Is there a contract extension in the works for Dustin Wolf with the Calgary Flames?

Let’s hope so.

Wes Gilbertson (Postmedia) recently tweeted this quote from a Q&A with the Flames goaltender, hinting at that process getting underway.

“They’re working, that’s about all I can really tell you. There’s talks, but nothing really confirmed yet,” explained Wolf.

“I’d love to stay here and I think they want me to stay here, as well. So as soon as something comes to fruition where both of us like where we’re at, I’m sure it won’t be long after that point where pen will be to paper.”

Wolf’s rookie season couldn’t have made a stronger statement. In 53 starts, the 24-year-old posted a 29–16–8 record, a 2.64 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage, and three shutouts. That effort earned him a spot on the NHL All-Rookie Team and a finalist nod for the Calder Trophy, where he finished second to Montreal Canadiens blueliner, Lane Hutson.

Why He’s Invaluable

Dependable Rookie Performance – Delivering this level of consistency as a first-year NHL starter is rare—especially for a seventh-round draft pick.

Game-Changing Clutch Factor – His timely saves and shutout performances kept Calgary in tight games and in the playoff mix.

Youthful Upside – At just 24, he offers both immediate impact and long-term stability in net.

Contract Comparable

Wolf is in the final stretch of his two-year, $1.7 million deal with an $850,000 annual cap hit—a bargain for a starter of his caliber. Comparable; Anaheim’s Lukas Dostal, signed a five-year contract worth $32.5 million (about $6.5 million annually).

Given Wolf’s age, performance, and projected growth, a deal in the $6–7 million per year range over multiple seasons would align with the market and secure Calgary’s goaltending future.

I guess we’ll wait and see. 

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Anticipate a wave of newer faces looking to prove themselves in net this NHL season.

Last season, only the Calgary Flames’ Dustin Wolf was able to take the reins and break into a full-time NHL role, playing more than one-fifth of the season in the big leagues. 

This year, a handful of NHL teams have seemingly prioritized younger netminders moving up ahead of the 2025-26 season.

The group below will only include netminders who have yet to have played around 18 games in an NHL season beforehand, so the Buffalo Sabres’ Devon Levi, who played 23 in 2023-24, and Vegas Golden Knights’ Akira Schmid, who surpassed the mark twice before, won’t be considered as they’ve already accrued enough NHL pedigree.

Yaroslav Askarov, San Jose Sharks

Yaroslav Askarov has been the talk of hockey circles ever since being selected 11th overall by the Nashville Predators in 2020. Boasting superhuman feats of athleticism and an optimal frame at 6-foot-3, he’s bound to be an NHL starting goaltender. However, it took a move to San Jose to get there.

Askarov is the most likely of this bunch to have a Dustin Wolf-like breakthrough, as he’ll likely split the crease equally with Alex Nedeljkovic, who was acquired this off-season from the Pittsburgh Penguins. The real question isn’t whether he’s ready for NHL minutes, but more so whether he can handle just how defensively poor the San Jose Sharks will be as they continue to build for the future.

'It Was A Special First Year': Yaroslav Askarov Thankful For Former Sharks GoalieWhen Yaroslav Askarov came to North America, he was partnered with former San Jose Sharks goalie Devin Cooley on the Milwaukee Admirals.

Jesper Wallstedt, Minnesota Wild

If you haven’t been paying attention to Jesper Wallstedt this past season, it’s likely for the best.

A season plagued by inconsistency and injury led to the 2021 20th overall pick cementing the worst season of his professional career, recording an .879 save percentage over 27 games with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. 

This regression certainly wasn’t what GM Bill Guerin and the Minnesota Wild were expecting from him after extending him earlier that season to a deal worth $4.4 million total through 2026-27.

With the two-year contract extension kicking in this season, and with Marc-Andre Fleury retiring, the team has little choice but to play him so they don’t bury over $1 million in the minors. 

Given his struggles last season, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him get sheltered minutes to start the year, with the bigger games going to Filip Gustavsson, in the hopes Wallstedt gets back into top shape and confidence. However, playing behind a more structured team, such as Minnesota, might just be what he needs to get back to the form scouts, pundits and fans alike were praising just a year ago.

Leevi Merilainen, Ottawa Senators

Leevi Merilainen’s rise through the Senators’ depth chart has been seismic. 

He went from a relative unknown in his draft year to a Liiga starter by 20. As of last season, the 22-year-old was able to shut down top teams when called up as the Ottawa Senators faced injuries to goaltenders Linus Ullmark and Anton Forsberg. He recorded an 8-3-1 record, 1.99 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in 12 games.

With Forsberg heading to the Los Angeles Kings in free agency, Merilainen will have the opportunity to get those guaranteed minutes. If he can continue to suppress the high-flying offenses of playoff teams in 2025-26, he may finish the season with a workload closer to a tandem goaltender than a backup.

Jet Greaves, Columbus Blue Jackets

When undrafted six-foot goaltender Jet Greaves was called up to the Columbus Blue Jackets for nine games in 2023-24, fans were pleasantly surprised that the underdog put up a respectable .908 save percentage despite a 3-6-0 record. 

Greaves’ 11-game stint in 2024-25, when he went 7-2-2 while posting a .938 SP, 1.91 GAA and two shutouts, showed there might actually be something there.

The Blue Jackets decided to give the kid from Cambridge, Ont., a shot, as he’ll look to back up six-year NHL veteran Elvis Merzlikins. With Merzlikins only averaging an .890 save percentage over the past three seasons, Greaves’ role may expand throughout the season if he continues to perform well.

Could The Penguins' Arturs Silovs Become The Next Dominik Hasek?How's that for a headline, eh? When the Vancouver Canuckstraded 24-year-old Arturs Silovs to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday for a fourth-round pick and a middling prospect in Chase Stillman, they did so with their fingers crossed that he won't make them look ridiculous.

Arturs Silovs, Pittsburgh Penguins

Arturs Silovs’ 2024-25 season was as up and down as they come. 

Across 10 games with the Vancouver Canucks, he looked far from NHL-ready, sporting a dismal .861 save percentage with a 2-6-1 record. 

In the AHL, however, the playoff MVP led the Abbotsford Canucks to a Calder Cup win with a .931 save percentage across 24 games.

A move to the Pittsburgh Penguins has opened up another opportunity for NHL minutes, but it won't come easily. 

Silovs will have to battle 2020 second-round pick Joel Blomqvist for those backup minutes behind Tristan Jarry. 

The edge should go to Silovs. While Blomqvist’s .885 SP over 15 games last season was better, Silovs would have to pass through waivers if the Penguins want to assign him to the AHL, while Blomqvist wouldn’t. 

Given the added stakes of being waiver-eligible for the first time, this is a make-or-break season for Silovs on whether the 25-year-old netminder can finally put it all together and become an NHL regular.

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In the NHL Network’s latest list of the ‘Top-20 players right now’, Jaccob Slavin ranked as the eighth-best defenseman. 

Around this time last year, Slavin slotted in as the 13th-ranked defenseman on the list, so he moved up five spots. 

From his time playing for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off and obviously for his time with the Carolina Hurricanes, Slavin has gained recognition as one of most productive shut-down blueliners in the entire NHL.

“Jaccob might be the best defender in the NHL, and he has already cemented himself as one of the best players to ever put on a Hurricanes uniform,” Hurricanes General Manager Eric Tulsky said. “He is a crucial leader for our team, both on and off the ice, and keeping him in Carolina long term was a top priority.”

This past season, the 31-year-old defenseman recorded six goals, 21 assists, and 27 points in 80 games while averaging 21:34 minutes.

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The defensemen who ranked ahead of Slavin on this list include Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski, Miro Heiskanen, Victor Hedman, Josh Morrissey, and Rasmus Dahlin.

With the new youth movement the Seattle Kraken are embracing, Ville Ottavainen could be a quiet contender to play several games in the NHL.

The 23-year-old completed his second season in the AHL with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, and although his point totals were lower this past season, his all-around game improved, earning a call-up to the NHL when the season was concluding. In his NHL debut, he recorded an assist in 14:24 of ice time. 

Ottavainen finished the 2024-25 AHL season with three goals and 15 points in 68 games, a step down from his eight goals and 34 points in his 70-game rookie campaign. 

The 2021 fourth-round pick (99th overall) possesses a massive 6-foot-5, 210-pound frame that assists him in keeping the front of the net clear. His long reach breaks up plays in transition and when his opponents are cycling the pucks. 

His breakout abilities prior to the draft were what scouts said were holding him back. Since then, he's made improvements to that aspect of his game and has at the very least become a capable puck mover. His strengths could complement Ryker Evans' game, and Evans' strengths could complement Ottavainen's if the two were paired in the NHL. 

Currently, Ottavainen is on the outside looking in, but a strong training camp and pre-season could put him on coach Lane Lambert's radar. Lambert loves players who can kill plays, and Ottavainen does it better than most. 

On the depth chart, Vince Dunn, Adam Larsson, Brandon Montour, Ryan Lindgren and Evans are without a doubt ahead of him. Jamie Oleksiak and Josh Mahura likely are too, but plenty of rumors have circulated about Oleksiak's availability on the trade market, and Mahura was signed to serve as the seventh defenseman. 

Ottavainen may have to start the season in the AHL, but he could find himself up on the NHL roster very quickly if he continues to impress as he's done previously. 

This has been the most transformative offseason in recent memory for the Anaheim Ducks. With general manager Pat Verbeek’s contract nearing an end and a green light from ownership to do whatever it takes to end the organization’s seven-year playoff drought, the third-longest in the NHL, major surgery has been done to the makeup of team personnel. All of it in the name of making the playoffs in 2025-26.

“I think I see this team at a point to where my expectation of this team is to make the playoffs next year,” Verbeek said on April 19, following the firing of Greg Cronin as head coach. “I expect our group to take a step, and so I'm going to be active and aggressive in making our team better.”

Since that date, the roster has undergone a significant facelift, with the departures of long-time Ducks John Gibson, Isac Lundestrom, and Trevor Zegras, along with the additions of Chris Kreider, Ryan Poehling, Mikael Granlund, and Petr Mrazek.

Reports: Mason McTavish Prefers a Long-Term Contract while Pat Verbeek Prefers a Bridge, where Talks Stand

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5 Ducks Games to Look Forward to in 2025-26

A brand new coaching staff will also be behind the Ducks’ bench in the upcoming season, with the newly appointed head coach, Joel Quenneville, being flanked by Jay Woodcroft and Ryan McGill and accompanied by Tim Army and Andrew Brewer.

“It has been a long, painful process, but we felt that we’ve reached a point where the rebuild is coming to an end,” Ducks co-owner Henry Samueli said following Quenneville’s introductory press conference. “It really is, and it’s time to take the step to becoming a perennial playoff contender and eventually (a) Stanley Cup contender.”

After the two worst seasons (by points percentage) in franchise history in 2022-23 and 2023-24, in which they totaled 58 and 59 standings points, the Ducks made a significant jump in 2024-25, improving by 21 points, escaping the basement of the standings, but still finishing 25th in the NHL and 16 points out of a wild card spot.

Most metrics suggest that a significant portion of that jump can be attributed to Anaheim's goaltending last season, indicating potential unsustainability.

Nonetheless, the goal is set and well-known. In most years, second wild-card teams average roughly 95 points, which would require another colossal jump in the standings. So that leaves those who follow the Ducks to ask their biggest question of the 2025 offseason: How can the Ducks improve by 35 standings points in two seasons?

The Ducks will be relying on four factors to accomplish their lofty goal: coaching, internal improvement from their youngest/most talented players, a repeatable output from the goaltending, and their veteran leaders staving off Father Time.

Coaching

The true impact of an NHL coach and coaching staff will be on full display in Anaheim in 2025-26. In Cronin’s two seasons behind the bench, the Ducks had the 25th and 32nd-ranked power play, the 31st and 29th-ranked penalty kill, and were 28th and 30th in terms of 5v5 expected goals for percentage.

Quenneville is the second-winningest coach in NHL history with three Stanley Cup rings on his fingers. Jay Woodcroft ran very successful power plays as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks from 2008 to 2018, and McGill led some quality penalty kill units for the Vegas Golden Knights and New Jersey Devils from 2017 to 2025.

The staff Verbeek has assembled unquestionably has the potential to be one of the NHL’s elite, a vast improvement from the one behind the bench a year ago.

Internal Improvement

The Ducks project to start the season with at least seven U25 skaters playing in impactful roles on the nightly depth chart: Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Mason McTavish, Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger, and Drew Helleson. More could be added to that list in the form of Sam Colangelo, Nikita Nesterenko, and Tristan Luneau, with the outside possibility of Beckett Sennecke and Stian Solberg.

Focusing just on the first seven mentioned, the Ducks will be relying on all of them to take substantial leaps in their development. LaCombe had a breakout season ago, establishing himself as the team’s top blueliner, while Gauthier, Carlsson, and McTavish all displayed glimpses of how dominant they can be on a shift-to-shift basis. They will have to turn those flashes into elongated, consistent performances if the team is to realize its potential in the upcoming season.

Goaltending

Lukas Dostal has established himself as one of the best young goaltenders in the NHL, posting league-average traditional stats and above-average underlying numbers behind some of the poorer defensive teams in the NHL.

Dostal now has the reins as the Ducks' starter for the foreseeable future and the one who projects to start the team’s first playoff game, whenever that goal has been reached.

He will likely play more than he ever has and in as condensed a schedule as he’s ever experienced in his young career. The challenge will be maintaining his effort while avoiding fatigue as the season grows longer toward the latter portion of the 82-game slate.

He has the composure, skill, and drive to do so, and he will now have the opportunity. If the Ducks indeed make the playoffs, don’t be surprised to see Dostal’s name on some Vezina ballots.

Aging Veterans

The Ducks have one of the most talented young cores in the NHL. That core will be surrounded and insulated by an abundance of veterans on the opposite side of 30 years old.

Alex Killorn, Frank Vatrano, Ryan Strome, Chris Kreider, Mikael Granlund, Jacob Trouba, and Radko Gudas will all play key roles in the upcoming season and will have to elevate the platform that the young players are set to launch off.

All of those veterans have shown signs of declining games at different points in their careers, but have also shown the ability to evolve and remain impactful players as well.

Gudas had such a profound impact in his first season as a Duck in 2023-24, it earned him the captaincy in 2024-25. Kreider is just one year removed from back-to-back-to-back 35-plus goal campaigns. Granlund has eclipsed the 60-point mark in three of the last four seasons, including 61 points in 2024-25, playing for a bottom-dwelling Sharks team before he was traded to the Dallas Stars. These players are more than capable of continuing or returning to these levels despite approaching the final laps of their careers.

Father Time is undefeated, but the Ducks veterans will have to keep him at bay for one more season if this is the year the playoff drought is to end.

The team is counting on a lot to go right in the upcoming season, but if it does, another 15-point jump in the standings isn’t out of the question. However, the “ifs” are plentiful and will carry a heavy load.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced the signing of Daemon Hunt, the final RFA the Blue Jackets had to sign. 

The deal is a 1-year, 2-way deal and is worth $775K at the NHL level, and $80K at the AHL. 

“Daemon Hunt is a good, young two-way defenseman that plays a smart and controlled game,” said Waddell in a press release.  “His signing provides us important additional organizational depth on our blue line.”

Hunt was brought over in the deal that sent David Jiříček to the Minnesota Wild last season. He spent the entire year in Cleveland playing 48 games for the Monsters. He scored 2 goals and totaled 14 points. He also played 9 games for the Iowa Wild and had 4 points. He did play in one NHL game last season for the Wild as well.

This is a player Don Waddell won’t easily give up since he traded Jiříček for him. Still young at 23, the left-shot defenseman has a ton of upside and could take a huge step this year. Look for Hunt to be one of the first guys called this season if they’re in need. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!

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Going into the 2025-26 season, Adam Fox’s stock is not as high as it once was. 

In the NHL Network’s latest list of the ‘Top-20 players right now’, Fox ranked as the 16th best defenseman.

In 2023, Fox was listed as the No. 2-ranked defenseman, while last season, he dropped down to the eighth slot. 

Fox’s fall from grace comes after an injury-riddled 2023-24 season and a regression in which both the New York Rangers’ play and his own individual play regressed during the 2024-25 campaign. 

This past season, the 27-year-old defenseman recorded 10 goals, 51 assists, and 61 points in 74 games while averaging 23:15 minutes. 

While Fox has seen a dip in production over the past year, he still leads all Rangers players in average ice time and serves a prominent role both from a defensive and offensive standpoint. 

The responsibility that Fox holds is invaluable to the Blueshirts, and it should not go unnoticed within the NHL community. 

NHL Insider Makes Bold Prediction About Rangers Predicting how well the New York Rangers will play during the 2025-26 season is difficult. 

This offseason, the Rangers signed Vladislav Gavrikov to a seven-year, $49 million contract, which should help take some of the load off of Fox.

The defensemen that ranked ahead of Fox on this list from NHL Network include Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski, Miro Heiskanen, Victor Hedman, Josh Morrissey, Rasmus Dahlin, Jaccob Slavin, Roma Josi, Evan Bouchard, Gustav Forsling, Jake Sanderson, Thomas Harley, and Shea Theodore. 

Is it October yet? 

Unfortunately, no, but we're here to help pass the time. From Aug. 8 to Sept. 1, The Hockey News Nashville Predators will be counting down 24 players in 24 days, profiling every current or potentially rostered player. 

Today's player profile is forward Zachary L’Heureux. 

24 Nashville Predators in 24 days series 

Adam Wilsby

Jordan Oesterle

Andreas Engulund

Cole Smith

Michael McCarron

Justin Barron

As an NHL prospect 

 L’Heureux billed himself as a physical forward that can score.

In his first season in the QMJHL with the Moncton Wildcats, he scored 53 points in 55 games and logged 70 penalty minutes. That trend followed into his draft year, but with a different team.

With the Halifax Mooseheads, L’Heureux had 39 points in 33 games and 47 penalty minutes. That led to the Nashville Predators selecting him at 27th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft. 

He'd return to Halifax for two more seasons, recording 98 points and penalty minutes in 99 games over those two seasons. During the 2022-23 post-season, L’Heureux scored 26 points in 20 games, helping the Mooseheads to the QMJHL Finals.  

While in the QMJHL, L’Heureux began to build a long list of suspensions. He tallied nine suspensions over the course of four seasons, missing 36 games total. 10 of those games were for a fan altercation where he poked a fan with a stick. 

Professional career 

L’Heureux started his professional career with the Milwaukee Admirals in the 2023-24 and struggled to stay out of the penalty box.

While he had 48 points in 66 games, he had a whopping 197 penalty minutes, complemented by two suspensions for sucker punching and a fight. In the postseason, he had 15 points in 15 games, 62 penalty minutes. 

During the 2024-25 season, L’Heureux played just four games with the Admirals, scoring five points, before he was promoted to the Predators roster. In his first season in Nashville, L’Heureux scored 15 points in 62 games and had 63 penalty minutes. 

He was also handed a three game suspension for slew footing. 

L’Heureux is in the final year of a 3-year, $2.59 million contract. 

What role will he play this season? 

L'Heureux absolutely, 100 percent needs to start playing cleaner. It's seemingly improved, but having at least one suspension in every league is an issue. 

The jump down from 197 penalty minutes to 63 is a strong improvement, but it needs to continue. At the same time, L’Heureux's production declined. That is likely because of the transition from the NHL to the AHL, but this is going to be a big season.

If L'Heureux can prove that his game isn't reliant on being undisciplined, then that's going to be huge.

He earned his promotion to the Predators roster, showing that he can score and be physical, and the Predators likely don't want to remove that element from his game. L’Heureux has a ton of potential, but just needs to find a way to find a balance between being offensively successful and having a physical presence. 

Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman has already signed defensemen Jacob Bernard-Docker and Ian Mitchell so far this offseason, but another new name has been added to Detroit's blue line. 

The Red Wings announced they have signed defenseman Travis Hamonic, a veteran of 900 NHL games, to a one-year, $1 million contract. 

UPDATE: The #RedWings have signed defenseman Travis Hamonic to a one-year contract with an AAV of $1,000,000. pic.twitter.com/fw1qWJwEM2

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 15, 2025

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

It's another short-term, low-risk move for Yzerman, who also inked Bernard-Docker, Mitchell, and forward James van Riemsdyk to similar short-term deals. 

A native of St. Malo, Manitoba, Hamonic arrives in Detroit having played the last three and a half seasons with the Ottawa Senators.

TRAVIS HAMONIC'S FIRST GOAL SINCE 2023 GIVES OTTAWA THE LEAD 😱 pic.twitter.com/ChfOeYs2Wr

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 19, 2025

He was originally selected 53rd overall in the 2008 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders while playing for the WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors. 

Hamonic made his NHL debut with the Islanders in November 2010, and would later sign a seven-year, $27 million extension to remain with the club. However, he would eventually request a trade owing to a personal family situation.

Despite rescinding the request, he would ultimately be traded to the Calgary Flames in June 2017. Following his first season in Calgary, they chose him as their nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy.

Following three seasons with the Flames, Hamonic accepted a professional tryout with the Vancouver Canucks in 2021, which culminated in a one-year contract. Eventually, he would be re-signed to a two-year contract. 

After spending time with the Canucks along with their American Hockey League affiliate Abbotsford Canucks, Hamonic was traded to the Ottawa Senators in March 2022. After scoring six goals and 15 assists the following season, the Senators re-signed him to a two-year contract. 

Hamonic has scored 53 goals with 189 assists in 900 career regular season games, while adding a goal and three assists in 22 career playoff games. 

He'll likely be competing for a spot on Detroit's bottom-six pairing. 

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We saw where the NHL ranked Minnesota Wild forwards Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov. The NHL Network has now put together a list of the top-20 defensemen.

Wild defenseman Brock Faber started off the list at No. 20.

Out of the 20 defensemen listed, seven of them play in the Central division, including Faber. Devon Toews, Thomas Harley, Roman Josi, Josh Morrissey, Miro Heiskanen and Cale Makar are the other six.

Faber, 22, had a bit of a down year during his sophomore season in the NHL. He recorded ten goals, 19 assists, 29 points and was a minus-2 in 78 games for the Wild during the 2024-25 season.

His minutes took a jump to 25:32 time on ice per game. He ranked fourth in the NHL in that category. Only Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski and Makar played more minutes.

In terms of analytics, Faber's defensive metrics took a bit of a dip this year but that is because of the matchups and time on ice he received this year.

Faber said after the year he wants to be better next year and improve his game even more. Nonetheless, it is nice to see him being ranked as a top-20 defensemen in the NHL after just two years in the league.

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The Hockey News’ NHL summer splash rankings are in the home stretch, with the Vegas Golden Knights in third place. 

Our rankings focus on each team’s off-season additions, departures, hirings and firings to see which teams improved, worsened or stayed the same. It's not necessarily who had the best or worst off-seasons, although there were exceptions at the bottom of the rankings for teams that did significantly less than expected, and there are a couple of squads in the top tier that did more than expected to prevent being much worse. 

One of the NHL’s boldest teams in its short history, the Golden Knights once again acquired a marquee-level talent. In 2024, it was Calgary Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin and San Jose Sharks center Tomas Hertl. In 2021, it was former Buffalo Sabres star center Jack Eichel. In 2019, it was Ottawa Senators right winger Mark Stone. So Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon wasn’t really shocking anyone when he made a trade this summer for former Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Mitch Marner.

Sometimes, a team ranks relatively higher in these summer splash rankings because they’ve made many moves. But in the case of the Golden Knights, sometimes one single move can elevate you to a higher level. As we’ll explore below, Vegas is now positioned to be one of the NHL’s most dangerous groups next year.

Additions

Mitch Marner (RW), Colton Sissons (RW), Jeremy Lauzon (D)

The Breakdown: The Golden Knights weren’t flush with salary cap space heading into the summer, but McCrimmon acquired the best pending free agent on the market because he made the cold-blooded choices to move on from a couple of veterans and expects to put another player on long-term injured reserve. 

Yes, Colton Sissons and Jeremy Lauzon are footsoldier-type players who played for the Nashville Predators last season, but who’s kidding who – acquiring Marner as a 28-year-old who just put up 75 assists and 102 points last season is one of McCrimmon’s greatest coups.

Marner is an excellent two-way star who does a lot of things that help teams win – at least, in the regular season. But in Vegas, he’s going to be able to relax and be part of an organization that has plenty of Stanley Cup experience, good and bad. In Toronto, it was mostly bad, and that’s why Leafs fans will be watching closely this season to see if Marner can deliver in the playoffs in a way he never did with the Maple Leafs. 

If Vegas can unlock that next-level performance from Marner, the trade and lucrative contract extension will be well worth it. At both ends of the ice, the Golden Knights are better, directly as a result of what Marner brings to the table.

NHL Prospect Pool Overview ’25-26: Vegas Golden Knights Have One Top-Tier ProspectThe Vegas Golden Knights are today’s focus in the NHL prospect pool overview series.

Departures

Nicolas Roy (C), Victor Olofsson (LW), Tanner Pearson (LW), Nicolas Hague (D)

The Breakdown: The Golden Knights had to pay a price to fit Marner’s enormous salary into their payroll, and that meant giving up on a couple of capable competitors in trades – Roy was sent to Toronto in the Marner trade, and defenseman Hague was traded to the Predators.

Roy’s experience as a gritty third-line center who puts up at least 30 points a season will be missed, as will the 17 minutes of physical defending Hague averaged per game. Pearson was a decent depth forward who had 27 points, while Victor Olofsson had 29 in 56 games.

Although he’s still under contract, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo’s health concerns make him a potential departure. 

Pietrangelo lived up to expectations since he came to Vegas from the St. Louis Blues, but all the miles on his odometer have caught up to him. He announced on June 30 that it’s unlikely his body will recover to the standard an NHL player needs to compete, so he could end up on the long-term injury reserve for the final two seasons of his contract. That hurts, since Pietrangelo still averaged 22:24 in ice time last year, and he produced 33 points from the blueline. But the Golden Knights’ depth on ‘D’ should help soften the blow.

The Bottom Line

The team that landed Marner this summer was always going to be high on these NHL summer splash rankings. Marner’s all-around skill set makes him worth the $12 million per season he’ll be making for the next eight years, and that move was the biggest home run of any NHL team this summer.

With Marner in the lineup, his creativity and finesse game will change what Vegas is as a team, but Vegas will also change who Marner is as a player. At least, that’s the plan for Marner. And we see it as a solid plan.

The Golden Knights are focused on being a legitimate Cup threat once again, and acquiring Marner makes them exactly that.

Summer Splash Rankings

3. Vegas Golden Knights

4. Carolina Hurricanes

5. Anaheim Ducks

6. Philadelphia Flyers

7. Vancouver Canucks

8. San Jose Sharks

9. Utah Mammoth

10. New York Rangers

11. Detroit Red Wings

12. New Jersey Devils

13. St. Louis Blues

14. Pittsburgh Penguins

15. Colorado Avalanche

16. Ottawa Senators

17. Boston Bruins

18. Edmonton Oilers

19. Minnesota Wild

20. Seattle Kraken

21. Columbus Blue Jackets

22. Washington Capitals

23. Nashville Predators

24. New York Islanders

25. Tampa Bay Lightning

26. Toronto Maple Leafs

27. Dallas Stars

28. Calgary Flames

29. Los Angeles Kings

30. Winnipeg Jets

31. Chicago Blackhawks

32. Buffalo Sabres

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It's Friday, Ask The Maven Time. Today's question is from Jim Resnick of Flatbush: (Take it away, Jim.)

WHICH DIVISION IS THE STRONGEST  IN THE NHL? 

The Maven Replies: It has to be the Atlantic; no questions asked. Start with the fact that it's home to the two-time Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Not that long ago, the Atlantic's Tampa Bay Lightning won two straight Stanleys. While the Maple Leafs never win the prize – and may never - Toronto, the NHL's richest team, always delivers a formidable entry. Likewise, the youth-filled Senators and Canadiens threaten to become serious Cup challengers next season and for many seasons thereafter. 

It's a tie for the runner-up. The Central Division and Pacific have a lot to boast about. Edmonton's McDavid-Draisaitl combo went to the Final twice in two years. And Vegas won a Cup not very long ago. On the other hand the Central's Stars, Avalanche and Jets have been strong in their own right.

This should not be taken as a slight to the Metropolitan Division. Take the surprising Alex Ovechkin-paced Washington Capitals as Exhibit A for strength in the Met. Nor were the Hurricanes a slouch either; they never are; and the Devils are an up and coming team. But, when the Islanders and Rangers both miss the postseason, it's cause for reflection – and the reason why the Met comes in close-to-the-third fourth!

Bottom Line: As long as Florida keeps winning Cups, the Atlantic stays on top!

It’s been a busy offseason for general manager Kent Hughes. The Montreal Canadiens GM stole the show at the NHL draft when he acquired Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders, before sending Cayden Primeau to the Carolina Hurricanes and Logan Mailloux to the St. Louis Blues for some much-needed help up front.

He also signed all of his RFAs and got some help on the free agency market in Samuel Blais, Joe Veleno, and Kaapo Kahkonen. When he put pen to paper with defenseman Jayden Struble, he signed the last contract he had to sign this offseason, but there’s one contract Canadiens’ fans would like to see sorted out in advance: Lane Hutson’s.

Canadiens Defender Has Become Key Piece
Canadiens: Hutson Makes The Top 20 Defensemen List
Canadiens: Savard Is A Big Hutson Fan

Earlier this week, RG.org’s Marco D’Amico wrote that the negotiations are already ongoing between the two sides and that the relations are very cordial. He has that right now; the sticking point is to agree on the correct term and the right price tag, which makes sense. D’Amico also adds that the best comparables for Hutson shouldn’t be new teammate Dobson and his $9.5M cap hit, but young stud defensemen who signed the second deal of their career coming out of their ELC, like Ottawa Senators’ Jake Sanderson or Minnesota Wild's Brock Faber.

While that makes perfect sense from a business standpoint for Hughes and the Canadiens, one fact remains. Those young players signed their deal before the astronomical rise in the salary cap came into play and before the new CBA came into effect with its new limitation on contract terms.

If Hughes and the Canadiens want to be able to sign Hutson to an eight-year deal, which they can do until the new CBA comes into force on September 16, 2026, they will have to compensate Hutson handsomely. While the young blueliner has very little leverage right now, given the fact that he won’t be eligible for an offer sheet next season, he does have the possibility to delay his signing until the Habs can only ink him to a seven-year deal.

Considering the way the salary cap is rising and how significant a role Hutson has shown he can play for Montreal, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him get a deal that’s very close to Dobson’s. The young blueliner has superstar potential, and it’s never been as obvious that Hughes wants him to be part of his team’s scoring. Keeping him for an extra year is well worth an extra million a year.

When Hughes spoke to the media about Dobson’s contract, he made a point of saying the defenseman was in a different situation than Caufield and Slafkovsky when they signed theirs, since the rearguard wasn’t just coming out of his ELC. Still, Hutson’s body of work speaks for itself; he has set himself in a category of his own.

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Last off-season, the Pittsburgh Penguins signed defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to a one-year, $2.5 million contract in free agency. In the end, it is fair to say that the Penguins got good value in this move, as Grzelcyk fit in nicely with the Metropolitan Division club. 

In 82 games with the Penguins this past season, Grzelcyk scored a goal and hit new career highs with 39 assists and 40 points. With numbers like these, the Charlestown, Massachusetts native certainly gave the Penguins solid offense from the point. He was also noticeably impactful on the power play, as he finished the year with a career-high 15 power-play points. 

However, even after putting together the best offensive season of his nine-year NHL career in 2024-25, Grzelcyk remains an unrestricted free agent (UFA) this off-season. Given the season he had with the Penguins in 2024-25, should Pittsburgh consider reuniting with him? 

If the Penguins signed Grzelcyk, he would have the potential to upgrade their left side, while also giving them another clear option for their power play. The Penguins also have over $13 million of cap space, so they could afford to bring back Grzelcyk easily. 

Yet, at the same time, the Penguins also already have plenty of left-shot defensemen signed for next season. They signed blueliners like Parker Wotherspoon and Alexander Alexeyev in free agency this year and have other left-shot defensemen like Owen Pickering, Ryan Graves, and Ryan Shea to work with. This is where fitting in Grzelcyk could be a challenge, especially when noting that they also have four NHL-caliber right-shot defensemen signed, too. 

Nevertheless, it is going to be interesting to see where Grzelcyk ends up landing this off-season. Given the campaign he had, he should be able to at least land a professional tryout (PTO) from an NHL club. 

Penguins New Goalie Is Big Breakout CandidateThe Pittsburgh Penguins added several new players to their roster this off-season. Perhaps the most intriguing of the bunch is goaltender Arturs Silovs.

The Chicago Blackhawks have several exciting young players in their system as they continue their rebuild. They will certainly be hoping that their promising youngsters can continue to develop in the right direction during the 2025-26 season.

We recently discussed how Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight was named the team's top breakout candidate for the 2025-26 campaign by The Hockey News' main site. However, Chris Meaney of NHL.com has now argued that another exciting young player is Chicago's top fantasy hockey breakout candidate for the 2025-26 season - forward Frank Nazar. 

Given the season Nazar just had, it is understandable that Meaney views him as the Blackhawks' top breakout candidate. The 2022 first-round demonstrated that he is already capable of producing solid offense at the NHL level, as he recorded 12 goals, 14 assists, and 26 points in 53 games during the 2024-25 season. These are good numbers, and it would not be surprising in the slightest if his offense goes up in 2025-26, now that he has more NHL experience. 

Meaney also noted that Nazar has the potential to be the Blackhawks' second-line center this upcoming season. Playing in a big role like that could certainly benefit the Detroit, Michigan native, as it would give the opportunity to have plenty of playing time. 

With Nazar getting better as this past season went on, it is certainly possible that he could build off that in 2025-26. It is going to be very intriguing to see if he can put together a big breakout season for Chicago from here. 

Blackhawks New Forward Is Interesting AdditionThe Chicago Blackhawks have made a few additions this off-season in what has been a pretty quiet summer for them. One of their moves was bringing back old friend Sam Lafferty, as they acquired him from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick back in July. This marked the third time that the Blackhawks have traded for Lafferty.