PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 21: Bryan Rust #17 of the Pittsburgh Penguins shoots against Connor Hellebuyck #37 of the Winnipeg Jets at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 21, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The latest official Team USA to trade request is goalie Connor Hellebuyck. Before anyone asks, there’s no reason to expect he would be in Pittsburgh’s interests- or more importantly nor would they be on his list. The Athletic recently listed eight possibilities of teams that might make sense, and the Penguins were nowhere to be found. That about sums it up. Here’s some of the most widely speculated destinations.
We pulled hundreds of Connor Hellebuyck mock trades at PuckGM to find the most popular destinations & packages. #LetsGoBuffalo is the favorite. But after that…?
Buffalo, Carolina and New Jersey are among the most common – and that wouldn’t be welcome for the Penguins if Hellebuyck ends up in the division like the Hurricanes or Devils. There are enough top goalies in the Metropolitan already, for cryin’ out loud!
Hellebuyck and Dylan Larkin’s situations are interesting, how awkward it’ll be if they can’t be moved before the season starts. Everyone knows they want out, from the fans to their teammates and everyone around the organization. Their hearts aren’t in it anymore, yet they’ve signed to play for NHL clubs who haven’t felt like they’ve gotten a good trade offer yet. How those stalemate plays out will be fun to watch from afar. It could escalate even further, with some chatter picking up that Hellebuyck might not report to training camp at all and start one of the first hold outs the NHL has seen in a long, long time for a contracted player.
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Sergei Murashov got a passing mention (at No. 12) for potential Calder Trophy contenders this season.
Overall, not to be a downer, but it’s probably even more unlikely than that. A goalie hasn’t won the rookie of the year award in the NHL since Steve Mason in 2009. The Penguins have a very casual relationship with all things defensively when it comes to limiting shots and chances of opponents. Nice to see Murashov on the radar and getting a smidge of national attention, if nothing else.
Elliotte Friedman: Re NHL expansion: This is just my theory…I think the NHL needs this expansion done for the next US TV deal, and if they can add Houston…and Atlanta…they think it's going to make them even more valuable as a TV property – 32 Thoughts (8/25) ____ NHLRR:…
The NHL has so many Canadian teams that they still have some really big areas in America to go after and try and raise their market share of fans. Adding teams in places like Houston, Atlanta and maybe even Phoenix would bring in huge, untapped markets. Being the first major North American pro league to go beyond 32 franchises is bold, but with the prices they are getting these days, it’s a no-brainer to keep growing.
What the means for the future will be interesting, most the headway seems to be pointing to going to 36 eventually, and the league reportedly doesn’t care about being unbalanced with 33 teams. Perhaps eventually they’ll split into six divisions of six teams and feature more geographic rivals.
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Jaromir Jagr, who the Penguins traded 25 years ago this summer, looks like he is finally completed his circuit as a player. For real this time.
54-year-old Jaromir Jagr has yet to suit up for his club, Rytíři Kladno, in training camp or preseason.
After 38 professional seasons, Jagr says he's "still keeping myself in shape, but I’m not training as if I were going to play.”
Jagr left the NHL in the 2017-18 season – playing for his hometown Kladno Knights in Czechia ever sense. It’s been a long drawn-down with him playing sparingly recently (Jags only played 15 games in 2023-24, and just six last season in 2025-26), but I mean he’s been 50+ years old so what can you expect? Most of his recent playing has been to drive interest at the box office for the perpetually struggling team that he once partially owned to try and make ends meet financially, while also winning enough to avoid relegation out of the primary pro league- not terribly different from Jagr’s efforts in the late ‘90s with Pittsburgh.
Along the way, he enjoyed every minute of the struggle. Next stop could finally be Toronto for the Hockey Hall of Fame if he truly is done as an active player.
On Monday, Bleacher Report released its last summer NHL Power Rankings ahead of September, listing the Calgary Flames at No. 31 on its list. Because the organization has spent the past couple of seasons swapping out veterans for younger players and draft capital, the Flames are headed for some dark days before brighter ones emerge.
Although Lyle Fitzsimmons doesn't go into much detail about Calgary's recent decline, he was wise not to mention the team's inability to score. Last year, the club tied the New York Rangers for the third-worst point total in the NHL and scored just 208 goals, the lowest in the league. If fans were once concerned, the Flames scored 12 fewer goals last year than in 2024-25, when they finished with 220 (29th overall) and missed the playoffs by three regulation wins.
After earning 96 points, Calgary didn't even come close to matching that total in 2025-26, barely reaching 77 points and posting its third losing season this decade.
Flames Management Embrace Full Rebuild
The last time the Flames skated in the Stanley Cup playoffs was in 2022, when they lost in the second round to the Edmonton Oilers. The only player remaining from that season's team is captain Mikael Backlund, since stars like Rasmus Andersson and Blake Coleman have moved on to Stanley Cup contenders.
In their place are youngsters who can barely score 20 goals and players who are not top-line skaters on other teams, but now are considered the leaders of a Flames team looking to avoid bottoming out last season at the Saddledome. Although there is a silver lining to winning the top pick at the 2027 NHL Draft, next year's crop of prospects boosts some potential game-breaking forwards.
For the past few years, Craig Conroy has collected top-prospect defensemen to help Dustin Wolf keep the puck out of the net. Now, with many of the team's top prospects getting their shot with the Calgary Wranglers, or in the case of Zayne Parekh, with the Flames, Conroy can turn his attention to rebuilding the top lines.
As much as fans want Calgary to qualify for the playoffs and extend the life of the 43-year-old Saddledome, it's one of the more far-fetched dreams the C of Red could have.
Fitzsimmons didn't sugarcoat the Flames' current state or their position in the NHL hierarchy. Unless Jonathan Huberdeau can turn back time and collect another 115 points, it's going to be a long season for Calgary, just like their provincial neighbors, the Vancouver Canucks. Moreover, the organization would be better off embracing the NHL Draft Lottery race than sneaking into a Wildcard slot and ending up drafting 16th overall while getting swept in the first round.
Whether the Flames outperform their No. 31 ranking will depend on how quickly their young core develops. Until then, the media will likely continue to view Calgary as one of the NHL's weaker rebuilding clubs rather than a playoff contender.
Welcome to September, everyone, also known as the month when the New York Islanders and the NHL return. Not just the preseason, like in previous years, either.
The Islanders' season kicks off in 28 days, and with it, the Islanders will have some big decisions to make in the next four weeks.
The Islanders enter September with the biggest questions at training camp: the battle of the young, new crop of prospects led by Victor Eklund, looking to break through to the NHL, facing up against established veteran forwards.
Some, like Anthony Duclair and Pierre Engvall, are looking to reset their careers after the last two seasons were lost. For Duclair, that was injury-related in year one, then never received consistent opportunities under then-Head Coach Patrick Roy in year two.
Engvall failed to make the team out of training camp in 2024, but wound up having a decent depth season before suffering multiple injuries and then missing the entire 2025-26 season as a result.
The only addition to the Islanders' roster offensively between their last game of the season and the present date is Matias Macelli. The exits are headlined by Anders Lee, followed by Marc Gatcomb and Maxim Shabanov, all of whom played a lot of games throughout the season.
As a result, some fans have hoped for a potential PTO for some of the top remaining UFAs, including Eeli Tolvanen and Patrik Laine, to add even more competition up front.
However, the New York Rangers swooped in and landed Tolvanen Tuesday afternoon, signing the forward to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million.
Tolvanen, 27, posted 12 goals and 36 points last season with the Seattle Kraken. In 2024-25, Tolvanen wired home 23 goals, a career high.
Tolvanen boasts strong defensive analytics and could be a solid third-liner at a discount for the Rangers. His issues include poor puck control and a lack of overall offensive play driving compared to some peers.
Given where the Islanders are at this point in time, it just doesn't make sense to give out a guaranteed contract right now, not when they're trying to save spots for Eklund and the rest of the youth to push for roster spots.
The condition on the first rounder is solely what year the pick is in, not a matter of whether it remains a first.
Evangelista notched 12 goals and a career-high 56 points in 81 games with Nashville. He's got sparkling analytics, with people raving about his two-way ability.
The young forward can fit anywhere in New Jersey's top nine, and given their inconsistent wing play over the last 24 months, he can make a difference.
The cost of acquisition was beyond prohibitive for the Islanders, especially considering the style of play.
The Islanders are in no position to trade two premium draft picks for a player who would not be adding goals. The Islanders' version of this bet was Maccelli, who scored 14 goals and 39 points in 71 games, all while posting pretty strong analytics on a dismal Toronto squad.
For the Islanders, the only forward competition they may add ahead of training camp will likely come via PTOs, which allow the team to retain the flexibility they've built in for the youth to push hard this fall.
The Pittsburgh Penguins unveiled the seasonlong promotional lineup during home games this season, featuring 22 unique theme nights for fans of all ages and interests.
The promotional schedule also includes two events celebrating significant moments in franchise history.
The Penguins will hold their second annual Hall of Fame Game on Nov. 14 against the Ottawa Senators. The team will induct its 2026 class into the Penguins Hall of Fame during a pregame ceremony.
On Jan. 31, the Penguins will celebrate the 10th anniversary of their 2017 Stanley Cup championship with another pregame ceremony. All fans in attendance will receive a commemorative championship ring.
Other theme nights throughout the season include:
80s Night: Nov. 3 vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Pittsburgh Night: Nov. 25 vs. Calgary Flames
“Star Wars” Night: Dec. 6 vs. San Jose Sharks
“Peanuts”Night: Dec. 17 vs. Los Angeles Kings
90s Night: Dec. 18 vs. Seattle Kraken
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Day: Jan. 3 vs. Edmonton Oilers
Casino Night: Jan. 21 vs. Anaheim Ducks
Y2K Night: March 9 vs. Ottawa Senators
Country Night: March 27 vs. Carolina Hurricanes
The Penguins will also celebrate the New Year on Jan. 1 when they host the Minnesota Wild. A Zambelli indoor fireworks show will follow the game.
The team will continue its “Drawn to the Game” series, with 11 games highlighting Pittsburgh’s heritage, culture and community, featuring artist-designed wearable items.
The Penguins will also bring back the popular Dollar Dog Games for all four regular-season home games on Monday.
Other ticket packages include an expanded college series featuring co-branded athletic rugby shirts and a bobblehead honoring longtime Penguins anthem singer Jeff Jimerson.
From October through December, fans can also purchase Item of the Month ticket packages for select games. Items will include an Oktoberfest stein, the popular Zamboni gravy boat and an Iceburgh nutcracker.
To view the full promotional schedule, click here.
The Penguins kick off their 2026-27 regular-season home schedule on Oct. 3 against the Montreal Canadiens at PPG Paints Arena.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 14: Brandon Bussi #32 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates after winning in Game Six of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 at T-Mobile Arena on June 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was probably not a coincidence that at the exact four week mark when the puck drops on the new season, the Canes sent out a post with news on how fans will be able to watch the other 72 games that aren’t on national TV this year.
Introducing the Hurricanes Hockey Network 📺
The new broadcast home for #Canes hockey will feature Mike Maniscalco, Tripp Tracy, Hanna Yates, and Shane Willis for the 2026-27 season.
The local entity broadcasting the games will be called the Hurricanes Hockey Network. It was also announced everyone that Hurricanes fans had come to enjoy on screen will officially be back for the 2026-27 season. Mike Maniscalco and Tripp Tracy had been announced prior, but the release made official that Shane Willis and Hanna Yates would also grace the screen during the broadcasts.
That Willis is back isn’t a surprise as he was a Hurricanes employee already. Yates, however, is the news as prior to this season she was actually an employee not of the Hurricanes but of the entity that broadcast the games—Main Street Sports, last known by FanDuel Sports Network. For her to continue to appear on the broadcasts, she would have had to become a Hurricanes employee—something that was up in the air as Tom Dundon is known for being, shall we say, thrifty when it comes to the number of people he’ll hire when he hast to.
That said it isn’t that much of a narrative changer for Dundon. The release mentions that VP of Communications Mike Sundheim will add managing “all aspects of production, distribution, sales and marketing for HHN, in coordination with the National Hockey League.” In short he’ll still do all the work he did before and add more to his plate. Yates also will be doing more than just appearing on the broadcast as she added digital host to her title, so it’s possible we’ll see her a lot more on the official team videos that are sent out across social media platforms.
Unfortunately in terms of news, that was it for the communication and that leaves unanswered a huge question: how to watch? The only acknowledgement of how fans would be able to watch this new Hurricanes Hockey Network came at the bottom of the release:
The Hurricanes Hockey Network (HHN) is the exclusive local television home of Carolina Hurricanes hockey. Owned and operated by Hurricanes Holdings, the organization oversees all aspects of production, distribution, sales and marketing for the network, in collaboration with the National Hockey League. The network provides fans with live coverage of games, as well as comprehensive pregame and postgame shows. HHN will be available throughout the Hurricanes’ regional broadcast territory via cable and satellite providers and as a direct-to-consumer streaming subscription to be announced at a later date.
The last part was emphasized by myself, as it doesn’t really let us know which cable and sattelite providers in the area had agreed to sign on to host HHN. That would usually lead one to believe that they don’t have agreements with any of these entities yet.
One of the holdups may have been signaled on Monday by a reporter from the DLLS site. While the main function of the report was stating that the Dallas Stars would be leaving their distributor Victory+ for Amazon Prime, the same reporter had posts indicating that the Stars were not the only team headed to Amazon Prime
Still awaiting full confirmation, but the leading teams to make the same move to Amazon Prime Video are the:
Columbus Blue Jackets Minnesota Wild Carolina Hurricanes Anaheim Ducks St. Louis Blues https://t.co/kITfHBl6Y8
Half of his report has become official as Victory+ announced on Tuesday they were dissolving. It’s worth noting that the other clubs mentioned in that post are either using the NHL Production services like the Hurricanes, or are now former Victory+ teams like Anaheim. There hasn’t been a comment from the Canes on this report—Joe Ovies reported reaching out to them on Monday to get the no comment—but the release on Tuesday again highlights the more traditional cable and satellite model that most fans have gotten used to.
Note at this point we reach the land of speculation and conjecture
It is worth mentioning again that the current NHL broadcast contract ends after the 2027-28 season, and they will be the first of the non-NFL leagues that will have the opportunity to directly negotiate the ability of centralizing local broadcast rights into one hub within the framework of a new deal. With the consistent collapse of the RSN structure, the central NHL production was seen as the first step to try and get as many local broadcast rights under the wing of the NHL that they can turn around and negotiate as part of the next broadcast deal. The theory is the NHL gets the money from a company like Amazon or Disney to be THE app fans go to when they want to watch their local team play. If those broadcasts end up on a cable, satellite, or streaming service like YouTubeTV, then it would basically be at the discretion of that service.
Thus it’s notable that Amazon is trying to already to be that hub. The report for the Stars is that Amazon Prime subscribers in the Dallas market would get Dallas Stars games as part of the service and not have to pay extra. It would be available to them just like the NFL, NASCAR, and the NBA is. However, if you are a Stars fan living in California, you’d still need the Center Ice or Power Play package from ESPN Ultimate in order to watch their broadcasts.
What that means for the Canes is anyone’s guess. As Ovies noted, just because Tuesday’s release mentioned cable and satellite doesn’t mean that’s set in stone. If Amazon insists on exclusivity except for the separate and offers the team a significantly good price to do so, would anyone be surprised if the Canes took it? It’s also possible that as advertisement revenue would go to the Canes, they would want the broadcasts to be seen by as many people as possible—thus they may take less from Amazon to allow them to get the games elsewhere.
The first broadcast on the HHN—presuming they don’t do some sort of pregame for Opening Night before ESPN takes over—is going to be October 2nd when the Washington Capitals come to town. So, the good—if frustrating—news for fans is we still have over four weeks to find out how games will be available to the masses and what the price of the stand alone streaming service will be. Hopefully the information will be out well before that.
Declan Carlile was one of three defensemen the Pittsburgh Penguins added to their roster this offseason, either via trade or free agency.
The Penguins signed Carlile to a two-year $3 million contract when free agency opened on July. 1. Carlile spent most of the 2025-26 season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, compiling one goal and three points in 42 games. He also played in 16 games with the AHL's Syracuse Crunch, racking up two goals and 11 points.
Carlile only has 46 NHL games to his name, but he's been solid in that sample. He's played 611:54 at 5v5 since making his NHL debut, and when he's been on the ice, the Lightning have controlled 52.7% of the scoring chances and 50.5% of the high-danger chances.
He's -4 in shot attempts, but there's plenty of time for that to get above water now that he's a Penguin. Carlile is a player the Penguins have been tracking for "a few years," and they're excited to bring him in.
"Declan Carlile is a guy that we've tracked for a few years now. He's a steady, stay-at-home defenseman, really good in his own end, really good on the penalty kill," Penguins assistant general manager Jason Spezza told the media on July. 1.
Like Kaedan Korczak and Trevor van Riemsdyk, Carlile isn't going to be flashy in the offensive zone, but he'll win his minutes in the defensive zone. I think he'd do best with a more offensive defenseman like Kris Letang, though there's a chance head coach Dan Muse starts him on the third pair (likely with Korczak).
Either way, Carlile will try to help the Penguins not give up as many chances as they did last year. He's also an option for the penalty kill after logging 47 minutes on the Lightning's PK last year.
Overall, there's a good chance Carlile plays more than 42 games this year, and if he continues to stay on this developmental track, the Penguins could have their next Parker Wotherspoon.
The New Jersey Devils acquired winger Luke Evangelista from the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, Sept. 1 for a conditional 2028 first-round pick and a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft.
Evangelista, 24, is coming off a career-best season with 44 assists and 56 points as the 2020 second-round pick played a top-six role in Nashville. He ranked fourth on the Predators in points and was second in assists.
The traded first-round pick belongs to the Colorado Avalanche. It would become a 2009 first-round pick if either a) Colorado’s 2027 first-round pick is not transferred to Toronto; or b) Colorado’s 2028 first-round pick falls within the top 10.
Here are trade grades for the Luke Evangelista deal:
Luke Evangelista trade details
The Devils get winger Luke Evangelista and the Predators get a conditional first-round pick and a second rounder in the 2028 draft.
The Devils finished 27th in scoring last season and Evangelista's 56 points would have placed him fourth on the team. He had more points than any New Jersey right wing last season and he has a good upside. Coupled with the signing of free-agent 33-goal scorer Anthony Mantha, new general manager Sunny Mehta has added scoring from the wing in a bid to get back to the playoffs. Evangelista is in the second year of a two-year, $6 million contract and will be a restricted free agent after the season.
The move was surprising considering Evangelista is young and had a 24-point jump in points last season. But new Predators GM Chris MacFarland was busy adding forwards in the offseason, including Mavrik Bourque, Ross Colton and Jack Drury. He said trading Evangelista wasn't an easy decision, but the Predators now have seven picks in the first two rounds over the next two drafts and the room to give one of the promising wingers in the organization a chance to compete for an NHL job.
With 31 days remaining until the Detroit Red Wings open the 2026-27 season, we take a look at the top player to have worn jersey No. 31.
The Top No. 31 In Red Wings History: Curtis Joseph
There are few better examples of time spent with the Detroit Red Wings that should have had a much happier ending than the tenure of goaltender Curtis Joseph from 2002 to 2004.
Joseph, already regarded as one of the NHL's best goalies by the summer of 2002, quickly signed a three-year, $24 million contract with the Red Wings after the (first) retirement of Dominik Hasek just weeks after Detroit’s Stanley Cup victory.
Believing Detroit gave him a better chance to win another Stanley Cup than the Toronto Maple Leafs, whom he had just helped reach the Eastern Conference Final, Joseph arrived in Hockeytown with plenty of fanfare.
It took Detroit fans some time to warm up to him, however, as Joseph struggled with consistency during his first few weeks with the Red Wings. He eventually found his footing and helped Detroit secure the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference heading into the 2003 playoffs.
However, Joseph would be unfairly blamed for Detroit's shocking first round sweep at the hands of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, who were bolstered by Herculean performance by goaltender J.S. Giguere (who would eventually win the Conn Smythe Trophy).
In those four games, Joseph posted a 2.08 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. But his teammates simply couldn't solve Giguere, while Joseph took the heat.
Just weeks later, Joseph was blindsided when Hasek announced he planned to return to the Red Wings, leaving GM Ken Holland with an extremely difficult situation to sort out.
Even though the 2003-04 season was the last before the NHL introduced a salary cap, Detroit had no intention of carrying two goaltenders with a combined salary of nearly $20 million. Holland chose Hasek, perhaps out of worry that the rival Colorado Avalanche would target him in the wake of Patrick Roy's retirement.
After several failed attempts to trade Joseph, the veteran was sent to the minors. However, he continued to make occasional starts for Detroit as Hasek battled recurring groin problems.
By early 2004, Joseph was back atop the Red Wings’ depth chart after Hasek announced he would miss the rest of the season because of the injury. In a matter of months, Joseph had gone from an apparent cast-off back to Detroit’s starting goaltender.
He would suffer an injury of his own, leading to Manny Legace starting down the stretch for Detroit and earning the starting position for the first four games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs before being pulled in Game 4 against the Nashville Predators.
Joseph reclaimed his spot in Detroit’s crease and surrendered just one goal over the next two games, helping the Red Wings advance to the second round. But once again, Detroit’s playoff run was cut short by the red-hot performance of the opposition goaltender - this time, Miikka Kiprusoff of the Calgary Flames.
With the series tied 2-2, the Flames eliminated Detroit by winning Games 5 and 6, both by 1-0 scores, with the latter decided in overtime. Joseph was sensational in both games, giving the Red Wings every chance to stay alive. He finished the playoffs with a sparkling 1.39 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage.
The third year of Joseph's contract with Detroit was wiped out by the 2004-05 NHL lockout, and he eventually signed with the Arizona Coyotes. He'd play two seasons in Arizona before a brieft stint with the Flames in 2008, followed by one last season in Toronto in 2008-09 before calling it a career.
Despite being ranked eighth all time in NHL goalie victories with 454, Joseph has yet to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
During his time in Detroit, he went 50-29-9 with a 2.46 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage with seven shutouts.
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The Devils traded a conditional first-round pick and a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft to the Nashville Predators to acquire forward Luke Evangelista on Tuesday night, the team announced.
Evangelista had a career-high 56 points (12 goals, 44 assists) in 81 games last season in his fourth year with the Predators who drafted him in the second-round (42nd overall) in 2020. In 253 career games, the 6-foot, 183-pounder has 142 points on 45 goals and 97 assists with a plus-6 rating.
The 24-year-old will be owed $3 million this season for the final year of his contract.
As for the details of what New Jersey is sending Nashville, the conditional draft pick belongs to the Colorado Avalanche. If the Avalanche do not transfer their 2027 pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs or the choice in 2028 is in the top 10, the Predators' pick will be in 2029.
Sunny Mehta is an analytical, forward-thinking, and young general manager. It’s what made him an attractive hire for the New Jersey Devils, who hope he can take a team that has the talent to contend yet has failed to do so in recent years.
But we’ve heard this about GM hires before. The hockey mind who uses analytics is nothing new and has become a trend. It’s what the New York Islanders wanted when they hired Mathieu Darche. It’s what the Carolina Hurricanes pursued when they promoted Eric Tulsky. Daniel Briere, Kyle Dubas, Julien BriseBois, and many others fit into this category. Analytics and data aren’t a plus in any front office hire; they are a must.
So, how will Mehta stand out? Obviously, he’s not a carbon copy of the other GMs hired recently, with a unique path that will make his tenure fascinating one way or another. But what does he bring to the table that will turn the Devils into a Cup contender? What will make Mehta a successful GM and keep him in the role for the long term? The future is unpredictable, yet his track record provides optimism.
Mehta’s Non-Hockey Background
Every GM has an outside-of-hockey background. No longer are the days when the question centered around whether they played and their on-ice career. Instead, it’s what other skills come with the hire, aside from playing or coaching the game.
For Briere and Darche, two former players, the business background helped. Tulsky was a blogger before entering front office roles. Kent Hughes was an agent before turning the Montreal Canadiens into a success.
Mehta was well-known for his card-playing days. If a casual fan is asked about him, cards are one of the first things that come to mind, specifically his professional poker playing background.
Poker made him a risk-taker. It’s a game where winners must take their chances, even if the odds aren’t in their favor. It’s a game where all the data and all the number-crunching can be put to use, and still someone with the right gut reaction might win the set with a lucky hand.
That’s not what made Mehta a successful poker player. Analytics did. He mentioned it during his introductory presser. “The reason that I ever even cared about analytics, statistics, probability is because it helped me win. It helped me win in poker. It helped me win on the trading floor. And it helped me in hockey.” The data allowed him to enter a hockey career prepared.
Mehta’s Interest In Development & The AHL Team
To build a long-term contender, a team that can win now and in the future, Mehta must build up the farm system, which was depleted under previous Devils GMs. The Devils need more prospects and a winning culture at the American Hockey League level, along with the NHL team.
The last time the Devils had elite teams at both levels, it led to the dynasty. In 1994-95, both the Devils and their AHL affiliate Albany River Rats pulled off the rare feat of winning the Stanley Cup and Calder Cup title in the same season (it’s only happened three times, and they were the most recent). The culture built in Albany helped fuel the Devils’ future Cup winners in 2000 and 2003. The irony, of course, is that Lou Lamoriello never had the same interest in the AHL team (or the league in general) since then.
Mehta is looking for those extra prospects. It’s those players who are developed in the AHL and become depth NHLers. It’s the players who can get called up when an injury happens, and the team doesn’t miss a beat. It’s when a young player needs a team to remain patient with them, hoping the prospect turns into a star.
This offseason, Mehta addressed all of those needs. Riley Tufte is a heavy top-line forward who can score, he can carry the Utica Comets and play on the fourth line for the Devils. Declan Chisholm is a 26-year-old defenseman who can fill in on the second or third pair. Amadeus Lombardi is 23 and starting to hit his stride as a forward who can develop into a key part of the offense. Mehta brought in all three players this summer with the intention of fixing both teams (the Comets, like the Devils, also missed the playoffs last season).
Mehta saw what happened with the Florida Panthers and their affiliation with the Charlotte Checkers. He saw a team build a winning culture at the NHL level while also instilling it in the AHL team. While the Panthers didn’t have a great farm system, they had the extra help needed to win the back-to-back Cup titles. Mehta wants that extra help in New Jersey, and it starts in Utica.
What Mehta Learned In Florida Will Translate In New Jersey
His latest and most successful stop was with the Panthers. Mehta was the assistant GM and data scientist on a team that relied heavily on its analytics. The time in Florida has a direct influence on how he’ll operate as a GM.
What stood out about Panthers GM Bill Zito, the architect behind it all, was his ability to take every resource and apply it to the team on the ice. The Panthers funneled information to the top, and then Zito was the one who had the final say and called the shots.
The Panthers had a great analytics department. They had more that separated them from the rest of the league. For example, the Panthers have one of the best scouting departments in the league, deploying extra scouts to games across leagues of all levels.
Expect the Devils to have more scouts at games, not just their games, but throughout North America. Likewise, they’ll have a bigger analytics department and multiple departments helping with the decision-making. At the same time, expect Mehta to make the final decision.
The Seattle Kraken are also a data-driven team, with many in their front office coming from that background. The problem is that they lack a definitive direction, and there isn’t one person calling the shots (Jason Botterill is their GM, but they also have Ron Francis as president and many people below him).
Another benefit of Mehta's experience, beyond just his Panthers tenure, is his time in multiple front offices and working under different ownership groups. His time with the Panthers allowed him to see what good ownership looks like. He knows what incompetent ownership is like, working for the Phoenix Coyotes. Plus, Mehta knows how the Devils operate, as he worked for the franchise for four seasons.
The Devils are looking for their next great GM, someone who can lead this team for years to come. At 48, Mehta already has built up a track record that gives them confidence that they have found the right GM.
Well, it's officially Sept. 1, and that means the NHL regular season officially begins at the end of the month, and training camps will kick off in just a few short weeks.
For some Pittsburgh Penguins fans, it's understandable - to an extent - that this offseason may have been a bit of a disappointment. Despite "big-game hunting" being advertised, nothing seismic happened in the trade market, even if pretty big efforts were put forth to make a big splash (see the Jason Robertson saga).
Smaller moves were made to offset roster losses from last season, and even if tiny improvements were made to the margins of the roster, it's fair to wonder whether those improvements will be enough to offset improvements by other teams - most notably, the Washington Capitals - in the Metropolitan Division next season.
And one point of contention that is still a hot-button talking point is the fact that all of the Penguins' aging veterans are still on the roster.
Had Kyle Dubas and the Penguins been successful in hauling a big fish this summer, it more than likely would have involved at least one of their talented veterans going the other way. But Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Erik Karlsson, and Kris Letang are still in the mix, and it appears likely they will all still be in the mix once the puck drops against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sept. 30 for opening night.
Some will call it a failure that the Penguins are still holding on to all of these players - the youngest among them being Rakell at age 33 - and some will call it "nostalgia." While the merits of failure on the front office's part can be argued when weighing in the lack of a true youth movement, the nostalgia argument simply doesn't add up.
Keeping valuable older players around too long can often set a franchise back from those goals, as the assets acquired for those players can be leveraged for younger, more forward-oriented talent. Rust and Rakell - both 30-goal, 70-point players - each have two years left on their very team-friendly deals at $5.1 and $5 million average annual value, respectively, while Karlsson is entering the final season of his $11.5 million contract that the Penguins pay out $10 million for.
But the important thing to keep in mind here is that Dubas and company aren't exactly going about the Penguins' rebuild in a way that's been done before. Sure, other teams like the Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes have attempted to rebuild and sustain contention without bottoming out, but the methodology behind each case is different.
And if we're looking case-by-case at the Penguins' six core veteran players, the claim that Dubas and the front office are clinging to nostalgia doesn't hold water when you consider how most of the veterans are faring in their mid-late 30s:
- Crosby, 39, is coming off of his NHL-record 21st consecutive season above point-per-game, and although his defense has seen decline over the past several years, he still remains one of the league's elite first-line centers capable of producing at a high level. He had 29 goals and 74 points in 68 regular season games in 2025-26.
- Malkin, 40, was re-signed for one year, and the primary reason he was re-signed is because he produced 19 goals and 61 points in 56 games last season. He may be 40, but he was above point-per-game - and if anyone out there said, "Hey, I can get you a point-per-game top-six forward for $5.5 million next season," any reasonable GM would take that in a heartbeat. And, by the way, he very marginally bested Crosby's point-per-game output (Crosby was at 1.088, Malkin at 1.089).
Most OT points all-time:
Sidney Crosby - 48 Evgeni Malkin - 46 Connor McDavid - 46 Leon Draisaitl - 45 Patrick Kane - 43 Erik Karlsson - 41 Patrick Kane - 41 John Tavares - 39 Kris Letang - 37
- Rust, 34, had 29 goals and 65 points in 72 games and continues to be a valuable player in both the top-six and on special teams, particularly on the penalty kill. Akin to the Malkin argument, you'd be hard-pressed to find a 30-goal, 70-point, Swiss army knife-type player making just $5.1 million, and there are currently no younger guys internally who are ready to replicate or replace that production.
- The same can be said of Rakell, who had 24 goals and 48 points in 60 games last season despite an early-season broken hand that kept him out two months and led to a slow start when he did return. He was one of their best, most valuable players down the stretch run of the season when he produced at a point-per-game pace while playing center, something he hadn't done with consistency in a decade-plus. His contract value, positional versatility, and production make him highly valuable to the Penguins.
- Karlsson, 36, put together the best season of his three-year Penguins' tenure last year, notching 15 goals and 66 points in 75 games and playing some of the best three-zones hockey of his NHL career. He was one of the very best players in the NHL during the month of March and was named the Penguins' Team MVP at the end of the regular season, which speaks to his irreplaceable value and his impact on the team.
Defenseman, and I repeat DEFENSEMAN, Erik Karlsson is on a goal-per-game pace since March 16.
- Letang, 39, is perhaps the only one of the six in a tangible state of regression, but he did return to form late in the season and during the playoffs when it counted. The Penguins also managed Letang's minutes last season, docking nearly two minutes average ice time (21:41) from his previous 2024-25 campaign (23:32). Letang might not be a top-four defenseman anymore, but in more sheltered and calculated minutes, he is still capable of being a serviceable NHL defenseman.
At the end of the day, for five of these players, their 2025-26 seasons coupled with their career outputs and trajectories in the last three years are what is keeping them on this team, not nostalgia. And Dubas knows this. In fact, he said at the conclusion of last season that the Penguins would be faced with some tough decisions regarding veterans at some point and that he's ready to face those decisions when that time comes, even if the Penguins are a special case of "nostalgia" with the big three.
"I think, at some point, I knew when taking the job that it's me that's going to have to make somebody or fans unhappy with different decisions as they come. And I knew that when I agreed to come here," Dubas said back on May 12. "For me, the key is we always have to do what's best for the Pittsburgh Penguins, even if that's unpopular or makes people unhappy, that's the way we have to operate.
"So, we'll continue to field the team in the formation that we feel gives us the best chance to move ahead. If there are players that begin to pass by them, regardless of who they are and how long they've been here, it's incumbent upon me to make those decisions and do what's best for the Penguins in the long run."
Right now, Crosby certainly isn't blocking anyone. Malkin isn't blocking anyone. Right now, Rakell and Rust aren't, either, as none of the Penguins' young forwards - though some are more promising than others - are ready to leap into a top-six NHL role. But if that point arrives this season, Dubas and the Penguins will take action.
If dynamic right defenseman Harrison Brunicke comes into camp, picks up where he left off during the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs, and blows everyone out of the water, Dubas and the Penguins won't hold him back on Letang's account or anyone else's account. Same goes for Owen Pickering on the left side.
In order for these guys to be supplanted and truly be expendable, the young guys the Penguins have need to prove they can fill those spots. Until that begins to actually happen - whether that's earned opportunity through sheer performance or through opportunity due to injuries - if the team truly desires to keep winning and building simultaneously, they're going to keep these guys around.
And if we're being real, the only untouchable player because of nostaglia to an extent is Crosby. And if anyone is even entertaining jettisoning a top-five player of all-time who is still one of the best, then "nostalgia" isn't actually the issue.
So, let's go ahead and put the "nostalgia" to bed. The veterans will be phased out when it's time for each of them to go, and that time has simply not arrived yet - especially since they're still pretty darn good hockey players.
It's been a rough week for Calgary Flames around the globe. Not only did fans flood social media with memories of Johnny Gaudreau, who passed away on August 29, 2024, but they also turned that sorrow into anger when single-game tickets to the final game at the Scotiabank Saddledome were sold out within minutes. With only limited opportunities to see the Flames on home ice for the final time, fans who planned to travel to Calgary for one final experience were shell-shocked. But that's not even the worst news about the club to make its way into the headlines lately.
A few days ago, the NHL released its national broadcast schedules for ESPN and TNT, and much to the chagrin of Flames fans in the United States, their rebuilding club, led by Dustin Wolf, Matt Coronato, and Zayne Parekh, will not be featured for a single game on TV outside of Canada.
Flames, Canucks, and Senators shut out by ESPN and TNT
Surprisingly, it wasn't a total shutout for Canadian markets on U.S. TV, since the Montreal Canadiens have six games across both networks, followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs with three. The Winnipeg Jets get in by default, since they are hosting the Canadians at this year's Heritage Classic. Meanwhile, the Canadian team with the most games is, of course, the Edmonton Oilers, since the NHL continues to market Connor McDavid to casual fans south of the border.
However, the Flames, along with the Ottawa Senators and last-place Vancouver Canucks have no games this season on ESPN and TNT. It seems weird that the league couldn't find a spot for any of those clubs, especially when they travel to Vegas, Colorado, Chicago, Boston, or even Tampa Bay. At least the Senators qualified for the playoffs last year, while the Flames and Canucks battled for a spot in the Draft Lottery.
Still, NHL fans and voters will never get to see Wolf make acrobatic saves or Elias Pettersson score a highlight-reel goal. Ultimately, the NHL loses by not showcasing all its teams on national TV at some point. But what makes this season's schedule even odder is the fact that this is the final season at the Saddledome. It's the last time the Canadiens will visit the 'Dome, the place they won their 1986 Stanley Cup title. It's the final bow for Matthew Tkachuk, who was a star here and bolted for the Florida Panthers. Finally, if Ovechkin scores a goal in his final appearance on December 5, it could very well be the final goal he ever scores in Canada.
Of course, fans who want to watch Calgary are upset that Sportsnet raised their subscription prices, and for diehards in the United States, it won't matter which service they subscribe to since the Flames will not be on the air. It's been a frustrating summer for Flames fans, but once the puck drops on opening night, the focus will shift back to what happens on the ice.
The calendar has flipped to September, meaning that the Detroit Red Wings are officially less than three weeks away from the start of Training Camp, which opens at the BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena on Sept. 17.
As of now, the Red Wings remain without a general manager following the leadership transition announced in mid-July, while captain Dylan Larkin remains with the organization despite his trade request, which he reportedly has not had a change of heart about.
The Red Wings, who lost 57 points of offense upon the departure of forward Patrick Kane, did sign UFA forward Viktor Arvidsson, who tallied 54 points (25G, 27A) with the divisional rival Boston Bruins last season.
But amid their front-office void, the Red Wings have missed an opportunity to add some badly needed secondary scoring to their lineup.
UFA forward Eeli Tolvanen has reportedly agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the New York Rangers, removing another name from the free-agent market whom the Red Wings could have pursued to supplement their offense.
Not finalized just yet, but closing in. #NYR adding 27-year-old Eeli Tolvanen to the mix. https://t.co/3xMAs02X7U
Tolvanen, who has spent the last several seasons with the Seattle Kraken, now joins a Rangers team that was shut out on home ice a whopping seven times last season. He's just one season removed from a career-high 23 goals scored in 2024-25.
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) December 4, 2024
While his production dipped to just 12 goals in 2025-26, signing Tolvanen would have represented a low-risk, high-reward proposition for Detroit.
According to a report earlier this offseason from NHL insider David Pagnotta, the Red Wings were interested in the Finnish forward, although it wasn't specified whether that interest was before or after Steve Yzerman vacated his role as general manager on July 15.
The Red Wings, who did not utilize the NHL's buyout window earlier in the summer, will have to hope that players like Michael Rasmussen, J.T. Compher, and Mason Appleton can provide more consistent production than they did last season.
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For the first time in what feels like forever, the Philadelphia Flyers will be heading into training camp and a new season with a respectable amount of depth at both forward and defense.
Over the last year, forward prospects Alex Bump and Denver Barkey graduated to the NHL level after brief, impressive stints with the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Oliver Bonk, a 2023 first-round pick, came on strong in his first professional season, and ultimately made his Flyers debut and Stanley Cup playoff debut within weeks of each other to finish out the campaign.
But, as the aforementioned youngsters continue to surge, other prospects will have to play catch-up just to have a shot at an NHL future going forward, and some are approaching their last chance to secure such a role.
Helge Grans, RHD, Age 24
This time last year, Flyers defense prospect Helge Grans was the in-house favorite to take over as the team's third-pair right-shot defenseman, but had a training camp and showing so poor that the Flyers cut him early and stuck with the likes of Egor Zamula and Noah Juulsen as their depth options.
Grans, now 24 years old, is running out of time to show that he's an NHL-caliber defenseman.
In his age-22 season in 2024-25, Grans played six games for the Flyers under former head coach John Tortorella, recording one assist in his November jaunt with the big club.
This year, however, Grans is heading into the last year of his two-year contract and will be 25 years old when free agency begins on July 1.
A future with the Flyers is not guaranteed, either, if for no reason other than Grans being a Group 6 unrestricted free agent, as he'll be 25 years old with fewer than 80 NHL games played.
This year, Grans will have to overtake the younger, more talented David Jiricek, whom the Flyers acquired for Bobby Brink at the recent NHL trade deadline, as well as Bonk, just to make the roster. Establishing himself as a regular at the NHL level will require another two or three gears up from what we have seen in the past.
Jacob Gaucher, C, Age 25
(Photo: Kyle Ross, Imagn Images)
The Flyers thought highly enough of Jacob Gaucher, who came to the organization as an undrafted free agent, to award the swashbuckling center an NHL contract on Dec. 12, 2024.
Somewhat surprisingly, despite having not established himself, Gaucher returned to the Flyers on June 4 on a one-year deal, after which he'll be an unrestricted free agent.
The brolic 6-foot-4 center is an interesting prospect for the Flyers in that he has played eight NHL games for them over the last two seasons, but his underlying metrics in a sheltered role have been quite poor.
At the AHL level, though, Gaucher has scored no fewer than 20 goals and 36 points in each of the last two seasons, and scored three goals, three assists, and six points in seven Calder Cup playoff games in 2025.
The Flyers spent much of last season searching for a right-shot center they could use for matchup purposes, and with top prospect Jett Luchanko still playing at the junior level in the OHL, there was nobody stopping Gaucher from coming up and filling that role.
Instead, the Flyers bypassed him and left him in the AHL with the Phantoms, and eventually claimed veteran Luke Glendening on waivers from the New Jersey Devils on March 6 instead.
Now that Nikita Grebenkin is healthy and Noel Acciari has been brought in as a veteran fourth-liner with versatility, the odds are really stacked against Gaucher sticking at the NHL level at some point.
Still, the Longueuil, Quebec, native offers some valuable size and scoring upside should the Flyers need it, and he's proven that he can beat the odds to make it to this level in the past.
We can't count Gaucher out just yet, but he, like Grans, is in a contract year having to play the numbers game.
The saga surrounding Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets continues to escalate, with recent reports suggesting the divide between the goaltender and the organization may run deeper than initially believed.
TSN analyst and longtime NHL netminder Martin Biron addressed the situation on Overdrive this week, saying he believes the three-time Vezina Trophy winner could be prepared to sit out the entire 2026-27 season if his trade request isn't granted.
"I really feel that Connor Hellebuyck is gonna say, 'Ok that's fine, suspend me whatever. I'm willing to sit out a year, I've made good money, I've put it away... just gonna take time with my family,'" Biron said.
It would be an unprecedented step in the modern NHL and would mean walking away from a significant chunk of the $59.5 million remaining on his seven-year contract, but Biron suggested Hellebuyck may be prepared for exactly that outcome.
Hellebuyck's public statement last week made clear he wants to move on from Winnipeg, but the severity of that stance has only become more apparent as the situation has unfolded.
Biron also weighed in on what it would take for the Jets to move him, suggesting Winnipeg should be seeking a first-round pick, a high-end prospect, an established NHL player and additional help in net to pair alongside newly acquired goaltender Stuart Skinner.
The rift has also become a talking point on other platforms, including the widely followed Spittin' Chiclets podcast, hosted by former NHL players Ryan Whitney, Paul Bissonnette and Keith Yandle.
During a discussion of the situation on Tuesday's episode, Bissonnette, a Canadian native who has spent much of the past year working in the United States on NHL broadcasts among other media assignments around the league, offered some added context. He noted the relief he personally felt returning home to Canada after a long hockey season, and suggested a similar pull toward home may be another factor driving Hellebuyck, a Michigan native currently playing in Winnipeg.
The hosts also pointed back to comments Hellebuyck made following his return from the Winter Olympics, where he described the reception back in Winnipeg as far from warm despite having just won gold with Team USA.
In an article published by CBC back in March, Hellebuyck spoke about the backlash both he and his family faced. "The blowback that my wife [Andrea] was getting is just not fair. I don't understand how she can take so much heat for just being with me as a hockey player.
"We've done nothing wrong, she's done nothing wrong, my kids have done nothing wrong," he said.
"That's the stuff that is out of bounds for me, and that's the part that really, really upset him."
The podcast hosts speculated that the fallout from the Olympics may have marked the beginning of the divide between Hellebuyck and the organization, one that only deepened once Winnipeg's season ended outside the playoffs.
With training camp approaching and no resolution in sight, the situation risks intensifying further, particularly if Hellebuyck were to skip camp entirely, a scenario that could turn an already tense standoff into a much bigger issue for both sides. Given the stakes, it may ultimately be in Winnipeg's best interest to find a resolution sooner rather than later.
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