The Columbus Blue Jackets have only had two players wear #54, and none since 2019. 

Today we'll look at who has worn it, what they did, and where they are now. 

Scott Harrington - Harrington played 185 games for the Blue Jackets after being traded to Columbus by Toronto with a conditional pick in the 2017 NHL Draft for Kerby Rychel on June 25, 2016. Those 185 games would be spread out over six seasons, with 2018-19 being the year he played the most games at 73. He scored 7 goals and totaled 37 points in his career with Columbus, with the 18-19 season being his most productive with 17. 

During his time in the Columbus organization, he would also play 52 games for the Cleveland Monsters, scoring 7 total points. 

Harrington would sign with San Jose in 2022 and then be traded to New Jersey in February of 2023. New Jersey would then put him on waivers a few days later, where he would be picked up by Anaheim and play 17 games. 

In 2023, Harrington would leave for Europe and play for the ZSC Lions of the Swiss League. After playing just 14 games in 23-24, he would return to North America for the 24-25 season to play for the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL. 

He played for the Belleville Senators last season, and is signed on to play for them again this year. He had 19 points in 69 games last season. 

Adam McQuaid - Columbus originally drafted McQuaid in the 2nd round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. McQuaid would never play for the CBJ, though. While he was still in the OHL, he was traded to Boston by Columbus for Boston's 5th-round pick in the 2007 NHL Draft on May 16, 2007. The pick the Jackets sent to Boston turned out to be Jamie Benn. 

After playing nine years in Boston, he was traded to the Rangers in 2018. But in 2019, McQuaid was traded from New York to Columbus to help the Jackets with their playoff push. He played in 14 games before the season ended, suffering an injury that would ultimately end his career. 

On March 28, 2019, Montreal’s Andrew Shaw gave McQuaid a nasty blindside shot that took him out of the game and his career. McQuaid told The Athletic, “I definitely wasn’t in a good place physically. Then it weighed on me mentally. I wasn’t feeling like myself. I had many injuries throughout my career, unfortunately. That became part of my story. I look at it more as having overcome different injuries, come back, try to play the same way, and not have it affect my outlook on playing. But I was probably at a point where I had the most going on. I had so many different things that were really nagging me. I felt like I wanted to give more. But you hear guys say that they’re asking their bodies to do things and just not getting the response they want.”

McQuaid would finish his career 73 points and one Stanley Cup. 

Who was your favorite #54?

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After Ville Koivunen’s massive eight-year contract, an already crowded Pittsburgh Penguin forward depth chart is now bursting at the seems. However, Kyle Dubas didn’t paint Koivunen as a lock to make the NHL roster coming out of training camp.

“He will still have to earn everything,” Dubas said. “As we have shown over the last few years, a long-term contract does not mean you are given anything in Pittsburgh. He will need to earn his roster spot and opportunity in training camp. He will need to finish the summer strong, show gains in power and speed on the ice in training camp and exhibition games.”

Koivunen would require waivers to be sent down, and that long-term deal just might be a poison pill for other organizations (then again, if they see the contract from a different perspective, it might not be that prohibitive).

Either way, the Pens signed Koivunen long because there is a belief he will have something to offer to the NHL team in the future. Whether that future is now, to Dubas’ point, is dependent on how Koivunen performs at training camp.

The problem is that there isn’t a lot of space for him due to a huge roster crunch right now.

Top-nine forwards, locks (9)

Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Evgeni Malkin, Egor Chinakhov, Ben Kindel, Tommy Novak, Andrei Kuzmenko, Nick Robertson

These nine players, it sounds safe enough to say, will all be in the lineup in a featured spot if they are healthy when the season starts on September 30th. What line some of them may be on to configure everything just right is up for grabs as far as who plays where, but this is the base of the forward group for next season.

Fourth line forwards, locks (2)

Blake Lizotte, Connor Dewar

Lizotte and Dewar were two-thirds of a great fourth line last season, both have limited wiggle room to move up the lineup and placed perfectly in the heavy lifting for d-zone starts and PK duty that the role requires.

The blender (6 for one lineup spot, up to two more roster spots)

Justin Brazeau, Elmer Soderblom, Hendrix Lapierre, Ville Koivunen, Rutger McGroarty, Avery Hayes

All six of these players have strong cases for belonging on an NHL roster in 2026-27, though space is running short. At this point, it seems easiest and most likely to boot McGroarty and Hayes to WBS for the start of the season and count on them getting opportunities as mid-season injury replacements when and as needed. That still would require some tough choices on how to figure the rest.

—

Ultimately, one trade announcement could go a long way towards fixing the numbers. One wouldn’t think that recently re-signed players like Lizotte, Dewar or Novak will be going anywhere soon, but then again no one saw an eight-year contract to a fringe player either.

Brazeau looks to be the most obvious candidate to drop – he was a healthy scratch for much of the playoffs and the additions of players like Kuzmenko, Robertson and Lapierre could push Brazeau out of a spot in the lineup next year too. No such trade has happened just yet, though the off-season isn’t the only time to make trades. The Pens have traded players like Lars Eller and Mark Friedman away in previous October/November’s.

Another area to keep an eye on is Rakell and Rust in their mid-30’s. The team has been hesitant to move these important players but if there ever was a time where they are prepared to withstand the trade of one of them it would be now. Are the Pens beefing up numbers to brace for that? It remains unknown but could also be pre-planned.

Yet another possibility is there could be an off-season surgery that hasn’t yet been announced or even happened yet. Crosby had a wrist surgery in September 2021 that came out of the blue to the public after his efforts to rehab and deal with the issue proved to not be enough. Something similar happened with McGroarty and an unmentioned summer surgery that kept him out at the beginning of the year and was only announced on the first day of camp.

There’s obviously no outward indication that Crosby or anyone else is dealing with a lingering issue , but there’s always a chance that around training camp that a player considered a ‘lock’ could actually be IR bound at the beginning of the season. There’s also no guarantee that all the presumed locks make it to the start of the season. Last preseason alone all of Bryan Rust, Kevin Hayes, Joel Blomqvist and Jack St. Ivany got injured before Game 1 and were on the IR at the beginning of the season because of it, along with McGroarty.

Not all of those were key players but it goes to show that the injury bug is random and always just around the corner to pop up and potentially turn 17 forward candidates into a more manageable figure to find 14 healthy ones.

Whether or not that includes Koivunen and if his new contract will help him find a spot on the team remains to be seen. The Pens have too many numbers up front for the moment, though it can change in a moment’s notice.

In the doldrums of the 2026 offseason, the Philadelphia Flyers appear to be done adding to their roster, though training camp can and will throw wrenches into the plan, be it through injury or otherwise.

For instance, this time last year, we all had prospect defenseman Helge Grans penciled in as the No. 6 defenseman to play on the third defense pair, but the Swede had a training camp and preseason performance so bad that the job was decidedly handed to Noah Juulsen, who had a slow camp himself working back from a season-ending hernia.

On defense, especially, that scenario could play out for the Flyers again in some way, as Rasmus Ristolainen, perpetually a trade candidate, has only one year left on his contract, as does newcomer Simon Benoit.

No. 3: Oliver Bonk, RHD

Rather quickly, 2023 first-round pick Oliver Bonk is showing signs of NHL potential, recording a goal and assist in his NHL debut against Montreal on April 14, then making his Stanley Cup playoff debut against the Hurricanes in the 3-2 overtime loss in Game 4 on May 9.

The Flyers organization is clearly bullish on the 21-year-old; they aren't the types to hand out debuts in important games just because.

If Bonk is able to continue to perform well, add more strength and play speed, and stay healthy this time around, the former 22nd overall pick should have no issues inserting himself into the conversation for an NHL roster spot.

Last year, the competition between Juulsen and Grans had been so uninspiring that Bonk, if healthy, likely had a legitimate chance to make the roster, especially given that the Flyers technically weren't a playoff team with expectations at the time.

Flyers Defense Prospect 'One of the Best' at World Junior Summer ShowcaseRising Philadelphia Flyers prospect Carter Amico is beginning to draw rave reviews from national experts around the NHL.

That context makes things a bit more challenging this year, but a strong showing from Bonk could earn him a roster spot at the expense of someone like Ristolainen, or even David Jiricek.

No. 2: Hunter McDonald, LHD

Continuing with the theme on defense here, Hunter McDonald, the Flyers' last remaining unsigned restricted free agent, is running out of time to make an NHL impact.

McDonald, 24, made his NHL debut, like Bonk, against the Canadiens on April 14, recording his first NHL point--an assist--with a sparkling +3 rating and a McDonald classic four penalty minutes.

The hulking 6-foot-4 defenseman will be 25 years old at the end of next season, and it's up to him to prove to the Flyers that he can replace the older, more expensive veterans in Benoit and Nick Seeler and take over the roles they play for the team.

Drafted as an overager in 2022, McDonald is another prospect who is an in-house favorite, but he will know that Ty Murchison also played well in his cameo for the Flyers last year, and the organization just allocated a first-round pick to selecting Maksim Sokolovskii, another bruiser, at the 2026 NHL Draft two months ago.

With Seeler getting older and no longer shielded by trade protection, and with Benoit only under contract for one year, this could be McDonald's best shot at landing an NHL roster spot with the Flyers.

He's got some wind in his sails after making his NHL debut, but that must now carry over into training camp for the real push ahead.

No. 1: Devin Kaplan, RW

I'm sure many of you were probably expecting Jett Luchanko to be the player representing the forwards here, but the Flyers want him to play as many minutes as possible if he isn't one of the 12 best forwards on the roster... in other words: an established every-night NHLer.

Instead, I wanted to acknowledge Devin Kaplan, a 6-foot-3 right winger who made his NHL debut for the Flyers at the end of that dreadful 2024-25 season in a 5-4 loss to Buffalo.

Exclusive Q&A: Flyers GM Danny Briere on Matthew Schaefer's Calder, Top Prospects, and Free AgencyIn an interview with The Hockey News, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Danny Briere discusses his top prospects, former players, free agency, and more.

Kaplan, 22, played his first full pro season in the AHL for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last year, scoring five goals, eight assists, and 13 points in 49 games before suffering a season-ending injury.

Heading into a contract year, and with the Flyers' logjam of wingers, Kaplan needs a strong camp to keep himself on the radar, and further embracing the grinder playstyle will help him do that.

The Flyers had re-signed Carl Grundstrom earlier this offseason to a one-year, $1 million deal, but they would assuredly be thrilled with the development of another one of their young prospects beating out a veteran for a roster spot, just as Nikita Grebenkin did last year, and Denver Barkey and Alex Bump did later in the season.

After signing Noel Acciari, the Flyers don't really need Grundstrom's versatility to fill in at center, which opens the door a wee bit more for a winger like Kaplan to come in and make a splash.

Plus, the Flyers traded away Garnet Hathaway this offseason, so they'll be missing their fourth-line sandpaper right wing. With Kaplan, the hope is that he can continue to grow into that kind of player, and what better time than the present to prove yourself?

The Toronto Maple Leafs had one of the busiest off-seasons in the NHL this summer, signing an abundance of UFAs as well as a few notable trades from GM John Chayka.

However, in terms of internal business, such as signing significant players to contract extensions, the organization wasn't so occupied on that front. Aside from trade acquisitions like Darren Raddysh and Emil Andrae, they re-signed defenseman Troy Stecher.

For the next little while, the Maple Leafs will remain relatively quiet with expiring contracts on the roster. In fact, no player on Toronto's roster will have an expiring contract within the next two seasons, according to PuckPedia. Some players will be eligible to sign contract extensions next off-season, but none of those deals will be officially expiring until 2027-28 is completed.

It's a unique position to be in for the Maple Leafs, especially considering that no other team in the NHL is in the same situation. The team closest to having all their players locked up for the next two campaigns is the Florida Panthers, with Lars Eller and Garnet Hathaway becoming UFAs following 2026-27.

With the Maple Leafs not having to worry about contract negotiations for NHL players for a little while, is that a good thing or a bad thing? There are two ways to look at it. 

Gavin McKenna’s No. 92 Maple Leafs Jersey Now Available at Real Sports After Giving Up No. 72 to Sergei BobrovskyThe first-overall pick’s official No. 92 jersey is now on sale at Real Sports after McKenna deferred his longtime number out of respect for Sergei Bobrovsky.

On one hand, the players or staff members wouldn't be distracted by negotiations or contract disputes, allowing the team to focus on hockey and results. On the flip side, not having the option to walk away from a player or two at the end of the year can handcuff Chayka and the roster potentially. In other words, there is a lack of flexibility.

Four of the six players that Chayka brought in through free agency were inked to two-year contracts. Jack Roslovic, Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger and Zack MacEwen are all under contract through 2027-28.

Maple Leafs' Three Most Challenging Contracts For 2026-27 NHL SeasonFor the most part, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in pretty good shape when it comes to the roster's payroll. However, there are a small handful of contracts that may become challenging to deal with in the future.

Therefore, if one of those players didn't fit in with the roster, or head coach Jim Hiller's play style, or just underperforms, the simplest solution is unavailable, which would be to let that player go when the deal expires. Instead, if one of those acquisitions struggles in their first year with the team and can't really find a groove in Toronto, the franchise is stuck with him, unless they can find a trade partner.

Speaking of trades, not only could these contracts be a short-term freeze to the roster, but they might hinder any desire to add when it comes to the trade deadline, or at any other point during the season when a clear need or hole in the lineup emerges.

Making a trade will always be possible one way or another, but with the Maple Leafs' roster pretty much filled up, there isn't much room for new opportunity or adjustment.

Should The Maple Leafs Consider Giving Gavin McKenna The Auston Matthews Rookie Treatment?For the opening night of the 2026-27 NHL season, should the Toronto Maple Leafs give Gavin McKenna the Auston Matthews rookie treatment?

To combat that argument, this could be a drama-free season in terms of contract negotiations, particularly with star players. 

Auston Matthews is the star player with the most recent expiration date, as his deal is done after 2027-28. But even then, he isn't eligible to sign a contract extension until next off-season.

As for the others, William Nylander is locked in through 2031-32, which is six years remaining on his deal. Also, John Tavares and Matthew Knies signed their contract extensions two days apart in late June 2025. Tavares' expires the soonest, in three more seasons.

Even the youngsters in Easton Cowan and Gavin McKenna won't be occupied by contract negotiations for the next couple of years. Cowan has two more years left on his entry-level contract, while McKenna, of course, will be beginning his entry-level deal this coming season as he inches closer to making his NHL debut.

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There’s still a while before training camp starts but August is the final month without hockey. Let’s take the chance to set the stage now for the first part of the Penguins’ upcoming season by breaking down what they’ll be facing in the first three calendar months of the season.

The activities start even earlier than this, the Pens will be sending prospects out to Detroit from September 11-14, a departure from the recent past when Pittsburgh went to Buffalo to scrimmage. Typically the full camp has officially started right after, which should mean camp will open on or around September 14th, though many of the NHL players will trickle back and participate in informal skates prior to that.

Preseason is quick this year, just four games spread across six days from Sep 21-26. The NHL has cut out two preseason games to account for tacking on two more regular season games, boosting the total back to 84 for the first time in over 30 years. Usually the star players don’t go on the road for exhibitions, but it’s at least a quick trip to Buffalo for the final preseason game if the team wants to use that as a final tuneup before the year starts.

The regular season for the Pens kicks off in Philadelphia on September 30th. This will mark the first time Pittsburgh has played a game that counts in the month of September in franchise history.

October

The Pens get their first heavy stretch of games early in the year – playing five times in eight days from Oct 3-10. This stretch includes two games against division opponents (WSH, CBJ) but don’t get used to it – Pittsburgh doesn’t play Washington again until January 18th. The NHL has loaded up on the out-of-conference games early on in the year, giving just a little taste of these division opponents early. Overall, the Pens will play Western Conference teams eight times out of their 13 October games, including knocking out the entire season series with Utah over a 10-day stretch.

October also includes the first long road trip out west for four games in Chicago, Colorado, Vegas and Utah. Overall, Pittsburgh travels about the fewest miles of anyone in the league this season, they’ll get a chunk of that down in the early going.

A trade-off to the low miles is a frequency for back-to-back games. The Pens ease into it here with just two b-2-b’s in October. Another theme for the club will be playing on Saturday’s – they don’t get a Saturday without a game until December 19th.

Only five games are against 2026 playoff teams, but that could be misleading to assume an easy start with teams like the Caps, Mammoth and Panthers all looking to take steps forward this year, while also playing Western powers like Colorado, Vegas and Dallas.

November

November features a reprieve in the scheduling at the start of the month, with only five games in the first 18 days. That figure includes a significant amount of travel with the annual California trip against the trio of teams out west. That break erodes away a little with seven games in the last 12 days of the month, though five will be at home – including the near-annual Thanksgiving Eve home game where Calgary will be the opponent this year.

This is also shaping up to be a tricky month scheduling-wise with three instances of back-to-back games, including a weekend stint in Nashville followed by a quick turn to get to Dallas the next day. Games outside the conference continue to be the early-season trend with eight of the first 11 games of the month coming against Western teams.

By the time November ends, the Pens will have visited 9/16 of the West, virtually knocking out all their far games to go to, aside from a February road trip that will knock six out. The worm starts to turn after Thanksgiving where the Pens shift to playing more Eastern teams.

At this point, Pittsburgh will have played 27 of their 84 games, completing nearly one-third of their schedule. There’s usually a statistical to-do about the of teams in a playoff spot at this point and the perceived correlation of making the playoffs, though that will be put to the test this year since the Pens will still have 24 more games against Metropolitan Division opponents still to play and plenty of hockey left to play to make or break their season.

When the San Jose Sharks take the ice for training camp next month, there will be likely two jobs up for grabs on the blue line. The bottom-pairing role will likely go to a young player like Luca Cagnoni, Nolan Allen, or Eric Pohlkamp. While theoretically one of the two who miss out on that job could be used as the Sharks' seventh defenseman, it would make much more sense to let them get more playing time under their belt at the American Hockey League level.

In order to allow a younger defenseman to get sent down, the Sharks would then need to find a player who can step in and out of the lineup as needed. On paper, there's no better fit for that role remaining than former Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators defenseman Nick Blankenburg.

Despite being undersized at 5-foot-9, Blankenburg has proven himself with multiple different teams as an effective depth player. While he's not the type of player who should likely be playing for a contending team on a day-to-day basis, the 28-year-old has the ability to play both sides of the blue line and does so effectively when his number is called. There's a reason that the Colorado Avalanche went out of their way to add him to their roster at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.

Blankenburg is often more regarded for his offensive capabilities from the blue line, although he's not a one-dimensional player. He's effective on both ends of the ice, considering he's still a free agent, he'd likely be a cost-effective option, and he's a right-shot which is often a plus for depth defensemen.

With that being said, Blankenburg isn't the type of player who the Sharks would likely want to slot in on special teams. He's not an overly effective penalty killer, nor is he a game-changer on the power play. He could fill the role if needed, but it would be less than ideal. 

As an undrafted player, Blankenburg's play is often defined by his work ethic. He's had to overcome the odds due to his size and he's had to overcome being passed on in the NHL Draft on multiple occasions. As a result, his personality could be massively beneficial to some of the Sharks' young defensemen as well.

Given his rapid improvement through his late 20's, it's somewhat surprising that Blankenburg has yet to find a home for the 2026-27 season. Although it's likely not an ideal outcome for him, as he'd hope to someday become an everyday player in the NHL, he could certainly bring a lot to the table for the San Jose Sharks.

It's officially another season, another prospects ranking for the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

In years past, this has been a bit easier of an exercise, as there used to be a more clear-cut line between prospects with NHL upside and longshots. However, because of the work that general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas and his staff have put in during the last several years, the line is blurring a whole lot more - and there is a substantially higher volume of talent in the system. 

This time around, making a top-20 list was challenging. So, a few criteria were put into place: To make our list, prospects must be under the age of 26 and have played less than 50 NHL games. This excludes names such as Ben Kindel, Filip Hallander, Oliver Okuliar, and Alexander Alexeyev.

At No. 17, we put a spotlight on playmaking center Zam Plante, as his year-to-year growth has continued to raise his floor and ceiling. For No. 16, we look between the pipes, where a still-valuable goaltender is entering a critical season in his development. 

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No. 16: G Joel Blomqvist

SENSATIONAL!

JOEL BLOMQVIST UP TO 32 SAVES!! pic.twitter.com/R4Dx85Z2SF

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) October 26, 2024

For some, seeing the 24-year-old Blomqvist this low on our list might come as a bit of a surprise. And, really, this is not so much Blomqvist's doing as it is a case of several guys simply surpassing him in terms of NHL potential and intrigue. 

That said, the product of Uusikaarlepyy, Finland is at a crossroads in his development, and this season may just determine his future with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

With the emergence of fellow young netminder Sergei Murashov - currently the organization's best bet as its next franchise goaltender - someone else has, likely, surpassed Blomqvist on the depth chart despite some legitimate promise he has shown throughout his professional career up to this point. But that doesn't mean things are over for Blomqvist or that the Penguins no longer see him as part of their future. 

In fact, Dubas has mentioned Blomqvist on several occasions, including in his end-of-season press conference when he suggested that either him or Murashov would have an opportunity to seize one of the two NHL roster spots for the 2026-27 season - with the other belonging to the recently re-signed Arturs Silovs. He is very much still in the mix, and for good reason. 

Top-20 Penguins' Prospects 2026, No. 17: Cerebral Center Keeps Pushing Forward In DevelopmentNext up on THN's Top-20 Penguins' Prospects list is an NCAA center who, even with a questionable ceiling, continues to make adjustments and push that ceiling higher and higher.

After dealing with an injury in the latter part of the 2024-25 AHL regular season and yet another during training camp last season, Blomqvist's luck hasn't exactly been top-notch. But his performance has earned him the opportunity to remain in the NHL conversation. In 26 AHL appearances in a 1B role alongside Murashov in 2025-26, he was 16-5-4 with a .913 save percentage and 2.40 goals-against average, which were comparable numbers to Murashov's .919 and 2.20, respectively. 

In addition, his first career NHL stint - which occurred at the beginning of the 2024-25 season when injuries paved the way for him to debut - showed some promise, as he had a .913 save percentage in his first seven NHL appearances before a disaster showing against the Dallas Stars sent him back to the AHL for a bit. His second stint that same year did not go as well, and he was eventually sent back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS), where he was injured shortly after.

Blomqvist is an athletic, well-positioned goaltender when he is on. The strengths in his game are his quickness post-to-post, his tracking, his rebound control, and his reads. Those should continue to be strengths as he, hopefully, progresses even further in his development this season, which will likely be as the 1A in WBS to Taylor Gauthier's 1B, assuming Murashov shows well in camp. 

Top-20 Penguins' Prospects 2026, No. 18: Center Impressing With Rapid GrowthNext up on THN's Top-20 Penguins' Prospects list is a left winger whose all-around play, tenacity, and sheer will made an impression on the Penguins' front office last season.

He did not appear in any Calder Cup playoff games for the WBS Penguins last season, as Murashov played in all 15. But if there's one glaring degree of separation between Murashov and Blomqvist, it's the "big-game" reputation. 

In the previous two postseason appearances for WBS, Blomqvist was the goaltender of record, and he posted sub-.895 save percentages in both years within a short, three-game sample size. In order to take the next step in his development, he has to show that he can come up big in the biggest games and in the biggest moments, akin to what Silovs and Murashov have already shown.

Given that he will turn 25 this season - and with two promising young goaltenders ahead of him on the depth chart - this season is the most important of Blomqvist's career to date. Assuming it's the other two in the NHL, he not only needs to assert himself as first in line for a call-up, but he needs to assert himself as a valuable piece of the future with his performance this season. 

Now, it's make-it-or-break-it for Blomqvist. 

Koivunen Contract, For Better Or For Worse, Sets Precedent For Dubas And Penguins Moving ForwardKyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins came to terms with unproven young forward Ville Koivunen on an eight-year, $32 million contract Thursday, which could set a high precedent for future contracts involving the team's young talent.

The list so far:

- Honorable mentions

- No. 20:D Chase Pietila

- No. 19:C Kale Dach

- No. 18:LW/C Ryan Miller

- No. 17:C Zam Plante

- No. 16: G Joel Blomqvist

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Winnipeg hockey fans will have an opportunity to get up close and personal with the Stanley Cup on Monday.

Winnipeg product and newly-crowned Stanley Cup champion Seth Jarvis will bring hockey's most famous trophy to the Tuxedo Community Centre on Aug. 10 for a public meet-and-greet from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

The community centre announced details of Jarvis' appearance Friday evening, inviting fans to attend the free event at 368 Southport Blvd.

“Come on down and help us congratulate Seth Jarvis as he brings the Stanley Cup home,” the community centre wrote in its announcement.

The event is open to all ages, with attendees encouraged to bring cameras for an opportunity to see Jarvis and the Stanley Cup up close. The community centre noted that Jarvis will only be on site for the two-hour window.

Monday's celebration will cap off a memorable year for the 24-year-old, who helped the Carolina Hurricanes capture the second Stanley Cup in franchise history in June.

Jarvis finished the regular season with 32 goals and 66 points in 71 games, leading Carolina in goals for the first time in his NHL career. It was also his third consecutive 30-goal season. 

He then played an important role in Carolina's run through the postseason, which culminated in a six-game Stanley Cup Final victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.

One of Jarvis' biggest moments came in Game 2 of the Final. With Carolina facing the possibility of falling behind 2-0 in the series, Jarvis scored a power-play goal 3:56 into overtime to give the Hurricanes a 4-3 victory and even the series. 

For Jarvis, the moment had a particularly fitting connection to Winnipeg.

Earlier in the series, he reflected on growing up shooting pucks in his driveway and imagining himself scoring Stanley Cup-winning goals.

“I might be undefeated,” Jarvis joked of those childhood Cup scenarios. “I might never have lost a Cup in my mind. But this is a little more real now, and way more exciting.” 

Less than two weeks later, the Hurricanes defeated Vegas 3-0 in Game 6 to capture the Stanley Cup. 

Jarvis was one of several Manitobans featured prominently in the Final. Winnipeg's Mark Stone and Brett Howden and Brandon's Keegan Kolesar suited up for Vegas, while former Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers won the Cup alongside Jarvis with Carolina. 

When the Rookie Faceoff starts in just over a month, the San Jose Sharks will have an undrafted player joining their ranks.

Pavel Martinu, an 18-year-old forward out of the United States Hockey League's Sioux Falls Stampede, has been invited to the 2026 Rookie Faceoff by the Sharks per Paragon Sports Consulting:

Congratulations to Pavel Martinu on being invited to the 2026 @SanJoseSharks@NHL Rookie Faceoff. pic.twitter.com/C6KNX5r2Ok

— Paragon Sports Consulting (@ParagonAthlete) July 16, 2026

Martinu, who stands at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, played in 53 games at the USHL level last season. During that time, he recorded 17 points (eight goals and nine assists) along with 59 penalty minutes. Elite Prospects had him ranked as the 149th prospect in the 2026 NHL Draft, but he was not selected.

"Martinu motors through battles and confrontations, often finishing hits and running guys over," Elite Prospects wrote in their 2026 Draft Guide. "His defensive pace is high in all situations, working to both kill plays on the backcheck and seal against cycles. This will likely be his calling card at future levels, provided that his lateral skating and edges improve."

While there is some belief that Martinu could theoretically become a fourth-line center at the NHL level if his development goes perfectly, he's more likely to become a regular at the AHL level during his prime. 

While Martinu is a raw talent, it'll be interesting to see how he's able to perform against some of the NHL's top prospects.

Over the years, there have been a total of six players to wear the number 55 for the San Jose Sharks. Despite that, none of them have been able to make a major difference for the organization, as many just spent part of a single season in the Bay Area.

Among those players, the one with the most interesting history is likely Derrick Pouliot. The eighth overall selection in the 2012 NHL Draft, Pouliot was, at one point, expected to be a major part of the Pittsburgh Penguins' long-term success. The Penguins tried to set him up to succeed as well, giving him constant opportunities after he turned professional. While he thrived at the American Hockey League level, he struggled to produce the offense he was known for at the NHL level.

After Pouliot was unable to earn an NHL role on a regular basis, the Pittsburgh Penguins gave up on him following the 2017-18 season and traded him to the Vancouver Canucks, who hoped they could get him back on track while they worked on their own project defensive prospect, Olli Juolevi.

Pouliot did step up a bit during his time in Vancouver, as he spent his entire two season stint with the Canucks in the NHL. However, that would be his final extended stint in the NHL to date. Following the 2018-19 season, Pouliot hit the free agent market for the first time in his career and signed with the St. Louis Blues. He'd only play a pair of games at the NHL level for the Blues and then was on the move once again.

After his time in St. Louis, Pouliot ended up in the Philadelphia Flyers organization, namely their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. After a short 25 game stint in Lehigh Valley, Pouliot joined the Vegas Golden Knights before being waived, and subsequently claimed by the Seattle Kraken.

After nine games with the NHL's newest franchise, Pouliot made his way to the Bay Area ahead of the 2022-23 season. Given the state of the Sharks at the time, he did find his way into eight games for the team in teal, but spend the majority of the season with the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL.

After a single season in the Sharks organization, Pouliot went looking for another opportunity once again. Since leaving, he's had stints with the Dallas Stars, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and currently, the Chicago Blackhawks. Despite a number of opportunities at the AHL level, he hasn't appeared in an NHL game since the 2023-24 campaign, when he played five games for the Stars.

The Colorado Avalanche have built their identity around speed for years. Now, the NHL Edge data puts just how fast they are into perspective.

According to NHL.com Senior Director, Fantasy Pete Jensen, the Avalanche were in a class of their own when it came to high-end skating speed during the 2025-26 season. Colorado led the NHL with 2,643 speed bursts of at least 20 mph during the regular season — nearly 1,000 more than any other team — while also producing the league's highest total of 22-plus mph speed bursts during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

That kind of speed isn't simply something that looks good on the eye test. It is a defining element of how the Avalanche attack.

And perhaps the best way to understand Colorado's speed is to look at the three players who put it on display most often.

Nathan MacKinnon recorded 455 bursts of at least 20 mph last season, second-most in the NHL, while Martin Necas ranked sixth with 348. Necas was even more dominant in the 18-to-20 mph range, leading the entire league with 1,030 bursts.

MacKinnon also recorded the second-fastest maximum skating speed in the NHL during the regular season at 24.78 mph, trailing only Beck Malenstyn's 24.94 mph.

But the most impressive part of MacKinnon's season wasn't necessarily how fast he was skating. It was what he continued to produce once he got there.

MacKinnon is coming off his fourth consecutive 100-point season, joining an exclusive group that includes Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov and Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid. Kucherov has also reached the 100-point mark in each of his last four seasons, while McDavid has done it six straight times.

McDavid, however, raised the bar again this season, capturing his sixth Art Ross Trophy after finishing with 138 points.

MacKinnon wasn't far behind.

The Avalanche superstar finished the regular season with 53 goals and 74 assists for 127 points in 80 games, good enough for third in the NHL. He also captured the first Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy of his career as the league's leading goal scorer.

For the first time in his career, MacKinnon also represented Canada at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, adding another significant chapter to what was already an exceptional season.

Necas, meanwhile, is just getting introduced to the 100-point club.

After being acquired by Colorado, Necas put together the best offensive season of his career, finishing with exactly 100 points — 38 goals and 62 assists — in 78 games. It was his first time reaching the century mark, and he didn't slow down once the postseason began.

Necas produced at a point-per-game pace in the playoffs for the first time in his career, showing that his regular-season breakout wasn't simply a product of playing alongside one of the league's most dangerous offensive teams.

His skating helps explain why.

Necas can hit another gear almost instantly, and his ability to generate speed without needing much room makes him particularly dangerous when Colorado gets moving through the neutral zone. His 1,030 speed bursts between 18 and 20 mph were the most in the NHL, a remarkable number that helps illustrate just how frequently he operates at a high-end pace.

Then there is Cale Makar.

For Makar, the 2025-26 regular season could reasonably be described as an off year — at least by the absurd standards he has established for himself.

He finished with 79 points in 75 games, including 27 goals and 59 assists. For virtually any other defenseman, that would be an outstanding season.

For Makar, it was a step back.

When healthy, Makar has generally operated around the 89-point mark over a full season, which is almost difficult to comprehend for a defenseman. His ability to create offense isn't limited to his passing or his vision, either. His skating allows him to turn what looks like a routine defensive possession into an offensive opportunity in a matter of seconds.

The NHL Edge numbers reinforce that.

Makar led all NHL players with a maximum skating speed of 23.92 mph during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs and finished second among defensemen in 20-plus mph speed bursts during the regular season with 223.

That combination of skating and skill is what makes Makar so difficult to defend. He doesn't need to wait for a play to develop. He can create one himself.

And if Colorado can get more from him on the power play next season, where the Avalanche struggled for stretches, the impact could extend well beyond the regular season.

Because that is ultimately what makes Colorado's speed so dangerous.

It isn't just that MacKinnon can fly. It isn't just that Necas can accelerate through a gap before a defender has time to close it. And it isn't just that Makar can join the rush with the speed of a forward.

It's that all three can do it at the same time.

When the Avalanche are at their best, there is very little time for an opponent to make a mistake. A missed assignment can become a MacKinnon breakaway. A loose puck can turn into a Necas rush. Makar can suddenly appear as the fourth attacker before the defense has even had a chance to reset.

That combination helped Colorado become the only team in the NHL with two 100-point scorers last season and one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the league.

The Avalanche ultimately fell in the Western Conference Final, leaving plenty of questions about what needs to change before they can take the final step.

Speed isn't one of them.

The numbers now back up what opponents have experienced firsthand for years.

Colorado isn't merely one of the NHL's fastest teams.

It may be the fastest.

The Calgary Flames know exactly what they’re missing.

After finishing last season near the bottom of the NHL standings, Calgary’s biggest challenge heading into 2026-27 is no secret: they need more offence.

The 2026 NHL Draft offered an opportunity to potentially add a game-changing forward, but the McKenna and Stenberg sweepstakes ultimately passed the Flames by. Selecting Carson Carels sixth overall was a strong addition for the future, but he’s a defenceman, and right now, Calgary’s most pressing need is finding someone up front who can consistently put the puck in the net.

That’s where general manager Craig Conroy’s work this offseason becomes so important.

The Flames are expected to be active in their search for offensive help, whether that comes through the trade market or free agency. But with the UFA pool looking relatively shallow, one name continues to stand out as an intriguing fit: Vladimir Tarasenko.

Because if there’s one thing Tarasenko has proven throughout his career, it’s that he knows how to score.

Now 34-years-old, Tarasenko isn’t the same explosive offensive force who dominated during his prime with the St. Louis Blues. But the production is still there.

Last season with the Minnesota Wild, Tarasenko recorded 23 goals, 24 assists and 47 points in 75 games. Those numbers may not jump off the page compared to his peak years, but consistency matters, especially for a Flames team that desperately needs more scoring.

Tarasenko has reached the 30-goal mark six times in his career, including a career-high 40-goal season with the Blues in 2015-16. He also brings something Calgary’s young roster currently lacks: championship experience.

Tarasenko was part of Stanley Cup-winning teams in 2019 with St. Louis and again in 2024 with the Florida Panthers. That type of experience can’t be measured purely through statistics.

Of course, the Flames are entering a new phase. The organization is committed to developing its young players, and using a roster spot on a veteran only makes sense if that player can provide meaningful impact.

Tarasenko’s numbers suggest he still can.

His 23 goals and 47 points last season would have led the Flames in both categories. Calgary finished last in the NHL in scoring, averaging just 2.54 goals per game, while their power play struggled at a second-last 16.2% efficiency.

Adding a proven offensive weapon who can contribute at five-on-five and provide another option on the power play would immediately address one of the team’s biggest weaknesses.

There’s also the development side of the equation.

The Flames have several young players who are still trying to find their footing at the NHL level, and adding someone like Tarasenko could provide value beyond what he brings on the scoresheet.

As a fellow Russian, Tarasenko could be an important resource for players like Matvei Gridin and Yegor Sharangovich.

For Gridin, who is one of Calgary’s top young prospects, having someone who understands the challenges of adapting to the NHL and navigating expectations could be invaluable.

Sharangovich is already an established NHL player, but he’s still looking to find another level offensively. Having a veteran scorer with Tarasenko’s resume around him could provide another example of what it takes to consistently produce at the highest level.

Tarasenko’s offensive mindset, preparation and championship experience could help create the kind of environment where young players can learn what it takes to become consistent NHL contributors.

The Flames are building around youth, but development isn’t just about giving young players ice time. It’s also about surrounding them with the right people.

The biggest question is the contract.

A one-year deal feels like the kind of low-risk, high-reward gamble that makes sense.

For Tarasenko, it would offer an opportunity to join a team where he could have a significant role. For the Flames, it offers veteran leadership without tying the team to a long-term commitment. 

Sometimes the best environment for young players includes experienced players who have already been through the highest levels of competition. While the Flames have to prioritize developing their prospects, there’s a strong argument to be made that having experienced winners around is just as vital to growth as actual ice time is.

Whether Calgary chooses to pursue a bigger trade or look for a shorter-term free-agent addition, Conroy has to find a way to improve an offence that struggled mightily last season. A major trade may be the ideal solution, but those opportunities don’t always present themselves.

For now, a proven scorer like Tarasenko remains an interesting option, one that could provide the Flames with what they’ve been missing: a little more finish.

As the National Hockey League enters the second month of free agency, a number of former Buffalo Sabres still remain unsigned. At this point of the offseason, players who have not latched on with an NHL club might consider playing in Europe, or taking a short-term deal or professional tryout to earn a one-year deal. 

A player who has sidetracked numerous times by injuries and has become a journeyman of late is winger Tanner Pearson. A 2012 first round pick of the Los Angeles Kings, the Kitchener, ON native played 25 regular season games as a rookie and 24 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on the Kings second run to a Stanley Cup in 2014. 

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He spent five seasons in Southern California, and after struggling at the start of the 2018-19 season, Pearson was traded to Pittsburgh, and then dealt to Vancouver for Erik Gudbranson. He posted a career-high 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists) in 69 games before the league was shut down due to the COVID pandemic. 

After another two seasons with the Canucks, Pearson suffered a serious hand injury that limited him to 14 games in 2022-23. He was dealt before the 2023-24 season to Montreal, and has played for Vegas, Winnipeg, and was acquired by the Sabres in a separate deal after Buffalo swapped Isak Rosen to the Jets for Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley. The deal was strictly for veteran depth, as he played only four regular season games for the Sabres and not at all in the playoffs.  

Outlook: With it being the first week of August, it is getting to the territory where players are taking any offers from teams in Europe before their training camps begin, or pondering professional tryouts with NHL clubs. Pearson has signed one-year deals the last two seasons, and for clubs looking for roster fillers or veteran fourth line depth, it is possible that he could find another short-term deal before training camp, but the more likely possibility with his injury history is a professional tryout to gauge his durability. 

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A lot has happened since Montreal Canadiens’ owner Geoff Molson decided to clean house and start afresh with a new management regime. Molson hired Jeff Gorton as the vice president of hockey operations (he’s now president of hockey operations) and Kent Hughes as GM and allowed them to undergo a full rebuild.

On Wednesday, we covered the three best moves (signings and trades) of the Hughes regime, and today, we’ll take a look at the three best draft picks of the Hughes-Gorton regime. The tandem has now overseen five drafts with a scouting team led by Nick Bobrov and Martin Lapointe, and while it’s still early to judge some of their picks, it’s not too early to look back at some of the ones that have already turned out to be a success.

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Lane Hutson

The diminutive defenseman is easily the best pick of the Hughes-Gorton regime, not only because of how talented he is, but also because he was drafted 62nd overall at the 2022 draft. That rank means that all teams repeatedly passed on the offensive-minded blueliner before the Canadiens used the pick they got from the Edmonton Oilers in the Brett Kulak deal to select the defender.

Four years later, Hutson has two professional seasons under his belt, and he’s exceeded all expectations. From a 66-point record-setting rookie season (he tied Larry Murphy’s record for most assists by a rookie defenseman in the NHL and became the highest scoring rookie in Habs history with 66 points), the Michigan native went to a 78-point sophomore season and put the league on notice that he would soon enter the James Norris Trophy conversation (he was sixth in voting this past season) and that he could already be mentioned in a conversation about Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes and Zach Werenski.

After his rookie season, the Canadiens knew they needed to ink him long-term, and they managed to do it at a very reasonable price because, like many of his teammates, the blueliner cares more about winning a championship than he does about earning as much money as possible. That team-first mentality is something the Canadiens evaluate before drafting a player; that’s a huge part of the interview process at the NHL combine. The Habs don’t just look at a player’s stats; they take a long, hard look at their character as well.

Ivan Demidov

One year after passing on Russian prospect Matvei Michkov at the 2023 draft, the Canadiens used the fifth overall pick at the 2024 draft to pick Ivan Demidov. Thanks to Bobrov’s contacts in Russia, the Habs had been keeping tabs on Demidov for a long time. When the other four teams picked Macklin Celebrini, Artyom Levshunov, Beckett Sennecke and Cayden Lindstrom in the first four spots, the Habs pounced on the opportunity to draft Demidov. While nobody could argue that Celebrini wasn’t a deserving first-overall pick, the jury is still out on the other three players that were picked ahead of Demidov.

Right-shot defenseman Levshunov currently plays on the Chicago Blackhawks' second-pairing, has 30 points to his name, and has yet to be signed to a contract extension. Sennecke plays on the Anaheim Ducks' second line, has 60 points to his name and is not yet eligible for a contract extension. In contrast, Lindstrom has yet to play a single game in the NHL, didn’t play until the playoffs the season after he was drafted, and could only muster 10 points in 31 games in his first season in the NCAA.

Demidov has already established himself as a top player for the Canadiens and was the dynamo of the second line, putting up 62 points in his rookie season. The Russian rookie wasted no time at the end of the season telling the media he loved playing in Montreal and wanted to stay long-term. His new contract extension was unsurprisingly an eight-year deal with a $9.15 million cap hit. There’s no doubt that he left money on the table, something that was acknowledged by Hughes at the signing press conference when he told the press that Demidov wanted to be part of something rather than be the main star of the team.

Demidov’s performance and willingness to buy into the team culture make him an excellent pick for the Gorton-Hughes regime, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a Canadiens fan who still laments the Habs passing on Michkov the year before. The Philadelphia Flyers pick at the 2023 draft put up 63 points in his rookie season and only 51 points in his sophomore season after turning up in less-than-ideal shape at training camp. Meanwhile, Demidov has been spending his summers in Montreal and now has the keys to the Habs' training facilities in Brossard so that he can train whenever he pleases. His work ethic and love for the game are both incredibly obvious, and he’s a perfect role model for Canadiens’ prospects.

Juraj Slafkovsky

The Bell Centre was stunned when Hughes selected Juraj Slafkovsky first overall at the 2022 draft. Most fans were hoping the Habs would pick Shane Wright and fill their need for a top-flight center; there were plenty of Canadiens jerseys featuring Wright’s name and number in the arena, but they decided to go for the promising power forward. He shone brightly at the 2022 Olympics, and that performance, coupled with his interview, convinced the Canadiens that he was the right player for them.

Four years later, nobody can argue that Wright would have been a better option; he’s still struggling to establish himself with the Seattle Kraken, and it’s been reported that they are open to trading him. In 169 NHL games, Wright only has 78 points for 0.46 points per game. Meanwhile, Slafkovsky leads the draft class with 184 points in 282 NHL games. That’s a 0.65 PPG average. Utah Mammoth pick Logan Cooley is second with 152 points in 211 NHL games, but that also gives him a 0.72 PPG average, slightly higher than Slafkovsky.

The Canadiens didn’t draft him as a pure point producer; however, they also drafted him for the style of play he could practice with his imposing frame, something the Canadiens really need, especially in the playoffs. Slafkovsky had a breakout season last year, putting up 73 points in 82 games and finally finding his identity. He understood what Martin St-Louis has been asking him to do since he joined the Habs for the 2022-23 season; he’s playing with pace to inflict maximum impact when he’s racing for the puck in the corner and colliding with opposing defensemen. He’s going into traffic in front of the net and using his big frame to wreak havoc, obstructing the goaltender’s view and being ready to pounce on rebounds.

Just like Hutson and Demidov, he’s also committed to the Canadiens long-term, having signed an 8-year contract extension which carries a $7.6 million cap hit back in July 2024. He agreed to sign a contract which had a lower cap hit than captain Nick Suzuki and sniper Cole Caufield, fitting in nicely with the salary structure Hughes was slowly putting in place. He’s yet another player who bought into what the Hughes-Gorton regime was selling: it’s all about doing what’s good for the team.

Honorable mentions to Michael Hage (21st overall at the 2024 draft) and Alexander Zharovsky (34th overall pick at the 2025 draft), who will be easier to evaluate once we see what they can do in the NHL. Bryce Pickford also falls in the honorable mention category, having had a season for the ages on the blueline in the WHL. It remains to be seen how well his game will translate to the NHL, but 45 goals in 55 games by an 81st overall pick is quite impressive.

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