NHL Player News

Koch signed a one-year, two-way contract with Utah on Thursday.

Koch provided some extra aggression for AHL Tucson last year, recording 97 PIM and 15 points in 63 contests. He also appeared in one NHL game with the Coyotes while playing on his entry-level deal. Koch is likely just organizational depth on the blue line for Utah.

McWard inked a one-year, two-way contract with the Canucks on Thursday.

McWard had the option to become a restricted free agent in July after completing his entry-level deal. The 23-year-old had four goals and 17 points in 57 regular-season games with AHL Abbotsford in 2023-24. McWard has also provided a goal across six career contests with Vancouver.

Karlsson signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Canucks on Thursday.

Karlsson was set to become a restricted free agent in July after completing his two-year, entry-level contract. He participated in four regular-season contests with Vancouver in 2023-24, recording no points, four shots, three hits and two blocks over that stretch. Karlsson also had 23 goals and 60 points across 60 regular-season outings with AHL Abbotsford.

Nedeljkovic signed a two-year, $5 million contract with the Penguins on Thursday.

Nedeljkovic had an 18-7-7 record, 2.97 GAA and .902 save percentage in 38 regular-season contests with the Penguins in 2023-24. He was playing on a one-year, $1.5 million contract and could have tested the unrestricted free agent waters this summer. The Penguins also have Tristan Jarry signed through 2027-28, so Pittsburgh will be using the same goaltending duo for the second straight campaign in 2024-25. Nedeljkovic will likely begin the season as the backup netminder, but he has the potential to be utilized more than your typical No. 2, especially after Jarry was something of a mixed bag in 2023-24, finishing with a 2.91 GAA and a .903 save percentage in 51 regular-season outings.

Matinpalo signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Senators on Thursday.

Matinpalo was eligible to become a restricted free agent this summer after completing his previous one-year, two-way deal for the 2023-24 campaign. He had four goals and 14 points in 67 regular-season outings with AHL Belleville in 2023-24. Matinpalo also appeared in four contests with Ottawa, recording no points, two shots, four hits and two blocks in that span.

Kane (abdomen) skated at morning practice Thursday, but his status for Game 6 versus Florida on Friday is up in the air, Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton reports.

Kane, who has missed the last three games with the injury, skated on the fifth line at practice and never had an opportunity to play with the regulars. Kane has four goals, four assists and 47 PIM in 20 playoff games this season.

Guttman signed a one-year, two-way contract extension with the Blackhawks on Thursday, according to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago.

Guttman played 27 games at the NHL level in 2023-24, scoring four times while adding four assists over that stretch. He was sent down to AHL Rockford at the end of January and finished the season in the minors, scoring 16 goals and 40 points in 39 AHL games. He should see some NHL action in 2024-25, but he'll likely once again spend most of his time in the minors.

Andersson signed a two-year contract with EHC Biel of the Swiss League on Thursday.

Andersson spent the 2023-24 season with AHL Laval, picking up 21 goals and 45 points in 53 games. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Andersson has played only 110 games at the NHL level since being drafted by the Rangers, scoring seven goals and adding 10 assists over that span.

Villalta signed a two-year, two-way contract with Utah HC on Wednesday.

Villalta was set to become an unrestricted free agent in July after completing his one-year, two-way deal for the 2023-24 campaign. He had a 2.54 GAA and a .911 save percentage in 51 regular-season outings with AHL Tucson this year. He also appeared in two games with Arizona, posting a 4.17 GAA and an .828 save percentage.

Kuemper was dealt to the Kings from the Capitals on Wednesday in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Kuemper had a 13-14-3 record, 3.31 GAA and .890 save percentage in 33 regular-season appearances with Washington in 2023-24. Perhaps the 34-year-old will benefit from the change of scenery and rebound, but he'll likely begin the 2024-25 as the backup netminder. Between his age and recent results, the three seasons remaining on Kuemper's five-year, $26.25 million contract seem rather undesirable. The fact that he's the only return LA got for Dubois speaks to how much the 25-year-old forward's market value has fallen following his 40-point season and due to the seven seasons remaining on his eight-year, $64 million deal.