Panthers Sign Daniil Tarasov
The Panthers have signed recently acquired RFA netminder Daniil Tarasov to a one-year, $1.05MM contract, according to PuckPedia. The deal walks him to unrestricted free agency next summer.
Florida now has their new backup goalie officially in tow after acquiring his rights from the Blue Jackets for the No. 160 overall pick in last week’s draft, which Columbus used on OHL Oshawa center Owen Griffin. They’re taking a flyer on a younger, higher-ceiling option in Tarasov after clearing cap room at the trade deadline by trading top prospect Spencer Knight to the Blackhawks in the Seth Jones trade and replacing him with veteran stopgap Vitek Vanecek down the stretch. The latter won’t be back with the Cats and will hit the open market after making seven regular-season appearances and seeing no postseason action behind star starter Sergei Bobrovsky.
Tarasov looks to get his development back on track with Bobrovsky as his mentor after an inconsistent few seasons as Elvis Merzlikins‘ primary backup in Columbus. This past season was particularly difficult for the Russian, who managed a .881 SV% and 3.54 GAA with a 7-10-2 record in 19 starts and one relief appearance. He allowed 4.4 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck. That diminished his trade value, but his resume in Columbus on the whole is more acceptable – a .898 SV%, 3.44 GAA, one shutout, and a 19-34-6 record in 65 career appearances over the past four years.
The signing also means Florida is officially over the cap after also getting new deals registered for Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand, and Tomas Nosek in the last 24 hours. PuckPedia has updated its roster projections to reflect a “full” 21-player roster, although they’re $2.175MM in the red and will need to replace a mid-tier salary, potentially forward Evan Rodrigues‘ $3MM cap hit, with a league-minimum one in a trade to be cap-compliant to start the year if they have no LTIR-eligible injuries.
Flames Re-Sign Joel Hanley To Two-Year Deal
The Flames announced they’ve signed defenseman Joel Hanley to a two-year, $3.5MM extension worth $1.75MM per season. He was set to become a UFA at 11:00 a.m. Central. PuckPedia reports he’ll earn $1.25MM in base salary and a $500,00 signing bonus in 2025-26 and a $1.75MM base salary in 2026-27.
Hanley, 34, was a waiver claim back in March 2024 from the Stars. A solid No. 7/8 option for Dallas for six years, they didn’t have room for him on the roster after acquiring Chris Tanev at that year’s trade deadline. Calgary took advantage and added the veteran, who was in the first year of a two-year, $1.575MM contract, for added depth through this past season.
He ended up playing a bigger role than the Flames expected, making a career-high 53 appearances this past season. He also averaged a career-high 18:35 per game when dressed, providing two goals and nine points. Offense has never been the focus of the 5’11” lefty’s game at the pro level, but he had quite good possession impacts across the board with a +12 rating, a 52.2 CF%, and 54.8 xGF% at even strength.
The Ontario native is a great third-pairing option and even a fringe top-four one at that price point, especially for a Calgary squad whose only NHL-caliber lefties in the system without him were Kevin Bahl, Jake Bean, and Ilya Solovyov. Adding or retaining depth was a major priority for them today, and they got some business done early with this deal.
Calgary has a full active roster after signing Hanley, but has a few waiver candidates like Dryden Hunt, Daniil Miromanov, and Solovyov included in that count. They have plenty of cap space left ($18.07MM) to get new deals done for RFAs Morgan Frost and Connor Zary while making external additions today if they can.
Islanders Re-Sign Tony DeAngelo
The Islanders have reached a one-year agreement to keep defenseman Tony DeAngelo off the market, the team announced. Frank Seravalli reports it’s worth $1.75MM, giving the Isles $12.94MM in cap space with a roster size of 19, per PuckPedia.
It’s an unsurprising resolution to a season that saw DeAngelo regain momentum as a regular in an NHL lineup. The offensively gifted but defensively challenged blue-liner spent 2023-24 on a one-year deal with the Hurricanes following the second buyout of his career, but slipped to a No. 7 role on their depth chart and only managed 11 points in 31 games. He didn’t receive NHL interest on the open market as a result and headed overseas, signing with SKA St. Petersburg in Russia.
The 29-year-old exploded on a team that included notable names like Ivan Demidov and Evgeny Kuznetsov, recording 32 points in 34 games for SKA before terminating his deal mid-season to pursue NHL opportunities. The Islanders, who were in desperate need of defensive depth at the time, particularly on the right side with Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock out of the lineup, signed him to a one-year, league minimum contract in January.
His return to NHL ice went as expected. He took over as their top power play quarterback, averaging a career-high 23:21 per game, and produced a 4-15–19 scoring line in 35 games. Only Dobson produced more points per game among Islanders defensemen last year than DeAngelo’s 0.54. He also finished sixth-worst on the team with a -11 rating despite playing less than half the schedule, although the Isles did still manage to create more than they gave up with him on the ice at even strength – a 51.8 CF% and 50.9 xGF% back that up.
With Dobson now traded to the Canadiens, DeAngelo fills a need for the Islanders. He’ll presumably remain on their top power-play unit and adds depth to an organization pretty thin on right-shot defensemen. As things stand, it’ll presumably be one of DeAngelo or the comparable Adam Boqvist in the lineup as a pure offensive option on the right side, along with the more defensively inclined Scott Mayfield and Ryan Pulock.
DeAngelo will give the Islanders a sixth defenseman signed to a one-way deal for 2025-26. Four of them are righties, so there’s still plenty of space for lefty Matthew Schaefer to land a spot in the lineup after going first overall in last week’s draft.
Frank Seravalli was first to report the Islanders and DeAngelo were nearing a contract.
Canucks Sign Thatcher Demko To Three-Year Extension
July 1: It will be a three-year extension for Demko when announced later today, PuckPedia reports. He will be a UFA upon expiry in 2029 at age 33. The team has now announced the deal, which is worth $25.5MM for a cap hit of $8.5MM. He will earn a $10.5MM salary in 2026-27, a $2MM salary and $6MM signing bonus in 2027-28, and a $1MM salary and $6MM signing bonus in 2028-29, according to PuckPedia. The contract also includes a full no-movement clause.
June 30: The Canucks are nearing an extension to keep goaltender Thatcher Demko in Vancouver past next season, sources inform the now-independent insider Frank Seravalli. He’s expected to sign the deal upon becoming eligible to do so tomorrow. They’re still ironing out the money and structure of the contract, but have agreed on its length, per Darren Dreger of TSN.
Demko’s early extension comes days after Dreger reported there was momentum on a new deal despite free agency still being a year away for the netminder. The presumably multi-year commitment comes after perhaps the two hottest-and-coldest seasons an NHLer can have. The 29-year-old’s 2023-24 campaign was outright dominant, posting a .918 SV%, 2.45 GAA, five shutouts, and a 35-14-2 record in 51 games as he finished as the Vezina Trophy runner-up.
Then, Demko sustained a knee injury in Game 1 of their playoff run that year, later revealed to be a popliteus muscle tear – an exceedingly rare injury for an athlete, which led to considerable uncertainty about his return timeline. He started the season on injured reserve and wasn’t cleared to return until December. When he did come back, he was in and out of the lineup due to unrelated injuries and an illness. That led to his numbers nosediving this season, as he logged a career-low .889 SV% and a 2.90 GAA in 23 appearances. That was still good for 1.4 goals saved above expected, according to MoneyPuck, due to a demanding workload in terms of shot quality.
Long considered the organization’s goalie of the future, he had fully achieved that title and was their undisputed starter until late-offseason free agent signing Kevin Lankinen stepped up in his absence this year. During the campaign in which he posted a .902 SV% in 51 appearances, Vancouver rewarded him with a five-year, $22.5MM extension in February. That indicates they anticipate Lankinen handling more of a workload than a standard No. 2 option would for the foreseeable future. He also has a no-movement clause through 2026-27, so a trade isn’t on the table anytime soon.
That indicates the Canucks anticipate Demko’s injury significantly altering his career trajectory and his ability to handle 50-plus starts per season consistently. Presumably, his pending extension will reflect that. His track record, compared to Lankinen’s more limited deployment in heavy usage, means he should still be penciled in as the No. 1 option on the Canucks’ depth chart entering next season and for the foreseeable future. However, Vancouver could be betting on a more platoon approach to keep Demko healthy.
Demko will still count $5MM against Vancouver’s cap for 2025-26 as he enters the final season of the five-year, $25MM extension he signed in 2021.
Image courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.
Panthers Sign Brad Marchand To Six-Year Extension
July 1: The Panthers have confirmed the six-year deal for Marchand while not disclosing financial terms. The exact cap hit is $5.25MM, per PuckPedia.
June 30, 6:20 p.m.: Unsurprisingly, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Marchand’s new contract is heavily frontloaded. He’ll make just $1MM in base salary each year, and the rest will be paid out in signing bonuses. For trade protection, LeBrun indicated that he’ll get a full no-movement clause for the first four years before transitioning to a modified no-trade clause in the final two years.
4:13 p.m.: The Panthers are signing winger Brad Marchand to a six-year extension “just under” $32MM in total, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The cap hit will be roughly $5.3MM.
Shockingly, after reportedly agreeing to a new long-term contract with defenseman Aaron Ekblad earlier today, the Panthers were able to retain all three of their prominent pending unrestricted free agents. For Ekblad and Marchand, Florida re-signed both on extremely team-friendly deals, in terms of their salary.
Still, it’s difficult not to question the terms of Marchand’s new contract. The two-time Stanley Cup champion is entering his age-37 season, meaning he’ll be 43 upon expiration. It’s quite uncommon for a player of Marchand’s age to sign a deal of such length. Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins could be the only recent comparable, signing a six-year extension beginning in his age-35 season.
In Marchand’s defense, he hasn’t shown signs of slowing down. Since turning 30 years old ahead of the 2019-20 campaign, Marchand has scored 198 goals and 521 points in 498 games with a +104 rating, averaging 19:02 of ice time per game. He’s received multiple votes for the Hart Memorial Trophy and Frank J. Selke Trophy in that time.
His postseason performances have been equally impressive. In that same time frame, Marchand has scored 45 goals and 98 points in 96 postseason contests between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers with a +23 rating. His playoff excellence came to a head a few weeks ago, finishing second place in Conn Smythe Trophy voting behind teammate Sam Bennett after the Panthers won their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final.
Now, by keeping Marchand for the foreseeable future, the Panthers will not only have a formidable top-six to stagger opposing teams, but will continue to have a third line that few teams will be able to match up against.
It’ll be interesting to see how General Manager Bill Zito fits the rest of Florida’s group with nearly $20MM doled out to Bennett, Ekblad, and Marchand. There will be more clarity on the Panthers’ salary cap picture tomorrow. They’ll need to find space for new deals for forward Mackie Samoskevich and netminder Daniil Tarasov. Still, they can rest easy knowing all the key players from their most recent Stanley Cup championship team are returning next season.
UFA Notes: Allen, Schmidt, Ceci, Perry, Asplund
The Devils are likely to go “down to the wire” on extension talks with goaltender Jake Allen before the market opens at 11 a.m. CT today, independent insider Frank Seravalli reports.
Allen was a spectacular backup option to Jacob Markström in his first full season in Jersey. There’s no surprise that they’ve expressed strong interest in retaining him, but they’ll likely have to commit significant financial resources to do so. He’s the clear top goalie available amid a weak market and could very well have multiple offers out there for three or more years with an AAV north of $5MM.
Would the Devils be willing to make him their highest-paid goaltender for a season? Markström has some salary retained by the Flames, so he only costs $4.125MM against the cap as he enters the final season of his contract. A multi-year commitment to the 34-year-old Allen might still be a good idea to help guard against a potential Markström departure next summer, especially with no true blue-chip prospects in the system.
Despite a 13-16-1 record, Allen put up better numbers than Markström last year in 20 fewer starts with a .906 SV% and 5.0 GSAA while tying him with four shutouts. He may decide to at least wait to test the market to see if a goalie-needy team like the Sharks, who also need to add nearly $20MM in cap hits next season to reach the floor, gives him an offer he can’t refuse.
Other notes of interest before the market opens:
- While the Panthers have managed to get extensions done for Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand, and now depth forward Tomas Nosek in the last few days, the same won’t happen for defenseman Nate Schmidt. He’ll head elsewhere on the open market today after recouping some market value on a one-year deal with Florida following a buyout by the Jets, according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. Schmidt, 34 in July, had 19 points in 80 regular-season games but broke out for a 3-9–12 scoring line and a plus-nine rating in all 23 playoff games for the Cats.
- Another UFA Florida will lose is depth forward Rasmus Asplund. Swiss National League club HC Davos announced they’ve signed him to a two-year contract. Asplund, 27, saw just six games of NHL action with Florida this year and instead spent most of the season with AHL Charlotte, where he had 20 goals and 43 points in 63 games.
- With the Kings expecting to lose Vladislav Gavrikov in free agency today, they’ve shown interest in inking Cody Ceci on the open market to help recoup some defensive depth, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. A righty compared to Gavrikov’s left-shot, Ceci might be more of a direct replacement for the recently-traded Jordan Spence rather than Gavrikov. The 31-year-old had 24 points and a plus-six rating in 85 games last season between the Sharks and Stars while averaging 21:13 per game, his fourth straight season above the 20-minute mark.
- The Flyers will make a play for veteran winger Corey Perry today, Friedman says. The 40-year-old may have priced himself out of a new deal with the Oilers following a renaissance postseason performance for Edmonton, ranking second on the team with 10 goals in 22 games.
Panthers Sign Tomas Nosek To One-Year Extension
The Panthers have reached a one-year extension with center Tomas Nosek to keep him from unrestricted free agency today, according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. He’ll earn the league minimum $775,000 salary on a one-way deal.
The cap-strapped Cats will likely sign a few similar deals today as they aim to assemble as complete a roster as possible. Retaining Nosek is a fine first step, bringing them to 18 players on their projected active roster, although the next deal they sign will put them over the cap for now. They have just $500,000 in space following his signing, per PuckPedia, but teams can exceed the cap by up to 10% during the offseason.
Nosek, 32, returns for his second season in Florida after inking a one-year, league-minimum pact in free agency last summer. Calling him a regular may be a stretch – he was often in the lineup for long stretches before sitting for weeks at a time. He appeared in 59 regular-season games, contributing a goal and nine points while averaging 9:49 per game. He was valuable in the faceoff dot (51.8%) and had a plus-four rating, so his non-offensive impacts were strong, but that was his worst production on a per-game basis since emerging as a full-time NHLer with the Golden Knights in 2017-18.
In the playoffs, Nosek was a healthy scratch for their first-round series against the Lightning but played for the remainder of the postseason after making his debut in Game 3 of the second round against the Maple Leafs. He contributed three assists and a plus-four rating in 16 games, seeing more deployment (11:10 per game) than he did in the regular season.
The Panthers have their top nine forward group filled out – even if they trade a forward to clear cap room, their role will likely be replaced by unsigned RFA Mackie Samoskevich. Nosek will be tasked with playing a more consistent role in the lineup next season, but shouldn’t see much increased responsibility when dressed as their fourth-line center.
PHR Live Chat Trasncript: Free Agency 2025
View the transcript from Josh Erickson’s pre-free agency live chat at this link.
List Of Players Not Receiving A 2025 Qualifying Offer
The deadline to issue a qualifying offer to pending restricted free agents is today at 4:00 p.m. CT, making any player who has not received one eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday. Below are the players who will not be issued a qualifying offer:
(this list will be updated as reports continue to come in)
[Related: How Do Qualifying Offers Work?]
Anaheim Ducks
F Brett Leason, F Josh Lopina, F Isac Lundeström
Boston Bruins
F Trevor Kuntar, F Jakub Lauko, F Jaxon Nelson, F Oliver Wahlstrom, D Drew Bavaro, D Daniil Misyul, D Ian Mitchell
Buffalo Sabres
F Alexander Kisakov, F Bennett MacArthur, F Tyler Tullio, D Jacob Bernard-Docker
Calgary Flames
G Waltteri Ignatjew, G Connor Murphy
Carolina Hurricanes
D Anttoni Honka, D Ty Smith, G Yaniv Perets
Chicago Blackhawks
F Cole Guttman, F Philipp Kurashev, F Jalen Luypen, F Aku Raty, F Antti Saarela
Colorado Avalanche
F William Dufour, F Jean-Luc Foudy, D John Ludvig, G Kevin Mandolese
Columbus Blue Jackets
D Ole Julian Bjørgvik-Holm, D Cole Clayton, D Jordan Harris, D Samuel Knazko
Dallas Stars
None
Detroit Red Wings
G Gage Alexander, F Cross Hanas
Edmonton Oilers
F Jacob Perreault, G Olivier Rodrigue, F Cameron Wright
Florida Panthers
D Nathan Staios, D Zachary Uens
Los Angeles Kings
D Cole Krygier, F Jack Studnicka
Minnesota Wild
F Graeme Clarke, F Adam Raska, F Luke Toporowski, D Ryan O’Rourke
Montreal Canadiens
F Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, F Xavier Simoneau, D Gustav Lindström, D Noel Hoefenmayer
Nashville Predators
F Jordan Frasca, F Ondrej Pavel, F Jesse Ylönen, D Luke Prokop
New Jersey Devils
F Nolan Foote, D Santeri Hatakka, G Isaac Poulter
New York Islanders
D Samuel Bolduc, D Aidan Fulp, D Scott Perunovich
New York Rangers
F Lucas Edmonds, F Arthur Kaliyev, F Jake Leschyshyn, D Zachary Jones
Ottawa Senators
F Philippe Daoust, F Jamieson Rees, F Tristen Robins
Philadelphia Flyers
F Elliot Desnoyers, F Jakob Pelletier, F Zayde Wisdom
Pittsburgh Penguins
F Raivis Ansons, F Emil Bemström, F Connor Dewar, F Philip Tomasino, D Pierre-Olivier Joseph, G Taylor Gauthier
San Jose Sharks
F Carl Berglund, F Nolan Burke, F Brandon Coe, F Noah Gregor, F Klim Kostin, F Nikolai Kovalenko, G Georgi Romanov, F Mitchell Russell
Seattle Kraken
St. Louis Blues
F Tanner Dickinson, D Anton Malmstrom
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Jaydon Dureau, F Gage Goncalves, F Ryder Korczak
Toronto Maple Leafs
F Pontus Holmberg, F Reese Johnson, F Cedric Pare, D Mikko Kokkonen
Utah Mammoth
Vancouver Canucks
F Ty Glover, F Tristen Nielsen, D Christian Felton, D Cole McWard
Vegas Golden Knights
Washington Capitals
F Pierrick Dube, D Alexander Alexeyev, G Mitchell Gibson
Winnipeg Jets
F Mason Shaw, D Simon Lundmark
Alex Pietrangelo Expected To Miss 2025-26 Season
Monday: The Golden Knights have released statements from Pietrangelo and GM Kelly McCrimmon. While stopping short of announcing it officially, it would appear as if Pietrangelo’s playing days may very well be over.
Pietrangelo:
The past few years have been very challenging on my physical well-being, and I am in a difficult position with my overall playing health. After exploring options with doctors as well as my family, it’s been advised to remove the intensity of hockey to see if my body can improve so that I can return to a normal quality of life. This decision has been difficult to come to terms with after the last 17 years of competition and the camaraderie with my teammates and coaches. The likelihood is low that my body will recover to the standard required to play, but I know this is the right decision for me and my family.
McCrimmon:
Alex has our organization’s full support in prioritizing his long-term health and quality of life. Alex is dealing with hips that would require bilateral femur reconstruction, with no guarantee of success. Throughout the season, the steps that Alex needed to take to be able to play and practice began to grow and take a significant toll on his body. Our hope in February during the NHL’s break for the 4 Nations Face-Off was to give Alex treatment and rest to help provide relief, but instead, what we found were diminished positive results and a process that is no longer sustainable moving forward. Alex has given everything to the game and to the Golden Knights and has played through significant challenges in the pursuit of trying to win another Stanley Cup in Vegas. He is one of the most respected players in the league, not only for his elite talent but for his character, leadership, competitiveness, and professionalism. Today’s decision is a difficult one for both Alex and the Golden Knights, but it is being made for the right reasons – so that Alex can be the family man we all know him to be.
Sunday: After weeks of speculation, it’s looking more like Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo won’t be available next season. He’s in line for “multiple major surgeries” this offseason that will go so far as to jeopardize his career, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports.
The news comes just days after general manager Kelly McCrimmon spoke after the draft on Pietrangelo’s future. When asked whether or not Pietrangelo would be healthy enough to play next season, McCrimmon said it was something that still needed to be sorted out.
“We’re going to know more on that in the coming days. Alex and I have had a number of discussions. There are a number of decisions that need to be made. When I spoke earlier about having a number of things that need clarity, that would be one of them,” he said.
As rumors continue to intensify linking pending free agent Mitch Marner with the Golden Knights, Vegas now seemingly also faces the challenge of replacing Pietrangelo’s leadership and production. But moving Pietrangelo to long-term injured reserve before the start of free agency may free up the space the team needs to sign Marner, as outlined by Danny Webster of Las Vegas Review-Journal. Pietrangelo has two years remaining on his $8.8MM AAV deal, and the Knights currently have just $5.615MM in cap space, per PuckPedia.
Pietrangelo, 35, appeared in 71 games for the Golden Knights last season, posting four goals, 33 points, and a plus-11 rating. While he missed 11 games on the year and opted out of the Four Nations Faceoff due to injury, Pietrangelo averaged over 22:24 of ice time per game on the year, showcasing his ability to log meaningful minutes when healthy. The two-time Stanley Cup winner has produced 637 points throughout his 17-year career.
PHR’s Paul Griser contributed significantly to this article.