*This article was updated before the 2024-25 season In the modern NHL, contract and salary cap management may be more critical than ever. The flat cap era is finally becoming a thing of the past, but teams cannot rush to spend money too quickly. Every team in the league has a contract on the books
Trades Contracts and Transactions
A key defenseman to winning back-to-back Stanley Cups is returning to Tampa Bay. The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired Ryan McDonagh and the Edmonton Oilers’ 2024 fourth-round pick from the Nashville Predators in exchange for the Lightning’s 2025 second-round pick and their 2024 seventh-round pick. During the 2023-24 season, McDonagh played in 74 games scoring
With the regular season coming to an end, it is the perfect time to look back on how the top free agents from the 2023 offseason performed in their first season with their new clubs. In analyzing the 2023 NHL free agency signings, some players have reignited their careers by joining teams poised to redefine
Without Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin in the lineup, Lucas Raymond has stepped up to be Detroit’s go-to, all-situations forward. It’s good timing for Raymond – his entry-level contract (ELC) expires after this season and the third-year forward is due for a hefty raise. Raymond is eligible to sign a new deal at any
Given Tage Thompson’s dominance in 2022-23, we can now reassure the St. Louis Blues‘ fanbase. On July 1, 2018, the Blues traded Thompson to the Buffalo Sabres for Ryan O’Reilly. They also sent Vladimir Sobotka, Patrik Berglund, a 2019 first-round pick, and a 2021 second-round pick to Buffalo. I’m not here to re-visit the trade
The Stanley Cup Final may still be ongoing, but we have our first big offseason trade. Earlier this afternoon, the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings joined up for a three-team deal that sent Ivan Provorov to the Blue Jackets, with Sean Walker and Cal Petersen going to the Flyers. Here are the
The Toronto Maple Leafs are near the top of the standings and there are only 43 days before the NHL trade deadline. As a result, they will be looking to add another player or two to strengthen their top nine. It has been known that the team has had difficulty in the playoffs in the past,
The NHL allows teams to negotiate contract extensions with their players who are signed to one-year deals now that the calendars have changed to 2023. The Toronto Maple Leafs have eight such players. Starting today players on 1 year contracts can now be signed to an extension. See list of all eligible players currently on
When Edmonton Oilers general manager (GM) Ken Holland’s career is over, he’ll be regarded as one of the best GMs in the history of the NHL. He’s already in the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builder category, with impressive achievements that include winning four Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings. Yet, over Holland’s
It turns out that Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman and I have a few things in common. No, really. There are a handful of parallels with our current endeavors. I’m about to finish the third year of my MBA program at Virginia Tech – my undergraduate alma mater. Likewise, Yzerman is about to
Originally published in Sept. 2013, but updated recently, here’s a look back at some great trades for the Anaheim Ducks. In the first years of the Anaheim Ducks’ existence, the team struggled to compete with a cast of players from the expansion draft. While solid drafting and player development played a big part in the turnaround, the
The Florida Panthers have signed star goaltender prospect Spencer Knight to a three-year entry-level contract. With Boston College’s departure from the NCAA Hockey Tournament, Knight seems to be bound to the Panthers’ taxi squad. Plan for Panthers is to not send Spencer Knight to the AHL this season. He’ll likely start on the taxi squad,
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Vancouver Canucks have signed goaltender Thatcher Demko to a five-year contract extension worth an average annual value (AAV) of $5 million. He is currently playing out the final season of a two-year bridge deal that he signed in 2019. When former starter Jacob Markstrom signed with the Calgary Flames
Over the past few years, the Philadelphia Flyers have solidified their prospect pool as one of the best across the NHL. Most rankings have them as a top-10 system in the league heading into the upcoming season. Their loaded prospect group is undoubtedly led by a robust defensive core they’ve reinforced significantly through the past
On June 24th, 2011, the Minnesota Wild and San Jose Sharks made a blockbuster trade on the 2011 NHL Draft floor. The Sharks acquired one of the top defensemen in the league, while the Wild got assets that they hoped would quickly turn around their franchise. It was a gamble for Minnesota however, as they
On Sept. 13, 2018, the San Jose Sharks made an absolutely shocking trade with the Ottawa Senators. They traded for two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson, as well as forward prospect Francis Perron, in exchange for Chris Tierney, Rudolfs Balcers, Dylan Demelo, and former Sharks draft pick Josh Norris, as well as a 2020 unprotected
The Vegas Golden Knights entered the free agency period with multiple questions surrounding them. The main one dealt with how they were going to be salary cap compliant after signing Robin Lehner to a five-year contract extension. However, despite the multiple limitations they had going into “Free Agent Frenzy,” the Golden Knights were able to
Per Michael Russo and other sources, the Minnesota Wild have handed defender Jonas Brodin a seven-year contract extension worth $42 million. Brodin’s year-by-year (all salary, no SB) breakdown: Year 1: $4M (Full NMC)Year 2: $5M (Full NMC)Year 3: $8M (Full NMC)Year 4: $8M (Full NMC)Year 5: $7.5M Year 6: $5.5MYear 7: $4M There is no