COLUMBUS, OHIO - APRIL 4: Connor Hellebuyck #37 of the Winnipeg Jets skates on the ice during the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on April 4, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/NHLI via Getty Images)
NHLI via Getty Images
Connor Hellebuyck finally has a new home after the Winnipeg Jets granted the three-time Vezina Trophy winning goaltender’s trade request in a deal that sent him to the New Jersey Devils on Friday.
The Devils sent center Dawson Mercer, goalie Nico Daws, prospect Alexander Command, forward Nick Bjugstad, a 2029 second-round pick and a 2027 seventh-rounder to Winnipeg for Hellebuyck.
The long-awaited trade ends months of speculation, a failed bid to move the U.S. Olympic gold medal-winner and 2024-25 NHL MVP in June, and the Jets’ suspension of Hellebuyck for failing to report to training camp in a standoff that required the involvement of the league and the Players’ Association.
The 33-year-old Hellebuyck, who backstopped the U.S. to Olympic gold at the Milan-Cortina Games in February, leaves Winnipeg after spending his entire 11-year career there. Hellebuyck joins Jack Hughes, who scored in overtime of the final to defeat Canada, with the Devils and immediately puts them closer to being a Stanley Cup contender.
When training camp opened, new Devils general manager Sunny Mehta said he was very comfortable with the team’s goaltending situation. Since then, Jake Allen and Nico Daws have combined for an .880 save percentage, which ranks 23rd among 32 teams.
It was not immediately clear how soon Hellebuyck might be ready to play for his new team. He has been skating in his home state of Michigan while trade talks were ongoing.
Hellebuyck has five seasons left on a seven-year contact with an annual salary cap hit of $8.5 million.
On Friday morning, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that the New Jersey Devils were working with the Winnipeg Jets on a potential deal to bring 33-year-old goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to New Jersey.
Sources: New Jersey and Winnipeg are working on a Connor Hellebuyck deal.
Hellebuyck, who helped lead the U.S. men’s hockey team to Olympic gold in February alongside Devils star forward Jack Hughes, requested a trade from Winnipeg this summer and did not report to training camp in September. His suspension for failing to report was set to expire Friday, Oct. 23.
In the afternoon, it was reported that in return New Jersey sent 24-year-old versatile foward Dawson Mercer, goaltender Nico Daws, 2026 12th overall pick Alexander Command, veteran forward Nick Bjugstad, a second round draft pick in 2029, and seventh round pick in 2027 to Winnipeg.
Last season, Mercer spoke with The Hockey News about the seemingly never-ending trade rumors that had followed his name.
“It has honestly been for a few years now, different trades, but that stuff is white noise,” he said back in January. “It doesn't matter. I don't really pay much attention to that stuff. That is all stuff out of your control. I come in here, try to get better every day, and help the team win. I love it here, so it is coming in and going out there every day with the guys.”
Mercer made his NHL debut with the Devils on Oct 15, 2021. He appeared in 410 consecutive games over the next five seasons, collecting 209 points (103 goals, 106 assists). He broke Scott Gomez's Devils/Colorado Rockies/Kansas City Scouts record when he played his 141st consecutive game to start an NHL career at Prudential Center on Feb. 25, 2023.
Selected in the fifth round of the 2012 NHL Draft, Hellebuyck has spent his entire 11-season NHL career with the Jets. Winnipeg reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs in seven of those seasons, making its deepest run in 2017-18, when it advanced to the Western Conference Final before falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. Individually, Hellebuyck has earned three Vezina Trophies as the NHL’s top goaltender and one Hart Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the league’s most valuable player.
The 33-year-old Michigan native is in the third season of a seven-year, $59.5 million contract.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
New Jersey opened the 2026-27 season with Jake Allen, 36, and 25-year-old Daws sharing goaltending duties. The duo has helped the Devils to a 6-4-0 record through 10 games, good for 12 points and the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot, behind the Toronto Maple Leafs. Additionally, Mehta claimed netminder Rémi Poirier off waivers from the Dallas Stars in late September.
The Devils are scheduled to face the Jets in Winnipeg for the first time this season on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
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The St. Louis Blues defeated the Vegas Golden Knights by a 6-2 final score on Thursday night.
Former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Justin Barron played a major role in the Blues' win, as he had a monster game.
Barron scored a goal and recorded four points in the Blues' victory against the Golden Knights. With this, the former Canadiens defenseman had a game that he will remember for a long time.
After this impressive performance, Barron now has one goal and five points in seven games this season. This is after he had zero goals and nine assists in 52 games with the Nashville Predators this past campaign.
The Blues claimed Barron off waivers from the Predators ahead of the 2026-27 season. Clearly, after this game, St. Louis must be happy that they took a chance on the former Canadiens defenseman.
Barron spent four seasons with the Canadiens from 2021-22 to 2024-25. In 109 games with the Habs over that span, he posted 13 goals, 18 assists, 31 points, 131 hits, and a minus-11 rating.
Barron's time with the Canadiens ended when he was traded to the Predators in the deal that brought defenseman Alexandre Carrier to Montreal. This is a trade that has aged excellently for the Canadiens.
ORCHARD PARK, NY - JANUARY 01: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates with the puck in the third period of the NHL Winter Classic against the Buffalo Sabres at the Ralph Wilson Stadium on January 1, 2008 in Orchard Park, New York. The Penguins won the game 2-1 in a shoot out. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Evgeni Malkin’s demeanor last night caught some attention on social media. Malkin barely celebrated scoring a goal, and didn’t emerge from the tunnel (as the standard to take a little lap on the ice and acknowledge the home crowd) when named one of the game’s three stars. That behavior could be explained by the news today Malkin would not practice due to an illness. Forward Egor Chinakhov, dealing with a lingering minor injury that’s had him in and out of the lineup over the last week, was also absent.
Forwards Egor Chinakhov (lower-body) and Evgeni Malkin (illness) will not practice today. pic.twitter.com/IgdUUOL1pp
Practice held some intrigue, the Penguins took to the ice in blue pants and helmets to work in their gear before the upcoming Hometown Remix altenate jerseys make their debut on the November 3rd home game against Vegas.
The text is believed to be a Caeser cypher message of: “What’s old is new”.
There have been a couple of conflicting images floating around social media. One is an Andy Warhol-inspired type of jersey that frankly looks a little too out there of a concept to be an actual NHL jersey.
There’s another rumored design where the Pens will use a retro logo of the ‘fat’ Penguin crest that the team used back in their inaugural 1967-68 season. That would be a fitting touch for the club now celebrating it’s 60th year. This might have more truth behind it than the Warhol design, being as the team is reportedly already selling the logo in their store on a hat.
with the #HometownRemix reveal just around the corner, here’s what we know so far…
Going back to that first logo certainly would fit the “What’s old is new” messaging.
Whether there’s an official reveal ahead of time or not, what we do know is that the Penguins will be back in blue jerseys for the first time since 2013 soon enough. They’re scheduled to wear these Hometown Remix jerseys ten times this season, in a couple weeks on November 3rd.
The Chicago Blackhawks (3-6-0) are finally going to be back in game action following their six days away. During that time, they practiced hard and had some rest, as there is a lot of the season- nearly 90%- in front of them.
The Montreal Canadiens (4-3-2) are in town for their one trip to the United Center. They have a better record than the Blackhawks, but they would tell you that they are off to a lackluster start. After making it to the Eastern Conference Final in the spring, they have high expectations.
Scouting Montreal
The Montreal Canadiens will be without their captain, Nick Suzuki, for 2-4 weeks, starting with their match in Chicago. This ends his Ironman streak of 546 consecutive games. With Suzuki missing, this is how their lineup is projected to look:
Slafkovsky – Kapanen – Caufield
Anderson – Newhook – Kreider
Bolduc – Danault – Texier
Dach – Evans – Beck
Hutson – Dobson
Carrier - Guhle
Xhekaj – Engstrom
Fowler
Dobes
This projected lineup is good, but there is a massive hole at center without Suzuki in the mix. They are also without winger Ivan Demidov, who has been missing for most of the season so far. Chicago fans who enjoy the draft know Demidov well, as he was an option for the Blackhawks in the 2024 NHL Draft, but they opted for defenseman Artyom Levshunov.
Even without those two, guys up front like Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield can carry the weight. They aren’t as dynamic a team without Suzuki and Demidov, but they are trying to push through with what they have.
It’s a good group on defense, but Lane Hutson is a budding superstar in this league. He has the offensive tools that may allow him to win a Norris Trophy or two in the future. His partner, Noah Dobson, is also a very good two-way defender. Dobson makes it easy for Hutson to play his game without worry.
If the Blackhawks are going to win, they must exploit Montreal’s weakness down the middle, make life hard on the top pair of Hutson-Dobson, and get traffic in front of whichever goalie gets the start.
Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago
The Blackhawks are as healthy at forward as they’ve been all season. They have the full group available to them for this game. That includes Andrew Mangiapane, who skated in a regular-contact sweater during practice on Thursday, but he is expected to be a healthy scratch.
On defense, Bowen Byram has been missing for a few games with what the team is calling an upper-body injury. They have recently said that he is trending in the right direction.
Kantserov-Bedard-Kane
Bertuzzi-Frondell-Teravainen
Moore-Nazar-Donato
Smith-Greene-Greenway
Vlasic-Cole
Kaiser-Levshunov
Del Mastro-Rinzel
Knight
You can expect Ethan Del Mastro to continue skating in Byram's spot on defense. He won’t be on the top pair like Byram, but he would be the guy to dress. Kevin Korchinski, who can’t seem to buy ice time in games that count, would be the healthy scratch.
Up front, Connor Bedard, Anton Frondell, Frank Nazar, and Ryan Greene are getting the reps at center. Although Roman Kantserov and Oliver Moore are more than capable of playing the position, Jeff Blashill enjoys having them on the wing. Only time will tell if that’s actually the best course of action.
Speaking of Kantserov, his line with Connor Bedard and Patrick Kane has been good. Even against the Dallas Stars, who shut down the Hawks all game, the Bedard line had a great chance or two.
Overall, Montreal isn’t Dallas, but that’s especially true as they navigate through injuries. Weaknesses are there to be exposed, and the Blackhawks have shown they can do it to the non-elite teams. Against middle-of-the-pack squads, they have a chance. Montreal is likely better than that, but they haven’t started the season playing like an elite team, and the Blackhawks are trying to take advantage.
Spencer Knight will start in goal for Chicago. This will be his 5th straight start and 8th start over the first 10 games. The break between games 9 and 10 play a role in that, but they rely heavily on their number one goalie.
How To Watch
The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. It can be seen locally on CHSN. Nationally, you can watch it on NHL Network. The puck will drop shortly after 7:00 PM CT.
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Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice had some strong words for his players on Thursday night.
His comments came shortly after Florida’s 4-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.
It was the Panthers second lopsided defeat in as many days, following a 5-1 drubbing the night before in Ottawa.
“I don’t know if it’s (that) we’re on the spectrum of arrogance and softness that I’ve allowed to creep into our game,” Maurice said after the game. “I’m going to find that out here in a couple days.”
Florida had been riding high before hitting the road, winners of three straight games by a combined score of 18-8.
Something changed between an 8-3 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, a game that saw the Panthers record a pair of hat tricks (by Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett), and Wednesday’s rough outing against the Senators.
Still, the Panthers are a team that has been incredibly resilient over the past several seasons, rarely getting into lasting funks while often playing themselves back into form by relying on the systems they run.
This week, however, it seems something sinister has crept into the team’s efforts.
With a great opportunity on Thursday night to bounce back after the spanking by the Senators, and having the extra motivation of playing in front of a young goaltender making his NHL debut, the Panthers once again floundered.
“It’s very difficult to win in hockey games in this league when your team scores zero in front of you and gets what it deserves,” Maurice said after praising Cooper Black’s efforts in his first taste of national league action.
So what went wrong that has the team suddenly so out of whack?
“I’ve got to sort that out,” Maurice said. “I’ve got to figure out where it’s coming from. I think it’s coming from me, so I’ve got a good 48 hours to grind on that and come up with an answer.”
The Panthers were back on the road Friday, making the short trip from Pittsburgh to Chicago where they’ll face the Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon.
Florida has a practice scheduled for Saturday at the Blackhawks’ training facility, and it should be an interesting one.
“I just need to get their attention,” Maurice said.
Photo caption: Oct 22, 2026;Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Cooper Black (31) and defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) defend a shot byPittsburghPenguinscenter Sidney Crosby (87) during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. (Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)
The Columbus Blue Jackets are already in a tough division, and the way this year has started, it's going to get even tougher.
There was big news dropped by several NHL Insiders this morning that will no doubt plung the Metro into an even deeper abyss.
Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck will be apparently be acquired by the New Jersey Devils in what is said to be a three team trade.
Hellebucyk, 33, is in the third season of a seven-year, $8.5 million AAV contract he signed with the Jets.
The Blue Jackets will now have to contend with Connor Hellebuyck, Brandon Bussi, Pyotr Kochetkov, Ilya Sorokin, Semyon Varlamov, Charlie Lindgren, Logan Thompson, and, when he's healthy, Igor Shesterkin.
The Jets get back Dawson Mercer, Alexander Command, Nick Bjugstad, Nico Daws, and two draft picks.
This won't be easy for the Blue Jackets to navigate, but then again, it never has been.
Next Up For Columbus: The Blue Jackets are back home on Saturday to take on the Vegas Golden Knights.
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Theo Lindstein impressed during pre-season and earned a spot in the opening-night lineup, but after four games, he's back in the AHL.
Thursday night, the St. Louis Blues assigned the 21-year-old defenseman to the Springfield Thunderbirds. Lindstein played the first four games of the season, recording one assist while averaging 14:33 of ice time.
After those four games, Lindstein was replaced in the lineup by Justin Barron, a pre-season waiver claim. Since then, Lindstein has been a healthy scratch in six straight games, and after Barron posted a goal and four points against the Vegas Golden Knights, Barron doesn't appear to be leaving the lineup anytime soon.
The move to send Lindstein down to the AHL is wise. He is still very young, and playing in the AHL will do more for his development than sitting in the press box and skating as an extra at practice. Lindstein has shown more than enough to prove he will be an NHL-caliber defenseman for the Blues at some point.
As for the current makeup of the roster, Barron has excelled alongside Philip Broberg, Adam Jiricek has looked comfortable skating with Broberg or Colton Parayko and Cam Fowler and Brandon Carlo have been quite solid as the third pairing.
Additionally, Logan Mailloux and Tyler Tucker are working to recover from their injuries and return to play. They are both likely a few weeks out before they return. Up front, the Blues expect Alexey Toropchenko and Ross Johnston to return soon.
With their returns imminent, it's understandable why the Blues waived Zach Dean and now assigned Lindstein to the AHL.
The Thunderbirds play twice this week, both games on the road against the Charlotte Checkers. The Thunderbirds are currently 2-2-1 and sit in sixth place in the Atlantic Division.
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ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Washington Capitals defenseman Vincent Desharnais is expected to miss 4-6 weeks after undergoing a successful appendectomy.
The team said Friday he had his appendix removed on Thursday.
Desharnais, 30, is nine games into his first season with the Capitals after signing a four-year, $16.8 million contract with them as a free agent. He has three assists and is averaging more than 19 minutes of ice time.
The Laval, Quebec, native previously played for Edmonton, Vancouver, Pittsburgh and San Jose and helped the Oilers reach the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
Just when they needed him the most, Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond is beginning to heat up.
The Swedish forward, who hadn't scored in his first eight games of the campaign, now has three goals in his last two outings, including a pair of goals in Thursday evening's 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena.
According to head coach Todd McLellan, Raymond is looking like his old self, putting himself in the right places on the ice to make the most of his offensive chances.
“He put himself in good spots tonight to score; I thought he did that last game," McLellan said afterward. "Even when he mishandled the puck a couple of times three or four games ago, he was in the right spot.
So now, he's feeling good, the confidence is back where it should be, and hopefully he takes off.”
There was a moment of concern on the part of the Red Wings when goaltender John Gibson was announced as unavailable for the third period due to an upper-body injury.
That meant that Michal Postava, who had recently been called up from the American Hockey League affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins, earned his first NHL action; he finished with seven saves on the eight shots Vancouver fired his way.
“He had something in his eye," McLellan said of Gibson. "They're still looking at it, and so the EBUG is dressing, Michal's told he's going to play, and away he goes. Did a real good job, happy for him, and congratulations, you're in the NHL now.”
The good news is that Gibson's eye issue isn't expected to be serious.
The Red Wings will continue their road trip on Saturday evening with a tilt against the Calgary Flames, which will be their final game at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
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The Islanders battled back from an early 2-0 hole, forcing overtime after Matthew Schaefer's game-tying goal in the third period.
That goal is Schaefer's first of the season, and the 24th of his career after a 23-goal campaign as an 18-year-old.
That 24th goal as a teenager moved Schaefer into a tie for second all-time in goals scored as a teenaged defenseman.
Schaefer is tied with none other than Boston Bruins' legend, Bobby Orr, the best defenseman in the history of the NHL.
It's an unbelievable stat, one that reminds just how special of a player Schaefer is in every sense of the word.
"It’s crazy to have your name next to him," Schaefer said postgame. "With some of the great things he's done. It’s an honor.”
But, Schaefer knows the records and stats aren't the end all, be all. He wants to get better and he wants to win.
"I don't really look at the records and things like that," Schaefer said. "You just keep playing the game, keep trying to get better. Obviously, there's things you always want to improve on, and at the end of the day, it's a team game, and we're kind of just focused on what we got going in here."
What the Islanders "got going on here" is a team currently third in the Metropolitan Division.
They've also got the fifth-best odds to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, according to Moneypuck.com.
The Islanders now ship out for a week-long road trip, looking to stack more wins. They'll face Head Coach Pete DeBoer's old team, the Dallas Stars, Sunday night to kick off the road trip.
DENVER — When the Colorado Avalanche play their best hockey, they look like one of the most dangerous teams in the league. But after two disappointing losses on the road, the team’s biggest concern might be that even its head coach can’t quite explain what went wrong.
The Hockey News asked the Avalanche head coach what he believed was behind the team’s slow, unenergetic play during its road trip, which ended with losses to the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils.
His answer was blunt.
“I have no idea.”
We were hoping for a little more insight than that. As it turned out, Bednar had also been asked the same question during an appearance on Altitude Sports Radio. His response was longer, but the underlying message was largely the same.
“I don’t know. I wish I knew. I felt like we were starting to hit our stride a little bit in the way we were playing. Had a little bit of a tough time putting together a full 60 minutes in those games, but when we were good, we were really good. And those were quite honestly two of the worst games I’ve seen our team play in years.”
I’m not a head coach. The closest I’ve come to coaching is teaching kids how to pass the puck and skate, so I’m not going to pretend I can fully evaluate Bednar’s coaching or understand what it takes to manage a roster of elite professional athletes. But I do think we deserved a more substantive answer.
The Avalanche are heading into Friday’s matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Ball Arena with questions to answer. Colorado is coming off two of its worst performances in recent memory, according to its own head coach, and now faces a Tampa Bay team fresh off a 6-2 road win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.
Vegas swept the Avalanche in the playoffs last season and also entered Tuesday’s game as the NHL’s highest-scoring team, making Tampa Bay’s 6-2 win even more impressive.
Tampa Bay also boasts Nikita Kucherov, one of the NHL’s elite players, who enters Friday’s game just one point shy of surpassing Steven Stamkos as the Lightning’s all-time leading scorer.
It’s a difficult matchup for an Avalanche team that hasn’t looked like itself lately.
Many of the issues we discussed last season remain. Colorado continues to turn the puck over in its own zone, struggles to get back on defense when it needs to, and makes questionable decisions with the puck. The difference this season is that the Avalanche aren’t scoring at nearly the same rate to make up for those mistakes.
It’s still early in the season, and injuries have undoubtedly complicated things. Colorado is also missing some of the depth it had last season, with Valeri Nichushkin, Ross Colton and Jack Drury no longer on the roster. Nic Roy has been sidelined by injury, while Zach L’Heureux, who was expected to be a key offseason acquisition, has also dealt with multiple injuries. Those absences have made it more difficult for the Avalanche to find consistent contributions beyond their top players.
However, we would be remiss not to mention Artturi Lehkonen, who is off to the hottest start of his career with eight goals in 10 games. His 11 points are tied for second on the team behind Nathan MacKinnon, while Jaden Schwartz has also been outstanding through the first 10 games and is on pace for one of his best seasons in years.
But individual performances can only carry a team so far. Colorado needs more consistency throughout the lineup, better defensive habits and a renewed sense of urgency.
There’s plenty of time to get things back on track. Two bad games don’t define a season, and a team dealing with injuries deserves some leeway. But the recurring mistakes are difficult to ignore, especially when the offense isn’t producing enough to cover them up.
Coaches aren’t expected to have an immediate explanation for every bad performance, but identifying patterns and finding solutions is part of the job. If these were genuinely two of the worst games the Avalanche have played in years, understanding why should be a priority.
Colorado is coming off a rough road trip, Tampa Bay is coming in with momentum, and Bednar is working under a new contract extension. The Avalanche don’t need to panic, but they do need answers.
And before Friday’s game, it would be reassuring to know they have a better understanding of what went wrong than simply admitting they don’t know.
The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the New York Rangers 5-4 on Thursday to extend their winning streak to three games. But before the game took place, they got some bad news when it comes to Marshall Rifai.
“He thought he was fine, but it turns out he’s not.”
Rifai took part in the club’s morning skate but left the ice twice, once before the session got underway and again seven minutes into the club’s full morning skate on Thursday.
“As I get older and once you get more reps at it, you can only control your effort, your attitude and how you are in the room, and when your opportunity comes, you gotta be ready,” Rifai said. “Being healthy too, that’s a big thing this year. Happy to be healthy.”
It’s a tough break for Rifai who will have to practice staying positive while being unavailable yet again with another injury.
Adding to the defensive health woes is Nick Blankenburg leaving in the third period against the Rangers after getting hit along the boards by Will Cuylle. There was no immediate update on the defenseman’s status.
Dakota Mermis next up?
The Leafs announced that Rifai will go on injured reserve and that opens up a roster spot. While not official, Dakota Mermis’ stall was set up with his gear in the locker room when the doors opened for Thursday’s postgame, suggesting he will be called up as a reinforcement, or possible option for the upcoming four-game road trip that begins Saturday in Edmonton and wraps up a week later in Vancouver.
Mermis has one assist in seven games with the Marlies this season. In the last two seasons, the 32-year-old Mermis has played a total of 14 games with the Leafs, where he scored one goal and registered an average ice time of 13:49.
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Going forward, the Philadelphia Flyers will be seeing an old friend line up for a division rival, and one in direct competition with them for a playoff spot this season at that.
On Thursday, it was announced that ex-Flyers forward Luke Glendening had signed a one-year, $850k contract with the Metropolitan Division rival New York Rangers, resurfacing after remaining unsigned through the early portion of the 2026-27 season.
Glendening, 37, previously signed a professional tryout offer with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team for whom he played from 2023 to 2025, but ultimately did not do enough to earn an NHL deal.
Earning another PTO with the Rangers earlier this month, the undrafted wily vet has cashed in at long last, signing on for his 14th NHL season.
After a unproductive stint with the New Jersey Devils last season, scoring just four assists in 52 games, Glendening latched on with the Flyers via waiver claim, playing an important role for Philadelphia down the stretch.
In search of a right-shot center, and especially after losing Nikita Grebenkin to injury, the Flyers thrust Glendening into a key checking role, and he excelled almost immediately.
The 37-year-old scored two goals, three assists, and five points in just 18 regular season games with the Flyers, featuring on a fourth line alongside Sean Couturier and Garnet Hathaway.
Glendening also chipped in a goal in 10 playoff contests, but despite his line giving the Flyers a bit of an identity, only Couturier, the team captain, remains from the unit.
With Rangers forward Joe Veleno tending to a lower-body injury on injured reserve, Glendening will have the chance to reprise his role as a depth forward and faceoff specialist in New York in the twilight years of his NHL career.
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 22: Arseny Gritsyuk #81 of the New Jersey Devils celebrates his goal with teammates on the bench during the first period against the Anaheim Ducks at Prudential Center on October 22, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
The Devils took their fourth win in five games as Arseny Gritsyuk, Nico Hischier, Anthony Mantha and Jack Hughes found the back of the net on Thursday. Devils beat the Ducks 4-1. [Devils NHL]
“Dylan Larkin would accept a trade to the New Jersey Devils, but is there still a fit?” [Devils on the Rush ($)]
“Briefly evaluating whether or not Red Wings center Dylan Larkin is a player that Sunny Mehta and the New Jersey Devils would target in a trade.” [Devils’ Advocates]
On Dougie’s start to the season:
Sheldon Keefe on Dougie Hamilton:
"Dougie’s in a really good headspace. The best I’ve seen him, in terms of watching him around the facility, meeting with him and speaking with him myself.
He’s in a really good place. He understands exactly what we need and want from him. He… pic.twitter.com/QuFZPspkAz
“While it’s still early to roll out a full-blown Big Board, it’s not too soon to start identifying the top players who could play a role in the weeks and months ahead. Let’s start with 10 players to watch.” [The Athletic ($)]
“For the unlucky teams already stuck at the bottom of the NHL standings less than a month into the 2026-27 season, it’s never too early to start dreaming about Landon DuPont.” [Daily Faceoff]
Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.
