The Montreal Canadiens are one of the most-talked-about teams in the rumor mill right now. This is especially the case when it comes to the possibility of the Canadiens trading away Carey Price's contract. 

During a recent episode of NHL Insider Notebook for Bleacher Report, Frank Seravalli provided the latest on the Price trade rumors. 

"I think there is a door open to the Montreal Canadiens to move it (Price's contract)," Seravalli said. "There are only so few teams that actually want to acquire it. The benefit would be if you're a team that is already operating in LTIR space, you can continue to work that around."

However, Seravalli then shared a different take by adding that he believes the Canadiens successfully being able to trade Price's contract is a "long shot."

"We'll see if anyone steps up and trades for it, but it's probably a bit of a long shot, but I know that the Canadiens are open to do it."

The Canadiens are open to trading the remainder of Carey Price's contract, but they may have a hard time finding a trade partner (w/ @frank_seravalli) pic.twitter.com/5tJqIYW8uo

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) September 2, 2025

This is certainly an interesting update from Seravalli on the Price trade rumors. Time will tell if the Canadiens will find a way to move out his contract, but it is certainly a storyline to pay attention to from here. If they do move out of his contract, it would certainly open the door for the Canadiens to make potential moves elsewhere. 

Canadiens: New and Improved Joshua Roy Is An Intriguing Breakout CandidateWhen St-Georges native Joshua Roy turned up at the CN Sports Complexe in Brossard for training camp last season, he was pencilled in to make the Montreal Canadiens’ roster. But when the players hit the ice, it became apparent that the likes of Emil Heineman and Oliver Kapanen were outperforming him. A couple of weeks later, he landed in the AHL with the Laval Rocket, where he spent much of the last season, putting up 35 points in 47 games. In the 12 games he played in the NHL, he added two goals and failed to make much of an impact.

According to a report, the Philadelphia Flyers are one of several teams interested in free agent goalie Carter Hart.

On Tuesday, David Pagnotta, an NHL insider for NHL Network and The Fourth Period, reported that "There are several teams, including the Philadelphia Flyers, interested in goaltender Carter Hart, but they continue to wait on the NHL’s decision to determine when he is eligible to play."

Hart, 27, was found not guilty of the sexual assault charge levied against him, stemming from the 2018 Hockey Canada case, on July 24, though his reinstatement into the NHL is pending the league's decision.

The Flyers' former second-round pick hasn't played competitive hockey since his last appearance for the Flyers, which saw him cede five goals on 15 shots in a 7-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 20, 2024.

Ex-Flyers Goalie Carter Hart Not Expected to Join OilersAccording to a new report, the goalie-needy Edmonton Oilers are not expected to target former Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter Hart at this time.

Hart and Alex Formenton were the only players in the Hockey Canada case to have not played competitive hockey since being charged; Michael McLeod and Dillon Dube each played in the KHL last season, while Cal Foote played in Slovakia.

A potential Hart return makes for an interesting situation for the Flyers, given that they went out and signed Dan Vladar to a roster that already features Sam Ersson and Ivan Fedotov.

Plus, Carson Bjarnason is turning pro this year, and Aleksei Kolosov is expected to be back in the fold as well.

It could make for a crowded goalie room, but if the Flyers' reported interest is true, they must have some kind of contingent plan of action.

Perhaps the wisest move for Hart is to attempt return to game form playing in the AHL without any significant contractual commitments from the Flyers.

This situation is very fresh and there are still many moving parts, but this report is certainly fascinating with such little time before the start of training camp.

The NHL’s 2025-26 season is almost upon us, and it’s a great time here at THN.com’s Buffalo Sabres site, as we’re working through a player-by-player series breaking down expectations for each Sabres player in 2025-26.

Each of these files are written with the base knowledge that every Buffalo player has one goal – getting the Sabres into the Stanley Cup playoffs. But as individuals, each Sabre has their own expectations. 

That said, in recent days, we’ve been moving through Buffalo’s goalies and their top defensemen. And in this file, we’re focusing on veteran defenseman Conor Timmins – the blueliner the Sabres picked up in an off-season trade that sent veteran D-man Connor Clifton to the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Timmins is well-traveled for good reason – he’s not a top-four defender, at least, not at the NHL level. But he clearly has value for Sabres GM Kevyn Adams. So let’s explore the Timmins acquisition and see what, if anything might be there beneath the surface for him as a Sabre.

Player Name: Conor Timmins

Position: Defenseman

Age: 26

2024-25 Key Statistics: 68 games between Maple Leafs and Penguins, 12 assists, 15 points, 15:46 career average time-on-ice

2025-26 Salary:$2.2 million

2025-26 Expectations: In his five seasons as an NHLer, Timmins has shown flashes that make you want to believe he can be a top-four defenseman. For example, the Toronto Maple Leafs were enamored of him when he put up 12 assists and 14 points in just 25 games in 2022-23.  The love, though, didn't last.

The Leafs eventually moved on from him when they dealt him to the Pittsburgh Penguins. And this summer, he was traded to the Sabres, ostensibly to serve as a third-pair D-man and insurance if Buffalo suffers an injury to a legitimate top-four D-man.

Timmins is never going to make life tough on opponents in a physical sense. He’s also not a shutdown artist. But he can skate, and he can find some seams and chip in an assist now and then. But if he’s playing in your top-four, we’re guessing this would be Plan B or Plan C in your blueprint for success.

The Sabres’ defense corps on the whole is one of the better groups in the league. But they’re not there because Timmins is going to take them to a new level. He’s not going to make highlight-reel plays, and he’s not going to knock his opponent’ block off. He’s a well-paid third pair guy, so he has to deliver solid results.

Timmins is nearly the archetype of the NHL footsoldier player. If he’s on your team, it had better be on the third pair. Otherwise, you’re going to ask too much of Timmins, and you could wind up disappointed. And time will tell whether the Sabres did the right thing in trading for him and signing him to a two-year deal. 

Timmins isn’t just a warm body, but in six NHL seasons including the upcoming season, Timmins will have played for five different teams. There’s a reason why he’s been move so often – he hasn’t made himself indispensable. And until that happens, Timmins will likely continue to bounce around. 

The Ducks have announced their roster for rookie camp and the 2025 Golden State Rookie Faceoff, which takes place from Sept. 12-14 at Great Park Ice and FivePoint Arena in Irvine, Calif.

Anaheim’s 23-player roster is highlighted by 2024 first-round picks Beckett Sennecke and Stian Solberg, who were both unable to participate in last year’s rookie tournament. This year’s roster is a bit smaller than previous years due to the minimal amount of games and many players opting to play in the NCAA this season. Collegiate players rarely, if ever, participate in this event.

Only four of the Ducks’ 10 draft selections (Noah Read, Alexis Mathieu, Émile Guité, Brady Turko) from the 2025 NHL Draft will be participating, as rest of them, including 10th overall pick Roger McQueen, are either playing in the NCAA or in Europe.

Chatting With the Ducks’ 2025 Draft ClassThe Ducks selected 10 players in the 2025 NHL Draft, though only three of them attended the draft. All 10 were at development camp the following week though, going through rigorous drills and testing.

Aside from Sennecke and Solberg, players like Yegor Sidorov and Ian Moore should be expected to play big roles. Sidorov participated in last year’s tournament, holding down a spot in the top-6. His scoring prowess makes him a dangerous offensive player. How he handles physicality and making himself less of a predictable player to defend should be targeted areas of improvement for him.

Moore played three games for the Ducks last season after signing his entry-level contract (ELC) in April. He showed poise with the puck and used his skating to escape dangerous areas in his own zone. He even picked up his first NHL point on Troy Terry’s game-tying goal in the final game of the season. With just two right-handed defensemen on the roster, Moore will likely be tasked with top pair minutes alongside Solberg. The duo played together briefly as a pair in the AHL and didn’t look too out of sorts.

With five left-handed defensemen on the roster, ant least one player will have to be utilized on their off-hand. Tarin Smith played his off-side while with Canada at the World Juniors Summer Showcase and could do so again.

Despite a smaller roster than previous years, Anaheim still has three camp invites on their roster this year. Forwards Ryan Lautenbach and Owen Lindmark signed amateur tryouts (ATOs) late last season with the San Diego Gulls and will be looking to make an impact—and possibly earn a contract—with their play. Forward Ruslan Gazizov did just that last year with his strong performances.

This will be the third consecutive camp that goaltender Mike McIvor has been invited to after he was a 2024 rookie camp invite and 2025 development camp invite. A teammate of Ducks draft pick Ethan Procyszyn with the North Bay Battalion, McIvor isn’t the tallest goalie at 6-foot-1. But he uses his athleticism well to get himself into the right position. Catching with his right hand, his unorthodox style may initially throw opposing players off too.

The Ducks rookie faceoff roster will be led by the San Diego Gulls’ coaching staff, with head coach Matt McIlvane being supported by 50/50 new/old coaching staff in Dave Manson, Michael Babcock, Jeff Glass and Lucas Hurtt. This will be McIlvane’s third time coaching the rookie faceoff team.

The Ducks will play the San Jose Sharks on Friday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. PST and play the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday, Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. PST. Single-game tickets will be available to the general public at $15 per game.

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With the calendar flipping to a new month and the kids trudging back to school, we're officially now in NHL preview season as hockey fans across the nation ravenously get up to speed on what to expect this year.

NHL teams and players, on the other hand, generally have little interest in such things as they begin to gather and focus on informal skates, team fantasy football, and full training camps. But if they're being honest, there's one preview that holds some annual interest for a lot of NHL players, and that's their personal overall rating when the preview for the new EA Sports NHL game comes out.

This year's game is available on September 12, but can be pre-ordered now. In the meantime, the players' ratings – based on several things, including acceleration, speed, deking, passing, slapshot, and wrist shot – have been published, along with the various teasers and trailers. Of the over 300 players whose ratings were revealed, 10 play for the Senators, but no one in the local glory made the league's top 40.

To put things in perspective, when the preview recently came out, the freakishly excellent Connor McDavid checked in at number one with an absurd 97 rating.

By contrast, only one Ottawa Senator hit a rating of 90 in the game, and it isn't Brady Tkachuk, the player who's on the cover of this year's deluxe edition of the game. No, it's Tim Stutzle who leads the way with an overall rating of 90, good for 42nd best in the league. Tkachuk is close behind at 89, along with defenseman Jake Sanderson.

Stutzle leads or co-leads his team in every category on the offensive chart except for the ones that involve shooting, which Sens fans would like to see him do a little more of. In 2022-23, Stutzle had 39 goals, which is roughly his total from the past two years combined (18, 24). Last year, Stutzle took 162 shots, the lowest total since his rookie, COVID-shortened season in 2021.

EA Sports believes Thomas Chabot has the team's best slap shot and wrister on the team, which belies his shooting percentage (5%), which was 20th best on the team last season. Chabot is the only Senator on the chart below with 90s across the board, but his physicality and defensive awareness ratings pull him down a rung or two.

Here's the Senators' full list. You can see more details on each player's strengths and weaknesses here.

By Steve Warne
This article was first published at The Hockey News-Ottawa

More Sens Headlines at THN:
Four Major Storylines This Month At Ottawa Senators Training Camp
Senators Still Own Formenton's NHL Rights – What's Next?
Our One-On-One With Drake Batherson
Senators Confirm Extension For Pinto Won't Happen Until After Season Starts
Staios: 'We're Not Dismissing That Yakemchuk Makes Our Team Out of Camp'
Ottawa Senators: Ranking The Six Best At Each Position

The Philadelphia Flyers and top center prospect Jett Luchanko are about to benefit massively from this new AHL rule change, reported to take effect starting this season.

On Tuesday, PuckPedia reported that AHL loans for 19-year-old players, a rule passed in the new CBA with the NHL, will take effect in the 2025-26 season, allowing the Flyers to send Luchanko to the AHL to further develop.

Update: PuckPedia posted the following correction to their X account: " The 19 year old AHL change is not yet in effect. It requires agreement with CHL, & the NHL/NHLPA have agreed to push to get this agreement & change done for this season. However, those negotiations have not started yet & no guarantee it's effective 25-26."

Ordinarily, Luchanko, who turned 19 just over a week ago, would have needed to either make the Flyers' NHL roster outright to play pro, or spend another season in the CHL playing for the OHL Guelph Storm.

And, as we know, the Storm aren't the greatest team in the OHL, and they traded away most of their auxiliary talent last season.

This report has to be a sigh of relief for the Flyers, who saw what their top center prospect can do at the pro level in a small sample size a few months ago.

Luchanko picked up three assists in nine regular season games with the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season, then added six more assists in seven postseason contests.

The 2024 first-round pick hasn't scored a pro goal between 16 total AHL games and four NHL games with the Flyers, but shooting and scoring instincts were a generally agreed-upon criticism of Luchanko before he was even selected last June.

Flyers Roster Battles Become Clearer with Porter Martone Taking NCAA RoutePorter Martone's commitment to the NCAA's Michigan State means one less winger is battling for a roster spot with the Philadelphia Flyers this fall.

Considering he only just turned 19 and has succeeded playing against men, there's no reason to believe Luchanko can't develop and build upon the last 12 months in an environment more conducive to growth with the Phantoms.

The 19-year-old's supporting cast in Allentown could shrink slightly after training camp, provided teammates like Alex Bump and Nikita Grebenkin make the NHL roster and stick with the Flyers.

Either way, though, players like Bump, Grebenkin, Devin Kaplan, Samu Tuomaala, Karsen Dorwart, Massimo Rizzo, Denver Barkey, and Alexis Gendron are marked improvements on what Luchanko had in Guelph the last two years.

What the Flyers' prized center prospect achieves next will be exciting to watch.

The news that fans of the Detroit Red Wings had been waiting for was finally delivered last month.

Former Red Wings Hall of Fame forward Sergei Fedorov, one of the greatest players in team history who was an integral part of three Stanley Cup wins, will finally have his iconic No. 91 retired by the club and hung from the rafters at Little Caesars Arena. 

A Red Wing at heart. pic.twitter.com/TqYBHQWi5b

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 19, 2025

The announcement of the impending honor, which was met with overwhelming approval, is also being acknowledged by a former member of the Red Wings who played a lone season in Hockeytown.

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

Daniel Sprong, who suited up for the Red Wings in the 2023-24 NHL campaign and now plays in the KHL for CSKA Moscow, recently disclosed that he chose jersey No. 91 specifically in honor of Fedorov. 

“He is one of the best players. He is special, that is why I chose number 91," Sprong explained via Sport-Express. 

“It is a great honor for me to play under this number for CSKA. I hope that he will be proud of me.”

Not only did Sprong briefly don the Winged Wheel as Fedorov did for so many years, but he also now plays for the same club Fedorov skated for prior to his extremely risky defection to the United States in 1991. 

"Fedorov is strong in his style of play, he could do everything on the ice," Sprong said. "He could gather three people around him and outplay them.”

“My Heart Beat Faster”: Sergei Fedorov Recaps Finding Out Of Jersey Retirement NewsThe iconic No. 91 jersey of former Detroit Red Wings forward Sergei Fedorov will soon be taking its rightful place in the rafters of Little Caesars Arena, and will be displayed alongside the eight previously retired numbers that include his teammates Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom.

Sprong signed with the Red Wings as an unrestricted free agent during the 2023 offseason, and scored 18 goals with 25 assists in 76 games, the second-highest goal output of his NHL career. 

🚨 Daniel Sprong opens the scoring for CSKA in the 2nd period on the powerplay. #KHLpreseasonpic.twitter.com/lb8k2GUNCH

— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) August 28, 2025

In Fedorov's honor, CSKA Moscow recently retired his number at CSKA Arena. In Detroit, a special ceremony will be held at Little Caesars Arena on Jan. 12 before a game against the Carolina Hurricanes, a matchup carrying some irony.

It was Carolina who signed Fedorov to the infamous offer sheet in early 1998, which Detroit matched, ultimately paying him $28 million for just three months of play.

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No matter how dominant they may be, veteran NHL players rarely, if ever, get to end their playing careers on a perfect note.

Father Time always catches up, but sometimes, they're just not in a circumstance befitting of the elite place they’ve carved out for themselves.

You can see that with Detroit Red Wings right winger Patrick Kane. At 36, Kane can still be a solid contributor, posting 21 goals and 59 points last season. But Kane signed only a one-year, $3-million contract for this coming year on a middling Red Wings team that will compete hard just to try to make the playoffs. If Kane sticks with the Wings for the rest of his career, it's unlikely he'll have a chance of winning the Stanley Cup for the fourth time.

So Kane’s last chance at hockey glory could come on the international stage, if he makes the U.S. team at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Kane doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone. His career totals of 492 goals and 1,343 points in 1,302 regular-season games, on top of his three Cup wins with the Chicago Blackhawks, make him a lock to be a Hockey Hall of Famer when he hangs up his skates.

But given that the Red Wings will be picked by many to miss the playoffs this coming season, you can see how Kane needs to make the most of his status as a U.S. icon and help lead Team America to a gold medal win at the 2026 Games in Milan, Italy.

That said, Kane isn’t guaranteed to make the American roster. Indeed, in this writer’s projected U.S. roster for the Olympics, Kane was not on the team.

“The one thing that's kind of missing is a gold in best-on-best, right?” Kane told NHL.com last week at the Americans' Olympic orientation camp. “It would be fun to have that opportunity.”

U.S. GM Bill Guerin has a very deep talent pool from which to draft a roster, and he may choose to go with a youth movement and select young wingers like Utah’s Clayton Keller, Minnesota’s Matt Boldy, Buffalo’s Tage Thompson and Montreal’s Cole Caufield at right wing. So Kane will have all the motivation in the world to come out of the starting gate strongly this season and nudge one of those aforementioned young players out of a roster spot for the Olympics.

If Kane does make the U.S. roster, who’s to say he won’t have one more place in the sun and one final chapter he can hang his hat on as an all-time great?

The thing about Hall of Famers is that they can rise to the occasion, and Kane may have a couple of tricks still left up his sleeve. Getting to the top of the podium at the upcoming Winter Games would tie a lovely bow on his career, especially if Detroit fails to make the playoffs this year and for however long Kane remains there.

Kane’s experience as a proven winner and needle-mover might be something Guerin particularly values, especially as the U.S. tries to transition into a new era of young, up-and-comers. Kane no longer has to worry about being “The Man” at this stage in his career. So long as he can chip in some offense for the American team, he’ll be worth Guerin selecting him for the U.S. squad.

And if Kane does help America win a gold medal in Italy, it will underscore his status as one of the best and most decorated wingers the modern game has ever seen.

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

According to multiple reports, the Philadelphia Flyers have lost hockey ops advisor Ian Laperriere to the Metropolitan Division rival New York Islanders.

Laperriere, 51, joins the Islanders from the Flyers as a pro scout, leaving his new post of hockey operations advisor.

The longtime NHLer initially remained with the Flyers in this capacity on May 27 on the heels of his dismissal as the head coach of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. John Snowden has since replaced him as the head coach of the Phantoms.

Neither the Flyers nor the Islanders have publicly announced the news, though The Hockey News's own Stefen Rosner confirmed the initial report from Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff.

With the Islanders organization, Laperriere is reunited with former Flyers assistant coach Rocky Thompson, who was in charge of the power play in Philadelphia.

Thompson took the reins as the head coach of the AHL Bridgeport Islanders this offseason after being let go by the Flyers.

The Florida Panthers have dominated the NHL playoffs in the past three seasons, winning the Stanley Cup twice and reaching the finals another.

They've consistently levelled up their game when the post-season rolls around, but surprisingly, they haven't dominated the regular season like you might have expected. 

Dating back to 2022-23, when they first appeared in the Stanley Cup finals, the Panthers were the eighth seed when the regular season concluded, upsetting the record-setting Boston Bruins in the first round before defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Carolina Hurricanes. Upon reaching the final round, the Panthers were severely beaten up and succumbed to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. 

The following season, the Panthers carried that momentum into the regular season, beating the Bruins by one point to claim the Atlantic Division crown. In the playoffs, they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Bruins, the New York Rangers and the Edmonton Oilers to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup. 

The most recent campaign witnessed the Panthers repeat as Stanley Cup winners, but the regular season wasn't always smooth sailing. They finished third in the Atlantic Division, recording 98 points and finishing just a point ahead of the Ottawa Senators. The Panthers were without home ice advantage in each series, but they took care of each opponent nonetheless.

The Panthers' post-season success hasn't been defined by regular season success, but that doesn't necessarily indicate that the Panthers should throw in the towel during the regular season and not care about playoff seeding. Home ice advantage can be an important factor in the playoffs due to the momentum from the crowd, as well as last change.

The Panthers have played a lot of hockey in the past three seasons, far more than any other team in the NHL. Fatigue is destined to catch up to the Panthers in some sort of fashion, and ensuring easier matchups earlier in the playoffs, as well as home ice advantage for line matching benefits, could be what helps the Panthers three-peat. 

Winning the division is no small feat. The Maple Leafs and the Lightning will be gunning for the crown, and it's possible the Senators and the Montreal Canadiens could be surprise challengers. Without Matthew Tkachuk for a large part of the season, the Panthers will be missing out on plenty of offense, but their depth should allow them to compete with those teams.

The New York Islanders have hired Ian Laperriére as a pro scout, industry sources have confirmd with The Hockey News, first reported by The Daily Faceoff's Anthony DiMarco.

Laperriere, 51, had spent the last four seasons as head coach of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the AHL affiliate for the Philadelphia Flyers. Prior to that, he served as an assistant on the Flyers bench for nine seasons. 

I can confirm @ADiMarco25's reporting that #Isles have hired former NHLer Ian Laperriere as a pro scout.

He spent the last 4 seasons as the head coach of the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He previously spent 9 seasons as an assistant with the Philadelphia Flyers.

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) September 2, 2025

Rocky Thompson, who the Islanders hired as head coach for their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders, had previously spend the last two seasons as an assistant coach for the Flyers, so he knows Laperriere well. 

Back in May, the Flyers hired Laperrié as an advisor to their hockey operations department after being let go by Lehigh, but has, clearly, since decided to take on more of a hands-on job with the Islanders. 

Drafted in the seventh round (No. 158) in 1992 by the St. Louis Blues, Laperriere played 16 years in the NHL with five different teams. He played 1,083 regular season cames, recording 121 goals and 215 assists for 336 points, while racking up 1,956 penalty minutes. 

With Mathieu Darche now the general manager of the Islanders, there have been a ton of changes, with the addition of Laperriere being the latest. 

Laperriere will report to Ryan Bowness, who was hired this summer as the Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel, who will oversee the entirey of the pro scouting department. 

Ken Morrow, who has served as #Isles Director of Pro Scouting since 1992, will remain with the team in the pro scouting department.

Ryan Bowness will run the pro scouting staff.

More on Bowness's roles & what they entail @TheElmontershttps://t.co/8NzFAI9FjQ

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) June 17, 2025

We have confirmed that Islanders legend Ken Morrow, who has been a pro scout with the Islanders since 1992, will remain as a scout. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Five-time AHL All-Star and two-time Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award winner Cal O'Reilly has signed a contract with the SCL Tigers of the Swiss NL until the end of October with an option to extend. 

One of the most prolific players in AHL history, O'Reilly recorded 177 goals, 606 assists, and 783 points in 1022 games over parts of 18 seasons. He has the eighth most games played in league history, sits sixth all-time in assists, and is 18th all-time in points. 

The 38-year-old recorded 11 goals and 49 points in 68 games to lead the Milwaukee Admirals in scoring last season and was an assistant captain. 

A fifth round selection of the Nashville Predators in 2005, O'Reilly has 16 goals and 49 points in 145 career NHL games with the Predators, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, and Minnesota Wild.

O'Reilly is known as a fantastic leader and won the Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award as the AHL player who best exemplifies sportsmanship in 2021 and 2025. He served as captain with four different AHL franchises over his career. 

An AHL All-Star in 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, and 2019, O'Reilly led the Calder Cup Playoffs in assists in 2015. 

While he is only signed until the end of October there is a good chance we have seen O'Reilly's Hall of Fame AHL career come to an end. 

Check out our AHL to KHL signing tracker and AHL Free Agency signing tracker.

The NHL's Calder Trophy race is always one of the most unpredictable storylines heading into the NHL season.

While much of the spotlight tends to shine on hyped rookies and high draft picks, history has shown that lesser-discussed players can emerge as serious contenders.

Artemi Panarin, Kirill Kaprizov and, most recently, Dustin Wolf, are just a few of the stars who have proven that opportunity, situation and timing can be just as important as raw talent.

The 2025-26 NHL rookie class is stacked with potential difference-makers, such as Ivan Demidov and Zeev Buium. But let’s look at three players who may be flying under the radar for potential Calder Trophy consideration.

Sam Rinzel, D, Chicago Blackhawks

Calder Trophy winner odds on BetMGM: 41.00 (+4,000)

Sam Rinzel is joining a crowded dressing room of young defenders within the Chicago Blackhawks organization.

The Blackhawks have eight defensemen who played NHL games last year under contract heading into the 2025-26 season, not including RFA Wyatt Kaiser. Seven of them are younger than 25. It’s far too early to cement anyone’s role within the lineup, but Rinzel possesses the skill set to be the team’s top offensive defenseman this season.

Rinzel joined the Blackhawks for the team’s final nine games of last season and showed some real offensive promise, finishing with five assists, three of which came on the man-advantage. He led the Blackhawks in ice time per game in that stretch (23:22) and was immediately thrust onto the team’s top power-play unit.

It’s a short sample size, but that level of production would give Rinzel 45 points over an 82-game season, which would likely put him near the top of rookie defenders in scoring.

Unfortunately, the Blackhawks will likely not be near playoff contention this season, making it difficult for him to make a case for himself to have improved a franchise as much as other rookies. While it will be difficult for him to stand out, it shouldn’t rule out his chance completely.

Jimmy Snuggerud, RW, St. Louis Blues

Calder Trophy winner odds on BetMGM: 18.00 (+1,700)

Jimmy Snuggerud made his NHL debut on April 1 and played in seven regular-season games with the St. Louis Blues, where he recorded a goal and three assists.

However, the Minneapolis, Minn., native was also an integral part in all seven of the team’s first-round playoff games against the Winnipeg Jets, picking up two goals and two assists in the series.

Snuggerud was slotted on the Blues’ top line alongside Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich, and that role appears to be his to lose heading into training camp this fall. He even took some shifts on the top power-play unit, which could give him every opportunity to be a top offensive contributor for the Blues this season.

Snuggerud, 21, enters the season as one of the older rookies eligible for the Calder Trophy, putting him in a much more advantageous position over this rookie class of forwards. He’s also already earned the trust of coach Jim Montgomery with his offensive instincts and scoring ability, as he was playing just over 17 minutes per game in the playoffs.

There’s not a ton of competition for Snuggerud’s role with Jordan Kyrou being glued to the wing of Brayden Schenn on the team’s second line. If he can replicate the same level of production over 82 games and solidify himself as a top-line player, there’s a strong chance he’ll be a finalist for the Calder when the season concludes.

NHL Prospect Pool Overview ’25-26: Catch Up On Every Team’s PipelineThe NHL prospect pool overview series is our annual summer series breaking down every team's prospect pipeline.

Leevi Merilainen, G, Ottawa Senators

Calder Trophy winner odds on BetMGM: 61.00 (+6,000)

The goaltending situation in Ottawa will be intriguing this season.

Leevi Merilainen, a third-round pick in 2020, suited up 12 times for the Senators last season and had an impressive .925 save percentage and 1.99 goals-against average. His 8-3-1 record in that span helped the Senators end a losing skid and put them back on course for a playoff spot.

That short stint would indicate that he’s undoubtedly earned himself the chance to play a larger role throughout the regular season, now that backup Anton Forsberg signed with the Los Angeles Kings.

Obviously, the Senators have a commitment to Linus Ullmark for the next four years with a hefty $8.25-million cap hit, but his injury history, age and overall durability would suggest that Ottawa may have a tandem this season as opposed to Ullmark carrying a heavy workload.

In his 10-year NHL career, Ullmark’s career high in games played is 49, coming with the Boston Bruins in the 2022-23 season. His statistics have been remarkable within the 40-to-50 game range. But if Merilainen continues to have positive outings, then there’s less pressure on coach Travis Green to have Ullmark overwork himself in favor of having him well-rested for a potential playoff run.

It will be a crowded field of players for the Calder Trophy, and with only three goaltenders winning in the last 25 years, the odds are stacked against Merilainen. However, if the Senators can build off their 2024-25 campaign and remain in post-season contention, there’s a good chance he played a big part in that success and could be a worthy candidate for the award.

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Even after the Mitch Marner saga, player agent Darren Ferris says it’s business as usual with Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving.

The agent appeared on the 100% Hockey Podcast with Daren Millard and John Shannon last week to discuss Marner’s departure from the Maple Leafs and his arrival with the Vegas Golden Knights after a sign-and-trade in late June.

Toronto and Marner agreed to an eight-year, $96 million contract before sending him to Vegas in exchange for Nicolas Roy. Marner’s exit from the Maple Leafs was, and still is, a massive talking point amongst fans within Toronto.

However, during the interview with Millard and Shannon, Ferris indicated that nothing had changed within the relationship between the agent and GM, adding that the two had spoken about a free agent recently.

“[The relationship is] still cordial. I’ve known Brad quite a while. He’s a good man, and he’s got a tough job in front of him. Toronto’s not an easy organization to work in with all the noise on the outside, but he seems to weather it. Everything’s fine between us,” said Ferris. 

“We were talking about a free agent that I have currently that’s still out there, just recently acquired, and we just had a discussion, and we continue to, I mean, it’s business as usual.”

Among the free agents still available under Ferris is defenseman Matt Grzelcyk. The 31-year-old is coming off a full season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he tallied one goal and 40 points while averaging 20:37 of ice time on the blue line.

Grzelcyk had the second most points among Penguins defensemen, and if he were on the Maple Leafs, he’d have been one point off Morgan Rielly for the team lead. This past season with Pittsburgh was his best year to date, as he registered career highs in assists and average ice time.

Would bringing in Grzelcyk make sense for Toronto?

If there’s anything different about the upcoming season for the Maple Leafs, it’s the amount of quality defensemen they already have within the organization.

Any team, of course, would love to have as many defenders as possible, just in case injuries pop up, and the Maple Leafs have that. They’ve got the six defensemen (Rielly, Brandon Carlo, Chris Tanev, Jake McCabe, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Simon Benoit) who just helped push the Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers to seven games.

Toronto has also brought in Henry Thrun from the San Jose Sharks in the Ryan Reaves trade, plus they have Matt Benning, Dakota Mermis, Philippe Myers, Marshall Rifai, and William Villeneuve waiting in the ranks.

The only reason Toronto should bring Grzelcyk in is if they’re afraid of losing a couple of defensemen to waivers at the beginning of the season, which could very well occur. 

Benning has mentioned he’d like a chance in the NHL with the Maple Leafs, or elsewhere. He could be a candidate to move if he has a strong training camp with Toronto and doesn’t make the team. 

The Maple Leafs kept Myers as depth for most of last season, which I’d assume they’d do again after signing him to a two-year, $1.7 million contract in January. I could see them doing that with Thrun instead, depending on which player has a better training camp.

Adding Grzelcyk wouldn’t necessarily be a bad move, especially if he comes in on a professional tryout, similar to how Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz did last training camp. As it stands currently, though, the Maple Leafs have $1,919,722 in cap space, according to PuckPedia.com.

Would you rather see Toronto spend that on another depth defender like Grzelcyk, with the chance of losing a couple of defensemen at the start of the season to waivers? Or would you like to see Treliving keep that money for an addition at the trade deadline?

Either way, these last few weeks before training camp could be fascinating to watch if you’re a fan of the Maple Leafs.

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When St-Georges native Joshua Roy turned up at the CN Sports Complexe in Brossard for training camp last season, he was pencilled in to make the Montreal Canadiens’ roster. But when the players hit the ice, it became apparent that the likes of Emil Heineman and Oliver Kapanen were outperforming him. A couple of weeks later, he landed in the AHL with the Laval Rocket, where he spent much of the last season, putting up 35 points in 47 games. In the 12 games he played in the NHL, he added two goals and failed to make much of an impact.

TVA Sports’ Nicolas Cloutier published an article on Tuesday morning about Roy’s training this Summer, including quotes from the man he put in charge of his very own rebuild: John Chaimberg. The trainer has worked with big names in the past, such as Georges St-Pierre and Kristopher Letang. Roy had to audition for Chaimberg to agree to train him.

Cloutier reports that the training has borne fruit; Roy’s weight has gone from 204 pounds to just 190, and he feels much better for it. He was told at the end of the season that he needed to bring more pace to his game, and he took the comments to heart. His summer coach raves about his work ethic and his improvement in the gym over the offseason, calling him the MVP of their summer.

It will be interesting to see how the leaner version of Roy performs at training camp. Getting a roster spot won’t be easy. While the man who pushed him out of the lineup last season is gone (Heineman was sent to the New York Islanders in the Noah Dobson trade), he has since been replaced by sophomore Zachary Bolduc (in a trade with the St. Louis Blues), who comes to town with an impressive resume and high expectations.

If Roy can bring the same dedication to the ice as he showed in his training session in the gym this summer, he could certainly put up a good fight. With Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia moving on, there will be roles available up front, but the 22-year-old will also need to outperform Joe Veleno and Samuel Blais, two players who are older and desperate to show that they belong in the NHL.

Veleno is a former first-round pick who was tagged with “exceptional status” back in 2015, which allowed him to play in the QMJHL at just 15 years of age. He willingly confesses that he might have taken his foot off the pedal at that point. In the NHL, he failed to make an impact with the Detroit Red Wings, who eventually traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks in March 2025. His stay in Illinois was short-lived, however, since he was traded to the Seattle Kraken this offseason before being bought out. He came to Montreal as a free agent on a one-year, one-way deal with a $900,000 AAV, which is a significant pay cut, and he’ll be eager to prove that he’s better than that.

As for Blais, he has played part of eight seasons in the NHL and even won the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2018-19, but has never been able to establish himself as an NHLer and play a complete season. He spent the entire last campaign in the AHL with the Abbotsford Canucks, winning the AHL Playoffs and scoring 19 points in 23 games on top of being assessed 70 penalty minutes. He also joined the Habs on a one-year, one-way deal, but on a league minimum $775,000 AAV.

Roy will be desperate as well, though. He’s about to embark on the last year of his ELC contract, and he needs to show that he belongs, if not in the Canadiens’ organisation, at least in professional hockey. At the end of the upcoming season, he will be an RFA with a $813,750 qualifying offer, according to Puckpedia. If he wants to secure a more valuable contract, he needs to make an impact now. It appears he has taken the necessary steps to do so this summer, but it remains to be seen how all that work will translate on the ice.

Of course, he’ll also need to outperform youngsters like Oliver Kapanen and Owen Beck. Kapanen started the season in Montreal last year before being loaned back to his European team, Timra IK in Sweden, where he played a significant role, getting plenty of ice-time not only at even strength, but also on special teams. He took part in three playoff games with the Canadiens, picking up an assist in minimal ice time.

As for Beck, he skated in 12 games with the Canadiens last year, all in the regular season, and grabbed a single assist. At 21 years old and with two years left on his ELC, he has time on his side, and there’s no need to rush his development.

As Martin St-Louis would say, there are chairs available in his lineup, and it will be interesting to see which of the players mentioned above manages to step up and not only grab one, but keep it.

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