Senators Begin Contract Talks With Claude Giroux
Forward Claude Giroux highlights Ottawa’s list of pending unrestricted free agents but if they get their way, he won’t make it to the open market altogether. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the two sides have started informal discussions on a new contract for the 2025-26 season while GM Steve Staios is expected to meet with Giroux’s agent in the next few weeks to try to hammer out a deal.
Giroux joined the Senators three years ago as an unrestricted free agent, inking a three-year, $19.5MM deal on the opening day of free agency. It’s fair to say the contract worked out quite well for Ottawa as the 37-year-old put up 71 goals and 122 assists in 245 games with the Sens while winning 59.1% of his faceoffs, one of the top rates in the NHL over that time. This past season, he had 15 goals and 35 helpers in 81 outings while logging over 18 minutes a night of ice time.
While his age makes a raise quite unlikely, it wouldn’t be surprising if term is a key element in these negotiations. Garrioch cites league executives who feel a one-year deal between $3MM and $4MM would be palatable for both sides while it’s worth noting that Giroux would be eligible for performance incentives in his deal if it’s a one-year pact. However, given the anticipated demand for centers on the open market this summer, Giroux could have enough leverage to try to get a second year on the deal while also making him ineligible for those performance bonuses.
A veteran of 1,263 NHL games over parts of 18 seasons between Philadelphia, Florida, and Ottawa, Giroux has recorded 365 goals and 751 assists. His 1,116 points put him in 66th place in NHL history in that regard.
Ottawa enters the offseason with around $17.5MM in cap space, per PuckPedia, giving Staios some flexibility to work with. However, with that money, he has to re-sign or replace Giroux, re-sign trade deadline acquisition Fabian Zetterlund, add a second goalie (or promote Leevi Merilainen to the role), and fill out the roster with a handful of other pieces. While that probably won’t leave them a lot of room to go shopping on the open market, they should have enough space to work with to get something done with Giroux in the coming weeks.
Pacific Notes: Hiller, Canucks, Romani, Pettersson
Speaking at his introductory press conference today (video link), Kings GM Ken Holland revealed that head coach Jim Hiller will remain with Los Angeles for next season. Hiller just completed his first full season as head coach of the team with the Kings picking up 105 points in the standings, tying their franchise record set back in 1974-75. However, they weren’t able to shake their recent playoff struggles, falling to the Oilers in the first round for the fourth straight year, leading some to wonder if Holland would opt to go in a different direction. However, that won’t be the case and Holland added that he has no intention of rebuilding or retooling this roster, meaning that Hiller should have largely the same group of core players for 2025-26.
More from the Pacific:
- At his introductory press conference today (video link), new Canucks head coach Adam Foote indicated that they intend to add two new assistant coaches to their staff. One will take Foote’s previous role running the defense while they hope the other will be able to help on the offensive side of things. The two new hires will join assistant coach Jaroslav Svejkovsky and goalie coach Marko Torenius.
- Still with the Canucks, prospect Anthony Romani announced on his Instagram page earlier this week that he has committed to Michigan State for next season. The 19-year-old was a sixth-round pick last year, going 162nd overall. Romani battled injuries this year but picked up 35 points in 35 games between North Bay and Barrie in the OHL before adding 12 goals and 12 assists in 16 playoff contests for the Colts.
- Ducks prospect Lucas Pettersson has signed a two-year deal with SHL Brynas, per a team release. The 19-year-old was an early second-round pick last June, going 35th overall after a strong showing in MoDo’s junior system. This season, the center primarily played professionally, splitting time between the SHL with MoDo and Ostersunds of the second-tier Allsvenskan. At their top level, Pettersson was limited to just one assist in 29 games while his team was demoted to the Allsvenskan for next season. With Ostersunds, he fared much better with nine goals and ten assists in 26 contests. By joining Brynas, Pettersson should be able to predominantly play at the SHL level next season, ideally in a more prominent role.
Blackhawks Interview Jeff Blashill For Head Coaching Vacancy
As Chicago has searched for its next bench boss, they’ve been linked to very few candidates. Aside from potentially retaining interim head coach Anders Sorensen, the only external candidate they were known to speak with was David Carle who instead is remaining at the University of Denver.
However, another coach has popped up in the search. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (video link) that the Blackhawks have interviewed Jeff Blashill for their head coaching position.
Blashill has only been the bench boss once at the NHL level but it was a fairly lengthy stint as he spent seven years at the helm of Detroit, running from 2015-16 to 2021-22. While the Red Wings made the playoffs in his first year with the team, they failed to do so in the other six (and haven’t since he was let go, either). Under the 51-year-old’s tutelage, Detroit played to a 204-261-70 record, good for a points percentage of just .480.
Blashill has spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the Lightning and has been a speculative candidate for other roles before now. It appears that Chicago isn’t the only team potentially interested in him as Seravalli added that Seattle is believed to be considering him as well. At this point, it certainly feels like Blashill is going to get another opportunity to run an NHL bench but whether Chicago, a team that’s looking to emerge from its rebuild and become much more competitive in a hurry, is the right fit for his services remains to be seen.
Chicago brought in Luke Richardson as their head coach in 2022 with an eye on more of a development-focused approach. However, the team struggled mightily with him at the helm, winning just 57 of 190 games, resulting in Sorensen being brought up from AHL Rockford back in early December to take over the rest of the way but the Blackhawks only won 17 of 56 games following the change, resulting in a coaching search that is nearing the one-month mark.
Sharks Prospect Egor Afanasyev Terminates KHL Deal
After being traded to San Jose last summer, Egor Afanasyev surprised some people by inking a deal with CSKA Moscow of the KHL instead of joining the Sharks. However, things could be changing on that front as the two sides reached an agreement on a mutual termination, per the KHL, paving the way for the winger to potentially join San Jose for next season.
The 24-year-old was a second-round pick by Nashville back in 2019, going 45th overall after a solid season with USHL Muskegon. He went to the OHL the following year with Windsor before returning home for the 2020-21 campaign, spending time in three different levels in Russia.
Afanasyev spent three years in Nashville’s system, getting into 19 games with the Predators but didn’t have much success offensively, recording just a single goal. He was, however, a steady performer in the minors and put up 27 goals and 27 assists in 56 games in 2023-24 with AHL Milwaukee which was enough for San Jose to part with Ozzy Wiesblatt to secure his rights.
Unfortunately for Afanasyev, he wasn’t able to match that level of success back home this season. In 53 games, he notched just seven goals and 14 assists although he was a little better in the playoffs with four points in six outings.
Afanasyev is waiver-eligible moving forward so if he does wind up joining the Sharks, his time with them could be short-lived if he fails to crack the roster. Alternatively, he could be looking to try his hand at a different league altogether but with some recent NHL experience under his belt, a return to North America would seemingly make the most sense. Sport-Express’ Artur Khairullin suggests (Telegram link) that Afanasyev is expected to sign with San Jose so it looks as if he’ll give it another go to try to make the top level.
Jalen Chatfield Out For Game 5, Alexander Nikishin Making NHL Debut
The Hurricanes will be without depth defenseman Jalen Chatfield for a potential series-clinching Game 5 due to an undisclosed injury, per the team’s Walt Ruff. That means top defense prospect Alexander Nikishin will be making his NHL debut tonight after signing before the postseason.
Nikishin will debut on his natural left side on a pairing with countryman Dmitry Orlov, who Ruff relays will slide over to his offside. Orlov and the righty Chatfield have been partners all year long, so there’s no domino effect on Carolina’s other defense units.
As for Chatfield, he tweaked something near the end of Game 4 and didn’t practice yesterday. While head coach Rod Brind’Amour said yesterday he didn’t expect Chatfield to miss time, he told Canes beat reporter Adam Gold earlier today that Chatfield had been downgraded to being a game-time decision. It’s worth noting Chatfield’s gone three games without hitting the 20-minute mark after doing so in four straight. He has one goal and a plus-six rating in nine games this postseason – the latter figure is tied for the team lead.
Nikishin’s long-awaited NHL debut comes nearly five years after Carolina selected him in the third round of the 2020 draft. The 23-year-old Russian has grown into a dominant rearguard in his home country in the past few years, routinely being dubbed the best defenseman outside the NHL. Standing at 6’4″ and 216 lbs, Nikishin had somewhat of a down year in 2024-25 with a 17-29–46 scoring line in 61 games for SKA St. Petersburg but led Kontinental Hockey League defensemen in scoring the two years prior.
A dominant two-way presence, Nikishin begins the NHL phase of his career after recording 177 points and a +71 rating in 288 KHL games with SKA and Spartak Moscow. Virtually guaranteed a left-side spot next year with Orlov’s contract expiring, tonight will be an important trial run for the youngster as he settles into NHL minutes in what’s a pretty safe scenario for Carolina, up 3-1 over the Capitals with a chance at the Eastern Conference Final on the line.
Brad Shaw Won’t Return To Flyers
After ending the season as the Flyers’ interim head coach, associate coach Brad Shaw has informed the team he won’t be back next season on new boss Rick Tocchet‘s staff, sources tell Charlie O’Connor of the ALLCITY Network.
The news means Tocchet will have the chance to fill his entire bench himself, aside from goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh, who’s slated to return for his 11th season on Philadelphia’s coaching staff. The Flyers announced last month they weren’t retaining their full complement of assistants under former head coach John Tortorella – Angelo Ricci, Rocky Thompson, and Darryl Williams.
Shaw was a finalist for the permanent job in Philly this summer and very well could have had his interim tag removed had Tocchet not become available by way of the Canucks. With the Blackhawks, Bruins, Kraken, and Penguins still searching for new head coaches this offseason, he likely believes he’s got a legitimate shot at landing one of those roles.
While the 61-year-old Shaw’s stops as an NHL head coach are few and far between, and he’s only ever been an interim boss, he’s got promising results. He coached a mediocre Islanders club to a .500 record over 40 games in the latter half of the 2005-06 season before finishing this year with a 5-3-1 record in Philly.
In between, the former Senators captain has stayed busy as an assistant/associate coach. He was on the Blues’ bench from 2006 to 2016 before joining the Blue Jackets from 2016 to 2021. He spent one season with the Canucks (and as an assistant for Italy at the 2022 Olympic qualifiers) before signing on with Philadelphia in 2022.
Latest On Penguins’ Head Coaching Search
In addition to considering Kings assistant D.J. Smith in their search for a new head coach, the Penguins are also interested in Capitals assistant Mitch Love and former Blues coach Drew Bannister as they look to fill their head coaching job, according to Josh Yohe of The Athletic (article link).
It seems clear Washington anticipates Love drawing interest for multiple of the remaining vacancies this offseason and isn’t expecting him back. While the team is still active in the postseason, they’ve granted Pittsburgh permission to interview Love – something that’s already happened and has vaulted him onto the “short list of favorites for the job,” Yohe writes.
There haven’t been many other candidates firmly linked to the Penguins’ open position outside of Rick Tocchet, who signed a reported five-year contract with the Flyers yesterday. Talks didn’t progress past a casual stage between Tocchet and general manager Kyle Dubas regarding the Pittsburgh vacancy, according to Yohe.
“Tocchet wants to win, and he wants to win now,” Yohe added. “You can argue about how close the Flyers are to winning. But the Flyers are further along in their rebuild than the Penguins are. Tocchet didn’t want to find himself in a situation where struggling in the first couple of seasons was OK because the franchise is building. He wants to win now and wasn’t certain that the Penguins are ready for that.”
As for the three named candidates, the writing on the wall indicates Love is Pittsburgh’s preferred name. He’s spent the last two seasons with the Capitals as an assistant under Spencer Carbery and drew interest for head coaching jobs. He was a head coaching candidate in the 2023 hiring cycle after winning back-to-back Coach of the Year awards with the AHL’s Stockton Heat/Calgary Wranglers, but lost out. Now 40, the British Columbia native has had the chance to acclimate to an NHL bench under a Jack Adams Award finalist and presents himself as a more attractive candidate this time.
Regarding Bannister, the former NHL defenseman finished 2023-24 as the Blues’ interim head coach and was given the permanent job last summer along with a two-year contract. His early-season departure was less to do with St. Louis’ 9-12-1 record out of the gate and more with Jim Montgomery unexpectedly becoming available for hire when the Bruins canned him in November. Like Love, the last two seasons were Bannister’s only ones behind an NHL bench in any capacity. His previous coaching experience came with the Blues’ AHL affiliate and the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack and Soo Greyhounds.
With Dubas in Sweden as Canada’s general manager for the World Championship and his open-minded approach to the search, there’s an expectation the Penguins’ search stretches into the latter days of May, Yohe adds.
Snapshots: Stolarz, Hallander, Jedlicka
The Toronto Maple Leafs won’t get any goaltending relief after a brutal 6-1 loss in Game 5. Head coach Craig Berube told the media that starter Anthony Stolarz is doubtful to travel to Game 6 on Friday, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic. Stolarz skated at the team’s morning practice, but exited the ice after more than 30 minutes. Stolarz’s injury hasn’t been technically specified, though it seems clear it’s a head injury after he received multiple headshots and was seen throwing up during Game 1 of the second round.
Stolarz has been Toronto’s rock for much of the season. He posted a .926 save percentage and a 21-8-3 record during the regular season – the highest save percentage and fourth-highest win percentage from a Leafs starter since 2000. Toronto’s backup, Joseph Woll, hasn’t matched Stolarz’s shutdown presence when healthy. Woll posted a .909 save percentage and 27-14-1 record in 42 games this season, earning the lion’s share of minutes while Stolarz battled injuries. Woll’s save percentage has dipped to .877 in five postseason appearances. He allowed six goals in his latest outing, which could be enough for Toronto to award veteran backup Matt Murray with just his second playoff start since the 2019-20 season. Murray posted a .934 save percentage in 21 AHL games this season.
Other notes from around the league:
- Penguins forward prospect Filip Hallander was named the SHL’s Forward of the Year this season, the league announced on Thursday. He scored a career-high 26 goals and 53 points in 51 games this season, good for second in the league in total points behind David Tomasek‘s 57 points in 47 games. Hallander signed a two-year contract with Pittsburgh at the tail-end of the SHL season, cementing his return to North America after spending the last two seasons in Sweden. He scored 61 points in 104 AHL games between 2021 and 2023, and added three scoreless NHL appearances. Hallander can now use the momentum from this award-winning season to notch his first NHL points next season.
- After an injury-plagued season, it doesn’t appear the Avalanche will retain the signing rights to 2023 seventh-round pick Maros Jedlicka, relays Brennan Vogt of Mile High Sports. The 22-year-old Slovak forward spent the latter half of this season on a minor-league deal with AHL Colorado but was limited to five points in 18 games. He missed all of the 2023-24 season due to injury and managed just 12 appearances for HC Kometa Brno in Czechia before terminating his contract there early this season.
Full 2025 NHL Draft Order
Now that the NHL’s draft lottery results are in, most of the 2025 draft order has been set. There’s still some wiggle room near the bottom. Still, with the Oilers securing a bottom-four pick in each round by advancing to the Western Conference Final last night and all other second-round series in elimination game territory, it’s time to look at how the picks will shake out as things stand.
Many of these picks could still change hands leading up to and at the draft on June 27 and 28 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. It will be the first (and likely only) decentralized draft in recent memory. This list will be updated as picks are confirmed or traded.
Here’s the whole 2025 NHL draft order:
Last updated 5/15/25
First Round:
- New York Islanders
- San Jose Sharks
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Utah Mammoth
- Nashville Predators
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Boston Bruins
- Seattle Kraken
- Buffalo Sabres
- Anaheim Ducks
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- New York Rangers
- Detroit Red Wings
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Vancouver Canucks
- Montreal Canadiens (from Flames)
- Montreal Canadiens
- Calgary Flames (from Devils)
- St. Louis Blues
- Columbus Blue Jackets (from Wild)
- Ottawa Senators
- Philadelphia Flyers (from Avalanche)
- Nashville Predators (from Lightning)
- Los Angeles Kings
- Nashville Predators (from Golden Knights)
- Chicago Blackhawks (from Maple Leafs)
- Washington Capitals
- Winnipeg Jets
- Lower-seeded Conference Finals loser
- Higher-seeded Conference Finals winner
- Stanley Cup runner-up
- Stanley Cup winner
Notes for picks 29-32: the Flyers own the Oilers’ pick, the Flames own the Panthers’ pick, and the Sharks own the Stars’ pick.
Second Round:
- San Jose Sharks
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Nashville Predators
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Washington Capitals (from Bruins)
- Seattle Kraken
- Buffalo Sabres
- Philadelphia Flyers (from Ducks)
- Montreal Canadiens (from Penguins)
- New York Islanders
- New York Rangers
- Detroit Red Wings
- Philadelphia Flyers (from Blue Jackets)
- Utah Mammoth
- Vancouver Canucks
- Philadelphia Flyers (from Flames)
- Montreal Canadiens
- New Jersey Devils
- Boston Bruins (from Blues)
- Minnesota Wild
- San Jose Sharks (from Senators)
- Calgary Flames (from Avalanche)
- Nashville Predators (from Lightning)
- Tampa Bay Lightning (from Kings)
- Seattle Kraken (from Maple Leafs)
- Vegas Golden Knights
- Pittsburgh Penguins (from Capitals)
- Anaheim Ducks (from Jets)
- Lower-seeded Conference Finals loser
- Higher-seeded Conference Finals winner
- Stanley Cup runner-up
- Stanley Cup winner
Notes for picks 61-64: the Bruins own the Hurricanes’ pick, the Maple Leafs own the Panthers’ pick, the Devils own the Oilers’ pick, and the Blackhawks own the Stars’ pick.
Third Round:
- Vancouver Canucks (from Sharks)
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Nashville Predators
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Boston Bruins
- New York Rangers (from Kraken)
- Buffalo Sabres
- Anaheim Ducks
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- New York Islanders
- Detroit Red Wings (from Rangers)
- Detroit Red Wings
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Utah Mammoth
- Montreal Canadiens (from Canucks)
- Calgary Flames
- Montreal Canadiens
- Montreal Canadiens (from Devils)
- Edmonton Oilers (from Blues)
- Pittsburgh Penguins (from Wild)
- Pittsburgh Penguins (from Senators)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (from Avalanche)
- Carolina Hurricanes (from Lightning)
- Los Angeles Kings
- Anaheim Ducks (from Maple Leafs)
- New Jersey Devils (from Golden Knights)
- Vegas Golden Knights (from Capitals)
- Winnipeg Jets
- Lower-seeded Conference Finals loser
- Higher-seeded Conference Finals winner
- Stanley Cup runner-up
- Stanley Cup winner
Notes for picks 93-96: the Capitals own the Hurricanes’ pick, the Sharks own the Oilers’ pick, and the Senators own the Panthers’ pick.
Sam Gagner Confirms Retirement, Joins Senators’ Front Office
Longtime NHL forward Sam Gagner has confirmed his retirement and will join the Senators as their director of player development, the team announced.
“Sam had an incredible career as a player and we look forward to launching his next chapter,” Ottawa general manager Steve Staios said. “A true character individual, Sam has contributed to the success of his organizations, both on and off the ice.”
Gagner, 35, last played in the league during the 2023-24 season when he appeared in 28 games for the Oilers, his third go-around with the team that drafted him sixth overall in 2007. He cracked the 1,000 game plateau a few years ago. He finished his career with 1,034 regular-season appearances but played just 11 postseason contests over 17 years in the NHL, only reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Flyers in 2016 and the Blue Jackets in 2017.
After tantalizing with 118 points in just 53 junior games with the OHL’s London Knights in his draft year, the 5’11” center never arrived as an elite scoring presence in the pros. He was still a consistent yet sometimes injury-prone 40-point scorer, especially early in his career with Edmonton. He averaged 17 goals and 50 points per 82 games over the first seven years of his career with the Oilers and averaged north of 17 minutes per game.
One season into a three-year, $14.4MM contract he signed with the Oilers as an RFA, Gagner was flipped to the Coyotes via the Lightning in the summer of 2014 after underwhelming with 37 points and a -29 rating in 67 games the year prior. So began the journeyman stage of Gagner’s career as his offensive production fluctuated wildly from year to year, even resulting in some time in the minors. Between 2014 and 2020, Gagner would suit up for the Flyers, Blue Jackets, Canucks, the Oilers for a second time, and the Red Wings in addition to his year in Arizona. During that run, he scored a career-high 50 points in 81 games with Columbus in the 2016-17 campaign.
Gagner got a modicum of stability to end his career, spending two full seasons with Detroit after they acquired him from Edmonton at the 2020 trade deadline. He spent the 2022-23 season with the Jets before signing his final NHL deal with the Oilers nearly two years ago. The versatile right-shot pivot finishes his career with 197 goals, 332 assists, 529 points, and a -139 rating, averaging 15:37 per game and a 45.6 FO%. He earned approximately $38.1MM in salary throughout his career, per PuckPedia.
While Gagner didn’t play in the NHL last season, he was still active on an AHL deal with the Senators’ affiliate in Belleville, giving some context for his joining the front office of a team he never suited up for in the majors. He recorded 10 assists in 19 games for the B-Sens, appearing in his last game on March 5.
Ottawa also announced they’ve hired Matt Turek to serve as Belleville’s GM while taking a player personnel role with the parent club. He arrives in Ottawa after spending the last decade with the Hamilton/Brantford Bulldogs of the OHL as a scout and, later, their GM. Senators majority owner Michael Andlauer also owns that club, and Turek also worked under Staios as a scout when the latter was Hamilton’s GM before succeeding him upon his departure.
Turek will take on most of the responsibilities vacated by former assistant GM Ryan Bowness, who the Senators told clubs earlier this month won’t be back with the team next season.
Image courtesy of Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images.