Category: NHL

Luke Philp is heading back to familiar territory.

The Canmore native has signed with the Calgary Wranglers for the 2026-27 American Hockey League season, ending his one-year stint in Sweden and bringing the veteran centre back into the Calgary Flames organization.

RMO's Shreejit Shelar was first to report.

The move marks a homecoming for Philp, who spent last season with Färjestad BK after signing with the Swedish club during his honeymoon in Italy. The opportunity gave the 30-year-old his first chance to experience European hockey after spending the bulk of his professional career in North America.

Now, after fulfilling a long-standing goal of playing overseas, Philp has elected to return closer to home as he and his wife, Jaycee, prepare for the next stage of their lives.

A return to Alberta also reunites Philp with an organization he knows well. He began his professional career in the Flames system when the club's AHL affiliate was based in Stockton, California, before later spending time with the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals organizations.

His familiarity with Calgary's management group and the opportunity to rejoin the organization made the Wranglers a natural landing spot once discussions about a return to North America began.

Philp's path back to the Wranglers has been anything but conventional.

Raised in Canmore, he developed through the local minor hockey system before continuing his progression in Cochrane, Airdrie and Drumheller. He later returned home to suit up for the Canmore Eagles before embarking on a four-year Western Hockey League career with the Kootenay Ice and Red Deer Rebels.

After three seasons at the University of Alberta, Philp turned professional and established himself as a dependable AHL forward. He also reached the NHL during the 2022-23 season, making his debut with the Chicago Blackhawks.

His lone season in Sweden offered a different style of hockey than he had grown accustomed to in North America. The larger international ice surface placed a greater emphasis on skating, puck possession and creating space, contrasting with the faster, more physical transition game typically played in the AHL and NHL.

Philp is expected to relocate to Calgary ahead of Wranglers training camp.

Now that Kent Hughes has put pen to paper with Kirby Dach, the Montreal Canadiens only have two remaining RFAs to sign: Zachary Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj. In a recent article in La Presse, Guillaume Lefrançois reports that both a two-year bridge deal and a long-term (five years) contract have been discussed so far for the promising forward.

Speaking to La Presse, Bolduc indicated that he’s not worried about the negotiations and is confident the matter will be settled in the coming days or weeks. In the meantime, he keeps busy helping friends with their hockey schools or, like on Friday, attending FlexWork’s camp, making kids’ day as a guest. He recalls his own experiences as a kid, meeting NHLers like Philip Danault and Michael Bournival at his hockey camps and enjoying the experience.

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It will be interesting to see whether Bolduc’s new deal will be a bridge or a long-term deal. Considering he’s only played two full NHL seasons and a single one with the Canadiens, he still has a lot to show, and it definitely feels like he hasn’t reached his ceiling. In his first full season with the St. Louis Blues, he scored 19 goals in 72 games, showing he has a scoring touch. However, he could only get 12 with the Habs last season.

Given his lack of top power-play unit opportunities and the need to adapt to a new team and system, that’s not surprising. In the playoffs, he also showed he could bring much-needed physicality to the lineup, but he ended up playing on the fourth line's wing.

Have the Canadiens seen enough to make a long-term commitment to the player at a cap hit that will feel appropriate to both parties? It remains to be seen. Bolduc is coming off a 12-goal, 18-assist season for a total of 30 points, which is the scoring pace Dach was on with 15 points in 37 games. He signed a $3.6M one-year contract with the team; chances are Bolduc’s contract will have a higher cap hit than that. If it’s a bridge deal, it could be somewhere around $4- $4.5 million; for a longer deal, he may be aiming for a deal similar to the one Mavrik Bourque signed with the Nashville Predators at $5.5 million for six years, even though the former Dallas Stars had a more productive season at 41 points in 82 games.

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Now that the media has had some time to take a closer look at the NHL schedule, Daily Faceoff podcast co-host Jason Gregor has pointed out an interesting tidbit. Out of the Montreal Canadiens’ 84 games, 19 will be played against opponents who are playing the second game of a back-to-back sequence. That’s the most of any team in the league. The Anaheim Ducks are second with 18 duels against opponents on the tail end of a back-to-back, and the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues share third place with 16 such confrontations. At the other end of the spectrum, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Winnipeg Jets will only be facing an opponent on the second game of a back-to-back five times.

On paper, it may mean the Habs’ opponent will be tired after playing a second game in as many days, but games are played on the ice, not on paper. It’s also worth noting that in four of those 19 games, the Canadiens will also be playing in the second game of a back-to-back, which means that they may be fresher in 15 of the 19 duels.

Number of games NHL teams have when they face an opponent on the second half of a back-to-back. Quite the difference from MTL to TOR and WPG. pic.twitter.com/yxoKwDaTrE

— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) July 16, 2026

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Playing the second game of a back-to-back isn’t always a disadvantage, though. For instance, last season, the Habs played 16 back-to-back sequences, and their record in the second game of those back-to-back sequences was 9-5-2. Four other teams had nine wins in those circumstances, joining the Canadiens as league leaders in that department: the Buffalo Sabres (9-1-3), the Ottawa Senators (9-3-2), the Columbus Blue Jackets (9-5-2), and the New York Islanders. Which team had the worst record in those circumstances? The New York Rangers (2-10-1), the Red Wings (3-7-3), and the Utah Mammoth (3-7-1).

After skating in 16 back-to-backs last season, the Canadiens will play only 10 this season, which is not far from the fewest; the Calgary Flames and the Vegas Golden Knights have only 8, while Winnipeg has 9. The Pittsburgh Penguins get the short end of the stick with 15. Of course, the fact that there are no Olympics this season helps make the schedule somewhat lighter, and no one will complain about that.

Will the 19 duels against opponents on the tail end of a back-to-back favour the Canadiens? We’ll have to wait and see…

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Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.  

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.

Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.

Attendance across the NHL was up last season to record levels across the board. A rebound year on the ice meant improvements in Pittsburgh to fill the arena to 94% capacity in 2025-26, up from 91.5% in 2024-25.

That 94% figure still ranks near the bottom of the league, with only six teams in the NHL filling less of their buildings (Anaheim, Calgary, Ottawa, Columbus, Winnipeg and San Jose). 13 teams reported 100% or more by selling standing room tickets without a seat attached. The upturn in performance by the Pens gave a boost at the box office for a team that was once 31st in attendance during the season before selling more seats as the season went along.

There could be good news along the way on that front – the Penguins are reportedly slightly lowering prices on most season tickets from last year according to this research.

Season Ticket prices for the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Philadelphia Flyers for the 2026-27 NHL season, showing % change per game from the 2025-26 season. All data from each team's official site. pic.twitter.com/F304UWLWmS

— iceburgh in superhell (@katielatenight) July 16, 2026

On the business side of operations, it will be interesting to see how pricing factors into attendance next season. The Penguins will benefit from snapping their previous three season stint of not making the playoffs and prices will be a little lower. That benefit is subject to fade depending on future performance. It’s a good sign that area construction around the arena has also subsided (though of course, Pittsburgh being Pittsburgh will not ever go away completely) and at least the completed project across the street that reduced the area to gridlock will abate. A lot of the shine has worn off for having a new building and a team that was a true championship contender from a decade ago, but better performance on the ice gave fans more of a reason to come and watch in person last year.

Despite the team’s performance going down during the 2020’s, under ownership from Fenway Sports, ticket prices dramatically increased in recent years. Premium areas like the relatively new Casamigos club have opened new revenue streams for the team to increase revenue despite the decrease in total attendance. The Pens lost a 633-game sellout streak that lasted 14 years in October of 2021 but can remain viable by drawing money (and making a ton of overall revenue) despite a lack of recent sellouts.

Based on the information above, season tickets to the Penguins are much more of value for similar seats in Washington and Philadelphia, two division rivals in larger markets. Those teams continue to raise prices for 2026-27, the Penguins have taken a different tactic in order to attempt and draw back in fans that may have felt priced out in recent years.

The Calgary Flames may have done most of their heavy lifting this offseason, but don't mistake the silence for inactivity.

General manager Craig Conroy isn't finished listening.

After reshaping much of Calgary's roster over the past several months, the Flames remain one of the NHL's most intriguing teams to watch on the trade market. According to David Pagnotta, rival clubs continue to check in regularly, with center Morgan Frost and defenseman Zach Whitecloud among the names drawing the most interest.

"Morgan Frost's name still out there. They have others they're willing to listen on. There are teams interested in Whitecloud still, and so on and so on. So this is going to be an interesting summer."

For Conroy, there's little incentive to force another move.

Calgary has already transformed its future by dealing Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights, MacKenzie Weegar to the Utah Mammoth, Nazem Kadri to the Colorado Avalanche, and longtime leader Blake Coleman elsewhere. Those trades left the organization with an enviable stockpile of draft capital, including 30 selections over the coming years and two first-round picks in each of the next three drafts.

As The Hockey News previously reported, that puts the Flames squarely in the driver's seat. Conroy can afford to be patient, wait for the market to develop, and only make another move if the return genuinely strengthens Calgary's long-term outlook.

Frost has become one of the more logical trade candidates on Calgary's roster.

The 27-year-old is entering the final year of his contract after producing a career-best 22 goals and 43 points last season. Centers are always in demand around the league, and a productive middle-six forward on an expiring deal naturally attracts attention.

Earlier this summer, Frost's name also surfaced among Avalanche fans as a potential trade target if the club had been unable to reacquire Kadri. Once Kadri returned to Denver, however, that speculation quickly disappeared.

Acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers alongside Joel Farabee during the 2024-25 season, Frost has settled into Calgary's middle six while quietly raising his value around the league.

Zach Whitecloud has barely unpacked in Calgary, yet trade speculation has followed him ever since he arrived in the Andersson deal.

The 29-year-old right-shot defenseman checks a lot of boxes for playoff contenders. He plays a physical, reliable game, can comfortably handle top-four minutes, owns a Stanley Cup ring from Vegas' 2023 championship run, and carries an affordable $2.75 million cap hit through the 2027-28 season.

According to The Win Column, the Anaheim Ducks remain one of the teams showing significant interest as they continue searching for help on the right side of their blue line following the departures of John Carlson, Jacob Trouba, and Radko Gudas.

That's exactly why Calgary has no reason to rush. Whitecloud is cost-controlled, experienced, and fills a premium position. Unless another club presents an offer that clearly outweighs his value, the Flames can comfortably keep him in the lineup.

Jonathan Huberdeau's name has occasionally surfaced in trade conversations this offseason, but that's largely speculation more than anything grounded in reality.

The veteran winger carries a $10.5 million cap hit, is coming off major surgery, and still has significant term remaining on his contract. Simply put, this isn't the time to expect Calgary to move him. Finding a team willing—and able—to absorb that contract under those circumstances would be extraordinarily difficult, making a trade highly unrealistic at this stage.

With the free-agent market beginning to dry up and more teams turning toward trades to address roster needs, Calgary's phone is likely to keep ringing throughout the summer.

The difference is that Conroy doesn't have to answer with a deal.

Armed with one of the NHL's deepest collections of draft assets and no pressure to shed salary, the Flames can continue listening while holding firm on their asking prices. If another team gets desperate, Calgary is perfectly positioned to capitalize. If not, there's little downside to standing pat until the right opportunity presents itself.

Tij Iginla isn't shying away from the expectations that come with being a top draft pick.

After finally putting together a healthy season and taking another big step in his development, the Utah Mammoth prospect believes he's ready for the next challenge. With training camp a couple of months away, Iginla said his focus is simple: earn a spot in the NHL.

"It was great to be back for a full season and be healthy," Iginla said during Utah's development camp. "You never want to go through injuries, but hopefully that's behind me. I felt like it was a good season, and I got a lot better. That's always been my mentality, just to keep getting better and growing every day."

The 19-year-old isn't pointing to one major change that's elevated his game. Instead, he says it's been the accumulation of little things.

Iginla has spent part of his offseason skating with projected first-overall pick Gavin McKenna, paying close attention to the small details that can separate good players from great ones.

"Sometimes getting better isn't about something big," Iginla said. "It's picking up little things, whether it's a change of direction or another movement that a player does well. I'm just trying to keep adding those little details to my game."

Asked if he feels ready to play in the NHL after two years in Utah's system, Iginla didn't hesitate.

"I do," he said. "I think I'm ready. I'm looking forward to a big summer of training and pushing myself hard in the gym, but I feel ready."

That confidence comes from more than just his own progress. Watching players around his age make an impact in the NHL has only reinforced his belief that he belongs in that conversation.

"I believe in the work I've put in and how much I've improved," Iginla said. "You see some of the young guys around the league, whether it's teammates from World Juniors or guys you've played against, having success. It makes you feel like that could be you too."

Iginla isn't interested in sharing every goal he's written down for next season, but he had no problem revealing the biggest one.

"My goal is definitely to make the team," he said.

Before training camp arrives, he'll spend another week around many of the organization's top prospects during development camp, something he says has become one of his favorite parts of the summer.

"It's super fun to see the guys," Iginla said. "This is my third year now, so I know most of them, and it's great welcoming the new draft picks. You get to compete, learn from each other and have some fun away from the rink too."

The week was also memorable away from hockey. Just one day before speaking with reporters, Iginla watched his younger brother hear his name called at the NHL Draft.

"We were all really excited for him," Iginla said. "He's worked really hard, and it was great to see him have that moment."

Florida Panthers equipment manager Thaddeus "Teddy" Richards was arrested on Friday, July 17 in Coral Springs, Florida, and suspended indefinitely by the team.

Richards was charged with misdemeanor battery/domestic violence and unauthorized use of 911 services. He is currently being held at Broward County Jail in Fort Launderdalle, Florida.

A bond amount was not listed on the Broward County Clerk of Courts website.

Richards is also an equipment manager for USA Hockey, where he served on the gold-medal winning U.S. men's team at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. He also worked with the team at the 2026 IIFH World Championship and the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.

The Panthers released the following statement after acknowledging Richards’ arrest: "Effective immediately, he will be suspended from all team activities and facilities pending investigation.”

Richards has spent over a decade working in the NHL and has been with the Panthers since the 2016-17 season. He was the equipment manager for the team when they won consecutive Stanley Cup titles in 2024 and 2025. He also worked with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2015-16 season in the first of their back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida Panthers equipment manager arrested, suspended by NHL team

At some point, the Philadelphia Flyers need their power play to be better than one of the worst, if not the very worst, in the entire NHL, and they can only change systems and coaches so many times before coming to a different conclusion.

Through the offseason thus far, the Flyers have missed out on several players who would have otherwise helped bolster their unit.

The offer sheet attempt on Leo Carlsson was an excellent idea, but Anaheim, obviously, matched the sheet and shut down the move.

Defenseman John Carlson preferred to go to a contender and got his wish with a deal in Tampa Bay.

Flyers legend Claude Giroux considered an offer tabled by his good friend and former teammate Danny Briere, but ultimately opted to remain with the Ottawa Senators for one more year.

Ultimately, the Flyers were forced to walk away from NHL free agency, thus far, with veteran fourth liner Noel Acciari and a host of AHL/NHL tweeners, like Nolan Foote, Jack Studnicka, and Zach Aston-Reese.

Flyers Make Jamie Drysdale Their Highest-Paid DefensemanRight after the Philadelphia Flyers signed best buddy Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale re-upped with the team, becoming the Flyers' most expensive defenseman.

In lieu of acquiring a No. 1 center just not being a reliable or realistic option at this time, the Flyers still can, however, find a reasonably effective power play quarterback on the quickly thinning market.

More than two weeks on from the start of free agency, former star defenseman John Klingberg remains an unrestricted free agent, who leads the remaining crop of available defensemen with his 27 points in 55 games last season.

Klingberg, 33, isn't the same player he was in 2017-18, when he scored a career-high 67 points in 82 games for the Dallas Stars, but he can still contribute to a power play on a good team.

Injuries have been a factor for the Swede, too, as a hip injury decimated his 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, limiting him to a total of just 25 regular season games between stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers.

Klingberg did return mostly healthy in the 2025-26 season for the San Jose Sharks, but was not always included in the lineup by head coach Ryan Warsofsky.

Still, the former Stars ace averaged 20:28 in the games he did play, scoring five goals and nine total points on the power play, accounting for a third of his total point production.

At his best, Klingberg was a player capable of producing double-digit power play points regularly, and nearly did so again this past season despite his advanced age and having missed nearly two full seasons worth of time.

As illustrated in the JFresh player card above, Klingberg has always been average to bad defensively, but a positive influence offensively.

Fortunately, the Flyers would not be signing the Swede for his defensive prowess, or lack thereof, and Klingberg would serve more as a mentor and rotational piece who could be used to protect someone like David Jiricek or Oliver Bonk from suboptimal matchups as they get their feet wet at the NHL level.

If all goes well, Jiricek would be the Flyers' power play quarterback of the future, but the team cannot guarantee that off rip.

By signing Klingberg, the Flyers can get themselves some veteran insurance while ensuring they do not rush Jiricek along before he is ready, or before they feel comfortable giving him an every-night role.

Of note, too: Klingberg and newcomer Simon Benoit played as a defensive pairing in Anaheim in 2022-23, so there is an element of familiarity there. The advanced analytics were as bad as you'd expect, but we can also argue that the Flyers employ a better structure with better personnel to insulate them.

Klingberg played the last season for the Sharks on a one-year, $4 million deal; the Flyers currently have just under $14 million in cap space available after re-signing Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras.

Financially, there is little risk for the Flyers to chase after the best remaining power play specialist, and Klingberg could build himself enough appeal for a trade to a contender later in the season if he straps up his boots and does a tidy job for the Flyers early on.

On Wednesday, Alberts Šmits signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the New York Rangers. 

What does this new development mean for Šmits’ immediate future?

Šmits is considered to be one of the most pro-ready defensemen in the 2026 NHL draft class, which is likely a reason the Rangers decided to take him over other blueliners, including Chase Reid and Keaton Verhoeff, with the fifth overall pick. 

Playing at the Olympics, World Championship, and Liiga this past season, Šmits showed his maturity on the ice and cemented his status as a top prospect.

Now that he signed his entry-level contract with the Rangers, the 18-year-old defenseman will join the team for training camp starting in September, with the hopes of earning an opening-night roster spot. 

He won’t have an easy path to make the Rangers’ roster due to the additions of Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson, as well as the re-signing of Braden Schneider.

There’s a scenario in which Šmits spends his entire rookie campaign in the American Hockey League with the Hartford Wolf Pack.

When speaking about Šmits, Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury emphasized that the team will do what’s in Šmits’ best interest in terms of his long-term development.

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

Even if Šmits starts the season in Hartford, there’s always potential for him to be recalled over the course of the year if his play warrants it or if injuries occur. 

At the very least, we’ll see Šmits at training camp, as he has a real opportunity to make an immediate impact for the Blueshirts. 

NHL salary arbitration hearings don't start until next week and more than half of the players have already reached a settlement.

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale was the ninth player out of 15 to settle, agreeing to a four-year contract averaging $6.5 million a year on Friday, July 17.

He was scheduled for a hearing on Monday, July 20. Teammate Trevor Zegras agreed to a four-year deal with a $9.125 million average on Wednesday.

Also settling early (details below) are St. Louis Blues forward Connor Michael, Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach, Winnipeg Jets forward Cole Perfetti, Buffalo Sabres forward Payton Krebs, New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Nick Robertson and Ottawa Senators prospect Xavier Bourgault.

Settling early is typical during the salary arbitration hearing season, which runs from July 20 to Aug. 1 in Toronto. Both sides try to work out deals before the hearings.

This year, 15 restricted free agents filed to have an independent arbitrator determine their next contract. Both sides file salary requests and the arbitrator can award either number but often does something between.

The most interesting case is Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson, who made $7.75 million in his last deal and is due a big raise after a 96-point season. The record arbitration award was $7.5 million to future Hall of Famer Shea Weber in 2011. Robertson is the brother of Nick Robertson.

Here are the salary arbitration dates, settlements and results, per puckpedia.com:

Monday, July 20

Jamie Drysdale, Philadelphia (settled, four years, $6.5 million average)

Cole Perfetti, Winnipeg (settled, five years, $6 million average)

Wednesday, July 22

Trevor Zegras, Philadelphia (settled, four years, $9.125 million average)

Thursday, July 23

Jet Greaves, Columbus

Saturday, July 25

Xavier Bourgault, Ottawa (settled, one year, $850,000)

Jason Robertson, Dallas

Connor McMichael, St. Louis (settled, six years, $6.75 million average)

Monday, July 27

Cole Sillinger, Columbus

Tuesday, July 28

Nick Robertson, Pittsburgh (settled, two years $3.5 million average)

Wednesday, July 29

Braden Schneider, N.Y. Rangers (settled, one year, $5.5 million)

Ronan Seeley, Carolina

Thursday, July 30

Alex Jefferies, N.Y. Islanders

Kirby Dach, Montreal (settled, one year, $3.6 million)

Saturday, Aug.. 1

Akira Schmid, Florida

Peyton Krebs, Buffalo (settled, four years x $4.5 million average)

Flyers' Jamie Drysdale settles before arbitration hearing

He gets a four-year, $26 million deal, up from a $2.3 million average. He had a career-best eight goals last season, and his 32 points matched a career high. Drysdale scored two power play goals in the playoffs.

Canadiens' Kirby Dach settles before arbitration hearing

He gets a one-year, $3.6 million deal, a slight bump from his previous $3,362,500 average. The key is he gets a one-way deal that pays him the same if he goes to the minors. He had been offered a deal that pay him less in the minors.

Blues' Connor McMichael settles before arbitration hearing

He gets a six-year, $40.5 million contract, a big increase from his previous $2.1 million average. He's joining the Blues this season after coming over in the Jordan Kyrou trade. He had 46 points last season with the Capitals.

Flyers' Trevor Zegras settles before arbitration hearing

He gets a four-year, $36.5 million contract, up from a $5.75 million average in his last contract. He becomes the Flyers' top-paid player after scoring a career-best 67 points following his trade from the Ducks.

Jets' Cole Perfetti settles before arbitration hearing

He gets a five-year, $30 million contract, up from a $3.25 million average in his last contract. He dropped from 50 points to 32 as he dealt with injuries but he also averaged a career-best 15:37 per game.

Penguins' Nick Robertson settles before arbitration hearing

Robertson came over from Toronto in a July 1 trade. His two-year $6.5 million contract is a raise from the $1.85 million he made in his final Maple Leafs contract. He has a career-high 16 goals and 32 points last season.

Rangers' Braden Schneider settles before arbitration hearing

The defenseman gets one year at $5.5 million, up from a $2.2 million average in his last two-year contract. Schneider averaged about three more minutes a game last season.

Sabres' Peyton Krebs settles before arbitration hearing

The forward averages $4.5 million in his new contract, a bump from his previous $1.45 million cap hit. Krebs had his first 82-game season and set career bests in goals (12), assists (27) and points (39).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL salary arbitration tracker: Flyers' Jamie Drysdale settles

There have only been two players in the history of the San Jose Sharks to wear the number 76 at the NHL level. The most notable player to wear the number was Jonathan Dahlen, who played 61 games for the team in teal roughly half a decade ago.

Dahlen's NHL journey began when he was selected in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft by the Ottawa Senators. Before he even signed his entry-level contract though, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in a trade that saw veteran forward Alex Burrows going to Canada's capital city.

Dahlen then signed his first NHL contract with the Canucks and spent two seasons with their American Hockey League affiliate at the time, the Utica Comets. He was then traded to San Jose in 2019 with Linus Karlsson heading north of the border.

After playing just seven games with the San Jose Barracuda during the 2018-19 season, he returned to his native Sweden for the next two years. He then returned to North America for the 2021-22 season and played in his only career NHL games to date. In 61 games with the Sharks, he scored 12 goals and tallied a total of 22 points.

At the end of the season, Dahlen returned to Timra IK in Sweden, where he remained until this summer when he signed with the SCL Tigers of the Swiss National League.

The only other player to wear the number 76 for the Sharks was Eriah Hayes.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers have agreed to terms with defenseman Jamie Drysdale on a four-year contract worth $26 million.

Drysdale will count $6.5 million against the salary cap through the 2029-30 NHL season.

“We’re excited to have Jamie remain a key part of our organization for years to come,” Flyers general manager Daniel Briere said in a statement on Friday. “Since we acquired him, Jamie has worked extremely hard and taken big steps in his development, and has established himself as a reliable piece on our back end with the ability to impact the game in all situations. We believe his best hockey is still ahead of him, and he’s going to play an important role in strengthening our blue line as we continue to build.”

The 24-year-old Drysdale had a career-high eight goals, including three game-winners, and matched his career best with 32 points in his second full season with Philadelphia. He averaged more than 21 minutes of ice time over 78 regular-season games to help the Flyers make the playoffs.

Drysdale became the fifth defenseman in franchise history to score in his first postseason game and finished with two goals and two assists in 10 games.

Drysdale has 25 goals and 77 assists in parts of six NHL seasons with Philadelphia and Anaheim.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

Right when he was hired, Montreal Canadiens’ GM Kent Hughes explained that he wouldn’t be the kind of GM who buys high and sells low. He explained that he was a firm believer that players, once in the NHL, aren’t finished products and can keep improving. We’ve seen it with the likes of Cole Caufield, who has improved by leaps and bounds since graduating to the NHL and working under Martin St-Louis; the same can be said for Nick Suzuki, whose point production has skyrocketed without sacrificing his defensive game, which has improved as well.

One player who hasn’t improved, though, and that may mainly be down to injuries, is Kirby Dach. When Hughes sacrificed Alexander Romanov at the 2022 draft to get the first-round pick he flipped to the Chicago Blackhawks to acquire Dach, he was hoping that the Habs’ coaching staff could make him reach his full potential and become a big-bodied second-line center. That hasn’t happened; far from it.

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The Answer To A Couple Of The Canadiens’ Big Issues Could Be Internal

Dach had a tough start to the playoffs; he was responsible for the Canadiens failing to take a 2-0 lead in the series and faced serious online backlash after that icing. With fans and media alike suggesting that he should be scratched from the lineup, St-Louis came out and stood by him, saying he would never give up on a player that hadn’t given up on himself. Dach had a great bounce-back game, but by the end of the playoffs, he was on the wing of the fourth line.

With his injury history and his struggles on the ice at the end of the playoffs, Dach’s value is at an all-time low. Not only has he failed to show he’s a center in the NHL, but at times he looks nonchalant on the ice. He’s not playing a hard game; he doesn’t come into the corners with speed to finish his checks and get the puck back. Even if he was a third-overall pick full of potential once upon a time, the last four years have taken the shine off him. While there’s a belief that there’s always a GM out there who thinks they can turn things around for a player, after all, Alex Galchenyuk had a second chance with six other teams after the Canadiens (he even had two kicks at the can with the Arizona Coyotes), it doesn’t seem to be the case for Dach, not right now. It must be said that Galchenyuk didn’t have Dach’s injury history, however.

At this stage, the forward is not only a player who has failed to reach his potential but also one who is injury-prone. He needs to prove that he can stay healthy and be a good player on the ice. Those are not great selling points. Right now, Dach is a throw-in for a larger deal; he cannot be the main piece to land a needle-moving player.

Given the fact that Hughes has been unable to strike a big deal to improve his roster, it’s not surprising that Dach is still a member of the Canadiens, but he has been given a stern warning. The fact that he was presented with a qualifying offer for a two-way contract speaks volumes about where he is in the organization right now, and so does the fact that he signed only a one-year contract.

While it’s not clear which of the two camps wanted a one-year deal, it doesn’t smell good. If the Canadiens only wanted to give him a one-year pact, it suggests they are getting ready to cut their losses on the player. They’re willing to pay him this year when his rights are still under team control, but unless things change dramatically, they don’t see him as a part of the team long-term. If Dach was the one who pushed for the one-year term, it suggests that he might have had his feathers ruffled by the two-way contract offer and will want to move on from the Canadiens once he becomes a UFA.

At the end of the 2024-25 season, in his exit interview, he was told that the organization wasn’t pleased with the physical form he showed up in at the start of camp and that he needed to do better. The qualifying offer he received means that the team wasn’t pleased with him this past season either, but it wasn’t ready to just let him walk away after investing assets to acquire him.

If he’s still with the Canadiens when the puck drops on the season, the Habs’ brass will simply be hoping that he can stay healthy and play in a way that will see him regain some value on the trade market. If the fact that he’ll be playing for a new contract and attempting to prove to the NHL that he belongs doesn’t motivate Dach to play well on both sides of the puck, I don’t know what will.

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New York Islanders goaltender prospect Henrik Tikkanen did not sign his one-year qualifying offer by Wednesday's 5 PM deadline.

However, he has signed a different one-year, two-way deal, which the club officially announced on Friday afternoon. 

#Isles News: The New York Islanders announced today that the club has signed goaltender Henrik Tikkanen to a one-year, two-way (NHL/AHL) contract.

Read more: https://t.co/u125wIf16ppic.twitter.com/ML5ieAlIQb

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) July 17, 2026

Per industry sources, while this new one-year contract carries the same NHL salary that his qualifying offer would have, at $850,000, his minor league salary would only have been $82,500. 

Instead his camp got his minor league salary bumped up to $130,000. 

Tikkanen went 17-9-1, with a 2.65 GAA and an .897 SV% in 29 games for Bridgeport in 2025-26.