Rumor Wire
NHL Rumors
The latest NHL trade talk, contract reporting, free-agency movement, and roster decisions from the In The Rafters newsroom.
Golden Knights trade Dorofeyev to Rangers, extend Andersson
Vegas dealt its 37-goal right wing to free cap space for defenseman Rasmus Andersson 's extension.
Sharks re-sign Graf to 3-year deal
San Jose locks in its 23-year-old right wing after a 21-goal, 46-point breakout season.
Sharks Pursue Extension With Will Smith
San Jose looks to lock in its second young center after securing Celebrini long-term.
Matt Rempe still working back from hand injury
The Rangers center missed most of 2025-26 with a hand injury requiring two surgeries and is not yet at full health.
Macklin Celebrini signs 5-year, $94M extension with San Jose
The Sharks center locks in a long-term deal on the heels of a 115-point rookie season.
Senators and Batherson apart on extension talks
Ottawa and its 28-year-old right wing remain far from a deal before free agency.
Jason Robertson agrees to $12M deal with Dallas Stars
The left wing avoids arbitration and stays with Dallas after a near-trade this offseason.
John Marino signs 8-year, $54M extension with Utah
The defenseman locks in long-term after a career season that included his first playoff goal.
Jason Robertson’s One-Year Deal in Dallas Ends the Kraken’s Pursuit of the 45-Goal Winger
Robertson’s $12 million bridge contract with the Stars formally closes the book on Seattle’s eight-year, $15 million-a-year offer — but the one-year term puts him on track for unrestricted free agency next July.
Islanders Re-Sign Forward Joey Larson to Two-Year, Two-Way Contract
The Islanders kept AHL forward Joey Larson on a two-year, two-way deal through 2027-28, the team announced Wednesday.
Marino’s Extension Made Utah the First Team to Beat the CBA’s Coming Ban on Eight-Year Deals
John Marino is the first NHL player to sign a max-term deal since free agency opened — and with the new CBA capping extensions at seven years starting in September, per the Deseret News, he likely won’t be the last.
Robertson’s One-Year Deal Leaves Dallas Over the Cap Now and Facing a Walk Year Later
The $12 million bridge deal cleared Saturday’s arbitration hearing off the calendar, but it leaves the Stars roughly $1.4 million over the cap and puts Jason Robertson on a path to unrestricted free agency in July 2027.
Davidson on a Patrick Kane Return: ‘We’ll Await His Decision, but He Knows Our Door Is Always Open’
Kyle Davidson addressed the Patrick Kane question directly on TSN’s OverDrive, saying the Blackhawks will wait on Kane’s decision and that “he knows our door is always open.”
Stars Re-Sign Jason Robertson to One-Year, $12 Million Deal, Avoiding Arbitration
Dallas kept its leading scorer off the arbitration docket, agreeing with Jason Robertson on a one-year, $12 million contract days before his scheduled hearing.
Mammoth Sign John Marino to Eight-Year, $54 Million Extension
Utah locked up defenseman John Marino through 2035 on an eight-year, $54 million extension carrying a $6.75 million cap hit.
Avalanche Sign Georgii Merkulov to One-Year Contract
Colorado added AHL scoring depth Monday, signing the 25-year-old forward who put up 24 goals and 61 points in 70 AHL games last season.
Bedard, in First Public Comments on His $75 Million Extension: ‘Chicago Is Really the Only Place I Want to Play’
Speaking to reporters Monday for the first time since his surgery and his five-year extension, Connor Bedard said the negotiation carried no stress, the Carlsson offer sheet changed nothing, and Chicago’s summer additions have him targeting the playoffs.
Penguins Have Trade Interest in Kraken Center Shane Wright, The Athletic Reports
Josh Yohe of The Athletic reports Pittsburgh is intrigued by Shane Wright — the third team publicly tied to the Kraken center in a week, though Seattle’s asking price may be more than the Penguins will pay.
Isac Lundestrom Has Achilles Surgery, Expected Back in November for the Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets center had surgery on the Achilles injury he suffered in offseason training and is expected back in November, missing about the first six weeks of the season.
Peter DeBoer Says Islanders Must Fix Their Defensive Foundation and 30th-Ranked Power Play, Won’t Rush the Captain Decision
In an interview with The Athletic, the new Islanders head coach named defensive play and the NHL’s 30th-ranked power play as his camp priorities — and said the captaincy vacated by Anders Lee can wait until he sees the group again.
Jet Greaves Files at $7.5 Million, Blue Jackets Counter at $2.8 Million Ahead of Thursday’s Arbitration Hearing
Elliotte Friedman reports a $4.7 million gap between Jet Greaves’s arbitration ask and the Blue Jackets’ counter, with the hearing set for Thursday and a contract guaranteed by Saturday.
Connor Bedard’s $75 Million Contract Gives Adam Fantilli’s Camp a New Benchmark in Columbus
With Bedard signed at $15 million a year and Leo Carlsson’s offer sheet matched, Pro Hockey Rumors says the RFA center market now shifts to Adam Fantilli — and the shape of Bedard’s deal matters as much as the number.
Sergei Brylin Leaves the Devils to Become Head Coach of the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk
Brylin, a three-time Stanley Cup winner as a Devils center and an organizational coach since 2013, takes his first head-coaching job with Dinamo Minsk after his planned new front-office role never materialized.
McDavid-to-Flyers Claim From Philadelphia Radio Draws Pushback; No Evidence of a Trade Request
Todd Fedoruk told Philadelphia radio that Connor McDavid wants the Flyers. The Edmonton Journal and The Hockey News found no evidence of a trade request — and the two-year contract math explains the noise.
Sportsnet Lists Celebrini as Top Candidate for a Maximum-Value NHL Contract
Sportsnet’s Justin Arenburg names Macklin Celebrini the leading candidate to command a maximum AAV on his next deal — up to $22.7 million if he waits until July 2027. The math, the Carlsson benchmark, and Celebrini’s own comments all shape what San Jose does next.
Connor Zary Named a Potential Rangers Trade Target as Flames Continue Taking Calls
The Athletic’s Vincent Z. Mercogliano lists Connor Zary among the young forwards the Rangers could pursue, and Spector’s Hockey notes Calgary is believed open to offers — the first time Zary’s name has surfaced in trade coverage from a major outlet this summer.
Rangers Listed Among Potential Trade Fits for Shane Wright, The Athletic Reports
Vincent Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic lists Shane Wright among the young forwards the Rangers could pursue in a trade — the first Eastern Conference team tied to Wright since his preference for Vancouver became public.
Rangers Still Want to Add a Forward Before Camp, but Only $2.4 Million in Cap Space Limits the Search
Chris Drury still wants one more forward before September, per The Athletic’s Vincent Z. Mercogliano — but with about $2.4 million in cap space, the realistic market is bonus-eligible veterans like Patrik Laine.
Morgan Rielly’s Agent Submits Four-Team, All-Western Trade List, TSN Reports
TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that Rielly’s agent has given Toronto a list of four Western Conference teams the defenseman would accept a trade to, with San Jose and Anaheim among the fits and training camp shaping up as the realistic window.
Connor Bedard’s Five-Year Extension Sets Up the Blackhawks’ Next Round of Contract Decisions
Bedard’s $75 million deal carries no UFA years and expires when he is 26, which means Chicago’s rebuild now runs on a five-year clock — with three young defensemen due new contracts in 2027.
Blackhawks Sign Connor Bedard to Five-Year, $75 Million Extension
Chicago locked up its franchise center on a five-year, $15 million-per-year extension, making Bedard the NHL’s third-highest-paid player.
Wild Remain Confident Quinn Hughes Will Sign Extension, With Contract Length the Sticking Point
John Hynes told the Star Tribune the Wild still expect Quinn Hughes to re-sign in Minnesota — but the gap between a short bridge and a long-term deal is the part nobody has solved.
Canadiens Still Carrying Three Goalies in Mid-July as Montembeault Trade Market Dries Up
Montreal is halfway through July with Samuel Montembeault, Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler all on the 2026-27 roster, and the goalie market that was supposed to clear one of them out has closed around Kent Hughes.
Blues Sign Connor McMichael to Six-Year, $40.5 Million Extension
St. Louis locked up Connor McMichael at $6.75 million a year through 2031-32, avoiding arbitration and securing the centerpiece of the Jordan Kyrou trade.
Islanders Re-Sign Goaltender Henrik Tikkanen to One-Year, Two-Way Contract
Tikkanen returns on a one-year, two-way deal with an $850,000 NHL cap hit and a raised AHL salary after going 17-9-1 for Bridgeport last season.
Flames Lose Ivan Prosvetov and Artem Grushnikov to KHL Deals
Two Calgary Wranglers are headed back to Russia: goaltender Ivan Prosvetov signed a one-year deal with Avangard Omsk, and defenseman Artem Grushnikov is joining the CSKA Moscow organization.
This wire is assembled from published In The Rafters reporting and mixes developing reports with roster-movement context. Finalized moves also roll into the Transactions board.