Most of the NHL’s top unrestricted free agents have found homes.
But there is plenty of action still to happen during the NHL offseason. There are trades to be made and restricted free agents to re-sign. Salary arbitration cases are scheduled to begin on July 20 and run through Aug. 4, though both sides often settle beforehand.
Also, players whose contracts run out after the 2025-26 season are eligible to sign contract extensions at any time.
Here is a look at the signings, trades and other news that have happened since the initial surge of movement in late June and early July:
July 18: Jets, Gabriel Vilardi agree to six-year deal
The Jets announced that they have reached a six-year deal with top-line winger Vilardi, avoiding an arbitration hearing. It’s worth $7.5 million a year, more than double his last contract. Vilardi set career highs with 27 goals, 34 assists and 61 points. He scored 12 goals on the power play.
The long-term deal is a good sign for the Presidents’ Trophy winning Jets, who lost winger Nikolaj Ehlers to free agency this summer. Winnipeg’s Murray Baron earlier reached a deal to avoid arbitration, and defenseman Dylan Samberg still has a hearing pending.
July 17: Ducks, Lukas Dostal agree to five-year deal
Dostal avoids arbitration with his deal, which averages a reported $6.5 million a year. He gets a big raise from his current $812,500 average after establishing himself as the No. 1 goalie in Anaheim. That was further cemented when the Ducks traded goalie John Gibson to the Red Wings. Dostal, named to the Czech Olympic team, went 23-23-7 last season with a 3.10 goals-against average and .903 save percentage. He made 40 or more saves a league-best five times.
July 17: Maple Leafs acquire Dakota Joshua from Canucks
Vancouver receives a 2028 fourth-round pick. Joshua will likely slot in the Maple Leafs’ bottom six forwards. He had a career-best 18 goals and 32 points in 2023-24 but missed the beginning of last season after having surgery for testicular cancer. He finished with 14 points in 57 games. He originally was drafted by the Maple Leafs but never played for them.
July 17: Blue Jackets’ Yegor Chinakhov requests trade
Yegor Chinakhov, a former first-round draft pick of the Blue Jackets, has asked for a trade.
The agent for Chinakhov posted on X, formerly Twitter, about the trade request.
“I had some misunderstandings with the coach during the season,” read the post quoting Chinakhov. “Now I would be glad to have a trade. I would like to move to a different location. Will I return to Russia? As long as I can play in the NHL, I will keep developing here.”
Chinakhov, who was selected with the No. 21 overall selection in 2020, missed nearly half of last season with a back injury, an issue that also sidelined him for the final 17 games in the previous season. – Joey Kaufman, Columbus Dispatch
July 15: Sabres re-sign Bowen Byram for two years
The defenseman will average $6.25 million in the deal. He was considered a candidate for an offer sheet but the Sabres reportedly filed for arbitration to prevent that. He ranked third among Sabres defensemen in average ice time and third with 38 points. The cap hit makes him the third highest paid defenseman on the team behind Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.
Who has filed for salary arbitration?
The biggest names were Dostal and Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi, who set career bests with 27 goals, 34 assists and 61 points for the NHL’s top regular season team. Two other Jets players filed. The full list:
- Morgan Barron (Winnipeg Jets). Agreed to two-year, $3.7 million deal.
- Lukas Dostal (Anaheim Ducks). Agreed to five-year, $32.5 million deal.
- Drew Helleson (Anaheim Ducks)
- Kaapo Kakko (Seattle Kraken)
- Nicholas Robertson (Toronto Maple Leafs)
- Dylan Samberg (Winnipeg Jets)
- Arvid Soderblom (Chicago Blackhawks)
- Jayden Struble (Montreal Canadiens)
- Conor Timmins (Buffalo Sabres)
- Maxim Tsyplakov (New York Islanders)
- Gabriel Vilardi (Winnipeg Jets)
