NHL Player News

Smith agreed to a professional tryout contract with Columbus on Tuesday.

Smith registered one goal, five assists, 27 shots on net, 23 blocked shots and 41 hits across 32 regular-season appearances with Dallas in 2024-25. The 36-year-old defender will compete for a depth role with Columbus during training camp.

Hunt signed a one-year, two-way contract with Columbus on Friday.

Hunt saw action in one NHL game last season with the Wild before he was part of a trade that sent David Jiricek to Minnesota on Nov. 30. The 23-year-old Hunt spent the rest of the regular season with AHL Cleveland, picking up two goals and 12 assists in 48 games. He could see a couple of games at the NHL level in 2025-26, especially if the Blue Jackets run into injury problems on their blue line.

Hamonic landed a one-year, $1 million contract with Detroit on Friday.

Hamonic spent the last three-plus seasons with Ottawa, picking up one goal and six assists across 59 regular-season games in 2024-25. The 34-year-old blueliner figures to be in a battle with Erik Gustafsson and Justin Holl for the bottom pairing with the Red Wings.

Ruhwedel announced his retirement from playing professional hockey Tuesday.

Ruhwedel's NHL career spanned 13 years in which he played for the Penguins, Sabres and Rangers. The 35-year-old put most of his time in with Pittsburgh, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2017. The San Diego native appeared in 369 career NHL regular-season games, supplying 13 goals, 50 points and 622 hits.

Evans signed a two-year, $4.1 million contract with the Kraken on Monday.

Evans was a restricted free agent prior to re-signing with the Kraken, which he'll become again when the deal expires after 2026-27. He'll also be eligible for arbitration at that time. The 23-year-old appears to be developing into a reliable bottom-four defenseman, as he registered five goals, 20 helpers, 123 hits and 106 blocked shots over 73 appearances last season. While he may be a steady source of category coverage in 2025-26, his lack of power-play time due to the presence of Vince Dunn and Brandon Montour on the blue line is a hindrance to Evans' offensive potential.

Johnson signed a professional tryout agreement with Minnesota on Monday.

Johnson earned six assists, 23 shots on goal, 35 blocked shots and 21 hits across 41 regular-season games with Columbus in 2024-25. With Jonas Brodin (upper body) likely to miss the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign, the 38-year-old Johnson could land a spot on Minnesota's Opening Night roster if young defenders Zeev Buium or David Jiricek (abdomen) require additional development time in the minors.

Lindholm (kneecap) said he is fully healed and ready to go for the start of training camp, Kevin Paul Dupont of The Boston Globe reports Friday.

Lindholm missed a large portion of last season due to a fractured kneecap sustained in November. He is now ready to go, and he'll look to bolster the Bruins' defense, which suffered greatly without him for much of 2024-25. The 31-year-old put up seven points and 17 blocked shots in 17 appearances last year. In addition to the upcoming NHL campaign, Lindholm is also hoping to make Sweden's Olympic roster.

Aitcheson will not go the collegiate route this season, instead staying with OHL Barrie for another year, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports Thursday.

Aitcheson, who was selected 17th overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, could get a look during training camp by going the junior route instead of college. If he impresses enough, it's possible the Islanders will hand him an entry-level deal, which would give him the opportunity to play in a handful of games this season -- though he is unlikely to be a full-time NHL option. Either way, don't be surprised to see Aitcheson competing for a roster spot in the lead-up to the 2026-27 season.

Schaefer signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Islanders on Monday.

Schaefer, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, will now have every opportunity to make the Islanders' Opening Night roster out of training camp. If he does, the smooth-skating, puck-moving defenseman could compete with Tony DeAngelo for the quarterback spot on the top power-play unit, but Schaefer will likely receive time with one of the combinations nonetheless. Schaefer's 2024-25 campaign was cut short due to mononucleosis and a collarbone injury, but he still recorded seven goals, 15 helpers and a plus-21 rating across 17 regular-season games with OHL Erie.

Samberg signed a three-year, $17.25 million contract with the Jets on Wednesday, Murat Ates of The Athletic reports.

After appearing in a career-high 78 regular-season games with Winnipeg during the 2023-24 season, Samberg was limited to just 60 regular-season appearances last year, but his efficiency improved in most areas. The 26-year-old logged six goals, 14 assists, 120 blocked shots, 56 hits, 26 PIM and a plus-34 rating while averaging 21:08 of ice time. The blueliner should continue to play a prominent role for Winnipeg over the next several years.