The Utah Mammoth have taken care of one of their biggest blue-line questions, while the Calgary Flames, Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins are all dealing with their own offseason pressure points.
Utah signed defenseman John Marino to an eight-year extension worth $6.75 million annually, a move first broken by Elliotte Friedman and then confirmed by the team. The contract keeps Marino in place long-term and wipes out the uncertainty around his pending unrestricted free agency.
The deal also comes with strong early protection, including a full no-movement clause before shifting to modified trade protection later on. With Sean Durzi traded this summer, holding onto Marino gives Utah a dependable top-four defenseman.
In Calgary, Morgan Frost is drawing real trade interest as the Flames continue their roster teardown. According to The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta, multiple teams are in on the center after his career-best 43-point season.
That production has made him a tempting piece for a rebuilding club looking to add draft capital, and his value may be as high as it gets right now. Craig Conroy has already moved several core players this offseason, and the big question is whether the Flames deal Frost now or wait until closer to the trade deadline, when he could be viewed as a rental.
For the moment, there’s no rush, with teams seemingly content to wait rather than pay a summer premium.
Columbus is staring at a potentially awkward arbitration situation with Jet Greaves. The Blue Jackets and the goaltender are reportedly far apart, with Greaves seeking $7.5 million annually and the club countering at $2.8 million.
The split is huge, but it does not necessarily mean the relationship has turned sour. The issue is more about where each side believes the number should land, with arbitration designed to split the difference.
Still, there is risk in how the process feels, especially if the low team offer is taken as disrespect or if the hearing turns into a public case against Greaves. Columbus also has other unsigned RFAs to manage, so a short-term bridge deal looks likely, even if arbitration can make things messy.
The Penguins are also kicking tires on another young center. Pittsburgh is reportedly among the teams interested in Seattle Kraken forward Shane Wright, who has been the subject of trade talk since the deadline.
Seattle is said to be working with Wright’s camp to find the right fit, but the Kraken are not in a hurry to move him. The asking price is believed to be high, which could make any deal difficult for a Penguins team that is waiting to see what happens with Jason Robertson in Dallas.
Former Kraken GM Ron Francis is now back in Pittsburgh, which adds another layer to the interest because of his familiarity with Wright’s development.
In Other News...
Penguins Are Suddenly Linked To A Franchise Shifting Trade Chase
The Penguins keep surfacing in the middle of a trade market that could reshape more than one roster, and the latest chatter has them tied to a mix of young talent and proven names. Pittsburghs interest is said to extend to Seattle forward Shane Wright, though the price tag around him is described as steep, which is hardly surprising for a player whose age and upside make him the kind of target teams do not move lightly.
Erik Karlsson remains the more complicated piece of the puzzle for Pittsburgh, because his status is tied to both the Penguins place in the standings and the cost of any extension. He is in the final year of his contract, so the front office has to balance the possibility of keeping him against the reality that a trade could become the cleaner path if the club is not positioned to contend. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins May Be Closing In On A Costly Young Center Pivot
The Penguins are still hunting for help down the middle, and Shane Wright has emerged as a name worth watching. The 22-year-old Seattle center was taken fourth overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, but his fit with the Kraken has not matched the expectations that followed him into the league, which has opened the door to a possible move.
For Pittsburgh, the appeal is obvious: a young center with a manageable contract and room to grow. The problem is the cost. Seattles asking price is said to be substantial, and Kyle Dubas may only push harder if the Penguins miss on their primary target, Jason Robertson, leaving Wright as a more expensive Plan B than Pittsburgh would like. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Near A Painful Crosby Era Decision Fans Feared
The Penguins return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025-26 brought at least a familiar kind of frustration, with the run ending in six games against the Flyers and the same old question hanging over the franchise: how long can Pittsburgh keep trying to thread the needle between a rebuild and a core that has already lived through everything? Sidney Crosby is still producing at a level that makes him impossible to ignore, and he remains the face of a team that has added younger talent without fully turning the page on the veterans who helped define the last era.
Josh Yohes latest look at the organization captures the bind neatly, because this is no longer just about being competitive in the present. The Penguins have enough older regulars in the mix to make the roster feel crowded, but not enough certainty around the next wave to make a clean reset feel simple. Kyle Dubas is resisting anything that looks like a full teardown, yet the pressure to make harder decisions is only growing, and the next round of roster choices could say a lot about how quickly Pittsburgh is willing to accelerate the rebuild around Crosbys final prime years. [Read more 🡒]