Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Transactions

Mammoth Sign Dmitri Simashev To Entry-Level Contract

at CDT | by 2 Comments

11:31 a.m.: Simashev’s deal includes a base salary of $855K, a signing bonus of $95K, and up to $1MM of Schedule “A” performance bonuses each season for a cap hit of $950K, per PuckPedia. Notably, the contract includes a European Assignment Clause, meaning Simashev could trigger a loan back to Yaroslavl next season if he’s not on the NHL roster.

11:04 a.m.: The Mammoth announced today they’ve signed their top defense prospect, 2023 sixth overall pick Dmitri Simashev, to a three-year entry-level contract. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Simashev was technically selected by the Coyotes two years ago but had his signing rights transferred to Utah when Arizona’s hockey operations assets were sold to Smith Entertainment Group last summer to establish the Mammoth franchise. A 6’5″, 207-lb stay-at-home defender, he was widely expected to sign his entry-level deal with Utah shortly after his season in his native Russia ended.

This season was his second full professional campaign with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League, and it ended in a Gagarin Cup championship for the 20-year-old. He was a bottom-pairing fixture for Lokomotiv, averaging just under 16 minutes per game in the regular season, and suited up in all 21 postseason contests for them while recording one assist and a minus-one rating.

While Simashev may have a future in Salt Lake as a high-end shutdown piece in the top-four, he doesn’t have the offensive upside we’ve come to expect out of defensemen selected that high in the draft. Over the last two regular seasons in Yaroslavl, he’s been limited to a 5-6–11 scoring line in 122 games. His +19 rating during that time is promising, though, especially considering his limited minutes.

In his 2025 prospect pool rankings, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler labeled Simashev as the second-best prospect in Utah’s system and called him “a potential top-four defenseman who can play minutes and drive results with his defensive play, length and skating.” Whether the lefty makes the immediate jump to the NHL next season remains to be seen – but at his peak, he’s likely averaging north of 20 minutes per game for the Mammoth with heavy penalty-kill deployment.

At first glance, it seems likely he’ll start his professional career in North America with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. The Mammoth have their left side on defense locked in for next season with Mikhail Sergachev, Olli Määttä, and Ian Cole, with Juuso Välimäki still in the mix as a potential healthy extra as well. Cole and Välimäki are slated for unrestricted free agency in 2026, though, paving the way for Simashev to graduate to full-time NHL minutes a year from now after a season of adjustment in the minors.

“It feels amazing. I had a goal to win the Gagarin Cup and then go to the NHL and try to be the best player I can be,” Simashev told Utah freelance beat writer Craig Morgan. “I watched highlights of every Utah game. I know every player in Utah and how they play. Coming to Utah, for me, it’s basically like a dream.”

Simashev is too old to be slide-eligible, so his deal goes into effect next season regardless of how many NHL games he plays. He’ll be a restricted free agent following the 2027-28 campaign.

Hurricanes Sign Nikita Quapp To Entry-Level Contract

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed German goaltender Nikita Quapp to a two-year, entry-level contract. Carolina originally drafted Quapp in the sixth-round of the 2021 NHL Draft. He was the 17th goaltender off the board that year, and becomes the 12th to sign his entry-level contract with this move.

Quapp was drafted just a few months after making his debut in the DEL – Germany’s top pro league. He recorded a .871 save percentage and 2-6-0 record in his first 11 professional games – but regained some ground with an .888 Sv% in two games at the 2021 World Junior Championship. He spent an entire season in the DEL following his draft selection, and was able to inch his stat-line up to a .875 Sv% and 3-6-0 record. Quapp also returned for the 2022 World Juniors, and managed an impressive .893 Sv% despite facing a daunting 75 shots in losses to Team USA and Team Sweden.

Quapp’s difficult pro role was lightened a bit when he was assigned to the DEL-2 in the 2022-23 season. He performed far better in the minor-pro league, recording a .917 Sv% and 6-6-0 record in 12 games played. Quapp also earned the starting role outright at the 2023 World Juniors, and managed an impressive .901 Sv% and 1-3-0 record while averaging 30 shots against per game. He continued to grow with a .920 Sv% and 11-14-0 record in 26 DEL-2 games last season – but returned to Earth with an .870 Sv% and no wins in nine DEL games this year.

The story of Quapp’s journey through Germany’s ranks takes its twists and turns – but his career-long .919 Sv% in 38 DEL-2 games is the third-highest from a goaltender before their 21st birthday. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound netminder plays with impressive athleticism and sharp awareness of loose pucks, but could struggle to adjust to the full speed of North American pros right away. He’ll enter the Hurricanes organization blazing down a long road to the AHL starter’s crease, and could find a boost of upside if and when he earns the role.

Kraken Sign Tyson Jugnauth To Entry-Level Contract

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Seattle Kraken have signed 2022 fourth-round pick Tyson Jugnauth to a three-year, entry-level contract. Jugnauth recently concluded his second season with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. He was expected to move to Michigan State University this summer, but will instead turn pro in the Kraken organization with this deal.

Jugnauth took home the BCHL’s ’Top Defender’ award in his draft year of 2021-22, after posting 41 assists and 50 points in 52 games with the West Kelowna Warriors. He showed plenty of talent as a 200-foot playmaker, and carried his talents to the University of Wisconsin following his #100th-overall selection in the draft. The Badgers awarded Jugnauth with third-pairing minutes as a freshman and the dwindle in role seemed to impact him. He recorded a measly 15 points and minus-20 through 32 games. Those underclass struggles continued through 13 games of his sophomore season, marked by just two points in his first 13 games. That decrease sparked Jugnauth to make a rare mid-season move from college to the WHL.

That decision paid off almost instantly – as Jugnauth quickly rediscovered his two-way impact and won out a premier lineup role in the return to juniors. He recorded 41 points and a plus-40 through 41 games of his first WHL season, while backing lineup stars like Nate Danielson and Luca Cagnoni. Jugnauth took on a heap of responsibility when both players opted to turn pro last summer – and he matched the bill well. He scored 13 goals and 89 points in 65 games this season, good for second on Portland in scoring and enough to earn Jugnauth the WHL’s ’Defenseman of the Year’ award.

Jugnauth will now try to use the momentum of an award-winning year to ramp his jump to the pro flight. He’s a nimble, speedy, and deceptive defender with the awareness to make smart plays on both sides of the puck. But a 5-foot-11, 170-pound frame could be a bit frail for the AHL – and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Jugnauth take a bit before he’s fully adjusted to pros. Current NCAA bylaws would restrict his ability to continue on to college this summer – though his eligibility will be worth monitoring as the NHL continues to flesh out a budding relationship between the CHL and college hockey.

Tomas Tatar Signs Two-Year Deal With Switzerland’s EV Zug

at CDT | by 1 Comment

After 14 years, Tomas Tatar’s NHL career has likely drawn to a close. The pending unrestricted free agent winger has signed a two-year contract with EV Zug of the Swiss National League, the club announced.

Once a consistent 20-goal scorer and one of the game’s better defensive forwards, the Slovakia native’s game declined sharply two years ago. After posting 20 goals, 48 points, and a career-high +41 rating in 82 games for New Jersey in 2022-23, he mustered just 24 points in 70 games split between the Avalanche and Kraken the following year before returning to New Jersey on a one-year, $1.8MM contract last summer.

The return to the Garden State didn’t work out nearly as well as either side would have hoped for. He was limited to a 7-10–17 scoring line in 74 appearances, a career-low 0.23 points per game pace over a full season, and averaged just 11:06 per game. He was a healthy scratch at times throughout the campaign before going pointless with a plus-one rating in the Devils’ first-round elimination at the hands of the Hurricanes.

Tatar’s jump to Europe doesn’t come out of nowhere. There were rumors of him potentially heading overseas in the summer of 2023 when he had trouble finding a fit in free agency. He eventually signed a contract with Colorado just before training camp. This year, Zug made their interest in Tatar clear even before the regular season ended and said he was atop their list of offseason targets.

Zug, which has been more of a middle-of-the-pack club in the NL since winning back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022, gets their man. While the 34-year-old has exclusively played on the wing since making his NHL debut for the Red Wings back in 2010, he’ll shift to center as he takes his career to Europe, Zug GM Reto Klay said in the team’s announcement of his signing.

Detroit picked up Tatar with the penultimate pick of the second round in the 2009 draft. Among the class, he ranks 13th in games played (927), 11th in goals (227), 14th in assists (269), 15th in points (496), and 12th with a career +43 rating. He’ll easily jump 40 or so spots in any redraft.

As such, teams looking for experienced wing depth on the open market this summer will need to scratch Tatar’s name off their list. Zug’s press release made no mention of an NHL out-clause next summer if the first year of his deal goes quite well, so all indications are he’ll remain in Switzerland through the 2026-27 campaign.

Michael Sgarbossa Signs With Swiss League’s HC Lugano

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Forward Michael Sgarbossa has signed a two-year deal with HC Lugano of the Swiss National League, per a club announcement. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 after completing his two-year, two-way deal with the Capitals.

Sgarbossa, 33 in July, has carved out a lengthy pro career as an AHL mainstay and frequent call-up option despite going undrafted. He got his first NHL look with the Avalanche back in the 2012-13 season and played for four organizations in his first six pro seasons, including the Ducks, Panthers, and Jets – all in fringe NHL roles (or none at all, as was the case during his lone season in Winnipeg). He played 48 NHL contests over that span and recorded two goals and 10 points, including a career-high 38 appearances split between Anaheim and Florida in the 2016-17 campaign.

While Sgarbossa never found stability as a full-time NHL roster piece, he did at least find organizational stability for the latter half of his career. After spending the 2017-18 season with the Jets’ AHL affiliate, he signed with Washington in free agency the following summer and has remained in the Capitals’ system since.

He played almost exclusively for Hershey over the first couple of two-way deals he signed, but amid a near point-per-game season in the AHL, he did get more of an extended NHL look in the 2023-24 season. The veteran center slotted in 25 times for Washington down the stretch as the Caps fought for and won a wild-card spot, scoring a career-high four goals while averaging nearly 11 minutes per game.

Sgarbossa only got three NHL reps here in 2024-25, though, and injuries limited him to 35 games on the farm with Hershey. He was still extremely productive when healthy, though – the playmaking pivot notched a 7-24–31 scoring line.

He’s been a remarkably consistent first-line producer for Hershey since his arrival in the Caps’ system in 2018, scoring 268 points in 297 games for the franchise (0.90 per game). A two-time AHL All-Star and a Calder Cup champion with Hershey in 2023 (he didn’t play in the playoffs when the Bears won in 2024), he pauses his North American minor-league career after recording a 165-302–467 scoring line in 609 AHL games over the last 13 years. Since Sgarbossa made his pro debut in 2012, only eight players have recorded more AHL points than he has.

He’ll now join a Lugano team that was on the brink of relegation to the second-tier Swiss League but won their play-out series to extend their 42-year stay in the top level. They’ve been active in inking productive veteran AHLers this offseason, also signing defenseman Connor Carrick a few weeks back.

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby Signs Three-Year Deal In Sweden

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Jets pending unrestricted free agent winger Axel Jonsson-Fjallby has signed a three-year contract with Brynas IF of the Swedish Hockey League, the club announced Friday.

Jonsson-Fjallby, 27, didn’t see any NHL time this season after clearing waivers and heading to AHL Manitoba during training camp. He’s wrapping up a two-year, partial two-way deal he signed in free agency with Winnipeg in 2023 and earned the full league-minimum $775K salary this year despite not receiving any callups.

It was the first season that Jonsson-Fjallby hadn’t touched NHL ice since making his debut with the Capitals in the 2021-22 campaign. A fifth-round pick by Washington back in 2016, he was claimed off waivers by the Jets at the beginning of the 2022-23 season and has remained in the Winnipeg organization since.

Not too long ago, it looked like the speedy 6’0″ winger had what it takes to be an everyday bottom-six forward. He appeared in a career-high 50 games with Winnipeg in 2022-23 following the waiver claim, averaging 10:27 per game but still managing to record six goals and eight assists for 14 points. AJF only got 26 NHL games the following year, though, as he passed through waivers unclaimed and bounced between the majors and minors.

His chances of making an NHL comeback likely ended with a poor showing in Manitoba this season. After hovering well north of a 0.7 points per game rate in the prior few years, Jonsson-Fjallby produced an underwhelming 12-15–27 scoring line in 65 showings for the Moose, just 0.42 points per game. As such, it would have made little sense for Jonsson-Fjallby to hold out hope for a two-way deal as a UFA this summer when there was a much more stable offer waiting for him back home in Sweden.

There aren’t many better places for a potential resurgence overseas for Jonsson-Fjallby than Brynas, which just took home the top spot in the SHL in the regular season. His previous top-flight experience in Sweden came with Djurgardens IF from 2016 to 2019, recording an 8-19–27 scoring line in 102 games there as a youngster.

Including his time in Washington, Jonsson-Fjallby has a 10-13–23 scoring line with a plus-five rating in 99 career NHL games.

Canucks Agree To Terms With Anri Ravinskis On Entry-Level Contract

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

4:30 p.m.: According to PuckPedia, Ravinskis will make an NHL salary of $775K in each year of the deal, with a signing bonus of $97.5K, and an unspecified games-played bonus of $102K, bringing his cap hit to $872.5K and his AAV to $975K.

2:09 p.m.: The Canucks announced today they’ve agreed to terms with undrafted forward Anri Ravinskis on a two-year, entry-level contract starting in 2025-26. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Ravinskis, 22, just wrapped up representing his native Latvia at the World Championship. He registered a goal and an assist in all seven group stage games as the Latvians failed to qualify for the quarterfinals for the second year in a row after winning bronze in 2023.

A 6’3″, 201-lb winger, Ravinskis isn’t a stranger to North American hockey. He played U18-level hockey in the Toronto area in the 2019-20 season before returning home when COVID hit. He returned to play at the major junior level with the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns, recording a 29-25–54 scoring line in 98 games. He was also on the Latvian Division IA World Juniors team in 2022 that won promotion to the top-level WJC, where the country remains through at least 2026.

Since heading back to Europe following the conclusion of his junior career with Blainville-Boisbriand, he’s spent time in Finland in the HPK organization. After splitting the 2023-24 season between the junior level and the professional second-tier Mestis, he made his top-level Liiga debut this season and impressed with an 8-9–17 scoring line in 27 games. Over the last two seasons, he’s also scored 22 goals and 51 points in 68 games with Kettera, HPK’s Mestis affiliate.

Ravinskis was under contract for two more years with HPK. It’s unclear if his deal carries a European assignment clause that would force the Canucks to loan him back to HPK if he spends too much time in AHL Abbotsford without an NHL call-up. Regardless, it’s unlikely he’ll go straight from logging significant time in second-tier European professional hockey to even limited NHL minutes the following season.

Ravinskis will be a restricted free agent when his deal expires in the 2027 offseason. Vancouver will control his rights through the 2029-30 season.

Lightning Sign Wojciech Stachowiak To Entry-Level Deal

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Lightning have signed left-winger Wojciech Stachowiak to an entry-level contract, the team announced today. It’s a one-year deal, but financial terms weren’t disclosed.

Stachowiak, 25, is the second undrafted player today to earn an NHL deal after a strong showing at the World Championship. Latvian winger Anri Ravinskis also landed one with the Canucks.

While Polish-born, Stachowiak is a German national as well and has played the vast majority of his career there, outside of a three-year run in North America, including two years with Michigan State from 2018 to 2020. After wrapping up his collegiate career with just four goals and one assist in 40 games, he returned home to Germany to make his professional debut with ERC Ingolstadt of the DEL, Germany’s top league.

The 6’1″, 187-lb winger has remained with Ingolstadt ever since, aside from a pair of brief loans to second-league club Ravensburg Towerstars a few years back. He has a 42-64–104 scoring line in 239 career DEL games, including 10 goals and 30 points in 52 games this season.

Stachowiak’s signing is more related to his performances on the international stage, though. He’s been one of Germany’s best players over the last three World Championships, recording a 7-14–21 scoring line in 25 games with a plus-five rating in three straight tourney appearances. He helped his country to a silver medal at the 2023 edition and was named a top-three player on the 2024 team, when he tied for the team lead with nine points in eight games.

With six years of professional experience in Europe, he arrives as a bit more of a polished product than the 22-year-old Ravinskis and stands a much better chance at making a surprise bid for an opening-night roster spot in Tampa in the fall. Tampa will hold Stachowiak’s signing rights through the 2026-27 campaign, so he’ll be a restricted free agent when his deal is up next year.

International Notes: Pysyk, Raffl, Leskinen

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Prague’s HC Sparta of the Czech Extraliga announced they’ve brought in former NHL defenseman Mark Pysyk for the 2025-26 campaign. The 33-year-old hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2021-22 campaign with the Sabres, and, although he was slated to play 2022-23 with the Red Wings after signing there in free agency, missed the entirety of that season due to an Achilles injury. He’s been working his way back to consistent playing time since, spending parts of 2023-24 with the Penguins’ and Flames’ farm teams before heading overseas. He spent this year in Finland with Liiga’s SaiPa, recording nine points and a +11 rating in 36 regular-season games before advancing to the championship series, coming up short to KalPa in the final. With Pysyk’s 521 games of NHL experience with the Sabres, Panthers, and Stars in the fold, Prague rejoins him with a couple of recognizable names, including 2018 Stanley Cup champion Michal Kempny and Mammoth reserve list netminder Josef Korenar.

There’s more from the top-level European leagues:

  • Longtime NHL winger Michael Raffl is heading back home to Austria on a one-year deal with EC Salzburg of the ICEHL, per a club announcement. The longtime Flyers depth scorer last suited up in the NHL with Dallas in the 2021-22 campaign. He’s spent the three years since in Switzerland with the National League’s Lausanne HC, serving as captain for the latter two. Injuries have limited him to just 55 total appearances in that time, but he did well in limited action last year (5-9–14 in 16 GP). He’ll now get to play with his older brother Thomas Raffl in his home country. The latter has been with Salzburg since the 2010-11 season and served as captain since 2019.
  • Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League announced they’ve agreed to terms with defenseman Otto Leskinen on a two-year deal. A former Canadiens prospect, the Finnish rearguard had spent parts of three of the last four seasons in his home country’s Liiga with Tappara but now moves to the slightly more competitive Swedish circuit for the first time in his career. The 28-year-old got into six NHL games with Montreal over the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns and last appeared in North America with AHL Laval in 2022-23. A smallish lefty with good offensive instincts, he led Tappara’s defense in scoring this year with 38 points in 52 games.

Senators Sign Luke Ellinas To Entry-Level Contract

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Ottawa Senators announced they’ve signed forward Luke Ellinas to a three-year, entry-level agreement. The Toronto, ON native recently finished his second year with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers.

Ellinas’ second year in Kitchener ushered in notable improvements. After scoring 16 goals and 33 points in 67 games during his draft year, in which the Senators selected Ellinas with the 104th pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, he registered 20 goals and 37 points in 50 games this past season.

His real coming-out party came during the 2025 OHL Playoffs. He helped bring Kitchener to the Western Conference Final, in which he scored eight goals and 16 points in 14 contests with a +6 rating. It wasn’t enough to be one of the playoff scoring leaders, but it was enough to lead the Rangers in postseason scoring.

It was an unforeseen run for a grittier player. Ellinas is a workhorse in the offensive zone, but his offensive production hadn’t caught up to how hard he was working until now. The Senators have inked a playoff-style performer if Ellinas continues on his trajectory.

It’ll be interesting to see where the Senators place Ellinas to begin the 2025-26 season. Their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, could use the help in a hotly contested North Division. Still, Ellinas may benefit from another year in the OHL to wholly hone in his offensive game before making the jump to professional hockey.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top