NHL free agency is on the horizon, and we are seeing more and more teams lock up their guys before the phones start ringing.

Michael McCarron is the newest of the bunch, as he and the Minnesota Wild have reportedly come to terms on a six-year contract extension that will pay the six-foot-six forward $3.3 million annually.

The length of his deal and inclusion of a full no-movement clause came as quite the surprise for a forward who scored just eight goals last season – three for the Wild. Daily Faceoff LIVE’s Tyler Yaremchuk said that this is the “summer of sticker shock” due to the increased cap ceiling for teams, that gives general managers a lot more wiggle room.

McCarron was brought on by general manager Bill Guerin as a bolster to the Wild’s penalty killing unit, and to add size and physicality to the roster as a fourth-line forward. A second-round pick in 2028 which went to the Nashville Predators in exchange for McCarron. In the playoffs, he scored two goals and four points throughout eleven games, helping his new team escape the first round for the first time in 11 years.

The super-sized forward has played in 381 games during his career with the Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, and Wild. He may not be known for production, but he has still contributed to his teams with his 36 goals and 79 points tallied across ten seasons.

According to PuckPedia, the Wild have about $9.4 million left for the remainder of their offseason. However, this year’s free agent class is arguably not as important as next year’s for Guerin, as he looks to ensure star defenceman Quinn Hughes does not hit the market in 2027. Hughes is eligible to resign with the Wild on July 1, 2026.

Typically people say you can’t learn to win without losing along the way.

Jesse Puljujarvi won gold with Finland at the 2026 IIHF World Championship, and during his celebrations, he managed to lose the hardware that proves it.

His gold medal was reportedly stolen at a Finnish karaoke bar in Helsinki, and citizens are being urged to stay on the lookout for its hopeful reappearance.

“The medal was on display,” Puljujarvi said in a translated quote, as per Daily Faceoff. “People were allowed to look at it, but my medal was never returned.”

It was a successful tournament for the former Oilers forward, who made a great impact for his team, scoring four goals and nine points in 10 games – only trailing captain Aleksander Barkov as the leading Finnish scorer.

He advocated that the medal has no worth to anyone who hasn’t actually won it, and is offering compensation for whoever returns it.

“I will offer the person who returns it ice cream, a coffee with a bun, or even both, if I get it back,” he said, as per Daily Faceoff.

Puljujarvi has two other gold medals to make up for the loss of this one. In 2016, he won at the IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship, then he was the IIHF World Junior Championship’s most valuable player in their capture of gold that same year, with 17 points in seven games.