NHL Player News

Cole signed a one-year, $4 million contract with Chicago on Wednesday, PuckPedia reports.

Cole has moved around the league in recent years, and he'll join his seventh team in as many seasons during the 2026-27 campaign. He's appeared in all 82 regular-season games in two consecutive seasons, most recently recording three goals, 20 assists, 151 blocked shots, 73 hits and 50 PIM while averaging 18:16 of ice time with the Mammoth last year.

Schwartz (upper body) signed a three-year, $9.75 million contract with the Avalanche on Wednesday, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports.

After spending the first 10 years of his career in St. Louis, Schwartz joined the Kraken for the past five seasons. He made just 50 regular-season appearances during an injury-riddled 2025-26 campaign, recording 11 goals, 15 assists, 42 blocked shots, 32 hits and eight PIM while averaging 16:08 of ice time. The 34-year-old will get a change of scenery ahead of the 2026-27 season, and he should have an opportunity to carve out a role in Colorado.

Berggren signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Blues on Wednesday, per Darren Dreger of TSN.

St. Louis declined to present Berggren with a qualifying offer before Monday's deadline, but the two sides were still able to work out a new deal. Berggren had eight goals and 22 points in 51 regular-season appearances between the Red Wings and Blues in 2025-26. The 25-year-old is likely to begin the 2026-27 campaign as part of St. Louis' bottom six.

Ersson signed a two-year, $4.4 million contract with the Senators on Wednesday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Ersson was traded to the Senators from the Maple Leafs on Friday, and he didn't receive a qualifying offer from Ottawa, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent. However, he reached an agreement to remain with the Senators. Ersson will probably battle with Leevi Merilainen for the No. 2 goaltender role ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

Zuccarello signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Kings on Wednesday, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic.

Zuccarello's new contract includes performance bonuses, so he has the potential to earn more than that $1 million base salary. The 38-year-old had 15 goals and 54 points in 59 regular-season outings with the Wild in 2025-26, which made it his fifth consecutive campaign with over 50 points. He should get a top-six assignment and some power-play ice time with the Kings.

Samoskevich signed a three-year, $11.55 million contract with the Kraken on Wednesday.

Samoskevich was a restricted free agent after completing his one-year, $775,000 contract for the 2025-26 campaign. The 23-year-old had 12 goals and 32 points in 77 outings with Florida in 2025-26, and the Panthers dealt him to Seattle on Sunday. Samoskevich is likely to serve in a middle-six capacity with the Kraken in 2026-27.

Haula signed a two-year, $7.2 million contract with the Kings on Wednesday, according to PuckPedia.

Haula had 14 goals, 38 points, 64 PIM and 118 hits in 81 regular-season outings with the Predators in 2025-26. The 35-year-old is probably going to serve primarily on Los Angeles' third line over the life of this contract, but he might have stints in the top six if injuries warrant the increased role.

Mazur signed a two-year, $1.75 million contract with the Red Wings on Wednesday.

Mazur had no points, 10 hits and eight blocks in eight appearances with the Red Wings in 2025-26. He also had 11 goals and 16 points in 16 regular-season outings with AHL Grand Rapids. Mazur didn't receive a qualifying offer from Detroit, so he was eligible to sign anywhere, but he opted to remain in the organization. He'll compete for a roster spot with Detroit during training camp, but it will be an uphill battle.

Demidov signed an eight-year, $73 million contract extension with the Canadiens on Wednesday, Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports.

Demidov still has one season remaining on his entry-level contract, so his new deal won't begin until the 2027-28 campaign. The 20-year-old had 19 goals and 62 points in 82 regular-season appearances with Montreal as a rookie in 2025-26. The Canadiens are taking a risk by handing out a massive payday to a player who has just completed his first full NHL campaign, but Demidov has the potential to make that contract look like a huge steal. Montreal similarly locked up Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky to long-term deals, which gives them an amazing young core of forwards who all come with an annual cap hit under $10 million -- Demidov is the only one of that forward group above $8 million. With the cap likely to increase, Montreal's willingness to be aggressive in locking up its young talent could put the franchise in a very strong position.

Vladar inked a five-year, $27.5 million contract with Philadelphia on Wednesday, per agent Dan Milstein.

Vladar logged 52 regular-season games for the Flyers in 2025-26, posting a 29-14-7 record and a career-best 2.42 GAA. The 28-year-old backstop appears to finally be the solution to Philly's problem between the pipes, though that has been said in the past of netminders coming off a good first year with the team. Still, he should be the clear No. 1 option heading into 2026-27 and could see upward of 60 games.