Two-Way Deals: 7/1/25
As major signings come in around the NHL today with the 2025-26 league year beginning, teams are shoring up their minor-league depth as well by signing players to two-way contracts. We’re keeping track of those signings today in this article, which will be continuously updated. Deals are one year unless otherwise noted.
Boston Bruins
F Riley Tufte ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
D Jonathan Aspirot ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
G Luke Cavallin ($775K NHL) – Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub
Buffalo Sabres
F Riley Fiddler-Schultz ($865K NHL/$90K SB/$35K PB/$85K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years, entry-level
F Carson Meyer ($775K NHL/$350K AHL Y1 – $375K AHL Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
D Mason Geertsen ($775K NHL/$425K AHL) – Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet // two years
D Zachary Jones ($900K NHL/$550K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Zach Metsa ($775K NHL/$250K AHL/$325K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Calgary Flames
D Nick Cicek ($775K NHL) – team release
Carolina Hurricanes
G Amir Miftakhov ($775K NHL/$100K AHL/$240K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Chicago Blackhawks
F Dominic Toninato ($850K NHL) – team release // two years
Colorado Avalanche
F T.J. Tynan (unknown) – team release
D Jack Ahcan (unknown) – team release
D Ronald Attard ($775K NHL/$450K AHL/$500K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Columbus Blue Jackets
F Owen Sillinger (unknown) – team release
D Christian Jaros (unknown) – team release
Dallas Stars
D Niilopekka Muhonen (unknown) – team release // three years, entry-level
Edmonton Oilers
D Riley Stillman ($775K NHL/$475K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
G Matt Tomkins ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$450 Y2 gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years
Florida Panthers
F Nolan Foote ($775K NHL/$150K AHL/$250K gt’d) – PuckPedia
F Jack Studnicka ($775K NHL/$450K AHL) – Chris Johnston of TSN/The Athletic
G Brandon Bussi ($775K NHL/$400K AHL) – PuckPedia
G Kirill Gerasimyuk (unknown) – team release // two years, entry-level
Los Angeles Kings
F Cole Guttman ($775K NHL/$450K Y1 – $475K Y2 AHL/$475K gt’d Y1 – $500K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
Minnesota Wild
F Tyler Pitlick ($775K NHL/$300K Y1 – $350K Y2 AHL/$325K gt’d Y1 – $375K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
D Ben Gleason ($800K NHL/$475K AHL) – PuckPedia
Montreal Canadiens
F Alex Belzile (unknown) – team release
D Nathan Clurman ($775K NHL/$125K AHL/$140K gt’d) – PuckPedia
New Jersey Devils
D Calen Addison ($775K NHL/$325K AHL/$400K gt’d) – PuckPedia
F Angus Crookshank ($775K NHL/$425K AHL/$475K gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years, one-way in 2026-27
New York Islanders
F Matthew Highmore (unknown) – team release
D Ethan Bear ($775K NHL/$325K AHL/$425K gt’d) – PuckPedia
D Cole McWard (unknown) – team release
New York Rangers
D Derrick Pouliot ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$425K gt’d Y1 – $450K gt’d Y2) – PuckPedia // two years
Ottawa Senators
F Wyatt Bongiovanni ($775K NHL/$160K AHL) – PuckPedia
F Olle Lycksell ($775K NHL/$450K AHL/$500K gt’d) – Darren Dreger of TSN
Philadelphia Flyers
F Lane Pederson ($775K NHL/$525K AHL) – PuckPedia
San Jose Sharks
F Jimmy Huntington (unknown) – team release
F Samuel Laberge (unknown) – team release
F Colin White ($775K NHL/$425K AHL/$475K gt’d) – PuckPedia
D Cole Clayton (unknown) – team release
St. Louis Blues
F Matt Luff ($775K NHL/$400K AHL) – PuckPedia
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Nicholas Abruzzese (unknown) – team release
F Tristan Allard (unknown) – team release // two years, entry-level
F Boris Katchouk (unknown) – team release
D Simon Lundmark ($775K NHL/$250K AHL/$350K gt’d) – PuckPedia // two years
G Ryan Fanti ($775K NHL/$80K AHL) – PuckPedia
Utah Mammoth
F Kailer Yamamoto ($775K NHL/$500K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Scott Perunovich ($775K NHL/$400K AHL/$500K gt’d) – PuckPedia
Vancouver Canucks
F Joseph LaBate ($775K NHL/$350K AHL) – PuckPedia
F Mackenzie MacEachern ($775K NHL/$575K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
D Jimmy Schuldt ($775K NHL/$500K AHL) – PuckPedia // two years
Winnipeg Jets
F Phillip Di Giuseppe ($775K NHL/$450K AHL) – PuckPedia
D Kale Clague (unknown) – Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet
Canucks Re-Sign Brock Boeser To Seven-Year Contract
In a surprising swing, scoring winger Brock Boeser is remaining with the only organization he’s ever known. According to Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy, the Canucks are signing Boeser to a seven-year, $50.75MM contract, with an AAV of $7.25MM. Shortly thereafter, the Canucks made the signing official.
After months of trade rumors and a speculated separation, Boeser will make the surprising decision to stick around in Vancouver. He was shopped around heavily at the 2025 Trade Deadline, with Vancouver asking for as much as a first-round pick in return. No deal came together, though multiple teams were reportedly interested in offers, including the Carolina Hurricanes. A looming trade was enough to kick contract negotiations between Boeser and Vancouver to the summer – but Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin emphasized that the team remained interested in re-signing the scoring winger. That emphasis came in the midst of many other teams expressing interest in signing Boeser – including the Anaheim Ducks, who viewed him as a potential backup to signing Mitch Marner.
Instead, Boeser will commit to staying a Canuck through the bulk of his career. He joined the club with the 23rd-overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, following a standout season with the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks. Boeser followed his draft with two seasons as the University of North Dakota, where he became renowned for his ability to score goals in the big moments. His freshman year was headlined by 27 goals and 60 points in 42 games, though unfortunate circumstances and battles with injury held him to just 34 points in 32 games as a sophomore. Boeser curbed that misfortune by signing his entry-level contract at the end of the 2016-17. He was granted the first nine games of his NHL career shortly after, and quickly broke out with the first four goals and five points of his career.
With that, Boeser stamped the presence he brings to the lineup. He flashed as a volume shooter capable of taking advantage of slight openings and momentum in the rush. Those are the exact traits that led him to an impressive 29 goals and 55 points in 62 games of his rookie season – good for second in goals, and fifth in total points, among a loaded rookie class that also featured Kyle Connor, Alex DeBrincat, Clayton Keller, and Mathew Barzal. But Boeser’s flashy 2017-18 rookie campaign didn’t come without misfortune. He sustained a foot injury in just the first few games of the season, then again partway through the year with what was ultimately diagnosed as a bone bruise — in addition to a hand injury in February.
Boeser pushed through the injury, but his rookie season was ultimately cut short just a couple of months later when he fractured his back on an attempted hit. It derailed what could have been a Calder Trophy-winning campaign, but Boeser made an impressive surge back to health in the following season. For the string of injuries that he faced, Boeser’s on-ice product remained surprisingly consistent. He scored 26 goals and 56 points in 69 games of his sophomore year in the NHL, then scored 45 points in 57 games – a 65-point pace across 82 games – in year three.
Continued injuries held Boeser below 75 games played through the 2022-23 season, even as his scoring remained consistent. Injuries appeared to be a perennial issue, until Boeser surged back to full health and appeared in all but one of Vancouver’s games in the 2023-24 season. Good health brought with it a breakout year – underlined by Boeser netting 40 goals and 73 points during the regular season, and 12 points in 12 postseason games. It was his first time breaking the 30-goal ceiling.
But Boeser recorded a lofty 19.6 shooting percentage in his career-year – a mark that seemed far from sustainable given his career-long 12.7 shooting percentage entering that season. As expected, Boeser’s shooting percentage and stat line fell accordingly this season — with him finishing the year on 50 points, split evenly, and a 17.2 shooting percentage in 75 games played. That’s a hardy decline, but it could be closely coupled to Vancouver’s sharp decline in total goals scored. The team ranked sixth in the league with 279 goals, but fell all the way to 23rd in the league with just 233 goals this year. Their season was marred by challenging questions surrounding Boeser, J.T. Miller, and Elias Pettersson. It’s hard to ensure that all of those questions have been ironed out, but a hardy extension for Boeser should give the squad a reinforced focus on offense heading into the 2025-26 campaign.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports.
Canucks Sign Thatcher Demko To Three-Year Extension
July 1: It will be a three-year extension for Demko when announced later today, PuckPedia reports. He will be a UFA upon expiry in 2029 at age 33. The team has now announced the deal, which is worth $25.5MM for a cap hit of $8.5MM. He will earn a $10.5MM salary in 2026-27, a $2MM salary and $6MM signing bonus in 2027-28, and a $1MM salary and $6MM signing bonus in 2028-29, according to PuckPedia. The contract also includes a full no-movement clause.
June 30: The Canucks are nearing an extension to keep goaltender Thatcher Demko in Vancouver past next season, sources inform the now-independent insider Frank Seravalli. He’s expected to sign the deal upon becoming eligible to do so tomorrow. They’re still ironing out the money and structure of the contract, but have agreed on its length, per Darren Dreger of TSN.
Demko’s early extension comes days after Dreger reported there was momentum on a new deal despite free agency still being a year away for the netminder. The presumably multi-year commitment comes after perhaps the two hottest-and-coldest seasons an NHLer can have. The 29-year-old’s 2023-24 campaign was outright dominant, posting a .918 SV%, 2.45 GAA, five shutouts, and a 35-14-2 record in 51 games as he finished as the Vezina Trophy runner-up.
Then, Demko sustained a knee injury in Game 1 of their playoff run that year, later revealed to be a popliteus muscle tear – an exceedingly rare injury for an athlete, which led to considerable uncertainty about his return timeline. He started the season on injured reserve and wasn’t cleared to return until December. When he did come back, he was in and out of the lineup due to unrelated injuries and an illness. That led to his numbers nosediving this season, as he logged a career-low .889 SV% and a 2.90 GAA in 23 appearances. That was still good for 1.4 goals saved above expected, according to MoneyPuck, due to a demanding workload in terms of shot quality.
Long considered the organization’s goalie of the future, he had fully achieved that title and was their undisputed starter until late-offseason free agent signing Kevin Lankinen stepped up in his absence this year. During the campaign in which he posted a .902 SV% in 51 appearances, Vancouver rewarded him with a five-year, $22.5MM extension in February. That indicates they anticipate Lankinen handling more of a workload than a standard No. 2 option would for the foreseeable future. He also has a no-movement clause through 2026-27, so a trade isn’t on the table anytime soon.
That indicates the Canucks anticipate Demko’s injury significantly altering his career trajectory and his ability to handle 50-plus starts per season consistently. Presumably, his pending extension will reflect that. His track record, compared to Lankinen’s more limited deployment in heavy usage, means he should still be penciled in as the No. 1 option on the Canucks’ depth chart entering next season and for the foreseeable future. However, Vancouver could be betting on a more platoon approach to keep Demko healthy.
Demko will still count $5MM against Vancouver’s cap for 2025-26 as he enters the final season of the five-year, $25MM extension he signed in 2021.
Image courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.
Canucks Sign Conor Garland To Six-Year Extension
July 1: The Canucks have officially announced Garland’s extension at six years and $36MM. GM Patrik Allvin had the following statement about the signing:
Conor is a core member of our hockey team and a player who has taken on a bigger role with the club the past couple seasons. His commitment to us by signing this deal shows how confident he is in our organization’s vision and direction. He competes hard every day, drives play on the ice, is relentless on the forecheck and is really tough to play against. Gars is an emerging leader in the group and works extremely hard to keep himself and the players around him accountable.
June 26: Canucks winger Conor Garland isn’t eligible to sign a contract extension until next week when the 2025/26 league year officially begins. However, it appears he won’t be waiting for long after that to put pen to paper on a new deal. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that significant progress has been made in discussions between the two sides, while Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that if a deal is finalized, it could be for six years and around $36MM.
The 29-year-old has spent the last four seasons with Vancouver after being acquired from Arizona as part of the Oliver Ekman-Larsson trade back at the draft in 2021. A few days after the trade, he signed a five-year, $24.75MM deal that will begin its final season in July.
During his time with the Canucks, Garland’s contract has been viewed as fair at times and also above-market to the point where it was believed that there were off-and-on trade discussions when Vancouver was looking to free up salary cap space. At one point in 2023, Garland changed agents and had permission to speak to other teams about a swap but obviously, nothing came to fruition there.
But even during those times, the team made it known that they valued Garland’s contributions and the suggestion that an extension could be wrapped up quickly suggests that’s still very much the case.
Over his first three years with the Canucks, Garland was certainly consistent. His worst season offensively was a 17-goal, 46-point effort while his best goal total was (2023-24) and best point total was 52 (2021-22). This season was more of the same as Garland tallied 19 goals and 31 assists in 81 games while seeing his playing time jump to a career-best 18:39 per game.
With Brock Boeser appearing likely to depart the organization in free agency next week, Vancouver certainly wouldn’t want to lose their next-best right winger the following year. It appears that won’t be happening and that Garland could officially be signing an extension as soon as next week, ensuring he’ll be staying with the Canucks for the long haul.
Canucks Expected To Aggressively Pursue Mikael Granlund
- Being one of several teams looking to add a second-line center from a thin pool tomorrow, the Vancouver Canucks have been connected to one of the top available options remaining in the free agent class. David Pagnotta from The Fourth Period reports that the Canucks are expected to aggressively pursue Mikael Granlund if he becomes available in free agency tomorrow. Pagnotta noted that Granlund is seeking a new contract with the Dallas Stars; however, it will be nearly impossible due to their limited salary cap space.
- Unsurprisingly, Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic reported that the Canucks aren’t expected to re-sign defenseman Noah Juulsen before he becomes an unrestricted free agent tomorrow afternoon. Coming off of arguably the worst season of his NHL career, Juulsen went completely scoreless in 35 games with Vancouver this past season, with a -12 rating before having his season cut short due to injury.
[SOURCE LINK]
Canucks Re-Sign Four Players
The Canucks have re-upped depth center Max Sasson on a one-year, one-way contract worth $775,000, per PuckPedia. The deal was first announced by his agent, Gold Star Hockey’s Dan Milstein. The team also announced they’ve agreed to terms with winger Arshdeep Bains on a two-year deal to keep him off the RFA market. It’s a two-way deal in 2025-26 before changing to a one-way deal in 2026-27, per PuckPedia. Additionally, the Canucks announced a two-way contract for defenseman Guillaume Brisebois for 2025-26. Center Aatu Räty has also signed a two-year, one-way extension worth $775,000 per year, PuckPedia reports.
Of the group, the three forwards have the greatest chance of being on next season’s opening night roster. One-way commitments out of the gate to Räty and Sasson indicate Vancouver anticipates both making the jump to full-time NHL duties to help shoulder the likely loss of pending free agents Brock Boeser and Pius Suter tomorrow.
Räty, 22, is the most important player of the group. The Canucks evidently recognize that as he’s the only player receiving a multi-year one-way commitment from them today. Once a top prospect in the 2021 draft class, he ended up slipping to the Islanders in the second round and was traded to Vancouver in the Bo Horvat deal in 2023 shortly after making his NHL debut.
He didn’t see any NHL ice in 2023-24 but re-emerged as a call-up option this past year. He didn’t look out of place at all as a bottom-six center when given the chance, and that’s the role he’ll look to grab on a more consistent basis starting in the fall. He averaged 10:39 per game for Vancouver in 2024-25 over 33 appearances, scoring seven goals and 11 points with a minus-four rating. He was great on draws, particularly for a young player, winning 57.7% of his faceoffs. He’s a decently physical piece as well, ranking 10th on the team with 80 hits despite his limited workload.
Räty also would have required waivers starting next year, a risk the Canucks certainly aren’t willing to take. He’ll be on the roster come October and could even begin the season with as big of a role as third-line center if Vancouver can’t make any notable free agent additions down the middle in the coming days.
Sasson, 25 in September, won’t be too far behind Räty on the Canucks’ center depth chart. He also saw significant NHL ice last season, except in his case, it was his first NHL call-up. He scored three goals and seven points in 29 games for Vancouver, routinely slotting in down the middle and winning 42.7% of his draws while averaging 10:20 per game.
When on assignment to AHL Abbotsford, Sasson managed 32 points in 41 games – his second straight season with strong minor-league production after signing with Vancouver as a free agent out of Western Michigan in 2023. He’s still waiver-exempt for another year, though. If there’s a roster crunch in camp, he could be the odd man out as a result.
Bains would also require waivers to head back to the AHL, so that’s something to watch. Another undrafted free agent signing, he’s also been an extremely productive AHL piece over the last few years. He scored 43 points in 50 games for Abbotsford this year after nearly reaching a point per game in 2023-24, but the winger has just one goal in 21 NHL appearances over the last two years. Whether his minor-league track record is enough to keep him on the NHL roster remains to be seen, but he could also be a trade candidate if he makes the club and starts slow out of the gate to avoid losing him for nothing on the wire.
Brisebois is the longest-tenured Canuck of the group by a significant margin. A third-round pick back in 2015, he’s settled in as an AHL depth piece and occasional call-up. The 6’2″ lefty played three NHL games this past season in a January call-up, his first action with Vancouver since March 2023. He’ll be 28 next month and has three points and a minus-seven rating in 30 NHL games with the Canucks.
He’s been one of the key defensive minds on Abbotsford’s blue line, helping the minor-league club to its first Calder Cup championship in franchise history a few days ago. He posted five points and a plus-three rating in 48 regular-season games for the AHL Canucks this season.
Medvedev Expected To Return To London Next Season
- Canucks draft pick Alexei Medvedev has declined interest from several NCAA schools and will return to OHL London next season, relays Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic (Twitter link). The 17-year-old was a second-round pick on Saturday, going 47th overall following a solid rookie year with the Knights. He put up a 2.79 GAA and a .912 SV% in 34 games during the regular season and with platoon partner and playoff starter Austin Elliott off to college next season, Medvedev should have a path to a much bigger role in 2025-26.
Canucks Acquire Rights To Ilya Safonov From Blackhawks
The Canucks announced Saturday they’ve acquired the signing rights to forward Ilya Safonov from the Blackhawks in exchange for future considerations. Vancouver will now presumably try to get the Russian center, who’s been on Chicago’s reserve list since they drafted him in the sixth round in 2021, signed to an NHL contract.
The 24-year-old was a sixth-round pick by Chicago back in 2021, going 172nd overall. At the time, Safonov had a minor role with Kazan in the KHL but in 2022-23, he had a breakout 37-point performance that suggested he could bring more to the table while also sparking hopes that he might come to North America.
Unfortunately for Chicago, Safonov’s production has gone in the wrong direction since then. He managed 20 points in 67 games in 2023-24 and while his point total (22) was marginally better this season, his seven goals were the lowest he had in a single season since being drafted. In the meantime, he signed a one-year contract extension with Kazan last month, keeping him signed in Russia through the end of next season. Unlike contracts in some other countries, his deal does not have an NHL out clause.
With this in mind, it feels like this is a longer-term no-risk move for the Canucks. If Safonov is able to rebound offensively next season, he could play his way into consideration for being signed and given a chance to crack Vancouver’s lineup. Meanwhile, if that doesn’t happen or Safonov decides he just wants to keep playing at home, it’s not as if they’ve given up anything to get his rights.
Canucks, Golden Knights, Kings Interested In Bowen Byram
After sending high-end winger, JJ Peterka, out West a few days ago to the Utah Mammoth, the Buffalo Sabres are reportedly working the phones on another one of their younger roster players. According to TSN’s Darren Dreger on the Barn Burner podcast, the Sabres are receiving consistent interest in defenseman Bowen Byram from the Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights, and Los Angeles Kings.
For the former two teams, it’s apparent that Byram is being viewed as an option on his off-hand. Operating on the assumption he’ll be in any acquiring team’s top-four, the Canucks already have Quinn Hughes and Marcus Pettersson on the left, while the Golden Knights have Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin.
Meanwhile, the Kings may view Byram as a sufficient replacement for Vladislav Gavrikov should the defensive blue liner depart in free agency. Byram isn’t nearly as good as Gavrikov in the defensive zone, but would bring far more offensive pressure and could create a quality pairing with fellow youngster, Brandt Clarke.
For context, there’s no trade close at the time of writing, but it’s become apparent that the Sabres are making a concerted effort to balance out the handedness of their defensive core. The team has already found one quality right-handed option in Michael Kesselring, and is likely seeking one more after moving Byram.
Unfortunately for Buffalo, it’s challenging to ascertain Byram’s value on the trade market. He has not made many significant strides since his time with the Colorado Avalanche, recording a 0.46 PPG average over the past three years, despite an increase in average ice time since arriving in New York.
Still, despite his billing as an offensive-minded defenseman, Byram can hold his own in the defensive zone, racking up 313 blocked shots in 246 career games, with a 90.1% on-ice save percentage at even strength. It’s also important to note that, unlike many of his peers in Buffalo, Byram has postseason experience and had his name put on the Cup in 2022 with Colorado.
Kane In Vancouver's Long-Term Plans
Although recently traded Evander Kane has just one year remaining on his four-year, $20.5MM contract, the Canucks are eyeing him as a potential long-term asset beyond this season.
Per Thomas Drance of The Athletic, GM Patrik Allvin stated that in his estimation, Kane has matured over the past few years in Edmonton and is a candidate for a long-term deal in Vancouver. NHL.com’s Chris Faber adds that Allvin believes Kane’s physical presence will make the Canucks hard to play against.
- The Canucks are interested in extending goalie Thatcher Demko, and TSN’s Darren Dreger said on Toronto 1050’s Overdrive that he believes an extension is more likely than a trade at this point. While Demko is coming off his worst NHL season (due in large part to injuries), posting an .889 save percentage in 23 games, he carries a career .910 save percentage and is still on the right side of 30. Demko has one year remaining on his $5MM AAV deal and is set for unrestricted free agency next year. While the Canucks extended goalie Kevin Lankinen to a five year, $22.5MM deal, Dreger believes the team is still interested in getting a deal done with Demko. “It made sense until recently that they would have to consider trading Demko. But I was told by a couple teams today that Demko is more or less off the market,” he said. While Dreger said he wouldn’t call a deal close or imminent, he does feel both sides are getting closer on a multi-year extension.