Chicago Blackhawks forward Lukas Reichel has been the subject of trade rumors for quite some time. There were questions about his future in Chicago during this past season, and they carried over to the summer. Yet, even with the trade rumors surrounding him, he is still with the Blackhawks.
Yet, even with the 2025-26 season just about here, a Reichel trade appears very possible.
In a recent article for The Athletic, Scott Powers reported that the Blackhawks are continuing to inform teams that they are willing to move Reichel.
"It’s no secret the Blackhawks explored trading Reichel and, even in the last few days, let teams know he’s available," Powers wrote. "What happens over the next week is anyone’s guess. He could be traded. He could make the Blackhawks roster out of camp. He could be placed on waivers, and that could mean either being claimed by someone else or reassigned to the AHL."
With Reichel being a former first-round pick and still being only 23 years old, there certainly could be a team out there willing to take a chance on him. He is still young enough that he could become an impactful NHL player, but he may need a change of scenery to do just that.
In 169 games over four seasons with the Blackhawks, Reichel has recorded 20 goals, 34 assists, 54 points, and a minus-61 rating. He played in a career-high 70 games this past season with the Blackhawks, where he posted eight goals, 14 assists, and 22 points. Overall, he has shown promise at times, but he has yet to break out.
It will be very interesting to see what happens between the Blackhawks and Reichel from here.
If you weren’t paying attention to the larger sports picture last week, you may have missed the significant changes two prominent pro sports leagues made to their product.
“Tradition Meets Innovation” was how the CFL painted its changes. That was a smart way to put it, because all leagues absolutely should be using technology and thinking outside the box when it comes to changing the way they provide entertainment. This is why the NHL needs to be equally brave when it comes to changing the way its game functions.
For a while now, we’ve argued that the NHL should be employing a third referee – an off-ice official who serves as an “eye-in-the-sky” referee who can buzz down to the two on-ice referees and get a stoppage in play to make a call the two on-ice refs have missed.
Yes, it would be a significant change for the NHL, but the decisions made by the MLB and CFL are equally huge, if not even more so.
When you change the size of your playing field, you’re making a big move. When you use video replay to challenge balls and strikes, you’re making a big move. But there’s only one real question you should be asking – does this move lead to a fairer, more entertaining game? Clearly, the CFL and MLB believe that’s the case. A system that leads to fewer missed calls is absolutely a system the NHL should be employing.
Anyone who’s watched an NHL game in recent years knows the action has gotten nearly impossibly quick, and the two-referee system can’t help but miss out on a penalty call or get it wrong here and there.
But at a time when parity has never been greater, one or two blown calls can decide how a game or series plays out.
So while it might feel foreign at first to see an on-ice sequence stopped out of nowhere, if an eye-in-the-sky referee makes a call, they’d do so knowing the call will be watched and re-watched over and over again. It’s paramount they get the call right. But if we’re giving the off-ice referee final say in calls – and that’s the idea here, so as not to have endless delays and debate waiting for calls to be finalized – then we have to be assured the off-ice referee knows what they’re doing.
But the bottom line isn’t about the particulars of a three-referee, eye-in-the-sky official to be added to the mix. The bottom line is that calls are being made that would have otherwise been missed. That’s what MLB is doing with its new video replay rule changes. And that’s a noble reason for the NHL to reconsider its officiating system.
The whole idea is that no team or fan base should be able to point to a blown call as the reason their team didn’t succeed. (Of course, we’ll never get to 100 percent satisfaction with every call that’s made, but that’s something we should aspire to nonetheless.)
How would this type of change come about? Well, the NHL would have to run it by the competition committee and the Board of Governors, but the league has shown in the past it can pass any change it likes in short order, depending on the urgency behind it. For full proof, search up “the Sean Avery Rule” and see for yourself the speed at which the league can change a rule when it really wants to.
In any case, we will continue to discuss the three-referee system, as we believe it has value. If we accept the officials as human-and-therefore-flawed actors in this sports business, finding a way to cover off some of the calls they’ll inevitably miss is what they should be doing all the time, over and over, until they get close to total success in that regard.
Remember, it wasn’t all that long ago that the NHL had only a one-referee system. Can you imagine all the calls they’d have missed if they stubbornly stuck to their one-ref system because of hollow notions of “tradition?” The mind truly boggles at the thought.
So yeah, the NHL should follow the lead of the CFL and MLB and do what’s within its power to change the game for the better. A static league is not always a successful one, and the NHL needs to bear that in mind when the notion of change arises again.
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Before the Toronto Maple Leafs headed to Gravenhurst, Ontario, for a team-bonding trip, they practiced at Ford Performance Centre with a trimmed-down group of players.
There aren't many surprises as we cross the midway point of Maple Leafs training camp. Max Domi remains with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies. Bobby McMann is with John Tavares and William Nylander. Matias Maccelli is beside Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua. Easton Cowan is with Scott Laughton and Steven Lorentz.
It's not shocking to see Cowan remain with Toronto's fourth line. But it's telling that he stayed there while Nick Robertson, David Kampf, and Calle Jarnkrok skate as a line wearing grey jerseys, usually designated for scratches.
"I mean, I don't ever count anything out, and I don't want to do that. I don't think it's fair," Berube said on Monday. "Camp's still on. Camp's still going. There's people staying here and training, working, so we'll see how it goes. I'm not going to count anything out."
Despite not giving any information on who might make the team for opening night (which is nine days away), Berube's answer on how Cowan has surprised him at this training camp was rather interesting.
"I think the detail of his game. We talked about before camp, him and I, about what he needs to do to play in the NHL right now. What's going to get him to the NHL right now, and I think he's done that," Toronto's head coach said.
"He's taken that, and he's done what we asked him to do. The hounding part of the game. Just the work ethic and the compete, playing predictable, playing direct, and for me, he's done that so far in camp, and he's done it in the games too."
"You can see the confidence has always been there. He's a little bit bigger, a little bit stronger (this year). It looks like the pace doesn't really affect him. He's keeping up with the pace really well," Matthews said.
"He's the kind of player that I find can slow the game down as well and speed it up when he has to. When he's on the ice and he has the puck on his stick, he can make a lot happen and can kind of do a lot of different things to control the game...
"He's had a great camp so far. It's been a lot of fun to see and just kind of see him progress over the last three years from when he was first drafted to see kind of where he is at now. And obviously his ceiling is going to continue to grow."
Simon Benoit skated alongside Oliver Ekman-Larsson during practice on Monday despite wearing a red non-contact jersey. He's been dealing with an upper-body injury since the opening days of training camp.
Henry Thrun, Philippe Myers, and Dakota Mermis appear to be the three players who'll battle to become Toronto's seventh defenseman. Anthony Stolarz and Dennis Hildeby were the two goaltenders on the ice with the main group.
Stolarz, who signed a four-year, $15 million extension with the Maple Leafs on Sunday, received an ovation from his teammates before practice, and even led the club in stretches at the conclusion of the skate.
"It was good. It's a long process. I'm happy with it," Stolarz said. "I got to a number that my family, agent and I felt comfortable with, and obviously (Brad Treliving) felt comfortable with as well. So looking forward to being in Maple Leaf for this year and four more years."
Before the morning skate, they announced that they have reassigned Cal Burke, Finn Harding, Atley Calvert, Nolan Renwick, and Aaron Huglen to the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins training camp. The WBS Penguins training camp will start at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex on Monday before moving to Northeast Pennsylvania at a later date.
Cal Burke, Atley Calvert, Finn Harding, Aaron Huglen, and Nolan Renwick have been assigned to @WBSPenguins training camp (AHL).
The Penguins' training camp roster is now down to 43 players heading into Monday's preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings. There will likely be more cuts coming later in the week before the Penguins' final preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday.
Puck drop for Monday's preseason contest will be at 7 p.m. ET and fans can stream the game on the Penguins' official website or listen to it on 105.9 'The X.'
For the first time since they skated on the ice with the Stanley Cup, the Florida Panthers will be back playing hockey in Sunrise on Monday.
Florida will welcome the Carolina Hurricanes to Amerant Bank Arena as they begin their preseason home stretch.
Starting Monday, the Panthers will play their final four exhibition games over a six-day stretch that includes games in Sunrise, Orlando and Tampa.
The expectation, according to Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice, is that Florida will run veteran lineups – meaning you’ll see the majority of the expected NHL roster – in their final two preseason games.
To a lesser extent, that also includes Monday night against the Hurricanes, which will be the first time some of those veteran players have a chance to play in the preseason.
Maurice has been taking it easier with his vets, holding much of Florida’s expected Opening Night roster out of the grueling elements of training camp during the first week, but now they’re all in the thick of it.
We still won’t be seeing the likes of Sam Reinhart, Aaron Ekbald, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett, Seth Jones, Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, Anton Lundell, Niko Mikkola or Eetu Luostarinen on Monday, though.
The veteran players who will take the ice against Carolina will be Sergei Bobrovsky, Jesper Boqvist, Jeff Petry, A.J. Greer, Uvis Balinskis, Jonah Gadjovich, Luke Kunin and Mackie Samoskevich.
Florida will be facing a Carolina squad that, at least in a preseason context, will be looking for a smidge of revenge.
Last week, a Panthers roster full of prospects, young pros and a couple NHL hopefuls traveled to Raleigh and earned a comeback victory over a Hurricanes group full of veteran stars that will be on their Opening Night roster.
Now the tables will be somewhat turned.
While the Panthers aren’t exactly throwing out starts that compare with Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Nikolaj Ehlers and Andrei Svechnikov, the Hurricanes aren’t bringing their big guns to Sunrise, either.
A much more watered-down Carolina group, in terms of NHL regulars, will face the Cats on Monday, as none of those aforementioned Hurricanes who played in the previous meeting are on the game roster.
Face-off from Amerant Bank Arena is set for 6 p.m.
It will be the first time Panthers fans will get a look at the brand-new scoreboard hovering above the ice, and the LED boards that wrap around the seating bowl, all of which were installed over the summer.
Photo caption: Sep 24, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Ronan Seeley (91) can’t get to the puck against Florida Panthers left wing Nolan Foote (25) during the second period at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)
Loose From The Moose - Mar. 21 2022 - Vol. 75 Issue 13 - Jared Clinton
(JONATHAN KOZUB/MANITOBA MOOSE)
COLE PERFETTI WOULD BE QUITE ALL right with never having to pull on a Manitoba Moose jersey ever again. It’s not that he won’t. This isn’t some prima donna, too-good-to-ride-the-bus thing, nor is he going to put up even an ounce of fight should the Winnipeg Jets brass decide to send him back to the farm club. He’ll be the first to tell you he has faith in what the Jets have planned for him, so it has nothing to do with that, either. No, at its root, this is a matter of not only seeing the grass is greener but being able to enjoy what the pasture has to offer.
“The NHL lifestyle, the dinners, the private planes, playing in front of 20,000 people, everything about it is just everything you dream of and as advertised,” Perfetti said. “It really is. It’s unbelievable. And as much as I love the Moose, love the guys, had a great opportunity, great chance, and great time there with them and learned so much and am grateful for everything I had with the Moose, once you’ve had that taste of the NHL, you never want to go back to the ‘A.’”
Inextricable from Perfetti’s story, however, will be what the league will have meant to his career. He was among the rare few who could be used as case studies for what elevating top-tier prospects to the AHL instead of relegating them to an additional season of pounding on their junior peers can do for a player’s development. As a result of the OHL’s initially postponed and later cancelled 2020-21 campaign, and thanks to the AHL opening its doors during the pandemic-shortened season to prospects orphaned by league shutdowns, Perfetti had the opportunity to spend last year getting a grasp on what life was like at the next level.
“To get the chance in the AHL and to do the same the first half of this year has helped so much with the little things,” he said. “Playing the right way, learning both sides of the puck, all that kind of stuff. Learning the man’s game is a big difference. When most kids were taking a step back and not getting any better, I was fortunate enough to take a step forward in my hockey career. So, to learn the pro style, that was huge for me.”
WHEN MOST KIDS WERE TAKING A STEP BACK AND NOT GETTING ANY BETTER, I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO TAKE A STEP FORWARD IN MY HOCKEY CAREER– COLE PERFETTI
It was also a crash course. Selected 10th overall by the Jets in 2020 on the heels of an outrageous 111-point season with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, Perfetti couldn’t have had any reasonable expectation that he’d be spending the following season playing against the pros. That’s particularly true given the Jets’ model of development is one that distinctly takes its cues more from the tortoise than the hare. Yet there was Perfetti, a little more than a month after helping Canada to silver at the 2021 World Junior Championship, lining up in the AHL.
(JAMES CAREY LAUDER-USA TODAY SPORTS)
Statistically, the early returns weren’t bad. He scored his first pro goal in his first pro game. Through seven games, he had two goals and four points. Pretty good for a kid who describes himself as “not the biggest, not the fastest,” and said he needed to find a way for his game to translate. But to Jets assistant GM and Moose GM Craig Heisinger, the middling offensive production masked some larger deficiencies. “He was able to contribute somewhat on the power play early on in the AHL season last year,” Heisinger said. “The struggles at 5-on-5 continued.”
Perfetti can agree with that assessment. He’ll even add things didn’t really start to click until about his 10th game, which is a sentiment Heisinger readily echoes. Perfetti was beginning to figure out how to see soft spots in coverage, how to create offense from defense and the necessity of being on the right side of the puck. It added up to a sizable leap in the back half of the season. His point-per-game performance – 22 points in his final 22 games of 2020-21 – is enough to bear that out, and Heisinger noted a marked change in Perfetti’s ability to contribute at five-a-side. It was much of the same when Perfetti landed back in the AHL early in this season, too.
“He was able to pick that up at the start of this year and nothing was a surprise,” Heisinger said. “And the (AHL) certainly stepped up a notch, because it was back to where it normally is with no taxi squads. He was able to be a factor, and being able to do that as a 19-year-old is really, really challenging and a credit to him.”
His play didn’t go unnoticed or unrewarded, either.
When the Jets found themselves in need of reinforcements as injuries and ailments took a bite out of the squad, Perfetti was among the first plucked from the AHL, on Dec. 31, the day before he turned 20. On Jan. 18 – five games into his NHL career – he was raising his arms and drifting face-first into the glass celebrating his first NHL goal, a well-placed wrister fired home on a 2-on-1 against the Washington Capitals. “I’ve never anticipated scoring a goal more than that,” he said. “Dreamed of it since I was two years old. To have that come true, to score, it’s relief, joy, happiness. You work so hard and your family puts so much time and effort in, it’s almost like a celebration. Scoring that first goal was like, ‘Wow, I’m here now.’”
Just being there isn’t enough, though. Perfetti wants to be there to stay. And to make that a reality, Perfetti knows he needs to take a page out of his time in the AHL. That means getting that little bit better with each passing game until he gets to the point he feels he’s finally starting to break through. He’s done enough to impress the Jets. He’s been with the big club throughout 2022, which resulted is his shift from Future Watch “prospect” to “21-and-under NHLer” (see pg. 79). Before the status change, he was easily Winnipeg’s No. 1 prospect and would’ve ranked among the top 10 in our league-wide rankings.
ELMONT, NY -- The New York Islanders hit the ice on Monday for morning skate ahead of their second-to-last preseason game, as they host the cross-town rival New York Rangers.
Islanders captain Anders Lee, who did take part in Sunday's skate, was out of his red non-contact sweater but will not play.
David Rittich will start, which makes sense as the No. 1 netminder. Ilya Sorokin will get the preseason finale against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.
By going that route, Sorokin will only have a week between starts, as opposed to 10 days, with the season opening on Oct. 9 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
One thing to note here is that Calum Ritchie is centering the fourth line, moving Casey Cizikas to wing. Ritchie played all seven NHL games with the Colorado Avalanche on the wing, but Roy likes him down the middle.
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Despite Luke Hughes' contract standoff
with the New Jersey Devils, the two sides are expected to agree to a
long-term deal.
That prompted some pundits to ponder
Dougie Hamilton's future with the Devils. TSN's Pierre LeBrun last
week wondered how many power-play quarterbacks a team needs in
today's NHL. With Hughes seen as the Devils' future No. 1 blueliner,
Hamilton's role with the club could be in question.
Hamilton told NJ.com's Ryan Novozinsky he has heard the trade rumors but said he's not paying much
attention to them. The 32-year-old defenseman acknowledged trades happen, and it's part of the business of hockey. However, he
wants to remain with the Devils because he believes he can help them
win the Stanley Cup.
Most of the trade conjecture suggested
the Devils could move Hamilton to address other roster needs and
clear his $9-million cap hit from their books. However, that cap hit
would also make it difficult to move him. While the salary cap is
rising significantly, teams still must manage their cap space
carefully.
Hamilton's no-trade clause also
complicates things. PuckPedia indicates he has a list of 10 teams he'd accept getting
dealt to, which significantly limits the options for suitable trade
partners.
Add David Kampf to that category. Jonas
Siegel of The Athletic reported the 30-year-old center believed he
would be traded during the off-season. Although that never
materialized, his future with the Maple Leafs remains uncertain.
Siegel noted that Scott Laughton has
replaced Kampf as the Leafs' fourth-line center. The club could make
room for promising right winger Easton Cowan.
Kampf's contract could hinder efforts
to trade him. He's signed through next season with an average annual
value of $2.4 million. Siegel suggests he could be demoted to the
Marlies if he clears waivers.
Turning to the Washington Capitals,
ESPN's Kevin Weekes reported last Thursday that goaltender Clay
Stevenson's solid pre-season play has drawn interest from a few teams
who see him as a future waiver claim.
Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren are
locks as the Capitals' goalie tandem, leaving Stevenson as the odd
man out.
The Hockey News' Sammi Silber reports
Stevenson was projected to be the No. 1 goalie for the Capitals' AHL
affiliate in Hershey this season. She believes he's all but certain
to go on waivers, where a rival club will likely pluck him away.
Rather than lose Stevenson for nothing,
the Capitals could see what he might fetch in the trade market.
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The Florida Panthers have made some roster moves as training camp continues.
Monday morning, as Florida prepared to host the Carolina Hurricanes in a preseason matchup at Amerant Bank Arena, the team announced a few changes to their camp roster.
Two defensemen, Ludvig Jansson and Evan Nause, and two goaltenders, Evan Cormier and Kirill Gerasimyuk, are all heading to training camp with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
Jansson, Nause and Gerasimyuk were all assigned to Charlotte, as all are under contract with Florida, while Cormier was on a PTO. He will push for a deal with the Checkers, who are expected to also have goaltender Brandon Bussi on their roster once the season begins.
For now, Bussi remains with Sergei Bobrovsky, Daniil Tarasov and Cooper Black as the remaining goaltenders at Cats camp.
You can check out the updated training camp roster in the images below:
ST. PAUL, Minn - Training camp and preseason games are a great chance for players to make a good impression and push for spots. It is especially important for the younger players and prospects to showcase their skills.
For the second straight year, Hunter Haight is doing just that.
Haight, 21, impressed in last year's training camp and preseason. Following that he played his rookie season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Iowa Wild.
In his rookie season, Haight recorded 20 goals and 14 assists in 67 games. In the opening preseason game of the year, Haight was the team's fourth line center. Caedan Bankier, Ben Jones and Danila Yurov were ahead of him.
With three minutes left in that game Haight game flying in on the right side before scoring his first goal of the preseason.
For his second preseason game of the year, Haight was on the third line as the center. He played great against Dallas and was the team's second line center on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks.
With the goalie pulled and down two goals, the Wild had Haight on the ice. He was on the ice over Yurov and seemly has been impressing the Wild.
"Yeah, I thought he's had a strong camp," Wild head coach John Hynes said on Sunday. "He's got good hockey sense. I think his competitiveness jumps out at you. He's been able to produce in a couple games and he seems like a pretty versatile player. He's a right-shot center and he's done a pretty good job on the penalty kill. He's had some power play time too, so he's done well."
On Sunday Haight picked up his second goal of the preseason after he finished off his own rebound. Tyler Pitlick made a nice pass to Haight who was streaking in. It was the Wild's only goal on Sunday.
The 5-foot-11 center has impressed the Wild enough to possibly make the team but that opportunity could actually become a reality. Yurov has been given a lot of chances in the preseason. He has centered Kirill Kaprizov and Vladimir Tarasenko for a few shifts and has been on the top power play and penalty kill for every game.
On Sunday those spots were given to Haight. He dropped to the third line and went 2-for-8 on the face-off dot. Haight went 4-for-6 on the dot and had 15 minutes and 45 seconds of ice time.
"Yeah, he's put himself in a position to continue to compete for a spot," Hynes said of Haight after the game.
Nico Sturm was signed this offseason to be the Wild's fourth line center but has now missed some time in camp due to an upper-body injury. His status remains unclear if he will be ready to start the season.
Hynes said after the game on Sunday that Sturm's timetable is a moving target. He said they want to get Sturm into a full hour long practice before coming up with how long he will be out for, if any time.
Sturm could respond really well to that practice and be ready to go or he could miss a little bit of time to start the season. This could open a spot for Haight.
"At the end of the day, that's why I'm here, is to try to find a roster spot and every day try and get better," Haight said after the game on Sunday. "I think I've progressed throughout this camp."
Nonetheless, Haight has impressed the Wild and will continue to push for a spot as training camp begins to wind down.
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When Ottawa Senators prospect Stephen Halliday arrives at a new level, he seems to figure things out quickly. At every level he moves up to — whether it's the USHL, the NCAA, or the AHL — he's found a way to not only stick with the club, but to thrive, moving quickly to the top of his team's scoring list. That's part of what makes the 23-year-old forward so intriguing as he pushes toward the NHL.
Halliday doesn’t come with the prospect status of, say, a Carter Yakemchuk, the Senators’ 2024 first-round pick. But he's not far off. With his size (6-foot-4, 212 pounds) and skill, he checks off a lot of boxes, and he's also got a history of quickly figuring things out at each level.
Back in 2021–22, a few months shy of his 20th birthday, Halliday put up 95 points in 62 games for the USHL's Dubuque Fighting Saints. But because he was an older junior player who had been passed over in two NHL drafts, those were red flags. The Senators' scouting still liked him, though, and by the fourth round of the 2022 draft, they decided to book some Halliday time.
Halliday went on to lead Ohio State in scoring for two straight seasons, then did the same in his first full year with Belleville last season, collecting 51 points in 71 games. Each time he’s climbed a rung, he’s found a way to adjust, then take over.
Now, the biggest challenge lies ahead: carving out a place in the NHL.
Halliday gave fans a glimpse of that potential on Sunday afternoon in Quebec City, when the Senators blanked the New Jersey Devils 2–0 in preseason action. With the game scoreless late in the third period, he broke through with a perfectly placed snap shot that beat Devils goalie Georgi Romanov high to the glove side.
“Yeah, Timmy kind of drove the middle, and I was just kind of trying to be there if there was a rebound. And then a guy poked it to me, and then I just kind of shot it.”
Halliday made it sound like a lucky shot, and maybe it was. But his release was quick and decisive, the kind of finish NHL coaches notice. That said, Senators head coach Travis Green is always careful not to give a player too much public praise.
“He’s a smart player," head coach Travis Green said after the game. "He’s got good hands. He’s big. He’s got good hockey sense.
If you sensed a 'but' coming, you'd be right.
"He’s still adapting to the pace of the league. He’s had a few days where he’s tired. But he’s hanging in there.”
Green’s message was clear: there’s still work to be done. Halliday is aware of that, but right now, he says he feels great.
“I feel like I am making more plays, more confident," Halliday said. "The D-zone, I think, was a big thing for me, just making sure I’m strong on pucks. I’ve been working on that a lot and just kind of taking it day by day. So I’m really happy with my game so far.”
Halliday is still a little shy when the microphones come out, but after Sunday’s win, he lit up when talking about Thomas Chabot, who suited up in his hometown region of Quebec City.
“Yeah, you can just see how cool the city is, and he's been showing us around and taking us to cool spots, and we went golfing on his golf course on our off day. So it means a lot for a guy like me who's just coming up here.
"So it was really cool and we're really happy to get that (win) for Chabby."
Looks like we can check off the "great teammate" box as well.
Halliday's rise to the next level might not happen this fall, but his day is coming. And if the Sens decide to let him cook some more at the AHL level, he's going to be a handful down there, and a nightmare for opposing goalies.
Another year, another battle between Arber Xhekaj and Jayden
Struble for a role on the Montreal Canadiens' third pairing. Both blueliners saw a lot of action
last year thanks to injuries suffered by other members of the defense corps.
Stuble skated in 56 games (just like the previous year) and Xhekaj took part in
70 games (more than he had ever played in a season); the former finished the
regular season in the lineup, while the latter reintegrated the lineup for the
playoffs.
They’re not particularly young anymore. Struble is about to
turn 25, Xhekaj will in January, and they’ve both matured a lot playing-wise. It’s
been clear since before the start of camp that Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle, Mike
Matheson, Noah Dobson, and Alex Carrier all have their chair reserved, which
leaves just one spot for the other two.
Stuble hasn’t had a bad training camp, but Xhekaj turned up
at camp in much better shape. He’s still as heavy as he was, but the baby fat
is gone, and it’s now all muscle. It shows on the ice that he skates faster,
and his mobility has improved.
Much like Juraj Slafkovsky knows he needs to play a good
physical game to be effective, Xhekaj knows that he needs to pick his moments
on the ice. He needs to play the game that’s in front of him, despite the
constant temptation of chasing that one big hit or of dropping the gloves. What
the Canadiens have on their hands right now is a leaner and wiser Xhekaj. He
doesn’t need to be meaner; he has always been mean enough.
Since the start of camp, Xhekaj is the one who has taken the
spotlight, be it because of that one game in which both he and his brother
played and scored, or because of the hard hits he’s able to land. On Saturday
night in Toronto, he was playing alongside Carrier once again, as he has since
the start of camp, whether in preseason games or scrimmages. Furthermore,
Xhekaj also had an A on his jersey.
At a time when Martin St-Louis says his team needs some grit
and sandpaper, Xhekaj is the logical choice. The Canadiens need to commit to Xhekaj
because if they don’t and he lands somewhere else, he will hurt them. Perhaps
not on the scoreboard, but physically. The Canadiens have long sought toughness
in their lineup, and now that they have it, they shouldn’t be afraid of it.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have 14 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #14.
Let's take a look.
Ray Whitney - 2001-2003 - Drafted by San Jose in 1991.
Whitney played 151 games as a Jacket and was the Captain for one. During the one year he was the Captain, he scored 24 goals and totaled 76 points, which set a CBJ record. Ray Whitney is the best player to have worn #14 for the Blue Jackets.
When Ray Whitney was traded to the Blue Jackets, the 28-year-old had already played 528 games in the NHL spanning 10 seasons. But he had never played a full 82-game season; he only averaged 53 games a year. So, when the CBJ traded for him in 2001, fans were as excited as ever for the fledgling franchise. They were getting a goal-scorer and a relatively young playmaker.
After his time with Columbus, he went on to play for another 10 years and a total of 1,330 games. He played a total of 22 seasons in the NHL and had over 1,000 points. He would retire in 2015.
In a game at Nationwide Arena in November of 2001 against the St. Louis Blues, Whitney would score this goal, which is still a legendary goal in CBJ history. The radio call from play-by-play icon George Matthews, with his partner Bill Davidge, still gives me chills.
Greg Mauldin - 2004 - Drafted by Columbus in 2002.
Played 6 games for Columbus and had no points. He went on to play 30 more NHL games after leaving Columbus.
Mauldin left for Europe in 2012, where he played in Switzerland, Russia, Germany, and Norway. He played until 2024 before retiring.
Raffi Torres - 2009-2010 - Drafted by the New York Islanders in 2000.
Torres played 111 games for the Jackets and had 51 points. He was traded to the Buffalo Sabres on March 3, 2010.
Torres retired on November 5, 2016.
Grant Clitsome - 2011-2012 - Drafted by Columbus in 2004.
He played 93 games for Columbus and had 36 points before being put on waivers on February 26, 2012.
On June 1, 2016, Clitsome retired after suffering a serious shoulder injury.
Blake Comeau - 2013-2014 - Drafted by the New York Islanders in 2004.
Comeau played 79 games and had 21 points for the CBJ. In the summer of 2014, he left in free agency to join the Pittsburgh Penguins.
He would go on to play 909 games in the NHL and retired during the 21-22 season.
Dean Kukan - 2015-2022 - Kukan is undrafted out of Volketswil, Switzerland.
Dean Kukan made his NHL debut in March of 2016 after playing the majority of the season with the Lake Erie Monsters. After playing in 8 games near the end of the season, he was sent back to Lake Erie and would help the Monsters win their first-ever Calder Cup. He had 5 points in 17 playoff games.
Kukan would bounce up and down between Columbus and Cleveland until 2022. He would play a total of 153 games for the CBJ and total 30 points. Where he excelled was in the minors, though. He played in 142 games for Lake Erie/Cleveland and totaled 59 points as a fairly skilled two-way defenseman.
After the 2022 season, Kukan made the decision to return to Europe. He returned to his home country of Switzerland to play for his original club, the ZSC Lions, on a five-year contract.
Kukan is also routinely chosen to represent the Swiss in international competitions. He played in the 2025 IIHF Worlds where he scored 9 points in 10 games.
Gustav Nyquist - 2020-2023 - Drafted by the New York Islanders in 2004.
Nyquist played 200 games as a Jacket before being traded to the Minnesota Wild in 2023. During his time in Columbus, which included a missed season due to injury, he scored 43 goals and had 117 points.
After being traded to the Wild, he would leave that summer and sign with the Nashville Predators in 2023 on a two-year deal. On 1 March 2025, he was traded back to the Wild to finish the season. On 2 July 2025, Nyquist signed a one-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets.
Gus Nyquist and his family still live in the Columbus area.
Joseph LaBate - 2025 - Drafted by Vancouver in 2011.
LaBate played a total of six games for the Blue Jackets during the 2024-25 season. He originally signed a PTO with the Cleveland Monsters, but in November, the CBJ signed him to a one-year deal, which allowed him to play for Columbus.
LaBate signed a one-year deal with Vancouver this past offseason.
There are 14 days left until opening night at Nationwide Arena.
The pre-season schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, Sept. 30 vs. Washington Capitals, 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, Oct. 4 at Washington Capitals, 7 p.m. ET
* Games in bold are home games *
After that, the Blue Jackets will open the regular season on the road against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena.
Let us know what you think below.
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The Buffalo Sabres made a significant roster reduction after their fourth exhibition game on Saturday, sending a total of 24 players to their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, including 2021 first-rounder Isak Rosen, 2024 first-rounder Konsta Helenius, and goaltender Devon Levi. On Sunday, the club continued to diminish their roster, placing center Jake Leschyshyn and defenseman Zachary Jones on waivers for the purpose of sending them down to the American Hockey League.
Leschyshyn was a 2017 draft pick of the Vegas Golden Knights and spent five seasons in the organization until he was claimed off of waivers by the NY Rangers in January, 2023. The 26-year-old center was spent the majority of his two-and-a-half seasons in the Rangers organization with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack and in the summer he signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Sabres.
Jones, 24, was a third-round pick of the Rangers in 2019 who played two seasons with UMass Amherst before turning pro in 2021. The blueliner saw spot duty with New York over five seasons, compiling 28 points (4 goals, 24 assists) in 115 games, and did not receive a qualifying offer from the Rangers in June. The Sabres signed Jones to a one-year, two-way deal for $900,000 on the opening day of free agency.
The Sabres will be down to 30 players and will need to get down to 23 players before the start of the regular season on October 9. Currently on the roster are three goalies (Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, and Alexandar Georgiev), 2019 first-rounder Ryan Johnson, 2022 first-rounder Noah Ostlund, and 2025 top pick Radim Mrtka. Luukkonen is expected to play at least one of the final two preseason games against Pittsburgh, which will go a long way in determining whether the club will carry two or three goalies going into the season.
For one, Bradly Nadeau continues to impress this preseason, and this time, he was demonstrating his bread and butter: goal scoring.
Playing on a line with Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake, Nadeau didn't look out of place.
He scored a power play goal in the second period, first denting the crossbar with a rocket seconds earlier, then depositing the puck into a yawning cage after Blake froze Justus Annuen from the slot.
Then late in the third period, Nadeau worked his way to the middle of the ice and beat Annunen clean off of a behind-the-net feed from Stankoven.
"We played him with the top guys tonight and it should look like that, when you think about it," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "You could tell, the NHL guys, they were at another level. It should look like that, but putting him in that mix, he didn't look out of place there, for sure."
But Nadeau's value is going beyond the score sheet. He's up on the forecheck, he's backchecking, he isn't afraid to get physical. It's all these little things that will make him a better player and give him a better shot at making the roster.
"I came in here and I only wanted to work hard and play my game," Nadeau said. "I think I've done that so far. You can always show how you can play and keep doing the right things, but those small details are huge and you can never have a perfect game. It's about building on that and trying to get those small details right every time."
Nadeau's linemates too were tremendous as Blake and Stankoven easily looked like the best players on the ice. Both guys were all over the offensive zone and were moving the puck at will and with ease.
The two combined for seven shots on goal and set up each of Nadeau's scores.
For Stankoven, it's yet again another promising performance at center.
In two games, Stankoven has won 19 out of 31 draws (61.29%), has outchanced opponents 26-9 (74.29 CF%) at 5v5 and has a goal and primary assist.
"He might have been the best player, for sure, in both games that he's played," Brind'Amour said. "So that's good. Again, at that level, he should dominate. So we'll see when we get closer here when we get down to one more game and what the lineups are like. We'll make a judgement then.
Felix Unger Sorum also had a goal, capping off a 2-on-1 rush with Eric Robinson. He's had a much better camp and preseason this year as opposed to last and he looks much more comfortable too back at his natural position on the wing.
He's such a creative player with the puck on his stick, able to slow down the game and find those lanes. I love the way that he's able to protect the puck and get off of walls as well.
I don't know if he's done enough yet to make the roster at any point this year, but I think he's certainly getting closer and closer. That level of hockey IQ is just something that is so hard to find, in my opinion.
Charles Alexis Legault scored the final goal for Carolina, beating Annunen clean after activating from the blueline.
He looks the role of a steady NHL defender and I wouldn't mind seeing him get a shot at some point if injuries pop up.
It's hard enough for a promising prospect to make the Canes' current roster, so it's almost a zero percent chance that one of the PTO players will earn a contract in Raleigh.
But those guys are certainly putting their best foot forward regardless.
"That's what you would expect," Brind'Amour said. "These guys come in without security and they're trying to prove themselves and they've all done a nice job."
Kevin Labanc, who earned a contract with Columbus after signing a PTO with New Jersey last year, has been given ample opportunity and he's making the most of it.
"It's a showcase," Labanc said. "You're out there giving it your all and proving that you can play the game and proving you can play the system."
He's played in all four preseason games so far for Carolina and after recording an assist in each of the first three, he got into a fight in this one against Nashville.
Labanc was none too happy to see Oasiz Weisblatt take a run at Tyson Jost and the veteran immediately threw off the gloves and came to his teammates defense.
"I just saw someone take a liberty with one of our guys and so I stuck up for him," Labanc said.
Another solid performance from Cayden Primeau.
The newly acquired netminder stopped 18 shots in his second preseason appearance and looks to be a steady presence so far in net for Carolina.
The Hurricanes know that they're more than likely going to need him at some point, so it's good that he's looking good early.
"There's a good chance that we're going to need him at some point just based on history," Brind'Amour said. "Hopefully we don't have what we had last year, but it's very, very important in today's game — the way goalies... the wear and tear on them — to have that guy you can count on. Only two starts, but they've both been solid."
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