Batherson left Ottawa's practice early with an upper-body injury and is expected to miss at least the next two weeks of training camp. The 27-year-old right-winger is entering his eighth season in Ottawa after putting up career highs in points (67) last season across 82 games played. He is expected to play an integral role in Ottawa's offence this season, but it is not a guarantee that he will be ready for Ottawa's season opener.
After making his NHL debut in 2024-25 with Carolina, Ryan Suzuki has earned himself a one-year, two-way contract with the Hurricanes to come back to Chicago (AHL) for a sixth season. The 24-year-old was Carolina's 2019 1st round pick (28th overall) and he had 12 goals and 59 points in 69 games with Chicago last season. He is expected to return to the Wolves for the start of the 2025-26 season but will provide Carolina with depth throughout the year.
Hodgson is an undrafted 29-year-old winger who joined the Ottawa Senators organization last season and made enough of an impact to earn himself a two-year, two-way contract extension. He played two games with Ottawa but spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL, scoring 11 points (5G / 6A) in 43 games with Belleville.
Parsons is an undrafted goalie that played the previous four seasons in the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers. As a 20-year-old last season, Parsons shined, posting a stellar 2.24 GAA and .920 SV% in 52 games with Kitchener (37-12-3).
Los Angeles added to its defensive depth on Day 2 of Free Agency by signing Samuel Bolduc to a one-year, two-way contract. The 24-year-old has 52 career NHL games to his name, but spent the majority of the 2024-25 season with Bridgeport (AHL), where he had nine goals and 35 points in 69 games played. He is expected to compete for one of Los Angeles' final defensive spots to start the 2025-26 season.
Tomasino was the Nashville Predator's 24th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft but was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins early in the 2024-25 season. He scored 23 points (11G / 12A) in 50 games with the Penguins, earning himself a one-year contract extension worth $1.75 million.
Blais had a breakout 2022-23 season, scoring 20 points (9G / 11A) in 31 games with the St. Louis Blues, but only scored seven points (1G / 6A) in 53 games in 2023-24 and ultimately spent the entirety of the 2024-25 season in the AHL. After losing Joel Armia and Michael Pezzetta, the Canadiens will look to Blais to compete for a bottom-six role in the upcoming 2025-26 season.
Fresh off a successful 2nd full campaign that saw him post career highs in goals (17), assists (41), points (58), and SOG (151), William Eklund has earned himself a three-year, $16.8 million extension ($5,600,000 AAV) to remain with San Jose. The 22-year-old was San Jose's 2021 1st round pick (7th overall) and has produced admirably since making his NHL debut in 2021-22. He is expected to return to his regular top-six and top power-play role for the 2025-26 season.
After winning the Stanley Cup in the 2023-24 season with the Florida Panthers, Cousins spent the 2024-25 season with the Ottawa Senators and will return for a second season with the club in 2025-26. The agitating 31-year-old forward had 15 points (6G / 9A), 41 penalty minutes, and 85 hits in 50 games with the Senators.
