The Wraparound is here with more NHL and hockey topics in rapid-fire segments.

Will The Bruins Or Penguins Defy Expectations? by The Wraparoundundefined

Here's what Emma Lingan, Michael Augello and Stephen Kerr discussed in this episode:

0:00: Was the Lane Hutson extension a huge win for the Montreal Canadiens?

4:25: Could Pavel Dorofeyev be one of the league’s next best goal-scorers?

8:29: Should the Colorado Avalanche be concerned about how much they might have to end up paying Martin Necas?

12:55: How will Aleksander Barkov’s LTIR placement impact the Florida Panthers’ season-long plans?

16:04: Do the Boston Bruins or Pittsburgh Penguins have a better chance of defying expectations this season?

18:55: Will the Washington Capitals end up keeping John Carlson beyond this season?

21:45: Has Juuse Saros shown early signs of a potential resurgence with the Nashville Predators?

27:15: Can the Ottawa Senators stay afloat without Brady Tkachuk in their lineup for at least the next four weeks?

See below for where to subscribe to the show for future episodes.

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New York Islanders' No. 1 pick Matthew Schaefer stars in the NHL's "Welcome To The NHL' Part 2, which premieres this Friday on the league's YouTube channel.

This episode highlights Schaefer’s journey to the NHL, from draft day to development camp and his NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Islanders fans also get a look at No. 17 pick Kashawn Aitcheson as well, as he's a character that fans are going to fall in love with, if they haven't already.

Enjoy the trailer and be sure to check out the episode in a few days. 

Tocchet wants Michkov to play through slow start, be ready for more minutes originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

VOORHEES, N.J. — Rick Tocchet, for a couple of reasons, isn’t too fixated on Matvei Michkov’s ice time just three games into the season.

His club has been in the penalty box way too often. The Flyers have committed five penalties in each game. Those 30 total penalty minutes have taken away from Michkov’s minutes because the young winger doesn’t play when the Flyers are shorthanded.

And when you beat the two-time defending champion Panthers, it’s tough to complain about Michkov not playing the final seven and a half minutes. He still finished with a comprehensible 14:56 minutes and he wasn’t the only player to lose ice time down the stretch of the Flyers’ 5-2 home-opening win Monday night.

“I’ve got to get people on the ice, so I get it,” Tocchet said Tuesday. “But he’s playing 15 minutes and we won the hockey game, so we’ve got to kind of move past that.

“We’re killing five penalties a game, so the game shrinks to 50 minutes. You’ve got to get people out there, I get it, but we’re a balanced type of team, we’re not a one-line team, we’re not a team that plays guys 25 minutes if we’re going to win.”

Michkov doesn’t have a point through the Flyers’ 1-1-1 start. After Monday’s morning skate, Tocchet divulged that Michkov dealt with an ankle issue at some point this offseason, which limited some of his training.

But the 20-year-old still looked like his dynamic self in training camp and the preseason.

“He had some stuff in the summer that he couldn’t really train and he’s behind the eight ball,” Tocchet said, “so we’ve got to get him skating.”

The head coach liked the way Michkov skated Monday night and Tuesday in practice.

“There’s two good days together,” Tocchet said. “We’ve just got to stack some days for him.”

Matvei Michkov sets up Bobby Brink goal in 2-on-1 drill. pic.twitter.com/QsLGHNX567

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) October 14, 2025

Last season, Michkov played 80 of 82 games and was one of the NHL’s top rookies. The Flyers wanted to be careful with a teenager from Russia making the jump to the NHL. As part of the process, former head coach John Tortorella sat Michkov for two games in November and cut his minutes at different times of the season.

Tocchet was asked about the thought of healthy scratching players to give them a mental or physical reset. It doesn’t sound like he’ll go that route with Michkov, especially this early in the season.

“No,” Tocchet said. “For a guy like him, he has got to play through it.”

The Carolina Hurricanes look to be in line to see an NHL debut tonight as goaltender Brandon Bussi is slated to make his first career start in San Jose after being the first to leave the ice at Tuesday's morning skate.

The 27-year-old goalie has bided his time, even dressing as the backup for a handful of games over his three year professional career, but the ultimate opportunity is now before him.

"He's been great," Hurricanes goaltending coach Paul Schonfelder told The Hockey News. "Good in practice, he has a great attitude, good work ethic. Obviously I didn't know him personally before he got here, but he's been great and has fit in real well. He's worked hard and I think if he shows what he does in practice in a game, then he'll be fine."

It's been quite a month for Bussi, who has gone all the way from an AHL reassignment to the Charlotte Checkers to now playing in the NHL, all in the span of nine days.

Bussi signed this summer with the Florida Panthers after three seasons with the Boston Bruins organization, but he was among the final cuts from the defending Stanley Cup champs, and so he and his fiancée packed the car and headed up north to join the Cats' AHL affiliate. 

One phone call from Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky, though, changed everything. 

And luckily for him, it wasn't too hard to make a slight adjustment east to Raleigh.

"The hockey world can be crazy at times and that call was a special moment for me, my fiancée and my family, everyone involved," Bussi told The Hockey News. "Any day you're in the NHL is a privilege so I'm pretty pumped to be here."

The next day, the Hurricanes' assumed third-string goalie Cayden Primeau was claimed off of waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs and then another day later, Hurricanes netminder Pyotr Kochetkov was sidelined with a lower-body injury.

Life has a funny way of working out like that sometimes.

New Guy Bussi pic.twitter.com/XYOGx89GcT

— Chip Alexander (@ice_chip) October 9, 2025

Bussi hasn't had a ton of time to get acclimated with his new team, but he said that everyone has welcomed him with open arms so far.

"It's a great locker room," Bussi said. "And everything from the top down, management, coach, players, staff, everyone has made me feel super welcome and just like another one of the guys."

But another aspect of the game that he hasn't had too much time to get used to either, though, is getting familiar with how the team in front of him plays.

That's where Schonfelder comes in.

"As far as the team goes, we talk a little bit about systems and what he can expect, stuff on the PK," Schonfelder said. "But mostly, it's been about me getting to know him on an individual level. Sometimes it happens quick and obviously Brandon got here pretty quick, so just trying to get an idea of what makes him tick and how he likes to play certain things, so when it's game time, he can just go out there and play. The process isn't over yet, to be honest with you, but you just do your best to get caught up and see how it goes."

However, the Hurricanes have historically done pretty well when bringing in a third or even a fourth goaltender throughout a season.

With injuries to Kochetkov and the Hurricanes wanting to avoid wearing out starting netminder Frederik Andersen this early into the year, the team really has no choice but to give Bussi his shot, but it's one they feel he is ready for.

"He was somebody I identified in the summertime," Schonfelder said. "He obviously ended up signing in Florida, but he was somebody who was on my list of people to go after. I had him down as somebody who, he obviously played down in the American league for three years, but is ready to make that jump to the NHL. I feel that's where his game is at right now."

Bussi has 111 games of AHL experience under his belt with the Providence Bruins, where he posted a 63-31-13 record along with a 0.915 save percentage and eight shutouts.

"He looks good," Brind'Amour said. "Big guy. Hopefully we're not going to be relying on that too much, but if we do, we have a lot of confidence in him."

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In their 2025-26 home opener, the Ducks (1-1-0) take on Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins (2-1-0). The Ducks are coming off a thrilling 7-6 overtime win on Saturday against the San Jose Sharks, while the Penguins are coming off a 6-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday.

Anaheim showed incredible resilience against the Sharks, coming back from multiple two-goal deficits and evening the score in the final minute of the third and then winning in overtime, courtesy of a Leo Carlsson goal.

"I thought the second half of (our first game), we just weren't as good as we were in the first half," Jacob Trouba said. "I think it was a pretty big difference that we can tell when we switch between the two games we were playing. We had more offense in that San Jose game, more consistently, and a better result. Gave up a little more than we wanted, but found a way (to win)."

Takeaways from the Ducks 7-6 OT Win over the SharksThe Anaheim Ducks wrapped up their season-opening two-game road trip on Saturday when they traveled to take on the San Jose Sharks after Thursday’s 3-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken.

"We've done a good job," Alex Killorn said. "We're playing different systems and we're still trying to figure these little things out of when to jump, when to pinch. But, it feels like we're playing free there. We're getting a lot more shots than we typically get, so a lot more scoring chances. It's been good so far. It's just two games, but we'll see how it continues to go."

“We started both games getting off to a really good start,” head coach Joel Quenneville said. “First 20 minutes set the pace and didn't continue on out of game one, but we talked about it going into the next game, trying to be strong and consistent for 60 minutes. We sustained what we're looking to do with possession and zone time pretty well.

“But both games, we haven't had the lead yet, so that'll be the next test. 
Hopefully, we get to apply it one of these games, and then you can learn a little bit more about our team. But we know we can score goals. Let’s prioritize checking first, and then we get the puck.”

“We just couldn't bury the puck in Seattle,” Radko Gudas said. “I thought we had our chances. 
Also, in San Jose, I thought we played a lot longer in our game that we wanted. In Seattle, we kind of got away from our game towards the end of the game.”

Gudas, who is in his second season as Ducks captain, is just one point away from 200 NHL points. Known more for his bruising hits and shot blocking, the Czech defenseman can also rip it from time to time.

After starting the season opener in Seattle and getting the night off in San Jose, Lukáš Dostál will be back in the starter's crease for the home opener. He is 1-0-1 with a .950 SV% and 2.34 GAA in his career against the Penguins.

Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is day-to-day with a lower-body injury and his status for tonight’s game is unknown.

The Penguins did not have a morning skate today, so their starting goaltender won’t be known until 5:30 p.m. PST, when head coach Dan Muse speaks to the media.

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Ducks Projected Lines

Chris Kreider - Leo Carlsson - Alex Killorn
Cutter Gauthier - Mason McTavish - Beckett Sennecke
Frank Vatrano - Mikael Granlund - Troy Terry
Ross Johnston - Ryan Poehling - Nikita Nesterenko

Jackson LaCombe - Radko Gudas
Olen Zellweger - Jacob Trouba
Pavel Mintyukov - Drew Helleson

Lukáš Dostál (confirmed)

Penguins Projected Lines

Rickard Rakell - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Anthony Mantha - Evgeni Malkin - Justin Brazeau
Tommy Novak - Benjamin Kindel - Phillip Tomasino
Connor Dewar - Blake Lizotte - Filip Hållander

Parker Wotherspoon - Erik Karlsson
Ryan Shea - Kris Letang
Caleb Jones - Harrison Brunicke

Tristan Jarry (projected)

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If the Florida Panthers are worried about missing Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, they aren't playing like it.

Lo and behold, the Panthers have started the season on a 3-1-0 run, and it’s time to ask the question – what were we worried about with this team?

Now, it’s understandable why people were concerned for Florida and why the Panthers aren't out of the woods yet.

Whenever a team loses one of its core components for a considerable stretch of time, the ripple effect on the organization can be a significant problem. So, to have Tkachuk out of the lineup until December or January and Barkov being sidelined for potentially all of the season, it’s certainly OK to be worried.

When we’re looking at the back-to-back Stanley Cup-champion Panthers’ all-around depth, you can see why they’ve absorbed the loss of two stars.

The NHL's schedule-maker did give Florida soft touches in the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers in Games 1 and 2, although Philly got revenge on Monday with a win at home. But on Saturday, the Panthers pounded the Ottawa Senators 6-2, showing Florida can rise to the occasion and beat a team that should make the playoffs again.

But the Panthers’ depth is reflected in their offensive totals. They may not have a front-runner for the Art Ross Trophy, but they did have 10 players who produced at least two points in their first three games and 11 players after the first four. The Panthers also have six players with three points apiece. The Colorado Avalanche, in comparison, have three players with at least five points and seven players with at least two after their first four games.

The Panthers' top six scorers have a mix of stars and depth. While left winger Brad Marchand and right winger Sam Reinhart are stars, they're arguably not the biggest on the team. The other four – Anton Lundell, Evan Rodrigues, Mackie Samoskevich and budding top defenseman Gustav Forsling – are making life a lot easier on each other by providing some secondary scoring.

Florida is also going full steam ahead with nearly the full defense corps GM Bill Zito put together this season. That means veteran star D-men Seth Jones and Aaron Ekblad are playing alongside Forsling, Niko Mikkola and Jeff Petry and contributing at both ends of the ice. Florida’s defense corps indeed took a blow with the injury to veteran Dmitry Kulikov, but by and large, the ‘D’ corps has looked strong and capable of making a positive impact night in and night out.

Finally, Panthers star goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has a .925 save percentage and a 1.67 goals-against average in three appearances. Bobrovksky was named the third star of the week for his efforts, and that’s a great harbinger of what’s to come in net for Florida this season.

Bobrovsky is now in the final season of his seven-year contract worth $10 million annually. He’s got every motivation to play well, given that, at age 37, he could be looking at his final NHL contract next summer. Bobrovsky will be asked to be a workhorse in net and appear in 50 to 60 games once again, and right now, he looks up to the challenge.

All things considered, the Panthers are firing on all pistons to start the season. In the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division, they’ll need to be consistently great to stay at or near the top of the standings. But as it stands, Florida is demonstrating it will not go away quietly simply because two stars are out of action.

They’re deeper than that. They’re more talented than that. And it’s going to take an even bigger bite from the injury bug to set them back as they push toward Atlantic supremacy once again.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Easton Cowan is enjoying life up in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 20-year-old made his NHL debut on Monday against the Detroit Red Wings, playing alongside Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies on Toronto's top line. Cowan finished with one shot, three hits, and 14:05 of ice time.

With any young prospect, whether they begin in the AHL or come straight in from junior, there's always a couple of eye-opening experiences about NHL life, which make the veterans chuckle a little bit.

Brandon Carlo, who's been in the league for what's now 10 seasons, got a front row seat to Cowan's first few days of being up with the Maple Leafs.

"It's been great. It's fun for me being around young guys. I still feel like a young guy myself, but at times when you get to talk to younger guys, especially like him, he brings a lot of energy each and every day. He's got a smile on his face," Carlo said on Tuesday morning.

"We went to dinner the other night and he was just having a great time enjoying the meal. It was pretty funny because there was a lot of things where he was like, 'I've never had this before', 'I've never had this before', and I remember being in that same position.

"It's great to see the game through young guys again and something we can all feed off of that energy."

'If You Stick With It, Good Things Will Come': What Easton Cowan Will Remember About His NHL Debut With Maple LeafsAs Easton Cowan skated onto the ice ahead of his NHL debut, the crowd started cheering. Within all the noise, a song blared inside Scotiabank Arena: "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)".

What was on the menu that Cowan was saying he'd never had before?

"I think it was like the tuna tartar or something like that," Carlo smiled. "One of those meals that I didn't grow up having in Colorado by any means. I guess you can get used to it a little bit, but I think he liked it."

Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube opted to stick with the same lineup ahead of Tuesday night's game against the Nashville Predators. Cowan will remain alongside Knies and Matthews after earning more trust from the head coach in the loss to Detroit the day prior.

"I thought he had a great game. He made a lot of good plays with the puck," Berube said on Monday. "I just thought five-foot plays all over the ice. He made a lot of them, too. He was very good on the forecheck. He's got a great hockey IQ, that's the bottom line."

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Despite a strong effort by the Los Angeles Kings to push for a point against the Minnesota Wild on Monday evening after facing a 3-0 deficit, they can only blame themselves. 

The Kings are holding themselves back as they continue to rack up the minor penalties in this young 2025-26 campaign.

In fact, after their 4-3 shootout loss to the Wild, the Kings are second in the league in penalty minutes (55 PIMS) and penalties taken (23). Only the Chicago Blackhawks are ahead of them in those two categories.

In the first period against Minnesota, Los Angeles took four minor penalties. Because of that, the Kings can’t play the game they planned. 

Wild Weather Kings’ Late Comeback, Edge Out Los Angeles 4–3 in ShootoutAnother game, another overtime game that ends in a shootout for the Los Angeles Kings. This time, the match doesn’t go in the King's favor; it ends in a shootout loss in Minnesota, 4-3. 

The line combinations get mixed up, skilled players such as Kevin Fiala and Andrei Kuzmenko don’t see the ice as much because they aren’t penalty killers, and that hurts the flow.

“First off, we need to stay out of the box,” defenseman Drew Doughty told reporters after the game.

“One of our strengths is rolling four lines, three D-pairs, and once you get penalties, the momentum goes away.”

Not only will a parade to the penalty box ruin the team’s momentum, but it can also ruin the scoreboard. 

With about five minutes remaining in the first period, center Quinton Byfield took a delay-of-game penalty as he chucked the puck over the glass, trying to flip the puck up the ice.

“We’re taking too many penalties, and I might be the main guy, I’ve taken a ton,” Byfield told reporters. “So, that’s something that we’ve got to fix.”

It didn’t help that 18 seconds after Byfield’s penalty, right winger Adrian Kempe was called for hooking on Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov.

By that point, the score is already 1-0 for Minnesota, and now the Kings need to kill off a 5-on-3 penalty for almost a full two minutes.

Sure enough, the Wild score twice, 20 seconds apart, taking advantage of both power-play opportunities created by Byfield and Kempe.

With that, Los Angeles gave Minnesota a huge head start and a 3-0 lead going into the second period. From that point on, the Kings needed to chase the game. And to their credit, the team was great at 5-on-5.

“We’re taking too many penalties and we’re getting scored on,” Kings coach Jim Hiller admitted.

However, he shed some light on how the team played at even strength in the last couple of outings.

“Our 5-on-5 game is starting to feel a little bit more like how we play,” Hiller said. “We’re going to score goals, I’m not worried about that, but we just have to tighten it up. I think we’re getting there. We take some of the penalties away, we’ll be a good team.”

The Kings are now 1-2-1 with the Pittsburgh Penguins coming to town on Thursday.