Seeing Wallstedt be named a top-10 goalie in the NHL is entirely understandable. He took a major step in the right direction this past season with the Wild and was certainly a reason for their success.
In 35 games this past season, Wallstedt posted an 18-9-6 record, a 2.61 goals-against average, and a .916 save percentage. He also appeared in 10 playoff games for the Wild this past spring, recording a .909 save percentage and a 2.77 goals-against average.
When noting that this was Wallstedt's first full season in the NHL, there is no question that he had an impressive year. Now, he will be looking to build off it during the 2026-27 season with the Wild from here.
With Wallstedt being only 23 years old, he still very much has the potential to break out even further for the Wild. It will be intriguing to see if he can do just that from here.
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The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, and the organization’s developmental model has begun to yield results, with 2023 first rounder Zach Benson making an impact in the playoffs, and 2024 top pick Konsta Helenius appearing as one of the AHL’s top prospects the last two seasons.
Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. These players are all 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 82 NHL games.
22. Vasili Zelenov – Right Wing (Wisconsin - NCAA)
Zelenov was the first of the Sabres two seventh-round picks at the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas. The Moscow-born winger played at various lower-level youth leagues in Austria since 2021 and posted an impressive 37 points (14 goals, 23 assists) in 40 games for the Salzburg RB Hockey Juniors in his draft year.
Who had the best and worst offseason in the Atlantic Division?
The 6’0”, 181 lb. winger was selected by the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers in their Phase II draft in May while Rochester Americans head coach Michael Leone was their GM and instead of staying in Austria, he headed to North America to play for the Gamblers to pursue a US college track. In 54 USHL games, he scored 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists).
Last season, as a freshman at the University of Wisconsin, Zelenov had 19 points (6 goals, 13 assists) in 28 games. He is a teammate of 2024 fourth-round pick Luke Osburn, who played for Team USA at the World Junior Championships last December.
The Hockey News ranked each NHL team ahead of the 2026-27 season, with the Seattle Kraken ranking 29th out of 32 teams.
The bottom line, Adam Proteau writes, is “The Kraken are the epitome of a mushy middle team. They haven't been good enough to make the playoffs, but haven't been bad enough to acquire generational talent through the draft. There have been a handful of bright moments for the Kraken, but they are proving that progress isn’t linear. Until some elite players enter the organization, it's difficult to imagine they can be expected to contend with the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights near the top of the Pacific Division.”
The Kraken remain the newest team in the NHL, having joined the league in 2021. The team has struggled in its first five seasons, failing to make the playoffs in four of those seasons. In 2022-23, the team saw the most success, finishing the year with 100 points and a record of 46-28-8.
They placed fourth in the Pacific Division. The team defeated the Colorado Avalanche in seven games, advancing to the second round. However, they were knocked out of the playoffs by the Dallas Stars in seven games.
Heading into another season, the team made one big addition: Mackie Samoskevich. The right winger from the Florida Panthers was the only addition to the Kraken roster.
The team extended Bobby McMann for six years; however, they also failed to acquire any other players.
The team lost three players: Eeli Tolvanen, Jaden Schwartz, and Jamie Oleksiak. The two wingers and one defenseman left gaps in the Kraken roster.
As the team heads into its sixth season in the NHL, it brings a roster similar to past seasons, when it had little success.
For that reason, it makes sense that Proteau ranked the Kraken 29th out of 32 teams.
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The Columbus Blue Jackets have 45 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #45.
Let's take a look.
Jody Shelley - 2001-2008 - Undrafted out of Thompson, MB, CAN.
Jody Shelley is the Original Columbus Blue Jackets enforcer. On February 17th, 2001, he was called up for his NHL debut. In that game, he fought two Pittsburgh Penguins, Steve McKenna and Krzysztof Oliwa, and would instantly become a Blue Jacket legend. It would be the only game he played that season. He would go on to fight 119 times in his CBJ career. He had seasons where he fought 28 times, 27, and 30. In seven years with Columbus, he had 29 total points; in one season, he had 30 fights alone. During those seasons of 28, 27, and 30 fights, he had over 206 PIMS in all three seasons. He was even given the honor of fighting legendary enforcer Bob Probert on four occasions. Off the ice, Shelley is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet.
Shelley was traded to the San Jose Sharks on January 29, 2008, traded to the New York Rangers on February 12, 2010, and then signed with the Philadelphia Flyers on July 1, 2010. In August of 2013, he retired from playing and joined the Blue Jackets as the team ambassador, where he also serves as a color analyst for the Blue Jackets TV broadcasts.
The Town of Yarmouth declared July 13, 2013, as Jody Shelley Day, and honoured Shelley by renaming Cottage Street as Jody Shelley Drive, and also renumbering the Mariners Centre, the local winter sports facility, as 45 Jody Shelley Drive, after his jersey number.
Lukáš Sedlák -2017-2019 -Drafted by the CBJ in the 6th round in 2011.
Sedlák played 162 games for Columbus before, in a surprising move, leaving North America to sign in the KHL. After three years in Russia, he enacted his NHL out-clause, signing with the Colorado Avalanche and his former Monsters coach Jared Bednar. After just three games, the Avs put him on waivers, where he was claimed by another former coach, John Tortorella. After just 27 games, he asked to have his contract terminated so that he could return to
Czechia. He remains in his home country playing for HC Dynamo Pardubice, where he has been the captain for the last three seasons.
Gavin Brindley - Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2023 by Columbus.
Brindley quickly became a fan favorite, mostly because his best friend, Adam Fantilli, also played for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Unfortunately for Brindley, however, he never got a real shot to make the CBJ. Brindley struggled with the Cleveland Monsters after making his pro debut. Playing in 52 AHL games, he could only muster 17 points.
On June 27, 2025, Brindley was traded to the Colorado Avalanche for Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood. Fans immediately ripped the Blue Jackets for trading him, but after seeing what Coyle alone did last year for the CBJ, those critical comments are nowhere to be seen now.
Don Waddell was asked why he traded Brindley, and his response was pretty straightforward: "We felt we had enough small players on the team." Enough said.
Brindley signed a two-year contract extension with the Avs on November 11, 2025. He had 13 points in 56 games for Colorado.
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If there is one glaring weakness, or one area of the Florida Panthers' roster with the most question marks, it's goaltending.
For the past seven seasons, that hasn't been much of an issue. Sergei Bobrovsky has been the Panthers' rock, and while his play was at times a bit inconsistent, outside the 2025-26 season, it never dipped into catastrophically bad territory.
But Bobrovsky is gone, and in come Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid.
Markstrom joins the Panthers with familiarity, having been drafted by the organization in 2008. Schmid, on the other hand, is brand new to the workings of the Florida Panthers.
Markstrom posted rather weak numbers with the New Jersey Devils over the past two seasons, coming to Florida as the No. 1 goaltender with numbers far below playoff caliber. Schmid also joins after posting a save percentage below .900, but did play a career high in games.
With uncertainty in the crease, GM Bill Zito could look to the free agent market in hopes of adding a reliable veteran third-string goaltender, in case of both injuries and/or replacements due to poor performance.
According to puckpedia.com, there are five UFA goaltenders: Connor Ingram, Matt Murray, Petr Mrazek, Cam Talbot, and James Reimer.
All of these goaltenders boast plenty of NHL experience, and many carry post-season experience as well.
Connor Ingram was in a difficult situation with the Edmonton Oilers. The team struggled to figure things out defensively, and their goaltending situation was awful. They shipped Stuart Skinner to the Pittsburgh Penguins and brought in Tristan Jarry, whom they hoped would be the No. 1 goaltender. Instead, he faltered, and Ingram was forced to step in as the No. 1 goaltender for large chunks of the season.
Ingram posted respectable numbers with a .899 SP and a 2.60 goals-against average in 32 games. Ingram would be a solid third-string netminder, but given his history and his age, he's likely looking for a larger role.
Injuries have tormented Matt Murray's career. When he emerged with the Penguins, he looked like a future NHL top netminder, but since the 2018-19 season, he has played more than 30 games only once.
The 32-year-old played just five games last season with the Seattle Kraken, but did post a .922 SP. As a third-string goaltender, Murray could be worth the chance, but it's difficult to feel comfortable relying on a goaltender who suffers injuries as frequently as he does.
Petr Mrazek has played for six NHL teams in his career, owning the No. 1 role for three seasons. Overall, his career numbers show him posting a .905 SP and a 2.87 GAA in 438 games.
Despite that, Mrazek has played just 15 games over the past two NHL campaigns; his numbers last year with the Anaheim Ducks were woeful. That's a chance Mrazek could still be dependable as a third-stringer, but those chances are slim.
Cam Talbot played more games than any of the five available goaltenders last season and is also the oldest. Talbot has dressed in 587 regular-season games and another 36 post-season games in his career. With the Red Wings last year, Talbot recorded a .883 SP and a 3.19 GAA in 34 games.
His best days are far behind him, but with his experience, playing behind a team like the Panthers could help him feel the security in between the pipes that he may have been lacking recently. Despite playing for eight teams in his career, Talbot has never landed in Florida. Could they be his ninth franchise?
James Reimer would join the Panthers with plenty of familiarity, as the 38-year-old spent three seasons with the Panthers, manning the crease in 123 regular-season games.
NHL work has been hard to come by for Reimer, but with his selfless mindset and vast experience, he could be a valuable third-stringer.
None of these goaltenders will come to Florida and save their season if things go sideways, but they could be relied upon in times of need.
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After seeing Cole Caufield make the NHL Network’s top 20 wingers right now list in ninth place and Lane Hutson land in sixth place on their top 20 defensemen right now list, the Montreal Canadiens saw Jakub Dobes crack the top 10 goaltenders list on Sunday night.
It’s surprising to see the rookie goaltender land on the list after just one full season in the league and one in which he did experience some struggles, despite leading all rookie goaltenders in wins. Still, the fact that he was able to crack the list speaks to the fact that there aren’t that many superstar goaltenders these days in the NHL. Gone are the days of Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, Dominik Hašek, and Curtis Joseph. A lot of teams now bet on a tandem of goalies rather than put all their eggs in one main goaltender's basket.
To justify Dobes’ selection, NHL Network notes that he dominated all rookie goaltenders with 29 wins, while posting a 2.78 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. While that is impressive, it’s worth mentioning that only four rookie netminders, including Dobes, started over 30 games last season and could therefore hope to have as many wins as the Habs’ goaltender. Yaroslav Askarov had 21, Artus Silovs had 19, and Jesper Wallstedt had 18.
The article also mentions the fact that Dobes started all 19 playoff games for the Habs and took them all the way to the Eastern Conference final, on top of becoming the fifth goaltender in franchise history to win a Game 7, joining Carey Price, Patrick Roy, Ken Dryden and Jacques Plante, which is some pretty elite company. The article seems to have forgotten that Jaroslav Halak also won a couple of Game 7s with the Habs against the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins back in 2010.
Dobes is not the only rookie to have found his way into the top-10 list, as Wallstedt lands in ninth place. Dan Vladar grabs the eighth spot, Jake Oettinger the seventh, Logan Thompson the sixth, Jeremy Swayman the fifth, Ilya Sorokin the fourth, Igor Shesterkin the third, Connor Hellebuyck the second and Andrei Vasilevskiy the first.
It will be interesting to see what the list looks like next year, especially if Dobes can make his sophomore season as successful as his playoff run. As things stand, the Czech netminder will without a doubt be the Canadiens’ first-choice goaltender this season, whether he is backed up by Samuel Montembeault or by Jakub Dobes.
Carolina Hurricanes forward Logan Stankoven had his day with the Stanley Cup on Sunday, bringing the Cup home to family and friends in Kamloops, B.C.
Stankoven was a huge part of the Canes’ championship run this spring, and if you ask the average Sens fan, many would suggest he should have been the Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discussJake Sanderson's standing among top defensemen in the league.
That’s because Stankoven was an absolute Sens slayer in the first round of the playoffs, scoring a goal in every game of the series. And if you’ll recall, this was a series where goals were hard to come by... for both teams.
Take away Carolina’s two empty-netters and an overtime winner, and the Hurricanes scored just eight regulation goals in the entire four-game series.
Stankoven scored half of them. And set up another.
The series would have looked very different without Stankoven, and seeing him out and about and enjoying his big day with the Cup made it hard not to think back to that series.
Jun 20, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Logan Stankoven (22) holds up the Stanley Cup Trophy during the Stanley Cup championship parade and rally at Raleigh. Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
Despite the Sens' loss, Game 2 remains one of the most entertaining games I’ve seen in years, and one of the craziest overtime games in Senators history.
That game and its double OT had it all.
There was the Sens comeback from a two-goal deficit, an apparent overtime winner that wasn't, an overtime penalty shot, some unreal saves at both ends, a couple of Senators ringing shots off the post/crossbar, and finally, a double-overtime winner from the same guy who had just missed that OT penalty shot.
If you've forgotten how crazy that night in Raleigh was, it's worth another look.
The Canes had won Game 1 and seemed well on their way to taking a commanding 2-0 series lead to Ottawa after Stankoven (naturally) and Sebastian Aho gave the Hurricanes a 2-0 lead in Game 2.
But the Senators didn't go quietly.
Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens scored in the second period to tie the game, while Linus Ullmark was playing out of his mind at the other end.
Ullmark stopped 43 shots on the night, including a terrific glove save on a Taylor Hall one-timer in the second period and another huge stop on Jordan Staal in the dying seconds of regulation. And he had a bunch more in OT, including a penalty shot save.
So it was off to overtime, and that's when things got weird... and unbelievably exciting.
With 2:42 remaining in the first overtime, Mark Jankowski appeared to end it. Jankowski jumped on a loose rebound and beat Ullmark, sending the Hurricanes pouring off the bench and the crowd in Raleigh into celebration.
Game over? Not so much.
After an offside review and a missed penalty shot, the Sens came back from the dead twice in Game 2 without the clock moving a single second.
Officials reviewed the play and determined Carolina had been offside entering the Ottawa zone, so the goal was wiped out and the Senators had new life.
But the review created another problem for them.
Before the puck had gone into the net, Warren Foegele had hooked Martinook on his way to the net, and the delayed penalty was actually going to be a penalty shot. So while the Hurricanes lost their apparent game-winning goal, Martinook skated up to the puck all alone at centre ice
Once again, Carolina had a chance to end it. Once again, they didn't.
Ullmark stopped Martinook on what was the NHL's first overtime penalty shot in a playoff game since 2020.
And the game continued.
The Senators had already had two unreal chances in tight during the first overtime from Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle.
Tkachuk got a nice feed out front from Drake Batherson and his shot barely clipped the top of Frederik Andersen’s right pad. Another quarter-inch higher and the puck was in.
On Stützle’s chance, he outwaited Andersen, slid it past that same right pad and hit the goalpost.
In the second overtime, Michael Amadio got another glorious chance in tight. His shot clipped the top of Andersen’s left shoulder and fluttered toward the net.
ESPN’s John Buccigross screamed, “He scores!” For a split second, it looked like he had.
Instead, the puck gently glanced off the crossbar and stayed out.
If the Sens get a bounce on any of those plays, we're probably remembering Game 2 as one of the great playoff wins in Senators history.
Instead, Carolina finally put the matter to rest.
With fatigue clearly setting in, Brady Tkachuk meekly turned the puck over at the far blue line, and as Carolina quickly transitioned back the other way, it set off a series of unfortunate events.
On the one hand, you had tired forwards either scrambling around or puck-watching. And on defence, Jordan Staal was allowed to stand directly in front of Ullmark, and no one touched him, let alone tried to move him. You could almost feel the death blow approaching.
With the Canes whipping the puck around at will, Martinook found wide open ice in the slot between Stutzle and Batherson and ripped a great shot past Ullmark, who was still being screened by Staal.
After 93 minutes and 53 seconds of incredible hockey, the game was over.
The Senators have played plenty of bigger playoff games over the years. But it's hard to think of many that were crazier or more entertaining than that one.
And seeing Stankoven zipping around Kamloops with the Stanley Cup on Sunday was a pretty good reminder of it.
The National Hockey League released its list of the Top 10 NHL Goalies on Sunday night. Of course, some of the best net-minders in league history are at the top of the list, and there is plenty of depth at this position across the league.
Goalies as a whole are better than ever. It’s as hard to score a goal as it’s ever been, and a lot of it has to do with how good these men are. Without good goaltending at precisely the right time, a team cannot win when it counts.
In the same breath, some goalies can vary from year to year. A guy could be in the mix for the Vezina Trophy one year and struggle hard the next. His team will likely reflect those results too. It can be random, but most of the guys on this list are elite every season.
The Chicago Blackhawks have an outstanding goaltender in Spencer Knight. They have some good young goalies in the system, but the trade to acquire Knight gave the rebuild some juice because he is a young player (25) who is already great at the NHL level.
It would have been reasonable for him to come in the second half of the top-10, but he was snubbed.
Introducing NHL Network's Top 10 Goalies Right Now!
Knight is going to finish higher than those in the top seven for a while, but he has played just as well, if not better, than the rest on a much worse team.
With the Blackhawks, who have been one of the worst defensive teams during his tenure, Knight has made them a much more formidable squad.
During the 2025-26 season, his first full year in Chicago, he posted a record of 19-25-11 but managed to have numbers near his career average as he had a 2.82 goals-against average and .902 save percentage.
Those aren't top-flight numbers, but they are great for a guy facing 30+ shots every single night, and sometimes much more than that.
Knight's numbers also started to fall off a bit after the trade deadline, when the team traded away a few of their top defensive players, including Nick Foligno, Jason Dickinson, and Connor Murphy.
With a good team in front of him, he is an outstanding goalie. In Knight's final 23 games with the Florida Panthers, the 2024-25 season before being traded, he was 12-8-1 with a .907 save percentage and a 2.40 goals-against average.
Now, Knight has to work hard to get himself back into consideration for that list. It is going to be a challenge, with the Blackhawks scheduled to be in front of him again, but they have improved a bit.
Nobody questions Knight's ability to be a starting goalie in the NHL anymore. It's just a matter of how good he can become and whether or not he is on a team that will allow him to take that next step.
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Minnesota Wild forward and former Stanley Cup Winner Nicolas Aube-Kubel has now signed a deal overseas.
Aube-Kubel, 30, has agreed to terms on a contract with KHL club Dinamo Minsk for the 2026-27 season. It had been rumored for weeks but it has now been made official.
The 6-foot forward drew interest from KHL club Barys Astana earlier this month but now has signed with Dinamo.
He recorded two assists in six NHL games last year while posting 37 points in 62 AHL games with the Iowa Wild.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - APRIL 12: Goaltender Logan Thompson #48 of the Washington Capitals makes a save as Elmer Soderblom #25 of the Pittsburgh Penguins runs looks for a rebound in the third period on April 12, 2026 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) | Getty Images
NHL Network released their top-10 goalies of ‘right now’ and one thing that stood out was the preponderance of goalies within the division for the Penguins. Half of the teams in the division can be found in this league-wide ranking.
Introducing NHL Network's Top 10 Goalies Right Now!
The two NYC-ish based Russian goalies of Igor Shesterkin and Ilya Sorokin are generally understood to be the top talents in the division at the position as known quantities. Goaltending performances from year-to-year are notoriously variable and all over the map, aside from the handful of elite goalies that almost always bring their A game. Shesterkin and Sorokin are accepted as those rare goalies good enough to be above the fray and provide consistently strong play.
Logan Thompson in Washington should arguably be even higher than the sixth place position he was placed for this list, considering that he’s finished fourth in Vezina voting for the last two years. Those finishes in the voting might even be lower than deserved considering that Thompson held up statistically very well coming in second across the NHL in 5v5 and overall GSAA, tied for third in save percentage and shutouts, fourth in wins and fifth in GAA. Thompson doesn’t tend to get a lot of shine or outward accolades but there’s little doubt that he has been playing at an impressive level recently, placing him in the sixth spot could easily be seen as too low for what his resume has indicated.
Rounding out the list for Metropolitan goalies was Dan Vladar at eighth, who the Penguins know all too well was good in the moment. Vladar went 12-6-1 for the Flyers after the Olympic break and his play was a big reason why Philadelphia made the playoffs and then advanced through the first round of the playoffs posting a .937 save% and 1.61 GAA in the first round against Pittsburgh. The Flyers rewarded Vladar with one of those contracts that seemingly always bite NHL teams to give a mid-level goalie a long term and a decent-sized salary ($5.5 million in Vladar’s case, and the contract doesn’t even kick in until the 2027-28 season) so that could be one to watch as a player that potentially could be more on the roller coaster for ups and downs. Recently, however, Vladar’s arrow has been pointing up.
All these opponent goalies being on the list serves to underscore the difficulty that next season could have for a team like the Pens, who don’t go into the year with an advantage in net against many of their closest rivals. It doesn’t help that with the perfected system of puck possession that Carolina has that it doesn’t even matter that they don’t have a top goalie and can have average netminders perform very well behind a team that doesn’t ask too much of their shot stoppers. That formula works for them and should be continuing into the future just the same.
None of this are new revelations but just underscore the reality that teams like the Penguins find themselves in when it comes to competition levels isolated to the goalie position. Between having four top-10 goalies (plus the overall great situation in Carolina) there’s a strong challenge in the season ahead for most of the division games that Pittsburgh is going to play.
The NHL Network has been slowly releasing its annual positional rankings ahead of the 2026-27 season. Thus far, through the defense and right wing rankings, the Calgary Flames have come away empty-handed. However, a couple of former players made the list, with Dan Vladar joining the group on Sunday.
The NHL Network tapped him as the 8th-best goalie in the NHL right now, just below Jake Oettinger and ahead of Jesper Wallstedt and Jakub Dobes.
Initially drafted in the third round (75th overall) by the Boston Bruins at the 2015 NHL Draft, Vladar came to Calgary in 2021 and earned a full-time backup role under Jacob Markström and Dustin Wolf. As an unrestricted free agent in July 2025, he signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers, where he became the team's top goalie with a 29-14-7 record in 52 games, helping the club earn a playoff spot.
Despite not posting any shutouts, Vladar produced a .906 SV% and 2.42 GAA, both personal bests, and played all 10 playoff games for the Flyers, who eventually lost to the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in the second round. Philadelphia fans took notice, and so did NHL award voters, as he finished sixth in Vezina Trophy voting and 18th in the Hart Trophy race.
For his efforts, Philadelphia extended him for another five seasons at $5.5 million, his biggest payday in professional hockey.
Over six years in the NHL, the 28-year-old from Prague has a 78-48-23 record, a .898 SV%, and a 2.80 GAA.
New York Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin was at it again in 2025-26, finishing as a Vezina finalst for the second time in his NHL career.
Sorokin, 31, posted a 2.68 GAA and a .906 SV% with a league-leading seven shutouts in 55 games, with a 29-24-2 record. His GSAE sat at 25.3, which was the best in the NHL behind Boston Bruins' netminder Jeremy Swayman (28.8) and Washington captains netminder Logan Thompson (29.3).
He comes in at No. 4 on NHL Network's Top 10 Goalies Right Now list:
Another year, another spot on NHL Network's Top 10 Goalies Right Now list for Ilya Sorokin (@NYIslanders), coming in at #⃣4⃣!
The three goalies ahead of him are New York Islanders netminder Igor Shesterkin at No. 3, Winnipeg Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck at No. 2 and coming in at No. 1 is the goaltender who beat Sorokin out for the Vezina, Tampa Bay Lightning's starter Andrei Vasilevskiy:
Introducing NHL Network's Top 10 Goalies Right Now!
It's a debatable list and had Sorokin willed the Islanders into the playoffs -- he did all he could behind a questionable defense -- he likely finishes higher on the list, especially ahead of his Russian pal Shesterkin.
On the heels of an improbably good breakout campaign, Philadelphia Flyers goalie Dan Vladar has earned himself a nice slice of national recognition from NHL pundits around the league.
Vladar, 28, was Mr. Right for the Flyers last season, always showing up when the stakes were the highest.
The longtime Calgary Flames backup emerged as the Flyers' starting goalie in his first year in Philadelphia, going 29-14-7 in 52 appearances and 51 starts to the tune of a 2.42 GAA and .906 save percentage.
While the raw stats aren't all that impressive on their own, Vladar also finished 10th in the NHL in goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck, with 13.8.
In the playoffs, Vladar was even better, stopping 8.5 goals above expected in just 10 games. Only Montreal's Jakub Dobes (13.3) was better, and he played in nine more games for the Eastern Conference semifinalist Canadiens.
All in all, Vladar was able to parlay his stunning season into some deserved national recognition, impressively ranking as the eighth-best goalie in the entire NHL in the eyes of NHL Network producers and analysts on the heels of coming in sixth place in Vezina Trophy voting earlier in the summer.
The 6-foot-5 Czech netminder ranked ahead of Minnesota's Jesper Wallstedt and Dobes, but behind all the names you would come to expect to see on a list like this one: Jake Oettinger, Logan Thompson, Jeremy Swayman, Ilya Sorokin, Igor Shesterkin, Connor Hellebuyck, and Andrei Vasilevskiy.
The question for Vladar and the Flyers going forward is whether or not the breakout star can repeat his performance next season and in the years beyond.
Before signing with the Flyers, Vladar had recorded a save percentage greater than .898 in a season just once, and had never started in 30 or more games in a single campaign.
If Vladar can put on an encore and more in Philadelphia, though, the Flyers will have a top-10 goalie in the NHL locked down for the foreseeable future.
The Flyers tied down their newfound starting shot-stopper to a five-year, $27.5 million ($5.5 million AAV) contract extension back on July 1.
That kind of investment tells us that the Flyers certainly believe Vladar can do it again, and the national analysts and producers over at NHL Network seem to agree.
The players in this ranking do not have extensive NHL experience and are all under 23. Therefore, players such as William Villeneuve, Artur Akhtyamov and Easton Cowan, among others, won't feature in this ranking for either or both of those particular reasons.
In terms of where these players fall in the rankings, it is a mix of their ceiling and potential, as well as how they've performed in the past year with their respective clubs.
The Maple Leafs selected Nansi at the 2025 NHL draft with the 153rd overall pick in the fifth round. He is coming off his third season with the OHL's Owen Sound Attack, and his second straight campaign of featuring in all but one regular-season outing.
This past year, the 6-foot-4 right winger scored 13 goals and 56 points in 67 appearances for Owen Sound. His playmaking in 2025-26 notably excelled from the 2024-25 campaign. All he provided was 16 assists - along with seven goals for 23 points - compared to the 43 helpers he registered this past year.
It's likely that Nansi does have more in his locker than he's been able to display to this point in his junior hockey career. A lot of that has to do with the Attack, and how they haven't been one of the stronger teams in the OHL for the past little while. In fact, since Nansi debuted for the team in 2023-24 as a 16-year-old, Owen Sound have finished each year with a losing record, but made the playoffs.
This past year, the Attack finished with a 27-32-9 record, winding up sixth in the Western Conference. They ended the campaign with 63 points, which is 21 points fewer than the fifth-place team in the Western Conference, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
In each of the three playoff campaigns that Nansi featured in, Owen Sound have been swept in the first round. Nansi played in all four games of the 2024 and 2026 series, finishing without a point in those contests. In 2025 against Easton Cowan's London Knights, Nansi was able to record one assist in the two games he played.
Regardless of the team he has around him or the circumstances of the team through the years, what's important is Nansi's growth and progression, particularly the 33-point increase from 2024-25 to 2025-26, which should please the Maple Leafs' front office.
In that regard, one area that Nansi has clearly improved in is his skating. At the Maple Leafs development camp in early July, he said that was something he had worked on for quite some time.
"Especially down low, I think my skating has evolved," Nansi said. Forward, backward, it helped me a lot, being stable on the ice and being able to make plays out there."
He said that he worked all summer with Paul Matheson, who is a part of the Maple Leafs' development team as a skating coach.
This coming season will be a big one for Nansi.
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MONTREAL, CANADA - APRIL 05: Timo Meier #28 of the New Jersey Devils skates during the third period against the Montréal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on April 5, 2026 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The New Jersey Devils defeated the Montréal Canadiens 3-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
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Devils Links
“It wouldn’t be a stretch to say the Devils need more from Meier, though. The underlying metrics remain excellent, but he finished with 24 goals and 44 points last season, which doesn’t cut it for someone making $8.8 million per year. If the Devils are to rebound and make the playoffs next season, Meier will have to be a key part of it. What should fans expect from him?” [Devils on the Rush ($)]
“The New Jersey Devils have restocked their cupboard a fair amount this off-season, enjoying a well-regarded draft, accumulating future assets, and trading for the likes of Amadeus Lombardi. With that, let’s talk about the cream of the crop – the top three prospects in the system – entering the 2026-27 season.” [Infernal Access ($)]
“The New Jersey Devils come in at No. 19 on TheHockeyNews.com’s NHL off-season ranking. The Devils have a new GM and a new No. 1 goalie, but are they a Stanley Cup playoff lock?” [The Hockey News]
FWIW:
Joe Lorincz is no longer listed on the NJD website.
He was the team's Strength and Conditioning Coach since 2015-16.
“Saturday will mark one month until the maximum term for NHL contracts will drop from eight years when re-signing with a team to seven. It’s possible that the last-ever eight-year deal has already been inked, with the most recent max-term deal surprisingly going to Pittsburgh Penguins winger Ville Koivunen, who signed for a cap hit of $4 million.” [TSN]
“Which teams are heading into a cap crunch next summer? Who’s sitting pretty and under budget? How much will the game’s next big stars command on their next deals, and what might that mean for teams’ second-best scorers? With all that in mind, we’re looking at a handful of intriguing franchises — each facing different questions and approaches to salary cap management — in the year ahead, and beyond.” [Sportsnet]
“There are blockbuster trades, massive free-agent contracts and acquisitions that immediately become central to a team’s Stanley Cup aspirations. But for every major move, there are several quieter additions that could ultimately prove just as important. Some teams found value in players coming off down seasons. Others targeted specific areas of need, while a few took chances on players who could have considerably more responsibility in their new surroundings. Here are 12 under-the-radar acquisitions who could make a bigger impact than the attention they’ve received this summer:” [Sportsnet]
“What hockey game had you sitting in complete silence for 30 minutes after the fact?” [r/hockey]
Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.
