The Buffalo Sabres could go a number of different ways as the NHL is in the midst of trade season following the NHL Draft and the opening of free agency on July 1. With the departure of winger Alex Tuch and defenseman Bowen Byram, GM Jarmo Kekalainen is expected to seek out offensive reinforcements to make up for the 44 goals lost by their departures.
We are continuing to look at potential options for the Sabres, now that veteran Patrick Kane has returned with Chicago. Some of the possibilities are not going to match Tuch’s stats, but any additions could provide some relief to the pressure that youngsters Konsta Helenius, Jiri Kulich, or Noah Ostlund will be under to make up the deficit.
Kekalainen ideally is looking for someone who could make up as much of the 60-to-70 point production that he lost with Tuch, or someone who can fill the leadership gap and/or add some snarl and sandpaper to the middle-six, with the trade of Jordan Greenway to Chicago.
Who had the best and worst offseason in the Atlantic Division?
Normally, a player of Boeser’s talent and consistency would not be readily available, but the Vancouver Canucks are on a rebuild path, and their timeline may not be a match with the veteran sniper. The 29-year-old was a 2015 first-rounder of the Canucks and has scored 20 or more goals seven times in his nine-year career, including a career-high 40 goals in 2023-24.
It was expected that Boeser would be heading elsewhere last summer as an unrestricted free agent, but he instead re-upped with the Canucks on a seven-year, $50.75 million deal ($7.25 million AAV), with a no-movement clause in the first four years of the deal. The departure of Quinn Hughes, Conor Garland, and Vancouver finishing at the bottom of the NHL standings has led to the firing of GM Patrik Allvin, head coach Adam Foote, and a complete revamping of the organization.
Boeser has complete control of where he wants to play for another three seasons, but with Vancouver rebuilding, playing for an up-and-coming club like Buffalo would be an interesting proposition. The Sabres would likely be interested in a player younger than Tuch, with six more years of cost certainty at a cap hit very close to what Tage Thompson is making. Kekalainen also possesses the assets that Vancouver is likely looking for, in young prospects like Helenius/Ostlund and Mrtka/Rudolph.
The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, and the organization’s developmental model has begun to yield results, with 2023 first rounder Zach Benson making an impact in the playoffs, and 2024 top pick Konsta Helenius appearing as one of the AHL’s top prospects the last two seasons.
Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. These players are all 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 82 NHL games.
The Sabres have drafted predominantly right-handed defensemen (Radim Mrtka, Daxon Rudolph, Adam Kleber, Simon-Pier Brunet, Maxim Strbak, Gavin McCarthy, and Vsevolod Komarov) in the last five drafts, with the top half of their NHL blueline all left-handers.
Who had the best and worst offseason in the Atlantic Division?
The club continued that practice at the 2025 NHL Draft, selecting Mrtka ninth overall, and after trading their second-round pick to clear Connor Clifton’s contract and acquire righty Conor Timmins, Buffalo selected another righty in David Bedkowski in the third round.
The 19-year-old played his first two OHL seasons with Oshawa and was traded in his draft year early in the season to the Owen Sound Attack. The 6’5”, 215 lb. defenseman’s skill set is purely physical, as he had only seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in 35 games, but compiled 73 penalty minutes. Last season, Bedkowski played the first half as team captain of the Attack, but was traded to the Ottawa 67’s. In 68 games between the two clubs, he posted 29 points (5 goals, 24 assists) and 118 penalty minutes.
Elite Prospects Draft Guide said that it would be an understatement to say Bedkowski has a mean streak. “He punishes. He hurts, retaliates, beats down, knocks, and crushes opponents with open-ice hits and bone-rattling contact along the boards.”
That mean streak is something that most of Buffalo’s blueline have been missing for years, but it will be at least a few years before the Toronto native can bring that physicality to the NHL roster. He has one more year before the Sabres have to make a decision on whether to sign him or not, unless he decides like many CHL products to go the NCAA route.
DENVER, COLORADO - NOVEMBER 26: Reverse Retro jerseys of the Colorado Avalanche hang in the locker room prior to the game against the Dallas Stars. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
In the biggest Colorado Avalanche news of the summer, our beloved LG Red is back at Altitude for the upcoming season! Lauren Gardner won’t be exclusive to just Avalanche broadcasts but she is back in Colorado and will be on our TV screens. Welcome home, LG!
The NHL announced they are committing to regular season games in Germany for three years starting with the 2026-27 season as the league continues to increase their global reach.
NHL fans in Germany will be treated to regular-season games in their country for at least the next three seasons following the announcement of the @NHL and @FCBayern's strategic partnership.
There will be a new specialty jersey coming this fall for every team, dubbed the Hometown Remix. Word on the street is that just like their two versions of the Reverse Retro, the Avalanche will have a white sweater in this upcoming collection as well.
Something new is coming to all 32 NHL cities this season. 👀
The countdown is on for the first-of-its-kind Hometown Remix program by the @NHL and @Fanatics. More details to come after the puck drops on the 2026-27 season next month. pic.twitter.com/zX1uBNLNZn
Preseason isn’t just for the Avalanche as the Colorado Eagles are expected to participate in what’s been dubbed the Southwest Showdown. The Tucson Roadrunners will serve as host while the Eagles will play the Texas Stars on September 26th and the Henderson Silver Knights on September 27th. Giddy up!
Zach L’Heureux could either become exactly what the Colorado Avalanche have been missing or give Jared Bednar one more headache to solve.
That is what makes bringing the 23-year-old forward to Colorado so intriguing. L’Heureux may not be the most naturally gifted player on the roster, but he brings something the Avalanche badly lacked when their season ended: physicality, nastiness and an unmistakable edge.
Colorado was swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final last season, and Vegas repeatedly imposed its more punishing, hard-nosed style on the Avalanche. L’Heureux gives Colorado another player capable of pushing back.
But there is a fine line between providing an edge and becoming a liability, and L’Heureux has spent much of his career walking it. He has been suspended at every level of hockey he has played, including nine times in the QMJHL — one resulting in a 10-game ban after he jabbed a fan with his stick. He was also suspended three times during his AHL career before receiving a three-game NHL suspension for slew-footing Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon.
For Colorado, the challenge will be harnessing L’Heureux’s aggression without allowing it to become more trouble than it is worth.
Colton Dach has been placed in Concussion Protocol by the #IceHogs
His NHL numbers tell an equally interesting story.
L’Heureux’s 63 penalty minutes in 62 games during his first full NHL season with the Nashville Predators in 2024-25 further illustrate the double-edged nature of his game. He averaged just 12:03 of ice time per night, meaning he was racking up more than a penalty minute per game despite playing limited minutes. That physical edge can be valuable for an Avalanche team that needs more pushback, but it also comes with a caveat: Colorado needs L’Heureux making an impact on the ice, not watching from the penalty box.
We got fight night in San Jose! 3 fights in 4 seconds
Luke Kunin vs Cole Smith Barclay Goodrow vs Michael McCarron Ty Dellandrea vs Zach L’Heureux pic.twitter.com/ybFFMS1SEz
That is the balancing act Bednar will have to solve.
The Avalanche have lacked some bite in their lineup at times, particularly when games become nasty and opponents try to drag them into the kind of physical battle that can disrupt Colorado’s speed game. L’Heureux has never needed an invitation to make things uncomfortable.
The question is whether Bednar will trust him to do it.
There is a significant difference between playing with an edge and becoming a nuisance, and L’Heureux’s career suggests he has occasionally crossed that line. Colorado’s coaching staff will have to find a way to preserve the aggression that makes him valuable without allowing it to become the very thing that keeps him out of the lineup.
It is an interesting problem to have.
As the old hockey saying goes, it is easier to rein in a player with too much passion than it is to manufacture passion in a player who does not have it.
L’Heureux certainly does not need anyone to teach him how to play with emotion.
What remains to be determined is whether he can turn that emotion into consistent NHL production.
The pedigree is there.
L’Heureux was a first-round pick for a reason, and his production in the AHL has only reinforced the offensive potential that made him a coveted prospect. He erupted for 19 goals and 48 points in 66 games with the Milwaukee Admirals during the 2023-24 season before taking another step forward last year, recording 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points in just 30 games.
That is a jump from 0.73 points per game to 0.93, an indication that L’Heureux was becoming increasingly productive at the AHL level. The question now is whether he can finally translate that offensive consistency to the NHL.
And perhaps just as intriguing for Colorado is the cost of finding out. L’Heureux is signed for the next two seasons at just a $875,000 annual cap hit, giving the Avalanche a former first-round pick with legitimate offensive upside and a physical edge without requiring a significant financial commitment. If he breaks out, the value of that contract could become enormous.
If he can put everything together, Colorado may have landed one of the sneakiest steals of the offseason.
Two decades after he played his final game for the Senators, Hall of Famer Zdeno Chara took his final shift on Friday.
Chara was the star of “Zee’s Final Shift," a final exhibition game to honour Chara's career. The game featured several former Senators and a lot of ex-Boston Bruins, the team he truly made his name with.
While he spent four good years with the Sens, it was 20 years ago this summer that he left Ottawa to sign with Boston, where he'd spend the next 14 years.
Friday's game was held at a rink named after former Senator Pavol Demitra in Chara’s hometown of Trencin, Slovakia. The evening closed with a lovely moment as Chara removed his skates at centre ice, left them on the faceoff dot, and walked off with his two twin sons, Zack and Ben.
The act was special for two reasons.
The biggest was the nod to his father, Zdenek, a Greco-Roman wrestler who competed for Czechoslovakia in the Olympics. When a wrestler removes their shoes and leaves them in the center of the mat or ring, it's a powerful symbol that their time in competitive wrestling is at an end.
Also, as every hockey fan knows, Chara literally leaves the game with some very big skates to fill.
His former Bruins teammates know that better than most. They lined up in tribute with an ad hoc tunnel for the Charas to walk through as they left the ice. Even without skates on, as he walked off in his socks, he was still taller than most of his friends.
The former Senators' content included Marian Hossa, Chris Kelly, Peter Bondra, and Radek Hamr.
Former and current Bruins taking part in the game included Patrice Bergeron, Ray Bourque, Johnny Boychuk, Andrew Ference, Jaroslav Halak, Chris Kelly, Milan Lucic, Adam McQuaid, David Pastrnak, Mark Recchi, Michael Ryder, Dennis Seidenberg, Josef Stumpel, and Marco Sturm.
Other players involved the game were Peter Bondra, Petr Cech, Marian Gaborik, Radek Hamr, Michal Handzus, Marian Hossa, Jaromir Jagr, Tomas Kaberle, Anze Kopitar, Ziggy Palffy, Robert Reichel, Miroslav Satan, Andrej Sekera, Tomas Vanek, Jakub Voracek, and Aaron Ward.
The evening even included a hardest shot contest where Chara exactly matched his 2012 NHL All-Star record with a 108.8 mph slap shot, a super specific radar reading that would usually raise an eyebrow or two, but not on a night like this.
The building was filled with too much love to do anything but cheer.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have 40 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #40. No active players currently wear the #40.
Let's take a look.
Bill Bowler - 2000-01 - Bowler was undrafted out of Toronto, CA.
Bowler played a total of 9 games for the Jackets during their inaugural season and had two points. He spent most of that year with the Syracuse Crunch and totaled 79 points in 72 games. In 2002, he spent one season in Germany before retiring.
Bowler has worked for the Windsor Spitfires as the VP of Hockey Operations and General Manager since 2019.
Brad Moran - 2001-04 - Moran was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the 7th round of the 1998 NHL Draft.
The Jackets signed Moran as a free agent in 2000. He only played in 5 games as a Blue Jacket and had 2 points. He spent most of his time playing for the AHL Syracuse Crunch. In his final year with the Crunch in 2004-05, he played in 80 games and had 72 points.
Moran left for a second stint in Europe in 2011 and played the last six years of his career there. He would retire after playing two seasons in the EIHL in 2017.
Moran would be the GM and HC of the Calgary Canucks in the Alberta Junior Hockey League from 2018 to 2025. For the 25-26 season, Moran is signed on to be the Asst. Coach of the WHL's Calgary Hitmen.
Duvie Westcott - 2001-08 - Westcott was undrafted and signed by the CBJ in 2001.
Wescott played in 201 games for the Blue Jackets from 2001 to 2008. He scored 11 goals and totaled 56 points. Wescott was described as "a gritty defenseman with a solid all-around game. Has good passing ability and power play skills."
After playing for Columbus, Wescott went to Europe and played the next seven seasons in the KHL, DEL, and Swiss National League. He retired in 2015.
Fred Brathwaite - 2003-04 - Brathwaite was undrafted out of Ottawa, Canada.
Brathwaite played in 21 games for the Jackets in the 2003-04 season. He went 4-11-1 with an .897 SV %. After his year in Columbus, he bounced back and forth between North America and Europe. He didn't play from 2012 to 2020. He was hired by the AHL's Henderson Silver Knights as their goaltending coach in 2020, where he remains. At age 48, he dressed as a backup for Henderson when Logan Thompson was unavailable.
Jaroslav Balaštík - 2005-07 - Balaštík was drafted in the 6th round of the 2002 NHL Draft by Columbus.
Jaroslav Balaštík played in 74 career games for the CBJ. He scored 13 goals and totaled 24 points during his tenure. After his time with Columbus, he returned to his home country of Czechia, where he would play until 2015.
Jared Boll - 2007-16 - Boll was drafted in the 4th round of the 2005 NHL Draft.
Boll played in 518 games for the CBJ and totaled 62 points. He is #1 all-time in CBJ history with 1,195 PIMs and has 154 fights to his name.
Jared Boll was a big man in his playing days. Standing 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds, there weren’t too many who would willingly step up to Boll. He was an old-school enforcer who would not hesitate to stand up for his teammates and take one on the chin if necessary. In his career, he fought the St Louis Blues more than any other team. He had four seasons where he had fight totals over 20, and there were a few seasons that were 15+. His most common opponent was Krys Bach (5), and he fought the likes of Paul Bissonnette (4), George Parros (4), and Clayton Stoner. Boll is the best enforcer the CBJ has ever had.
After retiring from the Anaheim Ducks, Boll returned to Columbus, where he is now an assistant coach.
Daniil Tarasov - 2021-25 - Tarasov was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2017 NHL Draft.
Tarasov started 61 games for Columbus during his tenure, going 19-34-6 with a SV% of .898. Used primarily as a backup, Tarasov's time in Columbus was generally looked at as a failure, but it was mainly due to injuries.
Unfortunately for Tarasov, he was stuck behind Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzļikins for a few years. While Merzļikins was struggling, he had every opportunity to grab the bull by the horns and take off, but he did not do that.
Last season, everything kind of came unglued for the young Russian. He was benched in favor of Jet Greaves on several occasions and even had to be sent to Cleveland on a conditioning assignment. Things were not going well. He ended last season with a SV% of .881.
On 26 June 2025, Tarasov was traded to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft. The book on Daniil Tarasov in Columbus was finally over.
In 2026, Tarasov signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings.
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Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber has landed among the best right-shot defensemen in NHL 27.
EA Sports gave Faber an 88 overall rating, placing him seventh on its list of the game's 10 highest-rated right defensemen.
Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar leads the group with a 95 overall rating. Edmonton's Evan Bouchard follows at 91, while Adam Fox, Charlie McAvoy, Moritz Seider and Noah Dobson were each given an 89.
Faber comes in directly behind that group at 88 overall and is tied with Erik Karlsson and Ryan Pulock. New Jersey Devils defenseman Brett Pesce rounds out the top 10 at 87.
The rating continues Faber's rapid rise into the upper echelon of NHL defensemen.
Since entering the league with Minnesota, Faber has established himself as a major piece of the Wild's blue line and has been trusted with significant minutes and difficult matchups.
Now, Minnesota's defense features two players EA Sports considers among the best at their respective positions. Faber is seventh among right defensemen, while Quinn Hughes received a 95 overall rating and ranks second among left defensemen.
That gives the Wild one of the more impressive top-end defensive combinations in NHL 27.
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While Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes has yet to strike a deal that could be “needle-moving” for the Habs this offseason, he did acquire an interesting player in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks. After three seasons with the Laval Rocket, it was obvious that 124th overall pick in the 2020 draft Sean Farrell wouldn’t be able to go any higher in the Habs’ organization, and Hughes elected to give him a new start in the Ducks’ organization, acquiring Sasha Pastujov in return.
The 23-year-old left-shot winger was the Ducks’ 66th overall pick in the 2021 draft, and like Farrell, he has not managed to make his way to the NHL. In his second season with the Californian organization, he even made a detour through the ECHL, but last season, he had a career-high 57 points in 71 games, while Farrell had 53 points in 72 games. After landing in Montreal, he was signed to a one-year, two-way deal with an $850,000 NHL salary.
Pastujov’s such a great player,” Luneau said. “He plays with so much talent, and he makes his plays look so easy. He’s an incredible person and a fantastic playmaker on the ice. We spent a lot of time together; we were even roommates for a season. He’s been great for me.
As things stand, Pastujov will likely spend the season in Laval with Daniel Jacobs’ men, but he looks like an interesting project and one of the players worth watching at rookie camp, if only to evaluate what he has to offer.
Last season, the Canadiens’ rookie camp kicked off on September 11th, while the regular season started on October 8, which was just under four weeks before puck drop. With this season scheduled to start on September 29th, we should soon get a rookie camp invite list and a schedule. So far, we know that the Canadiens have invited Alexey Vlasov, but there’s bound to be more invites. Anyone excited for the new season?
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.
The No. 6 spot is occupied by scoring forward Will Horcoff, whose impressive first full season in the NCAA really put him on the map. Venturing into our top-five, we kick it off with a name many didn't really start paying due attention to until his impressive 2025-26 season.
If one seeks out Mikhail Ilyin highlights, mixtapes, and film, there is, of course, plenty of footage showing off his craftiness as a shooter. Ilyin has a sneaky deceptive release, can dangle defenders, and has enough zip on his shot to sneak it past professional-level goaltenders.
But if you're looking for the bread and butter of Ilyin's game and what defines him as a player, you'll probably notice that most of the film involves his playmaking and hockey sense. And, if you were able to catch any of Ilyin's short but impressive stint with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins this season, it's easy to see why we have him so high on this list.
After signing a three-year entry-level contract prior to the 2025-26 season, many assumed that Ilyin, now 21, would spend the season in North America. Instead, he returned on loan for a fourth season with the Severstal Cherepovets of the KHL, where he's been playing top-line minutes since he was a teenager in a league of men. He recorded 14 goals and 44 points in 68 regular season games as well as three goals and four points in five playoff games for Severstal before joining WBS at the end of the season.
Mikhail Ilyin is DIFFERENT.
Overtime. In tight. Everyone expecting the shot… and he slips a perfect pass across for a tap-in. Ice in his veins.
Mikhail Ilyin (#99) was one of my favorite picks in last year's draft. He's not a human highlight reel, but a guy who you can just tell is smarter than most players on the ice. Picks up a primary assist here after a couple of nice passing plays. #LetsGoPenspic.twitter.com/6fWGs16cdU
And in the five regular season games and 15 playoff games - despite it being his first taste of North American professional hockey - he was one of the team's very best players.
GOAL. Tristan Broz makes it 2-0 #WBSPens 16 seconds into the middle frame.
Mikhail Ilyin continues to impress, forcing a turnover & setting up Broz for a quick snipe to the top shelf over the glove of Georgii Romanov.@InsideAHLHockeypic.twitter.com/cls27jRMey
Heck of a play by Mikhail Ilyin to out-work a Marlies defender & turn a turnover into a dangerous chance in front by Gabe Klassen.
Ilyin has been so dang impressive. Hard to believe he's "adjusting" to smaller ice in North America. Looks like a seasoned pro. @InsideAHLHockeypic.twitter.com/nTot3BwXRf
He registered two assists in the five regular season games, and it's safe to say that was his "adjustment period." Because, come playoff time, he was noticeable just about every night. He ended the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs with two goals and nine points, which tied for second in team scoring. But even when he wasn't putting points on the board, he was affecting the game with his puck distribution skills, his high-IQ playmaking, his quick decision-making, his forechecking, and his ability to both create and expose space.
Ilyin knows what to do with the puck before the puck reaches his stick. His vision is near-unparalleled within the Penguins' system, and he showed it off on several of his assists during the playoffs.
GOAL. Ville Koivunen gives #WBSPens a 3-1 lead 3:33 into the 3rd period.
Koivunen muscles a puck out of the #WBSPens zone to start a counter attack, and Tristan Broz gets it to Mikhail Ilyin who smartly goes back to the middle for Koviunen.@InsideAHLHockeypic.twitter.com/o1JCSbNLgM
Even if Ilyin's skating ability (in terms of footspeed) and goal-scoring ceiling is limited - and, again, it's worth stressing that he does have natural goal-scoring ability that could be expanded on in the North American pro game - his role as a play-driver, distributor, and creator has a pretty high ceiling. It's not unrealistic to envision Ilyin as the perfect complimentary winger in a top-six role, as his intelligence and playmaking ability have high-level potential. Even his defense is better than most people credit him for.
The 6-foot-3, 191-pound forward has the size, the reach, the smarts, and the ability to outsmart the opposition in all three zones. Ilyin's stock keeps rising, too, and his craftiness and talent is frequently acknowledged by his teammates.
There may still be some growing pains for Ilyin, who is probably going to begin next season in the AHL. Communication will be the main hurdle, as he hardly speaks any English, and with goaltender Sergei Murashov likely graduating to the NHL and defenseman Alexander Alexeyev returning to the KHL, he probably won't have too many resources as far as teammates to help ease that communication barrier. Something that simple could affect his on-ice adjustment in terms of playcalling and verbal cues.
However, everything else is already pretty well-adjusted, and it's clear that Ilyin already has the toolset of a seasoned professional. The crowded forward group for the Penguins will render him cracking the NHL roster out of camp unlikely, but it's not out of the question that he makes his debut sometime this year.
Ilyin may have been selected in the fifth round (142nd overall in 2023), but up to this point, he's looking like a late-round steal. If he can continue to progress and fully translate his playmaking ability to the NHL level, he is going to be a very good player for the Penguins in the years to come - and he'll be a name on everyone's radar.
The Pittsburgh Penguins were mostly quiet on trade deadline day this past season, except for an acquisition of former Detroit Red Wings forward Elmer Soderblom.
The Penguins gave up a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft for Soderblom and wanted to see how he'd benefit from a change of scenery. He had spent the last three seasons with the Red Wings after they selected him in the sixth round of the 2019 NHL Draft, but he wasn't able to secure a consistent lineup spot.
He played in 86 games for the Red Wings, compiling 11 goals and 22 points. He got an immediate opportunity with the Penguins and used it to his advantage, racking up five goals and 10 points in 20 games.
Soderblom was good around the net and showcased some nice moves with the puck in that area. He protected the puck along the boards extremely well and it was hard for defenders to handle him.
He played in five of the six Penguins playoff games after doing enough to secure a spot in the lineup and scored one goal. He opened the scoring against the Philadelphia Flyers early in Game 5, a game that the Penguins won 3-2 before they were eliminated in Game 6.
He is signed through the 2026-27 season at a cap hit of $1.125 million, so he'll have plenty of time to impress the coaching staff and management. He's the exact type of player that Penguins general manager and president Kyle Dubas has been acquiring for the past couple of years.
Even though it was a small sample size, I want to see him carry that momentum into this season and earn a spot in the lineup. It's going to be a competitive camp, but I think he has what it takes to make the team and be the 12th forward.
I want him to keep using his 6'8 frame, especially behind the net and along the boards when he engages in those puck battles. If he does that and continues to have more of a scoring touch, he'll have the chance to score double-digit goals this year.
It'll be interesting to see if Penguins head coach Dan Muse utilizes his long reach and big frame on the penalty kill. He got a few minutes on that unit after the trade (3:43) after spending a combined 31 seconds on the PK in three seasons with the Red Wings. It's at least a potential option for Muse.
Again, nothing will be given to Soderblom, but he has the potential to be a strong replacement for Noel Acciari on the fourth line this year.
The New Rangers have re-signed defenseman Vincent Iorio to a one-year contract extension.
The contract is reportedly a two-way deal worth $850,000 if he’s in the NHL and $125,000 in the American Hockey League.
The Rangers claimed Iorio off waivers from the San Jose Sharks on Jan. 31.
Iorio stuck around with the Rangers for the remainder of the season, but he was scratched for a handful of games.
The 23-year-old defenseman posted three points in 27 games for New York while averaging 13:05 minutes.
Before being claimed by the Rangers, Iorio played for the Washington Capitals and Sharks.
With the additions of Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson, as well as the re-signing of Braden Schneider and the emergence of Matthew Robertson, it will be an uphill battle for Iorio to carve out a roster spot with the Rangers out of training camp.
Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.
The 23-year-old joined the team last season after being claimed off waivers from San Jose on Jan. 31. Iorio skated in six games with the Blueshirts without registering a point.
“I’m just grateful,” he said of joining the Rangers. “My parents, growing up, they really preached the 1 percent better each day and being happy with where you’re at in life. For me, playing this game is such a privilege. Playing in this league is such a privilege. Especially a team like New York.
“I was obviously really excited. This is such a storied franchise.”
Over three NHL seasons, the 2021 second-round pick of the Capitals has four assists in 36 career games. He’s also posted 11 goals and 52 assists over 196 AHL games with the San Jose Barracuda and Hershey Bears, winning back-to-back Calder Cups with the latter in 2023-24.
The Rangers are keeping more than a defenseman in the fold — the 6-foot-4 blueliner put his hockey skills to use as a stuntman for the Prime Video series “Off Campus,” filling in on-ice for the character of Garrett Graham.
Vincent Iorio #6 of the New York Rangers skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Getty Images
“Because I don’t have a face for TV, unfortunately,” the 23-year-old told The Post’s Mollie Walker in March.
Adam Fox, Durzi and Braden Schneider appear to have the right side of the defensive pairs sewn up, though Iorio, Morrow and Urho Vaakanainen will be among those competing for a backup role.
By many metrics, the Buffalo Sabres had a solid 2025-26 season. They won first place in the highly-competitive Atlantic Division, and they won their first Stanley Cup playoffs series in 15 years, beating the Boston Bruins in the opening round before the Montreal Canadiens beat them in Round 2.
The Sabres’ success last season means that TheHockeyNews.com’s annual grades for Buffalo players will be mostly positive. And in this “Sabres Grades” file, we’re focusing on Sabres goalie Alex Lyon. The 33-year-old posted a .907 save percentage and 2.77 GAA in 36 appearances this past season, and he posted a career-best three shutouts for Buffalo last year.
Lyon’s current contract has one season left on it at $1.5-million, so he’s delivering great results given his financial impact. But let’s explore what Lyon needs to do with the Sabres in 2026-27, and see why we’ve given him the grade he deserves:
Alex Lyon
Position: Goaltender
Grade: A-
The Skinny: Lyon not only gave the Sabres a strong regular-season, – he also gave Buffalo good performances in the post-season, putting up a .904 SP and 2.59 GAA in 10 playoff appearances. Lyon had only four games of NHL playoff experience prior to the 2025-26 post-season, and you have to give Lyon credit for being a battler between the pipes – and for doing it at a bargain price.
Lyon will be 34 in December, which means he’s running out of opportunities to win a championship. Lyon doesn’t have to put the Sabres on his back to earn an ‘A’-level grade. But if he can continue putting in good work in Buffalo’s tandem with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Lyon is going to either earn himself a contract extension with the Sabres, or he’s going to get another chance with a different team.
That said, while Buffalo has youngster Colten Ellis in their depth chart for goalies, they’ve been getting great results from Lyon, who is one of the reasons why the Sabres chose to trade former goalie-of-the-future Devon Levil to the Edmonton Oilers this summer. Lyon isn’t the goalie-of-the-future, either, but he and Luukkonen are the goalies-of-the-now.
And if Lyon gives the Sabres the same caliber of netminding he gave them this past season, Buffalo management will be delighted – and he might just earn himself an extension to keep him in Western New York for the foreseeable future.
Lyon isn’t going to win a Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goalie, but he is competent enough to be one-half of a competitive tandem. And as the Sabres prepare to push further next season than they pushed last year, Lyon’s contributions could prove crucial to Buffalo’s Stanley Cup hopes.
We’re now about three weeks away from actual hockey, and one of the most interesting stories at Senators training camp this year will be Carter Yakemchuk’s attempt to make the full-time NHL roster.
To some degree, he's paid his dues the past two seasons, developing in both the WHL and AHL, and there now appears to be a spot waiting for him among Ottawa’s top seven defencemen.
But is he actually ready?
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss Jake Sanderson's ranking among top NHL defensemen.
At the moment, Yakemchuk and Nikolas Matinpalo look like the primary candidates for the opening on the right side of Ottawa’s bottom D pairing. Matinpalo has considerably more professional and NHL experience and has played in every Sens playoff game the past two years.
At worst, Matinpalo will be the Senators' seventh defenseman. But if he outduels Yakemchuk for the sixth spot, there's a good chance the Senators' prized rookie might then head back to Belleville.
But that's a bridge to be crossed at the end of camp after the Senators decide on their final cuts. Yakemchuk has made it to that point in each of the past two years, and the team is hoping this is the year he clears that last hurdle.
He certainly provided some highlights in his brief time with Ottawa last season.
He appeared in four regular-season games with Ottawa and added one playoff appearance. Both his NHL regular-season debut and his Stanley Cup playoff debut resulted in two-point performances.
So the offensive ability appears to be NHL-ready. As for the rest, time will tell.
Yakemchuk spent Friday at Sensplex visiting with local kids and signing autographs, and says he likes where his game is heading.
"I think it's been a good summer for myself," Yakemchuk told Sens social media host Jackson Starr. "And I'm just excited for camp. I wanna go in there and do my best and put my best foot forward. So I'm excited for it.”
Yakemchuk has also spent plenty of time around his future teammates this summer. He's been staying at Ridly Greig’s house and has been glad to regularly train with the boys, which should make main camp more comfortable, providing a real sense of belonging..
“Yeah, I mean, everyone's great, so it's nice to catch up with them. I haven't seen them in a couple of months, but yeah, just hanging out with them at the gym and at the rink and then also away from it, it's been awesome.”
Before the battle for NHL jobs really gets underway, Yakemchuk could get an early opportunity for something a little more challenging than summer shinny.
The Senators’ rookies and prospects will be in Gatineau for the NHL Prospect Challenge at the Slush Puppie Centre on September 12 and 13, with Ottawa facing prospects from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.
Then comes the bigger test.
Yakemchuk has been one of Ottawa’s most closely watched prospects since being selected seventh overall in 2024. His size and offensive instincts were NHL-ready on day one.
Now the question is whether the rest of his game is ready for full-time duty.
The NHL/NHPA European Player Media Tour is off and running in Munich, Germany, at the moment, with a select number of players speaking to journalists.
Among those players is Ottawa Senators star center Tim Stutzle.
Unsurprisingly, former Senators captain and now current Florida Panthers winger Brady Tkachuk was brought up during Stutzle's availability, fielding all sorts of questions about Tkachuk's departure.
"I feel like you’re always surprised over a big move like that," Stutzle told The Hockey News' David Alter during the NHL/NHLPA European Player Media Tour in Munich on Friday.
"Yeah, we’re going to miss him, but at the end of the day we have to focus on what’s ahead and what we have in Ottawa. We have a lot of guys who love being in Ottawa — and I’m sure he did too. It was just time for him to move on and we’ve got to accept that."
Tkachuk was the fourth overall pick of the Senators in the 2018 NHL draft. He went on to play eight seasons with the Senators, five of which he served as an assistant captain. In 572 games with the Senators, Tkachuk scored 213 goals and 473 points. No player on the Senators recorded more goals or points since Tkachuk made his debut.
Tkachuk was as important to the Senators franchise as any player had been in their history. Still, as the disappointing seasons mounted and the fans' frustration following the 2026 Olympics grew, it reached a point where the Senators and Tkachuk agreed it was time to move on.
The Senators would trade Tkachuk to Florida on June 21 in exchange for the No. 9 and No. 25 picks in the 2026 NHL draft, as well as a conditional first-round pick in the 2029 NHL draft and a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL draft. The Senators then flipped the No. 9 pick to the San Jose Sharks for forward William Eklund and selected Jonas Lgerberg-Hoen with the No. 25 pick.
Teammates and fans were shocked by the move, but a select few, including Stutzle, were appreciative of what Tkachuk had done for the franchise.
"I want to thank 'Chucky' for what he’s done for me, for my teammates," said Stutzle. "He took me in when I was younger and did everything in a possible way to make me feel welcome and he was always a good teammate and obviously a really, really good player."
The Senators are hoping to remain a playoff team in the highly competitive Atlantic Division, but it won't be easy. They are hoping the additions of Eklund and Andre Burakovsky, and the promotions of some of their young prospects, will help them remain competitive, but losing their leader and one of the NHL's premier power forwards is a major blow.
As for the Panthers, they are hoping Tkachuk brings his physical nature, dominant net-front presence and goal-scoring abilities to a lineup that dealt with numerous injuries last season.
Time will tell how this deal works for both sides.
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