The Philadelphia Flyers had a pretty busy off-season, as the Metropolitan Division club brought in multiple new players. Among their newcomers is Christian Dvorak, as the Flyers signed the 29-year-old forward to a one-year, $5.4 million contract in free agency.
While Dvorak may not be the flashiest of players, the potential for him to be a strong addition to the Flyers' roster is certainly there.
By signing Dvorak, the Flyers have brought in a veteran two-way forward who should improve their top nine. His versatility also makes him an interesting addition, as he is able to play on both the power play and penalty kill if needed. Thus, he will be a player who comes in handy for the Flyers, as he can work in multiple situations.
Dvorak spent this past season with the Montreal Canadiens, where he put together a bounce-back year. In 82 games with the Canadiens during the 2024-25 season, he recorded 12 goals, 21 assists, and 33 points. He has also recorded at least 30 points in six out of his nine NHL seasons, so he undoubtedly has the potential to give the Flyers decent secondary offensive production.
Overall, there is no real harm in the Flyers signing Dvorak for the season. It is going to be very interesting to see what kind of season he puts together for Philly in 2025-26 from here.
When the Ottawa Senators signed Lars Eller this summer, GM Steve Staios knew he'd landed another well-regarded, steady NHL veteran for his collection. Eller has long been respected around the league as a reliable, detail-oriented forward capable of playing in the bottom-six forward group, bringing veteran poise and Stanley Cup-winning experience.
But when training camp opened earlier this month, Eller wasn’t available, still recovering from off-season abdominal surgery. The absence was frustrating for a player who was, no doubt, anxious to show his new team that there are plenty of miles left on that 36-year-old body of his.
Now, on day eight of camp on Thursday, Eller was finally skating with his new teammates at 100 percent and participated fully in all drills for the first time as a Senator.
“It felt great,” Eller said after his first full session with the team. “I’ve been missing getting some contact and getting up to speed, so I’ve been slowly ramping up to this point today, and it was good to be out there with the guys and actually participating 100 percent. It’s never fun watching on the sidelines, so a good step forward today, and I feel good about where I’m at at this stage.”
Eller is generally seen as the Sens' probable replacement for Adam Gaudette, who mainly played at fourth-line center last season and posted a career-high 19 goals. After Gaudette signed with the San Jose Sharks over the summer, Eller isn't likely to come in now and replicate that number of goals, but in fairness, if Gaudette had stayed, he probably wouldn't have either. Meanwhile, Eller is bigger and faster and will probably produce just as many points.
Oh, yes. And Eller also brings the tasty intangible of another Cup ring into the room.
Now that he's feeling better, the next challenge for Eller is not just getting his fitness up, but also mastering Ottawa’s systems and tactics, and the finer details of how the team wants to play.
“Yeah, the last couple of days we’ve been going over some video, watching, but the best thing is going out there and learning the systems by doing it and maybe making some adjustments along the way,” Eller said. “So now we’re getting up to that point where I can participate in the drills and learn by doing. They’ve been good at communicating with me and taking the time I need to get up to speed with things. I’m sure we’re going to be doing more of that the next week or so.”
As for when Sens fans might see him in a game, Eller says there’s no firm date circled.
“I think this step right now is you want to be fully participating in practice, which was the first day today, and you probably need a little more of that before you play in a game.
"We haven’t put a timetable on that, but it’s probably not too far away.”
While the timing remains uncertain, what is clear is Eller’s impression of his new teammates — and his role in helping them take the next step.
“Young and hungry, determined, they’re passionate and they’re willing to learn and put in the work so there’s a good energy in the room, I would say,” Eller said. “I just look forward to being a part of that, helping where I can, and trying to get the best out of our young players, make the next step, and I try to set the bar for all of those things as a veteran player. I pull everybody in the same direction.”
For the Senators, having Eller healthy and fully up to speed will be a welcome addition. The guy is a proven commodity who knows how to win and how to lead. Those are nice assets for a team with bigger goals now than just making the playoffs.
Mike Sullivan and the New York Rangers have a plan for how he wants to utilize Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick.
Over the past two seasons, Quick has provided a steady backup presence for Shesterkin, helping revive his NHL career.
Since Quick’s arrival, Shesterkin started 55 games during the 2023-24 season and 61 games during the 2024-25 season.
Meanwhile, Quick started 27 games during the 2023-24 campaign and 24 games during the 2024-25 campaign.
With Sullivan entering New York, will he balance out these two goalies’ workload in the same manner that Peter Laviolette did?
Sullivan emphasized the importance of utilizing both goalies in order to get the most out of them.
He also understands that the NHL is changing in terms of balancing out workloads between two goalies, and Sullivan is prepared to adapt to that new mantra.
“We have an idea of what the workload should be in order to set up both guys for success,” Sullivan said. “Here's what I'll tell you, in today's game, it's hard to go wire-to-wire with one goaltender. The second goalie is required.
“We think in Shesty and Quickie, we’ve got two really solid guys. I think they can be complementary with one another. We're going to try to set both guys up for success, because ultimately that sets the Rangers up for success… I think for those reasons, it makes sense to make sure we have an eye on the workload and we manage it appropriately.”
For years, Sullivan had to deal with faulty goaltending play with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but with Shesterkin and Quick by his side, he shouldn’t have to worry about that issue any longer.
ST. PAUL, Minn - The Minnesota Wild (1-0-1) is back in action tonight for its first preseason game at home and the first unofficial game in the new Grand Casino Arena. They play host to the Dallas Stars (2-0-0).
Minnesota is bring a pretty heavy NHL lineup with some normal line combinations that we could see to start the season so it will be interesting to follow as preseason continues.
Jesper Wallstedt will get the start tonight and play in two periods for Minnesota. Samuel Hlavaj will get the third period. Casey DeSmith is projected to start for the Stars as they aren't bringing any of their big guns to town.
Wild Projected Lines
Kirill Kaprizov - Marco Rossi - Matt Boldy
Liam Ohgren - Danila Yurov - Vladimir Tarasenko
Ben Jones - Hunter Haight - Vinnie Hinostroza
Riley Heidt - Bradley Marek - Brett Leason
Defense:
Zeev Buium - Brock Faber
Jake Middleton - David Jiricek
Jack Johnson - Ben Gleason
Starting Goaltender: Jesper Wallstedt
Scratched: Elliot Desnoyers, Mike Koster
Stars Projected Lines
Adam Erne - Wyatt Johnston - Mavrik Bourque
Oscar Bäck - Radek Faksa - Colin Blackwell
Antonio Stranges - Justin Hryckowian - Nathan Bastian
Angus MacDonnell - Arttu Hyry - Jack Becker
Defense:
Lian Bichsel - Ilya Lyubushkin
Vladislav Kolyachonok - Alex Petrovic
Tristian Bertucci - Christian Kyrou
Starting Goaltender: Casey DeSmith
Scratched: None
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As the Detroit Red Wings celebrate their centennial season in the National Hockey League, their goal remains the same - it's time to bring the Stanley Cup Playoffs to Little Caesars Arena for the first time.
Dylan Larkin, who is entering his 11th season in the NHL, was only a rookie in 2015-16 when the Red Wings last earned a postseason berth in what was the second-to-last campaign played at historic Joe Louis Arena.
A new wave of Red Wings talent has emerged in recent years led by Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, two of the most impactful Draft selections of general manager Steve Yzerman's tenure.
Earlier in the week, forward Andrew Copp said that he feels the time is now for the Red Wings to make the playoffs, a sentiment echoed by Seider.
"Obviously, we have to come out ready with a good start and do everything that's in our power to get there," Seider said following Thursday's practice. "Other than that, eventually you have to put it out there to hopefully achieve it. It should be our goal to get into the playoffs for the first time in a very long time."
Looking too far ahead in one's season can ultimately prove to be a distraction from the immediate task at hand for the Red Wings, which is getting off to a better star this season than they did last season.
"We have to take it step by step and not look too far ahead, just focus on the pre-season games and get off to a good start with Todd (McLellan) here," Seider said. "We'll see how the season goes."
Seider, who will be playing in his fifth NHL campaign, believes that his first Training Camp under McLellan was more detail oriented.
"I think that we've always had good camps, we were always really prepared," he said of his previous Training Camps from 2021 through 2024. "Maybe it was a bit more demanding and a bit louder. Todd takes his time to really detail it out there, and I think he does a really good job with it. I think we're really prepared."
Unlike many NHL players who stay engaged by watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs even though their team isn't participating, Seider isn't one of them.
"I'm not a huge fan of it - the anger and bitterness sits a little bit, I don't really want to watch anything," he said of watching the playoffs from home. "It's kind of my way to go about it."
HERSHEY, Pa. — The Flyers’ roster evaluation picked up Thursday night as the team suffered a 5-1 preseason loss to the Capitals at Giant Center, the home of Washington’s AHL affiliate.
Jacob Gaucher provided the Flyers’ lone goal, which whittled the Capitals’ lead to 3-1 in the second period.
But Washington countered with a goal just 1:07 minutes into the third period and later added one more for good measure.
“I don’t know if there are any guys that played well,” Rick Tocchet said. “That’s OK, though. Third game, two-, three-hour bus ride. There are some factors to it. I’ll probably have to give these guys off the ice tomorrow, to give them some rest. It was just a tough night for a lot of guys. That’s going to happen.”
• Rodrigo Abols knows that stringing together consistent performances will be his ticket to staying with the Flyers.
Tocchet and management decided to make Abols the only skater to play in all three preseason games so far. The head coach definitely wanted to see if the big forward could sustain his effectiveness from a strong opener.
“There’s some good stuff there,” Tocchet said. “I think there are things to work with going forward.”
The 29-year-old continued to make his case for the season-opening roster. In the second period, Abols and Nicolas Deslauriers had a hard-working shift pay off on Gaucher’s goal.
“You could feel it, I’m not going to lie, you could feel it was the third game in five nights,” Abols said. “But I think that’s where I’ve got to learn to pick my spots and put myself in good positions — not cheat for offense, not get stuck out there. But I think I managed that pretty well.”
Derek Souders/NBC Sports Philadelphia
• The Flyers dressed Alex Bump, Nikita Grebenkin and Jett Luchanko, three of their top young roster hopefuls.
Bump saw a showcase with Travis Konecny and Noah Cates. He nearly made the Capitals pay for a turnover in the first period when he rung iron on a blast.
But the 21-year-old winger was unable to crack the scoresheet. Grebenkin and Luchanko couldn’t get much going offensively on the Flyers’ second line.
“It’s hard to evaluate, I think the overall team looked really tired,” Tocchet said. “We looked tired tonight, you could tell. Even, like, a six-foot pass was tough for us tonight. We’ve got to just stick with it and we’ve got to refresh it a little bit.”
The 28-year-old played the first period and converted eight saves on nine shots. He did a nice job tracking pucks through traffic.
The goal he allowed was on a Washington power play after Noah Juulsen, who’s trying to win a job on defense, was whistled for kneeing. The shot was a laser from the circle by Andrew Cristall.
Aleksei Kolosov, who has played in all three exhibition games, stopped 16 of 20 shots over the final two periods. The Capitals’ third goal was a leaky one for Kolosov as a loose puck snuck through his legs.
Washington’s fourth marker came at shorthanded. Jack Nesbitt had a turnover near the Flyers’ offensive blue line that led directly to Connor McMichael’s breakaway tally.
The 23-year-old Kolosov entered with 27 saves on 30 shots through his first two preseason outings.
• A lot of bubble defensemen suited up for the Flyers.
Helge Grans was one of them and had a tough moment in rush coverage during the second period. Ivan Miroshnichenko beat Grans to the outside on his way to the net for the Capitals’ 2-0 goal.
Dennis Gilbert had a painful blocked shot in the second period. He has played the part when it comes to a reliable sixth or seventh defenseman.
Adam Ginning committed a first-period penalty but also made a heads-up defensive play not long after to help prevent a goal. He picked up an assist on Gaucher’s goal.
• The Flyers trimmed their roster to 42 players with 10 cuts Thursday afternoon.
Oscar Eklind was placed on waivers for the purpose of reporting to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.
Samu Tuomaala, Massimo Rizzo, Tucker Roberston, Cooper Marody, Garrett Wilson, Zayde Wisdom, Sawyer Boulton, Keith Petruzzelli and Yaniv Perets were sent to the Phantoms.
• The Flyers are back in preseason action Saturday when they host the Bruins at 5 p.m. ET.
The Seattle Kraken defeated an Edmonton Oilers roster that featured Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard and starting goaltender Stuart Skinner 4-1 in their third pre-season game.
The Kraken got the scoring started in the first period despite minimal efforts on goal, but they never felt like the game was ever getting away from them.
Jagger Firkus tapped in a power play goal on a rebound, and Logan Morrison scored his first of the pre-season, before Ben Meyers and Jani Nyman scored insurance markers in the third period. Joey Daccord and Nikke Kokko turned away 24 of the 25 shots they faced.
Here are three standout performers from last night's win:
Tyson Jugnauth
The 21-year-old blueliner took part in his first pre-season game of the season and fit in perfectly. He recorded 18:13 of ice time, and despite not recording any points, Jugnauth looked comfortable with the puck on his stick and in the defensive zone.
His defensive skills were put to the test on several occasions, including defending consecutive 2-on-1s that featured McDavid, the world's best hockey player. Jugnauth stayed calm and composed, deflecting a pass by Draisaitl intended for McDavid and then later forcing Ekholm into a weak shot and negating any passing lane to send the puck to McDavid.
In the third period, Jugnauth defended a 3-on-1, once again deflecting a pass before the Oilers could get off a Grade A chance.
Firkus is a point producer, and he has been throughout his entire junior career and in the early stages of his pro career. Last night, we got a glimpse of how Firkus can leave his imprint on hockey games.
The power play goal capped off the strong performance, but the 21-year-old was making nifty passes and was eager to get the puck into high-danger scoring areas. He finished the game with a goal and three shots on target in 14:39 of ice time.
Ben Meyers and Logan Morrison
Meyers and Morrison each finished with a goal and an assist in last night's game, and the duo looked like they fit in at the NHL level. They each filled the score sheet and were effective offensive chance creators throughout the game.
Meyers finished with two shots on goal, four hits and two blocks in 17:10 of ice time, while Morrison put up three shots on goal, one hit and one block in 13:21 of ice time. Meyers and Morrison are likely on the outside looking in for an NHL roster spot, but with the injuries the Kraken are facing, the pair have moved up the depth chart and could be one of the first names called up from the AHL to start the season.
Honorable mention to Oscar Fisker Molgaard, who has come as advertised in his first two pre-season games. The 20-year-old has two assists, but his attention to detail and defensive acumen have been noticeable. If he can carry the momentum into the start of the AHL season, Fisker Molgaard could see some NHL action towards the tail end of the season.
Despite the comments he made at the end of his tenure, John Tortorella insists he never quit on the Philadelphia Flyers... or anything else, for that matter.
Tortorella, 67, was fired by the Flyers on March 27, just two days after a 7-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs that prompted the veteran coach to say, "I'm not really interested in learning how to coach in this type of season, where we're at right now."
But, Tortorella wanted to set the record straight on why he said what he said. In his eyes, he didn't want to become the guy who lets everyone off easy at the end of the year because they're miles off a playoff position.
“It was kind of weird for me, getting fired with nine games left. It really surprised me. [General manager Danny Briere] and I did have some disagreements on discipline of a player, had some disagreements the last few weeks of that season," Tortorella told Nick Cotsonika of NHL.com. "I loved coaching them."
One such incident of discipline handed down by Tortorella was the benching of Cam York during that game against the Maple Leafs, when the 24-year-old's night ended after just eight shifts and 3:50 of ice time.
York was benched by interim head coach Brad Shaw for the entirety of the following game for disciplinary purposes, too, but then things eventually blew over.
“I’ve seen teams be really good playing out a season when it means nothing. You’re relaxed. I’ve seen players play better," added Tortorella. "I don’t want to be that guy. It was out of respect to my team that I was not doing a good job. I wasn’t. Do I think I should have got fired for it? No, but I have too much respect for those players to kick the hell out of them right to the bitter end.
“It was the right thing to do by Danny [to sell at the deadline]. They’re doing it the right way, and I was on board with that. But it’s hard. It’s hard for those guys, and that’s what I was trying to say after Toronto.”
With his team falling out of playoff position two seasons in a row, Tortorella had to cope with the departures of players like Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, Scott Laughton, and Sean Walker ahead of the last two NHL trade deadlines.
The key difference from 2024 to 2025 was that in 2025, the Flyers were never particularly close to the postseason and ultimately finished with the fourth-worst record in the NHL.
Tortorella also assured Cotsonika he wants to coach again, regardless of what others think of how things ended with the Flyers.
“Do I want to coach again? Yeah. I heard a couple NHL coaches accuse me [of quitting on the team]. Did I quit on the team after those comments I made in Toronto? I haven’t quit on a [bleeping] thing in my life. Those comments were totally taken out of [context]," Tortorella said.
“Listen, I don’t think I explained myself totally correctly, either. But I miss it already. I miss preparing [for] camp. I miss the camaraderie of camp. Yeah, I want to coach, so we’ll see what happens.”
The gruff coach's next opportunity at the NHL level will have to wait, as all of the offseason vacancies have been filled in between his dismissal from the Flyers and now.
In the interim, Tortorella will be coaching the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, where he'll be joined by new New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan, Minnesota Wild head coach John Hynes, and Rangers assistant coach David Quinn.
The Montreal Canadiens will be playing their third preseason game tonight, and Martin St-Louis is pulling no punches. For the first time, he’s going to be icing his full projected top six, his top defensive pairing, starter Samuel Montembeault, and Jacob Fowler.
That means that on Thursday night, against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kirby Dach is going to see his first real action since sustaining yet another knee injury in February. There were rumours of setbacks this summer, and then, when camp started, he only took part in one of the three scrimmages, which of course prompted questions from the media. The coach said that there was a plan and he was sticking to it, before adding that Dach would see some preseason action.
Asked what he thought about the big center so far at Camp, the pilot explained:
I think he’s really involved and intense. Now it’s time to play the game tonight, take one shift at a time, and make the plays the game calls for. Please get back into the swing of things, but we’ll continue to evaluate and stick to the plan we have for him. […] I wouldn’t call it a leash. I think Dacher is in a better place. He did things differently this summer, and I think he’s further along. So I think he will be more ready to get going right away.
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Turns out it’s time for that action now. While the bench boss said Dach was penciled in as the second-line center this season, he still needs to see what the Albertan center can offer and if some chemistry can bloom between him, Patrik Laine, and Ivan Demidov. Needless to say, everyone will be keeping an eye on that line when the puck drops on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, the Leafs have opted for a lineup that doesn’t include any of their marquee names, such as Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and Morgan Rielly. However, they are bringing along promising prospects Easton Cowan and Matias Maccelli, who might find their way into a top-six role. Former Hab Max Domi, who’s dealing with a lower-body injury, won’t be part of the roster, but there will be one former Canadien: Micheal Pezzetta. Cedric Pare, who injured Laine last year, will not be in the lineup.
As for the bottom of the Canadiens' lineup, it will include two interesting young lines: Filip Mesar, Vinzenz Rohrer, and Joshua Roy will be skating together, while Florian Xhekaj will center Jared Davidson and Luke Tuch. It will be another opportunity for these young players to showcase their abilities.
On the blueline, David Reinbacher, who had a tough outing Tuesday, will be paired with Kaiden Guhle while Lane Hutson has a day off. Ryan O’Rourke and Nate Clurman will complete the defense corps.
It will be interesting to see if the Cola Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky line can perform as well as they did on Tuesday night. At practice on Thursday morning, Slafkovsky was wearing a full cage following the skate to the face he took in the game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The puck drop is set for 7:00 PM, and this is the second-to-last home exhibition game. On Saturday, the Canadiens will face the Leafs again, this time in Toronto, before taking on the Ottawa Senators on September 30 in Quebec City and playing them again in Montreal on October 4.
While the odds of making a loaded championship-caliber lineup are long, Atro Leppänen is making a name for himself early in the preseason with the Edmonton Oilers.
Fresh off a record-setting season in Finland’s SM-Liiga, where he led all defensemen with 63 points, he is turning heads early in Edmonton Oilers training camp, and the Finnish defenseman is embracing the challenge of adapting to the NHL. He chose the Oilers -- a team with a tough lineup to crack -- and despite the hurdles, has aspirations to play in Edmonton.
Speaking with Leppänen after Wednesday's preseason loss to the Seattle Kraken, the defenseman shared his thoughts on adjusting to the pace of the NHL and his decision to join the Oilers.
“The speed is very fast compared to what I’m used to, but I’ve been able to move the puck well and play pretty solid defensively,” Leppänen said. "It's a little bit faster, but just to get used to a couple of shifts and then it's gone."
Leppänen, 26, signed with the Oilers in the spring after weighing options from multiple teams. “They reached out in the spring, and another team did as well,” he explained. “It was an intuition choice. The Oilers had good players and nice plays, so it was a pretty easy decision.” He also had some familiarity with the organization, having played with Finnish teammates who had connections to Edmonton.
Adjusting to the smaller North American ice surface hasn’t been a major hurdle. “Honestly, it hasn’t been that bad,” he said. "I think, pretty fast and well, and the forecheck is harder. They check and hit harder, but just move the puck, and guys are good that you play with."
Leppänen's Path to the NHL Has Been An Interesting One
Leppänen's recent strides towards a shot at the NHL seem all the more impressive when you consider where he's come from. He recounted the challenges of balancing hockey with odd jobs during his younger years. “I worked in factories and even in a museum, watching the paintings,” he said with a laugh. "Nobody touched the painting. Yeah, that was my job.“
He said he had no interest in anything beyond hockey. "I mean, I was pretty young and had no really interest in going to school, yet I didn't really have anything that I else that I wanted to do. So why not just play? It wasn't really that hard of a decision, I wasn't thinking about too much about quitting and stuff like that most of the time. So it was just to play and had nothing else to do. So why not?"
His hard work has paid off. The defenseman signed a one-year deal with the Oilers, and while his immediate path might lead him to the AHL, head coach Kris Knoblauch didn't rule out a scenario where Leppänen could get NHL games.
Knoblauch said when asked where Leppänen might fit on a team that seemingly has no spots, that he is looking for the best player at every position. That message seems to have been passed on to Leppänen, who isn't done fighting for a spot on the roster. When asked if he was used to fighting, he suggested that was a strong choice of words, even hinting that battling might not be the best description.
Still, he gets the notion he's going to have to stand out to earn a spot.
When asked, "Why did you like some guys would pick a team that's easier to make, it's hard team to make two Stanley Cups in a row... Did you think about that?" He responded, "So I'm kind of used to it, and it's just kind of grind it out." He added, "I mean, it's definitely a tough lineup to crack. I think, I think there's a chance."
Leppänen Seems Appreciative Of The Opportunity
Leppänen credited the coaching staff for their guidance. “They’ve been very positive, telling me to keep moving the puck and playing my style. That’s what I plan to do,” he said.
I specifically brought up how much he's playing thus far in preseason, getting several games in a row and big minutes in those games. Was this something he wanted to keep doing, taking as many opportunities as would be tossed his way? “I mean, sure, the more you play, I think even, it can be a little bit more exhausting, but you get the feel for the game, and you can get a little bit of flow going. So it's, I think it's easier to more you play, kind of easier to go."
"I think just kind of once in a lifetime chance to come, and if you get it, get the opportunity. Just gotta take it."
Beauchesne, a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, was at Penguins' training camp for a week before getting cut. Before that, he participated in the Prospects Challenge and was one of the Penguins' best prospects in those three games. He showcased his fluid skating, snarl, and ability to break the puck out of his zone with ease.
Those traits can definitely translate to the NHL, but he still needs to keep developing, and the Penguins don't want to rush him. He finished last season with six goals and 24 points in 49 games with the Storm, and will be an assistant captain for them this year.
He's a prospect that a lot of fans should keep an eye on this year. The Penguins may have gotten a steal in the fifth round.
The Penguins will return to practice on Friday, and it's expected to be a special day, as Marc-Andre Fleury will practice with the team before his sendoff on Saturday night.
Utah Mammoth goaltender Connor Ingram is among seven players placed on NHL waivers Thursday afternoon.
Ingram, along with Philadelphia Flyers left winger Oscar Eklind and the Ottawa Senators' Hunter Shepard, Cameron Crotty, Wyatt Bongiovanni, Xavier Bourgault and Garrett Pilon are on waivers.
If these players clear waivers by 2 p.m. ET on Friday, they're eligible to be sent to the minors. That said, the rest of the league has a chance to claim them.
Ingram, 28, and the Mammothplan to mutually part ways. He has not been part of Utah's training camp despite being cleared to play by the NHL and NHLPA's Player Assistance Program on Aug. 20.
"We'll at some point in time put him through waivers, and through that process, he will either get a chance to play for another NHL team, or he will go to an (AHL) team," Armstrong told reporters last week. "But at the end of the day, he will be playing, and that's what we're so excited for."
Ingram played 22 games last season before entering the NHL/NHLPA program on March 9. He put up a 9-8-4 record, 3.27 goals-against average and .882 save percentage.
In 2023-24 with the Arizona Coyotes, Ingram took over starting duties with 50 games played, a 23-21-3 record, 2.91 GAA, .907 SP and six shutouts. He received the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy that season.
Arizona had claimed Ingram off waivers from the Nashville Predators in October 2022. He did play one game for the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners last season but otherwise last played in that league in 2021-22 with the Predators' affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.
Ingram is in the final campaign of a three-year contract with a $1.95-million cap hit.
The other six players on the waiver wire spent most, if not all, of last season in the AHL.
Eklind, 27, played his first season in North America last year after working through the junior, second-tier and first-tier Swedish men's leagues. He had five goals and 17 assists for 22 points in 64 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the Flyers' affiliate. He's on a one-year contract worth $800,000.
Senators goaltender Shepard, 29, had played all of his professional career in the Washington Capitals' system, backstopping the Hershey Bears to two Calder Cup championships in 2022-23 and 2023-24. He was named the AHL's playoff MVP in 2022-23 and the best goaltender in 2023-24. He put up a 23-11-4 record with a 2.80 GAA and .891 SP in 39 games for the Bears, along with a 2-5-0 record in the playoffs. He has five games of NHL experience and signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 with Ottawa this off-season.
Crotty, a 26-year-old defenseman, captained the Iowa Wild, AHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, last season. He had 10 assists and 56 penalty minutes in 64 games. In 2017-18, he was part of the Boston University team that was Hockey East champions in the NCAA. The Coyotes drafted him 82nd overall in 2017, and he's played two career NHL games. The Sens signed the Ottawa native to a two-year, two-way contract worth $812,500 annually.
Bongiovanni, a 26-year-old forward who can play center or on the wing, put up 22 goals and 11 assists for 33 points in 54 games for the Belleville Senators last season. He's on a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000.
Bourgault, 22, played his first season with Belleville last year after being traded in a package that sent Roby Jarventie to the Edmonton Oilers. The 2021 22nd overall pick by Edmonton recorded 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points in 61 games. The right winger is on a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000.
Pilon, 27, captained the B-Sens last season and recorded 11 goals and 37 assists for 48 points in 68 games. He won the Calder Cup with Hershey in 2022-23 and has played three career NHL games. He's in the second campaign of a two-year, two-way contract worth $775,000.
Expect many more names to hit the NHL waiver wire over the next two weeks as teams trim their training camp rosters.
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The Philadelphia Flyers have announced 10 further cuts to their training camp roster ahead of Thursday night's preseason game against the Washington Capitals, but some names were more surprising than others.
Generally speaking, the AHL players who were cut were, by all accounts, expected to be next on the chopping block, with many not even appearing in a preseason game.
Forwards Sawyer Boulton, Cooper Marody, Garrett Wilson, and Zayde Wisdom were all cut Thursday, alongside goalies Keith Petruzzelli and and Yaniv Perets.
Oscar Eklind, who was signed as a free agent ahead of last season, was placed on waivers with the intention of being assigned to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Then came the surprises, although it's a relative term.
Forward prospects Samu Tuomaala, Tucker Robertson (acquired in the J.R. Avon trade), and Massimo Rizzo were all included in this set of roster cuts, and Tuomaala was the only one who managed to appear in a preseason game.
The 22-year-old played in Sunday night's 3-2 shootout win over the New York Islanders, recording one shot on goal in 13:13 of ice time and missing his shootout attempt.
Tuomaala's early exclusion, along with the others, is a surprise in the sense that he is fairly experienced at the professional level and hardly had a chance to make an impression in the preseason.
But, on that note, sometimes the question reveals more than the answer, and Tuomaala's lack of an impression is the impression in itself.
Fortunately, the Finn isn't exposed to waivers and will remain in the Flyers organization, but it just got that much harder to envision him playing any sort of role for the Flyers in the future.
The fact that players like Devin Kaplan and Alexis Gendron lasted longer in training camp than Tuomaala says a lot about his prospects of an NHL future in Philadelphia.
As for Robertson and Rizzo, those players are/were more upside dart-throws than anything, but they are clearly on the outside looking in at this point and may end up career AHLers in the absence of meaningful preseason action.
It is a measure of his astonishing NHL playing career that Hockey Hall of Famer Martin St-Louis will never be able to top his on-ice feats, including winning a Stanley Cup championship with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2014.
But in three-and-a-half years coaching the Montreal Canadiens, St-Louis has delivered some phenomenal results, including an unlikely playoff berth last year.
So the question arises – what in heaven’s sake does St-Louis do for an encore?
He’s done as well as just about anyone could as the Canadiens continue their rebuild from the foundations, but St-Louis has raised the competitive bar for his team as they head into the 2025-26 regular season.
Without a doubt, it would be devastating for the Canadiens if they slipped a bit and missed out on a post-season berth this year. BetMGM gave the Canadiens better odds of making the playoffs (1.80, -125) than missing out (2.00, +100), after all.
But everybody knows that progress isn’t always linear. Sometimes a backward step or lateral move is what's necessary to create a team that can handle adversity and thrive in the face of it. That may wind up being true for St-Louis and this generation of Canadiens players, but not if they can help it.
Last year at this time, the expectations on Montreal was that it should be aiming for some sort of step forward. In fact, on Nov. 4, 2024, the Habs were tied for the fewest points in the NHL, and it looked like they were making no progress at all under St-Louis.
Few pundits had the Habs as a playoff team, so St-Louis more than earned his salary when he steered them to a first-round playoff appearance.
But here’s where the increased expectations come in for this season: a playoff appearance and another quick exit – like the one the Canadiens had last spring at the hands of the Washington Capitals – will not be seen as a positive for Montreal. To be sure, nothing short of a first-round win will be seen as progress for the Habs this year. And at a point in time where NHL coaches are fired on an alarmingly-regular basis, St-Louis can only assure himself of job security if he has some tangible type of progress to show for it.
What can St-Louis do for an encore? Well, a first-round series win would be another terrific achievement for him. Or a seven-game series loss in the first round would be understandable if, say, the Canadiens lost the deciding game in a close matchup.
The bottom line would be the same – the Habs don’t yet have a team that can win home-ice advantage in the highly competitive Atlantic Division – but making them tougher in every regard would be something St-Louis could point to as an indication he’s got the Canadiens on the right path.
The rest of the Atlantic – and the NHL – won’t hand the Habs a playoff spot this year or any year. Montreal is going to have to earn that. But under St-Louis' guidance, the Canadiens overachieved last season, and making the playoffs is now the expectation, not a pleasant surprise. There’s no evidence to declare they can’t do it again.
If they actually do it again and then win a round, St-Louis’ impact on the Habs will be all the more impressive.
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He's the latest player to miss a skate during camp. Already, Toronto has had Max Domi, Nicolas Roy, and Simon Benoit held off the ice at one point during camp. However, when asked about Nylander after practice, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube poured cold water on whatever's going on with the forward.
"Just maintenance," the head coach said. "Camp kind of stuff. Get a little banged up, but he's fine."
We'll find out on Friday morning if there's anything to worry about. Nylander has been fairly healthy over the course of his NHL career. The 29-year-old has played three straight 82-game seasons and hasn't been out of the lineup — aside from the 2024 playoffs — since April 4, 2022, against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Nylander began camp alongside his usual center, John Tavares, and Bobby McMann, who has played on the line before. With McMann headed to Montreal to play against the Canadiens later on Thursday, Tavares skated with Nick Robertson and Calle Jarnkrok on his wings at practice.
Maple Leafs non-playing group lines at practice:
Knies - Matthews - Domi Robertson - Tavares - Jarnkrok Barbolini - Roy - Valis Boyd - Haymes - A. Nylander
Rielly - Carlo McCabe - Tanev Ekman-Larsson - Danford Smith - Prokop
Max Domi and Nicolas Roy skated with the non-playing group on Thursday. After dealing with injuries (both lower-body ailments) early on in camp, Domi may get into Saturday's game at home against Montreal. He skated with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies at practice.
"I mean, there's a chance [he could play]. I don't know for sure right now," Berube said. "But he could possibly."
The only other injured player is Simon Benoit. The defenseman hasn't skated with the team since Sept. 19 and is dealing with an upper-body injury. Benoit skated before the two groups on Wednesday, but didn't get on the ice on Thursday.
"That was the plan," Berube said. "He'll be on the ice tomorrow."
Benoit was paired with Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the first day of training camp after the two were a duo for most of last season. Benoit played 78 games last year, scoring one goal and nine assists while averaging 16:33 of ice time.
Derek Souders/NBC Sports Philadelphia
