After a week of rookie camp, the Chicago Blackhawks prospects finally got to play in a game. The Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase features the Blackhawks in addition to the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild.
This event is taking place in St. Paul, Minnesota. The participating roster traveled there on Saturday afternoon after having a practice in Chicago during the morning hours.
After going down 1-0 and having a sluggish start to the game for Chicago, they started to get their legs under them.
The Blackhawks got on the board in the second period when Taige Harding scored, thanks to a great chance created for him by Sam Rinzel. The captain for the night, Rinzel, danced around the zone before making a brilliant pass to Harding, who didn't miss.
Towards the end of the middle frame, the Blackhawks took a 2-1 lead on a goal scored by Ryan Mast. Before the game was over, the Blues did find a way to tie it and force overtime.
Not long into the extra frame, Oliver Moore made a power move using his speed and slid the puck into the net for the game-winner. This was an impressive display of the skills, tenacity, and skating that he brings to the table.
Whether it was the impressive plays that led to goals by Oliver Moore or Sam Rinzel, amongst others, or big-time scoring chances created by the impressive Nick Lardis, the Blackhawks have a lot of exciting pieces who are just getting going.
Maybe the most impressive performance for the Blackhawks came in the net. Stan Berezhnoy made 31 saves on 33 shots in the win. A fair amount of them came on grade-A chances. The Rockford IceHogs could see him in the mix during the 2025-26 season.
Chicago's prospects are going to be back at it again on Sunday when they take on the Minnesota Wild prospects at 3 PM central to close out the Tom Kurvers Prospect Challenge.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The Flyers’ prospects weren’t the comeback kids this time.
They fell to the Rangers, 5-2, Saturday night at PPL Center in the second of two rookie games.
The teams split the weekend series. Game 2 was chippy and sloppy.
“I felt like there were a ton of whistles tonight,” AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley head coach John Snowden said. “I didn’t think there was a whole lot of flow in general in the game.”
Ethan Samson and Alexis Gendron provided the Flyers’ goals. Gendron finished with two in the series.
• Alex Bump, arguably the most NHL-ready prospect in rookie camp, went scoreless over the weekend.
That may be seen as a disappoint to some fans who have heard so many good things about him. But it’s important to remember that a pair of rookie games won’t decide a prospect’s fate for main camp.
Two years ago, Tyson Foerster was the rookie camp headliner. He went scoreless in the two games against the Rangers. The Flyers, though, weren’t too worried about it. Foerster went on to make the big club’s roster and had a 20-goal rookie season.
Bump could be one of those complementary guys who gets better around NHL players. And it’s not like the 21-year-old winger looked bad offensively in the rookie series. He showed some of his strengths.
In the first period Saturday, he put a pass through two Rangers and right to Matthew Gard at the doorstep. But Gard was unable to get his stick on it as he streaked to the net.
Alex Bump had a really good pass here but looks like Matthew Gard just missed it. pic.twitter.com/24PFjQpieW
Not only can he make plays with quick hands and good vision, but he also competes through contact. You can see why the 22-year-old winger played seven games for the Maple Leafs last season before coming to the Flyers in the Scott Laughton trade.
“He plays with a ton of bite,” Snowden, who runs rookie camp, said. “He’s a highly skilled player, but he is not easy to play against at all. He’s going to whack you when you come off the bench, he’s going to crosscheck you, he’s going to stick his nose in there. He wants to take contact and create his space.”
This chance all starts with Nikita Grebenkin creating contact and winning a puck battle.
John Snowden said Grebenkin is skilled, but he plays with bite.
• Coming off a 20-goal year for the Phantoms last season, Gendron knows he has good offensive tools. But he also knows he needs to continue to round out his overall game if he wants to climb to the Flyers.
“Last year, I thought my game grew up a little bit,” the 21-year-old winger said. “I had a chance to play on the PK yesterday and today, so that’s pretty big for me. I’m trying to be more of a complete player — PK, power play, 5-on-5.
“I’m just trying to prove that I can be an NHLer; not just an AHL guy.”
• Samson had another strong game. His second-period goal came on a missile from the circle.
“One of his greatest strengths is his shot,” Snowden said. … “He can score when he gets his opportunities.”
The 22-year-old defenseman could be a call-up option at some point this season. He has steadily improved in two seasons with Lehigh Valley.
“That’s everyone’s goal at the end of the day, to make that jump,” Samson said. “I’ve just got to keep playing my game and doing what they tell me do, and hopefully I can get to the next step.”
• Carson Bjarnason started in net and played a little over half the game, giving up three goals on 17 shots.
The 2023 second-rounder really wasn’t to blame for any of them.
He allowed a first-period power play goal to Scott Morrow, who played 14 games for the Hurricanes last season.
New York struck again in the opening minute of the middle stanza when the Flyers gave up a 3-on-1 rush. Later in the period, the Flyers surrendered a 5-on-3 power play goal.
Camp invite Joey Costanzo finished the game and stopped 12 of 13 shots.
The Rangers’ final goal was an empty-netter.
• Oliver Bonk ended up missing the second rookie game, as well. The 2023 first-round defenseman was out Friday because of maintenance.
“Just getting him ready for main camp,” Snowden said after Saturday’s loss.
One would think the Flyers didn’t feel there was any need to rush Bonk back, but we’ll see how his status trends over the course of early next week.
Denver Barkey had the night off after an excellent game Friday.
The Los Angeles Kings received unfortunate news when veteran forward Corey Perry, signed to a one-year contract after spending the past season and a half with the Edmonton Oilers, was injured during a training session.
He has since undergone surgery and is expected to miss several weeks. Even at 40, Perry has proven he can still contribute, scoring 19 goals and 11 assists in 81 regular-season games for the Oilers, then adding 10 more goals in the postseason before Edmonton once again fell to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final.
It’s a cruel twist of irony for Perry, who has now been on the losing side in the Stanley Cup Final in five of the last six seasons with four different teams (Dallas in 2020, Montreal in 2021, Tampa Bay in 2022, and Edmonton in 2024 and 2025).
Detroit Red Wings fans are all too familiar with Perry from his many years with the Anaheim Ducks. He and the Ducks faced Detroit three times in the postseason (2007, 2009, 2013), with the Red Wings winning each of the last two series in seven games.
While Perry has never backed down from dropping the gloves, he likely never would have imagined himself getting handled in a bout against Pavel Datsyuk, a multi-year winner of the Lady Byng Trophy as the NHL's most gentlemanly player.
The Red Wings hosted Perry and the Ducks in their 2010–11 season opener at Joe Louis Arena, a 4–0 Detroit victory. With the game already well in hand in the third period, Perry’s frustration boiled over as he confronted Pavel Datsyuk along the half-wall.
After landing a few punches, Perry found himself on the receiving end, as Datsyuk fired back and eventually wrestled him to the ice as the sellout crowd roared in approval.
“I’m not a very big guy to talk about what happened,” Datsyuk explained years later. "What happened, happened. It’s part of hockey, part of the show.
“When you watch a fight from the side, you see how people grab each other and try to protect themselves. So, I was trying to defend myself.”
Datsyuk, who had already scored a goal with adding an assist, picked up his first and only Gordie Howe Hat Trick of his NHL career with the fight.
Ottawa Senators prospect Carter Yakemchuk wasted no time making his presence felt at the 2025 Prospects Showdown in Montreal. The 19-year-old defenseman scored twice and added an assist as the Senators opened the four-game rookie event with a 4–3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday afternoon at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
Yakemchuk, Ottawa’s first-round pick (7th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft, was a difference-maker throughout the prospects game, displaying the offensive instincts that nearly earned him an NHL job last fall.
While his first goal was a lucky bounce off a Leafs defender, his second one, which turned out to be the difference in the game, was a thing of beauty. All alone in the slot, he froze everyone with a fake shot on the forehand, then pulled the puck to his left and deposited the backhand into the open net. If you've watched any of his Calgary Hitmen junior scoring highlights from the past, it's obvious that move is a Yakemchuk favourite when he has an attacking lane to the opponent's net.
He wasn’t the only former first-rounder to make an impression. Tyler Boucher, Ottawa’s 10th overall pick in 2021, delivered one of his stronger outings since beginning his injury-plagued time with the organization. Boucher skated with confidence, won some key battles along the boards, and buried the club’s third goal with a quick wrist shot from the top of the circle.
Up front, Xavier Bourgault, also a 2021 first-rounder (Edmonton), was noticeable all day in the offensive zone. Neither Boucher nor Bourgault has been a high-achieving AHL player yet, much less live up to their NHL draft billing, so this is a huge year for both of their pro careers.
Meanwhile, Steve Halliday – Belleville's top scorer last season – also had a productive afternoon, notching a goal and an assist while making smart plays in all three zones.
In goal, the spotlight belonged to Jackson Parsons. The Embrun native, who was named both OHL and CHL Goaltender of the Year last season with the Kitchener Rangers, played the entire game and turned aside several high-danger chances. Parsons has a chance to battle with Hunter Shepard and Mads Sogaard for AHL goaltending duty this season, and he made a good first impression on B-Sens head coach David Bell, who described Parsons as the difference in the game.
Ottawa-born Luke Haymes had a goal and an assist for the Leafs.
The Senators’ rookies will be back on the ice Sunday night at 7:00 p.m. when they face the Winnipeg Jets prospects in their second and final game of the event. That matchup will close the book on Sens rookie camp, with Ottawa’s management staff set to finalize rookie invitations to main camp, which begins next week.
Day two of the Golden State Rookie Faceoff is in the books, as the San Jose Sharks defeated the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday afternoon. The Sharks’ portion of the event in Irvine has come to a close, as the only remaining game will be between the Kings and the Anaheim Ducks tomorrow afternoon.
Entering the games, the Sharks made a few changes from the night before. Cam Lund is day-to-day with an upper-body injury following a controversial hit late in the game against the Ducks. Meanwhile, Joshua Ravensbergen and Luca Cagnoni were taken out of the lineup as healthy scratches. Jack Bar and Noah Beck entered the lineup, giving the Sharks 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Meanwhile, between the pipes, Matt Davis got the start but split the time with Christian Kirsch.
The Kings got off to a hot start, with Koehn Ziemmer scoring just 15 seconds into the game. Just over a minute later, Parker Berge scored on another odd-man rush, extending the Kings’ lead to 2-0 within two minutes of puck drop. Kirill Kirsanov’s shot from the point off a Faceoff made it 3-0 just under halfway through the first period. Kenta Isogai joined the Kings’ goal-scoring party with just over five minutes remaining in the first frame.
It was clear right out of the gate that the Sharks were fatigued, both mentally and physically, due to the quick turnaround between games. As a result, decision-making was off, which created multiple chances for their opposition. The well-rested Kings were also a step quicker, and it was an overall struggle for the Sharks in the first period.
The Sharks had an opportunity to turn things around with 3:09 remaining in the period, as they got their first power play of the night. Isaiah Saville made a couple of saves for the Kings during the penalty kill, and the Sharks failed to convert on their man advantage.
The second period instantly started out with more grittiness than the first. There were a couple of scrums early, then Braden Hache was given an interference penalty for a late, heavy hit on Berge. Less than a minute after the penalty, Quentin Musty dropped the gloves with Henry Bruzstwicz after Musty threw a big hit along the boards, which earned him a boarding penalty. As a result, the Kings had a two-man advantage for over a minute.
The Sharks killed off the 5-on-3, and the remaining power play would be cut short as Kaleb Lawrence would be called for cross-checking, giving the Sharks a power play of their own after a few seconds of 4-on-4 play. Saville denied a Michael Misa one-timer with a great post-to-post save, preventing the Sharks’ second-overall pick from scoring his first goal with his new organization.
The Kings would kill off the penalty before Haoxi (Simon) Wang dropped the gloves with Lawrence. Both were given ten-minute misconducts along with their five-minute fighting majors, and went directly down the tunnel for the remainder of the period. Halfway through the period, both teams swapped goaltenders; Kirsch took over for Davis on the Sharks’ side, while LA-native Mattias Sholl entered the game for the Kings.
Kasper Halttunen got the Sharks on the board off a pass from Misa, making it a 4-1 hockey game. Moments later, Filip Bystedt added another, making it 4-2. Halttunen and Bystedt’s goals came on the first two shots that Sholl faced after entering the game, less than a minute apart.
Dawson Kerwing would get called for high-sticking Max Heise, giving the Sharks power play another opportunity. The Kings would kill it off. Musty would draw another penalty late in the penalty, and after massive chaos in front of the Kings' net, the puck would find its way to Sam Dickinson, who put it behind a sprawling Sholl to make it 4-3 with just a second remaining in the period.
After a scrum at the end of the second period, the third started with some 4-on-4 hockey. Misa’s hunt for a goal continued throughout the night, as he was once again denied in spectacular fashion when he had a two-on-one with Musty six minutes into the third.
A few moments later, the Sharks had a similar chance; this time Teddy Mutryn hit Sholl directly in the mask with his shot. The Sharks drew a penalty on that play, and on the ensuing face-off, Halttunen was high-sticked, giving the Sharks nearly two full minutes of 5-on-3 hockey. Collin Graf ripped a one-timer from Dickinson past Sholl, tying the game at 4-4.
Minutes later, Graf would make it five unanswered goals as shortly after the penalty expired, he shot from the right face-off circle, beating Sholl and making it 5-4 in favor of the Sharks. Misa’s hunt for a goal came to an end when he found the back of the net with 8:04 remaining in the game, off a pass from Musty.
The Kings got one back with 4:19 remaining, when Aatu Jamsen scored a gritty goal in the crease, making it a one-goal game once again. Mattias Havelid put away his second of the tournament, restoring the Sharks’ two-goal lead with just over two minutes remaining. Carson Wetsch added one more for the Sharks, who walked away with an 8-5 victory when all was said and done.
The NHL’s 2025-26 season has just about arrived, and here on THN.com’s Buffalo Sabres site, we’re continuing our player-by-player series in which we break down the expectations for each Buffalo player in the coming season.
We’ve made our way in this series through the Sabres’ goalies, defensemen and the first two lines of forwards. And in today’s file, we’re analyzing Buffalo winger Jack Quinn, who is kicking off Year 1 of a two-year contract extension that is a significant bump in pay over what Quinn had been making.
But let’s focus right now on the current expectations for Quinn in ‘25-26, and whether he’s likely to meet or exceed them.
2025-26 Expectations: In three NHL seasons, Quinn has hinted at being an above-average player, posting 15 goals and 39 points in 74 games last season – slightly better than his full-first-year numbers of 14 goals and 37 points in 75 games in 2022-23 – and he’s been given a bridge deal of sorts by Sabres GM Kevyn Adams to build himself into a long-term core component for the organization.
Quinn’s rather limited time-on-ice last season could be pointed to by some with the idea that if he gets more minutes, his point totals are going to rise significantly. Sabres coaching and management members may agree with that notion. But when the season begins, it’s likely that Quinn is going to be on Buffalo’s third line, with center Jiri Kulich and right winger Jordan Greenway, the latter of who isn’t known as a big-time point producer.
All of which is to say that Quinn may need to be more of a play-finisher than a playmaker this year. But his significant raise (from $863,334 last season to $3.375-million for this year and next year) carries with it increased expectations. And given that injuries limited Quinn to only 27 games in 2023-24 – with two serious injuries in the same season – he can’t afford another injury. That’s true for all players, but some more than others are under particular pressure to stay healthy, and Quinn is one of them.
As the eighth-overall draft pick in 2020, the 23-year-old Quinn needs to live up to the hype in a way that hasn’t happened yet. He’ll begin the season in limited minutes once again, but it would be to management’s delight if he did enough damage on offense to warrant a bump up the depth chart and more playing opportunities. It’s entirely up to Quinn to dictate what his future is going to look like, so nothing short of a new set of career-highs on offense has to be something he’s capable of if he’s going to remain a Sabre over the long haul.
If he isn’t, Quinn is going to languish on the third line, and at his new price tag, there may not be many teams stepping up to acquire him when they can wait a year and sign him to a more production-appropriate salary beginning in 2027. But if he does step up and the Sabres get back into the playoffs, Quinn’s salary could be seen as a first-rate bargain.
Time will tell what the road forward will look like for Quinn, but he enters 2025-26 with a decent number of opportunities from Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. The way he responds to them will help shape his destiny as an NHLer.
By virtually all accounts, the Chicago Blackhawks are still a number of assets away from being a bona fide Stanley Cup playoff contender, let alone a legitimate Cup frontrunner. However, on Saturday, the Blackhawks firmed up their goaltending picture for the foreseeable future with a contract extension for No. 1 netminder Spencer Knight.
Beginning next season, the 24-year-old Knight will get a raise of approximately $1.33 million, from his 2025-26 salary of $4.5 million to $5.83 million in 2026-27. At first glance, that may seem like a dangerous investment in a goalie who has only 95 games of NHL experience to his credit, and who has never played more than 37 games in a single season. But making projections on young players by giving them high-end money isn’t a new exercise for NHL GMs. Indeed, they do that all the time, and Knight’s case is no different.
The 24-year-old Knight, who was acquired from the Florida Panthers last season, didn’t have the best season from an individual statistics perspective. In 15 appearances for Chicago after the trade, Knight posted a .896 save percentage and 3.18 goals-against average. But on a true elite team like the Panthers, Knight’s 2025-26 numbers – including a .907 SP and 2.40 GAA – were significantly better. That’s what Hawks GM Kyle Davidson had in mind when he traded for Knight, and now, in giving Knight contract security through the 2028-29 campaign, he’s locked up a potential difference-maker between the pipes.
With Knight now secure in the knowledge that he’s going to be ‘The Man’ in net for the Blackhawks, Davidson can continue on with his roster-building for the future. But unfortunately for long-suffering Chicago fans, there’s still a very long way to go before the Hawks can have a realistic shot at making the post-season.
Chicago has some key pieces of the puzzle, including forwards Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar, and defensemen Alex Vlasic, Kevin Korchinski, Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov. The problem is, they don’t have nearly enough depth to run with first-rate Central Division teams like the Colorado Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars. Especially up front, the drop-off in talent in Chicago is severe, and although the Blackhawks currently have $18.6-million in salary cap space, you don’t see NHL free agents climbing over one another to sign a contract with the Blackhawks.
So while there may come a day when Knight’s numbers look like the ones he posted in Florida before the trade last season, the Hawks are going to go through more growing pains this coming year and more than likely, a year or two after that. Once you’re out of the playoff picture in the salary-cap era, it’s extremely difficult to claw and climb your way back into the playoff mix. And even with new coach Jeff Blashill giving every Blackhawks player a clean slate, Chicago is going to have a very difficult time being anything other than cannon fodder.
The Hawks haven’t made the playoffs for the past five seasons, and the 2025-26 season is likely to look very similar for them. Knight has a commitment for the next four seasons, and that’s a good thing for Chicago. The problem is the rest of the roster has multiple holes to fill, and they won’t be filled (a) easily or (b) soon.
It’s probably hard to hear if you’re a Blackhawks fan accustomed to the glory years of the modern era for the franchise, but the truth is, Chicago isn’t anywhere close to being a playoff team at the moment. And while Knight may be good enough to eventually backstop them to a playoff spot, that day isn’t likely to come this coming year, or anytime rapidly after that.
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Over the course of his 10-year NHL career, star center Jack Eichel had his share of highs and lows. The highs included a Stanley Cup championship with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2022-23, and a 66-assist, 94-point performance for Vegas last season. The lows included what now feels like many wasted years as a member of the Buffalo Sabres, and a near-constant battle to stay healthy, averaging only 61.6 games-played per-season since he broke into hockey’s top league in 2015-16.
But as he enters Year 11 of his NHL career, the 28-year-old Eichel is poised to have his biggest season yet. He’s entering the final year of a contract paying him $10-million per season, and he’s likely to benefit from being a linemate of new Golden Knights star right winger Mitch Marner. Are we about to see a new level from Eichel that we haven’t seen before?
Now, does Eichel have anything to prove to anyone? No. After winning a Cup, he’s achieved the most lofty goal any NHLer can hope to achieve. But there is a nagging sense out there that we’ve yet to see the best of Eichel. He's only been in the top 10 in scoring twice in his career, and aside from one 23rd-place finish, he's been outside of the top 50 players in the league, either due to injuries or to being a rookie/sophomore.
In his defense, Eichel has been excellent in the playoffs in the past three years, posting 33 assists and 43 points in 40 career post-season games. But the Golden Knights are famous for moving on from players who don’t fit into their long-term picture – and while we’re not here to tell you Eichel is at that stage in his time with Vegas, there’s absolutely going to be pressure on him to at least maintain the standard he set in last season in particular.
Some of those expectations will be heightened because Marner will make his new Golden Knights teammates better. But Marner is regarded as more playmaker than play-finisher, so unless Eichel is able to get to the 30-goal plateau – something that’s happened only two times in his NHL career – Eichel is going to have to help Marner score more often and elevate his assist numbers to the 70-assist level or better.
The Golden Knights are projected to have approximately $29-million in salary cap space accounted for in 2026-27 (when you take into account defenseman Alex Pietrangelo’s health issues and likely-permanent place on Injured Reserve), so Vegas does have more than enough space to keep Eichel in the fold beyond this season. However, the expectations on the Golden Knights have increased exponentially with the addition of Marner. So if you think Eichel isn’t going to be dealing with significant pressure to ratchet up his game this season, you’re fooling yourself.
All things considered, there’s a very good chance Eichel can make a push to new heights this coming year. He’s still in his prime and will be there for the foreseeable future. But there’s no question the Golden Knights are going to need more out of him than ever in 2025-26. Vegas has every intention of a deep playoff run, but they’re going to need all hands on deck to do so, and if Eichel isn’t going to play in every game and be just as effective as he was last season, the Knights’ chances of being legitimate Cup frontrunners will drop notably.
Eichel may not be a top-10 player in the league, and he may never get there, but so long as he’s contributing above-average numbers and the Golden Knights are doing great things as a team, Eichel will almost assuredly be in Vegas for most of the rest of his career, if not all of it. Eichel doesn’t have to be ‘The Man’ for the Knights to do great things, but he does have to pull his weight – and if that doesn’t happen, Vegas’ chances of winning its second Cup will drop considerably.
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NHL teams are increasingly betting on young players with limited experience, trying to lock in future stars at bargain rates before the salary cap skyrockets. Hit the mark, and you save millions, but miss it, and you’re stuck with an expensive contract that doesn’t deliver.
We saw two such deals recently when the Chicago Blackhawkssigned forward Frank Nazar to a controversial $46-million extension after just 56 NHL games. We saw another deal this week, as the Calgary Flames signed Calder Finalist Dustin Wolf to a seven-year, $7.5-million per season contract.
Who else might fall under this high-risk, high-reward category?
Lane Hutson, D, Montreal Canadiens
With 84 NHL games under his belt, Lane Hutson has shown elite skill and tremendous upside as one of the NHL’s great future defensemen. The Montreal Canadiens know he will eventually cost them a bundle to extend, but the question is, when do they do it?
Is GM Kent Hughes willing to gamble on Hutson’s upside now? He could secure a long-term deal before the cap makes him unaffordable, but his rookie season might have been a benchmark he has trouble repeating in his sophomore campaign.
The risk Montreal runs is that Hutson not only matches last season’s totals but also becomes even more impactful offensively while adding elements to his two-way and defensive play.
Cutter Gauthier, LW, Anaheim Ducks
Cutter Gauthier, with just 45 points in 83 NHL games, is another forward attracting attention. He appeared to break out for the Ducks in 2024-25, scoring 44 points in 82 games, but it’s not clear how much more he has to give as he gets more used to NHL games.
There is a lot to like about his game, and the Ducks are in a position to gamble on his contract. They have loads of cap space over the next several seasons, including $56-million starting next season.
Early extensions here are risky, but if he hits his ceiling, the payoff could be huge.
Other Notable Options
Brandt Clarke and Simon Edvinsson, each with 103 games, have recently established themselves as NHL regulars.
There were trade rumors surrounding Clarke this summer, so it’s unclear how loyal the Los Angeles Kings are to the defenseman. His upside, however, is incredible.
Edvinsson, a 6-foot-6 defenseman, is part of the young core the Detroit Red Wings are trying to develop. He took a giant step forward, and he has the potential to be a No. 1 defenseman.
Locking them in now could allow teams to save big if they blossom into top-pair defensemen.
Less Risky Bets
Macklin Celebrini (70 games), Will Smith (74) and Matvei Michkov (80) are still in Year 2 of their contracts, but it’s a bit clearer about what they are. All still have untapped potential, but these are three players their respective teams understand to be future franchise commodities.
Teams may pursue short-term “bridge” deals this season, giving flexibility while evaluating long-term potential. So too, the players themselves might prefer gambling on their potential and what could be massive pay raises in the next three to four seasons.
Lessons From Nazar And Wolf
Nazar and Wolf signed huge contracts with minimal NHL experience, showing the potential upside of early investments. Both sound like good bets on the surface, and perhaps the two teams would rather be wrong and have to slightly overpay than be right and have missed the opportunity to sign both. A skyrocketing salary cap makes it so that teams have to take these kinds of calculated risks and work the math.
The Canadiens, Ducks, Kings and Red Wings may feel the same way. If Hutson, Gauthier, Clarke or Edvinsson follow similar trajectories, these contracts could be steal deals in the coming salary cap boom.
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Toronto went down 3–0 early before getting two straight goals from Luke Haymes and Jacob Quillan. Ottawa would get one back later in the third period to make it 4-2 before Ryan Kirwan scored on the power play to make it a one-goal game again.
The Maple Leafs pushed for an equalizer, however, they couldn’t find one as Ottawa’s Jackson Parsons stole the show. Here are a couple of the bright spots among the Maple Leafs’ prospects in their first game in Montreal.
Ben Danford’s smoothness
Entering this mini tournament (or whatever you’d like to call it), Danford was one of the prospects I was most keen on watching. He didn’t get a rookie showcase last September after suffering a concussion, so with this being his first game in a Maple Leafs jersey, there was a lot to look for.
The defenseman is a big, strong body, and it showed on Saturday afternoon. Whenever it seemed like Danford was under pressure, he found a way to move the puck. But even without the puck on his stick, he was able to smother several chances before gaining possession and quickly moving the puck south.
Ben Danford with a nice hit before finding Easton Cowan up-ice to set up Miroslav Holinka for a scoring chance. pic.twitter.com/WjFHdcl1IA
Danford calms everything down, which is a positive trait to have, especially at an event like this, where each prospect is attempting to showcase themselves.
Luke Haymes continues production after strong AHL stint
Haymes centered Toronto’s second line on Saturday with Matthew Barbolini and Braeden Kressler on his wings, and continued his production. He scored the Maple Leafs’ first goal of the game in the second period, spinning and firing the puck past Parsons.
Luke Haymes spins, fires, and scores. Maple Leafs trail Ottawa 3-1 late in the second period. pic.twitter.com/8P4iM6dWW6
The Ottawa, Ontario product then added an assist on Kirwan’s power play goal in the third period to cut the Senators’ lead to one goal. As we approach Maple Leafs training camp, it’ll be fascinating to watch how Haymes handles the pace and physicality of Toronto’s top players before likely returning to the Marlies for his first pro season.
Easton Cowan continuing to get comfortable
There’ll be a lot of eyes on Easton Cowan in this tournament and for good reason. Cowan had a big summer — gaining nine pounds of muscle — following his massive Memorial Cup win with the London Knights earlier this year.
His goal is to make the Maple Leafs out of training camp, and this game was likely the beginning of his audition. There’s a lot to like about Cowan, from the way he works to his hockey sense on the ice. However, you can still see moments where the young forward is timid going up against bigger competition.
Easton Cowan with some patience and puck protection on the Maple Leafs' power play. pic.twitter.com/CaCfFAbozo
Six of Ottawa’s eight defensemen at the Prospect Showdown were over six-foot-three, and they definitely didn’t make it easy on any of Toronto’s players. I thought that as the game progressed, Cowan became more comfortable, showcasing his skill, speed, and playmaking ability.
Cowan had an assist on Quillan's goal in the third period to make it a one-goal game.
Easton Cowan gets it to Ryan Kirwan, who finds Jacob Quillan in front to score. Maple Leafs cut Ottawa's lead to one goal in the third period. pic.twitter.com/WAwn3du5d4
How he’ll fare on Sunday against the Montreal Canadiens, who are pretty loaded with prospects, will likely dictate how he enters Maple Leafs training camp next week. I'd expect a strong game, especially against a team like the Canadiens, with the Bell Centre likely packed to the brim.
Other positive notes from Game 1
Quillan’s goal should give him confidence going into Game 2 of the Prospect Showdown. He looked fairly confident, and so he should, following a full year of pro and a taste of the NHL last season. Quillan might not make the Maple Leafs out of training camp. But he’ll be someone to watch for a call-up as the season runs on.
Miroslav Holinka had a strong game with plenty of chances to find the back of the net. There were countless moments where he was found on the left side of the ice for a one-timer, but couldn’t beat Parsons. He’ll look to have a strong game against Montreal.
Tyler Hopkins caught my eye a fair bit. He, like Holinka, had a couple of great scoring chances but couldn’t bury them. It’ll be interesting to watch him on Sunday vs. a smaller Canadiens d-core.
The Buffalo Sabres face the challenge of snapping a NHL-record 14-year playoff drought this season and after a summer in which the club traded away their second-leading scorer in JJ Peterka in exchange for winger Josh Doan and defenseman Michael Kesselring and made only depth additions in Justin Danforth, Conor Timmins, and Alex Lyon, the onus will be on internal development and their core players playing up to expectations.
The 2018 top pick and team captain was listed in the “franchise player” tier after a 68-point season and an impressive performance at the 2025 NHL Four Nations Face-Off, describing him as an all-situations, everything player”, but the critique of Dahlin had little to do with his talent or performance, but his situation with the Sabres, and that he would be more appreciated in the league if he was not on in Buffalo.
Thompson was listed in the “all-star player” tier after bouncing back from an injury-plagued 2023-24 with a 44-goal performance last season. The main critique of the big forward is at the defensive end of the ice, which is less of a liability when playing the wing.
Notable omissions from the Sabres on the list were winger Alex Tuch and defenseman Owen Power. Tuch, who is entering the final year of his contract, tied a career-high with 36 goals and was invited to the US Olympic Development Camp last month. Power, the top pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, achieved career-highs in goals (7), assists (33) and points (40), but the reason for that is likely the 6’6”, 226 lb. blueliner’s lack of physicality.
Welcome to part two of The Hockey News’ three-part series of the pre-season fan vote. In part one, the first set of results was revealed, including fans' favorite teams and players, predictions for the Hart Trophy and Stanley Cup, and much more.
This second part will reveal fans’ perspectives on NHL rules, and whether some should be removed or changed, including the shootout, overtime and fighting.
There was a clear top two in the results for this question – delay of game and the trapezoid rule.
Many fans would like to remove the delay-of-game penalty when a player flips the puck over the glass in their own zone. Some said that it should be treated more like an icing, where a faceoff occurs in the offending team’s zone, and they aren’t allowed to line change. Others would like the option to carefully review the play, to see if it deserves a penalty or not.
The trapezoid rule prevents goaltenders from fishing for pucks in the corners, below the goal line. This allows a better flow of offense, and limits the goalie’s ability to enter open ice with the skaters. However, fans want to see the netminders explore beyond their crease a little more.
Other goaltender regulations were mentioned, including the red line rule that prevents goalies from passing the halfway mark, and goaltender interference – whether that means removing it entirely or changing the way coaches challenge it.
A handful of fans also voted to change the point system, including the removal of the overtime-loser point.
If the tie isn’t broken in overtime, teams are forced to go to a best-of-three shootout. Hockey fans are split on whether to keep the shootout or remove it.
This survey tells us that the debate between fans for the shootout is as close as it can be. About 50.5 percent of fans voted to remove the shootout, versus the 49.5 percent who want to keep it.
If the shootout were to be removed, fans made suggestions on how to replace it. The most popular answer was to extend overtime. Even Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark voiced his opinion during the NHL/NHLPA player media tour.
“We should add five more minutes of overtime, like at the 4 Nations. Because it comes down more to play.”
Just like the shootout riddle, the split between fans who think NHL officials should or shouldn’t attend post-game press conferences was close. While this vote wasn’t decided by 0.5 percent, 55 percent of fans would like to see the referees face the mic, versus 45 percent who don’t see a need for it.
Since it’s rare for a referee to face the media, it’s unclear how that process would work out. However, the purpose of this would likely be to address controversial calls that were made during the game, or for officials to explain their thinking and reasoning.
Former referee Dave Jackson, who officiated over 1,500 NHL games, has been incorporated into ESPN’s broadcasts. He explains or discusses the reasoning behind a call made by a referee, controversial or not. In a way, Jackson provides the thought process of NHL referees, adding context in real time.
For the final question related to rule changes, the survey asked fans if the severity of fighting penalties should change. In the NHL, every fight results in a five-minute major penalty, unless otherwise specified. However, other leagues, such as the QMJHL, have banned fighting.
The majority of fans voted to keep fighting penalties the same. They also had the option to vote for lighter or heavier penalties. Lighter penalties could mean shorter time in the penalty box, or even no penalty at all.
Meanwhile, heavier penalties could mean longer time in the box, such as 10 minutes, or even ejection. Along with the QMJHL, fighting in the NCAA and some European leagues results in expulsion. Nonetheless, nearly 80 percent of fans are happy with the way things are.
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When he attended the NHL media day, Montreal Canadiens’ captain Nick Suzuki was asked what he thought about his team’s new additions this offseason, and he made his feelings quite clear.
If the captain had asked GM Kent Hughes not to make any moves at the trade deadline, he made no such request this offseason, and with Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak’s contracts coming off the books, the GM knew precisely how he wanted to use the cap space.
Hughes first went out and traded his two first-round picks and Emil Heineman to the New York Islanders to fill a considerable organizational need, a prominent right-shot defenseman in Noah Dobson. With David Savard retiring, the Canadiens desperately needed some help in the right-shot blueliner department, and they didn’t just replace Savard; they got an upgrade.
With Dobson filling what could have eventually been Logan Mailloux’s spot, the GM went out and traded the blueliner to the St. Louis Blues in return for Trois-Rivieres native Zachary Bolduc. The right winger was coming off a great rookie season with the Missouri outfit, putting up 36 points in 72 games on top of sporting a plus-20 rating and seeing some action on the power play, picking up seven goals on the man-advantage.
What did the captain have to say about the moves? Here you go:
I think they’re going to fit in perfectly. They both play the style that we like, and I think they’re going to love the way we play. […] It’s pretty impressive that we managed to get those two young guys in trades this summer.
- Suzuki on Dobson and Bolduc
In other words, you can add Suzuki’s name to the list of Hughes’ fans in Montreal. Those acquisitions weren’t for players who had underperformed, and the organization hoped could find their groove in Montreal, like Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook, but rather for two players who have already shown what they can do at the highest level and can help address some issues in the Canadiens’ lineup.
Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) on XSam Rinzel sets up Taige Harding for a Blackhawks' goal.
CHGO Blackhawks (@CHGO_Blackhawks) on XOliver Moore burns the defender and buries the OT winner for the Blackhawks !
