The PuckPedia Hockey Show

Bringing NHL contract conversations to the forefront with Keith Kavanaugh and PuckPedia Founder Hart Levine.

Keith today has Carolina Hurricanes Assistant GM Tyler Dellow to talk through his path from law school to a hockey analytics pioneer, building the New Jersey Devils’ analytics department, Carolina’s creative contracts like Taylor Hall’s no-move clause and their deferred salary deals, the Mikko Rantanen trade, and where hockey analytics is headed next.

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For Episode 29 of PuckPedia Cap Central, Keith Kavanaugh and Hart Levine break down the biggest cap stories of the week. They start with the teams already using LTIR and how they set their captures, then get into Alex DeBrincat’s seven-year, $91 million extension with the Red Wings and the ongoing Simon Edvinsson standoff in Detroit. Plus, the Maple Leafs landing Aatu Räty from the Canucks after he cleared waivers, and the latest on Connor Hellebuyck’s team-imposed suspension and trade request in Winnipeg.

As always, reply on X or get in the YouTube chat to submit your questions and have them read live on the show!

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Bringing NHL contract conversations to the forefront with Keith Kavanaugh and Hart Levine.

Keith today has 1993 Stanley Cup champion Mathieu Schneider, now an NHLPA certified agent and Director of Men’s Hockey at 3G Sports, to talk through his 1,289-game NHL career, holding out as a restricted free agent, his 13 years at the NHLPA, and his new career on the agent side.

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On this episode of PuckPedia Cap Central, Keith Kavanaugh and Hart Levine break down the latest NHL contract and trade news, including the Kirill Marchenko trade, Simon Edvinsson’s holdout, and Tristan Luneau’s extension. The guys dive into the salary cap implications, contract details, and what these moves mean for the teams involved.

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Keith today has Brian and Scott Bartlett of Bartlett Hockey to talk through the Cale Makar record breaking contract, Alex Tuch’s sign and trade, Mackie Samoskevich’s trade and extension, and the new landscape of NHL contracts.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Intro

3:00 NHL Agency Start

7:00 Makar

13:00 Tuch

18:00 Vlasic

23:00 Samoskevich

28:00 Contract Landscape

34:00 Hart Joins

37:00 Ask the Capologist

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For Episode 27 of PuckPedia Cap Central, Keith Kavanaugh and Hart Levine dive into the pressing topics of the NHL salary cap world.

They kick things off with Jason Robertson, who signed a one-year, $12 million deal with the Dallas Stars after a failed attempt at a long-term extension, setting himself up for unrestricted free agency next summer.

Then they get into Connor Bedard, who signed a five-year, $75 million extension with the Chicago Blackhawks at $15 million AAV through the 2030-31 season.

Then the biggest news of the day: Patrick Kane is heading back to Chicago on a two-year deal at $8 million AAV, rejoining the Blackhawks alongside Bedard.

Then they discuss Kirby Dach and his arbitration filing with the Montreal Canadiens after rejecting their $4 million qualifying offer over it being structured as a two-way deal, and what his future in Montreal looks like.

They wrap up with a walkthrough of the PuckPedia AI Assistant and what it brings to fans looking to dig deeper into the salary cap world.

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Episode 49 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show features a very special guest, Darren Ferris, Managing Director of Quartexx Management and NHLPA certified agent with over thirty years in the business.

We start by getting into Darren's background: how he got his start coaching junior hockey, was encouraged to pivot to agenting, walked away from early partnerships because he wasn't comfortable with how the business was being done, spent eighteen years helping build the hockey practice at what is now Quartexx alongside Bobby Orr, and ultimately merged his own practice into Quartexx in 2019 (1:00). His first NHL draft client was Bates Battaglia, and today his client list includes Mitch Marner, Bowen Byram, Sam Bennett, and Taylor Hall.

We then dive into the Mitch Marner sign-and-trade to Vegas and the untold story of how the relationship between Mitch and the Leafs was strained going all the way back to his entry-level contract (5:00). Darren explains why he advised against signing without performance bonuses, and how Mitch went on to record 80 points in 81 games in his first season with the Golden Knights before a deep playoff run that ended in the Stanley Cup Final against Carolina.

We talk about the Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway offer sheets out of St. Louis, how Doug Armstrong approached Darren about both players from the same organization, and the strategic timing around the arbitration and buyout windows that made it all work (15:00).

Then we get into the Bowen Byram deal: the bridge deal strategy that set him up for a long-term payday, why Buffalo's GM change with Jarmo Kekalainen ultimately led to the trade to Chicago, and how Darren negotiated a six-year $12.5M AAV deal that also factored in the significant tax benefit of playing in Illinois (20:00).

We get into quick-fire client updates including Taylor Hall's Stanley Cup win with Carolina alongside Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven, and Evan Rodriguez's trade from Florida to New Jersey in the Jacob Markstrom deal (30:00).

We wrap up with the Coolbet question of the week: do players have more leverage in today's NHL, and how does Darren advise clients on short-term versus long-term deals in a rapidly rising cap environment (34:30)?

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Episode 48 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show features a very special guest, Dimitri Filipovic, host of The Hockey PDOcast and contributor at Sportsnet. Dimitri has been one of the most influential voices in hockey analytics for over a decade, and Keith has been a longtime listener of The Hockey PDOcast.

We start by getting into Dimitri's background: how he got his start writing for Canucks Army at the Nation Network around 2010-2011, inspired by the Vancouver Canucks' cutting-edge approach under Mike Gillis and Lawrence Gilman, who were using sleep doctors, biometric data, and zone start manipulation before any of it was mainstream (2:00). He talks about launching The Hockey PDOcast in 2015, grinding through the early years when almost nobody was listening, and how the show has evolved from pure analytics into a place that incorporates players, agents, coaches, and GMs while staying true to its data roots.

We then get into Dimitri's analytics process and how he builds holistic analysis by combining PuckPedia for contract data, Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Stats from Jack Fraser, Corey Schneider's tracking data, and tape (7:00).

Then we dive into the NHL offseason. First up is Steve Yzerman being fired as president and GM of the Detroit Red Wings (20:30). Dimitri breaks down what went wrong despite good drafting in Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, and Simon Edvinsson, why Mo Seider was a legitimate Norris Trophy candidate this year, and what the future looks like for a rebuild that has stalled.

We then get into the Anthony Mantha, Cole Perfetti, and Trevor Zegras extensions (25:00). We discuss why Nikolai Ehlers' departure to Carolina hurt Perfetti's production and how Viggo Björck, drafted 8th overall, could be the piece that unlocks him. Then we break down the Trevor Zegras extension with the Flyers, why the $9.125M AAV is reasonable as a percentage of the rising cap, and how his 67-point season and analytics profile made the deal make sense for Philadelphia.

We wrap up with the Coolbet question of the week: which team will shock the league with a surprise move before the season starts (35:00)? Dimitri points to the Carolina Hurricanes, who have been suspiciously quiet as the reigning Stanley Cup champions, and explains why he expects them to come flying in out of left field before the season begins.

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For Episode 26 of PuckPedia Cap Central, Keith Kavanaugh and Hart Levine dive into the pressing topics of the NHL salary cap world.

They kick things off with offer sheets, diving deep into the Leo Carlsson situation: the Philadelphia Flyers submitted an offer sheet for the Anaheim Ducks center, and Anaheim made the decision to match today, keeping Carlsson in Anaheim Orange.

Then they get into the broader free agency fallout and break down the biggest moves from July 1st and what they mean around the league from a cap standpoint.

Then they dig into the Dallas Stars cap situation and how the team is navigating a tricky offseason with limited space to work with.

They wrap up talking about arbitration: who is headed to a hearing, what the cases look like, and how teams are managing those situations heading into the deadline.

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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).

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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

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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).

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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.

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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.

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Episode 44 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show features a very special guest, Dan Milstein, NHLPA certified agent and CEO of Gold Star Hockey.

We start with Dan's extraordinary background: born in the Soviet Union, living 78 miles from Chernobyl when it happened, and arriving in the United States at sixteen years old with one suitcase and seventeen cents as a political refugee (1:00). From working at McDonald's before school every morning to becoming the youngest general manager in his bank's history before age twenty-one, to starting Gold Star Mortgage with $3,500 in savings and growing it into one of the largest mortgage companies in the United States with ninety-four offices from Florida to Hawaii.

We talk about how Dan served as executive producer of the film The Russian Five and how his connection to Russian hockey culture ultimately led him to pivot from finance to building Gold Star Hockey into a top-five NHL agency (7:00). We then discuss what makes Gold Star Hockey different from a typical sports agency, the lifestyle approach to player representation, and the player development infrastructure built with former NHL players Sergei Samsonov and Alexander Tishnik working directly with clients on video and development (10:00).

We get into how the recruiting and drafting process has changed over the last five to ten years with NIL, the NCAA landscape, and the availability of video and data, and how Gold Star leverages its internal infrastructure to identify and develop the right players (16:00).

We dive into some of Dan's current clients, including Dan Vladar's upcoming extension situation with the Philadelphia Flyers and what it means for negotiations when a player publicly says he wants to stay (20:00). We also talk about Ivan Demidov's long-term outlook with Montreal and how the rising salary cap creates real complexity for agents trying to maximize value for younger clients.

We wrap up with the Coolbet question of the week: in a rising cap era where the ceiling is jumping significantly over the next few seasons, how do you navigate the short-term versus long-term contract decision, and what do the public trade requests from players like Dylan Larkin and Darnell Nurse say about the growing power of players in today's NHL (27:00)?

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Episode 43 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show features a very special guest, Alexis Downie, host and content producer for the Anaheim Ducks, covering everything from DuckStream to the TV pregame show to in-arena reporting on the jumbotron.

We start by diving into Alexis's background: growing up in Youngstown, Ohio as a Pittsburgh Penguins fan, attending Michigan State where she worked with the hockey team all four years, interning with USA Hockey, and spending a pivotal summer at NBC Sports Washington during the year the Capitals won the Stanley Cup (3:00). From there she moved to Chicago, built an NHL digital show at Stadium from the ground up, freelanced for the Chicago Steel, and ultimately landed her role with the Ducks four years ago (5:30).

We then talk about the DuckStream platform and Victory Plus, how the Ducks are using their twenty-four-seven audio and streaming network to reach fans both inside and outside the market, and why Alexis believes this model could be the future of sports broadcasting (12:30). We get into what it's like working on the content side of an NHL team, balancing journalistic integrity with being an in-house media member, and how Pat Verbeek and the Ducks organization have given Alexis more free rein than she expected to ask the tough questions (15:30).

We then dive into the Ducks' season: their first playoff appearance since 2018, beating the Oilers in the first round four games to two before falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round (18:30). We talk about how young players like Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Beckett Sennecke, Jackson Lacombe, and Lucas Dostal all made huge strides under head coach Joel Quenneville.

We get into the Ducks' offseason and the priority of locking up Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier, the UFA situations of Jacob Trouba, Radko Gudas, and Leo Carlsson, and the intrigue around players like Mason McTavish and Dylan Larkin's trade request from Detroit (23:00). We also discuss how NHL players are increasingly trying to control their own destinies, waving no-movement clauses and emulating the NBA model.

We wrap up with the Coolbet question of the week: which player surprised Alexis most with their personality and content presence (32:00)? She points to Former Duck Ryan Strome and Leo Carlsson as two standouts from her time with the organization!

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For Episode 21 of PuckPedia Cap Central, Keith Kavanaugh and Hart Levine dive into the pressing topics of the NHL salary cap world.

They kick things off with the PuckPedia and Nation Network partnership announcement and touch on the Stanley Cup Playoffs with Vegas leading the Final (1:30).

Then they get into Anton Silayev's entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils and break down how ELC structures and performance bonuses work under the new CBA (7:00).

They move on to performance bonus candidates for the upcoming season, covering the three categories of eligible players and some big names to watch heading into July 1st (10:00).

Then they talk about which NHL draft rights are expiring ahead of the Buffalo draft and walk through the rules that determine whether players re-enter the draft or become UFAs (17:30).

They wrap up with a walkthrough of the PuckPedia Draft Tracker, the go-to tool for following every pick live in Buffalo (21:30).

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Episode 42 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show features a very special guest, Allain Roy, president and CEO of Roy Sports Group, joining from the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo.

We start by honoring the passing of Claude Lemieux, who transitioned from his legendary playing career into the agency world with 4Sports Hockey (2:00). Allain shares his thoughts on what his loss means to the hockey and agency community and the importance of mental health awareness across all levels of the game.

Then we get into Allain's background: growing up in French-speaking New Brunswick, leaving home at sixteen for prep school, playing goal at Harvard where he won a national championship in 1989, being drafted by the Winnipeg Jets, and representing Canada at the 1994 Olympics alongside Paul Kariya and Petr Nedved (3:30). After playing overseas in Finland and Austria, Allain found his way back to hockey by purchasing a small agency from Mel Bridgman in 2000, rebranding it as Roy Sports Group in 2015, and has since grown the roster to nearly ninety NHL contracted players and over 250 prospects worldwide.

We dive into the current UFA market and how thin it is this offseason, and why higher return expectations from both sides could mean the big trades people are anticipating may not actually happen (9:30). We talk through the Josh Doan deal in detail, how new Buffalo GM Jarmo Kekalainen made it a priority to lock down a core character piece right away, and how the rising salary cap creates a constant tension for players deciding between security now and waiting for a potentially bigger deal down the road (14:00).

We get into the Nico Hischier extension situation with the New Jersey Devils and what conversations with a new management group look like when one of the league's best two-way centers is extension-eligible (17:00).

We then talk about how NIL and the new NCAA rules have turned player recruitment into the Wild West, and what the potential five-year rule could mean for the pipeline from junior and college hockey into the NHL (20:30).

We wrap up with the Coolbet question of the week: what does Roy Sports Group do to differentiate itself from larger agencies like CAA and Newport, and what is the pitch to both up-and-coming players and veterans looking for something different (24:30)?

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