Golden Knights Sign Lukas Cormier
The Vegas Golden Knights have signed defenseman Lukas Cormier to one-year contract. Financial terms of the deal haven’t yet been disclosed. Cormier’s last contract was a three-year, $2.38MM entry-level contract signed in December of 2020. That deal qualified for a two-year slide, allowing Cormier to remain under contract through the 2024-25 season.
Cormier joined the Vegas organization in the third-round of the 2020 NHL Draft, coming off a strong season with the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders. He signed his first pro contract two months after the draft, but continued on with Charlottetown for the next two seasons. In total, Cormier racked up 207 points across 208 junior games, including 81 points in 62 games of the 2021-22 season. That same year, Cormier joined Team Canada for the 2022 World Junior Championship, where he scored five points in seven games.
Cormier joined the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights in the following season. He recorded 35 points, 44 penalty minutes, and a minus-12 through 62 games in his rookie year. That performance was enough to show that Cormier’s puck-moving ability could translate to the pro flight. He continued to perform with 20 points in 58 games of the 2023-24 season. He also received the first two games of his NHL career that year, and recorded one assist. Cormier seemed on track to continue carving away a path to the show, until news of an undisclosed off-season injury delayed the start of his 2024-25 season to March. He managed nine points in 19 games upon returning.
The Golden Knights will bet that Cormier hasn’t lost a step due to injury with a one-year extension. That will be his runway to earning a chance at NHL minutes, and another contract when he reenters restricted-free agency next summer.
Penguins Sign Benjamin Kindel To Entry-Level Contract
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed 2025 first-round selection Benjamin Kindel to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Just a few weeks after drafting Kindel at 11th-overall, Pittsburgh will restate their confidence in the Coquitlam-native by making him just the third player from this draft to sign his first NHL contract. Kindel has been a true star in the WHL since joining the Calgary Hitmen in 2023. He scored 15 goals and 60 points in 68 games of his age-17 season, then exploded to a fantastic 35 goals and 99 points in 65 games this year.
Kindel managed that scoring outbreak on the back of very flashy and controlled stickhandling. He was among the best in his age group at creating chances off of the boards – using either a snappy wrist-shot or quick deke to beat defenders at the tops of the circles. He wielded play well all year long, though got the benefit of playing alongside the all-out-feist style of Oliver Tulk. That helped Kindel avoid physical situations along the boards that he may be forced into more at the next level. But even in the face of stronger opponents, Kindel should manage to develop his flashy skillset and 5-foot-10 frame into a high end talent.
That was clearly the impression he left with the Penguins brass after the team’s development camp ended on Monday. Kindel will notably forgo his NCAA eligibility by signing this contract, restricting his options for next season to either the Penguins roster or a return to Calgary. If he does return, he’ll be looking to shatter the century-mark in scoring, after being narrowly beaten out for the Hitmen’s lead in scoring by Tulk’s 100 points.
Madison Bowey Signs One-Year Contract With Augsburger Panther
Former NHL defenseman Madison Bowey has opted to return to his international hockey career after a year in the AHL. He has signed a one-year contract with the Augsburger Panther of Germany’s DEL, per Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey.
Bowey scored a quaint 15 points in 60 games with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters last season. He had a confused lineup role early on, but gained better footing after Denton Mateychuk was recalled to the NHL for the long-term. But Bowey still struggled to make much headway on the scoresheet. He was often featured in the penalty column, with 70 penalty minutes once again stapling his presence as a feisty, low-event defender.
Bowey spent the entirety of the 2023-24 season in Russia’s KHL in what was the first international move of his pro career. He split the year between three clubs, ultimately ending the year with 14 points and 31 penalty minutes in 51 games. The KHL stint brought an end to Bowey’s battle for an NHL role that spanned between 2015 and 2023. He played through parts of eight AHL seasons, and six NHL seasons, over that span — but couldn’t find his way into consistent minutes up a team’s depth chart.
His first stint in North America ended with 108 points in 264 AHL games, and 40 points in 158 NHL games. He’s a stocky, puck-moving defender who should find better footing in a league where skill shines. Augsburg finished the 2024-25 season ranked second-to-last in the DEL. They’ll look for a big energy boost from the NHL veteran Bowey.
Afternoon Notes: Byram, Gulyayev, Bump
The Buffalo Sabres are presently at risk of losing restricted-free agent defenseman Bowen Byram to the heaps of interest from around the league. He has been mentioned as a candidate for an offer sheet or trade, with a heap of Western Conference teams swirling around both options. The Sabres have already expressed their intent to match any offer sheet that comes across their desk, though Sean McIndoe of The Athletic points out an important contingency to that idea in his latest newsletter. Matching an offer sheet would only set Buffalo up to repeat this song-and-dance again next season, when Byram would be just one year removed from unrestricted-free agency. They’d be better off making a decision about him sooner rather than later, unless their intent is to push Byram back onto Rasmus Dahlin‘s side.
That could end up a lucrative approach for the Sabres. Byram posted 38 points and nearly 23 minutes in average ice time – both career-highs – while playing in Buffalo’s top-four last season. His overall performances left many wanting more, but the then-23-year-old Byram seemed to add a layer of smooth confidence to his overall game. A full year, and 100 games, of familiarity in the Sabres lineup could be enough to set up a breakout campaign next year – though all updates seem to point towards a split being inevitable. Buffalo will need to be careful with their handling of Byram. Their decisions over the next few weeks will be among the biggest headlines through the remaining summer.
Other notes from around the league:
- Colorado Avalanche Director of Player Development Brian Willsie shared that the club is hoping that defense prospect Mikhail Gulyayev will come over from Russia at the end of the 2025-26 seaosn, per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette. Gulyayev played through his second full year in the KHL this season – notching seven goals and 15 points in 67 games played. He added an additional three points in 13 postseason games. The total year falls closely in line with the 15 points that Gulyayev scored in 76 total games last year. He’s among the team’s top prospects, and is their most recent first-round selection still on the roster. Getting that kind of talent overseas and in a Colorado jersey will be important priority as the Avalanche look to stay fresh through the next few years.
- The Philadelphia Flyers intend to give top prospect Alex Bump every chance to make the team’s roster out of training camp, per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Bump was the motor to Western Michigan University’s engine last season, and managed 23 goals and 47 points in 42 games as the Broncos pushed for to their first national championship in school history. Bump was just as impressive last season, when he scored 36 points in 38 games as a freshman. He finished the year with nine total games in the AHL, where he scored five points. He’s a high-energy and physical winger who seems bound for success at the next level.
Avalanche Sign Alex Barré-Boulet
The Colorado Avalanche have signed forward Alex Barré-Boulet to a one-year, two-way contract per a team release.
Barré-Boulet led the AHL’s Laval Rocket in scoring this season with 22 goals and 63 points in 64 games. He became just the second Laval skater to reach the 40-assist mark in club history, joining defenseman Matt Taormina, who notched 48 assists in the 2017-18 season. Barré-Boulet was one of 12 AHL skaters to reach that mark this year. He also appeared in two NHL games this season.
It was yet another strong season in Barré-Boulet’s long history of minor-league success. He’s a perennial AHL scorer, and even reached a career-high 60 assists and 84 points with Syracuse in the 2022-23 campaign. Through his career, Barré-Boulet has notched 50-or-more points in five of his seven AHL seasons – and totaled 365 points in 358 career games.
Despite that fantastic minor-league scoring, Barré-Boulet hasn’t yet found his stride at the NHL level. He’s appeared in 70 games across five seasons, but only has 12 goals and 18 points to show for it. His 5-foot-10, 180-pound frame is slight for the major league ranks, which has made it difficult to beat NHL opponents with only his sharp skill. He could be an interesting addition to a Colorado Avalanche depth chart with space in the bottom-six and a precedent for making the most of top-end minor-leaguers. At worst, he’ll head for a high-scoring, top-line role with a Colorado Eagles lineup that finished second in the AHL’s Pacific Division last season.
Luke Kunin Garnering Interest From Around The League
A new contract could be closing in soon for centerman Luke Kunin, who has garnered interest from multiple teams since hitting the open market on July 1st, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Kunin kicked off last season with the San Jose Sharks, and was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 2025 second-round pick at the Trade Deadline.
Kunin has carved out a role as a utility third-liner over the course of his eight-year pro career that carried into his year with both San Jose and Columbus this season. He started the year with 11 goals, 18 points, and a minus-24 through 63 games as the Sharks’ third-line center. The Blue Jackets opted to move him to fourth-right wing, and he’d finish the year with no scoring and a minus-four through 12 games in Columbus.
Through a bleak stat line, Kunin did manage the second-most hits of his career (187) this season. He ranked second on the Sharks in hits (162) prior to his move, and then posted the second-highest hits-per-60 minutes of ice time (10.19) in Columbus behind only Mathieu Olivier (15.48). He also recorded a career-high 77 blocked shots this season. That physical presence has become the defining piece of Kunin’s pro style, and would surely be what teams are looking to buy on the open market.
Kunin was once the 15th-overall pick in the draft, hearing his name called in 2016 by the Minnesota Wild after a strong year with the US U18 National Team Development Program. Kunin’s sharp-edged physicality defined his game even as a teenager, though he earned lofty praise after scoring 70 points in 69 games over two years at the University of Wisconsin. He turned pro once his sophomore year came to a close, and managed to score eight points in his first 12 AHL games. He followed that with 19 points in 36 games through the first-half of the 2017-18 season – enough to earn a call-up to the Minnesota Wild mid-season.
Kunin has since appeared in 434 games across eight seasons in the NHL. He’s recorded 73 goals, 142 points, and a minus-97 across his full career – spanning three years with the Minnesota Wild and Sharks, two years with the Nashville Predators, and one year in Columbus. He is a cost-effective bruiser available on the open market, though likely won’t bring more than a third-line role to his next landing spot.
Christian Fischer Announces Retirement
Detroit Red Wings forward Christian Fischer has announced his retirement from the NHL at the age of 28 through an interview with Max Bultman of The Athletic. Fischer entered unrestricted free agency on July 1st, after completing a one-year, $1.125MM contract with Detroit and Columbus this season. He shared with Bultman that, while he’s been happy to have the career he has, he feels now is the right time to move on:
Over the last couple years, I think I just look at my life and what makes me happy, and being around family and kind of my life in Scottsdale… in the end, I’m very thankful for the career I had, but just personally I think I know it’s time for a new chapter in my life
Fischer’s decision to call it quits seems to come surprisingly early into his career. He remained an impactful fourth-line forward through stops in Detroit and Columbus last season. His stat line was hit by just seven points in 46 games – but Fischer scored 19 points just last season, and 27 points in the year before. He’s a burly checking-forward who would have certainly piqued interest from around the NHL, even if only for a one-year, league-minimum contract.
Instead, Fischer will make the choice to close the door on his own. He’s played through 523 games in the NHL and earned an estimated $7.84MM in career earnings over the course of nine seasons. But in speaking with Bultman, Fischer added that the money was never the reason he played the game – nor what would have motivated him to return next season. He instead emphasized the relationships he formed and the dream that he reached by playing in the NHL.
If you told me that when I was 10 years old, ‘you’re going to play 500 games in the NHL,’ I would be the happiest kid you’ve ever seen.”
Fischer’s career kicked off when he was selected 32nd overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2015 NHL Draft. His draft pick came on the heels of a strong season with the USA U18 National Team Development Program. He followed the draft with one year in the OHL, where he stacked up an impressive 40 goals and 90 points in 66 games. That was enough to spur Fischer towards the pros, and after one strong season in the AHL – 47 points in 57 games – he’d receive a promotion to the major leagues that wouldn’t get reversed.
Fischer went on to spend six seasons as a dutiful member of Arizona’s bottom-six, before moving to fill the same role for two years in Detroit. His career year stands as the 2017-18 season, when he notched a career-high 15 goals and 33 points in 79 games played. Many of Fischer’s other seasons saw him score fewer than 20, or even 10, points – though he did rebound with 13 goals and 26 points in 80 games of the 2022-23 season: final year in Arizona.
Fischer will conclude his professional hockey career with a satisfied resume for a former second-round pick. He’ll also have a Gold Medal from each of the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and the World U18 Championship; both earned during his time at the NTDP. The Chicago native will continue his days on with family and friends in Scottsdale, Arizona – where he could get caught up in a wave of a growing hockey market in the coming years.
Mammoth Begin Extension Talks With Logan Cooley
The Utah Mammoth have begun discussing a contract extension with top young center Logan Cooley, per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports. Cooley has one more year remaining on the three-year, $2.85MM entry-level contract he signed in July of 2023. His $950K cap hit makes him the cheapest forward currently signed to Utah’s roster.
Cooley has a true breakout season this year. He took full reigns over Utah’s top-line center role and reached an impressive 25 goals and 40 assists in 75 games. He became just the 13th player since 2000 to reach 25 goals and 65 points in a single season before their 22nd birthday. The last players to reach that mark were Wyatt Johnston (65 points in 2023-24), Tim Stutzle (90 points in 2022-23), and Connor McDavid (106 points in 2017-18).
Cooley has reached a high shelf early into his hockey career. Even his rookie year set franchise headlines, with 20 goals and 44 points last season making him the fourth-highest scoring rookie in Arizona Coyotes club history. He matched the scoring totals of a rookie Anthony Duclair with those marks. That season came on the heels of a stellar freshman year at the University of Minnesota, where Cooley scored 22 goals and 60 points in just 39 games.
Just two years in, and before the age of 22, it’s already clear that the 2022 third-overall pick can stand up to major minutes in Utah. The team has gone as far as keeping Cooley top of mind in their draft day approaches – drafting impactful two-way center Caleb Desnoyers in the top 10 last weekend to compliment Cooley’s downhill offensive drive.
With so much attention around embedding Cooley into the future plans, he’ll likely be the topmost priority for the Mammoth between this summer and next. They boast nearly $11MM in projected cap space this summer, and should have just as much room with Nick Schmaltz, Alexander Kerfoot, and Ian Cole set to come off the books next year. Cooley seems set for a major year this season – and could rack up more-and-more of a payday with a hot performance. His baseline for a new deal will likely be the eight-year, $66.8MM deal that Ottawa signed Stutzle to in 2022. That deal carries an annual average value of $8.35MM. But with the rise in cap ceiling in the last few years, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Cooley settle in closer to $9MM.
Getting Cooley settled to a long-term contract will go a long way towards pulling Utah into their future. They have a strong youth presence beginning to break into the top flight, with Cooley backed by Dylan Guenther, JJ Peterka, Tij Iginla, Daniil But, and Desnoyers. That group, and their company on top of the Mammoth prospect chart, will look to push the club into a new generation following looming separations with many top veterans. Cooley will be the leader of the bunch, and likely push forward as Utah’s top-line center of the future.
Photo courtesy of Rob Gray-Imagn Images.
Islanders Hire David Cunniff, Chad Kolarik To AHL Assistant Coach Roles
The New York Islanders have rounded out their minor-league coaching staff, hiring David Cunniff and Chad Kolarik as assistant coaches for the Bridgeport Islanders per a team release. The duo will join recently named head coach Rocky Thompson at Bridgeport’s helm.
Both Cunniff and Kolarik have deep roots in minor-league hockey. Cunniff played through parts of three seasons in the AHL and five in the ECHL during the late-1990’s. He gained a reputation for bruising minutes, and racked up 168 penalty minutes in 62 games of the 1997-98 season at his peak. Cunniff retired at the age of 30, in the 2001-02 season, and quickly turned his sights towards a coaching career. He was hired as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Barons in the 2002-03 season, and continued on in the role for the next four seasons. He then moved on to eight seasons with the Worcester Sharks, four seasons with the Iowa Wild, one year with the Hartford Wolf Pack, and two seasons with the Utica Comets.
Cunniff’s journeyman career around AHL benches has taken him to just five postseasons over the last 22 years. He’s a stout defensively-minded coach, who should bring regiment to a Bridgeport lineup that struggled last season.
Cunniff will be complimented by rookie pro coach Kolarik. He has only appeared in one coaching season through his hockey career: an assistant coach role with the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks in 2021-22. Prior to then, Kolarik trekked through an international playing career. He began as a seventh-round pick in the 2004 NHL Draft, and turned towards an AHL career in the 2008-09 season. He scored 100 points in 152 games over his first three AHL seasons – enough to earn two NHL games with the 2009-10 Columbus Blue Jackets. He went without any scoring, and would continue through four more seasons as a full-time minor-leaguer, with just four more games – and one assist – in the NHL.
Kolarik opted to move to Sweden’s SHL in the 2013-14 season, kicking off a journey around European hockey. He spent two years in Sweden and one year in both Russia and Switzerland, before kicking off a three-year career in Germany’s DEL that ended with a league title. He finished his playing career with one year in Austria’s top league in the 2019-20 season. Kolarik will offer an offensive eye and rich playing experience
Blues Pushing For Bowen Byram Trade
The St. Louis Blues are set on continuing their overhaul this season. On the heels of announcing a new logo, trading a top rookie, and waiving a long-term veteran – the Blues are now aggressively pushing to acquire Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram, per Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic. Rutherford adds that Byram is still a candidate to be offer-sheeted by one of many teams, but St. Louis would not be among those teams. They would have to trade for Byram, since they don’t have the draft capital to match an offer sheet.
Acquiring the former fourth-overall pick would be St. Louis’ biggest move since they kicked off the wave of offer-sheets by acquiring Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg last summer. Byram spent the 2024-25 season closely tied to star Sabres defender Rasmus Dahlin. With his help, Byram was able to reach a career-high 38 points in 82 games – while averaging a career-high 22:42 in ice time each game.
The role in Buffalo was the biggest of Byram’s career, and a hardy step up from the 21 minutes a night he averaged with the Colorado Avalanche in the 2022-23 season. He recorded 24 points in 42 games that year, then followed it up with 29 points in 73 games split between Colorado and Buffalo last season.
Byram has managed an impressive 246 NHL games before the age of 25. He’s managed multiple seasons in top-line roles, on the back of high acclaim in his draft year. And yet, the instinctive offensive-defenseman has yet to manage a season with more than 40 points. He was a glowing defense partner for Dahlin — with the two managing a plus-15 goal differential in their minutes together — but struggled significantly away from the star padding — with a minus-22 goal-differential without Dahlin.
Those marks could spell reason for pessimism around the young defender. But of the many teams interested in striking a deal with Buffalo, the Blues may be the ones with the best role available for Byram. They recently lost their top left-defender in Torey Krug, who missed the entirety of last season with an ankle injury. Broberg admirably filled the top role in Krug’s absence, but only managed 29 points in 68 games on the full season. A move to St. Louis would push Byram into a direct competition with Broberg for top-pair minutes. Byram’s offensive instinct would be what wins him ice time in that battle – though losing out would mean a second-line role next to longtime pro Colton Parayko, while Justin Faulk mans the top role.
The need to lean into more offense could be the spark Byram needs, but landing the trade could be a lofty task for the Blues. They currently hold $625,150 in projected cap space – a number that will rise to just over $7MM when Krug goes on long-term injured reserve. Byram earned a $3.85MM cap hit on his last contract, and could be due double that mark after a year on Dahlin’s hip. That could take St. Louis right up to the salary cap mark, unless they can shed money in a move.
Top-end winger Jordan Kyrou has been rumored to be garnering interest from around the league, and would certainly make sense as the buy-up that Buffalo is looking for in a Byram trade. But Kyrou, 27, has reached the 70 point mark in three of the last four seasons – a streak only interrupted by his 67-point campaign last year. Should he be too rich of an asset to move, the Blues could also bank in on their wealth of high-upside prospects on the wing. They already dealt Zachary Bolduc away for a defense upgrade, and could find a similar move revolving around Jake Neighbours or Dalibor Dvorsky, packaged with additional capital.
Just over a week after claiming that the roster was “set”, Blues general manager has explored multiple ways to shake it up even further. Acquiring Byram would be another big-fish addition to a pond that’s been stocked up over the last two summers. The Blues earned a Wild Card bid last season on a regulation-wins tiebreaker. They scored the most goals of any Western Conference team in the Wild Card race, and could get an even bigger boost should Byram continue his growth through another move.
Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports.