Kaplan: Latest on Brock Boeser, Erik Karlsson and more trade buzz
There have been 25 trades in the NHL over the past five days — and the trade deadline is not until 3pm ET on Friday. The hockey world is operating at warp speed right now, so it’s been hard to process all of the changes, such as David Poile, the architect of the Nashville Predators for as long as they’ve existed, stepping down and Barry Trotz stepping in. It’s all happening in a year where league executives claimed they’d be hamstrung by the stagnant salary cap.
“It’s been an unexpected level of activity to say the least,” one NHL general manager said. “We’re operating like we’re the NBA right now. It’s nuts.” And over the next 24 hours, things show no sign of truly shutting down.
Here are a few things I’m hearing:
Unexpected sellers
When I asked general managers for theories why teams have been particularly transaction-happy, I heard one common refrain. Three teams that typically are going for it this time of year — St. Louis, Nashville, Washington — pivoted to being sellers, despite being within varying reaches of playoff position.
The Predators, who never found a consistent groove following their 2017 Stanley Cup Final appearance, are looking to tear it down to reset. As Nashville transitions its leadership, the team has let the league know that there are only three untouchables on the roster: captain Roman Josi, goaltender Juuse Saros and recently-extended Filip Forsberg. Make a good offer on anyone else, and they’ll listen. Trotz is going to get a much cleaner slate with a ton of draft capital.
As for St. Louis and Washington? It’s a different approach. Both general managers are looking for a quicker re-tool. The Blues were among the teams looking into Jakob Chychrun. Expect St Louis GM Doug Armstrong to be active over the summer, using his new-found assets to find players in their mid-20s, creating a new core around Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou.
The Caps felt they were chasing because of injuries all season. So GM Brian MacLellan cut bait. It’s the first time in MacLellan’s tenure that he’s had to be a seller, and admitted to me that none of it has been easy for him. But the organization made a promise to Alex Ovechkin that they would try to be contenders through his current contract (three more years) and MacLellan will do everything he can to make sure they’re in better position to start next year. Rasmus Sandin was the first addition, and expect more before next season.
Karlsson staying put?
The San Jose Sharks put in a good faith effort to trade Erik Karlsson, and the defenseman — who is having a resurgent season — was open to it. But ultimately a deal just never materialized; Karlsson’s $11.5 million salary through 2026-27 was too complicated for any team to make work.
The furthest the Sharks got sounds like it was with the Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton had been looking for a puck-moving defenseman and wanted Karlsson — but wanted San Jose to retain close to 50% of his salary, which became a sticking point. Edmonton then traded for Mattias Ekholm.
With no other trade proposals matriculating for Karlsson, he will stay put for now. But expect San Jose to re-engage in trade talks over the summer.
Boeser next out of Vancouver?
Brock Boeser‘s name has circulated in trade rumors for years. But he admitted to reporters in Vancouver on Wednesday that this time it feels different. Behind the scenes, the Canucks and Boeser have agreed, it would be best for the winger to get a fresh start. A ton of teams have showed interest in Boeser, who has always had a knack for scoring — but teams have also balked at his salary: $6.65 million through 2024-25.
From teams I’ve talked to, the Canucks are open to retaining some salary if it nets a good return, and have even talked about including other draft capital in a deal. As of this week, it seemed like a 50/50 proposition if Boeser got traded before Friday, or over the summer.
Smaller moves could pay off for Carolina
The Carolina Hurricanes were open to making a big splash. With Max Pacioretty on LTIR they are the rare serious contender with serious cap space. They looked into replacing Pacioretty. Carolina made what was described to me as a “very good” offer for Timo Meier, but ultimately didn’t win those sweepstakes. They were also in on the Chychrun talks. They then pivoted to depth adds at good costs. Shayne Gostisbehere, who had rehabbed his game in Arizona after flaming out in Philadelphia, was a consolation for Chychrun. The Canes felt comfortable going against their typical policy of no rentals for the low acquisition cost (a 2026 third round pick) and know Gostisbehere helps their power play.
I also wouldn’t sleep on Jesse Puljujarvi, who the Canes got from Edmonton, as a breakout candidate in the playoffs. The 24-year-old is as clear a “needs a change of scenery” candidate as you’ll find. Puljujarvi’s attributes — aggressive forechecker, good skater — will fit into Carolina’s style. The Canes dump the puck more than every other team, and their success is predicated on work. With four other Finnish players on the roster, it will be a welcoming culture after six years under a harsh spotlight in Edmonton.
More on Kane to New York
While plenty of teams were interested in Patrick Kane, the winger made it known to his camp: If he moved, he only wanted to go to New York. And so, even after GM Chris Drury traded for Vladimir Tarasenko, they pushed behind the scenes to create a path for Kane to New York. I’ve been told that Kane was more emotional than he expected as he came to grips with leaving Chicago, something he never had envisioned doing before this year. In giving Chicago just one destination, he significantly lowered the potential return for the Blackhawks.
Team CEO Danny Wirtz wrote a letter to team employees following the trade. “These decisions are tough,” Wirtz wrote. “And I commend Kyle [Davidson] and his team for their leadership in navigating this challenging trade deadline.”
For his part, Kane had to do what was best for him. He wanted to play his entire career in Chicago, and that was no longer realistic. There were never formal extension talks between Kane and management, but he understood the Blackhawks preferred to create separation from their dynastic years so they could go full steam ahead on the rebuild.
Next steps in Philadelphia
The Flyers have begun to talk openly about their rebuild, beginning with the letter John Tortorella sent to fans earlier this month. Their message has clarified: They need to build the team, getting younger with more talented players, period. That’s going to take time. So while they’re not gutting the team — young players like Owen Tippett, Cam York and Noah Cates are likely sticking around — they are going to need to make changes.
The question is, what changes? There was some momentum to look for a trade for Kevin Hayes, but I think even if the Flyers retain salary, there’s a limited market at this point in the week. They’ve been trying to move Ivan Provorov, but no deal has materialized yet. James van Riemsdyk, a pending unrestricted free agent, is the most likely Flyer on the move.
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Dave Wilson
The dates for the first nine-game SEC schedule were released on Thursday, and all eyes are on Sept. 19, when Lane Kiffin and LSU return to Ole Miss after Kiffin’s dramatic exit for Baton Rouge.
Among other marquee games scheduled for 2026: Georgia travels to Alabama on Oct. 10 after they split two matchups in 2025: Alabama won in Athens and Georgia won in Atlanta in the SEC title game.
On Nov. 14, Arch Manning returns to his home state of Louisiana with Texas to face LSU, as former USC and Alabama colleagues Steve Sarkisian and Kiffin face off.
The following week, on Nov. 21, Kiffin leads LSU into Knoxville against Tennessee, which also was jilted by Kiffin after one season in 2009.
Kiffin is one of six SEC coaches in new places: Pete Golding at Ole Miss, Will Stein at Kentucky, Ryan Silverfield at Arkansas, Alex Golesh at Auburn and Jon Sumrall at Florida.
Stein debuts in the SEC’s first league matchup on Sept. 12, when Alabama travels to Kentucky. There are two other marquee matchups that week, when Oklahoma travels to Michigan and Ohio State visits Texas. The following week, Alabama gets a home rematch against Florida State, who beat the Tide in Week 1 of the 2025 season, and Sumrall and Golesh meet in the first Florida-Auburn game on the Plains since 2011.
On Rivalry Week, Texas at Texas A&M remains on Friday, Nov. 27, but the Egg Bowl moves to Saturday, with Mississippi State facing Golding and Ole Miss in Oxford, along with the Iron Bowl, with Auburn visiting Alabama.
The new format also allows for some new fan experiences. On Sept. 26, Texas visits Neyland Stadium and Tennessee for the first time in history for a battle for UT supremacy. On Oct. 17, Kentucky visits Oklahoma for the first time in 46 years, and the Sooners travel to Mississippi State for their first-ever meeting. Texas A&M rekindles an old Big 12 rivalry against Oklahoma in Norman, the first time the two have met since 2011.
In order to work out the new scheduling rules, some teams will play road games for a second straight year against the same team, like Arkansas, which returns to Texas, and Texas A&M, which returns to Missouri.
The additional conference game has limited the amount of programs playing smaller teams in nonconference matchups in Week 12, traditionally a tune-up game before rivalry week. This year, there are just four such games on Nov. 21: Alabama (UT-Chattanooga), Auburn (Samford), Ole Miss (Wofford) and Mississippi State (Tennessee Tech).
The league also sought to preserve three annual rivalries for each team, with the remaining six games rotating among the remaining schools. Each team will face every other SEC program at least once every two years and every opponent in a home and away over a four-year span.
As part of the restructured schedule, the league said each school will be required to schedule at least one Power 4 opponent from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 or Notre Dame.
The top two teams in league standings based on winning percentage will play in the SEC Championship in Atlanta on Dec. 5.
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Dan Wetzel
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Dan Wetzel
ESPN
- Dan Wetzel is a senior writer focused on investigative reporting, news analysis and feature storytelling.
Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore, who remains in custody as a suspect in an alleged assault, is expected to appear in court for arraignment on Friday, the Pittsfield Charter Township (Michigan) Department of Public Safety announced Thursday.
The Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office told ESPN that it does not expect a decision Thursday on whether to file criminal charges against Moore. Authorities have yet to release details about Moore’s arrest, other than to say that he remains under investigation.
Moore was incarcerated at the Washtenaw County Jail on Wednesday, just hours after he was fired as the Wolverines’ football coach for having what the school said was an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”
“The matter involving Mr. Moore remains under active investigation by law enforcement, and as a result, we do not expect charging decisions or an arraignment today,” Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Liz Mack said Thursday. “Mr. Moore remains in custody at the Washtenaw County Jail.”
Pittsfield police released a statement Wednesday night saying they responded at 4:10 p.m. to the 3000 block of Ann Arbor Saline Road “for the purposes of investigating an alleged assault. … A suspect in this case was taken into custody. This incident does not appear to be random in nature, and there appears to be no ongoing threat to the community.”
Moore was initially detained by police in Saline, Michigan, on Wednesday and turned over to authorities in Pittsfield Township “for investigation into potential charges.”
Michigan fired Moore on Wednesday following an investigation into his conduct with a staff member.
“U-M head football coach Sherrone Moore has been terminated, with cause, effective immediately,” the school said in a statement. “Following a University investigation, credible evidence was found that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”
The university initially investigated Moore this fall after receiving a tip about the situation but did not find credible evidence of wrongdoing, a source told ESPN. More information came forward Wednesday that the source said was “overwhelming” and led to Moore’s immediate dismissal.
Moore, 39, spent two seasons as Michigan’s coach after serving as the team’s offensive coordinator.
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