Contract Talks For Evgeni Malkin To Now Occur After The Season
Heading into the season, it was expected that the Penguins would work on figuring out what’s next for Evgeni Malkin by talking to his camp during the Olympic break. That break has come and gone and those discussions have happened but evidently, no decisions have been made yet. Instead, he told reporters following yesterday’s game, including NHL.com’s Wes Crosby, that contract talks between the two sides will now occur after the season:
I don’t know if it’s a secret or not, but we talked a little bit with J.P. a couple days ago. Just said, ‘Wait until the end of the season and see what’s going on.’ Nothing I can say right now.
Malkin is in the final season of a four-year, $24MM contract and heading into the season, it felt like this might be the time when he moves on. Pittsburgh appeared to be heading into a rebuild and while he’s certainly a fan favorite, carrying a soon-to-be 40-year-old during a rebuild doesn’t make a lot of sense.
But things have changed since then. Instead of being near the bottom of the standings, the Penguins find themselves squarely in a playoff spot, sitting second in the Metropolitan Division. Even without Sidney Crosby for the next few weeks at least, GM Kyle Dubas isn’t likely to be the heavy seller he was expected to be just a few months ago. If anything, they might be looking to add a piece or two to their roster.
That will justify the decision to effectively kick the decision on Malkin’s future down the road for a little while longer. The number two selection back in 2004, Malkin has spent his entire 20-year career in Pittsburgh and is heading for a first-ballot entry into the Hall of Fame down the road.
While he isn’t the 100-plus-point player that he was in his prime, Malkin has had somewhat of a resurgent showing under new head coach Dan Muse this season. He has 13 goals and 34 assists in 44 games this season, putting him over the point per game mark. If he can maintain that, it’ll be the 16th time he reaches that plateau and the first since 2022-23.
Malkin has made it clear on multiple occasions that he doesn’t want to leave Pittsburgh. At this stage of his career, should he receive another contract, it’s likely to be a one-year pact. Given his output this season, there’s a case to be made that it should check in around his current $6MM AAV while he’d also be eligible for potential performance bonuses on a one-year pact if the Penguins needed some extra cap flexibility. But instead of having more clarity on that front heading into this week’s trade deadline, he’ll have to wait at least a couple of months longer to get it.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Toronto Maple Leafs
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 Atlantic Division, last up are the Maple Leafs.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Current Cap Hit: $94,621,472 (under the $95.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Easton Cowan (three years, $873.5K)
After a strong junior career, Cowan made the jump directly to the NHL and has been a capable player in a limited role. They’ll be hoping that he can move into a top-six role before too long (potentially as soon as next season) which could change his trajectory quickly. At this point, it seems more likely that he’d get a bridge deal (potentially in the $3MM to $4MM range) but if he becomes a top-six piece fairly soon and sticks, he could also wind up with a longer-term deal which could cost as much as double that amount.
Signed Through 2025-26, Non-Entry-Level
D Matt Benning ($1.25MM, UFA)
F Calle Jarnkrok ($2.1MM, UFA)
F Scott Laughton ($1.5MM, RFA)*
F Matias Maccelli ($3.425MM, RFA)
F Bobby McMann ($1.35MM, UFA)
F Nicholas Robertson ($1.825MM, RFA)
D Troy Stecher ($787.5K, UFA)
*-Philadelphia is retaining an additional $1.5MM on Laughton’s contract.
Maccelli was brought in from Utah in the hopes that he’d help replace some of the playmaking that left when Mitch Marner went to Vegas. Instead, he has bounced up and down and even in and out of the lineup as a healthy scratch at times while not producing as much as they hoped for. Owed a $4.11MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights, he’s a strong non-tender candidate unless they work out a cheaper deal closer to his current price before then. Laughton has seen his production tumble since joining Toronto. However, he’s still a strong defensive player and is having a career year at the faceoff dot. That should be enough to earn him at least a small raise on a multi-year pact even with his offensive struggles.
Jarnkrok is not the impactful utility player he was earlier in his career, resulting in several healthy scratches. If he doesn’t wind up going back overseas this summer, he’s probably looking at a contract closer to the league minimum. Robertson has taken some strides this season, putting him on pace for a career year while having arbitration rights this summer. A jump to the $3MM range isn’t unrealistic as a result.
McMann will be one of the more intriguing UFA options this summer, especially since a lot of the top players have already re-signed. Barring injury, he’s a lock for his second straight 20-goal season and will get there despite playing time that is in the low end for a second liner and is more like a high-end third liner. Tripling his current price seems quite likely; a bidding war could push it into the $5MM range.
Benning hasn’t been up with Toronto for most of the season and only gets a passing mention here because $100K is on their books as a dead cap charge while he’s with the Marlies. Stecher, meanwhile, has been a very serviceable waiver claim from Edmonton, going from a fringe blueliner to someone logging 20 minutes a night. Still, given how he has bounced around and is generally viewed as more of a depth player, he probably won’t get a huge boost on his next deal. Doubling this could be doable, however, which would be a nice outcome for someone who was on waivers just a few months ago.
Signed Through 2026-27
D Simon Benoit ($1.35MM, UFA)
D Brandon Carlo ($3.485MM, UFA)*
D Philippe Myers ($850K, UFA)
F Nicolas Roy ($3MM, UFA)
*-Boston is retaining an additional $615K on Carlo’s contract.
Roy came over from Vegas in the Marner sign-and-trade and has basically been the effective third liner he has been for most of his career. The price tag for those types of players has ticked up in recent years and should continue to do so in a more inflated cap environment. A bump to the $4MM territory could be doable while Laughton’s next contract this coming summer could serve as a good indicator of where Roy’s could land.
Toronto paid a high price to land Carlo at the trade deadline last season and it hasn’t quite worked out so far. Never a big point producer, even his defensive game has slipped a bit. Even so, he’ll be UFA-eligible at the age of 30 and is a big, right-shot player. Those elements should still land him a raise unless his play really falls off a cliff between now and then. A multi-year pact in the $4.5MM range might be the floor right now with a bump up from that if his performance rebounds next season.
Benoit has been a serviceable third-pairing player for most of his career but his limitations are well-known. It’s plausible that he stays in this area (even a jump to $1.5MM or so wouldn’t be surprising) but it seems unlikely that he’d command more than that unless he suddenly becomes more of a top-four option. Myers was once a quality prospect in Philadelphia but has been more of a fringe player in recent years. He’s likely to stay at the minimum salary and even securing a one-way deal isn’t a guarantee at this point.
Signed Through 2027-28
F Max Domi ($3.75MM, UFA)
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Dakota Joshua ($3.25MM, UFA)
F Steven Lorentz ($1.35MM, UFA)
F Auston Matthews ($13.25MM, UFA)
G Joseph Woll ($3.67MM, UFA)
Matthews has opted for a shorter-term contract in each of his two non-entry-level negotiations. The idea was that doing so set him up best for a big payday. It worked the first time as this deal was briefly the record-setter for AAV. It’s hard to project that happening again, knowing some other contracts that have since been signed (and others to come) but if Matthews is open to a long-term pact this time around, a jump past the $15MM mark could be realistic, as long as his offensive drop this season isn’t a sign of things to come. However, if he wants another shorter-term agreement, the price tag could run a little higher but still not challenge for another league record.
Domi’s first season in Toronto was good enough to land him the multi-year commitment that he had been seeking for a while. Things haven’t gone as well since then, however. While he’s a strong playmaker, his lack of goals, a smaller stature, and a penchant for penalties could result in his market being more restricted than most again. Barring an improvement in his production over the next couple of years, he might have a hard time matching this price and term on his next contract.
Joshua was acquired over the offseason from Vancouver with the hopes that a change of scenery could get him back to his 2023-24 level. That hasn’t exactly happened as he has played more like a fourth liner making third-line money. He will need to rebound considerably in the back half of the deal to have any chance of matching this on his next contract. Lorentz rebounded well last season after a limited 2023-24 campaign in Florida and was able to earn some stability with this deal. For a fourth liner who can kill penalties, this is a reasonable contract but with his limited offensive upside, he’s probably not going to be able to command much more down the road.
Ekman-Larsson opted for stability as well back in 2024 with this deal, a four-year pact that takes him through his age-36 season. After a more limited role in Florida following a buyout from Vancouver, he has been deployed regularly in a top-four role and has thrived. Given how much he has played over the years, there could be some concern of him slowing down at the back of the contract but right now, this is definitely one of their better bargains.
When healthy, Woll has looked like a legitimate NHL starting goaltender. However, staying healthy has been a challenge in recent years which has limited his earnings upside. If he has a good year or two on this deal and can play 50-plus games, doubling this price tag is certainly realistic. However, if he continues to be in the 35-40-game range (either through injuries or being in a straight platoon), Woll might be more in the $5MM territory moving forward.
Panthers Activate Dmitry Kulikov
The Panthers welcomed back a veteran blueliner to their lineup for tonight’s game against the Islanders. Prior to puck drop, the team announced that Dmitry Kulikov was activated off long-term injured reserve. To make room on the roster, winger Cole Schwindt was placed on injured reserve.
Kulikov has been a steadying piece of Florida’s back end since joining them for the 2023-24 season. Last season, he logged more than 19 minutes a night during the regular season while suiting up in every game in their Stanley Cup run, playing heavy defensive minutes along the way.
Unfortunately for them, Kulikov suffered an upper-body injury in the second game of this season back in October and has been out of the lineup since then. With Seth Jones still out on their back end, Kulikov will be counted on to play a big role defensively once again once he’s up to speed from a conditioning standpoint.
With his activation, Florida’s LTIR pool is now shrunk by Kulikov’s $1.15MM AAV. Per PuckPedia, they have a little over $1.4MM available to them in spending, and that’s with Jones, Aleksander Barkov, Jonah Gadjovich, and Tomas Nosek all on there. That amount will go up by $775K on Monday when Luke Kunin, who is currently on waivers, is either claimed or sent to the minors.
The pool could be expanded a little more if the team needs additional flexibility as Schwindt is expected to be out long-term as well. The 24-year-old suffered a lower-body injury on Thursday against Toronto and has three goals and one assist in 22 games this season. He needs to play in eight more games this season (between regular season and the playoffs, should Florida find a way to squeak in) for Florida to retain his RFA rights. If not, he’ll become a Group Six unrestricted free agent in July.
Kraken Sign Ryden Evers
March 1st is the first day of the league year that teams can officially sign players to future deals that begin the following season. Seattle is among the teams that had a deal ready as the team announced that they’ve signed center Ryden Evers to a three-year, entry-level contract. PuckPedia reports that the deal will carry a $1.075MM AAV and will break down as follows:
2026-27: $922.5K NHL salary, $102.5K signing bonus, $85K AHL salary
2027-28: $967.5K NHL salary, $107.5K signing bonus, $85K AHL salary
2028-29: $1.0125MM NHL salary, $112.5K signing bonus, $85K AHL salary
Evers was not drafted and was expected to play at Clarkson University next season, having committed to play there a little over two months ago. However, he evidently had a change of heart when the Kraken put this deal on the table.
Evers has spent the last two seasons with the Penticton Vees, playing in two separate leagues. The Vees were in the BCHL in 2024-25 and he finished 13th in league scoring with 24 goals and 36 assists in 54 games. This season, that team is part of the WHL and Evers has been a bit more productive, tallying 31 goals and 38 helpers in 60 games, good for 17th in league scoring.
It would be surprising to see an undrafted free agent make the jump to the NHL right away next season so Evers is likely ticketed for AHL Coachella Valley. Seattle has some strong organizational depth down the middle so he should get a chance to slowly acclimated to what will be his third straight year of playing in a different league in 2026-27.
Nashville Predators Hesitant, But Need To Sell
With the trade deadline five days away, bubble teams in both conferences are faced with the difficult balance between buying and selling. One such club, the Nashville Predators, have some intriguing assets but as they sit one spot out of a Wild Card spot, it may be a quieter week than fans hope. Insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet discussed the dilemma on last Friday’s episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast. With GM Barry Trotz stepping down, and new ownership coming in, throwing in the towel on the season while close to the playoffs may be hard to justify.
The Predators’ most valuable trade asset is likely Ryan O’Reilly. However, as mentioned by Friedman on February 28th’s edition of Saturday Headlines, while teams are trying to tempt Nashville to make a move, they’re treating the veteran Stanley Cup winner with deserved respect, giving him control of the situation. It is thought that O’Reilly does not wish to move.
O’Reilly, 35, plays a vital role on the Predators, leading the team with 57 points in 59 games, a factor on both ends of the ice. Outside of him, Nashville is extremely thin down the middle. Such is an issue which will need to be addressed this summer, but until then, losing him would effectively be a punt on the season. O’Reilly is still signed through next season at a steal of a $4.5MM cap hit, meaning a deal could be revisited this time next year, but now is a time where the Predators could sell at peak value, with a bidding war, and finally committing to a rebuild.
Outside of O’Reilly, Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos are consistently thrown around. However, just a few days ago, Stamkos emphasized that he has no intention of waiving his no-movement clause. That’s hardly an issue, as the future Hall of Famer just hit the 30 goal mark on the year, already surpassing last year’s 27 total, as Stamkos played in all 82 games. Signed through 2027-28, it’s likely Stamkos will end up somewhere else before he hangs up his skates, but it won’t be now. The 36-year-old is a key leader for the group, performance aside.
Meanwhile, Marchessault would welcome a fresh start. He has just 17 points on the year, the Conn Smythe winner at times deployed alongside fourth line grinders Cole Smith and Michael McCarron. The issue is that the 35-year-old is signed a year longer than Stamkos, at $5.5MM, to go with trade protection. It’s difficult to imagine a scenario where the Predators could get out of the contract without taking back an unfavorable one, nor using their final salary retention spot, due to the contract duration. Even if the return is not pretty, a move would be in their best interest, doing the veteran right and allowing 21-year-old top prospect Joakim Kemell to finally have a chance.
Otherwise, defensemen Nicklaus Perbix has been reported as to having a market, along with Erik Haula, Michael Bunting, and McCarron. While they’d bring considerably less than a player such as O’Reilly, at the very least, Trotz would be wise to cash in on his pending UFA forwards. Keeping all of them, along with Perbix, in the hopes of a playoff run would be shortsighted.
The Predators have a -28 goal differential, sitting with a 27-24-8 record. Even if they can squeak into the playoffs, they’d be rewarded with a match-up against Colorado or Vegas, an uphill battle to say the least.
Never wanting to give up is admirable of Trotz, yet at the same time, his Predators have not won a playoff round since 2018, while also having just one top five selection in the past decade (Brady Martin, 5th, 2025). Throughout his tenure as head coach of the franchise from 1998-2014, Nashville always fought into the playoffs, but were outlasted by franchises with superior talent. Now, those rivals have gone through entire tear downs and rebuilds, setting themselves up for another decade of success while the Predators remain in the murky middle.
Trotz has assembled a deep prospect core which was kick-started by the team’s first wave of selling off, but they still lack the high end talent to get over the hump. It may be an issue left for the next GM to solve. Set to walk away sooner than expected, Trotz is likely tempted by the idea of a storybook ending, but he has the opportunity to taking advantage of a seller’s market and close the book on his 19 years with the organization set up for the future, even if it means hard decisions this week.
Image Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Wild, Flyers Swap Boris Katchouk, Roman Schmidt
The Wild announced this evening that they’ve acquired defenseman Roman Schmidt from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for forward Boris Katchouk. Both players will report to their respective AHL clubs, sharing the distinction of being former notable Tampa Bay Lightning draft selections.
Even more interesting, both players started the campaign with the Lightning organization, being traded away separately, and now swapped for each other, as pointed out by Eduardo A. Encina of The Tampa Bay Times.
Katchouk, 27, is the more recognizable name in the deal with 179 NHL games under his belt. Selected in the second round by Tampa in the 2016 draft, the Vancouver native was thought to have safe middle six potential with raw scoring upside. Much like several other forwards chosen in his range of that draft, things did not materialize for Katchouk, who is now a full time AHLer. He was part of the Brandon Hagel trade in 2022, managing to skate in 117 games as a Blackhawk from 2021-24, but recording just 26 points. Katchouk’s possession metrics at even strength were far below league average, albeit on a hardcore rebuilding team.
He was then claimed off waivers by Ottawa in 2024, notching four points in 21 games but not getting another contract. Katchouk spent all of 2024-25 in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he had his best professional season, with 49 points in 67 games. The efforts brought him back to his original club, but after just a few months, he was traded to the Wild organization for Michael Milne, who was a former third rounder who managed to skate in a game for the Wild last year.
Set to finish the season with Lehigh Valley, Katchouk departs the AHL’s bottom ranked team in Iowa, but his new club is not necessarily a contender, as the Flyers farmhands are ranked 22nd.
Positive news considering their place in the standings, meanwhile Iowa gets younger with the acquisition of Schmidt. The 23-year-old is also under team control as a restricted free agent this summer. Drafted in the third round back in 2021 by Tampa Bay, Schmidt was traded in early December for Ethan Samson, a fringe sixth round drafted prospect. A Michigan native out of the OHL, Schmidt has just one helper across 29 AHL contests this year between Syracuse and Lehigh Valley. A 6’5″ righty, he brings physicality and racks up PIMs. He is a longshot to become an NHLer at this point, but Schmidt brings a boost to the struggling Iowa Wild who have been thin on the back end.
Injury Notes: Stone, Jones, Eriksson Ek, Foligno
Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone left this afternoon’s action in Pittsburgh and did not return. After the game head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters, including SinBin.vegas, it was upper-body, with no real update until tomorrow.
It seemed to be an innocuous play, where Kris Letang simply bumped into him for position in the neutral zone, but Stone went to the bench immediately. His day ended after just 6:06 on the ice. It’s not clear at this time if the ailment is related to his wrist issue which has bothered the star throughout the season.
When healthy, the 33-year-old has continued to play at an elite level, with 60 points in just 42 games. Already placed on LTIR once earlier this year, as well as in the past, it will be curious to see what comes next for the veteran with the trade deadline looming.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Panthers defenseman Seth Jones was spotted this morning at practice in a regular jersey, per Jameson Olive, Director of Digital Platforms for the team. The 31-year-old is working his way back from his upper-body injury which happened during the Winter Classic and has now shed the non-contact jersey. Unfortunately, the ailment cost the Texas native a spot on the eventual Olympic gold winning Team USA, as Jackson LaCombe took his place. Nonetheless, Jones will provide a big boost to a Panthers group which is seeking to defy the odds and claw their way back into the playoffs after a season ravaged by injuries. The veteran figures to return sometime this week, but Florida is currently on a four game road trip running through Friday.
- Minnesota Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek is good to go today against the Blues, head coach John Hynes shared, later posted by the team. The center took a high stick close to his eye on Friday, the team recalling Tyler Pitlick in case he was unable to play. Eriksson Ek has played in 54 of the club’s 60 games so far, posting 42 points. Pitlick is still in the lineup however, as Marcus Foligno is absent with a lower-body injury per the team. The 34-year-old has shown signs of offensive regression this year with just six goals in 48 games, but he’s still a vital leader for the group, 77 games away from reaching the 1,000 mark. Foligno could return as soon as Tuesday against Tampa Bay.
Kings Recall Kenny Connors, Loan Angus Booth To AHL
Somewhat overshadowed after firing their coach this morning, the Los Angeles Kings called up prospect Kenny Connors from AHL Ontario, while Angus Booth has been loaned back in a corresponding transaction. The news was shared by the Ontario Reign (Twitter Link).
Selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft by Los Angeles, Connors concluded his collegiate career at UMass-Amherst, entering the professional stage this year. The 22-year-old has 29 points in 49 AHL games, tied for fifth on the team, and also tied for 10th among league rookies. Prior to the campaign, Connors came just short of the club’s top 10 prospect list by Steven Ellis of The Daily Faceoff, but his AHL performance since then has been hard to miss.
Connors earned a call up in late January, but was unable to get into a game, as he still awaits his NHL debut. Disappointingly, he was scratched against his hometown team the Flyers, and was quietly reassigned not long after.
Never exploding offensively at UMass-Amherst, with a career high of 29 points in his final college season, the Pennsylvania native’s two-way acumen has resulted in a quick call up. Even if his expectation shattering point totals don’t last, Connors has the tools to become a solid role player for the Kings.
On the other hand, Booth is headed back down after also not yet making his debut. The defenseman was actually selected 13 spots after Connors in 2022. He was recalled just yesterday, as Andrei Kuzmenko landed on injured reserve with a week-to-week designation. Booth simply served as an extra body, not expected to play, where he’ll now return to Ontario where he’s posted 10 points and 26 penalty minutes in 42 games. Still just 21, the Montreal native plays a steady shutdown role, perhaps needing to build more strength to emerge as a full time NHLer.
Now set to host Colorado tomorrow night with Jim Hiller gone and associate D.J. Smith stepping in as interim head coach, Connors could finally get a look in the team’s bottom six sometime this week.
Penguins Recall Filip Hallander From Conditioning Loan
3/1: Pittsburgh has recalled Hallander from his conditioning loan. He scored one goal in three games with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Hallander will remain on injured reserve, but has been recalled to undergo evaluation and testing as he recovers from blood clots earlier in the season.
2/18: The Penguins announced Wednesday that they’ve assigned forward Filip Hallander to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a conditioning loan. Since Hållander is on standard injured reserve and not long-term injured reserve, the loan can last for up to two weeks for him to get back into game shape.
Hallander’s return to the ice comes more than three months after the 25-year-old was diagnosed with a blood clot in his leg. He was ruled out for at least three months at the time, so his pending return to game action in the minors roughly comes on schedule.
Hallander participated in NHL practice yesterday after the Penguins were eligible to reconvene, so it stands to reason his time in the AHL should be more game-focused than practice-focused since he’s already got one under his belt. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has three games on the schedule before Pittsburgh makes its post-Olympic debut on Feb. 26. One of them is against Springfield tonight, meaning Hallander is more likely to suit up at least once during their back-to-back against Bridgeport this weekend.
A second-round pick back in 2018, Hallander is already in his third stint in the Pittsburgh organization. He was traded to the Maple Leafs in 2020 for Kasperi Kapanen, only to be re-acquired the following summer in the Jared McCann deal. He then opted to return to Timrå IK in his native Sweden following the 2022-23 campaign, but the Pens retained his signing rights with a qualifying offer. After Hallander was named the SHL’s Forward of the Year in 2024-25, he activated the NHL out-clause in his deal with Timrå and returned to Pittsburgh on a two-year, league-minimum contract.
Hallander made Pittsburgh’s opening night roster and, after being a healthy scratch on opening night, got into 13 straight games before the blood clot took him out of the lineup. He recorded the first four points of his NHL career – a goal and three assists – with a +4 rating while averaging 13:09 of ice time per game. He slotted in at left wing up and down the lineup, as high as first-line duties with Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust and as low as fourth-line reps with Blake Lizotte and Connor Dewar.
The rookie had decent even-strength possession impacts and averaged about a minute per game on the penalty kill, but with Pittsburgh’s forward group fully healthy coming out of the break, it’s hard to see where he fits into the lineup. Egor Chinakhov was acquired from the Blue Jackets while Hallander was out and, with 12 points in 18 games, has solidified his spot alongside countryman Evgeni Malkin on the second line. Veteran Noel Acciari slots in with Lizotte and Dewar, and that trio has some of the best defensive metrics in the league. In all likelihood, he’ll serve as a versatile plug-and-play extra for the stretch run while allowing prospects like Avery Hayes and Rutger McGroarty more seasoning in the AHL.
Golden Knights Sign Alex Weiermair To Entry-Level Contract
The Vegas Golden Knights have signed 19-year-old forward Alex Weiermair to a three-year, entry-level contract. Weiermair currently leads the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks in scoring with 32 goals and 75 points in 57 games.
Weiermair moved to the WHL partway through the 2024-25 season after a slow start to his sophomore year at the University of Denver. He only notched eight points in 33 games with the Pioneers, continuing a trend for muted scoring that followed him through AAA and two years with the U.S. National Team Development Program. But now in the CHL, it seems the physical winger has finally found his stride. He reached 21 goals and 46 points in 41 games with Portland to close off 2025. That show of offense, mixed with Weiermair’s 6-foot-2 and 207-pound frame, was enough to convince Vegas to draft him in the sixth-round of last year’s draft.
One season later, the Golden Knights will vindicate Weiermair’s selection with his first pro contract. This deal will remove Weiermair’s eligibility to return to college, likely setting him up to move to the AHL after his CHL eligibility ends at the end of this season. In moving to the Henderson Silver Knights, Weiermair will join many other hard-hitting Vegas prospects, including Ben Hemmerling, Kai Uchacz, and Trevor Connelly.