The Sharks saw a glimpse of a promising future last season as Macklin Celebrini and company contended for a Stanley Cup playoff spot before ultimately being eliminated the final week.
However, their luck took a turn when they jumped from the projected ninth-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft to No. 2 via the lottery drawing.
However, Todd Marchant, Sharks director of player development and senior advisor, says the team is not going to get ahead of themselves when it comes to making a decision on whether or not the rookie is NHL-ready.
“His play will dictate where he’s ready, but he’s a very talented player,” Marchant told NBC Sports California’s Ted Ramey. “We’re just super happy to have him as part of our arsenal of good young players and joining players like Mack, Will Smith and Michael Misa.”
Marchant explained that every player’s journey is “a little bit different,” but also mentioned that the Sharks liked what they saw of Stenberg’s performance at the 2026 IIHF World Championship in Switzerland.
“Absolutely,” Marchant told Ramey when asked if he was impressed by Stenberg. “These players nowadays, they are so much more advanced at 18 and 19 years old than ever were before so we’re really excited that he can be a San Jose Shark and it’ll be interesting to see where he ends up.”
While the Sharks are uncertain whether Stenberg will begin the 2026-27 season with the NHL club or somewhere else, the promise that the No. 2 overall pick has shown on the ice is something for the team to be excited about.
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Justin Carbonneau has a full understanding that the forward group for the St. Louis Blues heading into 2026-27 is a crowded room.
It makes no difference to the first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, selected No. 19 overall by the Blues.
There's always someone that would love to crash the party.
Why not Carbonneau?
"My mindset is I want to play in the NHL next year. It doesn't mean I'm going to play, but it's a mindset of everything I want to do in training camp is to play," Carbonneau said recently while attending development camp. "If I step into a gym, it's because I want to play in the NHL. If I want to go on the ice in a 1-on-1 battle, I play games to show I want to be there and I want to be with the Blues. At the end, it's not my decision, but I'm going to do everything I can to force their hands."
Despite the odds against him and more that favorable that the 19-year-old will start in Springfield of the American Hockey League after finishing with the Thunderbirds in the Calder Cup playoffs last season, it's the kind of mindset the Blues want to hear from one of their most recent first-round picks.
There's nothing left for the 6-foot-1, 203-pound right wing to prove after going back to Blainville-Boisbriand of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League in search of a championship at that level last season.
The Armada fell short of winning a QMJHL title and opportunity compete for the Memorial Cup, which was Carbonneau's objective all along after making the decision of going back to junior instead of the collegiate route to Boston College.
Carbonneau followed up his 89-point season (46 goals, 43 assists) and plus-3 in 2024-25 with 80 points this past season (51 goals, 29 assists) and plus-31 and another 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 17 games in the postseason prior to joining the Thunderbirds, where he played in three playoff games.
If he had to write his own script, there would have been no appearance in the AHL because that meant that the Armada went deeper into the postseason, but from a personal level, the progressive steps were beneficial.
"From a personal point, yes, but in the end for me, it was not the year I expected because I did not win," Carbonneau said. "I think it's all about that, whether I score 100 goals, but we lose in the (semifinals). It's not what I want. I think it's learning, you learn through that. There's a few things that I would have liked to have done better, but it's just about keep learning."
And what did he learn in his brief stint in Springfield?
"I think every detail matters," Carbonneau said. "There's not a lot of mistakes there. It plays fast, it plays hard. It's just about getting that mindset and being ready to go every single night and every shift."
From his 2024-25 season to this one, Carbonneau wanted to take progressive steps in learning what it will take to be successful in the NHL, and it included something coaches at this level speak of all the time: a 200-foot game.
"There's always steps I can take, but I think the difference between this year and last year was more the points I had, the goals, the chances I created was more with the way that I played," Carbonneau said. "Sometimes my draft year I felt that I wasn't playing the 200 feet game. Sometimes I still got a goal or I still got chances, but I don't think that's the pro game. This year I played the right way and I learned to play a 200-feet game and I got rewarded, so it's that's a good thing.
"I saw it in Springfield. Every detail matters. You can't take one shift off. When I spoke with 'Dags' [former Blue and current development coach Matt D'Agostini] when I thought I had a good game, I didn't. Not because I played good, it's just he always wanted to keep me hungry and always wanting to be better and better and it worked.
"... With 'Dags,' it's always never too high, never too low. When I had a bad game, I thought 'Dags' would tell me all the things I could have done better, but instead, he told me the things I did good and I need to repeat. And he knows I'm hard on myself too. When you play a good game, that's when he needs to say I played good but what I can do better."
Carbonneau, who scored 128 goals the past three seasons with the Armada, will have to battle with 13 forwards under contract, including Jimmy Snuggerud and Dalibor Dvorsky, who are on their entry-level deals, along with restricted free agent Connor McMichael, who will sign his contract with the Blues at some point. And there's also Oskar Sundqvist, who re-signed a one-year, two-way contract on Friday as insurance, not to mention Otto Stenberg and Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, who are knocking on the door of permanent NHL status.
But he's prepared for what's to come.
"I've learned a lot," Carbonneau said. "When you get drafted, you know you're a good player, but once you meet the development staff, management and you practice and you play with the players around you at camp, you see how much better you can get and potentially you can have with the resources here. For me this year, it was really exciting because I worked with 'Dags,' Chris [Thorburn] and all of the people around with the staff with Ray [Barile] and the staff, everyone supporting me this year. It's great to have them.
"Every summer, I get to the summer and there's always different things I want to work on. When you're young, it's about getting bigger and getting faster, whatever. But every summer and I sit down, I note some things. I talk with St. Louis, my coaches, everyone around me. It's all little details that can make me better. I just wrote that down and I try and work as much as I can this summer.
"There's always room for growth. Every summer I got better physically. Last year was challenging a bit. I wasn't 100 percent, but now this summer with my trainer in Quebec, I'm going to train in St. Louis in August, it's a good summer ahead because I'm close to being 100 percent; I'm probably 100 percent. Being back to train doing what I love is incredible."
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While the Detroit Red Wings await the decision from unrestricted free agent forward Patrick Kane, there remain several former members of the club who continue to be available on the open market.
The most recognizable former Red Wings forward still up for grabs is Vladimir Tarasenko, who spent one season in Detroit and severely underwhelmed with just 11 goals before being dealt to the Minnesota Wild last offseason.
While he got off to a slow offensive start with the Wild, the acquisition of Quinn Hughes helped put things in gear; he finished the season with 23 goals and 47 points.
Additionally, forward Anthony Mantha, who was once thought of as a potential cornerstone piece for the franchise, remains unsigned. He tallied a career-best 33 goals for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season on a one-year "prove it" style contract, but his camp is reportedly looking for a long-term pact.
Other former Red Wings forwards on the open market include Robby Fabbri, Adam Erne, Luke Glendening, Gustav Nyquist, and Tomas Nosek.
On the blue line, former Red Wings defensemen Nick Leddy, Jeff Petry, and Brendan Smith remain unsigned; all three are getting up there in age, and may be faced with retirement.
Between the pipes, both James Reimer and Petr Mrazek are still looking for work. Mrazek, who was re-acquired by the Red Wings at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline from the Chicago Blackhawks, was dealt to the Anaheim Ducks as part of the John Gibson deal last summer, but missed most of the season after yet another injury.
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The Calgary Flames are adjusting their roster, moving out veteran players to provide spots for the youngsters, the future of the franchise. In 2026 alone, they traded Rasmus Andersson and Olli Määttä and moved on from one of their core leaders, Blake Coleman.
Going into the 2026-27 season, the only player in the current Flames lineup with a Stanley Cup title is 29-year-old Zach Whitecloud, who won a championship with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023. He came to Calgary in the deal that sent Andersson to the desert, where he helped the team advance to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.
Now, in a recent post on Sportsnet, author Rory Boylen asks whether the Flames will move Whitecloud.
Whitecloud's Experience Could Net Flames a Decent Trade Return
Based on his NHL statistics, Whitecloud will not be a team's most offensive defenseman, with a career-high of 19 points in 2021-22. But based on averages, his totals include five goals and 18 points; in 31 games with Calgary last season, he had no goals and 10 assists.
As a right-shot defenseman who averaged more than 18 minutes a night on one occasion with the Golden Knights in seven and a half seasons, Whitecloud had a chance to play more with the Flames, averaging more than four minutes per night at 22:40.
Right now, he's on Calgary's top pairing with Kevin Bahl, a 26-year-old, who is one of the few core skaters in the organization signed until the next decade. Moreover, Whitecloud is on the team's top penalty killing unit, along with veterans Mikael Backlund, Joel Farabee, and recently acquired Jacob Middleton.
When Whitecloud steps onto the ice for the Flames' season-opener, it will be his 400th NHL game. He's scored only 23 goals and 88 points with 188 penalty minutes.
Meanwhile, he's changing his on-ice role a bit, having recently set a career high of 140 blocked shots in 2025-26, surpassing his previous high of 115. Also, Whitecloud finished last year with 124 hits, the third consecutive season with at least 117 hits.
In a limited time with the Flames, Whitecloud assumed a leadership role, sporting the alternate captain letter for some games. Despite not being in the same class as Cale Makar or Zach Werenski, there's a market for Whitecloud to land with a contender, who needs a top-four defenseman that can play a variety of roles and brings 78 games of Stanley Cup playoff experience.
With two years remaining on his current deal at a modest $2.75 million, someone may come knocking on Craig Conroy's door to check on the defender's availability before opening night, sometime in the middle of winter, or in the hours leading up to the trade deadline. Whenever that call comes, it will be up to Conroy to have the answer on where Whitecloud fits into the organization's long-term plans and rebuild.
The notable difference regarding this year’s pre-season is that each team will only participate in four games rather than the usual six due to the regular season now consisting of 84 games.
The talent of Vancouver’s youth will be on full-display during the pre-season, with many up-and-coming players expected to make their mark and potentially push for roster spots. Last year, 2025 first-round pick Braeden Cootes impressed to the point of remaining on Vancouver’s roster through the final camp cuts and making his NHL debut in the team’s season-opener against the Flames.
This year, players like OHL standout Riley Patterson, who made his AHL debut in 2025–26, will be ones to watch heading into the pre-season and training camp. Vancouver’s selections in the 2026 NHL Draft will also be intriguing to watch, though prospects such as Caleb Malhotra are expected to play out the 2026-27 season with their respective NCAA and CHL clubs.
2026–27 Pre-Season Schedule
Game 1: September 19, 7:00 pm PT @ Seattle Kraken
Game 2: September 22, 6:00 pm PT @ Calgary Flames
Game 3: September 24, 6:00 pm PT vs. Edmonton Oilers
Game 4: September 26, 4:00 pm PT vs. Seattle Kraken
Apr 14, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Zeev Buium (24) and forward Nils Hoglander (21) and forward Elias Pettersson (40) and defenseman Kirill Kudryavtsev (59) celebrate Buium’s goal against the Los Angeles Kings in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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The Chicago Blackhawks traded three players to the Edmonton Oilers at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline. Jason Dickinson, Connor Murphy, and Colton Dach all moved their hockey lives to Edmonton in exchange for future assets.
The Oilers were shockingly defeated by the Anaheim Ducks in round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, ending their season much sooner than expected after two straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025.
After the season ended, the Oilers took very little time to extend both Murphy and Dickinson. They see each of them as great complementary pieces for a team led by superstars like Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard.
If everyone stays healthy, it's a core good enough to continue making deep postseason runs after a disappointing finish in 2026.
On Sunday, the Oilers announced the extension of Colton Dach, making it so that all three players that the Blackhawks traded there are sticking around.
Dacher 👊
The #Oilers have signed forward Colton Dach to a two-year contract extension with an AAV of $1.2 million. pic.twitter.com/29pjRSs3eo
For Dach, it's a two-year deal with a cap hit of $1.2 million. He has the potential to be a part of a solid bottom-six forward group, likely in the same group as Jason Dickinson.
The Oilers are hoping to get a physical forward who can contribute some toughness and a bit of offense from Dach, as he has in the past. Health has been his biggest challenge, but he's a great player when he is able to get out onto the ice.
Through 86 games played, Dach has 7 career goals and 13 assists for 20 points, mostly in a depth role. Finding good forwards to fill out their lineup has been a key for Edmonton in the McDavid era, and Dach will be a part of it for at least the next two years on a fair deal.
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Former Chicago Blackhawks forward Colton Dach is staying put with the Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers have announced that they have signed Dach to a two-year, $2.4 million contract. Starting next season, Dach will have a $1.2 million AAV.
This is a bit of a raise for Dach, as he had an $825,000 AAV during his entry-level contract. Now, he will be making slightly over $1 million per season on his new deal with Edmonton.
Dach was traded by the Blackhawks with Jason Dickinson to the Oilers ahead of this year's deadline in exchange for Andrew Mangiapane and a 2027 conditional first-round pick. In eight regular-season games with the Oilers following the move, Dach posted two goals and four points. He also had an assist in five playoff games for Edmonton this spring.
Dach was selected by the Blackhawks with the 62nd overall pick of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. In 78 games over two seasons with Chicago from 2024-25 to 2025-26, the 6-foot-4 forward posted five goals, 11 assists, 16 points, and 275 hits.
Dach will now be looking to hit a new level with the Oilers after landing his new multi-year contract. It will be interesting to see how the former Blackhawks forward continues to develop from here.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have made multiple additions this off-season. Could they make another one before the start of the 2026-27 season?
In a recent article for TheScore, Josh Wegman named the Penguins as the "best fit" for free agent defenseman Logan Stanley.
"Stanley, who joined the Sabres at the deadline as part of a deal with the Winnipeg Jets, didn't fare well in Buffalo, as he was a healthy scratch for five of the team's 13 playoff games. But the monstrous 6-foot-7 blue-liner would be the second-best left-shot defenseman for a Penguins squad that's looking to remain competitive next season," Wegman wrote.
With the Penguins needing more depth on the left side of their blueline, it would make sense if they tried to sign Stanley this off-season. If they signed him, he would provide their blueline with more size and toughness, which is never a bad thing.
While Stanley had a tough finish to the season after being traded to the Sabres, he still had a career year in 2025-26. This is because he set new career highs with nine goals, 17 assists, and 26 points in 76 games split between the Jets and Sabres. He also recorded 110 hits and 128 penalty minutes, so he made an impact with physicality.
On a short-term deal, it would make sense for the Penguins to take a gamble on Stanley. Even if he did not replicate the offensive numbers he had last season, he would still provide Pittsburgh's blueline with more depth. This is a real need for the Metropolitan Division club right now.
Once upon a time, Sven Baertschi was thought of as a staple in the Vancouver Canucks’ top-six. After retiring from playing hockey after the 2022–23 season, however, the forward made his way into the coaching space.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Baertschi had been elevated from his role as an assistant coach with the Portland Winterhawks, now serving as their associate coach for the 2026–27 season.
Baertschi has been with the Winterhawks as a coach since the 2024–25 season, with this being his first formal coaching gig. The familiarity with the WHL organization extends past this, however, as he played two seasons worth of junior hockey with Portland back in 2010–11 and 2011–12. After putting up an impressive 85 points in 66 games in his rookie season with the Winterhawks, Baertschi recorded 94 points in only 47 games, following that up with a 34-point post-season run.
After four seasons as part of the Calgary Flames organization, having been drafted 13th-overall by the Flames in 2011, Baertschi was traded to the Canucks for a second-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. This pick turned into now-Vegas Golden Knights defenceman Rasmus Andersson.
Jan 20, 2019; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Sven Baertschi (47) skates against the Detroit Red Wings during the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
The winger spent the better-half of seven seasons with the Canucks organization, scoring a career-high of 35 points in 2016–17, though injuries towards the back-half of his career ultimately ended with him and Vancouver parting ways. He spent one season with the Golden Knights organization before heading back to Switzerland and concluding his playing career.
Players currently listed on the Winterhawks’ 2026–27 roster include defencemen Avery Laliberte and Stevie Grumley, as well as goaltender Ondrej Stebetak.
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The thought is that the offer sheet given to Carlsson wouldn't be all that much more than Fantilli would get if pursued by another team. But there's no way Don Waddell is offering Fantilli $15-plus million during their contract negotiations.
How bad does Adam Fantilli want to stay in Columbus? I guess we'll find out if the Flyers decide to send him an offer sheet. Is it possible he'd turn down the Flyers to stay in Columbus?
The Columbus Blue Jackets and GM Don Waddell need to get center Adam Fantilli signed, but with the threat of an offer sheet out there, can they do it without having to match another team's offer?
If the CBJ and Adam Fantilli were presented with an offer sheet, should the Blue Jackets match any offer given? The answer should be a resounding YES!
Scouting Report - Physicality & Grit: Despite his smaller frame, he plays with a heavy edge. He consistently finishes checks, battles along the boards, and is a frequent team leader in hits and fighting majors.
NHL Debut - January 25, 2018 (Calgary)
Career NHL Stats - 394 Games - 35 goals - 37 Assists - 72 Points - 475 PIMs
NHL Playoff Experience - 32 Games - 3 Goals - 0 Assists - 3 Points - 1 Stanley Cup
Career AHL Stats - 219 Games - 49 Goals - 60 Assists - 109 Points
The Blue Jackets have announced the signing of goalie prospect Sergei Ivanov. It felt like it would never happen, but here we are. They have signed Sergei Ivanov to a two-year ELC. Ivanov is expected to spend the 2026-27 season in the Kontinental Hockey League before playing in North America, per the CBJ. His ELC runs through the 2028 season.
Total Points - The record is 547, set by Rick Nash. Werenski currently has 465, which is 82 off the mark. Zach has 82 and 81 points in the last two seasons, respectively, so it's highly probable that he breaks it, or comes very close.
Overtime Goals - The record is 8 and owned by Seth Jones. Werenski currently sits at 7, so this one should fall pretty quickly. He already owns the record for most OT assists with 14.
After the news, The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta offered this quote to The Sheet's Jeff Marek. "No plan B is my understanding; they're not gonna pivot and go after Adam Fantilli or Connor Bedard or whomever else."
Pinelli was also rewarded for his strong play in the AHL, as he appeared in his first three career NHL games last season with the Blue Jackets. Now, he will be looking for more chances on Columbus' roster next season.
The 2025-26 season was a tough year for Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson. In 76 games with the Metropolitan Division club, he posted just seven goals and 22 points. He was also healthy scratched multiple times during the season.
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For the first time since his selection at the 2025 draft, fans were able to see what Alexander could do on the ice at the Montreal Canadiens’ development camp, and they were impressed. The youngster has got impressive hands and looks to be on his way to a promising NHL career. He’s still in town, and on Saturday night, he dazzled the crowd at the Make Your Move event.
Zharkovsky had some fun showing off his hands at the Make Your Move shootout tournament. 🏒
Le Journal de Montreal’s journalist Kevin Dube spoke to former Buffalo Sabres first-round draft pick Mikhail Grigorenko and asked him what he thought of the Habs’ prospect. The former NHLer, who skated in 249 NHL games and played in eight KHL seasons, winning three Gagarin Cups, has nothing but praise for the young man:
“He’s excellent, he’s a very, very good player. He will spend another year in Russia, and then, I don’t know if he’ll make the jump straight to the NHL. He might need a year in the AHL, but I believe he has the potential to be a top-six player in the NHL.”
For the former Quebec Remparts player, the Canadiens were able to claim him so late because of the fact he plays in Russia:
“If he didn’t play in the KHL, he would have been drafted in the first round. It’s hard for people to know just how good he can be because they can’t see him in the Junior World Championship or similar events and compare him to other young players. That was a steal for the Canadiens.”
At 32 years old, Grigorenko, who played for the Sabres, the Colorado Avalanche, and the Columbus Blue Jackets, knows he’s unlikely to return to the NHL, but he seems at peace with that. He has a bigger role in the KHL than he would have in the NHL and says that he’s in a good place financially.
It will be interesting to see how Zharovsky’s transition to North American play goes at the tail end of the season. The KHL season is scheduled to take place from September 5 to March 20, while the playoffs will run from March 23 to May 11, 2027. The Canadiens’ prospect is set to return with Ufa Salavat Yulayev, and the team isn’t expected to be contending for the Gagarin Cup, which could mean that his season in Russia ends while the Canadiens are still playing. While KHL players’ contracts normally end on May 31, it wouldn’t be surprising if his team released him once its season ends, just as SKA St. Petersburg did when Ivan Demidov first joined the Habs.
Zharovsky was named rookie of the year in the KHL last season, putting up 42 points and 16 goals in 59 games and said at development camp that he will work on becoming a responsible forward at both ends of the ice.
In what is a rare occurrence in sports, there seemed to be a near-consensus that the Sharks had one of the strongest classes in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Headlining the group was the No. 2 overall pick in the draft and Swedish import, Ivar Stenberg. Heralded as one of the more NHL-ready prospects in this year’s class, Stenberg made it clear when speaking to NBC Sports California’s Ted Ramey that he is far from a finished product.
Stenberg expressed the emotions of being drafted so early and what he wants to prove himself at the next level.
“It means a lot,” Stenberg said. “Early mornings, late evenings. Yeah, I worked really hard and I’m happy I reached this level so far, but I have much more to give.”
The 18-year-old forward shone with the Swedish Elite League’s Frölunda HC this past season, finishing with 11 goals and 33 points in 43 games. Landing a player like Stenberg might not have always been in the cards for San Jose, as their trading of William Eklund to the Ottawa Senators cleared the way for the team to take a young forward.
Stenberg got his first taste of the NHL when he participated in the Sharks’ developmental camp earlier this month, and has already built a modest fan base as kids in the crowd were chanting his name.
The 2025-26 season was undoubtedly a success for the Pittsburgh Penguins. After entering the season with many doubters, the Penguins responded by making it into the playoffs.
There were many reasons for the Penguins taking a big step in the right direction last season. Ben Kindel was certainly one of them, as the 2025 first-round pick had an excellent rookie season for Pittsburgh.
After making the Penguins' NHL roster, Kindel posted 17 goals, 18 assists, and 35 points. With numbers like these, the 19-year-old forward showed that he is already capable of making an impact at the NHL level. Yet, now that he has a year of NHL experience, don't be surprised if he takes his game to a new level next season.
Kindel certainly has the tools to blossom into a high-impact player for the Penguins, and it would not be surprising if he takes another step toward that next season. If he can hit a new level offensively, it would be huge for a retooling Penguins club that is looking to continue to have success.
It will be interesting to see what kind of season Kindel can put together for the Penguins in 2026-27. He will undoubtedly be a young player to watch very closely.
Less than a week after being ranked in the top three in Bleacher Report’s NHL Power Rankings, the Montreal Canadiens are named the fifth-best team in the NHL (ex aequo with the Dallas Stars) in a recent Adam Proteau article.
THN’s writer grants that the Habs have not made any high-profile move this offseason; they also didn’t lose much, meaning they’ll still be as fast and as skilled as they were last season, when they put up 106 points. He also adds that, with $13.3 million in cap space, they're likely to improve through trades.
While that’s most probably what would happen in an ideal world, it certainly feels like GM Kent Hughes has been trying to do it since the end of the playoffs but hasn’t been able to find a dance partner. However, it’s worth noting that the Canadiens still need to sign Kirby Dach, Zachary Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj. Once that’s done, there won’t be that much room left on the salary cap.
Thanks to Hughes’ ingenious two-way qualifying offer to Dach, the Albertan is likely to sign for less than the $4 million he was entitled to be offered. That number is on the table until the offer expires on July 15, even if Dach has filed for arbitration. After that date, both parties can continue negotiating, but once the arbitration hearing begins, it’s up to the arbitrator.
Here’s hoping it doesn’t actually get to that point, as the process is hardly good for the relationship between the parties. If it gets there, the Canadiens will essentially have to tell the arbitrator that Dach isn’t worth what he thinks he is, citing his lack of production, injuries, and lack of consistency as other arguments. Teams leave no stone unturned in those hearings; they hire lawyers to argue their case and are very thorough. Dach could end up with a $3,400,000 contract if the arbitrator awards him the bare minimum provided for in the CBA.
Bolduc’s contract negotiations should be the most interesting ones. It feels like the youngster has plenty of potential, but so did Dach when the Canadiens first acquired him. Last season was one of adaptation for the Trois-Rivieres native, and the Habs have yet to see his ceiling. Much like he did with Dach and Alex Newhook, I expect Hughes to take a prudent approach in this case. Back then, they had both been signed to 4-year deals after being acquired, but given how the salary cap is rising, it may make sense to ink Bolduc to a shorter deal and re-evaluate then, after seeing a bit more of what he can do but before the market has gone completely insane.
Last season, the winger put up 30 points in 78 games, which is less than the 36 points he had put up with the St. Louis Blues the year before, but that can be explained by the lack of premium power play ice time and the need to adapt to the Habs’ style of play. If Hughes manages to ink him for less than $4M per year, it will be a win. The Anaheim Ducks gave A.J. Greer a $4.25M cap-hit contract for four years, and he put up 32 points last season, the best of his career.
Xhekaj’s contract should land somewhere in the vicinity of what Jayden Struble got last season: a two-year deal with a $1,412,500 cap hit, signed at the tail end of July. Since the cap has gone up, the cap hit may be slightly higher, perhaps at $1.6 million or $1.7 million.
Those three signings should eat the best part of the $13.3 million in cap space the Canadiens still have, although a trade will likely involve players going the other way as well, which would make it possible for Montreal to acquire an impact player on the trade market. If they find a team that’s willing to move what they’re in the market for of course.
The Pittsburgh Penguins surprised a decent chunk of the hockey world on June. 30 when they traded defenseman Parker Wotherspoon to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for fellow defenseman Kaedan Korczak.
It came out of nowhere, but that's exactly how Penguins general manager and president Kyle Dubas likes to do business. He operates in the shadows a lot and doesn't let things leak out.
Wotherspoon had a great 2025-26 season with the Penguins, finishing with three goals and 30 points in 80 games (all career-highs). He was also great in his own zone and formed a strong partnership with Erik Karlsson on the top defensive pair.
Despite all of that, the Penguins were unlikely to extend Wotherspoon after the 2026-27 season and opted to move him for a younger, cost-controlled defenseman. They're a bit weaker on the left side (with plenty of time to fix that) and stronger on the right.
Penguins assistant general manager Jason Spezza was super excited about the move when he discussed it on July. 1.
"Korczak's a guy that we feel, with the age he's at, there's tons of upside there, a guy that fits in really well with that middle age group that we're really trying to acquire and has tons of potential," Spezza said. "Really solid defensively and lots of untapped potential."
Korczak is entering the first year of a four-year deal that's worth $3.25 million per year. He played in 78 games during the 2025-26 season, compiling three goals and 16 points.
He has some offensive ability, but is more known for his defensive zone play. He's solid at breaking up plays in his own zone and manages his gap control really well. He also knows how to win battles behind the net before going from defense to offense.
Those traits are backed by the advanced metrics, which show he ranks in the 93rd percentile for 5v5 defense. He was also on the ice for 59.4% of the high-danger chances, 54.2% of the scoring chances, and 54.3% of the expected goals at 5v5 during the regular season.
To take it a step further, his 59.4% high-danger chance share was the best of any Golden Knights defenseman, including Shea Theodore, who is well regarded as one of the best defensemen in the NHL.
Korczak was scratched for some of the Golden Knights' playoff games, but I wouldn't expect those struggles to follow him to Pittsburgh. He did a lot more good than bad this season, and now he'll have a fresh start in an organization that got the very best out of a handful of players this past season.
Outside of his 5v5 play, I'd expect him to get more responsibility on the penalty kill once the 2026-27 season starts in September. He hardly played on that unit going into the 2025-26 season, but logged just a shade over 35 minutes during the regular season. He may not be one of the first penalty killers that head coach Dan Muse sends out there, but he's still going to factor into the rotation.
Assuming both Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang are on the team to start the year, Korczak will likely start on the third pair. However, there will be room for him to get an elevated role in a future season since Karlsson is heading into the final year of his contract, while Letang only has two seasons left on his.
A third pairing of Declan Carlile and Korczak would be super fascinating, since both players are still young, have come off solid seasons, and have more room to grow.
The Penguins wanted to remake some of their defense this offseason, and they've definitely done that. While the work is not yet done, they now have a really solid player in Korczak, who is only 25. He can and will help the team in a variety of ways next season and into the future.
