ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild have added a depth forward, signing Justin Kirkland to a one-year, two-way contract worth $850,000 at the NHL level.
The deal will pay him $500,000 in the American Hockey League and includes a $550,000 guaranteed salary.
The 29-year-old appeared in 41 NHL games with the Calgary Flames over the last two seasons, recording three goals and seven assists for ten points.
Kirkland spent time with the Calgary Wranglers in the AHL last season as well, posting 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points in 42 games after returning from injury.
Originally selected by Nashville in the third round (62nd overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft, the 6-foot-3, 201-pound forward has battled through multiple setbacks during his professional career, including a serious car accident in 2023 and a season-ending knee injury in 2024 before making his return.
Kirkland gives the Wild another experienced depth option who can play both center and wing while providing organizational depth between Minnesota and Iowa heading into the 2026-27 season.
He is also very good in the shootout at 50%.
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The Vancouver Canucks have signed 26-year-old winger Paul Cotter to a one-year contract with an AAV of $2.15M.
A depth forward who is also capable of playing at center, Cotter was drafted 115th-overall by the Vegas Golden Knights during the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The winger made his NHL debut on November 9, 2021 against the Seattle Kraken as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights. He scored two goals in seven games with Vegas during the 2021-22 season.
Cotter won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Golden Knights back in the 2022-23 season but did not skate in any playoff games for the team.
After a career-high 25-point season in 2023-24 with Vegas, Cotter was traded to the New Jersey Devils along with a third-round pick in exchange for forward Alexander Holtz and goaltender Akira Schmid. He put up 22 points in 79 games with the Devils in 2024-25 and 15 points in 79 games in 2025-26.
Cotter was a restricted free-agent heading into this year's free-agency period but was not qualified by New Jersey and became a UFA.
Apr 14, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New Jersey Devils left wing Paul Cotter (47) shoots the puck during the second period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
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The Florida Panthers have locked up their top prospect to a new contract extension.
On Wednesday, the Panthers announced they have signed forward Sandis Vilmanis to a two-year extension that will kick in at the start of the 2027-28 season.
“Sandis is a skilled, competitive young player whose positive attitude and strong work ethic have allowed him to succeed at every opportunity he has earned,” said Zito. “He continues to take real strides in his game and we’re proud that he has committed to a further two years in South Florida.”
Terms of the new deal have yet to be disclosed.
Vilmanis played his first 19 NHL games last season, putting up three goals and five points while adding four penalty minutes and a minus-1 on-ice rating.
He was originally selected by Florida in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and signed his entry-level contract in March of 2024.
Since starting his pro career with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, Vilmanis has played 109 AHL games over the past two seasons, accumulating 26 goals and 65 points.
He took several strides forward during this past season, though, racking up 17 goals and 38 points in 48 games.
When the Panthers open their 2026 Training Camp later this year, Vilmanis will be someone that gets a long look at potentially cracking the Florida’s NHL roster next season.
Photo caption: Jan 10, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Florida Panthers left wing Sandis Vilmanis (95) skates during warmup prior to game against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. (Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images)
The Philadelphia Flyers have made their first external signing of free agency, adding a veteran depth forward in Noel Acciari on a short-term deal.
On Wednesday, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that Acciari, 34, signed a two-year contract worth $5.6 million ($2.8 million AAV), adding further depth to the lineup.
Acciari spent the last three seasons with the Metropolitan Division rival Pittsburgh Penguins, who were eliminated by the Flyers in six games in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
If you can't beat them, join them?
With the signing of the Acciari, the Flyers are presumably out on one of their own free agents in Luke Glendening, who was in the mix to remain in Philadelphia.
The Flyers also reportedly re-signed Carl Grundstrom, who was a factor as a depth forward last season as well.
Following the departures of Nick Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway, the Flyers now have their two replacements for the veteran forwards, while getting a player in Acciari who excels in the faceoff dot.
In his career with the Penguins, Acciari was a strong 53.4% on his faceoffs, which was undoubtedly an important factor for the Flyers in targeting him.
Glendening was an even greater 57.2% during his short time with the Flyers, though his nine points in 70 games pale in comparison to Acciari's 12 goals, 13 assists, and 25 points in 67 games with the Penguins last regular season.
The Chicago Blackhawks make it multiple Coles as they have signed Ian Cole to a one-year deal. This will come with a one-time cap hit of $4 million. He can earn up to $4.74 million with performance bonuses.
Cole is a defensive defenseman who will bring a veteran presence to a young group that ended last season with one of the youngest defenses in the history of the NHL. Multiple Frozen Four college teams had older defenses by average age.
Ian Cole is 36 years old, and he will turn 37 in February. He has had quite the NHL career, including two Stanley Cups during his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Blackhawks will be his 10th NHL team, as he has hopped around a lot since leaving the St. Louis Blues in 2014-15. Along the way, he has played with some of the game's best, including Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Nathan MacKinnon, and Nikita Kucherov, amongst others.
That type of experience will help the young Blackhawks, who are looking to improve in the standings during the 2026-27 season.
In Ian Cole, you're going to get a solid defensive player who can make a good pass and chip in 3-5 goals a season. He played in all 82 games for the Utah Mammoth in 2025-26, and he had 3 goals and 20 assists for 23 goals on a good playoff-bound team.
Ian Cole, signed 1x$4.8M by CHI, is a physical veteran defenceman who continues to put up solid results in a third pair role (although he takes too many penalties). pic.twitter.com/DW0TXmTC14
Cole will play in his 1000th NHL game early with the Blackhawks, as he has 990 career games played. In those games, he has 38 goals and 195 assists for 233 points. For being a defensive defenseman, it's not horrible offensive production.
If the Blackhawks are well out of it by the trade deadline, you may see them flip Cole for assets that will help them in the draft. If not, he'd be a great veteran to have in the locker room during meaningful games down the stretch.
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Last season with the Philadelphia Flyers, he finished with one goal and nine assists for 10 points. The 6-foot-2, 201-pound right-handed defenseman is most likely going to be the Avalanche's seventh defenseman this upcoming season.
Drafted 26th overall in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft, Juulsen is a defenseman that you can really like in this position for the Avalanche, where on nights he can fill in 14-15 minutes a game and be reliable in the defensive zone.
With this move, the Avalanche now have just over $1 million in cap space, so it will be interesting whether these are all the moves they intend to make, or if another move will be made to create cap space and involve another signing.
Immediately after the clock turned to 12:00 p.m. ET on Jul. 1, Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins immediately got to work.
Per NHL Insider Chris Johnston, the Penguins are set to sign former Washington Capitals' defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk. The terms on the deal are unclear, as the deal has yet to be announced, but the 34-year-old right-shot blueliner registered three goals and 14 points to go along with a plus-6 in 68 games last season. Undrafted, he has spent the last six seasons in Washington.
Standing at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, van Riemsdyk is a solid bottom-pair defense-first defenseman who can help bring stability to either side, as he is capable of manning both sides. After the Penguins traded Parker Wotherspoon to the Vegas Golden Knights, it left their left-side wide-open, and van Riemsdyk figures to fill in where needed.
As NHL free agency officially opens, defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk is heading to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The signing of van Riemsdyk further begs the question of how the Penguins plan to build out their blue line this season. Dubas mentioned during his season-ending press conference that they need to be better defensively - and van Riemsdyk should help in that department - but the right-shot pool is crowded with Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Kaeden Korczak, van Riemsdyk, and Harrison Brunicke.
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues made their first official unrestricted free agency signing (outside of their own players) when they signed forward Ross Johnston to a three-year, $6 million contract ($2 million average annual value).
The 32-year-old spent the past three seasons with the Anaheim Ducks; last season, he had 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 62 regular-season games. Johnston also appeared in five postseason games for Anaheim.
At 6-foot-5, 232-pounds, Johnston provides grit and toughness to the fourth line, someone who is a worthy and willing player to drop the gloves, a needed element to this lineup.
Johnston has played in 307 regular-season NHL games, including stints with the New York Islanders and the Ducks and has 46 points (14 goals, 32 assists) and 579 penalty minutes.
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The San Jose Sharks have reportedly signed forward Mason Marchment, the son of former Sharks player and long-time scout Bryan Marchment, to a five-year contract with an average annual value of roughly $7 million.
Insider Elliotte Friedman was the first to break the news of the signing early on Wednesday morning.
Mason Marchment sounds like he's headed to San Jose...long-time home of father Bryan in both an on- and off-ice role
Last summer, the Dallas Stars traded Marchment to the Seattle Kraken, where he played just 29 games before being traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets. With Columbus, Marchment found his form once again, as he scored 15 goals and 32 points in 39 games.
Throughout his career, Marchment, 31, has also played with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers.
Adding another top-nine forward does add some questions for the Sharks, as it's expected that recent second overall pick Ivar Stenberg is ready to step directly into the NHL. As a result, it'll be interesting to see how Sharks General Manager Mike Grier handles the growing forward logjam in San Jose.
The Chicago Blackhawks continue to add depth to their roster with their latest free-agent signing, Cole Smith. Smith is getting a three-year deal with a $3 million cap hit.
Smith is 30 years old, and he spent the first 6 years of his NHL career with the Nashville Predators before being traded to the Vegas Golden Knights during the 2025-26 season.
Of course, the Golden Knights went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in the spring, and Smith was a part of it as a member of their 4th line. In 22 playoff games, he had 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points.
During the regular season, Smith had 8 goals and 4 assists for 12 points in 63 games played. There isn't much offense there, but it is his physical presence and defensive play that will make the Blackhawks a bit harder to play against.
Cole Smith, signed 3x$3M by CHI, is a physical fourth line winger who brings defensive value. pic.twitter.com/WdNZ1XaGBz
On the penalty kill, Smith will be one of the forwards who replace Ilya Mikheyev. At even strength, he won't produce nearly as much offense; the Hawks will have to find that elsewhere.
With Jordan Greenway also coming in via the Bowen Byram trade, the Hawks have a couple of guys who bring a different style of game to their bottom six than their opponents have had to deal with in recent years.
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The St. Louis Blues winger re-signed with the club on Wednesday, getting a one-year contract for $2 million after the team and player did not come to terms in time to receive a qualifying offer on Monday at 4 p.m. (CT).
Blues general manager Alexander Steen sounded line someone who was confident that the forward, despite getting unrestricted free agency status as of Wednesday despite missing the QO deadline, would be retained.
The Blues came through with the forward, who was claimed off waivers from the Detroit Red Wings on December 16, 2025.
The 25-year-old played in 36 games for the Blues last season and had 16 points (six goals, 10 assists). He also played in 15 games for the Red Wings and posted six points (two goals, four assists).
"Berggren was more about the deadline," Steen said Tuesday. "We didn’t feel like we were going to get it done before then, but we’ve been in communication with both him and his agent. We’re hopeful that we can get something done and he can continue to grow as a player with the Bluenote on.
"He’s got high offensive vision. I enjoy watching him play. He has a unique ability. You can almost see when he sees the pass when it’s about to open up and then he presents it at the right time with the right weight with minimum amount of complication to it. And it goes fast. He picks it up fast. If he finds the offensive play to be a little bit on the risky side, he knows the time to score and he’ll revert to something else. He’s not a big risk guy, but he does have that offensive creativity. I think towards the end of the season last season it wasn’t easy because of the amount of bodies we had and what we were looking to accomplish with the last part of the season, but I thought that he really stepped up his all-around game. Defensively, he was very sound. We like him as a player. I know Monty and his coaching staff like him as a player."
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A week ago Friday, in the lead-up to the NHL Draft, the Senators acquired goalie Samuel Ersson from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a fifth-round selection in next year's NHL Draft. Five days later, after not being qualified by the Senators, Ersson was allowed to walk into free agency as a UFA.
But it wasn't a very long walk.
Minutes after free agency opened on Wednesday, first reported by Elliotte Friedman, Ersson reportedly signed a two-year deal with the Sens worth $2.2 million a season.
Steve Staios spoke last week about why his goalie gurus were big on Samuel Ersson.
The 26-year-old is coming off a two-year deal with he Philadelphia Flyers at $1.45 million a year
Ersson spent each of the past four seasons with the Flyers and played a career-high 51 games in 2023-24. In 2025-26, he appeared in 33 games for the Flyers, posting a 14-11-5 record with a 3.12 GAA.
The 6-foot-3 is regarded as one of Sweden's finest goaltenders, just like the man he'll be backing up. With Wednesday's $2.2 million investment, there's no doubt that he is officially Ottawa's number two. Given Linus Ullmark's history of never playing more than 50 games, Ersson will carry a heavy load in 2026-27.
“Samuel is a goaltender we identified as a good fit with our system,” Staios said Wednesday in a club statement. “He has a combination of NHL and international experience and has an upside that our staff is excited to work with.”
Ersson represented his country at the 4 Nations Face-Off in a third-place finish. He also represented Sweden twice at the World Hockey Championship, winning bronze in 2024 and 2025. He played for Sweden at last year's worlds, even though Linus Ullmark expressed a desire to play at season's end.
The Sens goaltending was all-Swedish two seasons ago when Ullmark was backed up by Anton Forsberg, who has since moved on to Los Angeles in free agency. Last year, the backup duties were split between Leevi Merilainen and James Reimer.
The Ersson acquisition speaks volumes about how mightily Merilainen's stock has fallen. He was anointed as the undisputed backup last season, and the Sens clearly aren't ready yet to give him that opportunity again.
On Wednesday, the St. Louis Blues reportedly agreed to a one-year, $2 million contract extension with forward Jonatan Berggren, bringing back the Swedish forward who rediscovered his game after being claimed off waivers from the Detroit Red Wings midway through the season.
The signing closes what has been a pivotal chapter in Berggren's career, one that began with the promise of a high-end prospect and nearly faded before St. Louis stepped in and gave him the opportunity Detroit never quite extended.
The Red Wings selected Berggren 33rd overall in the 2018 NHL Draft, a pick that carried genuine expectations. The Uppsala, Sweden native arrived in North America with the pedigree of a player who could contribute offensively at the NHL level, and he flashed that potential during a promising debut season in 2022-23 that saw him put up nearly 30 points and turn heads as a legitimate top-six option in the making. That momentum, however, never fully carried forward in Detroit.
Berggren spent the bulk of his Red Wings tenure operating in a limited role, averaging somewhere between ten and thirteen minutes of ice time per game, a number that made it difficult for any offensive player to find consistent rhythm and production.
By mid-December, the writing was on the wall as Detroit placed Berggren on waivers, and the Blues immediately jumped at the chance to claim him, recognizing what the organization believed was a player whose situation rather than his talent had been the limiting factor.
The results in St. Louis backed that theory up in a hurry. Given an average of 14:35 of ice time per night, roughly two full minutes more than he had typically seen in Detroit, Berggren responded with 16 points in 36 games with his new club, a pace that would have translated to nearly 37 points over a full 82-game season.
At 25 years old, Berggren is at precisely the age where most skilled European forwards hit their developmental stride, and St. Louis is betting that the second half of this past season was a preview rather than a peak.
The one-year, $2 million deal keeps him affordable while giving him a full training camp, a full season of meaningful minutes and a genuine chance to prove that his time with the Red Wings was a story of circumstance rather than ceiling.
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It's Jun. 30, and that means NHL free agency is just one day away.
In years past, there was much more fanfare surrounding Jul. 1, especially since there was talent to be had in unrestricted free agency. That's not to say there isn't any talent this season, but there certainly isn't nearly as much intrigue surrounding the free agent class this season as opposed to years past.
Just take it from Pittsburgh Penguins' president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas, who actually laughed when asked about whether or not the Penguins will turn to free agency to fill talent holes.
"We can be as aggressive as we want on Jul. 1, but if you look at what's available, it could be an expensive mistake," Dubas said. "And I try to learn from the past. We'll try to steer clear of that."
Even if Pittsburgh could risk making some "expensive mistakes," however, that doesn't mean they won't be active on Jul. 1 - they just aren't likely to overpay.
So, what should Penguins' fans expect when free agency begins at noon ET? Here are three storylines to watch.
As of now, they have Karlsson, Korczak, van Riemsdyk, Kris Letang, and Harrison Brunicke on the right side - in addition to Finn Harding and Chase Pietila right behind them as far as depth in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) - so it is becoming a crowded place. In contrast, the Penguins now have just Sam Girard, Ryan Graves, Caleb Jones, and Ilya Solovyov left over from last year's NHL roster on the left side, and Owen Pickering, Jake Livanavage, and Maleek McGowan will be pushing for a roster spot from WBS. The only surefire NHL-caliber player there - right now - is Girard.
In free agency, options are limited. 27-year-old San Jose Sharks UFA Mario Ferraro is, potentially, a name to keep an eye on, as he recorded seven goals and 23 points last season and is a perfectly solid bottom-pair guy who can be had for relatively cheap. Same goes for Calgary Flames 28-year-old UFA Jake Bean, who played just 16 games with Calgary last season because of a season-ending injury sustained in December.
And, of course, there's still a few big names to watch on the trade market if the Penguins want to shoot higher. Zach Werenski and Thomas Harley are hot names, as is Alexander Nikishin, as the Carolina Hurricanes are exploring his market.
This is definitely a situation to keep an eye on Jul. 1 and into the rest of the summer.
To be upfront about this, I believe this is unlikely.
Dubas said last summer that he believed offer sheets aren't particularly viable in the rising cap environment: Teams not only have more cap space to match offers, but the pick compensation is also going to make things more complicated, as it will be a bit hard to predict how that ratio is going to work relative to the cap.
Perhaps blueliners Braden Schneider and Arber Xhekaj made some degree of sense, but only for a reasonable cap hit - and I doubt Dubas would surrender first-rounders for either, meaning he can't go above $4.68 million. RFAs like Nikishin will cost too much on an offer sheet.
Again, I doubt this is the route they'll take. But never say never.
Following Dubas's body of work, it's clear that he likes to make trades after Jul. 1 - particularly in the month of August. The Karlsson deal happened in August of 2023. The Rutger McGroarty deal in August of 2024.
But, given the trade market landscape right now, it's hard to imagine, if the Penguins are indeed shooting big in the trade market, that they will be able to wait that long to get something done.
Rumors have been swirling about superstar winger Jason Robertson, and Pittsburgh is in the thick of it. For three of the other teams that were revealed to have checked in on Robertson - the Seattle Kraken, St. Louis Blues, and Ottawa Senators - it was almost immediately shot down that Robertson would sign long-term with those teams.
So far, that hasn't been the case for Pittsburgh, and it's reasonable to think it would have been shot down by now if there was no interest, on his part, in coming to Pittsburgh.
As mentioned before, the Penguins are loaded up on the right side. A guy like Karlsson immediately makes a win-now team better. A guy like Brunicke gives a playoff-hopeful team something to look forward to. If the player is right, both of these guys are probably going to be in play, and Dallas needs right-side defensemen.
The chances of the Penguins pulling something as massive as Robertson off are slim, especially given their asset pool. But that doesn't mean it can't get done. And that doesn't mean they still won't be in the mix for a guy like Nikishin, or even a guy like Anaheim Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov.
So, stay tuned. Things could get pretty interesting in the coming days.
The Senators made it official on Wednesday morning. They've signed forward Nick Cousins to a two-year contract extension. The deal kicks in this fall and is worth an oddly specific total of $1.5875 million per season.
It's a decent raise for Cousins, who's 33 next month, and has obviously proven his worth to Sens management in his effective bottom six role. He's coming off back-to-back one-year deals with the club and has spoken openly about his desire to stay, ideally with some term.
Cousins didn't miss a game this season, putting up nine goals, 23 points and a career-high 92 penalty minutes. With Brady Tkachuk now gone, the Sens could ill afford to lose any more edge up front, and Cousins has never been an easy man to play against. In fact, he was voted as having the NHL's most punchable face for two years running.
“Nick has proven his value to our hockey club over the past two seasons," GM Steve Staios said in a prepared club statement. "He brings Stanley Cup-winning experience and is an important player inside our dressing room."
In parts of 12 NHL seasons, Cousins has collected 86 goals and 218 points with seven different clubs. He's also played for the Florida Panthers, Arizona Coyotes, Montreal Canadiens, Vegas Golden Knights, and Nashville Predators.
A member of the Panthers, Cousins won a Stanley Cup ring in 2024.
By Steve Warne The Hockey News
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