NHL Player News

Sillinger signed a three-year, $13.875 million contract with the Blue Jackets on Friday, per Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.

Sillinger and Columbus were headed toward an arbitration hearing, but that's no longer necessary. The 23-year-old Sillinger had eight goals, 33 points, 37 PIM and 112 hits in 81 regular-season appearances with the Blue Jackets in 2025-26. He's finished with 31-33 points in four of his first five regular seasons in the NHL. He has some untapped offensive upside, so perhaps he'll be able to surpass his career high of 33 points in 2026-27.

Aman agreed to terms on a three-year contract with Djurgardens IF of the SHL on Tuesday.

Aman saw action in just two NHL games with Vancouver last season, failing to register a point while producing one shot, two hits and one block. Given the length of his contract with the Swedish club, it seems unlikely the 26-year-old center will make a return to the NHL. If that is the case, he'll eventually hang up his skates having appeared in 132 regular-season tilts in which he recorded eight goals and 21 assists.

Merkulov signed a one-year contract with Colorado on Monday.

It's a two-way deal, per PuckPedia. Merkulov had 24 goals and 61 points over 70 regular-season games for AHL Providence in 2025-26. The 25-year-old forward has one assist, 10 shots on goal, 11 blocked shots and four hits in 11 career NHL appearances. He will compete for a depth role with the Avalanche during training camp, but it wouldn't be surprising if he started the 2026-27 campaign in the minors.

Davidson signed a one-year, two-way contract with Montreal on Monday.

During the 2025-26 campaign, he had 16 goals and 25 points in 53 regular-season outings for AHL Laval before being held off the scoresheet in three playoff games. Davidson also had one assist, nine shots on goal and 18 hits across 10 regular-season appearances at the NHL level with Montreal in 2025-26. He will probably spend most of 2026-27 in the minors.

Lundestrom will be out until at least early November after having offseason Achilles surgery, according to Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers on Sunday.

Lundestrom contributed four goals, eight assists, 53 shots on net, 35 blocked shots and 35 hits across 68 games for Columbus during the 2025-26 regular season. Once he is ready to make his 2026-27 debut, he will probably occupy a bottom-six role and see time on the penalty kill. Lundestrom's absence could help Luca Del Bel Belluz earn a roster spot with the Blue Jackets out of training camp.

Bedard (shoulder) signed a five-year, $75 million contract with Chicago on Saturday.

Bedard amassed 30 goals, 75 points and 226 shots on net in 69 games during the 2025-26 regular season. It was the final year of his entry-level contract, and he earned a significant pay increase. The 21-year-old forward will miss the start of the 2026-27 campaign after having surgery on his left shoulder. He suffered the injury while practicing in Vancouver on July 2 and underwent the procedure six days later. Bedard is expected to need four months to recover. Once he is back in the lineup, he will center the top line and occupy a spot on the first power-play unit.

Dach signed a one-year, $3.6 million contract with the Canadiens on Thursday.

Dach had eight goals, 15 points, 31 PIM and 53 hits in 37 regular-season outings with Montreal in 2025-26. The 25-year-old has struggled to live up to his potential as a top-six power forward, and his lengthy injury history has certainly been part of the problem. He might surpass his career high of 38 points if he stays relatively healthy this campaign, but he's played in fewer than 60 games in each of the past four regular seasons.

McMichael signed a six-year, $40.5 million contract with the Blues on Thursday.

McMichael was a restricted free agent after completing his two-year, $4.2 million contract. St. Louis acquired him from Washington on June 23 as part of the trade that sent Jordan Kyrou to the Capitals. The 25-year-old McMichael had 14 goals and 46 points in 78 regular-season appearances with Washington in 2025-26, which was down from 26 goals and 57 points in 82 outings during the 2024-25 regular season. He's expected to open the upcoming campaign in a middle-six capacity and should receive some power-play ice time.

Zegras signed a four-year, $36.5 million contract with the Flyers on Wednesday.

Zegras is coming off a career year after posting 26 goals and 67 points in 81 regular-season games in 2025-26. The 25-year-old forward is expected to continue filling a top-six role with a spot on the first power-play unit in 2026-27. Zegras should continue to be a reliable fantasy forward regardless of if he's able to stick at center or ultimately moves to the wing later in the contract.

Perfetti signed five-year, $30 million contract with the Jets on Wednesday.

Perfetti was a restricted free agent. He had 12 goals, 32 points, 20 PIM, 54 hits and 33 blocks in 68 regular-season appearances with Winnipeg in 2025-26. That was down from 50 points during the 2024-25 regular season, but it was also his fourth consecutive campaign with at least 30 points. He's still just 24 years old and has the potential to establish himself as a solid top-six forward.