The Buffalo Sabres snapped their 15-year postseason drought, winning the Atlantic Division and advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but after an offseason that saw Bowen Byram and Alex Tuch being dealt, the task of repeating as division champion or finishing in the top three of the Atlantic could be significantly more difficult.
This week, we will look at the seven other teams in the Atlantic to see where they stand in comparison to where they were at the end of last season and see where they potentially stack up as competition with the Sabres.
The Ottawa Senators were the polar opposite of the Detroit Red Wings after the Olympic break, going 16-5-4 to beat out the Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Washington Capitals, and NY Islanders for one of the two Eastern Conference wildcard spots. The Sens battled the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, but only scored five goals in a four-game sweep.
After the season, there was little hint that things between the club and team captain Brady Tkachuk had reached a crossroads, but behind the scenes he indicated that he would not be re-signing in Ottawa after the final two years of his contract, which led to him being traded to the Florida Panthers to join his brother Matthew.
William Eklund - acquired from San Jose for the ninth overall pick in the 2026 Draft (Keaton Verhoeff), under contract for three more years at $5.6 million AAV
Philip Tomasino - signed to one-year, $900,000 deal
Samuel Ersson - acquired from Toronto for a 2027 fifth round pick
Andre Burakovsky - acquired from Chicago for a 2027 sixth-round pick
Will Patrick Kane sign with Buffalo?
Subtractions
Brady Tkachuk - 59 points (22 goals, 37 assists) in 60 games, dealt to Florida for the 2026 ninth overall pick, 2026 25th overall pick (Jonas Lagerberg-Hoen), a 2027 second-round pick in the 2027 draft and conditional 2029 first round pick.
Outlook
The Sens core group (Tim Stutzle, Shane Pinto, Dylan Cozens, Eklund, Jake Sanderson) are all 25 or younger, and head coach Travis Green has veterans Drake Batherson, Artem Zub, Thomas Chabot, and Claude Giroux who are contributors. Ridly Greig provides sandpaper, Tyler Kleven and Jordan Spence provide quality depth on the blueline, and Linus Ullmark has returned to Vezina form in stretches.
As currently constructed, Ottawa and Buffalo are about even in goal with Ullmark and Ersson against the Sabres trio. Defensively, Sanderson and Chabot are quality top four defenders, but they do not come up to the level of Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, the departure of Byram has weakened the Sabres defensive depth, and Ottawa draws close to even with the second and third pairing blueliners. Where the Sabres have a clear advantage is up front, where the loss of Tkachuk is by far more impactful than the departure of Tuch.
The Senators have also taken a step back, to the point where they are likely battling to stay out of the bottom of the Atlantic Division next season instead of competing for a wildcard spot.
The Hamilton Hammers, the New York Islanders' American Hockey League affiliate, announced on Sunday afternoon that they had signed right-shot defenseman Ryan Healey.
.@hammersahl have signed RHD Ryan Healey, who #Isles acquired the rights to from #mnwild for future considerations.
Healey, 22, was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft and had spent the last four seasons at Harvard, where he recorded 55 points (19 goals, 36 assists) in 130 NCAA games.
The Islanders acquired the rights to Healey on June 27 from the Wild for future considerations.
His rights were set to expire on Aug. 15. Because it is strictly an AHL deal, any NHL team can sign Healey.
It’s been three weeks since the opening of free agency, and the Montreal Canadiens have not put pen to paper with any NHLers aside from players who were already theirs. Kent Hughes has also been quiet on the trade market, although that wasn’t for lack of trying; as things stand, the Habs are set to run it back with the same lineup that lost the Eastern Conference Final in five games.
Nobody can complain about the work Hughes has done so far, and staying away from the big contracts and overpayment that normally characterize free agency has served him well in the last five years. However, with so many of the Canadiens’ core players signing team-friendly contracts, the Habs GM will need to have something to show them for it sooner or later. Of course, that could be later down the line when the Habs’ prospects join the lineup, and there’s plenty of cap room to get them to commit long term, but in the meantime, Montreal’s lineup could do with a placeholder.
A veteran player who can still produce and is seeking a short-term contract would be ideal. There’s one veteran player who’s still a free agent and who has signed a one-year deal for his last three contracts: Patrick Kane.
The 37-year-old put up 57 points in 67 games with the Detroit Red Wings last season and is still a productive player in the NHL. For a Habs team that is hoping to see Michael Hage and Alexander Zharovsky join at the end of the season, the American could be just what the doctor ordered.
Of course, Kane has never been known as a genius on the defensive side of the game, but he does have a very high hockey IQ and elite decision-making, which could make him an ideal candidate to thrive in Martin St-Louis’ brand of hockey.
Would he be able to commit to playing a complete game on both sides of the puck? That’s the question, but he may very well be worth a one-year gamble, especially since the Habs have been unable to get anyone else so far. Last year, Kane had a $3 million cap hit; the year before, it was $4 million, and three years ago it was $2.75 million. He’s won three Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks and knows what it takes to make it all the way. He’s at the very least an option to seriously consider, as his presence on Ivan Demidov’s wing could be a game changer.
Opening day is rapidly approaching, as we're down to 74 days until the San Jose Sharks host the Florida Panthers to kick off the 2026-27 season. There has only been one player to ever wear the number 74 for the Sharks: Dylan DeMelo.
The Sharks drafted DeMelo with the 179th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. He went on to make his professional debut during the 2011-12 season with the Sharks' American Hockey League affiliate at the time, the Worcester Sharks, appearing in four games before returning to the Ontario Hockey League for the 2012-13 season.
After his final junior season came to an end, he returned to Worcester for another short stint at the end of the 2012-13 season, appearing in 10 games this time. He then spent two full seasons with the Sharks' farm team before making his NHL debut during the 2015-16 season. He played 45 games for the Sharks in his rookie campaign, splitting time between the NHL and the Sharks' newly relocated AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.
DeMelo remained with the Sharks through the end of the 2017-18 season. On September 18, 2018, DeMelo was traded to the Ottawa Senators along with multiple other assets in a deal that brought star defenseman Erik Karlsson to the Bay Area.
DeMelo only spent a season and a half in Canada's capital, as the Senators traded him to cross-country to the Winnipeg Jets in February of 2020 in exchange for a third round pick. Since then, he's been a mainstay on the Jets' blue line.
All-in-all, DeMelo has played 718 career NHL games at this point, certainly a respectable total for a former sixth-round draft pick. He still has quite a bit of gas left in the tank as well at just 33 years of age.
Now that the full Florida Panthers schedule for the 2026-27 season has been released, it gives us a chance to dive into the details and analyze what we find.
An element of a schedule that is often highly scrutinized due to its impact on a team’s advantage, or disadvantage, on a given night are back-to-back games.
Teams playing on the second night of a back-to-back set have traditionally had a much harder time obtaining two points than when they played the night before.
Last season, the Florida Panthers played 13 back-to-back sets. On the second night of those occasions, Florida went just 4-8-1.
Looking at the new schedule, the Panthers are among a group of five teams (Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, Washington Capitals) who will play 14 sets of back-to-back games this season.
Only the Pittsburgh Penguins will play more, as they’ll play on consecutive nights 15 times.
On the flip side, facing a team playing on the second night of a back-to-back can be a major advantage, one that Florida will enjoy only nine times this season, which is among the lowest amount in the league.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets will play a team on the back end of a back-to-backer just five times, which is the fewest of all teams, while the Minnesota Wild will play seven teams in the same situation, the Bruins, Senators and Utah Mammoth will face eight such teams, and then it’s the Panthers and the San Jose Sharks at nine.
At the opposite end of that you’ll find the Montreal Canadiens, who will face a team that played the night before 19 times this season, followed by the Anaheim Ducks at 18, the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues at 16 and a group of five teams – the Calgary Glames, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils and Capitals, looking forward to 15 such games.
From the Florida perspective, the argument would be that a fully healthy Panthers squad will be able to take care of business on might nights regardless of when or where they may be playing.
Add it to the list of reasons why the Cats will be carrying a chip on their collective shoulder as they embark on their latest quest to re-claim the Stanley Cup.
Photo caption: Apr 15, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice speaks to assistant coach Jamie Kompon against the Detroit Red Wings during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
Connor Bedard has become one of the NHL's highest-paid players. The Chicago Blackhawks signed the 21-year-old to a five-year deal on Saturday, which carries an AAV of $15 million. As of writing, Bedard will have the third-highest cap hit for the 2026-27 season while his $17 million total salary ranks fourth.
Ever since Bedard was first drafted into the WHL, Vancouver Canucks fans have hoped he would one day play for the franchise. Born in North Vancouver, the rising NHL star grew up a fan of the Canucks and at one point, listed former Vancouver forward Tyler Motte as his favourite NHL player. With Bedard set to become an unrestricted free agent once his new extension is complete, Canucks fans are already dreaming that a John Taveres-type situation could unfold in five years.
"HE'S COMING HOME TO VANCOUVER!!!! WALKING HIM TO UFA!!!! GREATEST MOMENT IN CANUCKS HISTORY SINCE 2011!! HE'S FOLLOWING THE GAMEPLAN PERFECTLY!!!!" wrote @taj1944 on "X".
As noted in the post, there has been a big push on social media to get as many BC-born players to Vancouver. The other player constantly mentioned in this social media campaign is San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini, who will be a restricted free agent next year. The Canucks already have Macklin's brother, Aiden, in their system, as he was drafted in 2023.
Another comment on "X" came from @TrevBeggs, who wrote. "This is the best birthday present I could ask for."
Finally, @LaheyHNIC on "X" wrote, "420 games until Connor Bedard is a Canuck. Official countdown"
The next few years will be intriguing, especially as Bedard inches closer to becoming an unrestricted free agent. With a passionate fan base in Vancouver, there are going to be constant posts, whether on social media or Canucks Reddit, about a potential homecoming. This season, Bedard and the Blackhawks play twice at Rogers Arena, with games scheduled for November 22, 2026 and March 3, 2027.
Nov 5, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard (98) collides with Vancouver Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen (32) in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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On Saturday, one day after his 21st birthday, Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks came to terms on an extension. It’s a five-year deal with a cap hit of $15 million per year.
There was a lot of drama surrounding this contract, but it didn’t have much to do with negotiations. Bedard injured his shoulder during a summer skate, which complicated things, and there has been offer-sheet drama around the NHL.
It is worth noting that Bedard signed for $3 million less than Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson, who signed a 5-year, $18 million offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers before Anaheim matched it. Bedard could have commanded that, or more, but he gave Chicago a break.
On the flip side, this is the start of a competitive clock for the Chicago Blackhawks. When Connor Bedard’s new 5-year deal is up, he will be a 25-year-old unrestricted free agent. You’d think he is going to walk if the Blackhawks are still consistently a lottery team by that point.
At that time, Bedard will likely have established himself as one of the best players in the NHL. The current wave of players in their prime will be starting to slow down, and this new generation will be entering their greatest years.
The Blackhawks, specifically Kyle Davidson, believe in what they’ve seen from Bedard. There is internal confidence that he has the tools to lead the team for a long time.
“Connor has continuously defied our expectations since being drafted, and has quickly established himself as an elite player in the NHL,” Davidson said. “He utilizes all aspects of his game to not only be a constant threat, but to make the players around him better every time he steps on the ice. Connor’s strong work ethic and determination to always improve his game has set an extraordinary standard for our young core, and we’re excited for the incredible impact he’ll have in this next chapter of Blackhawks hockey.”
If Kyle and his staff don’t have this team in a good spot by the fourth year of this deal, however, things will get ugly.
A no-move clause kicks in for the fifth year of this contract, so Bedard will then control the situation even more. If they start making the playoffs and showing the potential to make deep runs, then Bedard will be more likely to extend again on another long-term deal.
Connor Bedard’s contract takes up 14.4 percent of the salary cap, which is about right for an NHL team’s top star. The fact that an offer sheet never entered the equation and he took less money than he could have gotten shows his commitment to the team that selected him first overall.
That loyalty would wear off if the team doesn’t do right by him now when it comes to the talent surrounding him, and they have the next five years to make their case.
Next up for the Blackhawks when it comes to Bedard? For one, naming him the captain would go a long way. Bedard has already mentioned that as a challenge he welcomes in the next chapter of his career.
They also need to, over the next year or so, find him his true running mate when it comes to his wing. The plan is for Frank Nazar and Anton Frondell to play center, so getting Bedard a sniper on his line is a must. Is that player already in the organization, or will external options come into play?
The first order of business is done with his newest contract following his entry-level deal. Now, the focus can go back to being the roster around Connor Bedard. Superstars are a must, but depth around them is as big a factor.
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Every season, each team will have a small handful of AHL players get an opportunity in the NHL. It's often to fill in for an injured player or because they've been impressing in the American League and deserve a look in the big league.
With the Toronto Maple Leafs' organization, the situation is a little bit different than usual, considering their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, is coming off their second Calder Cup championship in franchise history.
Several players from that Marlies team deserve a regular chance with the Maple Leafs. However, GM John Chayka made a considerable splash on July 1, acquiring an abundance of players to fill the NHL roster for 2026-27.
The path up to the NHL within the organization for some of those Calder Cup winners isn't so clear now. But that doesn't mean a few can't see some action with the Maple Leafs.
This past year, four Marlies players received a notable opportunity with the Maple Leafs. Jacob Quillan, Dakota Mermis, Dennis Hildeby and Bo Groulx all featured in more than 10 NHL games in 2025-26.
Quillan played the most, appearing in 23 contests and scoring a goal and two assists. Next is Hildeby, who played 20 games in relief due to the absences of Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz, with most of his action coming from November through January.
Groulx was introduced to the Maple Leafs lineup later in the campaign, making his season debut on March 10 and playing 13 games for the club. Mermis was used as an injury replacement throughout the year, playing 11 games for the Leafs, all before Dec. 9.
With those numbers from this past year, how much action in the NHL can some of the Marlies' core players expect for this coming season?
For starters, it certainly won't be much playing time if the majority of the Maple Leafs roster remains healthy. Chayka's free agency haul blocks out some opportunity for the impressive AHL champions.
With the goaltending, Woll was shipped to the Philadelphia Flyers, and Hildeby to the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, future Hall of Famer Sergei Bobrovsky was added to the mix with a three-year contract.
Therefore, for Akhtyamov to get a stint in the NHL, he'd have to be patient for either an injury or a serious dip in performance from Stolarz or Bobrovsky. And to be fair, that's very possible.
Stolarz has had an injury-riddled career so far and has never played more than 34 games in a single season. Also, Bobrovsky is coming off the worst campaign of his lengthy NHL tenure and will be turning 38 before the next season's start. So to say Akhtyamov could get 15 to 20 games like Hildeby did last year isn't the biggest stretch of the imagination.
One thing that sticks out with the Maple Leafs' defense is Chris Tanev. The veteran blueliner didn't see a whole lot of action after suffering multiple injuries early in the year. As a result, he only featured in 11 contests for Toronto, so it'll be interesting to see how he carries himself in 2026-27 as a 36-year-old.
Add Tanev's return to the lineup with the additions of Darren Raddysh and Emil Andrae to the back end this off-season. With that, there's still Troy Stecher, who was re-signed to a two-year deal, and even Philippe Myers is still a depth piece in the organization.
That leaves scraps for a player like 24-year-old defenseman William Villeneuve. Which is a shame because he finished second in the AHL's playoff scoring race with 23 points in 24 games. In another situation with another team, Villeneuve would potentially see at least 20 games based on that Calder Cup performance, and still at a relatively young age.
Not to mention, 20-year-old Ben Danford has made it clear multiple times that he's looking to crack the Maple Leafs' roster out of training camp this fall. That would certainly be a tall task considering the bodies ahead of him on the depth chart.
In terms of Toronto's forward group, Quillan and Groulx would be the obvious candidates to be the first in line for a call-up.
Quillan, 24, has shown great signs of growth in the American League this past year, almost reaching a point-per-game average in the regular season. He scored 14 goals and 36 points in 40 appearances with the Marlies. What helps his case even further is his NHL experience, as he spent over a quarter of the NHL regular season with the Leafs.
As for Groulx, he was a pleasant surprise with how quickly he produced offensively for the Maple Leafs when he was called up in March. In his first six games in the NHL, the 26-year-old scored three goals and five points.
Unfortunately for those two, the additions of Nick Paul, Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, Jack Roslovic and Gavin McKenna hinder the chance of replicating the time they got with the Leafs in 2025-26. This time around, they would be lucky to see more than 10 games, barring a long-term injury to an NHL regular.
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Some players get you to the Stanley Cup playoffs, players who get you through them, but some players solidify your lineup despite seeing very little ice time. That’s what former Montreal Canadiens’ forward Nicolas Deslauriers has done with the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes acquired the 35-year-old La Salle native on trade deadline day to add depth, experience, and physicality to the Stanley Cup Champions-to-be.
Even though he had only played 24 games with the Philadelphia Flyers in the regular season, GM Eric Tulsky didn’t hesitate to strike a deal for the gritty forward, sending a conditional seventh-round pick at the 2027 draft to Daniel Briere and the Flyers. Speaking about the trade, Tulsky said:
Nicolas is a strong, physical player who plays with an edge, factors that become even more important as we get to the postseason.
Deslauriers played only seven regular-season games with the Hurricanes, recording an assist and five penalty minutes. He got a fighting major against Mathieu Olivier in his very first game with the Canes. With his team trailing 2-0 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the 6-foot-1 and 208-pound heavyweight decided to try to wake his team up. In the playoffs, he saw one match of action in the fourth game of the Canes’ first-round series against the Ottawa Senators, taking a double minor for roughing on then-captain Brady Tkachuk andfor unsportsmanlike conduct.
While he definitely fell short of meeting the threshold to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup (having played at least 41 regular-season games with the champions or one game in the final), it was a no-brainer for the Canes to petition the league for permission to put his name on the Cup. The winger found out from Tulsky that he would get his name on Lord Stanley’s mug:
“I got a call, I think, on the day before the (championship celebration) parade talking about what I did for the organization. It was a long, 15-minute talk with Tulsky and me, and then he said that they petitioned for my name and that it was actually not hard and asked me how I wanted to write it on. Still thinking about it gives me chills."
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The Canes recognized the importance of the leadership role he assumed with the team and even signed him to a new two-year contract, live from the stage during their championship celebration. Speaking about his role in the conquest, Tulsky said:
"Nic was there in the room with the guys every single day from April to June," he said. "And regardless of how many games he played, he was part of the team."
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On Friday, Deslauriers chose to spend the day with the Cup in North Wildwood, a vacation spot he and his family fell in love with during his four seasons with the Flyers, where he bought a home on June 30. He spent most of the day taking pictures with fans on the Seaport Pier as over 1,100 fans turned up.
Deslauriers spent two seasons with the Habs in 2017-18 and 2018-19 before being traded to the Anaheim Ducks for a 2020 fourth-round draft pick on June 30, 2019, in a cap-space-clearing operation that also saw them trade veteran Andrew Shaw. The gritty Deslauriers put up12 goals and 19 points in 106 games over two seasons with Montreal but wasn’t one of then-coach Claude Julien’s favorites. His last season in Montreal didn’t start well when he suffered a facial fracture in a preseason fight against New Jersey Devils’ Brandon Baddock, and he only skated in 48 games in that campaign, which led to the forward wanting out even though playing for the Habs had been a childhood dream of his.
Since being selected in the third round of the 2009 draft by the Los Angeles Kings, Deslauriers has skated in 708 NHL games, totaling 106 points and 799 penalty minutes along the way. The fact that the Canes made it a priority to get his name engraved on the Cup and sign him to a new contract goes to show how important that kind of player can be to an organization. The Hurricanes are not the Broad Street Bullies from the 1970s, but they recognize just how useful Deslauriers has been and can be. One has to wonder if the Habs are aware, as their own tough guy, Arber Xhekaj, is still waiting to sign a new contract.
The 2019, 212th overall pick has signed with Leksands IF of HockeyAllsvenskan in Sweden. HockeyAllsvenskan is Sweden's second-highest hockey league. His contract will be through the '27 season.
After spending the first four years of his career in the Columbus organization, he left for Germany in 24-25, before returning to play for the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins last season.
On this day four years ago, the CBJ made what could be the biggest free-agent signing in NHL history by signing Johnny Gaudreau. No player of his caliber had ever reached free agency. Players like this are usually locked up long before hitting the open market.
Brian Boucher - Yes! THAT Brian Boucher. He played in 3 games for the Jackets in March of 2007. He went 1-1, allowed 9 goals, posted a GAA of 3.79, and a save % of .866. He went on to play another 6 seasons in the NHL.
Smith was given the No. 40 spot on Wheeler's rankings. Seeing the 2025 first-round pick make the cut is not too surprising, as he had a strong freshman season with Penn State. In 35 games with the school, the 6-foot-4 defenseman recorded 11 goals, 15 assists, and 26 points.
Set your alarms for October 1st, 2026. The CBJ will take on their heated rivals, the Buffalo Sabres, at Nationwide Arena. If you've never attended a CBJ home opener, I highly suggest you show up.
Severson had a much better season in 2025-26 than he did the previous year, but unfortunately, his season was ended early due to a shoulder injury that required surgery. There is no official timetable given by the team, but he should be ready to go at the start of camp or very close to it.
Anson Carter - Carter played 54 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2006-07 season after signing a one-year deal with Columbus on September 13, 2006. He scored 10 goals and totaled 27 points during his short tenure in Columbus. He was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes on February 23, 2007, in exchange for a 5th-round pick in 2008(Tomas Kubalik). He would play the next season in Switzerland before retiring.
2. Jody Shelley – 380 GP | 1025 PIMS | 119 Fights With CBJ
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.
Kirill Marchenko has a chance to catch Cam Atkinson this upcoming season if he can put together a fifth straight season of excellent play, specifically goal scoring. In his first four years, he's scored 102 goals and totaled 208 points.
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The Colorado Avalanche weren’t going to replace Valeri Nichushkin with one draft pick.
Players like Nichushkin don’t come around often. When he was healthy, he was one of the most complete forwards in the NHL — a player who could impact the game at both ends of the ice with his size, speed, physicality, defensive awareness, and ability to finish.
So when Colorado moved him to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the conversation naturally focused on what the Avalanche were losing.
What they gained, however, was another opportunity to find talent.
As part of the return, Colorado acquired three future draft picks, including a second-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft. That pick became Egor Shilov, a talented winger who was still available when the Avalanche selected him 43rd overall.
Without the Nichushkin trade, Shilov probably never becomes part of Colorado’s organization.
Now, the Avalanche are hoping they found a player who slipped through the cracks because teams focused on what he needed to improve rather than what he already did well.
And there is plenty to like.
Shilov entered the draft as one of the most gifted offensive players in the class. In his first season with the Victoriaville Tigres, the Russian winger took the QMJHL by storm, producing 82 points with 32 goals and 50 assists in 63 games.
The numbers are impressive, but they don’t fully explain what makes him such an intriguing prospect.
Watching Shilov play, one thing immediately stands out: he has a unique ability to control the pace of the game.
He can attack defenders with his speed, but he isn’t a player who simply relies on moving faster than everyone else. He has the patience to slow things down, hold onto the puck, and force defenders into uncomfortable situations.
That’s where he creates openings.
A defender might expect Shilov to make the obvious play, but he has the confidence to wait an extra second, draw that defender toward him, and then use the space created to make something happen. He can beat players one-on-one, but he’s just as dangerous when he’s creating opportunities for teammates.
That combination of patience, creativity, and deception is what made him one of the more exciting offensive players in the draft.
It’s also the type of skill set that fits what Colorado has historically valued. The Avalanche have always looked for players who can think the game quickly, create offense, and make plays at a high pace.
Shilov checks those boxes.
The reason he was still available in the second round wasn’t because scouts questioned his offensive ability.
It was everything that came with it.
The biggest concern surrounding Shilov has been consistency. There are stretches where he looks like one of the most dangerous players on the ice, but there are also moments where he appears to wait for the game to come to him instead of forcing himself into the action.
That can be a difficult habit to overcome at the NHL level.
The best players aren’t only impactful when the puck is on their stick. They find ways to influence the game through positioning, defensive effort, and creating opportunities even when they aren’t the ones finishing the play.
That’s the next challenge for Shilov.
He’ll need to become more reliable away from the puck, improve defensively, and limit some of the turnovers that come with trying to make difficult offensive plays.
Those concerns are exactly why Colorado was able to get him at No. 43.
But they’re also why the Avalanche believe there is a chance for something special.
Colorado isn’t selecting Shilov because of where his game is today. They’re selecting him because of where it could eventually go.
There’s no expectation that he’ll immediately step into the NHL. Shilov is expected to return to Victoriaville for another season before continuing his development at Penn State, giving him additional time to become a more complete player before making the jump to professional hockey.
That development path could be important.
Shilov doesn’t need to rebuild his game from the ground up. The offensive instincts, puck skills, and creativity that made him a second-round pick are already there.
The focus now is on adding the consistency and responsibility needed to make those tools translate against better competition.
That’s where the Avalanche will be tested.
Colorado has had mixed results developing young players into NHL contributors, and Shilov represents exactly the type of prospect that challenges an organization’s ability to maximize talent. He has high-end offensive ability, but he also has areas of his game that will require patience and coaching.
If the Avalanche can help him become a more complete player, the 43rd overall selection could eventually look like one of the biggest steals of the draft.
Because sometimes the players who fall aren’t the ones without talent.
They’re the ones who need the right environment to unlock it.
Much has been made about the Philadelphia Flyers ruining contract negotiations for themselves and the rest of the NHL by giving Leo Carlsson an $18 million cap hit on the offer sheet attempt, but a slew of recent signings prove this talking point just isn't true.
Carlsson, 21, is, at least for now, the highest-paid player in the NHL on a per-year basis, narrowly poking out ahead of Minnesota Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov and his $17 million annual cap hit.
The difference between the two is that Kaprizov is 29, a winger, and in his prime, while Carlsson is a center whose best is yet to come. Any time an NHL team signs a player in Carlsson's age range, they're paying for potential rather than the here and now. It seems obvious, but that isn't always explicitly outlined.
On Saturday, 2023 No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard signed a five-year, $75 million contract extension with the Chicago Blackhawks, giving him a $15 million AAV at the age of 21, similarly to Carlsson.
Yes, the Flyers gave Carlsson $3 million more than that, but we must also consider that the Flyers needed to jack up the price high enough to force the Anaheim Ducks to ponder letting their franchise player go.
Aside from that factor influencing that specific contract, nothing has really changed.
Plenty of other young, up-and-coming players signed contracts for perfectly reasonable cap hits: Pavel Mintyukov got $7.2 million, while Simon Nemec got $7.25 million, each for five years.
The Flyers managed to lock down Jamie Drysdale for a shorter term than those two at just four years, but a cheaper $6.5 million cap hit.
If you want to be the Blackhawks and shell out $12.5 million big ones to Bowen Byram, that's your choice.
Some other deals to consider: Connor McMichael got six years and $6.75 million per, while the Flyers got Zegras at $9.125 million for four.
Egor Chinakhov, fresh off his breakout season, re-upped with Pittsburgh at a $6.25 million cap hit for three years.
Mavrik Bourque, whom the Flyers reportedly attempted to trade for, signed for six years and $5.5 million annually.
Among those forwards, the Flyers probably got the worst deal, as they got shorter term and higher AAV in the negotiation. Had things gone better, the opposite would have been true.
Still, Zegras is getting what is, and soon won't be, top-flight center money.
Zegras's agent, Pat Brisson, signed Jack Eichel to a $13.5 million cap hit extension in October. Jack Hughes, one of Brisson's other talented clients, is still getting just $8 million a year against the cap from a deal he signed in 2021.
Brisson got Elias Pettersson his eight-year, $92.8 million deal ($11.6 million AAV) when he was 25 back in 2024, which is the same age Zegras is now.
The difference is, in a more robust market, Zegras still cost $2 million less than Pettersson, and coming off a career-high 67 points, it's clear both Brisson and the Flyers believe the player has room to grow.
He didn't get that contract because the Flyers tried to gorge Carlsson on money to get him out of Anaheim.
Another way to look at it: one Carlsson is slightly cheaper than two of Zegras; that's a good deal.
So if the NHL and its fans want to blame the Flyers for breaking the league, they may want to take a look in the mirror first.
Spend five minutes scrolling through social media or reading the comments, and you'll find plenty of Avalanche fans asking the same questions.
Where was the big move? Who replaced Valeri Nichushkin? Is this really the roster Colorado is bringing back after getting swept out of the Western Conference Final?
Those concerns are completely understandable. But they also ignore something Avalanche fans probably don't want to hear.
Colorado already made its biggest bet.
Last season wasn't supposed to be another step toward contention or another year of waiting for the right opportunity. The Avalanche had reached the point where anything short of a Stanley Cup was going to be viewed as a disappointment.
Colorado won the Presidents' Trophy, and Joe Sakic and then-general manager Chris MacFarland pushed even more chips into the middle of the table, acquiring Nazem Kadri before the trade deadline and making the move for Nicolas Roy to strengthen the roster for a playoff run. Those additions came with a cost, including another significant contract commitment, but they sent one unmistakable message.
The message was obvious: this was a team built to win immediately.
Anything less than a Stanley Cup was going to be viewed as a failure.
Instead, the Avalanche became another victim of the Presidents' Trophy curse.
The Vegas Golden Knights bullied the Avalanche for four straight games, took away their speed, dictated the physical play and exposed cracks that had existed throughout the season. For months, those flaws were masked by an explosive offense capable of overwhelming opponents before they could take advantage.
But once Vegas took away Colorado's greatest weapon, the Avalanche had no answer.
It was similar to what happened when Tyson Fury took away Deontay Wilder's greatest weapon in their rematch, ironically in Las Vegas, in 2020. Wilder had built his career around one of the most dangerous punches in boxing, but once Fury removed that threat, Wilder never found a consistent answer. Against Vegas, Colorado faced a similar problem. Once the Golden Knights eliminated what made the Avalanche so dangerous, there wasn't another solution waiting.
It wasn't just a playoff exit.
It was an epic bust in 4K.
When a team goes all-in and comes up empty, the following offseason almost never delivers another round of blockbuster additions. That's the reality Avalanche fans are wrestling with today.
They don't have to like it.
But expecting another summer filled with splashy moves was never realistic.
Instead, Colorado pivoted.
The goal was to create enough flexibility to improve the roster when the opportunity presents itself during the season.
If there was one consistent theme throughout the offseason, it was creating financial breathing room. That meant moving on from players who helped Colorado win games but whose contracts became increasingly difficult to justify.
Ross Colton was coming off his worst season in the NHL and had become a likely cap casualty. Jack Drury was a phenomenal fourth-line center for the Avalanche, a player Jared Bednar trusted in important situations, but Colorado ultimately determined the money could be better allocated elsewhere.
And honestly, it's hard to blame Chris MacFarland for wanting a new challenge.
MacFarland's departure to become general manager and president of hockey operations of the Nashville Predators wasn't simply another front-office change. It marked the exit of one of the league's more aggressive roster builders.
The Avalanche reportedly tried to keep MacFarland from leaving, but it's easy to understand why Nashville appealed to him.
Colorado had become a difficult place for someone like MacFarland to operate.
MacFarland has never been the type of executive who's content sitting on his hands. Throughout his tenure, he consistently looked for opportunities to reshape the roster, whether that meant pulling off blockbuster trades, using draft picks as trade currency or finding creative ways to squeeze more talent onto an already loaded team.
But by this summer, many of those opportunities had disappeared.
Colorado had already spent years sacrificing draft capital in pursuit of another Stanley Cup. The prospect pool had been thinned by those same win-now decisions, leaving few blue-chip assets capable of landing another impact player.
The salary cap offered little flexibility, the core of the roster was largely established and there simply weren't many levers left to pull.
Compare that to what awaited him in Nashville.
The Predators entered the offseason with cap space, premium draft picks, promising young talent and the freedom to reshape the organization however they wanted. Unsurprisingly, MacFarland has been one of the NHL's busiest executives this summer.
Will those moves eventually deliver the first Stanley Cup in franchise history?
Only time will tell.
But MacFarland's departure also reinforces an important point.
This wasn't an offseason where Colorado was positioned to reinvent itself.
It was an offseason where preserving flexibility may have been the smartest move available.
No move has generated more criticism than trading Valeri Nichushkin.
And that's understandable.
Regardless of how frustrating his injuries became or how disappointing his postseason was, Nichushkin was one of Colorado's most complete forwards, capable of playing in every situation, defending elite players, killing penalties and producing offense at a top-six pace.
Players with that combination of size, defensive responsibility and scoring ability simply don't become available very often.
The Avalanche didn't ignore that reality.
They just couldn't solve it.
Without meaningful cap space, there wasn't another player available who could replicate everything Nichushkin brought to the lineup. Instead, Colorado accepted a short-term downgrade in exchange for long-term flexibility by drafting Egor Shilov with the 43rd overall pick.
Whether fans agree with that strategy or not, it was rooted more in financial reality than a lack of ambition.
The trade sending Jack Drury to Nashville was a difficult one for Avalanche fans.
But it was the right move.
Drury had become one of Jared Bednar's most trusted players. He won faceoffs, killed penalties and routinely elevated his game in the postseason — the type of player every coach wants in the lineup.
Colorado is betting that Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L'Heureux can eventually provide more value at a much cheaper price.
Neither player has established himself as a full-time NHL contributor, but both possess tools the Avalanche believe can still develop into meaningful pieces. And development has been a struggle for the Avalanche as of late.
Colorado also signed Jaden Schwartz to a three-year deal this offseason.
When he's healthy, Schwartz is an effective two-way winger with a proven playoff résumé and a willingness to play the difficult minutes. The problem is availability. That has followed Schwartz throughout his career, and it remains the biggest question surrounding the deal.
Brett Kulak quietly stabilized Colorado's blue line after arriving last season, making his return one of the more logical moves of the offseason. He won't provide much offense, but dependable defensive players who fit a system are valuable.
Then there's Brent Burns.
At 41 years old, he's a far cry from the Norris Trophy version of himself from a decade prior, but Colorado needs a veteran who can provide reliable minutes. He fought through multiple injuries last year, and that could explain his decline during the second half of the season.
Bringing him back on a one-year deal didn't sit well with a lot of Avalanche fans, but we'll see how he performs this season.
Acquiring Fabian Lysell is exactly the type of gamble contenders should continue making.
Lysell, acquired in a trade with the Boston Bruins for Ivan Ivan, offers something much harder to find: speed, skill and offensive upside.
It was worth taking a chance.
The same philosophy applies to Noah Juulsen.
The Avalanche spent much of last season searching for a seventh defenseman head coach Jared Bednar actually trusted. Rather than repeating that mistake, they addressed the issue before training camp.
Joe Sakic has built his reputation by making aggressive in-season moves when he knows exactly what his team needs.
Some of the biggest additions of Colorado's championship era didn't happen during the summer.
They happened at the trade deadline.
That's what makes this offseason different.
Rather than spending every available dollar now, the Avalanche have positioned themselves to act later if another top-six winger, another defenseman or another depth piece becomes available.
On paper, Colorado is probably a little weaker than the team that walked into the Western Conference Final.
But after pushing nearly every available asset toward another Stanley Cup only to come away empty-handed, there was never going to be a magical offseason that solved every problem.
The Avalanche already pushed their chips into the middle of the table last season.
This offseason wasn't about making another desperate move just to make one.
It was about making sure they still have enough flexibility to strike when the next opportunity arrives.
The two-time Stanley Cup champions will try to win a third straight title next season, perhaps with their third coach in three years.
General manager Craig Patrick, who is already gearing up for “a long, hot summer of negotiating” with some of his free-agent players, must also decide who will coach hockey’s most powerful team in 1992-93. Will it be Scott Bowman, the living legend, the “interim” leader of this year’s champs? Or one of his assistants? Or maybe an outsider?
Patrick, as usual, isn’t saying.
“We haven’t discussed the coaching situation,” he said. “Scotty and I will sit down to talk about it. But there’s no timetable.”
Beyond the coaching situation, there will be many other obstacles to a “three-peat” in Pittsburgh, most notably the instability on the roster.
Because of free agency, possible retirements and the expansion draft, as many as six players who helped the Penguins capture the Cup may be gone by the start of training camp.
The free agents include Joe Mullen, Bryan Trottier, Phil Bourque, Paul Stanton and Gordie Roberts.
Jiri Hrdina is pondering retirement and two players will be plucked from the roster in the expansion draft with Tampa Bay and Ottawa.
But the consolation this year is it can’t be any worse than last year.
The Penguins lived through a trying summer after winning their first Cup last season.
Team favorite Randy Gilhen was taken in the expansion draft within a week of the championship. Kevin Stevens, Mark Recchi and Ron Francis, among others, became free agents in July. And popular coach Bob Johnson was stricken with brain cancer in August.
But much of the charm of Pittsburgh’s second Stanley Cup championship was the way the Penguins hurtled through the adversity, overcoming tragedy and turmoil.
They even reached a shaky peace with Bowman, who was often at odds with some players in the regular season. They may have established themselves as a team for the ages.
“I’ll be the first to say it…the dynasty is here in Pittsburgh,” Stevens said.
The Penguins’ nucleus is young enough and spectacular enough to make that kind of claim.
Mario Lemieux, the game’s greatest player, is just 26. Stevens, the NHLs second-leading scorer behind Lemieux, is 27. Tom Barrasso, the league’s top playoff goaltender, is 27. And blossoming superstar Jaromir Jagr is 20.
Their lineup also doesn’t include last year’s No. 1 draft pick, left winger Markus Naslund of Sweden-who may not play until 1993 because of military commitments.
Naslund is thought to be a terrific prospect.
Stevens, for his part, believes his teammates will respond to the dynasty talk.
“That’s why I’m making those statements,” he said. “I love that word: Dynasty. If you win two Cups in a row, you deserve to be put on a pedestal.”
Even with all the talent, the Penguins’ trump card may be Patrick, whose work as GM has been exceptional the past two seasons. Juggling egos and contacts, trading 100-point scorers for defensive stalwarts, adding character and toughness, he has thrived in the new-fangled NHL of the 1990s.
He now faces another demanding off-season but he responded to that last year brilliantly. Certainly no one is fretting at the Civic Arena.
“That’s a pretty strong word, dynasty but I like our chances the next few years,” Lemieux said, “I’d say the future is very bright.”
Chicago Blackhawks' Connor Bedard plays during an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Philadelphia.
The Blackhawks are keeping Connor Bedard for the long haul.
Bedard and the Blackhawks agreed to a five-year contract extension with an average annual value of $15 million, the team announced Saturday.
The deal, signed one day after Bedard turned 21, becomes the third-largest contract in NHL history in terms of average annual value — behind Ducks center Leo Carlsson ($18 million) and Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov ($17 million).
Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard plays during an NHL game on March 26, 2026, in Philadelphia. AP Photo/Matt Slocum
It also keeps Bedard, who was a restricted free agent and could’ve received offer sheets from other teams, in Chicago through the 2030-31 season.
“Connor has continuously defied our expectations since being drafted, and has quickly established himself as an elite player in the NHL,” Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said in a statement. “He utilizes all aspects of his game to not only be a constant threat, but to make the players around him better every time he steps on the ice.
“Connor’s strong work ethic and determination to always improve his game has set an extraordinary standard for our young core, and we’re excited for the incredible impact he’ll have in this next chapter of Blackhawks hockey.”
The contract was finalized 10 days after Bedard underwent surgery on his left shoulder.
He’s expected to miss the start of the 2026-27 season after getting injured while skating with other NHL players in Canada.
Connor Bedard is greeted by his teammates after he scores a first-period goal during the Blackhawks’ loss to the Islanders on Dec. 12, 2024 at UBS Arena. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Since being drafted No. 1 by the Blackhawks in 2023, Bedard has emerged as Chicago’s franchise centerpiece and one of the best players in the NHL.
Across 69 games last season, Bedard racked up career-highs in both goals (30), and assists (45).
“He’s so important to our team,” Davidson told reporters in April, according to ESPN. “He took such a big step forward this year in every facet.”
