Stillman has been an effective depth player for multiple organizations in his six-year career, stepping in when called upon, splitting time between the NHL and AHL. The 27-year-old defenseman has 26 points (4G / 22A) in 163 career NHL games.
The 22-year-old Morrow has not yet established himself as a full-time NHL player but has high expectations after brief stints with the Carolina Hurricanes. He had six points (1G / 5A) in 14 games with the Hurricanes last season. He could be poised to take a more regular role with the Rangers in the 2025-26 season.
Miller has been rumoured in trades since last season, finally materializing in a deal sending him to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Scott Morrow, a first-round pick, and a second-round pick. The 25-year-old Miller will likely step into a larger role on Carolina's blueline after the expected departure of Brent Burns. He spent his first five seasons with the New York Rangers, recording 132 points (36G / 96A), 504 blocks, and 661 hits in 368 career games.
Highmore has quietly been an effective depth player in his career and will hope to continue that trend on a one-year, two-way contract with the New York Islanders. The undrafted 29-year-old has 35 points (14G / 21A) in 187 career games. He scored six points (2G / 4A) in 41 games with the Ottawa Senators last season.
Cholowski was a first-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft but has not been able to establish himself as a full-time NHL player, playing more than 16 games only once in his previous five seasons. Still, he has a respectable 40 points (13G / 27A) in 156 career games as an NHL defenseman.
Holmstrom had a breakout 2024-25 season, scoring 45 points (20G / 25A) in 75 games, earning himself a two-year contract extension with the Islanders worth $3.625 million. The 24-year-old produced at an extremely impressive rate to end the season, with 22 points (10G / 12A) in 30 games from late January to early April.
Foote was a first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft but has not been able to establish himself as a full-time NHL player. The 24-year-old spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL, scoring 39 points (18G / 21A) in 53 games with Utica Comets.
Brazeau is an undrafted 27-year-old forward who spent his entire career in the AHL before making his NHL debut in the 2023-24 season, playing 19 games with the Boston Bruins. He became an NHL regular last season, scoring 22 points (11G / 11A) in 76 combined games between the Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild. He joins the Pittsburgh Penguins on a two-year contract worth $1.5 million AAV, looking to make an even bigger offensive impact on a team desperate for depth scoring.
Reinhardt was a sixth-round pick of the Ottawa Senators in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and will have a change of scenery in the 2025-26 season after joining the Vegas Golden Knights organization on a two-year, two-way contract. The 25-year-old scored 32 points (14G / 18A) in 45 games with the Belleville Senators (AHL) last season.
Mike Reilly missed a significant portion of the 2024-25 season, attending to medical concerns with his heart, but returned to action before the end of the season and will continue his career on a one-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes. The 31-year-old Reilly has 124 points (18G / 106A) in 418 career games.
In his first season with the Buffalo Sabres in 2024-25, McLeod scored a career-high 53 points (20G / 33A) in 80 games. He returns to the Sabres on a four-year contract extension worth $5 million AAV. The 25-year-old McLeod will likely be relied upon for even more offensive production after the loss of JJ Peterka in the offseason.
Schuldt is an undrafted 30-year-old defenseman who spent most of his career playing in the AHL, limited to only nine NHL games. He scored 21 points (6G / 15A) in 64 games with the San Jose Baracuda (AHL) last season.
Cuylle had a breakout 2024-25 season, emerging as one of the league's better power forwards, earning himself a two-year, $3.9 million AAV contract extension with the Rangers. The 23-year-old Cuylle had a career-high 45 points (20G / 25A) in 82 games last season while being amongst the league leaders with 301 hits.
The Sharks are heading in a different direction between the pipes in the 2025-26 season, now with Alex Nedeljkovic and Yaroslav Askarov battling for the crease. The 29-year-old Nedeljkovic posted a subpar 3.12 GAA and .894 SV% in 38 appearances last season (14-15-5) on a Pittsburgh Penguins team that struggled defensively.
After spending most of the previous three seasons with the Dallas Stars, Dadonov has signed a one-year contract worth $1 million with the New Jersey Devils. The 36-year-old Dadonov was effective in a sheltered role with the Stars, averaging 13:39 time-on-ice and scoring 78 points (35G / 43A) in 154 combined games. He will likely play a similar bottom-six role for the Devils in 2025-26.
Boyd is a veteran of 299 NHL games but only played three last season with the Minnesota Wild. Boyd returns to the Maple Leafs on a one-year, $775K contract after spending a portion of the 2020-21 season with them, scoring eight points (3G / 5A) in 20 games.
