NHL Player News

McWard signed a two-year, $1.75 million contract with the Maple Leafs on Thursday, per PuckPedia.

McWard's new deal is a one-way contract in both years. The 25-year-old defenseman has logged nine career NHL games, earning one goal, eight shots on net, nine hits and 11 blocked shots. McWard will likely get a chance to compete for a roster spot with the Maple Leafs in 2026-27, but he'll probably spend most of the campaign with AHL Toronto.

Rybinski signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Maple Leafs on Thursday, per PuckPedia.

Rybinski had 30 points in 59 regular-season games with AHL Hershey in 2025-26. He's spent the last four years in the AHL and has yet to make his NHL debut. Expect Rybinski to play much of 2026-27 in the AHL.

Thrun signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Jets on Thursday, per Murat Ates of The Athletic.

Thrun had five goals, 23 points and 37 PIM in 55 regular-season appearances with AHL Toronto. He also had two goals and nine points in 24 playoff outings with the Marlies en route to winning the Calder Cup. At the NHL level, the 25-year-old has accumulated five goals, 25 points and 46 PIM in 123 career regular-season appearances. Thrun will enter training camp with a genuine shot of making Winnipeg's Opening Night roster.

Dobes signed a three-year, approximately $16 million contract with Montreal on Thursday.

Dobes made 43 regular-season appearances for the club last year in which he posted a 29-10-4 record, 2.78 GAA and .901 save percentage. The 25-year-old backstop figures to head into the 2026-27 campaign as the No. 1 option, but he will likely face challenges from Jacob Fowler for starts.

Merilainen signed a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Senators on Thursday.

Merilainen had an 8-10-1 record, 3.51 GAA and .860 save percentage in 20 regular-season appearances with Ottawa in 2025-26. While those results leave plenty to be desired, the 23-year-old has the potential to bounce back. However, he'll have to compete with Samuel Ersson during training camp to earn the No. 2 job behind Linus Ullmark. If the 23-year-old Merilainen doesn't do enough to win an NHL roster spot, then he'll return to the minors to continue to hone his game.

Gudbranson signed a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the Blue Jackets on Thursday, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.

Gudbranson has spent the past four years in Columbus, but he's missed significant time due to injuries in the last two seasons. After making a career-low 16 regular-season appearances during the 2024-25 campaign, he appeared in 37 regular-season games last year and recorded a goal, two assists, 64 blocked shots, 45 hits and 19 PIM while averaging 17:46 of ice time. He'll return to the Blue Jackets on a one-year contract but will have to showcase more durability if he hopes to put himself back on the fantasy radar.

Shabanov inked a one-year, $1.6 million contract with Minnesota on Thursday.

Shabanov played in just 44 regular-season games due to injury, recording five goals and 13 assists, including five power-play points. If the 25-year-old winger can stay healthy, he should be capable of pushing for the 40-point threshold, though he may struggle for power-play minutes given the depth of the Minnesota forward group.

Ovechkin signed a one-year, $4.25 million contract with the Capitals on Thursday.

There was uncertainty during the offseason as to whether Ovechkin would continue his NHL career during the 2026-27 campaign, but he'll remain with the Capitals for at least one more season. He appeared in all 82 regular-season games with Washington last year, racking up 32 goals, 32 assists, 134 hits, 26 PIM and 16 blocked shots while averaging 17:27 of ice time. The NHL's all-time leader in goals has appeared in at least 65 regular-season games in five consecutive seasons, and he should remain a reliable contributor during his age-41 season as long as he can remain healthy.

Cholowski signed a two-year, $1.75 million contract with the Rangers on Thursday, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.

Cholowski has made 173 regular-season NHL appearances across seven appearances, and he's landed a multi-year deal ahead of the 2026-27 campaign. He made 17 regular-season appearances with the Devils last year, recording two assists and 17 blocked shots while averaging 14:40 of ice time.

Leason inked a one-year, two-way contract with San Jose on Thursday.

Leason logged just six games for the Capitals last year, failing to register a point while notching 10 hits and one shot. At this point, the 27-year-old winger is more of an organizational depth piece that will help San Jose's minor-league system. As such, fantasy managers shouldn't be expecting him to make much of an impact.