August 9, 2025
Winger Jakub Vrana will move back to Europe for the upcoming season after signing a two-year deal with his first professional club, Linkoping HC in Sweden. Vrana saw some success early in his NHL career and won the Stanley Cup in 2018 with the Washington Capitals, but his productivity declined a few years ago. In 2024-25, Vrana recorded only 14 points (nine goals, five assists) in 39 games with the Capitals and Nashville Predators. Overall, he totaled 223 points (119 goals, 104 assists) in 406 NHL regular-season games. Vrana will celebrate his 30th birthday in February, making it unlikely he will return to North America.
--Taavi PailkSource: Linkoping HC
August 9, 2025
The Colorado Avalanche have signed winger Joel Kiviranta to a new one-year contract. It's reportedly a $1.25 million deal for the Finnish forward, who became an unrestricted free agent last month. Kiviranta is set to begin his third campaign with the Avalanche. He enjoyed a career year in 2024-25, notching 16 goals and 23 points in 79 outings. "Joel is a hard-working, responsible player who has demonstrated he can be a key contributor at five-on-five," said Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland. "He has been a valuable member of our lineup, and we are excited to have him back for another season." Kiviranta has done a solid job for the Avalanche, but his fantasy upside is limited because he only gets bottom-six minutes on the team.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
August 9, 2025
Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk (groin) revealed he would face a multi-month absence if he opts for surgery. The star forward played the Stanley Cup playoffs with a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia injury. "If I do get the surgery, it'll definitely be the first two or maybe three months if that's the case. But it's still undecided at this point," Tkachuk told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski. It was recently reported that Tkachuk is expected to miss the start of the season and may not be back until the Olympics. Despite his health issues, Tkachuk had 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in as many games in the postseason. He was also very productive during the 2024-25 regular season but was limited to 57 games after getting injured while playing for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
August 8, 2025
Anaheim Ducks forward Mason McTavish remains a restricted free agent deep into the offseason and has generated plenty of interest among rival teams. Sources have told James Murphy of RG that the Carolina Hurricanes, Montreal Canadiens, and Detroit Red Wings have interest in McTavish, who was Anaheim's second-highest scorer last season with 52 points (22 goals, 30 assists) in 76 games. An NHL executive has speculated that a previous working relationship between general managers Steven Yzerman and Pat Verbeek could eventually help the Red Wings land the talented 22-year-old. However, Verbeek reportedly still considers re-signing McTavish as the top priority.
--Taavi PailkSource: James Murphy
August 8, 2025
Left wing Kyle Clifford has announced the end of his playing career. He will continue to work in hockey, taking on a player development role with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Clifford made his final two NHL appearances with the Maple Leafs in 2022-23. He spent the last couple of campaigns in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies. Over a 13-year NHL career, Clifford racked up 144 points (66 goals, 78 assists) and 905 penalty minutes in 753 regular-season contests. Early in his career, the Ayr, Ontario native won two Stanley Cups with the Los Angeles Kings, a team he played for ten years.
--Taavi PailkSource: John Hoven
August 8, 2025
Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson is fired up to produce a bounce-back campaign in 2025-26. "I know what I'm capable of," Pettersson said this week. "Actually, I haven't thought about it, but for myself it's revenge. I'm not happy with last season." After being a point-per-game player in back-to-back years, Pettersson recorded only 45 points (15 goals, 30 assists) in 64 contests last term. He was a huge disappointment for the Canucks, who signed the Swedish forward to a hefty eight-year, $92.8 million extension in March 2024. In hopes of returning to top form, Pettersson has added "some" muscle during the offseason. Following a rough year, Pettersson appears eager to rebound, and we might see him return as one of the top fantasy producers in the upcoming season.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
August 8, 2025
New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (knee) is expected to start skating next week. The 37-year-old made only 10 appearances in 2024-25, undergoing season-ending surgery in December. The fact that Varlamov is ready to start skating again suggests that he might be available for the beginning of the new campaign. Varlamov has been a great servant for the Islanders, but he may see very little action even if he's back at 100 percent. This summer, the Islanders signed David Rittich to provide additional backup for Ilya Sorokin.
--Taavi PailkSource: Stefen Rosner
August 8, 2025
The Vancouver Canucks have signed right wing Vitali Kravtsov to a one-year, two-way contract. The Russian forward also played for the Canucks in 2022-23, notching two points (one goal, one assist) in 16 appearances. Kravtson didn't make an impact with the New York Rangers either, which resulted in his return to Russia. Now, he will try his luck again in North America after having back-to-back prolific KHL campaigns with Traktor Chelyabinsk. Last season, Kravtsov scored 27 goals and 58 points in 66 games with Traktor. If he can produce similarly in 2025-26, the Canucks offense would get a nice boost.
--Taavi PailkSource: Sportsnet
August 5, 2025
Goaltender Anton Khudobin announced his retirement from the NHL on Tuesday. He will wrap up his career after turning 39 in May. Khudobin's final NHL appearance came during the 2022-23 season with the Chicago Blackhawks. After his contract ended, Khudobin played in Russia. Overall, Khudobin made 260 regular-season appearances in the NHL, amassing a 114-92-33 record. He collected 11 shutouts and registered a 2.52 goals-against average with a .916 save percentage. The Kazakh-born netminder featured for six NHL teams during a 14-year career, helping the Dallas Stars reach the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
August 5, 2025
Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen has confirmed he is fully healthy for the start of the season. "I'm 100 percent back to normal after the surgery," Heiskanen said Monday. "I've been able to practice all summer as usual." Heiskanen underwent knee surgery on Feb. 4 and missed the end of the 2024-25 regular season. He returned to action during the second round of the playoffs but wasn't at his best. A fully healthy Heiskanen should be a key player for both the Stars and fantasy teams next season. He finished last term with 25 points (five goals, 20 assists), 108 shots, 85 blocks, and a plus-seven rating across 50 outings.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
August 5, 2025
Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk is expected to miss the start of the new NHL season. "I think we're going to find out at some point here that Tkachuk will miss the start of the season," NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said on the latest episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast. "I think he'll be back in time for the Olympics... But I think he's going to miss the start of the year and a chunk of time after that." Tkachuk dealt with various health issues last term and apparently isn't at 100 percent for the start of 2025-26 either. Based on the available information, it's safe to assume Florida will be without Tkachuk for several months, which would boost Brad Marchand's fantasy stock.
--Taavi PailkSource: Elliotte Friedman
August 5, 2025
Winger Jimmy Vesey has signed a two-year contract with Geneve-Servette HC of Switzerland's National League. The American forward, who turned 32 in May, will move overseas for the first time in his career. Vesey has 626 NHL regular-season appearances under his belt, scoring 101 goals and 194 points. He had an underwhelming campaign in 2024-25 with the New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche, finishing with only eight points (five goals, three assists) in 43 contests. Given his age, Vesey is unlikely to earn a new NHL contract. But he will have some good company in Switzerland, with former NHLers Antti Raanta, Markus Granlund, and Sami Vatanen among his teammates.
--Taavi PailkSource: Geneve-Servette HC
August 5, 2025
Anaheim Ducks right wing Sam Colangelo agreed to terms on a new two-year contract Monday. It's reportedly a $1.7 million deal for Colangelo, who posted 10 goals and 12 points in 32 appearances with the Ducks last season. The contract is a two-way deal for the first year and will become a one-way pact for the second season. In 2024-25, Colangelo was one of nine players with double-digit goals for the Ducks, and the 23-year-old averaged a point per game in 40 AHL appearances. He clearly has some talent, and Anaheim will continue to develop it next season.
--Taavi PailkSource: Andrew Knoll
August 5, 2025
New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer signed a three-year entry-level contract Monday. The top pick of this year's draft reiterated his desire to start his NHL career in the upcoming season. "Feels amazing," Schaefer said. "Obviously, it's something I've wanted to do my whole life and to do it your first year -- there's still a lot of work, but that was my dream and I want to play in the NHL this season. I wanted to really badly. I know there's going to be a lot of hard work that comes with it, but I think I'm ready." Schaefer is still only 17 and could be sent back to the OHL next season. If he sticks with the Islanders, Schaefer is likely to play a significant role on the blue line, as not getting enough action would hurt his development.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
August 2, 2025
Forward Jakub Lauko has left the NHL to sign with HC Dynamo Pardubice in the Czech Extraliga. He was an unrestricted free agent after the Boston Bruins did not give him a qualifying offer. 101 of his 139 NHL appearances have come with the Bruins. Lauko started the 2024-25 with the Minnesota Wild before returning to Beantown in March. He registered 11 points (five goals, six assists) and 119 hits in 56 contests with the two teams. Lauku is only 25 years old and may return to the National Hockey League in the future. He's looking to develop his offensive game back home. "I play hard and energetic. I believe I'm good defensively, but I also want to wake up offensively and contribute to the team in that regard," Lauko said, per the team's press release via Google Translate.
--Taavi PailkSource: NESN
RADIO
