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Penguins Sign Justin Brazeau, Caleb Jones To Two-Year Deals

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The Penguins have signed UFA winger Justin Brazeau to a two-year, $3MM contract with a $1.5MM cap hit, Darren Dreger of TSN reports. The team confirmed that deal and also announced a two-year, $1.8MM contract for defenseman Caleb Jones with a cap hit of $900,000.

While the Penguins haven’t been involved with any of the big-name free agents (as expected), GM Kyle Dubas has been busy adding depth pieces, including signing defender Parker Wotherspoon and bringing back forwards Connor Dewar and Philip Tomasino on one-year deals. The strategy aligns with what Dubas outlined for free agency: targeting players under 30 who can compete for roster spots alongside emerging prospects.

Brazeau, 27, provides the Penguins with a physical depth winger with some offensive upside. The 6-foot-6, 227-pound Brazeau recorded 11 goals and 22 points over 76 games last season, split between the Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild. However, his offensive production dipped during his 19-game stint with the Wild, where he managed just two points while averaging 8:33 of ice time per game. He’ll likely compete for a spot on the Penguins’ bottom-six, with prospects like Joona Koppanen, Avery Hayes, Samuel Poulin, and Filip Hallander waiting in the wings. The Penguins currently have 12 forwards on one-way contracts for next season — not including Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen, who are expected to start the year in Pittsburgh’s lineup — so it’s likely Dubas still has moves to make to trim that group.

Jones, 28, skated in six games for the Los Angeles Kings last season and spent the rest of the season with their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. The lefty has skated in 248 games at the NHL level across seven seasons, producing 14 goals and 55 points. While he’ll compete for a spot on the Penguins’ bottom pairing, he’s likely to start the season in the AHL, where he provides valuable veteran depth if needed.

 

Hurricanes Sign Mike Reilly

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The Hurricanes made a big splash on the back end with the acquisition of K’Andre Miller today.  They also have added some depth on the back end as PuckPedia reports that Carolina has signed defenseman Mike Reilly to a one-year, $1.1MM contract.  The deal represents a small cut in pay after he made $1.25MM with the Islanders last season.

The 31-year-old was limited to just 18 appearances with New York in 2024-25 but the low number wasn’t performance-related despite notching just two assists.  Reilly suffered a concussion in the first game of November and while recovering from that, it was determined that he needed a procedure on his heart, leaving his availability for the rest of the season in question.  However, he was able to return to the lineup in mid-March, getting into a handful of games down the stretch.

Reilly is a veteran of over 400 career NHL games but has bounced around along the way, never spending more than three years in the same organization.  Overall, he has 18 goals and 106 assists to his name while logging a little more than 17 minutes per game on average.

The Hurricanes will be his fourth team in the last three seasons but the expectations should be the same when he gets in the lineup.  Reilly is typically a player who is capable of providing a bit of depth offense and has five years of at least 16 points under his belt.  The most recent of those came back in 2023-24 when he had six goals and 18 assists in 61 games between the Panthers and Islanders.

It’s likely that Reilly will start the season as Carolina’s reserve defender as it’s widely expected that top prospect Alexander Nikishin will handle a regular role after joining the Hurricanes for the playoffs.  But after the Hurricanes churned through Riley Stillman and Ty Smith through a high amount of recalls and promotions last season, it appears they’ll operate with a full-time seventh option in Reilly who is someone they should be comfortable relying on more frequently than the other two.

Golden Knights Sign Dylan Coghlan, Jaycob Megna, Cole Reinhardt

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4:22 p.m.: The Knights confirmed the below signings and also announced a two-year, one-way contract for winger Cole Reinhardt. The former Senators depth piece played a career-high 17 games for Ottawa last year, scoring his first NHL goal and assist.

3:45 p.m.: Vegas has also signed defenseman Jaycob Megna to a two-year, one-way deal worth $800K per season, his agency, Bartlett Hockey, announced. He spent last season in the Panthers organization and was a post-deadline call-up, but mostly played with AHL Charlotte, where he had 16 points and a +26 rating in 64 games. The 6’6″ 32-year-old lefty has a 4-23–27 scoring line in 193 career NHL games with the Ducks, Sharks, Blackhawks, Panthers, and Kraken.

1:09 p.m.: The Golden Knights are bringing in defenseman Dylan Coghlan for his second stint in Vegas on a one-year, one-way league minimum contract, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Irfaan Gaffar.

Coghlan played through four seasons in the WHL prior to his move to pros, and went undrafted through all three years of eligibility. He was extended an invite to the Detroit Red Wings’ training camp in 2016, but wouldn’t earn his first pro contract until the Vegas Golden Knights’ inaugural training camp in 2017. Vegas signed Coghlan to a three-year, $2.2MM entry-level contract in 2017, and assigned him back to the WHL for his fourth and final season of juniors eligibility. When he was ready to turn pro in 2018, Coghlan was moved to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, where he managed an impressive 15 goals, 40 points, and plus-four through 66 games of his AHL rookie season. Vegas made the right-shot defender show he could match that performance in the following year. He stumbled to just 11 goals, 24 points, and a minus-nine, but still showed enough strength to join the Golden Knights as an extra defender for the shortened 2020-21 campaign.

Getting his first taste of the NHL, Coghlan posted six points, one penalty, and a minus-three through 29 games. He returned to an NHL role in 2021-22, and managed a stouter 13 points, 18 penalty minutes, and minus-five through 59 games. That season stands as the most Coghlan has played in the NHL – after a 2022 move to the Carolina Hurricanes pushed him back into competition for a fringe lineup role. Since 2022, Coghlan has recorded three points in 23 NHL games and 72 points in 112 AHL games. That includes a career-best 16 goals, 41 points, and 40 penalty minutes in 61 games of the 2023-24 season, which he spent with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds.

Coghlan will offer the Golden Knights high scoring upside at the minor-league level, and a big-bodied extra defenseman at the NHL level. He could help fill the role of Nicolas Hague, who Vegas moved to the Nashville Predators in the days leading up to free agency.

PHR’s Gabriel Foley contributed significantly to this article.

Maple Leafs Sign Travis Boyd, Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Dakota Mermis

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The Maple Leafs announced they’ve signed forward Travis Boyd to a one-year, league minimum contract, forward Benoit-Olivier Groulx to a two-year contract with a cap hit of $812,500, and re-signed defenseman Dakota Mermis to a two-year deal with a cap hit of $812,500. Toronto also confirmed the previously reported signing of Michael Pezzetta.

Boyd led the AHL’s Iowa Wild in scoring last season with a lofty 22 goals and 53 points in 63 games. He was a core piece of the lineup through the extent of the year, providing strong play on both sides of the puck and even serving as an alternate captains during home games. He also appeared in three NHL games on the year, but didn’t manage any scoring. Boys spent the last three seasons with the Arizona Coyotes, and routinely reached promising production. He scored 17 goals and 35 points in 74 games of the 2021-22 season; and 15 goals and 34 points in 82 games of the 2022-23 campaign.

Boyd didn’t offer sharp play away from the puck at an NHL level, but his hot play was halted by injury during the 2023-24 season. Just 16 games and eight points into the season, Boyd sustained a porn pectoral muscle and was forced to end the year early. With a full, strong year in the minors this season – he could be set to slowly walk back to the third-line upside he carried through a trio of years in Arizona.

Groulx is in much of the same position – looking to climb his way back to NHL action after a productive year in the minor leagues. He scored 15 goals and 37 points in 47 games with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, good for second on the team in scoring behind Alex Belzile’s 56 points. Groulx played in 45 NHL games last season – after entering the season with just 20 career games up to that point. But he wasn’t able to do much with the extended look, netting just two assists, 22 penalty minutes, and a minus-nine. The performance marked the only changes to Groulx’s NHL stat line since he recorded three points and one penalty in 18 games of the 2021-22 season.

Finishing the trio of signings will be the return of Mermis, who appeared in three games with the Maple Leafs and 32 games with the Marlies. He scored one assist at the NHL level and seven assists in the minor-leagues. Mermis has wandered across the NHL over the last three seasons, moving from the Minnesota Wild, to the Utah Mammoth, and then to Toronto. He served as an extra defender across all three clubs, and will likely return to the rotation of depth NHL minutes and routine AHL ice time on a new deal in Toronto.

PHR’s Gabriel Foley contributed significantly to this article.

Sabres Sign Ryan McLeod To Four-Year Deal

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The Sabres announced they’ve signed RFA center Ryan McLeod to a four-year, $20MM contract worth $5MM per season. McLeod carries a five-time no-trade list in 2027-28 and 2028-29, per PuckPedia.

After an impressive first year with the Sabres, Buffalo is making sure McLeod is with the team for the foreseeable future. Before joining the Sabres, McLeod set his highest point total during his final season with the Edmonton Oilers. He scored 12 goals and recorded 30 points in 81 games, finishing with a +10 rating while averaging 14:15 of ice time per game.

There was a reasonable expectation that McLeod would score at a similar pace, if not worse, after moving to a non-contending team from the Western Conference champions. It didn’t take long for McLeod to quiet the doubters.

McLeod finished his first season in Buffalo with 20 goals and 53 points in 79 games, managing a +13 rating and being one of the few bright spots on the roster. Despite being on a team with talented scorers, the former bottom-six mainstay for the Oilers tied for fifth on the team in scoring. He was the team’s most successful center in the faceoff, too, securing a 52.3% win rate.

Those faceoff wins came during important parts of the game, too. McLeod began 54.3% of his shifts in the defensive zone, meaning he could be relied upon to negate an opposing team’s scoring chance most of the time. He still has some kinks to work out in his possession and defensive game, but this contract should age well for the Sabres.

It’s also important to note how much speed McLeod brings to Buffalo’s lineup. According to NHL EDGE stats, McLeod finished in the 87th percentile of 22+ mph bursts, 96th percentile in 20-22 mph bursts, and 99th percentile in 18-20 mph bursts. Although Father Time is known for targeting speed first, McLeod will only be 30 years old by the conclusion of this contract, so Buffalo won’t have to worry about any age-related drop-off for some time.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article. 

Rangers, Will Cuylle Agree To Two-Year Deal

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The Rangers and winger William Cuylle have agreed to terms on a two-year contract worth $3.9MM per season, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Cuylle’s deal is back-loaded to give him a $4.68MM salary and corresponding qualifying offer upon expiry in 2027, per PuckPedia, where he’ll also have salary arbitration rights

Cuylle was a second-round pick by the Rangers back in 2020, going 60th overall and certainly has outperformed his draft stock.  In 2023-24, he cracked New York’s lineup on a full-time basis and while his playing time was limited, he chipped in with 13 goals and eight assists in 81 games while also recording 248 hits.

There was some optimism that he could find another gear offensively heading into last season and Cuylle did just that.  In 82 games, he potted 20 goals and 25 assists, good for a share of fifth in team scoring.  He also saw his playing time jump up by nearly four minutes a game to a little over 15 minutes a night while also notching 301 hits, tied for the third-most in the NHL behind only Kiefer Sherwood (Vancouver) and Mathieu Olivier (Columbus).

Power forwards are hard to come by and coveted by many teams, making Cuylle a speculative offer sheet target, especially with the uncertainty with K’Andre Miller (who has since been traded to Carolina).  While New York created some cap space earlier this offseason with the trade of Chris Kreider to Anaheim, they went and spent that money to lock up Vladislav Gavrikov on a seven-year, $49MM contract that was one of the biggest of the day.

That meant that a long-term pact for Cuylle was out of the question.  Instead, the two sides have settled on a bridge deal that allows New York to stay cap-compliant while setting him up for a better deal two years from now.  With the Upper Limit set to jump to around $113MM by the time this deal expires, Cuylle will be well-positioned for a big raise, assuming he continues to play at the level he did last season.

With the signing and today’s other movement, the Rangers find themselves with a little over $1.4MM in cap space, per PuckPedia, with a full roster.  That gives GM Chris Drury a little wiggle room should the opportunity arrive to upgrade a depth player over the rest of the summer or, alternatively, keeping that space into next season would buy them some flexibility if injuries arise.

Josh Erickson also contributed to this post.

Devils Sign Evgenii Dadonov, Dennis Cholowski

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The Devils have signed winger Evgenii Dadonov to a one-year deal, the team announced. It’s worth a $1MM base salary plus performance bonuses, Stephen Whyno of the AP reports. The club also brought back defenseman Dennis Cholowski on a one-year, league minimum contract after he briefly became a free agent.

New Jersey will find a strong lineup match in Dadonov after parting ways with Erik Haula earlier this month. Like Haula, Dadonov is a high-volume shooter who has continued to produce through his later years. He scored a stout 20 goals and 40 point in 80 games with the Dallas Stars this season – then tacked on an additional four points in 16 postseason games. The performance was a nice refresher of Dadonov’s abilities, after he spent part of the 2023-24 season injured. He scored just 23 points in 51 games as a result. Prior to that, Dadonov had either totaled, or paced for, at least 40 points in two of his last four seasons.

His routine challenge of the 40-point mark began after a pair of red-hot seasons marking Dadonov’s return from a five-year tenure in Russia’s KHL from 2012 to 2017. He rejoined the NHL with the Florida Panthers, and quickly managed back-to-back 28-goal seasons. Those performances were bolstered to 65 points in 74 games, and 70 points in 82 games – though he wasn’t able to keep the good times rolling through a third year in Florida. His dip to 25 goals and 47 points in 69 games of 2019-20 sparked a trio of one-year stops with the Ottawa Senators, Vegas Golden Knights, and Montreal Canadiens. Dadonov didn’t stay longer than one year with a club until he joined Dallas for three years beginning in 2022. Now, Dadonov will head to the Eastern Conference, and likely a hardy role on New Jersey’s third line.

Meanwhile, Cholowski will be set to return to the extra defender role he carried through the end of last season. He began the year in the seventh-man role wit hthe New York Islanders, but was bumped into the roster for 33 games after Mike Reilly was diagnosed with a heart condition. Cholowski recorded 10 points in those outings – not enough to command much time in New York, but plenty to gain notice on the open market. New Jersey acquired Cholowski in exchange for forward Adam Beckman. He stepped into the Devils’ extra role and didn’t post any scoring through six regular season games or two postseason games. Still, Cholowski is a well-rounded depth piece who can provide serviceable fill-in should the Devils’ blue-line face injury.

PHR’s Gabriel Foley contributed significantly to this article.

Sharks Acquire Alex Nedeljkovic From Penguins

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The Sharks have sent their 2028 third-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, both clubs announced.

In a clever move by the Sharks, the team has strengthened their goaltending while providing an avenue to playing time for youngster Yaroslav Askarov. Since San Jose isn’t expected to contend for a postseason spot next season, the team has nothing to lose by making Nedeljkovic the starting netminder should Askarov stumble out of the gates. And yet, if Askarov succeeds as planned, Nedeljkovic will revert to a familiar backup role. 

It wasn’t long ago that Nedeljkovic was receiving votes for the Calder Memorial Trophy. During the 2020-21 season with the Carolina Hurricanes, Nedeljkovic managed a 15-5-3 record in 23 games with an impressive .932 SV% and 1.90 GAA. Had he continued that output for even 40 games, he would have had a better case for rookie of the year.

Thinking that they had their answer in net, the Detroit Red Wings acquired Nedeljkovic the following offseason. His time in Detroit was where he became seen as a weak starting, but quality backup netminder, earning a 25-31-11 record in 74 games with a .900 SV% and 3.35 GAA. To be fair to Nedeljkovic, the Red Wings put together a lethargic team in front of him.

Going unqualified after the 2022-23 campaign, Nedeljkovic quickly signed on with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Despite nearly willing the Penguins to the postseason in his first year with the club, Nedeljkovic finishes his tenure in Pittsburgh with a 32-22-12 record, a .898 SV%, and 3.05 GAA.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article. 

Mammoth Sign Vítek Vaněček To One-Year Deal

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The Mammoth announced they’ve signed goaltender Vítek Vaněček to a one-year deal. He’ll earn $1.5MM, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports.

Shortly after winning the first Stanley Cup of his career with the Florida Panthers, Vaněček finds a new home rather quickly in Salt Lake City. Unfortunately for his earning power, unrestricted free agency couldn’t have come after a worse season.

There was a time when Vaněček was seen as a quality starting option throughout the league. Throughout the first two years of his NHL career, Vaněček recorded a 41-22-10 record with the Washington Capitals with a .908 SV% and 2.68 GAA as the team’s backup.

Needing some help in the crease, the New Jersey Devils added Vaněček ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, and he played well, managing a 33-11-4 record with a .911 SV%, 2.45 GAA, and securing 8.6 Goals Saved Above Average. Unfortunately, it’s been all downhill since for the Havlickuv Brod, Czechia native.

Vaněček’s output has cratered over the last two years across three different organizations. Starting with the Devils in the 2023-24 season and continuing with a combination of the San Jose Sharks and Panthers in the most recent season, Vaněček has achieved a record of 22 wins, 23 losses, and 7 overtime/shootout losses. His SV% stood at .887, while his GAA of 3.37 resulted in a GSAA of -23.2.

Likely viewed as a third-string option in Utah, Vaněček should find semi-consistent playing time for the time being while Connor Ingram works his way through the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Upon Ingram’s return from the program, Vaněček will likely take a back seat with the Mammoth if he doesn’t find himself on the waiver wire.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article. 

Blue Jackets Sign Isac Lundeström To Two-Year Deal

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The Blue Jackets have signed center Isac Lundeström to a two-year deal worth $1.3MM per season, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.

Taking advantage of the Anaheim Ducks failing to give Lundeström a qualifying offer, the Blue Jackets felt compelled to offer the former first-round pick another opportunity. Lundeström is a natural center and could represent a shrewd option for Columbus to play on their fourth line.

All of a sudden, the up-and-coming Blue Jackets have put together impressive center depth, especially after adding Charlie Coyle a few days ago. Lundeström is not typically recognized for his offensive skills, yet he approached the 30-point mark a few years ago. This output appears even more impressive considering the Ducks have struggled with scoring as a team for several years.

Most of his value in Columbus will come on the defensive side of the puck. Since becoming a full-timer for the Ducks beginning in the 2020-21 NHL season, Lundeström has regularly maintained a higher than 90.0% on-ice save percentage at even strength. The only issue that may arise is his lethargic faceoff percentage of 45.9%.

That success rate in the dot could be palatable from a center with more offensive upside. However, Lundeström started 62.4% of his shifts in Anaheim in the defensive zone, making his faceoff rate look far worse. Although he may take on a similar fourth-line role with the Blue Jackets, they will want him to address those issues in the faceoff circle, or they won’t feel comfortable utilizing him in high-pressure situations.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed significantly to this article. 

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