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The New Jersey Devils are coming off a tough season that saw injuries and inconsistencies ruin their campaign. They missed the playoffs and are looking to bounce back in a big way. 

Sheldon Keefe was not fired when the Devils overhauled their front office, led by new GM Sunny Mehta. Instead, he was allowed to fill out a new coaching staff in an attempt to get the team on the right path. 

The bench boss has his crew.

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) July 15, 2026

Leo Luongo, Ted Donato, AJ MacLean, and Dan Stewart have been named to the coaching/development staff. 

Luongo is going to be the man who oversees all goaltending development. He will report directly to Martin Brodeur, who serves as the Vice President of Hockey Operations. Of course, Brodeur is one of the greatest NHL goalies to ever lace up the pads, so good minds are leading the way there. 

Dan Stewart has been hired as the goaltending coach, and he will work together with Luongo alongside Utica Comets goalie coach Brian Eklund and goalie scout/development coach Manny Legace. 

Drafting and developing goaltenders has been an issue for the Devils since the retirement of Brodeur, who they relied on so much for parts of three decades. Now, they will move their philosophy in a different direction. 

AJ MacLean, son of former NHL head coach Paul MacLean, will serve as an assistant coach under Keefe. He is coming off a tenure with the AHL Syracuse team, which serves as the affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

MacLean worked with Keefe when they were together on the coaching staff of the Toronto Marlies. 

As for Ted Donato, whose son Ryan is a forward for the Chicago Blackhawks, is a Harvard coaching legend. He recently stepped down from the head coaching position there after a remarkable 22 seasons. He was also an NHL player for parts of 13 seasons, including stints with the Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, and New York Rangers. 

Donato was inducted into the Massachusetts Hall of Fame in 2010 for his dedication and strength as a head coach of a prominent NCAA program in the state. Now, he is back in the NHL as a New Jersey Devils assistant coach. 

Are these the moves that will be the magic wand that gets the Devils back into Stanley Cup contention? Not on their own, but putting the right people in the right jobs is a great way for players to feel comfortable in their roles. 

Visit The Hockey News New Jersey Devils team site to stay up to date on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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Over the last few seasons, the Philadelphia Flyers have generally struggled to re-sign their own players to team-friendly deals, or to deals that at least make sense for the future of the franchise.

According to a new report, that unfortunate trend could very well continue for yet another offseason.

Two weeks on from the start of NHL free agency, veteran defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen remains with the Flyers despite years of intense trade rumors and reports of multiple kiboshed deals, especially over the last two seasons.

But, new intel from Flyers team writer Bill Meltzer, via the O&B PuckCast, tells us that this might not change any time soon. In fact, it might not even change for the foreseeable future.

That's because the Flyers are purportedly considering a contract extension for the 31-year-old Finn.

"From what I gather, they've actually talked to Rasmus Ristolainen about an extension, because he's an unrestricted free agent in a year," Meltzer said.

Flyers Trade Partner Chose Another Defender Over Rasmus RistolainenThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> were reportedly actually close to trading Rasmus Ristolainen ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline, but the deal never got over the line.

Ristolainen indeed has one year remaining on his contract at a $5.1 million cap hit, and while injuries have been a detractor for him, the former Buffalo Sabres defender has revived his career in Philadelphia.

The Flyers, with the help of ex-coaches Brad Shaw and John Tortorella, have morphed Ristolainen into a physical, reliable second-pair, stay-at-home defenseman who has figured out how to mitigate his average mobility and puck skills.

With that said, though, Ristolainen is not getting any younger, and the Flyers have refused to settle on any potential deals for their prized defender to this point, despite recorded interest from other NHL teams.

The Flyers also have recent trade acquisition David Jiricek, as well as second-year pro Oliver Bonk, pushing for roster spots this upcoming season.

In the prospect pipeline, the Flyers already have Spencer Gill, Carter Amico, and Luke Vlooswyk, and they just allocated a second-round pick to another right-shot defenseman in Brek Liske at the 2026 NHL Draft last month.

If the Flyers are indeed considering an extension for Ristolainen, this is not a rousing endorsement of their prospect pool; three of the four aforementioned names were second-round picks, while Bonk and Jiricek were first-rounders.

Report: Flyers Rejected Big Maple Leafs Trade for Rasmus RistolainenAccording to a new report, the Philadelphia Flyers received a massive trade offer from the Toronto Maple Leafs for veteran defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. GM Danny Briere and Co. didn't budge.

Of course, it is possible that the Flyers are simply trying to re-gain some leverage, as other NHL teams are surely aware of their situation, knowing that Ristolainen will eventually be squeezed out in a numbers game.

Potential suitors already struggled with the idea of taking on Ristolainen's $5.1 million cap hit, especially with more than one year of term attached, so it would make little sense for the Flyers to give Ristolainen several more years with age-based regression looming, on top of what we can expect to be a raise of some kind.

By giving Ristolainen a contract extension of any kind, the Flyers will make it harder on themselves to find a trade suitor, while also presenting a roadblock for many of their top prospects unnecessarily.

In a recent article, Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin took a look at the Atlantic Division and evaluated each of its teams’ contention windows. For the writer, the Montreal Canadiens’ contention window is wide open, just like the Buffalo Sabres’ while the Florida Panthers, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Ottawa Senators are in a “win-now window”. He puts the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs in the “foggy window” category while the Detroit Red Wings are alone with the “window smashed” label.

For Larkin, the Habs window is wide open because of what he describes as a core fore formed by Nick Suzuki, who became the third NHLer ever to win the Selke Trophy and score 100 points in the same season, Cole Caufield, who’s now a 50-goal a year scorer, Juraj Slafkovsky who’s a “budding monster of a power forward” and, Lane Hutson who he calls one of the best all-around defenders in the league. He adds that the four have help in Jakub Dobes, who’s overtaken Jacob Fowler as a potential franchise goalie, and sophomore winger Ivan Demidov.

Canadiens Have Three Players On Wheeler’s Top 100 Drafted Prospect List
Canadiens Could Have A Big Problem In Net
Canadiens Caufield And Suzuki Dominate NHL On The Left Side

While I would agree that the Canadiens’ contention window is now open, I’m not ready to say that Dobes has emerged ahead of Fowler as a potential franchise goalie. We’ve not seen enough of what Fowler can do to make that determination. What we’ve seen so far is that Dobes can excel when he feels the team's confidence, and that Fowler does not look out of place in the NHL. The upcoming season will tell us more about the tandem, especially if Kent Hughes manages to move Samuel Montembeault. If he doesn’t, we may not see enough of Fowler to make that determination since he will likely end up in the AHL to get more playing time. The GM has said the youngster needs to play this season, making it unlikely the team would carry three netminders.

I would also argue that the Canadiens’ core isn’t just formed of the players he highlights. Granted, the first line and Hutson are the backbone of the Habs, but Demidov, Noah Dobson and Mike Matheson are also part of that core. You can have all the firepower of the world up front, but if you don’t have a stable defense, you won’t get anywhere. That much has been proved over and over again by both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers. The former threw a lot of money at its core four up front and had nothing left to sort out the backend and the net. As for the latter, they used numerous high draft picks on forwards and have struggled to find players to get them over the hill on the blueline and in net.

The Canadiens’ window is open because management put together a solid framework that addresses offense, defense, and goaltending. It’s not perfect, not yet. There are still holes, like the second-line center who Larkin believes could end up being Michael Hage and the right side of defense. The article argues that the Canadiens need a veteran to plug the second-line center hole and tighten up their defense to be contenders as early as next season.

While Hughes has clearly been trying to improve the Habs’ top six to no avail so far this offseason, it feels like the Habs have proven that their window is open with or without that elusive top-six player by making it to the Eastern Conference Final, but they could definitely use more grit and physicality for spring-type hockey. 

Hughes has got the Canadiens right where he wanted them to be at this stage, but it takes time to get the right complementary pieces. The Habs GM has said it: Montreal no longer chases talented players to see if there could be a fit; they now have specific needs to fill. It’s harder to find those gems and pry them away from their current team. At this stage, it certainly feels like the Habs would rather stick to a patient approach than overpay for a veteran who would end up blocking the progression of one of their youngsters.

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The 2026-27 NHL Season will begin earlier than what most fans are used to thanks to a condensed exhibition schedule along with another two games added to the regular-season campaign. 

The Detroit Red Wings, who will only play four exhibition games, are set to open the regular season on Oct. 2 against the visiting New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena.

The NHL has unveiled the 2026-27 home openers for every team: pic.twitter.com/yrqWye5pLy

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 15, 2026

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The version of the Red Wings that hits the ice that day is going to look different than the roster that was met with a chorus of booing after their loss on April 11 to the New Jersey Devils, sealing their fate of not making the playoffs.

The future of Dylan Larkin, who requested a trade, has yet to be settled, especially in the wake of the recent leadership transition that saw Steve Yzerman vacate his role as GM.

Before that took place, Yzerman signed Viktor Arvidsson and Daniil Tarasov, while also acquiring Keegan Kolesar.

Veterans James Van Riemsdyk and Cam Talbot aren’t expected back, while all indications point toward Patrick Kane departing as well.

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Despite us being in the dog days of summer, hockey is just around the corner. On Wednesday morning, the San Jose Sharks' home opener for the 2026-27 was officially revealed. On October 1, the Sharks will host new-look Florida Panthers, featuring both of the Tkachuk brothers, in their first game at the SAP Center of the new campaign.

Historically, the Sharks have struggled a bit against the Panthers, as they have an overall record of 16-19-5 against the team from Sunrise, Florida. Things did change during the 2025-26 season though, as the Sharks were able to sweep the season series against Florida for the first time since the 2015-`16 season. The Sharks' win over the Panthers on November 8, 2025 was their first victory over them in general since the 2017-18 season.

It'll certainly be a tough test for the Sharks when they start the season, but considering they have playoff aspirations, it's an important one. Even though the Panthers missed the playoffs last season, they should be a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference once again this season, now that they're fully healthy. If the Sharks are truly going to be competing for a playoff spot in April, they'll need to have convincing performances against teams with proven success in recent memory. While they won't have to go through the Panthers for a playoff spot, getting one over on one of the NHL's top teams would be a great start to the new season.

The Winnipeg Jets now know who they'll welcome to Canada Life Centre to begin the 2026-27 season.

On Wednesday, the NHL announced each of its 32 clubs' home openers, in advance of the full 1,344 game schedule, set to drop on Thursday. 

The Jets will open their home schedule on Friday, October 2 vs. the visiting Boston Bruins. 

The matchup comes during the opening week of the NHL's expanded 84-game season, which begins Sept. 29 with a five-game slate highlighted by the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes raising their championship banner before hosting the Florida Panthers - the previous back-to-back champs. 

For the Bruins, the game in Winnipeg will be their second road contest of the new campaign. Boston opens the season at home against the New York Rangers on Sept. 29 before traveling west to face the Jets. 

The Jets very well could start the season on the road, should a team playing on the 29th also suit up in a back-to-back to start the year, meaning Winnipeg could play on September 30 or October 1 before hosting the Bruins on October 2. 

While Winnipeg's full schedule remains under wraps until Thursday, one other notable date is already locked in. The Jets will host the Montreal Canadiens in the 2026 Tim Hortons Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium on Oct. 25. 

Thursday's full schedule release will reveal Winnipeg's season opener, longest road trips, back-to-back sets and nationally televised matchups as the club prepares for its first season under the NHL's new 84-game format.

The Detroit Red Wings are changing their leadership after a 10th consecutive season out of the playoffs.

Franchise legend Steve Yzerman, the executive vice president and general manager for the last seven seasons of that drought, will become senior advisor to governor and CEO Chris Ilitch. A search for a new head of hockey operations is underway.

The Red Wings said Yzerman will remain in charge of day-to-day responsibilities until his successor is named. The team added that Yzerman would be an advisor to the search committee, which will be led by Ilitch.

“Clearly, we are not where we and our fans expect to be as an organization," said Ilitch. “I’m looking forward to bringing in new leadership to build the championship-caliber organization Hockeytown deserves."

Here are answers to questions about the Red Wings' move on Wednesday, July 15:

More: NHL 2026-27 schedule will start Sept. 29 with 5 games: Here are details

The Buffalo Sabres have graduated a number of their young prospects to the NHL, which is one of the reasons that the club snapped the NHL-record 14 season playoff drought, winning the Atlantic Division, and advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. 

Under former GM Kevyn Adams and current GM Jarmo Kekalainen, the club has continued to add promising young talent into the fold, and in his annual Top 100 Prospects, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler had four Sabres youngsters on the list. Players eligible have to be 22 years old or younger and not fully established with their NHL club. 

The top ranked Sabre is 2026 first rounder Daxon Rudolph, who was a bit of a surprise selection at fourth overall, and was listed 12th, behind blueliners Chase Reid, Albert Smits, and Carson Carels, who were selected after Rudolph in the Top 10 of the Draft in Buffalo last month.  

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2024 top pick Konsta Helenius was ranked 42nd overall, after averaging nearly a point-per-game in the American Hockey League and impressing in a brief playoff appearance against Montreal, while 2025 first rounder Radim Mrtka was 54th, and 2022 first rounder Noah Ostlund was 55th. 

2026 first rounder Ilia Morozov was listed as an honorable mention after being selected 20th overall, but a surprising omission was Sabres prospect Brodie Ziemer, who scored 23 goals for the University of Minnesota and captained Team USA at the World Junior Championships last December.  

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