- Although they only came away with Jonathan Drouin to improve their offensive woes, the New York Islanders had their eyes on a bigger prize once free agency began. According to a new article from Stefen Rosner in The Elmonters, the Islanders were the highest on the list for winger Brock Boeser, if he wanted to leave Vancouver. Ultimately, although he would have been a tremendous goal-scoring asset for New York, Boeser remained with the Canucks on a new seven-year, $50.75MM deal.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning announced that they’ve hired Jeff Tambellini as their new Assistant General Manager and Director of Hockey Operations. Tambellini is a former six-year veteran of the NHL, playing for the Islanders, Canucks, and Los Angeles Kings. He had previously worked for the Lightning as a collegiate scout from 2020 to 2022 and the Seattle Kraken’s Director of Player Development from 2022 to 2025.