Mac Hollowell Signs In Russia
June 11: Yaroslavl made Hollowell’s addition official today, announcing a one-year deal for the defender on their Telegram channel.
May 29: Pending Group VI unrestricted free agent defenseman Mac Hollowell “is in the final stages of negotiations” to join Russia’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League, Andrey Pchelintsev of Sovsport.ru relays.
Hollowell, 26, hasn’t played in the NHL since receiving a six-game trial with the Maple Leafs in the 2022-23 campaign. He spent this season on a two-way deal with the Penguins after also becoming a Group VI UFA last summer, but he cleared waivers during training camp and went the entire year without a call-up.
The 5’10’, 176-lb righty thus played out his sixth minor-league season with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, leading their defensemen in scoring with 31 points (1 G, 30 A) in 56 games along with a minus-three rating. Pittsburgh was his third NHL organization. He was initially drafted by current Penguins GM Kyle Dubas in 2018 in the fourth round when he was at the helm in Toronto, playing four years in their system before being non-tendered in 2023. He signed a two-way deal with the Rangers that summer but was stashed with their AHL affiliate in Hartford for the entirety of the campaign before inking his most recent two-way agreement with Pittsburgh.
Without a clear pathway to NHL minutes, the Ontario native will look for an expanded role in one of the top leagues in the world. Lokomotiv is fresh off its first Gagarin Cup championship in franchise history. However, they’ve already lost a piece of their back end to the NHL in the form of 2023 No. 6 overall pick Dmitri Simashev, who signed his entry-level contract with the Mammoth yesterday. Hollowell, an adept puck-mover with a career 0.56 points per game rate in 244 AHL games, would be an impact pickup for a club with just three defenders under contract for next season at the time of writing.
Red Wings Sign Michal Postava To Entry-Level Contract
According to a team announcement, the Detroit Red Wings have signed netminder Michal Postava to a two-year, entry-level contract. The deal will run through the 2026-27 NHL season, when Postava will become a restricted free agent.
Based on their transaction history for the last year, Detroit is attempting to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks regarding their goaltending situation. The team brought in veterans Cam Talbot and Jack Campbell last summer and acquired Petr Mrázek from the Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline.
Furthermore, Detroit has two of the higher-end goaltending prospects in the NHL, Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine, although the latter has yet to debut at the professional level. Given his age and relatively brief professional history in Czechia, Postava should be considered a prospect rather than immediate help.
He doesn’t project as high as other netminders in his age group, but Postava is coming off a quality season with HC Kometa Brno in Czechia’s highest league. The 23-year-old goalie managed a 23-18-0 record in 42 games with a .921 SV% and 2.39 GAA, including three shutouts.
He provided even better numbers in the postseason. In 17 playoff contests, Postava earned 10 wins with a .940 SV% and 1.97 GAA, backstopping Kometa Brno to their third league championship.
It’s unlikely that Postava will challenge for a spot on the active roster during training camp, meaning the expectation is that he’ll start the year with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. There, Postava will be paired with Cossa as the Griffins look to build on their competitive 2024-25 season.
Flames Sign Adam Klapka To Two-Year Contract
According to a team announcement, the Calgary Flames have signed forward Adam Klapka to a two-year contract extension. The pending restricted free agent will earn an AAV of $1.25MM on his new deal.
Klapka will earn nearly double his salary from this past season, playing on a one-year, $775K contract through the 2024-25 season. The undrafted forward will remain a restricted free agent upon the expiry of this contract, though he will have earned his arbitration rights.
Fortunately for Klapka, the fully guaranteed contract likely means he’ll be on the Flames roster for much of the 2025-26 season. The Praha, Czechia native split his time during the 2024-25 campaign, registering 31 games with the Flames, and 33 games with their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers.
Each team knows exactly what Klapka brings to the table. He’s more of a point-producer at the AHL level, scoring 48 goals and 97 points in 158 games with AHL Calgary, and another six goals and 11 points in 16 postseason contests.
Still, he should have more to offer in the NHL now that he’s gotten his rookie season out of the way. Klapka finished 2024-25 with six goals and 10 points, while averaging 9:39 of ice time per game.
His main value comes through his physicality. Despite finishing last year tied for 21st on the team in games played, Klapka finished eighth in hits and should compete for the most on the team next season, should he play a full year.
Minor Transactions: 6/10/25
With the European transaction wire looking much busier than the NHL one at this point in the calendar, it’s worth taking a look at some former NHLers on the move overseas at Pro Hockey Rumors:
- Former Blue Jackets first-rounder Gabriel Carlsson has signed a three-year contract with Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League. It’s a return to his home country for Carlsson, who departed the NHL for the SHL’s Växjö Lakers in 2023 but spent last season in Switzerland with the National League’s EV Zug. The 6’5″, 205-lb lefty recorded 18 points in 81 NHL games, mostly for Columbus, aside from a six-game run with the Capitals in his most recent NHL campaign. He spent most of that year with AHL Hershey, where he won a Calder Cup championship. Considering that stands as the defender’s most notable career accomplishment, he’s likely set to play the remainder of his career in Europe. The 28-year-old had 11 points, 40 PIMs, and a plus-four rating in 39 games for Zug this year.
- Power forward Darren Archibald, who got a cup of coffee in the NHL in the late 2010s with the Canucks and Senators, is headed to Hungary to suit up for Fehérvár AV19 in the Austrian ICEHL. Now 35 years old, the Ontario native has spent the last four seasons in Germany with Grizzlys Wolfsburg, where he had a 70-60–130 scoring line with 117 PIMs in 196 DEL games. Archibald scored six goals, eight assists, and 14 points in 55 NHL games with Vancouver and Ottawa in the 2013-14, 2017-18, and 2018-19 seasons before heading to Europe in 2020. He previously logged 16 points in 15 ICEHL games with the Vienna Capitals in 2020-21.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Lightning Sign Jack Finley To Three-Year Contract
For the second time in a little over 48 hours, the Lightning have taken care of one of their pending restricted free agents. The team announced that they’ve signed Jack Finley to a three-year contract worth the league minimum of $775K per season. The structure is identical to the one that Maxwell Crozier signed on Friday in that it’s a two-way deal in year one before converting to a one-way pact for the final two seasons.
The 22-year-old was a second-round pick by the Lightning back in 2020, going 57th overall after being picked out of WHL Spokane. His time in major junior was limited the rest of the way with the 2020-21 campaign largely being shelved while he managed 50 points in 60 games in his final season.
Over his first three professional seasons, Finley has spent the bulk of it in the minors with AHL Syracuse. This season, Finley was limited to just 40 games with the Crunch due to injuries but still had a productive year, notching 14 goals and 14 assists. He also made his NHL debut with Tampa Bay back in January, logging 8:25 in a mid-month game against Boston.
Notably, Finley will be waiver-eligible beginning next season so if he doesn’t make Tampa Bay’s roster out of training camp, he’ll have to pass through waivers unclaimed. With a cheap three-year deal in hand now, that could make him likelier to be claimed if the Lightning want to send him down if there’s another team that feels he’s worth of an NHL look.
Karson Kuhlman Signs With Sweden’s Rögle BK
Former NHL winger Karson Kuhlman has signed a one-year contract with Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League, the club announced. There won’t be a return to North America in 2025-26 for the Minnesota native, who spent last year in Finland with Lukko.
Kuhlman, whose season in Finland this year was the first overseas one of his career, did well to rejuvenate his production. His most recent season stateside was an exceptionally difficult one. Kuhlman inked a two-way deal with the Islanders for 2023-24 but was buried in the minors for the entire season after clearing waivers, putting together a lowly 12-10–22 scoring line with a -29 rating in 72 games for AHL Bridgeport. That’s garish production for someone with nearly 150 games of NHL experience, even for a depth piece.
The former NCAA championship tournament MVP found much more offensive success in Finland. He served as an alternate captain for Lukko and led the club in scoring with a 21-25–46 line in 60 games, helping them finish atop the Liiga regular-season standings for the first time in four years. He was Liiga’s player of the month in December while posting the highest points per game rate of his professional career in any league.
Instead of searching for an NHL two-way deal this summer and battling it out for a roster spot in training camp, he’ll opt for more security in what will presumably be a top-six role with Rögle. The team has been a middle-of-the-pack one in the SHL for the past few years, but has been active this offseason, landing ex-NHLers Mark Friedman and Fredrik Olofsson in recent weeks. They’re still rather light on offensive firepower, though, and Kuhlman has a chance to play the same starring role for them as he did for Lukko.
Kuhlman, undrafted, last saw NHL action in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Jets. He has a 12-18–30 career scoring line in 147 games with Boston, Seattle, and Winnipeg.
Oilers Sign Viljami Marjala
The Oilers have made another addition to their prospect pool. The team announced that they have signed forward Viljami Marjala to a two-year, entry-level contract. PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the deal will carry a cap hit of $872.5K and an AAV of $975K including his signing bonus and games-played bonus.
The 22-year-old was originally a fifth-round pick by Buffalo back in 2021, going 159th overall. However, the Sabres elected not to sign him by last Sunday’s deadline, making Marjala an unrestricted free agent and Edmonton quickly pounced.
Marjala finished fifth in Finland’s Liiga in assists this season with 44, two ahead of defenseman Atro Leppanen, who also signed with the Oilers recently. However, he had just eight goals with TPS Turku, less than half of the 17 he put up in 2023-24 which may have played a role in Buffalo letting him go.
Marjala signed with Karpat in Finland a little more than a month ago, inking a one-year deal plus an option that evidently contained an NHL out clause. It’s possible that Edmonton will loan him back there for next season, or they could have him start with AHL Bakersfield to get his feet wet at that level. It won’t be Marjala’s first taste of hockey in North America, however, as he spent two years in the QMJHL, the first of which helped get him originally drafted.
Lightning Sign Maxwell Crozier To Three-Year Contract
The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed defenseman Maxwell Crozier to a three-year, $2.325MM contract. The deal carries a league-minimum, $775K cap hit. It will be a two-way contract in the first year, then convert to a one-way deal for the final two years. Crozier was set to become a restricted-free agent this summer. With a new deal in place, Tampa Bay now has four remaining players headed for free agency.
Crozier spent the majority of his season with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. His reputation for always being involved grew louder over the course of the year as he earned career-highs across the board. He recorded nine goals, 25 assists, and 34 points in 52 games. He also added 75 penalty minutes and a plus-16. All five marks beat out his rookie totals from last year, when he managed 21 points, 43 penalty minutes, and a plus-one in 49 games.
Tampa Bay recalled Crozier for the first 13 games of his NHL career throughout the 2023-24 regular season. His performances were modest – headlined by two assists, seven penalty minutes, and a minus-two. The Lightning must have seen a pro-ready through that stat line, and turned to Crozier for three games of a fill-in role during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He earned an additional five NHL appearances this year, but managed no changes to his stat line.
Crozier was originally drafted 120th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft. He spent four seasons at Providence College after his draft selection, and totaled 71 points in 119 collegiate games. He’s also managed 58 points, 124 penalty minutes, and a plus-18 through 110 games in the AHL. Crozier is a tall, rangy defender who engages opponents with his stick or body checks; and makes smart passes once he pokes the puck loose. The Lightning will give him a chance to earn a full-time NHL-role over the next three seasons, on a deal that comes at little-to-no risk.
Canucks Hire Brett McLean, Scott Young As Assistant Coaches
The Vancouver Canucks are nearing the finalization of their coaching staff for the 2025-26 NHL season. The organization announced that it has hired Brett McLean and Scott Young as assistant coaches, and confirmed a report from a few days ago, indicating that Kevin Dean would also be joining the staff.
McLean earns his first stint back in the NHL since his time as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Wild from 2020 to 2023. He’s spent the last two years serving as the head coach for the AHL’s Iowa Wild, managing a 54-74-10-6 record in 144 games.
Young is the only one of the trio who’s not an outside hire. He’s spent the last three years as the organization’s Director of Player Personnel, after joining Rick Tocchet‘s staff during the 2022-23 campaign. Before his tenure in Vancouver, Young had served as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Director of Player Development, joining the team the year after Tocchet had departed in 2017.
Although the Canucks’ on-bench coaching staff is taking shape around Adam Foote, some non-bench coaches aren’t expected to return next season. According to Rob Williams of Daily Hive Vancouver, development coach Sergei Gonchar and video coach Dylan Crawford won’t be a part of Foote’s staff.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Gonchar join Tocchet’s staff with the Philadelphia Flyers in a similar role. The two have inconsistently coached together since the 2015-16 season in Pittsburgh, with Gonchar joining Tocchet upon his move to Vancouver in 2022-23.
Canadiens’ Gustav Lindström Signs Five-Year Contract In SHL
Djurgårdens IF of the Swedish Hockey League has signed Canadiens pending RFA defenseman Gustav Lindström to a five-year deal, the club announced. He’s now set to play in his home country through the 2029-30 season.
Lindström, a depth piece on the Red Wings’ blue line after they drafted him in the second round in 2017, was first picked up by Montreal ahead of the 2023-24 season in exchange for Jeff Petry. He was claimed off waivers by the Ducks mid-season, but after Anaheim didn’t issue him a qualifying offer, he returned to Montreal as a UFA signing at the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign.
The Canadiens waived Lindström to begin the year, and that was his most recent transaction. He spent the entire season in the minors for the first time since arriving in North America in 2019, recording a 4-7–11 scoring line with 28 PIMs and a +18 rating in 42 games for AHL Laval. Understandably, he’ll opt for more opportunity overseas in a more familiar environment.
Montreal can still issue Lindström a qualifying offer to retain his signing rights, but doing so would only keep him on their reserve list through June 30, 2026. Unless he desires an NHL return one year into his multi-year commitment to Djurgården, doing so would only take up a reserve list spot unnecessarily. It’s more likely they’ll non-tender him and let his exclusive NHL signing rights lapse.
The 6’2″ Lindström heads back home after posting a 5-30–35 scoring line with a -21 rating in 174 NHL games for Anaheim, Detroit, and Montreal between 2019-20 and 2023-24. He averaged 15:34 per game during his tenure with the three clubs.
Lindström’s only previous SHL experience came with Frölunda HC in the 2018-19 campaign, when he posted six points and a minus-five rating in 40 games while playing a depth role on the league’s championship club that year. He now joins a Djurgårdens team fresh off promotion following three years in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan. He’s the second pending NHL RFA they’ve picked up in the last few weeks, joining Predators winger Jesse Ylönen.