As New Jersey Devils players soak up the last few weeks of summer and begin their travels back to New Jersey to prepare for the 2025-26 campaign, let's break down some burning questions that will be answered throughout the course of the season. 

1) Can Jack Hughes Remain Healthy For 82 Games? 

When I was previously asked what the X-factor was for the Devils in 2025-26, I immediately responded with a healthy Jack Hughes. 

Shoulder injuries limited the 24-year-old to consecutive 62-game seasons, where he scored 27 goals. In March, he underwent successful surgery, which Dr. Peter Millett performed at The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado.

His health is a topic that has been discussed ad nauseam. We simply have to see what the 2025-26 season will bring for Hughes. 

2) What Does The Devils' Goaltending Depth Look Like? 

In early July, general manager Tom Fitzgerald spoke about his goaltending depth, which includes 24-year-old Nico Daws.

"You see how often goalies are going down," he explained. "Having depth in the net is crucial. Nico is a guy, he played what, five, six games last year? Definitely played too early in his career, but out of necessity. We really like Nico, but we feel like having this depth makes us a better team."

The Devils will, of course, begin the 2025-26 season with veterans Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen in goal. Behind them on the organizational depth chart, based on experience, would be Daws, except that may not be true by the conclusion of training camp. 

If New Jersey decides not to carry three goaltenders, the young netminder has to clear waivers to be assigned to the Utica Comets (AHL). With a limited goaltending market in free agency and plenty of teams in search of a netminder, it is not out of the realm of possibilities for Daws to get claimed.

It is hard not to think back to Nov. 4, 2021, when Scott Wedgwood was claimed. In the blink of an eye, Jonathan Bernier suffered an injury, and the Devils went through seven different goaltenders that year. 

If Daws does not clear waivers, the next in line is expected to be Jakub Malek, who will be playing his first season in North America. If either Allen or Markstrom sustains a long-term injury, it would be a tough ask to expect Malek to carry the weight. Beyond the first-year goaltender is Tyler Brennan and Jeremy Brodeur. For those wondering about Isaac Poulter, he signed with the Winnipeg Jets earlier this summer. 

3) Can Any Of The New Additions Solidify The Top Six? 

Next to Jack Hughes' health, this is probably the biggest question after what some consider a "lackluster offseason" with no true top-six winger signed. 

Could one of Arseniy Gritsyuk, Evgenii Dadonov, or Connor Brown find themselves on the wing of either Hughes or Nico Hischier? It is not out of the realm of possibilities to eventually see Dadonov, who scored 20 goals last season, with Hughes or Brown take Stefan Noesen's place on Hischier's line. 

These are answers that will quickly reveal themselves as head coach Sheldon Keefe figures out his lines during training camp and preseason. 

4) Has The Team's Depth Been Solved? 

At the time of publication, the Devils parted ways with six players, who at specific points last season made up New Jersey's bottom six. Nathan Bastian, Justin Dowling, Erik Haula, Cutis Lazar, Daniel Sprong, and Tomas Tatar have all departed in free agency. 

Cody Glass was re-signed and could be the team's third-line center. He reached a career-high 14 goals in the 2022-23 season with the Nashville Predators. Paul Cotter and Stefan Noesen each reached a new single-season career-high in goals last season. If it all goes well and those three players can play a consistent level of hockey throughout all 82 games, the Devils should be in better shape. 

Dadonov and Brown are expected to help with scoring at five-on-five, and we will see what Dawson Mercer looks like at training camp after the organization demanded that he get stronger this summer. 

This question might not be answered until November or December. 

5) What Kind Of Player Will Arseniy Gritsyuk Be In The NHL?

The most important thing to keep in mind with Gritsyuk is that expectations will always lead to disappointment. 

There will be an adjustment period for the 24-year-old on and off the ice. The addition of Evgenii Dadonov should help with Gritsyuk's transition through training camp into the start of the regular season. 

I would give it some time before a judgment is made on what type of player he will be in the NHL. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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Gerard Gallant joined the list of former NHL coaches leading KHL teams in thrilling fashion.

The newly rebranded Shanghai Dragons announced Gallant as their new coach in a dramatic Mortal Kombat-style video posted to their social media channels on Wednesday.

"Inside every heart lives a child dreaming of legendary journeys," the video said. "And in every legend, there is a master – one who has shaped the greatest heroes."

The video then showed depictions of Jaromir Jagr and Artemi Panarin, two former KHL players Gallant coached during his time with the NHL's Florida Panthers and New York Rangers.

"Now, the master has arrived to build a new team with a new name: Gerard Gallant," the video said.

The announcement transitioned from a dragon's fiery eyes into a depiction of Gallant wearing armor.

THE MASTER IS HERE pic.twitter.com/0hAK9XYzuU

— Shanghai Dragons (@shadragons) August 13, 2025

The Dragons rebranded last week from Kunlun Red Star Beijing with a similar action-packed video announcement. They are the KHL's only team from China, although they'll play in St. Petersburg, Russia, this upcoming season, with a two-year window to return to China.

Gallant is the third active KHL coach to have also been an NHL bench boss. Here are details on the three "masters."

Gerard Gallant, Shanghai

Gallant, 61, signed a two-year contract to coach the Dragons, whose CEO said they must make the playoffs and push deep into the post-season to maintain strong interest in China.

"We understood that building a strong team usually takes more than one season — the example of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl speaks for itself," Dragons CEO Sergey Belykh said in a statement. "Unfortunately, we don’t have that kind of time. That’s why the Dragons needed not just an experienced, high-profile head coach, but a specialist capable of building a competitive team in the shortest possible time.

"That instantly reminded us of Vegas, a team that made it to the Stanley Cup final in their very first season, with Gerard Gallant serving as head coach at the time."

Gallant won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year when the Golden Knights reached the final in 2017-18. He first coached the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2004 to 2006, then the Panthers from 2015 to 2016 before joining Vegas. After his time with the Golden Knights, he guided the Rangers to the Eastern Conference final in 2022 before losing in the first round in 2023, leading to a mutual parting of ways.

In 705 regular-season NHL games, Gallant has a 369-262-70 record, with four ties and a 31-29 playoff record. He's also a two-time QMJHL champion, Memorial Cup champion and two-time World Championship gold medallist.

The Dragons feature Winnipeg Jets prospect Auston Wong, 2007 Nashville Predators draft pick Jeremy Smith, former Calgary Flames prospect Spencer Foo and his brother, Parker Foo.

Last year, Kunlun finished ninth of 11 teams in the Western Conference and missed the playoffs.

Bob Hartley, Yaroslavl

Hartley is entering his first season coaching Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, which won the Gagarin Cup as KHL playoff champions. The coach who led the team to the championship, Igor Nikitin, left Yaroslavl for CSKA Moscow.

Hartley, 64, hasn't coached a team since 2021-22, his fourth season with KHL Omsk. That year, he won the Gagarin Cup and was the KHL's coach of the year. Before that, he coached Latvia's men's squad for two years.

The Hawkesbury, Ont., native last coached in the NHL in 2015-16. He led the Calgary Flames for four seasons, winning the Jack Adams Award in 2014-15 after advancing to the second round of the playoffs.

Hartley also coached the Atlanta Thrashers from 2003 to 2007, but most of his success came with the Colorado Avalanche before that. 

The Avalanche got to at least the conference final four times under Hartley. And in 2000-01, they went 52-16-10-4 in the regular season and 16-7 in the playoffs to capture the Stanley Cup.

His NHL coaching record is 463-361-59 with 61 ties in the regular season and 54-41 in the playoffs. He's also a playoff champion in the AHL, QMJHL, Swiss National League and Jr. A CCHL.

Hartley told French-Canadian radio station BPM Sports in July he accepted the offer to honor the memory of his friend Brad McCrimmon, a Stanley Cup champion, 1,200-game NHL veteran and assistant coach who was named Yaroslavl's bench boss in 2011 before he and most of the team died in a plane crash. Hartley said in French it touched him to relive the passion and friendship he had for McCrimmon.

Yaroslavl's squad includes Nashville Predators prospect Egor Surin, who was drafted 22nd overall in 2024, as well as former NHLers Alexander Radulov and Byron Froese.

Guy Boucher, Omsk

Boucher is entering his second season coaching Avangard Omsk after losing to Yaroslavl in the second round of the playoffs.

The 54-year-old hadn't been a head coach since working for the Ottawa Senators from 2016-17 to 2018-19. He helped the Senators reach the Eastern Conference final in 2016-17, when they lost in double overtime of Game 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The other time Boucher made the playoffs was in 2010-11 with the Tampa Bay Lightning, which also reached the Eastern Conference final.

In parts of six seasons split between the Lightning and Senators, Boucher collected a 191-186-46 regular-season record and a 22-15 playoff record. Before heading to Omsk, he spent one season as an assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023-24.

Boucher's won the Spengler Cup with Team Canada in 2015, the Swiss Cup in 2014-15 and the QMJHL playoffs in 2009. He also won gold with Canada's U-18 squad in 2008 and the world junior team in 2009.

Omsk's former NHL players include Nail Yakupov, Vasily Ponomarev, Maxime Lajoie and Andrew Poturalski. Their NHL prospects include Colorado's Ivan Yunin and Mikhail Gulyayev.

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Former Nashville Predators forward Rocco Grimaldi is headed overseas.

The 32-year-old native of Rossmoor, Calif. signed a two-year contract with KHL team SKA St. Petersburg on Wednesday.

Grimaldi was rumored to be headed to Russia late last week. His most recent NHL action came in 2021-22, when he appeared in seven games with the Predators without registering a point. His first full NHL season came with Nashville in the 2018-19 season, when he registered 13 points in 53 games.

The 5-foot-6, 181-pound forward was drafted 33rd overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He spent three seasons at the University of North Dakota, collecting 77 points (31-46-77) with 68 penalty minutes and a +22 rating over 86 games.

Grimaldi also played in the USHL with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. In 55 appearances, he recorded 45 points (23-22-45) with 40 penalty minutes.

Grimaldi has played in 203 NHL games during his career between Florida, Colorado and Nashville, tallying 30 goals and 37 assists for 67 points, along with four points in 11 post-season games.

While his NHL success has been fleeting at best, the right-shot forward has thrived in the American Hockey League. In 499 career AHL games, he’s totaled 428 points (192-236-428).

Grimaldi was mainly a bottom-six forward with the Predators. Despite concerns about his size, the Panthers took him in the second round, though much of his success has come at the AHL level.

Having failed to crack the NHL in the last three seasons, Grimaldi will now try his hand in the KHL.

Former Florida Panthers coach Gerard Gallant will be joining the Shanghai Dragons as their new head coach. 

Gallant was a long-time NHL head coach, but he hasn't worked in the NHL since the 2022-23 season, when the New York Rangers fired him. He coached over 700 NHL games, winning a Jack Adams Trophy with the Vegas Golden Knights. 

Gallant spent two full seasons with the Panthers as the bench boss before they fired him in his third season after an 11-10-1 start to the 2016-17 season. The Panthers missed the playoffs in Gallant's first campaign but won the Atlantic Division in his second, recording 103 points and winning 47 games. The Panthers were defeated in the first round of the post-season by the New York Islanders in six games.

After various levels of success following his Panthers tenure, Gallant has seemingly fallen out of the pecking order in the NHL head coaching job search and has decided to make the move to Europe.

 

The Shanghai Dragons, formerly known as the Kunlun Red Star, were established in 2016 as a Chinese-based team, but they haven't played a game in China since 2020. The franchise has missed the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons and has been near or at the bottom of the KHL standings for most of its existence. 

Since 2020, the Kunlun-Shanghai franchise has played its home games in the Moscow area and will play this season in St. Petersburg. However, according to the club’s announcement, they would like to return to China in 2026-27, or 2027-28 at the latest.

The Dragons have high expectations for Gallant as they attempt to cement their placing in the KHL.

“As it turned out, Gallant emerged as the clear choice, meeting every single one of team’s criteria,” Dragons CEO Sergey Belykh is quoted in the club’s announcement. “We reached out to him outlining the club’s vision and key objectives.”

“We understood that building a strong team usually takes more than one season,” said Belykh. “Unfortunately, we don’t have that kind of time. That’s why the Dragons needed not just an experienced, high-profile head coach, but a specialist capable of building a competitive team in the shortest possible time.”

With these high expectations comes a whole heap of pressure. Gallant has shown previously that he can turn things around very quickly, but on the opposite side of the world, playing a different brand of hockey, jumping out to a start as quickly as the club's CEO is hoping for might be wishful thinking. 

Gerard Gallant Takes Over KHL’s Shanghai Dragons Gerard Gallant is the new head coach of the Shanghai Dragons, the KHL club announced on Wednesday.

Gerard Gallant has been named the head coach of the KHL’s Shanghani Dragons. 

The Dragons were previously known as the Kunlun Red Star, before officially rebranding this summer.

The 61-year-old coach takes over for Mikhail Kravets, who was let go after one season on the job.

Throughout his career, Gallant has served as head coach for several teams, including the Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, and most recently, the New York Rangers.

Gallant coached the Rangers for two seasons from 2021 to 2023. 

He led the Blueshirts to the Eastern Conference Final in 2022, but in his second season in New York, the team failed to live up to expectations and ultimately lost in the first round to the New Jersey Devils. 

Brett Berard Eying Perminant Role With Rangers Brett Berard will be competing for a spot on the New York Rangers’ opening night roster in training camp. 

“I don’t know if he’s (Gallant) been in any of these particular interviews this year, I just don’t know,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said. “I have heard he’s eager to prove that when he got let go by the Rangers, It wasn’t only about him, and he wants an opportunity to show people that. We’ll see if he gets an opportunity with teams to talk about that.”

If Gallant plans to one day return to the NHL, this opportunity in the KHL will be a chance for him to put his name back on the coaching radar.

The Hockey News’ NHL summer splash rankings are nearly wrapped up, with the Anaheim Ducks in fifth place.

In these summer splash rankings, we’re examining each team’s off-season additions, departures, hirings and firings to see who improved or worsened. We’ve already catalogued all teams that got worse or basically stayed the same, and we’ve nearly arrived at the very top of the group of teams that improved or, in special circumstances, exceeded expectations to prevent getting worse.

We’re focused solely on NHL teams’ off-season development, or lack thereof. The Ducks are still rebuilding, and it will be challenging for them to make the playoffs, but they took notable steps forward this summer.

Additions

Mikael Granlund (C), Chris Kreider (LW), Ryan Poehling (C), Petr Mrazek (G), Joel Quenneville (coach)

The Breakdown: The Ducks finished 16 points out of a playoff spot in the West, and Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek went into the off-season with a mandate to get this team as competitive as possible as quickly as possible. 

You can’t argue he hasn’t done so, as bringing in a slew of veterans – including former Dallas Stars center Mikael Granlund, former New York Rangers left winger Chris Kreider and reinstated coach Joel Quenneville – will almost assuredly result in a better record for the Ducks next season.

Kreider and Granlund will be looked to for a boost on offense after the Ducks scored the third-fewest goals in the NHL last season. 

Kreider, 34, only had 22 goals and 30 points in 68 games, but he put up 39 goals and 75 points in 2023-24, so even landing somewhere in between would boost the Ducks. Granlund, 33, was one of the rebuilding San Jose Sharks’ leading scorers in the last two seasons before being traded to the Stars, where he still had 21 points in 31 games in more of a depth role.

Even Ryan Poehling, who came to the Ducks in the Trevor Zegras trade, can provide some solid depth scoring. He put up 12 goals and 31 points in 68 games with the Philadelphia Flyers while averaging just 13:53 of ice time.

Petr Mrazek came back in the John Gibson trade. He’ll compete with Ville Husso for the backup role. Either option is unlikely to perform as well as Gibson, so the goalie tandem is worse on paper but not enough to drag down the team’s overall improvement.

Quenneville must provide structure and confidence for a young Ducks core. And the truly crazy thing is that, after all those changes, Verbeek still has a whopping $20.5 million in available salary cap space. 

Some of that will go to RFA center Mason McTavish, or to a player McTavish is traded for, but the Ducks will be able to be big-timers in trades this year. If that’s what it takes to bring in more top-level performers who can be part of Anaheim’s long-term future, Verbeek and the rest of Anaheim management will be thrilled to do so.

Departures

John Gibson (G), Trevor Zegras (C), Robby Fabbri (C), Isac Lundestrom (C), Brock McGinn (LW), Brett Leason (RW), Oliver Kylington (D), Greg Cronin (coach) 

The Breakdown: Gibson and Zegras are by far the Ducks’ biggest departures this off-season.

It felt like Gibson was in the trade rumor mill for at least two years, but now was the right time. Lukas Dostal, 25, played 54 games in net and showed he can permanently take over on starting duties. Gibson’s .912 save percentage and 2.77 goals-against average were better than Dostal’s .903 SP and 3.10 GAA, but Dostal is still young for an NHL goalie and should only improve from here.

Trading Zegras would have been bewildering two years ago after his second 60-point season, but he’s since dealt with injury issues and a drop in production from 0.80 points per game in 2022-23 to 0.56 in 2024-25. With Leo Carlsson and McTavish becoming a one-two punch down the middle, and with Mikael Granlund under contract for the next three years, it made sense to move Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers for a fresh start and craft a more consistently healthy and effective roster.

As for Robby Fabbri, Brock McGinn, Brett Leason and Oliver Kylington, they haven’t latched on with another NHL team as of mid-August. Some of them may get contracts later in the off-season, but the Ducks were a subpar team last year because they simply didn’t have enough above-average talent, and Verbeek has done what he could to flush out some of that subpar talent in favor of more proven veterans.

Also gone after two years behind Anaheim’s bench is coach Greg Cronin, who was in his first job as an NHL coach when Verbeek replaced him with Quenneville. It’s true the Ducks improved in Cronin’s time running the team, going from 59 points in Year 1 to 80 in Year 2, but the chance to bring in a multi-time Cup-winner in Quenneville sealed Cronin’s fate.

Anaheim will still have some growing pains in the next few years, but Verbeek has clearly improved his team’s depth. And that’s the name of the game when it comes to getting out of the mix of non-playoff teams and moving into the mix of playoff teams.

The Bottom Line

The Ducks missed the playoffs for the last seven seasons. Rebuilding was always going to take time, but Anaheim fans will tell you this current rebuild has already taken up more time than they hoped it would.

While it will still be a challenge for the Ducks to leapfrog over Pacific Division teams, such as the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks, to qualify for the 2026 post-season, Anaheim now has a clearly defined core of youngsters to build around, and they’ve supplemented them with experienced hands in Kreider and Granlund.

At the end of next season, the Ducks may be a non-playoff team yet again. But the reason they’re so high in our summer splash rankings is because they’re a better team than the one that ended last season. They have more scoring power, they upgraded bench bosses, and their untouched defense core continues to develop along with their young starting netminder. 

At the very least, Anaheim should be playing meaningful hockey right down the stretch. Verbeek has done what he set out to do, and that’s why, in our opinion, only four teams rank higher in the NHL summer splash rankings than the Ducks.

Summer Splash Rankings

5. Anaheim Ducks

6. Philadelphia Flyers

7. Vancouver Canucks

8. San Jose Sharks

9. Utah Mammoth

10. New York Rangers

11. Detroit Red Wings

12. New Jersey Devils

13. St. Louis Blues

14. Pittsburgh Penguins

15. Colorado Avalanche

16. Ottawa Senators

17. Boston Bruins

18. Edmonton Oilers

19. Minnesota Wild

20. Seattle Kraken

21. Columbus Blue Jackets

22. Washington Capitals

23. Nashville Predators

24. New York Islanders

25. Tampa Bay Lightning

26. Toronto Maple Leafs

27. Dallas Stars

28. Calgary Flames

29. Los Angeles Kings

30. Winnipeg Jets

31. Chicago Blackhawks

32. Buffalo Sabres

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

The Ides of August have arrived, and the Anaheim Ducks, along with general manager Pat Verbeek, still have one outstanding order of business in which to attend: the signing of RFA center Mason McTavish.

McTavish (3rd overall in 2021) is the third player considered (at the time of the negotiation) to be part of the long-term outlook of the organization that Verbeek has negotiated with after the expiration of their ELCs. The first two were notoriously Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale in the summer of 2023.

Both Zegras and Drysdale’s negotiations bled into training camp, the Ducks’ first with then-new head coach Greg Cronin. After finally signing, they both sustained injuries in camp while attempting to get up to speed, which impacted their output early in the 2023-24 season and likely had a lasting effect. Both players are no longer part of the organization.

McTavish’s situation is eerily similar, and as the saying goes, “twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern.”

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Verbeek and assistant general manager Jeff Solomon now have reputations league-wide as tough negotiators who are willing to play “hardball” with RFAs, especially in situations where they hold all leverage, like with players coming off ELCs. Verbeek has also verbalized his desire to bridge young players, counter to recent trends of teams extending core pieces who are 21-24 years old to seven or eight-year contracts.

“Part of my philosophy is I like to do bridge deals with players,” Verbeek said at the annual post-trade deadline ‘Ducks Migration’ event for season ticket holders. “It allows the players two things. It allows them to have no pressure to grow and get better before they have the long-term contract. It also allows the team to assess them over the three years of how good they are really going to be. From a team approach, I prefer to do bridge deals, two to three years, and then if it warrants, a seven to eight-year deal after that.”

That sentiment has echoed through the summer, beginning with premier NHL insider Elliotte Friedman in early July.

“Verbeek, he’s careful. I don’t think he wants to hand anybody money too quickly. If you want the money, you’re going to have to earn it,” Friedman said on his “32 Thoughts” podcast on July 6. “I think if there’s long-term extensions, they’re at numbers that are very favorable to the Ducks, to the point where I’d be surprised. I would be shocked if they got long-term deals done at big numbers.”

Since then, and as the summer has gotten longer with endless trade and/or offer sheet speculation, reports have surfaced of McTavish and his camp’s preference for a long-term contract with Anaheim.

“He’s not being shopped by any means,” Jimmy Murphy of RG Media said on ‘The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro’ on Aug. 8. “Pat Verbeek wants a bridge deal, (a) two to three-year deal. McTavish wants a longer deal; he wants more AAV than they’re offering.”

“With McTavish, I’ve always felt he’s going to stay in Anaheim, and I still do,” Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects stated while on the ‘Sekeres & Price Show.’ “I think the issue with them is that (McTavish) would like a nice, big, fat, long-term deal that pays him out, and I think Anaheim would like to bridge him.”

The benefit and the prominent reason teams have favored signing their young core pieces to long-term contracts early lies in the potential that they will outplay their AAV and their contract will become a positive value for the team.

In a landscape like the one the NHL finds itself in, now with a seemingly ever-rising salary cap ceiling, players are likely to outperform their salary far quicker, like Lucas Raymond, Jack Hughes, Matt Boldy, etc.

It will likely never be reported, but if McTavish were willing to sign a seven or eight-year contract at an AAV under $8 million, he would likely eclipse that value in short order.

McTavish (22) has improved his on-ice play and production in every one of his three seasons in the NHL. He followed up a 43-point (17-26=43) performance in 82 games (.54 points per game) in his 2022-23 rookie year with 42 points (19-23=42) in 64 games (.66 points per game) in 2023-24 and 52 points (22-30=52) in 76 games (.68 points per game) last season, stats made more impressive considering where the Ducks finished in the standings and how poor their offensive totals have been to this point in his career.

McTavish has elevated his two-way and detailed play in all three zones year after year as well. He has become the high-motor, small-area creator he was projected as when he was drafted. Defensively, where he was once a considerable liability in coverage, his mistakes diminished in 2024-25, and his diligence was more pronounced.

He’s also shown improvements in terms of play-dictation and vision with the puck on his stick, driving play on a more consistent basis. He will likely never have the foot speed to become a transition ace, but he has more than enough capability to connect, build, and extend plays from goal line to goal line.

With a new incoming head coach who carries the second-best resume in NHL history in the form of Joel Quenneville (along with an elite staff), and a roster more populous with insulating forwards, McTavish is primed for a true breakout season in 2025-26. It’s shaping up to be a season where, behind Leo Carlsson, he won’t face opposing shutdown lines, and ahead of centers like Mikael Granlund, Ryan Strome, and/or Ryan Poehling, he won’t face opposing top scoring lines either.

If Verbeek truly intends to repeat his negotiating tactics from two summers ago, where talks extend into training camp, one hopes lessons were learned and McTavish is gradually reintroduced to the rigors of camp under a new coaching regime to avoid related injury.

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Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Joseph Blandisi is heading overseas, as he has signed a two-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL. 

Blandisi was acquired by the Penguins from the Anaheim Ducks during the 2018-19 season in exchange for forward Derek Grant. From there, he would appear in six games for Pittsburgh during the 2018-19 campaign, where he was held off the scoresheet. He also played in 27 American Hockey League (AHL) games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2018-19 following the move, posting nine goals, 20 points, and 58 penalty minutes. 

Джозеф Бландизи – в СКА!
Соглашение с канадским форвардом рассчитано на 2 года – до конца сезона 2026/27. Нападающий ранее выступал в Северной Америке, где провел 101 игру в НХЛ, а также 448 матчей в АХЛ.

Подробнее  https://t.co/Tf29EoBkfkpic.twitter.com/rvfKd9uH54

— Хоккейный клуб СКА (@hcSKA) August 12, 2025

Blandisi then appeared in 21 games with Pittsburgh during the 2019-20 season, where he had two goals, three assists, five points, 26 hits, and a minus-3 rating. This is the last season Blandisi played at the NHL level, as he spent the next five seasons exclusively in the AHL, where he played for the Laval Rocket and then the Toronto Marlies. 

In 101 career NHL games over five seasons split between the New Jersey Devils, Anaheim Ducks, and Penguins, Blandisi recorded 10 goals, 21 assists, 31 points, 78 penalty minutes, and 114 hits. Now, he will look to be a key player for SKA St. Petersburg after landing this two-year deal from the KHL squad. 

Former Penguins Forward Joining New TeamEarlier this summer, the Pittsburgh Penguins elected not to send forward Emil Bemstrom a qualifying offer. Due to this, he became an unrestricted free agent (UFA) on July 1. 

Brett Berard will be competing for a spot on the New York Rangers’ opening night roster in training camp. 

Berard stood out during both rookie camp and training camp for the Rangers last year, as he almost made the team before ultimately being one of the final cuts to be sent down to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League. 

Eventually, Berard got his chance with the Rangers during the 2024-25 season. He played 35 games, recording six goals, four assists, and 10 points while averaging 10:43 minutes. 

The 22-year-old even played parts of the season with a torn labrum in his shoulder. 

After showing signs of promise, Berard will have an opportunity to carve out a permanent spot with the Blueshirts.

It will be a battle for Berard though. He’ll be competing with other players for a roster spot, including Brennan Othmann, Gabe Perreault, Juuso Parssinen, and Conor Sheary. 

There’s a world where Berard starts the season in the AHL, but he’s been gearing himself up to become a full-time NHL’er. 

Chad Ruhwedel Announces Retirement From NHLNew York Rangers defenseman Chad Ruhwedel officially announced his retirement from the NHL on Tuesday. 

“I’ve put on some weight so far, so that’s been good,” Berard said. “But I just need to treat it like a first impression. Even though I’ve been in the organization for a few years now, it’s a new coaching staff… I want to show what I can do right from the start.

“I’ve worked on a lot of rims and (defensive) zone and stuff like that to get more comfortable,” Berard said. “Anything can happen. I’m preparing for all outcomes.”

Both previously acquired in trades, Luke Toporowski and Graeme Clarke have both signed contracts with the Washington Capitals.

Toporowski, 24, was acquired from the Boston Bruins in exchange for Pat Maroon. The native of Iowa, recorded 13 goals and 28 points in 53 games for the Iowa Wild during the 2024-25 season.

He signed a one-year AHL contract with the Hersey Bears.

Clarke, 24, was acquired from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Adam Beckman. He recorded 16 goals, 21 assists and 37 points in 64 games for the Iowa Wild during the 2024-25 season.

He signed a one-year, two-way contract ($775,000 in NHL/$350,000 in AHL) with the Capitals.

Both players the Wild did not extend qualifying offers to which made them free agents.

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Gerard Gallant is the new head coach of the Shanghai Dragons, the KHL club announced on Wednesday.

Gallant, who has coached over 700 NHL games and was last behind the bench of the New York Rangers in 2022-23, has been rumored to be headed to the KHL for several weeks, although the exact team was unknown. There were also reports of him heading to Switzerland. 

“As it turned out, Gallant emerged as the clear choice, meeting every single one of team’s criteria,” Dragons CEO Sergey Belykh is quoted in the club’s announcement. “We reached out to him outlining the club’s vision and key objectives.”

Established in 2016, the Shanghai Dragons were known up until last season as Kunlun Red Star – ostensibly a Chinese-based team, although they haven’t played a game in China since early 2020. The team has been a league doormat almost since its inception – making the playoffs in 2016-17 when it had no import quota but has since missed the playoffs for eight straight years.

Since 2020, the Kunlun-Shanghai franchise has played its home games in the Moscow area and will play this season in St. Petersburg. However, according to the club’s announcement, they would like to return to China in 2026-27, or 2027-28 at the latest.

Ukrainian-Born Ex-Leaf Heads Back To KHLUkrainian-born Swedish winger Dmytro Timashov, 28, has signed a two-year contract with Admiral Vladivostok, several Swedish media outlets have reported.

To that end, the Dragons seem to have high expectations for Gallant.

“We understood that building a strong team usually takes more than one season,” said Belykh. “Unfortunately, we don’t have that kind of time. That’s why the Dragons needed not just an experienced, high-profile head coach, but a specialist capable of building a competitive team in the shortest possible time.”

Belykh seems to expect Gallant to pull of similar magic that he did in the NHL with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18, leading the first-year team to a Pacific Division title and the Stanley Cup final.

So far, the Dragons have under contract for 2025-26 goaltender Jeremy Smith and brothers Spencer and Parker Foo, who were all naturalized Chinese citizens through playing for Kunlun and represented China at the 2022 Winter Olympics. The team also has 24-year-old Winnipeg Jets prospect Austin Wong. Defenseman Jake Chelios, another naturalized Chinese citizen, announced his retirement just days ago.

Jake Chelios Retires From Chinese KHL Team Defenseman Jake Chelios, 34, has announced his retirement via video on the Instagram page of the Chinese-based KHL club that he’s played for the past six seasons.

Last season, the club’s roster also included ex-NHLers Nail Yakupov, Tomáš Jurčo, Brandon Yip, Adam Clendenning, Tyler Graovac, Rourke Chartier and Ryan Merkley.

The team’s previous coaches have included Mikhail Kravets, Greg Ireland, Ivano Zanatta, Alexei Kovalev, Curt Fraser, Bobby Carpenter and Mike Keenan.

Gallant, 61, played 11 seasons in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning from 1984 to 1995. He has coached in the NHL for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Knights and Rangers, compiling a regular-season record of 369 wins, 262 losses and four ties.

His most recent coaching assignment was for Canada at the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland. In the weeks following, he was rumored to be headed to Genève-Servette, but that never came to fruition.

Rocco Grimaldi Will Play For Igor Larionov In KHL American forward Rocco Grimaldi, 32, has signed a two-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg, the KHL announced on Wednesday.

The Chicago Blackhawks have made a few additions this off-season in what has been a pretty quiet summer for them. One of their moves was bringing back old friend Sam Lafferty, as they acquired him from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick back in July. This marked the third time that the Blackhawks have traded for Lafferty. 

Lafferty is coming off a tough 2024-25 season with the Buffalo Sabres, as he had just four goals, three assists, and a minus-15 rating in 60 games. Overall, the 2014 fourth-round pick simply struggled to find his fit with the Sabres, so it was not particularly surprising to see Buffalo trade him this off-season.

While Lafferty had a rough year with the Sabres in 2024-25, he still has the potential to be a solid addition to the Blackhawks' roster. He played some of the best hockey of his career during his first stint with the Blackhawks and cemented himself as an NHL player in the process. He had his most success in Chicago during the 2022-23 season, as he recorded 10 goals and 21 points in 51 games before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2023 NHL trade deadline. 

This was not the only solid season Lafferty has put together during his NHL career, though. Just back during the 2023-24 season with the Vancouver Canucks, the gritty forward scored a career-high 13 goals and recorded 24 points and 191 hits in 79 games. If he can get his offense back to these levels for the Blackhawks while maintaining his heavy style of play, he will end up being a very solid addition to the Blackhawks' bottom six.

Nevertheless, it is going to be very interesting to see what kind of season Lafferty can put together for the Blackhawks in 2025-26. Bringing him back was a low-risk move for Chicago.

Blackhawks Still Have Important Move To MakeThe Chicago Blackhawks have not had as busy of an off-season as they did last summer, but they still have made some moves. They improved their overall depth, as they brought in players like Andre Burakovsky, Sam Lafferty, and Dominic Toninato. They also made a significant move when they signed Ryan Donato to a four-year, $16 million contract extension back in June. 

Since being traded by the St. Louis Blues to the Montreal Canadiens, Zachary Bolduc has been looking forward to playing for the team he cheered for as a kid. He’s been to Brossard to check out the CN Sports Complex and has spoken to his new coach a couple times. La Presse’s Simon Olivier Lorange caught up with Bolduc and new Habs signing Samuel Blais at the first edition of the QMJHL Foundation tournament in Terrebonne.

According to Lorange, he jokingly asked Bolduc if he was ready to kill penalties and the forward replied that when training camp comes around, he’ll be ready for any kind of opportunity. The youngster was dead serious even though he’s only played a grand total of 21 seconds on the PK in his young career.

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The forward acquired in return for Logan Mailloux added that he wants to help the Canadiens in any way possible, be it at even strength, on the power play or even when down a man. While he’s never had the opportunity to be a penalty killer, he told Lorange that he’s smart and sees the game well, playing on the PK is something he would like to had to his toolbox.

The 22-year-old has a single season of experience in the big league, but he is seen as a player who has a legitimate chance at a top-six spot. In 72 games, he racked up 36 points, 12 of which came on the power play. It will be interesting to see who Martin St. Louis elects to use with the man advantage now that Bolduc, Ivan Demidov and Noah Dobson can make reasonable first-unit cases.

Last season, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson and Patrik Laine all joined forces on the top unit, but now that there have been significant new additions to the lineup, who should be on the first line unit and who should lose their spot? That’s going to be an interesting story to follow when training camp rolls around.

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For the past two decades, the Pittsburgh Penguins have been lucky enough to ice a living NHL legend in Sidney Crosby, who already has a one-way ticket to the Hall of Fame.

But - as has been the case for those two decades - another living NHL legend has been thriving in Crosby's shadow, and his GM made quite the statement on Tuesday.

On Tuesday's episode of the Cam & Strick Podcast, Penguins' GM and POHO Kyle Dubas - who was brought onboard with the Penguins during the summer of 2023 - used some of his airwaves to throw praise at veteran forward Evgeni Malkin, who is entering the final season of his current four-year contract at age 39.

And Dubas made quite the statement.

"He's probably the most underrated player, maybe, to ever play," Dubas said. "I think [it's] just because of the fact that he has always kind of been a little bit in the shadow of Sid, but - at his best - one of, if not the best, player in the league. He's won everything you can win, and he's way more competitive even at his age than I think most people would ever give him credit for, especially in those games when he gets a little heated... you see that kind of vintage form."

Malkin has helped Pittsburgh to three Stanley Cup Championships (2009, 2016, 2017) and has registered 514 goals and 1,346 points in 1,213 career games played. He won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie in 2006-07, is a two-time Art Ross Trophy winner for the league scoring title (2009, 2012), and took home both the Ted Lindsay Award and the Hart Trophy for the 2011-12 season, when he put up 50 goals and 109 points. 

Where Does Evgeni Malkin Sit In All-Time Russian-Born NHL Ranks?On Jul. 31, Pittsburgh Penguins' veteran forward Evgeni Malkin turned the ripe age of 39.

He was infamously omitted from the NHL's Top-100 players list in 2017, and he generally has not received the league-wide recognition that he has deserved throughout his career.

And even though he all-time great Russian forward may not be what he once was, but Dubas believes there's still a lot left in the tank.

"He just turned 39 a week ago, but he's still capable of some very special moments and still a very good player. He gets talked about the least - and he probably prefers it that way - but it's been special to be around him." 

Dubas said prior to free agency that the Penguins plan to revisit Malkin's contract situation - and plans for the 2026-26 season - around the Olympic break in February.

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Red Hot Wings - December 7, 2001 - Vol. 55, Issue 14 - Mike Brophy

You could say the Calgary Flames are the story of the first quarter of the season and nobody would bat an eye.

The Flames, who have been inspired by Jarome Iginla’s scoring heroics and goalie Roman Turek’s nightly clinics, are challenging for top spot in the Western Conference and would easily be the biggest news of the first quarter, if not for…

The Chicago Blackhawks. They sign a No. 4 defenseman (Jon Klemm), an over-the-hill winger (Steve Thomas), one of last year’s big busts (Igor Korolev) and a coach who spent last winter at home on the farm (Brian Sutter). But all the moves have paid dividends. Going undefeated in their first 11 home games surely would make them the hot topic of the first quarter, except for…

The New York Islanders. GM Mike Milbury pulled the team out of the abyss he helped create by bringing in veterans Alexei Yashin, Michael Peca, Chris Osgood and Adrian Aucoin. A franchise that hasn’t been to the playoffs since Wayne Gretzky captured his last scoring title is thriving again…finally.

And yet, even the Islanders aren’t the story of the first quarter.

No, the real story is the Detroit Red Wings. In the last 12 years, the Wings have won eight division titles and finished second four times. In two of the years they finished second, they won the Stanley Cup.

But Detroit is coming off a disappointing 2000-01 campaign. After winning the Central Division last season, the Wings were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the upstart Los Angeles Kings. So what did the aging team do? Dump their veterans in favor of a youth movement? Uh, no. Rather, they imported three oldies-but-goodies in 36-year-old netminder Dominik Hasek and veteran snipers Brett Hull, 37, and Luc Robitaille, 35.

But that’s not all. Dissatisfied with their production while playing 5-on-5, the Red Wings have loosened the reins on their left wingers, who had been confined to a defensive role even when they were in the offensive zone. The result? Through the first quarter, Detroit ranked first in scoring, averaging 3.52 goals per game, and at 19-3-0-1 was on pace to set NHL single-season records for wins and points. The Wings already hold the mark for victories (62 in 1995-96), while the Montreal Canadiens amassed the highest number of points-132-in 1976-77.

The Red Wings’ goals-against average (2.28) was in the top 10 in the league. When you score as often as they do-and when you have Hasek in net-the wins pile up quickly. It also helps that Detroit is willing to open up its defensive strategy.

“We still do it at times,” said left winger Brendan Shanahan of the left-wing lock,”but we used to do it all the time, in all three zones. We still play a disciplined system, but it’s not always down to the left winger to be responsible defensively.

Now if you get the step on a guy, you go. You can be active in the offensive zone instead of always being back on your heels.”

There’s no denying the Red Wings have the horses.

Captain Steve Yzerman remains one of the best two-way forces in the league; Nicklas Lidstrom is on track for a second straight Norris Trophy; Sergei Fedorov is a dominant offensive threat again; Shanahan is challenging for the league lead in goals; and Chris Chelios is rejuvenated and injury-free. Twelve different Red Wings scored a game-winning goal in the first quarter. No other team could come close to that claim.

If Hasek hasn’t been Superman this year, it’s only because he hasn’t had to be.

“I have friends in the league who tell me that they can’t believe how much talent we have,” said Wings’ left winger Kirk Maltby. “All I know is, the expectations are very high in our dressing room. The expectations of management are high. Same with the fans.”

Not to mention Scotty Bowman. He’d love nothing more than to add a ninth Stanley Cup ring-as a head coach-to his collection, which would break the record he shares with legendary Montreal bench boss Toe Blake. Bowman knows he’s close, but he’s a realist.

“It’s early,” said Bowman, who points to a tough stretch in the second half of Detroit’s schedule in which the Wings play 21 of their final 34 games on the road.

“We’ve played very well, but I’m not sure our defense is as strong as it needs to be. We had a good young defenseman (Jesse Wallin) who had a good camp, but he had abdominal surgery and hasn’t played. I think we need to add to our blueline.”

Other teams, with far greater problems, can only shake their collective heads in wonder.

“Everyone keeps saying they’re old and that the wheels will fall off,” said one team’s pro scout, who has watched the Wings play.

“But they’re getting better. They have flow and the support they give each other is getting better. I don’t know who’s going to come along and beat them. They are so smart, so composed and so responsible in their own end.

And they work hard every game.” OK, so maybe everybody isn’t talking about the Red Wings. Maybe they’re not as sexy a story as the Flames, Hawks or Isles. Shanahan doesn’t care.

“A history has been established here,” Shanahan said. “There is a certain level of play that is expected. It doesn’t guarantee wins, but it’s a pretty good recipe for wins.” ■