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Snapshots: Hartley, Penguins, Desnoyers, Army

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Long-time NHL head coach Bob Hartley has decided to return to coaching.  The KHL announced (Twitter link) that Hartley has been hired by Lokomotiv Yaroslavl as their new bench boss.  The 64-year-old will be making his second foray into coaching in Russia having spent four seasons coaching Avangard Omsk before leaving them in 2022; he hadn’t coached anywhere since then.  Hartley is also a veteran of 944 NHL games between Colorado, Atlanta, and Calgary with his teams playing to a .556 points percentage.  He won the Stanley Cup back in 2001 but only made the playoffs in three of ten seasons after that.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • While Fenway Sports Group has said that they’re only interested in selling a small portion of the Penguins, their old ownership group continues to look into the possibility of one day buying a controlling stake, reports Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription link). The group, led by long-time Penguin legend Mario Lemieux, sold the team back in 2021 with a franchise valuation of $900MM.  Since then, franchise values have gone up with Forbes recently pegging the team’s value at nearly double that amount so re-acquiring even a controlling interest in the team might be costlier than what they received for it not quite four years ago.
  • The Wild’s AHL team in Iowa announced that they’ve signed forward Elliot Desnoyers to a one-year, one-way contract. The 23-year-old has four career NHL games under his belt, coming with Philadelphia back in 2022-23.  Since then, Desnoyers has played exclusively in the AHL and had 19 points in 59 games which wasn’t enough to earn a qualifying offer last month.
  • The Avalanche’s AHL affiliate announced the hiring of Derek Army as an assistant coach. The 34-year-old spent parts of the last five seasons as head coach of ECHL Wheeling, becoming the winningest coach in franchise history with a 153-137-19 record over that stretch.  Army also spent the past four seasons as their Director of Hockey Operations but will now focus exclusively on coaching with the Eagles.

Islanders Re-Sign Travis Mitchell

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The Islanders have now re-signed the last of their unsigned defensemen as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that they have signed Travis Mitchell to a one-year, two-way contract.  The deal will pay Mitchell $775K in the NHL, $100K in the minors, and has a guaranteed salary of $125K.

The 25-year-old joined New York in 2023, signing an entry-level contract as an unrestricted free agent.  That came on the heels of a solid NCAA showing with Cornell, including a 19-point senior season in 2022-23.

Mitchell joined AHL Bridgeport soon after leaving, getting into a handful of games with them to start his professional career.  He also has spent the last two seasons in the minors with Bridgeport and is coming off a 2024-25 effort that saw him record 13 points and 101 penalty minutes in 65 games.

Mitchell will be waiver-eligible for the first time this coming season but it’s likely that he won’t be claimed, allowing him to continue his development with Bridgeport under new head coach Rocky Thompson, a former blueliner himself.  Mitchell will once again be a restricted free agent next summer.

With this agreement, the Islanders are down to one remaining RFA to re-sign, winger Maxim Tsyplakov.  He was among the list of 11 players to file for salary arbitration earlier this month with hearings set to run between July 20th and August 4th.  The hearing schedule is yet to be released so it’s unclear exactly how much time GM Mathieu Darche has to try to get the 26-year-old signed without needing to have the salary decided by an arbitrator.

Hurricanes Re-Sign Skyler Brind’Amour

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Carolina has taken care of one of its remaining restricted free agents as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the Hurricanes have re-signed forward Skyler Brind’Amour to a one-year, two-way contract.  The deal will pay him $775K in the NHL, $90K in the AHL, and has a guaranteed payout of $100K.

The 25-year-old was originally a sixth-round pick by Edmonton back in 2017, going 177th overall.  However, after playing his college action at Quinnipiac, he didn’t sign with the Oilers, instead joining AHL Charlotte on a one-year deal for 2022-23.  After putting up eight points in 54 games with them, Brind’Amour inked a one-year, two-way pact with the Hurricanes for last season.

Brind’Amour spent most of 2024-25 with AHL Chicago and was a bit more productive than his professional debut, notching 16 goals and eight assists in 68 games.  With Carolina sitting many players for the final two games to keep them healthy for the playoffs, Brind’Amour was among the players recalled from the Wolves and he picked up his first career NHL goal in the final game of the season.

Brind’Amour will require waivers now to return to the minors but it seems unlikely that he will be picked up off the waiver wire.  Assuming he passes through unclaimed, he will once again serve as recallable depth for Carolina in 2025-26 and will once again be a restricted free agent next summer.

With the signing, the Hurricanes are now down to three remaining restricted free agents, all of whom primarily played for the Wolves last season – forward Ryan Suzuki plus defensemen Domenick Fensore and Ronan Seeley.

Justin Bailey Signs AHL Contract With San Diego

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An NHL veteran has found a place to play next season but he will have some work to do to get an NHL shot.  The AHL’s San Diego Gulls, affiliate of the Ducks, announced that they’ve signed winger Justin Bailey to a one-year, one-way contract.

The 30-year-old spent last season in the minors on a one-year, two-way deal but never got an NHL opportunity despite playing in 59 games with the Sharks the year before.  Starting off with the Barracuda, Bailey had 14 points in 33 games but he was more productive with the Gulls after being traded to Anaheim back in January.  With them, he notched 12 goals and 10 assists in 35 outings.

Over his career, Bailey has played in 141 career NHL contests, picking up 10 goals and 23 assists along the way.  He also has recorded 157 hits while averaging a little over ten minutes per game of playing time, primarily on the fourth line.  In the minors, however, Bailey has been a much more consistent contributor, picking up 155 goals and 122 assists in 438 games over parts of 10 seasons.

It’s likely that Bailey will officially sign a PTO agreement with Anaheim over the next couple of months, allowing him to suit up for the Ducks in training camp where he’ll count toward their veteran quota for exhibition action.

Filip Zadina Signs Two-Year Extension In Switzerland

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Back in April, winger Filip Zadina acknowledged to Ceska Televize that he’d be open to returning to North America for the upcoming season with an NHL out clause in his deal overseas.  However, it appears the type of offer he was hoping for didn’t materialize.  Instead, HC Davos in Switzerland announced that they’ve signed Zadina to a two-year contract extension.

The 25-year-old was the sixth-overall pick back in 2018 but struggled to live up to his draft billing.  After five seasons with Detroit, Zadina surprisingly asked to be released from the final two years and $4.56MM in cash owing on his deal with the Red Wings, intent on landing a fresh start with another organization over what looked likely to be a probable assignment to the minors in 2023-24.  While it was a gamble, the thought was that over time, he’d be able to recover that money.

But that didn’t exactly happen.  Zadina signed a one-year, $1.1MM deal with San Jose soon after becoming a free agent in 2023 and tallied a career-best 13 goals along with 10 assists in 72 games.  However, that wasn’t enough to secure a qualifying offer as he was non-tendered a little more than a year ago, making him an unrestricted free agent once again.

No guaranteed NHL offer came his way so Zadina decided to sign with Davos for last season.  He was more productive with them, picking up 21 goals and 13 assists in 43 regular season games while also picking up four points in seven games for Czechia at the Worlds back in May.

But instead of getting another chance in North America, Zadina will now try to build on his performance with Davos for the next couple of years.  He’ll only be 28 when this extension expires and with 262 career NHL games under his belt, that’s enough to keep him on the NHL radar if he keeps having success overseas.

Submit Your Questions For A CBA Q&A

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The NHL and NHLPA today released the full text of their new Collective Bargaining Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding, set to take effect ahead of the 2026-27 season. The two sides officially ratified the four-year extension on Tuesday, with many key details about the document already reported.

Still, some of the finer details may have gotten lost in translation or were not completely made public before today. As a result, we’re running a special-edition mailbag/Q&A about the new CBA and MOU. Submit your questions about the extension in the comment section below, and PHR’s Josh Erickson will comb through both documents to find the answer.

The mailbag will run on Tuesday, July 15.

Latest On Tyson Foerster

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The Philadelphia Flyers are at risk to start the season without top winger Tyson Foerster, after an elbow injury he sustained at the World Championships became infected. Foerster underwent surgery earlier this month and will further receive a follow-up MRI next week that should make his timeline clearer, per NHL.com’s Kevin Kurz.

The Flyers would have a major role to fill in Foerster wasn’t ready for the start of the year. He found a comfortable role on the team’s second-line and second-power play unit, but routinely stepped up as an X-factor for the team’s offense. He finished the season with 25 goals and 43 points in 81 games. Only Matvei Michkov (26) scored more goals than Foerster. The two could very well directly compete for top-line minutes next season, though Michkov would assume the runway should Foerster miss time.

Despite a potential top-six hole to fill, Kurz adds that Philadelphia likely won’t turn towards a veteran free agent for insurance. Instead, he expects they’ll lean on some of their young prospects, or a potential professional try-out during training camp. Philadelphia has a long list of top prospects who could win out an NHL role at training camp, headlined by Porter Martone, Jett Luchanko, and Alex Bump.

All three forward could offer interesting upside in Philadelphia’s bottom-six. The Flyers drafted Martone with the sixth-overall pick this year. He’s long been lauded as one of the top wingers in his age group, and managed 98 points in 57 OHL games this season, while serving as the Bramtpon Steelheads’ captain. He also appeared in three games at the World Junior Championship and two at the World Championships. His aggression and puck-handling could warrant a chance to make an immediate impact.

Luchanko did as much last year, making the Flyers’ roster out of camp and playing through his first four NHL games before being reassigned to the OHL. He went on to score 56 points in 46 games as the captain of the Guelph Storm. He finished his year with 16 games, and nine points, in the AHL. Luchanko more often fills the center role, but can be rotated to right-wing. He’d be a hard-nosed addition to Philadelphia’s mix of skill in the bottom-six.

Bump may offer the most unique upside, though. The left-wing is coming off a starring role in Western Michigan University’s run to their first NCAA National Championship. He recorded 23 goals, 47 points, and a plus-11 in 42 games during the run. It was a major step up after Bump scored 36 points in 38 games as a freshman last year. He finished his season with five points across nine games with Lehigh Valley. He’s a former fifth-round pick, compared to first-rounders Martone and Luchanko, but could make the same push with the momentum of a strong season.

All three young forwards would have to earn their jump to the NHL roster with an impressive training camp. Should they underwhelm, the Flyers are hopeful enough about Foerster’s outlook to not look beyond a minor addition. That will set Foerster up for a clear return to the Flyers’ top-six as soon as he’s back to full health. He faces an uphill battle in repeating his 17.6 shooting percentage from last season, but he has a track record of finding more goals than assists. He scored 20 goals and 33 points in 77 games as a rookie in 2023-24, with a 12.0 shooting percentage.

Flyers Promote John Snowden To AHL Head Coach, Hire Two Assistants

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The Philadelphia Flyers have promoted John Snowden to the role of Lehigh Valley Phantoms head coach. He will fill a hole opened when Ian Laperrière was appointed an advisor to NHL general manager Daniel Briere in June. The Flyers also announced they’ve hired Nick Schultz and Terrence Wallin as AHL assistant coaches.

Lehigh Valley will move forward under the charge of Snowden, who served as an assistant coach to Lapierre through the last two seasons. He has nine years of experience in various roles throughout ECHL and AHL hockey. That includes one year as the Newfoundland Growlers’ head coach, one year as the club’s Director of Hockey Operations, and two years as an assistant with the Toronto Marlies.

Snowden’s roots as a coach run as far back as his own days as a minor league player. He played through five seasons in both the ECHL and former Central Hockey League (CHL), and stepped up as a player-coach for the Bloomington PrairieThunder during their sole CHL season in 2010-11. He scored 36 points in 66 games, and supported Bloomington to a loss in the first round of the playoffs. Snowden ultimately totaled 239 points in 304 CHL games, and 210 points in 305 ECHL games.

Philidelphia will also promote Schultz into the first bench role of his professional career next season. He has spent the last two seasons as the Assistant Director of Player Development with the NHL club, and has served as a development coach for the club since 2019. Schultz also coached the Philadelphia Flyers Elite AAA club’s 2007 birth-year from 13U to 16U. He led the team to an AYHL 14U championship in 2022.

Schultz is much better known as a former stalwart defender in the NHL. He was the 33rd-overall pick in 2000, and went on to amass 1,066 NHL games across 15 seasons and four clubs. He served as captain for the Minnesota Wild in 2007-08, and an assistant captain role with the Wild and Edmonton Oilers from 2010 to 2014. Schultz closed his career with three seasons in Philadelphia, where he totaled 29 points in 189 games. He opted to stick around the club after retiring in 2017, and will now kickoff the next chapter of his career in the Flyers’ system.

Wallin will also receive his first AHL coaching role on Lehigh Valley’s turned over bench. He was formerly a rooted member of the ECHL, playing through five seasons in the league from 2015-16 to 2019-20. But his club – the Maine Mariners – opted to not participate in the 2020-21 season. When they returned in 2021-22, Wallin had moved from player to assistant coach. He was promoted to the head coach role in 2022, and added the general manager title in 2023. In four years with Wallin on the bench, the Mariners posted a 140-125-23 record and made three playoff appearances.

Islanders Sign Victor Eklund To Entry-Level Contract

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1:42 p.m.: According to PuckPedia, Eklund will earn an NHL salary of $877.5K, an AHL salary of $85K, and a signing bonus of $97.5K each year, and up to an additional $500K in “A” performance bonuses. That’ll bring his cap hit to $975K, and his AAV up to $1.475MM.

1:30 p.m.: The New York Islanders have put pen to paper with one of their first-round selections of the 2025 NHL Draft. According to a team announcement, the Islanders have signed forward Victor Eklund to a three-year entry-level contract.

Using one of the draft selections acquired in the trade that sent defenseman Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens, New York selected Eklund 16th overall. The Stockholm, Sweden native was the second-ranked European skater according to NHL Central Scouting, and was projected as a mid-first-round talent.

A teammate of Chicago Blackhawks prospect Anton Frondell, Eklund is coming off an impressive season with HockeyAllsvenskan’s Djurgårdens IF. His recent campaign saw his draft stock improve slightly, as Daily Faceoff projected him as the 24th overall pick around this time last year.

Helping promote Djurgårdens IF back to the SHL after their relegation in 2021-22, Eklund scored 19 goals and 31 points in 42 games with a +16 rating. In their postseason run back to the SHL, Eklund scored an additional two goals and seven points in 18 contests, besting AIK in the SHL Qualifier Final in five games.

He’s shown first-rate talent on the international stage, particularly over the last two years. Suiting up for Sweden’s U18 and U20 teams, Eklund has scored six goals and 12 points in 14 games during his age-appropriate appearances in the IIHF World Junior Championships. Additionally, he’s tallied 16 goals and 38 points in 40 international contests (including his WJC appearances).

It’ll be an important developmental year for the recent first-round selection. Eklund will have the opportunity to play in one of the better international leagues outside of the NHL, which should legitimize his offensive capabilities should he continue his developmental arc. Being a team starved for offense, Eklund may have a one-and-done year in the SHL should he flourish.

San Jose Sharks Re-Sign Jack Thompson

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12:45 p.m.: According to PuckPedia, the Sharks will pay Thompson an NHL salary of $800K and an AHL salary of $115K, with $135K guaranteed.

12:03 p.m.: Despite loading up their defensive core this offseason, the San Jose Sharks are additionally retaining some of their depth from last year. The Sharks announced they’ve signed defenseman Jack Thompson to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2025-26 season. The team did not disclose any financial information.

Thompson has been a difficult defenseman to project since coming to San Jose from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the deadline deal for Anthony Duclair a few years ago. During his time with the Lightning organization, the former 93rd overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft played particularly well with their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, scoring 13 goals and 56 points in 118 games.

His scoring output and overall play have dropped since joining the Sharks organization. However, much of that can be blamed on his inconsistent use within the organization. Thompson hardly plays when he’s on the Sharks roster, being an oft-healthy scratch when the team has a healthy blue line. Given that he’s only 23 years old, the Sharks may benefit from Thompson spending the entire 2025-26 campaign with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda to ensure consistent reps to aid in his development.

He’s performed well for the Barracuda when on the roster, scoring four goals and 23 points in 43 games. Extrapolated over a full season, Thompson is pacing out for seven goals and 36 points in 72 games for the Barracuda, which would have been good for second on the team in scoring among defensemen for the 2024-25 campaign.

Throughout his brief play in the NHL with the Sharks, Thompson has shown flashes of quality hockey. From October 20th to November 23rd this past season, Thompson scored two goals and five points in 13 games for San Jose with 20 blocked shots. From March 1st to April 13th, he scored another two goals and five points in 11 contests with 26 blocked shots. There were some rough months in between, but Thompson has proven his quality two-way play at times.

Ultimately, any true opportunity at the NHL level for the Courtice, Ontario native came and went this summer. The Sharks added Dmitry Orlov, John Klingberg, and Nick Leddy to a blue line that already had Mario Ferraro, Timothy Liljegren, Vincent Desharnais, and Shakir Mukhamadullin. As mentioned, to give the best possible opportunity for development, the Sharks should consider keeping Thompson in the AHL for the 2025-26 season, and only recall him in case of injuries to the defensive core.

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