There are many teams in the NHL’s Eastern Association that will be competitive next year. Many are looking for major pieces, and few teams are willing to sell their best players.
This is the case for the Penguins, who find themselves at a crossroads. They should sell their best players to get excellent returns, but perhaps Kyle Dubas will decide to give his aging group of veterans one last chance.
Tony Marinaro, who spoke to Jean-Charles Lajoie about the situation. The analyst believesthat Sidney Crosby should request a trade for the Penguins to begin a rebuild.
There’s a pretty big problem lurking for teams that want to be buyers https://t.co/fJIcYgEo5v
“The best thing that could happen to the Penguins organization is that Crosby goes to the owners and says, ‘If you want to trade me, trade me.’ That way, they can trade everyone and start their rebuild.” – Tony Marinaro
He’s right. If Crosby asks for a trade, it will automatically mean the end of a cycle and the start of a rebuild. Plus, the Penguins could get the moon for his services considering the current market.
Malkin and Letang could follow and it would become interesting for buyers. For what it’s worth, I don’t think the Canadiens can compete if Crosby is ever offered to teams.
The price will be way too high and considering the fact that Kent Hughes doesn’t want to touch his future, a deal seems unlikely at this stage, but you never know.
Marinaro added an interesting point about teams that don’t want to end up like the Sabres and therefore want to get out of a rebuild quickly.
This is undoubtedly what drives teams like the Anaheim Ducks to want to pick up veterans like Kris Kreider to advance the cause quickly.
Samuel Montembeault had a great season for the Habs. Despite some mid-season lows, he took his team to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
Yes, Jakub Dobes gave Montembeault a break in the second half of the season with some good performances, but it was the Québécois goaltender who took charge.
This evening, we learned that he had received a 3rd place vote for the Vézina Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s best goaltender.
Unsurprisingly, Connor Hellebuyck took top honors with 31 of the 32 first-place votes.
Andrei Vasilevskiy and Darcy Kuemper rounded out the podium.
Note that general managers vote for the Vézina Trophy, not journalists.
Montembeault was the 4th most-used goalkeeper last season, with 60 games played. He maintained a 31-24-7 record with an average of 2.82 and an efficiency percentage of 0.907.
He didn’t have the best statistics, but it was clearly his attitude in front of the net and his late-season performances that earned him third place.
He’s worked very hard since being taken in the Habs’ waivers. He’s become a sure thing in front of the net, as we saw in the playoffs when his absence hurt the Habs.
But does that mean we should give him a third-place vote? It’s debatable, but it shows that his performances are respected throughout the upper echelons of the NHL. I can’t wait to see what kind of season he’ll have next season.
Pierre McGuire explains why he’s not concerned about a “sophomore slump” for Lane Hutson:
“This guy is addicted to the game. He’s addicted to being in the rink. He’s addicted to pushing himself to the next level. He’s addicted to excellence!”#GoHabsGo#thesickpodcastpic.twitter.com/H6MLKcYpwV
– The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) June 12, 2025
– Files to follow.
James Mirtle: The Hurricanes could take big runs at Mitch Marner and Aaron Ekblad in free agency – The Athletic
– NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 12, 2025
And that season has been rewarded with a playoff appearance, a top-5 finish at the Lady Bing and now, a top-10 finish at the Hart Trophy, awarded to his team’s most valuable player.
The Habs captain finished ninth and received a first-place vote. That’s one more first-place vote than Connor McDavid, who also finished with 26 points.
But coming back to Suzuki, who also received one second-place vote and nine fifth-place votes, he finished his season with 89 points in 82 games.
By definition, the Hart is awarded to his team’s most valuable player. There’s no doubt that Hellebuyck was very important to his team. But the Canadiens… without Nick Suzuki? He wouldn’t have finished among the top eight clubs in the East.
I don’t think he deserved the trophy, but in my opinion, he was more useful to his team than a couple of guys ahead of him on the ballot. I’m thinking of Jack Eichel, Zach Werenski and Alex Ovechkin…
Leon Draisaitl and Nikita Kucherov rounded out the podium with 1209 and 973 points respectively. Nathan MacKinnon finished with 972 points.
In addition to the number 14, another Bleu-Blanc-Rouge player was honoured on Thursday evening. Lane Hutson was named to the league’s All-Rookie Team. The opposite would have been surprising.
Seravalli on DFO Rundown: “League sources have speculated for a couple of weeks now that if you were to put a $9M AAV in front of Necas right now that he’s not signing it…This guy has a very big self-belief, very confident in his game and what his worth is”
Even though Christian Dvorak has spoken of his time in Montreal in the past tense, that doesn’t mean he won’t be back.
After all, Jake Evans did, too, and extended his contract a few days later.
But as for Dvorak, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent in the next few days, and while returning to the Canadiens seemed impossible at the start of the season, it’s now a possibility. Arpon Basu believes that, if both sides agree, it will be on July 3 (two days after the market opens). One thing is certain, the journalist believes in the possibility.
At the end of his TSN 690 Montreal segment, Basu states that the center, for two seasons, could be an excellent piece to help youngsters develop and offer some stability at center ice.
Because, apart from Nick Suzuki, that’s pretty tough…
But before accepting a two-year contract in the metropolis, Dvo will look at his options. Because if he’s offered a four-five year contract, he’ll definitely take it.
He’s still relatively young and this could be his last chance to get a big contract. Basu doesn’t see a world in which he doesn’t test the waters.
If he doesn’t find anything elsewhere, he could come back and tell the Canadiens he’ll take a two-year contract. – Arpon Basu
In 2024-2025, after an ordinary start to the season, 28 finished with 33 points in 82 games. He and his line were one of Martin St-Louis’s most consistent lines this season, and I’m sure the coach would like to keep that trio intact.
Now it’s up to Kent Hughes to work his magic.
Overtime
– Jonathan Marchessault is not on the market at the moment.
Teams have spoken to Nashville about Jonathan Marchessault, but there have been no discussions between the Preds & Marchessault’s camp about waiving his NMC. Maybe that changes but as of now, Preds do not expect to explore a trade involving the veteran winger.
My column on the Canadiens taking a patient approach with goalie Jacob Fowler, which is different from what they did with a young Carey Price #Habs: https: //t.co/Z3spLiqOLu
Jeff Marek: The Ducks are going to be involved in “every name that comes up” in the market; Jason Robertson among their targets – The Sheet
– NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 12, 2025
– Please note.
For that to happen the Rangers would need to cede their 2025 1st to Pittsburgh or trade for it back.
They’d need to own their 2026 1st-rounder to include as compensation for a strong offer sheet to pry J.J. Peterka from Buffalo. https://t.co/EDUlH8jnQU
Things have been hopping in New York for a few weeks now.
The Rangers have signed Mike Sullivan, they’ve traded Chris Kreider, they’ve identified some clubs interested in Alexis Lafrenière, they might like to send Mika Zibanejad and K’Andre Miller elsewhere…
Yikes. There’s a lot going on in this organization.
That said, the recent moves may have been made for a reason.
Because, according to Elliotte Friedman(SN 590)… the Rangers seem to be on the verge of preparing a hostile offer sheet.
Interesting!
And the player in question… is Buffalo’s JJ Peterka.
Elliotte Friedman: The Rangers seem like a team preparing to send an offer sheet; Rangers are very interested in RFA JJ Peterka – SN 590
– NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 12, 2025
In all this, it’s worth remembering that the Rangers’ interest in Peterka is nothing new.
Because at the last NHL trade deadline… the Blue Shirts came close to picking him up in Buffalo. The deal fell through…
Then again, maybe that explains why the Rangers traded Chris Kreider and are trying to do the same with Alexis Lafreière.
Chris Drury wants to free up some space under the payroll to maneuver properly, and if he wants to give himself the best chance of getting Peterka out of Buffalo with an offer sheet, it’s important for him to have space.
That said, I’d like to draw a parallel between the Rangers and the Leafs.
In New York, we’re not capable of playoff success… like Toronto. But what’s the difference?
The Rangers aren’t afraid to shake things up. In Toronto, it’s the same thing all the time: you keep the core in place and hope things unblock at some point.
But hey. It remains to be seen, in all this, whether the changes made – and the plan to make an offer sheet – will work for the Rangers…
Overtime
– Oh.
Don’t know if it’s been reported but I’m told these two tests could be added at the next NHL Combine.
– 10m sprint
– squat
Pending approval from the Combine committee and the NHL gms.
When it comes to NHL expansion, there are a number of cities that come to mind.
Of the lot?
Houston, Atlanta, Quebec City, New Orleans, Kansas City, Omaha (Nebraska), Cincinnati, San Diego…
But the longer this goes on, the more we understand that the idea of seeing a club return to Atlanta is growing.
Yesterday, Forsyth County voted in favor of the final documentation that would allow the Krause Group to officially propose NHL expansion in Atlanta.
All indications, then, are that the group will be able to present its full proposal to the NHL in the coming weeks… and it prompted Allan Walsh to say this, on Twitter:
The NHL will bring a club to Atlanta within the next few years. – Allan Walsh
Atlanta has twice failed to retain its hockey team.
After all, the Flames left Atlanta for Calgary in 1980, and the Thrashers headed to Winnipeg in 2011 to become the new Jets.
So why would it work this time?
It’s worth noting that the southern U.S. market has grown considerably since the 2000s.
The Nashville Predators, the Carolina Hurricanes, the Vegas Golden Knights, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Florida Panthers… These clubs have proven that it can work.
And in fact, Atlanta remains one of the biggest media markets without an NHL team. The league probably sees the economic potential (TV contract)… and we know that, in Gary Bettman’s eyes, the financial aspect is important.
But it still seems odd to see a club return to Atlanta for a third time. The plan has to be concrete for it to work, and the interest of the people who live there has to be there for it to work.
Still, I’m inclined to think it’s a bad idea…
Overtime
– Coming up.
Pierre LeBrun: The Blackhawks are looking to add up front, but won’t “chase something unreasonable” this July – The Athletic
(Note: the Blackhawks have been linked to Mitch Marner in past weeks)
– NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 12, 2025
– Who wins tonight?
GAME 4⃣
Will the Oilers even things up or do the Panthers take a 3-1 series lead?
The Swedish forward has a no-movement clause, but according to David Pagnotta, we need to keep an eye on the situation
And keep an eye on K’Andre Miller, who could also be traded :
The Rangers are also in talks with clubs regarding defenseman K’Andre Miller and center Mika Zibanejad, who has a full non-movement clause. – David Pagnotta
Zibanejad will have to agree to lift his clause if he wants to leave New York.
And at 32, he still has a lot of hockey to give to a club, even if he has just had a (slightly) disappointing season with his 20-goal haul…
Two clubs in particular for Toews?
We know that Jonathan Toews officially wants to return to the game.
He’d like to choose his team between now and the draft… and of the lot, there are two clubs in particular that are the talk of the town right now.
According to Pierre LeBrun, the Jets and the Avalanche seem to be the most popular names in the Toews file right now:
In both cases, it makes sense.
Seeing that Winnipeg is in the running is not surprising because, after all, Toews comes from there.
And finishing his career on home soil must be quite appealing to him.
Especially when, on paper, the Jets have a nice club…
But the option of seeing him sign in Colorado is also interesting because he’d fill a significant need in the Avalanche line-up.
Adding Jonathan Toews – and his experience – to a third line behind Nathan MacKinnon and Brock Nelson, is certainly of interest to Colorado management.
But, at the same time, we know that the Avalanche’s payroll is tight: the club has only $1.2 million in projected cap space at the moment…
Will the Bruins trade the 7th pick?
After some tough times, and after trading several key players, the Bruins finished the season ranked 28th overall in the National League.
You don’t see that very often in Boston.
On the other hand, it did allow the Bruins to pick 7th overall in the upcoming NHL draft.
And according to what’s circulating… seeing the Bruins select a player with that pick isn’t guaranteed :
The Bruins would possibly like to move up into the top-5, but…
But if they’re not able to do that and they’re not satisfied at the level of players available at No. 7, they could also trade their pick in order to get immediate help.
Which, as it turns out, isn’t a particularly crazy idea. David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman are still part of the club, after all, and Boston needs to find a way to surround them a little better.
Two players in the Flames’ sights
In Calgary, we did everything we could to make the playoffs.
Led by Dustin Wolf’s brilliance in front of goal, the Flames almost got their ticket to the big dance.
But the Flames ultimately missed out on the playoffs, and clearly the organization wants to push the envelope even further.
According to Frank Seravalli, there are two popular names in the organization right now: JJ Peterka… and Marco Rossi.
Daily Faceoff Live | June 12, 2025
– Panthers Look To Push Oilers To The Brink
– Offseason Preview: Calgary Flames
– Game 4 Preview | w/ Jason Gregor
Alexis Lafrenière has talent coming out of both ears.
No doubt about it.
We’ve seen him score spectacular goals since the start of his career, and we saw him have a good season in New York in 23-24. He racked up 57 points (28 goals) and all the signs were that he was about to explode. But that didn’t happen.
Now, it really looks like the forward needs a change of scenery.
And according to Larry Brooks, his name has been floating around the combine for the past week.
The Rangers are active at the moment because they want to free up space on their payroll in order to make a big splash this summer.
Larry Brooks: Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere has come up in several trade conversations this past week – New York Post
– NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 11, 2025
The deal is that Laffy will enter the first year of his seven-year contract – which will pay him $7.45 million per season for the duration of the deal.
And maybe the Rangers are a little afraid of this contract right now.
After trading Chris Kreider to the Ducks, the Blue Shirts already have a projected cap space of nearly $15 million in the pipeline for this summer. By trading Lafrenière… it would make it even easier for Chris Drury to be aggressive on the trade and free agent markets.
Kreider trade to Anaheim will give the NYR the cap flexibility they need to target free agents or present offer sheets. No salary retained by NYR which was also important in the deal.
Alexis Lafrenière never quite lived up to expectations in New York.
He had a big season… but you always expect more from a guy who was selected 1st overall in the draft.
And we all agree: seeing a 1st-round pick average around 40 points in his first five NHL seasons isn’t enough. That’s why, at the beginning of this article, I mentioned that a change of scenery might be beneficial.
(Credit: HockeyDB)
It’s not working out for the Québécois in New York, and it’s not because the Rangers haven’t tried either.
They’ve changed coaches, they’ve given Lafrenière chances by placing him on the club’s top line alongside Artemi Panarin on a few occasions, he’s been given the opportunity to play in the top-6… but the results have been disappointing.
That said, Lafrenière is (only) 23 and still has time to blossom. Again, we know it’s not a question of talent… because he has enormous potential and such interesting qualities for a player of his age.
And maybe he just needs to get traded to make it happen.
I wonder if the Canadiens have their noses in the matter, because we know that Jeff Gorton knows him very well: the Habs VP was on the job when the Rangers selected Laffy with the first overall pick in 2020.
Adding a guy like Alexis Lafrenière to the top-6 in Montreal sounds like something I’d be interested in. And at 6’2 and 200 pounds, it’s not like we’re talking about a midget either… which would fit in with the Habs’ current needs, as they’d like to bulk up.
Justin Carbonneau of Blainville-Boisbriand plays on the ice a like he played on the football field. “I’m a big power forward who likes to hit, to skate.” Spoken like a true former linebacker https://t.co/2Xrt7PA59Z
If you look closely at the situation, you realize that things are tough in Pittsburgh.
And there are several reasons for this.
The Penguins are old, they don’t have any depth in the lineup because a number of picks / prospects have been used in trades in recent years to keep the team competitive, and now it feels like the good times are really over there. The club has already missed the playoffs for three years in a row…
But there’s more to it than that too.
There’s uncertainty about the organization because it’s up for sale. At this level, we’ve heard rumours that Mario Lemieux is interested in buying the Penguins… but we agree: on the ice, it wouldn’t change much in the short term.
And that’s not even mentioning the fact that the Penguins are “the only real sellers” in the NHL right now. According to Pierre LeBrun (TSN 1050), the majority of teams that finished in the bottom half of the overall standings don’t want to sell, they want to improve.
Super.
Pierre LeBrun: The Penguins are the only true seller right now, most teams at the bottom of the standings are looking to add, get better – TSN 1050
– NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 12, 2025
You’ll understand that there are relatively easy connections to be made here with the Sidney Crosby situation.
And I don’t think I need to spell it out for you to understand what I’m getting at. We’ve been talking about this for some time now…
But, in reality, you have to ask yourself how #87 feels about all this. His club isn’t going anywhere, the Penguins have a new coach – with no NHL head coaching experience – in Dan Muse, the team’s paper line-up isn’t super impressive…
All in all, it’s hard to believe that Crosby is super-satisfied with what’s going on out there right now. He may want to be loyal to the organization that drafted him in 2005, but at some point, he has to start thinking about himself and what’s best for the rest of his career.
Because at 37 (38 as of August), he doesn’t have that many years left in his body to play in the NHL. And if he really wants to win, or at least give himself one last chance to lift the Stanley Cup… it won’t be in Pittsburgh.
Overtime
– The transaction is now official.
TRADE: We have acquired left wing Chris Kreider and a 2025 fourth-round pick for center Carey Terrance and a 2025 third-round pick.
The Lady Bing is awarded annually by the NHL to the player with the best sportsmanship, but who is also able to maintain good performances on the ice.
Martin St-Louis won it three times during his years in Tampa Bay.
And now, for the third time in his career and the second time in three seasons, Kings legend Anze Kopitar has got his hands on the trophy. He had four penalty minutes in 87 games this year, including the playoffs.
And the “Nicest NHL Player” award goes to…
Anze Kopitar’s kids surprised him with his third Lady Byng Memorial Trophy during a day of family golf in Slovenia.
The answer is yes. Cole Caufield finished tied for 34th with two votes: one fourth-place and one fifth-place. So he really wasn’t the favourite.
But Nick Suzuki did better.
In fact, the Canadiens’ captain finished in the top-5 for the vote. Brayden Point, Jack Eichel and Jaccob Slavin were the other players to surpass him in the race for Madame Bing.
With 694 points, he’s closer to first place (856) than to sixth, held by Cale Makar and his 221 points. There’s clearly a definite top-5 and the Habs’ #14 is in it.
It’s notable, though.
Suzuki received eight first-place votes, 35 second-place votes, 48 third-place votes, 29 fourth-place votes and 42 fifth-place votes. In all, that’s 162 votes.
Will he ever win it? Considering he scored 22 more points than Kopitar in the regular season (89 VS 67) and had just 10 penalty minutes (including two in the playoffs) in 87 games, it’s safe to say he’s on the right track.
overtime
– Of note for tonight.
Oilers lineup changes for Game 4.
Perry demoted
Stetcher in the lineup
Arvidsson and Klingberg sidelined
https://t.co/fJIcYgEo5v
Agent Provocateur
https://t.co /n3N5PYedqo
https://t.co/xPE241 VOZp
(@walsha) June 12, 2025
Lane Hutson named to NHL Rookie All-Star Team!
https://t.co/g6jT7geUEQ
: 
https://t.co/a08TnsrvOU
#stadeolympiquedemontréal
https://t.co/x2o9SuckCc
