28-year-old defenseman Travis Dermott is a veteran of nearly 350 NHL games, but doesn’t currently have a contract for the 2025-26 season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported today that Dermott underwent shoulder surgery in June and has now fully recovered, and is looking for a place to play this season to resume his career.

At one point, it looked as though Dermott was going to be a steady, long-term fixture on an NHL blueline – specifically that of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team that selected him 34th overall at the 2015 draft. The former Erie Otter was ranked No. 3 in the Maple Leafs’ prospect pool in February 2018 by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler . Dermott ended the season a Calder Cup champion, and Wheeler at the time projected him to become a No. 3 or No. 4 NHL defensema

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