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Oilers’ Roby Järventie Signs In Finland

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Oilers pending restricted free agent winger Roby Järventie has signed a three-year contract with Finland’s Tappara, the team announced.

An early second-round pick by the Senators in 2020 (No. 33), Edmonton acquired Järventie last summer in a swap sending 2021 first-rounder Xavier Bourgault the other way. Bourgault had failed to pop offensively in the minors in the Oilers’ system, while Järventie had injury troubles and hadn’t landed an NHL role despite some promising offensive trends in the minors.

Unfortunately for Järventie and the Oilers, he barely got a chance to play this season. He sustained an offseason knee injury that kept him out of training camp. Upon returning to health in late October, he reported to AHL Bakersfield but played just two games before sustaining another injury and remaining out for the season.

The offensive potential is still there with the 6’3″, 209-lb 22-year-old. He posted a pair of assists in his two games with Bakersfield and had 50 points in 62 AHL games in the Sens’ system over the prior two seasons. Still, he only has seven games of NHL experience – all with Ottawa, all in the 2023-24 season – recording an assist and a minus-five rating.

While Järventie won’t be signing in the Oilers organization next season, Edmonton can still retain his signing rights through the 2029-30 season if they issue him a qualifying offer. It’s clear he doesn’t factor into Edmonton’s immediate future, but it would be surprising to see them non-tender him because they’ll still hold his NHL signing rights when his contract with Tappara expires in 2028. If his pre-injury trajectory holds, he could very well be an NHL-caliber player at that time and could walk into a richer one-way deal with Edmonton down the road.

Järventie played 53 games across two seasons in Finland’s top-level Liiga, just not with Tappara. He suited up with Ilves in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns before touching down with the Sens in North America, scoring 15 goals and 26 points. The two-time World Juniors medalist will now reunite with his younger brother, Penguins prospect Emil Järventie, as well as former NHLers Daniel Brickley and Jyrki Jokipakka on Tappara’s roster next year.

Offseason Checklist: Boston Bruins

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The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t taking part in the playoffs plus those eliminated already in the opening round. Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at Boston.

Last season, the Bruins relied on expert goaltending to mask their decline in 5-on-5 play and continue an eight-year streak of playoff appearances. But everything that could have gone wrong in 2024-25 did, pushing them out of a playoff spot and into their worst record in 18 years. Still led by general manager Don Sweeney, this front office remains an impatient one and got a head start on their retool by trading captain Brad Marchand, stalwart defenseman Brandon Carlo, and feisty bottom-six winger Trent Frederic out of town before the deadline. Now equipped with spending money and the No. 7 overall pick this summer, it’ll surely be an active summer in Boston with a quick return to playoff contention as the goal.

Wrap Up Coaching Search

Few thought that at the beginning of the season, the Bruins would be the first team to make a midseason coaching change. But after an 8-9-3 start to the campaign and a lack of productive extension talks with 2023 Jack Adams winner Jim Montgomery, that’s exactly what happened. Of course, Boston finished the season with a worse record under interim boss Joe Sacco (25-30-7), while Montgomery was scooped up by the Blues five days later and led them to a wild-card berth.

While Sacco will be interviewed as part of an expansive search, it’s hard to imagine the Bruins removing his interim tag with an unexpectedly strong wealth of candidates to choose from on a busy coaching carousel this offseason. Sweeney has been clear about improving their possession and scoring game as 2025-26’s top priority, so coaches with a propensity for low-event styles likely won’t be considered despite whatever interest they may have (looking at you, Greg Cronin).

There’s another thing to consider: unless a dream candidate emerges, don’t expect Boston to hand out a long-term coaching contract this cycle. They were already hesitant to pay one of the top names in the business in Montgomery, and it makes little sense to make a lengthy commitment to a bench boss with a roster that at least begins the offseason without much direction. That’s likely what quickly took them out of the running for Massachusetts native Mike Sullivan’s services – he received and accepted a rich five-year offer from the Rangers.

Those two factors will likely remain paramount over the amount of NHL experience when Boston assesses candidates in the coming weeks. With the Rangers as the only team to fill their vacancy so far, they’re not under a ton of pressure to make an immediate move. They’ll certainly want to have a name installed by sometime next month to help re-instill an organizational identity heading into free agency, though.

Find A Partner For Pasta

For years, the Bruins’ offense revolved around their top two centers, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí. They had to adjust to making wingers Marchand and David Pastrňák the cornerstone of their attack when Bergeron and Krejčí retired a few years ago, now just Pastrňák with no clear-cut No. 2 forward behind him. While Pastrňák has continued to produce at an MVP level despite the changes around him, the team’s overall production has yet to recover from the seismic identity shift.

The hope was that free-agent acquisition Elias Lindholm could help bandage that wound. Instead, the 30-year-old already looks like he has an anchor contract after producing just 17 goals and 47 points over a full 82-game schedule in his first season in Boston after inking a seven-year, $54.25MM deal. There’s hope for a rebound after Lindholm told reporters he played through a back injury all season, but he’s also topped the 60-point mark just three times in his career, and his aging curve isn’t conducive to a huge resurgence.

The center market this summer is on the thinner end as well. Aside from striking a trade for a younger, high-upside center, Boston will have to continue building from the wings out.

While someone like top UFA prize Mitch Marner will likely be out of their price range with an average of $2.4MM in cap space per open roster spot (per PuckPedia), the Bruins will presumably position themselves as top suitors for names like Brock Boeser and Nikolaj Ehlers to give Pastrňák some more legitimate secondary scoring and power-play support. If they’re looking to add a layer of depth down the middle, Sam Bennett could be an option as well if he reaches free agency – but, like the names they already have in-house, he’s a good second-line option at best, not a legitimate No. 1 center. Short-term veteran fits to help add depth could come from Dallas, with Jamie Benn, Matt Duchene, and Mikael Granlund all slated for UFA status.

Decide Forward Personnel

Further to that, Boston now has quite the mushy middle with Lindholm, Casey Mittelstadt, and Pavel Zacha as its top three centers. There was talk of Zacha being moved at the deadline, but the only move they made at center was flipping Charlie Coyle for Mittelstadt.

Therein lies the first question for the Bruins to answer: are all three of them back next year, and are all three of them playing center? Lindholm and Zacha both logged significant time on the wing earlier in their careers. Lindholm is likely too valuable now on faceoffs to entertain a move back to the wing, but Zacha could shift over if the Bruins bring in another depth center and reignite some chemistry with Pastrňák on his opposite flank.

Even if the Bruins re-sign all of their pending RFAs (a likely scenario) and have them all on the opening night roster in the fall, that only accounts for nine forwards. There are three to five open spots up front, leaving Boston to decide how to distribute them among internal up-and-comers (Fabian Lysell, Fraser Minten, Matthew Poitras) and external additions.  That’s also assuming no trades send a member of the current group out of town again.

Instill Goaltending Confidence

Boston’s biggest disappointment in 2024-25 was undoubtedly the play of goaltender Jeremy Swayman. After some testy contract negotiations throughout the summer, he signed an eight-year, $66MM deal days before the regular season but missed all of training camp in the process. He responded to the financial commitment with a 22-29-7 record, .892 SV%, and 3.11 GAA in 58 appearances. After starring with a gargantuan 55.2 goals saved above expected over his first four NHL seasons, he finished 10th-worst in the NHL with a -9.1 GSAx in 2024-25, per MoneyPuck.

Even during their last playoff contention window, the Bruins’ success relied on above-average goaltending. Regardless of what moves they make this summer, there’s little hope of them competing for a playoff spot next year if Swayman doesn’t rebound to at least league average, if not back into his usual top-10/top-15 performance relative to shot quality faced.

The good news – he’s 26 and the track record is there, so there’s plenty of time for him to rediscover his performance. There was very clearly a mental hurdle for Swayman, who faced hesitancy from his organization to commit to him despite finishing as high as seventh in Vezina Trophy voting in 2024 and grading out as one of the league’s best goalies in the early 2020s. A negotiationless offseason, a new coach, and some more positive messaging from the front office could all go a long way toward vaulting him back into consideration as one of the league’s better starters next year.

Image courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.

Devils Sign Arseni Gritsyuk To Entry-Level Deal

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May 6: The team confirmed a one-year deal for Gritsyuk today. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

April 9: The Devils are expected to land 2019 fifth-round pick Arseni Gritsyuk out of Russia on an entry-level deal for the 2025-26 season, Daria Tuboltseva of Responsible Gambler reports. The 24-year-old winger remains under contract with Kontinental Hockey League club SKA St. Petersburg through May 31, so an official announcement could still be weeks away.

While closer in theory to a free-agent pickup than a prospect arrival, he’s still on the right side of 25 and tracks as an impactful addition to the New Jersey roster next year. The 6’0″, 194-lb right winger has quite the resume in his home country. He had a breakout year with Avangard Omsk in 2021-22, winning the KHL’s Rookie of the Year Award with 16-12–28 in just 39 games. That was enough for him to be included on the country’s roster for the 2022 Winter Olympics, where he posted three points in six games en route to a silver medal.

Gritsyuk transferred to SKA in the 2023 off-season and has spent the last two seasons there. He saved his best for last. If not for an injury that sidelined him for about a third of the year, he would have led St. Petersburg in scoring. He did lead the team with a +22 rating and recorded 17-27–44 in 49 games. His 0.90 points per game ranked 12th in the KHL among qualified skaters. Gritsyuk also added five points in six playoff games as SKA dropped their first-round series to Dynamo Moscow.

His pending departure adds to a mass exodus from one of Russia’s largest clubs. Their leading scorer, 19-year-old Ivan Demidov, has already terminated his contract and is on his way to Montreal to join the Canadiens for the remainder of the season. They’ve also mutually terminated their deal with ex-Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov and are widely expected to lose top defenseman and captain Alexander Nikishin to the Hurricanes, who drafted him 69th overall in 2020 – although whether that deal gets done in time for him to join Carolina this season remains to be seen.

As for New Jersey, they’re likely penciling Gritsyuk into a top-nine right-wing spot for opening night in October. It’s realistic to expect output in the 40-to-50-point range from the smooth-skating winger next season, potentially even higher if he’s given first-unit power play deployment. He should be a crucial cost-effective contributor for the Devils as they enter the 2025 offseason with under $14MM in cap space for next season and star defenseman Luke Hughes in need of a new deal.

Gritsyuk will pause his KHL career after recording 68-84–152 in 216 regular-season games over the past five seasons. He’ll be a restricted free agent next summer and the Devils maintain team control over his signing rights through 2028.

Panthers, Ludvig Jansson Agree To Entry-Level Contract

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The Panthers announced they’ve agreed to terms with defense prospect Ludvig Jansson on a three-year, entry-level contract starting next season.

Florida selected Jansson, 21, with their fourth-round pick back in 2022. The smooth-skating right-shot defenseman has spent the better part of the past five seasons playing professionally in his native Sweden. He started out with Södertälje SK of the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan in 2020 before moving to the top-flight Swedish Hockey League with Luleå HF for the last two years.

The 6’0″, 181-lb rearguard hasn’t gotten much playing time, though, averaging just over 10 minutes per game since the 2023-24 campaign. That’s meant he’s only posted a goal and six assists with a minus-nine rating in 100 regular-season SHL contests, a far cry from the point production he’s flashed as a two-way piece against junior competition. Jansson was on Sweden’s World Juniors teams in 2022 and 2023, posting 10 points in 11 games across the pair of tournaments. He also had two assists in 17 postseason games this year as Luleå captured the SHL championship.

Since Jansson is under 24 and wasn’t a first-round pick, the Panthers will have to offer Jansson back to Luleå on loan in the likely event he doesn’t make the team out of camp. Given the limited role he’s played there, though, it stands to reason they’ll be able to get him extended playing time stateside with AHL Charlotte.

Jansson’s signing rights were still a year away from expiring. He’s too old to be slide-eligible, so his deal goes into effect next year regardless of how many NHL games he plays. He’ll be a restricted free agent upon expiry in 2028.

Kings Notes: Jeannot, Kopitar, Lewis, Bergevin

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The Los Angeles Kings held exit interviews on Monday, providing a chance for many players to share their final thoughts on this year and first impressions of next season. For forward Tanner Jeannot, it was a chance to share more about the injury that held him out of the final 19 games of the season. Jeannot told with Kings insider Zach Dooley, that he sustained a groin injury and was doing all he could to make a return during the first round. It appeared to be a non-contact injury suffered when he went down to block a shot in the Kings’ March 25th win over the New York Rangers.

Jeannot is one of four Kings forwards set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer. He’ll be coming off a two-year, $5.33MM contract originally signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Los Angeles reeled him in last summer for a second-round and fourth-round draft pick. Jeannot delivered 13 points, 89 penalty minutes, and 11 minutes of average ice time through 67 games. That’s likely not strong enough to earn a raise over his $2.67MM cap hit this season. But L.A. seemed to miss his physical presence – and team-leading 211 hits in the regular season – in their first-round loss to the Edmonton Oilers. That could make him a candidate for a low-cost deal as the Kings look to build a team that can run deep into the playoffs.

Other notes out of Los Angeles:

  • Kings captain Anze Kopitar affirmed his desire to play out the final year of his contract next season, per John Hoven of Mayors Manor. It will be Kopitar’s age-38 season. He still looked in prime form this year, netting 21 goals and 67 points. It was his third consecutive season of netting at least 20 goals and 65 points – though he did cross the 70-point mark in the other two. With confirmation of one more season, Kopitar will be on pace to play his 1,500th career game with the Los Angeles Kings – which will make him only the ninth player to play so long with one club, assuming Alex Ovechkin also reaches 1,500 with the Washington Capitals. Kopitar managed nine points and 21:30 in average ice time over the Kings’ six playoff games – and will now return as the Kings’ steady leader next year.
  • Trevor Lewis also expressed his desire to continue his career for another year, per Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period. Lewis will have to find that year on the open market, after the conclusion of a one-year, $800K extension with the Kings. He recorded 12 points in 60 games while operating from a fourth-line role. It was a quiet season that could be hard to market in free agency, though Lewis would become just the sixth King to appear in 15 or more seasons with the club with one more year. It will likely only cost Los Angeles a league-minimum contract to honor that milestone, if they choose to do so.
  • Bernstein also shared that he believes Marc Bergevin could be in the race for the Kings vacant general manager role. Los Angeles hired Bergevin as a special advisor soon after the Montreal Canadiens fired him from his general manager role in 2021. Bergevin served 10 years managing the Canadiens before then. He led the team to six playoff appearances and one Stanley Cup Final loss in 2022. Bergevin wasn’t a stranger to controversy over his time in Montreal, whether it be for his management decisions or personality clashes. But with four years of adjusting to the Kings’ innerworkings, and a decade of experience, his resume for the role could be pretty strong against what Los Angeles could find on the open market.

New York Islanders, Utah Hockey Club Win 2025 NHL Draft Lottery

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The New York Islanders have won the 2025 NHL draft lottery, jumping up from No. 10 in the pre-lottery order to No. 1. The Utah Hockey Club won the second draw but only moved to pick No. 4, as teams were only able to improve 10 spots from their pre-lottery odds. That means the San Jose Sharks, who entered the night with the top odds, will pick second overall.

The Islanders had a 3.5 percent chance of claiming this year’s top pick. After the lottery and the end of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the 2025 draft is locked in as follows:

  1. New York Islanders
  2. San Jose Sharks
  3. Chicago Blackhawks
  4. Utah Hockey Club
  5. Nashville Predators
  6. Philadelphia Flyers
  7. Boston Bruins
  8. Seattle Kraken
  9. Buffalo Sabres
  10. Anaheim Ducks
  11. Pittsburgh Penguins
  12. New York Rangers (must send either 2025 or 2026 first to Penguins, yet to decide)
  13. Detroit Red Wings
  14. Columbus Blue Jackets
  15. Vancouver Canucks
  16. Montreal Canadiens (from Flames)
  17. Montreal Canadiens
  18. Calgary Flames (from Devils)
  19. St. Louis Blues
  20. Columbus Blue Jackets (from Wild)
  21. Ottawa Senators

For the first time since 2009, the Islanders will call the first name of the NHL Draft. It’s an incredible consolation prize for the squad after missing the postseason for just the second time in the last seven years. In picking first, New York could have a chance to repeat fate and draft an exceptional status OHL center on the heels of a red-hot season. That, of course, refers to Saginaw Spirit center Michael Misa, who led the OHL with a dazzling 62 goals and 134 points in 65 games this season.

Misa’s scoring is the most from an OHL draft-eligible player since Patrick Kane scored 145 points in 58 games before going first overall in the 2007 Draft. Misa’s 2.06 points-per-game are the sixth-most from an OHL draft-eligible since 2000, sandwiched between Jason Spezza (2.07) and Mitch Marner (2.00).

But for all of his scoring acclaim, Misa isn’t often considered the top player in this class. That title has instead been bestowed upon defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who hasn’t played since December after sustaining a collarbone injury at the World Junior Championship. Schaefer quickly underwent surgery and lost his draft season, but his performance before injury was strong enough to establish his case.

Schaefer recorded 22 points in 17 OHL games, two points in two World Juniors games, and six points in five games as Team Canada’s captain at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup before the start of the season. All the while, he looked cool, calm, and collected, making very smooth and deliberate plays in his own end and showing great jump on offense. The NHL’s top defensemen are playing an increasingly rangy, 200-foot style of offense that Schaefer mirrors well, with strong passing and a killer instinct for scoring goals.

Behind the pair of OHL stars is America’s top representation in the class – Boston College centerman James Hagens. Hagens stepped into the center role between Gabriel Perreault and Ryan Leonard this season, filling the gap after Will Smith, who centered the duo for three straight years, opted to sign his entry-level contract. And despite some early stumbles, Hagens managed to fill the role seamlessly, netting 37 points in as many games and helping to grow the total goals from BC’s top line by four percent compared to last season.

He’s a diligent playmaker with a keen hockey sense, and one who can’t be second-guessed in this draft. Hagens proved as much at the 2024 World U18 Championship, where his 22 points in just seven games broke the tournament record, previously held by Nikita Kucherov. Hagens also grew up in Hauppauge, New York, and idolized the Islanders growing up. If that wasn’t incentive enough, Hagens was also the set-up man to Cole Eiserman during his years at the U.S. National Team Development Program. The Islanders drafted Eiserman with the 20th-overall pick last year.

Lane Hutson, Macklin Celebrini, Dustin Wolf Named Calder Trophy Finalists

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The NHL announced the finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy ahead of the 2025 Draft Lottery. The award is handed out annually to the NHL’s Rookie of the Year. This year’s finalists will be Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, San Jose Sharks centerman Macklin Celebrini, and Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf.

The 2025 Calder Trophy race has been anticipated for years. Celebrini headlined a class full of rookie talent, and seemed deadset on a bid for the award after going first-overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. But his rookie year exceeded even optimistic expectations, as Celebrini managed to lead the Sharks in scoring with 63 points in 70 games – an 82-game pace of 74 points. He also recorded 25 goals on the year, making him the second rookie to reach that mark since Kirill Kaprizov in the 2020-21 season alongside Philadelphia Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov, who recorded 26 goals.

Celebrini managed that scoring despite playing for a dismally low-scoring Sharks roster. San Jose ranked dead-last in scoring this season, with just 208 total goals – four fewer than the dismal Nashville Predators. It was the seventh-fewest total goals scored by a team since 2021, though a slight bump over the 180 goals San Jose totaled last year. That difference – 28 goals – can largely be chalked up to the impacts Celebrini made by seamlessly entering San Jose’s top center role. The Vancouver native won the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s MVP last season, and both the MVP and ’Rookie of the Year’ awards in the USHL the year before. A title win here would continue his streak of lifting hardware at every single stop.

But a smooth and successful rookie flight won’t win Celebrini the award outright. Hutson offers formidable competition after scoring the fifth-most points from a rookie defenseman in NHL history. More impressive than that, Hutson’s 60 assists tie with Larry Murphy for the most ever recorded by a rookie defender. That is Hall of Fame company for the young Canadiens defenseman – an incredible mark given the fact that he wasn’t a first-round draft pick just three years ago. Hutson instead went 62nd overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, nearly out of the second round as well. He followed his draft selection with two standout seasons in college hockey, where he was named a Hobey Baker finalists in both seasons.

Through dazzling paths to the show, neither Hutson nor Celebrini had a tougher path to a starring role than Dustin Wolf did. Wolf was a seventh-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, selected just four picks before the end of the draft. Like Hutson, many docked his size and ability to play the position at a top role. But Wolf quickly began to silence critics when he turned pro in the 2021-22 season. He set a fantastic 33-9-4 record and .924 save percentage in the AHL that season, good enough to land the ’Baz Bastien’ Award as ’AHL Goalie of the Year’ in his rookie season. Even more impressive than that, Wolf improved on the feat in his sophomore season – recording a 42-10-2 record and .932 and again winning ’Goalie of the Year’. He became just the third goaltender to ever win the award twice, and the first to do it in back-to-back seasons.

Wolf split time between the NHL and AHL lineups last season, hampering his chances for a three-peat of the AHL title. But he could make up for that by winning NHL ’Rookie of the Year’ this summer. Calgary’s success this season seemed to hinge on Wolf’s ability to perform on a nightly basis – and their finish as the highest-scoring team to ever miss the postseason is a testament to his prowess. He finished the year with 0.224 goals-saved above-expected per-60. That’s to say, on a nightly basis, Wolf’s appearance in net afforded Calgary a 0.224 goal advantage – 21st highest in the league between Mackenzie Blackwood (0.248) and Jake Oettinger (0.188). While Celebrini’s impact on a desolate Sharks lineup, or Hutson’s rival of the record books, may warrant more acclaim – Wolf’s rookie year will cement his spot in the Flames lineup all the same.

Sharks’ William Eklund Undergoes Surgery, Will Miss World Championship

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Team Sweden had a scary start to their pre-tournament friendlies ahead of the World Championship, when top forward William Eklund has his wrist cut by a skate blade. Eklund very quickly left the ice and received medical attention. Shortly after, his agent, Todd Diamond, told Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey News that Eklund was in stable condition and that the cut seemed to avoid any major tendons or nerves. Now, Diamond has also told Peng that Eklund has undergone surgery to address his laceration and will spend the next three months recovering from the procedure. His recovery isn’t expected to interfere with Eklund’s preparation for next season’s training camp – but he will be forced to miss the entirety of the World Championship.

All things considered, Sharks fans can breath a sigh of relief with this news. Eklund’s injury was scary for many reasons, but the budding star should be able to mount a full recovery before his third full NHL season. Eklund was one of the few bright spots on the Stars roster last season, ending the year second on the team in scoring with 58 points in 77 games. He also recorded 41 assists in a full season next to superstar Macklin Celebrini, making Eklund the first Shark to break the 40-assist mark since Tomas Hertl in 2022-23 and Timo Meier in 2021-22. That’s certainly welcome company for the dynamic Eklund, especially as San Jose eyes adding another franchise-definer with a top pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

This year marked Eklund’s first opportunity to participate with Sweden’s Men’s team on an intercontinental level. Unlike many top prospects, Eklund didn’t get any chance to participate in the World U18 Championship, and only appeared in two World Junior Championship games, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and an early COVID infection. He’ll now have to wait even longer before he can make an impact on Sweden’s trophy cabinet – though a feature on the World Championship roster, and a 40-assist season in the NHL, should give Eklund a good shot at making the 2026 Winter Olympics roster.

Senators Sign Nikolas Matinpalo To Two-Year Extension

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The Senators announced they’ve signed defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo to a two-year extension worth $1.75MM. He was set to be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer. He’ll carry a cap hit of $875K for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons.

It’s an important depth signing for Ottawa. Matinpalo emerged as a regular in the lineup down the stretch, playing in 23 of 25 games coming out of the 4 Nations break. Largely replacing struggling veteran Travis Hamonic’s minutes, the 26-year-old Matinpalo was used up and down the lineup but mainly in third-pairing duties with Tyler Kleven. He finished the year with four points and a minus-two rating in 41 regular-season games after making just four NHL appearances the year prior, his first in North America after signing with Ottawa as an undrafted free agent the preceding offseason.

While Matinpalo’s regular-season possession impacts were pedestrian and he averaged a paltry 12:37 per game, his performance took off in the playoffs. He played all six games in Ottawa’s first-round loss to the Maple Leafs, and his unit with Kleven was Ottawa’s best defensively out of their three regular pairings at even strength. In fact, they were the Sens’ only pairing to outscore Toronto at even strength (3-2) and controlled 55.3% of expected goals, per MoneyPuck.

Now on his way to represent Finland at the World Championship, the 6’3″, 212-lb righty will be penciled onto Ottawa’s opening night roster in the fall. Whether he’s in the lineup or the press box out of the gate remains to be seen, but he’s done enough to secure an NHL paycheck for the next couple of years. He’ll be a UFA upon expiry in 2027.

Image courtesy of Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images.

Lightning Sign Charle-Edouard D’Astous To Two-Way Deal

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The Lightning have signed free agent defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2025-26 season, the team announced today. Financial terms were not disclosed.

It’s the first NHL contract for the 27-year-old Canadian. D’Astous has spent the last three seasons overseas in the Finnish Liiga and the Swedish Hockey League, establishing himself as a top two-way threat in the upper echelon of European hockey. The 6’2″, 187-lb lefty spent last season with Brynäs IF, who finished first in the SHL immediately after being promoted from the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan but recently fell to Luleå HF in six games in the playoff final. He led their blue line and finished second on the team in scoring with 39 points (12 G, 27 A) in 49 games and ranked second on the team behind SHL Defenseman of the Year Victor Söderström with a +26 rating.

While D’Astous didn’t get the year-end hardware Söderström did, he achieved some hefty accomplishments during his two-year stint in Finland. The Rimouski, Quebec, native scored 17 goals and 29 assists for 46 points in 54 games with KooKoo in 2023-24, leading the league in goals by defensemen and taking home Finland’s Defenseman of the Year award in the process. He also averaged more minutes per game than any other Liiga skater.

The move to KooKoo in 2022 came after D’Astous failed to make meaningful progress up the North American professional ladder. That’s despite some standout ECHL play, including his 2021-22 campaign with the Utah Grizzlies when he led the league in goals by defensemen (26) and was named the league’s Defenseman of the Year. He also won DOY honors back in juniors with the Rimouski Océanic back in 2018-29, so D’Astous arrives in Tampa with three DOY awards in three different leagues under his belt.

After a long road to get here, D’Astous will now try to crack the Lightning’s opening night roster in the fall as a depth puck-moving option. He’ll compete with names like Maxwell Crozier for depth spots and recall hierarchy. Since this is D’Astous’ first NHL contract, he’ll be waiver exempt throughout the 2025-26 campaign, so he can be assigned to AHL Syracuse without risk of losing him to another NHL club.

The Bolts now have 32 of the maximum 50 standard contracts signed for 2025-26.

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