Flames Open To Moving Nearly Everyone This Offseason
The Calgary Flames are heading into the offseason set on making some changes to their roster after finishing 30th in the league with 77 points and a 34-39-9 record this past season. According to sources, the Flames are open to moving anyone on their current roster aside from goaltender Dustin Wolf, forwards Matvei Gridin and Matthew Coronato, and defenseman Zayne Parekh, Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reports.
The Flames struggled collectively this year, with offensive production being at the forefront. Calgary’s 208 goals during the 2025-26 regular season was good for dead last in the NHL. Coronato, one of the aforementioned untouchables, was the team leader in points this season with just 45.
If the Flames are looking to clear house this summer on the trade market, they will have two slots available to retain salary cap, as both Rasmus Andersson and Jacob Markstrom‘s cap retentions ended after the season. If Jonathan Huberdeau did warrant any interest from other teams on the trade market this summer, it would be safe to assume Calgary would have to eat a sizeable portion of the winger’s $10.5MM cap hit that runs through the 2030-31 season.
One name that should garner significant attention is veteran winger Blake Coleman. The 34-year-old has one year remaining on his four-year, $4.9MM AAV deal, and was reportedly the player Calgary was receiving the most calls on earlier in the season. With a Stanley Cup pedigree from his Tampa Bay days and an expiring contract, Coleman profiles as exactly the type of veteran a contender would target. He does carry a 10-team trade approval clause, which slightly limits Calgary’s options, but his manageable term makes him one of the more movable pieces on the roster.
Captain Mikael Backlund is another veteran whose name could surface in trade discussions, though the situation is complicated. Backlund, who turns 37 next season, is entering the final year of his two-year, $4.5MM AAV extension and has publicly stated his desire to retire as a Flame. Insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportnetca has reported in the past that Backlund wants to remain in Calgary and be a lifetime Flame, which could give the front office pause about exploring a move. That said, if Calgary is committed to a full youth movement and Backlund is open to chasing a Cup, he would undoubtedly draw interest from contenders looking for a reliable, defensively responsible center.
Beyond the veteran core, Calgary could also explore the market for some of its mid-tier forwards. Yegor Sharangovich, Joel Farabee, and Morgan Frost are all players who could either continue developing in Calgary or be flipped for futures, depending on how aggressively GM Craig Conroy wants to lean into the rebuild. Frost, in particular, showed flashes down the stretch and finished tied for second on the team in scoring with 43 points, and had a career best 22 goals. With the demand being high for centers league-wide, Frost should have plenty of suitors.
The Flames also have a handful of intriguing trade chips among the veterans they acquired during their 2025-26 deadline sell-off. Ryan Strome, picked up from Anaheim for a 2027 seventh-round pick, performed well in Calgary, posting five goals and 12 points in 19 games down the stretch. The 32-year-old centre carries a $5MM cap hit through 2026-27, and with one year left on his deal, he profiles as exactly the kind of expiring, productive middle-six centre contenders chase at the deadline, if not sooner. The Flames could either hold and flip him later or move him this summer to maximize the return.
Calgary’s revamped blue line is where things get really interesting. Kevin Bahl, Olli Maatta, and Zach Whitecloud all emerged as legitimate pieces this past season, and any one of them could realistically be on the move. Bahl has quietly become a stabilizing presence on Calgary’s back end and projects as a top-pair option moving forward, which makes him both the most valuable and the least likely to be dealt. Maatta, meanwhile, was fantastic after coming over in the MacKenzie Weegar trade, posting 14 points in 20 games. With one year left on his deal, he could be flipped for a mid-round pick if Calgary wants to clear another roster spot for a younger defender. Whitecloud, acquired in the Andersson trade and originally viewed as a salary cap throw-in, instead played his way into a genuine role and earned a spot on Team Canada’s World Championship roster. At 29, he could either be retained as a veteran leader or moved if a contender values his defensive game as a depth piece on the back end.
Then there’s the curious case of Devin Cooley. Cooley spent large portions of the season ranked among the league’s top goaltenders by save percentage and was essentially the biggest reason Calgary climbed out of last place in the standings. He’s already been rewarded with a contract extension, which signals the Flames view him as their long-term backup behind Wolf. That said, if his stock continues to rise and a contender comes calling with a desperate need between the pipes, Cooley becomes one of the more fascinating “what-if” assets in Conroy’s toolkit this summer.
With multiple veterans on expiring deals, two open salary retention slots, and a clear willingness from Conroy to listen on nearly anyone, the Flames are positioned to be one of the most active teams of the offseason. It will be interesting to see just how aggressive Conroy is prior to puck drop in October.
Avalanche Recall Alex Gagne
Defenseman Alex Gagne joined the Avalanche for practice Sunday, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports, indicating he’s been recalled from AHL Colorado to serve as injury insurance ahead of Wednesday’s Game 1 of the Western Conference Final against the Golden Knights. The Eagles are midway through their Pacific Division Final series against Coachella Valley, and Gagne has played in all eight postseason games for them so far, so it’s a notable move with Cale Makar, Brent Burns, Josh Manson, and Sam Malinski all playing through some minor injuries.
Gagne, 23, has yet to make his NHL debut and is in just his first professional season. He suited up 58 times in the AHL regular season, rattling off a goal and 12 assists with a strong +14 rating and 53 penalty minutes. The stout 6’5″, 225-lb lefty was a sixth-round pick by the Lightning back in 2021 but opted not to sign with them upon finishing his collegiate career with New Hampshire last offseason, signing an entry-level deal with Colorado instead after reaching free agency in August.
The Avs have a bottom-tier prospect pool. Even then, he’s not considered an impact player or a potential long-term piece by any major prospect ranking. Even still, he displayed some good defensive play as a rookie in the minors this season and could be a no-fuss emergency option if the Avs’ injury woes on defense continue to pile up.
Gagne’s entry-level deal was for two years, so Colorado still has another season before they need to make a decision on a qualifying offer. Giving him a look this late in the postseason – even just as a Black Ace – indicates he’s in good organizational standing heading into next year’s training camp.
Players Eligible For Salary Arbitration In 2026
Salary arbitration is a rare occurrence in hockey. The process is limited to restricted free agents, and even then, there are restrictions about which RFAs can utilize the tool to resolve contract disputes. Depending on the age at which a player signed their first NHL contract, they must have a certain number of years of professional experience before being able to elect for it (full table via PuckPedia).
Only 11 players filed for arbitration last season. None of those cases required a hearing. Nonetheless, countless more names are actually eligible to file for arbitration. That eligibility factor, in and of itself, can influence how teams handle earlier rounds of negotiations. Teams never want to be locked into an award they can’t opt out of (which is the case below the ~$5MM mark; this year’s number is yet to be decided), and the undesirable hearing process can fracture long-term relationships between team and player.
Most commonly, it will be the player electing for arbitration. Teams can also do so if the player is eligible, but there are added restrictions. They can only make two elections per year, and the player in question can still sign an offer sheet before July 5, even if the team has already filed for arbitration. A player can also only be subject to one team election in their entire career, and a salary of $2.43MM or greater in the previous season locks in the award at no less than 85% of their preceding salary. That restriction does not exist for player-elected arbitration.
Even in cases where arbitration is elected, the vast majority of them will result in a settlement before a hearing is reached. This can even happen after both sides submit their salary filings to the arbitrator, right up until the hearing begins.
There has been a consistent downward trend in the number of arbitration filings since 2022. It’s hard to imagine that number bottoming out more than last year’s, but it’s something to consider.
Here’s each team’s list of players they’ll have to be on the lookout for this summer for a potential filing:
Avalanche (6)
Blackhawks (2)
Blue Jackets (5)
Blues (6)
Bruins (4)
Maple Leafs Make Additional Front Office Changes
After already executing a general manager change and firing their head coach, the Maple Leafs aren’t done making significant staff changes this offseason. Assistant general managers Brandon Pridham and Derek Clancey will not retain their positions next season, the team announced. Pridham’s departure is a mutual agreement and was first reported Saturday by Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun.
The moves are two weeks to the day after John Chayka was installed as Brad Treliving’s successor as general manager, with franchise legend Mats Sundin joining him as a senior executive advisor. During that time, they’ve faced questions about star center Auston Matthews‘ willingness to remain long-term, moved up four spots in the draft lottery to win this year’s first overall pick, and have embarked on the franchise’s second head coach search in the last three years. To say it’s been a busy few weeks for a Leafs squad in desperate need of an on-the-fly retool is an understatement, and they’ll now continue to navigate the process without one of the most well-regarded names in their organization over the past several years.
Pridham first joined the Leafs in 2014 as a special assistant to then-GM Dave Nonis. He’s since held pivotal roles in Lou Lamoriello’s, Kyle Dubas’ and Treliving’s tenures in Toronto’s front office as something of a salary cap specialist, helping the team navigate a boatload of big-money contracts doled out to Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares, among others. He was promoted to a full-time assistant GM under Dubas in 2018 and served as co-interim GM with fellow AGM Ryan Hardy, who remains with the organization for now, after Treliving was fired with a couple of weeks left in the regular season.
“Brandon has played an integral role in the organization over the past 12 seasons,” Chayka said in a team-issued statement. “We are sincerely appreciative of Brandon’s professionalism, commitment and dedication to the Maple Leafs throughout his tenure.”
Clancey was a Treliving hire, spending the last three seasons as Treliving’s primary player personnel assistant after previously working under him in Calgary as a pro scout in 2021-22. A decorated minor-league coach before embarking on a lengthy and successful NHL scouting career, he was part of the Penguins’ Stanley Cup championships in 2009, 2016, and 2017 before departing the organization five years ago. Since then, he’s had the aforementioned brief stop in Calgary, plus one year as an AGM in Vancouver (2022-23), before he eventually joined the Leafs.
Even with the departures, Chayka and Sundin still have three AGMs to rely on in a pivotal offseason. Pridham and Clancey were the two highest-ranking ones, though, so it would be surprising not to see them make at least one corresponding hire. Hardy remains in his post as the Leafs’ minor-league operations leader, while Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser (player development) and Darryl Metcalf (hockey research and development) are still on staff as well.
This Summer Might Be The Oilers’ Best Chance To Move Darnell Nurse
The Edmonton Oilers had a tumultuous past season and have a laundry list of players who were put in positions where they couldn’t succeed or who underperformed relative to their paycheques. The list of underachievers in Edmonton isn’t short, and no player dominates that discussion more than defenseman Darnell Nurse.
Nurse is perhaps the most polarizing player in Edmonton, which is really saying something for a team that also employs goaltender Tristan Jarry. But Nurse’s cap hit and poor play have continued to dominate the discussion around the Oilers for good reason. That said, if there ever was a time for the Oilers to move on from Nurse, this summer could be it.
Obviously, trading Nurse and his $9.25MM salary is a tall order. Couple that with his no-move clause and the four years remaining on the deal, and trading him becomes even more impossible. Then there are concerns about Nurse’s play, which hasn’t been great for a few years and took another dramatic drop this year.
The 31-year-old posted his worst offensive numbers in nearly a decade, and his underlying numbers were well below his career averages. Not to mention that he often appeared a step slow, both with and without the puck, leading to him turning the puck over at an alarming rate and taking a pile of penalties when he was caught out of position.
Despite all of these obstacles, this offseason might be Edmonton’s best opportunity to unload most of Nurse’s contract, or at the very least find a move that is palatable for them to move on from the player they selected seventh overall back in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
The reality is that Nurse is still an NHL defenseman, but in Edmonton, enormous expectations are placed on him because of his inflated contract. Now, no one should feel sorry for Nurse, as he played the contract game, rolled the dice on a bridge deal and played himself into his massive payday.
But patiently waiting for that contract, Nurse inadvertently put himself in a position to be miscast as a number-one defenseman, which he is not. In fact, at this stage of his career, Nurse is a high-end third-pairing defender on a good team, where he doesn’t have to play against the opponent’s top players, and he can get away with some of the issues in his game a little bit more without being constantly exposed.
But very few teams can pay that talent $9.25MM a year, and the ones that could don’t want to pay an aging, declining defender that kind of money when they are stockpiling younger assets. Mix all of those concerns with Nurse’s contractual control of the situation, and you have a recipe for disaster.
Most contending teams won’t trade for Nurse for the reasons stated above. The teams that would trade for him likely aren’t contenders, and he isn’t likely to waive the clause for them.
But this summer, there is more salary-cap growth, and for the first time in what feels like ages, there are teams with significant money available and very few free agents to sign. There are also many teams looking at their back end and believing they need to upgrade that defensive unit.
Most teams will try to do so by trading for higher-end options such as Bowen Byram or entering free agency to sign a Darren Raddysh, but so few of those options exist, and the prices will be exorbitant. There will be teams who strike out in the market but need defensemen, who may pivot and look to the secondary market for players like Morgan Rielly and, yes, Nurse. This dynamic will likely turn an unmovable contract into one that is simply tough to fully absorb.
Despite the warts in his game, Nurse can play a lot and still has good size, decent skating and durability. He’s an NHL defenseman who is miscast in a lineup because of his salary and the lack of better options around him.
If he were moved to a team with more defensive depth that could deploy him in a more sheltered role, that would be ideal, and he would serve as suitable short-term insurance if they were to lose a top-four defenseman.
For the Oilers, it is now or never to make the move, since they badly need the cap space to chase another goaltender and try to build a better lineup around Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Couple the Oilers’ desperation with the growing salary cap and the league-wide need for defensemen, and you have a recipe for a Nurse move, if he wants it to happen.
Oilers fans need to be cautious and temper their expectations for a Nurse trade. It is unlikely the team will hit a home run in a trade for an undesirable player, as the Penguins did when they dumped Jarry on the Oilers for three assets.
The primary objective in a Nurse trade is to create as much cap relief as possible to allow for better roster balance and the reallocation of those financial resources.
Edmonton has several options for trading Nurse. They could dump him along with other assets to incentivize a team to acquire him and his contract. The Oilers could also flip Nurse for another player with a bad contract, such as Jonathan Huberdeau or Morgan Rielly.
While the door is open for a Nurse trade, it still feels like a long shot given a litany of factors. But unlikely is very different from impossible, and there have been moments over the last few years when a Nurse trade looked impossible.
This summer represents the best opportunity for Edmonton to trade Nurse, and it comes at a time when they need to hit multiple home runs as they try to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Evening Notes: Kuemper, Granlund, Avalanche
Heading into the offseason, the Los Angeles Kings will have just over $18MM in cap space. Los Angeles will use some of that to retain defenseman Brandt Clarke, and could burn through much of the rest if they wish to retain Andrei Kuzmenko, Scott Laughton, and Mathieu Joseph.
In a new article on Mayor’s Manor, Scott Coffman opined that the Kings could look to move netminder Darcy Kuemper to open up additional breathing room and pursue a top-six center. Kuemper, 36, managed a 19-14-15 record in 50 games this past season with a .891 SV%. Additionally, he’s one year removed from being a Vezina Trophy finalist and one year remaining on his contract.
Despite Anton Forsberg‘s strong performance last season, Los Angeles lacks a reliable starting goaltender if they trade Kuemper. However, they could form a competent goaltending committee. Erik Portillo is signed through next season, and the Kings brought in another prospect, Hampton Slukynsky, after his collegiate season ended. It would be putting a lot of faith in a pair of unproven talents at the NHL level, but it might be a risk the Kings have to take.
Additional evening notes:
- Now that the Anaheim Ducks’ season has ended, it was expected that a few players could make their way to Switzerland for the IIHF World Championships. One of them has done just that, as it was announced that Mikael Granlund will be joining Team Finland for the remainder of the tournament. Although he didn’t play for his home country last spring, Granlund represented Finland well at the Olympic Games in February, scoring one goal and three points in six games.
- Earlier today, Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports reported that Cale Makar, Josh Manson, Brent Burns, and Artturi Lehkonen are all nursing day-to-day injuries for the Colorado Avalanche. Despite Game 1 of the Western Conference Final being four days away, each of the injured members of the Avalanche is expected to play.
Central Notes: Kealty, Malinski, McCarron
According to a new article from Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean, the Nashville Predators have interviewed Assistant General Manager Jeff Kealty for their General Manager vacancy. Still, even if he doesn’t land the job, Kealty articulated that he’d like to remain with the Predators moving forward.
Now that David Poile and Barry Trotz have moved on, Kealty likely has the lengthiest tenure in Nashville of anyone in the organization. He began with the club ahead of the 2001-02 season as an amateur scout.
Kealty remained as a scout until being promoted to the Predators’ Director of Scouting in 2007. He held that position for a decade before being appointed the team’s Assistant General Manager, where he continues to serve today. Still, given the lengthy hiring process, it’s becoming increasingly likely that Nashville will hire from outside the organization to lead the team’s front office. Kealty would be more of the same, having served only under Poile and Trotz throughout his off-ice career.
Additional notes from the Central Division:
- Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette reported that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sam Malinski is practicing with the team in a non-contact jersey. Malinski missed Colorado’s final two games of Round Two due to an upper-body injury. Given that the team has sustained only one loss through the postseason so far, it’s hard to imagine the Avalanche not reaching the Stanley Cup Final if they’re able to ice a healthy roster in the Western Conference Final.
- Heading into the offseason, the Minnesota Wild have six forwards on the roster that are set to hit unrestricted free agency in a few weeks. According to Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic, trade deadline acquisition Michael McCarron would like to say, but for the right price. McCarron was humbled that the Wild pursued them as aggressively as they did at the deadline, but also noted that he’s at a point in his career where he’d like some security. Given his playstyle, he may pursue a contract similar to William Carrier of the Carolina Hurricanes, who favored term over AAV a few years ago.
The Predators Need To Pick A Direction
The Nashville Predators have never truly done a tear-it-down-to-the-studs rebuild in their short history, yet it’s been rare for them to miss the playoffs. This recent two year absence from the postseason has been difficult for the Predators, especially after their free-agent haul in the summer of 2024. At that time, it looked like they were on their way to a solid retool, only to be a massive disappointment on the ice during the 2024-25 season. One of the players they signed to a massive contract was forward Steven Stamkos, who is now entering the third year of a four-year, $32MM contract. He was terrific for the team last year, putting them in a position to trade him (if he agrees to a move) or keep him and try to retool this summer to compete for a playoff spot next year. This crossroads isn’t unique to Stamkos; the Predators have a number of veterans in similar spots, along with some young players hoping to make a name for themselves sooner rather than later.
It’s hard to gauge whether Stamkos would welcome a trade, as he wasn’t interested in one prior to the trade deadline. But if he were put on the market, there would be suitors, particularly after he had 42 goals and 24 assists in 82 games last year. Stamkos doesn’t sound like a player who expects to be moved, and he also doesn’t sound like he expects Nashville to rebuild, which would mean another summer of aggressively trying to improve the NHL roster. The reality is that Stamkos doesn’t know 100% what the direction will be, as Nashville doesn’t have a general manager at the moment, and there won’t be any earth-shattering moves until that is in place.
A couple of interesting tidbits about Stamkos and his contract situation. The 36-year-old holds a full no-move clause, which means he controls his fate and could remain in Nashville if he prefers. The other note is that Stamkos is owed a $2MM signing bonus next year (reportedly in July), meaning that after that payment is made, he is owed just $11.75MM in actual cash for the final two seasons of the deal while carrying an $8MM cap hit. That information won’t sway any of the teams in the upper echelon of league revenue, but for a team like the Carolina Hurricanes, which watches the dollars in and out carefully, it will be quite intriguing to owe fewer actual cash to a potential top-six player.
Moving on from Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly is another veteran center who could be traded, as he has just one year left on his deal at a bargain rate of $4.5MM. At 35 years of age, O’Reilly just finished one of the finest offensive seasons of his career, tallying 25 goals and 49 assists in 81 games while continuing his usual responsible defensive play. Like Stamkos, O’Reilly was a name thrown around before the NHL Trade Deadline, but he ultimately remained with the Predators through the end of the season. If Nashville were to make O’Reilly available, the asking price would be very high, as he remains a top-six center, and his cap hit is extraordinarily low for a player of his calibre. O’Reilly doesn’t technically have a no-movement clause but given the respect the Predators have for the veteran, one would have to believe they would involve him in the process.
If the Predators elect to move Stamkos and O’Reilly, it would be clear they’re embarking on a rebuild, and it would make sense to explore moves involving forwards Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault, defenders Brady Skjei and Roman Josi, and goaltender Juuse Saros. All of those veterans are on pricey contracts with multiple years left on their deals and are on the wrong side of 30. They effectively represent Nashville’s current core, and without Stamkos and O’Reilly, they are simply not good enough to even make the playoffs, let alone win a round or two. Moving Stamkos and/or O’Reilly would be the first step to signal a rebuild in Nashville.
But while moving one or two players, such as Stamkos and O’Reilly, makes sense in a vacuum (for the right price), it doesn’t make sense to move them and call it a summer. Nashville has to decide which direction to go. Is it a good opportunity to add veteran talent this summer, or is it time to tear things down and rebuild?
The decision will rest with the new general manager, but there are a few significant factors beyond the current roster. For one, Nashville currently has one of the five best farm systems in the entire NHL (according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic), and if they choose to add to their lineup, they will lose some of those pieces. However, if they move out some veterans, it will only add to their growing cupboard of future talent.
Another factor is the division the Predators play in. You can make a strong case that the Central Division was the toughest in hockey this year, and it doesn’t look like it’s getting any easier anytime soon. If the Predators want to make a run at the playoffs next year, they will have to compete with Dallas, Colorado, Minnesota, Winnipeg, Utah, and a Chicago team that will be aggressive this summer. No easy task, but it does make one wonder whether the time to aggressively add to the roster is now or later.
Finally, we have the situation around the NHL: teams have an overwhelming amount of cap space to throw around this summer, but very little talent to spend it on. The free agent pool is about as thin as it’s ever been, and teams are going to be forced to make trades to get better. Enter Nashville, which could essentially name its price on some of its players, inflating the potential trade returns. It’s a good time to be a seller, and Nashville would be one of the few true sellers if it elects to go down that road.
No Progress In Extension Talks Between Anaheim Ducks, Jacob Trouba
A little over a year ago, the Anaheim Ducks acquired defenseman Jacob Trouba from the New York Rangers in what appeared at the time as a salary dump for the latter. He was embroiled in the worst season of his NHL career, and looked more like a placeholder for the Ducks as their prospects made their way to the NHL ranks.
However, a year later, Trouba has become a fixture on Anaheim’s blue line, helping the Ducks to their first postseason appearance since the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. Unfortunately, as much as they would like to keep Trouba, the two sides haven’t gotten close to finalizing a contract extension.
Speaking on The Fan Hockey Show, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said, “They’ve been negotiating with [Jacob] Trouba on and off, and to this point they haven’t been able to close it.” The 13-year veteran will see his seven-year, $56MM contract expire on July 1st in a few weeks.
Much of that likely has to do with the price point. Trouba and his camp are likely trying to capitalize on a resurgent 2025-26 campaign, and the Ducks may view it as a flash in the pan, though they would still like to retain him at a digestible rate. Essentially, since the 2021-22 campaign, Trouba’s performance had been declining across the board.
This season, however, he made a big comeback. Throughout the 2025-26 season, Trouba scored 10 goals and 35 points in 81 games with a -1 rating, averaging nearly 23 minutes of ice time per game. Additionally, he led the team in blocked shots, finished third in hits, and had the sixth-most takeaways on the team.
Diving deeper, his 51.8% CorsiFor at even strength is the second-highest mark of his career, and better than any season he had with the Rangers. Still, heading into his age-32 season, especially with how he plays the game, it’s a fair question from the Ducks if he can keep this up for several more years.
In all seriousness, Anaheim is likely in the driver’s seat in the negotiations, despite Trouba’s impressive season. The team has a solid opportunity this summer to re-work its defensive core for the future, without having a stark drop-off in talent. Trouba is joined by captain Radko Gudas and trade deadline acquisition John Carlson as projected unrestricted free agents this summer. If the Ducks keep only one of the trio, they’ll have a balanced right side of the blue line with Drew Helleson and Tristan Luneau in tow.
According to AFP Analytics, Trouba is projected to land a three-year, $9.25MM contract should he hit the open market this summer. Although he will assuredly earn less than his current $8MM salary, an approximately $3.1MM salary feels remarkably low for the season he just had. If Trouba does make it to the open market, he’ll likely land a deal similar to the extension Adam Larsson signed with the Seattle Kraken last year, a four-year, $21MM ($5.25MM AAV) pact, if not a little bit more.
Danila Klimovich Expected To Sign In KHL
Canucks prospect winger Danila Klimovich is set to have his entry-level contract end next month. However, instead of re-signing with Vancouver, it appears he has other plans. Sport-Express’ Mikhail Zislis reports that Klimovich is set to sign a two-year contract with CSKA Moscow of the KHL.
The 23-year-old was a second-round pick by Vancouver back in 2021, going 41st overall. He was selected out of the Belarusian Vysshaya (their second-tier league) but somewhat surprisingly made the jump to North America right away, signing his entry-level deal a month after being selected.
While that allowed the Canucks to get immediate control of Klimovich’s development, it was a case of exposing him to quite a jump in difficulty right away. He responded relatively well as an 18-year-old with AHL Abbotsford in 2021-22, picking up 18 points in 62 games. He followed that up with a 27-point effort the following year before injuries derailed his 2023-24 campaign, limiting him to just 24 games.
Klimovich found a way to be a bit more productive over the last two years, however. In 2024-25, he notched 25 goals and 13 assists in 65 games but wasn’t able to secure a recall to the big club. This season, he had 18 goals and 16 helpers in 67 outings but again, a promotion to Vancouver never came, despite their struggles down the stretch.
While the Canucks probably would prefer Klimovich to remain in North America and keep working on his game in Abbotsford, it’s certainly understandable that the forward would prefer a different opportunity after five seasons at the AHL level. Assuming a deal is ultimately finalized, Vancouver will be able to retain Klimovich’s NHL rights by tendering him a qualifying offer next month, one that will ultimately be declined.