Latest On Sidney Crosby
This time two years ago there were real questions on Sidney Crosby‘s odds to finish his career in Pittsburgh. To the credit of general manager Kyle Dubas and the rest of the organization, that no longer applies.
Entering a contract year again this season, what’s different this time around is there’s much less concern. According to Josh Yohe of The Athletic, it could be a “similar timeline” as when the future Hall-of-Famer re-upped on a two-year deal on September 16, 2024. Back then it was opportune timing, right before taking the ice for training camp, which would have been a distraction with each passing day of the 2024-25 season. This time around, even sparing us from wild trade hypotheticals being thrown every which way, Crosby watch is on for another agreement in the coming weeks.
Back in May there was a clear sentiment that although the recently-turned 39-year-old is taking it year-by-year in the twilight of his career, he still wants to play for as long as possible. Some sort of retirement tour in 2026-27, even if in typical quiet Crosby fashion, doesn’t seem to be any real possibility. It’s pretty remarkable to consider that he and Alexander Ovechkin, who had his own retirement speculation, will run it back in a season where players like Gavin McKenna will debut, born in late 2007 which was well into the era in which #87 and #8 were established superstars in the league.
Having the cap room for Crosby won’t be any concern. As Yohe wrote, the soon-to-be 20-year captain of the Pens will continue his ways of not being pushy in salary negotiations. Currently under contract at a symbolic cap hit of $8.7MM, it seems to be right on the dot. AFP Analytics projects that the center would be worth another year at the same value. The Penguins currently have over $10MM in cap space, with notables Erik Karlsson and Evgeni Malkin both coming off the books next summer, among others. If anything, the financial comfort is an indication of an overly passive off-season, a point which has already been raised. Pittsburgh lost their leading goal scorer Anthony Mantha, and while they were mentioned as a fit on blockbuster trade rumors for Jason Robertson, it’s his more modest-producing brother Nicholas they picked up instead. That’s not to say Dubas couldn’t still pull something off either via trade or free agency, but either way Pittsburgh will comfortably fit in a Crosby extension with ample space to cautiously supplement their team without mortgaging the future.
Going back to 2024, the future was pretty bleak in Pittsburgh, not sniffing the playoffs as efforts to set up one last dance were futile. Impressively, Dubas has assembled a well-regarded prospect pool, Crosby, Malkin, and Kris Letang are all still wearing the black and yellow, and they’re a respectable playoff team. Falling in the first round of last spring’s postseason to their in-state rivals stung, yet even getting to that point seemed impossible not long ago.
Having evolved his game into a more cerebral pivot, able to slow the game down in the most perfect way, Crosby’s impact in the lineup continues to be massive. To imagine him around age 40 fading into more of a 3C role would still be an incredible player based on his skill-set. Instead the 2005 first-overall pick will be a standout scorer to the end, posting 74 in 68 games last year, the 21st consecutive time he surpassed the point-per-game mark. It was all despite dealing with a knee injury sustained while leading Team Canada at the Olympics. The total was good for best on the team by an eight-point margin even with the missed time. Only he and Letang remain as active 2005 draftees, depending on Ryan Reaves‘ contract status this fall, and there’s more records to come. As pointed out by Pro Hockey Rumors’ Ryan Long yesterday, Crosby needs just three helpers to pass Joe Thornton‘s 1,109, seventh all-time. It’s realistic he could move up to fifth all-time by season’s end.
With Ovechkin back in Washington, Patrick Kane returning to Chicago, and finally, Sid the Kid still doing his thing in the Steel City, 2026-27 has shaped up to be a campaign full of nostalgia. Eyes will be on the Penguins to take care of Crosby’s next extension sometime in the next 30 days, allowing the franchise to turn attention to other matters. Once that’s done, it’ll be fascinating to see what he has to offer toward what could be a storybook ending.
Image Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Flyers Sign Hunter McDonald To Two-Year Deal
The Philadelphia Flyers have kept one of their more intriguing prospects in the fold. Defenseman Hunter Mcdonald has signed a two-year, $1.825MM contract extension, per a team announcement. The deal will be two-way in year one and one-way in year two. That structure should gradually move McDonald toward more NHL responsibility after he made his debut in April. He recorded one assist, two penalties, and a plus-three rating in that game.
McDonald spent the rest of the 2025-26 season playing through his second pro season with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He notched just six assists in 65 games but led the Phantoms’ blue line in penalty minutes with 92. McDonald was also the only Phantoms defender to play in 30 or more games and avoid a negative plus-minus.
It was a season of lessons for the 24 year old. His ability to control opponents with a long reach and physical style stood out when it worked, but his tendency to land in the penalty box left him with mixed results. McDonald spent his second pro season learning how to manage those ebbs and flows and marked his progress with an NHL debut at the end of the year. Now, he will have to prove he can be a consistent, positive impact across a full season.
The Flyers’ blue line should offer plenty of opportunity for an emerging young defender. Philadelphia is still seeking a reliable left-defenseman to back Travis Sanheim and Cameron York. Veteran defenseman Nick Seeler is currently holding that role, while new addition Simon Benoit likely opens the season as the extra defender. McDonald could challenge both players before the end of the year if he shows more offense and more poise. If he can take his game to the next level, the two-year deal could position McDonald to compete for Seeler’s role before Seeler reaches unrestricted free agency in 2028.
Canadiens Invite Alexei Vlasov To Rookie Camp
According to an announcement from the QMJHL’s Victoriaville Tigres, the Montreal Canadiens have invited forward Alexei Vlasov to their rookie camp in mid-September. Despite being eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, no team took a chance on Vlasov.
Despite his proven scoring ability in the QMJHL, it’s not a huge shock that Vlasov went undrafted this summer. Although size isn’t as much of a factor as it used to be in the modern NHL, Vlasov is only 5’9″ and 179lbs. Additionally, he doesn’t have great skating ability to make up for his lost size, and he typically relies on his teammates to drive the play.
Still, Vlasov has a tremendous motor, playing through the whistle on almost every shift. This past season with the Tigres, Vlasov registered 44 goals and 80 points in 64 games, tying for ninth in league scoring with St. Louis Blues prospect Justin Carbonneau.
An invite to rookie camp will give the Canadiens a personal look at whether Vlasov will be a player worth taking in the later rounds of the 2027 NHL Draft. If he has another high-scoring season, Montreal could assess that his scoring ability is too good to overlook and have confidence in their own internal processes to get his skating where it needs to be for professional hockey. Vlasov is expected to play for Victoriaville for the 2026-27 season before joining the University of Connecticut Huskies for the 2027-28 campaign.
Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin Unlikely To Be Traded Before Season
According to Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now, there is growing confidence around the league of what many already believed to be true: that the Detroit Red Wings will be unable to fulfill Dylan Larkin‘s trade request, especially without a General Manager. This won’t be a surprise to many, as the only question on many fans’ minds is whether Larkin will begin the year with the Red Wings or hold out until the situation is resolved.
According to Duff, Larkin and his representation haven’t considered holding out. This means that even if the Red Wings can get a General Manager in place in the relatively near future and they don’t have enough to swing a trade, Larkin is amenable to going to Detroit’s training camp and starting the regular season in HockeyTown.
Even this approach won’t come as too much of a surprise. Larkin has nearly nine million reasons not to hold out, as the Red Wings would be within their right to suspend him without pay if he refused to report to the team. It’s safe to say that Larkin no longer has the support of many fans in Detroit, and refusing to honor his contract would only increase the amount of vitriol coming his way. Regardless, assuming the Red Wings can’t find a trade partner after hiring a new General Manager, Larkin shouldn’t bank on a warm return to Little Caesars Arena.
While it’s easy to gauge Red Wings fans’ thoughts on the situation, determining the reception by his teammates is much more difficult. There’s little chance Larkin will remain the captain of the team after requesting a trade, but it’s anyone’s guess how much respect he’ll retain in the locker room. At the end of the day, hockey players are professional athletes, with professional being the key word.
There’s nobody who can understand Larkin’s situation better than his teammates, but it’s also hard to argue that he’ll have the same amount of respect as he once had. Especially for the players who want to be in Detroit, that breach of perceived loyalty is hard to repair.
East Notes: Tavares, Wolf Pack, Zalewski
John Tavares of the Toronto Maple Leafs will take the stand in a courtroom today. According to an article by Joseph Brean in the National Post, Tavares and former teammate Patrick Marleau will serve as witnesses in a trial concerning the taxation of the signing bonuses they each received from the Maple Leafs.
Rather than his current contract, the trial stems from how Tavares’ signing bonus in the first year of the deal was taxed when he initially signed with Toronto in the summer of 2018. Tavares signed a seven-year, $77MM contract with his hometown team, and he received a $15MM signing bonus in the first year of the deal. According to the article, there is a dispute of about $8MM over taxes.
The Canada Revenue Agency contends that the $15MM signing bonus should be classified as employment income, making it subject to a tax rate exceeding 50%. In contrast, Tavares argues that the signing bonus was an “inducement” to join Toronto, meaning it should only be taxed at 15%, a rate he has already paid.
Essentially, it will come down to how the word “inducement” is being interpreted. The CRA has already argued that some signing bonuses can be interpreted as inducements, but in the case of Tavares and Marleau, they were not. It’s worth noting that there is no accusation of dishonesty or wrongdoing for Tavares, only of how each party is interpreting the tax law.
Other updates from around the Eastern Conference:
- The Hartford Wolf Pack, AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers, announced a pair of coaching hires this morning. Hartford has hired Bob Woods as an Associate Coach and John Stevens as an Assistant Coach for the 2026-27 campaign. Each has several years of professional experience on their resume. Stevens is the son of John Stevens, who, in the 2009-10 season, was the Head Coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. He was fired and later replaced by Peter Laviolette, who led the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Final that season.
- The Wolf Pack weren’t the only AHL franchise to make a coaching hire today. According to an announcement from the New Jersey Devils, their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, have hired Michael Zalewski as an Assistant Coach. It’s Zalewski’s first role as a coach since retiring from the ICEHL after the 2022-23 campaign. The native of New Hartford, NY, has six NHL games and 167 AHL games of experience from his playing days.
Cutter Gauthier Rejects Ducks Latest Offer
A day after it was revealed that the Ottawa Senators and Drake Batherson aren’t having the smoothest extension negotiations, it appears a similar situation is unfolding with the Anaheim Ducks. As first reported by Paul Sheehan of the NHL Network, and now backed up by other outlets, restricted free agent Cutter Gauthier has rejected a four-year, $52MM ($13MM AAV) contract offer from the Ducks.
In any case, it’s an intriguing situation to keep tabs on. As the Ducks’ leading scorer from last season, Gauthier is looking to parlay the other big-ticket contracts signed this summer into his own payday. Several significant cap hits were awarded this summer, especially to the upcoming NHL superstars. Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks signed a new extension worth $18.8MM per season; Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks signed for $15MM, and Gauthier’s teammate, Leo Carlsson, signed for $18MM a year.
Objectively, Gauthier’s situation is not really comparable to Carlsson’s. Carlsson was eligible for an offer sheet, which Gauthier is not, and he used that to sign an offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers, effectively forcing the Ducks’ hand into signing a contract they otherwise wouldn’t have. Since Gauthier doesn’t have rights to an offer sheet, his only option is to re-sign with Anaheim or risk losing the entire 2026-27 season.
It’s a situation where both sides are having a delicate dance with leverage. If Gauthier doesn’t sign a deal with the Ducks before December 1st, he’ll be ineligible to play for the remainder of the 2026-27 season and the playoffs, even if he signs a contract with the Ducks after that date. It’s not rocket science to ascertain that any salary is better than no salary.
Still, Gauthier isn’t without his leverage, either. Anaheim not only reached the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2018, but they also defeated the back-to-back Western Conference champions in the first round. In Round Two, they challenged the eventual Western Conference champions, taking them to six games. Since the Ducks are looking to keep the good times rolling, it’s unlikely that Anaheim would be willing to stomach not having a forward coming off a 40-goal season.
It remains uncertain what Gauthier and his representation seek in his next deal. Anaheim only has approximately $9MM in cap space heading into the 2026-27 season, so it’s already evident they’re willing to push the envelope and give themselves more work to do to retain Gauthier.
While not entirely similar to Carlsson’s case, Gauthier may argue that the Ducks opted to sign Carlsson at $18MM per year rather than recouping four consecutive first-round picks in exchange for his services. Considering that he outscored Carlsson last season, it’s reasonable to think Gauthier could command slightly more than $13MM per year with that argument. Moreover, if Anaheim had signed Gauthier for $13MM a year, they would have been in a position to trade either Alex Killorn or Chris Kreider. Trading one of these players would then provide the Ducks with enough salary cap space to sign Gauthier to a yearly contract ranging from $14MM to $15MM.
On the flip side, the Ducks could rightfully argue that an offer sheet is not the same process as negotiating internally, which it isn’t. Anaheim could point to Bedard’s extension with the Blackhawks as the best comparable from their perspective. Despite suffering through injuries and arguably playing on a worse team than Gauthier, Bedard has outscored Gauthier by nearly 30 points over the past two years, despite playing in seven fewer games. Additionally, Bedard is two years younger than Gauthier. Using that argument, paying Gauthier $13MM per season is reasonable.
Regardless, it’s yet another negotiation indicating the changing of the guard in the NHL. For better or worse, depending on who you ask, younger players are being much more aggressive in contract negotiations, despite their perceived leverage, and for the most part, the tactic has been working out for them.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.
Drake Batherson, Senators Remain Distant On Next Contract
In his next contract, which has yet to be signed, Drake Batherson has ‘wants and needs.’
Do those align with the checklist for the Ottawa Senators? Not exactly, as according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen, Batherson and the Sens are not believed to be close to a contract at this time. The discussion has revived itself with the looming Sept. 15 deadline, which would ultimately lose both sides’ ability to ink an eight-year contract. The new CBA dictates that the maximum length of years a player can sign to stay with their current club on their next contract is seven, contrary to eight before.
The 28-year-old right-winger is in the final year of a six-year, $29.85MM ($4.975MM AAV) contract that expires next season, when Batherson will be an unrestricted free agent. A deal that the Senators have enjoyed severely in the point production department. Last year, he posted a career-best 33 goals for 71 points; he was second on the Senators in scoring, behind Tim Stutzle‘s 83 points and fourth on the team in cost-per-point, a mere $70K in 2025-26.
“There’s no secret that we want to get Drake Batherson signed,” Senators GM Steve Staios said via the Ottawa Citizen. “That conversation is ongoing with Drake, and it takes two sides to come to a deal. But there’s been good dialogue as we move forward. He’s a homegrown talent. It’s a great story. He continues to get better and we feel like we have a very great, strong, contending team with a chance to win. We want him to be a part of it.”
His production, even before this year, has been extremely cost-effective for the Sens. Batherson has produced three 60+ point campaigns dating back to 2022-23. Before that, in the early years of his current contract, he was still providing 30-40 points. This kind of progression is admirable for a former fourth-round pick, where Ottawa selected him at 121st overall in the 2017 NHL Draft, a class where his 364 career points reside comfortably in the top-10 among his colleagues taken that year.
Batherson is believed to be looking for that eight-year deal; the money is what is up for debate. League sources, in speaking with Garrioch, believe Batherson could command a comparable contract to that of Alex Tuch or Adrian Kempe. This means that on the open market, he could get $10-$11MM annually. That AAV would make him the Senators highest paid player, ahead of Jake Sanderson‘s $8.05MM, Linus Ullmark‘s $8.25MM, and Stutzle’s $8.35MM.
Does Ottawa want to give Batherson that kind of deal? To compare, Tuch and Kempe both have played a much larger number of NHL games; Batherson’s 470 NHL games are 241 away from Kempe’s 711. However, within that shorter frame of professional time, Batherson has racked up 51 fewer goals (149) than Tuch’s 200, and overall is around 100 points off from Tuch (448) and Kempe’s (474) total career points. Both are top-line players who’re earning within the top-10 of their position, Tuch listed as a right-wing and Kempe as a center, respectively.
According to AFPAnalytics, Batherson’s projected next contract would be a six-year contract that would pay him nearly $60MM at a $9.8MM AAV. That would take him through his age-35 season. The Senators have to consider whether Drake can keep this kind of production up at a much higher pay grade into those late-30’s years. Based on what he wants, they’d be giving him more money and banking on him staying consistent with what he’s shown over the past four seasons into his age-37 season. In that gamble, hope should play in the Sens’ favor that the cap continuously rises.
Ottawa will have $40MM in cap space in 2027-28.
Photo Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Players Nearing Milestones Heading Into The 2026-27 Season
The 2026-27 NHL season is right around the corner, set to expand to 84 games per team, the most since 1993-94, giving several of these chases a little extra runway to close out should they need it. Some of the milestones below are likely to fall in the season’s opening weeks; others will take a full year to reach.
Two of the game’s defining stars are climbing the all-time scoring lists, a 41-year-old defenseman is on track to own one of the sport’s most demanding records, and a wave of players in their late 20s and early 30s are reaching the round numbers that define a career. Here’s a look at some of the milestones worth tracking going into the season.
- Alex Ovechkin passing 950 goals: Ovechkin enters the season with 929 career goals, having passed Wayne Gretzky‘s long-standing record of 894 back in April 2025. He’ll cross 950 early in the year and sits 71 goals from 1,000, which at his recent scoring pace projects to roughly two more seasons, no longer the far-fetched number it once seemed. He re-signed with Washington on a one-year deal for his 22nd NHL season. Beyond the goals record he already owns, he’s also 26 points from passing Mario Lemieux (1,723) for ninth on the all-time scoring list, and he’ll play his 1,600th career game at some point during the season.
- Sidney Crosby moving to 7th all-time in assists: Crosby enters the season with 1,107 career assists, two behind Joe Thornton’s 1,109, which sets up a pass into seventh place within the first few weeks. From there, Paul Coffey (1,135), Jaromír Jágr (1,155), and Ray Bourque (1,169) are all within range over a full healthy season, which would carry him into fourth all-time in assists, trailing only Gretzky, Ron Francis, and Mark Messier. He’s also seventh all-time in total points at 1,761, with Marcel Dionne (1,771) and Francis (1,798) both in reach; a strong year could push him as high as fifth. Crosby is 39 and will enter his 21st NHL season in Pittsburgh.
- Connor McDavid reaching 1,300 career points: McDavid enters the year with 1,220 points in 794 career games and should cross 1,300 around midseason. What sets the number apart is pace: he’s reaching four-figure career totals in a games-played count that has historically taken players into their thirties, and his current rate remains the fastest points-per-game of any player in NHL history among those with significant career length. He’s also 89 assists from 900, sitting at 811 entering the year.
- Brent Burns breaking the NHL’s Iron Man record: Burns starts the season with 1,007 consecutive games played, second all-time behind Phil Kessel‘s 1,064, a mark Kessel set in October 2022. Burns needs 58 straight appearances to break it, a total he’s projected to reach in late January if he stays in the lineup. He re-signed with Colorado for a 23rd NHL season specifically with the record in mind. Burns is a converted forward who moved to defense early in his career and hasn’t missed a game since 2013, making him the first player in years with a realistic shot at breaking Kessel’s record.
- Evgeni Malkin reaching 900 career assists: Malkin re-signed with Pittsburgh on a one-year, $5.5 million contract for what’s been widely reported as his 21st and final NHL season. He enters it with 874 career assists, 26 short of 900, a plateau reached by fewer than two dozen players in NHL history. He’s also 31 games from 1,300 for his career and 17 goals from 550. With Sidney Crosby still in Pittsburgh, this is likely the last season the two share the ice as teammates chasing milestones together.
- Sergei Bobrovsky moving into the top 5 in goaltender wins: Bobrovsky enters the season seventh all-time in NHL wins with 456, and Henrik Lundqvist‘s 459 should fall within the first two weeks of the year, moving him into sixth. From there, Ed Belfour (484) and Roberto Luongo (489) are both within range this year, should Toronto have a successful season, which would put him in the top five. The two time cup winner has reached his current win total in 802 games, fewer than any goaltender near him on the all-time list.
- Patrick Kane climbing the all-time points list: Kane enters the season 24th all-time in NHL scoring with 1,400 points, sitting directly behind Evgeni Malkin (1,407), Dale Hawerchuk (1,409) and Doug Gilmour (1,414), all reachable over a full season, with Adam Oates (1,420) and Bryan Trottier (1,425) very much in range. Kane re-signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, the team that drafted him first overall in 2007, after three seasons in Detroit. He remains one of just ten American-born players to reach 1,000 career points, a mark he passed years ago.
- John Tavares reaching 1,200 career points: Tavares enters the season with 1,185 career points, 525 goals and 660 assists in 1,266 games, putting his 1,200th within reach around the midpoint of the year. He’s also 25 goals from 550. Now in his 17th NHL season split between the Islanders and Maple Leafs, Tavares crossed 500 career goals last season and moved into the top 50 all-time in that category.
- Connor Hellebuyck reaching 350 career wins: Hellebuyck enters the season with 345 career wins in 625 games, putting his 350th within the first few weeks. He’s the 2025 Hart Trophy winner as league MVP, a three-time Vezina Trophy winner, and has established himself as the league’s best goaltender over the past several seasons in Winnipeg; the 350-win mark is notable mostly for how quickly he’s reaching it relative to his games played.
- William Nylander reaching 400 career assists: Nylander enters the season with 399 career assists, one away from 400. He’s signed to an eight-year, $92 million contract extension with Toronto and has developed into one of the league’s most consistent point producers. Toronto will lean heavily on Nylander as they aim for a big bounce back year.
- Jack Eichel reaching 700 career points: Eichel enters the season with 698 career points, putting his 700th within Vegas’s first week or two of games. He came to the Golden Knights via trade from Buffalo in 2021 after an injury-interrupted stretch with the Sabres, and has since developed into one of the league’s most productive centers, helping Vegas win the Stanley Cup in 2023 and reach the Cup Final again in 2025.
- Jamie Benn reaching 1,000 career points: Benn enters the season with 992 career points, 414 goals and 578 assists, across 1,252 games, all with Dallas. He’s eight points from 1,000, a total that’s realistic within the first two or three weeks of the season. Now 36 and in his 17th NHL season, Benn has spent his entire career as a Star and has served as team captain since 2013.
- Ryan O’Reilly reaching 900 career points: O’Reilly enters the season with 898 career points, two shy of 900 with Nashville. Fewer than 400 players in NHL history have reached the mark. A former Selke Trophy winner for his two-way play and the 2019 Conn Smythe winner as playoff MVP with St. Louis, O’Reilly has built one of the more complete, if under-hyped, résumés of his generation.
- Nico Hischier reaching 200 career goals: Hischier, New Jersey’s captain, enters the season one goal shy of 200 for his career. He was the first Swiss-born player selected first overall in the NHL Draft, taken by the Devils in 2017, and has grown into the centerpiece of a team built to contend, while also representing Switzerland internationally.
- Veterans chasing 400 goals – Matt Duchene and Claude Giroux: Duchene enters the season with 387 career goals for Dallas, 13 shy of 400. Giroux, now with Ottawa on a one-year deal, sits at 379, 21 away. Both are in their late 30s and playing regular roles rather than winding down, which puts 400 in play for each of them this season rather than next. One name notably absent from this group is Jeff Skinner, who also sits at 379 goals but signed with EHC Biel-Bienne in Switzerland this offseason after going unsigned by an NHL team, ending his chase for now.
- The 1,000-games club: A handful of players enter the season within reach of 1,000 career games. Ian Cole (990 games, newly signed with Chicago) and Taylor Hall (989, Carolina) are both about ten games away; Reilly Smith (988) and Brandon Saad (984) are both back with Vegas on one-year deals and should get there not long after, and Casey Cizikas (978), who is headed into the final year of his six year deal with the Islanders, is a bit further off but should cross it well before the season ends.
List Of 2026 Unrestricted Free Agents
This summer’s free agency period is all but over. Below is the remaining crop of unrestricted free agents, with their 2026 ages listed in parentheses. Several players will likely sign closer to the beginning of training camp, depart for overseas opportunities, or retire, and this list will be amended to reflect those changes. The complete list of remaining UFAs is as follows:
Last updated 8/17/26, 5:00 p.m.
Centers
Skyler Brind’Amour (26)
Luke Glendening (37)
Jayden Grubbe (23)
Brett Harrison (23)
Kevin Hayes (34)
Adam Henrique (36)
Tyson Jost (28)
Luke Kunin (28)
Joseph LaBate (33)
Curtis Lazar (31)
Left Wingers
Josh Bloom (23)
Brendan Brisson (24)
Michael Bunting (30)
Karsen Dorwart (23)
Adam Erne (31)
Robby Fabbri (30)
Calle Jarnkrok (34)
Evander Kane (34)
Riley Kidney (23)
Philipp Kurashev (26)
Patrik Laine (28)
Tanner Pearson (33)
David Perron (38)
Pavol Regenda (26)
Brandon Saad (33)
James van Riemsdyk (37)
Right Wingers
Nathan Bastian (28)
Evgenii Dadonov (37)
Matthew Maggio (23)
Gustav Nyquist (36)
Ryan Reaves (39)
Reilly Smith (35)
Vladimir Tarasenko (34)
Eeli Tolvanen (27)
Left-Handed Defensemen
Jake Bean (28)
Derek Forbort (34)
Matt Grzelcyk (32)
Artem Guryev (23)
Ben Hutton (33)
Pierre-Olivier Joseph (26)
Nick Leddy (35)
Mike Reilly (32)
Brendan Smith (37)
Carson Soucy (31)
Logan Stanley (28)
Right-Handed Defensemen
Nick Blankenburg (28)
Adam Boqvist (25)
Matt Dumba (31)
Travis Hamonic (35)
John Klingberg (33)
Gannon Laroque (22)
Jeff Petry (38)
Goaltenders
Talyn Boyko (23)
Tyler Brennan (22)
Alexandar Georgiev (30)
Connor Ingram (29)
Tristan Lennox (23)
Petr Mrazek (34)
Matt Murray (32)
Cal Petersen (31)
James Reimer (38)
Cam Talbot (38)
Anson Thornton (23)
Vadim Zherenko (25)
Red Wings Nearly Signed Steven Stamkos
As the Detroit Red Wings venture further from the Steve Yzerman era, many details have been revealed about some of the moves Yzerman nearly made.
Yesterday, Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press shared that the Red Wings nearly signed Anthony Mantha, only to have the proposal nixed by owner Chris Ilitch. In another report, Monarrez revealed that Detroit nearly signed Steven Stamkos before the 2024-25 season, only to have Ilitch scrap that one, too.
It’s unknown whether the Red Wings offered an identical four-year, $32MM ($8MM AAV) contract, including a full no-movement clause. Despite coming off of a point-per-game season, it’s not unreasonable to think an owner could be hesitant to commit that much money to a 34-year-old veteran.
Still, it’s another question of what could have been for Red Wings fans. Stamkos returned to his goal-scoring ways this past season, but hasn’t been the complete player he was with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Regardless, Detroit has struggled to produce at even strength the past two seasons, and Stamkos’ 72 points at 5-on-5 play throughout the same stretch would have been helpful.
Because he never came to Detroit, it’s somewhat meaningless to go down the line of what could have been. It’s not surprising that Yzerman targeted him, however; he gave Stamkos a combined 13-year, $105.5MM when he was General Manager of the Lightning. Given how the relationship between Stamkos and Tampa Bay ended on a sour note, it would have made sense for Stamkos to rejoin a General Manager with whom he has a good relationship.
These recent reports highlight the extent of authority Yzerman had while serving as the General Manager of the Red Wings. While it’s common for owners to intervene if they believe their money isn’t being spent wisely, the level of involvement varies significantly from one organization to another.
There’s no information, and likely never will be, as to if Illitch is a micromanager and to what degree. However, if he is, few would admonish Yzerman for simply throwing up his hands and looking for a different role if he was unable to accomplish what he wanted, due to roadblocks being constructed by the owner.
