Unfinished business: 7 players to watch in back half of NHL offseason
The NHL offseason has slowed to a crawl, and yet it feels like an abnormally high volume of notable players remains in some version of limbo. We check in on the uncertainty and add key context to all the unfinished business.
Jason Robertson, Stars
Dallas is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. Robertson is the club's best left winger. Why, then, is his name popping up in the NHL rumor mill?
The Stars are in a sticky salary-cap situation with lots of money and term dedicated to core pieces while Robertson, a 2026 restricted free agent, looks to cash in too. Mikko Rantanen, Wyatt Johnston, Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskanen, and Jake Oettinger will make a combined $45.6 million annually for the rest of the decade, and rising star Thomas Harley can sign an extension any time.
Having too many high-quality 20-something players is a textbook "champagne problem." It's nonetheless one Stars general manager Jim Nill must solve somehow, whether or not he keeps Robertson.
A cerebral playmaker, Robertson followed up a 109-point 2022-23 with back-to-back seasons of 82 games, 80 points, and defensive improvements. He's due for a hefty raise from the $7.8 million he'll make this coming season.
The Stars hold all the cards and could choose to hang onto Robertson for two years. But they've also got a proactive front office that's surely debating the trade option. The Maple Leafs, Kings, and Red Wings come to mind as good stylistic fits.
Rasmus Andersson, Flames
Andersson is a physical, minute-munching right-shot defenseman who blocks shots, kills penalties, and can move the puck. His cap hit of $4.6 million is tremendous value and his no-trade list is limited to six teams.
Flames GM Craig Conroy should be sifting through a stack of offers. But Andersson, a 2026 unrestricted free agent, has his sights set on landing in Las Vegas, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun. That information becoming public diminishes Conroy's leverage.
Calgary could trade Andersson to one of the other 30 teams, but the return package would likely be underwhelming because everybody's aware of the Golden Knights connection. Or Conroy could send him to Vegas, where there's an opening on the top pair after Alex Pietrangelo announced he'll be sidelined for the foreseeable future (or perhaps permanently) due to a major injury.
Even with Pietrangelo's contract on injured reserve, however, Vegas is in a cap crunch and will be prioritizing an extension for stud center and fellow 2026 UFA Jack Eichel. Complicating matters is the fact that Conroy didn't get a home-run return in the 2024 Noah Hanifin trade with the Golden Knights.
It's probably best for Calgary to wait until the season starts to see what Andersson (with some salary retained) can fetch as a rental for a non-Vegas team.
Connor McDavid, Oilers
How's this for strange times: Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid both have uncertain futures. Yes, Crosby most likely sticks it out in Pittsburgh and retires as a Penguin. But there's a nonzero chance the soon-to-be 38-year-old gets fed up with losing and opts to chase a fourth Cup in another uniform.
The chances of McDavid leaving Edmonton are higher - although, like Crosby, the smart money's on him staying loyal to his only NHL home.
McDavid's been eligible to sign an extension with the Oilers since July 1, and it's July 21. That alone is significant given what's at stake for the franchise and a generational player dying to win his first championship. McDavid, who's about to enter his 11th season, could be digesting a second straight Cup Final loss. Or waiting to see what management has up its sleeve in terms of late roster upgrades. Or considering an exit. Or a combination of all three.
Training camp doesn't start for two months, and McDavid isn't a free agent until next summer. Oilers brass would be happy to hand him a blank check, so money isn't the issue. In other words, it's no time to panic in Edmonton. But ... until No. 97 puts pen to paper, the idea of him playing elsewhere remains real.
Mason McTavish, Ducks
McTavish is an RFA who slots in nicely behind Leo Carlsson on Anaheim's center depth chart. He should command around $7 million annually on a long-term deal - a palatable cap hit for a team with $21 million available.
But GM Pat Verbeek has made a habit of grinding players down during extension talks. Just ask Troy Terry, Trevor Zegras (traded within two years of signing his second contract), and Jamie Drysdale (gone within 15 months).
July is "probably the most that Mason McTavish has been available," insider Jeff Marek said July 11 on the "Sekeres & Price" show. "And if he is available? Start the lineup of teams that are looking for a second-line center."
Available, in this case, means via trade or offer sheet. While the Ducks would likely match any contract McTavish signs with a rival (mainly because they don't need the draft-pick compensation), it's still an interesting situation to monitor. Last year's offer-sheet drama between St. Louis and Edmonton went down in mid-August.
McTavish would be a great add for the Canadiens, Flames, or Blackhawks.
The 21-year-old is probably best known to casual fans as the guy who made an unbelievable defensive effort in the gold-medal game of the 2022 world juniors. The 2021 third overall pick is 6-foot-1 and 219 pounds. He's effective in the faceoff circle and has some power-play utility as a dual-threat option.
Marco Rossi, Wild
The Wild and Rossi shouldn't be having any trouble hammering out an extension.
Rossi, an RFA turning 24 in September, recorded the second-most points on the team last season (60 in 82 games). The smart, skilled, highly competitive 5-foot-9 Austrian is a homegrown top-six center. Minnesota has $10 million in cap space and no other significant spots to fill to finalize its 2025-26 roster.
Problems lurk below the surface, however. Coach John Hynes demoted Rossi to the fourth line in the playoffs, dropping his nightly usage from 18 minutes in the regular season to 11 in the first-round series loss to Vegas. GM Bill Guerin's top to-do list item at the moment is to lock up Kirill Kaprizov. The superstar winger, who's been eligible for an extension since July 1, is due for Leon Draisaitl-type money (around $14 million average annual value) starting in 2026-27.
Guerin has said there's no rush to sign, trade, or match an offer sheet for Rossi. If he stays, a short-term extension makes sense, since it gives both player and team flexibility. If he leaves, a trade is far more likely than an offer sheet.
Half of the league could use a second-line center, and Rossi still has upside.
The Hurricanes desperately need to upgrade at 2C (Jesperi Kotkaniemi isn't going to cut it) and have plenty of cap space. Ditto for the Sabres, who picked Jack Quinn one spot before Rossi went to the Wild in the 2020 draft. Mammoth bench boss Andre Tourigny coached Rossi in junior, and they don't have as much wiggle room, but trading top-six winger Nick Schmaltz (plus a pick) could make the math work. Guerin wants to make a so-called "hockey trade" here.
Tristan Jarry and Erik Karlsson, Penguins
The rebuilding Penguins are the NHL's designated seller ahead of the season.
Forwards Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust will dominate every trade-bait board on the internet until they're moved. Jarry and Karlsson, meanwhile, are Pittsburgh's less obvious but ultimately more interesting trade chips.
GM Kyle Dubas recently created a goalie logjam by acquiring AHL playoff MVP Arturs Silovs. The presences of Silovs and the promising Joel Blomqvist make Jarry expendable. The Oilers, for one, might view the 30-year-old former All-Star with a career save percentage of .909 as a worthwhile gamble. A Jarry-Stuart Skinner tandem beats another year of Skinner-Calvin Pickard if Edmonton can add Jarry on a reduced cap hit ($5.4 million).
A Karlsson trade could be tricky to finalize, but the market for his services is probably more robust than Jarry's. The Pens would again need to retain salary as Karlsson's cap hit is $10 million for two years. Then Dubas would need to convince the three-time Norris Trophy winner to waive his no-move clause.
Both hurdles can be cleared. Karlsson is a desirable asset at $5 million. The Swede looked rejuvenated during 4 Nations Face-Off action, and without a Cup at 35, he should be motivated to assume a smaller role on a contender.
John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email ([email protected]).