Category: Ice Hockey

With things picking up on the offer sheet front and in the RFA market in the days following NHL free agency, the Pittsburgh Penguins have some bigger rumors swirling about them.

It may not be a very high-profile RFA move like some want, but they did make an RFA-related signing on Friday.

The Penguins came to terms on a two-year deal with RFA forward Hendrix Lapierre, who was extended a qualifying offer on Jun. 30. The contract is worth $1.3 million annually.

Lapierre, 24, had his RFA rights traded to the Penguins by the Washington Capitals on Jun. 25 for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick.

Penguins Acquire Forward Hendrix Lapierre From CapitalsIf Pittsburgh Penguins' fans are hoping for GM and POHO Kyle Dubas to be active leading up to the 2026 NHL Draft on Friday and Saturday, it appears the first domino may have fallen.

The former first round pick (22nd overall in 2020) never quite fully found his footing in parts of four seasons with Washington, amassing just 13 goals and 47 points in 158 NHL games with the Capitals. The 6-foot, 190-pound center has played in a bottom-six role to start his career, and he joins what currently looks like a crowded forward group.

Already having 14 forwards listed on their NHL roster, the Penguins will have some decisions to make. With rumors about the Penguins being involved in some trade discussions - most notably, pertaining to RFA superstar forward Jason Robertson - going around, it's possible that the number of forwards on their NHL roster will decrease by the time training camp rolls around.

As of Friday, Pittsburgh has yet to sign RFA forwards Egor Chinakhov and the newly acquired Nicholas Robertson, and they also figure to come to terms with RFA goaltender Arturs Silovs. 

Jason Robertson And The Pittsburgh Penguins Might Make More Sense Than You ThinkThe Dallas Stars and Jason Robertson appear to be on the verge of a potential breakup - and the Pittsburgh Penguins may actually make a great deal of sense as trade partners.

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The writing had been on the wall for Mads Sogaard for a while now.

After seven years in the Senators organization, the 25-year-old goaltender officially left the club on Wednesday, signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

With so many big NHL headlines flying around on July 1st, Sogaard's exit flew under the radar a little, but his departure wasn't exactly a surprise.

Over the past two weeks, the Senators acquired Samuel Ersson from the Toronto Maple Leafs and then committed to restricted free agent Leevi Merilainen on a one-year contract extension.

With Linus Ullmark entrenched as the starter, there simply wasn't a path forward for Sogaard in Ottawa, nor had he earned one. The Sens also have to start getting better looks at goalies like Jackson Parsons and Kevin Reidler.

The Great Dane's exit marks the end of another goalie graveyard story in Ottawa.

The Senators believed enough in Sogaard back in 2019 that they traded up to select him 37th overall in the NHL Draft. At 6-foot-7, he immediately became one of the most intriguing goaltending prospects in hockey. You can't teach size, as they say, and combined with his .921 save percentage in his draft year with Medicine Hat (WHL) he was hard to resist.

Among goalies, Sogaard went second overall in that draft behind only Spencer Knight.

There was always a sense that if everything came together, Ottawa might have found its goalie of the future. But injuries became the ongoing theme. Every time Sogaard appeared ready to build some momentum, another setback seemed to interrupt his progress.

In his six years as a pro, thanks to injuries, Sogaard has only appeared in 162 professional games. 

Last season was another difficult one. Sogaard played 27 games for Belleville, posting a 7-13-4 record with a 3.69 goals-against average and an .874 save percentage. He also made two appearances with Ottawa.

One of those games turned out to be one of the best performances of his NHL career.

On January 25, Sogaard stopped 20 of 21 shots in a stunning 7-1 victory over the eventual Stanley Cup finalist Vegas Golden Knights. Afterward, he spoke emotionally about everything it had taken just to get back to the NHL after another injury setback. It felt like a breakthrough moment, and perhaps the beginning of another opportunity.

Instead, it proved to be one final NHL highlight before the Senators moved in a different direction.

Sogaard became a Group 6 unrestricted free agent, and Tampa Bay will now see if there's still an NHL goalie in there waiting to emerge. 

Søgaard remains tied for the distinction of being the tallest goaltender ever to appear in an NHL game at 6-foot-7, sharing the record with, among others, former Lightning star Ben Bishop. Tampa also acquired Bishop from Ottawa in 2013, and he went on to have four outstanding seasons.

Tampa would love to see Lightning strike twice.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News 

This article was first published on The Hockey News Ottawa Senators site. For full coverage of the Senators, check out one of the latest headlines below:

Senators Walk Away From Belleville Sniper Who Scored 40 Goals This Season
Are The Senators Planning To Carry Three Goalies On Their Roster?
Former Senators Defenseman Joins Belleville's Coaching Staff
Former Sens Goalie Traded To Rangers As Sens Continue To Pick Up Part Of His Tab

Senators Officially Sign Samuel Ersson As Their Backup Goalie
Meet The Future: Senators Draft Offensive Skill With Two First-Round Picks
At A Glance, Senators' Draft Day Trades Are Head Scratchers
Brady Tkachuk Had a Chance to Write His Own Story. He Chose Matthew's

The Flyers are making a bold swing for one of the best young players in hockey. 

Philadelphia announced Friday that it tendered a five-year, $90 million offer sheet to Ducks center Leo Carlsson, putting Anaheim on the clock and risking four first-round picks in the process.

The offer carries an $18 million average annual value, which would make Carlsson the highest-paid player in the NHL, topping Oilers star Leon Draisaitl’s $14 million AAV and even the Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov’s $17 million mark he’s set to make next season.

But the draft-pick compensation may be the bigger part of the gamble.

If Anaheim declines to match, the Flyers would land a star center yet to enter the prime of his career — but only after surrendering their first-round picks in each of the next four drafts. 

If the Ducks match, Philadelphia will have at least forced Anaheim into a massive contract for its 21-year-old franchise cornerstone.

The Ducks have seven days to decide whether to match the Flyers’ offer or accept the picks.

Ducks reporter Zach Cavanagh wrote that “four other teams” gave an offer sheet to Carlsson and added that Anaheim isn’t expecting to make a decision Friday. 

It’s a stunning move for Flyers general manager Daniel Briere, who is attempting to accelerate Philadelphia’s timeline.

The Flyers made the playoffs for the first time since 2020 last season, the first under head coach Rick Tocchet, before falling to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes in the second round. 

Carlsson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, has 141 points in 201 career games, including 29 goals and 38 assists for 67 points in 70 regular-season games last season. 

He also added 11 points in 12 playoff games during Anaheim’s postseason run.

The Penguins reached an agreement with one of their restricted free agents on Friday getting Hendrix Lapierre to ink a two-year contract with an AAV of $1.3 million.

From the team:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Hendrix Lapierre to a two-year contract, it was announced today by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas.

His contract runs through the 2027-28 season and carries an average annual value of $1.3 million.

Lapierre, 24, spent the 2025-26 season with the Capitals, skating in 74 games and tallying four goals, 12 assists and 16 points. Lapierre has spent the past five seasons in the Capitals organization, splitting time between Washington and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Hershey Bears. In 158 career NHL games, the 6-foot, 195-pound forward has recorded 13 goals, 34 assists and 47 points and tallied career highs during the 2023-24 season when he registered eight goals, 14 assists and 22 points in 51 games.

The two-time Calder Cup Champion (2023, ’24) has played in 113 career AHL games, recording 27 goals, 52 assists and 79 points, while adding 31 points (10G-21A) in 48 postseason games. During the Bears’ run to the 2024 Calder Cup, with Penguins’ Assistant Coach Todd Nelson as the bench boss, Lapierre was named the Playoffs MVP while recording a postseason-high 22 points (7G-15A).

Lapierre was originally drafted in the first round (22^nd overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft by Washington.

Pittsburgh traded third and fifth round picks to Washington last week to acquire Lapierre. The Pens still have six more restricted free agents to go, including Egor Chinakhov, Arturs Silovs, Nick Robertson and others who finished the previous season in the minor leagues, with about $27 million in cap space that will be more than enough to sign that group and still have some flexibility for future moves.

Pavel Dorofeyev had spent plenty of time in the Tri-State Area before he put pen to paper on a seven-year, $77 million deal with the Rangers last month. 

Since beginning his transition into a full-time NHL role in 2022, the Russian wing has trained with Ben Prentiss in Stamford, Conn., alongside many other NHLers and a multitude of Rangers.

The familiarity he already has not only with Manhattan, but also with some of his new Blueshirts teammates, should help Dorofeyev settle into his new team after experiencing his first ever trade from Vegas. 

To also have his lucrative contract signed and sealed, Dorofeyev is free to focus entirely on hockey as he begins this new chapter of his young career. 

“Yeah, I mean, it’s a great thing,” he said about his new deal in his first interview as a Ranger on a Zoom call from Russia Friday morning. “But I’ve been around the area for the past year. It’s great to be a Ranger. I’m thankful for the whole organization that they believed in me and they traded for me.” 

Crediting his agent, Rick Komarow, for setting him with Prentiss, Dorofeyev reveled in the fact that he ended up signing a long-term contract around the same area he was spending his offseasons training in. 

For some 25-year-old’s in the league, the jump to a new team, a new state and a new market can be overwhelming.

But Dorofeyev’s seemed unfazed by the acclimation process he is sure to go through as training camp inches closer. 

Coming off a career season (37 goals, 27 assists in 82 games) and a strong playoff showing (12 goals, 16 points in 22 games), Dorofeyev will be at least partially charged with replacing the lost production of perennial leading scorer Artemi Panarin. 

“Obviously, it feels great, but I don’t plan to stop,” Dorofeyev said of where his game is at. “I still have time to get better at certain points of my game, and usually I’m just focused on the game, not trying to beat myself.” 

The expectation is that Dorofeyev will slot into the top six and onto one of the two power play units.

Setting career highs with 20 power-play goals and 30 power-play points, Dorofeyev can certainly bolster what was already a top-five power play in the NHL last season. 

Asked if he felt any pressure to help lead the Rangers through this retool, Dorofeyev reveled in that, too. 

“I think pressure is kind of a privilege,” he said. “I’ve been dealing with pressure all my life. I’m just looking forward to join the team and do my best helping any way I can.”

With just one day before July 4, the Philadelphia Flyers chose violence. On Friday the team signed Anaheim Ducks mega-star restricted free agent Leo Carlsson to a staggering five-year, $18M AAV offer sheet, which would make him the highest-paid player in the NHL by yearly earnings and do it by a substantial margin.

The figure for Carlsson eclipses that of Kirill Kaprizov, who the Minnesota Wild signed to a $17M AAV contract last year, which was the previous highest mark. Swelling NHL contracts are a sign of the times, with the sport’s popularity meaning increasing TV deals, growth in the salary cap, and whispers of expansion on the wind.

Carlsson is one of the brightest young stars in the NHL. The 21-year-old just completed his third season in league since being drafted with the No. 2 overall pick in 2023, and has shown exponential growth. In 2025-26 he finished with 67 points in 70 games, and the record-breaking money being offered by Philadelphia proves that they believe he can quickly become an elite, 100-point player.

Two questions now remain:

Firstly, will the Ducks match the offer sheet? The team has seven days to decide if they want to match the Flyers’ offer and retain their RFA. The Ducks have more than enough cap space to make it work, currently sitting $35M under the salary cap for the 2026-27 season.

Secondly, is Carlsson worth it? While there are so many reasons to be hopeful about the 21-year-old’s future, this offer doesn’t come without mammoth risk for whichever side ends up with him. An $18M AAV deal means he absolutely needs to become a Top 10 player in the NHL within the next season or two, or this would be a colossal bust. The tea leaves are certainly there to say Carlsson can become that guy, but ultimately you’re still projecting how a very young player will grow moving forward.

If the Ducks chose not to match the offer sheet and relinquish Carlsson to the Flyers, they will get colossal draft compensation. Draft picks are based off the money being spent on the player, and the $18M AAV deal means that Philadelphia will give up their first-round pick for the next four years if they are able to land the star.

Now begins the gamesmanship. Do the Ducks believe that Carlsson can make Philadelphia so much better than those four draft picks will be largely meaningless? Can they envision a future without their young star? Are they prepared to sink that much money of their cap into him moving forward? Those questions will be answered in the next week.

Either way, Leo Carlsson is now the highest-paid player in NHL history.

July 1 may have passed, but there are still some interesting players who remain unrestricted free agents. Interestingly, a handful of the top remaining UFAs played are former Blackhawks.

This is because Patrick Kane, Matt Grzelcyk, Philipp Kurashev, and David Kampf all remain unsigned.

Out of these four former Blackhawks, Kane is, of course, the most notable player. The Blackhawks legend is still an impactful top-six winger at this stage of his career, posting 57 points in 67 games last season with the Detroit Red Wings. The idea of him returning to Chicago is a fun thought but also very unlikely. He will likely head to a contender if he does not re-sign with Detroit. 

After posting 12 assists in 69 games last season with the Blackhawks, Grzelcyk is still unsigned. The 5-foot-10 defenseman had to earn a contract through a PTO from Chicago last year after posting 40 points in 82 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2024-25. Will he get a contract from another NHL club more quickly this summer? 

After not receiving a qualifying offer from the Blackhawks last summer, Kurashev signed with the San Jose Sharks and had a decent 2025-26 campaign. In 43 games, the 6-foot forward had seven goals and 20 points. Teams looking for more secondary offensive production could consider signing the 26-year-old. 

As for Kampf, the 31-year-old center posted two goals and six points in 40 games last season split between the Vancouver Canucsks and Washington Capitals. He doesn't offer a lot of offense, but he works well in a bottom-six role because of his strong defensive play and thrives at the faceoff dot. 

The NHL will have a new highest-paid player, and it's happening via the offer sheet route.

The Philadelphia Flyers announced on Friday, July 3, that they have tendered a five-year, $90 million offer sheet to the Anaheim Ducks' Leo Carlsson. The $18 million average will move Carlsson, 21, past the Minnesota Wild's Kirill Kaprizov, who's averaging $17 million starting this season.

The Ducks have seven days to decide whether to match the offer. If they don't, they will receive four first-round draft picks from the Flyers.

Carlsson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft, had 29 goals, 38 assists for 67 points in 70 regular season games last season with the Ducks. He added 11 points in 12 playoff games to help lead Anaheim to the second round.

The Philadelphia Flyers have just put the entire NHL notice, signing Leo Carlsson to the boldest offer sheet we have seen in a long time.

Carlsson, 21, signed the Flyers' offer sheet Friday, a five-year pact that carries a monstrous $18 million AAV, which would make him the highest-paid center in the NHL on a $90 million deal.

Within the rules of the NHL's compensation bracket, the Flyers would be required to give up their next four first-round picks to the Anaheim Ducks if they choose not to match.

The Ducks will have seven days to match.

Carlsson, the second overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, erupted for 29 goals, 38 assists, and 67 points in 70 games with the Ducks this season, then added another four goals and 11 assists in 12 playoff games.

Report: Flyers Expecting Claude Giroux Reunion on 1-Year DealA potential reunion between the Philadelphia Flyers and Claude Giroux is gaining major steam.

This move is the Flyers calling the Ducks' bluff, as the Ducks have made it clear they intent to match any and every offer sheet Carlsson receives.

Now, general manager Danny Briere and the Flyers have asked the Ducks to prove it.

It is worth noting that, at the time of this writing, the Ducks have $35 million in cap space, but they still need to re-sign ex-Flyers prospect Cutter Gauthier, who is also a restricted free agent, as well as defensemen Tyson Hinds and Pavel Mintyukov.

Additionally, the entirety of the right side of the Ducks' defense has departed in free agency, with Jacob Trouba (San Jose), Radko Gudas (Florida), and John Carlson (Tampa Bay) all moving on to new teams.

If the Flyers are successful in their offer sheet and the Ducks do not match, they will be left with $11 million in cap space, still needing to re-sign Trevor Zegras, Nikita Grebenkin, and Jamie Drysdale.

If Samuel Montembeault being cast aside during the Montreal Canadiens’ playoff run wasn’t a clear enough sign that he had become surplus to requirements, the three-year contract extension Kent Hughes signed with Jakub Dobes on Thursday certainly is. The netminder had a spectacular fall from grace last season after making Team Canada for the 4 Nations Face-Off, leaving little doubt that the Habs would like to move him, but not at any cost.

A lot of masked men have changed allegiances over the last few days; Jacob Markstrom has been traded to the Florida Panthers, just like Akira Schmid, leading to Sergei Bobrovsky signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Detroit Red Wings traded Sebastian Cossa to the Utah Mammoth during the draft. The Edmonton Oilers’ never-ending search for a goaltender worthy of Connor McDavid continued with the signing of veteran Frederik Andersen. Samuel Errsson became a frequent flyer (no pun intended), going from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Leafs in a deal involving Joseph Woll before the Swede was flipped again to the Ottawa Senators. Eric Comrie signed with the San Jose Sharks, Daniil Tarasov signed with the Red Wings, Calvin Pickard signed with the Minnesota Wild, Pheonix Copley signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Vitek Vanecek signed with the New York Islanders, and Stuart Skinner signed with the Winnipeg Jets.

Who Will Fill Former Canadiens’ Gallagher’s Shoes?
The Canadiens Are In Dobes’ Corner
Canadiens Prospects Shine Bright

Speaking of the Jets, Connor Hellebuyck is reportedly on the market as well; he’s perhaps the biggest name, and once Winnipeg manages to move him, Montembeault may draw more interest from those who lost out on the Jets’ three-time Vezina Trophy winner, or even from the Jets themselves. Despite failing to perform in the playoffs, Hellebuyck is still generating a lot of interest, and it makes sense. Jordan Binnington is entering the last year of his contract with the St. Louis Blues, and his play in the 4 Nations Face-Off and the Olympic gold medal game makes him an intriguing option, even if his NHL stats haven’t been great of late. Furthermore, he did lead the Missouri outfit to a Stanley Cup in 2018-19.

When Hughes spoke to the media after inking Ivan Demidov to an 8-year contract extension, he was asked whether there was a market for Montembeault, and he replied: "Yes." It’s a fair assessment, but it feels like some more dominoes need to fall before Montembeault becomes another team's backup plan. He had a horrendous season last year, but he didn’t forget how to be a goalie out of the blue, and someone’s bound to want to take a chance on him. Unlike Brendan Gallagher, though, Hughes won’t trade him just to trade him; he’ll want something in return, and if all else fails, all three goalies could still be in Montreal at the start of camp. There’s a long way to go before it gets to that, and as the Canadiens’ GM has shown over the years, he doesn’t mind waiting for the right deal to come along.

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For the first time in seven years, Sergei Bobrovsky will suit up for a team that is not the Florida Panthers.

On July 1, the 37-year-old netminder inked a three-year, $7 million contract with a division rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bobrovsky will be the No. 1 netminder in the hockey mecca, reuniting with Anthony Stolarz and looking to help deliver a Stanley Cup to Toronto for the first time since 1967.

Earlier today, Bobrovsky spoke to the media for the first time as a member of the Maple Leafs, expressing excitement about joining the organization. But what may have caught more attention were his comments about his exit from the Panthers.

Bobrovsky was very appreciative of his time and understands the business of hockey. 

“Well, it’s a business. The organization decided to move a different direction, and that’s pretty much it,” Bobrovsky explained when asked why things fell through. “I respect that. I got nothing against it, so that’s hockey... In my position, again, as I said, I just want to keep only the appreciation and thank for everything what they have done for me.”

Bobrovsky also talked about when he knew he wouldn’t be returning to the Panthers organization. 

“To be honest, I thought I’m gonna stay in Florida,” Bobrovsky admitted. “But things work out like how they work out and the Leafs put their trust in me, they put out their belief and they gave me good opportunity to join the historical legendary team and be part of this organization.”

“Oh, it’s pretty much when that last day, when the trade happened with Jacob Markstrom. So that was pretty much the year.”

Former Panthers Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky Signs Three-Year Contract With Atlantic Division RivalsThe Sergei Bobrovsky era in Florida is over, as the 37-year-old has signed a three-year, $7 million AAV contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

There were plenty of reports circulating around Bobrovsky and the Panthers’ goaltending situation leading up to the Markstrom trade. Some reports indicated the Panthers were targeting Connor Hellebuyck, but those odds decreased significantly when the Panthers acquired Brady Tkachuk.

Regarding Bobrovsky, some insiders believed he was seeking a max-term contract, while others indicated he wanted a contract of similar value to his previous deal. 

In the end, Bobrovsky was given a very reasonable three-year, $21-million contract, one of similar value to Markstrom’s two-year, $6 million AAV. 

In the end, no animosity is apparent from either side. The Maple Leafs and Panthers should be back as playoff contenders and could very well meet at some point in the playoffs.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have made multiple moves so far this off-season. Yet, when looking at their roster, it is fair to argue that they should not be done yet. 

The Penguins could use another left-shot defenseman after trading Parker Wotherspoon to the Vegas Golden Knights. When looking at the remaining unrestricted free agents (UFAs), Logan Stanley stands out as a prime potential option for them to consider.

If the Penguins signed Stanley, he would provide them with a 6-foot-7 tough defenseman who could play on either their second or third pairing. He would also work well on their penalty kill because of his shutdown ability.

Stanley's age also adds to his appeal, as he is 28 years old and right in his prime. Because of this, the Penguins could comfortably sign him to a multi-year contract. 

In 76 games last season split between the Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres, Stanley posted nine goals, 17 assists, 26 points, 110 hits, and 128 penalty minutes. With numbers like these, he would provide the Penguins' blueline with a bit more offense and plenty more grit. With this, he could be a player worth taking a chance on. 

The Philadelphia Flyers have added to their forward depth by signing a former first-round pick.

According to PuckPedia, the Flyers have signed forward Nolan Foote to a one-year, two-way contract. At the NHL level, Foote will have an $850,000 cap hit. 

Foote appeared in 12 games last season for the Florida Panthers, where he recorded one goal, six penalty minutes, and 27 hits. He spent the majority of the season in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers, though, posting 14 goals, 18 assists, and 32 points in 54 games. 

Foote was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, 27th overall. In 42 career NHL games over six seasons split between the New Jersey Devils and Panthers, the 6-foot-3 forward has recorded seven goals, three assists, 10 points, and 59 hits. 

Foote will now likely serve as a veteran forward for the Flyers' AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. However, he also could be a call-up candidate for Philadelphia when injuries arise during the season. 

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Detroit Red Wings prospect goaltender Sebastian Cossa had reached a crossroads with the organization that selected him in the opening round (15th overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft. 

He was no longer waivers-except, and was in need of a new contract with restricted free agency looming on July 1. Rather than extend him, the Red Wings traded him to the Utah Mammoth in return for the 23rd overall pick in the 2026 Draft. 

Since then, Cossa has signed a two-year contract with a $2 million salary cap hit, while the Mammoth traded backup goaltender Vitek Vanecek to the New York Islanders. Right now, it appears as though the road is paved for Cossa to begin his NHL career. 

He only has one game of NHL experience under his belt, having come in to relieve Ville Husso against the Buffalo Sabres in December 2024; he helped the Red Wings earn a 6-5 shootout victory. 

While speaking on the final day of Development Camp, Red Wings Director of Player Development Dan Cleary attested to Cossa's character.

"Sebastian is a good man," Cleary said. "I really liked working with Sebastian. He's on the goalie side, and I like to tell him, 'I don't really know a lot about goalies, but I certainly know a lot about character and trying to help you and move along.'" 

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

Cleary concluded by saying that he's happy for Cossa's new opportunity in Utah.

"Sebastian is a really good person," he said. "I'm happy for him that he gets an opportunity in Utah, and I wish him all the best." 

Red Wings Trade Goaltender Sebastian Cossa To Western Conference Sebastian Cossa will not be part of the Red Wings future, as he's been traded to the Utah Mammoth in return for the 23rd overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Cossa finished what would be his last season with the Griffins going 26-8-4, recording a 2.33 goals-against average along with a .915 save percentage.

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The past week has only been Maksim Sokolovskii's first taste of action as a Philadelphia Flyers prospect, but if his performance against his peers says anything about his future, look out.

Sokolovskii, 17, was drafted 27th overall by the Flyers in the 2026 NHL Draft earlier this month, and while many bemoaned the choice because he fits the "big guy hits hard" mold, there is actually so much more depth to the 6-foot-7 defenseman's game than that.

At development camp, the London Knights product flashed everything he has to offer: effortless skating, strength, confidence, a good defensive stick, and... dangles with the puck on his stick!

No, really, Sokolovskii can do it all. This isn't to say that the new Flyers prospect is a world-beater or finished product--far from it--but it should reinforce the Flyers' belief that the defender has sky-high upside as a player.

Mechanically, Sokolovskii's skating needs some work, and he can still be loose and awkward when handling the puck. The good news is that the Flyers have five or six years to develop that, on top of his superhuman size and strength.

Sokolovskii's performance in the 3-on-3 tournament to finish out the Flyers' development camp was his most impressive of the week by far, giving a glimpse of what he can be if everything goes right in his development.

Maksim Sokolovskii is elite

Drew this penalty shot after going between his legs on a breakaway attempt right before pic.twitter.com/fwjUGhdlbR

— Jonathan Bailey (@ByJonBailey) July 3, 2026

Again, yes, it is a development camp against other prospects and camp invites.

The highlight of the 2026 first-round pick's morning was the penalty shot attempt he converted on draft classmate Martin Psohlavec, going backhand-forehand and scoring blocker side.

How did a defenseman like Sokolovskii get a penalty shot in a 3-on-3 game, you might ask?

The Kazakh defender was all over the ice, constantly getting north in open space to receive pucks and create offensive opportunities. Sokolovskii frequently demanded the puck from his teammates, and was astonishingly effective at creating offense from behind the opposing net--a long way from the point at the blue line.

It was easy to see Sokolovskii's daredevil personality coming out on the ice; to draw the penalty shot, he made an audacious attempt at a between-the-legs shot on Psohlavec, drawing a hook from a back-checking defender in the process.

With his absurdly long reach, Sokolovskii was also able to consistently create second- and third-chance opportunities, even after he and his teammates lost the puck or missed on a scoring chance.

The first of those resulted in a Jack Nesbitt goal from the high slot, with Sokolovskii supplying the assist from behind the net. Another came courtesy of Alex Bump a few shifts later.

"Sokolovskii, he likes to go, he actually likes to handle the puck. He has some things he's going to have to learn, but we want him to be trying things, especially in this environment," Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said after Friday's tournament.

Sokolovskii flipped a switch over the past 10-ish minutes of game time, and is now pulling off stuff like this pic.twitter.com/Ba2fouJJ73

— Charlie O'Connor (@charlieo_conn) July 3, 2026

"You want him to try to make plays and get up ice and take himself out of his comfort zone. I think all these players, whenever you get to junior or the American league, you play safe and try not to make mistakes and all this stuff. When you're a young player, especially junior and minor leagues, we want you to try things, just try to improve. Every player wants to be an offensive guy and score goals and make plays, and obviously they're going to be defense-first, but then we want guys to join the rush. Modern-day NHL, you need guys coming in a second wave to score."

This is less about making Sokolovskii out to be Quinn Hughes or Cale Makar, or even Zdeno Chara or Victor Hedman, and more about showing what his full potential could be like down the road.

Sokolovskii was one of the youngest players in the entire 2026 draft class, not turning 18 years old for another week, which leaves him plenty of developmental runway.

Naturally, Sokolovskii is the star of the show simply because of his anomalous size, but his development camp showing proved that he has quite the bag of tricks in his locker, too.