These Pending UFAs Mishandled Their Prior Trips Through Free Agency
In the NHL, some players welcome the chance to bet on themselves when it comes to unrestricted free agency. But not every player likes taking that risk, because there is always the possibility that the bet doesn’t pay off or that the player and their representatives misjudge the market and miss out on a payday. Sometimes, these players land big contracts later in their careers, and that is the hope for the three players in this article, who are approaching free agency again this summer and have another chance to learn from their previous attempts and finally cash in.
The first player on this list and one of the most recent is Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Matt Grzelcyk, who had to settle for a PTO this past offseason after his market never materialized despite coming off a career year. Grzelcyk posted a goal and 39 assists last season, playing all 82 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and was projected by AFP Analytics to receive a three-year deal worth $3.77MM annually. However, he ended up with a PTO and eventually signed a one-year, $1MM deal.
It was clearly a massive disappointment for the 32-year-old, and it’s hard to say exactly what transpired in his negotiations. His market did not develop as expected, and his contract fell well below the projected market value. Nonetheless, it should have been evident to Grzelcyk’s representatives that his market probably wouldn’t be very strong after the Penguins were unable to trade him at last year’s trade deadline. Grzelcyk remained in Pittsburgh after the deadline despite the team being well out of the playoff picture at that point, which suggested that teams weren’t exactly eager to add him. In any case, Grzelcyk is a free agent once again this summer after a disappointing campaign with the Blackhawks, and it’s fair to wonder if he will get a multi-year deal this offseason. AFP Analytics has him pegged for a two-year deal worth $2.8MM per season, but that may be a touch optimistic given his struggles this year.
Another player who struggled to secure a contract last summer was forward Jack Roslovic. The then 28-year-old was coming off a solid year with Carolina, where he scored 22 goals and 17 assists in 81 games. While his scoring stats looked decent, Roslovic was not exactly a seamless fit with the Hurricanes and benefited from a 15.8% shooting rate, about 3% higher than his career average. For the second consecutive summer, it seemed Roslovic misjudged the free agent market but didn’t land as softly in 2024 as he did in Carolina. In summer 2024, Roslovic signed with the Hurricanes on July 4 for $2.8MM on a one-year deal, serving as a cautionary tale for players hitting the market in 2025. Roslovic was one of those players, and unfortunately for him, his luck was much worse this time, as he had to settle for another one-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers, this time for $1.5MM.
Roslovic was projected last summer to sign a three-year deal worth $4.094MM, making his contract just over 10% of his projected earnings. He eventually changed agents and signed a one-year contract, setting himself up to hit free agency again. This summer, AFP Analytics predicts he could land a four-year deal worth $4.434MM per season, and it seems more likely this will happen given his new agent and the rising salary cap, while the free-agent class remains very thin.
Now we come to John Klingberg of the San Jose Sharks, who just a few years ago was a top-pairing defenseman with the Dallas Stars and helped lead them to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2020. Back in 2021, much of the conversation around Klingberg centered on his impending free agency, and he and the Dallas Stars were engaged in contract talks to keep him in Dallas long term. At the time, Klingberg reportedly wanted over $60MM on an eight-year contract, which would have him around an $8MM AAV, and while some sources said he turned down $7MM a season, he never came close to reaching those numbers on his eventual contracts and never even sniffed that kind of long-term security.
Klingberg finally reached free agency in 2022 and had to settle for a one-year $7MM contract with the Anaheim Ducks, then followed it up with a one-year $4.15MM deal with Toronto. Last season, he played part of the year under a one-year $1.35MM contract with the Edmonton Oilers before signing a one-year $4MM deal this season in San Jose. Regardless of what the contract discussions were like with Dallas, Klingberg left tens of millions of dollars on the table and could have avoided the stress of moving teams five times. Additionally, he went from a low-tax state like Texas to high-tax states and provinces such as California and Ontario.
The NHL is full of cautionary tales regarding free agency. For example, defenseman Cody Franson is a case from a decade ago, and Thomas Vanek is another. More recent examples include Anthony Duclair and Evan Rodrigues, who eventually secured their contracts after a few seasons of uncertainty. This summer, players like Grzelcyk, Roslovic, and Klingberg hope to cash in and recover some of the money they left on the table. The salary cap is expected to rise, which should benefit them, but none of these players have performed at their best this season, so they may face another challenging period in free agency.
Devils Shutting Down Jacob Markstrom For Season
The Devils will not play starting goaltender Jacob Markström in their final three games of the season, head coach Sheldon Keefe said Friday.
Markström “gets the chance to go into the offseason without doing any further damage,” Keefe said, implying he’d been dealing with some lingering injuries. He’ll get a head start now to get back to 100% for training camp, presumably without needing surgery.
That certainly gives some context for the Devils’ decision to recall third-stringer Nico Daws from AHL Utica earlier today. He will split the remaining starts with backup Jake Allen, with the latter ticketed to play Saturday against the Red Wings and Daws slated to get New Jersey’s home finale on Sunday against the Senators.
Today closes the book on a forgettable season for Markström. After signing a two-year, $12MM extension early in the season, he proceeded to put his worst numbers since first emerging as a starting option with the Canucks back in 2017-18. He managed a 23-19-1 record in 43 starts but backed that up with a subpar .883 SV%, 3.07 GAA, and a quality start percentage of just .395. His -11.9 goals saved above expected are the ninth-worst in the league, per MoneyPuck.
Of course, those aforementioned injuries certainly played a part. Markström dealt with a lower-body injury in early October, and while he hasn’t missed a game since, it’s clear now that he was never back to 100%.
Markström was a top-10 goalie in the league for a decent chunk of his prime. On the heels of back-to-back average-at-best seasons in Newark, though, there’s a chance their successor to Tom Fitzgerald in the general manager’s chair might want to move on from his pending extension, particularly with Allen still putting up serviceable numbers and Daws looking excellent in his limited NHL action over the past two years.
If so, their options will be limited. Markström has a no-movement clause until July 1. When his extension kicks in, then he’ll be immediately owed a $1.5MM signing bonus while his movement production drops to a 20-team no-trade list. That could allow for a deal; if they don’t think they’ll find one, they could buy him out during the first window in June. That would leave him on their books for the next four years, but at a reduced cap hit of $3.25MM for 2026-27 and $1.75MM for the subsequent three seasons.
He could also very well be back in the starter’s crease in the fall. If the Devils don’t feel Daws is ready for a full-time role, there aren’t any undeniable upgrades on Markström available on this summer’s free agent market.
Ducks Extend GM Pat Verbeek
The Ducks have agreed to terms with general manager Pat Verbeek on a multi-year contract extension, the team announced Friday. The team has also promoted assistant GM Mike Stapleton to associate GM, with the title of senior VP of hockey operations added.
It’s a welcome reward for Verbeek, who’s built a good chunk of the current Ducks roster that has the franchise on the verge of its first postseason appearance in eight years. He took over at the top of Anaheim’s hockey ops department in February 2022 after spending several years under Steve Yzerman as an assistant GM with both the Lightning and the Red Wings.
Since then, he’s been aggressive in his pursuit of finishing up the Ducks’ rebuild. He’s made six first-round selections during that time. With Nathan Gaucher making his NHL debut recently, four of them have already logged game action. Two of them, Leo Carlsson in 2023 and Beckett Sennecke in 2024, are already among the team’s top three scorers. The other name in that mix, Cutter Gauthier, was the fifth overall pick in 2022 by the Flyers, but Verbeek acquired his signing rights in exchange for Jamie Drysdale two years later.
Over the past couple of offseasons, he’s been busy trying to insulate his still-developing young core with experienced talent. He’s made free-agent splashes for Mikael Granlund, Alex Killorn and captain Radko Gudas while weaponizing his cap space to acquire beleaguered names like Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba. His open-market record has been something of a mixed bag, but his trade history, particularly over the past two seasons, is difficult to argue with. He capped all of that work off by acquiring a likely Hall-of-Fame defenseman in John Carlson, albeit as a potential rental, at this year’s trade deadline.
Of Anaheim’s top 10 scorers, Verbeek has signed, drafted, or acquired seven of them. It’s fully his team now, especially after making his mark behind the bench last summer with the hiring of Joel Quenneville. As such, Ducks ownership had no intention of letting him reach the end of his contract without a new deal. Owners Henry and Susan Samueli said Verbeek has “turned the Ducks into what we believe are perennial contenders for the next decade.”
As for Stapleton, his promotion secures his Anaheim tenure should extend meaningfully into its second decade. The veteran of 697 NHL games never suited up in Orange County during his playing career, but has only been with the Ducks in his front-office work.
After several years of coaching in the OHL and AHL, Anaheim picked Stapleton up as a pro scout back in 2014. He was promoted to the team’s director of player personnel in 2022 before Verbeek bumped him up to an AGM role two years later.
Hurricanes Assign Pyotr Kochetkov On Conditioning Stint
Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov might be an option in the playoffs after all. The team announced today that they’ve assigned the netminder to AHL Chicago for a conditioning stint.
Kochetkov has been out since Dec. 20 after undergoing a lower-body surgery that was thought to be season-ending. He can now be in the minors for up to six days or three games, whichever comes first. Carolina will need to apply to the NHL for an extension if they want to keep him there past that.
The 26-year-old’s season was virtually over before it began. He first started dealing with the lower-body issue in training camp. It wasn’t initially expected to impact his regular-season availability, but he ended up not being able to make his season debut until November after looking good in one conditioning start in Chicago.
Kochetkov never got back to 100%, though. He was in and out of the lineup throughout the next several weeks. He made eight starts and one relief appearance, managing a 6-2-0 record with a .899 SV% and 2.33 GAA, before electing for surgery.
Kochetkov’s absence, plus the veteran Frederik Andersen‘s struggles, has paved the way for preseason waiver claim Brandon Bussi to fully claim the starter’s crease in Carolina ahead of the postseason. With him logging a 30-6-1 record in 37 starts with a .890 SV% and 2.52 GAA, there’s little question about who will be starting Game 1.
Still, those numbers are below average on the surface. They aren’t much better when taking a look behind the curtain. Out of the 48 goalies to play 30-plus games this season, Bussi’s -0.3 goals saved above expected ranks 26th, per MoneyPuck. He’s a middle-of-the-road starting option – still a great outcome from someone initially expected to be their third-stringer – but hasn’t been dominant by any stretch.
Kochetkov obviously wasn’t much better in his brief action earlier this season, and throwing him into the playoff fire after such a lengthy absence carries risk. He is, however, coming off a strong enough 2024-25 campaign that saw him log a 6.0 GSAx, and he’s made at least one playoff appearance for Carolina in each of the last four seasons.
Still, goaltending has been a persistent relative weak spot for the Canes this season and in past playoff runs. It stands to reason that Bussi, while overwhelmingly likely to take the crease for Game 1 later this month, will be on a short leash. If Kochetkov is available, that’s an even-better insurance policy for head coach Rod Brind’Amour.
Miro Heiskanen Undergoing Imaging To Evaluate Lower-Body Injury
The Stars lost Miro Heiskanen in last night’s win over the Wild with an apparent lower-body injury, toepicking as he received a hit from Minnesota center Ryan Hartman. He was never actually ruled out for the game – Dallas said he was questionable to return after he left in the first period – but it’s now clear he’ll miss at least one more contest tomorrow against the Rangers. General manager Jim Nill told Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News that the full extent of Heiskanen’s injury is still unknown and that he needs an MRI today to come up with a return timeline.
At this stage, anything more than a day-to-day or week-long designation would impact Heiskanen’s availability for the beginning of the playoffs. The Stars only have three regular-season games left and could begin their first-round series, which is already set against the Wild, as soon as eight days from now.
It’s not as if Heiskanen is the only injury Dallas’ back end is dealing with, either. Nils Lundkvist was scratched last night due to illness and remains day-to-day. Trade deadline pickup. Tyler Myers has missed three of the last five with an undisclosed injury and could sit out again this weekend after re-aggravating it, head coach Glen Gulutzan told Sam Nestler of DLLS Sports.
Those absences obviously pale in comparison to the prospect of losing Heiskanen, but the strain already on Dallas’ depth before the postseason starts is something worth monitoring. After knee surgery derailed Heiskanen’s season in January last year and kept him out until midway through the second round, he hasn’t missed a game due to injury this season. That’s allowed the 26-year-old to do some of his best work, racking up 54 assists and 63 points in 77 games. He’s averaging above 25 minutes per night for the third time in his career, ranks third on the team with 148 shots on goal, and has a team-high 39 takeaways as well.
Of course, the Stars managed to win one playoff round without Heiskanen’s services just last year. They surely hope they won’t have to do so again with the toughest path in the league through the first two rounds ahead of them.
If he does need to miss some playoff action, more will be needed out of Thomas Harley. The Stars have split him and Heiskanen up at even strength over the past couple of years, and while he looked like a true #1 in Heiskanen’s absence last season, he’s taken a step back in 2025-26. The 24-year-old has been limited to a 6-29–35 scoring line in 67 outings, his worst point-per-game output of his three full NHL seasons, and his possession numbers have taken a considerable hit. His 47.0 CF% and 51.9 xGF% are both career lows.
Penguins Sign Jake Livanavage To Entry-Level Deal
The Penguins signed undrafted free agent defenseman Jake Livanavage to a two-year, entry-level contract on Friday, per a team announcement. The contract begins immediately with a prorated cap hit of $975K, per PuckPedia. He’ll be greeted by a $97.5K signing bonus and a prorated salary of $877.5K. Those two figures carry into next season, joined by up to $250K in Schedule ‘A’ performance bonuses and a $85K salary if he’s in the AHL.
By signing a deal that begins now, Livanavage will report to Pittsburgh, not AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He is ineligible for an AHL assignment, nor will he be an option for the Pens in the playoffs since he wasn’t on their reserve list at the trade deadline. He is eligible to play in any of their three remaining regular-season contests, however, and will be a restricted free agent following the 2026-27 campaign.
Livanavage, 21, is a premier offensive threat who’s long been overlooked because of his 5’10”, 174-lb frame. Some scouts viewed him going as high as the third round when he was initially draft-eligible back in 2022, but he ended up falling through the cracks for several years.
During that time, he made the jump from the USHL’s Chicago Steel to the University of North Dakota, where he’s emerged as one of the NCAA’s top blue-liners. He was the Fighting Hawks’ clear-cut #1 option this season on a team that saw its season come to an end at the hands of Wisconsin in last night’s national semifinal, racking up a 5-20–25 scoring line in 39 games with a career-best +15 rating.
Livanavage has received year-end All-Star consideration in the NCHC in every season of his collegiate career. The junior logged over 25 minutes per night for North Dakota this season en route to his second regular-season conference title.
If he carves out an NHL role, it’ll likely be as a bottom-pairing piece at even strength and as a power-play specialist. The Penguins do have some long-term uncertainty on the left side and would presumably like to develop a succession plan to replace the declining Kris Letang as the second-unit power play quarterback. He could get a brief look there if he dresses down the stretch before competing for a roster spot in the fall.
Frank Seravalli of Victory+ was first to report that Livanavage was signing with Pittsburgh.
Flames Sign Abram Wiebe To Entry-Level Deal
1:15 p.m.: The Flames have officially announced Wiebe’s signing. Per PuckPedia, it’s actually a cap hit of $950K that carries an NHL salary of $855K, a $95K signing bonus, and a minors salary of $82.5K each season. He’ll be owed a $940.5K qualifying offer upon expiry in 2027 as a 10.2(c) player.
10:48 a.m.: The Flames are expected to sign defense prospect Abram Wiebe to his entry-level contract, per reports from Frank Seravalli of Victory+ and Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet 960. It will be a two-year deal that will take effect immediately, carrying a prorated cap hit of $980K and making him a restricted free agent following the 2026-27 season.
Wiebe’s junior season at the University of North Dakota came to an end Thursday afternoon as the Fighting Hawks were upset in the NCAA national semifinals by Wisconsin. Calgary had acquired the 22-year-old’s signing rights from the Golden Knights in January as part of the Rasmus Andersson deal. He was a seventh-round pick in Vegas in 2022, then out of the Chilliwack Chiefs of the junior-level British Columbia Hockey League.
The 6’3″, 209-lb lefty has had a good run at North Dakota over the past few years. After being named the BCHL’s top defenseman and a first-team All-Star in 2022-23, he compiled a 10-53–63 scoring line with a +25 rating in 118 career outings for the Fighting Hawks.
He capped things off with a 29-point, +13 showing in 40 games this season as an alternate captain, serving as their #2 defenseman behind undrafted free agent Jake Livanavage and playing over 20 minutes a night. He made it onto the NCHC’s second All-Star team and helped propel the Fighting Hawks to their second regular-season conference championship in his three years with the program.
Needless to say, Wiebe turns pro carrying more prestige than a standard seventh-rounder. He’s the #9 prospect in a Calgary pool that ranks top-three in the league, according to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, and is of particular long-term importance to a club without much current or future depth on the left side of their blue line.
Their current group of lefties consists of Kevin Bahl, Olli Määttä, Joel Hanley and Yan Kuznetsov – all of whom are signed through at least next season. Bahl and Hanley are currently injured, though, so there’s an immediate opportunity for Wiebe to step into a third-pairing role behind Kuznetsov and Määttä for the final four games of the season.
New York Islanders May Retain Patrick Roy
Even after firing him as the head coach a few days ago, the relationship between the New York Islanders and Patrick Roy may not be fully severed. According to Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News (and first reported by ESPN’s Emily Kaplan), there is a growing likelihood that the Islanders will retain Roy in a scouting capacity.
Although General Manager Mathieu Darche was discontent with Roy leading the Islanders from the bench, he never grew discontent with Roy personally or professionally. In the report, Rosner said, “Darche & Roy became incredibly close over this season. Roy has great respect & admiration for the org, the players here, so it wouldn’t shock me if he stayed onboard in some capacity.”
If the Islanders do retain Roy as a scout, it would be the first time he’s been employed in the role in his post-playing career. Still, even as a “rookie” scout, Roy has as much professional experience as you could want.
Even without factoring in his illustrious 19-year playing career, Roy has been involved in the game at various levels since. After retiring following the 2002-03 season, Roy became the Vice President of Hockey Operations for the QMJHL’s Québec Remparts, where he also owned the franchise.
Until becoming the head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, Roy also served as the Remparts General Manager and head coach. Following his departure from the Avalanche in 2016, Roy returned to his role with the Remparts, where he stayed until taking the job with the Islanders.
Given his experience at various levels of the game, Roy should have no issues being a productive scout at the amateur or professional setting. Still, it takes two to tango, and no reports indicate that Roy would be interested in a scouting role. The NHL offseason is only a few months away, and Roy will likely make a firm decision over the summer.
Detroit Red Wings Recall Michal Postava
Following up on last night’s update that John Gibson wouldn’t return to the game for the Detroit Red Wings, the team provided indirect confirmation that Gibson’s short-term outlook isn’t great. Detroit announced that they’ve recalled netminder Michal Postava from AHL Grand Rapids under emergency conditions.
As PHR’s Bradley Keith explained yesterday evening, “Gibson was run into by Philadelphia’s Owen Tippett, ending his night after 30:40 in the crease, giving up two goals on 15 shots.” Depending on the severity of Gibson’s injury, he could miss the Red Wings’ remaining three games of the regular season over the next five days.
Without Gibson, any remaining chances of making the playoffs would be significantly diminished. In late February, Detroit had over an 80% chance of making the postseason. After their third consecutive collapse in March, their chances stand at 6% according to MoneyPuck.
If they’re officially eliminated over the next few days, and Gibson remains out with injury, there is a chance Postava could make his NHL debut. After an impressive performance with HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga last season, the Red Wings signed Postava ahead of the current campaign.
Playing second fiddle to top goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa in Grand Rapids, the 24-year-old Postava has made a promising introduction to North American hockey. In 23 games for the Griffins, Postava has managed a 15-6-0 record with a .935 SV% and 1.78 GAA, including three shutouts.
Assuming the Red Wings let veteran Cam Talbot pursue greener pastures this summer, and Cossa makes Detroit’s roster out of training camp, Postava should assume the starting role in Grand Rapids. If his early signs are any indication of what’s to come, he should have no issue managing a heavier workload next year.
Red Wings Assign Jesse Kiiskinen To AHL
According to a team announcement, the Detroit Red Wings have assigned Finnish prospect Jesse Kiiskinen to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Kiiskinen will play the brief remainder of the 2025-26 regular season and Calder Cup playoffs with the Griffins.
In Scott Wheeler’s updated prospect rankings list on The Athletic, Kiiskinen clocked in as Detroit’s 15th-ranked prospect in a top-five farm system. He is one of the few on that list who wasn’t drafted under Steve Yzerman‘s regime.
Kiiskinen was drafted by the Nashville Predators with the 68th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft. He was moved a year later in a peculiar trade with the Red Wings, who sent defensive prospect and recent second-round pick Andrew Gibson to the Predators for Kiiskinen and Tampa Bay’s 2024 second-round pick.
The jury is out on which team ultimately won the rare prospect-for-prospect trade, but the early returns are good for Detroit. Although Gibson has had a solid start to his AHL career, Kiiskinen tore up the Finnish Liiga with HPK the last two years.
During his age 19 and 20 seasons, Kiiskinen scored 31 goals and recorded 72 points in 100 games, achieving a +2 rating. For many North American fans unfamiliar with Finnish hockey, his breakout performance a few years ago at the IIHF World Junior Championships stands out. While playing for Team Finland, he scored six goals and recorded seven points in seven games, contributing to Finland’s silver medal finish in the tournament.
Still, as solid as his production in the Finnish professional circuit has been, he’ll have to continue that trajectory in Michigan. The Red Wings have a glut of forward prospects in the AHL with similar potential, with only so many spots on the roster. If he wants to get an edge on his coworkers, he’ll have to continue his impressive scoring pace.