The St. Louis Blues are continuing to be linked to one of the NHL's top trade candidates. 

According to The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford, he heard from a league source that the Blues are working hard to acquire Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram. Rutherford also added that Byram is a candidate to receive an offer sheet, but noted that the Blues would not get him that way. 

The Blues have been “trying hard” to get Bowen Byram from Buffalo, according to a league source. There’s still a possibility that Byram gets an offer sheet. #stlblues

— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) July 3, 2025

To be clear, the offer sheet could be from another club, not the Blues. But that would obviously take the Blues out of the mix. #stlblues

— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) July 3, 2025

This is not the first time that the Blues have been connected to Byram. Late last month, NHL insider Darren Dreger reported that the Blues were one of the teams interested in the Sabres blueliner. Now, the Blues are only continuing to be linked to Byram with this latest report. 

However, it also makes sense that the Blues are reportedly making a push to acquire Byram. Nick Leddy and his $4 million cap hit were claimed off waivers by the San Jose Sharks. Thus, the Blues have a spot available on their blueline and more cap space to work with.

If the Blues acquired Byram, it would be a significant move for the Central Division club. This is because the 24-year-old is a top-four defenseman who provides solid offense and is right in his prime. Thus, he could be a long-term part of the Blues' core if brought in. We will need to wait and see if the Blues end up winning the sweepstakes from here. 

Blues Lose Veteran Forward To Division Rival The

Photo Credit: © Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

The Winnipeg Jets have signed forward Mason Shaw to a one-year, $775,000 two-way contract.

The 26-year-old played his first season with the Jets organization this year, recording 17 goals and 37 points in 72 games with the Manitoba Moose in the AHL. The Moose's alternate captain led the team in points and finished second in goals. 

Shaw was a fourth-round pick (97th overall) to the Minnesota Wild in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. With the Wild, Shaw recorded eight goals and 20 points in 82 NHL games, but spent most of his tenure with the organization in the AHL with the Iowa Wild. 

Although Shaw is listed at just 5'10, he plays the game with a physical edge, willing to mix it up. He finished second on the Moose in penalty minutes, recording 114. His two-way game is solid for his size, and he's now a veteran AHL player who can be viewed as a positive voice in the dressing room for young players like Nikita Chibrikov, Brad Lambert, Brayden Yager, Colby Barlow and Elias Salomonsson. 

The Jets did not extend a qualifying offer to Shaw on Jun. 30, which allowed him to become an unrestricted free agent, but he and the Jets were able to agree on a contract anyway. Shaw will be in contention throughout the 2025-26 season to be called up to the NHL if the Jets run into injury issues. 

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Jets Hand Out Five One-Year, Two-Way ContractsThe Winnipeg Jets have handed out one-year, two-way contracts to Isaac Poulter, Kale Clague, Phillip Di Giuseppe, Walker Duehr and Samuel Fagemo.

It’s no secret that in recent years, good things have happened when players have joined forces with the Florida Panthers.

Particularly, there is a growing list of defensemen who have found that they played some of the best hockey of their careers while wearing a Panthers sweater.

First it was Brandon Montour revitalizing his career in South Florida, earning a massive offer from the Seattle Kraken after three excellent seasons, and postseasons, with the Panthers.

Radko Gudas took a pay cut to sign with Florida in 2020 as a 31-year-old, only for his next offer from Anaheim three years later to come with the highest average annual value (AAV) of his career.

Then Oliver Ekman-Larsson signed with the Panthers during the summer of 2023 for a fraction of what he’d previously been making after two very tough seasons in Vancouver. He parlayed a bounce-back season in Sunrise, at age 32, into a four-year, $14 million deal with Toronto.

The situation for Florida’s newest defensive signing, veteran Jeff Petry, may be a little bit different.

The 37-year-old is entering the twilight of his career, and in addition to knowing how well defensemen have fared recently when joining the Panthers, he’s also quite keen on trying to hunt down a championship before hanging up his skates.

“An important part of my decision was wanting to be in the playoffs, wanting to compete for a Stanley Cup again,” he said. “That feeling of being really close in Montreal, and then losing in the Final, that was a tough feeling. I always said, before my career is over I want to be in that position again and be on a team that can compete for a Stanley Cup. Coming to Florida, that gives me a very good opportunity to do that.”

To be fair, the aforementioned success found by newcoming blueliners who join up in South Florida is something that absolutely factored into Petry’s decision to sign with the Cats.

“You consider all things, and the track records of the players (who have come and gone) is apparent,” said Petry. “I think it speaks to the group that they have, that you can bring a new player in, and they fit in and do well.”

Indeed, it’s an incredibly welcoming group, as long as you are willing to put in the work.

One of the main reasons the Panthers have found so much success, and teams have not found a way to match Florida’s intensity and style of play, is that it is incredibly difficult, physically demanding and mentally challenging to play within the Cats’ systems.

If the Panthers pursued Petry, it’s because they feel he can thrive within those systems.

Usually, when Florida targets a player, they turn out to be a good fit.

“I’ve heard from several people that you’re not expected to be something that you’re not,” Petry said of joining the Panthers. “They want you to come in and be the player and person that you are and not try to do something that isn’t within your characteristics.”

For now, it seems like a good match between Florida and their newest defenseman.

Petry is a smooth skating, high hockey IQ blueliner who should acclimate well to Florida’s way of doing things.

His size, strength and above-average mobility will suit him well with the Panthers.

The excitement and desire certainly seem to be there, as Petry explained it was a pretty easy decision once Florida reached out.

“When I got the call that there was interest (from the Panthers) in me coming there, I saw (Sam) Bennett and (Aaron) Ekblad and (Brad) Marchand re-signing, so when they called it was a no-brainer,” he said. “You hear about the group, what they do together on the ice and off the ice, you hear so many good things about it.”

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Photo caption: Nov 29, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jeff Petry (46) looks on during a faceoff in the first period against the New Jersey Devils at Little Caesars Arena. (Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images)

The Vegas Golden Knights are showcasing impressive talent this camp season. Not only from the players taking shots on the net, but also from the young stars defending it, stars like Cameron Whitehead. 

Dreams will come true tomorrow at the NHL Draft 🤩 That dream was realized for Cameron Whitehead when he was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft by the @GoldenKnights. Whitehead made his pro debut with Henderson during the 2024-25 season. pic.twitter.com/GBLsZvtoc5

— Henderson Silver Knights (@HSKnights) June 26, 2025

Whitehead, 22, stands at 6-foot-3 and possesses a tracking prowess that reveals his strong read on the game. He was Vegas’s fourth-round selection back in 2022 and has played his last two seasons at Northeastern University. He has a 30-31-6 NCAA record posted with a 2.68 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage.

Prior to his time with the Huskies, he played two USHL seasons with the Lincoln Stars from 2021–23. Over that time span, he compiled a record of 41-23-6 with a 2.98 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage. 

He was named to the USHL’s Third All-Star Team in 2023, and in 2025, backstopped the Huskies to the Hockey East Semifinal.

“I would say that when Northeastern won games in the last two years, he was often the best player, not always, but often their best player, and would give them a chance to win those big games,” Golden Knights director of player development Wil Nichol said. “He did play his best in big games. So just his strength, his maturity, all those things–the thing about Whitey that's really impressive is he's got such a calm demeanor to him, yet he's such a competitive kid. So he's got a great combination for people who know that position.” 

Whitehead, meanwhile, is staying focused as he prepares for the next steps in his career.

“Just taking it one day at a time,” Whitehead said. “Obviously, pro hockey is different from anything else. Everyone’s really good, and everyone could shoot the puck, so just focusing on trying to get better one thing at a time. Just trying to feel as prepared as I can going into September.” 

Whitehead is set to return to the ice with the Henderson Silver Knights for the upcoming AHL season.

The Pacific Division looks a lot different now than it did a week ago. Some of the Vancouver Canucks biggest rivals made intriguing signings in the opening days of free agency, which will impact how the division shapes up in 2025-26. Here is a recap of the moves made by teams in the Pacific Division at the start of 2025 free agency.

Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks were able to land the top center available this season, as they signed Mikael Granlund to a three-year contract, which carries an AAV of $7 million. The Ducks also made a surprising move at the draft, trading John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings for Petr Mrazek, a second-round pick in the 2027 draft, a fourth-round pick in 2026, and a fourth-round selection in the 2026 draft. With the Granlund deal complete, the Ducks can now shift their focus to re-signing Mason McTavish, who is currently a restricted free agent. 

Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames added some depth on July 1, signing Nick Cicek and Ivan Prosvetov to one-year contracts. Calgary also re-signed Joel Hanley and Morgan Frost to two-year extensions. Just like Vancouver, it appears that the Flames' 2025-26 roster will resemble the one they finished with last year. 

Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers' big move this off-season was signing Evan Bouchard to a four-year extension, which carries an AAV of $10.5 million. Edmonton also added some scoring on the wing, signing Andrew Mangiapane to a two-year contract which carries an AAV of $3.6 million. Lastly, the Oilers added some depth to their roster, inking forward Curtis Lazar to a one-year deal, while bringing in defenceman Riley Stillman and goaltender Matt Tomkins on two-year contracts. 

L.A. Kings

The L.A. Kings made multiple splashes on July 1st, as they added plenty of experience to their roster. L.A. signed Corey Perry to a one-year contract, Joel Armia and Anton Forsberg to two-year deals, Brian Dumoulin to a three-year contract and finally, Cody Ceci to a four-year deal. Overall, the Kings were one of the most active teams once free agency opened up, as they signed nine contracts over the past three days. 

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San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks have also been very active since the start of free agency. Some of their key signings include Philipp Kurashev and John Klingberg on one-year deals, as well as Adam Gaudette and Dmitry Orlov signing two-way contracts. San Jose also claimed Nick Leddy off waivers from the St. Louis Blues while buying out the contract of Marc-Edouard Vlasic. 

Seattle Kraken

The Seattle Kraken have made two signings during the opening days of free agency. Seattle locked up Ryan Lindgren to a four-year contract while Matt Murray signed a one-year deal. Ultimately, the Kraken will be an interesting team as they could have one of the youngest rosters this season. 

Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights took a massive swing as they acquired Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs. In exchange for Marner, who signed an eight-year contract with an AAV of $12 million before being traded, Vegas sent Nicolas Roy to the Maple Leafs. Vegas was also able to re-sign Kaedan Korczak to a four-year contract extension while adding Jaycob Megna for the next two seasons. 

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The Philadelphia Flyers have lost one of their most effective players from the end of this past season in Jakob Pelletier for no good reason.

Pelletier, 24, signed a three-year, $2.33 million ($775K AAV) contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning that will pay him league minimum in each of the three seasons.

With these kinds of players - former first-round picks who bounce around looking for opportunities - a three-year deal is very uncommon. Comparatively, the Flyers could have retained Pelletier on a one-year deal, at minimum, had they extended him a qualifying offer of $840k.

By failing to do so, the Flyers relinquished Pelletier's signing rights, and the fact that a team like Tampa Bay swooped in before sunrise on Day 2 of free agency to sign him for multiple years indicates Pelletier had value around the league, or at least to them.

Instead, the Flyers let him walk for free. The optics of that don't look great, considering Maxim Shabanov passed on the Flyers for the New York Islanders on Wednesday.

Plus, the team has known for a few weeks now that there is a possibility Tyson Foerster might not be available come opening night due to injury.

Yes, Pelletier is only 5-foot-11, and yes, he scored eight points in 25 games in Philadelphia, but he was actually much more effective than the raw stats indicate.

Pelletier played 16 games under John Tortorella after arriving via trade, posting an on-ice scoring chance percentage of 52.73% (58-52), trailing only Owen Tippett, Egor Zamula, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Erik Johnson, per Natural Stat Trick.

In terms of high-danger chance creation under Tortorella, Pelletier was the clubhouse leader at forward as the Orange and Black out-chanced opponents 21-15 (58.33%) with him on the ice.

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Of the 14 players that played in 16 or more games from Pelletier's arrival to Tortorella's dismissal, Pelletier played the second-fewest minutes ahead of only Nick Deslauriers.

After Tortorella was dismissed by the Flyers with nine games to go in the regular season, Pelletier still played the least 5-on-5 ice time of the 15 skaters who played in all nine remaining games, but led the Flyers in scoring chance percentage (40-32, 55.56%) down that stretch.

Additionally, Pelletier was the only Flyers player to have a positive high-danger scoring chance differential (17-15, 53.13%) during this period. Defenseman Travis Sanheim was the only other Flyers skater to reach 50%.

This is all to say that the Flyers got the job done with Pelletier on the ice much more often than not and still chose to let him go for free despite having perceived value on the market.

In the wake of Foerster's injury and Shabanov's heel turn, the Flyers will now be forced to pivot towards unproven (but exciting, nonetheless) options like prospects Alex Bump, Porter Martone, and Nikita Grebenkin.

The NHL free agency market has been extremely unkind to buyers this summer, and the Flyers have paid the price after signing Christian Dvorak and Dan Vladar - literally.

It limits how high they can go on salary with RFA defenseman Cam York, it limits their ability to make injury call-ups if they suffer another injury in addition to Foerster given their unwavering desire to avoid using LTIR, and it limits their ability to further remedy the winger situation.

But an error or a misstep only becomes a mistake if it isn't learned from or fixed. The Flyers' next step from here will decide that.

On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins opened their annual Prospect Development Camp, which features 48 players both from the Penguins' system and outside of it.

And fans and media got their first glimpse at some of the new faces as well.

All 13 of the Penguins' new draftees took the ice for the first time in uniform - including first-round picks Ben Kindel, Bill Zonnon, and Will Horcoff - along with some development camp veterans. 

Other notable names on the camp roster include defensemen Harrison Brunicke and Emil Pieniniemi as well as forwards Mikhail Ilyin and Melvin Fernstrom, who each played overseas last season. 

The players were split into three groups - Team Stevens, Team Patrick, and Team Johnston - with each of the three first-rounders being put into separate groups. There was a lot to like about what was shown by prospects on the camp's inaugural day, and - given where the Penguins are at organizationally - there is a ton of excitement surrounding this year's camp.

Here are three standouts from Day One:

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Harrison Brunicke

Out of everyone today, the player who stood out most was Brunicke.

His skating is so incredibly smooth, his puckhandling skills were on display, and he led the way for his defensive group consisting of Chase Pietila, Kalle Kangas, and 2025 draftees Charlie Trethewey and Brady Peddle.

I found myself trying very hard not to compare him to everyone else. But, Brunicke looked like he didn't belong here in the very best way. He just looks miles ahead of everyone else on the blue line at this camp, and it's only Day One.

This kid should have a real shot at the NHL roster this season. And - as he told NHL.com's Wes Crosby - he is absolutely making it his goal this year to make the NHL roster out of training camp.

"Oh yeah," he said in response to be asked about his personal goal being to crack the NHL roster.

Asked Harrison Brunicke if his personal goal is to make the NHL club of training camp: "Oh yeah." #Pens

— Wes Crosby (@OtherNHLCrosby) July 3, 2025

Brunicke is going to be a player to watch throughout development camp, training camp, and for the years to come. The more I watch this kid, the more I think he is really going to translate into something special at the NHL level. And, according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, he will also get an invite to Team Canada's World Junior Summer Showcase, which features the best of the best Canadian junior prospects.

Speaking of juniors: I'm not entirely convinced that juniors would be the best thing for Brunicke's development next season. Some think he isn't ready for the NHL, and that's understandable. But there are a plethora of reasons why going back to Kamloops may be an even worse path. 

More to come on that later. Regardless, keep an eye on him, folks.

Bill Zonnon 

Fans are going to love Bill Zonnon.

First thing's first: His shot is more impressive than I realized. It really pops off his stick, and he seems to be able to pick his spots. I was also impressed with his tenacity, anticipation, and work ethic.

But the thing that stood out most to me is that he always just seemed to be in the right place. He picked up on the drills, he adapted quicky, and read and anticipated plays like the back of his hand working with players he's never skated with before. And - by all accounts - he seems like a very coachable player.

This comparison has been made elsewhere, but he reminds me a bit of Patric Hornqvist. Just like with everyone else today, the sample size was small, so getting carried away prematurely would be futile. But some of that feistiness, that competitive fire, and those scoring-area smarts that he is known for were on display.

I think this guy has real potential to become an impact middle-six player for the Penguins. His game looked pretty mature in comparison to his peers, so it will be interesting to see how that shakes out for the rest of camp.

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Travis Hayes

Hayes - a 2025 fourth-round pick (105th overall) for the Penguins - stood out today, but not in quite the same way as the others. 

No, he wasn't skating circles around everyone like Brunicke was. No, he wasn't "wowing" with his shot and hockey smarts.

But he was getting physical and competing hard in front of the goaltender.

Hayes was abrasive, scrappy, and making use of his frame to gain positioning at the net front. Like Zonnon, you could see that competitive fire. But there was a little extra edge to Hayes's game. 

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On several accounts, he plays the game pretty similarly to his brother, Avery, who has climbed his way up the prospect ranks after going undrafted and earned a two-year entry-level contract at the conclusion of last season. And, according to director of player development Tom Kostopoulos, more guys like Avery Hayes in the system - and his literal blood brother, nonetheless - is a really good thing for the Penguins.

"It's pretty impressive what Avery Hayes did since he signed his AHL contract, and he earned the NHL contract," Kostopoulos said. "We're talking to these kids about coachability, competitiveness, and work ethic, and when you think of those things, that's what Avery Hayes did.

"And getting to know his brother... I don't know how any of you watched him out there, but, man, I liked the competitiveness. He seemed to be able to understand what we're trying to tell him, and the compete is something that seems to be built into that family's DNA."

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Feature image credit: Kelsey Surmacz - The Hockey News

The Pittsburgh Penguins have brought in several new players this off-season as they continue to retool their roster. Among the Penguins' newcomers is winger Justin Brazeau, as the Metropolitan Division club signed him to a two-year, $3 million contract.

While this was a bit of a quieter signing in the NHL, Brazeau has the potential to be a nice surprise for the Penguins. 

Brazeau has shown at times that he has the potential to provide both secondary scoring and physicality early on in his NHL career. After making the jump to the NHL with the Boston Bruins in 2023-24, the 6-foot-6 winger posted five goals, seven points, and 43 hits in 19 games. During this past season, he had 11 goals, 22 points, and 123 hits in 76 games split between the Bruins and the Minnesota Wild. He also recorded two assists in six playoff games for Minnesota.

Ultimately, with the Penguins needing more grit and depth scoring, there is no harm in them taking a shot on a big forward like Brazeau. At times with the Bruins, he demonstrated that he has some offensive upside, and now that he is entering his third NHL season, it will be intriguing to see if he taps into it a bit more.

When looking at the Penguins' roster, Brazeau could have a real shot of playing in their top nine. Furthermore, due to his effectiveness in front of the net, he also could get reps on the Penguins' power play. Thus, he could have more chances to succeed on a team like Pittsburgh. 

Nevertheless, it is going to be intriguing to see how Brazeau fits into the Penguins' system from here. If he becomes a more consistent scorer while maintaining his tenacious style of play, he could be a sweet pickup for the Penguins. 

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Photo Credit: © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images