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Morning Notes: Ekblad, Verhoeff, Wood

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Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad wasn’t particularly personally involved in the last-minute contract talks that led to him signing an eight-year, $48.8MM contract extension instead of testing free agency this summer, he told RG’s DJ Siddiqi.

Ekblad spoke on how his situation intertwined with other potential Florida UFAs, Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand, both of whom also signed long-term deals to stay with the back-to-back champions. “Obviously we had conversations about what could or may happen, but at the end of the day, I think a lot of us just left it up to our agents to figure it out. We give them instructions, and they kind of handle the gist of it at least. That’s how I felt, personally. I didn’t want to get too involved with the negotiation.”

That’s a formula that’s worked well for the Panthers in the last two seasons, only jotting down defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Brandon Montour as their only notable free agent departures in 2024. Along with being able to keep Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe off the open market in that time, general manager Bill Zito may be in for some short-term pain in terms of cap management, but has certainly sold his group on long-term stability.

When Bennett, Ekblad, and Marchand signed their deals, they gave Florida 10 players locked in through the remainder of the decade. That number is proportional to their talent, including their top seven forwards and top three defensemen. That’s some invaluable cost certainty that, despite being rather limited in external additions this offseason, will open up more space for the Cats to be aggressive over the summer as soon as next year.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • While he still enters the season as the consensus No. 2 option in the 2026 draft class, defenseman Keaton Verhoeff still has some work to do to maintain that title, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic opines. “I did want to see Keaton Verhoeff dominate more than he did,” Wheeler wrote, referencing this month’s Hlinka Gretzky tournament for the under-18 age group. “At the present moment, I don’t view Verhoeff as a [Matthew Schaefer]-level D prospect. Now, it’s early, and if Verhoeff has a huge year playing big minutes at North Dakota and takes some steps in his development as a 6-foot-4 summer birthday, maybe that changes… I’ve also felt, dating back to U17s last fall, that Verhoeff’s feet are just average whereas Schaefer’s are world class. Verhoeff is bigger and shoots it harder, but that skating gap is pronounced and gives Schaefer the higher ceiling.“
  • Veteran defenseman Kyle Wood is on his way to Germany on a one-year deal with the DEL’s Iserlohn Roosters, the team announced. The 6’7″ righty was a third-round pick by the Avalanche back in 2014 but was sent to the Coyotes as part of a package for winger Mikkel Bødker at the 2016 trade deadline. He was an AHL All-Rookie Team member with Arizona’s affiliate in Tucson, recording 43 points in 68 games in his first professional season, but never sniffed that level of offensive production again and never reached the NHL. He’s been overseas since 2020, spending the last three years with Kunlun Red Star (now the Shanghai Dragons) in the KHL. He previously had 21 points in 32 DEL2 games for Löwen Frankfurt in the 2020-21 season, so this isn’t his first rodeo in German hockey.

International Notes: Pavel, Gettinger, Virtanen

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Free agent forward Ondrej Pavel has signed a one-year deal with Finnish club Tappara with an option for 2026-27, the team announced today.

Pavel, 24, will play in Europe for the first time since the Czech center departed his home country in 2016 to play the bulk of his development in North America. While undrafted, he was a free agent signing by the Avalanche out of Minnesota State in 2023 after winning regular-season titles in each of his three seasons in Mankato.

Primarily a bottom-six checking piece, his offensive production in the pros has reflected that. He scored only 12 points in 77 games for the AHL’s Colorado Eagles before the Avs traded him to the Predators as part of the Juuso Pärssinen deal in December. He finished the season with an improved 8-10–18 scoring line with 49 PIMs and a +8 rating in 43 games for the Milwaukee Admirals, but he was still non-tendered by Nashville last month and became an unrestricted free agent as a result.

The Prague native got into a pair of NHL games with Colorado in the 2023-24 season, recording one hit and three shots on goal in just over 12 minutes of total ice time. He now takes his talents to Tappara, joining a club that looks to get back on track following a .500 finish last year after winning three straight Liiga championships. He joins former NHLers Jyrki Jokipakka and Olli Juolevi, among others.

There are some more notable international signings today:

  • While winger Timothy Gettinger was reportedly looking for a KHL contract a few weeks ago, he’s ended up in Germany with the DEL’s Schwenninger Wild Wings on a one-year deal. The longtime minor-league winger in the Rangers’ and Red Wings’ systems solidifies his move overseas after recording 81 goals and 174 points in 346 AHL games over the past seven seasons. The 27-year-old was a fifth-round pick by New York in 2016 and has one point in 16 NHL games, all with the Blueshirts. He joins ex-NHLers Zachary Senyshyn and Jordan Szwarz on the Wild Wings’ forward corps.
  • Former Canucks forward Jake Virtanen has landed a one-year deal with Slovak club HK Dukla Michalovce, the team said on Facebook. Virtanen, 28, has not played in North America since being bought out in 2021 amid sexual assault allegations that he was later found not guilty of by a jury. The 2014 No. 6 overall pick has underwhelmed in Europe, most recently recording 19 points in 46 games last season for the DEL’s Iserlohn Roosters. He’ll now look to improve his scoring in a less competitive league in Slovakia.

Dominik Uher Signs With DEL’s Kölner Haie

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According to a team announcement, the DEL’s Kölner Haie have signed veteran forward Dominik Uher to a contract for the 2025-26 season. It’ll be Uher’s eighth consecutive season in the DEL, and his first outside the Fischtown Pinguins organization.

It’s been a decade since Uher had any relevance in North American hockey. The Frydek-Mistek, Czechia native was drafted 144th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2011 NHL Draft after a relatively productive career with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs.

Uher began playing for the Penguins organization during the 2012-13 campaign, scoring four goals and seven points in 53 games for their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He improved considerably the following year, scoring seven goals and 24 points in 68 games with a +9 rating.

Despite a relatively tepid showing with the WBS Penguins from 2015 to 2016, the Penguins called up Uher in late December of the 2014-15 season, allowing him to make his NHL debut. He went scoreless across two games, averaging 6:28 of ice time with a -1 rating.

Uher returned to his native Czechia following the 2015-16 AHL season, signing on with the Extraliga’s HC Sparta Praha. He scored 10 goals and 28 points with a +8 rating in 98 games before transferring to the DEL, where he’s been ever since.

Given that it’s been the longest stay he’s had with a team in his professional career, there’s no doubt why Uher has had the most success in the DEL with the Pinguins. Throughout his seven years with the club, Uher has scored 46 goals and 127 points in 300 games, adding another five goals and nine points in 39 playoff contests.

DEL’s Straubing Tigers Sign Tyler Madden

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Once a promising prospect in the Kings’ pool, Tyler Madden is off to Germany on a one-year deal with the Straubing Tigers of the DEL, the team announced.

Madden, 25, heads to Germany’s top league on the heels of a few years of stagnation in the minors. The son of longtime NHL center John Madden was a third-round pick of the Canucks in 2018 and quickly made a name for himself in college at Northeastern, turning pro after a sophomore season in which he had 37 points in only 27 games.

A few weeks before leaving college, Madden’s signing rights were sent to Los Angeles in the trade that sent Tyler Toffoli to Vancouver. He quickly signed his entry-level contract, but the pandemic delayed his professional debut.

After playing just 14 games with AHL Ontario in 2020-21 as a result, Madden looked like he was well on his way to a full-time NHL role the following season when he put up 31 points in 48 games for the Reign. Unfortunately, that was the peak of the New York native’s production.

Madden’s AHL points per game totals went from 0.65 in 2021-22 to around 0.46 over the following two seasons, resulting in him never getting an NHL call-up. Midway through last season, the Kings traded him to the Wild in exchange for minor-league defenseman Joseph Cecconi.

He finished the season with two goals and 10 points in 20 games for AHL Iowa, not enough to convince Minnesota to give him a qualifying offer. He became an unrestricted free agent on July 1 as a result and presumably didn’t receive any NHL two-way offers that intrigued him.

The 2019 World Juniors silver medalist now heads to Straubing, where he’ll potentially look to fuel a return to North America with a strong performance. If not, it might be the start of a lengthy European career.

The Tigers have been in Germany’s top league since gaining promotion from the second division in 2006, but have largely been a middle-of-the-pack team over the last two decades. They’ll hope Madden offers them an offensive infusion after their top scorer last season, Josh Samanski, left to sign an entry-level contract with the Oilers.

Madison Bowey Signs One-Year Contract With Augsburger Panther

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Former NHL defenseman Madison Bowey has opted to return to his international hockey career after a year in the AHL. He has signed a one-year contract with the Augsburger Panther of Germany’s DEL, per Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey.

Bowey scored a quaint 15 points in 60 games with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters last season. He had a confused lineup role early on, but gained better footing after Denton Mateychuk was recalled to the NHL for the long-term. But Bowey still struggled to make much headway on the scoresheet. He was often featured in the penalty column, with 70 penalty minutes once again stapling his presence as a feisty, low-event defender.

Bowey spent the entirety of the 2023-24 season in Russia’s KHL in what was the first international move of his pro career. He split the year between three clubs, ultimately ending the year with 14 points and 31 penalty minutes in 51 games. The KHL stint brought an end to Bowey’s battle for an NHL role that spanned between 2015 and 2023. He played through parts of eight AHL seasons, and six NHL seasons, over that span — but couldn’t find his way into consistent minutes up a team’s depth chart.

His first stint in North America ended with 108 points in 264 AHL games, and 40 points in 158 NHL games. He’s a stocky, puck-moving defender who should find better footing in a league where skill shines. Augsburg finished the 2024-25 season ranked second-to-last in the DEL. They’ll look for a big energy boost from the NHL veteran Bowey.

Two-Way Deals: 7/1/25

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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

International Notes: Petan, Heatherington, Wilson, Keeper

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Longtime NHL and AHL depth piece Nic Petan is coming off his first season overseas in 2024-25. While the 30-year-old won’t be staying with Russia’s Ak Bars Kazan, with whom he produced 44 points in 47 games, he isn’t making an NHL return, either. He’s staying on the other side of the Atlantic after Swiss club HC Ambrì-Piotta announced Monday they’ve signed him to a two-year contract.

Many would ask how a player with 120 points in 71 WHL games in their draft year wasn’t a first-round pick. It appeared that NHL teams were onto something. While the 2013 second-rounder has gone on to become an elite minor-league scorer, his lack of size (5’9″, 174 lbs) ended up proving prohibitive in making him a full-time NHLer. While Petan has recorded 35 points in 170 NHL games with four clubs in parts of nine seasons, he has only topped 20 games in a season twice and big-league opportunities were becoming increasingly few and far between for him over the past few years.

After appearing in just six games with the Wild in the 2023-24 season and not receiving a call-up after the Rangers acquired him before the trade deadline, Petan opted for more stability overseas following a nine-year pro career that saw him log NHL and AHL time each season. The move to Switzerland is somewhat closer to “home” – while Petan was born in British Columbia, he also holds Italian citizenship and will now play in an Italian-speaking region of the country.

Petan, 30, joins ex-NHLers Christopher DiDomenico, Tim Heed, Gilles Senn, and Chris Tierney on Ambrì-Piotta’s roster for 2025-26. The club finished 10th in the National League this past season, continuing a run of top-league appearances that began with their promotion from the NLB (now called the Swiss League) in 1985.

There’s more international news to pass along:

  • Former NHL defenseman Dillon Heatherington has signed a two-year contract with EHC Munich of Germany’s DEL, the club announced. It marks the 30-year-old lefty’s second time playing overseas after spending the 2020-21 season in Kazakhstan with Barys Nur-Sultan (now Barys Astana) of the Kontinental Hockey League. The former second-round pick of the Blue Jackets played this past season on an AHL contract in San Diego, serving as an alternate captain for the Ducks’ top minor-league affiliate while recording seven points and a minus-three rating in 59 games. He last appeared in the NHL with the Senators, playing three games in the 2022-23 season.
  • Forward Scott Wilson, a member of the Penguins’ 2017 Stanley Cup championship team, has signed a two-year deal with the KHL’s Sibir Novosibirsk, the league relayed. The 33-year-old has played exclusively in Russia since his last North American contract, an AHL deal in the Panthers organization, expired in 2022. He’s put up a 53-46–99 scoring line in 164 KHL games with Vityaz Moscow Region, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, and Salavat Yulaev Ufa over the past three years.
  • 29-year-old defenseman Brady Keeper has agreed to a one-year deal with the Glasgow Clan of the United Kingdom’s Elite Ice Hockey League. The 6’2″ righty did not play in 2024-25 after recording four points in 22 games the prior season with AHL Laval while on a two-way deal with the Canadiens. The Manitoba native played two regular-season games and one playoff game for the Panthers between 2019 and 2021.

Hurricanes Sign Nikita Quapp To Entry-Level Contract

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The Carolina Hurricanes have signed German goaltender Nikita Quapp to a two-year, entry-level contract. Carolina originally drafted Quapp in the sixth-round of the 2021 NHL Draft. He was the 17th goaltender off the board that year, and becomes the 12th to sign his entry-level contract with this move.

Quapp was drafted just a few months after making his debut in the DEL – Germany’s top pro league. He recorded a .871 save percentage and 2-6-0 record in his first 11 professional games – but regained some ground with an .888 Sv% in two games at the 2021 World Junior Championship. He spent an entire season in the DEL following his draft selection, and was able to inch his stat-line up to a .875 Sv% and 3-6-0 record. Quapp also returned for the 2022 World Juniors, and managed an impressive .893 Sv% despite facing a daunting 75 shots in losses to Team USA and Team Sweden.

Quapp’s difficult pro role was lightened a bit when he was assigned to the DEL-2 in the 2022-23 season. He performed far better in the minor-pro league, recording a .917 Sv% and 6-6-0 record in 12 games played. Quapp also earned the starting role outright at the 2023 World Juniors, and managed an impressive .901 Sv% and 1-3-0 record while averaging 30 shots against per game. He continued to grow with a .920 Sv% and 11-14-0 record in 26 DEL-2 games last season – but returned to Earth with an .870 Sv% and no wins in nine DEL games this year.

The story of Quapp’s journey through Germany’s ranks takes its twists and turns – but his career-long .919 Sv% in 38 DEL-2 games is the third-highest from a goaltender before their 21st birthday. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound netminder plays with impressive athleticism and sharp awareness of loose pucks, but could struggle to adjust to the full speed of North American pros right away. He’ll enter the Hurricanes organization blazing down a long road to the AHL starter’s crease, and could find a boost of upside if and when he earns the role.

Snapshots: Blashill, Braun, Misa, Niederreiter

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Lightning assistant Jeff Blashill isn’t just the only name firmly linked to the Blackhawks’ vacancy this summer; he’s becoming the clear favorite for the role, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet on today’s 32 Thoughts podcast. Talk around the league sprouted up aggressively this week after Blashill canceled an interview he had with another club about their opening.

“I heard on Friday morning that he was in as the head coach of Chicago,” Friedman said. “I started asking around and had a couple [of] people tell me it’s too soon… that would be premature.”

It’s premature because the Blackhawks also have a strong interest in someone on the staff of a recently eliminated team, Friedman said. “It’s possible that one of the reasons there has been a bit of a delay is somebody who is central to the process with the Blackhawks was not available at the end of last week, so it had to be pushed into this week. He is a very serious contender there. I just can’t tell you it’s 100% his job” (via CHGO Blackhawks).

The fact that Blashill’s the only name leaked from what’s otherwise been an airtight coaching search for Chicago likely speaks volumes about how highly the club values him compared to other candidates they’ve interviewed. Chicago surely hopes that after a few years of working under Jon Cooper in Tampa, he’s able to get the Blackhawks to greater heights exiting their rebuild than the success he had as head coach of the Red Wings at the beginning of theirs.

There’s more from around the hockey world:

  • Two years removed from his last NHL game, defenseman Justin Braun is still playing overseas in Germany and will extend his career for another season. The 38-year-old has signed a one-year deal with Dresdner Eislowen ahead of their first season in the top-flight DEL in franchise history after gaining promotion from the DEL2, the team announced. The longtime Sharks (and briefly Flyers and Rangers) rearguard had spent the last two years with the Straubing Tigers, where he posted a 10-33–44 scoring line and a +22 rating in 103 games.
  • After an underwhelming pre-draft season, OHL exceptional status grantee Michael Misa reclaimed his spot as the 2025 draft class’ top scorer with a 62-goal, 134-point showing in just 65 games for the Saginaw Spirit. It remains to be seen whether he’ll go No. 1 overall ahead of speedy two-way defenseman Matthew Schaefer, but Misa’s happy with his trajectory this season as a more explosive yet still well-rounded center. “I think my defensive ability, just to be that second guy in battles—it was something my coach harped a lot on me this year,” Misa told RG’s Marco D’Amico. “Just trying to become that 200-foot player. I think my offensive ability was there. But being able to be reliable defensively and break pucks out is something I think I improved on.“
  • Team Switzerland is getting a boost at the World Championship after losing Devils captain Nico Hischier to injury. Jets winger Nino Niederreiter is heading to the tournament to represent his country as they aim to secure the top spot in Group B, the team announced.

Nicolas Mattinen Signs In Germany

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Defenseman Nicolas Mattinen is heading back to Europe after one year in the Maple Leafs organization. Adler Mannheim of Germany’s DEL announced today they’ve signed him to a one-year deal for 2025-26.

Mattinen, an Ontario native, was a sixth-round pick by the Leafs in 2016. The 6’5″, 216-lb righty didn’t land a deal with Toronto when his time in juniors ended. Instead, he took the college route and spent three years at the University of Ottawa.

After COVID limited Mattinen to 42 college games over three seasons, he landed a tryout with the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate to end the 2021-22 season. That didn’t result in a firm NHL or AHL contract offer, so he opted to head overseas instead.

It was an excellent decision for Mattinen, who spent two years tearing up Austria and Germany with Villacher SV and the Straubing Tigers. After posting 42 points in 46 games with Villacher in the ICEHL and being named a league All-Star in 2022-23, he signed on with Straubing in the more competitive DEL for 2023-24 and posted a 16-30–46 scoring line in 52 games with a +14 rating en route to being named the top German league’s Defenseman and Player of the Year.

Eight years after drafting him and six years after losing his exclusive signing rights, the Leafs were finally ready to offer the 27-year-old a contract. They signed him to a two-way deal last April to cover the 2024-25 campaign. He didn’t get an NHL call-up, though, and he was limited to just four assists in 22 games with AHL Toronto. With virtually no meaningful playing time, it was a presumably easy decision for Mattinen to pursue a return to a league where he’s had considerable success.

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