The Vancouver Canucks made some big moves during the start of the 2025 Free Agency period, some of which impacted their AHL affiliate, the Calder Cup Champion Abbotsford Canucks. Vancouver offered short-term contracts to some of the team’s star forwards, but also didn’t qualify some of their character staples. Let’s take a look at how Abbotsford’s roster is looking after the first couple of days of free agency. 

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Four big pieces of Abbotsford’s locker room were signed to contract extensions the morning of June 30. The first of these was Max Sasson, who inked a one-year extension worth $775K. Sasson was a key piece in Abbotsford’s Calder Cup victory, as he scored five goals and nine assists in 24 games and was consistently one of the most noticeable forwards on the ice. In the NHL, the 2024–25 season was a successful one for Sasson, as he made his NHL debut and scored his first career NHL goal. 

Howtown hero Arshdeep Bains was also signed to a contract extension, with the Canucks keeping the forward within the organization for another two years. Bains led the AHL Canucks in points during the 2024–25 regular season, scoring 11 goals and 32 assists in 50 games played. As well, he averaged a point per game pace during the Calder Cup Playoffs with seven goals and 17 assists in 24 games. 

Another Abbotsford Canuck who signed a two-year deal with Vancouver was Aatu Räty. Though the forward missed most of the Calder Cup Playoffs due to injury, he made his mark at the NHL level by impressing at training camp and proving he can play a solid role as an NHL center. He finished the AHL season with 17 goals and 23 assists in 43 games, and seven goals and four assists in 33 NHL games. 

The final AHL Canuck who received a new deal on June 30 was Guillaume Brisebois, who signed a one-year, two-way deal. The long-tenured Canucks defender has been with the organization since being drafted 66th overall by them in 2015. As a reliable depth defender at the NHL level, and a solid top-six option at the AHL level, Brisebois has been a franchise staple regardless of where he plays in the lineup. He had two goals and an assist in the team’s 24-game Calder Cup campaign. 

T-Woo Qualifying Offers 

On the same day as the four re-signings, Vancouver announced that they would be extending qualifying offers to two members of Abbotsford. Jett Woo, a key member of Abbotsford’s leadership core, received a qualifying offer from the team. Woo was selected in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft by Vancouver and has remained within the organization since then. He was one of four players to wear an ‘A’ for Abbotsford this season, and is one of three active players who also played for the Utica Comets. He scored a goal and five assists in 22 Calder Cup Playoff games. 

Nikita Tolopilo was the second AHL Canuck to receive a qualifying offer. Tolopilo played in 36 of Abbotsford’s games during the 2024–25 regular season, registering a record of 20–14–2. He made 833 saves and posted a 2.66 GAA and .902 SV%. As well, Tolopilo had four shutouts. He won his NHL debut at the end of Vancouver’s regular season, recording a .938 SV% and 16 saves. 

Unfortunately, four Abbotsford players were also not given qualifying offers. Defencemen Cole McWard and Christian Felton, and forwards Ty Glover and Tristen Nielsen did not receive qualifying offers from the team. 

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New Deals With New Teams

As of publication, three former members of the AHL Canucks have signed new deals with new teams. McWard, who was not given a qualifying offer by Vancouver, became a free agent and signed a one-year deal with the New York Islanders. The defenceman was signed by Vancouver in April of 2023 and made his NHL debut the same month. During Abbotsford’s Calder Cup run, he scored a goal and an assist in 12 games. Due to shifts in the lineup, McWard’s last playoff game was at the start of the Western Conference Final. 

One of the team’s veterans, Phil Di Giuseppe, also departed from the team in free agency. He signed a one-year deal with the Winnipeg Jets on July 1, ending his four-year run with Vancouver. In his time with Abbotsford, Di Giuseppe scored 29 goals and 48 assists in 101 games played. He also had six goals and five assists in the team’s Calder Cup run this season. 

While he was only with the Canucks organization for a season, forward Sammy Blais endeared himself to the fanbase as a hard-hitting character who could get under the skin of any opponents. Blais was signed to a PTO by Vancouver at the start of the 2024–25 season, but ultimately did not make the team and reported to Abbotsford for the season. He hit another level in the playoffs, scoring three goals and eight assists in the first 10 games and finishing the postseason with 19 points in 23 matches. On July 1, he signed a one-year contract with the Montréal Canadiens. 

Unsigned (For Now?)

A crop of AHL Canucks have yet to sign new contracts with new teams or the Canucks. This includes those who were not given qualifying offers by Vancouver. Nate Smith, who joined Abbotsford for the 2024–25 season after two years with the Tucson Roadrunners, has yet to sign a contract with a team for 2025–26. The forward had nine goals and 17 assists in 60 games played with Abbotsford this season, as well as four goals and five assists in 22 playoff games. 

Ty Glover is another forward who hasn’t signed a contract for the 2025–26 season yet. He was acquired by the Canucks via trade, and has spent the last two seasons with Abbotsford. During this time, he scored seven goals and 10 assists in 74 games. Glover also spent 15 games with the Kalamazoo Wings, Vancouver’s ECHL affiliate, back in 2023–24. With the Wings, he scored 12 goals and 11 assists. 

A fan favourite and four-year member of the AHL Canucks, Tristen Nielsen is the final member of the team who was not given a qualifying offer and remains unsigned. The forward first joined the Canucks organization for the 2021–22 season, and has since posted 52 goals and 63 assists in 231 games. Nielsen also had five goals and four assists in all 24 of the team’s playoff games. 

Christian Wolanin, who broke out offensively for Abbotsford in the 2022–23 season with six goals and 49 assists in 49 games, has yet to sign a contract for 2025–26. Wolanin has spent the past three seasons with the Canucks organization, signing a one-year contract with the team in 2022–23, and then a two-year deal that took him to the end of this season. He led all of the team’s defencemen in points during the regular season (40 in 58 games) and was tied with Kirill Kudryavtsev for the lead in playoffs (10). 

The final player who remains unsigned is Akito Hirose. Brought into the Canucks organization in 2023, Hirose made his NHL debut on April 2 of this year and also played in three of Vancouver’s games in 2023–24. During the Calder Cup Playoffs this season, Hirose was taken out of the lineup due to players returning from injury, but found his way back in and stuck. He scored a goal and four assists in 22 playoff games. 

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The Edmonton Oilers locked in one of their most important young stars on Monday by signing defenseman Evan Bouchard to a four-year extension worth $10.5 million annually.

It’s full price for an elite offensive defenseman, and it’s fair to ask whether Bouchard hurt the Oilers’ future cap flexibility, simply made a smart business decision in today’s NHL or both.

Speaking with the media, Oilers GM Stan Bowman said an eight-year contract – something many insiders and fans believed was the obvious move – was never a realistic option. Bouchard’s camp made it clear early in negotiations that a long-term commitment didn’t make sense for them.

“Getting him signed was critical,” Bowman said. “I guess in the negotiations, an eight-year term was never really in the cards… It’s really a function of the salary cap and where that’s going. We certainly know over the next three years, that’s going up considerably.”

Bowman said the asking price for an eight-year deal was so high that it “wouldn’t really make sense for anybody.” 

While the Oilers were open to locking Bouchard up long-term, they were forced to shift gears, settling on a shorter-term deal that pays the 25-year-old top dollar now but also sets him up to cash in again when the cap is even higher.

In the short term, Bouchard’s $10.5-million cap hit will eat up a substantial portion of Edmonton’s salary space, potentially limiting the team’s ability to round out the roster. Add that cap hit to Leon Draisaitl’s $14 million, Darnell Nurse’s $9.25 million and Connor McDavid’s $12.5 million, and four players are eating up over 48 percent of the cap.

The Oilers now only have just under $176,000 in cap space with Andrew Mangiapane, Curtis Lazar and David Tomasek replacing Evander Kane, Viktor Arvidsson, Connor Brown, Corey Perry and Jeff Skinner.

With the club in win-now mode, every dollar counts in achieving Cup-winning depth. Bouchard not taking a slight haircut on a four-year deal could ultimately hamper the Oilers’ chances of capturing the Stanley Cup.

At the same time, it’s hard to fault Bouchard for betting on himself. 

With the salary cap set to climb, locking into an eight-year deal now could have left millions on the table. By taking a shorter contract, he keeps his options open and ensures he can negotiate another lucrative deal when the financial landscape is even more favorable. 

Bouchard is arguably worth every penny of this deal. He’s been the high-scoring defenseman in the NHL for three straight playoffs. He had the most points by a D-man through the first two rounds of a single post-season in NHL history in 24, with 20 in 12 games, and he had the second-most points per game of any blueliner playing at least 15 games in the playoffs in 2024-25, trailing only Bobby Orr. 

Defensemen are also getting paid good money this off-season. Noah Dobson just got a $9.5-million cap hit on an eight-year deal, and Ivan Provorov got an $8.5-million cap hit. Bouchard went one step further with his cap hit while potentially getting another raise in 2029.

In the end, this could be a case of Bouchard putting himself ahead of the team, but it’s a savvy decision for him in an evolving NHL market, and the Oilers got their star defenseman signed. That’s good news for keeping their Stanley Cup window wide open.

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The Philadelphia Flyers will head into the 2025-26 season with the third-highest amount of dead salary cap space in the NHL.

The Flyers are, for the time being, well-positioned to be cap-compliant to start the new season.

Their $5.52 million in available cap space currently ranks 17th in the NHL, and that's after a flurry of signings on the first day of NHL free agency, including center Christian Dvorak and goalie Dan Vladar.

But, there is one important piece of business still remaining, and that is to re-sign RFA defenseman Cam York,

The 24-year-old's next contract is likely to take up most of, if not all of that remaining space, especially given the current state of the market for defensemen and the rising cap ceiling in future seasons.

That's where the Flyers' sky-high dead cap comes into play.

Where Did These Former Flyers End Up in NHL Free Agency?Between their additions and subtractions, the Philadelphia Flyers have been well-represented in NHL free agency this year.

According to PuckPedia, the Flyers have the third-highest dead cap in the NHL, with their $6.83 million coming in behind San Jose's $9.69 million and Nashville's $10.23 million.

The Flyers have one year remaining on Cam Atkinson's buyout at a $1.758 million cap charge in addition to retaining half of Scott Laughton's salary ($1.5 million) and Kevin Hayes's salary ($3.571 million) in previous trades.

Not included in the dead cap number is Ryan Ellis's contract, which can be put on LTIR for relief during the season. But, technically, that's another $6.2 million the Flyers can't use for the roster.

If and when the Flyers assign goalie Ivan Fedotov to the AHL, they'll create a small $2.1 million cushion for themselves, but bringing a forward like Alex Bump or Porter Martone onto the NHL roster in his stead will immediately eliminate half of that relief.

Fortunately for the Flyers, their cap woes will come to an end after this season, as Atkinson, Hayes, and Laughton are all due to come off the books.

Jonathan Toews attended his first press conference as a Winnipeg Jet, sharing his gratitude and excitement to join the Jets organization. 

"It's truly an honour, " said Toews on becoming a Winnipeg Jet. "It's surreal to be sitting here right now putting this jersey on."

The Winnipeg, MN native is playing in his hometown as a member of the Jets for the first time in his career after spending 15 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks. The now 37-year-old hasn't played an NHL game since 2023 after stepping away for health reasons, but now believes he is ready to be an effective NHL player. 

"That's the outlook I'm coming into this with, too. To be that guy that, whatever it is, whatever part of my game or who I am as a person that can be valuable to the team," said Toews when asked about players his age still contributing at a high level. 

With Nikolaj Ehlers' exit and Adam Lowry expected to miss a fair bit of time to start the 2025-26 season, Toews will play a larger role than he may have expected, but the three-time Stanley Cup champion seems ready for whatever the Jets ask of him.

"It was hard to really see myself wearing any other jersey. I think day by day, this is becoming more real and it will as we get closer to the season, too, and I'm looking forward to it. It's an exciting time and it's another fresh opportunity. It was more of an intuitive thing where it just felt right. You can go over the million reasons why, but I didn't have to call my mom or dad or my brother, anyone really. I just knew in my heart that this is what I wanted to do, so it felt good every step of the way."

The Jets have aspirations of winning a Stanley Cup, and Toews, the ultimate professional and one of the most respected leaders in the NHL, will help the Jets get one step closer.

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

Jets Agree to Terms on Bonus-Laden Contract with Local Product Jonathan ToewsThe Winnipeg Jets have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with local product Jonathan Toews.

There have been some question marks surrounding the future of Chicago Blackhawks prospect Nick Lardis. In 2024-25, he had an incredible season as he had 71 goals in 65 games played for the Brantford Bulldogs. No matter what league it is, that’s impressive. 

Lardis is signed with the Blackhawks, but the question coming into the offseason was whether or not he’d be turning pro. After a goal-scoring season like that at 19 years old, he put himself in a position to do so.

On Thursday, the last day that media can attend the 2025 Development Camp, Assistant General Manager of Player Development Mark Eaton confirmed that Lardis would turn pro.

He couldn’t confirm if the plan was for him to play for the Rockford IceHogs or the Chicago Blackhawks, but it is unlikely that he returns to Brantford.

Vinnie Parise (@VinnieParise) on XMark Eaton confirms that Nick Lardis plans to play pro hockey in 2025-26. Whether it’s the Rockford IceHogs or Chicago Blackhawks is up to him.

"He's slotted to be a pro next year. Eaton said when asked about Lardis' status at this time. "Which pro team [he ends up with] will be up to him in September". 

As it stands, a big training camp/preseason could earn Lardis a spot on the opening night roster for the Chicago Blackhawks. There is also a scenario where the AHL is the best place for him at the start of the season. 

"Hopefully, this will be my first year pro." Nick Lardis said on the topic. "That's going to be my goal going into the summer. Stay motivated, try to make the team. Whatever happens, happens. Keep getting better."

He isn't going to come out and say he's turning pro for sure, but he has a pretty good idea of where he stands after the season he just had in the OHL. 

One minor setback for him was his knee injury that he suffered in the playoffs early in the spring. He now, while admitting you never know for sure until game action, says that he feels 100 percent healthy. He lost some weight in the rehab process, but is working on getting that strength back over the off-season. 

Connor Bedard was seen as a goal-scorer entering his draft. However, we have since learned that he's an elite playmaker as well. Having a guy like Lardis potentially on his wing may allow his work to turn into results.

There are also a handful of other players in the organization who will have no problem making successful feeds to a sniper like Lardis. 

Having this confirmation will give Lardis the confidence that he needs to play at a high level right when camp starts in the fall. The tools are there for him to be a successful player right off the bat. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

Day 2 of the Vegas Golden Knights Development Camp was in full swing, and the young prospects took to the ice more confident after having acclimated the day before. Among the standouts was camp returner Trent Swick, who made a strong impression with his hustle. 

getting the sound of hockey back on your timeline pic.twitter.com/zIr3A15Ntq

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) July 1, 2025

Swick, 21, is a left-winger towering at 6-foot-7, from St. Catharines, Ontario, and was selected by the Knights in the sixth round (180th overall) of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. As of March 1, 2025, the team officially signed him to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Vegas Golden Knights Sign Towering ProspectEarlier this month, the Vegas Golden Knights announced the signing of Kitchener Rangers' forward Trent Swick to a three-year, entry-level contract for the 2025-26 season. 

Coming off finishing his fourth season with the Kitchener Rangers as an alternate captain, Swick put up a total of 61 points (27 goals, 34 assists) with a +11 rating in the regular season. He put up an additional 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists) in the postseason. 

“I’m a completely different player now,” Swick said about his past two years of development. “I didn’t really believe in myself before, and now I do. I also pretty much put on probably 25% of my mass from two years ago. I just need to learn how to move with that mass and be able to be quick with it.”

At the heart of Swick’s game is his ability to create plays. He finds soft spots in coverage, constantly surveys the ice, and delivers quick, accurate passes to teammates in scoring positions. He’s good at drawing defenders in and pulling the puck close to his feet before adjusting to the lane. Improvement is evident in the young forward, and he has a bright future with the organization.

The Vegas Golden Knights are reportedly in the mix for Calgary Flames right-handed defenseman Rasmus Andersson. 

A report shared by Pierre LeBrun earlier this week indicated that Andersson would be willing to sign a contract extension with the Golden Knights, as he's been very picky, and rightfully so, about where he wants to end up. Andersson has a six-team no-trade clause, which gives the Flames plenty of options, but teams have been reluctant to agree to trades due to the uncertainty of contract negotiations with Andersson. 

LeBrun mentioned that the Golden Knights and the Flames have had numerous discussions over the past week, but the Flames haven't been impressed by the Golden Knights' offers. Including the Golden Knights, LeBrun mentioned the  Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets and the Los Angeles Kings as other teams with interest.

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that the Dallas Stars are also interested in the 28-year-old, but would need to move Ilya Lyubushkin and Matt Dumba. 

Pagnotta also mentioned that Vegas has been shopping veteran defenseman Ben Hutton and his $975,000 cap hit. The 32-year-old played in just 11 games this season, serving as the eighth defenseman. 

With Alex Pietrangelo's hip injury and Nicolas Hague's exit, Hutton has moved into the role of the seventh defenseman, but if Andersson is brought in, he'd move down the depth chart again. 

Andersson fits the role of a modern-day defenseman. His 6-foot-1 frame mixed with his skating and offensive instincts make him an effective two-way defenseman. The Malmö, SWE native has a career-high of 11 goals and 50 points. 

Andersson would also join the Golden Knights with chemistry with another former Flames defenseman, Noah Hanifin. The pair were outstanding playing together, recording positive results whenever they played together. Hanifin has had troubles with consistency during his time with Vegas, and adding Andersson to the fold could solve that issue. 

The Golden Knights would be over the salary cap if they acquired Andersson, even with Pietrangelo's cap hit on the long-term injury reserve. The Golden Knights would have to clear cap space either in the Andersson trade or in a separate deal. 

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.

REPORT: Golden Knights Interested In Trading For A Pair Of DefensemenThe Vegas Golden Knights are reportedly interested in trading for defensemen Rasmus Andersson and Bowen Byram.

With two full days of Prospect Development Camp in the books for the Pittsburgh Penguins, there has been a lot to digest.

On Friday, Russian forward prospect Mikhail Ilyin - who signed his three-year entry-level contract last month - finally made his way over from Russia and to the facility (he didn't get to Pittsburgh until late Thursday night, so he didn't participate in camp). Todd Nelson spoke to the media for the first time since being named as an assistant coach on Dan Muse's staff - and the big man himself, Muse, also made an appearance.

While there were several storylines coming out of Day 2 - and more that we'll cover later on - we're still here to talk about standouts. On Thursday, it was clear that Harrison Brunicke, Bill Zonnon, and Travis Hayes had an elevated step on almost everyone else.

To be clear, Brunicke is still the standout at this camp. There isn't really anything he's done that hasn't impressed me up to this point, aside from a moment during Friday's skills session that I'll get to in a second. So, for all intents and purposes - and to give others the floor - let's just assume that Brunicke is the daily standout all the way through the end of Monday.

However, there were a few players that began to show a lot more on Friday than they did the previous day. And, one, in particular, made even Brunicke look silly once.

Here are three standouts from Day Two of Penguins' development camp:

Penguins Prospect Development Camp: Standouts From Day 1On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins opened their annual Prospect Development Camp, which features 48 players both from the Penguins' system and outside of it.

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Ben Kindel

There were a lot of fans who questioned the Penguins' decision to draft Kindel 11th overall this season, given some of the other names that were still available at that point.

After two days at development camp - although it's a short sample size - I'm starting to see what the Penguins were probably seeing.

In case you were wondering, yes, Kindel is the one who made Brunicke look silly on Friday. Unfortunately, the entire sequence wasn't captured on film, but during a one-on-one drill down low, Kindel - already, arguably, the Penguins' best forward prospect - and Brunicke - the Penguins' best defensive prospect - were pitted against one another. 

Reaction: Penguins Select Center Ben Kindel 11th Overall In 2025 NHL DraftThe 2025 NHL Draft is finally upon us.

Kindel led Brunicke to the corner and then proceeded to completely deke Brunicke out and undress him. Brunicke wiped out as a result, and Kindel walked to the net front, faked out the goaltender while navigating across the front of the net, and put one home. 

Everyone in the crowd went nuts and was in awe. This is not an easy thing to do to Brunicke, who is actually a pretty formidable one-on-one defender. And Kindel toyed with him then ate him for lunch.

I actually asked Brunicke about it afterward.

"He's a shifty player," he said. "He got me there, for sure. Hopefully, that's not on Twitter."

Sorry, Harrison. The video itself only has Kindel's goal - and Brunicke recovering from his wipeout - but the internet does know what happened.

Didn't catch Brunicke wiping out, unfortunately, but caught the goal. pic.twitter.com/7oTCk83rTs

— Kelsey Surmacz (@kelsey_surmacz4) July 4, 2025

All joking aside, Kindel's edgework is top-notch. His speed is something that he was knocked for a bit, but his skating - as a whole - looks pretty refined. There were also several times today when it was evident that he was outthinking and outsmarting everyone else around him, allowing him to play a "speed game" without having the high-end footspeed.

It's a small sample size, and there are still three days of camp remaining. But I'm beginning to buy what the Penguins are selling on Kindel. Several WHL scouts have said that Kindel would have gone top-10 - some even say top-five - if he wasn't 5-foot-10. 

I'm no prospects expert, but I'm beginning to believe them. This kid was some serious skill.

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Oliver Tulk

If this is a name you have not heard, it's probably because, no, Tulk isn't in the Penguins' system.

But you might want to write his name down.

Tulk, 20, registered 38 goals and 100 points last season for the Calgary Wranglers of the WHL. And he played with none other than Kindel and Tanner Howe, who was invited to camp but could not attend due to recovery from ACL surgery. 

Here is a small snippet of Oliver Tulk - a University of Wisconsin commit - who registered 38 goals and 100 points for the Calgary Hitmen last season alongside #LetsGoPens prospects Ben Kindel and Tanner Howe.

Tulk was invited to development camp. pic.twitter.com/dBha4nh4ZV

— Kelsey Surmacz (@kelsey_surmacz4) July 4, 2025

Is it a coincidence that Tulk is here? Probably not, actually. Even if one gets the chance to play with a high-end player like Kindel, no one puts up 100 points solely because of someone else.

Tulk has legitimate skill. He was able to show some of that off during battle drills down low, and he made a few nice moves to work for a goal during one of the drills. He is undersized at 5-foot-8, 174 pounds, but he seems to be able to work around that with his skating and anticipation skills.

I will have a feature piece on Tulk, Kindel, and Howe later this weekend. But this is a player to keep an eye on, as he may, very well, earn an AHL contract.

With Breadth Of Positional Depth In The System, Penguins' Defensive Prospects Eager To Take Next StepsWhen Pittsburgh Penguins’ Prospect Development Camp began on Thursday, 48 players took the to the ice - some for the first time in black and gold, others returned to a familiar place.

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Gabriel D'Aigle

Many people scoffed at the idea of the Penguins drafting a goaltender in the third round who played for the OHL's worst team and seemed to be bleeding goals against.

Admittedly, D'Aigle's stat line is less than impressive. The 6-foot-4, 211-pound netminder had an .883 save percentage last season to go along with a 4.42 goals-against average. But his team - the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL - was absolutely bleeding chances against, and his workload was much, much larger than that of anyone else in the QMJHL.

NHL News: Penguins Take Interesting Goalie With Pick No. 84The Pittsburgh Penguins have selected goaltender Gabriel D'Aigle with the 84th overall pick of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

D'Aigle faced 1,940 shots in 55 games - an average of 35 shots per game - which was 241 more shots faced than the next QMJHL goaltender. As a result, he also made more saves in the league than anyone else with 1,713, as the next-closest mark was 1,542.

This guy is a workhorse. And - watching him Friday - it's clear that the toolset is there. His lateral movement - while not necessarily slow - could use more power in the push-off, but his angles seem to be pretty spot-on, and he is also pretty quick with the glove hand.

I'm curious to see how the rest of camp goes for D'Aigle. I don't know enough about him - or about goaltending in general - to make any kind of serious assessment. But it does seem like he has the foundational skillset to be able to grow, improve, and take his game to the next level.

And that can only be a good thing for an organization that already boasts some goaltending depth.

With Nedeljkovic Traded, Penguins Are Starting To Solve Goaltender LogjamThe Pittsburgh Penguins made a surprise move on July 1, shipping backup goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic to the San Jose Sharks for a third-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft. Nedeljkovic had been the backup for the past two seasons before Penguins general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas moved him. 

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Feature image credit: Kelsey Surmacz - The Hockey News

The San Jose Sharks came into the 2025 offseason with the hope to upgrade their team. While they aren't expecting to be drastically better than they were last season, they needed to make a few moves to get better and help insulate the young core of Macklin Celebrini, William Eklund, and Will Smith.

Although they weren't the greatest offensive team, they have future stars in place and will continue to develop. But to stay in games and give their young forwards a fighting chance, they needed to address their defense. It was one of, if not the worst blue lines in the league last season.

However, GM Mike Grier tried his hardest yesterday to change that, and now the Sharks have eight defensemen signed to NHL-level contracts, which could open the door for a trade to shake things up even more.

Yesterday alone, he signed Dmitry Orlov to a two-year, $13 million deal and, only moments later, claimed veteran Nick Leddy off waivers. No, they aren't the biggest names and yes, they’ve struggled in recent years, but just adding these two improves their blue line a ton. It's a big step toward stabilizing the back end.

With eight defensemen signed, not including Sam Dickinson, their opening day pairings could look like this:

Pairing 1: Dmitry Orlov - Timothy Liljegren

Pairing 2: Sam Dickinson - Mario Ferraro

Pairing 3: Nick Leddy - John Klingberg

Extras: Vincent Desharnais, Henry Thrun, Shakir Mukhamadullin

If Grier can manage to pull off a trade, which could include one of Ferraro or Desharnais, it would allow Mukhamadullin to be in the starting six. Since he is a left-handed shot, he could be playing with either Leddy or Klingberg, which would give every pairing at least one NHL veteran. That mix of youth and experience could really help them stay afloat.

If we look back at their defense corps in Game 82 of the 2024-25 season against the Edmonton Oilers on April 16, it looked like this:

Pairing 1: Henry Thrun — Timothy Liljegren

Pairing 2: Lucas Carlsson — Jan Rutta

Pairing 3: Marc-Edouard Vlasic — Jimmy Schuldt

It doesn't take more than a quick look to see how much more improved this blue line is heading into the 2025-26 season. Just the addition of Orlov makes it better, but when you also add Klingberg and Leddy, it becomes a lot more structured and experienced. The whole group looks more like a real NHL unit.

BREAKING: San Jose Sharks Sign Dmitry OrlovBREAKING NEWS: The San Jose Sharks have signed Dmitry Orlov to a two-year, $13 million contract. The contract carries an AAV of $6.5 million.

The most impressive part of Grier improving the blue line is that he did it in a matter of three days. They signed Klingberg in free agency on July 1 and then signed Orlov and Leddy on July 3. It was a busy stretch, but one that could pay off all season.

If the Sharks are looking to make a trade to clear up the logjam on the back end, Ferraro may be their best bet. At 26, he is a pending free agent and could opt to leave in free agency next summer. He is also the most intriguing trade target on the Sharks' blue line. There could be a chance that they try and move Thrun, but he could be a good seventh defenseman option for them this season.

Ferraro could fetch them a good forward asset to help up front. There would be a number of teams that come calling if they were to make him available. A few teams that would make sense for Ferraro would be:

• Edmonton Oilers
• Ottawa Senators
• Chicago Blackhawks
• St. Louis Blues

There would be more teams interested, but the four teams listed above could be some of the front runners for him. They could use a 26-year-old defenseman who can play both sides of the ice and is signed for one year at $3.25 million. It wouldn't be overly surprising if the Oilers are the team that leads the sweepstakes if he were available on the trade block. They are in need of good players on cheap contracts as they look to hoist the Stanley Cup again.

Obviously, there is a better chance of Grier trading Ferraro closer to the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, in case on the off-chance they do better than expected and he then wants to sign a contract extension.

If Grier can continue to make moves like he did with the additions of Klingberg, Orlov, and Leddy, it could have lasting benefits. Adding experienced veterans to a young NHL locker room can help the younger stars learn what it takes to be an everyday NHLer. It is clear that Grier has a vision for how he wants this team to look, and it may not be a finished product for a few years, but it’s certainly heading that way.

Even though the Sharks may not be heading for a major improvement in the league standings, there still has to be some excitement about what Grier did — and what he could still do to keep shaping the rebuild.

San Jose Sharks' Free Agency ReviewIt’s now been three days since free agency opened and the San Jose Sharks still have a lot of work to do to reach the cap floor. As of right now, they have $32 million in cap space and sit at $62.8 million in used cap space, which means they need to get to $70.6 million to be cap compliant.  BREAKING: San Jose Sharks Acquire Bowers From New Jersey DevilsThe San Jose Sharks have acquired forward Shane Bowers from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forward Thomas Bordeleau. BREAKING: Sharks Claim Nick Leddy Off Waivers From BluesBREAKING NEWS: The San Jose Sharks have claimed defensemen Nick Leddy off of waivers from the St. Louis Blues. From The Archive: Burns VS KarlssonThe Hockey News has released its archive to all THN subscribers: 76 years of history, stories, and features.

Undersized forward L.J. Mooney, a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft, is certainly turning a lot of heads at the Montreal Canadiensdevelopment camp this week.

The cousin of Utah Mammoth star Logan Cooley stands only 5-foot-7, but he makes really smart plays and doesn't seem to be afraid of getting physical, either.

So with that in mind, and in honor of July 4, watch today's video for a list of the the top 10 U.S.-born players who were taken in the fourth round of the NHL draft.

Promo image credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images

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