Free Agent Focus: New Jersey Devils
Free agency is now less than a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. Even with the UFA crop being thinned out in recent months, there will be some quality veterans set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Devils.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Arseny Gritsyuk – Coming up on nearly six years since the Devils used their 129th overall pick to select Gritsyuk in the fifth round, the 25-year-old Russian finally played his first season of NHL hockey in the 2025-26 campaign after signing a one-year, $925K contract in the summer of 2025. The Krasnoyarsk native had seen several stints in the KHL before this year, scoring 44 points in 49 games with SKA St. Petersburg. 13 goals for 31 points in 66 games in year one, including a 53.7% expected goals share at 5-on-5 play, should definitely command more years for Gritsyuk to contribute in New Jersey.
D Simon Nemec — The former second-overall pick has demonstrated quite a trajectory in his entry-level years with New Jersey. Scoring 26 points in this past season’s 68 games played. The Slovakian defenseman has risen to the occasion in big moments for the Devils, most notably registering his first career playoff goal against the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2025 playoffs. Nemec’s future could see his next deal go a few ways, either via a long-term extension or a bridge deal, based on the projected deals provided by AFP Analytics. Given there are already six players under contract on the blue line that are being paid $34.9MM combined, it’ll be interesting to see how GM Sunny Metha approaches Nemec within the offseason.
Other RFAs: F Paul Cotter, F Dylan Wendt, F Xavier Parent, D Calen Addison, D Topias Vilen, G Nico Daws, G Jakub Malek, G Tyler Brennan
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Evgenii Dadonov – The 37-year-old had a rough go in New Jersey. Former GM Tom Fitzgerald had the veteran Russian inked on a one-year, $1MM contract that saw Dadonov play just 24 games in 2025-26, after suffering two injuries, a hand maiming in the season opener on October 9th vs the Hurricanes, followed by a wrist injury just four games in his return from that initial injury. That later forced him onto the Devils’ injured reserve list. Before this season, Dadonov scored 20 goals for 40 points with the Dallas Stars.
Other UFAs: F Zack MacEwen, D Dennis Cholowski, F Jonathan Gruden, F Nathan Legare, F Ryan Schmelzer, F Mike Hardman, F Marc McLaughlin, F Brian Halonen, D Colin White
Projected Cap Space
The Devils have a little under $11MM of cap space to utilize, enough to re-sign Nemec and depth players to fill out the lineup for next season if they’re looking to be conservative in their moves. However, if they pull the trigger on a Nemec trade this offseason, the Devils could spend those available dollars elsewhere. Additionally, if they’re able to move off Dougie Hamilton‘s $9MM salary, they’ll have a ton of flexibility for other moves.
Photo Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
Panthers Sign Cooper Black To Two-Year Contract
Given that Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov could depart the organization in free agency this summer, the Florida Panthers are doing everything they can to keep most of their goaltending depth intact. The Panthers announced that they’ve signed netminder Cooper Black to a two-year, two-way contract.
Black, 24, recently wrapped up his second professional season. He’s a relative success story, grinding it out with the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers only five years before committing to Dartmouth College ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. His first season at Dartmouth didn’t go well, with Black finishing with a 5-23-1 record in 30 games with a .899 SV% and 3.07 GAA.
Despite the bad performance, Black remained with the program for what would be his last season in the NCAA. The next year went much better, managing a 13-8-8 record in 30 games with a .910 SV% and 2.58 GAA. Although the Big Green finished fourth in the ECAC Conference, they were eliminated in the conference semifinals by Cornell.
Still, that was enough for the Panthers to give him a shot, and they inked Black to his entry-level contract that same year. He played a few games with the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates, but primarily played for the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers during the 2024-25 campaign. Black finished with an 11-4-2 record in 17 games with a .910 SV% and 1.98 GAA.
Finally, Black was given the reins for the 2025-26 season, and he turned it into a decent year. The Alpena, MI native managed a 25-13-4 record in 43 games with a .903 SV% and 2.47 GAA. Unfortunately, Black couldn’t keep that success going in the Calder Cup playoffs, and the Checkers were eliminated in three games.
Unless something goes horribly wrong this offseason, there’s little chance of Black beginning the 2026-27 season with the Panthers. Even with the likely exit of Bobrovsky and Tarasov, Black will remain Florida’s third-string option heading into next season.
Oilers Interested In Hiring Mike Babcock As Head Coach
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Edmonton Oilers are consulting with the NHLPA to see if any objections need to be resolved if they were to hire Mike Babcock as their next head coach. Edmonton’s inquiry to the NHLPA about a potential investigation suggests their interest in Babcock is quite serious.
Dreger later added that if an investigation is warranted, the NHL would manage it. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun added that if the Oilers were to hire Babcock, former Los Angeles Kings interim head coach D.J. Smith would likely join his staff.
There are a lot of “ifs” to work through, but it would obviously be one of the most controversial coaching hires in recent memory if Edmonton were to hire Babcock. Despite his tremendous success with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Detroit Red Wings, Babcock has experienced unceremonious endings to his tenures with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Columbus Blue Jackets, thanks to multiple scandals.
A significant part of this began during his time with the Red Wings. In 2019, former Red Wing Johan Franzen called Babcock “the worst person I’ve ever met” in an interview with Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Veteran defenseman Chris Chelios added that Babcock verbally abused Franzen to the point of the latter suffering a nervous breakdown. Additionally, during the 2010-11 season, Babcock made Mike Modano a healthy scratch on multiple occasions at the end of the season, causing the legend to finish one game shy of 1,500 games played.
Then came the Mitch Marner incident. A year into an eight-year, $50MM contract with the Maple Leafs, Babcock asked Marner, who was a rookie at the time, to rank his teammates from first to last in work ethic. The stunt understandably angered the team, putting Marner in an awkward position just days into his professional career. The details of this incident wouldn’t come out until Babcock was fired by the Maple Leafs in 2019.
Babcock became radioactive after the news broke. Coupled with the controversies throughout his time in Detroit, no player was keen on playing for Babcock, and no team was willing to give him another opportunity. Still, under the assumption that time heals all wounds, the Blue Jackets became the first team to offer him an opportunity in 2023.
However, Babcock would finish his time with the Blue Jackets without coaching a single game. Originally shared on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, host Paul Bissonnette revealed that Babcock had approached multiple players, including captain Boone Jenner, asking them to share personal photos and sometimes displaying them for the rest of the team to see. Babcock resigned from his role a few days later.
Since then, although Babcock has appeared in rumblings here and there, none have been as serious as the Oilers’ current attempts. In late May, Babcock told Dreger that he considers himself retired, but obviously, Edmonton has gotten his attention one way or another.
Kings To Hire Peter Laviolette As Head Coach
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Los Angeles Kings have hired Peter Laviolette as their new head coach. Friedman mentioned that Laviolette was anticipated to be a finalist for the head coaching positions with both the Edmonton Oilers and the Toronto Maple Leafs had he not accepted the Kings’ offer. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun shared that Laviolette has agreed to a three-year deal with the Kings.
Los Angeles will be the seventh team that Laviolette has served as head coach with, and only his second in the Western Conference. The last time Laviolette coached a team in the West was with the Nashville Predators until he was relieved of duties partway through the 2019-20 season.
Throughout his 23-year coaching career, Laviolette has had tremendous success. His head coaching career began back in the 2001-02 season, when Laviolette spent two years with the New York Islanders. The franchise had struggled for years before Laviolette had arrived, and he managed to guide the team back to the postseason in both years.
Still, despite the return to relevance, the Islanders weren’t inspired by Laviolette coaching the team back into the postseason, and he was fired in the summer leading up to the 2003-04 season. It didn’t take long for him to find a new job as the Carolina Hurricanes hired him partway through the next season.
Although his first half-year with the team didn’t go well, nobody has any complaints about how the team did the following year. After returning from the 2005 lockout, Laviolette guided the Hurricanes to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2002, and the organization’s first and only championship, defeating the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.
Unfortunately, largely due to injuries, Carolina was unable to repeat their success under Laviolette, and the team parted ways with him after 25 games into the 2008-09 season. He spent the next year on the open market before landing with the Philadelphia Flyers early on in the 2009-10 season.
Similar to his start with the Hurricanes, Laviolette achieved quick success with his new organization. The recent Stanley Cup winner stewarded the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Final that season, albeit losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games. Outside of reaching the Cup Final, Philadelphia also became the third team to come back from a 3-0 series deficit, overcoming the Boston Bruins in the semifinals.
The Flyers remained competitive during Laviolette’s tenure, but never achieved the same playoff success. Eventually, after getting off to a winless start in three games at the beginning of the 2013-14 campaign, Philadelphia let go of Laviolette.
Heading into the 2014-15 campaign, Laviolette was hired by the Nashville Predators to become the team’s second head coach in franchise history, replacing Barry Trotz, who had departed for the Washington Capitals. Like his time with Carolina and Philadelphia, Laviolette helped his team to the Stanley Cup Final relatively early into his tenure.
Under Laviolette, the Predators reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history in 2017, but would ultimately fall short of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He remained in Nashville for three more years before being fired during the 2019-20 season.
Since then, Laviolette has had a three-year run as head coach of the Washington Capitals and another two with the New York Rangers. Both teams played well in the regular season, but couldn’t get over the hump and back to the Stanley Cup Final. He has not coached since the Rangers fired him after the 2024-25 campaign.
Beginning in the 2001-02 season, Laviolette has compiled a head coaching record of 846-562-25-161 for a win percentage of .589. He has guided three teams to the Stanley Cup Final, winning once, and has two Presidents’ Trophies.
Laviolette’s head coaching tactics should be a stark transition for the Kings, who have been branded as a defensive-minded team for the past several years. Under Laviolette, who emphasizes quick transitions and aggressive gap control on defense, the team is expected to have greater success in scoring goals simply due to an improved system.
Additionally, it’s likely that Los Angeles forward Artemi Panarin had a hand in Laviolette’s hire. Panarin, who could very likely become the new face of the franchise for the Kings since Anže Kopitar retired. Panarin had the best season of his career under Laviolette, scoring 49 goals and 120 points in 82 games during the 2023-24 campaign.
Still, given his track record, it’s hard to say how this hiring will work out in the long run. Laviolette typically gets off to quick starts with new teams, but struggles to keep up the success long-term. However, the Kings may be trying to prevent this by limiting their offer to a three-year deal.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel of Imagn Images.
Joona Koppanen Signs With SHL’s Lulea HF
June 8th: Nearly three months later, Koppanen has finally left the Penguins organization. According to a report from Seth Rorabaugh of the Tribune-Review, Koppanen has signed with the SHL’s Luleå HF.
March 10th: Penguins pending UFA center Joona Koppanen is expected to sign with Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League for next year, as noted by David Olsson Jiglund of Kuriren. He won’t technically be a UFA until July 1, but he can formalize an agreement with them when SHL free agency opens in May, after the NHL regular season is over.
Koppanen, 28, was a fifth-round pick by the Bruins in 2016. He didn’t make his NHL debut until six years later, which turned out to be his final season in the Boston organization. He became a Group VI unrestricted free agent in 2023 and signed a two-year deal with Pittsburgh, where he’s remained ever since, primarily as a big AHL depth piece with some call-up utility.
The 6’5″, 216-lb Finn has appeared in 30 NHL games over the past four seasons, 27 of which have come in Pittsburgh. He has just one goal and two assists, though, along with a -4 rating while averaging 11:55 of ice time per game. He’s below-average on draws and, while he’s provided fine possession metrics in heavy defensive usage, hasn’t excelled there either. That makes his low point totals in double-digit minutes per game too much of a net negative to give him an extended look, even if he does provide an effective physical presence, averaging two hits per game.
In the AHL, Koppanen has been a consistent, two-way, middle-six forward. He almost always averages around a half a point per game, including a 6-10–16 scoring line with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.
Koppanen will now play in a top-level European league for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign. He spent all of his post-draft campaign in Finland’s junior circuit before Boston signed him to an entry-level deal. For 2017-18, they loaned him to Ilves in Finland’s first division, Liiga, for most of the year before bringing him over to North America for the rest of his tenure in the organization. He then returned to Ilves on loan during the COVID-shortened 2021 season before AHL games got underway.
He’ll join a Luleå team that won its first SHL championship since 1996 last year. They’re relatively light on NHL experience for a big-name European club, though. Leading the way with 91 games from 2010-14 is 37-year-old defenseman Erik Gustafsson (not the current Red Wings depth name).
NHL Combine Notes: Stenberg, Cup Final, NCAA
Ivar Stenberg, the No. 1 internationally ranked prospect on the NHL Central Scouting rankings of non-North American skaters, did not participate in fitness testing at the NHL Scouting Combine. First reported by Mark Masters of TSN, the 18-year-old Swede said if he was not feeling sick, he would’ve participated in the testing. He came down with this after the IIHF World Championships, where he scored at a point-per-game, registering four goals for eight points in eight games in his final stint of hockey ahead of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
Stenberg interviewed with 14 different teams at the Combine, notably coming off a campaign with Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League, where he scored 33 points in 43 games. He had the fifth-best season by a player age 18 or younger in Swedish Hockey League history, behind Daniel Sedin (42 pts in 1998-99), Markus Naslund (39 pts in 1991-92), Tomas Sandstrom (37 pts in 1982-83), and Henrik Sedin (34 pts in 1998-99).
Additional Combine Notes:
- Stenberg is one of six top prospects set to attend Game 4 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final, where the Vegas Golden Knights will host the Carolina Hurricanes, leading 2-1 in the series. The Swedish standout will be joined by defenseman Chase Reid (No. 2 on Central Scouting’s ranking of North Americans) of Sault Ste. Marie in the OHL, defenseman Carson Carels (No. 3) of Prince George in the WHL, defenseman Keaton Verhoeff (No. 4) from the University of North Dakota (NCAA), center Caleb Malhotra (No. 6) of Brantford in the OHL, and defenseman Alberts Smits of Munchen in Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The Latvian is No. 2 to Stenberg on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of International skaters.
- According to Mike G. Morreale on NHL.com, There were eight NCAA hockey players at this year’s NHL combine. The CHL to College Hockey pipeline into National Hockey League prospect pools is only set to grow from here. Since May 1, 73 players have committed to NCAA programs, and nearly 60% have come from the CHL. Going back to the turn of the calendar year, 272 total commitments have been made, nearly half, 132 to be exact, from Canadian major junior hockey (QMJHL, OHL, WHL).
Free Agent Focus: Nashville Predators
Free agency is just over a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. Even with the UFA crop being thinned out in recent months, there will be some quality veterans set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Predators.
Key Restricted Free Agents
D Justin Barron – Brought in from Montreal, the former Colorado first-rounder was one of former general manager Barry Trotz’s attempts to shake up the defense core and add youth. Sometimes caught in bad pinches from head coach Andrew Brunette’s aggressive system, Barron had lapses in his 59 games but still came away with a respectable 51.3% corsi for at five-on-five. With the young smooth skater Ryan Ufko emerging, there’s competition. Barron also overlaps with fellow righty Nicklaus Perbix, three years his senior, whose first season on his new team was a regression from Tampa. Nashville could make moves to allow Barron a shot at a bigger role, but doing so would signify a willingness to embrace growing pains. Either way, he’s due for a raise from $1.15MM, which would likely land in the $1.75MM range with two years of term. It’s worth mentioning that new GM Chris MacFarland was an assistant with the Avalanche when they selected Barron, as well as when they dealt him to Montreal for Artturi Lehkonen.
Other RFAs: F Ryder Rolston, F Massimo Rizzo, F Dalton Bancroft, D Christoffer Sedoff, D Jack Matier
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Erik Haula – Acquired last summer for spare parts as a cap casualty, the journeyman put together another solid season with 38 points in 81 games. Rather than cashing in at the deadline, the Preds kept Haula down the stretch to benefit their young wingers. Dumped by New Jersey for his supposedly over-valued $3.15MM cap hit, the center should have no problem obtaining the same salary on the open market as one of the very few middlemen capable of offering much offensive ability. Nashville could easily make that happen, but at age 35, it makes a lot of sense for Haula to sign with a contender while the Preds open the door for KHL free agent signing Vitali Pinchuk, if not a younger center they could trade for. If that’s the case, it’s the second time the Finn came and went in Nashville for one year.
F Tyson Jost – Picked up off waivers from Carolina in the fall, the former high draft pick is past the point of reaching his former potential, but is still solid depth in his own right. Capable of playing center, Jost mostly stuck on the wing this year. The 28-year-old did exactly what the Predators took him on for, skating in 69 games and coming away with 16 points. Playing in the most games in a campaign since 2018-19 as a youngster in Colorado, Jost didn’t do much to move the needle on his stock. A team could come calling with another offering around the league minimum, but playing in over 60 NHL games again would be a surprise. The Predators would be best suited to turn over Jost’s role to 23-year-old Zachary L’Heureaux, although there are ties with MacFarland from their time in Denver, for what it is worth.
D Jordan Oesterle – The soon-to-be 34-year-old’s status as a “key” UFA is indicative of Nashville’s relatively barren free agent class, although Oesterle respectably has over 400 NHL games of experience. Claimed off waivers from Boston in March 2025, the lefty only got into one game with the Predators this year, otherwise playing in the AHL. Never known as much of a play-driver, Oesterle was tremendous for the Milwaukee Admirals, recording 46 points as their top defenseman, ranking second in team scoring. He’d be a great addition to any AHL club with the ability to be called up in a pinch as depth, or the Michigan native could follow the international route for the first time.
Other UFAs: D Andreas Englund, D Kevin Gravel
Projected Cap Space
The Predators enter this offseason with over $28MM in cap space, which puts them among the 10 franchises with the most breathing room. Having weathered the worst of Matt Duchene’s buyout, they’ll net another $5MM to work with as his total will drop. Duchene and Kyle Turris’ charges total just $3.55MM against the cap next season. By no means looking to spend big again, Nashville would be wise to weaponize their cap space with buy-low players that can support their young cast, or trades, like they did with Haula. Even if the Predators maximize opportunities for their youth, there’s still a huge need down the middle, along with rounding out their forward depth. There’s more than enough cap space to do so, however, MacFarland and Rob Blake deem fit.
Photos courtesy Eakin Howard-Imagn Images (Barron) and Jeff Curry-Imagn Images (Jost). Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia.
Three Teams Believed To Be On Dylan Larkin’s Trade List
According to a report by Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin wants to be traded to one of three teams. Those include the Florida Panthers, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Minnesota Wild. It was reported by Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic that Larkin’s list was short in destinations he wanted to go to.
LeBrun had originally speculated in his rumblings that Larkin would have nearly half the league inquiring about the services of the 29-year-old forward, who turns 30 on July 30th. The Waterford, MI native finished his 2025-26 season scoring 67 points in 74 games and had a +3 rating. After 11 seasons with the Red Wings, they have not made the playoffs for ten straight. Larkin has only played five career games in the postseason, which came in his rookie year of 2015-16. He has five years left on an eight-year contract at an $8.7MM cap hit, which will pay him until he is 34 years old in 2031. He holds a full no-trade clause for the next 2 seasons, then becomes a 10-team trade list.
Here is a look at the three teams situationally and the potential package each club could pony up to get Larkin on their roster:
1. Florida Panthers
The Panthers finished the 2025-26 season far off from their usual Stanley Cup-contending ways, ending the year seventh in the Atlantic division after five straight seasons with 90+ points and three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances. Instead, their end-of-season prize awarded them with the ninth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, which could be a huge kickstart for their prospect pool, or it could be a key asset dealt to the Red Wings for a win-now center like Larkin.
Along with that first-round pick, the Panthers could also include younger players on their roster to package a deal for Larkin, who spent February in Italy with Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk, winning a gold medal at the 2026 Olympics with the star winger. Tkachuk was traded from the Calgary Flames to the Panthers after informing them he wanted to go elsewhere in a large package deal. Similarly, Florida would need to send a hefty package considering the proximity of dealing with a division opponent. Perhaps forwards Eetu Luostarinen, Anton Lundell, or the rights for restricted free agent Mackie Samoskevich could be names within this deal, along with the draft pick.
2. Vegas Golden Knights
Another team that is consistently contending for the Stanley Cup, so much so, they’re actively in their third final in just nine seasons as an NHL franchise. Vegas has demonstrated nearly 100% of the time that it does not care what it takes to win, making several trades to acquire top talent. As first reported by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, he wondered if the Golden Knights would be a spot, and it appears they are.
Regarding more Olympic connections, Jack Eichel, the former No. 2 overall pick by Buffalo, was dealt to Vegas from the Sabres in a blockbuster deal. The Golden Knights are tight against the cap in 2026-27, with just a little over $4MM in space to work with a few free agents at season’s end, including standout goal scorer Pavel Dorofeyev, an RFA. Two questions come to mind in Vegas’s end: what contracts would Detroit take back to help Vegas offset the cap hit? And do they have enough in their short list of prospects, like Trevor Connelly or a later first-round pick in 2028 or 2029, that would add enough value?
3. Minnesota Wild
There are quite a few gold medal connections in the State of Hockey, including a chance to make history for the 25-year-old franchise to bring the Stanley Cup to Minnesota. Larkin is familiar with Quinn Hughes, Matt Boldy, and Brock Faber, all of whom were key parts of bringing the U.S. the gold in Milan via GM Bill Guerin assembling such players together. Guerin has also demonstrated his yearning to build the Wild’s first cup-winning team, emerging victorious in the Quinn Hughes sweepstakes, whom he pulled out from Vancouver.
Minnesota saw difficulties in their Center depth this past playoffs, and adding Larkin would prove worthwhile to supplement the services of Joel Eriksson Ek down the middle. The Wild have a deeper pool of prospects and draft picks to send Steve Yzerman‘s way if an agreement is to be settled between these two teams. Perhaps a goalie swap could occur here, too, if Minnesota wanted to exchange one of its two goaltenders, either Filip Gustavsson or Jesper Wallstedt, for Sebastian Cossa.
Photo Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
Blue Jackets Open To Trading 14th Overall Pick
Columbus has some experience with picking 14th overall in the NHL Draft, but this year? They potentially might change that.
According to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, the Jackets are open to moving this year’s 14th overall pick to improve their team now. General Manager Don Waddell told Portzline that he told everyone that he wants to make the Blue Jackets better, but isn’t looking to deal the pick for a player at age 32, unless it’s the right fit. In Waddell’s assessment, unless you’re selecting in the top-five of the entry draft, a prospect likely won’t sign for a few years and instead will develop through major junior, NCAA, and then the AHL.
Even before that was the case last year at the 2025 NHL Draft, when they selected defenseman Jackson Smith, the Jackets had used the No. 14 pick on Alexander Wennberg in 2013. Both Smith and Wennberg have a commonality that Waddell understands; it takes a little bit for a draft pick in the teens before they officially turn pro in the NHL. This is likely to be the case for Smith, who is currently entering his sophomore season at Penn State, and for Wennberg before that, who spent a year in Sweden before inking his entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets for 2014-15.
So could that 2026 pick be included in a trade for a former 15th overall pick in Dylan Larkin? Not exactly. Although the value would be on the right track for Columbus, in the sense that Larkin, who requested a trade as reported by Elliotte Friedman, could join fellow Michigan native and gold medalist Zach Werenski, don’t expect that to fall through. The 29-year-old forward has a tight list of teams he’d ideally want to waive his no-trade clause for that are in Stanley Cup contention.
Columbus finished the 2025-26 season with 92 points, good for fifth in the Metropolitan Division. They have not made the playoffs since the 2019-20 season and have finished with 80+ points in three of their last five campaigns. Given that the Blue Jackets are in a similar boat with the Red Wings, missing the postseason by a short margin on several occasions, it’s not an attractive situation for Larkin to eye. For that reason, Columbus will need to figure out another avenue to improve their current roster.
Next year’s NHL cap hit for the Blue Jackets will benefit them severely, as they intend to evaluate multiple restricted free agents and their futures in Ohio. In Buffalo, Waddell had hoped to begin negotiations with a few of his RFA’s, but none of the agents of players like Adam Fantilli, Cole Sillinger, and Jet Greaves were ready to start talks. This could be because no one wants to set the tone on the market, especially considering the large increase to $104MM in league cap hit, where players could truly cash in on big deals for not just this year, but in the following seasons as well.
Columbus enters the offseason with arond $32.4MM in cap space, thanks to that jump. The player who will be most focused on is Fantilli, who is in a contingent of his fellow 2023 drafted colleagues in No. 1 pick Connor Bedard with Chicago and No. 2 pick Leo Carlsson, both of whom are due for extensions with their entry-level contracts expiring.
Along with Sillinger, Fantilli, who scored a career-high 59 points at age 21, and Greaves, who finished ninth in the NHL with 16.5 goals saved above expected, Egor Zamula rounds out the list of restricted free agents. Notable unrestricted free agents for Columbus include forwards Mason Marchment, Danton Heinen, and captain Boone Jenner, as well as defensemen Erik Gudbranson and Brendan Smith. Waddell hasn’t discussed with any of them that they’re allowed to hit the market on July 1st.
They’ll have some added money from the expirations of buried and bought-out contracts from Adam Boqvist, Alexander Wennberg, and Ivan Fedotov. All three will come off the books and contribute $3.55MM to the space they can use to bring back key players.
Photo Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Five Key Stories: 6/1/26 – 6/7/26
The beginning of June certainly brought some exciting games on the ice as Carolina and Vegas began the Stanley Cup Final. Meanwhile, it also brought some news of note off the ice, which is recapped in our key stories.
Trotz’s Replacement Found: After a nearly four-month search to find Nashville’s next top executive, the Predators have one in place. They lured away now-former Colorado GM Chris MacFarland and named him their President of Hockey Operations and General Manager, handing him a six-year contract in the process. MacFarland had spent the previous 11 years in Colorado, the last four as GM and also worked with Columbus for 15 seasons as well. He’ll now be tasked with trying to get the team out of the middle where they either just make or just miss the playoffs each season. Joining him to aid those efforts will be former Kings GM Rob Blake, who was quickly brought in as Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations. He spent eight years running the show in Los Angeles before being replaced by Ken Holland last offseason.
One Less Coaching Vacancy: While it ultimately took a little longer than most expected, the Canucks indeed went the route many thought they would with their head coach. As they embark on a rebuilding phase, new GM Ryan Johnson is sticking with someone he knows as he promoted Manny Malhotra to take over behind the bench. The two had worked together previously with AHL Abbotsford. It’s Malhotra’s first NHL head coaching opportunity but he has seven years of NHL experience as an assistant to go along with a 16-year career at the top level. Now, he’ll be tasked with maximizing the development of some of Vancouver’s younger players as they begin what seems likely to be a multi-year rebuilding process.
Larkin Wants Out: It has been a rough go for Detroit as of late as they have missed the playoffs in 10 straight years. That has led to some frustration from captain Dylan Larkin being vocalized in the past and now it appears it has reached a boiling point after multiple reports indicate that he has asked to be traded. The 29-year-old has spent his entire 11-year career with the Red Wings and is their captain while locking down the top center spot for a significant chunk of that time. He has five years left on his contract with an $8.7MM AAV to go along with full trade protection. If Larkin gives GM Steve Yzerman a fair-sized list of teams to work with and Yzerman is willing to move him, he’d instantly become one of the top players available on the trade front in a market that has many more buyers than sellers.
Done For Good? After missing more than two full seasons due to Chronic Immune Response Syndrome, Jonathan Toews returned to the NHL in 2025-26, signing a one-year deal with his hometown Winnipeg Jets. However, it appears the comeback will be one-and-done as the veteran is expected to retire. Toews had 29 points in 82 games this season but struggled when deployed in the top-six role he was expected to fill. He wasn’t rusty at the faceoff dot, however, winning over 62% of his draws. Toews likely would have drawn interest in a bottom-six role if he decided to keep playing but it appears his 16-year career is now over.
Oilers Seeking Defensive Shakeup: As the Oilers look to pick up the pieces after a first-round elimination, it appears they’re looking to shake things up. One of the casualties could come on the back end following a report that says the team is ready and willing to move veteran Darnell Nurse as soon as they are able. That last bit matters as Nurse has full trade protection for next season so if he wants to stay, he’s going to stay for at least one more year. Nurse has four years left on his deal at a $9.25MM AAV, a price tag that’s on the high side for someone who is likely best utilized as a second-pairing option. But if Nurse is open to move, he could be a candidate to move for another veteran blueliner in need of a change of scenery in the hopes that the move yields a player who better fits their system.
Photo courtesy of Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images.