Category: Sports News

The St. Louis Blues are staying busy.

According to PuckPedia, the Blues have re-signed goalie prospect Vadim Zherenko to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2025-26 season. 

The #STLBlues signed 24 y/o RFA G Vadim Zherenko to a 1 year two-way contract

NHL: $775K
Minors: $125K

Rep'd by Renat Mamashev https://t.co/8xg7XFJSeK

— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) July 7, 2025

Zherenko, 24, was selected by the Blues with the 208th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. After developing his game overseas, Zherenko has spent each of the last three seasons with the Blues' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. Now, with this new one-year deal, he will continue to be a key part of the Thunderbirds' crease. 

Zherenko posted a 12-17-5 record, a .897 save percentage, and a 3.44 goals-against average in 32 games this past season with Springfield. This is after he had a .904 save percentage and a 3.49 goals-against average in 29 games with the Thunderbirds in 2023-24. 

Overall, with this move, Zherenko will continue to be a depth option in the Blues organization. It will be interesting to see if he can take a big step forward next season from here. 

Blues Made Great Move Signing Ex-Canucks ForwardThe St. Louis Blues have had a busy off-season. One of their most notable moves was signing forward Pius Suter to a two-year contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $4.13 million.

Photo Credit: © Jon Durr-Imagn Images  

The National Hockey League's free agent frenzy officially began on July 1, and Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman snagged a veteran forward with a nose for the net. 

James van Riemsdyk, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft (one spot behind his now-current teammate Patrick Kane) by the Philadelphia Flyers, joined the Red Wings with a one-year contract worth $1 million. 

He also has the chance to earn another $750,000 in performance bonuses. 

During his introductory video press conference, van Riemsdyk revealed that he had been close to signing with the Red Wings during one of his earlier excursions into unrestricted free agency. 

"Kind of funny, back a few years ago it seemed like it was a team that was interested in bringing me aboard," said van Riemsdyk. "Going through the free-agency process, when they started showing some interest, it seemed like a good fit. The trajectory of the team, they're trying to make a push and the playoffs next year, all the history of being an Original Six place. 

A veteran of 1,082 career NHL games, van Riemsdyk has made a living by being an effective net-front presence, a role that he's not only accustomed to but has grown into over the years. 

“I feel like the more I’ve done it, the more natural it seems to become," he said. "And like I mentioned before, especially down the stretch and into the playoffs, it seems like that’s where you need to go to have the success and score the goals. So I think that’s ultimately why it’s for me, just an attractive place to be on the ice."

Perhaps the most effective net-front presence in recent NHL history was former Red Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom, who made life a living nightmare for opposition goaltenders by routinely taking up residency at the edge of the crease. 

van Riemsdyk, who scored 16 goals as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets last season, acknowledged that he used to pay close attention to how Holmstrom parked himself at the front of the net. 

"That was a guy over the years I watched and kind of how he went about his craft and pulled different things from him," van Riemsdyk said.

After starting his NHL career with the Flyers, van Riemsdyk was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2012, with whom he would play the next six seasons before eventually returning to the Flyers in free agency in 2018; he also played a season with the Boston Bruins.

Having skated in 1,082 career NHL games, van Riemsdyk has scored 327 goals and 338 assists, while adding another 21 goals and 15 assists in 82 career playoff games. 

The Vegas Golden Knights have handed out contracts to restricted free agents Cole Schwindt, Raphael Lavoie and Jonas Rondbjerg.

The trio of forwards were all extended qualifying offers on Jun. 30 by the Golden Knights, and just a week later, they've agreed to one-year contracts. 

Schwindt completed his first season with the Golden Knights, playing 42 games before it was cut short due to an injury. The 24-year-old returned for one game before the conclusion of the season, but didn't play in any playoff games. In the regular season, Schwindt scored one goal and eight points. 

Although he had played just seven career NHL games before joining the Golden Knights, Schwindt quickly carved out a role on the fourth line and gained the trust of HC Bruce Cassidy. As it looks, Schwindt will likely serve as an extra forward to start the season, ready to step into the lineup if any Golden Knights forwards sustain injuries. 

Lavoie had an interesting pre-season, being placed and claimed off waivers by the Golden Knights and the Edmonton Oilers. When he finally settled in Vegas, Lavoie skated in nine NHL games, failing to record a point. With the Henderson Silver Knights, the 24-year-old scored 17 goals and 27 points in 42 games. 

Lavoie has a strong shot and a 6-foot-4 frame that allows him to once again move from the AHL to the NHL quite easily, utilizing his two-way contract. Lavoie will likely become a Group-6 UFA when the season ends. 

✍️ The Vegas Golden Knights have agreed to terms with Cole Schwindt, Jonas Rondbjerg and Raphael Lavoie on one-year contracts! #VegasBornhttps://t.co/BLm5AhLYB5

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) July 6, 2025

Rondbjerg, too, signed a two-way contract with the Golden Knights and will continue to serve as one of the first call-ups from the Silver Knights when the team runs into injury issues. The 26-year-old played in 13 games this season, failing to record any points. In the AHL, Rondbjerg recorded 11 goals and 26 points in 53 games. 

With the three contracts being signed, the remaining RFAs the Golden Knights have to conduct business with are Alexander Holtz and Lukas Cormier.

Stay updated with the most interesting Golden Knights stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story.

Golden Knights Extend Qualifying Offers To Five PlayersThe Vegas Golden Knights have extended qualifying offers to five players, maintaining their restricted free-agent rights. The five players include Lukas Cormier, Alexander Holtz, Raphael Lavoie, Jonas Rondbjerg and Cole Schwindt. 

If you asked all 32 NHL general managers at the draft whether they prefer to select based on positional need or simply take the best player available, most would say, “If all things are equal, we'll select the best player.”

Steve Staios would probably tell you he tried to do that in his first two drafts as Ottawa Senators GM, but at the same time, he didn't exactly ignore his current wish list either.

In 2024, size mattered. The three defensemen the Sens selected averaged 6-foot-5, while the three forwards averaged 6-foot-3. This year, the key theme was more help for the blue line on the right side.

The Senators used the 23rd overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to select University of Wisconsin defenseman Logan Hensler, marking the second consecutive year Staios has used his first-rounder on a right-shot defenseman, after selecting Carter Yakemchuk seventh overall in 2024.

Hensler will probably head back to school, and Yakemchuk will likely start in Belleville, but both are considered key pieces for the future.

And just in case going back-to-back with another high-end right-shot D prospect wasn't enough to confirm the theme, Ottawa doubled down and acquired 24-year-old Jordan Spence from the Los Angeles Kings during the draft in exchange for third- and sixth-round picks.

The organization also re-signed 2019 first-rounder Lassi Thomson, who will return to North America after leading Malmö of the SHL in scoring last season. 

Even before all of that, the Senators still had the same three right-shot defensemen they went to war with in this spring's playoffs: Nick Jensen, Artem Zub, and Nik Matinpalo.

It's been well-chronicled that Jensen is a bit of a wild card for this fall. He’s recovering from reported hip surgery in May, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be ready to start the season. He’ll also be 35 years old.

Zub is a similar player to Jensen, but he’s also missed significant time over the past three seasons, playing only 54 games last year. As for Matinpalo, he's still establishing himself as an NHLer, but showed some encouraging signs of growth last year and didn't look out of place in the playoffs.

It’s often said that you can never have too many good right-shot defensemen, but Ottawa must be getting close.

The organizational depth chart on the right side now includes Jensen, Zub, Spence, Matinpalo, Yakemchuk, Thomson, and Maxence Guenette. Unless Hensler plays out of his mind in pre-season, he'll be headed back to school.

That’s a substantial group, the deepest Ottawa has had in some time.

I’d still rank Jensen at the top, assuming he’s healthy and hasn't lost a step. That's an optimistic assumption, I realize. He and Zub are similar players in many ways – neither is flashy, neither is overly offensive-minded, but both take care of business while letting Jake Sanderson or Thomas Chabot drive the offense from the back end.

Because of his age and recent surgery, there are questions about whether Jensen can still be a top-four next season, and whether he even wants to stay in Ottawa beyond that. If both answers are no, that changes the game. But until then, I still rank him as Ottawa’s best right-shot defender right now. 

Some believe Jordan Spence might push for a top-four role. The Senators obviously like him, but the new Kings GM, Ken Holland, did not. The Kings didn't see him playing in their top six every night next season and gave him up for only a third and a sixth-round pick. Typically, with everyone in the league looking for top-four right-shot defenseman, you'd think the cost would have been much higher. And then the Kings effectively replaced Spence on the roster with Cody Ceci.

For those reasons, and barring injuries, I’m not ready to slot Spence into Ottawa’s top four just yet.

Matinpalo is my seven right now, but since he's bigger and more physical, which the Sens generally prefer, he could easily push for the same job he held for most of last season.

Then there’s Yakemchuk and Hensler. Yakemchuk nearly made the team last season, so he'll get some NHL looks if injuries strike. But Ottawa would be wise to keep him in Belleville for a few months to see how he fares against grown men for the first time. It’s clear that the Senators have big plans for him, but there’s no harm in a bit of patience. Hensler is all but certain to return to Wisconsin for another year of development.

I do wonder which of the two first-rounders will be the better long-term player. I haven’t seen enough games from either to say definitively, but it’s notable that last winter Hensler made Team USA’s World Junior squad at 18 and won a gold medal. Meanwhile, the older Yakemchuk, whose numbers tumbled last season, wasn’t invited to the pre-tournament evaluation camp for a Canadian team that failed to make the semifinals.

Lassi Thomson might have the most to lose in all of this. After a fine year in Sweden, he probably saw the current depth chart and the injury concerns and thought he had a chance to compete for an NHL job. But now he finds himself behind the newly-acquired Spence. That can’t be a great feeling, but maybe he'll surprise people at camp. If nothing else, Thomson will make Belleville's back end a lot stronger, heading into group 6 unrestricted free agency next summer.

All of this raises the question: Do the Senators now have the right mix on the right side to make a deep playoff run? That remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: They've upgraded, and they finally have some solid depth. And that matters, because hockey is still a violent game where every team needs a "next man up" mentality.

This season, Staios can think about the next man up and not lose sleep over it.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News/Ottawa
Image Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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Senators Bid Farewell To Six UFAs: Where Did They End Up?
Senators Sign Lars Eller, Offseason NHL Additions Are Now 'Most Likely' Complete
Senators Clarify Their Goaltending Picture for Next Season
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Rickard Rakell is one of multiple Pittsburgh Penguins players who have been in the rumor mill this off-season. With the Penguins retooling their roster and Rakell coming off a career season, all eyes have been on the 32-year-old winger. 

However, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, Rakell's preference is to stay put with the Penguins rather than being dealt. 

"I've heard Rakell would prefer to stay in Pittsburgh," Friedman said. "It's just that it's not his call. I've heard he is not averse to staying, but, ultimately, Dubas will make that decision."

With the success Rakell just had with the Penguins in 2024-25, it is understandable that he wants to stick around. In 81 games this past season with the Penguins, he set new career highs with 35 goals and 70 points. It was a big bounce-back year for the veteran, and he undoubtedly found his fit in the Penguins' top six. 

However, Rakell putting up a monster season also means that his trade value is higher now. With the Penguins retooling their group, it is fair to wonder if the Penguins could take advantage of this and move him this off-season.

Nevertheless, the Penguins have a big decision to make with Rakell. If the veteran forward has it his way, he will stay put in Pittsburgh. 

NHL Trade Rumors: Penguins Star Generating 'A Ton Of Interest'The Pittsburgh Penguins are certainly a team to keep an eye on this summer. It is no secret that they are open to making changes, and multiple players from their roster have been discussed as trade candidates. 

Photo Credit:  © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

New insider reports indicate Carolina's Jack Roslovic wanting to join former teammate Auston Matthews in Toronto

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made some major moves this offseason and according to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, the team isn't done yet. 

On Sunday's episode of his podcast "32 Thoughts" Friedman explained that the Buds are looking to potentially clear out more of their bottom six forwards like Pontus Holmberg, who left to join the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

Friedman believes this is because the Maple Leafs are targeting unrestricted free agent Jack Roslovic from the Carolina Hurricanes. The connection makes sense as Roslovic played with Leafs captain Auston Matthews extensively during their time together at the U.S. National Development Program. 

Toronto will be looking to replace the production lost by star winger Mitch Marner heading to the Vegas Golden Knights and have made headway with some of their adds already. From Utah, the Maple Leafs picked up a solid 40-point player with Matias Maccelli, who could grow into a 50-60 point player when playing in Toronto's top six and is only 24 years old. 

Early projections of Toronto's lineup next season had Maccelli on the top line alongside Matthew Knies and centred by Auston Matthews but he could be moved down to play with John Tavares and William Nylander while Roslovic slides into the top right wing spot. This has been indicated as a possibility to Friedman in the case of free agent Andrew Mangiapane. 

The Bolton, Ontario native was reportedly interested in returning to his hometown team but Friedman had heard that the Maple Leafs told him that they are looking to move out forwards like David Kampf, Calle Jarnkrok and restricted free agent Nick Robertson. Mangiapane ultimately decided not to wait on the Maple Leafs roster decisions and instead signed with the Edmonton Oilers. 

Roslovic is a notable player that teams are interested in yet he has not signed with any team yet and it could be that he is waiting to play with Matthews according to Friedman. The 28-year-old has found his way into being a regular 40-point player and has be unable to truly tap into his elite upside that many projected when he went 25th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft to the Winnipeg Jets. 

This would be a massive boost for the Maple Leafs next season as their top six would be more balanced and could contributed the same level of offence as last season and could make them a steal at +2500 to win the Stanley Cup next season.

Odds to certainly look at for the Maple Leafs would be to make the playoffs at -300 and to win the Atlantic division for the second straight season at +390 behind the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.

  More NHL: 2026 Stanley Cup Odds: Oilers, Panthers Lead Early Contenders But One Unexpected Favourite Emerges

Not all that long ago, the Detroit Red Wings were the gold standard of NHL teams. For an incredible 25 years, the Red Wings were in the Stanley Cup playoffs – and on four occasions from 1997-2008, the Wings won the Cup. In the modern era, you couldn’t ask for more from a franchise.

And all that success makes it especially painful for Red Wings fans to struggle through what they’re currently struggling through – a whopping nine straight years without a post-season appearance. 

In those nine years, the Wings have finished in seventh or eighth place in their division five times. And this past year, they finished sixth in the Atlantic Division. For the most part, the Red Wings’ efforts have been nowhere close to good enough, and the increasing degree of fan frustration has never been more evident than it is right now. 

Of course, things would be different if Detroit GM Steve Yzerman came away from the NHL’s recent ffree-agent frenzy with at least a couple of veteran talents to carry them across the finish line and make the playoffs next year. 

Instead, Yzerman added a goalie in former Anaheim Ducks starter John Gibson – admittedly, an upgrade on what the Wings had in goal – and after that…well, he traded non-factor winger Vladimir Tarasenko to the Minnesota Wild, and signed third-line winger Mason Appleton, journeyman winger James van Riemsdyk, and third-pair defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker. 

Are you impressed by those changes? If you are, you’re in the minority. And if you’re a Wings fan, you can’t help but be pessimistic about this Detroit team’s chances of getting back into the post-season next year. 

There are definitely some NHL GMs out there who are feeling the pressure to have their team produce positive results in 2025-26, but Yzerman is probably right at the top of the list of the GMs facing the most pressure. He’s been on the job running things in the Motor City since April of 2019, and he has nothing tangible to show for it. 

Yzerman’s incredible playing career has given him a long runway to try and stick the landing as Wings GM, but even hockey icons only get so much time to turn things around before they are added to the list of people who couldn’t get the job done as managers. And that’s where Yzerman is now in Detroit.

Yzerman can point to youngsters in the organization who he believes will step up and help the Red Wings make it to the playoffs next year, but here’s a better metric of sorts – which Detroit youngster is truly a generational talent? Defenseman Moritz Seider qualifies in the minds of some observers, so let’s be generous and say Seider makes the cut. After that, what current Wings talent is top-10 in the league in any regard? Detroit doesn’t have those truly elite, high-end players. And when you miss the playoffs for that many years, you should’ve been able to draft and develop a couple of top talents.

That may be Yzerman’s biggest sin as Wings GM – not tanking for top players, which is the most proven way to land the foundational talent needed to compete for Cups over the long haul. Yzerman might’ve drafted Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard if he’d done that. He may have wound up with San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini if he’d done that. He might’ve landed New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer if he’d done that. Instead, it’s been nothing but mediocrity for the Red Wings, 

From this writer’s perspective, if you’re not good enough to be a playoff team, you should be doing everything in your power to land a top draft spot. And it has never felt like Yzerman and Co. have been willing to do that. There have been excuses left and right, and as things have unfolded not in Detroit’s favor, Yzerman has grown testy with the media and unable to lay out a specific plan Wings fans can look to for comfort. And he also can’t point to season-after-season improvement in the win column.

And now, the Red Wings are entering a season in which no one will be projecting them to make the playoffs. The defending Cup champion Florida Panthers will be a playoff team next year. The regular-season Atlantic champion Toronto Maple Leafs will also be a playoff team, as will the Tampa Bay Lightning. And after that, the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins will be in a ferocious battle for one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. You can lump the Wings into that latter group, but the reality remains – making the playoffs will be an extremely tall order for Detroit.

And if things pan out the way we think they’ll pan out and the Red Wings fail to make the playoffs once again, Yzerman will almost assuredly be out of a job, and the process of rebuilding will start over in earnest. That’s why this coming season already looks and feels like a wasted year. Detroit ownership has entrusted Yzerman with another season to try and accomplish something positive, but unless he pulls off a minor miracle, Yzerman is going to come away with his hands stuck out and nothing in them.

Maybe Yzerman will prove the doubters wrong, and the Wings will sneak into a playoff spot. Even then, does anyone feel like Detroit will be anything other than first-round roadkill? This Red Wings team simply doesn’t have the horses to run with the legitimate Cup frontrunners, and just getting into the playoffs can’t be the sole goal for Wings management. 

All in all, it feels like it’s going to be another long season for the Red Wings, and another year of excuses and frustration is in store for Detroit. And this could be Yzerman’s final kick at the can.

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