Dallas continued to lock up defensive depth on Thursday after the team announced they had signed Luke Krys to a two-year, two-way contract extension. The 25-year-old has spent the last two seasons with Texas (AHL) after coming over from Providence College (NCAA) in 2023-24. In 40 games played in 2025-26, he had seven goals, 16 points and 30 PIMs.
After appearing in 33 games with Dallas in 2025-26, the Stars have locked up Kyle Capobianco to a two-year contract extension worth $850K AAV. The 28-year-old was effective when called upon last season, with two goals, five points and eight PIMs across his 33 appearances. He is expected to provide key defensive depth for the Stars as they enter the 2026-27 campaign.
After five appearances with Columbus in 2025-26, Mikael Pyyhtia has earned himself a two-year contract extension worth $875,000 AAV to remain with the Blue Jackets. The 24-year-old forward was Columbus' 2020 4th round pick (114th overall) and has appeared in 71 NHL games with the Blue Jackets since 2022-23, picking up five goals, 11 points and eight PIMs during that time. He is expected to compete for a bottom-six role in training camp for the Blue Jackets.
Chisholm alternated in and out of the lineup for Washington in the 2025-26 season, spending significant time as a healthy scratch, but provided reliable depth when called upon. The 26-year-old defenseman averaged 13:44 time-on-ice, tallying 22 blocks, 11 hits, and seven points (1G / 6A) in 26 games last season.
McKown made his NHL debut in the 2022-23 season, scoring two assists in 12 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but has spent all of his time since in the AHL. The undrafted 23-year-old forward scored 25 points (9G / 16A) last season in 63 games with the Cleveland Monsters (AHL).
Tuch was drafted 47th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft but has yet to make his NHL debut. The 24-year-old forward has spent the entirety of the last two seasons in the AHL. In 2025-26, he scored 14 points (9G / 5A) in 68 games with the Laval Rocket (AHL).
Lombardi was a fourth-round pick, 113th overall, by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 23-year-old has yet to play an NHL game and has spent the entirety of the past three seasons in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins. In 2025-26, he scored 42 points (16G / 26A) in 47 games.
Nichushkin's offensive production took a dip in the 2025-26 season, scoring only 49 points (17G / 32A) in 72 games, but he remained a prominent part of the team's forward group. His departure creates a sizeable absence in Colorado's top-six, but he should be an effective contributor with his new team in Columbus. The 31-year-old Nichushkin has four years remaining in his contract with a $6.125 million AAV.
With Washington's recent acquisitions of Jordan Kyrou and Alex Tuch, the team has sent Lapierre to Pittsburgh in exchange for 2027 third-round and 2028 fifth-round draft picks. The 24-year-old Lapierre played a career-high 74 games with Washington last season, but saw a slightly diminished role, averaging only 8:50 time-on-ice while scoring 16 points (4G / 12A).
The hard-hitting Florida Panthers added some additional toughness to their lineup, acquiring Hathaway from the Philadelphia Flyers for a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick. The 34-year-old forward is coming off his worst offensive season, scoring only three points (1G / 2A) in 66 games, but his physical presence remained, tallying 59 penalty minutes and 252 hits.
Valimaki was a 16th-round pick of the Calgary Flames in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, but he spent the entirety of the 2025-26 season in the AHL, scoring 23 points (7G / 16A) in 27 games. The 27-year-old defenseman has had some success at the NHL level, including an impressive 34-point campaign (4G / 30A) in the 2022-23 season in 78 games with the Arizona Coyotes.
Benson was drafted 13th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft and made his presence felt with a breakout 2025-26 season, scoring 43 points (13G / 30A) in 65 games. The 21-year-old forward continued to gain attention in the postseason, where he scored nine points (5G / 4A) in 13 games. He should continue to see his role elevate in the upcoming season with the Sabres, especially with the recent departure of top-six forward Alex Tuch.
Bradley's only NHL exposure came during a two-game stint with the Colorado Avalanche in the 2024-25 season. The 24-year-old forward will hope to establish himself and earn a larger trial run at the NHL level in the 2025-26 season with the Nashville Predators. He scored 12 points (9G / 3A) in 42 games with the Colorado Eagles last season.
Drury has established himself as one of the NHL's most effective bottom-six forwards in recent seasons and hopes to further establish that reputation with his new team in Nashville. The 25-year-old forward averaged a career-high 14:29 time-on-ice and scored 27 points (10G / 17A) last season in 82 games with the Colorado Avalanche.
L'Heureux was drafted 27th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut in the 2024-25 season, scoring 15 points (5G / 10A) in 62 games. That said, he saw some regression in 2025-26, splitting time between the AHL and the Predators, recording only 5 points (4G / 1A) through 25 games. The 23-year-old forward hopes to re-establish himself with his new team in Colorado and return to being a more prominent fixture at the NHL level.
Svechkov is a an offensively talented 23-year-old that was drafted 19th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. That said, his talent has yet to translate to being an effective contributor at the NHL level. He averaged 12:05 time-on-ice and scored 17 points (4G / 13A) last season in 70 games with the Predators.
After ongoing negotiations with the Buffalo Sabres that extended throughout the regular season and into the offseason, the two sides were unable to reach an agreement, leading to Tuch being part of a sign-and-trade with the Washington Capitals in exchange for a third-round pick. The 30-year-old Tuch had a solid 2025-26 season with the Sabres, scoring 66 points (33G / 33A) in 79 games. He has scored 33 or more goals in four of his last five seasons and will add a significant offensive boost to Washington's top-six.
Crevier was a seventh-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, who is coming off his first full-time season at the NHL level. The 25-year-old defenseman scored 25 points (7G / 18A) and averaged 17:08 time-on-ice in 78 games last season.
