Ahead of the 2026-27 season, The Hockey News released their annual Yearbook and projected where each team in the NHL will finish in the standings. The San Jose Sharks are one of the teams expected to take major steps forward, as they were picked to finish fourth in the Pacific Division.
Last season, the Los Angeles Kings finished fourth in the Pacific with 90 points, which was just barely enough to squeak into a playoff spot. With the Sharks' improvements, specifically to the blue line, over the summer, it seems that they could jump the Kings, and multiple other teams, in the division this winter.
In the Yearbook, The Hockey News had the Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, and Anaheim Ducks slotted above the Sharks in the Pacific Division, but as the Sharks showed last season, they're not far off of competing with those organizations.
If the Sharks finish fourth in the Pacific, they won't have to just worry about their division rivals. They'll be battling for a wild card spot, which means they'll have to beat out a number of teams in the always competitive Central Division, like the Utah Mammoth, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, and Winnipeg Jets, if they're going to clinch a berth to the postseason for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
The Yearbook issue also went in-depth with prospects, depth charts, and much more. The e-edition of the issue can be viewed in the THN Archive available here.
The San Jose Sharks have had a multitude of players wear the number 42 throughout their history, but it currently belongs to Luca Cagnoni who has a major battle ahead of him this coming fall.
Cagnoni is one of the few members of the San Jose Barracuda expected to put up a fight for a roster spot when training camp comes around next month. The Sharks' fourth-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft, Cagnoni likely fell down the board due to his size, as he's just 5-foot-9.
Cagnoni's game has always been defined by his ability to move the puck and put up points from the blue line, whether it was with the Western Hockey League's Portland Winterhawks, the Barracuda, or even during his short stints with the Sharks. If he does make the Sharks roster, he'd almost immediately become a favorite to get some opportunities to quarterback the power play, but he'd likely not be more than a third-pairing defenseman in five-on-five play.
To this point in his professional career, Cagnoni has played 131 games for the Barracuda and recorded 95 points (24 goals and 71 assists). Meanwhile, during his nine NHL games, he's failed to score a goal but has picked up a pair of assists.
At just 21 years of age, Cagnoni's hockey career is still in its infancy. He has plenty of time to carve out a role for himself and establish himself as an NHL regular, now we'll just have to wait and see if this is the year he grabs the brass ring and forces his way into Mike Grier and Ryan Warsofsky's immediate plans.
On Wednesday, longtime Detroit Red Wings beat reporter Bob Duff appeared on NHL Tonight to discuss the ongoing Dylan Larkin trade situation.
With Steve Yzerman's departure as Detroit's general manager sparking speculation over whether it might soften Larkin's stance on his trade request, Duff offered an update as the Red Wings enter the final weeks before training camp. He explained "there's no indication that the switch in management is gonna lead him to wanting to remain here."
That assessment lines up with other reporting from around the hockey world as MLive's Ansar Khan has continued to report that Minnesota remains Larkin's preferred landing spot, though the Wild reportedly lack the assets needed to get a deal done.
Larkin's list of preferred destinations also includes the Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars, but none of those clubs have been able to meet Detroit's price either. Despite all the noise, a trade still doesn't appear close to lining up with what the Red Wings are looking for in return.
With training camp approaching, plenty of questions remain unanswered, including whether Larkin will open the season in Detroit, whether he'll retain the captaincy, and how the unresolved situation will affect the rest of the roster as the Red Wings try to move forward.
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Martin Necas looks like he’s been partying with Angel “Memo” Heredia, and he isn’t alone.
Gabe Landeskog and Devon Toews have been showing up to the Avalanche’s optional skates earlier than usual. Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Scott Wedgewood have been putting in work of their own. And Necas? He’s been grinding overseas this offseason, looking like he took the whole “bet on yourself” thing personally.
The Marty Party has been at the gym. Credit: Domyno_CZ
Maybe it’s nothing.
Maybe it’s simply what professional hockey players do in August.
But when this many Avalanche players are already putting in extra work nearly a month before training camp, it’s hard not to wonder if something feels different.
This team has something to prove.
And they sure don’t look satisfied with the way last season ended.
The Avalanche were swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final after entering the playoffs as one of the Stanley Cup favorites. That kind of ending doesn’t simply disappear when the season does.
If they didn’t feel any regret, disappointment or frustration about it, why put in the extra work?
Why show up early?
Why start grinding now instead of waiting for training camp?
And then there’s MacKinnon.
The 30-year-old center is coming off his first Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy after leading the NHL with 48 goals last season. Knowing how relentlessly competitive MacKinnon is, it’s almost impossible not to wonder what has been going through his mind since Vegas ended Colorado’s season.
Imagine being MacKinnon, finally winning the Rocket Richard Trophy after years of chasing individual greatness, only to watch another Stanley Cup opportunity disappear in a sweep.
If anything, that should make him even more dangerous.
MacKinnon doesn’t need much motivation on a normal day. Now give him an entire offseason to think about the way the season ended.
He’ll be hunting for blood.
Sure, this is their job. They’re professional athletes. They’re supposed to train.
But there’s a difference between doing what you’re supposed to do and looking like you have something to prove.
And we’ve seen this movie before in Colorado.
The last time the Avalanche were knocked out of the playoffs as heavy Stanley Cup favorites before this past season was 2021, when Vegas eliminated them in six games in the second round.
The following year, Colorado won the Stanley Cup.
Maybe these Avalanche remember how that story went.
Necas, in particular, looks like a player who took last season personally.
The most visible transformation has come from the 27-year-old forward, who has been hitting the weights hard this offseason in videos circulating across social media. He looks noticeably bigger, stronger and more physically imposing than he did a year ago.
Which brings us back to Heredia.
Why the Heredia quip?
Heredia is a renowned strength and conditioning coach whose clients have included some of the biggest names in boxing. I interviewed him in Las Vegas in February 2025 after his fighters, David Benavidez and David Morrell, squared off in a highly anticipated bout that Benavidez won by unanimous decision.
I asked Heredia what separated his training from the rest and what allowed his fighters to continue improving. One of the things he explained was how his training helps athletes better absorb punishment, which can come pretty handy in a sport where you’re beating the snot out of one another.
That matters when you look at what Necas went through last season.
Necas took some big hits. Some of them clearly took something out of him.
And yet, he played in 78 of Colorado’s 82 regular-season games and produced the best offensive season of his career, finishing with career highs of 38 goals and 62 assists for his first 100-point season.
Now imagine what a stronger, more physically prepared Necas could look like.
That’s where this offseason gets interesting.
The Avalanche lost some quality players from last season, including Jack Drury and Ross Colton. They’ll have to replace that production, but scoring goals isn’t the only thing this team appears to be focused on fixing.
There seems to be a renewed emphasis on everything else that goes into winning hockey games.
Strength.
Conditioning.
Defense.
Checking.
Being able to win battles and, perhaps most importantly, being able to withstand them.
Colorado already has plenty of skill. Nobody needs to be reminded that MacKinnon, Makar and the rest of this group can score.
The question is whether they can become harder to play against when the games matter most.
We’ll get a much better idea once more players return for optional skates and, eventually, training camp in September.
But it would be foolish to write this Avalanche team off.
If anything, the early work suggests this group has no intention of simply showing up in September and hoping for a different result.
In this episode of Sens Nation, the official Ottawa Senators podcast of The Hockey News, Drake Batherson reportedly wants the maximum eight-year commitment from the Senators, and with the NHL’s new CBA rules looming, there's suddenly an important early bird deadline.
Steve and Gregg discuss what Batherson could command, the idea of paying him into his late 30s, and whether his desire to make Ottawa his long-term home should put him in the conversation to become the Senators’ next captain.
Plus, The Hockey News redrafts the 2020 NHL Draft and Jake Sanderson and Tim Stützle go 1-2. What would Ottawa’s incredible 2020 draft look like if it were held again today, and in this fictional exercise, who would they now get at 3rd and 5th overall?
The guys also debate whether the Senators have enough scoring, they disagree strongly on whether Alexis Lafrenière could be a worthwhile target, and where Ridly Greig and Warren Foegele fit in the lineup.
Plus, we answer our first listener voicemail about the timeline for a new Senators arena at LeBreton Flats and discuss Chris Neil’s interesting comments about Brady Tkachuk’s new role in Florida.
Thanks for watching and listening to the Sens Nation Podcast!
00:00 Welcome to Sens Nation
04:15 Sanderson Goes No. 1 in a 2020 NHL Redraft
08:10 Would the Senators Take a Chance on Alexis Lafrenière?
13:50 Do the Senators Have Enough Goal Scoring?
17:35 Drake Batherson Wants an Eight-Year Deal
22:25 Should Batherson Be in the Captaincy Conversation?
28:15 Voicemail: When Will the New Senators Arena Actually Open?
34:30 Chris Neil on Brady Tkachuk’s Role in Florida
39:55 How Will Tkachuk Fit With the Panthers?
44:05 Is Ridly Greig Overrated?
47:15 Could Warren Foegele Get a Shot on the Top Line?
The Buffalo Sabres could go a number of different ways as the NHL is in the midst of trade season following the NHL Draft and the opening of free agency on July 1. With the departure of winger Alex Tuch and defenseman Bowen Byram, GM Jarmo Kekalainen is expected to seek out offensive reinforcements to make up for the 44 goals lost by their departures.
We are continuing to look at potential options for the Sabres, now that veteran Patrick Kane has returned with Chicago. Some of the possibilities are not going to match Tuch’s stats, but any additions could provide some relief to the pressure that youngsters Konsta Helenius, Jiri Kulich, or Noah Ostlund will be under to make up the deficit.
Kekalainen ideally is looking for someone who could make up as much of the 60-to-70 point production that he lost with Tuch, or someone who can fill the leadership gap and/or add some snarl and sandpaper to the middle-six, with the trade of Jordan Greenway to Chicago.
Smith is a five-time 20 goal scorer who netted 16 goals with the Vegas Golden Knights last season. The 35-year-old was a spot player for Vegas during their run to the Cup Final, playing only seven of their 22 post-season contests, and is not the scorer he was earlier in his career, but could still play a middle-six role on the right side, while others on the Sabres (Jack Quinn) could move up into the top six.
This late in August, with less than a month before training camp, it is possible that the veteran winger would be open to a PTO, but with possibly a couple teams looking to add a Stanley Cup winner to their roster, a league-minimum deal may be necessary.
The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, and the organization’s developmental model has begun to yield results, with 2023 first rounder Zach Benson making an impact in the playoffs, and 2024 top pick Konsta Helenius appearing as one of the AHL’s top prospects the last two seasons.
Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. These players are all 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 82 NHL games.
20. Gavin McCarthy – Defense (Boston University – NCAA)
McCarthy was the Sabres third-round pick at the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville. The Western New York native is well known to former GM Kevyn Adams and the club’s scouting staff because he played three seasons with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres.
Who had the best and worst offseason in the Atlantic Division?
The 6’2”, 185 lb. blueliner scored 27 points (8 goals, 19 assists) and 88 penalty minutes with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL in his draft year, and moved on to play with 2024 top overall pick Macklin Celebrini at Boston University. The 20-year-old had five points (1 goal, 4 assists) in 38 games in his freshman year and was invited to Team USA’s summer camp for the 2025 IIHF World Junior squad, but did not make the WJC gold medal-winning squad last December.
In his sophomore year at BU, McCarthy showed some offensive growth, tripling his freshman point total with 16 (3 goals, 13 assists) in 39 games. Last season, he eclipsed that as a junior with 21 points (4 goals, 17 assists) in 36 games and after the Terriers season signed a three-year ELC with the Sabres. He finished up the season with the AHL Amerks, going scoreless in five games.
The Sabres will be looking for the young defender to fit into a young blueline group in Rochester, headed by 2025 top pick Radim Mrtka, and 2023 second-rounder Maxim Strbak.
Jim Rutherford has been inducted into another Hall of Fame. The Vancouver Canucks Senior Advisor will be included in the Pittsburgh Penguins Hall of Fame class of 2026. This year's class also includes Marc-Andre Fleury, Larry Murphy and Jack McGregor.
Before joining the Canucks, Rutherford spent 2014 to 2021 with the Penguins. During his time as Pittsburgh's General Manager, the 77-year-old won back-to-back Stanley Cups. In 2019, Rutherford was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame alongside Guy Carbonneau, Sergei Zubov, Hayley Wickenheiser, Vaclav Nedomansky and Jerry York.
As for his time with Vancouver, Rutherford spent the last five seasons as President of Hockey Operations. He stepped down from his position this past summer and moved into the role of Senior Advisor. Rutherford is also the organization's Alternate Governor.
May 28, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford addresses reporters during media day before the start of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final at PPG PAINTS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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The Montreal Canadiens are used to faring well in various rankings by now, be it for prospects or current players; it’s not only the future that’s bright for the Sainte-Flanelle, but the present also looks like a shiny summer day. On Wednesday, The Athletic published its ranking of under-23 players, and Kent Hughes’ team fared well, with two players in the top 10; they may not be the ones you expected, though.
This is another article penned by, I think it’s now fair to say, the controversial Corey Pronman, and it’s the next logical step after his ranking of each team’s pipeline. In that ranking, he put Montreal in third place, and the two prospects he deemed best for the Tricolore now figure in this top 10. Juraj Slafkovsky comes in at number four, behind Macklin Celebrini, Connor Bedard and Matthew Schaefer. Then, at number eight, we find Canadiens’ sophomore, Ivan Demidov. The fifth, sixth and seventh spots are occupied by the league’s highest-paid player, Leo Carlsson, Logan Cooley and Beckett Sennecke. Adam Fantili and Michael Misa wrap up the top 10.
While having two of the top 10 players in this ranking is good news for the Habs, it’s hard not to notice who seems to be a glaring omission from this list: Lane Hutson. Pronman puts him at number 11 in his Tier 4, which regroups players he considers to be “top of the lineup players”. He labels Tier 1 players “Elite NHL player,” Tier 2 players “NHL Star,” and Tier 3 “Bubble NHL star and top of the lineup player.” To exclude Hutson from the top 10 is one thing, but to think he won’t be an NHL star is quite another; to be fair, in Montreal at least, he already is a star.
In his explanation for Hutson’s ranking, Pronman mentions:
The hope is he can continue to be average defensively to make up for his off-the-charts offense. He projects as a long-term top-pair defenseman who will be a top scorer.
- Pronman on Hutson
He also deems his skating and compete “above average” and his puck skills and hockey sense “high-end”. To say that Hutson is average defensively sounds like a preconceived idea from someone who hasn’t watched the Canadiens’ defenseman play much over the last two seasons. He finished the last season with a plus-36 rating, the highest one among the league’s most productive defensemen. Evan Bouchard, who led the league in points for blueliners with 95, was plus-25; Zach Werenski, who had 81 points and won the Norris Trophy, was a plus-seven; and Cale Makar, who put up 79 points, was a plus-32. Granted, the plus/minus metric may not be perfect, but at the end of the day, you want your defensemen to be on the ice more often for goals for than for goals against.
As for Hutson’s compete level, anyone who has seen him backcheck like a man possessed can see it's high-end, and that also shows in how much he wants the puck at crunch time. When the Canadiens need a goal, Hutson wants the puck; he loathes losing and knows he can often be the key to a comeback with his elusive moves and high-end playmaking.
In fact, the problem with this latest ranking is not just that Hutson is excluded from the top-10, but that Pronman has Slafkovsky and Demidov ahead of him. You can talk all day about Hutson being undersized, but after two seasons, the league still has no answer for his unique blend of skill and elusiveness. You can’t hit what you can’t catch, and Hutson has proven to be a mastermind at escaping opponents' checks.
NHL.com's top 20 NHL rankings had him as the sixth-best defenseman in the league, not just among those who are under 23. In that list, he’s also ahead of Schaefer, who lands in seventh place, while he’s third in Pronman’s ranking. Hutson also finished sixth in Norris Trophy voting last season, and the general expectation is that he will be a finalist soon. If you were to take Hutson away from the Canadiens, the impact would be disastrous, much more so than if you were to take away Slafkovsky or even Demidov.
Speaking of the two forwards, as things stand for me right now, Hutson is ahead of them both. I would even say that Demidov has got the upper hand on Slafkovsky. While the big Slovak put up more points last season and is a force to be reckoned with when he uses his speed and size, Demidov is the more consistent of the two for me. You know what you’re going to get when he’s on the ice, while Slafkovsky still has lulls when he forgets how to play the right way. When that happens, he still lands hits, but he does it without the speed necessary to create havoc, and he also tends to make those no-look backhand passes high in the offensive zone, which more often than not result in turnovers. We’ve seen those more times than Martin St-Louis would have liked in the playoffs.
It will be interesting to see how the three young players fare over the next few years and which of them ultimately has the best career. Still, ultimately, the thing to remember for Canadiens fans is that the Habs have three players in the top-11 of those rankings, meaning that things are definitely going according to plan for Hughes and co.
Now that it is the second half of August, most of this year's top unrestricted free agents have been signed. Although this is the case, there are still many players looking for new homes at this stage of the summer.
Among the top unrestricted free agents who have not been signed yet is former Pittsburgh Penguins forward David Perron.
Perron still being a UFA comes after he recorded 13 goals, 15 assists, 28 points, and 90 hits in 65 games split between the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings last season. This included him recording 10 goals and 25 points in 49 games with Ottawa before being traded to Detroit.
Teams looking for more forward depth could consider taking a chance on Perron with a professional tryout (PTO) agreement or a one-year deal. That is assuming, of course, that the 38-year-old former Penguins forward wants to continue his career.
In 86 games with the Penguins over two seasons from 2014-15 to 2015-16, Perron posted 16 goals, 22 assists, 38 points, and 202 hits. His time with the Penguins ended during the 2015-16 season when he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks with defenseman Adam Clendening in exchange for forward Carl Hagelin.
“Elvis informed us a few weeks ago that he was experiencing some discomfort in his shoulder during his offseason workouts,” Blue Jackets president/general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. “Following an MRI, it was determined that surgery was the best course of action. He’ll be evaluated again in a few weeks, at which time we’ll have a clearer idea on when he will be back on the ice.”
Merzlikins' surgery happened at an interesting time in the Blue Jackets' offseason, happening roughly one month before training camp is set to open Sept. 16 at Nationwide Arena. They still haven't found common ground on a contract with young star Adam Fantilli, their top center, and his new annual cap charge could push them over the league's cap ceiling of $104 million.
According to PuckPedia, without getting cap relief by placing Merzlikins or injured depth center Isac Lundestrom (Achilles) on long-term injured reserve, the Blue Jackets have $12.645 million in cap space with 14 forwards, seven defensemen and three goalies signed.
That might not be enough to re-sign Fantilli, whose next salary level could approach that of his peers from the top of the 2023 NHL Draft.
Leo Carlsson, picked second overall by the Anaheim Ducks, makes an NHL-high $18 million per season over the next five years, after the Ducks matched a contract offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers, and Connor Bedard, picked first by the Chicago Blackhawks, has a new a five-year deal worth $15 million a season.
Fantilli, selected third overall, has posted almost identical numbers to Carlsson over their first three seasons, so his next contract could approach $14 million to $15 million per season on a five-year term. That number could drop with a shorter-length deal, but there's still no guarantee that would keep the Blue Jackets cap compliant without LTIR relief.
The NHL allows teams to exceed the cap's upper limit by up to 10% during the summer, so the Blue Jackets would be fine until the league's deadline for compliance at 5 p.m. ET on Sept. 28, the day before the regular season begins. Should Fantilli push them over $104 million, the Blue Jackets could gain roughly $6.5 million in cap relief by placing Merzlikins and Lundestrom on LTIR that day.
While the Detroit Red Wings don't have an official general manager for the time being, it hasn't stopped them from completing a transaction with the Nashville Predators to bring a physically imposing forward prospect home.
The Red Wings acquired forward Sutter Muzzatti from the Predators in return for future considerations and have signed him to a two-year entry-level contract.
UPDATE: The Detroit #RedWings today acquired forward Sutter Muzzatti from the Nashville Predators in exchange for future considerations.
Additionally, the Red Wings have signed Muzzatti to a two-year, entry-level contract. pic.twitter.com/GAonDwOwvm
Muzzatti, who hails from Okemos, Michigan, stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 229 pounds. His father, Jason Muzzatti, is a former Michigan State Spartans goaltender (1987-1991) who later played 62 games in the NHL for the Hartford Whalers, Calgary Flames, New York Rangers, and San Jose Sharks; he currently serves as the goaltending development coach of the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.
The younger Muzzatti rose through Michigan's local hockey ranks, beginning with Honeybaked’s 13U AAA program in 2016-17 before moving through Meijer AAA Hockey, progressing from 14U to 15U and eventually 16U and 18U.
He then made the jump to junior hockey, spending time with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL. After three years with the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers, Muzzatti played last season for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, scoring 13 goals with 19 assists in 37 games.
Muzatti was originally selected by the Predators in the fifth round (143rd overall pick) of the 2023 NHL Draft.
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The Pittsburgh Penguins should be open to the possibility of inviting a player to their training camp on a professional tryout (PTO) agreement.
One specific area where the Penguins could look to add more competition for is the left side of their blueline.
When looking at the free agents left, defenseman Mike Reilly could be worth bringing in on a PTO.
Reilly is not the flashiest of defensemen, but he has shown that he can still be an effective depth defenseman in the NHL. During this past season with the Carolina Hurricanes, he posted one goal, nine points, and a plus-11 rating in 42 games. He also played in two playoff games for Carolina during their Stanley Cup championship run, where he posted two assists and a plus-2 rating.
With the Penguins needing more depth on the left side of their defense and Reilly being one of the top left-shot defensemen remaining in free agency, there would be no risk in them taking a chance on him with a PTO. He would create more competition at Pittsburgh's training camp and could be a good veteran to have around if he earned a contract for the season.
Reilly has also shown in the past that he is capable of providing a little bit of offense from the point, too. Just back in 2023-24, he scored a career-high six goals and recorded 24 points in 61 games split between the Florida Panthers and New York Islanders.
With NHL training camps starting to get closer, teams around the league will soon start signing players to professional tryout (PTO) agreements. It would not be particularly surprising if the Sabres brought in at least one player on a PTO.
One remaining unrestricted free agent who could make a lot of sense for the Sabres to take a chance on with a PTO is Michael Bunting.
It is a little surprising that Bunting is still a free agent at this point in the summer. While he had a bit of a down year in 2025-26 (14 goals and 33 points in 74 games), he was among the top wingers who hit the market on July 1. With this and the Sabres needing more forward depth, they should not be afraid to add Bunting on a PTO.
Adding Bunting to a PTO would give the Sabres the opportunity to see if he could be a fit on their roster before potentially signing him to a contract for the season. With that, there would be no risk in the Sabres bringing in the pesky winger on a PTO.
If Bunting impressed during training camp on a PTO and earned a contract for the season, he could be a nice fit in the Sabres' bottom six. He also could move up the lineup if ever needed due to his versatility. This is especially so if he bounced back after getting a fresh start with a team on the rise, like Buffalo.
