I recently wrote an article for the main page of The Hockey News in which I looked at all seven Canadian teams and ranked them by who had the best chance to bring a Stanley Cup back home to Canada. Call it bias or a logical argument that the Edmonton Oilers still have the best shot; several fans called me out for ranking Edmonton at the top, followed closely by the Montreal Canadiens. 

Most seemed to agree it was a two-horse race, but did I get the order backward?

In the piece I wrote the following about the Canadiens:

Montreal could certainly be the top Canadian team this season. They’ve done almost everything right, and their run in 2025-26 has them pegged as a team of the future. They went from a rebuilding team just a few years ago to the NHL's youngest conference finalist in 33 years.

-

I noted that the pieces they have under team-friendly contracts are impressive. Lane Hutson, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Ivan Demidov make them a team to contend with. Jakub Dobes had a breakout season as well. 

Here is what I said about the Oilers:

Even though they took a step backward in 2025-26, no Canadian team is closer to the mountaintop than the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers still have two of the best players in the world. They’ve got an excellent scoring defenseman, some solid depth, and they made changes this summer that should improve the team.

-

I did suggest that Mike Babcock as their new head coach was a wildcard added to their season. 

Did I Get It Wrong?

Several of the comments suggested I wasn't giving Montreal enough credit for how good they are, while also overvaluing an Oilers team who got knocked out in the first round and is now one year older. 

Comments included: "...the Canadiens are closer to Cup contention than the fading Oilers. Montreal is more balanced team in offense (Habs can at least count on two lines not two players) and Montreal at least has better defense. Montreal goaltending is above average for now but for Edmonton its a liability."

Another wrote, "Edmonton ahead of Montreal is a definite head-scratcher, as Montreal is an ascending team and the Oilers went the other direction. The Oilers still have McDavid and Draisaitl, but what major move was made to move the needle ?"

Another added, "No disrespect to the Oilers, but their window is closing fast. Habs were a top team in the toughest division and went further against other favored top teams. Oilers had a mid season in a mid division and got bounced first round. None of this was a fluke."

There were some other comments in there not worth addressing, but the point was clear. 

There are many who think the Canadiens are progressing to the point where they're the better Canadian team and the Oilers are still good, but not the best. 

Oilers GM Drops Hint on Next Roster Move — And Babcock Could Be the Deciding FactorStan Bowman believes he knows what he wants to add during the season, but admitted Mike Babcock’s new system could determine the team's next move.

I'm Sticking With My Original Assessment

After considering the takes and revisiting my ranking, I'm still bullish on the idea that the Oilers sit atop the list of Canadian teams. I'll admit it's close, but there are a few reasons I think this. 

First, injuries were a huge factor for the Oilers during the 2025-26 playoffs. It's going to sound like an excuse, but Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman and others weren't 100 percent. McDavid was particularly affected by an issue early in the series with Anaheim and had these players been healthy, it's hard to know where the Oilers would have finished. 

Second, the series between Carolina and Montreal opened my eyes a bit regarding how far the Canadiens might still need to go. That series was as lopsided as a series can be, with Montreal failing to pivot when that play shifted. One of the more elite offensive teams couldn't score, and they were badly outshot. The Hurricanes were relentless and eventually won the Stanley Cup, but it was a bit of a wake-up call for the Canadiens. 

Third, there's a different mentality for the Oilers and Canadiens that shouldn't be overlooked. Frankly, it's a sense of desperation on the part of the Oilers that might be the difference-maker this season.

Fans argued that Edmonton's window is closing. I don't totally agree, but I will admit that the core is getting older. What matters is how motivated that core is because they've tried everything, gotten so close, and they know that there's only so much time left with this particular group. They've already lost Darnell Nurse. They don't want to lose anyone else before they win it all. Because of this desperation, they went out on a limb and hired Babcock. There's no more coasting through the regular season for this team.

Meanwhile, the Canadiens have years to be good, and while they're driven, they may not be driven in the same way the Oilers are. 

To me, the two teams are close. The Canadiens are excellent and only getting better. The Oilers are still good, and I believe they got better during the summer. Last season was a blip that they're planning to rectify. 

Will the win the Stanley Cup? It's going to be a tough challenge. But, are they Canada's best shot at it? I believe they are, even if only by a slim margin. 

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Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin is among the highest-paid players in the NHL, and was a central figure in the club winning the Atlantic Division and advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Along with his performance for Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano - Cortina, the Sabres team captain finished with a career-high 74 points and third in voting for the Norris Trophy. 

In their annual raking of NHL defensemen, the 26-year-old was ranked fourth by NHL Network behind a trio of Norris winners, Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, and  Zach Werenski. Dahlin was selected first overall in 2018 and will be entering his ninth season this fall with Buffalo. Makar scored more than 20 goals for the third straight season with Colorado, Hughes had 78 points with Vancouver and Minnesota, and Werenski had 81 points and won the Norris last season. 

Other Sabres Stories

Sabres Emotionally Devastated By Game 7 Overtime Loss

Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars completed the top five, and some new blood vaulted into the top 10, with Lane Hutson, Mathew Schaefer, Jake Sanderson, and Moritz Seider ranked six through nine and Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers  ranked 10th for the second year in a row.

NHL Network's Top 20 Defensemen Right Now list has a total of:
• 21 total All-Star Game appearances
• 11 All-Rookie team honors
• Seven Norris Trophies
• Seven Olympic Gold Medals
• Four Calder Trophies
• Two Conn Smythe Trophies
• Six Stanley Cups

What do you think of… pic.twitter.com/lojAgF9y4V

— NHL Media (@NHLMedia) August 10, 2026

Dahlin’s offensive consistency will be put to the test even more next season, with the departure of Bowen Byram to Chicago. Owen Power had an excellent playoff, but has not put up big offensive numbers, and the additions on the blueline are not considered big point producers, so most of the onus will be on the Sabres team captain. 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo

As the dog days of the NHL offseason loom over, the Colorado Avalanche sit pretty well in their seat this summer. A majority of their offseason signings and roster moves were made right before and after free agency kicked off, and the roster seems pretty much set in stone for opening day, though one cloud looms over the horizon, and that's the Cale Makar extension.

During the end-of-season press conference, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager, Joe Sakic, said that he's confident "Cale is going to finish his career here". While there is still time for that deal to take place, everyone has been theorizing what his asking price is. Will he reset the defensemen market? Will he take the maximum amount possible? 

Though there is one question that not many are asking enough, and it's a sign that is showing this summer in terms of contract extensions and signings: how long will Makar sign for?

Insider Questions: Length And Timing Of Looming Extension

NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman was on NHL Tonight on August 7th, and when asked about Makar’s extension and its current status—how much he's looking for and for how long—this is what he had to say.

Elliotte Friedman: Re Cale Makar negotiations/Avalanche: Does Makar really want eight years? I don't know that he's gonna want to do eight years - NHL Tonight (8/7)

— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) August 10, 2026

With one season remaining on his original six-year, $54 million contract, which carries a $9 million AAV, it's obviously a top priority to get a deal done now before the season rolls on and Makar continues to do what he does best. Another season in which he ends up as a potential Norris Trophy candidate and is the team's top scorer certainly helps his case for what he's asking for.

With the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) taking effect Sept. 16, the maximum length of a contract when extending their own players will now be seven years, not eight, which the Avalanche want to capitalize on to ensure Makar is locked up for as long as possible.

Not only is AAV an issue, but the term is also becoming a major factor, making the Sept. 16 deadline even more important for the Avalanche to get this deal done beforehand. When will it be done, and are there any updates on its progress? Here is what Friedman had to say;

"The Avalanche said that we are gonna get this done [with Makar]; I think one of the big questions about him is going to be term," Friedman said on the previously referenced NHL Tonight appearance.

Time is ticking for the Avalanche, but if you were in Makar’s shoes, obviously being with a Stanley Cup-contending team like the Avalanche is important, staying in a place that drafted you and won a Stanley Cup is ideal for any player while being able to secure the amount of money he is about to be paid. 

Though he is going to be 28 this year, and if you look around the NHL and how business is being dealt, is an eight-year contract really what Makar wants? 

The New State Of NHL Contracts Beginning To Bloom

We're at a time where the NHL is more profitable than ever, and with the salary cap blowing up every summer, it not only opens doors for more players to earn more money but also helps teams operate differently and get out of sticky cap situations, but it mainly shows how this new generation of players is going to be paid.

Look back years ago when star players in the league were signing their first major contract extension coming out of their ELC, and teams wanted to lock them up for the future. Major eight-year, double-digit contracts that set new standards for the league and what it's like to be a franchise/face-of-the-league player, and compare it to this summer.

The next generation of players, like Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, and Leo Carlsson, are making over 15 to 18 million a year. Yes, you can argue they absolutely earned that money with their play on the ice and the circumstances of the rise of the salary cap and how their teams are positioned to pay them, but the one thing you should notice is the term.

Comparing Macklin Celebrini's Contract With Sharks To Connor Bedard's With BlackhawksSan Jose Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini signed a monster deal, and it's comparable to Connor Bedard's new deal with the Chicago Blackhawks.

All of them signed a five-year deal (unlike Carlsson, who was offer-sheeted and signed a five-year deal), not the eight-year deal they could've signed for. Why? They left tens of millions of dollars on the table. It's because all of these guys will be in their mid-twenties when their deals expire and will probably be able to sign a contract worth over $20 million easily if they maintain their level of play and the team starts to get better.

Look at the position Makar is in: if he signs an eight-year deal, it would have him finish it in his mid-to-late 30s, likely closing in on maybe one more shorter contract before he retires. Though if he takes a shorter four-to-five-year contract, that would have him finish in his early-to-mid-30s and open the door to another longer contract after that.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Makar wants to remain an Avalanche for the rest of his career, but I think what's happening right now is that management wants to lock Makar into the last-chance eight-year deal while Makar is debating either signing that long deal or playing out two-to-three shorter-term contracts and seeing if management is willing to go that route.

The Avalanche Could Have A $4 Million Breakout On Their HandsAfter making an immediate impact in Colorado, Nicolas Roy has a chance to earn a new contract with the Avalanche by proving he can become a reliable middle-six force in 2026-27.

After a tough finish to the regular season, in which the Detroit Red Wings went 9-15-5 over their final 29 games and posted the third-worst offense in the league during that stretch, the team is looking to make major changes heading into season 101 for the franchise. 

With certain pieces failing to generate offense and injuries slowing momentum down the stretch, the Red Wings are returning with a distinctly different look, and it'll be a very different-looking offense on opening night.

For starters, contract years are expected to play a major role for a pair of key veterans. Defenceman Justin Faulk and centre Andrew Copp will both be looking to bring their best as they play for new deals. 

Faulk enters the season with a full off-season under his belt to get accustomed to life in Detroit after arriving via trade at last season's deadline, while Copp, who battled injuries a year ago that derailed what was shaping up to be a career campaign, will look to have his best season yet in the Winged Wheel and potentially reach new heights, including a possible first 50-point season.

The newcomers are also expected to bring a very different look to Detroit's attack. Viktor Arvidsson signed a two-year contract with the Red Wings on July 1 after posting 54 points on 25 goals and 29 assists in 69 games with the Boston Bruins last season, a bounce-back effort after being limited to 27 points in 67 games with the Edmonton Oilers the year before. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.

Arvidsson is projected to step into Detroit's second line alongside Alex DeBrincat and Andrew Copp, effectively taking over the spot vacated by Patrick Kane, who returned to the Chicago Blackhawks this past month.

For added grit and impact in the bottom six, Detroit also acquired Keegan Kolesar in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights on July 1. The 29-year-old provides stability in the bottom six and has shown some scoring touch, having recorded 12 goals for Vegas in 2024-25. 

Kolesar spent his entire seven-season NHL career in Vegas, helping the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup in 2023 and reach the Stanley Cup Final again last season. He racked up 270 hits last season, seventh-most in the NHL, and has piled up 1,416 hits since the start of 2020-21, fourth-most in the league over that span.

He may not offer the same offensive punch as some of Detroit's other additions, but his physical, hard-forechecking edge gives the Red Wings exactly the kind of bottom-six impact they were missing.

Rounding out the offensive makeover, Detroit is also banking on continued development from its young forwards, with Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard expected to push for full-time roles on the roster. 

Danielson, the former ninth overall pick back in the 2023 NHL Draft, posted seven points in 28 games as a rookie before a season-ending lower-body injury in February, and will look for a steadier role in his second full crack at the NHL. Brandsegg-Nygard, the 15th overall pick in 2024, made his NHL debut last season with one assist in 14 games and will look to build on that this year.

Taken together, it amounts to a substantially retooled offense for a team desperate to snap the longest active playoff drought in the NHL. Detroit's offense averaged just 2.91 goals per game last season, 22nd in the league, and with all the changes, the Red Wings are hoping this new-look attack can be the difference-maker in finally getting Hockeytown back into the postseason.

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Adam Fox ranked No. 13 on NHL Network’s top 20 defenseman list heading into the 2026-27 season. 

In 2025, Fox ranked No. 16 on the list, as he jumped three spots in the rankings this year. 

“He won the Norris one year, and then we kind of forget about him and say, well, he’s dipped, or he struggled a bit here,” former New Jersey Ken Daneyko said on the NHL Network. “But overall he’s been one of the best defensemen in the game the last six, seven years.”

The defensemen that rank ahead of Fox on this list are Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski, Rasmus Dahlin, Miro Heiskanen, Lane Hutson, Matthew Schaefer, Jake Sanderson, Moritz Seider, Evan Bouchard, Charlie McAvoy, and Jaccob Slavin. 

Despite missing 27 games during the 2025-26 season due to injury, the 28-year-old defenseman still recorded nine goals, 44 assists, and 53 points in 55 games, nearly averaging a point per game. 

Fox still operates as the lone defenseman on the new Yoek Rangers’ first power-play unit, while the addition of Vladislav Gavrikov last year has given the former Norris Trophy winner a reliable defensive partner.  

“We’ve been so blessed to see the young guys in the game come in and be wizards offensively like Lane Hutson, like a Matthew Schaefer, that someone that doesn’t have the flair, maybe the dynamic ability to them, that we sort of forget about them,” Thomas Hickey said on NHL Network. “And I think Fox is the forgotten player on this list.”

On Sunday, Aug. 2, the NHL Network released their list of “Top 20 Wings in the League Right Now” as the first in a nine-part series ranking top NHL players at each position and overall. Anaheim Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier cracked the list, coming in at #19, sandwiched between Lucas Raymond of the Detroit Red Wings at #20 and Brady Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers at #18.

NHL Network analyst Mike Rupp said of Gauthier, “He’s going to be in the ‘Rocket Richard’ conversation for years to come. He shoots the puck from absolutely everywhere.”

Could Cutter Gauthier Shift to Center for the 2026-27 Season?

Young Anaheim Ducks Players Who Could "Graduate" into Impactful NHL Roles in 2026-27

Atop the list were veteran names like Nikita Kucherov, David Pasternak, Kirill Kaprizov, and Mitch Marner at 1-4, respectively. Gauthier was the youngest player on NHL Network’s list. 

The 2025-26 season was Gauthier’s second full season in the NHL, one where he tallied 69 points (41-28=69) in 76 games, leading the Ducks in both points and goals en route to the franchise’s first playoff appearance in eight years and their first trip to the second round in nine. 

In the 2026 NHL Playoffs, Gauthier again led the Ducks in scoring with 12 points (4-8=12) in 12 games. They lost to the eventual Western Conference Champion Vegas Golden Knights in six games during their second-round series after defeating the reigning Conference Champion Edmonton Oilers in six games in the first round. 

Gauthier was originally a draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers (5th overall in 2022) and was acquired by Anaheim in Jan. 2024 in exchange for defenseman Jamie Drysdale (6th in ’20) and a 2025 second-round pick (Jack Murtagh). He made his NHL debut in the Ducks’ last game of the 2023-24 season and scored 44 points (20-24=44) in 82 games in his rookie year (2024-25), before breaking out as a sophomore. 

Rupp was completely correct in his evaluation of Gauthier’s biggest strength: his shot and his ability to get his shot off. Last season, Gauthier led the NHL in shot attempts per 60 minutes (25.58) by a significant margin, eclipsing second-place Dylan Guenther (23.14) by over two shot attempts/60. Gauthier finished second in the league in SOG/60 (12.95) and goals/60 (1.88) while his 41 goals were good enough to tie for 11th.

One can’t help but believe Gauthier is just scratching the surface of his goal-scoring potential, as he accomplished what he did in just his second professional season with the least TOI/G (17:15) and the third-lowest shooting percentage (14.4%) among the NHL’s top-25 goal-scorers. 

It’s also expected he’ll play a more significant role for the Ducks moving forward, and as he continues to develop, both at 5v5 and on special teams. He played just the fifth-most minutes among Ducks forwards at even strength (14:08 TOI /G) and on the power play (2:48 TOI/G) in 2025-26. 

He’s established himself as the NHL’s best young scorer and a cornerstone core piece of the present and future of the Anaheim Ducks organization. He’s currently without a contract and is projected to receive a sizable payday, preferably before the start of Anaheim’s 2026 training camp in Sept.

The Ducks are in a predicament where they will be forced to rely on the entirety of their youthful core (Leo Carlsson, Gauthier, Jackson LaCombe, Beckett Sennecke, Lukas Dostal) to take another considerable step in their progressions as star players at their respective positions. Gauthier provides the Ducks with the most difficult attribute to attain in the NHL (goal-scoring) and will be continuously relied on to provide the lineup with game-changing, instant offense for the foreseeable future.

NHL Prospect Pool Overview '26-27: Anaheim Ducks Have Plenty More On The Way

Anaheim Ducks Acquire AHL Forward Sean Farrell in Exchange for Sasha Pastujov

Anaheim Ducks Sign First-Round Pick Nikita Klepov to ELC

Outlook for the Anaheim Ducks Blueline, Losing Three Veteran Right Shots

The Top 25 countdown continues with Tristan Broz, who could be hoping to finally see an extended look in the NHL this season after health issues derailed plans to bring him up over the last two years.

Catch up on the previous entries for this year:

Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25: Graduates and Departed players in 2025
Top 25 Under 25: The best of the rest
#25: Chase Pietila
#24: Ryan Miller
#23: Finn Harding
#22: Peyton Kettles
#21: Zam Plante
#21: Brady Peddle
#20: Melvin Fernstrom
#19: Tanner Howe
#18: Tomas Galvas
#17: Pierce Mbuyi
#16: Jake Livanavage
#15: Owen Pickering

#14: Tristan Broz, C

2025 Ranking: #16

Age: 23 (October 10, 2002)

Acquired Via: 2021 NHL Draft, 2nd round, 58th overall

Height/Weight: 6’0”, 204 lbs

Elite Prospects resume:

Broz was previously presented during the 2024-25 season from making his NHL debut— despite injuries that opened a potential spot for him in the lineup— by a diagnosis of mononucleosis that sidelined him for a month and a half.

He ultimately made his NHL debut during the 2025-26 campaign during a Nov. 26 win against the Buffalo Sabres.

Broz played 11 and a half minutes and registered two shots on goal in that game. He was sent back down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after a few days and, later in the season, once more saw injuries get in the way of a potential NHL call-up.

ROOKIE LAP FOR TRISTAN BROZ! 👏

Welcome to the National, kid 🐧 pic.twitter.com/4Ep6veoJXc

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) November 26, 2025

Broz was just heating up when the injury bug bit last winter. He had just recorded 10 points (four goals, six assists) in a five-game span, during which he was also named to the AHL All-Star roster, when he suffered an injury that sidelined him for the end of January.

He briefly returned before suffering another injury that again sidelined him, this time for 15 games.

Calvie finds the back of the net, and with that, Tristan Broz has himself a 4-point night! pic.twitter.com/5BmfmGmJ0y

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 10, 2026

Tic-tac-BROZ pic.twitter.com/WstNiQT1Gz

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 15, 2026

WELCOME BACK TRISTAN BROZ pic.twitter.com/FVzsQNF0JL

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 8, 2025

A wicked shot from Broz! pic.twitter.com/ycRghb4Mt4

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 12, 2026

That second injury came at an unlucky moment for both Broz and the Penguins. Sidney Crosby, Blake Lizotte, Noel Acciari and Rickard Rakell were all injured around that time, creating a potential spot in the roster for Broz.

“I could say, pretty definitively I think, that if he hadn’t gotten injured on Saturday in Cleveland, he would have been up and playing,” Kyle Dubas said about Broz at his trade deadline press conference March 6.

Broz didn’t end up making another NHL appearance last season, although he did return in time to help the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on their conference finals run.

Tristan Broz and the @WBSPenguins strike first. 🚨#WBSvsSPR | #CalderCup | @FloHockey

📺💻📲: https://t.co/xslzIvekI0pic.twitter.com/QKJ52TkBCH

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) May 23, 2026

Broz upped his production during the AHL postseason, which he finished having recorded 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 15 games.

He was still overall down on his season-long performance this season when interviewed after the WBS Penguins’ playoff elimination by the Toronto Marlies (h/t Pittsburgh Hockey Now).

“I think I honestly fell way short of the expectations that I had for myself, for a myriad of different reasons,” Broz said in June.

He added, “I think there’s obviously a lot more work to be done, and I think I got closer to taking it to the place that I want to go, but like I said, obviously wasn’t quite what we needed to have happen.”

The Penguins raised some questions about Broz’s future role with the team by signing Tommy Novak to a three-year deal running through the 2029-30 season.

With Crosby, Novak, Ben Kindel and Blake Lizotte projected to fill up the Penguins’ center depth chart, Broz may need to wait for another injury need to get his next shot at the NHL.

Staying healthy for if that moment comes could be key to Broz’s hopes at getting another shot at the Penguins’ roster next season. Until then, he’ll likely be expected to play as a center option for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton alongside David Gustafsson, acquired in the trade for Jack St. Ivany, and 2025 first-round pick Bill Zonnon.

Montreal Canadiens centerman Phillip Danault will be playing the last year of his six-year, $5.5 million cap-hit contract this season, and by the time the campaign ends, he will be 34 years old. The veteran struggled mightily in a diminished role last season with the Los Angeles Kings and looked like a shadow of himself when Kent Hughes repatriated him. The move was a godsend for the pivot, who had only put up five assists in 30 games in LA; he added six goals and as many assists in 45 regular-season games with the Habs.

However, it wasn’t for his offensive production that Hughes decided to get the forward back; it was for his responsible two-way game and his knack for winning faceoffs. Danault felt he didn’t have Jim Hiller’s trust in LA, and that hurt him; he was quick to point out that the trust Martin St-Louis put in him in Montreal was a game-changer. The Victoriaville native rewarded that trust handsomely in the playoffs.

VHL Coach Says Canadiens First-Round Pick Has Something Special
Canadiens’ St-Louis Takes Seventh Place In THN’s Coach Rankings
Canadiens Hughes' Remains In Control

Whenever there was a lead to protect, St-Louis would deploy both Nick Suzuki and Danault on the ice, giving himself centers to take faceoffs, one lefty and one righty, a great card to have up your sleeve. In those 19 playoff games, Danault not only put up two goals and eight assists for 10 points, but he also kept at a 58.4% success rate at the faceoff dot.

What can we expect from Danault this season? More of the same, really. He knows he’s no longer a top-six option, and he both embraces and takes pride in his role as a shutdown center. Speaking to Danault at the tail end of the season, it was evident that he was impressed by what Hughes, Jeff Gorton and Martin St-Louis have put together in Montreal, and there is little doubt that he’ll be interested in seeing it through.

12 years into the NHL season, the NHL veteran has yet to win a Stanley Cup. In the four years he made the playoffs with the Kings, they crashed out in the first round (having the Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid in your division will do that to you), and this past season in Montreal, he got yet another taste of a deep run after making the Final with the Habs in 2021.

Once again this season, the Habs will be one of the youngest teams in the league, and Danault’s veteran presence will once again be very useful, especially since the Habs are very light in left-shot centers. Nick Suzuki, Oliver Kapanen, Jake Evans and even Michael Hage are all right-shots. If Danault wants to keep playing beyond this season, it feels like there could still be room for him in Montreal, especially with his specialized skill set. This season will be an audition for the veteran, a chance to show that he can still play an important role on the team and that the younger centers’ progression has not yet caught up to him.

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It's officially another season, another prospects ranking for the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

In years past, this has been a bit easier of an exercise, as there used to be a more clear-cut line between prospects with NHL upside and longshots. However, because of the work that general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas and his staff have put in during the last several years, the line is blurring a whole lot more - and there is a substantially higher volume of talent in the system. 

This time around, making a top-20 list was challenging. So, a few criteria were put into place: To make our list, prospects must be under the age of 26 and have played less than 50 NHL games. This excludes names such as Ben Kindel, Filip Hallander, Oliver Okuliar, and Alexander Alexeyev.

At No. 15, we discussed one of the two twins from the Penguins' 2026 draft class in Markus Ruck, who is an intelligent center iceman with a ton of offensive upside. At No. 14, we look at a guy who may not be the most skilled player on the block, but he is surely one of the most tenacious and tough to play against. 

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No. 14: LW Tanner Howe

GOAL. Tanner Howe. 2-0 WBS.

Tanner Howe sends himself on a breakaway and scores to extend #WBSPens lead to 2-0 with 12:41 left in the 3rd. @InsideAHLHockeypic.twitter.com/VhRIpYRKHd

— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) May 13, 2026

There are few prospects in the Penguins' organization with the "rat-like" approach to hockey that Howe takes. And that, combined with some legitimate offensive skill, makes him both a unique player in within in their system and one who could very well turn into an effective NHL player.

The 5-foot-11, 183-pound Howe was selected in the second round (46th overall) of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, and his development since then has already seen a few curveballs. The biggest one was thrown when he tore his ACL late in his 2024-25 WHL campaign with the Calgary Hitmen, and he did not return until February of 2026, when he was eligible to play in the AHL for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins.

Top-20 Penguins' Prospects 2026, No. 15: Newly Drafted Center Has High Offensive UpsideNext up at No. 15 on THN's Top-20 Penguins' Prospects list is a cerebral, tactical center who led WHL scoring last season and has even more untapped offensive potential.

There, he put up eight goals and 16 points in 27 games, and he also had three goals and five points in 14 Calder Cup Playoff games. No, these raw numbers don't jump out in any kind of outstanding way on a stats sheet, but they also don't tell the whole story about Howe's process and what makes him a pretty easy bet as an everyday NHL player.

Aside from the nastiness of Howe's game - which is a hallmark trait of his - it's his tenacity and relentlessness coupled with his smarts in the offensive zone. He knows how to expose the softer areas in the middle of the ice, and he works his tail off along the walls. He wins a lot of puck battles, his speed is an asset, and he simply knows how to outwork and outwit the competition to set both himself and his teammates up nicely for opportunities.

Above all, he is exceptional at the net front - even as a smaller player - because he isn't afraid to engage physically, he excels at winning positioning, and he has the shooting talent to put the puck in the back of the net, even while under pressure. 

Tanner Howe ties the game!!!

It's his 2nd goal of the playoffs!pic.twitter.com/eN4ewYh6kY

— Pens System (@PensSystem) May 30, 2026

But Howe's game doesn't end at the offensive blue line, either. He's strong in all three zones, anticipating well and disrupting passing and shooting lanes, backchecking effectively with his speed advantage, and pressuring opponents into making mistakes. He also has value on both special teams units and is particularly adept on the penalty kill. 

All in all, Howe very much has a translatable NHL skillset, which is something that can't be said about everyone. Even if his ceiling isn't sky-high, his floor is quite high, and he figures to bring some much-needed grit, nastiness, and offensive upside to the Penguins' bottom-six in the not-so-distant future.

In fact, don't be entirely surprised if Howe makes his NHL debut at some point in 2026-27. 

Top-20 Penguins' Prospects 2026, No. 16: Netminder Entering Huge 'Prove-It' SeasonNext up on THN's Top-20 Penguins' Prospects list is a goaltender who, while still believed to be a valuable part of the team's future, is entering a pivotal season for his career.

The list so far:

- Honorable mentions

- No. 20: D Chase Pietila

- No. 19: C Kale Dach

- No. 18: LW/C Ryan Miller

- No. 17: C Zam Plante

- No. 16: G Joel Blomqvist

- No. 15:C Markus Ruck

- No. 14: LW Tanner Howe

Koivunen Contract, For Better Or For Worse, Sets Precedent For Dubas And Penguins Moving ForwardKyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins came to terms with unproven young forward Ville Koivunen on an eight-year, $32 million contract Thursday, which could set a high precedent for future contracts involving the team's young talent.

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Pittsburgh Penguins forward Ben Kindel exceeded all expectations during his rookie season last year. 

Kindel was selected 11th overall in the 2025 NHL Draft and was slated to play for the WHL's Calgary Hitmen until he showed up to training camp and blew everyone away. He kept getting better and better during practices before he got more reps in preseason games. 

The Penguins' coaching staff and management wanted to test him, and he passed each one with flying colors. He was repeatedly one of the Penguins' best players in the preseason and did enough to make the opening-night roster. 

He made his NHL debut against the New York Rangers on Oct. 7, and you could tell right away that he was ready for the moment. He was outstanding defensively and even had some nice extended offensive zone shifts. 

Kindel then scored his first NHL goal against the Rangers on Oct. 11 before scoring his second goal against the Florida Panthers on Oct. 23. By that point, it was pretty easy to see that he was going to stay beyond the nine-game trial. His hockey IQ, playmaking ability, goal scoring, and defensive play were all on display in those nine games. 

He stayed for the rest of the season and was fantastic, finishing with 17 goals and 35 points in 77 games. He was on a pitch count at first until Penguins head coach Dan Muse realized that he was too important to keep out of the lineup. He was also continuing to get more comfortable against NHL players. 

Yes, Kindel slowed down at the end of the season and went pointless in the playoffs, but it's important to remember that he's only 19. Last season was the most games he has played in a season. The NHL season is a grind for a reason. 

He's now had the chance to go through a full NHL offseason workout routine and will be bigger and stronger for the upcoming season. He's slated to start as the third-line center again behind Sidney Crosby and Tommy Novak. Evgeni Malkin might get some reps as the second-line center as well. 

2026-27 Pittsburgh Penguins Player Projections: Tommy NovakTommy Novak had himself a solid season last year. What's in store for him this year?

Having Kindel be the third-line center for at least one more season makes a ton of sense. He can continue to handle those same responsibilities before he gets a more elevated role later in his career. I still see him as a long-term second-line center, but there's no need to rush it for the sake of it. 

I think there's a decent chance he hits 20 goals and 40-45 points this season, especially if he takes another step and gels with his linemates. It makes a ton of sense to have Nick Robertson and Andrei Kuzmenko on his line since they're both proven goal scorers and can make opposing goaltenders pay quickly. 

Kindel will also get time on both special teams units, specifically the power play. He spent 140:31 on the man-advantage last season and was a mainstay on the second unit. Four of his 17 goals and six of his 18 assists came on the PP. 

He'll definitely be on the second unit again this upcoming season and will likely see some time on the first unit if/when injuries arise.

Kindel is a major part of the Penguins' future and is already well ahead of schedule. He has the opportunity to build on that when the 2026-27 season starts at the end of September.

(Data via Natural Stat Trick).

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The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, and the organization’s developmental model has begun to yield results, with 2023 first rounder Zach Benson making an impact in the playoffs, and 2024 top pick Konsta Helenius appearing as one of the AHL’s top prospects the last two seasons.  

Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. These players are all 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 82 NHL games. 

Other Sabres Stories

Sabres Emotionally Devastated By Game 7 Overtime Loss

 29. Patrick Geary – Defense (Michigan State – NCAA)

The Sabres selected Geary in the sixth round of the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas and is another example of the club relying on familiarity and investing in players from Western New York. The Hamburg, NY native played his amateur hockey for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres and two seasons for Waterloo of the USHL before heading to Michigan State.

The 22-year-old was drafted after not being selected in two drafts and is a teammate of Buffalo’s 2023 second-round pick Maxim Strbak. In his freshman year for the Spartans, Geary played mostly a shutdown defensive role and had 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists) in 32 games. As a sophomore, his offensive numbers declined to just seven points (1 goal, six assists) in 37 games.

Last season, Geary saw a slight uptick in his offensive numbers, and a sizable increase in his penalty minutes, as he had 11 points (2 goals, 9 assists) and nearly matched the total of his first two seasons in the sin bin with 70 penalty minutes. 

According to the Elite Prospects Draft Guide, “the defining dimension of Geary’s game remains on the defensive side of the puck…..In the neutral zone, he closes on opponents early, sets up a tight gap, surfs inside-out, takes away the center lane with his stick, and then closes on the puck carrier with force.”

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Nicolas Roy is now trying to prove something to the Colorado Avalanche that the Vegas Golden Knights already knew.

He can help a team win.

That was Roy’s role during his six seasons in Vegas. He was never expected to be the face of the franchise or carry the offense. He was the big, versatile forward who could win battles, play a physical game, chip in offensively and give his team another reliable option when the games got tougher.

And when Vegas finally won the Stanley Cup in 2023, Roy was right there.

He played 22 games during that championship run, scoring three goals and adding eight assists for 11 points. Those weren’t superstar numbers, but Roy wasn’t asked to be a superstar. He was asked to deliver in the clutch. 

He did.

Now, three years later, Roy is in Colorado and entering a season that could determine whether he has a future with the Avalanche beyond 2026-27.

The Golden Knights don’t have to wonder whether Roy can be part of a championship team. They’ve already seen it.

Roy finished his Vegas career with 362 regular-season games, 68 goals, 98 assists and 164 points.

Those are solid numbers for a player who didn’t average a ton of ice time. 

His playoff production was even more telling.

Roy appeared in 79 postseason games with the Golden Knights, recording 10 goals and 22 assists for 32 points. His 11 points during Vegas’ championship run were a small part of a much bigger picture, but they helped. Roy could play through contact, get to the net, create room for teammates and occasionally come up with a timely garbage goal. 

Those players tend to become more valuable in April and May.

Vegas knew that.

Colorado Is Getting Another Chance To Find Out

The Avalanche acquired Roy at the trade deadline, sending a 2027 first-round pick and a 2026 fifth-round pick to Toronto.

They wanted another forward who could add depth, provide some secondary scoring and make the lineup tougher to play against in the postseason.

Roy showed flashes right away.

He scored in his second game with Colorado against Minnesota, scored again against Seattle two games later and found the net against Washington five games after that.

Then an upper-body injury cost him seven games.

Roy finished the regular season with only three goals and five points in 15 games with Colorado, but his postseason was more encouraging. He scored three goals and added three assists in 13 playoff games, including the overtime winner against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 2.

Now Comes The Contract Question

Roy enters the final season of the five-year, $15 million contract he signed with Vegas in 2022. He will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

This is where Colorado has a decision to make.

Roy has already shown he can produce more than he did during his brief regular-season stint with the Avalanche. From 2021-22 through 2024-25, he recorded at least 30 points in four consecutive seasons, including a career-high 41 points in 2023-24.

If he gets back into the 35-to-40-point range, the conversation changes.

Roy averaged 13:18 per game during his 15 regular-season appearances with Colorado and 12:01 during the playoffs. If head coach Jared Bednar gives him more responsibility, there should be more opportunities for his offense to follow.

And if it does, Colorado could have a difficult decision waiting next summer.The Golden Knights have already gone through the process of figuring out what Roy is worth.

And he was worth every penny. 

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Many young and established or up-and-coming stars around the NHL have signed long-term contracts with their respective clubs early, but the Philadelphia Flyers are one team that just hasn't followed that trend, to their disadvantage.

Recently, the Flyers re-signed two of their most important young pieces, Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, to four-year contracts at $9.125 million and $6.5 million cap hits, respectively.

These reflect market value, to be certain, but neither player and their camps cut the Flyers a break on money or term, compared to other teams around the league.

Philadelphia will get another chance to course-correct, as 21-year-old winger Matvei Michkov is eligible for a contract extension, and can sign for a maximum of eight years until Sept. 16, when the max allowable drops down to seven years.

Sportsnet just released their list of best value contracts in the NHL in its new financial landscape, and there's a common theme: young stars, and long-term contracts.

That list began with two Montreal Canadiens players--Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson--who are each set to begin their respective eight-year contracts; a $9.15 million AAV for the 20-year-old Demidov, and $8.85 million for the 22-year-old Hutson.

Flyers Defenseman Snubbed from NHL Ranking of Best DefensemenThe NHL Network failed to respect Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim and the work he did this past season.

"There is arguably no team better set up from a financial perspective with their core than the Montreal Canadiens. The timing of the extensions for Hutson and Demidov worked out perfectly for the Canadiens, as both could’ve theoretically waited until after the Carlsson offer sheet to extend. Instead, Hutson inked his new deal last October, and Demidov signed his just days before [Leo Carlsson]," Sportsnet's Michael Amato wrote.

"Demidov is still only 20 and Hutson 22, so Montreal is getting two elite players for the majority of their primes at a combined cap hit equal to Carlsson’s AAV and less than Celebrini’s."

On the topic of Carlsson, the Flyers effectively bet against themselves with the exorbitant $18 million cap hit they dished out with their ambitious offer sheet. That offer sheet was a one-off thing that didn't significantly change the landscape of the league, but the Flyers showed their willingness to spend, even at a low value, and they paid for it with the Zegras and Drysdale contracts.

The one eight-year contract the Flyers were willing to dish out to a young player was Tyson Foerster's, which was an eight-year, $56.8 million extension ($7.1 million AAV) for a winger who has yet to score 30 goals or 50 points in a season and suffered two major arm injuries just last season.

Comparatively, the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes have Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven, also on Sportsnet's list, signed to eight-year deals, with Blake carrying a $5.11 million AAV and Stankoven carrying a $6 million AAV.

Should Flyers Sign Matvei Michkov to 8-Year Contract Before It's Too Late?Time is rapidly ticking for the Philadelphia Flyers to sign Matvei Michkov to an eight-year contract extension.

Blake, 23, scored 53 points for the Hurricanes last season, while Stankoven, 23, scored 44 while playing center full-time for the first time in his nascent NHL career.

They key, though, is that both players signed with Carolina last July, before their breakouts even came. The Flyers, with Zegras, Drysdale, and Foerster, signed their players after.

New Jersey paid up for Jack Hughes, Minnesota paid up for Matt Boldy, the Canadiens paid up for Demidov, so on and so forth.

And with time ticking on Michkov and a potential eight-year pact, they'll likely have to do the same with him, too.

The Flyers have been liberal with their money since clearing out bad contracts and dead weight, but soon, the stakes will be higher and money will get tighter if they aspire to be a true contender, and the blueprint is already there for them to follow.

One free agent that remains an intriguing addition for the New York Rangers is Patrik Laine. 

Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette pointed out that Laine has been linked to the New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Philadelphia Flyers. 

Since recording 44 goals in his second NHL season with the Winnipeg Jets, Laine has dealt with numerous injuries that have clouded the rest of his career to date.

The 2016 second overall pick has now played for three different teams: the Jets, the Columbus Blue Jackets, and most recently, the Montreal Canadiens, as he’s coming off a four-year, $38.4 million contract. 

Now, Laine will likely be forced to sign a one-year, prove-it contract after playing in just five games for the Montreal Canadiens this past season. 

Despite his lengthy injury history and decrease in production over the years, the 28-year-old forward still holds intrigue on the open market due to his goal-scoring abilities. 

It was just two seasons ago when Laine scored 20 goals in 52 games and led the Habs with 15 power-play goals.

According to Vincent Mercogliano of The Athletic, Drury remains on the prowl for a forward to bring in before training camp begins, so Laine may be on the Rangers’ radar.