The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a pretty active this off-season, as they have brought in new some players and lost others.
When looking at the Penguins' current roster, it is clear that they should not be done making moves yet. One specific area that they should be looking to improve this summer is the left side of their defense.
The Penguins traded Parker Wotherspoon to the Vegas Golden Knights and lost Ryan Shea to the Edmonton Oilers in free agency this summer. With this, it is clear that they could use another left-shot defenseman before the new season is here.
A few left-shot defensemen who are still on the free agent market include Logan Stanley, Carson Soucy, Mike Reilly, and former Penguin Matt Grzelcyk. While none of these players would necessarily be major additions, signing one of them would help Pittsburgh's depth.
There are also some left-shot defensemen who have come up in the rumor mill this summer as trade candidate. Morgan Rielly, Alexander Nikishin, and Mason Lohrei are a few examples.
It will be interesting to see if the Penguins bring in another left-shot defenseman this summer, but it is something that they should consider after losing two solid blueliners in Shea and Wotherspoon.
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — The Calgary Flames signed defenseman Simon Nemec to a five-year contract worth $36.25 million on Monday.
Nemec will count $7.25 million against the salary cap through the 2030-31 NHL season. Calgary acquired his rights and winger Maxim Tsyplakov from New Jersey last month for a second-round pick this year, two conditional first-rounders and prospect Etienne Morin.
“I just felt like the return that we got from Calgary was just kind of too good to pass up," Devils general manager Sunny Mehta said on a video call with reporters last week. "They kind of stepped up with their offer to get him, and I just thought it was ultimately the right thing for the organization to move on.”
Nemec skated in 159 combined games in the league since the Devils took him with the second pick in the 2022 draft, averaging roughly 19 minutes of ice time. Mehta denied that Nemec asked for a trade and said after a candid conversation that he felt it best for the 22-year-old Slovak to get a fresh start elsewhere.
“He just wants a path," Mehta said. “He wants a path to develop and a path to grow into the role that he foresees for himself.”
The NHL Players’ Association announced on Sunday that 15 players have filed for salary arbitration. The list includes Senators winger Xavier Bourgault, who made his NHL debut this season at age 23.
Bourgault appeared in two games for Ottawa, but had a fine AHL season in Belleville with 25 goals, 32 assists and 57 points. In his four years as a pro, those are all career highs as Bourgault found some magic playing on a line with Arthur Kaliyev and Phillip Daoust.
Goalie Leevi Merilainen was also arbitration-eligible, but he agreed to a one-year, one-way deal with the Sens last week. He's ready to be an insurance policy if Samuel Ersson doesn't work out.
Sens area scout Beau Moyer describes what he likes about Senators first-round pick Jaxon Cover (Senators YouTube).
Bourgault, on the other hand, isn't likely to be in Ottawa's plans this fall, at least to start the season, nor will he get a one-way contract. But he and his agent must believe that, as an RFA, he can get a little more guaranteed AHL money by taking the arbitration route.
Bourgault was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers, 22nd overall, in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He was acquired by the Senators in 2024, along with Jake Chiasson, in exchange for Roby Jarventie and a 2025 fourth-round pick (David Lewandowski).
Here's the full list of NHL players who filed for arbitration:
Bourgault, Xavier (Ottawa Senators)
Dach, Kirby (Montreal Canadiens)
Drysdale, Jamie (Philadelphia Flyers)
Greaves, Jet (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Jefferies, Alex (New York Islanders)
Krebs, Peyton (Buffalo Sabres)
McMichael, Connor (St. Louis Blues)
Perfetti, Cole (Winnipeg Jets)
Robertson, Jason (Dallas Stars)
Robertson, Nick (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Schmid, Akira (Florida Panthers)
Schneider, Braden (New York Rangers)
Seeley, Ronan (Carolina Hurricanes)
Sillinger, Cole (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Zegras, Trevor (Philadelphia Flyers)
The rules say that once you file for arbitration, you're no longer eligible to sign an offer sheet with another club.
These players can still avoid arbitration if they sign a deal with their team before their hearing. Hearings are scheduled to be held from July 20 to Aug. 1. Last year, every player headed toward arbitration signed with their teams before their hearings.
Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published on The Hockey News Ottawa Senators site. For full coverage of the Senators, check out one of the latest headlines below:
The Islanders' best forwards are locked up for five more seasons at cap hits that are half of Leo Carlsson's new contract, whether that's in Philadelphia or Anaheim.
One massive takeaway from this summer is that the Islanders plan on retooling around Matthew Schaefer, leaving room for the plethora of young prospects they've accumulated and really starting to turn over the roster in 2027.
With that uncertainty, teams called about New York's top forwards. Islanders' General Manager Mathieu Darche's job is to listen, but that's all he did before he said no.
Then, Carlsson signed his offer sheet, and already solid-looking contracts turned into absolute steals.
Two bona fide top-of-the-lineup stars locked up through their primes at a very inexpensive cap hit? It makes no sense to move on from them in any way.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman confirmed that teams called on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast on Monday morning, but made it clear, the Islanders aren't moving those guys.
"Horvat's 31, Barzal's 29. They've both got five years left. You're not getting Bo Horvat at 5x$8.5 anymore. You're not getting Barzal at 5x$9+ right now.
And I think they [Darche & Islanders] look at it like 'If we lose these guys, those are going to open up huge holes to fill. And we're not getting guys at those numbers.'"
Darche stated on July 1, the team's going to have over $40 million in cap space next summer. That's before trading away any other contracts, including Anthony Duclair and Pierre Engvall.
Darche has positioned the Islanders to be in an incredibly flexible spot to build around Schaefer and the future, all while, as Friedman stated in his podcast, the Islanders become a destination.
Players, just like Brayden Schenn this past deadline, want to play for the Islanders to get to play with Schaefer.
Having Barzal and Horvat on team-friendly deals for the next half-decade?
Connor Hellebuyck is not coming to the Colorado Avalanche.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news if anyone actually thought this "rumor" had any real traction. But there is one place where a Hellebuyck-to-Colorado blockbuster makes perfect sense: NHL 27, which launches worldwide on September 11 for PlayStation, Xbox, and other major platforms.
There, you can take over as Avalanche GM and rig the entire league to your heart's content. Turn off the salary cap. Let the CPU clean up the mess if you're too chicken to live with the consequences of your own trades. Heck, you can even disable the human element altogether, sparing yourself those morale meetings that somehow make Franchise Mode feel longer than an actual NHL season—all powered by Frostbite, an engine built for first-person shooters like Battlefield, not sports games.
Back in the real world, though, the Avalanche have exactly zero reason to chase Hellebuyck.
Colorado's goaltending situation is already set.
The Avalanche allowed just 197 goals during the regular season, the fewest in the NHL, earning Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood the William M. Jennings Trophy. It wasn't a fluke, either. Colorado built one of the league's deepest goaltending tandems, and both netminders rewarded that faith.
Wedgewood, who spent most of his career as a backup before arriving in Colorado, was nothing short of sensational. He finished the season 31-6-6 with a 2.02 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage—numbers that led the league. Had he made more starts, there's a legitimate argument he would've been in the Vezina Trophy conversation. Instead, Colorado's rotation, along with the handful of games he missed because of injury, likely cost him that opportunity.
Blackwood, meanwhile, quietly proved why the Avalanche were comfortable handing him a significant role. He went 23-10-2 with a 2.51 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage, but those numbers don't fully capture his value. During the regular season, he recorded back-to-back shutouts, becoming just the seventh goaltender in Colorado Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques franchise history to accomplish the feat, joining Patrick Roy, Darcy Kuemper, Pavel Francouz, David Aebischer, Clint Malarchuk, and Justus Annunen. He also came up big in the postseason, turning aside wave after wave of chances in Colorado's Game 4 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final and giving the Avalanche every opportunity to extend the series.
That's why the Hellebuyck speculation never made much sense.
Yes, Hellebuyck is arguably the best goaltender on the planet. If every general manager in the NHL could magically add him to their roster without giving up assets or worrying about the salary cap, they probably would.
That's not the world the Avalanche operate in.
Colorado is already paying Blackwood to be its starter while also having one of the league’s strongest goaltending tandems in Wedgewood. Any trade for Hellebuyck would almost certainly require a franchise-altering package of assets—think a player like Nathan MacKinnon or Martin Nečas—along with additional pieces, all while creating a massive salary-cap headache. In the end, the Avalanche would be sacrificing elite talent and financial flexibility to solve a problem they simply don’t have to begin with.
Rumors are part of the offseason. Fans love building fantasy rosters, and social media has never met a blockbuster trade it didn't like.
But fantasy and reality are two different things.
If you want to see Connor Hellebuyck wearing burgundy and blue, fire up NHL 27 when it releases and make it happen yourself.
The 2026 NHL Offseason has been one for the books, with the cap ceiling rising and many teams and players taking advantage. With ever-increasing cap hits, trades, offer sheets, and more, the Colorado Avalanche are among the few teams that did their work before free agency opened and right as it began. A report has revealed that the Avalanche had bigger plans for their team.
Despite just re-signing Brett Kulak and signing Jordan Schwartz, along with some depth players to fill out their lineup, the Avalanche were suspected of being in on a major player. One that would have shaken up their roster and, potentially, the prospects they selected at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
The “Lumberyard” Was Almost Broken Up For A Hart Winner
Elliotte Friedman, on the latest and last episode of the season of “32 Thoughts: The Podcast”, talked about every team and some notes and rumors he heard about them. For the Colorado Avalanche, it was about their goaltending situation and their attempt to make a major swing for Winnipeg Jets goaltender and Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck.
“I had a couple of teams say to me they wondered if Colorado took a shot at Connor Hellebuyck…. I don’t know how that could work. I don’t know what they could offer… There were a couple of teams that suspected the Avalanche kind of considered it.”
Hellebuyck was a name leading up to the NHL Draft who was often talked about being moved, and if he was, it had to be for the right price. One team that came close was the Buffalo Sabres. Initially, reports indicated that the Sabers offered the fourth overall pick, starting goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, a player believed to be Jack Quinn, and at least one additional asset.
The major issue for the Avalanche is that they could not offer a package close to what the Sabers did, especially when the Sabers dangled the fourth overall pick in front of them. One of Scott Wedgewood or Mackenzie Blackwood goes, along with multiple draft picks and prospects, but would that have been enough to entice a divisional rival to send them their best player?
Could Talks Pick Back Up For Another Chance?
The biggest issue for the Avalanche is whether they really want another chance at a top goaltender like Hellebuyck, and whether they have the cap space. An $8.5 million cap hit for a top goaltender isn't too crazy given the rising salary cap, but it's how the Avalanche would make room to fit him.
If the package revolves around picks and prospects, along with Blackwood's $5.25 cap hit, another player or two needs to either be sent beforehand or included in the same package. Likely one of Artturi Lehkonen, Nicolas Roy, or a defenseman like Kulak, Josh Manson, or Sam Malinski.
The other issue is that all of those players mentioned have some form of trade protection, and there's a good chance they don’t want to leave a Stanley Cup contender like the Avalanche or move to Winnipeg, Canada, a completely different country.
The only players the Avalanche can move without protection are Roy, Parker Kelly, Fyodor Svechkov, Zachary L’Heureux, Cale Makar, and Noah Juulsen, either with low cap hits or someone like Makar, which they would never even think of.
So either you get a player who can make the difference on the cap and is willing to move to Winnipeg, or you trade away your entire depth for a goaltender and are back to where you were a couple of seasons ago. A really impressive top six with no forward and defensive depth, but now you have an elite starting goaltender, would you make that trade?
As much as having Hellebuyck would have been a fantastic addition, the Avalanche are in a weird transition phase and need to look inward at who they have on their roster now and going forward, as the main core is starting to get older.
That's why the additions of Svechkov, L’Heureux and all the draft picks they made instead of trading make sense; they need to test the waters on these younger players while maintaining a competitive high-end roster, which, if the trade with the Jets were to happen, was going to force the Avalanche into an all-in-now mode, with no bright side into the future.
Connor Ungar hasn't played an NHL game, but there's a decent chance he'll be called the future of the Edmonton Oilers before the first week of training camp is over.
That's the beauty of September. One preseason game against a split squad with a post-game interview where a young player sounds mature beyond his years gets the conversation going about whether the organization has found something it didn't even know it had.
Ungar is the safest bet because goaltending has dominated conversations in Edmonton for years. Nobody enjoys talking about backups and tandems when things are going well, but one strong night from a young goalie has a way of making everyone think five years into the future. Before long, somebody is wondering if he should stay with the club, somebody else is comparing him to Stuart Skinner's first camp, and the idea keeps growing until the next preseason game comes along.
Mike Babcock probably won't have much time before his turn arrives either. The first practice where he gets after a player, blows the whistle a little longer than expected or stops a drill to make a point will be dissected from every possible angle, not because anyone knows exactly what happened, but because everybody already has an opinion about him. Some people will watch the clip and see the demanding coach the Oilers wanted after another disappointing spring. Others will watch the exact same video and decide history is repeating itself. Training camp will give everyone new evidence for the argument they were already making.
There will also be a line that catches everyone's attention for a couple of exhibition games. Maybe it's because they spend the whole night on the forecheck. Maybe they score a pair of greasy goals. Maybe they simply play with more energy than everyone else on the ice. It doesn't really matter who the three players are because the conversation is almost always the same. Fans start talking about the fourth line as though it has finally been solved for good, even though coaches usually spend the first two months of the regular season moving those spots around.
One rough exhibition game from Trent Frederick and somebody will decide nothing has changed. Evan Bouchard will miss the net on a power play, and people will question his contract... again. Connor Murphy will make one good enough defensive play, and there will be people wondering how Chicago ever let him get away. Every established player enters camp with headlines attached to him, and it rarely takes more than a period or two before someone decides they were proven right
Then there's the annual search for Connor McDavid's winger.
Somebody will practice beside McDavid, and the line combinations will get pencilled in for opening night. It doesn't matter that coaches use training camp to experiment or that preseason games are designed to answer questions rather than settle them. Once a player looks comfortable beside No. 97, people start imagining what eighty-two games might look like.
None of these conversations are particularly new, but that's part of what makes training camp entertaining. Fans are looking for reasons to believe the roster has improved, coaches are trying to learn something about their players, and somewhere in the middle, those two things become difficult to separate.
It has now been just over one month since the explosive trade request from Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was made public.
At first, Larkin and his camp allegedly would only accept a move to three teams - the Florida Panthers, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Minnesota Wild. However, that list has reportedly been expanded.
While speculation continues to build on whether Larkin could actually begin Training Camp with the Red Wings in the fall if no deal is reached, a new club has reportedly emerged as a potential landing spot.
According to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman on his "32 Thoughts" podcast, the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes could present an ideal fit for Larkin.
"The other thing, when I heard Detroit, it made me wonder if they're in on Larkin at all," he said. "Because - first of all, he's Larkin, he's a heck of a player. Although he would have to change his list to go there, and secondly, also a great skater who would really fit in their system."
Friedman then listed a handful of prospects in Carolina's system who could potentially be used as trade bait in a deal, as there isn't much room on their current roster for them to earn regular playing time at the NHL level.
"They've got some interesting young players," Friedman said. "They've got (2023 round 1, #30 overall) Bradly Nadeau. They've got (2023 round 2, #62 overall ) Felix Unger Sörum."
"They've got (2023 round 5, #139 overall) Charles-Alexis Legault; he's a defenseman," Friedman continued. "And so is (2021 round 7, #219 overall) Joel Nyström, who played 38 games with them this year. Carolina has some young guys who are ready, just not a lot of spots on that roster on a team that just won the Stanley Cup."
The chances of Larkin landing with the Panthers dropped dramatically when they acquired former Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, whom Larkin played with during the Four Nations Face-Off as well as the 2026 Milan Olympics.
One of the key players Detroit could have requested in a trade for Larkin from the Golden Knights, Russian forward Pavel Dorofeyev, was dealt to the New York Rangers. Additionally, the Wild don't have many NHL-ready players on Larkin's level they'd part with.
It appears as though the main hangup in a Larkin trade is that GM Steve Yzerman hasn't received an offer that includes NHL-ready talent instead of a futures-driven package.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have been one of the busiest teams this off-season, and the organization could have seen even more activity with their team, with defenseman Morgan Rielly still potentially being a trade piece.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman provided an update on where the Maple Leafs stand with Rielly's situation and what the team is expecting in the process of potentially dealing the veteran to another team.
On the final edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast of the season, Friedman reported that the Maple Leafs aren't interested in giving up more assets than they feel they need to in a Rielly trade.
"I heard that Toronto told people they're not paying a big price to move him," Friedman said. "If it's something they consider too much of a sweetener, they won't do it."
Rielly carries a $7.5-million salary cap hit for the next four seasons, and attached to that agreement is a no-movement clause to see out the rest of his contract, according to puckpedia.com.
The 32-year-old has had a couple of cold campaigns the past two years under former head coach Craig Berube. With that, there's a sense that it could be time for a change of scenery for Rielly, as he hasn't played up to the standard of his contract.
Friedman noted that he has reported before that the Maple Leafs could keep Rielly, but he's also seen other reports indicating that the player wants to move on. But regardless of where the organization or Rielly stands in this situation, Toronto will not overpay for the defenseman's departure.
Typically, when a player is paid a salary that does not meet their performance on the ice, if that team wants to move on from that player, they add an additional asset of some sort to the receiving team for the trouble of taking on the contract of the underperforming player.
In return, the Oilers received D-men Shakir Mukhamadullin and Zachary Sharp. Mukhamadullin, 24, hasn't had much experience in the NHL, playing a total of 83 games on a mostly uncompetitive Sharks team. As for Sharp, he's a 21-year-old who is yet to step into professional hockey.
That's the kind of return a team trying to part ways with a bad contract would normally get. Sometimes, it's even less of a useful return.
However, in Rielly's circumstances, his salary cap hit isn't blown out of proportion considering his role on the Maple Leafs, as well as where the salary cap stands going into the 2026-27 campaign.
Therefore, Friedman also shared that Toronto is in a position to keep him in the lineup for next season if need be.
"If Rielly comes back, they'll try to make it work for him," the NHL insider said. "I think they feel that with a new approach and maybe a bit of a different role, that could help him."
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The Chicago Blackhawks are going to play the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues in the 2026 NHL Preseason. They will have a home-and-home with each of them for a total of four preseason games.
The NHL shaved the preseason down to four in favor of expanding the regular season to 84 games from 82. Instead of having multiple opponents, it will be two close geographical rivals in St. Louis and Minnesota.
• @ MIN 9/19
• vs MIN 9/21
• @ STL 9/24
• vs STL 9/26
The first game in Minnesota could be the first time that we see certain players in a Blackhawks uniform. Bowen Byram, Roman Kantserov, Ian Cole, and Cole Smith, amongst others, come to mind. Whoever doesn’t make their Chicago preseason debut on that day certainly will two nights later at the United Center.
The Blackhawks and the rest of the National Hockey League are expecting to release their schedule over the next couple of weeks, including the promotional slate.
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It's been the summer of additions for the Toronto Maple Leafs and GM John Chayka this off-season. Since Chayka was hired as the Leafs' GM in early May, he's made an abundance of moves to improve his hockey club.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, on the final episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast this season, reported that the Maple Leafs could have their eyes on another noteworthy transaction.
"I think Toronto is still hopeful to add another difference-maker," Friedman said. He admitted that any move Toronto may be considering could be made later, as the organization has until September for training camp to make an off-season move.
Nonetheless, Friedman believes that there could be a substantial move coming at some point for the Maple Leafs.
"I don't think they're done swinging," he said. "I think if there's something out there that they could do that they see as impactful, they will do it."
Any impactful move that Toronto makes would likely need to include a roster player or two heading out the other way. That's because the Maple Leafs are currently over the salary cap, according to puckpedia.com.
Indeed, to deal with that overage, Toronto can send down a couple of players to bury their salary cap hit. But the reality is, the Leafs are in a tough spot to simply add anyone notable without money going out the other way in some sort of roster transaction.
The one trade was on July 1 with the Lightning again, this time to acquire Nick Paul, with Hildeby among other assets being shipped out. On the same day, Chayka signed Jack Roslovic, Teddy Blueger, Colton Sissons and Brandon Duhaime.
Not to mention drafting Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick in 2026, who is expected to crack the NHL roster for next season.
Among these names, what else could Chayka have up his sleeve?
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While Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach elected to file for arbitration before the 5 PM deadline on Sunday, defenseman Arber Xhekaj chose not to. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound defenseman is therefore still eligible to receive an offer sheet from another team.
The rugged defenseman’s last contract was a two-year pact with a $1.3 million cap hit, and his situation hasn’t improved much since he signed it in 2024 with GM Kent Hughes. He was in the lineup for 65 games last season, picking up a goal and three assists for a total of four points, was assessed 116 penalty minutes and led the team in hits with 178, eight more than Zachary Bolduc.
While Xhekaj brings a physical element to the game that no other defenseman on the Habs roster can match, bench boss Martin St-Louis struggles to trust him on the ice, and his average ice time was an all-time low last season at just 11:25, a decrease for the second consecutive season. In 2022-23, he averaged 15:16 of action; in 2023-24, 15:56; and in 2024-25, 14:47. In the playoffs, he was only used in 13 games and averaged 8:06 of action. In his last game, against the Buffalo Sabres, he was on the ice for only 1:52.
Taking all this into account, it’s hardly surprising that the supersized defenseman elected not to go to arbitration. He doesn’t have much leverage, and, in truth, he might be better off receiving an offer sheet from another team. At this stage, it feels like his career would be best served by moving on to a team that will use him regularly.
However, the Canadiens would have the option to match any offer or settle for the compensation and let the defenseman walk. However, if the offer sheet had a cap hit below $1,544,424, there would be no compensation. If it were between $1,544,425 and $2,340,037, it would be a third-round pick. Such a low offer sheet is hardly ever seen in the NHL, however, and only 17 teams still have their third-round pick, making it possible for them to make such an offer.
In 2024, when he signed his last contract, a deal was reached on July 30, and it does look like the hulking defenseman may need to be patient once again this season. Aside from Dach, no player from the Canadiens’ organization has filed, meaning that AHL players Brett Berard, Sean Farrell, Jared Davidson, Hunter McKown and Maksymilian Szuber chose to go without. As for Zach Bolduc, he doesn't have arbitration rights.
PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 14: Sergei Murashov #1 of the Pittsburgh Penguins defends the net during the game against the Utah Mammoth at PPG PAINTS Arena on December 14, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Now that the 2026 NHL draft is over, and a new league year has started, let’s reset the organization’ with a deeper dive of contracts beyond the NHL roster.
It can be hard to wrap your head around it all, so think of this as a Top 25 Under 25 primer to place players in certain levels to describe their spot in the pecking order for next season.
We’ll set the stage for the upcoming list of the top talent in the organization by first looking at exactly which young players are around the Pittsburgh pipeline these days, in no specific order and based off players who either have NHL contracts or appear on the Pens’ reserve list.
NHL level (or close)
Ville Koivunen Rutger McGroarty Joel Blomqvist Owen Pickering Sergei Murashov Avery Hayes Tristan Broz Harrison Brunicke
—All of these players should see some time in the NHL next season. It might be temporary and require injuries to other players to receive those opportunities in some cases, but this is the top level of player right on the verge of getting their shot to play in the big league. Then again, this group covers a lot of ground: Murashov could be the NHL opening night starting goalie and Koivunen could be waived in September, with a lot of middle ground in between of players who might get squeezed back to the AHL due to a numbers game of high quantity of NHL bodies.
AHL level
Tanner Howe Bill Zonnon David Gustafsson Oliver Okuliar Melvin Fernstrom Atley Calvert Mikhail Ilyin Jake Livanavage Phil Kemp Chase Pietila Finn Harding Daniel Laatsch Gabriel D’Aigle
—Much of this group will make up the backbone of the WBS team in the AHL for 2026-27. There’s a chance some of these players could get a game or two in the NHL if all the conditions aligned right, but this is mostly the young players who need to develop or the older players who are depth.
Lower non-pro levels (Canadian Junior, NCAA)
William Horcoff Peyton Kettles Brady Peddle Charlie Trethewey Joona Vaisanen Quinn Beauchesne Travis Hayes Carter Sanderson Ryan Miller Jordan Charron Luke Devlin Mac Swanson Kale Dach Zam Plante Liam Ruck Markus Ruck Pierce Mbuyi Parker von Richter Matvei Nikonovich
—A lot of names here go in a “check back in 2-3 years” type area for long developmental, mostly made up of 2025 and 2026 draft picks. Some players on this list should be moving into the AHL segment within time, all dreaming of one day advancing it beyond that. All have possibility and hope but at this point it will take a lot of time, effort and further development to get towards being finished products.
Europe
Kalle Kangas Emil Jarventie Kirill Tankov Tomas Galvas
—The Pens haven’t focused a lot in Europe lately when it comes to bringing on young players via the draft. Assistant GM Amanda Kessel recently confirmed that second round pick from 2026 Galvas would stay overseas for the upcoming season in 2026-27. None of the rest of the list is on the NHL radar at all these days.
The Chicago Blackhawks did not have any players listed among those who filed for contract arbitration. The only player eligible was Drew Commesso, but he decided against it.
Commesso is an RFA, and he will work out a contract with the Chicago Blackhawks without the guidance of an arbitrator. This is a positive, because arbitration can get messy as both sides argue over how much the player deserves to make. A player has to hear why a team thinks they aren’t worth more money, which is never constructive.
Connor Bedard, Kevin Korchinski, and Ethan Del Mastro are also RFA’s, but they were not eligible for an arbitrator this summer. They all received qualifying offers, and only time will tell what the final number looks like.
By not electing for arbitration, Drew Commesso could, in theory, receive an offer sheet, but that won’t happen. He is a promising young goalie, but he has proven nothing over a long period of time in the NHL. The Blackhawks would likely match any offer sheet for him or just let him go for whatever compensation is needed, but it isn’t realistic to expect one.
There is still reason to worry about other Blackhawks receiving offer sheets, specifically Connor Bedard, as they seem to be becoming a trend in the modern-day NHL.
Drew Commesso only appeared in three games for the Chicago Blackhawks last season, but he is expecting to compete with Arvid Soderblom for the backup job coming into the year. Spencer Knight is the established number one.
With the way the league goes these days, it will be important to have three goalies that can be trusted in any situation, which is why the Blackhawks and Commesso must agree. Not filing for arbitration is a great start, as both sides can come together for mutual benefit.
This is the list of players who filed:
Xavier Bourgault - Ottawa Senators
Kirby Dach - Montreal Canadiens
Jamie Drysdale - Philadelphia Flyers
Jet Greaves - Columbus Blue Jackets
Alex Jefferies - New York Islanders
Peyton Krebs - Buffalo Sabres
Connor McMichael - St. Louis Blues
Cole Perfetti - Winnipeg Jets
Jason Robertson - Dallas Stars
Nick Robertson - Pittsburgh Penguins
Akira Schmid - Florida Panthers
Braden Schneider - New York Rangers
Ronan Seeley - Carolina Hurricanes
Cole Sillinger - Columbus Blue Jackets
Trevor Zegras - Philadelphia Flyers
There are some very good players listed there, including Kirby Dach, Jamie Drysdale, and Trevor Zegras. There is even one elite player there in Jason Robertson.
By going to arbitration, as mentioned before, they all forfeited their right to receive an offer sheet. They all, however, could have their rights traded. Would any of them interest the Blackhawks? Surely, but Chicago might have to figure out their own players first.
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The Columbus Blue Jackets got extremely lucky last year with their goalie situation. Jet Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins played in every game of the season and avoided injuries. It's not entirely rare, as it happens every now and then.
The 25-26 season was the first time only two goalies have played in all the games since the 2018-19 season, when Sergei Bobrovsky and Joonas Korpisalo manned the net. That tandem actually did it in back-to-back seasons.
Before those two seasons, it hadn't been done since the 12-13 season when Sergei Bobrovsky and Steve Mason suited up as a tandem during the lockout season.
It's happened seven times in 25 seasons, so don't expect it again.
The Cleveland Monsters are going through some changes next season, and it starts in the net. They lost veterans Zach Sawchenko and Ivan Fedotov, leaving youngsters Evan Gardner and Nolan LaLonde.
With that, the Blue Jackets signed veteran Pheonix Copley to a one-year deal on July 1st. The immediate thought was that he's going to be the vet in Cleveland next season. We'd be fools to think that the CBJ will go unscathed again on the goaltender injury front, so Copley might actually get some NHL time next season.
Let's take a look at Copley and what he's done in his career, and what he could bring.
Undrafted - North Pole, Alaska
NHL Debut - February 17, 2016 (St. Louis)
Career NHL Record - 44-17-8 - .898% sv% - 2.85 GAA - 70 Career Starts
NHL Playoff Experience - 1 Relief Appearance
Career AHL Record - 169-104-30-18 - .909% sv% - 2.52 GAA
Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award (AHL fewest goals against) (2021) (shared with Zach Fucale)
Signed as a free agent by Washington, March 20, 2014.
Traded to St. Louis by Washington with Troy Brouwer and Washington's 3rd round pick (later traded back to Washington - Washington selected Garrett Pilon) in 2016 NHL Draft for T.J. Oshie, July 2, 2015.
Traded to Washington by St. Louis with Kevin Shattenkirk for Zach Sanford, Brad Malone and Washington's 1st round pick (later traded to Philadelphia - Philadelphia selected Morgan Frost) in 2017 NHL Draft, February 27, 2017.
Signed as a free agent by Los Angeles, July 13, 2022.
Claimed off waivers by Tampa Bay from Los Angeles, October 2, 2025.
Traded to Los Angeles by Tampa Bay for future considerations, October 15, 2025.
When the deal was announced, many thought this move was to replace Elvis Merzlikins, but I'm here to tell you that that is very unlikely. Unless a deal comes that makes absolute sense, the goalie tandem in Columbus will be Greaves and Elvis.
Copley very well may get his chance due to injuries or other circumstances, but at this point, Copley is set to be the vet in Cleveland to help Gardner and Lalonde start their pro careers.
Next Up For Columbus: Free Agency continues on.
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