NHL Player News

Kahkonen signed a one-year, $1.15 million contract with Montreal on Tuesday, Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports.

Kahkonen spent parts of 2024-25 with three different minor-league squads, and he also appeared in one regular-season game with the Avalanche, allowing four goals on 20 shots in a loss. The 28-year-old netminder will compete with Jakub Dobes for the No. 2 gig this coming season, but Kahkonen could find himself playing for AHL Laval for much of the campaign if he doesn't impress Montreal's coaching staff during training camp.

Rittich put pen to paper on a one-year deal with the Islanders on Tuesday.

Rittich will join a crowded goalie room that already includes Ilya Sorokin, Semyon Varlamov (knee) and Marcus Hogberg. While it's clear Sorokin will enter the 2025-26 campaign as the No. 1 option, there figures to be a three-way competition for the backup job now that Rittich is in the mix. With the Kings last year, Rittich went 16-14-2 with a 2.84 GAA and an .886 save percentage.

Vladar signed a two-year, $6.7 million contract with the Flyers on Tuesday.

Vladar posted a 12-11-6 record, .898 save percentage and 2.80 GAA over 30 regular-season appearances in the backup role to Dustin Wolf in Calgary last season. Philadelphia also has Ivan Fedotov and Samuel Ersson under contract for this coming season. Vladar could certainly compete for the No. 1 gig between the pipes, but it'll be a situation worth monitoring during training camp in the fall.

The Avalanche did not extend a qualify offer to Mandolese, making him an unrestricted free agent, per Brennan Vogt of Hockey Mountain High on Tuesday.

Mandolese held an 11-6-0 record, .903 save percentage and 2.87 GAA over 19 regular-season appearances with AHL Colorado in 2024-25. The 24-year-old netminder was a sixth-round selection by Ottawa in 2018, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him land a two-way deal with a new team when free agency opens.

Tarasov signed a one-year, $1.05 million contract with the Panthers on Tuesday, according to PuckPedia.

Tarasov will take over the backup role to Sergei Bobrovsky in the short term, as Vitek Vanecek had that gig during the team's most recent Stanley Cup run. Tarasov had a 7-10-2 record, a 3.54 GAA and an .881 save percentage over 20 appearances with Columbus in 2024-25. Considering the Panthers' success and the fact that they're returning most of their core, Tarasov should make for a decent plug-and-play option when he's between the pipes during the 2025-26 campaign.

Allen agreed to terms on a five-year, $9 million contract with New Jersey on Tuesday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Allen put up decent ratios last year, posting a 2.66 GAA and a .906 save percentage to go with four shutouts in 31 contests. Unfortunately, those numbers didn't translate to wins, as the 34-year-old netminder went just 13-16-1. Five years is a significant term to commit to a player of his age, but with the AAV coming in under $2 million, fans probably can't complain too much.

Demko signed a three-year, $25.5 million contract extension with Vancouver on Tuesday.

Demko will see a nice bump in salary, going from $5 million AAV this year to $8.5 million AAV when his new deal begins in 2026-27. If it weren't for health concerns, the 29-year-old netminder likely could have commanded a slightly higher salary -- though two-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck set the market at the same $8.5 million Demko is getting. Injuries limited Demko to just 23 regular-season games last year in which he posted a 10-8-3 record and 2.90 GAA. If he can stay healthy, which is a big if, Demko figures to be near the top of most statistical categories during the 2025-26 campaign.

Primeau was traded to the Hurricanes from the Canadiens on Monday in exchange for a seventh-round pick, Walt Ruff of the Hurricanes' official site reports.

Primeau is a restricted free agent, so the Hurricanes will have to sign him and get him under contract. Considering just how dominant the 25-year-old was in the AHL last season, it's a decent bet to make for the Hurricanes, given the cheap acquisition price. He held a 21-2-3 record, with a 1.92 GAA and a .927 save percentage during his time with AHL Laval last year. He brings a decent amount of NHL experience to the table, but he will likely not start there with the Hurricanes, if he signs a new deal, considering the presence of Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov.

The Oilers did not extend a qualifying offer to Rodrigue on Monday, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton reports.

Rodrigue appeared in two regular-season games with the Oilers last season, going 0-1-0 with an .862 save percentage and a 3.10 GAA. The 24-year-old also registered an 18-16-7 record, .897 save percentage and 3.12 GAA over 41 outings with AHL Bakersfield. The 2018 second-round pick will look to link up with a new organization when free agency opens Tuesday.

Poulter didn't receive a qualifying offer from the Devils on Monday, making him an unrestricted free agent, Sam Kasan of the Devils' official site reports.

Poulter spent some time with the Devils during the 2024-25 season but didn't make his NHL debut. Over 36 appearances at AHL Utica, he went 16-13-6 with a 2.86 GAA and .898 save percentage, and he'll hit the open market during the offseason.