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“We’ve taught young people that any of their missteps or any of their heterodox opinions are grounds to tear them down. That’s no way to grow up.”

That was journalist Rikki Schlott speaking before a sold-out crowd on Monday night at a live taping of The Reason Interview with Nick Gillespie podcast in New York City. Schlott, 23, teamed up with Greg Lukianoff to co-write The Canceling of the American Mind .

Lukianoff, 49, is the president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and co-author with Jonathan Haidt of the bestselling The Coddling of the American Mind (2018) . Schlott is a fellow at FIRE, a New York Post columnist, and a co-host of the Lost Debate podcast .

Cancel culture, they argue, constitutes a serious threat to free speech and open inquiry in academia and the workplace, and is best understood as a battle for power, status, and dominance.

Watch the video of the full event, and find a condensed transcript below.

Reason: What’s the elevator pitch for this book? Why is it relevant now?

Rikki Schlott: Well, I think it’s twofold. On the first front, people are still saying that cancel culture does not exist, which is absolutely crazy and defies all statistics fundamentally. But also, cancel culture is not just about the people that are torn down, it’s about the epistemic crisis that it creates and the devastation of the body of common knowledge that we all share, and also the undermining of trust between people.

And for me as a young person, the undermining of being able to grow up and have the freedom to fumble and make mistakes as well. So I think it’s important on a ton of different levels.

Reason: What is the working definition of cancel culture?

Greg Lukianoff: Basically, we’re trying to give the historical era that we’re in a name. I’m a First Amendment lawyer. I’m big on the history of freedom of speech. And a lot of what we call mass censorship events have names. So Alien Sedition 1798, the Red Scare One in the 1920s, Red Scare Two, also known as McCarthyism, the Comic Book Scare, etc.

So basically we’re proposing more or less that this be a historical definition of a unique and weird period where there’s been a lot of people losing their jobs because of their opinion. That’s really one of the things we’re trying to show, is that this is on par with any of these previous moments of mass censorship, and actually exceeds them in terms of the numbers of professors fired.

Reason: Can you elaborate more on the number of firings you are referring to?

Lukianoff: So real quick through the stats. Our definition is: the uptick of campaigns beginning around 2014 to get people fired, de-platformed, expelled, and the culture of fear that resulted from that. And I think it’s always important to root numbers in comparisons.

When I started at FIRE, I actually landed in Philadelphia at 9:10 in the morning on 9/11. All of my first cases were involving people who said jerky or insensitive things about the attacks or people who said, “Let’s go get those terrorists.” So it was a bad period for academic freedom. There was a moral panic, and it actually followed the normal M.O. of mass censorship events in history. There was a national security crisis. That’s usually the way it goesit’s either a national security crisis or a large-scale war that you have these mass censorship events. And 17 professors were targeted for being canceled, as we would say, which basically means punished for their speech. There were more students as well, but we were pretty small at the time, so we know that we probably only know a fraction of the students who got in trouble. Three professors were fired. That’s really, really bad historically. All three of those professors, by the way, were justified under things that weren’t related to speech.

For the cancel culture era, we’re talking over 1,000 attempts to get professors fired or punished in some way. About two-thirds of them resulted in someone being punished. About one-fifth of them, so about 200, resulted in them losing their jobs. During McCarthyism, the number of people who lost their jobs due to being a communist is about 63. They count other people who lost their opinions in this massive study that they did right towards the end of McCarthyism, and there were about 90 fired for their opinion overall, which is usually rounded up to 100.

We now think that they’re probably somewhere between 100 and 150 fired from 2014 to mid-last year, July. We know this is a crazy undercount as well. According to our survey, one in six professors say that they’ve either been threatened with investigation or investigated for their academic freedom. That means the numbers are absolutely colossal. Students, about 9 percent of them, say that they’ve actually faced sanctions for their speech. That’s an insanely huge number. And about one-third of professors say that they’ve been told to avoid controversial research. So we know that we’re only seeing a portion of it.

Reason: The first case study in your book is at Hamline University. Can you remind us what happened there and why it exemplifies cancel culture?

Schlott: There was a professor named Erica Lpez Prater who decided to show an image of the prophet Muhammad in one of her courses, which is considered sacrilegious by some people who follow Islam. And so she said in her syllabus that that was going to be in a class. She told people that you could get an excuse from class if it’s untenable for you to see that. She warned them multiple times ahead of time. She gave ample warning in every way, shape, and form, and also just told everyone that, “The only reason I’m showing you this is because there are some sects of Islam that do not find this offensive. This is a piece of art that was commissioned by a Muslim king.”

She ended up being squeezed out of her job for doing that because one student did show up to that class and decided afterward that she was offended. And the president of the university came out and said, “This is beyond freedom of speech, this is just offensive.” And it was a perfect example of cancel culture just defying common sense, defying just pluralism and democracy on a very fundamental level. And so that’s why we decided to call this one out as our opener because pretty much everyone condemned it in the end. It was unbelievable. And Hamline did have to reverse course.

Reason: The happy ending there is that the university president kind of got pushed out. What was the reaction of other academics?

Lukianoff: This was a positive case in the sense that people really came to her defense. The idea that she wasn’t rehired in the face of it is really stunning. Penn America was involved, of course, FIRE was involved, the American Association of University Professors came out and condemned it. So it was a moment of some amount of unanimity, but it somehow wasn’t enough at the same time.

Reason: What role do psychotherapists play in cancel culture?

Lukianoff: This is near and dear to my heart because my experience with Coddling of the American Mind started with me being hospitalized for depression back in the Belmont Center in Philadelphia back in 2007. The idea that you would actually have psychotherapists who think they should intervene if you have wrongthink in your mind when you’re talking one-on-one with them is about as horrifying as I can imagine. It’s no exaggeration to say I’m not sure I’d still be here if I actually had a psychotherapist who corrected me.

As far as a chapter that we could easily expand into its own book, and maybe we should, the psychotherapy stuff scares the living hell out of us. I know we talked to a number of practitioners. In terms of what I’ve heard from the existing clinical psychology programs is that they will pain over the nightmare scenario of, “What if it turns out the person I’m treating is a Trump supporter or a Republican?” And of course, the answer is, “Then you treat them compassionately,” not, “You have to drop out.”

Reason: Rikki, you were coming of age in the era that you guys are writing about. Have you experienced th mindset of “If you are a bad person, you have bad ideas”?

Schlott: Well, for me personally, I was in high school in the lead-up to the 2016 election and we just had a scourge of cancel culture explode even though we were still teenagers. I, at the time, was more worried about boys and acne than Trump, but I saw that en masse scale for the first time. It was really frightening to me. And frankly, as a result, I self-censored for a while, and by the time I got to NYU, I knew I was in an ideological minority as a right-leaning libertarian here in New York City. I actually started hiding books under my bed when I moved in because I was a new freshman and trying to make friends. Thomas Sowell and Jordan Peterson were under the bedbanished.

I think it’s so important to realize that there is a crisis of authenticity with young people who are growing up, who were supposed to explore different ideas and be an anarchist one day and a communist the next day and figure it out in the end, but we’ve taught young people that any of their missteps or any of their heterodox opinions are grounds to tear them down. That’s no way to grow up. You cannot be a young person and grow up in a graceless society.

I think it’s important to realize that there are a whole host of young people who did not come from this squeaky wheel, the tyranny of the minority group of people who do show up in institutions and scare the life out of everyone. But the fact of the matter is, whether it’s young people or American people at large, 80 percent of Americans think political correctness has gone too far. The vast majority of people do not want to live in a world where they’re tripping over tripwires at every turn or censoring their speech or biting their tongue for fear that someone will give them the worst possible interpretation of what they said. This is a tyranny of the minority, and courage is contagious, and there is strength in numbers, and I think that we really can fight back with that knowledge

Reason: Can you explain what the Woodward Report was?

Lukianoff: It was so terrific, and Yale specifically disavowed it in court. The Woodward Report was this wonderful report that came out in the 1970s. It was a stirring defense of the importance of freedom of speech, even for speech that we find deeply offensive. It was supposed to be kind of one of the things that really set Yale apart, and they haven’t been living up to it for a long time. But one thing that was kind of sobering to see is them actually going to court in a case where actually it was more of an attack on the right, that they were in a litigation against this one professor, and they specifically disowned the Woodward Report, basically saying in court that, “That’s just puffery. We didn’t really mean any of that.”

Reason: What is the right wing version of cancel culture?

Schlott: Yeah, actually, it surprises most people to hear that about a third of attempts to get professors censored or fired are coming from the right and are attacks on professors to the left of the students. That tends to happen less in the really shiny institutions that garner the headlines and more at smaller schools, but it’s still meaningful.

There’s intergroup cancel culture in a way that I think is really frightening on the right. We talk about David French, for example, who’s maligned for having some different views about Trump and conservatism. I think, especially in the post-MAGA era, there’s a reflexive response to anyone who might be critical of Trump or to doubt Trump to cancel them or to squeeze them out. We talk about Megyn Kelly as an example of that, who gave me my first job in media, and was squeezed out from the right and then from the lefta demonstration of how one person who is or at the time was in pretty much the center right area could be canceled by both sides.

Reason: Where does right-wing cancel culture come from?

Schlott: I mean, I would say as someone who is right-leaning, and who grew up in a context where I now realize I wrongfully associated illiberalism with liberalism just because of the context of the years that I grew up in. I’ve realized that the left completely left freedom of speech, which used to be a fundamental principle of theirs, up for grabs. And anyone could grab that mantle and say, “Here’s the restorative, pluralistic democratic vision to move forward.” But instead, I think that we’ve seen quite a lot of people on the right just fight illiberalism with illiberalism and fists with fists in a way that is just so infuriating.

Reason: How has cancel culture erupted in the last few weeks in response to the war between Israel and Hamas? Do you think that Harvard students should lose their jobs over their opinions on Israelis and Palestinians?

Lukianoff: It is still cancel culture. I mean just the fact that it’s cancel culture that many people agree with doesn’t make it not cancel culture and I don’t like blacklists. I like to actually deal with people individually, find out what they really think about something, and give the benefit of the doubt.

Now to be clear, do companies have the legal right to hire who they want? Yes, and I oppose laws actually saying that they have to hire, but I do want people to take a deep breath, take some distance and say to themselves, “What if we live in a country where every company was also not just a widget shop, but also a political shop, and the boss’s politics decided who got to keep their job?” And it’s not that fanciful because that’s what it started to look like in 2020 and 2021 where people were getting fired for just having mildly critical Black Lives Matter statements. So I want people to consider what the world would look like if essentially you have a First Amendment, but you can’t have a job if you actually honestly say your political opinion.

I will give one caveat though to the Harvard students. I think that a big part of the problem we have as a country is that we too reflexively hire elite college graduates. I think this creates serious problems. I think you should try to find out when you’re hiring from elite college campuses by asking, “Okay, no, I understand you have a view that I find abhorrent. Can you work with people who disagree with you?”

Reason: Universities love to shoot their mouths off about all kinds of things. In your perfect universe, would universities never talk about anything other than higher education? Is the problem that they’re making too many statements, or that they are not making the right statements, or that they’re just hypocritical?

Lukianoff: In my perfect universe, every university would adopt a 1967 University of Chicago C Report, which is a very strong admonition not to take political positions. We are not the speakers, we are the forum for the speakers and the thinkers, which I think is the right attitude to have about higher education.

Reason: What can we do about cancel culture?

Schlott: Yeah, this is the conclusion of our book where we really make the case that we all need to buy into this free speech culture. That the only way we can supplant cancel culture is by going back to the old idioms that so many Americans were raised with, like, “to each their own.” This is a free country, everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. Because I think we’ve underestimated just how far we’ve drifted away from that. Parents have not realized that they need to be aggressively mindful in instilling those values into a generation of young people who’ve been taught the absolute opposite, whether it was in K-12 or on college campuses, that words can wound and always trust your feelings, and that you can insulate yourself. You need safe spaces and trigger warnings.

We all need to buy-in to fight back against this tyranny of the minority of people who want to tear other people down to exercise cheap ad hominem attacks and dodge actual meaningful conversation. Because that’s the only way, if we actually want to move forward in a diverse and pluralistic society, we need to be able to have civil conversation and dialogue about the touchiest and most contentious issues. And unles we actually, mindfully fight back against cancel culture, we are just going to slump down into dangerous and illiberal tendencies.

This interview has been condensed and edited for style and clarity. Video Editor: Adam Czarnecki

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Chief rabbi condemns BBC’s ‘mishandled response’ to anti-IDF chanting at Glastonbury – as band issues new statement

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July 1, 2025

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Chief rabbi condemns BBC's 'mishandled response' to anti-IDF chanting at Glastonbury - as band issues new statement

The chief rabbi has described the BBC’s response to anti-IDF chanting at Glastonbury as “belated and mishandled” – as the rap duo involved, Bob Vylan, said the UK government needed to talk about its “criminal inaction”.

Sir Ephraim Mirvis said “vile Jew-hatred” had been aired at the Somerset music festival and it was a “time of national shame”.

Confidence in the BBC’s “ability to treat antisemitism seriously” has been brought to a “new low”, he said in a post on X, adding that “outright incitement to violence and hatred” appeared to be acceptable if it was couched as “edgy political commentary”.

Ordinary people had not only failed to see incitement “for what it is” but had cheered it, chanted it, and celebrated it, he said. “Toxic Jew-hatred is a threat to our entire society,” he added.

Bob Vylan, posting a new statement on Instagram on Tuesday, said they were “not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people”.

Rather, they said they were for the “dismantling of a violent military machine” – the Israel Defence Forces.

Bob Vylan chanted “death to the IDF” at Glastonbury. As many as 95% of the IDF are thought to be Jewish.

The group said it was a “distraction from the story” and that whatever “sanctions” it received sanctions it received would also be a distraction.

Their US visas have been revoked and United Talent Agency, their US representatives, have dropped them.

Bob Vylan with their MOBO award in London in November 2022. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Bob Vylan with their MOBO award in London in November 2022. Pic: Reuters

Referring to the war in Gaza, they claimed the UK government does not want them to “ask why they remain silent in the face of this atrocity”, to “ask why they aren’t doing more to stop the killing” and to “feed the starving”.

They added: “The more time they talk about Bob Vylan, the less time they spend answering for their criminal inaction.

“We are being targeted for speaking up. We are not the first, we will not be the last, and if you care for the sanctity of human life and freedom of speech, we urge you to speak up, too.”

It has emerged that Tim Davie, the BBC’s director-general, was at Glastonbury when the duo led chants of “Death to the IDF”, which were broadcast live.

The prime minister’s spokesman, asked if the PM had confidence in Mr Davie, said Sir Keir Starmer has “confidence in the BBC”, adding: “The position of the director-general is a matter for the BBC’s board.”

Speaking in the Commons, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said “accountability” was important and it was something she had “impressed upon the BBC leadership”.

She added: “When you have one editorial failure, it’s something that must be gripped. When you have several, it becomes a problem of leadership.”

She said she’d called Mr Davie after Bob Vylan’s set had been broadcast to find out why it had aired, and why the feed had not been cut.

“I expect answers to these questions without delay,” she said.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport Lisa Nandy arrives in Downing Street, London, for a Cabinet meeting. Picture date: Tuesday May 13, 2025.
Image:
Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, has claimed there is a ‘problem of leadership’ at the BBC. File pic: PA

Avon and Somerset Police has begun a criminal investigation and is reviewing footage of both Bob Vylan and Kneecap’s performances at Glastonbury.

The force said a senior detective had been appointed – and it had been contacted by people from around the world.

“We… recognise the strength of public feeling,” it said.

During Kneecap’s set, one member suggested starting a “riot” outside his bandmate’s forthcoming court appearance, before clarifying that he meant “support”.

Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap performing at Glastonbury. Pic: Reuters

Bob Vylan’s US visas have been revoked. They had been due to go on tour.

US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau said action had been taken “in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants”.

“Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” he added.

Bob Vylan have also been dropped by United Talent Agency, their US representatives.

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During Bob Vylan’s set, the duo performed in front of a screen that showed several messages, including one that claimed Israel’s actions in Gaza amounted to “genocide”.

The war in Gaza began after Hamas militants attacked Israel on 7 October 2023 and killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostage.

Israel’s offensive in Gaza has led to the deaths of more than 56,500 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Read more from Sky News:
Starmer faces rebellion at key welfare cuts vote
Trump piles more pressure on central bank chief

Media watchdog Ofcom has said the BBC “clearly has questions to answer” over the live stream from Glastonbury.

A BBC spokesperson said: “The director-general was informed of the incident after the performance and at that point he was clear it should not feature in any other Glastonbury coverage.”

The broadcaster respects freedom of expression but “stands firmly against incitement to violence”, they said.

They added: “The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves…

“The team were dealing with a live situation, but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen.”

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NHL free agency big board: Who are the top options available?

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July 1, 2025

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NHL free agency big board: Who are the top options available?

  • Greg WyshynskiJul 1, 2025, 07:30 AM ET

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      Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.

NHL teams head into this offseason with an understanding of where the salary cap is climbing over the next three seasons. It’s projected to rise to $95.5 million next season; $104 million in 2026-27; and then up to $113.5 million in 2027-28.

That could lead to more teams comfortably retaining their own players on expiring contracts. Or it could lead to those players receiving inflated offers in free agency, as a rising cap means rising chaos.

Here’s a look at the unrestricted free agent field, organized into different tiers. There are also some significant restricted free agents, too — like forward Marco Rossi (Wild), as well as defensemen K’Andre Miller (Rangers). It’s anyone’s guess if last season’s offer sheet fun was an anomaly or the new normal.

The contract terms and average annual contract values are courtesy of PuckPedia. In the case of players whose salaries were retained in transactions, we’re listing the full average annual value of their contracts.

Which players are you hoping your team signs this offseason?

Draft recap: All 224 picks
Grades for all 32 teams
Winners and losers

Tier 1: The impact players

These are established players who can play key, immediate roles for a team.

Age: 28 | 2024-25 cap hit: $6.65 million

Multiple reports had Boeser rejected the Canucks’ latest contract offer, all but ensuring that he’s going to test the free agent market. There’s probably more interest outside of Vancouver in signing Boeser than within the Canucks organization, which has sent mixed signals about retaining him. He is one season removed from a 40-goal campaign, and has eased concerns about his ability to remain in the lineup for a full season.

There’s been heavy speculation that the Burnsville, Minn., native could find his way to the Wild, but don’t count out potential suitors such as the Hurricanes, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils and Kings.

One team to watch here is the Edmonton Oilers, provided they have the cap space after signing RFA defenseman Evan Bouchard to his next contract. But don’t count out the Canucks yet, either.

Age: 29 | 2024-25 cap hit: $6 million

Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has done an impressive job dispelling the “no one wants to sign in Winnipeg” accusation, having gotten Mark Scheifele, Connor Hellebuyck and Neal Pionk to re-up in the past few years. The GM said he’ll remain in dialogue with Ehlers — at one point saying he’d make a case for him to be “a unique Jet-for-life-type player” — but the expectation is that the winger will hit the market.

A consistent point producer, Ehlers put his best foot forward toward a free agent payday with his best points per 60 minutes average (3.5) in five years. He is an offensive force — when he is in the lineup, as Ehlers has played over 70 games just once in the past four seasons, and he has missed time in the playoffs, as well.

Ehlers will likely command an average salary between $8-9 million on the open market. There’s been a heavy focus on the Hurricanes. Either player could help fill the void created by the loss of Martin Necas in the trade for Mikko Rantanen, and then the subsequent trade of Rantanen.

Tier 2: The best bets

These players have shown they’re worth the investment.

Age: 29 | 2024-2025 cap hit: $5.875 million

Gavrikov just completed a two-year deal that he signed with general manager Rob Blake in 2023. The wrinkle here: Blake is no longer the GM, with Ken Holland now at the helm in Los Angeles.

Gavrikov had a strong defensive season with the Kings and chipped in 30 points (five goals, 25 assists), which was the second-highest total of his six-season career. He was solid when paired with either Mikey Anderson or Jordan Spence.

All of this it say that the Kings should seek to retain Gavrikov. But if his new deal is too rich for what Holland wants to do with the rest of this roster, other teams will gladly add him to their blue line. The Rangers have been mentioned the most as a potential destination, a team that needs an infusion of competence on its blue line.

Age: 33 | 2024-2025 cap hit: $5 million

One of several great moves made by Stars GM Jim Nill this season, Granlund was rescued from last place San Jose, for which he posted 45 points in 52 games. Granlund had 21 points in 31 games for Dallas then nine in 16 playoff games while skating on the “Finnish Mafia” line with Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz.

Someone is probably going to overpay for Granlund, whose uptick in goal scoring has coincided with pending free agency. But he has produced points wherever he has played (Pittsburgh excluded). The Stars want to hang onto him, but will likely have to move money out to do so.

Tier 3: The best values

Under-the-radar gems, analytics darlings and difference-makers with low-cost contracts.

Age: 27 | 2024-25 cap hit: $1.25 million

This isn’t the first time Beauvillier has been in this tier, but his season with the Penguins and the Capitals underscored how valuable he can be on a budget contract, especially his six points in 10 playoff games with the Caps in their brief playoff run.

Strong underlying numbers, good output and still only 27 until next month.

Age: 31 | 2024-25 cap hit: $1 million

If it wasn’t for that other Connor stealing all the attention in Edmonton, perhaps more people would have appreciated the regular season Brown had for the Oilers — 13 goals and 17 assists in 82 games, skating to a plus-9 in 14:01 of average ice time per game — on a steal of a contract.

It took his playoff outburst — five goals and four assists in the Oilers’ run to the Cup Final — to really grab some attention. A hard-working, pace-setting player.

Age: 36 | 2024-25 cap hit: $2.25 million

“Daddy” had an impressive walk year with 20 goals and 20 assists in 80 games. He saw similar averages in the first year of his two-year deal with Dallas. He is never getting back to the offensive numbers he posted in his prime, but at the right average annual value, Dadonov can be an offensive strength in the regular season.

Age: 33 | 2024-25 cap hit: $3.15 million

The former Anaheim Duck was a trade-deadline pickup for New Jersey who was pressed into more service than expected due to injuries to the Devils’ defensive corps in the playoffs. In their five-game series against Carolina, Dumoulin averaged 29:21 per game in ice time, skating over 36 minutes in two overtime games and playing well in the process.

The two-time Cup winner with Pittsburgh still can bring it in the postseason.

Age: 31 | 2024-25 cap hit: $2.75 million

The former Boston Bruins defenseman had a quietly strong season for the Penguins with one goal but 39 assists — 24 of them at even strength. Defense was never his calling card, but offensively, he was solid in traditional stats and analytics.

Age: 29 | 2024-25 cap hit: $1.075 million

Wait, a former Buffalo Sabres forward being acquired by the Golden Knights and finding his game again? Never seen that before …

Anyway, Olofsson had 15 goals and 14 assists on a bargain-basement “show me” contract. He has demonstrated in the past that, when healthy, he has a ton of offensive upside.

Age: 40 | 2024-25 cap hit: $1.15 million

If you want to play for the Stanley Cup, you might want to have Corey Perry on your roster. Of course, winning the Cup with Corey Perry is a different story, as the veteran winger’s teams have lost in the Stanley Cup Final in five of the last six seasons after he won his only ring in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks. But the fact remains that the Stars, Canadiens, Lightning and the Oilers (twice) all made the final round with Perry’s help as a win-at-all-costs winger.

Perry turns 41 years old next May. He had 30 points in 81 regular season games (11:56 of ice time per game) and 10 goals in 22 playoff games for the Oilers. But there’s a thought that Perry might be a luxury who Edmonton can’t afford in its cap crunch next season.

If Perry skates away from Edmonton, there are some familiar faces that could welcome him to their rosters: Los Angeles, whose GM Ken Holland signed him in Edmonton; and Dallas, where Perry played in 2019-20 and whose new coach Glen Gulutzan was with Perry in Edmonton for the last two seasons. But really, any team in the cusp of a Cup Final could dangle a hook for The Worm.

Age: 33 | 2024-25 cap hit: $800,000

In the 2023-24 season, Oliver Ekman-Larsson won a Stanley Cup with the Panthers on a one-year contract and parlayed that into a four-year, $14 million free-agent deal with the Maple Leafs. Schmidt essentially played the same role with Florida in this Stanley Cup run, and was extremely solid on their third pairing in the playoffs with 12 points in 23 games, skating to a plus-9.

He could return to the Panthers or use that success to find some term elsewhere.

Age: 29 | 2024-25 cap hit: $1.6 million

Suter is teetering on the brink of a potential overpay, after setting career highs in goals (25) and points (46) in a contract year with the Canucks. But his goal production has been steady in limited roles throughout his career, and he does enough away from the puck — according to the analytics — that even a dip in last season’s numbers won’t make a multiplier on his cap hit regrettable.

Tier 4: The boom-or-busts

Players who have the ability to justify the investment or whose contracts could eventually become an eyesore on PuckPedia.

Age: 40 | 2024-2025 cap hit: $8 million

The beard, the ranch, the mysterious bag filled with mysterious items.

There are few NHL players who have inspired the kind of lore that Brent Burns has. He also used to inspire a lot of offense, but that production has fallen off steeply over the past two seasons — from 61 points to 43 points to 29 points in 82 games this season, the lowest average of points per 60 minutes of his career.

Is this run the end of the line for Burns? He hasn’t said. But there’s always going to be a market for a puck-moving defenseman in the NHL who can log 20 minutes per game.

Age: 30 | 2024-2025 cap hit: $2.5 million

Drouin recaptured his offensive game with Colorado, which acquired him with the encouragement of his junior hockey teammate Nathan MacKinnon. It was a heartwarming story. Less so was the fact that, once again, the injury bug munched on him this past season.

He had 37 points in 43 games, showing that when he’s in the lineup he can be effective. Operative phrase: when he’s in the lineup. His agent Allan Walsh recently announced that Drouin was moving on from the cap-strapped Avalanche.

Age: 27 | 2024-2025 cap hit: $4.5 million

The Rangers traded the 27-year-old to the Avalanche at the trade deadline. He’s a solid defensive defenseman who could complement a puck-moving partner, like he did in New York with Adam Fox.

But at this point in Lindgren’s NHL career, it’s practically predestined that he is going to either play through injuries or miss some time because of them.

Age: 33 | 2024-2025 cap hit: $7.75 million

Orlov surprised many the last time he was a free agent by signing a short-term, high-AAV contract with the Hurricanes. He had a slight uptick in offensive production this season but remained just above replacement level as a defender. Orlov has been especially rough in his own end in the playoffs.

While the Canes could let him walk, there’s likely value in keeping Orlov around as a partner and mentor to rookie Alexander Nikishin, who looks like something special.

Age: 33 | 2024-2025 cap hit: $3 million

What was expected to be one of the best value signings in the NHL last offseason never really worked out that way for Skinner and Edmonton. He had 16 goals and 13 assists in 72 games, skating just 12:60 on average. He did appear in five playoff games during the Oilers’ run to the Cup Final, his first postseason action of his 15-year career.

Skinner is two seasons removed from a 35-goal campaign with Buffalo.

Tier 5: The goalies

The few, the proud, the available goaltenders

Age: 34 | 2024-25 cap hit: $3.85 million

Allen outplayed Jacob Markstrom in the regular season, with a higher save percentage (.908), more goals saved above expected (8.75) and just as many shutouts (four).

The Devils like their goaltending, and GM Tom Fitzgerald has discussed negotiating to bring Allen back. But the free agent goalie pool is basically a puddle. There’s a reason teams are making trades for goalies with term (Detroit) or quickly re-signing their RFAs before a potential offer sheet (St. Louis). Allen is easily the best of an underwhelming lot.

Age: 29 | 2024-25 cap hit: $3.4 million

The former starter for the Colorado Avalanche, Georgiev was sent to the Sharks in the Mackenzie Blackwood trade. Things weren’t all the better for him there, as Georgiev had minus-13.7 goals saved above expected in 31 games for San Jose.

GM Mike Grier already told the goaltender he won’t be back with the Sharks next season.

Age: 32 | 2024-25 cap hit: $900,000

One of five goalies the Wings used this season, Lyon played 30 games for Detroit with an .896 save percentage and a 14-9-1 record. He was just under average in goals saved above expected at minus-1.63.

Age: 28 | 2024-25 cap hit: $1.8 million

Signed in a cost-effective deal as a backup to Adin Hill, Samsonov had a second straight season with a sub-.900 save percentage, along with a minus-7.85 goals saved above expected.

Age: 29 | 2024-25 cap hit: $3.4 million

A former starter with the Devils, Vanecek split time between the Sharks and Panthers this season, and he wasn’t particularly great for either of them.

Age: 27 | 2024-25 cap hit: $2.2 million

Dustin Wolf‘s incredible rookie season was supported by 30 games of perfectly average goaltending from Vladar, who remains a reliable tandem goalie if not much more.

Tier 6: The spackle

The other free agents available who don’t neatly fall into these tiers.

Mason Appleton, C, Winnipeg Jets
Cam Atkinson, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning
Joel Armia, LW/RW, Montreal Canadiens
Nathan Bastian, RW, New Jersey Devils
Nick Bjugstad, C, Utah Mammoth
Justin Brazeau, RW, Minnesota Wild
Cody Ceci, D, Dallas Stars
Tony DeAngelo, D, New York Islanders
Calvin de Haan, D, New York Rangers
Christian Dvorak, C, Montreal Canadiens
Lars Eller, C, Washington Capitals
Robby Fabbri, F, Anaheim Ducks
Radek Faksa, C, St. Louis Blues
Anton Forsberg, G, Ottawa Senators
Adam Gaudette, RW, Ottawa Senators
Tanner Jeannot, F, Los Angeles Kings
John Klingberg, D, Edmonton Oilers
Luke Kunin, F, Columbus Blue Jackets
Sean Kuraly, C, Columbus Blue Jackets
Oliver Kylington, D, Anaheim Ducks
Andrew Mangiapane, F, Washington Capitals
Anthony Mantha, RW, Calgary Flames
Brock McGinn, LW, Anaheim Ducks
Gustav Nyquist, RW, Minnesota Wild
Max Pacioretty, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs
Nick Perbix, D, Tampa Bay Lightning
Corey Perry, RW, Edmonton Oilers
Jeff Petry, D, Detroit Red Wings
Taylor Raddysh, D, Washington Capitals
Jack Roslovic, F, Carolina Hurricanes
Jan Rutta, D, San Jose Sharks
Brandon Saad, LW, Vegas Golden Knights
Nate Schmidt, D, Florida Panthers
Brendan Smith, D, Dallas Stars
Nico Sturm, C, Florida Panthers
Brandon Tanev, LW, Winnipeg Jets
James van Riemsdyk, LW, Columbus Blue Jackets

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NHL free agency preview: How each team can earn an A+

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July 1, 2025

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NHL free agency preview: How each team can earn an A+

  • Ryan S. Clark

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    Ryan S. Clark

    ESPN NHL reporter

      Ryan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.

  • Kristen Shilton

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    Kristen Shilton

    ESPN NHL reporter

      Kristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.

Jun 30, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

With the 2025 NHL draft in the rearview mirror, it’s time for free agency. The signing period officially begins Tuesday at noon ET, although re-signings (and trades) have been flowing for the past several days.

Every front office is trying to maximize its chance at reaching the Stanley Cup playoffs next spring and lifting the most famous trophy in sports. Here’s how each of them can nail this offseason and the cap space that each team has, as well as a look at key players hitting restricted and unrestricted free agency.

Note: Profiles for the Atlantic and Metro teams were written by Kristen Shilton. Ryan S. Clark analyzed the Central and Pacific teams. Stats are collected from Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Reference and Evolving Hockey. Projected cap space as of June 29, per PuckPedia.

Draft recap: All 224 picks
Grades for all 32 teams
Winners and losers

ATLANTIC DIVISION

2024-25 result: Missed the playoffs

Key player hitting UFA: None
Key player hitting RFA: None
Cap space: $12,743,333

What they should do: GM Don Sweeney seems invested in taking care of the Bruins’ own. He already signed Mason Lohrei to a two-year extension, and is engaged with Jokiharju on a return to keep Boston’s depth on the right side.

Sweeney also got Morgan Geekie signed to a new deal. The forward is coming off his best NHL season (33 goals and 57 points) and could be a foundational piece for the Bruins moving forward. Monday morning, the team announced that defenseman Henri Jokiharju had also re-signed.

From there, Sweeney has to find some outside help to up Boston’s scoring punch. Only Geekie and David Pastrnak managed 20-plus goals last season as the Bruins’ ranked 28th in offense. There’s serious room for improvement that Sweeny will have to address in free agency.

2024-25 result: Missed the playoffs

Key players hitting UFA: None
Key players hitting RFA: D Bowen Byram, G Devon Levi
Cap space: $20,840,319

What they should do: Well, GM Kevyn Adams said he had a plan. And it went into full motion when he traded RFA JJ Peterka to Utah. That felt like just the first domino to fall in Buffalo.

Adams then signed pending RFA Jack Quinn to a two-year extension. But there’s work left to do. If Adams intends to move on from Byram, now is the time to do it while he’s still a valuable player. Then, Adams’ priority should be an extension for Alex Tuch. The key forward (and passionate leader) can re-sign beginning Tuesday, and there’s no use waiting around when the Sabres are desperate for positivity at this point.

There’s also the question of how to wring more consistency out of the lineup next season. Adams should target free agents who can bring that. Skaters such as Mason Appleton or Connor Brown could fill out the Sabres’ bottom six nicely, and give them some much-needed depth. The key is for Adams to stay active and not let Buffalo’s lack of success breed complacency.

2024-25 result: Missed the playoffs

Key player hitting UFA: F Patrick Kane
Key players hitting RFA: F Jonatan Berggren, F Elmer Soderblom
Cap space: $18,411,628

What they should do: The Red Wings pulled off a blockbuster during draft weekend, landing John Gibson from Anaheim in exchange for Petr Mrazek and a pair of picks. That was a needed upgrade for Detroit in net, and allows Gibson to play with another solid veteran in Cam Talbot. That’s a strong start to the offseason for GM Steve Yzerman.

He’ll give his group a chance to get back into the postseason picture by continuing to tweak. Re-signing Kane is an easy boost — he has played well at 5-on-5 and special teams, and has a veteran poise.

It’s the Red Wings’ defense that’s in need of a true upgrade. Detroit gave up the 12th-most goals last season, and the collection of veterans the Red Wings relied on for their second and third pairings weren’t cutting it. There are UFA options available such as Vladislav Gavrikov who might help, or Yzerman could swing a deal for someone such as RFA K’Andre Miller. Regardless of where Yzerman looks, it’s important he finds a defenseman (or two) who can take some pressure off Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson.

2024-25 result: Won the Stanley Cup

Key players hitting UFA: F Brad Marchand, D Nate Schmidt, G Vitek Vanecek
Key player hitting RFA: F Mackie Samoskevich
Cap space: $4,900,000

What they should do: The Panthers already found Sergei Bobrovsky‘s new backup in a trade with Columbus for Daniil Tarasov. The 26-year-old will replace departing UFA Vanecek, and crosses one item off GM Bill Zito’s to-do list.

Before re-signing, Sam Bennett publicly said he wasn’t leaving Florida, a proclamation Aaron Ekblad‘s agent encouraged him not to do out loud (for leverage reasons). But, Ekblad elected to come back too via an eight-year contract signed Monday with a $6.1 million AAV.

Zito now has limited cap space for additional contracts. Will he make a trade to ensure Marchand stays? Thankfully for Zito, Florida doesn’t have many other holes to fill. And retaining Marchand shouldn’t be at too high a cost given his age and role with the team.

2024-25 result: Lost in the first round

Key player hitting UFA: F Christian Dvorak
Key player hitting RFA: G Jakub Dobes
Cap space: $-3,394,166

What they should do: Montreal made waves with its push into the postseason in 2024-25. That’s nothing compared to what GM Kent Hughes pulled off on draft day, acquiring Noah Dobson from the Islanders and signing him to an eight-year, $76 million contract. It cost Hughes a pretty penny — including two 2025 first-round draft choices — but the 25-year-old Dobson joining Lane Hutson & Co. on the Canadiens’ blue line makes that a formidable-looking squad.

Now the Canadiens’ most glaring need is a second-line center — but that’s a hot commodity without many skaters available via free agency to fill that role. Anthony Beauvillier has been mentioned often in connection to the Habs, but that doesn’t provide a long-term solution. Re-signing Dvorak would be a holdover choice as well.

Hughes could also settle for adding to the wings, or orchestrate a trade that wrangles a true top-six pivot. Either way, there’s a want and need for the front office to infuse some exciting offensive energy into the Canadiens’ lineup without sacrificing too much of the pipeline or more draft capital.

2024-25 result: Lost in the first round

Key players hitting UFA: F Nick Cousins, G Anton Forsberg
Key players hitting RFA: None
Cap space: $8,194,286

What they should do: The Senators’ focus was largely trained on re-signing Claude Giroux. GM Steve Staois got that one done Sunday when he inked Giroux to a one-year contract extension. That’s an important deal for the Senators to maintain some of the consistency that helped them become a playoff team last season.

Now, will Staois do much else to boost Ottawa going forward? He has been vocal about liking Ottawa’s group as it is, and might decide just keeping Giroux — and his leadership — will most benefit the Senators’ rising core.

Ottawa doesn’t appear in glaring need of help in other facets — they’ve built slow and steady for a reason — so getting Giroux done might be Staois’ signal that the Senators will continue prioritizing growth from within as opposed to chasing outside help. That mindset would also be well reflected in an extension for Forsberg, although the goalie is rumored to want to test the open market instead.

2024-25 result: Lost in the first round

Key player hitting UFA: D Nick Perbix
Key player hitting RFA: F Gage Goncalves
Cap space: $5,480,001

What they should do: As usual, nothing is off the table for Tampa Bay. Where there’s a will, GM Julien BriseBois generally usually manages to find a way.

The Lightning ran out of steam in the postseason (again), and you could see BriseBois wanted to guard against that by leveraging his minimal cap space with the addition of some new players, particularly on the back end. But there’s work to be done at the minimum in keeping Perbix and Goncalves. Both skaters have filled their roles for Tampa Bay recently, and Goncalves especially is just finding his stride in the NHL.

BriseBois has brokered more than one blockbuster of late though, and Goncalves could also be someone to watch on the trade market if the GM is looking to roll the dice again to give the Lightning another chance to be the team to be beat in the Sunshine State.

2024-25 result: Lost in the second round

Key players hitting UFA: F Steven Lorentz, F Mitch Marner
Key player hitting RFA: F Nick Robertson
Cap space: $13,570,581

What they should do: The Maple Leafs took care of business by getting John Tavares signed to a four-year extension last week. That was the top priority this offseason for GM Brad Treliving.

Unless a trade for Marner’s rights materializes in the next 24 hours, there’s almost no doubt he will walk away for nothing in free agency. Either way, that’s a massive loss for the Leafs’ offense. Losing Tavares too would have cratered the Leafs’ center depth.

But with Tavares squared away — and knowing the Leafs won’t be investing ample cap space in Marner — Treliving was able to re-sign RFA Matthew Knies to a six-year extension carrying a $7.75 million AAV. That’s about as good as it gets for the Leafs.

Now, will Treliving fill in the gaps with some blue-line help? That would be good business as well. And he should also consider bringing back Lorentz and Robertson.

METROPOLITAN DIVISION

2024-25 result: Lost in the conference finals

Key players hitting UFA: D Brent Burns, D Dmitry Orlov, F Jack Roslovic
Key players hitting RFA: None
Cap space: $26,715,958

What they should do: Carolina can’t quite get over the hump, stalling out in the Eastern Conference finals two of the past three seasons. It’s on GM Erik Tulsky to find players to power the Hurricanes through to the other side.

The first thing Carolina needs is to add scoring wingers, preferably those with top-nine pedigree and a proven track record. A second-line center would be valuable as well, and — if there’s cap room left — boosting their right-side defensive depth wouldn’t hurt. Carolina averaged fewer than three goals per game in the playoffs, and struggled especially in the conference finals against Florida’s stout defensive effort.

The Hurricanes might have too many of the same style skater in their lineup, making them easier to shut down, so Tulsky should target some grit to go with the finesse Carolina can already wield with its current roster.

2024-25 result: Missed the playoffs

Key players hitting UFA: F Christian Fischer, F Luke Kunin, F Kevin Labanc, D Ivan Provorov
Key players hitting RFA: D Jordan Harris, F Dmitri Voronkov
Cap space: $28,533,752

What they should do: Columbus didn’t wait around for Tuesday to start dealing, trading for Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood from Colorado. Coyle especially helps make the Blue Jackets’ middle six more robust, and gives the team some flexibility at center. And if Wood can reignite his game after some down seasons, he’ll contribute somewhere in the bottom six.

Depth like that is an asset. But it’s not enough (right now) to truly change the Blue Jackets’ fortunes. GM Don Waddell should be seeking another center and a top-six winger who complement the young core. The right side of their blue line would also benefit from a boost, beyond the extension for Dante Fabbro.

That was all true before the trade of goalie Daniil Tarasov, though. How will Waddell go about Columbus’ netminding now? There’s Elvis Merzlikins and Jet Greaves. Waddell isn’t giving the Blue Jackets’ their best opportunity without exploring an upgrade in the cage.

2024-25 result: Lost in the first round

Key players hitting UFA: F Nathan Bastian, F Daniel Sprong, G Jake Allen
Key players hitting RFA: F Nolan Foote, D Luke Hughes
Cap space: $14,394,167

What they should do: The Devils will be rightfully focused on getting a new deal done with pending Hughes, a backbone on their blue line and key to the franchise’s future. Then, GM Tom Fitzgerald can start adding to New Jersey’s offense.

There’s a critical need for a center (especially if they don’t qualify RFA Cody Glass) considering that Dawson Mercer might not be ready for that jump next season. Punching up the team’s scoring is another significant task. New Jersey ranked 20th in offense last season, and while some of that could be tied to losing Jack Hughes to injury, it was still an issue even when he was healthy.

The backup goaltender position will also have to be addressed: Can the Devils rely on Nico Daws behind Jacob Markstrom? It’s slim pickings for a goalie in free agency, but a trade could materialize to help the Devils improve there.

2024-25 result: Missed the playoffs

Key players hitting UFA: None
Key players hitting RFA: D Scott Perunovich
Cap space: $14,693,334

What they should do: Incoming GM Mathieu Darche didn’t waste time shaking things up on the island when he traded Noah Dobson to Montreal during draft weekend. That move left the Islanders with only four viable blueliners signed for this season, though Darche moved quickly to get Alexander Romanov re-signed as well, via an eight-year contract.

And of course, there’s the possibility No. 1 draft choice Matthew Schaefer works his way into the rotation.

The team’s next priority is ensuring Ilya Sorokin has the right support in goal next season. Semyon Varlamov was sidelined by an injury in December, and he never returned; the Islanders’ goaltending struggled as a result. Varlamov is 37 now, and might not be the best option any longer to play in tandem with a top-tier goalie such as Sorokin. Darche will have to decide if there’s a deal to be made for Varlamov or if the Isles’ can be confident he’ll give them strong minutes in the coming season.

And, as always, the Islanders could use more scoring depth (they ranked 28th in offense last season) but they’ll have to prioritize which areas can be shored up now vs. later.

2024-25 result: Missed the playoffs

Key players hitting UFA: None
Key players hitting RFA: F Will Cuylle, F Arthur Kaliyev, D K’Andre Miller
Cap space: $12,197,142

What they should do: New York already sent Chris Kreider to Anaheim, completing a trade that seemed inevitable at some point this offseason. That freed up some cap space that they can use to try to become a playoff team again.

Coming to a decision on Miller is vital. Do the Rangers keep him? Trade him? Where does he fit for them into the future?

Then there is Cuylle, who had an excellent second season and should be signed by the Rangers quickly to avoid any sort of offer-sheet situation. New York doesn’t have enough cap yet to make many other major moves. Barring another veteran trade, taking care of his own might be the best GM Chris Drury can do for now.

2024-25 result: Missed the playoffs

Key players hitting UFA: None
Key players hitting RFA: F Jakob Pelletier, D Cam York
Cap space: $15,141,905

What they should do: Philadelphia’s primary needs going into the 2025-26 season were to be stronger down the middle and getting another goaltender. Trading for Trevor Zegras has (theoretically) accomplished that first goal. Now it’s time for the Flyers to find another goaltender who can complement Samuel Ersson.

Philadelphia ranked 32nd in team save percentage last season (.872), and neither Ivan Fedotov nor Aleksei Kolosov appear reliable enough for the Flyers to lean on moving forward. GM Danny Briere will have to scour the (middling) free agent market for another netminder.

A trade for Thatcher Demko, with his connection to new coach Rick Tocchet and one year left at $5 million AAV, might be their best bet despite his injury history. Alex Lyon or Jake Allen could also be viable veteran options to support Ersson (whom the organization still believes has a bright future).

After the goaltending is sorted, if Briere can also add a left-handed defenseman to the mix, all the better for Philadelphia.

2024-25 result: Missed the playoffs

Key players hitting UFA: None
Key players hitting RFA: F Connor Dewar, F Philip Tomasino
Cap space: $19,616,904

What they should do: We believe the Penguins won’t be trading Sidney Crosby in the offseason. Erik Karlsson, though? That’s something GM Kyle Dubas should be exploring.

Karlsson has shown his age the past two seasons, and Pittsburgh has to be dialed in on getting younger and faster if they expect to be a postseason contender. It won’t be easy to get Karlsson off the books. But if there’s a way Dubas can get out from under his contract, it will benefit the Penguins in a big way.

Dubas is likely to get both Dewar and Tomasino signed to new deals.

Then there’s the Penguins’ goalie confidence rating — as in, where is it right now? Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic remain in the fold but were, shall we say, not exactly a top tandem last season. Could a Karlsson trade perhaps return a netminder to help out? It’s possible.

2024-25 result: Lost in the second round

Key players hitting UFA: D Ethan Bear, F Anthony Beauvillier, F Andrew Mangiapane
Key player hitting RFA: D Alexander Alexeyev
Cap space: $9,375,000

What they should do: GM Chris Patrick said he wanted to add more high-skill players to the Capitals’ lineup. That’s rich coming from the second-highest scoring team in 2024-25 — and yet, there’s logic to it. Washington was boosted by a handful of skaters having career-best seasons offensively. It would be foolish to rely on that happening again for so many players.

Retaining Beauvillier would help the Capitals maintain their bottom-six depth without breaking the bank. There’s going to be some turnover for Washington regardless, with T.J. Oshie retiring, so the decision to prioritize scoring is a wise one.

CENTRAL DIVISION

2024-25 result: Missed the playoffs

Key players hitting UFA: None
Key players hitting RFA: D Louis Crevier, D Wyatt Kaiser, F Philipp Kurashev, G Arvid Soderblom
Cap space: $22,495,357

What they should do: Find a way to improve the roster, while also advancing the team’s rebuild at the same time.

The Blackhawks were in the bottom 10 of goals scored per game while allowing the second-most goals per game. Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson traded for Andre Burakovsky to provide another potential goal-scoring option. Davidson could use free agency or one more trade to find another experienced scorer who meshes with their youth movement.

There’s also a possibility the Blackhawks could look to do the same on the back end by getting at least two experienced defensemen to improve upon last season’s issues. Especially when the current group they have features seven skaters younger than 24 who are either under contract or team control for next season.

2024-25 result: Lost in the first round

Key players hitting UFA: F Jonathan Drouin, F Joel Kiviranta, D Ryan Lindgren, F Jimmy Vesey
Key player hitting RFA: None
Cap space: $8,950,000

What they should do: Strengthen their roster to win another Stanley Cup. Building a supporting cast has been an issue since the Avs won the Stanley Cup in 2022. It remains that way now with them needing to again reconfigure their bottom-six forward corps while doing the same for their third defense pairing.

There are options that can be had, but that goes back to why they’re in this situation in the first place: cap space. Trading Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood created an additional $8.2 million in room but also came at the cost of trying to fill two more bottom-six roles.

2024-25 result: Lost in the conference finals

Key players hitting UFA: D Cody Ceci, F Evgenii Dadonov, F Mikael Granlund
Key players hitting RFA: None
Cap space: $980,084

What they should do: Reinforce their bottom-six forward group. Who knew? There’s another Western Conference team in a championship window that must rebuild its bottom six with the intent that it can play a role in getting them to their desired destination.

While that’s not to say the Stars couldn’t be inclined to add more help elsewhere, the bottom six appears to be their greatest need, with only 10 forwards under contract on a team that must create more space to attain the strongest possible options.

2024-25 result: Lost in the first round

Key players hitting UFA: F Justin Brazeau, D Jon Merrill, F Gustav Nyquist
Key player hitting RFA: F Marco Rossi
Cap space: $17,711,835

What they should do: Solidify their roster by adding more goal scorers. GM Bill Guerin said at the end of the season that finding another center was in the team’s plans. The Wild appeared to have several options of players who were slated to hit free agency.

Or that appeared to be the case until centers such as Sam Bennett, Matt Duchene, Brock Nelson and John Tavares decided to stay with their teams, while Jonathan Toews signed a one-year deal with his hometown Jets.

Should the Wild decide to go in another direction, they could be inclined to add another top-six or top-nine winger. Now, if only there was a seven-time 20-goal scorer who could reach free agency that just happens to be from the Twin Cities.

2024-25 result: Missed the playoffs

Key players hitting UFA: D Marc Del Gaizo, F Jakub Vrana
Key player hitting RFA: F Luke Evangelista
Cap space: $13,519,610

What they should do: Select the path they believe is the one to success. Being experienced in some areas while inexperienced in others played a role in why they went from playoff team to lottery entrant in a single season — especially after “winning July 1” last year, as GM Barry Trotz mentioned during the draft broadcast.

Trotz has stated how much potential he sees in the club’s young players, and how that could see the team find cohesion with those more experienced players. But at the same time, the Preds could be inclined to add another top-nine forward and/or a top-six defenseman just to be safe. Trotz did the latter late Sunday when he traded for Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague, and signed him to a four-year contract worth $5.5 million annually.

2024-25 result: Lost in the first round

Key players hitting UFA: F Radek Faksa, D Ryan Suter
Key players hitting RFA: None
Cap space: $1,625,150

What they should do: Add at least one more defenseman. GM Doug Armstrong said in May that he doesn’t expect Torey Krug to play next season. If that’s the case, that would leave the Blues needing another top-six defenseman, while possibly trying to acquire one more for depth.

Armstrong told reporters days before the draft that the Blues will have the long-term injured reserve space from Krug’s contract, which is on the books at $6.5 million annually.

Aside from that, the Blues appear to have their top-nine forwards situated while having both goalies under contract with Joel Hofer signing a two-year extension Saturday.

2024-25 result: Missed the playoffs

Key players hitting UFA: D Robert Bortuzzo, F Nick Bjugstad, F Michael Carcone
Key player hitting RFA: F Jack McBain
Cap space: $14,982,143

What they should do: Aggressively pursue every top-six forward. They already got a head start on that by trading for JJ Peterka, and signing him to a five-year contract extension worth $7.7 million annually.

It’s possible there are other potential top-six options who could be in play if they reach the market. If not, the Mammoth could be inclined to see if a trade exists to add one more forward to a team that appears to be on the cusp of the playoffs. Especially when Utah was among the top 10 teams in the NHL in shots per 60 minutes and scoring chances per 60 but finished 21st in goals per game.

2024-25 result: Lost in the second round

Key players hitting UFA: F Mason Appleton, F Nikolaj Ehlers, F Brandon Tanev
Key players hitting RFA: F Morgan Barron, F Rasmus Kupari, D Dylan Samberg, F Gabriel Vilardi
Cap space: $23,513,810

What they should do: Strategically sign more forwards. It’s possible that the Ehlers saga could come to an end with him signing a contract. But there’s also the reality he could leave in a market in which he’s one of the strongest options available.

Ehlers or not, the Jets can spend to get additional scoring help. But there must be certain items taken into consideration given they’ll need to balance their cap space. They’ll either need to re-sign Ehlers or find who they feel can be his replacement.

Also, they need to get a new deal done for 27-goal scorer Vilardi. They’ll also need to bolster their bottom-six forward group while taking care of Samberg on the back end.

PACIFIC DIVISION

2024-25 result: Missed the playoffs

Key players hitting UFA: F Robby Fabbri, F Brock McGinn
Key players hitting RFA: G Lukas Dostal, D Drew Helleson, F Mason McTavish, F Isac Lundestrom
Cap space: $35,988,812

What they should do: Spend carefully now, knowing what’s ahead in the future. Hypothetically speaking, GM Pat Verbeek has more than enough cap space to do whatever he feels is necessary. That could be anything from adding another top-six forward to a middle-six forward to at least two bottom-six forwards. It’s possible Verbeek could do something on defense, but it would come at the risk of taking playing time away from members of their young but promising blue line.

And, any decision Verbeek makes also comes with the consequence that they have key players they must pay this offseason — with the idea that Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger are all RFAs after next season.

2024-25 result: Missed the playoffs

Key players hitting UFA: F Anthony Mantha, F Kevin Rooney, G Dan Vladar
Key players hitting RFA: F Morgan Frost, F Connor Zary
Cap space: $19,820,000

What they should do: Acquire forwards who can consistently finish scoring chances. Where it gets a bit complicated for the Flames is that they’re trying to add scoring help in a free agent market in which the options could create a bidding war.

The Flames could opt to play that game, with the idea they could determine if it makes more sense to find a trade that addresses their needs. They must also think about how to structure new contracts for Frost and Zary — short-term bridge deals or longer-term ones to have cost certainty.

2024-25 result: Lost in the Cup Final

Key players hitting UFA: F Connor Brown, D John Klingberg, F Corey Perry, F Jeff Skinner
Key player hitting RFA: D Evan Bouchard
Cap space: $11,050,834

What they should do: They must re-sign Bouchard and then revamp their supporting cast. There appears to be at least one opening in their top six, a few more on their fourth line, and at least one among their defensemen.

Their goaltending obviously remains under question after a consecutive defeat in the Stanley Cup Final that featured uneven performances.

The Oilers have clear areas they must address, with the understanding that they’ll need to either create more cap space or attempt to improve their roster with the hope the personnel they seek can be had at team-friendly prices.

And of course, they do all of this with the best player in the world slated to hit unrestricted free agency after 2025-26, which could be a factor in all of it.

2024-25 result: Lost in the first round

Key players hitting UFA: D Vladislav Gavrikov, F Tanner Jeannot, F Andrei Kuzmenko, G David Rittich
Key player hitting RFA: F Alex Laferriere
Cap space: $23,210,000

What they should do: Take one or two big swings. New GM Ken Holland has been connected to every top-six forward of significance, ranging from Brock Boeser to Mitch Marner to Brad Marchand. The Kings could also go after another top-four defenseman, whether that’s re-signing Gavrikov or landing someone else.

But that also comes with the understanding that the Kings will want to have enough space remaining to add more experience to their fourth line — and upgrade their backup goaltender should it come to that point.

2024-25 result: Missed the playoffs

Key players hitting UFA: G Alexandar Georgiev, D Jan Rutta
Key players hitting RFA: F Thomas Bordeleau, F Klim Kostin, F Nikolai Kovalenko
Cap space: $44,090,832

What they should do: Keep adding to the rebuild. Finishing last in the NHL means that the Sharks need help in many areas. OK, they could use help in every area, ranging from their top nine to their bottom six to their defense to adding another goaltender who could work in tandem with promising prospect Yaroslav Askarov.

This will be the second season for Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, which means they’re still concentrating on the future. So, the Sharks could again sign veteran players to one-year deals whom they could move on from at the deadline to attain more draft capital.

2024-25 result: Missed the playoffs

Key player hitting UFA: F Michael Eyssimont
Key players hitting RFA: D Ryker Evans, F Kaapo Kakko, F Tye Kartye
Cap space: $18,057,621

What they should do: Continue the trend of adding players who help them establish consistency. Similar to how they traded for Mason Marchment, getting a 22-goal scorer who hypothetically bolsters their top-nine forward group, or how they traded for Frederick Gaudreau to give their bottom six a two-way center and 18-goal scorer who has now scored 14 or more goals in three of the past four seasons.

Those are the sort of moves that could help the Kraken find more continuity, while also establishing potentially a deeper roster than they’ve had since making the playoffs in their second season.

2024-25 result: Missed the playoffs

Key players hitting UFA: F Brock Boeser, F Pius Suter
Key players hitting RFA: None
Cap space: $7,031,667

What they should do: Find more top-nine forward help. Consistently scoring goals was an issue last season, and it appears that it could be an issue again ahead of next season.

There’s a chance they could re-sign Boeser and Suter, although they could also lose both. If they do, that presents a new gap to fill.

The Canucks should also add another bottom-pairing defenseman, with the caveat that they can only do so much with such limited cap space.

2024-25 result: Lost in the second round

Key players hitting UFA: F Victor Olofsson, F Tanner Pearson, G Ilya Samsonov
Key player hitting RFA: F Alexander Holtz
Cap space: $2,186,429

What they should do: Strengthen their roster to win a second Stanley Cup. There’s always going to be the expectation that GM Kelly McCrimmon does something. As for what that could be? It’s complicated.

On Saturday, there were multiple reports that they’ve talked to the Maple Leafs about a sign-and-trade involving Mitch Marner. A day later, it was reported by The Fourth Period that defenseman Alex Pietrangelo would require multiple surgeries and is expected to sit out the 2025-26 season.

Hours later, they would trade then-pending RFA defenseman Nicolas Hague for forward Colton Sissons and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon in a move that saw them add depth while leaving them with less than $800,00 in cap space. It’s never boring in Vegas!

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