NHL Player News

Geekie signed a six-year, $33 million contract extension with the Bruins on Sunday, according to Chris Johnston of The Athletic.

The Bruins took care of an important piece of business by locking in Geekie to a long-term deal, as the 26-year-old would have been an offer-sheet candidate July 1 considering he was a restricted free agent. Geekie set career highs in goals (33), assists (24) and points (57) last season, and he'll continue to be an integral aspect of Boston's top six and No. 1 power-play unit going forward. However, the Manitoba native had a 22.0 percent conversion rate on 150 shots on goal in 2024-25, so fantasy managers will want to keep in mind that negative regression in that category should be expected in 2025-26.

Lauko will not be tendered a qualifying offer and will become an unrestricted free agent July 1, Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald reports Sunday.

Lauko battled injuries but played 56 NHL games last season, scoring five goals and adding six assists. The 25-year-old, who was a pending restricted free agent, will now be free to sign with any team without penalty as an unrestricted free agent once free agency opens. His injury issues might scare some teams off, but he proved to be an effective player who brought speed and skill to the bottom six when he was in the lineup.

Khusnutdinov has signed a two-year, $1.85 million deal to remain with the Bruins, the team announced Sunday.

Khusnutdinov was traded to the Bruins at the trade deadline from the Wild, and he turned more ice time into almost the same amount of production in way fewer games. He had five points in 18 games with Boston after posting only seven points in 57 games with Minnesota. The 22-year-old's new contract is a one-way deal, meaning it's safe to say that he is in the driver's seat to earning a spot in Boston's bottom six.

Foudy signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Islanders, the team announced Sunday.

Foudy spent most of the 2024-25 season at AHL Bridgeport, where he had 20 goals and 25 assists in 70 games. He appeared in two games at the NHL level with the Islanders, but he averaged just 7:27 of ice time over the two. The 25-year-old will likely battle for a roster spot in training camp but will likely spend most of the season in the AHL again.

Veleno was placed on unconditional waivers Sunday to buy out the final season of his two-year, $4.55 million contract.

Seattle acquired Veleno from Chicago on June 21 in exchange for Andre Burakovsky. The 25-year-old Veleno had eight goals, 17 points, 75 shots on net and 139 hits across 74 regular-season appearances between Detroit and Chicago in 2024-25. Assuming he clears waivers, he will become an unrestricted free agent.

Bennett signed an eight-year, $64 million contract with the Panthers on Friday, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press reports.

Bennett put together a career year as he played for a new contract, earning 25 goals and 51 points in 76 regular-season games. That alone doesn't justify the salary, but Bennett's 22-point effort in 22 playoff games bumps him up a level and was clearly enough for Florida to be interested in keeping him as part of a core that has won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles. Bennett is locked in as a second-line center and a member of the second power-play unit for years to come, and his fantasy profile as a hard-hitting scoring forward gives him mid-round appeal in all formats.

Brindley, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2025 third-round selection were acquired by Colorado from Columbus on Friday in exchange for Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Brindley had six goals, 17 points and 24 PIM in 52 regular-season appearances with AHL Cleveland in 2024-25. Columbus originally took Brindley with the No. 34 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. He excelled with the University of Michigan, supplying 25 goals and 53 points in 40 outings as a sophomore in 2023-24, but he likely needs more time in the minors to develop.

Coyle and Miles Wood were acquired by Columbus from Colorado on Friday in exchange for Gavin Brindley, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2025 third-round selection, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Coyle had 17 goals and 35 points across 83 regular-season appearances between Boston and Colorado in 2024-25. That was a major drop from his career highs of 25 goals and 60 points in 82 regular-season outings with the Bruins in 2023-24, but Coyle has finished the regular season with 30-50 points in seven of the last eight campaigns, so his most recent showing was on the low end in terms of offensive production, but it wasn't completely out of the ordinary. Coyle will likely start 2025-26 as Columbus' third-line center and on the second power-play unit.

Tavares agreed to a four-year, $17.52 million contract with Toronto on Friday, Darren Dreger of TSN reports.

Tavares wanted to remain in Toronto and will do so with a hometown discount as his $4.38 million AAV is well below what he likely could have received on the open market. Tavares had a big year in 2024-25, scoring 38 times while adding 36 assists across 75 regular-season appearances. He was without a point in eight of his last nine playoff games, managing five goals and seven points in 13 postseason contests. Tavares will likely wind up as the second-line center in Toronto, behind Auston Matthews.

Frederic inked an eight-year, $30.8 million contract with Edmonton on Friday, Darren Dreger of TSN reports.

Frederic played in just 23 games for the Oilers this year, including the postseason, after being acquired by the club at the trade deadline. Apparently, that was enough for the organization to commit to the 27-year-old center long term. In those outings, the St. Louis native generated one goal and three assists while dishing out 87 hits. It's that physicality that Frederic brings to the table as he heads into the 2025-26 campaign.