Forsling scores with 4.3 seconds left in OT as Panthers beat Hurricanes 1-0
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Gustav Forsling hammered a shot past Brandon Bussi with 4.3 seconds left in overtime to lift the Florida Panthers past the reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes 1-0 in Tuesday’s season opener for both teams.
On a night when the defenses and goaltenders had the edge, it was a blue-liner who provided the winning play to end a matchup of the last two teams to win the Cup.
The Panthers had their final chance with the game seemingly headed to a shootout as Carter Verhaeghe brought the puck into the zone with under 10 seconds left. But Verhaeghe sent the puck back toward Forsling, who fired a one-timer from near the blue line that zipped past Bussi’s glove side to end it.
That spoiled the end of a three-month celebration for the Hurricanes since beating Vegas in June to cap a 16-3 march to the franchise’s second Cup. The final piece was the players gathering at the blue line and tapping their sticks as a championship banner rose to the rafters.
That moment came against the Panthers, who reached the Stanley Cup Final for three straight years and won it all in 2024 and 2025. They had twice eliminated the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final in their run, though injuries derailed last year.
CANADIENS 3, MAPLE LEAFS 2
TORONTO (AP) — Josh Anderson and Alexandre Carrier each had a goal and assist as Montreal beat Toronto.
Zachary Bolduc also scored for Montreal, which got 25 saves from Jakub Dobes.
William Nylander scored twice for Toronto. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 21 shots in his first game with the Maple Leafs.
No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna and Russian winger Kirill Marchenko also made their Toronto debuts – along with seven other teammates – following an off-season of change after the Original Six franchise missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade last spring.
The Canadiens, meanwhile, are coming off a campaign that saw them take a massive step following a long before falling to the Stanley Cup-winning Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final.
Nylander opened the scoring just 48 seconds into the first period when he stepped around Montreal captain and reigning Selke Trophy winner Nick Suzuki at the blue line before ripping a high shot past Dobes. Nylander tied Zdenek Nedved (Oct. 7, 1995) for the fourth-fastest goal to start a season-opener in franchise history.
BRUINS 3, RANGERS 0
BOSTON (AP) — Fraser Minten broke a scoreless tie with just over four minutes left, followed by goals by JJ Peterka and an empty-netter by Mark Kastelic 23 seconds apart, and Boston beat New York.
The three goals, over a 75-second span helped the Bruins extend their streak to 11 consecutive wins in home openers.
Jeremy Swayman finished with 24 saves for Boston, his 19th career shutout. Igor Shesterkin had 20 save for New York.
It was dream start for Minten, who recently signed a new seven-year deal.
Elias and Hampus Lindholm assisted on Minten’s goal. Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov assisted Kastelic.
The Rangers outshot the Bruins 24-23, but the Bruins were more aggressive throughout the night, finally breaking through when Minten got a clear path on the left side and knocked it through just past the glove of Shesterkin.
NHL winners and losers include Panthers goalie, Maple Leafs newcomers
The Carolina Hurricanes got their championship rings this week, they raised their Stanley Cup banner on Tuesday, Sept. 29, and they have their first loss of the season.
They did pick up a point as the Florida Panthers and Hurricanes pushed their scoreless tie to overtime in the NHL's 2026-27 season opener.
But Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling scored with 4.3 seconds left in overtime to get a 1-0 win as Florida tries to return to the playoffs after the two-time Stanley Cup champions were crushed by injuries last season.
The NHL had five games on the schedule. Here are the winners and losers of the early games from opening night:
WINNERS
Panthers goalie Jacob Markstrom
The question heading into the season was whether the Panthers' goaltending would be good enough.
They couldn't work out a deal with two-time Cup and Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky and he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In the days leading up to free agency, the Panthers traded for Markstrom and Akira Schmid.
Markstrom, who began his career with the Panthers, was steady in the opener, making 15 saves, including on Carolina's 4-on-1 break. He matched his shutout total from last season, when he struggled with an .883 save percentage for the New Jersey Devils.
Hurricanes' Stanley Cup banner raising
The Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in Las Vegas last season, so they gave fans the on-ice celebration that they missed. Better yet, they did a Storm Surge, the traditional post-win celebration. The players gathered around the faceoff circle, captain Jordan Staal brought in the Stanley Cup and they did their traditional overhand clap. Then they posed with the banner before it went to the rafters.
The most special Storm Surge of all time pic.twitter.com/K0fk1X8uQt
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) September 29, 2026
Toronto Maple Leafs' William Nylander
Nylander was the Maple Leafs most consistent player in a season in which their nine-year playoff streak ended. He was again on Tuesday, scoring the first goal of the 2026-27 NHL season and adding another to pull the Maple Leafs close in a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
Boston Bruins' Fraser Minten
Minten was one of the youngsters who cashed in this summer, signing a seven-year, $50 million contract. He broke a scoreless tie with a wicked shot late in the third period of a victory against the New York Rangers.
LOSERS
Maple Leafs' newcomers
GM John Chayka was busy remaking the Maple Leafs this summer and fall. Just-acquired Kirill Marchenko had an assist and another opportunity. But defenseman Darren Raddysh was a minus-2. So was No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna, who made an ill-advised bank pass off the boards. None of the other newcomers had a point and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had an .875 save percentage.
Hurricanes' play on Florida's winning goal
The Hurricanes had the puck deep in the Florida zone late in overtime and allowed the Panthers to come down the ice and set up Forsling's winner on a one-timer. Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi didn't like how he gave up a shot from distance and lost an opportunity for the game to go to a shootout. "By my standards, it's a bad goal," he said.
PURE FILTH BY PETERKA IN HIS BRUINS DEBUT AND THE B'S TAKE A 2-0 LEAD LATE 🔥🚨 pic.twitter.com/TFQh2ooJov
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) September 30, 2026
New York Rangers' collapse
The Bruins-Rangers game looked like it might be the second one of the night to be scoreless through regulation. But the Rangers gave up three goals in 75 seconds for the loss. JJ Peterka made a great move through Braden Schneider for the Bruins' second goal.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL winners and losers include Panthers goalie, Maple Leafs newcomers
Recap: Late goals lift B’s to Opening Night win over Rangers
After waiting all summer for hockey to return, the Bruins made you wait another 40+ minutes before their 2026-2027 really began.
The Bruins got three goals just 75 seconds apart late in the third period to turn what had been a relatively sleepy affair into a 3-0 Opening Night win.
Fraser Minten broke the deadlock with a laser past Igor Shesterkin with 3:46 left in the third period, then that was followed by JJ Peterka’s first goal as a Bruin and an empty-netter by Mark Kastelic to sew up the win.
The Bruins controlled play for the majority of the first two periods but were unable to solve Shesterkin. The Rangers had a bit more push-back in the third, but never really managed to turn the tide in their favor.
Minten led the way for the B’s with the game-winning goal and an assist on Kastelic’s goal, while Jeremy Swayman made 24 saves in the shutout win.
The B’s had a few good chances early in the game and hit a couple of posts, but the game remained scoreless into the last five minutes of the third period.
That’s when Minten, fresh off of a new contract, beat Shesterkin top corner to make it 1-0 Bruins.
Peterka saw that rocket from Minten and raised him an undressing of Braden Schneider and a five-hole goal against Shesterkin to make it 2-0 Bruins just 52 seconds later.
Mike Sullivan would pull the goalie shortly after, and…it didn’t work.
Kastelic scored into the empty net just 23 seconds after Peterka’s goal, and that was all she wrote.
Bruins win, 3-0.
Game notes
- Well that all happened pretty fast, didn’t it? This game started as “yes, hockey is back!” then had a long period of “we waited all summer for this?” However, all’s well that ends well, particularly when the end features three goals in less than two minutes.
- While the Rangers outshot the Bruins in both the second and third periods, it never really felt like this game was getting away from the B’s. Whether that speaks more to the offensive ineptitude of the Rangers, the stinginess of the Bruins, or just general early-season hockey remains to be seen, but it was ultimately a sturdy overall performance from the home team.
- This game featured just two penalties, one per side and both in the first period.
- Mason Lohrei deserves a lot of credit for gloving the puck out of the air immediately before Minten’s goal, turning what may have been a Rangers clear into a scoring chance for his team. While Lohrei Hockey is often quite an experience, he had a good game tonight.
- Speaking of an experience, Connor Clifton received a hefty “welcome back” in the form of leading the B’s in ice time. Clifton skated 23:23, almost two minutes more than second-place Nikita Zadorov.
- Peterka’s goal was a DOUBLE LINDHOLM, as both Hampus and Elias recorded assists. I don’t know if that’s rare or not, but I enjoyed it.
- The giveaways/takeaways stats are often murky at best, but tonight’s seem like they tell a pretty accurate story: the Rangers were charged with 20 giveaways, compared to just 10 for the Bruins.
- James Hagens had a relatively quiet night, recording just one shot on goal. However, he was credited with two blocked shots, tied for second-most on the team.
- Per the ESPN broadcast, tonight’s win was the 11th consecutive home opener win for the Bruins; that ties the NHL record previously held by the Montreal Canadiens.
- In a weird bit of coincidence, Minten scored the game-winning goal in last season’s home opener as well; that one was an OT goal against Chicago.
The B’s will be back in action on Friday night in Winnipeg, as the NHL graciously gives them several days to take horses and buggies to the lone NHL city without an airport.
Hey, an Oregon Trail-style journey to Manitoba feels better with a win stashed amongst your provisions.
Paul Cotter Scores The Vancouver Canucks' First Goal Of The 2026-27 Season
Paul Cotter has scored the Vancouver Canucks' first goal of the 2026-27 season in their season-opener against the Edmonton Oilers.
FIRST GAME AS A CANUCK.
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 30, 2026
FIRST GOAL AS A CANUCK.
That's a shorthanded goal for PAUL COTTER❗️ pic.twitter.com/b6vsyXM1jZ
The goal came 9:51 minutes into the first period while Vancouver was on the penalty kill after Tom Willander took a holding penalty. This is Cotter's first goal as a Canuck and his first career short-handed goal.
Cotter signed a one-year, $2.15M contract with Vancouver during the 2026 off-season, joining the team after stints with the New Jersey Devils and Vegas Golden Knights. In 2025-26, he scored nine goals and six assists in 79 games played.
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Carrier's goal late in the 3rd period helps Canadiens beat Maple Leafs 3-2
TORONTO (AP) — Josh Anderson and Alexandre Carrier each had a goal and assist as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 Tuesday night in the teams' season opener.
Zachary Bolduc also scored for Montreal, which got 25 saves from Jakub Dobes.
William Nylander scored twice for Toronto. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 21 shots in his first game with the Maple Leafs.
No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna and Russian winger Kirill Marchenko also made their Toronto debuts – along with seven other teammates – following an off-season of change after the Original Six franchise missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade last spring.
The Canadiens, meanwhile, are coming off a campaign that saw them take a massive step following a long before falling to the Stanley Cup-winning Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final.
Nylander opened the scoring just 48 seconds into the first period when he stepped around Montreal captain and reigning Selke Trophy winner Nick Suzuki at the blue line before ripping a high shot past Dobes. Nylander tied Zdenek Nedved (Oct. 7, 1995) for the fourth-fastest goal to start a season-opener in franchise history.
Anderson tied the score at 10:53 when he batted a rebound out of the air in front. Bolduc gave Montreal the lead, scoring from the slot at 4:52 of the second, and Carrier beat Bobrovsky on the glove side at 13:12 of the third.
Nylander cut the deficit to a goal with 4:14 left in regulation.
Up next
Canadiens: At the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.
Maple Leafs: Host the New York Islanders on Wednesday.
___
Golden Knights Open Season With New Coach, Familiar Expectations
Las Vegas has the stars, the experience and the expectations. Chicago has something Vegas can’t buy: a whole lot of young legs with something to prove.
The Blackhawks will get their first chance to show what that youth can do Tuesday night when they face the Golden Knights in Las Vegas, closing out a triple-header of national broadcasts on the NHL’s opening night.
It’s a tough place to start.
Vegas is coming off a Stanley Cup Final appearance and brings back much of the core that got it there. Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner and Mark Stone are still leading the way up front, while Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin anchor an experienced blue line.
Eichel finished last season with 90 points in 74 games. Marner had 80 points in 81 games, and Stone produced 73 points in only 60 games.
But there is a new opportunity on the third line.
Trevor Connelly is stepping into a bigger role with Vegas this season after spending most of last year developing in the AHL. The 2024 first-round pick put up 49 points in 46 games with Henderson, including 14 goals and 35 assists, and now has a chance to establish himself in the Golden Knights’ lineup.
The 19-year-old fills the void left behind by Pavel Dorofeyev, who was traded in the offseason after leading the Golden Knights with 37 goals last season.
Braeden Bowman is also expected to begin the season in the bottom six.
They’ll be doing it with a new coach behind the bench.
John Tortorella led Vegas to the Stanley Cup Final after taking over late last season, but he is no longer with the organization and currently does not have an NHL coaching job.
Ryan Craig takes over after three seasons as head coach of the Henderson Silver Knights. It will be his first NHL head-coaching opportunity, and he inherits a team with considerably different expectations than the one he coached in the AHL.
The biggest question surrounding that team may not be its forwards or defensemen, though.
It may be the goaltending.
Carter Hart is expected to open the season as Vegas’ starter after joining the Golden Knights during the regular season. He went 11-3-3 with a .891 save percentage and a 2.71 goals-against average, then started every game of Vegas’ run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Hart struggled against Carolina, posting a .863 save percentage and 3.45 goals-against average in the six-game series.
Vegas also moved on from Akira Schmid this offseason. Schmid appeared in 34 games last season, going 16-10-6 with a .893 save percentage and 2.59 goals-against average before being traded to the Florida Panthers for a 2028 third-round pick.
Adin Hill remains in the picture after going 10-9-6 with a .870 save percentage and a 3.04 goals-against average last season.
So there are questions in the crease, even if there aren’t many elsewhere on the roster.
Chicago is dealing with a different kind of uncertainty.
Connor Bedard won’t be available for the opener as he continues recovering from a freak training accident that required shoulder surgery. The Blackhawks are expected to be without their franchise player until later this fall.
But there is some good news for Chicago fans and that’s the return of Patrick Kane, who will don a Blackhawks sweater for the first time in three years.
For Kane and a rebuilding Blackhawks roster, there’s probably no better measuring stick than to face the reigning Stanley Cup runner-ups off the bat.
The Golden Knights know what they’re chasing.
The Blackhawks are still figuring that out.
Tuesday night, they’ll collide.
Jacob Markstrom Shines In Panthers Debut, Florida Opens Season With 1-0 Overtime Win At Carolina
A new Florida Panthers season is finally upon us.
Breathe it in, hockey fans.
The fun all started with Tuesday’s 1-0 overtime win over the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL’s first game of the season.
Starring for the Panthers in his first game back with the franchise was veteran goaltender Jacob Markstrom.
He finished the game with 15 saves, playing a very steady role in net and not putting his defenseman in any bad spots with poor rebounds while keeping the Cats in the game long enough for Gus Forsling to find the game-winning goal with just over four seconds left in overtime.
GUSTAV FORSLING WINS IT WITH 4 SECONDS TO GO IN OVERTIME 🚨
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) September 30, 2026
THE PANTHERS STUN THE CANES IN THE FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON 🫨 pic.twitter.com/iJO0tujdwb
Markstrom was also key in helping Florida's defensive-minded approach by constantly jumping out of the crease and playing the puck, cutting down Carolina entry attempts and dump-ins while also helping clear the puck out of precarious areas and blocking passes with his excellent stickwork.
In terms of stopping the puck, one particular sequence late during the second period stood out, with Carolina on the power play and pushing for the game’s first goal.
As Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho drove the net, Markstrom somehow kept the puck from going in, flashing his massive leg pads while maintaining strong positioning in the goal crease.
HECTIC sequence with multiple great chances for the Canes, but Markstrom and the Cats deny them 😳❌ pic.twitter.com/VKyKTlulgb
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) September 29, 2026
Of Markstrom’s 15 saves, four were considered high-danger shots, according to Natural Stat Trick.
He also stopped Carolina seven times during their six power play opportunities, though plenty of credit is also due to Florida’s penalty killers.
On defense, Aaron Ekblad, Niko Mikkola, Seth Jones and Forsling gobbled up the majority of the shorthanded minutes, while three forward duos – Sasha Barkov and Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, Garnet Hathaway and Lars Eller – were excellent when called upon.
With the 1-0 victory, Markstrom becomes just the third goalie in Panthers history to pick up a shutout win in a season opener, joining Roberto Luongo, who shut down the Atlanta Thrashers 2-0 to open the 2005-06 season, and Jose Theodore, who blanked the New York Islanders 2-0 to kick off Florida's playoff-bound 2011-12 campaign.
Next up for the Panthers will be another home opener, this time for the San Jose Sharks.
Puck drop from SAP Center is set for Thursday at 10 p.m. ET.
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Photo caption: Sep 29, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA;FloridaPanthersgoaltender Jacob Markstrom (25) handles the puck during the first period against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)
Canucks CHL Prospects Roundup: September 2026
With the Vancouver Canucks making their training camp cuts last week, five of their prospects were sent down to the CHL to start their seasons. Many eyes will be on them as the Canucks build a strong prospect pool. Here's how the five CHL prospects did in their first weekend back with their teams.
Adam Novotný - 6 points, 3 goals, 3 assists in 3 games
After falling to Vancouver at 24th overall, Novotný immediately became one of the Canucks' most intriguing prospects. He showed why after having an amazing development camp and prospects showcase. Novotný certainly exceeded people's expectations, as many started to question whether he could have made the team out of camp.
That may have been a bit of a stretch, but after hearing there was a loophole that could have allowed him to start the season in the AHL with Abbotsford, that seemed more likely. However, Vancouver made what was probably the right move by sending him back to the OHL for his second season with the Peterborough Petes.
It might have been him carrying the momentum of playing with NHL players, but in his first game back in the OHL, Novotný put up four points, registering two goals and two assists against the Sarnia Sting and dominating all night long.
After being held scoreless in his second game against the Brantford Bulldogs, Novotný made up for it with a two-point night, scoring a goal and adding an assist while showing off his one-timer against the Ottawa 67's.
It's worth noting that all three of his assists last weekend were primary assists, and his 18 shots on goal led the league that week. Novotný's spectacular efforts earned him OHL Player of the Week honours.
Yaraslav Bryzgalov - 2 points, 2 goals in 2 games
As expected, Bryzgalov returned to the WHL to play the 2026-27 season with the Medicine Hat Tigers. He was scoreless in his first game back against the Red Deer Rebels but scored twice in his second game, recorded five shots on goal, and was named the first star in a 5-2 Tigers win over the Edmonton Oil Kings.
For his first goal, he used his 6'4", 220-pound frame to outbattle two Oil Kings defenders and jam home a rebound in front of the crease. His second goal came on the power play, where he fired home a one-timer from the right dot on a feed from Markus Ruck.
This is a great start for Bryzgalov as he hopes to finish the season with over a point per game for the first time in the WHL.
Brooks Rogowski - 3 points 3 assists in 3 games
The Canucks' biggest draft pick from the 2026 draft, height-wise, listed at 6 '7", 236 pounds, made a sizable impact in his return to the OHL this weekend with the Oshawa Generals.
Even though Oshawa were shut out in a 6-0 loss to the Guelph Storm in their first game of the weekend, Rogowski was solid on the penalty kill, getting multiple clears and using his reach to break up a couple of passes while the Storm were on the man advantage.
In his second game against the Barrie Colts, Rogowski showed off his offence, recording two assists in a 4-2 win for the Generals. His first came on the power play, where he showed off his hands tight in front of the net before finding Onni Kalto in the slot.
His second came late in the third, with Oshawa down a goal and with the extra attacker. Rogowski's shot from the slot was deflected by Harrisson Franssen for the equalizer.
He recorded one more assist in a Generals 5-3 loss against the Brantford Bulldogs, stealing the puck from a Bulldogs defender in the offensive zone and finding Mark Pape in the slot.
Overall, it was a good weekend for Rogowski as he showed why Vancouver drafted him 33rd overall by making an impact on both ends of the ice.
Lucian Bernat - 2 points, 2 assists in 2 games
Bernat won't get the same attention as some of the Canucks' other prospects, since he's a sixth-round draft pick, but he quietly had a good weekend. He recorded two assists in two games with the Owen Sound Attack, both on the power play.
This is Bernat's first season playing in North America, so there will be some time for him to get used to the game speed here. But getting on the scoresheet in his first two games is an encouraging start.
Alexei Medvedev- DNP
Medvedev is Vancouver's most experienced CHL prospect. He didn't play this weekend for the London Knights. Medvedev should make his season debut for the Knights sooner rather than later.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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Popular Former Avalanche Forward Calls It A Career After 12 NHL Seasons
Matt Nieto is done playing hockey.
The former Colorado Avalanche forward announced Monday that he is retiring from the NHL at 33, ending a 12-year career that took him through San Jose, Colorado and Pittsburgh.
Nieto spent six seasons with the Avalanche across two different stints, playing 287 games and putting up 38 goals and 52 assists for 90 points.
Colorado first brought him in on Jan. 5, 2017, claiming him off waivers from the Sharks. It was a move that gave Nieto a new opportunity, and he quickly became a regular in the Avalanche lineup.
His best offensive season came in 2017-18. Nieto played 74 games, a career high, and scored 15 goals. Colorado liked what it got from him enough to bring him back that summer, signing Nieto to a two-year, $3.95 million contract after avoiding arbitration.
He would eventually leave Colorado, only to return for another stint with the Avalanche later in his career.
Pittsburgh was where Nieto played his final NHL games. He appeared in 32 games for the Penguins during the 2024-25 season, scoring once and adding two assists. He also played 15 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL, finishing with three goals and four assists.
Nieto sat out the 2025-26 season.
By that point, injuries had made things increasingly difficult. He missed about a year from November 2023 to November 2024 because of knee injuries that required surgery. After taking last season off and trying to find a way back, Nieto decided it was time to call it a career.
“After 12 years in the NHL, I’m officially announcing my retirement from hockey,” Nieto wrote on Instagram. “The last few years, I’ve battled injuries that made playing hockey at the highest level difficult. I took last season off and did everything I could to find my way back.”
Nieto leaves the NHL having played 705 games. He scored 87 goals and recorded 119 assists for 206 points.
Still, he isn’t closing the door on the sport itself.
“Hockey will always be a part of who I am,” Nieto wrote. “I’m not saying goodbye to hockey, just to being a player.”
'It was obviously a little bit of a shock. I was hoping I would get picked up. Luckily I ended up here and excited for this new opportunity.'
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Justin Barron didn’t foresee what was about to transpire with the Nashville Predators, but once the defenseman’s name hit the waiver wire and he was told about it, the 24-year-old was ready for a fresh start.
So when the St. Louis Blues plucked Barron and provided him with a fresh start, he packed up his belongings, hit the road up Interstate 24 towards St. Louis and arrived got in on Sunday.
“They told me Saturday morning and I just went back to my apartment in Nashville, kind of waited it out for 24 hours, then got the news yesterday as soon as it broke at 1 (p.m.) Central,” Barron said. “I immediately was excited, started packing and drove here last night.
“It was obviously a little bit of a shock. I was hoping I would get picked up. Luckily I ended up here and excited for this new opportunity.”
Barron, listed at 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds and who will wear Justin Faulk's old No. 72, was claimed by the Blues after news came down that defenseman Tyler Tucker (knee) would be getting a second opinion on his injured right knee and is listed as week-to-week, and when Logan Mailloux came down with a right hand injury in a 3-2 preseason loss to the Chicago Blackhawks this past Saturday that required surgery on Sunday that will sideline him at least eight weeks, there was a need for an experienced defenseman, and preferably one from the right side. And one the Blues liked.
“As a player, his mobility,” Blues general manager Alex Steen said. “Our scouts have liked his game when we watched him play. I think this is a fresh start for him. I think the timing is good for him also. We're going to have a few days here where he can get in with the group and learn our systems and get to know the guys he's going to be playing with. Also, for us, it addresses we brought Adam (Jiricek) up as well and we felt like organizationally we had depth on our left side and this helps create more depth on our right side.”
And not just create depth in the short term with Barron, a first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche, on a one-year, $1.575 million contract before he can become a restricted free agent next summer. The Blues feel they can invest in him for the near future.
"No absolutely, he's got 200 games in the league, he's a first-round pick, he's got a lot of tools, a lot of parts to him that we like," Steen said. "I think with our coaching staff working with him, he's going to get some time to get to know the staff, get to know the players and hopefully we're able to help him create an identity to his game that we see on a nightly basis and in practice."
Barron spent the past season-plus with the Predators after being acquired from the Montreal Canadiens for Alexandre Carrier; he had nine assists in 52 games past season and has 208 career games (52 points; 18 goals, 34 assists).
“Very smooth-skating defenseman, can skate, can pass,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “I’m excited to see what he can do for us and help us.”
The shock for Barron is that he felt like things were going nicely with the Predators but didn’t feel like there would be an opportunity to move up into the top four there.
“I wanted it to work out, but I felt like I was kind of in a little bit of a tough spot there in terms of moving up the lineup,” Barron said. “It feels like a bit of a fresh start here for me. I think it will be good. Obviously I’m here to show these guys what I can do, hopefully bring an aspect to my game and help this team win games.”
So what can Barron bring?
“I think some of the strengths of my game are skating, moving the puck,” he said. “Obviously we saw the Blues a lot in Nashville and just playing against the team here and how well they are at attacking off the rush, how much speed and pace they play with. I’m hoping I can kind of slide in and fit in with the way the team plays here.”
Barron isn’t coming into a situation completely foreign to him. He’s familiar and/or played with a number of his new teammates, including Mailloux, Joel Hofer, Jake Neighbours, and Dylan Holloway. And whatever guys he’s needing to get familiar with, there’s a team bonding trip currently underway in Austin, Texas ahead of the season-opener Friday against the Dallas Stars.
“There’s a few guys,” Barron said. “… there’s quite a few guys. So I think that makes the transition a lot easier coming in and seeing some familiar faces.
“I think (the team bonding trip is) great timing. Come in, get a trip away with the team, do some team bonding and do some quality time with the guys. I’m really looking forward to it.”
2026-27 St. Louis Blues Roster Is Officially SetWith Mailloux, Tucker injured, Jiricek, Barron make opening night roster; Dean, Dube officially win extra forward positions
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 Friday
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 weeks
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Sidney Crosby knows he won’t play hockey forever. On the eve of his 22nd season, it’s hard to tell
PITTSBURGH — It is the next-to-last day of September on the eve of Sidney Crosby’s 22nd season. His team’s opener across the state in Philadelphia less than 36 hours away looms.
And there the longtime Pittsburgh Penguins captain is on a random early fall Tuesday, doing what he has always done: grinding through an hour-long practice with an intensity that shows no signs of waning as the player who arrived in the NHL as a teenage prodigy closes in on his 40th birthday.
Watch Crosby stand in front of the net and deftly deflect a point shot past rookie goaltender Sergei Murashov, who was still in diapers in his native Russia when Crosby made his NHL debut on Oct. 5, 2005. Watch Crosby fail to connect the dots on a pass on one end of the ice, then backcheck furiously before slapping his stick into the end boards in frustration.
Watch the NHL’s seventh all-time leading scorer (soon to be in the top five) glide from the half wall to the front of the net and back again during a power play drill, the instincts that have carried him from franchise savior to Olympic gold medalist to three-time Stanley Cup champion taking over as he searches for an opportunity.
Practice breaks up. Some of Crosby’s younger teammates head to the dressing room. Crosby does not. He remains on the ice for another 20-plus minutes with longtime teammates Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, chasing the finer points of a sport that has long doubled as an obsession.
Crosby’s approach to his job is uncommon
Penguins coach Dan Muse heard about the trio’s relentless drive when he took over in the summer of 2025. He wasn’t skeptical, exactly, but seeing it up close gave him a different perspective.
“Sometimes I (was) surprised last year,” Muse said. “Now I guess I’m not as surprised at how long they’re out there for. ... I think for everybody who’s seeing it too, like I said, it’s not necessarily the normal.”
No, it’s not.
And while Malkin and Letang have carved out their own unique places in NHL history during the trio’s two decades together, it is Crosby who has always shouldered the load of outsized expectations that have followed him from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia to Pittsburgh to, one day, the Hall of Fame.
It can be a lot. It already has been a lot. Yet Crosby has rarely let the burden show. Maybe because he’s used to it. Or maybe because he doesn’t really view it as a burden at all. Ask Crosby why he is still pushing himself at this pace, and he shrugs.
“I just love the game,” Crosby said.
And not just when the lights come on and thousands of fans — many of them usually wearing some iteration of Crosby’s jersey — come out to watch him do Sidney Crosby things. He is only player in NHL history to average a point a game for 21 straight seasons.
“I think, you know, there’s the journey or the preparation that goes into it,” he said.
It’s why Crosby arrived at the team’s practice facility weeks ahead of training camp. It’s why he still seeks opportunities to compete internationally. Sure, he could have taken the summer off after Pittsburgh’s surprising season ended with a loss to Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs.
That’s just not the way Crosby is wired. A few weeks after the postseason exit, he served as an alternate captain to 19-year-old San Jose Sharks sensation Macklin Celebrini for Team Canada at the 2026 World Championships. This after his hope for a second Olympic gold ended with an injury at the 2026 Cortina Winter Games.
It’s a lot of hockey for anyone. Let alone someone who has been on “go” practically from the first time he pulled on skates.
Crosby wants to keep playing, but for how long he’s not sure
And yet Crosby remains as passionate about all that goes into it now as he did when he was flinging pucks into an empty dryer in the basement of his childhood home.
“Ultimately, you just, every night you step on the ice, you’re trying to win a hockey game,” he said. “That’s something that’s still there. I think it provides a lot of fire to everything for me.”
The flames show no signs of subsiding even while some of his contemporaries — Malkin and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals chief among them — seem to have the number of games ahead of them dwindling to a precious few.
The mix of nerves and excitement that accompanies every season opener is still there. Until they’re not, expect Crosby to keep right on going.
While Crosby has stressed repeatedly that he wants to keep playing indefinitely, when the puck drops in Philadelphia on Wednesday night, it will mark the first time in his career that he will start a season in the final year of his contract. Crosby is in no hurry to sign anything; he learned a long time ago that he needs to listen to his body above all else.
“I don’t think you ever know until you get to that point,” Crosby told reporters when delivering season tickets to select fans earlier this month. “But I’m guessing it’s your level, it’s how your body feels, it’s a combination of all those things. Overall, I feel pretty good.”
Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas and Crosby’s agent Pat Brisson have been in talks, but Dubas stressed on Monday that there isn’t any “real pressure to have it done by a certain date or anything.”
Stats are nice, but winning is all that matters
Crosby, who begins the year with 1,761 career points, 38 shy of passing Ron Francis for fifth on the all-time list, has no plans to coast to whatever the finish line looks like in hopes of piling up stats and paychecks.
When it’s mentioned that 2,000 points — a plateau only Wayne Gretzky has reached — looks doable if he plays another handful of years, Crosby shakes his head. That’s never been what this is about.
“I didn’t even know how close I was until you just gave me that stat,” he said. “So no, when you talk about motivating factors to play, I wouldn’t say that’s one of them.”
The pathologically competitive Crosby remains intent on trying to help guide the Penguins back to the giddy heights of 2016 and 2017, when they became the first club in nearly 20 years to win back-to-back championships.
The going has grown increasingly tougher over the years. Pittsburgh hasn’t advanced past the first round since 2018, though their promising run to second place in the Metropolitan Division last spring provided some tangible momentum. While Dubas plainly stated the goal this time around is to make inroads on division rival and reigning Cup champion Carolina, Crosby has no plans on looking that far ahead.
There is only the familiar rhythm of the season, with its practices and morning skates and overnight plane rides and team meals and — 84 times over the next six months, then hopefully a bit more after that — the chance to hop over the boards and lean into the fire once more.
Ex-Sabres Take Center Stage On NHL’s Opening Night
The 2026-27 NHL regular season begins on Tuesday with five games, with a former Buffalo Sabres player in a key role. The most prominent debut will be defenseman Bowen Byram, who will make his Chicago Blackhawks debut against former Sabres captain Jack Eichel and the Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas.
Byram was traded just before the NHL Draft in June to the Hawks for the fourth overall pick (Daxon Rudolph), a second-round pick (later flipped to Anaheim for Olen Zellweger) and defenseman Louis Crevier. The 26-year-old then signed a six-year, $75 million contract with Chicago, where he will serve as their #1 blueliner.
Other Sabres Stories
Mrtka Looking To Take The Next Step Towards The NHL
Hear from Bowen Byram after today's practice ahead of his first road trip with the Blackhawks and going to face his former Sabres team at the end of it pic.twitter.com/19KRjdOKst
— CHGO Blackhawks (@CHGO_Blackhawks) September 28, 2026
Another former Sabre, winger JJ Peterka, makes his return to the Atlantic Division as a member of the Boston Bruins, as they host the New York Rangers at TD Garden. Peterka was traded by the Utah Mammoth to Boston exactly one year after he was dealt by the Sabres for Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring.
The 24-year-old had 20 or more goals for the third year in a row in Salt Lake City, but went pointless in six playoff games, and was swapped to Beantown for a pair of first round picks. Other ex-Sabres playing tonight are Taylor Hall and the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes against Sam Reinhart and the Florida Panthers, former first rounder Matthew Savoie and the Edmonton Oilers taking on the Vancouver Canucks, and Jake McCabe and the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Montreal Canadiens.
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Wild defenseman Brock Faber is out indefinitely after surgery to repair a fractured skull
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured skull.
The Wild said Tuesday that a timeframe for his recovery would be announced later.
The 24-year-old took a puck to the head off the stick of Dallas Stars forward Sam Steel during the final minute of the second period of each team’s preseason finale Friday night.
Faber skated the ninth most of any player in the NHL last season and is expected to have a significant role again alongside Quinn Hughes when he returns. He also was a key member of the U.S. Olympic team that won the country’s first men’s hockey gold medal since 1980.
Minnesota opens Thursday at Nashville.
Blue Jackets trade Marchenko to Maple Leafs as part of major 7-player deal
COLUMBUS, Ohio — After saying that Kirill Marchenko would be with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the start of the season, general manager Don Waddell dealt the forward as part of a major seven-player deal to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday as NHL teams were finalizing their opening week rosters.
The Blue Jackets also dealt goaltender Elvis Merzlikins and left-winger Miles Wood to the Maple Leafs for left wing Matthew Knies, defenseman Emil Andrae, center Steven Lorentz and a conditional second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
Marchenko was in the last year of his contract, but agreed to a six-year $75 million extension with the Maple Leafs. He relayed to Columbus’ front office before the draft in June that he didn’t intend to sign an extension with the Blue Jackets.
Waddell said the situation with Marchenko and star defenseman Zach Werenski were not the same. The Norris Trophy winner also said during the offseason he wasn’t ready to sign an extension, but also vetoed a trade to the Dallas Stars.
“I’ve had discussions with his agent, which we won’t discuss right now, but Marchenko’s going to be a Blue Jackets when the season starts,” Waddell said on July 2.
The 26-year old Russian was a second-round pick by the Blue Jackets in the 2018 draft. He didn’t make his NHL debut until 2022, but tied or led the team in scoring the past three seasons.
Marchenko had a team-high 27 goals last season and was second in points with 67. He had 102 goals and 208 points during his four seasons in Columbus.
In Knies, the Blue Jackets get a forward who battled injuries last season, but still finished with a career-best 66 points, including 23 goals. He is expected to be on one of the top two scoring lines.
The 23-year-old Knies was previously viewed as an important piece of Toronto’s future. He had a career-high 29 goals and 58 points in 2024-25 playing on a line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.
“Matthew is a big, strong power forward who combines tough, hard-nosed physical play with outstanding offensive skills,” Waddell said in a statement after the trade was announced. “He is a young player with great character and work ethic and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the Blue Jackets family.”
Merzlikins is currently on long-term injured reserve with a shoulder injury. He had a 14-11-3 record with a 3.40 goals-against average and .993 save percentage in 30 appearances last season as a backup to Blue Jackets starter Jet Greaves.
Wood, recently put on waivers, has 99 goals and 97 assists in 567 career games with New Jersey, Colorado and Columbus.
Lorentz, a Stanley Cup winner with the Florida Panthers in 2024, had 15 goals and 22 assists over two seasons in Toronto.
Andrae ended a very short tenure in Toronto. He was acquired in a June trade with Philadelphia. Andrae had three goals and 17 assists over 107 games with the Flyers, who selected him in the second round of the 2020 NHL draft.