NHL Player News

Buteyets signed a two-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL on Friday and was subsequently loaned to the Shanghai Dragons, Zach Cavanagh of The Sporting Tribune reports.

Buteyets will opt to continue his development in the KHL rather than battle for minutes with AHL San Diego. The Ducks retain his rights as an unsigned restricted free agent, but it's unclear if he'll ever prove himself enough to be a backup option at the NHL level.

Schmid signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the Panthers on Friday, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Schmid and Florida managed to avoid an arbitration hearing by agreeing to this deal. The 26-year-old netminder had a 16-10-6 record, 2.59 GAA and .893 save percentage in 34 regular-season appearances with Vegas in 2025-26. Florida acquired him from the Golden Knights on June 29 in exchange for a 2028 third-round pick. Schmid is likely to serve as the Panthers' No. 2 netminder behind Jacob Markstrom (undisclosed).

Shepard signed a one-year contract with KHL club AK Barys on Thursday, AHL Insider Tony Androckitis reports.

Shepard played in just one regular-season game with the Senators last year in which he gave up two goals on 12 shots in a loss to the Red Wings. With the move, the 30-year-old backstop has likely closed the door on his NHL career, which includes six NHL outings for the Capitals and Senators.

Greaves secured a three-year, $15 million contract with Columbus on Thursday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.

Greaves and the Jackets will avoid salary arbitration by agreeing to this new deal that represents a significant upgrade from his previous two-year, $1.63 million contract. Looking ahead to the 2026-27 campaign, the 25-year-old backstop will likely enter training camp as the presumptive No. 1 option, despite Elvis Merzlikins still being under contract.

Campbell announced his retirement from professional hockey Monday, David Alter of The Hockey News reports.

Campbell made NHL appearances in nine seasons between the Stars, Kings, Maple Leafs and Oilers. He appeared in 176 games, going 93-52-18 with a 2.76 GAA, .909 save percentage and 10 shutouts, with most of his success coming in Toronto between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns.

Skarek inked a one-year contract with DEL club Straubing on Thursday.

Skarek played in two NHL games for the Islanders back in 2024-25, going 0-1-0 with a 3.95 GAA and an .872 save percentage. At 26 years of age, the door isn't completely closed on Skarek eventually returning to the NHL, but he will certainly face an uphill battle to make it back.

Ostman signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Kraken on Friday.

In the past two campaigns, Ostman has made a pair of regular-season appearances with the Kraken. However, he has spent most of his time with AHL Coachella Valley. Across 36 regular-season appearances with the Firebirds last year, he went 17-15-3 with a 2.81 GAA and .906 save percentage.

Commesso signed a two-year, $1.75 million contract with Chicago on Monday, per PuckPedia.

Commesso has a two-way deal with the Blackhawks for 2026-27, and it becomes a one-way agreement in 2027-28. In three NHL outings with Chicago last year, he posted a 2-1-0 record while allowing only seven goals on 85 shots. Commesso also went 13-20-2 with a 3.08 GAA and a .901 in 37 appearances for AHL Rockford in the 2025-26 regular season. The 23-year-old netminder will probably begin the 2026-27 campaign in the minors.

Malek signed a two-year, two-way contract with New Jersey on Monday.

Malek spent the bulk of the 2025-26 regular season with AHL Utica, posting a 13-14-3 record with a 2.75 GAA and an .895 save percentage in 31 appearances. He also went 1-0-1 with a 1.91 GAA and a .930 save percentage in two regular-season outings with ECHL Adirondack last year. He will probably begin the 2026-27 campaign in the minors.

Blomqvist landed a two-year, $1.75 million contract with Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Blomqvist didn't play in a game with Pittsburgh this past season, but he performed well with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, going 16-5-4 with a .913 save percentage and a 2.40 GAA over 26 outings. The 24-year-old is the No. 3 goaltender on the Penguins' organizational depth chart, so he may not see much time with the big club in 2026-27 on the condition that Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov are healthy.