Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Transactions

Radim Zohorna Signs In Sweden

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Cross Radim Zohorna off the free agent list.  Rather than attempt a comeback in North America, he has decided to remain overseas.  However, instead of staying in the Swiss League, he’s off to Sweden as Farjestad announced that they’ve signed the forward to a two-year deal.

The 29-year-old looked like a possible late bloomer after showing some offensive upside in his native Czechia.  That, coupled with a 6’6 frame, was enough for Pittsburgh to ink him to an entry-level deal in 2020.  He split that season back home and in the Penguins’ system and held his own in eight NHL games, where he had four points.

That was enough to land him a longer look at the top level the following year when he got into 17 contests with Pittsburgh but in 2022-23, he found himself on waivers and was claimed by Calgary.  He subsequently cleared waivers soon after and spent most of the year in the minors while also getting a brief stint with Toronto.  The Penguins brought Zohorna back in 2023-24 on a two-way deal where he got into a career-best 33 games, bringing his tally to date to 68.

However, rather than search out another two-way pact in North America, Zohorna decided to try his hand overseas last summer, inking a one-year deal with HC Lugano.  Unfortunately, it was a bit of a quiet year offensively as he had nine goals and 13 assists in 39 games, numbers that were relatively close to his AHL production from the year before.  Now, he’s on the move once more with the hopes that a strong showing in Sweden could get him back on the NHL radar down the road.

Dominik Kubalik Signs Two-Year Deal In Switzerland

at CDT | by 1 Comment

There’s no NHL comeback yet for winger Dominik Kubalik. He’s signed a two-year deal to stay in Switzerland with National League club EV Zug, the team announced – although it contains an NHL out clause if he receives an offer.

Kubalik last played in the NHL with the Senators in 2023-24. It was a nightmarish season for the Czech forward, who managed only 11 goals and 15 points in 74 games (with a -30 rating) after rattling off four straight seasons above 30 points to begin his NHL career.

Understandably, there wasn’t much interest in his services on the open market after such a stark dropoff. He returned to Switzerland last summer on a one-year deal with HC Ambri-Piotta, the club where he had two seasons above a point per game before signing with the Blackhawks in 2019. Kubalik, now 29, regained his status as a top-tier scoring threat overseas with a 27-22–49 scoring line in 52 games to lead the team. That was also good enough to lead the NL in goals.

He may still land an NHL offer this summer after his resurgence, but if not, he’s got a backup plan with Zug. His intra-league move links him up with former NHLers Gabriel Carlsson, Raphael Diaz, and Fredrik Olofsson.

Sharks Sign Mattias Havelid To Entry-Level Deal

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Sharks announced they’ve signed defense prospect Mattias Havelid to his entry-level deal. It’s a three-year pact beginning next season, keeping the 21-year-old under contract through 2027-28.  PuckPedia reports that the contract will have a $905K cap hit and a $950K AAV including potential bonuses.

San Jose selected Havelid midway through the second round (No. 45 overall) in 2022. The 5’10” righty is the son of longtime NHL defender Niclas Havelid and, nearly three years on from draft day, still brings an intriguing offensive skillset to the Sharks’ backend.

He’s had somewhat of a rocky development path, not getting as much playing time in the top-flight Swedish Hockey League as the Sharks would have liked. His SHL club, Linköping HC, opted instead to loan him to Djurgårdens IF of the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan for a good chunk of 2024-25. That was a great decision – Havelid finished the year with 14 points and a plus-seven rating in 18 games and helped them earn promotion back to the SHL for 2025-26.

Havelid suited up for the Swedes at last year’s World Juniors, posting six points in seven games en route to a silver medal. He’ll presumably slide in with the Sharks’ AHL affiliate next season after recording 19 points in 110 career SHL games, unless San Jose reaches an agreement with a Swedish club to loan him back overseas until he’s NHL-ready. He’s not under contract with Linköping past this year.

The agile skater did not check in among the Sharks’ top 15 prospects when Scott Wheeler of The Athletic put together his prospect pool rankings midseason, but that comes with the territory of being an intriguing yet flawed prospect in the league’s deepest system. San Jose was still a year away from losing his signing rights, so the organization is obviously still invested in his development.

Jakub Skarek Signs With Finland’s HIFK

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Islanders pending Group VI unrestricted free agent goaltender Jakub Skarek won’t return to the team – or the NHL – next season. He’s signed a one-year contract with Finland’s HIFK with a second-year option, the team announced.

Skarek has spent the better part of the last six years in North America. Selected by the Isles in the third round back in 2018, they kept waiting for the 25-year-old to take a significant step in his development, but it never came. Over six seasons with AHL Bridgeport, the Czech netminder never once posted a save percentage at or above .900, averaging a .890 mark with a 3.34 GAA and just five shutouts in 161 appearances. He compiled a 49-84-17 record as the Baby Isles made the Calder Cup Playoffs just once in his tenure.

The 6’4″, 211-lb netminder finally made his NHL debut late this season, with injuries taking No. 2 and No. 3 options Semyon Varlamov and Marcus Högberg out of the equation behind starter Ilya Sorokin. He allowed five goals on 39 shots for a .872 SV% across one start and one relief appearance.

Skarek now returns to Finland, where he had some success in the top-flight Liiga with Pelicans in 2018-19, his post-draft season. He logged a 2.45 GAA, .906 SV%, and a 6-8-7 record in 22 appearances there. He’ll now add to his Liiga resume in 2025-26 in Helsinki, positioned as the backup behind former Wild draft pick Niko Hovinen.

Connor Carrick Signs Two-Year Deal In Switzerland

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Veteran depth defenseman Connor Carrick is heading overseas for the first time in his professional career. The 31-year-old signed a two-year contract with Swiss National League club HC Lugano earlier this week, the team announced.

Carrick spent 2024-25 on a two-way deal with the Oilers, although he didn’t see NHL ice for the second season in a row. His last big-league appearance came in April 2023 when he was with the Bruins. The 5’11”, 192-lb righty remains a high-end minor-league option, although he’s bounced around a bunch in the last few years. That offers some insight into why the Illinois native has opted for a later-career switch to the high-level European pros for some more financial and personal stability.

This year saw Carrick slot into the lineup 63 times for AHL Bakersfield, finishing second on the team in scoring among defensemen with 18-23–41 in 63 games. His 101 PIMs led the team, and his 18 goals were his highest in a single season at any level since his U14 days.

The Oilers were Carrick’s seventh NHL franchise in his 12-year professional career. A fifth-round pick by the Capitals in 2012, he’s also spent time with the Maple Leafs, Stars, Devils, Kraken, and Bruins organizations. Most of his NHL action came in Toronto, playing 130 of his 242 career games there from 2016 to 2018. The 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns were his only ones without a minor-league assignment, including a career-high 4-8–12 scoring line in 47 games for Toronto in the latter year in bottom-pairing minutes.

An unrestricted free agent this summer, Carrick joins a Lugano roster that’s already locked in former NHLers Carl Dahlström, Mirco Müller, Jiří Sekáč, and Calvin Thurkauf for the 2025-26 season.

Devils Re-Sign Nathan Legare To One-Year Deal

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The New Jersey Devils have re-signed forward Nathan Legare to a one-year, two-way, league-minimum contract. Legare spent the bulk of this season in the AHL, where his 102 penalty minutes confidently led the Utica Comets. Legare also played the first three games of his NHL career this season, with a minus-one standing as his only notable stat change.

Legare was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round of the 2019 NHL Draft, following a statement year where he posted 45 goals, 87 points, 52 penalty minutes, and a plus-37 in 68 QMJHL games. Legare also served as an assistant captain on Team Canada’s World U18 Championship roster, and added four goals in seven tournament games. He returned to the QMJHL for the following two seasons, and donned the captaincy for the Bai-Comeau Drakkar in both years. But his scoring took a noticeable dip – with Legare totaling 71 points in 61 games of his age-19 season and 38 points in 33 games of his age-20 season.

Pittsburgh signed Legare to his entry-level contract in 2019, and he played through the first two years of the deal in the AHL in 2021-22 and 2022-23. The pair of years were relatively uneventful – with Legare totaling 35 points, 106 penalty minutes, and a minus-25 in 125 total games. Those numbers weren’t enough to plant his feet, and Pittsburgh oped to trade Legare to the Montreal Canadiens ahead of the 2023-24 season. He was part of a package that also contained Casey DeSmith and Jeff Petry exchanged for Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick. Legare spent one season with the AHL’s Laval Rocket before being dealt to the Devils in a 2024 swap for Arnaud Durandeau.

The deal he receives today is the same one that Legare signed with New Jersey soon after that trade. This re-up will carry the bruising forward through the 2025-26 season in the AHL, and hopefully give him a platform to further develop his pot-stirring identity. Throughout his career, Legare has totaled 72 points and 269 penalty minutes in 248 AHL games.

Winnipeg Jets Recall Parker Ford

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Needing additional depth due to the unknown status of a few key players, the Winnipeg Jets have made a small recall from their AHL affiliate. The Jets announced they’ve recalled forward Parker Ford from the Manitoba Moose for tonight’s contest against the Dallas Stars.

Earlier today, head coach Scott Arniel told reporters that forward Mark Scheifele, defensemen Josh Morrissey and Logan Stanley are game-time decisions for tonight’s contest. Scheifele has arguably been the most notable loss, missing Game 5 and Game 6 in the Jets’ opening-round matchup against the St. Louis Blues. He scored two goals and six points in the five games he played.

Ford won’t be tasked with replicating Scheifele’s offensive capabilities, but he’s an interesting plug-and-play option for Winnipeg. The Wakefield, RI native debuted in the NHL this past season in late January, scoring his first goal in his first NHL game.

Appearing in a postseason contest, on the fourth line or not, would be a big step for the former collegiate free agent out of Providence College. He’s only in his second full professional season and is on the heels of an 18-goal, 41-point campaign in 2023-24. Ford’s offensive output understandably decreased with fewer games played, as he scored 14 goals and 21 points in 41 contests for the Moose during the 2024-25 season.

Bruins Sign Patrick Brown To One-Year Extension

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Boston Bruins are getting some of their offseason planning out of the way a few months early. The Bruins announced they’ve signed depth forward Patrick Brown to a one-year extension for the 2025-26 NHL season with a salary of $775K.

Brown’s new salary will be $25K less than he’s been paid in the NHL with Boston over the last two years. He joined the Bruins organization on the opening day of free agency in 2023, signing a two-year, $1.6MM agreement.

The Bruins have used Brown sparingly at the NHL level. Since joining the team for the 2023-24 NHL season, Brown has tallied two assists in 26 games, averaging 9:50 of ice time a night in a fourth-line role. He hasn’t been very noticeable in Boston outside of being a physical depth piece.

Still, Brown has had exceptional value with the Bruins’ AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. The Bloomsfield, MI native scored 11 goals and 32 points in 42 games in his first year with the club before managing 17 goals and 46 points in 56 contests this season as the team’s captain.

Despite having a bye through the first round the last two years, Providence had not won a playoff series since the 2017 Calder Cup playoffs. Fortunately, that reality changed recently, as Brown and the AHL Bruins defeated the Springfield Thunderbirds in the First Round of the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs. Providence will need to mount a serious comeback in the Division Semifinals to knock off the Charlotte Checkers, but the organization is comfortable keeping Brown in place as captain next season, regardless.

Filip Král Signs Three-Year Deal In Czechia

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Defenseman Filip Král’s return to North America was short-lived. The Penguins’ pending Group VI unrestricted free agent has opted to return home to Czechia on a three-year deal with HC Kometa Brno, the club announced.

The 25-year-old Král thus returns to the club where he’s spent the overwhelming majority of his European professional career. He played his youth hockey in Brno before opting to cross the Atlantic to play junior hockey with the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs in the 2017-18 campaign. That decision helped him get drafted by the Maple Leafs in the fifth round the following summer. He played an additional pair of seasons in Spokane before turning pro with the Leafs, first on a loan back to Brno at the beginning of the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season before reporting to their AHL affiliate.

Král spent parts of three years in the NHL and AHL with Toronto, including making his NHL debut in a pair of contests in October 2022. That was it for the 6’2″ lefty, though. After injuries limited him to six points in 24 AHL games in the 2022-23 campaign, the Leafs didn’t tender a qualifying offer when his entry-level contract expired and he became an unrestricted free agent. With no NHL offers, he spent 2023-24 in Finland with the Pelicans of the top-level Liiga. It was a prudent decision for Král, who put himself back on NHL clubs’ radars with a 37-point, +28 campaign in 46 games en route to being named a Liiga All-Star.

Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas, who made Král part of his first draft class at the helm of the Maple Leafs six years ago, brought him back on a two-way deal last summer. He didn’t make the team out of camp, though, and didn’t get a call-up until the final days of the season after clearing waivers in October. That call-up didn’t result in an appearance, so he finished the regular season with a 7-22–29 scoring line and a -16 rating in 61 showings for AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Without a clear path to the NHL next season, it’s not surprising to see Král opt for a more familiar environment in his home country. He has 6-17–23 with a +16 rating in 75 previous Extraliga games with Brno.

Oilers’ Roby Järventie Signs In Finland

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Oilers pending restricted free agent winger Roby Järventie has signed a three-year contract with Finland’s Tappara, the team announced.

An early second-round pick by the Senators in 2020 (No. 33), Edmonton acquired Järventie last summer in a swap sending 2021 first-rounder Xavier Bourgault the other way. Bourgault had failed to pop offensively in the minors in the Oilers’ system, while Järventie had injury troubles and hadn’t landed an NHL role despite some promising offensive trends in the minors.

Unfortunately for Järventie and the Oilers, he barely got a chance to play this season. He sustained an offseason knee injury that kept him out of training camp. Upon returning to health in late October, he reported to AHL Bakersfield but played just two games before sustaining another injury and remaining out for the season.

The offensive potential is still there with the 6’3″, 209-lb 22-year-old. He posted a pair of assists in his two games with Bakersfield and had 50 points in 62 AHL games in the Sens’ system over the prior two seasons. Still, he only has seven games of NHL experience – all with Ottawa, all in the 2023-24 season – recording an assist and a minus-five rating.

While Järventie won’t be signing in the Oilers organization next season, Edmonton can still retain his signing rights through the 2029-30 season if they issue him a qualifying offer. It’s clear he doesn’t factor into Edmonton’s immediate future, but it would be surprising to see them non-tender him because they’ll still hold his NHL signing rights when his contract with Tappara expires in 2028. If his pre-injury trajectory holds, he could very well be an NHL-caliber player at that time and could walk into a richer one-way deal with Edmonton down the road.

Järventie played 53 games across two seasons in Finland’s top-level Liiga, just not with Tappara. He suited up with Ilves in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns before touching down with the Sens in North America, scoring 15 goals and 26 points. The two-time World Juniors medalist will now reunite with his younger brother, Penguins prospect Emil Järventie, as well as former NHLers Daniel Brickley and Jyrki Jokipakka on Tappara’s roster next year.

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