Ontario, C.A.– On Saturday, the Vegas Golden Knights kicked off the preseason with a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in the Empire Classic.
Before I make any observations, I’d like to state the obvious: this is a preseason game, and the first preseason game at that. It was evident— the Golden Knights didn’t make any egregious errors, but there was some “sloppy hockey” that’s typical of a preseason game. Passes didn’t connect, pucks were fumbled, and the overall flow of the game was choppy at times.
Still, the Golden Knights played a structured game. Their penalty kill was excellent, and they stood strong in the defensive zone to prevent the Kings from getting any real sustained offensive pressure. Preseason or not, these are things you want to see.
Without further ado, here are my three takeaways from the Golden Knights’ 4-2 victory over the Kings.
1. The Good
I’d like to preface this by saying that when it comes to positions in hockey, goaltender is by far the one I know the least about. So I try to avoid making grand observations about goaltenders unless someone who knows a lot more about the position than I do shares my opinion.
That being said, I liked what I saw out of Adin Hill tonight.
I wasn’t sure what to expect out of Hill in his first start since April 9th. It was probably a bit of a weird night for him— it took the Kings 15 minutes to record their third shot of the game.
But I liked his game. He looked as cool and calm as ever, and he backed it up. Hill made a few really flashy saves, and you can argue that neither of LA’s goals were on him.
Per head coach Ryan Craig, Hill will get another start this preseason. But so far, so good for the netminder.
2. The Bad
The Kings iced only three veteran NHL players tonight: forwards Trevor Moore and Scott Laughton, and goaltender Anton Forsberg. The rest of their roster was made up of younger guys fighting for a roster spot.
This was a game where you really wanted to see a player like Braeden Bowman shine. He didn’t.
He wasn’t awful, and there’s not a lot of reason to read into this. He’s looked great during drills for the first two days of camp, and one mediocre game is no cause for concern.
But the team didn’t give up much defensively tonight. Really, there were very few negatives to take away from the game.
I just wanted to see more from the guy that made a name for himself at last year’s training camp.
3. The Intriguing
I made the drive out to Ontario tonight because I wanted to see Trevor Connelly’s first preseason game. This is a very talented kid, one that everyone in the organization thinks very highly of. And he quietly had a strong game— he generated a couple great looks, created offense at will, and drew a penalty.
But the forward that really stood out tonight was Jackson Hallum.
Hallum’s speed has made him extremely noticeable all camp, but there’s always a difference between commanding attention in a drill and commanding attention in a game or scrimmage. Well, tonight, he stole the spotlight once again. He used his speed to create offense, which led to the game-winning goal in the third period.
“I just try to play the best I can with whatever opportunity I’m given,” said Hallum postgame. “I can’t look at the future; I’ve just got to be where my feet are and make the most of what I’m given.”
The Chicago Blackhawks took a trip up to St. Paul to take on the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night. This was each team's first tilt in the 2026 NHL Preseason. Each squad has very specific goals for the 2026-27 season, but this game was each organization kicking things off in a low-key manner.
Both the Blackhawks and Wild took a mostly AHL-caliber group to the ice. There were a handful of veterans in each lineup, but it was mostly a non-NHL group overall. Despite this, each team played a well-played game that ended in overtime, 3-2 in favor of the Wild.
Arvid Soderblom made the start for the Blackhawks, while Calvin Pickard started for Minnesota. Each guy played the whole game, and each played well enough for their team to have a chance at winning.
Jeff Blashill said he was going to give Arvid Soderblom and Spencer Knight all of the preseason reps so that they are fully prepared for the NHL regular season. For Soderblom, this was a decent performance, abliet being against a lower-level lineup. With the extra time, he made 23 saves on 26 shots.
Kevin Korchinski appeared to score Chicago's first goal of the game, but it was later credited to Dominic Toninato on a redirect. It was the type of play where Korchinski was a late man in on the rush before receiving a pass and shooting it.
This assist was only one small part of his game against the Wild. In 25:15 of ice time, which was the most of any player on either team, he made good passes, defended well, and showed poise in his in-game skating.
This match was an example of how good Korchinski can be. It appears right off the bat that he has improved over the summer. You can't help but wonder if he earned himself a shot at playing an exhibition game with the NHL club. He's in a position where a great preseason could earn him a roster spot, but an average (or worse) one will get him sent to Rockford.
Dillon Boucher scored Chicago's second goal, which eventually stood as the goal they needed to get the game pushed to overtime.
AJ Spellacy is one player who deserves some additional praise, despite not being on the scoresheet. Later in his career, he may be a goal-scoring middle-six forward regularly, but if he plays in the NHL this year, he will be on the penalty kill and in the bottom six with a certain role to fulfill.
In this game against the Wild, Spellacy did all of that. He was hard to play against at even strength and was one of their better penalty-killing forwards in the game. The Wild found it difficult to generate offense on the man-advantage when he was out there.
Now that this road game was completed with a mostly AHL-caliber lineup for both sides, you can expect to see some of their stars when they meet next.
The Chicago Blackhawks are officially underway in the preseason. They will match up with the Minnesota Wild again on Monday, but this time it will be at the United Center in Chicago.
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After the 2025-26 season ended, both Mike Sullivan and Chris Drury emphasized the New York Rangers’ need to add a puck-moving defenseman.
They did so by acquiring Sean Durzi from the Utah Mammoth on July 1 in a trade centered on Vincent Trocheck.
Between his time with the Los Angeles Kings and the Arizona Coyotes/Utah Mammoth, Durzi has been known for his puck-moving abilities and takes pride in that part of his game.
“I take pride in giving a flat pass, on the tape, on time,” Durzi emphasised. “I know when that is. The forward knows when that is, and that's something that comes with getting used to the guys… It’s about utilizing my puck-moving ability within our system, and that’s the important thing.”
A key factor in the Rangers going out and acquiring Durzi had to do with his skating skills and high offensive instincts for a blueliner.
Because of Durzi’s mobility, Sullivan expects to utilize him in a multitude of different ways, and envisions him playing a lot of minutes.
“I think he has good offensive instincts, he can pass the puck, we knew that when we got him,” Sullivan said of Durzi. “I think that was one of the things that attracted us to him. He’s a real competitive guy as well. I’ve learned that in the short time that we’ve been together. I think he’s going to help us five-on-five offensively, he’s going to help us with breakouts, getting out of our endzone clearer. I think he’s going to help us with his skating ability, joining the rush. He’s in great shape. I can tell in the first three days, he’s a guy that can eat minutes.”
“As far as how we use him on special teams, he’s a guy who is very capable on a power play. And I think with his competitiveness, he’s got a good stick and mobility, I can see him being a big part of the penalty kill as well.”
Durzi averaged the most time on ice of his career during the 2023-24 season with the Coyotes when he played 22:43 minutes per game, leading all Coyotes players.
During that season, Durzi served as the team’s No. 1 defenseman on the power play, so while Fox will preside over that spot with the Rangers, Durzi is in a prime position to earn a role on the second power-play unit.
The 27-year-old defenseman emphasized that he feels comfortable playing on both phases of special teams.
“I played it (the power play) my whole career in the NHL,” Durzi said. “I take pride in special teams, power play and PK. If I'm needed there, blocking shots has been a strong suit of mine. Whatever the situation is, if I'm playing power play, if I'm playing PK, I'm here to you know do it to the best of my ability.”
Over the first three days of training camp, Durzi has been paired with Marcus Pettersson, who was also acquired by the Rangers over the summer.
Durzi and Pettersson will likely make up the Rangers’ second defensive pairing to kick off the season, as Sullivan has taken an extensive look at them playing alongside each other at training camp.
“I think they’ve been one of the better pairs that we’ve had together out there,” Sullivan said. “They seem to complement each other really well. They defend well, they made some plays, they made some outlet plays. They are not just out the glass and out guys I think just their ability to move the puck has been evident and on display for the first few days here.
“We were going to explore it and see what it looked like, and so far we’ve liked what we’ve seen. I would anticipate them getting some looks in these exhibition games and then we’ll make decisions.”
Last season, the Rangers were lacking a reliable second pairing behind Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov, but the duo of Durzi and Pettersson provides an option to take pressure off of the team’s top pairing.
Durzi is pleased with the chemistry he’s been able to build with Pettersson so far in a short sample size.
“It’s been awesome,” Durzi said of playing with Pettersson. “I think the most important thing is, after every shift out here and every rep in practice, we're talking about it. ‘What do you think about that play? I should be here. I like the puck to be in that area.’ Just questions about the D-zone and the neutral zone, things like that. It's been great to have him. He's made the transition that much easier.”
Since being drafted in 2018, Durzi has been traded three separate times, so he’s grown accustomed to the business side of hockey.
After being able to decompress in the couple of months since being traded to New York, Durzi expressed his excitement to embark on this next chapter with the Rangers.
“Hockey-wise, I’m excited. There’s not much more you can ask for: original six team, a lot of history,” Durzi said. “Guys play with their hearts on their sleeves when you play for the Rangers, and that’s what I love to do. I’m pumped to be here. I’m focused and ready to go.”
MARYLAND
HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Maddox
Dagenais had only one regret going into his first NHL action –
albeit a preseason game – on Saturday for the St. Louis Blues
against the Dallas Stars.
His
father, former NHL player Pierre Dagenais, was supposed to fly in and
see his son play. Unfortunately, his flight got canceled but
he will be able to watch the game on the Blues website.
Other
than that, the first-round pick (No. 16 overall) in the 2026 NHL
Draft was just going to let it rip on Saturday and soak in the
experience, take back with him whatever knowledge he can and make
marked improvements while playing for Quebec of the Quebec Major
Junior Hockey League for the third season.
“Yeah
for sure. There’s some veterans with us,” Dagenais said before
the Blues hosted the Stars in their preseason opener. “Just
ask some questions, how is it to play in an NHL rink. Just have fun.
When you have fun, you always play good.”
Dagenais
has been good in his first pro training camp.
Blues
coach Jim Montgomery said, “he’s a little bit of a 10 to 2 skater
on a clock and his feet are going that way and that makes it hard
because the angles are completely different and he’s going to be
very deceptive, I think.”
And
that playing in Saturday’s game, “gives
him a taste of what it’s really like, the speed of it, the electric
building, our fans, and then also what the strength and speed of what
the opposition is and what they can build towards.”
It’s
been a relatively smooth transition for the 18-year-old, who’s fit
in well in his first training camp. The 6-foot-4, 194-pound forward
was a bit of a sleeper pick by the Blues at No. 16 who is eager and
anxious to make good on the Blues investing in him.
“It’s
nice to see the pro guys and how they act, how they go to the gym,”
Dagenais
said.
“It’s nice to meet them also. I think it’s been going well.
“I
think there’s a lot of different areas of the game that I’m just
trying to ask the coaches and also the players. It’s (going
to be) my
third year in junior and I’m trying to be a leader out there. I
think the game’s also faster. I’m just trying to bring that pace
over there and show an example.”
Montgomery
has high praise for the kid but also wants to make sure everyone is
guarded before adding too much pressure on the teenager.
“It’s
real early, you know what I mean,” Montgomery
said. “I’m
obviously excited that he can score goals, that he’s an offensive
player because you can teach defense, but it’s real early for me to
be overly excited. But I’ve really liked what I’ve seen.”
Dagenais,
who was a point-per-game player last season with the Remparts (30
goals, 32 assists in 62 games), wants to continue to use the tools
that’s gotten him to this point.
“I’m
just trying to use what I’m good at for sure,” he
said.
“I’m just trying to work on everything in my game.”
As
for what’s to come after the 2026-27 season, that will be up to the
Blues and Dagenais. College is always an option but so is turning
pro.
“I’m
not there yet. I think I’m taking a day at a time,” Dagenais
said. “This year, right now I’m in St. Louis and making it as far
as possible. If I’m going back to Quebec for sure, our goal is to
win this year and next year’s going to be next year. I’m focusing
on this year.”
Dagenais finished with three shots on goal and one hit in 14:23 of ice time in a 2-1 loss.
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For the first time in nearly a year, Pyotr Kochetkov is in line to be back playing on NHL ice.
Obviously the stakes aren't as high as it was 274 days ago, given that Sunday's game against the Florida Panthers is the Carolina Hurricanes' preseason opener, but regardless, it's a huge step for the Russian netminder who has missed so much time.
"I'm excited of course because last season was not too good, not too fun for me," Kochetkov said. "Now I just see not too far. Just taking it day-by-day and wait for preseason games. After that, just live step-by-step."
Kochetkov, 27, underwent hip surgery in December of 2025 to address a nagging injury and by the time he was cleared to return, the playoffs were already underway and there was no time to get him back up to speed.
The netminder did dress for parts of the Stanley Cup Final following Frederik Andersen's injury, but he has yet to step foot into the crease for an actual NHL game since his procedure.
Mentally, the inactivity has been tough.
Kochetkov has dealt with injuries before, having dealt already with a myriad of issues in his short NHL career, but a midseason surgery was a new one for him.
"It was tough," Kochetkov said. "I was very happy for the guys, but if you ask about how I felt, of course it was tough. Never in my career have I played only 10 games. First time in my career where I lose so much time. It was so tough mentally, but I have motivation this season to show who I am."
However, the time off has also given him a different perspective on his career and his game.
"After last season, I never think about 'I want this many games.' or stuff like that," Kochetkov said. "I just try and think about practice, recovery and next day. Nothing more because all my career, I looked too far every time. At first, I want to go to the NHL. After that it's I want to be first goalie, I want to play more, blah, blah. When you're older and you see a little bit of a different angle of your life and your game, now I just want to be excited for what I do and play games. That's what I think about."
That attitude is going to be a helpful one for him to have, especially given the fact that the unorthodox goalie will be entering a relatively new situation in net.
For first time in Kochetkov's career, there's not an established veteran in front of him.
Even though tandem mate Brandon Bussi is older than him by a year, Kochetkov has five years of NHL experience compared to Bussi's one, making him the veteran presence now.
But Kochetkov doesn't see it as anything different. He's just ready to play when his name is called.
"For me, not much changes," Kochetkov said. "Whether it was [Frederik Andersen], [Antti Raanta], now [Brandon Bussi], I have my own individual [thoughts] about what I think about myself. For me, it's just play game and coach think who play next game. For me, nothing changes between this season, last season and the seasons before."
Regardless, this season is a huge opportunity for Kochetkov to reestablish himself as a long-term option for the team though.
The Russian goalie has arguably the highest ceiling amongst all of the organization's netminders, having posted already 11 career shutouts (nearly 10% of his total games played) and carrying the load in multiple seasons already.
However, he's also been very inconsistent at times too, falling victim to multi-game slides and confidence struggles throughout his career.
Finding a way to up the overall consistency factor and be a dependable asset night in and night out will be the biggest key for Kochetkov and it's going to be especially important for himself too as he's entering the final year of his contract.
"For me, it's an interesting season," Kochetkov said. "I have last season on my contract and so I'm excited. We have lots of games soon and hopefully I'll have lots of game time."
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The Carolina Hurricanes have made their first cut of training camp, reassigning goaltender Zach Jovanovski to Guelph Storm of the OHL.
The 2026 draftee was skating with the C1 group, which primarily consists of the NHL regulars and so this will allow Pyotr Kochetkov and Brandon Bussi to get the full reps for the remainder of camp.
Before the opening of camp, Jovanovski took part in the 2026 Prospects Showcase, playing in one game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The 18-year-old netminder was never in any consideration to play at any part of the preseason, but he got a bit of experience with the big boys and hopefully he picked up some pointers he can carry with him.
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 09: Gabriel Landeskog #92 of the Colorado Avalanche is recorded by TNT during the NHL/NHLPA North American Player Media Tour. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Following a spirited day one of training camp when the 2026-27 Colorado Avalanche held their first official on-ice team activity, the squad was back after it on day two and three. Every training camp day follows the same basic schedule with the roster of 56 players (minus the injured folks) split into two groups with a mix of NHL regulars, AHL contracts, young prospects and Avalanche hopefuls. Each session lasts close to 90 minutes with a lunch break in between. The structure of the practice is a third for warm up drills, a third for controlled 5v5 and then the last third is some small area work around the net.
There was a focus and purpose in executing the drills Jared Bednar laid out for the players. Many returnees are already familiar with the system but the reality is a preseason game is just days away and they must prepare for it.
The groups were switched for this session and the Group 2 roster was on the ice in the morning. This collection is more of the depth players and they bring a bit more physicality. Zach L’Heureux has consistently shown he has a different energy and approach to the game. Fabian Lysell had a few more aggressive moments than he did on the first day. Jaden Schwartz also showed he can make some skillful plays.
Cale Makar joined the first group again in the red non-contact jersey as part of his rehab on the lower-body injury he suffered. The superstar defenseman did stay out longer than he did the previous day and looked good completing drills, he should be back to full-go soon.
Zachary L'Heureux has a very good shift in this 5v5 drill. Lots of discipline. He attacks below the net to put the pressure on and then heads straight to the front of the net. 🙌 #Avs#GoAvsGopic.twitter.com/sSujIbwOfy
It was a surprise that to conclude the practices on this day there still was a mandatory skate which consisted of a few heats of speed skating style figure-eights and then the traditional mountain. There are new rules in the CBA about fitness testing and conditioning in training camp but perhaps there are certain parameters where it’s still accepted.
Saturday Skate
To conclude the official camp portion of the new season’s preparations, a smaller group of Avalanche players gathered. Taylor Makar, Nikita Prishchepov, Alex Gagne and Ilya Nabokov were given the day off as they are expected to participate in both of the upcoming back-to-back preseason contests.
With Trent Miner injured and not even taking shots in his rehab sessions yet, one name to watch has been goaltender Nikita Novosyolov. Ever since development camp he’s been consistently solid and showing improvement. He’s going to see a fair bit of AHL action with the Colorado Eagles if he keeps this up.
Nikita Novosyolov, who signed an ELC this summer, has been look great during camp. Over the last couple of weeks he has been working closing the 5-hole and squaring to the puck. #Avs#GoAvsGopic.twitter.com/m1tuKaNidN
Cale Makar didn’t skate as it was a scheduled day off for him. The goal is for him to keep skating and get in a game at the end of the week. Speaking of, how the Avalanche manage their two sets of back-to-back games this week will be interesting as new CBA rules prevent anyone with 100 games of NHL experience cannot play in more than two preseason games. This impacts even a guy like Fedor Svechkov who is over the threshold. Bednar also indicated the Avalanche regulars would more likely play at home, which includes Sunday’s home game against the Utah Mammoth at 5:00 p.m. MT.
First Cuts
If that wasn’t enough news to digest, the Avalanche announced their first wave of cuts, trimming the training camp roster by 11 and a reduction of the active players to 45. The AHL contracted Jayson Megna, Yanick Turcotte, Jake Wise Hank Kempf and goaltender Nikita Novosyolov were sent to the Colorado Eagles camp. Also, Shawn Carrier, Teddy Lechner, Ondrej Ruml, Linus Funck, Alexandre Raymond and Tobias Tvrznik were sent back to their junior clubs. This means that Beckett Hamilton is still with the Avalanche and should get in an upcoming preseason game.
The following players have been reassigned to the Colorado Eagles (AHL) training camp:
Hank Kempf, D Jayson Megna, C Nikita Novosyolov, G Yanick Turcotte, LW Jake Wise, C
Additionally, the following players have been reassigned to their respective junior clubs:
The Buffalo Sabres played a split squad scrimmage in front of about 3,000 fans at Key Bank Center on Saturday afternoon, giving the club a workout before setting out on their abbreviated preseason in Pittsburgh on Monday. The two sides were divided equally with likely NHLers and players bound for the AHL Rochester Americans, and Team Gold won the three-period scrimmage 3-1, but Team Blue won the shootout 3-2.
Noah Ostlund, Mattias Samuelsson, and Jack Quinn scored for the Gold squad, while Beck Malenstyn scored for the Blue. In the shootout, Tage Thompson, Josh Doan and Owen Power scored for the Blue, while Josh Norris and Rasmus Dahlin tallied for the Gold.
After the game, head coach Lindy Ruff, who watched the game from the press box, said he was happy with the pace of the contest.
Noah Ostlund signs eight-year deal with the Sabres
The scrimmage marked the debut of defenseman Olin Zellweger, who was acquired from Anaheim in June. The 22-year-old was paired with Owen Power and flashed a nice spin move in the second period. The Sabres are hopefully that Zellweger can fill some of the gap created by the departure of Bowen Byram.
"I thought (Olin) closed really well. I think you're looking at guys trying to get used to how we play or want to play and how we close.” Ruff said. “I thought he closed in a lot of plays. I thought offensively , he tried to jump up in that third period where their team needed a goal. He joined on several occasions, where I thought he deferred to maybe a little bit of too much of a fancy play where I thought he probably could have delivered, but a lot to like there for sure.”
The contest also marked the return of Jiri Kulich, who played only 12 games last season due to a blood clot issue. The 22-year-old was able to get back on the ice in July, and the Sabres seem to be easing him back into the lineup, as he has been skating on a fourth-line unit with Sam Carrick and Malenstyn.
"I thought as the game went on, he looked more and more comfortable. Made some good plays, had a couple great chances." Ruff said. "I think there are opportunities. There's a few more plays out there he could have made, but I thought overall he skated really welll (and)he was noticeable.”
Throughout the careers of most NHL players, there are, at least, a few different uniforms that they sport until the day they decide to hang up the skates. Some are NHL legends themselves, and some have the rare opportunity to suit up next to NHL legends on teams that folks talk about for a long, long time.
For new Pittsburgh Penguins Hendrix Lapierre and Trevor van Riemsdyk, having legends as teammates and being part of winning organizations is the only thing they've known.
The 24-year-old Lapierre was dealt to the Penguins from the Washington Capitals a few days prior to free agency this summer, which means he's had the opportunity to skate with the two biggest stars of their respective generation in Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. The same goes for the decade-older van Riemsdyk, who was the first confirmed signing of NHL free agency this summer with his two-year, $8 million deal and who also won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015 during his rookie season.
Lapierre and van Riemsdyk are good friends, so when they learned they were both going to Pittsburgh - a very familiar foe - it eased the transition.
"It's always a nice thing to have a familiar face when you go somewhere new," van Riemsdyk said. "My first day here, I walked in with Hendrix, so I felt a little less... I don't even know how to describe it. But it's always good to have a buddy."
Granted, both just arrived in Pittsburgh a few weeks ago, and they are still new to everyone and everything here. But, given the air of living hockey legends and the respective places Washington and Pittsburgh find themselves directionally, they see similarities between the organizations, their veteran players and their approach to competitive rebuilding.
After winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, the Capitals experienced four consecutive first-round exits before missing the playoffs in 2023 - the same year that Pittsburgh had their first miss since 2006. The Penguins were also ousted in the first round four times in a row beforehand, and when the early playoff exits became a pattern, both teams started to hold onto higher-value draft picks.
The Caps got a bit more ahead of it than the Penguins, as they selected Alexander Alexeyev (31st overall), Connor McMichael (25th overall), and Lapierre (22nd overall) in consecutive drafts from 2018-20, although none of them are still with the club. They traded their first in 2021 and have kept every first since, selecting left wing Ivan Miroshnichenko (20th in 2022), right wing Ryan Leonard (eighth in 2023), right wing Terik Parascak (17th in 2024), left wing Lynden Lakovic (27th in 2025) and center Oliver Suvanto (18th in 2026) consecutively.
The Penguins didn't start keeping their first-round picks with some consistency until 2022, when they took Owen Pickering 22nd overall. They selected center Brayden Yager with their 14th pick in 2023 - he was later traded to the Winnipeg Jets one-for-one for a different first-round selection in Rutger McGroarty - before dealing their 2024 first for Erik Karlsson, although they probably got first-round value out of one of their second-rounders in Harrison Brunicke (44th overall). Then, the last two years, they have selected Ben Kindel (11th overall) and Liam Ruck (22nd), both of whom figure to be part of their future.
Pittsburgh may be a bit behind Washington timeline-wise with how they're building out, but the approach is the same: Keep the NHL roster competitive with a few all-time great veterans and acquisitions, and make sure they're mining gold in the drafting, scouting and development departments along the way despite lacking lottery-zone picks.
Lapierre has confidence in the way Pittsburgh is building because he's seen it happen with some success so far in Washington, even if the Capitals missed the playoffs last season. He said that all the organizations have known is winning, so they know how to add playoff assets and grow young talent simultaneously.
"You can kind of see both teams trying to add some good players, some assets to try to make the playoffs," Lapierre said. "At the same time, I didn't know much about the young players here, and watching them play, I'm super impressed. And it was the same thing in Washington. So, I think it's two teams that are kind of doing the same thing, which is very good.
"In the last couple of years, the good trades that have happened around the league, or the good contracts, a lot of them involve these two teams. So, I think they're just very two well-driven, good-cultured teams, and they've had success for a number of years because of that."
Of course, the success the organizations have had in staying relevant and generally competitive as long as they have starts with the championship culture that has been cultivated in the last two decades.
And that tone is set by some of those NHL legends mentioned earlier.
"[The Penguins] have core players that have been here for 20-plus years. Same thing in Washington," van Riemsdyk said. "I think people probably expected both organizations to fall off maybe a little bit more than they have. I know, two years ago in Washington when we had a great season, I don't think many people were expecting that from us. And then, last year here in Pittsburgh, I don't think many people predicted the season that they had, and they had a ton of guys step up.
"It just shows with both organizations how much that culture can carry you even when there's a lot of turnover in players."
It's worth repeating that the Penguins are a few years behind the Capitals in terms of what they're trying to accomplish. Washington's hand was forced two summers ago when longtime veteran forwards Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie both hit long-term injured reserve and, eventually, retirement, giving them cap room to acquire defensemen Jakub Chychrun and Matt Roy as well as forward Pierre-Luc Dubois. Those guys helped elevate them to a first-place finish in the East with 111 points during the 2024-25 season.
This summer - after taking a step back last season - Washington decided to take advantage of the rising-cap environment and use some of its assets and young players, including McMichael, to acquire high-end talent up front in veterans Jordan Kyrou, Alex Tuch and Boone Jenner. The Caps are at a point where they have infused their system with enough talent that they can begin to take swings in the trade market to help keep them competitive, perhaps even after Alex Ovechkin calls it a career.
As for the Penguins, they find themselves facing some decisions about moving on from key veterans in Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson in order to infuse a similar youth movement both internally and externally. They have some key complementary young pieces on the verge of full-time NHL minutes, but they still need some elite young talent at center and on defense in addition to promising young players in Kindel, Brunicke, and goaltender Sergei Murashov, who could be core pieces for them moving forward.
Like the Caps, eventually, they will probably need to say goodbye to some of their good young players and those veterans not named Crosby - like Ovechkin in Washington - in order to reach a point where their cornerstone generational talent marries with the organization's youth and high-end talent acquired via trade to build a true winner, hopefully, with said living legend still on the roster.
But the bottom line for both teams is this: Neither organization plans to go the traditional route of "tear-it-to-the-studs" in order to accomplish sustainable contention. They both have young pieces in place and plan to keep adding them as the timing, acquisition cost and market make sense.
And that culture of refusal to "lose in order to win" still makes both places a favorable destination for players - even if both teams, to different degrees, have some work to do in building toward consistent Cup contention, even if unconventionally.
"Obviously, when you get traded like me, you don't really have the option to choose which team you're going to. But, I think being a free agent, or even just getting traded, you're super happy to come [to Pittsburgh]," Lapierre said. "I've only been here for a week and a half or two weeks, but it seems like it's super well-ran."
And, as a 35-year-old free agent veteran who had a ton of say in where he ended up, there are a couple of reasons why van Riemsdyk signed with the Penguins so quickly: the organization's promising outlook for the future played its part, but so did the guys who have always made it a winner's destination - and could continue to.
"Obviously, I was part of a Cup team my rookie year. It's 13 years later now, and haven't gotten back," he said. "You realize how hard it is, and when you get older, you realize the chances are going to be limited. So you want to go places where success is on the forefront, and here, it is always like that. Sid is always pushing guys, Geno, Karl, Tanger... they've been part of great teams.
"As long as they're around, I think they're always going to be pretty damn successful."
Ahead of their first preseason game of 2026 on Monday, the Philadelphia Flyers did some major trimming to the training camp roster, cutting 15 players who will either head to the minors or go back to junior hockey.
The headliner of the 15-player group is 2026 first-round pick Maksim Sokolovskii, who practiced mostly with NHLers in Group A to start training camp.
Sokolovskii, 18, did not feature in Saturday's intrasquad scrimmage and instead skated with Group C, which has now been eliminated entirely with the exception of injured forward Nikita Grebenkin.
On Saturday, the Flyers cut Devin Kaplan, Alex Ciernik, Zayde Wisdom, Brady Berard, Nathan Quinn, KJ Sauer, Owen McLaughlin, Ilya Pautov, Luke Vlooswyk, Jackson Edward, Andrew Perrott, Marek Sklenicka, Martin Psohlavec, and Brek Liske from the roster, going from 57 players to 42.
From a prospects perspective, it is interesting that Devin Kaplan, who already has a game of NHL experience under his belt, did not even earn himself an opportunity to play in a preseason game.
Kaplan has been leap-frogged on the depth chart by Noah Powell, who survived the first round of cuts, as well as veterans (and some newcomers) like Garrett Wilson, Zach Aston-Reese, Danila Klimovich, and Nolan Foote.
Also of note, 2025 second-round pick Matthew Gard survived the first round of cuts. He's the only prospect the Flyers could have sent back to juniors but chose not to.
Additionally, Pautov, who could go to the QMJHL this season, is going to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms' training camp for now.
Pautov, 20, signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the Flyers back on June 1, and while he can go play in the AHL, the Russian winger was drafted eighth overall by the Gatineau Olympiques in the most recent CHL import draft.
That's a high pick to burn on a player who may not play for your team, whereas someone like Adam Nemec, a 17-year-old eligible for the 2027 NHL Draft, went 13th overall to Brantford.
In any event, the Flyers have now clearly established which players are still in the running for an NHL job, as well as which prospects they are presently most interested in seeing in preseason action.
The Vancouver Canucks hit the ice at the South Okanagan Events Centre on Saturday for the annual training camp scrimmage. After regulation, the score was tied 3-3, with Team White picking up the win over Team Blue in the shootout.
Liam Öhgren's Shot Is Dangerous
The star early on in the scrimmage was Liam Öhgren. The 22-year-old scored twice, including a hard wrister that went post-and-in. Öhgren has been a standout throughout training camp thanks not just to his shot, but his confidence with the puck.
Based on line combinations, Öhgren appears set to start on a line with Marco Rossi. The two showed some chemistry at the end of last season and will likely be joined by either Brock Boeser or Jonathan Lekkerimäki. While it is still very early in the campaign, Öhgren looks ready to break out this season.
Zeev Buium Mobility On Full Display
Zeev Buium has always been known as a strong skater with high-end puck-handling. Both those skills were on full display Saturday. Buium not only broke up plays in the defensive zone, but he also took every opportunity to jump up into the neutral zone and join the rush.
Buium also appears to be developing some chemistry with his partner, Luke Schenn. Having a stay-at-home defender on his right side may be beneficial for the 20-year-old as it would allow to take more chances knowing that the extra layer of protection is there. Overall, Buium looks energized and ready for the start of the campaign.
Brendan Gallagher Comes As Advertised
Brendan Gallagher is the type of player young guys should be learning from. He never takes a shift off and can push the pace in practice. Even though Saturday was just a scrimmage, Gallagher was up to his old tricks, as he was one of the most noticeable players on the ice.
On top of battling hard against the board, Gallagher crashed the net and demanded the puck all game. He also spoke to the crowd afterward, which drew a huge cheer from the fans. Gallagher's ability to lead on and off the ice will be key to building an environment where young players can thrive in the future.
Elias Pettersson's Engagement Level
There was a scary moment during the scrimmage where Elias Pettersson was hit into the boards by Cole Clayton. That moment appeared to wake him up, though, as he had a strong scrimmage overall. Pettersson made plays at both ends of the ice, including scoring the game-tying goal for Team Blue.
Pettersson is always going to be a storyline as long as he is with the team. Overall, he has looked decent in training camp, but we all know his performances don't matter until the puck drop on the regular-season. That being said, it was a positive to see him moving his feet and shooting the puck in Saturday's scrimmage.
Luke Schenn Shootout Moment
The moment of the shootout involved Schenn. After receiving a loud cheer from the crowd, the 36-year-old defenceman scored, beating Ty Young up high. Not only were the fans in attendance excited to see the goal, but so were both benches.
Schenn is expected to play a key role for the organization this season, not just on the ice, but off it as well. He will be a leader in the dressing room and has already received plenty of praise from both his teammates and Manny Malhotra. The question now is: will we see Schenn get a chance in the shootout this year?
Vancouver Canucks 2026 Training Camp (Photo Credit: Izzy Cheung/The Hockey News)
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The Pittsburgh Penguins wrapped up their third day of training camp before a packed house at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex on Saturday.
Team 1, featuring Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell, Nick Robertson, Owen Pickering, and Harrison Brunicke, kicked things off, followed by Teams 2 and 3.
This was the final day of group practices before the Penguins play the Buffalo Sabres in their first preseason game on Monday,
With that in mind, here's a look at some observations from the three groups.
Team 1
- I know I probably sound like a broken record, but Nick Robertson has had a fantastic camp. He was lights out again on Saturday, showcasing his release and his agility. He roofed a puck past Arturs Silovs during an offensive-zone drill, then made a great diving play to keep another puck in the zone.
He also continued to get more reps with Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell on the top line. There's a decent chance it sticks once the regular season starts on Sept. 30.
- Elmer Soderblom was promoted to this group and had a strong session. He scored a couple of really nice goals, including one at the end of a drill when he went around Owen Pickering and sniped the puck into the top corner of the net.
His camp got off to a bumpy start after he misread the schedule on Thursday and practiced with Team 3, but he followed it up with two great days in a row. He's very much in contention for that 12th forward spot.
- Taylor Gauthier had his best day yet in the crease. He made a ton of nice saves and looked confident in each drill.
It's highly unlikely he makes the main roster, but he should get plenty of starts in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this year.
- Owen Pickering was great defensively throughout the session, breaking up several odd-man rushes and maintaining great gap control. His skating also looks improved compared to last season.
He'll get some NHL time this season, but I doubt it's going to be right away.
Apr 9, 2026; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Ben Kindel (81) skates with the puck against the New Jersey Devils during the first period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Luther Schlaifer-Imagn Images
Team 2
- Ben Kindel was sniping the puck with authority throughout Saturday's session. It didn't matter whether it was Joel Blomqvist or Sergei Murashov in the crease; he peppered pucks to the top corner.
He definitely got bigger over the summer, which will only help him moving forward. There's a real chance he pots 20+ goals this year.
- Rutger McGroarty had a strong session on Friday and continued that momentum into Saturday. He skated on the fourth line with Blake Lizotte and Ville Koivunen and made several strong defensive plays during 5-on-5 drills.
In one play, he applied pressure at the point and knocked the puck away from Ilya Solovyov with ease.
He also forechecked hard and scored a few nice goals, including one where he went forehand, backhand through the five-hole. He scored another at the end of a 3-on-3 drill with the same move, but he lifted the puck over Blomqvist's glove.
He's competing his tail off out there.
- Bryan Rust was absolutely flying out there and, like Kindel, was scoring at will. He got more reps with Kindel and Kuzmenko, and there's a real chance the Penguins open with those three on their third line when the season starts.
- Tanner Howe and Bill Zonnon were finding each other pretty frequently in the offensive zone. They showed great chemistry, which fans should look forward to in WBS this year.
- Carter Sanderson scored some nice goals at the Prospect Tournament last week and brought that ability to Saturday's practice. He has a quick release and isn't afraid to use it.
It will be fun to track his progress with the WHL's Calgary Hitmen this year before he heads to the University of North Dakota in 2027-28.
The Penguins have an off day on Sunday before they play the Sabres in their first preseason game on Monday. The lineup will be revealed sometime before Monday's morning skate.
Through the early days of training camp, the Philadelphia Flyers are quietly working to decide how the center depth will shake out as the beginning of the regular season approaches.
This is less a question of which players make the NHL roster after final cuts, and more about who plays where.
As far as the first few days of training camp are concerned, there are a few obvious players who will be sticking at center, and a few wildcards who muddy the picture a bit.
During Saturday's scrimmage, Trevor Zegras and Sean Couturier reprised their roles as the first- and fourth-line centers with Zegras playing with Owen Tippett and a rotation of Zach Aston-Reese and Jack Studnicka and Couturier playing with Noel Acciari and Carl Grundstrom.
Surging prospect Denver Barkey was the third center on that Orange team, while the Black team featured Jett Luchanko, Christian Dvorak, and Noah Cates down the middle.
If we include Luchanko as part of the equation and roster battle, the Flyers have six centers vying for four spots, and some players will be sent to the AHL (Luchanko) or be forced to play the wing.
Barkey was that guy who shifted to the wing last season, but that may not necessarily always be the case going forward.
"I think it takes a lot of work to be an established NHL centerman, but I think something I've always taken pride in is being a versatile player, someone that can play up and down a lineup, and someone that can play center or wing," Barkey said after Saturday's scrimmage.
"I haven't played [center] too much since I was younger in junior, but given the opportunity here now, I know the task at hand for what a center needs to do in all three zones throughout a game. So, having that opportunity here to show them that I can maybe play center and hold my own. It's just another opportunity for me, and looking to run away with it."
Barkey, 21, spent much of his time last year with Noah Cates and Sean Couturier as his centers, two players who are defensively sound and can chip in offensively when things are doing well.
Flyers turn to Barkey, linemates for better offensive look?
Denver Barkey (left) played as the center for Alex Bump (right) during Saturday's training camp scrimmage. (Photo: Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images)
On Saturday, Barkey was interestingly slotted in between two fellow youngsters in Alex Bump and Matvei Michkov, which speaks to what Rick Tocchet and the Flyers' coaching staff think of the former third-round pick's discipline and ability to play responsibly in all three zones. His two wingers are in the NHL for their offensive prowess, but no so much for the defense.
After a tentative start, the fascinating trio found some chemistry and eventually cashed in for two of their team's four goals.
Tocchet acknowledged the nature of the scrimmage and how rosters had to be divvied up between two teams, but feels there is real potential for Barkey at the center position regardless.
"There's also something there that we got to look at, because he's a smart guy. I don't think he hurts you defensively," Tocchet said. "What I liked about that, the line started out slow, and then if you watch, they got cooking, and they started having puck possession. There's a lot of factors into that, and we'll see. We have some other centers, too. So that's something that we're going to have to really look into."
The Flyers also used Saturday's scrimmage as an opportunity to work on the power play for the first time this training camp.
Tocchet also spoke about "deception" being the key to a successful unit that scores goals and generates chances; Barkey featured on the first unit alongside Trevor Zegras, Matvei Michkov, Jamie Drysdale, and Owen Tippett and believes his best attributes can shine with such an opportunity.
"My vision and my IQ has always been something that's separated me for most, and I think on the power play, you have a little more time and space, and you have that extra second to maybe sell a pass and shoot, or make it look like you're passing somewhere that you're not," Barkey assessed. "I think, yeah, as time goes on here, you get more comfortable and continue to grow as a team. I think definitely that'd be something that you look to help this team win games."
The former London Knights captain finished 11th on the Flyers in total power play ice time last season, playing 69:16 in just 43 regular season games, per Natural Stat Trick. His 1:36 of power play time per game ranked 10th among Flyers forwards, trailing the top dogs and veterans like Michkov, Travis Konecny, Zegras, Tippett, Cates, Christian Dvorak, Porter Martone, Tyson Foerster, and the now-departed Bobby Brink.
Of course, the Flyers' usage of Barkey in training camp thus far suggests that they have an expanded role in mind, both in terms of position and 5-on-5 play, as well as offensively with increased power play time.
Throughout the summer, GM Danny Briere and the Flyers have mentioned the growth and maturity of their young players as keys to the upcoming season, especially with the overall lack of offseason additions, and Barkey will be as big a piece in that puzzle as anyone as training camp thunders onward.
MARYLAND
HEIGHTS, Mo. -- It’s go time for the NHL preseason on Saturday, and
the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars will kick things off after
opening respective training camps just two days ago.
The
Blues and Stars will open preseason play at 6 p.m. at Enterprise
Center, and from a Blues perspective, there’s no time to get
extended looks at potential players looking to crack the opening
night lineup or prospects getting a lot of time with the big club.
But
the Blues will do so on Saturday before getting more time in with
those that will make the club.
Headlining
the lineup tonight includes what is projected to be the opening night
fourth line of Ross Johnston, Pius Suter and Alexey Toropchenko.
“(Tonight),
it will probably be the least amount of veterans dressed,” Blues
coach Jim Montgomery said. “We’ll get a look at some of our young
prospects. Then game two (Monday in Dallas), we’re going to have
our first power play unit go, then game three (Thursday at home
against the Chicago Blackhawks), we’re going to have our second
power play unit go and the last game’s going to be both units going
(Sept. 26 at Chicago). That’s going to be our team playing in the
last game.”
There’s
a good sense of what the lineup will look like Oct. 2 in Dallas when
the Blues and Stars open for keeps, but what’s going to be a battle
is the spots for the 13/14 roster spots among the forwards, and it
includes Oskar Sundqvist, Nathan Walker, Dillon Dube, Otto Stenberg and Jack
Finley all vying for two spots.
“I
think it’s always different with what do you have up front,”
Montgomery said. “Do you have enough offense where you’re just
going to look for checkers and grinders? Or are you lacking offense
where maybe you bring in a guy that’s had some skill to go up in
the second line and you have one guy that’s going to be a grinder.
It’s not your typical guys you’re just looking for that are going
to be just physical guys and other attributes would be can they play
center and can they play wing? Can they win draws? Do they penalty
kill or do they power play? It all depends on the makeup of your team
and I just love the fact that we’ve got a lot of different elements
that we can choose from right now. It’s very competitive.
“You
don’t want two guys that look the same. That you don’t want
unless you had a team that your four lines are set and you have a
fourth line that is an identity line like we had two years ago and
then you have a third line that’s a pure checking line that’s a
hard 200-foot line and then you have two scoring lines and then
you’re just looking for certain things, but we need versatility
right now because as we look through our lineup, we think we have a
first line, we think we have a fourth line. The second and third
line, they have to find an identity and that’s [because] we have
new bodies, we have new people, we have other opportunities too with
players that have been coming in.
“I
think everybody that has an opportunity to earn those spots have
shown really well. Whether it’s ‘Walks’ or ‘Sunny,’ Dube
had an excellent day [Friday]. (Dylan) Peterson I thought was
excellent [Friday]. (Aleksanteri) Kaskimaki’s been really good and
Stenberg I thought had a really good day [Friday] after an average
day yesterday.”
It
makes the limited time on ice and practice sessions so important for
all these players.
“I
think with such a short camp, every practice means a lot,”
Montgomery said. “We don’t have a lot of time to make decisions
so they don’t have a lot of time to impress. It’s either you’re
coming here to fight for a job and grab a job, or you’re watching
your job disappear. If you’re not playing with any kind of
intensity and any kind of purpose out there, you’re going to be
left behind.”
-
- -
Maddox
Dagenais, the No. 16 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, will make his Blues
debut and more than likely, get sent back to juniors where he will
play a third and likely final season with the Quebec Remparts of the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
“Pretty
excited,” Dagenais said. “Since I was a little kid, I’ve been
watching those games. You’re going on the ice on an NHL rink, so
it’s pretty nice. I’m just going to give it my all.”
Dagenais's father, former NHLer Pierre Dagenais, was supposed to come in to St. Louis for the game to see his son play but his flight was canceled.
Montgomery
really likes what the 6-foot-4,
186-pound can bring and feels there’s some unique traits there.
“Real
intelligent player,” Montgomery said. “You can tell that he’s a
gifted offensive player because he always knows what he’s going to
do with the puck before he gets it. Incredible release and he’s
really deceptive because he’s a little bit of a 10-to-2 skater on a
clock and his feet are going that way and that makes it hard because
the angles are completely different and he’s going to be very
deceptive, I think.
“It’s
not unique, no, but Ulf Dahlen was the most famous one for it, but it
makes him slippery.”
Will
have more from Dagenais in a separate story.
-
- -
Blues Projected Lineup:
Alexey
Toropchenko-Pius
Suter-Ross Johnston
Aleksanteri
Kaskimaki-Zach Dean-Justin Carbonneau
Maddox
Dagenais-Jack Finley-Otto Stenberg
Juraj
Pekarcik-Jakub Stancl-Dylan Peterson
Arseny
Koromyslov-Tyler Tucker
Colin
Ralph-Theo Lindstein
Quinton
Burns-Lukas Fischer
Jordan
Binnington will start in goal and play the
first two periods;
Georgii Romanov will back up and play the final period.
-
- -
Stars Projected
Lineup:
Matthew
Seminoff-Arttu Hyry-Cameron Hughes
Dylan
Hrychowian-Artem Shlanie-Emil Hemming
Curtis
McKenzie-Jack Becker-Justin Ertel
Michael
Sgarbossa-Christian Fitzgerald-Charlie Paquette
Jack
Anderson-Kyle Capobianco
Trey
Taylor-Kyle Burroughs
Jakub
Vanecek-Ben Gleason
Remi
Poirer is
projected to start in goal; Brandon
Halverson would
be the backup.
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With plenty of eyeballs on Gavin McKenna, the 18-year-old was skating with the second projected power-play unit for the most part.
He was on the left flank, with Emil Andrae at the point, Matthew Knies in the bumper, Bo Groulx on the right flank, and Tinus Luc Koblar as the net-front presence.
Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller explained his reasoning for positioning McKenna on the second unit.
"I just think, you know, probably for him and us, just get out there and play," he said after morning skate at Scotiabank Arena. "We don't want to put extra pressure on. If you asked him, he'd probably say, 'I want to play 22 minutes, I want to run the first power play.' And that's exactly what he should say. But for us, we just want to get him started in the NHL, see what it feels like."
While Toronto will slowly get an assessment of what McKenna looks like in the NHL, he got some opportunity with the big guns on Saturday morning.
"There'll be a chance over time, whether that's one game, two, 10, 20, where his role will increase in different areas," Hiller said. "But yeah, we just have a lot of good players. So fortunately, he doesn't have to start there."
Knies remained in the bumper position, but McKenna was hanging around the net. He wasn't always positioned directly in front of the goaltender, but he received pucks beside and behind the net, exercising his playmaking ability.
"I'm just looking forward to seeing him play his first NHL exhibition game, and then we'll see what that looked like," the Leafs coach added. "He's looked great in practice, but let's just see what it looks like for everybody. And we might say, 'hey, he has less deficiencies than we even thought.' He adjusted right to this. And then the plan can change from there.
"Again, the second point is we have a lot of really good players on the team. A lot of offensive players that have played important roles, have had great careers. So anytime you do one thing, you adjust something else. You just have to take all that into account."
In other circumstances, on the second unit on the left half-boards, McKenna and the rest of the group moved around the zone a lot. Rather than stationary puck movement, the players on the second unit cycled through their positions, which allowed McKenna to see the entire zone with or without the puck.
He often looked for cross-seam passes and made quick touches on the puck. His combination of smooth stickhandling, vision, and confidence should, in itself, make him a considerable threat to the opposition, even without a single professional hockey game under his belt.
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