NHL Player News

Veleno was acquired by Seattle from Chicago on Saturday in exchange for Andre Burakovsky, Mark Lazerus of The Athletic reports.

Veleno's time in Chicago was brief after being acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline in March. The 25-year-old had three goals and seven points in 18 regular-season games with the Blackhawks, giving him eight goals and nine assists across 56 regular-season appearances in 2024-25. He should be a bottom-six forward, at best, in Seattle.

Bourque signed a one-year, $950,000 contract with Dallas on Friday, according to Chris Johnston of The Athletic.

Bourque managed to play in 73 regular-season games during his rookie campaign in 2024-25, scoring 11 goals and adding 14 assists. He was selected in the opening round, 30th overall, in 2020 and is likely to be a middle-six forward for the Stars next season. Bourque was a healthy scratch on 15 occasions during the playoffs and was held off the scoresheet in the three games he managed to see action in.

Stienburg inked a one-year, two-way contract with Colorado on Friday, according to Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports.

Stienburg played eight games during the regular season with the Avalanche but was unable to hit the scoresheet. Stienburg played only five games with AHL Colorado in 2024-25, scoring once and adding two assists. He will battle for a bottom-six spot with Colorado during training camp.

Nugent-Hopkins played with a broken hand during the final four games of the Stanley Cup Finals, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic reported Thursday.

Connor McDavid made the announcement during his season-ending press conference. Nugent-Hopkins managed to play in the remaining four games after suffering the injury during Game 2 versus Florida on June 6. Nugent-Hopkins is expected to be 100 percent for the start of training camp in September.

Duchene signed a four-year, $18 million contract extension with Dallas on Thursday.

Duchene was outstanding last season, registering 30 goals and 52 assists, his second-best regular season in his NHL career. The 34-year-old had 27 points on the power play as well as 152 shots on goal. Duchene struggled during the playoffs with only one goal, five assists and a minus-16 rating across 18 postseason appearances.

Donato signed a four-year, $16 million contract with the Blackhawks on Wednesday.

Donato was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer now that his previous two-year, $4 million contract is complete. He established career highs with 31 goals and 62 points across 80 appearances with Chicago in 2024-25. That's a huge jump from his previous personal best of 31 points in 2021-22. The increase came in part because he averaged 16:19 of ice time last season compared to his career average of 13:21, but even if he maintains that role next season, it wouldn't be surprising to see the 29-year-old's offensive output slip somewhat given how big of a spike he just saw.

Nesterenko signed a two-year, one-way contract with the Ducks on Wednesday.

Nesterenko had four goals, six points, two PIM and 46 hits in 20 appearances with Anaheim in 2024-25. He also recorded 13 goals and 34 points across 50 regular-season outings with AHL San Diego. Nesterenko will need to fight to gain a bottom-six spot on the Ducks' Opening Night roster, but the fact that the 23-year-old secured a one-way deal suggests Anaheim likes his chances of playing the bulk of the next two seasons in the NHL.

Rempe signed a two-year contract with the Rangers on Wednesday.

Rempe was eligible to become a restricted free agent this summer after completing his entry-level contract. The Rangers didn't disclose the financial terms of the deal, but it's expected to come with a $975,000 cap hit, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic's source. Rempe had three goals, eight points, 67 PIM, 30 shots and 117 hits across 42 outings with the Rangers in 2024-25. The 22-year-old provides toughness, but not a lot else, and as a consequence of his somewhat limited game, Rempe is often a healthy scratch. The 22-year-old is likely to continue to spend a fair amount of games in the press box and might even see stints in the minors during the life of this contract.

Draisaitl had four hits, two blocks and a minus-4 rating Tuesday in a 5-1 loss to the Panthers in Game 6.

He had no shots. Draisaitl and Connor McDavid were absolutely smothered by the tough-checking Panthers. The two Oilers finished at the top of the postseason scoring list with 33 points, but that's small consolation when the Cup was handed to the Panthers instead of the Oilers for the second consecutive season.

McDavid had two shots and finished minus-4 in a 5-1 loss to the Panthers in Game 6 on Tuesday in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The kitties smothered both McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on Tuesday, and the rest of the Oilers had no response. Still, he and Draisaitl led all players in scoring with 33 points this postseason. But that's irrelevant to him when the Cup was being hoisted for the second straight season by his opponent.