The Pittsburgh Penguins have added to their forward depth.

The Penguins have announced that they have signed forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard to a one-year, two-way contract. At the NHL level, he will carry a $775,000 cap hit. 

The Penguins have signed forwards Anthony Mantha and Rafael Harvey-Pinard to one-year contracts as well as defenseman Phil Kemp to a two-year contract.

Details: https://t.co/Ksf6zVO3Jlpic.twitter.com/WxNiAbdmlh

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) July 2, 2025

Harvey-Pinard played in one game this past season with the Montreal Canadiens, where he posted zero points and one hit. He spent the rest of the year in the AHL with the Laval Rocket, recording five goals, 19 points, and a plus-2 rating in 40 games.

Harvey-Pinard has played in 84 career NHL games over four seasons, where he posted 17 goals, 14 assists, 31 points, 117 hits, and a plus-3 rating. His best season was in 2022-23 with the Canadiens, posting 14 goals, 20 points, and a plus-7 rating. 

Overall, this is a low-risk move for the Penguins. If he regains some of his previous scoring touch, he could make a case for himself to play on Pittsburgh's roster in 2025-26. 

NHL News: Penguins Sign Big Former Oilers DefensemanThe

Photo Credit:  © David Kirouac-Imagn Images

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- In light of trading for a young defenseman on Tuesday when the St. Louis Blues acquired 22-year-old Logan Mailloux from the Montreal Canadiens for forward Zack Bolduc, the team has begun the process of reshaping what has been a veteran group on the blue line.

Reports have surfaced that the Blues have placed veteran defenseman Nick Leddy on waivers.

The 34-year-old has one year remaining on a four-year, $16 million contract ($4 million average annual value). 

With Mailloux's addition, it gave the Blues eight ready defensemen in their lineup, and when asked on Tuesday about the makeup of it with the addition of Mailloux, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said, "We'll look at it."

There's the potential at some point this becomes a Brandon Saad situation, where the Blues put the forward on waivers last season, he wasn't claimed, the team was prepared to send him to Springfield of the American Hockey League but instead terminated the remaining year and a half of his four-year, $22.5 million contract and became a free agent and signed with the Vegas Golden Knights.

It's tough to envision Leddy willing to go to the AHL at this point in his career and is less than likely to get claimed on waivers, but that would be the perfect case scenario, and there are teams that need to get to the cap floor that may be willing to take a flier on him.

But Leddy has a 16-team no-trade list and a team needing to get to the cap floor may be on his list of teams he'd be unwilling to go to. And Leddy, who has spent the past three-plus seasons in St. Louis after being acquired from the Detroit Red Wings, has $3 million in actual salary left on his contract.

EAST MEADOW, NY -- There's no question that New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche wants to field a competitive NHL roster. 

But, based on the terms given out to his free agents on Monday and the words the first-time GM shared with us, there's a clear focus on having openings in a few seasons for when the young prospects are ready. 

It shouldn't be a new phenomenon, but for the Islanders organization, it surely is. 

It was only a few years ago when former general manager Lou Lamoriello inked Pierre Engvall and Scott Mayfield to a seven-year extension to get the AAV down to a manageable $3 million and $3.5 million, respectively.  

Even Anthony Duclair's four-year deal worth $4.5 million annually was a tad too long, the longest contract of the vets career. 

While there are times for longer-term deals, such as defenseman Alexander Romanov signing an eight-year extension worth $6.25 million annually, we saw Darche opt for a short-term approach with Simon Holmstrom's extension, a two-year deal worth $3.625 million annually. 

Darche told me that he believes Holmstrom could be a top-six forward, but essentially wants him to prove it — he can't get complacent on a short-term deal. 

1-on-1 With GM Mathieu Darche: Draft Recap, Updates & 2025-26 Roster OutlookFollowing the conclusion of the 2025 NHL Draft, I had the chance to speak with New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche about his picks and more.

"You have to stay disciplined in what you do," Darche said during his free agency media availability on Tuesday evening. "Just because you have the cap space, you don't have to spend it all if you don't feel it's an appropriate way to spend your money. Whenever I sign guys, I look at the cap. I'm always looking two to three years ahead, also, to make sure that we don't...Sometimes I might feel I have great cap space one year, and then you have three guys the next year coming out of entry-level deals, and their salaries go up. And then, maybe you don't care about this year, but next year, you handcuff yourself. So there's a little planning like that we have to do. 

"I didn't go into the big term.. A lot of the term guys actually re-signed with their team. You've noticed the last few days. So, just like we did with Alexander Romanov, we're really excited to have a 25-year-old signing an eight-year deal with us. So we're getting his prime years of his career with us. I think you saw a lot of teams do that with their players. Sometimes, at this time of year, when there's more cap space than teams have been accustomed to in the last few years, people might want to push for a higher cap number on some players. That's where you have to stay disciplined, and that's when you have to make sure that you do your research, you know what the value of the player is, and make sure you don't overpay, because one contract might not hurt you now, but might hurt you later."

Exhibit A of the Darche Plan was the Jonathan Drouin deal. 

The $4 million AAV cap hit seems like a tad too much, right? But the fact that it is only a two-year deal allows for Darche to evaluate the player after a short-term deal. It gives him flexibility, for example, for a player like Cole Eiserman to take a spot once he's ready. 

On the blue line, Tony DeAngelo may have been able to get a multi-year deal, but instead, he re-signed with the Islanders on a one-year deal worth $1.75 million. Again, the AAV is a tad bit high, but it's a one-year deal, so that does open the door for Darche to go younger on that side ahead of the 2026-27 season.

Darche's way of thinking is a complete 180 from the way Lamoriello did business. 

Now, Lamoriello was thinking about winning at the NHL level, sacrificing the future to make that a reality. Ultimately, that didn't happen, and, well, there's a reason he's no longer employed. 

Darche understands his NHL roster. He understood what holes needed to be filled with what kind of players to allow them to be competitive now, while also keeping a close eye on the future, which is looking more and more exciting by the day.

Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

PHOTO: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Winnipeg Jets have handed out one-year, two-way contracts to Isaac Poulter, Kale Clague, Phillip Di Giuseppe, Walker Duehr and Samuel Fagemo.

Poulter, a 23-year-old goaltender, has been bouncing between the New Jersey Devils' AHL and ECHL affiliate for the past three seasons. The 2024-25 campaign was spent entirely in the AHL for Poulter, posting an .898 SP and a 2.86 GAA in 36 games. 

The hometown Winnipeg, MB, native will return home and battle for the starting goalie spot in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose. 

Clague was once a second-round pick (51st overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft, but his career hasn't gone in the direction he and many others thought it would. The 26-year-old has played 94 NHL games in his career, but has played just three in the previous two seasons.

Clague put up strong offensive numbers with a stacked Rochester Americans team and should provide some offence from the blue line, replacing Simon Lundmark, who has signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning on a two-year, two-way deal. 

Di Giuseppe is the most experienced player of the five, skating in 302 career NHL games. Unfortunately for the 31-year-old, consistency in the big leagues has been his issue, and it's why he's never played more than 51 games in a season.

Di Giuseppe also joins the Moose roster with the experience of winning a Calder Cup, as the left-winger played a vital role on the Abbotsford Canucks' 2024-25 Calder Cup trophy win. 

PHILLIP DI GIUSEPPE FROM ARTŪRS ŠILOVS 🚨
We got a goalie assist in the Calder Cup Finals!
(also what a shot from PDG!)@abbycanucks | @Canucks | @CanucksArmy#AHL#CalderCup#ProudlyAbbotsford#Canuckspic.twitter.com/LkUH3V1lfs

— FloHockey (@FloHockey) June 18, 2025

Duehr is a 27-year-old, 6'3 right-winger whose production in the AHL is great, but has struggled to transition it to the NHL. With 92 games of NHL experience, Duehr has scored 11 goals and 21 points. 

Like Di Giuseppe, Duehr will be relied upon in the AHL but could serve as a bottom-six replacement in the NHL if the team runs into injury issues at any point in the season.

We have signed five players to two-way contracts:

✍️ G Isaac Poulter
✍️ D Kale Clague
✍️ F Phil Di Giuseppe
✍️ F Walker Duehr
✍️ F Samuel Fagemo pic.twitter.com/P4S0qUB2Fj

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) July 2, 2025

Fagemo, the final player of the five, is a former second-round pick (50th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft with slick hands and a great shot. Fagemo dominated the 2020 World Juniors, which increased his expectations that he hasn't been able to live up to. 

His opportunities in the NHL have been scarce, playing just 21 games despite impressive AHL numbers. In 2023-24, the 25-year-old scored 43 goals and 62 points in 50 games. 

The Jets needed to shore up their AHL depth, and with these signings, they've done just that. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Jets stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story.

Everyone loves free agency.

Detroit Red Wings fans are like every other hockey fan; they love the sight of new players joining the organization.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

To kick off the first day, the Red Wings brought in Ian Mitchell, Jacob Bernard-Docker, and James van Riemsdyk. After taking care of a good chunk of their expiring contracts yesterday, the Red Wings seemed poised to make a big move.

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While that big move is still on its way (maybe), a Red Wings goaltender has found a new team to play for.

Alex Lyon has signed a new contract with the Buffalo Sabres. The two parties agreed to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.

The Sabres will be Lyon’s fifth NHL organization after the Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, and Red Wings. Over the past two seasons, he played 74 games combined. 

We have signed goaltender Alex Lyon to a two-year contract with an AAV of $1.5 million.

Details → https://t.co/V7aBtrdhCc#LetsGoBuffalo | @NorthtownAutopic.twitter.com/avnrT1rz65

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) July 1, 2025

Unfortunately for Lyon, the writing has been on the wall for a long time – originally when the organization acquired Petr Mrazek at the trade deadline, and then just a few days ago when they traded Mrazek for the Anaheim Ducks goalie, John Gibson.

Last year, Lyon had a record of 14-9-1, a 2.81 goals against average, a .896 save percentage (SV%), and one shutout.

We will see what else transpires for the Red Wings.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have added another forward to their lineup for the 2025-26 season.

The Penguins have signed Anthony Mantha to a one-year, $2.5 million contract. The deal also includes $2 million in performance bonuses. 

Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports was first with the financials on Wednesday.

PuckPedia reports that Mantha will get $250,000 for every 10 games played and will get the $2 million bonus if he plays in 80 games. 

Mantha was limited to only 13 games during the 2024-25 season after tearing his ACL in November. He recorded four goals and seven points before the injury cut his season short. 

The Penguins will look for him to fill a top-nine role this season, similar to Anthony Beauvillier's role last season before they traded him to the Washington Capitals for a second-round pick. They signed Beauvillier in free agency last July, and he compiled 13 goals and 20 points in 63 games until he was flipped. 

The Penguins have signed forwards Anthony Mantha and Rafael Harvey-Pinard to one-year contracts as well as defenseman Phil Kemp to a two-year contract.

Details: https://t.co/Ksf6zVO3Jlpic.twitter.com/WxNiAbdmlh

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) July 2, 2025

Mantha will have every opportunity to play with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, depending on what head coach Dan Muse wants to do with his line combinations.

Before the 2024-25 season, Mantha split the 2023-24 season with the Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights, finishing with 23 goals and 44 points in 74 games. Mantha is a 10-year veteran and has compiled 146 goals and 303 points in 507 career games. 

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Feature Image Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images