Blackhawks Re-Sign Louis Crevier On Two-Year Contract
The Blackhawks have re-signed defenseman Louis Crevier to a one-way, two-year, $1.8MM contract, the team announced. He’ll carry a cap hit of $900K through the 2026-27 season.
Crevier lands his first one-way contract after seeing NHL action in two straight seasons with Chicago. The retention of Crevier will leave Chicago with only one unsigned restricted free agent skater, fellow defender Wyatt Kaiser. The club now has four defensemen signed to one-way deals for 2025-26 – a low number at first glance, but the rest of the spots will presumably be filled by some combination of Kaiser and their large group of high-end young rearguards on entry-level contracts.
Chicago reached an agreement with Crevier quicker than they did last summer, when it took until July 29 to get the young rearguard signed to a two-way contract. He wasn’t arbitration-eligible at the time, and despite gaining that status for 2025, he chose not to file.
Crevier, 24, again bounced between the Blackhawks and the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs throughout the season but remained on the NHL roster from March 3 to the end of the campaign. He scored three goals – his first in the NHL – with one assist for four points and a minus-six rating in 32 games, eight more appearances than he logged in 2023-24. He saw 17:17 of ice time per game, and the 6’8″, 228-lb righty recorded 49 blocks and 70 hits.
While he won’t command an everyday role over the Blackhawks’ higher-ceiling prospects, the multi-year one-way commitment suggests they envision him remaining on the NHL roster as a No. 7/8 option on the depth chart. His deal will only be worth slightly above the league minimum in 2026-27 as that figure jumps to $850K.
The Quebec native was drafted by the Hawks in the seventh round in 2020 and has also made 118 appearances for Rockford in the last three years, posting a 4-16–20 scoring line and a plus-seven rating.
Blackhawks Sign Stanislav Berezhnoy To Entry-Level Contract
The Blackhawks have signed undrafted goaltender Stanislav Berezhnoy to an entry-level contract, according to a team announcement. It’s a two-year deal that carries a $975K cap hit, which PuckPedia reports breaks down to an $877.5K NHL salary, $97.5K signing bonus, and $85K minors salary each season. Dylan Griffing of Elite Prospects was the first to report the Blackhawks’ interest in Berezhnoy this morning.
Berezhnoy, a 22-year-old who checks in at 6’4″ and 218 lbs, spent most of his time in Russia’s second-tier pro league, the VHL, last season. He split the campaign between Omskie Krylia and SKA-Neva St. Petersburg, posting a .928 SV%, 2.50 GAA, one shutout, and a 12-10-2 record in 27 regular-season appearances. Berezhnoy ended his strong season with a .921 SV% in eight playoff games for SKA-Neva
The Novokuznetsk native’s lone top-flight KHL appearance came in relief with SKA last year, allowing two goals on nine shots in 16:48 of ice time. It’s the strong juniors and minor-league track record that makes him an intriguing pickup for Chicago’s prospect pool that already includes names like Drew Commesso and Adam Gajan.
Berezhnoy will make the jump to North America this season and is ticketed for either the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs or the ECHL’s Indy Fuel, depending on how his training camp goes and if there are any injuries in Chicago’s stable of depth netminders. He’ll be a restricted free agent upon expiry in 2027.
Blackhawks Sign Anton Frondell
July 15: As was foretold, Frondell put pen to paper on his entry-level deal today, the team announced. The deal carries the maximum entry-level cap hit of $975K.
July 12: So far, only four of 32 first-round picks have signed their entry-level contracts. That number should soon be increasing as Expressen’s Gunnar Nordstrom reports that the Blackhawks will be signing Anton Frondell to his first contract early next week.
The 18-year-old was the third overall pick last month, giving Chicago what they hope will be another future high-end center to have behind Connor Bedard down the road.
Frondell spent the majority of last season at the Allsvenskan level, a second-division professional league. He played in 29 games with Djurgarden and fared quite well, notching 11 goals and 14 assists in 29 games. Frondell also notched seven points in 16 playoff games, earning his team a promotion to the SHL for 2025-26.
Frondell has one year left on his contract back home and it’s expected he will remain there next season instead of making the jump to come to North America. Nordstrom relays that the youngster isn’t expected to attend training camp with Chicago to focus on the start of the SHL regular season which begins on September 13th.
Once the season in Sweden comes to an end, Frondell would then be eligible to join Chicago, potentially suiting up for them for a handful of games down the stretch if Djurgarden doesn’t have a long playoff run. As long as he plays in nine or fewer games for the Blackhawks next season, an outcome that seems likely, Frondell’s deal will slide and still have three years remaining on it heading into 2026-27.
IceHogs Sign Perrott And Mylymok
- The Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate in Rockford announced that they’ve signed defenseman Andrew Perrott and forward Connor Mylymok to one-year AHL contracts. Perrott split last season between Washington’s AHL and ECHL affiliates, tallying 140 penalty minutes between the two levels. Mylymok, meanwhile, was held off the scoresheet in eight games with AHL Calgary while posting 23 points in 40 outings with ECHL Rapid City.
Tyler Johnson Announces Retirement
13-year veteran and two-time Stanley Cup champion Tyler Johnson has announced his retirement from the NHL via his Instagram. Johnson’s last professional game will be marked on December 12th, 2024, with the Boston Bruins against the Seattle Kraken.
It’s fitting that Johnson’s last game came against the Kraken. A native of Spokane, WA, Johnson’s professional career began with humble beginnings, signing as an undrafted free agent with the Tampa Bay Lightning from the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs.
Joining an organization who’s had overwhelming success with undersized and undrafted players in the past, Johnson excelled immediately in the Lightning organization. During his first season, he scored 31 goals and 68 points in 75 games for their AHL affiliate at the time, the Norfolk Admirals.
He would only spend one more season primarily playing in the AHL. Finally earning his chance at full-time duties at the NHL level, Johnson impressed greatly during his rookie campaign, scoring 24 goals and 50 points in 82 contests during the 2013-14 season, finishing third in Calder Trophy voting.
Capitalizing on his breakout year, Johnson and the Bolts agreed to a three-year, $10MM contract the following offseason. Despite a few battles with injuries, Johnson sustained his quality two-way efforts throughout that deal, scoring 62 goals and 155 points in 212 games, with a few votes for the Selke Trophy along the way.
His playoff exploits earned him a spot as a fan-favorite in Tampa Bay, scoring 20 goals and 40 points in 43 games from 2015 to 2016, helping the Lightning to their first Stanley Cup Final in 10 years during the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs. Although he couldn’t help the Lightning over the hump against a dominant Chicago Blackhawks team, the Lightning were ready to invest in Johnson for the long haul.
Johnson eagerly signed a long-term extension with Tampa Bay, securing a seven-year, $35MM contract beginning in the 2017-18 season. For a deal that looked like a bargain when it was time, Johnson quickly wore out his welcome with the Lightning.
His offensive output cratered, finishing with 72 goals and 150 points in 281 games since signing the contract, with another 11 goals and 23 points in 69 games. Although Johnson helped the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup rings in 2020 and 2021, multiple players had passed him on the team’s depth chart.
Needing more salary cap space after the second half of their back-to-back, the Lightning traded Johnson and a 2023 second-round pick to the Blackhawks the following offseason for Brent Seabrook‘s contract (which they would later place on LTIR).
Playing on a far worse team in Chicago, Johnson’s offensive output continued in the wrong direction, finishing the remaining three years on his contract with 32 goals and 70 points in 149 games. After his contract expired, Johnson needed to convert a professional tryout agreement with the Bruins to secure a spot on an NHL roster.
With his name on the Stanley Cup twice, Johnson likely won’t have many regrets about his NHL career. He finished with 193 goals and 433 points in 747 regular-season contests with a +19 rating, 49.4% faceoff percentage, 49.7% CorsiFor% at even strength, and 91.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength. In the postseason, and only with Tampa Bay, Johnson concluded his playing days with 32 goals and 65 points in 116 contests with a +7 rating.
We at PHR wish Johnson the best in the next phase of his life and career, and we congratulate him on a successful career that includes two Stanley Cup rings.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.
Eleven Players Elect Salary Arbitration
Eleven players across the NHL have elected for salary arbitration, per the NHLPA.
Those names include:
- F Morgan Barron (Winnipeg Jets)
- G Lukas Dostal (Anaheim Ducks)
- D Drew Helleson (Anaheim Ducks)
- F Kaapo Kakko (Seattle Kraken)
- F Nicholas Robertson (Toronto Maple Leafs)
- D Dylan Samberg (Winnipeg Jets)
- G Arvid Soderblom (Chicago Blackhawks)
- D Jayden Struble (Montreal Canadiens)
- D Conor Timmins (Buffalo Sabres)
- F Maxim Tsyplakov (New York Islanders)
- F Gabriel Vilardi (Winnipeg Jets)
The deadline for second club-elected arbitration is Sunday at 5 p.m., with arbitration hearings scheduled from July 20 to August 4. Two seasons ago, 23 players filed for arbitration, and last summer, that number dropped to 14 — a downward trend that continues this year.
As a reminder, not every player is expected to head to a hearing, as negotiations will continue leading into July 20. However, each player who elects for salary arbitration is now prohibited from negotiating with other teams or signing an offer sheet.
Two-Way Deals: 7/1/25
As major signings come in around the NHL today with the 2025-26 league year beginning, teams are shoring up their minor-league depth as well by signing players to two-way contracts. We’re keeping track of those signings today in this article, which will be continuously updated. Deals are one year unless otherwise noted.
Boston Bruins
F Riley Tufte ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
D Jonathan Aspirot ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
G Luke Cavallin ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
Buffalo Sabres
F Riley Fiddler-Schultz ($865K NHL/$90K SB/$35K PB/$85K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years, entry-level
F Carson Meyer ($775K NHL/$350K AHL Y1 – $375K AHL Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
D Mason Geertsen ($775K NHL/$425K AHL) – Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet // two years
D Zachary Jones ($900K NHL/$550K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Zach Metsa ($775K NHL/$250K AHL/$325K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Calgary Flames
D Nick Cicek ($775K NHL) – team release
Carolina Hurricanes
G Amir Miftakhov ($775K NHL/$100K AHL/$240K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Chicago Blackhawks
F Dominic Toninato ($850K NHL) – team release // two years
Colorado Avalanche
F T.J. Tynan (unknown) – team release
D Jack Ahcan (unknown) – team release
D Ronald Attard ($775K NHL/$450K AHL/$500K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Columbus Blue Jackets
F Owen Sillinger (unknown) – team release
D Christian Jaros (unknown) – team release
Dallas Stars
D Niilopekka Muhonen (unknown) – team release // three years, entry-level
Edmonton Oilers
D Riley Stillman ($775K NHL/$475K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
G Matt Tomkins ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$450 Y2 gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years
Florida Panthers
F Nolan Foote ($775K NHL/$150K AHL/$250K gt’d) – PuckPedia
F Jack Studnicka ($775K NHL/$450K AHL) – Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic
G Brandon Bussi ($775K NHL/$400K AHL) – PuckPedia
G Kirill Gerasimyuk (unknown) – team release // two years, entry-level
Los Angeles Kings
F Cole Guttman ($775K NHL/$450K Y1 – $475K Y2 AHL/$475K gt’d Y1 – $500K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
Minnesota Wild
F Tyler Pitlick ($775K NHL/$300K Y1 – $350K Y2 AHL/$325K gt’d Y1 – $375K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
D Ben Gleason ($800K NHL/$475K AHL) – PuckPedia
Montreal Canadiens
F Alex Belzile (unknown) – team release
D Nathan Clurman ($775K NHL/$125K AHL/$140K gt’d) – PuckPedia
New Jersey Devils
D Calen Addison ($775K NHL/$325K AHL/$400K gt’d) – PuckPedia
F Angus Crookshank ($775K NHL/$425K AHL/$475K gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years, one-way in 2026-27
New York Islanders
F Matthew Highmore (unknown) – team release
D Ethan Bear ($775K NHL/$325K AHL/$425K gt’d) – PuckPedia
D Cole McWard (unknown) – team release
New York Rangers
D Derrick Pouliot ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$425K gt’d Y1 – $450K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
Ottawa Senators
F Wyatt Bongiovanni ($775K NHL/$160K AHL) – PuckPedia
F Olle Lycksell ($775K NHL/$450K AHL/$500K gt’d) – Darren Dreger of TSN
Philadelphia Flyers
F Lane Pederson ($775K NHL/$525K AHL) – PuckPedia
San Jose Sharks
F Jimmy Huntington (unknown) – team release
F Samuel Laberge (unknown) – team release
F Colin White ($775K NHL/$425K AHL/$475K gt’d) – PuckPedia
D Cole Clayton (unknown) – team release
St. Louis Blues
F Matt Luff ($775K NHL/$400K AHL) – PuckPedia
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Nicholas Abruzzese (unknown) – team release
F Tristan Allard (unknown) – team release // two years, entry-level
F Boris Katchouk (unknown) – team release
D Simon Lundmark ($775K NHL/$250K AHL/$350K gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years
G Ryan Fanti ($775K NHL/$80K AHL) – PuckPedia
Utah Mammoth
F Kailer Yamamoto ($775K NHL/$500K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Scott Perunovich ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$500K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Vancouver Canucks
F Joseph LaBate ($775K NHL/$350K AHL) – PuckPedia
F Mackenzie MacEachern ($775K NHL/$575K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
D Jimmy Schuldt ($775K NHL/$500K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
Winnipeg Jets
F Phillip Di Giuseppe ($775K NHL/$450K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Kale Clague (unknown) – Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet
Blackhawks Acquire Sam Lafferty From Sabres
The Blackhawks have acquired forward Sam Lafferty from the Sabres in exchange for their 2026 sixth-round pick, the team announced.
The move begins the 30-year-old’s second tenure in Chicago. The Hawks previously acquired him from the Penguins for Alexander Nylander in January 2022. He spent parts of two seasons with the club before getting dealt to the Maple Leafs in the 2023 Jake McCabe deal. He suited up 97 times in that span, posting 15 goals and 32 points – the most offensive he’s provided for any of his five NHL teams – and averaged nearly 15 minutes per game.
Chicago had Lafferty back in the organization for a few days last year, acquiring him from the Canucks in the trade that brought Ilya Mikheyev to the Hawks. He was a pending UFA, though, and instead decided to test the open market. He promptly signed a two-year, $4MM deal with the Sabres.
After scoring 13 goals and 24 points with Vancouver last year, it seemed like a worthy bet on Buffalo’s part. Instead, Lafferty struggled to be effective even in a fourth-line role. He averaged just 9:53 per game, making 60 appearances and scoring seven points with a -15 rating. Needless to say, both Lafferty and the Sabres likely preferred a move this summer if possible.
Lafferty now gets to return to the environment where he’s had the most success in Chicago, while the Sabres open up a roster spot and $2MM in cap space. He’ll look to compete for a spot in Chicago’s bottom six with young forwards like Oliver Moore and Landon Slaggert.
As for the Sabres, who hope to be more aggressive in free agency than Chicago today, they now have nearly $23MM in space with a roster size of 17, per PuckPedia. In addition to freeing up a space for a young player like Noah Ostlund or Isak Rosen to make the team out of training camp, they open up even more spending flexibility and shed an undesirable salary.
Sumpf To Play At Providence Next Season
- Blackhawks draft pick Julius Sumpf is expected to play at Providence College next season, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). The 20-year-old was the 98th overall pick on Saturday following a solid season with QMJHL Moncton that saw him pick up 65 points in 58 games. He also had seven points in five games for Germany at the World Juniors.
Canucks Acquire Rights To Ilya Safonov From Blackhawks
The Canucks announced Saturday they’ve acquired the signing rights to forward Ilya Safonov from the Blackhawks in exchange for future considerations. Vancouver will now presumably try to get the Russian center, who’s been on Chicago’s reserve list since they drafted him in the sixth round in 2021, signed to an NHL contract.
The 24-year-old was a sixth-round pick by Chicago back in 2021, going 172nd overall. At the time, Safonov had a minor role with Kazan in the KHL but in 2022-23, he had a breakout 37-point performance that suggested he could bring more to the table while also sparking hopes that he might come to North America.
Unfortunately for Chicago, Safonov’s production has gone in the wrong direction since then. He managed 20 points in 67 games in 2023-24 and while his point total (22) was marginally better this season, his seven goals were the lowest he had in a single season since being drafted. In the meantime, he signed a one-year contract extension with Kazan last month, keeping him signed in Russia through the end of next season. Unlike contracts in some other countries, his deal does not have an NHL out clause.
With this in mind, it feels like this is a longer-term no-risk move for the Canucks. If Safonov is able to rebound offensively next season, he could play his way into consideration for being signed and given a chance to crack Vancouver’s lineup. Meanwhile, if that doesn’t happen or Safonov decides he just wants to keep playing at home, it’s not as if they’ve given up anything to get his rights.