If you are looking for the latest NHL news, the offseason has officially exploded. General managers across the league are shuffling the deck, making massive blockbuster trades and locking up core pieces as we gear up for the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft and the frenzy of unrestricted free agency.
The biggest shockwave sent through the league over the last 24 hours involves the Washington Capitals and the Buffalo Sabres. The Capitals have completely revamped their right wing, acquiring power forward Alex Tuch in a massive sign-and-trade agreement. Before completing the trade, Buffalo signed the 30-year-old Tuch to an eight-year, $84-million contract extension, which carries a hefty $10.5 million Average Annual Value (AAV). The deal includes a full no-movement clause for the first four seasons.
For Buffalo, General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen had to make a tough financial decision. Paying Tuch nearly $10 million a year would have severely handcuffed their salary cap payroll and forced them to move out other key foundational players. By flipping Tuch, the Sabres maintain cap flexibility, which they immediately used to re-sign 21-year-old spark plug Zach Benson to a massive seven-year, $52.5 million contract ($7.5 million AAV).
Washington isn’t messing around. Just days after acquiring Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues, they add Tuch to inject some serious scoring punch to their top six. However, to make the money work and clear a roster spot, the Capitals traded 24-year-old center Hendrix Lapierre to the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier today for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick.
Meanwhile, out West, Edmonton Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman and newly minted head coach Mike Babcock are quietly evaluating the goalie market, keeping their cards close to their chest as the NHL draft approaches.
NHL Trade Tracker: Trades That Happened Yesterday
It was a chaotic 24 hours for front offices across the league. Here is a clean summary box of the official trades that went down yesterday, June 24, 2026:
| Acquiring Team | Assets Received | Trading Team | Assets Traded Away |
| Washington Capitals | F Alex Tuch (Signed to 8-year, $84M contract) | Buffalo Sabres | F David Kampf, 2027 3rd-Round Pick |
| Nashville Predators | F Jack Drury, F Chase Bradley, 2029 3rd-Round Pick | Colorado Avalanche | F Zachary L’Heureux, F Fedor Svechkov |
Note: The action hasn’t stopped today (June 25), as the Florida Panthers also jumped into the fray, acquiring gritty forward Garnet Hathaway and a 2026 6th-round pick from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a 2026 5th-round pick and a 2027 4th-round pick.
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