There are several teams keeping a close watch on what happens this summer with Nico Hischier, the 27-year-old New Jersey Devils captain who has one year left on his contract, carrying a $7.25 million average annual value.

Hischier’s agent, Allain Roy, stopped into New Jersey for a first meeting with new Devils general manager Sunny Mehta about two weeks ago en route to Switzerland to meet with his client before the IIHF World Championships. My understanding is that so far, those preliminary discussions have been amicable and positive. But if an extension isn’t signed this summer, it would be hard to fathom Mehta wanting to begin next season with Hischier on an expiring contract.

Mehta’s priority is to build a winning contender and do so as quickly as possible. So he needs clarity on that very important asset.

Which teams are paying attention? It might be easier to point out which aren’t. It would be a long, long list of suitors for a talented 200-foot center in his prime. The Los Angeles Kings just lost Anze Kopitar to retirement. Maybe you’ve heard the Minnesota Wild could use a center upgrade. And would there be a better fit than the Montreal Canadiens? Hischier is basically the left-handed Nick Suzuki. Imagine those two guys 1-2 down the middle. It’s the exact hole in the Canadiens’ lineup that needs addressing. There’s no doubt that Montreal would be among the interested parties if and when Hischier became available.

And, again, add 12 or so more teams to that discussion. This type of player rarely becomes available.

But he’s not, for now. The only focus at the moment is continuing dialogue on a possible extension.

So there are two factors at play. Mehta is trying to find an extension number that works for both sides while keeping the Devils as competitive as possible under the salary cap. But Hischier also needs to hear all the right things from the new GM as far as getting New Jersey looking like a contender in a hurry.

My sense is that those elements were all part of those initial conversations between Roy and Mehta.

All things being equal, it would appear an extension is the most likely outcome, but things are at an early and delicate stage.

Coaching check-in

The Vegas Golden Knights’ late-season coaching change has been nothing short of miraculous. The Golden Knights are 18-4-1 under John Tortorella heading into Game 4 of the Western Conference final on Tuesday.

Tortorella is only signed for the rest of the season. The Golden Knights basically just picked up the rest of his Flyers contract when they hired him.

One would imagine that both Tortorella and the Knights will want to extend their marriage after this run. But as it stands, after Lindy Ruff signed a two-year extension last week, Tortorella is the only head coach with an expiring deal this season.

A reminder of the coaches with one year left on their contracts currently:

• Joel Quenneville, Anaheim Ducks
• Jared Bednar, Colorado Avalanche
• Rick Bowness, Columbus Blue Jackets (signed a one-year deal for next season in April)
• John Hynes, Minnesota Wild
• Martin St. Louis, Montreal Canadiens
• Andrew Brunette, Nashville Predators (also an option for 2027-28)
• Ryan Warsofsky, San Jose Sharks
• Andre Tourigny, Utah Mammoth
• Spencer Carbery, Washington Capitals
• Scott Arniel, Winnipeg Jets

I would anticipate that extensions for Hynes and St. Louis come in short order this summer, and probably for Carbery as well. Quenneville had a very successful first season and was a good fit in Anaheim. But he turns 68 in September, so I’m not sure what the rush would be to extend.

The name on that list that jumps out right now is Bednar. He’s a quality coach and Cup champion, but I wonder what the wreckage will be in Colorado if the Avs bow out of the Western Conference final, as it sure looks like they will. I mean, it’s not Bednar’s fault his team can’t get enough saves in the series.

Staying with coaches, I was told Monday that no team yet had asked permission to speak with former New York Islanders coach Patrick Roy, who has two years left on his deal at a $4 million salary.

Craig Berube, who interviewed with the Edmonton Oilers recently, has two more years on his Toronto Maple Leafs contract at a $4.5 million salary.

Peter Laviolette, fired in April of 2025 by the New York Rangers, has had preliminary discussions with a couple of teams, according to league sources. His contract with the Rangers expires June 30. The Kings are one of those teams, a league source confirms.

And of course, Bruce Cassidy has one more year at $5 million on his deal with Vegas, which still hasn’t given teams permission to speak with its fired coach. It’s a frustrating situation, to be sure. The Oilers and Kings both want to chat with him. I can’t imagine the Maple Leafs wouldn’t. The NHL Coaches’ Association put out a statement last week putting attention on the matter. I’m not sure the NHL greatly appreciated that, but I think it was well received by veteran coaches around the league.

The NHL’s perspective is that Vegas is within its contractual rights to do what it’s doing with Cassidy and that it’s in line with established league policy.

Hopefully, once the Golden Knights are done with their season — perhaps after their second Cup triumph — they will allow teams access to Cassidy.

Giroux’s future

Claude Giroux needed some time after the season to mull over his future, as far as whether he wanted to continue playing.

I was told Monday that the 38-year-old forward, an unrestricted free agent on July 1, has decided he wants to come back and play another season.

Byram extension?

Bowen Byram’s agent, Darren Ferris, is slated to meet with Buffalo Sabres GM Jarmo Kekäläinen at the Draft Combine in Buffalo next week. Byram is one of a few key files for the Sabres this offseason, along with Alex Tuch and Zach Benson. (I was told status quo by league sources on Monday when I checked in on the Tuch situation.)

It will be interesting to see how it goes on the Byram front. He’s scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2027, and I think he really likes it in Buffalo, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he extended this summer. On the other hand, Ferris philosophically often advises his clients to fully take advantage of their UFA option, so I could also see a scenario in which that’s the advice for his client this summer, to play out his contract. We shall see.

Big name on the market

Anyone care to guess which pending UFA had the most points per game this season? That would be none other than Evgeni Malkin, at 1.09. Darren Raddysh was next at 0.96.

The Penguins have been engaged in contract talks with Malkin’s agent, J.P. Barry. Malkin turns 40 on July 31, so it’s no surprise both sides are focused on a one-year deal. But it’s finding the sweet spot on the compensation that has remained elusive so far. Malkin’s AAV was $6.1 million this year, although with his front-loaded contract, his actual compensation was $4.8 million. I would imagine the Penguins would be starting talks closer to that $4.8 million and the agent would be starting closer to the AAV.

Because of Malkin’s age, the one-year deal could include bonuses, which would help massage the AAV.

This will eventually get done. Malkin isn’t going anywhere. But it’s not done yet.

Editor’s note: After this story was published on Tuesday, Malkin re-signed with the Penguins, a one-year, $5.5 million contract that could be worth as much as $9 million if he hits all the bonuses.

GMs and coaches meeting

And finally, the early September gathering for all 32 GMs and head coaches — usually the only time all year that all 64 individuals meet in one place — will be held via Zoom this year. Last year, the GMs and coaches met in Detroit. Three years ago, the first time this meeting was held to include coaches on top of GMs, it was in Chicago.