NHL Player News

The Avalanche did not extend a qualify offer to Mandolese, making him an unrestricted free agent, per Brennan Vogt of Hockey Mountain High on Tuesday.

Mandolese held an 11-6-0 record, .903 save percentage and 2.87 GAA over 19 regular-season appearances with AHL Colorado in 2024-25. The 24-year-old netminder was a sixth-round selection by Ottawa in 2018, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him land a two-way deal with a new team when free agency opens.

Tarasov signed a one-year, $1.05 million contract with the Panthers on Tuesday, according to PuckPedia.

Tarasov will take over the backup role to Sergei Bobrovsky in the short term, as Vitek Vanecek had that gig during the team's most recent Stanley Cup run. Tarasov had a 7-10-2 record, a 3.54 GAA and an .881 save percentage over 20 appearances with Columbus in 2024-25. Considering the Panthers' success and the fact that they're returning most of their core, Tarasov should make for a decent plug-and-play option when he's between the pipes during the 2025-26 campaign.

Allen agreed to terms on a five-year, $9 million contract with New Jersey on Tuesday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Allen put up decent ratios last year, posting a 2.66 GAA and a .906 save percentage to go with four shutouts in 31 contests. Unfortunately, those numbers didn't translate to wins, as the 34-year-old netminder went just 13-16-1. Five years is a significant term to commit to a player of his age, but with the AAV coming in under $2 million, fans probably can't complain too much.

Demko signed a three-year, $25.5 million contract extension with Vancouver on Tuesday.

Demko will see a nice bump in salary, going from $5 million AAV this year to $8.5 million AAV when his new deal begins in 2026-27. If it weren't for health concerns, the 29-year-old netminder likely could have commanded a slightly higher salary -- though two-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck set the market at the same $8.5 million Demko is getting. Injuries limited Demko to just 23 regular-season games last year in which he posted a 10-8-3 record and 2.90 GAA. If he can stay healthy, which is a big if, Demko figures to be near the top of most statistical categories during the 2025-26 campaign.

Primeau was traded to the Hurricanes from the Canadiens on Monday in exchange for a seventh-round pick, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Primeau is a restricted free agent, so the Hurricanes will have to sign him and get him under contract. Considering just how dominant the 25-year-old was in the AHL last season, it's a decent bet to make for the Hurricanes, given the cheap acquisition price. He held a 21-2-3 record, with a 1.92 GAA and a .927 save percentage during his time with AHL Laval last year. He brings a decent amount of NHL experience to the table, but he will likely not start there with the Hurricanes, if he signs a new deal, considering the presence of Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov.

The Oilers did not extend a qualifying offer to Rodrigue on Monday, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton reports.

Rodrigue appeared in two regular-season games with the Oilers last season, going 0-1-0 with an .862 save percentage and a 3.10 GAA. The 24-year-old also registered an 18-16-7 record, .897 save percentage and 3.12 GAA over 41 outings with AHL Bakersfield. The 2018 second-round pick will look to link up with a new organization when free agency opens Tuesday.

Poulter didn't receive a qualifying offer from the Devils on Monday, making him an unrestricted free agent, Sam Kasan of the Devils' official site reports.

Poulter spent some time with the Devils during the 2024-25 season but didn't make his NHL debut. Over 36 appearances at AHL Utica, he went 16-13-6 with a 2.86 GAA and .898 save percentage, and he'll hit the open market during the offseason.

Gibson didn't receive a qualifying offer from the Capitals on Monday, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Gibson signed an AHL contract with the Hershey Bears last Wednesday, but he'll need to seek out a new deal at the NHL level ahead of the 2025-26 season. He was solid in the ECHL last year, going 12-1-0 with a 1.75 GAA and .933 save percentage.

Merilainen signed a one-year, $1.05 million contract with Ottawa on Monday.

Merilainen posted a record of 8-3-1 with three shutouts, a 1.99 GAA and a .925 save percentage in 12 regular-season appearances with Ottawa in 2024-25. With Anton Forsberg poised to test the open market as an unrestricted free agent, Merilainen could begin the 2025-26 campaign as Linus Ullmark's backup.

The Sharks didn't extend a qualifying offer to Romanov on Monday, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Romanov saw limited playing time with the Sharks over the last two seasons. Over eight appearances last year, he went 0-6-0 with a 3.88 GAA and .877 save percentage, and he'll have to seek out another contract ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.