NHL Rumor Mill – May 22, 2025
Check out the latest on Rangers winger Chris Kreider, Wild center Marco Rossi, Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram, and more in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
WHAT WILL THE RANGERS DO WITH CHRIS KREIDER?
THE ATHLETIC: Peter Baugh was recently asked what the New York Rangers intend to do with Chris Kreider. The 33-year-old winger was the frequent topic of trade speculation during the regular season.
The Rangers are facing a salary-cap crunch next season. Trading Kreider and his $6.5 million average annual value through 2026-27 is one route to creating cap space.
New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider (NHL Images).
Kreider carries a 15-team no-trade list. He could make it difficult for the Rangers to move him by eliminating teams with the cap space to take on his salary. That would force the Blueshirts to retain him, put him on waivers, retain salary in a trade or buy him out. The last option would leave a cap hit of $3 million for 2025-26, $4 million in 2026-27, and $1.5 million in each of the following two seasons.
Baugh doesn’t expect the Rangers to bring in any big-name replacements for Kreider. They might have enough room to add a depth player or two. Doing more would require another cost-cutting trade.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Baugh believes the Rangers and Kreider could work together to find a suitable trade partner if the winger is open to a change. His injuries this season likely prevented the Rangers from finding a suitable deal, but he still managed to reach the 20-goal plateau for the 10th time in his NHL career. A contender seeking an experienced scoring winger could take a chance on a healthy Kreider reaching 30 goals again.
WHAT KIND OF RETURN WOULD MARCO ROSSI FETCH THE WILD?
THE ATHLETIC: Michael Russo and Joe Smith were recently asked what a realistic trade for Marco Rossi would look like. The 23-year-old center finished second this season among Minnesota Wild scorers. He’s slated to become a restricted free agent on July 1, but faces an uncertain future in Minnesota.
Smith believes there should be a good market for Rossi despite his 5’9”, 192-pound frame. He thinks the Wild could look at what the young center would fetch in compensation if he signed an offer sheet between $4.6 million and $7.02 million AAV (a first and a third-round pick). However, that would feel like an underwhelming return. Smith speculates that Rossi could be part of a larger deal to bring in a larger winger or center.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rossi’s been mentioned as a trade target for several clubs, including the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers and Vancouver Canucks. It’ll be interesting to see if the Wild attempt to move him during next month’s draft weekend (June 27-28) in Los Angeles.
SABRES GAUGING BOWEN BYRAM’S MARKET VALUE
SPORTSNET/THE SCORE: Elliotte Friedman reports the Buffalo Sabres are gauging Bowen Byram’s value in the trade market. He said there is “no doubt” that the 23-year-old defenseman’s name is out there, adding “there is definitely noise around the Byram names and the Buffalo Sabres.
Byram is due to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights on July 1. He’s coming off a career-best 38-point performance in 82 games. The Sabres have over $21 million in cap space for 2025-26 but must also re-sign RFA forwards JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn. They’re also expected to spend on outside help after missing the playoffs for the 14th straight year.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Reports out of Buffalo earlier this month suggested the Sabres would prioritize re-signing Peterka, Quinn, Alex Tuch and Ryan McLeod. They also believed Byram could be used as trade bait to bolster their depth elsewhere, perhaps to acquire a veteran right-shot defenseman to pair with left-shot blueliner Owen Power.
Byram has an injury history but he’s a terrific all-around defenseman when healthy. He should have plenty of value in this summer’s trade market.
SENATORS TO SEEK A RIGHT-SHOT DEFENSEMAN
OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports Senators general manager Steve Staios will likely pursue another right-shot defenseman after veteran Nick Jensen underwent surgery on Monday for a lower-body injury.
There is no timetable for Jensen’s recovery. It’s believed he had the procedure on a hip or a knee.
Garrioch claimed the Senators were among the teams that looked into acquiring Rasmus Andersson. The 28-year-old Calgary Flames blueliner has a year remaining on his contract and his future is to be determined. It’s assumed he’ll get an AAV of around $8 million on his next contract, which is why the Flames could move him this summer to get something in return.
The Senators would need assurances that Anderson would agree to an extension before acquiring him, and that could mean the return would have to be high.
Another option could be Rasmus Ristolainen of the Philadelphia Flyers. The Toronto Maple Leafs tried to acquire him at the trade deadline but were rebuffed. Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers could be available in this summer’s UFA market, but would be an expensive signing.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Flames GM Craig Conroy said he’s hoping to meet with Andersson and his agent in the coming weeks to discuss a contract extension. Nevertheless, the blueliner could be traded if he and Conroy can’t agree on a new deal. The Flames GM probably doesn’t want to repeat what he went through with Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin two years ago.
Ristolainen underwent surgery on March 26 to repair a ruptured triceps tendon. He will reportedly be sidelined for six months and will miss training camp.
COULD MAXIME COMTOIS RETURN WITH THE RED WINGS?
RG.ORG: Daria Tuboltseva cited sources claiming Maxime Comtois could make his return to the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings. The 26-year-old forward spent this season with KHL club Dynamo Moscow, collecting 50 points in 62 games and leading them in playoff scoring with 13 points.
“I’ve always said I wanted to return to the NHL, and this season I did everything possible to make that happen,” said Comtois. He also reportedly has a contract offer from the Boston Bruins.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Comtois was a once-promising forward with the Anaheim Ducks from 2018-19 to 2022-23, but he never reached expectations. He could become an affordable reclamation project for the Wings, Bruins or another NHL club.
Would a Cowan for Andersson make sense for the leafs. Would that be enough to get Andersson?
No not enough…you are looking at an experienced RH defensemen in Andersson and a little known player smallish, untested and hyped up by TSN and Toronto media
Don your right about trading a known quantity for one that is unknown since no league is like the NHL but hyped is a bit…I don’t know how that could be said after looking at what he’s done so far as compared to others before him… plus unfortunately the Leafs need low cost controlled players.
How about Rielly? LOL!
I doubt it Jeff, mainly because it’s pretty clear that what Calgary would want in return for the 28 y/o 6′ 1″ 220lb RD, who is on a cap-friendly $4,550,000 hit for one more season is, in addition to a 1st round pick, a C prospect, not a RW prospect. That is, IF they’d be happy with a pick/prospect combo.
If he is dealt in those circumstances, I would bet on Detroit landing him, likely involving their C prospect Nate Danielsson.
However, if the Flames want an NHL-ready C in return, I could see Andersson coming to Ottawa for C Shane Pinto, straight up – no pick involved.
Not only would that provide the Senators with that elusive RD depth, but their C positions would be filled by Stutzle, Cozens and Greig, and Staios either plucking a 4th-line type C off the UFA heap, or dealing for one.
Absolutely george that i can see a Pinto for Andersen as being a major part of that deal. Pinto would definitely get a great opportunity in Calgary & I dont see why Andersen wouldnt extend in Ottawa, he played his junior in Barrie.
Thats a pretty close trade. I could see Conroy wanted to get a solid LHD & thought Buffalo with Byram in play could be interesting. Especially if Dahlin & Andersen get good chemistry in the Worlds. I love Andersen & would want to keep him if we were further in our retool/rebuild. But Parekh has to be with the Flames this year (goofy no AHL rule) & Weegar can play with Byram & let Parekh play with Bahl. Andersen blocks the path. We have Pachal & Bruz knocking on the door for that bottom pairing. I think Pionk deal is a perfect comparable for Andersen but he just doesnt fit the timeline with us.
Couldn’t Chychrun have been the centre piece around making a trade for Andersson before this past season, instead of Chychrun for Jensen straight up? Once that trade was announced, I was just shaking my head wondering what Staios was thinking.
In a full season in Ottawa Chychrun was a porous minus 30. Yes, he improved those stats in Washington – surrounded and protected by better players both on D and up-front as well as in goal (compared to the Ottawa roster at the time).
Coming up for a renewed contract and coming off a $4.6 mil cap hit, Staios could not see his way clear to meeting his contract demands, which turned out to be $9 mil per to 2030. Not with Sanderson and Chabot already costing hefty cap hits.
We’ll see how that deal starts to “age” very soon as the Capitals core continues to get longer in the tooth. One assist for Ovechkin in the Carolina series is one indicator that this coming season might not be anywhere near the season just completed.
He also wasn’t dealt straight up – Staios got a 3rd round pick as well.
Rangers: I can’t see how the Rangers keep Kreider plus resign their key free agents to solid deals (Cuylle, K’Andre, Rempe).
Something has to give, and I think it’s a Kreider buyout. Trade would be preferred, but Rangers may need to throw in a pick to make it happen without salary retention.
And even with a buyout, Rangers will still need to cut more $ to suit up a full, cap compliant roster. Drury has a lot of work to do if he wants to remake that locker room.
Minny: I still don’t get all the noise about Minny and Rossi the last several years. He’s got to be tired of it. He is one of their top offensive players, he’s young, and he’s a center. He may never be a #1 center, but he could be a very good #2 for the next decade. Minny needs centers, so this continues to perplex me.
Byram: I can’t believe he’s still only 23 years old. If his injury problems are behind him, there are a lot of teams that would take a chance on his age/talent.
Offseason roster maneuvering is going to be fun to watch this year.
It would stink to see Ras go. Pinto doesn’t move the needle as a Flames fan. Cozens would.
H, not a great deal of difference between Cozens and Pinto statistically
Cozens – 6′ 3″ 207lbs right-shot C – 362gp 82g 131a 213 pts for 82-games averages of 19g 30a 49 pts
Pinto – 6′ 3″ 204lbs right-shot C – 210gp 51g 56a 107 pts for 82-game averages of 20g 22a 42 pts
The big difference is
Pinto has 1 more season at a cap hit of $3,750,000 bore becoming an RFA, while Cozens will cost $7,100,000 off the cap to 2030 before becoming a UFA
Hmm. Puckpedia shows Pinto as a Unrestricted Free Agent (Group 6) after next year. No idea what Group 6 means.
H, I don’t know where you see that pending Group 6 RFA status where Pinto is concerned. Can you provide a link?
A Group 6 RFA can become a UFA only under certain conditions – i.e., his contract expires, he is at least 25 y/o, has played less than 80 NHL games, has completed 3 or more pro seasons, and his contract is due to expire.
Having played 210 NHL games, Pinto is an RFA after next season with arbitration rights.
Personally, and with the added issue of cap room, I would prefer to see Cozens go for Andersson in a deal since that would free up an additional $2,550,000 for Staois to spend elsewhere.
The thing with Pinto has been, with Stutzle and Norris ahead of him at C on lines 1 and 2, he has primarily played as the # 3 C with, of course, far less potent wingers and not much pp time. and in the instances where he has moved up to 1 or 2 due to injuries he has shown to be very effective. Unfortunately for him, that didn’t change one iota with the Cozens – Norris deal since Cozens was used primarily as a C by Green.
Andersson is an intriguing option for Ottawa as long as he agrees to an extension. Perhaps Staios offers Pinto an extension post July 1 and if he balks then he gets moved as part of a deal with Calgary. Otherwise offer Cozens as the key piece.
Would like to see Ottawa get Pospisil as part of a deal. Ottawa can use some players who play with an edge in the bottom 6.
Andersson+ Pospisil for Cozens or Pinto + ?
To my eye Pinto is a better player than Cozens, in fact I’d love to have him on the Habs and have zero interest in Cozens.
I’m sure Staios would give him up for Hutson, habfan30 🙂
I’m starting to be convinced about Pinto. He would gel with Coronato.
Pinto right now seems to be somewhere between a verb good #3 center and a slightly below average #2 center. The question is can he improve his offense to the 50s in points so that he’d be at least a decent #2 center.
I wouldn’t use Hutson but I’d surely consider Mike Matheson for Andersson. Both eat minutes and are strong it would be a LD for aa RD.
I don’t know what it would take to get Pinto from Ottawa, maybe a Hab 1st and a D like Struble.
I think Pinto under MSL would be a much improved player and a strong 2C.
Agreed HF30, Pinto seems to be a more complete player. He does well in a defensive role when required.
And, as I point out elsewhere habfan30 (and Howard), the points Pinto has accrued to date come mainly from playing as a 3rd line C back of – first Norris and Stutzle and this past season, Stutzle and Cozens – flanked by a very distinct drop-off in winger quality and very little pp time.
When he did get a chance, through injury necessity, to play on the top 2 lines with better wingers, he demonstrated his ability very well.
And habfan30, that Hutson comment of mine was purely tongue-in-cheek. The Habs got a great one there.
P.S. I like Matheson, but the only problem there is, he’s a LD … Ottawa need s depth on the right side.
Kreider could entice a team that needs his skillset on the powerplay. does not seem like the Rangers will keep him around to be the all time leading goal scorer(he needs 80).
Someone might get a useful winger who can score 25+ for very little.
I’m not impressed with Morgan Rielly. He showed a lot of potential when he was young, but it was never fully realized. Now, I see him as a 2nd or 3rd pairing D.
I wonder how the rest of the league sees him. What is his trade value?
In a way, WestBrantKid, he reminds me of Chabot here in Ottawa and, before him, Karlsson – i..e., with more offensive ability than defensive, they need the right sort of on-ice partner. Karlsson had his best years when Mathot arrived on the scene, and Chabot had a solid, turnaround season when Staios got Jensen from Washington.
George, that’s interesting. I see him as low defence, and low offence.
Berube likely see it that way, too, which would explain the 5-forward PP.
To me, any D with the slightest offensive ability could outscore Reilly in the regular season, when given ice time and offensive zone starts with the top two lines on Toronto. Especially when the team bends over backward to find him a partner that will cover the defence for him.
If he has trade value, I’d love to see Toronto find a replacement, if Reilly could be convinced to waive.
Well, WestBrantKid, whenever I’ve watched him in detail – most often against Ottawa and Montreal in my case – I see him as a good puck-moving D – but you undoubtedly see him in more detail than me, that’s for sure.
What I do find interesting is that, over 873gp, Rielly has posted 87g 426a 513pts for 82-game averages of 8g 40a 48pts.
Chabot, in 512gp, has 71g 233a 304pts for 82-game averages of 11g 37a 48pts.
Rielly has also added 15g 32a 47pts in 70 playoff games.
Keep in mind George, Reilly has done that mostly on a playoff calibre team. Chabot has played most of his games on a perpetually rebuilding team.
When it comes to defence-men scoring, I believe a lot relies on the forward lines playing in front of them.
I’d be interested to know how many of Reilly’s assists are secondary. I imagine his partner collects a lots of pucks, passes over to Reilly, who then passes it up to Marner, Matthews, Travares or Nylander where it results in a scoring chances.
I’ll ad another complaint about Reilly. I don’t recall ever seeing him take a slap shot. That makes him much less effective from the point, especially on a power play, imo.
Your comment on his lack of a slap-shot got me curious, WestBrantKid, so I searched around for a possible explanation, and found this article from late 2023, in which Rielly adds his explanation to the declining use of the slapper
https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/the-slap-shot-is-dying-nhl-players-explain-whats-to-blame-204335633.html
I`m not saying Reilly is an Norris candidate. Reilly thrived under Babcock. Keefe (most overrated coach in the NHL) came along and made a mess of things. The 5 forward experiment is 100% Savard thing. Going into the playoffs, Reilly /Carlo were solid, offensively and defensively. Defense is a team game and there were far too many giveaways by the forwards in their own end. Goalies and the dmen seem to take the blame for them. Slapshots aren`t used much anymore because they`re low accuracy, almost impossible to deflect. You want the dmen to fire a low, under 3 feet wrist shot, easiest to deflect. Whether an assist is primary or secondary isn`t that big of a deal, sometimes the no.1 reason for a goal being scored is the guy screening the goalie and you might notice he rarely even gets an assist on the goal. A lot of people look at a players +/- stat to determine whether he`s good defensively or how much having the right partner means. Reilly before Carlo -19 after Carlo joined +8. Better players are usually on the ice when a team is down a goal or 2. Reilly was on the ice for 21 empty net goals against and they scored 5, which comes out to -16 with no goalie. The main reason +/- stats aren`t worth the paper they`re written on. Is Reilly a Norris trophy candidate, noooo. Does he deserve to be run out of town ala Larry Murphy, hell no. Reilly`s cap hit for what he brings, is about what the market says it should be. Too many times in the playoffs Toronto`s defensive zone problems came from the forwards inability to get the puck out of their end, the defense took the brunt of that in blocked shots, didn`t help Woll either.
That’s a good article. It make sense, for sure. However, I still believe there’s a place for a slap shot now and then, for every defenceman. It will make some players think twice about getting in front of it. I’ve yelled at the players through the TV occasionally to slap the puck through the shot-blocker. lol
Watching the Leafs, I rarely see slap shots, but Simone Benoit and Philip Myers are like a breath of fresh air. Besides the welcome physical play, they both take the occasional slapper. Especially Myers, when he gets into the lineup.
I’m kinda reluctant to reply to your comments westbrant since I’m unclear of what is the point your making or motive…it’s a bit like a bait click, like on the trolling side. George made good comparisons and also stated his observations are limited to viewings being against his Senators team.
Rielly like all offensive D aren’t the best defensively but when paired with the right player, they generate offense with not only points aka, assists and goals but rather effectively break the puck out safely and securely through the neutral zone. Rielly does this as well as anyone. He doesn’t shy away nor disappears come playoffs.
So if that’s an element your team lacks and/or cherishes, he’s a player for you. If not, he is absolutely someone you can pass on. He is a consistent and reliable player that would probably be the kind of player you need if you are having problems generating/kick starting your offense, are young or are getting nothing from your defense.
I don’t see Kreider as most likely trade candidate. I think Sullivan prefers keeping him. If they can get Panarin to waive nmc, he’d have more value and would create more cap space. Possible that Miller could get shopped. He’d be most likely to get overpaid out of the rfa’s.
Also wouldn’t surprise me to see Lafreniere made available.
I agree Slick. I believe with the recent Panarin SA allegations and subsequent payoff he may be more inclined to waive his NMC instead of facing the NY Media and fan base. I have never been that impressed by him, yes, he puts up points (mostly assists), but he is always in the top 5 every year in turnovers. He has zero defensive game to him and if he isn’t on the highlight reel, he is invisible. Not a playoff performer either. I would also move K Miller; he has regressed the last 2 years and seems more comfortable playing forward than defense. I see Kreider having a big bounce back year with a full summer to rest and get healthy, he is more than capable of providing 50-60 pts and for his salary that is well worth it.
I agree the BEST 2 to move on from are Panarin and Zibanejad based on salary and style of play.
But they hold all the cards with NMCs. If they want to stay, there is no moving them.
That’s why I think Kreider is the most likely to actually move. Or maybe Lafreniere if they can get some value in a trade.
GMs & Owners across the league continue to box themselves in a corner when they give out these long 6-8 year deals with NMCs in them.
Drury would have to drum up a real good story and deal to convince Panarin and Zib to waive for a trade. Maybe there is a path for Panarin to head to Chicago to play alongside Bedard, or even Detroit to reunite with Kane. Panarin only has 1 year left on his deal, so there may be a scenario that works for everyone. I wouldn’t even care if the Rangers only got back a draft pick…. getting rid of the cap hit and finesse play would be addition by subtraction.
I was very happy when NY signed Panarin. Great offensive player. This past season he was -9 even with all his points. Really got under my skin with his lack of effort. Going into last season of contract, he might agree to waive nmc if there’s no plan of extending him. I’ve always thought he’d be happy in Florida. He’s best friends with Bobrovsky, who’s also going into final year of his deal. Panarin contract is only 1m after bonus paid out. A 3rd team can get an asset by taking on part of cap hit.lets say :
NY sends Panarin to SJ. NY retains 20%. SJ sends him to Fl. SJ retains 50%. Fl sends 2025 4th and prospect to SJ. Fl sends Hovorka, 2026 2nd and 2027 3rd( becomes a 1st if Panarin signs extension)to NY
Calgary is cheap. Conroy has made some very good deals while cornered. He knew Lindholm was leaving in October pulled the trigger Jan Feb . I get a different feeling about Andersson . I think he signs and stays new arena pending
Reluctantly, I agree SilverSeven. Andersson is not one you let slip away.
No I dont think he will resign Andersen unless its a bargain deal. Year end interviews basically had Andersen saying all the right things that he wants to stay, loves Calgary but understands its a business. Basically saying he wantsto go get paid. I think once his ask is for Chychryn money, Conroy passes & will trade him. Need to make room for Parekh on that right side. I think a Pinto for Andersen is probably a perfect trade where teams get what they want/need.
Calgary definitely needs center-iceman. Kadri a 1B and that’s about it .
Flames have tons of cap . In theory you can pay whatever Andersson wants. Somewhere between a Hanifin and Nurse comparable . I would not include a no trade. Or even a modified Pay him what he wants but have control of his future