BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 22: David Pastrnak #88 of the Boston Bruins chases the puck down during a preseason game between the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers on September 22, 2026, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Welcome to preseason game 3 of 4, folks!
The Bruins and Flyers will renew acquaintances tonight in Philadelphia, just a couple of days after the B’s beat the Flyers at TD Garden by a score of 5-1.
Per the NHL website, this game will be broadcast on NESN+ locally, so you should be able to watch if you have a subscription/cable.
Per the Bruins yesterday, here’s who you’ll see tonight:
It took Adam Fantilliholding out for the first week of Blue Jackets training camp, but the team's top young center has agreed to a six-year contract worth $82.5 million ($13.75 million AAV) to finally put negotiations behind him and join his team at Nationwide Arena.
“Adam Fantilli has all of the tools you look for in a player ... speed, size, skill along with a competitive drive to succeed,” Blue Jackets president/general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. "He is one of the most exciting young players in the NHL and a big part of what we are building in Columbus, so this is a very exciting day for our organization and our fans."
Fantilli, 21, became a restricted free agent without arbitration rights July 1. Had he signed a big offer sheet, like Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson did with the Philadelphia Flyers, the Jackets would’ve been forced to match it or let Fantilli leave for a package of compensatory draft picks.
That didn't happen, allowing Waddell to seek a more team friendly cap hit than what Fantilli and agent Pat Brisson initially wanted. Getting their price, however, wound up costing Fantilli valuable preparation time with his teammates prior to opening the season against the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 1 at Nationwide Arena.
The Ducks weren't as fortunate from a cap perspective, swallowing hard before matching the Flyers’ offer sheet that now pays Carlsson at $18 million a season for the next five years. Carlsson was selected second overall in 2023, one pick ahead of where the Blue Jackets got Fantilli, a comparable top young center who’s similar in size, age and stats through their first three seasons.
According to PuckPedia, the Blue Jackets had just under $12.7 million in cap space prior to signing Fantilli, so they're about $1.2 million over the cap ceiling of $104 million for this season. That number, however, counts salaries for 14 forwards, seven defensemen and three goalies — including injured center Isac Lundestrom (Achilles surgery) and goalie Elvis Merzlikins (shoulder).
Merzlikins, who underwent shoulder surgery Aug. 17, and Lundestrom will almost certainly start the season on IR, and both could be placed on long-term injured reserve to gain flexibility against the cap. Utilizing LTIR allows teams to exceed the cap ceiling by the amount that injured players placed on it puts them over. So, adding Merzlikins' $5.4 million and Lundestrom's $1.3 million salaries would provide plenty of cushion.
Teams are allowed to exceed the cap in the offseason by up to 10% of the ceiling, but must be cap compliant before 5 p.m. on Sept. 28.
Fantilli is now the Blue Jackets’ highest-paid player by a wide margin, exceeding the salary of reigning Norris Trophy winning defenseman Zach Werenski ($9.58 AAV) by roughly $4.1 million this season and next.
Though it doesn't come close to matching Carlsson's annual cap hit, Fantilli's salary now sits between Ducks power forward Cutter Gauthier's new deal for $13.5 million over the next six years and Connor Bedard's $15 million AAV for the next five with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Gauthier was selected fourth overall by the Flyers in 2022 and traded to the Ducks, while Bedard was the 2023 draft's first overall pick. Carlsson went second that year and Fantilli, whose numbers stack up comparably, went third. Fantilli has totaled 140 points on 67 goals and 73 assists through 213 games with the Blue Jackets, while Carlsson has give the Ducks 141 points on 61 goals and 80 assists and in 201 games.
Bedard tops both with 203 points on 75 goals and 128 assists in 219 games for the Blackhawks, but he's done it while posting a -98 plus/minus for a team that has lagged near the bottom of the NHL's overall standings.
Carlsson, who has a -1 plus/minus, helped the Ducks get back into the playoffs last season while Fantilli (-30) has narrowly missed the postseason the past two years with the Blue Jackets, a team that most analysts didn't consider a playoff contender.
Now, Fantilli is locked in with the Blue Jackets for six more years as an elite young center they'll need to continue improving over the course of this contract. Those type of gems are almost always drafted, rarely traded and almost never signed as free agents, which boosts their value immensely.
The NHL’s best teams typically follow the same roster construct, starting with goaltending and defense before shifting to center ice. The Blue Jackets are doing well in those areas, especially after locking up Fantilli for a forward group that lost center Boone Jenner in free agency but has Sean Monahan, Charlie Coyle, Lundestrom and Cole Sillinger as additional center options.
Apr 12, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli (19) looks to pass as Boston Bruins center Mark Kastelic (47) trails the play during the first period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images
Russell LaBounty/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Blue Jackets re-signed center Adam Fantilli to a six-year, $82.5-million contract.
Fantilli was a restricted free agent and missed the first week of training camp as the two sides worked on a deal. He becomes the Blue Jackets’ highest-paid player with a contract that averages $13.75 million per year.
The 21-year-old Canadian was the third overall pick by Columbus in the 2023 NHL draft after winning the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in college hockey at the University of Michigan.
Fantilli was second on the team with 24 goals and was third in scoring with 59 points last season. He is the third player in franchise history with multiple 20-goal campaigns before turning 22.
“Adam Fantilli has all of the tools you look for in a player — speed, size, skill — along with a competitive drive to succeed,” general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. “He is one of the most exciting young players in the NHL and a big part of what we are building in Columbus, so this is a very exciting day for our organization and our fans.”
Chicago’s Connor Bedard and Anaheim’s Leo Carlsson — the top two picks in the 2023 draft — both signed five-year contracts. Bedard’s averages $15 million while the Ducks matched an offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers that had an $18 million per season average.
San Jose’s Will Smith was picked fourth overall but remains on the final year of his entry-level contract.
Fantilli is expected to center Columbus’ top line with Kirill Marchenko and Valeri Nichushkin. Marchenko led the Blue Jackets with 27 goals while Nichushkin was acquired from Colorado during the offseason.
Defenseman and reigning Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski has two years remaining on his contract as the Blue Jackets look to get to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
The Sabres sustained two injuries to their defense corps during Tuesday’s preseason game, with Mattias Samuelsson now week to week with a lower-body injury and Olen Zellweger in concussion protocol.
With those absences comes an opportunity for some of the defensemen in tonight’s lineup to solidify a potential spot in the opening night lineup. Zach Metsa and Dennis Gilbert would figure to be the two frontrunners for the job, having both spent camp practicing with the NHL group. Metsa excelled in his role as Buffalo’s seventh defenseman last season and led the team in ice time during Monday’s preseason game.
Radim Mrtka and Ryan Johnson are two more names to watch. The two defensemen opened camp with the AHL practice group but joined the NHL squad on Wednesday with Samuelsson and Zellweger absent. Johnson has 47 NHL games on his resume; Mrtka is entering his first pro season after being drafted ninth overall in 2025.
The Sabres have had 14 forwards in their NHL practice group throughout camp. Assuming they stick with three goalies to begin the regular season, they’ll likely only be able to carry 13 forwards on their 23-man roster for opening night.
Tyson Kozak and Justin Danforth – both in tonight’s lineup – have been the extra forwards at camp thus far. Kozak performed well in a fourth-line role with Buffalo last season; Danforth is healthy after missing most of 2025-26 with a broken kneecap.
Assuming the line stays together, tonight will be a chance to see how it fares against outside competition – and a possible preview of a look we’ll see during the regular season.
It appears that fans across the NHL do not hate the Vancouver Canucks. In a new survey conducted by HockeyStats.com's co-founder, JFresh, the Canucks did not appear a single time on a "Most Hated Teams Survey." The survey featured 3,043 votes, in which fans of each team were asked to rank their three most-hated teams in order.
Overall, the Canucks ranked pretty low on the most-hated team list. They received 0% of the first-place votes, 2% of the second-place votes and 2% of the third-place votes. In the end, Vancouver finished 23rd amongst the 32 NHL teams.
JFresh also released a list called "I Don't Think About You At All". The list ranked the most one-sided hatred in the fan vote. The Canucks and Oilers ended up on the list, as 61% of Vancouver fans said they hate Edmonton, while only 14% of Oilers fans feel the same way about the Canucks.
Vancouver and Edmonton will have plenty of time to renew their rivalry as the Pacific Division foes battle three times in the next week. The first game is a pre-season matchup followed by a home-and-home series to kick off the regular season. Puck drop for Thursday's pre-season battle is scheduled for 6:00 pm PT at Rogers Arena.
Jan 17, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Liam Ohgren (92) checks Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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Finally playing their first home game of the 2026 preseason, the Philadelphia Flyers will debut many of their NHL regulars, as well as a few prospects pushing for a roster spot, in a rematch against the Boston Bruins at 7 p.m. at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on Thursday night.
Rookie forwards Jett Luchanko and Cole Knuble will be playing in their third preseason game, while Helge Grans interestingly gets another chance to prove himself with fellow prospects David Jiricek and Oliver Bonk sitting out on Thursday night.
In the wake of Dan Vladar's injury, Joseph Woll will get the full game against the Bruins, with Aleksei Kolosov backing him up once again.
A chance at revenge, of course, after a 5-1 beating at the hands of the Bruins on Tuesday.
Also of note, Nikita Grebenkin makes his preseason debut after recovering from a lingering upper-body injury that ended his season and held him out at the start of training camp. With Denver Barkey out injured, this is a prime opportunity for Grebenkin to re-establish himself as a lineup staple for the Flyers with his size and agitating style of play.
Flyers lines vs. Bruins
Porter Martone - Trevor Zegras - Travis Konecny
Tyson Foerster - Christian Dvorak - Matvei Michkov
The Bruins will be trotting out a mostly AHL-centric lineup, sprinkling in a few NHLers, most notably top prospect James Hagens, star defenseman Charlie McAvoy, and Mikey Eyssimont and Henri Jokiharju.
For the Flyers, it's a good opportunity for their more established players to begin adjusting to a real game setting with less than a week to go before the start of the regular season, which will open on a back-to-back against Pittsburgh and New Jersey, respectively.
It seems unlikely that any roster battles will be won or lost during this particular contest, though Barkey's injury does open the door for players like Luchanko, Grebenkin, and Knuble, especially if he'll have to miss any time heading into the regular season.
Player to Watch
Jett Luchanko has quietly enjoyed a strong preseason and training camp to date, and as I wrote in our most recent Flyers depth chart, he has been proving that he can support more talented players with his style of play down the middle.
While it is still unlikely he makes the team out of camp for a third straight year, the one thing I had hoped to see from the 2024 first-round pick was to just make it a difficult decision for the Flyers.
That he has, as he gets ready to skate in his third consecutive preseason game, with just one left to go on Saturday.
The Maple Leafs trimmed training camp again Thursday, putting the roster on a more recognizable NHL path five days before opening night.
The club announced a second wave of cuts after Wednesday’s first reduction. Eight players were placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the Toronto Marlies: forwards Brendan Brisson, Vinni Lettieri, Steven Lorentz, Michael Pezzetta, Henrik Rybinski and Ryan Tverberg, plus defencemen Philippe Myers and Marshall Rifai.
Ten more were sent directly to the Marlies: goaltenders Artur Akhtyamov, Ken Appleby and Samuel Hlavaj, forwards Luke Haymes, Miroslav Holinka, Jacob Quillan and Landon Sim, and defencemen Noah Chadwick, Ben Danford and Blake Smith.
Prospect Tinus Luc Koblar was returned to Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League.
Those moves follow Wednesday’s batch, when Toronto placed Cole McWard and Dakota Mermis on waivers, reassigned Vinny Borgesi, Brandon Buhr, Hayes Hundley and Borya Valis to the Marlies, sent 14 others to Marlies camp, assigned four to the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, and returned Alexander Bilecki (Kitchener), Tyler Hopkins (Guelph) and Harry Nansi (Owen Sound) to junior.
The following players have been reassigned to the Toronto Marlies:
Artur Akhtyamov Ken Appleby Noah Chadwick Ben Danford Luke Haymes Samuel Hlavaj Miroslav Holinka Jacob Quillan Landon Sim Blake Smith
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One of the pleasant surprises for the Detroit Red Wings during the 2025-26 NHL season was the emergence of rookie forward Emmitt Finnie. After earning a roster spot with a strong Training Camp, Finnie went on to appear in all 82 regular-season games.
He was one of three Red Wings rookies to make the final roster out of last year’s Training Camp and preseason, joining Michael Brandsegg-Nygård and Axel Sandin-Pellikka. However, Finnie was the only one of the three to remain with the NHL club for the entire season.
He finished the season with 13 goals and 17 assists, while spending a significant amount of time on Detroit’s top line alongside Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond.
Finnie should enter his sophomore season with increased confidence after gaining a full year of NHL experience under his belt.
"I think my confidence is high right now," Finnie said. "Obviously, I had some success last season, and it was nice to carry that into the offseason."
Showing the maturity of a seasoned veteran, Finnie acknowledged that there are still areas of his game he wants to improve, including his work on the backcheck.
"I really wanted to improve my game; I was trying to focus on lots of areas - winning battles low, just working on all areas of my game," he said. "And defensively, I want to be sharper."
Finnie, whom the Red Wings selected in the seventh round (201st overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft, recorded 30 points during his rookie season.
Although he isn't entering this season with a specific points target in mind, Finnie believes the production will follow if he continues to, as he put it, play the right way.
"I just take it as it comes," he said of his point totals. "Obviously, you want to produce, and for me, it's putting myself in the right position to score goals and making plays where I can get assists.
If I just keep playing the right way, they'll come."
During this fall's Training Camp, head coach Todd McLellan repeatedly voiced the need for the Red Wings to be harder to play against.
Not only does Finnie provide an offensive touch, but he also repeatedly demonstrated that he's not afraid of physical confrontation and getting into the dirty areas of the ice.
"I think he wants our whole team to play hard, and it's an area of my game I like to play," Finnie said of his physicality. "I like to finish my checks and be hard on the forecheck, and I feel like that's when I play my best, when I do that. I'm gonna continue to do that."
Noting his offensive touch and junkyard dog mentality on the ice, McLellan believes that Finnie is in an even more advantageous position entering his second NHL campaign.
"Last year, he provided a lot of that," he said. "He finished his checks and was competitive with his speed; we want that and more from him this year. I see him more confident, stronger, and feeling good about his game."
Finnie and the Red Wings open the regular season on Oct. 2 at Little Caesars Arena against the visiting New York Rangers.
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Since the start of training camp, it’s fair to say that one Montreal Canadiens forward has stood out and not for the right reasons: Kirby Dach. It wasn’t exactly a surprise that he showed up to camp and declined to speak about his contract negotiations; few players would be happy to talk about being essentially forced to file for arbitration and accept a two-way qualifying offer. However, what is surprising is the fact that the offseason didn’t set a fire under his backside. One would have thought he'd show up eager to prove the Habs brass wrong and that he was worth a four-million, one-way qualifying offer.
Instead, what we are seeing on the ice is a Dach that doesn’t seem to be giving his all. He’s skating like a guy who believes he has a guaranteed spot in the lineup and who doesn’t want to take any risks in the preseason. Meanwhile, Florian Xhekaj is as intense as can be every time he is on the ice, skating hard, hitting hard and leaving a calling card.
Of course, they are not the same kind of player, but unfortunately for Dach, they are both competing for a bottom-six spot. The Albertan looks like a player who believes he should be in the top six and therefore doesn’t need to earn a bottom-six role. However, even if he were a third overall pick, there is no room on the Canadiens’ top six for Dach, and he needs to adapt his game accordingly, something he has failed to do so far.
He doesn’t play like a 6-foot-4, 221-pound guy. When there’s a battle for the puck, he never seems to want it more; he almost concedes the win before the duel even starts, which makes him frustrating to watch. Dach looks like a guy who made it to the NHL on talent alone but doesn’t realize talent alone isn't enough to guarantee success in the best league of them all. You need to put in the work.
Many talented players are on the ice, but the ones who really stand out understand their identity and keep perfecting their craft. I dare say he reminds me of Alexandre Daigle, who had all the talent and potential in the world but who didn’t really want to be there in the end, or even Benoit Pouliot, who was a Minnesota Wild fourth overall pick in 2005; he had talent and a truckload of potential, but he never truly unlocked it all (the Habs can thank the Wild for that one, since they were going to pick him if he was still available).
While fans and media alike are getting frustrated by Dach’s performances, coach Martin St-Louis remains even-keeled through it all. In Brossard on Wednesday, he was asked what he needs to see from Dach in the last week of camp, and he replied, "I wouldn’t say it’s one thing; just continue to work on his game and get ready for the season." That answer took all of six seconds.
If St-Louis isn’t happy with Dach’s work, he won't tell him through the media. He’ll tell him to his face, whether on the ice during practice, in the room during a game, or simply by cutting his ice time. When he said at the start of training camp that he didn’t know what Dach’s role this season with the Habs would be, it was as close as he will ever get to sending a message through the media; don’t expect him to go any further. St-Louis has been a player in this league, and he is and will always be a player’s coach. That doesn’t mean a player gets a free ride; it just means St-Louis isn't John Tortorella.
The Minnesota Wild have trimmed their roster to 27 players, sending 15 to the Iowa Wild in the AHL.
Among the 15 players heading to the AHL, eight players will be placed on waivers.
Those eight players heading to waivers are Matt Kierstad, Carson Lambos, Roman Schmidt, Caedan Bankier, Dylan Gambrell, Justin Kirkland, Tyler Pitlick and Mason Shaw. Of those placed on waivers, Lambos is the most interesting case.
The former 26th overall pick of the 2021 NHL draft, Lambos, entered camp in a peculiar spot. At 23 years old, he's still quite young and developing, but his entry-level contract expired, and he lost his waiver exemption.
The Wild will hope Lambos clears waivers, but for the next 24 hours, any of the other 31 teams can claim him.
The other seven players heading to Iowa don't require waivers: Ben Dexheimer, Viking Gustafsson Nyberg, Jagger Joshua, Hunter Haight, Riley Heidt, Rasmus Kumpulainen, and Rieger Lorenz.
Lorenz, Haight, and Gustafsson Nyberg were among the standout performers during pre-season and could very likely earn call-ups during the NHL season.
Additionally, the Wild assigned Kayden Lemire to his junior team, the Prince George Cougars of the WHL.
With these cuts, Charlie Stramel and David Spacek appear to remain with the NHL club until the final cuts on Monday. Stramel has been impressive during pre-season and is fighting hard for a roster spot. He's not projected to be in the lineup in the final pre-season game, but getting additional reps in practice with the NHL club should bode well for his development.
The Wild will need to make four more roster moves to reach the 23-man roster limit. This could involve assigning players to the AHL, placing players on the injured reserve, or making trades.
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ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild have placed defenseman Carson Lambos on waivers as the club continues to trim its roster ahead of the regular season.
If Lambos clear waivers, the Wild will be able to assign the defenseman to the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League. However, placing them on waivers gives the NHL’s other 31 teams an opportunity to claim him.
Lambos entered training camp in an interesting position. He is still young enough to be considered a developing player within the organization, but is not waiver-exempt anymore.
Lambos, 23, was selected by the Wild with the 26th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and has spent the past three seasons developing in Iowa.
Wild coach John Hynes said during training camp that Lambos’ skating, competitiveness and defensive ability have stood out, but pointed toward his play with the puck as an area the organization wanted to see continue to improve.
“I think Lambo is a very good skater. He’s very competitive. I think he defends well,” Hynes said. “I think it’s the puck play, just making sure that he goes back. He’s efficient with his puck movement, efficient with the puck play, good decisions with the puck.”
Despite his performance, Minnesota entered camp with significant competition on the blue line, leaving limited room for Lambos to crack the NHL roster.
Now comes the waiting game.
Lambos will be available to the rest of the NHL during the waiver period. If he goes unclaimed, the Wild can send him to Iowa and retain a piece of their defensive depth.
If he is claimed, Minnesota will lose that player without receiving anything in return.
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It hasn't been smooth sailing for Zach Dean since he arrived in St. Louis.
Originally a first-round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021, Dean came over to the St. Louis Blues in a trade that sent Ivan Barbashev the other way.
Since joining the Blues, he's played just nine NHL games and spent three seasons in the AHL. His first season showed a bit of promise, but his second was ravaged by injuries, forcing him to play just 11 games.
Now he's healthy, on a new one-year, two-way contract, and is trying to make his mark on coach Jim Montgomery and the rest of the Blues staff in pre-season and training camp. It appears he has, as he'll be given the opportunity to center the top line with Connor McMichael and Pavel Buchnevich tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks.
"Center with speed just to see what that looks like with McMichael and Buchnevich," said Montgomery. "It’s an opportunity for the kid to hit a home run."
"There hasn’t been a lot of opportunity to see him, but he’s shown really well this year. I love his attitude, I love the way he’s playing."
The 23-year-old has played in both pre-season games so far and has made an impact. In the first contest, he had a nifty assist to Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, setting up one of the two goals the Blues have scored during the pre-season.
Dean finished the game with two shots on goal and three hits in 16:18 of ice time. In the second game, he was a bit quieter, failing to record a shot and throwing just two hits in 11:53 of ice time, but his impact stems further.
In the first pre-season game at 5-on-5, the Blues held a Corsi For percentage of 63.64 percent and an expected goals for percentage of 78.72 percent with Dean on the ice. In game two, those numbers were 55 percent and 50.2 percent, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
There is lots of competition to earn a spot in the Blues' bottom six. So much so that GM Alexander Steen has reportedly said he is willing to listen to offers for NHL-caliber forwards.
Dean has done everything he can to make an impact so far, but tonight presents a massive opportunity. Playing with skilled players, Dean needs to show he can make plays offensively while being potent in his own end.
Another strong performance will show his versatility and force Montgomery to have difficult conversations about where he starts the 2026-27 season. Either way, Dean is showing he is, at the very least, on the verge of becoming an NHL player.
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MARYLAND
HEIGHTS, Mo. -- When
training camp started, let’s be honest: how many of you had Zach
Dean at or near the top if the list as those that would be around
towards the end of camp with a legit chance at making the St. Louis
Blues roster to start the season?
But
here is the 2021 first-round pick in the NHL Draft by the Vegas
Golden Knights, traded to the Blues for Ivan Barbashev, right in the
thick of it, and an opportunity of a lifetime to
make his first NHL roster with another solid game when the Blues
(0-2-0) host the Chicago Blackhawks (1-0-1) in the third of four
preseason games at Enterprise Center today at 7 p.m. (Matrix
Midwest: Spectrum Ch. 186, DISH Ch. 31, Over-the-Air Ch. 32.2, 32.3,
stlouisblues.com, Blues app, ESPN 101.1-FM).
This
will be Dean’s third game in as many preseason games, and it’s
obvious: the Blues like what they see and want to put him with skill
players tonight and see how the 23-year-old handles playing on the top line with Pavel Buchnevich and Connor McMichael.
“He’s
been very noticeable in his speed,” Blues
coach Jim Montgomery said of Dean, who has one assist in two games.
“His speed is a quality that we lack a little bit up front, that
natural people that can flat-out just fly and create, I call an
anxiety on defensemen and goalies off the forecheck or off the rush.
“I
didn’t know that much (about
him).
I did know that he was a first-round pick to Vegas, I know he was in
the Barbashev trade. Everything has been more off ice than I’ve
known about him than on ice. Unfortunately for him, I don’t know
that he’s played more than 45 games in a season. There hasn’t
been a lot of opportunity to see him, but he’s shown really well
this year. I love his attitude, I love the way he’s playing.”
There’s
been a plethora of players, including those playing tonight in Dillon
Dube, Oskar Sundqvist, Nathan Walker, Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, Dylan
Peterson and Jack Finley that are fighting for what appears to be two
forward slots and Dean has been right there, if not elevated himself
above all of them with his camp thus far.
“The
camp coming in, you know it’s short,” Dean
said.
“You obviously think about that coming in and in the practices and
in the games, just try to do what I can. I think I have some skill
and when there’s plays to be made, I try and make those but I also
play hard, I like th be physical. I think that’s something I’ve
definitely brought into my game, especially last year and stuff like
that a little bit more, getting hits and stuff like that. It’s the
fun part too. You feel more engaged and stuff like that, and
depending on the game part, some games go one way. If you’re not
contributing that way, then you start being a little more physical. I
think that’s just kind of the mindset that I’ve had and camp’s
been fun.
“My
game over the years, you have to round out your game in certain ways
but as you become a pro, I feel like that happens a lot more often
than not. I think it’s a good opportunity and we’ll see tonight
how I do with that. It’s just exciting.”
It’s
been quite the challenging ride for Dean, who has played in just
47 regular-season games the past two seasons for Springfield of the
American Hockey League due to injury and being in the NHL’s Player
Assistance Program in the first half of last season.
But
things finally returned to normal for Dean with a strong finish to
the Thunderbirds’ season that culminated with a three-series run in
the Calder Cup playoffs and normal summer of training.
“It
was a really good summer,” Dean
said.
“I got to spend a lot more time back home too, which was nice. I
got to see all my family. After the season, that takes away from the
hockey a little bit, then you get right back into it. It was just
good to have a full summer of training and I feel really good.
“It’s
fun. It’s a competitive camp. We don’t really talk about that,
but it’s known. It’s good. We’re all really good players. We’re
just trying to make the team. It’s fun, it’s competitive, that’s
what it’s really all about.”
Tonight
presents an opportunity for Dean, who has played in nine NHL games
(in 2023-24 with the Blues) to see what kind of impact he can make
offensively.
“It’s
a good opportunity to play with those guys,” Dean
said.
“They’re really great players. I’m really looking forward to
it. It should be fun tonight.
“We’ll
see what happens. Focus on the game tonight. I think I’ve had a
pretty good camp so far and I’m just going to try and do what I can
do.”
And
the reason why Montgomery put Dean there?
“Center
with speed just to see what that looks like with McMichael and
Buchnevich,” he
said.
“It’s an opportunity for the kid to hit a home run.”
-
- -
Montgomery
wants to see more desperation and urgency in the Blues’ game after
a pair of 2-1 losses to the Dallas Stars in the first two preseason
games of the year.
Yes,
they’re preseason games, and yes, lineups have been mixed and
matched, but with only four preseason games, including Saturday’s
finale in Chicago before the regular season begins Oct. 2 in Dallas,
it’s go time.
“I’m
not that happy to be honest,” Montgomery
said.
‘I don’t think there’s enough desperation or urgency in our
play. We’re not playing fast enough. Offensively, I like a lot of
the O-zone stuff, but outside of that, we just need to continue to
get better.”
-
- -
Two
players Montgomery has liked has been the veteran defensive pairing
of Cam Fowler and Brandon Carlo, each who will make his season debut
tonight.
“The
most pleasantly surprising, I would say the D-pairing of Fowler and
Carlo have been exceptional, and they’ve both been very good at
what they’re very good at,” Montgomery
said.
“Fowler’s put a real emphasis on defending hard and it’s
showing.”
Why?
“Carlo’s
the most vocal guy on the ice in practice,” Montgomery
said.
“That allows you to play faster. When someone’s telling you to
go, or, ‘I got 'em, I got 'em,’ it just makes your job easier. You
don’t have to guess, you just do your job, and how vocal he’s
been, especially in the D-zone and at defending the rush, has been
very noticeable and looking forward to seeing that (tonight) for the
first time in the game.”
-
- -
There
will be some mass and beef when the Blues use a bottom six pairing
with Ross Johnston (6-foot-5, 235 pounds), Finley (6-6, 233) and
Peterson (6-4, 209).
Montgomery
has indicated recently that he would like to see Finley change
momentum in a game and it’s not been there yet and this perhaps is
that opportunity to see if a trio with this much mass can create some
havoc.
“That’s
what we want to see,” Montgomery
said.
“We put that big line together on purpose. Let’s see what kind of
impact they have on the game, now they influence the game, how they
build momentum for our team.”
-
- -
Blues
Projected Lineup:
Pavel
Buchnevich-Zach Dean-Connor McMichael
Jake
Neighbours-Dalibor Dvorsky-Dillon Dube
Ross
Johnston-Jack Finley-Dylan Peterson
Aleksanteri
Kaskimaki-Oskar Sundqvist-Nathan Walker
Theo
Lindstein-Colton Parayko
Cam
Fowler-Brandon Carlo
Calle
Rosen-Adam Jiricek
Jordan
Binnington will start in goal and play the entire game; Georgii
Romanov will be the backup.
-
- -
Blackhawks
Roster:
Forwards:
Oliver Moore, Anton Frondell, Ryan Greene, Dillon Boucher, Connor
Mylymok, Nick Lardis, AJ Spellacy, Roman Kantserov, Landon Slaggert,
Patrick Kane, Sacha Boisvert, Frank Nazar.
Defensemen:
Sam Rinzel, Kevcin Korchinski, Connor Mackey, Ethan Del Mastro, Wyatt
Kaiser, Artyom Levshunov.
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Penguins forward Andrei Kuzmenko is taking a leave of absence from the team after his father, Alexander, reportedly was killed by a bear in Siberia, the team announced Thursday.
“The Pittsburgh Penguins organization was deeply saddened, this morning, to learn of the passing of Andri Kuzmenko’s father, Alexander,” Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said in a statement. “Our deepest thoughts and sympathies are with the Kuzmenko family and their loved ones as they grieve the loss of Alexander. We ask that the privacy of Andrei and the Kuzmenko family be respected at this time.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Andrei Kuzmenko (10) warms up before a game against the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Monday, September 21, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“Andrei chose to be surrounded by his teammates and practice with the team this morning before returning to Moscow to be with his family this afternoon. Andrei and the Kuzmenko family have the full support of the Penguins organization during this time.”
Alexander reportedly had been on a fishing trip in Tuva Republic with six others when a bear attacked and bit the hockey coach in the head.
He suffered extensive tissue damage, per NHL.com, and the group separated the bear from him before he would be airlifted to a hospital in Kyzyl, where doctors could not save him.
Alexander trained several notable hockey players in Russia, per Ren.TV.
His son signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Penguins for the 2026-27 season, which will mark his fifth in the NHL.
Andrei started his career with the Canucks in 2022-23 before being traded in 2024 to the the Flames, who sent him one year later to the Flyers.
Hockey player Andrei Kuzmenko of the SKA hockey club during a KHL match against Torpedo in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Friday, Jan. 7, 2022. ZUMAPRESS.com
The Flyers traded him two months later to the Kings.
He tallied 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists) for Los Angeles in 52 games last year, and has notched 85 goals and 97 points in his brief NHL career.
Pittsburgh opens the 2026-27 season on the road next Wednesday against the Flyers.
The Penguins have split their first two pre-season games, beating the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 on Monday before losing to the Detroit Red Wings 7-4 on Tuesday.
Thursday's lineup will feature several players on the edge of the NHL roster, including Filip Hallander, Elmer Soderblom, and Ville Koivunen, as well as some of the system's top prospects, including Mikhail Ilyin, Harrison Brunicke, and Bill Zonnon.
They'll face some of the Blue Jackets' regulars, including Charlie Coyle, Kirill Marchenko, Zach Werenski, and Sean Monahan.
Goaltender Sergei Murashov will play the entire game for the Penguins. Collin Delia will be the backup goaltender.
Here's a look at the expected line combinations:
Forwards
Hallander-Dewar-Soderblom
McGroarty-Broz-Koivunen
Howe-Zonnon-Ilyin
Calvert-Gustafsson-Hayes
Defensemen
Graves-Jones
Livanavage-Solovyov
Pickering-Brunicke
Liam Ruck, Markus Ruck, and Chase Pietila are the expected scratches.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET, and you can stream it on the Blue Jackets' official website. You can also listen to it on 105.9 'The X.'
