NHL Rumor Mill – July 2, 2025
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.