NHL Player News

Merilainen signed a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Senators on Thursday.

Merilainen had an 8-10-1 record, 3.51 GAA and .860 save percentage in 20 regular-season appearances with Ottawa in 2025-26. While those results leave plenty to be desired, the 23-year-old has the potential to bounce back. However, he'll have to compete with Samuel Ersson during training camp to earn the No. 2 job behind Linus Ullmark. If the 23-year-old Merilainen doesn't do enough to win an NHL roster spot, then he'll return to the minors to continue to hone his game.

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.

Shabanov inked a one-year, $1.6 million contract with Minnesota on Thursday.

Shabanov played in just 44 regular-season games due to injury, recording five goals and 13 assists, including five power-play points. If the 25-year-old winger can stay healthy, he should be capable of pushing for the 40-point threshold, though he may struggle for power-play minutes given the depth of the Minnesota forward group.

Ovechkin signed a one-year, $4.25 million contract with the Capitals on Thursday.

There was uncertainty during the offseason as to whether Ovechkin would continue his NHL career during the 2026-27 campaign, but he'll remain with the Capitals for at least one more season. He appeared in all 82 regular-season games with Washington last year, racking up 32 goals, 32 assists, 134 hits, 26 PIM and 16 blocked shots while averaging 17:27 of ice time. The NHL's all-time leader in goals has appeared in at least 65 regular-season games in five consecutive seasons, and he should remain a reliable contributor during his age-41 season as long as he can remain healthy.

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.

Leason inked a one-year, two-way contract with San Jose on Thursday.

Leason logged just six games for the Capitals last year, failing to register a point while notching 10 hits and one shot. At this point, the 27-year-old winger is more of an organizational depth piece that will help San Jose's minor-league system. As such, fantasy managers shouldn't be expecting him to make much of an impact.

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.

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

Coleman was a consistent contributor over his five years in Calgary, recording at least 33 points and 107 hits in each season. Across 69 regular-season appearances last year, he recorded 20 goals, 15 assists, 152 hits, 49 PIM and 48 blocked shots while averaging 17:20 of ice time. Coleman is entering the final year of a six-year, $29.4 million contract, and the Flames will retain 50 percent of his salary for the 2026-27 campaign.

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.