Detroit's young defense is the reason why Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman believes the Red Wings likely won't make the playoffs this upcoming season. 

As the regular season fast approaches, more and more season long predictions are coming out with insiders and hockey outlets beginning to make their call on who wins the cup, makes the playoffs and who will breakout in a big way. 

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, who is known for his insider reports, has finally announced who he is backing going into the 2025-26 season. Last year, Friedman notably picked the Ottawa Senators as a surprising pick to make the playoffs and was correct with his prediction. When asked about who he's liking this year he mentioned several teams but not the young Detroit Red Wings. 

NHL Insider Says Cap Could Hit New Heights, Boosting Red Wings' OptionsNHL Insider Elliotte Friedman reports the salary cap could rise more than expected in the coming seasons, potentially giving the Detroit Red Wings significantly more flexibility to make future roster moves.

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

As the Motor City hockey club hopes to snap their near decade-long playoff drought, Friedman explained he thinks their team is still too young. Defenseman Justin Holl and Erik Gustafsson being placed on waivers likely to clears room for 20-year-old Axel Sandin-Pellikka, which could mean they start with a very young defense to start the season.

"They put Holl and Gustafsson on waivers, which is totally fine, but that says to me, they're thinking about doing a really young defense to start the year, like a really young D, we talked about this at the year end last year how Yzerman didn't give out term to veterans because he's like, the young guys need to play and I will bet on these young players, I wonder if that bet really starts right now, I just I don't think that they're ready," Friedman said. 

With Sandin-Pellikka projected into the Red Wings defense, that would give their top six, an average age of 24.8 which would be very young with Ben Chairot being the only player on their backend older than 25 years old. The lack of experience would put added pressure on young players like Simon Edvinsson and Moritz Seider to carry the load. The signing of Travis Hamonic ruffled some fans feathers as they didn't want the 35-year-old veteran to get in the way of some of the young prospects on the rise but his experience may be needed. 

Depending on how Detroit is positioned heading into the trade deadline, they may need to bolster their blue line further if they're in playoff contention. With $13.2 million in available cap space, this could be the year they finally address the long-standing defensive issues that have kept them in the league’s bottom 12 for goals against per game average in nine straight seasons.

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NHL Opening Night Betting Angles: Panthers Struggle Against Blackhawks, High-Scoring StartsThe NHL season opens Tuesday with three high-scoring games featuring key matchups between playoff teams and strong betting trends favoring the Avalanche, Rangers, and Blackhawks. 

The Winnipeg Jets are nearing final cuts. 

Over the weekend, the team set for Thursday's season opener began to take shape. A number of cuts have been made, with youthful players sent back to Junior and more veteran pieces loaned to the AHL's Manitoba Moose. 

With Adam Lowry and Dylan Samberg beginning the season on the injured reserve, some opportunities have opened up for both newcomers and youth. 

Further injuries to Cole Perfetti and Jonathan Toews have allowed lengthier tryouts to pieces not previously expected to last this long at training camp.

The Samberg injury opens a spot within the top-four defencemen for the first month or two of the season, on what is already a very crowded blueline. 

With Josh Morrissey, Dylan DeMelo and Neal Pionk already cemented as the team's top-3 outside of Samberg, Luke Schenn, Haydn Fleury, Colin Miller, Logan Stanley and Ville Heinola were always in the mix for the final few spots. 

But on Sunday, the Jets opted to make their move, cutting Ville Heinola and placing him on Waivers with the hope he clears and can resume his season with the Moose.

News on Heinola will come mid-day on Monday, but a claim via Waivers may be the best thing for Heinola's development. 

Selected 20th overall in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft, the now 24-year-old cracked the Jets out of camp that fall following the retirement of Dustin Byfuglien. He became the first player born in the 21st century to score on NHL goal, and had a goal and five points in eight games to start that rookie season prior to being sent home for further development.

He never made the Jets out of training camp again. 

In 53 games over five seasons, Heinola has that single goal and 12 points to his name. The majority of his time has been spent with the Moose, where he has played 154 games over parts of seven seasons. He has 23 goals and 103 points over that lengthy time spent in antlers. 

Waiver claims will be announced at 1:00 PM central time on Monday. 

Two recent contract signings could factor into determining Lane Hutson's next contract with the Montreal Canadiens. 

On Oct. 1, the New Jersey Devils signed defenseman Luke Hughes to a seven-year contract with an average annual value of $9 million, ending a standoff that dragged on throughout training camp and the pre-season.

The following day, the Anaheim Ducks signed blueliner Jackson LaCombe to an eight-year extension, also with an average annual value of $9 million, making it the most lucrative contract in franchise history.

Hutson is in the final season of his entry-level contract. The 21-year-old Canadiens blueliner is coming off a strong NHL debut, winning the 2024-25 Calder Memorial Trophy. 

Like Hughes, Hutson will lack arbitration rights if unsigned at the end of this season. He'll also be ineligible to receive an offer sheet from a rival club. His only leverage will be staying away from training camp next September if he's without a contract by that point.

That has scribes pondering what it will cost the Canadiens to sign Hutson.

The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun felt Hughes' contract sets the bar for young defensemen like Hutson coming out of their entry-level deals.

The Hockey News' Adam Proteau cited several reasons why he felt the young Canadiens star deserves a higher salary than Hughes, pointing to his 60 assists last season, his elevated ice time and 123 blocked shots. 

RG.org's Marco D'Amico believes the Canadiens have the leverage to keep Hutson's cap hit closer to $9 million. He suggested that they could use signing bonuses and retirement compensation agreements through the Canada Revenue Agency, netting Hutson more in real dollars.

TVA Sports' Nicolas Cloutier thinks another dominant performance by Hutson this season will improve the youngster's bargaining position. He recommends the Canadiens sign him as soon as possible or risk having to pay much more by season's end.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Friday that the two sides are already engaged in detailed contract talks. He believes the final price could be closer to what Hughes and LaCombe are earning on their new deals.

Why Canadiens' Lane Hutson Deserves A Higher Salary Than Luke Hughes And Jackson LaCombeThe start of October has been a very good time to be a young, up-and-coming star defenseman in the NHL.

PuckPedia indicates that the Canadiens have a projected $36.7 million in cap space for 2026-27, with 15 active roster players under contract. Management had done a good job getting their best young players signed to long-term deals with reasonable cap hits. Nick Suzuki is earning $7.875 million annually through 2029-30, Cole Caufield's AAV is $7.85 million through 2030-31, and Juraj Slafkovsky's is $7.6 million through 2033. 

Getting Hutson signed to a long-term deal with an AAV of $9 million would be a significant move on their part. It could give them significant long-term savings to put toward maintaining a contender.

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Longtime NHL coach John Tortorella is back in the studio.

ESPN announced Tortorella will be part of its NHL studio coverage as an analyst this season.

"Known for his candid insights and authentic commentary, Tortorella will bring his deep understanding of the game as a veteran coach with 23 NHL seasons behind the bench, including leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to a Stanley Cup championship in the 2003-04 season," ESPN said in a news release on Monday.

Tortorella, 67, was part of ESPN's NHL coverage in 2021-22 when he was between coaching jobs. He had coached for the Columbus Blue Jackets for six years before that campaign, and he joined the Philadelphia Flyers for parts of three seasons afterward.

On March 27, the Flyers fired Tortorella, replacing him with Brad Shaw for the rest of the 2024-25 season before hiring Rick Tocchet for 2025-26. Tortorella said two days before his firing that he's not really interested in learning how to coach that type of season, where the Flyers where second-last in the Eastern Conference. But Briere said there was a series of things that happened leading up to the decision to part ways.

In September, Tortorella told NHL.com he loved coaching the Flyers, and he wasn't quitting on the team when he made those comments.

"I think a coach has to change," Tortorella told NHL.com. "A coach has to show the players respect, that you’re not backing off, but you also care about the grind that they just went through, and they’re done in another few weeks. That’s what I was saying. I don’t want to learn how to coach that way. I don’t know how to coach that way, and I don’t want to learn. If you can keep yourself out of those spots of playing to the end, you won’t be good at that."

Tortorella said he wants to continue coaching. He's currently sixth in NHL history for most games coached, with 1,620, and ninth all-time for wins, with 770. He'll also be an assistant coach for USA's men's squad at the 2026 Olympics.

In the meantime, he'll provide insight on hockey in the studio.

Some of Tortorella's highlights from his last time on ESPN include questioning whether then-rookie Trevor Zegras' over-the-net alley-oop assist to Sonny Milano was too showmanlike for the game.

"If you did that back in 2000, late ’90s, 2000s, you'd get your head taken off," Tortorella said at the time. "It's cool. It's cool to watch, but I'm not so sure it's good for the game, and I stand by that."

Stanley Cup champion T.J. Oshie will also be a studio and game analyst on ESPN. The right winger played 1,010 regular-season NHL games between the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals, recording 302 goals and 695 points. He added another 69 points in 106 playoff contests. He won the Cup with Washington in 2018.

ESPN also announced it re-signed NHL on-air personalities, such as play-by-play commentator Bob Wischusen, analysts Cassie Campbell-Pascall, P.K. Subban and Kevin Weekes and reporter Leah Hextall.

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New York Islanders No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer has made the team. The 18-year-old had his rookie moment throughout preseason, but there's no question his best development path is at the NHL level. 

New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) on XYour 2025-26 New York Islanders.

Schaefer will open the season on the club's third defense pairing alongside Scott Mayfield, while quarterbacking the second power-play unit.  After nine games, the Islanders will have to decide whether or not to return him to the OHL's Erie Otters for the remainder of the OHL season or keep him on the NHL roster. 

Returning to juniors is likely not in Schaefer's future, as long as he can prove he can handle his own out there. 

As expected, Adam Boqvist has won the seventh defenseman job as the Islanders optioned 21-year-old defenseman Isaiah George to Bridgeport of the American Hockey League on Monday morning. 

For tomorrow morning @TheElmonters: my exclusive interview with George about his camp, what Bridgeport is ready to prove this season & more. #Isleshttps://t.co/inyUGmB8yj

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) October 6, 2025

With forward Calum Ritchie out 1-2 weeks, that made the Islanders' decision easier when it came to the extra forwards, as Kyle MacLean and Marc Gatcomb will fill those roles. 

Forward Pierre Engvall (offseason hip surgery), Ritchie, and forwards Daylan Kuefler (upper body) and Jesse Nurmi (knee procedure will begin the season on Season-Opening Injured Reserve.

Defenseman Ethan Bear joins Varlamov on IR.  

Explaining Season-Opening Injured Reserve & How That Impacts Islanders EAST MEADOW, NY -- By Monday at 5 PM ET, the New York Islanders and the 31 NHL teams must submit their salary-cap-compliant rosters to the league office. 

Here's the projected opening-night lineup:

Drouin-Horvat-Heineman

Lee-Barzal-Palmieri

Shabanov-Pageau-Holmstrom

Duclair-Cizikas-Tsyplakov

Romanov-DeAngelo

Pelech-Pulock

Schaefer-Mayfield

Sorokin

Rittich

The Islanders open the season on Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. Puck drop is slated for 7 PM ET on MSGSN. 

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In the days leading up to the start of the 2025-26 regular season, various outlets will make predictions on who will win the Stanley Cup or come out of the Eastern Conference to play in the Cup Final. For the Buffalo Sabres, the goal is to make the postseason for the first time since 2011, but according to a pair of prgonosticators, they are a longshot to do so. 

In BetMGM’s future odds prognosticating which teams would reach the 90-point plateau necessary to make the postseason, the Sabres ranked 12th in the Eastern Conference at +165. Florida (+5000), Carolina (-3000), Tampa Bay (-1100), New Jersey (-800), Toronto (-750), Washington (-500), Ottawa (-325), NY Rangers (-285), Montreal (-150), Columbus and Detroit (+160) were all ranked ahead of the Sabres, with the NY Islanders, Philadelphia (+210), Boston (+325), and Pittsburgh (+500) behind them.    

Other Sabres Stories

Projecting Sabres Trade Cost - Lawson Crouse 

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

Since resuming an 82-game schedule after COVID, the final Eastern Conference wild card spot has been 91 or 92 points. In another prediction of their chances, Moneypuck had the Sabres with a 38.3% chance of making the playoffs, 10th in the Eastern Conference. Buffalo’s chances would seemingly rely on a number of factors going right and avoiding injuries to key players, but the injury bug has already been prevelant in training camp. 

Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, defenseman Michael Kesselring, and forward Jordan Greenway may start the season on injured reserve, with Luukkonen’s injury being the most concerning. The 26-year-old goalie has played more than 50 games the last two seasons, but suffered a nagging lower-body injury prior to training camp and missed the first week of practices. The Sabres starter played one period against Pittsburgh last Wednesday before being pulled for precautionary reasons, due to a different lower body injury. 

Luukkonen’s absence will have the Sabres starting the season with Alex Lyon as their defacto starter and Alexandar Georgiev as the backup. 

 

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German-born American forward Danny O’Regan, 31, has signed a one-year contract with the Schwenninger Wild Wings, the DEL club announced on Sunday.

A one-time NHLer, O’Regan has spent the past two seasons in Europe but this will be his first in the country of his birth.

“The discussions were always very open and positive,” O’Regan is quoted in the club’s announcement. “With the perspectives (GM) Stefan Wagner and (head coach) Steve Walker have shown me, I can hardly wait to get started in Schwenningen.”

“Danny, as a player, fits very well into our team and complements our squad even after the return of our injured players, so the signing made absolute sense for us at this point,” said Wagner. “Also because we are convinced he can make us even better as the season progresses.”

O’Regan was born in Berlin while his father, Tom O’Regan, played pro hockey in Germany. The family returned to the United States when Danny was four – he grew up in Massachusetts, played in the U.S. National Team Development Program and then spent four seasons with the Boston University Terriers.

Former Flyers 2nd Rounder Signs In Germany Canadian winger Wade Allison, 27, has signed a one-year contract with the Straubling Tigers, the DEL club announced this weekend.

O’Regan was drafted in the fifth round, 138th overall, by the San Jose Sharks in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Between 2016 and 2022, he played 30 NHL games for the Sharks, Buffalo Sabres and Anaheim Ducks, recording six points. He also spent time in the New York Rangers, Vegas Golden Knights and Detroit Red Wings organizations.

This will be O’Regan’s third season in Europe, having played in Sweden for MoDo and in the KHL for Kunlun Red Star.

O’Regan joins a Wild Wings team that also includes ex-NHLer Jordan Szwarz. The team currently sits fifth in the DEL with 14 points in its first eight games of the season.

Ex-Canuck Heads To Germany Canadian defenseman Akito Hirose, 26, has signed a one-year contract with the Fischtown Pinguins, a DEL club based in Bremerhaven, Germany.

A new patch is set to go live in NHL 26 at 10am PT, 1pm EST.

The update will fix an error that has been causing room crashes in EASHL 6v6 matches. 

Servers will go offline during this update and it is recommended all players complete any online games prior to 10am/1pm to avoid being kicked offline or losing progress. 

This issue was a common complaint in the NHL 26 Forums over the weekend. 

A new #NHL26 Patch goes live tomorrow at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Servers will go offline during deployment as we address a EASHL 6v6 dressing room crash. Please complete all online games ahead of time to avoid being impacted.

— EA SPORTS NHL (@EASPORTSNHL) October 5, 2025

There were no formal patch notes from EA aside from their post on X, keep an eye on their site for more updates.

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ST. PAUL, Minn - The Minnesota Wild announced on Friday that defenseman Daemon Hunt has been claimed off waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Hunt, 23, was drafted by the Wild with the 65th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. He spent parts of five seasons in the Wild's organization before he was traded to the Blue Jackets.

The 6-foot-1 defenseman played 13 NHL games with the Wild the last two seasons. He was traded along with four draft picks to the Blue Jackets for David Jiricek in November of last year.

In 48 games in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Cleveland Monsters, Hunt recorded two goals and 14 points.

Because the Wild claimed Hunt, they have released defenseman Jack Johnson from his professional tryout (PTO). 

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Recent Minnesota Wild Stories

Minnesota Wild Sign Kirill Kaprizov To An 8-Year Contract ExtensionST. PAUL, Minn - The Minnesota Wild announced on Tuesday an eight-year contract extension worth $136 million ($17 million AAV) for its superstar forward Kirill Kaprizov.

- Wild Sign Filip Gustavsson To A Five-Year Contract Extension.

- Minnesota Wild Release Defenseman Jack Johnson From His Professional Tryout.

- Wild's Mats Zuccarello Out For Two Months With Lower-Body Injury.

- Former Minnesota Wild Defenseman Retires From NHL.

NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman reports the salary cap could rise more than expected in the coming seasons, potentially giving the Detroit Red Wings significantly more flexibility to make future roster moves.

The NHL is continually growing as each NHL franchise has seen their value grow exponentially over recent years (Detroit almost doubling in the last four seasons) and with that comes new changes. Insiders have given rough estimates for how much the salary cap is expected to grow over the next two seasons with Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman bringing up a new, bigger number. 

On his podcast '32 Thoughts' Friedman explained that he's heard from more than one source that the salary cap next season could potentially rise to $107 million. This would be a sizeable $11.5 million jump from this years cap at $95.5 million and could open open up several avenues for teams around the league like the Detroit Red Wings. 

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

Red Wings Waive Holl, Gustafsson To Open Roster Spot For Top ProspectThe Detroit Red Wings waive defenseman Justin Holl and Erik Gustafsson on Sunday, clearing space for a top prospect to potentially make the team. 

If GM Steve Yzerman opts to not re-signing aging veterans in Patrick Kane, James van Riemsdyk, Ben Chiarot, Travis Hamonic and Cam Talbot, they would free up $12.25 million in cap space plus another million with this season being the final year of Justin Abdelkader's buyout. This on top of Detroit's current $13.2 million in cap space as of today will give them a lot of flexibility heading into next July as they could make lengthy extensions to young talent like restricted free agents Simon Edvinsson and Jonatan Berggren or taking a run at a big ticket free agent like Winnipeg's Kyle Connor.

"I've had a couple people mentioned the number 107 to me, as you mentioned, supposed to be 104 next year, I'm hearing the number 107 come up," Friedman explained to co-host Kyle Bukauskas "I think there are some people who really think, even the year after, where it's temporarily at least it's in pencil for 113 that that could go even higher." 

Based on Friedman's comments, it's safe to say that the hockey world as a whole will be anxiously awaiting for the answer to what the future cap will be and he alluded to when we can expect an answer. The NHL's Board of Governors will meet at some point next week and will again at the start of December with rises in the cap on the list of topics for the meeting, according to Friedman.

NHL Opening Night Betting Angles: Panthers Struggle Against Blackhawks, High-Scoring StartsThe NHL season opens Tuesday with three high-scoring games featuring key matchups between playoff teams and strong betting trends favoring the Avalanche, Rangers, and Blackhawks. 

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With the regular season fast approaching, it was time for the Montreal Canadiens to make the final cuts and set their roster for the upcoming season. There was no big shock in the decisions made by the organization; it had been clear for some time that Oliver Kapanen had edged the competition up front.

When he decided to scratch Kapanen along with his linemates Alex Newhook and Ivan Demidov, Martin St-Louis said he had shown enough. Unlike his competitors, Kapanen had spent the previous season playing at the highest level in Sweden with Timrå IK, where he was entrusted with various responsibilities. He scored 35 points in 36 games and received some special team time, which turned out to be key for him. With Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia’s departures, there were empty chairs on the Canadiens’ penalty kill, and the Finnish forward has the skills to fill one of those.

Canadiens: St-Louis Pleased With Intense Training Camp
2 Former Canadiens Placed On Waivers
Canadiens’ Prospects Watch

The other happy camper yesterday was Joe Veleno. His performance in the last game was key. Put on a line with Kirby Dach and Brendan Gallagher, he showed that his elite offensive skills could come in handy. He has never been able to dominate in the NHL, but he does have some flashes of skills that a depth forward like Samuel Blais doesn’t have, and he can be used higher in the lineup than his fellow Quebecer.

As for Blais, he was put on waivers, and the hope is that he will clear. He spent the entire last season in the AHL with the Abbotsford Canucks and was a key player in their Calder Cup championship. After Saturday’s game, Blais stated that we had seen what he could really bring after he had landed six hits against the Ottawa Senators. It felt like it was too little, too late for him, however, and it wasn’t shocking to see him land on waivers. If he clears, he will no doubt be a useful veteran and leader with the Laval Rocket.

The left wing wasn’t the only one to hit waivers; he was joined by backup goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen, who lost his gamble. It’s not that he played poorly, but Jakub Dobes was literally flawless. Samuel Montembeault’s backup featured in two games, and he stopped the 25 shots he faced. There’s literally nothing more he could have done. Meanwhile, Kahkonen gave up four goals on 35 shots, posting a .886 save percentage and a 2.70 goals-against average.

The goaltender only played one game in the NHL last season with the Colorado Avalanche before bouncing around in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles, the Manitoba Moose, and the Charlotte Checkers. If everything goes according to plan and there are no injuries in Montreal this season, he won’t be seeing any NHL action either, unless of course he gets claimed on waivers, but that would be surprising. The most likely scenario is that he will form a duo with Jacob Fowler in Laval and serve as a good veteran to guide him through his first professional season.

Unlike Veleno, Owen Beck and Florian Xhekaj didn’t have to clear waivers to be assigned to the Rocket, and ultimately, that might have been a factor in the organization. However, even on merit, Veleno won the battle.

Xhekaj performed very well, but he’s still raw, and it shows in the little details. The gritty forward needs to improve his defensive reads, and he’ll get every opportunity to do that under Pascal Vincent in Laval. The AHL coach did say he was planning on giving him a bigger role, and it looks like the scouting staff was right when they said they had captured a unicorn when they drafted him in his second year of availability.

When current contracts to depth forwards like Josh Anderson or Brendan Gallagher run out at the end of the 2026-27 season, Xhekaj is likely to be waiting in the wings and be ready for a full-time role. In his first full season as a pro, he picked up 35 points, including 24 goals, while racking up 175 penalty minutes. He’s got skills and sandpaper, the kind of player you need in the playoffs. He won’t start the year with the Canadiens, but if there are injuries along the way this season, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him be called up sooner rather than later.

As for Beck, he had a good camp, but Kapanen had more experience and played a more mature game. While the centerman did put up 44 points in 64 games with the Rocket last season, it’s hard not to feel he’s been overtaken in the depth chart by Xhekaj. Even though Beck plays a complete game up and down the ice, he doesn’t have as much sandpaper as Xhekaj does, and, ultimately, that makes a difference, especially when the coach says he wants his team to be harder to play against not only strategically but also physically.

Finally, the sole defenseman cut yesterday was Adam Engstrom, and once again, the fact that he didn’t have to go through waivers to be sent to Laval might have been a factor in that decision. He might not have been a fifth-overall pick like David Reinbacher, but he’s further along the way in his development, and if the Habs’ blueline catches the injury bug, St-Louis won’t hesitate to call him up.

---

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The Chicago Blackhawks are now through the preseason. There were some good moments for certain players, but the team also appeared young and inexperienced at times. 

Ultimately, they came up with a roster that they were ready to present for opening night. For the Blackhawks, that is the first game in the NHL this season. They will visit the Florida Panthers, who will be raising their second banner in a row as defending Stanley Cup champions. 

The Blackhawks made all of their final roster decisions official on Sunday. They are taking two goalies, eight defensemen, and 13 forwards with them for a full 23-man roster. 

This is a projection of how the lines, defense pairs, goalies, and extras will look to begin the year:

Burakovsky - Bedard - Donato

Bertuzzi - Nazar - Teravainen

Slaggert - Dickinson - Mikheyev 

Foligno - Lafferty - Dach

The first line has been mostly set for a little while now. The Blackhawks acquired Burakovsky from the Seattle Kraken to give Bedard a winger with some winning NHL experience. He will get a crack at this job early. As for Donato, he played incredibly well with Bedard last year and will be afforded that opportunity again. Is it an ideal line for the young superstar? No. It will have to do for now, though. 

Frank Nazar will get an opportunity to drive his own line down the middle. Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen, who play incredibly different kinds of games, should help complement the strengths that Nazar brings to the table. 

The third line of Jason Dickinson, centering Landon Slaggert and Ilya Mikheyev, will be a speedy checking line. All of them have displayed some offense in their careers as well, so it should be one of Chicago’s strengths on the team in 2025-26 if they all play to their strengths. 

Colton Dach earned his spot on the team with his play during training camp. Being an impact player on Chicago’s fourth line early can help him elevate his role on the team in the coming months. For now, Nick Foligno and Sam Lafferty are solid veterans for him to skate with. 

Lukas Reichel is the 13th forward on the team. He stuck it out while Oliver Moore and Ryan Greene were sent to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs to play big minutes down there. As for Reichel, until he’s traded, expect him to get bottom-six center assignments when he does draw into the lineup. 

Vlasic - Rinzel 

Kaiser - Levshunov

Grzelcyk - Murphy

Assuming that Alex Vlasic can play despite his lower-body injury, he will be on the top pair with Sam Rinzel. The latter will have his share of rookie mistakes, but all signs point to him being a great top-pair defenseman right away. This duo will see some tough assignments, but they are both qualified to take on the work. 

Wyatt Kaiser showed that he deserves to be on this team early and often. 2024 number two overall pick Artyom Levshunov, like Rinzel, will make some typical mistakes that young defenseman make, but his ceiling is a high-end defenseman who will make a difference. 

Matt Grzelcyk and Connor Murphy will be the two veterans on the blue line, splitting the third pair. Grzelcyk made the team by signing a one-year deal for $1 million after being on a PTO during camp. Clearly, the powers that be didn’t see enough in the young players who came in battling Grzelcyk for that final spot. 

Ethan Del Mastro and Louis Crevier made the team, but don’t expect them in the lineup as often to begin the year. Crevier is a solid defender, and he’s not waiver exempt, so he is the seventh defenseman on the team. Del Mastro not starting the year in Rockford is likely an insurance policy in case Vlasic isn’t ready to go for the first game. Kevin Kofchinski and Nolan Allan will certainly get NHL playing time at times in 2025-26 as well, but they were sent to Rockford on Sunday.  

Knight

Soderblom 

Spencer Knight is going to be the primary goaltender on the team. If he’s healthy, expect him to start 50-55 games. The rest of the workload will go to Arvid Soderblom, who is a high-end backup that can play any time with no worry. If there is an injury at any point, Drew Commesso is the first in line to get an opportunity. 

The Blackhawks are not expecting to be a Stanley Cup contender with this group, but they are expecting to see certain players take strides in their development. Some of that will come in the AHL, and some will come in the NHL. 

If they are a lottery team again, their only concern will be how the young players in the organization played, in addition to adding another elite prospect. 

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On Monday, the Boston Bruins announced that Zdeno Chara's No. 33 will take its rightful place in the T.D. Garden Rafters on Jan. 15. 

Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) on XTaking its rightful place in the rafters. On Jan. 15, 2026, Zdeno Chara’s No. 33 will become the 13th number in #NHLBruins history to be retired. 📰: https://t.co/a1vQxhQuZP

Chara, a Stanley Cup champion with Boston in 2011, was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025. In a career that spanned 24 years and 1,680 NHL games, Chara donned the Black & Gold for 14 seasons and 1,023 regular-season games. He was the captain of the team for 13 of those 14 seasons, representing the team and the city like no other. 

Originally drafted by the New York Islanders in the third round (No. 56) in the 1996 NHL Draft, Chara signed as a free agent with Boston on July 1, 2006. After calling it a career following the 2021-22 season, his second stint with the Islanders, Big Z signed a one-day contract with Boston on Sept. 20, 2022. 

On Sept. 25, the Bruins hired Chara as their new Hockey Operations Advisor and Mentor. 

Bruins Hire Legend Zdeno Chara In New RoleZdeno Chara is officially back with the Boston Bruins.

Chara's last moment as an Islander and an NHLer was a magical one. In the final game of the season, a season in which the Islanders were not going to make the playoffs, Chara scored his first goal of the year with 44 seconds left to go against the Tampa Bay Lightning:

 

What a legendary way to end a legendary career. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets have 7 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #7. 

Let's take a look.

Deron Quint - 2001-2002 - Drafted by Winnipeg in 1994. 

Quint played 132 games with Columbus in the early days. He scored 14 goals and had 48 points, and led the Jackets in minutes played per game. 

He left for Europe in 2004 and played in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Russia. He retired in 2017. 

Scott Lachance - 2003-2004 - Drafted by the New York Islanders in 1991. 

He played 138 games in Columbus and had five total points. He never played another NHL game after leaving Columbus and retired in 2007 after playing a season in the AHL. 

Nowadays, He's the Head of U.S. Scouting for the New Jersey Devils. 

John Moore - 2011 - Drafted by Columbus in 2009. 

Moore only played 86 games in Columbus and had 8 points. On April 3, 2013, Moore was included in the Derick Brassard deal with the New York Rangers that brought Marián Gáborík to Columbus. 

He last played for the Anaheim Ducks.

On March 19, 2022, Moore was involved in a trade that sent him to the Anaheim Ducks along with Urho Vaakanainen in exchange for Hampus Lindholm. The Ducks then attempted to trade both Moore and the rest of Ryan Kesler's contract to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Evgenii Dadonov and a conditional second-round pick at the NHL trade deadline on March 21, 2022. However, the deal was disputed due to a no-trade clause in Dadonov's contract. On March 23, the NHL officially cancelled the trade; therefore, Moore remained in the Ducks' organization.  

Jeff Carter - 2012 - Drafted by Philadelphia in 2003. 

Carter played less than one season in Columbus before forcing his way out via trade to the LA Kings. 

On Feb. 23, 2012, the Blue Jackets traded the disgruntled forward to the LA Kings in exchange for Jack Johnson and a conditional first-round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.

Jeff Carter was booed by Columbus fans until the day he retired on April 17, 2024.

Jack Johnson - 2012-2018 - Drafted by Carolina in 2005. 

Johnson played 486 games for Columbus after being traded from the LA Kings for Jeff Carter. He scored 36 goals and had 156 points in seven years.

He's bounced around since leaving Columbus, but finally won a Stanley Cup in 2022. He found his way back to Cannon City in the summer of 2024. Unfortunately for Johnson, he only played in 41 games for Columbus last year and had 6 points. 

He and Head Coach Dean Evason didn't see eye to eye, leading to Johnson being scratched most of the season. Johnson's family even boycotted the family day held ahead of the 2025 Stadium Series Game at Ohio Stadium. 

Gavin Bayreuther - 2021 - Undrafted out of Canaan, New Hampshire.

Bayreuther played 103 games for Columbus and totaled 23 points over three seasons. He also played for the Dallas Stars.

He was made famous in 2021 when he was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the NHL Expansion Draft. One week later, he signed a two-year deal with Columbus, marking the end of his long tenure with Seattle.

After playing last season in Switzerland for Lausanne HC, he has come back to North America and will play for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. 

Sean Kuraly - 2022-2025 - Drafted by San Jose in 2011. 

The Columbus-area native has played 292 games for Columbus after coming home. He scored 40 goals and totaled 85 points in four seasons, beating his totals for Boston in 270 games. 

After the 24-25 season, Kuraly signed back in Boston, where it all began for him. He played for the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets 18U team and spent four years at Miami University in Oxford from 2012 to 2016. 

There are seven days left until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Who was your favorite #7?

The start of the 2025-26 season starts this Thursday, as the CBJ travel to Nashville to play the Predators at Bridgestone Arena. The roster is essentially set with only one thing left to know - Will the Blue Jackets start the season with three goalies? Or will they send Ivan Fedotov to the Cleveland Monsters? 

With the loss of Daemon Hunt and Christián Jaroš, the Monsters are very young on the blueline. After Dysin Mayo, who is 29, the oldest defenseman on the team is 22. Four defensemen are 22, and then Luca Marrelli, who is 20.  

It's going to be an interesting season in Cleveland. 

Let us know what you think below.

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More from THN Columbus

Blue Jackets Should Consider Taking Advantage Of WaiversAs we get closer to the start of the NHL season, waiver activity is picking up as teams finalize their opening night rosters. NHL Analyst Believes Greaves Is A Breakout Candidate This SeasonRecently on an episode of Real Kyper and Bourne on Sportsnet, they had NHL analyst Steve Valiquette on the show, who specializes in goalies. Blue Jackets Lose Daemon Hunt To WaiversChris Johnson of TSN has reported that the Minnesota Wild have claimed Daemon Hunt off the waiver wire from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets were hoping he'd clear so he could return to Cleveland, but sadly, that didn't happen. 

CALVERTON, NY -- When the New York Islanders left for the Hamptons on Friday afternoon to begin their three-day team-bonding trip, Isaiah George and Calum Ritchie boarded the bus. 

The two youngsters aren't likely to make the Islanders' roster, but the organization felt it was essential to have them on the trip.

"It's important to have them. I mean, are you kidding me?" Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said with a huge smile on his face. "To be around the guys who've been here for a long time, or even less, it's good bonding. It's good for them to be with the club and have a bit of a taste of what it is. I think that's great."

George had a great camp, but with No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer cracking the starting lineup and Adam Boqvist having the ability to quarterback a power play, there isn't yet room for him to get valuable minutes at the NHL level.

It makes more sense for his development to be playing big minutes for Bridgeport of the American Hockey League.

When it comes to Ritchie, the main return piece in the Brock Nelson trade, he proved that he's NHL-ready and did everything possible to make the Islanders' decision tough. However, a lower-body injury sustained in their final preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers last Thursday will keep him out 1-2 weeks, making that once-difficult decision an easy one. 

Injured players cannot be sent to the AHL, so, in theory, he'll likely remain up with the club to rehab before he's optioned to Bridgeport. 

Both will play big roles or this team sooner than later, so why not get them acclimated with their future teammates. 

"It's great. When I was a young guy, coming on these things, it really feels like you're part of it," Islanders captain Anders Lee said. "You're part of the organization, you're part of the team, and you get to start to know everybody, so when the time comes and they're here with us, they feel comfortable. It's like they're one of us. And I think that stuff's great. We get to know them, like I said, look out for them, take them around, show them the ropes, have some fun, and really begin that relationship."

While both George and Ritchie, playing 33 and seven NHL games, respectively, have some experience, feeling as comfortable as possible off the ice with this specific team will translate to on the ice. 

"It's cool [to be a part of this]," George said. "I mean, obviously, to be with the guys, to be a part of the team like this is great, no matter what happens. "This helps build camaraderie amongst the group, and I think that helps us when we're out on the ice."

The Islanders' future is bright, and whether it's the team-bonding trip or participating in a training game with NHLers, having the organization's top prospects feel comfortable is a priority under general manager Mathieu Darche, and it makes all the difference. 

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