NHL Player News

Goncalves signed a two-year, $2.4 million contract with the Lightning on Tuesday.

In his first full campaign with Tampa Bay, Goncalves provided eight goals, 20 points, 71 hits and a plus-7 rating over 60 regular-season appearances. The 24-year-old, selected by the Lightning in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft, will likely receive middle-six minutes in 2025-26, though he's capable of playing up and down the lineup.

Dvorak signed a one-year, $5.4 million contract with Philadelphia on Tuesday, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Dvorak registered 12 goals, 33 points, 104 shots on net and 74 hits across 82 regular-season games with Montreal in 2024-25. The 29-year-old forward could occupy a bottom-six role with the Flyers in the 2024-25 campaign.

Blackwell signed a two-year, $1.55 million contract with the Stars on Tuesday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Blackwell notched six goals, 17 points, 84 hits and a plus-4 rating over 63 regular-season contests with Dallas this past campaign. The right-shot forward will continue to fill a bottom-six role with the Stars, but he shouldn't warrant much attention from fantasy managers outside of the deepest of formats.

Lafferty was traded to Chicago from Buffalo for a 2026 sixth-round pick Tuesday.

Lafferty struggled to produce offensively last season, managing just seven points in 60 regular-season outings for the Sabres. In his previous stint in Chicago, the 30-year-old winger was significantly more productive, generating 21 points in 51 contests. Lafferty's primary on-ice value comes as a penalty killer, a role that doesn't exactly translate into fantasy production -- though he did manage four short-handed goals with the Hawks in 2022-23.

Bolduc was acquired by the Habs from the Blues on Tuesday in a swap for Logan Mailloux.

Bolduc is coming off a solid rookie campaign with St. Louis in which he notched 19 goals and 17 helpers in 72 regular-season outings, including 12 power-play points. Barring a significant sophomore slump, the 22-year-old Quebec native should be capable of topping both those marks this coming season and should be a top-half fantasy target.

Stankoven signed an eight-year, $48 million contract extension with the Hurricanes on Tuesday, according to Chris Johnston of The Athletic.

Stankoven has one year left on his entry-level contract, so his new deal will begin in 2026-27. The 22-year-old was acquired by Carolina in the Mikko Rantanen trade in March, and Stankoven will now be tied to the Hurricanes long term. The right-shot forward will likely get middle-six minutes with a chance to move into a larger role depending on his play, and he'll certainly be a factor with the man advantage. He had only nine points in 19 regular-season games after being dealt, but Stankoven looked more comfortable in the postseason, contributing five goals, eight points and 18 hits over 15 outings.

Asplund inked a two-year contract with Swiss club HC Davos on Tuesday, AHL Insider Patrick Williams reports.

Asplund was a highly touted prospect coming out of Sweden when the Sabres selected him 33rd overall in the 2016 NHL Draft. Unfortunately, things haven't worked out for the 27-year-old center, as he has logged just 52 NHL games over the last three seasons. While Asplund was productive with AHL Charlotte last year, he generated 43 points in 63 regular-season outings, it seems he will head back to Europe to continue his NHL career.

Rees is set to be an unrestricted free agent after not being tendered a qualifying offer from Ottawa on Monday, per PuckPedia.

Rees, a second-round selection by Carolina in 2019, accounted for four goals, 14 points and a minus-7 rating over 42 games with AHL Belleville last season. The 24-year-old has never made an appearance in the NHL.

McLaughlin signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Devils on Monday, per PuckPedia.

It's a two-way deal for the forward. McLaughlin spent parts of the 2024-25 season with the Bruins and Devils, and he appeared in multiple games for each club's minor-league squads. The 25-year-old will provide organizational depth for the Devils, as he might spend most of his time with AHL Utica in 2025-26.

Cousins signed a one-year, $825,000 contract with the Senators on Monday, per Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.

Cousins will return to Ottawa on another one-year deal after providing six goals and 15 points over 50 regular-season appearances with the club in 2024-25. The left-shot forward was held off the scoresheet over five postseason appearances in the Senators' first-round series loss to the Maple Leafs. Cousins is unlikely to serve in anything more than a fourth-line capacity next season, which leaves him with minimal value in the fantasy realm.