PensBurgh’s 2026 edition of the Top 25 Under 25 countdown rolls on with Avery Hayes, a young forward who emerged as a legitimate bottom-six option after making his NHL debut last season.

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, D
#24: Ryan Miller, F
#23: Finn Harding, D
#22: Peyton Kettles, D
#21: Zam Plante, F
#21 (bonus): Brady Peddle, D
#20: Melvin Fernstrom, F
#19: Tanner Howe, F
#18: Tomas Galvas, D
#17: Pierce Mbuyi, F
#16: Jake Livanavage, D
#15: Owen Pickering, D
#14: Tristan Broz, F

#13: Avery Hayes

2025 Ranking:No. 18
Age: 23 (Oct. 10, 2002)
Acquired Via: Signed with WB/S Penguins as undrafted free agent before 2023-24 season
Height/Weight: 5-foot-10, 174 pounds

Elite Prospects resume:

It was a season to remember for Avery Hayes.

Working his way up from an undrafted forward in the American Hockey League, Hayes was called up for his NHL debut in February 2026, scoring two goals in his debut game against the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 5.

Hayes’ two-goal first period put him in rare company, making him just the seventh player in NHL history to accomplish the feat in his debut.

“I can’t really put it into words,” said the 23-year-old forward after his debut. “I’m just excited to see my family after they were able to make the trip. So, I have no words right now, but it was a ton of fun.”

Hayes would then be re-assigned to the AHL during the Olympic break, where he notched a hat trick in his next AHL game back before recording another three-goal game 11 days later.

AVERY HAYES CAPS OFF THE HAT TRICK IN OVERTIME🎩@WBSPenguins | #WBSvsHERpic.twitter.com/R1i5GBoBZZ

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) February 8, 2026

Hayes went from scoring twice in his NHL debut to struggling to consistently produce at the NHL level when games resumed after the Olympics, illustrating the challenge of making the jump to the world’s best league.

After that two-goal debut, Hayes went pointless between Feb. 26 and March 14. He would score his third career goal in an 8-3 win over the New York Islanders on March 30 before notching two more goals in the team’s regular-season finale, a 7-5 loss to the St. Louis Blues on April 14.

GOALIE ASSIST FROM ARTURS SILOVS!!! 🍎

And Avery Hayes has his second of the night…

📺: @espn ➡️ https://t.co/m0LyTCHYnHpic.twitter.com/vhTe9S6Av7

— NHL (@NHL) April 15, 2026

Hayes played 16 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, deployed primarily as an “energy guy” in a bottom-six role, scoring five goals while averaging 11:10 of ice time per game.

Five goals in 16 NHL games isn’t a huge sample, but it does suggest Hayes has some finishing ability that could make him more than a purely energy-line player if he can maintain it over a larger sample.

Hayes finished the 2025-26 AHL season at a nearly point-per-game clip, registering 39 points over 42 games. He also recorded 48 regular-season penalty minutes. In the Calder Cup playoffs, Hayes added another three goals and 40 penalty minutes in 15 games as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins reached the Eastern Conference Finals.

The AHL production is what makes Hayes particularly intriguing. His 24 goals ranked first among Wilkes-Barre/Scranton forwards, despite Hayes missing time while in the NHL. His 39 points in 42 games also made him one of the team’s most productive offensive players.

Over 131 regular-season AHL games, Hayes has provided plenty of spark for the Baby Penguins, recording 53 goals and 90 points along with 112 penalty minutes.

There are higher-ceiling players elsewhere in the Penguins’ prospect pool, but few can match Hayes’ combination of NHL experience, AHL production and proximity to a regular NHL job.

He could be deployed in a bottom-six role given his speed, tenacity and finishing ability. Still, the challenge now is determining whether that offensive production can consistently translate to the NHL.

Hayes has the makings of a pest-like forward, able to get under an opponent’s skin while creating offense through his forechecking. He offers the coaching staff an always-valued “energizer” as a complementary piece.

His biggest obstacle may ultimately be opportunity. The Penguins’ forward depth chart is currently bursting at the seams, leaving Hayes with little margin for error as he tries to secure a regular NHL job.

At this juncture, Hayes looks less like a guaranteed NHL player and more like one of the Penguins’ most intriguing call-up options when injury or ineffective play from other forwards strikes.

After going undrafted and working his way to the NHL, though, that’s a pretty good place to be at 23 years old.

It's officially another season, another prospects ranking for the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

In years past, this has been a bit easier of an exercise, as there used to be a more clear-cut line between prospects with NHL upside and longshots. However, because of the work that general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas and his staff have put in during the last several years, the line is blurring a whole lot more - and there is a substantially higher volume of talent in the system. 

This time around, making a top-20 list was challenging. So, a few criteria were put into place: To make our list, prospects must be under the age of 26 and have played less than 50 NHL games. This excludes names such as Ben Kindel, Filip Hallander, Oliver Okuliar, and Alexander Alexeyev.

At No. 14, we covered Tanner Howe, whose translatable skillset could just render him a fast-lane ticket to the NHL. At No. 13, we spotlight another seventh-rounder - the other being forward Kale Dach at No. 19 - whose substantial growth may come as a bit of a surprise, but it's a pretty big development for the Penguins and their future on the blue line. 

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No. 13: D Finn Harding

GOAL. Finn Harding with patience and his point shot through traffic finds the back of the net.

3-1 #WBSPens with 3:48 left in 2nd period.

Jack St. Ivany & Zach Urdahl (1st career AHL point) get the assists. @InsideAHLHockeypic.twitter.com/i6pky4TK2F

— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) March 14, 2026

If there is a position of weakness in the Penguins' prospect pool, it is probably on the blue line, as they have a whole lot of unknowns and lower-ceiling prospects in that department but not a whole lot of surefire NHL bets.

But even if Harrison Brunicke is, by far, the most promising defenseman in the system, that doesn't mean he's the only one looking like a future NHL mainstay.

Harding, 21, just completed his first full year of professional hockey within the Penguins' organization, primarily with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins. This was after a 2024-25 OHL season with the Brampton Steelheads when he registered seven goals and 57 points in 67 games to go along with a whopping plus-46. 

That plus-46 followed a plus-39 season, and it was succeeded in the pros during the 2025-26 season with a combined plus-39 between the Wheeling Nailers - former ECHL affiliate of the Penguins - and WBS. Even if plus-minus is a largely arbitrary stat nowadays, that's not necessarily the case with Harding in particular.

Top-20 Penguins' Prospects 2026, No. 14: Feisty Forward Showing Why He Belongs In ProsNext up at No. 14 on THN's Top-20 Penguins' Prospects list is a tenacious, relentless, skilled forward with a mean streak who could work his way onto the NHL roster sooner rather than later.

The number speaks not just to how much he's been contributing on offense - he did have four goals and 26 points in 61 games last season, with all but seven of them played in the AHL - but also to how sound and reliable he has been defensively. Harding is quickly putting himself in the same conversation as NHL-upside defensemen in Brunicke, Owen Pickering, and Tomas Galvas, and it's because of how his two-way game is blossoming.

And, quite frankly, that's not bad for a guy who was selected 223rd overall in 2024.

Harding's combination of hockey smarts, defensive instincts, reliability, physicality, and offensive upside make him an intriguing option on the right side. He has excellent gap control, his stick work is impressive, and he has the ability to establish positioning and push attacking players to the outside, making him an effective defender against the rush and one-on-one. He has enough offensive ability to be an effective secondary option on the power play and in a lineup, and he is skilled with the puck on his stick in the offensive zone and in transition.

ATLEY CALVERT. 5-0 #WBSPens with 2:39 left in the 2nd period.

Relentless work along the wall by WBS, and Calvert finishes a rebound at the net.

Great play by Finn Harding creeping in from the right point on the primary assist. Aidan McDonough added a secondary assist.… pic.twitter.com/PzIlfU6Gyv

— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) May 23, 2026

Harding could stand to improve his skating and mobility a bit more, and that's the biggest knock on his game. But he is an astute pupil, and the organization is impressed with his ability to apply what he has learned.

"He's a spectacular kid," director of player development Tom Kostopoulos said during development camp. "He's intelligent, he's open to learning, and he absorbs information and direction maybe better than any kid we have in our organization. Anything you tell him, you can tell he learns it and he works at it.

"So, he had a good year for his rookie year. He defends hard, he's physical, he's got an undercover little snarl and edge to him, which I like. And he brings some offense. He's plus-30-something in Wilkes-Barre. That doesn't happen by accident. Coaches love him, teammates love him, he's a hockey nerd, and he's got a bright future."

It seems Harding is very much dictating the terms of his future, which looks a whole lot bigger and better than it did two years ago, when he was one of the three final selections in the 2024 draft. If he continues to push his ceiling and heighten expectations, the Penguins may very well have themselves a solid, reliable, two-way bottom-four defender in the near future.

Harding has been, perhaps, the shining example of a successful story in development within the system, and things can only go up from here for him and the Penguins. 

Top-20 Penguins' Prospects 2026, No. 15: Newly Drafted Center Has High Offensive UpsideNext up at No. 15 on THN's Top-20 Penguins' Prospects list is a cerebral, tactical center who led WHL scoring last season and has even more untapped offensive potential.

The list so far:

- Honorable mentions

- No. 20: D Chase Pietila

- No. 19: C Kale Dach

- No. 18: LW/C Ryan Miller

- No. 17: C Zam Plante

- No. 16: G Joel Blomqvist

- No. 15:C Markus Ruck

- No. 14:LW Tanner Howe

- No. 13: D Finn Harding

Top-20 Penguins' Prospects 2026, No. 16: Netminder Entering Huge 'Prove-It' SeasonNext up on THN's Top-20 Penguins' Prospects list is a goaltender who, while still believed to be a valuable part of the team's future, is entering a pivotal season for his career.

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Forward Andrei Kuzmenko was one of a few players the Pittsburgh Penguins signed when free agency started on Jul. 1.

They signed him to replace Anthony Mantha after the latter had a career 2025-26 season, finishing with 33 goals and 64 points in 81 games. Mantha was on a one-year contract and was coming off a torn ACL before the Penguins gave him a great opportunity. 

Mantha ran with that opportunity, and the Penguins are hoping that Kuzmenko will do the same after finishing last season with only 13 goals and 25 points in 52 games.

Kuzmenko burst onto the scene in his debut NHL season with the Vancouver Canucks in 2022-23, racking up 39 goals and 74 points in 81 games. He also shot 27.3% that season. 

Since then, he has only compiled one 20+ goal season (2023-24) and has played on three other teams (Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings, and Philadelphia Flyers). He will be on his fifth NHL team in five seasons when the 2026-27 season starts in September. 

The Penguins will likely give him plenty of minutes in the top nine and an opportunity to hit the 20-goal mark for the third time in his career. I hinted at it a bit in my piece about Ben Kindel on Monday, but Kuzmenko feels like a natural fit for the third line. He can finish off the chances that Kindel sets up and gives the Penguins some added depth for that line. 

Kuzmenko can also fill in for someone in the top six if injuries arise or if someone is struggling. Going off that, I'd bet that we at least see some minutes with him and Evgeni Malkin on the ice at the same time. It's something that Penguins head coach Dan Muse may experiment with a little bit, even though Kuzmenko is still a strong fit for the third line. 

Another area that Kuzmenko will be a strong fit for is the Penguins' power play. He won't be on the top unit, but he should 100% be utilized on the second unit. He played 155:31 on the PP for the Kings last season and scored eight of his 13 goals on that unit.

Top-20 Penguins' Prospects 2026, No. 14: Feisty Forward Showing Why He Belongs In ProsNext up at No. 14 on THN's Top-20 Penguins' Prospects list is a tenacious, relentless, skilled forward with a mean streak who could work his way onto the NHL roster sooner rather than later.

The power play comes naturally to him, so it would only be fitting for the Penguins' coaching staff to put him there. 

I think there's a real shot for him to bounce back and score 20 goals this year. We've seen the Penguins take on two reclamation projects in Anthony Beauvillier and Anthony Mantha, and both turned out to be great signings. 

Besides, if the Penguins are out of it by the trade deadline, Kuzmenko could get flipped to a contender for an asset or two. If they're still in it or in a playoff spot, they'd probably be happy to keep him, as they did with Mantha this past season. 

All of the Penguins' top free agency signings from last year hit in a major way. Let's see if Kuzmenko can help history repeat itself this year. 

(Data via Natural Stat Trick).

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Matt Savoie enters an important season as his contract expires at the end of the 2026-27 season, and he becomes an RFA. By this time next summer, his team will be talking with the Oilers about the first long-term contract of his NHL career, and recent deals around the league suggest the price of young forwards is climbing faster than it has in years.

The salary cap is rising, and several players in similar stages of their careers have signed contracts that would have seemed crazy a few seasons ago. Ville Koivunen signed for $4 million for eight years with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Collin Graf signed for $4.25 million at three years with the San Jose Sharks, Cole Sillinger took took 4.624 for three years with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Jet Greaves signed for $5 million for three years with the Blue Jackets, and Jamie Drysdale took $6.5 million for four years with the Philideplphia Flyers.

And those are the contracts under $10 million. Savoie has not produced at that level, so those contracts are not direct comparables to where he will sign. They are an illustration of where the market has moved for promising talent entering their early twenties. Teams are paying for the years ahead as much as production that's already been produced, particularly when they believe the player is capable of becoming a fixture in the top six.

Edmonton has held that belief since acquiring Savoie from Buffalo. His junior résumé has 263 points in 283 WHL games between Winnipeg and Moose Jaw. Buffalo drafted him ninth overall because of how well he could produce. The Oilers acquired a player they believed still had another level to reach, and his first full NHL season did little to discourage that.

Savoie enters training camp as one of the candidates to skate alongside Leon Draisaitl, with Kasperi Kapanen also expected to compete for that role. As well as the potential to play on McDavid's wing depending on how the lineup shakes out. A productive year beside one of the league's best centres would raise his value.

Time To Remove Oilers As Canada's Best Chance For a Stanley Cup?Skeptical fans argue the Canadiens have overtaken Edmonton as Canada's premier contender. Yet, despite a disappointing early playoff exit, the Oilers' superstar core remains the safest championship bet.

That's also why both parties might want to consider signing this summer. The Oilers could maybe get a better deal on the premise of saying "we know you have a bright future, but we can't exactly pay you too large of a sum for things you haven't done yet." And Savoie might want to sign before all the money gets spent on McDavids next extension, if there even is one.

There is another element unique to this negotiation. Savoie grew up in nearby St. Albert, played much of his minor hockey in the Edmonton area and still has family and close friends in the community. Hometown connections often become part of the discussion when players reach the point where they can choose where they want to spend the prime of their careers. Oilers fans have always embraced local players, and the possibility of seeing another Alberta product commit to the organization for much of his twenties would undoubtedly resonate with this community.

A contract in the range of eight years with an average annual value between $4 million and $5.5 million would compensate him well for what he has done for the organization and what he can do. That projection assumes Savoie secures a regular top-six role and continues to build on the progress he showed during his first full NHL season. 

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The NHL may have 32 teams heading into the 2026-27 season, but expansion talk resurfaces every offseason, and the league will inevitably feature 33 or 34 teams one day. Recently, The Athletic launched a series that produced a mock Expansion Draft for a fictional 33rd team, based on the 2026-27 rosters. 

Considering how deep the Calgary Flames are in their rebuild, the writers opted not to select any players from the club, with many under 25. Instead, they selected goalie Devin Cooley, who just became Dustin Wolf's backup last year. The 29-year-old from California compiled a 10-10-6 record in 31 games, producing a 2.69 GAA and .909 SV%. In 2023-24, Cooley made his NHL debut with the San Jose Sharks, going 2-3-1 in just six games. 

Revisiting Cooley's Path to the NHL

Before earning a full-time backup role with the Flames last season, Cooley played parts of five seasons in the AHL, appearing in 112 games and posting a 53-41-13 record with a respectable .902 SV% and 3.07 GAA. Moreover, he has built a professional hockey career with stops in the USHL, the ECHL, and with Team USA at the recent World Championships. 

Calgary General Manager Craig Conroy signed Cooley to an extension on Dec. 30, 2025, giving him another two years at $2.7 million, the biggest deal of his career. 

After taking the long route to a regular NHL job, if Cooley ended up with the fictional 33rd NHL team The Athletic drafted, he'd be hard-pressed to find a spot in a stacked crease. The writers took five goalies in their mock draft, including Filip Gustavsson (Minnesota), Sebastian Cossa (Utah), Leevi Merilainen (Ottawa), Artur Akhyuamov (Toronto), and Cooley. 

Flames Recent History with Expansion Drafts

Because of the rules regarding the protection lists in Expansion Drafts, The Athletic decided to go with the 7-3-1 model, letting the Flames keep Jonathan Huberdeau, Mikael Backlund, Matt Coronato, Connor Zary, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Yegor Sharangovich, Zach Whitecloud, Kevin Bahl, Brayden Pachal, and Wolf. 

When the Seattle Kraken joined the NHL in 2021, the Flames protected several superstar names, all of which have since departed the organization except Backlund. Calgary's last protected list also included Dillon Dube, Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm, Andrew Mangiapane, Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk, Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Jacob Markström. In the end, the Kraken selected Mark Giordano, who would go on to become the expansion team's first captain. 

Meanwhile, when the Vegas Golden Knights came into existence in 2017, the Flames' protection list included several names from the 2021 one, including Backlund, Gaudreau, and Monahan, but also featured Sam Bennett, Michael Ferland, Michael Frolik, Curtis Lazar, T.J. Brodie, Dougie Hamilton, Mike Smith, and then-captain Giordano. The Golden Knights selected Deryk Engelland, who helped the expansion team reach the Stanley Cup Final in June 2018.

Although there is no official Expansion Draft on the horizon, it won't stop fans and media from talking about the possibilities, if and when the moment comes to fruition. Given the youth movement in Calgary, it will be a fascinating time for the club, which will need to sort out their no-movement clauses with several of their core players, knowing that whoever they leave unprotected is someone they may have developed from the draft up to the NHL. 

A former Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick is making his way to the Abbotsford Canucks. 

23-year-old Isaac Belliveau, who was drafted in the fifth-round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, has been signed to a one-year AHL contract by Abbotsford. 

The 6-foot-2, left-shot defenceman has spent the past three seasons split between the AHL and ECHL. He skated for the Wheeling Nailers in 2023–24, putting up 14 goals and 24 assists in 70 games with the Penguins’ ECHL-affiliate. The 2024–25 season saw him play in more of a split, skating in 22 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and 25 with the Nailers. 

After being traded to the Buffalo Sabres in June of 2025 as part of a deal for defenceman Connor Clifton, Belliveau played for the Rochester Americans in the AHL. He skated in 36 games and scored a goal and five assists. 

Belliveau played out his junior hockey career in the QMJHL, spending around two seasons with Rimouski Océanic and nearly three with Gatineau Olympiques. He put up a career-high of 53 points in 62 games with Rimouski during his rookie QMJHL season in 2019–20.  

In 2023, Belliveau signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Penguins, but did not end up playing for the team. After being traded to Buffalo, he did not receive a qualifying offer. 

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The Montreal Canadiens have not been very busy this off-season when it comes to bringing in new talent.

Although this is the case, the Canadiens still have some time to change that before the start of the 2026-27 season.

When looking at the Canadiens' current roster, it is fair to argue that they could use another right-shot defenseman to improve their depth. Due to this, one player who could make sense for the Canadiens to bring in is Nashville Predators blueliner Nick Perbix.

If the Canadiens acquired Perbix, they would be adding a 6-foot-4 right-shot defenseman who could work well on their bottom pairing. However, he could also be useful to have around when injuries arise during the season. 

Perbix would also be an affordable option for the Canadiens, as he has a reasonable $2.75 million cap hit until the end of the 2026-27 season. Due to this, there would be no risk in the Canadiens bringing him in to improve their blueline depth. 

Perbix appeared in 79 games this past season for the Predators, where he recorded three goals, 13 points, 95 blocks. He also recorded at least 19 points in each of his three previous seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning. This included during the 2023-24 season when he recorded a career-high 24 points in 77 games. With that, he has shown that he has the potential to provide a little bit of offense from the point. 

Overall, if the Canadiens want to add another right-shot defenseman without needing to give up a lot, a solid blueliner like Perbix could make sense for them.

One of the Montreal Canadiens' most promising youngsters has received a big shout-out.

This is because TheHockeyNews.com has named Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler as one of the NHL's top goalie breakout candidates to watch for the 2026-27 season.

There is no question that Fowler has the potential to have a big year for the Canadiens next season. The 21-year-old goalie has big upside and has already shown a lot of promise early on in his NHL career.

Fowler proved that he was NHL-ready during the 2025-26 season, posting a 9-6-2 record, a 2.43 goals-against average, and a .908 save percentage in 17 appearances. Overall, he had a strong start to his NHL career.

Now, the Canadiens will be hoping that the 2023 third-round pick continues to head into the right direction this upcoming season. If he can put together a big breakout year and form a top-of-the-line tandem with Jakub Dobes, it would be massive for a Canadiens club that is looking to be among the NHL's best teams in 2026-27. 

It will be very interesting to see what Fowler can do as an encore this campaign. The young goalie has a plethora of potential.

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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. 

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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

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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. 

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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. 

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 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. 

Follow Michael on X, and Instagram @MikeInBuffalo