The first full week of 2026 is in the books and it was a busy one across the hockey world with several extensions completed. Unfortunately, it also saw the passing of a pair of Hall of Famers. Here’s a rundown of the key stories of the week.
Blues Sign Two: Early in the week, St. Louis inked winger Alexey Toropchenko to a two-year, $5MM extension. The 26-year-old has been a valuable energy player over his five-year career and the move ensures the two sides won’t go to arbitration this summer. Then, on the weekend, GM Doug Armstrong took care of another pending RFA, reaching a six-year, $48MM extension with defenseman Philip Broberg. Acquired via offer sheet in 2024 from Edmonton, the 24-year-old has blossomed into an impactful defender and is averaging nearly 23 minutes per game this season. The deal buys out two RFA years plus an additional four years of team control while making him their highest-paid defender moving forward. Unfortunately for the Blues, Broberg suffered an upper-body injury on Saturday just hours after the deal was announced and didn’t make it through the game.
Sharks Swap: With the Sharks now squarely in the playoff battle (they sit third in the Pacific Division heading into today’s action), they’ve made a move to add some goaltending depth and a young defender. They acquired goalie Laurent Brossoit, defenseman Nolan Allan, and a 2028 seventh-round pick from Chicago for blueliner Jake Furlong, Ryan Ellis’ LTIR contract, and a 2028 fourth rounder. Brossoit, now healthy, gives San Jose another experienced option in the system while getting a look at Allan, a 2021 first-round pick who had been passed over on Chicago’s depth chart. They also free up more than $2.5MM in cap space by removing Ellis off their books to get them closer to exiting LTIR. The Blackhawks, meanwhile, upgrade a future draft pick and save considerable cash with the bulk of Ellis’ deal being covered by insurance.
Five For Dvorak: When Christian Dvorak signed a one-year, $5.4MM contract with the Flyers in the summer, it raised some eyebrows with Philadelphia seemingly overpaying to get a short-term agreement. But it has worked out rather well with the 29-year-old well on his way to a career year offensively. As a result, the team has rewarded him for his efforts, signing him to a five-year, $25.65MM extension, a small dip in the AAV ($5.15MM) in exchange for a long-term agreement. After being more of a middle-six player in Montreal (and Arizona before that), Dvorak has taken over the top center spot with the Flyers and is now set to be part of their long-term core group.
Hamilton Scratched: With the Devils getting defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic back from his season-long knee injury, someone had to sit. That player was veteran Dougie Hamilton. Soon after reports emerged that he’d be sitting, his agent J.P. Barry released a statement critical of the team, suggesting that his benching was business-related instead of performance-related amid reports that the team would like to move him. However, Hamilton has been quiet offensively this season with five goals and five assists in 40 games, not a great return on a $9MM price tag. Barry stated that Hamilton is willing to consider moving to teams that are on his no-trade list so we’ll see if this ultimately expedites the trade process.
More Issues For The Rangers: It was a rough first half of the season for the Rangers who have underachieved. Now, their push for the playoffs just got a lot more difficult with two of their top players being injured as goaltender Igor Shesterkin went on injured reserve with a non-contact lower-body injury while defenseman Adam Fox landed on LTIR with a lower-body issue of his own. Despite the team’s struggles, Shesterkin remains in the top ten in the league in save percentage and now veteran Jonathan Quick is tasked with keeping them afloat. Meanwhile, it’s Fox’s second stint on LTIR, taking their top offensive weapon from the back end out of the lineup for at least 10 games and 24 days, hardly ideal for one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league.
Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.