Category: Sports News

Here's today's NHL Nugget – this month's edition of Shinny or Nothing discusses how Connor Bedard played and trained for hockey from when he was just a kid.

From shooting pucks in a backyard setup to playing shinny in North Vancouver to bringing a hockey stick on a family vacation in Hawaii and more, Bedard lived hockey long before he became a budding NHL star on the Chicago Blackhawks.

Brian T. Dessart takes fans on a distinctive ride through the historic-laden NHL with the #NHLNugget. Check out NHLNugget.com to find where to follow NHL Nugget on social media.  And for past NHL Nuggets, click here.  

Promo image credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

A few Montreal Canadiens became UFA when the clock struck noon on July 1, and by the time the clock struck 2:00 PM, they all had found new teams. GM Kent Hughes confirmed that he had negotiated with Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia, but that they couldn’t find any common ground.

Dvorak was the first to be signed; he put pen to paper on a one-year deal with a $5.4 M AAV with the Philadelphia Flyers. The pivot was coming out of a six-year contract with a $4.45 M AAV, meaning that he managed to get a $1M raise after finally playing a full 82-game season in which he put up 33 points in a bottom-six role. He is, however, a good faceoff man and can be very useful on the penalty kill, which will leave a hole in the Canadiens’ special teams.

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Armia was then signed to a two-year deal with a $2.5 M AAV by the Los Angeles Kings. Hughes mentioned that if the Canadiens had matched the offer, he was sure that the Finn would have stayed in Montreal, but L.A. offered more than the Canadiens were willing to pay for his services. The 29-year-old winger was coming off a four-year deal that had a $3.4 M cap hit and posted the second-most productive season of his career with 29 points in 82 games.

Interestingly, Marc Bergevin, who had signed him to his previous contract, is now an adviser to the Kings’ GM, Ken Holland, so it stands to reason that he would have been the one to advise him to sign the Finn. Armia also played on the penalty kill for the Canadiens this past season and, like Dvorak, he will be missed on the special teams, but also by countryman Patrik Laine. The two had struck a friendship as soon as the sniper arrived, and Laine could be the only Finn to play for the Canadiens next season, unless new signing goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen manages to make the team out of camp. Not so long ago, the Canadiens had four Finns rocking the Sainte-Flanelle: Armia, Artturi Lehkonen, Antti Niemi, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

Less than an hour after the Armia deal was announced, depth forward Michael Pezzetta was signed to a two-year contract by his childhood team, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The deal carries a $787,500 AAV, a $25,000 pay cut which the gritty forward probably doesn’t mind at all since it brings him back home.

Pezzetta was only dressed for 25 games this season in Montreal, and even when he was dressed, he saw minimal ice time. However, he never complained once and played his 13th forward role perfectly. A gentleman to the very end, he only had nice things to say about the Canadiens’ organization today.

The Canadiens now have only two restricted free agents on their roster: Jayden Struble and Jakub Dobes. Both have arbitration rights and must declare before July 5 at 5:00 PM if they intend to pursue this option. Arbitration hearings will take place from July 20th to August 4th.

Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

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A potential trade target for the Pittsburgh Penguins is officially off the board. 

With the Penguins needing help on the left side of their defense, they stood out as a potential suitor for defenseman K'Andre Miller. However, that is no longer a possibility, as Miller has been traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a conditional first-round pick, a 2026 second-round pick, and defenseman Scott Morrow. 

Since the trade, Miller has also already signed an eight-year, $60 million contract with the Hurricanes. Thus, he will be in Carolina for a long time. 

With Miller being just 25 years old and a legitimate top-four defenseman, he would have been a significant addition for the retooling Penguins. When looking at Pittsburgh's roster, he easily would have become their best left-shot blueliner if acquired. In addition, he is young enough that he could have been a strong long-term part of the Penguins' roster as they try to get back to being a playoff team.

Miller appeared in 74 games this past season with the Rangers, where he posted seven goals, 27 points, 107 hits, 110 blocks, and an even plus/minus rating. 

If the Penguins want to add another top-four left-shot defenseman to their roster, Bowen Byram of the Buffalo Sabres is the top trade candidate remaining. They did recently add Parker Wotherspoon, but he is more of a bottom-pairing guy. 

3 Trade Destinations For Penguins’ Winger Bryan Rust - And What The Return Should Look LikeAccording to many, Day One of free agency has been a bit of letdown.

Photo Credit:  © Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed forward Vinni Lettieri to a one-year deal, it was reported Tuesday. 

The deal will see Lettieri take home $775,000. 

Lettieri, who hails from Excelsior, Minn., spent the 2024-25 season splitting time between the Boston Bruins and Providence Bruins. Over 26 NHL games, he collected three goals and five points while putting up 21 goals and 29 assists for 50 points in 47 AHL games. 

Having turned pro at the end of the 2016-17 season, Lettieri has appeared in 155 career NHL games with the Bruins, New York Rangers, Anaheim Ducks and the Minnesota Wild. During that time, he accumulated 15 goals and 17 assists for 32 points. 

With Lettieri joining the Maple Leafs, they've added another solid depth forward to their system. Although he likely won't begin the year with the Maple Leafs, Lettieri's NHL experience will make him one of the first to be called upon in case of injury or suspension. 

When Mathieu Darche was named general manager of the New York Islanders, he emphasized that improving Bridgeport, the team’s AHL affiliate, would be a priority.

Bridgeport finished the 2024-25 season with a 15-50-4-3 record, the worst in the AHL.

Following the first day of free agency, Darche has already taken steps to improve Bridgeport’s roster.

Up front, he signed center Matthew Highmore, a veteran of 197 total NHL games.

More importantly, he bolstered a defense that conceded 294 goals, 43 higher than the next-worst AHL team, by bringing in Ethan Bear and Cole McWard.

All three players were signed to one-year, two-way contracts.

Darche also handed out one-year, AHL contracts to forwards Chris Terry, Max Dorrington, Cam Berg, Ross Mitton, and Hunter Drew, as well as defenseman Luke Rowe.

Terry, Dorrington, Berg, and Mitton were all with Bridgeport for all or parts of the 2024-25 season, while Drew and Rowe are new.

In addition to the player signings, Darche overhauled Bridgeport’s coaching staff, bringing in Rocky Thompson, a former NHLer and assistant coach under John Tortorella in Philadelphia, as the new head coach.

Rocky Thompson's Plan To Building A Winning Culture In BridgeportLOS ANGELES -- On Thursday afternoon, Bridgeport Islanders head coach Rocky Thompson addressed the media for the first time since the New York Islanders announced his hiring on June 23. 

Although meaningful hockey is still months away, the Islanders’ focus on Bridgeport is a reason for optimism.

The AHL club already features several of the organization’s top prospects in Calle Odelius, Jesse Pulkkinen, Alex Jefferies, and Matthew Maggio, and will be home to current college and junior players entering the pro level in the coming years.

“I think we have the better team this season,” Pulkkinnen told The Hockey News. “Because we have the good young guys. And, yeah, I think this is the good team next season.”

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

Michael Ostrower wrote this story. 

PHOTO: Taya Gray/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images