Mitch Marner becomes eligible to sign with any team on July. 1 and as the free agency window approaches, the situation revolving around the most sought-after free agent and the Vegas Golden Knights has become clearer.
It seems like every time Elliotte Friedman grabs the microphone to record 32 Thoughts, he shares more information about why he believes the Golden Knights can be considered the front-runners to land the 28-year-old winger.
The anticipation around an unrestricted free agent signing hasn't been this high since Artemi Panarin signed with the New York Rangers and John Tavares signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. It's rare for a 27-goal and 102-point player to be available on the free agent market, but due to Marner's struggles and seemingly impending fallout with the Maple Leafs, it's provided an excellent opportunity for several teams, including the Golden Knights.
The market for Marner has become clear. Among the Golden Knights, the Carolina Hurricanes, Utah Mammoth, Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks have expressed interest. Many insiders haven't ruled out the Maple Leafs just yet, and Friedman reported that Marner's camp has offered teams meetings on July 1st, and the Maple Leafs are one of the teams.
Friedman also stated that "his eyes are on Vegas when it comes to Mitch Marner."
Signing Marner won't be a simple task. Several reports have indicated that teams, such as the Hurricanes, Mammoth and the Ducks, are willing to offer Marner a contract of north of $14M, something that the Golden Knights likely won't be able to do. Even if the Golden Knights find a middle ground with Marner between $12M-13M, the Golden Knights would have to make several moves to fit him under the salary cap.
Players who could be sacrificed in their pursuit include Ivan Barbashev, Nicolas Hague and William Karlsson. Friedman has also been the leading reporter in the discussions about the uncertainty of Alex Pietrangelo's future, doubling down and mentioning that from the people he's talked to, they wouldn't be surprised if he's played his last game in the NHL. The Golden Knights would be allowed to put his $8.8M cap hit on the LTIR, but it still wouldn't be enough for the organization to sign Marner and legally play him.
Stay updated with the most interesting Golden Knights stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story.
REPORT: Golden Knights, Maple Leafs and Hurricanes Discussed Three-Team Deal Involving Mitch Marner At The Trade DeadlineSince the conclusion of the Vegas Golden Knights' 2024-25 season, they've been linked and named as possible favorites to land top free agent Mitch Marner. A recent report shared by The Athletic's James Mirtle states that the Golden Knights nearly completed a three-team trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes, which would have sent Marner to Vegas. Detroit Red Wings reportedly one of three top contenders to land Florida Panthers defenceman Aaron Ekblad in free agency.
The Florida Panthers play Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals Tuesday with it being their potential last chance to leave an impact with this team. Many of the key players are pending free agents including top defenceman Aaron Ekblad.
Florida's first overall pick back in 2014 may be finally leaving the team he's spent his entire 11-year NHL career with in favour of more money elsewhere. One of the reported top suitors for Ekblad is the Detroit Red Wings.
It's no secret the Red Wings are looking to fill holes on their backend and Ekblad could work as a solid foundational piece towards the future. The 29-year-old Windsor native grew up with the Red Wings always in his life, with Detroit just across the river.
More Hockey: First Six Players Named For Each Nation, New 2026 Olympic Betting Odds
This should give the Red Wings a notable leg up over the competition as they are his hometown team of sorts and would allow Ekblad to be close to home where his family resides.
It's very early on in the process as another Stanley Cup with the Panthers could make an impact on his final decision but if Ekblad does choose to test the market, Detroit is one of the favourites if not the favourite to land him.
Ekblad is known for his size, poise, and two-way game that helped him log 33 points in 56 games this past season while averaging nearly 24 minutes of ice time.
Despite a 20-game suspension in March for violating the NHL’s performance-enhancing substance policy, Ekblad returned to the lineup and has played a key role in Florida returning to the Stanley Cup Finals for the third straight season. This postseason, he's recorded 12 points through 18 games.
More NHL: Malkin's Last Ride? Penguins Star Nears NHL Farewell Against the Odds
Flyers' future power play QB? 6-foot-4 defenseman has ‘offensive punch' originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The 2025 NHL draft is a huge one for the Flyers’ rebuild.
Not only does Danny Briere have a lot of high-round picks at his disposal, but he also could be creative in how he uses them.
“There are all kinds of possibilities here,” the Flyers’ general manager said in April. “I think it’s really exciting going into it. It’s powerful to have so many picks like that. I think a lot of teams will be wanting to have discussions with us to make some things happen — teams that don’t have picks or teams that want to tweak things.”
So it’s a busy time for the Flyers leading up to the draft, which will be held June 27-28. The first round is Friday at 7 p.m. ET, while Rounds 2-7 are Saturday starting at noon ET.
“There are really good players in this draft,” TSN director of scouting Craig Button said May 27 in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Maybe people say it’s not a good draft; I’m not buying it. I think this draft has got lots of good players.”
The Flyers are slotted to make 11 picks, including three first-rounders and four second-rounders. Their first-round selections will come at No. 6 (own pick), No. 22 (Sean Walker trade) and either No. 31 or 32 (Oilers trade).
Before the draft arrives, we’re breaking down first-round targets for the Flyers.
Next up:
Jackson Smith
Position: Defenseman
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 199
Shoots: Left
Team: Tri-City
Scouting report
Smith is that modern defenseman who is super fun to watch. He skates and handles the puck like a forward, darting up the ice and carving through coverages with all kinds of maneuvers.
“I think teams will gravitate toward him just for the simple fact that the style he plays is the style that’s being played in the NHL, where are a number of players are having success at that,” Dan Marr, the vice president of NHL Central Scouting, said last Wednesday in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “So he’s definitely offensively wired. He’s a D-man that likes to have the green light, so that when there’s an opportunity, he can skate and lead a rush with the puck.”
Fueled by that ability and confidence, Smith put up 54 points (11 goals, 43 assists) in 68 regular-season games for the 2024-25 Americans. He had a plus-2 rating on a team that had a minus-34 goal differential and led all WHL defensemen in overtime goals with three. He also just turned 18 years old last month.
As the 13th-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting, Smith has the key ingredients to be a team’s power play quarterback in the future.
“He has got a really good game at the offensive blue line,” Marr, who worked in scouting and player development for over 20 years, said. “Power plays today are so important to teams, so I just think because he brings an offensive punch, he has got some size and his skating is good, teams are going to find him appealing.”
At the 2025 IIHF U-18 World Junior Championship that ended last month, Smith recorded four goals, an assist, 17 shots and a plus-7 rating in seven games for gold-winning Team Canada.
Just like any offensive-minded blueliner, Smith will have to eventually prove he can defend against pros and be reliable enough in his own zone. What helps his case is that he has the size to do it.
EliteProspects.com has Smith pegged as the sixth-best player in the draft, while Button has him at No. 12.
“I don’t want to say that he’s not responsible defensively, but all these young D-men, all of them have to learn how to play defense in the National Hockey League,” Marr said. “And that’s teachable. What’s harder to teach is the offensive game that he brings.”
Fit with Flyers
Centers are prevalent toward the front of this draft and the Flyers should have a decent shot at landing one. But if their top names go off the board, perhaps Smith will be high on their list as the second-best defenseman in the class.
Cam York and Emil Andrae, two of the Flyers’ young lefty shots, don’t have a ton of length, so Smith would add some size there down the road. His potential to run the point should be intriguing; the Flyers have sported an NHL-worst 13.7 power play percentage over the last four seasons combined.
But Smith may end up being somewhat of a reach for the Flyers at No. 6 and gone before they’re back on the clock at No. 22.
More targets
• Hagens is ‘Matt Duchene type of player’ who could be on Flyers’ radar at No. 6
• Flyers would probably love if Barkov-like prospect is available at No. 6
• ‘Fascinating,’ 6-foot-5 center has tons of intrigue for Flyers at No. 6
• Younger brother of Flyers prospect is ‘complete’ center and option at No. 6
• ‘David Krejci-like’ center with plenty of upside would give Flyers good decision
• Could a 6-foot-6, ‘just blossoming’ defenseman be a fit for Flyers at No. 6?
• Will Flyers grab prospect with ‘really, really unique’ combination at No. 6?
• Reschny’s performance vs. 2024 top prospect should have Flyers’ eye in first round
• Flyers could have three shots at ‘dynamic, explosive skater’ on the wing
• Finding another Foerster? Flyers may have one if they draft Bear in first round
• Martone would offer Flyers ‘pretty complete package’ if he’s there at No. 6
The Pittsburgh Penguins are keeping another one of their forwards around, as they have signed Joona Koppanen to a one-year contract. The team also shared that he will carry a $775,000 cap hit at the NHL level.
The Penguins have re-signed forward Joona Koppanen to a one-year contract.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 17, 2025
The contract will run through the 2025.26 campaign and carries an average annual value of $775,000 at the NHL level.
Details: https://t.co/31cBdesfNopic.twitter.com/fO4fMSYi1t
Koppanen played in a career-high 11 NHL games this season with the Penguins, where he posted one goal, 40 hits, and a minus-3 rating. He spent the majority of the campaign in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton Penguins, posting eight goals, 23 points, and a plus-5 rating in 56 contests.
With this move, Koppanen will remain a serviceable depth forward for the Penguins. At a minimum, the 6-foot-5 forward should continue to be a key piece for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but he could also get consideration for a spot in Pittsburgh's bottom six if he has a strong training camp.
In 20 career NHL games over three seasons split between the Boston Bruins and Penguins, Koppanen has recorded one goal, one assist, 51 hits, and a minus-3 rating.
Penguins Rumors: Pittsburgh Urged To Target Top Defender After missing the playoffs for the third year in a row, the Pittsburgh Penguins will certainly be a team to watch this summer. When looking at their current group, the left side of their defense is one of the main areas that they should look to improve.
Photo Credit: © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Remembering the Red Wings Stanley Cup victory in Game 6 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals—just as the Oilers face the Panthers in Tuesday night’s Game 6 showdown.
The biggest game of the 2024-25 NHL season could be tonight as the hockey world turns to Sunrise, where the Florida Panthers will get home ice advantage with a chance to win their second straight Stanley Cup.
The Edmonton Oilers will look to stave off elimination after a dominant performance by the Panthers in Game 5 to secure a 5-2 win on the road.
The chance to bring home the Cup in six games is a familiar sight for hockey fans, particularly those in Detroit, who remember another high-stakes Game 6 in which they won their last Stanley Cup to date.
More Red Wings:Red Wings Still in Marner Sweepstakes Amid Western Interest Reports
That night, June 4, 2008, at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, the Red Wings arrived with the fatigue of a double-overtime loss in Game 5 still on their minds. They had been seconds away from winning the franchise's 11th Stanley Cup on home ice before Penguins forward Max Talbot stunned Joe Louis Arena with a game-tying goal, followed by a Petr Sykora overtime winner.
This group of Red Wings veterans like Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Osgood and Kris Draper among others remembered the Cup victory in 2002 and knew what the team needed to do to win.
Led by winger Henrik Zetterberg, the playoff MVP, who scored what proved to be the game-winning goal midway through the third period, on a quick shot that squeaked under Penguins goalie Marc-André Fleury.
It was a defining moment in the Swede’s dominant playoff run and solidified Zetterberg as a household name after his 92-point regular season.
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
Pittsburgh made it interesting with a last-minute goal but as the horn sounded, the Red Wings leapt from their bench in celebration with Lidstrom being one of the happiest on the ice as he became the first European-born captain to lift the Cup.
That team, built by Ken Holland and coached by Mike Babcock, had elite levels of skill but also discipline that was all put together with veteran leadership that led the way and helped players buy into the the Detroit style of playoff toughness.
More Red Wings: Detroit's Lucas Raymond Named To Sweden 2026 Olympic Roster
The elite roster included Hall of Famers Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Chelios, and Dominik Hasek as well as future candidates for the Hall in Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk.
Tonight, Florida finds itself at that same crossroad. They've built their team on a similar combination led by Aleksander Barkov and a battle-tested team that finds themselves late in a Stanley Cup Final for the third season in a row and knows exactly what to do, to secure the win on Tuesday.
If history is any guide, Game 6 has a way of shaping legacies. For Detroit, it was the culmination of a six-year long build back to the Finals and the crowning moment of one of the most complete rosters in NHL history.
For Florida, tonight could be the final chapter of something just as special as they put their team in the conversation as one of the great dynasties the league has seen.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites.