With the oncoming start of a new NHL season comes the beginning of milestone countdowns for the Vancouver Canucks. 15 Canucks are currently on track to hit games-played milestones in 2026–27, with the numbers ranging from 100 to 1200. 

Six Canucks Could Hit The 100-Game Mark In 2026–27 

A total of six Canucks are slated to hit the 100-game mark during the 2026–27 season. The first in line to do so is defenceman Elias Pettersson, who needs only two more games to get to 100. If all goes as planned, this could mean he reaches the mark as early as Vancouver’s home-opener against the Edmonton Oilers on October 1.  

After Pettersson on the 100-game trail is Liam Öhgren, who will hit the milestone in his third game of the season — the earliest being October 3 versus the Calgary Flames. Max Sasson is next, with five games to play in before reaching 100 in his career. If he plays in all of Vancouver’s first five games of the year, he’ll hit the mark on October 8 against the Carolina Hurricanes. 

Three of Vancouver’s young defencemen are also within striking distance of 100 career games. Zeev Buium is currently the closest of the three with 24 to go, with the earliest date of reaching the milestone being November 19 against the Seattle Kraken. Tom Willander is next, requiring 30 games in 2026–27 to hit a career-total of 100. He could hit this mark as early as December 1 against the Washington Capitals. 

Finally, if Victor Mancini plays in 45 games through the 2026–27 season, he’ll reach 100 through his NHL career. Playing in all of Vancouver’s first 45 games of the year would see him collect the milestone on January 5 against the New York Islanders, though with Vancouver’s D-core already projected, this is unlikely to happen. 

Marco Rossi & Paul Cotter Could Reach 300, Drew O’Connor En Route To 400 Games 

The next wave of games-played milestones in regards to the number of games played would see Marco Rossi and Paul Cotter reach 300 career-NHL games and Drew O’Connor reach the 400-game mark. 

Of these three, the closest to their respective milestone is Cotter, who is four away from the 300-mark. Beginning the season with the team and skating in all four of their first games would put his 300th-game date on October 4 against the Vegas Golden Knights. 

A bigger distance away is Rossi, who is 65 games away from 300 in his NHL career. The forward has only played in more than 65 games twice in his career, though if he can stay healthy, it’s not unreasonable to think he could do it in 2026–27. Playing in all of Vancouver’s games would see Rossi hit this milestone on February 25 against the St. Louis Blues. 

Finally, O’Connor will need to play in nearly every game of the 2026–27 season to hit 400 NHL games, as he requires 77 to reach the milestone. The forward has skated in full-seasons for the past two years, even playing in 84 games in 2024–25 due to trades and his team’s schedules. If he remains with the Canucks past the 2026 Trade Deadline, he’ll reach 400 career games with Vancouver on March 25 versus the Golden Knights. 

Two Canucks Veterans Are On Pace To Hit 600 NHL Games In 2026–27 

Elias Pettersson and Filip Hronek are the two Canucks looking to hit the 600-game mark in 2026–27. 

If both players skate in all of Vancouver’s games, Pettersson will be the one to reach the milestone first. The forward skated in his 500th-career NHL game on December 27, 2025 against the San Jose Sharks and became the 29th player to play in all 500 games with Vancouver. If he plays in all 600 games with Vancouver, he’ll be the 17th player in franchise history to do so. Pettersson requires 55 games to get to 600, with the projected date of this mark taking place on January 28 against the Dallas Stars. 

Hronek will need a little more time than Pettersson to hit the 600-game mark, as he’ll need a total of 67 before he can reach it. He skated in his 500th-career NHL game on January 19, 2026 against the Islanders. The earliest date Hronek can hit 600 games by during the 2026–27 season is March 3 versus the Chicago Blackhawks. 

Brock Boeser & Jake DeBrusk Eyeing 700-Career NHL Games Played 

If both players remain with the Canucks and skate in all games through 2026–27, Boeser and DeBrusk will hit the 700-career NHL game mark one game away from one-another. Boeser is currently 71 games away from the milestone, while DeBrusk requires one extra with 72 to go. 

Boeser hit the 600-game mark on January 17 against the Oilers during the 2025–26 season, becoming the 16th player in franchise history to reach the mark entirely with Vancouver. Playing in all 71 games leading up to the milestone would see the forward reach 700 on March 13 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

DeBrusk reached 600 games only a little more than a week after Boeser did, skating in his 600th on January 29, 2026 against the Anaheim Ducks. Barring any injuries or roster moves, DeBrusk is projected to hit the 700-game mark a day after Boeser, on March 14, when the Canucks take on the Ottawa Senators. 

Jamie Oleksiak Is Only 42 Games Away From 800 

When Oleksiak signed with the Canucks in free-agency, he automatically became one of the team’s longest-tenured NHL players, second only to fellow defenceman Luke Schenn. Heading into the 2026–27 season, he only needs 42 more games to reach the 800-game mark in his career.

Tracing his previous season’s projections, this should be a reasonable goal for Oleksiak to reach, as he’s skated in more than 42 games throughout his past seven seasons in the NHL. Last season, the defenceman played in 78 games for the Kraken. 

The earliest date that Oleksiak can reach the 800-game mark is, ironically enough, against his former team on December 30. 

A Near Full-Season Will See Luke Schenn Hit 1200 NHL Games

The Canuck with the biggest potential milestone on the dockett for the 2026–27 season is none-other than now three-time Canucks defenceman Schenn. Currently at 1122 NHL games played, the defenceman is 78 games away from reaching the 1200-game mark in his career. 139 of his current game total has been spent with Vancouver throughout the two other stints he played in. 

If he plays in all the Canucks’ games from the start of the season to the 78-game mark, Schenn will hit 1200 against the very team that traded him to Vancouver in his first stint with the team, the Ducks. This game is currently scheduled for March 27 in Vancouver. 

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Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site:

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Although we had a general idea of what the San Jose Sharks' roster would look like when they take the ice on Thursday against the Florida Panthers, the organization has officially confirmed their 23-man roster ahead of the compliance deadline. On Monday afternoon, they announced who will remain in the NHL.

Forwards

Macklin Celebrini

Igor Chernyshov

Ty Dellandrea

Barclay Goodrow

Collin Graf

Brett Leason

Mason Marchment

Michael Misa

Zack Ostapchuk

Kiefer Sherwood

Will Smith

Ivar Stenberg

Tyler Toffoli

Alexander Wennberg

Defensemen

Nolan Allan

Luca Cagnoni

Sam Dickinson

Michael Kesselring

Darnell Nurse

Dmitry Orlov

Jacob Trouba

Goaltenders

Yaroslav Askarov

Alex Nedeljkovic

Additional Notes: 

Injured Reserve

Alex Barre-Boulet

Logan Couture

Adam Gaudette

Non-Roster

Patrick Giles

Mattias Havelid

Kyle Keyser

Cam Lund

Quentin Musty

All non-roster players are expected to be reassigned to the San Jose Barracuda after they recover from their current injuries. Adam Gaudette is expected to remain in the NHL, however his role when he returns is still up in the air. Alex Barre-Boulet may get a depth role in the NHL when he returns, but only if there are other injuries at that time. Otherwise, he'll also likely be heading to the American Hockey League.

When Alberts Šmits came to New York for training camp, he knew, in the back of his mind, that he would make the New York Rangers’ opening-night roster.

“Yeah, obviously,” Šmits said of whether he expected to make the team. “That’s why I came here.” 

When the Rangers selected Šmits with the fifth-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, they touted him as the most pro-ready defenseman in the draft class.

Šmits is proving that to be true so far, as he made the Rangers’ opening-night roster out of training camp after an impressive two-week showing and will be in the lineup for New York’s first regular-season game against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night, officially beginning his professional hockey career.

“That’s a step I wanted to take over the last years, and over the summer, and now that I have accomplished making the team, it does not stop there,” Šmits said. “I think it’s just the start of a long journey.”

Despite entering training camp as one of the biggest unknowns, Šmits quickly proved that he can hold his own and thrive against NHL players. 

Mike Sullivan had the 18-year-old defenseman practice with the main NHL group for the entirety of training camp, a clear indication that the organization was serious about giving Šmits a chance to make the team.

Over the past two weeks, Šmits has primarily slotted onto the Blueshirts’ third defensive pairing alongside Braden Schneider.

He ended up playing in three of the four preseason games, including one in which he recorded over 23 minutes of ice time.

The speculation going into training camp was that Šmits would likely start the year in the American Hockey League with the Hartford Wolf Pack, but his play flipped that narrative entirely.

Sullivan was thoroughly impressed with Šmits maturity for a young defensemen, and he quickly realized that the 2026 fifth overall was worthy of making the Rangers’ opening-night roster.

“He’s made the team, he’s made the opening roster because he’s deserving,” Sullivan said of Šmits. “We feel based on where he’s at, we don’t think he’s overwhelmed. We think he belongs. The reason we think he belongs is through his play. 

“The size and strength of him as a player at this point, the path that he’s taken to get here and playing the game against men, for all of those reasons, we think he’s deserving of being here… He played extremely well throughout the course of training camp, played well in the exhibition games. We think he’s deserving.”

The Rangers plan to carry eight defensemen to kick off the 2026-27 season, with Matthew Robertson and Scott Morrow serving as extras. 

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues officially introduced their 2026-27 opening night roster, submitting their 23-man unit by Monday's 4 p.m. (CT) deadline.

With defensemen Logan Mailloux (hand) and Tyler Tucker (knee) on injured-reserve, defenseman Adam Jiricek (first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft) and Justin Barron (claimed off waivers from the Nashville Predators on Sunday) have made the opening night roster.

Also as expected, Zach Dean and Dillon Dube are the 13th and 14th forwards on the roster.

The Blues will begin the season with three-game road trip against their division rivals, including the Dallas Stars (Friday), the Colorado Avalanche (Saturday), and the Chicago Blackhawks (Oct. 6) before returning for the home opener Oct. 8 against the San Jose Sharks. 

Friday night’s game in Dallas will be televised on TNT and broadcast on 101 ESPN on the radio while the final two games of the trip will be simulcast on Blue Note+ and 101 ESPN.  Fans can visit the “Where to Watch” page on the Blues’ website for additional information on all broadcasts throughout the season.

Prior to the home opener, the Blues will hold an opening night rally as part of Dobbs Face-Off Week from 3-5:30 p.m. at Union Station. The rally will be free and open to Blues fans of all ages with or without a ticket to the game. The celebration will conclude with a fan march, led by the Saint Boogie Brass Band, down Clark Avenue to Enterprise Center for pregame warmups and the unveiling of the new pregame show and the 2026-27 roster.

Disappointment Of Being Sent Down Quickly Turned To Elation For St. Louis Blues 2024 First-Round Pick Adam JiricekDefenseman was quickly recalled from Springfield following injuries to Mailloux, Tucker; could make NHL debut in season=opener on FridayLogan Mailloux's Injury Comes At A Tough Time After Strong Training Camp For St. Louis BluesDefenseman had surgery on right hand Sunday, will be re-evaluated in eight weeksRosen, Romanov clear waivers, are assigned to AHLDefenseman, goalie head to Springfield after clearing waivers on Monday afternoon

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The Buffalo Sabres will not only be wearing their traditional blue and gold home jerseys on home ice this season, but will also be wearing two alternate uniforms for 17 of their 42 games at Key Bank Center and one game on the road. The club indicated last week that the club will wear their black, white, and red “goat’s head” jersey in 10 games, and their new alternate Hometown Remix jersey in eight games. 

The games that the Sabres will wear the black-and-red:

October 10 vs. Utah

November 8 vs. Vegas

November 27 vs. Pittsburgh

December 26 vs. New Jersey

January 14 vs. Colorado

January 21 vs. Seattle

February 18 vs. Carolina

March 15 vs. San Jose

March 25 vs. Toronto

April 10 vs. Detroit

Other Sabres Stories

Mrtka Looking To Take The Next Step Towards The NHL 

The Hometown Remix jersey, is a special edition uniform being produced by Fanatics, has not been revealed at this point.  The eight games that the Sabres will be wearing the yet-to-be-disclosed jerseys are:

November 4 vs. Ottawa

November 25 vs. New York

December 18 vs. Montreal

December 28 vs. Detroit

January 16 vs. Nashville

January 20 at New York

February 26 vs. Ottawa

March 4 vs. St. Louis

The first domino fell in the trade market on Monday, as the Toronto Maple Leafs dealt winger Matthew Knies in a six-player deal to acquire winger Kirill Marchenko. The situation in Winnipeg with goalie Connor Hellebuyck is far from being resolved, as he has refused to report. The Jets claimed goalie Clay Stevenson off of waivers from the Washington Capitals to back up starter Stuart Skinner. 

ESPN’s Steve Levy believes that the Sabres should trade for the Vezina and Hart Trophy winner. 

“I think you want a clear cut #1, for the obvious reason, that a) they are better at stopping pucks, but the other part is that it calms everything else down.” Levy said to WKBW’s Matthew Bove. “It takes the pressure off the coach, who am I going with tonight…what rotation….it takes pressure off the defensemen…they are not worried about every mistake…..I’ve got an ace back there…. (and) pressure off the forwards, we don’t have to score four or five every night, we can win 2-1 or 3-2 if we have to.” 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo 

Just ahead of the NHL's 5 pm deadline, the Ottawa Senators announced on Monday they have reduced their roster to the final 23 players.

Not many people had Cam Crotty, Hoyt Stanley, and Hayden Hodgson on the Sens NHL roster to begin the season... but here we are.

Crotty and Stanley are likely still here because Artem Zub is now on the injured list, while Jake Sanderson is still not feeling right. Sanderson watched practice up in the stands on Monday morning. Along with Crotty and Stanley, the other six defenseman are Thomas Chabot, Tyler Kleven, Nik Matinpalo, Jordan Spence, and Carter Yakemchuk.

Ben Hutton has been released from his PTO, while Jorian Donovan has been loaned to Belleville.

Speaking of the B-Sens, everyone cleared waivers today. So Samuel Blais, Philip Tomasino, Samuel Bolduc, Tyler Boucher, Xavier Bourgault, Philippe Daoust, Ryan Suzuki and Christian Kyrou have also been loaned to Belleville.

Winger Blake Montgomery was still on the roster after Sunday's cuts, but was not mentioned in today's announcement, so it's fair to assume he's Belleville-bound as well.

Up front, Warren Foegele and Kurtis MacDermid are on the injured list for now. Foegele was skating again on Monday morning, taking line rushes on the top line. But neither player counts to the final roster right now. They'll go with 13 forwards beyond them, including Hayden Hodgson who gets an extended look.

That's a good sign that Burakovsky doesn't appear on the injured list. He took an awkward crosscheck in the back against Montreal on Saturday. His status to this point has not been updated by the team.

Ridly Greig will miss the first two games of the season due to a suspension from last spring.

So, here's your 2026-27 Senators roster of 23:

Two goaltenders, 2025-26 team(s):

Samuel Ersson (Philadelphia – NHL)
Linus Ullmark (Ottawa – NHL)

Eight defencemen, 2025-26 team(s):

Thomas Chabot (Ottawa – NHL)
Cameron Crotty (Belleville – AHL, Ottawa – NHL)
Tyler Kleven (Ottawa – NHL)
Nikolas Matinpalo (Ottawa – NHL)
Jake Sanderson (Ottawa – NHL)
Jordan Spence (Ottawa – NHL)
Hoyt Stanley (Cornell – ECAC, Belleville – AHL)
Carter Yakemchuk (Belleville – AHL, Ottawa – NHL)

Thirteen forwards, 2025-26 team(s):

Michael Amadio (Ottawa - NHL)
Drake Batherson (Ottawa - NHL)
Andre Burakovsky (Chicago – NHL)
Nick Cousins (Ottawa – NHL)
Dylan Cozens (Ottawa – NHL)
William Eklund (San Jose – NHL)
Claude Giroux (Ottawa – NHL)
Ridly Greig (Ottawa – NHL)
Stephen Halliday (Belleville – AHL, Ottawa – NHL)
Hayden Hodgson (Belleville – AHL, Ottawa – NHL)
Shane Pinto (Ottawa – NHL),
Tim Stützle (Ottawa – NHL)
Fabian Zetterlund (Ottawa – NHL)

Injured list:

Artem Zub (Ottawa – NHL)
Warren Foegele (Los Angeles – NHL, Ottawa – NHL)
Kurtis MacDermid (Ottawa – NHL)

Gentlemen, start your engines.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was published first at The Hockey News Ottawa Senators site. For more from THN, click on one of the latest headlines below:

- Senators’ Sunday Roster Crunch Complicated By Injuries
- Senators Split Two Games With Montreal, Face More Injury Trouble 
- Sens Prospect Faces Lengthy Recovery After Preseason Shoulder Injury
- Senators Acquire New Goalie From Tampa Bay Lightning On Friday
- Ottawa Bids Farewell To Leevi Merilainen, Claimed By Canucks

Kirill Marchenko trade rumors had swirled since the draft, and it came to fruition when the Columbus Blue Jackets dealt him to the Toronto Maple Leafs right before the NHL roster submission deadline on Monday, Sept. 28.

The Blue Jackets get back forwards Matthew Knies and Steven Lorentz, defenseman Emil Andrae and a second-round pick for Marchenko, 26, who scored 31 goals two seasons ago and had 27 goals last season. Forward Miles Wood and injured goalie Elvis Merzlikins also head to Toronto in the tarde.

Toronto agreed to terms with Marchenko on a six-year, $75 million extension with a cap hit of $12.5 million starting in 2027-28, agent Dan Milstein posted on social media.

Here are trade grades for the Columbus Blue Jackets-Toronto Maple Leafs deal involving Kirill Marchenko:

Kirill Marchenko trade details

According to multiple reports, the Columbus Blue Jackets traded forwards Kirill Marchenko and Miles Wood, plus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, to the Toronto Maple Leafs for forwards Matthew Knies and Steven Lorenz, defenseman Emil Andrae and a second-round pick. Columbus retains 18 percent of Merzlikins' contract.

Kirill Marchenko trade grades

Columbus Blue Jackets - B+

This is a solid return for Marchenko, considering he reportedly did not want to re-sign with Columbus when his contract expires in July. Knies is three years younger than Marchenko and is a 6-foot-3 power forward. He totaled 52 goals over the past two seasons and could benefit from a change of scenery. He's signed through 2030-31 at a reasonable $7.75 million cap hit. Dealing Wood and Merzlikins helps the Blue Jackets get under the salary cap after re-signing Adam Fantilli.

Toronto Maple Leafs - B+

Marchenko was the Blue Jackets' leading goal scorer and could put up even bigger numbers playing in the Maple Leafs' top six. Wood has plenty of speed, though he's coming off a disappointing 14-point season. Andrae, acquired by Toronto this offseason, was available because the Maple Leafs signed Nick Blankenburg this week. New GM John Chayka has been busy reshaping the Leafs after their nine-season playoff streak ended.

Elsewhere in the NHL

• The Winnipeg Jets claimed goalie Clay Stevenson off waivers from the Washington Capitals. Winnipeg gets goalie depth with Connor Hellebuyck still not reporting amid a trade request.
• The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forwards Justin Brazeau, Ben Kindel, Blake Lizotte and Bryan Rust and defenseman Ryan Graves on injured reserve.
• St. Louis Blues defenseman Logan Mailloux, injured in a fight, had surgery on his hand and will be re-evaluated in eight weeks.
• Defenseman Alberts Smits, the No. 5 overall pick in 2026, made the New York Rangers' opening roster. He played for Latvia in the Olympics, world championships and world junior championships.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kirill Marchenko trade grades: Who won Blue Jackets-Maple Leafs deal?

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Adam Jiricek took the news as well as could be under the circumstances.

Of course, the first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues was disappointed when told he was being assigned to Springfield of the American Hockey League following a 1-0 preseason win over the Chicago Blackhawks last Thursday, but the defenseman understood.

“After the interview I had after (Thursday's preseason game), I got the call to go up and speak to the management in 10 minutes and they told me, and you have to accept it,” Jiricek said. “I did my best, but it didn't happen. So I went down and I was ready to work there and wait for my chance again and it came pretty quick. I'm happy for that and very excited.”

The 20-year-old didn’t have to wait long.

He barely got settled in Springfield, where the right shot D-man was to get tons of playing time and a plethora of minutes.

“I got there Friday night,” Jiricek said. “I was there Saturday, just like morning skate, and on Sunday I went with (Juraj) Pekarcik to move their stuff from storage to the house and I was about to buy my bed and furniture. But I got the call that I'm going up, so we turned around and I didn't buy anything. I went to pack my stuff and I put my hockey bag in the moving truck and he just drive me in this truck to the airport and they went to move into the house.

“If (the Blues) would have called me an hour later, I would have bought the bed and moved everything. I was lucky I got the call before and didn't buy anything. I just used the truck to move my stuff to the airport and he dropped me there and he went to his new house there. Juraj Pekarcik and Jakub Stancl, they're going to live together and I was supposed to live with them. But I went with Pekarcik, so he dropped me off there, and I appreciate that he did that for me. Change of plans pretty quick.”

“I left Sunday at 5 p.m. and I got here (in St. Louis) like at 9. I spent the day at the airport with one flight connecting. It was pretty quick.”

Jiricek had such a good training camp, even Blues coach Jim Montgomery lauded his play after last Thursday’s preseason win. But at that time, the Blues had one setback to deal with, Tyler Tucker’s right knee injury, and felt they had the seventh defenseman covered with 32-year-old Calle Rosen in the fold.

But when Logan Mailloux injured his right hand in a fight Saturday during a 3-2 preseason loss in Chicago, that the Blues confirmed on Monday that will sideline him for at least eight weeks, things changed drastically, and Jiricek has been summoned to go into the fire.

“I feel like I didn't realize everything right away because it was so fast and I couldn't process all the thinking,” Jiricek said. “It's hard to see what is happening. I just get there, I was there one night, and I'm going back. It was pretty quick and I don't have time to think about it, so I'm just excited. I'm moving my thinking to play here.”

Montgomery called it, “Very deserving. I believe mentally, he thinks he shouldn’t have been sent down, but you like that, that’s what you want.”

Now the question becomes: what do the Blues do with Jiricek?

Well, they didn’t bring him up to the NHL to sit, so you have to assume he will play, but will he play alongside Philip Broberg in Mailloux’s place? It’s a 50/50 shot, because Montgomery said he will not make the mistake of playing two young d-men together. That means Jiricek will not play with Theo Lindstein and get either Broberg or Cam Fowler.

“I hope not, but if the game calls for it to make adjustments … for instance, (Broberg) playing with Jiricek, you can think it’s great chemistry right now,” Montgomery said. “In my mind I can think it, but I’m going to look out there and see like there isn’t. Now maybe Fowler goes with Jiricek. But he’s definitely going to play with a veteran. I’m not going to have Jiricek and Lindstein out there together. It’s just not fair to them.”

“We haven’t made complete, finished plans yet. I have no problem sliding him in there (with Broberg), but if he slides in there, they’re not going to play the No. 1 offensive line, they’ll play in the two-hole. The good thing is we have so much depth on our D-core. (Brandon) Carlo and (Colton) Parayko have played in line matchups against top pairings their entire careers, Broberg has, so had 17 (Fowler). We have four D-men that have done that at the NHL at a high level.”

Blues general manager Alex Steen realizes that with Jiricek, this is a long-haul project, but that doesn’t preclude things from happening perhaps sooner than they expected.

“Yeah, we were looking at everything,” Steen said. “With Adam we're in it for the marathon, so we wanted to make sure that we were putting him in the best position to succeed. That's still the goal, (but) obviously things change in the game very quickly. We try to re-adjust and still be able to give him that opportunity to be in positions to succeed consistently. Yeah we feel strongly about Adam. He's had a great camp. I'd say great over his last 18 months, he's taken a lot of steps, so it's an exciting time for him.”

But Montgomery doesn’t to put any expectations on Jiricek … not yet anyway.

“I don’t want to put any labels on him because of the undue pressure, but I think the ceiling is very high and I hope to see it as soon as possible,” Montgomery said. “He has shown the ability to adapt his game and easily make changes that are going to make him harder to play against offensively and defensively. I don’t see any … live with mistakes, yeah I want to live with aggressive mistakes, and the way he thinks, the way he plays the game, he’s going to make mistakes being aggressive, and we can teach him. You’d rather teach a tiger with stripes on already than someone that doesn’t have any stripes and have that mindset.”

It appears, unless the Blues insert Justin Barron, who was claimed off waivers from the Nashville Predators on Sunday, into the opening night lineup, that Jiricek will get his chance to make his NHL debut in the season-opener against the Dallas Stars on Friday, and he will get special teams work right away.

“He’s going to play power play,” Montgomery said. “He’s special offensively, and we’re going to put him in situations to succeed. It’s up to him to grab it and take it.

“The levels that he’s played at so far, he can get away with holding onto pucks and moving pucks, skating with pucks longer. When you’re in the NHL on the power play, the puck should move faster than any player, it always has, and he’s got to learn to learn to get to the middle of the ice and be a little more stationary and let his puck skills and deception with the puck … instead of moving all over the place at the blue line, he should move it and get to the middle and make the power play go from the middle of the ice. That’s something that people have to learn.”

If Jiricek gets to make his debut Friday, he welcomes it with open arms, and after the training camp he had, the confidence should be pretty steady.

“It's exciting,” Jiricek said. “I didn't play in the NHL yet, so it's a dream. It's still a couple of days until the game. I think it's going to hit me like harder when I'm going to see that I'm in the lineup.

“… I was trying to play my best hockey (in camp) and I think I did pretty good. I showed myself and I want to keep building on that and continue what I'm supposed to do. I feel like I can play here and I can make the team better and that's what I'm going to try to do.”

Logan Mailloux's Injury Comes At A Tough Time After Strong Training Camp For St. Louis BluesDefenseman had surgery on right hand Sunday, will be re-evaluated in eight weeksRosen, Romanov clear waivers, are assigned to AHLDefenseman, goalie head to Springfield after clearing waivers on Monday afternoonBlues Claim Justin Barron Off Waivers; Adam Jiricek Recalled From SpringfieldDefenseman spent past two seasons with Nashville Predators, has one year remaining with a cap hit of $1.575 million; Calle Rosen, Georgii Romanov placed on waivers

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When discussing the state of the Pittsburgh Penguins and both the immediate and far-out picture of where the team is at, general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas has always remained a bit coy. 

But, that was not the case during his season-opening press conference on Monday. 

After opening night rosters were released and Dubas offered injury updates for players, on several occasions - including in his opening statement - he reiterated that the goal for this season and beyond remains to close the gap between his team and the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes as well as to distinguish the Penguins from other teams trying to do the same thing within the Metropolitan Division.

Dubas and the Penguins have no plans to regress this season and in a general sense, and that much was made clear during his presser when he said they want to "preserve where we're at" while making progress toward separating themselves from the mid-tier teams in the league.

The big question, though, is how they're going to execute getting there. He said that the core-level veteran players the Penguins have cannot keep carrying the load if they expect to become sustainable, legitimate contenders, and they need youth to begin taking more and more of that mantle while keeping the team competitive in the process.

"This year, it's a very pivotal season for the group in that regard," Dubas said. "Can we continue to add younger players to the group to not only preserve where we're at but push us ahead and remove us from what I would say is the middle ground of the league?"

In a telling presser where he was a bit bolder than usual, he may have pulled back the blinds on the Penguins' plans, even just a little bit. Here are three takeaways from that presser.

Penguins Finalize Opening-Night Roster For 2026-27 SeasonThis is the Pittsburgh Penguins' opening-night roster for the 2027-27 NHL season.

1. The Penguins will remain vigilant in the trade market

As far as how they're going to acquire that much-needed talent to ease the burden of their oldest players to drive the team to contention? A lot of it, Dubas said, is about priming the younger players they have to take the next step, but it's also going to involve staying alert and vigilant regarding the trade market when it comes to Egor Chinakhov and Nick Robertson types. 

However, if the team continues to take steps toward contention this season, and if bigger-name players become available, Dubas won't rule out the Penguins' involvement.

"There's not a younger player in the league that becomes available that we don't investigate, both in terms of the assets that we have - younger players, draft picks - and also, if a team is looking for more veteran players, we have those, too, that can help their clubs," Dubas said. "Where we get into is whether it’s a fit overall between the two teams in terms of the pieces that they’re looking for."

He mentioned that being involved in discussions involving bigger names is tough without the assets to do so, citing the Bowen Byram trade before the draft this summer that involved a fourth overall pick going the other way. But he was adament in saying that the Penguins would be on the phone regardless.

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"Every single player of that nature that becomes available, regardless of their profile, we’ll be involved," Dubas said. "And, as we’ve executed on repeatedly over the last two-plus years, those are the types of players that we’re almost exclusively acquiring via trade. We’ll continue to look at all of those that come up."

In other words, don't rule out the Penguins being "splashier," as their GM would say. But being "splashier" will require both their veterans to keep playing at a high level and their young talent to take pretty substantial steps to bolster value. The Penguins don't have the high-end draft capital that rebuilding teams covet, but they won't hesitate to move out veterans and prospects if it means they're acquiring an impact player who projects well with their future plans.

In the meantime and the short-term, though, expect them to stay quite active in acquiring change-of-scenery and upside-types until bigger talent becomes available and until they have the proper ammunition to pull something bigger off.

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2. It's all about timing for younger players, but the time is fast-approaching

Speaking of younger players, there is still a whole lot of belief in the young players the Penguins have within their organization. Dubas touched on the two main prospect pieces of the Jake Guentzel trade in Ville Koivunen and Harrison Brunicke being on the verge of, hopefully, taking some big strides in their development, and he and the rest of the staff were impressed with goaltender Sergei Murashov's Calder Cup Playoff run at the end of the 2025-26 season enough to make him a shoe-in for an NHL roster spot this year. 

However, even when discussing players like Rutger McGroarty and Owen Pickering, Dubas understands that development isn't linear nor the same for every player. Some players may take a bit longer than others, and some may not reach their potential at all. 

"I would love if all of them came in, had one year in the minors, and made the NHL right away. You’re trying to really thread it between giving a clear opportunity for them to earn but also make it really competitive," Dubas said. "The players always always come through it better when it’s competitive and they have to go out and get it rather than it just being handed [to them].

"There’s always competition between the prospects, as well. I would love every one of them at 22 to be in the NHL full time, and that’s what we aspire to and push for. But we can’t force them in when it’s too early. We just have to keep with our plan." 

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But he also knows where the organization is at and that, at some point, the burden is on players like McGroarty and Pickering - even the 20-year-old Brunicke, who is expected to play a huge role next to Pickering for WBS this season - to keep pushing and shoving through the competition for roster spots until they earn their full-time ticket to the NHL. The Penguins are at a point where they need some of these players to start showing out, even if some aren't in the NHL to start the season.

"What I would love to see happen is for younger guys to work their way up the lineup to beat down the doors in the American League and force us to have to create room for them and they can make a positive impact here," Dubas said. "If we get deep into the year and we're not in that position, or we don't feel we're truly gaining ground on Carolina or truly contending, we'll have to make some more difficult decisions."

Unlike in years past, big things are expected from some young players this season, particularly the five mentioned here. Dubas and the Penguins are relying on them taking steps to show they will help the team win now and in the future. If they don't take those steps, things could get a bit dicey, and some decisions will have to be made.

Former Penguins Forward Announces Retirement After 12 NHL SeasonsThis former Penguins forward has announced his retirement.

3. 'Tough decisions' are on the horizon... and they won't be afraid to push things along.

Of course, the most glaring bit that got folks talking after this press conference was when Dubas was - once again - asked about the potential of Evgeni Malkin's future and whether another extension would be considered.

Shaking his head while the question from King Jemison of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was being asked, he responded curtly and a bit angrily.

“I’m not going to do this day-to-day, year-by-year thing with Geno again this year," Dubas said shortly and simply.

I asked Kyle Dubas if his understanding with Evgeni Malkin when they discussed a contract for this season was that it would be his final year in Pittsburgh.

Dubas gave a blunt answer: "I'm not gonna do this day-to-day, year-by-year thing with Geno again this year."

Full Q+A ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/2wMQpKQUVF

— King Jemison (@king_jemison) September 28, 2026

Personally, I wouldn't read into this as Dubas saying "Geno isn't coming back" rather than him just getting tired of fielding questions about Malkin's future when the response is pretty much always the same. However, it's not difficult to read between the lines a little bit, especially as he gave an extended answer to a similar question offered about Sidney Crosby earlier.

Later on, Dubas did speak on the "reverance" for Crosby, Malkin, and Kris Letang, who are entering their 21st season together and have spent more time with each other on one team than any other trio in North American professional sports history. It's a unique situation, and it puts the team in uncharted territory when it comes to getting younger while also understanding the impact these players have on that young talent that is supposed to shape their future.

But, again, he was up-front about where he believes this team is at and where it needs to go. And he knows that, even with other peripheral core players like Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, and Erik Karlsson, they can't fall short on taking action to get them closer to their goal of closing that gap with Carolina.

"I don't think remaining in that middle ground can get us back into contention in any sort of short order," Dubas said in his opener. "So, that'll take bold decisions and hard decisions."

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And, if push comes to shove, some of those hard decisions are likely to involve roster mainstays and veterans. If Letang is pushed out of playing time by a guy like Brunicke, they're not going to hold Brunicke back on Letang's account. If Malkin takes a step back and is surpassed on the depth chart by Koivunen, McGroarty, Bill Zonnon, or anyone else, they're not going to bring him back next season. If Rakell, Rust, or Karlsson - if the third is willing to waive his no-movement clause - can be packaged to help them land a young talent they covet, they'll do it.  

It seems like Dubas is done beating around the bush and is at a juncture where he won't hesitate on making the necessary but difficult moves to allow the team to get younger and progress closer toward being a sustainable contender.

Progression isn't just an ideal anymore, it's an expectation. And it's one that they're banking on this season.

"At the end of the year, we have to say we're getting closer to our goal where I think the public and you all and sit up there and say, 'They're a lot closer to being a team that can contend or they are a contender now.' It's just definitive," Dubas said. "And that may mean some difficult decisions along the way that are going to have to be made, you know, from my seat, but that's the job.

"That's really what we're aiming for in the year. I don't think we ever go into the year thinking that we're going to regress. We have to take steps toward getting back to, in the end, saying, 'Geez, this team is awfully close to knocking down the door again to being a team that can contend.'"

Stay seated, folks. The team's contention status at the end of this season should have a pretty profound impact on where things go from here.

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The 5 p.m. cutoff for teams around the NHL to submit their opening night rosters has come, and the Minnesota Wild have unveiled theres.

Not featured on the roster are Filip Gustavsson and Brock Faber, both of whom will start the season on the injured reserve. Gustavsson is still recovering from off-season surgery, while Faber picked up an upper-body injury in a pre-season game. 

Taking Gustavsson's roster spot is Calvin Pickard, whom the Wild acquired in the off-season on a one-year, $1 million contract.

Also making the opening-night roster are Charlie Stramel and David Spacek, both of whom competed for roster spots. Stramel beat out several other Wild prospects, while Spacek impressed the Wild coaching staff more than Carson Lambos, who cleared waivers and has joined the Iowa Wild in the AHL.

Besides Stramel and Spacek, there are no real surprises. Kirill Kaprizov and Marcus Foligno will wear the 'A's as alternate captains while Jared Spurgeon wears the 'C' as captain for the seventh season of his NHL career. 

The Wild's NHL roster:

Forwards: Bobby Brink, Matt Boldy, Yakov Trenin, Joel Eriksson Ek, Charlie Stramel, Marcus Foligno, Blake Coleman, Danila Yurov, Ryan Hartman, Michael McCarron, Max Shabanov, Nick Foligno, Nico Sturm, and Kirill Kaprizov.

Defense: Olli Maatta, Zach Bogosian, Jonas Brodin, Quinn Hughes, Jared Spurgeon, Daemon Hunt, and David Spacek.

Goaltenders: Jesper Wallstedt and Calvin Pickard. 

The Wild begin their NHL 2026-27 regular season on Thursday, Oct. 1 against the Nashville Predators on the road.

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A former Buffalo Sabres forward has finally found his home right before the start of the 2026-27 regular-season.

Former Buffalo Sabres forward Tyson Jost has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Nashville Predators for the 2026-27 season.

The Predators announced the news on Monday afternoon. 

Jost attended Nashville's training camp on a professional tryout (PTO) with the hope of landing a contract for the season from the Central Division club. Now, the former Sabres forward has successfully done just that.

Jost appeared in 69 games last season for the Predators, where he recorded eight goals, eight assists, 16 points, and a minus-21 rating. 

Jost spent two seasons with the Sabres from 2022-23 to 2023-24. In 102 games with the Sabres over that span, the 28-year-old forward recorded 10 goals, 18 assists, and 28 points. 

Jost's time with the Sabres ended during the 2024 NHL off-season when he signed a one-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes in free agency. 

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- This wasn’t how the St. Louis Blues envisioned starting the season off, but circumstances force one to alter the hand and the team feels like it’s in a good spot.

With general manager Alexander Steen announcing on Monday morning that defensemen Logan Mailloux and Tyler Tucker will each start off the season on injured reserve – Mailloux will be re-evaluated in eight weeks after having a procedure Sunday on his right hand and Tucker being out week-to-week with a right knee injury that will require a second opinion – the Blues have options that they feel will hopefully make for a seamless transition after recalling Adam Jiricek, a first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, and claiming Justin Barron off waivers from the Nashville Predators.

But nonetheless, Mailloux’s injury, the result of a first-period fight in a 3-2 preseason loss to the Chicago Blackhawks with Cole Smith – comes at a tough time.

“Very good. He’s had a great camp,” Steen said of Mailloux. “That’s the game. These things pop up when things are going good, and it’s not the right timing, but this is part of the game. Logan is in a good head space.

“Everything went well (with the surgery). Now his main goal is to rehab and to get himself as prepared as he was for camp for when he’s able to return and at that time grab an oar and start rowing with the boys again.”

Mailloux was penciled in to begin the season paired with Philip Broberg on the top pair, as they were to end last season when that duo really started to take off.

“I think he looked great,” Broberg said. “He was moving his feet, passing the puck well, shooting it. He was looking very good, so it’s unfortunate. He’s got to work his way back and get back as quick as he can.”

Nonetheless, the Blues feel they will have a hole to fill.

“That’s a pretty significant loss just because he was playing so aggressively, trusting his instincts, taking away time and space, impacting the game at both ends of the ice,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said of Mailloux, who finished last season with 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 67 games.

Mailloux jumped in to confront Smith after the Blackhawks forward clipped Broberg near his knee that resulted initially into a tripping minor before the two scrapped.

“Yeah, I think we've shown a lot of that, not just throughout the preseason but discussions going into the year,” Steen said. “The guys feel like they're growing in those areas and that was obviously a big play by Logan.”

Broberg appreciated his teammate jumping to his defense.

“I jumped out of the way, I saw (Smith) coming,” Broberg said. “He just got a piece of me. It’s hockey. It happens. I appreciate (Mailloux) sticking up for me. Unfortunately, the fight went as it went and just go from there.”

Rosen, Romanov clear waivers, are assigned to AHLDefenseman, goalie head to Springfield after clearing waivers on Monday afternoon

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Senators Injury Concerns Complicate Final Roster DecisionsIn this episode of the Jim Keay Ford Sens Nation Podcast, we discuss the big wave of cuts the Senators made Sunday, and why the Sens appear to be keeping som...

In this episode of the Sens Nation Podcast, The Hockey News Ottawa site editor Steve Warne and  co-hostGregg Kennedy discuss the big wave of cuts the Senators made Sunday. We also get into why the Sens appear to be keeping some extra bodies around because of injury concerns, particularly the ones involving Artem Zub, Jake Sanderson and Andre Burakovsky.

We talk abut the loss of goaltender Leevi Meriläinen, who was claimed off waivers by the Vancouver Canucks on Friday, and the Sens' decision to acquire Jonas Johansson from the Tampa Bay Lightning to fill the vacancy.

That leaves the Senators with an interesting possibility in goal: could all four of the Sens' goaltenders on the Ottawa/Belleville depth chart this season be Swedish?

We also review the Senators' preseason, discuss the NHL's sudden enforcement of the jersey-tucking rule, and look at the San Jose Sharks and Boston Bruins naming new captains.

And with opening night just days away, the big question is: How long until the Senators name their captain?

The St. Louis Blues made an intriguing move by claiming Justin Barron off waivers from the Nashville Predators. 

The move was initially seen as a depth addition, but it has quickly become more important because of the long-term injuries to Logan Mailloux and Tyler Tucker. 

Mailloux will miss at least eight weeks after undergoing hand surgery, while Tucker is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Not only have the Blues lost their seventh defenseman in Tucker, but they've also lost a player expected to play critical minutes in Mailloux.

This has made Barron a more important piece of the Blues roster than originally expected.

In addition to claiming Barron, the Blues recalled top prospect and 2024 first-round pick Adam Jiricek from the AHL's Springfield Thunderbirds. 

While the organization has high hopes for Jiricek and was pleased with his pre-season performances, Barron joins the organization with 208 NHL games, a 6-foot-2 frame, and decent results.

In each of the past two seasons with the Predators, Barron posted Corsi For and expected goals percentages above 50 percent at 5-on-5. The Predators had been outscored with Barron on the ice, but much of that can be attributed to poor goaltending. The Predators posted save percentages of .864 and .904 with Barron on the ice in each of the last two seasons, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.

There are reasons to believe an improved enviroment can help Barron's game, and GM Alexander Steen is in agreement with that notion.

"Our scouts have liked his game when we watched him play," said the rookie GM. "This is a fresh start for him... We brought Adam (Jiricek) up, and we felt organizationally we had depth on our left side. This helps create more depth on our right side." 

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For Barron, he understands what this could mean for his career and is ready to show it.

"I'm here to show these guys what I can do, and hopefully bring an aspect of my game that can help this team win games." 

For now, the 24-year-old will have to wait for his moment, as today's practice lines suggest Jiricek will get the first go in the lineup, skating alongside Cam Fowler on a power-play unit. 

With a long 84-game season, injuries are inevitable, and one of the youngsters, Jiricek or Lindstein, could stumble out of the gate, opening a spot for Barron in the lineup. 

In the meantime, Barron has to keep a next-man-up, stay-ready mindset. 

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A former Pittsburgh Penguins forward is officially hanging up the skates. 

Former Penguins forward Matt Nieto announced through his Instagram account that he has retired from professional hockey. 

Nieto noted that injury trouble is the reason why he has decided to retire from hockey. 

Nieto spent each of his last two NHL seasons with the Penguins in 2023-24 and 2024-25. He was limited to only 54 games over that span for the Metropolitan Division club, where he recorded two goals, seven points, 53 hits, and a minus-3 rating. 

Nieto also played in 15 AHL games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during the 2024-25 season, posting three goals, four assists, seven points, and a plus-2 rating. 

In 705 career NHL games over 12 seasons split between the San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche, and Penguins, Nieto recorded 87 goals, 119 assists, and 206 points. He also posted eight goals and 21 points in 62 career NHL playoff games.

Overall, Nieto had a solid career as a depth forward in the NHL.