Browsing: extension

From the day Kevin Durant was traded — casting a shadow over Game 7 of the NBA Finals before it even tipped off — it was expected that he would sign a two-year, nine-figure contract extension in Houston. It was a question of when, not if.

Houston has opened training camp, and the when has yet to happen. Not that it is concerning anyone.

“I do see myself signing a contract extension. I canâ€t tell you exactly when itâ€ll happen, but I do see it happening,†Durant said at Rockets media day.

ESPNâ€s Brian Windhorst echoed that, speaking on the Hoop Collective Podcast.

“Iâ€ve talked to the Durant camp, and even beyond what Kevin said [at media day], thereâ€s very good optimism that theyâ€re going to have a deal. But, ainâ€t a deal till itâ€s a deal.â€

Durant can sign a max extension of two years, up to $122 million. The two-year part is non-negotiable. Durant wants it, and the Rockets canâ€t give him more than two years due to the over-38 rule in the CBA (a rule that limits the length of contracts for older players, something owners have had in place for a few CBAs now to protect themselves from themselves).

As always, itâ€s about the money. It was always expected that Durant would take less than the max to get to a place he could contend for a title — but not that much less. The expectation prior to the trade was that Durant still wanted two years and north of $100 million, something closer in average to the $54.7 million he is making this season. The sides are undoubtedly hashing it out, and the fact that the Rockets are also discussing an extension with Tari Eason (and any extension he signs would take effect next season) complicates the long-term financial picture.

That said, a deal will get done.

In the end, the Rockets need Durant. He is a perfect fix for their half-court offensive woes, the issue that led to them getting bounced in the first round of the playoffs as the No. 2 seed last April. Durant averaged 26.6 points, six rebounds, and 4.2 assists a game last season while shooting 43% from three-point range. At age 37, Durant is still a walking half-court offense in and of himself.

The sides will come to a deal. Eventually. And neither side seems particularly stressed about it at this point.

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CALGARY – The Calgary Flames cemented another building block in place Thursday by signing coach Ryan Huska to a two-year contract extension.

Itâ€s yet another tidy piece of business by GM Craig Conroy ahead of opening night, further establishing that the culture, structure and direction of the club will continue evolving under the man who has done so well shaping it.

“First, heâ€s a teacher,†said Conroy when asked why the 50-year-old Cranbrook native has been such a good fit for the rebuilding Flames.

“Heâ€s cerebral, he lays out what he wants to do and explains, ‘this is what weâ€re trying to do, this is why weâ€re trying to do it and this is how we are going to do this.â€â€

Under Conroy and Huska, the Flames are an organization clearly trending upwards.

There is a plan. There is hope.

Itâ€s a refreshing direction for a club rewarded for taking a leap of faith in Conroyâ€s hiring as chief architect.

Up next will no doubt be a similar deal for Conroy, who is also entering the final year of a three-year pact.

A column for another day.

Extending Huska past this season is indeed another feather in Conroyâ€s cap, as it was a gamble to hire a longtime assistant to make the jump to bench boss inside his own organization.

“The organization gave me a chance, and I believed he deserved that too,†said Conroy of his decision in the summer of 2023 to replace Darryl Sutter with Huska.

Conroy wanted someone he could work and grow with, which is exactly what theyâ€ve managed to do.

The structure and environment Huska helped establish have been a driving force for a team known last year as one of the leagueâ€s hardest working.

That work ethic stems from a tight-knit relationship he forged immediately with the leadership group who rallied the troops, establishing a non-negotiable approach to the game that a rotating cast of youngsters and veterans have bought into.

Despite being the leagueâ€s fourth-lowest scoring team, Huskaâ€s motley crew of young and old fell just one point short of a playoff spot last season, going 11-2-3 down the stretch of a playoff chase few in the hockey world believed possible.

His new age, player-friendly approach has endeared him to a group that knows his door is always open and that he values their input.

“Heâ€s honest with them and they respect him,†said Conroy.

“Nowadays the communication is such a big thing, and heâ€s a great communicator.

“At the end of the day, the guys have to buy into it too. They have to agree with what heâ€s selling or it doesnâ€t work.â€

Todayâ€s players want to know where they stand, what and how they can do better, and Huskaâ€s approach and preparation make him tailor-made for the task.

As evidenced by his calm, measured press conferences, Huska is a brilliant spokesman for the team, the game and the organization.

There is no bombast, there is no yelling, but the players know his word is final and that he is to be respected, as itâ€s a two-way street.

Steadying the franchise through their first year of high-profile player departures, Huska and Conroy have done well to forge a new identity for the club, making it an attractive landing spot for drafted players looking to develop.

In time, and with a new arena in sight, itâ€s reasonable to believe free agents will soon start to see Calgary as a desirable destination.

While a well-earned extension is no surprise, it reinforces Conroyâ€s belief from Day 1 that the coaching carousel in Calgary needed to stop. Players know who is in charge and that Huska will be around for several more years to come.

For a team clawing its way into playoff relevance, this is the right call at the right time, ensuring there is no talk of Huska being a lame-duck coach playing out the final year of his deal.

Conroy has long seen Huska as a young Joel Quenneville, who Conroy played for, exuding quiet confidence while evolving into commanding leadership.

The likes of Connor Zary, Martin Pospisil, Matt Coronato and Dustin Wolf have all taken meaningful steps forward under his guidance, with a whole new crew spearheaded by Zayne Parekh, Matvei Gridin and Aydar Suniev next in line.

Wolf, in particular, emerged as a Calder Trophy contender thanks, in part, to Huskaâ€s well-thought-out deployment of the young goalie, building his confidence by putting him in position to succeed.

Expect more of the same, with Parekh in particular.

That kind of relationship-building is key in todayâ€s NHL, where locker rooms can fracture and egos can fester. Here, Huska has created cohesion.

Huskaâ€s demeanour is calm, but his expectations are high. Heâ€s demanding, intense, and passionate. But heâ€s also fair. He doesnâ€t berate players on camera or micromanage their every move. He lets them do their jobs. And when he does snap, itâ€s for a reason.

That balance — edge and empathy — is what makes Huska so effective. Although his style is an amalgamation of various head coaches he worked with over the years, heâ€s not trying to be someone else.

Heâ€s genuine, authentic.

Heâ€s guided Calgary through a hybrid rebuild with poise, purpose and progress. Heâ€s empowered youth, emboldened veterans, and given the organization direction and identity.

Extending him now isnâ€t just smart, itâ€s essential.

It sends a message to the locker room, the fanbase, and the league: the Flames arenâ€t chasing quick fixes. Theyâ€re building something real.

Conroyâ€s calculated gamble has paid off.

And should continue to do so.

NOTES:Rory Kerins and Ivan Prosvetov were put on waivers Thursday with an eye on joining the Wranglers, meaning the Flames’ backup goalie will be Devin Cooley. Huska said the decision was based on their familiarity with Cooley. Jonathan Huberdeau is considered day-to-day after a late-game collision Wednesday night. Â

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  Greg WyshynskiOct 2, 2025, 02:43 PM ET

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  Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.

The Anaheim Ducks have locked up defenseman Jackson LaCombe, a key part of their rebuilding team, on a long-term contract extension.

LaCombe, 24, signed an eight-year deal that carries a $9 million average annual value, a source told ESPN on Thursday. The contract is the largest ever given out by the Ducks.

The extension has the same AAV as the deal defenseman Luke Hughes signed with the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday, although that was on a seven-year term.

LaCombe’s new contract will begin in the 2026-27 season and end in 2033-34. He has one year left on a two-year bridge deal ($925,000 AAV) that he signed in 2024.

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LaCombe was selected 39th overall in the 2019 NHL draft. He has 60 points in 148 NHL games, with a career-best 14 goals and 29 assists in 75 games last season for the Ducks as he formed an effective pairing with bruising veteran defenseman Radko Gudas.

Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek said extending LaCombe was “a priority” for the team and that the young defenseman has “all of the tools to be an anchor on our back end for many years to come.”

LaCombe said it was an “easy decision” to go long term in Anaheim.

“We are building something special here and I am excited to do everything I can to help this team win,” he said in a statement.

The Minnesota alum was invited to the U.S. men’s Olympic orientation camp, putting him in contention for a spot on the 2026 men’s hockey team that will battle for gold in Italy. LaCombe helped the U.S. win gold at the 2025 world championships — the Americans’ first gold at the event in 92 years.

This is the second big signing for Verbeek in the past week. The Ducks and restricted free agent center Mason McTavish agreed to a six-year, $42 million extension Saturday, ending a contentious negotiation that kept him out of training camp.

Anaheim is seeking its first playoff berth since 2018.

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The Calgary Flames extended head coach Ryan Huska’s contract for two additional years on Thursday, keeping him signed through the 2027-28 season.

Huska became the franchise’s 24th head coach in June 2023.

He has since led the retooling Flames to a 79-66-19 record, coming within one point of a playoff appearance last season.

A former Chicago Blackhawks draft pick, Huska began coaching in 2002 as an assistant with the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets, becoming the club’s head coach in 2007.

The 50-year-old from Cranbrook, B.C., joined the Flames organization in the 2014-15 season as head coach of the American Hockey League’s Adirondack Flames.

That job moved to Stockton for three years before Huska became an assistant in Calgary for five seasons.

“Weâ€re thrilled to extend Ryan for two more years,” Flames general manager Craig Conroy said in a statement. “Heâ€s done an excellent job creating a strong culture in our room and helping our team take steps in the right direction. His communication, work ethic, and commitment to developing our players have been outstanding. We believe in his vision and are confident heâ€s the right coach to lead us forward.”

Huska said he’s grateful for the opportunity to continue leading the Flames.

“I believe in this group, in their character, talent, and potential. Iâ€m excited about the direction we are heading,” he said. “I want to thank Craig, the ownership, and the entire organization for their trust and support. We are committed to pushing forward and bringing success back to Calgary.”

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The Florida Panthers have agreed to an eight-year extension with defenseman Niko Mikkola, and as a result have locked in each of their top four defensemen until at least 2030.

Sources said the extension has an average annual value of $5 million.

Mikkola’s new deal, announced Thursday by general manager Bill Zito without financial terms, comes as the Panthers begin their quest for a three-peat without two of their biggest stars. Matthew Tkachuk is recovering from offseason surgery and is expected to be back around December. Captain Aleksander Barkov tore an ACL and MCL at a preseason practice and has a projected recovery from surgery of seven to nine months.

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Mikkola, 29, has found his game with the Panthers, where he was a key defensive cog in each of their Stanley Cup wins. He has appeared in 46 playoff games over the past two seasons, averaging 19:23 per contest. He also scored some clutch (if unlikely) goals, including the game winner in Game 3 of the 2025 Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes. At 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds, Mikkola’s game blends physicality with strong skating.

“Niko has proven himself to be a dependable defenseman who uses his speed and physicality to impact both ends of the ice,” Zito said in a statement. “He was an indispensable piece of our past two championship campaigns, and we are thrilled that Niko will be continuing his career with the Florida Panthers.”

A native of Finland, Mikkola was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the fifth round (No. 127) of the 2015 NHL draft. After three seasons in St. Louis, he was traded to the New York Rangers in 2023 as part of the Vladimir Tarasenko deal.

He signed a three-year, $7.5 million contract with the Panthers in 2023 as a free agent. This season is the final year of that deal; the extension will kick in for 2026-27 and runs through 2033-34. Fellow Panthers defensemen Gustav Forsling, Aaron Ekblad and Seth Jones have already committed to long-term deals.

Mikkola is expected to be named to the Finnish team for the 2026 Olympics in Milan.

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The Miami Heat and forward Nikola Jović agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension worth $62.4 million on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Jović is heading into his fourth season with Miami after the team selected him with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft.

The Heat have just over $278.8 million in total cap allocations and $62.6 million in first-apron space for the 2026-27 season, the first year that Jović’s extension will kick in (via Spotrac).

The 22-year-old has shown encouraging signs when healthy, as he’s coming off a 2024-25 campaign in which he averaged a career-high 10.7 points to go along with 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He shot 45.6 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from three-point territory.

Jović also looked sharp while suiting up for Serbia during EuroBasket 2025. He recorded 12.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game on 60.0/52.4/92.3 shooting splits during the tournament.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who traveled to Europe to watch the competition, was impressed with Jović.

“I’m really excited for Niko,” Spoelstra said, via Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I love it when he spends time with the national team. Every time he comes back to us, he comes back more mature. I think being around a group that knows how to win, that really cares about winning, the team is so connected also. So I think it makes a big impression on him. We’re looking forward to some great things ahead for him with us.”

Injuries have prevented Jović from making a larger impact in Miami’s rotation, as he’s appeared in just 107 of a possible 246 regular-season games to begin his career.

He was limited to just 15 games as a rookie due to back issues and only made 46 appearances last season after suffering a broken bone in his right hand on Feb. 23.

Still, the Heat are clearly excited about Jović’s long-term potential after making a financial commitment to him on Wednesday.

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The Golden State Warriors and restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga have finally found common ground on a new contract, which underlines exactly how much the two entities actually failed to find common ground, generally.

Kuminga is signing a two-year deal worth $48.5 million, but the second year is a team option, which means the can is really being kicked a year down the road.

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Contentious relationship

During the four-year partnership between Kuminga and the Warriors, the forward has been jerked around plenty in regard to his role. This has seemingly soured him on the organization.

On the flip side, the Warriors haven’t felt as though they could trust Kuminga to offer a good feel for their offense nor that they could play him extended minutes. This has seemingly soured them on his development.

Basically, both sides clearly wanted to move on from each other, but at the end of the day, it proved too difficult. Kuminga’s status as a restricted free agent complicated matters from a contractual and trade perspective, leaving the two sides in a tough spot.

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The situation is, in many ways, hilarious.

Golden State’s front office has known for years it wasn’t keen on Kuminga’s long-term outlook, but repeatedly failed to pull the trigger on a deal. Now the Warriors spent months negotiating with a player who clearly didn’t feel wanted — justifiably so — and will have to now attempt to trade him on a contract that’s short, meaning any receiving team will fork over less for his services.

It’s all just been a complete mess.

Kuminga’s upcoming season

Now the focus shifts from contractual analysis to a more singular element: How will Kuminga play?

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The Warriors can’t afford to bury him on the bench, especially if they wish to trade him. In fact, now more than ever, they should be more motivated to play him to increase his value.

What happens if Kuminga should now turn into an All-Star caliber player? What if this is the year he takes the leap?

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Sure, the two sides have time to hash out new terms next summer, but is Kuminga even interested in sticking around?

This all is very much a marriage of convenience for now, but for Kuminga, this opportunity might be just what the doctor ordered for his future prospects.

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At the end of the day, though, the Warriors couldn’t afford to just see him pick up the one-year qualifying offer. They weren’t successful when they tried building a new and younger team around Stephen Curry and will now just have to embrace that when the aging Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler are done, it’s going to be a long, uncomfortable rebuilding process.

For that, they need as many assets as possible to squeeze out value for the future. Kuminga is one such asset, and that’s why they eventually saw the necessity in keeping him around, at least for now.

Kuminga got paid, and the Warriors didn’t lose a trade chip for nothing. So far, it’s a reluctant win-win, and maybe the most reluctant win-win in NBA transaction history.

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The Minnesota Wild have signed left wing Kirill Kaprizov to an NHL-record eight-year, $136 million contract extension through the 2033-34 season, general manager Bill Guerin announced Tuesday.

The deal is the highest in NHL history in terms of total money and average annual value ($17 million), breaking the marks previously held by Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin ($124 million) and Edmonton Oilers standout Leon Draisaitl ($14 million AAV).

The contract, which will kick in next season, includes large signing bonuses over the first four years, sources told ESPN. He will play this season on the final year of a five-year, $45 million deal signed in 2021.

PLAYERTM.DEALKirill KaprizovMIN$136MAlex OvechkinWSH$124MLeon DraisaitlEDM$112MShea WeberNSH$110MPLAYERTM.AAVKirill KaprizovMIN$17MLeon DraisaitlEDM$14MAuston MatthewsTOR$13.25MNathan MacKinnonCOL$12.6MConnor McDavidEDM$12.5MMitch MarnerLV$12MMikko RantanenDAL$12M

Ovechkin’s deal was a 13-year pact signed in 2008, when the NHL had different term limits.

The news comes one week before the NHL season started after prolonged extension talks between Kaprizov’s camp and the Wild, in which Kaprizov turned down a deal that would pay him $16 million annually.

The NHL and NHLPA have already announced significant jumps in the salary cap for the next three seasons after COVID slowed down growth for several years.

The 28-year-old Kaprizov had 25 goals and 31 assists and a plus-19 rating in 41 games during the 2024-25 regular season. In 319 games over five seasons with the Wild, he is fourth in team history with 185 goals and fifth with 386 points.

Kaprizov, a 2015 fifth-round pick, is already one of the best players to ever suit up for the Wild. The winger holds single-season franchise records in points (108), goals (47), power play goals (19) and is the only player in franchise history with multiple 40-goal seasons. He also won the Calder Trophy with 27 goals and 24 assists during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season.

Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov missed 40 games last season due to a lower-body injury that required surgery but still managed to score 25 goals and 31 assists. He also added five goals and four assists in a six-game loss to Vegas in the playoffs. Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Through Christmas last season, Kaprizov had 50 points, which was tied with Nikita Kucherov for fourth in the NHL behind Nathan MacKinnon (57), Draisaitl (52) and Mikko Rantanen (52), as the Wild got off to a 21-10-4 start. Unfortunately, Kaprizov twice missed significant time with lower-body injuries starting on Dec. 23, and the Wild suffered without him, going 24-20-3.

Owner Craig Leipold made several public comments over the past few months projecting confidence that the deal could get done, claiming no other team could offer a richer contract than the Wild.

The eight-year deal will be one of the last in the NHL, as the new CBA will limit players re-signing with their own teams to a seven-year maximum deal. Free agents will be capped at six-year deals, rather than seven.

Kaprizov could be the first domino to fall as many pending unrestricted free agents and their representatives were waiting for the market to reset with the new salary cap. Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, is entering the final year of his contract and could become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Jack Eichel and Artemi Panarin are also pending UFAs.

The previous longest and richest contracts in Wild history went to left wing Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter, who signed identical 13-year, $98 million deals on July 4, 2012.

Minnesota has gone 10 consecutive seasons without a playoff series win, the fourth-longest active drought in the NHL behind the Sabres (18), Red Wings (12) and Kings (11).

ESPN Research contributed to this report.

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The Minnesota Wild signed star left wing Kirill Kaprizov to an eight-year, $136-million extension on Tuesday, giving him the richest contract in NHL history.

Kaprizov will count $17 million against the salary cap beginning next season. It’s the highest annual average salary of any player since the leagueâ€s cap era began in 2005, surpassing Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl at $112 million over eight years ($14-million annual average). Alex Ovechkinâ€s 13-year, $124-million contract signed with Washington in 2008 was previously the highest total value.

Kaprizovâ€s contract sets a new bar at one of the most intriguing times in hockey. The best player in the world, Connor McDavid, is entering the final year of his contract with Edmonton and could become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Jack Eichel and Artemi Panarin are also pending unrestricted free agents.

Kaprizov will play this season on the final year of a five-year, $45-million deal he signed in September 2021, when he started that contract by tallying 47 goals and 61 assists in 81 games in the 2021-22 season, all career highs.

Kaprizov won the Calder Trophy with 27 goals and 24 assists in 55 games in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season and has been the Wildâ€s most productive and dynamic player ever since. He received 99 of 100 first-place votes as the leagueâ€s top rookie, becoming the first Wild player to win the award.

Drafted in the fifth round in 2015, Kaprizov stayed and played in the KHL in his native Russia until finally signing with Minnesota in July 2020. The only snags for the Wild since then have come off the ice. The pandemic made negotiations more difficult on his previous deal, which didnâ€t get done until right before training camp.

The following summer, his return to Russia led to a stressful off-season for the entire organization, as Kaprizov ran into several roadblocks in his attempt to travel back to the U.S. because of political relations between the two countries. Expiration of his work visa and pandemic-related backlogs at foreign consulates made the paperwork process more complicated.

Injuries began to pop up for Kaprizov, but he still managed 40 goals and 35 assists in 67 games in 2022-23 and 46 goals and 50 assists in 75 games in 2023-24. Last season was his most frustrating, when an unspecified lower-body injury arose, eventually required surgery and ultimately cost him 40 games. He still had 25 goals and 31 assists and returned to the ice with a flourish right before the playoffs, when he had five goals and four assists in a six-game loss in the first round to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Kaprizov, who has 386 points in 319 regular-season games and 21 points in 25 playoff games, said after the Wild were eliminated that he wasnâ€t worried about his contract status.

“I love everything here,†Kaprizov said. “Should be all good.â€

There were questions raised as training camp began about whether the situation was truly all good, considering the absence of a deal when the Wild hit the ice for their first practice. But Kaprizov reiterated to reporters after that session how much he enjoys the Twin Cities area, the fans, his teammates and the organization.

The 28-year-old is beloved in the Wild locker room, a frequently smiling, soft-spoken player who has improved his English to the point where he doesnâ€t use an interpreter like he did at the beginning of his career. Only right wing Marian Gaborik, the first player ever drafted by the Wild, who entered the league as an expansion club in 2000, had a skill set and scoring touch that rivalled Kaprizovâ€s in the history of a franchise that has not advanced past the first round of the playoffs in 10 years and never reached the Stanley Cup Final.

The longest and richest contracts in Wild history went to left wing Zach Parise and defenceman Ryan Suter, who signed identical 13-year, $98 million deals on July 4, 2012. The buyouts of those deals in 2021 for a fresh start for team chemistry came at a cost, particularly during the last two seasons with the charges accounting for about 17 per cent of their salary cap.

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Trae Young isnâ€t quite at “disappointment†yet when it comes to his lack of a contract extension with the Atlanta Hawks, but heâ€s close.

Young, speaking at the teamâ€s media day on Monday, was asked about not having a new deal entering training camp this fall. Young is eligible for a four-year, $229 million extension with the franchise. Though he tried to downplay it a bit and insisted that his focus was elsewhere, itâ€s on the back of his mind.

“I don’t know [about] the word disappointment. I mean, maybe, for sure,” Young said, via ESPNâ€s Ohm Youngmisuk. “For me, I’m so focused. I’m more happy about the team that we got going into this season. I’m blessed, bro. I wasn’t stressing about anything. If something happened, it happened. If it didn’t, I still got time.”

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Young averaged 24.2 points and a league-high 11.6 assists per game last season while picking up the fourth All-Star nod of his career. The Hawks went just 40-42 last season, however, and missed the playoffs for the second straight campaign under head coach Quin Snyder.

The former No. 5 overall pick out of Oklahoma is entering the eighth season in the league. He has two years left on a five-year, $215 million deal he signed with the franchise ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, and heâ€s got a player option on that contract for next season before he hits free agency in 2027.

Though Young can still get his extension done, itâ€s unclear where the two sides are at on that front.

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Regardless, Young is trying to focus on getting the Hawks back into the postseason. The team made several major moves this past offseason, including bringing in Kristaps Porzingis from the Boston Celtics and Nickeil Alexander-Walker from the Minnesota Timberwolves. They also struck a one-year, $11 million deal with Luke Kennard in free agency.

“I’m focused on this team. I’m focused on right now,” Young said. “I got a great team going into the season that you can’t say I’ve had [before]. So I’m even more excited about that. Who knows what the future is for me. But right now I’m here and I’m present like me and Coach [Snyder] have been talking about. I’m ready to go.”

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