NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Nashville Predators signed forward Jack Drury to a five-year, $22.5 million contract on Sunday night, four days after he was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche.
The 26-year-old Drury had a career-high 10 goals last season and matched his personal best with 27 points while playing in all 82 regular-season games for the Avalanche.
He was acquired by the Predators on Wednesday along with forward Chase Bradley and a third-round pick in the 2029 NHL draft from the Avalanche for forwards Zachary L’Heureux and Fedor Svechkov.
“Jack Drury is a hard-working, reliable, full-sheet of the ice center who can handle the tough assignments while being elite in the faceoff circle,” Predators general manager and president of hockey operations Chris MacFarland said after the trade. “His addition to our forward group bolsters our depth in the middle of the ice, and we’re thrilled to have him.”
Drury established himself as one of the NHL’s top faceoff players by winning 58.1% of his draws — the fifth-highest percentage among players who took at least 900 faceoffs last season. He also had three goals and two assists in 13 playoff games while helping the Avalanche reach the Western Conference Final.
Drury is the son of former NHL center Ted Drury and nephew of former NHL center and current New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury. He was a second-round draft pick of Carolina in 2018. When MacFarland was with Colorado as the Avalanche’s GM, he acquired Drury from the Hurricanes in 2025.
In 268 career regular-season games, Drury has 30 goals and 52 assists and a 57.1 faceoff percentage.
The Buffalo Sabres are keeping one of their pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) around.
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Sabres are signing forward Beck Malenstyn to a six-year contract extension with an average annual value around $3 million.
It was known that the Sabres were working hard to keep Malenstyn in Buffalo. Now, once this deal comes to fruition, the big winger will be a long-term part of the Sabres' roster.
Malenstyn's grit and speed make him a valuable asset to the Sabres' bottom six, and they are rewarding him for it with this six-year deal.
The 28-year-old appeared in 81 games last season for the Sabres, where he recorded seven goals, seven assists, 14 points, and a franchise-record 282 hits.
The Sabres acquired Malenstyn from the Washington Capitals during the 2024 NHL off-season. In 157 games over two seasons with the Sabres since then, the 6-foot-3 winger has posted 11 goals, 13 assists, 24 points, and 473 hits. It will be interesting to see how he builds upon these stats after landing this long-term deal from Buffalo from here.
With Malenstyn staying in Buffalo, the Sabres' most notable pending UFAs remaining are Logan Stanley, Luke Schenn, Joshua Dunne, and David Kampf, who was recently acquired from the Washington Capitals in the Alex Tuch trade.
The Chicago Blackhawks have been a team involved in all sorts of NHL conversations over the last couple of weeks.
That has to do with a big transaction that they made, along with some of the selections that they made in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Originally, the Chicago Blackhawks held the 4th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, but they traded it to the Buffalo Sabres in a deal that acquired them defenseman Bowen Byram.
At first, the move was met with criticism. They also had to give up pick 45 and Louis Crevier to acquire Byram. After some reflection and seeing what the Sabres did in the draft, it is clear that the Blackhawks made a move that will help their organization more than it hurts it.
With the 4th overall pick in the draft, Buffalo selected defenseman Daxon Rudolph. That was a shock, as he was expected to be the fifth blue-liner taken.
The Blackhawks believe that Byram will be a more impactful player over the next 8 years than whoever they would have gotten at four, and they feel the need to take a step in 2026-27. Byram will help them do that more than any prospect at the same position.
The Blackhawks then made two selections in the second round. First, they took Xavier Villeneuve with the 34th overall pick. This prospect had first-round grades for some scouts, and the Blackhawks made a great choice with him early in the second.
Villenueve is a slightly undersized defenseman, but he skates incredibly well and has undeniable puck-handling skills. It's trendy to compare defenders with his overall type to Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens, especially since he's going to Boston University next year, but the profiles are similar.
Obviously, a lot of development will be required for him to reach that ceiling, but the tools are there. If he were two inches taller, which isn't much in the grand scheme of things, he would have been taken much higher.
One selection later, the Chicago Blackhawks traded up from 37 to 35 to make back-to-back selections. With the pick, they took forward Ryan Roobroeck, who was once a top-ten prospect in an issue of The Hockey News.
Kyle Davidson confirmed that there was no intel that Roobroeck would have been off the board by his original pick of 37, but he felt that giving up pick 119 was worth it to make sure he got the player he wanted in Roobroeck.
This is a power forward who moves well for a big kid, has a physical element to his game, and can score goals. His compete level has been questioned in the past, but good coaching and hungry players around him should allow that to be a non-issue.
In the 3rd round, 66th overall, the Blackhawks selected defenseman Samu Alalauri. This is a player who leaves a lot to be desired offensively with his production, but his defensive game has a lot of promise.
Alalauri is always in the right spot, and he makes great breakout passes to exit his zone. These skills make it seem like there is a chance that he can develop some offense in his game, but it will never come at the expense of his defense.
After this third pick of the second day, over three hours of real time passed before the Blackhawks got back on the clock. They made two seventh-round picks in defenseman Alexander Ivanov and forward William Sorbrand.
When the draft concluded, Director of Amateur Scouting Mike Doneghey said that skating was the most important attribute they look for when they make selections this late in the draft. Everyone is a lottery ticket at this stage, so they look for the ones who are good at skating, which is the most important component for a hockey player.
Draft Grade: A
The Chicago Blackhawks get a solid A for this draft class, including the Bowen Byram trade. Instead of using an early selection in a weak draft for a player who might be good, they landed Byram, who is absolutely great.
In the second round, they took two players with high ceilings and low floors. If one or both of them hit, this draft will already be a win. There is great upside to Alalauri, who would fit in well as a third-pair guy in a few years.
The seventh round picks can't really be truly judged just days after the draft, because the odds are that every player in that round doesn't make it. However, a gem comes out now and again, just ask Louis Crevier.
The team gets an A for making a bold trade that is likely to add a number one defenseman for years to come, and volume in potential when it comes to prospects post-first round.
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While they have plenty of room to chase after UFAs, Leafs GM John Chayka has some internal business to take care of, because Toronto has four players on the roster who will be RFAs as of July 1.
Forwards Jacob Quillan, Nick Robertson, and Matias Maccelli are all pending RFAs, as is defenseman Emil Andrae, who was acquired this off-season.
Of those four players, who are all eligible for salary arbitration, here's a ranking on who is most likely to receive a qualifying offer and to be extended by the Maple Leafs ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
4. Matias Maccelli, LW
Maccelli is coming off his first season with the Maple Leafs. Last off-season, he came in a trade from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2027 draft.
In 2025-26, the Finnish left winger scored 14 goals and 39 points in 71 appearances. That was an improvement on his previous campaign in Utah, when he put up just eight goals and 18 points in 55 games.
The 25-year-old is yet to reach the numbers he set in his second and third years in the NHL. Specifically in his third NHL season, in 2023-24 with the Arizona Coyotes, Maccelli set a career-high with 17 goals and 57 points, showing signs of a top-six forward.
Though last year was an improvement for him from the season prior, there's certainly room to improve for the playmaker.
There was a nine-game span in which Maccelli did not feature for the Maple Leafs, as he was a healthy scratch for a portion of the campaign.
Before that time in the press box, Maccelli played 22 games and had four goals and nine points. Since being reintroduced into Toronto's lineup on Dec. 20, his scoring consistency improved as he registered 10 goals and 30 points in his final 50 games of the year.
It's time for the Maple Leafs and Nick Robertson to go through another contract negotiation. Last season, he filed for salary arbitration. As a result, he earned a one-year deal at $1.825 million.
The 24-year-old will likely find himself signing another short-term deal when the time comes, considering the limited opportunity he's seen in the Leafs' lineup. Luckily, he's in another position to prove himself again with a new front office and head coach behind the bench.
Despite his limited role this past year, Robertson set career-highs in nearly all major categories. The 5-foot-9 left winger recorded 16 goals and 16 assists for 32 points in 75 appearances and averaged 12:40 of ice time, all of which are personal bests.
Even with steady improvement in terms of his production and numbers each season, it's been a challenge for Robertson to find a regular spot in the lineup. Even with left winger Bobby McMann out the door and to the Seattle Kraken, Easton Cowan and 2026 first overall pick Gavin McKenna are expected to have roles on the NHL roster next season.
And that's without mentioning Matthew Knies, William Nylander, Dakota Joshua and Maccelli (if re-signed) as wingers on Toronto's depth chart. If Chayka goes out and acquires another winger in free agency, that's another player to add to that list, creating a tougher path for Robertson.
Nonetheless, Robertson is a player who is capable of scoring 20 goals in the NHL.
A qualifying offer for Robertson would cost $1.825 million.
Quillan, 24, featured in about a quarter of the Maple Leafs' games this past regular season. He finished the year with one goal and three points in 23 contests for Toronto, with two of his points coming in the final two outings of the campaign, including his first NHL goal in Game 81.
Considering Quillan doesn't have much NHL experience - playing just 24 career games in the league - it wouldn't be very challenging, expensive or inconvenient for the Leafs to re-sign him. After all, he's filled in as a bottom-six center who can take shifts on the penalty kill and is relatively responsible behind the puck.
Most of his time was in the minors this past year. He contributed 14 goals and 36 points in 40 regular-season games, followed by three goals and nine points in 19 post-season affairs.
The Maple Leafs signed Quillan to a two-year contract in April 2024 after he went undrafted. That contract came after his third season with Quinnipiac University, when he provided 17 goals and 46 points in 39 NCAA games.
That deal saw the 6-foot-1 center earn $875,000 against the salary cap each year. With that, it would cost the Maple Leafs $850,000 to qualify Quillan.
1. Emil Andrae, D
Andrae seems like the most likely pending RFA to sign a contract with the Maple Leafs. He hasn't played a minute for Toronto, but the Maple Leafs acquired him from the Philadelphia Flyers, along with Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit.
In that trade, along with Andrae and a 2026 third-rounder (which was used to select goaltender Juuso Ainasto), was also goalie Samuel Ersson, who was also a pending RFA. Ersson ended up getting moved to the Ottawa Senators for a 2027 fifth-round pick.
Nonetheless, because Andrae was practically the main piece of that return from the Flyers, Chayka must have plans to sign the Swedish defenseman to a contract this summer.
The 5-foot-9 blueliner played 64 NHL games last season for Philadelphia. In that span, he scored two goals and 13 points while averaging 15:20 of ice time. Andrae had the second-best plus-minus rating with a plus-15, only behind left winger Noah Cates' plus-26.
He also featured in four playoff games out of the Flyers' 10 post-season contests, providing one assist and averaging 11:05 of ice time per game.
Andrae, 24, is set to hang around the bottom pair or a seventh-defenseman role with the Leafs next season, as Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Darren Raddysh, Morgan Rielly, Chris Tanev and Jake McCabe all sit ahead of him on the depth chart.
Regardless, it's expected that Toronto inks Andrae eventually. He's coming off his three-year entry-level contract, which paid him $903,333 against the salary cap. It would cost the Maple Leafs $874,125 to give Andrae a qualifying offer.
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In two days, the Philadelphia Flyers will lock down their starting goalie for another five years, finally finding some security between the pipes.
On Sunday, TSN NHL insider Pierre Lebrun reported that the Flyers and Dan Vladar have agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $27.5 million ($5.5 million AAV), with some final details, likely to be pay structure or trade protection, still to be ironed out.
The Flyers, Vladar, and his camp have plenty of time to work that out, as the extension cannot officially be signed, sealed, and delivered until Wednesday, July 1, anyway.
Vladar's new contract was consistent with my reporting from last month, when the expectation was a five-year deal worth somewhere between $5- and $5.5 million annually.
Of note, Vladar still has one year remaining on his current contract at a $3.35 million cap hit, and his new contract extension will officially begin next July 1.
The 28-year-old Czech netminder will turn 29 on Aug. 20, which means that, next year, Vladar will play his first game on the new extension at the age of 30.
That will invariably carry some risk for the Flyers, who now have Vladar signed until he's 34 years old.
But, so long as Joseph Woll lives up to expectations, plays to his potential, and stays healthy, the Flyers will be able to preserve Vladar and run an efficient platoon in goal.
It helps, too, that the Flyers just drafted Martin Psohlavec and Marek Sklenicka in the 2026 NHL Draft, adding two more promising prospects to a goalie prospect group that also features Carson Bjarnason, Aleksei Kolosov, and Egor Zavragin.
Vladar figures to be the first of many re-signings in Philadelphia in the coming days and weeks, as the Flyers also need to extend forward Trevor Zegras, defenseman Jamie Drysdale, and winger Nikita Grebenkin, among other players.
A recap of the 2026 draft class for the Devils: [Devils NHL]
“Alexander Command, the 12th overall pick, highlights the Devils’ draft class, but Mehta selected a few other intriguing prospects in the later rounds. Let’s review the Devils’ 2026 draft class and which prospects you should be most excited about moving forward.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]
“Mehta’s first draft as GM of a team was one in which cardio merchants were off the table, highly preferring productive players with dynamic qualities and the ability to play with the puck on their stick. I loved it.” [Devils’ Advocates]
Hockey Links
Could we see a Zach Werenski trade?
Nothing imminent, but the Blue Jackets have started listening to teams calling on Zach Werenski, sources confirm. The CBJ are aware that the Norris Trophy winner is unlikely to extend past his deal. No guarantee he’s dealt this summer but Jackets’ best deal could be now versus…
“The Winnipeg Jets are listening to trade offers for Connor Hellebuyck, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said Friday. Cheveldayoff, however, would not provide a definitive answer as to whether his franchise goalie has requested a move.” [NHL.com]
Jack Drury gets a five-year deal:
After being acquired by the Predators, Jack Drury has signed a five-year extension, per Chris Johnston. pic.twitter.com/GxxxtQBuiN
“The 2026 NHL draft is complete and there were some truly wonderful moments. From the Ruck twins going together to the Pittsburgh Penguins, to the reaction of Jaxon Cover’s family to the Cayman Islands product being selected with the final pick in the first round, and much more over the course of 224 picks in two days. Now, it is time for draft grades. These marks are about what the teams did with their selections, how they maneuvered the draft board and how much value they gained or left on the board where they picked.” [ESPN]
BUFFALO, NEW YORK - JUNE 27: (L-R) Markus Ruck, 39th overall of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Liam Ruck, 22nd overall of the Pittsburgh Penguins, pose for a photo during Day Two of the 2026 NHL Draft at KeyBank Center on June 27, 2026 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Andrea Cardin/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Over the weekend, the Pittsburgh Penguins added six new prospects to the organization at the 2026 NHL Draft. Those prospects will not have to wait long to make an impression on the fans in Pittsburgh as they make their way to the city this week to take part in the Penguins annual development camp set to open today at the team’s UPMC Lemieux facility in Cranberry.
Which of the draftees will be in attendance at development camp has yet to be announced, but the Ruck twins Liam (22nd overall) and Markus (39th overall) are both expected to participate. They will be joining 22 others who were previously announced by the Penguins, including defenseman Jake Livanavage who signed as a college free agent in April and made his NHL debut in the final game of the season against the St. Louis Blues.
Other prospects on the development camp roster for this week include forwards Will Horcoff* (2025 24th overall; University of Michigan) and Travis Hayes (2025 105th overall, brother to Avery Hayes), defensemen Peyton Kettles (2025 39th overall) and Quinn Beauchesne (2025 148th overall, Boston College commit), and goaltender Gabriel D’Aigle (2025 84th overall).
All full camp roster, minus 2026 draft picks and any late additions, can be found here, courtesy the Penguins. There is expected to be a full development camp roster released once the final skaters have been confirmed by the team.
As for the development camp schedule, action begins bright and early on Monday morning and runs through Friday, with four days of practice on and off the ice for the prospects, all culminating in a tournament set for Friday between the participants.
You can find the full schedule from the team’s website below.
All sessions are held at the UPMC Lemieux team facility in Cranberry. Each session is open to the public and is free of charge to attend so if you’re itching for some Penguins hockey, consider heading up to Cranberry to see the prospects in action because it will be your last chance to see live hockey in Pittsburgh until September.
Development camp serves as an opportunity for fans to see and learn about some of the prospects in the Penguins system, especially the new players drafted this past weekend. There will be some well deserved buzz surrounding the Ruck twins, but it will also be a showcase for players like Jake Livanavage to put on a show and make an early case to push for an NHL roster spot.
The team announced prospects including 2025 first round pick Will Horcoff and Melvin Fernstrom will not take part in on ice activity due to undisclosed injuries.
So if you have some free time this week, maybe consider on spending some of that time at UPMC Cranberry to check in on the talent in the Penguins system that got a new infusion of prospects from the draft over the weekend and see what lies in store for the franchise in the future.
Earlier this month, the Buffalo Sabres traded Michael Kesselring and the 27th overall pick of this year's draft to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for the 20th overall pick of this year's draft. Seeing Kesselring get moved was not surprising, as he struggled with the Sabres last season and had been the subject of trade rumors.
Now, Kesselring has landed his new contract with the Sharks, and he has gotten himself a nice payday.
According to PuckPedia, Kesselring has signed a three-year, $13.5 million ($4.5 million cap hit) deal with the Sharks.
When noting that Kesselring had a tough season for the Sabres, this is a good contract for him to land. The right-shot defenseman has gotten a significant raise from his previous $1.4 million cap hit and has landed himself some security by signing for three years.
Kesselring should now be a key part of the Sharks' blueline as they look to continue to trend in the right direction. With the Sharks' defensive depth not being strong, Kesselring should have a real shot of playing top-four minutes next season.
Kesselring was acquired by the Sabres this past off-season in the deal that sent JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth. In 34 games this past season with Buffalo, Kesselring had zero goals and two assists. This was after he set career highs with seven goals, 22 assists, and 29 points in 82 games.
Overall, the fit between the Sabres and Kesselring was just never there. The same can be said between Peterka and Utah, though, as the Mammoth traded the former Sabres winger to the Boston Bruins on Friday.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Nashville Predators signed forward Jack Drury to a five-year, $22.5 million contract on Sunday night, four days after he was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche.
The 26-year-old Drury had a career-high 10 goals last season and matched his personal best with 27 points while playing in all 82 regular-season games for the Avalanche.
He was acquired by the Predators on Wednesday along with forward Chase Bradley and a third-round pick in the 2029 NHL draft from the Avalanche for forwards Zachary L’Heureux and Fedor Svechkov.
“Jack Drury is a hard-working, reliable, full-sheet of the ice center who can handle the tough assignments while being elite in the faceoff circle,” Predators general manager and president of hockey operations Chris MacFarland said after the trade. “His addition to our forward group bolsters our depth in the middle of the ice, and we’re thrilled to have him.”
Drury established himself as one of the NHL's top faceoff players by winning 58.1% of his draws — the fifth-highest percentage among players who took at least 900 faceoffs last season. He also had three goals and two assists in 13 playoff games while helping the Avalanche reach the Western Conference Final.
Drury is the son of former NHL center Ted Drury and nephew of former NHL center and current New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury. He was a second-round draft pick of Carolina in 2018. When MacFarland was with Colorado as the Avalanche's GM, he acquired Drury from the Hurricanes in 2025.
In 268 career regular-season games, Drury has 30 goals and 52 assists and a 57.1 faceoff percentage.
Over the weekend, there was a bunch of news dropping at once as the NHL Draft approached. One piece of news that many have slipped under the radar for many, was former San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns signing a new one-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche.
Burns, 41, was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but he was able to reach an agreement with Joe Sakic, the Avalanche's president of hockey operations and general manager.
Much like his previous deal with Colorado, Burns' new contract has a low salary but carries a multitude of performance bonuses which are based on his ice time.
According to PuckPedia, Burns' new deal comes with a base salary of $850,000. If he plays 10 games, he receives a $1.15 million bonus and an additional $250,000 for 55, 60, 65, and 70 games played if he's averaged 23 or more minutes per night.
Burns hopes that the 2026-27 season will be the campaign that finally allows him to lift the Stanley Cup, an honor that has eluded him to this point in his career, and there aren't many destinations that would've given him a better chance to do so than Colorado.
One of the biggest trades that never happened nearly reshaped the landscape of the 2026 NHL Draft before a single pick was made. According to multiple reports, the Buffalo Sabres presented the Winnipeg Jets with a significant offer for superstar goaltender Connor Hellebuyck heading into Friday night's first round, and the Jets ultimately walked away from the table.
The reported package coming back to Winnipeg was substantial. According to The Fourth Period's Dave Pagnotta, the offer included the fourth overall pick, starting goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, a player believed to be Jack Quinn and at least one additional asset.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman added significant weight to the report, noting that the deal had gotten close and that Hellebuyck himself had approved a move to Buffalo. Despite that, Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff was not comfortable pulling the trigger.
David Pagnotta: Re Connor Hellebuyck: The pricetag, just a little bit too high...for Buffalo; it sounded like...the 4th overall pick, UPL, a player who I believe might be Jack Quinn and perhaps another ask - NHL Tonight (6/26)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 28, 2026
The fourth overall pick would have given the Jets a marquee prospect at the top of a talented draft class. Luukkonen has shown flashes of the talent needed to be an NHL starter. Quinn, if he was indeed the NHL-ready player referenced in the reports, would have been a meaningful addition to the top of Winnipeg's lineup.
Digging a little deeper and Cheveldayoff's hesitation becomes easier to understand. Hellebuyck has been the backbone of everything Winnipeg has built in recent years. The 33-year-old Michigan native is the kind of elite netminder that can single-handedly keep a team in games and has been one of the best in the world at his position for several seasons running.
Replacing him with Luukkonen, a goaltender who has shown volatility and was not even receiving every start for Buffalo during this past postseason, would have been a significant gamble.
The additional pieces, while attractive, also raise questions. Draft picks carry no guarantees, and trading a proven Vezina-caliber goaltender for a collection of assets and a replacement netminder with question marks attached is the kind of move that can look very different depending on how each piece develops.
Cheveldayoff appears to have looked at the full picture and decided that dismantling the most reliable part of his team for a package that carried real risk was not a trade he was willing to make. Whether that decision ages well will depend largely on what the Jets do with Hellebuyck from here and whether he remains committed to the organization long term.
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The Detroit Red Wings took their first steps toward the 2026-27 season on Monday, announcing the roster and schedule for their upcoming development camp this summer.
The camp will take place at the BELFOR Training Center beginning Monday, June 29 and running through Thursday, July 2, featuring daily on-ice skill development and off-ice workouts throughout the week.
Players will be split into two groups, Team Howe and Team Lindsay, with daily on-ice instruction and skill development led by the Red Wings player development staff.
The camp serves as a critical opportunity for prospects to receive direct feedback from NHL-level coaches and staff on what they need to do to take their games to the next level. Players will also participate in NHL-level off-ice workouts and attend presentations designed to help them prepare for the transition to professional hockey.
The roster is headlined by the Red Wings' newest additions from the 2026 NHL Draft, including first round pick JP Hurlbert and second round pick Victor Plante, who will be joined by fellow 2026 draftees Carter Bear, Eddie Genborg, Luka Arkko, Beckham Edwards, Adam Levac, Nikita Tyurin, Will Murphy, Michal Svrcek, Brent Solomon, Grayden Robertson-Palmer, Myles Brosnan and goaltenders Michal Pradel and Michal Orsulak.
Among the most notable attendees beyond the newest draft class is Max Plante, meaning the Plante brothers will share the ice together at a Red Wings camp for the first time, adding another compelling storyline to what is shaping up to be an exciting week. Breakout goaltending prospect Rudy Guimond will also be in attendance, coming off a stellar season in the QMJHL that has raised his profile considerably within the organization.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 28, 2026
The rest of the camp roster is rounded out by Brennan Ali, Austin Baker, Noah Dower Nilsson, Charlie Forslund, Jesse Kiiskinen, Owen Mehlenbacher, Justice Christensen, Brady Cleveland, Larry Keenan, Jack Phelan, Fisher Scott and John Whipple. Also in attendance will be a group of free agent players looking to earn contracts with the organization, including Michael Dec, Yegor Vinogradov, Salvatore Viviano, Yaroslav Busygin, Cade Christenson, Albin Boija, Will Keane and Semyon Konopsky.
Development camp will give the Red Wings coaching and development staff their first extended look at a prospect group that grew considerably this past weekend in Buffalo.
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The Nashville Predators are locked in on center Jack Drury, signing the free agent to a 5-year, $22.5 million contract with an annual cap hit of $4.5 million, according to Puckpedia.
It's the first signing of Chris MacFarland's tenure at Predators general manager
On June 24, Nashville traded forwards Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L'Heureux to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Drury, forward Chase Bradley and a 2029 third-round draft pick.
A new chapter begins 🤝
We’ve signed forward Jack Drury to a five-year, $22.5 million contract.
Bradley remains a restricted free agent. This was the second trade that MacFarland had made as Predators general manager, and it was with his former team.
This past season with the Avalanche, Drury played in all 82 games, scoring 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points and logged 31 penalty minutes. In the playoffs, he played in 13 games, recording three goals and two assists for five points.
"Jack (Drury) is a guy that is not a 25-goal, 60-point guy, but he is elite defensively," MacFarland said ahead of the NHL Draft. "That ability for a coach to throw out a center against the other teams' top players and feel comfortable doing so on the road is massive. Then what Jack does off the ice and what he'll do for the young players. I believe it is really, really important long term."
With the signing, the Predators have around $19.87 million left in cap space ahead of the start of the free agency period on July 1.
Nashville as three unrestricted free agents in Erik Haula, Tyson Jost and Kevin Gravel, and one restricted free agent, Justin Barron.
The Montreal Canadiens should be looking to boost their forward group this summer. Because of this, they are now being viewed as a possible landing spot for one of this year's top pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) forwards.
In a recent article for TheScore, Josh Wegman predicted that the Canadiens will sign Pittsburgh Penguins forward Anthony Mantha to a five-year contract with a $6.5 million AAV.
"While Mantha isn't as physical as you might expect for someone who's 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, his scoring touch and two-way presence could be a great fit on the second line with a cerebral playmaker like Ivan Demidov," Wegman wrote.
The idea of the Canadiens bringing in Mantha is an interesting one. The big winger just had a monster season with the Penguins, as he set new career highs with 33 goals, 31 assists, and 64 points in 81 games. With numbers like these, he would have the potential to be a strong addition to the Canadiens' top six if signed.
However, there would certainly be some risk in the Canadiens signing Mantha to a long-term deal. The big winger is turning 32 in September and has already had injury trouble in the past. It is also hard to predict that he will replicate the season he had in 2024-25.
Signing Mantha to a shorter-term deal would probably be a better move for the Canadiens. However, with Mantha being one of the NHL's top UFAs and coming off such a good year, he has set himself up for a big payday. It will be interesting to see if the Canadiens end up being the team that signs him from here.
