A former Buffalo Sabres forward is heading to the KHL.
The KHL has announced that former Sabres forward Justin Bailey has signed a one-year contract with Barys Astana.
Bailey signing with Barys Astana comes after he spent all of this past season in the AHL with the San Diego Gulls. In 71 games with the AHL club in 2025-26, he posted 25 goals, 17 assists, and 42 points. Overall, the 31-year-old forward had a solid year with the Gulls and will now be looking to make an impact with Barys Astana after landing this new contract.
This is the first time in Bailey's career that he will be playing for an overseas club.
Bailey was selected by the Sabres in the second round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, 52nd overall. He played three seasons with the Sabres from 2015-16 to 2017-18, where he recorded five goals, three assists, eight points, and 54 hits.
Following his time with the Sabres, Bailey had stints at the NHL level with the Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, and San Jose Sharks. In 141 career NHL games over eight seasons, he posted 10 goals, 13 assists, 23 points, and 157 hits.
After not receiving a qualifying offer from the Vancouver Canucks at the end of June, forward Nils Åman has returned to the SHL. Djurgårdens IF announced yesterday that Åman has signed with the Swedish club, ending his four-year stint as a member of the Canucks organization.
Åman was first acquired by Vancouver via free-agent signing in 2022. He was originally drafted in the sixth-round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche but never ended up signing with them. He played in a career-high of 68 NHL games during the 2022–23 season, scoring four goals and 12 assists in that span of time.
As time went on, Åman’s usage at the NHL level began to dwindle, going from 43 games in 2023–24, to 19 games in 2024–25, and finally to only two games in 2025–26. During these seasons, he spent more time with the Abbotsford Canucks, with the forward putting together a career-high of six goals and 35 assists in 55 games in 2025–26 — the team-high in points.
While the 2026–27 season will be Åman’s first with Djurgårdens, it won’t be his first in the SHL. Prior to his time with the Canucks, the forward played for Lekands IF.
Apr 2, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Nils Aman (88) during pre game warm up against the Seattle Kraken at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images
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In many ways, Philadelphia Flyers defensemen David Jiricek and Jamie Drysdale are similar, but only time will tell if their careers will pan out the same way.
Jiricek, 22, and Drysdale, 24, are former No. 6 overall picks: the former in 2022, and the latter in 2020. Both Flyers were conscripted into NHL service early--probably too early--by the teams that drafted them, which put them at a disadvantage developmentally.
Due to injury, and things just generally not working out on the ice, Drysdale was traded to the Flyers in exchange for a young, future top-six winger in Cutter Gauthier, as well as a 2025 second-round pick.
Jiricek's path was slightly different in that he was healthy but in and out of the lineup and up and down from the AHL; Columbus eventually traded him to Minnesota for Daemon Hunt and first-, second-, third-, and fourth-round picks, respectively.
Just over a year later, Jiricek, too, found his way to Philadelphia, getting flipped by Minnesota for Bobby Brink ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline.
Drafted two years apart, the two defensemen join the Flyers two years apart. Heading into the 2023-24 season, the year the Flyers acquired him, Drysdale had played 89 NHL games, scoring four goals, 28 assists, and 32 points with a -29 rating.
Jiricek, heading into his first full season with the Flyers in 2026-27 season, has played 85 NHL games, scoring two goals, 11 assists, and 13 points with a -8 rating. They have had very similar careers through their first 80-odd games.
The main difference between the two, at least when it comes to production and rating, is that Drysdale was thrown to the wolves in a big role from Day 1, whereas Jiricek has largely been forced to play sheltered minutes, which require him to play to avoid mistakes instead of learning on the job.
Drysdale, two years on, has quickly come into his own as an NHL defenseman. Even John Tortorella was willing to live with his warts for the greater purpose of player development.
New head coach Rick Tocchet hasn't always shown that same willingness; Matvei Michkov barely played last season, and Emil Andrae never quite established himself as an NHL regular despite handily outplaying his peers.
To that end, the Flyers were by and large considered to be rebuilders throughout Tortorella's reign, but expectations are higher now that the Flyers have made the playoffs, and won a round, in Year 1 of Tocchet.
Jiricek needs time and patience, given his inexperience, and it bears noting that he is playing for his third organization in four years, entailing yet another system change.
The Czech defenseman has obvious talent, and the Flyers are hoping his booming shot and offensive chops will make a difference on the abhorrent power play.
However, the question is, will he get plenty of opportunity and freedom to make his mark as Drysdale did the previous two years, or will Jiricek continue to be trotted out in limited minutes in fear of a big mistake?
The Buffalo Sabres snapped their 15-year postseason drought, winning the Atlantic Division and advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but after an offseason that saw Bowen Byram and Alex Tuch being dealt, the task of repeating as division champion or finishing in the top three of the Atlantic could be significantly more difficult.
This week, we will look at the seven other teams in the Atlantic to see where they stand in comparison to where they were at the end of last season and see where they potentially stack up as competition with the Sabres.
The Florida Panthers finally had the long arduous journeys that resulted in three trips to the Stanley Cup Final and two straight Cup victories catch up to them. The club lost team captain Aleksander Barkov to an ACL injury in training camp, were without top winger Matthew Tkachuk for a significant chunk of the season, and endured a slew of other injuries that resulted in the club finishing out of the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
GM Bill Zito was extremely active after the season in the trade market, adding winger Brady Tkachuk in a massive deal with the Ottawa Senators and other moves that are expected to help a healthy Panthers squad return to the postseason.
Brady Tkachuk - Averaged nearly a point-per-game with Ottawa last season.
Garnet Hathaway - Veteran enforcer acquired from Philadelphia
Lars Eller - Veteran depth forward who played one season in Ottawa signs an incentive-based one-year deal.
Radko Gudas - 36-year-old former Panther signs a six-year, $9 million contract
Jacob Markstrom - Veteran goalie acquired from New Jersey
Akira Schmid - Played 34 games for Vegas last season, acquired for a third-round pick.
Where does Patrick Kane end up?
Subtractions
Evan Rodrigues - scored 31 points last season, swapped to the Devils in Markstrom deal.
Jesper Boqvist - depth forward who played 73 games for the Panthers last season, swapped to the Devils in Markstrom deal
AJ Greer - signed a free agent deal with the Anaheim Ducks
Sergei Bobrovsky - signed a free agent deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs
Daniil Tarasov - signed a free agent deal with the Detroit Red Wings
Mackie Samoskevich - traded to the Seattle Kraken for a pair of draft picks
Outlook
The Panthers will benefit just as much from the new additions as they will from getting their existing players back 100% healthy. Barkov is one of the best two-way forwards in hockey and already showed he is back playing for Finland at the World Championships. Tkachuk is expected to be fully back, and his younger brother joins one of the deepest groups in the NHL, with Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, Brad Marchand, Eetu Luostarinen, and Anton Lundell up front, and Seth Jones, Aaron Ekblad, Niko Mikkola, and Gustav Forsling on the back end. The biggest area of question is in goal, where a contract dispute led to Bobrovsky leaving in free agency.
Markstrom is experienced and will benefit from playing behind a veteran crew who plays solid defensive hockey, but there are questions of whether the 36-year-old goalie is up to the task of replacing Goalie Bob.
The Sabres benefited from the Panthers decline and fall last season, but will not be as fortunate this time around. Florida appears to be assembling the closest version of the Charlestown Chiefs and unless they are hit with catastrophic injuries for two years in a row, they are a virtual lock to finish in the top three in the Atlantic.
The Panthers and Sabres have similar questions between the pipes, and a blueline that has won two Stanley Cups is equal or better than the Sabres defensive corps. Florida has a distinct advantage over Buffalo in experience and depth up front, but the Sabres forward corps has much more speed than the veteran Panther group. The Sabres slight step back after the loss of Tuch and Byram likely has the them finishing behind the Panthers next season.
The Buffalo Sabres have not made a major move since the opening of free agency in July, after trading defenseman Bowen Byram to Chicago for Louis Crevier, and a pair of high draft picks, Alex Tuch to Washington in a sign-and-trade, and acquiring blueliner Olen Zellweger from Anaheim prior to the NHL Draft last month. The club has been rumored to be interested in trading for Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck, and signing Buffalo native Patrick Kane, but neither move has come to fruition at this point.
Kane hit the open market on July 1, and immediately rumors tied him to his hometown Sabres, but over the last three weeks, there has been a growing amount of chatter that the Chicago Blackhawks would like to bring the three-time Cup winner. Earlier this week, star center Connor Bedard indicated that he hopes that Kane will re-sign with the Hawks.
"I hope so. I don't know what I can say to persuade his decision, but we'd all obviously 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), the reaction he'd get and how much juice that would bring not only to our team but our fans as well. That would be incredible to get to play with him and learn from him. Hopefully he decides to come back. You talk about the legacy aspect of it, but as a team, it 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."
On Tuesday, Hawks GM Kyle Davidson added his two cents during an interview on a Chicago radio station, saying that he would love for the future Hall-of-Famer to return to the club that selected him first overall in 2007.
Where will Patrick Kane sign? Chicago or Buffalo?
Patrick is someone that our organization (and) myself have had a relationship (with) for a long time. I don’t necessarily think it’s right for me to comment on the process he’s going to be running this offseason.” Davidson said. “A guy like (Patrick) 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.”
The Sabres snapping their 15-year playoff drought has made them a more attractive landing spot, but there has always been a debate of how much Kane wants to play for his hometown team, especially with the expectation level raised since their Atlantic Division title last season. Buffalo has limited cap space after the signings of Zach Benson and Peyton Krebs, which also might be a contributing factor.
"We see (Patrick) often. He trains at our practice facility in the offseason. We’ll await his decision, but he knows our door is always open.” Davidson said. “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.”
Buffalo has to be looking to add some offensive punch without Tuch and his 30+ goals per season and may be a holding pattern until Kane makes his decision. If he decides to finish his career with the Hawks, the Sabres may have to pivot to other options in free agency or in the trade market before the opening of training camp in September.
In a recent article for The Athletic, Dom Luszczyszyn named the 10 best contracts in the NHL for the 2026-27 season. Without much surprise, a member of the Buffalo Sabres made the cut: Rasmus Dahlin.
"If Dahlin were to hit UFA this summer, it wouldn’t be difficult to imagine him commanding something close to Kaprizov’s current AAV," Luszczyszyn wrote. "It’s in line with what Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes will no doubt ask for, and he’s risen into that company. That he’s signed for six more seasons at just $11 million is a huge discount for Buffalo."
When looking at how well Dahlin has performed for the Sabres, it is easy to understand why his contract is being viewed as one of the best in the NHL. The 26-year-old defenseman is one of the top blueliners in the league, and with the salary cap going up, his cap hit just keeps looking better.
In 77 games during this past season with the Sabres, Dahlin posted 19 goals, 55 assists, and 74 points. This was after he had 17 goals and 68 points in 73 games for Buffalo during the 2024-25 season. With numbers like these from the point, the Sabres captain has been providing a ton of value for Buffalo.
Furthermore, with Dahlin being only 26 years old, he is just entering his prime. That just makes his deal look even better, and it will be fascinating to see how he performs during it from here.
TheHockeyNews.com is running a series ranking each NHL coach, going in reverse order from No. 32 to No. 1.
The criteria for these rankings include each coach’s accomplishments, short- and long-term history, expectations, and general reputation. Of course, these rankings are subjective.
St. Louis Blues coach Jim Montgomery found his name at No. 16 on these rankings, ahead of the likes of Todd McLellan, Sheldon Keefe and Marco Sturm. He also finds himself trailing coaches like Dan Muse, Peter Laviolette, and Rick Bowness.
Montgomery’s time in St. Louis has been very up and down. When he took over, he helped propel the Blues to the playoffs and pushed the Presidents’ Trophy winners to the Game 7 overtime.
But in 2025-26, with expectations higher, Montgomery was unable to help the Blues avoid another slow start to the season, and they fell short of the playoffs.
Now, Montgomery has added his assistant coaches, and with over a year and a half under the helm in St. Louis, the pressure for the 57-year-old to deliver is increasing.
With the Boston Bruins, Montgomery guided the Original Six franchise to the most wins in a single season, taking home the Jack Adams Award, although he wasn’t able to bring them past the second round.
“When Montgomery became available to teams in November of 2024, the Blues took exactly five days before they fired Drew Bannister and replaced him with Montgomery,” started THN.com’s Adam Proteau. “And who could blame them – Montgomery had led the Bruins to a stunning 65-12-5 record in 2022-23 while winning a Jack Adams Award in the process.
“Montgomery hasn’t had the success in St. Louis that he had in Boston. But that’s a product of the changing core of the Blues as they transition to a new era under new GM Alex Steen.
“That said, there is all kinds of pressure for Montgomery to improve St. Louis’ 2025-26 record of 37-33-12, and Montgomery must be a teacher for the Blues’ youngsters while trying to push the team up the standings of the highly competitive Central Division. With so much at stake, Montgomery is at a point where he could rise steeply or fall steeply in the coach rankings depending on what St. Louis does next season.”
Montgomery’s third season with the Blues will be an important one. If the Blues falter out of the gate and are on a crash course to miss the playoffs, changes could be made, but the Blues have full faith in their bench boss.
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In a recent article in La Presse, Richard Labbe reports that Montreal Canadiens’ goaltender Samuel Montembeault has made it clear that he has no interest in riding a goaltending carousel this upcoming season. This is not surprising; after all, the 29-year-old goaltender will be playing his contract year, and after a dreadful season last year, he needs to bounce back; his future is riding on it.
Furthermore, last season, when the Habs voluntarily sidelined him, Montembeault was told by GM Kent Hughes that one bad year is not the end of a goaltender’s career, telling him that Jeremy Swayman went from a bad season to a Vezina Trophy nomination-worthy season. The difference, however, is that Swayman’s abysmal season came after signing a big-money, big-term contract. Still, the fact that Hughes said that to Montembeault created an expectation in the goaltender’s mind that he would have an opportunity to bounce back; according to what he said at the locker room clean-out day, he would like it to be in Montreal.
Over the years, Montembeault has been a good teammate and rode the goalie carousel twice already, once with Jake Allen and Cayden Primeau and then this past season with Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler. After seeing Dobes get a three-year contract extension, which will only kick in at the start of the 2027-28 season, Montembeault knows that the Czech netminder now has the inside lane. If he were to be his backup, he would have a chance to prove to the rest of the NHL that he can still be a good NHL goaltender. Because make no mistake, no matter what happens, the Bécancour native won’t get another extension with the Habs, and playing third fiddle certainly wouldn’t help him convince other GMs around the league that he’s worth a gamble.
Training camp is still a fair way away, but many goaltenders have already moved this offseason while Montembeault has stayed put. Hughes isn’t in the market for selling low, and right now, the goaltender’s stock is as low as it’s been since the Canadiens picked him up on waivers back in 2021. Back then, he was an emergency remedy to Carey Price’s lingering injuries, and the Canadiens didn’t give anything to acquire him. It wouldn’t be a loss to sell low in that instance; it’s not like walking away from Kirby Dach after sacrificing Alexander Romanov to get a first-round pick to acquire him from the Chicago Blackhawks.
There are still teams out there that don’t look like they’re particularly well set in net. The Edmonton Oilers put their eggs in often-injured veteran Frederik Andersen’s basket, who will be backed up by Tristan Jarry (who didn’t impress last season after being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins). The Oilers did add an insurance policy in Devon Levi, but he has yet to prove he can perform at the NHL level. Connor McDavid is two seasons away from being a UFA, and time is running out for the Oilers to put together a team competitive enough to make their captain want to stay.
There’s been a lot of noise around the Winnipeg Jets being tempted to trade Connor Hellebuyck, and had the Buffalo Sabres been willing to include their fourth overall pick at the last draft in a proposed deal, he would be in the state of New York by now. If they do manage to trade him, though, Winnipeg could become an interesting landing spot for Montembeault. After all, their backup right now is Stuart Skinner, who they signed as a free agent on July 1 to a two-year deal with a $3.75 M cap hit but who hasn’t had impressive numbers in recent years. He’s three seasons removed from posting an above-900 save percentage.
The New Jersey Devils have three goalies on the payroll: Jake Allen, Nico Dawes and David Rittich. That’s not an inspiring trio for a team that’s eager to get back in the playoffs. Rittich has posted .887 and .894 save percentages in the last two seasons and was given a one-year deal with a $1M cap hit. Dawes is 25 years old and has yet to show he’s a real NHL goaltender, and as for Allen, he has historically thrived as a backup, and right now he looks like the number one choice.
Of course, it’s always a possibility that Fowler could be sent down to the AHL, leaving Dobes and Montembeault in Montreal, but I’m just not convinced this is the place where the latter can bounce back like he needs to do. He basically admitted that he put too much pressure on himself last season, and that’s how his troubles started. He was coming to the rink worried about letting goals in; that’s not the right mindset to be in. Will he be able to shake it off under the extreme scrutiny in Montreal? That’s a bigger challenge than it would be if he were able to turn over a new leaf in another market.
The Florida Panthers are bringing back restricted free agent defenseman Mikulas Hovorka, signing the Czech defender to a one-year, two-way contract.
The 6-foot-6 right-handed shooting defenseman was undrafted and signed with the Panthers in 2024. Hovorka appeared in four NHL games this season, recording one assist and averaging 14:55 of ice time.
Hovorka has spent the past two seasons in the AHL, featuring in 117 games, notching eight goals and 28 points. Prior to moving to North America, Hovorka skated in the Czech Extraliga with HC Motor České Budějovice.
The 25-year-old defenseman’s deal carries an NHL cap hit of $850,000, an AHL salary of $100,000, and a guaranteed salary of $150,000 for the 2026-27 campaign, according to puckpedia.com.
Although Hovorka will start the season in the AHL, he’ll be considered one of the first defensemen to receive a call-up if any injuries occur, alongside Tobias Bjornfot, Marek Alscher, and Donovan Sebrango.
With extra defenseman on the roster like Uvis Balinskis and Alexander Petrovic, Hovorka’s chances of finding many NHL games during the 2026-27 season are fairly slim.
Nonetheless, he’ll be a prominent player for the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL.
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The NHL has entered the “mostly quiet” portion of the off-season. Some contracts have been signed and arbitration cases avoided, but nothing major has happened in a while.
With that in mind, a lot of good players are still free agents looking for new NHL homes. Some of them are former New Jersey Devils players who got regular playing time back in the day.
Whether it is with the Devils or elsewhere, these five are looking for work within the National Hockey League:
Adam Henrique
Adam Henrique is the most well-known out of every player on this list. He was once a part of New Jersey’s core and one of their leaders on and off the ice. Henrique scored two series-clinching goals in overtime for New Jersey during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, including the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Rangers.
Now, at age 34, he is hoping for another ride with an NHL team. He would be nothing more than a solid bottom-six forward if he were healthy, but he has plenty of experience in the league to help someone out.
Luke Glendening
Luke Glendening started the 2025-26 season as a member of the New Jersey Devils before being claimed on waivers by the Philadelphia Flyers. They became the 5th NHL team that he played for once claimed, and he managed to play 70 total games between the two clubs.
The 37-year-old is looking for work in a bottom-six role, much like Henrique. Although his offensive output was never as high as Henrique’s, he knows how to play a smart game as a role player just the same.
Nathan Bastian
Nathan Bastian spent the first couple of years of his NHL career with the New Jersey Devils before the Seattle Kraken selected him in their expansion draft. Then, after a few months of playing there, he was placed on waivers, and the Devils claimed him back.
He then signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Stars ahead of the 2025-26 season, but he only appeared in 36 games. Now, he is an unrestricted free agent again, looking for a role somewhere.
An NHL team would be getting a fourth-line forward who brings some physicality in Nathan Bastian. He has also shown the ability to score goals from time to time, which is valuable for a player playing that low in the lineup.
If he can contribute 7-12 goals for his next team as a physical bottom-line player who makes the team harder to play against, he will make his next organization happy to have him.
Tomas Nosek
Tomas Nosek, who played in 36 games for the New Jersey Devils in 2023-24, has been a journeyman in the NHL, playing for five total teams since making his NHL debut in 2015. Now, the 2025 Stanley Cup champion (Florida Panthers) is looking for the next team that he can have a bottom-six role with.
Nosek has never been a prolific player, mostly being a fourth-liner during his NHL tenure, but he has proven valuable as a good team's 13th forward who can hop in and out of the lineup.
Evgenii Dadonov
Evgenii Dadonov has played for six NHL teams over the course of his career, with a KHL stint in the middle. In the NHL, he has been a great offensive player. In 641 games played, he has 164 goals and 198 assists for 362 points.
He is no longer a middle-six forward, as his 2025-26 season with the New Jersey Devils would show. He scored 1 goal (no assists) in 24 games played with them. Now, he is looking for one final run in the NHL at 37 years old.
New Jersey wishes things had gone differently for him in 2025-26, but not every signing is going to hit. If he doesn't find work, he is likely going to return to Russia.
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Brandon product Matt Calvert is heading back to the NHL.
The Nashville Predators have announced that the former big league forward has joined the organization as its new Forward Development Coach, where he'll work closely with the Predators' forward prospects.
Photo by Joe Camporeale/USA Today
Calvert, now 36, played 11 NHL seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche, recording 95 goals and 203 points in 566 career games before retiring in 2021 due to injury.
Prior to his time in the NHL, Calvert made his name as a hometown kid on the Brandon Wheat Kings, where he put up well over a point-per-game in three full seasons of WHL play.
Since ending his playing career, Calvert has served as co-founder and director of recruitment and development for CAL Sports Management, a player agency based out of Winnipeg and Brandon.
The hiring reunites Calvert with Predators' recently hired president of hockey operations and general manager Chris MacFarland, who was part of Colorado's front office during Calvert's time with the Avalanche.
Summer meanders onward, but we are overdue for a fresh thread! Here’s some recent(ish) NHL and Isles links…
Islanders News
Pete DeBoer discusses the offseason moves, his outlook, the need to improve defense, excitement to work with Matthew Schaefer (but not bestow too much on him too soon). [Athletic]
Schaefer’s response to a question about his next contract was perfect. [THN]
The Islanders offseason rewind, straight outta Compton. [NHL]
Elsewhere
Jason Robertson has reached an agreement on a one-year deal for $12 million with the Dallas Stars before his arbitration hearing. His future is hereby punted forward. [Athletic]
Speaking of which, here’s a roundup of RFA drama and rumors. [Sportsnet]
And which players could still be on the move this summer? [TSN]
The Blue Jackets and Jet Greaves are $4.7 million apart in their arbitration filings. [TSN]
Utah re-signed John Marino for eight years and $54 million. [TSN]
How does Steve Yzerman stepping down in Detroit affect hometown captain Dylan Larkin’s trade request, if at all? [Athletic]
More teams than ever (in a league with more teams than ever) do not have a captain at present, including the Isles. Does that matter? [Athletic]
The 2026 offseason for the Anaheim Ducks hasn’t gone according to plan for general manager Pat Verbeek and the front office.
They entered the offseason with seemingly enough cap space to re-sign their three high-profile RFAs (Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Pavel Mintyukov) and add a star-level missing piece or two to bolster either the forward group or blueline, or both.
Verbeek recouped good value for two young roster players at the Draft by trading, in aggregate, Mason McTavish and Olen Zellweger in exchange for two 2026 first-round picks (Nikita Klepov and Marcus Nordmark), a 2026 second-round pick (Jayden Kurtz), and Anton Wahlberg (39th in 2023).
When free agency opened, the Ducks signed depth pieces AJ Greer, Nick Jensen, Jeff Malott, and Laurent Brossoit. On July 3, the Philadelphia Flyers signed Ducks franchise center Leo Carlsson to a historic offer sheet to the tune of five years and $90 million ($18 million AAV). Two days later, seemingly in an effort to avoid another OS, the Ducks signed young defenseman Pavel Mintyukov to a five-year contract at a $7.2 million AAV. On July 9, the Ducks matched Carlsson’s offer sheet.
Anaheim’s cap sheet will require some gymnastics moving forward to fit remaining RFA and leading goalscorer, Cutter Gauthier, and his extension under the cap ceiling. However, barring a surprise move or two, the roster, as it stands, is essentially the one that will skate on opening night of the 2026-27 season on Oct. 2.
The roster, as currently constructed, isn’t as talented, deep, or experienced as the one that traveled to Edmonton for Game 1 of the 2026 playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers. On paper, the glaring weak spot is the right side of the blueline, where the Ducks saw all three Game 1 starters (Jacob Trouba, John Carlson, Radko Gudas) sign with opposing teams on July 1.
Trouba became a top-pair defenseman for the Ducks, playing mostly alongside star Jackson LaCombe. Carlson required considerable assets to acquire from the Washington Capitals at the trade deadline (2026 first-round pick and 2027 third-round pick), and the Ducks were hopeful he’d choose to remain in Anaheim. Radko Gudas was the Ducks' captain for two of his three seasons in Anaheim and was instrumental in the team turning the corner out of their elongated rebuild.
As of today, Trouba, Carlson, and Gudas are projected to be replaced on the Ducks’ blueline by a combination of Drew Helleson (25), Ian Moore (24), Nick Jensen (35), and rookie Tristan Luneau (22). Some or most will see this shift in personnel at a key position on the ice as a monumental downgrade, but is it, in actuality?
What was Lost
Trouba (32) logged the second-most TOI in 2025-26 for the Ducks, including the most TOI/G on the penalty kill. He and LaCombe were given the toughest minutes during the Ducks’ playoff run to the second round, and he was an influential presence both on and off the ice. When he was on the ice at 5v5 in 2025-26, the Ducks accounted for 50.5% of the expected goals in the regular season and 60.2% in the playoffs.
Carlson (36) was an immediate offensive success on the Ducks’ blueline, and scored 14 points (4-10=14) in 16 regular season games, adding six points (0-6=6) in 12 playoff games. He ran point on one of the Ducks’ two evenly distributed power play units and featured on the second penalty kill unit. His biggest strength for the Ducks may have been his breakout acumen, as chipped pucks rarely led to extended zone time when he was on the ice. When he was on the ice at 5v5, the Ducks registered 58.2% of the expected goals in the regular season and 51.6% in the playoffs.
As captain, Gudas (36) was Anaheim’s emotional leader, exuding 100% effort and physicality with every stride. He’d been a reliable partner to several young Ducks blueliners over the previous three seasons and logged some difficult minutes along the way, including consistent minutes on the penalty kill. Injury and a decreased role kept his minutes down in this third year with the Ducks, but when he was on the ice at 5v5, the Ducks generated 51.7% of the expected goals in the regular season.
Though boasting some impressive numbers and providing impactful leadership to a young team, all three players are well into their thirties, would have required big-money or long-term contracts this summer, and aren’t quite an on-ice fit with the Ducks roster and coaching style moving forward.
The Ducks have evolved into a high-octane, dynamic, offensive NHL club, generating the majority of their scoring chances off rush sequences. The three right-shot veterans they lost lack the pace to join and positively influence that area of their attack on a regular basis.
On the defensive end of the ice, the Ducks have struggled to protect the inner slot for the better part of a decade. While all three veterans logged heavy defensive minutes and provided a physical presence in the tight areas, they were all susceptible to coverage lapses and missed assignments below the dots in their zone.
Due to their lack of foot speed, they afforded attackers much too large a gap when defending the rush and relied solely on active sticks to disrupt transitions. Contrary to their reputations, they didn’t provide the defensive prowess in the critical areas, and at the critical times, Anaheim needed to thrive in their half of the ice.
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
What is Gained
From the forwards to the defensemen to the goaltending, the Ducks will rely on their young core and youthful support players to continue taking steps and making greater impacts if they’re to keep their build on an upward trajectory in 2026-27.
On paper, the blueline looks bleak. LaCombe is the only proven impact player of the bunch. Mintyukov has yet to find his offensive footing and was a healthy scratch for multiple 2025-26 regular season games. Tyson Hinds (23) played the majority of the season in the AHL with the San Diego Gulls before logging six regular season NHL games and nine in the playoffs. Helleson accounted for some of the worst metrics among NHL-regular defensemen last season (46.2% xGF). Jensen will be coming off a knee surgery in March to repair a torn meniscus, is a year removed from a hip resurfacing surgery in May 2025, and his advanced metrics were unspectacular (-6.7% rel. xGF). Luneau has the talent to become a top-four defenseman in short order, but will still require all-important reps at the NHL level to achieve that potential.
LaCombe will lead the blueline as the team’s true No.1, but Mintyukov will now be relied on with a heavier role, as he’s now paid as their No. 2. He will be entering his fourth year in the NHL, having only shown flashes of the offensive impact he can ultimately provide. He’s tactical with his activations and can discombobulate opposing defensive structures, but will need to execute with more consistency. His 200-foot defensive game has progressed immensely and is arguably more impactful than his offensive one.
Hinds has more NHL playoff experience than regular season experience, but had nearly three full AHL seasons (204 games) under his belt before making his NHL debut. At the end of his AHL tenure, he’d become the San Diego Gulls most reliable defender, logging heavy minutes and matchups. He moves well, defends with his stick and body, angles, and provides a physicality that was left vacant by Trouba and Gudas’s exits.
Helleson’s first full regular season in the NHL was a roller coaster at best and unspectacular at worst. Much of where he struggled could, theoretically, be easily ironed out, as he struggled with first efficient first passes and losing sight of pucks funneled to the goal mouth, which often took poor bounces on their way to the back of the net. He possesses textbook defensive fundamentals, and with some puck skill refinement, he can become a reliable NHL defenseman.
Moore had one of the more bizarre rookie seasons imaginable, as he was en route to becoming an exciting modern defensive defenseman when circumstances drove him to finish his campaign as a fourth-line winger. As a defenseman, where he projects long-term, he has clear top-four upside with refined defensive habits and rare four-way mobility. He will be expected to take a significant jump in his development in the upcoming season.
Jensen will likely hold a role buoying younger counterparts as they inevitably brush up against obstacles and growing pains. He’s in the “reliable veteran” mold, but even after his hip surgery, he was more mobile than the likes of Trouba, Carlson, and Gudas. The hope is that his recent knee surgery won’t hinder that aspect of his game too much.
Luneau is the true wild card on the Ducks’ blueline. After some past injury issues, he’s been fully healthy over the past two seasons with the Gulls in the AHL, becoming one of the league’s top defensemen. He’s the epitome of “two-way”: offensively productive and defensively impactful. He’s active, tenacious, physical, smart, mobile, and possesses any other tool necessary to become a top-pair NHL defender. The Ducks will simply require him to reach that potential sooner rather than later to remain on track.
Should they be called upon, Stian Solberg (23rd in ’24) and Noah Warren (42nd in ’22) now each have several years of professional experience, can be relied upon in their end, and are as ready as they’ll ever be to make their NHL debuts.
Ultimately, the Ducks lost a lot of name-brand talent on their backend from 2025-26, heading into 2026-27. However, that name-brand talent greatly contributed to the Ducks finishing as the NHL’s 28th-ranked defensive team in terms of xGA/60 (2.91) and the 29th-ranked team in terms of GA/G (3.51). On top of poor defensive results, they weren’t stylistic fits with where the Ducks are heading and what makes them a successful on-ice team.
Though the projected 2026-27 blueline will undoubtedly have to work their way through adjustments and struggles, they can’t be much worse than their predecessor, and with their more cohesive stylistic fit, their ceiling is far greater, both in the immediate and future outlooks.
