The Colorado Avalanche announced that they have re-signed restricted free agent (RFA) defenseman Sam Malinski to a one-year deal worth $1.4 million and goaltender Trent Miner to a two-year contract extension worth $1.55 million with a cap hit of $775,000 per season. 

Sam Malinski

Malinski made the Avalanche's opening-night roster in 2024-25 and finished the season with 76 regular-season games played, scoring five goals and recording ten assists for 15 points. During the regular season, he ranked third among Avalanche defensemen in goals, tied for fourth in points, and finished fifth in assists. In his first full NHL season, Malinski surpassed his totals from the 2023-24 season in goals, assists, and average time on ice per game (15:57).

In the first-round series against the Dallas Stars, he played in five of the seven games and earned his first career playoff point in Game 3 by assisting on Valeri Nichushkin's game-opening goal. As he approaches his 27th birthday on July 27th, he looks forward to a promising 2025-26 season that should provide him with even more opportunities to produce than before.

Trent Miner

Last season, Miner played 38 games with the AHL-affiliated Colorado Eagles, finishing with a record of 22 wins, 10 losses, and six overtime losses. He maintained an impressive .918 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.12, along with three shutouts. 

During the regular season, Miner ranked fifth in the AHL for GAA and seventh in both Sv% and wins (tied). He was the starting goaltender in all nine Calder Cup playoff games for the Eagles, recording a GAA of 2.15 and a save Percentage of .925.

On November 15, Miner made his NHL debut with the Avalanche, coming in as a relief goaltender against the Washington Capitals. In that game, he saved 12 of 13 shots, contributing to a 5-2 final score. He earned his first career start on January 8 against the Chicago Blackhawks, where he made 17 saves but faced a 3-1 defeat and took the loss.

With MacKenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood on contract, Miner continues to be the emergency goalie in case either gets hurt and the main starter for the Eagles. However, his position with the team in the future is uncertain.

As top prospect Ilya Nabokov has signed his ELC, although he was loaned back to the KHL for this upcoming season. It will be interesting to see what the playing time is in the 2026-27 season when Wedgewood's contract is up. Does Nabokov become Blackwood's backup? Or does Miner become the backup and Nabokov become the Eagles' starter?

Is It Farewell for Jonathan Drouin and the Colorado Avalanche?With  Brock Nelson re-signing and numerous unrestricted free agents the Colorado Avalanche can re-sign, how high does Jonathan Drouin rank in terms of importance to the Avalanche?

It’s the day for deals (apparently).

The Detroit Red Wings are busy little bees on the eve of Free Agency Frenzy. Steve Yzerman has already taken care of business with two separate transactions on Monday.

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For starters, he shipped out Vladimir Tarasenko to the Minnesota Wild for his favorite player – future considerations.

After that, he got Albert Johansson to agree to a new contract. Now, he’s dealt with another pending RFA within the organization.

BERGY 🍔

The #RedWings have signed Jonatan Berggren to a one-year contract with an AAV of $1,825,000. pic.twitter.com/Jrl04kt0yb

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 30, 2025

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5 Red Wings Who Must Be Traded Before New SeasonThis season is all but lost.

Monday afternoon, the Red Wings announced a new contract for forward Jonatan Berggren. The two parties agreed to a one-year, $1.825 million deal.

This contract is a tad heavy on the AVV side, but for good reason. It’s an opportunity for Berggren to show the Red Wings what he can do. For all intents and purposes, it might be his final opportunity.

The 24-year-old put up 24 points in 75 games during the regular season. Berggren averaged 12:59 per game in 2024-25.

Time will tell if Steve Yzerman has any more deals up his sleeve before Free Agency begins on Tuesday.

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After nine years with the Maple Leafs, Marner is officially headed to Vegas.

The Sports Network’s Darren Dreger reported that Marner’s deal includes an eight-year contract, paying him $12 million per season. 

Mitch Marner has reportedly agreed to an eight-year contract extension with the @GoldenKnights! https://t.co/9jHSFOCGUGpic.twitter.com/BJ1jkjVXOE

— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) June 30, 2025

According to multiple sources, the deal is structured as a sign-and-trade, with Toronto finalizing the contract before transferring his rights to Vegas ahead of the free agency window. While the contract has been signed, the trade itself is still pending.

Marner was set to enter unrestricted free agency on Tuesday. Instead, he’s expected to join the Golden Knights under a deal totaling $96 million.

By acquiring his rights before free agency, Vegas can lock him into the maximum eight-year term, something not possible if they had waited to sign him on the open market, where contracts are capped at seven years. ​​In return, Toronto receives center Nicolas Roy. 

Marner, 28, is a right-winger who has consistently put out top tier results. As a former top-five draft pick, Marner has delivered high offensive output, including a 100-point season and multiple 90+ point campaigns. He sits fifth on Toronto's all-time scoring list with 741 points. He’s a dynamic skater with exceptional vision, creativity, and defensive awareness, earning a Selke Trophy nomination for his all-around play. 

He holds several Maple Leafs records, including the longest point streak in franchise history (23 games), and reached 500 career points faster than nearly any Leaf in history. He’s also shined on the international stage, scoring a dramatic OT winner for Team Canada in the 2024–25 4 Nations Face-Off. 

The Golden Knights add a proven star to their core, aiming to stay in the championship conversation. For Marner, the desert offers a fresh start and perhaps the ultimate prize that was just out of reach for him in Toronto

PHOTO COURTESY: James Guillory / Imagn Images

Chicago Blackhawks legend Brent Seabrook, who was an elite defenseman on multiple championship-winning teams, has been working in hockey since his retirement as a player. 

Seabrook worked with the Vancouver Giants of the WHL initially as an interim assistant coach. He then became a player development coach. In 2024, Seabrook joined Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence Management Group with the under-20 program. 

On Monday, his next endeavor was announced. Seabrook will be a member of the Player Development Staff for the Calgary Flames. 

Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) on XBrent Seabrook has been added to the #Flames Player Development staff! 📄: https://t.co/7lvckJrc66

This is a great hire for the Flames. A three-time Stanley Cup champion and Olympic Gold Medalist is always someone you want to have around your young players. Seabrook will help with player development on the NHL Flames and AHL Wranglers.

“We are pleased to welcome Brent Seabrook to our development team,” Flames GM Craig Conroy said. “Our young players will benefit from his years of experience in the NHL and his championship pedigree.”

Seabrook’s past experiences as a player, coach, and manager across many levels make him a worthy candidate with the right pedigree. 

“I am really looking forward to getting started with the group of young, talented players in the Flames organization,” said Brent Seabrook. “The future of the organization is very bright and I am thankful to the Calgary Flames for allowing me to be a part it.”

You never know if this is all his way of moving up the ladder to become an NHL executive. He is taking all of the proper steps to go down that road if he pleases. The knowledge he brings to the table, combined with his hard work, will help him continue to excel.

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The Philadelphia Flyers have won the Ivan Provorov trade in more ways than one.

On Monday, multiple reports indicated that the Flyers' former No. 1 defenseman signed an eye-watering seven-year contract extension worth $8.5 million annually, all while playing second fiddle to Norris Trophy finalist Zach Werenski.

Provorov, 28, is now signed through his age 35 season, earning a big raise on the previous six-year, $40.5 million ($6.75 million AAV) pact he signed with the Flyers on Sept. 12, 2019.

On his new contract, Provorov would have been the second-highest-paid Flyer, trailing Travis Konecny by only $250k.

On defense, the former No. 7 overall pick would be leading Travis Sanheim, and the injured Ryan Ellis, by a healthy $1.75 million.

Flyers Reportedly Rejected Islanders Trade to Secure Porter MartoneThe Philadelphia Flyers were open to lots of things ahead of the NHL Draft, but, ultimately, a bold New York Islanders trade offer wasn't enough to pull them away from selecting Porter Martone with the sixth overall pick.

Many fans took to social media to immediately lament the signing as a drastic overpayment, and given that Provorov is effectively a second-pairing defender, there is some truth to that.

Something Provorov and his agent are banking on, and something the Flyers are planning their own moves around, is the ever-rising salary cap, which is projected to reach $114 million just two years from now.

It's important for players and teams to keep in mind, however, that earning bigger, larger contracts partially defeat the purpose of the rising cap.

To keep up with these increasing demands, the Flyers, the rest of the NHL teams, and the league itself will have to generate more revenue, which comes from games. And fans are already unhappy with the rampant expansion rumors and the rumored increase from 82 regular season games to 84.

The new Provorov contract is absurd and could be a concerning sign of things to come down the road.

In Philadelphia, the Flyers will gladly take Oliver Bonk, Helge Grans, and the other assets they ultimately received in that Provorov trade, especially at that price.

The Ottawa Senators have signed goaltender Leevi Meriläinen to a one-year, one-way contract extension worth an average annual value of $1.05 million.

Meriläinen, 22, split the 2024–25 season between Ottawa and their AHL affiliate in Belleville. In 37 games with Belleville, he posted an 18-12-7 record along with a 2.37 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.

He also saw action in 12 games for the Senators, putting up even better numbers than his AHL performance. It was especially impressive for such a young goaltender with limited NHL experience. The Oulu, Finland native went 8-3-1 with a 1.99 GAA, a .925 save percentage, and three shutouts. He even had a fourth shutout in the bag through regulation, but lost it in overtime against Washington.

To recap, that makes one-third of Merilainen's 12 games where the opponent couldn't score on him in regulation. His ability to hold the fort during such a bad run of injuries to the goalies ahead of him on the depth chart was a big reason Ottawa managed to clinch its first playoff spot in eight years.

Now that the Senators have three goaltenders—Meriläinen, Mads Søgaard, and Linus Ullmark—all on one-way contracts, this likely signals the end of Anton Forsberg’s time here after four and a half years with the club. Forsberg is officially a UFA as of tomorrow.

The question now becomes: Who will back up Ullmark this season? Will Meriläinen continue his rise and earn the job? Could Søgaard stay healthy, have a big camp and get the nod? Or might the club look to add a more experienced veteran via free agency or trade this summer, someone who's been around the block a little more?

It should be noted that both goalies spent time on the injury list last season. In Ottawa, who didn't? But Sogaard missed the most action, playing only 10 games all season, two of them in the NHL.

Will The Ottawa Senators Go Shopping To Fill Their Most Underrated Roster Spot?One of the most underrated positions for the Ottawa Senators this fall will be the backup goalie role.

Meriläinen was drafted 71st overall by the Senators in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft. He was the third-rounder they got in the Dylan DeMelo trade, so there's a chance he can still salvage what was then a pretty underwhelming return for what could have been an important player for them.

In all, the young Finn has appeared in 14 NHL games and 65 AHL contests to date. In those 65 AHL games, he holds a 31-21-8 record with a 2.53 GAA and a .912 save percentage.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News/Ottawa

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When the New York Islanders traded Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens, they gained some cap flexibility, and they wasted no time utilizing it. On Monday afternoon, Mathieu Darche made his first big signing, or at least the first he intended to keep, when he put pen to paper with former Hab Alexander Romanov.

The 25-year-old left-handed defenseman is on Long Island to stay; he has signed an eight-year contract extension with an annual average value of $ 6.25 million. Romanov was initially drafted by the Canadiens in the second round of the 2018 draft with the 38th pick overall. Back then, the pick was considered a reach, but the young Russian has gained a lot of respect around the league.

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At the 2022 draft, the Canadiens sent him to the Islanders for a first-round pick to flip the pick to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Kirby Dach trade. Since then, he has become a fixture on the Isles’ blueline.

In 64 games this season, he put up 20 points and picked up 20 penalty minutes while landing 147 hits. A rugged defenseman who doesn’t shy away from physical play, Romanov saw over 22 minutes of ice time on average this season and skated alongside Dobson on the Isles’ first pairing.

While Romanov must have been celebrating, the situation was much different for another former Canadiens’ defenseman. The Columbus Blue Jackets did not extend a qualifying offer to Jordan Harris and will therefore become an unrestricted free agent at noon on July 1st.

Harris was acquired from the Canadiens in exchange for sniper Patrik Laine and a 2026 second-round pick. This season, he appeared in only 33 games with the Ohio outfit, contributing five points while averaging just 11:23 of ice time. In his last season in Montreal, he was skating just under 17 minutes and 30 seconds a night.

Photo credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

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Brad Marchand reportedly won't be hitting NHL free agency after all.

The 37-year-old forward—a pending unrestricted free agent on July 1—appears to have signed a six-year extension with the Florida Panthers, per TSN and The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. The AAV of the deal is unknown, but Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports it could be a $32 million deal in total.

Marchand was set to be one of the more coveted players on the free-agent market, with Toronto reportedly being one of the frontrunners for the veteran forward. That doesn't happen now, though, with Marchand re-upping with the Stanley Cup-winning Panthers.

The Halifax, Nova Scotia native scored 10 goals and 10 assists in 23 playoff games with Florida after joining the club at the trade deadline via the Boston Bruins. Among the teams reportedly interested in his services in free agency were Toronto, Boston, Florida, and the Utah Mammoth.

Report: Maple Leafs Trade Mitch Marner's To Vegas Golden Knights, Agrees To Eight-Year Deal Worth $12 Million AAVMitch Marner is on his way to Las Vegas.

With Marchand now locked in with the Panthers, Toronto needs to look elsewhere for a forward, potentially the trade market. Earlier Monday, the Maple Leafs acquired Matias Maccelli from Utah for a conditional third-round draft pick in 2027.

The pick could convert to a second-round draft pick in 2029, only if Maccelli records at least 51 points next season. The 24-year-old has one year left on his contract with an annual average value of $3.425 million.

The Maple Leafs have also reportedly traded Mitch Marner's negotiation rights to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Nic Roy, per Friedman. Marner reportedly signed an eight-year deal with the club at an AAV of $12 million.

Maple Leafs Trade for Matias Maccelli: Why Toronto Acquired Winger From Utah MammothThe Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for a conditional third-round draft pick in 2027, which will convert to a second-round draft pick in 2029 if Maccelli record at least 51 points in the 2025-26 NHL season.

Toronto also signed Steven Lorentz to a three-year extension on Monday. The AAV comes in at $1.35 million, totalling out at $4.05 million over three seasons.

(Top photo of Marchand: John E. Sokolowski / Imagn Images)

In what has felt like an inevitability since the NHL’s 2024-25 Stanley Cup playoffs ended, star right winger Mitch Marner is leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs for the Vegas Golden Knights via a sign-and-trade deal. 

Reports Saturday that the Leafs and Golden Knights were in negotiations to trade Marner only confirmed the narrative that Marner wanted out of Toronto. Now, he’s getting an eight-year contract worth $12 million annually on the Golden Knights, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

But how did it come to this? 

From the time he was drafted fourth overall in 2015, Marner was seen as a very special player and a cornerstone component of the Leafs’ full rebuild. 

He initially responded to the pressure of playing in Toronto very well: in his first NHL season in 2016-17, Marner posted 42 assists and 61 points in 77 games, and in his third year, he had 68 assists and 94 points. He ended up recording at least 90 points in four seasons and averaged at least a point per game in seven of his nine campaigns. This past season, Marner had a career-best 75 assists and 102 points. 

Unfortunately, as Marner’s Leafs career unfolded, there was a bigger problem that overshadowed his regular-season dominance – namely, his inability to lead Toronto to deep playoff runs.

Without question, it was always unfair to Marner that he was scapegoated for the Maple Leafs’ slew of early playoff exits. He was never the kind of player who could put the team on his back and pound opponents into dust. 

Still, there was always a sense that Marner wasn’t built for playoff success. 

Leafs Nation watched him flail and wail as the Buds were conquered time and again in the post-season. While Marner was a point-per-game player in the post-season, he never could come up with game-changing moments when the Leafs needed them most. 

As a result, the spotlight eventually scorched Marner, as he grew increasingly uncomfortable making even run-of-the-mill media availabilities.

The longer Marner played in the past year without signing a contract extension, the more it became clear that he was not long for Toronto. Whenever he was asked about his future, Marner threw out cliches and evasive answers, but the proof was in the pudding when his signature never appeared on a new contract. And rumors at the trade deadline that the Leafs asked him to waive his no-trade clause to be moved to the Carolina Hurricanes – a request Marner rejected – added to the drama.

Now, it appears that Marner is headed for the bright lights of Vegas – and a Golden Knights team that knows elite talent when it sees one. 

Marner will happily be able to escape the day-to-day grind of Toronto, and he’ll be joining a Vegas squad that always seems to be ready, willing and able to go deep into the playoffs. He’ll start with a clean slate on Day 1 in Vegas, and that’s probably what he needs the most at this stage of his playing days.

Marner’s elite playmaking skills will be quite welcomed in Nevada, playing alongside Grade-A talents, such as center Jack Eichel and power forward Mark Stone. He isn’t going to be asked to be “The Man” for the Golden Knights, and that will likely allow him to relax for the first time in many years. Positive results will probably follow. 

But the first time Marner returns to Toronto, you’d better believe the boo birds are going to be out in force. Leafs fans understand full well that, if Marner knew he was leaving the Leafs at the end of the past season, he could’ve helped out the Buds by accepting a trade. Instead, he reportedly acted in his own best interests to shoot down a deal that could’ve brought star right winger Mikko Rantanen to the Leafs. 

While that decision was entirely within Marner’s rights as someone who negotiated a no-trade clause in good faith, Leafs fans might not see things that way. In the end, many will see the end of Marner’s career as a lost opportunity for the Leafs.

You could always see he desperately wanted things to work out, but for one reason or another, they never did. And now, at age 28, Marner will be starting a new chapter in his career. He’s getting a major raise on the $10.9 million he earned this past season, and he will likely have great success with the Golden Knights.

And now, after he’s played nine seasons with the only professional team he’s ever known, Marner is ending his Maple Leafs days moving out of the fishbowl toward the relative anonymity of the Vegas desert. The Leafs will start the post-Marner era as they search for the post-season success that Marner could never deliver.

More to come as trade details are finalized.

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The deadline to send qualifying offers to restricted free agents was Monday at 5 PM ET. 

The New York Islanders chose not to send QOs to defenseman Samuel Bolduc, Aidan Fulp and Scott Perunovich.

#Isles who did not receive qualifying offers:

D Samuel Bolduc
D Aidan Fulp
D Scott Perunovich

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) June 30, 2025

Bolduc played 52 games at the NHL level for the Islanders, recording eight points (four goals, four assists) but quickly fell out of favor under head coach Patrick Roy. 

The 24-year-old former second round pick in 2019 recorded 35 points (nine goals, 26 games) in 69 games for Bridgeport. 

Fulp, 25, went undrafted before signing with the Islanders, playing a tad over two seasons for the AHL affiliate. He never got a chance to play at the NHL level and recorded six assists in 31 games for Bridgeport last season. 

Perunovich, whom the Islanders acquired from the St. Louis Blues for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft -- the conditions weren't met -- played 35 games for the Islanders with nine points (two goals, seven assists).

After a rough outing against the New York Rangers on Feb. 25, the 2020 Hobey Baker winner did not play until the final two games of the regular season.

All three players become unrestricted free agnets, with free agency beginning on Tuesday, July 1 at 12 PM ET. 

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PHOTO: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images