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Big Names Stay Patient As Extension Talks Loom

August 24, 2025 at 2:16 pm CDT | by Paul Griser 3 Comments

As the extension market heats up, several big-name forwards are staying patient while the landscape continues to reset, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on his 32 Thoughts podcast.

Several key players have one year remaining on their deals, making now an opportunity for extensions to be handed out. But with the new season quickly approaching, players like Jack Eichel, Alex Tuch, and Kyle Connor are expected to wait and see how the market develops.

In Eichel’s case, Friedman said he would be “shocked” if the forward doesn’t remain with the Vegas Golden Knights long-term. However, that isn’t stopping the 28-year-old from trying to maximize the value of his next extension. Coming off a career-high 94-point season, Eichel is entering the final year of his contract, which carries a $10 million AAV — a number that’s likely to rise with any future extension.

Friedman believes players like Tuch and Connor are in similar situations. Both are coming off what could be considered the best seasons of their careers, and both have one year remaining on their current contracts. Tuch matched a career high with 36 goals last season for the Sabres, while Connor finished just three points shy of 100 with the Jets.

“I think this whole group of players, they’re all feeling it out,” Friedman said. “Everyone is feeling it out to see how the market resets.”

Friedman feels the extension market will start to pick up after a relatively slow summer and believes Frank Nazar’s recent seven-year extension with the Blackhawks will help speed things along. While Nazar’s situation differs from that of established veterans — the 21-year-old has played just 56 career NHL games — his lengthy extension still offers a useful benchmark for veterans during negotiations.

“And that Nazar one, one of the reasons we found out about that one before the Blackhawks announced it was because there was some talk here about how this was a big deal. This is a precedent-setting deal,” Friedman said.

Maple Leafs’ Matthew Knies Could Be Beneficiary Of Marner Move

August 24, 2025 at 12:19 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley 4 Comments

The conversation of which forward will step up for the Toronto Maple Leafs is beginning to grow as players reconvene for training camp. Toronto lost 100-point scorer Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights, and failed to find a suitable replacement on the open market. That will leave the task of filling Marner’s shoes to one of the Leafs’ current stars. Left-winger Matthew Knies dubbed William Nylander as the best bet in an interview with Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun. But following a true breakout performance last year, Knies could be the one best setup for another big step.

Knies found his way in the Maple Leafs lineup with a career-high 58 points, split evenly, in 78 games. He found his way onto Toronto’s top line at the age of just 22, becoming the heavy play-driver behind Auston Matthews and Marner. The star-studded company helped Knies reach a lofty 19.1 shooting percentage that will be tough to maintain, but his habits of driving hard into the slot will become a defining trait.

That style complements the similar heft and drive of Nylander, who has spearheaded one of the best second lines in the league next to passer John Tavares. Nylander reached a career-high 45 goals last season, after two seasons of scoring 40 goals. He’s undeniably a star on the rise, though on the back of stepping up as the #1 of his own line – rather than playing along Toronto’s other stars.

That independent ability could convince head coach Craig Berube to leave Nylander separate from the top line. The Swedish star wouldn’t commit to a role when asked, saying his only plans for next year are to dominate the minutes he does receive. If Nylander doesn’t elevate to the top line, Knies will confidently move into the line’s role of #2 behind Matthews. The responsibilities of that status will include teeing up Matthews, and burying the rebounds that his heavy shots generate.

Even on the back of a sky-high shooting percentage, Knies seems well-equipped to match that bill. He showed might in all three layers of the offensive zone, and is still incredibly early in his professional development. The help of a skilled passer, like Matias Maccelli, or the reserved grit of a player like Nicolas Roy could be enough support to let Knies dig in his feet as the star Toronto needs.

A ramp into more responsibility is exactly what Knies is due for after flashing as a 30-goal hopeful last season. He faces a tough task in maintaining his performance from last season, and an even tougher test in finding ways to improve. But in a lineup looking for a big performance, Knies could be the one holding the most potential. Growing to the heights of 65, or even 70, points would maintain Toronto’s mighty top-six, vindicate Knies’ recent contract extension, and undoubtedly cement him as the club’s biggest draft steal in years.

Ducks Want To Sign Mason McTavish Long-Term

August 23, 2025 at 7:32 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley 17 Comments

With Marco Rossi off the board, the top remaining restricted-free agent at forward is almost certainly Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish. The 22-year-old remains unsigned as September nears, pushing him to the very top of late-summer trade rumors. But despite growing discussion of a potential move, Eric Stephens of The Athletic emphasized that McTavish isn’t going anywhere.

In a recent mailbag, Stephens pointed out that – while plenty of teams need high-upside forwards – the Ducks have far too much need for their own center with upside. He added that the holdup in re-signing McTavish is the team’s desire to avoid a bridge contract, and ink one of their top scorers to a long-term contract.

McTavish always seemed unlikely to part from the Anaheim organization. He plays a style that’s confidently in-line with the preference of general manager Pat Verbeek, and both former head coach Greg Cronin and future head coach Joel Quenneville. McTavish was also one of the Ducks’ top offensive pieces last season, leading the team with 22 goals and ranking second with 52 points through 76 games on the season. The only player to outscore the young center was veteran winger Troy Terry, who finished the year with 55 points.

That’s a glowing performance for a player so young. While many players his age are still working towards breaking into the NHL, McTavish has already firmly planted his feet. He’s totaled 58 goals and 137 points in 220 games over the last three seasons – an average of 22 goals and 51 points per every 82 games. The 2021 third-overall selection also worked his way up to an even plus-minus last season, after recording a minus-19 and minus-23 in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons respectively.

More than finding his way to the top of Anaheim’s scoring charts, McTavish’s seemed to find a new layer of confidence last season. He emerged as one of the club’s top play-drivers, and the perfect skillful complement to the brute of Leo Carlsson. That mental improvement, and lineup fit, should set McTavish up for a huge season next year. He’ll enter the season as perhaps the best bet for the top-line center role under Quenneville’s guidance.

With a 30-goal and 60-point season seemingly within reach for McTavish, it only makes sense that Anaheim want to solidify his salary for the future as soon as they can. But finding the right price will be a challenge. The Chicago Blackhawks recently signed 21-year-old Frank Nazar to a seven-year, $46.2MM contract extension with the Chicago Blackhawks. That deal came after Nazar played in just 56 career games, and scored at a 40-point pace.

Those numbers are far flatter than the 60 goals and 140 points McTavish has totaled in 229 career games – likely earning the Ducks’ star a salary far above Nazar’s $6.6MM cap hit. Anaheim may need to be ready to spend $7MM or even $8MM on McTavish in order to buy a long-term extension. While that will require careful budgeting, it will put no stress on the Ducks’ 2025-26 season. They sit with more than $20.5MM in available cap space entering next season, with only McTavish left to sign.

A hardy extension for McTavish could be the Ducks’ first true stride towards a new era. He’s a high-impact centerman, with the skill to drive play and the heft to fit in a physical Ducks lineup. While rumors continue to swirl, Stephens assures that Anaheim will take that step forward sooner rather than later.

Filip Gustavsson Open To Extension With Wild

August 23, 2025 at 5:41 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley 3 Comments

The Minnesota Wild can finally turn their attention towards the 2026 summer after locking up top restricted-free agent Marco Rossi to a three-year deal. One of their top tasks will be making a decision on the future of their crease. Veteran goaltender Filip Gustavsson will play through the final year of his three-year, $11.25MM contract next season and be due for a much richer salary next summer. Ahead of returning to Minnesota for training camp, Gustavsson told Michael Russo of The Athletic that he is open to inking a new deal. The netminder said:

I’ve had the conversations with my agent and all that stuff, and what we’re looking into and what we would like to do… {We} haven’t started actively talking to {Bill Guerin} or anything. When they want to talk, then we talk, and otherwise I have this year left and I’m just gonna play and win.

Early interest in an extension could benefit Gustavsson. He’s set to be backed up by top Wild prospect Jesper Wallstedt for the first time next season, after hockey legend Marc-Andre Fleury announced his retirement last season. Wallstedt was a first-round pick – 20th overall – in the 2021 NHL Draft. He moved to the AHL’s Iowa Wild two seasons later, and has served as the team’s de facto starter in the three years since. That tenure started positive – with a .908 save percentage in 38 games of his AHL rookie season. He followed it with a .910 Sv% in 45 games of the 2023-24 season, but soured this year with a bleak .879 Sv% in 27 games, low enough to cede the starter’s chair to Samuel Hlavaj.

Despite the dip, Wallstedt still stands as one of the best goalie prospects in the world, and will finally get a chance to show his might at the NHL level next season. He won’t stand much of a chance to overcome Gustavsson, who spent the last three seasons firmly planting his feet in Minnesota’s starter’s crease. After years of fluctuating between NHL and AHL lineups, Gustavsson flourished with a move to Minnesota in 2022. He had a career-year in his debut season with the Wild, recording a .931 Sv% and lofty 22-9-7 record in 39 games.

With a path to the starting role carved out, Gustavsson quickly established himself as Minnesota’s surest bet to win games. He was a composed, big-moment goaltender, who stood as one of the squad’s bright spots in a slumping 2023-24 season. Gustavsson recorded a team-best .899 Sv% and 20-17-5 record in 45 games that year. It was a slight dip, on a Wild roster that was outscored by 12 goals on the full year, and Gustavsson continued to surge as Fleury entered his final season this year. The 27-year-old Swede managed a bright 31-19-6 record and .914 Sv% in 58 games. That performance not only marked the most Gustavsson played in a single season, but also gave Gustavsson the fourth-highest save percentage of any starter in the NHL.

It is on the heels of that performance that tremendous Gustavsson will now beginning entertaining a new contract. Even with the pressure of Wallstedt, there’s no question over who Minnesota’s top goaltender is. Gustavsson has shined as a consistent performer, through both extended runs in the regular season and spot performances in the playoffs. He’s also square in the middle of his prime years, and could stand up to a starter’s year through the next four, five, or six seasons.

Gustavsson’s rise to the starter role, and standout performance last year, are both very comparable to 28-year-old Mackenzie Blackwood. Blackwood was dealt around the NHL over the last two seasons, but planted his feet with the Colorado Avalanche last season, stamped by a five-year, $26.25MM contract extension. That price tag – a yearly cap-hit of $5.25MM – could be the mark that Gustavsson shoots for on a new deal. He could even ease his way closer to $6MM, with the benefit of a career-long .913 Sv% sitting higher than Blackwood’s .906.

The Wild could prefer waiting to see how Wallstedt performs in his first full NHL season before they commit to Gustavsson long-term. But with a lofty 73-46-17 record and .914 Sv% in 142 total games with the Wild, it will take a monumental performance to bump Gustavsson out of his seat. Should he stick in it through the full season, a rich payday seems all but certain next summer.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports.

Likelihood Of Connor Bedard Signing Early Extension Dropping?

August 23, 2025 at 4:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 14 Comments

As of July 1st, Blackhawks center Connor Bedard became eligible to sign a contract extension like every other player entering the final year of their respective contracts. One of the questions heading into the start of the summer was if he’d be among the players to quickly sign an early extension. With September a little more than a week away, it’s safe to say the answer to that question was no.

It’s quite possible that the answer will continue to be no as well. In his latest appearance for Bleacher Report (video link), Frank Seravalli noted that both Bedard and the Blackhawks feel any urgency to get something done now and they appear to be quite content with letting next season play out and then working on a contract at that point.

The 20-year-old was the first overall pick two years ago, a consensus choice after he simply lit up the WHL where he had 134 goals and 137 assists in 134 games over parts of three major junior seasons with Regina. The hope was that he could come in and be the next great NHL superstar.

Bedard’s progression doesn’t have him at that level just yet. After putting up an impressive 22 goals and 39 assists in 67 games in his rookie season, his point-per-game rate actually dropped last year when he had 23 goals and 44 helpers in 82 appearances. Both point totals were enough to lead the Blackhawks in scoring but at the same time, it would be fair to suggest that he underachieved relative to expectations last season.

Having yet to reach the 70-point mark and given the comparable contracts for top young centers in recent years, a rough projection for a long-term deal for Bedard would be around the $8.5MM range based on his performance so far. It wouldn’t be shocking if GM Kyle Davidson was amenable to something around that price point but for Bedard, it probably wouldn’t make as much sense. On the flip side, a long-term price tag that Bedard’s camp might want could be too rich for the team to sign at this point.

With that in mind, it makes a lot of sense for both sides to wait this out. Given the expectations the team has for Bedard, even a down year this season isn’t going to take him out of their long-term plans so there isn’t much risk in waiting. And if things don’t go as planned which would make a long-term agreement a little murkier, the simple solution at that point would be a bridge deal, allowing both sides more time to evaluate the situation.

Since Davidson took over as GM, he has handed out long-term contracts to a pair of young core players. Defenseman Alex Vlasic inked a six-year deal last year while forward Frank Nazar inked a seven-year agreement earlier this week so there is definitely a willingness from the team to lock up their key players quickly. It’s expected that Bedard will eventually follow suit but now, that might not be coming until next offseason, not this one.

Snapshots: Kuznetsov, Kings, Josefson

August 23, 2025 at 2:58 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Veteran center Evgeny Kuznetsov remains unsigned for the upcoming season. After signing a four-year deal in the KHL last summer with SKA St. Petersburg, the agreement was terminated a few months ago with the veteran looking to return to the NHL. Speaking with SovSport’s Vladimir Okishev, Kuznetsov’s agent Shumi Babayev said that there is a 90% chance that his client will sign with an NHL team. The 33-year-old was once a true top-line middleman in the NHL but his last season in the league in 2023-24 saw him struggle with more of a limited role as he notched just 24 points in 63 games between Washington and Carolina. Still, in a free agent market that is largely bereft of centers at this point, he could be worth a low-cost flyer in the coming weeks.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider provides an inside look at how the Kings operated during the draft. At one point, they looked into a trade-up scenario from their original slot of 24 before moving down which was their original plan leading into the night. However, with just two of their preferred selections on the board when they dealt down to 31, they looked at trading back up after moving down to ensure they’d get Henry Brzustewicz. However, they ultimately were able to get him as planned where they were. Dooley’s piece also discusses their activity on the second day, including the trade of defenseman Jordan Spence to Ottawa.
After having to retire following the 2020-21 season due to concussion trouble, former first-round pick Jacob Josefson is attempting a comeback at the age of 34, recently speaking with Expressen in Sweden (video link) about his efforts. Josefson spent parts of eight seasons in the NHL, seven of which came with New Jersey who picked him 20th overall back in 2009. He opted to return home to play in the SHL back in 2018 and spent three seasons with Djurgarden before having to hang up his skates. His attempt to make a comeback kicked off with that same team in a preseason game on Friday.

West Notes: Hintz, Toews, Kravtsov

August 23, 2025 at 1:56 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

Stars center Roope Hintz has fully recovered from the broken foot he sustained late in the playoffs, relays NHL.com’s Tracey Myers. The injury ultimately didn’t need surgery and he will be ready to take part in training camp next month. Hintz came back for the final two games of the series before Dallas was eliminated by Edmonton but he was clearly not at his best given the injury. He finished fourth on the Stars in scoring last season after putting up 28 goals and 39 assists in 76 games while adding a dozen points in 17 postseason appearances. It was the first time in four years that he didn’t reach the 30-goal mark, something he might have been able to reach had he been fully healthy during the regular season.

Metropolitan Notes: Fehervary, Bratt, Penguins

August 23, 2025 at 10:38 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

After missing all of the playoffs following knee surgery, the hope was that Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary would be ready to start the season. However, he recently told Sportnet in Slovakia (video link) that he is still dealing with some inflammation and that the knee is still hurting him. As a result, he hasn’t been able to get onto the ice yet when he was supposed to resume skating about a month ago. It’s unclear if Fehervary – who signed a seven-year extension last month – will be ready for training camp or the start of the upcoming season since he is now well behind in his recovery.

Oilers Notes: Berezkin, Gregor, Nicholl

August 23, 2025 at 9:26 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Winger Maxim Berezkin is one of the more intriguing players in Edmonton’s prospect pool. The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick back in 2020, going 138th overall but has become somewhat of a later bloomer after becoming a full-time KHL player three years ago. He’s coming off his best season at that level, one that saw him produce 15 goals and 27 assists in 66 regular season games while adding 14 points in 21 playoff contests with KHL Lokomotiv Yaroslavl as they won the Gagarin Cup.

Berezkin signed a new one-year to remain in the KHL back in May but that shouldn’t be viewed as a sign that he doesn’t want to come to North America. In an interview with Daria Tuboltseva for Vseprosport, he indicated that he still intends to sign with Edmonton but that he felt it would be best for his development to spend this season back home over potentially spending this year in the minors with AHL Bakersfield. Now, whenever he ultimately signs, Berezkin will be capped at a one-year entry-level deal.

Summer Synopsis: Utah Mammoth

August 22, 2025 at 9:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

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

Utah’s first season in their new city didn’t see them make the playoffs but they took a big step forward in the standings, getting within seven points of a playoff spot while several of their young players made steps in their development. Accordingly, GM Bill Armstrong continued to add to his group this summer with an eye on getting the Mammoth to the playoffs in 2025-26 and snapping their five-year drought.

Draft

1-4: F Caleb Desnoyers, Moncton (QMJHL)
2-46: D Max Psenicka, Portland (WHL)
3-78: F Stepan Hoch, Ceske Budejovice (Czechia Extraliga)
4-110: F Yegor Borikov, Dynamo (Russia)
5-142: G Ivan Tkach-Tkachenko, Ufa (Russia)
6-174: D Ludvig Johnson, Zug (Swiss National League)
6-182: D Reko Alanko, Jokerit (Finland)

Desnoyers worked his way up the draft rankings during the season as potential impact centers are hard to come by. He was one of the top all-around players in this draft class and that defensive awareness looked like it might give him a chance of sticking with the big club at the start of the season. However, recent wrist surgery that will keep him out for three months will put an end to that. Desnoyers hasn’t signed his entry-level deal yet which keeps him NCAA-eligible but he’s expected to return to QMJHL Moncton and play a big role once again for the Wildcats.

Psenicka continues Utah’s recent trend of trying to add some size to their system, particularly on the back end. He split last season between his native Czechia and WHL Portland, not bringing much to the table offensively. Instead, he profiles as a true stay-at-home physical blueliner, the type of player who might not play big minutes in the NHL but could fill an important checking role on a third pairing for a long time. Hoch was another big selection from Czechia, bringing Utah some size on the wing this time. He hovered around the point per game mark in their junior league last season while also getting into 23 games at the Extraliga level. He’s more of a longer-term project and with another year plus an option left on his contract overseas, he’ll have some time to develop before Utah needs to reassess in a couple of years.

Trade Acquisitions

F JJ Peterka (from Buffalo)

Peterka finished second in scoring for the Sabres last season, but a perceived lack of willingness to remain in Buffalo fueled plenty of trade speculation, which came to a head a little before the draft when the trade was made. His 68 points also would have been second in Utah scoring and at 23, there’s reason to hope that he still has another gear to get to offensively. After going and making a big splash to shore up the back end at the draft last offseason when they acquired Mikhail Sergachev, Armstrong basically did the same thing up front. The Mammoth now have Peterka in his prime years and he should be a strong boost offensively to a team that finished 20th in goals scored last season.

UFA Signings

F Michael Carcone (one year, $775K)^
F Cameron Hebig (two years, $1.55MM)*^
D Scott Perunovich (one year, $775K)*
D Nate Schmidt (three years, $10.5MM)
F Brandon Tanev (three years, $7.5MM)
G Vitek Vanecek (one year, $1.5MM)
F Kailer Yamamoto (one year, $775K)*^

* denotes two-way contract
^ denotes re-signing

Beyond Peterka, most of Utah’s offseason activity revolved around improving their depth. Tanev has had a solid run in recent years of being a physical bottom-six winger who can kill penalties and chip in a bit offensively and his addition should give the Mammoth some grit in their forward group which is something they could benefit from. Carcone wasn’t planning to return to Utah next season, even going as far as saying so after the year. However, no other offers to his liking materialized on the open market, resulting in the two sides reuniting. He’s likely to hold the same depth role he had last season although he’s only a year removed from that improbable 21-goal campaign.

On the back end, Schmidt comes over from Florida after his one-year pact with them following his buyout from Winnipeg went about as well as possible. He showed that he can still be a quality contributor on the third pairing and he should be in a spot to play a similar role in Utah. Perunovich was once a touted prospect with offensive upside but has struggled to stay healthy and hasn’t been as productive as expected when he has played. After splitting last season between the Blues and Islanders, he’ll be hoping to land a spot at the back of the roster but starting the season in the minors with the Roadrunners is a real possibility.

Vanecek is coming off a year that didn’t go so well for him. He struggled in limited action with the Sharks before Florida brought him in at the trade deadline after moving Spencer Knight to Chicago as part of the Seth Jones trade. Vanecek was only a little better with the Panthers but he was able to secure this contract as some insurance with, at the time, some uncertainty about Connor Ingram who was in the Player Assistance Program before being cleared earlier this week. He’ll battle Ingram for the backup spot behind Karel Vejmelka.

RFA Re-Signings

F Jack McBain (five years, $21.25MM)
D Montana Onyebuchi (two years, $1.55MM)*
F JJ Peterka (five years, $38.5MM)

Peterka was signed as soon as he was acquired but interestingly enough, he signed a deal that bought Utah just one more season of club control than what they would have had if they went year-to-year with him. Evidently, the price tag for tacking on more UFA years was higher than what Armstrong wanted to pay. It does, however, set Peterka up to reach unrestricted free agency at 28 where he’ll be in good shape for a max-term deal at that time if he wants one.

McBain has been rather consistent in production over his first three full NHL seasons, ranging from a low of 26 points to a high of 27, that coming last season. One of the most physical players in the league, he also made some strides at the faceoff dot last season and could be their checking center for the foreseeable future. This price tag is a little high now given his production but as the salary cap continues to go up quickly, it should hold up fine.

Departures

F Travis Barron (unsigned)
F Nick Bjugstad (signed with Blues)
D Robert Bortuzzo (unsigned)
F Josh Doan (trade with Sabres)
D Michael Kesselring (trade with Sabres)
F Justin Kipkie (unsigned)
F Matias Maccelli (trade with Maple Leafs)
F Egor Sokolov (signed with CSKA Moscow, KHL)

Kesselring was the headliner in the package going to Buffalo for Peterka. The 25-year-old took a step forward in his development last season while chipping in with 29 points. Knowing that right-shot defensemen are always in high demand, Utah was able to sell high on him and could do so knowing that Sean Durzi and John Marino are still around. Doan was the other part of that trade and has shown some upside over his first two professional seasons but hasn’t been able to establish himself as a full-time NHL player just yet. With the strength of their prospect pool, he was someone who was relatively safe to move, especially getting a player like Peterka in return.

With Peterka coming in, Maccelli’s lineup spot was even more tenuous than it was last year when he slid down the depth chart and even spent a bit of time as a healthy scratch. Considering that he had seasons of 57 and 49 points the previous two campaigns, they certainly sold low on him, only managing a third-round pick that could elevate to a second rounder depending on his production. Bjugstad had a great first full year with then-Arizona in 2023-24, coming close to his personal best in points. However, injuries and ineffectiveness limited him to just 19 points in 66 games a year ago and with the club having surplus center depth already, they didn’t need to go outside the organization to replace him either. Bortuzzo, meanwhile, was limited to just 17 games last season largely due to injury and his ice time was minimal when he was in the lineup. At 36, he might have to settle for a PTO heading into training camps next month.

Salary Cap Outlook

Utah was able to quietly offload Shea Weber’s contract at the trade deadline and in doing so, that allowed them to stay below the cap even with the additions of Peterka, Schmidt, and Tanev. As things stand, they’re set to enter the season with a little under $6.7MM in cap space, per PuckPedia. That gives them more than enough flexibility to add another piece now should one become available or bank enough in-season flexibility to be able to make a big splash or two at the trade deadline if they find themselves in the playoff hunt.

Key Questions

Will Cooley Sign Now? Young center Logan Cooley is entering the final season of his three-year, entry-level contract which makes him eligible to sign an extension. We’ve seen several young players quickly sign long-term deals but he hasn’t done so just yet. Cooley is coming off a strong sophomore season that saw him record 25 goals and 40 assists, finishing second to Clayton Keller in team scoring. We’ve seen the market for post-entry-level top young centers hover around the $8MM mark in recent seasons which would seemingly serve as a realistic starting point in negotiations. However, another jump offensively for Cooley could elevate him to an even higher asking price, especially in the context of the $8.5MM cap increase next summer. Accordingly, some have wondered if he might be better off waiting but given Armstrong’s penchant for trying to sign players quickly, expect them to take a real run at getting something done in the coming weeks if they haven’t already done so.

Can Crouse Rebound? Winger Lawson Crouse signed a deal very similar to McBain’s three years ago with the expectation being that he had gotten to another level offensively. That held true for the first two seasons of the contract but things fell off a cliff last year. After putting up 23 goals in 2023-24, Crouse had just 19 points last season despite playing in 81 games. At his best, he’s a legitimate top-six power forward but that was rarely the case last season. He’s not in a position of being at risk of slipping out of the lineup altogether like Maccelli briefly was last season but if he can’t get back to form in the first half of the season, expect his name to come up in trade speculation leading into the trade deadline.

Will The Young Russians Make An Impact? In recent years, there haven’t been as many Russian players going early in the draft. However, in 2023, the Coyotes (before their move to Utah) bucked the trend, selecting defenseman Dmitri Simashev and winger Daniil But with lottery selections, going sixth and twelfth, respectively. Both players spent the last two seasons as teammates with KHL Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and have now signed their entry-level contracts to start their time in North America. Both prospects are raw but could plausibly play themselves into NHL action at some point this season, particularly Simashev. Getting quality NHL contributions at some point from them would certainly give them a boost and show that more pieces of their long-term plan are in place.

PHR’s Gabriel Foley also contributed to this post.

Photos courtesy of Nick Turchiaro and Rob Gray-Imagn Images.

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