The 2025 calendar will soon switch over to August. For many players around the NHL, it is a month that represents the final weeks with their friends and family before traveling to their respective hockey cities for the 2025-26 season. 

Currently, three former New Jersey Devils forwards are unemployed and seeking their next opportunity in professional hockey. 

Nathan Bastian 

Former Team: New Jersey Devils 

For the first time in his career, Bastian is experiencing free agency. The 27-year-old has appeared in 276 NHL games, and 264 were with the Devils. 

It was clear during his end-of-season media availability that his goal was to remain in New Jersey. 

"It is crazy how quick a place can feel like home, Bastian said. "Not that it's been a short time, but I think since the time I was drafted, I am the longest-standing Devil still here. Being here means a lot to me — the city, the rink, the staff, and you guys. It is something I want to be a part of."

On July 2, The Hockey News confirmed with Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald that the organization would not be interested in bringing back any further unrestricted free agents beyond Jake Allen and Dennis Cholowski. 

Kevin Rooney 

Former Team: Calgary Flames

Beginning his career with the Devils, Rooney additionally played for the New York Rangers and, most recently, the Calgary Flames. 

He is coming off a season where he played a single-season career high of 70 games in the NHL. The 32-year-old earned 10 points (five goals, five assists) with the Flames. 

Jimmy Vesey 

Former Team: Colorado Avalanche 

The 32-year-old began the 2024-25 season with the Rangers before being traded to the Colorado Avalanche with Ryan Lindgren and Hank Kempf for Calvin de Haan, Juuso Parssinen, and conditional second and fourth-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft. 

He did not appear in a postseason game for the Avalanche and hit free agency on July 1, after earning eight points in 43 games last season. Considered a bit of a journeyman, Vesey has played for six organizations since making his NHL Debut in 2016. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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In a recent article for The Athletic, Dom Luszczyszyn ranked the 10 best contracts in the NHL. While no current Chicago Blackhawks player appears on the list, a notable former Blackhawk has made the cut. 

Former Blackhawks forward Brandon Hagel has the No. 2 spot on Luszczyszyn's list, with New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes being the only player ranked above him. 

Hagel is currently entering the second season of his eight-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he has a $6.5 million cap hit. With this, Hagel just completed the first year of his long-term deal, and there is no question that it could not have been better. 

In 82 games this past season with the Lightning, Hagel posted new career highs with 35 goals, 55 assists, and 90 points. This was after he had set then career-highs with 49 assists and 75 points in 82 games with the Bolts during the 2023-24 campaign. 

Since signing his contract extension during the 2023 NHL off-season, Hagel has only gotten better. Thus, it is easy to understand why Luszczyszyn has Hagel at the No. 2 spot on his list. Since being traded by the Blackhawks, Hagel has become a fantastic player for the Lightning and is easily a big part of their core because of it. 

In 108 games over three seasons with the Blackhawks, Hagel recorded 30 goals, 31 assists, and 61 points. His time with Chicago ended when he was traded to the Lightning during the 2021-22 season.

Blackhawks Big Defenseman Should Only Get BetterChicago Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic cemented himself a full-time spot on the Original Six club's NHL roster during the 2023-24 season. In 76 games with the Blackhawks that season, the 6-foot-6 blueliner recorded two goals, 14 assists, 16 points, and 56 hits. Overall, the 2019 second-round pick certainly demonstrated that he has the ability to be a solid defensive defenseman at the NHL level.

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Welcome back to  THN.com's Buffalo Sabres site. In recent days and weeks, we've been focusing on the teams the Sabres will square off against next season. And in today's file, we're turning our attention to a team Buffalo will be taking on in the latest battl(es) of New York (state) -- the New York Islanders.

After missing out on the Stanley Cup playoffs last season, the Islanders fired GM Lou Lamoriello and replaced him with former NHL player Mathieu Darche. And the Islanders were blessed by the hockey gods when they won this year's draft lottery and selected cornerstone defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the first-overall pick.

But that doesn't mean that there isn't pain ahead for the Isles as they chart a new course. As we'll explore below, the Islanders are in the early stages of a rebuild, and while they have many veterans who'll be pushing for a playoff berth this coming season, earning a playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division will be a tall order indeed for the Islanders. And the Sabres need to beat the Isles to help their cause as a legitimate playoff team in 2025-26.

So for now let's explore Buffalo's recent history with the Islanders, and whether or not the Sabres will and should be beating the Isles next season.

BUFFALO SABRES VS. NEW YORK ISLANDERS

NEW ISLANDERS PLAYERS: Jonathan Drouin, LW; Emil Heineman, LW; Maxim Shabanov, LW; David Rittich, G

2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 1-2-0, Islanders 2-1-0

2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER:  December 20 at Buffalo; January 24 at Long Island; March 31 at Buffalo

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM?  The Sabres and Islanders got all three of their games out of the way before Christmas time last season, with Buffalo dropping the first two games before blowing out the Isles 7-1 two days before Christmas. But this coming season, the first of their three games dosn't come until Dec. 20 -- and their final showdown will be the Sabres' eighth-to-last game of the season on March 31. At that point, the rosters of both Buffalo and the Isles could look significantly different, with the Islanders potentially being a seller at the trade deadline, and the Sabres potentially being a buyer.

New Isles GM Darche has already shown he's unafraid of taking a big swing in the trade department, sending star defenseman Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens in a blockbuster deal that sent a message -- the Islanders are open for business.

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Metropolitan Edition: Will Devils Remain Formidable Metro Team -- And Will New Jersey Once Again Beat Sabres In Season Series?The Buffalo Sabres are a team that needs to make a playoff appearance this coming season. But in a continuing series, we're examining each of Buffalo's Eastern Conference-rivals that could be in the way of the Sabres making it into the post-season. And in this file, we're examining the rivalry between the Sabres and New Jersey Devils.

That means many Isles veterans could be on the trade block this year -- including (but not limited to) captain Anders Lee, who is entering the final season of his contract; and center J-G Pageau, who also has only one year remaining on his deal. Still, there are Islanders veterans who are extremely unlikely to be dealt anywhere, including star forward Mathew Barzal, center Bo Horvat, winger Kyle Palmieri, newcomer Drouin, defensemen Alexander Romanov, Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech, and star goalie Ilya Sorokin. That doesn't mean any or many of them are guaranteed to not be dealt out of Long Island, but it would take quite the offer to get Darche to part ways with them.

Thus, while most prognosticators won't be picking the Islanders as a playoff team in the Metropolitan Division, there are more than enough veterans on the Isles' roster who won't be rolling over and playing dead because nobody had much faith in them. With coach Patrick Roy setting a high bar for his players, the Islanders are likely to stay competitive all year long, and that almost certainly means the Sabres are going to have to be at their best if they want to win at least two of the three games they'll play against the Isles.

If Buffalo is intent on beating the Islanders next year, they'll need to exploit the Isles' defense (which finished 20th in the league last season at 3.13 goals-against per game) while limiting the Islanders' offense (which finished 27th in the league averaging 2.71 goals-for per game). 

Know Your Enemy, Sabres Metropolitan Edition: Sabres Could Be Battling Up-And-Coming Blue Jackets For Wild Card BerthThe Buffalo Sabres are one of the teams most desperate to make the Stanley Cup playoffs next season. And one of the teams the Sabres could be battling for one of the two wild card berths next season is another team desperate to end a prolonged playoff drought -- the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Also important: shaking the confidence of Sorokin. The 29-year-old Russian was not at his best last season, as Sorokin's save percentage dropped for the third consecutive season, falling to a career-worst .907 SP in a whopping 61 appearances. Granted, Sorokin was playing behind a porous Islanders defense corps, but even if Schaefer comes in and thrives as a rookie defenseman, the rest of the Isles' defense isn't renowned for locking down opponents' offensive attack.

In any case, the games between the three teams from New York State always have that little extra edge to them. And that's not going to be any different in the 2025-26 campaign. The Sabres are absolutely desperate to end their 14-year playoff drought, while the Islanders look to be focused on retooling on the fly. So the three tilts between Buffalo and the Isles promise to be must-see TV.

The St. Louis Blues could use another winger in their top nine after trading Zack Bolduc to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Logan Mailloux earlier this off-season. Due to this, one remaining unrestricted free agent (UFA) who they should consider targeting is forward Victor Olofsson. 

If the Blues signed Olofsson, he would offer them another solid option to consider for their third-line right wing spot, as the 30-year-old forward provides solid secondary scoring when playing at his best. Thus, he could be a good player for the Blues to bring in on an affordable one-year contract or even a professional tryout (PTO).

Olofsson is coming off a solid 2024-25 season, as he recorded 15 goals, 14 assists, 29 points, and a plus-17 rating in 56 games with the Vegas Golden Knights. He has also scored at least 20 goals and recorded at least 40 points three times during his career. Had he played all 82 games during the 2024-25 campaign, he would have been on pace to hit the 20-goal and 40-point marks for the fourth time in his career. Thus, there is no question that he is capable of making an impact offensively. 

With all of this, Olofsson could be an interesting player for the Blues to take a chance on. He would have the potential to give their third line and second power-play unit a bit of a boost, so it will be interesting to see if they target him from here. 

Former Blues Forward Still Looking For New HomeWith August just about here, plenty of this year's unrestricted free agents (UFAs) have been signed. However, a former St. Louis Blues forward is still looking for his new home, as Jakub Vrana remains without a contract and is a UFA. 

Photo Credit:  © Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Earlier this off-season, the Montreal Canadiens acquired forward Zack Bolduc from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenseman Logan Mailloux. This is easily one of the most intriguing trades of the summer, as Bolduc and Mailloux are both former first-round picks with very bright futures. Yet, with the Canadiens bringing in star right-shot defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders, it makes sense that they were willing to part ways with Mailloux to land a young forward like Bolduc. 

When looking at the season Bolduc just put together with the Blues, he should be a good addition to the Canadiens' roster. In 72 games this past season with the Blues, he recorded new career highs with 19 goals, 17 assists, 36 points, 108 hits, and a plus-20 rating. With numbers like these, he demonstrated that he has the ability to not only be a solid point producer at the NHL level but also provide a nice degree of grit to go along with it. 

Yet, when noting this was just Bolduc's second NHL season and he has only 97 career games on his resume, there is no question that he still could hit an even higher level. Thus, he is, without a doubt, a prime breakout candidate for the Canadiens heading into next season. 

Bolduc performed incredibly well for the Blues this past season, so it would not be surprising if he continued to trend in the right direction with the Canadiens. This is especially so when noting that he has the chance to have a more significant role in Montreal than he did in St. Louis.

Overall, it is hard not to feel optimistic about Bolduc heading into the 2025-26 season. The potential for him to emerge as a legitimate top-six forward for the Canadiens is there, and it will be intriguing to see what kind of season he has for the Original Six club from here. 

Canadiens: Laine In Top Form In LSHL MatchIt was over 30 degrees yesterday in Montreal. With humidity factored in, it felt closer to 40 degrees on an end-of-July day during the construction holidays. One would have thought that most people would have been out of town, and yet, the fourth week of the LSHL was sold out at Hockeyetcetera. An hour before the doors opened, die-hard fans were already queuing outside in the heat, patiently waiting for their hockey fix in the dog days of Summer.

Photo Credit:  © Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Dom Luszczyszyn, NHL analyst for The Athletic (a New York Times publication), recently ranked the best contracts across the NHL. From Leon Draisaitl’s eight-year, $14 million AAV deal (ranked 6th) to Brandon Hagel’s seven-year, $6.5 million AAV contract (ranked 2nd), some of the league’s biggest stars made the list.

But the top spot? That belongs to Jack Hughes.

That’s right, New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes holds the most valuable contract in the NHL, according to Luszczyszyn’s analysis.

Hughes is currently on an eight-year, $64 million contract signed in 2022, with a projected surplus value of $38 million. Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald locked him into the deal early, and it’s already paying off in a big way. Now entering the fourth year of the contract, Hughes is signed through the 2029–30 season, when he will hit unrestricted free agency at 29 years old.

Originally drafted first overall by the Devils in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Hughes signed his entry-level contract that same year, a three-year, $2.78 million deal. Since then, he’s quickly become the face of the franchise, earning the love of the fanbase both on and off the ice.

There was never any doubt that Fitzgerald would keep Hughes long-term. At just an $8 million annual cap hit, his contract stands out as one of the best bargains in the league, especially considering his production and leadership.

To date, Hughes has played 368 NHL games, recording 141 goals, 210 assists, and 351 points. Last season, he put up 70 points in 62 games before being sidelined by injury. Injuries have been a challenge, shoulder surgeries have cut two of his seasons short,  but at only 24 years old, Hughes continues to trend upward.

Despite the injury concerns, his contract still offers unmatched value. As Luszczyszyn pointed out, the Devils are winning the NHL contract game, and with five years still remaining on the deal, the payoff is far from over.

Hughes continues to be the centerpiece of New Jersey’s resurgence. His performance is elite, his price tag modest, and his impact immeasurable.

Now, the focus shifts to his younger brother, Luke Hughes, who is expected to sign a new deal with the Devils any day. And with Jack’s contract setting the gold standard, fans are hopeful that Luke’s will follow a similar path, both in value and long-term potential.

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