NHL Rumor Mill – July 2, 2025
Check out the latest on Nikolaj Ehlers, Bowen Byram and Rasmus Andersson, plus the latest on the Maple Leafs in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
EHLERS STILL AVAILABLE IN UFA MARKET
Former Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers is the only player still unsigned among this summer’s top-10 unrestricted free agent class.
Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers (NHL Images).
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported the Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning were among the clubs interested in the 29-year-old winger.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Ehlers camp can afford to take its time. Unlike recent UFA years, there are a lot of teams with cap space this summer. Those in the market for a top-six forward will be interested in signing him.
One of them is his former team. We can’t rule out the possibility of his return to Winnipeg, but it seems likely he’ll be heading elsewhere as early as today.
WILL BOWEN BYRAM BE TRADED OR SIGN AN OFFER SHEET?
TSN: Darren Dreger reported Tuesday that the Flames, Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings, and St. Louis Blues were among the teams holding trade talks with the Buffalo Sabres about Bowen Byram. The 24-year-old defenseman is a restricted free agent (RFA) with arbitration rights.
Dreger also suggested the possibility of Byram signing an offer sheet with a rival club. Chris Johnston believes the sweet spot of such an offer would come in at $7,020,113 on the offer-sheet compensation scale. Anything below that means the Sabres receive a first-round pick and a third-round pick as compensation if they decline to match.
If the Sabres were to match an offer sheet for Byram, Johnston pointed out that it would take him up to UFA status next summer while losing the ability to trade him.
THE BUFFALO NEWS: Mike Harrington noted the reports suggesting Byram might receive an offer sheet. However, he thinks Byram would’ve signed one by now if he were interested.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The interested teams could be trying to go the trade route first before resorting to an offer sheet. Then again, maybe the offer-sheet speculation was merely some pundits killing time on air during the opening day of a talent-thin free-agent market. We’ll find out in due course.
Even with Alex Pietrangelo on long-term injury reserve, the Golden Knights have limited cap space to pursue Byram. They must find another way to shed salary to pull this off.
The Blues could be out of the market after acquiring promising Logan Mailloux from the Montreal Canadiens yesterday. The Kings are also probably out after signing Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci.
THE LATEST ON RASMUS ANDERSSON
CALGARY SUN: Wes Gilbertson considers it inevitable that the Flames will trade Rasmus Andersson. The 28-year-old defenseman is in the final season of his contract with no extension in sight.
Andersson has been linked to the Vegas Golden Knights following reports claiming they were the only team he was willing to sign a contract extension with if traded.
TSN: reports Flames general manager Craig Conroy said he hadn’t given the Andersson camp permission to speak with other clubs about an extension, and the blueliner has never told him that he was honed in on one team.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Conroy has repeatedly said he has no problem with Andersson being in the lineup when the Flames begin the 2025-26 regular season. Nevertheless, a team that lost out in signing a top-four defenseman via free agency could soon come calling about Andersson.
UPDATES ON THE MAPLE LEAFS
THE ATHLETIC: Jonas Siegel believes the Toronto Maple Leafs’ biggest offseason need is finding a way to bolster their offense following the departure of Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Siegel believes they need a winger who can make plays next to Auston Matthews or John Tavares, or a second-line center that pushes Tavares to the wing or drops down to the third line.
SPORTSNET: Luke Fox believes Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving will survey the trade market, find a bona fide top-six forward, and make a hard pitch.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Easier said than done. Treliving might have to wait until the regular season to address that issue.
Well, if Treleving is going to target a top 6 F with term, what does he offer up in return?
As for replacing Marner’s points, why not go after Ehlers? That will only cost $$. And I think Knies will increase his points production dramatically this coming season.
The Leafs are in the middle of no man’s land right now, few assets they can give up in a trade and not enough cap space (5 million) to sign Ehlers as a UFA. They have no first or second pick next year, and who on their roster can they give up?
Perhaps they could offer Domi as a much in demand centre, but he has underperformed everywhere he has played.
LJ, it would certainly take some deft maneuvering to free up the necessary additional cap space, but Treleving is no stranger to that, and going over the cap in the summer hasn’t hindered the GMs in Vegas and Florida in recent years.
Right now they have close to $5 mil in cap reserve with 23 players committed to – how much more would he need to entice Ehlers?
Well George after listening to Treliving, going after Ehlers is exactly what he’s going to do. If Ehlers signs somewhere else, next up would be a trade. I think Toronto would rather have Cowan start the season with the Marlies, one never knows and Domi has played well on the wing with Matthews. I had to chuckle in the Knies interview when a reporter asked him what he was going to work on in the summer. Speed and add some more muscle, at 235 lbs already, yikes, imagine the problems he going to cause in front of the net. Andreychuk on steriods
LOL. Wouldn’t that be an eye-opener?!
I can see him going from 20 goals (and 58 points) to close to 40 goals and 90 points at LW with Matthews. And if Maccelli is slotted in on that line at RW he could pot 20.
Knies did pop 29 last year and missed a little time. I can see him popping 50 and a lot of them coming on the PP. I figured Macelli on the 3rd line with Roy, at least to start the season. I also had to laugh when I found out Roy was a Leafs fan growing up
Yeah, my post above should have said “29” not “20” – I do that a lot with my keyboard letters and numbers fading – lol
Byram has 2 yrs to UFA, not 2 these morons have said
He was drafted in 2019 and signed at 18
19/20 played CHL
20/21 played for colorsdo at 19 but did not hit the 40g in 82g season count needed for a 18/19yr old to earn a service yr for UFA (27 in 56)
21/22 yr 2 ELC
22/23 yr 3 ELC
23/24= yr 1 of bridge, traded to BUF
24/25 yr w if bridge
Now RFA. YFA at 27
I don’t know what cba clause gives him gill yr credit for 20/21 because he was injured. If he played 19 then sent to juniors he would not have accrued a season thus dummer 28 would have been his UFA time. He also got 10.wc zoD protection when his r lc ended because he didn’t accurue a 3rd yr.
Hi Dan
This is what I’ve found re UFA
“An NHL player becomes an unrestricted free agent when his contract runs out and he has either accrued seven seasons or is 27 years of age or older. It can also happen to a younger player who hasn’t accrued that much time in the league, but doesn’t receive a qualifying offer.”
He’s already got 6 years; so 25/26 makes 7; signing s 1 year contract makes him UFA on July 1st next year
An offer sheet if matched; would only have Sabres with him until July 1st next year; and then he is UFA
Oops
was looking at Puckpedia and seeing 6 lines (years) showing against Byram’s stats; but two of those lines represent two (2) teams; so 5 years; you’re correct
So worst case; and offer sheet is for 2 years; matched; and Sabres then have July 1st 2026 to June 30th, 2027 to try and get him re-upped
My bad
He’ll demand a huge increase in 2 years; and I can’t see Sabres winning the bidding stakes (he’d go to a contender)
In 2 years he’s 26 and in his prime
OS of 2 * $7 M (League min sal, the rest in Signing Bonus) would be a ridiculous idea to match as Sabres would be paying over $12 M in SBs after only 1 more year of playing; and they’d only have him for 1 more year
Compensation just a 1st and 3rd
OS team makes verbal promise of 8 years extension at amenable comp to be singed July 1st next year; and get BB for 10 years at price of a 1st and 3rd
With that in mind; if a team offers (in trade) a 1st, 3rd, and prospect for a sign and trade on Byram; take it!
Byram is a UFA in 2027. He only has 5 yrs accrued and is 24 to start the sesson.
Why do they think he’s 1 yr ti UFA is beyond me.
He a actually D would be a UFA until 3028.as a 19 yr old in 20/21 he got injured and only did 19g which didn’t accrue a sezson. They must be some cba clause because if injury, gave him service credit
St Louis gets Byram and Buffalo gets Kyrou, who says no?
St. Louis says no. They took calls on Kyrou and didn’t like the idea of diminishing their forward group. Who replaces his 30+ goals/season scoring? They have no cap space, and would need to offset Kyrou’s savings with a big raise for Byram.
Agreed. I think the Blues would need more for Kyrou. In any event Kyrou now has a full NMC and is not likely to waive.
The Habs and the Blues were discussing a potential trade for Kyrou but obviously the Habs were unwilling to pony up what the Blues wanted. So they worked out the smaller Bolduc for Mailloux deal. Which I think will work out better for the Habs in the long run. I see Bolduc as becoming a solid two way scorer and at a much lower cost.
Hughes seems to be hoping that a team will be forced to dump salary later in the summer for cap purposes and he may be able to pick up a center that way. Not likely to happen. I’d sign Veleno to a low cost deal for additional depth.
I believe it was reported that it was the basis for an earlier deal, but speculation that Armstrong wanted Buf to add and that proposal was rejected.
Does not seem feasible now that Kyrou’s ntc clause went into effect yesterday and likely will not be waived.
Maybe Kyrou says no now that his NT kicks in.
No idea why Vegas would be in this discussion but because Calgary is in as well, then perhaps a 3 way trade makes a lot of sense.
Calgary sends Andersen at 50% retention, a 2026 3rd & Miromanov RHD. Get Byram back.
Vegas adds a 2027 1st & Dorofeyev(?) get Andersen at 25% because Buffalo does an additional 50% retention.
Buffalo get Vegas 2027 1st, Calgary 2026 3rd, Miromanov, Dorofeyev.
Sounds like a deal all parties could be happy with. Just spitballing.
Puckpedia has a good page here that shows the top remaining free agents (sorted by points) as well as the top remaining RFAs who could receive offer sheets.
https://puckpedia.com/players
Plus there is still the KHL kid (Shabanov) that is available, supposedly Philly being the front runner to land him.
There’s a reason he was never drafted – 5′ 8″ 156lbs. Flitting around on European-size rinks is one thing – playing in the NHL band-boxes is something else.
George, kid has some nice highlights, but what kills interest for me is he was 2nd on his team in goals behind NYR 1st rd bust Kravtsov. Feels like KHL ain’t what it used to be.
The place for small fast forwards to go has been the Lightning — Gusev was last one there from KHL, as I recall. A second choice has been Montreal.
But 156lbs! I think my right leg weighs more than that – lol.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see that his nickname over there is myach diya ping-ponga
Who wins a mud wrestling competition between Shabaniv and Kendal (smallest first round pick this year, that Dubas insisted on picking 10 spots ahead of where he was ranked and ahead of much bigger and better C’s!!)????
Ehlers would fit in well playing next to Tavares, but the Leafs aren’t listed among the teams still chasing him
Rasmus Andersson is said to only be interested in going to Vegas (like 95% of other players), but it would have to be a salary swap there for Vegas. Maybe for Karlsson, even tho the Vegas GM said he doesn’t want to trade him? or maybe Barbashev?
still don’t get the moves made by Drury in NY. Now that KA Miller was traded, Drury has traded most of the dead weight there. But the team offense hasn’t been improved, and they look like a 1-line offensive team there.
I’m sure I’m in the minority of Devils fans, but I like the moves that Fitzgerald made. Brown is a great complimentary winger that will fit in anywhere. Dadonov will help the young Russian Gritsyuk get better acclimated to the NHL. Jake Allen took more than 1/2 of what he would have gotten from other teams to stay as the backup. And there is enough space to left to extend Luke Hughes. But Fitzgerald still needs to build up more center depth, they are another Jack Hughes or Hischier injury from collapsing the offense. Mercer nor Cody Glass are top line centers to fill in
it would be a great story to see the Jets keep Ehlers, but I thing that chapter has closed
as far as Byram, that could extend to most of the summer. The Holloway/Broberg offer sheets didn’t occur until last August. So the Byram situation may take awhile. Not impressed with what Buffalo has done, they lost offense with Peterka and they sure didn’t improve their offense or defense yesterday. Don’t think Kesserling is going to turn around their average defensive play
mikep, Bob McKenzie for one is still including the Leafs among the pursuers of Ehlers, along with Colorado, Anaheim, Carolina and Washington.
Any team that’s in need of a top 6 foward and has the cap space should be in on Ehlers. His entry zone stats alone makes him appealing. I wouldn’t be shocked if he resigned in Winnipeg, but he’d fit in well with Toronto
Agree – and with 20 signed and still sitting on $22,313,810 one might not think $$ should be an issue – until you look at 2 of their 4 unsigned RFAs:
6′ 3″ 210lbs C Gabriel Vilardi – 71gp 27g 34a 61 pts coming off an expired cap hit of $3,437,500; and 6′ 4: 216lbs LD Dylan Samberg – 60gp 6g 14a 20 pts +34 and coming off an expired cap hit of $1,400,000.
How much are those two seeking – clearly, and not yet resolved – Cheveldayov must be digging in his heels to what they are demanding – probably somewhere around $13 mil combined.
The other two – C Morgan Barron (74gp 8g 7a 15pts) and C Rasmus Kupari (59gp 5g 3a 8pts) aren’t looking at big hikes, but perhaps at least $1.9 combined, so that would drop his reserve to around $7.5.
MikeP
Which is the Rangers 1 line?
Cuylle-JT-Zib. Or
Panarin-Trochek-Laf?
As a fan I’m still unsure what to make of this team. Feels like they could still make another trade. I’m confused why we haven’t seen or heard anything of Panarins future. Got his bonus and has 1 mil owed to him this season. Trade? Extension? Let him walk at end of season?
Still a lot of questions for Rangers. Really excited to see what Sullivan can do with this group after the regression under Lavy.
I think the Panarin line is 1A and the JT line is 1B.
3rd line is the big question. Can Parssinen play 3C and solve that gap? If not, Rangers may need to put Zib as 3C and move a youngster to play with JT line (maybe Perreault?).
I see Perreault’s ceiling being like Zuccarello (a facilitating wing who can also score a bit). He’ll need to be on one of the top 2 lines to maximize talent, otherwise start in AHL and run the top line there for a bit.
In terms of Panarin’s future, I wouldn’t do anything yet. If the team bounces back to playoffs and he’s a key part, then hopefully work out a short 3-4 year extension. But if Rangers are floundering like last year, sell him at the trade deadline. He has a full NMC so it would have to be a place of his choosing which lowers the return, but get what you can get.
Foleyd7
This is quote from Mercogliano today on Drury press conference
“Drury wouldn’t comment on whether he’s had any discussions about extending Artemi Panarin now that he’s entering the final year of his contract”
Flames are playing with fire. A serious injury could land them with nothing.
R. Andersson will be valued at least $8m considering some of the signings.
4 assets gets him
Ehlers is not going to Toronto without a major salary dump of $4m . I have feeling he stays at the North Pole. His nickname in the Peg is Elf after all .
I would give a first second and prospect for a signed Byram
I’d offer sheet Vilardi; trade for McBain; move Geno to Sid’s wing
Sid-Gino-Rackell
Vilardi-Mantha-Rust
McBain or Tomasino at C; other plays wing; 2nd winger is Brazeau
Ponomarev-Heinen-Dewar (4th line)
Depth : *(see Karllsson trade below), Poulin, Howe, Koivenen
Retain 50% on Karllson and get a young NHL RD (**) under contract and a prospect forward (*under contract) expected to play in NHL this year
Offer sheet (Vilardi) is a 1st, 2nd, 3rd
Trade Mcgroarty, Lizotte, and two 2nds (‘26; note we have 3) for Byram
Trade Kendal and Novak for McBain
D:
Letang /Pickering
Byram/Graves (fingers crossed on better year)
** (see Karllsson trade above) or Clifton/Wotherspoon
Depth: ** or Clifton (whichever not in 3rd pairing) ; Brunicke, Kolyonokov; Shea; Jones
The above team is playoff bound
Now, BEFORE George blows a gasket and says these are fantasy trades:
Yep, together all above is a fantasy; mine (and I would think, other Pen’s fans would be ecstatic if that roster was put together).
Above is what I’d do. I would! Beating out other GMs in a trade/Offer sheets is a different story
That said, pulling off all of the above is basically as close as you can get to a 0% chance
I’d be (as well as many Pen’s fans) ecstatic if we could get EITHER Vilardi or Byram
The easiest in the above; is to acquire McBain
Heh. Not about to “blow a gasket” … just that, over the years, I as fast friends with a very knowledgeable, ultra-devoted, forever-analysing fan like yourself who was constantly formulating similar detailed, convoluted scenarios naming individuals on all teams involved in his proposals which, while perhaps achievable in the several pools we were jointly part of, had no chance in reality.
I, on the other hand, always took the down-to-Earth approach that, while stating my hopes for improvement at specific positions, never got into names – just hope that the GM – whether it was Bridgeman, Sexton, Gauthier, Dudley, Johnston, Muckler, Murray or Dorion – would get it right.
I’m the same with Staios. They are the experts. Not me.
Oh, and that friend – who is sadly suffering from dementia in a residence in Halifax – was always – and genuinely – convinced he could do a better job than the GM – it was he same with baseball when we were both Expos “fanatics.”
If Winnipeg felt they couldn’t sign Ehlers, then why haven’t they locked up their rfa’s?
The deadline to resign RFA’s is Dec. 1st, they may have them signed and just not announced it. Or maybe the players aren’t in a hurry to get it done and the Jets may not of given up on Ehlors yet
So George what kinda grade you giving Staios for the past 3 days. I’m giving Treliving a solid B+, no home runs yet but a number of solid moves. What we lost in Marner won’t hurt nearly as much as it could’ve
Yogi, dating back to the trade deadline when he got Cozens for oft-injured Norris, and Zetterlund for Gregor (who’s since been dropped by San Jose, then picking up a decent RD in Jordan Spence from L.A. for a 2025 3rd round pick and a 2026 6th round pick, getting Giroux signed for a $2 mil cap hit, re-signing Nick Cousins for $825,000 and getting Merilainen to sign for $1,050,000, and finally signing veteran C Lars Eller to fill the 4th line role between Cousins and Amadio (certainly a defensive improvement over Gaudette if not offensively, I’d give him a solid B.
Great points there George. My only concern is the moves have not substantially made the Senators a better team while our Divisional Rivals have.
Our 3rd line of Greig, Pinto, Giroux is amazing
Our top 2 lines dont have 6 bonified difference makers.
Having Perron at 4.6 mill and the small and unproven Zetterlund expected to play top line sure doesnt give me confidence. Sure hope Im wrong
Sensfan11, Zetterlund is anything but “small” – not at 5′ 11″ 220lbs and built like a brick s*^t-house.
But I do share your concerns about overall scoring. They were right near the bottom in 5-on-5 goals scored and that MUST improve, both from the Fs as well as the D.
Tkachuk – Stutzle – Batherson as a line is capable of more as is a healthy and non-distracted (his infant’s illness at the start of last season) Perron – Cozens – Zetterlund.
Giroux, with less minutes playing on the 3rd line with Pinto and Greig will hopefully get back to 20 plus, but Greig needs to step it up. Having the cagey Pinto centering them will help.
I don’t expect a lot of scoring from the 4th line of Cousins – Eller- Amadio, but I can see them being very effective as a checking trio. Eller will win a good % of his face-offs.
Sanderson & Chabot also need to increase their goal-scoring from the back end. with maybe a bit additional from Spence.
What they can’t do, as a team, is over-extend in that effort resulting in a reversal of what became a pretty good defensive game (league-leaders in SO for example. That’s where the coaching staff comes in, and having big Leevi Merilainen as the full-time back-up to Ullmark won’t hurt.
Having said all that, the Atlantic is likely THE most balanced in the league and it certainly won’t be easy.
I don’t think Staios is done adding, either. He has just over $5 mil in the kitty, and I don’t think he had that much of reserve in mind when he said he would not spend to the cap. Two mil as a cushion for wiggle room at the trade deadline is enough, so he could still use $3 mil along with a term body (Zub – $4.6 mil?) to deal for additional offensive help.
We have all summer.
Being a Kings fan and watching the majority of their games, I was glad that Spence got traded. He was caught out of position so many times I couldn’t keep track. I felt that he didn’t deserve the playing time that he got.
Well, thanks for the honesty … if not the encouragement – lol.
For a guy who was caught out of position so often it somehow didn’t reflect in his +23.
Anyway. your frustration with him will be more than made up when you watch the high-priced Dumoulin and Ceci and the inconsistent Forsberg in nets.
As glad as you are that Spence is no longer there, I am doubly pleased that Ceci is long gone from here as well as Anton Forsberg. Great personality … and there will be nights he will dazzle you – followed by nights when you’ll be muttering “how the Hell did he not see that?:
Yeah the Ellar signing was good, he’s tough in the faceoff circle too. We’ll have to see what Treliving’s plans are for Kampf, Jarncrok and Reaves. Buyouts don’k make much sense, they’d save more by just burying the contracts. But sure is a nice change to have a full roster and have money to spare
Bryan plus what gets Robertson from Dallas?
George Kaliyev thats an interesting signing, nothing to lose. Just what kind of motovation Ottawa will use on him. Electric cattle prog
LOL. Yogi, If there’s a cattle prod involved it’ll be handled by the Belleville coach. It’s a two-way deal – same with Wyatt Bongiovanni, Olle Lycksell and goalie Hunter Shepard.
Like Trev is doing with the Marlies, Staios is adding new looks to the Belleville line-up – short-term call-up types.