On Monday, exciting news dropped ahead of the release of the newest entry in the EA Sports NHL series, with NHL 27 set to arrive in early September.
The new game brings back several fan-favorite elements, including the return of GM Connected franchise mode, along with more detailed, customized arena presentations across all 32 NHL teams, meaning Little Caesars Arena will finally look and feel more like the true home of the Detroit Red Wings.
The bigger headline, though, is that the NHL series is borrowing a concept from other EA Sports franchises like Madden and EA FC. NHL 27 is introducing a 99 Club, reserved for the handful of players considered the very best in the sport, distinguished by a perfect 99 overall rating.
EA announced the first member of that club on Monday with Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who becomes the first player in the history of the NHL video game series to carry a 99 overall.
The news kicked off plenty of speculation, including who might become the first player in Red Wings history to crack the 99 Club. The most obvious candidates are two players expected to be pillars of the franchise for years to come with defenseman Moritz Seider and winger Lucas Raymond.
Both have drawn increasing attention from fans this offseason, with Seider earning wide praise for his continued development and Raymond, still just 24, producing at a near point-per-game pace.
Seider looks like the more obvious pick of the two as he was recently ranked the ninth-best defenseman in the league by NHL Network, and if his trajectory continues, the German blueliner could eventually take over the Red Wings' captaincy and become the face of the franchise, both in Detroit and potentially as the club's first-ever 99 Club member in the game.
Detroit won't be short on honorable mentions down the line, either. Prospects like Emmitt Finnie, Trey Augustine, Nate Danielson, Max Plante and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard could all develop into future candidates as the organization builds around its next wave of talent.
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Despite the New York Rangers’ struggles over the past two seasons, Igor Shesterkin is still widely considered to be one of the premier goaltenders in the NHL.
The only two goaltenders to be ranked ahead of Shesterkin are Andrei Vasilevskiy and Connor Hellebuyck.
The other goaltenders on this list include Ilya Sorokin, Jeremy Swayman, Logan Thompson, Jake Oettinger, Dan Vldar, Jesper Wallstedt, and Jakub Dobeš.
This past season, the 31-year-old goaltender recorded a 25-19-6 record, a .912 save percentage, and a 2.50 goals against average.
“I could play way better, for sure,” Shesterkin said of his 2025-26 performance. “I was a little bit shocked when I checked my numbers. I was a little bit upset about it, but still it was top-four, top-five (in save percentage). I cannot say that’s pretty good, but still.”
During the 2024-25 season, Shesterkin signed an eight-year, $92 million contract extension with the Rangers, making him the highest paid goalie in the NHL, which still stands today.
The Montreal Canadiens have many promising young players. Among them is forward Zachary Bolduc, as the 23-year-old has had a nice start to his NHL career.
Bolduc has shown promise early on during his NHL career. During the 2024-25 season with the St. Louis Blues, he recorded 19 goals, 17 assists, and 36 points in 72 games. He followed that up by posting 12 goals and 30 points in 78 games during his first season with Montreal in 2025-26.Â
Overall, in his first two full NHL seasons, Bolduc has shown that he can provide solid secondary offensive production and grit. Yet, it would not be surprising if he takes another step forward this campaign.
Bolduc has the tools to emerge as a top-six winger, and the Canadiens have a spot to fight for on their second line. With that, it would be huge if the 2021 first-round pick sees an increase in offensive production this campaign.
It is going to be very interesting to see what kind of season Bolduc can have for the Habs in 2026-27. There is a lot to like about his game, and it would be great for Montreal if he breaks out and becomes a true top-six forward.Â
With how controversial their drafting has been, and with how little they have added externally this offseason, the Philadelphia Flyers are relying almost solely on internal development to take the next step in their rebuild.
That, in turn, places a lot of pressure on the young players the Flyers already have. Matvei Michkov, for example, is heading into a contract year, and expectations for Tyson Foerster will be greater after signing an eight-year contract extension earlier this offseason that will carry a $7.1 million cap hit once it kicks in.
Elsewhere in the system, though, the Flyers will hope for (and need) development from their less-established prospects.
Recent trade acquisition David Jiricek is now playing for this third organization since being drafted by Columbus in 2022, and while he is the favorite to secure an NHL job with the Flyers this season, that could change with even a minor slip-up in preseason or training camp.
Kareem Elshafey of EliteProspects put together his list of 10 former first-round picks who are under the most pressure to perform next season, and Jiricek made the cut as the only defenseman of the group.
"There’s a reason why he was drafted so high – he’s a right-handed defender with size, offensive ability, and can defend in tight spaces well. However, the shortfalls in his game have been such a hindrance that it has caused those features to become irrelevant for the most part. His much-discussed skating deficiencies aren’t exaggerated and are the source of lots of issues Jiricek has," Elshafey said of Jiricek.
"In space, he’s vulnerable to getting beat by opposing skaters because of the concerns regarding his acceleration, lateral quickness, and transitions in and out of pivots. It shrinks the margin of error dramatically, as one wrong step or decision isn’t something he can easily recover from. Similarly, his defensive sense and decision-making have only compounded the problems in his own zone."
Now, Elshafey did note that Jiricek, despite being only 22 years old, can't keep bouncing around teams hoping for an opportunity based on his talent forever, but the Flyers have done well with this kind of thing before.
Ryan Poehling was a directionless former first-round pick before becoming a legitimately good bottom-six center in Philadelphia, and the Flyers were able to flip him and a draft pick for Trevor Zegras, who scored a career-high 67 points last season after becoming an outcast in Anaheim.
Jamie Drysdale was hurtling towards bust territory even after the Flyers traded for him, but steady, large gains year over year have made him one of the better two-way defenders in the NHL.
Sean Walker was a throw-in in the Ivan Provorov trade, but the Flyers turned him into a machine before eventually flipping him for a first-round pick at the 2024 NHL trade deadline.
Dan Vladar was an unproven, injury=prone backup before last year, and now he is considered a top-10 goalie in the NHL by national media. Travis Sanheim would be a St. Louis Blue if it weren't for Torey Krug. The list goes on.
Another Flyer on Elshafey's list is center prospect Jett Luchanko, who finds his way here under very different circumstances.
The 2024 first-round pick was widely considered a reach when he was drafted 13th overall two years ago due to his perceived lack of offensive ability and the availability of other options, namely Konsta Helenius and Zeev Buium, on the draft board.
Luchanko is likely to be a full-time NHLer at some point, but the arrow is pointing more towards bottom-six forward than top-six forward, and the young speedster is running out of time to show that this trend will shift.
"There are flashes of playmaking, and to a much lesser extent goal-scoring, but those plays are largely built on his skating, meaning there’s not a whole bunch of variety in how he creates plays or space. Though Luchanko made the Flyers roster out of camp just a few months after being selected, it was clear that he wasn’t quite ready for that. The same thing happened the following season, and since then, he’s been just fine in the OHL and in a depth role at the World Juniors," Elshafey said of Luchanko.
"It would be a surprise if Luchanko didn’t become an everyday NHLer in some role due to his skating and never-ending motor, but whether he can produce enough offence to become a top-six forward is an entirely different question. Realizing that upside hinges on how much he can expand his offensive arsenal, and he’ll have to take steps in that direction this season."
The Flyers do not expect to have Luchanko back in the NHL again unless, or until, he proves that he is one of their 12 best forwards. Meaning, he isn't going to stick on the roster as an extra who will rotate in on occasion.
The 19-year-old is turning pro this season and is more than likely going to spend the year with the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
In 2025, Luchanko managed three assists in nine regular season games with the Phantoms, then added six assists in seven Calder Cup playoff games.
But, between those 16 AHL games, eight NHL regular season games, and an NHL playoff game, Luchanko has yet to score a goal, and that is the de facto biggest weakness in his game right now.
If he couldn't do it against players his age or younger at the junior level, it's unlikely Luchanko will flip a switch and do it against bigger, stronger, better, and more experienced players in the NHL, but time will have the final say.
Both Jiricek and Luchanko have clear paths to making a massive impact for the Flyers in the long run, but what happens next will ultimately be decided by them.
Heading into the 2026-27 San Jose Sharks season, a number of players will be chasing various milestones. Some of those milestones will be major, career-defining ones, while others will mark an important stepping stone for future accomplishments.Â
The first player we're going to spotlight for a potential milestone is veteran forward Tyler Toffoli. Toffoli, 34, has been around the NHL for a decade and a half at this stage, and he's nearing a milestone that not many players are able to hit. Assuming he stays healthy and in the lineup on a nightly basis, he should play his 1,000th career NHL game in the Sharks' 31st game of the season against the New York Rangers on December 3.
A second round pick of the Los Angeles Kings during the 2010 NHL Draft, Toffoli spent the formative years of his career with the Sharks' rival. He spent eight seasons, and 515 games, representing Los Angeles to start his career before he became somewhat of a journeyman. He's gone on to play 119 games for the Calgary Flames, 89 for the Montreal Canadiens, 61 for the New Jersey Devils, 18 for the Winnipeg Jets, 10 for the Vancouver Canucks, and he's currently at 157 games with the Sharks.Â
So far, there have been just 421 players in NHL history to record 1,000 career games played. A few active NHLers, namely Ian Cole of the Chicago Blackhawks, Taylor Hall of the Carolina Hurricanes, and unrestricted free agent Reilly Smith, have the possibility of hitting the 1,000 game threshold before Toffoli does though, as they're very close to the milestone themselves.
Toffoli's role with the Sharks heading into the season is a bit up in the air. Although he'll likely be taking a bottom-six spot this time around, he should have no issues being in the lineup enough to play his 1,000th career game.
The Calgary Flames enter the 2026-27 season with plenty of uncertainty, but also plenty of opportunity. This is a young team still searching for its identity, with several players facing important seasons as the organization continues to build toward the future.
There are no shortage of storylines heading into training camp. Some are obvious, while others could ultimately shape the direction of the season. From a veteran looking to get back to his best, to young players trying to establish themselves as part of the Flames’ long-term plans, these are three questions to watch closely as the season gets underway.
Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Can Jonathan Huberdeau Find His Game Again?
For the Calgary Flames, few questions carry more weight heading into the season than Jonathan Huberdeau.
The 33-year-old is coming off a frustrating 2025-26 campaign that was limited to just 50 games. He began the season dealing with the effects of a concussion suffered in a preseason collision before eventually returning to the lineup. Huberdeau finished the year with 25 points (10g, 15a), but managed four points (2g, 2a) over his final five games before the Flames shut him down for season-ending hip resurfacing surgery.
It was another difficult chapter for a player whose Calgary tenure has been a far cry from the 115-point season he put together with the Florida Panthers in 2021-22.
Over his four seasons with the Flames, Huberdeau has averaged 48.5 points and 72.75 games per season. Calgary needs more from him offensively, but his impact won’t be measured solely by points.
The 24th overall pick from the 2020 NHL Draft finished last season with 12 goals and 25 points in 74 games. The production wasn’t what the Flames would have hoped for, but his usage is an important part of the story. Zary spent much of the season in a checking, fourth-line role rather than playing the top-six minutes he’s capable of handling.
Whether Zary remains in Calgary or ultimately becomes part of a trade, there is still plenty of offensive upside there. A strong training camp, a little more confidence and a bigger opportunity could give him the chance to show what he can really bring.
For a young Flames team looking for internal growth, Zary becoming a legitimate offensive contributor would be a significant development.
What’s the Next Step for Zayne Parekh?
There was plenty to like about Zayne Parekh’s rookie season, but there was also an obvious area that needed work.
The 20-year-old, selected ninth overall in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, occasionally looked physically overwhelmed against the pace and strength of NHL competition. That’s not necessarily surprising for a young defenceman, but it will be one of the biggest areas to watch as he enters his second season.
Parekh needs to find the balance between the offensive instincts that made him a ninth-overall pick and the physical strength and defensive reliability required to become a dependable NHL defenceman.
A full summer of professional-level training should help. If Parekh can make that adjustment, the Flames could have another important piece of their young core ready to take a significant step forward.
The 2026-27 season provides an intriguing opportunity for the Vancouver Canucks. Starting this year, teams can assign one 19-year-old CHL player to the AHL instead of having to send that prospect back to junior. This means that top prospects can be shuttled between the NHL and AHL all season, rather than being stuck in the CHL after being sent down until their campaign comes to a close.
According to two sources, including PuckPedia, a player is only eligible for the new rule if they turn 19 before the season starts. Depending on the exact wording, this could mean before September 16, when the new CBA takes effect, or September 29, when the regular season begins. It also looks like the rule will be limited to first-rounders only, but that detail hasn't been confirmed yet.
For the Canucks, only one player meets the criteria this year. That player is Braeden Cootes, who turned 19 on February 9. Cootes spent last season in the WHL, where he recorded 63 points in 45 games and helped lead the Prince Albert Raiders to the WHL Final.
As for Adam NovotnĂ˝, he is ineligible for this exemption for the 2026-27 campaign. While the 2026 first-rounder will turn 19 before the end of 2026, his birthday is November 13, meaning he misses the cut. NovotnĂ˝ will return to the OHL and be a candidate for the 2027-28 season if the rule stays the same.
Overall, it will be interesting to see how Vancouver utilizes this exemption. As mentioned, if the Canucks do use the exemption on Cootes, the 2025 first-rounder could be shuttled between Vancouver and Abbotsford in order to get experience at both levels. Ultimately, the new exemption is a smart move by the NHL as it allows younger players more opportunities to get NHL games as 19-year-olds.
Oct 13, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Braeden Cootes (80) skates against the St. Louis Blues in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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As the anticipation for the 2026-27 NHL season grows, TheHockeyNews.com will be taking a look at the top 10 prospects in the St. Louis Blues' system, starting with some honorable mentions for players who just missed the cut.
The players in this ranking do not have extensive NHL experience and are all 23 and under. Therefore, players like Jimmy Snuggerud, Dalibor Dvorsky, and Logan Mailloux, among others, won't feature in this ranking for those reasons.
The order of these rankings reflects a mix of their ceilings and potential, as well as how they've performed over the past year with their respective clubs.
The five honorable mentions include Love Harenstam, Marcus Gidlof, Juraj Pekarcik, Zach Dean, and Lukas Fischer.
Love Harenstam, G
Harenstam emerged last season as a potential steal for the Blues, who selected the 19-year-old in the sixth round of the 2025 NHL draft.
Acquired in the trade that sent Brayden Schenn to the New York Islanders, Gidlof is a 6-foot-6 Swedish netminder. The 20-year-old wasn't great in his second professional season in the SHL, but with his tools and young age, Gidlof has plenty of room for growth.
Gidlof's Swedish club was relegated to the HockeyAllsvenskan, which should help Gidlof find his confidence against weaker competition.
Gidlof and Harenstam stand as the two most exciting goaltending prospects in the Blues pool.
Lukas Fischer, D
Fischer will join the Springfield Thunderbirds for his rookie season this year after another positive OHL campaign.
Fischer's goals and point totals will never stand out, but at 6-foot-3, Fischer is a lockdown defender who loves to throw his weight around. He's a solid enough puck-mover and skates well for his size, but his defensive acumen is where he receives his praise.
There's plenty for him to tidy up or improve on within his game, but the 19-year-old possesses traits that could land him on the third pairing of an NHL roster.
Pekarcik has the 6-foot-2 frame and skill to be an effective scorer, and he showed some flashes in his rookie season in the AHL.
Following a QMJHL campaign in which he posted 24 goals and 67 points in 53 games, Pekarcik has continued to emerge as a potential middle-six winger in the NHL.
The 20-year-old Slovakian winger is a constant threat with the puck on his stick, and improvements on his 11-goal, 35-point rookie season will go a long way in earning himself an eventual call-up to the NHL within the next couple of seasons.
Zach Dean, C
It was a challenging 2025-26 season for Dean, who began the season in the NHLPA's Player Assistance Program. Upon returning, Dean scored four goals and 14 points in 36 games. While those numbers aren't much to write home about, especially for a former first-round pick, it was the slight improvement the Blues needed to see.
If Dean is unable to stand out with the Thunderbirds and earn a call-up to the NHL, it could spell the end of his Blues tenure, which would feel like a major disappointment considering he was the piece the Blues acquired in the Ivan Barbashev trade.
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Buffalo Sabres prospect Stiven Sardarian did not sign with the club prior to the August 15th deadline, but was not an unrestricted free agent because he did not file paperwork with NHL Central Registry. On Monday, the Sabres traded Sardarian’s rights to the Carolina Hurricanes for future considerations.Â
The 23-year-old Russian winger played in the USHL after being selected 88th overall and two years at the University of New Hampshire before using the NCAA transfer portal to go to Michigan Tech, where he led the club with 35 points (11 goals, 24 assists) in 35 games as a junior and 44 points (12 goals, 32 assists) in 37 games as a senior.
Who had the best and worst offseason in the Atlantic Division?
According to a press release from the Hurricanes, Sardarian has been assigned to the Chicago Wolves, their AHL franchise, which would indicate that he will be signed to an AHL deal, which would not take up an NHL contract slot.
The Sabres have a history of passing on players that in the end turned out to be NHLers. All-Star and Canadian Olympian Brandon Hagel was a 2016 sixth round pick who was not signed within two years of being drafted, signed with Chicago in 2019, was traded to Tampa Bay in 2022 and has scored 30+ goals in three of the last four seasons.Â
Another example is 2021 fifth-rounder Viljami Marjala, whom the Sabres passed on signing to an NHL deal and who signed as a free agent with Edmonton in June 2025. The Finnish winger scored 60 points (17 goals, 43 assists) in his first season in North America for AHL Bakersfield.
It is unknown how good Sardarian will be, but clearly the Hurricanes saw something in him that the Sabres did not.Â
Seeing Wallstedt be named a top-10 goalie in the NHL is entirely understandable. He took a major step in the right direction this past season with the Wild and was certainly a reason for their success.
In 35 games this past season, Wallstedt posted an 18-9-6 record, a 2.61 goals-against average, and a .916 save percentage. He also appeared in 10 playoff games for the Wild this past spring, recording a .909 save percentage and a 2.77 goals-against average.
When noting that this was Wallstedt's first full season in the NHL, there is no question that he had an impressive year. Now, he will be looking to build off it during the 2026-27 season with the Wild from here.
With Wallstedt being only 23 years old, he still very much has the potential to break out even further for the Wild. It will be intriguing to see if he can do just that from here.
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The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, and the organization’s developmental model has begun to yield results, with 2023 first rounder Zach Benson making an impact in the playoffs, and 2024 top pick Konsta Helenius appearing as one of the AHL’s top prospects the last two seasons.
Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. These players are all 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 82 NHL games.
22. Vasili Zelenov – Right Wing (Wisconsin - NCAA)
Zelenov was the first of the Sabres two seventh-round picks at the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas. The Moscow-born winger played at various lower-level youth leagues in Austria since 2021 and posted an impressive 37 points (14 goals, 23 assists) in 40 games for the Salzburg RB Hockey Juniors in his draft year.
Who had the best and worst offseason in the Atlantic Division?
The 6’0”, 181 lb. winger was selected by the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers in their Phase II draft in May while Rochester Americans head coach Michael Leone was their GM and instead of staying in Austria, he headed to North America to play for the Gamblers to pursue a US college track. In 54 USHL games, he scored 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists).
Last season, as a freshman at the University of Wisconsin, Zelenov had 19 points (6 goals, 13 assists) in 28 games. He is a teammate of 2024 fourth-round pick Luke Osburn, who played for Team USA at the World Junior Championships last December.
The Hockey News ranked each NHL team ahead of the 2026-27 season, with the Seattle Kraken ranking 29th out of 32 teams. ​
The bottom line, Adam Proteau writes, is “The Kraken are the epitome of a mushy middle team. They haven't been good enough to make the playoffs, but haven't been bad enough to acquire generational talent through the draft. ​There have been a handful of bright moments for the Kraken, but they are proving that progress isn’t linear. Until some elite players enter the organization, it's difficult to imagine they can be expected to contend with the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights near the top of the Pacific Division.”​
The Kraken remain the newest team in the NHL, having joined the league in 2021. ​The team has struggled in its first five seasons, failing to make the playoffs in four of those seasons. ​In 2022-23, the team saw the most success, finishing the year with 100 points and a record of 46-28-8.
They placed fourth in the Pacific Division. ​The team defeated the Colorado Avalanche in seven games, advancing to the second round. However, they were knocked out of the playoffs by the Dallas Stars in seven games.
​Heading into another season, the team made one big addition: Mackie Samoskevich. ​The right winger from the Florida Panthers was the only addition to the Kraken roster.
The team extended Bobby McMann for six years; however, they also failed to acquire any other players. ​
The team lost three players: Eeli Tolvanen, Jaden Schwartz, and Jamie Oleksiak. ​The two wingers and one defenseman left gaps in the Kraken roster. ​
As the team heads into its sixth season in the NHL, it brings a roster similar to past seasons, when it had little success. ​
For that reason, it makes sense that Proteau ranked the Kraken 29th out of 32 teams. ​
Visit The Hockey News Seattle Kraken team site to stay up to date on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.
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Jody Shelley is the Original Columbus Blue Jackets enforcer. On February 17th, 2001, he was called up for his NHL debut. In that game, he fought two Pittsburgh Penguins, Steve McKenna and Krzysztof Oliwa, and would instantly become a Blue Jacket legend. It would be the only game he played that season. He would go on to fight 119 times in his CBJ career. He had seasons where he fought 28 times, 27, and 30. In seven years with Columbus, he had 29 total points; in one season, he had 30 fights alone. During those seasons of 28, 27, and 30 fights, he had over 206 PIMS in all three seasons. He was even given the honor of fighting legendary enforcer Bob Probert on four occasions. Off the ice, Shelley is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet.
Shelley was traded to the San Jose Sharks on January 29, 2008, traded to the New York Rangers on February 12, 2010, and then signed with the Philadelphia Flyers on July 1, 2010. In August of 2013, he retired from playing and joined the Blue Jackets as the team ambassador, where he also serves as a color analyst for the Blue Jackets TV broadcasts.Â
The Town of Yarmouth declared July 13, 2013, as Jody Shelley Day, and honoured Shelley by renaming Cottage Street as Jody Shelley Drive, and also renumbering the Mariners Centre, the local winter sports facility, as 45 Jody Shelley Drive, after his jersey number. Â
Lukáš Sedlák - 2017-2019 - Drafted by the CBJ in the 6th round in 2011.Â
Sedlák played 162 games for Columbus before, in a surprising move, leaving North America to sign in the KHL. After three years in Russia, he enacted his NHL out-clause, signing with the Colorado Avalanche and his former Monsters coach Jared Bednar. After just three games, the Avs put him on waivers, where he was claimed by another former coach, John Tortorella. After just 27 games, he asked to have his contract terminated so that he could return to
Czechia. He remains in his home country playing for HC Dynamo Pardubice, where he has been the captain for the last three seasons.Â
Gavin Brindley - Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2023 by Columbus.Â
Brindley quickly became a fan favorite, mostly because his best friend, Adam Fantilli, also played for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Unfortunately for Brindley, however, he never got a real shot to make the CBJ. Brindley struggled with the Cleveland Monsters after making his pro debut. Playing in 52 AHL games, he could only muster 17 points.Â
On June 27, 2025, Brindley was traded to the Colorado Avalanche for Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood. Fans immediately ripped the Blue Jackets for trading him, but after seeing what Coyle alone did last year for the CBJ, those critical comments are nowhere to be seen now.Â
Don Waddell was asked why he traded Brindley, and his response was pretty straightforward: "We felt we had enough small players on the team." Enough said.Â
Brindley signed a two-year contract extension with the Avs on November 11, 2025. He had 13 points in 56 games for Colorado.Â
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If there is one glaring weakness, or one area of the Florida Panthers' roster with the most question marks, it's goaltending.
For the past seven seasons, that hasn't been much of an issue. Sergei Bobrovsky has been the Panthers' rock, and while his play was at times a bit inconsistent, outside the 2025-26 season, it never dipped into catastrophically bad territory.
But Bobrovsky is gone, and in come Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid.
Markstrom joins the Panthers with familiarity, having been drafted by the organization in 2008. Schmid, on the other hand, is brand new to the workings of the Florida Panthers.
Markstrom posted rather weak numbers with the New Jersey Devils over the past two seasons, coming to Florida as the No. 1 goaltender with numbers far below playoff caliber. Schmid also joins after posting a save percentage below .900, but did play a career high in games.
With uncertainty in the crease, GM Bill Zito could look to the free agent market in hopes of adding a reliable veteran third-string goaltender, in case of both injuries and/or replacements due to poor performance.
According to puckpedia.com, there are five UFA goaltenders: Connor Ingram, Matt Murray, Petr Mrazek, Cam Talbot, and James Reimer.
All of these goaltenders boast plenty of NHL experience, and many carry post-season experience as well.
Connor Ingram was in a difficult situation with the Edmonton Oilers. The team struggled to figure things out defensively, and their goaltending situation was awful. They shipped Stuart Skinner to the Pittsburgh Penguins and brought in Tristan Jarry, whom they hoped would be the No. 1 goaltender. Instead, he faltered, and Ingram was forced to step in as the No. 1 goaltender for large chunks of the season.
Ingram posted respectable numbers with a .899 SP and a 2.60 goals-against average in 32 games. Ingram would be a solid third-string netminder, but given his history and his age, he's likely looking for a larger role.
Injuries have tormented Matt Murray's career. When he emerged with the Penguins, he looked like a future NHL top netminder, but since the 2018-19 season, he has played more than 30 games only once.
The 32-year-old played just five games last season with the Seattle Kraken, but did post a .922 SP. As a third-string goaltender, Murray could be worth the chance, but it's difficult to feel comfortable relying on a goaltender who suffers injuries as frequently as he does.
Petr Mrazek has played for six NHL teams in his career, owning the No. 1 role for three seasons. Overall, his career numbers show him posting a .905 SP and a 2.87 GAA in 438 games.
Despite that, Mrazek has played just 15 games over the past two NHL campaigns; his numbers last year with the Anaheim Ducks were woeful. That's a chance Mrazek could still be dependable as a third-stringer, but those chances are slim.
Cam Talbot played more games than any of the five available goaltenders last season and is also the oldest. Talbot has dressed in 587 regular-season games and another 36 post-season games in his career. With the Red Wings last year, Talbot recorded a .883 SP and a 3.19 GAA in 34 games.
His best days are far behind him, but with his experience, playing behind a team like the Panthers could help him feel the security in between the pipes that he may have been lacking recently. Despite playing for eight teams in his career, Talbot has never landed in Florida. Could they be his ninth franchise?
James Reimer would join the Panthers with plenty of familiarity, as the 38-year-old spent three seasons with the Panthers, manning the crease in 123 regular-season games.
NHL work has been hard to come by for Reimer, but with his selfless mindset and vast experience, he could be a valuable third-stringer.
None of these goaltenders will come to Florida and save their season if things go sideways, but they could be relied upon in times of need.
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After seeing Cole Caufield make the NHL Network’s top 20 wingers right now list in ninth place and Lane Hutson land in sixth place on their top 20 defensemen right now list, the Montreal Canadiens saw Jakub Dobes crack the top 10 goaltenders list on Sunday night.
It’s surprising to see the rookie goaltender land on the list after just one full season in the league and one in which he did experience some struggles, despite leading all rookie goaltenders in wins. Still, the fact that he was able to crack the list speaks to the fact that there aren’t that many superstar goaltenders these days in the NHL. Gone are the days of Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, Dominik Hašek, and Curtis Joseph. A lot of teams now bet on a tandem of goalies rather than put all their eggs in one main goaltender's basket.
To justify Dobes’ selection, NHL Network notes that he dominated all rookie goaltenders with 29 wins, while posting a 2.78 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. While that is impressive, it’s worth mentioning that only four rookie netminders, including Dobes, started over 30 games last season and could therefore hope to have as many wins as the Habs’ goaltender. Yaroslav Askarov had 21, Artus Silovs had 19, and Jesper Wallstedt had 18.
The article also mentions the fact that Dobes started all 19 playoff games for the Habs and took them all the way to the Eastern Conference final, on top of becoming the fifth goaltender in franchise history to win a Game 7, joining Carey Price, Patrick Roy, Ken Dryden and Jacques Plante, which is some pretty elite company. The article seems to have forgotten that Jaroslav Halak also won a couple of Game 7s with the Habs against the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins back in 2010.
Dobes is not the only rookie to have found his way into the top-10 list, as Wallstedt lands in ninth place. Dan Vladar grabs the eighth spot, Jake Oettinger the seventh, Logan Thompson the sixth, Jeremy Swayman the fifth, Ilya Sorokin the fourth, Igor Shesterkin the third, Connor Hellebuyck the second and Andrei Vasilevskiy the first.
It will be interesting to see what the list looks like next year, especially if Dobes can make his sophomore season as successful as his playoff run. As things stand, the Czech netminder will without a doubt be the Canadiens’ first-choice goaltender this season, whether he is backed up by Samuel Montembeault or by Jakub Dobes.
