Fortunately for the Philadelphia Flyers, heavily linked trade target Nicolas Hague has been traded to the Nashville Predators, averting a potential disaster.

The Hague trade itself wasn't actually that bad. The 26-year-old defenseman fetched the Vegas Golden Knights longtime Predator and fourth-line center Colton Sissons, as well as heavy-hitting rearguard Jeremy Lauzon.

The reality is, while the Golden Knights added $4.857 million in salary in the deal, Hague, a pending RFA, would have cost them much more.

Upon being traded, Hague signed a four-year, $22 million ($5.5 million AAV) deal with the Predators that would have otherwise made him the fourth-highest paid defenseman in Vegas behind Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, and Noah Hanifin.

Lauzon, who can play the same bottom-pairing role for less than half ($2 million) the cost, is a fine addition. Vegas effectively turned Hague into two roster players for the same price on the cap.

As for the Flyers, trading for Hague would have been a disaster.

Yes, Hague is 6-foot-6, but he averages 17:33 a game on his career and has never cracked 20 points. While he uses his size and reach effectively to defend the rush, the former second-round pick is quite poor in his own end and is regularly critiqued for his lack of foot speed and for watching the puck too often.

Flyers Trade Rumors: Big Golden Knights Defenseman Linked to PhiladelphiaA Philadelphia Flyers trade my finally be on the horizon, with a new rumor suggesting a big Vegas Golden Knights defenseman could be on the move.

Combine that with the fact his new contract would make him the second-highest-paid Flyers defender behind only Travis Sanheim, and you're flirting with danger on defense.

Even after a down year, Cam York, a pending RFA himself, is a much more effective player with significantly higher upside offensively.

No, York isn't big like Hague is, but that's why the Flyers went crazy with size in the NHL Draft in recent years, drafting hulking righties like Spencer Gill and Carter Amico.

Plus, if the Flyers really wanted to add size on the left side of their defense, they already have it.

Adam Ginning is fighting for his NHL career, and the Flyers really like Hunter McDonald, one of their less heralded prospects.

Trade assets and spend big money on Hague, or save the assets and money and give valuable NHL playing time to Ginning or McDonald?

The choice was clear, and the Flyers did the right thing by avoiding Hague, if they were ever truly in on him.

As speculation intensifies around a potential trade of Mitch Marner's negotiating rights from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Vegas Golden Knights, one potential trade piece is now off the table. Early Monday morning, multiple reports surfaced that Golden Knights defenseman Nic Hague was being dealt to the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and forward Colton Sissons. Hague is also expected to sign a four-year extension worth $5.5 million per season.

According to Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, Hague was previously a person of interest for the Maple Leafs. His name surfaced amid reports that the Leafs and Golden Knights were discussing a trade for Marner’s negotiating rights before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. While forward Nic Roy was mentioned as a more likely piece in that return, with only one reference to Hague, it is unlikely that this move will cool Toronto's interest in getting something for their star player.

However, the situation grew more complex on Sunday when Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, on his

32 Thoughts podcast, questioned if the Leafs would file for tampering charges against Vegas should Marner end up with the club as a free agent.

“I have no proof that Vegas is guilty of anything, but it's a time around the league where teams are extremely sensitive about it. And as a couple of GMs told me on Saturday, they think the NHL is itching to try and make an example out of someone,” Friedman said. “But if they make a deal with Toronto and send a good player or two to Toronto, I'm betting any chance the Maple Leafs file for tampering goes away. So all those reasons Getting to Marner faster, clearing cap space, Toronto gets good players, and eliminating any possibility of any tampering investigation. Which is being whispered everywhere around the league. All that goes away if this deal gets done”.

If Mitch Marner Leaves in Free Agency, Could the Maple Leafs Pursue Tampering Charges?Just when you thought Mitch Marner’s seemingly inevitable exit from Toronto couldn’t get more nasty, a new report has emerged. The Toronto Maple Leafs may be preparing to take action.

Of course, any league action would require proof of tampering. If the league takes action against the Golden Knights for tampering, the club could face the following sanctions:

• Up to a $5-million fine
• Termination of any contracts that were signed
• Forfeiture of draft picks
• Awarding draft picks or cash to the offended club
• Marner himself could be subjected to a fine of up to $1 million or possibly face a suspension.

Report: Maple Leafs And Golden Knights Discussing Mitch Marner Sign And Trade, Could Include Nic RoyThe Mitch Marner sweepstakes could end before free agency begins.

Certainly, the awarding of draft picks to the offended club would ensure some sort of compensation. We’ll wait and see. But for now, Hague’s name can be removed from the list of players potentially coming to Toronto. 

Hague's name was only mentioned in one report while Nic Roy's name had been mentioned frequently. The move didn't really save Vegas much cap space, clearing just $640,000. The move of Hague shouldn't scuttle talks with Toronto. But it doesn't mean a deal between the two clubs will happen, either.

(Headline Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)

Matthew Knies Avoids Restricted Free Agency, Inks Long-Term Deal With Maple Leafs: 6 Years, $7.75M AAVMatthew Knies will be a Toronto Maple Leaf for six more years. Why New Maple Leafs Prospect William Belle Wants To Model His Game Around Capitals' Tom WilsonWilliam Belle and a few of his new University of Notre Dame teammates were assembling a couch when his phone began to erupt with messages. 2025 NHL Draft: Maple Leafs Select Frontenacs Forward Tyler Hopkins With 86th Pick In NHL DraftThe Toronto Maple Leafs have selected Kingston Frontenacs Tyler Hopkins with the 86th pick in the NHL draft.

Bruins announce new deals for Jokiharju, Beecher, DiPietro before free agency originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Bruins have been very busy finalizing contracts with their own free agents before NHL free agency officially opens across the league Tuesday at noon ET.

The team announced Monday it has agreed to the following contracts with three restricted free agents:

• Henri Jokiharju, D: Three years, $9 million
• John Beecher, C: One year, $900,000
• Michael DiPietro, G: Two years, $1.625 million

The Bruins don’t have much depth on the right side of their blue line, so it’s not a huge surprise that Jokiharju is returning. The B’s acquired him from the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline back in March, and he fit in well over the final six weeks of the regular season.

Beecher is a solid bottom-six forwards who excels on faceoffs (53 percent for his career) and can kill penalties. Signing him for a salary cap hit below $1 million is good value, and he still has room for improvement.

DiPietro is coming off a career-best season with the AHL’s Providence Bruins in which he went 26-8-5 and tallied a .927 save percentage. If the Bruins could move Joonas Korpisalo’s contract, DiPietro could slide into the backup goalie spot behind Jeremy Swayman next season.

The Bruins also announced on Sunday new deals for right wing Morgan Geekie (six years, $33 million), bottom-six forward Marat Khusnutdinov (two years, $925,000 cap hit) and defenseman Michael Callahan (one-year, two-way deal with $775,000 NHL cap hit).

The Bruins now have around $12 million in cap space, per PuckPedia, with free agency about to begin. The B’s also could use this cap space to make trades if they don’t like the options on the free agent market.

The Stanley Cup is heading back north of the border.

Over the past few weeks, the Cup has been across North America several times.

It started the Stanley Cup Final on the ice in Edmonton before finishing the series in Sunrise, in the hands of the Florida Panthers for the second year in a row.

Following a week of hardcore partying and celebrating with the Panthers, and a quick stop at the repair shop for some minor dings, the Cup headed to Los Angeles for the NHL Draft.

Now it’s heading back up north, but not to its home at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

Nope, the Cup will now spend some time in Montreal.

According to Phil Pritchard, the Keeper of the Cup, the historic trophy was brought to the HHOF’s official silversmith.

The #StanleyCup is enroute to Montreal to the Silversmith to get the names of the 2025 @FlaPanthers engraved on it. Stay tuned. @HockeyHallFame@NHLpic.twitter.com/sfjnscoA7p

— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) June 29, 2025

That’s where the names of the 2025 Florida Panthers will be engraved onto the Stanley Cup.

In order to be eligible to have your name on the Cup, a player must appear in at least 41 regular season games or one game during the Stanley Cup Final.

Teams can petition for players to be added who do not fall under that criteria.

Last year, Florida successfully petitioned to have Jonah Gadjovich and Josh Mahura included with the names engraved onto the Cup.

A player who comes to mind who the Panthers may petition for this year is Nico Sturm.

Florida picked him up at the Trade Deadline, but he only played a combined 23 regular season and playoff games, and none after the Eastern Conference Final, though when in the lineup, Sturm was often utilized regularly both at even strength and on the penalty kill.

Interestingly, this is only the third year that the engraving process has taken place before the Cup begins its summer tour with the winning team.

It’s an excellent new tradition that allows the new winners to take their time with the Stanley Cup after it already bears their name.

Just like last summer, it should be fun to see how and where the Panthers celebrate with the Cup over the coming weeks and months.

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Photo caption: Jun 17, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; The Florida Panthers look at the Stanley Cup after winning game six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

Just days before the start of the free agency period, the Nashville Predators are already making moves. 

Late Sunday night, it was announced that the Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague had been traded to the Predators and signed a four-year contract extension. 

It is a $22 million contract, with an annual hit of $5.5 million. 

Nashville sent defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and center Colton Sissons to Vegas. 

This past season, Hague played in 68 games with the Golden Knights, scoring 12 points and logging 40 penalty minutes. He primarily played on Vegas' third defensive pairing with Zach Whitecloud. 

Hague also won the Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights, with fellow Predator Jonathan Marchessault, in 2023. During that run, Hague had six points in 22 games and 37 penalty minutes. 

After acquiring Hague, the Predators have about $13.5 million left in cap space, with free agency opening up on Tuesday. 

With a 6-foot-6-inch, 245-pound build, Hague fits the identity that Nashville holds for bigger, physical players. Hague's offensive production has been limited during his time in Vegas, but he has provided them with more size on the blue line. 

Early on, it's projected that Hague will skate with the Predators' third defensive pairing with Andreas Englund. 

Lauzon had one points in 28 games and 37 penalty minutes last season. He was in the final year of a four year, $8.million contract. 

Sissons had 21 points in 72 games and a plus/minus of -12. Nashville may be shopping for more center depth in free agency. He was in the final year of a seven-year, $20 million contract. 

Nashville will begin its development camp on Monday and it'll run through July 5. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins should look to improve their forward depth this off-season. When looking at their roster, it is fair to say that they could use a little bit of help in their bottom six. 

Due to this, one player who the Penguins should consider pursuing this summer is Boston Bruins pending free agent Jakub Lauko. 

The Boston Herald's Steve Conroy reported that Lauko's agent, JP Barry, confirmed to him that the Bruins won't be sending Lauko a qualifying offer and that he will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. With Lauko being a solid and young bottom-six winger, he could be a decent player for the Penguins to bring in for their fourth line or as an extra forward.

JP Barry, Jakub Lauko’s agent, tells me Lauko will be a UFA, Bruins apparently not tendering him a qualifying offer

— steve conroy (@conroyherald) June 29, 2025

In 56 games this season split between the Minnesota Wild and Bruins, Lauko recorded five goals, 11 points, and 119 hits. Furthermore, in 2023-24 with the Bruins, he had a career-high 176 hits. Thus, if the Penguins signed Lauko, he would undoubtedly give the Penguins much more grit in their bottom six. Furthermore, due to this speed and defensive play, Lauko would also be a potential option for the Penguins' penalty kill if signed. 

Overall, with the Penguins needing more youth, bringing in a player like Lauko on a cheap one-year contract could be worthwhile. He is also still young enough where he could hit a higher level offensively, so he would have the potential be a nice pickup for a Penguins team in the middle of a retool. 

NHL Rumors: Penguins Free-Agent Target Expected To Hit MarketOne of the Pittsburgh Penguins' top goals of this off-season should be to strengthen the left side of their defense. It is a major weakness on their roster right now, and they should be considering several different options to help address that. 

Photo Credit: © Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The Boston Bruins agreed to terms with left winger Morgan Geekie on a six-year contract extension, the team announced on Sunday.

Geekie, 26, is set to earn an average annual value of $5.5 million through the 2030-31 season. He was a pending RFA with arbitration rights, but the Bruins got their second-top scorer this past season under contract for the long term.

After finishing the regular season with a six-game goal streak and 11-game points streak, including a five-point night on April 5, Geekie had a career-high 33 goals and 57 points. Only frequent linemate David Pastrnak had more than him in both categories on the Bruins, with 43 goals and 106 points.

That said, Geekie's goal-scoring nearly doubled his previous career high of 17, set in 2023-24 in his first season with the Bruins. Before that, he played for the Seattle Kraken and Carolina Hurricanes.

His shooting percentage skyrocketed from 13.1 percent in 2023-24 to 22 percent this past season. That was the second-highest shooting percentage in the NHL among players who scored at least 30 goals, beating Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy winner Leon Draisaitl (21.7 shooting percentage for 52 goals) but trailing Tampa Bay Lightning pivot Brayden Point (22.2 percent for 42 goals).

The 6-foot-3, 208-pound Manitoban had one of the consistently harder shots in the league as well in 2024-25. His average shot speed of 63.34 miles per hour ranked in the 91st percentile, and he had 64 shots of at least 80 mph, including 10 of at least 90 mph, according to NHL Edge data. The season prior, only 35 of his shots were at least 80 mph.

Geekie played most of the season on a line with Pavel Zacha and Pastrnak, according to moneypuck.com. The season before, he didn't play nearly as much with those two, spending the most minutes with James van Riemsdyk and Trent Frederic while averaging 15:25 of ice time. This past campaign was a career-high 16:55 average. 

Considering Pastrnak is also signed through 2030-31 and Zacha is signed for the next two seasons, the trio could potentially stay together for the long term if that's what new bench boss Marco Sturm and his coaching staff want. The line could help lead the squad offensively through a retooling phase after trading Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo, Charlie Coyle and more near the NHL trade deadline and falling to second-last place in the Eastern Conference.

The Bruins now have about $16.4 million in projected cap space, according to PuckPedia. Cole Koepke, Parker Wotherspoon and Henri Jokiharju becomes UFAs on July 1 if they don't re-sign by then, and John Beecher and Jakub Lauko were pending RFAs. That said, the Bruins are not expected to give Lauko a qualifying offer, which would make him a UFA, according to Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. 

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The Chicago Blackhawks and the rest of the National Hockey League have the 2025 draft behind them. Now, it's about taking the selected draft class and developing them to their full potential. 

It all starts on Monday with Development Camp. For the third straight year, this will be an off-ice program. The Blackhawks released the roster for this year’s edition: 

Forwards

Nathan Behm

Sacha Boisvert

Jiri Felcman

Anton Frondell

Parker Holmes

Nick Lardis

Martin Misiak

John Mustard

Vaclav Nestrasil

Jack Pridham

AJ Spellacy

Julius Sumpf

Joel Svensson

Riku Tohila

Marek Vanacker

Mason West

Defensemen

Ashton Cumby

Ty Henry

Ryan Mast

Janne Peltonen

Goaltenders 

Adam Gajan

Seven of the eight selections made by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2025 NHL Draft are attending. That includes all three first-round picks. 

From Monday to Thursday, the prospects will participate in off-ice workouts and meet with the Media.

Rockford IceHogs head coach Jared Nightingale, Assistant General Manager of Player Development Mark Eaton, and GM Kyle Davidson will also speak throughout the week. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

The Vegas Golden Knights’ 2025 Development Camp, will be in full swing from Monday, June 30, through Thursday, July 3. All on-ice sessions will take place at City National Arena on Rink A and are open to the public. 

Development Camp presented by Martin-Harris Construction gets started tomorrow! Read below for our full schedule 👇https://t.co/6mx3gEIzB1

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 29, 2025

The Knights will feature 26 players taking the ice, including four of the most recent additions to the team from the 2025 NHL Draft: Jakob Ihs-Wozniak, Mateo Nobert, Alex Weiermair, and Gustav Sjoqvist.

One notable name appearing in the rink is forward Trevor Connelly, the Golden Knights’ most recent first-round draft pick (19th overall) from 2024. Since being drafted he played his 2024-25 season with AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. Connelly appeared in six games, recording one goal and three assists. 

This year’s camp structure is taking a more focused approach.

“A little more time with fewer people,” Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “I think that would be the long and short of it. I think we're going to have everybody at the dev. camp that we want to see.”

The Development Camp schedule is as follows:

Monday, June 30

Practice, 1:15 p.m. PT

Tuesday, July 1

Practice, 10 a.m. PT

Wednesday, July 2

Practice, 3:15 p.m. PT

All Development Camp participants will once again team up with Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, introducing them to the Las Vegas community. They will prepare and serve meals for more than 600 men, women, and children in need throughout Southern Nevada. Note that Wednesday’s event is closed to fans. 

PHOTO COURTESY: Star Building Systems / City National Arena.

The Florida Panthers have two big pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs), Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad, who can hit the market on July 1. However, they also have some other solid players who can become UFAs at the start of next month, including defenseman Nate Schmidt.

After being bought out by the Winnipeg Jets last off-season, Schmidt was very good for the Panthers this year, but especially during the playoffs. Because of this, he should be a popular target if he ends up testing the market this summer.

Due to this, let's look at three teams who could look to sign Schmidt if he becomes a free agent on July 1.

Colorado Avalanche 

The Avalanche could be on the hunt for more defensive depth this off-season. This is especially the case if they end up losing pending UFA defenseman Ryan Lindgren. Thus, they could be a team to keep an eye on when it comes to Schmidt.

When looking at the Avalanche's roster, Schmidt could be a great fit on their third pairing. Furthermore, with the Avalanche being contenders, they certainly could be interested in a defenseman with 99 career playoff games and a Stanley Cup on their resume, like Schmidt. 

New York Rangers 

The Rangers could be another team to watch when it comes to Schmidt. When looking at their defensive group, it is clear that they could use some help on their left side. Thus, it would make sense for them to pursue Schmidt if he hits the market.

If the Rangers signed Schmidt, he would give them another solid veteran on their blueline to help mentor their younger players. In addition, he would be a clear upgrade to their bottom pairing, which is a need for a Rangers club looking to have a bounce-back season in 2025-26. 

Carolina Hurricanes 

The Hurricanes could also be a good landing spot for Schmidt. The Hurricanes have two notable pending UFA defensemen in Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov, so they could end up looking for new blueliners this off-season. On a short-term deal, Schmidt could make a lot of sense for them.

Schmidt would provide the Hurricanes with another proven defenseman if signed, which is never a bad thing for a team to have. 

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Photo Credit: © Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The NHL’s coaching carousel spun faster than ever this off-season, with a whopping eight teams changing their bench boss. And on Sunday, the Dallas Stars became likely to be the ninth as it was reported that they gave an offer to former Calgary Flames coach Glen Gulutzan to replace longtime coach Peter DeBoer and take the reins of the Stars for the second time in Gulutzan’s coaching career.

Gulutzan formerly served as the Stars' coach in 2011-12, when he led Dallas to a 42-35-5 record, a mark that wasn’t good enough to get Dallas into the Stanley Cup playoffs. And in the following year, which was shortened to 48 games by the NHL lockout, Gulutzan’s Stars once again missed the playoffs with a 22-22-4 record. 

At that point, Dallas GM Jim Nill – only two weeks into his job running the Stars – fired Gulutzan and replaced him with Lindy Ruff. But Gulutzan remained in the NHL as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks. And in June of 2016, Gulutzan got his second chance as an NHL coach when the Flames hired him as a replacement for Bob Hartley.

Gulutzan lasted two years in Calgary, steering the Flames into a playoff berth with a 45-33-4 record in his first year, only to have the Flames drummed out of the post-season with a first-round loss to the Anaheim Ducks. And after Calgary regressed in Gulutzan’s second year – going 37-35-10 and missing the playoffs altogether – Gulutzan was dismissed in favor of Bill Peters.

Since then, Gulutzan has served as an assistant coach for the Edmonton Oilers. And now, Gulutzan may get his third kick at the can as the coach for the Stars. It’s certainly intriguing that Nill – who fired Gulutzan a dozen years ago – has decided that Gulutzan could be the right person for the job for a Stars team that has consistently been solid in the regular-season, but has stalled consistently when they’ve got to the Western Conference final, losing in the Western final to the Oilers in each of the past two post-seasons, and losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2022-23. But the Stars clearly needed a new voice after the spectacular flame-out of DeBoer at the end of this past season.

Indeed, one of Gulutzan’s first tasks if he becomes the Stars' coach will be to rehabilitate the game of star goalie Jake Oettinger, who was thrown under the bus by DeBoer after Dallas fell to the Oilers this past post-season. Oettinger isn’t going to be traded by Nill, and so Gulutzan needs to ensure Oettinger is in a good place mentally and competitively when the 2025-26 campaign begins.

Another challenge for Gulutzan will be to improve Dallas’ defense. The Stars’ defense corps has solid members in star Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley and Esa Lindell, but the depth of the defense corps needs to improve, either internally or by a roster move or two made by Nill. And Gulutzan will need to tighten things up in the team’s own zone once the playoffs roll around.

Gulutzan’s potential hiring is part of a trend in which former coaches get another shot at running an NHL team after years of serving as an assistant or associate coach. In Chicago, former Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill is getting an opportunity with the Blackhawks. In Seattle, former New York Islanders coach Lane Lambert is getting another chance with the Kraken. And now, Gulutzan might get another shot with the Stars.

Regardless of the lineup changes Nill makes, Gulutzan’s task, if he agrees on an offer, is clear: he needs to replicate the regular-season success the Stars have had in the highly-competitive Central Division, secure home-ice advantage in the playoffs, and power through the first three rounds to get Dallas into the Cup final for the first time since the 2020 post-season. Anything less than that will be considered a failure, and as we’ve seen often of late, teams are more than ready to change coaches, even just one or two years into their tenure.

Suffice it to say that the pressure on Gulutzan will be considerable if he is hired, but not so much that he’s any different than any other NHL bench boss. In the zero-sum industry that is the coaching business, Gulutzan would be taking the Stars job knowing full well that, if Dallas doesn’t improve on their performance from last season, he may quickly be dismissed – and he may never get another NHL head coaching job again. 

So, saying there’s going to be an urgency to Gulutzan’s potential situation is an understatement. The Stars are built to win now, and nothing short of a Cup final appearance by Dallas will keep Gulutzan as Stars coach for the short or long term if he ends up agreeing to coach the team.

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According to The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta, former St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has "serious injuries" and will need to have "multiple major surgeries" to address them this off-season. In addition, Pagnotta reported that Pietrangelo will miss all of the 2025-26 season, at a minimum, because of it. 

I’m hearing Vegas defenceman Alex Pietrangelo is dealing with serious injuries and is going to require multiple major surgeries this summer, which will result in missing the entire 2025-26 season, at least.

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) June 29, 2025

There have been questions about Pietrangelo's availability for next season, and this update from Pagnotta certainly makes it seem that the former Blues star won't be playing in 2025-26. 

Pietrangelo played in 71 regular-season games this season with the Vegas Golden Knights, where he had four goals, 33 points, 139 blocks, and a plus-11 rating. He also recorded two goals, six points, and a plus-1 rating in 10 playoff games this year. 

Pietrangelo was selected by the Blues with the fourth-overall pick of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. From there, he spent his first 12 NHL seasons in St. Louis, where he posted 109 goals, 341 assists, 450 points, and a plus-77 rating. He was also the Blues' captain from 2016-17 to 2019-20 and won the Stanley Cup with them in 2019. 

Former Blues Goalie Signs Extension With New TeamFormer St. Louis Blues goaltender Ville Husso has landed his next contract. 

Photo Credit:  © Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving has checked another piece of business off the to-do list in signing left winger Matthew Knies to a contract extension. 

Knies inked a six-year contract with the Maple Leafs on Sunday, at an average annual value of $7.75 million. He will be under contract through the 2030-31 campaign. He will be 28 years old, in the prime of his career, by the time he needs a new deal.

The 22-year-old had a standout season in the final year of his entry-level contract. He scored a career-high 29 goals and 29 assists for 58 points. With that, he recorded 15 power-play points and six game-winning goals, while averaging 18:31 of ice time per game. 

Knies ended the regular-season fourth in goals and fifth in points among his teammates. Furthermore, he was tied with William Eklund as the third-highest point-scorer among players who were drafted in 2021, behind the Dallas Stars’ Wyatt Johnston (71) and  Utah Mammoth’s Dylan Guenther (60).

BREAKING: Matthew Knies has agreed to a six-year extension with the Maple Leafs worth $7.75M per year to stay in Toronto, per @reporterchris. pic.twitter.com/1zVHtI9Mts

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 29, 2025

Over the past season, Knies has emerged as one of the best true young power forwards in the NHL. He finished third on the team in hits with 182, behind Simon Benoit (204) and Steven Lorentz (199).

In the playoffs, Knies’ production didn’t slow down or take a hit. The Phoenix, Ariz. native scored five goals and seven points in 13 post-season appearances. In those playoffs, his ice time average jumped up from the regular season by over a minute to 19:48 per game.

After this signing, the Maple Leafs have $13.57 million in salary cap space, per PuckPedia, so Treliving still has some room to shop on the opening day of free agency on Tuesday. 

The Leafs are coming off the contract extension of John Tavares from Friday, and before their new contracts, Knies and Tavares had a combined salary of $11.925-million against the cap. Now, the two forwards add up to $12.138-million for the upcoming 2025-26 season. 

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The Detroit Red Wings made a big dent in the goaltender market Saturday with the announcement they’d acquired veteran netminder John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks. Gibson was probably on the radar of at least a few teams, including the Edmonton Oilers. And now that Gibson is off the market, what will the Oilers do if they decide, as many think they have to, that their goalie tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard needs to change?

To be sure, the goaltender market in this off-season is about as thin as it gets. As we covered in this THN.com article about available UFA goalies, only veterans Jake Allen of the New Jersey Devils, Ilya Samsonov of the Vegas Golden Knights and Alex Lyon of the Red Wings stand out as goaltenders who can provide at least an average performance. And even then, you can poke holes in the games of all three of those goalies. 

So, does Edmonton want to probably overpay in a seller’s free-agent market for a goalie? Clearly, they’re not going to get a Vezina Trophy candidate via free agency. And other teams will be bidding on Allen, Samsonov and Lyon, so the cost could put all of them out of the Oilers’ reach. And that brings us to the next possibility for Edmonton: a trade for a goalie of consequence.

That said, no team will be charitable in providing Edmonton with help in net. Oilers GM Stan Bowman would easily be able to take a chance on a reclamation project like Pittsburgh Penguins veteran Tristan Jarry, but Oilers fans would probably run Bowman out of town – firstly, for making a trade for a player any team in the league could’ve had when the Penguins waived Jarry last season before sending him to the American league, and secondly, for acquiring a goalie whose save percentage has dropped every year from 2021-22 through 2024-25, from .919 in 2021-22 to .909 in 2022-23 to .903 in 2023-24 to .893 in 2024-25.

Jarry has a salary cap hit of $5.375 million for the next three years, but even if the Oilers are patient and Pittsburgh buys out Jarry’s contract this summer, Edmonton would still be looking at signing a goalie who couldn’t stop enough pucks to keep himself at the NHL level last season. 

Elsewhere, the Columbus Blue Jackets also have a reclamation project in veteran Elvis Merzlikins, but like Jarry, Merzlikins’ performance has been well below average, as he put up a SP of .892 last season, and he hasn’t had a SP above .897 in the past three years. Merzlikins has a cap hit of $5.4 million for the next two years, and while Columbus might be amenable to retaining some of Merzlikins’ cap hit, he’s still a goalie who could continue to be a major disappointment.

Otherwise, teams are almost assuredly going to be hanging on to the goalies they have, and that will leave Edmonton in a sticky situation. Is running it back with Skinner and Pickard truly an option for this organization? 

The Oilers fell to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup final for the second-straight year, not primarily because of their goaltending, but the undeniable fact is that Skinner had a .889 SP in the playoffs, and in the Cup final, Skinner had an SP better than .881 just once in five appearances. Meanwhile, Pickard wasn’t better, with a .886 SP in the post-season, and a SP of .875 or worse in two of three appearances he made in the Cup final.

Thus, you can see why Bowman will have his work cut out for him when trying to find a different look between the pipes. And remember, when Bowman won three straight Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks, his primary goalies were Corey Crawford, Antti Niemi and Scott Darling – hardly a row of future Hockey Hall of Famers. That experience might mean Bowman settles on a less-proven netminder while he tries to improve Edmonton’s defense in front of a B-grade goalie. And that philosophy could sink the Oilers’ Cup aspirations yet again.

In any case, Edmonton almost assuredly will be making a change in net. Going with the status quo could prove to be disastrous, and if the Oilers once again fail to win a Cup next season in part due to their choice to keep the same netminding, Edmonton fans will be rightfully livid. 

The Oilers have tried repeatedly to win it all with, at best, average goaltending, and it hasn’t worked. Bowman has to do his utmost to come up with a solution for his goalie tandem, and he needs to do it before other teams step in and scoop up any and every goalie who might be available via trade. 

The Panthers have won back-to-back Cups partly because they had a Grade-A goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky. Edmonton has no comparable netminder. And Bowman’s most important job this summer will be to shake the trees of the rest of the NHL and try to come away with a goalie who can keep the Oilers in crucial games long enough for their high-octane offense to carry the load and deliver them to championship glory. 

Because if he fails to do so, Edmonton could yet again be on the losing side of the ledger in the next post-season. And no one should feign surprise if that’s how things unfold.

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The New York Islanders announced they have re-signed forwards Liam Foudy and Julien Gauthier to one-year, two-way contracts for the 2025-26 season. 

Foudy recorded 20 goals and 45 points in 70 games with the Bridgeport Islanders last season and went pointless in two NHL games with the New York Islanders. 

The 25-year-old has 96 points in 139 career AHL games and 22 points in 104 career NHL games. 

Originally a first round selection of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2018, Foudy is one of the best skaters around and will enter his second season in the organization.

Gauthier went pointless in one NHL game with the Islanders and had eight points in nine games with Bridgeport before suffering an injury in November that forced him to miss the remainder of the season. 

Welcome back, boys! 🤩 https://t.co/VgpnfKEuQD

— Bridgeport Islanders (@AHLIslanders) June 29, 2025

A first round selection of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2016, Gauthier has 123 points in 214 career AHL games and 41 points in 181 career NHL games. 

The 27-year-old won the 2019 Calder Cup with the Charlotte Checkers. 

After a historically bad 2024-25 season the Islanders hired Rocky Thompson as the team's new head coach and seem poised to improve their AHL team in 2025-26. Both Foudy and Gauthier will have to clear waivers when the season begins but seem likely to serve as the offensive drivers for Bridgeport while providing depth for New York. 

Check out The Hockey News' New York Islanders team site for more updates. 

Make sure you bookmark The Hockey News' AHL Page for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.    

Photo Credit: © Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images