NHL Rumor Mill – June 3, 2025

by | Jun 3, 2025

NHL Rumor Mill – June 3, 2025

Could the Stars trade Jason Robertson? What kind of return could the Predators get for Jonathan Marchessault? What’s the latest on Marco Rossi? The answers to those questions, and an update on the Islanders, in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

COULD JASON ROBERTSON BECOME A TRADE CANDIDATE?

DAILY FACEOFF: Jeff Marek wondered if the Dallas Stars would consider moving Jason Robertson and his $7.75 million cap hit to recoup some draft capital and free up salary-cap space to go “big-game hunting” this summer.

If the Stars were to move the 25-year-old Robertson, Marek suggested the Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks as possible destinations. With Robertson’s cap hit off their books, they might get into the bidding for Mitch Marner if the Toronto Maple Leafs winger becomes a free agent on July 1.

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: Lia Assimakopoulos examines the pros and cons of trading Robertson.

Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson (NHL Images).

One reason for moving Robertson is that his role has changed since the Stars acquired Mikko Rantanen at the trade deadline. He’s also due to become a restricted free agent next summer with arbitration rights and will be UFA-eligible the following year unless he signs a long-term extension. Robertson will seek a significant raise on his next contract, and he doesn’t produce at the same rate in the playoffs as he does in the regular season.

Robertson’s offensive consistency in the regular season is one reason why they shouldn’t trade him. He has yet to reach his full potential, and he has matured and improved his defensive game. Trading away a proven scorer could be risky.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Robertson lacks no-trade protection, giving Stars management plenty of potential trade partners if they go that route. Because of his free-agent status next summer, interested parties could prefer a sign-and-trade scenario.

Moving Robertson makes sense if the goal is salary-cap flexibility and restocking their prospect pool. Ditching him to clear cap room for a more expensive veteran like Marner creates a bigger cap headache while doing nothing to improve their prospect pipeline.

PREDATORS WON’T GET MUCH FOR TRADING JONATHAN MARCHESSAULT

THE TENNESSEAN: Alex Daugherty mentioned the trade rumors swirling around Jonathan Marchessault of late. The 34-year-old winger would reportedly welcome a trade only a year after signing a five-year contract with the Nashville Predators.

Daugherty believes trading Marchessault’s contract, age, and the decline in his production would make him difficult to move this summer. He carries an AAV of $5.5 million and has a full no-movement clause. If he were asked to be traded, he must provide a 15-team no-trade list.

If the Predators trade Marchessault, Daugherty doesn’t expect they’ll get much back. “A late draft pick or a low-end prospect is the most Nashville can expect in return.” He also thinks they might have to bundle Marchessault with a draft pick to sweeten the deal.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Predators could accept that type of return if their intent is freeing up salary-cap space. However, they wouldn’t have much leverage, and interested clubs could even squeeze them to retain part of his cap hit to facilitate a trade.

LATEST ON MARCO ROSSI

DAILY FACEOFF: Anthony Di Marco reports that Marco Rossi’s demand for a lucrative long-term contract is a roadblock in trade talks with the Minnesota Wild.

It’s believed the Rossi camp seeks a deal comparable to teammate Matthew Boldy’s seven-year, $49 million contract. That’s too expensive for Wild GM Bill Guerin, who is at least taking calls about the 23-year-old center.

Di Marco believes the Philadelphia Flyers have had “lukewarm interest” in Rossi since last year. He clarified his report from last week, saying there’s no indication that the two teams have engaged in trade talks recently. He cited a source claiming Flyers forward Tyson Foerster was a player the Wild were interested in as a return for Rossi. Neither Foerster nor any of the Flyers’ late first-round picks are on the table.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Di Marco also acknowledged that Guerin is comfortable retaining Rossi, something he stated to The Athletic’s Michael Russo earlier this week.

An RFA coming off his entry-level contract, Rossi lacks arbitration rights. The only leverage he has is the threat of an offer sheet from another team or withholding his services next season until he gets a suitable deal.

The Rossi camp might be hoping for an offer sheet after July 1. However, there might not be many teams with enough cap space left by that point. Most will have used up their cap space well before then in the trade and the UFA markets. There could be even fewer by then willing to meet his rumored asking price.

UPDATE ON THE ISLANDERS

NEW YORK POST: Ethan Sears recently looked at the winners and losers from the early days of Mathieu Darche’s tenure as GM of the Islanders.

Sear thinks something has to give with aging blueliners Scott Mayfield, Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech. Mayfield has a full no-trade clause, Pulock has a full no-movement clause this season and Pelech has a 16-team no-trade list.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s been suggested Mayfield could be bought out of the remaining five years of his contract if a trade isn’t possible. It would free up $2.33 million in cap space for the next five years, but the buyout cap hit would be $1.166 million annually for the next 10 years.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau could be their most expendable player. He has a year left on his contract and will be a UFA next summer. Anders Lee is in a similar situation, but as their team captain, there are implications to trading Lee that don’t exist for Pageau.










NHL Rumor Mill – June 2, 2025

by | Jun 2, 2025

NHL Rumor Mill – June 2, 2025

The latest on Mitch Marner, Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Marco Rossi in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS INTERESTED IN MITCH MARNER

TORONTO SUN: Steve Simmons reports the Vegas Golden Knights are among the teams eyeing Mitch Marner. The 28-year-old Maple Leafs winger is eligible for unrestricted free-agent status on July 1.

The Golden Knights have around $10 million in cap space this summer. Simmons believes they’ll need much more than that to sign Marner. Nevertheless, he doesn’t dismiss the possibility, pointing out they found a way to get Alex Pietrangelo and Jack Eichel.

VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: Hannah Kirkell listed winger Ivan Barbashev, defenseman Zach Whitecloud, and forward Nicolas Roy as potential cost-cutting trade candidates for the Golden Knights.

Barbashev made $5 million annually for the next three seasons. Whitecloud had three years left and $2.75 million annually, while Roy has two years left with an average annual value of $3 million.

Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights have projected cap space of $9.6 million with 18 active roster players under contract next season. Shedding one or two players would free up room to sign Marner if he’s interested in coming to Vegas. However, it won’t leave enough to complete their 23-man roster sufficiently.

THE LATEST ON THE PANTHERS

TORONTO SUN: Steve Simmons claims the word out of Florida is that pending UFA center Sam Bennett would like to remain with the Panthers, and they’d like to keep him if they can make the dollars fit. He also indicated that they don’t have a lot of interest in re-signing UFA-eligible defenseman Aaron Ekblad.

If Bennett’s available, Simmons believes the Maple Leafs will be among his suitors, but they won’t have any interest in Ekblad.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A year ago, Simmons claimed the Panthers wanted to trade Ekblad and use the savings to re-sign Brandon Montour, who went on to join the Seattle Kraken. It’s believed he wants to stay and could accept a pay cut, but the extent of the cut remains to be seen.

TORONTO STAR: Nick Kypreos wrote last week that the feeling is the Panthers want to re-sign Bennett and Ekblad. They would let Brad Marchand depart via free agency as he’ll be too expensive to retain.

THE WILD AND MARCO ROSSI ARE AT AN IMPASSE IN CONTRACT TALKS

THE ATHLETIC: Michael Russo reports teams are calling the Minnesota Wild about Marco Rossi. The 23-year-old center is a restricted free agent after completing his entry-level contract and lacks arbitration rights.

Contract negotiations are currently at an impasse, but Wild general manager Bill Guerin isn’t in a hurry to trade Rossi. Sources claim the Wild offered up a five-year, $25 million contract last winter and a shorter-term deal last week. Rossi’s camp rejected the five-year deal but reportedly hasn’t made a counteroffer to the latest proposal.

Guerin is downplaying the situation, saying sometimes it takes a little longer for negotiations to work their way through. He dismissed the notion that the Wild don’t like Rossi and want to move him, and denied a Daily Faceoff report claiming he asked the Philadelphia Flyers for Tyson Foerster or one of the Flyers’ late first-round picks for Rossi.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Russo’s colleague, Joe Smith, recently pointed out that trading Rossi would leave a big hole at center that the goal-starved Wild would have to fill. That would be difficult in this year’s trade market, where several teams are seeking second-line centers but few to go around.

Rossi’s lack of arbitration rights gives Guerin leverage in these negotiations. An offer sheet from another club is a possibility, but the Wild have sufficient cap space ($16.5 million) to match.

Guerin must ensure he has sufficient long-term cap space to sign superstar Kirill Kaprizov to a lucrative extension. That would explain why he’s trying to keep Rossi’s AAV at around $5 million.










NHL Rumor Mill – May 30, 2025

by | May 30, 2025

NHL Rumor Mill – May 30, 2025

The latest on the Devils, plus updates on Bryan Rust, Marco Rossi and Rasmus Andersson in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

THE LATEST ON THE DEVILS

THE ATHLETIC: Peter Baugh reports New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald isn’t expected to move out any of his big-name players this summer. If he wants to shed some salary, he could explore deals for someone like middle-six forward Dawson Mercer, who carries an average annual value of $4 million.

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: James Nichols reports the Devils were close to signing Jonathan Marchessault before he opted to join the Nashville Predators. With the 34-year-old winger believed to be open to a trade, Nichols wondered if the Devils might revisit their interest.

DAILY FACEOFF: Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton believe Jake Allen will be among the most coveted unrestricted free agent goaltenders. The market is thin on quality goalies, putting the 34-year-old Devils netminder in a good position.

Pittsburgh Penguins winger Bryan Rust (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Fitzgerald wasn’t happy with his club’s offensive depth this season. It’s expected he’ll attempt to remedy that through a trade or a free-agent signing. Mercer could have value as a trade chip to address that issue.

Fitzgerald might revisit his interest in Marchessault, but he could insist the Predators retain part of his $5.5 million AAV in the deal.

BRYAN RUST DRAWING INTEREST IN THE TRADE MARKET

THE ATHLETIC: Josh Yohe reports teams are calling the Pittsburgh Penguins about a potential trade for Bryan Rust. The 33-year-old winger’s no-movement clause expires on July 1.

Yohe would be surprised if the Penguins move Rust. He’s an alternate captain, Sidney Crosby’s favorite winger, and a terrific player on a very good contract. Rust also has a good reputation for working well with younger players.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rust has three years left on his contract with an AAV of $5.125 million. He’s consistently exceeded 20 goals and 40 points in each season since 2019-20.

On the one hand, it would make sense for the rebuilding Penguins to move Rust while his value remains high. On the other hand, they’re still trying to be a competitive club by rebuilding on the fly. Unless they get a terrific offer, they’ll likely hang onto him for another season.

THE LATEST ON MARCO ROSSI

THE ATHLETIC: Josh Yohe reports the Penguins are a potential suitor for Marco Rossi. The 23-year-old Minnesota Wild center fits the young profile they want. Penguins GM Kyle Dubas doesn’t appear interested in adding players over 30.

Yohe believes the draft picks the Penguins have accumulated give them plenty of ammunition to pursue a trade for Rossi.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Wild could prefer a player-for-player swap where they get another young forward in return. Then again, they could use whatever draft picks they acquire from the Penguins (or whoever they might send Rossi to) as trade bait to pry a forward away from another club.

DAILY FACEOFF: Anthony Di Marco doesn’t think the Philadelphia Flyers would be a fit for Rossi. His sources claim the Wild would want forward Tyson Foerster or one of the Flyers’ late first-round picks in this year’s draft. The Flyers have no interest in either scenario.

Di Marco also reports that Rossi’s contract demands are said to be too expensive for both teams.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flyers re-signed the 23-year-old Foerster yesterday to a two-year bridge deal. It doesn’t appear to be a “sign-and-trade” situation, as they very much want to keep him.

Rossi reportedly rejected a contract offer from the Wild earlier this season. There’s no indication yet what type of deal he’s seeking. His situation will be worth monitoring as the calendar flips to June and activity in the trade market resumes.

SENATORS REPORTEDLY ON RASMUS ANDERSSON’S “NO-TRADE” LIST

DAILY FACEOFF: Anthony Di Marco cited a rumor linking the Ottawa Senators to Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson. However, a Flames source told Di Marco that the Senators are on the 28-year-old defenseman’s six-team “no-trade” list.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Di Marco noted there was speculation suggesting the Flames were gauging the trade market for Andersson. However, he added that a source claimed they’re now considering keeping him.










NHL Rumor Mill – May 29, 2025

by | May 29, 2025

NHL Rumor Mill – May 29, 2025

Mitch Marner to the Golden Knights? Jonathan Marchessault to the Canadiens or Golden Knights? Rangers shopping K’Andre Miller? Find the answers to these questions, plus the latest on Marco Rossi and Brock Nelson, in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

TORONTO STAR: Gord Stellick believes the Vegas Golden Knights will aggressively pursue Mitch Marner if the Maple Leafs’ winger becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Stellick believes the Golden Knights weren’t pleased with their second-round elimination by the Edmonton Oilers. They could shed some of their aging players and add some younger talent. They have a history of acquiring big-name talent via trades and free agency.

Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Golden Knights have a projected salary-cap space of $9.6 million with 18 active roster players under contract next season. It could cost an average annual value between $13 million and $14 million to sign Marner. They’ll have to make a couple of significant cost-cutting trades to free up enough cap room for Marner and to fill out the rest of the roster.

VEGAS HOCKEY NOW: Hannah Kirkell cited Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli saying Jonathan Marchessault is open to a trade. The 34-year-old former Golden Knights winger signed a five-year contract ($5 million AAV) last summer with the Nashville Predators, but his production slipped as the Predators finished 28th overall this season.

Kirkell didn’t rule out a reunion, but she noted that Marchessault’s contract was a point of contention before he left Vegas. The Predators could retain part of his cap hit, but the rebuilding club wants to get younger and the Golden Knights lack suitable trade assets to help them.

MONTREAL HOCKEY NOW: Marc Dumont cited Seravalli claiming the Quebec-born Marchessault might welcome a trade to the Canadiens. The Habs were among the finalists to sign Marchessault last season, but they offered a three-year deal while the Predators offered five.

Dumont doubts the Canadiens will be willing to acquire the remaining four years of the aging Marchessault’s contract. They’re seeking elite talent with size, which Marchessault cannot help them with this year.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Marchessault’s age, the remaining years on his contract, and his 15-team no-trade list are stumbling blocks in the path to a trade. The Predators could retain up to half of his salary and perhaps include a draft pick to sweeten the deal if they just want to get most of his cap hit off their books.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Remy Mastey cited Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reporting the New York Rangers are testing the trade market on K’Andre Miller. The 25-year-old defenseman becomes a restricted free agent with arbitration rights on July 1.

Friedman said it’s no guarantee that Miller will be traded, but the Rangers want to see what his value will be. Mastey observed that this comes after a season in which the blueliner’s performance declined, sparking doubts about his ultimate potential.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’s no surprise that the Rangers are looking into Miller’s trade value. They were among the busiest teams in this season’s trade market as general manager Chris Drury attempts to retool the roster on the fly. This news confirms that Drury will continue to tinker during the offseason.

Miller could become an offer-sheet target. However, the drop in his play this season makes that an unlikely possibility. Rangers forward Will Cuylle is the more likely target, partly because of the Blueshirts’ limited cap space.

RG.ORG: James Murphy cited an NHL executive speculating that Marco Rossi might not be back with the Minnesota Wild next season. The 23-year-old center is due to become an RFA without arbitration rights on July 1.

Rossi has been the topic of trade speculation throughout this season. Murphy cited sources claiming the Philadelphia Flyers, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, and Seattle Kraken have expressed interest in the young center.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Murphy suggests Rossi could be shopped heading into the 2025 NHL Draft weekend (June 27-28). One of his sources believes the Wild won’t want this situation to carry over into the free-agency period (beginning July 1) when they can’t dictate terms as much.

Meanwhile, Marco D’Amico cited a source claiming the New York Islanders had a deal in place that would’ve sent Brock Nelson to the Winnipeg Jets before the March trade deadline. However, the 33-year-old center declined to waive his no-trade clause.

It’s believed one of the Jets’ top prospects (Brad Lambert, Colby Barlow, or Brayden Yager) would’ve been part of the deal, along with draft picks.

The Islanders instead shipped Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche.










NHL Rumor Mill – May 27, 2025

by | May 27, 2025

NHL Rumor Mill – May 27, 2025

In today’s NHL Rumor Mill, we look at this summer’s notable potential offer sheet candidates, and which ones might be targeted by the Canucks and Mammoth.

THE SCORE: Sean O’Leary looked at this year’s top offer-sheet candidates.

O’Leary starts by reminding us that teams can only surrender their own draft picks as compensation, that any restricted free agent who files for arbitration by the July 5 deadline is ineligible to sign an offer sheet, and that teams have seven days to match an offer signed by their player.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: We must also remember that an RFA player must be willing to sign an offer from a rival club. Just because a player may be considered an offer-sheet candidate by fans and pundits doesn’t mean he’s interested in signing one.

Arbitration-eligible players sometimes file simply to avoid getting offers from rival clubs, preferring to focus on re-signing with their current team before their arbitration hearing dates.

O’Leary also put up the compensation tiers for the offseason (which you can see by following the link above).

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies (NHL Images).

In the “Pipe Dream” category are winger Matthew Knies of the Toronto Maple Leafs and defenseman Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers. O’Leary noted that Knies last week scoffed at the notion of signing an offer sheet. Meanwhile, Bouchard is likely reluctant to leave a contender while less than half the league has adequate draft picks to offer the Oilers the second-highest compensation level (two first-rounders, a second and a third).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: A team would have to offer up a salary between $9.36 million and $11.7 million to Bouchard to tempt him, which is the second-highest salary tier. I’ve speculated that it’ll cost the Oilers around $10 million annually to sign him. It’s worth noting that Bouchard is eligible for arbitration.

O’Leary has Winnipeg Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi and Buffalo Sabres forward JJ Peterka among his “Long shots who might be worth a try”. Others include Anaheim Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal or center Mason McTavish, and New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: That’s assuming those players aren’t re-signed before July 1. Vilardi, Dostal and Dobson are arbitraiton-eligible.

One significant factor is that all those teams have plenty of salary-cap space to match an offer sheet. Unless the goal is forcing a team to spend more than they intended to re-sign the player, it’s a waste of time going that route.

As one NHL general manager pointed out (see below), it can backfire on the team making the offer, putting them in a vulnerable position for a future retaliatory offer sheet to one of their RFAs when they have limited cap space.

Marco Rossi of the Minnesota Wild and Will Cuylle of the New York Rangers fall under O’Leary’s “Cheap-value targets”.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: They’re the most likely on O’Leary’s list to receive offer sheets this summer. Both are coming off entry-level contracts and lack arbitration rights. They would also be more affordable, falling within the third-tier compensation level (a first and a second-round pick) if they receive offers between $4.68 million and $7.020 million.

The Wild have over $16 million in cap space. They can afford to match an offer for Rossi, but there have been questions about his role and his future in Minnesota. They must also ensure they have sufficient cap room beyond next season to re-sign superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov. Rossi could be traded before July 1.

Cap space is a bigger issue for the Rangers, with $8.42 million available with 19 active roster players under contract. They could move a high-priced veteran this summer to free up room to re-sign Cuylle and perhaps add a player via trade or free agency.

THE ATHLETIC: Thomas Drance and Harman Dayal looked at possible offer-sheet targets for the Vancouver Canucks. Among the players on their list was Bowen Byram of the Buffalo Sabres.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Byram is also arbitration-eligible. The Sabres are reportedly gauging his value in the trade market, which suggests he could be under contract with a new club before July 1.

THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE: Belle Fraser wondered if the Utah Mammoth might go the offer-sheet route this summer.

General manager Bill Armstrong seemed a bit hesitant when questioned about it last month. “People have to realize that when you put an offer sheet in, it has to work, it has to make sense”, said Armstrong. “It just can’t aggravate the other team because they’re going to come after you at some point in time and run up your salaries.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: If you’re going to sign a player to an offer sheet, you must be sure that you will be successful, as the St. Louis Blues were last summer by signing away Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway from the cap-strapped Edmonton Oilers.

Otherwise, you get a situation as in 2019, when the Carolina Hurricanes matched an offer from the Montreal Canadiens for Sebastian Aho. Two years later, the Hurricanes successfully signed Jesperi Kotkaniemi from the Canadiens.

I expect Armstrong will make a significant addition to his roster this summer, but it’ll be through a trade or by signing an unrestricted free agent.










NHL Rumor Mill – May 22, 2025

by | May 22, 2025

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.