The Winnipeg Jets announced they signed defenseman Dylan DeMelo to a four-year contract extension worth $4.9 million per season.
DeMelo was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agency July 1 and would likely have been highly sought-after as a reliable right-handed blue-liner. He'll earn a significant raise over the $3-million cap hit he's earned over the past four seasons in Winnipeg.
The Jets acquired DeMelo from the Ottawa Senators in 2020. He set a career high with 31 points this past season and ranked second in the NHL at plus-46. The 31-year-old averaged over 21 minutes per contest and contributed 167 hits along with 139 blocks.
Winnipeg has approximately $8.7 million in flexibility left after signing DeMelo, according to CapFriendly. Brenden Dillon, Sean Monahan, and Tyler Toffoli are among the club's notable remaining free agents.
Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov had the unenviable task of going head-to-head with Connor McDavid throughout the Stanley Cup Final, and after coming out on top in Monday's Game 7, he had nothing but praise for the Edmonton Oilers phenom.
"He's probably the most talented hockey player I've ever seen in my life," Barkov said after winning his first championship, per NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "Obviously, I never played against (Wayne) Gretzky, but I can imagine he's something similar."
McDavid, who became the sixth player in league history to win the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP despite losing the final, was in pursuit of Gretzky throughout the postseason. McDavid usurped the Great One's all-time playoff assist benchmark (31) and fell five points short of matching the scoring record (47). The 27-year-old became only the third player, joining Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, to eclipse 40 points in a single playoff.
Barkov, who won the Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward, found a way to neutralize McDavid throughout the final. The Oilers star didn't record a point in Games 6 and 7 after back-to-back four-point performances. In the 43:40 the captains shared at five-on-five throughout the series, the Panthers surrendered a single goal, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Barkov was a Conn Smythe candidate himself after leading the Panthers in playoff scoring with 22 points in 24 games. He shut down some of the league's top offensive talents throughout Florida's run, including Nikita Kucherov, David Pastrnak, and Artemi Panarin.
Stolarz, 30, posted a .925 save percentage in 27 games with the Florida Panthers last season. He has a career .915 SV% in 108 contests.
Woll will play out the final season of his current contract at a $776,667 cap hit before his new deal starts for the 2025-26 campaign. The 25-year-old was scheduled for restricted free agency next summer.
The Maple Leafs could hand the keys to Woll to be a full-time starter next season. Ilya Samsonov and Martin Jones are pending unrestricted free agents.
Woll battled injuries this past season but managed a .907 save percentage in 25 contests. He took over in goal for Samsonov late in Toronto's first-round clash against the Boston Bruins and led the Leafs to a pair of victories. However, he suffered an injury late in Game 6 and was unavailable for the series finale, which Boston won.
Toronto drafted Woll in the third round in 2016. He made his NHL debut during the 2021-22 season and has 36 career appearances under his belt.
Murray underwent hip surgery in October and didn't play a game for the Leafs this season. The 30-year-old suited up for three games with their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, in 2023-24. He won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 as a rookie and again in 2017.
SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL released Philadelphia Flyers top prospect Matvei Michkov from his contract, the NHL team announced Tuesday.
Michkov, the seventh overall pick in 2023, is now eligible to sign an entry-level deal in the NHL. The Flyers drafted Michkov while he was signed in Russia through 2026. The supremely talented forward's commitment to SKA affected his draft stock, but he's now available to play in North America sooner than expected.
"We are certainly excited to learn of this news and look forward to reconnecting with Matvei's representatives in the coming days," Flyers general manager Daniel Briere said in a statement. "Additionally, we are appreciative of SKA Saint Petersburg for allowing Matvei Michkov to pursue his dream of playing in the NHL."
Michkov was loaned to Sochi HC this past season, scoring 41 points in 47 games as a 19-year-old.
Rumors of Michkov leaving the KHL early had been circulating since the Flyers' season ended. President of hockey operations Keith Jones said earlier in June that the organization hoped to accelerate Michkov's arrival.
"We absolutely love what he is going to bring to the Flyers," Jones said at the time. "If that timeline is sped up, that would be wonderful. But we don't know. ... When he arrives, our fan base is going to be pretty excited about getting a highly talented player that is different than what we have right now."
The Flyers were a surprise team in 2023-24 but ultimately missed the playoffs by four points. They'll pick 12th overall in the upcoming draft.
The Pittsburgh Penguins signed goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to a two-year contract worth $2.5 million per season, the team announced Thursday.
Before the deal, Nedeljkovic was eligible to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
The 28-year-old joined the Penguins last summer on a one-year pact. He made 33 starts this past season, posting a .902 save percentage and 2.97 goals against average.
Nedeljkovic was a second-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2014. He spent four years in the organization before a two-year stint with the Detroit Red Wings. He has a lifetime .906 clip in 141 NHL appearances.
The Penguins project to have approximately $10.74 million in cap space after signing Nedeljkovic, per CapFriendly.
Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams has let his peers know he's open for business ahead of the June 28 draft.
"I've told every team in the league that we are wide-open to considering moving pick 11," Adams said, according to NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. "We're wide-open to consider anything, to be honest, prospects if we think it's going to help our team."
Adams continued, "We'd even look to move up. I think we have the assets to do that. We're very open to moving back, depending on how the draft slides and where guys are going. All of that is on the table."
The Sabres have drafted eighth, first, ninth, and 13th overall since Adams took over in 2020. They selected Jack Quinn, Owen Power, Matthew Savoie, and Zach Benson to help build one of the league's top prospect pipelines.
Buffalo's youth movement hasn't brought on-ice success just yet, as the club regressed in the standings this past season and missed the playoffs for an NHL-worst 13th consecutive campaign.
The Sabres have approximately $23 million in flexibility this offseason to seek roster improvements, according to CapFriendly, but only have 13 players signed.
Buying out veteran forward Jeff Skinner - who counts for $9 million per season through 2027 - has been a popular suggestion for the Sabres to save additional money, and Adams acknowledged the rumor.
"We're going to talk about everything," he said, according to Buffalo Hockey Beat's Bill Hoppe. "We're gonna look at every scenario. But that's probably as far as I'd go on specifics right now."
With the Stanley Cup on another two-day hiatus, the NHL had itself a mini trade deadline on Wednesday when a pair of blockbuster trades set the hockey world ablaze out of nowhere.
First, the New Jersey Devils and Calgary Flames finally agreed on a deal involving Jacob Markstrom. Then, the Los Angeles Kings and Washington Capitals swung a stunner that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to D.C.
Below, we analyze how each team fared in their swaps.
Trade No. 1: New Jersey receives Markstrom for defenseman Kevin Bahl and a 2025 first-round pick. The pick is top-10 protected, and Calgary will retain 31.25% of Markstrom's salary for the final two seasons of his current contract.
Flames' perspective
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
General manager Craig Conroy didn't have much leverage in this one. Markstrom had full control with a no-trade clause, and the relationship between the goalie and front office was clearly strained after months of uncertainty around the former's future.
The Flames and Devils negotiated a Markstrom deal at this year's deadline, but it reportedly fell apart over salary retention. Calgary now has $1.875 million allotted to Markstrom through 2026. Because the cap rising significantly, though, that's not a huge strain, especially considering the Flames' new duo in the crease - Dan Vladar and restricted free agent Dustin Wolf - will likely cost less than Markstrom's old cap hit alone. The team also still has two first-rounders in each of the next three drafts.
Conroy had Bahl on his radar. Many were skeptical of the executive's desire to bring in Yegor Sharangovich from the Devils in the Tyler Toffoli trade, but he went on to bag a career-high 31 goals for Calgary this season. Perhaps there's enough evidence to trust his player evaluation.
"For quite some time, we had identified Kevin Bahl as a priority player." - Flames GM Craig Conroy on the former #NJDevils defenseman.
Bahl, a 6-foot-6, left-shot defender, notched 11 points this season and posted strong defensive metrics in sheltered minutes for the Devils. He's owed $1.05 million in 2024-25 before he hits restricted free agency, and he should give Calgary some reliable blue-line depth. Bahl's only 23, so it's a worthwhile gamble to see if he can develop into a top-four fixture while his price tag is low. After dealing Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin in-season, the Flames needed help on the back end, and Bahl will be able to provide important minutes immediately.
The Flames reportedly shopped Markstrom to several teams but ultimately sent him to the perceived frontrunners. To reel in a first-round pick and a roster-ready player for an openly available, 34-year-old goalie with control over his destination is tidy business.
Grade: B+
Devils' perspective
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Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald let the entire hockey world know he'd be going big-game hunting for a new goalie this summer - and he jumped the market to get his guy. Several teams on the precipice of contention need reinforcements between the pipes, and limited options are available. New Jersey suddenly feels like a strong pick to make the playoffs again next season after finishing 2023-24 as one of the league's biggest disappointments.
The Devils were done in by injuries this past campaign, sure, but they fell out of the wild-card race largely because their .885 team save percentage owned ranked 30th in the league. Markstrom posted a .907 clip over four seasons in Calgary and was individually brilliant in 2023-24 despite a mediocre win-loss record. He finished third among all netminders with 28.93 goals saved above expected and ninth in standing points above replacement at 8.1. Even if he's less dominant next season, any performance close to that level should launch the Devils into the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Alongside Jake Allen - who they acquired in March, the Devils now have a reliable, experienced tandem in goal for a combined $6.05 million. And their newly hired bench boss, Sheldon Keefe, has more talent to work with on his blue line than he ever had during his run in Toronto to help insulate his netminders.
The Flames did well to secure some future assets, but the Devils are the slight winners by being aggressive in triggering a move that vastly improved their championship chances in a blink.
Grade: A
Trade No. 2: Los Angeles receives goaltender Darcy Kuemper for Dubois in a one-for-one switch.
Kings' perspective:
Gregory Shamus / Getty Images Sport / Getty
There were rumors of the Kings buying Dubois out this offseason, but they instead decided to ship him out before his no-trade clause kicked in on July 1. The optics of this deal from L.A.'s side are undeniably ugly, as they landed Dubois from the Winnipeg Jets last offseason in a sign-and-trade that included an eight-year, $68-million contract for the enigmatic center. That move can now be boiled down to Alex Iafallo, Gabe Vilardi, Rasmus Kupari, and a second-round pick for Kuemper. Ouch.
Although the Kings were strong-armed by a strict timeline to make a decision on Dubois' future, landing only Kuemper is underwhelming. Los Angeles has needed help in goal for several years, but Kuemper is 34, posted an .890 save percentage en route to losing his starting gig to Charlie Lindgren this season, and is owed $5.25 million through 2027. He's more of a hopeful stopgap than a long-term solution in the crease.
If there's a silver lining in the Kings admitting the Dubois experiment was a failure, it's that Los Angeles suddenly has over $23 million of cap space to play with this summer. The shock factor of Wednesday's trade is unlikely to wear off until further improvements are made and, until then, we're going to be harsh about this one.
Grade: D
Capitals' perspective:
Leila Devlin / Getty Images Sport / Getty
The Capitals are taking a big risk by bringing in Dubois, who's now failed to click in Columbus, Winnipeg, and Los Angeles. With veteran Nicklas Backstrom on long-term injured reserve, Dubois is now Washington's second-highest paid player behind Alex Ovechkin and will jump to the top of the club's depth chart at center. There will be nowhere for him to hide in taking on a bigger role, and expectations to produce are going to be enormous.
Washington is banking on the promise Dubois has shown in three separate 60-point seasons. The soon-to-be 26-year-old is a strong playmaker when engaged, and can be difficult to defend when using his size effectively. The tools have always been there, but the Caps need to find a way to consistently get the best out of him. Otherwise, they've just taken on one of the league's most cumbersome contracts.
The Capitals would grade out much worse if they gave up more to acquire Dubois, but shedding Kuemper's contract and handing the reins to Lindgren is a positive. Washington took the bigger risk in this trade, but there's more potential for upside if Dubois can find his groove.
The Dallas Stars traded forward Ty Dellandrea to the San Jose Sharks for a fourth-round pick in 2025, the teams announced Wednesday.
The pick Dallas sent originally belonged to the Winnipeg Jets.
Dellandrea is a pending restricted free agent, and he registered nine points in 42 games this season before adding one goal in the playoffs. The Stars drafted him 13th overall in 2018.
The rebuilding Sharks now have 21 selections over the next three drafts, including first overall this year.
Goodrow has three years remaining on his contract with an annual cap hit of $3.641 million, and the Rangers are aiming to create cap space by making him available to other teams for free.
If Goodrow goes unclaimed, the Rangers could buy him out, which would save them $3.88 million next season. However, New York would incur $1.11 million in dead money for three years beginning in 2027-28, according to CapFriendly. The NHL's buyout window opens 48 hours after the Stanley Cup is awarded.
Goodrow has played a bottom-six role much of his career and posted 12 points in 80 games for the Rangers this season. The 31-year-old did have a strong playoff run, though, notching six goals in 16 appearances as New York reached the Eastern Conference Final.
Before signing a six-year deal in New York, Goodrow also won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Rangers have approximately $9.2 million in cap flexibility this summer. The club's prominent restricted free agents are defensemen Ryan Lindgren and Braden Schneider, while star goaltender Igor Shesterkin is eligible for an extension as of July 1.
Trade rumors have surrounded Jacob Markstrom for several months, but general manager Craig Conroy said the veteran goaltender has never asked to leave the Calgary Flames.
"He's never come and said he wants out," Conroy told Sportsnet's Eric Francis. "That's never been mentioned. He's never said that."
Markstrom has two seasons left on his contract at a $6 million cap hit. His pact also contains a no-trade clause. The Flames and New Jersey Devils reportedly discussed a trade during the season, but talks fell apart when the clubs couldn't agree on salary retention.
The Ottawa Senators are also apparently aggressively pursuing Markstrom this summer.
Conroy said the constant speculation about Markstrom's future in Calgary has grown to irk him.
"It's part of the game, but it does bother me because it's always out there - there's something about the goalie all the time, and I don't think it's fair to the goalie either," Conroy said.
"I feel more for him because I've been on the other side of this. Everyone wants to speculate and throw things out there, and I don't think it's fair to him."
Amid trade speculation during the season, Markstrom said the Flames' front office could've handled his situation better ahead of the trade deadline. Calgary swung significant deals after Conroy took over as GM, shipping out Tyler Toffoli, Noah Hanifin, and Chris Tanev in separate moves.
Markstrom posted a .905 save percentage in 48 appearances this past season as the Flames missed the playoffs.
