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Calvin de Haan Signs Two-Year Extension With Rögle BK

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Veteran defenseman Calvin de Haan isn’t returning to the NHL anytime soon. It has been announced that de Haan has signed a new two-year extension with the SHL’s Rögle BK.

It’s relatively quick work on a new contract. The 34-year-old rearguard is in his first professional season overseas after signing with Rögle in mid-September of this year.

There’s no questioning why de Haan would want to stay, either. The former 12th overall pick of the 2009 NHL Draft is enjoying one of the best seasons of his professional career, scoring three goals and eight points through his first 17 games.

That level of offensive production doesn’t necessarily jump off the page, though it’s good for top-25 among blueliners in the SHL. Additionally, he’s playing on a successful Rögle that is currently positioned in second place in the league.

Odds are, unless he finds an unexpected new level to his game, that this is the last contract de Haan will sign in his career. Before moving overseas, de Haan enjoyed 13 years in the NHL with the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche, and New York Rangers.

Relegated to a depth role toward the end of his tenure in the NHL, de Haan’s best playing days were undoubtedly with the Islanders. From the 2013-14 season to 2017-18, de Haan scored 12 goals and 81 points in 303 games while averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time. He was no stranger to sacrificing his body either, amassing 687 blocked shots and 566 hits during that stretch.

Senators Looking To Add But Won’t Go “Big Game Hunting”

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The Ottawa Senators have been on a gradual climb since being taken over by owner Michael Andlauer and general manager Steve Staios. That ascension helped justify their acquisition of center Dylan Cozens and winger Fabian Zetterlund at the 2025 Trade Deadline. Those additions helped push the Senators to their first playoff appearance since 2017 – but the team’s rise isn’t over yet. Ottawa ranks second in the Atlantic Division through the early season and is now hoping to land a forward and defenseman on the trade market, per TSN’s Darren Dreger and Jamie Duthie in their intermission segment during Friday’s loss to the St. Louis Blues and captured by Julian McKenzie of The Athletic.

Dreger added that he doesn’t expect the Senators to be “big game hunters” and that top prospect Carter Yakemchuk would be off the table in trade negotiations. Yakemchuk is playing through his first professional season and currently has 14 points and a minus-11 in 20 games with the AHL’s Belleville Senators. He’s a hard-hitting, offensive-defenseman who seems well equipped to bring his flashy offense to Ottawa sooner rather than later.

If Yakemchuk is off the table, Ottawa is likely to exclude any of their top prospects in negotiations. That could include University of Wisconsin defender Logan Hensler who the team acquired after trading back in this year’s draft, and winger Stephen Halliday who scored his first NHL point last week. That could leave Ottawa in a bit of a bind. Their acquisition of Zetterlund revolved around a package of future assets, and the Senators sit in the top-half of oldest rosters in the NHL.

That could make draft capital their shiniest asset headed into the trade season. The Senators are without their first and second round picks in the 2026 draft, but have all of their top picks in the drafts beyond that. They also have Buffalo’s second-round pick in 2026, which could be valuable if the Sabres stay near the bottom of the league. A couple of high-value draft picks should be enough to land Ottawa a few difference-makers on the open market, especially if they’re willing to package them with a prospect like Blake Montgomery or Gabriel Eliasson.

Who Ottawa could go after will be a tough question. Calgary Flames assets Nazem Kadri and Rasmus Andersson are both #1’s at their position, and likely represent that big game hunting Dreger mentioned. Instead, Ottawa could find a match pursuing St. Louis Blues veterans Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk. Or maybe they could benefit from the Nashville Predators continued struggles and acquire winger Jonathan Marchessault or Michael Bunting. Ottawa could even find a package deal from the San Jose Sharks, who are bound to be offering center Alexander Wennberg and defender Mario Ferraro on the open market.

The range of price could vary widely, and change significantly before the Trade Deadline in March. But there’s no doubt that Ottawa will be a welcome addition to a buyer’s market. There are plenty of former Stanley Cup champions and hopefuls available for trade, and landing one or two could go far in boosting Ottawa’s offense to Conference Final aspirations. The Senators are projected to have $13.68MM in cap space at the Trade Deadline and $22.57MM by next off-season, per PuckPedia. That should be more than enough room to squeeze one or two more players into the top of the Senators lineup. As proven last year, those mid-season additions could take Ottawa far.

Canadiens Sign Mike Matheson To Five-Year Extension

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6:30 p.m.: More details about Matheson’s new extension have been revealed. The deal carries a $5MM signing bonus through the first two seasons, a $3.8MM bonus in year-three, and a $3.5MM bonus in the final two years per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Pagnotta adds that the deal also carries a full no-movement clause in the first three years, a 14-team no-trade list in the fourth year, and a five-team no-trade list in the final year.

10:00 a.m.: The Canadiens have announced Matheson’s deal. It’s worth $30MM for a cap hit of $6MM, keeping him signed through the 2030-31 campaign.

9:48 a.m.: Another day, another high-value pending unrestricted free agent is taken off the board. According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Montreal Canadiens are nearing a five-year extension with defenseman Mike Matheson. Marco D’Amico of RG Media confirmed that negotiations were headed in that direction, with an announcement expected as soon as today.

The extension finalizes the last important item on the Canadiens’ internal to-do list for the rest of the season. In the last five months alone, general manager Kent Hughes has inked Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson, and now Matheson to long-term extensions. This comes a year after the team did the same for Kaiden Guhle.

Montreal had plenty of space to make it happen as well. Before Matheson’s upcoming extension, the Canadiens had approximately $26MM in cap space for the 2026-27 campaign. Even though it’s expected that the 11-year veteran will earn a healthy raise on his current $4.875MM salary, Montreal will still have ample room to add.

There’s little argument to claim he wasn’t worth retaining either. Toward the beginning of his career with the Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins, Matheson had scored 49 goals and 138 points in 417 games with a -9 rating, averaging 20:15 of ice time in a top-four role. That production pales in comparison to his time in Quebec.

The 31-year-old blue liner has already surpassed his previous production in nearly half as many seasons. Though he earned more ice time in the offensive zone before the emergence of Hutson and the acquisition of Dobson, Matheson has scored 29 goals and 141 points in 232 games donning the bleu, blanc et rouge.

Still, there is some cause for concern. At even strength, Matheson hasn’t garnered above a 90% on-ice save percentage at even strength since his first year with the Canadiens, though some of that can be attributed to beginning 56.7% of his shifts in the defensive zone. Similarly, according to MoneyPuck, Matheson hasn’t produced a percentage above 50% on-ice goals share at any point during his time with Montreal.

As they’ve done this season by placing him alongside Dobson, Matheson will likely transition into a complementary piece rather than being expected to carry his defensive pairing. Comparatively, Dobson has only had one season in which he’s averaged less than 50% on-ice goals share.

Regardless, the Canadiens now have their top-four defensemen signed through the 2030-31 season, and that’s without considering the expected emergence of top prospect David Reinbacher. Now, with their last important internal negotiation out of the way, Hughes and the rest of Montreal’s front office can focus entirely on bringing a second-line center into the mix.

Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images. 

Kyle Palmieri Exits Due To Injury

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The New York Islanders announced mid-game that forward Kyle Palmieri will not return, due to a lower body injury. Early in the second period, the veteran hit Jamie Drysdale in the corner along the boards, and as Drysdale went down, he tripped Palmieri, who immediately favored his leg in pain after going down awkwardly. 

In a remarkable effort, despite it looking serious and potentially warranting a stoppage of play, Palmieri picked up his stick and limped to the bench, sneaking up behind Emil Andrae, and catching him completely off guard, stripping the puck and setting up an Emil Heineman goal, where Palmieri rightfully earned an assist. Making it a 3-1 game, the gutsy play sparked a comeback from the Islanders, who managed to tie the game and force overtime. 

At 34, Palmieri remains from a previous era for New York, but as an assistant captain, his presence in the lineup is undeniable. So far this season he has 17 points in 24 games, continuing to produce in a top line role, and currently averaging a career high in ice time, showing the trust Patrick Roy has in the local native. 

Noteworthy is Palmieri’s current consecutive games played streak, 223, good for 19th-best among active players, which is now in jeopardy. With New York having a strong start to the season, they’re already missing Alexander Romanov for several months, and J.G. Pageau is week-to-week. Therefore, updates on Palmieri will be closely watched in the next 24 hours. The Islanders are back in action on Sunday afternoon, hosting the Capitals. 

Afternoon Notes: Nylander Out, Domi Scratched, Schaefer

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This afternoon, Mark Masters of TSN shared that Maple Leafs star William Nylander will not play due to illness. Nylander was absent from practice yesterday in what was considered a maintenance day, but the Leafs will have to take on Washington without him, and hope for a return tomorrow versus Pittsburgh. 

Notably, even with the open spot, Max Domi will be a healthy scratch. It has not been a fun year so far for the 30-year-old, who has experienced a gradual decline in production from a strong first season with his hometown club. In 23 games this season Domi has just six points, is a -13, and is starting to face an uncertain future with the Leafs. Despite being signed until 2027-28 at a $3.75MM cap hit, it is his first healthy scratch as a Maple Leaf, with potentially more on the horizon. 

Winger Mattias Maccelli will re-enter the lineup today, after he was scratched on Wednesday. 

Elsewhere across the league:

  • The Nashville Predators recalled forward prospect Reid Schaefer from AHL Milwaukee, and the 22-year-old is expected to make his NHL debut tonight in Chicago. Schaefer, a 2022 first round selection of his hometown Edmonton Oilers, before being traded to Nashville in the Mattias Ekholm deal, has been a top performer for Milwaukee with 14 points in 15 games. Despite the first round pedigree, and current output, Schaefer likely has a third line ceiling. Nashville hopes their prospect can pan out in a Lawson Crouse-type mold, but at the least, the 6’4” forward could become a fixture in the Predators’ new era in a bottom six role.

Red Wings Activate Michael Rasmussen, Reassign Erik Gustafsson to AHL

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Earlier today before their matinee game versus Tampa Bay, the Detroit Red Wings updated that forward Michael Rasmussen was activated from injured reserve, while defenseman Erik Gustafsson was sent back down to Grand Rapids (AHL). 

Rasmussen was placed on IR just two days ago, having missed three games before his return today. The former high draft pick has managed to establish himself as a solid bottom six forward capable of reaching the 30-point mark, earning himself a four-year extension worth $3.2MM per year. Since inking the deal in 2024, the British Columbia native has not performed at such a level, with only seven points in 20 games this year, but still just 26, he figures to be a useful depth forward capable of filling roles across the lineup for the near future. Sure enough, Rasmussen found the back of the net today, although the Wings fell to Tampa Bay, 6-3. 

On the other hand, Gustafsson’s fall from grace has been well documented to this point, once a 60-point getter, and in more recent years still a valuable powerplay specialist. Now at 33, in the final year of his two-year contract worth $2MM at the NHL level, Gustafsson’s NHL days are likely numbered as he has been surpassed by the Wings’ many talented young blueliners. The veteran appears to be a quick call-up for Detroit when needed, but otherwise is set to spend most of the season with the Griffins. Having a player as capable as Gustafsson in the AHL is certainly beneficial, as the Grand Rapids boasts a remarkable 14-1-1 record to-date, and the Swedish defenseman will likely continue elite AHL production, as he has eight points in 10 games. 

With December approaching, the Red Wings remain in the Wild Card mix, but as losers of three in a row, and another decisive loss today, Rasmussen will need to help drive Todd McLellan’s bottom six with possible reinforcements on the way as Steve Yzerman tries to end the team’s nine year playoff drought. 

Lukáš Dostál Out Two To Three Weeks

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Prior to this afternoon’s tilt vs Los Angeles, the Anaheim Ducks announced that goaltender Lukáš Dostál will miss two to three weeks due to an upper-body injury. The 25-year-old’s ailment led to the recall of Ville Husso on Wednesday, and now the upstart Ducks, currently atop the Pacific Division, must move forward without their #1 goalie, who has played a big part in their resurgence so far this season. 

Without Dostál, the team turns primarily to Petr Mrázek, a highly experienced backup, but in six games so far as a Duck, the 33-year-old has not been great, at least up to Anaheim’s current standards, posting a 3-3 record and a 3.69 GAA. In their first game without Dostál earlier this week, Mrázek allowed four goals in a 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Canucks. 

On the other hand, Husso played well in a small sample size when called upon last season, with a .925 save percentage. The once more-promising goaltender was, interestingly, signed to a two-year extension worth $2.2MM per season, highly unusual for a third goalie set to play in the AHL, but now is the time for the Finn to prove his value to the organization. Whether necessary or not, any team with a third netminder having a pedigree such as Husso’s is impressive and needed in times such as this. 

Sure enough, Husso is set to start today, thrown into action for his first NHL appearance since last April.

As Anaheim has exceeded expectations so far this season despite unfavorable defensive metrics, losing Dostál, an emerging young star, is a real test to see how sustainable their success under Joel Quenneville can be. After the tough news, the team is right back into action this afternoon against their in-state rivals, and it will be up to Mrázek and Husso, two familiar names, to backstop the team as 2025 winds down. 

Injury Notes: Roslovic, Hartman, Foegele

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Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch shared several updates, as reported by Jason Gregor of Sports 1440; most notably, Jack Roslovic is set to miss multiple weeks. Kasperi Kapanen will be out at least one week, possibly longer, and Jake Walman is making progress, in time for a possible return next week. 

Just yesterday it was thought that Roslovic could be just questionable for Saturday’s game, so the week-to-week diagnosis is a surprise. The forward has been a tremendous fit in Edmonton, with 10 goals and 18 points in 23 games, and will be sorely missed as the team faces mounting pressure to get on track. 21-year-old Matthew Savoie will have an opportunity to step up offensively, as the Oilers will desperately fight for a strong December. Roslovic left last Tuesday against Dallas after blocking a shot. 

Meanwhile, Kapanen was back in practice yesterday after a five-week absence, but appeared to re-aggravate the injury, and was visibly frustrated leaving the ice. Walman has been out since November 20th, avoiding the IR, and will be eager to return to the lineup to prove his worth after inking a major long-term extension in October. 

Elsewhere across the league:

  • Ahead of their hosting of Colorado this afternoon, the Minnesota Wild announced that Ryan Hartman has been activated from injured reserve, and Nicolas Aubé-Kubel has been reassigned to AHL Iowa in a corresponding move. Hartman, thought to be week-to-week with a lower-body injury earlier in the month, is a welcome addition especially with Marcus Foligno set to miss time. Hartman, 31, has seven points in 20 games, a far cry from his 34-goal output four years ago, but the South Carolina native remains a solid third line center for the club. Meanwhile, Aubé-Kubel was called up just yesterday, but is headed back to Iowa without yet appearing for Minnesota this season. 
  • Zach Dooley, Manager of Editorial Content for the Los Angeles Kings, shared that forward Warren Foegele will not play this afternoon in Anaheim. Foegele, a fixture of the Kings’ bottom six, left practice yesterday with an apparent injury. The 29-year-old has four goals in 18 games this year, after setting a career high 24 in his first season with the black and silver in 2024-25. In his absence, fellow 29-year-old Jeff Malott enters the lineup, bringing major size and physicality in a fourth line role. 

Flames Extend Craig Conroy, Other Front Office Members

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Nov. 28: The Flames announced Conroy’s two-year extension through 2027-28 and revealed they’ve given deals of the same term to virtually their entire core front office: president of hockey operations Don Maloney, AGM Dave Nonis, and AGM Brad Pascall.

Nov. 26: According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Calgary Flames are nearing an extension with General Manager Craig Conroy. Ryan Pike of Flames Nation relayed a note from Sportsnet’s Eric Francis indicating it’s a two-year agreement.

It’s a relatively expected outcome for the third-year front office leader. Outside of his nine-year career with the Flames on the ice in the early to mid-2000s, Conroy had spent the nine years preceding his appointment as the team’s General Manager as Calgary’s Assistant General Manager. Putting it all together — Conroy has spent the last quarter-century involved with the Flames in some capacity.

Embarked on a retool for his tenure up to this point, the Flames have yet to bear the fruits of Conroy’s labor. In the first few years as General Manager, Conroy shipped out several veterans, such as Tyler Toffoli, Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, and Jacob Markström, among others.

There’s consensus that Conroy has used the returned assets to good use. Although they haven’t returned to postseason contention under his stewardship yet, many rankings from before the 2025-26 season indicate that the Flames have a top-10 prospect pool in the league.

Additionally, Conroy had the task of finding a new bench boss for Calgary, ultimately landing upon Ryan Huska ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. Before this season, Huska had a 79-66-19 record as the Flames’ head coach, averaging 89 points a year.

Unfortunately, Calgary has seemingly taken a step backward this season. Finishing one regulation win outside of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Flames currently find themselves in 31st place with an 8-13-3 record. Much of that has to do with a lethargic offense, which has averaged 2.38 GF/G.

At any rate, Flames ownership appears happy with the work Conroy has done thus far and is giving him additional time to see the organization through the rebuild. Given their position in the standings, Conroy will have his work cut out for him leading up to this season’s trade deadline, as the Flames could once again offload several veteran players.

Connor McDavid Should Have Explored Free Agency

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Oilers superstar Connor McDavid struggled to find the words to describe the team’s 8-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night. The decision dropped the Oilers’ record to 10-10-5 for the season, and McDavid looked defeated during his post-game interview.

The team is grappling with the same issues that have plagued them since McDavid joined the NHL in the fall of 2015. Edmonton’s secondary offensive support for McDavid and Leon Draisaitl is minimal, and their goaltending remains a significant concern. Considering the Oilers have faced these problems for so long, it makes one wonder why a generational talent like McDavid chose to sign on for two more years of this, especially given the bargain he struck when he signed for just $12.5MM a season.

McDavid’s choice to sign with Edmonton before even considering free agency might become one of the biggest “what-ifs” in NHL history. However, McDavid opted for stability in a familiar market, with a team that has been competitive for most of his NHL career.

Ultimately, McDavid decided to stay loyal to the Oilers, but the two-year term seemed like a warning shot to Edmonton. So far, that warning appears to have fallen on deaf ears. The timing of McDavid’s extension was quite unusual. The superstar had a clear route to unrestricted free agency, which could have been one of the most incredible stories in NHL history if it had come to pass.

McDavid had the chance to be the highest-profile player in NHL history to reach free agency since Wayne Gretzky in 1996. He held leverage against the Oilers and could have waited out the season, sparking a bidding war for his services. This would have boosted his star power and changed what a superstar’s career could look like. Instead, McDavid chose familiarity, even though the timing of his decision wasn’t convenient.

McDavid’s signing has delayed his free agency by 24 months, and some people dismiss this decision by arguing that McDavid will still get paid and reach free agency after the salary cap has significantly increased. While both points have some truth, the counterargument is compelling. Instead of becoming a free agent at 29, McDavid will do so at 31. It might seem minor, but many NHLers see their skills decline after 30.

Another factor is that when McDavid finally signs, the new CBA rules on contract length will apply, meaning the maximum deal with his current team will be seven years, and he’ll only be able to land six years on the open market. Although this one-year reduction isn’t a significant issue, it will likely cause McDavid to leave money on the table on his next deal.

In terms of missed opportunities, McDavid would have been the first generational player in NHL free agency to test the market in the prime of his career. While it would have made great theater for the NHL, it would also have been an opportunity for McDavid to shift the league’s balance of power toward whichever team he joined, while helping reset the salary structure for superstar NHLers. McDavid is clearly not a $12.5MM player, but like many top NHLers before him, he took a ‘hometown discount’ to stay with his current team.

For some NHLers, taking that discount has worked out well (Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, Nathan MacKinnon). Far more often, the savings from a reduced salary cap are wasted. Even Crosby, who traded tens of millions of dollars to play on consistently competitive teams, saw many of those seasons marred by costly mistakes on depth players with inflated cap hits (Jack Johnson, Erik Gudbranson, Nick Bjugstad). Crosby essentially subsidized poor roster decisions with his lower cap hits, and would no doubt do so again, given the Stanley Cup championships Pittsburgh has won during his career.

McDavid’s decision to re-sign essentially upholds the NHL’s long-standing tradition of superstars taking less money to stay with their team, and no doubt he did so while feeling loyalty to the Oilers fans who have endured the same heartbreaks he has. The reality is, McDavid has gone through a decade without winning the Cup, despite multiple front-office makeovers, coaching changes, cap mismanagement, and an inability to surround him with real depth. And while the depth has improved over the last few years, the “we’re almost there” mentality won’t put a Stanley Cup ring on McDavid’s finger.

All of this to say, McDavid probably owed it to himself to explore free agency at least to see if a team with a more precise winning blueprint could emerge, giving him a better chance at a title. July 1, 2026, would have offered a window into that, but McDavid chose not to look, and it could come back to haunt him if he never wins a championship. McDavid had all the leverage, which makes his decision baffling, because exploring free agency didn’t require him to leave Edmonton. He could have casually explored his options, had discussions with teams, listened to their pitches, and then re-signed with Edmonton—something that might have pushed the Oilers to step up their game and get creative with their roster. But the Oilers didn’t need to worry about losing McDavid, and it seems this has led to some apathy across the organization, as they don’t seem to be a group hungry to win.

Generational players across all leagues have frequently tested free agency. NBA superstar LeBron James famously took his talents to Miami nearly 15 years ago, and MLB superstar pitcher Paul Skenes will likely follow suit one day. It’s common, and not all players do it because they’re leaving; they do it for a variety of reasons. They can because the process gives them power, and it’s one of the few times they get to fully control their own destiny.

McDavid could have taken a different route, but he didn’t. While he’s given the Oilers a short leash to build a winner around him, he could have kept that leash even tighter, which might have pushed the Oilers to solve their roster issues more quickly. It could also have generated a story that might have become a sensation across all platforms—a broader narrative focusing on a star-driven tale on a smaller scale than MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani’s. The buzz would have been enormous and arguably the biggest NHL story since the Oilers traded Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings.

Moving on could have been a great branding opportunity for McDavid to become even more mainstream, but he chose the safe, comfortable route in Edmonton. It’s a loyalty decision, and it’s completely understandable given that the Oilers have been close to a title in the last two years and he has built a bond with his teammates. For his legacy, though, he might need to chase greatness in a different city in the next two and a half years.

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