The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a busy summer, as they have brought in many new players.
While this is the case, it is fair to argue that the Penguins should not be done yet. The left side of their blueline could use more depth, as they did not re-sign Ryan Shea and traded Parker Wotherspoon.
While many of this year's top free agents have been signed, there are still some interesting players looking for new homes in the middle of August. Among them is defenseman Logan Stanley, and he could be a nice pickup for a Penguins club that needs more blueline depth.
If the Penguins added Stanley, he would give them another intriguing option for their bottom pairing. He would also provide them with a shutdown defenseman for their penalty kill.
Furthermore, with it now getting closer to September, it is very likely that Stanley could be had at an affordable price. On a short-term deal, the 28-year-old blueliner could be a strong fit on the Penguins' roster.
Stanley played in 76 games last season split between the Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres, where he recorded nine goals, 17 assists, 26 points, and 128 penalty minutes. With numbers like these, the 6-foot-7 defenseman would be a solid depth pickup for Pittsburgh. Let's see if they pursue him from here.
Heading into his third season in the NHL, San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini's accomplishments on the ice have been noticed by EA Sports.
Celebrini, 20, is going to be tied for the fifth-highest rated player in this year's iteration of the EA Sports NHL series, NHL 27, while also being featured on the cover. When the game releases early next month, Celebrini will have a 95 overall rating, which ties him with players like Sidney Crosby, Cale Makar, David Pastrnak, Aleksander Barkov, and others. Celebrini is tied for the fourth-highest rating for a center, behind Connor McDavid (99), Nathan MacKinnon (97), and Leon Draisaitl (96).
Celebrini wasn't the only member of the San Jose Sharks to have his rating released, as a total of nine Sharks have had their ratings revealed so far.
Will Smith is the second-highest rated Shark, with an 87 overall that puts him on par with players like Cutter Gauthier, Roope Hintz, Troy Terry, and numerous others. Darnell Nurse, Mason Marchment, Alexander Wennberg, Dmitry Orlov, and Jacob Trouba are all scheduled to start the game with an 85 overall.
Last but not least, veteran forward Tyler Toffoli and young goaltender Yaroslav Askarov will share a rating, as both are listed at 84 overall to start the year. Interestingly, Askarov is the only Shark so far without an "X-Factor ability" assigned to him.
The full list of Sharks rankings will be released when the game is available to the general public in September.
The Golden Knights are ready to gray-cefully move on.
One of the most recognizable looks in Vegas Golden Knights history is about to take a step into the past, with the franchise preparing to remove its traditional gray sweaters from the regular-season rotation and make room for a brand-new alternate look.
Vegas will still have its metallic gold home jerseys and white road uniforms, but the upcoming season will bring a third option to the lineup through the NHL’s new Hometown Remix initiative.
The program, developed in collaboration with Fanatics, is designed to give teams an opportunity to create uniforms that are more closely connected to their cities, their fans and the culture surrounding each franchise.
For the Golden Knights, that means a fresh sweater is coming — although the NHL and Fanatics are keeping the details under wraps for now. More information about the collection is expected to be revealed in the coming months.
The initiative also carries some significance for Fanatics. Hometown Remix is the company’s first uniform program since becoming the NHL’s official on-ice uniform outfitter in 2024 under a 10-year agreement with the league.
While Vegas’ new sweater will eventually take its place alongside the team’s gold and white jerseys, the old gray design won’t disappear completely.
Instead, the gray sweaters will be reclassified as throwbacks, giving the Golden Knights a chance to preserve one of the looks that helped define the franchise during its early years.
And considering how aggressively Vegas has embraced its identity since entering the NHL, the next chapter of the Golden Knights’ wardrobe could be just as bold as the franchise itself.
What do the fans think of the new jerseys? Your opinion is valuable to us. Let us know. The new season is about to begin! Training camp is nearly upon us.
The Philadelphia Flyers officially added another depth forward Wednesday, confirming some widely-reported news from the beginning of free agency.
Former first-round pick Nolan Foote, 25, joins the Flyers after spending the 2025-26 season in the Florida Panthers organization. The winger appeared in 12 NHL games with the banged-up Panthers last year, scoring one goal, while spending the majority of the season with the AHL Charlotte Checkers.
In 54 games with Charlotte, Foote recorded 14 goals, 18 assists, and 32 points, which is more or less in line with his previous campaigns in the offense department.
So, while Foote hasn't quite taken a step forward, he has an established floor, size, and a hard shot that he can and will put to use, even if the end result comes sparingly.
That floor is the primary appeal of the signing for the Flyers, who get a still-young player with NHL experience who can fill in for Denver Barkey and Alex Bump, as they are presumably going to graduate to the NHL level full-time in 2026-27.
The 6-foot-3 Foote was originally selected by Tampa Bay with the 27th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, but was later traded to the New Jersey Devils organization as the centerpiece of the Blake Coleman trade and spent five seasons there.
Foote's most productive NHL season was the 2021-22 season with the Devils, when he tallied three times in just seven games and added an assist.
The Denver, Colorado, native has not expanded on his game, however, as he has not grown into a reliable penalty-killer, something most fringe players need to do to take the next step in their pro careers.
Foote has the size, but he is not especially physical, nor is he fast, and that is why the Flyers have become his fourth stop since being drafted seven years ago.
For the 25-year-old Foote, it's a new opportunity to establish himself as a full-time NHL player.
He remains young enough to conceivably take a big but unexpected leap, but his immediate path to the Flyers' NHL lineup will depend on his performance in training camp and the preseason, as well as an injury opening up a place for him.
The Flyers have been surprisingly active in adding depth pieces this offseason, and Foote now joins that group in preparation for the rapidly approaching 2026-27 campaign.
The Montreal Canadiens have plenty of promising prospects in their system.
Among their most exciting prospects is Alexander Zharovsky, as the 19-year-old forward has the tools to become an impactful NHL player in the future.
After being selected by the Canadiens with the 34th overall pick of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, Zharovsky responded by having a fantastic rookie season in the KHL in 2025-26. In 59 games with Salavat Yulaev Ufa last season, he posted 16 goals, 26 assists, and 42 points.
Now, with the KHL pre-season being here, Zharovsky is only continuing to show a lot of promise.
Zharovsky scored a goal in his most recent pre-season game for Salavat Yulaev Ufa with an excellent snapshot on Tuesday. He also did so while playing at the center position, which is certainly promising to see.
Zharovsky will now be looking to continue to shine in the KHL once the regular-season is here. He certainly had a successful rookie season in the KHL, but it would be huge for the Canadiens if he takes another big step in his development this season.
Nevertheless, it is going to be very interesting to see what kind of season Zharovsky can have in 2026-27 from here. It is encouraging to see him already scoring a goal like this in the preseason.
The Buffalo Sabres have brought in multiple new players this off-season. Among their newcomers is Olen Zellweger, as they acquired him from the Anaheim Ducks earlier this summer.
The Sabres' decision to bring in Zellweger is easy to understand. They traded away both Bowen Byram and Michael Kesselring this off-season and let Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley leave in free agency. With this, it makes that they are taking a chance on a promising young defensman like Zellweger.
Zellweger has shown good promise early on in his NHL career. This was again the case this past season, as he scored seven goals and set new career highs with 15 assists and 22 points in 76 games with Anaheim.
Yet, when noting that Zellweger is only entering his fourth NHL season and is still just 22 years old, there is a clear reason to believe that he can have a true breakout season for Buffalo in 2026-27. The Sabres should also offer him plenty of opportunities to succeed when looking at their current blueline.
It would not be very surprising if Zellweger's all-around game improves further this campaign. He has the potential to become a more impactful puck-moving offensive defenseman, so it will be fascinating to see what kind of season he can put together for the Sabres in 2026-27 from here.
The Chicago Blackhawks have brought in multiple new players this off-season. Among the Original Six club's newcomers is Ian Cole, as they signed the left-shot defenseman to a one-year, $4 million contract in free agency.
While Cole may not be the flashiest of players, it is clear that he is going to have a very important role with the Blackhawks during this season.
It is no secret that the Blackhawks have a young blueline. Due to this, Cole is going to be expected to be a mentor for the Blackhawks' young defensemen as they continue to adjust to the NHL level.
Every young team needs veterans players like Cole as leaders, and the Blackhawks will be expecting him to be a valuable mentor in their room. He is certainly not a bad player to have around in this role, as he is entering his 17th NHL season and has played in 990 career games. It also does not hurt that he has won the Stanley Cup twice.
It will now be interesting to see how much of an impact Cole can make for the Blackhawks' young defensemen this season. In 82 games last season with the Utah Mammoth, the 37-year-old posted three goals, 20 assists, 23 points, 73 hits, and a plus-16 rating.
5 New Jersey Devils forwards were revealed on EA Sports NHL 27's list of the 300 highest-rated players in the game. Three of them, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Nico Hischier, were in the top-100. Hughes, in particular, is the 16th-best player and 8th-best center in the game.
Timo Meier and Anthony Mantha were the other two revealed, giving the Devils five forwards that could be considered above average.
On Wednesday, EA Sports revealed the ratings for the game's top defensemen and goaltenders. There are no current Devils goalies listed among the top 300 players, which is obviously a real-life concern for the team right now. Former Devils with rankings revealed include Scott Wedgewood (87), Mackenzie Blackwood (86), and Jacob Markstrom (84).
On defense, Brett Pesce's 87 overall rating makes him the best defenseman on the New Jersey Devils in the game. This also ranks him as the 10th-best right defenseman in NHL 27. According to the game's ratings, left defense is much deeper, but Pesce is still getting some great respect.
After Pesce comes Luke Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, and Jonas Siegenthaler at 86. The youngest Hughes brother is the fastest Devil in the game, with a 93 speed rating. Of all the defensemen, Luke Hughes has the highest probability of getting a higher rating in the future.
Brenden Dillon and Jonathan Kovacevic round out New Jersey's top 300 players with an 85 overall rating. Most teams don't have more than three defensemen ranked with an 85 or higher, and the Devils have 6. NHL 27 believes that they could be a solid team on that side of the puck in 2026-27.
EA gave no respect to Jake Allen or Nico Daws, which is something that can only be earned through future improvement, especially with Daws, but having this pedigree on defense could help mask that issue.
All in all, it seems like playing as the New Jersey Devils in EA Sports NHL 27 will give players an opportunity to control a good team filled with good players.
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On Tuesday, the Montreal Canadiens announced their theme nights for the season, and as we speculated in our article last month, November 10 will be the Carey Price celebration night ahead of a game against the Minnesota Wild. The former face of the franchise has been selected for the Hockey Hall of Fame this year in his second year of eligibility and will be inducted on Monday, November 9. Just like they did when former captain Shea Weber was inducted into the Hall, the Canadiens will then honor Price with an on-ice ceremony and add him to the Bell Center’s Ring of Honor.
The Ring of Honour was inaugurated in October 2008 and pays tribute to members of the organization who have entered the Hall. There, Price will join a long list of Canadiens players and builders, along with the most recent inductees: Shea Weber (2024), Pierre Turgeon (2023) and Guy Carbonneau (2019). The fact that the Canadiens’ announcement does not mention that Price’s number 31 going up in the rafters does not necessarily mean that he never will. The rafters and the Ring of Honours are not mutually exclusive. For instance, Patrick Roy, whose number 33 was sent up to the rafters on November 22, 2008, is also on the Ring of Honour.
The Canadiens are never quick to retire a number. Roy retired from the NHL after the 2002-03 season, and he had to wait five years before he was sent up to the rafters, 13 years after his bitter departure from the organization. Guy Lapointe only saw his number 5 go up to the rafters in 2014, even though he retired back in 1983-84. That was a 30-year wait. Granted, the 5 was already in the rafters to honor Bernard “Boom Boom” Geoffrion, but until your name is on a banner up there, your number hasn’t been retired.
Carey Price’s NHL contract only just ended at the end of the season, and he held his retirement weekend celebration this summer, even though he didn’t make an official retirement announcement. He played the last game of his career in April 2022, just four years ago, and chances are the jury is still out on whether his jersey should be retired.
Those who advocate against the idea will tell you that he has never won a Stanley Cup and therefore shouldn’t be sent up to the rafters, especially when players like Jacques Lemaire (eight Stanley Cups), Steve Shutt (five Stanley Cups) and Guy Carbonneau (two Stanley Cups) have been bestowed with that honour.
Should that be the ultimate factor in deciding whether a player should see his number retired? It’s more than debatable. The Canadiens haven't won a Stanley Cup since 1993, and with 32 teams in the NHL, it’s much harder to capture hockey’s ultimate prize. Furthermore, being a Cup champion doesn’t necessarily mean that you occupy a special place in the team’s history. Lemaire and Shutt might have won Cups, but they weren’t necessarily the main reason behind those Cup wins. They had Guy Lafleur, Ken Dryden and Serge Savard playing alongside them.
Price might not have won the Cup, but he is the goaltender who has the most wins in franchise history with 361; that’s nearly 50 more than second-place Jacques Plante, who had 314, and that’s 72 more than third-place Patrick Roy. Furthermore, the British Columbia native finished his career with a 2.51 goals-against average, a .917 save percentage and 49 shutouts. In comparison, Roy had a 2.78 GAA with the Canadiens, a .904 SV and 29 shutouts.
Whichever way you look at it, Price was the guiding light through very dark times for the Canadiens. Had it not been for his spectacular play and imposing presence, not much would have happened in Montreal for the last 20 years. He also won the Hart, Ted Lindsey, Vezina, William M. Jennings, and Bill Masterton Trophies over the course of his career. He was repeatedly named the hardest goalie to play against in NHL player polls.
More than anything, though, he accomplished what he did in an era in which the Habs had very little offense. The most talented offensive player he played with was Alexei Kovalev, who put up 84 points in 2007-08 when Price was in his first NHL season and 65 points the following year, his last with the Sainte-Flanelle. After that, only Tomas Plekanec and Max Domi recorded 70 points or more in a season with the Canadiens during Price’s career.
If the netminder had played with the current Canadiens’ core, chances are he would have been a Stanley Cup champion. Still, management never surrounded him with as good an offensive group as Martin St-Louis has at his disposal right now. Instead, management preferred to put all its eggs in Price’s basket and hope that he could lead them to the promised land despite a lack of offensive production. That prevented Price from winning the Cup, but it shouldn’t prevent him from getting the ultimate individual honor. He did everything humanly possible with the cards he was dealt and bled red, white and blue for 15 seasons. He was not only the face of the franchise, but its heart, too.
The players in this ranking do not have extensive NHL experience and are all 23 and under. Therefore, players like Jimmy Snuggerud, Dalibor Dvorsky, and Logan Mailloux, among others, won't feature in this ranking for those reasons.
The order of these rankings reflects a mix of their ceilings and potential, as well as how they've performed over the past year with their respective clubs.
Ralph completed his NCAA career after two seasons, one with St. Cloud State University and another with Michigan State University. His two seasons combined saw him score two goals and 19 points in 72 games.
But Ralph's game isn't built on offense; it's built on the defensive side of the puck.
Drafted in the second round (48th overall) by the Blues in the 2024 NHL draft, Ralph is a 6-foot-4, 216-pound left-handed defenseman. His size is his calling card on the defensive end, using it to clear out space in front of his net, separate opponents' bodies from the puck, and close gaps and break up plays.
He effectively uses his stick to poke-check, but also to deflect passes and intercept them whenever the opportunity presents itself.
When Ralph's sophomore season in college ended, he signed his entry-level contract and began his professional career in the AHL with the Springfield Thunderbirds. The 20-year-old participated in six regular-season games, notching two assists while also finding himself playing in eight post-season games.
Heading into the 2026-27 season, Ralph is projected to play a key role on the Thunderbirds blueline, which is projected to roster fellow rookies such as Adam Jiricek and Lukas Fischer, as well as fellow youngsters like Michael Buchinger, Quinton Burns, Arseni Koromyslov, and possibly, if he doesn't make the NHL roster, Theo Lindstein.
Ralph possesses the size the Blues love in a blueliner. The opening-night projected roster will feature six defensemen, all 6-foot-2 or taller. When defenders like Cam Fowler, Colton Parayko, and Brandon Carlo move on from the Blues, Ralph will have the size and dependable defensive game to replace them.
The Maple Grove, MN, native may never be a top-pairing defender scoring 50 points a season, but Ralph can be used in a defensive situation on the bottom pair while being a solid penalty killer.
Those players aren't the most fun to watch, but they are essential in building a Stanley Cup roster.
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PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 20: Pittsburgh Penguins fans cheer against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game Two of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 20, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be getting new “Hometown Remix” uniforms this fall — with details expected after the upcoming NHL season gets underway.
The NHL announced Wednesday that the Hometown Remix program, through the league’s partnership with Fanatics, will be kicking off later this year.
Something new is coming to all 32 NHL cities this season. 👀
The countdown is on for the first-of-its-kind Hometown Remix program by the @NHL and @Fanatics. More details to come after the puck drops on the 2026-27 season next month. pic.twitter.com/zX1uBNLNZn
“More details to come after the puck drops on the 2026-27 season next month,” the NHL said.
The league gave a brief description of what fans can expect from the Hometown Remix uniforms, saying that the special edition jerseys will “uniquely and authentically” celebrate the city and local culture of all 32 NHL teams.
There’s no clear design that Penguins fans can expect to see yet, but the rumor mill has been churning over the past couple of months will many expecting that Pittsburgh will wear a blue uniform, similar to the Winter Classic uniforms the team wore during the 2010-11 season.
The New York Rangers have re-signed defenseman Scott Morrow to a one-year contract extension.
It’s a two-way contract worth $850,000 at the NHL level and $125,000 at the American Hockey League level.
The Rangers acquired Morrow from the Carolina Hurricanes last summer as part of the K’Andre Miller sign-and-trade package.
Despite coming into the 2025-26 season with some promise and expectations, the 23-year-old defenseman was unable to carve out a consistent role with the Rangers, bouncing between the NHL and the American Hockey League.
Morrow played in 29 NHL games this past season, recording six points while averaging 15:40 minutes.
In 34 games with the Wolf Pack, Morrow tallied five goals, 14 assists, and 19 points.
With the additions of Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson, as well as the re-signing of Braden Schneider and the emergence of Matthew Robertson, it will be an uphill battle for Morrow to carve out a roster spot with the Rangers out of training camp.
On Tuesday, the rankings and overalls for forwards were released for NHL 27, which included Nathan MacKinnon tied for the second-highest overall at 97, and four other Colorado Avalanche forwards with their ranks and overalls shown.
Today, the overalls for both defensemen and goaltenders were revealed, leading to the final rankings among all top players, including Cale Makar and Avalanche goaltenders Scott Wedgewood and MacKenzie Blackwood.
Makar In A Three-Way Tie For First
Makar, Zach Werenski, and Quinn Hughes have all been revealed to be 95 overall this season. The only advantage Makar has is that he is the highest-rated right-shot defenseman, with the second-highest overall going to Evan Bouchard at 91 overall. Both Hughes and Werenski are left-shot defensemen and are tied, with second place also being a tie with Rasmus Dahlin and Miro Heiskanen at 93 overall.
Though, according to the EA Sports NHL 27 Player Ratings, Makar is ranked the fifth-highest player, only behind Leon Draisaitl at four, Nikita Kucherov at three, MacKinnon at two, and Connor McDavid at 1. Behind him are Werenski at six and Hughes at 9.
Makar is coming off a season in which he finished with 20 goals and 59 assists for 79 points in 75 games played, earning him All-NHL Second Team honors and finishing second in Norris Trophy voting behind Werenski. Obviously, comparing last season to his 2024-25 season, which saw him score 30 goals and 96 points, it's a “down” season, but really, you can say it was.
While he played five fewer games, he also shot the puck less, dropping from 246 shots on goal to 199, and his shooting percentage from 12.2 to 10.1. He wasn’t a liability on the ice and still created so many scoring chances like usual, but alongside some cold streaks and the power play not helping the team out, it really hurt his production, which is still crazy to say when 29 of his 79 points came from the power play.
The Lumberyard Cracks The Top-20
The goaltender rankings have also been revealed, and both Wedgewood and Blackwood have cracked the top 20 list of goaltenders. Wedgewood has been given an 87 overall, which is a good ninth, just above guys like Lukas Dostal, Dustin Wolf, and Spencer Knight, but right behind guys like Jesper Wallstedt, Jake Oettinger, and Jeremy Swayman.
Blackwood was revealed with an 86 overall, ranking him 17th among goaltenders. That puts him above guys like Jet Greaves, Linus Ullmark, and Karel Vejmelks, but behind guys like Filip Gustavsson, Jakub Dobes, and Brandon Bussi.
It's a fair ranking for both goaltenders. It rewards and highlights the excellence Wedgewood showed last season, finishing with career stats across the board, including a 31-6-6 record, a .921 save percentage, and a 2.02 goals-against average in 45 games played. Both of those stats were the best among all qualified goaltenders last season.
Even for Blackwood, who started the season hurt and didn’t have a great season overall, but still managed to finish with a 23-10-2 record, with a .904 SV% and a 2.51 GAA, helping Wedgewood secure the William M. Jennings Trophy.
While Florida doesn’t have anyone in the prestigious 99 Club (congrats, McJesus), there are three Panthers forwards whose overall rankings are in the 90s, and two just outside, coming in at 89.
Leading the way for the Cats is their captain, Sasha Barkov, whose overall ranking was 95, which placed him as the 8th forward on the list. This comes as no surprise, with Barkov known far and wide as arguably the best two-way forward in the world.
While Barkov missed the entirety of the 2025-26 season after tearing up his knee during training camp, the Finnish superstar took the ice during May’s IIHF World Championships and looked like he never missed a beat.
Barkov led Finland to a gold medal while pacing the team with 11 points in 10 games.
Next up on EA’s list is Florida’s scoring specialist Sam Reinhart. His overall ranking is 91, closely followed by Matthew Tkachuk at 90 overall, then his brother Brady Tkachuk and Brad Marchand, each with 89 overall rankings.
Last season, it was Reinhart and Marchand who kept the Panthers afloat scoring-wise while both Barkov and Tkachuk, among others, were out with injuries.
It’s not hard to see any of those players reaching or exceeding point-per-game status next season.
Getting back to the NHL 27 rankings, you don’t have to look much further down the list to find the next group of Panthers players.
In fact, there are four more Cats who are all ranked in the 80s.
They are Sam Bennett, coming in with an overall ranking of 86, Anton Lundell, also at 86, Carter Verhaeghe overall ranked 85 and Eetu Luostarinen at 84.
When diving into the breakdown of each player, some interesting tidbits jump out.
First, of all the aforementioned Panthers on the list, the ones with the highest rated speed at 89 were Marchand and Verhaeghe, followed by Bennett at 88 and Barkov at 87.
Marchand was also an 89 at acceleration, as was Bennett, followed by Verhaeghe at 88 and Reinhart at Brady Tkachuk at 87. For those wondering, Matthew Tkachuk was given an 85 for both speed and acceleration.
In the deking category, which is kind of important for forwards, Barkov came in highest with a 93 ranking. Next-highest was Reinhart at 91 and Marchand at 90.
Barkov and Marchand led the way with 94 rankings in the passing category, but also in the 90s were Matthew Tkachuk (93), Reinhart (92) and Brady Tkachuk (90).
The Panthers player deemed to have the hardest, or best I suppose, slapshot was Brady Tkachuk, the only player ranked in the 90s in that category (right at 90).
Brady Tkachuk also had Florida’s highest wrist shot ranking (91), followed by Reinhart at 90.
To check out the full Panthers forward rankings for NHL 27, click here.
This year’s version of EA Sports’ NHL game has fans excited for some new features, including a brand-new broadcast duo of John Buccigross and Darren Pang.
It’s always been a cool feature of playing videos games when you can lead your team to a championship, but that must have a different feel for Panthers fans lately.
You know…now that they know what it feels like to have the Panthers win the actual Stanley Cup.
Let us know what you think of Florida's NHL 27 rankings in the comments below.
Photo caption: Dec 5, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Florida Panthers center SamReinhart(13), center AleksanderBarkov(16) and left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. (Eric Hartline-Imagn Images)
It’s that time of year when every publication is scratching its head to find hockey content to discuss, and, as is often the case, multiple prospect rankings are coming out. In an earlier article, I discussed Corey Pronman’s take on Jacob Fowler, and in this one, I will take a look at NHL.com’s top five Montreal Canadiens prospect rankings.
Last Saturday, Adam Kimelman, NHL.com Deputy Managing Editor, published the list of what he believes to be the Canadiens’ top 5 prospects right now. To be honest, it was a surprising one, as it went like this:
First and foremost, I cannot agree with the idea of having Reinbacher as the organization’s top prospect right now. Back when he was drafted fifth overall in 2023, maybe, but since then, he has lost some of his shine. When the Habs selected Reinbacher with that pick, they hoped he would be a top-pairing defenseman and Lane Hutson’s partner, but three years on, it seems highly unlikely. It’s not Reinbacher’s fault, but he's suffered a few injuries that have slowed his development, and as things stand right now, he’s not the Habs’ top prospect. While the organization hasn’t given up on him, I believe they have revised their expectations, given not only his injury history but also what he's achieved so far in Laval.
Right now, for the Canadiens, an organization that desperately needs a top-six center, Michael Hage must be the top prospect. He’s the one who could fill a pressing need and the one who Kent Hughes is probably asked about most often. Even though he passed on making the jump to the NHL at the end of last season, the organization’s enthusiasm for the youngster hasn’t wavered, and Jeff Gorton made that clear by discussing his situation and trying to keep the hope of his arrival this season alive.
Fowler would be a worthy choice as the second-place prospect. The netminder has already proven that he can perform well at the NHL level, and the calm and technique he displays in net are already making him look like an NHL pro. Whether it’s in Montreal or not, it seems clear to me that Fowler will one day be an NHL starting goaltender.
In third place, I would put Zharovsky. He may only have been picked in the second round, but the Canadiens had him down as a first-round pick and judging by the chatter around the league, he was a real steal. He was the rookie of the year in the KHL last season, and he looks set for a bright future. He’s still raw, but he showcased some great ends at development camp, and while his skating wasn’t all that impressive, the Canadiens have the right personnel to work on that with him. Even Ivan Demidov’s skating wasn’t great when he joined the Habs; he had a very strange skating stance, but that’s now been fixed, and he’s improved by leaps and bounds in that department.
Reinbacher’s right spot is in fourth place, not because he is a bust or anything of the sort, but because he has simply been overtaken by other members of the organization. It will be up to him to prove me wrong at training camp, but I believe that, when all is said and done, he’ll spend yet another season in Laval. He’s missed so much time over the last few years that it only makes sense.
Finally, I would put Pugachyov in fifth place, not only because he’s the youngest of the bunch, but also because we’ve been told he projects as a middle-six forward, which means that he’s not labelled as a definite top-six forward and he has yet to play a full season against grown men. His season in the MHL was good, but before he can be parachuted up in the prospect rankings, he needs to show more.
