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Atlantic Notes: Lindholm, Jarnkrok, Sandin-Pellikka

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Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm was only able to play the first five weeks of the season before a fractured kneecap ended his 2024-25 campaign early.  He told Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe that he has now fully recovered from that injury and will be fully ready to participate in training camp next month.  The 31-year-old has been a steadying presence on the back end for Boston since they acquired him back in 2022 and is only a couple of years removed from a career-best 53-point season.  With the Bruins looking to get back into the playoff picture this coming season, having a top-pairing blueliner in Lindholm back in their lineup will certainly help those efforts.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Maple Leafs winger Calle Jarnkrok missed most of last season after undergoing groin and sports hernia surgeries in mid-November. While he returned down the stretch, he struggled to the point of being scratched at times.  The veteran told Gefle Dagblad’s Marcus Hagerborn that he knew when he had the procedures that he wouldn’t be fully healthy for a while upon returning.  However, he noted that he has gotten back to that point just recently which is a good sign heading into training camp next month.  Jarnkrok has one year left on his contract with a $2.1MM cap charge and a solid, healthy start to next season might make their current efforts to move him a little easier.
  • While Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman hasn’t ruled out prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka from breaking camp with Detroit in a couple of months, MLive’s Ansar Khan suggests that outcome is unlikely. The 20-year-old was a first-round pick back in 2023 (17th overall) and had a strong season in Sweden last year, picking up 12 goals and 17 assists in 46 games with SHL Skelleftea.  He also was one of the top scorers at the World Juniors and got his feet wet with five games with AHL Grand Rapids (including playoffs) in the spring.  But Detroit tends to favor slow-playing the development of their top prospects, allowing them to work on some things with the Griffins before giving them a real NHL look.  Between that and not opening up any spots on the back end this summer, Sandin-Pellikka seems likely to continue that trend.

Stars Sign Nathan Bastian

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The Stars have added some depth on the wing as the team announced that they’ve signed Nathan Bastian to a one-year, one-way contract.  The agreement will pay the league minimum of $775K.  GM Jim Nill released the following statement:

Nathan will add forward depth and a physical presence to our lineup, both of which will be valuable to our organization. We’re looking forward to watching him take the next step of his career with the Stars and are excited to welcome him to Dallas.

The 27-year-old has parts of six NHL seasons under his belt, most of which came with New Jersey, which drafted him in the second round back in 2016.  Before now, his only time away from the Devils since that time came when Seattle selected him in the 2021 Expansion Draft but just two months later, the Kraken waived Bastian with New Jersey quickly reclaiming him.

Last season, Bastian played in 59 games for the Devils, picking up four goals and six assists along with 138 hits in just under 11 minutes per night of playing time.  That stat line lines up with most of his seasons as he has yet to reach 20 points in a single year while he has only hit the double-digit mark in goals once, that coming back in 2021-22.  However, he averages 223 hits per 82 games played, giving the Stars some extra physicality in their lineup.

Dallas has largely stayed quiet as expected in free agency this season with the bulk of their moves coming from either re-signing players or making trades.  As things stand, he’s likely to battle with Oskar Back and Colin Blackwell for playing time on the fourth line while starting out as the 13th forward is a realistic outcome as well.

At the moment, the Stars project to be very tight against the salary cap with a 23-player roster coming in just a few hundred thousand below the Upper Limit, per PuckPedia.  Accordingly, this could very well be it for their free agent moves with a big chunk of their roster from last season’s run to the Western Conference Final returning as from here on out, any addition will require money coming off their books as well.

Roger McQueen Commits To Providence College

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Aug. 6: Providence has officially announced McQueen’s commitment. That means he won’t be in training camp with the Ducks and will play out at least his freshman season with the Friars before potentially signing his first NHL deal as soon as their season ends.

Aug. 2: Last month, Ducks prospect Roger McQueen indicated that if he didn’t make Anaheim’s roster out of training camp, he would return to WHL Brandon for the upcoming season.  However, it appears he has had a change of heart.  Brad Elliott Schlossmann of the Grand Forks Herald reports (Twitter link) that McQueen has been pursuing NCAA options with Providence emerging as the frontrunner for his services.  Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal adds (Twitter link) that McQueen could announce his commitment to the Friars within the next couple of days.

The 18-year-old was the 10th overall pick back in June.  A big center with plenty of offensive potential, McQueen ultimately slipped on draft day thanks to a back injury that cost him most of last season which made him more of a riskier selection.  However, he did return late in the season and was quite productive, notching 10 goals and 10 assists in 17 games for the Wheat Kings.

Given that he missed most of the season due to injury, a return to Brandon would have made a lot of sense for McQueen to allow him to get more game reps.  A healthy regular season and playoff run can lead junior players to push past the 80-game mark whereas in college, few teams get to half of that number so staying in junior could help make up for some lost development time.

On the other hand, going the college route would be an uptick in the level of competition McQueen would face.  Meanwhile, after missing so much playing time, jumping from 17 games (20 including playoffs) to possibly four times that amount might come with some risks of its own while having more time to work on off-ice conditioning would help him fill out his six-foot-five frame.

It’s unclear if McQueen ultimately had the change of heart or if the Ducks indicated that their preference is for him to go to the NCAA.  As a result of this decision, McQueen won’t be able to sign his entry-level contract as many first-round picks often do after being drafted or attend training camp with Anaheim.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: New Jersey Devils

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those who don’t often see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2025-26 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia.  We’re currently covering the Metropolitan Division, next up are the Devils.

New Jersey Devils

Current Cap Hit: $89,368,333 (below the $95.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Seamus Casey (two years, $950K)
F Arseni Gritsyuk (one year, $925K)
D Simon Nemec (one year, $918.3K)

Potential Bonuses
Casey: $350K
Gritsyuk: $500K
Nemec: $3.25MM
Total: $1.1MM

Gritsyuk has come over after some productive seasons in the KHL to ideally deepen their attack offensively.  His contract has a November 15th European Assignment Clause so even if he starts in the minors with Utica, he can’t stay there for long.  If he can stick with New Jersey full time, he could have a chance of getting at least one of his ‘A’ bonuses.

Casey was quite productive in a limited stint with the Devils last season where he had eight points in 14 games while producing at a similar per-game rate with Utica.  He could be viewed as a regular this season or could be the first recall with the latter making his bonuses unlikely and likely moving him toward a bridge deal in 2027.  Nemec saw very limited time with New Jersey, instead spending a big chunk of the season with the Comets, an outcome he wasn’t too pleased with.  He’s likely to fill a depth role if he’s up with the big club which makes his $1MM in ‘A’ bonuses unlikely.  A short-term second contract makes sense for both sides; if Nemec can lock down a regular role this season, it could land around the $2MM mark.

Signed Through 2025-26, Non-Entry-Level

F Paul Cotter ($775K, RFA)
F Evgenii Dadonov ($1MM, UFA)
G Nico Daws ($812.5K, RFA)
F Juho Lammikko ($800K, UFA)
G Jacob Markstrom ($4.125MM, UFA)*

*-Calgary is retaining an additional $1.875MM of Markstrom’s contract

Potential Bonuses
Dadonov: $2.25MM

Dadonov provided Dallas with some solid secondary scoring last season, notching 20 goals and 20 assists despite playing less than 14 minutes a night.  However, given his age (36), his offers were bonus-laden.  He can hit $1.25MM of those by simply reaching 50 games (250K for each ten) with some additional incentives unlockable by team playoff success.  Given that Dadonov acknowledged his offers were similar to this one, it’s safe to say that this type of structure will likely be what he receives moving forward as well.

Lammikko spent the last three years in Switzerland but was brought back to North America with a one-way deal.  He’s likely to battle for a spot on the fourth line and when you factor in his performance in his first stint in the NHL, there could be a bit of room to grow the contract but he’s likely to stay around the $1MM mark next time out.  Cotter potted 16 goals last season despite being in the bottom six while being one of the more physical players in the league.  That type of output will look good in an arbitration hearing and while they’re not direct comparables, it wouldn’t be shocking if his camp was eyeing the $3MM per season that Columbus gave to Mathieu Olivier a few months ago.

Markstrom had a solid first season in New Jersey, helping to stabilize a position that had its challenges before then.  However, he’ll be 36 when his next deal kicks in.  A three-year deal might be doable but it’d be surprising to see him land around the $8MM mark that some other proven starters have received.  A small raise on his full cap hit could be doable though.  Daws projects to be the third goalie but it would be surprising to see him get through waivers unclaimed so if the Devils don’t want to risk it, they’ll have to keep him up with the big club.  If that happens and his playing time is limited, he might not be able to command much more than his $892.5K qualifying offer.

Signed Through 2026-27

D Brenden Dillon ($4MM, UFA)
F Cody Glass ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Nico Hischier ($7.25MM, UFA)
F/D Kurtis MacDermid ($1.15MM, UFA)
F Dawson Mercer ($4MM, RFA)
F Stefan Noesen ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Ondrej Palat ($6MM, UFA)

Hischier’s contract looked a little risky when it was first signed as he was coming off a 47-point sophomore season.  While expectations were still high for the first-overall pick, this deal wouldn’t have aged well if the offense didn’t come around.  But it did do just that as he has become one of the top defensive centers in the NHL while reaching the 60-point mark in four straight seasons.  Since Hischier started in the NHL at 18, he’ll only be 28 when his next contract begins, meaning he’s a strong candidate for another max-term pact, seven years with New Jersey or six elsewhere.  A sizable raise should be coming his way as he could push past the $9MM mark on his next contract.

Palat’s contract simply hasn’t worked out as planned.  Signed to be a secondary scorer, he instead has seen his per-game output drop to the lowest rates of his career with a corresponding drop in ice time to under 14 minutes per game.  Assuming that trend continues, he’s someone they might be looking to incentivize a team to take while a buyout could be on the table next summer as well.  Palat still has some value but his market rate is less than half of what he’s making.  It wasn’t that long ago that Mercer looked like a can’t-move core piece but his output has tailed off the last two seasons as well.  After putting up 56 points in his sophomore year, he has only put up 33 and 36 since then.  He’ll be owed a $4.25MM qualifying offer two years from now with arbitration rights but as things stand, he’d be hard-pressed to land any sort of notable raise.

Noesen parlayed a pair of quietly efficient seasons in Carolina into this deal, one that more than doubled his career earnings.  The early return looks positive as he’s coming off a career year and played higher up the lineup than he did with the Hurricanes.  If this continues, he could push more toward the $4MM range next time.  New Jersey originally didn’t plan to re-sign Glass but assessed what the center market was going to look like and ultimately brought him back.  He has shown flashes of top-six upside but has largely been a bottom-six option in his career, meaning that this is the price range he’ll continue to be in unless he can break through offensively.  MacDermid has sparsely played in recent years and when he has suited up, playing time has been minimal.  While they’d like to keep an enforcer around, he’s also a candidate to be waived if they need more money to re-sign a certain restricted free agent that we’ll get to shortly.  Given his limited usage, he might be closer to the minimum salary on his next contract.

Dillon was his usual self in his first season with New Jersey.  He was last in ATOI among full-time blueliners but still logged right around his career average in playing time.  He killed penalties, blocked shots, and played with physicality and as we’ve seen in recent years, that profile is starting to cost more.  However, Dillon will be turning 37 early in his next contract so he could be in a spot like Dadonov where he’ll have to go year-to-year moving forward.

Signed Through 2027-28

D Dougie Hamilton ($9MM, UFA)
D Jonas Siegenthaler ($3.4MM, UFA)

In his prime, Hamilton was a premier offensive defender.  He’s not in his prime now but is still an above-average one, albeit one who has dealt with some injury issues the last couple of years.  No longer a top-pairing player, his contract skews toward the above-market side and will likely remain there for the next three years.  By the time he hits the open market again at 35, his price tag might be closer to half of this amount.  Siegenthaler has been a reliable stay-at-home player in New Jersey but, like Hamilton, has had some injury issues.  He’ll need to stay healthier moving forward if he wants to push past the $4MM mark on his next contract.

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Snapshots: Kochetkov, Juntorp, Jobst, Behm

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Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov is coming off a bit of a quieter year after his save percentage went down from .911 in 2023-24 to just .897 last season.  It appears there might be a reason for that as the netminder recently told Sports.ru’s Dmitry Shevchenko that he started playing through some injuries in November with some lingering throughout the season; the only time he missed was due to a concussion.  Kochetkov is set to partner up with Frederik Andersen as the tandem in Carolina once again next season and the Hurricanes will likely be counting on him to play at least 40 games for the third straight year.  They’ll be hoping that a healthier Kochetkov will be a better one between the pipes.

More from around the hockey world:

  • Still with the Hurricanes, prospect Nils Juntorp has signed with Boras HC in Sweden’s HockeyEttan, per a team announcement. The 21-year-old was a sixth-round pick by Chicago in 2022 and his rights were moved to Carolina in the Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall trade back in January.  Juntorp had 20 points in 33 games with HC Dalen last season while also getting into three games at the second-tier Allsvenskan level.
  • After spending the last four seasons in Buffalo’s system (including 2024-25 on an NHL contract), free agent forward Mason Jobst won’t be returning for a fifth, relays Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. The 31-year-old was the captain with AHL Rochester last season and had 37 points in 70 games after putting up 50 points in 64 outings in 2023-24.  Jobst has 295 career AHL games under his belt, giving him veteran status which certainly is playing a role in limiting his marketability so far.
  • Blackhawks prospect Nathan Behm announced on his Instagram page that he has committed to Arizona State University for the 2026-27 season. The winger was a third-round pick back in June, going 66th overall after a solid season with WHL Kamloops that saw him record 31 goals and 35 assists in 59 games.  He’ll return to the Blazers for the upcoming season and then kick off his college career the following year.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Columbus Blue Jackets

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those who don’t often see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2025-26 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia.  We’re currently covering the Metropolitan Division, next up are the Blue Jackets.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Current Cap Hit: $79,157,499 (below the $95.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Adam Fantilli (one year, $950K)
D Denton Mateychuk (two years, $886.7K)

Potential Bonuses
Fantilli: $3.2MM
Mateychuk: $750K
Total: $3.95MM

Fantilli was drafted with the hope that he could become a legitimate number one center.  He appears to be on his way to getting there after being moved back down the middle full-time last season while building off his rookie season nicely.  The $1MM in ‘A’ bonuses could very well be hit if he progresses as expected in 2025-26, putting him in a good spot to bypass a bridge contract if that’s a route GM Don Waddell wants to go.  A long-term agreement could run past the $9MM per season mark.

Mateychuk was a midseason recall and quickly earned the confidence of head coach Dean Evason.  He was a very productive blueliner in AHL Cleveland before the promotion but hasn’t had a big chance to showcase that part of his game yet.  If he gets that chance this year, he could have a chance to earn some of his three ‘A’ bonuses but if he remains in more of a fourth or fifth role, that will be tricky.  As things stand, Mateychuk appears likelier to land a bridge agreement on his next contract but if he locks down a more prominent spot on the depth chart by 2027, that could change.

Signed Through 2025-26, Non-Entry-Level

F Zach Aston-Reese ($775K, UFA)
F Yegor Chinakhov ($2.1MM, RFA)
F Charlie Coyle ($5.25MM, UFA)
G Jet Greaves ($8.125K, RFA)
D Erik Gudbranson ($MM, UFA)
F Boone Jenner ($3.75MM, UFA)
F Cole Sillinger ($2.25MM, RFA)

Coyle was acquired from Colorado this offseason to give the Blue Jackets some extra depth down the middle.  He’s coming off a quiet year that saw him record just 35 points but he’s only a year removed from a 60-point campaign.  Assuming he’s able to get back to at least the 40-point range, Coyle should be able to hit the UFA market next summer with a shot at matching his current price tag on a three or four-year agreement.  Jenner has been a very effective two-way center when healthy.  However, he has missed significant time in five straight seasons which will affect his next contract.  When he’s healthy and in form, he’s a big center who is above average on faceoffs and scores more than 20 goals a season.  That player would normally get $6MM or more on the open market.  But with the injuries, his market value might dip closer to $5MM or so.

Sillinger just turned 22 and already has four NHL seasons under his belt and has taken some gradual strides offensively but isn’t quite proven as a second-line middleman just yet.  Notably, he’ll only be two years away from UFA eligibility next summer while also having arbitration rights.  If the sides can’t agree on a long-term pact, a one-year second bridge contract could run the team around $3.5MM while a medium-term agreement might land closer to $5MM per season.  On the other hand, if he takes a jump forward and Waddell is ready to lock him up long-term, the price tag could push past the $6MM mark.  It’s not often someone this age is in this contractual spot since few 18-year-olds play in the NHL right away and with his development so far, there’s a wide range of outcomes.

Chinakhov has been in the media a lot lately with his trade request being made public in recent weeks.  He’s only one year removed from putting up 16 goals in 53 games but injuries and a long stretch as a healthy scratch limited him to just seven in 30 outings last season.  If he gets back to his 2023-24 form, he’d be in line for a short-term deal that pushes past $3MM per season but if he’s used as he was down the stretch, he could conceivably enter non-tender territory next summer as well.  Aston-Reese was an training camp waiver claim from Vegas last fall and earned this one-year extension soon after.  As a fourth liner who typically plays limited minutes, he’s likely to stay at or near the minimum salary moving forward.

Gudbranson’s contract came as somewhat of a surprise three years ago given that he was more of a fourth or fifth defenseman at the time.  It actually has held up a bit better than expected although last season was largely a write-off due to injuries.  In a perfect world, he should be more of a third-pairing player by the time his next contract begins so at least a small dip should be expected.  That said, right-shot defenders often get paid more than expected so perhaps he surprises again.

Greaves needs to get into at least seven NHL games this season with at least 30 minutes played per game to actually remain a restricted free agent.  If not, he’d become a Group VI UFA.  Considering that he projects to be part of the goaltending tandem next season, it’s safe to say that he’ll easily get there, barring injury.  He was a big part of their late-season push but still has just 21 NHL games under his belt right now.  A solid showing this season could move him closer to the $2MM mark while if he takes over as the starter moving forward, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him more than double that on a deal that buys out a couple of UFA seasons.

Signed Through 2026-27

D Jake Christiansen ($975K, UFA)
F Kent Johnson ($1.8MM, RFA)
F Isac Lundestrom ($1.3MM, UFA)
F Kirill Marchenko ($3.85MM, RFA)
G Elvis Merzlikins ($5.2MM, UFA)
F Dmitri Voronkov ($4.175MM, RFA)

Voronkov received his bridge deal just last month on the heels of a solid second NHL season that saw him record 24 goals and 23 assists.  The short-term contract made sense for both sides to better assess if he can become even more impactful offensively before locking in a long-term agreement.  Assuming he stays on this trajectory, it wouldn’t be surprising to see his next contract surpass the $6MM threshold.  Marchenko appears to be well on his way to an even bigger raise on his next deal.  He very quietly put up 31 goals and 74 points last season, legitimate top-line numbers for a middle-six price tag.  He has surpassed the 20-goal plateau in each of his three NHL seasons and at the rate salaries are set to increase, he could plausibly double his current price tag two on his next contract.

Johnson received a bridge deal last summer on the heels of a tough season.  That contract already looks like a big bargain as he locked down a full-time spot in the top six and had more points than his previous two seasons combined.  At this rate, he could get into the $6MM or $7MM range as well with arbitration rights when his deal is up.  Lundestrom comes over from Anaheim after the Ducks elected to non-tender him.  He has been more of a depth player in recent years, unable to live up to his first-round billing.  The fact he can kill penalties gives him some utility but he’ll need to be a lot more impactful if he wants to get past the $2MM threshold on his next deal.

Christiansen was a full-timer on the NHL roster for just the first time last season which didn’t give him much leverage in contract talks.  He also averaged just 12:32 per game in 2024-25 which was one of the lower marks for a regular.  If he can work his way up to 15 or 16 minutes a night, he could push closer to $1.5MM on his next deal.  It also wouldn’t be overly shocking if he was on waivers at some point on this deal if he’s pushed out of a roster spot.

While Merzlikins showed promise early in his career, he simply hasn’t been able to play at the level of an NHL starting goalie with much consistency.  Frankly, his performance has been that of a backup at best more often than not.  At this point, landing a deal paying half of what he’s getting now could be a challenge barring him turning things around over the next couple of seasons.

Signed Through 2027-28

D Zach Werenski ($9.583MM, UFA)

Werenski’s contract raised some eyebrows at the time it was signed but after they lost Seth Jones to Chicago, they weren’t in a spot where they could risk losing their top defender.  After injuries wrecked the first year of the agreement, he has played at a true number one level, an all-situations player who logs heavy minutes and puts up plenty of offense.  He led the Blue Jackets in scoring last season, averaging just over a point per game while finishing second in Norris Trophy voting.  Given the inflationary trend of the market (particularly on the back end), Werenski appears to be on his way to landing another raise three years from now on another long-term agreement.

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Minor Transactions: 8/4/25

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As we creep a little closer to training camps starting up, there have been a handful of minor moves around the hockey world recently.  We’ll run through those here.

  • Veteran goaltender Anton Khudobin has announced his retirement at the age of 39, Shaiba.kz relays. Khudobin spent parts of 14 seasons in the NHL, compiling a 114-92-33 record with a 2.52 GAA and a .916 SV% with six different teams.  After spending most of 2022-23 in the minors, he opted to play in Russia but didn’t play much at the VHL or KHL levels.  Khudobin didn’t suit up at all last season but has now made his retirement official.
  • The Hurricanes’ affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, announced (Twitter link) the re-signing of center Nikita Pavlychev and the signing of defenseman Jacob Friend to one-year contracts. Pavlychev had his best AHL performance last season, picking up 25 points in 63 games after primarily playing in the ECHL for the previous four years.  As for Friend, he split last season between playing in Austria and Germany but has three years of playing in the minor pros in North America.
  • After being moved in the KHL just a few days ago, Matvei Guskov has a new team once again as he has signed with HK Sochi. The Wild drafted Guskov in the fifth round back in 2019 but he has struggled since then, especially last season where he had just four goals in 38 games spread between three other KHL teams.  Sochi’s rosters usually aren’t as deep so Guskov may have a pathway to a bigger role and more production now with this move.  Minnesota continues to hold his NHL signing rights indefinitely.
  • AHL Rockford, affiliate of the Blackhawks, announced the signing of defenseman Tyson Feist to a one-year deal. The 24-year-old only played in six AHL games last season, spending most of the year with ECHL Orlando where he had 17 points in 57 appearances.  However, Feist saw action in 32 AHL contests in 2023-24 and will be looking to see more regular action at that level in 2025-26.

Islanders Sign Matthew Schaefer

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Back in June, the Islanders made Matthew Schaefer the first overall pick in the draft.  Now, they have their newest top prospect under contract as the team announced that they’ve signed the defenseman to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms were not disclosed but PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that, as expected, Schaefer has received the maximum allowable.  That means he carries a $975K cap charge including signing bonus money plus an additional $3.5MM in potential performance bonuses, $1MM in ’A’ bonuses and $2.5MM in harder to reach ’B’ bonuses.

The 17-year-old (who will turn 18 next month) didn’t enter last season as the presumptive top selection.  However, a strong start with OHL Erie vaulted him into the discussion heading to the World Juniors.  He only played in two games there for Canada before suffering a broken clavicle that ended his season.  Prior to the injury, he had seven goals and 15 assists in just 17 contests for the Otters.  That was a five-point improvement on the year before, despite playing in 39 fewer games.

That was enough for new GM Mathieu Darche to make him the new centerpiece of their future back end, especially since they dealt their previous top defender, Noah Dobson, to Montreal on draft day for two more first-round picks along with winger Emil Heineman.  New York is all in on Schaefer being the type of all-situations number one defender that is extremely difficult to come by.

That said, while it’s customary for first overall selections to make the jump to the NHL right away, there’s a case to be made that he could benefit from not doing that.  With how much time he missed, he could be better off with one more developmental year under his belt before making the jump.  However, it’s worth noting that if the Islanders feel the same way, he will have to return to Erie as he is no longer eligible to play NCAA hockey having now signed his entry-level pact.

If he winds up playing fewer than ten NHL games next season, his contract will slide.  Alternatively, they could look at the lesser-known threshold of 40 games on the NHL active roster.  If Schaefer came in below that and then was sent back, he’d burn the first year of his contract but not accrue a season of service time toward UFA eligibility.

Speculatively, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Schaefer at least break camp with the Islanders with the team assessing how things are going from there.  They didn’t bring anyone in to take Dobson’s spot on the back end while Mike Reilly also left via free agency, signing with Carolina.  As a result, there’s a definite opening on their back end for Schaefer to fill next season and while he doesn’t have quite the experience that top picks usually have by now, he has the talent to come in and be a difference-maker quite quickly.

Five Key Stories: 7/28/25 – 8/3/25

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The arbitration period has come to an end with the final few players settling before the point of getting to a hearing.  Those deals are included in the key stories from the past seven days.

Kings Re-Sign Last RFA: The Kings took care of their final remaining restricted free agent, signing winger Alex Laferriere to a three-year, $12.3MM contract.  The 23-year-old has two full NHL seasons under his belt with his 2024-25 campaign being a solid one as he collected 19 goals and 23 assists in 77 games while working his way into being a regular in the top six.  He also chipped in with a trio of helpers in their first-round playoff exit at the hands of Edmonton.  Laferriere didn’t have salary arbitration eligibility this summer but he will when this deal expires in 2028.  At that point, he’ll be a year away from unrestricted free agency.

Not Retiring Yet: While Nicklas Backstrom’s NHL contract quietly came to an end last month, his career isn’t over just yet as he has signed a one-year deal with SHL Brynas.  The 37-year-old didn’t play at all last season and was limited to just eight games in 2023-24 after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery, a procedure that ended his NHL career, one that saw him eclipse 1,000 points in a little over 1,100 games with Washington.  Backstrom now returns to the program that he grew up in as he looks to extend his playing career a little longer.

Three For Samberg: The first player to get to the point of filing arbitration briefs, Dylan Samberg and the Jets had quite a gap to bridge.  However, they were able to reach an agreement, working out a three-year, $17.25MM contract.  The deal buys Winnipeg two extra years of team control while those two years will also see Samberg have a six-team no-trade clause.  After being more of a depth player for his first few seasons in the NHL, the 26-year-old had a breakout season, logging over 21 minutes a night on the back end while becoming their most trusted shutdown defender.  Samberg also had his best offensive season, collecting 20 points in 60 games plus three more in the playoffs when his ice time went past 24 minutes per contest.

Flames Extend A Forward: One player who didn’t need a new contract right away was Flames forward Martin Pospisil, whose bridge deal runs through the upcoming season.  However, he has a new pact in place as the two sides agreed on a three-year, $7.5MM extension that runs through the 2028-29 campaign.  The 25-year-old is coming off his first full NHL campaign but was quieter than expected offensively, notching just four goals in 81 games although he did add 21 assists.  Pospisil was also one of the hit leaders league-wide last season, picking up 301 while spending a bit of time down the middle.  He’ll be an unrestricted free agent when this deal expires.

More Arbitration Avoidances: Two more players also got contracts done to avoid an arbitration hearing.  Canadiens defenseman Jayden Struble reached a two-year, $2.825MM pact well before hearing submissions were due.  He played in 56 games for the second straight season, collecting 13 points and 124 hits in a little under 15 minutes a night of playing time.  Meanwhile, Toronto and winger Nicholas Robertson got to the point of exchanging pre-hearing numbers but settled the next day just above the midpoint on a one-year, $1.825MM contract.  Robertson had a career-high 15 goals in 69 games last season but also spent time as a healthy scratch, especially during the playoffs when he only made three appearances.  Both players will be arbitration-eligible RFAs at the end of their respective deals.

Photo courtesy of James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images.

Summer Synopsis: Winnipeg Jets

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Now more than a month into the new league year, the bulk of the heavy lifting has been done from a roster perspective.  Most unrestricted free agents have found new homes, the arbitration period has come and gone, and the trade market has cooled.  Accordingly, it’s a good time to take a look at what each team has accomplished this offseason.  We begin with a look at Winnipeg.

Expectations weren’t particularly high for the Jets heading into last season on the heels of a coaching change and the roster from an ugly first-round exit largely remaining intact.  But Winnipeg was a big surprise, winning the Presidents’ Trophy for the team with the most points during the regular season while making it to the second round in the playoffs.  There have been more changes roster-wise this time around but the core largely remains intact, meaning expectations will be higher than they were at this point a year ago despite being in a tough Central Division.

Draft

1-28 – D Sascha Boumedienne, Boston University (Hockey East)
3-92 – F Owen Martin, Spokane (WHL)
5-156 – F Viktor Klingsell, Skelleftea (Sweden U20)
6-188 – D Edison Engle, Dubuque (USHL)
7-220 – F Jacob Cloutier, Saginaw (OHL)

Boumedienne entered last season as one of the more intriguing blueliners in that he was already getting exposed to college hockey, playing at Boston University.  While he held down a regular role, it wasn’t a particularly prominent one which caused him to slide down some rankings.  While his output was rather low, he was behind some key offensive defenders so the hope is that over time, Boumedienne will be able to grow that part of his game, helping pave the way for him to become a second-pairing blueliner down the road.  While the Jets have strong defensive depth today, their prospect cupboard at that position is a little thinner so he should fill that gap nicely.

Martin, a Manitoba native, dealt with a fractured foot that cost him a couple of months last season but he was still a productive player with Spokane with 34 points in 39 regular season games, giving his draft stock a boost in the process.  More of a two-way player, Martin is probably four seasons away from being NHL-ready.

The other three players have similar timelines as well.  Klingsell was productive in Skelleftea’s junior system but still has to work his way up to the pro ranks over there, a process that will take some time.  Engle is expected to move to the OHL next season as a one-and-done player, beginning his college tenure in 2026-27, meaning Winnipeg could hold his rights for up to five seasons.  As for Cloutier, he played his first full OHL campaign last season and fared pretty well with 47 points in 67 games.  They’ll only have two years to sign him as things stand as the changes to draft rights only change in the next CBA.

Trade Acquisitions

While the Jets had a fair amount of roster turnover this offseason, none of it has come from the trade front so far.

UFA Signings

D Kale Clague (one year, $775K)*
F Walker Duehr (one year, $775K)*
F Phillip Di Giuseppe (one year, $775K)*
F Samuel Fagemo (one year, $775K)*
D Haydn Fleury (two years, $1.8MM)^
F Cole Koepke (one year, $1MM)
F Gustav Nyquist (one year, $3.2MM)
F Tanner Pearson (one year, $1MM)
G Isaac Poulter (one year, $775K)*
F Mason Shaw (one year, $775K)*^
F Jonathan Toews (one year, $2MM plus $5MM in performance incentives)

*-denotes two-way contract
^-denotes re-signing

Toews was the headliner from this group, agreeing to terms a week and a half before free agency started.  He didn’t play at all last season as he recovered from Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome so there are some questions about his ability to last the season and if he can fill the second-line center vacancy that has been somewhat of a revolving door in recent years.  The bonuses are tied to games played (and some playoff success) which isn’t a shock and hedges their bets in case he’s unable to make it through an 82-game campaign unscathed.  Toews had 31 points in 53 games in 2022-23, his last NHL season.  If he can produce around that point-per-game rate, he’ll be able to play a key role for them.

Nyquist is coming off a down year, notching just 28 points after putting up a career-high 75 in 2023-24.  Still, he’s a middle-six winger who can help deepen the attack while also potentially slotting in on the penalty kill.  For one year, it’s a reasonable move, especially if they think his offense will bounce back this season.

Pearson needed a training camp PTO to eventually land a deal with Vegas and became a valuable fourth liner while Koepke was a regular for the first time last year in Boston, adding some physicality to their fourth line.  Both players are likely to play similar roles on a new-look fourth line for Winnipeg next season.  The remainder of their signings are of the depth variety though a handful of their two-way forwards could plausibly see time with Winnipeg at some point in 2025-26.

RFA Re-Signings

F Morgan Barron (two years, $3.7MM)
D Tyrel Bauer (one year, $775K)*
F Parker Ford (two years, $1.6MM)*
D Isaak Phillips (two years, $1.6MM)*
D Dylan Samberg (three years, $17.25MM)
F Gabriel Vilardi (six years, $45MM)

*-denotes two-way contract

Vilardi was the big ticket for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff to deal with this summer.  The centerpiece of the return for Pierre-Luc Dubois last summer, Vilardi had his best season by a significant margin, tallying 27 goals and 34 assists in 71 games during the regular season, setting personal bests across the board including in games played.  Two years away from UFA eligibility, the question was would both sides commit to a long-term deal and clearly, they were comfortable doing so.  This deal ensures that a key cog of Winnipeg’s forward group is sticking around for the long haul; it’s particularly notable after another key cog departed on the open market last month.

There was quite a gap to bridge in the arbitration filings between Samberg and the team but they settled on this contract, a deal that buys Winnipeg an extra two years of club control.  He’s coming off a breakout year, one that saw him move from being a depth defender to a key part of their top four and their top shutdown option.  It’s not always easy to find the proper market value for that type of player but the Jets are banking on Samberg staying at this level moving forward.

Barron is likely to be the lone holdover from the fourth line, a role he has filled for the last couple of seasons after being deployed on the third line a bit more often in 2022-23.  A natural center, he has primarily played on the wing since becoming a regular with Winnipeg but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him shift over since last year’s fourth line center isn’t with them for the upcoming season.

Departures

F Mason Appleton (Detroit, two years, $5.8MM)
D Dylan Coghlan (Vegas, one year, $775K)
G Chris Driedger (Chelyabinsk, KHL)
F Nikolaj Ehlers (Carolina, six years, $51MM)
F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (Brynas, SHL)
F Rasmus Kupari (Lugano, NL)
F Simon Lundmark (Tampa Bay, two years, $1.55MM)*
F Brandon Tanev (Utah, three years, $7.5MM)
F Dominic Toninato (Chicago, two years, $1.7MM)*

*-denotes two-way contract

Ehlers is the obvious headliner from the group.  He had suggested in the past that he felt that he should be getting more ice time given his success when healthy so it wasn’t a shock that he tested the open market although he may have a similar role with Carolina than he had in Winnipeg.  When healthy, Ehlers has been a consistent 20-plus goal-scorer and while the Jets added some forward depth, none of their acquisitions are likely to reach that mark, creating a void that’s going to need to be filled by committee.

Appleton wasn’t able to replicate his breakout 36-point effort from 2023-24 despite being a middle-six regular for most of the year.  While the two aren’t necessarily the same player stylistically, Nyquist is likely to take his spot on the roster.  Tanev was a trade deadline acquisition with an eye on adding some grit to the fourth line.  He was decent in that role down the stretch but moved on in free agency with Koepke effectively being his replacement.

Kupari opted to sign overseas in early June, a move that came as some surprise.  But clearly, he was looking to play somewhere where he could have more of an offensive opportunity and he’ll get that in Switzerland.  He received a two-year deal, one that walks him right to UFA eligibility although Winnipeg issued a qualifying offer to retain his rights in the short term.  Jonsson-Fjallby and Toninato didn’t see much NHL action last season but have been among the regular recalls in recent years.  Players like Duehr and Di Giuseppe figure to take those spots on the depth chart.

Salary Cap Outlook

By structuring Toews’ contract with $5MM of bonuses and not adding any big-ticket contracts in free agency, Winnipeg is in pretty good shape to start the season with a little over $3.8MM in cap space, per PuckPedia.  A good chunk of that money could ultimately be used to pay for some of the bonuses that Toews reaches but if the Jets are in contention heading toward the trade deadline, they could instead spend their cap room on win-now help, pushing some of the bonuses onto their 2026-27 cap in the process.  Cheveldayoff has left himself some decent wiggle room heading into the season.

Key Questions

Will Connor Be Extended? Two years ago, Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele signed long-term extensions entering the final year of their deals, keeping Winnipeg in a spot to be competitive at a minimum for the long haul.  Last year, Ehlers clearly didn’t do the same.  What will happen to this year’s core player on an expiring deal, Kyle Connor?  He has notched at least 30 goals in four straight years and is coming off a season that saw him score 41 goals and 56 assists for a career-best 97 points.  A legitimate top-line scorer, Connor appears to be well on his way toward landing a contract with at least a double-digit AAV.  The Jets have the cap space to give him that type of deal but will they be able to get it done?

Will Winnipeg Move Some Defensive Surplus? With Fleury re-signing just before free agency, Winnipeg fits itself with nine defensemen on one-way contracts.  Considering it’s unlikely they’ll carry just 12 forwards and nine defenders, something has to give.  Ville Heinola, their former top prospect, hasn’t played much between injuries and being a waiver-blocked healthy scratch last season but they might get a bit of interest in his services.  Logan Stanley once had a trade request in play and after five seasons with the Jets, he still hasn’t progressed past being a low-minute third-pairing piece when he’s in the lineup.  But, at six-foot-seven, someone would take a flyer on him.  If Fleury is eyed as the ideal seventh option, both Heinola and Stanley are on the outside looking in.  Will they find a trade for one or try to sneak one through waivers?

Can Perfetti Take The Next Step? Winnipeg has taken the slow and steady route with Cole Perfetti.  The 10th overall pick in 2020 has seen his playing time managed carefully to the point where he only nudged past the 15-minute mark for the first time last season, a year that saw him reach 50 points.  With Ehlers gone and their newcomers being more secondary options, it feels like Perfetti should have a chance to secure a bit more playing time.  If he has success in that role, he’d go a long way toward helping replace the offense Ehlers brought to the table while positioning himself nicely for a trip through restricted free agency next summer when he’ll have salary arbitration rights for the first time.

Photos courtesy of Jamie Sabau (Toews) and Terrence Lee (Vilardi and Connor)-Imagn Images. 

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