While the bulk of the roster activity occurred on or around July 1st, there was still some movement of note over the past week, including a big CHL to NCAA transfer. We’ll run down the top moves from around the NHL in our key stories.
Five For Two: A pair of arbitration-eligible restricted free agents inked five-year deals. First, the Flyers signed blueliner Cameron York to a five-year, $25.75MM pact. The deal buys out his first two seasons of UFA eligibility. York had a career year in 2023-24 but struggled last season, notching just 17 points in 66 games while clashing at times with former head coach John Tortorella. He’ll get a fresh start under Rick Tocchet next season with plenty of job security as well. Meanwhile, not long after Utah opted to take Jack McBain to arbitration, the two sides agreed on a five-year, $21.25MM deal, one that gives the Mammoth three extra years of team control. McBain set career highs in goals (13) and points (27) last season while coming up just short of reaching 300 hits for the second time in his career. The signing ensures that an important part of their bottom six won’t be going anywhere for a while.
Howard Saga Ends: After deciding that he didn’t want to sign with Tampa Bay, prospect winger Isaac Howard has a new home as he was acquired by Edmonton for center Sam O’Reilly. Howard subsequently signed a three-year, entry-level deal upon being acquired. Howard was the 31st pick in 2022 and is coming off his junior year at Michigan State where he finished fifth in NCAA scoring, showing he’s ready for the next test. He didn’t want to take that step with the Lightning but will with the Oilers. O’Reilly, meanwhile, was the 32nd pick in 2024 and is coming off a solid showing with OHL London. He’s expected to return to junior next season but immediately becomes one of Tampa Bay’s better prospects, allowing them to salvage a solid return from a tough situation.
Dallas Dumps Dumba: Needing to clear cap space, it was only a matter of time before the Stars made a move. That move came in the form of trading defenseman Mathew Dumba along with a 2028 second-round pick to Pittsburgh for blueliner Vladislav Kolyachonok. Dallas inked Dumba to a two-year, $7.5MM contract last summer but he struggled mightily, notching just 10 points in 63 games with some defensive struggles that saw him dropped to the third pairing during the season and benched outright in the playoffs. Needing to get cap-compliant, the cost of doing so was one of their better draft picks which the rebuilding Penguins will be happy with getting at the cost of some cap room. Kolyachonok, meanwhile, played in 37 NHL games last season between Utah and Pittsburgh and could be in the mix for a spot at the back of the roster for the Stars.
Manson’s Sticking Around: Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson has been a speculative trade candidate at times when Colorado looked like it needed to open up salary cap room. However, he has been with the team for more than three years now and will be staying for a while longer as he signed a two-year, $7.9MM extension that begins in the 2026-27 season. The 33-year-old has been a dependable defensive and physical presence when healthy but he has missed significant time due to injury in two of the last three years. Manson is now just one of two Avs blueliners signed for the 2027-28 campaign; the other is Devon Toews.
More San Jose Movement: A busy summer in San Jose continued this week. First, the team flipped defenseman Henry Thrun to Toronto for winger Ryan Reaves in a swap of players on expiring contracts. Thrun was unlikely to break camp with the Sharks given their additions on the back end in recent weeks while Reaves could find himself in a reserve role like he had with the Maple Leafs last season. They followed that move up with the signing of veteran winger Jeff Skinner to a one-year, $3MM contract. The 33-year-old is coming off a quiet year with Edmonton that saw him record 15 goals and 12 assists in 72 games while logging just 13 minutes a night of ice time. It stands to reason that he’ll get more of a chance with the Sharks, who have now changed up close to 40% of their roster from last season.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.