The SHL's Brynas announced that they signed Calle Jarnkrok to a three-year contract on Monday, ending his 13-year NHL tenure. In the last four seasons of his NHL career, the right winger was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing a total of 200 regular-season games for the club from 2022-23 to 2025-26.

The final two years of that stint were particularly challenging for the veteran. He played just 75 games in that final pair of campaigns, scoring six goals and eight points in 56 appearances this past year, while his season prior was shortened due to a groin and sports hernia injury.

"I've had two tough years, and it feels a bit sad not to be able to finish over there the way I wanted," Jarnkrok told hockeysverige.se in Swedish. "That's maybe why the decision took a little longer. But now it feels good to have made up my mind."

One common denominator for those two disappointing seasons for Jarnkrok was that the team was under the guidance of former head coach Craig Berube.

Jarnkrok further opened up about the frustration of those last two seasons with the Maple Leafs in the NHL.

Craig Berube Admits The Crucial Mistake That Cost Him His Job With The Maple Leafs"If I had to do it all over again, I would never have done that.": Inside the final meeting and the tactical concessions that ultimately forced the Maple Leafs to cut ties with Craig Berube.

"Two years ago I couldn't play at all," Jarnkrok recalled. "But last year I came in and felt in really good shape, I scored goals...and then (Berube) put me in the stands. It was a little weird."

The 34-year-old is referencing his hot start to the 2025-26 campaign. In the first three outings of the season, Jarnkrok scored a goal in each game. At that point, he was second on the team in scoring, all while averaging 10:31 of ice time in that span. It was a very short sample size of what was to come, but a great start nonetheless.

After playing another two games for the Leafs and not continuing his scoring streak, he was scratched for game No. 6 of the regular season. He would come in and out of the lineup, but ended up featuring in 18 of Toronto's first 25 games of this past season.

Calle Jarnkrok’s Maple Leafs Tenure Reaches Official End With New Signing.After four seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and 13 in the NHL, Calle Jarnkrok is going back to Sweden to play for the SHL's Brynas.

Regardless, Jarnkrok wasn't pleased with how he was managed after the great start he thought he had and coming over the injury from the season before.

"I was very surprised," he said. "I understand that if I don't get to play when I score in every game like I did in the beginning...then it will be tough. It's the GM and the coach who decide, but it was an uphill battle. I did well but wasn't allowed to play. It was tough to motivate myself and keep going.

"It was a lot of fun playing in Toronto, even though the last year wasn't that fun. The whole city loves hockey, just like here in Gavle, and there's pressure with that. I think everyone who plays wants it that way," he added.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have 30 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #30. 

Let's take a look at today's edition, which is all about goalies. 

Marc Denis - 2001-2006 - Drafted by Colorado in 1995. 

On June 7, 2000, Denis was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Over the course of five years, he played in 266 games, going 84-146-25.  On June 30, 2006, Denis was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Fredrik Modin and Fredrik Norrena. He set the then-NHL record for most minutes in a season with 4,511, playing 77 regular-season games for Columbus in 2002-03. 

After the 2008-09 season, Denis retired after playing for the Montréal Canadiens and the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs. He is currently working as a color analyst for the Canadiens on RDS. 

Fredrik Norrena - 2007-2009 - Drafted by Tampa Bay in 2002. 

On June 30, 2006, Norrena was traded to the CBJ for Marc Denis. He would play in a total of 100 games, starting 35 of them. He finished his time in Columbus with a record of 35-45-11. 

In 2008, the Jackets put him on waivers and reported to Syracuse. On December 20, he signed a deal in the KHL and left North America for good. After playing for years in Sweden and Finland, he would retire. After retiring, he would go into coaching, where he would coach in Finland from 2014 to 2023. He became an asst. coach for Kölner Haie in the DEL in 2024 and will be coaching Tappara in Finland for the upcoming season.  

Dan LaCosta - 2009 - Drafted by Columbus in 2004. 

LaCosta played a total of four NHL games for Columbus. After Columbus, he played two years for the Univ. of New Brunswick and then a year for the Cardiff Devils in the EIHL. He was also a goaltending coach for Cardiff. 

LaCosta played in four games from 2007 to 2009. He spent the majority of his time playing for the AHL's Syracuse Crunch. He also played for the Dayton Bombers of the ECHL. 

He retired in 2014 after playing a single season in England for the Cardiff Devils. He was also the goaltending coach for Cardiff.

Curtis Sanford - 2012 - Undrafted out of Owen Sound, Ontario.   

Sanford signed a one-year contract with Columbus for the 11-12 season. He appeared in 36 games, going 10-18-4. 

After his one year in Columbus, he left for Russia, playing for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl for three seasons. He would retire on March 7, 2015. He spent the last few years as the goaltending coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

Mike McKenna - 2014 - Drafted by Nashville in 2002. 

On July 5, 2013, McKenna signed with Columbus, appearing in four games. He spent the bulk of the year playing for the Springfield Falcons of the AHL. 

He would go on to play for the Arizona Coyotes, Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, Ottawa Senators, Vancouver Canucks, and Philadelphia Flyers. On August 27, 2019, McKenna retired. He also spent two years as a studio analyst for the Vegas Golden Knights and three years as a Volunteer Goaltending Coach at St. Lawrence Univ.

Curtis McElhinney - 2015-2017 - Drafted by Calgary in 2002.

McElhinney could have been listed as the player who wore #31 the best. He started 66 games for the Jackets and came in to relieve the starters another 19 times. His career record with Columbus was 26-33-8. He went on to win a pair of Stanley Cups for the Tampa Bay Lightning, backing up starter Andrei Vasilevskiy. He retired on September 25, 2021.

He was the Toronto Maple Leafs Dir. of Goaltending from 2023 to 2025. 

Jean-François Bérubé - 2022 - Drafted by the LA Kings in 2009. 

On June 27, 2018, Bérubé was traded by the Blackhawks to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Jordan Schroeder. He would play in 6 games for Columbus and go 3-2. 

He would leave Columbus after that season and play two more AHL seasons. He is not officially retired. 

Spencer Martin - 2024 - Drafted by Colorado in 2013. 

On September 29, 2023, the Columbus Blue Jackets claimed Martin off waivers from the Vancouver Canucks. He would play in 13 games and go 3-8-1. 

On January 19, 2024, he was put on waivers by Columbus and claimed by the Carolina Hurricanes. He left for CSKA Moskva of the KHL for the 25-26 season, but returned later in the season to play for the New York Rangers. 

He is signed to the AHL's Hartford Wolfpack for 26-27. 

With 30 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena, the anticipation for the season is in full swing. 

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After last week’s look at our 2024 outlook about predicting the 2026 Penguins, let’s take the impossible stab at looking at what the 2028 Penguins could be working with.

This task is tough, since barely any players are under contract for the future. Pittsburgh only has six players under contract for 2028-29 as of right now. There’s a decent enough chance that two of them (Ryan Graves and Ville Koivunen) could be bought out or otherwise removed from the roster despite the current contractual status.

That roster buildup is by design by Kyle Dubas and the front office. The current version of the Pens is built to finish out the Crosby/Malkin era, as soon as its over the plug could get pulled in a major way to lean into a full franchise restart. Dubas has often said his goal is to continue to build in order to be strong in the short and long term, but there’s little doubt his talent pipeline lacks a lot of high-end, elite options. That could be coming and the 2028-29 Penguins might be a reason why.

The big question with this is whether or not Sidney Crosby will still be playing hockey in 2028-29. He’ll be 41-years old at that point and it would be a 24th season if he does come back. Crosby appears to still have the drive and desire to play now as much as ever, but sooner or later age and Father Time are going to end his playing career. Does he have three (or more) seasons left in him? At this point, it would be nothing more than a guess either way. There’s a good chance Crosby is still playing in 2028-29, realistically there’s also a good chance he hangs up the skates by that point. Clarity could come with Crosby’s expected upcoming contract extension – two years would commit him to playing 2028-29 and answer the question early. It sounds more likely it could be only a one-year extension.

Onto the roster projection, for now we will include Crosby (because it’s not like the team has a lot to the point of excluding him).

Top-six forwards: Sidney Crosby, Yegor Chinakhov, Ben Kindel, Tommy Novak, ?, ?

-Would love to include Koivunen here, but we haven’t seen it yet from him at the NHL level. If bought out, Koivunen would only carry a $479k cap penalty for the 2028-29 season. Ideally the Pens’ bet on him pays off, if not, then he becomes the footnote.

This listing shows the progress, yet continued challenges for Dubas. The good news: within about the last 12-15 months he has found both Kindel through the draft and Chinakhov through a trade. The bad news: Dubas needs to find another few key players in the coming years, ideally both young like he did before. Still a lot of work to do, maybe it means developing Mikhail Ilyin hoping for a big jump by Will Horcoff or Bill Zonnon, more than likely it’s going to have to be external adds.

Bottom-six forwards: Blake Lizotte, Elmer Soderblom, Rutger McGroarty, Bill Zonnon, ?, ?

-The Pens love to churn through a ton of options at the bottom of the lineup, which is almost certain to continue in the near future with various players getting looks and opportunities. Surely there will be unexpected additions from the trade and free agent market joining up. For best results and a healthy organization, it would be great to see as many internal development wins go up the ladder – even for players we didn’t project like Tanner Howe, Atley Calvert or Avery Hayes that certainly have some realisitic chance of being in the NHL picture two years from now.

LeftDefense: ?, ?, ?

-The picture looks bleak here. 2028 is a little too early to project someone like Tomas Galvas going from Czech league to NHL in two seasons in his early 20’s. Perhaps Jake Livanavage is in the picture. Maybe somehow it’s Owen Pickering. More than likely, we’ll just project the team needing completely new options on the left side. We’ll say there’s no Ryan Graves (who actually is under contract in 2028-29 for the final year). We said that in 2024 that he’d be gone by 2026, one of these times it’ll be right.

Right defense: Harrison Brunicke, Kaeden Korczak, ?

-The right side looks more projectable than the left at this point. Ideally a younger option like Chase Pietila or Finn Harding can even matriculate up and round out the group. That’s tough to call out of no where, so for now it’s too hazy to feel confident about projecting.

Goalie: Sergei Murashov, ?

-The Pens will surely be hoping Murashov works his way into being a longterm option in net. What the situation looks like beside him two years from now is up to interpretation. Dubas tends to flip and mix up goalies with some regularity, it stands to figure in a few years’ time there will be a fresh face involved with Murashov.

The New York Islanders play hockey this month.

It's been an incredibly long summer, with Mathieu Darche's squad last playing a game on Apr. 14, a 2-1 loss to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.

The offseason additions were slim -- that was expected -- with the organization saying goodbye to longtime captain Anders Lee, forward Maxim Shabanov, and backup goaltender David Rittich, bringing aboard forward Matias Maccelli and netminder Vitek Vanecek. 

The Islanders also will be welcoming back forwards Kyle Palmieri and Pierre Engvall, defenseman Alexander Romanov, and backstop Semyon Varlamov from injury. 

The biggest acquisition was the one Darche made with four games to go when he brought Pete DeBoer aboard. The longtime NHL head coach didn't have enough time left in the season to implement exactly what he wanted, but he has had the summer to do just that as we approach the start of training camp.

While we don't have specific dates just yet, the Islanders held their rookie camp on Sept. 11 last season, with training camp beginning on Sept. 18. 

When it comes to rookie camp, just a few reminders:

No NCAA players will be in attendance, as they reported to school in early August. Also, No. 13 pick Matias Gustafsson isn't expected to be there, as his SHL season begins shortly. 

For the first time, the Islanders will play in two prospect showcase games against the New Jersey Devils. The first game will be in New Jersey on Sept. 13 at 2 PM ET, and the second will be at Northwell Ice Center on Sept. 15 at 6 PM ET. 

The Islanders' four preseason games consist of two against the Devils and two against the New York Rangers. 

They'll kick things off in New Jersey against Devils at 1 PM ET on Sept. 20 followed by a game against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Sept. 22 at 7 PM ET. 

Then, their final two preseason games will be a back-to-back at UBS Arena, battling the Rangers at 7:30 PM ET on Sept. 25 before wrapping things up against the Devils on Sept. 26 at 7:30 PM ET. 

The Islanders face the Toronto Maple Leafs north of the border on Sept. 30 for their season opener, a cool matchup as we are likely to see No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna make his NHL debut. 

The Vancouver Canucks are just a few weeks away from kicking off the 2026–27 season. In honour of the upcoming campaign, The Hockey News’ Canucks team will be previewing Vancouver’s Pacific Division opponents. Today’s team is the rebuilding Calgary Flames. 

Calgary Flames 2025–26 Season:

Record: 34–39–9

Division Ranking: 7th

Playoffs: No

Goals For: 208

Goals Against: 256

Power Play: 16.2%

Penalty Kill: 80.4% 

2026 Off-Season Storylines:

Calgary was involved in one of the more notable trades conducted this off-season, intriguing fans when they acquired defenceman Šimon Nemec and forward Maxim Tsyplakov from the New Jersey Devils ahead of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. The move raised questions about the Flames, who currently look to be in contention for the rights to drafting first-overall in the 2027 NHL Draft, as Calgary gave up two first-round picks, prospect Etienne Morin, and a second-round pick for the two players. 

The Flames continued to make additions to their prospect cabinet by making five picks within the first two rounds of the draft, including selecting first-rounders defenceman Carson Carels (6th) and forward Jack Hextall (30th). 

Biggest Storyline For The 2026–27 Season: 

Calgary is in a very similar position to the Canucks in the sense that the 2026–27 season will likely be one focused on developing their youth while gunning to add more prospects to their shelves. The Flames are still looking for a break-out superstar to lead their offence, which was rated last in the NHL in 2025–26 with a 208 goals-for. The likeliest way for that to happen will be through the draft. 

Player To Watch:

Given that he was arguably the Flames’ top ready-to-play acquisition during the 2026 off-season, Nemec will likely be the Calgary player on everyone’s radar. He will expectedly slot into one of Calgary’s top-two pairings and potentially make his way onto a power play unit.  

Key Additions:

• Winger Maxim Tsyplakov 
• Defenceman Šimon Nemec 
• Defenceman Jacob Middleton 
• Defenceman Carson Carels 

Key Subtractions:

• Winger Blake Coleman 
• Winger Ryan Lomberg
• Defenceman Olli Määttä

Schedule Against The Canucks

• October 3 vs. Calgary 
• December 26 @ Calgary 
• February 27 vs. Calgary 
• April 10 @ Calgary 

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.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site:

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Going into this upcoming season, the Detroit Red Wings will have plenty of players under the microscope, but one storyline may go largely unnoticed. Mason Appleton, a 30-year-old veteran entering the final year of his contract, is set up for one of the more underrated arcs on the roster this season.

Heading into his tenth NHL season and second with Detroit, Appleton will be looking to prove himself ahead of his next contract, ideally with a season that gets him back closer to his career-high 36 points, a mark he set back in 2023-24 with Winnipeg. He's expected to slot into the third line and spend most of the season in Detroit's bottom six.

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Mason Appleton scores against his former team 👀

📺: Jets 🆚 Red Wings live on Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/XAKIFDDbV0

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 1, 2026

The Green Bay, Wisconsin native has never signed an NHL deal longer than three years, and his next contract, which would be his fifth as an NHL veteran, could be the one that carries him into his mid-30s if he can put together a strong platform year. 

That won't be easy coming off a rough first season in Detroit as Appleton battled a lower-body injury for much of the year, appearing in just 65 games and finishing with six goals and eight assists for 14 points, his lowest full-season output since 2022-23. He also posted a minus-4 rating, his first negative plus/minus mark in five years.

With a full, healthy season ahead of him, Appleton will be looking to reestablish himself as a reliable NHL depth piece, whether that means a new deal in Detroit or elsewhere around the league.

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At midnight, streaming service Crave dropped the first two episodes of the third season of The Rebuild: Inside the Montreal Canadiens, and fans won’t be disappointed with the first two episodes of the docuseries. Unsurprisingly, the first episode focuses on the start of the 2025-26 season and on the Lane Hutson contract, while the second episode covers the rocky road the Montreal Canadiens’ goaltenders traveled last year.

It’s great to see that the series didn’t shy away from what was the main story of the Habs season last year, although it gives the impression that both goaltenders had issues from the start of the year, which wasn’t really the case. There’s no mention of the fact that Jakub Dobes, who played six regular-season games in October, was flawless in that month.

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Yes, his performance dipped in November, but that came after the team kept going back to Samuel Montembeault, time and time again, despite his struggles. It would have been shocking for Dobes’ confidence not to be rocked by that, to be fair. That’s my sole criticism of the first two episodes; it feels like a bit of revisionist history, going straight into the "neither goaltender can make a save" narrative.

There are a few interesting quotes in those first two hours, especially when GM Kent Hughes is discussing the Becancour native’s struggles:

It’s not about knowing whether Samuel Montembeault can climb Everest; we know he can. The question is whether he can climb it during an avalanche.

- Kent Hughes on Samuel Montembeault's struggles.

That’s quite an accurate way to put it, as the show mentions, playing goalie for the Canadiens is one of the hardest jobs in professional hockey. It even quotes the great Jacques Plante, who once asked how people would feel if every mistake they made at work was highlighted by a huge flashing red light over their head and 15,000 people screamed at them. It then cuts to Montembeault, who adds that it’s now 21,000 people at the Bell Centre.

While there’s no doubt that Montembeault would like to put that nightmarish season in the rearview mirror and never think about it or discuss it anymore, it’s highly unlikely that will be possible. If he had managed to right the ship, it wouldn’t be an issue, but the start of the new season, and even training camp, will still be about seeing if he can climb Everest during an avalanche, because he didn’t do it last season.

I was surprised to see the docuseries give a bit of a behind-the-scenes look at Dobes’ burst of emotion after a November 4-3 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils. As you’ll no doubt recall, the netminder failed to fight back the tears in his postgame media availability:

It happened last year; it happens this year, losing to those guys in OT. Just disappointed in myself; that’s pretty much it.

In an interview that must have been done a while after the event, Dobes recalls that the day after, a lot of the guys, including Arber Xhekaj, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky, would start fake crying after he said something; clearly that was all in good fun to help him move past the situation. But before they could tease him, they apparently told him that Caufield had cried in the dressing room too when he was sent down to Laval, and that Slafkovsky had done it in an interview a couple of years ago. The camaraderie is alive and well in Montreal.

The second episode also shows the Canadiens' first game against the Washington Capitals after Alex Ovechkin and co. eliminated them in the spring of 2025. The Habs had to wait until November 20 for an opportunity for revenge, and they weren’t successful. In case you forgot, Washington won 8-4. This season, Montreal won’t have to wait that long to avenge their elimination this year, as the Stanley Cup champions Carolina Hurricanes will be the first visitors at the Bell Centre on October 6, the third game of the season. Will the Habs suffer the same fate? Time will tell.

At the end of the second episode, much is made of a Montembeault bounce-back performance against the Vegas Golden Knights. Still, the series isn't a Hollywood blockbuster with a happy ending, and the preview of episode three shows the netminder being sent down to Laval and Jacob Fowler being called back up. It will be interesting to see just how deep the series goes into the conditioning stint and whether they spoke to Montembeault himself about it.

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Have you ever heard the saying, “I don’t have to be faster than the bear; I just have to be faster than you?”

Because that’s kind of what this is for Devon Levi.

Levi doesn’t have to prove he’s better than Frederik Andersen. He has to prove he’s better than Tristan Jarry, and he’ll have however long Andersen is out to do it. When Andersen returns, the Edmonton Oilers will have three goalies and only two positions available. At some point, somebody will have to go.

This is Levi’s chance. It might be the best chance he’s ever had in his NHL career.

Andersen is expected to miss training camp after suffering an injury during an offseason training session, and the Oilers haven’t given a timeline for his return. That leaves Jarry and Levi as Edmonton’s two healthy NHL goalies entering camp and, presumably, the regular season.

Levi was buried so deep in the Buffalo Sabres prospect pool that he never really got looked at the way he could have elsewhere. He entered the NHL as one of the Sabres’ top prospects and played seven games immediately after leaving Northeastern University in 2023, then started 21 games as a rookie the following season. Buffalo kept adding goalies around him, including Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, which started a series of events that led Levi to spend much of his time in Rochester.

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Levi has appeared in 39 NHL games over three seasons and has a 17-17-2 record with an .894 save percentage. Those numbers don't establish him as an NHL goalie, and his time in Buffalo never established that either. He has spent much of his professional career moving between leagues while trying to get enough NHL starts to show where he belongs.

Edmonton can give him those starts now.

Jarry enters camp with the inside track because of his experience and contract, though his standing with Oilers fans isn't particularly strong after last season. He has been around the NHL for years, has been an All-Star and has handled a starter's workload before. His recent seasons have also included enough poor stretches that fans are not unreasonable for not trusting him.

Once Andersson gets healthy, Mike Babcock and his staff will have seen who should back him up between Levi and Jarry.

Team Reporter Tony Brar Leaving Oilers: "I Arrived Chasing a Dream. I Leave Ready To Chase Another" After eight seasons as a beloved gameday fixture, the versatile Oilers TV host bids an emotional farewell to Edmonton while preparing for a major new career chapter.

Edmonton has no reason to run Jarry through every preseason game while Andersen is unavailable, and Levi needs to spend time in the NHL at this point in his career. He's 24 years old now. Another season spent waiting for occasional opportunities won't do him much.

Jarry will have the same opportunity, of course, but his job isn't protected simply because he enters camp having been in the NHL longer.

Now, there are fans out fans wondering "what about Connor Ungar."

Do The Oilers Have What's Needed To Land Hellebuyck?: Should They Try?As Winnipeg’s star netminder hits the trade block, Edmonton faces a high-stakes dilemma involving massive cap hits, roster depth, and the missing pieces needed for a blockbuster deal.

Ungar has gotten a lot of attention after his first professional season in the AHL, but he still needs time. Goaltending development rarely benefits from skipping steps, and another season in the AHL gives Ungar more needed time to develop before he makes that next step.

There is no reason to push him into the NHL in September, especially when Levi is already there.

He's played in the NHL before, albeit for fewer games than Jarry, and has reached the point where Edmonton needs to find out whether he can be an NHL goaltender. Buffalo never gave him a long runway to answer that question, and his path kept getting crowded by other goalies.

Is Stuart Skinner The Starter In Winnipeg?Stuart Skinner signed with the Winnipeg Jets on July 1 with a pretty clear job waiting for him.

For however long Andersen is recovering, the path in Edmonton is open.

Levi doesn't need to beat Andersen, he just needs to outrun Jarry.

With less than a month to go before the official start of the 2026-27 NHL regular season, the Pittsburgh Penguins will have a lot of decisions to make regarding their roster.

Of course, the biggest story during this year's training camp will be which prospects, if any, crack the opening night roster. Lineups and deployment will also be an interesting thing to watch out for, especially since there will be legitimate positional battles at all three junctures for the Penguins.

As intriguing as things will be on the forward and goaltending fronts, though, the blue line will be equally as interesting to keep an eye on. 

With the left side being, pretty much, anyone's game, the right side is a bit of a different story. On the right, two longtime NHL veterans in Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang will populate roster spots - and their respective careers are in much different places right now. 

Karlsson, 36, is coming off his best year as a Penguin, as his 15 goals and 66 points in 75 games as well as his spectacular play down the stretch of the regular season earned him Team MVP honors last season. He is, by all measures, still a top-pairing defenseman who can play at an elite level on a playoff team.

As for Letang? The 39-year-old has put together an impressive 20-year career in the NHL with the Penguins, registering 178 goals and 806 points in 1,235 career games. His production wasn't bad for a player his age last season, either, with three goals and 34 points in 74 games.

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However, aside from the production falling off with age, it's the other parts of his game that have become a bit of a concern. He no longer has the wheels to be the effective one-on-one defender he used to be, and he can't get himself back in plays on the backcheck like he used to. His defensive zone reads are becoming an issue, the turnovers are a concern, and he isn't quite as effective in transition as he used to be.

Letang's minutes were reduced to 21:41 per game on average last season, which was almost a two-minute dip from the 2024-25 season. According to Moneypuck, he also had the worst mark among Penguins' defensemen in expected goals against per 60 minutes (3.44), and his on-ice expected goals share of 49.4 percent was also the worst mark among the eight Penguins' defensemen with more than 300 minutes of ice time. 

It's understandable to give Letang some benefit of the doubt here, especially since he had a rotating carousel of defensive partners throughout the season. He seemed to have a fair bit of chemistry with Brett Kulak in the short time he spent in Pittsburgh last season, and he did play better with Sam Girard in the last few games of the regular season and into the playoffs. 

4 Penguins Poised For Big Breakouts In 2026-27There are a few younger Pittsburgh Penguins who have the potential for massive seasons in 2026-27.

But, at this point, it's reasonable to suggest that Letang and the Penguins may benefit from slowly reducing his minutes. That is not necessarily a suggestion that Letang should be out of the lineup, as sheltered minutes could help maximize his performance in those minutes. Letang still has the capability of being a serviceable NHL defenseman, so as long as he is willing to adapt his game to be a bit more calculated and less risk-averse than it was in his younger years. 

Down the stretch, we did see that a bit with him and Girard. Girard, 28, is a decade younger and plays a comparable style to Letang's at the same age, and as they got used to playing with one another, Letang took a bit more of a backseat to Girard joining the rush and jumping up on the play. 

If he continues to develop chemistry with Girard and can tap into that style of play moving forward, he'll still be a valuable part of the Penguins' defensive corps. But whether he should be doing this in top-four minutes is a different story.

Report: Mario Lemieux, Ron Burkle Sell Penguins' Ownership SharesPittsburgh Penguins' legend cuts formal ties with the organization for the first time in nearly 40 years.

But things are not really that simple. 

Karlsson will be the top right defenseman for this team, but he is also in the final year of his contract. Depending on how the season goes for the Penguins, he is a potential trade candidate, should he be willing to move. They also just acquired Kaedan Korczak from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for left defenseman Parker Wotherspoon, and although the Penguins are intrigued by Korczak, he's still largely a wildcard and has not been tested in a top-four role.

Then, there's Harrison Brunicke - just named Pittsburgh's top prospect on our annual Top-20 Penguins' Prospects list - who will more than likely make a strong case for himself at training camp, just as he has done in the past two years. If both Brunicke and Korczak put on strong camp showings, how will the Penguins manage Letang? Could he potentially play his off-side? Will one of them unseat him for a second-pair role?

To start the season, the last thing is a bit unlikely. But, especially as the season goes on, it's a distinct possiblity, especially if either one of Brunicke or Korczak gain any kind of momentum.

Regardless, the Penguins are set to have some tough decisions to make about their blue line, and Letang's role is going to be one of the biggest questions heading into the 2026-27 season. 

Top-20 Penguins' Prospects 2026: The Full ListThe Pittsburgh Penguins have an influx of talent in their system from the last few years, and THN - Pittsburgh Penguins counted down the Top-20 prospects in the organization right now.

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The 2026-27 season is on the horizon for the New York Islanders, so it's time to preview the season and highlight expectations for the team and each specific player.

Perhaps the single best story in all of hockey right now might just be the return of Semyon Varlamov to the hockey.

Varlamov, 38, underwent a double-knee replacement and has not appeared in the NHL since November 2024. The journey he's gone through since then to work his way back to this point where he's considered healthy and NHL ready is astounding.

He played two rehab games with the team's then-AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders at the very end of the season, going 2-0 while making 46 saves out of 49.

Varlamov's return also can end the carousel of backups behind Ilya Sorokin, as both David Rittich and Marcus Hogberg struggled behind Sorokin, forcing the Russian into extra starts down the stretch of the last two seasons.

A healthy and strong Varlamov can change all of that and will give the Islanders two goalies they can trust.

While September is just about here, there are still players who remain unsigned at this point in the off-season. 

A former Chicago Blackhawks forward is one of the top unrestricted free agents (UFAs) left with NHL training camps soon getting started: Philipp Kurashev.

Kurashev still being a free agent comes after he spent the 2025-26 season with the San Jose Sharks. In 43 games with the Pacific Division club, he posted seven goals, 13 assists, 20 points, and a plus-1 rating. It was a step in the right direction for the 26-year-old, as he had seven goals, 14 points, and a minus-28 rating in 51 games for Chicago in 2024-25. 

Now that NHL training camps are almost here, it would not necessarily be surprising if Kurashev lands a PTO from an NHL club. He could be a decent player for another team to take a chance on with a PTO to create more competition for their NHL roster. 

Kurashev was selected by the Blackhawks with the 120th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He spent his first five NHL seasons with the Original Six club, where he posted 42 goals, 82 assists, and 130 points. His best season with Chicago was in 2023-24, as he set career highs with 18 goals, 36 assists, and 54 points. 

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The countdown is on, with the Detroit Red Wings now less than three weeks away from officially opening training camp ahead of the 2026-27 NHL season.

For now, the club has more questions than answers, most notably who its next general manager will be (and when that announcement will come), as well as the ultimate fate of captain Dylan Larkin, who requested a trade earlier this offseason.

Meanwhile, multiple former members of the Red Wings are facing questions of their own, specifically whether or not their NHL careers could be at an end. 

Among the veteran players who recently played in Detroit and continue to await their next contract are forwards James van Riemsdyk and Vladimir Tarasenko, defenseman Jeff Petry, and goaltenders Cam Talbot and James Reimer. 

van Riemsdyk, who was the No. 2 overall selection in the 2007 NHL Draft (one selection behind now-former Red Wings forward Patrick Kane), scored 15 goals with 16 assists in his first and only season in Detroit.

The 37-year-old veteran has played 1,154 NHL games with the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Red Wings. 

Tarasenko, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, spent just one season in Detroit in 2024-25, struggling with just 11 goals in 80 games.

After being traded to Minnesota last offseason, he bounced back with 23 goals and 24 assists in 75 games, the type of production the Red Wings had hoped to get when they signed him to a two-year deal in 2024. 

Petry, a 38-year-old Ann Arbor native and the son of former Detroit Tigers World Series-winning pitcher Dan Petry, spent two seasons with his hometown team from 2023 to 2025. He split last season between the Florida Panthers and the Minnesota Wild. 

He's played in 1,048 career NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, Red Wings, Panthers, and Wild. 

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Talbot, who is coming off a two-year contract with the Red Wings signed in 2024, went 12-9-6 with a 3.19 goals-against average and an .833 save percentage in 2025-26. 

At age 39, his options are dwindling.

Red Wings' David Perron Remains Unsigned as Training Camp ApproachesAfter a disappointing homecoming and a quiet free agency, the Stanley Cup champion faces an uncertain future as roster spots vanish across the league’s training camps.

Meanwhile, Reimer spent last season with the Ottawa Senators, who signed him to a one-year contract after he failed to secure a deal following a PTO with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he began his NHL career.

During his only season with the Red Wings in 2023-24, Reimer posted an 11-8-2 record with a 3.11 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage and two shutouts. 

Reimer will turn 39 in March, and like Talbot, the chances of him landing another NHL contract aren't strong. 

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The Buffalo Sabres had an excellent season last year, winning the highly-competitive Atlantic Division, then beating the Boston Bruins in the first-round of the 2025-26 Stanley Cup playoffs. The bar has been raised for Buffalo, but the rest of the Atlantic is just as competitive, if not more so than the Sabres are. 

So, for the second straight season here at THN.com, we're going to break down Buffalo’s Eastern Conference opponents in a series we like to call “Know Your Enemy”. We’re going to focus on the Bruins’ changes, as well as their scheduled games against Boston. Let's get to it:

BUFFALO SABRES VS. BOSTON BRUINS

NEW BRUINS PLAYERS: J.J. Peterka, (LW); Ivan Ivan (LW), Connor Clifton (D), Jiri Patera (G), Brendan Gaunce (LW), Will Borgen (D)

2025-26 SERIES: Sabres 1-1-2, Bruins 3-1-0

2026-27 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER: January 5, at Boston; March 23 at Boston; April 1 at Buffalo; April 7 at Buffalo

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM? The Bruins surprised many people this past season, and that includes the Sabres, who lost three of four regular-season games against Boston in 2025-26. Buffalo got their revenge in the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean the Sabres won’t have their hands full with the Bs next season. To the contrary.

Buffalo will get a longer look at former Sabres star Peterka, who played with the Utah Mammoth last year before the Bruins traded for him this summer. But Boston’s other moves were largely cosmetic. The Bruins are still built around star winger David Pastrnak, defenseman Charlie McAvoy and goalie Jeremy Swayman, and that hasn’t changed.

The weird twists and turns of the NHL schedule will see Buffalo take on Boston three times in a two-week period at the tail end of their schedule. That means the Sabres will be a very different team post-trade-deadlne, and they’re going to have a tough time keeping pace with the rest of their Eastern Conference rivals.

Indeed, the Sabres and Bruins could wind up fighting it out for one of the final wild card berths in the East this season. And that makes every game they play incredibly important for Buffalo. The Sabres have to take care of their intra-divisional games, and although Buffalo won’t see Boston until the new calendar year, the two teams are going to be fighting it out, tooth-and-nail, for prime real estate in the Atlantic.

The Sabres will need to be consistently excellent to have a hope at winning their division. But as Boston has shown, there’s no lack of challenge for Buffalo, regardless of their opponent. The Sabres can’t afford any prolonged stretch of sub-par play, and that means taking care of business against a proud and determined Bruins squad.

Because if they can’t do that and the Bs overtake them for a playoff spot, Buffalo will be haunted over their losses to Boston. The Sabres probably won’t be as dominant in 2026-27 as they were this past year, but finishing ahead of the Bruins will be a must for Buffalo.

Heading into the 2026-27 season, the Winnipeg Jets have plenty on their plate as they look to get back into the mix as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. From roster battles to a lingering trade saga to a long list of players auditioning for their next contract, here are the three biggest storylines to watch as training camp approaches.

Are Brayden Yager and Elias Salomonsson Ready to Make the Pro Jump This Season?

Some of Winnipeg's hope for a bounce-back season rests on fresh blood joining the roster full-time. Brad Lambert has already established himself as a lineup fixture, with both Elite Prospects and Daily Faceoff projecting the 22-year-old to make the team out of camp. Less certain are the roles awaiting Brayden Yager and Elias Salomonsson.

Salomonsson was a regular presence for the Jets over a stretch of last season, but the additions of Jack St. Ivany and Haydn Fleury, both capable of playing the right side of the defense, muddy his path to a roster spot. 

What a shot from Elias Salomonsson for his first NHL goal 👏🎯 pic.twitter.com/3DSjjhV7mZ

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 28, 2026

The former second-round pick appeared in 32 games with Winnipeg last season, recording a goal and four assists for five points with a minus-six rating, while also posting nine points in 29 AHL games with Manitoba. His season ended early after a shoulder injury suffered during the Moose's playoff push required surgery.

Yager, also 21, may be a step behind Salomonsson in NHL readiness, but he made a strong case for himself in his first full pro season, picking up 30 points in 68 games with Manitoba and adding four points in seven playoff games. He also got a brief NHL look, appearing in three games with the Jets late in the year. Both players figure to be among the most interesting names to watch once camp opens.

Will Connor Hellebuyck Remain in Winnipeg All Season?

No storyline looms larger over the Jets than the future of Connor Hellebuyck. The three-time Vezina Trophy winner made his intentions known during his end-of-season media availability, saying that after winning Olympic gold with Team USA, all that's left on his mind is a Stanley Cup, whether that happens in Winnipeg or elsewhere.

That stance nearly resulted in a trade to the Buffalo Sabres around the draft, in a deal reportedly involving the fourth overall pick, before talks fell apart. On August 27, Hellebuyck's agent, Ray Petkau, released a statement confirming that Hellebuyck had requested a trade months earlier and that his "position has not changed." 

Hellebuyck is coming off a down season by his standards, finishing 2025-26 with a 23-23-11 record, a 2.86 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage, a steep drop from his back-to-back Vezina campaigns, when he combined for an 84-31-7 record, a 2.19 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. 

The Jets have already hedged against his potential departure by acquiring goaltender Stuart Skinner in free agency, giving them a capable option in net regardless of how the situation resolves.

Several Impact Players Enter Contract Years

Beyond the Hellebuyck situation, the Jets have a notably long list of players entering contract years who could shape the roster's direction going forward.

Up front, Nino Niederreiter is looking to bounce back from one of the roughest seasons of his career, having posted just 19 points in 61 games last year and at 33, he'll be chasing what could be his final contract.

Center Vladislav Namestnikov faces a similar situation after a down year of his own, managing 14 points in 60 games, and will be looking to return closer to his previous near-40-point form. 

Morgan Barron, who posted a career-best 23 points in 65 games despite missing time to injury, could be in line for a bigger role and a corresponding payday if he can build on that progress. And Lambert, entering the final year of his entry-level deal, faces his own prove-it season as he looks to lock down a long-term role.

On the back end, veteran Haydn Fleury enters the final year of his contract as Winnipeg's projected seventh defenseman, while Salomonsson, still on his entry-level deal, will need to show he's ready for full-time NHL minutes to secure his next contract.

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After two seasons and a Czech Extraliga Championship with HC Kometa Brno, former San Jose Sharks defenseman Brandon Davidson will be looking for a new home for the 2026-27 season.

"We thank Brandon for everything he has done for Kometa," HC Kometa Brno Sports Manager Tomas Vincour said in a press release. "The reason why our paths are now diverging is the overpressure in the defensive ranks and the decision to give more space to our younger players. It is definitely not an easy farewell for us, but considering the breadth of the squad, its reduction was inevitable. We wish Brandon good luck and success in his future hockey journey,"

"I will never forget the time I spent at Kometa," Davidson himself said in the same release. "The championship title, the energy and the atmosphere around the club in the last two years changed my life. I would like to thank the fans for the support I have always felt here. I appreciate it very much. I am proud to have been part of such a first-class organization. My thanks go to the entire Kometa team, led by Libor Zábranský, for everything they have done for me."

Davidson didn't play at all during the 2025-26 season due to injury, leaving the 35-year-old defenseman's future somewhat up in the air moving forward. 

Davidson played for the Sharks during the 2019-20 season, when he appeared in five games for the team in teal after being acquired for future considerations. The defenseman also had stops with the Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames, and Buffalo Sabres.