NHL Rumor Mill – September 3, 2025
A prediction on when Kirill Kapizov and Jack Eichel will sign their contract extensions, the latest on the Canadiens’ efforts to trade Carey Price’s contract, plus an update on UFA winger Jack Roslovic in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
BLEACHER REPORT: Frank Seravalli predicted when Kirill Kaprizov will re-sign with the Minnesota Wild and Jack Eichel re-ups with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov (NHL Images).
Seravalli predicts both players will sign extensions with their current clubs, but believes Eichel will sign first. He thinks the 28-year-old Golden Knights center will get a deal with an average annual value (AAV) in the $13 million to $13.5 million range.
According to Seravalli, Kaprizov has more leverage because their scoring would suffer without him. He believes the Wild winger will get an AAV in the $15 million range.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: An AAV in the $13 million range for Eichel would mean the Golden Knights will have over $25 million invested in two forwards after landing Mitch Marner and his $12 million AAV on June 30. Factor in the combined AAVs of Mark Stone ($9.5 million) and Tomas Hertl ($6.75 million), and they’ll have $41.25 million tied up in four forwards.
That would leave the Golden Knights with around $7 million in projected cap space for 2026-27.
As for Kaprizov, Wild beat writer Michael Russo of The Athletic recently reported hearing the Wild could pay him an AAV as high as $16 million.
SPORTSNET: Eric Engels reports Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said his team is looking at ways to create more salary-cap flexibility this season. That could include trading the contract of permanently-sidelined goalie Carey Price.
“We’re fine, we don’t have to trade Carey Price,” Hughes said. “If we can find a trade to move his contract that makes sense for us and makes sense for another team, we’ll pursue it. But we don’t have to.”
The Canadiens could continue to put Price on long-term injury reserve (LTIR) to remain cap-compliant as they’ve done over the past three seasons. Nevertheless, Engels believes it’s more likely they’ll trade Price before the start of the season, including an asset in the deal to a team closer to the salary-cap floor.
TSN: Chris Johnston believes the Canadiens could pursue a second-line center if they can move Price’s contract.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Check out the Sept. 1 and 2 Rumor Mills for more details on why the Canadiens would prefer to trade Price’s contract rather than place him on LTIR again.
LEAFS NATION: cited Bleacher Report’s Frank Seravalli recently indicating that the Toronto Maple Leafs remain in contention to sign Jack Roslovic. The 28-year-old forward is considered the best player still available in this summer’s unrestricted free-agent market.
Seravalli said that nothing appears imminent, but the Leafs remain in touch with Roslovic’s camp.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The report also noted that Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in July that the Maple Leafs need to free up some cap space before signing Roslovic. They currently have just over $1.9 million available.
It’s rumored they could attempt to peddle a forward like David Kampf ($2.4 million) or Calle Jarnkrok ($2.1 million). Both players carry 10-team no-trade lists.
The new rules that are in effect right now is max $3.8 m on LTIR relief if the player returns during the season. A Carey Price situation does not apply
I believe that now includes playoffs but not sure on that point. Also no double salary retention with a third team getting involved. Quite interesting these major changes in a current CBA
This is going to jam up Florida and others. Tkachuk Max relief is now max 3.8 . Another major point is no accruals. 6 million cap hit is a 6 million cap hit regardless of the point during the season. At the trade deadline the full cap hits will apply
Connelly and Howden and a pick for Rasmus Andersson and a lesser pick
Curious, but if Conroy were to retain 50% of Andersen dropping the cap hit to $2.25 mill, wouldnt that still apply to his playoff cap hit as well? I would think. That could be pretty valuable to some teams & maybe why Conroy is in no rush to trade him right now.
Since the NHL is embarking upon new rule changes surrounding things like playoff cap, I wish they’d also decree that, when a player negotiates to have a specific teams “no trade list” that the list be published so the paying fans are aware. Why should that be kept under wraps?
I see more negative consequences of releasing the info than positive. 🤷♂️
Because it’s none of our business.
So, it’s somehow OK for players to single out, say, Winnipeg as a no-go place but it’s none of the paying customers’ business to know which players want no part of their city?
And how, exactly would its’ release be negative?
For the players it would lead to backlash… and as evidenced by certain Toronto fans… potentially even threats. For the teams it’s a bad look and could potentially hurt their ability to attract other players.
Chrisms: It is highly unlikely to lead to backlash against players as they won’t be in the cities on their NTL. Marner got threatened while he was still in Toronto.
I think the real reason is that the NHL as a business doesn’t want to embarrass themselves or the individual cities that appear regularly on NTLs.
You can do damage to people from afar these days to lj. Doxxing swatting online threats etc. Plus they have to play in those cities. I have a feeling both nhl and nhlpa are both all about anonymity in this issue. As a fan I’d find it interesting. But again I think the negative outweighs the positives
As the Horny 5 will discover if and when they’re cleared to play by the NHL … and if someone actually thinks they are worth signing.
Great idea. I hate all the secrecy in sports, which is meant for fan entertainment.
Disclose contract peripherals, disclose injuries.
As an aside, it would be nice to get an honest explanation from players as to why many players refuse to go to certain teams, too, like the high taxes in Canada, or the lack of nightlife in some cities, or maybe a lack of winning culture, etc..
Which brings me to a cap grievance I’ve had for over a decade. Contracts, and cap space, should reflect the tax situation. Bonus if cost-of-living can be factored in. Someone smarter than me could easily figure out a fix, but it could be as simple as the net income is what counts against the cap. This way it may cost some teams more to sign players, but the talent they get for the money is now even.
If a $10M player gets $7M after tax in Calgary, the cap hit is $7M.
If that player then gets traded to Tampa, and now gets $10M net, the cap hit is now $10M.
This structure would get complicated when money is retained, thought.
If Calgary retained $3M, the cap hit in Tampa would be $7M, but the cap hit in Calgary would be somewhere around $2.3M.
Like I said, someone smarter than me would have to figure out a system, but I now there’s a fairer system to be had.
It’s way more complicated then that. Every player gets taxed according to the city they play in. So if that player from Calgary plays in Tampa that day they are not taxed. If the Tampa player plays in Calgary then they are taxed. Messy to say the least.
RE: “ So if that player from Calgary plays in Tampa that day they are not taxed.”
They are still taxed. Just at a different weight
No matter what; those players on Lightning, Panthers, Preds, Krakken, Stars, Knights; still have significant take home pay advantages as 41 games (1/2) are at home (no state tax)
All 26 other teams play at least 1 game in each of those cities
Lightning and Panthers sometimes play 4 times (2 home/2 away); so 43 games played in state of Florida plus 4 total (Knights, Preds, Krakken, Stars); 47 of 82 games in no state tax locations
Conversely Sens, Leafs, Habs (highest tax) play 41 home and at least 3 total away games in the other two arenas; so at least 44 games at highest tax rate
Yes there are some accounting maneuvers; but *financially ; players on Panthers/Lightning; have a big advantage over players on Habs/Sens/Leafs
*That’s financially. Of course decision as to where to sign is not all financial (current team? , upheaving fam, having to sell/buy new home; new systems; new teammates; new city amenities; climate; chance at Cup, etc etc etc)
Layer that with the last 2 cups and 4 of the last 6 cups were won by Florida teams (great weather; golf courses everywhere; much more public anonymity) and compare that to: (1) noticed on every street corner; (2) 1 cup in 32 years;(3) snow/freezing weather for at least 1/2 regular season; (4) less golf courses and (5) those only realistically playable mid April through mid Oct
Altogether; Panthers and Lightning have advantages (Over Sens/Habs/Leafs( in drawing UFAs (and with partial NTCs) getting more available players to choose from via trades)
Should have been “ 1 cup in 39 years” instead of “ 1 cup in 32 years”
Also Lightning/Panthers have 5 cups in last 21 years; while Habs/Leafs/Sens have 2 cups in 46 years
Also , last 6 years have had either Panthers or Lightning in SCF; vs. just a collective total of 2 of last 32 years for Sens/Habs/Leafs (Habs ‘21, Sens ‘07)
8787, well said. And you didn’t even mention cost of living. Groceries, housing cost, utilities, etc..
I admit to ignorance on the tax situation. I assumed they were taxed based on where their paycheck is signed. But that doesn’t change the argument. The cap is extremely complicated as it is. Adjusting for these factors for “parity’s” sake, which is what the NHL always claimed was the end goal, should not be much of a challenge for the financial guys if the leagued truly cared about parity. Rather, they took the fan-advantage from Canadian teams, and made inflated the financial-advantage for most US based teams already had with lower COL, lower tax, and higher USD value.
If the residents vote for a government that creates high taxes… they should enjoy the fruits that high taxation reaps.
It is not up to the league to fix the messes created by those the voting public elected.
Zimmer, Imagine you’re given a choice of a women to marry. Your choices are a pig, a horse, or a cow. You can also choose not to make a choice, in which case others choose for you. Know you are marry to one of those. Are you to blame for having a farm animal as your spouse?
This is not a perfect analogy, but think about it.
I’ll also point out that, unlike the US’s two party system, we have six (and counting). Our current idiotic governing party was elected in with about 40% of the vote. That means 60% did not want them in power, but here we are.
It’s none of our business, I wish all contract terms were secret including term and earnings.
It in no way impacts on ice performance or fan interest in “their” team.
Fantasy league, betting sites are the only ones to really gain.
Arm chair GMs have enough to speculate on player performance if it’s really the game that excites them.
Contract cost, term, conditions just feed critique of players, trying to make them feel miserable as if they can make them “earn” it.
Habsfan30 – I agree for the most part.
I won’t be hypocritical and speak like I dont enjoy what that information brings and means but I also know at times it also distracts me from simply enjoying the players teams and game as I should. And as a fan I would be curious as to what it would be like without it these days.
I am old enough to remember those days when it was at the forefront or even angrhing beyond speculation as to what a player was earning, but I also recognize that i was not who I am now in those days either.
Actually, there is sound reason for knowing players’ salaries and cap structure.
Had team caps not been know there would continue to be no caps in the playoffs, perpetuating an imbalance.
Knowing teams’ caps tells fans whether they’re the ownership is making an honest effort to be competitive. It also explains why certain decisions are made by either players or GMs regarding negotiations, or why a player might leave a team as UFAs.
Let us also remember that those paying for tickets, and indirectly those with streaming packages, are the ones paying the players.
Lj basically just posted my retort for me.
Kaprizov great player but would not sign to a$15M contract. For a team that just came out of cap hell and jump back in to sign a winger on the small side with injury history is a risky move.
Maybe a desperate team like LA would jump on a player like that.
Kaprizov for Byfield??
I would also not pay Kaprizov $15 M
But neither of us is Leopold; and he just very well may sign-off on that deal
LA , yes, just may be foolish enough to pay Kaprizov $15 M; but certainly should not be foolish enough to trade Byfield (more than 5 years younger; 7” taller; 25 lbs heavier; a C [vs W]; less risk of injury time off; and most importantly knowing that the Captain, at best, plays 1 more year after this)
Jeff it would take more than Byfield to get Kaprizov.How about the Rangers,replacing Panarin with Kaprizov next year.
Pretty sure Rangers replacing Panarin with McDavid. Just kidding, but once again, a valid reason not to extend Panarin at this time. I predict both Bread and his buddy Bobrovsky take very team friendly deals to play together in South Fla.
I doubt panarin would wave he no movement to do to minny
He stated “next year”
Salary disclosure only began in 1990, so it isn’t as if it goes back forever, it isn’t as if fans weren’t rabid before then.
It isn’t as if fans didn’t clamor for trades or if betting wasn’t going on.
Montreal had 18,000 GMs in the stands before 1990.
As a fan I can’t forget Patrice Brisebois joining the Habs, a mobile offensive defenseman with all kinds of promise who had a decent start to his career and then he got a $4m contract and the fans put him under a loupe.
He couldn’t do anything right anymore and while I don’t know who coined the name Breeze-By though I have a certain Montreal Gazette reporter in my memory bank, the fans were merciless in calling him out all game.
It was awful, sitting there in the stands and hearing Breeeeeeeeze-By Breeeeeeeze-By……knowing that it was all because of that contract.
HF30: if there is anyone here who would know better about the difficulties of players playing in Montreal, it would be you.
Red Light Racicot didn’t get tagged with that nickname because of his salary. He got it because Montreal fans,, for all their vaunted superior knowledge, turn on players.
I am still working on my first coffee so I will leave it at one example. George as a former Habs fan, or others, may provide other examples.
LJ,
I don’t need you, George or any other long term fan to educate me about fans in Montreal and who was turned on and why.
Brisebois was turned on because of his contract.
When he came back to the Habs from Colorado for his 2 last seasons in 2007 and 2008 , at a fraction of his previous contract, $700k, he was a good old boy despite having his poorest seasons.
I never said that not living up to a contract is the ONLY reason to ride a player.
Scott Gomez was booed mercilessly on account of his poor play, and the players traded for him, mainly Ryan McDonagh, not for his big contract.
You’re conflating just to be a contrarian.
Actually, HF30, I was expressing a legitimate and valid opinion.
No one is able to express an opinion contrary to yours? Yours is the only and last word?
If you are feeling pissy today go back to bed.
That was before the cap habsfan. Big difference now.
Wow. It’s worse than I thought. Captain at odds with what management envisioned. Fans arguing with other fans over trivial points.
The Habs are imploding right before our eyes.
Doesn’t it just warm the old heart?
Only one real franchise and that’s the almighty Boston Bruins can’t wait till the season starts heads are going to roll.
If the bruins crap the bed do they fill the harbor with entire cargos of pasta?
2422,
Here’s some trivial stuff for you
https://x.com/StuCowan1/status/1963265014552265210
Anything similar in Boston today 🙂
Habs should try for Kadri in a trade for another center. Kadri proved he can be a 1c last yr.
Price contract needs to be included in deal ,add 26 first and a couple of player projects like Dach and Wifi could work good for both teams
Calgary also rumoured to be trading Andersen . They should get in the McKenna sweepstakes . Not a lot of good young players on flames now they are ripe 4 rebuild however the way Dustin Wolf played last yr might make it hard to bottom out.
Maybe trade him to Carolina
Wolf and Coleman and Andersen
4
Blake and Nikishin and 26 first
When you think you have a number one goalie especially a young one you never trade them.
That is one of the hardest positions to solidly and should build around not trade away.