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4 NHL teams who might be interested in signing Teddy Blueger
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Photo credit: © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Jacob Fraser
Jun 20, 2026, 12:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 20, 2026, 02:58 EDT
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There hasn’t been much word around Teddy Blueger and his future with the Vancouver Canucks. Following last season’s trade deadline, it was assumed the old Canucks regime would be attempting to bring Blueger back since he wasn’t dealt to a contending team. 
That may have been the plan then, but now with the Sedins and Ryan Johnson taking control, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Blueger heading elsewhere this offseason. The question is which teams may actually have a need and some interest in Blueger. 
The Latvian centreman is a steady, defensive-minded forward who can kill penalties but is somewhat limited offensively. Blueger can certainly chip in on the offensive end, which he showed by scoring nine goals and 17 points in 35 games last season. But that certainly shouldn’t be the expectation for what Blueger will provide to a team. 
His defensive and penalty killing ability make him a perfect fit for a fourth line on a contending team, with the ability to slot into a third line when necessary. 
Today, we’ve compiled a list of four teams who might be interested in Teddy Blueger’s services:

The Edmonton Oilers

Our first team that may be interested in adding Teddy Blueger is the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers currently have Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Josh Samanski, and Mattias Janmark down the middle, with Jason Dickinson, Adam Henrique, and Jack Roslovic all set to hit free agency. Blueger could be a good replacement, who may even be a cheaper option than the likes of Dickinson and Roslovic. 
The Oilers do have the cap space to make this happen as well, especially if they’re able to move off the Darnell Nurse contract following his trade request. Currently, Edmonton has $14.5-million in cap space, plus potentially nine more million if they do move Nurse’s contract. They could very easily fit in a Blueger deal and add a player that could massively help their depth down the middle and be a big part of their penalty killing unit.

The Florida Panthers

The Panthers are looking to bounce back next season and return to the Stanley Cup Final. After an injury-riddled season this past year, they could be looking to shore up their depth down the middle. Currently under contract, the two-time Stanley Cup Champs have Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, Anton Lundell, and Jesper Boqvist at centre. Boqvist, however, could easily shift over to the wing – as he’s done in the past – to allow Blueger to play as the team’s fourth line centre.
Blueger is someone who fits the mould of a defensive-minded centreman, a trait the top three Panthers centremen all possess. And with over $15-million in cap space, this could certainly be a fit for both Blueger and the Panthers.

The Los Angeles Kings

The LA Kings are an intriguing team that should be looking to the open market to shore up the centre position. Anze Kopitar is headed for retirement, and as one of the top free agent centre options, Scott Laughton could test the waters. The team only has Quinton Byfield, Sam Helenius and Alex Turcotte currently under contract for next season, so some help down the middle is a big need for them.
Blueger won’t be the answer if they’re looking to add a second line centre, but he could add some necessary depth to the lineup. Over the past few seasons, the Kings have been notorious for their boring trap-style hockey. If they continue to use this method or something similar to it under their new head coach, Blueger should be an enticing option for them in free agency.
The Kings have a little over $18 million in cap space and no crucial re-signings or extensions to hand out. So the cost of bringing in Blueger shouldn’t hurt them if they also want to chase some more game-breaking players to add to their roster ahead of next season.

The Toronto Maple Leafs

The last team on the list that could make a ton of sense to target Blueger in free agency is the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs have a ton of cap space and some room to add down the middle. They currently have just under $19 million in cap space after adding Darren Raddysh, with Auston Matthews and John Tavares as the only two true centremen on the roster. Max Domi can play centre, but is often shifted to the wing, while Bo Groulx can also play down the middle, but has under 80 games of NHL experience through his four-year NHL career.
Blueger could be an upgrade over Groulx and could be paired back up with Dakota Joshua, with whom he had strong chemistry with during the Canucks during the 2023-24 season. The added defensive depth down the middle of the ice certainly couldn’t hurt the Leafs organization, and with the cap space they have, it would take too much of it to bring in the Latvian centre on a very solid deal. 
Of course, these three teams aren’t the only ones that would likely have some interest in Blueger in free agency. There aren’t many centremen in this year’s group who can impact the game the way Blueger does. Though because there aren’t many centremen on the market, there aren’t a ton of teams that have serious needs for bottom-six depth centremen. 
That being said, Blueger is a very dependable centreman who could be seen as a luxury depth piece for most contending teams that have the cap space to make a deal work.
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