Heimosalmi will remain in Carolina's organization for a third season after it was announced Thursday that the 23-year-old had signed a one-year, two-way contract extension. Heimosalmi has yet to make his NHL debut after coming over from Liiga in Finland, but had four goals, 17 points and 40 PIMs in 52 games with Chicago (AHL) last season.
The first arbitration case of the 2026-27 offseason has come to a close after it was announced Thursday that Ottawa and Xavier Bourgault had settled on arbitration on a one-year, $850,000 AAV contract. The 23-year-old appeared in two games with Ottawa in 2025-26, but spent the majority of the season with Belleville (AHL), where he had 25 goals, 57 points in 34 PIMs in 70 games played.
Berard was acquired in late June for William Trudeau from New York and has signed a one-year, two-way contract with Montreal on Thursday. The 23-year-old former 5th round pick (2020) appeared in 13 games with the Rangers in 2025-26, failing to pick up a point while collecting six PIMs. He is expected to provide Montreal with offensive depth this season and will be competing in training camp for a spot in their bottom-six.
Boston solidified some offensive depth on Thursday after they announced they had signed Providence (AHL) forward Riley Duran to a one-year, two-way contract. The 24-year-old joined Boston's organization from Providence College (NCAA) in 2023-24 and has appeared in 132 games with the Providence Bruins (AHL) across the last two seasons. He made his NHL debut last season, failing to pick up a point across two appearances.
Galves was Pittsburgh's 2026 2nd round pick (54th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract on Thursday. The 20-year-old Czechia defensemen represented his country at both the World Championships and the Under-20 Campionships in 2025-26 while playing majority of his club hockey for Bílí Tygři Liberec (Czechia). He is expected to start the season in Wilkes-Barre (AHL) as he gets used to his first taste of North American hockey.
Villeneuve will remain in the Maple Leafs organization for two more season after the team announced Wednesday that they had signed the 24-year-old to a two-year, two-way contract extension. The French Canadian defensemen made his NHL debut for the Maple Leafs last season during a short, three-game stint but spent the majority of 2025-26 with the Marlies (AHL), where he had three goals and 30 points in 61 games played. He is expected to start the season with the Marlies but will provide the Maple Leafs with much needed defensive depth throughout the season if need be.
Hinds made his NHL debut in 2025-26, appearing in six NHL games with the Ducks and has earned himself a two-year contract worth $900,000 AAV ($1.8M total). The 23-year-old is expected to be a key complimentary piece to Anaheim's blue line this season after the team lost both Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas to free agency.
After a successful first season in the KHL with Barys Astana, Reilly Walsh will return to North America after it was announced Wednesday that Montreal had signed Walsh to a one-year, two-way contract. The 27-year-old's only appearance in the NHL came back with New Jersey in 2021-22, where he had an assist in one game played. He is expected to play a key part in Laval (AHL) this upcoming season.
Ivanov was a fifth-round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, but he has yet to play professionally in North America. The 22-year-old Russian goalie spent most of the 2025-26 season in the KHL, where he posted a solid 2.50 GAA and .928 SV% in 29 games (13-11-2) for St. Petersburg SKA.
Hajek was drafted 37th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, but has spent the past few seasons playing professionally in Czechia after being unable to make a lasting impacting in North America. The 28-year-old Czech forward scored 13 points (6G / 7A) last season for Pardubice HC in Czechia.
Video was circulating last week of Connor Bedard going down favourably holding his shoulder at a skate and Chicago announced Wednesday that their star forward underwent successful shoulder surgery and is expected to miss approximately four months. The 20-year-old will likely miss the beginning of the regular season and is entering his 4th NHL season in Chicago after putting up career highs in nearly all categories in 2025-26, including goals (30), assists (45), points (75) and SOG (226).
The New Jersey Devils put pressure on the Utah Mammoth last week when Barrett Hayton signed their offer sheet, but Utah has ultimately matched it, keeping Hayton for the 2026-27 season. The 26-year-old forward, the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, has shown flashes of the acumen that made him a high-end prospect, but he has yet to translate that into consistent play at the NHL level. Last season, Hayton averaged 15:07 time-on-ice and scored 25 points (10G / 15A) in 67 games with Utah.
Schmidt, drafted 96th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, has bounced around teams over the past year and has yet to earn himself a shot at the NHL level. The 23-year-old defenseman scored three assists in the 2025-26 season in 48 AHL games split between the Syracuse Crunch, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and Iowa Wild.
Hinds, a third-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, made his NHL debut with the team last season, drawing into six games. That said, the 23-year-old defenseman spent most of the 2025-26 season in the AHL, where he scored 19 points (5G / 14A) in 62 games with the San Diego Gulls.
Cormier was a third-round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He suited up in two games for the Golden Knights in the 2023-24 season but has otherwise played exclusively in the AHL. The 24-year-old defenseman scored 47 points (8G / 39A) last season in 49 games with the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL).
Commesso was drafted 46th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and has drawn into a handful of games for the team over the past two seasons. That said, the 23-year-old goalie spent most of the 2025-26 season in the AHL, where he posted a serviceable 3.08 GAA and .901 SV% in 37 games (13-20-2) with the Rockford IceHogs.
Trudeau was a fourth-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, but never suited up for the team at the NHL level. The 23-year-old defenseman spent the 2025-26 season with the Laval Rocket (AHL), where he scored 20 points (8G / 12A) in 68 games.
Michaels, an undrafted forward, will look to make his professional hockey debut in 2026-27 after signing a two-year, two-way contract with the Edmonton Oilers. The 24-year-old spent the 2025-26 season with Western Michigan University, where he scored 26 points (13G / 13A) in 39 games.
Giroux decided to test the open market after four seasons with the Ottawa Senators, but has ultimately opted to re-sign with the team. The 38-year-old forward, entering his 20th NHL season, has remained productive offensively despite seeing a diminished role. In the 2025-26 season, Giroux averaged 16:18 time-on-ice, his lowest total since his rookie season in 2008-09, but still managed a solid 49-point (14G / 35A) campaign in 82 games.
Quillan, an undrafted forward, is the latest Maple Leafs' offseason signing to complement their organizational depth. The 24-year-old has played 24 career NHL games, but spent most of the 2025-26 season in the AHL, where he tallied 36 points (14G / 22A) in 40 games with the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
