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Sharks Sign Jakub Skarek To One-Year Contract

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The Sharks have signed goaltender Jakub Skarek to a one-year contract, the team announced today in a press release. It’s unclear if it’s a one-way or a two-way deal, but it’s a league-minimum contract either way.

Skarek, 25, has been playing professionally for a decade, dating back to his time in the second tier of Czech hockey, years before the Islanders selected him in the third round of the 2018 draft. He has played almost exclusively for the Isles’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport since his arrival in North America in 2019.

The Czech native didn’t make his NHL debut until injuries forced him into action for a stretch last season, posting a .872 SV% and 3.94 GAA in one start and one relief appearance in February. He’s long struggled to be a needle-mover at the minor league level, posting a 3.34 GAA, .890 SV%, five shutouts, and a 49-84-17 record in 161 career appearances for Bridgeport.

Skarek was a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer and likely didn’t anticipate having much NHL interest as a result of his poor minor-league track record, so he signed a one-year deal in Finland with HIFK back in May. Instead, he’s back in North America with the Sharks, who needed depth netminders with Alexandar Georgiev and Georgi Romanov reaching free agency and top prospect Yaroslav Askarov expected to take over as their No. 1 this season.

San Jose now has four goaltenders under contract, with Skarek likely being the No. 3 on their depth chart behind Askarov and recent trade pickup Alex Nedeljkovic. He’ll presumably land on waivers in the fall and, if he clears, share the San Jose Barracuda’s crease with undrafted prospect Gabriel Carriere and the AHL-contracted Matt Davis.

Stars Trade Matt Dumba To Penguins

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The Stars are trading defenseman Matt Dumba and their 2028 second-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Both teams have since announced the trade, which doesn’t include any salary retention.

Completing the deal will make the Stars cap-compliant for the 2025-26 season. Even if Dallas has Kolyachonok on its opening night roster, he costs the league minimum $775K against the cap.

That’s $2.975MM less than Dumba’s $3.75MM cap hit, since Pittsburgh takes on the totality of his salary with no retention on Dallas’ part. That savings puts Dallas, which is currently $1.79MM above the upper limit, back under the cap.

The Stars signed Dumba to a two-year, $7.5MM contract in free agency last summer, viewed as a risky commitment at the time after the 6’1″ righty had just 12 points and a -18 rating in 76 games with the Coyotes and Lightning the year prior. The fears around the contract were quickly realized. Dumba, who turns 31 later this month, had negative possession impacts everywhere he was deployed and was out of the lineup entirely by the time the postseason rolled around.

Dumba played 63 games for the Stars last season, averaging just 15:18 per game with a 1-9–10 scoring line. He logged a minus-five rating in what amounted to his lowest usage since his rookie campaign and was a healthy scratch for all 18 playoff games.

The best years of Dumba’s NHL career came as a top-pairing piece for the Wild, who drafted him No. 7 overall in 2012. He remained there through the beginning of his steep decline in the early 2020s, leaving for Arizona in 2023 in free agency on a one-year contract. After failing to re-establish his value there, he was flipped to the Lightning at the trade deadline for two late-round picks and finished out the year as a bottom-pairing piece in Tampa before signing in Dallas in the offseason.

Dumba’s best season came back in 2017-18 as a 23-year-old, when he finished 19th in the league in scoring among defensemen with 50 points in 82 games and tied for 10th with 14 goals. He also had 12 goals and 22 points in just 32 games the following year before an upper-body injury ended his season. His offensive production never recovered, averaging just 22.4 points per 82 games since returning.

It’s unclear if Dumba will have much of a role in Pittsburgh’s lineup next season. They have three right-shot defenders ahead of him on the depth chart in Connor Clifton, Erik Karlsson, and Kris Letang, although Karlsson is well-known trade bait this summer. If he remains in the picture, though, Dumba could start the season in the press box – or even on waivers and buried in the minors – unless someone shifts to their offside.

Dumba’s price tag is exceedingly steep for the No. 6/7/8 defender he is at this stage of his career, one Dallas simply couldn’t afford to shoulder with their cap crunch after extending Mikko Rantanen and retaining UFAs Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene. They part with a second-round pick to wipe his deal off the books one year early – a steep price considering the market for cap dumps this summer, although they do well in acquiring a serviceable depth piece in Kolyachonok. They’re now without a pick before the third round in 2028.

The Penguins already had a bit of a crunch among depth defensemen after signing Alexander Alexeyev, Caleb Jones, and Parker Wotherspoon in free agency. It isn’t surprising to see them unwilling to take on a defenseman without moving one out.

They picked up Kolyachonok, a 24-year-old 6’2″ lefty with some untapped two-way potential, off waivers from Utah in February last season. He didn’t get into much game action, though, recording two assists and a minus-five rating in 12 appearances while averaging 14:20 per game. There wasn’t going to be much opportunity for him in Pittsburgh with their aforementioned additions and younger, higher-profile names like Owen Pickering pushing for more NHL ice time.

Kolyachonok, a second-rounder in 2019, has 14 points in 74 career NHL games with a minus-seven rating and 72 hits. He’ll presumably compete with veteran Alexander Petrovic to exit training camp as the extra defenseman on the NHL roster.

Sean Shapiro of DLLS Sports was first to report the Stars and Penguins were working on a trade centered around Dumba and Kolyachonok.

Image courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.

Dylan Ferguson Signs With HK Nitra

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Depth goaltender Dylan Ferguson will continue his career in Europe. He’s signed with HK Nitra, the Slovak club announced on Facebook. It’s a one-year deal, leaving the door open for a return to North America in 2026-27.

Ferguson is only 26 years old but has already built up a well-traveled career, playing for 11 different clubs in the NHL, AHL, ECHL, and KHL since his professional career began in 2018. He spent last season on a two-way contract with the Wild after veteran AHL option Troy Grosenick went down with a season-ending injury before the campaign began, but didn’t see any NHL action. His last NHL appearances – just two of his three career showings – came with the Senators in March 2023.

The 2017 seventh-round pick by the Stars, who was immediately flipped to the Golden Knights for defenseman Marc Methot, has a .929 SV% and 2.81 GAA across the trio of games with a 1-1-0 record. He’s spent most of his time in the AHL, where he’s largely been serviceable but had a difficult 2024-25 season. He managed a 3.81 GAA, .878 SV%, and 3-8-0 record in 12 games for the Iowa Wild.

The British Columbia native now heads overseas for the second time in his career. He spent 2023-24 with Belarus’ Dinamo Minsk, posting a .904 SV% in 23 games. He’ll bring his services to a Nitra team headlined by 44-year-old Branislav Mezei, who’s still going in his home country after being selected No. 10 overall by the Islanders in the 1999 draft.

Tennessee State To Add Division I NCAA Hockey For 2026-27 Season

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The top division of NCAA hockey is gaining a new face for the first time in a few years. After beginning a feasibility study four years ago, Tennessee State University reaffirmed that it’s sponsoring a Division I men’s hockey program, which will begin play in the 2026-27 season. That was the initial plan, although they’re reverting to it now after previously attempting to launch DI play for the 2025-26 campaign.

The school began to ice a club hockey team in 2024-25 and will presumably do so again this year instead of making the jump to the top flight. Unlike recent new DI programs like Augustana and Lindenwood, there is no history of ACHA – a collegiate hockey association roughly equivalent to NCAA DIII play – representation at TSU. In this case, the program is truly being built from scratch in a brief period.

Tennessee State, located in Nashville with a total enrollment of just 8,198, will be the first historically Black college or university (HBCU) to introduce a DI hockey program, either men’s or women’s. In today’s announcement, Assistant Athletic Director Nick Guerriero stated that they’ve received a $ 250,000 grant from the NHL and NHLPA’s Industry Growth Fund, in addition to continued consultancy and support from the Predators and College Hockey, Inc.

While the club’s playing roster for its inaugural season isn’t yet secured, it does have its head coach. They tapped Duanté Abercrombie for the role in April 2024. The 28-year-old Washington, D.C. native previously worked as a development coach with the Maple Leafs during the 2022-23 season and served as an assistant coach for Stevenson University’s Division III program in 2023-24.

Like Lindenwood, TSU is expected to begin its life as an independent program.

Kraken Announce Player Development Staff Changes

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The Kraken have already made a multitude of staff changes this offseason, replacing nearly their entire coaching staff and naming Jason Botterill as the second general manager in franchise history. The moves aren’t stopping there, however.

According to a press release from the team, they’re also refreshing their player development staff. Former NHL defenseman Cory Murphy, who had worked with the team over the past two seasons as a player development consultant, has been promoted to director of the department.

Murphy replaces Jeff Tambellini, who had worked as Seattle’s director of player development since 2022-23. Tambellini was tabbed earlier this week by the Lightning as a new assistant general manager and director of hockey operations.

As the release states, Murphy’s work over the last two years has involved working with the team’s pool of defense prospects, which doesn’t include any blue-chip names but has a few intriguing projects. The club highlighted his impact on the development of 2022 third-rounder Ty Nelson, who had 32 points and a +17 rating in 72 games with AHL Coachella Valley in his first professional season in 2024-25. He’ll now have a broader range and influence throughout Seattle’s development ideology.

Seattle has also created a new title – Head of Player Strategy – and given it to 31-year-old Justin Rai, who has worked with the club as a consultant for the last three years. “My job is to be able to research the league, research our players and figure out the existing trends,” Rai said. “Most specifically, it is my role to be additive to Coach [Lane Lambert]’s staff, making sure players can better execute his structure at a higher level, staying on the same message as the coaching staff … I’m grateful for the opportunity and that the Kraken organization puts its employees in spots to succeed.”

Joe Snively Signs With Djurgardens IF

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Free agent forward Joe Snively has signed a one-year contract with Djurgardens IF, the Swedish team announced via press release on Wednesday.

Snively has spent most of his career in the Capitals organization after initially signing an entry-level contract with Washington in March 2019. He signed a couple of more contracts with the Caps, including a two-year, one-way deal in 2022, before reaching unrestricted free agency last summer. The 29-year-old spent last season with the Red Wings on a two-way deal, clearing waivers during training camp and spending the entirety of the campaign on assignment to AHL Grand Rapids.

In his last three seasons for the Capitals, Snively appeared in a total of 27 NHL regular-season games, scoring six goals and 11 points in 11:40 of ice time per contest.

A diminutive 5’9″ left-winger who was an ECAC All-Star at Yale, Snively will play international hockey for the first time after three seasons of junior hockey with USHL Sioux City, four collegiate seasons, and six full professional campaigns in the NHL and AHL.

Snively had hovered around a point per game for AHL Hershey while in Washington’s system in recent years, but he managed only 21 goals and 47 points in 72 games for Grand Rapids in 2024-25. It’s not surprising to see Detroit show little interest in retaining him as a result.

The Virginia native pauses his AHL career with 219 points in 292 career minor-league games over the last seven years. He joins a Djurgarden team, likely headlined by 2025 No. 3 overall pick Anton Frondell, if he doesn’t make the Blackhawks’ roster, which is looking to stick in the top-level SHL after gaining promotion from the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier pro league, this year.

Panthers Sign Mackie Samoskevich To One-Year Deal

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The Panthers have re-signed restricted free agent winger Mackie Samoskevich to a one-year contract, per a press release from the team. It is a league minimum, one-way contract, according to PuckPedia.

Samoskevich was ineligible to sign an offer sheet as a 10.2(c) player with less than three years of professional experience after signing their entry-level contract at age 20. The Connecticut-born forward will now look to cash in as an RFA again next summer after what he hopes will be a step forward in 2025-26.

The 24th overall pick of the 2021 draft, Samoskevich was a full-time roster player last season after spending most of his first professional campaign in 2023-24 between the Panthers and AHL Charlotte. He finished 11th in Calder Trophy voting for Rookie of the Year, finishing ninth on Florida in scoring with 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists) in 72 games.

Samoskevich was a lineup fixture later in the regular season, particularly as a top-six replacement for the injured Matthew Tkachuk down the stretch. However, the return of Tkachuk and Brad Marchand to the lineup in the postseason meant he saw just four games of playoff action in Florida’s second straight Stanley Cup championship, as he was passed over for fourth-line duties in favor of more experienced players like Jesper Boqvist, Jonah Gadjovich, and A.J. Greer.

While it may be surprising to see Samoskevich settle for such a cheap deal after a strong regular season, he had virtually no leverage in negotiations thanks to his 10.2(c) status. With Florida over the salary cap, they were presumably only willing to sign him to a one-year, league minimum deal to give him a chance to earn more in talks in 2026. While his NHL salary is cheaper than his qualifying offer afforded him, it does guarantee his full salary, something a two-way QO would not have done.

The 22-year-old’s deal was the last pressing piece of business for the Cats – they still have a few unsigned RFAs in the organization, but they’re all destined for waivers in the fall if they re-sign. Now, general manager Bill Zito’s focus can be fully on getting the two-time defending champs cap-compliant for opening night.

Florida is $3.725MM over the upper limit with a full 23-player roster after signing Samoskevich, according to PuckPedia. They could kick the can down the road using long-term injured reserve if a player with a cap hit greater than $3.725MM won’t be ready to start the season, or they can offload a salary via trade.

Versatile top-nine forward Evan Rodrigues, who carries a $3MM cap hit for two more seasons, has been an oft-speculated candidate. Samoskevich could realistically replace his role outright, too.

But just clearing Rodrigues won’t open enough space for Florida – they’d have to waive a player as well, likely a depth forward like Gadjovich, Greer, or Tomas Nosek – and operate with just one extra skater to finish the job. Notably, Samoskevich is no longer exempt from waivers, so the Panthers would need to expose him to the wire to send him to the minors, a highly improbable outcome.

Image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.

Blue Jackets’ Pyotr Andreyanov Signs Five-Year Deal In Russia

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Columbus Blue Jackets goalie prospect Pyotr Andreyanov has signed a five-year deal with CSKA of Russia’s KHL, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. The deal will carry Andreyanov through his age-23 season in Russia’s top flight. Andreyanov was recently selected 20th overall in the 2025 NHL Draft. Notably, the deal includes an NHL release clause after the fourth season, according to Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers.

This move may come as a shock to many after Columbus selected Andreyanov about 20 spots earlier than many predicted. But sources available to ProHockeyRumors have indicated that the netminder’s plan to sign long-term in Russia was arranged before the draft took place, and comes with a clear intention to move to North America when the deal concludes. That’s excellent news for the Blue Jackets, who land another Russian phenom with this selection.

Andreyanov is lauded as one of Russia’s best goalies in recent memory. He posted a dazzling 23-6-6 record and .942 save percentage through 37 games in the MHL – Russia’s U21 league – this season. That performance gave mere decimals away from breaking the league’s save percentage record among draft-age goalies. That mark is currently held by New York’s Igor Shesterkin (.947).

Andreyanov earned that flashy season on the back of impressive athleticism. He was regarded by many as both the fastest and most controlled goaltender in the class, with an exceptional ability to track the puck and stay locked in between movements. He doesn’t get bogged down by traffic and shows the sly-grin determination to stop every chance that comes his way. Andreyanov is an exceptional goalie talent in many regards – and while his sharp and explosive movements can sometimes land him outside of his crease, there’s a shortlist of other Russians who would place above the CSKA Red Army netminder.

Columbus will add Andreyanov to an already stacked pipeline of goalie prospects. He’ll join compatriot Sergei Ivanov – a 2023 fifth-round pick – at the top of the Blue Jackets’ list. Ivanov posted a .911 save percentage with HK Sochi – often a bottom-ranked club in the KHL – this season. He had a much better save percentage of .943 in 38 KHL games last year. With Andreyanov and Ivanov in the system, the Blue Jackets could soon be relieved of their goalie concerns, once they convince top Russians to come overseas.

Bruins Looking Ahead To 2026 Free Agency

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While the Bruins have kept a low profile during this year’s free-agent frenzy, don’t expect the same laid-back approach next year. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman stated on the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast that he believes the Bruins are strategically saving cap space to make a big splash in free agency next offseason.

The Bruins have made a few moves so far this summer, including a trade for veteran Viktor Arvidsson and signing winger Tanner Jeannot to a five-year deal worth $3.4MM per season. But as the team moves on from the Zdeno Chara/Patrice Bergeron/Brad Marchand era, they’ll aim to be strategic about adding pieces to a roster anchored by building blocks like David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy.

“If some of these guys who are supposed to be free agents next year (reach free agency), whether they get one or not, I think Boston wants to have the opportunity to take a shot at one of those guys,” Friedman said. “So, if you’ll notice, they didn’t really do much to hamstring themselves in the future. They got Arvidsson on a one-year deal. Traded for him, gave up a late-round pick, one-year deal. Aside from Jeannot, they didn’t take any massive swings.”

While many were puzzled by the contract given to Jeannot, Friedman pointed out how competitive the market was for the physical forward. Though a five-year deal north of $3MM per year is steep for a player coming off a 13-point season, the 27-year-old has produced four 200-plus hit seasons and could take on the enforcer role currently filled by key players like defenseman Nikita Zadorov. Jeannot also fits the mold of the type of players GM Don Sweeney noted he’d like to bring in to make the Bruins harder to play against.

“Yes, it’s a five-year deal. But the number isn’t going to hurt you. Another thing I heard is that at least 10 teams were after him. I heard the competition for Jeannot was fierce. The Rangers were in it. I heard Ottawa was in it. He fit with Toronto and what Toronto likes. And there’s just not a lot of guys like him around anymore,” he said.

The biggest addition the Bruins made this offseason, Friedman noted, was selecting James Hagens with the seventh overall pick. While many believed at this time last year that Hagens was destined to be the first overall pick in this year’s draft, he slipped to seventh after producing less than expected in the NCAA. Still, Hagens game may be more NHL-ready than any of his peers in this draft class.

Teams Maintain Interest In Penguins’ Rakell And Rust

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With the main wave of free agency behind them, teams that missed out on big-name signings may now be shifting their focus to the trade market. And at the top of that list are Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell, the Fourth Period reports.

Trade speculation surrounding both players isn’t new, especially given that the Penguins are one of the few teams currently in a rebuilding phase. While GM Kyle Dubas hasn’t explicitly stated that either player is off-limits, it’s believed the Penguins would need to be blown away by an offer to part with them. There doesn’t appear to be immediate urgency to move either winger, especially since both have team-friendly deals.

Rust has three years remaining on his contract, which comes with a $5.125MM AAV. The 33-year-old is coming off a career-best season, posting 31 goals and 65 points in 71 games. He has spent his entire career in the Penguins organization after the team selected him in the third round (80th overall) in the 2010 draft. In 638 career games, he’s recorded 427 points, with his 203 goals ranking ninth in franchise history. Rust also excels as a penalty killer and has a history of elevating his game and scoring timely goals in the playoffs. While Rust has expressed interest in remaining in Pittsburgh, his no-trade clause recently expired, thus taking that decision out of his hands.

Rakell bounced back with a strong 2024-25 season after a down year the previous season. In 81 games, Rakell posted a career-best 35 goals and 70 points in 81 games last season, mainly playing alongside Rust and Sidney Crosby. The sharpshooting right winger has three years remaining on an extremely team-friendly $5MM AAV contract. Rakell has eclipsed the 30-goal plateau three times in his career, and the 20-goal mark six times.

Several teams have been recently linked to the duo, including the Hurricanes, before inking Nikolaj Ehlers to a new six-year contract. The Fourth Period also includes Toronto, Los Angeles, San Jose, New Jersey, Buffalo, and Seattle among the teams looking to upgrade their top-six.

While Dubas and the Penguins’ front office would need to be impressed to make a move, with over $15 million in cap space (per PuckPedia), they could be open to taking on a large salary if it sweetens the deal and keeps the other team cap-compliant.

 

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