Canadiens sign Demidov to eight-year extension; Jets add Skinner in free agency

Ivan Demidov is staying in Montreal for the long haul.

The Canadiens signed the skilled Russian forward to an eight-year, US$73.2-million contract extension that begins in the 2027-28 season, locking up another cornerstone of their talented young core.

Demidov led all NHL rookies with 62 points (19 goals, 43 assists) last season and finished second in Calder Trophy voting.

The 20-year-old winger — selected fifth overall at the 2024 NHL draft — added nine points in 19 playoff games during Montreal’s run to the Eastern Conference final.

The extension keeps Demidov under contract with the Canadiens through the 2034-35 season. He joins Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky and Lane Hutson, among others, as key members of Montreal’s young core signed through at least 2030.

Defenceman Noah Dobson, signed at $9.5 million annually until 2033, remains the team’s highest-paid player with the NHL salary cap set to rise significantly over the next few seasons.

Demidov and the Canadiens agreed to the eight-year extension before Sept. 15, when the maximum contract length for re-signing players drops to seven years under the NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement.

The Winnipeg Jets signed former Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner to a two-year, $7.5-million contract. The move comes with rumours swirling that Vezina Trophy-winning netminder Connor Hellebuyck could be leaving Winnipeg.

Skinner reached the Stanley Cup final with the Oilers in 2024 and 2025 before he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins by his hometown team. The 27-year-old posted a .888 save percentage and a 2.92 goals-against average in 50 games split between the two teams last season.

In Vancouver, meanwhile, journeyman defenceman Luke Schenn is joining the Canucks for the third time on a one-year, $2.25-million deal. The 36-year-old Schenn, who spent last season in Buffalo and Winnipeg, last played for Vancouver in 2023.

Earlier Wednesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs traded pending restricted free agent Nick Robertson to the Penguins in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick in 2028.

Robertson was under contract on a one-year, US$1.825 million deal last season. He produced career-highs of 16 goals and 32 points in 78 games.

The transaction reunites the 24-year-old American forward with former Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, now the Penguins’ president of hockey operations.

Dubas drafted Robertson to Toronto in the second round (53rd overall) of the 2019 NHL draft.

Elsewhere, the Ottawa Senators signed goalie Samuel Ersson to a two-year, $4.4-million deal and extended Nick Cousins on a two-year contract worth $3.175 million.

The Senators acquired Ersson from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 2027 fifth-round pick last week before allowing him to — briefly — hit free agency.

The 26-year-old Swede posted a .870 save percentage and 3.12 goals-against average across 33 games with the Philadelphia Flyers last season.

Cousins registered nine goals, 23 points and 92 penalty minutes in 81 games for the Senators last season, his second in the nation’s capital.

His previous deal was set to expire when free agency opened at 12 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

A third-round draft pick by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2011, Cousins has collected 86 goals and 218 points with seven different teams across parts of 12 NHL seasons.

The 32-year-old from Belleville, Ont., won a Stanley Cup championship with the Florida Panthers in 2024 before joining Ottawa the following season.

The Senators have had a busy off-season already, trading captain Brady Tkachuk to the Panthers and acquiring forward William Eklund from the San Jose Sharks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 1, 2026.

The Canadian Press