1 week agoEdmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard will look to stay hot as his team opens up the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers on Saturday. The young blueliner has become a legitimate Conn Smythe Trophy candidate thanks to notching six goals and 27 points across 18 postseason games to this point. Bouchard also enjoyed a big 2023 postseason that included four goals and 17 points across 12 games, punctuating his spot as a big-time playoff performer. The Oilers eliminated the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final while the Panthers took care of the New York Rangers by a 4-2 count in the Eastern Conference Final.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Hockey Reference
1 week agoWinnipeg Jets left wing Nikolaj Ehlers looks set to move elsewhere for the 2024-25 campaign. Sources have told NHL insider David Pagnotta that Ehlers isn't interested in signing an extension with the Jets. He has one more season to go on a seven-year, $42 million pact. Ehlers' contract includes a 10-team no-trade list. The 28-year-old enjoyed his third 60-point campaign in 2023-24 with 25 goals and 36 assists in 82 outings. With 457 points (201 goals, 256 assists) earned in 605 career games, Ehlers has proven himself as a regular scorer in the league and should draw quite a bit of interest on the trade market.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: David Pagnotta
1 week agoPhiladelphia Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale (lower body) has undergone surgery for a "significant injury" but is expected to be available for the start of training camp. Drysdale, who was acquired from Anaheim in January, featured 24 times for the Flyers this season, recording five points (two goals, three assists) with 34 shots on goal, 27 blocks, and 18 hits. He missed 16 games because of an upper-body injury sustained in late February. The 22-year-old is a highly-rated blue-liner, but injuries have kept Drysdale back in recent seasons. It's good to know that he will be fully ready for the 2024-25 campaign, and, hopefully, the worst is behind him injury-wise.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 week agoFlorida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart is poised to earn an extension from the team this offseason. NHL insider Pierre LeBrun has reported that the two parties have a "strong mutual desire" to work out an extension after the upcoming 2024 Stanley Cup Final. Reinhart is finishing off a three-year, $19.5 million deal and would be the top free agent on the market if Florida doesn't find a way to extend him ahead of July 1. The 28-year-old is set to cash in big after scoring a career-high 57 goals and leading the league in power-play markers. Reinhart, who turns 29 in November, was also close to hitting the 100-point mark for the first time in his career, adding 37 assists across 82 regular-season appearances.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Pierre LeBrun
1 week agoThe New Jersey Devils are looking to add a new goaltender for the 2024-25 season. "There's a lot to it, but, yes, the focus is on finding that goaltender," general manager Tom Fitzgerald told NHL.com. The Devils have struggled in the goalie department under Fitzgerald, who took the reins in 2020. 12 different netminders have played at least once for the team during his time. Five of them featured in 2023-24, combining for a lowly .896 save percentage. Jake Allen is the only goaltender to have a contract with the Devils for next season. Fitzgerald added that he's ready to move the No. 10 pick of the 2024 draft to strengthen the team.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
1 week agoCarolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas will have no issues landing a new job if he decides to leave Raleigh in the offseason. NHL insider Pierre LeBrun has reported that half of the NHL is interested in Necas' services, including the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers. Necas has completed a two-year, $6 million deal and will be a restricted free agent in the summer. Multiple reports have suggested that he won't sign an extension with the Hurricanes. Necas, who just won the 2024 World Championship with Czechia, had a down year in 2023-24 with 53 points (24 goals, 29 assists) in 77 games. A move elsewhere could give him a new lease of life.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Pierre LeBrun
1 week agoLos Angeles Kings forward Akil Thomas signed a two-year extension with an average annual value of $775,000, the team announced on Thursday. The 24-year-old earned himself a new deal after making his first NHL appearances in 2023-24. He posted three goals and one assist across seven outings in a limited role. Additionally, Thomas notched 46 points (22 goals, 24 assists) in 64 AHL appearances. He'll be hoping to stick with the Kings full-time in 2024-25, and Thomas could give a fresh look to the team's bottom six.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 weeks agoThe Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly interested in bringing back veteran forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi as long as it makes sense for both parties, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. Both players signed one-year pacts with the Leafs last offseason and both got off to slow starts before getting things turned around offensively and finishing the season on the flanks of superstar center Auston Matthews. Bertuzzi finished the season with 21 goals and 43 points across 80 games but also tallied 15 goals and 23 points across his final 34 regular-season games. For his part, Domi recorded nine goals and 38 points in 80 games, including 17 points across his final 21 contests.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: The Leafs Nation
2 weeks agoEdmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl told reporters on Wednesday that his team won't be intimidated by the Florida Panthers' physical style of play in their upcoming Stanley Cup Final series that kicks off Saturday in Sunrise. "We can be a physical team too. Obviously, we like to play with the puck but we're certainly not intimidated by physicality." The Panthers have displayed a physical style of play not only this postseason but in their march to the Stanley Cup Final last spring. At the same time, the Oilers play a puck-possession game that largely relies on their star players, feeding the narrative that the likes of Draisaitl land superstar Connor McDavid will be heavily targeted in the series.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet
2 weeks agoAnaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras continues to generate trade interest, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. The skilled center saw his name churn through the rumor mill during the 2023-24 season but it appears Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek continues to field calls regarding the American. Zegras had a tough season both from a health and underperformance standpoint in 2023-24 as he notched just six goals and 15 points across 31 games while also dealing with a broken ankle that cost him significant time. The Ducks drafted Zegras with the ninth overall pick of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and he has collected 55 goals and 154 points across 211 games since.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Pierre LeBrun -- The Athletic
2 weeks agoThe Toronto Maple Leafs and defenseman Joel Edmundson reportedly have mutual interest in a reunion, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. The Leafs acquired the veteran blueliner in a trade with the Washington Capitals ahead of the March 8 NHL trade deadline. Edmundson appeared in nine games with the team, failing to hit the scoresheet but he collected 21 hits, 16 blocked shots, and a plus-three rating in 17:48 of average ice time per game. He also appeared in all of the team's seven postseason contests, notching an assist with 22 hits and 12 blocks in 18:40 of average ice time per game. Edmundson saw his four-year, $14 million deal, originally signed by the Montreal Canadiens, expire at the end of the 2023-24 season.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: The Leafs Nation
2 weeks agoDallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski is leaning towards retirement after the team was eliminated in the Western Conference Final by the Edmonton Oilers. The veteran didn't want to make anything official but seemed pretty set in his decision to hang up his skates following his 18th NHL season. "This was it for me," Pavelski said. "Like, it was known for a while, probably. I don't want to say this is official, but the plan is not to be coming back." The soon-to-be 40-year-old remained productive this season, notching 27 goals and 67 points across 82 regular-season games but mustered just four points across 19 postseason contests. If this is indeed the end of the line, the former Sharks captain will retire with 476 goals and 1,068 career regular-season points across 1,332 games while adding 74 goals and 143 points across 201 postseason contests.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
2 weeks agoWinnipeg Jets center Sean Monahan won't be going anywhere this offseason if the team has its way. According to Ken Wiebe and Mike McIntyre of The Winnipeg Free Press, there appears to be a "full-court press" from the Jets to retain Monahan, who is coming off a one-year, $2 million deal. Winnipeg acquired Monahan from Montreal in February, and the 29-year-old had a productive spell as the second-line center, posting 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) in 34 games with the team. Monahan also managed to prove his health in 2023-24, featuring in 83 regular-season contests across two teams. He registered 59 points (26 goals, 23 assists) overall.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: The Winnipeg Free Press
2 weeks agoAccording to NHL insider David Pagnotta, the Toronto Maple Leafs have started contract negotiations with Tyler Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi, who signed a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the club last offseason, is a pending unrestricted free agent. It was a down year for Bertuzzi, but the team clearly still sees him as a very valuable member of the squad and wants to extend his stay. After averaging at least 0.60 points per game for five straight seasons, Bertuzzi was limited to 21 goals and 43 points in 80 games with the Maple Leafs.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: David Pagnotta
2 weeks agoColorado Avalanche right wing Logan O'Connor (hip) has provided a positive update on his recovery, saying he expects to be ready for Day 1 of training camp. The 27-year-old underwent season-ending hip surgery in March. The hip injury cut short a good campaign for O'Connor, who managed to register 13 goals and 25 points in 57 games. O'Connor will enter a contract year in 2024-25 and could play a larger role for the Avalanche, with uncertainty surrounding Valeri Nichushkin (personal).
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Corey Masisak
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