Bruins roster reset, projected lineup after free agent moves, Arvidsson trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Bruins announced nine signings and one trade on Day 1 of NHL free agency. They were among the league’s busiest teams. But did any of these moves make the team significantly better?

Probably not.

Instead of chasing high-end talent with goal-scoring ability — the Bruins were one of the league’s worst offensive teams last season — general manager Don Sweeney added a bunch of bottom-six forwards with limited scoring potential.

The Viktor Arvidsson trade with the Oilers made sense, especially when the cost was only a 2027 fifth-round draft pick. Many of the other pickups were puzzling, though.

The Bruins do have a lot of depth now, and there will be plenty of internal competition for roster spots and roles in the coming months.

“We expect to be a much more competitive team,” Sweeney said Tuesday at a press conference. “The improvements now come from within. But make no mistake: If a younger player has the opportunity to make our team, he’s making our team.”

It’s hard to see how this roster, as currently put together, would be a playoff team in the Eastern Conference next season. This team is not as talented or as deep as the Panthers, Maple Leafs and Lightning in the division. So it’s probably wild card or bust for Boston.

But it’s still very early in the offseason and more moves could be made.

Let’s take a look at some potential line combinations after the Bruins’ flurry of activity Tuesday.

Also in the mix: Fabian Lysell, Georgii Merkulov, Sean Kuraly, Matej Blumel

Let’s get this out of the way: The second, third and fourth lines could be constructed in 15 different iterations (maybe more), and our projections will change plenty of times between now and the end of training camp. After the Bruins signed a bunch of bottom-six forwards Tuesday, the possible line combos for new head coach Marco Sturm are seemingly endless.

However, the first line should be set in stone. The Morgan Geekie-Elias Lindholm-David Pastrnak trio played 88:58 of ice time after the trade deadline, and the B’s had a 56-33 edge in shots, a 65-33 advantage in scoring chances and a 17-6 goal differential during those minutes, per Natural Stat Trick.

Fabian Lysell deserves a real chance to prove himself. The 2021 first-round pick plays with a level of offensive skill and speed that Boston desperately needs. But for some reason, he hasn’t been given a real opportunity to earn a consistent NHL role.

The third-line center spot will be a fascinating position battle. The ideal scenario for the Bruins would be Fraser Minten or Matt Poitras — two of the team’s best and most NHL-ready prospects — taking the role.

One theme from the Bruins’ Day 1 free agent signings was that most of the players brought in all shoot the puck at a high rate. For example, there were 380 forwards last season who logged at least 500 even-strength minutes, per Natural Stat Trick, and Arvidsson ranked 19th with 9.56 shots per 60 minutes.

Boston ranked 31st in shot attempts and 29th in shots on net at even strength last season, so firing the puck on net as much as possible would be a welcome change for this team. That said, how many of these forwards can bury scoring chances consistently? Only two players listed above — Pastnak and Geekie — scored more than 17 goals last season.

Sweeney doesn’t seem concerned about his team’s ability to score, though.

“I do believe when you put the full group together, what they’re capable of doing, we’ll score enough if we play the right way, and we’ll defend a hell of a lot better, and I expect our goaltending to be significantly better,” Sweeney said Tuesday at a press conference.

Also in the mix: Michael Callahan, Jordan Harris

Losing Hampus Lindholm for most of the 2024-25 season and then losing Charlie McAvoy for the final two months of the campaign was a massive setback for the Bruins. They could have missed the playoffs anyway, but not having two top-pairing caliber defensemen due to injuries is a tough blow.

Lohrei has a lot to prove after signing a two-year bridge deal last week. He has impressive playmaking ability and skates really well, but he needs to make a substantial improvement defensively.

The right side of the blue line after McAvoy is a bit of a wild card.

The B’s still haven’t found a real replacement for Brandon Carlo after they traded him to the Maple Leafs in March. Andrew Peeke has been a nice find by Sweeney as a reliable third-pairing blueliner. Henri Jokiharju on the second pairing isn’t the most ideal situation, but he played fairly well after Boston acquired him from the Sabres at last season’s trade deadline. Still, upgrading on the right side of the second pairing needs to happen at some point.

The Bruins need Nikita Zadorov to bring physicality without taking too many penalties. He led all defensemen in penalty minutes last season, and he took 12 more minor penalties than any other player at his position.

Goaltenders

• Starter: Jeremy Swayman
• Backups: Joonas Korpisalo, Michael DiPietro

The most effective way for the Bruins to get back in the Eastern Conference playoff mix is for Jeremy Swayman to play at the level of a top 10 goalie again. He’s done that most of his career, so it’s definitely possible. After playing fantastic as Team USA’s No. 1 goalie at the World Championships in May and helping lead the Americans to their first gold medal at the tournament since 1933, Swayman should bring some positive momentum into camp.

The backup role will be another fun battle to watch. It would benefit the Bruins tremendously if they could trade Joonas Korpisalo and get rid of his contract that has three more seasons remaining and a $3 million salary cap hit. But given Korpisalo’s lackluster stats over the last two years, trading him could prove difficult.

The Bruins signed Michael DiPietro to a new contract last week. He’s coming off the best season of his career in Providence during which he went 26-8-5 with a .927 save percentage and a 2.05 GAA. DiPietro deserves a chance to compete for the backup job in Boston, and if he does make a strong case in camp and the preseason, it’ll be interesting to see how the Bruins react.

Mitch Marner is a Vegas Golden Knight, officially unveiled on Tuesday in an introductory news conference with the Vegas local media.

While a majority of the  18-minute session revolved around his excitement and interest in joining the Golden Knights, the player did reflect on his time in Toronto. 

After spending his first nine NHL seasons with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs, Marner revealed the moment he'd come to realize that he intended on taking his contract all the way to free agency.

"Last year in Toronto or two years ago, really,  we didn't win, obviously. We didn't do what we wanted to do.  Stuff started kind of going a little north, a little south. We didn't know what was going to happen. A lot of trade rumors all last summer and didn't know what was going to happen in that regard either. As soon as the year started up, we were ready to commit and play hockey and see what would happen. But at the same time, we're willing to take it to the distance and kind of told Toronto that was our plan," Marner said. "And I was so grateful to play there for nine years. I said it at my end-of-the-year interview there that I took a risky pick on a small kid from Toronto who was forever grateful to be able to wear a Maple Leaf jersey and forever to be able to play in front of some of the greats that ever wore that jersey. But just now it's being a family man, a father, we thought our time was ready to look somewhere else and find a new home and find a new place to grow our family. And like I said, I'm so grateful to be here and so happy to be a part of this team."

Two years ago was before Marner was eligible for a contract extension. But when the Leafs were eliminated in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, Marner was asked if he was concerned about being traded.

Although he dismissed the notion, the Leafs did have a window before his full no-movement clause was set to kick in July 1, 2023. The Leafs never exercised that option, but that could be the point where the relationship between the Leafs and Marner began to fracture.

Marner discussed other topics including Vegas' earlier interest in the player and cited the trade deadline as one of those moments that has been widely reported as deal between the Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes, along with Toronto.

Q: Mitch, welcome to Vegas, first of all. There were reports that you were probably looking at probably taking visits with other teams. What ultimately led to Vegas being the team you wanted to choose?

Marner: I mean, obviously, the winning regimen they've put up through the last five years of really since they've been in the league. Got such a competitive team every year, got such good players here. The living arrangements from talking to (Max) Pacioretty and Revo (Ryan Reaves) just through the last couple weeks. It seemed like everything was a pretty good fit for my wife and I and our new son. Yeah, the winning aspect of this team really helped and everything as well, and the great players they have here. So, lucky enough, it all worked out, and you know, this is where we wanted to be.

Q: Kelly (Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon) had just said that there's always pressure, there's always an expectation ever since his team's come into the league, right? There's been a winning culture, as you've seen. You come from a city and an organization where there's been pressure for decades. What's attractive most to the challenge of going from there to here and running right into this challenge with this roster, this locker room, this culture?

Marner: You want to be in a place where you want to win. That's the whole goal of why we do this. You want to hoist that Stanley Cup. This team has shown that they can do it. I'm lucky enough to now hopefully bring another piece in to help bring it back here. I think we put the most pressure on ourselves as hockey players. That's how we play the game. We want to win every single night, you want to win every battle, you want to win anything you can. All the time. You know, like I said before, this team has, since it's entered the league, really pushed to push the boundaries and be that winning team. Yeah, that's where I want to be. I want to be in a winning situation. I've been lucky enough that I've been on some very good teams that just, you know, haven't. But yeah, I've been very lucky to be with some very good teams and very good players. unfortunately enough, we just didn't we weren't able to get over the hump, and that sucks a lot, to be honest. But you got to look past things. We've got a new great opportunity here with an unbelievable team like I've spoken about the last couple of minutes. We're very fortunate and lucky enough to be here.

'My Favorite Player Growing Up Was Mats Sundin' Nicolas Roy Reacts To Be Traded To Maple Leafs In Mitch Marner DealNic Roy was on a trip with family and friends when he found out that he was being traded from the Vegas Golden Knights to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Q: Your thoughts on Vegas as a city, experiences that you've had being here in Vegas and playing against The Knights and T-Mobile arena.

Marner: I mean, playing in this arena-wise, it's all time. It's crazy. It really is. Just the vibe you get as soon as you walk into the arena to warm ups to the starting of the game. You know, we as athletes never really get to see the start of a hockey game of like how they kind of get the fans into it and how they bring the fans off their feet. Off the seat, onto their feet, get going. My parents, lucky enough, got to see it the last couple of years we've come here. It's a pretty good destination spot for to come watch a hockey game. Just seeing the videos from their phones, seeing the love that the fans give when you come out on that ice, it's pretty special. So the city itself, obviously everyone just thinks of it as the strip and there's so much more to it. Like I said, I got lucky enough to talk to Revo and Pacioretty quite a bit just about everything off the strip, living wise, the schooling wise. Just how tight knit the communities are, the privacy-wise in that aspect too. So yeah, a lot of things just checked our box. My wife and I like to go out and enjoy ourselves and have nice dinners and stuff like that. And we can still do that going down to the strip, or you can do that in the Summerlin area. And that's something that really dragged our attention.

Q: You got a chance to play for Bruce Cassidy at Four Nations. Could you talk about what that relationship was like? What it'll be like in your mind going forward, playing for him full time as a head coach?

Marner: Well, before that, obviously, I played against him a lot, being Toronto, Boston, Rivalry thing. Played a couple playoff series against them. He's always been a high-end coach. Getting to know him very personally-wise at the Four Nations was awesome. You know, just his help with the power play throughout that tournament was amazing. With his power play that was going on here the whole year, how deadly they were really all year, first in the NHL, which is very impressive. And he's just a very down to earth guy, talks very calmly, listens to your points, listens to what you got to say too. That's the conversations you want to have with your coach. You want to be able to express yourself and let him express hisself and find where you can help each other out in great areas. So yeah, looking forward to playing under him. And it's been great success before.

'Leaving Isn't Easy': Mitch Marner Pens Goodbye Message To Maple Leafs Fans After Joining Golden KnightsMitch Marner has officially departed the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Q: You don't hit free agency often as a hockey player. What were the conversations like between you and your agent? To turn down that opportunity to sign this deal ultimately?

Marner: Yeah, it was a wild one. It was unexpected in a way. You know, we didn't know what was really going to happen. I expressed to my agent that we had a couple of teams that we really liked and really wanted to look forward to meeting with and talking with. And I thought through just speculation, stuff might really start falling around Draft night. I think that's when stuff kind of happens, especially with sign-and-trade stuff. So we were kind of just hanging out at home, not knowing really what was going to happen, with a bit of speculation, maybe something might happen eventually. And then, yeah, I don know, my agent called. You know, we kind of got the word on Friday night that something might be going down with Vegas in Toronto and how that feels to my wife and I. Like I said, this was a spot that was very high on my list, and we wanted to come here and kind of went back to my agent and said, you know, I'm open to doing this if we can find a way to do it. A couple of hours later, Kelly called me and said that we got a deal going on. So I was very happy. Very fortunate. I don't know, we thought about going to free agency, but this is the place we want to be. We didn't want to lose that opportunity, and we wanted to join this hockey team.

Q: Kelly had said that they've kind of been interested in you for a while, that there was potentially something around the trade deadline 3-team deal. I don't know exactly what it was. When was the first time it actually got on your radar that it was possible that you were going to come here? And when's the first time you actually had real discussions with anyone, family, anyone around you that's like. Should we go to Vegas?

Marner: That really kind of hit trade deadline day. I think it was the day. The day prior we got offered a trade to go somewhere else. My wife was seven or eight months pregnant at the time. We weren't really going to go anywhere that was going to be a short stint. If we were going somewhere we were going to sign for an extension. Raise our child there and grow up there. Then we kind of heard that Vegas might be interested in a three-way deal. From what it sounded like not much really sort of happened going forward process wise between the three teams. But that was when we really started talking saying well it sounds like Vegas has interest in us, we have interest in them. That's when we kind of started sitting there thinking of it in a way but not overthinking it. At that time I was still very committed to playing Toronto hockey and I just wanted to focus on being there and finishing a job there. So I say really when the season ended, I sat down with my whole family, our agent. Kind of went through the discussions of what stuff could look like, how we can figure this out. And lucky enough Vegas came with the deal on Friday. And like we said this was our first destination we'd like to go to and it worked out very well.

Former Maple Leafs Star Mitch Marner To Wear No. 93 With Golden KnightsThe Toronto Maple Leafs made their trade of Mitch Marner official on Tuesday morning.

Q: Just curious, I'm sure it's been a wild little bit for you. You talked about talking to Revo. And Max, about what about the current guys on the roster? How many have reached out or and the relationships you've had, whether it Team Canada or just growing up through your years?

Marner: Stoney (Mark Stone) reached out to me Saturday morning, I want to say it was, Friday night, Saturday morning. And then Jack (Eichel) texted me, I think it was Saturday morning. And then a couple of other guys just kind of texted me throughout the last couple of days. You know, got thrown in the group chat today, just kind of said hello to everyone and saw if anyone was really around town here. Yeah, it's been a lot of fun. I mean, we're just trying to find out living style now, living wise, where we're going to try to find our home and stay for the eight years. Yeah, it's been great. They've been welcoming us with open arms. The wives have been xtremely helpful to my wife, and we're extremely grateful for that. Um yeah, it's a team that has a lot of star power. Getting to meet (Shea)Theodore (Adin) Hill and Stoney this year at the Four Nations was awesome as well. It just kind of, not just for myself, my wife's side of things, just talking to them about the living style and everything like that as well. And for my side of things, it wasn't too much real talk about coming to Vegas at that time. It was more so just trying to win a gold at the Four Nations with those guys and just playing beside them, getting to know them very well. They were very committed, hardworking guys that whatever they got put in front of that they needed to win, they just did what they had to do. That was pretty eye-opening and special.

Q: Mitch, a lot of the guys that have been here well, the three guys have been here for the whole time, and then other guys that we've seen start families here. They've all commented on how It's different. The mindset changes. You go from being a superstar hockey player to a family man, and all of a sudden your priorities change. You talked about the community, talking to Revo and Max, and how that became important. Can you just talk about the progression of being a young superstar in Toronto, growing into your career.And now, how the priorities have changed to also including being a family man and a brand new father.

Marner: Yeah, it's been eye-opening in a way, to be honest. It's been really special being there for my son's birth and, you know, just seeing how strong and amazing a woman's body and my wife was in that moment. It was tough to explain. I mean, if you have a child, I think you know, it's tough to explain that kind of moment. But quickly things change. I mean, we were going into the second round, I believe, right before we had Miles. Hockey's such a priority in all of our minds. But as soon as I kind of got home from the rink immediately after games or anything like that, You know, I was trying to figure out how I can help my wife with my son, and try to, you know, regardless, staying up late some nights, trying to take care of him, or trying to help my wife just get a couple hours of sleep between times of feeding. Yeah, it really changes your mind quickly. And I was fortunate enough to have a lot of guys in Toronto that had children that gave me the rundown multiple weeks beforehand. But as a kid, I guess in a way, or as a person, you just sometimes think, oh, it's not you know, it'll be different or something, and then it happens, and you're thankful for the lessons that other people taught you throughout the way. But your mind definitely changes to being a family man than just a hockey player.

Report: Maple Leafs Trade Mitch Marner To Vegas Golden Knights, Agrees To Eight-Year Deal Worth $12 Million AAVMitch Marner is on his way to Las Vegas.

Q: You know, many hockey fans' reaction when they first saw the news was Mitch Marner's going to get to play with Jack Eichel I know you played on Team Canada. He was on USA, but what do you admire about his game and how do you think you guys could really pair on the ice?

Marner: Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it. That's obviously an exceptional player. A guy that really moves well up and down the ice, you know, both ends of his ice, very responsible. At the same time, he's got a deadly shot with his vision and playmaking style as well. I'm very excited to start working with him and try to figure out the chemistry quickly and get that rolling. I've talked to a couple of guys that have been his teammates that have said just unbelievable things about him as a human. So I'm very looking forward. I'm very much looking forward to being in the locker room with him, starting to learn just tendencies of where he likes to be on the ice, where I like to on the ice, how we can work it best and try to figure out ways to score some hockey goals and win some hockey games.

Q: Being able to go back to wearing 93, maybe the significance of that number and how excited you'd be able to put back on ninety three after all those years in 16.

Marner: Yeah, I'm very excited about it. The first actually kind of time I saw it on someone was on my son. So me and my wife and our hotel room put it on him. And you know, it was just a really special moment. It's a jersey that I wore with the London Knights for the three years there and had great success with it and really enjoyed the number. And my dad was a Dougie Gilmour fan growing up, and then I, luckily enough, got to watch some great highlight clips of him and, you know. He was a little guy at the time and was just a little buzzsaw out there that really kind of annoyed people out there. And from that moment on, I wanted to wear 93, and obviously that number is retired in Toronto for great reasons. As soon as I came back to a new team, I was talking to Kelly on Friday night or I think yeah, Friday night I think it was and he kind of gave me the call of what number I want to wear. Said 93, and I think he had a pretty good understanding of me going back there before I even said it. So I'm very happy to be back going to it, and yeah, hopefully, it brings great success.

Q: Well, Mitch, I guess it's full circle since this is the second team you've been on that are the Knights How has that kind of felt like destiny for you almost to be in the seat you're in right now?

Marner: Yeah, it's a full circle moment for sure. Yeah, it's a really cool feeling to, you know, obviously it the Vegas Golden Nights, but to be called a night again, something that I took with great passion when I was in London. It's something I take great passion with being here in Vegas. And yeah, very much looking forward to the start of the season and getting going here and getting around the guys and just really finding our way to how we can help this team win hockey games.

(Photo Credit: Vegas Golden Knights on X)

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For those who were hoping that Logan Mailloux would be used in a trade to land Jordan Kyron, the news that he had been traded one-for-one for Zack Bolduc might have been underwhelming initially. Still, anyone who takes a closer look at the deal realizes it’s once again a great deal for Montreal Canadiens’ GM Kent Hughes.

Essentially, Hughes flipped a defenseman who had become surplus to requirements following Noah Dobson’s arrival and the fact that he was overtaken by David Reinbacher in the depth chart for a forward who could have been the prototype of a Martin St-Louis wish list player.

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As Hughes rightly pointed out in his media availability, Bolduc’s physicality will make up for the fact that he had to sacrifice some of that when he traded Heineman to the New York Islanders last week. Furthermore, despite being only 22 years old, Bolduc appears to be wise beyond his years. When a journalist asked him how he had become a more physical player, he explained that he wanted to play in the NHL so badly that he realized he needed to become more physical. He added that he learned that finishing your check can create both space and opportunities for your teammates and that it’s worth doing it. Does that sound kind of familiar?

If it does, it’s because St-Louis keeps explaining that’s how he wants Juraj Slafkovsky to play, saying that if he moves his feet and does the less glorious plays, he will have more success. If the coach says that to Bolduc, he will be preaching to the choir, as he has already been converted.

While Bolduc spent most of his time on the Blues’ third line last season playing under 13 minutes a night, he does have the ability to play in a team’s top six, especially a team like the Canadiens that’s desperately trying to put together a second-line which would force opponents to ease off their top line a bit to keep an eye on the second.

Interestingly, Bolduc also mentioned that he has played center in the past, and it’s a position he would be open to playing again. Hughes refused to discuss who would play where in his media availability, saying that would be up to the coach, but it’s nice to know the option is there for St-Louis if he so desires. As things stand right now, Kirby Dach will likely be penciled in as the second-line pivot, but just the fact that there’s another option to push him is good news. Not that Dach should need any extra motivation since he’ll be playing in his contract year come October, but it certainly cannot hurt.

Back to Bolduc, TVA Sports’ Anthony Martineau spoke to former Philadelphia Flyers player and Quebec Remparts general manager Simon Gagne, who won a Memorial Cup with Bolduc in his last year with the Quebec City outfit in the QMJHL. Gagne had nothing but positive things to say about the youngster. Gagne said:

He’s got one of the best shots I’ve seen in a long time. He puts the puck where he wants. His one-timer is ultra-efficient. A good skater. He’s also a character guy who loves stirring things up with the opponent. I see him playing in the top six in Montreal, but also adapting and playing in the top nine. He’ll bring a lot of attack to the Canadiens and will help the power play.

Some glowing words from an experienced NHL player and a man who has worked in junior hockey for years.

When Bolduc was asked what his ceiling was, he replied right away that he didn’t want a ceiling, that he didn’t know what his ceiling is, and that he doesn’t want to reach it anytime soon. The youngster wants to keep improving and working on his game, which he’ll undoubtedly be encouraged to do while working under a coach like St-Louis.

Like most French-Canadian players, he grew up watching the Canadiens, and he’s excited to join them. As for the pressure in Montreal, Blais states that it’s just a matter of managing it well, which he can already do because he puts a lot of pressure on himself when he plays.

Asked if he was surprised to be traded, he said he wasn’t expecting it, even though he knew the Blues needed to get some young defensemen, so in that sense, it wasn’t a surprise to see them make a trade. Doug Armstrong spoke to him for a couple of minutes to inform him that he had been traded, and then he said that he would be joining Hughes, St. Louis, and Vincent Lecavalier. He got the impression they were all sitting around the same table, talking to him.

As for Mailloux, during Hughes’ media availability, he was asked what didn’t work with him and why he was the one he decided to trade, and he explained:

Nothing didn’t work with Logan. In Logan’s case, he had an exceptional rookie season in the AHL, but we sent him back there this season to focus on the defensive side and continue preparing for his NHL career. I think it’s normal when you focus so much on that aspect of your play that there’s a bit of offensive regression, but we told him not to worry about that. The trade is just like the Dobson trade; we traded from a position of depth, and we needed forwards.

In the end, this appears to be a solid trade for both sides, and I suspect we’ll need to wait a while to find out who won this one.

Photo credit:  Jeff Le-Imagn Images

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The Philadelphia Flyers haven't fully given up on Aleksei Kolosov yet, but has Aleksei Kolosov given up on the Flyers?

This is the seemingly age-old question that will be answered this summer, for better or for worse.

The enigmatic Belarusian goalie prospect is expected to return to the Flyers for training camp, especially now that his local KHL club, Dinamo Minsk, has made two high-profile, high-cost commitments to goalkeepers Zach Fucale and Vasily Demchenko.

Simply put, if Kolosov only wants to play for the Belarusian club and not any other KHL teams, he's out of luck.

Whether or not the 23-year-old wants to or is willing to play in the AHL has been a point of contention, and one that has made waves back home, too.

Legendary Belarus head coach Mikhail Zakharov, for whom Kolosov has played, believes the talented Flyers goalie needs to change his mindset in order to find success abroad in North America.

Flames Sniper Backs 'Excellent' Aleksei Kolosov to Stay with Flyers, Continue NHL CareerGoalie prospect Aleksei Kolosov has all the talent and experience to stay with the Philadelphia Flyers and forge a successful NHL career for himself, but will he?

"I also have great hopes for Kolosov, he needs to reconsider his attitude towards the NHL," Zakharov told Legalbet.by when discussing a recent trend of Belarusian goalies getting drafted, including recent NHL draft selections Arseny Radkov and Evgeniy Prokhorov. "Philadelphia is a team where he can become the main goalkeeper."

And Kolosov, was, as Zakharov noted, the Flyers' main goalie for a short period of time. Six of Kolosov's 13 NHL starts last season came between Oct. 27 and Nov. 30, but a disastrous December saw the youngster stapled to the press box or stuck in the AHL for extended periods of time.

A hot start quickly faded, and the former third-round pick ultimately finished the year with a .867 save percentage in 17 NHL games and a .884 save percentage in 12 AHL games.

Russian counterpart Ivan Fedotov wasn't much better in his NHL games, but that led to the Flyers signing Dan Vladar Tuesday, effectively closing the door on both Fedotov and Kolosov for the big leagues this upcoming season, barring an injury.

Plus, playing so few games and going up and down between leagues won't help Kolosov improve and adjust to the North American game.

Where is Flyers Goalie Aleksei Kolosov Now?Philadelphia Flyers goalie Aleksei Kolosov dubiously disappeared following the conclusion of the 2024-25 NHL regular season, having not been assigned to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms to play in the Calder Cup playoffs.

It certainly didn't help that he wasn't available for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms during their Calder Cup run, especially after Parker Gahagen went down with an injury and Cal Petersen self-immolated in Game 4 against Hershey.

If Kolosov is to salvage his NHL career, he'll have to heed Zakharov's advice, starting with the upcoming training camp in a few months.

The New York Rangers have reportedly signed forward Taylor Raddysh to a two-year, $3 million contract. 

Raddysh’s new contract holds an average annual value of $1.5 million. 

Through his four seasons in the NHL thus far, Raddysh has played for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks, and most recently the Washington Capitals.

This past season with the Capitals, the 27-year-old recorded seven goals, 20 assists, and 27 points in 80 games while averaging 12:22 minutes.

His best statistical season came during the 2023-24 season when he scored 20 goals for the Blackhawks.

The addition of Raddysh provides the Rangers with some bottom-six forward depth.

According to many, Day One of free agency has been a bit of letdown.

Many of the biggest names on the market - names such as Mitch Marner, Brock Boeser, Brad Marchand, and K’Andre Miller (RFA) - have either been re-signed by their current teams (Boeser and Marchand) or were packaged as part of trade-then-sign deals (Marner and Miller). In other words - unless your name is Nikolaj Ehlers - there are very few big-name free agents left on the market.

So now that contending teams are running out of options? Well, that’s where the Pittsburgh Penguins come in.

Pittsburgh has a few “backup” options - if they should even be called that - for teams that need help in their push for contention. Wingers Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell - as well as defenseman Erik Karlsson - have all generated interest on the trade market, and Penguins’ general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas has even said as much. 

And there is perhaps no trade target more interesting to teams than Rust right now. 

Rust, 33, is fresh off of a career year, when he registered 31 goals and 65 points in 71 games. His contract comes in at a very team-friendly cap hit of $5.125 million for three more years, which - when put up against player comparables like Boeser at $7.25 million for seven years - looks like a bargain. And, his veteran leadership and clutch gene make him a valuable locker room presence, too.

Pittsburgh quite likes Rust for all of the aforementioned reasons, and they are also a team that - as Dubas has reiterated time and time again - is trying to compete again “as urgently as possible.” For the Penguins, there is value in keeping Rust, even beyond nostalgia. 

And Dubas was very clear on what type of offer would need to be made in order for Rust to be dealt.

“Unless it’s something that blows us away in terms of what it returns - that it can very easily be looked at to help us return to contention - that would be a tough one,” Dubas said Monday of a potential Rust deal. “But, we’ve got lots of calls on him, he’s a great player, he’s signed… but he’s also a massive member of the Penguins. So, we’ll continue to be open for business, but the price will be very high.”

So, if a desperate team comes knocking, they better be prepared to pay a steep price - and likely an overpay.

And, as of Jul 1, there are three teams - the Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Edmonton Oilers - who are rumored to be interested in Rust, with several likely to follow once they miss out on free agent targets.

What kind of haul - operating from the perspective of Dubas and the Penguins - should be expected from each of these three teams in any potential Rust trade?

Buffalo Sabres

To Buffalo: RW Bryan Rust
To Pittsburgh: RW Isak Rosen, 2026 first-round pick, 2027 third-round pick

First thing’s first: Let’s just assume that a first-round pick is, likely, a starting point in terms of asking price for Rust. The same can be said about Rakell, who has similar value but isn’t quite as multidimensional as Rust.

Is a first-round pick and one of the Sabres’ top prospects an overpay? Absolutely. But, it’s likely the only type of “blow us away” offer that Dubas would accept in exchange. 

Rosen, 22, is a top-nine scoring winger with hands like butter and a devastating release. He is - in some ways - a younger version of Rakell in terms of craftiness and his ability to evade defenders to set himself up for scoring opportunities. 

Although he has just one point in 15 total NHL games, he put together consecutive seasons of 20-plus goals with the Rochester Americans of the AHL, including 28 goals and 55 points in 61 games last season. He is the exact kind of young player the Penguins would be looking for in a trade, and - for Rust - they won’t accept anything less. 

Penguins Trade Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic To San Jose For Third-Round PickAfter much anticipation about the

Columbus Blue Jackets

To Columbus: RW Bryan Rust
To Pittsburgh: RW Yegor Chinakhov, LD Stanislav Svozil, 2027 first-round pick

In this scenario, Pittsburgh still fetches that first-round pick - albeit a year later - but instead of receiving one top-three prospect, they get a young, high-upside NHL player and a B-level prospect in return. 

Chinakhov, 24, spent much of the season on Columbus’s second line - that is, when healthy. A back injury kept him out for much of last season, limiting him to 30 games in which he registered seven goals and 15 points. He will be an RFA in 2026, Columbus has plenty of forward talent in their system, and they’re trying to improve this summer.

Columbus To Activate Forward Yegor Chinakhov From Injured ReserveThe Blue Jackets will activate forward Yegor Chinakhov from injured reserve. He will play tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Chinakhov played in 21 games before suffering a back injury. In those 21 games, he scored 7 goals and had 14 points. 

His injury history is questionable at best - he’s never played in more than 62 games across his four NHL seasons - and that comes with risk. But it might make him expendable enough to the Jackets and intriguing enough for Pittsburgh to take a chance on him. He is a high-IQ player with great vision, which seems to be the type of young player Dubas has been targeting.

Pittsburgh is also in heavy need of left defensive help, and - although Svosil isn’t an A-grade defensive prospect - it’s never a bad idea to have an abundance of defensive depth. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler ranked the 22-year-old, 6-foot blueliner as Columbus’s sixth-best prospect, and he racked up 11 goals and 78 points in 56 points playing with Connor Bedard for the Regina Pats (WHL) in 2022-23.

He is raw, and he has worked on qualming the risk in his game. But he has the potential to be an effective NHL defenseman on the left side, something the Penguins surely need.

Penguins Sign Defenseman Caleb Jones To Two-Year ContractThe

Edmonton Oilers 

To Edmonton: RW Bryan Rust, 2026 fourth-round pick
To Pittsburgh: C Matt Savoie, 2027 first-round pick

The Oilers have one of the worst prospect pools in the league, so when it was reported by Darren Dreger on Tuesday that Bryan Rust’s name has been “attached to the Oilers at least in media speculation,” the immediate response by many was that the Oilers had nothing of interest to offer the Penguins.

Darren Dreger: Andrew Mangiapane is on the Oilers radar; Bryan Rust's name has been attached to the Oilers at least in media speculation - OverDrive

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) July 2, 2025

That is, except for Savoie. 

Let’s be clear: In order to get an “overpay” here, a first-round pick would still have to be part of the equation, even if the Penguins target Edmonton’s top prospect. Savoie - while intriguing - is not nearly as coveted as the top prospects in other systems, and he is undersized at 5-foot-9.

He registered 19 goals and 54 points in 66 AHL games with the Bakersfield Condors last season, which was his first in professional hockey. He’s a great skater, he’s deceptive, and he’s got a shot that should play at the NHL level.

The Oilers are in win-now mode, especially with Connor McDavid in the last year of his current contract. Rust will help them toward that goal, and they will have to pay a premium to get him.

If Connor McDavid Feels The Oilers Have A 'Good Window To Win,' Re-Signing Is 'No Problem'Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid says he's in no rush to sign a contract extension.

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Feature image credit: Charles LeClaire - Imagn Images