NHL Player News

Peeke signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Mammoth on Friday, Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports.

Peeke had five goals, nine assists, 82 shots on net, 105 hits, 135 blocked shots and a minus-12 rating over 77 regular-season games with the Bruins last year. The 28-year-old defenseman will be in the mix for a depth role in Utah, but he may occasionally serve as a healthy scratch. Peeke has some value in banger leagues but has never had more than 17 points in a season, so his scoring upside is limited.

McWard signed a two-year, $1.75 million contract with the Maple Leafs on Thursday, per PuckPedia.

McWard's new deal is a one-way contract in both years. The 25-year-old defenseman has logged nine career NHL games, earning one goal, eight shots on net, nine hits and 11 blocked shots. McWard will likely get a chance to compete for a roster spot with the Maple Leafs in 2026-27, but he'll probably spend most of the campaign with AHL Toronto.

Thrun signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Jets on Thursday, per Murat Ates of The Athletic.

Thrun had five goals, 23 points and 37 PIM in 55 regular-season appearances with AHL Toronto. He also had two goals and nine points in 24 playoff outings with the Marlies en route to winning the Calder Cup. At the NHL level, the 25-year-old has accumulated five goals, 25 points and 46 PIM in 123 career regular-season appearances. Thrun will enter training camp with a genuine shot of making Winnipeg's Opening Night roster.

Gudbranson signed a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the Blue Jackets on Thursday, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.

Gudbranson has spent the past four years in Columbus, but he's missed significant time due to injuries in the last two seasons. After making a career-low 16 regular-season appearances during the 2024-25 campaign, he appeared in 37 regular-season games last year and recorded a goal, two assists, 64 blocked shots, 45 hits and 19 PIM while averaging 17:46 of ice time. He'll return to the Blue Jackets on a one-year contract but will have to showcase more durability if he hopes to put himself back on the fantasy radar.

Cholowski signed a two-year, $1.75 million contract with the Rangers on Thursday, Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports.

Cholowski has made 173 regular-season NHL appearances across seven appearances, and he's landed a multi-year deal ahead of the 2026-27 campaign. He made 17 regular-season appearances with the Devils last year, recording two assists and 17 blocked shots while averaging 14:40 of ice time.

Middleton, a 2027 third-round pick, a 2028 fourth-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick were traded to the Flames from the Wild on Thursday in exchange for Blake Coleman and Olli Maatta, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Middleton spent his fourth full season in Minnesota during the 2025-26 campaign, recording two goals, 14 assists, 117 blocked shots, 87 hits and 76 PIM while averaging 17:30 of ice time across 75 regular-season appearances. The 30-year-old has logged under 100 hits in back-to-back years after reaching that threshold in the three prior seasons, but he's still been a fairly reliable contributor who should have the opportunity to maintain a consistent role with his new team.

Maatta and Blake Coleman were traded to the Wild from the Flames on Thursday in exchange for Jake Middleton and three draft picks, Emily Kaplan of ESPN reports.

Maatta logged 43 regular-season games for the Mammoth and Flames last year, registering two goals, 13 assists and 34 shots. With the move to Minnesota, the 31-year-old Maatta could find himself serving as a healthy scratch periodically. As such, Maatta is unlikely to offer much in the way of fantasy value.

Alexeyev signed a two-year contract with KHL club Salavat Yulaev on Thursday, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports.

Alexeyev was given a qualifying offer by the Penguins, so the team will retain his NHL rights while he is playing in Russia. The 26-year-old blueliner saw action in 38 regular-season games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last year, generating three goals and nine assists, but he never logged an appearance with Pittsburgh.

Sebrango agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Florida on Wednesday, David Dwork of The Hockey News reports. Per PuckPedia, the contract is a one-way deal worth $850,000.

Sebrango finished the 2025-26 season on a high note, recording four helpers in the final five games of the regular season. Still, the 24-year-old blueliner has yet to find the back of the net in 44 career NHL games, so fantasy managers probably shouldn't be banking on him producing a ton of offense.

Carlson signed a two-year, $17 million contract with the Lightning on Wednesday, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports.

Even at age 36, Carlson will get a slight annual raise compared to his last deal, which carried an $8 million cap hit. The blueliner racked up 14 goals, 46 assists, 153 shots on net, 106 blocked shots and a plus-9 rating over 71 regular-season outings between the Capitals and the Ducks last year. With the Lightning, Carlson will likely compete with Victor Hedman for top billing on the power play. Carlson is also still capable of handling a heavy role in the top four at even strength, so fantasy managers shouldn't hesitate to consider him in the middle-to-late portions of drafts.