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Blue Jackets Sign Dysin Mayo To Two-Way Contract

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The Blue Jackets have signed free agent defenseman Dysin Mayo to a two-way contract, per a team press release. He’ll earn a $775K NHL salary and a $250K AHL salary with a $350K guarantee, according to PuckPedia.

The 28-year-old righty was initially a fifth-round pick by the Coyotes back in 2014. Mayo remained in the Arizona organization until just a couple of years ago, making his NHL debut and playing 67 games in the 2021-22 season after a lengthy pro career spent exclusively in the minors. He was traded to the Golden Knights in the 2022-23 season and has remained in the organization since, playing solely for the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights since his acquisition.

While he was a solely stay-at-home threat earlier in his career, Mayo has produced more offense in Henderson than he did with the Coyotes’ former affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. He’s posted 25 and 19 points respectively in his two full seasons in Henderson, each the highest and second-highest point totals in a single season in his professional career.

Most of Mayo’s NHL appearances occurred during the 2021-22 campaign; he added only 15 appearances the following season for Arizona before dropping off the radar. He has 97 points and 344 PIMs in 426 AHL games, including an 8-11–19 scoring line in 58 games for Henderson last year with a minus-five rating.

Mayo will now provide some veteran defensive depth for Columbus’ affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, while providing an injury replacement call-up option with some NHL experience.

Blackhawks Sign Stanislav Berezhnoy To Entry-Level Contract

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The Blackhawks have signed undrafted goaltender Stanislav Berezhnoy to an entry-level contract, according to a team announcement. It’s a two-year deal that carries a $975K cap hit, which PuckPedia reports breaks down to an $877.5K NHL salary, $97.5K signing bonus, and $85K minors salary each season. Dylan Griffing of Elite Prospects was the first to report the Blackhawks’ interest in Berezhnoy this morning.

Berezhnoy, a 22-year-old who checks in at 6’4″ and 218 lbs, spent most of his time in Russia’s second-tier pro league, the VHL, last season. He split the campaign between Omskie Krylia and SKA-Neva St. Petersburg, posting a .928 SV%, 2.50 GAA, one shutout, and a 12-10-2 record in 27 regular-season appearances. Berezhnoy ended his strong season with a .921 SV% in eight playoff games for SKA-Neva

The Novokuznetsk native’s lone top-flight KHL appearance came in relief with SKA last year, allowing two goals on nine shots in 16:48 of ice time. It’s the strong juniors and minor-league track record that makes him an intriguing pickup for Chicago’s prospect pool that already includes names like Drew Commesso and Adam Gajan.

Berezhnoy will make the jump to North America this season and is ticketed for either the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs or the ECHL’s Indy Fuel, depending on how his training camp goes and if there are any injuries in Chicago’s stable of depth netminders. He’ll be a restricted free agent upon expiry in 2027.

Red Wings Sign First-Rounder Carter Bear

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The Red Wings have officially signed No. 13 overall pick Carter Bear to his first NHL contract, the team confirmed today in an announcement on X. It’s a three-year entry-level deal.

Bear, a relatively early birthday for the class in November 2006, is coming off his second full season of major junior hockey with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. The Winnipeg native posted 40 goals, 42 assists, 82 points, and a +33 rating in 56 outings to lead the team in scoring. He served as an alternate captain and was named to the WHL’s Western Conference Second All-Star Team at season’s end.

The 6’0″ left winger put up those numbers before a partial Achilles tear ended his season in March. Since he’s still rehabbing from that, it’s unclear whether he’ll be available for training camp – although Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects reported in May that Bear’s recovery was ahead of schedule and he could be ready for the World Junior Summer Showcase for Canada later this month.

While there’s likely room for fluctuation in his performance bonuses, Bear presumably signed a maximum-base salary entry-level deal that gives him a cap hit of $975K out of the gate. That cap impact could be reduced if he’s subject to an entry-level slide in 2025-26 by playing in fewer than 10 NHL games since his signing bonus for this season will be paid out regardless.

Bear is the 10th player from this year’s draft class to sign his ELC and the eighth first-rounder to do so.

Sabres, Jake Leschyshyn Agree To Two-Way Deal

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3:13 p.m.: The Sabres have made Leschyshyn’s signing official.

12:45 p.m.: Free agent center Jake Leschyshyn has signed a two-way contract with the Sabres, according to PuckPedia. He will earn $775K in the NHL and $350K in the AHL with a $400K guarantee.

Leschyshyn, a second-round pick by the Golden Knights in their inaugural 2017 draft class, now joins his third NHL organization. He’d spent parts of the last three seasons in the Rangers’ system, primarily with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, after they claimed him off waivers from Vegas during the 2022-23 campaign. He hasn’t seen NHL action since Jan. 11, 2024, his only major-league appearance that season.

In 69 regular-season outings for Hartford last season, he scored 13 goals and 11 assists for 24 points with a particularly eye-popping -35 rating, third-worst in the league behind teammate Jaroslav Chmelar’s -37 mark and defenseman Samuel Bolduc’s -38 rating for the Bridgeport Islanders.

The 5’11” pivot will not have much of a chance at an NHL roster spot in Buffalo as a result and will only serve as veteran insurance for their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, assuming he clears waivers during training camp. In 77 total NHL games for Vegas and New York across three seasons, Leschyshyn has a 2-4–6 scoring line with a -13 rating while averaging 10:15 per game.

Buffalo has now filled 43 of its 50 contract slots for this season. They have two restricted free agents left to sign: Conor Timmins, who is in an arbitration case, and goaltender Devon Levi.

Flames’ Joni Jurmo, Maple Leafs’ Ty Voit Have Contracts Terminated

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July 16: Jurmo and Voit cleared waivers and will have their deals terminated, according to Friedman.

July 15: Flames defense prospect Joni Jurmo and Maple Leafs forward prospect Ty Voit are both on unconditional waivers Tuesday to terminate their entry-level contracts, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Both have one year left on their deals and would have been restricted free agents in 2026. Any other NHL club can claim them within the next 24 hours; if not, their contracts will be voided, their remaining money forfeited, and they’ll become unrestricted free agents.

Jurmo, 23, was a third-round pick by the Canucks in 2020. Calgary acquired his signing rights in last year’s Elias Lindholm trade and signed him after his season in his native Finland concluded, bringing him to North America for 2024-25.

While Jurmo had played exclusively in Finland’s top-flight Liiga since 2021-22, the adjustment to North America was rough. The 6’4″, 207-lb lefty failed to capture a full-time AHL role with the Calgary Wranglers, going pointless with an even rating in 17 games. He fared much better in the ECHL with the Rapid City Rush, posting 10 points in 12 games, but his lack of success higher on the depth chart wasn’t a promising sign for his development so long after his draft year.

Jurmo likely wasn’t happy with the lack of overall playing time, either, and will presumably seek out a more stable role in Europe if he becomes a UFA tomorrow. In turn, Calgary will clear a contract slot and open up more playing time for their large pool of young defenders likely headed for the Wranglers this season.

Voit, 22, is a similar story. Toronto’s 2021 fifth-rounder was a star in the OHL after missing his draft year due to COVID, capping off his junior career with a 105-point showing in 67 games for the Sarnia Sting in 2022-23.

Injuries cost him nearly his entire 2023-24 season as he adjusted to the professional ranks, though. He still showed immense playmaking promise when healthy, recording eight points in only five games for the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers.

Despite that, Voit didn’t see a second of AHL action last season and instead spent the year back down in the ECHL, now with the Cincinnati Cyclones. His production entered a tailspin, posting a much more conservative 8-29–37 scoring line in 63 games.

The 5’9″ forward could still be in line for an AHL contract somewhere, even if NHL interest isn’t likely. There’s a potential fit with the Penguins – he’s a Pittsburgh native and was drafted by current Pens general manager Kyle Dubas when he was in Toronto.

Did The Jets Do Enough This Summer?

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The Winnipeg Jets were a powerhouse last year in the regular season, winning the Presidents’ Trophy thanks to a historic season from goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who secured his third Vezina Trophy as well as the Hart Trophy. Unfortunately, Hellebuyck and the Jets ran out of steam in the playoffs and were ousted in the second round.

The Dallas Stars unceremoniously knocked them out in just six games after Winnipeg narrowly escaped the first round against St. Louis, scoring in the final second of Game 7 before winning in overtime. The Jets weren’t expected to finish as high as they did last season, and after the summer they’ve had, they probably face lower expectations next year.

So, the question is: has Winnipeg done enough this summer to stay competitive in the Western Conference?

On the surface, teams that lose one of their top players to free agency generally don’t come away with a better group. That is precisely where the Jets find themselves after forward Nikolaj Ehlers took his talents to the Carolina Hurricanes, signing a six-year $51MM contract.

With Ehlers out of the picture after many months of speculation that he’d move on due to a lack of ice time, the Jets quickly took action to replace the loss. Winnipeg opted to replace Ehlers’ offense by committee rather than with an individual move, which was probably not a choice, but rather a necessity given their limited options.

Winnipeg decided to dive into the free agent market and managed to put together a few promising options to compensate for the loss of Ehlers’ offense. Their first move was to re-sign 37-year-old Jonathan Toews to the NHL after a two-year hiatus due to health issues.

The Winnipeg native hasn’t played since the 2022-23 season, and it’s uncertain what kind of contribution the three-time Stanley Cup champion can deliver. The last time Toews played, he scored 15 goals and added 16 assists in 53 games, ending with a -31 rating.

Since he was dealing with health problems then, it’s unfair to judge his past performance or predict similar results going forward. Still, he hasn’t played in the NHL for two seasons and is now 37 years old. Few players ever make a triumphant return in their mid to late 30s after a long absence, with Mario Lemieux being a notable exception.

It’s a gamble for the Jets to rely on Toews returning to his best, but if he does, he could replace a significant part of the offense Winnipeg lost when Ehlers went South. However, if he doesn’t, the Jets still have the option to pivot and use some of their substantial cap space to bring in extra help during the season. Winnipeg has nearly $20MM available under the cap with four players left to sign, so they should be able to leave room for mid-season acquisitions.

On July 1, the Jets also signed veteran forward Tanner Pearson to a one-year, $1MM contract. Pearson was a durable player early in his career, but injuries over the years have derailed his play, and he is now a shadow of his former self.

He was a decent playmaker at one point, but has become a liability on the possession front in recent seasons. That said, he comes to Winnipeg cheaply and should be able to produce around 25 points in a bottom-six role.

His impact on the Jets’ offense will be minimal, but given the low cost, Winnipeg could do much worse. It’s hard to believe, but Pearson is just 32 and posted 12 goals and 15 assists last season in 78 games, so there’s still some gas left in the tank for this season with the Jets.

The Jets also handed out a matching one-year, $1MM contract to forward Cole Koepke after he established himself as a regular NHL player last season. In Boston, the 27-year-old Minnesota native scored 10 goals and seven assists in 73 games while averaging just over 11 minutes per game. He will produce very little offense, but should provide the Jets with a player on their fourth line who can skate, get physical, and play a low-event, stable game.

Finally, the Jets signed the player who could provide the most offense in Ehlers’ absence, and that is 35-year-old Gustav Nyquist. The Halmstad, Sweden native played for Nashville and Minnesota last season and saw his offensive production drop sharply, falling from 75 points in 2023-24 to just 28 points last season.

His decline is quite puzzling, as his underlying numbers were decent, but everything that could go wrong for him did go wrong. He is still a good passer and could put up better numbers with Winnipeg if given the chance to play alongside some stronger players.

Nyquist will likely finish next season with over 28 points but is unlikely to repeat his 75-point performance. If he can raise his game and reach around 50 points, that would be a big win for Winnipeg, which is paying him just $3.25MM next season on a one-year deal.

Ultimately, the Jets made a series of low-risk, short-term signings in hopes of catching lightning in a bottle. These stopgaps will hold things together for the Jets as they aim to build on the success of this past season.

It’s hard to predict whether Toews, Nyquist, Pearson, and Koepke will be enough to replace the loss of Ehlers, but if they are, the Jets could be just as good as last season. If not, Winnipeg can always consider an in-season trade to boost its lineup.

Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Former NHL Goaltender Wayne Thomas Passes Away At Age 77

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Wayne Thomas, a long-time NHL executive and eight-year playing veteran as a goaltender, has passed away at age 77, “following a long battle with cancer,” according to a press release from the Sharks.

While undrafted, Thomas managed to appear in 243 NHL games between 1972 and 1981, compiling a 103-93-34 record for the Canadiens, Maple Leafs, and Rangers, with a 3.34 GAA and a .891 SV%. He earned an All-Star Game appearance in 1976 as Toronto’s starter, a season in which he saved 20.8 goals above average in 64 appearances.

Immediately after ending his playing career, Thomas transitioned into a coaching role with the Rangers. He later held goaltending/assistant coaching roles for the Blackhawks, Blues, and Sharks, as well as multiple minor-league clubs. Midway through the 1995-96 season, San Jose promoted him from assistant coach to assistant general manager, a role he held until he retired from the league following the 2014-15 campaign.

“While he achieved great success as a member of several NHL front offices, Wayne’s core passion was his daily work on and off the ice with NHL goaltenders throughout his coaching career, too many to list here, and he continued fruitful relationships with many of them up until his passing,” the Sharks wrote.

All of us at PHR send our condolences to Thomas’ family and friends, as well as the Sharks organization with whom he spent so many years.

Montreal Canadiens Sign Joe Veleno

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According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Montreal Canadiens are closing in on a contract for center Joe Veleno. It’ll be a coming-home party for the former first-round pick, who’s from Montreal and spent his junior days with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs and Drummondville Voltigeurs. The Canadiens confirmed it is a one-year, $900K contract for Veleno.

Veleno has had an unexpected path through the NHL. He was drafted 30th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2018 NHL Draft, using one of the picks acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Tomáš Tatar. It was a relatively steep fall in draft stock for Veleno, who had been projected as a top-10 talent on most boards before the 2017-18 season.

Still, his prospect pedigree grew a year after being drafted, putting together an impressive showing with the Voltigeurs, scoring 42 goals and 104 points in 59 games with a +63 rating. He was relatively successful throughout his time for Team Canada during the World Junior Championships, scoring one goal and eight points in 11 tournament contests over two years.

Unfortunately, he began to stagnate upon joining the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Veleno remained a quality defensive player, but the scoring capacity he showed at the junior level didn’t follow him into professional hockey.

Throughout his time in Detroit, Veleno was largely utilized in a bottom-six role, averaging 13:05 of ice time over five and a half seasons. He finished his tenure as a Red Wing with 35 goals and 74 points in 288 games with a dreadful -56 rating.

Still, his defensive metrics paint a different picture and prove he has some value on that side of the puck. He averaged a 90.3% on-ice save percentage throughout his time in Detroit, while starting 54.0% of his shifts in the defensive zone. His faceoff percentage (46.6%) is subpar for a defensive-minded center, but Veleno continued to hold his own.

Considering that the Red Wings were a lethargic defensive team throughout Veleno’s tenure, he proved to be one of the few bright spots defensively. His time with Detroit ended last season, when the team traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline for Petr Mrázek and Craig Smith.

Unsurprisingly, with a need to graduate more prospects to the NHL level, Veleno’s time in Chicago lasted 18 games. He was traded to the Seattle Kraken this offseason for André Burakovsky and was subsequently bought out by the Kraken.

In Montreal, it may be an opportunity for Veleno to become a full-time winger. Having Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, and Jake Evans on the roster for next season, Veleno doesn’t serve as an objective improvement over any of their available options.

There’s a decent chance Veleno will become a fourth-line left wing in Montreal, while serving as a center option if the team runs into injury trouble.

Hurricanes Re-Sign Skyler Brind’Amour, Domenick Fensore

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Jul. 16th: The Hurricanes confirmed Brind’Amour’s new contract via a team announcement. Carolina also announced that they’ve re-signed defenseman Domenick Fensore to a one-year, two-way contract. He’ll earn $775K at the NHL level and $70K at the AHL level, with $100K guaranteed.

Jul. 14th: 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 two remaining restricted free agents, both of whom primarily played for the Wolves last season – forward Ryan Suzuki, plus defensemen Ronan Seeley.

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