Canadiens secure key forward
The Montreal Canadiens have finalized an eight-year, US$73.2-million contract extension with forward Ivan Demidov. This agreement, which begins in the 2027-28 season, aims to keep Demidov with the team through the 2034-35 season, solidifying a core of young talent.
Demidov, selected fifth overall in the 2024 NHL draft, made a significant impact last season by leading all NHL rookies with 62 points, comprising 19 goals and 43 assists. His performance also earned him a second-place finish in the Calder Trophy voting. During Montreal’s run to the Eastern Conference final, the 20-year-old winger contributed nine points across 19 playoff games.
This extension was reached before September 15, a key date when the maximum contract length for re-signing players is set to decrease to seven years under the NHL‘s new collective bargaining agreement. Demidov joins other significant players like Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Lane Hutson, all of whom are signed through at least 2030. Despite Demidov’s new deal, defenceman Noah Dobson, with an annual salary of $9.5 million until 2033, remains the team’s highest-paid player, particularly as the NHL salary cap is expected to increase in the coming seasons.
Free agency and trade market activity
The opening of free agency on July 1 has seen several teams making moves. Unrestricted free agents are now able to negotiate and sign with any team, while restricted free agents can discuss contracts but must go through an offer sheet process before changing organizations. The trade market is also anticipated to be active as teams seek to enhance their rosters.
The Winnipeg Jets have signed former Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner to a two-year, $7.5-million contract. This signing follows rumours regarding the potential departure of Vezina Trophy-winning netminder Connor Hellebuyck from Winnipeg. Skinner, who reached the Stanley Cup final with the Oilers in both 2024 and 2025, was later traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Last season, the 27-year-old posted a .888 save percentage and a 2.92 goals-against average over 50 games split between the two teams.
In other Western Canadian news, veteran defenceman Luke Schenn is returning to the Vancouver Canucks for his third stint with the team, signing a one-year, $2.25-million deal. The 36-year-old Schenn last played for Vancouver in 2023, having spent the previous season with Buffalo and Winnipeg.
Eastern Conference transactions
The Toronto Maple Leafs traded pending restricted free agent Nick Robertson to the Penguins earlier on Wednesday, receiving a fourth-round draft pick in 2028 in return. Robertson, who was on a one-year, US$1.825 million deal last season, achieved career-highs with 16 goals and 32 points in 78 games. This transaction reunites the 24-year-old American forward with Kyle Dubas, the former Maple Leafs general manager who is now the Penguins’ president of hockey operations. Dubas originally drafted Robertson to Toronto in the second round, 53rd overall, of the 2019 NHL draft.
The Ottawa Senators have also been active, signing goalie Samuel Ersson to a two-year, $4.4-million deal and extending Nick Cousins on a two-year contract valued at $3.175 million. The Senators acquired Ersson from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 2027 fifth-round pick last week, allowing him to briefly enter free agency before re-signing. The 26-year-old Swede recorded a .870 save percentage and 3.12 goals-against average in 33 games with the Philadelphia Flyers last season.
Cousins, who hails from Belleville, Ont., registered nine goals, 23 points, and 92 penalty minutes in 81 games for the Senators last season, which was his second with the team. His previous contract was set to expire when free agency commenced at 12 p.m. ET on Wednesday. A third-round draft pick by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2011, Cousins has accumulated 86 goals and 218 points across parts of 12 NHL seasons with seven different teams. He won a Stanley Cup championship with the Florida Panthers in 2024 before joining Ottawa the following season. The Senators have already had a busy off-season, including trading captain Brady Tkachuk to the Panthers and acquiring forward William Eklund from the San Jose Sharks.
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Source: sportsnet.ca
