Devils Expected To Sign Anton Silayev
The New Jersey Devils will have one more first-round pick in their system next season. Defenseman Anton Silayev is expected to sign his entry-level contract following his third season in Russia’s KHL per Artur Khairullin of Russian news site Sport-Express. The 6-foot-7 defender was selected 10th-overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. He will be the last of 2024’s top 15 to sign his entry-level contract when he puts pen to paper.
Silayev has had a sure role with the KHL’s Torpedo Novgorod since the 2022-23 season, when he led the team’s junior affiliate to a junior league championship. Even in his age-17 season, Silayev’s size, smooth skating, and stick checks proved tough for opponents to beat. Those advantages earned him a full-time role in the KHL during his draft season in 2023-24. Silayev had ups-and-downs as a KHL rookie. Never the scorer, he racked up only 11 points in 63 regular season games. More glaring were the amount of times that Silayev got turned around by top-tier competition – though his aggression in board battles and ability to move the puck still warranted a top pick come draft day.
Silayev has spent the last two seasons ironing out the gaps from his age-18 season. He climbed to 12 points in 63 games of the 2024-25 season, then joined the Torpedo’s minor-league club for the postseason en route to a league championship. He contributed two points to 17 games of the 2025 VHL playoffs. Surprisingly, Silayev’s routinely-low offense turned downwards this year. He finished the 2025-26 KHL season with just three points in 61 games. Much of that diminished scoring came from Silayev’s struggles to spark the breakout in the same way he had in prior years – casting a shadow over his clear improvements on either end of the ice. Following their elimination from the Gagarin Cup playoffs, Torpedo finished Silayev’s season with a brief assignment to Russia’s junior-league playoffs, where he scored two points in four games while standing as one of only 20 defensemen age-20 or older in the junior postseason.
A down year in Russia will be followed by a major opportunity for one of New Jersey’s top prospects. Silayev will likely step into a top role in the AHL, where his big frame and puck-moving abilities could quickly stand out. He could also be a candidate to break camp with the Devils to begin the 2026-27 season – if the club finds a way to use his unique style and size in a depth role while he finds his stride. Either way, an entry-level contract will give Devils fans another player to watch close once training camp kicks off.
John Carlson’s Next Contract Will Be Particularly Pricey
It’s not very often that 36-year-old players will get a raise on their next contract but that could very well be the case for defenseman John Carlson. In a column for The Athletic earlier this week, Pierre LeBrun reported that before Washington moved Carlson to Anaheim at the trade deadline, the two sides were in talks about a two-year extension worth $9MM per season.
That would represent a $1MM raise on the $8MM he made over each of the last eight years. But it would be a well-earned increase. Between the Capitals and Ducks this season, Carlson recorded 14 goals and 46 assists despite missing 11 games due to injury. His 60 points were his highest since the 2021-22 campaign. On top of that, he showed that he can still handle logging heavy minutes as he averaged more than 23 minutes per night during the regular season and over 24 minutes per contest in the postseason.
In essence, Carlson played like a legitimate top-pairing defenseman, so $9MM on the surface would seem reasonable. On the other hand, he’ll turn 37 in January and at some point, he’s going to slow down and his minutes will have to become more managed. If he drops to more of a second-pairing player, that price tag becomes particularly high, even in this market, one that is going to yield some inflated salaries this summer.
In recent years, we’ve seen teams try to sign players to above-market short-term contracts, knowing that they will have some short-term cap flexibility to absorb the extra cost. Carolina’s two-year, $15MM deal to Dmitry Orlov three summers ago is a good example of that. But it’s something that isn’t going to necessarily be appealing to most free agents which is why not many of those deals have been signed overall; most prefer the longer-term security. Given Carlson’s age, it becomes more palatable and it looks like he could very well be getting one of those now.
While the overall depth in this summer’s UFA class isn’t particularly deep overall, there is some depth among right-shot defenders. Carlson is joined by Darren Raddysh, Jacob Trouba, Rasmus Andersson, and even Brent Burns as players who should at least be able to handle top-four minutes. This potential price point for Carlson should be particularly appealing for most of the others on that list (aside from Burns, who is likely heading for another one-year deal).
Considering the extension didn’t get finalized with the Capitals, it stands to reason that Carlson’s camp believes he could do better on the open market. With that in mind, it seems likely that he’ll be viewing that two-year offer as the floor in negotiations for his next contract. We’ll see over the next month if that contract will be coming from the Ducks who would like to keep him around or if he’ll opt to test the UFA market where LeBrun believes several Eastern teams are likely to make an offer.
Photo courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images.
Pacific Notes: Canucks Coaching Search, Edler, Lauzon
While there has been plenty of speculation that Manny Malhotra will become Vancouver’s next head coach, that still hasn’t materialized yet. Speaking with Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province, Canucks GM Ryan Johnson indicated that there remains no timeline for when they will name a new bench boss. They’ll be doing so for the second straight offseason after Adam Foote’s tenure lasted just one season. Johnson was previously GM of AHL Abbotsford with Malhotra as the head coach there so there’s a logical connection. Johnston speculates that part of the holdup could be the team trying to work out its group of assistants, that the sides could still be discussing salary, or even how the team plans to handle things should Malhotra’s son Caleb, the top center in the draft, were to be picked third overall by the Canucks. At any rate, no agreement between the two sides is in place yet.
Elsewhere in the Pacific:
- Johnson also confirmed to Johnston that he is in talks with long-time Vancouver blueliner Alex Edler about a possible role with the team, confirming a report earlier in the week from HockeyNews.se’s Mattias Ek. Edler spent 15 seasons with the Canucks as a player from 2006 through 2021, spanning 925 games, the most by a defenseman in franchise history. Edler will serve as a coach during development camp and could be brought on in more of a full-time development role beyond that.
- Golden Knights defenseman Jeremy Lauzon returned to practice on Friday with a non-contact jersey, relays Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The 29-year-old suffered an upper-body injury in the final game of the first round against Utah four weeks ago and hasn’t suited up since then. Lauzon had 13 points and 251 hits in 68 games during the regular season for Vegas and had 14 more hits in six contests in the opening round. Assuming he’s cleared to return by Tuesday’s series opener in Carolina, the Golden Knights should have a fully healthy roster at their disposal.
NHL Issues Tampering Memo Amid Ilya Mikheyev Speculation
In recent years, teams have been more open about the idea of allowing players under contract to talk to other teams. Sometimes, it’s to facilitate trades while this season, it eventually yielded some mutual contract terminations as well, allowing players to move for a better opportunity while the former teams received cap relief.
It appears as if the Blackhawks were hoping that they could take a similar approach with pending UFA winger Ilya Mikheyev. Unable to come to terms on a new contract, it was reported earlier this month that his rights were available for trade. At the time, there was a belief that they would permit his camp to speak to other teams and if there wasn’t the type of contract out there that he was looking for, then perhaps he’d circle back and rekindle talks with Chicago.
However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that the NHL sent all 32 teams a reminder about tampering rules at this time of year. It specifically indicated that no contact between pending free agents and teams is permitted without a rights trade first. Failure to comply could result in a fine of up to $5MM and/or the potential loss of draft picks.
There used to be a pre-July interview window, or a legal tampering period. It allowed potential free agents to speak to teams with the idea of giving players more time to assess their possible options. Some pending free agents even flew into other cities for a more formal discussion while getting a better sense of the area. But that was eventually taken out of the CBA and while it appears the league would like to have it back, the NHLPA isn’t as keen to do so.
At any rate, the Blackhawks aren’t going to be able to execute their desired plan with Mikheyev as clearly, they can’t allow Mikheyev to speak to other teams about a new deal first. Instead, they’ll have to swing a rights trade if another team thinks they can get a contract done and wants to jump the market. There aren’t as many of those deals now as there once were so unless Mikheyev has a change of heart about his perceived value, there’s a high chance he heads to the open market without Chicago getting any type of compensation.
Offseason Checklist: Washington Capitals
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 Washington.
Having gone from reaching the second round last season to narrowly missing the playoffs this season, it would be fair to view 2025-26 as a disappointment. On the other hand, this group was the only team in the salary cap era to have a +23-goal differential or better and miss the playoffs with a point total (95) that is usually enough to get into the postseason. Most years, they’d have comfortably made the playoffs with a season like they had. With that in mind, GM Chris Patrick might opt for a safer summer than another drastic overhaul like 2024. Their checklist has been drafted with that assumption in mind.
Wait For Ovechkin’s Decision
Admittedly, it feels weird making the first item on here something that’s entirely out of their control. Long-time captain Alex Ovechkin’s contract is up and the NHL’s all-time goal leader hasn’t decided if he wants to return for a 22nd season. It’s safe to say that the Capitals want him back and they’ve indicated to Ovechkin’s camp that they’re willing to be patient although they prefer that he decides by next month’s draft.
What the decision is will ultimately influence a chunk of how the team plans to proceed this summer. If Ovechkin stays, he fills a top-six spot on the wing, though not the top-line one he had for most of his career. And if he opts to move on, then they have a big hole to fill on the wing. Notably, despite his age (40), only one pending UFA forward (Alex Tuch) had more points than Ovechkin’s 64. Accordingly, they’d likely have to turn to the trade market to try to fill that vacancy.
Considering his age, it certainly wouldn’t be surprising if Ovechkin’s next contract is a one-year deal, should he decide to stay. If that’s the case, he’s eligible to sign one with performance bonuses in the deal, something that could be done to give Washington more cap flexibility. With over $31MM in room at the moment, per PuckPedia, they may not necessarily need that flexibility but if Patrick has big plans, maybe they will. Ovechkin’s now-expiring deal carried a $9.5MM AAV; it wouldn’t be entirely shocking if his next contract (including bonuses, if any) was in that price range as well.
Re-Sign McMichael
Two years ago, Washington opted to sign forward Connor McMichael to a bridge deal. That kept more money free for their shopping spree and considering he had just become a full-time player the year before, there was lots of logic to the decision. McMichael, meanwhile, went and had two pretty strong seasons on his two-year, $4.2MM pact. He notched 57 points in 2024-25 and followed that up with 46 in 78 outings this season while transitioning toward playing down the middle on more of a regular basis.
All things considered, that’s a pair of solid seasons to bolster his arbitration case as he reaches eligibility for that for the first time. McMichael is two years away from being able to test the open market so while they could kick the can down the road and try to do a one-year pact, the more probable outcome is a longer-term agreement. The Capitals could opt to take him to a hearing but that would allow his camp to ask for a two-year contract that walks him right to unrestricted free agency so it would be surprising to see the team go down that road. Conversely, if McMichael files, Washington gets to pick the term and would almost certainly choose a one-year agreement.
AFP Analytics pegs McMichael at a five-year pact worth a shade under $6.5MM per season while getting three extra years of club control. In this marketplace, that might even be a little light while adding more seasons to the agreement could push the price tag more toward the $8MM mark. By the time they re-sign him and re-sign or replace Ovechkin, more than half of that cap space will already be gone but getting McMichael locked up on a longer-term deal should be a big priority this summer.
Add Right-Shot Defender
With Jakob Chychrun, Martin Fehervary, Rasmus Sandin, Cole Hutson, and Declan Chisholm, the Capitals are more than well-set on that side of their back end. If anything, their depth there could allow Patrick to shop someone to try to fill another hole elsewhere.
However, things aren’t as great on the other side. Their right-shot options are Matt Roy, Timothy Liljegren, and Dylan McIlrath. Roy has been solid in his first two years in Washington but is ideally a second-pairing player. Liljegren, who just re-signed, hasn’t progressed beyond being a third-pairing option for most of his career, while McIlrath is more of a veteran journeyman who shouldn’t be counted on to play too much.
In other words, they need to try to replace John Carlson, who was moved to Anaheim a little before the trade deadline. Interestingly enough, one of the players they could plausibly look at is Carlson himself, as the sides explored extension talks before the trigger was pulled on a swap. Other impactful right-shot rearguards set to reach unrestricted free agency are Darren Raddysh, Rasmus Andersson, and Jacob Trouba, although it should be expected that at least one of those players will ultimately re-sign.
With Sandin being able to shift to his off-side, this isn’t a must-add for the Capitals this summer. Chychrun is a top-pairing piece and Hutson showed plenty of potential late in the year; those two anchoring the back end with above-average depth could work. But in a very tight Eastern Conference, augmenting the group with another impact right-shot option would even be better.
Work On Leonard Extension
When Ryan Leonard joined the Capitals for the stretch run last season, they were hoping that he’d be able to add some key secondary scoring. Instead, his entrance to the NHL was a little quieter as he managed just two points in 17 games (regular season and playoffs combined) with his role shrinking as the postseason went on.
But those struggles ultimately helped Leonard prepare for his first full NHL season which certainly was an improvement. He finished fifth in rookie scoring with 20 goals and 25 assists, doing so despite averaging a little over 14 minutes per game, or basically third-line ice time. That earned him an eighth-place finish in Calder Trophy voting for Rookie of the Year. Considering Washington drafted Leonard eighth overall in 2023, it’s safe to say that they envision him being able to take on a bigger role.
Because they burned the first season of his entry-level pact for the 2025 stretch run, Leonard will be entering the final year of that contract this summer, making him extension-eligible. And with this being the last offseason that a team can do an eight-year contract, it would make sense for Washington to explore what the parameters of an agreement like that would be.
There would be a lot of forecasting being done on both sides in terms of trying to determine what Leonard’s long-term offensive upside is to try to find a number that would work. AFP Analytics’ extension projections suggest a seven-year agreement would be worth a little under $8.5MM per year. To get that eighth season, the AAV might have to land closer to the $9MM mark. That might seem like a lot for a player with 46 career regular season points but if they want to get something done early, there’s going to be some shared risk on both sides.
This isn’t necessarily a must-accomplish item on the checklist this summer. It’s possible that one or both sides would prefer the extra year of data before committing. But having some certainty for what Leonard’s next deal will cost would help the Capitals in their long-term planning this offseason so expect Patrick to approach Leonard’s camp to see what this could cost.
Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports.
Maple Leafs Notes: Coaching Search, Nylander, Cowan
While it remains unclear which external head coaching candidates Maple Leafs GM John Chayka has spoken with so far, it appears there are a pair of internal options for the position as well. In a recent appearance on The FAN Hockey Show (video link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Derek Lalonde has been interviewed for the job while he believes that Mike Van Ryn has also been interviewed. Lalonde spent parts of three seasons running the bench in Detroit from 2022-23 through 2024-25, leading the team to an 89-86-23 record. On the other hand, Van Ryn’s head coaching experience is rather limited, just 2015-16 with OHL Kitchener and 2017-18 with AHL Tucson, making him a less likely candidate for the role. There remains no timeline in place for when Toronto might hire their next bench boss but they’d likely want the hire in place before next month’s draft.
More from the Maple Leafs:
- At a time when there has been plenty of speculation of how Toronto could shake up its roster, winger William Nylander made it clear in a video on his YouTube channel earlier this week that he has no desire to leave. The 30-year-old has spent 11 seasons with the Maple Leafs already and has six years left on his contract, one that carries an AAV of $11.5MM and has full trade protection. Nylander is coming off a career year in terms of points per game as his mark of 1.22 was a personal best, although he missed 17 games due to injury. Barring the team embarking on a longer-term rebuild, it’s hard to see a scenario where Nylander is asked to consider waiving his trade protection but the veteran has made his intentions clear preemptively.
- Winger Easton Cowan wasn’t in the lineup on Friday as the Marlies continue their playoff run in the minors. Speaking postgame, head coach Jon Gruden indicated to reporters including Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun that the rookie is dealing with an upper-body injury. It’s more of a maintenance thing but his status for Monday’s game is uncertain. Cowan sits ninth in AHL playoff scoring with five goals and four assists in 14 contests.
Theo Rochette Generating NHL Interest
This is the time of year when we start to see a lot of activity on the international front as players move during the transfer window. One of those could be Swiss forward Theo Rochette, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported earlier this week in a 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that a few NHL teams appear to be taking a look at Rochette.
The 24-year-old was a prolific producer in the QMJHL. Over five seasons between Chicoutimi and Quebec, Rochette posted 115 goals and 202 assists in 271 regular season games while staying above the point-per-game mark in the playoffs as well. While he went undrafted, he seemed like a realistic candidate to sign an entry-level deal and start off at the AHL level.
But Rochette had other plans. He instead signed a two-year deal with HC Lausanne in 2023, then inked a five-year extension after that, keeping him signed through 2030-31. In three seasons with the club, he has notched at least 30 points in each of them and had his best showing in 2025-26, tallying 22 goals and 21 assists in 46 games. That earned Rochette a spot on Switzerland’s entry for the World Championship where he has been productive in a depth role, recording five points in eight games heading into today’s semi-final action.
Clearly, there is an NHL out clause in his current contract that will give Rochette an opportunity to take a shot at playing in North America. Considering the security he has in his current contract, it seems reasonable to think that if Rochette opts to sign, he’ll be going somewhere where he has a chance to play regularly in the NHL. If not, staying and playing at home would make more sense so it wouldn’t be shocking if Rochette is particularly selective when considering offers from interested teams.
Minor Transactions: Berezkin, Guskov, Hasley
It turns out that Oilers prospect Maxim Berezkin won’t be coming to North America for next season after all. Instead, the KHL announced that the 24-year-old has signed a two-year extension with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. A fifth-round pick back in 2020, Berezkin had a breakout year in 2024-25 when he posted 15 goals and 27 assists in 66 games, leading to the belief that he could come over and potentially contribute in a bottom-six role in Edmonton. Things didn’t go as well this season, however, as his output dropped to seven goals and 25 helpers in 64 contests. Edmonton will continue to hold Berezkin’s rights but at this point, it’s fair to wonder if he’ll make the jump to North America down the road.
Other minor moves with an NHL connection:
- Wild forward prospect Matvei Guskov has inked a one-year extension with HK Sochi, per a KHL announcement. The 25-year-old was a fifth-round pick in 2019 and played his junior hockey with OHL London but returned home one year later. Guskov had his best showing by far this season, collecting 32 points in 50 games but won’t be coming back to North America at this time. With no transfer agreement in place between the NHL and Russia’s federation, Minnesota will continue to hold Guskov’s rights.
- The Sharks have added some minor-league depth. Their AHL affiliate announced that they’ve signed goaltender Connor Hasley to a one-year deal. The 25-year-old wrapped up his college career with Arizona State, posting a 3.12 GAA and a .907 SV% in 24 games. He then joined ECHL Wichita for four contests to wrap up the season. San Jose liked what they saw in those outings and will now keep Hasley around for a full year.
Senators Hire Maciej Szwoch To Goalie Development Role
The Ottawa Senators have hired goalie coach Maciej Szwoch to serve as coordinator of goalie scouting and development. Szwoch spent 10 seasons working with Farjestad BK of Sweden’s SHL from 2015 to 2025. He also served as a consultant for the Detroit Red Wings from 2015 to 2022.
Szwoch most notably oversaw the rise of Team Italy’s Olympic starter and Anaheim Ducks prospect Damian Clara during his time in Farjestad. Clara served as Farjestad’s backup in the 2024-25 season and finished the year with nine wins and a .879 save percentage in 21 games. He also led NHL prospects Mans Goos, Carl Lindbom, and Melker Thelin on recent Farjestad rosters.
Szwoch began his coaching career with the Vaxjo Lakers’ youth teams in 2007. He climbed to Vaxjo’s men’s squad two years later, while also intermittently working with Norway’s Frisk Asker. With pro footing under him, Szwoch moved to MoDo Hockey in 2011 – taking reign over a goalie room that featured Linus Ullmark and Anton Forsberg. He continued to oversee their growth until his move to Farjestad.
Ottawa will now reconnect Ullmark with his former goalie coach after the former Vezina Trophy winner posted the first sub-.900 save percentage of his NHL career. A fresh face in the Senators goalie room could help Ullmark get back on track while also seeking out some upside to work into the Senators’ backup role.
Latest On Maple Leafs Head Coaching Search
A few days ago, Frank Seravalli of Victory+ reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs were expected to interview Anaheim Ducks assistant coach Jay Woodcroft for their head coaching vacancy. In today’s rendition of 32 Thoughts, not only did Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman throw cold water on Seravalli’s report, he extinguished it completely.
Friedman shared that there’s no expectation that Woodcroft will interview with the Maple Leafs, nor is there any expectation that they’ll ask permission to do so from the Ducks. Still, Friedman confirmed that Woodcroft has interviewed with the Los Angeles Kings for their head coaching vacancy.
At this point, the only other candidate connected to Toronto has been David Carle, the current head coach at the University of Denver. Given that he’s already coached the Pioneers to three National Championships and the United States to two gold medals at the IIHF World Junior Championship, there’s no question why the Maple Leafs would be targeting him.
Still, Carle has been hesitant to leave his situation just south of downtown Denver. Recent reports indicate that Carle is open to the idea of joining the Maple Leafs, but the two sides remain in the early stages of a potential hire. There is speculation that if the Colorado Avalanche part ways with Jared Bednar after a fourth consecutive playoff exit before the Stanley Cup Final, Carle would likely step in to take the role.
Other than that, there haven’t been many other candidates linked to Toronto. Bruce Cassidy, the former head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, has become a popular candidate on the West Coast, but hasn’t been linked to the Maple Leafs in any meaningful fashion. Furthermore, Kris Knoblauch, who was recently removed from his post as the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, is in a similar situation.
Regardless, for several reasons, new General Manager John Chayka may be playing things extremely close to the vest regarding Toronto’s next head coach. That’s a challenging modus operandi to sustain in Toronto’s media market, but the Maple Leafs will continue to proceed carefully in any case.