Through the early days of training camp, the Philadelphia Flyers are quietly working to decide how the center depth will shake out as the beginning of the regular season approaches.
This is less a question of which players make the NHL roster after final cuts, and more about who plays where.
As far as the first few days of training camp are concerned, there are a few obvious players who will be sticking at center, and a few wildcards who muddy the picture a bit.
During Saturday's scrimmage, Trevor Zegras and Sean Couturier reprised their roles as the first- and fourth-line centers with Zegras playing with Owen Tippett and a rotation of Zach Aston-Reese and Jack Studnicka and Couturier playing with Noel Acciari and Carl Grundstrom.
Surging prospect Denver Barkey was the third center on that Orange team, while the Black team featured Jett Luchanko, Christian Dvorak, and Noah Cates down the middle.
If we include Luchanko as part of the equation and roster battle, the Flyers have six centers vying for four spots, and some players will be sent to the AHL (Luchanko) or be forced to play the wing.
Barkey was that guy who shifted to the wing last season, but that may not necessarily always be the case going forward.
"I think it takes a lot of work to be an established NHL centerman, but I think something I've always taken pride in is being a versatile player, someone that can play up and down a lineup, and someone that can play center or wing," Barkey said after Saturday's scrimmage.
"I haven't played [center] too much since I was younger in junior, but given the opportunity here now, I know the task at hand for what a center needs to do in all three zones throughout a game. So, having that opportunity here to show them that I can maybe play center and hold my own. It's just another opportunity for me, and looking to run away with it."
Barkey, 21, spent much of his time last year with Noah Cates and Sean Couturier as his centers, two players who are defensively sound and can chip in offensively when things are doing well.
Flyers turn to Barkey, linemates for better offensive look?
Denver Barkey (left) played as the center for Alex Bump (right) during Saturday's training camp scrimmage. (Photo: Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images)
On Saturday, Barkey was interestingly slotted in between two fellow youngsters in Alex Bump and Matvei Michkov, which speaks to what Rick Tocchet and the Flyers' coaching staff think of the former third-round pick's discipline and ability to play responsibly in all three zones. His two wingers are in the NHL for their offensive prowess, but no so much for the defense.
After a tentative start, the fascinating trio found some chemistry and eventually cashed in for two of their team's four goals.
Tocchet acknowledged the nature of the scrimmage and how rosters had to be divvied up between two teams, but feels there is real potential for Barkey at the center position regardless.
"There's also something there that we got to look at, because he's a smart guy. I don't think he hurts you defensively," Tocchet said. "What I liked about that, the line started out slow, and then if you watch, they got cooking, and they started having puck possession. There's a lot of factors into that, and we'll see. We have some other centers, too. So that's something that we're going to have to really look into."
The Flyers also used Saturday's scrimmage as an opportunity to work on the power play for the first time this training camp.
Tocchet also spoke about "deception" being the key to a successful unit that scores goals and generates chances; Barkey featured on the first unit alongside Trevor Zegras, Matvei Michkov, Jamie Drysdale, and Owen Tippett and believes his best attributes can shine with such an opportunity.
"My vision and my IQ has always been something that's separated me for most, and I think on the power play, you have a little more time and space, and you have that extra second to maybe sell a pass and shoot, or make it look like you're passing somewhere that you're not," Barkey assessed. "I think, yeah, as time goes on here, you get more comfortable and continue to grow as a team. I think definitely that'd be something that you look to help this team win games."
The former London Knights captain finished 11th on the Flyers in total power play ice time last season, playing 69:16 in just 43 regular season games, per Natural Stat Trick. His 1:36 of power play time per game ranked 10th among Flyers forwards, trailing the top dogs and veterans like Michkov, Travis Konecny, Zegras, Tippett, Cates, Christian Dvorak, Porter Martone, Tyson Foerster, and the now-departed Bobby Brink.
Of course, the Flyers' usage of Barkey in training camp thus far suggests that they have an expanded role in mind, both in terms of position and 5-on-5 play, as well as offensively with increased power play time.
Throughout the summer, GM Danny Briere and the Flyers have mentioned the growth and maturity of their young players as keys to the upcoming season, especially with the overall lack of offseason additions, and Barkey will be as big a piece in that puzzle as anyone as training camp thunders onward.
MARYLAND
HEIGHTS, Mo. -- It’s go time for the NHL preseason on Saturday, and
the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars will kick things off after
opening respective training camps just two days ago.
The
Blues and Stars will open preseason play at 6 p.m. at Enterprise
Center, and from a Blues perspective, there’s no time to get
extended looks at potential players looking to crack the opening
night lineup or prospects getting a lot of time with the big club.
But
the Blues will do so on Saturday before getting more time in with
those that will make the club.
Headlining
the lineup tonight includes what is projected to be the opening night
fourth line of Ross Johnston, Pius Suter and Alexey Toropchenko.
“(Tonight),
it will probably be the least amount of veterans dressed,” Blues
coach Jim Montgomery said. “We’ll get a look at some of our young
prospects. Then game two (Monday in Dallas), we’re going to have
our first power play unit go, then game three (Thursday at home
against the Chicago Blackhawks), we’re going to have our second
power play unit go and the last game’s going to be both units going
(Sept. 26 at Chicago). That’s going to be our team playing in the
last game.”
There’s
a good sense of what the lineup will look like Oct. 2 in Dallas when
the Blues and Stars open for keeps, but what’s going to be a battle
is the spots for the 13/14 roster spots among the forwards, and it
includes Oskar Sundqvist, Nathan Walker, Dillon Dube, Otto Stenberg and Jack
Finley all vying for two spots.
“I
think it’s always different with what do you have up front,”
Montgomery said. “Do you have enough offense where you’re just
going to look for checkers and grinders? Or are you lacking offense
where maybe you bring in a guy that’s had some skill to go up in
the second line and you have one guy that’s going to be a grinder.
It’s not your typical guys you’re just looking for that are going
to be just physical guys and other attributes would be can they play
center and can they play wing? Can they win draws? Do they penalty
kill or do they power play? It all depends on the makeup of your team
and I just love the fact that we’ve got a lot of different elements
that we can choose from right now. It’s very competitive.
“You
don’t want two guys that look the same. That you don’t want
unless you had a team that your four lines are set and you have a
fourth line that is an identity line like we had two years ago and
then you have a third line that’s a pure checking line that’s a
hard 200-foot line and then you have two scoring lines and then
you’re just looking for certain things, but we need versatility
right now because as we look through our lineup, we think we have a
first line, we think we have a fourth line. The second and third
line, they have to find an identity and that’s [because] we have
new bodies, we have new people, we have other opportunities too with
players that have been coming in.
“I
think everybody that has an opportunity to earn those spots have
shown really well. Whether it’s ‘Walks’ or ‘Sunny,’ Dube
had an excellent day [Friday]. (Dylan) Peterson I thought was
excellent [Friday]. (Aleksanteri) Kaskimaki’s been really good and
Stenberg I thought had a really good day [Friday] after an average
day yesterday.”
It
makes the limited time on ice and practice sessions so important for
all these players.
“I
think with such a short camp, every practice means a lot,”
Montgomery said. “We don’t have a lot of time to make decisions
so they don’t have a lot of time to impress. It’s either you’re
coming here to fight for a job and grab a job, or you’re watching
your job disappear. If you’re not playing with any kind of
intensity and any kind of purpose out there, you’re going to be
left behind.”
-
- -
Maddox
Dagenais, the No. 16 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, will make his Blues
debut and more than likely, get sent back to juniors where he will
play a third and likely final season with the Quebec Remparts of the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
“Pretty
excited,” Dagenais said. “Since I was a little kid, I’ve been
watching those games. You’re going on the ice on an NHL rink, so
it’s pretty nice. I’m just going to give it my all.”
Dagenais's father, former NHLer Pierre Dagenais, was supposed to come in to St. Louis for the game to see his son play but his flight was canceled.
Montgomery
really likes what the 6-foot-4,
186-pound can bring and feels there’s some unique traits there.
“Real
intelligent player,” Montgomery said. “You can tell that he’s a
gifted offensive player because he always knows what he’s going to
do with the puck before he gets it. Incredible release and he’s
really deceptive because he’s a little bit of a 10-to-2 skater on a
clock and his feet are going that way and that makes it hard because
the angles are completely different and he’s going to be very
deceptive, I think.
“It’s
not unique, no, but Ulf Dahlen was the most famous one for it, but it
makes him slippery.”
Will
have more from Dagenais in a separate story.
-
- -
Blues Projected Lineup:
Alexey
Toropchenko-Pius
Suter-Ross Johnston
Aleksanteri
Kaskimaki-Zach Dean-Justin Carbonneau
Maddox
Dagenais-Jack Finley-Otto Stenberg
Juraj
Pekarcik-Jakub Stancl-Dylan Peterson
Arseny
Koromyslov-Tyler Tucker
Colin
Ralph-Theo Lindstein
Quinton
Burns-Lukas Fischer
Jordan
Binnington will start in goal and play the
first two periods;
Georgii Romanov will back up and play the final period.
-
- -
Stars Projected
Lineup:
Matthew
Seminoff-Arttu Hyry-Cameron Hughes
Dylan
Hrychowian-Artem Shlanie-Emil Hemming
Curtis
McKenzie-Jack Becker-Justin Ertel
Michael
Sgarbossa-Christian Fitzgerald-Charlie Paquette
Jack
Anderson-Kyle Capobianco
Trey
Taylor-Kyle Burroughs
Jakub
Vanecek-Ben Gleason
Remi
Poirer is
projected to start in goal; Brandon
Halverson would
be the backup.
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With plenty of eyeballs on Gavin McKenna, the 18-year-old was skating with the second projected power-play unit for the most part.
He was on the left flank, with Emil Andrae at the point, Matthew Knies in the bumper, Bo Groulx on the right flank, and Tinus Luc Koblar as the net-front presence.
Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller explained his reasoning for positioning McKenna on the second unit.
"I just think, you know, probably for him and us, just get out there and play," he said after morning skate at Scotiabank Arena. "We don't want to put extra pressure on. If you asked him, he'd probably say, 'I want to play 22 minutes, I want to run the first power play.' And that's exactly what he should say. But for us, we just want to get him started in the NHL, see what it feels like."
While Toronto will slowly get an assessment of what McKenna looks like in the NHL, he got some opportunity with the big guns on Saturday morning.
"There'll be a chance over time, whether that's one game, two, 10, 20, where his role will increase in different areas," Hiller said. "But yeah, we just have a lot of good players. So fortunately, he doesn't have to start there."
Knies remained in the bumper position, but McKenna was hanging around the net. He wasn't always positioned directly in front of the goaltender, but he received pucks beside and behind the net, exercising his playmaking ability.
"I'm just looking forward to seeing him play his first NHL exhibition game, and then we'll see what that looked like," the Leafs coach added. "He's looked great in practice, but let's just see what it looks like for everybody. And we might say, 'hey, he has less deficiencies than we even thought.' He adjusted right to this. And then the plan can change from there.
"Again, the second point is we have a lot of really good players on the team. A lot of offensive players that have played important roles, have had great careers. So anytime you do one thing, you adjust something else. You just have to take all that into account."
In other circumstances, on the second unit on the left half-boards, McKenna and the rest of the group moved around the zone a lot. Rather than stationary puck movement, the players on the second unit cycled through their positions, which allowed McKenna to see the entire zone with or without the puck.
He often looked for cross-seam passes and made quick touches on the puck. His combination of smooth stickhandling, vision, and confidence should, in itself, make him a considerable threat to the opposition, even without a single professional hockey game under his belt.
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For every team in every sport, hope springs eternal as a new season approaches.
Everyone is tied for first place. Everyone thinks this could be the year. Everyone is tanning themselves on the bright side of things.
But in hockey, unless your best goalie is healthy and on his game, that well of hope can dry up quickly.
Linus Ullmark spoke Friday about his team's growth as an organization over the past few years (Senators YouTube).
In Ottawa, if the Senators are going to succeed this season, it will be because Linus Ullmark has carried his late-season resurgence into a new year.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, on day two of training camp, Ullmark appeared noticeably lighter and more relaxed than he did through much of last year. He looked like a man enjoying the vibe of a fresh start... for everyone.
“Everybody’s very eager, very energetic,” Ullmark said. “Just like every single camp I’ve been to, it’s the same thing. Everybody comes out hot, blazing and excited about what’s to come.”
As Sens fans know very well, that enthusiasm wasn't always evident last season. Ullmark had more than his share of hard moments, on and off the ice, before taking a month-long leave of absence to address his mental health.
Through his final start before that leave on Dec. 27, Ullmark had gone 14-8-5 with a 2.95 goals-against average and an .881 save percentage. The winning record was decent, but there were also too many nights when the boys needed a save that didn’t come.
After returning at the end of January, Ullmark made just two starts before the NHL paused its schedule for the Olympics. That gave him two extended breaks in the middle of the season, which appeared to be just what the doctor ordered.
From the end of the Olympic break through to the end of the regular season, Ullmark went 12-4-3 with a 2.51 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage in 19 starts.
He was even better in the playoffs.
Sure, the Sens were swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes and scored only five goals in four games, but Ullmark gave them every opportunity to win. He stopped 124 of the 133 shots he faced, producing a .932 save percentage and a 2.03 goals-against average.
Combined, Ullmark posted a .908 save percentage and a 2.42 goals-against average over his final 23 regular-season and playoff appearances following the Olympic break. That was much closer to the level GM Steve Staios believed he was getting when he acquired him from Boston in 2024.
And despite his leave, Ullmark still started 49 regular-season games.
Sometimes, there's concern raised about the fact that Ullmark has never appeared in more than 50 games in any NHL season. But this is no longer a league where Martin Brodeur types are powering past the 70-game mark.
Utah’s Karel Vejmelka was the only NHL goalie to reach 60 appearances last season. Most of the league’s busiest starters finished somewhere in the 50s.
In other words, playing approximately 50 games is no longer an unusually light workload for a No. 1 goaltender.
Ullmark’s own history also suggests that less is more.
When he won the Vezina Trophy with Boston three years ago, he appeared in exactly 49 games, with an outrageous record of 40-6-1, a 1.89 goals-against average, and a .938 save percentage.
Based on that history and his performance in last spring’s playoffs, the goal shouldn't be for Ullmark to start more than 60 games, which is what he was on pace for when he stepped away in December. The goal is availability and whatever it takes for him to play at a high level.
That leaves Ullmark's backup to play 30-35 games, which is a huge chunk of the season, so the Senators had better be right about Samuel Ersson.
The Sens signed Ersson to a two-year contract at $2.2 million a year. At 26, Ersson is a younger option than James Reimer, who took over the position here last year but wasn't re-signed.
But just based on the stats from last season, Ersson isn't an obvious upgrade.
He went 14-11-5 with a 3.12 goals-against average and an .870 save percentage in 33 appearances for Philadelphia. Reimer went 7-4-2 with a 2.42 goals-against average and an .886 save percentage in 14 games for the Sens.
Of course, Reimer is due for the hard regression that comes for every 38-year-old goalie. Meanwhile, the Sens' goalie whisperers love the way Ersson plays the position, and naturally, they hope his numbers improve in a new organization.
Ullmark first got to know Ersson when they represented Sweden together at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year.
“He made a good impression on me at that point,” Ullmark said. “Once everything was said and done, and he was going to be a part of this organization, I was very happy. It’s always fun to have a fellow Swede join the ranks, but also for me, as a Swedish goaltender, it’s nice to have that conversation with him on a daily basis.
“Hopefully, I can show the way for him as well, being an older guy, which I feel like I’m more comfortable in now than I used to be.”
Leevi Meriläinen also remains in the mix after signing a one-year, one-way contract worth $1.1 million. The 23-year-old went 8-10-1 with a 3.51 goals-against average and an .860 save percentage in 20 NHL appearances last season.
The question now is whether the Ullmark we saw following the Olympic break and during the playoffs can carry that form into the new season.
He acknowledged that the summer passed too quickly and was filled with family responsibilities, travel and preparations for another season.
“It felt like I said goodbye to the people here in June,” he said. “And then, bam, the next time I woke up, I was back here in Ottawa. So that was both very nice, but also a little bit bittersweet in a way that I didn’t get to enjoy it as much at home as I would like to.”
Last season actually ended in April for the Senators, but no one who deals with Ottawa winters would ever describe their summer as being anything but short, no matter what.
Whether Ullmark is affected by the busy summer that went by too fast remains to be seen, but his outlook was certainly positive on Friday. He appears to be entering this season in a much better place.
And for a fan base that's been starving for a great goaltender, that's encouraging news.
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 latest THN Ottawa headlines below:
The Carolina Hurricanes opening night lineup is going to be a very hard one to crack given that the team is returning nearly every single player from their 2026 Stanley Cup Championship roster.
However, there is one spot that is definitely up for grabs, that being the sixth defenseman position.
RFA blueliner Alexander Nikishin and the Canes' front office are seemingly at a standoff, and with the Russian not being present for the opening of training camp, there's no telling what a resolution may look like.
So for now, that spot is wide open and there's a lot of players looking at that as their opportunity.
Up and Comers
The Hurricanes have a pair of blueline prospects in Charles Alexis Legault and Joel Nystrom who are very much in the running to make the team this year, especially given the fact that they were getting in fairly regularly last season.
Legault, 23, presents one of the more unique options for the team.
The 6-foot-4 defender is perhaps the most physical of all of the team's prospects, being both an effective checker and a willing pugilist.
"I prepared a lot this summer," Legault said. "I feel physically ready and hopefully that shows in camp. I feel like I can find my way to contribute. Just keeping it simple and be a reliable guy out there."
But beyond that, Legault has also continued to grow his defensive game and while he doesn't have very much offensive talent, he's got the dependable style you'd look for in a third-pairing guy.
"His physical element has increased drastically," said Chicago Wolves coach Spiros Anastas. "How quick he closes, how hard he hits, he's becoming more of a man. He still needs to continue to get better on his puck touches, which we worked on a lot with him last year, but it's a confidence piece too. He wants to be in the NHL, he knows he can be and we have that belief in him too. Having a real strong camp, led by his confidence, will give him a good shot at a spot up here."
It's that defensive work and physicality that could give Legault an edge over the competition.
"I just want to focus on what I can do and be the best version of myself every day," Legault said. "At the end of the day, that's what I can control."
Nystrom, 24, isn't anything flashy, but the Swedish blueliner is dependable.
He didn't really look out of place in his 38 game stint in the NHL, providing a reliable presence with his strong skating and high hockey sense.
"I did [feel like I belonged] and the guys on the team really helped me," Nystrom said. "My goal is to just play as good as I can and do what I'm good at. Use my feet and my skating a lot and keep playing hard and simple in the D-zone. That's for sure the things I can do."
It was a quick transition for Nystrom last year, going from only a few games of North American experience to quickly having to find his way in the NHL, but he was able to adapt fairly quickly.
"I'm a smaller guy, so I was trying to play tougher and close my gaps and be hard on the sticks in front of the net and everything," Nystrom said. "That's for sure one thing I can keep improving on this year. This is a good place to be and to develop. Just focus on what I can do."
For Nystrom, his game is built on his hockey sense and his ability to read plays quickly, but as he's grown and matured, adding strength and working on his skating has allowed him to take huge strides.
“The hockey sense was always there," said Carolina Hurricanes associate general manager Darren Yorke. "That was really the concurrent thing. But the skating has gotten better as it does with most players when you get a little bit stronger, the body control and body positioning on retrievals has improved to allow him to handle the bigger, faster players in the NHL and that's all really only enhanced his game now that he can go back for the puck, make those reads with his vision and transition the puck into the offensive zone.”
Now, it's going to be about continuing to show that he can be an everyday NHLer and prove that his dependable game is what will help the team the most.
"I'm looking just to be better every day," Nystrom said on his goals entering camp. "As I did last year, just focus on what I can do and try to play as good as I can. I feel I'm in a good place to keep developing."
NHL Veterans
The organization brought in a trio of UFA defensemen this offseason, signing Mike Reilly, Juuso Valimaki and Pierre-Olivier Joseph to one-year deals.
Reilly obviously has a leg up on the competition given his familiarity with the team and having been a part of the championship roster, but Valimaki, who had a strong bounce back season in the AHL coming off of his ACL injury, and Joseph, who had good underlying numbers on a bad Vancouver team, both present interesting options too.
Reilly, 33, it the oldest of competing players, but that also goes hand-in-hand with an extensive history in the league.
A veteran of 11 seasons, Reilly has played in 460 games in his career, with 19 goals and 133 points to his name.
The 6-foot-2, left-hander was a late signing by the team, but the fact that they brought him back and that he's been skating alongside Shayne Gostisbehere to open camp says a lot about his chances.
"Definitely excited to get going," Reilly said. "This is definitely where I wanted to be and obviously when I signed, I knew there was an opportunity and obviously that's all you can ask for. I feel like I'm in good shape here coming into camp — obviously a different preseason this year in terms of the games you can play and whatnot — but I think I was comfortable coming back here having been here last year and them getting to know me and all that. Excited for the opportunity and obviously just trying to take advantage of it."
Reilly's biggest edge in the competition is, again, that fact that he's familiar with and to Carolina.
The blueliner appeared in 44 total games for the Hurricanes (42 regular season and two playoff) and played a steady role.
"I kind of got to the point where I was just staying as ready as I could, which is easier said than done," Reilly said about being the seventh defenseman last season. "But I was in that position and I was fine with it, in a way. Obviously you want to play every night, but I think you learn a lot and you kind of feel comfortable in an uncomfortable situation a little bit."
This year though, he's looking to take on a bigger, more consistent role as an everyday player.
Valimaki, 27, has perhaps the highest ceiling out of the three players.
The Finnish blueliner was a first-round pick, going 16th overall to the Calgary Flames in 2017 and his offensive game is one of his biggest upsides, having posted a 34-point campaign before.
"I like [the system]," Valimaki said. "It's simple and you can just see when you're on the ice with these guys, everyone is just doing the right things. I consider myself a smart player and I think this system, when everyone is doing the right thing and are playing smart, I think it's a great system and obviously it works and can complement my game. I think I can fit into it really good."
The 6-foot-2 lefty joined the organization midway through last season, being traded by the Utah Mammoth shortly after recovering from an earlier ACL tear, and played the rest of the year with the Chicago Wolves.
"Obviously I missed a lot of time over the last year and kind of the year before, so just in general, to be playing games again was the biggest focus for myself," Valimaki said. "We made a big playoff run as well, so got some really good experience there. Lot of good games, the people down were awesome and it was a good year for myself."
Valimaki had a really strong run with the Wolves, putting up six goals and 20 points in 24 regular season games. He then turned things up to another level in the team's run to the Calder Cup Final, producing five goals and 14 points in 21 playoff games.
"It was kind of nice to play a little bit more like myself too," Valimaki said. "I found some offensive rhythm and I'm feeling really good. There's been a lot of ups and downs in my career with injuries and kind of a lot of other things going on, but I think last year was finally where I felt like myself again and I was in a really good head space. Just trying to play hockey, enjoy it. There's been times where you kind of forget the fun part and for me, at least, when you're having fun and enjoying what you're doing, I think that's when you play your best. Just trying to carry the momentum now and ride that wave."
It won't be easy to crack a Stanley Cup winning roster, but Valimaki has belief in himself and his goal is to get back to the NHL, something he hasn't done since January of 2025.
"I'm here to stay here," Valimaki said. "That's the sole focus for me. To do everything I can as good as I can every day. I think the one thing I tell myself now is to just be yourself on and off the ice. Don't try to change who you are, the way you play. That's the way I want to be everyday, but obviously the focus and the goal is to stay up here, be on the roster and get back into the NHL."
Joseph, 27, is another first-round pick, having been selected 23rd overall in 2017, that has bounced around a bit.
After spending a few years in the Pittsburgh Penguins' system, he wound up in St. Louis and spent the past year with the Vancouver Canucks, where he played just 31 games due to injuries and scratches.
Despite that, Joseph had some fairly strong underlying numbers, something that an analytically driven team like Carolina definitely would have taken notice of.
"I've played against these guys for a bit here and it just felt like a great group of guys to join," Joseph said. "It takes a little bit to join a group, but everyone is so welcoming and has been great. The chemistry, you can see it right when you come in. I'm just excited to try and do my part here."
The Laval native has played in parts of six NHL seasons, having played in 225 games, but he's still trying to break his way into a consistent position in the league, having played more than 60 games in a season only once.
"I've definitely learned on both sides, from some good teams and some not so good teams, but [for me, the next step] is just the consistency," Joseph said. "That's where I'm trying to get to. I think I'm a solid skater, I think I can move the puck pretty well and I think that will work well here with playing quick and fast and up north."
And even though he's one of nearly half a dozen players all vying for one spot on a championship roster, Joseph has embraced the challenge before him with a lot of positivity.
"It's a healthy competition," Joseph said. "I think everyone is just trying to jump on this boat and everyone is supporting each other, everyone wants the best for each other. But at the end of the day, it's a training camp and you're trying to show that they made the right decision to call you and to sign you here. Just trying to do my part and show the best that you can."
But what the three have done in the past has little bearing on what they can bring today.
"You want to come in with an open slate," said Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour. "A year ago, I was watching those guys and got an idea for how they play, but now, it's how can they play in our system and how well do they pick up stuff that we're throwing at them. That's all part of it."
Practice is one thing, but the biggest thing that is going to determine who's left standing at the end of camp is whether or not they can show their skills in the preseason games.
With only four on the schedule, and veterans capped at playing in only two, it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out and who can showcase enough to impress.
"They just need to know how to play the way we want to play," Brind'Amour said. "I think they all get that, it's just that somebody is going to have to step up. At the end of the day, we have to take the best guys. I think it's good to have a little competition sometimes. Haven't really seen a lot of that over the years, and so it's good to have."
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Talk is cheap when discussing the Rangers. So is optimism.
But that doesn't mean that optimism is bad. In fact it could make your day. Here's how a lucky ten positive things could happen to your Blueshirts and even put them in the playoffs.
REPEAT; EVEN PUT THEM IN THE PLAYOFFS
1. No matter how you shake it, the Rangers – in Igor Shesterkin – have one of the NHL's beststoppers.
2. Adam Fox will be injury-free and a Norris Trophy finalist.
3. Braden Schenider will show his critics that he was worth drafting after all.
4. Mika Zibanejad may not look like a No. 1 center; but, at last, he'll play like one.
5. Alexis Lafrenière will pick up where he left off late last season and prove that he was worth being an overall first draft pick.
6. Miracles Happen: J.T. Miller will recall his halcyon days in Vancouver and play his heart out for Old New York. And Newer Slobbovia. I'll go three steps further – he'll be a captain's captain!
7. Gabe Perreault will emerge as a monster playmaker, power play pivot and penalty-killer all in one. (In fact he'll turn out to be a better player than his Old Man!)
8. Slava (Smiley) Gavrikov will not only be one of the NHL's best shutdown defenders but he'll go neck and neck with his pal Foxy as an offensive force.
9. Tye Kartye will be such a boisterously pleasant surprise that by season's end everyone will know how to spell his name.
10. Rookie owner – ergo boss' son – Quentin Dolan will burst out of the shadows and show both fans and media that he is THE BOSS!.
On Friday,
Montreal Canadiens’ former number one goaltender Samuel Montembeault spoke to
the media for the first time since training camp began and, unsurprisingly, said
he has turned the page on last year’s debacle. Being a new dad helped him do
that; it made it easier to think about something besides hockey, but he didn’t
take that big a break because he wanted to keep building on what he had put
together when he wasn’t playing during the playoffs.
For now,
what the goaltender needs is to build up his confidence, and in that sense, it
may be very good for him to be training with Team B. Right now, he’s not facing
the team’s top offensive weapon, and after Friday’s practice he said:
It went
well this summer, so I felt ready when I got to camp. The first two days went
well. Today I gave up just two goals in the whole practice, both to Florian, but I feel good, and as I said, I don’t want to think too much about what’s coming. I want to come to work every day, and we’ll see what happens.
Obviously,
like everyone else, he’s aware that GM Kent Hughes has said he’s ready to start
training camp with three goaltenders but not the season, but he doesn’t want to
discuss whether that increases the pressure on him:
It comes
back to what I said: I don’t want to think ahead to when the season will start.
We still have a couple of weeks before then, so I want to work, try to do things
the right way and give myself the best odds. I’ve got a role to earn; we know that
last year it didn’t go well. So it’s a new start; I want to come to work and do
things the right way.
Put into
context, Hughes’ declaration could mean a couple of different scenarios. It
doesn’t necessarily mean that Montembeault will be traded; it could simply mean
that Jacob Fowler, who doesn’t have to clear waivers, is sent down to Laval.
Would that be ideal? No. Of course Fowler could use more action, but given what
he showed last season, it feels like he'd benefit more from seeing that action
in the NHL, facing NHL players who are more skilled and tougher to stop than AHLers.
That’s one reason Hughes will move Montembeault if he gets an opportunity;
besides, since the Bécancour native is playing a contract year, he certainly
wouldn’t mind a shot at being number one elsewhere to prove his worth.
On Saturday
night, Montembeault and Team B will head to Toronto to take on what is likely
to be the Toronto Maple Leafs’ A Team, based on what we’ve seen of the Leafs’ training
groups. In other words, after facing the Canadiens’ bottom six,
he’ll face Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John
Tavares, new sensation Gavin McKenna, and new defenseman Darren Raddysh. With
all due respect to the Canadiens’ bottom six, that promises to be a bigger
challenge. Thankfully, that game will take place away from the spotlight of the
Bell Centre, which will at least let Montembeault ease back in mentally.
Martin
St-Louis has yet to confirm who will start for the Canadiens in Saturday night's
split-squad games, but logic dictates that Montembeault will get the start. Training
camp is short this season, and the Habs have no time to waste. They need to see
and know whether the netminder can bounce back, wherever he ends up. A strong
performance would also go a long way toward improving his value on the trade
market. On Jason Gregor’s podcast earlier this week, Frank Seravalli said he believes Montembeault will be the first player traded this season, and if he can prove last year was a bump in the road, that wouldn’t be surprising.
Amadeus Lombardi couldn't hold back a smile when he heard that New Jersey Devils general manager Sunny Mehta uttered the words, “Don’t sleep on Lombardi.”
“That's a pretty cool thing to hear,” he told The Hockey News on Friday. “Just knowing that someone believes in you that much and is going to give you that opportunity, it is just so fulfilling.”
On June 25, 2026, Mehta acquired the 23-year-old from the Detroit Red Wings for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. For the last four seasons, Lombardi spent time with the organization’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Entering the offseason, the winger didn’t expect to be traded to another organization.
“I was actually fighting with my brother; we were just like wrestling around,” Lombardi shared. “I had three missed calls from my general manager, and I picked up the phone pretty out of breath. I didn't know what to say. It shocked me. My family was all around, and it was a shock, a lot of emotions at first.
“Obviously, I had a really good, tight group of guys in Grand Rapids that I am going to miss quite a bit,” he continued. “Some emotional phone calls, but after I talked to [Mehta], talked to the staff here, and got going with the process, I was so excited to get down here and just looking forward to it all summer.”
The day before the team opened training camp, Lombardi met first with Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe, followed by Mehta. They told the youngster he would start camp alongside NHLers Cody Glass and Connor Brown.
“My linemates have been unreal with me,” he shared. “I really like playing with those guys. I know it’s only been two days of practice, but I think they are really good guys off the ice. They have been easing me into it really, really well.”
During his time with Detroit, Lombardi never made his NHL debut. He didn’t receive a single call-up, not even to join the team for a practice.
“I have had nothing,” he said. “I felt like it was interesting. I was kind of an inbetweener the last couple of years in Detroit to get the nod. Obviously, some timely injuries held me back. I think there were a lot of different factors that kept me out of the NHL. Maybe fit in the organization as well. Just with their style of play and what they were trying to achieve is maybe a little different from how I play. It is unfortunate it didn't work out. Obviously, you want to play for the team that drafted you when you are there"
Lombardi’s offensive strengths are clear. He scored twice in the team’s scrimmage Friday afternoon and has tools that immediately caught Brown’s attention, including his speed, smarts, and the way he plays with his head up.
Seeing his skill with the puck led The Hockey News to ask Lombardi about his defensive-zone play.
“I think that was something that honestly probably kept me from getting a call up,” Lombardi shared. “Detroit is very defensively focused, like every team is, and I was really trying to work on it the last two years. I think I have really put a lot of thought and effort into my defensive game. I think it has really come a long way. I feel defensively sound. It is hard to work on it during the summer, but I found ways to do it. I think it has grown quite a bit. I am a young, offensive guy, but I am committed to it.
“I know it is going to help me stay in the NHL and hopefully get to the NHL,” he continued. “I am going to continue to work on it, and it is going to be something that I'm going to continue to develop over the years.”
Keefe understands that Lombardi is a guy who hasn't been relied on much in that regard throughout his career.
“He has been more of an offensive player,” Keefe explained. “He doesn't have a whole lot of history of being a penalty killer or anything like that. I think that is an area of development for him.
“If he is going to transition to the NHL, he is going to have to find some minutes that way. The reality is, if you are going to play in the NHL on a team like this, it is hard to look at it and say, you know what, I am going to be a power play guy. There is more to it than just the skill part, and he is going to keep working at it.”
Lombardi is up for the task and said he worked hard this summer to make sure everyone knows Mehta made the right decision in acquiring him.
“He is a very willing listener, learner, and worker,” Keefe continued. “I think he is eager to do whatever he needs to do to be able to get his opportunity in the NHL, and then he will grow within that. That is how we see it playing out.”
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Oliver Kapanen had a solid first full NHL season for the Montreal Canadiens in 2025-26.
In 82 games with the Canadiens this past campaign, he posted 22 goals, 15 assists, and 37 points. With numbers like these, Kapanen provided the Canadiens with good secondary scoring and proved that he can make an impact in the NHL.
As well as Kapanen played last season, it is fair to wonder if he can break out further and be even better for Montreal in 2026-27.
When noting that Kapanen is only 23 years old and just 100 games into his NHL career, it is certainly fair to argue that he has not hit his ceiling yet. Now that he has a full NHL season on his resume, it would not be particularly surprising if he took his offense to another level next season.
If Kapanen can hit a new level offensively and continue to grow his all-around next game, it would be huge for the Canadiens. It is no secret that the Canadiens need help down the middle, and it would be clutch if Kapanen could provide them with more of a boost because of it.
Nevertheless, it will be fascinating to see what kind of season Kapanen can have for Montreal in 2026-27 from here.
The wife of longtime Capitals stalwart John Carlson had Washington fans seeing red after making what she claimed to be a joke about not liking the color red — and it led to quite an interesting twist to his exit.
After fans slammed Gina Nucci Carlson for her joke referencing Washington’s red color, leading to her posting a lengthy defense that highlighted one fan calling her a “c–t,” she claimed “there was much more” to the midseason trade to the Ducks last year during his 17th season with the Capitals.
“Do I wish things ended better with an organization my husband spent 17 years with? Yes. I do. It broke me that it didn’t. He did not simply just get traded. There was much more to it & I will end it there. I loved my husbands (sic) career in DC,” she wrote Friday night in her Instagram Story.
John Carlson (l) and Gina Nucci Carlson (r) in a photo posted to Instagram. gnacarlson/Instagram
“We all love all his old teammates but I don’t like red and that’s all.”
John, a 36-year-old defenseman, spent the first 1,143 games of his career with the Capitals before they traded him to Anaheim last season.
Gina, per a Reddit thread, posted to her Instagram Story at the time that the trade affected the family while thanking the Capitals community.
“It wouldn’t be genuine of me to leave here as if this is just a business & John is a transaction,” she allegedly wrote. “Our hearts were broken last night.”
John ultimately signed a two-year deal with the Lightning in free agency, and the team posted photos of its new players to its Instagram account Friday.
Gina, according to X, featured that post in her Instagram Story with a heart and wrote, “I never like red anyway,” with the hands making a heart emoji.
Gina’s post defending her joke about not liking red. gnacarlson/Instagram
It appears that comment did not go over well with Capitals fans, and she posted a lengthy defense to Instagram while screenshotting one nasty response to her in which a user called her a “c–t.”
“I said I don’t like the color red. It was a joke and I won’t say sorry for that — but for the Caps fans who have been wonderful to me. It wasn’t meant to offend you and the team you cheer for. I love & appreciate so many of you on here,” Gina wrote with a hands making a heart emoji at the end of the last sentence.
“DC is my home. I’m not going to defend myself bc I said I don’t like the color red. This is my page and a place for me to put my opinions. John had an incredible career in Washington. If you think his wife saying she doesn’t like red is disrespectful to that. That’s your problem. He didn’t have a problem with my opinion on the color red.”
John Carlson (74) of the Washington Capitals skates the puck up the ice during a game against the New York Islanders at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 2, 2026. NHLI via Getty Images
She specifically called out the user who used the vile term.
“Had to take off the first person bc he messaged me & was nice but McNasty you are staying here,” she wrote,” she wrote above the comment.
John’s Instagram account does not feature any comments on the situation, but he previously indicated after the trade that things happened in an unusual manner.
John Carlson (74) of the Ducks handles the puck during Game 6of the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Oilers in Anaheim, Calif. on April 30, 2026. NHLI via Getty Images
Instead of finding out he was dealt from the team or his agent, his cousin, a farmer, told him in the middle of the night.
“In the middle of the night is not the best way to find out some very altering news like that,” Carlson, who joined the Capitals in 2009 and won a Stanley Cup with the team in 2018, told the AP in March.
“It’s been a crazy day with my family. Packing, getting ready, saying goodbyes. It’s an exciting time, certainly … but there was a lot that went into the day as well that I’d never had to deal with. That’s part of life. That’s part of this league. I’ve been lucky not to have to do too many of these things.”
The Columbus Blue Jackets have 12 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #12.
Let's take a look.
Ted Drury - 2001 - Drafted by Calgary in 1989.
Drury played a single game for the Jackets during the 00-01 season. He never played another NHL game after Columbus and retired in 2007 after playing five seasons in Germany.
Ted is the brother of former New York Rangers Captain and current President and General Manager of the Rangers, Chris Drury.
Sean Pronger - 2002 - Drafted by Vancouver in 1991.
The brother of Hall of Famer Chris Pronger played 104 games in Columbus and had 17 points. He retired in 2005 after playing in Germany.
After his two seasons in Columbus, he played for Vancouver and then left for Germany, where he played one season before retiring.
Mathieu Darche - 2003 - Undrafted out of Saint-Laurent, Quebec.
Darche played 24 games for the CBJ over their first three seasons, totaling two points. Darche played until 2012, retiring with the Montreal Canadiens.
He was the Assistant General Manager and Director of Hockey Ops for the Tampa Bay Lightning for 6 years before being named the GM and executive VP of Hockey Ops and General Manager for the New York Islanders last season.
Jiří Novotný - 2008-2009 - Drafted by Buffalo in 2001.
Novotný played 107 games for the Jackets and had 29 points. He never played another NHL game and left for Europe, where he played until 2023.
Novotný spent time in Russia, Czechia, and Switzerland until he retired. He is now the Sports Manager for
HC Motor České Budějovice.
Elite Prospects said about Novotný, "Novotný is a center with a sound two-way game. With good vision and passing ability, he is more of a playmaker than a shooter. Handles the puck and skates well, too. Can kill penalties and win faceoffs."
Mike Blunden - 2010-2011 - Drafted by Chicago in 2005.
Blunden played 41 games with the Jackets and totaled 4 points.
He retired in 2020 after playing the last two years of his career in Germany and Italy. He finished his NHL career playing in 127 games. Blunden has been a Pro Scout for the Tampa Bay Lightning for the last four seasons.
Ryan Craig - 2014-2015 - Drafted by Tampa Bay in 2002.
Craig played 8 games for the Jackets and had zero points. He was also the Captain of both the Springfield Falcons and the Cleveland Monsters. He retired in 2017 and went into coaching for the Vegas Golden Knights. He was hired this summer to be the new head coach for Vegas.
Owen Sillinger - 2025 - Undrafted out of Regina, Saskatchewan.
Sillinger has played one career NHL game and has zero points. The older brother of Cole has spent his career playing for the AHL's Cleveland Monsters. In parts of five seasons, he has a total of 148 points.
Owen will be looked at as a vet on an otherwise very young Monsters team.
One scouting report said of Sillinger. "Sillinger is a pure sniper. He might be the best shooter in this draft class. His wrist shot is powerful and accurate. He has quick hands and is able to get the shot off quickly. Sillinger also does a good job of changing the angle on his shot, fooling goaltenders. His snapshot is also very good and features a similar quick release. Sillinger also has a knack for getting open for a one-timer, especially on the power play. His slap shot is also very good. He can even score with a good backhand. Sillinger has the hands to get deflections and pounce on rebounds in front of the net. His lateral agility and hands allow him to move laterally to open up shooting lanes."
Another scouting report said of his defensive game, "Sillinger also needs work in his own end of the ice. He can become too focused on the puck away from the play, losing his man and getting out of position. He also seems to take risks at times, leaving the zone early and trying to create offence. Sillinger could improve by using his size and strength to help contain in the cycle game but is not always committed to working down low in the defensive zone. These are areas where he will need some strong coaching in helping out his defense."
There are 12 days left until opening night at Nationwide Arena.
MARYLAND
HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Opportunities
presented themselves for Oskar Sundqvist to depart St. Louis one more
time to prolong his NHL career in a guaranteed fashion.
But
that’s not what the 32-year-old wanted, because St. Louis is where
his heart is, and the St. Louis Blues organization means so much to
the Boden, Sweden native.
Sundqvist,
who has spent eight of his 11 NHL seasons in St. Louis and met his
wife here, has been through it all at this level, including reach the
pinnacle of winning the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019. But this
is somewhat uncharted territory, and when he signed a one-year,
two-way contract worth $850,000 NHL/$300,000 AHL, there was reasoning
behind it: his love for this city and franchise.
“Obviously
everything. This is where I want to be, this is where I wanted to
sign the whole time,” Sundqvist
said Friday.
“There’s never really any thought anywhere else. It is different,
but like I said for me, I love being here, I love being in this
organization, I love ‘Monty’ and those guys and obviously ‘Otter’
too. It was an easy decision and obviously how much I like this
organization and this city.
“It’s
different, but it doesn’t change anything for me. This competition
is very healthy for
especially the bottom six. This is the tightest it’s been in my
years since I’ve been here to grab a spot. All that’s healthy and
you’re just pushing each other to be the best version of yourself
every day and every play you make out there. For my own sake, I’m
just looking at this positively and just trying to do the best I can
every day.”
Sundqvist
has been part of Group B at the start of training camp, meaning he’s
with all the prospects that are likely Springfield-bound or with guys
like Nathan Walker, Jack Finley, Dillon Dube, Otto Stenberg, Aleksanteri Kaskimaki
and perhaps Dylan Peterson vying to win the remaining two spots (Nos.
13 and 14) on the opening night roster.
If
Sundqvist, who had 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 52 games
last season and has fought his own injury demons that have included a
pair of torn ACL’s, doesn’t
win out a roster spot, he is prone to waivers and if unclaimed, head
to Springfield and play for the time being under Steve Ott.
That’s
why he understands he’s in a fight for his livelihood to stay in
the NHL and with the Blues.
“Play
my game and be consistent and show that I want one of those spots,
show that I can do what they’re asking me to do and be consistent
and be reliable and play my game,” Sundqvist
said.
“I lost it a little bit last year I feel like the second half
especially. It’s more just getting back to where I was and how I
was playing and obviously getting the speed up. It’s different
skating. It doesn’t really matter how hard you’re trying before
training camp starts. It’s a different breed. Just these two days,
now we’re back up to speed I feel like and just keep working on
it.”
What
does Sundqvist, who has played in 545 regular-season NHL games in his
career with the Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings and
Minnesota Wild, have going for him more than anything? Health.
Blues
brass and the coaching staff know more than anyone who Sundqvist is,
but coming into a training camp completely healthy for the first time
since 2024 has its benefits.
“Just
that he has the capability of handling more ice time, he has the
capability of not breaking down, his body’s not breaking down,”
Blues
coach Jim Montgomery said.
“There’s a lot of games last year where he was playing and he was
playing on a leg and a half, and that’s not the case right now.
It’s just to see how much energy he has.
“It
says how much he loves being a Blue (signing
a two-way contract).
I think that’s the simplest thing it says and I think he’s
willing to fight for his way into the roster. I do know that this is
the best that he’s felt physically in four or five years because
it’s the second summer in a row where he hasn’t had to have a
surgery. Chronologically, he’s
not old, like even for a hockey player.”
Sundqvist
said he’s grateful to finally feel healthy again, something that
hasn’t been the case for prolonged stretches of his career.
“I
talked
to Ray (Barile)
and
he knows about it too and (Ryan)
Podell,
especially when you have ACL surgeries and knees and stuff like
that,” Sundqvist
said.
“It usually takes two years before it’s fully healed. Last year,
you go into a third period and your knees are hurting pretty bad.
This summer and these skates that we’ve had a couple week before
this and now these two (training camp practices), it’s probably
been pain free in the knee. It feels much better and it feels like
you can take your stride out a little bit more and push off of it
more. It feels really good actually. I’m happy to feel this way.”
And
when was the last time he felt this way?
“Right
before my second ACL surgery, so that was 2.5 years ago probably,”
Sundqvist said. “It’s been a while. It’s good to be totally
pain free and feel like I can keep up with guys out there and not
limping around.
“It’s
nice now, these two days have been a great test for it. It’s been a
lot of skating and a lot of moving out there and I haven’t had any
problems. It’s been a good test and I’m really happy I don’t
have any pain.”
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The NHL's new collective bargaining agreement expanded the 2026-27 regular season from 82 games to 84.
As a result, the 2026 preseason will be shorter.
Training camps opened on Sept. 17 and the first preseason games will be on Saturday, Sept. 19. The preseason schedule will end one week later.
Each team will play four games, except for the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators, who are playing five. Those teams are taking part in the annual Kraft Hockeyville game on Sept. 21.
Here are the dates, times and locations for the NHL preseason schedule before the 2026-27 regular season opens on Tuesday, Sept. 29.
NHL preseason schedule
All times Eastern
SATURDAY, SEPT. 19
Dallas at St. Louis, 7 p.m.
Montreal (split-squad) at Toronto (split-squad), 7 p.m.
Toronto (split-squad) at Montreal (split-squad), 7 p.m.
Winnipeg at Edmonton, 8 p.m.
Chicago at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles vs. Vegas, at Ontario, California, 9 p.m.
Vancouver at Seattle, 9 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 20
NY Islanders at New Jersey, 1 p.m.
San Jose at Anaheim, 4 p.m.
Nashville at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m.
Washington at Boston, 5 p.m.
Carolina at Florida, 7 p.m.
Utah at Colorado, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Calgary, 8 p.m.
MONDAY, SEPT. 21
Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Detroit at Columbus, 7 p.m.
NY Rangers at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia vs. Washington, at Hershey, Pennsylvania, 7 p.m.
Montreal vs. Ottawa, at Trois-Rivières, Quebec, 7 p.m.
Colorado at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Minnesota at Chicago, 8 p.m.
St. Louis at Dallas, 8 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 22
Columbus at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Detroit at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Florida at Carolina, 7 p.m.
NY Islanders at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Boston, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Winnipeg, 8 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Nashville, 8 p.m.
Vancouver at Calgary, 9 p.m.
Utah at Los Angeles, 10 p.m.
Vegas at San Jose, 10 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23
Ottawa (split-squad) at Toronto (split-squad), 7 p.m.
Toronto (split-squad) at Ottawa (split-squad), 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Dallas, 8 p.m.
Los Angeles at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 24
Boston at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Florida at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
Carolina vs. Nashville, at Greensboro, North Carolina, 7 p.m.
New Jersey at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Chicago at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
Edmonton at Vancouver, 9 p.m.
Calgary at Seattle, 9:40 p.m.
Anaheim at San Jose, 10 p.m.
Utah at Vegas, 10 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 25
Boston at Washington, 7 p.m.
NY Rangers at NY Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Dallas at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Winnipeg at Colorado, 8:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 26
Carolina at Nashville, 3 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 3 p.m.
Anaheim at Los Angeles, 4 p.m.
Colorado at Utah, 5 p.m.
Washington at Philadelphia, 5 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Florida, 6 p.m.
Seattle at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
St. Louis at Chicago, 7 p.m.
Columbus at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Montreal (split-squad) at Ottawa (split-squad), 7 p.m.
Ottawa (split-squad) at Montreal (split-squad), 7 p.m.
New Jersey at NY Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Calgary at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
San Jose at Vegas, 10 p.m.
When does the 2026-27 NHL regular season begin?
The 2026-27 NHL season will begin on Sept. 29 with five games on opening night:
Before training camp even started for the Pittsburgh Penguins, there was a fair amount of conjecture regarding their logjam at the forward position.
Well, that is an ongoing dialogue. It's true that the forward battle is next to impossible, as the Penguins likely have 11 spots already locked down, leaving the final few up for grabs by Justin Brazeau, Elmer Soderblom, Hendrix Lapierre, Ville Koivunen, Rutger McGroarty, Avery Hayes, Filip Hallander, Atley Calvert or Tristan Broz.
Realistically, there's very little chance that the Penguins elect not to keep 14 forwards when final NHL rosters are submitted because of the sheer volume. That makes sense.
However, what's being vastly overlooked is the logjam on defense. And if the NHL club only keeps seven defensemen, it could pose an issue at the lower levels.
As is the case on the forward unit, most of the defensive corps is pretty much set. Six spots are all but a guarantee for Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Kaedan Korczak, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Sam Girard, and Declan Carlile. As for that final spot? It will be a legitimate battle between Ilya Solovyov, Ryan Graves, Caleb Jones, Jake Livanavage, Harrison Brunicke, and Owen Pickering. And Pickering and Brunicke, in particular, look pretty polished and ready in this camp.
But, regardless of who earns the spot, it pushes the other guys down. And, all of a sudden, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) blue line looks a little bit too crowded. If, say, Solovyov earns the final spot, there's:
Left side Pickering Livanavage Graves Jones Maleek McGowan Daniel Laatsch David Breazeale
Right side Brunicke Phil Kemp Finn Harding Chase Pietila
All 11 of these defensemen, McGowan aside, saw time at the AHL level last season. Of course, sending guys like Laatsch and Breazeale to the Penguins' new ECHL affiliate, the Florida Everblades, isn't the end of the universe, but it does stunt growth.
And McGowan? He's showed some potential between camp and the preceding Prospect Tournament, and if he appears AHL-ready, it hardly seems fair to bury him in the ECHL.
Extending further, that still trims WBS to eight. It's difficult to imagine Graves and Jones not getting regular playing time, and same goes for WBS captain Phil Kemp. But Pickering, Livanavage, Brunicke, Harding, and Pietila also all need to be playing regularly so as not to stunt their development and allow them to keep building on the tangible progress they have made up to this point.
Simply put, the NHL club keeping seven defensemen very much complicates things for young players in need of consistent reps. To an extent, a similar thing risks happening on the forward front in WBS if the Penguins elect to keep eight defensemen, but there are some AHL forwards who can probably seamlessly be relegated to the ECHL.
This logjam is a symptom of a larger conundrum within the Penguins' organization, as the NHL roster keeps adding on outside talent despite a large chunk of its internal young talent being on the cusp of NHL readiness. The balance of creating competition and making young players earn their spots is part of the this discussion, which will be tabled for a later time.
If the Penguins are serious about developing their young players - and, in this case, their young blueliners - they need to find a way to strike that balance between players earning their opportunities and doors actually being open for them to, realistically, do so. And the only way to ensure five to six NHL-upside defensive prospects get regular AHL minutes is if the NHL roster keeps eight defensemen.
Again, this is unlikely to happen, which means that someone like McGowan or Pietila is bound to end up in the ECHL, even if they should be playing a level above.
So, the Penguins will have some tough decisions to make before they submit those final rosters. Even if 14 forwards may seem like the most logical solution, the Penguins have backed themselves into a corner - and the logjam on the blue line proves that solution isn't that simple.
New York Islanders Pierre Engvall skates during training camp at the Northwell Health Ice Center, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, in East Meadow, NY.
Two years after failing to make the Islanders out of camp despite being on a long-term NHL contract and having missed all of last season following hip and ankle surgeries, it is on Pierre Engvall to prove his worth to the franchise.
Whatever time and dollars he has left on his contract — four years and $12 million, to be exact — is no longer going to factor into the decision to have him on the roster, if it ever did.
If it wasn’t already clear that Engvall would need to fight for a spot on the 23-man roster by his placement on a line with Daylan Kuefler and Mitchell Chaffee, coach Pete DeBoer made it more explicit Friday.
“There’s a big group of other forwards there, Engvall included, that are trying to make a case for themselves,” DeBoer said.
Pierre Engvall carries the pucks for the New York Islanders against the Calgary Flames. Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
As ever, Engvall’s frame and skating ability make him a compelling talent, if only he could put it all together.
But the Islanders have a crowded room of forwards. Victor Eklund is knocking on the door. Ondrej Palat, Anthony Duclair and Kyle MacLean are trying to keep their spots. Chaffee, who played under Mathieu Darche in Tampa, has NHL experience. Getting to 14 — or perhaps to 13, should they choose to carry three goaltenders — is going to require hard choices.
“It’s obviously tough to be out of the team for that long,” Engvall told The Post on Thursday. “Just every day, rehab can be tough. I had a good team around me that helped me. Made it good for me, so I’m just glad to be back.”
New York Islanders’ Pierre Engvall skates during training camp at the Northwell Health Ice Center, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, in East Meadow, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
The Islanders scrimmaged on just the second day of camp Friday, a sign of how the shortening of training camp from 21 days to 13 will mean condensing every part of the operation, with Bo Horvat and Eklund both scoring in a 1-1 intrasquad tie.
“If I’m going to make an error — and there’s no right answer for it, I don’t think anyone knows — we’re going to make an error on trying to get into as many competitive situations as we can here before we get up and running,” DeBoer said.
DeBoer has focused a lot of his energy on systems work, and he acknowledged Friday that there will be less experimenting with lines than previous years might have featured. In such a short period, everything has to be intentional.
“We’ve got to get to power play and penalty killing, too,” DeBoer said. “That’s the challenge for us. In the short camp, the small number of games, small number of practices we have, we’ve got to try and get up to speed as quickly as possible.”
Pete DeBoer will open his first Islanders training camp with 50 players to sort through. Getty Images
Kuefler left the Islanders’ scrimmage injured, with no weight on his right leg. There was no update on his status afterward.
Quinn Finley continues to practice in a red non-contact jersey.
