Buying or Selling the Latest NHL Trade and Free-Agency Rumors

The 2023 Stanley Cup Final is in full swing between the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights. With the end of the postseason approaching, the offseason business for the NHL's 32 teams will soon begin in earnest.

Several teams have taken care of some front-office housekeeping. The Calgary Flames recently hired Craig Conroy as general manager. His predecessor, Brad Treliving, is now the GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

And speaking of the Leafs, former general manager Kyle Dubas is now the Pittsburgh Penguins' new president of hockey operations.

Meanwhile, several clubs recently announced new head coaches. The Columbus Blue Jackets reportedly intend to make Mike Babcock their new bench boss. The Washington Capitals hired former Leafs assistant coach Spencer Carbery, while the Nashville Predators replaced John Hynes with Andrew Brunette.

As for player movement, there's been no significant activity yet in the trade and free-agent markets, but that will change once a new Stanley Cup champion is crowned by mid-June.

With the draft on June 28-29 and the start of free agency on July 1, NHL fans can expect plenty of players to be changing teams.

Meanwhile, there's been an increase in trade and free-agent speculation. Some of it involves contract extension talk regarding Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews. There's also talk of the Winnipeg Jets' willingness to listen to trade offers for a handful of their core players.

What rumors are worth buying or selling? We'll try to make the picture clearer as we assess the latest significant NHL trade and free-agent rumors.

Feel free to express your views on this topic in the comments section below.

The NHL's offseason buyout period begins on June 15 or 48 hours after the Stanley Cup has been awarded, whichever is later.

Teams will have until 5 p.m. ET on June 30 to buy out contracts. For players 26 and older, the buyout is two-thirds of the remaining value over twice the remaining tenure. For those under 26, it's one-third of the remaining value.

On May 31, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli listed five potential buyout candidates. They included Edmonton Oilers winger Kailer Yamamoto, Boston Bruins defenseman Mike Reilly, Pittsburgh Penguins winger Mikael Granlund, Washington Capitals winger Anthony Mantha and Dallas Stars blueliner Ryan Suter.

Suter is the most interesting and best-known name on the list. Bought out of the remaining four years of his contract with the Minnesota Wild in July 2021, the veteran blueliner inked a four-year deal with the Stars worth an average annual value of $3.7 million with a full no-movement clause.

The Stars would get savings of $2.9 million annually over the next two years if they buy out Suter. While the 36-year-old rearguard's game declined in the postseason, Servalli concedes a buyout is a long shot.

Suter still logs plenty of ice time, plus the Stars lack someone within their system to replace him.

Verdict: Sell

As Seravalli observes, we cannot rule out the possibility of a Suter buyout but don't hold your breath.

They could hang onto him for at least next season and see how things pan out, perhaps even reduce his workload if they can find a decent younger defenseman to take on some of his ice time.

John Gibson is no stranger to the NHL rumor mill. With the Anaheim Ducks in the middle of a long rebuilding process, the goaltender has been the subject of frequent trade speculation.

Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli has the 29-year-old at No. 10 on his list of this summer's top trade targets. He reported that the netminder was available last summer but at a high price.

Seravalli wondered if the Ducks might retain a portion of Gibson's $6.4 million cap hit through 2026-27 to make his contract more palatable to interested teams.

The Orange County Register's Lisa Dillman cited Seravalli's report. She also indicated that Gibson met with Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek to express his sentiments about parting ways with the club.

Dillman noted that Gibson wants to play for a winning team, an opportunity he's not going to get any time soon with the Ducks, though the likes of the Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins could use a goalie like him. However, they could have a difficult time absorbing his contract or meeting Verbeek's asking price.

Verdict: Buy

Verbeek won't just give Gibson away but he could be willing to accommodate his wish to play for a contender. Perhaps he'll retain around $1.5 million per season of his cap hit to facilitate a deal. While four years is a long time to carry that much dead cap space, it's better than having an increasingly unhappy veteran goalie on the roster.

On June 2, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported the Boston Bruins were exploring their options to retain Tyler Bertuzzi.

Acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline, the 28-year-old winger tied with Brad Marchand as the Bruins' postseason points leader before they were eliminated from the first round by the Florida Panthers.

Bertuzzi is due to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. On June 3, Boston Hockey Now's Jimmy Murphy cited a report by 98.5 The Sports Hub's James Stewart claiming the winger sought $7 million annually on his next contract. But Murphy noted a source expressing doubt that he would get that much.

The Bruins' limited cap space ($4.9 million) makes re-signing Bertuzzi a difficult task regardless of his asking price. However, Stewart also suggested they could shop Hampus Lindholm to free up cap space, claiming they had "buyer's remorse" over signing the 29-year-old defenseman to an eight-year, $52 million contract last year.

Murphy considers it hard to believe that Bruins general manager Don Sweeney would trade Lindholm, who was the club's best defenseman in the regular season. He also wondered if the blueliner would waive his no-trade and no-movement clauses to accept a trade.

Verdict: Sell

Sweeney traded for Lindholm at last year's trade deadline and signed him to that hefty contract. Lindholm stepped up and played well when Charlie McAvoy missed the start of the season to injury.

The Bruins' GM will likely consider other cost-cutting options before trying to peddle Lindholm.

The Winnipeg Jets' disappointing play over the final weeks of the regular season and their early exit from the 2023 playoffs has sparked speculation of a roster shakeup.

That could include trading a core player such as goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and centers Mark Scheifele and Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Hellebuyck, Scheifele and Dubois are eligible next summer to become unrestricted free agents. It's speculated the Jets could attempt to trade one or more if they're reluctant to sign contract extensions this summer.

On Saturday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported the team was listening to offers for those three.

The Winnipeg Sun's Scott Billeck believes Hellebuyck, a Vezina Trophy finalist this season, could be the Jets' biggest bargaining chip as the draft looms. He thinks the 29-year-old netminder could fetch a solid return from clubs like the Los Angeles Kings, Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators, as well as perhaps the New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings.

Billeck suggested Scheifele might be of interest to the Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Detroit Red Wings and Carolina Hurricanes. Dubois has been frequently linked to the Montreal Canadiens, but Billeck speculated that the Bruins, Kings, Colorado Avalanche and New York Rangers could be potential destinations.

Verdict: Buy

The Jets might not trade all three of those players. Friedman also indicated they're retooling rather than rebuilding, meaning they'll want returns that help them now as well as for the long term. Nevertheless, it's possible Hellebuyck, Scheifele or Dubois gets moved before the end of June if one of them fetches a suitable offer.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' recent management change prompted some observers to wonder how it would affect the club's efforts to re-sign Auston Matthews.

TSN's Chris Johnston reported lines of discussion remain open between the two sides. Given Matthews' stated desire to stay in Toronto, Johnston doubted the management change will derail things.

On June 2, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Treliving's priority is meeting with Matthews, who's eligible for unrestricted free-agent status next July.

Friedman believes the 25-year-old superstar center will re-sign with the Leafs but it won't be at the maximum term of eight years. He thinks it could be between three-to-six years.

Friedman also felt that Matthews could end up with the highest average annual value in the league when that extension begins in 2024-25. Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon is the current leader for 2023-24 at $12.6 million followed by the Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid at $12.5 million. Matthews' current AAV is $11.6 million.

The Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons shared Friedman's belief that Matthews will become the NHL's highest-paid player in 2024-25. He believes the annual cap hit will be between $14 million and $15 million.

Verdict: Buy

The Leafs can't risk their best player departing next summer as a free agent. They'll open the vault to keep him for however long he wants, up to the league maximum. The reason Matthews could seek a shorter term is it would give him another shot at UFA status while still in his playing prime, thus ensuring he'll continue to earn big bucks well into his thirties.

Stats via NHL.com with salary info via Cap Friendly.