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The Minnesota Wild have reportedly landed defenseman John Klingberg from the Anaheim Ducks in a deal that got completed just before the deadline Friday.

The Ducks will receive defenseman Andrej Sustr, the rights to forward Nikita Nesterenko and a fourth-round pick in 2025. Anaheim retains 50% of Klingberg’s remaining salary this year.

The Wild also added some size up front, acquiring center Oskar Sundqvist from the Detroit Red Wings for a fourth-round selection this summer. The 6-foot-3 Sundqvist, 28, had seven goals and 21 points for Detroit this season and won a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2018.

In Klingberg, the Wild get a defenseman they could use either in their top four or top six. One of Klingberg’s strengths is his ability to facilitate a power play, which has been something of a problem area for him this season. In his final season with the Dallas Stars, Klingberg finished with 20 points on the extra skater advantage. This year, he has six power-play points through 50 games on what is the worst power-play unit in the league, with a 15.6% success rate. The Wild, however, have the No. 10 power play in the NHL with a 22.9% success rate.

Getting Klingberg and reinforcing their blue line comes as the Wild are among the many Western Conference teams trying to solidify their playoff spot. The Wild are three points behind the Dallas Stars for the Central Division lead and the best record in the Western Conference. That said, the Wild are also two points ahead of the Edmonton Oilers for the first wild-card spot and four ahead of the Winnipeg Jets for the last wild-card spot.

Klingberg’s time in Southern California lasted less than a season after he signed a one-year “prove it” deal worth $7 million with the Ducks. The expectation was that Klingberg could help the Ducks continue the progress they made last season, when they finished 31-37-14 and at one point appeared in contention for a wild-card spot. The Ducks could also potentially move him in the event the season went in the other direction.

Anaheim has been porous defensively this season, and Klingberg’s statistics show that to a certain extent. But his puck-moving ability and playoff experience with the Stars likely piqued contenders’ interest as the trade deadline neared. Klingberg has eight goals and 24 points but was a minus-28 on a team that often found itself trailing.

But the native of Gothenburg, Sweden, has a much larger body of work on his résumé. In nine NHL seasons, Klingberg reached double digits in goals four times. And in the 2019-20 campaign interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Klingberg had 10 goals and 45 points in the regular season before helping lead Dallas to the Stanley Cup Final in the postseason bubble in Edmonton, Alberta.

Klingberg has been among the top minute-getters on his team nearly every season he has been in the NHL. Through the All-Star break this season, he held a career time-on-ice average of 22:49. And in 2017-18 with Dallas, he averaged 24:04.

The Ducks entered Friday as one of the teams in the running to win the NHL draft lottery and the right to take presumed No. 1 pick Connor Bedard. Anaheim has the third-fewest points in the NHL and is two points away from the Columbus Blue Jackets for the fewest points in the league.

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Canucks, Boeser agree on new seven-year deal

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Canucks, Boeser agree on new seven-year deal

The Vancouver Canucks have come to terms with forward Brock Boeser on a new seven-year contract, carrying a $7.25 million AAV.

Canucks GM Patrik Allvin announced the deal on Tuesday during the first hour of NHL free agency. Boeser, 28, was an unrestricted free agent on a previously expiring contract.

Drafted by Vancouver 23rd overall in the 2015 NHL draft, Boeser has collected 204 goals and 434 points in 554 games with the Canucks to date. A top-six scoring threat, Boeser has elite playmaking skills and the potential to produce big numbers offensively. He had his best year offensively in 2023-24, producing 40 goals and 73 points in 81 games.

Boeser didn’t hit those marks again last season — settling for 25 goals and 50 points in 75 games — but was still second amongst teammates in output. He also plays a prominent role on Vancouver’s power play and when he can generate opportunities at 5-on-5, he is a true difference-maker up front for the Canucks.

The extension is a happy ending for Vancouver and Boeser. When the regular season ended, Boeser admitted “it’s tough to say” whether he’d be back with the Canucks. Boeser reportedly turned down a previous five-year extension offer with the club and Allvin subsequently looked into deals for him at the March trade deadline, with no takers. Boeser looked — and sounded — poised to explore his options on the open market.

Ultimately, Boeser decided to stay put by committing the best years of his career to the Canucks.

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Jake Allen agrees to 5-year deal with the Devils

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Jake Allen agrees to 5-year deal with the Devils

Jake Allen, one of the top goaltenders available entering free agency, is not heading to the market after agreeing to a five-year deal with the New Jersey Devils, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.

Allen’s average annual value on the deal is $1.8 million, sources told ESPN. That AAV allows the Devils to run back the same goaltending tandem for next season.

Jacob Markstrom has one year remaining on his contract for $4.125 million. Nico Daws is also under contract for next season, before becoming a restricted free agent next summer.

Several teams were interested in the 34-year-old veteran, whom sources said could have made more money on the open market. However, the deal with the Devils gives Allen long-term security. Allen has played for the Blues, Canadiens and Devils over his 12-year-career. He has started in 436 career games.

Last season, Allen started 29 games for the Devils, going 13-16-1 with a .906 save percentage, 2.66 GAA and four shutouts.

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Capitals sign Fehervary to 7-year, $42M extension

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Capitals sign Fehervary to 7-year, M extension

Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary signed a seven-year extension through the 2032-33 season that is worth $6 million annually, the team announced Tuesday.

Fehervary, who had one year of team control remaining, will enter the final season of a three-year bridge deal that will see him make $2.675 million before his new contract begins at the start of the 2026-27 season.

He finished the season with five goals and a career-high 25 points while logging 19 minutes. Fehervary also played a crucial role in the Capitals’ penalty kill by finishing with 245 short-handed minutes for a penalty kill that was fifth in the NHL with an 82% success rate.

Securing the 25-year-old Fehervary to a long-term deal means the Capitals now have seven players who have more than three years remaining on their current contracts.

It also means the Capitals front office has one less decision to make ahead of what is expected to be an active offseason in 2026 that will see the club have what PuckPedia projects to be $39.25 million in cap space.

That’s also the same offseason in which captain and NHL all-time leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin‘s contract will come off their books along with that of defenseman John Carlson.

But until then, the Capitals have their entire top-six defensive unit under contract as they seek to improve upon a 2024-25 season that saw them finish atop the Metropolitan Division with 111 points before they lost in the Eastern Conference semifinal to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games.

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