Veteran defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson says his instincts guided him to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer.

"I am a guy that always tries to go with my gut feeling, and when Toronto showed interest, I got that feeling that this is what I wanted to do and this is what we wanted to do as a family," he told GoPHNX.com's Craig Morgan.

"I've always liked coming in there as an away team, playing in that building. It's always special," the blue-liner continued. "Obviously, there's a lot of history in the organization and I feel like they have a really good team that has a chance to do something special as well. I think it's a good fit."

The Maple Leafs and Ekman-Larsson agreed to a four-year, $14-million contract on July 1, days after the blue-liner helped the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup.

Ekman-Larsson joined the Cats on a one-year deal ahead of the 2023-24 campaign after his previous contract was bought out by the Vancouver Canucks. He registered 32 points in 80 games before adding two goals and four assists in the playoffs.

Toronto also signed Chris Tanev this offseason to bolster its defense under new head coach Craig Berube.

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Sean Monahan is eager to reunite with former teammate Johnny Gaudreau after signing a five-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets this summer.

"I am really looking forward to being teammates with Johnny again," Monahan said, per NHLPA.com's Chris Lomon. "Johnny is motivated to have a big season and be a huge part of the team, and I'm excited to have the opportunity to reignite the chemistry we had for close to a decade.

"He is an amazing teammate, person, and friend. I'm looking forward to these next five years."

Monahan and Gaudreau played together on the Calgary Flames for nine seasons until Gaudreau signed a seven-year pact with Columbus in 2022.

Gaudreau's production has dropped since joining the Blue Jackets. He's managed 74 and 60 points in two campaigns with the club after a career-best 115 in his final season with the Flames.

Columbus has finished 31st and 29th in the league standings since Gaudreau shocked the hockey world by inking a mammoth $68.25-million pact with the club.

Monahan joined the Blue Jackets after a resurgent 59-point campaign split between the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets. The 29-year-old had been severely limited by injuries in recent seasons but played a full schedule for the first time since 2016-17.

"I am happy to be back to myself and fully healthy," Monahan said.

Monahan was drafted sixth overall by the Flames in 2013. He's notched 538 points in 764 career games.

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The Carolina Hurricanes and restricted free agent forward Jack Drury avoided arbitration by agreeing to a two-year contract with a $1.725-million average annual value, the team announced Wednesday.

Drury was one of 14 NHL players to file for arbitration earlier this offseason, alongside teammate Martin Necas.

Seth Jarvis is another prominent RFA on Carolina's books this summer, but he isn't arbitration-eligible. The Hurricanes have approximately $13 million in cap space to work with, according to Puckpedia.

Drury was a second-round pick in 2018. He set career highs in games (74), goals (eight), and points (27) this past season.

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The Carolina Hurricanes placed forward Evgeny Kuznetsov on unconditional waivers for the purpose of mutual contract termination Wednesday.

He cleared waivers Thursday.

Kuznetsov is forgoing the final year of his contract to return to Russia, according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli. The 32-year-old had a $7.8-million cap hit split between the Hurricanes and Washington Capitals, who retained 50% of the veteran's salary after trading him to Carolina in March.

His cap hit will be fully removed from both team's books this season, according to PuckPedia.

The Capitals drafted Kuznetsov 26th overall in 2010, and he spent 11 years with the organization after breaking into the NHL in 2013-14. He recorded 568 points in 723 games in Washington and was one of the league's top playmaking centers in his prime.

Kuznetsov's tenure with the Capitals was highlighted by a dominant 2018 postseason in which he led all skaters with 32 points as Washington won its first Stanley Cup.

In the years following the championship, Kuznetsov's production tailed off. He was placed on waivers by the Capitals last season and was admitted into the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in February.

Kuznetsov notched seven points in 20 games with the Hurricanes and added six more in the playoffs.

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St. Louis Blues defenseman Torey Krug has been diagnosed with pre-arthritic changes in his left ankle, the team announced Tuesday.

Krug will attempt to rehabilitate the injury himself over the next six-to-eight weeks. If he needs surgery, he'll miss the entire 2024-25 season.

The injury stemmed from a bone fracture earlier in his career.

Krug is entering the fifth season of a seven-year contract he signed with the Blues in 2020. He carries a $6.5-million cap hit, which can be placed entirely on long-term injured reserve if he's unable to play.

The 33-year-old posted 39 points in 77 games last season, averaging nearly 22 minutes per night while posting a minus-31 rating - the worst mark of his career.

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The Vancouver Canucks signed restricted free-agent goaltender Arturs Silovs to a two-year contract on Tuesday.

The deal is worth $850,000 per season, according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.

Silovs was unexpectedly thrust into a starter's role in this year's playoffs due to injuries ahead of him on the depth chart. The 23-year-old had nine NHL games under his belt when he took over Vancouver's crease in Round 1.

"Arturs helped us out a lot when called upon last year as he continues to grow and develop as a goalie," said general manager Patrik Allvin. "We expect him to come into training camp and battle for a full-time position with the big club. Our group will continue to work with him to help sharpen his skills and provide him with all the tools necessary to take another step forward in his young career."

Thatcher Demko is Vancouver's projected starter for 2024-25. Last season's backup, Casey DeSmith, joined the Dallas Stars this summer as a free agent.

Silovs registered a .898 save percentage in 10 playoff appearances and had a .907 clip with AHL Abbotsford in 2023-24. He was a sixth-round draft pick of the Canucks in 2019.

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The New York Rangers are unlikely to trade or buy out captain Jacob Trouba this offseason, according to The Athletic's Arthur Staple.

Rumors during June's draft suggested the Rangers and Detroit Red Wings were working on a deal built around the rugged defenseman. However, nothing came close to materializing, sources told Staple.

The Rangers reportedly asked Trouba for his 15-team no-trade list in June, but that was standard procedure as his full no-move clause switched to a modified one after the season ended. Trouba was reportedly "shocked" to see his name in trade rumors.

The blue-liner has two seasons remaining on his contract at a cap hit of $8 million. He signed a seven-year deal with the Rangers in 2019 after asking to be dealt there from the Winnipeg Jets.

Trouba was named New York's captain in 2022.

The Michigan native chipped in 22 points in 69 games this past season. He also averaged nearly 21 minutes per contest during the Rangers' Eastern Conference Final run.

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Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is pleased with how the club's front office conducted business this summer.

"They've had a great offseason so far," McDavid told TSN. "It's been short, it's been hurried, but I think in the small time they've been at it, they've done great things. Keeping this many guys together is a good thing. In the salary-cap era, it's tough to do that."

The Oilers and former general manager Ken Holland agreed not to renew his contract shortly after the club lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Florida Panthers. Edmonton's CEO of hockey operations, Jeff Jackson, has served as temporary GM since and has been busy.

Jackson brought in veteran forwards Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson in free agency while also retaining key playoff contributors Connor Brown, Adam Henrique, Corey Perry, and Mattias Janmark.

After the dust settled in free agency, the Oilers acquired 2022 ninth overall pick Matt Savoie in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres.

Zach Hyman also gave his seal of approval on Edmonton's offseason moves.

"It's also a testament to the team that guys are willing to come back on team-friendly deals and take discounts to try and win," he said. "I think they see how special it is to play in Edmonton, and it's now becoming more of a destination to play, and that's really awesome to see."

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Steven Stamkos opened up on his emotional exit from the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier this summer.

"These past few weeks have been bittersweet," the 34-year-old wrote in The Players' Tribune. "I never thought this day would come. I did everything I felt I could do to make it work, but sometimes things just happen. It didn't work. And I'd be lying if I said it wasn't heartbreaking. But my family and I, we're human, you know? Tampa is home. It's where our three kids were born … it's where our memories are. It's always going to mean so much to us."

Stamkos signed a four-year, $32-million contract with the Nashville Predators July 1, concluding a 16-season tenure with the Lightning. Tampa Bay made a pair of trades to clear cap space in the lead-up to free agency but brought in Jake Guentzel on a long-term deal rather than retaining its captain.

General manager Julien BriseBois said he understands Lightning fans are disappointed the team didn't keep Stamkos. After Tampa Bay was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs this past spring, head coach Jon Cooper said Stamkos "feels like a Bolt for life."

The Lightning drafted Stamkos first overall in 2008. He captained the club to the Stanley Cup twice and is the franchise's all-time leader in games played (1,082), goals (555), and points (1,137).

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Seattle Kraken prospect Shane Wright hasn't met the lofty expectations bestowed on him, but he's confident his time in the AHL will pay off in the long run.

"Obviously there’s outside expectations, the outside pressures," Wright recently told TSN. "But at the end of the day, I have my own expectations on myself, and that's really what I've focused on - just go about my business day to day.

"It's certainly been a process for me. I've had to learn what it's like to be a pro, to take that next step, to be able to have success and be an impact player at that level."

Wright was granted exceptional status to play in the OHL as a 15-year-old and was the consensus top pick for the 2022 draft after a prolific junior career. He fell to the Kraken at fourth overall.

Wright has managed seven points in 16 career NHL games. He's posted stronger numbers with the AHL's Coachella Valley Firebirds and has reached back-to-back Calder Cup Finals with Seattle's farm club.

It's unclear if Wright will make the Kraken out of camp this fall. Seattle named Dan Bylsma its new head coach this offseason and signed Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour to long-term deals.

The Kraken missed the playoffs in 2023-24 after qualifying for the first time the season prior.

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