Florida's loaded cap space make back-to-back champion Niko Mikkola a possible cap causality next summer

The 2026 NHL Free Agent class has the potential to be the biggest in league history with some of the biggest names up for grabs. Barring a similar event to this year where all the top players re-sign, we could see a major shake up within the league. Most hockey fans look to biggest names like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Artemi Panarin among others on the block and salivate at the idea of their team nabbing one of the league's best. 

The back-to-back Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers won't be excempt from potentially losing a key piece in this free agency class with defenceman Niko Mikkola entering next season on an expiring contract. The Panthers have several big name players like Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand signed up until 2030 with a player like Mikkola on the outside looking like a potential cap causality. 

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The towering 6-foot-6 defenceman has proven to be a physical, playoff-type player that has excelled in Florida's culture. Mikkola isn't much of a point producer as he usually finishes with 20-25 points per season but is mainly utelized for his elite defensive play. Over the last two seasons, he has managed a +23 rating along with the 13th-most hits in the NHL at 335 and a team-leading 212 blocked shots. 

His key efforts on the defensive end with make him a hot ticket in the market and will certianly garner a long list of suitors. One of which could be the Detroit Red Wings as they are currently sitting with 12 million in cap space and will have plenty more at the end of this season. Coming off the books will likely be Patrick Kane's $3 million cap hit as well as $4.75 million more from 34-year-old Ben Chiarot and another $3.4 million from defenceman Justin Holl.

The extra $11 million cleared up from these three players alone should be enough to get a deal done for Mikkola while also still having enough left over to go after another available player in superstar and Michigan native Kyle Connor of the Winnipeg Jets. These two adds would be massive for Detroit but even coming away with just Mikkola would be a big win. 

The Red Wings defence corps is didn't make significant improvements this summer and are coming off a season where they finished bottom 12 in goals against average. An addition like Mikkola would be a huge upgrade in an area of need while also not blocking the path and providing a stable partner early on for high-end prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka, if the team decided to call him up. The top four being Simon Edvisson with Mortiz Seider followed by Mikkola and Sandin-Pellikka would be a deadly foursome and something that Steve Yzerman and company should seriously consider.

2025 Red Wings Draft Pick Michal Svrcek Announces Where He's Playing Next Season The 2025 NHL Draft wrapped up in late June, and among the players selected by Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman was Slovakian forward Michal Svrcek in the fourth round (119th overall). 

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The name Dorrington is not well-known in Rangers history but it should be, and here’s why. 

Back in the early 1950s the Blueshirts had a farm team in Atlantic City. They were called the Sea Gulls and played in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League against teams such as the New York Rovers, another Rangers farm team. 

Art Dorrington, an African-Canadian, was a Sea Gulls star and signed a Rangers contract. 

Unfortunately the Blueshirts failed to promote Dorrington - their mistake - but he became historic nonetheless, becoming the first black player to sign an NHL contract, paving the way for players such as Willie O’Ree. 

After retiring, Art settled in Atlantic City and organized one of the best kids programs in North America. 

“I went down to A.C. and did a feature on Dorrington,” Stan Fischler recalls. “He was one of the most popular figures in the resort city.” 

Happily, I report the Dorrington name lives on not only with the Rangers organization but the Islanders as well. 

While not being known for producing top NHL talent like certain collegiate programs, Sacred Heart University, in Fairfield, Connecticut, has steadily made its mark on professional hockey. To begin the 2024-25 season, the Pioneers had 18 alumni suit up at the professional level. 

Justin Danforth, who played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, was the only NHLer. By the end of the season, an additional four players from the Pioneers 2024-25 roster got a taste of professional hockey. Including Max Dorrington.

At the conclusion of his collegiate career, Max received a professional tryout from the Bridgeport Islanders and skated in seven AHL games. 

“I was actually at my house in Bridgeport when he [Dorrington’s agent] told me I was gonna sign there. 

“I told my roommate and he was obviously super excited. Then I just let my parents know, and I was at practice pretty much the next day. So it all happened really quick.” 

A Coversation With NHL Photographer Bruce BennettIt’s not everyday you get to speak with the man responsible for some of hockey’s most iconic photographs. Recently, I had that opportunity with Bruce Bennett. 

Dorrington had the opportunity to attend his first NHL development camp, with the New York Islanders, and cherished every moment. 

“It's been a crazy experience, you know, just being in the facilities, getting treated like an NHLer for the week, being in the gear, it's all pretty surreal.” 

Dorrington signed a one-year AHL contract with Bridgeport on July 1, and is preparing for his first full professional season. 

When asked about his distant cousin, Art, this is what Max had to say. 

“He's the first black player to sign an NHL contract. And I think that that's a pretty important milestone, especially because he did it for the Rangers in this exact same area. 

“He's kind of had an impact here, especially on hockey. So, yeah, I wear the name proudly, and I definitely think about it.” 

Max is the Islanders’ Dorrington, but what about the Rangers? 

Max’s brother, Jackson, played his collegiate career at Northeastern University, and is now on the opposite side of the New York rivalry. 

Jackson, a sixth round draft choice of the Vancouver Canucks in 2022, was acquired by the Rangers in the J.T. Miller trade. 

“We got to play each other three times at the end of the year in the AHL, so that was our first time ever playing against each other,” Max recalls. “We train together in the summer. We kind of feel like we're on the same team, working towards the same goals, but then once October comes around, it's gonna all change, and we're going at it again.” 

Both brothers are preparing for the beginning of their professional careers, and it’s safe to say they are looking forward to it, especially Max. 

"It's the first time in my life where there's no more school, there's no more distractions, it's just gonna be hockey all the time, and I'm pretty excited for that.” 

Art Dorrington would be proud!

The Los Angeles Kings were recently linked to Sidney Crosby, but it's time to shut any speculation down before it gets out of hand.

Frank Seravalli: Re Sidney Crosby: I think there's been some teams, or a short list, Montreal, LA Kings, Avalanche, those are the teams have been talked about, but he hasn't shown any interest...in moving - Bleacher Report (Jul 15)

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) July 17, 2025

Sorry to say, but there isn't a short list, there aren't any teams being talked about, and pundit Frank Seravalli has made this up. Crosby has been very clear that he doesn't want to play anywhere but for the Pittsburgh Penguins, so claiming there are teams behind the scenes, or "have been talked about" that are interested is simply clickbait.

He did start it off with "I think," which turns this away from being a true report, but Crosby has stated numerous times he won't play anywhere else. To think differently is wrong.

I would love to have Crosby on the Kings as well, considering how strong his playoff performances have been in the past, but it's not realistic at all; he will never leave the Penguins.

Report: Kings' Kopitar Believed To Be Entering Final NHL SeasonThe Los Angeles Kings have made some changes to their roster this offseason, and one thing that fans have been waiting for is a potential extension for long-time forward Anze Kopitar. Report: Kings' Adrian Kempe Asking Price On Next Contract RevealedThe Los Angeles Kings will soon have to focus on trying to re-sign forward Adrian Kempe, and while there is no indication he has any interest in leaving the organization, his asking price was revealed in a recent report from The Fourth Period, and the two sides are expected to ramp up contract talks soon. Free Agency Recap: Did the Los Angeles Kings Get Better or Worse This Offseason?The LA Kings entered the 2025 offseason facing another year of playoff disappointment and a roster in question. With several roster questions and trades, General Manager Ken Holland has opted not to make a splash, instead staying quiet, leaving fans wondering if the Kings have truly improved. 

A new Chelebration Event and Community Request cards are live now in NHL 25 Hockey Ultimate Team.

The four Community Request cards are 97 overall Eric Daze, Milan Hejduk, Kaiden Guhle, and Rasmus Ristolainen. A screen will pop up when players open NHL 25 and you make your vote there. 

The five new master set players for the Chelebration event are 97 overall Doug Weight, Matt Rempe, Sheldon Souray, Tyler Myers, and Jacob Markstrom. 

These MSPs can be acquired by trading in any thre 94+ Chelebration cards and any two 94+ cards. Players can also trade in MSPs with their corresponding team jersey for a fan pack. 

Players can trade in any three 90+ cards for a 92+ Chelebration card and any three 92+ Chelebration cards for a 94+ player. 

A free redeemable collectible pack is available daily in the HUT Store. Players can trade in collectibles for Chelebration player packs. 

The Chelebration base cards are full of tall players and are led by 97 overall Henrik Tikkanen, 96 Gordie Howe and Logan Stanley, and 95 overall Tyler Seguin and Valeri Nichushkin. 

The Season 7 XP Path is now live,  Check out the Origins Event Week 2 here.

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Photo Credit: EA SPORTS NHL 25

The NHL put together a list of the top ten forwards in the league who are under the age of 25. One Minnesota Wild player made the list at No. 3. 

Tim Stutzle of the Ottawa Senators was first on the list and Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils was second. Wild's Matt Boldy ranked third on the list. 

How does this ranking stack up with your own? 📝 #NHLYoungStarsWeek

Read more from @NHLdotcom ➡️ https://t.co/VoP2Ryaqunpic.twitter.com/0vhGvD9yCe

— NHL (@NHL) July 15, 2025

Boldy, 24, is coming off his fourth season in the NHL all with the Wild. He has 102 goals, 142 assists, and 244 points in 285 career games. 

The 6-foot-2 forward posted a career-high in games played (82), assists (46), points (73), game-winning goals (10), shots (271), and overtime goals (2) during the 2024-25 season. 

Other Wild News

Wild Forward Signs One-Year Contract With Division RivalFormer Minnesota Wild forward Gustav Nyquist signed a contract with the Winnipeg Jets on July 2nd. It was a one-year deal worth $3.25 million.  Minnesota Wild Release 2025-26 Season ScheduleST. PAUL, Minn - The 2025-26 season is almost here and the Minnesota Wild announced its schedule for the upcoming year. The length of the Wild's season is 187 days which is the same as last year.  Former Minnesota Wild Enforcer Traded To San Jose SharksThere have been a lot of former Minnesota Wild players on the move so far. On Thursday night, there was another one. Ryan Reaves was traded to the San Jose Sharks.

Former NHLer turned analyst Mike Rupp made a claim on NHL Network about the Metropolitan Division heading into the 2025-26 NHL season:

Safe to say @Rupper17 is not too confident in the Metropolitan Division this year. 😬 pic.twitter.com/tEvVLYWr25

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) July 19, 2025

This past season, the Washington Capitals were the second-best team in the NHL (111 points), but then there was a major drop with the remaining Metro Division playoff teams.

The Carolina Hurricanes finished at No. 10 (99 points), while the New Jersey Devils (91) came in at No. 16. 

The New York Rangers (85 points) and New York Islanders (82 points) missed the playoffs, finishing in 22nd and 23rd place, respectively. The Columbus Blue Jackets finished 20th (89 points).

So, what about the 2025-26 season and Rupp's claim?

The Capitals are coming off a magical season, but there's no way they can do it again, right?

The Hurricanes, regardless of what they do in the summer, always find a way to have strong regular seasons, so it wouldn't be a shock to see them finish atop the Metro this season.  They did land Nikolaj Ehlers and get a full season of Logan Stankoven

While the Devils didn't make any crazy splashes in free agency -- they'll be getting Quinn Hughes sooner rather than later -- their success sits on the shoulders of Jack Hughes and his ability to stay healthy. They should be a playoff team. 

The Rangers didn't do much and are going through a bit of an identity crisis at the moment, but when you have Igor Shesterkin in goal, defying odds is always possible. They did add Valdislav Gavrikov, who should help the defense. 

First-time general manager Mathieu Darche filled holes this summer, but will the new additions be strong enough to get this team back to the postseason? 

Coming off an emotionally driven season, the Blue Jackets could be a playoff team this upcoming season, while the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers aren't likely to be ultra competitive. 

The Islanders are likely to be fighting for a wild-card spot again, as they always seem to do. That projection can change if the Islanders can show some consistency out of the gate, as they've been anything but since Patrick Roy took over behind the bench mid-way through the 2023-24 NHL season. 

To get back to Rupp's claim, the Metro could very well be the weakest division in the NHL this season, which means an even stronger chance for the Islanders to find a way to get back into the postseason.

Projection:

CAR

WSH

NJD

NYI

NYR

CBJ

PHI

PIT

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PHOTO: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

According to Puckpedia’s numbers, the Montreal Canadiens have the most expensive goaltending in the NHL this season. They devote $14.8 million in salary to masked men, which accounts for the three goaltenders they have on NHL contracts and who aren’t waivers exempt: Carey Price, Samuel Montembeault, Kaapo Kahkonen, and Jakub Dobes. That works out to 15,5% of their cap.

The New York Rangers are in second place, with Ivor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick commanding a combined salary of $13 M, 13.7% of their cap. The Anaheim Ducks are in third place with $12.9 M for Lukas Dostal (who was just signed to a five-year contract with a $6.5 M cap hit), Petr Mrazek, and Ville Husso. The trio takes up 13.6% of the cap. The New York Islanders are in fourth place, having devoted $12 million to Ilya Sorokin, Semyon Varlamov, and David Rittich. That counts for 12.6% of the cap. Finally, the Boston Bruins wrap up the top-five with $11.2 M devoted to two goaltenders; Jaremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo that amounts to 11.8% of the cap.

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Among the top-five teams, only two have goaltenders who are or could be placed on LTIR, with only one who won’t ever come off it. That’s, of course, the Canadiens, with Price’s contract. Once he’s placed on LTIR or traded, the Canadiens’ cap hit for masked men will fall back down to $4.3 million, leaving them with one of the lowest amounts of money spent on goaltending.

That demonstrates the significant shift in direction the Canadiens have taken since Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton took over. Of course, they had no choice, since Price’s career was cut short by injury, but when he was hired, Hughes said in an ideal world, his team would be a fast and attacking one that would suit his coaching style. Since then, several moves have been made to achieve this goal, and there is no indication that the Canadiens will revert to a defense-first approach with the recent arrivals of Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov, and this off-season’s addition of Noah Dobson.

When Price’s contract comes off the books, be it by expiring or being traded, that money won’t be reinvested in goaltending or defending, since the blueliner is already looking pretty solid with the prospects in the pipeline. While Habs fans enjoyed watching the face of the franchise make great saves for years, this is undoubtedly a welcome change of pace.

Photo credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-Imagn Images

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The San Jose Sharks have completed most of their business for the summer at this point, and we have a rough idea of what the roster should look like on opening night. With an abundance of players fighting for a limited number of spots, though, there will be hard decisions and we’ll likely see some veterans, or even some younger players, placed on waivers when preseason comes to a close.

A lot can change over the next two months; however, we’re far enough into the off-season to start spitballing about the opening night roster, what lines will look like, as well as who will make the cut, and who will be left out. 

With the forwards, for the most part, it’s pretty clear. William Eklund, Macklin Celebrini, and Tyler Toffoli should be reunited on the first line, and it’s safe to say they’re all guaranteed a spot on the roster. The Sharks have made it clear that they want Will Smith to play center moving forward, as a resul,t he’s an obvious option as the second-line center. Alongside him, I’d pencil in two newcomers, Jeff Skinner and Philipp Kurashev.

The third line is where things truly get interesting, as Michael Misa will shake things up quite a bi,t whether he’s ready for the NHL or not. Personally, I think it would be hard for him not to earn a spot in the opening night lineup; however, like Smith, it would be logical to start him as a winger in his rookie season. Alexander Wennberg would slot in as the third-line center, and veteran Adam Gaudette would be on the right wing. 

Ironically, the fourth line is what gave me the most trouble. Barclay Goodrow and Ty Dellandrea are safe bets to have a spot on the Sharks’ bottom line, but the right wing spot creates some questions. Carl Grundstrom or Ryan Reaves would be the obvious choices. Both require waivers to go to the American Hockey League, and it’s very clear what each of them brings to the table. Instead, though, I envision both of them being scratched on opening night.

After heavily considering Collin Graf as an option to take that spot, instead I think he’ll start the season with the San Jose Barracuda, and Ethan Cardwell will earn the final spot in the lineup. It would be a shock to many, that’s for sure, but he impressed at both the Rookie Faceoff and training camp last season. He brings more defensive responsibility, and whether it was with the Sharks or the Barracuda last season, he always brought a ton of energy to each shift. Graf could certainly earn the job in training camp with a strong showing, but as of now, I see Cardwell just edging him out. 

The first major question on the blue line is, what happens to Sam Dickinson? If any of the other defensemen in the hunt for a job were waiver-ineligible, Dickinson would almost be guaranteed to get a nine-game tryout in the NHL before Mike Grier needed to make a decision. However, now that Shakir Mukhamadullin and Jack Thompson would require waivers to go to the Barracuda, it makes things a bit more difficult, and as a result, Dickinson could head back to the London Knights.

While I don’t think the OHL is the best option for Dickinson's development at this point, it’s also hard to risk him starting in the NHL, waiving a player to make room, then realizing Dickinson isn’t ready after nine games. As a result, I reluctantly left him off the opening night roster, but that could easily change with a strong showing in the Rookie Faceoff and training camp. 

Mukhamadullin is very likely to have a spot on the Sharks’ opening night roster. Given his value to the organization, it seems highly unlikely he gets waived; as a result, he’s almost guaranteed a job in the NHL. Mario Ferraro and two of the new additions, Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg, also appear to be locks. Nick Leddy, on the other hand, could find himself in the lineup, in the press box, or even on waivers once again. Ultimately, in my eyes, it seems like Timothy Liljegren and Thompson get the final two spots in the lineup, while Nick Leddy is a healthy scratch. As a result, Vincent Desharnais would be on waivers and start the season with the Barracuda if he clears. 

In between the pipes, it seems clear that Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic will be the tandem to start the season. I discussed the potential of that partnership earlier this week, but overall, it can be either one of the Sharks’ greatest assets or biggest weaknesses.

Lineup Projection:

Eklund - Celebrini - Toffoli

Skinner - Smith - Kurashev

Misa - Wennberg - Gaudette

Goodrow - Dellandrea - Cardwell

Reaves, Grundstrom

Ferraro - Klingberg

Mukhamadullin - Liljegren

Orlov - Thompson

Leddy

Askarov

Nedeljkovic

Of course, there are some names I haven’t mentioned who will likely see some playing time with the Sharks this coming season. Players like Cam Lund, Egor Afanasyev, Quentin Musty, Zack Ostapchuk, and Luca Cagnoni are a few that come to mind as potential recall options once injuries strike or players are moved near the trade deadline. I also left Daniil Gushchin out of the lineup, which could lead to an interesting situation with him, as he could be a player who is due a change of scenery.

The Sharks have a multitude of options in every position, which is a blessing, but it can also be a curse when many of them are around the same skill level. It’ll be a tight race for many of these players hoping to make the opening night roster, which means it should be a very interesting preseason this September. 

Photo Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images