MADISON, Wis. – Following the Florida Panthers' Stanley Cup win on June 24, led by Panthers general manager and UW law school graduate Bill Zito, it's been a busy offseason for Wisconsin men's hockey alumni in the NHL.
On July 22, Joe Pavelski, the highest-scoring Wisconsin Badger in the NHL, officially announced his retirement. The forward finishes his NHL career with 476 goals and 1,068 points in 1,332 career regular season games played over 18 NHL seasons – 13 with the San Jose Sharks and five with the Dallas Stars. The Plover native holds the NHL record for the most playoff goals scored by a U.S.-born player with 74, and he ranks fifth among all U.S.-born players in goals and points.
Multiple former Badgers have spent their summer signing deals with new teams and contract extensions. Among this group is defenseman Ryan Suter, who signed a one-year deal with the St. Louis Blues. The Madison native joins his fourth team for his 20th NHL season. He spent the previous three years with the Dallas Stars after nine seasons with the Minnesota Wild and his first seven with the Nashville Predators.
Also changing teams this offseason is Madison native Craig Smith, who struck a deal to join the Chicago Blackhawks on a one-year contract after a season in Dallas. He played his first nine seasons with the Nashville Predators, before nearly three seasons with the Boston Bruins and part of a season with the Washington Capitals. Next year will mark his 14th year in the NHL.
Brendan Smith signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Stars for his 14th season next year. He spent the past two years with the New Jersey Devils, a season with the Carolina Hurricanes, five years with the New York Rangers and six seasons with the Detroit Red Wings.
Joining Smith on the Stars is forward Cameron Hughes, who signed a one-year, two-way contract with Dallas. Hughes has spent the past two seasons with the Seattle Kraken organization playing for its AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Before signing with Seattle, Hughes spent four years playing for the Boston Bruins' AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, and skated in two career NHL games for Boston.
Ryan McDonagh has also found a new home for his upcoming 15th NHL season. In a trade with the Nashville Predators, Tampa acquired defenseman McDonagh and a fourth-round pick in this year's NHL draft in exchange for its second-round draft selection in 2025 and seventh-round pick in 2024. McDonagh, who won two Stanley Cups and played four and a half seasons with Tampa Bay from 2018 to 2022, returns to the Lightning after spending two years in Nashville. Prior to being traded to Tampa in the middle of the 2017-18 season, McDonagh spent his first seven and a half NHL seasons with the New York Rangers.
In contract extension news, both Badgers on the San Jose Sharks re-upped with the team with forward Luke Kunin and defenseman Ty Emberson each signing one-year contracts. Kunin will be playing in his eighth NHL season and third with the Sharks, previously spending two years with the Nashville Predators and before that, three years with the Minnesota Wild.
Emberson, who made his NHL debut early in the 2023-24 season, will skate with the Sharks for the second consecutive year.
Forward Alex Turcotte signed a three-year extension with the Los Angeles Kings. Turcotte has been part of the Kings organization since the 2020-21 season and has spent the past three years splitting his time with Los Angeles and its AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.
In the AHL, former Badger defenseman Peter Tischke signed a one-year deal with the Rochester Americans, the Buffalo Sabres AHL affiliate. Since 2019, Tischke has appeared in 78 regular-season AHL contests between Rochester and the Colorado Eagles.
Off the ice, after 16 seasons in the NHL, veteran goaltender Brian Elliot will be hanging up his skates to take on a new role in the St. Louis Blue's front office as a goaltending scout and development coach. Though he has not officially announced his retirement yet, Elliot last played in the NHL during the 2022-23 season with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
