Jonathan Bailey of The Hockey News has reported that the Philadelphia Flyers could be a potential landing spot for New Jersey Devils goaltender Nico Daws. The Devils, however, should consider their history before shopping Daws to other teams. 

Should Flyers Consider Trade for Unheralded Devils Goalie Prospect?The Philadelphia Flyers may have temporarily patched up their goalie issues for now, but even GM Danny Briere admitted that won't always be the case.

Daws, 24, has played in the NHL in previous seasons when the Devils’ starters were unavailable due to injury. New Jersey currently has Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen locked in as its goaltending tandem for the upcoming season.

Markstrom, 35, is entering the final year of his six-year, $36 million contract. He joined the Devils last season, appearing in 49 games with a .900 save percentage.

Allen, also 35, re-signed with New Jersey on July 1 to a five-year, $9 million contract after initially being expected to test free agency. He had been linked to teams with goaltending needs, including the Flyers, before returning to the Devils.

With Markstrom and Allen set as the top two goaltenders, Daws remains the organization’s third option in net. Drafted 84th overall in 2020, he has primarily played for the AHL’s Utica Comets but has appeared in 52 NHL games, recording 22 wins and a .898 save percentage.

Daws has stepped in at the NHL level during multiple seasons, 2021-22, 2023-24, and 2024-25,  including six games last season.

Both of the Devils’ current NHL goaltenders are 35 and have dealt with injuries in the past, factors that may influence whether the team decides to retain Daws or explore trade options before his contract expires.

While it may be appealing to the Devils to trade Daws this season before his contract expires, it would not be smart given the team's history. 

Daws has been ready whenever the Devils need him. He has shown up, done what needs to get done, and helped the team when called upon. 

The Flyers, along with other teams are looking for goaltenders. 

The Devils shouldn’t consider trading Daws to another team; what they should consider is making him a more permanent member of the roster moving forward. 

Nico Daws’ Future: Trade Bait or Asset?Nico Daws is currently in an interesting position as the third-string goaltender for the New Jersey Devils. Opinion: Nico Daws Is a Part of the Devils' FutureThe year was 2021. It was October, and both of the New Jersey Devils’ goaltenders were out with injuries. In need of an emergency starter, the team turned to 21-year-old Nico Daws, the 84th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.

Photo Credit: © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Two goaltenders in the 3ICE Summer Tournament are eyeing potential futures with the New Jersey Devils organization.

Jeremy Brodeur and Keith Kinkaid both took the ice in Florida for the three-on-three tournament, which is held annually during the NHL offseason as an opportunity for current, former, and aspiring players to compete in a fast-paced, friendly format.

The event is now heading into its final four round, featuring No. 4 Minnesota, No. 3 Tennessee, No. 2 NJ/NY, and No. 1 Buffalo.

Leading the Buffalo team in net is former Devil Keith Kinkaid.

Kinkaid joined New Jersey in 2012-13 as an undrafted free agent and went on to play six seasons with the team, appearing in 41 games across the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. In total, he spent 10 seasons in the NHL, playing primarily with American Hockey League affiliates, and is now looking to return to the league. His strong showing in the tournament could draw interest from teams, especially with the current NHL goaltending market thin and several clubs in need.

“Right now, I just want to keep playing,” Kinkaid told NHL.com. “We’ll see what happens. This is a great opportunity to show I still have it. My body is holding up very well… Any opportunity is fine with me.”

Kinkaid isn’t the only player in the tournament with ties to the Devils.

Jeremy Brodeur, son of Devils legend Martin Brodeur, also competed. The Brodeur name is synonymous with New Jersey hockey. Martin leads the NHL in both games played and shutouts and now serves as the Devils’ executive vice president of hockey operations.

Jeremy has spent the past decade playing in the AHL, ECHL, and international leagues. Most recently, he split time last season between the Devils’ AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, and their ECHL affiliate, the Adirondack Thunder. In Utica, he appeared in five games, and with Adirondack, he played 24 games, posting a .905 save percentage.

Brodeur suited up for the Buffalo 3ICE squad, and while his team was eliminated, the 28-year-old left a strong impression.

“I definitely get a couple more eyeballs on me when they see my last name,” Brodeur told NHL.com. “But I’m just trying to do my thing—work on my game and improve every day.”

Both goaltenders are looking to make a push for a Devils roster spot, though openings are unlikely with Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen currently locked in.

The Devils’ presence at the tournament didn’t stop there. The NY/NJ 3ICE team was coached by Ken Daneyko, former Devils broadcaster and three-time Stanley Cup champion.

From the bench to the crease, the organization was well represented at the 3ICE Tournament, with former, current, and hopeful Devils all sharing the ice.

Image Credit: © Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Former Detroit Red Wings forward Brett Hull, who joined the team ahead of the legendary Stanley Cup-winning 2001-02 NHL season, turns 61 years old today. 

His place in the Hockey Hall of Fame upon his retirement in 2005 was assured, as he was a first-ballot inductee after scoring 741 goals as well as being named a three-time first-team NHL All-Star and a two-time Olympian.

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

Hull, who won the Stanley Cup twice (1999, 2002), is regarded as arguably the greatest NHL player from the United States (Hull was born in Canada but played for the United States internationally throughout his entire career). 

While other players (like future Red Wings Mike Modano and Patrick Kane) could legitimately stake their claim to that title, do Hull's career accomplishments stand out from theirs? 

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There really isn't a whole lot in recent NHL history that could top the summer of 2001 for the Detroit Red Wings, which ultimately set the stage for what would be the 10th Stanley Cup in franchise history. 

Following their shocking loss in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Red Wings decided to re-tool rather than rebuild, and they signaled that they weren't going anywhere when they acquired Dominik Hasek from the Buffalo Sabres. 

One day later, the Red Wings snagged Luc Robitaille, who had just helped the Kings beat them in the postseason. Right away, the Red Wings were once again the prohibitive favorites to be the last NHL team standing the following June.

Just when it appeared that the Red Wings were set with the roster as it was, an opportunity arose to acquire yet another future Hall of Famer - Brett Hull, who turns 61 years old today. 

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

The Red Wings made Hull's signing possible by asking players like Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahn, Nicklas Lidstrom and Chris Chelios to defer some of their salary to accommodate Hull on the books, a request they all immediately replied in the affirmative. 

While many expected Hull to play on a line with Yzerman or Shanahan or perhaps Sergei Fedorov or Igor Larionov, he was instead assigned to play with a young and shy Russian rookie who didn't speak English yet by the name of Pavel Datsyuk.

Years later, Hull would describe Datsyuk as "the sickest player I've ever seen". 

“Going out to dinner, it’s Yzerman, Shanahan, Fedorov, Larionov… this is a Hall of Fame table,” Hull explained looking back on the legendary 2001-02 Red Wings roster. “And lo and behold, this kid shows up at training camp. Pavel Datsyuk. They put me with him.“He doesn’t speak English, but he is the sickest player I’ve ever seen in my life." 

Datsyuk’s creativity and agility thrilled hockey fans in Detroit for more than a decade, ultimately earning him a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame and making him the 10th Hall of Famer from the Red Wings’ 2001–02 team. 

Datsyuk played with Hull and fellow youngster Boyd Devereaux, forming what Hull famously referred to as the "Two Kids and a Goat" line. The following season, Devereaux was replaced on the line by another highly-touted rookie, future Red Wings team captain Henrik Zetterberg. 

After playing against Detroit for years with the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars, Hull proved to be the final piece of the puzzle that resulted in the Stanley Cup being skated on Joe Louis Arena ice on June 13, 2002. 

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The Buffalo Sabres should be in the market for an impact top-six forward after dealing winger JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth for defenseman Michael Kesselring and winger Josh Doan, but the opening weeks of free agency did not provide GM Kevyn Adams with an opportunity to replace Peterka’s production, and with the two-year deal signed earlier this month with defenseman Bowen Byram, Adams will have to try to acquire a scoring forward with younger players, prospects, and/or draft picks. 

Colorado forward Martin Necas is someone the Sabres were rumored to have interest in last summer, before he signed a two-year bridge deal with Carolina before he was traded mid-season to the Avalanche in the Mikko Rantanen deal. The 26-year-old ended up fitting in nicely in place of Rantanen, and ended last season with a career-high 83 points (27 goals, 56 assists). 

Other Sabres Stories

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Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

The issue for both the Avs and a team potentially trading for Necas is his willingness to sign a contract extension a year out from unrestricted free agency. For Colorado, it looks to be playing out like Rantanen 2.0, since they have to reserve room to extend Cale Makar next summer, and likely would not be able to afford to re-sign Necas and the reigning Norris Trophy winner. The other dilemma for the Avs is trading a key cog in their Stanley Cup aspirations for the usual return of a rental. 

For Buffalo, would they be willing to trade significant assets for Necas if there was no guarantee that he would re-sign there? 

What Would It Cost?

GM Kevyn Adams would only trade for Necas as a pure rental if the Sabres were in the race for a playoff spot and had a good chance to snap their 14-year drought. The cost at that point would be a first-round pick (top-10 protected), a prospect with promise like Noah Ostlund or Devon Levi, and another piece (an additional draft pick, a secondary prospect, or NHL depth forward). 

If the Sabres had confidence that they could extend Necas or if they could sign him outright, than the prospect would have to be converted into a young NHL forward with promise (Zach Benson or Jiri Kulich) along with the first and another piece. 

 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo

TheHockeyNews.com’s exclusive summer splash series continues, as we rate the off-season of every NHL team. In these rankings, we’re looking at each team’s additions, departures, hirings and firings – and from there, we’re slotting them into one of three categories: (1) teams that have improved over the summer, (2) teams that have regressed, and (3) teams that are somewhere in the middle of those two categories.

In today’s file, we’re officially moving into the top tiers of the off-seasons of the final teams – the teams that have clearly gotten better. There’s still another tier after this one – it’s our teams that have greatly improved – but for now, teams that are in this section of our summer splash rankings should be feeling confident they can do good things this year, in one aspect or another.

Today’s file brings us to Team No. 9 – the Utah Mammoth. The Mammoth made some calculated moves to improve their bottom line, and as we’ll explore below, Utah has improved in every prime position. So let’s break down the Mammoth’s summertime moves – moves we believe will help Utah make a sustained push for a Stanley Cup playoff berth next year:

Additions

JJ Peterka (RW), Brandon Tanev (LW), Nate Schmidt (D), Vitek Vanecek   

The Breakdown: The Mammoth were the NHL’s 21st-overall team when it came to offense last year, posting a goals-for average of 2.93. So Utah GM Bill Armstrong had the primary task of adding scoring firepower. And that’s exactly what he did by essentially moving out underachieving winger Matias Maccelli in a trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and replacing him with former Buffalo Sabres winger JJ Peterka. 

That’s a terrific tradeoff for Armstrong, as Peterka has produced 55 goals combined in the past two seasons. The business element of the game also improved for Utah with Peterka signing a five-year, $38.5-million contract that has an average annual salary cap hit of $7.7-million.

Meanwhile, Armstrong also added former Winnipeg Jets winger Brandon Tanev to shore up Utah’s fourth line, and he improved his defense by signing former Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt and goalie Vitek Vanecek as goaltending insurance. And after all that, Armstrong still has $6.6-million in cap space to spend during the year.

Departures

Matias Maccelli (LW), Michael Kesselring (D), Nick Bjugstad (C), Josh Doan (RW), Vladislav Kolyachonok (D), Robert Bortuzzo (D)

The Breakdown: As you can see above, the Mammoth did not part ways with anyone who was a firm part of the long-term future in Utah. Sure, young winger Josh Doan was seen by some as part of the plan for Armstrong, but he had to trade Doan to the Sabres in the Peterka deal. The Mammoth as an organization needed to convert some youngsters into veterans who can help the team win now, and so Doan became expendable.

Otherwise, Maccelli was moved out after he fell way below expectations last year. Kesselring was another part of the Peterka trade, while journeyman pivot Nick Bjugstad left in free agency. These were all role players in one shape or form, so Armstrong was right in moving off some of them to get win-now players like Peterka and Schmidt.

The Bottom Line

Unfortunately for them, the Mammoth play in the highly competitive Central Division. So, making the playoffs was always going to be tough sledding for Utah, especially given that Central powerhouses in Dallas, Colorado and Winnipeg all figure to be playoff locks next year.

That said, the Mammoth had some obvious needs, and Armstrong addressed all of them. In Peterka, Utah landed someone who should easily break the 30-goal mark this coming year. In Schmidt, the Mammoth got a recent Cup-winner who firms up their final pairing. And in Vanecek, Utah got a third goalie who can step in if injuries or underwhelming performances in net play a factor in the Mammoth’s standings position.

In any case, we think Armstrong has done stellar work this off-season. The Mammoth will be looking to push past a Central team like the Minnesota Wild and sneak into that fourth spot (and a playoff berth) next year, and we can definitely see it working out for them.

Utah now has the depth, skill and desire to be a playoff team. They were an above-average group before this off-season played out, and now, with training camp not so far off, Mammoth fans have every right to be excited about this team. They’re going to need discipline and focus, but Utah has what it takes to be a wild-card team.

Summer Splash Rankings

9. Utah Mammoth

10. New York Rangers

11. Detroit Red Wings

12. New Jersey Devils

13. St. Louis Blues

14. Pittsburgh Penguins

15. Colorado Avalanche

16. Ottawa Senators

17. Boston Bruins

18. Edmonton Oilers

19. Minnesota Wild

20. Seattle Kraken

21. Columbus Blue Jackets

22. Washington Capitals

23. Nashville Predators

24. New York Islanders

25. Tampa Bay Lightning

26. Toronto Maple Leafs

27. Dallas Stars

28. Calgary Flames

29. Los Angeles Kings

30. Winnipeg Jets

31. Chicago Blackhawks

32. Buffalo Sabres

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The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the best 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, but the organization’s developmental model has not yielded enough results. 

Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. All are 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 40 NHL games. 

Other Sabres Stories

Projecting Sabres Trade Cost - Bryan Rust

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

#34 - Riley Fiddler-Schultz - Forward (Rochester - AHL) 

 With Buffalo stacked with their own drafted prospects, the chances of an undrafted free agent making it to the NHL are slim, but the Sabres gave forward Riley Fiddler-Schultz a chance and thus far, he is taking advantage of it.

The 23-year-old has NHL bloodlines (his uncle Vern Fiddler played 877 games with Nashville, Phoenix, Dallas, and New Jersey), and Riley grew into a leadership role in junior with the WHL’s Calgary Hitman, becoming team captain in 2022 and leading the club with 75 points (31 goals, 44 assists).

The Sabres signed Fiddler-Schultz to a two-year AHL deal in 2023, and in his first professional season, he finished second in goals (23) for the ECHL’s Jacksonville Iceman and played six games for the Rochester Americans. Last season, he played exclusively for the Amerks and posted 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) in 51 games, which earned him a two-year, entry-level contract.

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo

Is it October yet? 

Unfortunately, no, but we're here to help pass the time. From Aug. 8 to Sept. 1, The Hockey News Nashville Predators will be counting down 24 players in 24 days, profiling every current or potentially rostered player. 

Today's player profile is defenseman Jordan Oesterle. 

As an NHL prospect 

Oesterle played his first year of juniors with the Sioux Falls Stampede during the 2010-11 season, scoring 15 points in 54 games. Going underrated, Oesterle committed to Western Michigan University and played there for three seasons. 

He attracted the attention of NHL teams following his junior season after 17 points in 34 games. Oesterle would then sign a two-year entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers, splitting time between Edmonton and Oklahoma City. 

Professional career 

Over three seasons in the Oilers organization, Oesterle played just 25 games with the Oilers before he signed as a free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks to start the 2017-18 season. He'd eventually find a rhythm on Chicago's third pairing, scoring 15 points in 55 games 

In the 2018 offseason, Oesterle was traded to the Arizona Coyotes, where he had the most successful stretch of his career. He played 172 games over a three-season stretch, scoring 44 points. 

He'd then sign with the Detroit Red Wings in the 2021 offseason, scoring 19 points in 97 games. 

Oesterle then made the move to Calgary, signing a one-year deal with the Flames and splitting time between the NHL and AHL for the first time since the 2016-17 season. He played 30 games with the Wranglers, scoring 19 points, and 22 games with the Flames, scoring two points.

Oesterle moved again, signing with the Boston Bruins on a two-year contract. He'd split time between Boston and Providence during the 2024-25 season, scoring six points in 22 games in Boston.

He was eventually waived by the Bruins and claimed by the Predators in March. Oesterle played 15 games in Nashville last season, scoring four points. 

Nashville took on a $775,000 hit in picking Oesterle up off of waivers. 

What role will he play this season? 

The Predators were in need of a defenseman last season due to injuries, so it makes sense that they scooped up Oesterle. 

Considering he is a veteran and was able to score in his short time with the Predators last season, he could be a good piece for the third pairing. Having Nick Perbix and Nic Hague now in the rotation makes it hard for Oesterle to move up, so he'll have to prove it in camp. 

They are going to need a lot more out of him in order for him to stay in Nashville the full season. He hasn't scored more than 10 points since the 2020-21 season and hasn't played more than half a season since the 2022-23 season. 

Oesterle needs to find a little bit more consistency and figure out if he wants to take an active role in scoring or supplement other players. 

How much Oesterle has moved over his career his also a bit alarming. Either the teams don't want to resign him, or he doesn't want to stay. He's been traded once and waived once, so only two moves were out of his control. 

If he gets bumped down to Milwaukee, who's to say the Predators won't waive him or if he'll try to leave. His contract does expire at the end of this season. 

If the Philadelphia Flyers are hoping to get the absolute most out of important trade acquisition Trevor Zegras, they need to avoid the mistake the Anaheim Ducks made in each of the last two years before dealing him away.

Publicly, the Flyers haven't committed to Zegras, 24, playing center for them full-time in the 2025-26 season.

But, the former top Ducks draft pick played left wing in each of the last two seasons, scoring just 18 goals, 29 assists, and 47 points in 88 regular season games.

Prior to that, Zegras had reached no fewer than 23 goals and 61 points in his only two full NHL seasons.

This offseason, much of the online discourse has centered around if Zegras plays center, and what happens if he doesn't play center.

Maybe I missed something somewhere along the line here, but there is simply no reason to take Zegras off the center position. How much of a coincidence can it be that a former No. 11 pick enjoyed the two most prolific seasons of his career playing his preferred position?

Faceoffs are a concern, yes; Zegras has cracked a 40% success rate on his draws just once in four seasons as a full-time NHL player.

But, that wasn't enough to hold back Jack Hughes, one of his buddies from the USNTDP, at this level.

In fact, the New Jersey Devils, particularly under the now-departed Lindy Ruff, solved this issue by pairing Hughes with Erik Haula, a defensively-inclined forward who excelled in the faceoff circle and otherwise played on the left wing.

The Flyers can do something similar with free agent signing Christian Dvorak, for example. But it shouldn't be the other way around, where Zegras plays the left wing for someone else.

Between Zegras, Jett Luchanko, and Jack Nesbitt, the Flyers should come away with at least two long-term, top-nine centers to build a contender with.

And, as long as the Flyers don't find themselves overachieving this season, they are still perfectly capable of landing that high-end piece to put the icing on the cake in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Plus, who knows how good Zegras can really be? He approached 70 points on a bad Ducks team in his age-21 season.

The Flyers, somewhat similarly to the Ducks, are finally aspiring to come up from the water and be a decent team.

That opportunity has to be exciting for a guy who got ran out of Anaheim, even after playing out of position for his teammates to try and win games.

Jakub Vrana's short stint with the Nashville Predators has officially come to an end. 

The forward signed with Linköping HC in the Swedish Hockey League on Friday. He played 13 games with the Predators last season, scoring three points and logging four penalty minutes.

Vrana returned to the Washington Capitals during the 2024-25 season, signing a one-year contract after a professional tryout agreement. 

After scoring 11 points in 26 games, Vrana was placed on waivers by the Capitals and was eventually claimed by the Predators. The Predators took on a $775,000 contract when claiming Vrana.

The Predators chose to not to sign Vrana at the end of the regular season. 

It's a true fall from grace for Vrana, as just five years ago, he had 52 points in 69 games and was two years off winning the 2018 Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals. He had a strong five-year stint in Washington before he traded to the Detroit Red Wings in 2021. 

Vrana has played with Linköping HC before. He played four seasons within the organization at various levels from 2011 to 2015 and at one point was the youngest foreign player in the history of the league. In 2014, Vrana was drafted by the Capitals 13th overall out of Linköping HC. 

A significant amount of success occurred during the era led by Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith in the 2010s. That doesn't mean that the Chicago Blackhawks didn't have legends put on their sweater before that. 

One of those legends is Denis Savard, who spent parts of his Hall of Fame career with the Blackhawks, spanning 13 years out of 17. 

Savard's best year came in 1987-88, where he set career highs in goals (44), assists (87), and points (131). Those 131 points were also the most that any Blackhawks player has ever had in a single season, a record that stands to this day. 

NHL (@NHL) on XSome of these point totals are so ridiculous... 🤯

The NHL put out a list of each team's single-season points leader in franchise history, and Savard's name is on the list for Chicago. Plenty of legends like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Mike Bossy are on the list. Some newer players who are on their way to significant careers, like Jack Eichel, Jack Hughes, and Clayton Keller, also find themselves on the list. 

Former Blackhawks superstars Marian Hossa and Artemi Panarin are there too, as they hold franchise records for other franchises. Hossa is the leader for the Winnipeg Jets franchise from when they were the Atlanta Thrashers (100 points in 2006-07), while Panarin is on there with the Columbus Blue Jackets (87 points in 2018-19). 

Savard's record in Chicago broke the mark previously set by himself in 1982-83. He has the four highest single-season totals in franchise history, all alone. Kane is 5th from his 110-point campaign in 2018-19. 

Although the Blackhawks have lots of young stars on the rise, it is hard to see any of them ever coming close to Savard's single-season record. Only a few players have reached that mark on other teams in recent memory. It's not easy in today's NHL. 

Savard, in addition to some of these single-season marks, has a very decorated career. He was a Stanley Cup champion, an All-Star, and was named as one of the NHL's 100 Greatest Players during the centennial season of the league. It's an understatement to call him a legend of the game. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

The Chicago Blackhawks moved on from multiple players this off-season. One of them was forward Andreas Athanasiou, as he became an unrestricted free agent (UFA) on July 1 after the Blackhawks did not re-sign him. Now, with the halfway point of August almost here, the 31-year-old is still looking for his new home.

Seeing Athanasiou still being a UFA at this juncture of the summer is understandable, as he had a tough 2024-25 season. He most notably was placed on waivers by the Blackhawks back in November and spent the bulk of the season at the AHL level with the Rockford IceHogs after not being claimed by another NHL team. 

Athanasiou appeared in just eight games for the Blackhawks in 2024-25, where he had one goal, six hits, and a minus-1 rating. Overall, he struggled to produce offense when with the NHL club this past season. Down in the AHL with the IceHogs this past campaign, he had 11 goals, 16 assists, and 27 points in 30 games. 

While Athanasiou struggled at the NHL level during the 2024-25 season, the possibility of him receiving a professional tryout (PTO) from a team before the pre-season is here would not be too surprising. Keep in mind, this is a player who posted 20 goals and 40 points in 81 games just back in 2022-23 with the Blackhawks.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see what happens with the former Blackhawk from here.

Blackhawks Intriguing Prospect Can't Be IgnoredThe Chicago Blackhawks have several exciting prospects who will be looking to cement themselves spots on their NHL roster next season. One interesting prospect who fans should not ignore heading into the 2025-26 season is forward Ryan Greene.

A decision has yet to be made regarding Matthew Tkachuk and potential offseason surgery.

Tkachuk recently spoke to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski about several topics ahead of the NHL 26 cover reveal, and during the chat, the issue of going under the knife sometime this summer found its way into the conversation.

After the postseason, when Tkachuk revealed that he’d been playing through a torn hip abductor and a hernia, he said that he was 50-50 on whether or not to have surgery.

Since then, Tkachuk has had his day with the Stanley Cup, gotten married and enjoyed some traveling.

Surgery?

Tkachuk told Wyshynski that the decision on having any procedure had yet to be made.

He also added that if he does have surgery, he would expect to miss 2-3 months of the regular season.

Recently, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Tkachuk was expected to miss the start of the season and return in time for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, which would sync up with Tkachuk’s timeline if he were to have the surgery.

If there is one thing we know about the Panthers, it’s that they are fine utilizing time during the regular season for players to get as healthy as possible for the games that really count: the playoffs.

Florida famously rested many of their key players down the stretch last season, despite the team seemingly fighting for positioning at the top of the Atlantic Division.

Did it matter that the Panthers fell to third and lost any home ice advantage they would’ve had during a potential Stanley Cup run? Nope.

Florida Head Coach Paul Maurice and General Manager Bill Zito agree that it’s better to have a healthier team playing on the road than a banged-up team on home ice.

The numbers back that up, as under Maurice, Florida has gone 8-1 in playoff series that they start on the road.

We’ll see how things play out with Tkachuk in the coming weeks, as a decision on surgery is likely to come sometime in the foreseeable future.

TEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA

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Stanley Cup returns to Finland for hometown visit with Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola

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Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk Joined By Brother And Father On Deluxe Edition Of EA Sports NHL 26

Florida Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist brings Stanley Cup to hometown in Sweden

Photo caption: Jun 12, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates scoring during the first period against the Edmonton Oilers in game four of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)

Since we are in August, the majority of this year's top unrestricted free agents (UFAs) have signed their new contracts. While this is the case, there are still some interesting veteran players looking for their new homes. One of them is former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jon Merrill.

Merrill spent this past season with the Minnesota Wild, where he recorded two goals, four assists, six points, 85 blocks, and a minus-8 rating. This was after the 12-year NHL veteran recorded four goals, seven assists, and 11 points in 65 games with the Wild during the 2023-24 campaign.

When noting that Merrill is among the top blueliners still unsigned, it would not be particularly surprising if he landed a one-year contract or professional tryout (PTO) from an NHL team before training camp is here. The 33-year-old could be a nice bottom-pairing or seventh defenseman for teams looking to improve their defensive depth.

In 13 regular-season games for the Canadiens during the 2020-21 season, Merrill recorded zero points, four penalty minutes, 10 hits, and a minus-11 rating. He also played in 13 playoff games for the Habs during the 2021 post-season. His time with the Habs ended during the 2021 NHL off-season when he signed with the Wild in free agency.

Canadiens Star Nearing New Impressive MilestoneMontreal Canadiens star Nick Suzuki was undoubtedly a major reason why the Habs got into the playoffs this past spring. He simply thrived for the Canadiens in 2024-25, as he scored 30 goals and led the team with an impressive 89 points in 82 games. With this, it was the best year of the Canadiens captain's career so far.