The Nashville Predators signed forward Jack Drury to a five-year, $22.5 million contract on Sunday night, four days after he was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche.
The 26-year-old Drury had a career-high 10 goals last season and matched his personal best with 27 points while playing in all 82 regular-season games for the Avalanche.
The Colorado Avalanche answered questions about their defense Friday by re-signing Brett Kulak and Brent Burns.
Kulak signed a five-year deal worth $4.5 million annually. Burns returns on a one-year pact worth $850,000 that could reach up to $2 million because of performance bonuses, a source told ESPN.
The New York Islanders have re-signed defenseman Tony DeAngelo to a two-year contract, the team announced Friday.
DeAngelo is getting $4.5 million per year on his new deal, according to multiple reports.
The Ottawa Senators are keeping a defenseman around for the long term by signing pending restricted free agent Jordan Spence to a four-year, $20 million contract, the team announced Friday.
The Senators also traded for Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Samuel Ersson, sending back a 2027 fifth-round pick in return.
The Buffalo Sabres locked up an important player for the long term by signing Zach Benson to a seven-year, $52.5 million contract, the team announced Wednesday, keeping the winger from becoming a restricted free agent.
The Oilers re-signed Jason Dickinson to a five-year contract worth $20 million on Sunday, preventing the defensive-minded center from testing the free agent market.
Dickinson will count $4 million against the salary cap through the 2030-31 NHL season. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, three days before his 31st birthday.
The Minnesota Wild signed Michael McCarron to a six-year, $20 million contract on Tuesday, taking one of their impending free agents off the market after his productive arrival following a midseason trade.
McCarron, 31, played in 20 regular-season games for the Wild after he was acquired from the Nashville Predators for a 2028 second-round draft pick on March 3. The 6-foot-6 center had his best NHL season, setting career highs with 109 shots on goal, 205 hits and 77 blocked shots.
San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini becomes eligible to sign a contract extension July 1, and the expectation is the franchise will move without delay if both sides are aligned on terms, making it one of the most significant negotiations in club history.
Celebrini finished his second NHL season with 45 goals and 70 assists, solidifying his place as one of the best young stars in the league.
The timing of the extension carries added weight because this is the final offseason before a new collective bargaining agreement alters maximum extension lengths. Celebrini can sign an eight-year deal if it is registered before September 15. With NHL contracts capped at 20% of the salary cap, San Jose could offer eight years at $20.8 million annually, totaling $166.4 million, which would surpass Kirill Kaprizov's $136 million deal signed last offseason. Additional incentives such as a maximum signing bonus structure and a no-movement clause are also available tools.
Celebrini wearing a captain's "C" next season is considered a near certainty.
Whether San Jose pursues the maximum figure, and whether Celebrini is willing to commit to that length as a 20-year-old in a rapidly shifting salary cap environment, remains an open question for both sides to work through.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed franchise cornerstone Evgeni Malkin to a one-year contract carrying a $5.5 million cap hit through the 2026-27 season, the team announced Tuesday, ensuring the veteran forward will spend his entire NHL career in Pittsburgh.
The deal includes a $3 million signing bonus and $2.5 million in base salary, with performance bonuses that could push the total value to $9 million. Incentives include $500,000 for a games-played threshold, $1 million for a playoff berth, and $500,000 per postseason round won. The contract also carries a full no-movement clause.
Malkin's return follows a strong bounce-back campaign in which he recorded 19 goals and 61 points in 56 games while shifting from center to right wing. The resurgence reversed the position of general manager Kyle Dubas, who had previously shown no interest in retaining Malkin entering last season.
The 2026-27 campaign will mark Malkin's 21st season with Pittsburgh, trailing only Sidney Crosby's 22 years with the franchise. Malkin, who turns 40 on July 31, developed notable chemistry with 25-year-old Russian forward Egor Chinakhov and helped guide Pittsburgh back to the playoffs for the first time since 2022.
Crosby had openly pushed for Malkin's return throughout the offseason.
"I think everybody knows how I feel about Geno," said Crosby.
Teammate Jordan Staal echoed that sentiment.
"You never know the way the game is going to work out and you never forget that it's a business," said Staal. "But, to be honest with you, I can't really imagine Geno not being a member of the Penguins. It just wouldn't feel right."
Malkin ranks among the club's elite all-time players alongside Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Crosby. Across 20 NHL seasons, he has accumulated 533 goals and 1,407 points, three Stanley Cup championships, and the 2009 Conn Smythe Trophy.
The Washington Capitals re-signed defenseman Timothy Liljegren to a two-year contract worth $6.5 million.
General manager Chris Patrick announced the deal Wednesday. Liljegren will count $3.25 million against the salary cap next season and in 2027-28.
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