The TK-O-Train won't be leaving town anytime soon.
The Senators announced on Monday that defenceman Tyler Kleven has signed a two-year contract extension. It carries a $1.6 million average annual value through the 2026-27 season. The 23-year-old became a full-time NHL player this season, appearing in 79 regular season games and all six of Ottawa’s playoff matchups.
"Tyler’s game elevated as our season progressed,” president of hockey operations and general manager Steve Staios in a team release. “He proved to be a reliable defenceman for us during the playoffs and we expect his game will continue to mature and develop.”
Kleven was scheduled to become an RFA on July 1st. He's the second RFA defenceman that Staios has signed this off-season. He inked Nik Matinpalo to a two-year, one-way contract extension worth $875,000 a season.
More details and analysis on this breaking story coming shortly here at The Hockey News Ottawa.
The Ottawa Senators have signed defenseman Tyler Kleven to a two-year extension. The deal will pay Kleven $1.6 million each season. Two more years of Kleven 💥💪 The #Sens have…
Jesper Fast announced his retirement from professional hockey on Monday.
The 33-year-old Carolina Hurricanes right winger suffered a neck injury in the final game of the 2023-24 regular season, missed the playoffs and underwent neck surgery that August. He didn't play in the 2024-25 season.
"I never took for granted the privilege of playing in the best league in the world," Fast said in a statement the Hurricanes released. "I am grateful for all of the teammates, coaches, staff and fans from the Rangers and Hurricanes who made my time in the NHL so special, and for my family for everything they did to help me achieve and live my dream.
"I'd also like to thank Nassjo HC and HV71, organizations that played a vital role in my development into an NHL player."
Although Fast was a sixth-round draft pick in the 2010 NHL draft, the 157th overall pick ranks 24th overall in career scoring from that draft class, with 248 points in 703 games, and 24th in most goals, with 91.
He broke into the NHL with the Rangers in 2013-14, playing 11 games in the regular season but recording his first point in three playoff games. His first career goal came in November 2014 against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Fast split the 2013-14 and 2014-15 campaigns between the Rangers and their AHL affiliate, but he appeared in 19 games during the Blueshirts' run to the Stanley Cup final in 2015, putting up three goals and six points. He became an NHL full-timer in 2015-16, recording 30 points in 79 games. He bested that total in two of his 11 career seasons, with 33 points in 2017-18 and 34 points in 2021-22.
After logging a career-high 16:36 average ice time in 2019-20, Fast left the Rangers to sign a three-year contract worth $2 million annually with the Hurricanes. He re-signed with Carolina for two years in 2023.
In the 2023 post-season, Fast not only scored the overtime-winner in Game 2 of the first round against the New York Islanders but also the series-clincher against the New Jersey Devils in Game 5 of the second round.
Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast announced Monday that he would be officially retiring from professional hockey.
The decision comes following a neck injury Fast sustained at the end of the 2023-24 regular season. In the final game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, defenseman Erik Gudbranson cross checked Fast from behind, causing the forward to crash hard into the end boards.
Fast would miss the entire 2024 playoffs and before the start of last season, it was announced that he would miss the entire 2024-25 season too following surgery.
“I never took for granted the privilege of playing in the best league in the world,” Fast said in a press release. “I am grateful for all of the teammates, coaches, staff and fans from the Rangers and Hurricanes who made my time in the NHL so special, and for my family for everything they did to help me achieve and live my dream. I’d also like to thank Nässjö HC and HV71, organizations that played a vital role in my development into an NHL player.”
Fast, 33, was drafted in the sixth round of the 2010 draft, but carved out a pretty good career for himself, appearing in 703 regular season games and 80 playoff games across 11 season with both the New York Rangers (five) and Carolina Hurricanes (three).
In those regular-season games, the defensive winger had 91 goals and 248 points and was a +41 and for the playoffs, had 14 goals and 28 points with a +5 rating.
He was a shutdown staple alongside Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook for Carolina and no one can forget his crazy playoff run in 2023, including the overtime series winner against the New Jersey Devils.
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The 2025 NHL draft is a huge one for the Flyers’ rebuild.
Not only does Danny Briere have a lot of high-round picks at his disposal, but he also could be creative in how he uses them.
“There are all kinds of possibilities here,” the Flyers’ general manager said in April. “I think it’s really exciting going into it. It’s powerful to have so many picks like that. I think a lot of teams will be wanting to have discussions with us to make some things happen — teams that don’t have picks or teams that want to tweak things.”
So it’s a busy time for the Flyers leading up to the draft, which will be held June 27-28. The first round is Friday at 7 p.m. ET, while Rounds 2-7 are Saturday starting at noon ET.
“There are really good players in this draft,” TSN director of scouting Craig Button said last Tuesday in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Maybe people say it’s not a good draft; I’m not buying it. I think this draft has got lots of good players.”
The Flyers are slotted to make 11 picks, including three first-rounders and four second-rounders. Their first-round selections will come at No. 6 (own pick), No. 22 (Sean Walker trade) and either No. 31 or 32 (Oilers trade).
Before the draft arrives, we’re breaking down first-round targets for the Flyers.
Next up:
Anton Frondell
Position: Center Height: 6-foot-1 Weight: 198 Shoots: Left Team: Djurgarden
Scouting report
The 18-year-old Swede is one of the better players in the draft and arguably the second-best at his position.
When it comes to talent down the middle in this class, Michael Misa leads the charge as a 134-point prospect and the consensus No. 2 overall pick. Then, Frondell could be next among the pivots.
“I think Michael Misa and Anton Frondell have kind of, in my view, separated themselves,” Button, a former NHL GM and scout, said. “After that, the next group of centers, I think they’re all in a similar group.”
Frondell possesses NHL size and an excellent shot. He reads the ice well and can do a little bit of everything. As the third-ranked player in the draft on Button’s list, Frondell has some qualities similar to Aleksander Barkov, the Panthers’ center who just won his third Selke Trophy.
“Now, ‘Sasha’ Barkov is elite,” Button said. “Style of game, type of player; I’m not going to tell you he’s Sasha Barkov, but that’s the type of game that Anton plays. He’s just what I would call a complete, two-way player. He can play heavy, he can play skilled, he can play fast, he can play defense, he can play offense. Much like Barkov, Barkov’s never going to be a 100-point player, but he’s an incredibly valuable player.”
Playing against men in HockeyAllsvenskan, a pro league a tier below the SHL, Frondell put up 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) and a plus-11 rating over 29 games for Djurgarden. He did so in just 12:13 minutes per game.
If there’s concern, it’s that Frondell might not be ultra dynamic or have the highest ceiling. He also dealt with some leg injuries this season.
“Once he got up and running,” Button said, “he really showed that he can have a real impact.”
(Michael Miller/Getty Images)
Fit with Flyers
Given that center is one of their biggest organizational needs, Frondell should be appealing to the Flyers. While there’s debate about his ceiling, there doesn’t seem to be a real low floor. There’s clear top-six potential, he can play the wing and he has all-situation strengths.
“He’s so smart,” Button said. “He just knows how to play — everywhere.”
With his size and shot, Frondell could provide the Flyers a nice balance down the middle in the future. Jett Luchanko, the club’s first-rounder from last summer, is a speed-driven, pass-first center.
The Flyers should have a solid read on Frondell. They evaluate Sweden heavily, led by their director of European scouting Joakim Grundberg.
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