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It's been over two months since the trade request of Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was made public by NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman. 

Larkin's trade request was confirmed by now-former GM Steve Yzerman in late June following the 2026 NHL Draft; Yzerman said Larkin's agent requested the trade shortly after the season ended, and he made it clear that there was no guarantee the request would be granted. 

Since then, the Red Wings not only experienced a major leadership transition with Yzerman vacating his role, but they also lost UFA forward Patrick Kane, who chose to return to the Chicago Blackhawks. 

In the meantime, whoever takes over Detroit's GM position will have to deal with the pressing Larkin situation. 

Former Red Wings defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo, now an NHL insider for TSN, believes a deal between Detroit and the Florida Panthers would have already materialized if one were going to happen, given that Florida was reportedly on the very short list of teams Larkin would accept a trade to.

“We're halfway through the month of August. If this deal was going to get done, it would be done by now," he said this week on First Up on TSN Radio 1050. "What Detroit wants and needs is someone to replace Dylan Larkin if they were to trade Dylan Larkin. And you look at his list of teams he’d be willing to go to, unless Florida’s like, 'Yeah, we’ll give you Anton Lundell and this and that', then maybe. But we know Florida wasn’t willing to do that at the time, which makes sense now considering some of the other moves they’ve made.”

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Colaiacovo concluded by acknowledging the growing possibility that Larkin could begin the season in Detroit while also pointing to an obvious obstacle to trading him: the Red Wings are currently searching for Steve Yzerman’s successor.

Red Wings' Offseason Stuck In Neutral As Big Questions Remain UnansweredThe Detroit Red Wings have made headlines more than once this offseason, but they remain in limbo amidst their leadership transition.

"Yeah, Larkin's probably going to have to start in Detroit," he said. "They also don't have a GM right now, which is another problem in trying to trade him." 

Colaiacovo, a 470-game NHL veteran, spent the 2012-13 season with the Red Wings after signing a two-year deal in September 2012. Injuries limited him to six games during the lockout-shortened regular season, though he appeared in nine playoff games. Detroit then bought out the final year of his contract.

The Red Wings are set to open Training Camp in Detroit on September 17, followed by their first preseason game on September 21 in Columbus against the Blue Jackets.

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The Chicago Blackhawks made a handful of impactful additions to their group over the summer. There are veterans and young players ready to come together to try to get this team back into playoff contention. 

Part of getting the Hawks on the rise will be players reaching and perhaps exceeding expectations. Development in certain areas will naturally help them progress. 

The team will have an even greater chance of climbing the standings if certain members have comeback seasons. These three, in particular, are expected to have a big bounce-back in 2026-27. 

Teuvo Teravainen

Teuvo Teravainen was signed to be a veteran point producer for the Chicago Blackhawks. He has had his moments, but the organization would admit that they expect more out of him. 

Teravainen had 53 points in his final season with the Carolina Hurricanes, and he followed that up with 58 in his return to Chicago. 2025-26 is when he fell off as he had 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points in 75 games played. Defensively, he is not good enough to make up for his lack of offensive production. 

At 31 years old, Teuvo Teravainen could have a lot of good years left as an NHL player, but he would like to have a bounce-back year in terms of points. Part of it will have to do with his role on the team, but he has the talent to have a better showing than he did one year ago, regardless of what line he's on. 

The Blackhawks are a deeper team at forward after some additions made this summer, which almost guarantees a solid running mate to play with Teravainen. It also means that they won't dress players who don't contribute, so there is incentive for him to get back on track. 

Artyom Levshunov 

Artyom Levshunov will instill a lot more confidence in people if he has a great bounce-back year in 2026-27. In his first full NHL season, things didn't go the way he would have liked. 

There were times when his speed and skills were on full display, but they were mostly dulled by bad decision-making and a clear need for development. 

A lot of pedigree exists within Levshunov, being a former second overall pick (2024). He has dominated in other leagues before, but he is still waiting for it all to come together in the National Hockey League. 

Levshunov scored his first two career NHL goals in 2025-26, and he had 22 assists for 24 points. It's not terrible for a rookie defenseman, but another level can be reached if he continues to mature. 

Entering his third season post-draft season, he has a lot to accomplish. The tools are there for him to be an offensive contributor, but he has to get the other parts of his game to a winning level. 

Arvid Soderblom

Arvid Soderblom is the one who may find himself looking for a new hockey home quickly if he doesn't have a bounce-back season. 

In 2025-26, Soderblom was Spencer Knight's full-time backup and didn't perform the way he wanted to on most nights. There were some good moments, but the entire body of work doesn't guarantee him the backup role beyond his contract ending in July of 2027. 

Soderblom went 8-13-3 with one shutout, a 3.80 goals-against average, and an .880 save percentage. The record was mostly because the team was bad, and all of his stats can partially be blamed on that, but he knows he must be better. 

Part of the struggle for Soderblom is the fact that Drew Commesso is coming up quickly. Commesso has been great at every stop, including a handful of NHL appearances in 2025-26 when injuries/illness popped up. For Soderblom to keep his job this year and be an NHL goalie next year, a huge performance will be needed from him in the upcoming campaign. 

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The Vancouver Canucks have signed one of their first-round picks in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft to an entry-level contract. 

Adam Novotný, who was selected 24th-overall by Vancouver in the 2026 Draft, has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Canucks. He is the first Canucks prospect selected in the 2026 NHL Draft to sign their ELC. 

“Character, compete, and a winning mentality, those are three of the things we really appreciate about Adam’s DNA,” Canucks General Manager Ryan Johnson said in a press release. “It was a small sample size, but he showed us a lot at our development camp last month in Abbotsford. Besides his strong skating, puck control, and quick release, Adam was relentless in his pursuit of the puck and battled very hard in each drill.  A coachable and honest player, his leadership qualities were also noticeable, and you could tell right away how committed he is to try to do things the right way. We are very excited to have Adam sign his ELC and we look forward to working with him in the years to come.” 

The 18-year-old winger played in his first season of hockey in North America during 2025-26, having previously skated for Mountfield HK in Czechia. Skating with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL, Novotný  scored 34 goals and 31 assists in 58 games, leading his team in both goals and points. 

Canucks Are Getting A Bona-Fide Competitor In First-Round Pick Adam NovotnýThe 24th-overall pick in this year's draft has drawn comparisons to St. Louis Blues forward Mason McTavish.

Novotný has also represented Czechia at both the U-18 and U-20 World Junior Championships, most recently putting up three assists in seven games during his team's Silver-Medal campaign at the 2026 tournament. He was also named a Top-3 Player on Czechia at the U-18s in 2024-25 and won Bronze with Czechia's U-20 Team in 2024-25. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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Over the weekend, Boyd Petry, the son of former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry, celebrated his 11th birthday, and even though his dad has played for four teams since being traded by the Habs (twice), it was Canadiens colors he wore on his birthday.

Boyd, once a social media darling among Canadiens’ fans, was rocking a red, white, and blue shirt that matched his “Goal Caufield” T-shirt in the picture posted on Instagram by his mother, Julie Petry. Back when Petry was still patrolling the Canadiens’ blueline, the social media team mic’d up the youngster for a Habs game with hilarious results. The video was seen over 600,000 times on YouTube

Canadiens Fans May Need A Bit More Patience
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Since GM Kent Hughes granted Petry’s trade request back in the 2022 offseason, the blueliner has played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Detroit Red Wings, the Florida Panthers and the Minnesota Wild. In the 2025 offseason, he signed a one-year deal with the Panthers, hoping to finally capture the Stanley Cup, but the plan backfired as Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk were both injured and the Florida outfit ended up missing the playoffs. On trade deadline day, he was sent to the Minnesota Wild, who had big aspirations but were eliminated in the second round in five games by the Colorado Avalanche.

The right-shot defenseman is now 38 years old and remains unsigned ahead of next season. He has not announced his retirement, but at his age, it would be surprising if a team decided to add him; the veteran played only 67 games last season and put up nine points, light-years away from his 46-point season in Montreal. If he does decide to hang them up, he won’t lack entertainment as the Petrys have four sons, who are sure to keep him busy.

Petry was a great asset for the Habs, playing parts of eight seasons in town. He skated in 508 games with Montreal and put up 248 points. Over the course of his career, he has featured in 1,048 games and gathered 394 points.

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As the National Hockey League enters the second month of free agency, a number of former Buffalo Sabres still remain unsigned. At this point of the offseason, players who have not latched on with an NHL club might consider playing in Europe, or taking a short-term deal or professional tryout to earn a one-year deal. 

The decline and fall of Skinner over the last three years puts into focus how bad a decision it was for former Sabres GM Jason Botterill to sign the diminutive winger to an eight-year, $72 million contract in 2019 after scoring 40 goals. A coaching change to Ralph Krueger was not a good fit for the offensive winger, who was relegated to a bottom-six role and scored only 21 goals in 112 games the next two years, but his goal scoring returned under Don Granato, with 33 and 35-goal campaigns in 2022 and 2023. 

Other Sabres Stories

Sabres Emotionally Devastated By Game 7 Overtime Loss

After dropping to 24 goals in 2023-24, the Sabres bought out the final three years of his contract; something that has resulted in over $6 million in dead cap space this season.  The 33-year-old hooked up with Edmonton in 2025, and played in his first postseason games during the Oilers run to a Cup Final loss. 

Last season, he signed a one-year deal with San Jose, but after suffering a lower-body injury in mid-November and returning three weeks later, he was used sporadically and was healthy scratched and placed on waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract in mid-February. Surprisingly the veteran forward was not signed by a team before the trade deadline.   

Outlook: The fact that there seemed to be no interest or even an inkling of interest after the contract termination is a sign that Skinner’s career is over. Skinner depended on superior edgework and skating ability to be a difference maker, but his effectiveness has declined dramatically as he has lost a step. A PTO is a possibility, but  remote one. 

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The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, and the organization’s developmental model has begun to yield results, with 2023 first rounder Zach Benson making an impact in the playoffs, and 2024 top pick Konsta Helenius appearing as one of the AHL’s top prospects the last two seasons.  

Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. These players are all 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 82 NHL games. 

Other Sabres Stories

Sabres Emotionally Devastated By Game 7 Overtime Loss

 28. Melvin Novotny - LW (Muskegon - USHL)

The Sabres had a trio of seventh-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft, and with the first pick (195th overall) they selected left winger Melvin Novotny. The 19-year-old had a breakout season in the SHL junior system, scoring 38 points (12 goals, 26 assists) in 41 games for Leksands IF, and also played for Sweden at the World Junior under-18s. 

Instead of following the usual path toward playing in the SHL, Novotny headed to North America to play with Muskegon in the USHL and is committed to playing for U.Mass (Amherst) in 2026. His season with the Lumberjacks was extremely encouraging, as the 6’1”, 185 lb. winger scored over a point-per-game (22 goals, 35 assists in 48 games)

Another positive sign was Novotny’s appearance for Sweden at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Windsor, ON last month. He played primarily fourth line duty throughout the tournament, but Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis indicated that he was one of Tre Kronor’s most noticeable forwards, showing flashes of skill and hockey IQ, and he believes he could put up great numbers in the NCAA. 

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I recently wrote an article for the main page of The Hockey News in which I looked at all seven Canadian teams and ranked them by who had the best chance to bring a Stanley Cup back home to Canada. Call it bias or a logical argument that the Edmonton Oilers still have the best shot; several fans called me out for ranking Edmonton at the top, followed closely by the Montreal Canadiens. 

Most seemed to agree it was a two-horse race, but did I get the order backward?

In the piece I wrote the following about the Canadiens:

Montreal could certainly be the top Canadian team this season. They’ve done almost everything right, and their run in 2025-26 has them pegged as a team of the future. They went from a rebuilding team just a few years ago to the NHL's youngest conference finalist in 33 years.

-

I noted that the pieces they have under team-friendly contracts are impressive. Lane Hutson, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Ivan Demidov make them a team to contend with. Jakub Dobes had a breakout season as well. 

Here is what I said about the Oilers:

Even though they took a step backward in 2025-26, no Canadian team is closer to the mountaintop than the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers still have two of the best players in the world. They’ve got an excellent scoring defenseman, some solid depth, and they made changes this summer that should improve the team.

-

I did suggest that Mike Babcock as their new head coach was a wildcard added to their season. 

Did I Get It Wrong?

Several of the comments suggested I wasn't giving Montreal enough credit for how good they are, while also overvaluing an Oilers team who got knocked out in the first round and is now one year older. 

Comments included: "...the Canadiens are closer to Cup contention than the fading Oilers. Montreal is more balanced team in offense (Habs can at least count on two lines not two players) and Montreal at least has better defense. Montreal goaltending is above average for now but for Edmonton its a liability."

Another wrote, "Edmonton ahead of Montreal is a definite head-scratcher, as Montreal is an ascending team and the Oilers went the other direction. The Oilers still have McDavid and Draisaitl, but what major move was made to move the needle ?"

Another added, "No disrespect to the Oilers, but their window is closing fast. Habs were a top team in the toughest division and went further against other favored top teams. Oilers had a mid season in a mid division and got bounced first round. None of this was a fluke."

There were some other comments in there not worth addressing, but the point was clear. 

There are many who think the Canadiens are progressing to the point where they're the better Canadian team and the Oilers are still good, but not the best. 

Oilers GM Drops Hint on Next Roster Move — And Babcock Could Be the Deciding FactorStan Bowman believes he knows what he wants to add during the season, but admitted Mike Babcock’s new system could determine the team's next move.

I'm Sticking With My Original Assessment

After considering the takes and revisiting my ranking, I'm still bullish on the idea that the Oilers sit atop the list of Canadian teams. I'll admit it's close, but there are a few reasons I think this. 

First, injuries were a huge factor for the Oilers during the 2025-26 playoffs. It's going to sound like an excuse, but Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman and others weren't 100 percent. McDavid was particularly affected by an issue early in the series with Anaheim and had these players been healthy, it's hard to know where the Oilers would have finished. 

Second, the series between Carolina and Montreal opened my eyes a bit regarding how far the Canadiens might still need to go. That series was as lopsided as a series can be, with Montreal failing to pivot when that play shifted. One of the more elite offensive teams couldn't score, and they were badly outshot. The Hurricanes were relentless and eventually won the Stanley Cup, but it was a bit of a wake-up call for the Canadiens. 

Third, there's a different mentality for the Oilers and Canadiens that shouldn't be overlooked. Frankly, it's a sense of desperation on the part of the Oilers that might be the difference-maker this season.

Fans argued that Edmonton's window is closing. I don't totally agree, but I will admit that the core is getting older. What matters is how motivated that core is because they've tried everything, gotten so close, and they know that there's only so much time left with this particular group. They've already lost Darnell Nurse. They don't want to lose anyone else before they win it all. Because of this desperation, they went out on a limb and hired Babcock. There's no more coasting through the regular season for this team.

Meanwhile, the Canadiens have years to be good, and while they're driven, they may not be driven in the same way the Oilers are. 

To me, the two teams are close. The Canadiens are excellent and only getting better. The Oilers are still good, and I believe they got better during the summer. Last season was a blip that they're planning to rectify. 

Will the win the Stanley Cup? It's going to be a tough challenge. But, are they Canada's best shot at it? I believe they are, even if only by a slim margin. 

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Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin is among the highest-paid players in the NHL, and was a central figure in the club winning the Atlantic Division and advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Along with his performance for Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano - Cortina, the Sabres team captain finished with a career-high 74 points and third in voting for the Norris Trophy. 

In their annual raking of NHL defensemen, the 26-year-old was ranked fourth by NHL Network behind a trio of Norris winners, Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, and  Zach Werenski. Dahlin was selected first overall in 2018 and will be entering his ninth season this fall with Buffalo. Makar scored more than 20 goals for the third straight season with Colorado, Hughes had 78 points with Vancouver and Minnesota, and Werenski had 81 points and won the Norris last season. 

Other Sabres Stories

Sabres Emotionally Devastated By Game 7 Overtime Loss

Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars completed the top five, and some new blood vaulted into the top 10, with Lane Hutson, Mathew Schaefer, Jake Sanderson, and Moritz Seider ranked six through nine and Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers  ranked 10th for the second year in a row.

NHL Network's Top 20 Defensemen Right Now list has a total of:
• 21 total All-Star Game appearances
• 11 All-Rookie team honors
• Seven Norris Trophies
• Seven Olympic Gold Medals
• Four Calder Trophies
• Two Conn Smythe Trophies
• Six Stanley Cups

What do you think of… pic.twitter.com/lojAgF9y4V

— NHL Media (@NHLMedia) August 10, 2026

Dahlin’s offensive consistency will be put to the test even more next season, with the departure of Bowen Byram to Chicago. Owen Power had an excellent playoff, but has not put up big offensive numbers, and the additions on the blueline are not considered big point producers, so most of the onus will be on the Sabres team captain. 

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As the dog days of the NHL offseason loom over, the Colorado Avalanche sit pretty well in their seat this summer. A majority of their offseason signings and roster moves were made right before and after free agency kicked off, and the roster seems pretty much set in stone for opening day, though one cloud looms over the horizon, and that's the Cale Makar extension.

During the end-of-season press conference, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager, Joe Sakic, said that he's confident "Cale is going to finish his career here". While there is still time for that deal to take place, everyone has been theorizing what his asking price is. Will he reset the defensemen market? Will he take the maximum amount possible? 

Though there is one question that not many are asking enough, and it's a sign that is showing this summer in terms of contract extensions and signings: how long will Makar sign for?

Insider Questions: Length And Timing Of Looming Extension

NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman was on NHL Tonight on August 7th, and when asked about Makar’s extension and its current status—how much he's looking for and for how long—this is what he had to say.

Elliotte Friedman: Re Cale Makar negotiations/Avalanche: Does Makar really want eight years? I don't know that he's gonna want to do eight years - NHL Tonight (8/7)

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) August 10, 2026

With one season remaining on his original six-year, $54 million contract, which carries a $9 million AAV, it's obviously a top priority to get a deal done now before the season rolls on and Makar continues to do what he does best. Another season in which he ends up as a potential Norris Trophy candidate and is the team's top scorer certainly helps his case for what he's asking for.

With the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) taking effect Sept. 16, the maximum length of a contract when extending their own players will now be seven years, not eight, which the Avalanche want to capitalize on to ensure Makar is locked up for as long as possible.

Not only is AAV an issue, but the term is also becoming a major factor, making the Sept. 16 deadline even more important for the Avalanche to get this deal done beforehand. When will it be done, and are there any updates on its progress? Here is what Friedman had to say;

"The Avalanche said that we are gonna get this done [with Makar]; I think one of the big questions about him is going to be term," Friedman said on the previously referenced NHL Tonight appearance.

Time is ticking for the Avalanche, but if you were in Makar’s shoes, obviously being with a Stanley Cup-contending team like the Avalanche is important, staying in a place that drafted you and won a Stanley Cup is ideal for any player while being able to secure the amount of money he is about to be paid. 

Though he is going to be 28 this year, and if you look around the NHL and how business is being dealt, is an eight-year contract really what Makar wants? 

The New State Of NHL Contracts Beginning To Bloom

We're at a time where the NHL is more profitable than ever, and with the salary cap blowing up every summer, it not only opens doors for more players to earn more money but also helps teams operate differently and get out of sticky cap situations, but it mainly shows how this new generation of players is going to be paid.

Look back years ago when star players in the league were signing their first major contract extension coming out of their ELC, and teams wanted to lock them up for the future. Major eight-year, double-digit contracts that set new standards for the league and what it's like to be a franchise/face-of-the-league player, and compare it to this summer.

The next generation of players, like Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, and Leo Carlsson, are making over 15 to 18 million a year. Yes, you can argue they absolutely earned that money with their play on the ice and the circumstances of the rise of the salary cap and how their teams are positioned to pay them, but the one thing you should notice is the term.

Comparing Macklin Celebrini's Contract With Sharks To Connor Bedard's With BlackhawksSan Jose Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini signed a monster deal, and it's comparable to Connor Bedard's new deal with the Chicago Blackhawks.

All of them signed a five-year deal (unlike Carlsson, who was offer-sheeted and signed a five-year deal), not the eight-year deal they could've signed for. Why? They left tens of millions of dollars on the table. It's because all of these guys will be in their mid-twenties when their deals expire and will probably be able to sign a contract worth over $20 million easily if they maintain their level of play and the team starts to get better.

Look at the position Makar is in: if he signs an eight-year deal, it would have him finish it in his mid-to-late 30s, likely closing in on maybe one more shorter contract before he retires. Though if he takes a shorter four-to-five-year contract, that would have him finish in his early-to-mid-30s and open the door to another longer contract after that.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Makar wants to remain an Avalanche for the rest of his career, but I think what's happening right now is that management wants to lock Makar into the last-chance eight-year deal while Makar is debating either signing that long deal or playing out two-to-three shorter-term contracts and seeing if management is willing to go that route.

The Avalanche Could Have A $4 Million Breakout On Their HandsAfter making an immediate impact in Colorado, Nicolas Roy has a chance to earn a new contract with the Avalanche by proving he can become a reliable middle-six force in 2026-27.

After a tough finish to the regular season, in which the Detroit Red Wings went 9-15-5 over their final 29 games and posted the third-worst offense in the league during that stretch, the team is looking to make major changes heading into season 101 for the franchise. 

With certain pieces failing to generate offense and injuries slowing momentum down the stretch, the Red Wings are returning with a distinctly different look, and it'll be a very different-looking offense on opening night.

For starters, contract years are expected to play a major role for a pair of key veterans. Defenceman Justin Faulk and centre Andrew Copp will both be looking to bring their best as they play for new deals. 

Faulk enters the season with a full off-season under his belt to get accustomed to life in Detroit after arriving via trade at last season's deadline, while Copp, who battled injuries a year ago that derailed what was shaping up to be a career campaign, will look to have his best season yet in the Winged Wheel and potentially reach new heights, including a possible first 50-point season.

The newcomers are also expected to bring a very different look to Detroit's attack. Viktor Arvidsson signed a two-year contract with the Red Wings on July 1 after posting 54 points on 25 goals and 29 assists in 69 games with the Boston Bruins last season, a bounce-back effort after being limited to 27 points in 67 games with the Edmonton Oilers the year before. 

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Arvidsson is projected to step into Detroit's second line alongside Alex DeBrincat and Andrew Copp, effectively taking over the spot vacated by Patrick Kane, who returned to the Chicago Blackhawks this past month.

For added grit and impact in the bottom six, Detroit also acquired Keegan Kolesar in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights on July 1. The 29-year-old provides stability in the bottom six and has shown some scoring touch, having recorded 12 goals for Vegas in 2024-25. 

Kolesar spent his entire seven-season NHL career in Vegas, helping the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup in 2023 and reach the Stanley Cup Final again last season. He racked up 270 hits last season, seventh-most in the NHL, and has piled up 1,416 hits since the start of 2020-21, fourth-most in the league over that span.

He may not offer the same offensive punch as some of Detroit's other additions, but his physical, hard-forechecking edge gives the Red Wings exactly the kind of bottom-six impact they were missing.

Rounding out the offensive makeover, Detroit is also banking on continued development from its young forwards, with Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard expected to push for full-time roles on the roster. 

Danielson, the former ninth overall pick back in the 2023 NHL Draft, posted seven points in 28 games as a rookie before a season-ending lower-body injury in February, and will look for a steadier role in his second full crack at the NHL. Brandsegg-Nygard, the 15th overall pick in 2024, made his NHL debut last season with one assist in 14 games and will look to build on that this year.

Taken together, it amounts to a substantially retooled offense for a team desperate to snap the longest active playoff drought in the NHL. Detroit's offense averaged just 2.91 goals per game last season, 22nd in the league, and with all the changes, the Red Wings are hoping this new-look attack can be the difference-maker in finally getting Hockeytown back into the postseason.

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Adam Fox ranked No. 13 on NHL Network’s top 20 defenseman list heading into the 2026-27 season. 

In 2025, Fox ranked No. 16 on the list, as he jumped three spots in the rankings this year. 

“He won the Norris one year, and then we kind of forget about him and say, well, he’s dipped, or he struggled a bit here,” former New Jersey Ken Daneyko said on the NHL Network. “But overall he’s been one of the best defensemen in the game the last six, seven years.”

The defensemen that rank ahead of Fox on this list are Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski, Rasmus Dahlin, Miro Heiskanen, Lane Hutson, Matthew Schaefer, Jake Sanderson, Moritz Seider, Evan Bouchard, Charlie McAvoy, and Jaccob Slavin. 

Despite missing 27 games during the 2025-26 season due to injury, the 28-year-old defenseman still recorded nine goals, 44 assists, and 53 points in 55 games, nearly averaging a point per game. 

Fox still operates as the lone defenseman on the new Yoek Rangers’ first power-play unit, while the addition of Vladislav Gavrikov last year has given the former Norris Trophy winner a reliable defensive partner.  

“We’ve been so blessed to see the young guys in the game come in and be wizards offensively like Lane Hutson, like a Matthew Schaefer, that someone that doesn’t have the flair, maybe the dynamic ability to them, that we sort of forget about them,” Thomas Hickey said on NHL Network. “And I think Fox is the forgotten player on this list.”

On Sunday, Aug. 2, the NHL Network released their list of “Top 20 Wings in the League Right Now” as the first in a nine-part series ranking top NHL players at each position and overall. Anaheim Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier cracked the list, coming in at #19, sandwiched between Lucas Raymond of the Detroit Red Wings at #20 and Brady Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers at #18.

NHL Network analyst Mike Rupp said of Gauthier, “He’s going to be in the ‘Rocket Richard’ conversation for years to come. He shoots the puck from absolutely everywhere.”

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Atop the list were veteran names like Nikita Kucherov, David Pasternak, Kirill Kaprizov, and Mitch Marner at 1-4, respectively. Gauthier was the youngest player on NHL Network’s list. 

The 2025-26 season was Gauthier’s second full season in the NHL, one where he tallied 69 points (41-28=69) in 76 games, leading the Ducks in both points and goals en route to the franchise’s first playoff appearance in eight years and their first trip to the second round in nine. 

In the 2026 NHL Playoffs, Gauthier again led the Ducks in scoring with 12 points (4-8=12) in 12 games. They lost to the eventual Western Conference Champion Vegas Golden Knights in six games during their second-round series after defeating the reigning Conference Champion Edmonton Oilers in six games in the first round. 

Gauthier was originally a draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers (5th overall in 2022) and was acquired by Anaheim in Jan. 2024 in exchange for defenseman Jamie Drysdale (6th in ’20) and a 2025 second-round pick (Jack Murtagh). He made his NHL debut in the Ducks’ last game of the 2023-24 season and scored 44 points (20-24=44) in 82 games in his rookie year (2024-25), before breaking out as a sophomore. 

Rupp was completely correct in his evaluation of Gauthier’s biggest strength: his shot and his ability to get his shot off. Last season, Gauthier led the NHL in shot attempts per 60 minutes (25.58) by a significant margin, eclipsing second-place Dylan Guenther (23.14) by over two shot attempts/60. Gauthier finished second in the league in SOG/60 (12.95) and goals/60 (1.88) while his 41 goals were good enough to tie for 11th.

One can’t help but believe Gauthier is just scratching the surface of his goal-scoring potential, as he accomplished what he did in just his second professional season with the least TOI/G (17:15) and the third-lowest shooting percentage (14.4%) among the NHL’s top-25 goal-scorers. 

It’s also expected he’ll play a more significant role for the Ducks moving forward, and as he continues to develop, both at 5v5 and on special teams. He played just the fifth-most minutes among Ducks forwards at even strength (14:08 TOI /G) and on the power play (2:48 TOI/G) in 2025-26. 

He’s established himself as the NHL’s best young scorer and a cornerstone core piece of the present and future of the Anaheim Ducks organization. He’s currently without a contract and is projected to receive a sizable payday, preferably before the start of Anaheim’s 2026 training camp in Sept.

The Ducks are in a predicament where they will be forced to rely on the entirety of their youthful core (Leo Carlsson, Gauthier, Jackson LaCombe, Beckett Sennecke, Lukas Dostal) to take another considerable step in their progressions as star players at their respective positions. Gauthier provides the Ducks with the most difficult attribute to attain in the NHL (goal-scoring) and will be continuously relied on to provide the lineup with game-changing, instant offense for the foreseeable future.

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The Top 25 countdown continues with Tristan Broz, who could be hoping to finally see an extended look in the NHL this season after health issues derailed plans to bring him up over the last two years.

Catch up on the previous entries for this year:

Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25: Graduates and Departed players in 2025
Top 25 Under 25: The best of the rest
#25: Chase Pietila
#24: Ryan Miller
#23: Finn Harding
#22: Peyton Kettles
#21: Zam Plante
#21: Brady Peddle
#20: Melvin Fernstrom
#19: Tanner Howe
#18: Tomas Galvas
#17: Pierce Mbuyi
#16: Jake Livanavage
#15: Owen Pickering

#14: Tristan Broz, C

2025 Ranking: #16

Age: 23 (October 10, 2002)

Acquired Via: 2021 NHL Draft, 2nd round, 58th overall

Height/Weight: 6’0”, 204 lbs

Elite Prospects resume:

Broz was previously presented during the 2024-25 season from making his NHL debut— despite injuries that opened a potential spot for him in the lineup— by a diagnosis of mononucleosis that sidelined him for a month and a half.

He ultimately made his NHL debut during the 2025-26 campaign during a Nov. 26 win against the Buffalo Sabres.

Broz played 11 and a half minutes and registered two shots on goal in that game. He was sent back down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after a few days and, later in the season, once more saw injuries get in the way of a potential NHL call-up.

ROOKIE LAP FOR TRISTAN BROZ! 👏

Welcome to the National, kid 🐧 pic.twitter.com/4Ep6veoJXc

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) November 26, 2025

Broz was just heating up when the injury bug bit last winter. He had just recorded 10 points (four goals, six assists) in a five-game span, during which he was also named to the AHL All-Star roster, when he suffered an injury that sidelined him for the end of January.

He briefly returned before suffering another injury that again sidelined him, this time for 15 games.

Calvie finds the back of the net, and with that, Tristan Broz has himself a 4-point night! pic.twitter.com/5BmfmGmJ0y

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 10, 2026

Tic-tac-BROZ pic.twitter.com/WstNiQT1Gz

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 15, 2026

WELCOME BACK TRISTAN BROZ pic.twitter.com/FVzsQNF0JL

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 8, 2025

A wicked shot from Broz! pic.twitter.com/ycRghb4Mt4

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 12, 2026

That second injury came at an unlucky moment for both Broz and the Penguins. Sidney Crosby, Blake Lizotte, Noel Acciari and Rickard Rakell were all injured around that time, creating a potential spot in the roster for Broz.

“I could say, pretty definitively I think, that if he hadn’t gotten injured on Saturday in Cleveland, he would have been up and playing,” Kyle Dubas said about Broz at his trade deadline press conference March 6.

Broz didn’t end up making another NHL appearance last season, although he did return in time to help the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on their conference finals run.

Tristan Broz and the @WBSPenguins strike first. 🚨#WBSvsSPR | #CalderCup | @FloHockey

📺💻📲: https://t.co/xslzIvekI0pic.twitter.com/QKJ52TkBCH

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) May 23, 2026

Broz upped his production during the AHL postseason, which he finished having recorded 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 15 games.

He was still overall down on his season-long performance this season when interviewed after the WBS Penguins’ playoff elimination by the Toronto Marlies (h/t Pittsburgh Hockey Now).

“I think I honestly fell way short of the expectations that I had for myself, for a myriad of different reasons,” Broz said in June.

He added, “I think there’s obviously a lot more work to be done, and I think I got closer to taking it to the place that I want to go, but like I said, obviously wasn’t quite what we needed to have happen.”

The Penguins raised some questions about Broz’s future role with the team by signing Tommy Novak to a three-year deal running through the 2029-30 season.

With Crosby, Novak, Ben Kindel and Blake Lizotte projected to fill up the Penguins’ center depth chart, Broz may need to wait for another injury need to get his next shot at the NHL.

Staying healthy for if that moment comes could be key to Broz’s hopes at getting another shot at the Penguins’ roster next season. Until then, he’ll likely be expected to play as a center option for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton alongside David Gustafsson, acquired in the trade for Jack St. Ivany, and 2025 first-round pick Bill Zonnon.

Montreal Canadiens centerman Phillip Danault will be playing the last year of his six-year, $5.5 million cap-hit contract this season, and by the time the campaign ends, he will be 34 years old. The veteran struggled mightily in a diminished role last season with the Los Angeles Kings and looked like a shadow of himself when Kent Hughes repatriated him. The move was a godsend for the pivot, who had only put up five assists in 30 games in LA; he added six goals and as many assists in 45 regular-season games with the Habs.

However, it wasn’t for his offensive production that Hughes decided to get the forward back; it was for his responsible two-way game and his knack for winning faceoffs. Danault felt he didn’t have Jim Hiller’s trust in LA, and that hurt him; he was quick to point out that the trust Martin St-Louis put in him in Montreal was a game-changer. The Victoriaville native rewarded that trust handsomely in the playoffs.

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Whenever there was a lead to protect, St-Louis would deploy both Nick Suzuki and Danault on the ice, giving himself centers to take faceoffs, one lefty and one righty, a great card to have up your sleeve. In those 19 playoff games, Danault not only put up two goals and eight assists for 10 points, but he also kept at a 58.4% success rate at the faceoff dot.

What can we expect from Danault this season? More of the same, really. He knows he’s no longer a top-six option, and he both embraces and takes pride in his role as a shutdown center. Speaking to Danault at the tail end of the season, it was evident that he was impressed by what Hughes, Jeff Gorton and Martin St-Louis have put together in Montreal, and there is little doubt that he’ll be interested in seeing it through.

12 years into the NHL season, the NHL veteran has yet to win a Stanley Cup. In the four years he made the playoffs with the Kings, they crashed out in the first round (having the Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid in your division will do that to you), and this past season in Montreal, he got yet another taste of a deep run after making the Final with the Habs in 2021.

Once again this season, the Habs will be one of the youngest teams in the league, and Danault’s veteran presence will once again be very useful, especially since the Habs are very light in left-shot centers. Nick Suzuki, Oliver Kapanen, Jake Evans and even Michael Hage are all right-shots. If Danault wants to keep playing beyond this season, it feels like there could still be room for him in Montreal, especially with his specialized skill set. This season will be an audition for the veteran, a chance to show that he can still play an important role on the team and that the younger centers’ progression has not yet caught up to him.

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