At just 2.58 goals per game thus far, the Minnesota Wild have been struggling on the offensive side of the puck this season, despite the full-time return to the lineup of their $136 million man, Kirill Kaprizov. The Wild rank 27th in the NHL in goals per game. With that, insider Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff confirms that GM Bill Guerin is not content sitting around waiting for the trade deadline. Speaking with a team source earlier this week, the Wild are in the market to bols...
about 1 month ago
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A free agent after six seasons in the National Hockey League, 28-year-old goaltender Ilya Samsonov did not receive any firm offers this offseason from an NHL club, so he has decided to head back to a familiar place to continue his career, signing with Sochi of the Kontinental Hockey League. After seven seasons in North America, 28-year-old Ilya Samsonov returns to the KHL! pic.twitter.com/wGtT7I4KNp — KHL (@khl_eng) November 1, 2025 Samsonov began his career in North America with a seaso...
about 1 month ago
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Ever since the start of training camp, we'd been hearing that the New Jersey Devils were looking to sign goaltender Jacob Markstrom to an extension. That has come to fruition on Friday night, as the sides have agreed on a two-year, $12 million extension ($6M AAV). The New Jersey Devils have agreed to a two year extension with goalie Jacob Markstrom, sources told ESPN. — Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) November 1, 2025 The Devils acquired Markstrom in a trade with the Calgary Flames after th...
about 1 month ago
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It's not new to see Evan Bouchard taking the brunt of the blame for an Edmonton Oilers loss, but the vitriol is reaching epic proportions in Oil Country after his disastrous game in their 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Rangers Thursday night. Let's start with Oilers beat writers, who are once again questioning the beleaguered defenseman's performance, and the lack of a benching. Epic night for Bouchard, who goes minus-3 with the primary giveaway on two Rangers goals. He goes to ...
about 1 month ago
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The Edmonton Oilers could clean some things up in their game, but are currently over .500 and in a playoff spot. Things could be worse and they have been to start each of the last two seasons, but the team turned it around and has gone to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals. Goaltending has been the biggest issue with the Oilers and why many believe they haven't yet hoisted the Cup. On that, Ryan Richaug said, "They're going to let it ride here with Skinner for a little bit...If he's not capable o...
about 1 month ago
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The Edmonton Oilers seem to be in great hands with general manager Stan Bowman as he has made almost all solid moves since joining the team. Nobody can bat 1000, but he also doesn't sit still and let things play out when there are obvious issues. The Oilers don't have much cap space to work with this season, but will have plenty to utilize in the offseason. But that is a long way away and Edmonton is a Stanley Cup contender again, even if they don't look like it quite yet. To get there, some m...
about 1 month ago
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Martin Necas is the latest pending UFA to sign on the dotted line, re-upping on an eight-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche . He joins an ever-growing list of big names dropping off the board for free agency next summer. But there are still some remaining pending UFAs for teams to keep a close eye on. And as insider Elliotte Friedman noted on an appearance on NHL Network, "Whoever's left, their leverage rises and rises and rises." With that, let's have a look at the Top 5 remaining pe...
about 1 month ago
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The Edmonton Oilers have been without Zach Hyman for the entire season thus far and are 5-4-3 on the season. There have already been a ton of line combinations used throughout the lineup this season. When the veteran returns, lines should stabilize a bit, but so should the power play. Surprisingly, yet unsurprisingly, the Oilers have the third-best power play in the NHL at 30.3%, despite the absence of Hyman. David Tomasek has filled in for him, and although Hyman makes more of an impact on th...
about 1 month ago
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The Montreal Canadiens continue their excellent start to the season, tied for the Atlantic Division lead at 8-3-0 and 16 points. But that doesn't mean they've given up on their search for a second-line center. This has been a focus of Kent Hughes & Co. going back to the offseason (and even before), and they are still assembling a list of potential additions. Habs analyst Shaun Starr and insider Marco D'Amico have posited their list of dream 2C targets for the Canadiens... some more dream...
about 1 month ago
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The New Jersey Devils might have a goalie crunch coming, and Nico Daws sits at the center of it. He looks NHL ready and just showed it with a sharp outing against the Minnesota Wild . But with Jacob Markstrom nearing a return and Jake Allen in the mix, Daws could soon head back to the AHL. That is where the calendar starts to matter. Once he is recalled and spends 30 days on the NHL roster or plays 10 NHL games, he will require waivers the next time he is sent down. Lose a young go...
about 1 month ago
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The Montreal Canadiens keep scanning for a true second line center, and insider Chris Johnston of The Athletic views a Pavel Zacha trade as the most realistic path among buzzed names like Matty Beniers and Bo Horvat. Johnston also cautions that the Boston Bruins are unlikely to send a useful piece to a long time rival, which means the fit is real but the route is complicated. League chatter mirrors that split verdict. Teams have been checking on Zacha’s availability while Bos...
about 1 month ago
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The St. Louis Blues have a few significant pending free agents coming next offseason, some of the RFA and some of the UFA variety. As the Blues are off to a disappointing start to the season (3-6-1, last place in the Central Division), it's expected that GM Doug Armstrong may start to shake things up sooner than later and start wading into the trade market. One of the pending UFAs is bottom-six forward Oskar Sundqvist. The 31-year-old veteran is on an expiring $1.5 million cap hit,...
about 1 month ago
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The Colorado Avalanche have locked up Martin Necas for the long term, agreeing on an eight year, $92 million deal at a whopping $11.5 million AAV. According to Elliotte Friedman , the contract is front-loaded with $60M in signing bonuses, and includes a full no-move clause for the first 7 years of the deal. It brings to an end, essentially, the long, drawn-out affair that began with the Avs’ sudden, shocking trade of superstar Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes for Necas la...
about 1 month ago
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The New Jersey Devils , despite a stumble against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, are off to a red-hot start to the season, at 8-2-0, leading the Metropolitan Division. So far, particularly with the sizzling performance of Jack Hughes, along with the rest of their top forwards, the preseason need of a top-six boost has fallen by the wayside at this point. But as noted by New Jersey Hockey Now's James Nichols , reinforcements will be needed at some point, and they're still looking for ...
about 1 month ago
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The Seattle Kraken have gotten off to a solid start to the season, anchored by Joey Daccord and a deeper lineup. But the 5-3-2 start might not be fooling management, or organizations around the league that could look at the roster the Kraken have and pick out some valuable pieces they'd like to acquire. Elliotte Friedman said, "I guarantee you there are teams out there looking at all the draft picks the Kraken have and they're saying this is a team that has what we want. Seattle's going to hav...
about 1 month ago
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When the Calgary Flames are ready to trade Nazem Kadri, there won't be a shortage of suitors to take a run at him. Plenty of teams are searching for a top-6 center and Kadri could absolutely fill the void. In Calgary, he is the go-to, but when he takes a little bit of a lesser role, his game elevates to an even higher level. Darren Dreger said, "There are other Canadian markets, namely the Canadiens, Canucks, maybe the Leafs, that could absolutely envision a #2 experienced center like Nazem Ka...
about 1 month ago
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The Colorado Avalanche have an important stretch of months, or potentially shorter, ahead of them. There is not only Martin Necas, whom the team acquired last season, to sign, but more to solidify the future and remain a Stanley Cup contender. Necas is in the last year of his deal and is a UFA after the season, but Cale Makar is more important in the Avalanche's mind than Necas. The team would like to get both signed long-term, as they have been integral parts of the success during their time ...
about 1 month ago
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The Erik Gustafsson trade chatter is real, but there is one big reason it may not happen right now. The Detroit Red Wings are reportedly receiving only lower-round draft-pick offers for the veteran defenseman, and that price is not moving the needle. With no urgency to clear cap space and a plausible need for injury insurance, Detroit can simply keep Gustafsson with the Grand Rapids Griffins and wait. Great defensive play by Erik Gustafsson and a nice save by Sebastian Cossa on this 2 on...
about 1 month ago
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The Nashville Predators need help for Steven Stamkos and they know it. As David Pagnotta told SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, Nashville has been searching for the right complementary pieces to jump-start Stamkos after a sluggish start. Coach Andrew Brunette has already moved him back to center to increase touches, yet the team is still chasing the right mix on his wings and on the power play. At 35, Stamkos can still finish from his office, but he needs line mates who can win puc...
about 1 month ago
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San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro has been a popular name in the rumor mill early on this season. The left-shot blueliner is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA), so he could be a very popular trade target around the NHL once we get closer to the trade deadline. Due to this, let's look at three teams who could look to acquire Ferraro this season. Colorado Avalanche The Avalanche could be a team to watch when it comes to Ferraro this season. When looking at their blueline,...
about 1 month ago
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Just when we thought Pavel Zacha's spot with the Boston Bruins was safe, two more teams have been floated as potentially interested parties in trying to convince the B's to trade the second-line center. We heard from insider Pierre LeBrun on Tuesday that the Bruins really have no intention of trading Zacha , but yet rumors continue to persist that they are listening when calls come in. Check out what this NHL source told James Murphy of rg.org: They’re definitely listening on Zacha, (Cas...
about 1 month ago
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The stalemate continues between the Los Angeles Kings and their top player, Adrian Kempe. He's playing out the final season of his four-year, $22 million deal ($5.5M AAV) and is a pending unrestricted free agent. He continues to rack up stats on the young season, now five goals and 14 points in 11 games. But the one big number that hasn't come yet is the double-digit AAV on a new contract. Insider David Pagnotta, speaking on the DFO Rundown , tells us about some bad news and some good ne...
about 1 month ago
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The Utah Mammoth got a huge extension done on Wednesday, signing young star center Logan Cooley to an eight-year, $80 million deal. But there's another key Mammoth player, top line forward Nick Schmaltz, who is also due for an extension, as he plays out the final year of his deal. But his future in Salt Lake doesn't look quite so secure. In fact, insider David Pagnotta reported on the DFO Rundown on Wednesday that Schmaltz was nearly traded this past summer. They had (extension) talks in...
about 1 month ago
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The Calgary Flames have had a horrible start to the season after being inches from making the playoffs last season. It is a team that has to make a decision and rebuild, but is currently holding onto pieces that will stop them from doing it with maximum efficiency. One player that is almost definitely going to be gone this season is Rasmus Andersson. There are plenty of teams with interest around the league for a top-4 right-shot defenseman that can also produce offensively, but the herd appea...
about 1 month ago
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The New Jersey Devils are looking to remain competitive in net by looking to extend Jacob Markstrom. Initially, it was rumored that the Devils' starting goalie was looking for a long-term extension, but it looks like the two sides are going to go shorter in the term. Elliotte Friedman said, "Seems like they're pretty hopeful. They were looking maybe a couple of years, shorter-term, big number. They're going at it here, trying to close something." From New Jersey's standpoint, there should be s...
about 1 month ago
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