August 25, 2025
Defenseman Tyson Barrie announced his retirement from the NHL on Monday. Barrie, who turned 34 in July, played for five teams during a 14-year career, making his final 13 appearances last season with the Calgary Flames. The former third-round draft pick also suited up for the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, and Nashville Predators. He recorded 508 points (110 goals, 398 assists) in 822 career games, along with 869 blocks and 506 hits. Early in his career, Barrie had three 50-point campaigns with the Avalanche and won the World Championship with Canada in 2015.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
August 23, 2025
Forward Luke Kunin has joined the Florida Panthers on a one-year contract. He reportedly signed a minimum-salary deal with the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. Kunin earned $2.75 million over the past season, beginning the campaign with the San Jose Sharks before being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He finished with 18 points (11 goals, seven assists) and 187 hits in 75 games. The 27-year-old seems to be a good fit for Florida's fourth line, but he likely won't have a guaranteed spot in the lineup when the season kicks off.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
August 23, 2025
Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews has shaken off injury troubles and appears to be at 100 percent entering the new season. During an appearance at a Hockey Night In Brampton event this week, Matthews said his health was "good." Last season, the Maple Leafs captain missed 15 games with a lingering upper-body injury and scored a career-low 33 goals in 67 games, appearing limited at times. Despite struggling to perform at his best, Matthews still averaged over a point per game and finished the season with 78 points. A third 100-point season isn't out of the question for Matthews in 2025-26 if he stays healthy.
--Taavi PailkSource: David Alter
August 23, 2025
Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (foot) has announced that he is fully healthy ahead of the 2025-26 NHL season after breaking his foot during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. "I'm feeling good. My foot is fine, and I've been able to train normally this summer," Hintz said at the NHL/NHL Players' Association European Player Media Tour on Friday. "So everything is good." The Finnish forward also mentioned that he didn't require surgery, just a bit of rest, to recover from his foot injury. Hintz is about to enter his eighth NHL campaign. He has scored at least 60 points in four consecutive years, notching 28 goals and 39 assists in 76 outings last season.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
August 23, 2025
Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk (groin) has reportedly undergone surgery. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that Tkachuk had the procedure "a few weeks ago" and will miss the start of the season. Tkachuk isn't expected to begin the 2025-26 campaign before January. Only recently, Tkachuk mentioned that he was "50-50" on whether he would have surgery to repair a torn hip abductor and a hernia. With Tkachuk sidelined, Brad Marchand could become a regular in the top six for Florida, although he was extremely effective alongside Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell on the third line in last season's playoffs.
--Taavi PailkSource: David Pagnotta
August 23, 2025
Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi has signed a three-year bridge deal worth $15 million. The talented Austrian native was a restricted free agent following the completion of his entry-level contract. Rossi ranked second in scoring on the Wild squad last season with 60 points (24 goals, 36 assists) in 82 games. His numbers improved significantly in all areas despite a late-season slump. At 23 years old, Rossi can only get better and could soon be a point-per-game player in Minnesota. "He's shown steady progress. He went through a lot as a young player," Wild general manager Bill Guerin said. "He's just kind of scratching the surface, and I think this three-year contract really gives him a good runway to be the player he can be."
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
August 21, 2025
Utah Mammoth goaltender Connor Ingram (personal) is eligible to return to NHL action. The NHL and NHL Players' Association announced Ingram has been cleared by the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. He entered the program in March, finishing last season with a 9-8-4 record. The 28-year-old posted a 3.27 goals-against average and a .882 save percentage. It's good to see Ingram back ahead of the new season, during which he is set to battle with Vitek Vanecek for playing time as a backup for Karel Vejmelka. Ingram is set to start his final season of a $5.85 million contract.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
August 21, 2025
Chicago Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar has put pen to paper for a seven-year, $46.13 million contract extension. The deal will take effect with the 2026-27 season once Nazar finishes his entry-level contract. Nazar notched 12 goals and 26 points in 53 outings with the Blackhawks last season during his rookie campaign and impressed at the World Championship. The Mount Clemens, Michigan native was one of the top scorers at the Worlds with 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 10 games, helping the U.S. secure gold for the first time since 1933. Nazar is just 21 years old and appears to have a promising future in the National Hockey League.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
August 21, 2025
Winger Victor Olofsson has signed a one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche. The Swedish forward is expected to earn $1.575 million with the contract, a significant boost from his $1.075 million pact with the Vegas Golden Knights last season. Olofsson scored 29 points (15 goals, 14 assists) in 56 regular-season games with Vegas and added four points (two goals, two assists) in nine playoff outings. His addition should strengthen Colorado's power play, and he may also see some time in the top six, depending on the injury situation up front.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
August 19, 2025
Defenseman Brendan Smith has agreed to a professional tryout contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 36-year-old was a free agent after completing a one-year deal with the Dallas Stars. Smith made only 32 appearances in Dallas last season, recording six points (one goal, five assists) and 41 hits. As a 14-year veteran, Smith can add a wealth of experience to the Blue Jackets team. However, if he lands a contract for the season, Smith likely won't have a regular spot in the lineup.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
August 19, 2025
Left wing Milan Lucic has signed a tryout agreement with the St. Louis Blues. The 37-year-old will attempt a comeback in the NHL after sitting out the 2024-25 campaign. Following four appearances at the start of the 2023-24 season, Lucic took a leave of absence from the Boston Bruins in November 2023 and later entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. When he was in his prime, Lucic was an elite power forward in the league, but it's been many years since he performed at his best. The 2011 Stanley Cup champion has accumulated 586 points (233 goals, 353 assists) and 3,265 hits in 1,117 career games.
--Taavi PailkSource: ESPN
August 19, 2025
Defenseman Travis Hamonic has joined the Detroit Red Wings on a one-year, $1 million contract. The veteran blue-liner, who has skated in 900 career games, will join his fifth NHL team for the upcoming campaign. Hamonic ranks 22nd on the all-time blocks list with 1,768. Last season with the Ottawa Senators, he blocked 93 shots in 59 appearances. Offensively, Hamonic is very limited and only had seven points (one goal, six assists) in 2024-25. Because of this, he's not a player fantasy managers should consider adding to their squads.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
August 15, 2025
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Mikael Pyyhtia will be back with the organization in 2025-26 after agreeing to a one-year, two-way contract. Per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, Pyyhtia's contract comes with an NHL cap hit of $775,000 and a minor-league salary of $100,000. The Finnish native was drafted in the fourth round by the Blue Jackets in 2020 and has made 66 regular-season appearances, including 47 last season. He scored his first four NHL goals and finished the campaign with seven points. Overall, Pyyhtia has scored 10 points in the league, so he's made only a minimal impact with the Blue Jackets and doesn't have any fantasy appeal.
--Taavi PailkSource: NHL.com
August 15, 2025
Utah Mammoth forward prospect Caleb Desnoyers (wrist) will be out for approximately 12 weeks after undergoing wrist surgery, general manager Doug Armstrong announced Thursday. Desnoyers was the fourth pick of this year's draft, instantly becoming one of Utah's top prospects. However, it's unclear whether he will make his NHL debut in 2025-26. The 18-year-old may return to the QMJHL or link up with an NCAA team, since he hasn't signed a contract with Utah. Regardless, the wrist surgery will keep him sidelined for the start of the season. Desnoyers battled wrist issues throughout last season but still produced an impressive 84 points (35 goals, 49 assists) in 56 regular-season games with the Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL.
--Taavi PailkSource: Utah Mammoth PR
August 15, 2025
Philadelphia Flyers winger Tyson Foerster (elbow) appears to be on track to be healthy for the start of the 2025-26 NHL campaign. Flyers general manager Danny Briere told Bill Meltzer of Hockey Hot Stove via text that "everything looks good right now" for Foerster, and he "should be ready for the season." The 23-year-old underwent elbow surgery during the offseason to treat an infection caused by an injury he sustained while playing for Team Canada at the World Championship. Foerster has produced back-to-back 20-goal campaigns in his first two years in the NHL and was tied for fourth in scoring on his team last season with 43 points (25 goals, 18 assists) in 81 games.
--Taavi PailkSource: Bill Meltzer
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