Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Transactions

Islanders Re-Sign Marc Gatcomb

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Islanders have re-signed forward Marc Gatcomb to a one-year deal, per a club announcement. The restricted free agent lands a $900K commitment on a one-way deal, per PuckPedia, the first of his NHL career.

Gatcomb, who turns 26 later this month, lands the commitment after making his NHL debut in 2024-25. A minor-league depth signing by the Isles last summer, he ended up logging much more NHL ice than anyone expected, making 39 appearances and becoming a fourth-line fixture late in the season after his initial January call-up.

The 6’2″, 195-lb winger was one of the Islanders’ more physical forwards, ranking second on the team with 149 hits despite his limited game log and ice time. He averaged 9:47 per game but did manage eight goals, finishing at a likely unsustainable 19.5% clip.

Gatcomb, a Massachusetts native, has only ever signed NHL contracts with the Islanders. He was initially an undrafted free agent signing by Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, in 2022 out of UConn. He scored 12 goals, 16 assists, and 28 points in 112 games for the club in parts of three seasons before landing a two-way deal with the Isles last summer.

After also recording nine goals and 17 points in 35 AHL games for Bridgeport last season – respectable totals on the league’s worst club – Gatcomb’s focus turns toward making an NHL roster out of camp for the first time. He faces an uphill battle after the team added Jonathan Drouin and Maxim Shabanov to its forward group in free agency and acquired Emil Heineman from the Canadiens in the Noah Dobson trade, but there’s an opening for him to snag a spot as a No. 12/13/14 forward if he can leapfrog someone like Shabanov or fringe winger Pierre Engvall in camp.

The Islanders have six contract slots remaining after signing Gatcomb, per PuckPedia. One of those will eventually go to RFA winger Maxim Tsyplakov, who was among the 11 players who elected salary arbitration yesterday.

Canadiens Sign Jakub Dobes To Two-Year Contract

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Canadiens have re-signed restricted free agent goaltender Jakub Dobes to a two-year, $1.93MM contract, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will carry a $965K cap hit. Dobes was still eligible for an offer sheet after not filing for arbitration yesterday, but instead came to a quick agreement with Montreal.

Dobes, a fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft, spent two seasons with Ohio State as their starter before signing his entry-level deal near the end of the 2022-23 campaign. The 6’4″, 201-lb Czech netminder was one of the Big 10’s top goalies in that span, earning both All-Rookie and First All-Star Team honors in 2021-22 after a standout 2.26 GAA and .934 SV% in 35 games after making the jump from the Tier I junior United States Hockey League.

The Ostrava native spent his first professional season as the full-time starter for AHL Laval in 2023-24, adjusting to the next level relatively well with a 2.93 GAA, .906 SV%, one shutout, and a 24-18-6 record in 51 games, tying for the league lead in appearances despite not carrying a minute of professional experience entering the season.

When NHL backup Cayden Primeau struggled out of the gate last season, posting a .836 SV% and 4.70 GAA in 11 games through the first two months of the 2024-25 campaign behind Sam Montembeault, he was waived around Christmas and Dobes was brought up from Laval in his place. The 24-year-old spent the rest of the season as Montembeault’s full-time backup, looking like a true NHL-caliber goalie in the process. He didn’t storm out of the gates but was certainly an above-average No. 2 option, logging a 7-4-3 record, .909 SV%, 2.74 GAA, one shutout, and eight quality starts in 16 appearances.

While Dobes is presumably the favorite to win the backup job in camp this fall, they haven’t handed it to him on a silver platter. The club also signed veteran option Kaapo Kähkönen to a one-year, $1.15MM contract when free agency opened. While he spent most of last season in the minors, he has 140 games of NHL experience and was an everyday NHLer as recently as 2023-24. He and Dobes will make for the Habs’ most intriguing roster spot battle when training camp opens in over two months.

A two-year deal for Dobes walks him to his last summer of RFA eligibility, so the Canadiens won’t be able to control his signing rights again after their next round of contract negotiations.

Image courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images.

Kraken Re-Sign Tye Kartye

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Kraken have re-signed a key depth forward.  The team announced that they’ve inked winger Tye Kartye to a two-year contract worth $1.25MM per season.  He would have been eligible to file for arbitration by today’s 4:00 PM CT deadline.

The 24-year-old signed with Seattle as an undrafted free agent back in 2022, a move that has worked out well for both sides.  Kartye played his junior hockey with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds and a 45-goal, 79-point campaign in 2021-22 was enough for the Kraken to give him an entry-level deal.

In the first season of that contract, Kartye played exclusively with AHL Coachella Valley during the regular season where he notched an impressive 28 goals and 29 assists in 72 games.  That was enough to earn him a recall to the Kraken for the playoffs where Kartye was an important secondary contributor, picking up five points in ten outings with Seattle along with 44 hits in his first taste of NHL action.  He was then returned to the Firebirds for their postseason run, adding eight points in 18 appearances.

His playoff showing was enough to make Kartye an NHL regular since then.  In 2023-24, he got into 77 games with the Kraken, tallying 11 goals and nine assists while he threw a team-high 229 hits in just under 12 minutes per game of playing time.  However, offense was a little harder to come by last season as he managed just six goals and seven helpers in 63 outings while his ice time dropped below ten minutes per night.

With that drop in production and playing time, it’s not a surprise that both sides opted for a short-term bridge deal.  Kartye will still be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent when this contract expires although 2027 will be his final summer of RFA eligibility.

Seattle still has some work to do on the RFA front as winger Kaapo Kakko and defenseman Ryker Evans need new contracts.  Kakko is arbitration-eligible while Evans isn’t eligible to file this summer.

Blue Jackets Re-Sign Dmitri Voronkov

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Blue Jackets have taken care of their top remaining restricted free agent, announcing that they’ve re-signed forward Dmitri Voronkov to a two-year contract.  The deal carries a $4.175MM cap charge.  He was eligible to file for salary arbitration by today’s 4:00 PM CT deadline.  GM Don Waddell had the following to say about the signing:

We are very pleased to reach this agreement with Dmitri as he is an important part of our young core. He has size, strength and excellent hands and has a chance to be a very special player. We look forward to his continued growth and development as a Blue Jacket.

The 24-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Columbus back in 2019, going 114th overall.  While Voronkov showed some promise with Ak Bars Kazan of the AHL, the Blue Jackets had to wait a while to get him as he spent four more years in their system after being drafted before making the jump to North America in 2023.

Voronkov had a slow start to his rookie season in 2023-24 but adapted well as the season went on.  He spent a good chunk of that year playing center and did relatively well offensively in a secondary role, tallying 18 goals along with 16 assists and 55 penalty minutes in 75 games despite averaging just 13:27 per night.

His performance gave the Blue Jackets enough confidence to move him into more of a regular top-six role last season.  However, with the addition of Sean Monahan and the decision to move Adam Fantilli back down the middle, Voronkov was predominantly on the wing in 2024-25.  He played in 73 games for Columbus in 2024-25, tallying 23 goals along with 24 assists while his playing time jumped up to nearly 17 minutes per game.

Voronkov found himself in trade speculation last month when the Blue Jackets were showing interest in defenseman Noah Dobson.  It’s believed that Voronkov was the forward that New York was coveting as part of the package for the blueliner, who ultimately went to Montreal.

With the signing, Voronkov becomes the third highest-paid forward on the Blue Jackets for the upcoming season, joining Monahan and center Charlie Coyle, who was acquired from Colorado last month.  The deal buys both sides more time to assess if Voronkov has another level to get to offensively, one that could push him toward a significantly higher pay day in 2027 when the salary cap could be closer to the $113MM mark.  When the contract expires, Voronkov will still have one RFA-eligible season left with arbitration eligibility.

With the signing, Columbus has two remaining restricted free agents to re-sign, defenseman Daemon Hunt and winger Mikael Pyyhtia.  Neither player is eligible for arbitration this summer.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.

Capitals Sign Lynden Lakovic To Entry-Level Contract

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Capitals have wasted little time getting their top pick under contract.  The team announced that they’ve signed winger Lynden Lakovic to a three-year, entry-level deal.  The agreement will pay Lakovic $975K in the NHL and $85K in the AHL per season.  PuckPedia adds (Twitter link) that the contract contains $250K in Class A bonuses in years two and three, pushing the AAV of the deal to $1.14MM.

The 18-year-old was the 27th pick in last month’s draft, slipping that far after being rated in the top 20 by many scouting agencies.

In his first full season at the WHL level in 2023-24, Lakovic didn’t light up the scoresheet but still managed a solid 18 goals and 21 assists in 68 games with Moose Jaw before adding eight points in 20 playoff contests in the Warriors’ run to the Memorial Cup.

Armed with a bigger role last season after several top players moved on, Lakovic led Moose Jaw in scoring despite missing 21 games due to injury.  However, the Warriors struggled mightily, finishing at the bottom of the league standings with just 15 wins.  Still, Lakovic, who took over as team captain late in the season, had 27 goals and 31 assists in 47 games along with just four penalty minutes despite his 6’4 stature.

In Washington’s team release, it noted that the expectation is that Lakovic will return to Moose Jaw for the upcoming season.  Assuming that happens, his contract will ultimately slide and still have three years left on it heading into the 2026-27 campaign.

Madison Bowey Signs One-Year Contract With Augsburger Panther

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Former NHL defenseman Madison Bowey has opted to return to his international hockey career after a year in the AHL. He has signed a one-year contract with the Augsburger Panther of Germany’s DEL, per Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey.

Bowey scored a quaint 15 points in 60 games with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters last season. He had a confused lineup role early on, but gained better footing after Denton Mateychuk was recalled to the NHL for the long-term. But Bowey still struggled to make much headway on the scoresheet. He was often featured in the penalty column, with 70 penalty minutes once again stapling his presence as a feisty, low-event defender.

Bowey spent the entirety of the 2023-24 season in Russia’s KHL in what was the first international move of his pro career. He split the year between three clubs, ultimately ending the year with 14 points and 31 penalty minutes in 51 games. The KHL stint brought an end to Bowey’s battle for an NHL role that spanned between 2015 and 2023. He played through parts of eight AHL seasons, and six NHL seasons, over that span — but couldn’t find his way into consistent minutes up a team’s depth chart.

His first stint in North America ended with 108 points in 264 AHL games, and 40 points in 158 NHL games. He’s a stocky, puck-moving defender who should find better footing in a league where skill shines. Augsburg finished the 2024-25 season ranked second-to-last in the DEL. They’ll look for a big energy boost from the NHL veteran Bowey.

Avalanche Sign Alex Barré-Boulet

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Colorado Avalanche have signed forward Alex Barré-Boulet to a one-year, two-way contract per a team release.

Barré-Boulet led the AHL’s Laval Rocket in scoring this season with 22 goals and 63 points in 64 games. He became just the second Laval skater to reach the 40-assist mark in club history, joining defenseman Matt Taormina, who notched 48 assists in the 2017-18 season. Barré-Boulet was one of 12 AHL skaters to reach that mark this year. He also appeared in two NHL games this season.

It was yet another strong season in Barré-Boulet’s long history of minor-league success. He’s a perennial AHL scorer, and even reached a career-high 60 assists and 84 points with Syracuse in the 2022-23 campaign. Through his career, Barré-Boulet has notched 50-or-more points in five of his seven AHL seasons – and totaled 365 points in 358 career games.

Despite that fantastic minor-league scoring, Barré-Boulet hasn’t yet found his stride at the NHL level. He’s appeared in 70 games across five seasons, but only has 12 goals and 18 points to show for it. His 5-foot-10, 180-pound frame is slight for the major league ranks, which has made it difficult to beat NHL opponents with only his sharp skill. He could be an interesting addition to a Colorado Avalanche depth chart with space in the bottom-six and a precedent for making the most of top-end minor-leaguers. At worst, he’ll head for a high-scoring, top-line role with a Colorado Eagles lineup that finished second in the AHL’s Pacific Division last season.

Kraken Sign Jake O’Brien To Entry-Level Contract

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

2:45 p.m.: Seattle has confirmed the deal, although financial terms were not disclosed.

12:57 p.m.: The Kraken had 2025 No. 8 overall pick Jake O’Brien sign his entry-level contract during today’s development camp scrimmage, Kate Shefte of the Seattle Times reports.

O’Brien, 18, is the latest high-profile name to join a Seattle club that’s now rather deep down the middle organizationally. They’ve had four top-10 picks since their inception in 2021 and have used all of them on centers, previously selecting Matty Beniers, Shane Wright, and Berkly Catton.

Seattle picked the 6’2″ playmaking pivot right around where most expected him to go. For a 2025 draft tabbed as a weaker one, O’Brien carries a strong statistical profile for someone picked that late in the top 10. He was the OHL’s Rookie of the Year in 2023-24 and followed that up with a 32-goal, 98-point season for his Brantford Bulldogs in 66 games.

His point production was likely inflated somewhat – there were two 100-point scorers on the team ahead of him, and there are some concerns about his defensive acumen. Nonetheless, he’ll have an NHL-ready frame in a couple of years’ time once he adds some weight and is one of – if not the best – pure passers in this year’s class, multiple outlets say.

O’Brien may get a long look in training camp, but isn’t necessarily expected to compete for a roster spot. In the likely scenario that he returns to Brantford, his contract will slide to the 2026-27 season.

Hurricanes Sign Nikolaj Ehlers To Six-Year Deal

at CDT | by 48 Comments

The Hurricanes are signing top free agent Nikolaj Ehlers, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman report. The team has announced the contract, which comes in at six years and $51MM for an $8.5MM cap hit.

Ehlers, No. 2 on our board of top UFAs this summer, had been linked to Carolina since the outset of free agency. Although it became clear he wouldn’t sign on July 1, instead waiting things out after most of the top names decided not to test the market, the Hurricanes were an implied frontrunner while the Capitals and Lightning had also spoken to his camp. Tampa was no longer in the conversation as of Thursday morning, but it appears the Caps, as well as the Mammoth, were in talks with Ehlers’ camp until his decision to choose Carolina in the last hour, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports.

The 29-year-old Dane will capitalize on one of the better seasons of his NHL career in 2024-25 and make the jump to Carolina from Winnipeg. The Jets made him the No. 9 overall pick in the 2014 draft, and for the most part, he’s lived up to that billing. He scored 225 goals and 520 points in 674 games in 10 years in a Jets uniform, leaving the club as its fifth-leading goal-scorer in franchise history.

While Ehlers isn’t the answer to the No. 2 center question that’s plagued Carolina for the past few seasons, he’s that elusive additional top-six winger the club has chased with expensive in-season rentals over the past couple of years, bringing names like Jake Guentzel and Mikko Rantanen in for brief stops in Raleigh. Ehlers scored 24 goals and 63 points in 69 games last season – a 29-goal, 75-point pace had he played in all 82 games. That would have made him one of two 70-point scorers on the Canes last season, along with Sebastian Aho.

It remains to be seen whether Carolina will pair the play-driving winger with Aho on a first line or have Ehlers anchor his own line. He’s hoping it’s the former after years of having his even-strength ice time oddly limited in Winnipeg. Despite averaging north of 60 points per 82 games over his career, Ehlers has only averaged more than 17 minutes per game twice and averaged just 15:48 last year, making him one of the most efficient scorers in the league on a per-minute basis.

The signing caps off what’s been a week of big spending in Raleigh. They rewarded rising sophomore Logan Stankoven with an eight-year, $48MM extension on Tuesday before acquiring defenseman K’Andre Miller from the Rangers in a sign-and-trade, taking him on with an eight-year, $60MM commitment – the largest contract signed since the market opened (Mitch Marner’s eight-year, $96MM contract was registered on June 30).

While not the bona fide No. 1 winger Carolina’s been searching for, he is a legitimate top-line threat that adds another layer of depth to one of the league’s more balanced offensive attacks. He fits the Hurricanes’ model of being one of the league’s strongest possession teams. Not once has Ehlers ever posted a shot share or expected goals share below 50% at even strength in his career, and he had a remarkably strong 4.9% relative Corsi share over his time in Winnipeg.

Even after registering Ehlers’ contract, the Hurricanes have plenty of flexibility to work with if they want to pursue additional signings or trade acquisitions. They’re still left with $10.64MM in cap space, per PuckPedia, and are equipped with four first-round picks in the next three years to leverage in trade talks as they see if they can acquire another top-six piece.

Image courtesy of James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images.

Panthers, MacKenzie Entwistle Agree To Two-Way Deal

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Panthers and forward MacKenzie Entwistle have agreed to a two-year, two-way deal to keep him in the Florida organization, the team announced. The contract carries a $775K NHL salary and a $450K AHL salary each season, per PuckPedia.

Entwistle initially joined the Cats on a two-way deal last offseason after being non-tendered by the Blackhawks, who drafted him in the third round in 2017. Florida tendered him a qualifying offer earlier this week, making him a restricted free agent.

The deal amounts to a do-over between the 6’3″ winger and the Panthers. Entwistle, who turns 26 later this month, didn’t see NHL ice at all in 2024-25 and was limited by an injury to just seven games with AHL Charlotte, scoring a goal and an assist. He managed to return later in their run to the Calder Cup Final, scoring two goals and an assist in eight playoff games.

A power forward at his core, Entwistle once looked like he could be a full-time NHLer. He may have more seasons ahead of him with top-level games, but he’s topped out as a fourth-line piece at best. He scored 15 goals, 20 assists, and 35 points with a -55 rating in 193 NHL games over four seasons with Chicago, averaging 11:12 per night.

He’ll be destined for waivers again in the fall and, if he clears again, will look to be more effective and healthy for Charlotte. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions have filled 41 of 50 contract slots for this season.

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