Category: Ice Hockey

It’s been a busy day for the Montreal Canadiens; on top of trading Joshua Roy and Brendan Gallagher, the Habs announced which RFAs they qualified and their development camp roster. As previously announced, the event will take place from Tuesday, June 30 to Thursday, July 2 at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, and the on-ice sessions will be open to the public.

On Tuesday, players will undergo physical testing and won’t be made available to the media. Then, on Wednesday, the goaltenders will take to the ice at 9:15 AM, the defensemen at 10:15 AM, and the forwards at 11:00 AM, before holding media availabilities from 13:00 onward. On Wednesday, the goaltenders will take to the ice at 10:00, and at 11:00 AM there will be a scrimmage.

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There will be six goaltenders at camp: Alexis Cournoyer, Emmett Croteau, Max Lacroix (on a tryout – son of former NHL Eric Lacroix and grandson of Hall of Famer builder Pierre Lacroix), Quentin Miller, Arseni Radkox and Mikus Vecvanags. They will be joined by 12 defensemen: Rasmus Bergqvist, Cooper Cleaves, Jean-Samuel Daigneault, Aiden Dubinsky, Carlos Handel, Brayden Klimpke, Andrew MacNiel, Bryce Pickford, Owen Protz, Timofei Runtso, Nolan Stevenson (on a tryout – Was the captain of the Penticton Vees before making the jump to the NCAA last season) and Maxon Vig.

As for the forwards, it will be a fairly big contingent with 19 players coming: Dillan Bentley, TylerDeakos, Donovan Frias (on a tryout), Remi Gelinas (on a tryout), Michael Hage, Aleksandr Legkov (on a tryout), Giacomo Martino (on a tryout), Ben Merrill, L.J. Mooney, Reid Morich (on a tryout), Nikita Ovcharov (on a tryout), Hayden Paupanekis, Gleb Pugachyov (who's visa application apparently went smoothly), Thomas Rousseau (on a tryout), Wesley Royston, Logan Sawyer, Parker Trottier, Braidy Wassilyn (on a tryout), and Alexander Zharovsky.

Fans will definitely want to keep an eye on first-time attendees Paupanekis (who missed out last year because of mononucleosis), Zharovsky, and Pugachyov, as well as a few returning players. Last time around, Mooney impressed on the ice despite his diminutive size, and Owen Protz did so well at both development and rookie camps that he was invited to the main camp.

There will be no shortage of coaches on the ice as the organization has invited nine coaches: Kori Cheverie, Caroline Ouellette, Noemie Marin, and Alex-Andre Perron from the Montreal Victoire, former Hab Mike Condon who’s now a performance consultant, Olivia Cook (Potsdam Division III coach), Bruno Pierre Guillemette (goalie coach from the Montreal Victoire), Yanick Jean (QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Saguneens’ coach), and Olivier Latendresse (M18 AAA Charles-Lemoyne Riverains’ coach).

If you have time to kill on Canada Day or fancy taking a day off on Thursday, a day trip to Brossard seems in order.

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On Monday, the Winnipeg Jets extended qualifying offers to forward Cole Perfetti and defenseman Tyrel Bauer while declining to qualify forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The most significant decision of the three surrounds Perfetti, whose next contract will be one of the more closely watched negotiations in Winnipeg this summer. The 24-year-old winger is coming off a lackluster season, finishing with 12 goals and 19 assists for 32 points in 68 games, a step back from the year prior when he appeared in all 82 regular-season games and recorded 18 goals and 32 assists for 50 points.

The qualifying offer keeps Perfetti under Jets control as a restricted free agent and signals that Winnipeg still believes in the offensive upside that made him a top ten pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. His current cap hit sits at $3.25 million and any new deal will likely push that number slightly higher with the rising NHL salary cap.

Perfetti has already etched his name into Jets history, most memorably for his game-tying goal with 2.2 seconds left in regulation of Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues in the 2025 playoffs, the latest game-tying or winning goal in regulation in NHL playoff history.

Bauer also received a qualifying offer, retaining the Jets' rights to the physical blueliner. The Cochrane, Alberta product had a goal and four assists for five points while racking up 110 penalty minutes in 52 games this past season with the Manitoba Moose in the AHL. 

Bauer is not a player who will ever be counted on for offense but brings the kind of physicality and toughness that organizations value in their depth pool, and the Jets have seen enough to bring him back for another season.

As for Anderson-Dolan, the decision not to qualify him means he will hit the open market as a free agent. The Calgary native was selected 41st overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2017 NHL Draft but never developed into the player that pedigree suggested.

He spent this past season in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose, recording 36 points in 72 games, and will now look to carve out a role elsewhere as he enters the next chapter of his career.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets have made a trade.

The Penguins have acquired forward David Gustafsson in exchange for defenseman Jack St. Ivany. The move was announced by the Penguins via their official X account. 

Gustafsson is a pending restricted free agent.

The Penguins have acquired forward David Gustafsson from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for defenseman Jack St. Ivany.

Details: https://t.co/O3IwFizGvOpic.twitter.com/4u0qzbrvA9

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 29, 2026

Gustafsson has spent the last seven seasons with the Jets organization and played for their AHL affiliate (Manitoba Moose) during the 2025-26 season, finishing with 10 goals and 32 points in 48 games. Gustafsson has played in 149 NHL games, racking up six goals and 20 points. 

St. Ivany appeared in 20 NHL games with the Penguins during the 2025-26 season, finishing with seven points (all assists). He also compiled one goal and six points in eight AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this year.

St. Ivany has nine assists in 53 career NHL games. 

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The Penguins made a trade on Monday, exchanging depth players with the Winnipeg Jets. Jack St. Ivany is off to the Jets, forward David Gustafsson is coming to the Pens.

The Penguins have acquired forward David Gustafsson from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for defenseman Jack St. Ivany.

Details: https://t.co/O3IwFizGvOpic.twitter.com/4u0qzbrvA9

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) June 29, 2026

From the team:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired forward David Gustafsson from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for defenseman Jack St. Ivany, it was announced today by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas. 

Gustafsson is a pending restricted free agent.

The 6-foot-2, 196-pound forward spent the 2025-26 season with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League, recording 10 goals, 22 assists, 32 points and was plus-12 in 48 games. His 0.67 points-per-game average ranked first on the Moose while his 22 assists were third on the team. He also suited up for seven Calder Cup Playoff games, notching four points (1G-3A).

Gustafsson, 26, has spent the last seven seasons in the Winnipeg Jets organization (2019-26), split between the Jets and the Moose. At the NHL level, Gustafsson has suited up for 149 career regular-season games where he’s accumulated 20 points (6G-14A). At the AHL level, he’s notched 91 points (34G-57A) in 136 career regular-season contests.

Prior to coming to North America, the Tingsryd, Sweden native spent two seasons (2017-19) in the SHL, Sweden’s top professional league. He also represented his home country on the international level on multiple occasions, bringing home bronze medals at the 2020 World Junior Championship and 2018 World Under-18 Championship.

Gustafsson was drafted by Winnipeg in the second round (60^th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft.

It was later announced that Gustafsson has been extended a qualifying offer. Both St. Ivany and Gustafssonhave been tweener level players stuck between the AHL and NHL in recent seasons. Gustafsson adds more organizational depth to the club, which lost favorite call-up Joona Koppanen to a contract in the Swedish league.

As far as defense goes, there’s another spot open and waiting for a yet-to-be-acquired player for the blueline in Pittsburgh.

On Monday, the Winnipeg Jets traded forward David Gustafsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenseman Jack St. Ivany in a swap of depth players that addresses a positional need for Winnipeg heading into the offseason.

Gustafsson, a 26-year-old Swedish center, spent the bulk of his Jets tenure as a fringe roster player carving out a bottom-six role when healthy and in the lineup. In his last NHL season in 2024-25, he made 36 regular-season appearances for Winnipeg, recording two goals and four assists for six points. He spent this past season entirely in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose, recording ten goals and 22 assists for 32 points in 48 games. 

Coming back to Winnipeg is St. Ivany, a 26-year-old right-shooting defenseman who brings size and physicality to the Jets backend. The six-foot-three, 201-pound blueliner appeared in 20 games for Pittsburgh this past season, recording seven assists and a plus-4 rating before a preseason lower-body injury cost him significant time and limited his overall impact with the Penguins. 

When given the opportunity to play in the AHL during his recovery, St. Ivany was a near point-per-game player, putting up a goal and five assists for six points in eight games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, a showing that suggests there may be more offensive upside than his NHL numbers indicate.

St. Ivany is entering a contract year with a cap hit of $850,000, meaning he will have every incentive to put his best foot forward with a new organization and play his way into a meaningful deal.

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Florida Panthers fans may notice a difference when watching games next season.

That doesn’t include the expected major improvement in overall play thanks to having a fully healthy roster.

On Monday, the Panthers’ local television partner announced a change in branding. The station formerly known as Scripps Sports will now be known as The Spot – South Florida 39.

According to an official release, the network will continue to provide the same local programming that viewers have already been enjoying “while introducing an infusion of more sports programming as well as a refreshed visual identity and marketing presence across broadcast, digital and social platforms.”

The availability of Panthers games is not changing.

Fans from across South Florida, from the Florida Keys to the Treasure Coast, will still be able to enjoy Panthers hockey for free across the television airwaves.

We should know the Panthers 2026-27 schedule sometime in the coming weeks.

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'I'm just ready to work': Panthers Select Power Forward Simas Ignatavicius With 40th Overall Draft Pick

Paul Maurice Indicates Brady Tkachuk Might Start Out On Line With Sasha Barkov, Not Brother Matthew

The Florida Panthers were slated to make the ninth overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft before trading it to the Ottawa Senators. They also dealt the 25th pick, which they acquired from the Seattle Kraken, to land Brady Tkachuk.

All that meant was that the Panthers wouldn’t be making a selection in the NHL draft until the second round, 40th overall to be exact.

Despite a relatively long wait, the Panthers made good use of that pick, selecting Lithuanian forward Simas Ignatavicius.

The 18-year-old is a late 2007 birthday, born after the September 15 cutoff. Standing 6-foot-3, 201 pounds, Ignatavicius brings elements the Panthers cherish.

Ignatavicius’ game revolves around straight-line speed, physicality, and two-way ability. The Panthers also love size, and Ignatavicius brings it.

Ignatavicius has been playing in Switzerland since he was 12, leaving his parents behind at a young age. 

“I was born in Memphis, Tennessee,” Ignatavicius said after being drafted. “Long story short, my dad used to play professional basketball, like college, and then played in Europe, and after his career, he was just living in the U.S. with my mom, and obviously both parents were Lithuanian, so they decided to move back to Lithuania, and I went with them. After that, I left my parents at the age of 12, I went by myself to Switzerland, so that was a big thing, and here I am now.”

Ignatavicius has been playing with Genève-Servette HC for quite some time now and made his NL debut this season, scoring seven goals and 13 points in 52 games. He’ll return to Switzerland for the 2026-27 season, where he’ll continue to round out his game and improve offensively. 

'I'm Just Ready To Work': Panthers Select Power Forward Simas Ignatavicius With 40th Overall Draft PickStanding 6-foot-3, the Lithuanian powerhouse brings a gritty 200-foot game to Florida. After sacrificing home life at age 12, this versatile forward is finally realizing his NHL dream.

Many draft analysts saw Ignatavicius landing late in the first round or even early in the second, meaning the Panthers got great value from their selection at 40th overall. 

How Ignatavicius develops will be interesting. With a fairly polished two-way ability and a high motor, he has an attainable floor as a bottom-six winger. But the Panthers will likely be hoping he can develop into something more. 

His physical tools are very compelling, and if his skill level continues to develop, particularly in his shot and playmaking, there is possible top-six upside. Ignatavicius mentioned he likes to model his game after Matthew and Brady Tkachuk.

“I think just playing a 200-foot game, obviously defense first, then offense, playing hard,” said Ignatavicius. “Obviously they have Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk now, two big players, physical, but I’m sure I can help that too. I’m a big guy, not scared to go into dirty areas, and I think that’s what can help the team go to the playoffs and go for the Stanley Cup, so I’ll do my best, and yeah, I’m just ready to work.”

Tkachuk is a player who can make skilled plays with the puck but isn’t afraid to get to the dirty areas of the ice to be effective. 

Other Panthers prospects, like Sandis Vilmanis, have thrived because of their ability to flourish in the Panthers’ brand of hockey, and the hope is that Ignatavicius can do the same. 

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Gavin McKenna will be one of 53 prospects who will take the ice on July 2nd when the Toronto Maple Leafs host their annual development camp at Ford Performance Centre.

The Maple Leafs used the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft to select McKenna and there will be a lot of eyes on the Penn State product to see how he looks on the ice while wearing a Toronto jersey.

In addition to McKenna, other prospects include Zach Olsen, Cooper Williams and Brody Pepoy.

Defencemen Alexander Bilecki, Ethan MacKenzie, Måns Gudmunssson and Yaroslav Fedoseyev; and goaltenders Juuso Ainasto and Patriks Plumins.

Also in attendance will be five draft picks from the 2025 NHL Draft (forwards William Belle, Tyler Hopkins, Tinus Luc Koblar, and Harry Nansi, as well as defenceman Rylan Fellinger), six draft picks from the 2024 NHL Draft (Miroslav Holinka, Victor Johansson, Matthew Lahey, Sam McCue, Timofei Obvintsev, Alex Plesovskikh), one draft pick from the 2023 NHL Draft (Hudson Malinoski), and one draft pick from the 2022 NHL Draft (Nicholas Moldenhauer).

Summer Camp ⛺️

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 29, 2026

The roster also includes three players signed to an NHL contract (Vincent Borgesi, Brandon Buhr, Hayes Hundley) and one player signed to AHL contracts (Frank Djurasevic). 

There are a whopping 26 free agents who will also be at camp, that will be overseen by Maple Leafs assistant GM, Player Development, Hayley Wickenheiser

Forwards (29)

Defencemen (18)

Goaltenders (6)

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The Connor Hellebuyck saga in Winnipeg is not over just yet as Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman revealed on Monday's edition of his 32 Thoughts podcast that trade discussions between the Jets and the Buffalo Sabres are still ongoing.

Friedman explained to listeners that he still thinks Winnipeg and Buffalo are talking and that he does not believe that chapter is closed.

The news comes days after reports surfaced that the Sabres had presented the Jets with a significant pre-draft offer for the superstar goaltender.

Buffalo's reported package included the fourth overall pick, starting goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, a player believed to be Jack Quinn and at least one additional asset. Hellebuyck himself had reportedly signed off on a move to Buffalo, yet Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff declined to pull the trigger.

With the draft now in the rearview mirror, the negotiating landscape has shifted considerably in Winnipeg's favor. The fourth overall pick was the centerpiece of Buffalo's original offer and that card has already been played when they drafted defenseman Daxon Rudolph. 

Elliotte Friedman: Re Connor Hellebuyck: I still think Winnipeg and Buffalo are talking, I don't think that's over yet - 32 Thoughts (6/29)

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 29, 2026

How the Sabres reconstruct a comparable package without that asset is one of the central questions hanging over any renewed discussions, and it is hard to imagine Cheveldayoff settling for something less appealing than what he already turned down.

The hesitation from the Jets side has always been rooted in the same concern. Hellebuyck is not simply a starting goaltender.

The 33-year-old Michigan native has been the backbone of everything Winnipeg has built in recent years, the kind of elite netminder capable of single-handedly keeping a team in games and one of the best in the world at his position for several seasons running. 

Replacing him with Luukkonen, a goaltender who showed volatility this past postseason and was not even receiving every start for Buffalo in the playoffs, represents a significant downgrade in net and a real gamble on the team's ability to remain competitive.

That competitive window matters enormously for a Jets organization that still has core pieces like Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey who want to win and want to do it in Winnipeg. 

Any decision involving Hellebuyck cannot be made in isolation. It has to account for what the team looks like in net the day after a trade and whether the returning pieces genuinely move the needle for a team trying to remain a contender.

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The Ottawa Senators have decided not to issue a qualifying offer to RFA winger Arthur Kaliyev, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The move was first reported by Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch, and Kaliyev no longer appears on the club's Puckpedia page.

Kaliyev arrived in Ottawa last summer hoping it would provide the fresh start he needed to revive his NHL career.

The former second-round pick had shown flashes of being a productive scorer with the Los Angeles Kings, recording 71 points in 202 NHL games over parts of four seasons. But a series of injuries derailed his progress.

During the 2023-24 season, Kaliyev suffered an upper-body injury in training camp that kept him sidelined until December. Once healthy, the Kings attempted to assign him to the American Hockey League, but he was claimed off waivers by the New York Rangers in January.

His stint in New York was brief. Kaliyev dressed for just 14 games before another upper-body injury ended his season.

The Rangers elected not to qualify him last summer, allowing the 24-year-old to hit the open market. Ottawa quickly signed him to a one-year, two-way contract, a move that seemed logical given his previous relationship with Senators owner Michael Andlauer and general manager Steve Staios.

Kaliyev played for the Hamilton Bulldogs when Andlauer owned the club and Staios served as general manager, helping the franchise capture the 2022 OHL championship.

Despite remaining healthy throughout the season, Kaliyev never earned an extended look with Ottawa, appearing in only two NHL games.

Instead, he spent the bulk of the year with the Belleville Senators, where he reminded everyone of his offensive ability. Kaliyev scored 40 goals in 70 AHL games and was named to the league's All-Star Team, finishing as the American Hockey League's top goal scorer.

Even with that production, it wasn't enough to convince Ottawa to keep him around.

Kaliyev's season also included an off-ice distraction after allegations involving money and gambling were made by a former girlfriend. The NHL investigated the matter and cleared him of any wrongdoing in February.

There's little question Kaliyev has excellent offensive instincts, particularly on the power play, where his heavy shot remains elite, even by NHL standards. The bigger concern continues to be his five-on-five game, including his skating and defensive play.

With the Senators choosing not to qualify him, Kaliyev now returns to the open market looking for another opportunity to turn his offensive talent into a permanent NHL role.

Garrioch also says that RFA Leevi Merliainen has been qualified, but Riley Kidney was not. Other restricted free agents in Belleville include Tyler Boucher and Xavier Bourgault.

**This story will be updated as additional qualifying-offer decisions become official ahead of and after Monday's 5:00 p.m. deadline.**

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This story was first published in The Hockey News Ottawa. Read more articles at the headlines below.

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Utah continues to reshape its organizational depth, and this time it has added a former high-end junior scorer with something left to prove.

The Mammoth announced Monday that they have acquired forward Joshua Roy from the Montréal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Maksymilian Szuber, swapping one promising young prospect for another as both organizations look to address different needs.

At 22 years old, Roy arrives in Utah carrying the pedigree of one of the most productive players to come through the QMJHL in recent years. While he has yet to establish himself as a full-time NHL player, the skilled winger has consistently produced at the American Hockey League level and now gets a fresh opportunity in a new organization.

Roy spent the majority of the 2025-26 season with the Laval Rocket, where he finished fourth on the team in scoring after recording 23 goals and 22 assists for 45 points in 57 games. He also made three NHL appearances with the Canadiens during the season.

Across three NHL seasons, Roy appeared in 38 games for Montréal, totaling six goals and five assists for 11 points.

His body of work in the AHL has been equally impressive. In 145 career regular-season games, Roy has accumulated 56 goals and 56 assists for 112 points while adding another 12 points in 19 Calder Cup Playoff contests. His strong play also earned him a selection to the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic, where he represented the North Division.

Long before reaching the professional ranks, Roy built a reputation as one of junior hockey’s elite offensive talents. Between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Sherbrooke Phoenix, he piled up 297 points in just 216 QMJHL games while posting a remarkable plus-93 rating. He added another 51 points in 28 playoff games and was twice named to the league’s First All-Star Team.

Roy also earned consecutive QMJHL Personality of the Year honors in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

Internationally, Roy helped Team Canada capture back-to-back gold medals at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2022 and 2023. During the 2023 tournament, he recorded 11 points in seven games, tying for second on the team in scoring. He also shared those championship teams with current Mammoth goaltender Sebastian Cossa and forward Dylan Guenther.

The Canadiens originally selected Roy in the fifth round, 150th overall, of the 2021 NHL Draft.

Heading to Montréal is 23-year-old defenseman Maksymilian Szuber, who spent last season with the Tucson Roadrunners. The right-shot blueliner recorded 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points in 65 AHL games while adding 67 penalty minutes.

Szuber has appeared in 200 career AHL games, producing 25 goals and 62 assists for 87 points since being selected by the then-Arizona Coyotes in the sixth round of the 2022 NHL Draft. He also made his NHL debut during the 2023-24 season, appearing in one game with Arizona.

For Utah, the deal represents a calculated bet on a young forward whose offensive ceiling has been evident at every level outside the NHL. Now, Roy will get the chance to compete for a bigger role with a new organization looking to add another skilled piece to its long-term core.

After Pittsburgh Penguins' president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas spoke with the media on Friday after round one of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, it became apparent that he and his front office have been poking around at some bigger names in the trade market.

And it appears they have engaged with one of the market's biggest names. 

On his 32 Thoughts podcast Monday, NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman confirmed that he heard there were talks between Pittsburgh and the Dallas Stars regarding a potential trade to bring superstar winger Jason Robertson to Pittsburgh. Robertson, a pending-restricted free agent, is reportedly seeking a long-term deal with an average annual value of $14 million or higher, a price that Dallas can't pay without shedding some cap elsewhere.

32 Thoughts: The PodcastHockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman & Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.

Friedman on Jason Robertson/Pens (32TP): "I heard that there were talks with Pittsburgh on Friday or Saturday...and there were a couple of teams who thought there was some momentum there but obviously it didn't happen"

— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) June 29, 2026

"I heard that there were talks with Pittsburgh on Friday or Saturday," Friedman said on 32 Thoughts. "And there were a couple of teams who thought that there was some momentum there, but obviously, it didn't happen.

"Pittsburgh, by the way, is another team that people are saying is trying to do something with some heft to it. So, I wasn't so surprised to hear that. But, I think teams are trying to figure out, 'Ok what's he looking for, and would he be interested in coming to us?'."

Robertson, 26, is coming off a 45-goal, 96-point campaign, and he is one of the league's very best wingers. He already turned down an eight-year, $96 million deal from the Stars, and he reportedly rejected extension offers from the Seattle Kraken and St. Louis Blues.

Jason Robertson And The Pittsburgh Penguins Might Make More Sense Than You ThinkThe Dallas Stars and Jason Robertson appear to be on the verge of a potential breakup - and the Pittsburgh Penguins may actually make a great deal of sense as trade partners.

It has not been reported that Robertson or his camp would turn down an offer from the Penguins, should a deal be in the works or should an offer sheet happen.

On Friday, Dubas expressed that he'd still like to land a difference-maker in their 20s and that some of the players already traded have fit that mold. Robertson figures to fit that mold as well, but the asking prices prior to the draft were something that Dubas couldn't meet, which may be why the alleged talks between Pittsburgh and Dallas stalled during the draft.

"I think we continue to work away at it," Dubas said. "As it's happened, you go in, and what I wanted to have was - maybe not so much late-20s - but in the range of some of the guys that have been moved. And, in past years, they haven't gone for that level of asset. There was multiple top-10 picks moved, which isn't overly common."

But acquiring a bigger-name player - perhaps, such as Robertson - is still something Dubas and the Penguins will continue to work through. 

"I don't know that we'll pivot," Dubas said. "We'll continue to stay involved in all those discussions and see where it lands."

'We'll Continue To Stay Involved': Dubas Prepared To Adjust Accordingly To Changing MarketPittsburgh Penguins' president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas is still trying to land a difference-maker in the trade market, but he may have to adjust to a changing landscape with the rising salary cap.

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The Ducks have erased another pending UFA off of their list. On Monday, they traded defenseman Radko Gudas’ signing rights to the Florida Panthers in exchange for A.J. Greer’s signing rights.

Greer, 29, spent the last two seasons playing for the Panthers, putting up 49 points in 159 games. He is a big, bruising winger who will add plenty of toughness to the Ducks’ bottom-6.

A second-round pick in 2015, Greer began his pro career with the Colorado Avalanche before stops in New Jersey, Boston, Calgary and Florida.

Gudas was the Ducks’ captain for the past two seasons. He joined the organization in the summer of 2023, signing a three-year deal on the same day as longtime teammate Alex Killorn. Gudas’ first season with the Ducks helped Jackson LaCombe settle into the NHL as a rookie, as the former used his physicality and defensive mentality to complement the young defenseman.

However, after being named captain 2024, Gudas was unable to replicate his stellar performance from the season prior. Whether it was due to age or lingering injuries, he frequently found himself out of position, needing to take a penalty to prevent an opposing scoring opportunity.

Gudas’ Ducks tenure ended unceremoniously due to a sprained ankle that he suffered during the regular season. He returned for Game 1 of their Round 1 series against the Edmonton Oilers, but did not play for the rest of the playoffs after re-aggravating the injury.

With this trade, it’s a return to familiarity for Gudas, who played for the Panthers for three seasons—and helped them get to the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 prior to signing with the Ducks. He’ll likely be on their bottom pair alongside Dmitry Kulikov.

Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, both Greer and Gudas are likely to sign with their new teams.

After the surprise Joseph Woll trade earlier this month, at least one former Philadelphia Flyers is going to be kept by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

On Monday, with the dawn of free agency fast approaching, the Maple Leafs began extending pending free agents, and issuing qualifying offers to restricted free agents.

The Maple Leafs have already begun doing extensive work to reshape their defense, signing Darren Raddysh, trading Brandon Carlo, and extending Troy Stecher.

Their next step, for all intents and purposes, is going to be signing former Flyers prospect Emil Andrae, who was acquired in that Woll trade package.

Andrae, 24, is a restricted free agent whose qualifying offer is an extremely modest $874k; if and when he signs a new contract, it is highly likely his cap hit will far exceed that number.

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Andrae scored two goals, 11 assists, and 13 points in 61 games with the Flyers at the NHL level this season, playing limited minutes despite being arguably the Flyers' best defenseman at breaking pucks out and starting plays with his passing.

As for former Flyers goalie Sam Ersson, who was traded alongside Andrae and a third-round pick for Woll, the Maple Leafs already traded him away to the Atlantic Division rival Ottawa Senators for a fifth-round pick.

While the deadline for qualifying offers is 5 p.m. on Monday, the Senators are expected to sign Ersson is all things go well.

The Flyers have not yet released their list of qualified free agents at the time of this writing.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' most valuable waiver pickup in recent memory is sticking around.

According to CHEK's Rick Dhaliwal, the Maple Leafs and Stetcher have agreed on a two-year extension.

Stecher has re-signed with Leafs, it is a 2 year deal. https://t.co/IlWAXxm4iv

— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) June 29, 2026

According to PuckPedia.com, the deal is worth $1.35 million per season.

The Leafs plucked Stecher off the waiver wire from the Edmonton Oilers on November 15, as they looked for a right-shot defenseman in the wake of some injuries. One of those was injuries was to Brandon Carlo.

Stecher logged 16:44 of 5-on-5 ice time in 58 games with the Leafs, where he scored three goals and added 11 assists. Despite the Leafs missing the playoffs for the first time in 10 years, the veteran defenseman enjoyed his time in Toronto and was not shy about expressing his desire to stay beyond the season.

Ironically enough, it was the departure of Carlo's services that opened the door for Stecher again. The Leafs moved Carlo to the St. Louis Blues over the weekend for a pair of third-round picks at the 2026 NHL Draft.

Stecther's deal is one-way, but is just $125,000 above the NHL's burial amount from a salary-cap calculation perspective. Meaning, if he doesn't start on the main roster, the cap charge is negligible.

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