Senators Acquire Jordan Spence From Kings
The Ottawa Senators are reportedly getting close to acquiring defenseman Jordan Spence from the Los Angeles Kings, per TSN’s Bruce Garrioch. The Los Angeles Kings will receive a 2025 third-round pick – 67th-overall – and a 2026 sixth-round pick in return per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The move has been confirmed by the Senators.
In the minutes leading up to the start of draft day two, Ottawa has pulled off yet another lucrative deal. They acquired the third-round pick moved in this deal from the Nashville Predators on Friday, as part of a package with the 23rd-overall pick to move up to Ottawa’s 21st-oveall slot. The Senators went on to select Logan Hensler at 23, landing a heavy-body and poised defender who should fit perfectly ahead of Spence in the Senators’ future lineup. That makes this acquisition of Spence all the sweeter for Ottawa. For the net cost of 21st overall and a sixth-round pick, they’ll land a top prospect in Hensler, and a high-upside puck-mover in Spence.
Spence climbed into a hardy role in the Kings lineup over the last two seasons, on the back of confident play-driving and gradual improvements to his game away from the puck. Last season marked his first full year in the NHL, and he marked it with 24 points, 12 penalty minutes, and a plus-five through 71 games played. Not to be outdone, Spence returned to the NHL full-time this year and improved his stat line to 28 points, 16 penalty minutes, and a plus-23 in 79 appearances. He’s a crafty and quick defender, though one often undercut by his 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame.
That size has kept Spence an unheralded player for much of his hockey career. He was originally drafted by the Kings in the fourth round of the 2019 NHL Draft, following a year where he scored 49 points in 68 games with the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats. He continued on in the QMJHL for the next two seasons, and didn’t reach point-per-game scoring until he managed 40 points in 22 games of the shortened 2020-21 campaign.
It was on the heels of that surge to scoring that Spence opted to turn pro. He played through his rookie AHL season, and fell one game short of his rookie NHL season, in the 2021-22 season. That year was marked by a productive 42 points in 46 AHL games, but just eight points in 24 NHL games. He returned for much of the same in the following year – netting 45 points in 56 AHL games but just one point in six NHL appearances.
Now, Spence seems firmly set as a routine, full-time NHL fixture. That fact made him a tough asset for the Kings to hold onto, with Drew Doughty and Brandt Clarke holding firm roles in the lineup above Spence. The Senators should be able to reward him with much more playing time – with their right-side only blocked off by Artem Zub and Nick Jensen, two options who move the puck far less than Spence. That setup could be the makings of a breakout year for the flashy defender, though just how well his all-three-zones playmaking will hold up at the NHL level is yet to be seen.
Jets Sign Haydn Fleury To Two-Year Extension
The Winnipeg Jets have announced a two-year, $1.9MM contract extension for defenseman Haydn Fleury. The deal was first reported by Murat Ates of The Athletic, who shares that it will carry a cap hit of $950K. More specifically, Fleury will be paid $1MM in salary in year-one, and $900K in year two, per PuckPedia. Fleury appeared in just 39 NHL games this season after a mid-season knee injury held him out for much of January and February.
Fleury recorded seven assists, six penalty minutes, and a minus-12 during the regular season. He returned to full health in time for the postseason, and chipped in an additional two assists and eight penalty minutes in eight games. It was, by and large, another quiet season for the 2014 seventh-overall pick. He filled a firm, third-pair role on the Jets roster, and only earned go-to minutes as the result of injury or other’s mistakes. But through his shortened season were flashes of stout improvements to his game away from the puck. Fleury ranked fourth on the Jets blue-line in hits-per-60 minutes this season, with a 4.63 average placing him above booth Neal Pionk (4.49) and Dylan Samberg (2.64). Fleury also recorded the second-highest blocks-per-60 minutes with a 5.40 average, behind only Samberg (5.67).
Those are strong improvements for a player who often looked unable to jump off the page in any one way. Even with a mid-season injury, Fleury’s 39 appearances this year are his most since the Carolina Hurricanes’ 2019-20 season, when he recorded 14 points in 45 games. He’s now appeared solely in the NHL through five of the last six seasons, earning extra-defender roles with each of the Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks, Seattle Kraken, and Tampa Bay Lightning. He may not be the flashiest player, but Fleury seems a reasonable bet to round out Winnipeg’s blue-line depth. They’ll cement him to that role for the next two seasons with a cost-effective deal.
2025 NHL Draft Pick Tracker
June 28: Rounds 2 through 7 start at 11:00 a.m. Central. Follow along with the picks at Pro Hockey Rumors. If you’re looking for a directory of draft pick swaps today, follow our offseason trade tracker.
June 27: The 2025 NHL Draft at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles is set to begin momentarily. We’re providing in-depth coverage on all the happenings tonight and Saturday for Rounds 2 through 7, but if you’re looking for a quick reference list of who’s been picked, we’ve got you covered. This tracker will be updated live throughout tonight and tomorrow.
We’re trying something new this year. Instead of a live chat on Friday or Saturday, PHR’s Josh Erickson will be active in the comment section on this piece, chiming in on picks and responding to questions. Hopefully, this will allow for more open-ended conversations and engagement.
As the first round progresses, you can check out how well our Gabriel Foley did at projecting the picks with his 2025 Mock Draft.
First Round
- New York Islanders – D Matthew Schaefer / Erie (OHL)
- San Jose Sharks – C Michael Misa / Saginaw (OHL)
- Chicago Blackhawks – C Anton Frondell / Djurgården (Sweden-2)
- Utah Mammoth – C Caleb Desnoyers / Moncton (QMJHL)
- Nashville Predators – C Brady Martin / Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
- Philadelphia Flyers – RW Porter Martone / Brampton (OHL)
- Boston Bruins – C James Hagens / Boston College (Hockey East)
- Seattle Kraken – C Jake O’Brien / Brantford (OHL)
- Buffalo Sabres – D Radim Mrtka / Seattle (WHL)
- Anaheim Ducks – C Roger McQueen / Brandon (WHL)
- Pittsburgh Penguins – C Benjamin Kindel / Calgary (WHL)
- Philadelphia Flyers (from NYR) – C Jack Nesbitt / Windsor (OHL)
- Detroit Red Wings – LW Carter Bear / Everett (WHL)
- Columbus Blue Jackets – D Jackson Smith / Tri-City (WHL)
- Vancouver Canucks – C Braeden Cootes / Seattle (WHL)
- New York Islanders (from CGY) – LW Victor Eklund / Djurgården (Sweden-2)
- New York Islanders (from MTL) – D Kashawn Aitcheson / Barrie (OHL)
- Calgary Flames (from NJD) – C Cole Reschny / Victoria (WHL)
- St. Louis Blues – RW Justin Carbonneau / Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)
- Columbus Blue Jackets (from MIN) – G Pyotr Andreyanov / CSKA Moscow-Jr. (MHL)
- Nashville Predators (from OTT) – D Cameron Reid / Kitchener (OHL)
- Pittsburgh Penguins (from COL) – LW Bill Zonnon / Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)
- Ottawa Senators (from TBL) – D Logan Hensler / Wisconsin (Big 10)
- Pittsburgh Penguins (from LAK) – C William Horcoff / Michigan (Big 10)
- Chicago Blackhawks (from TOR) – RW Václav Nestrašil / Muskegon (USHL)
- Nashville Predators (from VGK) – RW Ryker Lee / Madison (USHL)
- Washington Capitals – LW Lynden Lakovic / Moose Jaw (WHL)
- Winnipeg Jets – D Sascha Boumedienne / Boston University (Hockey East)
- Chicago Blackhawks (from CAR) – C Mason West / Edina (USHS-MN)
- San Jose Sharks (from DAL) – G Joshua Ravensbergen / Prince George (WHL)
- Los Angeles Kings (from EDM) – D Henry Brzustewicz / London (OHL)
- Calgary Flames (from FLA) – LW Cullen Potter / Arizona State (NCHC)
Second Round
33. San Jose Sharks – D Haoxi (Simon) Wang / Oshawa (OHL)
34. Montreal Canadiens (from CHI) – RW Alexander Zharovsky / Ufa-Jr. (MHL)
35. Nashville Predators – D Jacob Rombach / Lincoln (USHL)
36. Seattle Kraken (from PHI) – D Blake Fiddler / Edmonton (WHL)
37. Washington Capitals (from BOS) – C Milton Gästrin / MoDo-Jr. (Sweden-Jr.)
38. Philadelphia Flyers (from SEA) – D Carter Amico / U.S. U18 (NTDP)
39. Pittsburgh Penguins (from BUF) – D Peyton Kettles / Swift Current (WHL)
40. Philadelphia Flyers (from ANA) – LW Jack Murtagh / U.S. U18 (NTDP)
41. Carolina Hurricanes (from PIT) – G Semyon Frolov / Spartak Moscow-Jr. (MHL)
42. New York Islanders – RW Daniil Prokhorov / Dynamo St. Petersburg (MHL)
43. New York Rangers – LW Malcolm Spence / Erie (OHL)
44. Detroit Red Wings – RW Eddie Genborg / Linköping-Jr. (Sweden-Jr.)
45. Anaheim Ducks (from CBJ) – C Eric Nilson / Djurgården-Jr. (Sweden-Jr.)
46. Utah Mammoth – D Max Psenicka / Portland (WHL)
47. Vancouver Canucks – G Aleksei Medvedev / London (OHL)
48. Philadelphia Flyers (from CGY) – RW Shane Vansaghi / Michigan State (Big 10)
49. Carolina Hurricanes (from MTL) – C Charlie Cerrato / Penn State (Big 10)
50. New Jersey Devils – C Conrad Fondrk / U.S. U18 (NTDP)
51. Boston Bruins (from STL) – C William Moore / U.S. U18 (NTDP)
52. Minnesota Wild – D Theodor Hallquisth / Örebro-Jr. (Sweden-Jr.)
53. San Jose Sharks (from OTT) – C Cole McKinney / U.S. U18 (NTDP)
54. Calgary Flames (from COL) – C Theo Stockselius / Djurgården-Jr. (Sweden-Jr.)
55. Vegas Golden Knights (from TBL) – RW Jakob Ihs-Wozniak / Luleå-Jr. (Sweden-Jr.)
56. Tampa Bay Lightning (from LAK) – C Ethan Czata / Niagara (OHL)
57. Philadelphia Flyers (from TOR) – C Matthew Gard / Red Deer (WHL)
58. Nashville Predators (from VGK) – G Jack Ivankovic / Brampton (OHL)
59. Los Angeles Kings (from WSH) – LW Vojtech Cihar / Karlovy Vary (Czechia)
60. Anaheim Ducks (from WPG) – D Lasse Boelius / Ässät-Jr. (Finland-Jr.)
61. Boston Bruins (from CAR) – D Liam Pettersson / Växjö-Jr. (Sweden-Jr.)
62. Carolina Hurricanes (from DAL) – C Ivan Ryabkin / Muskegon (USHL)
63. New Jersey Devils (from EDM) – RW Ben Kevan / Des Moines (USHL)
64. Toronto Maple Leafs (from FLA) – C Tinus Luc Koblar / Leksand-Jr. (Sweden-Jr.)
Capitals Sign Justin Sourdif To Two-Year Deal
The Capitals have signed winger Justin Sourdif to a two-year deal worth $1.65MM, the team announced Saturday. It’ll carry a cap hit of $825K. The team didn’t specify whether it’s a one-way or two-way contract, but PuckPedia confirms it’s the former. He’ll earn an $800K salary in 2025-26 and an $850K salary in 2026-27.
Washington acquired Sourdif, who was set to become a restricted free agent next Tuesday, from the Panthers on Thursday in exchange for a pair of draft picks, including a 2026 second-round selection. The 23-year-old was a third-round pick by Florida in 2020 and was wrapping up his entry-level contract.
Sourdif’s $825K cap hit is lower than the NHL salary he would have earned by accepting his qualifying offer, which would have been $874,125. That QO would have been a two-way contract, though, and only for one year. By taking this contract, he lands an exponentially higher salary guarantee along with an extra year of insurance.
With contract business now in the rearview, Sourdif turns his attention toward cracking Washington’s opening night roster in the fall. He’s got a good chance of doing so. If the Capitals wanted to assign him to AHL Hershey, he’d need to clear waivers. That’s not a risk they’d presumably be willing to take given the acquisition cost they paid.
Sourdif has spent the vast majority of his three professional seasons with AHL Charlotte, where the 5’11” sniper has a 35-61–96 scoring line in 149 career games. That includes 16 goals and 34 points in 48 games this past season, his best points-per-game total in the pros by far. He’s also landed four NHL appearances with Florida over the last two seasons, including one in 2024-25 against the Predators in February. That game saw him record his first NHL goal.
He joins a group of depth forwards vying for bottom-six roster spots in Washington that includes Ethen Frank, Hendrix Lapierre, and Ivan Miroshnichenko. If there needs to be an odd man out, it’ll presumably be Miroshnichenko. While a first-round pick in 2022 who’s still on a good development track, he’s the only waiver-exempt one of the group.
Flames Sign Kevin Bahl To Six-Year Contract
The Flames have locked up one of their pending restricted free agents as they announced that they’ve signed defenseman Kevin Bahl to a six-year contract with an AAV of $5.35MM per season. PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the breakdown of the agreement is as follows:
2025-26: $2.35MM salary, $3MM signing bonus
2026-27 – 2030-31: $5.35MM salary; no-trade list from 2027-28 to 2030-31
The 25-year-old was a piece of the trade last June that saw New Jersey acquire goaltender Jacob Markstrom from the Flames. Bahl was added along with a first-round pick that was used on center Cole Reschny last night with the 18th overall selection.
A move to Calgary meant a move to bigger role for Bahl. After four seasons of battling for minutes on New Jersey’s bottom pairing, he immediately took to a top-end role for the Flames. Bahl averaged over 21 minutes of ice time a night through 73 games this season, while serving as the go-to partner for top Flames’ defenseman Rasmus Andersson. That role earned Bahl a career-high 20 points, complemented by a minus-six and 35 penalty minutes. Bahl also ranked third on the Flames blue-line in hits (109), third in blocked shots (116), and fourth in takeaways (24).
Landing a strong spot across the stat categories is great momentum for the young Bahl, who had only appeared in 148 games with the Devils prior to joining the Flames. He totaled 25 points, a minus-one, and 127 penalty minutes in those appearances – marks that he’s already outpaced, or outright broken, with the Flames. He’s an imposing, 6-foot-6 defenseman who’s adjusted well to playing away from the puck and jumping up into play at an NHL level. Those were the traits that many scouts questioned in the 2018 NHL Draft – forcing the large-frame defender down to the Arizona Coyotes’ selection at 55th overall. The Coyotes traded him to the Devils in their 2019 acquisition of Taylor Hall and Blake Speers.
Now, two teams later, Bahl has cemented an NHL contract that will carry him through his age-30 season. Bahl is a lanky, defense-first defender who played opposite a strong puck-mover all year long. That fact, and his physical upside, could set up a long career in tandem with aggressive scoring-defenseman Zayne Parekh.
Blue Jackets Re-Sign Zach Sawchenko To One-Year Deal
The Blue Jackets have taken care of one of their pending restricted free agents before draft action picks back up. The team announced that they’ve signed goaltender Zach Sawchenko to a one-year, two-way contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 27-year-old spent this past season with AHL Cleveland, getting into 27 games with the Monsters where he posted a 10-11-5 record with a 3.00 GAA and a .900 SV%. Sawchenko has played in 106 contests at the AHL level over the past four seasons but NHL playing time has been hard to come by along the way as he has just seven appearances at the top level, all coming back in 2021-22 with San Jose where he had a 3.35 GAA and a .901 SV%.
Sawchenko was the backup to Jet Greaves in Cleveland in 2024-25. However, with Greaves now in line to move up to Columbus full-time following this week’s trade of Daniil Tarasov to Florida, Sawchenko could become the starter for the Monsters next season with prospect Nolan Lalonde serving as the backup in his first professional year. Alternatively, Columbus could look to add another netminder in free agency to push Sawchenko for the starting job with the Monsters and allow Lalonde to get more regular minutes in the ECHL.
Chicago Blackhawks Acquire 29th Overall Pick, Select Mason West
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Carolina Hurricanes have traded the 29th overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft to the Chicago Blackhawks for the 34th and 62nd overall picks, plus a fifth-round pick in 2027. With their third first-round pick of the evening, the Blackhawks have selected Mason West from the USHL’s Fargo Force.
West, who will be joining the NCAA’s Michigan State University Spartans in the fall of 2026-27, is an intriguing prospect for a few reasons. He’s a towering forward, considering his talent, standing at 6’6″, 218lbs. Although he finished the year with USHL Fargo, he spent much of the year with Edina High School in Minnesota, scoring 27 goals and 49 points in 31 games.
Once he transitioned to Fargo toward the end of the year, he scored one goal and nine points in 10 games. The most fascinating part about West is that he’s never been a full-time hockey player. Throughout his time with Edina, West doubled as a premier high school quarterback and could receive D1 scholarships if his senior season this autumn goes well.
Because of his non-zero chance of cracking an NFL roster someday, West was projected to fall into the second round, anywhere between the 45th and 55th overall picks. The Blackhawks see potential in West and believe he will continue his professional hockey career.
Pittsburgh Penguins Acquire 24th Overall Pick, Select Will Horcoff
According to a team announcement, the Los Angeles Kings have traded the 24th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the 31st and 59th overall selections. Using the pick, the Penguins selected Will Horcoff from the University of Michigan.
Horcoff, the son of longtime Edmonton Oiler Shawn Horcoff, had a split season during the 2024-25 campaign. He began the year with the United States National Team Development Program in Plymouth, MI, scoring eight goals and 14 points in 28 games with a +5 rating.
After making the short trip to Ann Arbor, MI, for the second half of the season, Horcoff finished his first year with the Wolverines with four goals and 10 points in 18 contests. He also performed well on the international stage, scoring two goals and four points in seven games for Team USA at the U18 World Junior Championship.
Unfortunately, few believed that Horcoff had the necessary offensive talent to warrant a first-round selection, with several mocks projecting him to fall to the second round. Still, at 6’4″, he’ll immediately add size and physicality to the Penguins system, and is arguably one of, if not the best, defensive forward available at this year’s draft. At any rate, it’ll be a few years before Pittsburgh sees the value in this pick, as Horcoff is expected to return to Michigan in the fall.
Nashville Predators Acquire 21st Overall Pick, Select Cameron Reid
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Ottawa Senators have traded the 21st overall selection of the 2025 NHL Draft to the Nashville Predators for the 23rd and 67th overall picks. The Predators have selected Cameron Reid from the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers as the franchise’s newest player at the time of writing.
Reid joins the Predators’ system as a very high-floor defensive prospect, being projected right around the time of selection if not a few spots higher. He recently completed his second season with the Rangers, scoring 14 goals and 54 points in 67 games with a +39 rating.
Unfortunately, Reid looked a bit weaker in the postseason, tallying five assists in 14 postseason contests with a -5 rating. It was an identical output to last year’s postseason in four additional games.
Although he’s mostly associated with the two-way archetype, Reid’s offensive capabilities are the best part of his game. He is an exceptional skater with advanced hockey IQ for his age, and his draft stock rose this season due to his effortless joining of the rush.
In all seriousness, shot selection may be his only true weakness, which is true of most younger defensemen, anyway. If he continues his developmental trajectory, Reid should have no issue being a top-four blueliner on Nashville’s roster and finding a role on both special teams units.
Flyers Acquire 12th Overall Pick, Select Jack Nesbitt
As first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Pittsburgh Penguins have traded the 12th overall pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for the 22nd and 31st overall selections. With their newfound pick, the Flyers selected forward Jack Nesbitt from the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires.
In what is considered a surprise selection by most analysts’ projections, the Flyers selected a player projected toward the bottom third of the first round, if not the second round. The most logical explanation is that Philadelphia believed other teams were interested in Nesbitt and were uncomfortable waiting until the 22nd pick to select him.
Still, he’s a prototypical Flyers player and has serious puck skills. Standing at 6’4″, 183 lbs, Nesbitt was selected as a center, but given his skating ability, is likely destined for a spot on the left wing. He recently concluded his second full year in Windsor, scoring 25 goals and 64 points in 65 games with a +12 rating, and winning the OHL’s Most Improved Player Award as voted on by the coaches.
Unfortunately, despite the raw scoring potential, there are serious concerns with Nesbitt’s skating ability. His scoring pace and effort level declined significantly toward the end of the 2024-25 campaign, tallying only one goal in 12 postseason contests with a -5 rating.