Five Key Stories: 5/11/26 – 5/17/26
With just five teams still alive in the playoffs, most of the NHL is in offseason mode. There was plenty of news away from the ice, including a unanimous Calder Trophy winner plus a pair of coach firings, which are featured in our key stories.
Canucks Set Front Office: With now-former GM Patrik Allvin gone and Jim Rutherford set to move into an advisory role for next season, the Canucks have now set their new-look front office. Well, new in the sense that they’ve promoted people into roles they haven’t had before. Ryan Johnson, who briefly played for Vancouver late in his career, has been promoted from his Assistant GM role to GM to replace Allvin. It will be his first opportunity running an NHL franchise. Meanwhile, with Rutherford’s role change opening the Team President role, the organization decided to split the role, naming long-time Canucks mainstays Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin as Co-Presidents. Their promotion is a little less gradual as they were only working as development coaches but will now turn their focus to the business side of operations.
Six For McAvoy: The Bruins will be without their top defenseman for the first couple of weeks of next season. This isn’t due to injury, but rather a suspension as he received a six-game ban for a slash on Buffalo’s Zach Benson late in the first round. The ruling indicated that McAvoy used his stick as a weapon, even winding up for the strike, which undoubtedly played a big role in the ruling. As the suspension is for longer than five games, McAvoy has the right to appeal the penalty if he so chooses. Barring that happening, he’s set to forfeit a little over $300K in salary as a result of this suspension.
Six For Coyle: The number six was notable for Blue Jackets center Charlie Coyle, albeit for a much happier reason. One of the few centers of note who was set to test the open market, that will no longer be the case as he signed a six-year deal to stay with Columbus, one that will carry a $6MM AAV. The 34-year-old bounced back quite nicely this season with 58 points, the second-highest total of his 14-year NHL career. While there is certainly some risk in giving someone his age a six-year contract, the dearth of impact middlemen available on the open market gave Coyle’s camp plenty of leverage. Had the Blue Jackets not offered a deal like this, someone else likely would have in July.
Expensive Silence: The Golden Knights won their second-round series against Anaheim in six games earlier this week but didn’t open up the dressing room to the media while John Tortorella didn’t speak either. After apparently warning them several times for their failure to adhere to playoff media regulations, the league issued a steep punishment. Tortorella has been hit with a $100K fine while the team has been stripped of its highest draft pick in next month’s draft, their second-rounder. The Golden Knights have the right to appeal and will undoubtedly do so in an effort to at least reduce the forfeited selection. But this sent a strong message across the league that the NHL expects its postseason media obligations to be met at all times with strong penalties for frequent non-compliers.
More Head Coach Openings: A pair of teams have decided to part ways with their head coaches. First, new Toronto GM John Chayka didn’t waste much time making a change, firing Craig Berube after just two seasons with the team. Toronto made the second round last year but struggled mightily this season, missing the playoffs altogether. Overall, he departs with an 84-62-18 record in the regular season. Meanwhile, Edmonton has relieved Kris Knoblauch of his duties, just weeks before his three-year extension was set to begin (he’ll still be paid the money owing on that deal). Knoblauch took over early in the 2024-25 season and ultimately led the Oilers to two straight Stanley Cup Finals, coming up short against Florida each time. This year, they were ousted by Anaheim in the first round. He leaves with a 135-77-21 regular season record (plus a 31-22 mark in the playoffs) and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him get another opportunity to run a bench down the road.
Snapshots: Gauthier, Lee, Genborg
Ducks winger Cutter Gauthier sustained two fractured vertebrae late in the regular season and played through it in the playoffs, reports Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune (Twitter link). The 22-year-old had a great sophomore year, tallying 41 goals and 28 assists in 76 games to lead Anaheim in scoring. Even while playing through the injury in the postseason, Gauthier led the Ducks in scoring there as well, picking up four goals and eight helpers in 12 appearances, a strong end to his year before he reaches restricted free agency this summer.
On that front, Eric Stephens of The Athletic notes that talks on a new contract have yet to start. Ducks GM Pat Verbeek has quickly earned a reputation for being a tough negotiator, with several prominent contracts dragging out into training camp in recent years, including this season with Mason McTavish. He also has Leo Carlsson as a prominent pending RFA. Gauthier is someone who Anaheim would likely want to sign to a long-term deal, with AFP Analytics suggesting that a seven-year pact could check in at around $8.5MM per season. We’ll see if this will be something that gets worked out quicker than their recent summer talks.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Predators prospect Ryker Lee won’t suit up for Team USA at the Worlds after all, relays FloHockey’s Chris Peters (Twitter link). Named to the original squad, he only played in pre-tournament action and was never formally added to the roster. That leaves an open spot for them to fill over the coming days, speculatively being someone who just has been or will soon be eliminated from the playoffs. Lee, the 26th overall pick last June, had 15 goals and 15 assists in 35 games in his freshman year at Michigan State.
- Red Wings prospect Eddie Genborg has been released from his ATO with AHL Grand Rapids, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 19-year-old spent this season with SHL Timra, picking up 25 points in 43 games and then joined the Griffins in March after signing his entry-level deal. A 2025 second-round pick, Genborg played in 13 games during the regular season for them, picking up a goal and two assists while suiting up a couple of weeks ago for one playoff contest. However, he sustained an injury and hadn’t played since. Now, his season has come to an end and he will likely return to Grand Rapids for the 2026-27 campaign.
Offseason Checklist: St. Louis Blues
The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t taking part in the playoffs plus those who have already been eliminated. Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at St. Louis.
After a year that nearly saw St. Louis eliminate the Presidents’ Trophy winners in the opening round, the hope was that the Blues would be able to build off that. Instead, they took steps back across the board, resulting in some veterans being moved at the trade deadline and others being dangled in trade talks. Incoming GM Alex Steen will have a busy offseason ahead of him as a result. Here are some items on his summer checklist.
Choose A Direction
Considering that the Blues moved Justin Faulk and Brayden Schenn at the trade deadline while having a deal in place for Colton Parayko get nixed by the blueliner’s no-trade clause, this might seem a little obvious already. But St. Louis finished the season strong, winning 10 of their last 14 games to find themselves surprisingly in the playoff race until close to the end of the season. And with Steen taking over from Doug Armstrong, does he have a different opinion on the direction that needs to be taken? Aside from simply maintaining the status quo, he has three different routes to choose from.
The least likely is reversing course but with how they finished the year, it can’t be ruled out entirely. St. Louis picked up first-round picks for both Schenn and Faulk, giving them three in next month’s draft. One or more of those could plausibly be trade chips if they want to add. They also have nearly $16MM in cap room for next season, per PuckPedia, with only a few roster spots to fill. It’s rather unlikely and given the current state of the division, probably unwise, but they have the ability to flip the switch if they want to.
More likely, the decision will be to rebuild or retool. A few months ago, it looked like the former was the plan. By putting the bulk of their veterans in play (including Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou), they seemed to be signaling a willingness to do a longer-scale rebuild, one that would likely see them out of playoff contention for several more years. If that’s the case, basically anyone 26 and up (or thereabouts) would likely be in play at the right price. And with a lot of teams looking to buy, Steen could generate some strong returns for their services. They should have a good idea of each player’s trade value going back to talks from before the deadline.
Meanwhile, the retool option would likely see them pull players like Thomas and Kyrou off the block and look to move some of the older players like Parayko (who could still be moved to a team he’s willing to go to) or goaltender Jordan Binnington. That would still allow them to add to their prospect pool while allowing them to build around their current offense instead of overhauling it. This is the safer route and with a first-time GM, this might the path that the Blues are likeliest to take. With that in mind, the focus of this piece won’t be on possible win-now additions or roster upgrades.
Work On Neighbours Extension
The Blues already took care of one significant transaction this offseason when they re-signed pending RFA Dylan Holloway to a new five-year deal. With an RFA list that isn’t particularly large this summer, they can turn their focus toward trying to get an extension done with one of their other young core forwards.
That would be winger Jake Neighbours. The 2020 first-round pick quickly established himself as a top-six winger and surpassed the 20-goal mark in his first two full NHL seasons. There’s a good chance he’d have gotten there this year had he not missed 13 games due to injury. Between his steady secondary production is his physicality. Neighbours has posted between 138 and 172 hits over the last three seasons, making him a rare top-six power forward. Those players aren’t particularly easy to come by and it’s safe to say that he’s a building block that they’ll want to build around.
He’ll be owed a qualifying offer of $4MM next summer with salary arbitration rights. To get him to sign early, it’s fair to say that it would cost considerably more than that to get him signed a year early, especially with the big increases set to come to the Upper Limit of the salary cap. We can use the deal they just handed out to try to benchmark what an extension might look like.
Holloway signed for $7.75MM three years away from UFA eligibility. Neighbours’ next deal will only be two years away. Holloway has the better track record offensively so it’s fair to say that his new price tag should be the upper limit in a negotiation. Considering that there is typically a premium for power forwards though, the gap between Holloway’s new price tag and a potential Neighbours extension might not be as large as it might seem. Speculatively, a long-term deal (around six years) would carry a price tag of between $6.5MM and $6.75MM, even with the fact he’s coming off a lower year offensively. If they’re not willing to go that high, the winger is probably better off waiting. And if they are, locking up another piece of the long-term puzzle early would be a wise move.
Set The Starter
One of the storylines from the start of last season was if Joel Hofer would take over the starting role from Binnington. The two wound up with very similar start totals with Hofer having 43 and Binnington 39. But after the Olympic break, it was Hofer who received the bulk of the workload as St. Louis looked to make the improbable late-season push to a playoff spot.
Both goaltenders have one year left on their contracts. Technically, they could keep this tandem intact for one more season but that wouldn’t be the prudent approach. If the plan is for Hofer to be the starter moving forward, then the time is right to move Binnington.
In-season goalie moves aren’t too frequent so this offseason will probably be their best time to try to move him for value. And while the 32-year-old isn’t coming off a good season, there will be teams who look at his track record and think that with a change of scenery, they can get him back to form. Chances are that they’d have to take a goalie back as part of the swap but if not, a second netminder can be signed in free agency.
Then, the time might be right to look at trying to extend Hofer. There are some reasonable comparables in Karel Vejmelka and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen ($4.75MM each) and Joey Daccord ($5MM) to build the foundation of a contract off of. In a higher cap environment, Daccord’s equivalent cap percentage would be $5.45MM next season and $5.98MM in 2027-28 when the contract would begin. Basically, Hofer is probably heading for Binnington money if he signs an early extension this summer.
The Blues could wait and see how next season goes. But if they do and Hofer thrives as a full-time starter, the price tag will only go up from there. They don’t have to try to sign him now but at a minimum, given the direction they’re heading, it’s time to set Hofer as the starter and give Binnington a chance elsewhere, netting some value in return in the process.
Round Out The Coaching Staff
Shortly after the season ended, the Blues made a pair of changes behind the bench but didn’t change head coach Jim Montgomery. Instead, they parted with a pair of assistants, veteran Claude Julien and first-time NHL assistant Mike Weber. Armstrong noted at the time that the intent was to build a staff that best suits the team moving forward, making choosing a direction that much more important.
One decision that will need to be made is the fate of Steve Ott. He started the season as the associate coach in St. Louis but midseason, he became the interim head coach with AHL Springfield, whose playoffs are still going after they pulled off a big upset over Providence. Does he return to the bench for the Blues or do they keep him in the minors and allow him to continue to apprentice as a head coach? If they opt for the latter, they effectively have a third vacancy to try to fill.
If the Blues opt for more of a longer-scale rebuild, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team turn toward younger assistants with an eye on someone with a background in player development. But if it’s more of a retool, adding a veteran assistant behind the bench could be the path they choose with the hopes that the coach would still be there when the team is looking to get back into the playoff picture.
It’s a small item in the grand scheme of things but Steen will have a chance to make an early impact behind the bench with potentially resetting 75% of the coaching staff. Those hires could ultimately help signal just how long they think their roster revamping will take.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro-Imagn Images.
Hurricanes To Wait Until After Playoffs To Talk New Deal For Frederik Andersen
The Hurricanes find themselves on a long break between rounds. As a result of starting the second round early, sweeping Philadelphia, and seeing Montreal and Buffalo go to seven games, they now find themselves with the longest break between series in modern NHL history, according to The Athletic’s James Mirtle (Twitter link).
But while that leaves ample time for the team to work on some looming contracts for pending unrestricted free agent goaltender Frederik Andersen, that isn’t going to be the case. Speaking with NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, GM Eric Tulsky indicated that their plan is to wait until after the playoffs before beginning those discussions. By contrast, Carolina re-upped Mark Jankowski, who was a pending UFA himself, to a new two-year deal earlier this week.
It has been an up-and-down year for the 36-year-old. Thanks to a long-term injury to Pyotr Kochetkov, Andersen made 35 starts during the regular season, his highest total since 2021-22, the year he finished fourth in Vezina Trophy voting. But his overall numbers weren’t particularly impressive as he posted a 3.05 GAA with a .874 SV% on a team that finished first in the Eastern Conference. Kochetkov (in limited action) and Brandon Bussi both put up considerably better numbers than he did.
But with Bussi faltering a bit down the stretch and Kochetkov only getting into some brief AHL action on a conditioning stint before the regular season ended, Andersen got the nod to start the playoffs. It’s fair to say that decision has worked out tremendously for both Andersen and the Hurricanes. He has won all eight of Carolina’s postseason games thus far, allowing just 10 goals on 201 shots in the process.
If he can even come close to continuing that type of play in the next round (or two, should they advance to the Stanley Cup Final), that would certainly be a huge boost to his stock heading to free agency. But on the flip side, if the long layoff results in him reverting to his regular-season form, it could be one of the other two netminders getting a shot at some point in their next series.
Accordingly, it makes sense for Tulsky and the Hurricanes to wait to see how the rest of the postseason goes before starting talks on a new contract. After all, Bussi begins a new three-year contract next season while Kochetkov is signed through 2026-27 as well. Technically, they have their goalie tandem in place already, at a combined cost of just $3.9MM.
But Carolina has been one of the few teams that has been unafraid to carry three netminders on a regular basis which could create an opening for Andersen to return, albeit at a price tag likely below his current $2.75MM plus bonuses ($250K of which has been met with another $250K likely). Tulsky indicated that they “would love to have him back.” We’ll have to wait a little while yet to see if that will ultimately happen.
Evening Notes: Avalanche, Trocheck, World Championship Round-up
Yesterday, Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar called Cale Makar, Josh Manson, Brent Burns, and Artturi Lehkonen day-to-day, per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette. However, after today’s skate, Bednar has a positive update this afternoon on their current injury list, saying, “I think everyone is going to be available, but we will see.”
During this afternoon’s skate, Manson was on the ice in a regular jersey, which is a great sign. Additionally, Sam Malinski, who had been skating in a non-contact jersey, returned to full participation today, though he has not been listed day-to-day. Makar, Burns, and Lehkonen were still not on the ice. Taking necessary precautions with a banged-up D-core, defenseman Alex Gagne was at practice with the Avalanche today.
The Avalanche still have two days off before they begin their Western Conference Finals matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night. The Avalanche bested Vegas in their regular-season meetings this year, going 2-0-1. However, when they last met in Round 2 of the 2021 postseason, Vegas eliminated Colorado in six games. With a Cup Final appearance on the line, the extra rest could prove pivotal for a banged-up Avs squad.
Additional evening notes:
- New York Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck’s name has been circulating amongst trade rumors for some time now. The Rangers are trying to get rid of his contract, per Darren Dreger of TSN, which has three more years remaining at a $5.63MM AAV. The original asking price for the 32-year-old center was a first-round pick, a top-level prospect, and an additional asset, and according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, that has not changed. It is no secret that teams around the NHL are always interested in a first or second-line center as they seldom become available, so this will be an intriguing story to follow throughout the summer. Trocheck had 16 goals and 53 points in 67 games last season.
- Day three of the IIHF Men’s World Championship concluded this afternoon in Switzerland. Through two games played, Group A is led by Austria, Finland, and Switzerland, all tied with six points, with Austria holding the tiebreaker on goal differential. Group B sees a similar logjam at the top, as Canada and Slovakia are also deadlocked at six points apiece, with Canada owning the tiebreaker. Team USA was able to bounce back this afternoon with a 5-1 victory against Great Britain after suffering a tournament-opening loss to the Swiss on Friday. Former NHL forward Jesse Puljujärvi leads the tournament in scoring through two games with three goals and five points. The action starts back up for day four tomorrow with Finland vs USA and Canada vs Denmark, both starting at 9:20 AM CST.
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.