The calendar has turned to September and preseason games are only a few weeks away. As a result, there was a bit more activity on the transactions front around the NHL over the past seven days, the most notable of which is recapped in our key stories.
Rule Changes Starting This Season: The CBA extension that was agreed upon back in the spring called for some notable changes starting in 2026-27. But as it turns out, some will be in effect for this season instead. Chief among those is the changes to LTIR that will see the pool limited to the NHL average salary unless the player is out for the season and the institution of a playoff salary cap. Additionally, contracts with deferred compensation will only be allowed until October 6th, players assigned to the minors must play in one game before being recalled (to try to dissuade paper moves), a player can only have his contract retained on a second time after 75 regular season days have passed from his original trade, and post-deadline recall limits being expanded from four to five.
Price’s Contract Traded: After the Canadiens paid Carey Price’s signing bonus on Monday, it was widely expected that they’d move him to get out of using LTIR, a position they’ve been in since 2021. They did just that, sending the injured netminder to San Jose with a 2026 fifth-round pick in exchange for defenseman Gannon Laroque. Price hasn’t played since 2022 but has carried a $10.5MM AAV during that stretch, causing Montreal to have carryover bonus penalties each season since then which is why they were willing to part with a draft pick to avoid being in that spot this season. Meanwhile, the Sharks will only be responsible for paying 40% of his $2MM salary (insurance will cover the rest), meaning they’ve effectively bought a draft pick for $800K. As for Laroque, he has played in just 22 games over the last three years and didn’t suit up at all last season and his playing future remains in question.
Three For Zary: One of the few remaining restricted free agents reached an agreement on a new contract as the Flames re-signed forward Connor Zary to a three-year deal that will carry a $3.775MM AAV. The 23-year-old was a first-round pick by Calgary back in 2020 but he hasn’t seen a ton of action at the NHL level thus far, just 117 outings over two seasons. Last season, Zary was limited to just 54 games due to a pair of knee injuries but when he was in the lineup, he was reasonably productive with 13 goals and 14 assists. The deal is a sign that the Flames feel he still has another level to get to offensively. When this contract expires in 2028, Zary will be arbitration-eligible with one year of RFA eligibility remaining.
Calling It A Career: After parts of ten NHL seasons, veteran center Derek Ryan has called it a career, announcing his retirement at the age of 38. A free agent this summer, he acknowledged that he wasn’t actively pursuing a contract although he would have been open to returning to Edmonton. Ryan took the long route to the NHL, not getting his first contract until 28, that coming after stints in Canada’s college system and three seasons in Austria, hardly a common route. But Ryan eventually became a quality bottom-six center for several years, chipping in with 209 points and a 55.3% success rate on faceoffs in 606 games between Carolina, Calgary, and Edmonton.
Dryden Passes Away: Early Saturday, the Canadiens announced that their long-time goaltender and Hall of Famer Ken Dryden passed away at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer. He was an elite netminder for Montreal in the 1970s, winning six Stanley Cups and five Vezina Trophies over eight seasons and is tied with Dominik Hasek for the highest save percentage in NHL history (among goalies with at least 100 games) at .922. Dryden retired in his 20s but remained in the game as an announcer, an author, and later, as team president in Toronto for several seasons before pursuing a career in Canadian politics. Dryden was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.
Photo courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images.
The new playoff salary cap is great news and long overdue.