Pittsburgh’s offseason picture still has a major question hanging over it, and Erik Karlsson isn’t pretending otherwise.
The Penguins defenseman said today that he has not had any talks with the team about a new contract. Karlsson, who turns 36 and is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, is finishing out the eight-year deal with an $11.5MM AAV he signed in the summer of 2019. He also described the Penguins as “in a weird stage,” adding that they will “see how it goes this year.”
That uncertainty matters because Karlsson’s next move will likely be shaped by where Pittsburgh is headed. He has been a boost for some of the club’s younger players, but it’s hard to picture him wanting to spend the back end of his career on a team that doesn’t look like a real Stanley Cup threat.
The Penguins caught plenty of people off guard by reaching the playoffs last season, yet they still aren’t viewed as true contenders, even with Sidney Crosby in the lineup. Karlsson, though, still produced like a top-end defenseman a year ago, finishing with 15 goals and 66 points while logging 23:36 per game and running the team’s No. 1 power play.
If Pittsburgh slips this season, his name figures to surface more often in trade chatter as his UFA date gets closer.
Around the Metropolitan Division, Columbus is easing Damon Severson back into camp after shoulder surgery in April. The veteran Blue Jackets defenseman is in a yellow no-contact sweater, and Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported that he’ll miss the team’s preseason games but is expected to be ready for the regular season.
Severson, 32, still has five years left on his $6.25MM AAV contract, which runs through the summer of 2031. Columbus is counting on him for a top-four role after he posted 32 points in 71 games and averaged 21:04 of ice time in 2025-26.
New Jersey also trimmed its camp roster after rookie camp wrapped up. The Devils released forwards Nathan Brown, Caelan Joudrey and Nathan Lecompte from their amateur tryout agreements. They also reassigned prospects Quinn McKenzie and Luke Wilfley to their junior teams, with McKenzie - a 2026 seventh-round pick - headed to the OHL and Wilfley - a 2026 sixth-rounder - bound for the WHL.
In Washington, Rasmus Sandin’s recovery remains on track. The Capitals defenseman tore his ACL late in the 2025-26 season and was originally given a six- to nine-month recovery window.
GM Chris Patrick said today, via Sammi Silber of The Hockey News, that the team still expects him to be working within that timeline. Patrick added that the club is “hopeful based on how he looks that maybe we’re closer to the earlier part of that” window.
Sandin, 26, ranked fifth among Washington defensemen in ice time last season at 19:12 per game, including 1:25 on the penalty kill, and he finished with five goals and 29 points in 73 games.
In Other News...
Devils Just Sent A Clear Message About Fixing Their Pipeline
The Devils are making it clear they want more than just a stronger NHL roster. By bringing in Bryan McCabe as assistant general manager of the Utica Comets and Jessica Campbell as manager of player development, New Jersey is adding experience at two different points of the pipeline, with one hire tied directly to the AHL level and the other focused on shaping young players before they reach it. Both moves fit a broader push to tighten the organizations development structure, which has become a bigger priority for clubs trying to turn prospects into reliable depth.
McCabe arrives with player-development experience from his time with the Florida Panthers, while Campbell comes in after serving as an assistant coach with the Seattle Kraken and their AHL affiliate. For the Devils, the appeal is obvious: they are not just filling jobs, they are leaning on people who have worked in development settings and understand how to bridge the gap between junior, minor-league and NHL hockey. The real question now is how quickly those hires can translate into a more consistent pipeline of talent reaching New Jersey ready to contribute. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Just Sent A Clear Message About How They Want To Build
The Devils recent front-office moves say plenty about the direction they want to keep building. While Seattle added Chuck Fletcher as a senior advisor in hockey operations, New Jersey has already moved on from his stint in a similar role and filled out its own development structure with hires meant to support the pipeline from prospects to the NHL. For a team that has spent the last few years trying to sharpen its organizational depth, those decisions fit the broader push to make player development a bigger part of the operation.
Jessica Campbell coming in as Manager of Player Development and Bryan McCabe taking over as Vice President of Prospect Personnel and Assistant General Manager of the Utica Comets gives the Devils more eyes and more experience at the key stages where young players either progress or stall. It also underscores how serious the franchise is about connecting its NHL roster, its AHL affiliate and the draft-and-develop side of the business, even as other clubs continue to shuffle familiar names through their hockey departments. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Need To Answer One Jack Hughes Lineup Question Fast
The Devils are heading into camp with one of their biggest lineup questions centered on Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, two players who have often been linked as natural fits together. Early projections have them skating on the same line with Anthony Mantha, a look that would give New Jersey plenty of skill in the top six and a chance to get the offense rolling quickly once the season opens.
But with the preseason shortened, the coaching staff will not have much time to experiment if the attack stalls. If scoring becomes an issue, Hughes and Bratt could be split up, with Hughes shifting to the wing and the rest of the forward group reshuffled around them, so the Devils will need to settle on their preferred look early in training camp. [Read more 🡒]