According to David Pagnotta, the Calgary Flames are rebuilding and are looking to trade a few players, including center Morgan Frost and defenseman Zach Whitecloud. Could they be good trading partners for the Montreal Canadiens? After all, the Habs are in the market for a centerman and a right-shot defenseman.

As things stand, Frost, who recorded 43 points in 82 games with the Flames last season, is listed as their number one center. That’s far from ideal. While he was a Philadelphia Flyers first-round pick at the 2017 draft (27th overall), he’s never truly lived up to expectations. His most productive season came in 2022-23 when he recorded 46 points in 81 games. Those are not the numbers of a second-line center. However, since the Canadiens are essentially in a holding pattern waiting for Michael Hage, Frost could be an interesting stopgap, as he has only one year left on his contract with a $4.375 million cap hit before becoming a UFA.

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If Montreal does entertain the idea of picking him up for the season, it likely wouldn’t be willing to give much to acquire him, and chances are the Flames could find better offers out there from teams who may see a future with Frost.

The reported availability of Whitecloud is much more interesting. The 29-year-old right-shot defenseman has two years left on his contract, which carries a $2.75 million cap hit. The 6-foot-2 and 210-pound blueliner doesn’t play an exciting style of hockey; he’s very much a stay-at-home defenseman, as evidenced by the fact that he has never put up more than 19 points in a season in the NHL, but he can hit. He recorded 124 hits in a season split between the Flames and the Vegas Golden Knights and blocked 140 shots. He would have been fifth in hits and fourth in blocks with the Canadiens last season.

He also won a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2022-23, and in those playoffs, he had a plus-14 differential, putting up eight points in 22 games. Essentially, Whitecloud could become an upgrade on Alex Carrier, who will be entering the final year of his contract this year, if the Canadiens manage to sign him to an extension. His acquisition would make the Canadiens’ defense more balanced, allowing Lane Hutson to play on his natural side and giving David Reinbacher one more year to mature and polish his game at the AHL level with the Laval Rocket. With Noah Dobson, Carrier and Whitecloud on the right side and Matheson, Hutson and Guhle on the left, Montreal would have a much more reliable defense.

The Flames have been rumored to be interested in Arber Xhekaj in the past, and he could certainly be used to make that trade happen. While Xhekaj brings an interesting blend of grit and physicality to the table, it’s become evident that Martin St-Louis doesn’t really trust him, and it could be better for both the player and the team if he were used to acquire a piece whom the coach will trust. He’s more useful to the Canadiens as a trade piece than he is as a healthy scratch or as a third-pairing blueliner who the coach won’t use for more than five minutes. As for Xhekaj, he could get a real chance to establish himself as an NHLer. Of course, the Habs would need to add something else to make the trade happen, likely futures such as draft picks, but the rugged blueliner would be a good starting point.

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ST. LOUIS -- Fans of the St. Louis Blues who were previously able to watch the team’s games will be able to watch them in a similar fashion in 2026-27 through a new partnership between the team and the NHL to produce the team’s regional broadcasts beginning this season.

While the Blues sales team has been in the market selling advertising packages for the upcoming season, this partnership ensures the team will also oversee all aspects of production, marketing, and distribution of a new team-owned and operated multimedia platform to be announced at a later date.

"This partnership is an ideal arrangement for the St. Louis Blues that leverages the production strength of the NHL while giving our organization more control over every aspect of our local broadcasts than ever before,” Blues executive vice president, chief revenue and marketing officer Steve Chapman said in a release . "While we still have more work to do before we can provide detailed answers to every question about our broadcasts for the upcoming season, this production agreement is a key step in that process. This partnership with the NHL will enable us to continue delivering reliable access to Blues hockey in ways familiar to our fans and with the ability to expand our reach to even wider audiences."

The Blues are actively working to finalize broadcast agreements to enable fans to watch Blues games through a variety of ways at launch including cable, satellite, streaming services, and over-the-air providers. Details on availability, channel locations, and pricing of a direct-to-consumer streaming option (featuring annual and monthly subscriptions) are being negotiated and will be formally announced before the beginning of the season.

The NHL partnership will produce the team’s local television games starting this season for approximately 70 telecasts -- every regular season game not nationally televised by NHL exclusive broadcast partners ABC, ESPN, ESPN+/Hulu, and TNT. Fans that don’t live in the Blues local broadcast territory can continue to watch Blues games live via the NHL Power Play on ESPN+.

This partnership was enabled by the expansion of the NHL’s award-winning NHL Productions capabilities to include Centralized Production for multiple club local broadcasts, including the Blues, starting with the 2026-27 season. The comprehensive production services to be provided by the League and its centralized production group include studio and show programming, premium game production, advanced graphics and replay capabilities and technical and engineering support.

Colin Ralph's Expedited Trip To Springfield Helps Defenseman Get Leg Up On Pro Career2024 second-round pick initially made jump from St. Cloud State To Michigan State last season before getting sample of games in AHL, where he is expected to play in 2026-27

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

After three seasons with the team, perhaps nobody represents what a modern Philadelphia Flyers player should be better than Jamie Drysdale, who just re-upped with the Flyers on a new, well-deserved four-year contract.

Drysdale, 24, was traded to the Flyers by the Ducks in exchange for disgruntled prospect Cutter Gauthier and a 2025 second-round pick (Jack Murtagh) on Jan. 8, 2024, and at that time, the former No. 6 overall pick was trending towards bust territory for his lofty draft status.

Up to the trade, Drysdale had played just 24 games in 2020-21, 81 in 2021-22, when he scored a career-high 32 points, and then just eight in 2022-23 due to injury.

Then, the season of the trade, in 2023-24, Drysdale managed to play in just 10 games for the Ducks before joining the Flyers, missing most of October, all of November, and most of December with another injury.

Even after being acquired by the Flyers, the talented defenseman was sidelined all of March 2024 after being injured by a hit from Jansen Harkins in a game against Pittsburgh on Feb. 25, 2024.

So, heading into his first full season with the Flyers in 2024-25, Drysdale had lost a significant amount of development time for a young prospect his age, having played just 42 regular season games across his previous two seasons.

Drysdale responded with a mostly healthy season after an offseason full of strength training and work to improve his durability, appearing in 70 games for the Flyers and scoring 20 points in what was only his second full-ish NHL season.

The next thing the 2020 No. 6 pick needed to work on was his defending; Drysdale's -32 rating in 2024-25 was the seventh-worst in the entire NHL, ahead of only Steven Stamkos, Connor Bedard, Barclay Goodrow, Rasmus Andersson, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Mason Lohrei.

So, this past season, Drysdale put together his most complete campaign yet, playing in 78 games, scoring a career-high eight goals, matching his career-high 32 points, and posting a personal-best -3 rating over the course of a full season.

Drysdale's improvement defensively was rewarded with trust from Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet, too, as Drysdale's 21:33 of average ice time was nearly two full minutes greater than any of his previous averages over the course of a full season.

Since joining the Flyers, Drysdale has demonstrably improved each year, going from one of the worst defensemen in the NHL to a reliable second-pairing defender who can move the puck at a high level and contribute on the power play.

And considering Drysdale turned 24 only three months ago, there is reason to believe that his best is still yet to come.

But in a nutshell, this is everything the modern Flyers player should be.

Despite being a high draft pick with obvious talent, Drysdale didn't let his development just come to him. He spent extra time in the gym and around the team and actively attacked all of his weaknesses, one summer at a time.

And this is how the present-day Flyers are built.

Porter Martone, David Jiricek, Drysdale, Matvei Michkov, Sean Couturier, Rasmus Ristolainen, Trevor Zegras, and Owen Tippett were all top-10 draft picks.

Drysdale followed in the footsteps of Couturier and Ristolainen, who had to rebuild their games to fit the modern NHL and become effective players again.

Zegras, after some down years in Anaheim, put himself back on the map with hard work and further attention to detail.

Going forward, Jiricek and Michkov, too, will have to follow in the footsteps of Drysdale to help take the Flyers to where they need to go.

Jiricek is less experienced than Drysdale was when he arrived in Philadelphia, and his growth will require similar patience as he works on his defense, too, as well as his average mobility. The offensive talent is already there.

Michkov, in spite of the unreasonable spotlight and a lack of trust from Tocchet, still finished with 51 points in his second NHL season.

He can reach another gear, like Drysdale, by adding another dimension to his skating, as well as, apparently, improving his conditioning in general. As for defense, well... you don't draft or pay Michkov to play defense, do you?

Drysdale is not the flashiest or most popular Flyers player, no. Those titles would sooner go to Zegras, Michkov, or Martone at this stage.

But it should be recognized that he is the epitome of what the organization in its current state stands for: talented, hard-working, loved in the locker room, and stands up for his teammates.

And on his current trajectory, there is no telling how good Drysdale will be by this time next year.

Amid the stifling heat wave in Colorado, the Avalanche found the energy to make another transaction that should mostly benefit the Colorado Eagles. Incoming is a 5-foot-11 left shot forward in Georgii Merkulov who inked a one-year two-way NHL deal with the club for the 2026-27 season.

We have signed Georgii Merkulov to a one-year-deal📝 pic.twitter.com/EFlvyA9JcX

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) July 20, 2026

Merkulov went undrafted but was signed out of Ohio State and spent four years in the Boston Bruins organization where he starred for their AHL affiliate in Providence. It’s clear the Eagles needed to rebuild their veteran core after most of the team departed this summer in free agency and Merkulov should provide scoring talent in Loveland.

Merkulov led his AHL squad with 61 points and has scored 240 points in 271 career AHL games. The 25-year-old Russian’s NHL resume is a bit thinner having only produced one assist while he played in 11 total contests over three seasons with Boston including just one game in the 2025-26 season. If the youth movement fails to take off, Merkulov could be another option for the Avalanche to experiment with.

The #GoAvsGo signed 25 y/o F Georgii Merkulov to a one year two-way contract

NHL $850K
Minors: $350K
Guaranteed: $400K

Merkulov was a Group 6 UFA

61P in 70GP – AHL

Rep'd by Paul Theofanoushttps://t.co/HT5iuRRl9i

— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) July 20, 2026

Contract details show a pretty standard AHL veteran contract with a minor league salary of $350K and $400K guaranteed. The league minimum cap hit of $850K will make it easy for the Avalanche to fit in Merkulov for occasional recalls if they choose to do so.

The New York Islanders had a very quiet summer, outside of bidding farewell to Anders Lee while bringing in Matias Maccelli on a one-year deal.

As a result, the team with an older core will begin the 2026-27 season as the sixth-oldest side in the NHL.

NHL’s Oldest Teams by Average Age 👀 👴 (Via @PuckPedia )

1. LA Kings – 31.0
2. Florida Panthers – 30.9
3. Colorado Avalanche – 30.6
4. Toronto Maple Leafs – 30.3
5. Vegas Golden Knights – 30.0
6. NY Islanders – 30.0
7. Tampa Bay Lightning – 29.8
8. New Jersey Devils –… pic.twitter.com/uBtnbSxsuE

— NHL Forum (@NHLxForum) July 20, 2026

That figure does not include 19-year-old Victor Eklund, who is expected to make the Islanders out of training camp, or, at the very least, be one of the very last cuts.

This could be the last season for a while with the Islanders as one of the oldest teams in the league.

Next summer, all three of Ondrej Palat, Kyle Palmieri, and Casey Cizikas will be unrestricted free agents, and all of them are 35 years old.

Defensively, Ryan Pulock and Scott Mayfield's trade protections drop from full no-trade clauses to partial no-trade clauses, while Kashawn Aitcheson's potential emergence could force a trade of Adam Pelech.

Additionally, 38-year-old Semyon Varlamov will also be an unrestricted free agent, further dropping the Islanders' average age for next season.

Every summer we take a look at the top young players within the Pittsburgh Penguins organization in our Top 25 Under 25 feature. The list is meant to be less predictive of the future and more of a snapshot in time for how players stack up in terms of their value today when attempting to create the trick of sorting recently drafted teenagers against older prospects with limited ceilings but potential short-term NHL contributions.

While the Pens’ system these days is still in the early stages of getting restocked, significant progress has been made in recent years to deepen and boost the system with talent. Past moves under different strategies often burned up high draft picks in exchange for immediate NHL help when the team was contending or attempting to do so as late as trading away their 2024 first round pick. That has gone the other direction in recent years with Kyle Dubas acquiring and stockpiling an impressive amount of picks for the future as the team shifts into a more developmental part of their cycle to reset the base of the organization with youth.

However, there is some culling of the herd as players end up moving out of the team’s purview. Today’s focus takes a peak at some of those reasons for the players who made last year’s list that will no longer be on this year’s T25U25 due to turning 25 and aging out, getting traded or opting outright to not sign with Pittsburgh.

#24 Cruz Lucius

Lucius is technically still a member of the Pens’ reserve list until August 15th, at which point he will become a free agent. He has made it clear to Pittsburgh that he won’t sign with them and will move on and start his pro career with another team, so we’re going to go ahead an pre-emptively move him into the departed category at this point. That’s a minor blow for the Pens, the 22-year old Lucius saved his best college season for last with a 46-point effort in 36 games last year with Arizona State. They wanted him to turn pro with them, he’s opted to do something else.

The former fourth round pick of Carolina came to Pittsburgh in the Jake Guentzel trade in 2024. Lucius participated in prior summer development camps with the Pens, but was absent in 2026 as he looks to free agency. Lucius has upside as a skilled forward but still could be considered a long shot to reach his ceiling and make a consistent NHL impact. He would have been a nice prospect to keep within the system but his loss doesn’t seem like a dealbreaker or anything the team could have reasonably controlled, Lucius wasn’t ready to turn pro prior to this year and he ended up being a very young college player (playing his senior season at age-21).

#20: Sam Poulin

The long saga of Sam Poulin with the Penguins ended with a whimper. The former 2019 first round pick ended up being a throw-in for a larger trade to keep contracts switching from Pittsburgh to Edmonton more balanced in the December trade that sent Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak to the Penguins. Poulin actually played two games with the Pens in 2025-26 (27:38 total ice time, no points, 1 shot on goal, 2 hits and 2 blocked shots) and was still good for Wilkes while he was there (producing 20 points in 22 games) but the writing had been on the wall for the player that peaked at No. 3 in the T25U25 back in 2021 and was considered and hoped to be one of the Pens’ top forward prospects for a good chunk of time.

A lot developed poorly in the post-mortem with Poulin, and some of that was out of his control. Being drafted in 2019 didn’t help his cause for a crucial draft+1 season eaten up by the COVID times. Injuries derailed most of his 2022-23 and some of of 2023-24 for good measure. In the end, Poulin was never more advanced than he was early in the process when he was bigger and stronger than his competition. He’s grown into a very good AHL level player but that tantalizing last jump into being an NHL difference maker was always slightly out of reach. So close, yet so far. Poulin didn’t play any NHL games for Edmonton, he became a free agent and signed a two-way contract with Montreal for 2026-27.

#15: Emil Pieniniemi

Pieniniemi was the second draft pick Kyle Dubas ever made for the Penguins in the third round of 2023. His stint with the organization ended with a summer 2026 trade. The damage was done earlier this season – the Pens with a flush AHL blueline wanted the then-20 year old Pieniniemi to develop in the ECHL to start the season in October. Pieniniemi and his agent did not agree with this path, figuring it would be better for his development to go back to Finland. Leave for Finland is exactly what Pieniniemi did, without approval of Pittsburgh, who made it clear with a suspension they would not loan him outside of the organization this season to allow him to play in Finland. The long stalemate finally ended when Pieniniemi agreed to come back in mid-December and go to the ECHL after all. He played 41 total games in the ECHL and 11 in the AHL before the Pens decided they were better off moving him out of the organization.

The Pens, and Kyle Dubas especially, are very open to the idea that the ECHL can be a positive benefit for a player’s career and development process. They seemingly communicated their vision and plan to lay it out for the player to see. Most players are not aligned to think the same way, where the ECHL is seen more as a dead-end or place to spin wheels, not find an NHL trajectory. It’ll be interesting in the future to see if opinions might gradually shift more into Dubas’ thinking (which is not new, and he does have a good record of using the ECHL as a pipeline towards opportunity for much bigger). But that won’t be Pieniniemi, who wasn’t on board and poisoned the well with his actions. For Pittsburgh to trade the 21-year old for a 26-year old forward who returned to Sweden after playing one year in the AHL shows what the value of Pieniniemi was at this point and willingness to prevent a similar headache in the future.

#11: Arturs Silovs

Silovs, who turned 25 years old in March, has aged out of this feature and is no longer eligible for T25U25 status. His graduation coincides at a good time to not be considered a prospect after signing a one-year contract for $2.8 million dollars that has him firmly in position to be a major contributor for Pittsburgh in 2026-27. A running tenet of the whole T25U25 feature is the rarity of a player inking a seven-figure contract and becoming established as an NHLer at age 25 (it’s very difficult to do!), Most stories are going to end with a dimmer conclusion, the numbers game is stacked against the majority of cases. Silovs will go in as a success story, he did most of the developing in Vancouver’s organization but ended up being a nice add for the Penguins to swoop in and get something out of.

#9: Phil Tomasino

Pittsburgh acquired Tomasino, a former 2019 first round pick, from Nashville in 2024. His first season with the Pens showed moments of promise, producing 23 points in 50 games and at times playing in a scoring line role. Unfortunately, 2025-26 showed how difficult that keeping a firm hold on a NHL spot can be for many players. Tomasino broke camp playing on the fourth line, got a few chances on the third line. His past performance didn’t provide much of a toehold on maintaining his spot and he was a healthy scratch before long. By mid-November, Tomasino was waived – despite an injury to Rickard Rakell there was still no space for Tomasino, who ended up being a novelty AHL asset on an NHL dollars of a $1.75 million contract.

The Pens resolved that situation by trading Tomasino to Philadelphia for a player they knew would not report to the AHL and become a free agent, which is exactly what happened. In essence, the Pens dumped Tomasino’s contract to free up a spot there, saved some money in the process and closed out that chapter of taking a chance on a mid-level player and seeing what he had to offer. Tomasino did not end up playing any more NHL games last season and has subsequently signed a two-way contract as a free agent with Ottawa’s organization for 2026-27.

—

Overall, the Pittsburgh system has gained more U25 talent than it has lost in the last 12 months. The Pens have brought in Hendrix Lapierre, Jake Livanavage plus a host of 2026 draft picks including Liam and Markus Ruck, Tomas Galvas and Pierce Mbuyi for fresh young talent since the last Pensburgh T25U25. Those six will all make this summer’s list and offer brighter futures than what was lost from the organization from mostly older ‘prospects’ like Poulin and Tomasino that weren’t on NHL trajectories.

Due to the age limits, our feature this year won’t even capture 25-year olds Egor Chinakhov, Elmer Soderblom, Kaeden Korczak and Nick Robertson (the latter turning 25 in September)- all of which have also been acquired in the last year. They may have barely missed the cut-off for this list but will provide young legs and fresh talent to the team and is another feather in the Pens’ cap as they continue to load up on young-ish talent.

The work for developing young players can be a slow process at the NHL level, the Pens’ system appears to be healthy and improving compared to how it has been from the past. The pipeline to bring in young talent can take a while to get through before the finished product comes out at the other end, but right now Pittsburgh is doing a lot of the groundwork in hopes that as many of the players as we will start to profile can end up contributing to the organization in the years to come.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are being tied in potential trade interest to a young center this offseason.

The Athletic’s Josh Yohe reported Monday “two different sources in the Penguins’ organization” told him Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas is “intrigued” by Shane Wright.

Yohe noted, however, “the asking price for Wright is, to put it lightly, substantial, and possibly more than Pittsburgh is willing to pay.”

Wright, who turned 22 in January, was originally selected by the Kraken with the No. 4 pick of the 2022 draft.

He just wrapped up his second season as a full-time NHLer, during which he recorded 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 74 games as a bottom-six center for a Kraken team that missed the playoffs for a third straight season.

Wright skated 13:48 per game and played on the Kraken’s second power play unit last season, which he is apparently hoping will be his last with the franchise.

His agent Kurt Overhardt told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman earlier this month Kraken general manager Jason Botterill “he has agreed to move Shane this summer to a team in need of a top young center.”

Wright is signed through next season on the final year of his entry-level contract before hitting restricted free agency in 2027.

Even given his limited production, taking a swing on a young forward on a cheap expiring contract could be attractive for a few clubs in need of a center. Friedman reported other NHL executives said the Kraken have “made it extremely clear they expect a fair price and won’t be pressured into anything they don’t want to do.”

The Penguins have a few notable organizational ties to the Kraken. There’s Botterill, who worked with the Penguins from 2007 to 2017 before leaving to manage the Buffalo Sabres and later the Kraken.

There’s also Ron Francis, who spent seven seasons with the Kraken as general manager and president of hockey operations before joining the Penguins as a special advisor this offseason. Francis was at the helm when the Kraken drafted Wright in 2022.

If Wright is looking for more ice time, the Penguins could potentially provide him with that in the future. Now that Evgeni Malkin is on the wing, the Pens are heading into next season with Tommy Novak in the middle of the second line, and Ben Kindel is the only young center option in the pipeline.

The Penguins also have a stellar recent track record of picking up players looking for a change of scenery to break them out a slump. Many first-year Penguins including Justin Brazeau, Anthony Mantha, Egor Chinakhov, Parker Wotherspoon and Elmer Söderblom recorded career-high points totals after arriving in Pittsburgh before or during last season.

The Province’s Ben Kuzma reported last week the Vancouver Canucks are Wright’s “preferred destination,” although Wright doesn’t have any trade protections in the final year of his ELC.

Dubas said during the NHL draft last month the Penguins have been interested in trades but “haven’t had the assets to get there.” Whether the Penguins ultimately target Wright as a solution to their center depth issues could depend on what the Kraken are asking to move the 22-year-old ahead of the final year of his rookie contract.

The Buffalo Sabres had a terrible start to the 2025-26 regular season, going 5-8-4 out of the gate. The start cost Sabres GM Kevyn Adams his job, but for the remainder of the season, Buffalo went 45-15-5 to be the best team in the highly–competitive Atlantic Division. 

The Sabres beat the Boston Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs before they fell in seven games to the Montreal Canadiens in the second round, so there was a lot of good from Buffalo this past season. And in this year’s batch of TheHockeyNews.com’s grades for Buffalo players, coaching and management is largely going to be positive. But everyone is different, so we’re going to see variance in the grades we hand out. 

So, let’s get to it. Today, we’re grading someone who might’ve been fired had Buffalo not rebounded early in the season – head coach Lindy Ruff:

Lindy Ruff

Position: Coach

Grade: A-

The Skinny: It’d be a massive understatement to say Ruff was feeling pressure to produce above-average results in 2025-26. As one of the NHL’s oldest coaches at 66 years old, Ruff was vulnerable when the season began. And the truth is he may have been only a loss or two away from being fired by new Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen. But Buffalo went on to win 13 of their next 14 games, and from that point on, Ruff was pushing all the right buttons to get the most out of his players.

Ruff wound up nominated for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top bench boss in 2025-26 – the fifth time in his career he was a Jack Adams nominee. Ruff won a Jack Adams in 2005-06, and although he hasn’t won the Jack Adams again, the fact he’s still coaching more than two decades later is a testament to his staying power and lasting influence on the game.

If we’re nitpicking, the reason Ruff doesn’t get an ‘A’ or ‘A+’ grade is about a couple of things: the poor start to the season counts against Ruff, even if he eventually figured out how to turn things around. And the Sabres’ power play ranked 21st in the league at 19.5 percent efficiency. It wasn’t a perfect season, and that’s essentially what you need to get an ‘A+’ out of this writer.

Ruff is a Buffalo legend, and if you’re a Sabres fan, you want a Buffalo legend to be a key contributor to a reinvigorated Sabres organization. Ruff got a two-year contract extension out of Kekalainen, and he was completely deserving of having job security – at least, as much job security as any NHL coach can have in the churn-and-burn coaching business.  

There’s no guarantee the Sabres will be as strong as they were most of last season. And if things go down the tubes, the end will come swiftly for Ruff. Buffalo can’t afford a step backward next season, so the pressure on Ruff isn’t going to dissipate anytime soon.

The existence of a coach in this day and age is transitory in the extreme. If you’re a coach and your team reels off a dozen great games in a row, you’re going to be lauded. And if your team has a stretch where it can’t beat anybody, you’re going to hear whispers you’re about to be replaced. There’s never really a happy medium for coaches, so you can forgive Ruff if he’s grown tired of worrying about his job security.

You have to live in the moment if you’re a coach, and Ruff has to enjoy the ride – especially the pleasant ride as it stands right now. Father Time eventually shepherds in change, and if Ruff and the Sabres aren’t at least as successful as they were last season, the end could come for him before he’s fully prepared for it. But right now, Ruff deserves the ‘A’ for what he did last year.

On Tuesday, Hockey Canada announced their coaching staff for the 2027 World Junior Championships. 

Former New York Islanders forward Brad Lauer will serve as an assistant coach: 

#Isles alum Lauer has had a long coaching career https://t.co/qXFy8NuUlH

— Eric Hornick (@ehornick) July 20, 2026

Lauer, whom the Islanders selected in the second round (No. 34) of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, played six of his nine NHL seasons on Long Island.

He recorded 98 points (38 goals, 60 assists) in 259 regular-season games for the Islanders, adding eight points (five goals, three assists) in 15 playoff games for the Blue & Orange. 

Lauer, who spent time as an assistant coach with the Ottawa Senators, Anahiem Ducks, Tampa Bay Lightning and Winnipeg Jets, last served as head coach of the WHL's Spokane Chiefs. 

He did not coach in 2025-26. 

The Senators have reached an interesting crossroads with Drake Batherson.

For the past three weeks, the 28-year-old winger has been eligible to sign a contract extension with the Sens, and it would seem to make sense for the club to get something done sooner rather than later.

But every month that passes could make Batherson a little more expensive, partly because the guy has built a career on getting better every season.

Since arriving in Ottawa, his point totals have climbed modestly in every single season. Last season, he established new career highs with 33 goals and 71 points, and there's every reason to believe he could jack things up again in 2026-27. 

If he puts together another career year, he'll head into unrestricted free agency next summer with even more leverage than he has now.

But Batherson's value isn't trending upward just because of his play.

The NHL's financial landscape has changed, big time. The cap is jumping up by $8.5 million this summer to $104 million and is projected to climb again to around $113 million in 2027-28.

As the cap rises, so does the salary bar, particularly for elite offensive talent. Just think about the summer of 2028 when Connor McDavid is a UFA. That will completely reset everything.

But let's focus on the summer of 2026 for now.

Over the weekend, Connor Bedard signed a five-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks worth an average annual value of $15 million.

Earlier this month, Leo Carlsson landed a five-year deal with Anaheim for $18 million per year. That came after the Ducks matched the offer sheet Carlsson signed with the Philadelphia Flyers. It remains to be seen if the uniqueness of Carlsson's signing will affect salaries or be seen as nothing more than an outlier.

Because of their age and potential, Batherson can't be directly compared to either player.

Bedard finished last season with 75 points while Carlsson recorded 67, numbers that are right in the same neighbourhood as Batherson's 33 goals and 71 points. But both players are several years younger than Batherson and they were paid as much for what they're expected to become as for what they are today.

At 28, Batherson probably isn't about to take the kind of massive leap that teams are projecting from Bedard or Carlsson, but every mega contract resets expectations.

Even if Batherson isn't asking for $15 mill, those contracts raise the ceiling for every good offensive player who's got his hand out, waiting on a new deal.

And that's where Ottawa's timing is key. They might have saved a few bucks if they'd signed Batherson before these other deals were signed. But that ship has sailed, and it isn't coming back.

Batherson is finishing the bargain contract he signed five years ago, one that carries a cap hit of less than $5 million annually. It quickly became one of the better-value contracts in the entire NHL, but those days are coming to an end.

If Bedard is getting $15 million and Carlsson checks in at $18 million, is it unreasonable for Batherson's camp to want $10 million? Maybe more?

His importance to the Sens has also grown.

With Brady Tkachuk now in Florida and several veteran voices no longer around the organization, Batherson suddenly finds himself among the team's longest-serving core players, second only to Thomas Chabot. 

He also showed during the playoffs that he can produce when the games matter most.

The Senators struggled to score in their first-round sweep at the hands of the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, but Batherson scored three times and added an assist, finishing in on four of Ottawa's five goals in the series.

Perhaps most encouraging for the Senators is that, unlike certain people, Batherson has made it clear he isn't looking for a way out. When I spoke with him in May, following the season, he didn't hesitate when I asked him if he was open to remaining in Ottawa long-term.

"Oh, yeah," Batherson said. "I mean, it's a great spot for me. It's close to home. I've been here for almost a decade now and made so many friends outside of hockey in Ottawa. So, yeah, it feels like home.

"I've lived here pretty much the same amount of time I've lived in my hometown."

Batherson also said there had been no contract discussions at that point.

"This is all new to me. Obviously, it's my first time coming up on being a free agent since I was 23. That was my last one, which has flown by. I can't believe it's been five years. So yeah, we'll see what happens."

Those comments gave Senators fans reason for optimism, but as elite offensive players keep signing mega-deals (and it's only just begun), Batherson's agent might have a different view of the marketplace than he did even a couple of months ago.

At first glance, $10 million seems maybe a bit steep for Batherson. For us old-schoolers who watched Guy Lafleur earn roughly $3.5 million over his entire 17-year NHL career, it's almost impossible to wrap your head around a number like that for one season. 

But that's the new NHL.

The only question now is whether the Senators can get Batherson signed before the market and his play push his price tag even higher.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was first published in The Hockey News. For more Sens coverage at The Hockey News, click on one of the Sens headlines below:

Shane Pinto Reveals How Senators Teammates Reacted To Tkachuk Trade
What The Senators See In Andre Burakovsky
Senators Keep The Faith, Re-Signing Former First-Round Draft Pick Tyler Boucher
Ranking The Top Five Options To Replace Brady Tkachuk As Senators Captain
Rest Is A Weapon: New NHL Schedule Leaves Senators At A Big Disadvantage

Pavel Datsyuk turns 48 on July 20, and hockey fans everywhere are taking the occasion to celebrate one of the most skilled players to ever lace up skates for the Detroit Red Wings.

Nicknamed the "Magic Man" for his otherworldly puck control, Datsyuk built a career in Detroit defined by jaw-dropping highlights that still circulate among fans today.

Datsyuk was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2024, capping a legacy that includes two Stanley Cup championships in 2002 and 2008, three straight Selke Trophies as the league's top defensive forward from 2008 to 2010, and four consecutive Lady Byng Trophies for sportsmanship from 2006 to 2009.

In honor of his birthday, here's a look back at some of the plays that made him a legend in Hockeytown.

The No-Look Dish to Zetterberg

One of the clearest examples of his chemistry with longtime running mate Henrik Zetterberg came in a game against the Arizona Coyotes. After winger Dan Cleary worked the puck down the wall, Datsyuk collected it and, without so much as a glance, threaded a no-look feed into the slot for Zetterberg to bury. It was a perfect microcosm of a partnership that decided countless games for Detroit over the years.

The Ankle Breaker

Datsyuk also had a knack for pulling off things that felt borrowed from another sport entirely. Against the San Jose Sharks, he found himself with Logan Couture bearing down on him near the bottom of the offensive zone.

Datsyuk sold a move to the outside, then cut back at the last possible second, a crossover-style fake that sent Couture sliding to the ice and left him searching for the puck that was no longer there.

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The Behind-the-Back Steal That Won a Playoff Game

Perhaps the single most remarkable display of his puck skills came during Game 1 of Detroit's first-round series against Boston in the 2014 playoffs. Still nursing a knee injury, Datsyuk somehow reached behind his own body and through a pair of Bruins defenders to come away with the puck, a sequence that stunned the broadcast crew calling the game.

He turned it into the game's only goal, sliding the puck through Dougie Hamilton's legs and past Tuukka Rask for the series-opening win, proof that even at less than full health, Datsyuk was still a cut above nearly everyone else on the ice.

Legendary First NHL Goal

Long before all of that, Datsyuk announced himself with his very first NHL goal, a play that hinted at everything to come. He slipped past a pair of defenders, worked his way around a crowded crease, and slid a quick backhander home, setting the tone for a decade and a half of highlight-reel hockey in Detroit.

Signature Deke on Marty Turco

His signature move, though, may still be the one he used against Dallas Stars netminder Marty Turco, a dizzying reverse forehand-to-backhand toe-drag that left Turco flailing and became one of the most replayed sequences of his career. He pulled off similar wizardry against Tomas Vokoun in a shootout, further cementing his reputation as a goaltender's worst nightmare.

Nearly a decade removed from his playing days, Datsyuk's brand of hockey magic remains unmatched in Red Wings history, and his 48th birthday is as good a reason as any to revisit why he'll always be remembered as one of the game's most captivating players.

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On Monday, part of his post-contract media availability, Connor Bedard spoke about the possibility of Patrick Kane returning to the Chicago Blackhawks. 

According to multiple sources, including Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Chelios, Kane is down to the Blackhawks and his hometown Buffalo Sabres. A decision is likely to be made over the next couple of weeks. 

Chris Chelios Believes Patrick Kane Is Between Chicago Blackhawks & Buffalo SabresAccording to Chicago Blackhawks legend Chris Chelios, another Chicago Blackhawks legend is close to making a decision.

Connor Bedard perked up a little bit when he started to talk about Kane and the potential for him to come back to Chicago. 

"I hope so," Bedard said. "I don't know what I can say to persuade his decision, but we'd all obviously be so excited to have a player like that, but also a guy like that. I can't imagine his first game back at the UC, the reaction he'd get, and how much juice that would bring not only to our team but our fans as well. That would be incredible to get to play with him and learn from him. Hopefully he decides to come back. You talk about the legacy aspect of it, but as a team, it would make us a way better team. He's still an amazing player. I don't know if this is the best pitch, but hopefully he comes back, and we can play together, for sure."

Patrick Kane is one of the greatest Blackhawks ever, and Connor Bedard is hoping to create a similar legacy. Like Kane, Bedard is a former first-overall pick, so there is pressure for him to do great things. Kane would be a big help. 

Connor Bedard isn't the only individual player on the team that Kane's arrival would help, either. Any center he plays with, whether it be Bedard, Anton Frondell, or Frank Nazar, would instantly have more time and space with or without the puck if they were playing with Kane. 

Also, the power play would dramatically improve as well. It was somewhat of a sore spot in 2025-26, while Kane had 19 power-play points as a member of the Detroit Red Wings. With a larger role on the man-advantage (and even strength), he'd help them score a lot more goals. 

Bedard clearly understands what Kane means to the team, the fanbase, and the city. He is absolutely correct in saying that the United Center would be a fun place to watch a game if Kane came back. If they ever connected on a goal, which they would more than once, the roof would explode. 

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The Buffalo Sabres have not done much to replace the 44 goals from last season that departed with the trades of Bowen Byram and Alex Tuch, and there has been a great deal of conjecture that one of GM Jarmo Kekalainen’s possible options is signing Buffalo native and three-time Cup winner Patrick Kane.

Kane remains unsigned after three weeks of free agency. Last week, Hall-of-Fame blueliner and TNT commentator Chris Chelios indicated on a Chicago radio show that a return to the Blackhawks is a possibility. 

"I am not gonna lie to you guys, it is down to Buffalo and Chicago. I know that." Chelios said on 104.3 The Score last week, “I spoke to (Patrick), it’s a tough decision for him, whether to go home and make it easy on his parents, his family and his friends and finish like (Jonathan Toews) tried to do, or he comes back (to Chicago). In my opinion, he’s a Blackhawk.”

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Over the weekend, the Hawks announced the signing of star center Connor Bedard to a five-year, $75 million contract extension, and during his media availability on Monday, the former Calder Trophy winner indicated that he hopes that Kane will re-sign with the Hawks. 

"I hope so. I don't know what I can say to persuade his decision, but we'd all obviously be so excited to have a player like that, but also a guy like that.” Bedard said.  “I can't imagine his first game back at the (United Center), the reaction he'd get and how much juice that would bring not only to our team but our fans as well. That would be incredible to get to play with him and learn from him. Hopefully he decides to come back. You talk about the legacy aspect of it, but as a team, it would make us a way better team. He's still an amazing player. I don't know if this is the best pitch, but hopefully he comes back, and we can play together, for sure."

Kane has often been rumored to be Buffalo bound, but especially after being traded to the NY Rangers in 2023 and signing with the Detroit Red Wings in 2024. The Sabres snapping their 15-year playoff drought has made them a more attractive landing spot, but there has always been a debate of how much he wants to play for his hometown team, especially with the expectation level raised since their Atlantic Division title last season. 

The Hawks will be without Bedard until November recovering from shoulder surgery and are in all likelihood will not be a playoff team, but is the place where Kane won three Cups and played 16 years. The allure of finishing his Hall-of-Fame career there might be the biggest hurdle the Sabres have in bringing him back home.   

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Jimmy Snuggerud had a phenomenal rookie season, but what if we told you there was another level his game can reach?

In his rookie campaign, Snuggerud scored 21 goals and 51 points in 70 games, finishing fifth in Calder Trophy voting.

But if you asked TheHockeyNews.com, they’d say Snuggerud is the breakout candidate for the St. Louis Blues. 

In THN’s 2026 Champions edition, they named Snuggerud as the breakout candidate of the Blues. For a player who eclipsed the 20-goal and 50-point mark in his rookie season, expecting him to break out further is a tall ask, but with his skill set, it’s an achievable goal. 

We’re kidding ourselves if we believe JIMMY SNUGGERUD will top out as a 20-goal, 50-point player. Almost from the instant he joined the Blues, Snuggerud had an impact on the attack. The 22-year-old tied for second in points among Blues players this season and generated the highest rate of individual expected goals on the team at all strengths. There will be a lot of roster movement in St. Louis this summer, but Snuggerud becoming the centerpiece of the offense is a certainty. - Jared Clinton

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Snuggerud’s shot is his best asset. He can fire off heavy and accurate one-timers, he can catch and shoot, and he can make space for himself before using his quick release. But ultimately, he has far more traits that make him dangerous.

His playmaking has improved drastically since he was drafted. Down the stretch of the season, he fed passes to Dylan Holloway and Robert Thomas that opened the game for each of them, and it was why they were one of, if not the best lines for the final 20 games of the season.

Snuggerud doesn’t have blistering speed, but he ranks above the 50th percentile in multiple skating statistics according to NHL EDGE, which makes him a threat in transition as well. 

Four St. Louis Blues Prospects Feature In Top 100 NHL Drafted Prospects RankingThe St. Louis Blues’ prospect pool remains strong, as four prospects are featured in The Athletic’s top 100 NHL-drafted prospects.

If Snuggerud matched his production of 20 goals and 50 points, the Blues would be thrilled, but with his talent, there is a real case for him to be a 30-goal, 70-point scorer very soon. 

Players like Dalibor Dvorsky or Logan Mailloux are other candidates on the Blues to have breakout seasons, but Snuggerud, despite past success, is a candidate to take his game to the next level.

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