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Assessing The Options For Marc-Edouard Vlasic

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There was a time, a decade ago, when former San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Édouard Vlasic was considered the most reliable and underpaid player in the NHL. Vlasic was earning $4.25MM in each year at the end of his five-year contract with the Sharks and had significantly outperformed his salary throughout his career.

That was until he signed a massive eight-year, $56MM contract in the summer of 2017, which completely altered the perception of the respected stay-at-home defender. The 38-year-old was bought out earlier this summer and hasn’t been much talked about in free agency, which isn’t surprising given his age and limited success in recent years. Vlasic has been playing below replacement level lately and struggled to stay in the lineup last year, being a healthy scratch at times and dealing with some injuries. All of this raises the question: what’s next for Vlasic?

Vlasic has publicly stated that he plans to play in the NHL this season, which is the goal of any professional hockey player. However, for him, that aspiration might not be realized given that he hasn’t been a consistent contributor since the 2017-18 season. Unfortunately, for both Vlasic and especially for the Sharks, his $7MM cap hit began during the 2018-19 season, coinciding with his decline. Vlasic’s performance significantly dropped from 2018 to 2020 and never recovered afterward. In fact, his poor play negatively affected star defensemen Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson, who both saw their numbers decline considerably when paired with Vlasic.

Vlasic’s salary, combined with his decline, played a significant role in the Sharks’ window of contention closing, as the flat salary cap worsened their cap struggles, along with Vlasic carrying arguably the worst contract in the league. Remarkably, Vlasic earned his contract extension after being one of, if not the top, defensive contributors in the NHL, while being vastly underpaid. However, for the Sharks, they signed the contract extension with Vlasic at precisely the wrong time.

So why does all of that matter if Vlasic no longer earns a big salary and can be signed for league minimum? Firstly, there are better defensive options still available in free agency who could have a more positive impact than Vlasic. Calvin de Haan could be signed cheaply, and he is four years younger and much more productive. Matt Grzelcyk is another player with a different style of game who posted 40 points last year. There are plenty of better options still available who haven’t signed with a team yet, including T.J. Brodie, and Ryan Suter. Even Brendan Smith and Oliver Kylington are better options at this point than Vlasic, and they’ve had to accept PTOs.

The second reason it matters is that if you are a contender, you wouldn’t be signing a player like Vlasic, with his current ability, to play NHL minutes for your team. Even as a seventh defenseman, you have more talented players available at this stage. On the other hand, if you are a rebuilding team like the Pittsburgh Penguins, you have young, gifted players you want to get ice time for and can’t afford to bring in a veteran who is no longer effective. The Penguins are an interesting case because they arguably have the worst defensive core in the NHL, and some might say that if they signed Vlasic, he would be their 15th-best option. That shows how far Vlasic’s game has declined over the past seven years; he could barely make the AHL on a team that is $13MM under the salary cap and has a weak defensive unit.

Vlasic’s chances of signing an NHL deal are slim, but it’s not impossible. NHL general managers often like to give a shot to an aging veteran who has had a solid career, and that would describe Vlasic perfectly. Older defensemen received multi-year contracts worth over $4MM this summer, so an NHL deal for Vlasic would be surprising but not entirely out of the question. The more probable scenario is that Vlasic gets an opportunity to demonstrate what he still has in the tank through a PTO. This would provide him with some practice time and potentially a chance to showcase himself in a few exhibition games, with the hope of securing an NHL contract or at least a two-way deal. It’s uncertain whether Vlasic would want that at this stage of his career, as some NHL players prefer not to ride the AHL buses anymore after a long NHL career, given family commitments. But only Vlasic knows what he truly desires.

Apart from a PTO or a two-way deal, there are plenty of options to find a job. He could explore the KHL, SHL, or other European leagues that might offer the chance to play every game. Still, family matters and lifestyle preferences will influence whether Vlasic chooses to take his game overseas. It’s rare to see a North American-born player who has earned the kind of money Vlasic has, make the move overseas after the age of 35, but it’s not unheard of.

Finally, there’s the final consideration: retiring and starting his post-hockey career, which is always challenging for any player, especially those who feel they have more to give. Vlasic may believe he can still contribute at the NHL level and might get a chance to prove it if he signs a PTO. However, at this stage, it could be the end of the line for a player who was once arguably the best stay-at-home defenseman in the league. Vlasic should have financial stability in his post-playing career, but he could no doubt find other ways to build a career in the game, thanks to his leadership experience and hockey IQ.

Photo by Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Tanner Kero Signs With DEL’s Kolner Haie

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The Kölner Haie of Germany’s DEL have signed forward Tanner Kero to a contract for the 2025-26 season, according to a team release.

Kero has played 134 career games over five NHL seasons, most recently as a fringe roster option for the Stars in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. He produced solid offense for his limited minutes, logging a 3-10–13 scoring line in 62 appearances across the two campaigns while averaging 10:13 per night. He was actually something of a full-time piece for Dallas in the COVID-shortened season, never heading down to the AHL and making 39 out of a possible 56 appearances that year.

Before his run in Dallas, his prior NHL experience came over a three-year run with the Blackhawks from 2015-18. The undrafted free agent out of Michigan Tech made a career-high 47 appearances for Chicago in 2016-17, seeing consistent time as a third and fourth-line center while recording a 6-10–16 scoring line.

While he’s always been a strong minor-league scoring option, that was never enough to land him any long-term NHL stability. Since his last NHL appearance, he spent an additional season in the Stars organization with AHL Texas, recording 50 points in 69 games during the 2022-23 season. He spent the following year on a minor-league contract with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles before heading overseas for the first time last summer, signing with HV71 in Sweden.

Kero only managed nine goals and 22 points in 52 games for the SHL club, which narrowly avoided relegation to the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan. That was a sharp dropoff from his AHL production in the prior campaign, and he understandably wasn’t brought back after completing his one-year deal.

Instead of returning to more familiar waters in North America, Kero will now test the German circuit in hopes of gaining some new life offensively. The 33-year-old joins Brady Austin, Ryan MacInnis, Patrick Russell, and Dominik Uher as names on the Haie’s roster with NHL experience.

Aaron Dell Announces Retirement

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Goaltender Aaron Dell announced his retirement late last night. The 36-year-old wrote on his Instagram page that he’s hanging up his skates after a lengthy professional career that included seven NHL seasons.

“After 13 seasons of professional hockey the time has come for me to hang up the skates and leave my playing days behind me,” Dell wrote. “I wanted to thank all of the people that believed in me and supported me throughout my career. Lots of ups and downs. An undrafted 6 foot tall goalie that was given a chance by the San Jose Sharks organization. When I look at some of the names I had the privilege of working with like Nabokov, Thornton, Pavelski, Marleau, Couture, Karlsson, Burns and so many great players that I will always consider friends, I feel very fortunate.”

The Alberta native began his pro career with the Central Hockey League’s Allen Americans in 2012 after a three-year stint at the University of North Dakota. He split the following season with ECHL Utah before formally joining the Sharks organization in 2014-15, landing a deal with their AHL affiliate at the time in Worcester. After he exploded for a .927 SV% in 26 games for the Woo Sharks down the stretch, Dell landed his first NHL contract and signed a two-way deal with San Jose.

He spent the following year back in the AHL, this time with the San Jose Barracuda, but won a spot on their opening night roster for 2016-17 as Martin Jones’ backup. That began a four-year run for Dell as the Sharks’ primary No. 2 option, including a standout rookie season. He only made 17 starts and three relief appearances behind the workhorse Jones but was excellent when relied upon, posting a .931 SV% and 2.00 GAA with an 11-6-1 record in his first taste of NHL action.

That would end up being the peak for Dell, who was already 27 when he burst onto the scene. He remained a serviceable backup for the coming years and even cracked 30 starts in 2019-20, but by the time he hit free agency that fall amid the pandemic, his averages over his four years in San Jose were a .908 SV% and 2.76 GAA – right around league average for that period.

Dell’s play dipped after that. He signed with the Maple Leafs in 2020 but was claimed by the Devils off waivers before ever playing a game for them. In seven games as New Jersey’s No. 3 option in the shortened 2021 season, he only managed a .857 SV% and 4.14 GAA. From that point forward, he spent most of his time back in the AHL, although he did have brief stints back in the NHL with the Sabres in 2021-22 and a second go-around with the Sharks in 2022-23 as a call-up option. He spent most of 2023-24 on an AHL contract with the Ontario Reign but got an NHL deal from the Kings at the trade deadline to serve as an emergency recall option in the postseason.

Last season, Dell returned to the Sharks organization for a third time on an AHL deal with the Barracuda. He had an .890 SV% and a 3-3-3 record in 10 games for them and a .914 SV% and a 6-6-1 record in 13 games for their ECHL affiliate, the Wichita Thunder.

Dell put a pin in his playing career after recording a .905 SV%, 2.92 GAA, five shutouts, and a 50-50-13 record in 130 NHL appearances. He also had a .912 mark and 11 shutouts with a 70-57-20 record in 155 AHL games in parts of eight seasons.

We at Pro Hockey Rumors congratulate Dell on his career and wish him the best in his post-playing endeavors.

Senators Re-Sign Donovan Sebrango

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The Ottawa Senators have signed defenseman Donovan Sebrango to a one-year, two-way contract extension, per PuckPedia. Sebrango was one of two remaining restricted-free agents in Ottawa’s system, alongside defender Max Guenette.

Sebrango played the first two NHL games of his career with Ottawa last season. He only managed 20:37 minutes of ice time between the two games, and didn’t record any notable stat changes – but the games were still an important step for the 23-year-old. He has otherwise spent the last five seasons in a full-time, AHL role – spread across games with the Grand Rapids Griffins and Belleville Senators.

Sebrango struggled to produce much on either side of the ice through his early career – netting just 18 points in 135 games with the Griffins. The low scoring seemed set to continue after Sebrango recorded just seven assists in 35 games of his first year with Belleville. But the young defender finally found his groove this season, climbing all the way to 20 points in 50 games with Belleville. That jump in offense, complimented by a gritty, two-way style, earned Sebrango quick attention from the Senators. A one-year extension could be exactly what the young blue-liner needs to build on his momentum from the breakout year. Another hot year could earn him even more NHL ice time, and a much more confident contract offer from the Senators next summer. Sebrango was originally a third-round pick to the Detroit Red Wings in 2020 – after managing an OHL career that spanned 56 points in 118 games.

Brandon Yip Announces Retirement

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Former Colorado Avalanche forward Brandon Yip has announced his retirement from professional hockey via a social media post from his team, the KHL’s Shanghai Red Dragons. This news confirms recent speculation. Yip spent seven of his final eight seasons with the Kunlun Red Stars, who relocated to Shanghai this summer. His sole year away from Kunlun in that span came with the Liiga’s Mikkelin Jukurit during the pandemic season in 2020-21.

Yip became a beacon of Chinese hockey in the second-half of his career. He joined Kunlun in 2017, after three years in Germany’s DEL, and earned the captaincy for the top Chinese club after just one season. He would carry the Red Stars’ ’C’ for six more seasons. Residency in China also helped Yip – a Chinese-Canadian – join Team China at the 2022 Winter Olympic Qualifiers. He posted one assist in four tournament games, and six points in four games at the Division-II-A World Championship, that season. His performance was a major part of China’s promotion to the Division-I-B World Championship in 2023, where he scored four points in five games. Yip served as China’s captain in all 13 games he played with the club.

Yip’s career took him across the hockey world before settling in China. He earned an eighth-round selection in the 2004 NHL Draft after scoring 131 points in 99 BCHL games, through two seasons in the league. He followed his draft selection with a four-year tenure at Boston University, where he scored 108 points in 138 games. Colorado promoted Yip to the NHL the year after his collegiate career ended, and he managed a hardy 11 goals and 19 points in 32 games.

That was enough to earn Yip a nightly lineup role for the 2010-11 season – but he wasn’t able to keep the high-tempo offense rolling. He scored just 22 points in 71 games that year, kicking off a slide of underwhelming play that’d carry through the next four seasons. Yip moved to the Nashville Predators in 2012, and Phoenix Coyotes in 2013, but ultimately found himself in a full-time AHL role by 2014. He chose to move away from North America two years later, ending his NHL career at 56 points in 174 games.

Now taking the first step beyond his playing career, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Yip take on a new role with Team China. He boasts the most NHL experience of any player in the country’s brief international hockey history. Currently, 74-year-old Perry Pearn – once a journeyman NHL assistant coach – serves as the head coach of China’s Men’s team and junior team.

Evening Notes: Laine, Salary Cap, 84-Game Schedule

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Montreal Canadiens winger Patrik Laine has a path to more minutes this season, after averaging a career-low 14:18 in ice time last season. Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes met with Laine to discuss areas he could focus growing in to earn a hardier role in the lineup, shares Sportsnet’s Eric Engels.

Laine finished the season with 20 goals in 52 games, but Montreal was also outscored 17-to-26 when Laine was on the ice at even-strength. Questions about Laine’s effort outside of the defensive zone have existed since his rookie season, but it’s hard not to imagine those are the attributes the Canadiens would like to see more. Finding an added step towards opponents in the defensive zone, and winning more battles in the dirty areas of the ice, would go a long way towards helping the 6-foot-4 Laine fit in with an otherwise undersized top-six. Laine reached the 30-goal mark in each of his first three seasons in the NHL, and could be a real X-factor in the Canadiens lineup should he take the necessary strides.

Other notes from around the league:

  • NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly elaborated on upcoming changes to the league’s use of long-term injured reserve in an interview at the NHL’s pre-season coaches/GM meeting. He received many questions on the league’s new rule that playoff lineups must be cap-compliant. That includes one from Engels, who asked if there would be exceptions made for players working back from injury who are game-time decisions. Daly did not have an answer, other than to say that the league will answer that question in the future. The Stanley Cup playoffs are eight months away, allowing for plenty of time for the league to continue sorting out how they want to carry out changes to the CBA.
  • More light has also been shed on the league’s upcoming shift to an 84-game schedule, set to begin in the 2026-27 season. With that expansion, the season will be slated to begin in late-September and end in mid-June, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. The shift to an earlier start to the season will be welcomed by many hockey fans, though a heavier workload will keep the season’s end tight to the NHL Draft and start of free agency on July 1st. That will be bittersweet news for many, especially NHL front offices, who have recently urged for a longer break between the end of the season and start of free agency.

Carey Price Trade Not A Necessity For Canadiens

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Trade attention has once again zoned in on Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price as the league announces changes to the use of long-term injured reserve and salary cap in the postseason. The future Hall-of-Fame goaltender hasn’t played since 2021, after undergoing meniscus surgery to address a severe knee injury. Montreal has kept him on LTIR, and thus received full relief from his $10.5MM cap hit, in each of the three seasons since. That cap hit and LTIR relief could each be beneficial for teams across the league, but Canadiens’ general manager Kent Hughes told Sportsnet’s Eric Engels that he’s in no rush to find a deal. Hughes said:

We don’t have to trade Carey Price… If we can find a trade to move his contract that makes sense for us and makes sense for another team, we’ll pursue it. But we don’t have to.

The Canadiens are currently $5.93MM over the salary cap, per PuckPedia. Placing Price back on LTIR at the start of the season will bring them up to roughly $4.57MM in cap space, more than enough for next season. That cap relief underlines Hughes’ sentiment of not needing a deal, and would likely force Montreal to bring back another long-term injury in any Price trade. They could balance their budget by swapping Price for a player like Logan Couture from the San Jose Sharks, or even by acquiring Shea Weber’s contract from the Chicago Blackhawks. Both teams sit roughly $6MM over the salary cap floor as things stand, and could get a hardier budget by paying up for Price’s contract.

As for what Montreal could expect in return, the list of comparable IR moves has run a bit thin. Montreal used Weber’s contract to acquire NHL winger Evgenii Dadonov from the Vegas Golden Knights in 2022. He’s moved multiple times since – most recently in a trade to Chicago alongside minor-leaguer Aku Raty and the rights to Victor Soderstrom in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick.

In the year prior to Weber’s original move to Vegas, Chicago used Brent Seabrook’s contract to acquire NHL forward Tyler Johnson and a second-round pick. That could be a better structure to hope for – though it’s hard to gauge if the market remains the same four years later, and with the changes to LTIR. With no rush to make a deal, Montreal will have the luxury of sitting back until a strong offer comes through.

Joe Pavelski, Scott Gomez, Zach Parise Named To U.S. Hockey Hall Of Fame

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Longtime NHL forwards Joe Pavelski, Scott Gomez, and Zach Parise are the headliners of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame’s 2025 induction class, the organization announced Wednesday.

Pavelski and Parise are the most recently retired of the group and are both coming off their first seasons on the sidelines after announcing their retirements last year, although the latter has yet to actually file his retirement paperwork. Pavelski has already had quite the successful post-hockey career, leaning into golf and winning the celebrity American Century Championship in July.

Of course, it’s his league and international play that is earning him this honor. He’ll likely be a fringe Hockey Hall of Fame candidate when all is said and done, but the Wisconsin native was one of the league’s most consistent players since debuting with the Sharks during the 2006-07 season. A seventh-round pick in the famed 2003 draft, Pavelski leveraged a highly successful collegiate tenure in his home state into an 18-year NHL career with San Jose and Dallas, recording 1,068 points in 1,332 games to rank 74th on the league’s all-time scoring list.

’Captain America’s’ international resume is more limited than one would think, but he was part of the American squad that took home silver at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He also appeared for the top national team at the 2009 World Championships, the 2014 Winter Olympics, and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey – a team he did actually serve as captain for. He had three goals and nine assists for 12 points in 20 top-level international games and advanced to two Stanley Cup Finals (2016, 2020).

Parise was the No. 17 overall pick of that same draft and debuted a season earlier than Pavelski, but injuries meant his total games played ended up lower at 1,254. He was more of an early peaker, namely his back-to-back 80-point seasons with the Devils in 2008-09 and 2009-10, but still managed 434 goals and 889 points for his career. That ranks 29th in scoring since the 2005 lockout.

However, Parise has a much more expansive international resume. He suited up for the U.S.’ top junior and senior national teams on nine different occasions, starting with the 2002 under-18 World Juniors and ending with the 2016 World Cup. He was the Americans’ leading scorer in their silver medal pursuit in 2010 with four goals and eight points in six games, earning a spot on the tournament All-Star Team. He also won gold at the U18 and U20 World Juniors, earning MVP honors at the latter tournament in 2004 with 11 points in six games.

Gomez, 45, has been retired for much longer. He last suited up for the Senators in 2016 but has remained active in staff roles, now serving as the head coach for the USHL’s Chicago Steel. He played for the U.S. at the 2004 World Cup and the 2006 Winter Olympics, early into an NHL career that saw him become the first Latino player and first Alaskan to win the Calder Trophy. He finished his NHL career with 756 points in 1,079 games for the Devils, Rangers, Canadiens, Sharks, Panthers, Blues, and Sens.

Rounding out this year’s class are two-time Olympic medalist Tara Mounsey (1998, 2002) for the women’s program and photographer Bruce Bennett, who was the Islanders’ team photographer from 1982 to 2004 and has shot over 7.5 million photos since beginning his career in the sport in 1974. He’s still active and will be working at the upcoming 2026 Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

Examining Likely Candidates For The New CHL/AHL Exception

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Yesterday, PuckPedia reported that certain aspects of this summer’s CBA extension will take effect for the upcoming 2025-26 campaign instead of the 2026-27 season as was initially expected. Among those items is a proposed exception to the current transfer agreement between the NHL and CHL, Canada’s top association of junior leagues, that would allow teams to loan one 19-year-old player drafted from that league to their AHL affiliate without permission from the player’s CHL club. Under current rules, teams must wait until a player’s age-20 season to send them to the AHL full-time – until then, it’s either the NHL or CHL.

It’s not yet clear whether that rule will actually be implemented this season. While the league will make an aggressive push for it to happen, PuckPedia added that the CHL hasn’t yet signed off on the change and that serious negotiations haven’t started yet.

If the league does manage to strike an agreement with the CHL to allow the exception to happen, though, it’s a good time to take a look at some potential candidates who could test the waters. This isn’t an exhaustive list of every player who’s eligible for the rule, rather, a deep dive into which names might actually make sense to receive the early start to their pro careers.

Anaheim Ducks: Beckett Sennecke

Sennecke might be as slam-dunk a pick as anyone on this list. While most opined he was a reach when the Ducks selected him third overall in the 2024 draft, the 6’4″ winger responded with a 36-goal, 86-point effort in 56 games for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals last season. That promising jump from his draft-year production (68 points in 63 GP) makes it easy to make the case for his development being better served by jumping to pro hockey for his DY+2 – that is, if he doesn’t make Anaheim’s NHL roster out of camp. He’s only 28 days short of the age cutoff for AHL eligibility under the current rules anyway.

Calgary Flames: Jacob Battaglia, Zayne Parekh

The Flames will almost certainly use the exception to stash Parekh with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers if he doesn’t make the NHL roster out of camp, but that stipulation is looking unlikely at this stage with Calgary’s right-side defense largely uninspiring and Rasmus Andersson’s impending departure making the picture even less rosy.

That could pave the way for Calgary to send Battaglia, one of the dark horses on this list, to begin his professional career earlier than expected. The stocky winger was one of the last picks of the second round in 2024 but exploded in his post-draft season, leading the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs in scoring with 40 goals and 90 points in 68 games. While the Flames might end up deciding his development would be better served by a fourth and final junior season for the Frontenacs, his name is one to watch out for if they have the option.

Chicago Blackhawks: Marek Vanacker

Moving Vanacker to the pros before he finishes out his junior eligibility might be a bit of a rush job for a winger who was drafted as a bit of a project. It might be something Chicago at least considers for the 2024 No. 27 overall pick anyway. The 6’1″ winger’s April 2006 birthday makes him one of the younger players on this list, and he’s coming off an underwhelming post-draft season with OHL Brantford that saw him dip back below the point-per-game mark. For that reason, a return to the Bulldogs is far more likely, but his first-round pedigree will at least generate some speculation about a loan to AHL Rockford.

Detroit Red Wings: Carter Bear

Bear is the only player from the 2025 draft class on this list, and that has to do with the difference between how the NHL defines draft eligibility and how the CHL defines a player’s age for a given season. The NHL’s draft cutoff is September 15, while the CHL’s age cutoff is January 1. Since Bear has a November 2005 birthday, he was a couple of months too young to be eligible for the 2024 NHL draft, but he has already been credited with his age-18 season in the CHL’s eyes. The winger was the No. 13 overall selection by Detroit and likely could have gone a few spots higher if not for some concern about a partial Achilles laceration that ended his season in March. He managed 82 points in only 56 games for the WHL’s Everett Silvertips before that happened, though, and his 6’0″, 180-lb frame should help an early AHL transition along.

Los Angeles Kings: Liam Greentree

Even if this rule doesn’t get approved for 2025-26, Greentree might find himself in the AHL anyway. He’s a January 1 birthday – if he were born a few hours earlier, he’d be eligible for a full-time loan to AHL Ontario and wouldn’t need to return for a fourth OHL season with the Windsor Spitfires. The 6’3″ winger is coming off an incredible post-draft season after going to the Kings 26th overall in 2024, erupting for 119 points in 64 games and earning a spot on the league’s First All-Star Team.

There’s a recent precedent for such an exception. The OHL granted one to the Kraken and Shane Wright, who has a January 5 birthday but was granted eligibility for a full-time AHL assignment in 2023-24, which would have technically been his age-19 season in the junior league’s eyes.

Philadelphia Flyers: Jett Luchanko

Luchanko surprised out of the gate last year, working his way onto the Flyers’ opening night roster despite being one of the youngest players selected in the 2024 draft. The 5’11” center went pointless in four games before Philly sent him back to juniors to finish the season, where he had 21 goals and 56 points in 46 games with the OHL’s Guelph Storm. He had six assists in seven playoff games with AHL Lehigh Valley to end the year, showing a jump to that level full-time wouldn’t be so far-fetched if he can’t land an NHL job out of the gate again.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Harrison Brunicke

The Penguins have projected a ton of external confidence in Brunicke, their second-round selection in 2024. The South African-born defenseman is a smooth-skating right-shot with good size already at 6’3″ and 203 lbs. He’s played major minutes for an understaffed squad in the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers the past three years, and if possible, the Pens would like to get him out of that environment and into a more competitive one in AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He’ll even be given a crack at making the NHL roster out of camp as a result, but current roster math makes that hard to foresee. He had 30 points in 41 games for the Blazers last year.

San Jose Sharks: Sam Dickinson

There’s a strong case for Dickinson ending up on San Jose’s opening night roster, but the Sharks’ decision could be influenced by whether the exception actually goes into effect. The left-shot defender has nothing left to prove at the junior level, scoring 91 points with an incredible +64 rating in 55 games with the OHL’s London Knights last season. The 2024 No. 11 overall pick is now a two-time OHL champion, a Memorial Cup champion, and was this season’s CHL Defenseman of the Year. If they have the option to send him to AHL San Jose, they might take advantage of it while they ship out their overstock of depth veterans, but if not, it’s unlikely they’d have many qualms about waiving one or two of them to make room for Dickinson in the NHL.

Seattle Kraken: Berkly Catton

The math isn’t kind for Catton to compete for an NHL job this season. But after leading the WHL in playoff scoring with 31 assists and 42 points in 20 games for the Spokane Chiefs – and that coming on the heels of back-to-back 100-point regular seasons – it’s hard to see what another season in juniors does for his development. The 5’10” center is only two weeks shy of the standard age cutoff, so the Kraken could argue for an exception if the new rule doesn’t go into effect, but the WHL has been less willing to dole those out in the past than their other CHL counterparts.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Sam O’Reilly

O’Reilly is the Bolts’ new top prospect after they brought him in from the Oilers in exchange for the signing rights to Isaac Howard. While he projects as more of a third-line utility man at the NHL level, the 6’1″ center has displayed good offensive instincts in juniors and had 71 points in 62 OHL games for the London Knights last year. It’s worth noting that those numbers came in an extremely offense-friendly environment, though. It might be worth it for Tampa to avoid shiny-new-toy syndrome and give him his final year of junior eligibility undisturbed to allow him to focus on boosting his offensive ceiling.

Utah Mammoth: Cole Beaudoin, Tij Iginla

The Mammoth will have a tough decision to make here if they are able to send a 19-year-old bound by the current CHL transfer agreement to AHL Tucson. Iginla would be the higher-profile choice. The winger was the No. 6 overall pick in 2024, but he’s missed significant time to injuries over the past couple of years and had 32 points in just 21 contests last year. That lack of playing time may mean a full year of juniors without the added stress of adjusting to pro hockey, which may do him some good for his long-term projection.

That could open a path for the ever-steady Beaudoin to vie for the honor and jump to Tucson. The 6’2″, 209-lb center was the No. 24 overall pick in that same 2024 draft and, like O’Reilly, is more of a projectable third-line piece long-term. They could take that same path and look to leave him in juniors for another year to see what other offensive development they could squeeze out of him, but on the other hand, getting him a head start on adjusting to pro life may be beneficial. He had 51 points in 52 games for the OHL’s Barrie Colts last year.

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