The Florida Panthers have added to their goaltending depth.

The Panthers have announced that they have signed goaltender Brandon Bussi to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2025-26 season. 

We’ve agreed to terms with goaltender Brandon Bussi on a one-year, two-way contract.

📝 » https://t.co/aD8QG1plJQpic.twitter.com/Awd6UpSAHo

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) July 1, 2025

Bussi, 27, spent each of the last four seasons in the Boston Bruins' system, where he played in the AHL. In 33 games this past season with the Providence Bruins, the 6-foot-5 goaltender put together a 15-14-3 record, a .907 save percentage, and a 2.77 goals-against average. Overall, it was another solid year in the AHL for Bussi, and he will look to build off that with the Panthers organization from here. 

Bussi should have a good chance of being the Charlotte Checkers' starting goalie, as he has been solid throughout his AHL career. He has had a .907 save percentage in each of his four AHL campaigns, which includes a .924 save percentage in 32 games with Providence in 2022-23. 

Overall, this is a low-risk depth move for the Panthers. At a minimum, Bussi should be an impactful goalie for the Checkers. In 111 career AHL games, Bussi has a 31-12-8 record, a .915 save percentage, and a 2.62 goals-against average. 

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

Panthers sign veteran defenseman Jeff Petry to 1-year deal, per report

Panthers Sign Recently Acquired Goalie To New Contract

Panthers re-sign forward Tomas Nosek to one-year deal, per report

Report: Panthers Working To Re-Sign Veteran Forward

Panthers Key Defenseman Hitting Free-Agent Market

Photo Credit: © Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The Vegas Golden Knights’ newest recruit, Mitch Marner, is ready to embrace his fresh start in Las Vegas. But for the star winger, this deal wasn’t just about hockey, it was about finding a home. 

WELCOME HOME, MARNER FAMILY 😁 pic.twitter.com/IQcX0pSVlh

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) July 1, 2025

Hockey is a top priority amongst the league, but for Marner, everything changed earlier in May when he became a father. As previously mentioned, Marner signed an eight-year contract, an undeniable asset for the Knights on the ice. But beyond the rink, that long-term commitment offers his son, Miles, the chance to grow up rooted in one place, surrounded by a close-knit community.

“As soon as I got home from the rink, immediately after games or anything like that, I was trying to figure out how I could help my wife and my son,” Marner said. “Whether it was staying up late some nights, trying to take care of them, or just helping my wife get a couple hours of sleep between feedings. It really changes your mindset quickly. You’re thankful for the lessons that other people taught you along the way, but your mind definitely shifts to being a family man, not just a hockey player.” 

Max Pacioretty and Ryan Reaves, both former Golden Knights and former teammates of Marner with the Maple Leafs, have been key confidants for him over the past few weeks. Their insights and experiences played a pivotal role in helping him and his family realize that Vegas was the right fit all around.

Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon attributed the team’s strong culture to its success and highlighted how it plays a role in Marner’s addition to the roster.

“I think we also have the ability here to surround any player with really good players,” McCrimmon said. “Those are things that have been brought to our organization by some people who aren't even in our organization anymore, but have been passed down. And we always say about our culture, don't let it slip. I think he's going to fit into that and flourish.” 

As Marner begins this new chapter in Vegas, it’s clear that the Knights are gaining more than just top-tier talent. They’re welcoming a player whose priorities align with the culture they’ve built. 

PHOTO COURTESY: Golden Knights

Senators general manager Steve Staios didn't do a lot on day one of free agency, but there was something familiar about his performance. For the second year in a row, Staios went out and acquired a free agent veteran role player, who's won a Stanley Cup.

Last year in free agency, the Senators picked up David Perron, Michael Amadio, and, later in the summer, Nick Cousins. All of them are north of 30 and owners of Stanley Cup rings.

Joining that demographic in the Senators locker room is center Lars Eller, who signed a one-year deal on Tuesday worth $1.2 million. Eller is coming off a 10-goal, 22-point season, split between Pittsburgh and Washington. 

Eller will likely replace Adam Gaudette, who left the Senators today in free agency. Gaudette got a two-year contract worth $2 million a season with the San Jose Sharks, the biggest payday of his career.

Eller may not be capable of the 19 goals Gaudette had this season, though let's be honest, Gaudette may not be either. But Eller is bigger, a better defender and a better skater. He's got over 1,000 games in the league and he has a Cup winning goal to his credit.

And he can still produce as well, just one year removed from a 15-goal, 31-point season in 2023-24.

"Yeah, we're excited to bring into our group another veteran with experience that's won, a high-character individual that can move around the lineup," Staios said. "And we're looking to continue to build on our depth.

As an aside, Eller was part of two wild moments in games against the Ottawa Senators. The most notable occurred during the 2013 playoffs when he was with the Montreal Canadiens. Senators defenseman Eric Gryba caught him with a brutal hit at the Montreal blue line on a suicide pass from teammate Raphael Diaz, only known to Sens head coach Paul MacLean as Player 61.

Eller had no idea the hit was coming and suffered a broken nose and a concussion after landing face-first on the ice. It led to hard feelings on both sides in the series and a war of words between MacLean and Canadiens coach Michel Therrien. 

The other moment was the weirdest of goals two years ago when Eller was playing for the Colorado Avalanche. Mads Søgaard covered the puck up on a dump-in, and for some bizarre reason, the officials refused to blow the whistle, even though Søgaard was surrounded by Avalanche players. When everyone stopped playing, Søgaard lifted his glove off the puck, assuming the play was dead, and Eller tucked the puck in for a goal that they actually let stand.

The Senators also added a depth forward on Tuesday, signing 25-year-old Olle Lycksell, who's been a fine American Hockey League scorer so far in his career, averaging a point a game for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He also got into 19 games for the Philadelphia Flyers, posting five points. He should be a tremendous asset for Belleville this year while providing some NHL depth if required because of injury.

When Staios was asked if he expects any further additions to his NHL roster this summer, he was candid in his answer.

"I guess we'll see... Most likely not. We feel comfortable with where we are," Staios said.

Staios pointed out that the changes for next season were a "slow roll" that started back at the deadline and included Dylan Cozens, Fabian Zetterlund, Jordan Spence, and now Eller.

Beyond that, Staios believes in the core of this team and that its greatest room for improvement will come from the growth of experience and being another year older.

"I'm mindful of this group and their growth and their development. And I think I can't emphasize that enough. They are taking hold of it."

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News/Ottawa

Detroit Trades Former Ottawa Senators Winger Vladimir Tarasenko
Senators Sign Goaltender Leevi Meriläinen To New One-Way Contract
Sens First-Round Selection Says He Models His Game After Jake Sanderson
Senators Acquire Defenseman Jordan Spence From Los Angeles
Senators Select Another Right Shot Defenseman In Round One Of 2025 Draft
Sens Nation Podcast: Breaking Down the Giroux and Spence Deals and the NHL Draft

The NHL's free-agency period commenced Tuesday, and the team this THN.com site is centered around, the Buffalo Sabres, took their crack at trying to improve by signing a handful of players to help get them into the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 15 years. Unfortunately, the handful of signings in question from the Sabres were almost exclusively an exercise in mediocrity.

The Sabres spent $5-million of their salary cap space on RFA center Ryan McLeod, who had his first 20-goal season in 2024-25. McLeod still has upside, but until he asserts himself as a consistent contributor from year-to-year, the 25-year-old can't be counted on to carry the Sabres. Similarly, Buffalo's new contracts for winger Ryan Johnson (three years, $775,00 per season), center Tyson Kozak (three years, $775,000 per), right winger Justin Danforth, (two years, $1.8 million per), defenseman Mason Geersten (two years, $1.155 million per) and goaltender Alex Lyon (two years, $1.5 million per) for the most part were categorized as investments in the possibility rather than the probability.

That reality, though, does not prevent Buffalo from erring on the side of caution by spending to the cap upper ceiling. The Sabres should be spending every penny of their available salary cap space, but as of Tuesday evening, Buffalo still had $13.76 million in cap space. It sure feels like there's an internal budget that's not the same as the league's maximum budget.

And that's where you can understand why Sabres fans are so disillusioned at the moment. Ownership may be keeping the team in town, but they need to be keeping up with the Joneses. And that's sure not the feeling after a day in which there were still some above-average players available.

For instance, why not take a chance on a star like Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers? Granted, he doesn't have as much impact in the playoffs than he does in the regular-season, but who's kidding who here -- if Ehlers can help[ score the Sabres into the playoffs at long last, he'll be worth the investment Buffalo makes in him.

Sabres Deals Addressed Needs, But Were Budget-ConsciousThe Buffalo Sabres made a pair of trades before and during the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles which were as much about changing the makeup of the roster as they were about trimming the budget of the club in advance of the beginning of free agency on July 1. 

Similarly, why shouldn't the Sabres take a run at Vancouver Canucks center Pius Suter? There's someone with speed and soft hands who also can contribute offense. The fact that neither one of Ehlers or Suter has been signed yet doesn't take away from their value. It could be an effort and strategy by their represenatives to drum up a bigger market for teams that don't come away with the big fish prizes of free agency.

If that doesn't pan out, the Sabres should be one of the most aggressive, if not the most aggressive team on the trade front this summer. Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams can't be satisfied with the fringe signings he made on Tuesday. He has to keep improving his lineup, right through training camp and well into the season. Because if he sits on his wallet the rest of the way, it will be duly noted by Sabres fans and regular-obeservers alike.

If all Adams does is to change the periphery of the lineup, we'll be able to tell so by the fact he doesn't bring in proven veterans to help out the youngsters. You can only address your third and fourth lines and your third-pair on 'D' for so long before it becomes apparent you're either unwilling or unable to take knives to the more talented area of the roster.

After Sabres' Latest Trade, Don't Expect Much From New Buffalo DefensemanThe Buffalo Sabres made a trade Saturday, but it wasn't the trade many were expecting, as star defenseman Bowen Byram remained a Sabre, at least, for the time being. However, Sabres GM Kevyn Adams reshaped his defense corps by

Adams needs to convince ownership that using all of Buffalo's cap space is important. And if at that stage Sabres ownership isn't prepared to do so, there are bigger issues at play in Western New York. Buffalo has to approach the coming season with more urgency than ever, and that means  using every dollar in their employ to bulk up the overall skill level as highly as possible.

The Pittsburgh Penguins stayed busy on Tuesday after re-signing forwards Philip Tomasino and Connor Dewar. 

They agreed to two-year contracts with forward Justin Brazeau and defensemen Parker Wotherspoon and Caleb Jones. The Brazeau and Wotherspoon contracts were reported earlier in the day, unlike the Jones one. 

Jones inked a two-year $1.8 million contract with the Penguins. The deal has an average annual value of $900,000. 

Jones spent most of the 2024-25 season with the Ontario Reign, the Los Angeles Kings' AHL affiliate. He played in 44 games for the Reign, finishing with two goals and 21 points. 

He suited up in six games for the Kings, producing no points. 

Triples is best...

The Penguins have signed forward Justin Brazeau as well as defensemen Parker Wotherspoon and Caleb Jones to two-year contracts.

Details: https://t.co/LF5UvmxyUQpic.twitter.com/Z4mdxVhBHl

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) July 1, 2025

Before his stint with the Kings, he spent one season with the Colorado Avalanche, two with the Chicago Blackhawks, and three with the Edmonton Oilers. He has appeared in 248 regular-season games, compiling 14 goals and 55 points. 

Jones has also skated in 181 regular-season AHL games, totaling 13 goals and 84 points. He will compete for a roster spot when training camp opens in September. 

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!

Feature image credit:  Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images