FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Jason Robertson and the Dallas Stars will avoid a salary arbitration hearing after the high-scoring forward signed a $12 million contract for next season.
The Stars announced the deal Tuesday night, a day before Robertson's 27th birthday and 2 1/2 weeks after he had filed for arbitration.
“Jason has been a cornerstone of our franchise since he was drafted in 2017,” Stars general manager Jim Nill said. “A dynamic and skilled player, he has been one of the league’s top offensive threats since making his NHL debut."
Robertson, who has 490 points (213 goals and 277 assists) in his 456 regular-season career games with the Stars, could become an unrestricted free agent for the first time next summer.
His $12 million salary for 2026-27 matches forward Mikko Rantanen for the highest on the Stars. Rantanen just completed the first season of the $96 million, eight-year extension he signed to facilitate the deadline trade that brought him to Dallas from Carolina in March 2025.
Nill had acknowledged at the conclusion of the NHL draft that the Stars had a sign-and-trade deal in place to send Robertson to Seattle for the seventh overall pick. While Robertson couldn’t veto that trade, he wouldn’t agree to a long-term deal with the Kraken — a reported $120 million over eight years ($15 million a season).
Robertson had a team-high 96 points (45 goals, 51 assists) this past season. It was his third 40-goal season, and completed a $31 million, four-year deal he got in 2022.
The Stars drafted Robertson 39th overall in the second round of the 2017 draft. He has played all 328 of their regular-season games the past four seasons, scoring 365 points (155 goals and 210 assists) in that span.
Jason Robertson's contract drama with the Dallas Stars is over. For now, anyways.
Robertson, the high-scoring 26-year-old forward, has signed a one-year, $12 million contract with the Stars, the team announced on July 21.
The deal helps player and team avoid arbitration, which the restricted free agent had filed for amid a contract standoff. It also sets Robertson up to be an unrestricted free agent upon conclusion of the 2026-27 season.
If Robertson remains in the fold, Dallas figures to be dangerous again. A second-round pick in the 2017 draft, Robertson scored 45 goals and led the Stars with 96 points in 2025-26.
He has three other 80-point seasons under his belt, including a career-best 109 points recorded in 2022-23.
Jason Robertson contract details
The one-year, $12 million contract means Robertson doesn't move past Mikko Rantanen to become the Stars' highest-paid player. Instead, they are tied. Rantanen had signed an eight-year, $96 million extension with the Stars after they acquired him from the Hurricanes in March 2025.
According to puckpedia.com, the Stars are $1.36 million over the cap, but they have until the start of the season to get that remedied.
The Chicago Blackhawks community is waiting on the decision made by Patrick Kane. The report is that he is deciding between the Blackhawks, where he became one of the greatest players of all time, and the Buffalo Sabres, his hometown team.
On Tuesday, Chicago General Manager Kyle Davidson went on the show OverDrive, presented by TSN 1050 Radio, and added some fuel to the rumors by chiming in on the situation.
"We'll await his decision....but he knows our door is always open." 👀
"Patrick is someone that our organization, myself, have had a relationship for a long time," Davidson said. "I don't necessarily think it's right for me to comment on the process he's going to be running this offseason. A guy like Kaner has done pretty much everything there is to do in our game. He's inspired every young player playing hockey today with what he's accomplished, and he's earned the right to take his time and make a decision. We see him very often. He trains at our practice facility in the offseason. We'll await his decision, but he knows our door is always open. He's a Blackhawk at heart for life, even if he's not wearing our jersey. We've got a great deal of reverence, respect, and love for Patrick Kane, so we'll leave him to that decision, and we'll see where he ends up when that day comes."
It is all but confirmed now that Kane is actually considering a return to the Chicago Blackhawks. At 37, he isn't coming back to win any scoring titles or Hart Trophies, but he can be an above-average offensive contributor on a young team.
The leadership that Kane could provide, in addition to his overall skill set, would be perfect in a mentorship role. As Davidson said, he has done everything that a player can in the NHL, and now he can cement his legacy by returning to the team that he started it all with, if he so chooses.
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Jack Campbell’s NHL journey has come to an end, but the next chapter of his life is already underway.
The former Los Angeles Kings goaltender announced Monday that he is retiring from professional hockey after nine NHL seasons and will begin a new career as an identity and performance coach with Novus Global. In an emotional message shared on Instagram, Campbell said he realized the work that fulfilled him most was no longer stopping pucks, but helping others unlock their potential.
“Walking away from hockey wasn’t easy. It gave me more than I could have ever imagined. But over the last few years, I realized the work that brought me the most fulfillment wasn’t stopping pucks—it was helping people become who they’re capable of becoming.”
For many around the league, Campbell will be remembered for his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers. But it was in Los Angeles where his NHL career truly found its footing.
A former first-round pick who went 11th overall to the Dallas Stars in the 2010 NHL Draft, Campbell spent years trying to establish himself at hockey’s highest level. His NHL debut came with Dallas during the 2013-14 season, but opportunities were scarce, and the highly regarded prospect struggled to gain traction.
Everything changed after the Stars traded him to the Kings in 2016.
Los Angeles gave Campbell the opportunity to reset his career, develop his game and, perhaps most importantly, rebuild his confidence. Working behind franchise legend Jonathan Quick, Campbell embraced the backup role while steadily proving he could be counted on whenever his number was called.
His breakout arrived during the 2018-19 season after Quick missed significant time because of injury. Campbell stepped into an expanded role and responded with the best hockey of his career to that point, posting a .928 save percentage, a 2.30 goals-against average and two shutouts across 31 appearances.
More than the numbers, Campbell gave the Kings stability during a transitional period for the franchise. Night after night, he delivered dependable performances that earned the trust of teammates and coaches while showing the rest of the NHL he was far more than a former top prospect searching for another chance.
He followed that performance with another strong campaign in Los Angeles, recording a save percentage above .900 and a goals-against average below 2.75 before the Kings dealt him to the Maple Leafs during the 2019-20 season.
The move to Toronto brought Campbell into one of hockey’s biggest markets, and he continued to build on the success he had found in Southern California. His play earned him a selection to the 2022 NHL All-Star Game and helped position him as one of the top goaltenders available in free agency that summer.
The Edmonton Oilers rewarded him with a five-year contract in 2022, hoping he would solidify their crease. Instead, Campbell struggled to rediscover the consistency that defined his years with the Kings and much of his tenure in Toronto. Edmonton ultimately bought out the remaining years of his contract during the 2024 offseason.
His final season came within the Detroit Red Wings organization. Campbell appeared in 14 games for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins but did not return to the NHL before deciding to step away from the game.
Although his career took him through Dallas, Toronto, Edmonton and Detroit, Los Angeles stands as the place where everything changed. The Kings provided Campbell with the opportunity that transformed him from an uncertain former first-round pick into a trusted NHL goaltender and eventual All-Star.
Now, Campbell is carrying those experiences into a different profession. Rather than mentoring teammates from the crease, he’ll be helping athletes, executives and other high performers as an identity and performance coach with Novus Global—a role he says aligns with the purpose he discovered during the final years of his playing career.
Once the hearing starts, the two sides must abide by what the arbiter decides in a ruling that must be submitted within 48 hours after each side presents its case.
Since Greaves filed for arbitration July 5, the Blue Jackets got to decide the length of a new contract and chose one year over the maximum two, which would have put Greaves, 25, straight into unrestricted free agency without compensation.
Briefs for the hearing were submitted July 21 and the sides are far apart on salary.
Greaves, who became the Blue Jackets’ top goalie last season in his first full NHL campaign, is asking for $7.5 million on a one-year deal while the Blue Jackets are offering $2.8 million.
Should the two sides not meet somewhere between those numbers prior to the hearing, an arbiter will decide Greaves’ salary for next season.
The arbiter can set the salary at any number that's at least equal to 85% of what Greaves made last season. Greaves made $825,000 in 2025-26, including a $25,000 signing bonus, so his minimum is $701,250.
He'll almost certainly make much more than that number and what he made last season, but the biggest hurdle in signing Greaves to a new contract is his lack of NHL experience.
Last season, he put together an impressive breakout with a 26-19-9 record, 2.60 goals-against average, .908 save percentage and two shutouts in 55 appearances to rank him fourth in the NHL in save percentage, fifth in goals-against and 11th in wins among goalies who played at least 3,000 minutes.
That’s his only full season, though, despite playing for the Blue Jackets in each of the previous three years. Greaves is also undersized for the position at 6 feet and 188 pounds, so finding comparable goalies could be a challenge.
That likely explains why there’s such a big divide between his salary submission and the team’s.
There’s still time to agree on an extension without going through a hearing, which the Blue Jackets have never done in 25 years, but Greaves’ situation should be resolved by July 25. The Blue Jackets could walk away from an arbitration ruling that exceeds a threshold of $4,538,958, which would make Greaves an unrestricted free agent, but that’s unlikely.
The Jackets are also trying to re-sign restricted free agent forwards Adam Fantilli and Cole Sillinger, who has an arbitration hearing set for July 27. Fantilli, a first-time RFA, is set for a huge pay raise going into his fourth season, while Sillinger is likely bound for a modest raise from his $2.25 million salary.
As we approach roughly 70 days until the start of the 2026-27 season, it is never too early to think about fantasy hockey. NHL.com recently announced its Top 250 fantasy player rankings, with only five members of the Calgary Flames cracking the list. Considering the organization is in the midst of a rebuild and its superstar power is limited now with Blake Coleman gone, it's no surprise that so few Calgary players found their way into the rankings.
Which Flames Players Made NHL.com's Top 250 Fantasy Rankings for 2026-27?
Unfortunately, there were no Flames players in the Top 50, Top 100, or even in the Top 150. Their first ranked player, at 190, is newly acquired defenseman Simon Nemec, who had 11 goals and 26 points in 68 games with the New Jersey Devils last season. He was the second-highest-scoring defender on the team behind Luke Hughes despite having the fifth-worst plus/minus total at minus-11.
At 221st overall, Zayne Parekh joined the rankings. The 20-year-old played 37 games with the Flames last year, collecting four goals and nine points with a minus-9 rating. In limited time with the Calgary Wranglers, he had five points in four games. Heading into next season, the young star in the making is slated to be a bottom-pairing defenseman, waiting for the opportunity to break out.
Not too far down the list at No. 234 and No. 235, Nemec and Parekh are joined by former 20-goal scorer Matt Coronato and 20-year-old Matvei Gridin. Last year in 80 games, the 23-year-old Coronato led the Flames in scoring with 18 goals and 45 points, two points ahead of captain Mikael Backlund. After scoring 24 goals in 2024-25, Coronato regressed while the Flames struggled to score as a team.
Meanwhile, Gridin got his first taste of NHL action last year, scoring six goals and 20 points in 37 games, the same number of games he played with the Wranglers. But he had 10 goals and 30 points in the NHL. Heading into next season, there's a chance that Gridin finds himself in a significant role in the rebuilding Flames, tapped as a top-line winger at the moment.
Finally, the last-ranked player on the NHL.com list is goaltender Dustin Wolf. As the Flames tumbled down the standings, Wolf had his first losing season, posting a 23-29-3 record and leading the NHL in losses. After carrying Calgary to higher finishes than expected in previous years, it appears that he's plateaued with a 60-52-12 record through 128 games. Now, that's not just on Wolf, but the team in front of him.
Are you surprised that more Flames players didn't make the list? Can Jonathan Huberdeau have a bounce-back campaign? Could Connor Zary reach 20 goals? What about Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Brassard was selected by the Blue Jackets with the sixth-overall pick of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. From there, he played each of his first six seasons in Columbus from 2007-08 to 2012-13, where he recorded 58 goals, 111 assists, and 169 points in 309 games.
Brassard's time with the Blue Jackets ended when he was traded to the Rangers during the 2012-13 season in a multi-player deal that included Columbus acquiring Marian Gaborik. With that, Brassard is someone who the Rangers are already familiar with.
As for Quick, he was briefly a member of the Blue Jackets organization during the 2022-23 season. The Los Angeles Kings memorably included him in a trade package to land Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo from the Blue Jackets.
However, Quick was then quickly traded by the Blue Jackets to the Vegas Golden Knights before he played a game for Columbus. He won his third career Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights that year before playing the final three seasons of his NHL career with the Rangers.
The New York Rangers have bolstered their development staff with two new additions.
According to Mollie Walker of The New York Post, the Rangers are hiring Jonathan Quick as director of goaltending development.
Additionally, Vincent Mercogliano of The Athletic reports that the Rangers have hired Derick Brassard as a player development assistant.
Jonathan Quick spent the last three seasons of his 19-year NHL career with the New York Rangers before officially retiring at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.
The 40-year-old goaltender posted a 35-30-6 record, 2.94 save percentage, and .899 goals against average in 76 games for the Rangers.
Now, Quick transitions into the next phase of his career on the development side, staying with the franchise he ended his playing career with.
Brassard spent four of his 16 seasons in the NHL playing for the Blueshirts and was a part of the Rangers team that reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2014.
In 254 games for the Rangers, Brassard recorded 69 goals, 105 assists, and 174 points.
After his time with the Rangers, Brassard played for the Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, and Florida Panthers before announcing his retirement in 2024.
The Rangers promoted Tanner Glass as the director of player development in May after the previous director of player development, Jed Ortmeyer, stepped down from the position to pursue other opportunities.
At the 2026 NHL trade deadline, the Minnesota Wild acquired forward Bobby Brink from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman David Jiricek. The move made sense, as the Wild were in need of another skilled winger.
Following being traded to the Wild, Brink posted two goals and four points in 13 regular-season games. He also recorded one assist in four playoff games for Minnesota. This was after he had 13 goals and 26 points in 55 games with the Flyers before the trade.
Now, after signing his one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Wild for the 2026-27 season, Brink will be looking to have a true breakout year. He certainly has the potential to have one, as he has good upside.
Brink has already shown promise at the NHL level early on in his career. His best offensive season so far was in 2024-25 with the Flyers, as he scored 12 goals and set career highs with 29 assists and 41 points in 79 games. With numbers like these, he has proven that he can provide solid secondary offensive production in the NHL.
Yet, when noting that Brink is still just 25 years old and entering only his fourth full NHL season, there is reason to believe that he has not hit his ceiling yet. If he can hit a new level offensively next season and become a top-six winger, it would be significant for a Wild club that is in its contention window.
It will be interesting to see what Brink can do with the Wild next season from here.
Broadcasting and media seem to have become the next big step in NHL players’ future careers post-playing days.
A plethora of new sports media voices have emerged in recent years, providing witty takes and sharp insight to the broadcasting side of the game, as well as a sense of familiarity coming from the perspective of a player. The NHL’s Broadcast Training Camp, which took place earlier in the month, only heightens this idea.
Former Vancouver Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa is one of a handful of ex-players that have taken strides in the industry and thrived. Even before his retirement from playing, Bieksa had been one of a few Canucks that shined when the camera was placed on them.
As the Canucks take a new route regarding their on-ice play, let’s take a look at some of their biggest off-ice personalities. Which members of the Canucks’ upcoming roster would make the best sports broadcasters?
Zeev Buium & Tom Willander (Preferably Paired Together)
Two of the Canucks’ emerging young leaders have been none-other than Buium and Willander. The two defencemen have brought a lightheartedness to Vancouver’s locker room that has come as a result of their playful banter. From dissing each others’ bowling skills to this comment from Buium on National Best Friends Day, Buium and Willander quickly became a fan-favourite duo towards the end of the Canucks’ 2025–26 season. One can only imagine what the two would get up to on an intermission panel.
Luke Schenn
This long-time NHL defenceman and now three-time Canuck will definitely be one of the team’s go-to veteran voices heading into the 2026–27 season. Often a vocal leader in the NHL dressing rooms that he’s been a part of, Schenn’s elaborate answers in scrums and interviews would pair fairly well with a role in media. There’s also, of course, the acting skills he showed off in Vancouver’s 2022–23 pre-game video.
Jake DeBrusk
DeBrusk feels like a shoe-in for a future media career. The forward has shown himself to be one of the team’s most outgoing players from a personality perspective, whether that’s regarding his Pokemon card collection or his bond with his father, Sportsnet broadcaster and former NHLer Louie DeBrusk. He’s been able to field questions after difficult losses, big wins, as well as some from both his mom and his dad.
Dec 27, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Zeev Buium (24) watches defenseman Tom Willander (5) stick check San Jose Sharks forward Adam Gaudette (81) in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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There have been three players over the years that have worn the number 72 for the San Jose Sharks, but it's safe to say that the most impactful player to wear the number for the team in teal was William Eklund.
Eklund, the Sharks' seventh overall selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, made his NHL debut during the 2021-22 season when he appeared in nine games. During his first full season in North America in the 2022-23 campaign, Eklund established himself as a standout prospect at the American Hockey League level and scored a pair of goals during his limited opportunities at the NHL level.
During the 2023-24 season, Eklund got his first chance to play a full season in the NHL. In 80 games, he scored 16 goals and 45 points. Oddly though, Eklund became relied on as a veteran during his second and third seasons in the league. Due to the Sharks' youth and lack of long-tenured players, Eklund was one of the voices often heard after a difficult loss or tough moment simply because he had slightly more experience.
That added pressure never slowed Eklund down though, as his production rose in his second season, scoring 17 goals and 58 points in 77 games. Then, in the 2025-26 season, he had a very similar rate of offensive production, recording 15 goals and 53 points in 78 appearances.
Had this countdown been written two months ago, it would've had very different context for the former fan favorite as it would end here. Instead, Eklund was at the center of an offseason trade that saw him and a couple of prospects head to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for the ninth overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft, which became Keaton Verhoeff.
Now, reunited with his countryman Fabian Zetterlund, Eklund will call a new city home for the first time in his NHL career.
The Columbus Blue Jackets announced on Tuesday that NHL Productions will now be producing the club's game telecasts. The Blue Jackets also shared that their new broadcast deal with the NHL will begin during the 2026-27 season.
Per a club announcement, “We are excited about working with the NHL and its award-winning production team to continue delivering the best Blue Jackets coverage to our fans,” said club Vice President of Business Intelligence & Broadcasting Marc Gregory. “This partnership allows us to leverage the league’s industry-leading production resources and storytelling capabilities to bring the game closer to our fans than ever before. We are continuing to work on our distribution platforms and look forward to announcing those details in the near future.”
The Blue Jackets are not the only team who have now partnered with the NHL to produce regional broadcasts for this upcoming season. The other clubs include the St. Louis Blues, Carolina Hurricanes, and Minnesota Wild.
At this time, the exact details of the Blue Jackets partnership with NHL Productions have not been announced yet. However, with the regular-season getting closer, we should soon get more information on that front.
The Blue Jackets will kick off their 2026-27 season on Oct. 1 against the Buffalo Sabres. It will be interesting to see how the new broadcast looks once they return to the ice.
Let us know what you think below.
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Before John Marino locked up an eight-year, $6.75 million extension with Utah on Tuesday, he was a sixth-round afterthought the Edmonton Oilers gave up on entirely. This one is going to sting a little for Oilers fans who remember he was a prospect who got away.
Edmonton drafted Marino 154th overall back in 2015, a late-round flier out of the USPHL with modest offensive numbers and no clear NHL path. He spent three seasons at Harvard, developing quietly, while the Oilers never signed him.
In July 2019, with his rights about to require a decision, Edmonton shipped him to Pittsburgh for nothing more than a conditional sixth-round pick — the kind of trade nobody notices in the moment.
A tht time, then-GM Jim Rutherford said, "John is a mobile defenseman who excels at moving the puck while also playing with an edge to his game. We are excited to acquire him as we continue to add defensive depth to the organization. The next step is to work on getting a contract done with him."
It didn't take long to look like a mistake. Marino made his NHL debut with the Penguins that same year and quickly established himself as a legitimate top-four, puck-moving defenseman. He was traded to New Jersey and then Utah, building a reliable, stabilizing reputation at every stop.
Utah recognized his potential and locked him up to an eight-year deal.
Sixth-round picks rarely turn into eight-year veterans with two-way trust from three different organizations. Edmonton had him first, gave up on the projection, and watched him become exactly what a good asset-management department hopes a late pick eventually becomes.
Marino had 36 points last season, which would have placed him just behind Mattias Ekholm. His plus/minus - +42 would have been a big help for the Oilers as well.
The Carolina Hurricanes will be launching their own sports network to broadcast games for the 2026-27 season.
The network will serve as the exclusive TV home for the Hurricanes and will be owned and operated by Hurricanes Holdings, which will oversee all aspects of production, distribution, sales and marketing in collaboration with the National Hockey League.
“We’re thrilled to launch our own sports network, and provide consistent access to Hurricanes hockey for our great fans,” said Hurricanes CEO Brian Fork. “More than ever before, the organization will have the freedom to deliver innovative programming that strengthens the connection between the team, its fans and its community partners.”
The NHL will be providing centralized production services for the Hurricanes' new network in place of FanDuel Sports Network.
Carolina is one of four teams that will be supervised by the NHL, with Minnesota, St. Louis and Columbus being the others.
“Our Emmy Award-winning production team has a long track record of delivering world-class content and unforgettable fan experiences,” said NHL President of Events and Content Steve Mayer in a press release. “Adding live production capabilities is a natural next step, allowing us to introduce groundbreaking technologies, innovative graphics and bold creative concepts that will bring fans even closer to the NHL."
"As the regional media landscape continues to evolve, Clubs need flexibility to maximize distribution and revenue from their local broadcast model,” said NHL Chief Media Officer and Senior Executive Vice President David Proper. "This new model strengthens the value of regional media rights by expanding the pool of potential distribution partners, reducing dependence on outside production providers and allowing Clubs to manage production investments more effectively. At the same time, it provides a foundation for the next generation of NHL production technologies and broadcast innovations."
While no official distribution plan has been announced yet, the Hurricanes state that they plan to make the network available "through a variety of options" including cable, satellite and streaming.
The team intends to announce the name, branding and pricing available before the start of the regular season.
Broadcasters Mike Maniscalco and Tripp Tracy are also confirmed to be returning for next season.
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Three weeks into the NHL's free agency period, Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane remains unsigned on the open market.
Despite a report that he had narrowed down his choices to either his hometown Buffalo Sabres or the Chicao Blackhawks, whom he helped win the Stanley Cup three times, there remains a chance that he could ultimately decide to come back for a third full season in the Motor City.
Until then, the most visible current member of the Blackhawks is doing his part to try and get the future Hall of Famer back in the Windy City for one more season.
Connor Bedard, whom the Blackhawks selected with the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, would love to have Kane back where he played the majority of his career.
"I don't know what I can say to persuade his decision, but obviously we'd all be so excited to have a player like that, but also a guy like that," Bedard said. "I can't imagine his first game back at the (United Center with the Blackhawks), the reaction he'd get and how much juice that would bring to not only our team but our fans, as well. That would be incredible to play with him and learn from him."
Upon his first game back in Chicago in early 2024, Kane scored the overtime game-winning goal in dramatic fashion, and took several laps around the ice acknowledging the cheering fans at United Center.
Kane also scored against the Blackhawks in December of this past season in Chicago.
Bedard is now the star of the show in Chicago, having recently signed a five-year, $75 million contract ($15 million salary cap hit) upon the completion of his entry-level contract.
While the Blackhawks, who are now coached by former Red Wings bench boss Jeff Blashill, remain in rebuilding mode, Bedard believes a Kane return would be a major boost.
"Hopefully (Kane) decides to come back (to Chicago)," Bedard said. "You talk about the legacy aspect of it, but just as a team, he would make us a way better team. He's still an amazing player. I don't know if this is the best pitch, but hopefully he comes back and we can play together, for sure."
Kane finished fifth on the Red Wings in scoring during the 2025-26 campaign, totaling 57 points on 16 goals and 41 assists across 67 appearances.
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