Category: NHL

The Buffalo Sabres announced on Tuesday their exhibition schedule for the 2026-27 season. The schedule has been reduced to four games, due to the new NHL - NHLPA collective bargaining agreement and the league moving to an 84-game regular season for the first time.

The club will play twice at KeyBank Center and twice on the road in late September, with the regular season slated to begin before the end of the month. The Sabres will open on the road in Pittsburgh against the Penguins on Monday, September 21, and will play at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, September 22. The final two games will be in Detroit against the Red Wings on Thursday, September 24, and against the Penguins in a Saturday matinee on Saturday, September 26th.  

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The chatter regarding Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram has become red-hot in the days leading up to the NHL Draft at KeyBank Center this weekend. The 26-year-old blueliner is in the second year of a two-year, $12.5 million bridge deal and Buffalo GM Jarmo Kekalainen indicated last month that he is interested in extending the 25-year-old, coming off a career-high 42-point season, but in the last week there have been indicators that Byram is either looking for a new deal well out of the Sabres price range or that he through agent Darren Ferris has communicated that he will to play out the final year of his deal and hit the free agent market next summer.

Byram is listed only behind Detroit team captain Dylan Larkin on The Athletic’s Trade Board. Kekalainen earlier this month moved out RFA blueliner Michael Kesselring in a deal with the San Jose Sharks, but the big right-hander was not much of a factor witn Buffalo last season The Stanley Cup winner was a big part of the Sabres top four, along with Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, and Owen Power, and his departure would mark a significant downgrade of their defensive corps. 

The Sabres do not have an obvious replacement for Byram on their roster, with 2025 first rounder Radim Mrtka likely starting his pro career in Rochester next season,  veterans Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley heading for free agency, and righties Conor Timmins and Zach Metsa better suited for bottom-pairing duties. Kekalainen is in a difficult position, since the return for Byram will be mitigated by his contract status and the knowledge that whoever he is traded to will likely be a one-year rental. 

Rochester goalie Devon Levi also appears on the list. The 24-year-old has played most of the last three seasons with the Amerks and will not be waiver exempt next season. With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, and Colten Ellis on the NHL roster, the Sabres face the prospect of losing the youngster for nothing on waivers after training camp or moving him for a draft pick. With a number of clubs looking for inexpensive starters, tandem goalies and backups, Kekalainen should not have a problem finding a new home for Levi.     

 

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The New York Islanders announced on Tuesday that they have hired former NHL forward and Stanley Cup champion Pascal Dupuis as their new Director of Player Development. 

This role had been previously held by former Islander Eric Cairns, who had held that role since the 2013-14 season. 

#Isles announce they have hired former #NHL forward Pascal Dupuis as Director of Player Developement.

Eric Cairns previously held that role.

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) June 23, 2026

Cairns is no longer involved in hockey operations for the organization. 

Dupuis played 15 years in the NHL after going undrafted, recording 409 points (190 goals, 219 assists). He won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins back in 2009.

He was forced to retire in December of 2015 due to a medical condition related to blood clots. 

Since 2021-22, Dupuis has owned the QMJHL's Shawinigan Cataractes, serving in different roles, from hockey operations to player development over the years. 

This marks Dupuis first NHL post-career gig. 

Dupuis comes aboard the Islanders at a time when player development has never been more crucial, as the organization has prospects that they're banking on becoming critical pieces over the next few seasons. 

D.J. Smith’s coaching career has already taken a few turns through the NHL, junior hockey, and back again — and now it’s leading him into a new role with a familiar face on a new bench.

The Edmonton Oilers announced Tuesday that Smith has been hired as an assistant coach under Mike Babcock, adding another experienced voice to the staff as he continues his NHL coaching journey.

The 49-year-old Smith most recently spent time with the Los Angeles Kings, where he stepped in as interim head coach from March 1 through the end of the 2025–26 regular season. He helped guide the club to an 11–6–6 finish during that stretch after initially joining the organization as an assistant in early 2024 before being elevated midseason to replace the fired Jim Hiller, who has since been hired to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

The move to Edmonton reunites Smith with Babcock, under whom he began his NHL coaching career as an assistant with the Leafs in 2015. He spent four seasons in Toronto during a formative stretch of the club’s rebuild before eventually landing his first NHL head coaching opportunity.

Smith took over the Ottawa Senators in 2019 and spent parts of five seasons behind the bench, overseeing a long rebuild. Over 317 games, he compiled a 131-154-32 record, ranking second in franchise history in total wins among head coaches despite the team’s overall inconsistency under his tutelage.

Before his NHL coaching career, Smith built his reputation in junior hockey. He joined the Windsor Spitfires coaching staff in 2005 and spent eight seasons there, helping the program capture two Memorial Cup championships.

He later took over the Oshawa Generals in 2012 and quickly turned them into contenders, leading them to an OHL championship and a dominant Memorial Cup title in 2015.

Smith’s path to coaching began as a player. Drafted 41st overall by the New York Islanders in 1995, his rights were later moved to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 1996 trade.

As a defenseman, he appeared in 45 NHL games split between Toronto and the Colorado Avalanche, while spending most of his playing career in the AHL, where he logged 393 games over nine seasons.

Now with another NHL opportunity in Edmonton, Smith continues a coaching career that has steadily moved between development roles, head coaching responsibilities, and now back into a senior assistant position on a contender’s staff.

As has become customary in recent years, the Philadelphia Flyers find themselves in the middle of several trade rumors around the NHL as they continually seek to add to and improve their roster.

This offseason, after a successful year that ended in an inspiring playoff run, has the potential to be a big one for the Flyers, even with a later draft pick than they've been used to.

That draft pick--21st overall--can be leveraged in a trade to help acquire an impactful player, which seems to be a very real possibility as we rapidly approach the start of the 2026 NHL Draft on Friday.

One name that has some of the most appeal to Flyers fans is defenseman Bowen Byram, who has legitimate potential to be a top-pairing defender despite not being used as such with the Buffalo Sabres.

That's fair, since that organization has made significant investments on their defense in the forms of superstar Rasmus Dahlin, top draft pick Owen Power, Radim Mrtka, and Mattias Samuelsson, among others.

The Flyers, in need of more talent on defense, need a power play quarterback desperately, and the Sabres would be best suited moving on from Byram to better round out their lineup.

These two teams have been repeatedly linked over the years for such a deal, with Byram's name being connected to the Flyers once again this past week. Perhaps this summer is the time to finally make it happen.

3 Flyers Trade Alternatives to Brady TkachukThe Philadelphia Flyers have trade options to consider with Brady Tkachuk off the table for the foreseeable future.

At the center position, there is more variance.

On top of Ottawa Senators trio Dylan Cozens, Shane Pinto, and Ridly Greig, the Flyers are also believed to have some level of interest in less proven centers Mason McTavish and Shane Wright.

Of those five, Wright, Pinto, and Cozens best fit what the Flyers are trying to do offensively.

According to reports, the Flyers like Pinto the most, and he would instantly step into a consistent top-six role, potentially as a No. 1 center, in Philadelphia.

Star forward Trevor Zegras has not quite proven if he can handle a full-time center role at the NHL level, which makes adding a productive and capable center as possible the top priority for the Flyers.

A forgotten rumor that many hope to forget for real is the Flyers' connection to Darnell Nurse, who, while an upgrade, comes with significant financial baggage at his $9.25 million cap hit.

The 31-year-old would only to come to Philadelphia at a reduced price, on top of whatever it might cost the Flyers to actually trade for the player apart from the contract aspect.

For all intents and purposes, the rumor connecting the Flyers and Byram makes much more sense, even if the Sabres' ask in a a trade is exponentially greater.

Of course, there is always the possibility the Flyers pull off a move nobody has intel on, like the Jamie Drysdale and Cutter Gauthier swap, but their current reported trade targets are all well-discussed options at this stage.

According to NHL Analyst David Pagnotta, the expectation is for the Los Angeles Kings to work with veteran defenseman Drew Doughty on a contract extension once free agency opens. 

Additionally, Pagnotta reported that Doughty understands his current role at this stage of his career and that his ice time will decrease in the coming years, which will be reflected in his value and worth in his next deal. 

David Pagnotta: The expectation in Los Angeles is Drew Doughty will get a contract extension worked out with the Kings; [he] understands his minutes will soon dip, which will reflect his next contract - Fourth Period (6/21)

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 23, 2026

The 36-year-old signed a massive eight-year, $88 million contract in 2018, and the contract won't expire until the end of the 2026-27 season. If Doughty signs a one- or two-year deal, it could extend his contract a few more years before the former Stanley Cup champion decides to walk away from the game. 

Despite battling injuries in recent seasons, he remains one of the most iconic players to ever wear the silver and black, helping lead the Kings to two Stanley Cup championships. 

But with all that said, those achievements remain in the past, and the Kings need to be smart about how they handle Doughty's contract for the Kings' future, whether they decide to rebuild with young talent or go all in for Stanley Cup contention. 

Therefore, the Kings should still absolutely offer Doughty a contract extension. The most realistic option is to keep it a short-term, team-friendly deal.

The five-time All-Star has earned the right to finish his career in Los Angeles with the Kings, but the franchise shouldn't pay him based on what he accomplished in 2014 or 2016. 

Whatever kind of deal or money the Kings decide to offer Doughty, it needs to be for what he's valued now: a valuable veteran defenseman who can mentor the young talent and be a leader in the team's locker room, not the James Norris Memorial-caliber workhorse he once was. 

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It’s not been easy for the Montreal Canadiens to attract star players over the years. The weather, the taxes, the language, we’ve heard it all, but that might just be changing. The organization’s decision to undergo a rebuild and start betting on offense rather than defense has made the Habs an entertaining team to watch, but also a fun team to play for.

On Monday, TSN insider Pierre Lebrun mentioned on Overdrive that an agent told him that one of his clients has asked to add the Canadiens to the list of teams he would be open to being traded to. Of course, Lebrun didn’t say which agent made the claim or which player was involved, but it was enough to spark plenty of talk and speculation online.

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There aren’t a lot of players out there who have publicly said they wish to be traded and are still waiting to find out where they’ll be headed. The top name that comes to mind is Dylan Larkin. He asked the Detroit Red Wings for a trade a couple of weeks ago, and he hasn’t been moved yet. He provided Steve Yzerman with a short list of teams he’d be willing to go to: the Minnesota Wild, the Florida Panthers, or the Vegas Golden Knights.

Brady Takchuk was traded to the Panthers over the weekend, and the Florida outfit’s cupboard of draft picks is now pretty bare, which may well take them out of the running. The Wild doesn’t have a first or second round pick at the upcoming draft, while Vegas doesn’t either in the next two drafts. It’s true that Yzerman may be looking for immediate help rather than futures, but picks still help sweeten the deal.

As evidenced by the Takchuk trade, teams are no longer that reluctant to trade players inside their own division, and Yzerman has done it before when he sent Jonathan Drouin to the Habs nearly a decade ago. While Larkin is a great player and would fit the Canadiens’ need, one has to wonder if he’d be in for the long haul in Montreal since he was part of Team USA at the latest Olympics, and a lot of those players have been requesting trades to American teams of late. There’s no concern for players who have been Habs for years and have shown themselves to be committed to the team, but it may be different for an outside hire, so to speak.

Larkin is under contract for another five years with an $8.7 million cap hit, so the price tag to get him out of Detroit is unlikely to be cheap. If Hughes were to make that deal, he would need solid guarantees from the player that he wouldn’t be looking to move again anytime soon.

At the end of the day, it’s far from a sure thing that Lebrun was indeed talking about Larkin, but whoever he was talking about, it’s good news that Montreal is starting to make its way on players’ trade lists.

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With the NHL Entry Draft set to take place this Friday and Saturday, the Detroit Red Wings are already turning their attention toward the 2026-27 season.

On Tuesday, the club unveiled its preseason schedule, a four-game slate that will begin on Sept. 21 and feature matchups against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Buffalo Sabres. Before the preseason gets underway, however, Red Wings fans will have several opportunities to get an early look at the organization's future.

Detroit announced it will host a four-team Prospect Tournament from Sept. 12-15 at Little Caesars Arena's BELFOR Training Center. The tournament will feature prospects from the Red Wings, Blue Jackets, Penguins, and Dallas Stars, providing an early showcase for many of the organization's top young players and recent draft selections. Following the tournament, the Red Wings will hold Training Camp from Sept. 17-20 before opening their preseason schedule the next day in Columbus.

The exhibition slate begins with a road contest against the Blue Jackets on Sept. 21 before Detroit travels to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins on Sept. 22. The Red Wings will then return home to Little Caesars Arena for their lone preseason home game against the Sabres on Sept. 24 before concluding the schedule with another matchup against Columbus on Sept. 26.

Coming this September. ⏳

More on 2026-27 preseason, prospect tournament & training camp » https://t.co/R3p8EmgU7opic.twitter.com/Cpm5PuHSFb

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 23, 2026

Detroit Red Wings 2026 Preseason Schedule

Sept. 21: Red Wings at Blue Jackets, 7 p.m. EST

Sept. 22: Red Wings at Penguins, 7 p.m. EST

Sept. 24: Red Wings vs. Sabres, 7 p.m. EST

Sept. 26: Red Wings at Blue Jackets, 7 p.m. EST

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While preseason games rarely feature extensive workloads for established NHL stars, they provide valuable opportunities for organizations to evaluate prospects and depth players. Detroit's upcoming exhibition schedule should be no different.

Fans hoping to catch extended appearances from cornerstone players like Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider, and veteran goaltender John Gibson may be disappointed. However, the spotlight will fall on the organization's most exciting emerging talent as players battle for roster spots and make their case for NHL opportunities.

Among the names to watch are highly regarded prospects Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, both of whom are expected to be key figures during training camp and the preseason. The exhibition schedule could also offer Detroit fans an early look at the players selected by the organization during this week's NHL Draft, with several recent picks potentially earning invitations to camp and preseason action.

For a franchise continuing to build toward sustained contention, the preseason serves as an important evaluation period. It offers coaches and management a chance to assess the next generation of Red Wings while giving fans a preview of the talent pipeline that could shape the club's future. The NHL is expected to release the full 2026-27 regular-season schedule sometime in July.

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The Calgary Flames may not control who goes first overall, but they could end up controlling much of what happens after that.

Armed with 11 selections, including the sixth overall pick and eight choices inside the top 68, Calgary enters the 2026 NHL Draft with more flexibility than almost any team in the league. Whether that means making the picks, moving around the board, or pursuing trades, general manager Craig Conroy knows the Flames have options.

And in a draft class Conroy believes is unusually difficult to predict, that flexibility could prove invaluable.

“I don’t. I think it’s one of those years where they’re all really good players,” Conroy told Sportsnet when asked if he had a sense of how the top six might shake out.

For Calgary, that uncertainty isn’t a concern — it’s an opportunity.

With four second-round picks and a stockpile of assets, the Flames are positioned to be one of the draft’s most active teams if the right opportunity presents itself.

“We have a lot of ammunition to either make picks, move them or make trades,” Conroy added. “The options are definitely one of the things that makes it exciting for us.”

That flexibility extends well beyond the first round. As draft day approaches, Conroy said discussions with other clubs have already intensified, particularly involving Calgary’s collection of second-round selections.

“There are definitely lots of calls and conversations with teams about all our picks,” Conroy continued.

Still, for all the talk about trades and movement, the most important decision remains the one attached to the sixth overall pick.

The Flames have an obvious need for more offensive production, leading many to assume a forward will be the priority. Conroy, however, made it clear Calgary won’t be drafting based solely on positional need.

“I’m not going to go to the best player, I’m going to say the right player,” he stated.

And that’s where the debate really begins.

Ask five draft analysts what Calgary’s biggest organizational need is and you’ll probably get two different answers. One camp believes the Flames still lack a true No. 1 center capable of driving a Stanley Cup contender. The other sees a glaring need for a future top-pairing defenseman who can dictate the game from the back end.

The Hockey News leans toward the latter.

If he’s available when Calgary steps to the podium, Carson Carels could be difficult to pass up. The dynamic defenseman turned heads across the WHL this season, finishing with 20 goals and 73 points while establishing himself as one of the league’s most dangerous offensive blue-liners. Those numbers ranked fifth among WHL defensemen in goals and fourth in total points, helping earn him a finalist nomination for WHL Defenseman of the Year.

What stands out most isn’t necessarily the production — it’s how he generates it. Carels thrives with the puck on his stick, pushes play through the neutral zone and has a knack for creating offense seemingly out of nowhere. Comparisons to Cale Makar are unfair for almost any young defenseman, but elements of Carels’ game — particularly his skating and ability to attack off the rush — inevitably invite them.

Then there’s Keaton Verhoeff, another defenseman expected to hear his name called early. The Victoria Royals standout produced 21 goals and 45 points in 63 games as a 16-year-old, a remarkable accomplishment considering only two younger WHL defensemen in league history have scored more goals at that age. Verhoeff combines offensive instincts with a physical edge that NHL teams covet, making him one of the most intriguing long-term projects in the class.

Another name worth monitoring is Alberts Šmits.

The Latvian defender already owns something few draft-eligible prospects can claim: Olympic experience. While Latvia isn’t stocked with NHL stars, earning a spot on an Olympic roster as a teenager remains a notable achievement. Šmits split the season between Germany and Finland, appearing at both the professional and junior levels while recording 12 goals and 23 points in 43 games.

His strongest impression may have come at the World Junior Championship. Serving in a leadership role for Latvia, Šmits was consistently one of the country’s best players, finishing with five points in five games while earning recognition as one of Latvia’s top performers throughout the tournament.

Of course, if Calgary decides its biggest need remains down the middle, Tynan Lawrence could emerge as a serious option.

Lawrence’s appeal extends beyond his offensive upside. The Boston University forward has developed a reputation for seeking out challenges rather than avoiding them. His decision to make the jump to the NCAA forced him to adapt to a faster, heavier and far more demanding style of hockey, and while the transition wasn’t always smooth, it showcased the resilience NHL teams love to see in young players.

Before arriving at Boston University, Lawrence dominated in the USHL. He averaged better than a point per game as a 16-year-old with Muskegon, earned All-Rookie Team honors, helped capture a Clark Cup championship and was later named tournament MVP. He eventually took over as captain and posted 17 points in 13 games before moving on to the collegiate ranks.

What makes Lawrence particularly intriguing for Calgary is the way he plays. He competes hard, embraces physical hockey and consistently pushes himself into uncomfortable situations to improve. Those are traits Conroy and the Flames have repeatedly prioritized during the rebuild.

If the Flames ultimately decide their future is strongest down the middle, don’t be surprised if Lawrence becomes one of the names receiving serious consideration when Calgary is on the clock.

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Edmonton Oilers hired Mike Babcock on Tuesday, clearing the way for the polarizing taskmaster to coach his first NHL game in more than six years after the NHL cleared him following an investigation into his aborted 2023 stint in Columbus.

Babcock is now in charge of trying to get Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl a Stanley Cup championship after two of the best hockey players in the league have fallen short over the past decade.

D.J. Smith, who was most recently the interim replacement in Los Angeles after Jim Hiller was fired and ran the bench in Ottawa from 2019-23, was named an associate coach. Smith was an assistant under Babcock in Toronto.

Babcock has not coached a game in the league since being fired by the Maple Leafs 23 games into the 2019-20 season.

Babcock, 63, has championship experience from coaching Detroit to the Cup in 2008. He made two other trips to the final, with Anaheim in ‘03 and when the Red Wings went again in ’09 and lost to Pittsburgh. He also guided Canada to back-to-back Olympic goal medals in 2010 and '14.

Babcock also brings baggage.

He stepped down from the Blue Jackets' job before training camp in September 2023 after taking the job on July 1. At the time, Babcock’s requests for personal photos from players in an attempt to get to know them drew criticism as an invasion of privacy.

When word emerged that Edmonton was interested in hiring Babcock, the NHL Players' Association asked the league to review what happened three years ago. The NHL in a statement said it found nothing to prevent him from being employed by a team.

Former players have spoken out about Babcock's old-school tendencies that some say can be considered bullying.

A report surfaced after the Maple Leafs fired Babcock that he had asked Mitch Marner to share his ranking of teammates from hardest- to least-hardest working and then shared that with the rest of the group. Former Red Wings player Johan Franzen told a Swedish outlet that Babcock was the worst person he had ever met and said at one point he was terrified to go to the rink.

Retired defenseman Mike Commodore, who played for Babcock briefly in 2011 in Detroit, spoke out this spring.

“I don’t want to hear another word about how important mental health is for us when you literally just paved the way, cleared the way for Mike Babcock to get another opportunity in the NHL and put him in another position of power where he can abuse people,” Commodore said on the “Clearing the Crease” podcast.

Daniel Winnik, who played for Babcock in 2015-16 with the Leafs, last week called him “the only guy that's ever made me hate hockey.”

“I just hated coming to the rink,” Winnik said on TSN 1050 radio in Toronto. "He's just a bully."

Kris Knoblauch, who coached Edmonton to consecutive trips to the Cup final in 2024 and ’25, was fired May 14 — a decision announced after news leaked that the Oilers had been denied permission by division rival Vegas to interview 2023 Cup-winning coach Bruce Cassidy, whom the Golden Knights fired on March 30 with eight games left in the regular season. Cassidy remains under contract for one more year.

The Oilers instead turned to Babcock, whose 700 regular season and 90 playoff victories rank 12th and 10th, respectively, in NHL history.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

The Edmonton Oilers have announced that Mike Babcock is now officially the team's next head coach. He becomes the club’s 19th head coach in team history.

Babcock, 63, joins Edmonton with an extensive NHL résumé, compiling a 700-418-183 record over 17 seasons and ranking 10th all-time in playoff wins (90-74). The decision doesn't come without some controversy, however. 

Babcock was investigated for his conduct as the Columbus Blue Jackets head coach in 2023. The investigation found incidents that didn't paint him in a good light, but were not enough to keep him out of the NHL. 

The #Oilers have named Mike Babcock as Head Coach. https://t.co/WSNNP3Yrni

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 23, 2026

The Oilers have chosen to overlook whatever it was the was found and go with a guy they believe will push this crop of superstars. Edmonton is desperate to win the Stanley Cup, having gotten close in two of the past three seasons.

Babcock is the only coach to win a Stanley Cup (2008), Olympic gold (2010, 2014), IIHF World Championship (2004), and World Cup of Hockey (2016). The Oilers believe he's got the hockey mind to help this group, along with the pedigree to coach stars who need to be held accountable.

He began in Anaheim, leading the Ducks to a Stanley Cup Final, before a decade in Detroit that included a Cup win, two Finals appearances, and multiple division titles. Babcock later coached Toronto for five seasons, posting a 173-133-45 record.

The Oilers also revealed that they have hired D.J. Smith as an associate coach. Smith, 49, most recently served as interim head coach of the Los Angeles Kings, assembling an 11-6-6 record from March 1st through the end of the 2025-26 regular season. It was rumored Smith would join Babcock if hired. Smith began his NHL coaching career as an assistant under Babcock in Toronto in 2015.

RELEASE: Oilers add D.J. Smith as Associate Coach | Edmonton OilersThe 49-year-old rejoins Mike Babcock behind the bench in Edmonton after starting his coaching career under him in Toronto in 2015; most recently served as interim head coach of Los Angeles last season

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced their 2026 preseason schedule, which will consist of four games. 

The Blue Jackets will play the following teams. 

Home Games: Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins

Away Games: Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings

You can see the dates and times in the below tweet.

HOT OFF THE PRESSES! 🚨

The countdown to preseason starts now!

📝 https://t.co/Ltc02aax36

CBJ x @Ticketmasterpic.twitter.com/i1JBaQOLwi

— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) June 23, 2026

There were rumblings that the season would start earlier due to having two extra games, but with these dates, it seems we're back to the pre-COVID schedule of starting the regular season in the first week of October. 

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Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft is on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo, where the CBJ will own pick #14.   

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The Toronto Maple Leafs best rookies and prospects will be heading to the Ottawa region in the fall.

The Ottawa Senators announced that they will be hosting their NHL Prospect Challenge at Centre Slush Puppie in Gatineau, QC. The challenge will take place on Sept. 12 and 13 and will feature prospects from the Senators, Maple Leafs, Montreal and Winnipeg Jets.

The Maple Leafs had spent the last couple of years playing a pair of rookie showcase games in Montreal at Bell Centre. Before then, the Leafs were one of a few teams that took part in the annual Detroit Red Wings-hosted tournament in Traverse City, Michigan. 

The is the first of it’s kind where four Canadian NHL teams are taking part. In the past, the Leafs used to host rookie tournament in London, Ontario with the Canadiens and Senators taking part while an American team would rotate in.

This is the first time Ottawa is hosting the Leafs for a rookie challenge in some capacity.

NEWS RELEASE: Ottawa Senators to hold the NHL Prospect Challenge on Sept. 12-13, 2026: https://t.co/iNoa8fhtic
COMMUNIQUÉ: Les Sénateurs d’Ottawa accueilleront le Défi des espoirs de la LNH en septembre: https://t.co/ep1kfsPBPdpic.twitter.com/D3HF9g0dVN

— Sens Communications (@Media_Sens) June 23, 2026

This tournament is where you’ll likely see Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 overall pick to play in an actual game of some sort. 

The schedule of games is as follows.

Schedule

Sept. 12 at 1 p.m. Winnipeg Jets vs. Montreal Canadiens

Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators

Sept. 13 at 1 p.m. Winnipeg Jets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. Montreal Canadiens vs. Ottawa Senators

Tickets for each game start as low as $20 and will be available to the public on Monday, June 29 at 10 a.m. on centreslushpuppie.com. 

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After the Brady Tkachuk trade whirlwind over the last 48 hours, the Senators began the process of moving forward on Tuesday morning, getting back to the usual business of running their hockey team. That includes trade talks, and getting for Friday and Saturday's NHL draft and the opening of free agency a week from Wednesday.

It also includes scheduling for next season.

The Senators announced the schedule for the 2026 NHL Prospects Challenge to be held in mid-September at the Slush Puppie Centre in Gatineau. Holding the event at the 4000 arena is part of a renewed effort by the Senators to better connect with hockey fans on the Quebec side.

The teams mixing it up with the Sens prospects will be all-Canadian: the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, and Winnipeg Jets. The Senators won't play the Jets, but they will face the Leafs at 6 p.m. on Sept. 12 and the Canadiens at 6 p.m. on Sept. 13.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public this Monday, June 29, at 10 a.m., but season ticket holders can cut the line and get them this Friday, June 26.

The Sens aren't in a position to announce their prospects roster until they get through the busy part of their offseason. For example, they have three first-round picks in this Friday's NHL Draft – the 9th, 25th, and 32nd overall picks. If they don't trade those picks this week, there could be some exciting, very fresh new talent skating at this event.

Players who participated last year include Carter Yakemchuk, Stephen Halliday, Jorian Donovan, and Xavier Bourgault. The two names featured on the team's social media promotion are goalie Lucas Beckman, who helped lead Chicoutimi to the Memorial Cup, and forward Blake Montgomery, who helped Wisconsin get to the Frozen Four Final.

The Prospect Challenge is coming home!

The #Sens will host the next generation of NHL stars at Centre Slush Puppie this September! pic.twitter.com/z2VwKCKK0I

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) June 23, 2026

Former NHL player Sam Gagner is in his second season as the Senators' Director of Player Development and thinks it's helpful for the top prospects before they face the top of the Senators' food chain at main camp.

“I think it's a great opportunity for these players to get off on the right foot, heading into main camp," Gagner said on the club's website. "I saw what it did for Carter Yakemchuk last year, having such a great rookie camp, and going into main camp."

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News