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Stars Trade Matt Dumba To Penguins

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The Stars are trading defenseman Matt Dumba and their 2028 second-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Both teams have since announced the trade, which doesn’t include any salary retention.

Completing the deal will make the Stars cap-compliant for the 2025-26 season. Even if Dallas has Kolyachonok on its opening night roster, he costs the league minimum $775K against the cap.

That’s $2.975MM less than Dumba’s $3.75MM cap hit, since Pittsburgh takes on the totality of his salary with no retention on Dallas’ part. That savings puts Dallas, which is currently $1.79MM above the upper limit, back under the cap.

The Stars signed Dumba to a two-year, $7.5MM contract in free agency last summer, viewed as a risky commitment at the time after the 6’1″ righty had just 12 points and a -18 rating in 76 games with the Coyotes and Lightning the year prior. The fears around the contract were quickly realized. Dumba, who turns 31 later this month, had negative possession impacts everywhere he was deployed and was out of the lineup entirely by the time the postseason rolled around.

Dumba played 63 games for the Stars last season, averaging just 15:18 per game with a 1-9–10 scoring line. He logged a minus-five rating in what amounted to his lowest usage since his rookie campaign and was a healthy scratch for all 18 playoff games.

The best years of Dumba’s NHL career came as a top-pairing piece for the Wild, who drafted him No. 7 overall in 2012. He remained there through the beginning of his steep decline in the early 2020s, leaving for Arizona in 2023 in free agency on a one-year contract. After failing to re-establish his value there, he was flipped to the Lightning at the trade deadline for two late-round picks and finished out the year as a bottom-pairing piece in Tampa before signing in Dallas in the offseason.

Dumba’s best season came back in 2017-18 as a 23-year-old, when he finished 19th in the league in scoring among defensemen with 50 points in 82 games and tied for 10th with 14 goals. He also had 12 goals and 22 points in just 32 games the following year before an upper-body injury ended his season. His offensive production never recovered, averaging just 22.4 points per 82 games since returning.

It’s unclear if Dumba will have much of a role in Pittsburgh’s lineup next season. They have three right-shot defenders ahead of him on the depth chart in Connor Clifton, Erik Karlsson, and Kris Letang, although Karlsson is well-known trade bait this summer. If he remains in the picture, though, Dumba could start the season in the press box – or even on waivers and buried in the minors – unless someone shifts to their offside.

Dumba’s price tag is exceedingly steep for the No. 6/7/8 defender he is at this stage of his career, one Dallas simply couldn’t afford to shoulder with their cap crunch after extending Mikko Rantanen and retaining UFAs Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene. They part with a second-round pick to wipe his deal off the books one year early – a steep price considering the market for cap dumps this summer, although they do well in acquiring a serviceable depth piece in Kolyachonok. They’re now without a pick before the third round in 2028.

The Penguins already had a bit of a crunch among depth defensemen after signing Alexander Alexeyev, Caleb Jones, and Parker Wotherspoon in free agency. It isn’t surprising to see them unwilling to take on a defenseman without moving one out.

They picked up Kolyachonok, a 24-year-old 6’2″ lefty with some untapped two-way potential, off waivers from Utah in February last season. He didn’t get into much game action, though, recording two assists and a minus-five rating in 12 appearances while averaging 14:20 per game. There wasn’t going to be much opportunity for him in Pittsburgh with their aforementioned additions and younger, higher-profile names like Owen Pickering pushing for more NHL ice time.

Kolyachonok, a second-rounder in 2019, has 14 points in 74 career NHL games with a minus-seven rating and 72 hits. He’ll presumably compete with veteran Alexander Petrovic to exit training camp as the extra defenseman on the NHL roster.

Sean Shapiro of DLLS Sports was first to report the Stars and Penguins were working on a trade centered around Dumba and Kolyachonok.

Image courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.

Dylan Ferguson Signs With HK Nitra

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Depth goaltender Dylan Ferguson will continue his career in Europe. He’s signed with HK Nitra, the Slovak club announced on Facebook. It’s a one-year deal, leaving the door open for a return to North America in 2026-27.

Ferguson is only 26 years old but has already built up a well-traveled career, playing for 11 different clubs in the NHL, AHL, ECHL, and KHL since his professional career began in 2018. He spent last season on a two-way contract with the Wild after veteran AHL option Troy Grosenick went down with a season-ending injury before the campaign began, but didn’t see any NHL action. His last NHL appearances – just two of his three career showings – came with the Senators in March 2023.

The 2017 seventh-round pick by the Stars, who was immediately flipped to the Golden Knights for defenseman Marc Methot, has a .929 SV% and 2.81 GAA across the trio of games with a 1-1-0 record. He’s spent most of his time in the AHL, where he’s largely been serviceable but had a difficult 2024-25 season. He managed a 3.81 GAA, .878 SV%, and 3-8-0 record in 12 games for the Iowa Wild.

The British Columbia native now heads overseas for the second time in his career. He spent 2023-24 with Belarus’ Dinamo Minsk, posting a .904 SV% in 23 games. He’ll bring his services to a Nitra team headlined by 44-year-old Branislav Mezei, who’s still going in his home country after being selected No. 10 overall by the Islanders in the 1999 draft.

Tennessee State To Add Division I NCAA Hockey For 2026-27 Season

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The top division of NCAA hockey is gaining a new face for the first time in a few years. After beginning a feasibility study four years ago, Tennessee State University reaffirmed that it’s sponsoring a Division I men’s hockey program, which will begin play in the 2026-27 season. That was the initial plan, although they’re reverting to it now after previously attempting to launch DI play for the 2025-26 campaign.

The school began to ice a club hockey team in 2024-25 and will presumably do so again this year instead of making the jump to the top flight. Unlike recent new DI programs like Augustana and Lindenwood, there is no history of ACHA – a collegiate hockey association roughly equivalent to NCAA DIII play – representation at TSU. In this case, the program is truly being built from scratch in a brief period.

Tennessee State, located in Nashville with a total enrollment of just 8,198, will be the first historically Black college or university (HBCU) to introduce a DI hockey program, either men’s or women’s. In today’s announcement, Assistant Athletic Director Nick Guerriero stated that they’ve received a $ 250,000 grant from the NHL and NHLPA’s Industry Growth Fund, in addition to continued consultancy and support from the Predators and College Hockey, Inc.

While the club’s playing roster for its inaugural season isn’t yet secured, it does have its head coach. They tapped Duanté Abercrombie for the role in April 2024. The 28-year-old Washington, D.C. native previously worked as a development coach with the Maple Leafs during the 2022-23 season and served as an assistant coach for Stevenson University’s Division III program in 2023-24.

Like Lindenwood, TSU is expected to begin its life as an independent program.

Kraken Announce Player Development Staff Changes

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The Kraken have already made a multitude of staff changes this offseason, replacing nearly their entire coaching staff and naming Jason Botterill as the second general manager in franchise history. The moves aren’t stopping there, however.

According to a press release from the team, they’re also refreshing their player development staff. Former NHL defenseman Cory Murphy, who had worked with the team over the past two seasons as a player development consultant, has been promoted to director of the department.

Murphy replaces Jeff Tambellini, who had worked as Seattle’s director of player development since 2022-23. Tambellini was tabbed earlier this week by the Lightning as a new assistant general manager and director of hockey operations.

As the release states, Murphy’s work over the last two years has involved working with the team’s pool of defense prospects, which doesn’t include any blue-chip names but has a few intriguing projects. The club highlighted his impact on the development of 2022 third-rounder Ty Nelson, who had 32 points and a +17 rating in 72 games with AHL Coachella Valley in his first professional season in 2024-25. He’ll now have a broader range and influence throughout Seattle’s development ideology.

Seattle has also created a new title – Head of Player Strategy – and given it to 31-year-old Justin Rai, who has worked with the club as a consultant for the last three years. “My job is to be able to research the league, research our players and figure out the existing trends,” Rai said. “Most specifically, it is my role to be additive to Coach [Lane Lambert]’s staff, making sure players can better execute his structure at a higher level, staying on the same message as the coaching staff … I’m grateful for the opportunity and that the Kraken organization puts its employees in spots to succeed.”

Joe Snively Signs With Djurgardens IF

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Free agent forward Joe Snively has signed a one-year contract with Djurgardens IF, the Swedish team announced via press release on Wednesday.

Snively has spent most of his career in the Capitals organization after initially signing an entry-level contract with Washington in March 2019. He signed a couple of more contracts with the Caps, including a two-year, one-way deal in 2022, before reaching unrestricted free agency last summer. The 29-year-old spent last season with the Red Wings on a two-way deal, clearing waivers during training camp and spending the entirety of the campaign on assignment to AHL Grand Rapids.

In his last three seasons for the Capitals, Snively appeared in a total of 27 NHL regular-season games, scoring six goals and 11 points in 11:40 of ice time per contest.

A diminutive 5’9″ left-winger who was an ECAC All-Star at Yale, Snively will play international hockey for the first time after three seasons of junior hockey with USHL Sioux City, four collegiate seasons, and six full professional campaigns in the NHL and AHL.

Snively had hovered around a point per game for AHL Hershey while in Washington’s system in recent years, but he managed only 21 goals and 47 points in 72 games for Grand Rapids in 2024-25. It’s not surprising to see Detroit show little interest in retaining him as a result.

The Virginia native pauses his AHL career with 219 points in 292 career minor-league games over the last seven years. He joins a Djurgarden team, likely headlined by 2025 No. 3 overall pick Anton Frondell, if he doesn’t make the Blackhawks’ roster, which is looking to stick in the top-level SHL after gaining promotion from the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier pro league, this year.

Panthers Sign Mackie Samoskevich To One-Year Deal

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The Panthers have re-signed restricted free agent winger Mackie Samoskevich to a one-year contract, per a press release from the team. It is a league minimum, one-way contract, according to PuckPedia.

Samoskevich was ineligible to sign an offer sheet as a 10.2(c) player with less than three years of professional experience after signing their entry-level contract at age 20. The Connecticut-born forward will now look to cash in as an RFA again next summer after what he hopes will be a step forward in 2025-26.

The 24th overall pick of the 2021 draft, Samoskevich was a full-time roster player last season after spending most of his first professional campaign in 2023-24 between the Panthers and AHL Charlotte. He finished 11th in Calder Trophy voting for Rookie of the Year, finishing ninth on Florida in scoring with 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists) in 72 games.

Samoskevich was a lineup fixture later in the regular season, particularly as a top-six replacement for the injured Matthew Tkachuk down the stretch. However, the return of Tkachuk and Brad Marchand to the lineup in the postseason meant he saw just four games of playoff action in Florida’s second straight Stanley Cup championship, as he was passed over for fourth-line duties in favor of more experienced players like Jesper Boqvist, Jonah Gadjovich, and A.J. Greer.

While it may be surprising to see Samoskevich settle for such a cheap deal after a strong regular season, he had virtually no leverage in negotiations thanks to his 10.2(c) status. With Florida over the salary cap, they were presumably only willing to sign him to a one-year, league minimum deal to give him a chance to earn more in talks in 2026. While his NHL salary is cheaper than his qualifying offer afforded him, it does guarantee his full salary, something a two-way QO would not have done.

The 22-year-old’s deal was the last pressing piece of business for the Cats – they still have a few unsigned RFAs in the organization, but they’re all destined for waivers in the fall if they re-sign. Now, general manager Bill Zito’s focus can be fully on getting the two-time defending champs cap-compliant for opening night.

Florida is $3.725MM over the upper limit with a full 23-player roster after signing Samoskevich, according to PuckPedia. They could kick the can down the road using long-term injured reserve if a player with a cap hit greater than $3.725MM won’t be ready to start the season, or they can offload a salary via trade.

Versatile top-nine forward Evan Rodrigues, who carries a $3MM cap hit for two more seasons, has been an oft-speculated candidate. Samoskevich could realistically replace his role outright, too.

But just clearing Rodrigues won’t open enough space for Florida – they’d have to waive a player as well, likely a depth forward like Gadjovich, Greer, or Tomas Nosek – and operate with just one extra skater to finish the job. Notably, Samoskevich is no longer exempt from waivers, so the Panthers would need to expose him to the wire to send him to the minors, a highly improbable outcome.

Image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.

Stars Re-Sign Antonio Stranges

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The Stars have signed restricted free agent forward Antonio Stranges to a one-year deal, his agent, Gold Star Hockey’s Dan Milstein, announced Wednesday on X. PuckPedia reports it’s a two-way deal worth $775K in the NHL and $100K in the AHL.

Stranges, 23, was a fourth-round pick by Dallas in the 2020 draft. The skilled but inconsistent left-winger signed his entry-level contract near the end of his final junior season with the OHL’s London Knights in 2022.

The Michigan native’s development since turning pro in earnest three years ago has followed a linear track. He split an injury-plagued 2022-23 season between AHL Texas and ECHL Idaho, producing well at both levels when healthy. He’s stuck around in the AHL since, posting 23 games in 55 games two years ago before breaking out for an 18-25–43 scoring line in 55 games last season.

He’s still got a ways to go to prove he can be consistent enough of a scoring presence for a potential third-line role in Dallas down the line. He’s likely not a candidate to crack the opening night roster in the fall, but he will need to clear waivers if the Stars want to send him back to the minors. Another step forward in Texas in 2025-26 could put him in line for a one-way contract and an NHL job in 2026-27.

Despite his loads of professional experience, Stranges will again be a restricted free agent next summer, assuming the Stars choose to extend a qualifying offer to him again. He’ll still be too young to qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agent status.

List Of 2025 Signing Rights Expiring August 15

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Every year on August 15, NHL-drafted prospects coming out of the NCAA with at least four years of experience become free agents if they don’t sign entry-level contracts. That’s the easiest way to distill the lengthy fine print around expiring draft rights regarding collegiate players, which will be phased out in favor of uniform signing windows across leagues in the newly ratified Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Regardless, many players from the early 2020s draft classes who chose the college route and have yet to sign ELCs are slated to become UFAs in a few weeks’ time. Here’s the list of this year’s relevant players, courtesy of PuckPedia. An asterisk denotes the player is remaining in the organization for 2025-26 or beyond on an AHL contract. Each player’s initial draft position is noted in parentheses.

Anaheim Ducks: D Will Francis* (2019, 6-163)

Boston Bruins: F Jake Schmaltz* (2019, 7-192), D Ty Gallagher* (2021, 7-217)

Buffalo Sabres: F Matteo Costantini* (2020, 5-131)

Calgary Flames: D Jake Boltmann (2020, 3-80)

Carolina Hurricanes: none

Chicago Blackhawks: F Dominic James (2022, 6-173)

Colorado Avalanche: D Hank Kempf* (2021, 7-208 by NYR)

Columbus Blue Jackets: D Aidan Hreschuk (2021, 3-94 by CAR)

Dallas Stars: D Jack Bar (2021, 5-138)

Detroit Red Wings: F Red Savage (2021, 4-114)

Edmonton Oilers: F Matt Copponi* (2023, 7-216), F Joel Maatta (2022, 7-222), F Tomas Mazura (2019, 6-162), D Luca Munzenberger (2021, 3-90)

Florida Panthers: none

Los Angeles Kings: F Jack Hughes* (2022, 2-51), D Braden Doyle (2019, 6-157)

Minnesota Wild: none

Montreal Canadiens: none

Nashville Predators: F Chase McLane (2020, 7-209), F Isak Walther (2019, 6-179), D Luke Reid (2020, 6-166)

New Jersey Devils: none

New York Islanders: F Cameron Berg* (2021, 4-125)

New York Rangers: F Zakary Karpa* (2022, 6-191)

Ottawa Senators: none

Philadelphia Flyers: none

Pittsburgh Penguins: none

San Jose Sharks: F Timofey Spitserov (2020, 7-210)

Seattle Kraken: F Justin Janicke* (2021, 7-195)

St. Louis Blues: none

Tampa Bay Lightning: D Kyle Aucoin (2020, 6-156 by DET), D Alex Gagne (2021, 6-192)

Toronto Maple Leafs: F Wyatt Schingoethe (2020, 7-195), D John Fusco (2020, 7-189), D Mike Koster (2019, 5-146)

Utah Mammoth: none

Vancouver Canucks: F Jackson Kunz* (2020, 4-113)

Vegas Golden Knights: F Ryder Donovan (2019, 4-110)

Washington Capitals: D Brent Johnson (2021, 3-80)

Winnipeg Jets: none

Flames Re-Sign Sam Morton To Two-Way Deal

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The Flames have re-upped restricted free agent forward Sam Morton on a two-way contract, the team announced. It carries an NHL salary of $775K, but his minor-league salary wasn’t disclosed.

Morton, who turns 26 later this month, is coming off his first full professional season. Calgary signed the 6’0″ center to an entry-level contract last year as an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota State.

The Colorado native made a smooth adjustment to the pros, recording 20 goals and 25 assists for 45 points in 70 games for the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers last season after finishing 2023-24 with seven points in 13 games for them on a tryout. He finished third on the team in goals and was rewarded with his NHL debut in the Flames’ final game of the regular season, scoring a goal in 12:25 of ice time in a 5-1 win over the Kings.

His development curve doesn’t suggest he’ll top out as anything more than a bottom-six piece if he ever secures a full-time NHL role, but he’s at least solidified himself as valuable organizational depth from the get-go. Morton’s qualifying offer was worth $813,750 at the NHL level; he takes less than that here to secure what will presumably be a higher AHL salary in the six-figure range. He made $82,500 in AHL salary last season after his $95K signing bonus.

Morton will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights again next summer before he’s eligible to test the open market in 2027. The Flames still have a few RFAs to sign in Connor Zary, Rory Kerins, Yan Kuznetsov, and Jeremie Poirier.

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