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Sharks Acquire Alex Nedeljkovic From Penguins

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The Sharks have sent their 2028 third-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, both clubs announced.

In a clever move by the Sharks, the team has strengthened their goaltending while providing an avenue to playing time for youngster Yaroslav Askarov. Since San Jose isn’t expected to contend for a postseason spot next season, the team has nothing to lose by making Nedeljkovic the starting netminder should Askarov stumble out of the gates. And yet, if Askarov succeeds as planned, Nedeljkovic will revert to a familiar backup role. 

It wasn’t long ago that Nedeljkovic was receiving votes for the Calder Memorial Trophy. During the 2020-21 season with the Carolina Hurricanes, Nedeljkovic managed a 15-5-3 record in 23 games with an impressive .932 SV% and 1.90 GAA. Had he continued that output for even 40 games, he would have had a better case for rookie of the year.

Thinking that they had their answer in net, the Detroit Red Wings acquired Nedeljkovic the following offseason. His time in Detroit was where he became seen as a weak starting, but quality backup netminder, earning a 25-31-11 record in 74 games with a .900 SV% and 3.35 GAA. To be fair to Nedeljkovic, the Red Wings put together a lethargic team in front of him.

Going unqualified after the 2022-23 campaign, Nedeljkovic quickly signed on with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Despite nearly willing the Penguins to the postseason in his first year with the club, Nedeljkovic finishes his tenure in Pittsburgh with a 32-22-12 record, a .898 SV%, and 3.05 GAA.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article. 

Mammoth Sign Vítek Vaněček To One-Year Deal

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The Mammoth announced they’ve signed goaltender Vítek Vaněček to a one-year deal. He’ll earn $1.5MM, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports.

Shortly after winning the first Stanley Cup of his career with the Florida Panthers, Vaněček finds a new home rather quickly in Salt Lake City. Unfortunately for his earning power, unrestricted free agency couldn’t have come after a worse season.

There was a time when Vaněček was seen as a quality starting option throughout the league. Throughout the first two years of his NHL career, Vaněček recorded a 41-22-10 record with the Washington Capitals with a .908 SV% and 2.68 GAA as the team’s backup.

Needing some help in the crease, the New Jersey Devils added Vaněček ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, and he played well, managing a 33-11-4 record with a .911 SV%, 2.45 GAA, and securing 8.6 Goals Saved Above Average. Unfortunately, it’s been all downhill since for the Havlickuv Brod, Czechia native.

Vaněček’s output has cratered over the last two years across three different organizations. Starting with the Devils in the 2023-24 season and continuing with a combination of the San Jose Sharks and Panthers in the most recent season, Vaněček has achieved a record of 22 wins, 23 losses, and 7 overtime/shootout losses. His SV% stood at .887, while his GAA of 3.37 resulted in a GSAA of -23.2.

Likely viewed as a third-string option in Utah, Vaněček should find semi-consistent playing time for the time being while Connor Ingram works his way through the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Upon Ingram’s return from the program, Vaněček will likely take a back seat with the Mammoth if he doesn’t find himself on the waiver wire.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article. 

Blue Jackets Sign Isac Lundeström To Two-Year Deal

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The Blue Jackets have signed center Isac Lundeström to a two-year deal worth $1.3MM per season, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.

Taking advantage of the Anaheim Ducks failing to give Lundeström a qualifying offer, the Blue Jackets felt compelled to offer the former first-round pick another opportunity. Lundeström is a natural center and could represent a shrewd option for Columbus to play on their fourth line.

All of a sudden, the up-and-coming Blue Jackets have put together impressive center depth, especially after adding Charlie Coyle a few days ago. Lundeström is not typically recognized for his offensive skills, yet he approached the 30-point mark a few years ago. This output appears even more impressive considering the Ducks have struggled with scoring as a team for several years.

Most of his value in Columbus will come on the defensive side of the puck. Since becoming a full-timer for the Ducks beginning in the 2020-21 NHL season, Lundeström has regularly maintained a higher than 90.0% on-ice save percentage at even strength. The only issue that may arise is his lethargic faceoff percentage of 45.9%.

That success rate in the dot could be palatable from a center with more offensive upside. However, Lundeström started 62.4% of his shifts in Anaheim in the defensive zone, making his faceoff rate look far worse. Although he may take on a similar fourth-line role with the Blue Jackets, they will want him to address those issues in the faceoff circle, or they won’t feel comfortable utilizing him in high-pressure situations.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article. 

Kings Sign Cody Ceci, Brian Dumoulin, Anton Forsberg

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3:51 p.m.: The first two seasons of Dumoulin’s contract are paid mostly via signing bonus, per PuckPedia. He also has a 10-team no-trade list throughout the deal.

1:38 p.m.: The Kings have signed defenseman Cody Ceci to a four-year contract carrying a $4.5MM cap hit and defenseman Brian Dumoulin to a three-year deal with a $4MM cap hit, the team announced. They’ve also signed goaltender Anton Forsberg to a two-year deal at $2.25MM per season to serve as Darcy Kuemper’s backup, per Frank Seravalli.

Los Angeles will lock in a bottom-pair defense in these moves, bringing in two veteran presences in Ceci and Dumoulin. Both are past their primes but still managed to fill top-end roles split between two teams this season. Ceci averaged over 21 games this season, after beginning the year as the clear top defender on a shallow San Jose Sharks club.

He recorded 15 points, 100 blocked shots, and 52 hits while playing nearly 22 minutes a night for 54 games in San Jose. That hardy performance was enough to convince the Dallas Stars to add him as playoff reassurance at the Trade Deadline, in a deal that sent a 2025 first-round pick to the Sharks in exchange for Ceci and Mikael Granlund. Ceci added nine assists in 31 games with the Stars, and played in 85 total games on the season due to the mid-year trade.

Ceci has played through 12 seasons in the NHL. Much of that has been headlined by questions around his two-way performance, but Ceci has remained a pillar of consistency each season, routinely filling top-end minutes and rivaling 25 points a season. He’s totaled 235 points, a plus-two, and an average of 21 minutes of ice time through 871 career games in the NHL.

Dumoulin’s career hasn’t spanned six different clubs like Ceci’s has, though he will be joining his fifth club in the last three years with this move. He was once the proud pillar of the Pittsburgh Penguins blue-line, routinely averaging top-four minutes and modest scoring while operating alongside or behind Kris Letang. Dumoulin’s responsible style and routine rivaling of 100 hits helped him earn a commanding role on both of Pittsburgh’s Stanley Cup wins. He’s been a bit less exciting in the years since his days in Pittsburgh – most recently recording 22 points, 109 blocked shots, and 74 hits between the Anaheim Ducks and New Jersey Devils this season. He continued to average over 19 minutes of ice time through this season, bringing his career-long average to just over 20 minutes across 706 career games. Dumoulin has chipped in 177 points, a plus-95, and over 1,000 blocked shots in those appearances.

Backing up the pair of heavily-used vets will be career-long backup goaltender Forsberg. He has spent the last three seasons serving as backup for the Ottawa Senators, after a one-season jump to the Senators’ starting role in 2021-22. He managed a .917 save percentage in 46 games during that starting season, and has since routinely rivaled a near-exact .900 save percentage while routinely appearing in 30 games. Those are quaint numbers over a multi-year span, but Forsberg has nonetheless shown he can handle a modest backup role. He’s set a .904 save percentage and 74-81-14 record in 190 career games, dating back to the 2014-15 season. While Los Angeles prepares to lockstep Ceci and Dumoulin, Forsberg will fill the backup role vacated by David Rittich.

PHR’s Gabriel Foley contributed significantly to this article.

Rangers To Sign Justin Dowling To Two-Year Deal

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The Rangers are signing center Justin Dowling during free agency, as first reported by Brennan Klak on X. The contract is a two-year deal at league minimum salary, featuring a one-way structure for the 2025-26 season and a two-way structure for the 2026-27 season, according to PuckPedia.

Dowling comes to New York from their division rival, the New Jersey Devils. Despite spending the first year of his two-year arrangement with the Devils’ AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, Dowling received a larger opportunity at the NHL level this past season due to injuries.

In 52 games, the 34-year-old center scored two goals and seven points, averaging 10:13 of ice time with a 48.3% success rate in the faceoff dot. Although that’s tepid production, even for a fourth-line player, it was the best individual output of Dowling’s seven-year NHL career.

Even after a transitional year for the Rangers, it’s hard to imagine Dowling finding much playing time at the NHL level unless there are struggles with injuries. He would be better utilized with their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, especially considering he is two years removed from scoring 14 goals and accumulating 40 points in 57 games with AHL Utica. Given the nature of his contract, along with Dowling’s contract shifting to a two-way agreement in the second half of the season, it seems the Rangers share this perspective on his future potential.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article. 

Ducks Sign Mikael Granlund To Three-Year Deal

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One of the top remaining free agents is off the board. Center Mikael Granlund has signed a three-year deal with the Ducks, the team announced. The contract carries a $7MM cap hit, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports.

Granlund will earn a nice pay raise over the $5MM cap hit he carried over the last four seasons. His last deal, a four-year contract worth $20MM, was originally signed with the Nashville Predators in July of 2021, though it ultimately carried him across tenures with four different clubs He earned the deal on the heels of scoring 13 goals and 27 points in 51 games of the shortened 2020-21 season, and quickly made it look like a value contract with 11 goals and 64 points in the 2021-22 season. He carved out a clear role platooned between Nashville’s top-line wings and second-line center roles, but was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a second-round pick ahead of the 2023 Trade Deadline. Pittsburgh retained Granlund through the rest of the 2022-23 season, before including him in an August 2022 trade that sent Granlund alongside four other players, a 2024 first-round pick, and a 2025 second-round pick in exchange for Erik Karlsson, two other players, and a 2026 third-round pick.

Granlund instantly took to a lead role on a young Sharks lineup, and maintained his hot scoring through the transition. He recorded 12 goals and 60 points in 69 games with San Jose last season, then returned for 45 points in 52 games at the start of this year. But with such a red-hot veteran scorer in their mix, San Jose opted to trade Granlund and defender Cody Ceci to the Dallas Stars at this year’s Trade Deadline, in a deal that landed them a 2025 first-round pick (Joshua Ravensbergen) and a conditional second-round pick that wasn’t exercised. Granlund continued to produce in Dallas, with 21 points in 31 regular-season games and 10 points in 18 postseason games.

The Ducks will be landing a mobile, athletic forward with strong playmaking upside in Granlund. He likely projects into a second-line role, but could offer the team upwards of 40, 50, or even 60 assist upside with the right linemates. He could be an enticing veteran presence to play off of youngsters like Cutter Gauthier and Leo Carlsson, or offer the visionary passing to set up fellow newcomer Chris Kreider on line two. In either mix, Granlund’s speed and passing ability offer a refreshing boost to Anaheim’s bulky lineup.

Granlund has spent a collective 13 years in the NHL, and amassed 610 points in 902 career games. To boot, he’s also averaged north of 19 minutes in ice time in three of the last four seasons. He’ll be a toolsy addition to a Ducks’ top-end that’s looking to make a postseason run — though a three-year deal will carry him through his age-36 season.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.

PHR’s Gabriel Foley contributed significantly to this article.

Penguins Sign Connor Dewar, Philip Tomasino

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After opting not to issue them a qualifying offer yesterday, the Penguins have brought back forwards Connor Dewar and Philip Tomasino on one-year deals, the club announced. Dewar lands a $1.1MM commitment, while Tomasino will earn $1.75MM.

With very few guaranteed roster spots, it made sense for the Penguins to re-sign Dewar and Tomasino. Both players were acquired at different points last season and are young enough to be considered consistent options in Pittsburgh.

Already 26 years old, Dewar is a bottom-six forward through and through. He has played for three different organizations over three seasons, accumulating 21 goals and 47 points in 203 games, along with a -16 rating while with the Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Penguins. He’s spent some time down the middle, but he’s better used on the wing.

Similarly, Pittsburgh acquired Tomasino last season, hoping to get some value from the former 24th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft. He played fairly well for the Penguins after coming over from the Nashville Predators, scoring 11 goals and 23 points in 50 games, averaging 13:27 of ice time.

Tomasino’s offensive talents are well known at this point, but without his defensive capabilities improving, it’s challenging for the Penguins to give him increased opportunity. At any rate, given they haven’t qualified for the postseason in two years, and not being expected to in 2025-26, Pittsburgh quite literally has nothing to lose but giving Tomasino a shot at top-six minutes and see if he can live up to his draft billing and the talents that made him such a prized prospect to begin with.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report Dewar was returning to Pittsburgh.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article. 

Senators Sign Lars Eller

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The Senators announced they’ve signed center Lars Eller to a one-year deal worth $1.25MM.

Eller will once again step away from the Washington Capitals with this decision. He previously spent seven years with the club from 2016 to 2023, and filled a major role on the team’s 2018 Stanley Cup win. The Capitals traded Eller to the Colorado Avalanche for a 2025 second-round pick ahead of the 2023 Trade Deadline, though he’d only go on to play in 24 games with the Avalanche before signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an unrestricted free agent. Eller spent the full 2023-24 season with the Penguins, racking up 15 goals and 31 points while operating out of the team’s third-line center role. He also managed a 52.3 percent faceoff win rate that year.

He continued to win draws and provide impact away from the puck to start Pittsburgh’s 2024-25 season, but a dwindle in scoring led Eller to a mid-season trade back to the Capitals organization. Just two years after acquiring a second-round pick in return for Eller, the Capitals re-acquired him for only a 2027 third-round pick and 2025 fifth-round pick.

But his return to Washington only resulted in six goals and 15 points across 63 appearances. His intangible additions were a boost, but at 35-years-old, it was apparent that Eller was beginning to lose his stride. Still, he’s averaged 27 points per 82 games and a 52 percent faceoff percentage over the last three seasons. He’ll be a hardy, albeit slow, option to fill one of Ottawa’s bottom-two center roles.

PHR’s Gabriel Foley contributed significantly to this article.

Lightning To Sign Pontus Holmberg To Two-Year Deal

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The Lightning are picking up forward Pontus Holmberg after he went unqualified by the Maple Leafs yesterday, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. It’s a two-year deal worth $1.55MM per season, per Darren Dreger of TSN.

As expected, the Lightning are operating on the fringes of this year’s free agent market. In Holmberg, they have added a candidate with low risk and low reward, who can be easily placed in their bottom six.

Tampa Bay’s front office appears to value Holmberg’s potential for lineup flexibility. He’ll likely slot into a third or fourth‑line role, bringing speed at even strength and depth on the penalty kill. Despite scoring a lowly 19 goals and 49 points through 159 career contests, Holmberg averaged a 92.0% on-ice save percentage at even strength with Toronto.

The Lightning came into the offseason with a mandate to build up the team’s bottom-six, and adding Holmberg certainly helps. It’s an open debate whether he’s earned a consistent spot on the roster over a player like Mitchell Chaffee, but Holmberg could replace him if necessary.

Should Holmberg fail to capitalize during his new two-year agreement with the Lightning, it very well could spell the end of his playing career in North America. It likely wouldn’t take him long to find a landing spot overseas, as Holmberg spent much of his professional career with the SHL’s Växjö Lakers HC before coming to the Maple Leafs organization.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article. 

Sabres Sign Justin Danforth, Tyson Kozak

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Forward Justin Danforth is heading to the Sabres on a two-year deal worth $1.8MM per season, Bob McKenzie of TSN reports. They also re-upped RFA forward Tyson Kozak on a three-year deal worth $775,000 per season, carrying a two-way structure in 2025-26 and a one-way structure in 2026-27 and 2027-28.

Danforth’s addition to the Sabres’ lineup addresses a need that the team has been trying to fulfil for several years. Last summer, the team added Beck Malenstyn and Ryan McLeod to their bottom six, and this summer, they have brought in Josh Doan and Danforth.

He’s coming off a fairly successful run with the Columbus Blue Jackets, playing in a similar role. Throughout the last two years, Danforth has scored 19 goals and 47 points in 132 games with a -16 rating, averaging 14:19 of ice time per night. His scoring output should slightly dip with the Sabres, assuming the team plays him in a fourth-line role.

The most important part of Danforth’s game is his physicality. He finished the 2024-25 campaign with 126 hits, which would have ranked fifth on the Sabres and fourth among forwards. In an odd move at the time, Buffalo traded away one of their most physical players, Dylan Cozens, to the Ottawa Senators at last year’s trade deadline.

Meanwhile, Kozak returns to the only organization he’s ever known. The former 193rd overall selection debuted with the Sabres last year, scoring three goals and five points in 21 games. His track record is better known with their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, where Kozak has scored 18 goals and 36 points in 127 games with a -3 rating.

Like Danforth, Kozak is expected to be a physical presence for the Sabres to plug into their bottom-six. Given that the first year of the deal begins as a two-way contract, it seems the Sabres would like Kozak to have another year of seasoning with Rochester before making the full-time jump to the NHL level.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article. 

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