While July 1st is generally all about unrestricted free agents, restricted free agency begins as well. Although offer sheets are few and far between, sometimes the threat of one could be enough to spur movement. That appears to be the case with Stars forward Mavrik Bourque as they have dealt him and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin to Nashville in exchange for Nashville’s 2027 second-round pick and Vegas’ 2028 third-rounder. Both teams have announced the swap.
Bourque is coming off his best NHL season so far. The 24-year-old played in 82 games last season in his sophomore year, putting up 20 goals and 21 assists. He did so playing on a very team-friendly contract. Dallas had Bourque playing on a one-year, $950K bridge deal, one that afforded them more cap flexibility to try to make a run last season while giving the youngster more leverage in his next contract.
That leverage is certainly now in play. While the Stars would have undoubtedly liked to keep him in the fold, they also have Jason Robertson that they’re hoping to re-sign or find a suitable trade for; efforts on both fronts have failed to materialize in recent days. But with Robertson seeking more than $12MM per season on a long-term deal and Dallas only having $9.2MM in cap room before the swap per PuckPedia, it feels like the Stars were going to have their hand forced one way or the other.
Rather than risk the offer sheet, they’ve gotten out in front of it with this trade. A pair of second-round picks could have been higher than a potential offer sheet return had Bourque signed an offer sheet in the $4.75MM range, the upper end of the second-round pick compensation threshold. The move also allows them to clear the final season of Lyubushkin’s deal off their books, allowing them to open up another $3.25MM in cap room.
Bourque is the latest addition of note from new GM Chris MacFarland, who has acted quickly to reshape the roster after coming over from Colorado. He should be able to give the Predators a boost to their secondary scoring, especially important for a team that finished 20th in goals scored last season. Bourque should slot into a top-six role, depending on what other moves that MacFarland has in store. Contract talks are underway between the two sides, reports Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link).
Lyubushkin, meanwhile, is likely to slot in on the third pairing, a role he has held for the bulk of his career. The 32-year-old played in 53 games last season, notching one goal and eight assists along with 90 blocked shots and 68 hits. For his career, he has 70 points in 486 games between five different organizations.
With this swap, the Preds now have a little over $14MM in cap room, per PuckPedia, with Bourque and defenseman Justin Barron being their restricted free agents of note.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the trade.
