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Kings To Ramp Up Extension Talks With Adrian Kempe

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Kings forward Adrian Kempe is now eligible for a contract extension and is currently slated to be one of the better options in a 2026 UFA pool.  In an appearance on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio earlier this week (Twitter link), GM Ken Holland acknowledged that he’d like to get a deal done with Kempe and intends to ramp up discussions on that front soon.

The 28-year-old was a first-round pick by Los Angeles in 2014, going 29th overall.  At the time, he was playing a regular role in the SHL which is impressive in itself for a draft-eligible player but Kempe wasn’t producing much offensively.  Accordingly, one of the bigger questions at the time was around his potential to become a legitimate threat offensively, complementing his strong defensive game.

It has taken a while but Kempe has done just that.  After having limited offensive production in the minors soon after being drafted with AHL Manchester and his first few seasons with Los Angeles, Kempe had a breakout year in 2021-22, notching 35 goals and making his first (and only) All-Star appearance.  Considering his sluggish production beforehand, it was fair to question whether this was a blip or a sign of things to come so the two sides negotiated a four-year, $22MM contract that summer, one that bought the Kings two years of extra club control.

Kempe has certainly outperformed that contract in the first three seasons of it.  He has notched at least 67 points in each one and is coming off a 35-goal, 73-point campaign in 2024-25, one that saw him edge past 19 minutes per night of playing time, a career best.  Kempe has also been quite productive in the playoffs over that stretch, potting 13 goals and 10 assists in 17 postseason games, all against Edmonton.  Suffice it to say, he’s looking at a substantial raise next time out.

Earlier this offseason, AFP Analytics projected a seven-year, $64.225MM deal for Kempe, one that would carry a $9.175MM AAV.  When this contract kicks in for the 2026-27 campaign, the salary cap is expected to be $104MM at that time, a jump of $8.5MM.  This year, the biggest contract for a winger was Nikolaj Ehlers’ six-year, $51MM deal with Carolina (a cap hit of $8.5MM) so it would make sense that Kempe’s number should check in a bit above that, at least based on the way the market has operated this summer.

A contract in that price range would make Kempe their highest-paid forward and second-highest-paid player behind defenseman Drew Doughty.  With Kempe being among several contracts set to expire next summer, the Kings have nearly $38MM in room for that season, per PuckPedia, so Holland will have plenty of flexibility to work with to get a deal done for his top scorer from 2024-25.

East Notes: Panarin, Senators, Prokhorov

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Players in the final year of a multi-year contract are now eligible to sign contract extensions.  A few have but most of the headline names in the 2026 UFA class have yet to do so, including Rangers winger Artemi Panarin.  Vincent Z. Mercogliano of the Rockland/Westchester Journal News argues that New York should hold off on trying to get the 33-year-old locked up to a new deal right away, wondering if there might be an opportunity to get a younger top-liner on the open market next summer when they will have a significant amount of cap space.  Panarin saw his production drop considerably last season after putting up a career-high 120 points in 2023-24 but he still managed 37 goals and 52 assists in 80 games to lead New York in scoring once again.  Panarin has a $11.643MM cap charge and given that he’ll be 34 when his next deal starts, he’ll be in tough to match that price tag at that time.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • The Senators are making significant progress on securing the land agreement at LeBreton Flats as the site for their next arena, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The team has been in discussions for this parcel of land for several years now and signed an agreement in principle to buy the land last September, assuming that an agreement on the price could be reached.  After both sides had separate land valuations done that were well apart in value, there was still a gap to be bridged which apparently, progress is being made on.  The belief is that even if this is finalized, the Sens will remain in their current arena for at least the next five years.
  • Sabres prospect Yevgeni Prokhorov has signed a tryout deal with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL, per a team announcement on its Telegram page. The netminder was a seventh-round pick last month after spending last season in Dinamo’s MHL program where he posted a 2.19 GAA and a .903 SV% in 28 games.  Prokhorov was a first-round pick in last month’s CHL Import Draft, going 23rd overall to OHL Flint, leading to some speculation that he could come to North America but it appears that isn’t on the table at the moment.

Canucks Have Had Discussions With Jack Roslovic

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Earlier this week, it was reported that the Canucks had interest in some remaining free agents but lacked the cap space to sign any.  That changed on Thursday when Vancouver dealt forward Dakota Joshua to Toronto, freeing up an additional $3.25MM in flexibility, enough to take a run at someone still unsigned.

It appears that one of their targets might be forward Jack Roslovic.  Shortly following yesterday’s swap, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic reported (Twitter link) that there have been talks between the Canucks and Roslovic’s camp.  Last month, Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma noted that Vancouver pursued the 28-year-old last summer so he’s someone they’ve had their eye on previously.  Meanwhile, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported recently that Toronto was another team interested in Roslovic although it’s unclear if the addition of Joshua takes them out of that market now.

Roslovic, of course, didn’t sign with them last summer, instead inking a one-year, $2.8MM with the Hurricanes on the heels of an up-and-down year between the Blue Jackets and Rangers that saw him notch nine goals and 22 assists in 59 games.  The hope was that a good showing in Carolina could bolster his value heading into the open market this time around.

To his credit, Roslovic was able to bounce back offensively, matching his career high in goals with 22 in 81 games while adding 17 assists.  However, his playing time dropped below 14 minutes a night while in the playoffs, he was a healthy scratch six times in Carolina’s run to the Eastern Conference Final which didn’t exactly give his value the boost he was hoping for.

Still, Roslovic has shown he can play both center and the wing, something of note for a Vancouver roster that lost center Pius Suter to St. Louis without finding another middleman to replace him.  With Filip Chytil currently pegged to be their second-line pivot, there is certainly a role that Roslovic could fill in the middle six for the Canucks.

As things stand, Vancouver has $3.27MM in cap space for next season, per PuckPedia.  That’s enough to afford Roslovic on a similar price to last season although that will once again have them very tight to the cap ceiling, hardly an ideal scenario when teams like to leave room for injury insurance.  But with the Canucks certainly looking to get back into the playoff picture, it seems likely that a good chunk of that freed-up cap space will be used; perhaps it will be spent to bring Roslovic into the fold.

Senators Re-Sign Xavier Bourgault

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The Senators have reached an agreement with one of their remaining restricted free agents as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that they’ve signed forward Xavier Bourgault to a one-year, two-way deal.  The contract will pay Bourgault $775K in the NHL and $90K in the minors.

The 22-year-old was a first-round pick by Edmonton back in 2021, going 22nd overall after showing some offensive promise with QMJHL Shawinigan.  In his final three seasons with the Cataractes, Bourgault potted 89 goals and 97 assists in 135 games, providing some enthusiasm that he could be a cost-controlled contributor for an Oilers roster that certainly could use that.

However, Bourgault wasn’t able to produce anywhere near those numbers with AHL Bakersfield.  After a respectable rookie season in 2022-23 that saw him record 34 points in 62 games, his output dipped the following year to just eight goals and 12 assists in 55 outings.  That was enough for GM Stan Bowman to decide to make a change, dealing Bourgault to Ottawa that summer along with prospect Jake Chiasson for winger Roby Jarventie and a fourth-round pick.

Bourgault spent last season with AHL Belleville and was able to rebound a bit, notching 12 goals and 14 assists in 61 games.  While that wasn’t enough to match or surpass his rookie-season output, it was enough to earn him a qualifying offer last month.  Bourgault didn’t take it, instead foregoing a bit of a higher potential NHL salary in exchange for a slight raise in his AHL pay.

Bourgault will be waiver-eligible for the first time next season.  While a player with his type of numbers generally wouldn’t be a candidate to be claimed, his draft pedigree might be enough for a team or two to at least ponder giving him a look, assuming he doesn’t break camp with Ottawa in training camp which is the likeliest scenario.  Assuming he makes it back to Belleville, he’ll look to position himself to get his first regular season recall.

With Bourgault’s signing, Ottawa now has three remaining restricted free agents to re-sign this summer: forward Jan Jenik and defensemen Donovan Sebrango and Max Guenette.

Snapshots: Flames, Pridham, Humphreys

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The Calgary Flames have signed a multi-year extension with the Rapid City Rush, their ECHL affiliate. The exact terms of the deal were not disclosed. This will continue a partnership that began in the 2022-23 season. Rapid City has finished sixth in the ECHL’s Mountain Division, and missed the postseason, in all three of their seasons under Calgary’s organizational roof.

The Rush are among the middle siblings of the ECHL, entering the league as an expansion team ahead of the 2008-09 season. They had a stunted inaugural season, but managed to blaze their way to a Kelly Cup Championship win in 2010. That kicked off a string of playoff appearances that continued through 2015. Rapid City announced their first NHL affiliate, a partnership with the Arizona Coyotes, on the heels of those six consecutive postseason appearances. They’d stay with Arizona for two seasons, only to be dropped by the club for two years, and then reaffiliated from 2019 to 2022. Rapid City was once again dropped by Arizona ahead of the 2022-23 season, opening the door for a quickly-organized partnership with the Flames. While the club hasn’t found much league success under Calgary’s guard, they have managed to promote 14 players to the AHL and NHL lineups over the course of three seasons. That includes top Flames prospect Rory Kerins, who scored 37 points in 38 games with the Rush in 2022-23.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Chicago Blackhawks forward prospect Jack Pridham has announced he will stay with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers for one more season, rather than moving to Boston University, per Josh Brown of The Waterloo Region Record. Pridham scored 27 goals and 54 points in 48 games with Kitchener last season. His marks led the team in both goals and points per game. It was his first year in the OHL, after spending all of last season and the start of this season with the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors. Pridham ranked second in scoring on the Warriors with 48 points in 54 games last season, prompting Chicago to select him in the third round of the 2024 NHL Draft. He’s a burly winger with a heavy, physical frame and hard shot. He’ll look to step into a starring role with the Rangers next season, then continue his career with the BU Terriers in 2026-27.
  • Joining Pridham in a return to Kitchener will be Colorado Avalanche prospect Christian Humphreys, per Brown. Humphreys began the season at the University of Michigan, but opted to move to the OHL after scoring just one assist in the Wolverines’ first 10 games of the season. He went on to score 11 goals and 33 points in 28 games with Kitchener, and added 10 more points in 13 playoff games. Humphreys formally entered the NCAA transfer portal earlier this summer, but will instead opt to stay in juniors in hopes of joining Pridham on Kitchener’s top-line. He was a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, following two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program, where he spent time on the wing of James Hagens and Brodie Ziemer, or centering Teddy Stiga and Max Plante.

Jets Sign Parker Ford To Two-Year Contract

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The Winnipeg Jets have signed forward Parker Ford to a two-year, two-way, $1.625MM contract. The deal will carry an $812.5K salary at the NHL level. Ford entered restricted free agency this summer after spending the last three seasons on an entry-level contract.

Ford went undrafted through his years of eligibility in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Those years spanned his final year in the USHL and first two seasons at Providence College. He didn’t catch NHL attention until his upperclass seasons with the Friars, where he became known for his endless motor and strong play in the dirty areas of the ice. He looked like a true coach’s favorite, made impacts in all three zones, and worked his way to 53 points in 75 games over his junior and senior seasons.

Those marks were enough to earn Ford a three-year, entry-level contract at the end of the 2022-23 season. He joined the AHL’s Manitoba Moose for their final eight games of the regular season, and jumped to scoring with four points, only to go without any points in five postseason games. Ford found better balance in the lineup as an AHL rookie last season. He finished the year with 18 goals and 41 points in 72 games, good for sixth on the Moose in scoring. That carved him out a hardy role in Manitoba’s top-six this season – a role Ford vindicated with 14 goals and 21 points in 41 games. He also earned his NHL debut this season, and scored one goal in three games with the Jets lineup.

A two-year deal will reward Ford’s carved out role in the AHL. He’ll likely head straight back to Manitoba’s top-six next season, but could find his way into a fourth-line, NHL role after fellow Jets depth forward Mason Appleton signed with the Detroit Red Wings this summer. Ford is a hard-working, well-rounded winger who is still largely undefined at the top flight, with only a few games in his NHL career and 121 games in his AHL career.

Jets Sign Gabriel Vilardi To Six-Year Contract

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The Winnipeg Jets have signed forward Gabriel Vilardi to a six-year, $45MM contract extension. The deal was first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. It will carry an annual cap hit of $7.5MM. As Friedman points out, Vilardi will avoid salary arbitration with the Jets with this contract. He had filed for arbitration earlier in the summer, after entering restricted-free agency with a $3.6MM qualifying offer a the start of the off-season.

PuckPedia reports that the deal carries a $3.5MM salary and a $3.5MM signing bonus for next season with a straight $7.6MM salary in each of the remaining five years.  There is no trade protection in the contract.

Winnipeg will check a big box off of their summer list with this move. Vilardi was Winnipeg’s second-highest scoring free agent this year. The other, Nikolaj Ehlers, signed a six-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes on July 3rd. Winnipeg had more control over RFA Vilardi, who will commit to a long-term deal with the club after spending the last two seasons on a short-term, prove-it contract.

The Jets acquired Vilardi’s negotiating rights alongside Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, and a 2024 second-round pick in the trade that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings in the summer of 2023. It put the Jets in the awkward position of rewarding Vilardi for scoring 23 goals and 41 points in 63 games of Los Angeles’ 2022-23 season, after scoring 37 points in 69 career games in the prior three seasons. Winnipeg landed on a two-year, $6.88MM bridge contract.

With a new deal in place, the Jets honed in on adjusting Vilardi to the top-six, winger role that he began to take on in his latter years with the Kings, after entering the NHL as a center. Vilardi took on the role well, and scored 22 goals and 36 points in his first 47 games with the Jets. Unfortunately, those performances were spread around numerous injuries that forced Vilardi out of much of October, November, and March during the 2023-24 season.

An injury-shortened season to kick off a bridge contract swelled the pressure around Vilardi’s 2024-25 season. He entered the year not only playing for a contract, but looking to vindicate multiple seasons of promising scoring cut short by injuries. Vilardi jumped at the opportunity right out of the gates, scoring eight points in 10 games of October and 14 points in 14 games of November. His scoring carried through the extent of the season, and he finished the year with career-highs across the board – including 27 goals and 61 points in 61 games. He added four more points in nine playoff games.

Vilardi will be rewarded for a hot year with a contract in line with many high-scoring wingers entering their prime. The Utah Mammoth recently signed 23-year-old winger JJ Peterka to a five-year, $38.5MM contract; and the Toronto Maple Leafs signed 22-year-old Matthew Knies to a six-year, $46.5MM deal. Vilardi is older than both Peterka and Knies, but earns a richer annual salary than an older peer like Brock Boeser, who just inked a seven-year, $50.75MM contract in Vancouver.

A new, long-term deal will commit Vilardi to a major role in Winnipeg. Ehlers leaves behind a hardy, second-line role and routine power-play presence. Some of those minutes will be eaten up by summer signing Gustav Nyquist, and potentially prospects like Brad Lambert, but Vilardi could still see a boost from the 18 minutes of ice time he averaged this season. He has totaled 138 points in 181 games over the last three seasons — an 82-game pace of 33 goals and 63 points. With that scoring pace, and good health, on his side; Vilardi could be set to start his new deal with another breakout this season.

Photo courtesy of Terrence Lee-Imagn Images.

Hurricanes Promote Daniel Bochner Among Multiple Staff Changes

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The Carolina Hurricanes have announced multiple staff and structure changes across their hockey operations and management departments. Most notably, they’ve hired Daniel Bochner as a full-time development coach, after he spent the last two seasons in a part-time coaching role with both the Hurricanes and the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg. Bochner will move to Raleigh, from Russia, for this hire and work with both the NHL and AHL lineups.

Bochner has built up a rich career across the hockey world. He was originally born in Toronto, but began playing for Israel’s U18 club at the age of 15. He joined the club in their debut at the World Junior Championship Division-III tournament in 2001, and debuted with the country’s men’s roster at the World Championship Division-II tournament later that year. Bochner continued to be a fixture of Israel’s national roster through 2011, and racked up three points across 13 total appearances at the World Championship.

Bochner retired from his playing career in 2011, and turned towards head coaching with the Don Mills Flyers’ AAA club in 2013. He led the Flyers’ 2000-birth year through their 14U, 15U, and 16U seasons. Current Utah Mammoth forward Jack McBain served as the team’s captain in all three seasons. Bochner left Don Mills for a youth coach role with the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan in 2016, briefly returned to coach the Vaughan Kings 14U AAA team in 2017, then moved full-time into a development coach role with SKA St. Petersburg in 2018.

His role with SKA included serving as a development coach for the KHL and MHL (junior) clubs, as well as with Russia’s National Men’s roster. He also served as an assistant coach for the KHL club from 2020 to 2023. Bochner’s role spanned some impressive rosters, and allowed him to work closely with top NHL skaters and prospects – including Yaroslav Askarov, Ivan Demidov, Matvei Michkov, Kirill Marchenko, and Hurricanes prospect Timur Kol. Bochner will now leave seven years with SKA behind to work full-time with Carolina’s top two rosters.

The Hurricanes have also announced that CBA-specialist Earl Schwartz has been promoted to the role of CBA and Salary Cap Analyst. He will the title of Compliance Assistant after three years in the role. Schwartz began his niched career publicly, writing CBA-related analysis for LeafsNation and a personal newsletter. Now, he’ll take another step forward in a Hurricanes organization that’s seen multiple staff take unconventional paths into their roles.

Carolina has further promoted Jorge Alves into the role of head equipment manager. He will take over for Bob Gorman, who has worked with the Hurricanes since 1976 and will continue to support the team in a reduced role. Alves will be joined by Patrick Budds, who has been promoted to assistant equipment manager from his role of equipment assistant. Filling that latter role will be CJ Reif, who worked with the Chicago Wolves last season.

The Hurricanes have also hired Zach Ellenthal and Dennis King as pro scouts. Ellenthal spent the last four seasons with the SHL’s Rogle BK, while King previously served in the Edmonton Oilers’ analytics department. King will join former Oilers peer Tyler Dellow in Carolina.

Carolina rounds out the hires with changes in their athletic training and nutrition rooms. Koryd Lavimoniere will step into an assistant trainer role after serving as the head trainer of the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds last season; and Kristin Pirigyi will move into a newly-created, full-time nutritionist role after previously serving as a nutrition consultant.

Photo courtesy of David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports.

Chase Priskie Signs In Russia

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Free agent defenseman Chase Priskie is headed to Russia on a one-year deal with the KHL’s Sibir Novosibirsk, per a team announcement.

Priskie, 29, heads overseas for the first time. His signing rights were dealt from the Capitals to the Wild in a draft-day trade that sent fellow rearguard Declan Chisholm to Washington, but Minnesota only had a few days to sign him before he became a UFA, and they opted not to do so.

The South Florida native only has four games of NHL experience, all with his hometown Panthers in the 2021-22 season. He did not record a point but had a plus-two rating, four shots on goal, and three hits while averaging 14:00 of time on ice.

While Priskie was a sixth-round pick by Washington in 2016, he did not sign with them after graduating from Quinnipiac in 2019 and instead signed with Florida as a free agent. He spent his first two full professional seasons in their system, primarily with AHL Syracuse and Charlotte, before splitting 2022-23 between the AHL Rochester and San Diego while under contract with the Sabres and Ducks.

He returned to the team that drafted him in free agency two years ago, where the 6’0″ righty has since served as a high-end offensive rearguard for the AHL’s Hershey Bears. He was particularly impactful in their run to the 2024 Calder Cup, leading AHL defensemen in playoff assists in 12 and tying for the league lead in points with 14 in 20 games.

Last season, Priskie scored a career-high 12 goals and 35 points in 61 games for Hershey, but the Caps were more interested in letting some younger prospects like Ryan Chesley and Vincent Iorio have more of a role on the farm in 2025-26. As such, he moves on to a Sibir squad that also recently added former NHL netminder Louis Domingue.

2025 International Signings Recap: SHL

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Weeks into NHL free agency and months into most European leagues’ signing windows, it’s a good time to review the notable action that has seen NHL-experienced players find new homes in other countries. We’re starting with the Swedish Hockey League with signings that have come across the wire in the last two months:

F Kieffer Bellows – one year, Brynas IF: Bellows heads overseas for the first time after playing in four NHL organizations in the last three seasons (link to signing article).

D Gabriel Carlsson – three years, Farjestad BK: The 2015 first-round pick lands some stability in his home country after spending last season with Switzerland’s EV Zug. The physical shutdown lefty last played in the NHL with the Capitals in 2022-23 and only managed 81 career games despite appearing in seven straight seasons, mainly with the Blue Jackets, who drafted him No. 29 overall. He has previous SHL experience with Linköping HC in his teenage years and also played for Växjö Lakers HC in the 2023-24 season, where he scored 26 points with a +18 rating in 45 games.

G Collin Delia – one year, Brynas IF: Delia, 31, served as the Oilers’ fourth-stringer last season and had a .906 SV% in 28 games for AHL Bakersfield (link to signing article).

F Gabriel Fortier – two years, Leksands IF: Fortier was a Group VI unrestricted free agent after playing the last five seasons in the Lightning organization, mostly with AHL Syracuse. The 2018 second-round pick played 11 NHL games across the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, scoring once, but didn’t see action in the last two years. His scoring has steadily declined, posting only 19 points in 50 games last year, so it’s not particularly surprising to see him head overseas.

D Mark Friedman – two years, Rogle BK: A solid press box option on NHL rosters for a few years, Friedman was mostly relegated to AHL action last season and will now look for more stability and ice time overseas (link to signing article).

D Robert Hagg – one year, Brynas IF: Hagg spent last season on a two-way deal with the Golden Knights, spending most of the year in the AHL but getting into a pair of NHL contests (link to signing article).

G Magnus Hellberg – three years, Djurgardens IF: Hellberg jumps back to his homeland after spending last season as the Stars’ No. 3 option and starter for AHL Texas, posting a .904 SV% in 41 games (link to signing article).

F Aleksi Heponiemi – two years, HV71: Heponiemi, whose NHL rights are still owned by the Panthers, hasn’t played for them since the 2022-23 campaign (link to signing article).

F Jere Innala – one year, Frolunda HC: Innala’s NHL sample ends after one season with the Avalanche, going pointless in 17 games for them in 2024-25 (link to signing article).

F Axel Jonsson-Fjallby – three years, Brynas IF: Jonsson-Fjallby last played in the NHL with the Jets in 2023-24 and spent all of last season on assignment to AHL Manitoba (link to signing article).

D Michal Kempny – one year, Brynas IF: A member of the Capitals team that won the 2018 Stanley Cup, Kempny has been in Europe since mutually terminating his contract with the Kraken at the beginning of the 2022-23 season. He spent the last three years in his home country with HC Sparta Prague of the Czech Extraliga. Although he was a top point producer early on, he recorded just eight points in 24 games last year. He turns 35 in September and will now look to play a supporting role on the reigning SHL regular season champions.

F Justin Kloos – two years, HV71: It’s a lateral move for the 31-year-old, who’s already spent the last four years in the SHL with Leksand. The speedy but undersized forward has two NHL games to his name, one each with the Wild and Ducks in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns, respectively. He was an undrafted free agent signed by the Wild out of the University of Minnesota in 2017 and was a strong AHL producer for a few years. However, he has been overseas since 2019, also spending one year in Russia with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. He scored 47 goals and 106 points in 177 games with Leksand.

F Janne Kuokkanen – four years, Malmö Redhawks: Kuokkanen, 27, has alternated between Switzerland and Sweden since heading to Europe in 2022, but now lands some stability with Malmö. He registered over a point per game for them previously in the 2023-24 season. The Finnish native made 119 NHL appearances for the Hurricanes and Devils from 2017-22, scoring 14 goals and 46 points with a -26 rating.

F Karson Kuhlman – one year, Rogle BK: Kuhlman has nearly 150 games of NHL experience with the Bruins, Kraken, and Jets. He spent last season in Finland with Lukko, where he put together a 21-25–46 scoring line in 60 games (link to signing article).

D Paul Ladue – one year, Rogle BK: LaDue stays in Sweden’s top flight after spending last season with MoDo, which has been relegated to the HockeyAllsvenskan for 2025-26. The 32-year-old is a veteran of 70 NHL games with the Kings and Islanders from 2016 to 2022. Last year was his first overseas stint after being a consistent farmhand in the Isles’ system for AHL Bridgeport. He scored 17 points with a minus-seven rating in 50 games for MoDo.

D Gustav Lindstrom – five years, Djurgardens IF: The 2017 second-round pick spent last season in the Montreal organization with AHL Laval, recording 11 points and a +18 rating in 42 games (link to signing article).

F Sean Malone – two years, Orebro HK: A longtime Sabres farmhand with two games of NHL experience with them and the Predators, Malone last saw NHL ice with Nashville in 2020-21 and last played in North America for AHL Rochester in 2022-23. The 6’0″ Buffalo native has played in Switzerland for the previous two years, scoring 20 goals and 67 points in 90 National League games for the SCL Tigers.

F Lukas Rousek – two years, HV71: Rousek, 26, did not see NHL ice with the Sabres in 2024-25 after making 17 appearances for them across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns (link to signing article).

F Joe Snively – one year, Djurgardens IF: Snively, long a top AHL producer, heads over to help the newly-promoted Djurgarden after spending last season on a two-way deal with the Red Wings (link to signing article).

F Jesse Ylonen – two years, Djurgardens IF: Ylonen chose Djurgarden after not getting into any NHL action last season with either the Lightning or Predators, instead recording 35 points in 66 games across their AHL affiliates (link to signing article).

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