Category: Sports News

After the first four days of the NHL’s free-agent frenzy, most of the available talent is now off the market. But for the right price, there are still decent-enough players looking for work. What players of note are left? That’s the focus of this column. 

Here are our picks for the top players remaining as UFAs, listed on their most recent teams:

1. Ilya Samsonov, G, Vegas Golden Knights

We have Samsonov at the top of our list not because we believe he’ll get the most money out of all the players we’ve listed here, but rather, because the goaltending market is not at all deep, guaranteeing Samsonov will get a solid shot at earning playing time somewhere. 

The 28-year-old’s numbers last year with Vegas – including a 2.82 goals-against average and a .891 save percentage – aren’t going to knock anyone’s socks off, and his next salary won’t be much more than the $1.8 million he made as a Golden Knight last year. But if he’s part of a tandem where his playing time is somewhat limited to 40 games or fewer, Samsonov could prove to be a smart investment.

2. Jack Roslovic, C, Carolina Hurricanes

Roslovic has bounced around the league in recent years, playing on the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and Hurricanes since 2022-23. But Roslovic tied his personal best in goals this past season, with 22 markers to his credit. 

Any team seeking offense could do much worse than signing Roslovic, who earned only $2.8 million in 2024-25 and may aim to get back to the $4-million per season he was making in 2022-23 and 2023-24. He’s still relatively young at 28 years old, and Roslovic’s soft hands and nose for the net are valuable skills he’s looking to parlay into a multi-year deal.

3. Matt Grzelcyk, D, Pittsburgh Penguins

Just about all defensemen of consequence are off the board, leaving Grzelcyk as the best available option. The 31-year-old had a career year on offense with the Penguins last season, posting 39 assists and 40 points. 

Any team seeking help on offense should be taking a long look at Grzelcyk, who earned only $2.75-million last season and is likely aiming for a two or three-year contract with a slightly higher annual payday. But after suffering through misery in Pittsburgh last season, Grzelcyk may choose to sacrifice some money to play on a team that’s a virtual lock to make the playoffs in 2025-26.

4. Victor Olofsson, LW, Vegas Golden Knights

Only three years ago, Olofsson was earning $4.75 million and generating 28 goals in a single season for the Buffalo Sabres. But he had a down season for Buffalo in 2023-24, and accepted a pay cut to only $1.075-million with the Golden Knights last season. 

OIofsson’s role in Vegas was smaller than it was in Buffalo, but he still managed to post 15 goals and 29 points while averaging only 14:30 of ice time in 56 games in 2024-25. Teams in need of depth on the wing should be in the race to sign Olofsson, but like Grzelcyk, he may also prioritize playing on a Cup contender.

5. Max Pacioretty, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs

The 36-year-old Pacioretty once again had difficulty staying healthy last season, appearing in only 37 games and potting five goals and 13 points in that span. But Pacioretty roared back in a major way in the playoffs, posting three goals and eight points in 11 post-season games. 

Pacioretty earned $873,770 with Toronto last season, and while he may get a slight raise into the $1-million-per-year range, his priority could be playing close to his Michigan home, and that means he may be choosing between the Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings to sign what could be his final NHL contract. Retirement could also be an option for Pacioretty, but if he does play, his professionalism and evolution into a physical forward will be very valuable to a team looking for help on its third or fourth line.

6. Joel Kiviranta, LW, Colorado Avalanche

The 29-year-old Kiviranta was playing on a league-minimum contract in Colorado for the past two seasons, but in 2024-25, he had a breakout year of sorts, with 16 goals and 23 points in 79 games with the Avs. Kiviranta averaged only 12:31 of ice time in Denver last season – a modest career-best for the Finn – but as a plugger on an above-average squad, he could flirt with the 20-goal plateau and wind up being a terrific gamble for a team. 

The Avalanche have the money to bring Kiviranta back, but a lack of agreement at this point may signify they want to move in a different direction. Sooner or later, though, one team or another will bring in Kiviranta as a depth addition. 

7. Robby Fabbri, C, Anaheim Ducks

Staying healthy has been a serious challenge for the 29-year-old Fabbri, who has yet to play a full 82-game season in his nine NHL seasons. And last year, Fabbri appeared in only 44 games with the Ducks, posting just eight goals and 16 points. But the year prior, as a member of the Red Wings, Fabbri matched his career-high of 18 goals, and he did it in only 68 games. 

Fabbri earned $4 million in 2024-25, so his next contract is likely to include a significant pay cut. But if he can stay in the lineup, Fabbri has the finishing skills to get close to the 20-goal mark once again.

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It’s never just a number, it’s a legacy. That sentiment rings true for the newest member of the Vegas Golden Knights, Mitch Marner, who will be sporting the number 93 in the upcoming season. A number that once defined his early days now returns with this new chapter in his career. 

Mitch Marner is a Knight once again... ⚔️ @LondonKnights ➡️ @GoldenKnights#NHLFreeAgencypic.twitter.com/Hpcf3MJxEM

— NHL (@NHL) July 2, 2025

Nearly a decade ago, Marner first wore the number 93 for the London Knights, a tribute to his father’s admiration for the famous forward Doug Gilmour. The Toronto Maple Leafs had retired that number in Gilmour’s honor, preventing Marner from having the opportunity to take it to the ice. But now, with a new beginning in Vegas, Marner finally has the chance to wear 93 again.

“The first time I actually saw it on someone was on my son,” Marner said. “My wife and I were in our hotel room and put it on him, and it was just a really special moment. It’s a jersey that I wore with the London Knights for the three years there, and had great success with it and really enjoyed the number.”

This transition holds personal meaning for Marner off the ice, but Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon also emphasized the significant impact Marner is expected to make on the ice.

“With Mitch Marner, we're getting one of the best forwards in the National Hockey League,” McCrimmon said. “Elite playmaker, tremendous passer over his past four seasons, he's averaged 30 goals and 100 points, 102 points this past year. Dynamic, our fans will love this player, he really adds to our team. He adds to our offense. It gives us another, you know, F1 star at the forward position, which we really feel is important. I think that it improves our team tremendously.”

Marner will be the first Knight to wear number 93 on the ice, already solidifying his name in the Vegas history books.  

PHOTO COURTESY: Golden Knights

The signings by NHL clubs have ground to a halt five days into free agency, with the most sought-after players locked up on Day 1 and the biggest fish in Nikolai Ehlers finally signing with the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. A pair of former Buffalo Sabres are among the most prominent players still not signed. Jeff Skinner had 16 goals last season with Edmonton, but played sparingly in the playoffs, while Victor Oloffson had a solid injury-shortened season with the Vegas Golden Knights.   

The 29-year-old was a seventh-round pick of the Sabres in 2014 and spent four seasons in Sweden before coming to North America in 2018. After scoring 30 goals with Rochester,  Olofsson played five seasons in Buffalo, scoring 20 or more goals three times, but he was phased out by Don Granato of his role on the power play, and played mostly fourth line duty in 2024 before leaving  as an unrestricted free agent. 

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Olofsson joined the Golden Knights and former linemate Jack Eichel on a one-year, $1.075 million on the second day of free agency last July and had some success in a limited role, posting 29 points (15 goals, 14 assists) in 56 games, and four points (2 goals, 2 assists) in nine playoff games, as Vegas lost to Edmonton in the second round.  

Vegas after the sign and trade for Mitch Marner, the signing of Kaeden Korczak, and the acquisitions of Colton Sissons and Jeremy Lauzon, are over the cap. GM Kelly McCrimmon may make some moves in addition to putting defenseman Alex Pietrangelo on long-term injured reserve to open up cap space to a make a few tweaks. It is possible that Olofsson still factors in the Golden Knights plans, but there may be other teams looking to add a scoring winger/power play specialist for a economical price.  

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Nesbitt may have surprised some, but a former Flyer sees ‘a little bit of Couturier' originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

VOORHEES, N.J. — Jack Nesbitt was aware of the 2025 NHL pre-draft rankings.

“Definitely a little bit,” he said.

Some experts and scouting services had him around the top 20, but others didn’t. He was slotted as low as 48th on EliteProspects.com. So when the Flyers traded two first-round picks (Nos. 22 and 31) to move up and select Nesbitt at 12th overall a little over a week ago, the decision was probably met with a share of skepticism.

But Nesbitt didn’t sound bothered by it.

“I know I was ranked either 10 to 20 or even lower,” the 18-year-old center said Wednesday at Flyers development camp. “I just went into the draft knowing that I could be a first-rounder and if I dropped out of there, it’s OK, it’s just a pick. But I’m very happy about going 12th, I know a lot of people didn’t expect that. I’m very happy about it, proud about it and I’m honored to be in this position.”

Nesbitt sure looks intriguing when you see him up close. He’s between 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-5, he’s highly skilled with the puck and he’s just fine with playing in the trenches. On top of that, his hockey IQ is already there.

Wayne Simmonds, now a consultant for the Flyers’ hockey operations department, saw Nesbitt around four to five times last season while scouting the OHL. The former Flyer was once a teammate of a long, lanky center who developed into a Selke Trophy winner. Simmonds sees some of Sean Couturier in Nesbitt.

“Jack is very smart, huge body,” Simmonds said Wednesday. “When he fills into his body, he’s going to be unstoppable. I think of, to me, when I watch him play, a little bit of Couturier.”

On a loaded Windsor team that featured 124-point Ilya Protas and 119-point Liam Greentree, Nesbitt put up 64 points (25 goals, 39 assists) and a plus-12 rating in 65 games last season. He earned more and more opportunity down the stretch before adding 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 12 playoff games.

The Flyers have gotten a glimpse of his physicality at development camp.

“He likes those dirty areas, you see him in those corner battles, he is not shying away from anyone out there,” Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong said Wednesday. “Once he understands how to use his body and come out of the corner with the puck, once he gets stronger, I think he’s going to be a nice addition here in a couple of years.”

Jack Nesbitt showing his size and physicality here on Devin Kaplan.

Nesbitt likes to get into the thick of things. pic.twitter.com/hdaZZS9jNG

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) July 5, 2025

The 186-pound Nesbitt will have to gain strength and improve his foot speed as he develops with the Spitfires. He’s slated for two more years of junior hockey. After development camp, he’ll be working with Windsor skating coach Kathy McLlwain this summer.

“I think I grew, like, four inches one year maybe three years ago,” Nesbitt said. “It just came along the way and now it’s about putting the weight on. … Growing up, I was always the biggest guy on my team, so my skating wasn’t the greatest.”

Flyers prospects Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk are familiar with Nesbitt from their matchups in the OHL. Nesbitt had four goals and four assists over six games against their London squad last season.

“Really big body, he has got really good hands around the net, he has got a knack to score,” Barkey said Saturday. “Every time we played him, I think he might have scored at least one goal, he’d always find a way to put one in the back of the net. So he has got a good knack for scoring. He’s not shy, either. He’s a big body, he plays physical, not afraid to fight and mix it up, as well.”

Jack Nesbitt from Thursday’s session at Flyers development camp.

People have said his hands are very good, one of his biggest strengths. pic.twitter.com/eogAF4Jmxj

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) July 5, 2025

From February to the end of the regular season, Nesbitt had 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 18 games.

“We think his upside is really, really strong,” NHL Central Scouting vice president Dan Marr said last month. “I think teams will step up for him. It was consensus with our group and I think it’s consensus with a lot of NHL teams.”

That could be why the Flyers felt they had to be aggressive if they wanted to grab him.

“I know he’s a player the organization was really high on based on the move that they made to go up and get him, they did that for a reason,” Patrick Sharp, a special advisor to the Flyers’ hockey operations department, said Saturday. “So far, very impressed with him.”

For 19-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins' defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke, it is only a matter of time. 

It is evident through just three days of the Penguins' annual Prospect Development Camp that the young, smooth-skating blueliner is, simply, a level above everybody else. His skating - though it didn't need much improvement - looks more explosive and even smoother than it did at this time last year. His puckhandling skills and offensive instincts have been on display, too, and he's been a mentor of sorts to some of the younger Penguins' defensive prospects who are attending camp for the first time. 

Brunicke nearly made the NHL roster out of training camp last season after a wildly impressive pre-season. He has made it his goal to make it across the finish line this time around. 

“It’s the goal to stay here. That’s the dream,” Brunicke said. “So, I’m going to have the right mindset going into dev camp to start here and then throughout main camp and pre-season.”

In watching the 6-foot-3, 202-pound South African native, it’s clear that he is a level above his peers. Brunicke is probably beyond juniors at this point. 

But, unfortunately, his path to the NHL won’t be an easy one - even if it’s where he probably should be next season. 

The Penguins, as an organization, love Brunicke, and it's easy to see why. In the aftermath of his standout training camp, he took a big step last season when he went to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) for 10 games after his junior season with the Kamloops Blazers (WHL) ended - registering two points - and he also appeared in both playoff games for WBS, potting his first career AHL goal and an assist.

Penguins Prospect Development Camp: Standouts From Day 1On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins opened their annual Prospect Development Camp, which features 48 players both from the Penguins' system and outside of it.

There were some growing pains in that 12-game stint. It was evident that, at first, Brunicke was adjusting to playing against grown men and professional hockey players, especially in comparison to the ask of him in Kamloops. There, he is - without a doubt - a bad team's best player, and the team relies on him to, pretty much, do it all himself.

“The first couple of games, I was just trying to do too much - kind of bringing those junior habits - and it just wasn’t working,” Brunicke said. “So, I eventually talked to [assistant general manager Jason Spezza] a little bit about just playing more simple and kind of toning that down. I think that really helped me, and I started to play some of my best hockey.”

As he learned, “doing it yourself” is not the case in the AHL, and it won't be the case in the NHL. It's something that Brunicke picked up on - and started to correct - very quickly during that short stint, and that aptitude and adaptability did not go unnoticed by the Penguins.

"I think he took the constructive criticism and was able to apply it right away,” Kostopoulos said. “If you watched his games in Wilkes-Barre, there was growth, but it took off. It was impressive how he grew into the games in the playoffs. He looked very confident for a young kid. 

“So, we’re really excited about his potential that he’s got to be a really good two-way defender with offensive upside.”

There certainly is a lot of potential with Brunicke - who is, arguably, the Penguins’ top prospect. But here’s the thing: If Brunicke goes back to Kamloops this season, the expectation for him is not going to change. He is not yet AHL-eligible - and he signed his entry-level contract, disqualifying him from the NCAA - so he only has two options.

Penguins sign defenseman Harrison Brunicke to entry-level contractThe 44th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft is signed through the 2026-27 season

The last thing the Penguins will want is to rush the development of their best defensive prospect, and that’s understandable. As it stands now, there is also a bit of a defensive logjam on the right side at the NHL level, as Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, new acquisition Connor Clifton, and roster hopeful Jack St. Ivany will all serve to make a final spot less attainable for Brunicke.

However, Brunicke is in a tough spot. The AHL would be the perfect landing spot for him in 2025-26, but since he can’t play there, he either has to move forward to the NHL, where he will burn a year of his entry-level contract but will at least be learning and growing, or move backward to Kamloops, where he risks picking up more bad habits and stunting his development. 

What happens with Brunicke will, likely, largely depend on the fate of Karlsson, who has been the subject of trade speculation. If Karlsson is dealt, it is far more likely that Brunicke has a legitimate shot at the NHL roster out of camp.

But if Karlsson sticks around - and Brunicke has yet another outstanding training camp - the Penguins are truly going to have some tough decisions to make. If he is sent back to juniors, their best hope is that he gets traded to a contending team and isn’t forced to carry the load all by himself. Or, maybe, the best course of action would be to give Brunicke that nine-game trial run from the jump, just to see what he can do with the Penguins and if he can make things even more interesting for management. 

In any case, Brunicke’s time is coming soon. And the Penguins need to make sure they make whatever decision is in the best interest for Brunicke’s development. 

And - based on everything we’ve seen - I’m not sure that his “best interest” lies in junior hockey anymore.

With Breadth Of Positional Depth In The System, Penguins' Defensive Prospects Eager To Take Next StepsWhen Pittsburgh Penguins’ Prospect Development Camp began on Thursday, 48 players took the to the ice - some for the first time in black and gold, others returned to a familiar place.

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Feature image credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images