NHL Pacific

The Vegas Golden Knights are trading veteran forward Max Pacioretty and defenseman Dylan Coghlan to the Carolina Hurricanes, The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported Wednesday.

Vegas will receive future considerations in exchange for both players.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff noted the move was a "pure salary dump" for the Golden Knights, who cleared $7.7 million in cap space.

Before the trade, Vegas was projected to be over the salary cap by more than $2.6 million, according to CapFriendly. Now that the team has cap space, it can look to re-sign restricted free agents Keegan Kolesar and Nicolas Roy and add a backup goaltender.

Pacioretty has a $7 million cap hit for 2022-23 before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

The 33-year-old has spent the last four seasons of his career in Vegas, tallying 97 goals and 97 assists for 194 points in 224 games. He only appeared in 39 games last season, notching 19 goals and 18 assists for 37 points.

Pacioretty began his career with the Montreal Canadiens, which selected him in the first round of the 2007 NHL draft. In 626 games across 10 seasons with the franchise, he tallied 226 goals and 222 assists for 448 points.

Coghlan, meanwhile, has spent the first two seasons of his career in Vegas. The 24-year-old notched six goals and 13 assists for 19 points in 88 games. Before playing for the Golden Knights, he spent two seasons with the AHL's Chicago Wolves.

Adding Pacioretty was a solid move for the Hurricanes. He will likely play on the team's top line alongside Sebastian Aho, or the second line alongside Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

As for Coghlan, it's likely he spends time in the AHL as the Canes already have a solid defensive unit that includes Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns, Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce and Ethan Bear.

Carolina was searching for upgrades after being eliminated by the New York Rangers in the second round of the playoffs last season. With the additions of Pacioretty and Burns on Wednesday, the undoubtedly got better and should be a team to watch in 2022-23.

The Philadelphia Flyers are out of the Johnny Gaudreau sweepstakes, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun (h/t Rob Taub of News 12 New York).

However, the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils are in the mix for the veteran forward. The Columbus Blue Jackets are also a potential destination, with general manager Jarmo Kekalainen having "made a major play" for him on Wednesday, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.

Gaudreau opted to part ways with the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night, letting the club know of his plans to enter the free-agent market on Wednesday.

Calgary offered Gaudreau a deal worth more than $10 million annually over eight years in an effort to retain him, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, but the veteran still opted to move on.

Flames general manager Brad Treliving confirmed the news while speaking with reporters, saying that he believes Gaudreau was making a "family decision, and I respect that fully."

The Flyers were Gaudreau's top choice, according to ESPN's Emily Kaplan. However, Philadelphia was unable to clear the necessary cap space to sign him. According to CapFriendly, the team is currently projected to be over the cap by more than $48,000.

The franchise attempted to trade James van Riemsdyk and his $7 million salary for the 2022-23 season to clear space, but no deal has come to fruition.

The Islanders were among the teams reported to heavily pursue Gaudreau this summer. Former Islanders VP of communications Chris Botta reported earlier this week that the franchise was expected to offer him a seven-year deal worth $9 million annually.

The Isles are projected to have nearly $11.2 million in cap space, per CapFriendly. They have enough space to sign Gaudreau, but they still need to come to terms on contracts for restricted free agents Noah Dobson, Kieffer Bellows and Alexander Romanov.

The Blue Jackets also have enough space to sign Gaudreau as they are projected to have almost $13 million in cap space, per CapFriendly. However, it's unclear if Gaudreau is interested in Columbus, which also needs to re-sign RFA Patrik Laine this summer.

The Devils seem like a real possibility for Gaudreau, who grew up in New Jersey. The franchise is projected to have $23.5 million in cap space, per CapFriendly, which is more than enough room to sign Gaudreau and also add some pieces around him.

The 28-year-old spent the first nine seasons of his career in Calgary, which selected him in the fourth round of the 2011 draft out of Boston College. In 602 regular-season games, Gaudreau notched 210 goals and 399 assists for 609 points.

The left wing broke out in 2021-22, tallying 40 goals and 75 assists for 115 points—all career highs—in 82 games. Whichever team lands him in free agency will be very lucky.

Andre Burakovsky's time with the Colorado Avalanche has ended, but at least he departs a Stanley Cup champion.

The veteran winger has signed a five-year, $27.5 million deal with the Seattle Kraken on the opening day of free agency, according to TSN's Darren Dreger. The contract is worth $5.5 million annually.

Burakovsky is coming off a two-year, $9.8 million deal with the Avs, so his latest contract with the Kraken is a nice raise. He spent three seasons with the Avalanche from 2019-22, posting 61 goals and 89 assists for 150 points in 191 games.

The 27-year-old had the best season of his career in 2021-22, tallying 22 goals and 39 assists for 61 points in 80 regular-season games. In 12 playoff games, he posted three goals and five assists for eight points.

Before joining the Avalanche, Burakovsky began his career with the Washington Capitals, which selected him in the first round of the 2013 NHL draft.

Burakovsky made his NHL debut with the Caps during the 2014-15 season. He tallied 62 goals and 83 assists for 145 points in 328 games across four seasons from 2014-19. The Austrian also helped Washington win a Stanley Cup in 2018.

With Burakovsky in the fold, the Kraken are now projected to have $15.6 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly. They still need to use some of that space to re-sign restricted free agents Morgan Geekie and Kole Lind.

The Kraken are set to enter the 2022-23 season with a top line of Jaden Schwartz, Matthew Beniers and Jordan Eberle. Burakovsky should slot in on the team's second line alongside Jared McCann and Yanni Gourde.

Seattle finished its inaugural season in 2021-22 with a 27-49-6 record, eighth in the Pacific Division. Burakovsky should help the team continue to build next season, though it also needs to improve on both offense and defense via free agency if it hopes to compete for a playoff spot.

Jack Campbell is staying in Canada, but he's moving across the country.

The free-agent goaltender reached agreement on a five-year, $25 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday, per Darren Dreger of ESPN.

Campbell spent the last two-plus seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He's coming off a 31-9-6 record with a 2.64 goals-against average and .914 save percentage. In 2020-21, he was 17-3-2 with a 2.15 GAA and .921 save percentage.

The Leafs chose to move on by trading for Ottawa Senators goaltender Matt Murray, who is two years younger but compares poorly to Campbell as far as recent performance. He also has a track record of injuries.

Toronto's loss was Edmonton's gain, with the Oilers picking up not only a stellar goaltender but also one of the league's best teammates. In a profile by Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, teammates of past and present gushed about Campbell's ability to relate to anyone.

"Oh trust me, I thought about it a lot of times, just, can this guy really be this nice? But he genuinely is," former Los Angeles Kings teammate Trevor Lewis said. "He genuinely cares about all his teammates and he wants to make life easier on them. He's the kind of guy that will definitely go out of his way to do anything for you and doesn't expect anything back in return.

"He's an awesome guy and he's one of a kind for sure."

Campbell will replace Mikko Koskinen as the Oilers' primary goaltender. Koskinen left the NHL in June to sign with HC Lugano of the National League in Switzerland.

Mike Smith will continue to serve as Edmonton's backup goaltender, though he is reportedly headed for the long-term injured reserve.

Despite speculation that he could have a complicated free-agent process, Evander Kane is going back to the Edmonton Oilers.

Kane tweeted Wednesday he is re-signing with the Oilers on a four-year deal worth $5.125 million per season:

I’m back. pic.twitter.com/aBAw0dQlNL

— Evander Kane (@evanderkane) July 13, 2022

The Athletic noted Tuesday that Kane could have "one of the more complicated free-agent" pursuits in recent memory because of how things ended with the San Jose Sharks.

The Sharks terminated the remainder Kane's contract in January after he was found to have violated AHL COVID-19 protocols while playing for the San Jose Barracuda.

Per ESPN's Emily Kaplan, Kane's violation stemmed from traveling to his home in Vancouver while he was in COVID protocol in December.

That came after Kane was suspended for 21 games early in the season "for an established violation of, and lack of compliance with, the NHL/NHLPA COVID-19 protocol." A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports reported the 30-year-old submitted a fake vaccination card to the league.

The NHL previously investigated Kane amid allegations from his ex-wife that he bet on games. He told ESPN's Linda Cohn on an episode of Outside the Lines that he did have a gambling problem, but he never bet on hockey games that he played in.

The league announced in September that it found no evidence Kane bet on games or attempted to negatively influence games he played in.

On the same day of that announcement, the NHL opened an investigation against Kane into allegations of sexual assault and domestic battery from his estranged wife, Anna Kane.

Evander Kane was previously granted a restraining order against Anna after saying she punched him in the face multiple times.

When the NHL announced Kane's 21-game suspension in October, it also noted its investigation into Anna's allegations could not be substantiated. Evander and Anna dropped their domestic violence restraining orders against each other on Oct. 26 and agreed to maintain a "respectful distance from one another."

After the Sharks terminated Kane's contract, the NHL Players Association filed a grievance on his behalf. According to The Athletic report, a resolution to the grievance isn't expected to come until after free agency begins.

Dan Milstein, Kane's agent, told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun on Monday they were hopeful of reaching an extension with Edmonton but also received permission to speak with other clubs.

From Evander Kane's agent Dan Milstein:
``We were granted permission to speak with other clubs. While we are still hopeful to have a deal in place with Edmonton, we are starting the interview process with other clubs.''

While keeping the Oil an option, Kane already on the market

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 11, 2022

The Oilers signed Kane to a one-year deal on Jan. 27. He played well for the club, registering 39 points (22 goals, 17 assists) in 43 games to help Edmonton make the postseason.

During the Oilers' run to the Western Conference Final, Kane racked up 17 points in 15 games. He had five multigoal games in the playoffs, including two hat tricks in wins over the Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings.

The Calgary Flames are reportedly willing to make Johnny Gaudreau one of the highest-paid players in the NHL.

According to Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff, the Flames have offered the unrestricted free agent an eight-year deal worth about $10 million per year.

The deal would be the largest in Calgary history, while only 11 players in the league make more than $10 million per year, via Spotrac. The $80 million contract would match the deals given to centers Jack Eichel, Aleksander Barkov and Anze Kopitar.

Gaudreau is coming off the best season of his career, setting new highs with 40 goals and 75 assists. His 115 points tied for second in the NHL behind only Connor McDavid.

The 28-year-old led the NHL with a plus-64 rating and finished fourth in voting for the Hart Trophy while helping the Flames finish in first place in the Pacific Division.

It represents an even bigger breakout for a player who already had five All-Star appearances and a Lady Byng Trophy over his career.

The strong season also comes at a perfect time as Gaudreau hits the open market following his previous six-year deal with Calgary. The left wing has spent his entire career with the Flames since being drafted in 2011, but he now has a chance to choose his next destination.

Calgary clearly wants him back, although the lack of postseason success could cause him to look elsewhere.

The Flames have reached the playoffs in five of the last eight years but are yet to advance beyond the second round in this stretch. The team was eliminated in five games during a second-round loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

The New Jersey native could also look for an organization closer to home, including the Philadelphia Flyers or New York Islanders.

It creates a tough decision for Gaudreau heading into free agency.

The 2022 NHL draft came to a close on Friday night, and each of the league's 32 teams are hoping their new additions can one day help them contend for a Stanley Cup.

While there were some surprises throughout the draft, perhaps nothing was more of a shock than Shane Wright being passed on by the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and Arizona Coyotes with the top three picks.

Wright, who was widely believed to be the best player in this year's class, was selected fourth overall by the Seattle Kraken. The pick is now being viewed as the steal of this year's draft.

That said, let's give the NHL's 32 teams a grade for the picks they made over Thursday and Friday's action.

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2022 NHL Draft Grades

Anaheim Ducks: B

Arizona Coyotes: A

Boston Bruins: C

Buffalo Sabres: B+

Calgary Flames: C-

Carolina Hurricanes: C+

Chicago Blackhawks: B+

Colorado Avalanche: D+

Columbus Blue Jackets: A-

Dallas Stars: B

Detroit Red Wings: B-

Edmonton Oilers: C

Florida Panthers: C

Los Angeles Kings: B+

Minnesota Wild: B+

Montreal Canadiens: A+

Nashville Predators: B

New Jersey Devils: A-

New York Islanders: C

New York Rangers: B

Ottawa Senators: C+

Philadelphia Flyers: A-

Pittsburgh Penguins: C

San Jose Sharks: B+

St Louis Blues: C+

Seattle Kraken: A+

Tampa Bay Lightning: B-

Toronto Maple Leafs: B

Vancouver Canucks: C+

Vegas Golden Knights: C

Washington Capitals: B-

Winnipeg Jets: B

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Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens took one of the best young players in the draft, selecting Juraj Slafkovsky first overall. However, their decision to pass on Shane Wright was baffling to many.

That said, Slafkovsky should be a productive player for the Habs for years to come.

The 18-year-old helped lead Slovakia to a historic bronze medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, tallying seven goals in seven contests, including two in the bronze-medal game.

He also represented Slovakia at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, finishing with three goals and six assists in five games en route to a silver medal, and played his domestic hockey in the Finnish Liiga for TPS Turku.

In addition to selecting Slafkovsky, the Canadiens also picked Filip Mesar (No. 26), Owen Beck (No. 33) and Lane Hutson (No. 62) in the first two rounds. all of whom should see plenty of time at the NHL level.

So while the Habs passed on Wright, they still get an A+ for this year's draft as they selected multiple players that could become staples in their lineup down the line.

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Seattle Kraken

The Seattle Kraken got the steal of the draft when they selected Shane Wright fourth overall.

The 18-year-old was widely expected to be the top pick in this year's class after an outstanding career with the Ontario Hockey League's Kingston Frontenacs.

While Wright got out to a slow start to the 2021-22 season with the Frontenacs, he still tallied 32 goals and 62 assists for 94 points in 63 regular-season games and added three goals and 11 assists in 11 playoff games.

Wright also represented Canada at the 2021 Under-18 World Championships, helping lead the Canadians to a gold medal. He notched nine goals and five assists in five games and was one of the best players of the tournament.

Considering Wright has been compared to Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron, the Kraken may have just drafted their future franchise center.

Seattle also selected Jagger Firkus (No. 35), Jani Nyman (No. 49), Niklas Kokko (No. 58) and David Goyette (No. 61) in the second round. The Kraken have a great 2022 class that is sure to prepare them well for the future. which is why they received an A+.

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Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche made just two picks in this year's draft—one in the sixth round and one in the seventh, selecting a right-handed defenseman in Chris Romaine at No. 193 and a goaltender in Ivan Zhigalov at No. 225.

Colorado made a number of deals that included draft picks to make its 2021-22 squad better and, after winning the Stanley Cup, the front office probably has no regrets about losing some of those picks.

However, it's hard to give the Avalanche a grade higher than a D when they didn't add much to their prospect pool this week.

Duncan Keith, a three-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, is reportedly set to retire after 17 NHL seasons.

TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported Friday that Keith has decided to hang up his skates despite having one season left on his 13-year, $72 million contract.

The 38-year-old Canadian defenseman spent his first 16 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks before finishing his career as a member of the Edmonton Oilers.

Keith developed into one of the best two-way blueliners of his generation after the Hawks selected him in the second round of the 2002 NHL draft.

The 6'1'', 192-pound defender made his NHL debut in October 2005 and quickly became a high-impact contributor for Chicago. He finishes his career with 625 points (105 goals and 520 assists) and 653 penalty minutes in 1,192 regular-season games.

He won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013 and 2015. His gold medals came as part of Team Canada at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.

His list of accolades includes four All-Star Game selections and being voted the Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's best defenseman in 2009-10 and 2013-14. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP during the Hawks' run to the 2015 Cup.

Keith reminisced about his time in Chicago when he returned to the United Center for the first time as an opposing player in March.

"I'm just super proud to say that I was a Hawk for as long as I was," he told reporters. "To be drafted by that team and spend that many years here, definitely proud of that and all the great teammates that pushed me to become a better player. Obviously those three championships stick out for sure."

His No. 2 jersey is a strong bet to eventually join other Blackhawks legends in the United Center rafters.

Keith's decision to retire does lead to a recapture penalty against the salary cap for Chicago—$5.5 million in 2022-23 and $1.9 million in 2023-24, per CapFriendly—but the team is likely heading toward a rebuild, a process that began with the trades of Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach on Thursday. So the added cap hit shouldn't be a major factor.

Meanwhile, the longtime standout defenseman's next stop is likely the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The Seattle Kraken announced Tuesday they are hiring Jessica Campbell as an assistant coach for their minor league affiliate the Coachella Valley Firebirds, making her the first full-time female assistant in AHL history.

Campbell spoke with ESPN's Emily Kaplan about the landmark accomplishment:

"I always had a belief as a young girl, playing boys' hockey until I was 17, that I was equal and capable too. I've never focused on my gender. Growing up, I never dreamed of coaching, because I didn't see it and therefore didn't know what that path looked like. But for young athletes now, it's so important to have that visibility for them to understand they can literally be anything they want. Some of the guys I will be coaching, their daughters can now watch them have a female coach. And that opens up the conversation, which can inspire young girls for something they might not have seen as possible."

Campbell, who spent last season as an assistant and skills coach for the Nurnberg Ice Tigers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in Germany and served as an assistant for Germany in the men's IIHF World Championship, is taking on the highest-profile coaching job ever held by a woman in men's professional hockey in North America.

While Emily Engel-Natzke became the first full-time female coaching staff member in the NHL last week when the Washington Capitals promoted her to video coordinator, there has never been a full-time female assistant coach at the NHL level.

Longtime NHL head coach Dan Bylsma, who was named the Firebirds' head coach for their inaugural season in 2022-23, reached out to Campbell about the job after hearing "rave reviews" about her work.

Bylsma chose Campbell for his staff after speaking with her and coming away impressed, and he discussed the historic hiring with ESPN:

"Obviously this is significant and it's important Jessica is getting this opportunity. But more importantly, I wanted a coaching staff that had a ton of passion for the players, a willingness to put in the work with them, and a plan to help them develop, because our job is developing players for the Seattle Kraken. We just wanted that person, and Jessica was the person who best exemplified that. It's what she's all about."

The 30-year-old Campbell is from Rocanville, Saskatchewan. She played as a forward collegiately at Cornell, professionally in the Canadian Women's Hockey League and for Canada internationally.

Campbell was part of the Canadian team that won a silver medal at the 2015 world championship in Sweden. She also won a gold medal and a silver medal in the under-18 world championship.

She transitioned into coaching after ending her playing career and founded JC Powerskating, training multiple NHL players.

Campbell is joining a brand-new organization, as the Firebirds will begin play next season and the Kraken entered the NHL as an expansion team for the 2021-22 campaign.

Given that the AHL is one step below the NHL, Campbell will have a significant hand in preparing up-and-coming players to become contributors for the Kraken.

If the Edmonton Oilers are unable to re-sign Evander Kane this summer, they have a pretty solid backup plan.

Edmonton is interested in free-agent forward Claude Giroux, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, who wrote that the Oilers "have internally discussed the merits of trying to sign" him.

Giroux is coming off an eight-year, $66.2 million deal that had an annual cap hit of $8.275 million. It's unclear what type of deal he's looking for this summer, but the Oilers should be able to make him an intriguing offer with $7.1 million in cap space, per CapFriendly.

The 34-year-old began the 2021-22 campaign with the Philadelphia Flyers before being traded to the Florida Panthers at the March deadline in exchange for Owen Tippett, a 2024 first-round pick and a 2023 third-round pick.

In 75 regular-season games, Giroux tallied 21 goals and 44 assists for 65 points. Just three of those goals came in his 18-game stint in Florida, though he added three goals and five assists for eight points in 10 playoff games with the Panthers.

LeBrun reported that the Panthers and Giroux are interested in striking a deal for him to return to South Florida, but the team has just $3 million in cap space this summer, per CapFriendly, which likely isn't enough to retain the veteran forward.

In addition, the Panthers have a number of other free agents to sign this summer, including Ben Chiarot and Mason Marchment.

That said, Giroux can play both center and left wing, which makes him one of the more intriguing free agents on the market. The Oilers could opt to put him on the top line alongside Connor McDavid or the second line alongside Leon Draisaitl.

In addition, Edmonton could opt to use Giroux as its third-line center, which would give the team an incredible amount of depth down the middle of the ice.

Giroux spent the first 14 and a half seasons of his career in Philadelphia, which selected him in the first round of the 2006 NHL draft. He earned one All-Star selection and tallied 291 goals and 609 assists for 900 points in 1,000 games with the franchise.

The Flyers ultimately decided to trade Giroux because he wanted an opportunity to win a Stanley Cup, and that likely wasn't going to be possible in Philadelphia as the franchise is in a retooling period.

In addition to the Oilers, LeBrun listed the Senators as a "team to watch" for Giroux because he and his family spend their summers in Ottawa, However, he noted "the allure of wanting to win a Cup ASAP would be the sticking point on that one even though it’s a young and talented team that’s on the rise. But maybe the Sens' pitch, if Ottawa decides to dive in on Giroux, wins him over."