The Chicago Blackhawks have a lot of forwards, which is good for them in their quest to be a better team in 2026-27. However, that doesn't mean that they must be satisfied. There are improvements that they made, but they must not overvalue players in their organization either. If there is help out there, they should take swings.
One of those swings could be free-agent forward Patrik Laine, who is still on the market looking for his next hockey home. Of course, Laine was the second overall pick by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2016 NHL Draft. Since then, Laine has had tenures with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens.
Early in his career, Laine was one of the best young snipers in the NHL. In his rookie year, a second place Calder Trophy finish to Auston Matthews, he had 36 goals. He followed that up with 44 one year after, and 30 in year three. In his fourth year, he scored 28 in 68 games before the league was shut down by COVID-19.
139 goals in the first 305 games of an NHL career is elite production. However, when the league resumed for the 2020-21 season, things slowed down a little bit for him. He was traded, the goals didn't come in bunches like they were before the pause, and his reputation as a top-five scorer quickly faded.
The thing is, however, that Laine still has 3 20-goal seasons since then, including as recently as 2024-25. In his last 186 games played, he has 74 goals, which is more than solid.
During the 2025-26 season, Laine only played in 5 games, so he was not able to get his game going the way he is capable of.
However, there are reasons to believe he can still score a ton of goals if he comes into camp healthy and motivated. He is only 28 years old and has a lot of good hockey left if he wants it.
His shot is what made him so lethal, and that is not something that has gone away from his game. Even if his skating were to slow down, he'll almost always have that booming wrist and slap shot.
There is room for a sniper of Laine's caliber in Chicago's top six. With playmakers like Connor Bedard, Patrick Kane, and Frank Nazar around, he might find himself with a lot of high-danger scoring chances at even strength.
On the power play, they could use him as a sniper on either unit. Separating him from Anton Frondell with the man advantage would give them two big one-time shots to work with. Overall, Laine would make them a much deeper team.
Don't mistake Laine's sniping prowess for lack of solid playmaking ability, either. He has 198 assists in his NHL career, which do not grow on trees. Other goal scores on Chicago's roster could also benefit from an addition like him to the group.
Teuvo Teravainen is a fellow Finnish-born forward who could be there to help Laine get acclimated too, which we've seen be important in the NHL before. There are some stars aligned that make a transaction like this look feasible for Chicago.
Laine likely won't command a ton of money, either, which would make it a low-risk, high-reward type of move. They could get a lot of goals for cheap. Even if they give him a PTO with a chance to earn a spot out of camp, which he likely would if healthy, they give themselves a chance to add a high-end sniper.
There are plenty of examples of players having a career resurgence down the road, and Laine is only 28, which is not old in hockey years at all.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.
Valeri Nichushkin knows better than most what the Colorado Avalanche looked like at their peak.
He was there when they won the Stanley Cup in 2022. He played through a broken foot to help finish the job. Seven years later, he is leaving Denver — and his comments about the Avalanche's aging core are impossible to ignore.
Speaking with RB Sport, Nichushkin admitted he hasn't had much time to process the trade to Columbus.
“Honestly, I haven’t had time to think about it yet,” Nichushkin said. “I stayed in America because of family circumstances, and then when I came to Russia, I was getting settled.”
Leaving Denver will be an adjustment for Nichushkin after seven years in the city.
“I knew every street,” he said. “Now everything will be new. I’ll have to find a new place to live. But there’s nothing terrible about it. I’ll adapt.”
The hockey side of the move, however, doesn't concern him nearly as much.
Some have viewed Nichushkin going from Colorado to Columbus as a clear step backward, considering the Avalanche remain a Stanley Cup contender while the Blue Jackets are still trying to establish themselves as a consistent playoff team.
Nichushkin doesn't necessarily see it that way.
“At first glance, perhaps it looks that way,” he said. “But on the other hand, Colorado is now already one of the oldest teams in the league.”
Then came the comparison that really puts Colorado's evolution into perspective.
“When we won the Cup, we were in the top five youngest teams,” Nichushkin said.
That is a significant observation coming from someone who was right in the middle of that championship run.
The Avalanche's core has aged considerably since 2022. Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and the veteran foundation that helped Colorado dominate the NHL are still among the league's best, but the roster is no longer the young group that Nichushkin remembers from the Stanley Cup run.
And Nichushkin doesn't believe that automatically means Colorado is headed in the wrong direction.
“There are very good players in Columbus, a good balance,” he said, pointing specifically to Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko. “And that's how it happens in the NHL: a couple of trades — and everything can change very quickly.”
Nichushkin knows what he's talking about when it comes to Colorado's championship window.
He was instrumental in the Avalanche's 2022 title run, scoring nine goals and six assists in 20 playoff games as Colorado went 16-4 and captured the Stanley Cup. He also played through a broken foot late in the postseason, showcasing the toughness that made him such a valuable part of the team.
Nichushkin finished his Colorado playoff career with 27 goals and 13 assists for 40 points in 74 games.
He finished his final regular season with the Avalanche with 49 points, scoring 17 goals and adding 32 assists in 72 games. He then recorded four points in 12 playoff games.
Colorado officially traded Nichushkin to Columbus on June 25, receiving a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, a third-round pick in 2027 and a fifth-round pick in 2028. That 2026 second-round selection ultimately became Egor Shilov.
For Nichushkin, the trade offers the chance to take on a larger role.
“There is an opportunity to get a more interesting playing role there,” he said.
For Colorado, meanwhile, his comments offer an interesting reminder of how quickly a championship roster can change.
The Avalanche are still built around elite players and still expect to compete for the Stanley Cup. But according to one of the players who helped deliver their last championship, the team has entered a very different stage.
The young Avalanche that Nichushkin helped lead to the top of the NHL are gone.
But can Colorado rebound from last year's disappointment of getting swept?
The New Jersey Devils are a couple of weeks away from having training camp to prepare for what they hope is a bounce-back season.
Part of that will be making sure the young players feel good about themselves as they look to take the next step in their careers.
Not every prospect is going to play pro hockey in 2026-27. Some of them will be in college, some of them will play major junior, and a handful will be in pro leagues across North America and Europe.
With some of the graduations the New Jersey Devils have had over the last handful of years, they are no longer seen as a team with a top-10 farm system. However, there are some good players that the organization feels can be impactful down the line.
With the off-season winding down, this is a quick look at their top-ten prospects:
1. Mikhail Yegorov - G
Unless Nico Daws starts to truly dominate in 2026-27, the New Jersey Devils don't have their future goalie on their NHL roster. In the system, however, they have Mikhail Yegorov, who may end up being a star one day.
Whenever a goalie is a franchise's top prospect, they clearly have a ton of faith that they will one day see him in the crease at the NHL level.
Yegorov played in the USHL with the Omaha Lancers for a while before landing at Boston University in the middle of the 2024-25 season. He appeared in 18 games for them and lit the NCAA on fire with a 2.15 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage.
The Terriers rode that wave all the way to the Frozen Four. In front of him was a great team, but he really stole the show.
2025-26 wasn't quite as strong, but still good. The team in front was much weaker, but Yegorov would tell you he'd like to be better than the 2.73 goals against and .904 save percentage that he had.
When Yegorv eventually turns pro, he is likely to get some run in the AHL before coming to the NHL. By then, the organization would love for his skills to be defined enough to make an impact as a future pillar within the franchise.
2. Anton Silayev - D
The New Jersey Devils took a risk when they selected Anton Silayev with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. They likely would go in a different direction with the benefit of hindsight, but that doesn't mean that Silayev isn't a noteworthy prospect.
Silayev will play in the NHL, and it could be as soon as this upcoming season. He is a big, mean defenseman who keeps his opponents away from high-danger scoring areas with regularity.
There isn't much offense in his game, but as a middle-pair defender, he can make an impact by being very difficult to play against while other guys are relied on for breakout passes/offensive contribution.
3. Alexander Command - C
The New Jersey Devils selected Alexander Command with the 12th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. He is a young prospect within the organization and has a lot of development to do.
Command is a center who puts heavy emphasis on playing a 200-foot game, which would obviously translate to winning hockey in the NHL if he were to ever bring his game there with his full potential.
If he ever reaches the heights of being a high-end third line center behind Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, with a lot of similarities to Hischier, the Devils will have gotten the player they wanted when they drafted him.
He will never have to carry the load offensively or defensively, but he could if needed, which is exactly what the Devils will need out of their long-term 3C.
4. Lenni Hämeenaho - RW
Lenni Hameenaho just finished his first pro season in North America, split between the NHL and AHL. He is sure to graduate off this list by the start of the 2027-28 season.
Hameenaho was a key force for Finland in their World Championships win, so he should enter training camp confident and ready for more.
5. Seamus Casey - D
When Seamus Casey was dominating games at the University of Michigan, there were high hopes for him at the NHL level. Then, he had a strong 14-game stretch to begin his NHL debut in 2024-25, which heightened expectations even more.
Casey dealt with some injuries and inconsistencies in 2025-26, which has lowered his stock a little bit. He only appeared in 31 games, and 29 of them were in the AHL. Now, he has to work his way back up with good play in 2026-27.
Those key high-end skills are still there, which gives him hope; he just has to put them to good use on the ice early and often.
6. Matias Vanhanen - LW
Matias Vanhanen was incredible for Everett en route to a Memorial Cup runner-up finish. Now, he is going to head to Boston College where he is looking to get bigger, stronger, and faster.
If Vanhanen makes it to the NHL, it will likely be as a play-making forward who adds some offensive depth to a lineup. There is work to be done physically, but his ceiling would find him in the NHL.
7. Nikita Shcherbakov - D
The New Jersey Devils selected big defenseman Nikita Scherbakov with a second round pick (44th overall) in the 2026 NHL Draft.
This player has a lot of development left to go, as he spent most of 2025-26 in Russia's second-tier league behind the KHL. Still, you can't teach a defenseman to be 6'5", which gives him an advantage when it comes to pushing to become an NHL-caliber defender.
Some believe that Scherbakov has another level to his game that he could get to offensively, because he doesn't give much at this time, but the Devils should be focused on him becoming a great defensive defenseman with the ceiling of a shutdown third-pair guy.
8. Conrad Fondrk - C
Conrad Fondrk was a second round pick (50th overall) by the New Jersey Devils in 2025. He was with the United States National Team Development Program in his draft year before spending his D+1 year with Boston University.
Frondrk has seen his stock fall as his offensive numbers that he was capable of putting up have been declining year over year. It was a disappointing 2025-26 season at BU, and this is his chance to bounce back and show why he was a second-round pick.
Another lackluster year with the Terriers likely gets him bumped out of the top ten by this time next year.
9. Shane Lachance - LW
The New Jersey Devils landed former BU captain Shane Lachance for bridging a trade between the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins back in 2025. Now, he is in New Jersey's system, trying to climb the ranks.
Over the course of his pre-NHL career, Lachance has shown the ability to create chances for himself and his teammates. Every team he's been on seems to outshoot their opponents when he is on the ice. That is a tool that could help him become a middle-six forward on a good team.
Being a captain of a top NCAA program like Boston University is no joke either. That level of leadership capability is sought after in NHL locker rooms.
Lachance did play in 62 games for the Utica Comets in 2025-26 and scored 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points. He made his NHL debut, as well, but he didn't have any points in his one game.
Unless Lachance dominates training camp and the preseason, he will likely begin the year in Utica, but don't be surprised if he plays some NHL games in 2026-27.
10. Étienne Morin - D
Etienne Morin was a part of the package that New Jersey received in the Simon Nemec trade that they made with the Calgary Flames earlier this off-season. Now, he is a hopeful NHL prospect hoping to make his way up the ranks in New Jersey's system.
Morin was a second round pick by the Flames (48th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft. He is a 21 year old defenseman.
In 2025-26, Morin was a bit disappointing in the AHL for the Flames. They gave up on him and let him go to get Nemec, and now he is a project for the Devils. The two first round picks were New Jersey's top acquisition for Nemec, but Morin could turn into something if they work with him.
It is the offensive upside from the back-end that makes Morin worthy of another look. He has incredible puck skills, but it didn't translate to more than 1 goal and 7 assists during the 2025-26 season.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive, and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.
There is a difference between a prospect hoping to make the NHL and a prospect who believes he belongs there.
Tij Iginla sounds like the latter.
After a season in which he finally stayed healthy and continued to make meaningful strides, Iginla isn't approaching the 2026-27 season wondering whether he's ready for the next step.
He's approaching it with a much simpler objective: make the Utah Mammoth.
“I think I’m ready,” Iginla said during Utah’s development camp. “I’m looking forward to a big summer of training and pushing myself hard in the gym, but I feel ready.”
That confidence isn't coming out of nowhere.
Iginla, Utah's first-ever draft selection, has now spent two years inside the organization's system. More importantly, he finally put together a healthy season and believes the experience helped him add another layer to his game.
He doesn't point to one dramatic adjustment that suddenly transformed him. His improvement has come through the accumulation of smaller details — changes in his skating, movement and decision-making that can eventually turn a promising prospect into an NHL player.
He's even spent part of his offseason skating alongside Gavin McKenna, giving him another opportunity to study the subtle differences that separate elite players from everyone else.
“I'm just trying to keep adding those little details to my game,” Iginla said.
Now comes the biggest test.
Iginla's goal isn't simply to have another impressive development camp or show well during the preseason. He wants to arrive at training camp in September and force Utah to make a difficult decision.
“My goal is definitely to make the team,” he said.
That makes Iginla one of the most logical candidates to crack the opening night lineup.
But there is another prospect who could make the Mammoth's final decisions considerably more complicated.
Don't Forget About Dmitri Simashev
While Iginla may have the clearest path among Utah's prospects, Dmitri Simashev could be the dark horse who forces his way into the conversation.
The 21-year-old defenseman has already had a taste of the NHL, appearing in 28 games for Utah last season. But his most encouraging work came in Tucson, where he emerged as a legitimate offensive contributor and finished with 35 points in 40 AHL games.
That production matters because Simashev isn't simply trying to prove he can survive at the NHL level anymore.
He's trying to prove he belongs there permanently.
With Utah's defensive depth leaving a potential opening on the third pairing, Simashev enters training camp with a legitimate opportunity to claim a full-time job. His size, mobility and ability to contribute offensively give him a different path to the roster than Iginla, but the underlying question is the same:
Who is ready to stop being a prospect and become an NHL player?
That makes Simashev a fascinating wild card.
Still, Iginla has something Simashev doesn't: the chance to directly address an area of the lineup with his offensive skill set and potentially force his way into a forward group that has room for a young player to emerge.
And he isn't waiting for an invitation.
During development camp, Iginla played with the urgency of someone who understood that every opportunity matters. He attacked drills, competed hard and eventually scored a hat trick during the scrimmage.
Of course, nobody earns an NHL roster spot in July.
But that wasn't really the point.
Iginla wanted the organization to see that he's coming for a job.
“No one is making the team out of development camp,” he acknowledged. “But the goal coming in here is to plant that seed.”
That seed has now been planted.
When training camp arrives, Iginla will have a chance to turn it into something much bigger.
Utah is entering another important stage of its development, and the Mammoth need their young players to begin pushing established NHLers for jobs.
Simashev could make the race more intriguing
But if one Utah prospect is most likely to make the opening night roster, Iginla has already made a compelling case that it should be him.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have unveiled several theme nights for the 2026-27 NHL season. There will be the usual St. Pats- and Next Gen-themed outings. The Maple Leafs will wear their St. Pats jerseys on St. Patrick's Day (March 17) against the Tampa Bay Lightning, while their Next Gen game will take place on Dec. 21 against the Washington Capitals.
Aside from those two nights, Toronto will be hosting nine 'Remix Nights,' which is a nod to the Hometown Remix partnership between all 32 NHL franchises and Fanatics. This will be the next Maple Leafs alternate jersey since the 'Drew House' Next Gen jerseys designed by Justin Bieber were unveiled in 2022.
These Remix Nights take place between Nov. 7 and Feb. 16. November alone will see four Remix Nights, with the Montreal Canadiens as the opponents for the first night, the Edmonton Oilers one week later, the Los Angeles Kings on the 19th, and the Philadelphia Flyers on the 30th.
In December, the Anaheim Ducks and Lightning will experience Remix Nights on the 13th and 19th, respectively. The St. Louis Blues will be in town for this theme on Jan. 18. And the final two Remix Nights come on Feb. 8 against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Feb. 16 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
It's been reported that the Leafs, as well as the other franchises in the NHL, will have new jerseys for this remix theme. But what will Toronto's jersey look like?
Icethetics, a source for NHL jersey and logo designs, revealed their knowledge of the base color for each Hometown Remix jersey.
"The Toronto Maple Leafs are reported to be wearing beige or vintage white, and this would be a first for them," Icethetics said in a YouTube video on May 24. "None of their previous throwback jerseys have gone off-white. Could it be paired with leather brown gloves and pants too, like we've seen with their St. Pats uniforms?"
That would match the color wave of the Maple Leafs' announcement of their theme nights on social media, which had a beige-colored background behind the schedule for the Remix Nights.
See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
It has now been a month and half since the start of NHL free agency. While this is the case, there are still multiple players who remain unsigned.
Among the top defensemen who are still free agents at this point in the summer is former Chicago Blackhawks blueliner Matt Grzelcyk.
With Grzelcyk being a well-respected veteran defenseman, it seems possible that he could land a professional tryout (PTO) or a one-year contract from an NHL team before the start of training camp. NHL clubs are always on the hunt for defensive depth, so the 32-year-old could very well generate some interest.
Grzelcyk spent last season with the Blackhawks and served well as a veteran mentor for their younger players. In 69 games with Chicago in 2025-26, he posted zero goals and 12 points. This was after he had a career year with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2024-25, as he posted a career-high 40 points in 82 games.
Given Grzelcyk's solid resume, it would not be shocking if he gets another opportunity in the NHL. However, with the Blackhawks signing veteran defenseman Ian Cole this off-season, a return to Chicago seems unlikely.
It looks like former Carolina Hurricanes first-round pick and 2010 Calder Trophy winner Jeff Skinner's NHL career may be over.
Skinner, 34, signed a one-year deal with EHC Biel-Bienne of the Swiss Elite League on Friday.
The 2010 first-round pick spent eight seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, leading them in goals three times, and eventually moved on to play for the Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks.
Across 16 seasons, the scoring winger registered 379 goals and 712 points in 1,110 career games.
The talented skater also holds the record for the most games played before an NHL playoff appearance (1,078 games). He finally made his playoff debut in 2025 with the Oilers.
Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
It was a turbulent end to the centennial season for the Detroit Red Wings, one that was supposed to be a celebration of the franchise's history.
Instead, the team collapsed over the final stretch and missed the playoffs for a tenth straight season, leaving a fan base growing weary of the disappointment. Now, heading into the franchise's 101st season, fans are left wondering how the roster losses from this past season will impact the club, and whether Detroit is already headed for another difficult year.
The most notable of those losses is, without question, veteran winger Patrick Kane. Detroit was fortunate to have three seasons with the future Hall of Famer, who gave several of the team's younger players valuable time alongside a living legend, offering advice and guidance to help them elevate their own games.
His departure will be felt as a player who came close to a 60-point season, though with Kane approaching 38 years old this November, letting him walk may ultimately prove to be the right call. Injuries have crept into his game in recent years, and Kane hasn't played more than 80 games in a season since 2018-19.
To help fill that void, Detroit brought in Viktor Arvidsson, who also came close to reaching 60 points this past season before injuries got in the way, much like Kane. Arvidsson is expected to slot directly into Kane's old spot on the second line alongside Alex DeBrincat, where the hope is he can provide a similar offensive jolt.
Further down the lineup, another significant name not returning is James van Riemsdyk. At 37, the longtime NHLer built his reputation on staying relevant, consistently producing 35 to 40 points a season while providing a net-front presence that's difficult to quantify statistically.
This past season, though, his production dipped to just 31 points in 72 games, his lowest output since 2022-23, when he missed 21 games and finished with 29 points. Van Riemsdyk's value went beyond the scoresheet, offering veteran mentorship much like Kane, along with pointers on playing an effective net-front game, but that role will likely be filled by others on the rise.
Mason Appleton and Michael Rasmussen serve similar functions, albeit without matching van Riemsdyk's offensive output, while 24-year-old Carter Mazur could get a real opportunity to prove he belongs at this level.
Describing his own game as being in the mold of a Tkachuk brother, Mazur brings the kind of grit and heart expected of a lifelong Red Wings fan now wearing the Winged Wheel. If the Jackson, Michigan, native can finally stay healthy, there's genuine curiosity around what he can bring after establishing himself as a point-per-game player in the AHL.
If anyone on the roster has the 30-point upside to replicate van Riemsdyk's old role, it's Mazur. Detroit also has several other bottom-of-the-lineup forwards, including J.T. Compher and Marco Kasper, both coming off disappointing seasons and capable of taking steps forward to help fill the offensive gap.
Not every offseason move represents a loss, however, as Detroit added a significant plus in Stanley Cup champion Keegan Kolesar, acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights. The 29-year-old isn't the most offensively gifted player, projecting as a 15-to-30-point contributor, but he's one of the better role players in the league.
Kolesar spent his entire seven-season NHL career in Vegas, helping the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup in 2023 and reach the Final again last season. He racked up 270 hits a season ago, seventh-most in the NHL, and has piled up 1,416 hits since the start of 2020-21, fourth-most in the league over that span. His physical, hard-forechecking style gives Detroit exactly the kind of bottom-six impact it had been missing.
Between the pipes, John Gibson enters the season at 33 years old still looking to prove he's worth a new contract. As an expiring free agent, and with Detroit's goaltending pipeline featuring AHL prospects Michal Postava and Trey Augustine both nearing NHL-readiness, Gibson appears to be playing this season with an eye toward earning his next deal elsewhere.
Backing him up will be a different look in net, with veteran Cam Talbot likely making his final NHL stops, while Detroit brought in former Florida Panthers backup Daniil Tarasov, a reliable option who figures to fill Talbot's old role admirably while the organization's young goaltenders continue to develop.
It will be a very different-looking Red Wings roster this season, and while some of the losses appear significant on the surface, they may not be as damaging as some fans fear. With the right development and a bit of health luck, Detroit still looks capable of returning to the form that fueled its strong start a season ago, with hopes this time that the run lasts considerably longer.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Flyers are bringing back the majority of their defense from last season’s playoff team.
At the NHL draft in late June, Danny Briere wasn’t bothered by that idea. This offseason, the Flyers held onto Rasmus Ristolainen, who’s entering the final year of his contract. In a four-player trade two months ago, the club parted ways with Emil Andrae and acquired Simon Benoit. Other than that, the Flyers’ defense stayed mostly intact.
But the Flyers’ general manager did mention David Jiricek and Oliver Bonk, a pair of young righty shots who are vying for opportunities.
“You have a guy like Jiricek, who’s going to come in and battle,” Briere said. “You have a guy like Bonk, who’s about to get into battle. I don’t know that these guys are quite ready to take on 22, 23 minutes a night. That’s where Risto gets to protect them.”
While Jiricek won’t be rushed into significant minutes, the Flyers do have some pressure to have him in the mix. Jiricek, a product of last season’s Bobby Brink trade, is no longer exempt from waivers. There’s a good chance the 2022 sixth overall pick would be claimed by another club if the Flyers tried to send him to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley. So the Flyers will likely have him on the season-opening roster.
The 22-year-old is trying to find his NHL footing with the Flyers, his third team after playing for the Blue Jackets and Wild. The offensive ability and instincts are there; the Flyers will look for him to be a confident skater and defender in his own zone. In 15 games with the Phantoms last season, he had two goals and 11 assists.
Benoit could be Jiricek’s biggest competition in training camp and the preseason. The defense’s final lineup spot on opening night could be between those two.
“I just try to be a two-way defenseman, support the offense, too,” Jiricek said in April, a day before playing in the Flyers’ regular-season finale. “I have a big shot, so I try to use it.”
A look at David Jiricek, the big righty-shot defenseman Flyers acquired in the Bobby Brink trade.
Not expecting him to play yet, but he was called up by Flyers and is getting his first skate in with big club. pic.twitter.com/7Hcv01qZQi
“I think he’ll challenge at camp,” Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said in July. … “He may force his hand. To me, the moment’s never too big for him, just the way he plays the game. Doesn’t matter the level.”
The Flyers like the 2023 first-round pick so much that they trusted him to play in last season’s second-round Game 4 elimination loss to the Hurricanes. The 21-year-old had played just one NHL game before getting the nod for his pressure-filled playoff debut against the eventual Stanley Cup champions.
“It was a good experience to play against the best team,” Bonk said in July. “Next year, we’re going to go for even better and try to beat teams like that. We’ve just kind of got to learn from it, see what we did wrong. There was a lot of good stuff in the series, too, from Philly, so I’m excited to see the future.”
Bonk’s one career regular-season game came in last season’s finale. He played like an NHLer, recording a goal and an assist in the Flyers’ 4-2 win over the Canadiens. It was a meaningful game for Montreal, which was still jockeying for playoff seeding.
“To see how he played, the swagger he played with, it’s great,” Flahr said. “I think he still needs to get stronger, which he’s working at. But he’s just such a smart player. I think if we probably put him with better players, NHL players, he might just take off. So we’ll see where that one goes.”
Lehigh Valley head coach John Snowden called Bonk an “extremely smart hockey player.” At development camp this summer, Snowden liked the improvement he saw on Bonk’s shot.
“Just the last couple of days, watching him shoot, I even went to him on the ice today and said, ‘Your shot has got some pop on it right now,'” Snowden said in June. “He’s scoring from distance, he’s doing those things that you have to have on the blue line nowadays in the game, you have to be a threat to be able to shoot from the top.
“I think he has made those gains. I know he’s putting in a ton of work, I know his brain is very, very, very high and it’s going to suit him as he starts to go up and he starts to play in the NHL here eventually one day. He’s making all the steps that are going to be vital for his development right now.”
We all know Igor Shesterkin will be the New York Rangers’ starting goaltender, but who will take on the backup position?
For the past three seasons, Jonathan Quick served as Shesterkin's backup, but his retirement at the end of the 2025-26 season left a vacancy in the Rangers’ goaltending room.
At the end of last season, Dylan Garand got an audition with the Blueshirts, playing in three games and recording a .948 save percentage and a 1.62 goals against average.
“It was great, such a good experience,” Garand said of his time with the Rangers to close out the season. “Obviously, waited my whole life for an opportunity like this, and yeah, it was everything I dreamed of.”
With Quick retiring, the tides seemed to be shifting in Garand’s direction to secure the backup goaltending role for the 2026-27 campaign.
The Rangers gave Garand a two-year contract extension late in June, which seemed to prove further that he would be on the NHL roster once training camp rolled around.
“As far as Dylan, I couldn’t be happier for him, coming up and playing as solid as he did,” Rangers’ president and general manager Chris Drury said during his exit interview. “I was excited about what we saw, and we're certainly looking at him and among other options as to see who could be backup.”
Despite all of the positive signs leaning toward Garand, the Rangers acquired veteran goaltender Joonas Korpisalo from the Boston Bruins on July 1 in exchange for a 2028 fourth-round pick.
Korpisalo comes in with a $3 million cap hit for the Rangers over the next two years, with the Bruins reportedly retaining $1 million per season from his current contract, which expires after the 2027-28 season.
Between Garand and Korpisalo, who will serve as the Rangers’ backup goaltender?
While the Rangers are viewing the backup position as up for grabs and a competition between Korpisalo and Garand, it’s hard to imagine the Blueshirts not handing the job to Korpisalo.
Drury specifically sought out Korpisalo and used draft compensation to acquire him.
The 32-year-old goalie’s $3 million cap hit and 334 games of NHL experience make it more likely for the Rangers to give him the job over Garand, who’s on a league-minimum contract and has only 3 games of NHL experience.
If there were to be an early favorite to secure the backup goaltending role behind Shesterkin going into training camp, it would be Korpisalo.
Oliver Kapanen had a surprising rookie season with the Montreal Canadiens last year. After Martin St-Louis put him on the third line with Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook to start the season, the coach realized the youngsters were ready for a bigger workload, and shortly after the start of November, they moved up to the second line.
The 64th overall pick at the 2021 draft put up 37 points in 82 games, including a whopping 22 goals. Nobody expected that kind of output from the then-22-year-old Finn, but playing with a player as talented as Demidov sure has its advantages. However, Kapanen hit a proverbial wall midway through the season, and after returning from the Olympics, he was only able to put up six points in 25 games.
In the playoffs, he struggled with the game’s speed and intensity and soon found himself on the outside looking in. He was only dressed for seven games, four against the Tampa Bay Lightning, one against the Buffalo Sabres and one against the Carolina Hurricanes. Obviously, that wasn’t a great confidence builder for the youngster, and if he wants to bounce back, he’ll have to get over the disappointment of his playoff usage and performance. This is where a player needs to show that he has a short-term memory to be in the best possible mental frame to bounce back.
If St-Louis elects to use Kapanen with Demidov once again this season, the young centerman may be able to avoid the sophomore slump. Still, if he decides to give yet another chance to Kirby Dach as a top-six center, things may get more complicated for Kapanen. There’s a possibility that St-Louis will be asked to showcase Dach if he’s still a member of the Canadiens to give him some value on the trade market, since Kent Hughes is not one to sell low, but one had to think that Dach would be on a short leash, so to speak. In fact, given the opportunities he’s had in the past and the fact that he’s unlikely to be part of the long-term picture in Montreal, it would make more sense to give Kapanen the better opportunities.
If Kapanen spends much of the season with Demidov, we can expect some growth in his offensive production; if not, he may become a candidate for regression this season. In the long term, it would be surprising if Kapanen hung on to a top six spot. On a contending team, he’d be best suited to a third-line center role, but right now, as a placeholder for Michael Hage until he not only joins the Habs, but proves he’s able to take on a top six role, Kapanen appears to be the most viable option.
Jeff Skinner's hockey career in the NHL might be over. At least, for the 2026-27 season, he'll be playing overseas and not on one of the 32 NHL franchises.
The unrestricted free-agent winger signed a one-year contract with EHC Biel-Bienne in the Swiss league, the team announced Friday.
Der EHC Biel freut sich, die Verpflichtung des kanadischen Stürmers Jeff Skinner bekanntzugeben. Jeff unterschreibt beim EHCB einen Vertrag bis Ende April 2027. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QBOaplYgMX
Oiler fans will know Skinner from his brief stint with the team during the 2024-25 season. He scored 16 goals and 29 points in 72 games. Given how little ice time he was offered under then-head coach Kris Knoblauch, it wasn't a bad season. He also saw the only playoff action of his 16-season NHL career in Edmonton, playing in five games.
A six-time 30-goal scorer, Skinner was limited to 13 points in 32 games with the San Jose Sharks last season, averaging a career-low 12:21 per contest.
If this is the end of his NHL run, he finishes with 379 goals and 712 points in 1,110 games.
Former Buffalo Sabres winger Jeff Skinner surprisingly did not find a home after having his contract terminated last February by San Jose. This summer, the former 40-goal scorer did not latch on with an NHL club and he has opted for a sure thing instead of a professional tryout at training camp.
On Friday, the 16-year NHL veteran signed a one-year deal with HC Biel-Bienne in Switzerland.
Skinner signed an eight-year, $72 million contract in 2019 after scoring 40 goals in the final year of his contract. The club’s coaching change to Ralph Krueger was not a good fit for the offensive winger, who was relegated to a bottom-six role and scored only 21 goals in 112 games the next two years, but his goal scoring returned under Don Granato, with 33 and 35-goal campaigns in 2022 and 2023.
Der EHC Biel freut sich, die Verpflichtung des kanadischen Stürmers Jeff Skinner bekanntzugeben. Jeff unterschreibt beim EHCB einen Vertrag bis Ende April 2027. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QBOaplYgMX
Who had the best and worst offseasons in the Atlantic Division?
After dropping to 24 goals in 2023-24, the Sabres bought out the final three years of his contract; something that has resulted in over $6 million in dead cap space this season. The 34-year-old hooked up with Edmonton in 2025, and played in his first postseason games during the Oilers run to a Cup Final loss.
In other news, the Sabres announced the hiring of five to their management and scouting staff: David Warsofsky as Defense Development Coach, Chris Knieste as Data Engineer, Eric Weissman as Director of College Recruiting and Reserve List Scouting, Jack McNaughton as Goalie Scout and Emergency Replacement Goaltender, and Ariel Amaral as Data Scientist.
Warsofsky, 36, is a former NHL defenseman who played for four clubs (Boston, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Colorado) and served as head coach and Director of Hockey Operations of the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays last season. McNaughton, 24, played four WHL seasons with the Calgary Hitmen, and another four years in Canadian college hockey at Western Ontario.
For what very well could be the last time, a group of former Philadelphia Flyers standouts will return to the ice in honor of one of the NHL's greatest, most impactful defensemen in the history of the game.
On Friday, Aug. 21, a large handful of legends and former stars will reconvene in Trencin, Slovakia, to play in Zdeno Chara's farewell game in a matchup of Team Boston vs. Team World.
Team Boston will feature all the star names you'd expect: Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, and Ray Bourque, as well as current Boston Bruins head coach Marco Sturm.
Also joining the fray, however, are Flyers Hall of Famer Mark Recchi, as well as former Flyers defenseman Dennis Seidenberg.
The Flyers will be equally represented on Chara's Team World, which boasts a group of ex-Flyers forwards in Michal Handzus, Jaromir Jagr, and Jakub Voracek.
As a fun Easter egg, legendary soccer goalkeeper Petr Cech will be between the pipes for Team World; Cech, 44, is a four-time Premier League champion, a Champions League winner, and an ice hockey goalie with 40 games of experience playing in the English leagues.
Zdeno Chara’s farewell game set for August 21st, in Trenčín, Slovakia is STACKED with legends on both teams 😮💨
What team do you think is winning this matchup in their primes?
Team Boston: Patrice Bergeron, Chris Kelly, Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand, Daniel Paille, David Pastrnak, Mark Recchi, Michael Ryder, Marco Sturm, Ray Bourque, Johnny Boychuk, Andrew Ference, Tomas Kaberle, Adam McQuaid, Dennis Seidenberg, and Jaroslav Halak, coached by Matt Keator and Tim Thomas.
Team World: Michal Handzus, Marian Hossa, Jaromir Jagr, Anze Kopitar, Ziggy Palffy, Robert Reichel, Miroslav Satan, Thomas Vanek, Jakub Voracek, Radek Hamr, Duncan Keith, Andrej Sekera, Aaron Ward, and Petr Cech, coached by Jergus Baca, Peter Bondra, and Marian Gaborik.
Chara, 49, last played in the NHL in the 2021-22 season, returning to the New York Islanders team that drafted him 56th overall in the 1996 NHL Draft.
The 6-foot-9 Hockey Hall of Famer scored 17 goals, 29 assists, and 46 points in 84 career games against the Flyers, per Statmuse.
The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, and the organization’s developmental model has begun to yield results, with 2023 first rounder Zach Benson making an impact in the playoffs, and 2024 top pick Konsta Helenius appearing as one of the AHL’s top prospects the last two seasons.
Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. These players are all 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 82 NHL games.
The Sabres selected three defensemen in the 2025 Draft class, including their top two picks in first-rounder Radim Mrtka, and hulking third-rounder David Bedkowski in the third round. With their pick in the fifth round, Buffalo selected blueliner Noah Laberge from the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL. The 19-year-old tripled his goal total from four to 12 in his draft year and scored 35 points for the Titan, who moved to St. John's, Newfoundland last season.
Who had the best and worst offseason in the Atlantic Division?
In his third and final QMJHL season, Laberge set a career-high with 56 points (7 goals, 49 assists) and also posted 13 points in 12 playoff games.
Elite Prospects describes the 6’1”. 187 lb. defenseman as “an intelligent and mobile blueliner who specializes in suppressing opposing rushes. He plays a patient defensive game based mostly on his stick work. He funnels puck carriers to the outside, anticipates their movement and matches them, and cuts passes as they’re fired, limiting the opposition’s ability to orchestrate chances. When he regains possession, he immediately looks to the inside for an outlet, connecting with teammates as they rush up the ice, before following their movement.”
Normally, the Sabres would be on the clock to decide to sign the youngster with the two-year window for players drafted out of the CHL, but the option now open to head to the NCAA gives NHL clubs a longer development window. Laberge is heading to Northeastern University this fall.
