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Stars Nearing A Decision On Their Next Head Coach

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Earlier today, the Stars took care of keeping one of their team leaders in place when they signed Jamie Benn to a one-year, bonus-laden contract to keep him away from hitting the open market.  Meanwhile, it appears that they’re closing in on finding their next leader behind the bench, as TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that Dallas is close to finalizing their coaching decision with Neil Graham and Glen Gulutzan the perceived favorites for the job.

Graham has not yet worked at the NHL level but has plenty of familiarity with the organization.  After retiring during the 2012-13 season while playing for their ECHL affiliate in Idaho, he immediately became an assistant coach, moving into the head coaching role a few years later while also serving as their Director of Hockey Operations.  Graham was moved up to AHL Texas in 2019 as an assistant but was promoted to the full-time head coaching role later that season, a role he has held since then.  Texas has made the playoffs in each of the last four seasons and made it to the Western Conference Finals this year before losing to Abbotsford who won the Calder Cup earlier this week.  That success understandably has him on the radar.

As for Gulutzan, he certainly has familiarity with the organization as well.  He spent two years as the head coach with Texas and in 2011, he was promoted to serve in that role with Dallas.  The team played to a 64-57-9 record with Gulutzan at the helm but missed the playoffs both times.  As a result, he was fired just two weeks after GM Jim Nill joined Dallas.  Gulutzan was also the bench boss with Calgary in 2016-17 and 2017-18 with one playoff appearance during that time.  He has been an assistant with Edmonton since the 2018-19 season.

Whoever takes over will have high expectations as they’ll be taking the place of Peter DeBoer who was let go despite the Stars making it to the Western Conference Final for three straight years.  Nill has been trying to keep as much of his veteran core in place as possible to try to keep them in contention for a while longer, meaning that expectations will be quite high right away.

Capitals Acquire Justin Sourdif

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The Capitals have added some forward depth, announcing that they’ve acquired Justin Sourdif from the Panthers.  In return, Florida receives Washington’s second-round pick in 2026 and Washington’s sixth-round selection in 2027.

The 23-year-old was a third-round pick by the Panthers back in 2020, going 87th overall.  He spent the following two seasons in the WHL, splitting time between Vancouver and Edmonton, including his final season that saw him notch 72 points in just 52 games.

However, despite the offensive prowess in junior, NHL playing time has been hard to come by so far for Sourdif.  He has just four appearances at the top level under his belt with only one of those coming this season in a game in late February when he scored his first career NHL goal.  The rest of his time has been spent at the AHL level with Charlotte.

After putting up 24 points in 48 games with the Checkers in his first professional season in 2022-23, Sourdif was able to improve on that the following year with 38 points in 58 appearances.  This year, his point total dipped slightly to 34 but he only got into 43 games after missing the first month of the season due to an injury sustained during training camp.  He played an important role in Charlotte’s run to the Calder Cup Finals, collecting 10 points and 32 penalty minutes in 18 postseason appearances.

Sourdif will be waiver-eligible for the first time next season and clearly, the Capitals feel that he’s ready for full-time duty at the NHL level despite the limited opportunity that he has received so far and were willing to give up a return of some significance to make sure they got him while Florida adds a pair of future selections to their pick cupboards which aren’t exactly well-stocked at the moment.

The first order of business for the Capitals with Sourdif will be signing him to a new contract as his entry-level deal is set to expire at the end of the month.  He’ll be a restricted free agent without arbitration eligibility and will be owed a two-way qualifying offer worth $874K in the NHL and $80K in the minors.  Given that they clearly view Sourdif as an NHL piece moving forward, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a one-way contract given to him that checks in a little below that amount, giving Washington a little extra cap flexibility heading into free agency.

Sharks Expected To Non-Tender Noah Gregor

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The Sharks will not issue a qualifying offer to center Noah Gregor, per Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. He will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

This will be Gregor’s third straight offseason with a non-tender. He was initially a fourth-round pick of the Sharks back in 2016 but was not given a qualifying offer by San Jose in 2023, leading to him signing a one-year deal with the Maple Leafs in free agency. Toronto also declined to qualify him, after which he landed with the Senators for the 2024-25 season. The Sharks brought him back to the organization in the deadline deal that saw Fabian Zetterlund head to Ottawa, but his second stint in the Bay Area will be short-lived.

The quick-footed Gregor first arrived in the NHL with the Sharks in the 2019-20 campaign, his first in the pros. While he bounced between the NHL and AHL his first two seasons in the organization, he established himself as a full-timer in 2021-22 with a 23-point showing in 63 games while averaging nearly 15 minutes per night, all of which still stand as career highs. While a proper depth offensive presence at times, he’s yet to provide the scoring punch necessary to elevate himself out of a bottom-six or even fourth-line role.

This season marked something of a new low for Gregor. He never gelled in Ottawa after signing a one-year, $850K deal there when free agency opened. He dealt with injuries and was limited to just six points and a -12 rating in 40 games when healthy, averaging 11:21 per game. He also had just one assist and a minus-nine rating in 12 showings with San Jose after the trade. His non-tender is an unsurprising one as the Sharks look to create roster flexibility for more impactful free agent signings and young players graduating to NHL roles.

While he hasn’t seen AHL action in over three years, a two-way deal seems likely for Gregor on the open market this season following his tough 2024-25 showing and burgeoning journeyman reputation. There’s still some late bloomer potential as he turns 27 in July, but he’ll have to work on rounding out his offensive skillset beyond just strong skating ability.

Blues’ Blueline Needs A Retooling

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The St. Louis Blues made a surprising playoff push this past season, and even more unexpectedly, they pushed the Winnipeg Jets to the very limit in the first round, ultimately losing a Game 7 in overtime after Winnipeg scored in the final second of regulation to tie the game.

It was a heartbreaking end to a season where St. Louis amazed many by putting together a performance strong enough to qualify for the postseason. The Blues achieved this despite having one of the oldest defensive units in the NHL, and many expect St. Louis to retool its defense this summer. The team made several moves last year to bring in new faces, but with Torey Krug’s career over and Nick Leddy in the final year of his contract, the Blues will probably add one or two new defensemen.

On the right side, the Blues have a decent lineup, with Colton Parayko in the top pairing. However, fellow veteran Justin Faulk likely needs to move down the lineup to the bottom pairing, which isn’t ideal given his $6.5MM cap hit for the next two seasons. Faulk’s salary has put St. Louis in a position where they must utilize him higher in the lineup than may be appropriate, considering his capabilities at 33 years of age.

While Faulk remains a decent power-play producer, he hasn’t registered an above-water Corsi or expected goals percentage since the 2019-20 season, his first in St. Louis. Last season, he recorded four goals and 28 assists in 78 games but had a 47 CF% at even strength, which was the second worst among St. Louis defenders. He’s now a third-pair defenseman, suggesting that the Blues need to find a top-four right-shot defenseman.

If that is the case, which it should be, St. Louis will need to line up behind several other teams that also require help on the right side of their defense. There will be options available for those who can play there, but many will come at a steep cost or have significant flaws in their game. Rasmus Andersson is a name that fits the former and is likely to be in play this summer (as per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet). Andersson would be a great fit with the Blues, but cap space and trade assets could pose an issue.

The Blues have just over $5MM in cap space available for next season; however, Krug’s $6.5MM salary is expected to go onto LTIR, which would open up room to accommodate Andersson’s cap hit. On the draft pick front, the Blues don’t have much to offer in this draft since they only possess their first-round pick, along with their fifth and sixth-round picks. They could explore options beyond this year or tap into their prospect pool, which is a solid group (ranked 14th in the NHL by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic). Given the demand for Andersson, it might require the Blues to part with a top prospect like defenseman Adam Jiricek or forward Dalibor Dvorský.

If the Blues want to trade for a top-four defenseman without heavily investing in their future, Pittsburgh’s Erik Karlsson could be an option. Karlsson’s name often comes up in discussions about right-shot defensemen, but since few are available via trade, he has to be mentioned. While he hasn’t fully fit in with the Penguins, he has still produced his signature offense, contributing little on the defensive end. Nevertheless, he might find a role under head coach Jim Montgomery in St. Louis.

Montgomery values structure and accountability – traits that aren’t exactly Karlsson’s strengths. Still, he could thrive in a modern offensive system that emphasizes controlled zone entries and exits, as well as maintaining puck possession. Montgomery has coached several players to career-best years (like David Pastrňák and Hampus Lindholm), and while it may be less likely for Karlsson, he could help the three-time Norris Trophy winner regain a higher level of play.

Now, St. Louis could also explore free agency to find a suitable fit. They only need two more roster players: a defenseman and a contract for backup netminder Joel Hofer. Even with more than $11MM in cap space, things might get tight with the next target, Aaron Ekblad. There are no guarantees that Ekblad will hit free agency, and if he does, he will be in high demand given his role in back-to-back Stanley Cups in Florida. AFP Analytics projected Ekblad to receive a seven-year contract worth $7.8MM per season. Still, that projection seems relatively low at the moment, considering the robustness of his market.

The Blues might pursue another UFA defenseman, but there’s a significant decline in quality after Ekblad. Dante Fabbro could be the best available option, with a projected four-year deal around $18MM in total, which is quite steep for a defenseman claimed off waivers just seven months ago.

Shifting to the left side, St. Louis is likely set in the top four with Philip Broberg and Cam Fowler contributing. Broberg had a breakout year last season, and Fowler showed notable improvement after being traded to the Blues. The 33-year-old was able to leverage his stretch pass and offensive instincts while minimizing some defensive mistakes that troubled his last few seasons with the Anaheim Ducks. Much of that can be credited to playing for a stronger team, but the Blues’ move to take a chance on Fowler has paid off.

The Blues could improve by finding an upgrade for Leddy. To be fair to the 34-year-old, he missed 49 games last season due to a lower-body injury, but when he played, it was clear his game had declined. Leddy still skates well enough, but he’s no longer the reliable zone exit threat he once was, as his transition game isn’t as strong as it used to be. Defensively, Leddy has never excelled, and his numbers have also fallen recently, making it hard to use him beyond bottom-pairing minutes. The Blues might find better value for the $4MM they are paying him in the final year of his contract and use the savings to strengthen the right side of their defense or upgrade other areas. Trading Leddy won’t be easy, but some teams may still be looking for a puck-moving depth defenceman after the first wave of free agency.

The other significant issue with keeping Leddy is that if the Blues plan to use Faulk on the bottom pairing, Leddy and Faulk might struggle as a duo since neither player excels defensively. This could lead to some challenging nights for the veterans, as neither skill set can effectively support the other. A free agent veteran like Brian Dumoulin, who can offer a steadier defensive game, might align better with what Faulk needs in a partner.

The Blues need some adjustments once again this year, and it’s yet to be seen whether they will make minor tweaks or undertake significant changes. Either way, it’s unlikely that the Blues are done making defensive modifications. If anything has been learned over the past 12 months, it’s that Doug Armstrong will be proactive about making changes and will utilize every tool available to improve his team.

Photo by Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Capitals Re-Sign Henrik Rybinski To Two-Way Deal

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The Capitals have retained pending RFA forward Henrik Rybinski on a two-way deal for 2025-26, the team announced Thursday. He’ll make the league minimum $775K salary if he’s in the NHL and a $130K salary in the minors.

It’s a nice birthday present for Rybinski, who turns 24 today. He’s yet to make his NHL debut but has spent the last three seasons developing in AHL Hershey after signing his entry-level contract in March 2022. That deal was due to expire this summer, making him a restricted free agent, but he’ll get some offseason business early out of the way with an extension.

Rybinski signs a deal that carries a lower NHL salary and cap hit than his $813,750 qualifying offer would have provided, but does land a higher AHL salary in the process. That’s the more important number for him since he’s not anticipated to spend much of any time on the NHL roster in 2025-26. He is coming off a nice year in Hershey, though, posting a career-high 10-25–35 scoring line with a +11 rating in 60 games.

The two-time Calder Cup champion with the Bears will now get another season to show the Caps what he can do. He was initially a fifth-round pick by the Panthers back in 2019, but they opted not to sign him to an entry-level deal, and his signing rights expired two years later. Washington ended up picking him up in free agency after he scored 65 points in 47 games for the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds in 2021-22.

Since Rybinski will turn 25 by next July 1 and has accrued three seasons of professional experience, he’ll almost certainly be a Group VI unrestricted free agent next summer, so this was Washington’s last summer with control over Rybinski’s rights. The only way they can avoid making him UFA-eligible next summer is by playing him in 80 NHL games next season, a highly unlikely scenario.

Blue Jackets Acquire Brendan Gaunce From Wild

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The Blue Jackets have acquired center Brendan Gaunce from the Wild in exchange for right-winger Cameron Butler, the team announced Thursday.

Gaunce, 31, begins his second stint in Columbus after spending one season in Minnesota. The Wild signed him to a two-year, two-way deal on the opening day of free agency last year after spending three seasons in the Blue Jackets organization, primarily with AHL Cleveland. He only made 12 NHL appearances, posting one point and a minus-four rating while averaging 9:42 of ice time per game.

He spent the bulk of the season down with AHL Iowa when he wasn’t in the Twin Cities as an injury call-up. There, he posted a 15-14–29 scoring line in 39 games while posting a -16 rating and serving as an alternate captain. That was one of the better stat lines on a weak Iowa club this year, and his 0.74 points per game was higher than his career average of 0.69 over 382 minor-league games over the course of his lengthy professional career.

As for Butler, the 23-year-old gets a fresh start after a rocky beginning to his professional career. Columbus signed him as an undrafted free agent following a 55-point season with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals in 2022-23. He’s struggled to even hold down a regular AHL role in Cleveland, though, posting just 11 points in 91 games over the last three years. He only appeared in 37 out of 72 possible games last season and was looking like a strong non-tender candidate when his entry-level contract expires following the 2025-26 campaign. He’ll now look for more ice time in Iowa as the 6’4″, 209-lb power winger looks to get his development back on track.

Pacific Notes: Woodcroft, Klingberg, Perry

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Although he failed to find a new role as a head coach in this summer’s coaching carousel, Jay Woodcroft will return to the NHL next season. According to Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff, the Anaheim Ducks are expected to hire Woodcroft as an assistant coach to serve on Joel Quenneville’s staff.

It’ll be a few days before the Ducks formalize Woodcroft’s hire. His previous contract with the Edmonton Oilers runs through July 1st, so an announcement should be coming then. Woodcroft hasn’t coached in the NHL since the 2023-24 season, when he was fired as the Oilers’ head coach on November 12th.

As valuable as the Ducks likely perceive Woodcroft’s previous head coaching experience, they likely targeted him to help improve the team’s offense. The Toronto, Ontario native coached Edmonton to a 79-41-13 record in 133 games (64.3% win percentage), while the team finished eighth in GF/G at the end of the 2021-22 season, and first in the league during the 2022-23 season.

Other notes from the Pacific Division:

  • After a largely successful return to the NHL this past season with the Oilers, it doesn’t appear that defenseman John Klingberg will return to the team this summer. Speaking on the Chris Johnston Show, host Chris Johnston reported that Klingberg is likely to become an unrestricted free agent. That doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t return to Edmonton, but he may find more lucrative offers elsewhere. Although injuries limited his return during the regular season, Klingberg finished the postseason on a high note, scoring one goal and four points in 19 games with a +3 rating, averaging 19:08 of ice time per game.
  • Unlike Klingberg, the same doesn’t appear to be true regarding veteran Corey Perry. In today’s episode of Sportsnet’s Around the NHL with Elliotte Friedman, a segment on Sportsnet 590, Friedman shares that Perry and the Oilers are working towards a new deal. Assuming a relatively cheap deal for Perry, there’s little to lose for Edmonton. The 40-year-old veteran is coming off his 20th NHL season, scoring 19 goals and 30 points in 81 regular-season contests, with another 10 goals and 14 points in 22 postseason games.

Hurricanes Sign Juha Jääskä To Two-Year Contract

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The Carolina Hurricanes have gotten some early work done with one of their depth forwards from the 2024-25 season. According to a team announcement, the Hurricanes have re-signed forward Juha Jääskä to a two-year contract worth $1.55MM. Per the team’s announcement, Jääskä’s contract will transition from a two-way agreement in 2025-26 to a one-way deal in 2026-27.

After quality back-to-back campaigns with the Finnish Liiga’s HIFK, the Hurricanes signed Jääskä as an international free agent toward the back half of the 2023-24 NHL season. In those two seasons, Jääskä scored 22 goals and 67 points in 113 games, with another five goals and 11 points in 13 postseason contests.

A little old to be considered a true prospect (27), Carolina first deployed Jääskä with their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. He quickly reaffirmed the Hurricanes’ decision to sign him, scoring 12 goals and 33 points in 53 AHL contests. His scoring output was good for fifth on the team, and sat second among wingers behind prospect Bradly Nadeau.

Carolina rewarded Jääskä’s quality transition to North American hockey this past season. Spending all of January at the NHL level, Jääskä tallied three assists in 14 games with a +3 rating in a fourth-line role. Adding four more games played by the end of the campaign, Jääskä finished the 2024-25 season with four assists in 18 contests, averaging 8:56 of ice time.

It’s hard to make any assessment of Jääskä’s game at the NHL level in his brief stint. He responded well to head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s system as evidenced by his 61.7% CorsiFor% at even strength, but he was deployed rather safely with 61.7% of his shift starts coming in the offensive zone. Depending on whether the Hurricanes rearrange their bottom-six this offseason, Jääskä is destined for a similar role with the organization next season.

Panthers Acquire Daniil Tarasov From Blue Jackets

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The Florida Panthers are making quick work to fill in their hole at backup goaltender. According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Florida Panthers have acquired netminder Daniil Tarasov from the Columbus Blue Jackets. In response to LeBrun’s report, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic shared that the Blue Jackets are acquiring a late-round draft pick in the trade. Columbus confirmed the trade, announcing they’ve acquired Florida’s 2025 fifth-round pick (160th overall) for their former backup.

As a potential non-tender candidate heading into the offseason, the Blue Jackets did decent work in not letting Tarasov leave for nothing. After being surpassed toward the end of the 2024-25 campaign by youngster Jet Greaves, there was little chance Tarasov would remain in Columbus for next season. Now, he’ll attempt to revive his career behind fellow countryman Sergei Bobrovsky.

There was a time when Tarasov was believed to be the future of the crease for the Blue Jackets. Columbus selected Tarasov with the 86th overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft, and he quickly impressed a year later with the MHL’s Tolpar Ufa. After spending a few years in the Liiga and KHL, including a strong 2020-21 season with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, where Tarasov recorded an 11-3-2 record in 16 games and achieved a .925 save percentage, the Blue Jackets brought Tarasov to North America.

Unfortunately, his professional career in North America got off to a slow beginning. In his first two years with the Blue Jackets and their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, Tarasov participated in just 43 games, which limited his development opportunities.

It wasn’t until the 2023-24 season that Tarasov became a full-time member of Columbus’ goaltending tandem. He managed an 8-11-3 record in 24 games with a .908 SV% and 3.18 GAA. His underlying metrics were strong, including 3.9 goals saved above average (GSAA) and a .565 quality start percentage, indicating that his development had returned to the right track.

Alas, this past season undid most of the positive steps he took a year ago. After starting the year as the backup again, Tarasov ended with a 7-10-2 record in 20 games, posting a .881 save percentage and a 3.54 goals against average, which caused his GSAA to drop to -10.5, resulting in the loss of his roster spot.

Given that Bobrovksy started 54 games for the Panthers during the 2024-25 season, and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, Tarasov should garner similar deployment next season. He’ll benefit from a stronger defensive core in front of him and may see his earning power grow before he becomes an unrestricted free agent before the 2026-27 NHL season.

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