Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Reilly Smith will not be hitting the free-agent market on July 1. 

According to TSN's Chris Johnston, the Vegas Golden Knights have signed Smith to a one-year, $2 million contract extension for the 2025-26 season. In addition, Johnston reported that Smith's new contract has a full no-trade clause. 

Reilly Smith signs a one-year extension with Vegas worth $2M. Deal includes a no-trade clause.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 25, 2025

Smith spent the 2023-24 season with the Penguins after the Metropolitan Division club acquired him from the Golden Knights in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick. During his lone season as a Penguin, Smith recorded 13 goals, 40 points, and a plus-3 rating in 76 games. 

Smith's time with the Penguins ended during this past off-season, as Pittsburgh traded him to the New York Rangers in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick. After posting 29 points in 58 games with the Rangers this season, he was traded back to the Golden Knights near the deadline. In 21 games with the Golden Knights following the trade, he had three goals, 11 points, and a plus-11 rating. 

The Golden Knights keeping Smith around on this cheap one-year deal is understandable. The former Penguins winger has had the most success of his NHL career with the Golden Knights, and it will be intriguing to see what kind of season he puts together in Vegas in 2025-26 from here. 

Penguins Getting Rangers' Pick Is Win-Win For Both SidesOn Tuesday, the New York Rangers announced that they would give the Pittsburgh Penguins their 12th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft instead of sending them their 2026 pick.

Photo Credit: © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Flyers are one of many teams searching for a drastic improvement at the goalie position, but so far, their search of the NHL trade market hasn't yielded the results they'd hoped for.

Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reported Tuesday that the Flyers have explored the possibility of trading for either St. Louis Blues goalie Joel Hofer or Vancouver Canucks warden Thatcher Demko, but the asking price for the players was deemed to great relative to the risk.

"According to a team source, the Flyers kicked tires on St. Louis Blues goaltender Joel Hofer (RFA) and Vancouver Canucks netminder Thatcher Demko; the ask for both goaltenders included a first-round pick, Daily Faceoff was told," Di Marco wrote. "According to a source, Hofer’s unproven potential and Demko’s injury history (along with being a year away from UFA status) are too big of risks to take to justify giving up a first-round pick."

Indeed, the Flyers won't find many better options in goal who are actually available for the price they want to pay, but their risk assessment is accurate in this instance.

It worked out for them in the Trevor Zegras trade, and it seems that this is now the trade philosophy going forward.

Demko, 29, has plenty of appeal as a recent former Vezina Trophy finalist and NHL All-Star, but a career-altering knee injury helped limit him to just 23 starts for the Canucks and new Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet last season.

In those 23 games, Demko was 10-8-3, recording a 2.90 GAA, a .889 save percentage, and one shutout. 

It should be noted, though, that the San Diego, Calif., native finished the season with just 22 goals allowed in his last 10 games, along with a .907 save percentage. Not All-Star numbers, no, but still a significant upgrade over the performances the Flyers got this season from Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov.

Demko has one year remaining on his contract at a $5 million cap hit and can sign an extension with the Canucks, or the Flyers, if they trade for him, on July 1. If not, he will be an unrestricted free agent next July 1, which opens the door for him to leave for free if he wishes.

Flyers Trade for Trevor Zegras: Trade Grade, Immediate OutlookThe first big deal of the 2025 NHL offseason saw the Philadelphia Flyers trade center Ryan Poehling, the 45th pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, and a fourth-round pick to the Anaheim Ducks for forward Trevor Zegras.

The connection the Flyers have to Demko via Tocchet helps, but there are no indications that the Canucks are actively looking to jettison their No. 1 goalie at the moment.

As for Hofer, he's a young career backup, 6-foot-5, and a pending restricted free agent.

The Blues have just $5 million in cap space and will need to re-sign or replace the 25-year-old goalie in addition to, potentially, retaining Radek Faksa. And that's excluding the need to pursue upgrades elsewhere on the roster.

Hofer has been mostly consistent in the NHL in his fledgling career, though his numbers don't exactly scream "franchise goalie" yet.

In 63 starts and 69 total appearances, Hofer is 35-22-5 with a 2.71 GAA, a .908 save percentage, and two shutouts.

This past season, serving as Jordan Binnington's understudy, Hofer was 16-8-3 in 31 games with a 2.64 GAA, a .904 save percentage, and one shutout.

Last year, Hofer was 15-12-1 in 30 games with a near identical 2.65 GAA but a much improved .914 save percentage.

We can deduct that Hofer is probably an average NHL starter with the potential to elevate his game over extended periods of time, which would be a marked upgrade for the Flyers in their current state.

Flyers Scouting Top Russian Prospects Ahead of NHL DraftWith the 2025 NHL Draft now less than a week away, the Philadelphia Flyers are continuing their due diligence down at the Gold Star Hockey Development Camp in Florida, which runs until June 26.

The question is, if the Flyers won't pay a first-round pick for Hofer, who can (or will) they pay it for?

If the Flyers prefer to use one of their three first-round picks on a goalie in the upcoming NHL draft, they'll be banking on that goalie being a better long-term option than Hofer and Demko.

In that case, they may be forced to pivot to a less exciting bridge option, such as Jake Allen or Alex Lyon.

Additionally, it's worth noting that the Flyers can choke the Blues out with an offer sheet, so to speak, and sign Hofer to one worth somewhere between $4 million and $4.68 million. Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, anyone?

An offer sheet between $2.34 and $4.68 million requires compensation of a 2026 second-round pick, which the Flyers have. And by going into the higher end of that range, the Flyers can prevent the Blues from matching the offer sheet, unless St. Louis decides to match and significantly inhibit their ability to replace departing players and add to the roster as it is.

Even then, between the trade rumors and the offer sheet, the Flyers can say they made an earnest effort for a top target.

EDMONTON – Trades have a way of igniting a fan base.

The Edmonton Oilers are primed for several trades this offseason. With Stan Bowman looking to upgrade the forward group and goaltending, there's a decent chance that means Stuart Skinner might be on his way out. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more. 

If this does come to fruition, here are five possible destinations that make sense for one reason or another.

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Anaheim Ducks

The Oilers have been connected to the Anaheim Ducks and John Gibson for what feels like an eternity (and then some). The hiring of Joel Quenneville makes them feel like a team that wants to make a push, and a tandem of Skinner with Lukas Dostal would be a great duo.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are another team that hockey insiders have identified as a team that needs to improve its netminding. Because of the Flyers accumulating draft picks and prospects in trades over the past few years, they have the assets to facilitate a cap-dump trade with the Oilers.

Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings finished last season with Cam Talbot, Petr Mrazek, and Alex Lyon as their three goaltenders in the NHL. At last year’s trade deadline, they added Mrazek, a goaltender who has a track record of injury. 

There is no new contract for Lyon yet, but there is a good chance that another team will pick up his services. That opens up a potential deal to add a goalie and create another three-headed monster – or give them the flexibility to trade away Talbot and/or Mrazek.

Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings are looking to make a big splash. Their new GM Ken Holland wants to go “all-in.” He knows Skinner well from his time managing the Oilers – and GMs love to reacquire players they are familiar with. Also, a tandem of Skinner with Darcy Kuemper would be quite the 1-2 punch.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes have cap space to burn and a bone to pick. They have the young and spry Pyotr Kochetkov to go along with Frederik Andersen. However, trading away Andersen (to the Oilers or another team) and going with a Skinner-Kochetkov tandem could prove to be shrewd management.

With the system that the Hurricanes play, it would not surprise this writer if Skinner turned in a Vezina-finalist calibre season. In the very least, he could have the best year of his very young career.

If Skinner is going to get traded this summer, these are the five most likely destinations.

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The Vegas Golden Knights have re-signed forward Reilly Smith to a one-year, $2 million contract. 

During the 2024 offseason, the New York Rangers acquired Smith from the Pittsburgh Penguins as their big addition of the summer. 

The Rangers needed another reliable top-six forward to pair alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. The hope was that Smith could be the missing piece to the puzzle. 

However, that trio did not work out and over time, Smith saw his role diminish. 

In 58 games with the New York Rangers, the 34-year-old forward recorded 10 goals, 19 assists, and 29 points while averaging 15:36 minutes. 

At around the time of the  2025 NHL Trade Deadline with the Rangers struggling, Smith was traded to the Golden Knights, a team Smith spent the best days of his career with. 

The comfortability with his former team was shown instantly and the veteran forward tallied 11 points in 21 games. 

Now, Smith will remain in Vegas.

The Edmonton Oilers came within two wins of a Stanley Cup championship this year. But as soon as they lost to the Florida Panthers in the Cup final for the second straight season, speculation began as to what changes Edmonton would be making to their roster. 

On Wednesday, the Oilers’ first big change happened when they traded veteran left winger Evander Kane to the Vancouver Canucks for a fourth-round pick in this week’s NHL draft.

The deal completely makes sense from Edmonton’s perspective. Unloading Kane and his $5.125-million cap hit provides the Oilers with financial flexibility when they’re trying to re-sign RFA star defenseman Evan Bouchard. And they get a fourth-rounder (that initially belonged to the Ottawa Senators) as a bonus in what is essentially a salary dump.

Let’s be honest here – Kane isn’t exactly an unproblematic player. Once again, he was one of the more penalized playoff players, accumulating 44 penalty minutes in 21 playoff games. For better or worse, Kane plays with a sizable chip on his shoulder, and that can lead to undisciplined play in important moments.

Kane is now joining the fifth franchise in his 16-year NHL career. The 33-year-old’s caustic presence sometimes boils over, and that’s the gamble the Canucks are making with Wednesday’s trade.

Vancouver management can sell Canucks fans on the fact that Kane will ostensibly replace the offense that’s departing with the expected loss of right winger Brock Boeser, and Kane’s status as a Vancouver-born-and-raised player will appeal to a wide swath of Canucks fans. Kane is also entering the final year of his current contract, so the Canucks can walk away from him next summer if things don’t work out as they hope.

However, the Oilers will happily move on without having to worry about Kane’s impact on and off the ice. They’ve now got about $17 million in cap space, and that will allow them to re-sign Bouchard and likely pending UFA forwards, including center Trent Frederic and right wingers Corey Perry and Connor Brown. Had they kept Kane, that wouldn’t have been feasible.

Evander Kane Releases Statement As Oilers Trade Him To CanucksEvander Kane is headed to the Vancouver Canucks.

Vancouver, on the other hand, now has only $7 million in cap space. Canucks fans can kiss Boeser goodbye and probably center Pius Suter as well. But so long as Kane is healthy, they’ll be a tougher team to play against, and Kane can reliably be counted on to produce 20 to 25 goals and 40 to 50 points. Kane is clearly in the back nine of his career, but having the opportunity to play in his hometown could breathe new life into his game.

In any case, Wednesday’s trade was a shot across the bow of the rest of the league. The Oilers and Canucks didn’t wait until the NHL draft arrived Friday to make a move of consequence. Instead, they chose to move quickly to get ahead of the trade market, and Edmonton and Vancouver can now go to their fan bases and point to this deal as an example of being proactive on the trade front. 

Will this trade work out for both teams? Time will tell, but there’s no question the Canucks are taking the bigger risk here. The Oilers got the cap space they were looking for, but Vancouver took on a bigger risk-reward opportunity. Next season will tell us whether the Canucks were smart to acquire Kane.

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The Florida Panthers did something very ‘cool’ with their championship ice.

When members of the media arrived at Amerant Bank Arena for exit interviews on Saturday, some who wandered into the inner-bowl found an unusual site.

The ice was all chopped up, hacked into thousands of pieces in preparation to be bulldozed out of the building.

It’s the normal protocol for the end of any season, so it didn’t strike anyone as anything other than that.

A day later, the Panthers held their Stanley Cup Championship parade along A1A in Fort Lauderdale.

Weather-wise, it was a perfect late-June day as the sunshine soaked the hundreds of thousands of fans who lined the streets to celebrate with the Panthers.

As the team made their way south on A1A toward the rally stage set up across from Fort Lauderdale Beach Park, Panthers players were all outfitted with water guns to spray fans with refreshing water as temperatures reached into the 90s.

But it wasn’t just any water that was being sprayed out of those squirt guns.

It was melted championship ice, straight from Sunrise.

That’s right, the same ice that the Panthers skated on when they won the Stanley Cup last week was melted down and sprayed on fans celebrating the championship.

mmm…refreshing! pic.twitter.com/nvyKbZC2uX

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 24, 2025

This is just the latest way that the Panthers have found a way to connect with their fans as the team has made sure to take the Stanley Cup with them across Miami-Dade and Broward counties, out in public, to share the joy with everyone in South Florida.

They did the same thing last year, and odds are they’ll do it again if they can win another Stanley Cup in the coming years.

Seeing the bond that has formed between the Panthers players and their fans over the past few years has been something extremely special and unique.

Enjoy this, Cats fans, as these kind of situations are incredibly rare.

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Photo caption: Jun 22, 2025; Fort Lauderdale, Florida, UNITED STATES; Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola (77) celebrates during the Stanley Cup championship parade and rally. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

The Wraparound is back to discuss the NHL's Central Division and other breaking news in rapid-fire segments.

Will Jonathan Toews' Cup Experience Elevate The Winnipeg Jets? by The Wraparoundundefined

Here's what Emma Lingan, Bailey Curtis and Lou Korac discussed in this episode:

0:00 Initial reactions to the Edmonton Oilers trading Evander Kane to the Vancouver Canucks

4:23: Making sense of the Nashville Predators’ decision to re-acquire Erik Haula

8:50: Breaking down the Chicago Blackhawks’ prospect pool

13:33: After the Dallas Stars extended Matt Duchene, who will be the next best center target in free agency?

19:40: Evaluating the Colorado Avalanche’s off-season priorities

24:51: Could Jonathan Toews’ presence as a former Stanley Cup Champion help elevate the Winnipeg Jets?

28:07: Will Marco Rossi’s contract dilemma put the Minnesota Wild’s off-season plans in jeopardy?

32:29: Will Joel Hofer be a top offer sheet candidate this summer?

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Promo image credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images

The Ottawa Senators have released their 2025 preseason schedule, and as usual, there's a steady diet of games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. But this year, there’s a new wrinkle: the Sens will play a pair of games in Quebec City — first against the New Jersey Devils on September 28, and then against the Canadiens on September 30.

Those Quebec City games actually made waves when they were announced last season, and not in a good way. To drum up some buzz, the Senators tried a marketing stunt that didn’t quite land. They dressed Spartacat, their mascot, in a partial Quebec Nordiques jersey. Wearing the colours and logo of a former division rival didn’t go over particularly well, for reasons that probably should’ve been obvious.

The Sens will also make one American stop on October 2. That game will give Captain Brady Tkachuk a chance to enjoy some home cooking at his childhood home. He grew up in St. Louis, and the Blues will host Ottawa that night.

On September 21st at the CTC, the Sens will start their preseason the way they ended last season – with a game against the Maple Leafs. The two teams will square off again the very next night in Toronto.

Interestingly, there’s just one game at Canadian Tire Centre this preseason, although both Quebec City matchups are technically “home” games for the Sens.

2025-26 Ottawa Senators Preseason Schedule (All Times Eastern):

Sunday, Sept. 21: Toronto at Ottawa, 3 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 22: Ottawa at Toronto, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 28: New Jersey at Ottawa (Videotron Centre, Quebec City), 3 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 30: Montreal at Ottawa (Videotron Centre, Quebec City), 7 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 2: Ottawa at St. Louis, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 4: Ottawa at Montreal, 7 p.m.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

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Rewriting The Draft: A Decade Of First-Round 'What-Ifs' for the Senators
Potential First-Round Draft Targets For The Ottawa Senators: Defenceman Blake Fiddler

Evander Kane will be suiting up for his fifth NHL franchise next season. The talented 33-year-old former Buffalo Sabres winger was traded by the Edmonton Oilers to his hometown Vancouver Canucks for a 2025 fourth round pick on Wednesday.  

Part of the motivation for the deal was cap-related, as the Oilers needed to clear his $5.125 million salary to accommodate the pay increase for forward Leon Draisaitl, the expected hefty salary of RFA defenseman Evan Bouchard, and to re-sign pending unrestricted free agents like Trent Frederic, Corey Perry, and Connor Brown, but Kane has likely worn out his welcome with the Oilers after causing some difficulty during the regular season. 

Kane was injured in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs and underwent hip and groin surgery last summer. The winger then had knee surgery in January, but close to the trade deadline made noises about wanting to play before the end of the regular season, that would have put a crimp in GM Stan Bowman’s plans of adding players with Kane’s salary on long-term injured reserve. 

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The winger replaced former Sabre Jeff Skinner in the Oilers lineup early in the first round series against Los Angeles and helped turn the series around with his rambunctious physical play, but Kane’s lack of self-control revealed itself in the Cup Final against the Florida Panthers, when he took six minor penalties and two misconducts in six games. 

After six seasons with the Atlanta Thrashers / Winnipeg Jets, the 2009 fourth overall pick was traded to the Sabres in February 2015 along with Zach Bogosian, for Tyler Myers, Joel Armia, Brendan Lemieux and a first-round pick. Kane played 196 games over three seasons with Buffalo before being traded at the 2018 trade deadline to San Jose.  

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo