The NHL offseason is still churning, and Tuesday brought a fresh batch of contract news, arbitration dates, and a few familiar names resurfacing in new places.
For the Bruins, the summer picture has already started to take shape. Boston set out to add speed and skill, and it also checked off a major need by bringing in a right-shot defenseman twice.
Another key part of the offseason plan was opening the door for Michael DiPietro to take over the backup job next season. The early grades are in on those moves.
There was also a notable retirement update involving a former Bruin. Jordan Oesterle is done playing after 12 NHL seasons, according to O2K Sports Management.
He appeared in 409 NHL games and finished with 96 career points, posting 23 goals and 73 assists. Oesterle spent 22 games with Boston during the 2024-25 season.
His last NHL contract came with the Bruins - a two-year deal worth $775,000 per season signed in 2024 - before he was claimed off waivers in March 2025.
One former Bruins first-rounder also found his next stop. Fabian Lysell signed a one-year deal worth $850,000 with Colorado yesterday. The 23-year-old was acquired in the Ivan Ivan trade and is looking for a better fit with the Avalanche, who have added several young players this summer.
Elsewhere, Winnipeg brought its 2026 first-round pick, Viggo Bjorck, to North America. The Swedish center is leaving Djugårdens IF after putting up 15 points, with six goals and nine assists, in 42 games, and he’ll join the Jets organization this season.
Arbitration season is now fully mapped out. PuckPedia released the hearing dates for the 12 RFAs who elected for arbitration, with Jamie Drysdale and Cole Perfetti first up on July 20 and Akira Schmid set for the final hearing on August 1.
The full schedule runs like this:
Jamie Drysdale (PHI) - Monday, July 20
Cole Perfetti (WPG) - Monday, July 20
Trevor Zegras (PHI) - Wednesday, July 22
Jet Greaves (CBJ) - Thursday, July 23
Jason Robertson (DAL) - Saturday, July 25
Connor McMichael (STL) - Saturday, July 25
Cole Sillinger (CBJ) - Monday, July 27
Nick Robertson (PIT) - Tuesday, July 28
Ronan Seeley (CAR) - Wednesday, July 29
Alex Jefferies (NYI) - Thursday, July 30
Kirby Dach (MTL) - Thursday, July 30
Akira Schmid (FLA) - Saturday, August 1
A hearing was avoided in New York shortly after the dates came out. Braden Schneider signed a one-year deal with the Rangers carrying a $5.5 million cap hit. He remains a restricted free agent with arbitration rights when that contract expires next summer.
Buffalo also got its business done before a hearing. Peyton Krebs agreed to a four-year deal with the Sabres worth a $4.5 million cap hit.
The 25-year-old center also has a seven-team no-trade clause in the final two years of the contract. Buffalo added another notable name as well, hiring John Davidson as a senior advisor.
Davidson, 73, has spent 18 seasons as president of hockey operations for the Blues, Blue Jackets, and Rangers.
And in Chicago, the Patrick Kane conversation is back. Reports have linked Kane and the Blackhawks, and the question now is whether a reunion makes sense. Jack Bushman breaks down both sides of that case.
In Other News...
Bruins Front Office Shakeup Just Sent A Bigger Message
The Bruins offseason has already started to take shape on more than one front, with the club lining up its 2026-27 schedule and giving fans an early look at the opening stretch. Boston will begin at home against the New York Rangers on September 29, then head out for a quick road swing through Winnipeg and Minnesota, a compact start that should tell plenty about how the roster is expected to look when the season arrives.
Just as notable, the organization is also making changes upstairs, the kind that usually says as much about direction as any lineup tweak. Add in Matej Blumels decision to head back to Czechia on a four-year deal with HC Sparta Praha after four seasons in North America, and it is clear this is a Bruins offseason with more moving parts than usual, even before the bigger questions around the roster and front office fully settle in. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Just Got A Concerning Sign About This Offseason
Bostons summer has had the look of a team trying to patch holes while staying in the hunt, with the Bruins adding JJ Peterka, Will Borgen and Connor Clifton while moving on from Viktor Arvidsson and Joonas Korpisalo. Even with those changes, the early read on the roster is that Boston has not done enough to clearly separate itself in a crowded Atlantic Division, especially after a failed swing at a major defense upgrade left the blue line picture still unsettled.
The bigger concern is what the offseason still does not answer. A recent ranking of the leagues offseason improvements placed the Bruins 17th, a reminder that the work done so far may not be enough if the team is serious about pushing back into contention. Boston still looks like it could use more help at right-shot defense and down the middle, and unless those gaps are filled, the Bruins may enter the season with more questions than the moves have solved. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Bring Back Connor Clifton And Fans Know This Debate Too Well
Connor Clifton is back in Boston on a two-year deal, a familiar kind of move for a Bruins blue line that has long leaned on players the staff already knows. Cliftons first run with the club gave him a reputation as a depth defenseman who could handle playoff minutes, and his history here still matters because Boston has seen him in bigger moments than the average bottom-pairing option.
The question, of course, is whether this is the kind of familiarity that actually moves the needle or just another safe bet from a front office that has often preferred the known quantity. Cliftons path through Buffalo and Pittsburgh only sharpened that debate, and his return leaves the Bruins once again weighing experience against the possibility of a younger, higher-upside answer on the back end. [Read more 🡒]