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The New York Islanders went into Madison Square Garden last night with a near-full lineup of veterans, erased a 3-0 deficit, and knocked off the New York Rangers 4-3.

The game was full of big moments for the Islanders, but the number one highlight has to be Semyon Varlamov's return to the NHL, even in preseason form.

After 662 days, Semyon Varlamov was back in the #Isles net.

When I asked about the hugs from his teammates, he looked down, paused, then smiled.

“It means a lot.”

Our conversation, his performance, & a timeline of his road back @TheElmontershttps://t.co/0RqY6DKGPF

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) September 23, 2026

Beyond the emotional Varlamov return, the Islanders ran out a mostly-NHL lineup on Tuesday night. Cole Eiserman and Kashawn Aitcheson both played, as did Victor Eklund.

Eklund and Eiserman skated with Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and had a very strong game as a whole as a line.

Aitcheson, meanwhile, skated with Scott Mayfield and faced a very tough Rangers team, and in the process, he caught Islanders' Head Coach Peter DeBoer's eye.

“I thought he did a good job," DeBoer said postgame. "It’s a big ask. You’re coming into MSG, the bright lights of New York, and I thought all our young guys, again, played well. We’re giving them a lot of opportunity here in big situations to really kind of show us what they can do.”

The opportunity for Aitcheson is massive, even if he doesn't make the team outright. With the way he's played throughout training camp, he has played himself right into first call up consideration if and when injuries may strike.

With Matthew Schaefer on the right side, it's one less player in the path of Aitcheson's goal of the NHL. 

The Islanders have stated that 2026-27 is a transitional year. People have taken that to mean the Islanders may not compete or go all-in.

It's just the opposite. Under DeBoer, and with a wide open Metropolitan Division, the Islanders could very well compete and earn a playoff spot. The transition is the emergence of young players as key contributors.

Eklund will be on the opening night roster, barring an absolute shock. Eiserman and Aitcheson likely won't be due to the numbers game, but both have had extremely solid camps and feel extremely likely to play NHL games at some point this season.

That's the transition. Aitcheson's tenacious game along with Eiserman's electric offensive zone displays should be an unbelievable bright spot for the Hamilton Hammers in the AHL.

This training camp has been an unquestioned success when evaluating Aitcheson and Eiserman. Both have things to work on, but both are much closer to the NHL than a lot of people realized entering this year.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — There wasn't a player in the NHL who threw the body around more than Yakov Trenin last season.

The Minnesota Wild forward finished the 2025-26 regular season with an NHL-leading 413 hits, 74 more than Kiefer Sherwood, who finished second with 339.

Trenin doesn't plan on abandoning the physical style that has become a defining part of his game.

Entering his third season with the Wild, he would like to bring something else to the table, too.

More offense.

“I always want to improve in every aspect and also keep the hits on the same high level,” Trenin said.

The idea of Trenin contributing more offensively isn't unprecedented.

The 29-year-old scored a career-high 17 goals in 80 games with the Nashville Predators during the 2021-22 season, under current head coach and former Predators head coach John Hynes. He followed that with 12 goals and 24 points the next season.

His goal totals haven't reached double digits in either of his first two seasons in Minnesota. Trenin recorded seven goals and 15 points in 76 games in 2024-25 before finishing last season with six goals and a career-high 17 assists for 23 points while playing all 82 games.

The offense also showed up in the postseason.

Trenin recorded 51 hits in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs after registering 34 during Minnesota's playoff run the year before.

Now, there could be an opportunity for him to provide more than physicality.

Trenin has spent time playing alongside skilled forwards such as Danila Yurov and Bobby Brink, something that could give the Wild a different look from a line that will still be expected to play hard and defend.

“Obviously, you always want to help the team to win,” Trenin said. “It's either defense or hit, but nothing more exciting than scoring and jumping into the glass.”

Trenin knows firsthand what Yurov went through during his first full NHL season and believes the young Russian forward could be ready to add another offensive dimension to his game.

“During the last season, he learned a lot, he improved a lot, and just getting the confidence, staying always here, helps you,” Trenin said. “I think his defensive game was always great. He worked hard, and I think he can put his offensive game on too.”

Trenin has noticed Yurov becoming more comfortable away from the ice as well.

“His English got better too, and just confidence in the room, small jokes, all that stuff,” he said.

Who ultimately ends up alongside Trenin remains to be seen, but the veteran winger knows what he wants his own game to look like.

The physicality isn't going anywhere. After 654 regular-season hits over his first two years with Minnesota, including a league-leading 413 last season, that part of his identity is well established.

But Trenin has scored 17 goals in an NHL season before.

This year, he'd like to show there's still more offense there, too.

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A lot can change quickly for the picture of building the NHL roster. Take a look at the last 48 hours, where Blake Lizotte was announced as being out on a week-to-week basis, and Ben Kindel got injured during the preseason game with a day-to-day designation. Add in more injuries to Ville Koivunen and Justin Brazeau (both also day-to-day) and there’s not as much clarity coming into focus as much have been expected nearly one week into camp.

Let’s take a quick glance at how it looks like players fighting for spots might be at the moment. As of now, the exhibition games are 50% completed and all the forwards competing for 1-3 spots (though it would be four if Lizotte heads to IR for the start of the regular season) have played one game. It’s just a baseline temperature check for now as for who is perceived to be moving in the right direction and what cases are not launching so cleanly. The upcoming days could always throw major new developments and changes into the picture in a hurry.

Stock up

Hendrix Lapierre – Lapierre was named the third star of the game on Monday. In a world where the Penguins have lost two centers this week (Kindel and Lizotte) to injury, Lapierre has looked the part of a capable lower-line fill-in. He’s a good skater and can make things happen in the offensive zone. He was pretty good in the faceoff circle. It’s early but he had a nice night for himself and other circumstances seem to be breaking in his favor – he found power play time during the game because of Kindel’s injury, then made the most of it getting an assist there. Opportunity knocking is one thing, making the most of it is another and right now it looks like Lapierre is starting to make good on the chances afforded. If Lizotte can’t be back in time for the regular season opener, the path is wide open right now for Lapierre to claim a spot in the lineup. At worst, he’s trending towards sticking with the NHL club.

Avery Hayes — Hayes has been coming from way in the back of the field, considering he’s mostly skated in practices with AHL caliber players and been something of an afterthought in a very stacked field. (Which, hey, someone has to be towards the back of a long pack). But seemingly every time Hayes plays, he makes something good happen, highlighted by creating a turnover and scoring a goal just before time expired in the second period in Monday’s game against Buffalo. Hayes usually leaves a lasting positive impression, it’s just a matter of how much opportunity he will get considering how many wingers the team has to sort through. His stock being up might not even have him on the verge of finding a roster spot but it hasn’t deterred him from standing out.

Elmer Soderblom – Soderblom went from the doghouse (misreading the schedule and showing up late on the first day of camp) to the penthouse of playing in key spots in the first preseason game in no-time flat. His physicality and mobility are very evident. He looks like a guy that is going to help an NHL team with his reach, length, skating ability to go along with the willingness to throw his body around.

Fillip Hallander – Hallander had five shots on goal in the game he played on Monday, probably should have scored one on a clean rush attempt. He does a lot of the little things right around the rink, knocking pucks free and staying on the right side of the action. So far he’s doing as expected to make his case back into the NHL, he’s an honest player that will be in the right spot at generally the right time. The injury situation is working in his favor much like last year when Hallander made the opening night roster in large part because Bryan Rust and Kevin Hayes opened the season on IR.

Stock middling or down

Tristan Broz – Broz was one of the stars of the 2025 training camp, so far he’s just kind of been present this year. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but you have to figure that he needs to elevate in order to make headway and jump the players with more experience and more established contracts to make the team. The tie isn’t going to go to the player like Broz that doesn’t need waivers to be sent to the AHL. And I’m not sure Broz has even come close to forcing the issue, to this point. Younger players are supposed to make it hard (if not impossible) to send them down. So far, I don’t think you can say Broz has done that.

Justin Brazeau – Brazeau endured a leg injury on Monday, so it’s reasonable not to get too down on him now, but even before that it looked like he’s barely keeping up with his teammates. Players and coaches say the league gets a little faster every year, it doesn’t look like Brazeau has kept up. Will his hands and scoring touch make up for the fact he’s the least mobile player in the competition? Especially now with a lower body currently less than 100%, it’s an area worth watching to see how quickly he returns to the ice and can try to secure a roster spot.

Ville Koivunen – It’s not Koivunen’s fault he got hit in the face and couldn’t play in his scheduled preseason game last night, but it certainly doesn’t help his cause to miss time in a quick preseason. Can’t make the club from the tub, and all that. This was going to be a massive camp for him to show his stuff and he can’t afford to miss much more time. Even prior to the injury, things were not trending in the right direction – Koivunen started camp on the first day playing with two surefire NHLers (Andrei Kuzmenko and Ben Kindel). By the third practice, he was playing with fourth liner Blake Lizotte and probable AHLer Rutger McGroarty. That may or may not be indicative of Koivunen’s performance but he wasn’t moving in the right direction prior to the injury that at the very least steals some time away from him at a critical juncture to find a niche.

Rutger McGroarty – It would be difficult to make a move for a player like McGroarty who is younger (22) than everyone on the list. So far, he hasn’t received a great opportunity to do so. Like Koivunen, McGroarty opened camp on a practice line with two NHL players (Lizotte and Bryan Rust). By last night’s preseason game, he was skating with future AHL players (Bill Zonnon and Atley Calvert). It’s not going to be the end of the world for McGroarty to go to the AHL and try to work his way up with a mid-season call-up but it sure looks like his path to making the NHL club out of camp is narrow to the point of barely being visible right now.

Projected lineup as of today

Nick Robertson – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Andrei Kuzmenko – Ben Kindel* – Bryan Rust
Connor Dewar – Hendrix Lapierre – Elmer Soderblom
Extras: Filip Hallander, Blake Lizotte (injured)

Bubble: Justin Brazeau, Rutger McGroarty, Avery Hayes, Ville Koivunen

—

Kindel and Lizotte’s status for opening night could change the picture, placing Lizotte on IR would mean keeping one more bubble player. We’re projecting as a day-to-day that Kindel won’t miss the games that count, which obviously isn’t a known guarantee in this moment that would further shake up the picture.

There’s still another week for the bubble players to work their way up, and as seen already in camp, things can change on a dime with an injury or change in placement of the lines. Today’s outlook doesn’t always hold up for those future developments as the Pens enter the final week of camp before the opener on the 30th.

Corson Ceulemans (1) scored his first goal of the preseason, and first for the Blue Jackets in a 5-1 loss to an extremely heavy NHL roster put on the ice by Buffalo. 

There wasn't a lot to take from this game from a fan's point of view. But from a coach's point of view, there may have been a few. Don't worry, though; the next two games will look a bit more like actual NHL games for Columbus, rather than AHL games dressed as NHL games. 

Carson Soucy continues to make a case for his spot on the opening roster and a contract. He laid a tremendously hard hit on the Sabres' Owen Zellweger that left him lying on the ice for an extended period of time. It was a clean hit, but Beck Malenstyn fought Soucy to show his disapproval of the hit. Soucy knew a fight was coming and may have gotten dinged up a bit in the scrap. Malenstyn then hit Soucy along the wall, sending Soucy to the bench hunched over. There is no word if he's hurt, but he did speak to the media after the game and seemd ok. 

Positives

• Goalie Cam Talbot looked very good in the first period. The score could've been much worse had it not been for Talbot's play. The NHL roster the Sabres put out finally took over, and got a few past Talbot in the second, but he looked good. 

Negatives

• It's hard to look at a 5-1 game and not see negatives, but with a mostly AHL lineup on the ice, they had no real shot at beating the Sabres on this night. 

Injuries

• Mikael Pyyhtiä left with a lower-body injury and didn't return for the duration of the game. 

Final Stats 

Player Stats & Notes 

• Corson Ceulemans scored his first goal of the preseason and first for the CBJ. preseason. He also had 4 shots, 2 blocks, and played 18:32. 
• Dmitri Voronkov had an assist and 2 shots. 
• Boston Buckberger 
• Luca Marelli led the team with 5 blocked shots. 
• Luca Pinelli had 3 shots. 
• Cam Talbot 23 of 26 shots. 

Team Stats 

• The Jackets went 0/5 on the power play. 
• The Columbus PK stopped all 3 Buffalo power plays. 
• Columbus won 41.1% of the faceoffs - 23/56
• The Blue Jackets had 28 hits and 20 blocks.

Next Up For Columbus: The Blue Jackets will be back home on Thursday to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

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The Vancouver Canucks dropped to 0-2 in the 2026 pre-season as they fell 3-1 to the Calgary Flames. Vancouver's lineup featured plenty of youth, while Calgary dressed a roster that will most likely be the same on opening night. Here are three Canucks standouts from Tuesday night. 

Kevin Lankinen

Kevin Lankinen is the reason this game was close. Vancouver was outshot 31-9, with the 31-year-old making 28 saves. Although he allowed all three goals in the second, the middle frame was his best, as he stopped 15 of the 18 shots he faced. 

Tuesday was a good bounce-back for Lankinen, who struggled during the scrimmage at training camp on Saturday. He came up with some big saves and was able to bail out his younger teammates throughout the night. Overall, it was a good start to the pre-season for Lankinen. 

Aatu Räty

Aatu Räty was arguably the Canucks' best forward in this game. He led Vancouver with two shots on goal and recorded three additional shot attempts. Räty was also virtually unbeatable in the faceoff dot as he won 15 of the 20 draws he took. 

After a less-than-ideal game on Saturday, Räty really stepped up against the Flames. He was able to win some board battles and looked engaged in the offensive zone. Ultimately, Räty made the most of his opportunities in what was his final game of the 2026 pre-season. 

Adam Novotný

Adam Novotný did not look out of place in his second career pre-season game. The 18-year-old was constantly getting in on the forecheck and finished the night tied for second on the team with four shots. Novotný also blocked a shot on Tuesday and recorded one shot on goal. 

Based on his performance during training camp and the pre-season, Novotný deserves some additional time with the NHL team. He will most likely head back to the OHL, but he has shown he may be closer to NHL-ready than initially thought. While it is early, it is safe to say that Novotný has a bright future ahead of him. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site:

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After narrowly beating the Ottawa Senators in Trois-Rivières on Monday night, the Montreal Canadiens enjoyed a much-deserved day off on Tuesday. The break was long planned, as it marked the halfway point of training camp, and everyone will be back in Brossard Wednesday morning.

Team B is scheduled to hit the ice first at 10:30 AM, followed by Team A at 11:50 AM and Team C at 1:00 PM. Then, on Thursday, Teams A and B will practice simultaneously at 10:30 AM before facing each other in a scrimmage at 11:30 on ice 2, while Team C will practice on ice 1 at 11:45. If you want to take a day off to visit the Canadiens’ camp, Thursday should be the day, as it’s the only scrimmage planned so far.

Canadiens Narrowly Beat Sens In Kraft Hockeyville Battle
Canadiens: There Were Some Big Changes At The Bell Centre
Canadiens: A Big Opportunity For Reinbacher

Friday, all three groups will practice at the usual times: Team A at 10:30, Team B at 11:50 Am and Team C at 1:00 PM. Then, on Saturday, the Canadiens will once again face the Senators, but this time in a split-squad game. Team A will stay in Montreal to play at the Bell Centre at 7:00 PM and will hold its morning skate at the CN Sports Complex at 10:30. Team B will have its morning skate at 11:30 before heading to Ottawa to face the Sens at 7:00 PM.

That will be the Canadiens’ final preseason game, and after that match we should see some cuts. Will Martin St-Louis be guided by who has an NHL contract, or will he truly award roster spots to the most deserving players? That remains to be seen. It wasn’t that long ago that the organization elected to put Joel Armia on waivers after an underwhelming camp.

Unless Kirby Dach raises his intensity soon, he could be a candidate for the same treatment. The question is, though, would he clear, or would a GM be willing to roll the dice on him? After all, he’s still a former third-overall pick and a big-frame potential center. Then again, there’s a significant injury history there, but it’s less of a factor when picking up someone on waivers than when actually using assets to acquire them.

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Here are your Pens Points for this Wednesday morning…

The Pittsburgh Penguins fell 7-4 to the Detroit Red Wings in Pittsburgh’s second preseason game on Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena. Nick Robertson scored in his Penguins debut, while Kaeden Korczak and Rutger McGroarty also found the net in the loss. [Recap]

Forward Nick Robertson is looking to establish himself in Pittsburgh after being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs this offseason. The 25-year-old younger brother of Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson is hoping for a fresh start after struggling to secure a regular NHL role in Toronto. [Trib Live]

The Penguins are dealing with early injuries to centers Ben Kindel and Blake Lizotte, creating questions about their depth at the position with the regular season about a week away. [Trib Live]

Twin brothers Liam and Markus Ruck made their Penguins preseason debuts Tuesday, playing on the same line against the Red Wings. The 18-year-old forwards were selected by Pittsburgh in the 2026 NHL draft, with Liam going No. 22 overall and Markus No. 39. [NHL]

News and notes from around the NHL…

Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis was unanimously elected chairman of the NHL’s Board of Governors on Tuesday, succeeding Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, who held the position for 19 years. [TSN]

The Board of Governors also discussed potential expansion to Houston or Austin, Texas, but did not decide on adding a 33rd team… at least not yet. [TSN]

The Minnesota Wild signed general manager Bill Guerin to a multiyear contract extension on Tuesday. Guerin has served in the position since 2019 and is coming off a season in which he won the NHL’s Jim Gregory Award as the league’s top GM. [Sportsnet]