his traveling with the team as a ringer in case of injury last season, even though they were never forced to call his number.
McDonald will, however, turn 25 late next season, and the time to establish himself as an NHL player is quickly running out.
Nick Seeler no longer has trade protection, and newcomer Simon Benoit is under contract for only one more year.
The same is true for Rasmus Ristolainen, who has long been a trade candidate and an ace in the hole for the Flyers if and when the right offer comes across their desks.
Like Grebenkin's, that negotiation shouldn't be too difficult for either side, but both sides will assuredly be making their cases on their view of an NHL fit in the meantime.
Danny Briere crossed off his second-to-last restricted free agent of the offseason.
The Flyers agreed to terms with Nikita Grebenkin on a two-year, $2.2 million contract Thursday night. The deal has an average annual value of $1.1 million. Grebenkin will remain a restricted free agent when the contract expires after the 2027-28 season.
The 23-year-old winger had four goals and 10 assists in 55 games last season, his first with the Flyers. The rookie played 11:17 minutes per game. He missed the final 13 games of the regular season and the playoffs because of an upper-body injury that ended up costing him more time than expected.
âInitially we thought it was going to be something short,â Briere said in May, âand it just never got better.â
Grebenkin was rehab skating in late June and early July while the Flyers had development camp. He joined the prospects for some drills and looked pretty good. Itâs looking like heâll be healthy and good to go for training camp, according to a report by Charlie OâConnor of PHLY Sports.
Nikita Grebenkin looking pretty good here as heâs taking part in a session with the prospects.
He ended the season with an upper-body injury and thereâs some uncertainty about his status to start next season.
A product of the Scott Laughton trade two seasons ago, Grebenkin turned some heads last training camp. He won a job, showing his ability to hunt the puck and battle for it. His speed and competitiveness made him an intriguing guy in the Flyersâ bottom six.
But heâll have a ton of competition when this seasonâs training camp arrives next month. Porter Martone, Denver Barkey and Alex Bump are young wingers coming off difference-making performances down the stretch and in the playoffs. Martone is poised for a big role this season, while Barkey and Bump could be in the lineup on opening night.
Hunter McDonald is the Flyersâ final restricted free agent who needs to be re-signed. The 24-year-old defenseman made his NHL debut last season in the teamâs regular-season finale. Heâs projected to open this season with AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.
The Buffalo Sabres made it into the Stanley Cup playoffs last season, ending a 15-year playoff drought. Buffalo went on to beat an upstart Boston Bruins team in the first round before falling to the Montreal Canadiens in the second round.
The Sabresâ step forward in 2025-26 means TheHockeyNews.comâs annual process of grading the Sabres will result in mainly-positive grades, Buffalo is far from a perfect team, but when weâre analyzing their individual performances from last season, we must be more generous than not.
That said, in this particular âSabres Gradesâ file, weâre focusing on goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukonen. The 27-year-old Finn appeared in 36 games this past season, posting a .910 save percentage and a 2.52 GAA. But his playoff performance was less than ideal, as he had an .876 SP and 3.18 GAA in six appearances, and in four of six playoff appearances, his SP was .880 or worse.
So, while weâre going to acknowledge Luukkonenâs strong stretches this year, weâre not going to give him an âAâ â at least, not just yet:
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Position: Goaltender
Grade: B+
The Skinny: Prior to this past season, Luukkonen had been a workhorse for the Sabres, as heâd played a combined 109 games in two seasons from 2023-2025. But the lesser workload this season resulted in a significant bounce-back season from him this past year. Luukkonen has put up a .910 SP in two of the past three seasons, so you can see why the Sabres have kept him as their de facto starter.
Luukkonen also is signed to a team-friendly contract paying him $4.75-million for the next three seasons. But backup Alex Lyon (.907 SP, 2.77 GAA) provided him with healthy competition, and youngster Colten Ellis is also in the picture. Luukkonen has some no-trade protection â a five-team no-trade list â and if Buffalo did choose to go in a different direction in net, Luukkonen would get a lot of attention based on his strong play in two of the past three years.
Had Luukkonen come into the 2026 post-season and showed consistency between the pipes, his grade here would easily move into âAâ territory. But he gets a B+ because his playoff performance left much to be desired.
Letâs not forget â the Sabres were linked to rumors about Winnipeg Jets superstar netminder Connor Hellebuyck. But if Buffalo does pull the trigger on that trade, you have to think Luukkonen would be the player going the other way, so long as Winnipeg isnât on Luukkonenâs modified no-trade list.
But if that doesnât happen, much of Buffaloâs season is going to be dependent on how well Luukkonen performs. The Sabresâ defense corps has undergone massive change this summer, and not for the better in the short-term. So Luukkonen will be leaned on at least as much next season, if not more than they leaned on him in seasons before then.
Luukkonen gave Buffalo a great regular-season performance last season. But the goaltending business is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately line of work â and the lasting memory of Luukkonen last season was him faltering when the games mattered most.
The Sabres may eventually go in another direction, but this series grades Buffaloâs performances last year, and Luukkonenâs efforts were a tale of two worlds. Luukkonen needs to be more consistent next season, because if he canât, the Sabres will almost assuredly go with another goalie sooner than later.
One of the more contentious rivalries in the NHL in recent years has been between the two Stanley Cup contenders in Florida.
After coming into the league a year apart back in the early 1990s, the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning have seen plenty of each other over the past three-plus decades.
It wasnât until both teams were playoff-worthy and started locking horns during the postseason that the rivalry between the interstate rivals really kicked into high gear.
Two of the players who have been at the forefront of the rivalry in recent years has been Floridaâs Matthew Tkachuk and Tampa Bayâs Brandon Hagel.
Both are considered top players for their respective clubs, making the animosity shared between them that much more fun to behold.
"I don't know him personally at all, to be honest,â Hagel said. âWe kind of just went at it, and I'm sure he goes at it with a lot of guys.â
In addition to the combative contests played between the Cats and Bolts, Tkachuk and Hagel have seen their conflict go beyond the NHL, as both are also among the first players selected to represent their countries â Tkachuk with the United States and Hagel with Canada â when the time comes for international play.
Most recently, that has been at the 2026 Winter Olympics and the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, which famously featured a fight-filled opening matchup between the U.S. and Canada in which Tkahcuk and Hagel went toe-to-toe just seconds after the opening faceoff.
âI thought he was tough, to be honest,â Hagel said. âWhen he asked me at the 4 Nations, I was like, 'Oh boy, I've never squared up in my life, like ever, and now I'm doing it on the biggest stage.â My heart was just like, 'All right, here we go.â When you're in the thick of things, and obviously fighting him then and fighting him again, it's kind of one of those things that I'll do it whenever.â
Hagel admitted that dropping the gloves with Tkachuk on a massive stage that had tons of eyeballs on it was one of the cooler things heâs been involved with during his career.
âYou couldnât really make it up,â he said. âObviously heâs really good at what he does, his job and doing what he has to do. (My phone) was definitely blowing up.â
One of the plays that has helped endear Hagel to the Panthers and the rivalry was a massive hit on Florida captain Sasha Barkov during the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Hagel was given a five-minute major for interference on the play and was subsequently suspended for the following game while Barkov initially went to the locker room but ultimately was no worse for the wear.
âI saw him coming and (the puck) got chipped past (Lightning defenseman Ryan) McDonagh, so in my head Iâm just going to line (Barkov) up because heâs going to hit the puck,â Hagel said. âI thought he hit it but McDonagh hit it, so I blew him up. From that standpoint, it is what it is.â
Ultimately, Hagel feels the way that most players and hockey fans do.
As long as nobody is getting hurt, its all a majorly entertaining part of playing hockey and something that makes the sport so unique and interesting.
âEverything that goes on, I think its so good for the game,â said Hagel. âItâs bringing back that rivalry type of thing. You get in a fight, you get punched in the head, you get a broken nose or a black eye, whoop-de-doo, youâre good and you can still play in the game type of thing. I think itâs so good for hockey. I think theyâre an unbelievable team, I think they have that winning mentality, and we have that winning mentality too, and those are probably two of the best teams going at it three of four times a year and potentially in the playoffs. Obviously, no one wants to get injured, but I think whatever is going on there and everyone (knows) going into the game, its actually fun to be a part of and I think its so good for the game.â
Photo caption: Feb 28, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers left wingMatthewTkachuk(19) and Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Brandon Hagel (38)fightfor the puck in the first period at Amalie Arena. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports)
It's now been 10 years since the Detroit Red Wings last played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a far cry from the days when they were one of the NHL's model franchises. During their run of 25 straight postseason appearances, they reached six Stanley Cup Finals and won four championships.
Things have gone downhill since Detroit was last viewed as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender around 2012. Although the Red Wings made the playoffs from 2013 through 2016, they managed to win just one series during that stretch.
Now, the franchise finds itself in even more uncertainty. The Red Wings are without a general manager following Steve Yzerman's departure last month, and they could soon lose captain Dylan Larkin as well after he requested a trade shortly after the end of the season.
While Yzerman made his share of mistakes during his time as Detroit's general manager, there's no denying that the club's fortunes could have been different had it not been for multiple notable Draft blunders before his return in 2019.
After missing the postseason for the first time in 25 years in 2017, the Red Wings entered that year's Draft with the ninth overall pick, which was used on forward Michael Rasmussen.
While hindsight is 20/20, that selection proved to be another notch in a series of complete misses by former GM Ken Holland and Amateur Scouting Director Tyler Wright, and continues to haunt the Red Wings nearly a decade later, considering what the players they passed on have accomplished.
At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, Michael Rasmussen has the physical profile of a prototypical power forward, but he has rarely played that way. Although he scored a combined 63 goals in 97 games over his final two seasons with the WHL's Tri-City Americans, that offensive production has never translated to the NHL.
His best goal-scoring season with the Red Wings came in 2021-22, when he recorded 15 goals in 80 games. He followed that with a career-high 33 points (13 goals, 20 assists) in 2023-24, but his production has declined since, totaling just 21 and 14 points over the past two respective seasons.
Making that harder to swallow is the fact that players like Owen Tippett, Martin Necas, Nick Suzuki, Robert Thomas, Jason Robertson, and Josh Norris were all selected after Rasmussen. All of them have made significant contributions since entering the NHL, leaps and bounds ahead of what Rasmussen has provided for Detroit.
The Red Wings also missed a major opportunity in the 2018 NHL Draft, opting to select Filip Zadina over hometown product Quinn Hughes from the nearby University of Michigan. Zadina has become one of the most notable draft busts of the past decade, while Hughes has developed into one of the NHL's premier players.
There were other notable misses in prior drafts. In 2015, the Red Wings selected Evgeny Svechnikov with the 19th overall pick over names like Brock Boeser, Timo Meier, and Travis Konecny. The following season, Detroit selected defenseman Dennis Cholowski over names such as Alex DeBrincat and Tage Thompson.
Those multiple misses set the Red Wings back years, and made the situation that Yzerman inherited all the more difficult.
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Throughout the entire history of the San Jose Sharks organization, only a single player has ever worn the number 56 during a regular season game: Ethan Cardwell.
Cardwell, who the Sharks drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft as an overage player, has been a key piece for the Sharks' American Hockey League affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda in recent years.
While Cardwell's stock has certainly risen drastically since his draft year, there's still a lot of unknown surrounding his long-term future. He has the potential to turn into an effective bottom-six forward due to his strong work ethic and tendency to not turn away from physicality, but it's also possible he gets stuck between the NHL and the AHL like many players tend to do.Â
Injuries hampered Cardwell considerably during the 2025-26 season, so he's fallen a bit more under the radar this summer, but he should be a major asset for the Barracuda this coming season.
Cardwell has appeared in 13 games for the Sharks at the NHL level, and since he has now played six or more games in two consecutive seasons, he is no longer classified as a rookie. Meanwhile, at the AHL level, he's played 158 games for the Barracuda scoring 41 goals and 65 assists during that time.
Only one prospect drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in 2021 currently remains with the organization â goaltender Aku Koskenvuo. Forwards Danila Klimovich, Connor Lockhart, and Lucas Forsell, as well as defencemen Jonathan Myrenberg and Hugo Gabrielson have all parted ways with the team since their draft year.
Also part of the organization now, all added within the past year or so, are trade acquisitions Ilya Safonov and Jack Thompson, as well as free-agent signings AnrÄ« Ranvinskis and Matt Stienburg. Hereâs how the 2025â26 season went for Koskenvuo, Safonov, Thompson, Ravinskis, and Stienburg.
Aku Koskenvuo
2021 R5, 137 OVR
Abbotsford Canucks, AHL and Kalamazoo Wings, ECHL
The Canucksâ lone 2021 draftee after the departure of Klimovich in free-agency, Koskenvuo spent the 2025â26 season familiarizing himself with pro hockey after two seasons with Harvard University in the NCAA.
Koskenvuo began his first pro season in the ECHL with Kalamazoo, recording a collective total of 59 saves in his first two starts for the K-Wings. The landslide of injuries from both Vancouver and Abbotsford resulted in the goaltender quickly being called-up to the AHL. In his first AHL start, Koskenvuo managed to make 33 saves to backstop Abbotsford to their first win in 11 games. He stayed with Abbotsford for nearly a month before being re-assigned to the ECHL in mid-December.
After some time in the ECHL in December, Koskenvuo was brought back up to Abbotsford in January, in what would be his last stretch of AHL play for the remainder of the year. He played in his final game for Abbotsford on January 30, finishing the year with a 3.20 GAA and .895 SV%. The goaltender was also called-up to the NHL during the Olympic break, serving as a practice netminder with Kevin Lankinen at the Olympics and Thatcher Demko injured.
Koskenvuo will likely see more playing time in Abbotsford during the 2026â27 season, though this will be dependent on what Vancouver chooses to do with goaltender Nikita Tolopilo.
Acquired via trade during the 2025 off-season, Safonov signed his entry-level contract with the Canucks back at the start of June. The forward was previously picked in the sixth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by Chicago, though he never ended up skating for the club that selected him.
Safonov has played for Ak Bars Kazan in the KHL since the 2019â20 season, with the 2025â26 season expected to be his last depending on how his journey to the NHL goes. The forward, whose versatility allows him to play at both center and wing, scored 16 goals and 17 assists in 68 games in the KHL this year. While his team ultimately came short of winning the KHL championship, Safonov did put up two goals and seven assists in 20 playoff games.
Since signing with Vancouver, Safonov has made it clear that his goal in 2026â27 is to make the NHL.
âI am not going there with a guaranteed place in the lineup, and I am not arriving as a star... I will have to prove that I belong, and I am ready for that. Based on the conversations we have had, I understand that I will have an opportunity,â he said in a translated interview with R.org.
Thompsonâs time with the Canucks only lasted a total of 14 AHL games in 2025â26, but the defenceman made a strong enough impression to warrant a one-year contract extension signed in mid-June. He went from putting up 12 points in 42 games with the San Jose Barracuda to surpassing that mark in his 14 games with Abbotsford.
The former third-round selection by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 started the season off with the Barracuda, scoring his first goal of the year on November 1 against the Ontario Reign. He played in his final game for San Jose on March 4, before lacing up for the AHL Canucks two days later.
Thompson kicked his Abbotsford campaign off with a notable two goals and three assists in his first two games with the AHL Canucks, recording four multi-point games between then and the end of the season. By the end of the season, the defenceman had already carved out a spot on Abbotsfordâs top-pairing.
Thompson will undoubtedly play a big role with Abbotsford come the 2026â27 season, especially now that he has inked an extension with the team.
Anrī Ravinskis
Signed to two-year, $910k AAV contract in 2025
Abbotsford Canucks, AHL
A free-agent signing out of Finland during the 2025 off-season, Ravinskisâ 2025â26 season saw him make both his North American pro hockey and AHL debut. He spent the prior two seasons in Finnish leagues Mestis and Liiga, also skating with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the QMJHL in 2021â22 and 2022â23.
Ravinskis made his AHL debut on October 17 when Abbotsford took on the Laval Rocket. He registered his first AHL point in a 3â2 shootout loss to the Colorado Eagles on November 8, assisting on the gameâs opening goal scored by Josh Bloom. The forward scored his first AHL goal on January 2 against the Manitoba Moose, finishing his first season with two goals and two assists in 32 games played.
During 2025â26, Ravinskis also ended up taking part in the first Winter Olympics of his career, as he was named an injury replacement for Team Latvia. While his role with Latvia was limited, the forward did skate in four games with his team.
Matthew Stienburg
Signed to one-year, $850k AAV contract in 2026
Colorado Eagles, AHL
Stienburg is the most recent prospect to join the Canucks, as he signed with the organization in free-agency back on July 2. The forward, who turns 26 in October, was drafted in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche but has only played in a total of eight NHL games.
Stienburgâs hockey career has been pelted by injuries, resulting in his limited playing time on a per-season basis. The forward has not played in more than 20 NHL and AHL regular and post-season games put together through the past two years, with the 2025â26 season seeing him play in only eight with the Eagles. In the eight games that he did skate in during the 2025â26 season, Stienburg scored two goals and one assist.
Stienburg is expected to play for Abbotsford during the 2026â27 season, likely joining fellow free-agent forward signings Akil Thomas and Trey Fix-Wolansky.
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The Calgary Flames have fully embraced their youth movement, but developing prospects isnât just about giving young players ice time. Itâs about putting them in an environment where they can learn what it takes to become professionals.
On the surface, itâs a one-year, two-way contract worth $850,000 for a veteran depth forward. Dig a little deeper, though, and itâs easy to see why Jones could become one of the most important players on the Calgary Wranglers this season.
Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
This isnât a player walking into an unfamiliar situation. Jones was part of the Wranglers from the very beginning, playing a key role during the clubâs inaugural 2022-23 season. He posted 54 points and a +28 rating while helping Calgary capture the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as AHL regular-season champions, along with the Pacific Division title. He understands the expectations, the organization, and what winning looks like in Calgary.
Over the past two seasons, he appeared in 54 NHL games between the Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild, gaining valuable experience at hockeyâs highest level. While his NHL role was primarily as a reliable depth forward, he continued to show he can produce offensively in the American Hockey League, operating at nearly a point-per-game pace with the Iowa Wild last season.
That offensive production is certainly a bonus, but itâs not the biggest reason Calgary brought him back.
The Wranglers are expected to feature one of the youngest rosters in the AHL, with several of the Flamesâ top prospects taking on larger roles. Players like Aydar Suniev, Andrew Basha, William Stromgren and others will all be navigating the daily grind of professional hockey, and thatâs where Jonesâ impact could be felt the most.
Entering his 10th professional season, Jones knows what it takes to stick around. He understands the habits, preparation and consistency required to earn opportunities at the NHL level. Those are lessons that canât always be taught by coaches alone.
Wild center Ben Jones (39) celebrates scoring his first NHL goal against the New York Islanders in the first period at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
As Calgary continues building toward the future, the organization needs more than talented prospects, it needs experienced veterans who can help shape them along the way. Ben Jones may not be the headline signing of the summer, but his presence in the Wranglersâ dressing room could prove to be one of the organizationâs most valuable additions for the 2026-27 season.
The Buffalo Sabres have been proactive with a number of their own players in getting them signed to long-term extensions prior to them getting close to becoming eligible for an offer sheet or unrestricted free agency. The club did it with former team captain Jack Eichel and center Dylan Cozens before they were traded, and have also done so with current Sabres Tage Thompson, Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson.
On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins locked up RFA forward Ville Koivunen to an eight-year, $32 million contract extension ($4 million AAV), being more proactive than Buffalo ever has, since the 23-year-old Finn has only 47 games of NHL experience and just 14 career points.
With the salary cap increasing exponentially, a $4 million cap hit is not an insignificant amount, but could be a homerun for GM Kyle Dubas if Koivunen becomes a consistent middle-six forward, but it also gives the Pens two years of evaluation time, as they can use a one-third buyout until he turns 26 years old.
The question for the 31 other clubs, including the Sabres, is whether they are willing to role the dice on any of their youngsters eligible for a new contract before the expiration of the eight-year max deal in the middle of next month. Even with eight years being the max, the only extensions that Buffalo has opted to go the full distance with is Eichel and Dahlin, and the only one coming out of their entry-level deal was Eichel.
Will the Sabres add scoring help before the start of training camp?
The youngsters eligible for an extension who have played similar NHL time coming off their ELC next summer are centers Noah Ostlund and Jiri Kulich. Winger Jack Quinn is entering the final year of a two-year bridge deal, and was connected in rumors to be part of the Connor Hellebuyck trade proposal with Winnipeg. Both Ostlund and Kulich are similar in age and lack of experience to Koivunen, which could give GM Jarmo Kekalainen the leverage to offer them a team-friendly deal.
This could be something that the Sabres are interested in doing, since both players are expected to be full-time NHLers this season with the departure of Alex Tuch. Their price tag could skyrocket with a solid regular season. If Buffalo chooses to be conservative, they can wait till next summer to get more proof of their worth, and each would be eligible to sign a seven-year deal, but they also would be eligible to sign an offer sheet with another NHL club as Leo Carlsson did with Philadelphia last month.
Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffaloTHN.com/Free
In this segment, THN - Pittsburgh Penguins' editors Kelsey Surmacz and Hunter Hodies discuss the shifting landscape of roster-building in the NHL and whether or not it's a viable approach for Kyle Dubas and the Penguins to take.
Read about the Penguins' approach to roster-building and the state of their rebuild here:
Patrick Damp of Locked On Penguins joins Kelsey Surmacz and Hunter Hodies - editors of THN's Pittsburgh Penguins site - to discuss why the one-year contract extension for Evgeni Malkin makes sense for both the player and the team.
The news reverberated out of no where when the Penguins signed Ville Koivunen for an eight-year contract and a healthy $4.0 million cap hit. No matter how you slice it, thereâs been a big bet made on a player prior to proving he truly deserved it, which opens up obvious questions about the reasoning behind making such a move.
Letâs dive in more and gain a new perspective that could help understanding just what this contract really means.
Ville Koivunen has some positive signs under the hood, but an incredibly limited NHL track record. The Penguins are clearly betting on him leveling up to at least middle-six caliber over this contract. pic.twitter.com/VzUKR0g9y4
This projection, if anything, shows that it doesnât take a lot to get a $4.0 million player in the expanding NHL salary cap world. Koivunen would only need to moderately improve his point production to start getting into justifying the money. It can be a hard pill to swallow given that heâs looked slow and not quite quick enough to be effective in the NHL so far, but thereâs some signs that he might be able to get there. Whether or not he will, of course, is another debate.
The comparable players to Koivunen might be the most fascinating part to consider for just where he might end up as a finished product. There are a bunch of similar players with a wide variety of career tracks.
Some of Koivunen's comps add some weight to this â if he can follow the Jack Drury/Jesper Fast track or follow in Viktor Arvidsson's footsteps, this will age well. The best-case scenario is Troy Terry. But there's obviously a pretty wide range outcomes here. pic.twitter.com/iAkDvfhIqn
Locking down a potential Troy Terry, Jack Drury or Jesper Fast would be a big win for the Penguins, let alone if Koivunen had a Viktor Arvidsson future lined up. Up until age-22, Arvidsson was a great AHL scorer with six goals in 64 games â then he popped off for 31 in 2026-17 and has gone onto have a nice career as a mid-line support player.
The trade off, and where the risk comes in, is that this best case scenario is far from guaranteed. If Koivunen trends more to the âjust a guyâ or worse area of following in the footsteps of Benn Ferriero or Anders Bjork, suddenly the contract looks like a big problem for a long-lasting huge cap hit on a player that isnât capable of making much of an impact at the NHL level. And that above grouping of player contains more misses than players deserving of a max term contract.
Then again, maybe it shouldnât look that way to gain a true understanding of the perspective of why an unestablished player signed a massive contract.
There is quietly an off-ramp built in, via a wrinkle in the NHLâs collective bargaining agreement. Players under the age of 26 can be bought out for one-third of the contract, unlike the standard 2/3 that an older player gets in a buyout. If the Pens were to buy out Koivunen in the summer of 2028, theyâd sidestep almost all of the issues created with this contract. This area probably wasnât lost under Kyle Dubas, but surely now would have been highlighted by the Pensâ new consultant Brandon Pridham â who was involved in writing the CBA.
Something to note on this contract â if the Pens buy him out in summer 2028, they'll be on the hook for 12 seasons but the cap hit will never exceed $750K
there's essentially a "get out of jail free" baked in if he actually doesn't turn out to be a player in the next two seasons https://t.co/4i2dqxGSKw
Based on the backloaded structure for the salary components on the contract, it is prime for a buyout. Per PuckPedia, here is what it would look like if the Pens bought Koivunen out in 2028.
(Note: screen cutoff, the annual $729,167 penalty continues through the 2039-40 season)
Dead cap money in hockey is usually seen as a plague to be avoided, but the rising cap mitigates the impact in a way where perceptions will need to be updated. The NHL salary cap should be in the $125 million range in 2028-29 and figures to grow beyond that in future years. Taking a $479k penalty would be negligible at best for the Penguins. The whole thing would become more of a footnote and trivia point hanging around the margins than anything else â should things come to that.
Due to the economies of scale it can be difficult to compare the NHL to the NFL in a business sense, but carrying plenty of dead cap hits is a standard operating procedure in the NFL. The Steelers, for instance, are projected at holding $12.2 million in dead space in 2026 (though, of course, the NFL salary cap being over $300 million makes that a drop in the bucket). Such a shift in mindset could wind itâs way into normality in hockey as their caps begin to grow and allow for more tolerance of inefficient penalty cap hits.
Of course, a team isnât going to be keen to make a bold move in signing an eight-year deal thinking they will have to buy it out in two seasons, yet practically that has to be remembered when thinking about the very essence of this contract. In essence, this could be seen as the Pens giving Koivunen $8 million for two years with a team option for five more in 2028 when they assess whether Koivunen is worth keeping or better off cutting losses for the most marginal of penalties. Such money at $8mx2 is still an excessive amount for Koivunenâs worth and value in the short-term, but one the Penguins can easily afford with all their current cap space to hedge a bet against the possibility that Koivunen justifies showing that he can be a capable NHL player from 2028-33.
Dubas even said he preferred to think of the deal as a âbetâ, a bit of a departure from the standard signing of a young player to a max-length extension. By that outlook what is a long contract isnât an eight-year promise to a core player but a risk the team was willing to do to see if it works.
If that happens, Pittsburgh would find themselves in a winning position to have a useful, prime-aged player locked up for what will be an exceedingly reasonable amount should Koivunen trend the way of a Jesper Fast type by 2028. It would be a home run and huge win if somehow Koivunen does even better than that and has Troy Terry or Viktor Arvidsson production at the age of 25 in a couple years. In the event it doesnât work out and Koivunenâs trajectory falls short, the team has an option to bail and chalk the whole thing up to taking a chance that didnât pay off with very minimal cost moving forward.
On Wednesday, the Penguins re-signed restricted free agent forward Ville Koivunen to an $32 million, eight-year contract that runs through the 2033-â34 season.
While long-term contracts are common in other professional sports, maximum-length, eight-year contracts in the NHL are typically restricted to players such as Igor Shesterkin, Nathan MacKinnon and Leon Draisaitl who have proven their worth.
Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Ville Koivunen (41) beats Tampa Bay Lightning center Jake Guentzel (59) to the puck. AP Photo/Chris O'Meara
Now, Koivunen joins the list with just 14 points in 47 games across parts of two seasons in the NHL.
The 23-year-old was acquired by the Penguins in the Jake Guentzel trade in 2024, after the Hurricanes drafted him in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft.
What the Penguins and general manager Kyle Dubas are betting on is that Koivunen starts to live up to his offensive potential.
âWith the cap going up significantly they donât think $4 million is a lot of money, and with the eight-year term theyâre betting on his upsideâ
Now Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas speaks to the media during an end-of-season availability in Toronto. AP
Prior to being drafted the 6-foot, 184-pound forward produced 113 points in 164 career games in Liiga, the top professional league in Sweden, and has added 98 points in 109 career games in the AHL since.
For Pittsburgh fans used to the likes of Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, though, potential isnât enough
â8 years!?!?â one fan said on X. âThis is a crazy gamble for a guy who has been giving multiple opportunities on the big boy team and has been non productive and been sent down.â
Others werenât as respectful asking â WHAT THE FâK ARE WE DOING!?â or pointing out that Koivunen âgot more years than points last seasonâ under the Penguins post.
Part of the fansâ frustration could stem from their expectation of a big summer after making a return to the playoffs last year.
The Penguins were in trade rumors for some of the NHLâs top stars such as Jason Robertson and were thought to be looking into moving up in the draft, none of which came to fruition.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have handed out an unusually lucrative and lengthy contract extension to a young forward who has had limited NHL production so far in his career.Â
The team announced on Thursday, Aug. 6 that it had reached an eight-year contract with Ville Koivunen worth an average of $4 million per season. Koivunen was a restricted free agent.Â
The 23-year-old was drafted 51st overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2021 and was acquired by the Penguins in the deal that sent Jake Guentzel to Raleigh in 2024. He had seven assists in eight games after the trade.
Last season, Koivunen scored two goals and tallied five assists for the Penguins at the NHL level and had 13 goals and 28 assists in 34 games for their Wilkes-Barre/Scranton American Hockey League affiliate. He helped the AHL Penguins reach the conference finals with four goals and five assists in 15 playoff games.Â
It appears that late-season surge was enough to give general manager Kyle Dubas the confidence that Koivunen could be a significant contributor at an affordable rate for the foreseeable future. Koivunen, however, did not appear in any of the Penguinsâ first-round Stanley Cup playoff games against the rival Philadelphia Flyers or score in any of his last nine NHL appearances.Â
Widening the lens, Koivunenâs total minor league resume does show some promise with 35 goals and 63 assists for a total of 98 points in 109 games between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.Â
The #Pens signed 23 y/o F Ville Koivunen to an 8 year $4M cap hit contract
Yr 1 850K Salary, 2M Signing Bonus Yr 2 900K/2M Yr 3 4.25M Yr 4 4.35M Yr 5 4.4M Yr 6-7 4.5M Yr 8 4.25M
Deal covers 4 UFA seasons, does not include any trade clauses
Still, the urgency to make such a commitment is a bit of a head scratcher for a team that has no other players signed past 2029-30 as franchise legends Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin wind down their careers.
While Dubas has repeatedly signaled a focus beyond their immediate window to win one more championship, he will face questions about whether Koivunen has earned this bet to be a big part of both the teamâs present and distant future.
