Category: Ice Hockey

PensBurgh’s 2026 edition of the Top 25 Under 25 countdown rolls on with Hendrix Lapierre, a 24-year-old forward who gets a fresh start with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the hopes he can blossom the way a few other young players have in recent seasons.

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, F
#12: Ville Koivunen, F

#11: Hendrix Lapierre

2025 Ranking: N/A

Age: 24 (Feb. 9, 2002)
Acquired Via: Trade with the Washington Capitals
Height/Weight: 6-foot, 190 pounds

Elite Prospects resume:

The Penguins offseason began with the trade for Lapierre, bringing him over from the Washington Capitals for third-and fifth-round draft picks.

After being a first-round pick by the Capitals (No. 22 overall in 2020), Lapierre spent the first six years of his career in the Capitals organization and produced some mixed results. He made his initial NHL debut late in the 2021-22 season by appearing in six games, and then spent the next few years split between the Capitals and the American Hockey League.

The 2025-26 season was his first full year in the NHL, appearing in 74 games and scoring just four goals with 12 assists. He did not score his first goal of the season until Jan. 23, ending what had been a shocking 90-game regular season goal-scoring drought that stretched all the way back to March 18, 2024. It’s really difficult to be an NHL player and go 90 consecutive games without scoring a single game, and it is a frustrating combination of bad luck and some overall struggles.

But while the offense has not always been there at the NHL level for Lapierre in the form of actual goal-production, he has still managed to make himself useful, especially when it comes to his defensive play. That was especially the case during the 2025-26 season when he had some of the best defensive metrics on the entire Capitals roster among the team’s forwards.

Of the 12 Capitals forwards that logged at least 500 minutes of 5-on-5 ice-time, Lapierre had the following ranks defensively:

• Expected goals against per 60: 2.43 (first)
• Scoring chances against per 60: 23.8 (first)
• High-danger scoring chances against per 60: 9.31 (first)
• Total shot attempts against per 60: 50.98 (first)
• Total shot attempt share: 54.4 percent (first)
• Expected goal share: 55.6 percent (second)
• Scoring chance share: 55.5 percent (second)
• High-danger scoring chance share: 58.7 percent (first)

He did have some of the more favorable offensive zone start numbers on the roster (51 percent, which was the fourth-highest on the roster), but the play generally went in the right direction when he was on the ice. The Capitals out-chanced, out-shot and out-scored their opponents with him on the ice. And while the offensive zone start numbers were somewhat favorable, it’s not like he was playing alongside the Capitals’ best offensive players.

His most common linemates throughout the course of the season were the likes of Brandon Duhaime, Ethan Frank and Sonny Milano. That is very much a depth role, and he mostly played it well despite the lack of offense.

It creates an interesting situation for him as it relates to the Penguins going in to the 2026-27 season.

On one hand, the Penguins are already overloaded at the forward position, to the point where a player like Justin Brazeau, who scored 17 goals a year ago, is going to have a hard time finding a spot in the lineup, let alone returning young players like Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty.

But the Penguins are also looking to improve their overall defensive play, and that isn’t just going to come from changes on their defense pairings (where half of the lineup has already been overhauled this offseason with Kaedan Korczak, Declan Carlile and Trevor van Riemsdyk all coming in). It also has to come from their forward play, and given what Lapierre showed in his first full season with the Capitals, he can potentially help improve that a lot in a depth role. Especially following the offseason departure of Noel Accairi and his free agent signing with the Philadelphia Flyers.

He also fits the mold of the type of player the Penguins have been targeting over the past year-plus: Early-to-mid-20s, at one time a top prospect, some success at the NHL level, even in a limited role, and probably needing a fresh start and change of scenery somewhere else. They have had some success with those moves.

The question now becomes whether or not Lapierre can win a roster spot in a deep forward competition, and whether or not there is more offensive upside to his game.

At the very least he has a chance to be an effective bottom-six player and defensive forward. If he can add some more offense to that the Penguins will have found themselves another good player.

Lord Stanley’s hardware is headed to the island.

Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi has incredibly sentimental plans for his day with the Stanley Cup on Wednesday, as the first Suffolk County native ever to win the prestigious trophy is bringing it to where it all began for him as a little boy — The Rinx ice arena in Hauppauge.

“The Rinx is the first place I ever put my goalie gear on,” Bussi told The Post.

“I was on the ice for a clinic. I wish I could tell you what day of the week it was.”

The 27-year-old who first made the NHL in October — and wowed the hockey world with a title-clinching, 3-0 shutout against the Golden Knights in Game 6 of the final — will have the Cup on public display from 10:15-11:45 a.m.

He’s also being recognized as the inaugural Suffolk sports person of the year by the county’s sports hall of fame at the rink.

“It’ll be cool for me to see the next generation of hockey players because winning the Stanley Cup is their dream too,” Bussi said.

“Hopefully there will be a few people there who have the opportunity that I have now.”

Bussi, a Sound Beach native, also has special plans for the Cup in the evening.

He will honor the first-ever Long Islander to hoist it, defenseman Rob Scuderi of Syosset in Nassau County, by bringing the Stanley Cup to Bracco’s on the Nautical Mile in Freeport — where Scuderi celebrated after winning with the Penguins in 2009 and the Kings in 2014.

“I thought that was a cool little way of tying the whole day together,” Bussi said, “having the opportunity to bring it back there.”

The retired stay-at-home defenseman was overwhelmed by the gesture of tribute.

“He asked me what I did, and I kind of threw it out there,” said Scuderi, who played at St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington in the mid-1990s.

“It was incredibly generous to him to think of me at a time when really it’s easy to be a little bit selfish … that shows a lot from him,” Scuderi said.

Scuderi, now an assistant with the Predators, originally chose the waterside watering hole in 2009 because the stretch of restaurants and bars along the mile held a special place in his heart as he was raised on the island.

“I think it’s very important to share that cup with the community that you grew up in,” added Scuderi.

Bussi and the Cup will be at the seafood lover’s paradise from 6-9 p.m. — and the champ is ready to party before the preseason.

“I can’t let it all out, right? There’s got to be a little bit of excitement for the day,” he said. “But I’m sure there’ll be certain foods or drinks that end up in the cup.”

The Pittsburgh Penguins should be open to the idea of signing at least one defenseman to a professional tryout (PTO) agreement ahead of training camp. 

When looking at the remaining unrestricted free agents, one player who could make sense for the Penguins to take a look at on a PTO is defenseman Ben Hutton.

The Penguins could use more competition on the left side of their blueline after losing Ryan Shea to the Edmonton Oilers in free agency and trading Parker Wotherspoon to the Vegas Golden Knights. Because of this, a player like Hutton could be worth taking a gamble on with a PTO. 

Hutton is a solid veteran defenseman who could give the Penguins another option for their bottom pairing if he earned a contract for the season. However, he could also be useful for the Penguins to have around as an extra defenseman as well due to his experience. 

Overall, there would be zero risk in the Penguins bringing in Hutton a PTO. If they did and felt like the fit wasn't there, they simply could release him from his PTO without signing him to a contract. 

In 55 games last season with the Vegas Golden Knights, Hutton posted six goals, nine assists, 15 points, and a plus-2 rating. He also played in seven playoff games for Vegas this past fall, posting one assist and a plus-1 rating. 

The Los Angeles Kings are entering a new era, and Peter Laviolette knows there is no simple way to replace Anze Kopitar.

Kopitar was more than the Kings' captain. For nearly two decades, he was the standard by which the organization measured itself — a franchise player, a leader and the steady presence at the center of everything Los Angeles accomplished.

Now he's gone.

And while the Kings cannot simply replace everything Kopitar brought to the organization with one player, Laviolette believes the answer may come from somewhere else: the players already in the room.

That means the Kings' next step won't simply be about adding talent. It will be about finding the players capable of taking on bigger responsibilities and understanding that their careers still have another level to reach.

"There's always more," Laviolette said recently in a sit-down with LA Kings Insider.

That mindset could become critical for Los Angeles.

With Kopitar's retirement, a massive leadership void has opened inside the Kings' dressing room.

Laviolette understands the challenge.

"This group's got to find a way to move forward," he said. "We've got to find the leadership. We've got to find the success that he helped drive this organization to find."

That doesn't necessarily mean one player has to suddenly become Kopitar.

Instead, Laviolette appears to be looking for leadership to emerge collectively as a group.

And there are plenty of candidates.

Players such as Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere aren't rookies anymore. They've accumulated NHL experience and, in Byfield's case, already have several seasons under their belts.

But Laviolette isn't ready to stop calling them young.

That's important.

Because the Kings' new coach doesn't appear interested in allowing experience to become an excuse for settling into a player's current level.

That's perhaps the most intriguing part of Laviolette's message.

A player can have hundreds of NHL games under his belt and still have another level to reach.

"I think it's important that they realize that, too, that experience doesn't necessarily mean that you've reached the top of what you can do," Laviolette said. "There's always more."

For a Kings team trying to establish itself beyond the Kopitar era, that philosophy could be particularly important.

Byfield, for example, is entering a crucial stage of his development. He has already played enough NHL hockey that the "young player" label can feel somewhat outdated, but he's still only beginning to approach what the Kings believe he can become.

Laferriere is in a similar position.

These aren't players being asked to learn how to survive in the NHL anymore.

They're being asked to figure out how to drive winning.

And with Kopitar no longer there to carry part of that responsibility, the opportunity is sitting directly in front of them.

"As a guy like Anze moves off and into retirement, a door's open for others to try and step up, whoever that might be," Laviolette said.

That last part may be the most revealing.

Whoever that might be.

Laviolette is leaving the door open. If this is any indication on what the future of the team may look like, the captaincy must be earned. 

The leadership transition isn't the only thing Laviolette believes can move the Kings forward.

He also wants a different kind of relationship between the coaching staff and the players.

Laviolette described the modern NHL locker room as much more collaborative than the one he entered when he began coaching.

"There used to be a day when I started, where there was just one voice," he said. "Now it is about... back and forth."

That doesn't mean the coach gives up control.

Laviolette was clear that everyone still has a job to do.

But he believes successful teams require communication between the people making decisions and the players living with those decisions every night.

"If there's no belief in it... you're beating your head against the wall trying to get something done," Laviolette said.

That's a significant philosophy for a team entering a transition.

The Kings aren't simply replacing one player. They're trying to establish a new identity.

And Laviolette appears to believe that identity has to be built with the players rather than simply handed down to them.

There will inevitably be questions about what Los Angeles does externally.

But Laviolette's comments suggest that he sees an equally important opportunity internally.

The Kings have players who have been around long enough to understand the league.

Now they have to take the next step.

Kopitar's retirement creates an obvious void, but it also creates an opportunity for Byfield, Laferriere and the rest of Los Angeles' young core to redefine themselves.

The Kings don't need someone to become the next Anze Kopitar.

They need players to become more than they have been before.

And if Laviolette can get that out of them, Los Angeles may discover that the path forward was sitting in its locker room all along.

We suggested a replacement back in late June, and given his accomplishments, longevity and connection to the organization, it should be an obvious consideration.

Drew Doughty has been with the Kings for his entire career and is entering his 19th professional season. More importantly, he was alongside Anze Kopitar for both of Los Angeles' Stanley Cup championships. If the Kings are looking for someone who understands what it takes to lead this franchise, Doughty has already been there for it all.

The 2026-27 NHL season is approaching and the league took another step in the ramp-up by announcing the preseason schedule on Thursday, Aug. 13.

Because the NHL season has increased from 82 games to 84 this season under the new collective bargaining agreement, the preseason schedule has been reduced.

There will be 65 games over eight days, starting on Sept. 19 and ending on Sept. 27. The regular season will start two days later with five games.

The exhibition schedule features four neutral-site games, including the annual Kraft Hockeyville game.

The Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators will face off on Monday, Sept. 21, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. As part of the Kraft Hockeyville program, the nearby town of  Saint-Boniface, Quebec, received $250,000 for upgrades to its local arena and $10,000 worth of youth hockey equipment from NHLPA Goals & Dreams.

Here is the 2026 NHL preseason schedule:

NHL preseason schedule

All times Eastern

SATURDAY, SEPT. 19

• Dallas at St. Louis, 7 p.m.
• Montreal (split-squad) at Toronto (split-squad), 7 p.m.
• Toronto (split-squad) at Montreal (split-squad), 7 p.m.
• Winnipeg at Edmonton, 8 p.m.
• Chicago at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
• Los Angeles vs. Vegas, at Ontario, California, 9 p.m.
• Vancouver at Seattle, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 20

• NY Islanders at New Jersey, 1 p.m.
• San Jose at Anaheim, 4 p.m.
• Nashville at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m.
• Washington at Boston, 5 p.m.
• Carolina at Florida, 7 p.m.
• Utah at Colorado, 7 p.m.
• Seattle at Calgary, 8 p.m.

MONDAY, SEPT. 21

• Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
• Detroit at Columbus, 7 p.m.
• NY Rangers at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
• Philadelphia vs. Washington, at Hershey, Pennsylvania, 7 p.m.
• Montreal vs. Ottawa, at Trois-Rivières, Quebec, 7 p.m.
• Colorado at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
• Minnesota at Chicago, 8 p.m.
• St. Louis at Dallas, 8 p.m.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 22

• Columbus at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
• Detroit at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
• Florida at Carolina, 7 p.m.
• NY Islanders at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
• Philadelphia at Boston, 7 p.m.
• Edmonton at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
• Tampa Bay at Nashville, 8 p.m.
• Vancouver at Calgary, 9 p.m.
• Utah at Los Angeles, 10 p.m.
• Vegas at San Jose, 10 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23

• Ottawa (split-squad) at Toronto (split-squad), 7 p.m.
• Toronto (split-squad) at Ottawa (split-squad), 7 p.m.
• Minnesota at Dallas, 8 p.m.
• Los Angeles at Anaheim, 10 p.m.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 24

• Boston at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
• Buffalo at Detroit, 7 p.m.
• Florida at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
• Carolina vs. Nashville, at Greensboro, North Carolina, 7 p.m.
• New Jersey at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
• Pittsburgh at Columbus, 7 p.m.
• Chicago at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
• Edmonton at Vancouver, 9 p.m.
• Calgary at Seattle, 9:40 p.m.
• Anaheim at San Jose, 10 p.m.
• Utah at Vegas, 10 p.m.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 25

• Boston at Washington, 7 p.m.
• NY Rangers at NY Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
• Dallas at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
• Winnipeg at Colorado, 8:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 26

• Carolina at Nashville, 3 p.m.
• Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 3 p.m.
• Anaheim at Los Angeles, 4 p.m.
• Colorado at Utah, 5 p.m.
• Washington at Philadelphia, 5 p.m.
• Tampa Bay at Florida, 6 p.m.
• Seattle at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
• St. Louis at Chicago, 7 p.m.
• Columbus at Detroit, 7 p.m.
• Montreal (split-squad) at Ottawa (split-squad), 7 p.m.
• Ottawa (split-squad) at Montreal (split-squad), 7 p.m.
• New Jersey at NY Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
• Calgary at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
• San Jose at Vegas, 10 p.m.

When does the 2026-27 NHL regular season begin?

The schedule for the 2026-27 NHL season will begin on Sept. 29 with five games on opening night:

• Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 5
• Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 7
• New York Rangers vs. Boston Bruins, 8
• Vancouver Canucks vs. Edmonton Oilers, 10
• Chicago Blackhawks vs. Vegas Golden Knights, 10:30

NHL key dates 2026-27

• Sept. 19: NHL preseason begins
• Sept. 29: Opening night
• Nov. 18 and 20: NHL Global Series Finland (Hurricanes vs. Kraken in Helsinki)
• Dec. 18 and 20: NHL Global Series Germany (Blackhawks vs. Senators in Dusseldorf)
• Feb. 6: NHL All-Star Game at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 NHL preseason schedule announced with reduced number of games

For the Colorado Avalanche, the wait for meaningful hockey is almost over.

The NHL has unveiled its 2026 preseason schedule, giving Colorado a four-game tune-up before the games begin to count. With the Avalanche coming off another season of high expectations, the preseason will offer the first real glimpse at a roster looking to make another run at the Stanley Cup.

Colorado will open its exhibition slate at home on Sunday, Sept. 20, welcoming the Utah Mammoth to Ball Arena for a 5 p.m. MT puck drop. The Avalanche will then hit the road the following night, traveling north to take on the Winnipeg Jets on Monday, Sept. 21.

After a few days off, Colorado will return home on Friday, Sept. 25, for another matchup with Winnipeg. The Avalanche will then close out the preseason the next night in Utah on Saturday, Sept. 26.

The condensed exhibition schedule is a change across the NHL this season. The league will play just 65 preseason games over eight days, with contests taking place at 36 NHL and neutral-site venues. The shorter preseason is part of the NHL's new collective bargaining agreement with the NHLPA, which clears the way for the regular season to expand from 82 games to 84.

For the Avalanche, though, the preseason will be about much more than simply getting through four games.

It will give head coach Jared Bednar and his staff an opportunity to evaluate younger players, sort out the final pieces of the roster and determine which combinations could give Colorado its best chance when the games start counting. It will also mark the first opportunity for fans to see the team's offseason changes in game action.

Colorado won't have to wait long after the preseason finale for the real test.

The Avalanche will open the 2026-27 regular season at Ball Arena on Wednesday, Sept. 30, against the Los Angeles Kings. The matchup will be part of TNT's opening-night doubleheader, with the Pittsburgh Penguins visiting the Philadelphia Flyers at 5:30 p.m. MT before Colorado and Los Angeles take the ice at 8 p.m. MT.

After months of offseason moves, speculation and anticipation, the Avalanche finally have their roadmap back to meaningful hockey.

And the road starts at Ball Arena on Sept. 20.

The Colorado Avalanche once traded for Artturi Lehkonen because they believed he could help them win the Stanley Cup.

They were right.

Lehkonen did more than help. He scored the goal that sent Colorado to the Stanley Cup Final, then scored the goal that ended it. His name is now permanently attached to the most important moment of the Avalanche’s modern era.

That makes what comes next uncomfortable.

Lehkonen is entering the final year of his contract, and the player Colorado acquired at the 2022 trade deadline is no longer the player the Avalanche would be paying for. He is 31, has a lengthy injury history and plays a style that demands an enormous physical commitment.

When his contract expires next summer, Colorado will have to decide whether it wants to pay for the player he has been — or gamble that he will remain that player deep into his 30s.

The easy answer is to say the Avalanche cannot afford to lose him.

I said exactly that a month ago.

But the more you look at Colorado’s roster, salary-cap situation, Lehkonen’s age and his injury history, the less obvious that answer becomes.

There is no question what Lehkonen means to Colorado. When the Avalanche acquired him from the Montreal Canadiens, they wanted another forward who could make an impact when games became tight and space disappeared.

They got exactly that.

Lehkonen's overtime goal against Edmonton sent Colorado to the Stanley Cup Final. A few weeks later, he scored the championship-clinching goal against Tampa Bay. Those moments alone secured his place in franchise history.

But Lehkonen's value has never been limited to one postseason.

He hunts down loose pucks, battles defensemen around the crease, kills penalties and routinely puts himself in areas where getting hit is simply part of the job. He scored 21 goals and 48 points in 70 games last season, finishing just three points shy of his career high.

There is still plenty of player there. The question is how much longer Colorado can reasonably expect that to be true.

Lehkonen's current contract carries a $4.5 million cap hit, and it has been one of Colorado's better investments.

The next one could be very different.

Lehkonen turns 32 next summer. By then, the Avalanche will be negotiating with a player entering the latter portion of his career rather than a winger entering his prime. His injury history only adds another layer of uncertainty.

Lehkonen underwent shoulder surgery in 2024 and has dealt with a myriad of other injuries throughout his career. To some extent, that comes with the territory.

He is 5-foot-11, but plays like he's 6-foot-11, throwing himself into battles and willingly taking a tumble if it means getting a puck toward the net. He doesn't wait for opportunities to come to him. He creates them in the trenches, where the hits are harder and the bodies are bigger.

That's what makes him so valuable to Colorado, but it's also what makes his age and durability worth watching. Eventually, age catches everyone, and Colorado can't assume Lehkonen will be the exception.

The Avalanche have already moved Valeri Nichushkin, Ross Colton and Jack Drury this offseason.

Those moves were not made because Colorado suddenly stopped valuing useful players. They were made because the salary cap forces difficult choices, and that reality is not going away.

Cale Makar's next contract is looming, and when one of the best defensemen in hockey receives his next deal, Colorado will need enough flexibility to keep the rest of the roster competitive.

Every dollar matters.

If Lehkonen enters free agency and another team offers him four or five years at a significant annual salary, Colorado may have to decide whether that is a contract it can live with.

And it might not be.

That would be incredibly difficult for Avalanche fans.

Lehkonen is beloved for good reason. He has delivered some of the biggest moments in franchise history, and his style makes him exactly the type of player every contender wants.

But there is a difference between wanting a player and wanting the contract that comes with him.

Colorado has another full season to figure this out.

If Lehkonen stays healthy and produces at the same level, perhaps the Avalanche decide they cannot replace what he brings. If his production declines, injuries become a problem or his asking price climbs beyond what Colorado considers reasonable, the answer could be very different.

Maybe the Avalanche don't lose Lehkonen because they stopped believing in him.

Maybe they lose him because they cannot afford to pay for the player they hope he will remain.

And if that happens, it will hurt.

But championship teams eventually have to choose between preserving the past and protecting the future.

For Colorado, that decision could come down to Artturi Lehkonen.

One of the best stories, not just for the Detroit Red Wings but across the entire NHL this past season, was the emergence of 21-year-old forward Emmitt Finnie, who went from an AHL grinder to a full-time NHL regular in the span of just a few years.

The Lethbridge, Alberta, native was a seventh-round pick by Detroit back in the 2023 NHL Draft and built a reputation for hard work that followed him at every step of his hockey career. 

After being drafted, Finnie got his first taste of pro hockey the following season, appearing in three games with the Grand Rapids Griffins once his Canadian junior season had wrapped up, an early look that gave him a sense of the tools he would need to sharpen before returning to the AHL.

Finnie took that development to heart, posting a massive jump in production during the final season of his junior career. His point total climbed from 59 to 84, with his goal-scoring seeing the biggest leap, nearly doubling from 19 to 37.

At the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, Finnie again made the jump up to the AHL, returning to Grand Rapids and producing right away, recording five points in ten games. With another offseason of hard work behind him, Finnie made the full-time jump to the pros this past season, and it paid off in a big way. 

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He earned a spot on Detroit's opening night roster and quickly became a fixture in the Red Wings' lineup. In his first NHL season, Finnie experienced the natural ups and downs of a rookie campaign, working through hot streaks and cold stretches along the way. Still, he finished the year with a promising 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points, all while showing remarkable durability, playing in all 82 games without missing any time.

Now, the second year of Finnie's Red Wings tenure shapes up as one of the more fascinating storylines to watch early in the season. Having rapidly improved in each of the last three seasons, with his production growing at every stop along the way, the question becomes what the young riser has left in the tank, and what a full offseason dedicated to preparing for full-time NHL competition could mean for his continued development.

If Finnie continues on this trajectory as a rapid riser, it's worth wondering whether his numbers could climb into reliable 45- to 50-plus point territory in the seasons ahead. Should that happen, the Red Wings would have quite the weapon tucked away in their back pocket, an unexpected seventh-round pick who has quietly grown into one of the best draft selections the franchise has made in the last decade.

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Brock Nelson has already experienced the kind of year that can define an NHL career.

Olympic gold? Check.

A 1,000th NHL game? Check.

35 goals, 65 points and a spot among the finalists for the Frank J. Selke Trophy? Check, check and check.

There is just one problem.

Nelson doesn't have a Stanley Cup. 

And after seeing the Colorado Avalanche's season come to a brutal end against the Vegas Golden Knights, that appears to be the accomplishment he wants most.

“It doesn’t matter how you lose a series, but obviously getting swept is even more disappointing,” Nelson said Wednesday in an interview with NHL.com’s Heather Rule while making his 2026 debut at Da Beauty League, a summer hockey league featuring NHL and collegiate players with ties to Minnesota.

The Avalanche had every reason to believe they were headed toward another deep playoff run. Colorado finished the regular season with the Presidents’ Trophy after going 55-16-11 for 121 points, then swept the Los Angeles Kings before dispatching the Minnesota Wild in five games.

Then everything fell apart.

Vegas swept Colorado in the Western Conference Final, with Game 3 serving as perhaps the most painful example of what went wrong. The Avalanche carried a three-goal lead into the second period, only to watch the Golden Knights erase it before eventually winning 5-3.

For Nelson, the series came down to opportunities Colorado simply couldn't finish.

“I think the margin for error and the need for really timely execution is crucial,” he said.

That lesson could prove valuable heading into 2026-27, particularly because Nelson doesn't believe Colorado needs a major overhaul.

The foundation is still there.

Cale Makar remains one of the best defensemen in the world. Devon Toews continues to provide a steady presence alongside him. Colorado believes it has the goaltending necessary to compete for a championship, while the health of captain Gabriel Landeskog could provide another significant boost.

Nelson sees no reason to believe the Avalanche's championship window has closed.

If anything, the disappointment has made the team hungrier.

“I know this team is hungrier than ever, even having won it recently,” Nelson said.

That's an interesting perspective considering what Nelson himself accomplished over the past year.

He scored at least 30 goals for the fourth time in his career, finished fourth on Colorado in scoring and established himself as one of the Avalanche's most dependable two-way forwards. His performance earned him consideration for the Selke, awarded annually to the NHL's top defensive forward.

And then there was the Olympic experience.

Nelson helped the United States defeat Canada 2-1 in overtime to win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics, recording two goals and an assist in six games.

But calling that simply another line on his résumé doesn't do the moment justice.

Nelson was carrying generations of American hockey history with him.

His uncle, Dave Christian, was part of the legendary 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team. His grandfather, Bill Christian, and great-uncle, Roger Christian, helped the United States win gold at the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley.

Nelson had members of his family in Italy to experience the moment alongside him.

“A memory and moments that we’ll never forget,” Nelson said. “Super emotional when we were able to get it done.”

Six months later, the Olympic gold medal is already beginning to feel like a distant memory.

That's what happens in the NHL.

There is always another season. Another playoff run. Another opportunity.

And for Nelson, the next opportunity is about finishing what Colorado couldn't finish last season.

He has reached personal milestones. He has won Olympic gold. He has established himself as an important piece of one of the NHL's best teams.

Now he wants the Stanley Cup.

Nelson described the past year as “pretty good.”

It was much more than that.

But for a player entering his 14th NHL season, “pretty good” isn't the standard anymore.

The Avalanche have already proven they can dominate the regular season.

Now Nelson wants to see what happens when they finish the job.

While the 2025-26 season was ultimately a success for the Philadelphia Flyers that ended with an appearance in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, they have their work cut out for them if they want to make it back there again next season.

It wasn't for a lack of effort that the Flyers ended up making few moves this offseason. Their $90 million offer sheet to Leo Carlsson would have changed the team's outlook, both in the present and the future, drastically, but the Anaheim Ducks stood their ground and retained their franchise player.

Aside from that, Joseph Woll, if and when healthy, should be a considerable upgrade over Sam Ersson at the goalie position, and Noel Acciari replaces a declining Garnet Hathaway with the added bonus of positional flexibility.

The Flyers did, however, get slightly worse defensively, replacing the puck-moving Emil Andrae with a stereotypical bruiser in Simon Benoit.

That is not something that will help their average transition game and abhorrent power play, even if Andrae was never really given power play opportunities anyway.

Simply put: other teams in the Metropolitan Division improved more than the Flyers did, and upgrades for Philadelphia are going to have to come from within.

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No. 3: A much better power play

Here's an example: the Washington Capitals finished last season outside of the playoffs, had the eighth-worst power play in the NHL, and allowed the third-most shorthanded goals.

Then they went out and added Jordan Kyrou, Alex Tuch, and Boone Jenner in free agency.

If the Flyers want to be back in the playoffs, with a team like that on their heels, they cannot have the worst power play in the NHL again, and they cannot allow the fourth-most shorthanded goals in the league again.

Rookie Porter Martone enters the 2026-27 season as the de facto replacement for Bobby Brink, who was traded to Minnesota for David Jiricek at the NHL trade deadline.

Martone and Jiricek, 19 and 22, respectively, have clear paths to making meaningful long-term impacts for the Flyers, and players with their talents need to do some major damage on the power play, too.

While Martone's roster spot is all but guaranteed, Jiricek will need to fend off Simon Benoit and/or Oliver Bonk for a roster spot and playing time, but his offensive exploits should give him the leg up heading into training camp next month.

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A full season of a more experienced Martone and a breakout from Jiricek should position the Flyers nicely to, at the very least, crawl out from the NHL's power play basement with upside for more.

No. 2: Health is wealth

We'll come back to the power play and offense shortly, but as mentioned above, Joseph Woll, when healthy, is a massive upgrade over Sam Ersson.

Ersson was just 14-11-5 in 29 starts and 33 games played for the Flyers last season as Dan Vladar's understudy, and while he did end on a higher note, the overall performance wasn't good enough.

Vladar, 28, played 52 regular season games for the Flyers last year, but between 2021 and 2025, played no more than 30 regular season games in a single campaign.

Injuries and a lack of a featured role were factors in that, but the Flyers will need Vladar to stay on the ice and then be able to replicate last season's 29-14-7 record, 2.42 GAA, and .906 save percentage.

For Woll, the story is no different.

The ex-Toronto Maple Leafs warden played 39 games last season, 42 the year before that, and 25 the year before that.

The 28-year-old has obvious talent, but consistency and injuries have hampered his development.

Ultimately, the Flyers will be depending on both goalies equally to stay fit and on top of their game, because the alternative is the inexperienced Aleksei Kolosov if anything goes awry.

No. 1: Matvei Michkov

Indirectly related to the power play struggles mentioned above, the Flyers need Matvei Michkov, and perhaps more than they would publicly admit.

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Michkov, 21, was the Flyers' leading scorer after the Olympic break last season, and that directly correlated with their late-season surge into a playoff berth in Game 81.

Before that turnaround, the Flyers had that infamous 3.8% chance of making the playoffs, according to MoneyPuck.

Now, the Flyers have paraded that around because nobody believed in them, and that's fair, but it wasn't because everybody hates the Flyers. It was because the Flyers were legitimately that mediocre at that point in time, and they didn't come back to life until Michkov and a few other players got on their horse for the last three months of the season.

Michkov still finished a "bad" season with 20 goals, 31 assists, and 51 points in 81 games, scoring four fewer power play goals and five fewer power play points than he did in his rookie season.

A summer filled with vigorous training, a clear outline of where he needs to improve physically, and a second full season of development and adjustment under his belt should put the Russian phenom in pole position to make Year 3 his best yet. It'll be up to him and the coaching staff to ultimately work this one out.

And the Flyers need it, too, because without Michkov, their offense looks even more toothless.

The Montreal Canadiens have signed one of their recently acquired new forwards.

The Canadiens have announced that they have signed forward Sasha Pastujov to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2026-27 season.

The Canadiens acquired Pastujov from the Anaheim Ducks earlier this off-season in exchange for forward Sean Farrell. 

Pastujov spent all of this past season in the AHL with the San Diego Gulls. In 71 games with the AHL club in 2025-26, he posted 21 goals, 36 assists, 57 points, and a plus-3 rating. With numbers like these, the 23-year-old forward was a solid part of the Gulls' roster. 

Pastujov also recorded 17 goals and 45 points in 43 games with the Gulls during the 2024-25 campaign. With that, he has had some success at the AHL level and has the potential to be a good pickup for the Laval Rocket.

Pastujov was selected by the Ducks in the third round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, 66th overall. In 160 career AHL games over three seasons, he has posted 48 goals, 77 assists, and 125 points. The 6-foot forward has yet to make his NHL debut but will be looking to change that with the Habs. 

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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The Sabres continued their practice of selecting players with longer development windows, since they do not have to sign them within two years. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, players drafted out of the KHL development system have their rights retained by their NHL club until 27 years old,  because there is no transfer agreement between the KHL and NHL.   

With the first of two seventh-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Sabres selected Belarusian goalie Yevgeni Prokhorov. The 19-year-old played 28 games in the junior-level MHL for Dinamo-Shinnik Bobruysk in his draft year, posting a 2.19 GAA, and .903 save percentage, and went 3-3, with a 1.95 GAA and .943 save percentage in six playoff games. 

Last season, Prokhorov’s numbers improved even more, posting a sub 2.00 GAA (1.96), and better save % (.925) in 29 games, as well as a 1.92 GAA and .938 save % in 10 playoff games. 

With Belarus subject to the ban from the IIHF along with Russia due to the war in Ukraine, Prokhorov will not get any international experience like playing in the World Junior, and will likely play in the MHL again next season, but could see some time in the second-level VHL or KHL depending on his performance. 

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The NHL Network has already released a top-20 wingers and a top-20 defensemen list right now, with Montreal Canadiens Cole Caufield (ninth) and Lane Hutson (sixth) cracking those rankings. On Sunday night, they’ll be releasing their top-10 goalies list right now, and one can wonder if the Habs will have a player on that list as well. After the year he’s had, Samuel Montembeault is obviously as far away from the list as a goaltender could be, but what about Jakub Dobes?

The Czech netminder started the year as the backup goaltender, and as coach Martin St-Louis kept giving Montembeault second chances, it looked like Dobes’ confidence was affected. However, once the Habs realized that this just wasn’t Montembeault’s season and called up Jacob Fowler before also bringing on Marco Marciano as a goalie coach to replace Eric Raymond, he bounced back and grabbed the number one job.

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At the end of the regular season, Dobes had a 2.78 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. He was 22nd in GAA amongst goalies who had played at least 35 games, and his SV was 20th amongst the same group. However, he was 12th in wins, claiming 29 wins in just 43 games for a 67% winning percentage. He might not have always done it perfectly, but Dobes found ways to win games. Andrei Vasilevskiy, who had the highest number of wins with 39, needed 58 games to get there. That’s also a 67% winning percentage. Karel Vejmelka, who had 38 wins, did so while playing in 64 games, meaning he won 60% of his duels. Jake Oettinger wraps up the top three in wins with 35 in 54 games for a 65% winning percentage. From that standpoint, Dobes deserves to be in the top-10 goalie conversation.

Furthermore, in the playoffs, he was sixth in GAA among goalies who played at least 10 games, with a 2.66 GAA and fifth in SV among the same group, with a .908 SV. As we’ve seen in the last two rankings released by the NHL Network, recent playoff performance can have an impact on those. Winger Mitch Marner landed in fourth place in the wingers ranking after putting off what would likely have been a Conn Smythe-worthy performance (29 points in 22 games, seven points ahead of the second-highest scorer) had the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup. However, someone like Marner has a 10-year track record.

Dobes has only played in the NHL for two seasons (he played 16 games in 2024-25 and had a 2.74 GAA and a .909 SV), so the panel might feel he doesn’t have enough of a track record. Last season, the top 10 goalies according to NHL Network all had a lot of mileage. Connor Hellebuyck finished first and had played in 10 NHL seasons. Vasilevskiy was second and had played in 11 seasons; Igor Shesterkin was third and had played in six seasons; Sergei Bobrovsky was fourth, having played for 15 seasons; and Oettinger wrapped up the top five while having played in five NHL seasons. Looking at the rest of the top 10, no goaltender had less than five seasons of experience.

Taking that into account, it seems unlikely that NHL Network will put him on the list. It may be called the top 10 goalie list right now, but past performances do have an impact. However, if Dobes puts together a season as good as his last playoff performance was, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him on the list next year despite his limited experience because he would have proven he wasn’t a flash in the pan. In other words, it’s a no for now on Dobes, but that could change.

In the years to come, if Jacob Fowler develops as expected, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities to see two Canadiens goaltenders crack that list, as long as Kent Hughes doesn’t decide to sacrifice a goalie to fill another need, of course.

---

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The 2026 NHL Entry Draft was a successful one for the Vancouver Canucks. The organization added nine new prospects, including Caleb Malhotra with the third overall pick. It turns out that Vancouver also attempted to trade up in the draft in order to secure a third pick in the first round. 

In a new video released by the Ottawa Senators, General Manager Steve Staios can be heard speaking with Canucks GM Ryan Johnson. The two were discussing a trade in which Vancouver would move up to 25th overall in exchange for the 33rd and 41st overall picks. The deal would also include the Canucks acquiring the 72nd overall pick. 

Despite what appeared to be interest from Staios, Ottawa declined the trade and drafted Jonas Lagerberg Hoen 25th overall. Vancouver would go on to draft Brooks Rogowski 33rd and Niklas Aaram-Olsen 41st overall. As for the 72nd pick, the Senators selected forward Adam Nemec. 

Next up on the Canucks' schedule is the 2026 Prospects Showcase. The event will be hosted in Abbotsford, where Vancouver will battle the Seattle Kraken. Game days are September 12th and 13th, 2026. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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Returning to Columbus after the summer break, Columbus Blue Jackets star defenseman Zach Werenski said he'd "ideally" like to stay with the team long term.

This follows a complicated offseason in which his future with the Blue Jackets seemed in jeopardy.

Meeting with the media on Aug. 13, Werenski addressed this summer's trade rumors, which speculated his exit from the team with which he has spent his entire decade-long NHL career.

"[It's] not something I don't think either myself or Don [Waddell] kind of intended on it to get to," Werenski said. "I think my statement is exactly how I feel. I want to win and I want to win here in Columbus. That's all I'm focused on, and that hasn't changed since the end of last season."

Werenski, 28, is the NHL's reigning Norris Trophy winner as the league's best defenseman, as chosen by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. After the Blue Jackets skidded out of the playoffs, a report on June 10 from The Athletic stated that Werenski might request a trade out of Columbus.

On June 30, multiple outlets reported that Werenski rejected a proposed trade to the Dallas Stars.

"I really don't want to, I guess, talk about another team and situation," Werenski said. "To me, [Columbus] is where I always wanted to be. ... I kind of heard about it, and then it was just like, 'I'm playing in Columbus next year.' That was my thought on it."

Werenski continued: "So, I really didn't give it too much of a thought. I honestly went to bed and woke up to that article ... like, I don't know. I didn't really have too much thought on it. I kind of was trying to figure out what was going on. But yeah, it got crazy for sure."

After the trade speculation, Waddell and Werenski met, with Werenski's agent Judd Moldaver joining them. Waddell and Werenski both released statements after. Werenski's July statement reflected his remarks in August; he emphasized his desire to "win now" and to win in Columbus.

Said Werenski: "I think everyone knows how much I love this city and how much it means to me, and I would have no issues being here for an even longer time. I want to see us in the playoffs, and I want to see us make progress, and I feel like we've done that. ... I think winning solves everything, and that's where we have to get as a club, and we have to raise our standards and expectations."

Waddell's July statement confirmed he had met with Werenski about his future with the team, as well as exploring opportunities to trade him out of Columbus. Although he didn't reference Dallas, Waddell said he spoke to Werenski about a trade that worked for the Blue Jackets, and Werenski informed Waddell he wanted to stay.

"Me and Don [Waddell] have had great conversations about everything," Werenski said. "I do have two years left on my deal, and I don't know what's going to happen. All I know is that I'm going to be the best player I can be this season for this team. But at the end of the day, there was a business side of it. ... If you were to ask [Waddell], and I don't know this, but ideally, I'm here for the long term, and it's on a winning team."

The rumors were just one aspect of a packed summer for Werenski, who became a new father with the birth of his son in May. Through it all, Werenski said he kept in constant communication with his teammates via FaceTime to let them know he intended to remain with the team.

"After the statement came out, I got a lot of texts from the guys, just fired up that I'll be back," he added.

The Blue Jackets' roster has undergone substantial changes. Former team captain Boone Jenner, the team's longest-tenured player, signed with the Washington Capitals as a free agent after 13 seasons in Columbus. The team also added veteran winger Valeri Nichushkin from the Colorado Avalanche and extended the deals of goalie Jet Greaves and forward Cole Sillinger.

Werenski said he liked the moves that Waddell had made toward winning next season. He also acknowledged the vacancy of a captain after Jenner's exit.

"It'd be an honor. I've obviously been there for 10 years. ... I was fortunate enough to learn from guys like [Nick Foligno] and Booner, guys that have worn it before. ... I definitely feel like I'm capable of it, but we'll see," Werenski said.

Werenski's contract expires after the end of the 2027-28 season. Per NHL rules, he cannot sign an extension until July 1, 2027. Reiterating his desire to stay in Columbus, Werenski told the media he would not answer any questions about his career plans.

For now, Werenski is headed back to his home state of Michigan, where he will stay until the first week of September. The Blue Jackets' first preseason game is on Sept. 21.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski wants to stay in Columbus 'long term'