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It won't be long before the Detroit Red Wings open the 2026-27 regular season, with just one exhibition game remaining before the real action begins Oct. 2.

Between now and Monday, however, every NHL team must trim its roster to 23 players or fewer. The Red Wings took another step toward that requirement with their latest round of roster moves.

17 players have been sent to the American Hockey League affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins, including:

• F Ondřej Becher
• F Cameron Butler
• F Noah Dower Nilsson
• F Sheldon Dries
• F Dylan James
• F Jesse Kiiskanen
• F John Leonard
• F Sutter Muzzatti
• F Théo Rochette
• F Dominik Shine
• F Wilmer Skoog
• D Ronnie Attard
• D Jacob Bryson
• D Shai Buium
• D William Lagesson
• G Trey Augustine
• G Michal Postava

Additionally, forward Kienan Draper and defensemen Justice Christensen, Alex Kannok Leipert, and Jacob Truscot have all been released from their professional tryouts; All four players will return to Grand Rapids.

This means that players like Nate Danielson, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, and Anton Johansson all still have a chance to make the Opening Night roster. 

Another rocket from Axel Sandin-Pellikka knots the score at 1-1; PPG. 🚨 #LGRW#RedWingspic.twitter.com/uSpLpw2Fgu

— Michael Whitaker (@mwhitaker_89) September 24, 2026

Last fall, Brandsegg-Nygård and Sandin-Pellikka, along with Emmitt Finnie, earned roster spots thanks to their strong performances in Training Camp and the preseason. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

The Red Wings have one game remaining on their exhibition slate, as they'll host the Columbus Blue Jackets to Little Caesars Arena on Saturday evening.

Alex DeBrincat Fights, Scores OT Winner Against Sabres In Feisty Preseason Tilt Alex DeBrincat did it all for the Red Wings in their third preseason contest, picking up a fighting major and later scoring the overtime game-winner against Buffalo.

The Red Wings suffered their only loss of the preseason thus far against the Blue Jackets, a 1-0 setback via the shootout. They followed that with a 7-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with a 3-2 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres. 

Detroit opens the regular season on Oct. 2 against the New York Rangers. 

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With just one preseason game left to play, the Philadelphia Flyers have all but decided on their final 23-player roster ahead of the start of the regular season.

On Friday, the Flyers announced four more cuts to their training camp roster, sending surging prospects Jett Luchanko and Cole Knuble back to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms, alongside power forward Jacob Gaucher and top defense prospect Oliver Bonk.

The Flyers' current roster now stands at 26 players, and they need only make three more cuts to finalize their roster ahead of opening night.

For Knuble and Luchanko, it is a bit of a shame, as Knuble had two goals and an assist in his three preseason games with the Flyers, while Luchanko recorded an assist in each of his three preseason games, too.

This is the unfortunate result of a numbers game for both players, though this was a decision largely made in the best interest of Luchanko's development ahead of time, too.

In an offseason Q&A with The Hockey News, Danny Briere had already strongly indicated that Luchanko would spent the season in the AHL with the Phantoms unless he had clearly established himself as one of the Flyers' 12 best forwards.

With Trevor Zegras, Christian Dvorak, Noah Cates, and Sean Couturier all still ahead of him in the pecking order at the center position, Luchanko will spend the season in the AHL until if and when the injury bug strikes.

As for Bonk, the 21-year-old was always going to start behind David Jiricek, if for no reason other than that Jiricek has to pass through waivers to return to the AHL.

At the same time, Bonk was not especially impressive in the preseason and made a few uncharacteristic mistakes that undermined his standout hockey IQ, his top trait as a pro player.

That's fine, though, as Bonk hasn't even played a full professional season yet after missing the start of last year due to injury. The Flyers will be happy to let him marinate for another year.

Projecting Flyers' final cuts

So, the Flyers have three more cuts to make, and they are all fairly obvious moves, depending on the health of the rest of the team.

Prospect Aleksei Kolosov, the Flyers' de facto No. 3 goalie, remains on the roster with Dan Vladar temporarily on the shelf with an upper-body injury.

If and when Vladar is healthy, Kolosov will return to the Phantoms and reprise his role as their starting goalie, working with Carson Bjarnason as his backup.

On defense, Helge Grans remains on the roster for now after suffering a lower-body injury in Thursday night's 2-0 preseason win over the Boston Bruins.

Grans played his best game of the preseason in the brief 1:29 he skated for before exiting with a dubious injury, and he will require waivers to be assigned to the AHL. Perhaps the Flyers are waiting until other teams all make their cuts at the same time to reduce the chance Grans is claimed.

Veteran tough guy Garrett Wilson remains as the one notable AHL player yet to be cut by the Flyers; Wilson fought Dylan McIlrath in the Flyers' first preseason game against the Capitals, and that's been about it for him since then.

And, in the event the Flyers need roster flexibility, Carl Grundstrom already cleared waivers earlier this week, which protects him for the next 10 games he plays or for the next 30 days on the roster, whichever comes first. Then, he'll need to clear waivers again.

Knuble and Luchanko were the two toughest remaining cuts for the Flyers, and now that the decision has been made, the Flyers' NHL roster ahead of opening night is virtually set in place.

The Senators have lost Leevi Meriläinen to the Vancouver Canucks, who claimed the 24-year-old goaltender off waivers on Friday.

Meriläinen was in goal Wednesday night for Ottawa’s road split squad game against Toronto. The Senators sent an undermanned lineup into a matchup with a Maple Leafs team loaded with NHL regulars, and the result was a 6-1 loss.

Meriläinen stopped 21 shots before being replaced by Jackson Parsons after Toronto’s sixth goal early in the third period. The Senators were under siege for much of the night, and the scoreboard reflected the team’s play rather than Meriläinen’s performance.

That said, Wednesday’s game came after a difficult season for a goalie who had looked like a major part of Ottawa’s future a year and a half ago.

When injuries sidelined Linus Ullmark and Anton Forsberg during the 2024–25 season, Meriläinen gave the Senators far more than just emergency support. He went 8-3-1 in 12 appearances, with a 1.99 goals-against average, a .925 save percentage and three shutouts. He even had a fourth shutout if you just count regulation play.

The Sens ended their seven-season playoff drought that spring, and it is hard to imagine the team getting there without the points Meriläinen helped secure while its veteran goalies were out.

He looked every bit like the goalie of the future.

But he couldn’t sustain that level last season. In 20 NHL appearances in 2025–26, Meriläinen went 8-10-1 with a 3.51 goals-against average and an .860 save percentage.

Eventually, the Sens signed free agent James Reimer, and when Linus Ullmark returned from his leave of absence, Meriläinen was sent to Belleville and didn't return.

There had been some discussion about the Senators opening the season with three goaltenders. Meriläinen signed a one-year, one-way contract worth $1.1 million this summer, but he was no longer exempt from waivers.

With Ullmark in place and newcomer Samuel Ersson making a strong first impression in the preseason opener against Montreal, the Senators chose to try to sneak Meriläinen through waivers so they could send him to Belleville to keep developing. They were probably hoping the 6-1 loss on Wednesday might scare everyone off.

Vancouver, desperate for help in goal, took the opportunity to claim him.

Thatcher Demko is still working his way back from hip surgery, while Kevin Lankinen and Nikita Tolopilo are the other goaltenders in the club’s projected lineup. Former Senator Chris Driedger is also at camp on a professional tryout after spending last season in the KHL.

The Canucks obviously feel like Meriläinen has a chance to help them at the NHL level. They would not be allowed to send him to their AHL team without putting him on waivers again.

In Ottawa, the claim changes the picture behind Ullmark and Ersson. Parsons and Kevin Reidler are promising options, but both have limited professional experience.

The Senators also brought Vadim Zherenko to camp on a tryout after four seasons with AHL Springfield. If Ottawa wants a more experienced goalie available for a call-up,

Zherenko could become an important option. First, though, the Senators would have to sign him to a contract.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- With a drumroll ... it looks like Zach Dean and Dillon Dube have won out the battle for the two extra forward slots for the St. Louis Blues to begin the 2026-27 season.

The Blues cut four players early Friday morning, including forwards Otto Stenberg, Dylan Peterson and Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, along with defenseman Adam Jiricek, leaving five spots needing to be cut in total to get down to Monday's 23-man opening night roster.

The Blues will be putting goalie Georgii Romanov on waivers for the purpose of getting him to Springfield of the American Hockey League, and that left Oskar Sundqvist, Nathan Walker and Jack Finley, who were put on waivers on Friday, on the outside looking in. If any of the veterans are able to clear, they will join Steve Ott and the Thunderbirds in the AHL to begin the season.

"I wouldn't say certainly (that's the 23-man team that was on the ice Friday), but it's certainly been a good camp," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said prior to Friday afternoon's transactions. "We wanted it to be competitive, it's been competitive. There's a lot of young guys, the veterans have shown really well. We're excited about where our group's at."

Dean, who will play in all four games this preseason when the Blues end their exhibition schedule Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks, and Dube, signed to a one-year, one-way, $850,000 contract this summer, in the end won out the jobs as the 13th and 14th forwards when the Blues submit their 23-man roster by Monday's 4 p.m. (CT) deadline.

What stood out for those two?

"I think their speed, their energy, their tenacity on pucks, coming up with pucks," Montgomery said. "That's been primarily (it). Those things, those attributes.

"They both are fast, they both are tenacious. I would say that Dean probably has more game-breaking speed and I would say that Dube has a little more savvy. He's really savvy out there. He always comes up with pucks, he's going to the right places."

Dean skated on the Blues' top line Thursday between Pavel Buchnevich and Connor McMichael in a 1-0 win over the Blackhawks on home ice and had a couple really high-end scoring chances and played another solid game.

"He played really well," Montgomery said. "He supported those guys really well. I thought that line was effective. Yeah, played well."

With Jiricek going to Springfield to likely play top-heavy minutes, that left Calle Rosen as the seventh defenseman, with the veteran winning out that battle in the end.

Tyler Tucker, who tweaked his right knee in practice this past Sunday and hasn't skated since, is all but likely to begin the season on injured-reserve but for how long, nobody knows.

"I don't want to talk too much because I would say that I think so, but there's a chance not," Montgomery said. "I'd just rather not say because I don't definitively know."

The 32-year-old Rosen, who scored the lone goal Thursday, provides the experience and insurance needed in an extra defenseman that Jiricek would not benefit from being here and not playing.

"He's a really good hockey player," Montgomery said of Rosen. "Smart, veteran, great feet. What a shot last night. Supports people really well."

Blues Assign Four Players To Springfield, Including 2024 First-Round Pick Adam JiricekDefenseman, who was exceptional in 1-0 win over Blackhawks on Thursday, goes to Thunderbirds along with Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, Dylan Peterson, Otto Stenberg

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Ahead of the AHL pre-season opening on Friday, the Pittsburgh Penguins made another small wave of roster cuts.

And there was one name on it that came as a bit of a surprise.

The Penguins announced that the re-assigned Liam and Markus Ruck to the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL. They also re-assigned forwards Atley Calvert, Tanner Howe, Mikhail Ilyin, and Avery Hayes to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS), Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate. 

In addition, goaltender Colin Delia was released from his paid tryout (PTO), and forward Oliver Okuliar - injured in practice on Sunday - was designated as injured non-roster and sent to WBS to continue his rehabilitation process.

The biggest surprise on the list was Hayes, who put together a strong training camp. He scored a next-effort goal against the Buffalo Sabres in the 4-1 pre-season opening win, and he had five goals in 14 games with the NHL club last season. 

"He's a good young player. I think there are other guys that, right now, are ahead," head coach Dan Muse said. "Sometimes it is about what you've done, and sometimes, it's also that you've got to get it down to numbers and other guys that have played better or we feel like, right now, are going to be a better fit. Those are all part of the decisions."

The Penguins have assigned the following players to @WBSPenguins (AHL):

F Atley Calvert
F Avery Hayes
F Tanner Howe
F Mikhail Ilyin

Forward Oliver Okuliar has been designated as injured non-roster and will continue his rehabilitation process in WBS.

Forwards Liam and Markus…

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 25, 2026

The Penguins are down to their final pre-season game, which will take place in Buffalo on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET. There are still a group of prospects that remain with the NHL club and took the ice with the main squad for practice Friday, including forwards Bill Zonnon and Ville Koivunen as well as defenseman Harrison Brunicke and goaltender Sergei Murashov.

Of note, forwards Rutger McGroarty and Tristan Broz, defensemen Owen Pickering, Ryan Graves, Caleb Jones, Jake Livanavage, and Chase Pietila and goaltender Joel Blomqvist skated earlier in the day and remain on the training camp roster as of now.

Who Will Win Penguins' Final Forward Spots?With injuries on the front end piling up, NHL opportunity has been opened for some of the Penguins' promising young players.

---

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The Buffalo Sabres encountering early-season injuries to projected top-four blueliners Olen Zellweger and Mattias Samuelsson has made GM Jarmo Kekalainen hit the open market for some veteran insurance, as the club signed defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to a one-year, $850,000 deal. 

The 32-year-old spent last season as a teammate of new Sabres blueliner Louis Crevier with the Chicago Blackhawks, where he posted 12 points (0 goals, 12 assists) in 69 games. Grzelcyk was a 2012 draft pick of the Boston Bruins, and the Charlestown, MA native spent his first eight seasons with his hometown club. He has become a journeyman the last two seasons, signing a one-year deal with Pittsburgh in 2024 and posting a career-high 40 points (1 goal, 39 assists) in 82 games, before signing with the Hawks last season. 

Other Sabres Stories

Mrtka Looking To Take The Next Step Towards The NHL 

 " I'm  super  excited  to  have (Matt)   on  the  team.  I've   played  against  him  many  times,  and  I  think  he's  an  exceptional  player.  He's  very  smart.  He  can  play in  all  situations.  It's   going  to  be  fun  to  get  to  know  him  too.  I  heard  a  lot  of  great  things  about  him." Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin said after practice on Friday. "(The signing)  just  shows  that  we're  here   to  win.  We're  not  satisfied,  so (management will)  do  everything  they  can,  and  we  do  everything  we  can,  so  I'm  happy  with  the  situation."  

The signing could have a two-fold meaning. Without adding Grzelcyk, the Sabres would likely have to open the season using two of  Dennis Gilbert, Ryan Johnson, and Radim Mrtka for the start of the season, but Gilbert played sparingly for the Sabres two years ago and for Ottawa last season, while Mrtka, 19, may not be ready to play in the NHL. 

 “I  think   where  we're  at,  we  still  like  our  defense,  it's  still  next  man  up,  but  I'd  rather  have  a  young  player  step  in  and  play  big  minutes  in  the  Rochester  role.  Just  better  for hi m,  than  coming  out  and  playing   8-10,  minutes,  or  10-12  minutes.  So  in  the  role  we  need  them,  Grzelcyk  would  be  a  good  fit." 

The other possible meaning is that the injuries to Zellweger and Samuelsson are more serious, something that Ruff indicated the opposite of on Friday. Zellweger is in the league’s concussion protocol, but the Sabres head coach believes that he could be ready by the start of the season next week. He also believes that Samuelsson could be back earlier than the week-to-week timeline would reflect.

Grzelcyk was not present at practice on Friday, but it is not impossible that the veteran will be in town by Saturday to participate in the club's morning skate before their preseason finale against Pittsburgh.  

Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo  

The Vancouver Canucks have added a goaltender to the organization. On Friday, Vancouver claimed 24-year-old Leevi Meriläinen off waivers from the Ottawa Senators. The Finnish goalie is listed at 6'3", 186 lbs and was drafted 71st overall in 2020. 

Last season, Meriläinen split his time between the NHL and AHL. In 20 games with the Senators, he posted a 8-10-1 record with a goals against average of 3.51. As for his time with the Belleville Senators, he recorded an 8-8-2 record with a goals against average of 2.77. 

Adding Meriläinen creates a logjam in the Canucks' crease. Vancouver already has Kevin Lankinen and Nikita Tolopilo locked up for the year, while Thatcher Demko is expected to return at some point this season. All four goaltenders require waivers. 

In other waiver news, Matt Stienburg has cleared waivers and will be headed to the Abbotsford Canucks. The 25-year-old forward is expected to play a big role as part of Abbotsford's top six. In 71 career AHL games, Stienburg has scored eight goals and recorded 20 points. 

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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The Buffalo Sabres sent primarily a lineup of players bound for the American Hockey League in their preseason road contest against the Detroit Red Wings, but a pair of players that are expected to be part of the club’s opening night roster in less than a week, when the 2026-27 regular season opens in Columbus left the 3-2 overtime loss to the Wings early. 

Trevor Kuntar scored in the first period, andJiri Kulichput Buffalo ahead early in the second, but left the game for what head coach Lindy Ruff said were “precautionary reasons”. On Friday, the 22-year-old forward did not take part in practice at Key Bank Center, and Ruff cast some doubt whether Kulich will play in the preseason finale against Pittsburgh.  

Other Sabres Stories

Mrtka Looking To Take The Next Step Towards The NHL 

"(He was held out), just  really  maintenance. (He) could have skated  today,  so we  decided  to  keep  him  off  again.” Ruff said. “In  all  likelihood,  I would think he will  skate tomorrow.  Either  he  skates  or  plays,  one  of  the  two.  I  think probably  just  skate."

Ruff had indicated earlier in camp that the plan for Kulich, who missed most of last season with a blood clot issue, was going to play all four preseason games to get him back up to speed. The other concerning situation was goalie Alex Lyon leaving the game late in the first period with an apparent upper body injury. 

The Sabres head coach said after the game that he was optimistic and that it was nothing serious, but the veteran netminder was also not on ice for practice. Ruff said he was being evaluated and that more information will be available on Saturday, before the club finishes out their preseason schedule in an afternoon matinee against the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo

With the NHL regular season beginning on Tuesday, an unusual number of unrestricted free agents are without contracts. 

Among those is Vladimir Tarasenko, a Stanley Cup champion with the Florida Panthers and one of the NHL's best snipers throughout the 2010s.

It's surprising to see Tarasenko without a contract right now. He posted 23 goals and 47 points in 75 games with the Minnesota Wild in 2025-26 despite playing in a middle-six role. He's a power-play specialist and clearly still has plenty of gas left in the tank at 34 years old. 

Hence why the Panthers are reportedly interested in bringing him back to Florida. 

According to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, the Panthers and Tarasenko are “eying each other,” considering a reunion. 

Tarasenko was acquired by the Panthers from the Ottawa Senators at the 2023-24 trade dealine. He posted six goals and 14 points in 19 regular-season games before adding five goals and nine points in 24 playoff games. 

Tarasenko would win his second Stanley Cup of his career with the Panthers, after winning his first in 2018-19 with the St. Louis Blues.

Tarasenko's best individual moments came with the Blues. Drafted by the club in the first round (16th overall) in 2010, Tarasenko scored 30 goals six times and set a career-high of 40 in the 2015-16 season. Tarasenko would play 11 seasons with the Blues before being dealt to the New York Rangers in a deadline trade.

Brad Marchand To Miss Start Of Regular Season, Not Expected To Be Out LongGeneral Manager Bill Zito anticipates a swift return for the veteran forward as Florida prioritizes a conservative recovery timeline to ensure long-term health for the championship contender.

Since then, Tarasenko has bounced around, never playing more than one season with any of the five teams he's joined since the Blues. 

With Brad Marchand injured, Tarasenko could fill a spot on the Panthers' third line. But if the Panthers are healthy, the question is where Tarasenko fits.

Another factor is that Sandis Vilmanis has looked strong in pre-season, and coach Paul Maurice is inclined to give him a go on the wing with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen until Marchand returns from injury.

Whether this moves beyond interest in a reunion is the question, but with less than a week until the season starts, Tarasenko will likely look to lock down a contract sooner rather than later. 

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The Penguins made another round of roster cuts on Friday, including one of the first notable ones for players on the edge of making the team. Avery Hayes was among eight players trimmed from the NHL roster. 2026 draft picks Markus and Liam Ruck will return to their WHL junior team and five more are headed to AHL Wilkes-Barre. Goalie Colin Delia has been released from his tryout.

The Penguins have assigned the following players to @WBSPenguins (AHL):

F Atley Calvert
F Avery Hayes
F Tanner Howe
F Mikhail Ilyin

Forward Oliver Okuliar has been designated as injured non-roster and will continue his rehabilitation process in WBS.

Forwards Liam and Markus…

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 25, 2026

Hayes appeared in two preseason games, scoring a goal. The Penguins have a spate of injuries up front, plus the absence of Andrei Kuzmenko who headed back to Russia to join his family following his father’s passing. It wasn’t enough to open the door for Hayes.

As of now, by my count (possibly dangerous) the Penguins have 37 players still in camp.

Forwards (20): Justin Brazeau*, Tristan Broz, Egor Chinakhov, Sidney Crosby, Connor Dewar, David Gustafsson, Filip Hallander, Ben Kindel*, Ville Koivunen, Andrei Kuzmenko**, Hendrix Lapierre, Blake Lizotte*, Evgeni Malkin, Rutger McGroarty, Tommy Novak, Rickard Rakell, Nick Robertson, Bryan Rust, Elmer Soderblom, Bill Zonnon

Defenseman (13): Harrison Brunicke, Declan Carlile, Sam Girard, Ryan Graves, Caleb Jones, Erik Kalrsson, Kaeden Korczak, Kris Letang, Jake Livanavage, Owen Pickering, Chase Pietila, Ilya Solovyov, Trevor van Riemsdyk

Goalies (4): Joel Blomqvist, Cam Johnson**, Sergei Murashov, Artus Silovs

‘* Injured, possibility to open season on injured reserve
‘** Currently away from team for personal reasons

They’ll need to drop down to a maximum of 23 players by the start of the league season on Monday.

The Pens had a practice on Friday with some lines that might be close to showtime for the start of the season.

Penguins lines and D-pairs:

Robertson-Crosby-Rakell
Chinakhov-Novak-Malkin
Koivunen-Lapierre-Rust
Hallander-Dewar-Soderblom
(Gustafsson, Zonnon)

Carlile-Karlsson
van Riemsdyk-Letang
Korczak-Girard
Solovyov-Brunicke

— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) September 25, 2026

Brazeau remained out being evaluated for his lower body injury on Friday. None of Joel Blomqvist, Rutger McGroarty, Tristan Broz, Ryan Graves, Caleb Jones, Owen Pickering, Jake Livavanage and Chase Pietila took part in practice, per Pens Inside Scoop, which suggests unfavorable upcoming news about all of their statuses with the NHL team in the immediate future.

Given the center injuries to Lizotte and Kindel, extra centers were a part of the practice – Zonnon and Gustafsson being notable participants. As of now, it looks like Dewar might shift temporarily to center until injured players return but it looks as if the team is taking a longer look at more centers if they want to go in a different direction from Dewar and/or Lapierre. It remains to be seen if either Zonnon or Gustafsson will break camp with the NHL team but their chances have certainly increased given the rash of injuries to centers that the Pens are dealing with right now.

It’s a big move up the board for Koivunen, where the absence of Kuzmenko has opened up an opportunity for someone to play on Rust’s line. Koivunen may have been on the outside looking in about 48-72 hours ago, but the situation can and did change.

Defensively, everything remains about the same since the start of camp, outside of Brunicke departing from playing with Pickering and getting a further look with the NHL group. Solovyov, who can play both sides of the ice, probably still figures in to be the reserve defenseman on the NHL roster but that battle could be worth watching.