EAST MEADOW, N.Y. (AP) — The New York Islanders signed defenseman Logan Stanley to a contract for this season, and he joined them for practice on Sunday.
They added the 28-year-old left-handed shooter late in training camp after sending young Kashawn Aitcheson and Isaiah George to their American Hockey League affiliate in Hamilton. George was considered a possibility to win a full-time roster spot at 22 after playing four games last season and 33 in 2024-25.
Stanley skated in 76 games last regular season for Winnipeg and Buffalo, then eight more in the playoffs with the Sabres. He has played in more than 300 NHL games since making his debut with the Jets in 2021.
The NHL's shortened preseason is over. Now the longer-than-usual regular season will get underway.
The 2026-27 NHL season was increased from 82 games to 84 in the collective-bargaining agreement so teams could play an even number of games against divisional opponents.
As a result, the season will open in September instead of its usual October starting date.
The first game will feature the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes raising their Stanley Cup banner before they play the Florida Panthers, who won back-to-back titles in 2024 and 2025. The runner-up Vegas Golden Knights will also be in action on opening night, facing the Chicago Blackhawks.
Here's a look at opening night and key dates for the 2026-27 NHL season:
When does the NHL season open?
The 2026-27 NHL season opens on Tuesday, Sept. 29 with five games, including an ESPN tripleheader.
Here's the full opening schedule, plus every team's home opener (all times Eastern):
The @NHL announced today the 2026-27 regular season, expanded to 84 games with the addition of two more divisional contests per team, will open on Tuesday, Sept. 29. In addition, the League announced each team’s home opener.
NHL teams have until 5 p.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 28 to submit their opening-day rosters. They must be compliant with the $104 million salary cap.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are among the teams that were over on Saturday, but they should be OK after placing 11-year veteran Miles Wood on waivers. More players will go on waivers on Sunday.
The New York Islanders signed defenseman Logan Stanley to a one-year contract on Sunday.
Key dates during 2026-27 NHL season
Sept. 29: Opening night
Oct. 25: The Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens will play in the outdoor Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.
Nov. 9: Patrice Bergeron, Carey Price, Pekka Rinne, Cindy Curley, Keith Tkachuk and Brian Burke will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Nov 12 and 14: The Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken will play in Helsinki, Finland.
Dec. 18 and 20: The Ottawa Senators and Blackhawks will play in Dusseldorf, Germany
Dec. 31: The Winter Classic will be held at University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. The Utah Mammoth will host the Colorado Avalanche.
Feb. 5-6: The NHL All-Star weekend will held at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. The skills competition is on the 5th and the All-Star Game will be on the 6th. There are new formats this season.
March 1: NHL trade deadline is at 3 p.m. ET
April 10: The regular season ends with all 32 teams in action.
On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins moved a handful of players to injured reserve ahead of Monday's 5:00 p.m. final roster deadline.
Forward Blake Lizotte (upper-body, day-to-day), forward Justin Brazeau (lower-body, week-to-week), forward Ben Kindel (lower-body, week-to-week), and defenseman Ryan Graves (lower-body, indefinitely) were placed on injured reserve, clearing up four roster spots for the Penguins ahead of opening night on Sept. 30 against the Philadelphia Flyers.
In addition, the team announced that forwards Bryan Rust (upper-body) and Tristan Broz (lower-body) - presumably, both injured during Saturday's 3-1 pre-season finale win over the Buffalo Sabres - would not practice with the team Sunday are being evaluated.
Lizotte practiced with the team Sunday.
The news came after three more players were re-assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS), which were forward Bill Zonnon, defenseman Harrison Brunicke, and goaltender Joel Blomqvist. Taking out the players placed on IR, the Penguins are down to 25 players on their active training camp roster.
If Rust and Broz are added to injured reserve, that would trim the NHL active roster down to the set maximum of 23.
Of note, forwards Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, and Filip Hallander all remain part of the active camp roster, as does defenseman Ilya Solovyov, who figures to occupy the seventh and final defensive slot to start the season. With Brunicke sent back, it appears the Penguins will elect to keep 14 forwards as opposed to eight defensemen if they decide to max out their roster.
The Penguins will have a day off Monday, which is when the final NHL roster will likely be submitted to the NHL's Central Registry.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have 4 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Jersey #4 is one of the more popular numbers to be worn.
Let's take a look at who wore 4, and where they are now
Lyle Odelein - 2001-2002 - Drafted by Montreal in 1986.
The first-ever Captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Odelein played 146 games and had 33 points. He retired in 2006 as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Bryan Berard - 2006-2007 - Drafted by Ottawa in 1995.
Berard played 55 games as a Blue Jacket and had 35 points. The former #1 overall pick in 1995 had an up-and-down career and retired in 2009 after playing a year in the KHL.
Clay Wilson - 2008-2009 - Undrafted out of
Sturgeon Lake, Minnesota.
Wilson played 7 games in Columbus and had three points. He retired in 2020 after playing one season in Ukraine.
Nathan Paetsch - 2010 - Drafted by Washington in 2001 and then drafted by Buffalo in 2003. (re-entry)
He played 10 games as a Jacket and had zero points. He never played another NHL game after Columbus and retired in 2019 after spending several seasons in the AHL.
Sami Lepistö - 2011 - Drafted by Washington in 2004.
Lepistö played 19 games and had 5 points. He left for Europe in 2012 and played there until he retired in 2023.
John Moore - 2012-2013 - Drafted by Columbus in 2009.
Moore played only 86 games in Columbus and scored 8 points. On April 3, 2013, the New York Rangers included Moore in the deal that brought Marián Gáborík to Columbus.
He last played for the Anaheim Ducks.
On March 19, 2022, Moore was involved in a trade that sent him to the Anaheim Ducks along with Urho Vaakanainen in exchange for Hampus Lindholm. The Ducks then attempted to trade both Moore and the rest of Ryan Kesler's contract to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Evgenii Dadonov and a conditional second-round pick at the NHL trade deadline on March 21, 2022. However, the deal was disputed due to a no-trade clause in Dadonov's contract. On March 23, the NHL officially cancelled the trade; therefore, Moore remained in the Ducks' organization.
Kevin Connauton - 2015-2016 - Drafted by Vancouver in 2009.
Connauton played 81 games and has 27 points as a CBJ. He currently plays for the Tucson Roadrunners in the AHL.
Scott Harrington - 2018-2022 - Drafted by Pittsburgh in 2011
Harrington played 185 games for the Blue Jackets after being traded to Columbus by Toronto with a conditional pick in the 2017 NHL Draft for Kerby Rychel on June 25, 2016. Those 185 games would be spread out over six seasons, with 2018-19 being the year he played the most games at 73. He scored 7 goals and totaled 37 points in his career with Columbus, with the 18-19 season being his most productive with 17.
During his time in the Columbus organization, he would also play 52 games for the Cleveland Monsters, scoring 7 total points.
Harrington signed with San Jose in 2022 and was then traded to New Jersey in February of 2023. New Jersey would then put him on waivers a few days later, where he would be picked up by Anaheim and play 17 games.
In 2023, Harrington would leave for Europe and play for the ZSC Lions of the Swiss League. After playing just 14 games in 23-24, he would return to North America for the 24-25 season and play for the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL.
Harrington is signed to play with the
Belleville Senators of the AHL for this season.
Vladislav Gavrikov - 2023 - Gavrikov was drafted in the 6th round of the 2015 NHL Draft.
Gavrikov played 256 games for the Jackets over the course of 4 seasons. He totaled 15 goals and 73 points. Gavrikov is widely considered one of the best late-round picks to ever play for the Jackets, despite his short time in Columbus. He played great defense and would always seem to show up on the scoreboard.
After he signed a three-year, $8.4 million contract extension with the Blue Jackets in November of 2020, former GM Jarmo Kekäläinen decided to trade Gavrikov to the LA Kings in March of 2023. A decision that a lot of CBJ hated and wondered why it happened. Kekäläinen knew Gavrikov was going to want a hefty raise and didn't want to pay him.
Gavrikov signed a two-year extension with LA just a couple of months after the trade. In the summer of 2025, Gavrikov would get his big contract. He signed a 7-year, $49-million deal with the New York Rangers, which will take him into his mid-30s.
Cole Sillinger - 2024-2025 -Drafted in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft.
Silinger wore #34 for two years before switching to #4 before the 23-24 season. It's hard to believe that Cole Sillinger is going into his 6th NHL Season already.
After scoring 31 points as a rookie, his second season was anything but good. Totaling just 11 points, he only played in 64 games and was demoted to AHL Cleveland. His third season was definitely a bounce-back year for young Sillinger. He would score 13 goals and total 32 points.
Sillinger has had three career seasons straight after that bad second season. In 25-26, he set a career high with 25 assists and tied his career high in points with 25. He became more of a playmaker last year, playing with Charlie Coyle and Mathieu Olivier. That line was arguably the best line on the team for the majority of the season, and other teams' lines had a really hard time against them.
In July, the CBJ signed Sillinger to a 3-year, $13,875,000 contract to keep him in Columbus.
There are four days left until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Who was your favorite #4?
With the conclusion of training camp and the preseason behind the Chicago Blackhawks, they are starting to inch closer to cutting their roster down to its opening night state.
On Saturday, they sent Connor Mackey to the Rockford IceHogs on loan. Now, on Sunday, they announced that they have loaned forward Dillon Boucher and goalie Drew Commesso to Rockford as well.
Their roster stands at 26 players, including 16 forwards, 8 defensemen, and 2 goaltenders. More decisions are set to be made as they prepare for Tuesday's opener versus the Vegas Golden Knights.
Mackey and Boucher were forwards that the Blackhawks had up with the team to fill some spots in preseason lineups and practice. Players with over 100 NHL games played can only play in 2 exhibition games, but the team also wanted to get its most important pro prospects to AHL camp, so Mackey and Boucher got to stay up with the NHL club a little longer.
As for Drew Commesso, it wasn't as much of a backup battle with Arvid Soderblom as some would have thought. His being on a two-way deal while Soderblom finishes out his one-way deal likely has something to do with it, but Soderblom was also excellent after some off-season adjustments. He will be the backup to Spencer Knight.
It is unlikely that the Blackhawks carry 8 defenders, and some more forward decisions are inevitable too. More transactions are on the way; stay tuned.
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 14: Brandon Bussi #32 of the Carolina Hurricanes makes a save against the Vegas Golden Knights in the third period of Game Six of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on June 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Carolina Hurricanes finished up their preseason schedule with a dominating, 6-0 win in Nashville.
Six different players scored and 11 players had points in the thrashing. Brandon Bussi played very well as he earned the shutout making 22 saves on the 22 shots he faced.
The team looked much like the team that played so well in the playoffs.
Jackson Blake started things off just 5:02 into the game when he scored a powerplay goal from in close.
Two minutes later Jordan Martinook would score and the Canes never looked back.
Later in the opening period, Nikolaj Ehlers stole a pass and broke in alone. He made it 3-0, Carolina in the opening period. The Canes outshot the home team, 9-5 in that decisive period.
Late in the second, Blake would slip a nice pass to Logan Stankoven who made no mistake, making it 4-0. The two linemates had broken in on a 2-on-1 break.
Mark Jankowski and Andrei Svechnikov both had powerplay goals to close out the scoring in the third. The Hurricanes went 3-4 with the man advantage.
Felix Unger Sorum did not look out of place while playing with the top line and he finished with an assist. Charles Alexis Legault played 15 minutes on the blueline and finished with a (plus+1) along with a team high four blocked shots.
Blake led the team with 3 points.
The Canes look ready for their season opener against the Panthers on Tuesday night but they still have a couple of roster decisions to make.
The Montreal Canadiens players might have a day off Sunday. Still, the Habs brass will be busy making the decisions that will ultimately shape the Sainte-Flanelle’s roster for opening night on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. By 5 PM Monday, the team must submit its final 23-man, cap-compliant roster. Cap compliance won’t be an issue, but which players will make the roster?
22 players have NHL contracts, which means that, on paper, unless Kent Hughes finds a way to make room, only one extra player can get a spot. It would be surprising to see the Canadiens waive a player to make room for another; Hughes isn't in the business of losing assets for nothing, even ones that have decreased in value.
On Saturday night, Florian Xhekaj played yet another strong game against the Ottawa Senators, skating on a line with Owen Beck and Tyler Thorpe. The younger Xhekaj landed six of the 15 hits the Canadiens gave on the night, including a bone-crushing one that sent Adam Nemec back to the room and ended his worknight after a minute and 39 seconds of action. The Habs’ forward was sent to the box for two minutes for interference, a questionable call based on the result rather than the hit itself.
Xhekaj wasn’t on the ice when Djibril Toure landed a big hit that Alex Newhook felt to his core. Josh Anderson flew to the rescue, but in his eagerness, he flew in, threw his gloves off, lost his balance, and found himself pinned to the ice by Toure. As the Sens 6-foot-7 defenseman was heading to the penalty box, Xhekaj came over to have a word, no doubt telling him he had noted his number. Ultimately, he didn’t follow through on that promise, though, with the Canadiens tying the game and then taking the lead; it wasn’t the right time to get into a tussle, and the winger recognized that, which will no doubt earn him points with coach Martin St-Louis.
All through camp, Xhekaj has performed the same way with remarkable consistency, which didn’t go unnoticed by the coach:
He certainly doesn’t have an identity problem. He knows what he is and what he brings, and he brought it with consistency throughout camp.
- St-Louis on Xhekaj
As for Xhekaj himself, he feels he did everything he could to earn a spot:
I think I did almost everything I could to show them what I can do out there and how I play. So, yeah, I think I did everything.
- Xhekaj on his performance at camp
On the eve of his third professional season, there is no doubt that this has been Xhekaj’s strongest showing. At camp in 2025, he put on so much weight that it felt like he wasn’t fast enough anymore, but this time around, at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, he looks like he's found his sweet spot. He’s heavy enough to bring a big physical game, and he’s strong enough to do it with pace and create opportunities by separating his man from the puck on the forecheck.
Xhekaj has shown exactly what he is and how useful he can be. The Canadiens have long needed more sandpaper up front, a line like the New York Islanders had with Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas, and Cal Clutterbuck. Xhekaj could help the Canadiens get there; he could be the first part of an identity line, but for that to happen, the Habs would need to have room.
As things stand, and with Kaiden Guhle’s injury, it stands to reason that the 23rd man will be a defenseman, more than likely David Reinbacher. It’s a shame for Xhekaj; he’s right when he says he’s done everything he could. The rest is not in his hands; it’s in Hughes’ hands. I have no doubt Xhekaj has had a better camp than Kirby Dach, but the latter has an NHL contract, and it’s hard to imagine Hughes putting him on waivers, considering what he had to give to acquire him in 2022.
Still, if Xhekaj doesn’t have a spot on the roster for opening night, it shouldn’t be long before he does. An injury, a trade- things happen during the season, and he should be the first forward recalled should the need arise.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are getting closer to finalizing their 23-man roster.
They made three more cuts on Sunday, sending forward Bill Zonnon, defenseman Harrison Brunicke, and goaltender Joel Blomqvist to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
None of these moves should surprise anyone, since they were all expected to start the season in the AHL. They all had great camps, but there's simply no room for them on the NHL roster right now.
The Penguins have assigned the following players to @WBSPenguins (AHL):
F Bill Zonnon D Harrison Brunicke G Joel Blomqvist
That said, there's a good chance you'll see all three of them in the NHL at some point this year. The Penguins already have a ton of injuries to begin the season and could have others pop up during the year.
Brunicke figures to play with Owen Pickering to begin the year in WBS, while Zonnon will play in the top nine. Blomqvist will be the starting goaltender after serving as the 1B behind Sergei Murashov last year.
Speaking of Murashov, he has made the NHL roster and will be behind Arturs Silovs to start the 2026-27 season.
The Penguins will open the regular season on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The New York Islanders' preseason is over, and with it, the team has made its final cuts ahead of the roster deadline tomorrow evening at 5 o'clock.
The team announced it assigned Kashawn Aitcheson, Cole Eiserman, and Isaiah George to Hamilton while the team announced its intentions to place goaltender Vitek Vanecek on waivers at 2 o'clock this afternoon.
Additionally, the Islanders announced they've defenseman Logan Stanley to a one-year contract.
Stanley, 28, is a 6'7 monster-sized defenseman who at his best plays a mean, tough game with a heavy shot that creates offense.
Last season, Stanley posted 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 76 regular-season games split between the Buffalo Sabres and Winnipeg Jets.
The trade to Buffalo was seen as big get for the Sabres at the time, but it became apparent Stanley didn't fit well into Buffalo's system, so they wound up mostly keeping him as the team's seventh defenseman, which hurt Stanley's stock heading into free agency.
Stefen Rosner reports there'd been back-and-forth between the Islanders and Stanley's camp, but the Islanders held out to give George the job, making it entirely his to lose.
As it turns out, George did lose the roster spot. The 2022 fourth-round pick will now report to Hamilton, where all he can do is work exceptionally hard to try and earn another look.
Aitcheson, meanwhile, looked incredible throughout camp, but just needs some minor league experience before going all the way into the deep end.
Next season, if all goes to plan, Malte Gustafsson will be in North America with the Islanders competing for a job, too.
Stanley's deal being a one-year deal gives the Islanders incredible flexibility for next year and even this year, if it doesn't well or Aitcheson forces his way up this season.
The Islanders practice Sunday morning, and it's expected Stanley will be there. What this means for New York's opening lineup remains unclear for now.
And that won’t be the only difference from last season because Laviolette, the winningest American-born coach in NHL history, has inherited an aging team in transition, one he and his new staff have immediately tried to put their stamp on.
“The coaching changes brought a lot of excitement,” goaltender Darcy Kuemper said. “It’s new drills, new systems, so it kind of makes everyone turn on their brain and challenge themselves, which is fun for guys at this level.”
Not all of the changes are positive, however.
Kings coach Peter Laviolette stands in the team's locker room at their practice facility in El Segundo in June. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
For the first time in 20 years, the Kings are starting a season without Anze Kopitar, the franchise leader in games, assists and points and a two-time Stanley Cup champion. That has left a big hole on the ice and in the locker room, where Kopitar’s leadership was invaluable.
Also gone are wingers Andrei Kuzmenko and Jeff Malott, who left as free agents, and center Trevor Lewis, who retired. High-scoring winger Kevin Fiala, meanwhile, will miss the first couple of months, at least, after experiencing a setback in his return from a gruesome leg injury sustained at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
That could hurt Laviolette’s effort to transform the Kings from the defense-first system they’ve been for years into a quicker, more aggressive offensive-style team. The Kings, whose scoring has declined in each of the last four seasons, had just 225 goals in 2025-26, fourth-fewest in the NHL, while the power play converted fewer than 18% of its chances, fifth-lowest in the league.
Two of the key pieces in turning that around will be forwards Adrian Kempe, who led the team in scoring the last three seasons, and Artemi Panarin, who had his best offensive season under Laviolette with the New York Rangers, scoring 49 goals and 120 points in 2023-24. The Kings are also counting on young forwards Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere, both 24, to take the next step in their development.
For Laferriere, change has been the main constant in his time in Los Angeles.
Kings right wing Alex Laferriere shoots in front of Philadelphia right wing Travis Konecny on March 19. (Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)
“This is going to be my fourth year with my fourth different coach,” said Laferriere, who had career highs in goals (21), points (44) and average TOI (18:18) last season. “It kind of reminds me a little bit of my rookie year. It kind of gives me that fresh slate, just trying to prove myself and try to gain the coach’s belief.”
In the dressing room, the Kings have given Kopitar’s crown to defenseman Drew Doughty, who will take over as captain in his 19th NHL season. At 36, he’s the third-oldest player on one of the NHL’s oldest teams and the last holdover from the 2014 Stanley Cup team.
“I’m not changing anything about myself when it comes to leadership,” he said. “I’ve been a leader on this team for a long, long time and been the loudest voice in the locker room and the guy that people come up to.
“One thing I will change: I always had Kopi as kind of the even-keel guy, where my emotions kind of go up and down. I’m going to be more aware of that and try to keep more of an even-keel.”
Whether a new coach, a new system and a new leader will be enough to get the Kings to the playoffs for a sixth straight season remains to be seen.
Laviolette, a Stanley Cup winner with Carolina two decades ago, has missed the postseason just three times when he’s been behind the bench the whole season. But the makeover he faces with the Kings is shaping up as one of the most challenging of his career, and most of the preseason prognostications have the Kings failing to make the cut.
If Fiala comes back early and healthy and if the team adapts quickly to the change in style, those predictions may prove overly dire. If not, the transition to the Laviolette Era could be more difficult than expected.
And that won’t be the only difference from last season because Laviolette, the winningest American-born coach in NHL history, has inherited an aging team in transition, one he and his new staff have immediately tried to put their stamp on.
“The coaching changes brought a lot of excitement,” goaltender Darcy Kuemper said. “It’s new drills, new systems, so it kind of makes everyone turn on their brain and challenge themselves, which is fun for guys at this level.”
Not all of the changes are positive, however.
Kings coach Peter Laviolette stands in the team's locker room at their practice facility in El Segundo in June. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
For the first time in 20 years, the Kings are starting a season without Anze Kopitar, the franchise leader in games, assists and points and a two-time Stanley Cup champion. That has left a big hole on the ice and in the locker room, where Kopitar’s leadership was invaluable.
Also gone are wingers Andrei Kuzmenko and Jeff Malott, who left as free agents, and center Trevor Lewis, who retired. High-scoring winger Kevin Fiala, meanwhile, will miss the first couple of months, at least, after experiencing a setback in his return from a gruesome leg injury sustained at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
That could hurt Laviolette’s effort to transform the Kings from the defense-first system they’ve been for years into a quicker, more aggressive offensive-style team. The Kings, whose scoring has declined in each of the last four seasons, had just 225 goals in 2025-26, fourth-fewest in the NHL, while the power play converted fewer than 18% of its chances, fifth-lowest in the league.
Two of the key pieces in turning that around will be forwards Adrian Kempe, who led the team in scoring the last three seasons, and Artemi Panarin, who had his best offensive season under Laviolette with the New York Rangers, scoring 49 goals and 120 points in 2023-24. The Kings are also counting on young forwards Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere, both 24, to take the next step in their development.
For Laferriere, change has been the main constant in his time in Los Angeles.
Kings right wing Alex Laferriere shoots in front of Philadelphia right wing Travis Konecny on March 19. (Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)
“This is going to be my fourth year with my fourth different coach,” said Laferriere, who had career highs in goals (21), points (44) and average TOI (18:18) last season. “It kind of reminds me a little bit of my rookie year. It kind of gives me that fresh slate, just trying to prove myself and try to gain the coach’s belief.”
In the dressing room, the Kings have given Kopitar’s crown to defenseman Drew Doughty, who will take over as captain in his 19th NHL season. At 36, he’s the third-oldest player on one of the NHL’s oldest teams and the last holdover from the 2014 Stanley Cup team.
“I’m not changing anything about myself when it comes to leadership,” he said. “I’ve been a leader on this team for a long, long time and been the loudest voice in the locker room and the guy that people come up to.
“One thing I will change: I always had Kopi as kind of the even-keel guy, where my emotions kind of go up and down. I’m going to be more aware of that and try to keep more of an even-keel.”
Whether a new coach, a new system and a new leader will be enough to get the Kings to the playoffs for a sixth straight season remains to be seen.
Laviolette, a Stanley Cup winner with Carolina two decades ago, has missed the postseason just three times when he’s been behind the bench the whole season. But the makeover he faces with the Kings is shaping up as one of the most challenging of his career, and most of the preseason prognostications have the Kings failing to make the cut.
If Fiala comes back early and healthy and if the team adapts quickly to the change in style, those predictions may prove overly dire. If not, the transition to the Laviolette Era could be more difficult than expected.
Ducks star Leo Carlsson controls the puck during a playoff game against the Edmonton Oilers in April. Carlsson signed a five-year, $90-million contract during the offseason. (Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
Joel Quenneville had one mission when he took over as coach of the Ducks last year: get them back to the playoffs.
He did much better than that. The Ducks scored a franchise-record 273 goals, spent much of the season atop the Pacific Division and knocked off the powerful Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs before falling to the Vegas Golden Knights, the eventual conference champions, in the second round.
All of which raises a question for Quenneville and the Ducks coming off a summer of upheaval and turnover: What can they do for an encore?
“Expectations are going to be higher across the board,” said Quenneville, whose team opens the season Friday in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights. “That’s healthy. But at the same time, it’s an everyday thing that that challenge is going to be out there.”
Before Quenneville arrived, the Ducks stumbled through a franchise-record seven straight losing seasons. Now many of the players in his locker room are thinking beyond just making the postseason.
“The culture change, we can really feel it,” goaltender Lukas Dostal said. “What we did last year, obviously we want to improve and move even further.
“You don’t play hockey to just think like ‘OK, we want to make the playoffs.’ You want to go as far as possible. So the sky’s the limit. I really trust this team.”
“At the end of the day, you want to win a Stanley Cup,” added new captain Mikael Granlund. “You have to have that one goal. We’re going to do everything we can to be better than last year.”
Many Ducks are certainly going to be better paid than last year. General manager Pat Verbeek had no choice but to overspend on center Leo Carlsson, signing him to a five-year, $90-million contract after the Flyers offered Carlsson the same deal. The 21-year-old, who had a career-high 29 goals and 38 assists last season, is the NHL’s highest-paid player this season.
Verbeek also re-signed restricted free agents Cutter Gauthier, (six years, $81 million) and Pavel Mintyukov (five years, $36 million) and gave center Tim Washe a $9-million contract extension. Gauthier led the team with 41 goals and 69 points last season.
“It’s a sign you’re doing something correctly,” Quenneville said of his players being rewarded. “But at the same time, I don’t think we change too much our demands. They know we work on a meritocracy and the better you do, the more you’re going to play.”
Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov passes against the Utah Mammoth on March 20. (Melissa Majchrzak / Associated Press)
All that spending left the team with nothing to offer veteran winger Chris Kreider, who was released this summer, joining an exodus that included key defensemen John Carlson, Radko Gudas, Olen Zellweger and Jacob Trouba.
The Ducks will also be without forward Troy Terry, who averaged 24 goals over the past five seasons, until well into the winter as he recovers from hip surgery.
As a result, the Ducks start with several new pieces up front and thin experience on the blue line, which isn’t a good look for a team that gave up 288 goals last season, fourth-most in the NHL.
Despite the additions of veterans A.J. Greer, a Stanley Cup winner in Florida who was acquired to add a physical presence in the attack, and Nick Jensen, 36, who was signed to stabilize the defense, the Ducks will once again have one of the youngest rosters in the NHL. But Quenneville has a history of turning young teams into champions. Nineteen years ago he took over a Chicago Blackhawks team that was the youngest in the league and led it to the conference final. A year later that team captured the Stanley Cup, the first of three Quenneville won in Chicago.
For the Ducks to match that, their summer additions will have to add up to more than the subtractions. And the investment Verbeek made in Carlsson, Gauthier and Mintyukov will have to pay off. What’s certain, however, is after last season’s breakthrough, the Ducks won’t be sneaking up on anyone.
“We made it a little harder for ourselves,” Washe said. “We’ve got a little target on our back.”
PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 22: Pittsburgh Penguins forward Nick Robertson (14) scores a goal against Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) in the preseason NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings on September 22, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Penguins trimmed their NHL roster by six players yesterday. Defensemen Owen Pickering, Caleb Jones and Jake Livanavage were among players being sent away.
The Penguins have assigned the following players to @WBSPenguins (AHL):
F Rafael Harvey-Pinard D Jake Livanavage D Owen Pickering D Chase Pietila G Cam Johnson
Defenseman Caleb Jones has been placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to WBS.
That leaves the roster looking like this. Opening day rosters are due tomorrow, which means players must go on waivers today to clear in time to be re-assigned down. The Pens are at 32 players, so between further cuts or movement to injured reserve, they still must trim nine more players away from the following.
Forwards (20): Justin Brazeau*, Tristan Broz, Egor Chinakhov, Sidney Crosby, Connor Dewar, David Gustafsson, Filip Hallander, Ben Kindel*, Ville Koivunen, Andrei Kuzmenko**, Hendrix Lapierre, Blake Lizotte*, Evgeni Malkin, Rutger McGroarty, Tommy Novak, Rickard Rakell, Nick Robertson, Bryan Rust*, Elmer Soderblom, Bill Zonnon
Defenseman (9): Harrison Brunicke, Declan Carlile, Sam Girard, Ryan Graves*, Erik Kalrsson, Kaeden Korczak, Kris Letang, Ilya Solovyov, Trevor van Riemsdyk
Goalies (3): Joel Blomqvist, Sergei Murashov, Artus Silovs
‘* Injured, possibility to open season on injured reserve ‘** Currently away from team for personal reasons
—
It seems likely, based on recent action, that McGroarty, Zonnon, Brunicke and Blomqvist can all be sent to the AHL without waivers. At this point, you would think that Lizotte and Kindel will move to the IR, with potentially some, many or all of Brazeau, Rust and Graves joining them. That’s nine names right there and could be all the acitivity needed.
Beyond that, the team could designate Kuzmenko to the ‘non-roster player’ area to remove him from the 23-player list while he is in Russia on bereavement due to the loss of his father. Kuzmenko would count against the salary cap (not a big concern for the Pens) but no longer be one of their 23-players until his return. The team could also opt to put Gustafsson on waivers today if one of the names from above does not need to go on the IR.
There’s still a few more decisions and area to figure out, especially when it comes to the health questions of some of the players that are banged up, but the Pens’ roster is starting to get to the point where it is coming into focus for how things will look for the start of the season. As of now, that looks like this:
Nick Robertson – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin Ville Koivunen – Hendrix Lapierre – Bryan Rust* Filip Hallander – Connor Dewar – Elmer Soderblom
Declan Carlile / Erik Karlsson Sam Girard / Kaeden Korczak Trevor van Riemsdyk / Kris Letang
Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov
–
That assumes Rust is OK, but the opening night lines likely won’t last for that long. Kuzmenko won’t be gone forever, and the Pens can only hope that Lizotte and Kindel will be back soon. By the time they get back, who knows which other players might be injured in their place.
PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 22: Pittsburgh Penguins forward Nick Robertson (14) scores a goal against Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) in the preseason NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings on September 22, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Penguins trimmed their NHL roster by six players yesterday. Defensemen Owen Pickering, Caleb Jones and Jake Livanavage were among players being sent away.
The Penguins have assigned the following players to @WBSPenguins (AHL):
F Rafael Harvey-Pinard D Jake Livanavage D Owen Pickering D Chase Pietila G Cam Johnson
Defenseman Caleb Jones has been placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to WBS.
That leaves the roster looking like this. Opening day rosters are due tomorrow, which means players must go on waivers today to clear in time to be re-assigned down. The Pens are at 32 players, so between further cuts or movement to injured reserve, they still must trim nine more players away from the following.
Forwards (20): Justin Brazeau*, Tristan Broz, Egor Chinakhov, Sidney Crosby, Connor Dewar, David Gustafsson, Filip Hallander, Ben Kindel*, Ville Koivunen, Andrei Kuzmenko**, Hendrix Lapierre, Blake Lizotte*, Evgeni Malkin, Rutger McGroarty, Tommy Novak, Rickard Rakell, Nick Robertson, Bryan Rust*, Elmer Soderblom, Bill Zonnon
Defenseman (9): Harrison Brunicke, Declan Carlile, Sam Girard, Ryan Graves*, Erik Kalrsson, Kaeden Korczak, Kris Letang, Ilya Solovyov, Trevor van Riemsdyk
Goalies (3): Joel Blomqvist, Sergei Murashov, Artus Silovs
‘* Injured, possibility to open season on injured reserve ‘** Currently away from team for personal reasons
—
It seems likely, based on recent action, that McGroarty, Zonnon, Brunicke and Blomqvist can all be sent to the AHL without waivers. At this point, you would think that Lizotte and Kindel will move to the IR, with potentially some, many or all of Brazeau, Rust and Graves joining them. That’s nine names right there and could be all the acitivity needed.
Beyond that, the team could designate Kuzmenko to the ‘non-roster player’ area to remove him from the 23-player list while he is in Russia on bereavement due to the loss of his father. Kuzmenko would count against the salary cap (not a big concern for the Pens) but no longer be one of their 23-players until his return. The team could also opt to put Gustafsson on waivers today if one of the names from above does not need to go on the IR.
There’s still a few more decisions and area to figure out, especially when it comes to the health questions of some of the players that are banged up, but the Pens’ roster is starting to get to the point where it is coming into focus for how things will look for the start of the season. As of now, that looks like this:
Nick Robertson – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin Ville Koivunen – Hendrix Lapierre – Bryan Rust* Filip Hallander – Connor Dewar – Elmer Soderblom
Declan Carlile / Erik Karlsson Sam Girard / Kaeden Korczak Trevor van Riemsdyk / Kris Letang
Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov
–
That assumes Rust is OK, but the opening night lines likely won’t last for that long. Kuzmenko won’t be gone forever, and the Pens can only hope that Lizotte and Kindel will be back soon. By the time they get back, who knows which other players might be injured in their place.
Las Vegas, N.V.– Despite outshooting the San Jose Sharks 25-5 after the first 40 minutes, the Vegas Golden Knightsentered the third period trailing 2-1. They tied it up 3:18 into the third, but in the end, the Golden Knights only scored two goals on 29 shots, and ultimately fell 4-2 to the Sharks in the preseason finale.
Them’s the breaks.
For the 10th time in franchise history, the Golden Knights do not go undefeated in the preseason. Maybe next year.
But they got what they wanted out of it. They won three of their four preseason games, and the veterans got to get their feet wet. And, most importantly, they escaped the preseason completely unscathed. There was a moment of concern in the third period when Jeremy Lauzon went down hard after blocking a shot, but in true Jeremy Lauzon fashion, he didn’t miss a shift.
Ryan Craig said it best: “I really liked our first 40. And, uh, we got out healthy in the third.”
1. Defense Wins Championships
With guys like Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner on the roster, the Golden Knights have a lot of offensive talent. However, at their core, they are a defense-first team. They always have been, and they probably always will be.
“Vegas has always been one of the best defensive teams,” said Tomáš Hertl postgame. “We did the same thing [tonight]. We kept them to the outside, didn’t allow many shots.”
Tonight was no exception– the Golden Knights allowed just two shots in the first period, and three in the second. They allowed more shots in the third period– 12 in total– but very few were dangerous. The Golden Knights allowed only five high-danger scoring chances throughout 60 minutes, and generated 10.
2. Right Recipe, Wrong Results
Although the Golden Knights didn’t win tonight, they feel like they have a winning recipe. They did a lot of things well both defensively and offensively, and the general feeling is that, if they play that way all season, they’ll come out on the right side more times than not.
“We did a really good job of putting pucks behind their D,” said Nic Dowd postgame. “When we had opportunities to make plays through the neutral zone, we did. We hung on the pucks in the neutral zone and put pucks into good areas, and we were getting them back. And, you know, the best recipe is to go play in the ozone.
“And line changes,” Dowd continued. “Like, we out-changed them multiple times. We had one-to-two minute shifts in the ozone. Pucks didn’t go in, but that’s just how it works in the NHL. At times, those are going to go in, and maybe you win the game 4 or 5 to 1, 5 to 2. We didn’t tonight. But again, I think we have a lot of good things to build on.”
For the most part, the Golden Knights played well tonight. They made very few defensive mistakes, and though they didn’t convert on many of their scoring chances, they had no problem generating them.
“We had a lot of looks,” said Tomáš Hertl following the loss. “If we bury a couple of them, it goes the other way. Sometimes, that’s how it goes.”
3. Next One Counts
Most teams don’t go undefeated in the preseason. Sure, some do– the 2015-16 Colorado Avalanche and the 2016-17 Arizona Coyotes, for example– but preseason is all about teaching moments.
“I actually thought we did a lot of really good things today,” said Nic Dowd following the loss. “Mistakes are gonna happen, but the good thing about that is that those are learning opportunities, right?”
The Golden Knights veterans have played in the last two preseason games, and they look ready to go. They’ve shaken off the rust and improved in the areas they wanted to.
“The things we wanted to clean up or see improvement on, especially through 40 minutes today, I thought we did,” said head coach Ryan Craig postgame. “I thought our defending, our checking habits, our break outs, all those things that we touched on yesterday, were good. And it led to the o-zone and to the offensive chances that we created. I thought those things were a real positive as we move forward here.”
The NHL season kicks off for real on Tuesday when the Golden Knights host the Chicago Blackhawks at 7 p.m. PST.
