The Calgary Flames have signed defenceman Kevin Bahl to a six-year contract, the club announced Saturday.
The deal carries an annual average value of $5.35 million US.
Bahl, who turned 25 on Friday, had 20 points (three goals, 17 assists) and 35 penalty minutes in 73 games for the Flames this past season.
The left-shot blue-liner’s average ice time of 21:23 ranked third on the Flames.
Bahl, a big presence at six-foot-six and 230 pounds, was acquired from New Jersey along with a first-round pick in this year’s draft in exchange for goaltender Jacob Markstrom in June 2024.
He was drafted by Arizona in the second round (55th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft. He has 45 points (seven goals, 38 assists) in 221 career games.
Gibson traded to Detroit
The Detroit Red Wings acquired John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, a trade of the veteran goaltender that could start the dominos falling around the NHL with several teams looking for help in net.
Detroit sent backup goalie Petr Mrazek, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-rounder to Anaheim for Gibson, whose name has been in trade rumours for several years. No salary was retained.
Back-to-back Western Conference champion Edmonton, rebuilding Philadelphia and others are expected to pursue a goaltender this off-season.
Gibson, 31, has spent his first 12 seasons in the league with Anaheim. He’s signed for two more at a salary cap hit of $6.4 million.
“We want to thank John for his time with our organization and being an integral part of the Ducks for more than a decade,” general manager Pat Verbeek said. “It became clear John wanted a new opportunity, and after many discussions with him we felt now was the right time to make this move.”
Sens acquire Spence from Kings
The Ottawa Senators acquired defenceman Jordan Spence from the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.
In exchange, the Senators are sending a 2025 third-round selection (67th overall) and a 2026 sixth-round selection (via Colorado).
Spence had 28 points (four goals, 24 assists) with a plus-23 rating in 79 regular-season games for the Kings in 2024-25.
The 24-year-old is entering the final year of a two-year contract he signed with Los Angeles last summer, with an annual average value of $1.5 million.
Spence was a fourth-round selection (95th overall) by Los Angeles in the 2019 NHL Draft.
The five-foot-11, 180-pound blue-liner has 61 points (eight goals, 53 assists) in 180 career games.
Jets sign Fleury
The Winnipeg Jets have signed defenceman Haydn Fleury to a two-year contract, the team announced Saturday.
The deal carries an annual average value of $950,000.
Fleury, 28, had seven assists in 39 regular-season games for the Jets in 2024-25.
He added two more assists in eight post-season contests.
The six-foot-four, 207-pound Fleury signed with Winnipeg as a free agent last July after two years with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
He was drafted in the first round (seventh overall) by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2014. In 307 career games, including time with the Anaheim Ducks and Seattle Kraken, he has 10 goals and 34 assists.
