The Islanders weren't listed as the opponent for any one of the other 31 NHL teams, so it's possible that their home opener against the Devils is also their season-opening game.
The 2026-27 season will be 84 games, with the full schedule to be released at 1 PM ET on Thursday.
The Islanders opened the 2025-26 season on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 11: Kris Letang #58 and Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins take the ice for warmups prior to the game against the New York Rangers at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 11, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The NHL announced the first games for teams in the 2026-27 season, full schedule to follow tomorrow.
The Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves with a marquee opening matchup, they’ll start the year in Philadelphia on Wednesday September 30th for a rematch of last spring’s first round playoff series in a nationally televised game on TNT. The Pens will hold their home opener a few days later on Saturday October 3rd back in Pittsburgh against the Montreal Canadiens.
The above also announces that Pittsburgh will be on the road to be a part of Washington’s home opener on October 7th.
This NHL season starts earlier than most in recent memory, the league has shortened the preseason and added two more regular season games to boost the schedule to 84 games for the first time since 1994. The additional games allows each team to play all members of their division four times – in past seasons under and 82 game schedule there was a rotation of playing two rivals only three times.
Key dates for signature events have also been announced. The Pens won’t be participating in any international or outdoor games this season, after going to Sweden last year.
October 25, 2026: 2026 Heritage Classic (Winnipeg Jets vs. Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg) November 12 & 14, 2026: NHL Global Series Helsinki (Seattle Kraken vs. Carolina Hurricanes at Veikkaus Arena, Finland) December 18 & 20, 2026: NHL Global Series Düsseldorf (Chicago Blackhawks vs. Ottawa Senators at PSD Bank Dome, Germany) December 31, 2026: 2027 NHL Winter Classic (Utah Mammoth vs. Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City) February 7, 2027: 2027 NHL All-Star Game (UBS Arena at Elmont, NY) February 20, 2027: 2027 NHL Stadium Series (Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX)
With the season starting earlier and no condensed scheduling needed to account for an Olympic stoppage, teams should be in-line for lengthy breaks during the year and avoid situations like last year when the Pens played 17 games in the month of March. We’ll see those splits and the full schedule upon tomorrow’s release.
Mar 22, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Gavin Brindley (54) looks on during a face-off against the Washington Capitals during the first period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images
Recently in a series of press conferences, Colorado Avalanche GM Joe Sakic set up his offseason message to the fanbase and managed expectations about heading into the 2026-27 season with a worse roster on paper. The salary cap was blamed, naturally, but this year’s buzz words given in an attempt to soothe any worries were centered around an incoming youth movement to fill the gaps.
“If we’ve got to start out with some kids this year to see what they got, what they can do, we’re perfectly happy with that as well.” — Joe Sakic
The youth movement concept is great in theory. A rapidly aging roster is in need of an infusion of new faces, competitive energy and cheap contracts which will outperform their cost. Colorado would benefit from some younger players under their control in the short term even if they are starting with a group of kids that are closer to unrestricted free agency than drafted prospects would be. The Avalanche have also been missing the spark young players can provide plus the possible benefit of untapped upside.
Who are the possibilities?
Joe Sakic mentioned these guys as young players the organization is looking to help fill the gaps at the NHL level to start the year:
Gavin Brindley Taylor Makar TJ Hughes Matt DiMarsico Fedor Svechkov Zach L’Heureux
It is interesting the youths Sakic mentions as having a chance to fill their roster holes at forward are all new to the organization which contain three players (Fedor Svechkov, Zach L’Heureux and Gavin Brindley) they acquired via trade within the last year (four if we include recently signed Fabian Lysell who is also in the mix), two recent college free agent signings (TJ Hughes and Matt DiMarsico) and one with obvious familial connections (Taylor Makar). The Avalanche have an uncanny ability to cycle through their options every two years, which is why last year’s crop of budding NHL forwards need not apply to the current opportunity at hand. Those who previously saw NHL action with the Avalanche include Ivan Ivan, Zakhar Bardakov, Chase Bradley, Jason Polin and Matt Stienburg, who all were not retained and signed elsewhere this summer.
Those departures make sense as a player gets two years at most to hold the organization’s attention before their window of opportunity shuts, which is why a bunch of new options were needed for the next season’s experiment. Taylor Makar could be an exception if he makes the jump to the NHL permanently because he was drafted in 2021, though has only played one year of pro hockey so far. Since the Joe Sakic management era began in 2013 there hasn’t been an acquired player who was property of the organization longer than two years that developed internally and then went on to complete a full NHL season in Colorado. It is understood that the NHL is unforgiving and moves at a rapid pace but that timeline is a tough ask for development, especially in draft picks.
What does giving opportunity really mean?
This decade Logan O’Connor is the only developed forward who broke through to the Avalanche roster and the last of such graduation up front from the system since Mikko Rantanen in 2016. After signing as an undrafted college free agent his first year of pro hockey, O’Connor got the typical cup of coffee the Avalanche consider opportunity with the five game call-up treatment in early 2019 where he averaged less than six minutes time on ice. Then in his second season he played 16 games, scored two points and upped his average to over eight minutes a game. Usually at that point justifications that he didn’t make enough impact in those 21 games would crop up but in year three O’Connor saw his waiver exemption expire and the Avalanche chose to keep him full-time in the pandemic shortened year of 2020-21. That season a 22 game, five point campaign where he averaged near 11 minutes a game got O’Connor a three-year contract extension and the rest is history as the Avalanche were then committed and the right winger had solidified his place on the team.
If O’Connor represents a repeatable path to the Avalanche, at some point a commitment is required and none of the youth options cycled through the team in 2025-26 stuck when it came to staying in the lineup. Gavin Brindley offered a glimmer of hope in his 54 NHL games and saw the most time on ice given by Jared Bednar to a developing player at an average of 9:33 per game but he was then sent to the minors after the trade deadline passed. All other experiments barely eclipsed seven minutes per game including those with a half a season or more of NHL experience such as Ivan Ivan and Zakhar Bardakov.
In Nashville, both Fedor Svechkov and Zach L’Heureux averaged over 12 minutes of ice time in each of their NHL seasons, which sets up the expectation that if Colorado wants these two, or any of their other youth movement options, to continue growing their games in this new opportunity then that’s the level of usage they need to be seeing at minimum. This also means no exclusive fourth line roles, especially multiple young players put together and then marginalized together as the bench gets shortened after the first period of games.
What’s on the horizon?
Unless there are surprise injuries when training camp rolls around in September or Colorado signs another veteran by then, currently it stands that two forward positions on the fourth line are open for these young guns to grab. Waiver exemption can’t save everyone this time, however, as it means several of mentioned above inexperienced options are going to get cut from the opening night lineup. With the exception of Brindley, DiMarsico and Hughes all others need to pass through waivers if they are sent down to the Colorado Eagles. The two-year pacts and one-way price tag in the second years for Svechkov, L’Heureux and Makar act as basically waivers insurance as another team is unlikely to pick up the financial commitment on those contracts. Still, the Avalanche likely want to satisfy the optics for players they just acquired will be given the first chance to play in the NHL. Brindley and his aforementioned 54 games of experience with the Avalanche last season should have the inside track in the competition for an open roster spot but as the youngest at 21-years-old, is still waivers exempt and was recently demoted adds up to he’s the easiest to pass over.
Sakic already threw out the idea that the roster isn’t set because Colorado can just accrue cap space for the trade deadline and get in new players at a later time. Admitting it out loud before the youth movement process has even begun feels like a halfhearted attempt when a full organizational buy-in and commitment is required for the monumental task of getting a developing player across to the Avalanche finish line. The expectation always is for playoff teams to made additions to strengthen their roster at the trade deadline. But it should be just that: adding, not replacing.
🗣️ Joe Sakic
"We wanted to give ourselves some flexibility. You don't win on July 1st. We learned that along time ago. We want the ability to add a player at the deadline for whatever type of player we feel we need at that point"#GoAvsGo | Powered by @RefiJetpic.twitter.com/5jaqL8S1a8
A major change was announced on Wednesday for the Detroit Red Wings, as Steve Yzerman, who had been in place as general manager since April 2019, officially transitioned his role to senior advisor to Governor and CEO Chris Ilitch.
Yzerman was tasked with taking over a franchise faced with a long, difficult rebuilding process. And while there were several positives during that stretch, including the selections of Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond in the NHL Draft, the Red Wings missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in all seven seasons he oversaw.
Ilitch acknowledged that the Red Wings, who now own the NHL's longest active postseason drought in the NHL, aren't where they expect to be as an organization that once set the modern standard of excellence and consistent contention.
“Clearly, we are not where we and our fans expect to be as an organization,” said Ilitch. “I’m looking forward to bringing in new leadership to build the championship-caliber organization Hockeytown deserves.”
During Yzerman's tenure, the Red Wings successfully rebuilt a prospect pipeline that was virtually empty when he took over. He also acquired sniper forward Alex DeBrincat via trade and convinced future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane to sign with Detroit.
While last offseason's acquisition of John Gibson proved to be a pivotal move, not every gamble in net paid off. Yzerman previously traded for goaltenders Alex Nedeljkovic and Ville Husso, though neither ultimately delivered the results the organization had hoped for.
Neither did the 2025 re-acquisition of Petr Mrazek; he was later dealt to Anaheim for Gibson.
At the same time, several of Yzerman's decisions drew criticism, including the contracts given to J.T. Compher and Andrew Copp, the trade that sent Jake Walman away, and reports that Detroit passed on an opportunity to acquire former Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes.
The Red Wings are also still navigating the fallout from captain Dylan Larkin's public trade request, and it remains to be seen whether the leadership change will have any impact on that situation.
On paper, the partnership between the Red Wings and Steve Yzerman appeared to be a perfect fit. But ultimately, the NHL is a results-oriented business.
Although Detroit made steady progress under Yzerman, it became increasingly difficult to ignore division rivals pulling further ahead, especially as the Red Wings suffered three consecutive late-season collapses in March.
In the end, missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for seven straight seasons meant that a change was necessary.
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Steve Yzerman talks to fans about the 1997-98 Stanley Cup run during a ceremony honoring that championship run Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at Little Caesars Arena.
Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Steve Yzerman abruptly stepped down as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday, a stunning midsummer change of a franchise great leaving the job after seven seasons and zero playoff appearances.
Yzerman’s resignation to transition to an advisory role to CEO Chris Ilitch comes several weeks after captain and No. 1 center Dylan Larkin’s trade request came to light. The Red Wings’ decade-long playoff drought is the longest active drought in the NHL and in the organization’s storied history.
The team says its search for a new head of hockey operations is already underway and that Yzerman will continue to be in charge on a day-to-day basis until his successor is determined.
“Clearly, we are not where we and our fans expect to be as an organization,” Ilitch said in a statement. “Steve’s lifetime of contributions to the Red Wings has meant more to this franchise than words can truly express, and I have the highest level of respect for his continued commitment to our organization.”
Yzerman spent his entire 22-year Hall of Fame NHL playing career with Detroit, captaining them to the Stanley Cup three times. He was an accomplished GM with Tampa Bay, building the core that eventually won back-to-back championships, before taking over in Detroit in 2019, where success on the ice has not materialized.
“This organization has given me incredible opportunities, from my time as a player to the privilege of returning as general manager,” Yzerman said. “My commitment to the Red Wings and this community will never waver, and I look forward to supporting the organization in whatever role is needed to achieve our collective goals.”
With the 46th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks selected goalie Drew Commesso. Since then, the 23-year-old goaltender has been showing promise with his development.
Due to this, Commesso has now earned some praise. This is because the Blackhawks' young netminder made Scott Wheeler's top 20 NHL goalie prospect rankings for The Athletic.
Commesso just made the cut, as he was given the No. 20 spot. When noting that he played well last season with Chicago when given the chance, it makes sense that he was featured on Wheeler's rankings.
Commesso appeared in a career-high three games with the Blackhawks last season, where he posted a 2-1 record, a 2.31 goals-against average, and a .918 save percentage. He also most notably put together an impressive 36-save shutout against the Nashville Predators on Jan. 10. With this, the Norwell, Massachusetts left a strong impression in his limited appearances with the Blackhawks last year.
Down in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs last season, Commesso had a .901 save percentage and a 3.08 goals-against average in 37 appearances. This was after he had an 18-15-6 record, a .911 save percentage, and a 2.54 goals-against average in 39 games for Rockford in 2024-25.
With how Commesso has played, it is fair to wonder if he could earn a spot on the Blackhawks' roster in the near future. Blackhawks backup goalie Arvid Soderblom is entering the final season of his contract in 2026-27, after all.
Executive Vice President and GM Steve Yzerman is moving on from his roster managerial role, the team announced the morning of July 15. Yzerman will remain with the organization as an advisor to the team's Governor and CEO Chris Ilitch and handle day-to-day operations, but the Wings are beginning the search for a new roster manager.
The move comes while star center Dylan Larkin's trade request hangs in the ether, which has proven to be difficult to comply with. Reports indicate Larkin's trade destinations list includes the Vegas Golden Knights, Minnesota Wild, and Florida Panthers, with the Dallas Stars also floated as a candidate (though the latter is unconfirmed).
Yzerman joined the organization after a wildly successful tenure with the Tampa Bay Lightning in April 2019, sparking enthusiasm among a fanbase that hadn't made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season. He failed, however, to make the postseason in his homecoming, and the historically successful Red Wings now have the longest active drought in the NHL at 10 seasons after the Buffalo Sabres ended their drought last season.
"Steve's lifetime of contributions to the Red Wings has meant more to this franchise than words can truly express, and I have the highest level of respect for his continued commitment to our organization,” Ilitch said in a statement released by the team July 15. “We are thankful for Steve’s hard work and dedication as General Manager and are grateful knowing Steve will remain where he belongs – here with the Red Wings family.”
"I am sincerely grateful to Chris and the entire Ilitch family,” Yzerman said. “This organization has given me incredible opportunities, from my time as a player to the privilege of returning as General Manager. I've appreciated every experience throughout the years, and I’m extremely proud to remain part of this great franchise.”
The Pittsburgh Penguins could use a bit more defensive depth before the start of next season. This is especially the case when it comes to their left side, as they lost Ryan Shea to the Edmonton Oilers and traded Parker Wotherspoon to the Vegas Golden Knights.
With it now being the middle of July, most of this year's top unrestricted free agent defensemen have been signed. However, there are some decent depth defensemen worth considering, and one of them is Mike Reilly.
If the Penguins signed Reilly, he could compete for a spot on their bottom pairing. However, he also could be useful for the Penguins to have as their seventh defenseman for when injuries arise during the season.
Reilly spent last season with the Carolina Hurricanes, where he recorded one goal, nine points, and a plus-11 rating. However, he also had six goals and 24 points in 59 games for the New York Islanders during the 2023-24 campaign.
Overall, on a cheap one-year deal, Reilly could be a decent depth pickup for the Penguins. He would give them another defenseman with a good amount of experience, which is never a bad thing. In 460 career NHL games over 12 seasons, he has recorded 19 goals, 114 assists, and 133 points.
Elliotte Friedman, the NHL's top insider who represents Sportsnet, woke the hockey world up with some news on Wednesday. The New Jersey Devils have signed forward Anthony Mantha.
According to Friedman, it is a two-year deal with an average annual value of $4.75 million per year. The Devils have since confirmed it.
In 2025-26, Mantha earned a nice payday for himself by staying healthy, scoring 33 goals, adding 31 assists for 64 points, and playing a key role in the Pittsburgh Penguins making it to the playoffs in somewhat surprising fashion.
Mantha had great success playing wing next to stars like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin at both even strength and on the power play, and now he'll move on to some younger centermen like Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier.
It would be a lot to expect Mantha to cross the 30-goal plateau again, but bringing in someone good for 20-plus on a two-year deal is brilliant work by Sunny Mehta. If Mantha stays healthy, he dramatically improves New Jersey's top-six.
New Jersey will be the sixth team that Mantha suits up for in his NHL career. He started his career with the Detroit Red Wings and played there for parts of six years. He followed that up with parts of four years with the Washington Capitals before cups of coffee with the Vegas Golden Knights, Calgary Flames, and Pittsburgh Penguins.
In Pittsburgh at 31, Mantha proved he is still a great contributor when he's healthy. New Jersey now has him on a safe two-year deal as he tries to build on that success.
Yeah, it’s a BIG deal. Anthony’s in Jersey for the next two years.
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SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 14: Ian Cole #28 of the Utah Mammoth scores a third-period goal during a game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Utah Mammoth at Delta Center on March 14, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Eli Rehmer/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Keeping some tabs on the comings and goings by former members of the Penguins this offseason.
We’ll start off with the most recent group of players that officially departed this offseason.
Noel Acciari (Flyers, 2 years, $2.8m cap hit): Acciari getting a better contract than Connor Dewar reinforces the notion the Pens got a good deal there.
Ryan Shea ($4.0m AAV, five years) is Edmonton bound to help fill in for Darnell Nurse.
Connor Clifton is shipping off to Boston, the organization he played for from 2017-23. They drop pretty decent coin to him in a two-year deal worth $2.25 million.
Stuart Skinner will be waiting in the wings for whatever happens with the Connor Hellebuyck situation to help provide depth to Winnipeg after signing a two-year contract with a $2.75 million cap hit.
—
For some others whose stints ended a while ago:
Ian Cole, 37, left the Penguins in 2018 after winning two Cups. He’s played for seven teams since then, well let’s make it eight. Chicago grabs Cole for a one-year deal worth $4 million. Shockingly long career for Cole, who keeps finding employment and plugging along.
Speaking of defensemen working on impressively long careers, Erik Gudbranson is sticking around with Columbus on a one-year deal for 2026-27 at $1,75 million. Similarly, Jamie Oleksiak jumps over to Vancouver for two years at a $5.0 million AAV (we sure that Jim Rutherford isn’t still in control there?)
Injuries limited Teddy Blueger to only 35 games last year, but a hot-streak helped him tie his career-high in goals (nine) when he did play. That plus a reputation for solid two-way play was enough to get a two-year contract with a $2.5 million AAV to help with whatever is going on in Toronto these days.
Veteran Conor Sheary is headed back to Buffalo, where he played from 2018-20 on a one-year deal for the minimum ($850k). Sheary is coming off a somewhat successful season with the Rangers (7G+11A in 62 games) after playing most of the previous season in the AHL.
Lars Eller is also at the ‘play for minimum’ stage of his career at age 37 and joined up with Florida.
Vladislav Kolyachonok might end up in the AHL making NHL money this year, but credit to him for getting a one-way contract from the Devils after only playing 13 NHL games last season.
Two-way contracts
The following players will be fighting for a roster spot and getting that NHL-level salary in their paycheck.
Jansen Harkins is taking his game to Tampa’s organization on a one-year deal. Harkins spent the last two seasons in Anaheim.
Acciari going to Philadelphia made some headlines, another former Penguin semi-cult hero will join him there, Zach Aston-Reese. Aston-Reese spent 27 games in the AHL last year and 27 with NHL Columbus, looks like he’ll have a chance to stick on the fringe of the Flyer roster or get some games as a potential injury call-up.
Like Aston-Reese, Vinnie Hinostroza got a two-year commitment, from the Colorado Avalanache in his case.
Phil Tomasino caught on with Ottawa with a one-year, two-way contract. Sam Lafferty and Boko Imama will bring their efforts in the same division to Florida.
Sam Poulin is headed back to Quebec with a one-year deal with the Canadiens that will likely have him playing for AHL Laval.
Still looking
These players are not yet signed and remain as free agents
Anthony Mantha, interestingly enough, is still out there on the free agent market awaiting to join up with a new team. So too is Michael Bunting, coming off a season where he scored 31 points in 61 games with Nashville, then didn’t make much of an impact on a deadline trade to Dallas (three points in 14 total games).
There was some talk that Detroit might re-sign David Perron, yet it hasn’t been finalized.
Matt Grzelcyk turned a tryout into a contract with Chicago last season, he might have to go that route again this fall with a new team.
Vegas announced they weren’t going to bring back Reilly Smith, the 35-year old will have to find a new spot or could be looking at the end of his playing days. Jeff Petry, 38, is another veteran who might be at the end of the line this cycle. The situation looks the same for 39-year old Ryan Reaves, who is just 38 games from getting to 1,000 in his career.
Danton Heinen, Kevin Hayes and Tanner Pearson are all out there too, as is P.O. Joseph who wasn’t qualified by Vancouver.
Andrew Agozzino has ventured onto play in Switzerland next season
One of the hot topics swirling around social media right now is the debate over the superiority between future Hall of Famers Patrick Kane and Evgeni Malkin.
Kane and Malkin are still active, but neither is in the prime of their careers, which is where they became legends of the game.
Most of Kane's stardom came as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, but he did have a couple of months with the New York Rangers before the last three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings.
Malkin has spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he was one of the most important pieces to a modern-day dynasty, which is also something that Kane can say about his career.
Each of these two stars won the Stanley Cup three times and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP once each.
Both Kane and Malkin had legendary supporting casts, including stars like Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Kristopher Letang, among many others.
As forwards, they drove their own lines. At even strength, Kane never played with Toews, and Malkin never played with Crosby. Plenty of damage was done as duos on the power play, but even-strength play-driving was all theirs.
Malkin is a center, and Kane is a wing, but playing on the wing never stopped Kane from driving play like a centerman who simply doesn't take face-offs. Nobody ever confused him with being the complementary piece on a line.
Looking at individual awards, Malkin has Kane beat. They each won the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) and the aforementioned Conn Smythe, along with three Cups, but Malkin has two Hart Trophies as league MVP to Kane's one. Malkin has also led the league in scoring (Art Ross Trophy) twice, whereas Kane has only once.
As far as production during the regular season, they have both been prolific. Kane has 508 goals and 892 assists for 1400 points in 1369 games played. That's an average of 1.02 points per game. Malkin has 1407 points in 1269 games played, good for 1.11 points per game on average.
When it comes to aging, both of them have been up and down with their production in recent years. Malkin did manage to have a point per game season in 2025-26 as he scored 19 goals with 42 assists for 61 points in 56 games played. He would have pushed for 90 points if he kept that pace over the full 82.
As for Kane, who also dealt with some missed time in 2025-26, he had 16 goals and 41 assists for 57 points in 67 games played. Kane was on a much worse team, but the production was certainly lower than that of Malkin.
Heading into 2026-27, both of them are expecting to have a similar level of production, coming within a couple of points of being a point-per-game player. Malkin will play center on a decent Pittsburgh team, while Kane is still deciding on his next hockey home, which could also impact his totals.
The Verdict:
There is no denying Patrick Kane's flashiness. His hands are as mesmerizing as any player in NHL history, especially in his prime. He had a swagger in his game unmatched by pretty much every other player in the league. Every kid playing hockey from 2010 to 2020 wanted to be like "Showtime".
If the question is based on legacy, Kane is the winner. He changed the way forwards who are undersized are viewed by scouts, and themselves. Young kids know they can make it if they are supremely skilled, like Kane was, regardless of their height or weight.
Patrick Kane also has the pedigree of being the greatest American-born player of all time. Part of that is the weaker history that USA Hockey has compared to Russian (Soviet Union) hockey, but part of it is Kane being an excellent product of the United States.
All of those kids who wanted to be like Kane respect and look up to him in a way that very few NHL players are ever viewed. The impact on the overall sport of hockey was greater for Kane.
Despite this, Evgeni Malkin has been the better overall player, despite the lesser legacy. Although Malkin never won any Selke Trophies, he was certainly better defensively than Kane. He also slightly outproduced him over the course of his career and edged him in awards, even if it was barely.
Still, neither the Chicago Blackhawks nor the Pittsburgh Penguins would make a trade one-for-one because they each got what they needed out of their superstars. Both Kane and Malkin will be Hall of Famers with their numbers retired by their respective organizations.
These silly summer arguments are fun to get into, but there is no denying that each of these players is among the best in NHL history, and only a few players during their era were even in the same stratosphere.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have been one of the most active teams this NHL off-season on the forward front, specifically on July 1, when the league's free agency period became live.
Leafs GM John Chayka signed five forwards and acquired another one in a trade, all on the same day. With the club looking to leave the disappointing 2025-26 campaign in the past, basically half of the team's forward group has been revamped.
Toronto looks to turn the page from this past year and get back to the post-season after missing the dance for the first time in a decade.
Of course, that won't be an easy task in the Atlantic Division, where every team is looking to be a playoff team. But in a division with eight teams, only a maximum of five can qualify.
On the topic of forwards, where do the Maple Leafs rank in that department on paper among their divisional peers?
Off-Season Subtractions And Additions
From the beginning of the 2025-26 season to now, the Maple Leafs' forward group has seen an overhaul to some degree.
Some of that change began when Brad Treliving was still running the operation as GM. At the trade deadline from this past year, Toronto moved three solid NHL roster forwards in exchange for future assets. They traded away centers Nicolas Roy and Scott Laughton, as well as left winger Bobby McMann.
It's also worth mentioning that David Kampf moved on from the Leafs after not earning any ice time with the team this past year. He joined the Vancouver Canucks in November as a free agent following his contract termination with Toronto.
At the end of this past season, the Maple Leafs parted ways with a couple of more forwards, including left wingers Matias Maccelli and Nick Robertson, as well as right winger Calle Jarnkrok.
Robertson was Chayka's first piece of business when the calendar flipped to July. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2028 fourth-round pick, reuniting with Kyle Dubas, the former GM of the Leafs who drafted Robertson 53rd overall in 2019.
For Jarnkrok, after some years of mediocrity and lacking influence on the ice, he remains a UFA as the four-year contract that he signed with Toronto in July 2022 has expired. All signs point to the 34-year-old turning to a new chapter of his hockey career outside of Toronto.
Of those six names, Paul was the only player who was acquired through a trade. The Maple Leafs received the 31-year-old from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for goaltender Dennis Hildeby, a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 third-round pick.
Sissons was the biggest signing in terms of the money he received on his new deal. The 32-year-old got a two-year contract at $4.25 million per year. In fact, Roslovic, Blueger and MacEwen all got two-year contracts.
Duhaime was the only forward that the Maple Leafs signed to get more than a two-year contract, getting a three-year deal with a $2.6-million cap hit.
And even though he isn't a UFA signing or off-season trade, Toronto still made a key addition by drafting Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft. He's a player who could instantly be given an opportunity in the Leafs' top six.
It's no secret that, to some extent, the Maple Leafs will go as far as captain Auston Matthews can take them. He hasn't been the same player in the past two seasons, but as he turns 29 for next season, he's still very much in the prime of his NHL career and capable of scoring at high rates again, especially with a new coaching staff behind the bench.
Nonetheless, the Leafs' forward group is capable of being a juggernaut in this league, and it will need to be in order to separate itself from the rest of the Atlantic.
On paper, the Maple Leafs' attack is certainly better than the Detroit Red Wings'. Toronto can match up player for player with Detroit, and the Wings might even lose their captain, Dylan Larkin, after his trade request earlier this summer.
Another team that the Leafs probably have the edge over up front is the Boston Bruins. Indeed, they brought in JJ Peterka, but he is counting on a bounce-back season after a dip in offensive production and no points in six playoff games with the Utah Mammoth.
In terms of center depth, Matthews and John Tavares on the top two lines overshadow Boston's Pavel Zacha and Elias Lindholm duo. And even superstar right winger David Pastrnak isn't far from William Nylander.
Looking at provincial rivals, the Ottawa Senators, they should perform better than they do. On paper, several individuals can turn the game around, including Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Dylan Cozens, Shane Pinto, and now William Eklund.
However, the loss of Brady Tkachuk sets the team back slightly, a team that couldn't earn a lead against the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs this past year.
The Maple Leafs don't dismantle the Senators in an on-paper comparison, but there are arguments to be made that Toronto can be given the edge.
Another team that the Leafs could earn the decision over is the Buffalo Sabres, but it's close, especially after clinching the Atlantic Division this past season. But again, on paper, why can't Toronto have the edge over Buffalo?
In terms of the Sabres' top-end talent, Tage Thompson stands alone as a true star player on the team. With Alex Tuch with the Washington Capitals, it's not hard for the Leafs' roster to match what the Sabres have now.
Moving on to the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto is not far from meeting their quality, but isn't quite there.
While any team will have circumstances that depend on how certain players perform next year, Montreal has very strong depth. Even without a true second-line center, Jake Evans and Phillip Danualt behind Nick Suzuki has its perks, and it's rare to find mistakes in their game.
Cole Caufield is now a 50-goal scorer, Juraj Slafkovsky is emerging as a star power forward who scored 73 points in 2025-26. Not to mention Suzuki, the reigning Selke Trophy winner, with likely more to come later in his career.
There's a world where Toronto outperforms Montreal's forward group next season, but on paper, with the depth, young talent, and performance from the past year, the Habs get a slight lead.
The teams from the Sunshine State remain, with Toronto not coming close to what the Florida Panthers have to offer next year. With the addition of Brady Tkachuk, alongside a healthy Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov, that team is ready to contend for a Stanley Cup again.
As for the Lightning, it's a much more realistic comparison.
The Leafs' bottom six gives a real fight, but the Bolts' top six, which includes Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli, is hard to beat.
It isn't egregious to say Toronto has the better forward group, and anything can happen during a season. But on paper, going into next year, Tampa look to be in a decent place, even with the loss of Oliver Bjorkstrand, Paul, and some other minor departures.
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“New Jersey Devils GM Sunny Mehta has been extremely active in his first off-season managing the team. While the roster is cheaper, deeper, and there are plenty of bodies to fill out a 23-man squad, it still feels like there is meat on the bone as far as movement goes. Let’s take a closer look at a few reasons why I believe more activity is to come.” [Infernal Access ($)]
“General manager Sunny Mehta has made some improvements to the roster. But he still has work to do if the Devils want to enter next season at the level of the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals. Let’s project the Devils’ roster as it stands today and see what else Mehta may have to do over the next few weeks.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]
“Matthew Tkachuk is genuinley sad to see his former teammates leave for the New Jersey Devils. The Florida Panthers star pulled no punches when reflecting on Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist during a recent episode of his podcast. As both forwards head to the Devils in the trade for goaltender Jacob Markstrom, Tkachuk made it clear just how much he values them—not only as players but as people. His words carry extra weight because they include a direct message he delivered to Jack Hughes about one of the new arrivals.” [New Jersey Hockey Now]
Hockey Links
Macklin Celebrini is the NHL 27 cover athlete:
The next generation is here. Macklin Celebrini is the youngest NHL cover athlete in history.
“Star center Macklin Celebrini said he has considered taking less than market value on a contract extension to give the San Jose Sharks more financial flexibility to build a winner. ‘Yeah, 100%. I mean, that’s why all of us play. We want to win. We’re competitive and we want to win,’ Celebrini told ESPN last week while promoting EA Sports’ ‘NHL 27’ reveal.” [ESPN]
If you’d like to weigh in on The Athletic’s NHL fan survey, which takes a look at the state of the league broadly, you can do so right here: [The Athletic ($)]
A good step for players post-retirement:
“Make tomorrow better than today”
That’s the motto of Glenn Healy, Executive Director & President of the NHL Alumni
Today at their golf tournament, Healy discussed the recent NHL/NHLPA CBA, where the league and union agreed to contribute north of $4M combined towards a… pic.twitter.com/vrCrFJbpbu
Every year, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler compiles a list of the players he deems the top 100 prospects who have been drafted but are not yet fully established in the NHL. To be considered, prospects must also be under 23 years old. Back in 2024, when Wheeler did this exercise, the Montreal Canadiens had five players on the list: Ivan Demidov in first place, David Reinbacher (24), Michael Hage (35), Logan Mailloux (58) and Joshua Roy (82). Last summer, the Habs had three players on the list: Ivan Demidov (3rd place), David Reinbacher (39th place) and Michael Hage (51st), and by the time Wheeler did the exercise again last April, Hage was number 11, Alexander Zharvosky had entered the ranking at 17, Reinbacher was 35th, and Bryce Pickford just made the cut at number 98.
Fast forward three months, and the Sainte-Flanelle now has three players in Wheeler’s ranking: Michael Hage is at number 21, a 30-place jump; Alexander Zharovsky is at number 33; and David Reinbacher has fallen to number 48. As for Pickford, he has fallen off the Top-100 but is mentioned as one of the final cuts.
Wheeler sees Hage as a second-tier prospect and notes that the youngster, once believed to be better suited to a wing role in the NHL, may stick at center. He describes him as having top-six potential and being gifted with the ability to be both a passing and a scoring threat. He wraps up the description by adding:
His blend of skating, skill, scoring, playmaking and sense is hard to come by and noticeable in every game he has played this year. I’m a big fan.
That’s a very fair assessment and represents everything Hage showed at development camp. Paired up with Logan Sawyer, the center created a lot of opportunities for his side but was often let down by his teammates' lack of finish. Still, he scored two goals and added an assist on a Sawyer goal before scoring with a nifty move in the shootout session.
Hage’s presence and performance at development camp are why Canadiens fans shouldn’t panic about Kent Hughes not yet finding a top-six center on the trade market. The organization clearly thinks very highly of Hage, and when his season is over in the NCAA, hopefully with a national title in his back pocket, all eyes will be on him to make his NHL debut.
Zharovsky lands in the third tier of Wheeler’s list, and the journalist’s main qualm about him seems to be that he is quite lean, although he concedes he has started to put on some weight and muscle. He mentions that he set a scoring record for an under-19 player in the KHL last season, overtaking the likes of Evgeny Kuznetsov, Vladimir Tarasenko and Kirill Kaprizov, which is no small feat.
Wheeler labels him a slick puck carrier with the skills to take it wherever he wants; he also calls him a decent skater despite his lack of strength and wraps his description by conceding that it’s rare to get such a talented player outside the first round.
There’s no arguing there; his hands definitely caught eyes at the training camp, and he made it clear that he can beat his man one-on-one and even make him look silly in the process. Another year in the KHL, adding some more strength and muscle, certainly won’t hurt and given Montreal’s shortcomings when it comes to size, one has to hope that he will have a bigger frame when he makes the jump to North America.
Finally, Reinbacher lands in the third tier, and while Wheeler notes he’s not convinced he’ll live up to his selection, he believes the right-shot defenseman will become a good second-pairing blueliner with a long NHL career.
He calls him a two-way defenseman and praises him for knowing when to pick his spots and not getting out of position to gamble on big plays. He also reports that the blueliner has good vision and that his head is always on a swivel, keeping an eye on everything going on at both ends of the ice.
Given the fact that the Canadiens have Noah Dobson locked up for years, if Reinbacher does become a reliable top-four defenseman, the organization should be satisfied. It will be interesting to see whether the blueliner makes the jump to the NHL this season and can finally leave Wheeler’s lists behind.
One of the Pittsburgh Penguins' top needs right now is another left-shot defenseman. The left side of their blueline needs improvement, as they traded Parker Wotherspoon and lost Ryan Shea to the Edmonton Oilers in free agency this off-season.
When looking at trade candidates around the NHL, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin is a player who immediately stands out as a potential target for the Penguins.
At 24 years old, Nikishin would have the potential to be a perfect fit on the Penguins' blueline. The 2020 third-round pick has great upside and just had a strong rookie season with the Hurricanes. In 81 games with Carolina this past season, he recorded 11 goals, 22 assists, and 33 points. With numbers like these, he has already proven that he can provide solid offense from the point.
If the Penguins acquired Nikishin, he would become their new top left-shot defenseman. With the Penguins being in a retool, Nikishin is exactly the kind of young defenseman that they should be making a push for. This is because he would have the potential to be a long-term part of their core.
It will be interesting to see if the Penguins try to acquire Nikishin, but the fit looks great on paper.
