On Tuesday, the New Jersey Devils traded the Russian forward, along with defenseman Simon Nemec to the Calgary Flames, in exchange for the New York Rangers' 2026 second-round pick, the Vegas Golden Knights' 2027 first-round pick, the Colorado Avalanche's 2028 first-round pick and prospect Etienne Morin.
The Islanders traded Tsyplakov on Jan. 8 to the Devils in exchange for Ondrej Palat and their 2026 third-round pick before flipping that pick to the New York Rangers to acquire Carson Soucy.
Tsyplakov, who was in the first season of a two-year extension worth $2.25 million annually, recorded 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 126 games with Long Island.
With New Jersey, Tsyplakov recorded just one goal and one assist in 22 games.
Sunny Mehta has made his first trade as general manager of the New Jersey Devils.
On Tuesday afternoon, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the Devils were trading defenseman Simon Nemec to the Calgary Flames.
NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman quickly confirmed that Nemec and forward Maxim Tsyplakov would go to Calgary in exchange for a second-round pick this season, a first-round pick in 2027, a first-round pick in 2028 (both top 10 protected), and Etienne Morin
Nemec & Tsyplakov for 2nd (NYR) this year, Vegas 1st 2027, COL 1st 2028 (both top 10 protected) & Etienne Morin https://t.co/iJclSTQhWH
Per the team, the conditions of the picks are as follows:
* The first-round pick that is acquired by Calgary from the Vegas Golden Knights in either the 2027 or 2028 NHL Draft (whichever first-round pick Calgary receives from its January 18, 2026 trade with Vegas).
* The first-round pick that is acquired by Calgary from Colorado in either the 2028 or 2029 NHL Draft (whichever first-round pick Calgary receives from its March 6, 2026 trade with the Colorado Avalanche).
New Jersey now holds six picks in the 2026 NHL Draft (one first, two seconds including one from the New York Rangers, a fourth, fifth, and sixth).
Morin is a 21-year-old defenseman who spent last season with Calgary’s minor-league affiliates, the Calgary Wranglers (AHL) and the Rapid City Rush (ECHL).
Nemec was drafted second overall by New Jersey in 2022. He has appeared in 155 NHL games with the Devils and 112 in the American Hockey League with the Utica Comets. The 22-year-old appeared in 68 games for the Devils during the 2025-26 season, recording 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists).
New Jersey acquired Maxim Tsyplakov on January 27 from the New York Islanders for Ondrej Palat, a 3rd-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a 6th-round pick in 2027. In 22 games with the Devils, he scored one goal.
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NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Islanders hired Stanley Cup winner Pascal Dupuis as director of player development, the team announced Tuesday.
Dupuis, 47, spent the past three seasons in the front office for the Shawinigan Cataractes in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League and has been with the team in various capacities the past six years since becoming a co-owner.
“Pascal is exactly the kind of person we want shaping the next generation of Islanders,” general manager Mathieu Darche said. “Pascal’s perspective will be invaluable for our developing players who are trying to find their way to the Islanders. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the organization.”
Dupuis played 15 years in the NHL and was part of Pittsburgh’s title team in 2009.
“His story is one every young player in our system can learn from as nothing was handed to him,” Darche said. “He was undrafted, found his way to the NHL through his tireless work ethic and built a career playing over 800 NHL games."
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Islanders hired Stanley Cup winner Pascal Dupuis as director of player development, the team announced Tuesday.
Dupuis, 47, spent the past three seasons in the front office for the Shawinigan Cataractes in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League and has been with the team in various capacities the past six years since becoming a co-owner.
“Pascal is exactly the kind of person we want shaping the next generation of Islanders,” general manager Mathieu Darche said. “Pascal’s perspective will be invaluable for our developing players who are trying to find their way to the Islanders. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the organization.”
Dupuis played 15 years in the NHL and was part of Pittsburgh’s title team in 2009.
“His story is one every young player in our system can learn from as nothing was handed to him,” Darche said. “He was undrafted, found his way to the NHL through his tireless work ethic and built a career playing over 800 NHL games."
The Buffalo Sabres announced on Tuesday their exhibition schedule for the 2026-27 season. The schedule has been reduced to four games, due to the new NHL - NHLPA collective bargaining agreement and the league moving to an 84-game regular season for the first time.
The club will play twice at KeyBank Center and twice on the road in late September, with the regular season slated to begin before the end of the month. The Sabres will open on the road in Pittsburgh against the Penguins on Monday, September 21, and will play at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, September 22. The final two games will be in Detroit against the Red Wings on Thursday, September 24, and against the Penguins in a Saturday matinee on Saturday, September 26th.
The chatter regarding Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram has become red-hot in the days leading up to the NHL Draft at KeyBank Center this weekend. The 26-year-old blueliner is in the second year of a two-year, $12.5 million bridge deal and Buffalo GM Jarmo Kekalainen indicated last month that he is interested in extending the 25-year-old, coming off a career-high 42-point season, but in the last week there have been indicators that Byram is either looking for a new deal well out of the Sabres price range or that he through agent Darren Ferris has communicated that he will to play out the final year of his deal and hit the free agent market next summer.
Sabres trade Michael Kesselring to the San Jose Sharks
Byram is listed only behind Detroit team captain Dylan Larkin on The Athletic’s Trade Board. Kekalainen earlier this month moved out RFA blueliner Michael Kesselring in a deal with the San Jose Sharks, but the big right-hander was not much of a factor witn Buffalo last season The Stanley Cup winner was a big part of the Sabres top four, along with Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, and Owen Power, and his departure would mark a significant downgrade of their defensive corps.
The Sabres do not have an obvious replacement for Byram on their roster, with 2025 first rounder Radim Mrtka likely starting his pro career in Rochester next season, veterans Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley heading for free agency, and righties Conor Timmins and Zach Metsa better suited for bottom-pairing duties. Kekalainen is in a difficult position, since the return for Byram will be mitigated by his contract status and the knowledge that whoever he is traded to will likely be a one-year rental.
Rochester goalie Devon Levi also appears on the list. The 24-year-old has played most of the last three seasons with the Amerks and will not be waiver exempt next season. With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, and Colten Ellis on the NHL roster, the Sabres face the prospect of losing the youngster for nothing on waivers after training camp or moving him for a draft pick. With a number of clubs looking for inexpensive starters, tandem goalies and backups, Kekalainen should not have a problem finding a new home for Levi.
The New York Islanders announced on Tuesday that they have hired former NHL forward and Stanley Cup champion Pascal Dupuis as their new Director of Player Development.
This role had been previously held by former Islander Eric Cairns, who had held that role since the 2013-14 season.
#Isles announce they have hired former #NHL forward Pascal Dupuis as Director of Player Developement.
Cairns is no longer involved in hockey operations for the organization.
Dupuis played 15 years in the NHL after going undrafted, recording 409 points (190 goals, 219 assists). He won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins back in 2009.
He was forced to retire in December of 2015 due to a medical condition related to blood clots.
Since 2021-22, Dupuis has owned the QMJHL's Shawinigan Cataractes, serving in different roles, from hockey operations to player development over the years.
This marks Dupuis first NHL post-career gig.
Dupuis comes aboard the Islanders at a time when player development has never been more crucial, as the organization has prospects that they're banking on becoming critical pieces over the next few seasons.
D.J. Smith’s coaching career has already taken a few turns through the NHL, junior hockey, and back again — and now it’s leading him into a new role with a familiar face on a new bench.
The Edmonton Oilers announced Tuesday that Smith has been hired as an assistant coach under Mike Babcock, adding another experienced voice to the staff as he continues his NHL coaching journey.
The 49-year-old Smith most recently spent time with the Los Angeles Kings, where he stepped in as interim head coach from March 1 through the end of the 2025–26 regular season. He helped guide the club to an 11–6–6 finish during that stretch after initially joining the organization as an assistant in early 2024 before being elevated midseason to replace the fired Jim Hiller, who has since been hired to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The move to Edmonton reunites Smith with Babcock, under whom he began his NHL coaching career as an assistant with the Leafs in 2015. He spent four seasons in Toronto during a formative stretch of the club’s rebuild before eventually landing his first NHL head coaching opportunity.
Smith took over the Ottawa Senators in 2019 and spent parts of five seasons behind the bench, overseeing a long rebuild. Over 317 games, he compiled a 131-154-32 record, ranking second in franchise history in total wins among head coaches despite the team’s overall inconsistency under his tutelage.
Before his NHL coaching career, Smith built his reputation in junior hockey. He joined the Windsor Spitfires coaching staff in 2005 and spent eight seasons there, helping the program capture two Memorial Cup championships.
He later took over the Oshawa Generals in 2012 and quickly turned them into contenders, leading them to an OHL championship and a dominant Memorial Cup title in 2015.
Smith’s path to coaching began as a player. Drafted 41st overall by the New York Islanders in 1995, his rights were later moved to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 1996 trade.
As a defenseman, he appeared in 45 NHL games split between Toronto and the Colorado Avalanche, while spending most of his playing career in the AHL, where he logged 393 games over nine seasons.
Now with another NHL opportunity in Edmonton, Smith continues a coaching career that has steadily moved between development roles, head coaching responsibilities, and now back into a senior assistant position on a contender’s staff.
The Edmonton Oilers hired Mike Babcock on Tuesday, clearing the way for the polarizing taskmaster to coach his first NHL game in more than six years after the NHL cleared him following an investigation into his aborted 2023 stint in Columbus.
Babcock is now in charge of trying to get Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl a Stanley Cup championship after two of the best hockey players in the league have fallen short over the past decade.
D.J. Smith, who was most recently the interim replacement in Los Angeles after Jim Hiller was fired and ran the bench in Ottawa from 2019-23, was named an associate coach. Smith was an assistant under Babcock in Toronto.
Babcock has not coached a game in the league since being fired by the Maple Leafs 23 games into the 2019-20 season.
Babcock, 63, has championship experience from coaching Detroit to the Cup in 2008. He made two other trips to the final, with Anaheim in ‘03 and when the Red Wings went again in ’09 and lost to Pittsburgh. He also guided Canada to back-to-back Olympic goal medals in 2010 and ’14.
Babcock also brings baggage.
He stepped down from the Blue Jackets’ job before training camp in September 2023 after taking the job on July 1. At the time, Babcock’s requests for personal photos from players in an attempt to get to know them drew criticism as an invasion of privacy.
When word emerged that Edmonton was interested in hiring Babcock, the NHL Players’ Association asked the league to review what happened three years ago. The NHL in a statement said it found nothing to prevent him from being employed by a team.
Former players have spoken out about Babcock’s old-school tendencies that some say can be considered bullying.
A report surfaced after the Maple Leafs fired Babcock that he had asked Mitch Marner to share his ranking of teammates from hardest- to least-hardest working and then shared that with the rest of the group. Former Red Wings player Johan Franzen told a Swedish outlet that Babcock was the worst person he had ever met and said at one point he was terrified to go to the rink.
Retired defenseman Mike Commodore, who played for Babcock briefly in 2011 in Detroit, spoke out this spring.
“I don’t want to hear another word about how important mental health is for us when you literally just paved the way, cleared the way for Mike Babcock to get another opportunity in the NHL and put him in another position of power where he can abuse people,” Commodore said on the “Clearing the Crease” podcast.
Daniel Winnik, who played for Babcock in 2015-16 with the Leafs, last week called him “the only guy that’s ever made me hate hockey.”
“I just hated coming to the rink,” Winnik said on TSN 1050 radio in Toronto. “He’s just a bully.”
Kris Knoblauch, who coached Edmonton to consecutive trips to the Cup final in 2024 and ’25, was fired May 14 — a decision announced after news leaked that the Oilers had been denied permission by division rival Vegas to interview 2023 Cup-winning coach Bruce Cassidy, whom the Golden Knights fired on March 30 with eight games left in the regular season. Cassidy remains under contract for one more year.
The Oilers instead turned to Babcock, whose 700 regular season and 90 playoff victories rank 12th and 10th, respectively, in NHL history.
SEATTLE — Few NHL teams are located in cities farther away from Sunrise, Florida, than Mackie Samoskevich’s new employer.
Samoskevich, previously of the Florida Panthers, was traded to the Seattle Kraken for the No. 25 pick this year and a second-rounder next year, which the Panthers then flipped to Ottawa for Brady Tkachuk hours later. The Kraken also re-signed fellow forward Bobby McMann to a long-term contract.
Thankfully for the 23-year-old Samoskevich, his twin sister, Maddy, can give him plenty of tips on how to make the cross-continent move.
Maddy, who played college hockey in Connecticut at Quinnipiac, is a defender for the Vancouver Goldeneyes of the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
“With her only being a couple hours away, it’s definitely a topic that came up right away,” Samoskevich said on a Zoom call. “I’ll be able to see her a little more, which will be great.”
Having his twin sister close by isn’t the only reason Samoskevich hopes to stick around in Seattle. He will need a new contract first, though, since he is a restricted free agent.
“I’ll leave that to the agents, that’s their job,” the one-time Stanley Cup champ said of signing a new contract. “I just got to worry about having a good offseason and making sure my body’s ready come training camp.”
When Samoskevich, who has 64 points across 160 NHL regular-season and playoff games, played for the Panthers, he said he disliked facing Seattle because of their skaters’ collective speed and skill.
Samoskevich hopes to provide the Kraken with a much-need infusion of talent after they missed the playoffs for the fourth time in their five years of existence. The No. 24 pick in the 2021 NHL draft became a lineup regular for the Panthers because of his skating and playmaking abilities, as well as his penchant for logging shots on goal.
The Kraken would benefit from the 5-foot-11 Samoskevich playing like current Montreal Canadiens coach and former Tampa Bay Lightning star Martin St. Louis, who he most closely models his game after. Seattle scored 2.73 goals per game in 2025-26, good for 28th in the NHL.
“He was one of those guys who I heard about his work ethic, and that’s something that I definitely cherish myself in,” Samoskevich said of St. Louis, who scored 391 goals in the NHL. “I’m not a big guy, obviously, but I got to find different ways to make an impact, for sure, and he was definitely one of those guys I watched.”
Outside of skating like St. Louis, Samoskevich hopes to bring elements of the way the Panthers played during his tenure there to the Emerald City. Admittedly, Samoskevich said, the rigorous game Florida presents to its opponents each night isn’t easy on its players.
But, the Panthers’ system was a successful one, and Samoskevich is optimistic the Kraken will find a way to bounce back next season.
“It’s something that obviously works at the end of the year, and playoffs and whatnot,” Samoskevich said. “So, it’s definitely something I want to bring over to Seattle, and hopefully win a ton of games for sure.”
As has become customary in recent years, the Philadelphia Flyers find themselves in the middle of several trade rumors around the NHL as they continually seek to add to and improve their roster.
This offseason, after a successful year that ended in an inspiring playoff run, has the potential to be a big one for the Flyers, even with a later draft pick than they've been used to.
That draft pick--21st overall--can be leveraged in a trade to help acquire an impactful player, which seems to be a very real possibility as we rapidly approach the start of the 2026 NHL Draft on Friday.
One name that has some of the most appeal to Flyers fans is defenseman Bowen Byram, who has legitimate potential to be a top-pairing defender despite not being used as such with the Buffalo Sabres.
That's fair, since that organization has made significant investments on their defense in the forms of superstar Rasmus Dahlin, top draft pick Owen Power, Radim Mrtka, and Mattias Samuelsson, among others.
The Flyers, in need of more talent on defense, need a power play quarterback desperately, and the Sabres would be best suited moving on from Byram to better round out their lineup.
These two teams have been repeatedly linked over the years for such a deal, with Byram's name being connected to the Flyers once again this past week. Perhaps this summer is the time to finally make it happen.
On top of Ottawa Senators trio Dylan Cozens, Shane Pinto, and Ridly Greig, the Flyers are also believed to have some level of interest in less proven centers Mason McTavish and Shane Wright.
Of those five, Wright, Pinto, and Cozens best fit what the Flyers are trying to do offensively.
According to reports, the Flyers like Pinto the most, and he would instantly step into a consistent top-six role, potentially as a No. 1 center, in Philadelphia.
Star forward Trevor Zegras has not quite proven if he can handle a full-time center role at the NHL level, which makes adding a productive and capable center as possible the top priority for the Flyers.
A forgotten rumor that many hope to forget for real is the Flyers' connection to Darnell Nurse, who, while an upgrade, comes with significant financial baggage at his $9.25 million cap hit.
The 31-year-old would only to come to Philadelphia at a reduced price, on top of whatever it might cost the Flyers to actually trade for the player apart from the contract aspect.
For all intents and purposes, the rumor connecting the Flyers and Byram makes much more sense, even if the Sabres' ask in a a trade is exponentially greater.
Of course, there is always the possibility the Flyers pull off a move nobody has intel on, like the Jamie Drysdale and Cutter Gauthier swap, but their current reported trade targets are all well-discussed options at this stage.
According to NHL Analyst David Pagnotta, the expectation is for the Los Angeles Kings to work with veteran defenseman Drew Doughty on a contract extension once free agency opens.
Additionally, Pagnotta reported that Doughty understands his current role at this stage of his career and that his ice time will decrease in the coming years, which will be reflected in his value and worth in his next deal.
David Pagnotta: The expectation in Los Angeles is Drew Doughty will get a contract extension worked out with the Kings; [he] understands his minutes will soon dip, which will reflect his next contract - Fourth Period (6/21)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 23, 2026
The 36-year-old signed a massive eight-year, $88 million contract in 2018, and the contract won't expire until the end of the 2026-27 season. If Doughty signs a one- or two-year deal, it could extend his contract a few more years before the former Stanley Cup champion decides to walk away from the game.
Despite battling injuries in recent seasons, he remains one of the most iconic players to ever wear the silver and black, helping lead the Kings to two Stanley Cup championships.
But with all that said, those achievements remain in the past, and the Kings need to be smart about how they handle Doughty's contract for the Kings' future, whether they decide to rebuild with young talent or go all in for Stanley Cup contention.
Therefore, the Kings should still absolutely offer Doughty a contract extension. The most realistic option is to keep it a short-term, team-friendly deal.
The five-time All-Star has earned the right to finish his career in Los Angeles with the Kings, but the franchise shouldn't pay him based on what he accomplished in 2014 or 2016.
Whatever kind of deal or money the Kings decide to offer Doughty, it needs to be for what he's valued now: a valuable veteran defenseman who can mentor the young talent and be a leader in the team's locker room, not the James Norris Memorial-caliber workhorse he once was.
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It’s not been easy for the Montreal Canadiens to attract star players over the years. The weather, the taxes, the language, we’ve heard it all, but that might just be changing. The organization’s decision to undergo a rebuild and start betting on offense rather than defense has made the Habs an entertaining team to watch, but also a fun team to play for.
On Monday, TSN insider Pierre Lebrun mentioned on Overdrive that an agent told him that one of his clients has asked to add the Canadiens to the list of teams he would be open to being traded to. Of course, Lebrun didn’t say which agent made the claim or which player was involved, but it was enough to spark plenty of talk and speculation online.
There aren’t a lot of players out there who have publicly said they wish to be traded and are still waiting to find out where they’ll be headed. The top name that comes to mind is Dylan Larkin. He asked the Detroit Red Wings for a trade a couple of weeks ago, and he hasn’t been moved yet. He provided Steve Yzerman with a short list of teams he’d be willing to go to: the Minnesota Wild, the Florida Panthers, or the Vegas Golden Knights.
Brady Takchuk was traded to the Panthers over the weekend, and the Florida outfit’s cupboard of draft picks is now pretty bare, which may well take them out of the running. The Wild doesn’t have a first or second round pick at the upcoming draft, while Vegas doesn’t either in the next two drafts. It’s true that Yzerman may be looking for immediate help rather than futures, but picks still help sweeten the deal.
As evidenced by the Takchuk trade, teams are no longer that reluctant to trade players inside their own division, and Yzerman has done it before when he sent Jonathan Drouin to the Habs nearly a decade ago. While Larkin is a great player and would fit the Canadiens’ need, one has to wonder if he’d be in for the long haul in Montreal since he was part of Team USA at the latest Olympics, and a lot of those players have been requesting trades to American teams of late. There’s no concern for players who have been Habs for years and have shown themselves to be committed to the team, but it may be different for an outside hire, so to speak.
Larkin is under contract for another five years with an $8.7 million cap hit, so the price tag to get him out of Detroit is unlikely to be cheap. If Hughes were to make that deal, he would need solid guarantees from the player that he wouldn’t be looking to move again anytime soon.
At the end of the day, it’s far from a sure thing that Lebrun was indeed talking about Larkin, but whoever he was talking about, it’s good news that Montreal is starting to make its way on players’ trade lists.
With the NHL Entry Draft set to take place this Friday and Saturday, the Detroit Red Wings are already turning their attention toward the 2026-27 season.
On Tuesday, the club unveiled its preseason schedule, a four-game slate that will begin on Sept. 21 and feature matchups against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Buffalo Sabres. Before the preseason gets underway, however, Red Wings fans will have several opportunities to get an early look at the organization's future.
Detroit announced it will host a four-team Prospect Tournament from Sept. 12-15 at Little Caesars Arena's BELFOR Training Center. The tournament will feature prospects from the Red Wings, Blue Jackets, Penguins, and Dallas Stars, providing an early showcase for many of the organization's top young players and recent draft selections. Following the tournament, the Red Wings will hold Training Camp from Sept. 17-20 before opening their preseason schedule the next day in Columbus.
The exhibition slate begins with a road contest against the Blue Jackets on Sept. 21 before Detroit travels to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins on Sept. 22. The Red Wings will then return home to Little Caesars Arena for their lone preseason home game against the Sabres on Sept. 24 before concluding the schedule with another matchup against Columbus on Sept. 26.
While preseason games rarely feature extensive workloads for established NHL stars, they provide valuable opportunities for organizations to evaluate prospects and depth players. Detroit's upcoming exhibition schedule should be no different.
Fans hoping to catch extended appearances from cornerstone players like Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider, and veteran goaltender John Gibson may be disappointed. However, the spotlight will fall on the organization's most exciting emerging talent as players battle for roster spots and make their case for NHL opportunities.
Among the names to watch are highly regarded prospects Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, both of whom are expected to be key figures during training camp and the preseason. The exhibition schedule could also offer Detroit fans an early look at the players selected by the organization during this week's NHL Draft, with several recent picks potentially earning invitations to camp and preseason action.
For a franchise continuing to build toward sustained contention, the preseason serves as an important evaluation period. It offers coaches and management a chance to assess the next generation of Red Wings while giving fans a preview of the talent pipeline that could shape the club's future. The NHL is expected to release the full 2026-27 regular-season schedule sometime in July.
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The Calgary Flames may not control who goes first overall, but they could end up controlling much of what happens after that.
Armed with 11 selections, including the sixth overall pick and eight choices inside the top 68, Calgary enters the 2026 NHL Draft with more flexibility than almost any team in the league. Whether that means making the picks, moving around the board, or pursuing trades, general manager Craig Conroy knows the Flames have options.
And in a draft class Conroy believes is unusually difficult to predict, that flexibility could prove invaluable.
“I don’t. I think it’s one of those years where they’re all really good players,” Conroy told Sportsnet when asked if he had a sense of how the top six might shake out.
For Calgary, that uncertainty isn’t a concern — it’s an opportunity.
With four second-round picks and a stockpile of assets, the Flames are positioned to be one of the draft’s most active teams if the right opportunity presents itself.
“We have a lot of ammunition to either make picks, move them or make trades,” Conroy added. “The options are definitely one of the things that makes it exciting for us.”
That flexibility extends well beyond the first round. As draft day approaches, Conroy said discussions with other clubs have already intensified, particularly involving Calgary’s collection of second-round selections.
“There are definitely lots of calls and conversations with teams about all our picks,” Conroy continued.
Still, for all the talk about trades and movement, the most important decision remains the one attached to the sixth overall pick.
The Flames have an obvious need for more offensive production, leading many to assume a forward will be the priority. Conroy, however, made it clear Calgary won’t be drafting based solely on positional need.
“I’m not going to go to the best player, I’m going to say the right player,” he stated.
And that’s where the debate really begins.
Ask five draft analysts what Calgary’s biggest organizational need is and you’ll probably get two different answers. One camp believes the Flames still lack a true No. 1 center capable of driving a Stanley Cup contender. The other sees a glaring need for a future top-pairing defenseman who can dictate the game from the back end.
The Hockey News leans toward the latter.
If he’s available when Calgary steps to the podium, Carson Carels could be difficult to pass up. The dynamic defenseman turned heads across the WHL this season, finishing with 20 goals and 73 points while establishing himself as one of the league’s most dangerous offensive blue-liners. Those numbers ranked fifth among WHL defensemen in goals and fourth in total points, helping earn him a finalist nomination for WHL Defenseman of the Year.
What stands out most isn’t necessarily the production — it’s how he generates it. Carels thrives with the puck on his stick, pushes play through the neutral zone and has a knack for creating offense seemingly out of nowhere. Comparisons to Cale Makar are unfair for almost any young defenseman, but elements of Carels’ game — particularly his skating and ability to attack off the rush — inevitably invite them.
Then there’s Keaton Verhoeff, another defenseman expected to hear his name called early. The Victoria Royals standout produced 21 goals and 45 points in 63 games as a 16-year-old, a remarkable accomplishment considering only two younger WHL defensemen in league history have scored more goals at that age. Verhoeff combines offensive instincts with a physical edge that NHL teams covet, making him one of the most intriguing long-term projects in the class.
Another name worth monitoring is Alberts Šmits.
The Latvian defender already owns something few draft-eligible prospects can claim: Olympic experience. While Latvia isn’t stocked with NHL stars, earning a spot on an Olympic roster as a teenager remains a notable achievement. Šmits split the season between Germany and Finland, appearing at both the professional and junior levels while recording 12 goals and 23 points in 43 games.
His strongest impression may have come at the World Junior Championship. Serving in a leadership role for Latvia, Šmits was consistently one of the country’s best players, finishing with five points in five games while earning recognition as one of Latvia’s top performers throughout the tournament.
Of course, if Calgary decides its biggest need remains down the middle, Tynan Lawrence could emerge as a serious option.
Lawrence’s appeal extends beyond his offensive upside. The Boston University forward has developed a reputation for seeking out challenges rather than avoiding them. His decision to make the jump to the NCAA forced him to adapt to a faster, heavier and far more demanding style of hockey, and while the transition wasn’t always smooth, it showcased the resilience NHL teams love to see in young players.
Before arriving at Boston University, Lawrence dominated in the USHL. He averaged better than a point per game as a 16-year-old with Muskegon, earned All-Rookie Team honors, helped capture a Clark Cup championship and was later named tournament MVP. He eventually took over as captain and posted 17 points in 13 games before moving on to the collegiate ranks.
What makes Lawrence particularly intriguing for Calgary is the way he plays. He competes hard, embraces physical hockey and consistently pushes himself into uncomfortable situations to improve. Those are traits Conroy and the Flames have repeatedly prioritized during the rebuild.
If the Flames ultimately decide their future is strongest down the middle, don’t be surprised if Lawrence becomes one of the names receiving serious consideration when Calgary is on the clock.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Edmonton Oilers hired Mike Babcock on Tuesday, clearing the way for the polarizing taskmaster to coach his first NHL game in more than six years after the NHL cleared him following an investigation into his aborted 2023 stint in Columbus.
Babcock is now in charge of trying to get Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl a Stanley Cup championship after two of the best hockey players in the league have fallen short over the past decade.
D.J. Smith, who was most recently the interim replacement in Los Angeles after Jim Hiller was fired and ran the bench in Ottawa from 2019-23, was named an associate coach. Smith was an assistant under Babcock in Toronto.
Babcock has not coached a game in the league since being fired by the Maple Leafs 23 games into the 2019-20 season.
Babcock, 63, has championship experience from coaching Detroit to the Cup in 2008. He made two other trips to the final, with Anaheim in ‘03 and when the Red Wings went again in ’09 and lost to Pittsburgh. He also guided Canada to back-to-back Olympic goal medals in 2010 and '14.
Babcock also brings baggage.
He stepped down from the Blue Jackets' job before training camp in September 2023 after taking the job on July 1. At the time, Babcock’s requests for personal photos from players in an attempt to get to know them drew criticism as an invasion of privacy.
When word emerged that Edmonton was interested in hiring Babcock, the NHL Players' Association asked the league to review what happened three years ago. The NHL in a statement said it found nothing to prevent him from being employed by a team.
Former players have spoken out about Babcock's old-school tendencies that some say can be considered bullying.
A report surfaced after the Maple Leafs fired Babcock that he had asked Mitch Marner to share his ranking of teammates from hardest- to least-hardest working and then shared that with the rest of the group. Former Red Wings player Johan Franzen told a Swedish outlet that Babcock was the worst person he had ever met and said at one point he was terrified to go to the rink.
Retired defenseman Mike Commodore, who played for Babcock briefly in 2011 in Detroit, spoke out this spring.
“I don’t want to hear another word about how important mental health is for us when you literally just paved the way, cleared the way for Mike Babcock to get another opportunity in the NHL and put him in another position of power where he can abuse people,” Commodore said on the “Clearing the Crease” podcast.
Daniel Winnik, who played for Babcock in 2015-16 with the Leafs, last week called him “the only guy that's ever made me hate hockey.”
“I just hated coming to the rink,” Winnik said on TSN 1050 radio in Toronto. "He's just a bully."
Kris Knoblauch, who coached Edmonton to consecutive trips to the Cup final in 2024 and ’25, was fired May 14 — a decision announced after news leaked that the Oilers had been denied permission by division rival Vegas to interview 2023 Cup-winning coach Bruce Cassidy, whom the Golden Knights fired on March 30 with eight games left in the regular season. Cassidy remains under contract for one more year.
The Oilers instead turned to Babcock, whose 700 regular season and 90 playoff victories rank 12th and 10th, respectively, in NHL history.
