Key Signings Of The NHL: Travis Konecny, Brock Faber, Martin Necas, Kaiden Guhle

Three key players have been signed to new contracts in the NHL.

All of Travis Konecny, Brock Faber, Martin Necas and Kaiden Guhle have signed to stay with their respective teams over the past week, all three of them have been crucial to the teams they have played for and eventually signed a new contract with.

For three of the four, they signed a long-term contract that gives them security down the stretch, while the other signed a bridge contract, although the contract itself isn’t exactly a “prove it” deal.

Flyers Notch Travis Konecny to Eight-Year Extension

Konecny’s teammate, Travis Sanheim, hinted at this news minutes before the official announcement, though it was later made official where Konecny will earn $70 million total from the 2026 to 2033 seasons—a cap hit of $8.75 million—with a full no-movement clause for all eight years. Interestingly, it is the most lucrative deal in Flyers franchise history, beating out the 12-year, $69 million contract they gave to Mike Richards in 2008.

This is a huge investment for the Flyers after he came off a strong 2024 season, where he had a career-high 68 points (33 goals and 35 assists) in 76 games. It technically, however, wasn’t his best offensive season, where he had 61 points in an injury-shortened 60-game season for him the year before. This season was supposed to be a contract year, with rumors circulating that he would be trade bait. Instead, Konecny quieted those rumors as he continued to show year-to-year consistency and effective penalty killing, something he did more when John Tortorella became the head coach.

Interestingly, his $8.75 million cap hit will be the highest on the Flyers roster by the start of the contract, and he’s going to play a huge role in getting the power play back to form. Matvei Michkov’s arrival and him signing his entry-level contract should help with that, and Konecny can also help with the promising young forwards on the system and current roster.

Brock Faber Gets Big Raise with Wild in Eight-Year Extension

After a strong rookie season, the Wild are banking on him becoming their no. 1 defenseman in the many years to come. The hometown Faber’s extension comes at eight years and $68 million total, worth a cap hit of $8.5 million, which will keep him through the 2033 season. The contract also carries a no-movement clause and a 15-team no-trade list beginning in the 2031 season, the soonest Faber is eligible to receive such clauses as he will turn 22 in August.

Barring anything else, Faber will become the highest-paid defenseman on the Wild starting in the 2026 season. His breakthrough in his rookie season helped him to finishing as the runner-up in Calder Trophy voting to Connor Bedard. While he entered the season with just two regular season games and a six-game playoff series under his belt, he was thrust into no. 1 defenseman duties because of injuries to Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin. Faber went on to record 24:58 of average time on ice per game.

Not only was he up to the task on being the first option at even strength on the defensive core and manning the top power play unit, given he finished with eight goals and 39 assists for 47 points, but also he recorded 150 blocks on the season, second only to shutdown defenseman Jake Middleton. Though Spurgeon is likely to return to full health heading into this season, Faber will likely be at the top defensive pair given his 2024.

Hurricanes Re-Up Martin Necas to Two-Year Deal

After trade speculations, Necas is staying put in Carolina on a two-year, $13 million contract which carries a $6.5 million cap hit. This new contract walks him into free agency without having him getting into UFA status. He was previously issued a $3.5 million qualifying offer in June, which confirmed he’d be an RFA this summer after his two-year, $6 million contract he signed in August 2022.

Necas was eligible for salary arbitration and was opting to file, but this is not necessary anymore. It helps, because the Hurricanes lost a lot of talent this summer, and their forward depth is thin now. Jake Guentzle, Stefan Noesen, and Teuvo Teravainen were all lost to free agency, while Evgeny Kuznetsov decided to go overseas to play in his home country of Russia.

Necas is familiar with the Hurricanes’ system, being one of the team’s best goal-scorers as he earned more playing time and getting himself into the top six forward core. While his point production regressed last season in comparison to his 2023, his goal-scoring did not, as he put up 24 goals in 2024, four less than his 28 in the season prior. However, he finished the 2024 season with 53 points, 18 down from his 71 in 2023.

Carolina has only Seth Jarvis to take care of in the RFA department, as he is in need of a new contract this summer, and it’s likely that the remaining cap space will go towards that deal. They have $6.44 million in cap space, assuming Jesper Fast starts the season on the injured reserve. However, Necas is primed for more minutes in 2025, and he and Carolina are hoping he returns to 70-point form next season.

Canadiens Keep Kaiden Guhle on Six-Year Extension

Guhle gets his first big contract, as he and the Canadiens have agreed to a six-year, $33.3 million contract extension that carries a $5.55 million cap hit. It’s not a maximum contract extension for the young defenseman, but it’s enough to walk him into unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2031. This contract provides certainty for him and his future.

Leg and ankle injuries cost him the second half of his rookie season, where he was limited to 44 games in 2023. However, he showed he was ready for top four minutes, averaging 20:31 of ice time per game. He was decent offensively, with four goals and 14 assists for 18 points despite not getting significant power play time. It was a struggle defensively in his rookie year, but that was expected for a rookie blueliner bypassing time in the AHL.

While his points per game production took a step back, the important thing is that he avoided any major injuries in his sophomore season. He was third among Habs defensemen in scoring, with 22 points, and played in 70 games last season. His defensive game was noticeably better, as he finished second on the team in blocks, with 178, trailing only Mike Matheson, his usual defensive partner.

It’s a significant long-term investment for someone who projects to be a key piece to the foundation that Kent Hughes is trying to build. While he’s not a true no. 1 defenseman, he’s not expected to be one, which makes this contract more reasonable. His prime will come near the tail end of this deal, but it’s a smart investment.

Table of Contents

0.1 Sponsor: Upside
0.2 YouTube
0.3 Discord/Facebook Groups

1 Share this:
2 Like this:
3 Related Posts

Sponsor: Upside

This article and so much more is brought to you by Upside. Upside is a free not strings attached app that will pay you cashback for the purchases you already make. Gas, Groceries, or a Good Meal, with just 3 clicks, you can earn CashBack today at HUNDREDS of locations. Use our code Sam363682 to save an additional 15 cents per gallon on your next fuel purchase. With discounts up to 25 cents per gallon, you could earn 40 cents back per gallon on your first purchase. Again use our code Sam363682 at sign up.

Check out our other NHL articles Here.

YouTube

Please also help us continue growing on our YouTube Channel by subscribing if you haven’t already. Also like and comment on any videos you enjoy! Thank you for your support and we hope you continue to tune in!

Tuesday Broadcast Schedule

NinerNuts 12:00 pm ET (49ers dedicated)