William Karlsson's name has been floated out by many insiders, and although no concrete reports have come from the Vegas Golden Knights, a trusted insider revealed fresh information.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman revealed on his podcast, 32 Thoughts, that "All I'm going to say is that I got pushback from teams about Karlsson," Friedman said. "Now, I haven't spoken to Vegas directly, and it's always possible... I asked a few people about Karlsson, and either they told me they're not under the impression he's available, or, I suspect, in at least one or two cases, they asked and were told no."
"I asked around about Karlsson, and just the people I spoke to, they told me they had either no indication Vegas was willing to do it, or had been specifically told Vegas wasn't doing it. So if Karlsson's available, and I stress if... you'd have to show me what the situation would be."
HC Bruce Cassidy trusts Karlsson quite a bit, and it would take a lot of convincing from GM Kelly McCrimmon to convince him that moving him is the right move. Karlsson is trusted defensively at even strength and on the penalty kill, and chips in offensively when needed. Several reports have indicated that the Golden Knights are going to make a strong push for Mitch Marner, and they would need to free up cap space to do so.
Karlsson's $5.9M cap hit would do so, and he could fetch a very strong return in a market that craves two-way centermen.
Marner is a winger but is regarded as one of the best pure playmakers in the NHL. He is also one of the best defensive wingers, with the ability to shut down the opponent's top line and kill penalties.
With several reports stemming from numerous insiders on multiple players, the Golden Knights could be in line to be very busy this offseason.
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Coming into this game, the Canucks’ playoff odds were slimmer than a hair. If they won this game, they would continue to be in contention — barely. Dallas, on the other hand, had already clinched their playoff spot and looked to be Stanley Cup favourites after acquiring Mikko Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes. Because of this, Vancouver’s chances at winning looked slim even before they’d stepped onto the ice.
The Stars took the lead in the first period with a goal from Rantanen 13:48 into the first period. Mason Marchment added to their total around five minutes after, sending Dallas to the first intermission with a 2–0 lead. Nearly halfway through the second period, Matt Duchene scored to make the score 3–0 for the Stars.
Vancouver’s first goal didn’t come until the third period, when Jake DeBrusk found the back of the net 17 seconds into the final regulation frame. Victor Mancini added to this total while on the power play four minutes later. With the game now 3–2, the Canucks had a chance to tie things up and gain a valuable two points. After around 13 minutes, Maverick Bourque scored to give Dallas a two-goal cushion. Mikael Granlund made it 5–2 after scoring an empty net on the Canucks, who’d hoped to even things up.
What came next may have been one of the most impressive things the Canucks did this season. With only a minute left in regulation and a three-goal deficit, Aatu Räty scored Vancouver’s third goal of the game. 30 seconds later, it was Pius Suter who found the back of the net. With six seconds left to go in the game, Suter scored yet again to tie the game at 5–5. No other team in NHL history had ever come back from being down by three goals in the final minute of regulation. That is, not until the Canucks did so during this game.
While this comeback may have come a bit too late, as the Canucks were eliminated from postseason contention the night after, this win was still a testament to the team’s character. If they can continue to carry this spirit into the 2025–26 season, Vancouver will be a difficult team for others to face.
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Coming out of the NHL Scouting Combine last weekend, the Buffalo Sabres got the lowdown on a number of prospects that could be their with the ninth selection at the 2025 Draft in Los Angeles later this month, but barring a trade up they will have to rely on the player they want slipping through the cracks.
The NY Islanders are likely to select defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the top overall pick, but there is no accurate read on how the remaining seven picks will break. That seems to be reflected in various mock drafts that have emerged since the combine. After Schaefer, names like Michael Misa, Caleb Desnoyers, and rising star Anton Frondell are likely to go in the top five, but at that point, any of a number of players could be there for the Sabres at #9.
Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman Radim Mrtka is a possibility for the Sabres, based on the fact that the club is looking to address the right side of the blueline. According to the Hockey News Draft Preview, the 6’6” defenseman can skate and move the puck, which could make his path to the NHL a relatively short one.
"I want to be better offensively and get better in every (aspect) of the game,” Mrtka said on Saturday. "(Coming over to Seattle) helped me a lot. They gave me a lot of time and chances, and I think it went pretty good. It's my dream to be in the NHL. So it's kind of preparation for me to live here and stay here."
Mrtka joined the WHL’s Thunderbirds after starting the season in the Czech League, and while he put up solid offensive numbers in the WHL, scouts aren’t expecting him to duplicate that in the NHL. There’s still a lot to like about the big 18-year-old as a future middle-pair blueliner, who models his game after Victor Hedman and Moritz Seider.
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It seems as if the Rangers brass are using some interesting tactics during their interviews, to say the least.
“Multiple prospects confirmed that they played a game during an interview,” Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers wrote via X. “They were presented a 10 X 10 board of numbers, randomly placed 1-100. They were asked to find 3 different numbers on that random board as quickly as possible. The team? The New York Rangers.”
The Rangers hold the 12th overall pick in the first round and have a decision to make whether to give away this year’s first-round pick or next year’s selection due to the J.T. Miller trade.
The Bluehsirts hold nine picks in the 2025 NHL Draft.
With both the NHL Draft and free agency on the horizon, trade speculation is running rampant in hockey circles at the moment.
And one of the latest reports by an NHL insider is beginning to crowd the airways.
Speaking on SN590 Tuesday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman suggested that Dallas Stars superstar forward Jason Robertson's name is out there and that he could potentially be moved to provide some relief for a very cap-strapped Stars team.
Roberston, 25, has been one of the league's best goal-scorers for the past several seasons, and he registered 35 goals and 80 points in 82 games during the regular season. The 6-foot-3, 207-pound left wing has one year remaining on a contract that pays him $7.75 million annually before becoming a restricted free agent (RFA) in 2026, and - with the cap spiking for the next three seasons - he is due for a raise.
However, with only $4.95 million in projected cap space for this season and with several pending-RFAs and UFAs - such as forwards Mikael Granlund (UFA), Matt Duchene (UFA), Jamie Benn (UFA), and Mavrik Bourque (RFA) and defensemen Cody Ceci (UFA) and Nils Lundkvist (RFA) - it gets a bit more complicated, as the Stars would ideally like to hang onto some of them.
In addition, they will need to fill out the rest of their roster for 2025-26, and the Stars will need to extend young star defenseman Thomas Harley, who will also become an RFA in 2026.
In other words, the chances of Robertson being dealt may still be slim and very speculative at this point, but they're not zero. And, if he is available, is he someone the Pittsburgh Penguins can make a serious push for?
Honestly, it may not be as far-fetched as it seems.
Per data from Puckpedia, Pittsburgh has more draft capital than any other team in hockey over the next three years, and that includes 18 picks within the first three rounds. They have $24.5 million in cap space to work with this summer, and they will have nearly $53.9 million next summer, which will pretty much all be free spending cap because they will have no obligations to extend anyone on their current roster at that point.
Conceivably, cap should be a non-issue for acquiring someone like Robertson, who more than fits the mold of young talent that Penguins' POHO and GM Kyle Dubas is looking for in the trade market. The biggest question is whether or not they have the assets to pull something like that off.
And, hey, they just might.
Dallas will definitely be looking for a hefty return for Robertson, should they pull the trigger on any sort of trade - and it will most certainly have to include a mix of everything - NHL talent, prospect talent, and picks. Although the Penguins may not have a golden prospect pool, they may be able to somewhat compensate for that elsewhere.
If Dallas is looking to shed some of Robertson's $7.75 million cap - but still net NHL talent in return - they could consider Penguins forward Rickard Rakell. Rakell makes $5 million for three more years and matched Robertson's 2024-25 goal total with 35 while also notching 70 points, meaning the 32-year-old winger can help Dallas in their current win-now mode.
If the Penguins retained some salary, that should still open up approximately $4 million, and the Stars would be getting some goal-scoring replacement to be deployed in their top-six. Rakell would have to be shipped off with other assets, too - likely a first (which could, perhaps, be the New York Rangers' conditional first), another pick in the second or third round, and a prospect along the lines of, at the very least, goaltender Joel Blomqvist or forward Tristan Broz.
In addition, Robertson does not have any form of a no-trade or no-movement clause on his current contract, making it a bit easier for Dallas to deal him.
Realistically, if Robertson is available - and the Penguins are interested - they could, conceivably, put together a package to get a deal across the finish line. They have a player in Rakell who can fill a need for Dallas for a cheaper price tag than Robertson, and they have the assets to balance out the value in return.
Of course, this will be a situation to monitor in the coming weeks before the draft and prior to free agency. But, if the opportunity arises to acquire a young, star talent, Dubas should not hesitate.
The Boston Bruins are loaded with first-round draft picks. It’s a pretty unique situation for the B’s to find themselves in.
After all, the Bruins have not made first-round picks in back-to-back years since 2016 and 2017, and they’ve picked in Round 1 in just four of the last seven drafts.
But after dealing away several veterans at the March 7 NHL trade deadline, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney now has a high amount of draft capital to restock the team’s lackluster prospect pool. He could also use some of these picks in potential trade packages to acquire established talent that could help Boston get back into the playoff mix quickly.
In total, the Bruins could have five first-round picks and four second-round picks over the next three drafts:
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“It’s always going to be what’s best for the organization. We’re in a unique position this year drafting in the top 10,” Sweeney said. “We haven’t been there for a significant amount of time. We’re excited about that. We have two second-round picks. Two first-round picks the following year. We’ve been an aggressive organization. Whether you want to point out fault in regards to trying to win and accomplish the ultimate goal, that’s what we’re here for.
“We will use the draft capital and try to improve our hockey club this year and moving forward in every capacity possible. It might be making the selection, but it won’t mean that we aren’t having conversations that say, ‘How do we improve our hockey club today and moving forward?’”
The crown jewel of the Bruins’ draft picks is their 2025 first-rounder, which is No. 7 overall. The last time the Bruins’ own selection was in the top seven was 2006, when they took forward Phil Kessel at No. 5.
Would it make sense to trade the No. 7 pick? The only scenario in which dealing away this pick would be smart is if a young star under contract was part of the return package. That said, a strong case can be made for keeping this pick and using it to bolster a prospect pool considered by many experts to be among the worst in the league. In fact, the Bruins’ prospect pool ranked 30th out of 32 teams in Scott Wheeler’s latest evaluation for The Athletic in February.
The Bruins’ No. 1 need at the NHL level and throughout the organization is a top-six center. And luckily for the Bruins, the 2025 draft class is loaded with quality centers.
Players such as James Hagens (Boston College), Brady Martin (Soo Greyhounds), Jake O’Brien (Brantford Bulldogs) and Roger McQueen (Brandon Wheat Kings) could be available at No. 7 and give the B’s a future top-six center.
The Bruins will be busy on Day 2 of the upcoming draft, assuming they keep their picks. Boston owns two second-rounders — the St. Louis Blues’ pick at No. 51 and the Carolina Hurricanes’ pick at No. 61 — one third-rounder at No. 69 and one fourth-rounder (the Philadelphia Flyers’ pick at No. 100). Boston owns its fifth-, sixth- and seventh-round picks, too.
Sweeney has to balance building for the future while executing a short-term retool. He has the draft capital to travel both paths simultaneously. The real question is whether Sweeney and his scouts will pick the right players. The Bruins’ draft history during his 10-year tenure as GM has been subpar.
New Seattle Kraken head coach Lane Lambert's tenure as an associate coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs was one of the "most enjoyable years" he's had with a staff in the NHL.
The 60-year-old, who spent one season on Toronto's bench, spoke with TSN's Mark Masters on Monday afternoon about his time in the Maple Leafs organization and what made it such a special year of coaching.
"I thought it was a great experience. Original Six city, it was fun. And the passion the fans have, it was a very good experience," Lambert said. "I lived downtown, so I was right across the street from [the Rogers Centre] and was able to walk back and forth to the rink and whatnot, so just enjoyed my time there."
The Kraken head coach had not worked with Maple Leafs bench boss Craig Berube before last season. He called the Stanley Cup-winning coach someone that's great to work beneath.
"Very direct. You knew exactly what he wanted from you," he said.
"Just a lot of keeping things light under pressure, enjoying ourselves, doing things together outside of the game, kind of getting away from the game a little bit. And I think that was probably the main thing, it was just an enjoyable experience for me."
Lambert was responsible for Toronto's penalty kill during his one season with the club. Most days during the regular season, the former associate coach spoke passionately about the penalty kill during practice or morning skates.
While in charge, he transformed Toronto's penalty kill from 23rd in the league (76.9 percent during the 2023-24 season) to 17th (77.9 percent) in the NHL this past season. Lambert was also a big part of the Maple Leafs' defensive improvements following the additions of Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Brandon Carlo at the trade deadline.
"It's just about preparation and having the right structure, demanding the detail, and keeping players accountable. That's really the biggest side of it," said Lambert.
"But I think it's so important to make sure there's an understanding of why we're doing what we're doing, and today's player wants to know that, so we made sure that they did know that, and I thought the team did a pretty good job."
The Maple Leafs lost in the second round for the second time in three years to the Florida Panthers. Toronto took the Stanley Cup Champions to seven games before being walloped out of the playoffs in Game 7.
"You have different moments in playoff series that you look back on and you say, 'Oh gee, maybe if this moment didn't happen, it'd be a different story,' and I think we have some of those moments," Lambert said.
"(Anthony) Stolarz getting hurt, the overtime-winning goal by (Brad) Marchand in Game 3 to stop us from going up 3-0. I thought we were well prepared for what they had. Clearly, we were in a position to win, and just didn't get it done."
After falling to Florida 6-1 in Game 5, Toronto extended the series with a 2-0 win in Game 6. The Maple Leafs had an opportunity to close the series out in front of their fans, but their season ended with a lopsided 6-1 loss.
"I'm sure you've asked Chief. I'm sure you've asked [Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving], all those guys," Lambert told Masters." I think they probably would've given you a good answer on that. I don't want to get into that."
Following the Maple Leafs' seven-game series against the Florida Panthers, a big talking point was the pressure of playing under the microscope in Toronto. Whilst Lambert said he didn't spend time watching TV or on social media, the pressure can still affect you. But he didn't feel it.
"I don't pay attention to social media, really. Turned the TV off when I got home (laughs). I think you can be affected by that if you let it," Lambert said.
"But the one thing I was told is, you're not going to be able to go to a restaurant without somebody saying anything to you. Never [happened]. If anybody knew me, which apparently they didn't, they were super respectful about it."
Auston Matthews' season was filled with ups and downs as he dealt with an injury for the entire year. The 27-year-old finished with 33 goals and 45 assists for 78 points in 67 games. Lambert was impressed with Matthews' attitude as captain in Toronto and his game in all areas of the ice.f
"There's a lot of things that impressed me about him, but I was most impressed with his team-first attitude and the fact that he plays a 200-foot game," he said. "I think he unfairly doesn't get considered in certain defensive categories or defensive awards, I should say in the NHL. I think as we go forward here, he's going to get more and more recognition."
Lambert was also moved by Mitch Marner, whose defensive intelligence struck a good chord with the former associate coach. Although Marner's future in Toronto remains up in the air, Lambert says the 28-year-old is a player who wants to win.
"He wants to be the guy on the ice to get the job done," Lambert said. "Obviously, we had some tough losses there, but it wasn't for a lack of will."
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Blackhawks' Jonathan Toews aims return to NHL action next season with next team betting odds revealing surprising contenders.
The three-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Chicago Blackhawks, Jonathan Toews is looking to make a return to hockey. The reports came as Toews is coming back after battling a number of ailments including long COVID and Chronic Immune Response Syndrome.
Toews was one of the league's best players in his prime with a dominant two-way game that labeled him as one of the best defensive forwards of his generation. Any team would be lucky to have his experience, veteran leadership and hopefully decent production on the scoresheet.
No one knows where the now 37-year-old centre will go but new betting odds posted by several sportsbooks give us a subtle indication of where he might go.
Jonathan Toews Next Team Betting Odds Per FanDuel Sportsbook
The leader is Toews' hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba where he can play for a legitimate cup contender as well as be close to his family. One of the surprising names towards the top is the Red Wings, with the seventh-best odds at +1900, making them an intriguing option with one storyline in mind.
Chicago's dynasty in the 2010s was highlighted by the dynamic duo of Toews and Patrick Kane. The duo hasn't played together since 2023 when Kane was dealt to the New York Rangers. A reunion would instantly become one of the league’s most compelling storylines and could give the Red Wings a dependable second-line centre option.
It's been noted by several NHL insiders this off-season that the second line centre position will be one that many teams are looking to fill.
The Red Wings are one of these teams in need with Marco Kasper and J.T. Compher being their only current options. Adding a player of Toews' caliber would be massive and would likely add some line chemistry by placing him with Kane once again.
Detroit has just $23.1 million in cap space heading into the off-season, which means they'll potentially have a chance to land the longtime Blackhawks captain However, they could be outbid, as the Red Wings will likely need to prioritize their spending elsewhere such as re-signing Kane before exploring other free-agent additions.
Kane remaining with the team could help entice Toews to join Detroit, offering him the chance to reunite with a familiar face while becoming part of a team trending toward playoff contention.
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It was always going to be a long shot for one of the Ducks’ rookies to win the 2024-25 Calder Memorial Trophy.
While many pegged the San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini or the Philadelphia Flyers’ Matvei Michkov to win the award in their preseason predictions, few had defenseman Lane Hutson, who ultimately won the award, as their top pick.
Cutter Gauthier fell into the tier of contention just below the true Calder candidates, playing in all 82 games of his rookie season and notching his first 20-goal campaign in the NHL. After a slow start that saw him yo-yo’d throughout the Ducks lineup, he settled into a complementary role alongside Mason McTavish and eventually found himself as one half of a dynamic duo alongside Leo Carlsson following the 4 Nations Face-off break.
A strong second half in which he had 22 points in 28 games led to six fourth-place votes and 74 fifth-place votes in the Calder Trophy voting. Gauthier also carried over his momentum from the end of the NHL season into the IIHF Worlds, where he helped Team USA win their first Worlds gold in over 90 years.
Defenseman Drew Helleson began the 2024-25 season in the AHL, but was recalled in November and spent the rest of the season up with the big club. He eventually carved out a regular spot in the Ducks’ lineup due to injuries to fellow defensemen and Cam Fowler’s departure via trade. Helleson averaged a shade over 16 minutes of time on ice after the 4 Nations Face-off break, proving to be a go-to option in late-game and penalty killing situations for former head coach Greg Cronin.
Helleson’s play in his rookie season was deemed good enough to earn one fifth-place vote in the Calder Trophy voting. He was tied for second in goals and points among all rookie defensemen and led all rookie defensemen in plus-minus with a plus-6 rating.
Though he was utilized heavily by Cronin and assistant Brent Thompson, both are no longer with the team and the path to a regular lineup spot may be a bit steeper now with Joel Quenneville coming in and all players likely getting a clean slate come training camp. Helleson is also a restricted free agent this summer.
Gauthier and Helleson are just two of the many promising, young players that the Ducks have at their disposal. With players like Beckett Sennecke, Ian Moore and others also looking like they’re ready to make the jump to the next level, they may have another player receiving Calder Trophy votes quite soon.
Featured image caption: Feb 27, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks left wing Cutter Gauthier (61) celebrates his goal scored against the Vancouver Canucks with defenseman Drew Helleson (43) and center Isac Lundestrom (21) during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
The Professional Hockey Writers Association selected Hutson as the NHL's most proficient player in their first year of competition. He is the second Canadiens player to win the Calder Trophy since 1967-68 after Ken Dryden won it in 1971-72. He's also the fifth active D-man to win the award, with Detroit Red Wings blueliner Moritz Seider being the last one in 2021-22.
But Hutson didn't just win – he won in a landslide.
Of the 191 ballots, Hutson received 165 first-place votes and 26 second-place votes. Nobody had him below second.
Hutson had 150 more first-place votes than Calgary Flames netminder Duston Wolf, who finished second in the voting. Wolf had the most second-place votes, with 96, while the San Jose Sharks' first-overall pick in 2024, Macklin Celebrini, finished third.
Only three other defensemen since 1943-44 led the NHL's rookies in scoring: Bobby Orr, Brian Leetch and Quinn Hughes. Of that group, Hutson's 66 points rank second, and his 0.80 points per game also rank second.
Hutson set a Canadiens franchise record for most points by a rookie defenseman, while only forwards Kjell Dahlin and Mats Naslund had more points, with 71. Hutson's 60 helpers also tied Larry Murphy for the most by a rookie defenseman in NHL history.
The 5-foot-9, left-hand shot stepped up his production against the Canadiens' opponents in their own division.
Hutson recorded one goal and 28 assists for 29 points in 26 games against teams in the Atlantic Division, which comes to around 1.12 points per game. Against teams in the rest of the NHL, he had five goals and 32 assists for 37 points in 56 games, or 0.66 points per game.
As for the rest of the rookies to receive votes, Philadelphia Flyers sniper Matvei Michkov finished fourth, with zero first-place votes but eight in second place, 26 in third, 151 in fourth and six in fifth. Michkov led all rookies in goals, with 26.
Anaheim Ducks left winger Cutter Gauthier finished fifth, followed by the Sharks' Will Smith, Carolina Hurricanes' Logan Stankoven and St. Louis Blues' Zack Bolduc. Five players only received fifth-place votes, including the Hurricanes' Jackson Blake and Red Wings' Marco Kasper.
The NHL will recognize Hutson's rookie of the year honors again during the 2025 NHL Awards show, a one-hour program airing on June 12 at 6 p.m. ET.
The NHL offseason is in full swing as the finish line on the Stanley Cup Final is now within sight after three games. The NHL Combine is in the books, the Gold Star prospect showcase is a week and a half away, the Draft is just over two weeks away, and free agency will begin on July 1.
The salary cap ceiling is expected to increase significantly from $88 million in 2024-25 to $95.5 million in 2025-26 and is projected to continue rising year after year for the next few years. Teams are now in positions foreign to them when compared to the last handful of seasons, as now the majority of NHL clubs have considerable cap space to spend.
The most high-profile pending unrestricted free agent on the market is Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner, and he may be one of the most prolific free agents in NHL history.
With the increased number of teams now able to afford Marner’s projected cap hit (7 years, $12,952,528 AAV), most of the league has been speculated as having interest in the 28-year-old, 100-point-producing former Selke finalist.
James Mirtle of The Athletic recently wrote about the nine most intriguing teams in the NHL heading into the offseason, citing the Anaheim Ducks as one of the nine. After making a considerable jump in the standings (59 points to 80), seeing the future core become the current core, and the hiring of Joel Quenneville as head coach, Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek has been given the green light by ownership to spend big in free agency—to the salary cap ceiling, if necessary—and the mandate to make the playoffs in 2025-26 after seven consecutive seasons on the outside looking in.
Mirtle reported “chatter” around the draft combine indicating the Ducks will send an offer Marner’s way that would make him the highest-paid player in the NHL, should he choose to sign it.
“Some of the chatter is that (the Ducks will) potentially be the high bidder for Mitch Marner, with an unheard-of average annual value north of the $14 million that Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl currently makes as the NHL’s highest-paid player,” Mirtle wrote.
The Ducks were notably rejected by a pair of unrestricted free agents—Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault—in the summer of 2024 after reportedly offering them each more term and AAV than they ended up signing for with the Nashville Predators. It seems the Ducks are preparing themselves to return to the table this summer as the NHL’s high bidder, this time hoping to reel in a bigger, younger fish.
The Ducks aren’t as close to contending for the Stanley Cup as some of the teams they’ll be reportedly bidding against in the Marner sweepstakes and they don’t have the tax advantage (if one believes there’s an advantage for teams who play in states without state income tax) of others, so submitting the offer with the most term and dollar amount will give them their greatest chance of signing him.
The Ducks have to leverage what they have if they truly intend to land Marner this summer: cap space, a willingness to spend that cap space, and a willingness to get creative, if necessary.
The Ducks demonstrated unique creativity when they structured Frank Vatrano’s three-year, $18 million contract extension during the 2024-25 season that will see him paid $900k every year for ten years, starting in 2035. His contract was structured this way to decrease his AAV from $6 million to $4.57 million. It will be worth monitoring whether the Ducks go a similar route with their potential offer for Marner.
Sticker shock will undoubtedly follow a contract offer for Marner with an AAV north of $14 million. It will give some pause, as the Ducks have several core pieces (Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Trevor Zegras, Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger) who may require substantial new contracts in the summer of 2026. That’s a bridge the Ducks may have to cross if/when they get there, as that is one of the better problems to have: too many young, talented players who’ve taken steps toward stardom and need big-money deals.
The Ducks are in a position within their build where their goal is to push for the playoffs, and Marner would be the biggest piece to help them get there. His potential signing would immediately become the largest and perhaps the most impactful transaction in franchise history, and he would immediately become a top-five talent (maybe higher) in franchise history.
It’s a shot worth taking, regardless of potential ramifications down the road. There’s a high likelihood that Mitch Marner doesn’t sign with the Anaheim Ducks. However, it would be in their best interest to offer the biggest contract on the table and, if he chooses to reject, force him to pass on becoming the highest-paid player in the NHL.
The New York Rangers were among the busiest teams in the NHL trade market during the regular season.
Jacob Trouba, Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil, Reilly Smith and Ryan Lindgren were among the notables the Rangers shipped out between December and the March NHL trade deadline.
GM Chris Drury was expected to continue retooling his roster during the off-season, hoping to get his club quickly back on track as a Stanley Cup contender.
The Hockey News’ Remy Mastey cited The Athletic's Arthur Staple, saying goaltender Igor Shesterkin, defenseman Adam Fox and left winger Artemi Panarin are the Rangers' only untouchables. Staple also indicated that the talk around the recent NHL draft combine in Buffalo had the Rangers, Sabres, Utah Mammoth and Seattle Kraken among the teams planning to shake up their rosters in the coming weeks.
Defenseman K'Andre Miller and left winger Alexis Lafreniere could become trade candidates. Rumors were swirling about the two young Rangers last month. Miller is an RFA with arbitration rights coming off a disappointing season, while Lafreniere signed a seven-year contract extension last fall.
Larry Brooks of the New York Post believes it seems inevitable that Miller will be traded. He cited several sources claiming the blueliner could become an offer-sheet target if he's not moved before July 1.
PuckPedia indicates the Rangers have $8.44 million of cap space with 19 active roster players under contract for 2025-26. Re-signing RFA left winger Will Cuylle is a priority, making Miller an enticing offer-sheet target if he and the Blueshirts reach an impasse in contract talks.
Trading Miller would leave the Rangers without a skilled left-shot defenseman to skate alongside Fox on their top defense pairing. Unless Drury gets a blueliner to address that need, Brooks thinks they might have to overpay for someone like Vladislav Gavrikov if the Los Angeles Kings rearguard becomes a UFA on July 1.
Brooks also claimed that Lafreniere was “surely available” this summer. He said the 23-year-old was the topic of several conversations during the draft combine but didn't know if those inquiries were “incoming or outgoing.”
The first pick in the 2020 draft, Lafreniere has teased a breakout performance but has yet to burst through as a star. His $7.45-million cap hit could become an obstacle for Drury's trade plans this summer.
Miller or Lafreniere could be part of a package offer for a young scorer. Mastey cited USA Today's Vince Mercogliano claiming the Rangers are among the teams interested in Dallas Stars left winger Jason Robertson. However, a recent report claimed the Stars aren't keen to move the 25-year-old Robertson and have had no trade talks with other teams.
(Header/feature image courtesy of Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News)
Philadelphia Flyers winger Matvei Michkov is set to take part in one of the summer’s most anticipated hockey events when Russian NHL stars face off against KHL stars in Moscow on July 13. The game, fittingly dubbed the “Match of the Year,” promises to be a celebration of the sport while raising money for a good cause.
Giving back is at the heart of the “Match of the Year.” All proceeds from the event are donated to charity, with last year’s game raising 10 million rubles—around $127,000.
This year’s edition boasts an all-star roster, and Michkov is joining some of the game’s brightest Russian talents, including Alex Ovechkin, Andrei Svechnikov, Kirill Kaprizov, and Sergei Bobrovsky. It’s an enviable lineup for any hockey fan, but for Michkov—a rising star in the NHL—sharing the ice with these legends is both an honor and an opportunity to showcase his game alongside some of his most storied NHL countrymen.
Michkov is coming off a strong rookie campaign in North America, where he finished the 2024-25 campaign with 63 points, including 26 goals, which led all NHL rookies this past season. He was also able to finish out the season feeling exponentially more comfortable with the demands of an NHL season, improving his English and adjusting to the mental and physical grind of an 82-game stretch.
Sam Bennett, who is a pending UFA, continues to increase his value on the open market with a playoff-leading 14 goals. But according to his coach, potential buyers should be aware that there is more than meets the eye before offering Bennett a $10-million salary.
“He’s got a horrible attitude,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice sarcastically told TNT reporter Jackie Redmond during a TV timeout in Monday's Game 3 between Florida and Edmonton. “I think he’s got the bubonic plague, Dengue fever, he’s got a whole bunch of things. I don’t think he can be cured.”
Given more time, Maurice might have added that Bennett also reclines his seat on commercial flights, doesn’t tip 15 percent on meals and spends his off days kicking kittens. None of it might be true. But whatever it takes to keep Bennett in a Florida Panthers jersey.
Good luck with that.
Following a two-goal performance in a 6-1 win in Game 3, Bennett moved the Panthers to within two wins of claiming a second straight Stanley Cup championship. He also put himself in the driver's seat of winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
If he achieves both, you can bet that Bennett will be rewarded in free agency.
The only question is whether he will re-sign with the Panthers, where he's spent the past five years, or take his talents to the open market.
On Monday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman stressed again in a pre-game interview with the TNT panel that Florida and other tax-free states do not have a competitive advantage. But try telling that to Canadian fans who have watched as teams from the state of Florida and Nevada have reached the final in each of the past six years.
🎙️ Gary Bettman on state tax and the salary cap: “It’s a ridiculous issue. When the Florida teams weren’t good, which was for about 17 years, nobody said anything about it.” @NHL_On_TNTpic.twitter.com/A82jPYfwdh
“It’s a ridiculous issue," said Bettman. "When the Florida teams weren’t good, which was for about 17 years, nobody said anything about it.”
Ridiculous as it might be, the Panthers don't have a single player earning more than $10 million this season. But they also have seven UFAs, including Bennett, Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad, who will need new contracts. And after making three straight final appearances, none of them will come cheap.
Bennett is likely to earn the most out of all of them. With every goal, with every hit and with every Panthers win, his value continues to grow. At the start of the playoffs, the thinking was that Bennett might be worth somewhere around $6 million. Now, it looks like Bennett could eclipse captain Aleksander Barkov, who is earning $10 million, as the highest-paid Panther.
After all, Benett is every thing that a championship-contending team is looking for.
He hits, he fights and he comes up with clutch goals. Sometimes, he does all three on a single shift, as he showed in Game 3 when he delivered back-to-back bodychecks to cause a turnover in the defensive zone, then went the length of the ice and scored on a breakaway to put the game out of reach.
— Panthers Historian (@FlaCatsHistory) June 10, 2025
“He’s so good all over the ice, but he doesn’t cheat the game for the two goals,” Maurice told Redmond. “He’s under pucks, he’s does all the hard, right things. That's just who he is."
Too bad he’s supposedly infected with every infectious disease known to man.
Photo credits: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images and Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
The Boston Bruins were not a good defensive team in the 2024-25 NHL season. The goaltending was subpar, too, highlighted by Jeremy Swayman’s career-worst campaign with the B’s.
But perhaps the biggest weakness that sunk the Bruins this past season was an inability to consistently score goals, both at even strength and the power play.
Re-establishing a strong, fundamentally sound defensive structure that’s hard to play against and getting Swayman back on track will be critical in the Bruins’ road back to prominence. But ultimately, teams have to score goals to win games.
“I think in the Bruins DNA is playing well defensively, that’s not going to change, but we have to find a way to be more productive offensively,” Sturm said Tuesday during his introductory press conference. “That’s going to be our goal and what we’re going to address from Day 1, and obviously special teams will be a big part, too.”
The Bruins not being able to generate enough offense didn’t just begin last season. It was an issue during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, too, especially in the second-round loss to the eventual champion Florida Panthers.
But the 2024-25 campaign was where it became a severe problem for an entire season.
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The phrase “evolving offensively” was used several times during Sturm’s press conference Tuesday. What exactly does that mean? How does Sturm plan to ignite this struggling offense? A good chunk of it starts in the defensive zone by forechecking hard, winning battles, getting the puck up ice quickly and playing with speed.
“When I talk about scoring more goals, scoring goals is not just (playing) in the offensive zone,” Sturm said. “Yes, that’s where the puck is going to end up, but for me it always starts with: How are we going to get there? That’s a big part, too, not just focusing on one area. There’s areas we can definitely get better.
“It’s coming out with the puck. We want to have the puck more. We have to have better zone entries and not turn pucks over. I think that part was a big issue. In the offensive zone, we’ll put that structure in place, but we also have to be more hungry and we got to have a better mindset. … I want them to have that offensive mindset and mentality when we have the puck. We want to play with pace with and without the puck, and not just think but play the game fast.”
The power play was a significant area of weakness last season for the Bruins offense.
The Bruins ranked 29th in both power-play percentage and power-play goals. The issue wasn’t drawing enough penalties. The B’s ranked 11th in power-play opportunities and sixth in power-play ice time. The problem was poor execution, specifically with zone entries and winning enough puck battles to maintain possession in the offensive zone with the man advantage.
“A lot of it was entries, a lot of it was some injuries, but those are not excuses,” Sweeney said of the power-play struggles. “We have to find a way to be more connected, more predictable (to each other) and understand what our strengths are as a group. We spent a lof of time on it.
“The personnel could change between now and Opening Night, but there are some guys who will have to go in and execute who are currently on our roster. We’re going to attack that.
“… There was a lot of time spent on addressing special teams overall because it had been a strength of our team for a lot of years and we took a significant step back last year.”
Sweeney also confirmed that Jay Leach, Chris Kelly and Bob Essensa are staying on the coaching staff, and that they are looking to hire one more assistant. Sturm wants that hire to be a person with “some power play experience.”
A key aspect in improving offensively will be player development. It’s an area Sturm excelled in with the Los Angeles Kings organization over the last seven years.
Plenty of young players will be in the mix for roster spots in training camp. Sturm did a great job helping the Kings’ top young players — Quinton Byfield and Brandt Clarke, for example — get ready for the NHL and thrive when they made the jump full time. Can he do the same with Fraser Minten, Fabian Lysell and Matt Poitras, among others?
The Bruins brought in Casey Mittelstadt at the trade deadline as part of the Charlie Coyle trade with the Colorado Avalanche. Maximizing Mittelstadt’s playmaking ability and finding ways for him to score more goals (his career high is 18) will be important. Elias Lindholm was disappointing offensively after signing a huge contract last summer. Can Sturm find a way to make Lindholm more effective on the power play?
And last but not least, the Bruins have to generate more scoring chances and goals from the blue line.
Zero Boston defensemen tallied 35-plus points last season. Getting Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy back healthy will help with that, but the defensemen have to be aggressive and join the rush more often. The development of 24-year-old defenseman Mason Lohrei, who tallied 33 points in his first full NHL season, will be an essential part of that process.
External upgrades to the roster will have to be made in the coming weeks and months as well, and that’s Sweeney’s job. The Bruins do not have much high-end offensive skill. They have one elite forward in David Pastrnak, who recorded 106 points (43 goals, 63 assists) last season.
Pastrnak led the B’s in scoring by 49 points — the largest gap between the No. 1 and No. 2 scorer on any team. Morgan Geekie scored 33 goals. Brad Marchand scored 21 before being traded in March. No one else on the roster scored more than 17 goals.
Sweeney has to be aggressive in the offseason to bring in top-six talent, whether that’s in free agency, the trade market or both. The Bruins have around $26.2 million in salary cap space, in addition to a better collection of prospects and draft picks to use in trades. Boston could have five first-round picks and four second-round picks over the next three drafts. That’s a lot of draft capital to potentially use in trades to acquire established players.
Depth wins championships, especially up front. It’s one of the primary reasons why the Panthers are two wins away from back-to-back titles. The Bruins need to bolster their scoring depth to have a chance at competing for a playoff spot in 2026.
“I love our team, even without any additions,” Sturm said. “I think we have good goaltending. I think when everyone stays healthy we have a really good defensive corps. I think we’re hopefully going to add a few pieces up front, but overall, I do like our core.
“But having said that, I think depth-wise we just probably need a little bit more.”
REPORT: Golden Knights, Maple Leafs and Hurricanes Discussed Three-Team Deal Involving Mitch Marner At The Trade DeadlineSince the conclusion of the Vegas Golden Knights' 2024-25 season, they've been linked and named as possible favorites to land top free agent Mitch Marner. A recent report shared by The Athletic's James Mirtle states that the Golden Knights nearly completed a three-team trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes, which would have sent Marner to Vegas.
Golden Knights Forward Finds His Name On Offseason Trade BoardVegas Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev, alongside defenseman Nicolas Hague, found his name on Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos' Offseason Trade Board. 
