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Stars Sign Nathan Bastian

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The Stars have added some depth on the wing as the team announced that they’ve signed Nathan Bastian to a one-year, one-way contract.  The agreement will pay the league minimum of $775K.  GM Jim Nill released the following statement:

Nathan will add forward depth and a physical presence to our lineup, both of which will be valuable to our organization. We’re looking forward to watching him take the next step of his career with the Stars and are excited to welcome him to Dallas.

The 27-year-old has parts of six NHL seasons under his belt, most of which came with New Jersey, which drafted him in the second round back in 2016.  Before now, his only time away from the Devils since that time came when Seattle selected him in the 2021 Expansion Draft but just two months later, the Kraken waived Bastian with New Jersey quickly reclaiming him.

Last season, Bastian played in 59 games for the Devils, picking up four goals and six assists along with 138 hits in just under 11 minutes per night of playing time.  That stat line lines up with most of his seasons as he has yet to reach 20 points in a single year while he has only hit the double-digit mark in goals once, that coming back in 2021-22.  However, he averages 223 hits per 82 games played, giving the Stars some extra physicality in their lineup.

Dallas has largely stayed quiet as expected in free agency this season with the bulk of their moves coming from either re-signing players or making trades.  As things stand, he’s likely to battle with Oskar Back and Colin Blackwell for playing time on the fourth line while starting out as the 13th forward is a realistic outcome as well.

At the moment, the Stars project to be very tight against the salary cap with a 23-player roster coming in just a few hundred thousand below the Upper Limit, per PuckPedia.  Accordingly, this could very well be it for their free agent moves with a big chunk of their roster from last season’s run to the Western Conference Final returning as from here on out, any addition will require money coming off their books as well.

Avalanche Re-Sign Joel Kiviranta

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The Avalanche announced that they’ve re-signed forward Joel Kiviranta to a one-year deal. The deal is worth $1.25MM against the cap, AJ Haefele of DNVR Sports reports.

Kiviranta, 29, returns to Colorado on the heels of a career year. The winger set career highs in goals (16), assists (7), points (23), appearances (79), and average time on ice (12:31) in 2024-25. He now signs his third consecutive one-year deal with the Avs in free agency after initially joining the organization on an AHL contract in 2023.

On a per-game basis, though, that’s not too far off from his career averages. Kiviranta, who initially made the jump to North America in 2019 with the Stars as an undrafted free agent, has consistently produced at a 15-to-20-point clip per 82 games, albeit usually in lesser minutes. That increased deployment this season, getting more consistent reps while also seeing some looks in the Avs’ top nine, helps explain the boost in production. His 19.0% shooting rate, well above his career average of 10.9%, had something to do with that as well.

Nonetheless, the Finnish winger has firmly established his floor as a defensively responsible plug-and-play fourth-line piece. Despite his smallish 5’11”, 185-lb frame, he finished third on the Avs last season with 114 hits with some of the better even-strength possession impacts on the club.

While the Avs still have some holes in their middle and bottom-six forward group to fill, retaining Kiviranta is a significant step toward relaxing the strain on some inexperienced or overtaxed depth pieces who likely would have needed to shoulder regular minutes out of the gate otherwise, especially with checking winger Logan O’Connor starting the year on injured reserve. As things stand, Kiviranta could get a crack at third-line minutes on opening night if younger names like the recently acquired Daniil Gushchin or Ivan Ivan don’t command those minutes with a strong training camp performance.

Image courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images.

Minor Signings: Russell, Berdin, Welsh

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The ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates have signed forward Mitchell Russell for the 2025-26 campaign, per a team announcement.

Russell, 24, was an undrafted free agent signing by the Sharks in 2022 from the OHL’s North Bay Battalion. Injuries limited him out of the gate, making just two appearances for the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder in his first professional season.

The 6’0″, 194-lb winger didn’t see NHL ice over the duration of his three-year, entry-level contract. He was non-tendered in June, making him an unrestricted free agent after he scored two goals in 12 games for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda and a 19-25–44 scoring line in 81 games for Wichita over his brief pro career.

He’ll now head to Savannah, the second-tier affiliate of the Panthers, to further his pro career. The team only has eight players under contract for 2025-26, including Russell, and will no doubt have most of their roster filled out by loans from their AHL parent, the Charlotte Checkers.

More minor moves from around the sport:

  • Former Jets goaltending prospect Mikhail Berdin is on the move in his native Russia, with the KHL announcing he’s signed a one-year deal with Ak Bars Kazan. Berdin, who became a Group VI unrestricted free agent in 2023, was limited to just 11 appearances last season with Avangard Omsk. He was spectacular when available, though, recording a .929 SV%, 1.87 GAA, and a 7-1-2 record. If the 27-year-old puts up a season like that for Ak Bars, he should put himself in contention for an NHL contract next summer.
  • Journeyman defenseman Nicholas Welsh has signed with the Manchester Storm of the EIHL, the United Kingdom’s highest level of competition. Welsh, 28, was a dynamic threat in the QMJHL and racked up 181 points in 329 junior games for Shawinigan and Moncton but only sniffed a pro career in North America, recording three points in 17 games for the Sabres’ AHL affiliate in Rochester in 2020-21. He’s since made stops in Slovakia, Germany, Finland, and Austria. He ended last season with Liiga’s KooKoo, where he had four points in 14 combined regular-season and playoff games.

West Notes: Isogai, Popovic, Nelson

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Earlier today, the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, the Ontario Reign, announced a two-year AHL contract for an up-and-coming name from Canada’s Western Hockey League. The Reign shared that they’ve signed forward Kenta Isogai. No financial details were released.

The 20-year-old native of Nagano, Japan, recently completed his second season in the WHL. Though he started his WHL career with the Wenatchee Wild for the 2023-24 season, he was acquired by the Victoria Royals for the end of the season. He excelled at the WHL level, scoring 63 goals and 166 points in 123 games, achieving a +49 rating, along with 10 goals and 25 points in 16 postseason contests.

Given that he was also named to the WHL’s First All-Star Team last year, it’s a little surprising that Isogai has gone undrafted over the past few years. He’s a little undersized, but not to a serious degree, and should be given every opportunity to succeed in AHL Ontario.

Other notes from the Western Conference:

  • According to a team announcement, the Colorado Avalanche have hired Mark Popovic as their new skills coach. It’ll be Popovic’s first formal coaching position at the NHL level, although he’s been working as an informal consultant for the Avalanche for the past few years. He’s better known for his playing career at the AHL level, where he scored 36 goals and 134 points in 359 games from 2002 to 2007. He played under 100 games in the NHL with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Atlanta Thrashers.
  • The ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders, affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, announced today that they’ve signed forward Jaxon Nelson to an ECHL contract for the 2025-26 season. The former captain of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers had been playing for the AHL’s Providence Bruins the past few years, to disappointing results. Still, Nelson is only two years removed from scoring 19 goals and 31 points in 39 games for Minnesota.

Islanders Sign Sean Day To AHL Deal

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The AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders have signed left-shot defenseman Sean Day to a one-year AHL deal, according to a club announcement. He’ll presumably get a look in the Isles’ NHL camp on a PTO in hopes of turning that into an NHL contract before heading down to Bridgeport.

Day, 27, is long removed from his days as an “exceptional status” defender who gained entrance to high-level junior hockey in the OHL a year early. He was a third-round pick by the Rangers by the time he became draft-eligible in 2016 and never turned that into full-time NHL minutes. He only made his big-league debut a few years ago, skating in two games for the Lightning in the 2021-22 season.

The Belgium-born Canadian has spent most of his professional career in the Tampa organization, suiting up primarily for the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch from 2020-21 through 2023-24. His performance was inconsistent during that time, peaking with 40 points in 69 games in 2021-22 before bottoming out with only 14 assists in 63 games the following year.

Day landed another two-way contract with the Bolts for 2023-24 but again went without NHL action, posting a 5-14–23 scoring line in 54 games for Syracuse with a -3 rating. That led him to explore a short-term exodus to Europe, signing with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League. He made 45 appearances for the top-flight club with diminished results. He had 11 points and a -18 rating in the regular season before adding an assist and a +4 rating in six relegation games to help them avoid demotion to the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan for 2025-26.

He’ll be one-and-done overseas as he returns to a more comfortable environment in North America, this time without the initial opportunity for an NHL call-up. He’ll provide 379 games of pro experience to a reshaped Bridgeport blue line that should have some younger, dynamic Isles prospects like Isaiah George and Jesse Pulkkinen playing significant roles.

Jaydon Dureau Signs AHL Deal In Jets Organization

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The Jets’ AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, announced yesterday that they’ve signed forward Jaydon Dureau to a one-year contract. He could be in training camp with the Jets next month on a PTO before heading to Manitoba’s camp later in September.

Dureau, 24, never broke through as a full-time AHLer after being drafted by the Lightning in the fifth round in 2020. He was nonetheless a productive player for their ECHL affiliate, the Orlando Solar Bears, where he had his best showing yet in 2024-25 with a 14-15–29 scoring line in 32 games. The 6’0″, 176-lb winger averaged 0.71 points per game with a +14 rating in 103 appearances for the Bears over the last three seasons, having signed his entry-level contract with Tampa Bay in 2022 shortly before his rights were due to expire.

In the AHL, the Saskatchewan native only managed 36 appearances with the Syracuse Crunch during his tenure in Tampa’s organization. He was only good for three goals and four assists for seven points in that time, just 0.19 points per game.

Understandably, the Lightning opted not to qualify Dureau in June and he became an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Presumably without any NHL two-way deals or notable European offers there for him, he’ll take an AHL pact with the Moose as he tries to carve out a full-time role on the second rung on the ladder of North American professional hockey. If he can’t break camp with the Moose, he’ll be slated for a fourth season spent primarily in the ECHL – this time with Winnipeg’s affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals.

The Jets already have 13 forwards under contract who are projected to begin the season in Manitoba, per PuckPedia. That means Dureau will face an uphill battle for playing time there, especially with the Moose already having four other players on AHL deals prior to his signing.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Vitali Kravtsov

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4:45 p.m.: Shortly after the Canucks announced the signing, PuckPedia alerted the public to Kravtsov’s contract details. He’ll earn a league minimum salary at the NHL level and a $450K salary in the AHL. If he fails to register 16 or more games next season, he’ll become a Group VI free agent next offseason.

4:11 p.m.: The former ninth overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft is coming back to North America. According to a team announcement, the Vancouver Canucks have signed Vitali Kravtsov to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2025-26 season.

The native of Vladivostok, Russia, was originally drafted by the New York Rangers after playing in 35 games for KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk. Despite only scoring four goals and seven points that year, Kravtsov had previously recorded 13 goals and 36 points in 41 games with a +18 rating for the MHL’s Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk. He was ranked as the third-best European prospect by NHL Central Scouting.

He performed much better in the KHL after being drafted by the Rangers, scoring eight goals and 21 points in 50 games, with an additional two assists in four postseason contests. He made his debut in North America during the 2019-20 season, scoring six goals and 15 points in 39 games for the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. Finally, just three years after being drafted, Kravtsov debuted for the Rangers during the 2020-21 campaign.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic at the time, Kravtsov spent the early part of the year back in the KHL, scoring 16 goals and 24 points in 49 games. He debuted in the NHL in early April, skating in 10:45 of the Rangers’ shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres on April 3rd. Unfortunately, despite seeing his ice time increase down the stretch, Kravtsov finished the season with two goals and four points in 20 games with a -6 rating. His possession and defensive metrics were abysmal, averaging a 43.9% CorsiFor% at even strength, and an 89.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength.

Feeling that he needed more developmental time, Kravtsov was again loaned to the Traktor Chelyabinsk for the 2021-22 campaign, scoring six goals and 13 points in 19 games, with another seven goals and 10 points in 15 playoff contests. Inspired by his postseason performance, the Rangers brought Kravtsov back to North America for the 2022-23 season.

His second year in New York went mildly better than the first, scoring three goals and six points in 28 games with a +6 rating. Ultimately, the Rangers had seen enough from their recent top draft selection, and they traded him to the Canucks on February 25, 2023, for William Lockwood and a 2026 seventh-round pick. Similarly, Kravtsov had a disappointing showing with the Canucks, scoring one goal and one assist in 16 games to finish out his second year in the NHL.

For the third time since making his professional playing debut in North America, Kravtsov left the NHL for Traktor Chelyabinsk, signing a two-year agreement with them after the 2022-23 NHL season. Since he was a restricted free agent at the time, the Canucks retained his negotiating rights should he ever return to NHL action.

His two-year tenure with Traktor was highly successful. He registered 45 goals and 92 points in 121 games, along with a +27 rating, including another nine goals and 12 points in 33 playoff contests. Given that it’s a two-way deal, Kravtsov will likely start the 2025-26 season with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, while maintaining the possibility of being recalled to Vancouver should his second stint with the team prove successful.

Maple Leafs Sign William Villeneuve To Two-Way Deal

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The Leafs announced they’ve signed right-shot defender William Villeneuve to a two-way deal for 2025-26. Financial terms were not disclosed, but in doing so, they took care of their last remaining RFA skater who hasn’t committed elsewhere for the upcoming season. Only goaltender Dennis Hildeby now remains as an unsigned RFA in the Toronto pipeline.

Villeneuve returns to Toronto for his fourth professional season. He was a fourth-round pick by the Maple Leafs back in 2020 out of QMJHL Saint John, where he won a Memorial Cup title two years later.

The 6’2″ rearguard has acclimated reasonably well to the pro game with AHL Toronto. An offensively gifted defenseman, he posted acceptable but stagnant point totals in his first two seasons before enjoying a breakout campaign in 2024-25. He was among the Marlies’ best players, posting a team-high +17 rating while leading their defense in scoring with 40 points (4 G, 36 A) in 55 games.

Villeneuve checked in as the No. 10 prospect in Toronto’s system in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s rankings back in January, but he’s undoubtedly climbed up the ladder since then with multiple names ahead of him being traded and his own second-half surge. Age will work against him to some degree – he’s entering his age-23 season with no NHL experience to speak of. But aside from defensive-minded 2024 first-rounder Ben Danford, he’s among their most intriguing defense prospects and may have the highest offensive ceiling out of the group currently in their pipeline.

There isn’t a pathway for him to make a surprise grab for an opening night job out of camp, but some organizational reshuffling has likely pushed him up the ladder for a recall opportunity. A strong start to the season with the Marlies should mean a big-league debut for him at some point in 2025-26.

Snapshots: Benák, Dornbach, Finland

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Wild fourth-rounder Adam Benák is headed to the CHL for his post-draft season. The OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs announced they’ve signed him to a development deal after selecting him second overall in this year’s CHL Import Draft.

While Benák has always displayed a high-ceiling offensive game, his 5’8″, 163-lb frame meant he was never going to challenge for a premier draft slot. Instead, the Czech pivot fell to Minnesota at No. 102 overall following a strong year with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms. The speedy two-way center led the team in scoring with 59 points (17 G, 42 A) in 56 games in his first season in North America, earning USHL All-Rookie Team and Second All-Star Team honors.

Benák has excelled in international play. He’s had 21 points in just 10 games for Czechia’s under-18 team at the last two Hlinka Gretzky Cups, winning a pair of silver medals, and also had seven points in four games at this year’s under-18 World Championship. He’ll almost surely land a spot on the country’s World Juniors team this winter.

Elsewhere from around the hockey world:

  • After mixed results in North America, former Wild minor-leaguer Casey Dornbach has signed in Austria with Pioneers Vorarlberg of the ICEHL. Undrafted, Dornbach garnered some NHL interest as a college free agent in 2023 but ended up settling for a deal with AHL Iowa. He managed just two points in 13 games for the club, instead spending most of his time in the ECHL before leaving for a role with Finland’s Jukurit midway through last season. The former ECAC Rookie of the Year had 40 goals and 124 points in 138 NCAA games with Harvard and Denver.
  • To the surprise of no one, Finland will continue with its defense-first mentality as it builds out its roster for the 2026 Olympics, head coach Antti Pennanen and GM Jere Lehtinen told NHL.com’s Varpu Sihvonen. They’re looking to defend their gold medal from the 2022 edition, this time with NHLers in tow. Sebastian Aho, Aleksander Barkov, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, Mikko Rantanen, and Juuse Saros have already been named to their roster. Interestingly enough, their head coach from the 2022 win, Jukka Jalonen, will now be behind the bench for host country Italy, who are groupmates with Finland.

Islanders Sign Matthew Schaefer

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Back in June, the Islanders made Matthew Schaefer the first overall pick in the draft.  Now, they have their newest top prospect under contract as the team announced that they’ve signed the defenseman to a three-year, entry-level contract.  Financial terms were not disclosed but PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that, as expected, Schaefer has received the maximum allowable.  That means he carries a $975K cap charge including signing bonus money plus an additional $3.5MM in potential performance bonuses, $1MM in ’A’ bonuses and $2.5MM in harder to reach ’B’ bonuses.

The 17-year-old (who will turn 18 next month) didn’t enter last season as the presumptive top selection.  However, a strong start with OHL Erie vaulted him into the discussion heading to the World Juniors.  He only played in two games there for Canada before suffering a broken clavicle that ended his season.  Prior to the injury, he had seven goals and 15 assists in just 17 contests for the Otters.  That was a five-point improvement on the year before, despite playing in 39 fewer games.

That was enough for new GM Mathieu Darche to make him the new centerpiece of their future back end, especially since they dealt their previous top defender, Noah Dobson, to Montreal on draft day for two more first-round picks along with winger Emil Heineman.  New York is all in on Schaefer being the type of all-situations number one defender that is extremely difficult to come by.

That said, while it’s customary for first overall selections to make the jump to the NHL right away, there’s a case to be made that he could benefit from not doing that.  With how much time he missed, he could be better off with one more developmental year under his belt before making the jump.  However, it’s worth noting that if the Islanders feel the same way, he will have to return to Erie as he is no longer eligible to play NCAA hockey having now signed his entry-level pact.

If he winds up playing fewer than ten NHL games next season, his contract will slide.  Alternatively, they could look at the lesser-known threshold of 40 games on the NHL active roster.  If Schaefer came in below that and then was sent back, he’d burn the first year of his contract but not accrue a season of service time toward UFA eligibility.

Speculatively, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Schaefer at least break camp with the Islanders with the team assessing how things are going from there.  They didn’t bring anyone in to take Dobson’s spot on the back end while Mike Reilly also left via free agency, signing with Carolina.  As a result, there’s a definite opening on their back end for Schaefer to fill next season and while he doesn’t have quite the experience that top picks usually have by now, he has the talent to come in and be a difference-maker quite quickly.

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