NHL Player News

Valimaki signed a two-year contract with Brynas IF of the SHL on Tuesday.

Valimaki finished 2025-26 with AHL Chicago after a trade from the Utah organization. The 27-year-old blueliner could still impress in the SHL and work his way back to North America in the future, but his chances of being an NHL regular are slim.

Gastrin, Connor McMichael, and a 2026 first-round pick were traded to the Blues from the Capitals in exchange for Jordan Kyrou on Tuesday.

Gastrin was selected 37th overall in 2025, but he'll be on the move to a new organization less than a year later. The Swedish forward had 24 points in 39 regular-season games with MoDo in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-tier Swedish league, in 2025-26. Gastrin also appeared in one playoff game with AHL Hershey. It's not yet clear whether Gastrin will spend 2026-27 with AHL Springfield or if he'll be loaned back to a European team.

St. Louis obtained McMichael, Milton Gastrin and the No.16th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft from Washington on Tuesday in exchange for Jordan Kyrou.

McMichael notched 14 goals, 46 points and 142 shots on net across 78 regular-season appearances with the Capitals in 2025-26. He will probably slot into a middle-six role and see power-play time with the Blues during the 2026-27 campaign.

Kyrou (knee) was traded to the Capitals from St. Louis on Tuesday in exchange for Connor McMichael, Milton Gastrin and the 16th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

After Kyrou was one of the names that headlined rumors at the 2026 trade deadline, he'll head to the nation's capital to play for Washington. The 28-year-old winger has put together a strong career thus far, scoring 168 goals and totaling 378 points across 488 regular-season games with the St. Louis Blues. While he took a small step back in production during the 2025-26 campaign with 46 points in 72 outings, he also averaged just 15:44 of ice time, which was his lowest level since 2020-21. It wouldn't be surprising for Washington to give him responsibilities more in line with his average of 17:56 across three regular seasons from 2022-23 through 2024-25. Despite needing a knee surgery in April, he's a prime bounce-back candidate for the upcoming season.

Ottawa acquired Eklund, Kasper Halttunen and Brandon Svoboda from San Jose on Tuesday in exchange for the No. 9 selection in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

Eklund signed a three-year, $16.8 million contract extension with the Sharks in July of 2025, which begins in the 2026-27 campaign. He had 15 goals and 53 points in 78 appearances during the 2025-26 regular season. Assuming he lands a top-six role with the Senators, the 23-year-old should remain around the 60-point mark.

Calgary acquired Tsyplakov and Simon Nemec from New Jersey on Tuesday in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round selection, a 2028 first-round pick and Etienne Morin, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Tsyplakov produced two goals, four points, 42 shots on net and 83 hits in 49 regular-season games between the Devils and Islanders in 2025-26. He will compete for a bottom-six role with the Flames during training camp.

Nemec, along with Maxim Tsyplakov, was traded to the Flames from the Devils on Tuesday in exchange for Etienne Morin, a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick, Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports.

Nemec is set to be a restricted free agent come July 1, so the Flames will have to get to work on a new contract for the 22-year-old blueliner. It's unlikely to come cheaply, as the Slovak produced 11 goals, 15 assists and 101 shots in 68 regular-season games this year. With his new club, Nemec could be in line for minutes with the No. 2 power-play unit, setting him up to potentially reach the 30-point threshold for the first time in his NHL career.

Allan signed a two-year contract with the Sharks on Tuesday.

Allan was acquired by the Sharks from the Blackhawks in January but didn't get into a game with either team in 2025-26. The 2021 No. 32 overall pick spent the entirety of the year in the minors, putting up two goals and six points over 29 games with AHL Rockford, in addition to producing two goals and 14 points across 35 regular-season games with AHL San Jose. The Sharks have several pending unrestricted free agents on the blue line, so Allan has an opportunity to be an NHL regular in 2026-27, depending on how the organization proceeds come July 1.

Zajicek agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way contract with the Bruins on Tuesday.

Zajicek failed to break into the NHL last year, spending the entire year in the minors with AHL Providence, where he went 14-6-1 with a 2.44 GAA and a .915 save percentage. With both Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo under contract next year, not to mention Michael DiPietro, the 24-year-old Zajicek will be hard-pressed to break into the NHL any time soon.

Murphy signed a five-year, $20.5 million contract with Edmonton on Monday, per PuckPedia.

Murphy collected five goals, 17 points, 70 shots on net, 138 blocked shots, 90 hits and 71 PIM across 80 regular-season games between Edmonton and Chicago in 2025-26. He also picked up two goals, one assist, 12 hits and 15 blocks in six outings during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Oilers. Murphy will probably occupy a bottom-four role while seeing plenty of time on the penalty kill in the 2026-27 campaign.