Last weekend the Penguins re-signed two restricted free agent goalies at the same time. Arturs Silovs got a one-year extension for $2.8 million, Joel Blomqvist got a two-year deal.

The details within Blomqvist’s salary are very interesting. It is a two-way contract in 2026-27 that has a $300k downside guaranteed salary, worth up to $850k if he spends the full season in the NHL. The contract suggests what many expect: that Blomqvist will be the organization’s third string goalie next season and likely spend a lot of time in the AHL.

It’s the second year of the deal that’s interesting, it switches to a one-way contract that pays Blomqvist a $900k salary, regardless of whether or not he plays in the NHL or AHL level.

The #LetsGoPens signed 24 y/o G Joel Blomqvist to a two year two-way contract

$875K Cap Hit

Yr 1: $$850K NHL, $225K Minors, $300K Guaranteed
Yr 2: $900K 1-way

Rep'd by Craig Oster @TheHockeyAgencyhttps://t.co/wHuOWOwiLQ

— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) July 5, 2026

The other interesting element is that Blomqvist loses waiver status at the start of the 2027-28 season. This deal could serve to make other teams less likely to claim Blomqvist, given the one-way contract. It also was likely a necessary carrot to dangle, lest the goalie return back to Sweden to play given that his NHL future has been delayed, which figures to only continue next season. Giving the money makes for incentive to stay in the organization instead of leaving.

At this time, let’s pivot back to Silovs. He’ll be making $2.8 million in 2026-27 and is set to be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2027. Sergei Murashov is also set to become a RFA next summer, leaving Blomqvist (at his affordable $875k cap hit that is little above the minimum amount of $850k) as the only NHL caliber goalie in the organization currently under contract in 2027-28.

The future of the Pens’ goalie situation is dependent on next season, naturally enough, but there will be some decisions to make next summer where Silovs will be only one year out from UFA approaching for him in 2028 and seeing what kind of salary Murashov might prove he deserves coming off his entry level contract.

It’s not difficult to see a path where if Silovs doesn’t improve some metrics from last season – where his 5v5 save percentage ranked 43rd out of 52 goalies with 1200+ minutes and his GSAA was 44/52- that perhaps Pittsburgh doesn’t qualify Silovs for 2027-28 and instead looks to elevate Blomqvist from No. 3 up to a full-time spot in the NHL as a cheaper option if it doesn’t look like they are interested in making a market rate type of commitment for Silovs.

The situation could flip the other way, though few expect Murashov not to be impressive, if next season plays out to the point where he isn’t an NHL option for 2027-28, the Pens are in perfect position to retain Silovs for 2027-28 and have Blomqvist right there should Murashov sputter through his rookie NHL season. Goalie paths can be volatile at best, no one really thought highly-regarded goalie prospects like Spencer Knight and Yaroslav Askarov would need AHL time a few years into their careers, but sometimes it happens that way. There’s a lot of hope, and for valid reason, that Murashov will be a long-term factor in net for the Pens, but at this point that is still a path he is going to have to travel and prove.

Or, in the best of all worlds where Silovs AND Murashov both have strong seasons in 2026-27, the Pens would find themselves with quality depth and could be paying Blomqvist an NHL salary to play in the AHL as an insurance policy against injury in 2027-28.

There are as many variables in play as one’s imagination allows, no one can predict the future when is comes to NHL goaltending performance from year-to-year so it’s a curious detail that Blomqvist secured one-way money in 2027-28. Whether or not that portends to him drawing that salary as a full-time NHL goaltender in a couple years still is obviously way up in the air and almost entirely dependent on how he and the other two goalies play in 2026-27 with a wide array of extremely possible outcomes for all parties. Blomqvist’s contract structure, especially seeing Silovs only sign for one year, serves to open up multiple possibilities for the mid-range outlook for how the Penguins might go about building their goaltending options, which at this point is a good position to be in and give ample ability to adjust based on how the future unfolds.

Chris MacFarland has spent much of his first offseason in Nashville surrounding himself with familiar faces, whether that's acquiring former Colorado Avalanche players or adding personnel from his old organization. Earlier this week, he continued that trend by bringing back another player with Avalanche ties.

The Nashville Predators re-signed defenseman Justin Barron to a one-year, $1.575 million contract, giving the former Colorado first-round pick another opportunity to establish himself on Nashville's blue line.

The 24-year-old Barron was a restricted free agent after appearing in 52 games for the Predators last season, recording nine assists while averaging 14:15 of ice time. He also finished with 60 blocked shots after being acquired from the Montreal Canadiens in December 2024 in exchange for defenseman Alexandre Carrier.

"Justin Barron is a 24-year-old, right-handed defenseman who we feel still has growth in his game," Predators President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Chris MacFarland said in a team release. "He can skate and has a lot of physical tools. We're looking forward to seeing him at our training camp in September."

For Avalanche fans, Barron's name is forever linked to one of the biggest trades in franchise history.

Colorado selected the defenseman with the 25th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, and he spent most of the next two seasons developing with the AHL's Colorado Eagles, where he recorded six goals and 18 assists in 50 games. He also made two NHL appearances before being included, along with a 2024 second-round pick, in the March 2022 trade that brought Artturi Lehkonen to Denver.

That deal became one of the defining moves of Colorado's Stanley Cup run. Lehkonen scored the overtime winner that completed the Avalanche's sweep of the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final before netting the Cup-clinching goal in Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Barron eventually found his footing in Montreal, posting consecutive double-digit point seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24 despite playing fewer than 50 games in each campaign. His production slowed to one point in 17 games to begin the 2024-25 season before he was traded to Nashville, where he rebounded with 12 points in 45 contests after the deal.

Defensive consistency has remained the biggest question mark throughout Barron's NHL career. Across 208 games with the Avalanche, Canadiens and Predators, he has recorded 18 goals and 34 assists for 52 points but has yet to finish a season with a positive plus-minus rating, posting a career minus-27.

His underlying numbers paint a mixed picture. Barron ranked third among Predators defensemen with 60 blocked shots last season and led the group in blocked shots per 60 minutes (4.86). He also finished third among Nashville blueliners in hits. On the other hand, his four takeaways were the fewest on the team.

The one-year contract gives Barron another chance to carve out a larger role in Nashville while providing MacFarland with additional depth on the right side entering the 2026-27 season.

Barron has appeared in 208 regular-season NHL games but has yet to make his Stanley Cup Playoff debut. He is also the younger brother of Winnipeg Jets forward Morgan Barron.

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No Town Like Motown - December 4, 2007 - Vol. 61, Issue 11 - Ken Campbell

NO, WE DON’T HAVE A LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE RED WINGS.

But thanks so much for asking.

Last season, we anointed Ken Holland as the No. 1 GM in the league. A couple of issues back, we came to the determination the Wings have the premier defense corps in the NHL this season.

And now this. Hey, if the skate fits…

After an exhaustive study of each of the NHL’s 30 organizations, we can say with confidence the Red Wings are the No. 1 franchise in the league and it isn’t even close. In our examination of nine on- and off-ice criteria focused primarily on the past five seasons, the Wings not only finished first in the NHL, but the gap between themselves and the second-place Ottawa Senators was bigger than the chasm between any other two teams in the league.

That was the case when we ranked the league’s GMs and came up with Holland, and the NHL’s blueline corps and also settled on the Red Wings. It wasn’t even close, as evidenced by the fact that when we ranked Detroit’s defense corps No. 1, we said, “it’s not even close.” When we picked Holland as the top GM in the league, we quoted a fellow NHL executive as saying, “To me, Ken Holland is the best GM in hockey and there’s nobody even close to him.”

But what makes the Red Wings so dominant in a league that has been overrun by parity? They have not won a Stanley Cup since 2002, but that’s one more than 25 other teams in the league have won in that time span. Simply put, the Wings are very strong in every organizational aspect. They’ve been perennial playoff contenders; been dominant in the regular season; have one of the best ownerships and front offices in the league; have drafted relatively well considering their dearth of high draft picks; their franchise value is high; and, until this season, their attendance has been among the most robust in the NHL.

They are, if you will, the model franchise. They have managed to be a powerhouse with an unlimited budget and unlike some other big-market teams, have yet to become a casualty of the salary cap. They continue to develop solid, if not spectacular players and their late-round picks – such as Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and (maybe one day) Niklas Kronwall – have proven to be major home runs.

It’s mid July, free agency has settled down…how do we get something on the radar? I got an idea and it’s only as fish-sticky as you make it…

Islanders News

In a move that would’ve invited infinite scorn during the Blog Box era, and now only invites…well, scorn but also satire and shrugs, the Islanders are inviting fans to design (via a template) their next third jersey. Here’s their PR hype about it. Here’s Newsday on it. Have fun with your design here. It’s for the 2027-28 season, of course.

It did its job by getting lots of attention and media coverage, and it’s off to a big start with 37,000 submissions so far — some of them probably aren’t even from Rangers fans. [Newsday | ESPN]

The unusual path of March undrafted goalie signing Josh Kotai, and the friends he met along the way. [Isles]

Elsewhere

• In a move that surprises very few, the Ducks chose to match the offer sheet to Leo Carlsson. [Sportsnet] So Danny Briere and company singlehandedly shat on everyone’s salary scale for…the drama, I guess. At least they made Pat Verbeek uncomfortable.
• Carlsson appreciates the generous raise and generational wealth for his family but insists he “always wanted to be a Duck.” [NHL]
• The Mammoth also matched the offer sheet for Barrett Hayton by the Devils, so the lesson here once again: It’s not that NHL GMs are too chicken or buddy-buddy to do offer sheets (though some surely are), it’s that they only make sense and actually work in very specific circumstances, such as when Edmonton screws itself and leaves it exposed. [NHL]
• Connor Bedard needs surgery and will be out till November. Dude’s cursed, but the Blackhawks deserve all the misfortune. [NHL]
• “Fresh challenges” led Daniel Alfredsson to turn to the Senators’ hated rivals to join their bench. [Sportsnet] That makes for a tough offseason overall for the Sens.
• Mark Giordano — who’s worked with Isaiah George and Matthew Schaefer — also earned a promotion to the Leafs’ NHL bench. [THN]
• Hayley Wickehnheiser is leaving the Leafs though, unable to find common ground on her role with the new GM. [Sportsnet]

In a recent article for The Athletic, Harman Dayal ranked the nine best contracts signed during the 2026 NHL off-season so far. One of the Buffalo Sabres' moves was among the contracts that made Dayal's list.

Dayal gave the Sabres' decision to sign defenseman Olen Zellweger to a three-year contract with a $3.1 million AAV a shout-out in his list. 

"After trading Bowen Byram and Kesselring, the Sabres needed to add some secondary skating and puck-moving to the back end. Zellweger is an excellent budget option to fill that hole. He isn’t nearly as established as Byram yet and his ceiling is likely lower, especially as a 5-foot-10 defenseman, but the upside of his game is tantalizing," Dayal wrote. 

When noting that Zellweger's new cap hit is a very reasonable $3.1 million, it is clear that this has the chance to be a very good deal for the Sabres. There is no question that the young blueliner has plenty of potential, and it also doesn't hurt that the salary cap is continuing to go up.

If Zellweger can continue to develop his game and blossom into a top-four defenseman for the Sabres, this bridge deal could become a complete steal for Buffalo. This is epecially when looking at the kinds of contracts that other NHL defensemen have received this off-season.

In 76 games during this past season with the Ducks, Zellweger scored seven goals and set new career highs with 15 assists and 22 points. With numbers like these, the 2021 second-round pick has shown plenty of promise, and it will be interesting to see if he can hit a new level in Buffalo from here. 

By all accounts, the Philadelphia Flyers exit the Leo Carlsson saga exactly where they began: back at Square 1. Drama aside, it has been a mediocre, humdrum offseason for a team that needed to make the big move.

Flyers general manager Danny Briere admitted himself that the team could "take a little bit of a step back", which would have been fine if they hadn't already committed to being more competitive.

The Flyers, when they were really bad, walked away from the NHL draft with Matvei Michkov, Cutter Gauthier, and Porter Martone. When they've been good or average, they got Jett Luchanko and Maksim Sokolovskii. Combining two first-round picks from teams that were good, they traded up for Jack Nesbitt.

There's a bit of a pattern there, where the higher the Flyers draft, the better players they get, and the lower they draft, the players they can get have obvious strengths, as well as obvious weaknesses. That's not a knock on those players, but it's just the reality of team building in sports.

Starting goalie Dan Vladar, as expected, signed a five-year contract extension. Two seasons ago, it was Nick Seeler who got the contract extension. Then Garnet Hathaway landed a two-year extension, made it through one, and got traded at retained salary before the start of the next.

A few weeks after that, Travis Konecny signed his eight-year, $70 million extension that expires in 2033, when he'll be 36.

Flyers Have Clear Leo Carlsson Offer Sheet AlternativeAfter their Leo Carlsson offer sheet bid came up short, the Philadelphia Flyers must pivot to Adam Fantilli next.

Last summer, the Flyers signed Christian Dvorak to a one-year deal, essentially admitting to overpaying for the one-year term to avoid blocking developing prospects, like Luchanko and Nesbitt. By January, the now-30-year-old got a five-year extension.

After years and years of trade rumors, Rasmus Ristolainen remains on the roster, despite turning 32 this upcoming October and having one year remaining on his contract at a $5.1 million cap hit.

And then this year, the Flyers signed Noel Acciari to a two-year deal, with no trade protection in Year 1, but a 10-team no-trade list in Year 2.

They were, at one point, on the right track, when they flipped Sean Walker to Colorado for a first-round pick (and Ryan Johansen) in 2024 despite being in the playoff hunt, but have otherwise completely abandoned that logic. Why not do more of that?

The Flyers have done so well with flipping older veterans for picks and prospects that better fit their true competitive timeline, like when they traded Ryan Poehling, who was found money, and a second-round pick for Trevor Zegras.

Flyers Reveal Jett Luchanko Underwent Procedure Prior to Development CampTop Philadelphia Flyers prospect Jett Luchanko finally had an operation to correct a lingering injury lasting nearly two years.

Walker was found money and became a first-round pick, which helped yield Nesbitt.

But then Seeler stayed despite trade interest, Dvorak inked a five-year pact in a career-year, and Konecny, an aging top-six winger, got eight years.

Vladar, in an anomalous career year, also got his five years.

So, that's the state of the Flyers.

They haven't committed to being bad enough long enough to get a center like Leo Carlsson in the draft, so they were prepared to spend $90 million over just five years, and four first-round picks, to get him as a restricted free agent... and still came up short.

That leaves them, on the heels of a second-round playoff appearance, with a mostly unchanged roster, highlighted only by the arrivals of Acciari, backup goalie Joseph Woll, and defenseman Simon Benoit.

Metropolitan Division teams that missed the playoffs last year, like Washington and New Jersey, made wholesale changes in an effort to get their ducks back in a row.

The Devils offloaded their biggest distraction in Simon Nemec, and dumped their worst contract in Jacob Markstrom, while getting back a competent bottom-six forward in Evan Rodrigues and two future first-round picks.

The Capitals beefed up heavily, bringing back future Hall of Famer Alex Ovechkin for another year, as well as adding Jordan Kyrou, Boone Jenner, and Alex Tuch via trade and free agency.

As for the Flyers, well, they at least got a backup goalie who is demonstrably better than Sam Ersson, Aleksei Kolosov, Ivan Fedotov, Cal Petersen, and Felix Sandstrom, but the buck really stops there.

Young Flyers Stars File for Arbitration; Potential Offer Sheet Threat AvertedStandout Philadelphia Flyers duo Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras have filed for arbitration, and that may not be a bad thing for the Flyers.

Now that they've reached the Stanley Cup playoffs and raised everyone's expectations, the big move didn't come, and the Flyers ultimately missed out on *clears throat* Mavrik Bourque, Leo Carlsson, Darnell Nurse, John Carlson, Claude Giroux, Bowen Byram, Mason McTavish, and Zach Werenski, and probably Dylan Larkin, this offseason.

Don't forget about Kirill Kaprizov, who never even hit the market.

And maybe the 2023-24 and 2025-26 seasons, that were okay or successful, would have been better served as dismal, uninspiring, but necessary development years to continue to acquire long-term assets while letting the young guns play big minutes.

Michkov had a great first year under John Tortorella two years ago, and Martone, Alex Bump, and Denver Barkey had phenomenal stretches to end the year, too. Even Oliver Bonk looked square to the task. Jack Berglund is looking like he'll develop into a real force, too.

But in a few years, the pressure will be all on them to take the Flyers to the promised land, with no No. 1 center or franchise defenseman coming to help them. Zegras and Jamie Drysdale can only do so much, and Konecny, Travis Sanheim, and Owen Tippett aren't getting any younger.

Things can always change, like if the Flyers pivoted to Adam Fantilli, but the element of surprise won't be on their side this time.

After missing out on Leo Carlsson and doing little else of substance this offseason, the one that was meant to be the proverbial game-changer, the Flyers' long-term plan may have to be altered.

Former Philadelphia Flyers forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare recently announced his retirement from professional hockey. This was after he spent the last two seasons with HC Ajoie of Switzerland's National League.

Now, Bellemare has landed his first post-playing career gig. 

The Tampa Bay Lightning have announced that they have hired Bellemare as their new player development specialist. 

Bellemare is somebody who the Lightning organization already knows well. This is because the former Flyers forward spent the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons with the Lightning. Now, he is rejoining the Bolts organization in an off-ice role after landing this cool new gig. 

Bellemare spent the first three seasons of his NHL career with the Flyers from 2014-15 to 2016-17. In 237 games over that span with the Flyers, he posted 17 goals, 17 assists, 34 points, and 259 hits. His time with the Flyers ended when he was claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.

In 700 career NHL games over 10 seasons, Bellemare recorded 64 goals, 74 assists, 138 points, 615 hits, and a plus-22 rating. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins have officially signed one of their 2026 draft picks. 

Defenseman Tomas Galvas signed a three-year entry-level contract with the team on Thursday after he was selected in the second round of the 2026 NHL Draft last month. 

The news was announced via the Penguins' official X account. 

The Penguins have signed defenseman Tomas Galvas to a three-year, entry-level contract. pic.twitter.com/ZrweCzl9vO

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) July 9, 2026

Galvas played in Czechia for Bílí Tygři Liberec during the 2025-26 season, finishing with eight goals and 24 points in 32 games.

He also represented Czechia at the World Juniors and was fantastic, compiling three goals and nine points in seven games. He was everywhere on the ice, utilizing his strong skating skills to his advantage. 

Galvas is expected to play another season in Czechia before coming over to North America. He could join the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins if his 2026-27 season in Czechia ends early. 

This is a player that the Penguins are pretty excited about, and rightfully so.

---

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The Anaheim Ducks matched the Philadelphia Flyers' massive offer sheet to Leo Carlsson on Thursday, July 9.

The 21-year-old rising star is staying in Anaheim, and the Flyers hang onto the four first-round picks they would have had to give up if the Ducks hadn't matched.

Carlsson was hoping Anaheim would match, even though he had signed the five-year, $90 million offer sheet.

"It was kind of an offer that 99 percent of everyone would sign," Carlsson said. "It changed my family and all, too. ... I always wanted to be here, too. I really hoped they would match."

What is the fallout? Here are the winners and losers of the Ducks' decision to match the offer sheet:

WINNERS

Anaheim Ducks and Leo Carlsson

Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli immediately owe a signing bonus of nearly $20 million under the terms of the offer sheet. And the deal could hurt the team's salary cap situation heading forward.

But the team is building around Carlsson, the 2023 No. 2 overall pick. If they didn't match, it would take them time to find another player with similar promise. The first-round picks would likely be late-round ones, and the draft is uncertain because you're betting that 18-year-olds will progress as planned.

Carlsson, meanwhile, becomes the highest-paid player in the NHL with an $18 million average annual value. A nice bump from his $950,000-a-year entry-level deal. He'll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the deal and general manager Pat Verbeek believes he will continue his path to becoming an elite player.

San Jose Sharks' Macklin Celebrini

Carlsson got the massive payout after a 67-point season in his third season. How much could Celebrini get after a team-record 115 points in his second season? An $18 million cap hit would seem to be the minimum. He has another year left on his contract, but Sharks general manager Mike Grier can sign him to an extension at any time.

Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard, who's currently injured, needs a new contract before the 2026-27 season. The offer sheet has to help his cause.

Top-end stars

The salary cap is going up and salaries are now soaring. Defensemen Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar can sign extensions before they become unrestricted free agents next summer. Connor McDavid has two years left on his contract. A $20 million contract or a max contract (20% of the salary cap) seems possible soon.

Restricted free agents could argue for more money, too, though general managers will have to remind them that the offer sheet was an extraordinary circumstance. But teams will try to lock up their players early to prevent the possibility of an offer sheet.

LOSERS

Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek

He left the team vulnerable to an offer sheet by not getting Carlsson signed before July 1. If he had, it would have been for less than $18 million. But he said he thought Carlsson's representation was "slow-walking" negotiations toward July 1.

The Ducks have only $9 million to work with one player left to sign.

Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier

Gauthier, a 40-goal scorer, is the player left to sign. A $9 million deal isn't likely to cut it. Verbeek will have to move out a player or two to get Gauthier re-signed.

"Wherever Cutter comes in, I'm going to have some work to do to make sure that we can fit everyone in," Verbeek said. "I've got 2½ months to figure that out."

Philadelphia Flyers

First, kudos to general manager Daniel Briere for making a bold move to land a No. 1 center. But even though the team made the signing bonuses as large as possible, Anaheim matched. The Flyers end up in the same place as they were before the offer sheet. The team also missed out on former captain Claude Giroux when he decided to return to Ottawa.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Winners, losers as Ducks match historic offer sheet to Leo Carlsson

It is coming down to a stalemate between the Detroit Red Wings and disgruntled star and captain Dylan Larkin.

In the two-plus months since Larkin's agent, Pat Brisson, requested a trade, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman has not received an offer he believes is worth his time from the three teams on the list Larkin submitted: The Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights.

The Red Wings have listened to other teams – as is their right – but no trade is forthcoming.

Brisson told USA TODAY/Detroit Free Press on Wednesday, July 8, that there was nothing new to report.

More NHL: Ducks match Flyers' massive offer sheet to Leo Carlsson

Larkin, who turns 30 on July 30, has five years left on a contract carrying an $8.7 million salary cap hit.

The Wings have already paid him $31 million, making his contract all the more favorable.

The Wings are not interested in future assets in this potential trade. A person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY/Detroit Free Press on condition on anonymity that Yzerman is prepared for Larkin to report to camp rather than trade him for the sake of trading him.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.

She’s co-authored “Red, White & Gold: How American men and women became the kings and queens of Olympic hockey” (order at USA.ChampsBook.com.) Her books: “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of Hockeytown,” and “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dylan Larkin's trade wish list remains unchanged after free agency flurry

The PWHL’s Ottawa Charge will play their home games at the Canadian Tire Centre, home of the Ottawa Senators, starting with the 2026-27 season, the team announced at a news conference Thursday afternoon.

“Senators Sports & Entertainment is proud to officially welcome the Ottawa Charge to Canadian Tire Centre,” SS&E president and CEO Cyril Leeder said in a statement. “The Ottawa-Gatineau region is fortunate to have two professional hockey teams competing at the highest level. In a short period of time, the Charge have developed a substantial following and fan base, and they have become an important part of our local hockey ecosystem.”

The Charge spent their first three seasons at TD Place, located in the city’s Lansdowne Park area. But in November, the city of Ottawa approved a $419 million redevelopment plan for Lansdowne Park, which included a much smaller event centre that seats 5,850 and has a capacity of 6,600. The current TD Place has a capacity of 8,500.

“Honestly, in four decades of working in professional sports, this might be the most disappointing thing I have ever seen,” PWHL executive vice president of hockey operations Amy Scheer said in an op-ed to the Ottawa Citizen in November.

The Charge played Walter Cup playoff games at the Canadian Tire Centre this spring, en route to a championship final series appearance against the Montreal Victoire. Ottawa set attendance records at the Canadian Tire Centre. For Game 1 of its Walter Cup series against Montreal, the Canadian Tire Centre had 16,894 fans, a PWHL single-game playoff attendance record. The Charge lost the Walter Cup to the Victoire in four games.

In a regular-season game against the Victoire on April 3, the Canadian Tire Centre had 17,114 fans, the highest-attended women’s hockey game ever played in Ottawa.

“As the Charge community continues to grow, the move to the Canadian Tire Centre will position us to welcome more fans and continue building a memorable experience for our players and our supporters,” Charge GM Mike Hirshfeld said in a statement. “TD Place was the foundation of our early success, and we’re deeply grateful for the energy our fans brought to every game in that building. In the playoffs, we witnessed that they could recreate that magic at CTC, and we’re looking forward to continuing to build momentum in our new home.”

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Ottawa Senators, Ottawa Charge, NHL, Sports Business, Women's Hockey

2026 The Athletic Media Company

The Montreal Canadiens have announced that they have signed forward Brett Berard to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2026-27 season. 

The Canadiens acquired Berard from the New York Rangers last month in exchange for defenseman William Trudeau. 

Berard appeared in 13 games last season for the Rangers, where he recorded zero points and 17 hits. This is after he had six goals, 10 points, and 53 hits in his first 35 career NHL games during the 2024-25 campaign with the Rangers. 

Berard spent the bulk of last season in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack, however. In 41 games with the AHL club during the 2025-26 campaign, he recorded six goals, 16 assists, and 22 points. 

In 145 career AHL games over four seasons, Berard has posted 40 goals, 53 assists, 93 points, and 158 penalty minutes. 

Berard will now be looking to earn a spot on the Canadiens' roster by having a strong training camp. 

Unfortunately for the Philadelphia Flyers, their bold play to sign Anaheim Ducks star Leo Carlsson to an offer sheet has been matched and foiled, leaving them with heaps of cap space over a week after the opening of NHL free agency. Now what?

The Carlsson offer sheet attempt proved to us that the Flyers are willing and able to take great risks to acquire a young, talented player that gives the team a major shot in the arm at the center position.

While not on the same level as Carlsson, the Flyers do have some alternatives available worth considering, and one certainly stands out amongst that group.

Also an offer-sheet eligible restricted free agent, 2023 No. 3 overall pick Adam Fantilli remains without a contract from the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team mired in its own roster controversy between the Zach Werenski situation, as well as talk of Kirill Marchenko being a trade chip, too.

At the end of the day, Fantilli, 21, has come close, but has yet to make, the Stanley Cup playoffs with the Blue Jackets, and it doesn't help that he's already played for three--yes, three--head coaches in his three seasons.

To that end, we can't be too surprised that the former University of Michigan star has yet to produce a 60-point campaign in the NHL, despite scoring 31 goals in 2024-25.

Because his breakout hasn't happened yet, Fantilli will undoubtedly cost less than the $18 million Carlsson received, though $15- or $16 million could certainly be in the cards. And if the Flyers make that decision, they will have done plenty of research to make themselves comfortable with pulling the trigger... again.

Notably, Chris Shero, the grandson of legendary Flyers head coach Fred Shero, works for Columbus as an amateur scout. Younger brother Kyle has been scouting for the Flyers since the 2022-23 season.

Insider: Flyers Planned Heist for NHL Superstar Before Leo Carlsson Offer SheetThe Philadelphia Flyers were hot in pursuit of Kirill Kaprizov, according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, before the Minnesota Wild locked down the superstar forward.

Additionally, Cameron Briere, the youngest of Flyers general manager Danny Briere's three sons, works for the Blue Jackets as an assistant video coach, a role he held with the ECHL Maine Mariners for four seasons.

If the Flyers needed a scouting report on Fantilli supplementary to their own research, they don't need to look very far to get it.

Briere and Co. have already shown that they are willing to spend the cash, part with the draft picks, and disregard the norm around the NHL in pursuit of a No. 1 center, and Fantilli's situation is no different from Carlsson's, at the end of the day.

Fantilli, even more so than Carlsson, is the kind of buccaneering power forward who would really benefit from having teammates like Porter Martone and Matvei Michkov, and the Flyers aren't having issues with players asking to leave or managing the salary cap.

If Fantilli is even remotely open to leaving, the Flyers shouldn't have a hard time selling the former No. 3 pick on Philadelphia with an offer sheet pitch.

The Flyers have a clear need for a puck transporter, finisher, and speedster down the middle, and the Canadian pivot checks every box.

Fantilli's playmaking will have to develop some, but at worst, the Flyers have the supporting cast capable of taking care of that for him.

If the Flyers are still open to utilizing the offer sheet, their next target is obvious.

Could Alberts Šmits make the New York Rangers’ opening-night roster?

When the Rangers selected Šmits with the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, it was under the impression that he was the most NHL-ready defenseman. 

Šmits did not divulge whether he would attend training camp once September rolls around.

“We’ll see how it goes,” Šmits told the media about if he plans to participate in the Rangers’ training camp in the coming months. 

Meanwhile, Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury left things open-ended regarding Šmits’ availability for training camp, emphasizing the importance of doing what’s best for the 18-year-old defenseman’s long-term development.

“We're gonna do right by him and the long-term health and well-being of him as a Ranger,” Drury said of Šmits. “This is not a sprint for him. We hope he's a rock-solid defenseman for the Rangers for the next 15 years. We're not going to put him in positions or situations that he can't handle. So excited to add him, but again, not going to do anything that's not in the best interest long term for him.”

Drury confirmed that Šmits will be returning to New York later in the summer to continue his offseason training upon his return from Latvia.