We're just one day away from the start of Free Agent Frenzy on July 1. TSN.ca keeps you up to date with all the latest rumours and speculation from around the NHL beat.

Leafs eyeing Pezzetta, talking with Lorentz

While Mitch Marner's future remains top of mind for the Toronto Maple Leafs, it appears Michael Pezzetta could be on the team's radar once the market opens Tuesday.

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports it would not surprise if the Leafs show interest in the 27-year-old winger. He did not record a point in 25 games with the Montreal Canadiens this past season, logging 24 penalty minutes. 

The Toronto native has 15 goals and 38 points in 200 career games, all with the Canadiens. 

TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reports the Maple Leafs are also still exploring whether the team can retain pending UFA Steven Lorentz before he hits the market on Tuesday. 

Lorentz, 29, recorded eight goals and 19 points in 80 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. He added two assists in 13 playoff games before his team was eliminated by the Florida Panthers in the second round. 

The 6-foot-4 centre is coming off a one-year, $775,000 contract. 

 

Can the Stars also keep Granlund

The Dallas Stars have been able to re-sign Jamie Benn, Matt Duchene and pending restricted free agents Mavrik Bourque and Nils Lundqvist already this month. 

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports the Stars are set for more talks with Mikael Granlund, but while there's mutual interest in reaching a deal, Dallas will likely have to money to make it work.

Dallas already traded Mason Marchment to the Seattle Kraken last week to clear $4.5 million from their books. Puckpedia projects the team has less than $1 million in cap space with 20 players under contract for next season.

 

Last chance talks for Provorov, Gavrikov

Ivan Provorov could hit the open market on Tuesday, but the Columbus Blue Jackets will speak to the pending unrestricted free agent one more time Monday, TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports. 

The 28-year-old blueliner is listed at No. 6 on the TSN Top 50 Free Agents list and third among defencemen, behind Aaron Ekblad and Vlasislav Gavrikov. 

Provorov had seven goals and 33 points in 82 games with the Blue Jackets last season while averaging 23:21 of ice time. 

The 6-foot-1 left-shot defenceman finished a six-year, $40.5 million deal with an annual cap hit of $6.75 million. 

LeBrun reports the Los Angeles Kings are waiting to hear back from Gavrikov on their latest offer and will also speak again today, but the clock is ticking. 

New Kings general manager Ken Holland last week he picked up where former GM Rob Blake left off in contract talks, but hasn't been able to close a deal with the veteran defenceman. 

“Rob Blake had made an offer, and I went beyond that offer, and so now we are continuing to talk, and I think I made another offer, so we’ll see,” Holland told reporters, per the Orange County Register.

Gavrikov, 29, recorded nine goals and 30 points in 82 games with the Kings this past season while averaging 23:05 of ice time.  He added two assists in six playoff games while averaging 21:00 of ice time before his team was eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the second round. 

The 6-foot-3 left-shot blueliner is coming off a two-year, $11.75 million contract that carried an annual cap hit of $5.975 million. 

 

Time running out for a Marner trade

The Toronto Maple Leafs are down the to final day to make a Mitch Marner trade before his rights expire at midnight ET tonight. 

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger first reported Saturday that the Vegas Golden Knights were discussing a possible sign-and-trade with Maple Leafs. Dreger added Sunday that Vegas' interest in Marner dates back more than a year, with the team having made at least two attempts to acquire him for all or part of the 2024-25 season. 

TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston followed that up in The Athletic reporting centre Nicolas Roy was part of the package that Vegas was considering sending to Toronto. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia wrote on X that the Maple Leafs had asked for both Roy and Nicolas Hague, though the door closed on acquiring the latter Sunday night.

Vegas traded Hague, a pending restricted free agent, to the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenceman Jeremy Lauzon and forward Colton Sissons. Hague signed a four-year, $22 million contract with the Predators as part of the deal.

Roy, 28, recorded 15 goals and 31 points in 71 games with the Golden Knights last season. He added two goals and four points in 11 playoff games before his team was eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the second round. 

The 6-foot-4 centre is entering the fourth season of a five-year, $15 million contract with an annual cap hit of $3 million. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 campaign. 

Acquiring Marner from the Maple Leafs would allow the Golden Knights to sign him to a max eight-year contract, though it remains unclear if Marner will do. Reports this month have indicated he may sign short-term and cash in again in a few years time. A trade could also allow the Golden Knights to shed salary in order to clear space for Marner.

The Golden Knights have $2.18 million in cap space after Sunday's trade, per PuckPedia, thanks the Predators retaining half of Sissons' $2.86 million cap hit. 

 TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reported last week that Alex Pietrangelo's health remains a question mark in Vegas. Shelving Pietrangelo on long-term injured reserve would clear $8.8 million in cap space to work with. 

 

Marchand to stay in Florida?

Brad Marchand is one the top veterans available who could become available Tuesday, but Dreger reports the feeling among other teams is that Marchand will re-sign with the Florida Panthers. 

Dreger notes that the there's speculation that Marchand could return to the Boston Bruins, where he spent his entire career before being traded to Florida at the deadline, and notes the Toronto Maple Leafs are also expected to be a bidder if the veteran winger reaches the open market. However, signs appear to be pointing towards the Panthers keeping Marchand just as they did with pending UFA Sam Bennett.

Dreger shared the latest on Marchand and Marner on Sunday night: 

Dreger shares latest on high-profile UFAs Marner, Marchand

Jermain Franklin is joined by TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger to get his thoughts on the Matthew Knies deal, the latest on UFAs Mitch Marner and Brad Marchand, and more.