The initial rush at the beginning of NHL free agency has concluded, and there remain several notable players who are still available on the open market.
The Detroit Red Wings were active players in free agency, as they signed forward Viktor Arvidsson and goaltender Daniil Tarasov along with a handful of minor-league depth players, but also lost Patrick Kane to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Meanwhile, two players that were part of the 2025-26 roster are still searching for their next NHL opportunity.
Veteran forward James van Riemsdyk provided a valuable leadership presence in the Red Wings' dressing room while contributing 15 goals and 16 assists across 72 games.
During Detroit's strong month of December, van Riemsdyk set a personal milestone by scoring in four consecutive games as part of a stretch in which he found the back of the net in six of seven contests.
Who else other than James van Riemsdyk in front to kick things off? 🚨 JVR has been such a force for Detroit. #LGRWpic.twitter.com/HOMSsQyJil
Drafted with the second overall pick in 2007 by the Philadelphia Flyers, one pick behind Kane, van Riemsdyk has played two stints with the Flyers, and has also suited up for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and Columbus Blue Jackets.
In 1,154 career NHL games, he's tallied 342 goals with 354 assists.
Meanwhile, veteran defenseman Travis Hamonic also remains unsigned. Like van Riemsdyk, he was signed by now-former Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman to a one-year contract last offseason.
Skating in 26 games for the Red Wings, Hamonic registered a pair of assists. He's scored 53 goals with 191 assists in 926 career NHL contests for the New York Islanders, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, and Ottawa Senators.
He was selected in the second round (53rd overall pick) of the 2008 NHL Draft by the Islanders.
And finally, veteran goaltender Cam Talbot, who is coming off his second season in Detroit after being signed as a free agent in 2024, also remains unsigned.
Talbot posted strong numbers for the Red Wings in the early goings of the season before John Gibson caught fire, ultimately finishing with a 12-9-6 record, a 3.19 goals-against average, and an .883 save percentage.
Never drafted into the NHL, Talbot began his career with the New York Rangers and later played for the Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators, and Los Angeles Kings.
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It’s no secret that the Florida Panthers have one of the deepest forward groups in the National Hockey League.
Panthers General Manager Bill Zito and his front office staff have done an amazing job of building a roster full of talented, hard-working hockey players that has become the envy of the league.
A big part of why Florida’s forward lines are so formidable is due to the men they have lining up down the middle.
Strong centermen play is a major key to success in the NHL, and the Panthers have some of the best in the league at that position.
As you might expect, the Panthers were featured toward the top of that list.
Florida’s top two centermen are Sasha Barkov and Sam Bennett.
Barkov is arguably the best two-way player in the world and Bennett is a gritty, clutch Conn Smythe winner who is great at getting underneath the skin of his opponents.
Those paying attention to Panthers games in recent years know that when either Barkov or Bennett are out of the lineup, the quality of Florida’s play will drop.
It’s just a byproduct of the team playing an incredibly aggressive and physical defensive system that relies on centers to drive play on both ends of the ice.
For Barkov and Bennett, that brand of hockey is a perfect compliment to the strong possession-pushing play they both excel at utilizing.
According to Dayal’s list on The Athletic, only two teams have a better 1-2 punch down the middle: the Edmonton Oilers with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and the Colorado Avalanche with Nathan MacKinnon and Brock Nelson.
There were several teams listed in the tier below Florida: the New Jersey Devils with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, the San Jose Sharks with Macklin Celebrini and Michael Misa, the Toronto Maple Leafs with Auston Matthews and John Tavares, the Vegas Golden Knights with Jack Eichel and William Karlsson, the Dallas Stars with Wyatt Johnston and Roope Hintz, and the Carolina Hurricanes with Sebastian Aho and Logan Stankoven.
Now, if this list was ranking team’s overall center depth, not just the top two lines, Florida would likely come in at number one.
Adding Anton Lundell to the mix, who would easily slot into the number two center spot on dozens of teams, and new fourth-line center Lars Eller, shows how the physical Panthers are able to come at opponents in waves with little time for rest of reprieve.
What do you think of Florida’s spot on The Athletic’s list? Let us know in the comments below.
Photo caption:Â Mar 31, 2022; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov(16) celebrates his goal against the Chicago Blackhawks with center Sam Bennett(9) during the third period at FLA Live Arena. (Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports)
Considering it is the NHL offseason, most players find ways to train and get in some skates, although not overly competitive ones, to stay sharp for the upcoming season. This week, Calgary Flames forward Matt Coronato will be in Connecticut to skate in the Shoulder Check Showcase, which will be available on the NHL Network.Â
Launched a few years ago by Rob Thorsen, the Shoulder Check Showcase is an annual fundraiser for the HT40 Foundation, whose main goal is to "bring people together through kindness and compassion. To inspire a culture of support through small actions that have a big impact." In 2022, Rob's son, Hayden, took his own life, which led his family to launch HT40 to honor their son and to raise awareness for mental health.
The teams have been announced for the Shoulder Check Showcase at Sacred Heart University.
— Kristy Flannery (@InStilettos_NHL) July 29, 2026
As anyone can see by this year's lineup of big-name NHLers, this event has drawn considerable attention from the players, who want to help raise awareness not only for the HT40 Foundation but also for mental health. Since the event is taking place at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT, many past and present New York Rangers will be in attendance, including Chris Kreider, Pavel Dorofeyev, J.T. Miller, Matt Rempe, Gabe Perreault, Frank Vatrano, Adam Fox, Tony DeAngelo, and Drew Fortescue. Â
Although rosters from the 2023 and 2024 events are not available, Coronato may be the first Flames player to partake in the event. As one of the young core players through the rebuild that will close out the Scotiabank Saddledome next spring, it is not surprising to see Coronato continue a Calgary tradition of going above and beyond in the community.
Through the Flames Foundation and the Flames Alumni, the organization has deep connections to the City of Calgary through various fundraising opportunities, including the annual Celebrity Charity Golf Classic, Hockey Alberta Foundation Golf Classic, and the Alumni Hockey School, to name a few. Meanwhile, several Calgary players, like Mikael Backlund, are heavily involved in community programs, with the captain recently being named a Paul Harris Fellow for his ongoing contribution to the community.Â
Those interested in watching the Shoulder Check Showcase can find it on the NHL Network, while others who wish to donate to the HT40 Foundation can do so at www.shouldercheck.org.Â
The Chicago Blackhawks pretty much have the team right now that they are going to bring to training camp in the fall. There may be a PTO or two, but they mostly have what they want at this stage of the off-season.
With that said, there are a handful of former Blackhawks looking for work before camps begin in September. The Blackhawks are not in the market for most (if any) of these players, but other teams around the league may be interested.
Some of them would be extra players to consider lower in the lineup, and some of them could be everyday contributors if they land in the correct situation.
Philipp Kurashev
Philipp Kurashev had one really good year with the Chicago Blackhawks in Connor Bedard's rookie season, and it's been a struggle for him ever since. After playing out the 2025-26 season with the San Jose Sharks, he is now a free agent looking for work. If he lands a job, he's likely a 13th forward who plays a fair number of games, unless he grabs a full-time job and plays a significant role in someone's bottom six.
Matt Grzelcyk
Last fall, Matt Grzelcyk signed a PTO with the Blackhawks ahead of training camp. Not only did he make the team, but he also played in almost every game that he was available as a veteran blue-line presence. He didn't produce points as well as he did with the Pittsburgh Penguins one year prior, but his role was reduced a lot.
What he did do is show that he belongs in the league still, that he has more to give from the blue line. Someone looking for a veteran body ahead of the season will give Grzelcyk a chance to earn a spot.
Brandon Saad
Brandon Saad was a very important player for the 2013 and 2015 Chicago Blackhawks, who won the Stanley Cup. He isn't that player anymore, but he can be a 13th forward/depth option for any team at this stage.
Saad played in 49 regular-season games for the Vegas Golden Knights in 2025-26 and five in the playoffs. Of course, Vegas went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final but fell just short to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Nick Leddy
Nick Leddy was on the 2013 Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks, and he was a key part early in his career. It feels like he's been in the league for a long time, and that's because he has. At 35 years old, if he finds an NHL home, it will be his 17th season.
Leddy spent the 2025-26 season with the San Jose Sharks, where he dressed for 32 games on a very exciting team. Will they have him back? Or will someone else consider him as a veteran presence?
Adam Boqvist
The Chicago Blackhawks selected Adam Boqvist with the 8th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. It is a pick they would take back if they could, as multiple elite defensemen were taken after him, but he has managed to stay in the league since then.
He only played in 28 games for the New York Islanders in 2025-26, but now he's looking to find a home for 2026-27. Some time in the AHL may be expected for the 25-year-old, but he is a player motivated to keep his playing career in North America alive.
David Kampf
David Kampf has had an interesting NHL career as a bottom-six center. He could still fill in that role on a team that may be rebuilding its roster.
In 2025-26, Kampf started with the Vancouver Canucks and played in 38 games. He found his way to the Washington Capitals, where he only played in 2 games, giving him 40 games on the year. If there is a team out there looking for a center to act as a placeholder in 2026-27, Kampf could still be had as that type of player.
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The Montreal Canadiens had several players who were expected to welcome little bundles of joy this summer. After Nick Suzuki’s daughter Maya arrived before the start of the playoffs, Mike Matheson became a dad for a third time in May, and Alex Carrier and his significant other Alicia Lessard also became new parents this summer. Goaltender Samuel Montembeault and his wife Daryanne finally welcomed their new bundle of joy to the world.
According to Montembeault’s wife’s Instagram account, their baby was born on July 22, and not to mess with the team’s trend, it was also a little girl. The Montembeaults introduced their daughter to fans on social media with a few pictures of the little one, which were just precious.
The summer must not have been easy for Montembeault, whose future appears to be in limbo right now. He still has a year left on his contract with the Canadiens, but after an atrocious season last year, there is doubt about where he will be playing next season.
Even if the Canadiens do not trade him, he may well have to battle for the right to remain in the NHL out of training camp, with Jakub Dobes clearly being the front-runner for the number one role this year and Jacob Fowler having shown that he can play well at the NHL level.
Photo credit: Daryanne Montembeault
While Fowler doesn’t need to clear waivers to return to the AHL with the Laval Rocket, one can wonder if that’s a route the Canadiens would be interested in taking. GM Kent Hughes has already said that the young netminder needs to see a lot of action this year and that if he stays with the big club, it won’t be to ride the pine. That sounded like the Canadiens were not interested in riding a goalie trio this season, which is good news for Montembeault, who has also made it clear that he’s not interested in a goalie carousel.
If the Canadiens feel like Fowler’s development would be best served in the NHL, it’s highly unlikely that Montembeault will still be with the Habs to start the season. While Montreal could just waive him to send him down to the AHL, that’s not Hughes’ style; he’s not in the business of losing assets for nothing, even if the asset was a waiver pickup in the first place, apparently.
The last time Hughes faced a tricky goalie situation with Jake Allen, Montembeault and Cayden Primeau, he ended up keeping the trio in the NHL (Primeau wasn’t waiver-exempt back then), and it eventually led to veteran Allen being traded to the New Jersey Devils. A year later, the Habs moved on from Primeau after his confidence was shattered by a tough spell in the NHL, and he was sent back down to Laval. Which is not all that different from what Montembeault went through this past season. By the time Hughes managed to find a trade partner for Primeau, all he could get was a seventh-round pick in the 2026 draft from the Carolina Hurricanes. Considering he had been a seventh-round pick at the 2017 draft himself, the Canadiens broke even in that deal.
Perhaps Hughes has yet to find a team ready to give him what he believes to be Montembeault’s value in a trade; that’s not entirely surprising, considering his value is probably at an all-time low right now. Still, it puts the Canadiens in a pickle if they feel Fowler’s development would be best served by staying in the NHL. At least, Montembeault now has something else to occupy his mind as he learns the ropes of fatherhood. This leaves Noah Dobson and his wife as the only Canadiens couple still expecting their new arrival.
Former Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato kept his hand in the game in May, as he coached Team USA at the IIHF World Championships in Switzerland, and two years after being fired in favor of Lindy Ruff, he has rejoined the NHL as an assistant coach under Rick Bowness with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The 58-year-old took over for Ralph Krueger in March 2021 and in 274 games over 3 ½ seasons, led the Sabres to a 122-125-27 record, including a 42-33-7 record in 2022-23, where Buffalo missed the playoffs by a point. Granato was given a contract extension in 2022 that extended through the 2025-26 season, but he was fired in April 2024 before the extension kicked in.
Will the Sabres add some offense before the start of training camp?
Over the last two seasons, he has served as an analyst for NHL Network and NHL Network Radio.
In other news, the Sabres announced the schedule for the 2026 Prospects Showcase against the Boston Bruins. The club last season hosted the New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Columbus Blue Jackets over five days, but this season they will host their Atlantic Division rival in a pair of games on Sunday, Sept. 13 (5pm) and on Monday, Sept. 14 at Noon. The head-to-head matchup against last season’s first-round opponents is part of a two-year agreement where the club’s prospects will play in Boston in September 2027.
Former Montreal Canadiens forward Colin White has found a new home.
The New Jersey Devils have announced that they have signed White to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2026-27 season. The former Habs forward will have a $900,000 cap hit at the NHL level with his new deal.Â
White was briefly a member of the Canadiens, as he spent part of the 2023-24 season with the Original Six club. In 17 games with the Habs that season, he recorded zero points, 11 hits, and a minus-3 rating. His time with the Canadiens would end during the 2024 NHL off-season when he signed an AHL deal with the San Jose Sharks organization.Â
White last played at the NHL level during the 2024-25 season with the Sharks, where he had zero points in three games. During this past season with the San Jose Barracuda, he recorded 21 goals, 27 assists, and 48 points in 46 games.
White will now be looking to impress at training camp in hopes of making the Devils' roster. However, if he does not, he should be a key veteran forward for their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, next season.Â
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.
Will the Sabres add any scoring before training camp?
37 Noah Laaouan – Defense (Rochester - AHL)
The Sabres have not been really active in adding undrafted college and CHL prospects, since they a pipeline filled with draftees, but the club has found contributors like Zach Metsa, who played a significant chunk of last season in the NHL after joining Rochester on an AHL deal in 2023. Another player brought in on an AHL deal was blueliner Noah Laaouan.
The 25-year-old went undrafted through five seasons in the QMJHL with Cape Breton and Charlottetown, and signed a minor-league deal with Arizona in 2022, where he played most of the season in the ECHL. In 2023, after playing the majority of the season with Trois-Rivieres, he finished the year splitting time between the Jacksonville Icemen and the Amerks.
Laaouan took a step in 2024-25 with the Icemen, scoring 44 points (8 goals, 36 assists) in 67 games. Last season, he played exclusively with Rochester, posting nine points (2 goals, 7 assists) in 40 games. With the Amerks slated to ice an inexperienced blueline corps next season, the Halifax, NS native could see his role grow.
Former Senators first-round pick Colin White is getting another chance to work his way back to the NHL.
The 29-year-old has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the New Jersey Devils worth $900,000 at the NHL level and $400,000 in the American Hockey League.
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss which players, barring another summer trade, should fill out the Senators' top six this fall.
It's an intriguing opportunity for White, who, points-wise, is coming off the best offensive season of his professional career. Skating with the AHL's San Jose Barracuda last season, White recorded a career-high 48 points in just 46 games, the first point-per-game campaign of his pro career.
The last time White produced at that rate was nearly a decade ago during his days at Boston College where he had 36 goals and 76 points in 72 career games.
White spent substantial time this year with Kasper Haltunnen on his line, a good young prospect who was traded to the Senators in the William Eklund deal last month. White also played some right wing, alongside Filip Bystedt, the Sharks' 2022 first rounder.
White's resurgence obviously caught the eye of new Devils' GM and analytics guru Sunny Mehta and should earn him a long look at training camp. If he doesn't crack the Devils' roster, he'll provide veteran leadership and scoring depth for the AHL's Utica Comets.
White brings plenty of NHL experience to the table. Over parts of eight seasons with Ottawa, Florida, Pittsburgh and Montreal, he's appeared in 323 NHL games.
For Devils fans of a certain vintage, White's arrival may also stir up a little nostalgia. Defenceman Colin White spent 11 seasons with the Devils from 1998 to 2009, helping New Jersey win Stanley Cups in 2000 and 2003.
For Senators fans, the name just stirs up memories of unrealized expectations.
Selected 21st overall by Ottawa in the 2015 NHL Draft, White scored 14 goals and 41 points in his first full season, frequently playing on a line with Mark Stone and rookie Brady Tkachuk.
Believing they had found their long-term second-line centre, the Senators went all-in on White, handing him a six-year contract carrying a $4.75 million annual cap hit.
Unfortunately, he was never able to build on that one season.
Injuries, inconsistent production, and the emergence of younger centres like Tim Stutzle and Josh Norris quickly shoved White down the depth chart. By the summer of 2022, with three years still left on his contract, the Senators reached for the Whiteout, deleting him from the roster in a buyout.
White caught on with the Florida Panthers that fall, recording 15 points in 68 games before becoming an NHL part-timer, bouncing around between Pittsburgh, Montreal and San Jose over the next three seasons, spending most of that time in the American Hockey League.
After buying him out four years ago, the Senators are still paying for that contract. White's severance package remains on Ottawa's cap for two more seasons at an annual charge of $875,000.
But today is a good news day for White, who was always a well-liked Senators teammate.
The Way We Were: Colin White on Instagram (cwhitey27) in a 2018 photo with (left to right) fellow Sens' young guns, Thomas Chabot, Brady Tkachuk, and Max Lajoie.
After rediscovering his offensive mojo in the AHL, White will try to spin it into one more shot at becoming an NHL regular.
By Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published in The Hockey News. For more Sens coverage at The Hockey News, click on one of the Sens headlines below:
A former Pittsburgh Penguins forward is heading to one of their division rivals.
The New Jersey Devils have announced that they have signed forward Colin White to a one-year, two-way contract. At the NHL level, the former Penguins forward will have a $900,000 cap hit with the Devils.Â
White signing this two-way deal with the Devils comes after he spent all of last season in the AHL with the San Jose Barracuda. In 46 games with the AHL club in 2025-26, he posted 21 goals, 27 assists, and 48 points.Â
White most recently played at the NHL level during the 2024-25 season, where he had zero points in three games with the San Jose Sharks. Now, he will be looking to make New Jersey's roster after signing this new deal.Â
White appeared in 11 games for Pittsburgh during the 2023-24 season, where he had zero points, eight shots, and 11 hits. He also posted five goals and 10 points in 21 AHL games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during that campaign.Â
In 323 career NHL games over nine seasons split between the Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, and Sharks, White has posted 44 goals, 69 assists, and 113 points.Â
Something about Colin White and Jersey just feels right.
NEWARK, NJ - JULY 02: New Jersey Devils Mikhail Yegorov (40) tends the net during the New Jersey Devils 2025 Development Camp at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House at Prudential Center on July 2, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
There is still much to be decided and determined before the New Jersey Devils take the ice to open the 2026-27 season. While GM Sunny Mehta has seemingly settled on a three goalie system at the NHL level for the year, it leaves questions regarding the team’s AHL affiliate and beyond. With about six weeks until players start reporting for training camp, there’s still a lot of variables at play; Coach Sheldon Keefe might only want to keep two of said goalies on his roster for example. But until the team actually comes together, as of right now Jake Allen, Nico Daws and David Rittich are all on the NHL roster.
Looking over at Puckpedia, this leaves only Jakub Malek in Utica on a contract where he could be brought to New Jersey if needed. However, Tyler Brennan and Jeremy Brodeur are both still with Utica on AHL deals. While both of those players can be loaned to Adirondack of the ECHL (which is where they both spent most of the 2025-26 season) they are technically available to Utica. If the Devils stand pat and don’t add anyone to the roster, and additionally they do not demote one of the three NHL level goalies, they still have enough tenders to fill out at least the NHL and AHL rosters. While I’m not entirely familiar with Adirondack at the ECHL level, I would be willing to bet they have another goalie to fill out their ranks if one of Brodeur/Brennan stay in Utica.
If Devils management is trying to better the team at every level though, they might want to consider inking one of the unsigned goalies also listed on that Puckpedia page to a deal. Jeremy Brodeur is already 29, and hasn’t progressed beyond being an ECHL regular; he’s unlikely to be anything more than a minor league player at this point. While Tyler Brennan is only on the cusp of turning 23, he doesn’t seem to be making much progress either. While Jakub Malek could wind up eventually making the jump to the NHL level, the Devils could use to get another prospect under contract to take reps and play within the Devils’ system. Mikhail Yegorov, Veeti Louhivaara, Trenten Bennett and Daniil Rusakovich all have their rights held by New Jersey and perhaps one could join the organization soon.
I think Rusakovich is the least likely to join right now for a couple of reasons. Not only was he just selected in the most recent draft, making him the youngest (and perhaps least polished) unsigned goalie, but the Devils hold his rights indefinitely due to the lack of a transfer agreement with the KHL and their affiliates. The Devils can afford to be patient with him. The other three goalies are all 20 (all born within a few months of each other to boot), however Bennett has an extra year for the Devils to sign him by due to him being drafted a year later. Again, with the earliest date the Devils would have to make a decision on him on being in 2029, I think he’s another case where the team can be patient.
If the Devils sign another undrafted prospect, it comes down to Louhivaara and Yegorov. Both Louhivaara and Yegorov had similar stats this season, but Yegorov played 13 more NCAA games this season than Louhivarra did USHL games. While I cannot speak to Veeti’s game beyond his stats, I had the benefit of being able to watch Mikhail live at a BU/UConn game this season. While he unfortunately got absolutely lit up that night, he was playing behind a rebuilding (read: awful) BU defense that gave up numerous odd-man rushes and breakaways. The plays where he was set, he looked composed and in control of the action, even when (again) his defense faltered in front of him.
With the hype around him, as well as from what I have personally viewed, I think Yegorov is the stronger contender to be signed by the Devils, At the same time, I think things may really depend on how the organization views Jakub Malek; if they rank him higher than Yegorov (and really all of the unsigned goalies) than the team may want him to play the larger share of AHL games. In that case, it wouldn’t matter if it was one o the ECHL guys from last year backing him up. If the plan is for the team to see what they have with as many goalies as possible to try and find an internal option for starting goalie, than signing Yegorov, Louhivaara or even Bennett to start narrowing down their options.
It may take until training camp gets underway and the Devils see which of the three 20 year olds performs the best, but I do think the Devils add another goalie for the AHL level this season. I also do not see them demoting one of the NHL goalies; depth continues to become more and more important for NHL teams, and I don’t think the Devils chance losing any of their depth in net on waivers, at least not this season. With that as part of the reason, I predict we are going to see two young Devils in Utica this season playing to see which one could be an NHL goalie in possibly the not too distant future.
What are your thoughts on the Devils potentially signing one of their unsigned goalie prospects to round out the AHL roster; do you have a preferred player you want to see under contract? Do you think the team waits to see how things shake out in training camp? Is it more likely the parent club demotes one of the three signed goalies? Do you see Utica calling up one of the ECHL goalies to complete their tandem? Leave any and all comments down below and thanks as always for reading!
Montreal Canadiens fans will be happy to hear that Arber Xhekaj loves Montreal; that’s not exactly news, but it’s still something his agent, Brian Bartlett, made abundantly clear in an interview on TSN 690.
Speaking to Matthew Ross and Dave Trentadue on the Game Plan, Bartlett discussed a number of his clients. Still, since TSN 690 is mostly about the Habs, he had to talk about Xhekaj, who remains an RFA at this stage and is one of only two Canadiens who still need a contract alongside Zach Bolduc.
Asked how Xhekaj deals with the rumors about there being interest in him on the trade market, Bartlett explained:
Arber loves Montreal; he loves playing in Montreal, loves the fans, the city, the atmosphere, the coaching staff, the development staff, Marty, Adam Nicolas, everybody. He’s become a better hockey player there, and it’s an amazing place to play. Our hope, I think, kind of collectively, Arber’s and ours is that we can find a way to make it work with Montreal here.
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He also added, however:
The flip side of that coin is that Montreal has a lot of very good players, a lot of good players at defense, and it’s trying to work out how that logjam works itself out. What’s the best way to have the most productive team. I think we’ve all been through this enough that we understand the Montreal Canadiens are going to do what’s best for the Montreal Canadiens and Arber Xhekaj is going to do what’s best for Arber Xhekaj. There’s a very large world where those diagrams overlap, and we’re optimistic we end up in kind of that overlap where it’s good for Montreal and good for Arber, but we’ve still got a lot of time until training camp; there’s no panic.
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Clearly, the agent is not worried about the fact that the negotiations are taking some time to come to fruition; he explained that the market had been kind of on hold with the Leo Carlsson offer sheet, the Zach Werenski trade rumours, and the Jason Robertson stalemate; everyone was watching as the market was slowly being set.
While the agent is right that there’s still ample time for a deal to be reached, I still find it interesting that Xhekaj didn’t file for arbitration and effectively left himself open to receiving an offer sheet. The Xhekaj camp is well aware that there’s a logjam in Montreal and is interested to know how that will resolve itself, which is understandable. At the end of the day, even if the player loves everything about Montreal, he must be craving an opportunity to establish himself as a full-time NHL player.
Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin is going to meet with Quinn Hughes about a potential contract extension this week. If they come to the conclusion that he is going to stick with his original plan of joining his brothers on the New Jersey Devils, a trade could happen.
A roster player or two, along with high-end draft picks, could go the other way in a deal for the eldest Hughes, but prospects are likely to be a part of the package as well.
If the Devils were to get Quinn a year ahead of schedule by making a trade with the Wild, one or more of these 3 prospects are likely to be on the move:
Mikhail Yegorov
The New Jersey Devils do not have a long-term plan in goal outside of Mikhail Yegorov. Trading him must land them an elite player, like Quinn Hughes. Otherwise, they should keep him in the system.
The Minnesota Wild are pretty set in the goal crease with Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson. With that said, Gustavsson had surgery and will miss the start of the season, but the Wild plan to have this tandem in place for a while.
If they were to acquire Yegorov, however, they may change things up. They could use one of their two mainstays as trade bait for assets in other areas. Yegorov has the talent to be a starting goalie in the NHL; he just has further development to accomplish.
Anton Silayev
Anton Silayev is a good prospect. However, it was a strange pick when the Devils made it in 2024 with the 10th overall pick. They should have selected Zeev Buium, but the Wild traded up to get him and then used him to acquire Quinn Hughes from the Canucks.
Buium may or may not have been used in the same trade if the Devils drafted him instead of Silayev, but it was a bad drafting decision.
Still, Silayev has value as a young prospect trying to make it in the NHL. For the Wild, trying to recoup a high-ceiling defenseman out of another trade involving Quinn Hughes makes perfect sense from an organizational perspective.
Alexander Command
The New Jersey Devils selected Alexander Command in the first round (12th overall) of the 2026 NHL Draft, and they are high on him. His ceiling as a great two-way forward in the NHL makes him an intriguing prospect, but you have to give good players to get good players in a trade.
For the Wild, they are not very deep down the middle of the ice within their organization. If Alexander reached his potential as a center, the Wild would love to add him. Giving up on a high-end prospect so early in his development is never easy, but it's the price of doing business.
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It has been just about one month since NHL free agency started, so most of this year's top UFAs have signed their new contracts.
Although this is the case, a former Buffalo Sabres defenseman is surprisingly still unsigned at this juncture of the off-season: Logan Stanley.
When noting that Stanley had a career year in 2025-26, it is certainly surprising that he has not landed his next contract yet. Even if he cooled off after being traded to the Sabres from the Winnipeg Jets, he still had a successful year and would have the potential to be a good pickup for a team needing more size and grit on their blueline.Â
In 76 games last season split between the Jets and the Sabres, Stanley posted nine goals, 17 assists, 26 points, 110 hits, and 128 penalty minutes. With this, he provided a bit of everything last season, so he should be able to land his next contract soon.Â
Stanley could be a solid addition to an NHL club that is looking to improve its bottom pairing and penalty kill. It will be interesting to see where the former Sabres defenseman ends up getting signed from here.Â
The penalty box is no stranger to the Nashville Predators.
Over the last 10 years, the Predators have racked up the fifth-most penalty minutes in the NHL with 8,534, including this season. The trend has held that Nashville plays some of its best hockey with an aggressive touch.
However, this season was different. The 2025-26 campaign was the Predators' best, going 38-34-8, but they nearly made the playoffs, falling four points short of the Los Angeles Kings for the final Wild Card spot.
In that 82-game stretch, Nashville posted 719 penalty minutes, its lowest PIM total in an 82-game season since the 2018-19 season.
The Hockey News Nashville Predators has spent the entire season tracking the Predators' individual penalties taken from the opening night to the final buzzer in April. In total, the Predators committed 308 infractions for 713 PIM and allowed 42 short-handed goals.
Nashville penalty kill executed at an 85% efficiency, its fourth-best effort over the last 11 seasons. On average, the Predators were in the box nearly four times per game.
Here are the most surprising trends we found.
McCarron, Haula, Stamkos Visited Box The Most
It should come as no surprise that former Predators center Michael McCarron, despite being traded in March, led Nashville in penalty minutes with 73. He led the Predators in interference (four), roughing (six), and fighting (five) infractions.
McCarron tacked on two more fights for a total of seven this season, which is his lowest total since 2022-23, when he had two fights. McCarron was the only player to drop the gloves more than three times, ahead of Nic Hague (three fights) and Ozzy Wiesblatt (two fights).
Despite the most penalty minutes, only one McCarron penalty cost the Predators a goal.
While McCarron had the most box time, center Erik Haula led in the most penalties called with 26. Steven Stamkos and McCarron followed closely with 25 each. Haula tied for the Predators in slashing (five), tripping (six) and high-sticking (five) calls.
Stamkos also had five slashing calls and followed Haula closely with four tripping penalties, four high-sticking penalties and five hooking penalties. Ryan O'Reilly also tied with Stamkos for the most high-sticking calls on the roster.
Hague, Josi Penalties Were Most Detrimental
Apr 17, 2019; Dallas, TX, USA; A Dallas Stars fan holds up a sign as Nashville Predators defenseman RomanJosi(59) sits in the penalty box during the third period in game four of the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Nic Hague was one of four players to eclipse 20 or more penalties this season, while Roman Josi fell five short of that margin. However, when both were in the box, the Predators struggled the most.
Of the 15 total penalties taken by Josi, six resulted in goals, which leads the roster. For Hague, in his 20 total penalties taken, five have resulted in goals. Stamkos and Wiesblatt are third on that list with four goals allowed each on penalties taken.
Josi's holding call against the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 10 allowed Chicago to score the game-winning goal in a 3-0 loss. Hague's delay-of-game penalty against the Dallas Stars on Oct. 26 paved the way for Dallas to score the game-winning goal in a 3-2 loss.
When it comes to the severity of the penalty taken, Matthew Wood's tripping infraction against the New Jersey Devils on March 26 may have been the most costly of the season.
The call led to the Devils scoring with 5:53 left in the game to break a 2-2 tie. New Jersey added an empty-net goal in the final minute. The loss snapped Nashville's longest winning streak of the season (five games) and led to a three-game losing streak in the final month of the season.
Penalty Kill Stayed (Mostly) Rock Solid
The PK has been a staple of the Predators for a very long time and their 85% efficiency was the sixth best in the NHL.
That ability to play so well with a man down peaked during a five-game stretch in which they committed 30 penalties but allowed just four goals. Against the Winnipeg Jets on Nov. 29, the PK went 6-of-6 and the following game against the Calgary Flames, the unit was 6-of-7.
Nashville's PK thrived against the Flames this past season, killing off 7-of-7 infractions in a 4-3 win on Jan, 3. In three meetings against Calgary, the Predators were 3-0-0 and killed an impressive 16-of-17 penalties.
From March 28 to April 7, a six-game stretch, the Predators' PK unit was a perfect 24-of-24, which included their second 7-of-7 performance in a 6-3 win over San Jose and a 6-of-6 performance in a 5-0 win over Anaheim, which was Nashville's only shutout win of the season.
Offensively, Nashville had the fifth most goals in the league playing short-handed, with seven. Ryan O'Reilly led in that category with two shorthanded goals. He was also part of a unique situation in a 4-1 win over the Golden Knights on March 21, where his high-sticking infraction saw Tyson Jost score a shorthanded goal and Vegas net a power-play goal.
However, the unit did have its low points. A 3-2 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild on Nov. 4 saw the Predators' special teams unit kill off just 1 of 3 penalties, proving that infractions had cost them the game.
Its worst statistical performance came in a 3-2 loss to the Sharks on April 13, when Nashville posted its only 0% performance of the season, failing to kill its lone penalty of the game.
Nashville Had 12 "Unique" Penalty Calls
Oct 26, 2024;Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators fans make the “fang fingers” sign in celebration of a penalty on Columbus Blue Jackets in the second period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Casey Gower-Imagn Images
Nearly half of Nashville's total penalties were slashing, tripping, hooking or roughing calls, which is usually the norm around the league. Interference, high sticking and holding were not far behind, making up 25% of the overall total.
However, the Predators were called for seven different penalties a combined 11 times, all of which qualified as unique and made up about 3% of the overall total.
Luke Evangelista sat for three of those infractions, twice for too many men and once for goalie interference. Wiesblatt had the only other goaltender interference penalty.
Josi had the only holding-the-stick penalty of the season; Wiesblatt was the only player to get called for kneeing; and Michael Bunting sat for the Predators' only elbowing penalty of the season. Bunting also had one of the Predators' two embellishment penalties, with the other committed by Fedor Svechkov.
Lastly, Nashville had three boarding calls the entire season.
Predators Penalties By The Numbers
Tripping: 56 (Haula and Skjei - 6)
Hooking: 39 (Skjei - 6)
Slashing: 38 (Stamkos and Haula - 5)
Roughing: 32 (McCarron - 6)
High Stick: 31 (Haula and O'Reilly - 5)
Holding: 27 (Wilsby - 4)
Interference: 22 (McCarron - 4)
Fighting: 15 (McCarron - 5)
Delay of Game: 13 (Hague - 2)
Cross Check: 13 (Perbix - 3)
Misconduct: 6
Unsportsmanlike Misconduct: 4
Boarding: 3
Goaltender Interference - 2 (Evangelista and Wiesblatt - 1)
Red Wings' Offseason Stuck In Neutral As Big Questions Remain UnansweredThe Detroit Red Wings have made headlines more than once this offseason, but they remain in limbo amidst their leadership transition. 
