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Snapshots: Heiskanen, Peddle, Penguins

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The Stars will have a fully healthy and fully confident Miro Heiskanen atop their blue line when training camp begins next month, the defender told NHL Finland’s Varpu Sihvonen.

“My confidence is back where it used to be now that my knee can take all the practice and feels fine,” Heiskanen said. He told Sihvonen that his training schedule this summer has been normal after missing most of the back half of the season with a knee injury, only returning to action in time for the late stages of their second-round series against the Jets. The 26-year-old cornerstone had four points in eight postseason games upon returning, but saw a reduced workload at 21:49 per game.

Heiskanen was amid something of a down year offensively before his injury with 25 points in 50 games, but he’d operated at a 69-point pace over the previous two years with a pair of top-10 Norris Trophy finishes to show for it. With cap constraints thinning out Dallas’ defensive depth behind its big three of Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, and Esa Lindell, they’ll need him back at his peak to have aspirations of a fourth straight Western Conference Final appearance in 2026 – hopefully, this time with a Stanley Cup Final appearance to show for it.

More from around the league:

  • Now-former Blue Jackets prospect Tyler Peddle has been traded in the QMJHL. He’s headed to the Charlottetown Islanders in exchange for a pair of draft picks, the team announced. He was the last pick of the 2023 draft but was not signed by June 1 of this year, making him an unrestricted free agent. He’ll hope for a strong overage season on Prince Edward Island to help him land an NHL or AHL contract next offseason. The 20-year-old center only had a 15-14–29 scoring line with a -34 rating in 54 games for the Saint John Sea Dogs last season, and his production has declined steadily since he peaked with 41 points in 64 games during his draft year for Drummondville.
  • There’s been no significant traction on talks regarding any of the Penguins’ major trade chips in Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell, and Bryan Rust, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on last weekend’s 32 Thoughts podcast. Friedman added there’s still potential for those discussions to heat up near the end of the month or closer to training camp, but no big moves are imminent.

Central Notes: Girard, Milota, Guskov

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While Colorado ultimately wasn’t able to re-sign defenseman Ryan Lindgren (who instead inked a four-year deal with Seattle), their efforts to do so called into question the future of Samuel Girard with the team.  Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now speculates that the Avalanche could be open to moving the blueliner.  While he was deployed as their third defender during the regular season, his usage dropped to third-pairing minutes in the postseason and if head coach Jared Bednar feels that’s the more optimal spot for him moving forward, he’d be a pricey third-pairing player at $5MM through the next two seasons.

Although the Avs are into cap compliance after some offseason shuffling, they could still use some more flexibility on that front, especially with Martin Necas eyeing a significant extension for 2026-27.  On the other hand, Girard is one of just two left-shot blueliners in the Avalanche’s top six so if they were to move him, it might be more of a player-for-player swap that would see them get another blueliner in return rather than a true cap-clearing move.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • Predators prospect Jakub Milota has been traded in the QMJHL as Cape Breton announced that they traded the netminder to Blainville-Boisbriand. The 19-year-old was a fourth-round pick in 2024, going 99th overall and is coming off a decent season with the Eagles that saw him post a 3.22 GAA and a .903 SV% while also earning a late-season ATO with AHL Milwaukee.  The Preds have until June 1, 2026 to sign Milota so it’s safe to say 2025-26 will be a key season for him.
  • Wild draft pick Matvei Guskov is on the move in the KHL as the league announced earlier this week that he has been traded from Traktor Chelyabinsk to Severstal Cherepovets. The 24-year-old was a fifth-round pick back in 2019 with Minnesota holding his rights indefinitely with no transfer agreement in place between the NHL and the Russian Hockey Federation.  Guskov is coming off a tough year that saw him record just one goal and three assists in 38 games between three different KHL teams.

East Notes: Dadonov, Gritsyuk, Hagens, Peddle

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One of the more under-the-radar signings on the opening day of unrestricted free agency this month was the Devils signing winger Evgenii Dadonov to a one-year, $1MM contract that also contains $2.25MM in games played and playoff bonuses.  He told Sports.ru’s Dmitry Shevchenko that he had two or three other similar offers on the table in terms of money and bonus-laden structure while not giving much consideration to the offers made for him to return home to the KHL.  Dadonov is coming off a 20-goal, 20-assist season in Dallas but saw his role reduced in the playoffs which likely didn’t help his cause on the open market this month.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • Still with the Devils, prospect winger Arseni Gritsyuk acknowledged to Alexey Shevchenko of Sport-Express that he has a European Assignment Clause in his deal. It will kick in if he’s not on New Jersey’s roster by November 15th.  The 24-year-old had a strong showing with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL last season, notching 17 goals and 27 assists in 49 games, helping earn him a one-year, entry-level pact back in May.  It appears Gritsyuk is open to starting the season with AHL Utica but only for a short period of time.
  • While the Bruins could probably use James Hagens in their lineup for the upcoming season, Boston.com’s Conor Ryan suggests that the best thing for their new top prospect would be to stay in college for another year. Hagens was a point-per-game player in 37 games for Boston College last season, an impressive performance as an underager, leading some to think he could be ready to make the jump.  But rather than throw him into the mix in what could be another retooling season, Hagens might be better off being the undisputed top player for the Eagles (following the departures of Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault) for next season, then getting a few games in with Boston once his college campaign comes to an end.
  • Penguins prospect Brady Peddle has decided to head to major junior as QMJHL Charlottetown announced that they’ve signed the blueliner for the upcoming season. The 18-year-old was a third-round pick last month, going 91st overall after spending last year with USHL Waterloo where he had 10 points in 62 regular season games and 10 more in 15 playoff outings.  Peddle is committed to Michigan State for 2026-27 and that appears to remain the intention so his junior stint is expected to just be for 2025-26.

Minor Transactions: 7/27/25

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As the summer moves along, the volume of transactions has been slowing down.  However, there have been some transactions at lower levels with an NHL connection; we’ll run through those here.

  • Veteran forward Peter Mueller has decided to retire, his now former Czech team announced. The 37-year-old was the eighth overall pick by Phoenix back in 2006 and spent parts of five seasons in the NHL, notching 63 goals and 97 assists in 297 games before heading overseas in 2013.  After that point, he spent time in Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Germany, and Czechia, with a one-year stint with Boston’s AHL affiliate in Providence in between.  He spent last season with HC Kometa Brno, scoring the game-winner in the final game of the playoffs for them.  Mueller re-signed with them back in May but decided to hang up his skates due to lingering back trouble.
  • Former NHL defenseman Jakub Jerabek has signed a one-year deal with HC Plzen in his native Czechia, per a team release. The 34-year-old played in parts of two NHL seasons, spending time with Montreal, Washington, and St. Louis where he had eight points in 37 games and 26 points in 69 AHL contests.  Jerabek spent the last three seasons with HC Ocelari Trinec but injuries limited him to just 23 games last season where he had eight points.
  • Lightning prospect Everett Baldwin will have a new team next season as QMJHL Saint John announced that they’ve signed the blueliner. The defenseman was a fifth-round pick last month out of St. George’s School while also briefly seeing action in the USHL.  Baldwin made a college commitment to play at his hometown Providence College back in 2023 but it remains to be seen if his QMJHL commitment will push that back or if he’ll be a one-and-done player at the major junior level.

Minor Transactions: 7/15/25

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It has been a busy 24 hours transactions-wise around the NHL with several restricted free agents signing before their qualifying offers expire later today.  Meanwhile, there have been some other minor signings involving free agents which we’ll run through here.

  • After spending the last four seasons in Seattle’s system on an NHL deal, defenseman Gustav Olofsson will be staying there on a different contract. The Kraken’s AHL affiliate in Coachella Valley announced that they’ve signed the blueliner to a two-year minor-league deal.  Olofsson is a veteran of 63 NHL games but saw just four games with Seattle.  Last season, the 30-year-old played in 51 games with the Firebirds, picking up three goals and 14 assists.
  • Lehigh Valley, affiliate of the Flyers, announced the signings of wingers Zayde Wisdom and Garrett Wilson to one-year deals. Wisdom was a fourth-round pick by Philadelphia back in 2020 and had 32 points in 68 games with the Phantoms last season but wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer last month.  Wilson, meanwhile, is a veteran of 84 NHL games but last played at the top level in 2019.  He had 14 goals and 14 assists in Lehigh Valley last season in 63 games.
  • After spending last season on a two-way deal with San Jose, unrestricted free agent defenseman Joey Keane is heading back to Russia as he has signed a two-year deal with Spartak Moskva, per a team release. The 26-year-old originally started in Carolina’s system but went to Spartak once his entry-level deal ended, spending two years there before coming back to North America last season.  In 2024-25, Keane had 11 points in 38 games, a stat line identical to his second season with Spartak.
  • Bruins prospect Cole Chandler has committed to Northeastern, reports the Northeastern Hockey Blog (Twitter link). The forward was a fifth-round pick last month after putting up 32 points in 64 games with QMJHL Shawinigan during the regular season while adding a dozen more in 16 playoff outings.  He’ll return to the Cataractes for the upcoming season and then move to the NCAA starting in 2026-27.

Blues’ First-Rounder Justin Carbonneau Will Return To QMJHL

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St. Louis Blues first-round pick Justin Carbonneau has announced he will return to the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada next season, after rumors that he was considering a move to the NCAA’s Boston College. The Armada announced the news through a post to their social media.

St. Louis recently drafted Carbonneau with the 19th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

This news will send shockwaves around Quebec’s junior league. Carbonneau was among the league’s best last season, tying for second in the league in goals (46) and outright ranking second in points (89) through 62 games. He rounded out his statline with 61 penalty minutes and just a plus-three, speaking to the incredibly high-event minutes Carbonneau earned while leading the Armada offense.

Carbonneau earned his offense with a powerful, heavy drive on the puck. He was among the QMJHL’s most explosive wingers moving down the ice, and used a strong frame and hard shot to generate dangerous chances in the offensive end. Carbonneau was also often the Armada’s pest, and routinely found himself in the middle of net-front shoving matches after the whistle. News of his return will land like a big acquisition in Blainsville-Boisbrand, as they lock up a player capable of rivaling the century mark in points or penalty minutes next season.

Carbonneau was thee standout of St. Louis’ recent development camp. He showed off all of the nasty grit, hard shooting, and determined drive that led him to the heights of the QMJHL this year. Those talents mix well with other emerging Blues, including Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud, Dalibor Dvorsky. That match – and a right-wing role vacated by the trade of Zachary Bolduc – could ramp Carbonneau into an NHL role as soon as next year, assuming he stays hot through the 2025-26 campaign.

Metropolitan Notes: Shabanov, Gill, Boilard

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Russian center Maxim Shabanov’s KHL contract expired at the end of May, making him an unrestricted free agent.  Several NHL teams have shown interest and it looks like his search for a new club could be nearing the finish line.  Sport-Express’ Igor Eronko reports that the Flyers are expected to sign the 24-year-old although Kevin Kurz of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that nothing is done yet although the team is hopeful that they’ll land him.  Shabanov finished third this season in KHL scoring with 23 goals and 44 assists in 65 games and followed that up by finishing second in playoff points with 10 goals and 10 helpers in 21 contests.  Regardless of whether he signs with Philadelphia or another team, Shabanov will be capped at signing a one-year, entry-level contract.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Still with the Flyers, prospect Spencer Gill is on the move in the QMJHL as the league announced (Twitter link) that the defenseman has been traded from Rimouski to Blainville-Boisbriand. The 18-year-old was a second-round pick last June, going 59th overall after a solid showing with the Oceanic that saw him notch 46 points in 65 games.  Injuries limited Gill to just 51 games this season where he had six goals and 29 assists.  He has one more year of playing in major junior before he can begin playing in the pros for the 2026-27 campaign; he has already signed his entry-level contract.
  • Rangers prospect Raoul Boilard will be suiting up for a different team in the QMJHL next season. The league announced (Twitter link) that the center was dealt from Baie-Comeau to Shawinigan.  Boilard, a fourth-round selection last year (119th overall), saw his output drop compared to his draft year as he notched 12 goals and 34 assists in 53 games after putting up 22 goals and 40 helpers the year before, one that he was able to stay healthy in as he played in all 68 games in 2023-24.  Next season will be a big one for Boilard as New York has not yet signed him to a contract.

Kraken Sign Andrei Lashko To Three-Year Entry-Level Contract

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The Seattle Kraken announced they’ve signed 2023 fourth-round draft pick Andrei Lashko to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal presumably begins next season, though there has been no present indication of if Lashko will finish the year in the AHL. The deal will carry a $950K cap hit at the NHL level. Lashko will turn pro after wrapping up his fourth season in Canada’s CHL.

Lashko – or Loshko, as it’s often spelled – made the move to the OHL this summer, after spending the last three seasons in the QMJHL. Originally a CHL Import Draft pick in 2021, Lashko was placed on waivers by the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies this year, opening the door for the Niagara IceDogs to snatch up the productive QMJHL forward. The move worked to great effect, with Lashko potting an impressive 34 goals and 70 points in 64 games this season. That mark ranked third on the IceDogs in scoring, behind hefty 2026 NHL Draft top prospect Ryan Roobroeck and Winnipeg Jets prospect Kevin He.

Lashko offered the perfect middle ground between Roobroeck’s heavy shooting and He’s nimble dekes. Sat in the middle, Lashko was a dynamic two-way forward with the leg speed to be everywhere all at once. He matched the energy of his linemates well and consistently found his way into open ice, no matter if Niagara asked him to play right-wing or center. His performance in the OHL was a strong continuation from his years in the QMJHL, where he managed 26, 70, and 67 points respectively over three seasons. Lashko seems to be missing a step that’ll turn him into a top pro – and will likely begin his career in the minors as a result. But with a six-foot-one, 185-pound frame; lightfoot skating; and a keen instinct of where to be to make an impact, it seems only a matter of time before Lashko makes his NHL debut.

List Of NHL-Affiliated Prospects In The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League

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The Canadian Hockey League trade deadlines are in the rearview mirror. That makes it a good time to take stock of where NHL teams have their prospect pool skating ahead of the big league deadline. We’re taking a look at how many prospects each team has in the world’s top junior association, moving onto the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. You can find the list of Ontario Hockey League players here.

Anaheim Ducks

F Alexandre Blais (Rimouski Océanic)
F Maxim Massé (Chicoutimi Saguenéens)

Boston Bruins

D Loke Johansson (Moncton Wildcats)

Buffalo Sabres

D Simon-Pier Brunet (Drummondville Voltigeurs)

Calgary Flames

F Matvei Gridin (Shawinigan Cataractes)
D Étienne Morin (Moncton Wildcats)

Carolina Hurricanes

F Justin Poirier (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)

Columbus Blue Jackets

F Tyler Peddle (Saint John Sea Dogs)

Detroit Red Wings

G Rudy Guimond (Moncton Wildcats)

Florida Panthers

D Luke Coughlin (Rimouski Océanic)

Montreal Canadiens

G Mikus Vecvanags (Acadie-Bathurst Titan)

Nashville Predators

D Dylan MacKinnon (Moncton Wildcats)
G Jakub Milota (Cape Breton Eagles)

New Jersey Devils

F Matyas Melovsky (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)
F Cam Squires (Cape Breton Eagles)

New York Rangers

F Raoul Boilard (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)

Philadelphia Flyers

D Spencer Gill (Rimouski Océanic)
D Matteo Mann (Saint John Sea Dogs)

Seattle Kraken

D Alexis Bernier (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)

St. Louis Blues

F Antoine Dorion (Québec Remparts)
F Juraj Pekarcik (Moncton Wildcats)

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Ethan Gauthier (Drummondville Voltigeurs)
D Dyllan Gill (Moncton Wildcats)
D Jan Golicic (Gatineau Olympiques)

Utah Hockey Club

D Tomas Lavoie (Cape Breton Eagles)
F Gabe Smith (Moncton Wildcats)

Vancouver Canucks

D Basile Sansonnens (Rimouski Océanic)

Vegas Golden Knights

F Mathieu Cataford (Rimouski Océanic)

Washington Capitals

F Eriks Mateiko (Rimouski Océanic)

Blue Jackets Activate, Assign Jordan Dumais

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated top prospect Jordan Dumais off of season-opening injured reserve and loaned him to the AHL. Dumais missed the majority of Columbus’ training and development camps this summer, and earned an IR placement on October 7th, due to a nagging lower-abdominal injury connected to a fractured hip suffered in January. He underwent surgery in late-January but couldn’t return to full health in time for the end of the 2023-24 season. The Cleveland Monsters have three games remaining in 2024, giving Dumais a slim window to play in any regular season games this year. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic adds that Dumais was headed for another surgery this summer, before hitting a positive swing in his training.

Dumais’ hip and abdominal injury put a sore end to a truly fantastic juniors career. He scored at unprecedented rates in four years with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, headlined by 109 points in his draft year and 140 points the year after. The latter season broke Halifax’s single-season scoring record, while the former ranks fifth. He was headed for more records at the start of last season, scoring 47 points in 21 games prior to injury –  a full-season pace of 143 points in 64 games. And while he wasn’t able to reach those heights, his 119 goals and 325 points in 193 career games with the Mooseheads still both rank as franchise-records.

Despite the incredible scoring, many aren’t convinced about how Dumais will translate to the pro flight. He’s earned his points through quick dekes and smooth skating, giving him a unique ability to sneak around opponents with the puck on his stick. But he only stands at five-foot-nine and 175-pounds – a frame that assuredly doesn’t lend itself to slick deking against NHL hitters. Fears over his size and projectability landed Dumais in the third round of the 2022 NHL Draft, going 96th-overall to Columbus. He vindicated their faith quickly at the juniors level, but has been delayed in doing the same in the pros. This roster move should be the first step towards discovering where Dumais’ true upside lies, so long as he continues to trend towards full health.

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