NHL Player News

Hovorka signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Panthers on Tuesday, per PuckPedia.

Hovorka just completed his entry-level deal in 2025-26. He logged 18 points in 57 regular-season outings for AHL Charlotte last year, as well as one assist in four games with the Panthers. He will likely spend most of 2026-27 in the AHL.

Agozzino announced his retirement from professional hockey Tuesday.

Agozzino amassed 284 goals and 662 points across 847 regular-season games at the AHL level. He also had three goals and 12 points in 53 career NHL appearances with Utah, San Jose, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, Anaheim and Colorado. However, he didn't see any playing time during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 35-year-old forward had 19 goals and 39 points in 56 outings for AHL Tucson during the 2025-26 regular season.

Marino signed an eight-year, $54 million contract extension with the Mammoth on Tuesday, per PuckPedia.

Marino's new deal will begin in 2027-28. The 2015 sixth-round pick set new career highs in 2025-26 with 32 assists, 36 points and a plus-42 rating over 80 regular-season games. While he's certainly more of a shutdown defenseman, if Marino can even somewhat replicate his production from last season, he will be a solid depth option for fantasy managers in deeper formats. However, his lack of all-around contributions caps his ceiling in smaller leagues.

Gauthier signed a one-year contract with Swedish club Brynas IF on Tuesday.

Gauthier was selected by the Hurricanes with the 21st overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, but he has logged just 181 regular-season games in the NHL for the Hurricanes, Rangers, Islanders and Senators across six seasons. Considering the rest of that 2016 draft class, it's hard to classify Gauthier as anything other than a bust, especially considering this move overseas likely will mark the end of his NHL playing career.

Merkulov signed a one-year contract with Colorado on Monday.

It's a two-way deal, per PuckPedia. Merkulov had 24 goals and 61 points over 70 regular-season games for AHL Providence in 2025-26. The 25-year-old forward has one assist, 10 shots on goal, 11 blocked shots and four hits in 11 career NHL appearances. He will compete for a depth role with the Avalanche during training camp, but it wouldn't be surprising if he started the 2026-27 campaign in the minors.

Davidson signed a one-year, two-way contract with Montreal on Monday.

During the 2025-26 campaign, he had 16 goals and 25 points in 53 regular-season outings for AHL Laval before being held off the scoresheet in three playoff games. Davidson also had one assist, nine shots on goal and 18 hits across 10 regular-season appearances at the NHL level with Montreal in 2025-26. He will probably spend most of 2026-27 in the minors.

Campbell announced his retirement from professional hockey Monday, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.

Campbell made NHL appearances in nine seasons between the Stars, Kings, Maple Leafs and Oilers. He appeared in 176 games, going 93-52-18 with a 2.76 GAA, .909 save percentage and 10 shutouts, with most of his success coming in Toronto between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Lundestrom will be out until at least early November after having offseason Achilles surgery, according to Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers on Sunday.

Lundestrom contributed four goals, eight assists, 53 shots on net, 35 blocked shots and 35 hits across 68 games for Columbus during the 2025-26 regular season. Once he is ready to make his 2026-27 debut, he will probably occupy a bottom-six role and see time on the penalty kill. Lundestrom's absence could help Luca Del Bel Belluz earn a roster spot with the Blue Jackets out of training camp.

Bedard (shoulder) signed a five-year, $75 million contract with Chicago on Saturday.

Bedard amassed 30 goals, 75 points and 226 shots on net in 69 games during the 2025-26 regular season. It was the final year of his entry-level contract, and he earned a significant pay increase. The 21-year-old forward will miss the start of the 2026-27 campaign after having surgery on his left shoulder. He suffered the injury while practicing in Vancouver on July 2 and underwent the procedure six days later. Bedard is expected to need four months to recover. Once he is back in the lineup, he will center the top line and occupy a spot on the first power-play unit.

Drysdale signed a four-year, $26 million contract with the Flyers on Friday, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Drysdale was a restricted free agent who would have gone to arbitration if he had been unable to agree to terms with Philadelphia. He had eight goals, 32 points, 33 PIM, 16 hits and 94 blocks in 78 regular-season outings with the Flyers in 2025-26. The 24-year-old matched his previous career high of 32 points from the 2021-22 regular season. He should serve in a top-four capacity and receive significant power-play minutes next season, which puts him in a great position to get at least 30 points again if he stays healthy.