NHL Rumor Mill – September 15, 2025
Should the Rangers attempt to acquire Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov? Which teams should become sellers this season? Find out in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.
THE LATEST KAPRIZOV SPECULATION
THE ATHLETIC: Vince Z. Mercogliano was recently asked what a realistic trade offer from the New York Rangers would be needed to acquire winger Kirill Kaprizov from the Minnesota Wild.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kaprizov, 28, is in the final season of his contract with the Wild and eligible for unrestricted free-agent status on July 1. He reportedly rejected an eight-year offer from the Wild worth an average annual value of $16 million.
Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov (NHL Images).
Mercogliano indicated there are many connections here. Kaprizov shares the same agent as Rangers winger Artemi Panarin. He’s also believed to be close to Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin and defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov. He claimed that he’s heard the Blueshirts would be on Kaprizov’s short list of trade destinations, and Rangers general manager Chris Drury has growing cap space and a desire to reshape the roster.
As for the asking price, Mercogliano believes it would include two first-round draft picks and a player like Alexis Lafreniere. Clearing the 23-year-old winger’s $7.45 million AAV through 2031-32 might make it possible to sign Kaprizov and retain Panarin, provided the latter agreed to a pay cut.
NEW YORK POST: Larry Brooks took to social media to dismiss the possibility of the Rangers “hollowing out their roster and draft capital” to trade for Kaprizov and then signing him for an AAV between $16 million and $18 million. He called it “about as ludicrous as it gets.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: If Kaprizov really wants to join the Rangers, and if they have the cap space to sign him, then why trade away solid assets to get him? It would give them exclusive signing rights until July 1, but as Brooks points out, it would do more harm to their roster depth now and in the future.
The Rangers are projected to have over $29.6 million in cap space for 2027-28 with 17 active roster players. Assuming it costs $18 million annually for Kaprizov, that would leave them with only $11 million, most of which would be used to re-sign Panarin or to find a suitable replacement.
Moving Lafreniere’s cap hit increases that cap space to over $37 million, giving them more wiggle room to sign Kaprizov and retain Panarin. However, Lafreniere’s contract is a tough sell right now, and another disappointing campaign means the Rangers would have to retain part of it or take on a bad contract in return.
Age is also a concern. Kaprizov turns 29, and Panarin is currently 33. The Rangers would be investing a significant amount of that projected cap space into two players whose next contracts might not age well, becoming more burdensome during the final years of those deals.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Jim Parsons recently looked at several teams that have the cap space to sign Kaprizov to a massive new contract.
They include rebuilding teams like the Detroit Red Wings, Anaheim Ducks, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, and Chicago Blackhawks. The retooling Boston Bruins are another, as is the Washington Capitals, who finished first overall in the Eastern Conference last season.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: If it’s all about the money for Kaprizov, he won’t care where he goes as long as he gets paid. However, the 28-year-old superstar winger might prefer landing with a club that has a chance at becoming a Stanley Cup contender. That rules out all those rebuilding teams for at least the next four or five years.
The Bruins have the cap room, but it’s unlikely that their ownership would approve a massive contract for Kaprizov. That leaves the Capitals, who will seek a replacement for future Hall-of-Famer Alex Ovechkin in the near future. Whether they’re willing to pony up to get him remains to be seen.
WHICH TEAMS SHOULD BECOME SELLERS THIS SEASON?
SPORTSNET: Michael Amato looked at four teams that should consider becoming sellers this season.
The Nashville Predators could consider offloading the salaries of veteran forwards like Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Ryan O’Reilly now that the salary cap will rise significantly over the next two years. Stamkos and Marchessault have no-trade clauses, but they’re in the mid-30s and might not want to stick with a retooling club.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: It wouldn’t be surprising if Stamkos and Marchessault get peddled to playoff clubs if the Predators are out of contention by the March trade deadline.
If the Pittsburgh Penguins want to improve their chances of winning the 2026 draft lottery, they should offload as many veterans as possible. They’ve been trying to move defenseman Erik Karlsson, but should also attempt to trade wingers Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell. There are rumblings that this season is Evgeni Malkin’s last, so perhaps he’d consider moving on for one last shot at the Stanley Cup.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: In February, Malkin stated he intends to retire as a Penguin. Unless he’s changed his mind, we can rule out the possibility of shipping him to a playoff contender.
The Calgary Flames are almost certain to move UFA-eligible defenseman Rasmus Andersson. Given the massive demand for centers, they should attempt to trade Nazem Kadri. Veteran winger Blake Coleman could also draw some interest in the trade market.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flames came within a whisker of clinching a playoff berth last season. It’ll be interesting to see what they do if they’re still in the hunt by the deadline. Andersson could still be moved, but they will likely hang onto Kadri and Coleman unless those two want to be moved.
This could also be a perfect time for the Boston Bruins to retool their roster. Players like Pavel Zacha, Viktor Arvidsson, Sean Kuraly, and Andrew Peeke could be in demand, enabling them to get returns that help them restock their prospect pipeline.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Trade rumors have dogged Zacha throughout the offseason. He could be their most valuable trade chip this season if they decide to sell.
Not sure why Brooks would consider moving Lafreniere and a couple 1sts as “hollowing out the roster and draft capital”.
It’s VERY unlikely that Lafreniere or one of those 1sts turns out to be a game changer like Kaprizov, so that is an easy decision for me.
The bigger question is the salary cap adding Kaprizov, keeping Panarin, and still having Zibanejad (plus Shesterkin’s new contract kicking in). Not sure how you can make it all fit.
The Rangers would want and need to move Lafreniere for cap reasons. But I can see the Wild wanting to include Gabe Perreault in a deal. That would be a non starter for the Rangers.
Any team could have had Arvidsson this summer.
I find it had to believe a team wants a left winger for $16m . Marner should be the high water mark .
Flames can’t trade Kadri. They have no centres NHL ready. Frost and Backlund that’s it .
Even a scorched earth doesn’t not guarantee you a number one and a gut job is a long and winding road.
Agree
Rangers would be s good fit for Kaprizov; BUT July 1st; NOT now and trading assets
Yes re Pens
Punt EK (50%) and trade one of Rust or Rakell (either at 50%)
And get a young player PLU an NHL ready prospect; back in EACH trade
Dubas
Get your thumb out of your….
Heading into a new season under a $95.5 mil cap, what each team spends (cap-wise) on their 3 highest-cost F and D and 2-goalie tandems (8 players) ranges from a high of 65% – the NYR – to a low of 36% (Chicago). Whoever winds up giving Kaprizov $18 mil (or more) per is either going to go the top of the list – or go on the cheap over the other 15 roster spots. Here’s the current situation listed most to least and also showing total dollars with no LTIRs factored in unless counted in order to reach the cap floor:
65% NYR F Panarin-Zibanejad-Miller $28,142,857 D Fox-Gavrikov-Borgen $20,600,000 G Shesterkin-Quick $13,050,000 TOTAL $61,792,857
64% EDMONTON F Draisaitl-McDavid-Hyman $32,000,000 D Nurse-Bouchard-Ekholm $25,750,000
G Skinner-Pickard $3,600,000 TOTAL $61,350,000
62% TAMPA F Kucherov-Point-Guentzel $28,000,000 D Hedman-McDonough-Cernak $19,950.000
G Vasilevsky-Johansson $10,750,000 TOTAL 58,700,000
61% FLORIDA F Barkov-Tkachuk-Reinhart $28,125,000 D Jones-Ekblad-Forsling $18,850,000
G Bobrovsky-Tarasov $11,050,000 TOTAL $58,025,000
60%
DALLAS F Rantanen-Seguin-Hintz $30,300,000 D Heiskanen-Lindell-Harley $17,700,000
G Oettinger-DeSmith $9,250,000 TOTAL $57,250,000
VEGAS F Marner-Eichel-Stone $31,500,000 D Theodore-Hanifin-McNabb $18,425,000 G Hill-Schmid $7,125,000 TOTAL 57,050,000
BOSTON F Pastrnak-Elias Lindholm-Mittelstadt $24,750,000 D McAvoy-Hampus Lindholm-Zadorov $21,000,000 G Swayman-Korpisalo $11,250,000 TOTAL $57,000,000
59%
WASHINGTON F Ovechkin-Dubois-Wilson $24,500,000 D Chychrun-Carlson-Roy $22,750,000
G Thompson-Lindgren $8,850,000 TOTAL $56,100,000
COLORADO F MacKinnon-Nelson-Landeskog $28,100,000 D Makar-Toews-Girard $21,250,000
G Blackwood-Wedgewood $6,750,000 TOTAL $56,100,000
58%
TORONTO F Matthews-Nylander-Knies $32,500,000 D Rielly-McCabe-Tanev $16,513,102 G Woll-Stolarz $6,166,667 TOTAL $55,179,769
VANCOUVER F Pettersson-Boeser-DeBrusk $24,350,000 D Hughes-Hronek-Pettersson $21,100,000 G Demko-Lankinen $9,500,000 TOTAL $54,950,000
56%
NY ISLANDERS F Barzal-Horvat-Lee $24,640,000 D Romanov-Pulock-Pelech $18,150,000
G Sorokin-Varlamov $11,000,000 TOTAL $53,790,000
OTTAWA F Stutzle-Tkachuk-Cozens $23,655,714 D Sanderson-Chabot-Zub $20,650,000 G Ullmark-Merilainen $9,300,000 TOTAL $53,605,714
ST. LOUIS F Kyrou-Thomas-Buchnevich $24,250,000 D Parayko-Krug-Faulk $19,500,000
G Binnington-Hofer $9,400,000 TOTAL $53,150,000
55% NASHVILLE F Forsberg-Stamkos-Marchessault $22,000,000 D Josi-Skjei-Hague $21,559,000
G Saros-Annunen $8,577,500 TOTAL $52,176,500
54% WINNIPEG F Scheifele-Vilardi-Connor $23,142,857 D Pionk-Morrisey-Samberg $19,000,000
G Hellebuyck-Comrie $9,325,000 TOTAL $51,467,857
53% DETROIT F Larkin-Raymond-DeBrincat $24,650,000 D Seider-Chiarot-Holl $16,700,000 G Gibson-Talbot $8,900,000 TOTAL $50,250,000
52%
BUFFALO F Norris-Thompson-McLeod $20,072,857 D Dahlin-Power-Samuelsson $23,635,000
G Lyon- Luukkonen $6,250,000 TOTAL $49,957,857
SEATTLE F Beniers-Stephenson-Schwartz $18,892,857 D Dunn-Montour-Larsson $19,742,000
G Grubauer-Daccord $10,900,000 TOTAL $49,534,857
MINNESOTA F Kaprizov-Boldy-Eriksson-Ek $21,250,000 D Faber-Spurgeon-Brodin $22,075,000
G Gustavsson-Wallstedt $5,950,000 TOTAL $49,275,000
51%
NEW JERSEY F Meier-Hughes-Bratt $24,675,009 D Hamilton-Pesce-Dillon $18,500,000
G Markstrom-Allen – $5,925,000 TOTAL $49,100,000
MONTREAL F Laine-Suzuki-Caufield $24,425,000 D Dobson-Guhle-Matheson $19,925,000
G Montembeault-Kahkonen $4,300,000 TOTAL $48,650,000
LOS ANGELES F Fiala-Kopitar-Byfield $21,125,000 D Doughty-Ceci-Anderson $19,625,000
G Kuemper-Forsberg $7,500,000 TOTAL $48,250,000
CAROLINA F Aho-Ehlers-Svechnikov $26,000,000 D Miller-Slavin-Walker $17,495,955
G Anderssen-Kochetkov $4,750,000 TOTAL $48,245,955
50%
UTAH F Peterka-Keller-Guenther $21,992,875 D Sergachev-Durzi-Marino $18,900,000 G Vejmelka-Ingram $6,700,000 TOTAL $47,692,875
COLUMBUS F Monahan-Coyle-Voronkov $14,925,000 D Werenski-Provorov-Severson $24,333,333 G Merzlikins-Fedotov $8,675,000 TOTAL $47,933,333
49%
PITTSBURGH F Crosby-Malkin-Rust $19,925,000 D Karlsson-Letang-Graves $20,500,000 G Jarry-Silovs – $6,255,000 TOTAL $46,680,000
46% ANAHEIM F Granlund-Terry-Kreider $20,500,000 D Trouba-Gudas-Helleson $13,100,000 G Dostal-Mrazec $10,750,000 TOTAL $44,350,000
45% PHILADELPHIA F Konecny-Couturier-Tippett $22,700,000 D Sanheim-Ristolainen-Seeler $15,200,00 G Vladar-Ersson $4,800,000 TOTAL $42,700,000
44% CALGARY F Huberdeau-Kadri-Coronato $24,000,000 D Weegar-Bahl-Andersson $16,150,000
G Wolf-Cooley $1,625,000 TOTAL $41,775,000
40% SAN JOSE F Couture-Toffoli-Wennberg $19,000,000 D Orlov-Leddy-Klingberg $14,500,000
G Nedejkovic-Askarov $4,500,000 TOTAL $38,000,000
36% CHICAGO F Bertuzzi-Burakovsky-Teravainen $16,400,000 D Alex Vlasic-Murphy-Levshunov $9,975,000 G Knight-Brossoit $7,800,000 TOTAL $34,175,000
Correction
48% COLUMBUS F Monahan-Coyle-Voronkov $14,925,000 D Werenski-Provorov-Severson $24,333,333 G Merzlikins-Greaves $6,212,500 TOTAL $45,470,833
While it’s understandable that the 3Fs would cost more than the 3D, it’s interesting that each of Buffalo, Seattle, Minnesota, Pittsburgh and Columbus (by a lot) spend more on their 3D than they do on their 3F, Toronto spends almost twice as much on the 3Fs as they do on their 3D, while for Nashville, each is virtually the same. Calgary, meanwhile, pays less for their 2-goalies going into this season than 17 do on their back-ups.
If, rather than placing them on LTIR, San Jose and Chicago wind up counting Price and Weber in order to reach the cap floor, their situations would look like this:
49% SAN JOSE F Couture-Toffoli-Wennberg $19,000,000 D Orlov-Leddy-Klingberg $14,500,000 G Price-Nedejkovic $13,000,000 TOTAL $46,500,000
43% CHICAGO F Bertuzzi-Burakovsky-Teravainen $16,400,000 D -Weber-Vlasic-Murphy $16,857,143 G Knight-Brossoit $7,800,000 TOTAL $41,057,143
Interesting list, George, and a lot of work.
Seems to confirm that which we know already, that Florida gets a lot of value out of its entire roster. Contenders close to Florida’s cap % haven’t improved enough to be a threat — so far. And some teams (Vancouver, Boston) will not get the return on their core investment this year.
One would have to consider a lot of other factors (total cap space, pending UFAs, # of draft picks available) for a full picture but it’s a telling start.
Thanks.
That Nurse contract is a killer. Replaced him with a $5mil player and they drop down to Ottawa territory.
Kaprizov and Rossi for Laff, Zib (1.5M retained) and 2 1sts and a good prospect like Orthmann not Perrault.
Wild are not sold on Rossi and NYR could use more cap space to re-sign KK.
The Wild are in a tough spot if indeed KK thinks he’s worth more than what they’re offering. The kind of money he’s asking for puts him in McDavid, Marner, Matthews territory. He’s not them. AND the Wild just dug themselves out of cap hell with a few years of pain.
There is a good chance it is not so much about more money as it is he wants to play elsewhere: brighter lights of the big cities, no snow, a larger Russian community….
Heh. Like he doesn’t have memories of snow anywhere in Russia.
Maybe, Pulling. But even at 12 or 13 million it is undoable for either the Panthers or the Bolts.
And not totally out of it yet either, DarkG.
This season they have $2,766,666 in “dead cap space” – $1.1 mil for Bonus Carryover Overage and $833,333 for the buyouts of each of Parise and Suter – total of $1,666,666 – which runs through to 2028-29.
Nothing like previously for sure … but still the cost of a good 4th line F or bottom-pairing D.
Rangers ‘core’ most at end of their peaks…. Fox Igor Miller Panarin Zib etc
I can see Drury all in to win in next 2 years and give up ALOt for Kiril…
in 2 seasons team could be in rough shape if Lafy does not return to 2024,Perreault cant handle the NHL ,Fox’s knee is never improved etc