The pre-season schedule has officially wrapped up for the Detroit Red Wings, and only days separate them from the beginning of their centennial campaign in the NHL.

During the pre-season slate of games, the Red Wings played multiple first and second round draft selections who proved useful, among them  Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, and Emmitt Finnie, all of whom made considerable impacts. 

The Red Wings also returned multiple draft selections to the American Hockey League after it was decided by GM Steve Yzerman that they needed more experience with the Grand Rapids Griffins, including Sebastian Cossa, Carter Mazur, and William Wallinder.

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Head coach Todd McLellan tried multiple line combinations (with the exception of the Alex DeBrincat-Marco Kasper-Patrick Kane line, which remains intact) that saw players like Elmer Soderblom and even Finnie see time on the top forward unit with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond.

All NHL clubs must have their rosters submitted to the League by 5 p.m. ET on Monday, meaning that there are still a few names that won’t be hitting the ice on Thursday for the regular season opener.

“For our staff, we’ve discussed a lot of things,” McLellan said following Detroit’s 6-5 overtime win over the Maple Leafs in the pre-season finale on Saturday. “Steve and I and Shawn Horcoff and his group have worked really close together with what we’re thinking, why we like certain players and pairs or combinations of players. We’ll get a complete injury report tonight, have a day off tomorrow and then Monday’s a big day for us. We got to figure out where we start.”

Regardless of how the roster looks on Thursday, multiple young Red Wings players have shown that they can be impactful at the NHL level.

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The Montreal Canadiens made a series of roster cuts on Oct. 5.

The Canadiens announced that Owen Beck, Adam Engstrom, and Florian Xhekaj have all been assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket. In addition, the Canadiens shared that they have placed forward Sammy Blais and goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen on waivers.

Les Canadiens ont cédé les attaquants Owen Beck et Florian Xhekaj ainsi que le défenseur Adam Engstrom au Rocket de Laval. L'attaquant Samuel Blais et le gardien Kaapo Kahkonen seront soumis au ballottage à 14h00.

The Canadiens have loaned forwards Owen Beck and Florian Xhekaj…

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 5, 2025

Beck played in 12 games last season for the Canadiens, where he recorded one assist. He also had 15 goals and 44 points in 64 games with Laval this past season.

Engstrom spent all of this past season with Laval, where he recorded five goals, 22 assists, 27 points, and a plus-14 rating in 66 games. He also had five assists in 13 playoff games with Laval.

Xhekaj recorded 24 goals, 35 points, and 175 penalty minutes in 69 games last season with Laval. He also had one goal, two assists, and 59 penalty minutes in 13 playoff games for the AHL club.

Blais signed with the Canadiens this off-season after spending the 2024-25 season in the AHL with the Abbotsford Canucks. In 51 games this past season with the AHL squad, he recorded 14 goals, 40 points, and a plus-8 rating.

Kahkonen also signed with the Canadiens during this summer. The 29-year-old played in one NHL game this past season with the Colorado Avalanche, where he stopped 16 out of 20 shots he faced.

The Carolina Hurricanes have made a pair of of waiver wire moves, placing goaltender Cayden Primeau on waiver for the purpose of reassignment to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, while also claiming goalie Brandon Bussi off of waivers from the Florida Panthers.

The Hurricanes acquired Primeau this summer from the Montreal Canadiens for a seventh-round pick. He appeared in two preseason games and posted a 0.900 save percentage.

Bussi, 27, has played four seasons in the AHL after a three-year career with Western Michigan in the NCAA.

In 111 AHL appearances, the New York native has a 0.915 save percentage with eight shutouts.

He appeared in one preseason game this year, posting a 0.895 save percentage.

One would have to think that Bussi's claim is merely to give the Canes some security should Primeau not make it through waivers.

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The NHL pre-season is just about wrapped up, and for the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, it ended on a violent note.

Florida and Tampa Bay played each other three times in a row to end their respective pre-season campaigns. With each game, the contests became more violent, and the final contest ended with more than 300 penalty minutes.

The two Floridan giants are no doubt rivals, but did this pre-season cement themselves as the biggest and nastiest rivalry in the NHL?

The first exhibition game between these two teams this season came on Sep. 30. It was rather ordinary as the Lightning took that tie 3-2.

However, on Oct. 2 and Oct. 4, these games were anything but ordinary.

The game on Oct. 2 was interesting because both teams had set out the majority of their NHL rosters. Veterans who would likely want to get through pre-season matchups without any drama, injuries, or making the games longer than they have to be.

Nonetheless, a total of 186 penalty minutes were accumulated, with Panthers left winger AJ Greer recording a game high of 29 penalty minutes. Most of his time was created from a bout with Lightning left winger Brandon Hagel. 

As a result, Hagel did not continue to play the rest of the game due to injury. Greer went on to receive a fine worth $2,213.54 for his actions, the maximum allowed under the CBA. 

It turns out this rivalry was only scratching the surface in comparison to the game on Saturday night. In the opening three minutes, Tampa right winger Scott Saubourin laid a huge hit on Florida D-man Aaron Ekblad. They dropped the gloves immediately after, and the floodgates were open for the rest of the outing.

Sabourin received a match penalty for his actions on Ekblad and was one of many players who would get ejected from this game. Along with Sabourin, Bolts defenseman JJ Moser will receive a hearing from NHL player safety.

Moser is receiving disciplinary attention for boarding Panthers center Jesper Boqvist. Tampa’s blueliner was another player who got ejected from this game. 

In addition to the two hearings, two members of the Lightning received fines for cross-checking. Center Gage Goncalves was fined $3,125 for cross-checking Evan Rodrigues. Meanwhile, defenseman Roman Schmidt was fined $2,098.52 for cross-checking Carter Verhaeghe. Both fines were the maximum allowed under the CBA.

By the end of the contest, there were 16 ejections, 312 penalty minutes from 65 penalties, and there was even a goal removed from the board several minutes after it was scored.

At one point, this game was 8-0 for the Panthers. However, over five minutes of game clock after the 8-0 goal, the officials were having a discussion during a TV timeout that led to that goal being removed. 

This is because Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola provided an assist on the goal, despite being ejected sometime before that. The referees were able to sort out the situation, sending Mikkola to the dressing room, and the game proceeded and ended with a 7-0 score.

With all the chaos that ensued over this pre-season between the two teams from Florida, it’s safe to say that this rivalry is alive and well. It’s certainly one of the nastiest, violent and filled-with-hatred rivalries in the NHL to date.

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The Chicago Blackhawks finished the preseason on Saturday, and they are leaving for Sunrise on Sunday. The Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers await them for the season opener on Tuesday night. 

Ahead of their trip, the Blackhawks made some announcements. They started with a one-year deal for Matt Grzelcyk, which will carry a cap hit of $1 million. 

Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on Xsunday signing✍️ everyone say hi Matt!!👋 🚨 https://t.co/DVBQHSYtY5

Grzelcyk wasn't above-average during the preseason, but he is a veteran player who has experience playing in the league. Being the team's security blanket on defense is a good role for him right now.

None of Kevin Korchinski, Nolan Allan, or Elthan Del Mastro earned the team's confidence as their permanent 6th defenseman. Louis Crevier is not waiver exempt, so he was the obvious 7th defenseman option. 

Del Mastro was not one of the roster cuts made, but the team is unsure if Alex Vlasic will be ready for opening night as he recovers from a lower-body injury sustained during the preseason. 

Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on X‼️roster update‼️ 📰➡️ https://t.co/ml6NerC6Xw

All of the players who were called up specifically to play in the preseason finale against the St. Louis Blues were sent back down to the AHL. 

Nolan Allan and Kevin Korchinski were among those who were sent down to the Rockford IceHogs. They will have to play their way up and wait for chances to get in the NHL lineup. 

At forward, Ryan Greene and Oliver Moore joined those going back to Rockford. The situation is different here than it is on defense. Both had solid camps and preseasons, but they will go to the AHL to play a lot of minutes and keep working on getting better.

Lukas Reichel remains with the big club as one of their bottom forwards, so until that day comes when he's traded, he will be a part of the group. 

All of these moving parts are fluid, and the team that plays the season finale might look a lot different than the one that plays on opening night. For now, most of the early decisions have been made. Vlasic's status will be learned before puck drop on Tuesday, which will influence things as well.

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The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that they have signed Matt Grzelcyk to a one-year, $1 million contract for the 2025-26 season.

Grzelcyk had been skating with the Blackhawks on a professional tryout (PTO) this training camp. Clearly, he impressed management during it, as he has now landed a contract for the season from the Central Division club. 

sunday signing✍️
everyone say hi Matt!!👋

🚨 https://t.co/DVBQHSYtY5pic.twitter.com/lrT5nUIj2x

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 5, 2025

Overall, there is very little risk in this move for the Blackhawks. They have brought in a veteran defenseman who will provide them with more depth and experience on the blueline. That is never a bad thing. 

Grzelcyk, 31, posted one goal, 39 assists, and 40 points in 82 games this past season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. If he can produce that kind of offense from the point in 2025-26, he could end up being a good value signing for the Blackhawks. 

The Edmonton Oilers are just a few days away from the start of the regular season, skating on Sunday morning after a loss on Friday in their final preseason game of the season.

The Oilers made some key decisions this week, with others yet to be made. Among the major off-ice moves: the team has signed head coach Kris Knoblauch to a three-year extension through the 2028-29 season. There is also talk about Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, and which players will make the opening night roster. 

Oilers' Early 2025-26 Season Projections: The Goalies

Oilers' Early 2025-26 Season Projections: The Forwards

Oilers' Early 2025-26 Season Projections: The Defense

Knoblauch Inks New Three-Year Extension

Knoblauch, who took over during the 2022-23 season, has posted a 94-47-10 record in 151 games and guided the Oilers to back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, both of which were losses to the Florida Panthers. We spoke to Knoblauch after the extension was announced and he was grateful to the organization and the Katz family for giving him an opportunity and excited to get this deal done before the start of the season. 

It will be fascinating to see if Knoblauch’s extension will influence Connor McDavid’s contract situation, a storyline that has dominated offseason chatter.

Latest on McDavid's Contract Talks

While the Oilers captain has yet to sign a new deal, sources suggest he remains committed to Edmonton, with speculation pointing toward a short-term, in-season extension (there is still a chance it happens before October 8) rather than a massive long-term commitment.

Analysts continue to debate whether McDavid could top Kirill Kaprizov’s AAV, but most are now expecting his salary to come in under Kaprizov's, a decision he'll make to help the Oilers build a championship team around him. 

His influence may already be shaping the roster, as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reportedly engaged in preliminary discussions with GM Stan Bowman to potentially bring in an impact player to boost the team’s championship window.

TSN's Darren Dreger said this week that he believes McDavid re-signing in Edmonton now sits at 50/50 odds. When asked why so low, he responded that anything higher likely would have seen McDavid already signed by now. 

Should Oilers Circle Back On A Still-Unsigned UFA?NHL and TSN insider Darren Dreger said on Flames Nation and TSN OverDrive that the Edmonton Oilers had made unrestricted free agent Jack Roslovic a multi-year offer, but he turned it down. 

Final Opening Night Roster Decisions

Off the ice, the Oilers face tough decisions for their opening-night roster. Several players were sent down this week, but more decisions need to be made, with at least three more cuts coming. 

Names like Troy Stecher, Curtis Lazar, and Max Jones have surfaced as potential candidates to go down, while prospects such as Alec Regula and David Tomasek, and Noah Philp remain key considerations.

Waiver-exempt forwards like Matt Savoie, Ike Howard, and Tomasek provide flexibility for GM Stan Bowman, but all three arguably deserve to be on the opening night roster. Depth players like Lazar and Jones are most vulnerable, though moving them could be tricky if younger talent needs NHL minutes.

Is Zach Hyman Getting Closer to a Return?

Zach Hyman continues his recovery from a wrist injury suffered last season. While November 1 was initially projected as his return, sources suggest he may be back sooner, giving the Oilers another boost in the lineup.

He hopped on the ice after morning practice on Friday, taking shots and doing workouts with the Oilers' conditioning coach. He looked pretty good, even though he's not ready for opening night. 

In other injury news, Jake Walman is expected to be ready for opening night, while Mattias Janmark is hurt and could be up to a week. Jones should be ready to go as well. 

Is Draisaitl the Contract Comparable for Eichel?

As the Oilers try to figure out extensions for McDavid, Walman, Mattias Ekholm, Brett Kulak, and their goaltenders, another superstar sees Leon Draisaitl as a potential contract comparable. 

Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights are reportedly negotiating an eight-year deal worth roughly $14 million AAV, mirroring Draisaitl’s contract. Eichel’s camp appears to be using Draisaitl’s salary as a benchmark instead of comparing him to other players who are signing deals this summer or are expected to over the next few weeks and months. 

Oilers Ranked Atop The Points-Getters List

The Athletic ranked the Edmonton Oilers as the top team in the NHL when predicting which NHL club will get the most regular season points. With 109, the Oilers led the way as potential Presidents' Trophy candidates. 

With preseason games wrapping up and opening night just days away, the Oilers’ combination of roster moves, McDavid speculation, and coaching stability sets the stage for a compelling 2025-26 campaign. Between potential acquisitions, Hyman’s return, and key roster decisions, Edmonton’s front office has some big decisions to make and fans will watch closely in the hopes that every move is the right one. 

The Oilers are trying to get one step closer to the Stanley Cup.

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MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- The St. Louis Blues are down to their final roster cuts, and five were assigned to Springfield of the American Hockey League on Sunday.

The club announced it has assigned 2023 first-round picks, forwards Dalibor Dvorsky, Otto Stenberg and defenseman Theo Lindstein, along with forward Aleksanteri Kaskimaki and defenseman Leo Loof to the Thunderbirds, reducing the training camp number down to 26.

All five played in the preseason finale on Saturday, a 4-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks, but it was clearly evident as things progressed to Monday's 4 p.m. (CT) deadline for opening night rosters to be submitted that these players had made strides but would not make the initial cut to be on the roster for opening night on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild.

"I think they had really good camps; we just have a lot of good depth in the organization," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. "We have 14 really good forwards here that are signed and we have seven really good defensemen. And those other guys, they've got to go down there and be really good. Our organization's in a real good place with all positions."

That leaves three more cuts for the Blues to make by Monday, and among those is expected to be goalie Colten Ellis, who has to clear waivers to go to Springfield, as does defenseman Hunter Skinner, who had himself a terrific training camp. Neither were on the ice Sunday morning and likely on waivers by Sunday afternoon.

"If I had to pick a couple (tough ones that got sent down) off the top of my head, I would say Skinner, Stenberg and Kaskimaki," Montgomery said. "All did a lot to show that they can play in the league, but again, they've also got to show that they can really be good American League players."

Observations From Blues' 4-0 Preseason Win Vs. BlackhawksThe St. Louis Blues closed out the preseason in impressive fashion with a 4-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center in Chicago on Saturday.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have 8 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #8. 

Let's take a look.

Geoff Sanderson - 2001-2006 - Drafted by Hartford in 1990. 

Sanderson played 268 games as a Jacket and had 168 points. In the franchise's first season, he dazzled the NWA crowds when he scored 30 goals and had 56 points. Sanderson was a very good player for the Blue Jackets and brought some excitement to a fledgling franchise desperate to win some games. He's the only player in CBJ history to score 4 goals in a single game and was the first player in franchise history to have 5 points in a game. 

He retired in 2008 after playing 1100 games and totaling 700 points. Last season, he was a pro scout for the New Jersey Devils. 

His son Jake is now a star defenseman for the Ottawa Senators.  

Jan Hejda - 2008-2010 - Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in 2003. 

Hejda signed with Columbus in 2007 after playing one year with the Edmonton Oilers. In all, he played with Columbus for four seasons and totaled 302 games. He scored 11 goals and 67 points playing on the Columbus blue line. 

He left for the Colorado Avalanche in 2011 when free agency opened. He would play there until 2015. He signed a PTO with the Lake Erie Monsters in December of 2015 and was released in January of 2016 and would retire.

Scottie Upshall - 2011 - Drafted by Nashville in 2002.

Upshall played 21 games as a Jacket and had seven points after being traded on February 28, 2011, from the Phoenix Coyotes.  After his time in Columbus, he played for the Florida Panthers and St. Louis Blues.

He left for Europe in 2019 to play a single season in Switzerland. 

Maksim Mayorov - 2012 - Drafted by Columbus in 2007.

Mayorov played 22 in Columbus and totaled 11 points. He never played another game for the Jackets.

He left for Russia 2012 and played there until he retired in 2021. He is now an amateur scout for the Washington Capitals. 

Nathan Horton - 2014 - Drafted by Florida in 2003. 

Horton only played 36 games for Columbus after signing with the Jackets in 2013. After netting 19 points, he was forced to medically retire due to a back issue. 

During the first period of a March 10, 2014, game against the Dallas Stars, Horton scored a goal to put the Blue Jackets ahead, 1–0. Shortly thereafter, Dallas Stars center Rich Peverley collapsed on the bench. Play was suspended, and on April 9, 2014, the game restarted from the beginning, with the Blue Jackets leading, 1–0. Horton was unavailable for the restarted game due to an injury. However, his goal from the original game was still recorded in official statistics, making him the only NHL player known to score in a game in which he did not play.

Zach Werenski - 2017-2025 - Drafted by Columbus in 2015. 

Zach Werenski has cemented himself as the best defenseman in Columbus Blue Jackets history. Werenski came into the league like a lion and really hasn't stopped since. Unfortunately, injuries set him back during his career, but last year, he stayed healthy and became a top-scoring, elite defenseman. 

Last season, he set single season records for a Blue Jackets defenseman in goals (23), assists (59), and points (82). He also passed CBJ legend Rick Nash in career assists, a mark that will probably take two decades to catch, if it's ever caught. His assist mark stands at 271, and there isn't an active Blue Jacket that even has 100 career assists. By the time his career is over, he could very well have 500 assists.

Per the NHL, Werenski is looking to become just the seventh U.S.-born defenseman in NHL history with three career 20-goal seasons.   

He'd join Phil Housley (7x), Reed Larson (6x), Brian Leetch (5x), Gary Suter (3x), Al Iafrate (3x), and Mark Howe (3x) as the only ones to do so to date.    

Last season, he also had a historic home points streak. The streak tied Phil Housley for the third-longest by a defenseman in NHL history, trailing only Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey. It was also the fourth-longest home point streak by an active player in the league, with only Nathan MacKinnon (35 GP in 2023-24), Connor McDavid (26 GP in 2023-24), and Nikita Kucherov (24 GP in 2022-23) having a longer streak.

Zach Werenski will look to continue his spectacular play when the season starts next week in Nashville. How many points do you think Werenski will have this season? 

Let us know what you think below.

Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!

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More from THN Columbus

The Hockey News Sunday Recap: Columbus Blue JacketsFrom Ex-players to current players and everything in between, we've got you covered.  Blue Jackets Lose Daemon Hunt To WaiversChris Johnson of TSN has reported that the Minnesota Wild have claimed Daemon Hunt off the waiver wire from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets were hoping he'd clear so he could return to Cleveland, but sadly, that didn't happen.  NHL Analyst Believes Greaves Is A Breakout Candidate This SeasonRecently on an episode of Real Kyper and Bourne on Sportsnet, they had NHL analyst Steve Valiquette on the show, who specializes in goalies.

Let's get one thing straight: Connor Ingram is a good story. The journeyman goaltender who battled through OCD and anxiety to find his footing in the NHL deserves respect. But if you're an Oilers fan hoping he's the answer to Edmonton's perpetual goaltending question, we need to have a hard reality check.

The Oilers have been searching for reliable goaltending since the days when Dwayne Roloson was stealing playoff games. Every season brings new hope, new names, new "this could be the guy" energy. Ingram's name has floated around in trade speculation, and some fans see his .904 save percentage from last season as a potential upgrade.

Here's the problem: it's not.

Let's start with the facts. In 2023-24, Ingram posted a .904 save percentage across 47 games with the Utah Hockey Club (formerly the Arizona Coyotes). That's not terrible, but it's also not moving the needle for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. For context, Stuart Skinner—who Oilers fans love to criticize—posted a .905 save percentage last season while facing significantly tougher competition.

Ingram's goals-against average of 3.05 tells a similar story. Yes, he was playing behind a weaker defensive structure in Arizona/Utah, but the Oilers need someone who can elevate the team, not just maintain the status quo. When you're trying to win a Cup with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in their prime, "pretty good" doesn't cut it.

Here's what really concerns me about Ingram as a potential solution: consistency. Last season was his first as a legitimate NHL starter, and while he showed flashes, he also showed why he'd spent years bouncing between the AHL and NHL. He had stretches where he looked confident and capable, followed by games where he looked completely overwhelmed.

Oilers' Coach And GM Detail Game Plan For Connor IngramThe Edmonton Oilers traded for Connor Ingram on Wednesday, but head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed this trade was not done to push either Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard out. The Oilers have their goaltenders, and Ingram's arrival alone won't change that. 

The Oilers don't need a project. They need a goaltender who can deliver night after night, especially in the playoffs when the margin for error evaporates. Ingram has exactly zero playoff games in his NHL career. Zero. This is a team that made it to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final last season and Game 7 the year prior. You want to roll the dice on a guy who's never experienced that pressure?

Let's talk about something that doesn't get enough attention: Ingram's injury history. He's dealt with various ailments throughout his career, and durability has been a question mark. Last season was actually his healthiest and most productive, which is great, but it's also a single data point. The Oilers need ironman reliability in net, especially if they're going to make a deep playoff run.

The harsh truth is that the Oilers need elite goaltending, or they need to be comfortable with what they have. Ingram represents neither option. He's a lateral move at best, potentially a downgrade depending on which version of Stuart Skinner shows up—or frankly, which version of Connor Ingram shows up.

If the Oilers are going to make a move in net, it needs to be for someone proven. Someone with playoff experience. Someone with a track record of stealing games when their team needs it most. Ingram might develop into that player someday, but "someday" isn't in the Oilers' championship window timeline.

Bullish Oilers' D-Man Goes From "No Expectations" To Likely 2025-26 BluelinerEdmonton Oilers prospect defenseman Alec Regula has spent the past year fighting what had to feel like an uphill battle. He wasn't throwing his big frame around on the ice, but working to get his own body to cooperate so he could make an NHL return.

The other option? Commit to Skinner and actually build a defensive system that supports him. Skinner has shown he can be good when he remains calm in net—or just in net—and when the Oilers play structured hockey around him.

The solution might not be swapping out goalies like they're interchangeable parts—it might be finally addressing the defensive zone chaos that's plagued this team for years.

The Bottom Line

Connor Ingram is a fine NHL goaltender who earned his spot in this league. But fine doesn't win Stanley Cups, especially not when you're icing the two best players in the world. The Oilers need to either go big on a proven commodity or commit to developing what they have with better defensive structure.

Ingram isn't the savior. He's just another name in a long line of "maybe this guy" conversations that Oilers fans have been having for two decades. And until management recognizes that band-aid solutions won't fix a systemic problem, we'll keep having the same conversation next season too.

After The Score ran a random simulation on NHL 26, the Senators came out as the champions in a random simulation. While it obviously means absolutely nothing, it does suggest that, based on all the data the company pours into its game, the Sens compare very favourably to the best teams in hockey

What's troubling is the faces of the Senators' players. 

But I, for one, welcome our Ottawa Senator zombie overlords...

NHL 26 season sim: Senators win Cup, Oilers lose 3rd straight finalThe 2025-26 NHL season is just around the corner, but before we get to the real thing, we thought it would be fun to simulate the campaign in NHL 26 and share the results. Remember, this is just a video game. Some of the outcomes were incredibly wacky.Atlantic Division!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}})}(); Panthers: The two-time reigning Cup champions win the Atlantic Division for the third time in five years, allowing a league-low 222 goals.Senators: Ottawa loses out on a division title courtesy of a tiebreaker, but it gets better in the playoffs.Red Wings: Detroit scores a conference-high 282 goals to snap its nine-year playoff drought. Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane, Dylan Larkin, and Marco Kasper all score at least 25 goals.Lightning: Nikita Kucherov leads the way offensively for the Bolts with 50 goals and 98 points.Canadiens: Montreal takes a step back, but Cole Caufield breaks out with 97 points and Ivan Demidov makes it back-to-back Calder Trophy winners for the Habs.Maple Leafs: Turmoil in Toronto? The Leafs miss the playoffs for the first time with Auston Matthews, despite a 58-goal season from the captain. Matthew Knies suffers through an injury-plagued 38-point campaign.Sabres: Tage Thompson (80 points) and Rasmus Dahlin (65 points) enjoy strong years, but Buffalo extends its playoff drought to 15 seasons.Bruins: Things go from bad to worse in Boston. Although David Pastrnak's 57 goals are a bright spot, Jeremy Swayman struggles again with an .895 save percentage.Metropolitan Division!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}})}(); Islanders: Perhaps the best story in the league, New York finishes atop the Eastern Conference. Ilya Sorokin shines with 35 wins and a .918 save percentage.Penguins: Put the Sidney Crosby trade talk on hold, folks. Evgeni Malkin (73 points) and Erik Karlsson (69 points) turn back the clock to help the Penguins return to the postseason after a three-year hiatus.Capitals: Alex Ovechkin defies Father Time with a career-high 66 goals at age 40, putting him just 37 away from 1,000 for his career.Devils: Healthy seasons from Jack Hughes (80 points in 80 games) and Dougie Hamilton (64 points in 80 games) lead to a strong year for the Devils.Flyers: Philadelphia takes a step in the right direction on the back of Matvei Michkov's 78-point campaign.Rangers: J.T. Miller leads by example with a team-high 70 points as New York's captain, but it's not enough to overcome the club's lack of depth.Blue Jackets: Another strong season from Zach Werenski (team-high 77 points) isn't enough to will Columbus to the playoffs.Hurricanes: Arguably the biggest shock of the entire sim, Carolina finishes last in the East with the league's 26th-ranked offense.Central Division!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}})}(); Jets: Winnipeg soars to its second straight Presidents' Trophy by virtue of a tiebreaker over the Islanders. Kyle Connor leads the way with 53 goals and 99 points.Avalanche: Martin Necas racks up 70 assists (second in NHL) and 92 points to help Colorado forget about Mikko Rantanen.Mammoth: Eight players notch at least 50 points as Utah gets a taste of playoff hockey in an extremely tight division.Stars: Dallas misses the playoffs by a point, surely ending Jim Nill's three-year reign as General Manager of the Year.Blues: A disappointing 63-point season from Robert Thomas keeps the Blues out of the playoffs.Wild: Mats Zuccarello's career-high 79 points at age 38 aren't enough to help Minnesota overcome its 30th-ranked defense.Predators: Steven Stamkos (74 points) and defenseman Nick Perbix (41 points) serve as bright spots on a middling Preds squad.Blackhawks: Chicago finishes as the NHL's worst team despite a 36-goal campaign from Connor Bedard.Pacific Division!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}})}(); Kings: Anze Kopitar paces L.A. with 73 points en route to a division title in his final NHL season. Darcy Kuemper leads all goalies with 39 wins.Golden Knights: Jack Eichel scores a career-high 43 goals playing alongside Mitch Marner (61 assists), forming a new dynamic duo in Vegas.Ducks: Mason McTavish ends his contract stalemate and tallies 69 points to lead Anaheim to its first postseason appearance since 2018.Canucks: Filip Chytil solves Vancouver's second-line center woes with a 69-point season to bring the Canucks back to the playoffs.Oilers: Edmonton allows a league-worst 286 goals but squeaks into the postseason with solid yet unspectacular campaigns from Connor McDavid (95 points) and Leon Draisaitl (93 points).Flames: Calgary stays in the playoff hunt most of the season thanks to Nazem Kadri's career-high 47 goals.Kraken: New coach, new GM, similar result in Seattle. A team-high 63 points from Shane Wright is promising, though.Sharks: A breakout 81-point campaign from William Eklund is a bright spot from another long year in San Jose.Playoffs EA Sports NHL 26Round 1 Oilers, Mammoth, and Lightning all pull off major upsets. Golden Knights, Kings, and Senators win their series handily in five games. Round 2 Oilers roll through Mammoth in five games. Kings, Penguins, Senators win in seven. Conference finals Crosby and the Penguins run out of gas against a much younger Senators team, losing in five games. Oilers beat the Kings in the playoffs for the fifth year in a row. Stanley Cup Final 🏆An Ottawa-Edmonton final guarantees a Canadian team wins the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1993. The Oilers erase a 3-1 series deficit to force Game 7, but they have their hearts broken in the Cup Final for the third straight year after David Perron scores the double-overtime winner to give the Senators their first Stanley Cup. EA Sports NHL 26Dylan Cozens is awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy with a team-high 18 points in 24 postseason games. However, Linus Ullmark was snubbed after stopping 48 of 51 shots in Game 7 and posting a .931 save percentage in the playoffs. EA Sports NHL 26Major AwardsHart Trophy - Aleksander Barkov EA Sports NHL 26 GP G A P ATOI 82 28 75 103 19:48 Norris Trophy - Evan Bouchard EA Sports NHL 26 GP G A P ATOI 77 18 58 76 25:07 Art Ross Trophy - Nathan MacKinnon EA Sports NHL 26 GP G A P ATOI 82 54 57 111 19:55 Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy - Alex Ovechkin EA Sports NHL 26 GP G A P ATOI 82 66 32 98 18:32 Calder Trophy - Ivan Demidov EA Sports NHL 26 GP G A P ATOI 82 11 41 52 15:29 Vezina Trophy - Jake Oettinger EA Sports NHL 26 GP W GAA SV% SO 66 33 2.74 .917 2 Selke Trophy - Aleksander Barkov EA Sports NHL 26 FO% +/- Takeaways Giveaways 53.8 40 159 43

Flyers trade Ryan Ellis contract to Sharks, bring back two players originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers moved Ryan Ellis’ contract to the Sharks, along with a 2026 conditional sixth-round draft pick, in exchange for Carl Grundstrom and Artem Guryev.

Ellis was entering the seventh season of an eight-year, $50 million deal that he originally signed with the Predators. The contract had a $6.250 million annual cap hit.

The 34-year-old defenseman had not played for the Flyers since 2021-22 because of a multilayered injury in his pelvic region.

After being acquired by the Flyers in a July 2021 trade, Ellis played just four games for the club.

Come next offseason, the Flyers could be in a much more advantageous position to spend. The salary cap is going up and Ellis’ contract is no longer on the books. This season is also the last in which the Flyers have cap hits from the Cam Atkinson buyout, the Kevin Hayes trade and the Scott Laughton trade.

Grundstrom, a 27-year-old winger, comes to the Flyers as a pending unrestricted free agent. He’s in the final year of two-year, $3.6 million deal ($1.8 million cap hit). He was placed on waivers Sunday, according to PuckPedia.com. If he clears, he can eventually head to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.

Guryev is a 22-year-old defenseman who was selected by San Jose in the fifth-round of the 2021 draft. He played in the ECHL last season and will report to the Phantoms.

The Flyers’ roster is at the maximum of 23 healthy players. It needs to be submitted by Monday at 5 p.m. ET.

There aren’t many higher honors on a professional sports team than being the captain of a team. This article will be all about them, a rundown of current and past captains, where they come from, and interesting facts along the way.

All Active Captains

Of the 32 teams in the NHL, 30 teams have a player who wears a ‘C’. Only the Boston Bruins and the San Jose Sharks are without a captain at the moment. Last season, every team in the league had a captain going into the campaign. 

The Bruins had Brad Marchand rock the ‘C’ for the team, but he was traded to the Florida Panthers at the 2025 trade deadline. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy and right winger David Pastrnak are likely next in line for that role.

As for the Sharks, Logan Couture was their guy, but he stepped away from the game due to Osteitis Pubis. There is the possibility that the Sharks will wait for Couture’s contract to expire before they name someone else captain.

Anaheim Ducks: Radko Gudas

Boston Bruins: Vacant 

Buffalo Sabres: Rasmus Dahlin

Calgary Flames: Mikael Backlund

Carolina Hurricanes: Jordan Staal

Chicago Blackhawks: Nick Foligno

Colorado Avalanche: Gabriel Landeskog

Columbus Blue Jackets: Boone Jenner

Dallas Stars: Jamie Benn

Detroit Red Wings: Dylan Larkin

Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid

Florida Panthers: Aleksander Barkov

Los Angeles Kings: Anze Kopitar

Minnesota Wild: Jared Spurgeon

Montreal Canadiens: Nick Suzuki

Nashville Predators: Roman Josi

New Jersey Devils: Nico Hischier

New York Islanders: Anders Lee

New York Rangers: J.T. Miller

Ottawa Senators: Brady Tkachuk

Philadelphia Flyers: Sean Couturier

Pittsburgh Penguins: Sidney Crosby

San Jose Sharks: Vacant

Seattle Kraken: Jordan Eberle

St. Louis Blues: Brayden Schenn

Tampa Bay Lightning: Victor Hedman

Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews

Utah Mammoth: Clayton Keller

Vancouver Canucks: Quinn Hughes

Vegas Golden Knights: Mark Stone

Washington Capitals: Alex Ovechkin

Winnipeg Jets: Adam Lowry

Longest Tenured Captains Of All-Time

Steve Yzerman holds the record for the longest-tenured captain in NHL history, as he donned the ‘C’ for the Red Wings for 19 seasons, from the 1986-87 season until 2005-06 when he retired.

Sidney Crosby will be equalling that record going into his 19th season as the captain of the Penguins. His first season as Pittsburgh’s captain was in 2007-08, his third season in the NHL.

The third-longest tenure in NHL captains' history is from Joe Sakic. He captained the Quebec Nordiques and Colorado Avalanche from 1990-91 until 2008-09.

Alexander Ovechkin deserves some love as he’ll join the top three once the 2025-26 regular season kicks off. This will be his 17th season as captain of the Capitals.

Longest Tenured Captains Currently

Aside from Crosby and Ovechkin, who are shaking hands with history in terms of being some of the longest-tenured captains in NHL history, here’s that list among active players.

Behind Crosby and Ovechkin is Avalanche left winger Gabriel Landerskog. Landeskog was named Colorado’s captain ahead of the 2012-13 campaign when he was 19 years old. After a remarkable comeback to the NHL, the Avs captain is suiting up to be the team’s captain for a 14th season.

Next in line is Jamie Benn of the Stars. He was named captain one season after Landeskog got the ‘C’. Benn was a 24-year-old heading into his fifth NHL campaign. Benn is yet to win a Stanley Cup, but has come close with a Cup final appearance and three consecutive Western Conference finals. This will be Benn’s 13th year donning the ‘C’.

The 2025-26 season will be Anze Kopitar’s last; thus, it will be his final year as the Kings captain. Kopitar became Los Angeles’ captain later in his career compared to others. This is because Dustin Brown held the captaincy before him for eight seasons. This will be Kopitar’s 20th NHL season and 10th year as Kings captain. 

Shortest Tenured Captains

J.T. Miller of the Rangers is currently the shortest-tenured captain, as he was just given the captaincy on Sept. 16 and hasn’t started the regular season yet. Miller has never been captain before, but ahead of his departure from the Canucks, he was an alternate for his last four seasons.

As Rangers Name Ex-Canuck J.T. Miller Captain, A Lot Can Change In A YearAt this time last year, veteran J.T. Miller was a Vancouver Canucks center about to build on an excellent 2023-24 campaign.

Aside from Miller, seven players are tied, entering their second season as captains. Those players are Auston Matthews, Nick Foligno, Victor Hedman, Radko Gudas, Rasmus Dahlin, Clayton Keller and Jordan Eberle.

Keller and Eberle would be the newest captains by technicality because Keller was named captain of Utah on Oct. 4, 2024, and Eberle was gifted the ‘C’ with Seattle a couple of days later. Everyone else officially became the captain earlier than October’s arrival.

Fun fact: Wayne Gretzky has one of the shortest tenures as a captain in NHL history. In the 1995-96 season, he played 18 games as a member of the Blues after being traded by the Kings. After those 18 games, he signed with the Rangers the next season and never wore the ‘C’ again.

Youngest Captains

The answer to who the youngest-named captain of all time and among active players is the same. On Oct. 5, 2016, the Oilers named 19-year-old Connor McDavid captain of the team. He dethroned Landeskog of that title, as McDavid was 20 days younger than Landeskog when he was given the captaincy.

Gabriel Landeskog OK losing his place in history | NHL.comAvalanche forward no longer youngest captain after Oilers name Connor McDavid

The current youngest captain in the NHL is Rasmus Dahlin of the Sabres. Buffalo’s defenseman is 25 years old, like Quinn Hughes is, but Hughes was born in 1999 versus Dahlin’s 2000 birth year. Dahlin was named captain ahead of last season.

Oldest Captains

The oldest captain in the NHL as the 2025-26 season approaches is Ovechkin. He just turned 40 years old on Sep. 17, and this will be his 21st season in the NHL.

The oldest player to ever wear the ‘C’ on his chest was defenseman Zdeno Chara. The final year of his captaincy was in 2019-20, when he was 43 years old. He still went on to play two more seasons, split between the Capitals and Islanders.

Who Should Be The Boston Bruins' Next Captain?The Boston Bruins haven’t gone one full season without a captain since 2001-02. The 2025-26 season may change that after they traded Brad Marchand at the 2025 NHL trade deadline.

Captains By Country

1. 12 Canadian captains (Jordan Staal, Boone Jenner, Jamie Benn, Connor McDavid, Jared Spurgeon, Nick Suzuki, Sean Couturier, Sidney Crosby, Jordan Eberle, Brayden Schenn, Mark Stone, Adam Lowry)

2. Eight American captains (Nick Foiligno, Dylan Larkin, Anders Lee, J.T. Miller, Brady Tkachuk, Auston Matthews, Clayton Keller, Quinn Hughes)

3. Four Swedish captains (Rasmus Dahlin, Mikael Backlund, Gabriel Landeskog, Victor Hedman)

4. Two Swiss captains (Nico Hischier, Roman Josi)

T 5. One Finnish captain (Aleksander Barkov), one Czech captain (Radko Gudas), one Russian captain (Alexander Ovechkin), one Slovenian captain (Anze Kopitar)

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The Rangers wrapped up their six-game preseason slate with a loss the Bruins on Saturday afternoon. 

They finished with a 2-3-1 record during those games. 

The results don’t matter much, but with youngsters getting their chance to show what they can do and veterans competing for a spot, there are always some positives to take away from these exhibition contests. 

Here are the four biggest standouts for the Blueshirts this time around…

Noah Laba

Laba was arguably the biggest riser for the Rangers this preseason. 

The youngster came into camp as a long shot for a roster spot, but his impressive play put him square in the mix for the third-line center opening. He finished the preseason with a six points in as many games, the last of which was a power play goal on a deflected Adam Fox shot from the point during Saturday's preseason finale.

It remains to be seen whether or not Laba did enough to scratch his way into the lineup, but he certainly made an extremely compelling case. 

“I feel like I’m ready,” Laba said early in camp. “Obviously, you’re never ready until it actually comes -- there’s always lessons to be learned, but I feel like I’m prepared and super excited to play with any amount of guys.”

Conor Sheary 

After appearing in just five NHL games last season, Sheary just wanted to prove that he could still play at this level. 

“I kind of have nothing to lose,” he said. 

Tampa agreed to terminate the final year of his deal prior to free agency opening, so Sheary penciled the Rangers into the top of his list of destinations, and he ended up landing with them on a PTO.

The veteran took full advantage of that opportunity, producing three points in five games -- while also bringing the tough forechecking that head coach Mike Sullivan saw so often during their time together with the Penguins. 

“He’s a guy who could potentially add those elements to our team,” Sullivan said during camp.

After entering coming in as a bit of an unknown, the Rangers seem likely to keep the 33-year-old winger around on a new contract, and it appears he’ll start the season on their third line. He'd bring a strong veteran presence with playoff experience to this locker room and some much-needed familiarity with Sullivan’s system.

Gabe Perreault

Perreault came into camp looking to earn himself a spot on the opening night roster after his brief cup of coffee in the NHL down the stretch last season.

The young winger ended up falling short in that attempt, as he was assigned back to Hartford late this week, but it certainly wasn’t because of his play. He looked confident and comfortable out there, finishing second on the team with four points (one goal, three assists) while skating big minutes in the top-six over five games. 

Perreault left a strong impression on the new coaching staff, but they ultimately decided it would be best for him to continue his development down in the AHL for now. 

One thing is for certain, though, Sullivan saw something in his game. 

“He’s an NHL player in the making,” the head coach said. 

Scott Morrow

Morrow was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes this offseason as part of the K’Andre Miller sign-and-trade, and thus far, the young CT-native has been able to make a positive first impression back home with the Blueshirts.

Morrow showed plenty of positives as a playmaker throughout the preseason, but he’s still working to gain the organization’s trust defensively. With no spot for him in the lineup currently, the staff would rather see him continue that development down in Hartford. 

“It’s hard to get better when you’re on the sidelines,” Sullivan said. 

“We’re thrilled he’s a Ranger -- he’s a big, strong kid. I think he skates well and has some offensive instincts. He has the ability to run a power play. He’s getting better defending, and that’s an area I’m fairly confident our coaching staff can help him with.”

If the Blueshirts’ new-look defensive core struggles to start the year and Morrow is able to take some steps forward in his own zone, perhaps we’ll see him receive his opportunity skating with the big club.