NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 07: Connor Dewar #19 of the Pittsburgh Penguins is checked by Carson Soucy #24 of the New York Rangers during the first period at Madison Square Garden on October 07, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Veterans looking to latch on and earn an NHL contract via a pro tryout (PTO) are a hallmark event of the NHL preseason. Some clubs will bring players on to see what they have, some use it mostly to fill out requirements for preseason games to make sure they dress a lineup with enough NHL experience, some have legit chances. Often a PTO can be the end of the road and something of a sad footnote. Remember Bill Guerin going to Flyers camp in 2010? No? Well, that’s probably for the best, he didn’t make the club and would retire soon after.
Last year, the Penguins had Robby Fabbri in camp on a PTO. Fabbri performed very well, hung on to the last cut but ultimately Pittsburgh decided against offering him a contract. That wouldn’t be the end of the line for Fabbri, who went through a whirlwind last year that included signing an AHL PTO with Charlotte, followed by an NHL contract with St. Louis, followed by getting claimed on waivers by Minnesota.
Will the Pens have any PTO’s this year? It’s something to watch in the coming weeks as camp rosters come out and news breaks about which vets will try to catch on across the league. Here’s a list of remaining unrestricted free agents via CapWages (we might be able to throw those projected cap hits out the window in most cases), several of which presumably will need to go the PTO route if they are to continue in the NHL.
The Penguins have 48 of their 50 contracts spoken for next season. Teams usually operate in that range, they technically could add another player (or, of course, even two) and be under the limited but adding more could hinder in-season transactions and might be something they stay away from.
That alone could be a good reason to sit this PTO season out, barring adding a player just to have experience for preseason games. Up front, you would certainly think there would be no interest or ability to tryout new players when the team is already more than flush with candidates for jobs.
Defense, however, is a different story. If Pittsburgh could get a player like Logan Stanley or Carson Soucy in the door, that might be an area where a veteran has a realistic chance to make the opening night lineup given the left side defensive chart is composed of Sam Girard, a player who spent time in the AHL last year (Declan Carlile) and then less from there (Ilya Solovyov, Caleb Jones, Owen Pickering, Jake Livanavage) as well as any possible RD that might get played on the left side.
There is a reason that these players don’t have contracts deep into August.
Soucy, 32, has had a couple of rough seasons but was effective as recently as 2023-24. At this point he doesn’t look like much more than a short-term band-aid for a club that doesn’t have a lot of depth.
Stanley, 28, doesn’t stand out on WAR but did score nine goals and add 17 assists last year between Winnipeg and Buffalo. He’s also 6’7”, 230 pounds and you can’t teach that. Still, Stanley was a player that moved down the depth chart for the Sabres, ending up as a scratch at the end of the playoffs after seeing his ice time cut along the way. His performance last year was still above needing to resort to a PTO level, he may yet find a late contract offer and be able to get in for something more firm than a tryout.
Until that happens though, it’s fair to wonder if the Pens will have any interest in a tryout to round out their training camp. Whether it’s been through waivers or trades, this team has been active at looking to add players and see what they have from fringe players. At this point, they made just decide what is on hand (like Solovyov and Jones) is enough for a quicker preseason but if there’s any area out there that makes sense to add a tryout, the blueline looks to be the spot this year in Pittsburgh.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 18: A general view of the betting odds on the video board at the Westgate SuperBook sports book on November 18, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the end of the offseason inching closer and training camp now merely weeks away, I can speak for myself when I say that I’m ready to get hurt again by watching another season of our favorite hockey team try to play hockey at the highest level.
The New Jersey Devils rookies will report to camp, followed by the veterans and an abbreviated preseason as this will be the first season of the 84-game regular season schedule under the new CBA. Which means that it won’t be too long before you’re inundated with all sorts of season preview content.
Before the season begins, I do like to take a look at what the sportsbooks think when it comes to the odds. Not necessarily because I’m looking to place a wager as I am a terrible bettor…..my recent excursion to Harrah’s Atlantic City can attest to that…..but because the sportsbooks aren’t typically in the business of trying to be wrong. The old saying is that the casinos in Las Vegas didn’t build themselves, and while there are instances where the sportsbooks completely miss the mark (the Vegas Golden Knights in their inaugural season and the year Leicester City won the Premier League being two of the more prominent examples over the last decade), they’re generally closer to being right more often than not if you want to use it as a sort of predictive market. The books are trying to set the most accurate number they can with the data and information available to them and mitigate risk on their end, and they have all access to all sorts of resources that the general public does not.
I thought for this week, it would be worthwhile to take a look at the odds and what they’re trying to tell us about what they think the Devils will be this season. For the purposes of this article, odds are courtesy of DraftKings and are subject to change.
Metropolitan Division Winner Odds
Carolina +100
Washington +370
New Jersey +750
Philadelphia 11/1
Columbus 15/1
Pittsburgh 16/1
NY Islanders 25/1
NY Rangers 25/1
An experienced sports bettor would know to shop around for the best price if there was a particular team they were looking to bet, but going from sportsbook to sportsbook, the general consensus is that Carolina is the team to beat in the division, Washington is the team with the best chance of dethroning them, and the Devils have the slight edge over the rest of the also rans in the Metropolitan when it comes to who will be that third guaranteed playoff team out of the division.
I would agree that Carolina, the defending Stanley Cup champions and the most consistent team in the division over the last decade, deserves the distinction of being the team to beat. They have earned the benefit of the doubt thanks to their body of work over the last several years and suffered no significant losses off of their roster outside of maybe goalltender Frederik Andersen. I would also agree with Washington being the #2 team in the Metro, as I don’t think any team has had a better offseason than the Capitals. Adding two top six forwards in Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou and retaining the services of an all-time great in Alex Ovechkin will earn that distinction.
I’m not entirely sure that I agree that the Devils are the third best team after finishing 7th last year and struggling to put the puck in the back of the net. If anything, I view the endorsement of the Devils as an indictment of everybody else, if that makes sense.
I will say that I do think that outside of Washington and maybe the Rangers, the Devils have done more to improve in the division this offseason than any other team in the Metro. The Flyers did take a big swing with the Leo Carlsson offer sheet, and they did improve their backup goaltender spot with the Joseph Woll trade. But they didn’t ultimately get Carlsson, and would it be all that surprising with how random goaltending is if Dan Vladar took a step back? A full season of Porter Martone should help, and I would say the same for Matvei Michkov if the Flyers don’t run him out of town first, but I do think the Devils and Flyers should probably be closer than they actually are. And that’s not even considering someone else in the division putting together a sustained run during the season to force their way into the playoffs like the Penguins did last year. Columbus made their seemingly annual run but came up short, and the Islanders held a playoff spot for much of the year before a late season collapse.
The Metropolitan Division Point Totals
Carolina – 107.5
Washington – 99.5
New Jersey – 95.5
Philadelphia – 93.5
Pittsburgh – 91.5
Columbus – 91.5
NY Islanders – 88.5
NY Rangers – 86.5
Those point totals might seem high for everyone, but keep in mind. The regular season is now 84 games, so that adds a possible four points to the total that a team can earn over the course of the season.
I will say these numbers being closer than the divisional odds aligns with what I previously said about the gap between the Devils and the rest of the Metropolitan Division being closer than it appears to be.
Will The Devils Make The Playoffs?
Yes -120
No -110
The most obvious playoff teams in either conference are significant favorites, as Carolina is -1100 and Colorado is -1800, just to give context. So the fact that the Devils odds are basically the same either way suggests its probably a coin flip at this point whether or not the Devils were to make it.
The Devils have the 8th best odds in the Eastern Conference simply to make the playoffs. In addition to being behind Carolina and Washington (-235), they’re also behind Florida (-1000), Tampa Bay (-390), Montreal (-180), Buffalo (-125), and Toronto (-125). I don’t know that I agree about Buffalo or Toronto being a playoff team this upcoming season, and full disclosure, I have a bet with our old pal CJ Turturo that Buffalo will NOT be a playoff team again this year, but that’s why they play the games.
What About Winning the Eastern Conference?
Carolina +300
Florida +320
Tampa Bay +600
Washington +900
Montreal 13/1
New Jersey 17/1
Buffalo 17/1
Toronto 18/1
Ottawa 20/1
Philadelphia 28/1
The Devils currently sit tied for 6th in terms of the best odds to win the Eastern Conference, which really only reaffirms a common theme throughout this article that the books expect the Devils to be a borderline playoff team.
Odds to Win the Stanley Cup
Florida +650
Carolina +650
Colorado +700
Edmonton +800
Vegas +850
Tampa Bay 12/1
Minnesota 13/1
Dallas 14/1
Washington 17/1
Montreal 22/1
Anaheim 28/1
Utah, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Buffalo 30/1
Final Thoughts
The purpose of this article isn’t to offer betting advice, although the great thing about this country is that if you vehemently disagree with any of the odds listed, you happen to live in the right jurisdiction, and you’re of legal age, you’re allowed to put your hard-earned money where your mouth is and try to prove the sportsbooks wrong.
The purpose of this article was to come up with a takeaway from the oddsmakers. And what they’re telling you is that they think this Devils team is a borderline playoff team. They think the Devils, assuming things go right, will be the 6th or 7th best team in the Eastern Conference. That would not make them a Stanley Cup contender, but if the Devils play well and look the part, they won’t remain 30/1 either in terms of odds to win the Cup. The odds will likely settle in on a tier closer to where Tampa Bay and Washington are if and when they do that.
Of course, the books can be wrong. The books have generally overrated this iteration of the Devils since their big season in 2022-23.
They likely expect that if Jack Hughes remains healthy, this is a no-doubt about it playoff team. For what its worth, the Devils were 34-24-3 with him last season (.582 point percentage) vs. 8-13 without him (.381). Jack is clearly a difference maker where he makes an impact when he plays, and his absence is felt as well. A .582 point percentage extrapolated over an 82 game season last year would’ve still had them come up short in the Eastern Conference, but adding a healthy Jack probably flips a couple contests in the Metropolitan Division (where they went 7-17-2 last year) and Eastern Conference (20-27-3) that they lost last season. Or if nothing else, it gets them to overtime more often than they did last season (16 times, which was among the fewest in the league).
The Devils have not had the depth the last few seasons to overcome a Jack Hughes injury. Add on top of that poor goaltending in two of the last three seasons (Vanecek/Schmid/Daws in 23-24, Markstrom last year). Add on top of that that last year’s team was bottom two in terms of shot percentage and finishing their chances. All of that led to the Devils finishing where they did on the outside looking in. Yes, they have ground to make up in a competitive Eastern Conference if they want to get back to the playoffs, but they’ve managed to dig their way out of deeper holes than this before.
Whether or not Sunny Mehta has made enough changes to improve the Devils is up for debate. I wrote this article a few days before the team signed Anthony Mantha, who should help the team finish more of their chances. I do think their depth pieces now are better than what they had in previous seasons, but I’ve also thought that in the past only to be disappointed with late career Evgenii Dadonov, Tomas Tatar, and Tomas Nosek, among others.
The Devils are probably better on paper than they were last year. They’re probably better on whatever spreadsheet and model Sunny Mehta uses, at least compared to last year’s version. And the oddsmakers seem to think they’re better as well. It remains to be seen whether or not they’re actually better or if we’re being set up for disappointment once again.
After re-signing Hunter McDonald to a two-year contract on Tuesday, the Philadelphia Flyers have all of their free agents under contract and accounted for, but for the freshly inked defenseman, time is already ticking.
McDonald, 24, re-upped with the Flyers on a two-year, $1.83 million contract that carries a cap hit of $912.5k, with 2026-27 being a two-way year and 2027-28 being a one-way year.
As an aside to address a common misconception, the only difference between the two-way and one-way years is the amount McDonald gets paid, and not whether or not he'll go to the AHL. This season, McDonald's salary will be $250k in the AHL and $900k in the NHL.
Regardless of that, though, the burly 6-foot-4 defenseman has earned himself another contract with the Flyers, but he'll be under pressure to quickly make an impact.
At the left defense position, McDonald will need to wrest a roster spot away from a veteran like Simon Benoit and Nick Seeler, who have one and two years remaining on their contracts, respectively.
He'll also face some competition from fellow prospect Ty Murchison, who made his NHL debut before McDonald did and is a year younger. Murchison, too, has a lot to play for this year, as he's coming back from a season-ending injury and heading into a contract year.
But, even if McDonald manages to fend off Murchison and pip one of the vets for playing time, 2026 first-round pick Maksim Sokolovskii will be on the way in a few years.
That's all to say that, the sooner McDonald can establish himself and carve out a role, the better it will be for him and the Flyers.
Outside of Sokolovskii, the crop of young players on the left is bare and unremarkable, especially after the departure of Emil Andrae, but a step forward from McDonald can help change that perception.
After all, the former fifth-rounder will be 25 by the end of the new season, but he's managed to appear in just one NHL game thus far, recording an assist in his debut in an insubstantial Game 82 matchup with the Montreal Canadiens back in April, after the Flyers had already secured their place in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
After 147 regular season games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms across parts of four seasons, the time is now for McDonald to take the next step forward for the Flyers, and the short-term, varying-income contract is the organization's way of telling him to go get it.
It's worth noting, too, that if McDonald shows well in training camp and impresses Rick Tocchet and the Flyers, the front office has options.
Seeler, 33, has two years remaining on his contract at a $2.7 million cap hit with his trade protection expiring on July 1, while Benoit, the newcomer, carries a modest $1.35 million cap hit.
Both players are easily tradeable, if necessary, with their reasonable cap hits, and if Benoit hypothetically had no takers on the trade market or waivers, his cap hit is almost fully buriable in the AHL.
The Flyers have generally done well to leave themselves a back-door escape or backup option if someone falters.
A declining veteran always has a fledgling replacement waiting in the wings, and failsafe options are stocked in the cupboard if a young prospect isn't ready for a prominent NHL role with the Flyers.
The Flyers have long been bullish on the physical McDonald's upside as a third-pair bully, and it's up to the player now to gain his wings and take off before time runs out.
Next on this list of the top 10 Toronto Maple Leafs prospects is Noah Chadwick, ranked at No. 7.
The players in this ranking do not have extensive NHL experience and are all under 23. Therefore, players such as William Villeneuve, Artur Akhtyamov and Easton Cowan, among others, won't feature in this ranking for either or both of those particular reasons.
In terms of where these players fall in the rankings, it is a mix of their ceiling and potential, as well as how they've performed in the past year with their respective clubs.
Chadwick was a late pick by the Maple Leafs in the 2023 NHL draft, selected 185th overall in the sixth round. Though he was selected late in his draft class, the left-handed defenseman has developed like a player who was taken in the first three rounds.
The season before Toronto drafted Chadwick in 2022-23, his first full WHL campaign with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, the blueliner recorded five goals and 20 points in 67 appearances.
But in 2023-24, the season after the Maple Leafs drafted him, Chadwick developed soundly and produced efficiently from the back end. By the end of that campaign, he finished in the top 10 among WHL defensemen in scoring with 12 goals and 56 points in 66 games. His numbers were also good enough to finish fifth on the team in scoring and lead all D-men on the Hurricanes.
The 6-foot-4 Chadwick wasn't only evolving as a hockey player, but also as a leader. He was an alternate captain during 2023-24 and was named captain of Lethbridge the following season.
Chadwick was just as impressive for the Hurricanes with the 'C' on his chest. He registered 13 goals and 53 points in 66 regular-season outings, but really stepped into the light with his post-season performance.
Lethbridge advanced to the third round of the 2025 WHL playoffs, and plenty of that had to do with how Chadwick stepped up. The Saskatoon native recorded seven goals and 14 points in those 16 playoff games. He tied for third in team playoff scoring and was among the league's top scorers in his position. The Hurricanes wound up getting eliminated by Gavin McKenna and the Medicine Hat Tigers.
After his standout performance in his final season of junior hockey, Chadwick joined the Toronto Marlies in the AHL this past year.
Chadwick mostly looked the part in his rookie season in the American League. He ended the year with five goals and 23 points in the regular season, notching a minus-two rating.
He doesn't have the same responsibility as he did with the Hurricanes, of course, meaning he doesn't see the ice as much as defensemen such as Villeneuve, Dakota Mermis or a healthy Marshall Rifai. However, just like in Jr., his role will continue to expand, especially with Henry Thrun now a member of the Winnipeg Jets.
In the midst of all this growth that Chadwick has endured, he is still 21 years old with plenty of room to improve this coming season. A Calder Cup championship could only make this player more confident in his abilities as a defenseman and more comfortable as the leader he's proven to be at previous levels in hockey.
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The Athletic has published its NHL pipeline rankings, and journalist Corey Pronman ranks the Montreal Canadiens’ pipeline third, behind the league-leading San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks. For these rankings, Pronman focused on players 22 or younger as of September 15, 2026.
In his analysis of the Canadiens’ pipeline, he takes a closer look at 19 of the Canadiens’ prospects, including four netminders. The article includes a few surprising takes, but none more than his assessment of Jacob Fowler. Pronman wraps up his write-up on the Florida native with this statement: He projects as a quality backup goalie.
Granted, right now, the 21-year-old is not first on the Canadiens’ depth chart in goal, even though he has long been seen as the Habs’ goaltender of the future. While that may still be true, Jakub Dobes’ playoff performance has reminded everyone that there is a present before that future and that he’s very much in it.
He had such a solid rookie season that the team signed him to a three-year contract extension, which is a testament to the trust the organization has in him. The deal carries a $5,357,575 cap hit and a modified no-trade clause for the last two seasons, in which he can give a list of seven teams he cannot be traded to. Clearly, he has impressed with his performance, but Kent Hughes didn’t sign him to a long-term contract, and that’s in part because the Canadiens also have Fowler.
The 6-foot-1 and 223-pound goaltender was drafted in the third round by the Canadiens with the 69th overall pick at the 2023 draft. Since Montreal selected him, Fowler has impressed at every level. In his first year in the NCAA, he posted a 2.14 goals-against average, a .926 save percentage, and a 32-6-1 record, including seven shutouts. In his second year at Boston College, he went 25-7-2 with a 1.63 GAA, a .940 SV, and seven shutouts. Last season, with the Laval Rocket, he went 19-7-1 with a 2.23 GAA, a .916 SV, and three shutouts. Because of Samuel Montembeault’s struggle, he was given an extended look at the NHL level and went 9-6-2, with a 2.43 GAA, a .908 SV and one shutout.
While Pronman has a point when he says that Fowler is average-sized at best and that he doesn’t have true premier athleticism for the NHL, he may not need it. What Fowler lacks in size and athleticism, he makes up for with strong positioning and nerves of steel. He was more of a " thrown to the lions this past season when the Canadiens found themselves with two goalies who were struggling, and he rose to the challenge beautifully. Despite less-than-ideal circumstances, Fowler looked in full control and not at all out of his depth between the pipes of an NHL net.
Goaltending is a very volatile position, and it’s certainly not easy to predict how a prospect will turn out, but from what Fowler has shown so far, he looks like a future starting goaltender to me. In fact, right now, the Canadiens are in a position of strength in net with two very good young goaltenders in Fowler and Dobes, and I dare say that if Kent Hughes were to dangle Fowler as part of a package to acquire that elusive top-six forward, he could drum up a lot of business. Time will tell how fair Pronman’s assessment was, but right now, I struggle to see how he could turn into anything other than a number one goaltender.
The 2025-26 season didn’t exactly start with a bang for the 2020 draft pick. On Sept. 26, 2025, the Penguins announced that Blomqvist had suffered a lower-body injury during a preseason game and would miss several weeks.
Sidelined until mid-November, he was returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Nov. 15 and served as a platoon partner to prized prospect Sergei Murashov as the Baby Penguins marched to a 46-17-7 regular-season record and the Eastern Conference Finals of the Calder Cup playoffs.
Blomqvist compiled a 16-5-6 record over 26 games with a 2.40 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. His goals-against average was the sixth-lowest rate in the AHL last season, while his save percentage was the seventh-best.
For reference, Murashov finished with a 24-9-4 AHL record, a 2.20 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage.
Blomqvist did not feature in the NHL during the 2025-26 season except for a lone recall as an emergency backup for a Pittsburgh playoff game against the Flyers on April 29. He was returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton the next day.
Instead, it was Murashov who was called up for five NHL games in early November after Tristan Jarry was placed on injured reserve.
Despite Murashov’s emergence, Blomqvist still possesses a skill set that has made him a highly regarded goaltending prospect. He has been described as a calm, technically sound goaltender known for his anticipation and positioning. His primary strengths lie in his quiet demeanor and efficient tracking, while his physical posture remains a potential weakness at the highest level.
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) December 7, 2025
The Finn’s immediate future with the organization was addressed last month, when he signed a two-year contract with an average annual value of $875,000.
However, as Hooks dissected the contract structure in the days following the deal, he noted that the two-way contract carries a $300,000 downside guaranteed salary, worth up to $850,000 if he spends the full 2026-27 season in the NHL.
The second year of the deal is more intriguing. The second year switches the contract to a one-way deal that pays Blomqvist a $900,000 salary, regardless of whether he plays in the NHL or the AHL.
All told, Blomqvist is slotted as the organization’s third-string goalie and the WB/S starter heading into this season, with Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov primed to see the bulk of NHL action.
Still, another season in the AHL doesn’t mean Blomqvist has fallen out of Pittsburgh’s plans. He was a relatively high draft pick, named an AHL All-Star during the 2023-24 season, and showed some promise when recalled to Pittsburgh during the 2024-25 campaign, posting a 4-9-1 record over 15 games with a 3.81 goals-against average and an .885 save percentage.
All NHL organizations need goalie depth in this day and age. With the league expanding to an 84-game regular season, that depth may be tested in ways it has not been before, making Blomqvist’s presence that much more important heading into 2026-27. He remains one of the organization’s most accomplished young players and its most experienced goaltending prospect.
However, the path to Pittsburgh’s crease is considerably less clear than it appeared a year or two ago. Murashov’s play suggests the Penguins may now view him as the goaltending prospect with the higher ceiling.
Blomqvist needs to establish himself as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s clear No. 1 and make the most of whatever NHL opportunity comes his way, whether that is this season or next.
For the better part of the last few years, the Edmonton Oilers have been Canada's best chance to finally win another Stanley Cup.
They came within one win in 2024, returned to the Stanley Cup Final the following year, and have spent the better part of the past decade getting closer than any Canadian team has since Vancouver in 2011. There is still plenty of reason to believe they can get back there.
They may not have much longer as Canada's best chance.
The Montreal Canadiens are well ahead of schedule, and after reaching the Eastern Conference Final last season, you can't call what they're doing a rebuild anymore. They already have a good NHL team, most of their best players are young, and there is still another group coming behind them.
Montreal has drafted extraordinarily well.
Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield are established stars. Juraj Slafkovsky is 22, Ivan Demidov is 20, and Lane Hutson has already become one of the best young defencemen in the league. Noah Dobson gives Montreal another high-end defenceman, while Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler give the Canadiens two young goaltenders who could be part of the organization for a long time.
Michael Hage is still at Michigan, and the Canadiens haven't emptied Laval to build the team that's already winning playoff rounds.
That's a pretty good situation to be in after making a conference final.
Edmonton's situation is a little different.
The Oilers have the better players at the top of their roster. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, to name a few. Matt Savoie and Isaac Howard have given the Oilers some much-needed younger talent.
The difference is that most of Edmonton's best players are already what they're going to be.
McDavid isn't a prospect who might eventually become a superstar. Draisaitl isn't still developing into one of the best centres in hockey. Hyman and Nugent-Hopkins are established veterans.
The Oilers are built to win now because they have to be.
Montreal has already become a contender while several of its most important players are still developing. Demidov should be better in two years than he is today. Slafkovsky should be better. Fowler hasn't reached his prime, Hage hasn't reached the NHL, and there are still players in Laval who could eventually become part of the Canadiens' lineup.
They don't need all of them to work out, either.
Montreal has enough young players and prospects that some can miss and the organization will still be in good shape. If Hughes decides the Canadiens need another established player instead, he has the draft picks and prospects available to go get one.
Teams trying to win the Stanley Cup, as the Oilers have been for years, don't keep every draft pick and prospect. They trade them for players who can help immediately.
Eventually, those trades leave the organization with less to work with.
The Oilers don't have a prospect pool in Bakersfield that compares with what Montreal has coming through Laval, and they don't have the same collection of draft picks available if another major piece becomes available. Edmonton can still improve its roster, but Bowman doesn't have the same margin for error that Hughes does.
Montreal's contracts help, too.
The Canadiens haven't had to pay their young core like a group that has already reached its ceiling. Their biggest contracts remain manageable relative to league-wide salary levels, and much of the core is under team control for years. That lets Hughes keep adding as the young players improve.
Martin St. Louis has been behind the bench through much of the rebuild and has developed alongside many of the players now turning Montreal into a contender. After taking such a young team to the conference final, it isn't difficult to see a Coach of the Year award in his future.
Hughes could eventually have a GM of the Year award waiting for him as well.
The Canadiens have rebuilt quickly without giving up the things rebuilding teams are supposed to accumulate. They still have prospects. They still have picks. They have young players on the NHL roster who haven't reached their primes, and they already know the group can win in the playoffs.
McDavid, Draisaitl, Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins and Bouchard have been through long playoff runs together. They've played in Stanley Cup Finals, dealt with the pressure that comes with them and come about as close to winning as a team can without actually doing it.
Montreal hasn't done that yet.
For now, that experience and the presence of McDavid and Draisaitl are enough to keep Edmonton near the front of the Canadian contenders. The Oilers don't need to be younger than Montreal or have a better prospect pool to win four playoff rounds this season. But they can't keep assuming there will always be another one.
Montreal's best years should still be ahead of it. Edmonton's best opportunity may be the one it has right now.
The Canadiens were the last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup in 1993. For more than three decades, every contender north of the border has tried to become the team that finally follows them.
Edmonton has come closer than anybody, but if can't finish it in the coming years, the Canadiens may not leave them much longer to try.
While Marc-Edouard Vlasic kept the number 44 under lock and key with the San Jose Sharks for nearly two decades, shortly after he departed the organization, a new face took over.
The Sharks acquired Kiefer Sherwood from the Vancouver Canuck on January 19, 2026 for a pair of second round draft picks and defenseman Cole Clayton. Less than two month later, the Sharks signed the veteran winger to a five-year contract with an average annual value of $5.75 million to retain his services for the foreseeable future. With that being said, things weren't always this smooth for Sherwood, as he had to overcome massive odds to ever be seen as a legitimate NHL prospect.
As an undrafted player, Sherwood's NHL journey began alongside his younger brother Kole when the duo were invited to attend development camp with their hometown team, the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2015.
After showing off what they could do at development camp, the Blue Jackets offered Kole Sherwood an entry-level contract while letting Kiefer return to Miami University for the 2015-16 season.
Kiefer would go on to earn an entry-level contract of his own toward the tail end of the 2018-19 season with the Anaheim Ducks, but after two seasons split between the NHL and their American Hockey League affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, the Ducks opted not to extend a qualifying offer to Sherwood, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
Sherwood then joined the Colorado Avalanche for the 2020-21 season, where he again found himself stuck between the NHL and AHL. The same was true for the 2021-22 campaign, but he spent the majority of that season with the Colorado Eagles.
After another tweener season during the 2022-23 season, this time with the Nashville Predators, Sherwood finally got his first opportunity to stick in the NHL on a full-time basis during the 2023-24 season. In 68 games, he scored 10 goals and added 17 assists, attracting the interest of the Vancouver Canucks.
During his first season north of the border, Sherwood scored a career-high 19 goals and 40 points in 78 games. He then scored 17 goals and 23 points with the Canucks to start the 2025-26 season before he was traded to San Jose.
Compared to most 31-year-old NHLers, Sherwood has less of a proven track record as he prepares for his first full season in the Bay Area. With that being said, sometimes all late bloomers need is a true opportunity, and that appears to have been the case with Kiefer Sherwood.
Throughout the summer, one of the hottest NHL topics is prospects, which is understandable given that the draft takes place in June and that, following the initial onset of free agency, things die down quite a bit until September.
On Tuesday, another major rankings list was released. And the results were a bit perplexing for Pittsburgh Penguins fans.
What was a bit harder to wrap the head around was the prospect rankings within.
For Pronman's parameters, players had to be under the age of 23, disqualifying players like Ville Koivunen, Tristan Broz, and Avery Hayes but qualifying younger players like Ben Kindel, even if he has a full NHL season under his belt.
Here were the three biggest surprises - and, frankly, head-scratchers - on the list:
Let's set the record straight here: Despite dealing with some major injury setbacks to start the 2025-26 campaign, McGroarty had an excellent AHL season. He put up 10 goals and 34 points in 30 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) and was a factor for them in the playoffs, and even if his 24-game NHL sample last season was somewhat unremarkable, his progress over the course of the 2025-26 campaign was tangible. He still projects as an effective middle-six NHL player.
But the fact that Kindel, at 18, played a full NHL season as a legitimate third-line center for a playoff-contending team and scored at nearly a 20-goal pace should automatically put him at the top of this list and any list he’s included on. Kindel is only going to progress and get better, and his top-six ceiling is nearly a given. The Penguins like his two-way ability at center, and he is their best young player at this time.
As a matter of fact, it could be argued that a few other prospects such as defenseman Harrison Brunicke, goaltender Sergei Murashov, and forward Bill Zonnon should be ranked above McGroarty, even if he is still a top-five organizational prospect.
Perhaps the most jarring bit to come from this list was the fact that Sergei Murashov - the consensus best goaltending prospect by pretty much every writer and prospects guru who covers the Penguins - was ranked the organization’s 17th-best prospect.
Look, it’s reasonable to have some reservations about goaltending prospects in general. Goalies are volatile, and even the best prospects at the position can end up busts. And, more often than is the case for the other two positions, goaltenders drafted later frequently still experience long NHL careers.
But Murashov - at least, in the Pittsburgh media circle - is a consensus top-five prospect within the organization, and in most cases, he is considered top-three. He has dominated every level of professional hockey up to this point, was one of the AHL’s best goaltenders last season, and had an absurd playoff run with WBS that included a .931 save percentage in 15 games.
Maybe Murashov is a boom, maybe he’s a bust. But it’s pretty wild that 16 Penguins’ prospects were ranked ahead of him on this list.
The issue with Brunicke on this list wasn’t really the ranking, as he was placed No. 3, and he is typically regarded as a top-three prospect in the organization.
However, it’s something in the analysis that stood out.
Pronman uses six levels of tiers in four categories of critique, which include skating, puck skills, hockey sense, and compete. He projected Brunicke as “NHL average” in all four.
In all fairness, NHL average means he is a middle-of-the-pack NHL player, by Pronman’s standard. NHL average hockey sense? Sure. Puck skills? Why not? However, rating Brunicke’s skating and compete as “NHL average” seems to miss the mark, and he goes on to say that Brunicke “isn’t a dynamic player by any means offensively.”
If anyone watched Brunicke’s run in the AHL playoffs - and even in his short, uneven nine-game NHL sample last season as a 19-year-old blueliner at the highest level of hockey - it’s quite easy to see that his skating is well above average, the compete level is there, and the offensive dynamic exists, too. In fact, those three attributes are, perhaps, the three biggest differentiating pillars of Brunicke’s game, which has been stated many times over by members of the front office.
Again, Brunicke may not end up being a full-time top-four NHL defenseman. But erasing the biggest strengths in his game that are clearly at least a notch above NHL average seems a bit disingenuous.
EA Sports has revealed the top 300 forwards in NHL 27, and four Montreal Canadiens have made the cut: Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Ivan Demidov, and Juraj Slafkovsky
Seeing these four Canadiens players be rated among the best forwards in NHL 27 is not surprising in the slightest.
Suzuki landed the top rating out of the four Habs forwards, as he has been given a 93 overall rating. It is easy to understand why, as he recorded 29 goals, 72 assists, 101 points, and a plus-37 rating in 82 games last season for Montreal. He also won the Selke Trophy.
Caufield has been given a 90 overall rating in NHL 27. The 25-year-old winger was fantastic for the Canadiens this past season for Montreal, as he posted 51 goals, 37 assists, and 88 points in 81 games.
Next up is Demidov, as the star young forward has been given an 88 overall rating. The 20-year-old winger has earned this, as he posted 19 goals, 43 assists, and 62 points in 82 games with the Habs as a rookie last season.
As for Slafkovsky, he has been given an 87 overall rating in NHL 27. This comes after the 22-year-old winger had a big year for the Canadiens, posting 30 goals, 43 assists, and 73 points in 82 games.
Ahead of NHL 27’s September 11 release, EA Sports has been unveiling its player ratings, and the numbers reflect the Calgary Flames’ rebuilding status. In the forward rankings, only three Calgary players earned ratings of 84 or higher.
Unless the Flames place a few defensemen or goaltenders among the top 299, Matt Coronato, Morgan Frost, and captain Mikael Backlund are Calgary’s only representatives on the list so far.
Where do the Calgary Flames forwards rank in NHL 27?
Coronato leads Calgary’s forwards at No. 206 with an 85 rating, followed closely by Frost at No. 212, also at 85. Backlund rounds out the trio at No. 298 with an 84 rating.
Last year, Nazem Kadri led Calgary’s forwards with an 87 rating, followed by Jonathan Huberdeau at 86. Kadri has since been traded, while Huberdeau underwent surgery after missing a significant portion of last season. His production dipped enough that he failed to crack EA Sports’ top 299 players this time around despite carrying one of the NHL’s largest contracts.
Meanwhile, Coronato got a bump from 84 to 85, with Forst doing the same, going from 84 to 85, while Backlund stayed the same at 84.
Can Calgary’s Defensemen and Goalies Improve the Flames’ NHL 27 Rankings?
Based on last year's ratings, the Flames were led on the back end by MacKenzie Weegar (88) and Rasmus Andersson (88), both players who are no longer with the club. After them, Kevin Bahl (84) had the highest rating among defenders still in Calgary for this season.
It will be interesting to see where Simon Nemec and Zach Whitecloud rank, since the latter arrived via the Anderson trade with the Vegas Golden Knights and Nemec joined the Flames from the New Jersey Devils in the spring.
Ultimately, the game's highest-rated player from Calgary should be goalie Dustin Wolf, but he held an 87 rating last year and had a subpar campaign while the team tumbled down the standings.
Whether NHL 27 players love or hate Calgary’s ratings, the Flames should make for an intriguing franchise-mode project. With general manager Craig Conroy already emphasizing youth in real life, virtual GMs can accelerate the rebuild, reshape the roster, and chase a Stanley Cup while playing through the Saddledome’s final season.
There are a lot of great players in the National Hockey League. They are all rated by EA Sports each year ahead of the release of their video game. In NHL 27, the New Jersey Devils have multiple highly rated players. The forward ratings were all released on Tuesday.
Jack Hughes leads the way. He tops all Devils forwards with a rating of 94, which makes him the 16th overall forward in the game. At center, he ranks 8th. He only trails Connor McDavid (99), Nathan MacKinnon (97), Leon Draisaitl (96), Sidney Crosby (95), Macklin Celebrini (95), and Sasha Barkov (95).
Hughes' 94 rating ties him with Jack Eichel when it comes to centers. That's a great rating, especially when you consider the injury that caused Jack Hughes to miss some time in 2025-26.
The top of the forward rankings is set in #NHL27 🔥
99 OVR Connor McDavid leads the Centers. Nikita Kucherov leads the Right Wings at 97. Kirill Kaprizov on top the Left Wings at 94.
Jack helped his case by scoring the Golden Goal in the Olympics to cap off his run as one of Team USA's best forwards. He was also red-hot from that point until the end of the season, which ended shy of the playoffs for the Devils.
There is still room for Jack Hughes to improve, too, and be healthier, which could increase his rating in future editions. He may never be up there with McDavid or McKinnon, but being just a tick below is a compliment.
Jesper Bratt is second on the team with an 89 overall rating. Nico Hischier is third at 88; Timo Meier and Anthony Mantha are in 4th and 5th with an 85 rating (there are attribute ratings within the overall rating, which create tiebreakers).
With their ratings, Hughes (16th), Bratt (55th), and Hischier (88th) are all top-100 forwards in the game. Based on the way that they've played up to this point in their careers, along with projections for 2026-27, that is accurate.
When you use the team in the video game, you can bank on having one of these premier centers on the ice for most of the game alongside some highly rated wingers for support.
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While he admitted that he initially thought that he would be returning to the Detroit Red Wings for a third straight full campaign, Patrick Kane is back where it all began.
Kane did not re-sign with the Red Wings and instead returned to the Chicago Blackhawks, signing a two-year, $16 million contract with the franchise that selected him first overall in the 2007 NHL Draft.
With Chicago, Kane won the Stanley Cup three times while cementing his status as one of the best American-born players in NHL history. And he'll be welcomed back in style on Tuesday evening when he throws out the first pitch at Wrigley Field as part of the Crosstown Classic series between the Chicago Cubs and White Sox.
PATRICK KANE FIRST PITCH AT WRIGLEY FOR CROSSTOWN CLASSIC GAME 2 ARE YOU KIDDING MEEEE pic.twitter.com/kC1LgzJAK9
Kane, who was traded from the Blackhawks to the New York Rangers at the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline, underwent hip resurfacing surgery that offseason and was out of action until December when he signed with the Red Wings.
It was former Blackhawks teammate Alex DeBrincat who played a key role in recruiting Kane to Detroit, where he would play until earlier this spring.
Kane, who signed consecutive one-year contracts with the Red Wings, admitted that he anticipated yet another extension in Detroit, but that circumstances changed.
While Kane did not specify exactly what circumstances shifted his mentality, it's not hard to make an educated guess. Not only did captain Dylan Larkin request to be traded after the club once again missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but GM Steve Yzerman vacated his role just over a month later.
Currently, the Red Wings are in limbo without a general manager and zero official updates regarding a timeline for when that position will be filled from the team. Meanwhile, Larkin has reportedly not budged from his trade request.
Shortly after returning to the Blackhawks, Kane penned a heartfelt letter of thanks to the Red Wings and to the fans for embracing him, saying that he'll always look back upon his time in Detroit fondly.
But the departure of Kane, who registered 57 points last season, leaves a massive hole for a team that already struggled to produce offense.
He'll make his return to Little Caesars Arena with the Blackhawks in late October, and he'll almost certainly receive a video tribute and warm reception from the fans.
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The ratings for forwards in NHL 27 are out, and there isn't much of a surprise at the top of the Chicago Blackhawks roster.
Connor Bedard is the highest-rated forward at 90 overall. This is composed of his 93 overall acceleration, 92 speed, 92 deke, 93 passing, 89 slapshot, and 93 wrist shot.
Bedard is ranked as the 15th-best center in the game and 43rd overall player. EA Sports officially recognizes him as an elite player.
Right below Bedard is the newly reacquired Patrick Kane at 85 overall. Most of his attributes are in the mid-80s at this stage of his career, but they gave him a 92 passing grade, still recognizing him as an elite passer.
When playing the game as the Chicago Blackhawks, the combination of Patrick Kane and Connor Bedard should work well, considering both have well above-average passing numbers.
Frank Nazar is an 85, and Tyler Bertuzzi rounds out the top four at 84. For Nazar, that is a number that could continue to climb as long as he continues to get better on the ice for real.
For Bertuzzi, it is a high mark that is likely the result of his 30-goal campaign in 2025-26. Unless he does that again for Chicago, 84 feels like a flatline rating for him at this stage of his career.
How high can Connor Bedard take his rating? Well, Connor McDavid just became the first NHL player to ever receive a 99 rating from EA, but somewhere in the mid-90s is a great ceiling for Bedard in his career. There, he would find himself amongst other elite players like Jack Hughes, Jack Eichel, and Nick Suzuki, and others.
The top of the forward rankings is set in #NHL27 🔥
99 OVR Connor McDavid leads the Centers. Nikita Kucherov leads the Right Wings at 97. Kirill Kaprizov on top the Left Wings at 94.
EA Sports regularly updates its ratings for players, and it is based on performance in real life. When Bedard returns from injury, scoring goals, making plays, and team success would go a long way toward Bedard seeing his number climb.
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