PuckPedia Cap Central 5/21: Liljegren Extension + Offer Sheet Compensation

The PuckPedia Hockey Show Episode 47: Offer Sheets Are Back & the NHL Offseason Is Chaos ft. Jeff Marek

Episode 47 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show features a very special recurring guest, Jeff Marek, one of hockey's most respected voices, joining just about a week into the NHL free agency period with the NHL Draft now behind us. We lead off with the biggest story of the offseason: the Philadelphia Flyers' offer sheet to Leo Carlsson at $18M AAV, which would make him the highest paid player in the NHL (1:00). Jeff breaks down why this wasn't just a shot at Ducks GM Pat Verbeek, but a direct challenge to Ducks Owner Henry Samueli, drawing comparisons to the 2019 Sebastian Aho offer sheet and what it means when an offer sheet hits the Owner's suite rather than just the General Manager's office. We discuss how the rising salary cap and a weak free agent class have created the perfect conditions for offer sheets to finally be used aggressively, and whether we're seeing the end of the old boys club that kept GMs from using every tool available to them under the CBA (3:30). We talk about the Pavel Mintyukov signing and how the fear of offer sheets drove up his number, what it means for teams like Philadelphia even if Anaheim matches, and whether Porter Martone could be the next target. Then we get into the Dylan Larkin trade request and the complicated history he has with the Detroit Red Wings and the state of Michigan, including the untold story of Connor McDavid trying to recruit him in the OHL (14:00). We discuss Adam Fantilli and the Columbus Blue Jackets situation, and whether Seattle should be making a move and why Sabres GM Jason Botterill is the right person to be aggressive (17:30). We get into the Quinn Hughes trade situation; Jeff's belief is that it gets done with Minnesota (21:00). We then discuss the Washington Capitals' offseason moves and whether their power play can evolve with new pieces under Spencer Carbery (23:00). We wrap up with the Coolbet question of the week: Jeff predicts Zach Werenski still gets traded for Thomas Harley (34:00). Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media! X: @PuckPedia  IG: @PuckPedia  Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet Responsibly Theme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

PuckPedia Cap Central 7/2: NHL Free Agency Frenzy Recap

For Episode 25 of PuckPedia Cap Central, Keith Kavanaugh and Hart Levine dive into the craziness of yesterday’s free agency frenzy. They go over the biggest moves that happened yesterday and the most active teams. The San Jose Sharks added a lot of money to their books with the signings of Jacob Trouba and Mason Marchment, and the trade for Darnell Nurse. The Edmonton Oilers totally revamped their goaltending position, trading for Devon Levi and then signing Freddy Andersen. The New York Rangers were also very active yesterday. Following their acquisition of Pavel Dorofeyev, they followed up with signing Oliver Bjorkstrand and Joe Veleno, then trading Vincent Trocheck for Sean Durzi, a prospect, and a pick, and Marcus Pettersson from Vancouver for a 1st round pick, then trading Will Borgen to Boston. The Toronto Maple Leafs made a lot of moves too, signing Sergei Bobrovsky, Colton Sissons, Jack Roslovic, Teddy Blueger, Brandon Duhaime, Troy Stetcher, and Zack MacEwen, and acquiring Nick Paul via trade. There were also some big extensions that were signed that kick in the following season. Bowan Byram signed a massive deal with the Chicago Blackhawks, the New Jersey Devils extended their captain Nico Hischier for 5 more seasons, and young phenom Ivan Demidov signed an 8-year extension with the Montreal Canadiens. Some defensemen also got big deals like John Carlson in Tampa and Rasmus Andersson in Vegas. We also got an offer sheet as Sunny Mehta and the Devils extended an offer sheet to Barrett Hayton. Utah Mammoth have 7 days to match. We wrap up with some questions Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media! X: @PuckPedia  IG: @PuckPedia  Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet Responsibly Theme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

PuckPedia Hockey Show Episode 46: NHL Free Agency Preview + Draft Winners & Losers ft. Emily Kaplan

Episode 46 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show features a very special recurring guest, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. Emily is joined by PuckPedia’s founder Hart Levine and host Keith Kavanaugh. Emily was on the broadcast for the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo this past weekend, so we get her insight on how she thinks the Draft went as the NHL is in year 2 of de-centralization (2:00). Then we talk through how she manages breaking NHL trade news while being on TV at the same time, and what she thought about a couple of the big trades that happened during the Draft (6:00). JJ Peterka was traded to the Boston Bruins and Pavel Dorofeyev was traded to the New York Rangers. Then we dive into the chaotic week before the NHL Draft and her take on some of those trades (15:00). Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers, Simon Nemec to the Calgary Flames, Jordan Kyrou and Alex Tuch to the Washington Capitals, Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks, and William Eklund to the Ottawa Senators. We then dive into NHL Free Agency which starts in a couple of days (23:00). We talk about the USA Hockey trio of players who look to find new homes (Dylan Larkin, Zach Werenski, and Connor Hellebuyck). We get the latest on what she’s hearing with Jason Robertson (30:00). Emily talks through if she thinks Auston Matthews or Connor McDavid will have new homes before the season starts (34:00). We get into if there might be any players who will get offer sheets (36:00). Which players who are extension-eligible on July 1 might put pen to paper right away (39:00). Then we wrap up with some questions from the viewers (43:00). Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media! X: @PuckPedia  IG: @PuckPedia  Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet Responsibly Theme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

PuckPedia Cap Central 6/24: NHL Draft Week Chaos

For Episode 24 of PuckPedia Cap Central, Keith Kavanaugh and Hart Levine dive into the pressing topics of the NHL salary cap world. They kick things off by setting the scene for a chaotic NHL Draft Week in Buffalo, with trades coming in from every direction. Then they break down the trades involving Brady Tkachuk, Simon Nemec, William Eklund, Jordan Kyrou, and Bowen Byram, and what each move means from a cap perspective. Then they get into the Oilers signings and how Edmonton is building out their roster heading into next season. Then they touch on Bobby McMann re-signing and what that deal looks like. They wrap up with a walkthrough of the PuckPedia NHL Draft Simulator and how fans can use it to follow along as the picks roll in. Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media! X: @PuckPedia  IG: @PuckPedia  Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet Responsibly Theme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

PuckPedia Hockey Show Episode 45: McKenna or Stenberg? NHL Draft Preview ft. Jason Bukala

Episode 45 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show features a very special recurring guest, Jason Bukala of the Pro Hockey Group, back for his fourth appearance on the show and joining just days before the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo. Jason will be on Sportsnet for Day 1 and NHL Network for Day 2 of draft coverage, and his full scouting reports are available on PuckPedia Plus along with the new video vault feature. We dive right in with the big debate at the top of the draft: Gavin McKenna versus Ivar Stenberg at number one overall (1:30). Jason breaks down the key difference between the two: McKenna as a quick-strike offensive playmaker who makes everyone around him better, and Stenberg as the death-by-a-thousand-cuts two-way center who never goes away in any zone. He views them as 1A and 1A rather than a clear-cut top choice, and addresses McKenna's improvement in the back half of the season after returning from the World Juniors to Penn State, crediting him with a 30-40% improvement in his play without the puck. Then we get into the top defensive prospects in the class: Keaton Verhoeff, Carson Carels, and Chase Reid (7:00). Jason breaks down the nuances in each of their games, what they will bring to an NHL roster in the next three to five years, and why defensemen generally take a little longer to find their footing at the pro level. Then we move to Caleb Malhotra, who has shot up the rankings seemingly out of nowhere and could potentially go as high as third overall to Vancouver, where his father is in his first year as head coach (14:00). Jason walks through what changed in Malhotra's game over the last six to twelve months and why he sees him going no later than the Rangers at fifth. We get into the value of draft capital this year given the depth of the class, the Brady Tkachuk trade between Florida and Ottawa as a reference point, and whether we will see big trades on the floor on draft night (17:00). We then discuss what happens when teams miss on early picks and how scouting and asset management go hand in hand (20:00). We wrap up with the Coolbet question of the week: who is Jason's sleeper pick in the forties (26:30)? He points to Finnish winger Matias Vanhanen from the Everett Silvertips, who he believes could be one of the second-best playmakers in the entire draft class despite his current ranking. Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media! X: @PuckPedia  IG: @PuckPedia  Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet Responsibly Theme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.