NHL Player News

Vanecek signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Mammoth on Tuesday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Vanecek spent parts of last season with both the Sharks and the Panthers, playing 25 regular-season games in the NHL between the two, but he didn't have a save percentage above .900 for either team. The 29-year-old joins an already established goaltending duo in Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram to compete for playing time with, so don't be surprised if he begins this coming season in the minor leagues.

Nedeljkovic was traded to the Sharks from the Penguins on Tuesday in exchange for a 2028 third-round pick.

Nedeljkovic figures to step in as the No. 2 option behind Yaroslav Askarov heading into the 2025-26 campaign -- though Askarov is far from a lock for the starting job after going 4-6-2 with a 3.10 GAA in his 13 NHL appearances last year. For his part, Nedeljkovic comes in having gone 14-15-5 with an .894 save percentage and one shutout in 38 outings with Pittsburgh in 2024-25.

Lyon inked a two-year, $3 million contract with Buffalo on Tuesday.

Lyon put up decent numbers in Detroit last season, going 14-9-1 with a 2.81 GAA, .896 save percentage and one shutout in 30 regular-season outings. The problem for Lyon was the crowded goalie room with the Red Wings, a situation that won't be much different in Buffalo, as Devon Levi is pushing to be a full-time NHL option.

General manager Mathieu Darche relayed that Varlamov's rehab from knee surgery in December is going well, Andrew Gross of Newsday reports Tuesday.

Varlamov appeared in just 10 games with the Islanders last season, posting a 3-4-3 record, .889 save percentage and 2.89 GAA. New York signed David Rittich to a one-year contract Tuesday, so even if Varlamov is ready for the 2025-26 campaign, he now has some competition for the backup gig to Ilya Sorokin.

Murray signed a one-year, $1 million contract with Seattle on Tuesday.

Murray posted a 10-5-4 record with a 1.72 GAA and a .934 save percentage across 21 outings with AHL Toronto in 2024-25. The 31-year-old netminder only appeared in three regular-season contests with AHL Toronto in 2023-24 due to bilateral hip surgery. Murray might start the 2025-26 campaign in the minors because Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer are ahead of him on the Seattle depth chart.

Forsberg inked a two-year, $4.5 million contract with Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Forsberg will enter training camp with a shot at unseating Pheonix Copley as the No. 2 option behind Darcy Kuemper. With the Senators last season, the 32-year-old Forsberg played in 30 games, posting an 11-12-3 record, career-best 2.72 GAA and three shutouts. Forsberg should see similar usage in 2025-26, limiting his fantasy value as long as Kuemper stays healthy.

Fanti signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Lightning on Tuesday.

Fanti has yet to make his NHL debut and seems unlikely to do so this season either, as the Bolts are firmly cemented at the No. 1 and 2 spots on the NHL roster. In fact, Brandon Halverson projects as the first-choice call-up should the Lightning need to bring somebody up from the minors.

Kahkonen signed a one-year, $1.15 million contract with Montreal on Tuesday, Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports.

Kahkonen spent parts of 2024-25 with three different minor-league squads, and he also appeared in one regular-season game with the Avalanche, allowing four goals on 20 shots in a loss. The 28-year-old netminder will compete with Jakub Dobes for the No. 2 gig this coming season, but Kahkonen could find himself playing for AHL Laval for much of the campaign if he doesn't impress Montreal's coaching staff during training camp.

Rittich put pen to paper on a one-year deal with the Islanders on Tuesday.

Rittich will join a crowded goalie room that already includes Ilya Sorokin, Semyon Varlamov (knee) and Marcus Hogberg. While it's clear Sorokin will enter the 2025-26 campaign as the No. 1 option, there figures to be a three-way competition for the backup job now that Rittich is in the mix. With the Kings last year, Rittich went 16-14-2 with a 2.84 GAA and an .886 save percentage.

Vladar signed a two-year, $6.7 million contract with the Flyers on Tuesday.

Vladar posted a 12-11-6 record, .898 save percentage and 2.80 GAA over 30 regular-season appearances in the backup role to Dustin Wolf in Calgary last season. Philadelphia also has Ivan Fedotov and Samuel Ersson under contract for this coming season. Vladar could certainly compete for the No. 1 gig between the pipes, but it'll be a situation worth monitoring during training camp in the fall.