NHL Player News

Despres signed a one-year contract with Saint-Hyacinthe of the North American Hockey League on Tuesday.

Despres last appeared in the NHL with Anaheim in 2016-17. The left-shot blueliner was a first-round selection (No. 30 overall) by the Penguins in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Crotty inked a two-year, two-way contract with Ottawa on Monday.

Crotty saw action in just one NHL game last year for the Wild, posting a minus-1 rating in 5:08 of ice time. The 26-year-old blueliner wasn't significantly more productive in the minors, recording 10 assists but zero goals in 64 games with AHL Iowa. He figures to play the bulk of his upcoming minutes in the minors and is unlikely to offer much in the way of fantasy value moving forward.

Rutta signed a two-year contract with Geneve-Servette HC of Switzerland's National League on Monday.

Rutta collected three goals, nine points, 55 shots on net, 81 blocked shots and 40 hits across 54 regular-season games with San Jose in 2024-25. The 35-year-old defenseman won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Lightning in 2020 and 2021. His career will continue overseas for the time being, but his days of playing in the NHL could be over.

Barrie announced his retirement from the NHL on Monday.

Barrie played 14 seasons in the NHL between Colorado, Toronto, Edmonton, Nashville and New Jersey, but he saw limited playing time with the Flames during the 2024-25 campaign before being waived, and he'll ultimately elect to call it a career. He played 822 games during his career, amassing 110 goals, 398 assists, 869 blocked shots, 506 hits and 263 PIM.

Smith agreed to a professional tryout contract with Columbus on Tuesday.

Smith registered one goal, five assists, 27 shots on net, 23 blocked shots and 41 hits across 32 regular-season appearances with Dallas in 2024-25. The 36-year-old defender will compete for a depth role with Columbus during training camp.

Hunt signed a one-year, two-way contract with Columbus on Friday.

Hunt saw action in one NHL game last season with the Wild before he was part of a trade that sent David Jiricek to Minnesota on Nov. 30. The 23-year-old Hunt spent the rest of the regular season with AHL Cleveland, picking up two goals and 12 assists in 48 games. He could see a couple of games at the NHL level in 2025-26, especially if the Blue Jackets run into injury problems on their blue line.

Hamonic landed a one-year, $1 million contract with Detroit on Friday.

Hamonic spent the last three-plus seasons with Ottawa, picking up one goal and six assists across 59 regular-season games in 2024-25. The 34-year-old blueliner figures to be in a battle with Erik Gustafsson and Justin Holl for the bottom pairing with the Red Wings.

Ruhwedel announced his retirement from playing professional hockey Tuesday.

Ruhwedel's NHL career spanned 13 years in which he played for the Penguins, Sabres and Rangers. The 35-year-old put most of his time in with Pittsburgh, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2017. The San Diego native appeared in 369 career NHL regular-season games, supplying 13 goals, 50 points and 622 hits.

Evans signed a two-year, $4.1 million contract with the Kraken on Monday.

Evans was a restricted free agent prior to re-signing with the Kraken, which he'll become again when the deal expires after 2026-27. He'll also be eligible for arbitration at that time. The 23-year-old appears to be developing into a reliable bottom-four defenseman, as he registered five goals, 20 helpers, 123 hits and 106 blocked shots over 73 appearances last season. While he may be a steady source of category coverage in 2025-26, his lack of power-play time due to the presence of Vince Dunn and Brandon Montour on the blue line is a hindrance to Evans' offensive potential.

Johnson signed a professional tryout agreement with Minnesota on Monday.

Johnson earned six assists, 23 shots on goal, 35 blocked shots and 21 hits across 41 regular-season games with Columbus in 2024-25. With Jonas Brodin (upper body) likely to miss the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign, the 38-year-old Johnson could land a spot on Minnesota's Opening Night roster if young defenders Zeev Buium or David Jiricek (abdomen) require additional development time in the minors.