Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

2025-26 NHL Active Roster Tracker

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

PHR’s Active Roster Tracker is back for the 2025-26 season! Each team’s current list of game-available players, plus injured reserve, non-roster, and suspended players, will be updated here daily throughout the campaign.

You can find this article at any time by using the Flame menu on our mobile website or under Pro Hockey Rumors Features on the right sidebar of our desktop page.

Anaheim Ducks

Roster size: 22/23
Last updated Oct. 27, 4:00 p.m.

Forwards (14): Leo Carlsson, Sam Colangelo, Cutter Gauthier, Mikael Granlund, Jansen Harkins, Ross Johnston, Alex Killorn, Chris Kreider, Mason McTavish, Nikita Nesterenko, Ryan Poehling, Beckett Sennecke, Troy Terry, Frank Vatrano

Defenseman (6): Radko Gudas, Drew Helleson, Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov, Jacob Trouba, Olen Zellweger

Goaltenders (2): Lukáš Dostál, Petr Mrázek

IR: F Ryan Strome (upper body, day-to-day)

Boston Bruins

Roster size: 23/23
Last updated Oct. 28, 3:30 p.m.

Forwards (14): Viktor Arvidsson, John Beecher, Michael Eyssimont, Morgan Geekie, Tanner Jeannot, Mark Kastelic, Marat Khusnutdinov, Sean Kuraly, Elias Lindholm, Fraser Minten, Casey Mittelstadt, David Pastrňák, Jeffrey Viel, Pavel Zacha

Defensemen (7): Jonathan Aspirot, Henri Jokiharju, Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, Charlie McAvoy, Andrew Peeke, Nikita Zadorov

Goaltenders (2): Joonas Korpisalo, Jeremy Swayman

IR: D Jordan Harris (undisclosed)

Buffalo Sabres

Roster size: 23/23
Last updated Nov. 4, 9:46 a.m.

Forwards (13):  Josh Doan, Josh Dunne, Mason Geertsen, Jordan Greenway, Peyton Krebs, Jiri Kulich, Beck Malenstyn, Ryan McLeod, Noah Ostlund, Jack Quinn, Isak Rosen, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch

Defensemen (7): Jacob Bryson, Bowen Byram, Rasmus Dahlin, Michael Kesselring, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson, Conor Timmins

Goaltenders (3): Colten Ellis, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon

IR: F Zach Benson (lower body, day-to-day)  F Justin Danforth (lower body, month-to-month), F Tyson Kozak (lower body, indefinite), F Joshua Norris (oblique, proj. return Dec. 18), F Jason Zucker (illness, day-to-day)

SOIR: F Carson Meyer (undisclosed, indefinite)

Calgary Flames

Roster size: 23/23
Last updated Nov. 4, 11:07 a.m.

Forwards (13): Mikael Backlund, Blake Coleman, Matthew Coronato, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Samuel Honzek, Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri, Justin Kirkland, Adam Klapka, Ryan Lomberg, Yegor Sharangovich, Connor Zary

Defensemen (8): Rasmus Andersson, Kevin Bahl, Jake Bean, Joel Hanley, Yan Kuznetsov, Brayden Pachal, Zayne Parekh, MacKenzie Weegar

Goaltenders (2): Devin Cooley, Dustin Wolf

IR: F Martin Pospisil (undisclosed, day-to-day)

Carolina Hurricanes

Roster size: 22/23
Last updated Nov. 5, 6:30 p.m.

Forwards (12): Sebastian Aho, Jackson Blake, Nikolaj Ehlers, Taylor Hall, Mark Jankowski, Seth Jarvis, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jordan Martinook, Bradly Nadeau, Jordan Staal, Logan Stankoven, Andrei Svechnikov

Defensemen (7): Jalen Chatfield, Shayne Gostisbehere, Charles-Alexis Legault, Alexander Nikishin, Joel Nystrom, Mike Reilly, Sean Walker

Goaltenders (3): Frederik Andersen, Pyotr Kochetkov, Brandon Bussi

IR: F William Carrier (lower body, long-term), D K’Andre Miller (lower body, day-to-day), F Eric Robinson (upper body, long-term), D Jaccob Slavin (lower body, day-to-day)

Chicago Blackhawks

Roster size: 22/23
Last updated Nov. 3, 4:00 p.m.

Forwards (13): Connor Bedard, Tyler Bertuzzi, André Burakovsky, Colton Dach, Ryan Donato, Nick Foligno, Ryan Greene, Sam Lafferty, Ilya Mikheyev, Oliver Moore, Frank Nazar, Lukas Reichel, Teuvo Teräväinen

Defensemen (7): Louis Crevier, Matt Grzelcyk, Wyatt Kaiser, Artyom Levshunov, Connor Murphy, Sam Rinzel, Alex Vlasic

Goaltenders (2): Spencer Knight, Arvid Söderblom

IR: G Laurent Brossoit (hip, indefinite), F Jason Dickinson (shoulder, week-to-week), D Shea Weber (ankle, retired)

Colorado Avalanche

Roster size: 21/23
Last updated Nov. 5, 9:05 a.m.

Forwards (12): Zakhar Bardakov, Gavin Brindley, Ross Colton, Jack Drury, Parker Kelly, Gabriel Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Brock Nelson, Valeri Nichushkin, Victor Olofsson

Defensemen (7): Jack Ahcan, Brent Burns, Cale Makar, Sam Malinski, Josh Manson, Ilya Solovyov, Devon Toews

Goaltenders (2): Mackenzie Blackwood, Scott Wedgewood

IR: D Samuel Girard (upper body, week-to-week), F Joel Kiviranta (lower body, indefinite), F Logan O’Connor (hip, proj. return Nov. 6 – Dec. 6)

SOIR: D Jacob MacDonald (hip, projected return in February or March), F Nikita Prishchepov (undisclosed)

Columbus Blue Jackets

Roster size: 22/23
Last updated Oct. 22, 9:48 a.m.

Forwards (13): Zach Aston-Reese, Yegor Chinakhov, Charlie Coyle, Adam Fantilli, Boone Jenner, Kent Johnson, Isac Lundeström, Kirill Marchenko, Sean Monahan, Mathieu Olivier, Cole Sillinger, Dmitri Voronkov, Miles Wood

Defensemen (7):  Jake Christiansen, Dante Fabbro, Erik Gudbranson, Denton Mateychuk, Ivan Provorov, Damon Severson, Zach Werenski

Goaltenders (2): Jet Greaves, Elvis Merzļikins

SOIR: D Luca Marrelli (shoulder, proj. return mid-Dec.)

Dallas Stars

Roster size: 22/23
Last updated Oct. 7, 6:30 p.m.

Forwards (13): Oskar Bäck, Nathan Bastian, Colin Blackwell, Mavrik Bourque, Matt Duchene, Adam Erne, Radek Faksa, Roope Hintz, Justin Hryckowian, Wyatt Johnston, Mikko Rantanen, Jason Robertson, Tyler Seguin, Sam Steel

Defensemen (7): Lian Bichsel, Kyle Capobianco, Thomas Harley, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, Nils Lundkvist, Ilya Lyubushkin, Alexander Petrovic

Goaltenders (2): Casey DeSmith, Jake Oettinger

IR: D Nils Lundkvist (lower body, indefinite)

LTIR: F Jamie Benn (collapsed lung, proj. return Oct. 23)

SOIR/non-roster: D Luke Krys (achilles, proj. return Jan. – Feb.), F Kyle McDonald (ACL, proj. return Nov.), F Chase Wheatcroft (wrist, proj. return mid-Oct.)

Detroit Red Wings

Roster size: 23/23
Last updated Oct. 30, 5:00 p.m.

Forwards (14): Mason Appleton, Jonatan Berggren, J.T. Compher, Andrew Copp, Alex DeBrincat, Emmitt Finnie, Patrick Kane, Marco Kasper, Dylan Larkin, Michael Rasmussen, Lucas Raymond, Elmer Söderblom, James van Riemsdyk, Austin Watson

Defensemen (7): Jacob Bernard-Docker, Ben Chiarot, Simon Edvinsson, Travis Hamonic, Albert Johansson, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Moritz Seider

Goaltenders (2): John Gibson, Cam Talbot

SOIR/non-roster: D Shai Buium (undisclosed, indefinite)

Edmonton Oilers

Roster size: 22/23
Last updated Oct. 23, 3:55 p.m.

Forwards (13): Leon Draisaitl, Trent Frederic, Adam Henrique, Isaac Howard, Curtis Lazar, Andrew Mangiapane, Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Noah Philp, Vasily Podkolzin, Jack Roslovic, Matthew Savoie, David Tomasek

Defensemen (7): Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Ty Emberson, Brett Kulak, Darnell Nurse, Troy Stecher, Jake Walman

Goaltenders (2): Calvin Pickard, Stuart Skinner

IR: F Mattias Janmark (undisclosed, proj. return Oct. 12 – Oct. 19), F Kasperi Kapanen (undisclosed, week-to-week), D Alec Regula (undisclosed, day-to-day)

LTIR: F Zach Hyman (wrist, proj. return Nov. 1)

Florida Panthers

Roster size: 23/23
Last updated Oct. 18, 1:21 p.m.

Forwards (13): Sam Bennett, Jesper Boqvist, Jonah Gadjovich, A.J. Greer, Luke Kunin, Eetu Luostarinen, Anton Lundell, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart, Evan Rodrigues, Mackie Samoskevich, Cole Schwindt, Carter Verhaeghe

Defensemen (8): Uvis Balinskis, Tobias Bjornfot, Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, Seth Jones, Niko Mikkola, Jeff Petry, Donovan Sebrango

Goaltenders (2): Sergei Bobrovsky, Daniil Tarasov

IR: D Dmitry Kulikov (torn labrum, proj. return March 15)

LTIR: F Aleksander Barkov (right ACL/MCL, proj. return April 26 – June 26), F Tomas Nosek (knee, month-to-month), F Matthew Tkachuk (adductor tear, proj. return Dec. – Jan.)

Los Angeles Kings

Roster size: 22/23
Last updated Nov. 1, 3:35 p.m.

Forwards (13): Joel Armia, Quinton Byfield, Phillip Danault, Kevin Fiala,  Samuel Helenius, Adrian Kempe, Anže Kopitar, Andrei Kuzmenko, Alex Laferriere, Jeff Malott, Trevor Moore, Corey Perry, Alex Turcotte

Defensemen (7): Mikey Anderson, Cody Ceci, Brandt Clarke, Drew Doughty, Brian Dumoulin, Joel Edmundson, Jacob Moverare

Goaltenders (2): Anton Forsberg, Darcy Kuemper

IR: F Warren Foegele (upper body, indefinite)

Minnesota Wild

Roster size: 22/23
Last updated Nov. 5, 7:415 a.m.

Forwards (13): Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, Marcus Foligno, Ryan Hartman, Vinnie Hinostroza, Marcus Johansson, Ben Jones, Kirill Kaprizov, Tyler Pitlick, Marco Rossi, Vladimir Tarasenko, Yakov Trenin, Danila Yurov

Defensemen (7): Jonas Brodin, Zeev Buium, Brock Faber, Daemon Hunt, David Jiricek, Jacob Middleton, Jared Spurgeon

Goaltenders (2): Filip Gustavsson, Jesper Wallstedt

IR: D Zach Bogosian (lower body, day-to-day), F Nico Sturm (back, proj. return Nov. 20-Dec. 4), F Mats Zuccarello (lower body, proj. return Nov. 18-25)

Montreal Canadiens

Roster size: 21/23
Last updated Oct. 31, 2:00 p.m.

Forwards (13): Josh Anderson, Zachary Bolduc, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Ivan Demidov, Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher, Oliver Kapanen, Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook, Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, Joe Veleno

Defensemen (6): Alexandre Carrier, Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson, Mike Matheson, Jayden Struble, Arber Xhekaj

Goaltenders (2): Jakub Dobes, Sam Montembeault

IR: D Kaiden Guhle (lower body, proj. return Nov. 28)

Nashville Predators

Roster size: 23/23
Last updated Nov. 4, 10:33 a.m.

Forwards (14): Michael Bunting, Luke Evangelista, Filip Forsberg, Erik Haula, Tyson Jost, Zachary L’Heureux, Jonathan Marchessault, Michael McCarron, Ryan O’Reilly, Cole Smith, Steven Stamkos, Fedor Svechkov, Ozzy Wiesblatt, Matthew Wood

Defensemen (7): Justin Barron, Nick Blankenburg, Nicolas Hague, Nick Perbix, Brady Skjei, Spencer Stastney, Adam Wilsby

Goaltenders (2): Justus Annunen, Juuse Saros

IR: D Roman Josi (upper body, week-to-week)

New Jersey Devils

Roster size: 23/23
Last updated Nov. 5, 6:00 p.m.

Forwards (13): Jesper Bratt, Connor Brown, Paul Cotter, Luke Glendening, Arseny Gritsyuk, Brian Halonen, Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Juho Lammikko, Timo Meier, Dawson Mercer, Stefan Noesen, Ondrej Palat

Defensemen (8): Dennis Cholowski, Brenden Dillon, Dougie Hamilton, Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec, Brett Pesce, Jonas Siegenthaler, Colton White

Goaltenders (3): Jake Allen, Jacob Markstrom

IR: F Cody Glass (lower-body, indefinite), F Zack MacEwen (undisclosed, indefinite)

LTIR: F Evgenii Dadonov (hand, indefinite), D Johnathan Kovacevic (knee, indefinite)

SOIR: F Marc McLaughlin (undisclosed, indefinite)

New York Islanders 

Roster size: 23/23
Last updated Oct. 31, 9:30 a.m.

Forwards (14): Mathew Barzal, Casey Cizikas, Jonathan Drouin, Anthony Duclair, Emil Heineman, Simon Holmström, Bo Horvat, Anders Lee, Kyle MacLean, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Kyle Palmieri, Calum Ritchie, Maxim Shabanov, Maxim Tsyplakov

Defensemen (7): Adam Boqvist, Tony DeAngelo, Scott Mayfield, Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, Alexander Romanov, Matthew Schaefer

Goaltenders (2): David Rittich, Ilya Sorokin

IR: D Ethan Bear (undisclosed, week-to-week), G Semyon Varlamov (knee, indefinite)

SOIR/non-roster: F Pierre Engvall (hip, proj. return Oct. 2 – Oct. 9), F Jesse Nurmi (left knee, proj. return Oct. 10 – 24)

New York Rangers

Roster size: 23/23
Last updated Nov 3. 4:00 p.m.

Forwards (13): Jonny Brodzinski, Sam Carrick, Jaroslav Chmelar, William Cuylle, Adam Edstrom, Noah Laba, Alexis Lafrenière, J.T. Miller, Artemi Panarin, Juuso Pärssinen, Taylor Raddysh, Conor Sheary, Mika Zibanejad

Defensemen (8): William Borgen, Adam Fox, Vladislav Gavrikov, Connor Mackey, Matthew Robertson, Braden Schneider, Carson Soucy, Urho Vaakanainen

Goaltenders (2): Jonathan Quick, Igor Shesterkin

IR: F Matt Rempe (upper-body, indefinitely)

LTIR: F Vincent Trocheck (upper body, week-to-week)

Ottawa Senators

Roster size: 22/23
Last updated Oct. 28, 10:43 a.m.

Forwards (13): Michael Amadio, Drake Batherson, Nick Cousins, Dylan Cozens, Lars Eller, Claude Giroux, Ridly Greig, Olle Lycksell, Kurtis MacDermid, David Perron, Shane Pinto, Tim Stützle, Fabian Zetterlund

Defensemen (7): Thomas Chabot, Nick Jensen, Tyler Kleven, Nikolas Matinpalo, Jake Sanderson, Jordan Spence, Artem Zub

Goaltenders (2): Leevi Merilainen, Linus Ullmark

IR: F Brady Tkachuk (wrist, proj. return Nov. 15)

Philadelphia Flyers

Roster size: 23/23
Last updated Nov. 3, 12:50 p.m.

Forwards (13): Rodrigo Abols, Bobby Brink, Noah Cates, Sean Couturier, Nicolas Deslauriers, Christian Dvorak, Jacob Gaucher, Nikita Grebenkin, Garnet Hathaway, Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov, Owen Tippett, Trevor Zegras

Defensemen (8): Emil Andrae, Jamie Drysdale, Adam Ginning, Noah Juulsen, Travis Sanheim, Nick Seeler, Cam York, Egor Zamula

Goaltenders (2): Aleksei Kolosov, Daniel Vladar

IR: G Samuel Ersson (undisclosed, day-to-day), F  Tyson Foerster (lower body, indefinite) D Rasmus Ristolainen (triceps, proj. return Oct.-Nov.)

SOIR: D Oliver Bonk (upper body, proj. return Oct. 15), D Ethan Samson (upper body, indefinite)

Pittsburgh Penguins

Roster size: 23/23
Last updated Nov. 4, 6:00 p.m.

Forwards (14): Sidney Crosby, Connor Dewar, Filip Hallander, Danton Heinen, Benjamin Kindel, Ville Koivunen, Blake Lizotte, Evgeni Malkin, Anthony Mantha, Thomas Novak, Bryan Rust, Philip Tomasino

Defensemen (8): Harrison Brunicke, Connor Clifton, Matt Dumba, Ryan Graves, Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Ryan Shea, Parker Wotherspoon

Goaltenders (2): Sergei Murashov, Arturs Silovs

IR: F Noel Acciari (upper-body, indefinitely), F Justin Brazeau (upper-body, day-to-day), F Kevin Hayes (upper body, proj. return Oct. 19), G Tristan Jarry (undisclosed, indefinitely), D Caleb Jones (lower body, proj. return late Dec.), F Rickard Rakell (hand, proj. return mid-late Dec.)

SOIR: G Joel Blomqvist (lower body, proj. return Oct. 24), F Tanner Howe (undisclosed), F Rutger McGroarty (undisclosed, indefinite), D Jack St. Ivany (lower body, proj. return Nov. 13)

San Jose Sharks

Roster size: 23/23
Last updated: Nov. 5, 7:50 p.m.

Forwards (13): Ethan Cardwell, Macklin Celebrini, Ty Dellandrea, William Eklund, Adam Gaudette, Barclay Goodrow, Collin Graf, Philipp Kurashev, Michael Misa, Jeff Skinner, Will Smith, Tyler Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg

Defensemen (8): Vincent Desharnais, Sam Dickinson, Mario Ferraro, Vincent Iorio, John Klingberg, Timothy Liljegren, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Dmitry Orlov

Goaltenders (2): Yaroslav Askarov, Alex Nedeljkovic

IR: F Logan Couture (osteitis pubis, retired), D Ryan Ellis (pelvic tear, retired), D Nick Leddy (upper body, day-to-day), F Ryan Reaves (lower-body, day-to-day)

Season-ending LTIR: G Carey Price (knee)

Seattle Kraken

Roster size: 22/23
Last updated Oct. 29, 12:56 p.m.

Forwards (12): Matty Beniers, Berkly Catton, Jordan Eberle, Tye Kartye, Mason Marchment, Ben Meyers, Jani Nyman, Jaden Schwartz, Chandler Stephenson, Eeli Tolvanen, Ryan Winterton, Shane Wright

Defensemen (7): Vince Dunn, Cale Fleury, Adam Larsson, Ryan Lindgren, Josh Mahura, Brandon Montour, Jamie Oleksiak

Goaltenders (3): Joey Daccord, Philipp Grubauer, Matt Murray

IR: D Ryker Evans (upper body, proj. return Nov. 12 – Nov. 26), F Frédérick Gaudreau (undisclosed, day-to-day), F Kaapo Kakko (hand, proj. return Nov. 8), F Jared McCann (lower body, day-to-day)

SOIR/non-roster: F Max McCormick (hip, out for season)

St. Louis Blues

Roster size: 22/23
Last updated Nov. 4, 9:31 a.m.

Forwards (13): Nick Bjugstad, Pavel Buchnevich, Dylan Holloway, Mathieu Joseph, Jordan Kyrou, Brayden Schenn, Jimmy Snuggerud, Oskar Sundqvist, Pius Suter, Alexandre Texier, Robert Thomas, Alexey Toropchenko, Nathan Walker

Defensemen (7): Philip Broberg, Justin Faulk, Cam Fowler, Matthew Kessel, Logan Mailloux, Colton Parayko, Tyler Tucker

Goaltenders (2): Jordan Binnington, Joel Hofer

IR: F Jake Neighbours (right leg, proj. return Dec. 2)

LTIR: D Torey Krug (ankle, out for season)

SOIR: F Zach Dean (personal, indefinite)

Tampa Bay Lightning

Roster size: 22/23
Last updated Oct. 29, 11:42 a.m.

Forwards (13): Oliver Bjorkstrand, Anthony Cirelli, Curtis Douglas, Jack Finley, Zemgus Girgensons, Gage Goncalves, Yanni Gourde, Jake Guentzel, Brandon Hagel, Pontus Holmberg, Dominic James, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point

Defensemen (7): Erik Cernak, Charle-Edouard D’Astous, Victor Hedman, Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, Ryan McDonagh, J.J. Moser, Darren Raddysh

Goaltenders (2): Jonas Johansson, Andrei Vasilevskiy

IR: D Maxwell Crozier (undisclosed; day-to-day), F Nick Paul (upper body, proj. return early Nov.)

SOIR: F Niko Huuhtanen (undisclosed, indefinite)

Toronto Maple Leafs

Roster size: 23/23
Last updated Nov. 5, 5:00 p.m.

Forwards (14): Sammy Blais, Max Domi, Calle Järnkrok, Dakota Joshua, Matthew Knies, Scott Laughton, Steven Lorentz, Matias Maccelli, Auston Matthews, Bobby McMann, William Nylander, Nicholas Robertson, Nicolas Roy, John Tavares

Defensemen (7): Simon Benoit, Brandon Carlo, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jake McCabe, Philippe Myers, Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev

Goaltenders (2): Cayden Primeau, Anthony Stolarz

LTIR: D Marshall Rifai (wrist, indefinite), G Joseph Woll (personal, indefinite)

Utah Mammoth

Roster size: 23/23
Last updated Oct. 23, 4:38 p.m.

Forwards (14): Michael Carcone, Logan Cooley, Lawson Crouse, Dylan Guenther, Barrett Hayton, Clayton Keller, Jack McBain, Liam O’Brien, JJ Peterka, Kevin Rooney, Nick Schmaltz, Kevin Stenlund, Brandon Tanev, Kailer Yamamoto

Defensemen (7): Ian Cole, Nick DeSimone, Olli Määttä, John Marino, Nate Schmidt, Mikhail Sergachev, Dmitri Simashev

Goaltenders (2): Vítek Vaněček, Karel Vejmelka

IR: D Sean Durzi (left shoulder, proj. return Nov. 12), F Alexander Kerfoot (lower body, week-to-week), D Juuso Välimäki (ACL, proj. return Nov. 10 – Dec. 10)

SOIR: D Terrell Goldsmith (undisclosed, indefinite), G Anson Thornton (undisclosed, indefinite)

Vancouver Canucks

Roster size: 23/23
Last updated Oct. 29, 12:15 p.m.

Forwards (14): Arshdeep Bains, Teddy Blueger, Brock Boeser, Jake DeBrusk, Conor Garland, Evander Kane, Linus Karlsson, Joseph LaBate, Mackenzie MacEachern, Drew O’Connor, Elias Pettersson, Aatu Räty, Max Sasson, Kiefer Sherwood

Defensemen (7): Filip Hronek, Quinn Hughes, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Tyler Myers, Elias Pettersson, Marcus Pettersson, Tom Willander

Goaltenders (2): Thatcher Demko, Kevin Lankinen

IR: F Filip Chytil (upper-body, indefinite), F Jonathan Lekkerimaki (undisclosed, indefinite), D Victor Mancini (undisclosed)

LTIR: D Derek Forbort (undisclosed, indefinite), F Nils Höglander (lower body, week-to-week)

SOIR/non-roster: D Guillaume Brisebois (lower body, indefinite), D Jett Woo (upper body, month-to-month)

Vegas Golden Knights

Roster size: 23/23
Last updated Nov. 4, 6:00 p.m.

Forwards (13): Ivan Barbashev, Pavel Dorofeyev, Jack Eichel, Tomáš Hertl, Alexander Holtz, Brett Howden, William Karlsson, Keegan Kolesar, Mitch Marner, Cole Reinhardt, Brandon Saad, Colton Sissons, Reilly Smith

Defensemen (7): Noah Hanifin, Ben Hutton, Kaedan Korczak, Jeremy Lauzon, Brayden McNabb, Shea Theodore, Zach Whitecloud

Goaltenders (3): Adin Hill, Carl Lindbom, Akira Schmid

IR: D (undisclosed, indefinite)

LTIR: F Mark Stone (wrist, week-to-week)

Season-ending LTIR: D Alex Pietrangelo (various)

Washington Capitals

Roster size: 23/23
Last updated Nov. 1, 2:45 p.m.

Forwards (14): Anthony Beauvillier, Nic Dowd, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Brandon Duhaime, Hendrix Lapierre, Ryan Leonard, Connor McMichael, Sonny Milano, Alex Ovechkin, Aliaksei Protas, Spencer Smallman, Justin Sourdif, Dylan Strome, Tom Wilson

Defensemen (7): John Carlson, Declan Chisholm, Jakob Chychrun, Martin Fehérváry, Dylan McIlrath, Matt Roy, Trevor van Riemsdyk

Goaltenders (2): Charlie Lindgren, Logan Thompson

IR: F Ethen Frank (undisclosed), D Rasmus Sandin (upper-body, day-to-day)

Winnipeg Jets

Roster size: 23/23
Last updated Oct. 18, 5:15 p.m.

Forwards (14): Morgan Barron, Nikita Chibrikov, Kyle Connor, Parker Ford, Alex Iafallo, Cole Koepke, Brad Lambert, Vladislav Namestnikov, Nino Niederreiter, Gustav Nyquist, Tanner Pearson, Mark Scheifele, Jonathan Toews, Gabriel Vilardi

Defensemen (7): Dylan DeMelo, Haydn Fleury, Colin Miller, Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk, Luke Schenn, Logan Stanley

Goaltenders (2): Eric Comrie, Connor Hellebuyck

IR: F Adam Lowry (hip surgery, proj. return Oct. – Nov.), F Cole Perfetti (ankle, week-to-week), D Dylan Samberg (wrist, proj. return Nov. 10 – Nov. 24)

Canucks Recall Victor Mancini

at CDT | by 2 Comments

12:01 p.m.: Joseph’s landing on IR is indeed the corresponding transaction, the Canucks announced. The placement is backdated to Sep. 30, so he’s eligible to return at any time.

9:48 a.m.: The Canucks are set to recall defenseman Victor Mancini from AHL Abbotsford, Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK reports. The team has since confirmed the move. While he wasn’t on the opening night roster the Canucks submitted yesterday, he will be eligible to play in Vancouver’s home opener on Thursday against the Flames.

Vancouver’s initial roster submission was at the 23-player limit, however. They’ll need to free up a roster spot before officially recalling Mancini. In all likelihood, that will be moving defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph to injured reserve. He missed the Canucks’ preseason finale while dealing with what head coach Adam Foote called a minor issue, Jeff Paterson of CanucksArmy relayed at the time. He hasn’t practiced since, though, leaving his status for Vancouver’s first regular-season game in doubt. The Canucks can backdate Joseph’s IR placement to when he first sustained the injury, meaning he’ll have already missed the required seven days and could return as soon as this weekend.

Mancini, 23, was one of Vancouver’s final cuts from training camp. His waiver-exempt status meant he faced an uphill battle for a depth job over non-exempt veterans like Joseph. A 2022 fifth-round pick by the Rangers, he’s coming off his first professional season – one that saw him unexpectedly break camp with the Rangers last fall. He ended up making 31 NHL appearances as he bounced between the majors and the minors throughout the year, splitting them nearly evenly across New York and Vancouver after he was included in January’s blockbuster J.T. Miller trade.

The 6’3″ righty showed definite room for improvement in his two-way game. His 2-6–8 scoring line worked out to 0.26 points per game, more than passable for a rookie rearguard whose primary upside is as a defensive specialist. He failed to succeed at his calling card, though, posting some rather troublesome possession numbers despite being given a relatively advantageous deployment. Despite starting 53.9% of his even-strength shifts in the offensive zone, Mancini only controlled 40.3% of shot attempts – a nearly 12% relative downgrade compared to his teammates in both New York and Vancouver.

In 30 AHL appearances last year, Mancini netted four goals and nine assists for 13 points and a -4 rating. He added a 3-5–8 scoring line with a -6 rating in 24 playoff games as he helped Abbotsford to a Calder Cup championship.

Mancini carries an $870K cap hit and is kicking off the final season of his entry-level contract, making him a restricted free agent without arbitration rights next summer. The Canucks opened the year with $1.34MM in cap space, according to PuckPedia, leaving them enough room to call him up with Joseph (and Nils Höglander) still counting against the cap on IR.

Sharks Place Jack Thompson On Injured Reserve, Sam Dickinson Makes Team

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Sharks listed defenseman Jack Thompson on injured reserve when releasing the opening day roster they registered last night, per Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest. It’s not clear what he’s dealing with, but his placement does create an open roster spot that San Jose is giving to top defense prospect Sam Dickinson.

It’s an extremely late save for Dickinson’s spot on the active roster. The Sharks’ waiver activity over the weekend would have left them with no other option than to return Dickinson to OHL London yesterday to get down to 23 players had Thompson not sustained an injury. He did not dress for their preseason finale against the Mammoth on Saturday and appeared to leave their Friday win over the Golden Knights early, only registering 10:10 of ice time.

It’s understandable why the Sharks wouldn’t have wanted to expose Thompson to waivers. The 23-year-old was acquired from the Lightning in 2024’s Anthony Duclair trade, and he worked his way into 31 appearances for San Jose last year after only making three the season prior. The offensively skilled righty managed four goals and six assists for 10 points with a -9 rating, averaging 15:47 per game. He got some power-play looks and had solid possession impacts in his sheltered even-strength duties, logging a 45.4 CF% and 50.4 xGF%.

Thompson signed a one-year, two-way deal as a restricted free agent this summer, paying him $800K in the NHL. His pathway to regular playing time upon returning to health isn’t clear. Including Dickinson, the club has four new faces on its blue line after signing John Klingberg and Dmitry Orlov in free agency and claiming Nick Leddy off waivers. There’s also Vincent Desharnais and Shakir Mukhamadullin on the active roster in addition to San Jose’s projected top pair of Mario Ferraro and Timothy Liljegren. Thompson could see more looks in the lineup later on in the season if the still-rebuilding Sharks trade one of their veterans, namely Ferraro, but it might be tough sledding for the Ontario native early on.

One thing is for sure – the Sharks aren’t keeping Dickinson around to sit him in the press box. The 2024 No. 11 overall pick arrives in the NHL and is ticketed to make his debut when San Jose opens its season on Thursday against Vegas. The 6’3″ lefty will do so on the heels of a spectacular junior career with London, where he won back-to-back championships and was named the CHL’s Defenseman of the Year in 2024-25. He’s nearly a point-per-game for his junior career and exploded for a 29-62–91 scoring line in just 55 regular-season contests last year.

If Dickinson doesn’t stick around, the Sharks won’t be able to send him to their AHL affiliate unless it’s for conditioning. He’ll need to return to London if it’s a full-time demotion, something the Sharks weren’t keen on doing to risk overbaking him. Dickinson averaged nearly 20 minutes per game across five preseason appearances for the Sharks, notching a pair of primary assists.

Stars Sign Adam Erne To Two-Way Deal

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Stars have signed winger Adam Erne to a two-way deal for 2025-26, according to a team announcement. The contract includes an NHL salary of $775K, an AHL salary of $250K, and a guarantee of $300K, per PuckPedia.

Erne attended Dallas’ training camp on a professional tryout. The 30-year-old lands a contract after working his way into five of the Stars’ six preseason contests, scoring two assists and averaging a shade over 13 minutes per game. He had nine shots on goal and tied Nathan Bastian for the team lead in hits with 18.

While he has eight years and 379 games of NHL experience under his belt, Erne didn’t see any ice time last year and hasn’t skated in an NHL contest since April 2024. He attended the Rangers’ training camp on a PTO last year but wasn’t successful in landing a deal. He received a tryout with their AHL affiliate in Hartford, but he recorded just one assist and a -5 rating in 10 games before being released. He didn’t land anywhere else, so he hasn’t played a regular-season or playoff game at any level in nearly a calendar year.

At his peak, Erne was a fine third-line checking piece for the Lightning and Red Wings. He’s hit the 20-point mark in a single season twice and carries a career 41-50–91 scoring line with a -59 rating into his NHL return. His signing makes him one of 12 healthy forwards on Dallas’ roster for now, meaning he’s slated to make his Stars debut on Thursday against the Jets unless they opt to dress seven defensemen.

His pathway to a contract was made easier by preseason injuries to forwards Oskar Back and Jamie Benn, the latter of whom landed on long-term injured reserve this morning to create the cap space for Erne to join the active roster. Benn is expected to return late this month after sustaining a collapsed lung during a preseason game, while the team hasn’t issued any details on Back’s injury. Erne will likely get fourth-line reps until one or both of Back and Benn are ready to return, at which point he could land on waivers and back in the AHL if he clears.

The Stars should have roughly $1.1MM remaining in their LTIR pool. That leaves them enough flexibility to recall an extra forward from AHL Texas if they need one.

Blues’ Oskar Sundqvist Out Week-To-Week

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist has been given a week-to-week designation with a lower-body injury ahead of their season opener on Thursday, general manager Doug Armstrong told reporters (including Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic). The club doesn’t expect his absence to last much longer than the first check-in point, though, and has only ruled him out for their first three games, per Lou Korac of NHL.com.

Sundqvist didn’t land on injured reserve when the Blues submitted their opening night roster yesterday, so he’s technically eligible to return at any time. With just $625K in cap space to start the season, the Blues wouldn’t have enough space to make a corresponding recall if they moved Sundqvist to IR, so there wasn’t any point in doing so.

The 31-year-old sustained the injury during a practice session on Sunday, Korac wrote for The Hockey News. It appeared to be a right leg issue after falling during a battle drill along the boards, and he required help off the ice. Fortunately, his absence won’t be as extensive as initially feared. Injuries are a commonality for Sundqvist, who’s only cracked the 70-game mark twice in his 10-year NHL career. He has missed 18 games over the last two seasons, primarily due to an ACL injury he suffered late in the 2023-24 season that carried into the beginning of the 2024-25 season.

Sundqvist is in the third season of his second stint in St. Louis. He initially landed back with the Blues on a one-year, league minimum deal in free agency in 2023, but he signed a two-year, $3MM extension in March 2024. He’s entering the final year of that deal, which carries a cap hit of $1.5MM, and could be an unrestricted free agent again next summer.

A career-long bottom-six checking piece, Sundqvist usually produces in the 20-to-30-point range. That held true last year, managing a 6-14–20 scoring line with a -6 rating in 67 appearances. He’s versatile enough to bounce between the wing and center but spent a good amount of time down the middle in 2024-25, winning 45.5% of his 572 faceoffs. He’s expected to continue to see time at center upon his return, potentially in a fourth-line role after St. Louis’ offseason additions of Nick Bjugstad and Pius Suter bumped him down the depth chart.

Panthers Sign Noah Gregor To Two-Way Deal

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Panthers announced Tuesday that they’ve agreed to terms with forward Noah Gregor on a two-way contract. He had been in training camp on a professional tryout agreement. The deal carries an NHL salary of $775K and an AHL salary of $450K, according to PuckPedia. In a pair of corresponding moves, the team also reversed yesterday’s paper demotion of winger Mackie Samoskevich to AHL Charlotte and moved Aleksander Barkov from standard injured reserve to long-term injured reserve, George Richards of Florida Hockey Now reports. Gregor’s contract won’t be registered with the league until those two moves are formalized, as Florida doesn’t have the cap space to add him to the roster until after gaining relief from Barkov’s LTIR placement.

While Gregor wasn’t on the opening night roster that Florida formally registered with the league last night, he will be eligible to play in tonight’s season opener against the Blackhawks. The six-year NHL vet made four preseason appearances for the Cats, scoring a goal and an assist while adding seven hits and a blocked shot in over 17 minutes of ice time per game. He won’t get nearly that much deployment in the regular season. The 27-year-old center has only averaged 12:19 of ice time per game across 293 career contests, and that figure has been trending down over the past few years.

It wasn’t all that surprising to see Gregor need to settle for a tryout. He also required one to land a contract with the Maple Leafs in 2023, and he has now been non-tendered for three consecutive years. That streak will end next offseason as he’ll be eligible for outright unrestricted free agency. The Alberta native is coming off his worst showing since emerging as an NHL regular with the Sharks in 2020. Splitting the year between Ottawa and San Jose, he tied a career-worst -21 rating in 52 appearances while making minimal offensive contributions – just four goals and three assists. While his high-end skating has always generated intrigue, it has rarely translated into a legitimate offensive impact. He’s only hit the 10-goal and 20-point marks once in a single season.

Nonetheless, he showed out well enough in Florida’s camp to earn another deal. The Panthers are in desperate need of cheap forward depth, as they’re virtually capped out despite starting the year with all of Barkov, Tomáš Nosek, and Matthew Tkachuk on long-term injured reserve thanks to the new rule that teams are limited to the previous year’s average salary (~$3.82MM in this case) in LTIR relief per player if their injury isn’t season-ending. After Gregor averaged only 11:06 per game last season, he’ll presumably be in the Cats’ fourth-line rotation along with returnees Jonah Gadjovich and A.J. Greer, late-offseason signing Luke Kunin, and preseason waiver claim Cole Schwindt. The two-way structure indicates he’s a candidate to end up on waivers when Nosek or Tkachuk is ready to return, depending on who comes back first.

As for Samoskevich, his quiet demotion yesterday was essential to Florida’s initial salary cap setup. The team submitted their opening night roster, which excluded the waiver-exempt Samoskevich and included Nosek and Tkachuk on LTIR, but listed Barkov on standard IR. That left the Panthers $4.55MM over the cap but with $4.6MM in relief from Nosek and Tkachuk. That set their initial LTIR capture within $50K of the maximum relief. Moving Barkov to LTIR then opens up an additional $3.82MM in space, which they used to recall Samoskevich (who also carries a $775K cap hit) and sign Gregor. After all those transactions are officially completed, the Panthers will have $2.27MM remaining in their LTIR pool, per PuckPedia.

Samoskevich, Florida’s 2021 first-round pick, will be in tonight’s lineup, presumably in a top-nine role. The 22-year-old finished 11th in Calder Trophy voting for the league’s top rookie last year with 15 goals and 31 points in 72 games.

Today’s moves also officially leave the door open for Barkov to suit up for Florida in the playoffs. He’s expected back sometime between late April and late June after he blew up his right ACL and MCL in his first practice of training camp, requiring surgery.

2025 NHL Opening Night Rosters

at CDT | by 10 Comments

The deadline to submit cap-compliant opening night rosters, which must be at or below the 23-player limit, is Monday at 4:00 p.m. Central. As teams confirm their final moves, we’ll be listing each team’s initial roster for the 2025-26 campaign as announcements come in:

Last updated Oct. 7, 11:27 a.m.

Anaheim Ducks

Roster size: 23/23
Link to team announcement

Forwards (14): Leo Carlsson, Sam Colangelo, Cutter Gauthier, Mikael Granlund, Ross Johnston, Alex Killorn, Chris Kreider, Mason McTavish, Nikita Nesterenko, Ryan Poehling, Beckett Sennecke, Ryan Strome, Troy Terry, Frank Vatrano

Defenseman (6): Radko Gudas, Drew Helleson, Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov, Jacob Trouba, Olen Zellweger

Goaltenders (3): Lukáš Dostál, Ville Husso, Petr Mrázek

IR: F Jansen Harkins (upper body, proj. return Nov. 22)

SOIR: F Coulson Pitre (upper body, indefinite)

Boston Bruins

Roster size: 23/23
Link to team announcement

Forwards (14): Viktor Arvidsson, John Beecher, Michael Eyssimont, Morgan Geekie, Tanner Jeannot, Mark Kastelic, Marat Khusnutdinov, Sean Kuraly, Elias Lindholm, Fraser Minten, Casey Mittelstadt, David Pastrňák, Jeffrey Viel, Pavel Zacha

Defensemen (7): Jordan Harris, Henri Jokiharju, Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, Charlie McAvoy, Andrew Peeke, Nikita Zadorov

Goaltenders (2): Joonas Korpisalo, Jeremy Swayman

Buffalo Sabres

Roster size: 23/23
Link to team announcement

Forwards (14): Zach Benson, Justin Danforth, Josh Doan, Mason Geertsen, Tyson Kozak, Peyton Krebs, Jiri Kulich, Beck Malenstyn, Ryan McLeod, Joshua Norris, Jack Quinn, Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Jason Zucker

Defensemen (6): Jacob Bryson, Bowen Byram, Rasmus Dahlin, Ryan Johnson, Mattias Samuelsson, Conor Timmins

Goaltenders (3): Colten Ellis, Alexandar Georgiev, Alex Lyon

IR: F Jordan Greenway (lower body, week-to-week), D Michael Kesselring (undisclosed, week-to-week), G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body, week-to-week), D Owen Power (undisclosed, day-to-day)

SOIR: F Carson Meyer (undisclosed, indefinite)

Calgary Flames

Roster size: 23/23
Link to team announcement

Forwards (13): Mikael Backlund, Blake Coleman, Matthew Coronato, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Matvei Gridin, Samuel Honzek, Nazem Kadri, Justin Kirkland, Adam Klapka, Ryan Lomberg, Yegor Sharangovich, Connor Zary

Defensemen (8): Rasmus Andersson, Kevin Bahl, Jake Bean, Joel Hanley, Daniil Miromanov, Brayden Pachal, Zayne Parekh, MacKenzie Weegar

Goaltenders (2): Devin Cooley, Dustin Wolf

IR: F Jonathan Huberdeau (undisclosed, day-to-day), F Martin Pospisil (undisclosed, day-to-day)

Carolina Hurricanes

Roster size: 23/23
Link to team announcement

Forwards (13): Sebastian Aho, Jackson Blake, William Carrier, Nikolaj Ehlers, Taylor Hall, Mark Jankowski, Seth Jarvis, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jordan Martinook, Eric Robinson, Jordan Staal, Logan Stankoven, Andrei Svechnikov

Defensemen (7): Jalen Chatfield, Shayne Gostisbehere, K’Andre Miller, Alexander Nikishin, Mike Reilly, Jaccob Slavin, Sean Walker

Goaltenders (3): Frederik Andersen, Pyotr Kochetkov, Brandon Bussi

SOIR/non-roster: F Juha Jaaska (undisclosed, indefinite)

Read more

Oilers Extend Connor McDavid, Jake Walman

at CDT | by 40 Comments

Edmonton’s biggest piece of offseason business is done on the eve of opening night. They’ve announced a two-year, $25MM extension to keep captain Connor McDavid off next year’s unrestricted free agent market. That’s a $12.5MM cap hit, the same as his current eight-year deal signed back in 2017 carries. It’s not just the Oilers’ generational talent inking a new deal, either. Defenseman Jake Walman has agreed to terms on a long-term extension, according to Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. That deal will be a seven-year, $49MM contract with a $7MM cap hit, per Friedman.

According to PuckPedia, McDavid’s new deal will be largely paid out in signing bonuses as expected. In 2026-27, he’ll earn an $850K salary with a $13.4MM signing bonus, and in 2027-28, he’ll make a $900K salary with a $9.85MM signing bonus. He’ll have full no-movement protection in each year of the deal.

Meanwhile, a few hours later, PuckPedia shared that Walman’s contract breaks down as follows:

  • Year 1: $1.24MM salary, $6MM signing bonus, full no-movement clause
  • Year 2: $2.5MM salary, $5MM signing bonus, full no-movement clause
  • Year 3: $4MM salary, $4MM signing bonus, full no-movement clause
  • Year 4: $2.565MM salary, $4MM signing bonus, full no-movement clause
  • Year 5: $5.565MM salary, $1MM signing bonus, 15-team no trade clause
  • Year 6: $5.565MM salary, $1MM signing bonus, 15-team no trade clause
  • Year 7: $5.565MM salary, $1MM signing bonus, 15-team no trade clause

In his first two years on the job, Edmonton general manager Stan Bowman has now been successful in renewing his two franchise cornerstones well before unrestricted free agency became a real threat. He went through a similar song and dance with Leon Draisaitl last year. However, unlike McDavid, Draisaitl’s commitment was long-term – an eight-year, $112MM extension in September 2024 that, at the time, carried the league’s highest cap hit at $14MM.

Draisaitl’s decision to extend came before the Oilers dropped a second straight Stanley Cup Final to the Panthers. Now 28 and entering his 11th NHL season, the context surrounding McDavid’s negotiations was markedly different as a result. The team has been knocking on the door for quite some time, but is now years deep into a contention window without a championship to show for it. With a bottom-five prospect pool and spending flexibility limited in recent seasons, there was an expectation that McDavid wanted the option to reach free agency in a few years, while still in his prime, if he hadn’t yet won a Cup with the Oilers.

But at least for the next few years, Edmonton’s contention window remains wide open with today’s news. McDavid is coming off an underwhelming regular season by his standards, one that saw him miss significant time with an injury for the first time since a fractured collarbone stole nearly half of his rookie season. He still managed to hit the 100-point mark in 67 appearances, but only 26 of them were goals, also his lowest output since his rookie year and one of the worst per-game efforts of his career.

That was all put to bed by another dominant postseason run that would have earned him MVP honors had Edmonton emerged victorious this time around – an honor he managed to win anyway in 2024 despite being on the losing end as well. In the Oilers’ back-to-back Final runs, McDavid has led the league in playoff scoring both times for a cumulative 15-60–75 line in 47 games. He’s established himself as one of the top playoff performers of all time in the process. He’s got 150 points in 96 games across seven trips to the postseason, making his 1.56 points per game third in league history behind Wayne Gretzky’s 1.84 and Mario Lemieux’s 1.61.

The regular-season numbers are similarly fantastic. Only twice in McDavid’s career has he managed not to hit the century mark – his rookie season and the 2019-20 campaign that COVID cut off with weeks left in the season. He enters Year 11 with 361 goals, 721 assists, and 1,082 points in 712 career games. That’s good for 1.52 points per game, also third all-time behind Gretzky (1.92) and Lemieux (1.88).

He and Draisaitl remain the co-headliners of a forward group that’s lost a bit of depth punch due to cap constraints, but still has Zach Hyman signed through 2028 and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins through 2029. McDavid’s deal coincides with the expiry of Hyman’s contract. It also marks an immense discount on his market value, which was close to – if not the max salary ($20MM-ish per season) – in order to help facilitate a long-awaited championship. If that doesn’t happen, it’s hard to envision a world in which McDavid doesn’t head elsewhere in the offseason of 2028.

As for Walman, it’s hard to find a player whose fortunes have changed as dramatically since last offseason as his. The 29-year-old is entering the final season of a three-year, $10.2MM contract extension he signed with the Red Wings back in 2023. Despite Walman averaging nearly 20 minutes per game in the first year of that deal and managing a 12-9–21 scoring line in 63 appearances – fine value for the money – Detroit opted to clear his contract. They even paid a second-round pick to the Sharks to take him on.

On a thin San Jose blue line, Walman quickly emerged as their No. 1 option. He averaged north of 23 games for the Sharks and responded with an offensive breakout, notching a 6-26–32 line in 50 appearances with a highly respectable -1 rating on a club that ended up finishing the season with a -102 goal differential. San Jose parlayed the lefty’s breakout by trading him to the Oilers at the deadline, netting a 2026 first-round pick in return in addition to the second-rounder they received from the Wings for taking on his contract in what remains one of the more puzzling trades in recent memory.

Walman’s production barely even took a hit despite slotting in as Edmonton’s No. 4 behind Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, and Darnell Nurse. He spent most of his time last year anchoring a third pairing with John Klingberg, but is now getting a look in the top four to start 2025-26, moving to his offside to play with a fellow lefty in Nurse. In 37 combined regular-season and playoff games with the Oilers after the move, Walman had a 3-15–18 scoring line with a +14 rating while still averaging north of 20 minutes per game.

A seven-year extension keeps the pending UFA under contract through the 2032-33 season, so Walman now carries the longest remaining term of any Oiler alongside Draisaitl and Trent Frederic. He’s also due to be their fifth-highest-paid skater next season behind Draisaitl, McDavid, Bouchard ($10.5MM), and Nurse ($9.25MM). With McDavid and Walman in tow, the Oilers now have $81.3MM committed to 14 players for 2026-27, per PuckPedia. That still leaves at least $22.7MM in flexibility to fill nine roster spots, a number that could grow if the salary cap exceeds its $104MM projection. They do still have a few notable UFAs left unsigned past this season, a class headlined by Ekholm and starting netminder Stuart Skinner.

Frank Seravalli of Bleacher Report and Victory+ was first to report notable progress on McDavid talks today. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report the deal had gotten signed. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug was first on the two-year term.

Image courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images.

Jett Luchanko To Make Flyers’ Opening Night Roster

at CDT | by 1 Comment

For the second straight season, 2024 No. 13 overall pick Jett Luchanko will break camp with the Flyers, general manager Daniel Brière told reporters, including Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports.

Last year, Luchanko’s stay was brief. The 5’11” center was freshly 18 and only made four appearances, going pointless with a -3 rating, before the club returned him to the OHL’s Guelph Storm by the end of October. The situation might be the same this time around, Brière cautioned. He said that Luchanko making the team “doesn’t mean he’ll stay all year” and that he “has to earn his ice time,” according to O’Connor.

While those kinds of comments would generally mean a loan to the minors for a prospect in need of ice time, that’s not something the Flyers can do. Luchanko is still 19 and, according to the terms of the NHL’s transfer agreement with the three CHL leagues, must be returned to Guelph if he’s not on the Flyers’ active roster, unless it’s for a conditioning stint. Brière told O’Connor that the club’s wanting to keep Luchanko with their own development staff for longer, rather than sending him to the Storm, was a factor.

Luchanko was a late riser in the 2024 class, but Philly is still happy with their selection one year on. A non-top-10 pick making the team out of camp in his post-draft year is a rarity and a testament to Luchanko’s pro readiness, at least in the eyes of the Flyers’ staff. After the Flyers returned him to Guelph last year, he assumed the captaincy and dominated offensively with a 21-35–56 scoring line in 41 games on one of the league’s worst squads.

Luchanko is technically still a rookie because he played under 25 games last season. He’ll be one of two rookie forwards to break camp with the club alongside winger Nikita Grebenkin, who Philadelphia acquired from the Maple Leafs in last year’s Scott Laughton trade. The latter could be the beneficiary of greater ice time out of the gate – he’s spent a good chunk of camp as a wingman for Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny and could get a long look in the top six to begin the season as a result.

Latest On Lane Hutson

at CDT | by 2 Comments

While there isn’t a significant gap between the Canadiens and pending RFA defenseman Lane Hutson in extension talks, the two sides are expected to pause dialogue for a while after what Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet described as an “emotional” recent round of negotiations on Monday’s 32 Thoughts podcast.

The base-level framework of a deal isn’t a point of contention. Both sides are amenable to a max-term, eight-year deal. They aren’t far off on the cap hit, either – both are within the range of $9MM per season, although Friedman believes both player and team have a little more to give to get to that point.

The hangup is instead on the “philosophy” of how Montreal is trying to get Hutson the most after-tax dollars while keeping his cap hit below eight digits, Friedman reports. Late last week, Marco D’Amico of RG took a deep dive into what mechanisms the Habs have to limit his cap impact, aside from his relative lack of leverage as a pending 10.2(c) RFA who can’t sign an offer sheet and isn’t arbitration-eligible. In there, he mentions a Canada-specific tool to lower the amount of cash Hutson loses to taxes – a Retirement Compensation Agreement (RCA) trust. However, it appears Hutson’s camp isn’t sold entirely on those benefits being as major as Montreal is trying to sell in talks.

An RCA agreement allows a player to defer up to 49% of their salary – delaying earnings but retaining more of them. The deferred money isn’t taxed at its usual rate, which can exceed 50% in Canada for top NHL earners. Whatever is deferred is split in half, with one half going to a refundable deposit with Canada’s tax agency and the other half going into the trust. After an American player (i.e., Hutson) retires and returns to the United States, they receive the deposit back with no tax deducted. In contrast, withdrawals from the trust are taxed at American federal and state rates, which are often lower than the rates the player would pay in Canada.

In any event, it’s likely the Habs are on track to operate without an eight-figure AAV on their books for the foreseeable future, barring a UFA splash. The only deal they ever signed in franchise history with a cap hit north of $10MM was Carey Price’s eight-year, $84MM extension in 2017. They just traded the final year of that contract to the Sharks to remove themselves from LTIR and to provide San Jose with added cap clearance over the floor. Price hasn’t played in over three years and will not play again due to a knee injury.

A $9MM cap hit is directly in line with what Ducks defender Jackson LaCombe just landed on his extension and is what Luke Hughes landed from the Devils as a 10.2(c) RFA this offseason. Hughes is the more direct comparable – while LaCombe’s stats are less impressive, he’s far older and the contract buys out six years of UFA eligibility. An eight-year extension for Hutson would only swallow up three of them.

Whether the Habs can continue to develop Hutson’s all-around game to make him a true cornerstone No. 1 remains to be seen. Still, the diminutive 21-year-old is coming off one of the more impressive rookie seasons in recent memory. The 5’9″ lefty took home last year’s Calder Trophy after recording a 6-60–66 scoring line in 82 games, tied for sixth in the league among defensemen and the most by a first-year rearguard since Brian Leetch’s 71 points in 1988-89.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top