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Pacific Notes: Elias Pettersson, Marner, Eklund

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While the trade rumors don’t seem to subside related to the Vancouver Canucks’ forward Elias Pettersson, The Athletic’s Pierre Lebrun doesn’t believe the star forward will be dealt.

Rumors surrounding Petterson have been circulating since the trade deadline. At that time, the team was struggling, and Pettersson and J.T. Miller were at the forefront of trade speculation. While Miller was eventually dealt to the New York Rangers, Pettersson remained with the franchise that drafted him fifth overall in the 2017 NHL Draft. Despite a difficult 2024-25 season, Pettersson is still just 26 years old and already has five seasons with 27 or more goals to his name, and is two seasons removed from a 102-point campaign.

If the team does intend to move Petterson, they’ll have to do so before his full no-move clause kicks in July 1.

Elsewhere in the Pacific:

  • The Athletic’s Chris Johnston noted on TSN 1050 that he believes the San Jose Sharks will make a run at pending free agent star Mitch Marner. While the Sharks have more than enough cap space to make the signing, with over $40 million available according to PuckPedia, and boast young talent like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, Johnston noted that he doesn’t view San Jose as a great fit for Marner. As Johnston said, “I would be surprised if he went to a place coming off a rebuild. I think he’s going to go to one of the better teams in the league.”
  • Sharks GM Mike Grier said he is not focused on signing winger William Eklund to an extension and is instead concerned with Eklund’s health above all else, per Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Eklund is eligible to sign a contract extension as of July 1st, and Grier previously seemed committed to getting a deal done, noting that he had met with Eklund’s agent to get an early sense of what the asking price might be. Eklund took his game to the next level last season, posting career highs in goals (17), assists (41), and points (58). However, at the World Championships, he was involved in a scary incident when he was cut on the wrist by a skate. Although he was reported to be in stable condition afterward, the long-term effects remain uncertain.

 

Central Notes: Marchessault, Predators, Dobson

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Despite ample trade rumors, Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz has shut down speculation surrounding veteran forward Jonathan Marchessault. Per John Glennon of the Nashville Post, Trotz stated today that there is no truth to the rumors related to Marchessault’s availability.

Trotz admitted the speculation around Marchessault reached a point where he felt compelled to call the forward’s agent, Pat Brisson, to ensure the rumors weren’t true. As Trotz was quoted, “There’s nothing happening. I didn’t know if anything was happening, so I just double-checked with him that maybe I missed something. I didn’t miss anything.”

Just last offseason, Marchessault signed a five-year, $27.5MM free agent deal with the Predators. In 78 games, the 34-year-old posted 21 goals and 56 points, marking the eighth time he has eclipsed the 20-goal plateau. However, his goal total was half of what he produced in his final season with the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Preds finished with the third-worst record in the league. Moreover, Marchessault had the second-worst plus/minus rating on the team (minus-29), behind only fellow veteran Steven Stamkos. These factors have sparked speculation that Marchessault could draw significant trade interest, but Trotz’s comments today appear to put those rumors to rest.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • Trotz also expressed confidence in the Predators’ roster, stating his belief that the team is built to compete in the near future. Per team reporter Brooks Bratten, Trotz noted, “We still have enough good players that if we go in the right direction, yes [we can win and compete].” Despite the team’s offensive struggles last season (finishing second-to-last in the league with 212 goals), the Preds do have pedigree at the top of their lineup with the likes of Marchessault, Stamkos, Filip Forsberg, as well as defensemen Brady Skjei and Roman Josi. Holding the fifth overall pick in the upcoming draft, the team is also expected to add an impact prospect to its pipeline.
  • The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta appeared on “The Sheet with Jeff Marek” and shared his belief that the St. Louis Blues have at least some level of interest in acquiring Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders. The 25-year-old defender posted 10 goals and 39 points in 71 games this past season while averaging just north of 23 minutes per night. While Dobson didn’t replicate his 70-point 2023-24 campaign—due in part to injuries—he should still command a significant return if the Islanders decide to move him.

Metropolitan Notes: Devils, Allen, Lemaire

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The Devils were among a myriad of teams interested in signing Jonathan Toews, and GM Tom Fitzgerald is still in the market for top-six forwards, per The Athletic’s Pierre Lebrun. Lebrun notes that Fitzgerald may be monitoring situations like the one Jason Robertson is currently facing with the Dallas Stars, and added, “Fitzgerald has been active fleshing out the forward market.” While Toews recently agreed to a one-year deal with the Winnipeg Jets, Robertson has been rumored to be available via trade.

While the Devils are led by young stars like Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes, and Nico Hischier, they were the only players on the team to record more than 55 points last season. The Devils finished 20th in the league last season with 240 goals in the regular season and managed just 11 goals over five playoff games before being eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes. If they hope to contend with the Eastern Conference’s top teams, they’ll need to boost their offensive production.

Elsewhere in the Metro:

  • Lebrun also notes that Devils’ pending unrestricted free agent goalie Jake Allen is in a strong position, given the limited depth available at the position in this year’s free agency market. As LeBrun notes, Allen led all soon-to-be free agent goalies with a .906 save percentage last season. While Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald has expressed interest in re-signing last year’s backup, Allen is expected to draw substantial interest on the open market. Notably, the Flyers, Oilers, and Sharks have already been linked to Allen.
  • Jacques Lemaire, who has been serving as the New York Islanders’ special assignments coach since 2018, is no longer with the organization, per NHL.com reporter Stefen Rosner. His departure from the Isles makes sense considering he was brought to the team by former GM Lou Lamoriello. Lemaire, 79, enjoyed a Hall of Fame playing career, recording 835 points in 853 NHL games. In 2017, he was named to the league’s “100 Greatest Players” list. He later transitioned to coaching, serving as an NHL head coach for 17 seasons, most notably leading the Devils to a Stanley Cup title in the 1994-95 season.

No Progress On Extension Between Panthers, Aaron Ekblad

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Aaron Ekblad appears the least likely of the Panthers’ three major pending unrestricted free agents to sign a new deal with the club, Pierre LeBrun said on TSN’s Early Trading on Tuesday.

“I’m not going to say there’s no chance he re-signs, but the reality is that I don’t think there’s been a lot of negotiation throughout the year since last summer on Aaron Ekblad,” LeBrun said. “I think the term was an issue the last time both sides talked about a potential extension. There’s some hard miles there on Ekblad, although he’s a very important player on that team.”

Testing the free agent waters isn’t Ekblad’s first choice. During the later stages of their championship run, he was public about his desire to stay with the Panthers, who drafted him first overall in 2014. However, while LeBrun relays that the Panthers aren’t willing to offer him a max-term extension, the AAV of the deal was also a point of contention as recently as a couple of weeks ago, according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.

With Florida not offering him maximum security nor matching the $7.5MM cap hit of his expiring contract, Ekblad may feel he’s leaving too much on the table by staying in Sunrise. He’ll be the most coveted defenseman on the market and will rank high among our top 50 free agents this summer – that list will release ahead of Friday’s draft. Those “hard miles” LeBrun mentioned could sway some suitors away from offering him the most extended contract. Still, as he’s only eligible for a seven-year deal if he hits the market, that may be more appealing to some than an eight-year deal is to the Cats.

Ekblad hasn’t played a full 82-game schedule since 2018-19, and he’s only hit the 70-game mark once since then. He’s lost at least 20 games due to injury in three of the last five seasons, not including the 20-game ban he received this year for performance-enhancing substances.

When healthy this year, though, Ekblad showed he’s still a top-pairing threat when in the lineup. He got some power-play minutes back after Brandon Montour left for the Kraken in free agency last summer, and his point totals rebounded in kind after underwhelming offensive showings in 2022-23 and 2023-24. He produced a 3-30–33 scoring line in 56 games, the fourth-highest points per game rate of his career, and averaged north of 23 minutes per game in the process.

Ekblad’s possession impacts haven’t been elite at any point in his career, but he’s never been a defensive liability, either. That didn’t change in 2024-25, posting a 55.9 CF% at even-strength that was 1.1% higher relative to Florida’s possession play without him on the ice.

The 29-year-old is likely a year or two past his absolute peak earning potential, a risk he took when signing an eight-year, $60MM extension immediately upon becoming eligible to do so in the final year of his entry-level contract. All 11 of his NHL seasons have been spent in a Panthers jersey, and he’s far and away the most impactful defenseman in Panthers franchise history. He’s first in games played (732), goals (118), assists (262), points (380), and second in plus-minus (+96) behind frequent partner Gustav Forsling’s +166 mark over the last five years.

AFP Analytics projects Ekblad could earn $7.8MM per season on a max-term seven-year deal on the open market, meaning right-shot-needy teams who aren’t in a favorable cap position like the Avalanche and Stars won’t be in the conversation. Other teams with more cash to spend in a contending position or looking to make the jump, like the Hurricanes, Sabres, Blue Jackets, and Red Wings, could be legitimate suitors if he doesn’t sign a new deal with Florida.

Image courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images.

Lightning Will Not Offer Extension To Cam Atkinson

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The Lightning will not pitch an extension to veteran forward Cam Atkinson, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period says. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent next week.

It’s far from surprising news. The 36-year-old became a free agent last summer after the Flyers bought out the final season of his seven-year, $41.125MM contract. He didn’t land anywhere on July 1 but was a Day 2 signing by the Lightning, agreeing to a one-year, $900K pact to try and rebuild his value following a challenging 2023-24 season.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way. Atkinson got a few reps in the top six but wasn’t a good fit, and he quickly fell down the team’s depth chart. He was a frequent healthy scratch in the latter half of the campaign and even went on waivers in March to help the Lightning create some salary cap flexibility. He went unclaimed and never suited up for the team’s AHL affiliate in Syracuse, but he was assigned there on more than one occasion to boost their cap space.

Atkinson’s season ended with just 39 appearances, scoring four goals and nine points while averaging nine points per game. It’s been a tough few years for the diminutive 5’8″ winger, who missed the 2022-23 campaign with Philadelphia following offseason neck surgery. His effectiveness was slashed upon returning for 2023-24, limited to 28 points and a -22 rating in 70 games. He was still a 50-point threat pre-injury, looking good in his first season with the Flyers after acquiring him from the Blue Jackets in a one-for-one swap for Jakub Voráček.

Whether Atkinson, one of the highest-scoring players in Columbus franchise history, returns for a 14th NHL season remains to be seen. His market will be limited to league-minimum offers after his tough showing this year, likely without guaranteeing a roster spot. There might still be a fit regarding a reunion with the Blue Jackets as they round out their roster with veteran depth pieces and look to their young core to lift them back to playoff contention in 2025-26.

Matt Martin Announces Retirement, Joins Islanders Front Office

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Longtime Islanders enforcer Matt Martin has announced his retirement, per a club announcement Tuesday. He’ll join the club’s front office as a special assistant to general manager Mathieu Darche.

A fifth-round pick by the Isles as an overager in 2008, Martin rose the ranks quicker than expected for his draft slot and made his NHL debut in February 2010 amid his first professional season. He became a fourth-line fixture in his second season. He maintained that role through the 2015-16 campaign, eventually forming one of the most recognizable checking lines of the decade with Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck. While never a huge scorer, he did have 10 goals in the final season of his first stint on Long Island and averaged a remarkable 379 hits per 82 games over his first seven NHL seasons.

Martin left Long Island for the Maple Leafs in free agency in 2016, signing a four-year, $10MM contract. While that value indicated Toronto was looking for him to play an increased role compared to his fourth-line deployment in New York, the opposite happened. After averaging around 11 minutes per game with the Islanders, he averaged just 8:33 per game over two seasons in Toronto. He sat as a healthy scratch for much of the 2017-18 season and was traded back to the Islanders the following summer.

Injuries became more of a theme for Martin in his second go-around with the Isles, but he regained his role alongside Cizikas and Clutterbuck and was a lineup fixture when healthy. He was still quite effective as a checking forward up to a few years ago, even matching his career-high 19 points in 2022-23. His ice time and deployment saw a reduction beginning in 2023-24 as his already minimal offensive value disappeared, and he appeared in just 32 games last season after pondering retirement but landing a PTO and subsequent one-year deal to return to New York for his 16th NHL season.

Martin retires as the Islanders’ all-time leader in hits with 3,489, and his 3,936 career checks are 93 short of the all-time record held by his longtime teammate, Clutterbuck, who also recently announced his retirement after not playing in 2024-25. His 855 games played are the eighth-most in franchise history.

All of us at PHR wish Martin the best in retirement and congratulate him on a career that will permanently cement him with the latest iteration of Islanders hockey.

Image courtesy of Tom Horak-Imagn Images.

Hockey Hall Of Fame Announces 2025 Class

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The Hockey Hall of Fame has officially announced its 2025 class in a series of X posts. The former NHL players headlining the class in their first year of eligibility are Zdeno Chára, Duncan Keith, and Joe Thornton, while Alexander Mogilny has finally been inducted after a decades-long wait.

The full class of new Hall of Famers, including women’s players and builders, is as follows:

Chára: A seven-time All-Star who captained the Bruins to the Stanley Cup in 2011, the 6’9″ defenseman was also a six-time Norris Trophy finalist and won the award in 2009. Known more for his two-way prowess than his pure offense or shutdown ability, he was a top-four threat well into his 40s and sits seventh on the all-time leaderboard with 1,680 regular-season appearances, passing Chris Chelios for most among defensemen in his final season with the Islanders three years ago. He’s already in the IIHF Hall of Fame and helped his native Slovakia to silver medals at the 2000 and 2012 World Championships. (X link)

Keith: Like Chára, Keith was one of the most dominating two-way defenders of the salary cap era. While he doesn’t have the career length or end-to-end consistency Chára boasted, Keith’s peaks were higher, particularly offensively, and he was the Blackhawks’ undisputed top defender on their Stanley Cup wins in 2010, 2013, and 2015. He played 17 NHL seasons, the first 16 of which came in a Chicago uniform. He averaged over 23 minutes per game in all of those seasons and was a two-time Norris finalist, winning it on both occasions in 2010 and 2014. He fell short of breaking Doug Wilson’s record for all-time points by a Blackhawks defender but ranks second with 625 in 1,192 games. It’s worth noting his 421 even-strength points are more than Wilson’s 408, though. (X link)

Thornton: One of the best playmakers of all time, he’s the only men’s player in the class to not win a Cup and is arguably the best player of all time with that dubious distinction. It won’t stop him from being a first-ballot Hall of Famer, though. The four-time All-Star led the league in assists for three straight seasons coming out of the 2004-05 lockout and won the league scoring title in 2005-06, recording 96 assists in 125 points in a season that involved one of the most consequential trades in league history, sending Thornton from Boston to San Jose. Thornton remained with the Sharks in 2020 before ending his career on a pair of one-year deals with the Maple Leafs and Panthers. He ranks sixth in league history with 1,714 games played, seventh in assists (1,190), and 14th in points (1,539). Thornton’s 96 assists were the most in a single season in the salary cap era until Nikita Kucherov and Connor McDavid each hit the century mark in 2023-24. (X link)

Mogilny: Mogilny, one of the game’s true trailblazers, finally gets the call to the Hall in his 17th year of eligibility. The boxcar case was always pretty strong: a two-time All-Star, a Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2001, and 1,032 career points in only 990 games cemented him as one of the top scorers of the 1990s and early 2000s. Yet, Mogilny’s off-ice impact led to the most puzzlement about his frequent omission from the HHOF classes. He was the first player to defect from the Soviet Union and join the NHL successfully, joining the Sabres as a 20-year-old for the 1989-90 season. Aside from the NHL-run 1996 World Cup of Hockey, he never represented Russia internationally after doing so. Nonetheless, he won Olympic and World Championship gold medals as a teenager and is thus one of seven Russian members of the Triple Gold Club. He now serves as the president of Amur Khabarovsk of the Kontinental Hockey League. (X link)

Jennifer Botterill: One of the most decorated Canadian women’s players of all time, Botterill retired in 2011 before professional women’s hockey truly took off. Nonetheless, she won five World Championship gold medals (1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007) and was a two-time MVP at the tournament. She also helped Canada to Olympic gold in 2002, 2006, and 2010, posting a 4-11–15 scoring line in 21 games there. She also recorded 340 points in just 113 games during her four-year NCAA career at Harvard. (X link)

Brianna Decker: Decker, 34, is one of the few women’s players to get in on her first year of eligibility. She retired in 2022 after representing the United States at the Olympics for the third time, winning gold there back in 2018. She also won six World Championships (2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019) and won an Isobel Cup championship with the Boston Pride of the National Women’s Hockey League in 2016. She scored 60 points in 33 NWHL games over two seasons and also added 58 points in 35 games in the CWHL. (X link)

Jack Parker: Already in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder, the 80-year-old Parker now gets the call to the Hall 12 years after his retirement. He’s one of the winningest coaches in NCAA history, serving as Boston University’s head coach from 1973-74 all the way until his retirement – a 40-year run. He was a seven-time Hockey East champion with the Terriers and won NCAA Coach of the Year honors in 1975, 1978, and 2009. (X link)

Danièle Sauvageau: Sauvageau makes history as the first woman to be inducted into the HHOF as a builder. She was also the first woman to coach in the QMJHL when she was named an assistant with the Montreal Rocket for the 1999-00 season. She currently serves as the GM of the PWHL’s Montreal Victoire and coached Canada to a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics. (X link)

Image courtesy of Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports.

International Notes: Petan, Heatherington, Wilson, Keeper

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Longtime NHL and AHL depth piece Nic Petan is coming off his first season overseas in 2024-25. While the 30-year-old won’t be staying with Russia’s Ak Bars Kazan, with whom he produced 44 points in 47 games, he isn’t making an NHL return, either. He’s staying on the other side of the Atlantic after Swiss club HC Ambrì-Piotta announced Monday they’ve signed him to a two-year contract.

Many would ask how a player with 120 points in 71 WHL games in their draft year wasn’t a first-round pick. It appeared that NHL teams were onto something. While the 2013 second-rounder has gone on to become an elite minor-league scorer, his lack of size (5’9″, 174 lbs) ended up proving prohibitive in making him a full-time NHLer. While Petan has recorded 35 points in 170 NHL games with four clubs in parts of nine seasons, he has only topped 20 games in a season twice and big-league opportunities were becoming increasingly few and far between for him over the past few years.

After appearing in just six games with the Wild in the 2023-24 season and not receiving a call-up after the Rangers acquired him before the trade deadline, Petan opted for more stability overseas following a nine-year pro career that saw him log NHL and AHL time each season. The move to Switzerland is somewhat closer to “home” – while Petan was born in British Columbia, he also holds Italian citizenship and will now play in an Italian-speaking region of the country.

Petan, 30, joins ex-NHLers Christopher DiDomenico, Tim Heed, Gilles Senn, and Chris Tierney on Ambrì-Piotta’s roster for 2025-26. The club finished 10th in the National League this past season, continuing a run of top-league appearances that began with their promotion from the NLB (now called the Swiss League) in 1985.

There’s more international news to pass along:

  • Former NHL defenseman Dillon Heatherington has signed a two-year contract with EHC Munich of Germany’s DEL, the club announced. It marks the 30-year-old lefty’s second time playing overseas after spending the 2020-21 season in Kazakhstan with Barys Nur-Sultan (now Barys Astana) of the Kontinental Hockey League. The former second-round pick of the Blue Jackets played this past season on an AHL contract in San Diego, serving as an alternate captain for the Ducks’ top minor-league affiliate while recording seven points and a minus-three rating in 59 games. He last appeared in the NHL with the Senators, playing three games in the 2022-23 season.
  • Forward Scott Wilson, a member of the Penguins’ 2017 Stanley Cup championship team, has signed a two-year deal with the KHL’s Sibir Novosibirsk, the league relayed. The 33-year-old has played exclusively in Russia since his last North American contract, an AHL deal in the Panthers organization, expired in 2022. He’s put up a 53-46–99 scoring line in 164 KHL games with Vityaz Moscow Region, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, and Salavat Yulaev Ufa over the past three years.
  • 29-year-old defenseman Brady Keeper has agreed to a one-year deal with the Glasgow Clan of the United Kingdom’s Elite Ice Hockey League. The 6’2″ righty did not play in 2024-25 after recording four points in 22 games the prior season with AHL Laval while on a two-way deal with the Canadiens. The Manitoba native played two regular-season games and one playoff game for the Panthers between 2019 and 2021.

Examining Potential Penguins And Sabres Trades

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Matthew Fairburn and Shayna Goldman of The Athletic wrote an article outlining 12 potential teams interested in trading for forward JJ Peterka of the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres are trying to end a 14-year playoff drought and hope to add pieces this summer, while also considering trading one of their best young players, Peterka. The Sabres urgently need veteran help to take the next step and could also benefit from a right-shot defenseman. Enter the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have several veteran players on the trading block, including a three-time Norris Trophy winner who is a right-shot defenseman.

Connecting with the Penguins is achievable, as they intend to get younger this summer and might benefit from a player like Peterka to lead their initial wave of prospects aiming to move up to the NHL next season. Pittsburgh has substantially increased its prospect pool over the past 15 months, but it has concentrated more on quantity than quality and lacks top-tier prospects. Peterka would fill that role as a top-tier player, the oldest among them, and likely act as an informal leader for the Penguins.

The Penguins have multiple draft picks over the subsequent three drafts and might send a bunch of picks to Buffalo; however, the Sabres want roster players, of which Pittsburgh has a few that could meet Buffalo’s needs. Bryan Rust is the most valuable of the Penguins’ available veterans and is probably the one Pittsburgh would prefer to trade the least. Nonetheless, his no-movement clause expires in the next week, and with three years remaining on his contract at $5.125MM per season (according to PuckPedia), he holds significant value. He would be an excellent addition for Buffalo. The 33-year-old just finished a career year with the Pens, scoring 31 goals and 34 assists in 71 games, and remains one of Pittsburgh’s key leaders. He is also a two-time Stanley Cup Champion who has scored crucial goals in important games. While Rust alone wouldn’t fetch a player like Peterka, the Penguins could consider trading Rust along with another roster player or include additional assets, such as the draft picks they have in abundance.

Another potential fit for Buffalo would be Rickard Rakell, who has three years remaining on his deal at $5MM annually (per PuckPedia). Like his teammate Rust, Rakell had a career year this past season, recording 35 goals and 35 assists in 81 games. Rakell has an eight-team no-trade list included in his deal with the Penguins, which could be an issue if the Sabres are on it. Rakell doesn’t bring the same intangible qualities as Rust and wouldn’t come close to netting the Penguins a player like Peterka. Still, when combined with several other pieces, he could be the centerpiece of a trade benefiting both teams.

The last player who could partake in a deal benefiting both teams is Erik Karlsson. The Sabres need a right-shot defender, and with limited options available, Karlsson is a potential target for them. This is the least likely scenario, considering Karlsson has a full no-movement clause and probably isn’t eager to join another team that might miss the playoffs. That said, the Sabres can offer a stronger roster (on paper) than the Penguins and have a more direct path back to contention.

Karlsson remains somewhat productive offensively, posting over 50 points in each of his two seasons with Pittsburgh. However, he carries a $10MM cap hit (per PuckPedia), and the Sabres likely won’t be eager to take on such a hefty salary for a 34-year-old defenseman who struggles defensively. That said, the Penguins have retention slots available and could absorb a significant portion of the deal to facilitate a trade.

Now, there is no chance that Karlsson brings the Penguins a player like Peterka; however, depending on the retention, it could result in them acquiring another RFA, such as forward Jack Quinn. This hypothetical would require many ’maybes’ to align, but it is just another example of how the Sabres and Penguins could find several mutually beneficial moves.

Finally, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas has said he wants to get younger and find a left-side defenseman. Coincidentally, Buffalo has a player who fits both of those needs in Bowen Byram. The 24-year-old was the fourth overall pick in 2019 and possesses all the skills you’d expect in a top-pair defenseman. However, the gap between his skillset and his on-ice results has often been significant, although last season was better. However, some of his underlying numbers were not great. Byram set a career high with 38 points in 82 games, but struggled when playing alongside anyone other than Rasmus Dahlin. The Penguins don’t have a Dahlin or anyone similar, which could leave Byram exposed on the blueline – probably not advantageous for him or the team.

The Penguins and Sabres are two teams heading in different directions this summer and have been in other places for the past 15 years. While their trajectories might differ, this could be a situation where opposites attract, and perhaps even lead to a trade.

Photo by Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Predators Hire Luke Richardson As Assistant Coach

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The Predators have added an assistant coach to Andrew Brunette’s staff, confirming Tuesday in a press release that they’ve hired Luke Richardson. He’s replacing Todd Richards, whom the club said will not return to Nashville in 2025-26.

Richardson, who was the Blackhawks’ head coach for parts of three seasons from 2022-23 until his firing in December and also has previous head coaching experience in the AHL, also had stints as an assistant coach with the Senators (2008-12), Islanders (2017-18), and Canadiens (2018-22). Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean notes Richardson will oversee the club’s defense corps, although Darby Hendrickson will likely remain in charge of the penalty kill after replacing Dan Hinote on the bench last offseason.

Richards, meanwhile, had been with the Preds since the 2020-21 season and even took over as interim head coach for a few games late this year when Brunette was on leave. It’s unclear whether the 58-year-old initiated the departure himself or if Nashville made the decision not to retain him. Regardless, he should have no trouble landing on his feet. He was previously the Wild’s head coach in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons and also managed the Blue Jackets’ bench from 2012 to his firing early in the 2015-16 season. He has a career record of 204-183-37 (.525) and also had stops as an assistant coach with the Sharks (2008-09) and Lightning (2016-20) before arriving in Nashville.

“Luke brings a wealth of NHL experience as both a player and coach to our staff, and we are excited to welcome him and his family to the organization,” general manager Barry Trotz said. “With that experience, we believe he will be a valuable new voice and set of eyes – not just for our defensemen, but for our coaching staff. His strong character, leadership, perspective as a former NHL head coach and ability to connect with both young and veteran players will elevate our team on and off the ice.”

While the Preds had a highly disappointing 2024-25 campaign, ending up with a top-five draft pick despite beginning the season with aspirations of a deep playoff run after multiple high-profile free agent signings, they won’t be making any more coaching changes. Trotz told reporters last month that Brunette would be back behind Nashville’s bench next year.

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