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Logan Cooley Extension Setting RFA Market

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The Utah Mammoth became the first to cave when they signed pending-restricted free agent and star center Logan Cooley to an eight-year, $80MM contract extension. Mammoth owner Ryan Smith said after that the deal gives both team and player the assurance that Cooley will be able to plant his roots. For teams across the league, the move could have a deeper impact. With fellow young stars Connor Bedard, Leo Carlsson, and Adam Fantilli all on expiring deals of their own – Cooley’s $10MM annual price tag could be the start of negotiations, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

That’s great news for Bedard, who is the only on the list to outscore Cooley through their young careers. Cooley boasts 53 goals and 121 points in 168 career games, including this season, while Bedard has managed 51 goals and 142 points in 161 games. There’s no doubt that Bedard has facen the tougher test as well, looking to buoy a desolate Chicago Blackhawks club while Cooley’s rebranded Mammoth look to make their first playoff push.

The heavier load should earn Bedard a boost when negotiations roll around. His yearly cap hit could match Cooley’s $10MM on a shorter deal, potentially four-to-five years, or could go as high as $12MM on a max-term, eight-year deal per LeBrun, who points out that Bedard holds all of the leverage in negotiations. The 20-year-old centerman is a pillar of Chicago’s nightly lineup, and could even be a candidate for their captaincy on his next deal. With no salary cap concerns in sight, Chicago won’t be pressured to spoil Bedard’s importance by trying to save a few extra bucks.

Negotiations could be a bit tougher for Fantilli, who has elevated his play to a true top-line level but hasn’t yet taken over the top forward role for the Columbus Blue Jackets. That title has to stand with right-winger Kirill Marchenko, whose 10 points in 10 games is double what Fantilli’s five points on the year. Part of that scoring dip comes from Fantilli moved away from centering Marchenko, one season after the two played together more than any other Columbus forward pair. Fantilli scored a career-high 31 goals and 54 points, while shooting at a manageable 16.2 percent, in the elevated role last season. This year, he’s been tasked with commanding the team’s second-line, to mixed results.

Signs of continued growing pains does separate Fantilli from the dominant roles of Cooley and Bedard. With those two rivaling for eight-figure contracts, it seems Fantilli would have better luck pushing for a deal in the realm of $9MM each season. Blackhawks winger Frank Nazar recently signed a surprising seven-year, $46.2MM contract after carrying Team USA to a World Championship Gold alongside Cooley. The deal carries a team-friendly $6.6MM cap hit, but pays Nazar $9.1MM and $8.66MM in salary through the first two years respectively. Those numbers could be significant markers for Fantilli, as he looks to sign his own deal as second-fiddle. Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell shared that Columbus doesn’t plan to negotiate a new deal with Fantilli until after the Olympic break, per LeBrun.

Just like at the 2023 Draft, Carlsson’s fate lies somewhere between Bedard and Fantilli. The Swedish-native has taken on a major role for the Anaheim Ducks, offering both top-end impacts both on and off of the puck. He scored a career-high 45 points in 76 games last season. That’s the lowest personal-best on this list, though it came with a Ducks squad that scored the third-fewest goals in the 2024-25 season. Anaheim was led in scoring by Troy Terry’s 55 points last year, a mark that Carlsson could reasonably clear with some bolstered roles around him. He’s proving as much early on this season, with a team-leading 11 points in nine games while playing alongside Alex Killorn and either Cutter Gauthier or Chris Kreider.

Carlsson appears to have taken a big step forward through the early year. Anaheim won’t have to look far for a comparable deal, after signing Mason McTavish to a six-year, $42MM contract extension in the weeks before the season. The resulting $7MM cap hit is likely a bit cheaper than McTavish could’ve managed on a seven-or-eight-year deal. That should well support Carlsson’s push towards a $9MM contract next summer, especially if he can continue to outscore McTavish through the rest of the year.

The NHL salary cap is presently skyrocketting. It is up $7.5MM this season, and expected to rise another $18MM before the 2027-28 season. That growth has made projecting new contracts a much tougher task – which is where timely extensions like Cooley’s help set the market. He’s been awarded $10MM to man his team’s top-forward role for much of the next decade. That’s set a price tag for the role – one that some 2026 restricted free agents could live up to, while others need to keep trying to play their way into a bigger payday.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.

Ducks’ Mikael Granlund Out Week-To-Week

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Ducks center Mikael Granlund will be out for at least two to three weeks after leaving Saturday’s loss to the Lightning in the first period with a lower-body injury, head coach Joel Quenneville told NHL.com. They have not placed him on injured reserve, but made a corresponding transaction in effect over the weekend by activating Jansen Harkins from IR. He’ll make his season debut tonight against the Panthers with Granlund unavailable, Quenneville said.

The injury presses pause on what’s been a banner start to the year for Granlund, who was Anaheim’s big free agent pickup over the summer on a three-year, $21MM deal. The 33-year-old pivot was a point per game through eight appearances, including a two-goal, five-point performance against the Bruins last week. He’s also been the club’s best faceoff man with a 51.9% win rate. That’s despite his linemates not being all too consistent to start the year, seeing Alex Killorn, Nikita Nesterenko, Troy Terry, and Frank Vatrano all spend significant time on his flanks.

After facing some inconsistency in his late 20s, Granlund has made his living in recent years as a top offensive producer on an understaffed Sharks offense and was a rental pickup by the Stars last season before hitting the open market. He’s clicked at a rate of 0.84 points per game since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign, just outside the top 60 among forwards with at least 100 games played. It’s a newfound luxury for Anaheim to have a veteran who produces at a top-line pace slot into their middle six. It’s working wonders for the Ducks, who are scoring 3.63 goals per game – good for seventh in the league – after managing just 2.54 per game over the previous three seasons.

They’ll now have to navigate their next eight to 10 games without him around. They’ll be looking for more out of veteran names like Killorn and Vatrano, who’ve combined for just one goal and two assists so far, to compensate. Unfortunately for them, seven of their next eight are against teams that made the playoffs last season.

Ducks Activate, Assign Coulson Pitre

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The Anaheim Ducks have activated fowrard Coulson Pitre from the injured non-roster list and assigned him to the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers. Pitre was recovering from an upper-body injury throughout training camp. Now that he’s back to full health, he’ll head to the third-tier pros to get back into game action.

Pitre played through his AHL rookie season last year. It was marked by 16 points, 19 penalty minutes, and a minus-seven through 61 games played. He filled a depth role for the Gulls, but showed clear improvements as the year went on, particularly on defense. He was a reliable, two-way center through three seasons with the OHL’s Flint Firebirds prior to turning pro. He racked up 159 points in 166 games with the club. That includes 60 points in 59 games of the 2022-23 season – enough to earn Pitre a third-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Pitre’s chippy play has long been the hallmark of his game. Adding back that physicality after missing nearly a month to start the season could be a tough task, and is likely what prompted Anaheim to assign Pitre to the ECHL after originally sending him to the AHL. He’ll get plenty of opportunity on a Tulsa squad with a 1-3-0 record to start the year. Once he adjusts to a top role with the Oilers, he should be pipelined back into a chance to prove his might with the Gulls.

Evening Notes: Strome, Granlund, Ellis

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Washington Capitals centerman Dylan Strome exited Saturday night’s game after sustaining a lower-body injury in the opening minutes. The injury occured after Strome got tangled up with teammate Jakob Chychrun and tumbled hard into the endboards. He made a brief return to the ice during a TV timeout later in the game – but didn’t stick around after taking a few small laps.

The chance to see Strome already testing out his injury will be a silver lining for the Capitals, who could be losing their second-highest scorer with this news. Strome has racked up 10 points in eight games this season, all scored across a five-game point streak he was riding entering Saturday night. He led the Capitals in scoring with 82 points in 82 games last season.

Nic Dowd earned the most ice time of Washington’s centers following Strome’s absence. He was already in an elevated role to support Pierre-Luc Dubois, who made his return from a five-game absence. Dowd and Justin Sourdif should be the biggest beneficiaries, though both behind Dubois, should Washington need to fill-in Strome’s minutes.

Other later-night notes:

  • Anaheim Ducks forward Mikael Granlund also exited his team’s game, in the first period, with a lower-body injury. It’s not exactly clear when Granlund’s injury occured, though he appeared in discomfort away from play and headed towards the locker room after just six minutes of ice time. Granlund is tied with Leo Carlsson for the Ducks’ scoring lead with eight points in seven games. He’s in his first year in Anaheim, after spending last season split between the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars. He scored 66 points in 83 games between the two teams, his most since he scored 67 points in the 2017-18 season. Now playing for his sixth NHL club, Granlund has continued to prove he can be a flexible scorer in any lineup. His absence would leave Anaheim with a big role to fill. The Ducks would likely lean on Carlsson, Mason McTavish, and Nikita Nesterenko to fill in.
  • The Buffalo Sabres intended to start Colten Ellis in Saturday’s overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but opted to rest the rookie after he woke up with tightness in his back, head coach Lindy Ruff told Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic. Ellis made 29 saves on 31 shots, and recorded a win, in his NHL debut on Wednesday. He was strong throughout, carrying over the same sharp movement that earned him a .922 save percentage in 42 AHL games – sixth-highest in the league – last season. Ellis is another promising young goaltender in Buffalo’s system, and could get a chance to compete with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for a role behind Alex Lyon, should the Sabres continue carrying three goalies. Ellis should be back to game-readiness soon.

Ducks Activate Jansen Harkins From IR

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The Anaheim Ducks have activated forward Jansen Harkins off of injured reserve. Harkins has missed the first seven games of Anaheim’s season due to an upper-body injury sustained in the preseason. Despite returning to the active roster, Harkins is expected to serve as a healthy scratch in Anaheim’s Saturday matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Harkins is a true fourth-line forward for Anaheim. He recorded six points and a minus-13 through 62 games with the Ducks last season, while averaging roughly 11 minutes of ice time. But it was his off-puck impact that stood out. Harkins posted the best faceoff percentage (53.4) and third-most hits (136) on the Ducks 2024-25 roster. He had a similar impact with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2023-24 season – recording four assists and 74 hits in 45 games. Before a one-year stay in Pittsburgh, Harkins sepnt four years with the Winnipeg Jets, where he racked up 27 points and 86 hits in 154 games.

Despite Harkins bringing a poised and physical style, the Ducks will have little motivation to change up their fourth-line. Ryan Poehling has managed well enough as the team’s fourth-line center. He has managed two assists, splitting the gap in scoring between his wingers Sam Colangelo (one point) and Ross Johnston (three points). With chemistry looking strong between that trio, Harkins’ season debut may need to wait until Anaheim needs a physical, shutdown presence that Poehling can’t provide.

Radko Gudas Leaves Game With Lower-Body Injury

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  • The Anaheim Ducks announced that defenseman Radko Gudas will not return to tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins. Based on the footage of the game, it appears Gudas suffered the injury crashing into the boards while attempting to protect and make a turn with the puck while being pressured by Bruins forward Jeffrey Viel. Gudas is a key veteran leader for the Ducks, serving as their captain and leading penalty-killer. For as long as his injury keeps him off the ice, expect veteran right-handed blueliner Jacob Trouba to take on an increased role and fill in for some of Gudas’ vacated minutes.

Injury Notes: Dickinson, Mikkola, Harkins

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Chicago Blackhawks centerman Jason Dickinson is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury and will be a game-time decision on Sunday, head coach Jeff Blashill told Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio. Dickinson headed to the locker room partway through Friday’s game against Vancouver after receiving a heavy, awkward hit from Canucks winger Conor Garland. He returned, left again, then returned again throughout the remaining game – though it seems the injury is sticking around a day later.

Dickinson has been a core piece of one of Chicago’s best lines this season, centering fellow NHL veterans Ryan Donato and Ilya Mikheyev. The trio have outscored their opponents four-to-one in six games together, more than any other Hawks line. Dickinson sitting out of Sunday’s match against the Anaheim Ducks would force Chicago to break up their starting forward line against stingy competition. The Ducks sit with a 2-2-0 record and negative goal-differential (-3) but they’re led by legendary Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville and roster a long list of promising youngsters who can takeover games. Chicago has been thriving as of late – with a 2-1-1 record in their last four – but this injury news could bring that down.

Other injury news from across the NHL:

  • Speaking of Anaheim, bruising forward Jansen Harkins returned to the team’s practice in a no-contact jersey on Saturday, captured by Patrick Present of The Hockey News. Harkins is recovering from an upper-body injury sustained in a preseason match against the Los Angeles Kings on September 21. He was originally expected to miss about eight weeks, placing his return date still three weeks away. But already returning to practice could be enough to shorten that timeframe for Harkins. Then again, the Ducks may want to monitor their bottom-line bruiser a bit closer, after he ranked third on the team with 136 hits in 62 games last season.
  • Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola left Saturday’s match against the Buffalo Sabres with an upper-body injury. He sustained the injury after getting tangled up with Sabres winger Tyson Kozak and falling awkwardly into the boards. Mikkola only appeared in seven minutes of ice time prior to the injury. He remains without any scoring through seven games this season, though the physical impact Mikkola brings to each game will still be sorely missed should he have to sit out any more. He was a nightly feature in both of Florida’s Stanley Cup wins, and continues to play upwards of 24 minutes a night this season. That role will be tough to replace. Recent waiver claim Donovan Sebrango would be the next in line for ice time. He recorded 20 points and 79 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Belleville Senators last season, and has no scoring in four career appearances in the NHL.

Ducks Recall Ian Moore

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The Anaheim Ducks have recalled defenseman Ian Moore from the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. They still have one open roster spot available, after placing forwards Jansen Harkins and Ryan Strome on injured reserve. Strome could be a candidate to join Anaheim on their upcoming five-game road-trip, though if he will won’t be clear until Saturday.

This stands as the first call-up of Moore’s young career. He signed to the Ducks’ roster directly out of college last season, and recorded one point in his first three NHL games before being assigned to the minor-leagues. That assignment continued through the start of this season – though Moore will now return to the NHL with five points in 10 AHL games to his name. He’s a defense-first defender, who excels in the technical areas of breaking up play and winning positioning. His strong on-ice presence earned Moore the captaincy at Harvard University in his junior and senior seasons, in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Moore will offer a replacement for bottom-pair, right-defender Drew Helleson, who has two points in four games to start the year. Helleson played through his rookie NHL season last year, marked by 13 points and 47 penalty minutes in 56 games. He has operated as the young backer to veterans Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba on Anaheim’s right-side.

Anaheim Ducks Reassign Tim Washe

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The former captain of the National Championship-winning Western Michigan University Broncos is headed to the AHL. According to a team announcement, the Anaheim Ducks have reassigned forward Tim Washe to the San Diego Gulls.

Washe joined the Ducks organization last season after winning the National Championship against Boston College, signing a one-year entry-level deal. He played in two games for Anaheim down the stretch, going scoreless while averaging 7:44 of ice time per game.

Unfortunately, though he technically made the team’s roster out of training camp, Washe didn’t feature in the Ducks’ opening night loss to the Seattle Kraken. Although his leadership and work ethic have impressed Anaheim’s coaching staff, he was only on the roster to fill in for the injured Ryan Strome. Given that Strome was only dealing with a mild injury, today’s news indicates he’ll be activated from injured reserve next week after the Ducks return from the road trip that they’ve already ruled him out for.

He can’t be counted in the same tier as Anaheim’s other up-and-coming forward prospects, but Washe could find some staying power in a bottom-six role. He was impressive for the Broncos last season, scoring 16 goals and 38 points in 42 games. Still, the Clarkson, MI native is already 24 years old with only two games of professional experience under his belt. After he spends a few months with the AHL Gulls, the Ducks will have a clearer picture of how much he could contribute at the NHL level.

Ducks Place Ryan Strome On IR, Beckett Sennecke To Debut

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The Ducks already announced they won’t have veteran forward Ryan Strome on hand for their season-opening road trip due to an upper-body injury. Today, they formalized an injured reserve placement for Strome, according to the NHL’s media site. It’s not clear yet if there’s a corresponding transaction. They recalled Tim Washe from AHL San Diego last night in Strome’s place, but the roster spot for Washe was opened up by goaltender Ville Husso heading to the minors after clearing waivers.

In any event, Anaheim is now working with an open roster spot. They can backdate his IR placement to yesterday, meaning he’s now on Day 2 of his required seven-day absence. The earliest he’ll be eligible to return is Oct. 15, which would also rule him out of Anaheim’s home opener against the Penguins next Tuesday unless his IR placement is backdated further than anticipated. The Ducks haven’t divulged any specifics, but their only ruling him out for their road trip is a promising sign that he shouldn’t miss too much, if any time, after he’s eligible for activation.

Strome has rarely missed time since signing a five-year, $25MM deal with Anaheim in free agency in 2022. He’s played all 82 games twice and only missed three games in the 2023-24 season due to an illness and an upper-body injury.

Strome’s absence opens the door for 2024 No. 3 overall pick Beckett Sennecke to make his NHL debut after breaking camp with the team. Strome had spent most of camp centering Anaheim’s veteran third line between Frank Vatrano and Alex Killorn. Free-agent splash Mikael Granlund will move down to fill that 3C role while Sennecke slots into second-line duties on the right side on a youth-fueled line with Cutter Gauthier and Mason McTavish, Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune relayed yesterday.

The 32-year-old Strome has been as consistent as possible as a Duck, hitting 41 points on the nose in each of his three seasons in Orange County. He’s had decent defensive impacts, particularly last season, when he posted a relative +3.7% Corsi share at even strength. He chews up minutes, averaging more than 16 per game, and quietly leaves a significant hole in Anaheim’s lineup early on that Sennecke, who’s coming off an 86-point season for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals, will look to fill.

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