Off-Season Live Blog: Action picking up across the league

The NHL's off-season gets in full swing today as the first buyout window opens and teams are expected to be active with just one day remaining before draft. Follow all the latest right here on TSN.ca.

Key Links: TSN Trade Tracker   Signing Tracker

Sharks get Grundstrom

It's another San Jose Sharks deal!

The Sharks have acquired forward Carl Grundstrom from the Los Angeles Kings for defenceman Kyle Burroughs. 

San Jose has been the among the league's busiest teams this month, adding Barclay Goodrow off waivers and trading for Jake Walman and Ty Dellandrea. The Sharks also swapped draft picks with the Buffalo Sabres just before the Grundstrom deal.

The 26-year-old forward had eight goals and 12 points in 50 games with the Kings this season. He is a pending restricted free agent, coming off a one-year, $1.3 million deal.

Burroughs, 28, had two goals and eight points in 73 games with the Sharks this season and was minus-42. He is signed through 2025-26 at a cap hit of $1.1 million.

Sharks, Sabres swap picks

The San Jose Sharks have continued their active off-season, swapping draft picks with the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.

The Sabres received the 14th and 42nd overall picks from the Sharks, who move up to select 11th overall in Friday's draft the deal.

Flyers still weighing buy outs

Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports the Philadelphia Flyers are still weighing potential buy outs for forward Cam Atkinson and goaltender Cal Petersen. 

According to Kurz, the Flyers have had talks with other teams on trading Atkinson but his 10-team no-trade list is limiting options. He notes the San Jose Sharks were interested but are on the list.

Atkinson is signed through next season at a cap hit of $5.875 million. He posted 13 goals and 28 points in 70 games this season, but became a regular healthy scratch late in the year. A veteran of 770 NHL games, Atkinson has 249 goals and 480 points over his career with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Flyers.

Buying out the 35-year-old forward would leave the Flyers with a cap hit of $2.36 million for next season and add a cap charge of $1.76 million in 2025-26.Petersen, acquired in a trade from the Los Angeles Kings last summer, spent the majority of this season in the American Hockey League. He appeared in five games with the Flyers, positing a 2-2-0 record with a .864 save percentage and a 3.90 goals-against average. He counted for $3.85 million against the Flyers cap last season while in the minors as the Flyers received some relief on his $5 million cap hit. He is signed through next season as well and a buyout would leave Philadelphia with a $1 million cap hit in the upcoming season and a $2 million charge the following year.

The Flyers could receive $4 million in relief if Ryan Johansen is placed on long-term injured reserve as Kurz notes he is not eligible for a buyout while injured. The 31-year-old forward was waived by the Flyers shortly after being acquired as part of their return for Sean Walker ahead of the trade deadline. He did not play again after the trade because of a hip injury, which general manager Daniel Briere said has left his status for next season uncertain.

Canucks re-sign Joshua

The Vancouver Canucks reached a four-year, $13 million deal with pending UFA Dakota Joshua on Thursday.

The deal carries a cap hit of $3.25 million for the forward.

Joshua, 28, recorded 18 goals and 32 points in 63 games with the Canucks last season. He added four goals and eight points in 13 playoff games before his team was eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the second round.

It's been a busy couple of days for the Canucks, who re-signed defenceman Teddy Blueger on a two-year, $3.6 million deal and shipped off Ilya Mikheyev's contract to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun also wrote in The Athletic that there are "serious rumblings" about the Canucks making a pitch to Jake Guentzel, should he reach the open market on Monday.

Sabres undecided on Skinner buyout

Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said Thursday the team is undecided on buying out veteran winger Jeff Skinner. 

“No final decisions have been made and we still have time ” Adams said on WGR 550 SportsRadio. 

The NHL's first buyout window of the summer opened Thursday and will close on Sunday, leaving Adams with a few more days to make a call. 

Skinner is signed through the 2026-27 season at a cap hit of $9 million. He had 24 goals and 46 points in 74 games this season after topping the 30-goal mark in each of the previous two campaigns. The 32-year-old crossed the 1,000 NHL game mark this season (now at 1,006) but has never appeared in a playoff game.

Buying out Skinner would free up $7.56 million in cap space for the Sabres this summer and save $4.56 million in 2025-26 and $2.56 million in 2026-27, compared to his $9 million currently on the books. It also, however, would leave the Sabres with a cap charge of $2.44 million in the three seasons from 2027-2030.

No players on buy out waivers

TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reports no players are on unconditional waivers for purposes of a buyout on Thursday.

However, that does not mean there will be no buyouts today. Players who have no-move clauses in their contracts don't have to be placed on unconditional waivers to be bought out. 

Jeff Skinner of the Buffalo Sabres, who is reportedly a potential candidate for a buyout, has a full no-move. The Philadelphia Flyers have been weighing buy outs for Cam Atkinson and Cal Petersen, both of whom would require unconditional waivers.

Latest on Trouba

It appears the rumour mill is heating up on a potential Jacob Trouba trade.

Arthur Staple of The Athletic reports the New York Rangers have asked Trouba's camp for the defenceman's 15-team no-trade list ahead of July 1. Trouba currently owns a full no-move clause in his contract, but that will flip to the no-trade list on Monday. 

Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported earlier this week that the Rangers are not considering a buyout for the team's captain. He added that sources were divided on whether the team would weigh trading Trouba once his full no-move clause drops off.

Brooks argued that even at a rich cap hit of $8 million for two more seasons, trading Trouba likely does not make sense for the Rangers. The team is not interested in changing captains two years after giving Trouba the "C" and while he may drop to the third pairing, he remains the team's top penalty killer on defence.

The 30-year-old blueliner posted three goals and 22 points in 69 games this season, adding one goal and six assists in 16 playoff games. He revealed after the season that he suffered a broken ankle in March, which forced him to miss 11 games, and the status of his health in the playoffs remains a mystery.

Holland leaving Oilers

Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland has told the team he will not return in any capacity next season, according to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger

Holland's contract with the Oilers will expire on June 30. Dreger notes that while Holland is now free to talk to other teams, he has not yet done so and is expected to take some time before deciding what his next move will be.

Holland was named the Oilers general manager and president of hockey operations in May of 2019.

The 68-year-old over saw a team that went 220-121-32 during his five-year tenure that saw four playoff appearances and culminated with a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2024.

Canucks in on Guentzel?

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun writes in The Athletic that there are "serious rumblings" about the Vancouver Canucks making a pitch to Jake Guentzel, should he reach the open market on Monday.

Vancouver cleared more than $4 million in cap space on Wednesday as the team sent Ilya Mikheyev, along with a second-round pick and the rights to pending UFA Sam Lafferty, to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Canucks retained 15 per cent of Mikheyev's $4.75 million cap hit in the deal, but cleared the vast majority of it from their books. 

According to CapFriendly, the Canucks could have close to $20.8 million in cap space if Tucker Poolman ($2.5 million cap hit) remains on LTIR with 17 players signed for next season. LeBrun wondered prior to Wednesday's trade whether the team could fit a $9 million contract for Guentzel under the cap. 

The Canucks brass, led by president Jim Rutherford, has ties to Guentzel dating back to their time together with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Canucks reportedly discussed a potential blockbuster move ahead of the trade deadline that would have sent Elias Lindholm to the Boston Bruins in order to add Guentzel from Pittsburgh. Lindholm was only newly acquired himself from the Calgary Flames in exchange for Andrei Kuzmenko, prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, a 2024 first-round draft pick, and a conditional 2024 fourth-round draft pick. 

Guenztel is likely to be the top name available on July 1 after finishing the season with 30 goals and 77 points in 67 games with the Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes, who ultimately got him at the deadline. He added four goals and nine points in 11 games during the postseason.

The Hurricanes continue to try to get a deal done with Guentzel, but just days remain before he can hit unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career.

“We’re trying very hard on that one,” Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky told LeBrun. “We are not that far apart. I’m still optimistic it’s going to get done. But it’s not done yet and we’re running out of time.”

Necas watch is on

Speculation continues to swirl around pending restricted free agent Martin Necas as the Carolina Hurricanes look for a new home for the forward.

LeBrun reports the Hurricanes have an offer on the table that includes a first-round pick in Friday's draft, which could lead to a deal in the near future. He believes the Buffalo Sabres could be one of the top suitors in the mix, but notes that if the Hurricanes asking price is not met, they're willing to hold on to the 25-year-old.

With the Hurricanes asking price remaining high, some have speculated whether an interested team could elect to tender an offer sheet to Necas and pay the compensation that way. New general manager Eric Tulsky made it clear, though, that the team intends to match an offer sheet - within reason - in order to get the package they want in the future.

“Yeah I mean, if someone offer sheets him at $16 million a year, we won’t match,” Tulsky told LeBrun in The Athletic. “But if teams are drawing the line on a trade at less than what we’re asking for, then they’re going to be doing an offer sheet at a place where we would match it easily without a second thought.”

Necas is reportedly seeking a move from Carolina, but after posting 24 goals and 53 points in 77 games this season, he is also seeking a significant raise from his current $3 million cap hit. Selected 12th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft, he has topped the 20-goal mark in each of the past two seasons and recorded a career-high 71 points in 82 games last season.

Where will Stamkos land? 

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports the Tampa Bay Lightning and Steven Stamkos are not close on a new contract as inches closer to hitting the open market on Monday.

LeBrun, who notes Stamkos would like to stay in Tampa Bay, said the Lightning will have to improve their offer if they want to keep their captain, but other teams are lying in wait for Monday. LeBrun reports the Nashville Predators have "serious interest" in Stamkos, while TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston points to the Detroit Red Wings, who are flush with cap space, as a another potential landing spot. 

Stamkos has spent his entire 16-year career with the Lightning and expressed his disappointment with the lack of contract talks prior to the season. Playing out the last of an eight-year, $68 million deal signed in 2016, the 34-year-old forward posted 40 goals and 81 points in 79 games during the regular season. 

Despite a quick playoff exit against the Florida Panthers, Stamkos was a key contributor for the Lightning in the first round, finishing with five goals and an assist in five games. 

Maple Leafs, Marner Watch

Amid seemingly constant rumours, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving seemed to quiet the idea of trading Mitch Marner on Wednesday, while also keeping the door open to a move in the future.

"I am not going to speculate on anything," Treliving told reporters. "I want to make it really clear: Mitch is a star. Mitch is a superstar in the league. He has been that since he entered the league. He’s been that ever since he put on a Maple Leafs jersey.

"We said at the end of the year that we weren’t happy with how the year ended. That is not Mitch. The focus isn’t on Mitch. As an organization and as a team, we felt we should’ve gone further than we did. When that happens, you have to look at everything. It is no different than the other 31 teams here. We are going to try to make our team better.

"I am not going to speculate on that. As I said, he is a star. As we do with any player, we will not get into speculation of that nature, but certainly, he is a special player."

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports that trading Marner is nowhere near the top of the to-do list for Treliving this week. Instead, the general manager will be focused on adding one or potentially two right-shot defencemen and finding a goaltender to pair with Joseph Woll next season. 

The insiders broke down that and more in Las Vegas in Wednesday: