NHL Player News

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.

Rondbjerg signed a one-year, two-way contract with Vegas on Wednesday, per PuckPedia.

Rondbjerg had 13 goals and 26 points in 43 regular-season outings with AHL Henderson in 2025-26. He also had an assist in four regular-season appearances with Vegas last campaign. The 27-year-old will compete for a spot on Vegas' Opening Night roster, but he's likely to start 2026-27 in the minors.

Gudas (ankle) signed a six-year, $9 million contract with the Panthers on Wednesday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

The Ducks traded Gudas' rights to the Panthers on Monday. Florida was able to reach an agreement on a long-term deal with Gudas before free agency. Across 56 regular-season appearances with Anaheim last year, he recorded two goals, 11 assists, 164 hits, 88 blocked shots and 67 PIM while averaging 16:11 of ice time.