Free Agent Frenzy on July 1 continues to draw closer and TSN.ca keeps you up to date with all the latest news and rumours as the NHL off-season heats up.
Off-Season in full swing
The NHL trade market caught fire on Tuesday as multiple teams swung major moves ahead of Friday’s NHL Draft.
The Calgary Flames paid up to acquire defenceman Simon Nemec and right-winger Maxim Tsyplakov from the New Jersey Devils, sending conditional first-round draft picks in both 2027 and 2028, a second-round pick this year and prospect Etienne Morin back the other way.
It’s a significant bet on Nemec, who was selected second overall by the Devils in 2022. He is also in line for a new contract as a restricted free agent this summer after posting 11 goals and 26 points in 68 games with the Devils this past season, while averaging 19:40 of ice time. The 22-year-old blueliner has 16 goals and 49 points in 155 career games.
The Chicago Blackhawks also spent big to add defenceman Bowen Byram to their blueline, sending the fourth overall selection Friday, the 45th overall pick in this year’s draft and defenceman Louis Crevier to the Buffalo Sabres. The Blackhawks also received forward Jordan Greenway in the deal.
Byram is a year away from unrestricted free agency, which TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reported last week was the main factor in the Sabres opening trade talks on him. He posted 11 goals and 42 points in 82 games this past season, averaging 22:20 of ice time.
Follow every deal with TSN’s trade tracker
The Washington Capitals also got in on the action, acquiring centre Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues for forward Connor McMichael, prospect forward Milton Gastrin and the 16th overall pick Friday. The trade ends more than a year of speculation around Kyrou’s future in St. Louis and sets the tone for a Capitals team looking to return to the playoffs next season.
“We are thrilled to acquire Jordan and welcome him to our team,” Capitals general manager Chris Patrick said. “Jordan is an exceptionally talented and dynamic offensive player who will make an immediate impact on our club. His skill, creativity, and ability to generate offence at an elite level will be a tremendous addition to our group.
“At just 28 years old and under contract for the next five seasons, Jordan is entering the prime years of his career. We believe he is an ideal fit for our team both now and for the long term.”
McMichael heads to the Blues in need of a new deal as a restricted free agent. He took a step backwards this past season, posting 14 goals and 46 points in 78 games after finishing with 26 goals and 57 points in 2024-25. He was selected in the first round of the 2019 draft.
The Blues direction remains somewhat unclear as Alex Steen takes over as general manager with Doug Armstrong shifting into the role of president. Armstrong revealed Monday that the Blues checked in on acquiring Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators before he was dealt to the Florida Panthers, but discovered St. Louis was not on his approved trade list.
The Senators began their quest to replace Tkachuk on Tuesday, sending the ninth overall pick that was acquired from the Panthers as part of Sunday’s trade to the San Jose Sharks for winger William Eklund as well as forward prospects Kasper Halttunen and Brandon Svoboda.
Eklund, 23, scored 15 goals with 53 points in 78 games last season with San Jose and helps fill the team’s need for top-six scoring help. TSN Hockey analyst Mike Johnson believes, though, that Eklund deal needs to be part of a three-piece replacement for Tkachuk, meaning the Senators still have work to do.
Karlsson an option for the Senators?
As the Senators continue to try to find a way to avoid taking a “step backwards” after the Tkachuk deal, a name from the past has emerged as a possible option on the trade market.
Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports the Senators “visited a trade” for former team captain Erik Karlsson a few years ago but decided a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins could undermine Tkachuk’s leadership and elected against it. Now that the captaincy is vacant, Garrioch wonders whether the Senators could circle back on a move for Karlsson.
Karlsson, 36, had 15 goals and 66 points in 75 games with the Penguins last season while averaging 23:36 of ice time. He added a goal and three points in six playoff games while averaging 28:37 of ice time as the Penguins were eliminated in the first round.
The 6-foot, right-shot defenceman is entering the final season of an eight-year, $92 million contract, though his cap hit sits at $10 million with the San Jose Sharks retaining the additional $1.5 million as part of a 2023 trade.
Karlsson spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Senators before being traded to the Sharks in 2018. He sits third all-time on the team’s scoring list with 518 points over his 627 games, behind only Jason Spezza (687 points) and Daniel Alfredsson (1,108 points).
The Senators continue to hold two first-round picks in Friday’s draft, though the No. 32 overall selection cannot be traded due to league stipulations. The 25th overall pick, though, very much remains in play as the team continues to be tied to multiple players including Anaheim Ducks forward Mason McTavish.
Rielly, Carlo trade watch on Toronto
General manager John Chayka’s revamp of the Toronto Maple Leafs blueline is very much underway with Darren Raddysh and Emil Andrae having already been brought in and Simon Benoit shipped out.
Now it appears Morgan Rielly and Brandon Carlo could be the next defencemen moved out by Chayka. The rumour mill has circled around Rielly throughout the spring, but TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports the longest-tenured Maple Leaf has now submitted a list of four Western-based teams he would be willing to go to via his agent.
Dreger notes there could still be some flexibility to add teams to the list based on team assessment and potential fit.
Rielly is coming off his 13th season with the Maple Leafs, where he scored 11 goals with 36 points in 78 games while averaging 21:08 of ice time and a plus/minus rating of -18.
Carlo just completed his first full season with the Maple Leafs, having been acquired from the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline in 2025 for forward Fraser Minten, along with first- and fourth-round draft picks.
TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reports Carlo’s trade value has dropped significantly, with the Maple Leafs now looking for “multiple mid-range picks” back in a trade.
Carlo, 29, had seven assists in 55 games with the Maple Leafs last season while averaging 19:22 of ice time.
The 6-foot-5, right-shot defenceman is entering the final season of a six-year, $24.6 million contract that carries an annual cap hit of $3.485 million after the Bruins retained a portion of his salary in the trade.
Johnston notes the Maple Leafs expect to have defenceman Chris Tanev back next season after a injury-plagued year. He was limited to just 11 games posting two assists before eventually undergoing core muscle surgery.
A native of Toronto, Tanev is entering his 17th NHL season and third with the Leafs, having signed a six-year, $27.5 million deal with the team in the summer of 2024. He carries a cap hit of $4.5 million.
