Category: NHL

The NHL Network has already released a top-20 wingers and a top-20 defensemen list right now, with Montreal Canadiens Cole Caufield (ninth) and Lane Hutson (sixth) cracking those rankings. On Sunday night, they’ll be releasing their top-10 goalies list right now, and one can wonder if the Habs will have a player on that list as well. After the year he’s had, Samuel Montembeault is obviously as far away from the list as a goaltender could be, but what about Jakub Dobes?

The Czech netminder started the year as the backup goaltender, and as coach Martin St-Louis kept giving Montembeault second chances, it looked like Dobes’ confidence was affected. However, once the Habs realized that this just wasn’t Montembeault’s season and called up Jacob Fowler before also bringing on Marco Marciano as a goalie coach to replace Eric Raymond, he bounced back and grabbed the number one job.

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At the end of the regular season, Dobes had a 2.78 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. He was 22nd in GAA amongst goalies who had played at least 35 games, and his SV was 20th amongst the same group. However, he was 12th in wins, claiming 29 wins in just 43 games for a 67% winning percentage. He might not have always done it perfectly, but Dobes found ways to win games. Andrei Vasilevskiy, who had the highest number of wins with 39, needed 58 games to get there. That’s also a 67% winning percentage. Karel Vejmelka, who had 38 wins, did so while playing in 64 games, meaning he won 60% of his duels. Jake Oettinger wraps up the top three in wins with 35 in 54 games for a 65% winning percentage. From that standpoint, Dobes deserves to be in the top-10 goalie conversation.

Furthermore, in the playoffs, he was sixth in GAA among goalies who played at least 10 games, with a 2.66 GAA and fifth in SV among the same group, with a .908 SV. As we’ve seen in the last two rankings released by the NHL Network, recent playoff performance can have an impact on those. Winger Mitch Marner landed in fourth place in the wingers ranking after putting off what would likely have been a Conn Smythe-worthy performance (29 points in 22 games, seven points ahead of the second-highest scorer) had the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup. However, someone like Marner has a 10-year track record.

Dobes has only played in the NHL for two seasons (he played 16 games in 2024-25 and had a 2.74 GAA and a .909 SV), so the panel might feel he doesn’t have enough of a track record. Last season, the top 10 goalies according to NHL Network all had a lot of mileage. Connor Hellebuyck finished first and had played in 10 NHL seasons. Vasilevskiy was second and had played in 11 seasons; Igor Shesterkin was third and had played in six seasons; Sergei Bobrovsky was fourth, having played for 15 seasons; and Oettinger wrapped up the top five while having played in five NHL seasons. Looking at the rest of the top 10, no goaltender had less than five seasons of experience.

Taking that into account, it seems unlikely that NHL Network will put him on the list. It may be called the top 10 goalie list right now, but past performances do have an impact. However, if Dobes puts together a season as good as his last playoff performance was, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him on the list next year despite his limited experience because he would have proven he wasn’t a flash in the pan. In other words, it’s a no for now on Dobes, but that could change.

In the years to come, if Jacob Fowler develops as expected, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities to see two Canadiens goaltenders crack that list, as long as Kent Hughes doesn’t decide to sacrifice a goalie to fill another need, of course.

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The 2026 NHL Entry Draft was a successful one for the Vancouver Canucks. The organization added nine new prospects, including Caleb Malhotra with the third overall pick. It turns out that Vancouver also attempted to trade up in the draft in order to secure a third pick in the first round. 

In a new video released by the Ottawa Senators, General Manager Steve Staios can be heard speaking with Canucks GM Ryan Johnson. The two were discussing a trade in which Vancouver would move up to 25th overall in exchange for the 33rd and 41st overall picks. The deal would also include the Canucks acquiring the 72nd overall pick. 

Despite what appeared to be interest from Staios, Ottawa declined the trade and drafted Jonas Lagerberg Hoen 25th overall. Vancouver would go on to draft Brooks Rogowski 33rd and Niklas Aaram-Olsen 41st overall. As for the 72nd pick, the Senators selected forward Adam Nemec. 

Next up on the Canucks' schedule is the 2026 Prospects Showcase. The event will be hosted in Abbotsford, where Vancouver will battle the Seattle Kraken. Game days are September 12th and 13th, 2026. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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Returning to Columbus after the summer break, Columbus Blue Jackets star defenseman Zach Werenski said he'd "ideally" like to stay with the team long term.

This follows a complicated offseason in which his future with the Blue Jackets seemed in jeopardy.

Meeting with the media on Aug. 13, Werenski addressed this summer's trade rumors, which speculated his exit from the team with which he has spent his entire decade-long NHL career.

"[It's] not something I don't think either myself or Don [Waddell] kind of intended on it to get to," Werenski said. "I think my statement is exactly how I feel. I want to win and I want to win here in Columbus. That's all I'm focused on, and that hasn't changed since the end of last season."

Werenski, 28, is the NHL's reigning Norris Trophy winner as the league's best defenseman, as chosen by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. After the Blue Jackets skidded out of the playoffs, a report on June 10 from The Athletic stated that Werenski might request a trade out of Columbus.

On June 30, multiple outlets reported that Werenski rejected a proposed trade to the Dallas Stars.

"I really don't want to, I guess, talk about another team and situation," Werenski said. "To me, [Columbus] is where I always wanted to be. ... I kind of heard about it, and then it was just like, 'I'm playing in Columbus next year.' That was my thought on it."

Werenski continued: "So, I really didn't give it too much of a thought. I honestly went to bed and woke up to that article ... like, I don't know. I didn't really have too much thought on it. I kind of was trying to figure out what was going on. But yeah, it got crazy for sure."

After the trade speculation, Waddell and Werenski met, with Werenski's agent Judd Moldaver joining them. Waddell and Werenski both released statements after. Werenski's July statement reflected his remarks in August; he emphasized his desire to "win now" and to win in Columbus.

Said Werenski: "I think everyone knows how much I love this city and how much it means to me, and I would have no issues being here for an even longer time. I want to see us in the playoffs, and I want to see us make progress, and I feel like we've done that. ... I think winning solves everything, and that's where we have to get as a club, and we have to raise our standards and expectations."

Waddell's July statement confirmed he had met with Werenski about his future with the team, as well as exploring opportunities to trade him out of Columbus. Although he didn't reference Dallas, Waddell said he spoke to Werenski about a trade that worked for the Blue Jackets, and Werenski informed Waddell he wanted to stay.

"Me and Don [Waddell] have had great conversations about everything," Werenski said. "I do have two years left on my deal, and I don't know what's going to happen. All I know is that I'm going to be the best player I can be this season for this team. But at the end of the day, there was a business side of it. ... If you were to ask [Waddell], and I don't know this, but ideally, I'm here for the long term, and it's on a winning team."

The rumors were just one aspect of a packed summer for Werenski, who became a new father with the birth of his son in May. Through it all, Werenski said he kept in constant communication with his teammates via FaceTime to let them know he intended to remain with the team.

"After the statement came out, I got a lot of texts from the guys, just fired up that I'll be back," he added.

The Blue Jackets' roster has undergone substantial changes. Former team captain Boone Jenner, the team's longest-tenured player, signed with the Washington Capitals as a free agent after 13 seasons in Columbus. The team also added veteran winger Valeri Nichushkin from the Colorado Avalanche and extended the deals of goalie Jet Greaves and forward Cole Sillinger.

Werenski said he liked the moves that Waddell had made toward winning next season. He also acknowledged the vacancy of a captain after Jenner's exit.

"It'd be an honor. I've obviously been there for 10 years. ... I was fortunate enough to learn from guys like [Nick Foligno] and Booner, guys that have worn it before. ... I definitely feel like I'm capable of it, but we'll see," Werenski said.

Werenski's contract expires after the end of the 2027-28 season. Per NHL rules, he cannot sign an extension until July 1, 2027. Reiterating his desire to stay in Columbus, Werenski told the media he would not answer any questions about his career plans.

For now, Werenski is headed back to his home state of Michigan, where he will stay until the first week of September. The Blue Jackets' first preseason game is on Sept. 21.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski wants to stay in Columbus 'long term'

The Calgary Flames have lost one of the most recognizable voices in franchise history.

Peter Maher, the legendary radio voice of the Flames, has passed away. His family posted this statement:

Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) on X❤️

Maher became the inaugural radio voice of the Calgary Flames in 1980 and went on to call 33 consecutive seasons and 2,954 games behind the microphone, becoming synonymous with Flames hockey for generations of fans.

His career included some of the most memorable moments in franchise history, including the Flames’ 1989 Stanley Cup championship and the unforgettable 2004 Stanley Cup run.

Maher’s contributions to hockey broadcasting were recognized on the national stage in 2006 when Maher received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding work as an NHL broadcaster. He was subsequently honoured by the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) on XIt is with deep regret and sadness that the Calgary Flames organization acknowledge the passing of Peter Maher, the legendary voice of the Flames. 🔗: https://t.co/4FdkcJ8LBp

The St. Louis Blues weren't all that active on the free-agent market this off-season, with their lone notable move being the three-year, $2 million AAV contract handed to fourth-line enforcer Ross Johnston. 

They did make important trades, acquiring Mason MacTavish and Connor McMichael up front as well as veteran defenseman Brandon Carlo.

With these moves, the Blues roster feels fairly set.

In the center ice position, the Blues will likely toss out Robert Thomas, McTavish, Dalibor Dvorsky and Pius Suter. In the top six, the wingers will likely be Dylan Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud on the top line with some combination of Pavel Buchnevich, Jake Neighbours, McMichael and Jonatan Berggren/Otto Stenberg in the middle six. The fourth line will likely feature Johnston and Alexey Toropchenko.

As it stands, Dillon Dube and Nathan Walker are the extras.

On the blueline, the combinations will possibly be Philip Broberg and Logan Mailloux; Theo Lindstein/Tyler Tucker and Colton Parayko; Cam Fowler and Brandon Carlo. 

Additionally, the Blues have fringe roster players such as Jack Finley and Oskar Sundqvist who will compete for a roster spot and hope to avoid being claimed on waivers. 

With all those players competing for limited spots, should we expect GM Alexander Steen to explore moves on the PTO market? 

With a little over a month until the first pre-season game, several intriguing free agents remain available on the UFA market.

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Highlighted by players like former Blues greats Vladimir Tarasenko and David Perron, the market also features forwards Eeli Tolvanen, Michael Bunting, Patrik Laine, James Van Riemsdyk, and Evander Kane. At the same time, the blue liners are headlined by John Klingberg, Logan Stanley, Matt Grzelyck, Carson Soucy, and Nick Blakenburg. 

While several of these players could help the Blues in some capacity, are they worth signing and taking away possible ice time from younger players the Blues are hoping to develop?

The answer is probably no, but if any of those players turn out to be key additions to a playoff team, the Blues could feel like they missed a golden opportunity. Just because the Blues sign a player to a PTO doesn't mean they have to sign them to an NHL contract. And just because another team signs a player to a PTO, the Blues are still eligible to offer that player an NHL contract. 

The Blues still have time to ponder their options, and what they do will be very telling of where they think their current roster is at. 

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When most modern-day hockey fans think of Bill Guerin, they think of the General Manager of the Minnesota Wild, who also put together a USA Hockey team that brought home a Gold Medal in 2026 for the first time since 1980. 

What some people might not know, is that Guerin was actually a great player in the National Hockey League before becoming an executive. 

The New Jersey Devils made Guerin the 5th overall pick in the 1989 NHL Draft out of Boston College. It turned out to be a great selection for them, as he played in parts of seven seasons for New Jersey, including 1995, when they won the Stanley Cup. 

Guerin, in 380 games with New Jersey, scored 108 goals, 106 assists, and 214 points. He played a role on a team that was elite defensively, knew how to find the back of the net as a collective, and won a lot of games as a result. 

On January 4th, 1998, New Jersey traded Guerin to the Edmonton Oilers in a deal that brought in Jason Arnott and Bryan Muir. Of course, Arnott would go on to score an overtime Stanley Cup-winning goal in 2000. 

After his four-year run in Edmonton ended in 2001, he spent time with the Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, New York Islanders, and Pittsburgh Penguins.

In 2009, the Penguins acquired Guerin ahead of the trade deadline and won the Stanley Cup later that spring. Guerin's career ended one year later with two Stanley Cup rings, 429 goals, 427 assists, and 856 points in 1,263 games. 

Guerin's points-per-game totals increased after leaving New Jersey, which makes sense, given that they were the defense-minded "trap" team during his tenure. When he left, he went to a handful of systems that favored his offensive abilities a bit more. 

Here in 2026, Guerin is in the minds of New Jersey Devils fans again because he has a decision to make about his star defenseman in Minnesota, Quinn Hughes. Of course, Quinn's two younger brothers are part of the modern-day Devils' core, and the speculation is that he'd like to join forces with them one day. 

Earlier in the summer, it seemed like a lock that Quinn would stay with Guerin in Minnesota, but every day that passes makes that feel less and less likely. Will Quinn Hughes and Bill Guerin have been Devils players in common when it's all said and done? Only time will tell, but there is no denying the impact that Guerin has already made on New Jersey's hockey team. 

Visit The Hockey News New Jersey Devils team site to stay up to date on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive, and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.

Montreal Gazette writer Stu Cowan sent shockwaves in Montreal Canadiens land earlier this week when he penned an article in which he mentioned that the fact that Arber Xhekaj and Zachary Bolduc weren’t signed led him to believe they could be part of sign-and-trade deals before September 16.

Cowan caught some flak on social media for writing that, because it’s not something fans want to hear, especially not about Xhekaj, whose gritty style and underdog story have elevated him to the level of fan favourite. Unfortunately for both Xhekaj and the fans, he may have more value to the Canadiens as a trade chip. Not because he couldn’t be useful to them on the ice- they need some toughness- but as things stand, they do not play him regularly, and he hardly played in the playoffs. The gritty blueliner is more useful to the team as a trade chip than he is as a seventh defenseman who doesn’t get to see the ice much.

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Cowan writing that he could be part of a sign-and-trade deal makes perfect sense. Even though Xhekaj loves Montreal and everything about it and the team, at 25 years old, he needs to do what’s right for him as a player and not as a teammate. Brendan Gallagher didn’t say anything during the season about seeing his ice time melt like snow in the sun, and when he was a healthy scratch in the playoffs, but when the season ended, he said it was pretty obvious he would be moving on. Hockey players want to play, and it’s just normal. Xhekaj is a hockey player, and he wants to play too. Obviously, he’s not in Gallagher’s situation, but it’s a good parallel to understand why he hasn’t signed yet.

Of course, it’s easier to trade a player once he’s signed to a contract and the buyer knows they have the player under control for a set number of years. If the Canadiens do go out and get a right-shot defenseman to play with Lane Hutson, Xhekaj’s odds of having a spot in the lineup would get even slimmer and even if they don’t, as things stand, there isn’t much room for him. Especially not with Adam Engstrom and David Reinbacher looking to make the jump to the NHL. Ideally, though, if Montreal were to trade Xhekaj, it would be outside of the Eastern Conference; that’s not a player you’d want to face too often, especially if he becomes an NHL regular once given a proper opportunity.

As for Bolduc, it’s easy to see what Cowan means when he says he too could be a candidate for a sign-and-trade deal. As I wrote earlier this off-season, I don’t see Kent Hughes gambling on Bolduc and giving him an eight-year contract without having had a chance to thoroughly evaluate him. However, another team may have a different approach and be willing to do that. If Montreal wants to land a top-six player, the Habs will likely have to part with players who have proven they could be an asset in the NHL. I believed Oliver Kapanen could be a candidate to be sacrificed in that way, but if the Canadiens were to deal for a power-forward type of player, it could make sense for their trading partner to be looking for a forward who has some grit.

To maximize Bolduc’s value, it would only be logical to allow the trading partner to negotiate a deal with him, much like the New York islanders allowed the Canadiens to negotiate with Noah Dobson last season before the trade was made. Given the fact that they gave Logan Mailloux to acquire Bolduc, though, the Habs are unlikely to move on from him that soon unless they are getting someone really good in return.

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Apparently, Josh Morrissey forgot how to play hockey over the last 12 months.

At least, that's how Jets fans (and most Central Division - and even Western Conference clubs) will interpret the NHL Network's latest ranking of the league's top defencemen.

The annual top-20 list was unveiled this week and somehow, some way, Winnipeg's No. 1 blueliner found himself all the way down at No. 16.

That's 10 spots lower than last summer.

You read that right - 10 spots.

Morrissey entered the 2025-26 season ranked sixth by NHL Network, firmly entrenched among the game's elite following three consecutive seasons of Norris Trophy-calibre hockey. One year later, he's apparently barely hanging onto a spot in the top 20.

The problem? His play hardly warrants such a dramatic fall.

Sure, Morrissey's offensive totals dipped from the heights of previous seasons. He didn't reach the 76 points he recorded during his breakout 2022-23 campaign, nor the 69 he produced the following year.

Instead, Morrissey had to settle for 14 goals and 55 points in 77 games. 

Some decline.

And if you remember correctly, it wasn't exactly a banner year for his Jets. Offence was not happening. Backup goaltending took the lead. Injuries occurred and a veteran heavy lineup skated slowly through the 82 game slate.

The now 31-year-old has produced at least 10 goals and 55 points in four consecutive seasons. Among active NHL defencemen, only Cale Makar and Rasmus Dahlin can say the same.

And Morrissey wasn't exactly sheltered while doing it.

He averaged a career-high 24:43 of ice time per game, once again serving as Winnipeg's do-everything back-ender. Power play, penalty kill, late-game situations, difficult matchups - J-Mo's fingerprints remained all over virtually everything the Jets did from the blue line.

Yet NHL Network dropped him from sixth to 16th - make it make sense.

There were, admittedly, reasons why Morrissey's season didn't carry quite the same shine as years past.

Winnipeg took a significant step backwards after winning the Presidents' Trophy in 2024-25, while Morrissey's highly anticipated trip to the 2026 Winter Olympics ended almost as soon as it began. An upper-body injury suffered in Canada's opening game against Czechia knocked him out for the remainder of the tournament and followed him back to Winnipeg.

But none of that suddenly made Morrissey the NHL's 16th-best defenceman.

This is still a player who has established himself as one of hockey's premier offensive blueliners over the past four seasons. His 2022-23 breakout wasn't a one-off. He backed it up in 2023-24. Then again in 2024-25. Then, even in what could reasonably be described as a "down" year, he scored 14 times and put up 55 points.

That's a pretty comfortable floor.

There is certainly an argument to be made that other defencemen have passed him. The NHL is overflowing with high-end talent on the blue line and younger stars continue to emerge.

But 10 of them in one season? That's where NHL Network's ranking becomes difficult to swallow.

Perhaps Morrissey won't mind.

Before becoming a perennial Norris Trophy candidate, he spent years as one of the league's more overlooked defencemen. He knows what it's like to play without the national recognition his performance deserves. For the first time in a while, he gets to do it again.

Morrissey enters 2026-27 healthy, still firmly entrenched as the engine of Winnipeg's blue line and now armed with something he hasn't had much reason to carry over the past few seasons: A chip on his shoulder.

NHL Network believes there are 15 defencemen better than Josh Morrissey. Now Winnipeg's stud gets an entire season to prove them wrong.

On Sunday, Aug. 9, the NHL Network announced their list of “Top 20 Defensemen Right Now” and ranked Anaheim Ducks star blueliner Jackson LaCombe at 17th. One week after ranking teammate Cutter Gauthier as the NHL’s 19th best winger, LaCombe comes in at 17th among defensemen, sandwiched between Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets and Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“Well, he's on the map and becoming, vastly becoming one of the better, or best, two-way defensemen in the game because of his great skating ability,” NHL Network analyst Ken Daneyko said on the countdown show. “He’s agile; he's mobile. He can do so many things as far as poise and culture. And he's a big, strong kid."

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Unsurprisingly, names like Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski, Rasmus Dahlin, and Miro Heiskanen ranked atop the list at No. 1-5, respectively.

LaCombe (25), a former second-round pick (39th overall in 2019), was selected by the Ducks from Prep School Shattuck St. Mary’s and was seen as a smart, toolsy long-term project. He proved Anaheim’s amateur scouting staff right after playing his next four seasons at the University of Minnesota, where he eclipsed his production year-after-year and totaled 99 points (19-80=99) in 140 games.

Following his senior year at Minnesota, where he was an alternate captain and led his team to a crushing National Championship defeat, he signed his two-year ELC with the Ducks and made his NHL debut toward the end of the 2022-23 season.

LaCombe had a difficult transition to the NHL in his first full season (2023-24), where he scored just 17 points (2-15=17) in 75 games. He was asked to play much of the season on his off-hand side, up and down the lineup, and with limited power play time, but also difficult minutes at 5v5 and on the penalty kill. His play recognition was slow, his game was simplified, and he struggled to defend the strongest and fastest players in the world.

He signed a two-year contract extension following his rookie season that carried an AAV of $925k.

In 2024-25, the Ducks and LaCombe enjoyed a true breakout season despite opening the season as a healthy scratch. He was confident when leading rushes and patrolling the offensive blueline with the puck on his stick. He began driving to the net without the puck, and breakouts became automatic exits with either a precise first pass or poised, confident, intelligent strides. He tallied 43 points (14-29=43) in 75 games and led the Ducks in ice time with 22:18 TOI/G, becoming an all-situations, true No. 1 defenseman.

Following his breakout, with one-year left on his contract, and days before the 2025-26 season, LaCombe signed an eight-year contract extension with the Ducks worth an AAV of $9 million per season.

In the 2025-26 season, LaCombe built on his breakout and established himself as an elite defenseman in the NHL. He again led the Ducks in ice time, with 24:15 TOI/G, including 3:13 on the power play and 1:39 per game on the penalty kill. He produced 58 points (10-48=58) in all 82 regular season games and was arguably the Ducks’ best player as they clinched the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons.

His season was highlighted by 10 points (1-9=10) in 12 playoff games and (relatively) shutting down (an injured) Connor McDavid, as they defeated the Edmonton Oilers in the first round and went on to lose in the second to the Vegas Golden Knights. Both series lasted six games.

LaCombe has played at the international level for the United States on three separate occasions, winning a Gold Medal at each stop. He notched an assist in six games at the 2021 World Junior Championship, five points (2-3=5) in ten games at the 2025 World Championships, and, though he didn’t suit up, he brought home a Gold Medal from the 2026 Olympic Games as a last-minute replacement for injured Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones.

If possible, LaCombe may be relied on even more by the Ducks moving forward. The 2026 offseason saw the departures of his partner Jacob Trouba, captain Radko Gudas, and Stanley Cup winner John Carlson. LaCombe will likely continue to play heavy, difficult minutes and will likely be called upon to impact both top units of the special teams. There may even be a captaincy on the table for him.

With a lack of overall depth on the roster and a stable of young blueliners behind him on the lineup sheet, LaCombe will have to drive offense to a higher degree at that end of the ice and continue to refine his defensive habits deep in his zone, specifically at the goal mouth.

LaCombe was a long-term project who wound up bearing fruit suddenly and unexpectedly, to the point where the surface of his potential seems only scratched. His big-money contract will only just kick in in 2026-27, and he’ll be this season’s 13th (tied) highest-paid defenseman in the NHL. Once an inconceivable thought, there’s a shot he breaks into the top ten on this NHL Network list in the summer of 2027.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have 49 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today we look at the history of jersey #49. There weren`t many who used the number, but at least one had a pretty good career. 

Let's take a look.

Dan Fritsche - 2004-08 - The Ohio-born native was picked in the 2003 NHL Draft in the 2nd round. 

Fritsche turned pro and became a full-time NHLer in 2005. He played 206 games for the CBJ over four years. He scored 29 goals and totaled 63 points. 

In July of 2008, the young speedster was traded to the New York Rangers along with Nikolai Zherdev for Fedor Tyutin and Christian Bäckman. It's safe to say the CBJ won this trade, as Tyutin would go on to become one of the best defensemen to ever play for the Blue Jackets. 

On January 29, 2009, Fritsche was traded by the Rangers to the Minnesota Wild. The following season, Fritsche returned to the CBJ organization and would play for the Syracuse Crunch. 

In 2010, he left for Europe, where he would play until his retirement in 2016. 

TJ Tynan - 2017 - The Blue Jackets drafted Tynan in the 3rd round of the 2011 NHL Draft.

Tynan would only end up playing 3 games for the Jackets during his time with Columbus. Instead, he would spend most of his time playing for the Springfield Falcons and Cleveland Monsters. He played in 76 games for the Monsters during their Calder Cup-winning season of 2015-16 and had 46 points. Tynan has 642 points in 693 career AHL games, including a 98-point season with the Ontario Reign in 2021-22. 

He has only played in 25 NHL games and signed with the Colorado Eagles of the AHL for the 25-26 season. Tynan is currently 37th on the all-time AHL list for career points. 

He will play for the Springfield Falcons of the AHL in 26-27. 

Ryan MacInnis - 2020-21 - MacInnis was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2nd round of the 2014 NHL Draft.

The son of Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Al MacInnis had big shoes to fill, which is nearly impossible to do. He was traded to Columbus by Arizona for Jacob Graves and a conditional pick in the 2019 NHL Draft on July 18, 2018. 

MacInnis played in 26 games as a Blue Jacket and had a single point. The majority of his time was spent playing for the Cleveland Monsters, where he had two productive years. 

He left North America to play in Germany following the 2022 season. He signed with Kölner Haie in 2025, where he remains playing today. 

Who was your favorite player to wear #49. 

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The Top 25 countdown continues with the most newsworthy young player in the organization of the moment, the man with an eight year contract Ville Koivunen.

Catch up on the previous entries for this year:

Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25: Graduates and Departed players in 2025
Top 25 Under 25: The best of the rest
#25: Chase Pietila, D
#24: Ryan Miller, F
#23: Finn Harding, D
#22: Peyton Kettles, D
#21: Zam Plante, F
#21: Brady Peddle, D
#20: Melvin Fernstrom, F
#19: Tanner Howe, F
#18: Tomas Galvas, D
#17: Pierce Mbuyi, F
#16: Jake Livanavage, D
#15: Owen Pickering, D
#14: Tristan Broz. F
#13: Avery Hayes. F

#12: Ville Koivunen, RW

2024 Ranking: No. 2

Age: 23 (June 13, 2003)

Acquired Via: Trade with CarolinaHurricanes on March 7, 2024

Height/Weight: 6’0”, 172 pounds

Elite Prospects resume:

Ville Koivunen’s career has contained some contradictory moments so far.

He was a fairly high draft pick of Carolina indicating they liked him…Only to be traded out of the organization before getting going to show they didn’t find him that big in their future.

End up a first full season in North America looking good with seven points in eight games in the NHL…Only to regress back to the AHL after not playing well enough in the NHL the next year.

Getting an eight year contract with a massive cap hit following such an uneven year for an unestablished player might be the biggest contradiction of all. Nothing in Koivunen’s past performance justified a $32 million dollar commitment, but the Penguins gave him one anyways in hopes that his future would be worth it.

Whether or not he lives up to the hype and expectation placed upon him will be one of the more fascinating areas for the Penguins in the upcoming training camp and beyond. Officially, Koivunen will still have to earn his spot on the NHL roster, per Kyle Dubas. Koivunen got a big time NHL contract, yet he still isn’t assured an NHL spot. Another contradiction.

After all these stops and starts, the future for Koivunen appears wide open. Which is an odd thing to say for a player with an eight year contract, though it applies since the Pens have an off ramp built into that contract that might not really make it a long commitment. As almost always with Koivunen’s career, how things appear right now isn’t always how it will remain.

Which, by that logic, could be time for another reversal in a positive direction. There’s some evidence to support an increase in performance for Koivunen, despite the lack of production in 2025-26.

It is worth noting that despite uninspiring production, Koivunen’s xG and shot metrics were stellar last season. PIT just could not score when he was out there.

With his talent there’s reason to believe the production will come. And then you have a solid player locked up cheap. https://t.co/pE8HhNMbuw

— Danny Shirey (@DannyShireyPGH) August 6, 2026

The big x-factor is what is happening right now for Koivunen’s off-season training. It’s another crucial summer for him to make gains physically in order to level him up to where he can be more effective in the NHL, an area that was lacking last year. It goes without saying based on the contract that the Pens have been impressed enough by the willingness to put in the work and show improvement to literally buy into his future.

“Over the course of the [2025-26] season, Ville showed excellent commitment in Wilkes-Barre to doing extra work, and he has doubled down on that this summer,” Dubas said last week. “He did not return to his home in Oulu, instead working to set up a new training program in Helsinki. He then informed us that he would be returning to Pittsburgh in mid-August to join the growing number of players we have training here in the summer. His actions gave us assurance, and our staff will continue to push him on and off the ice.”

According to Dubas, neither the team nor player were satisfied with the missed opportunity from last year that saw Koivunen break camp on the first line with Sidney Crosby, only to slide back down to the AHL for a good chunk of the season (“I think he would be the first to say he didn’t make the most of (his opportunity)” is how Dubas put it.)

Despite that disappointment, Dubas made what he called a “bet” on Koivunen with the eight-year contract. That’s usually not how it goes in the NHL, max term contracts are reserved for sure things, not an experiment. Yet here we are.

To pull back the curtain, Pensburgh had Koivunen ranked for 12th in this year’s Top 25 Under 25 before the contract. After consideration, we elected not to change or improve his placement on our list just because he was given a contract that indicates he will be an important player in the future – or at least be given every opportunity to live up to turning the bet into a winner. It’s difficult to place a player whose semi-realistic potential range of options for less than two months from now swing from being in a fairly significant spot in the Pens NHL lineup down to getting waived and being out of the organization completely. A scenario in the middle (being mostly an NHL scratch for Pittsburgh, going unclaimed on waivers and assigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre) are perhaps even more likely than the extreme options to best/worst case outcomes.

For now and until proven otherwise, Koivunen is what he is as a limited player that can look soft, slow and ineffective at the NHL level, despite starting to get paid like something different. The Penguins have more than plenty of candidates as wingers for their roster and Koivunen may or may not even figure into the NHL team at the start of the season. The good news is he offers some versatility, playing 12 games as a left wing last season and 61 total games at right wing, split between his NHL and AHL time. Like most everything else, this is a player looking to find a fit and where he can make an impact.

His young career has already been fraught with ups, downs mixed with with starts, stops and more reversals than a game of Uno. The near future might not be any less tumultuous, as unpredictable as an unestablished player getting a max length contract out of the blue.

Such is the career of Ville Koivunen. Who can say whether the next twist will be a step forward, in place or backwards, but he certainly is a player the team has put a spotlight on due to the bet they decided to make and seeing whether or not the player will live up to his end of it.

Despite a promising start to his pro career with the Philadelphia Flyers, a formerly undrafted defenseman has changed hands and moved to the KHL in hopes of turning a rough few years around.

Although he made the NHL roster out of training camp and stuck for a few months, the Flyers cut ties with the once-promising Egor Zamula, trading him to the Pittsburgh Penguins for forward Phil Tomasino on Dec. 31.

Zamula, 26, never played for the Penguins organization, though, and subsequently signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets as a free agent on Jan. 6 after his contract was terminated, reuniting with former Flyers teammate Ivan Provorov.

Now, though, after having his KHL rights traded a few months back, the 6-foot-4 defenseman is looking to get his career back on track with Russian powerhouse CSKA Moskva, where he'll play alongside former Flyers teammate Denis Gurianov, former NHLers Klim Kostin, Nikita Okhotiuk, and Nikita Nesterov, and prospects like Prokhor Poltapov and Dmitri Gamzin.

"I've never played in the KHL, so both the guys and the coaching staff are giving me advice and going over all the details with me. I'm improving with every practice, feeling better both physically and mentally. There's a lot of new stuff; some things I haven't done in a while, and some I didn't even know about," Zamula was quoted as saying of his move to CSKA by Championat.

Flyers' Egor Zamula Comments on Russia's Ban from 2026 Winter OlympicsPhiladelphia Flyers defenseman Egor Zamula is one of many in and around hockey disappointed to see Russia, one of hockey's powerhouse nations, banned from competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

"I played with Nikita Okhotyuk at the Traktor academy, and I also know Nikita Nesterov and Denis Zernov. In America, I played with Denis Gurianov, and I also know Klim Kostin. When I transferred here, I already knew half the team, so it was easier for me to integrate."

In a difficult last NHL season split between the Flyers and Blue Jackets, Zamula appeared in 30 games, recording three assists.

Zamula played in 168 NHL games for the Flyers, scoring eight goals, 33 assists, and 41 points with a -12 rating overall, carving out a solid temporary niche for himself as a once-undrafted prospect starting his professional career.

Now, the Chelyabinsk native will return home and play in Russia for the first time since 2016-17.

We continue our PensBurgh over/under series this week with a look at some of the Pittsburgh Penguins depth players and what they might be capable of this season.

Among the many surprises the Penguins had in 2025-26 was the emergence of their fourth line, specifically as it related to Blake Lizotte and Connor Dewar. Both players played well enough to earn long-term contract extensions with the team, that are not only reasonable salary cap numbers, but also appropriate term lengths that should not make them liabilities long-term.

Here is a quick look at the other over/unders we have looked at so far:

• Over/unders for Ben Kindel and the Penguins other young players for 2026-27
• Over/unders for Nicholas Robertson and the Penguins’ newest players for 2026-27
• Over/unders for Egor Chinakhov and the Penguins’ secondary players for 2026-27

Let’s get into today’s players and potential numbers.

Blake Lizotte: Over/under 1.5 shorthanded goals

Lizotte has been one of the Penguins’ top penalty killers since arriving in Pittsburgh, and has also had a knack throughout his career of producing offense on the penalty kill. Entering the 2026-27 season he has seven shorthanded goals in 434 career games, and has scored at least one in five of his seven full seasons in the league. That includes each of the past three seasons where he has accounted for four of them despite playing in only 176 games.

Over that time period 132 forward have logged at least 250 minutes of shorthanded ice-time, with Lizotte’s 0.75 goals per 60 minutes ranking 24th among that group, while also producing 0.48 individual expected goals per 60 minutes in that time. He gets his chances, and he creates some opportunities.

Had he not missed so much time over those three years it is not a stretch to think that he could have potted at least one or two more.

With Noel Accairi now playing in Philadelphia, it seems logical to assume that Lizotte’s PK role will take on even more importance, and if he can manage to stay on the ice you have to figure he is going to get some opportunities.

Will it be enough, and will he be dangerous enough to score two shorthanded goals this season?

Connor Dewar: Over/under 12.5 goals

When the Penguins traded a fifth-round pick at the 2024-25 NHL Trade Deadline to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Dewar and defenseman Connor Timmins it did not really register much for me. It just seemed like a, “okay, that happened,” type of move, and perhaps something to just fill out a roster for the rest of the season and give them some options for the 2025-26 season.

It has turned out to be a sneaky win for Kyle Dubas.

Dewar has become an extremely effective fourth-liner.

They flipped Timmins and organizational depth piece Isaac Belliveau to Buffalo for defenseman Connor Clifton and, more importantly, a second-round pick in 2025 that turned out to be defenseman Peyton Kettles, who is now one of the organization’s top prospects. Pretty strong value for a fifth-round pick and AHL roster fodder.

Since arriving in Pittsburgh, Dewar has scored 18 goals in 95 regular season games, while also adding two goals in six playoff games. Those 20 goals in 101 total games round out to an 82-game average of 16.2 goals. That’s closer to third-line production than fourth-line production.

That jump in goals has come with a spike in shooting percentage, going up 13.1 percent with the Penguins after being just 8.0 percent during his time with the Maple Leafs and Minnesota Wild. Had he shot at 8 percent over those two seasons with the Penguins his 20 goals would have gone down to about 12 goals. That would average out to 10 goals per 82 games played, which is probably more in line with what you would expect from a fourth-line depth player whose focus is more on defense than goal-scoring.

Is he simply a better player now in Pittsburgh with more opportunity?

Will the two extra games in the regular season help him get a little more shot volume?

Will all of that add up into more than 12.5 goals for the season?

Justin Brazeau: Over/under 41.5 games played with the Penguins

In the first part of the 2025-26 season Brazeau was one of the Penguins’ biggest surprises. He scored 12 goals in his first 24 games through the end of December, and rapidly emerged as a steal of a free agent signing at just $1.5 million per season. He brought size, physical play, and a surprising scoring touch to the lineup, while also displaying some shockingly good hands for a player of his size. He has always been a late-bloomer at every level he played at, and it seemed to be happening again for the Penguins.

But he cooled off considerably in the second half of the season, scoring just five goals over his last 40 games of the regular season.

Injuries no doubt played a role in that, but you also had to expect some sort of a regression. It happened.

Here is the problem I see for him this season: Where, exactly, does he fit in the lineup on a regular basis? The Penguins have 16 or 17 NHL-caliber forwards right now at a minimum, including the proven top-six veterans (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell), the other depth players (Lizotte and Dewar), a lot of younger/new players that figure to be regulars in the lineup (Egor Chinakhov, Nicholas Robertson, Ben Kindel) and a lot of younger players that will be competing for games and playing time (Ville Koivunen, Rutger McGroarty, Elmer Soderblom, Hendrix Lapierre, Avery Hayes). Including Brazeau, that is 16 forwards. Only 12 forwards are going to dress. Is Brazeau one of the best 12 forwards? Is there another trade to be made to open up a roster spot? You figure some of those younger players are going to end up in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at the start. Could Brazeau himself be a potential trade piece given the roster and the fact he is in the last year of his contract and an unrestricted free agent after this season?

I like Brazeau as a player. I like what he brings and potentially brings. There will also inevitably be injuries and some of the younger players starting in the American Hockey League, all of which will create some sort of a roster opening for Brazeau at times. But I am just having a hard time seeing where he fits at the moment.

Another good morning (Rick!), afternoon or evening from our quiet summer where the Islanders added Matias Maccelli and subtracted Anders Lee, leaving us to view the return from season-ending injuries of Alex Romanov and Kyle Palmieri as the proverbial “like a new signing.”

Islanders & Isles-Adjacent News

• Reminder to expressly agree to share your personal data to vote in the Islanders’ 3rd-jersey poll. [Isles]
• Here is a very brief medley of Islanders players reacting to jersey designs. Good to see Romanov proof of life. [Isles]
• And former Newsday Fisherman-era beatwriter Alan Hahn of course has thoughts on the Fisherman being in the running. [Newsday]
• Brock Nelson is back in Da Beauty League, reflects on a crazy season of Olympic gold while falling short of Cup dreams with Colorado. He turns 35 in October — when did our little Reverend become an ol’ man?!? — but probably will continue to improve or at least age like fine wine. [NHL]
• The Islanders will face the Hurricanes in Whalers unis this season. (The picture at the top of this post is from a bygone era, that’s Duane Sutter battling Sylvain Turgeon.) [THN]

Elsewhere

• Twelve under-the-radar acquisitions from this summer (including Jordan Kyrou and Mavrik [sic] Bourque, who weren’t exactly under the radar, but whatever). [Sportsnet]
• A 32-in-32 look at the Kings, who are Peter Laviolette’s seventh team. Dude is one team away from coaching a quarter of the 32-franchise league. [NHL]
• Carey Price reflects on life and the Canadiens as he prepares to enter the Hall of Fame as the Canadiens’ all-time leader in goalie games played and victories. [NHL]
• Seth Jarvis brought the Stanley Cup to Winnipeg, which is something that…oh no need to fill in any cruel punch lines. [NHL]

For the Pittsburgh Penguins, there are several players as part of the Jake Guentzel trade tree who are in a "wait and see" stage to determine whether that trade will end up panning out for the organization.

But they are about to take a loss on at least one of the pieces of that deal.

On Aug. 15, select NCAA players set to graduate who are in their fourth season of NCAA eligibility can become unrestricted free agents. According to Puckpedia, if a player is eligible, they must complete the necessary paperwork to indicate they're no longer a college student and submit it to the NHL's Central Registry by the 15th in order to become a draft-related free agent. 

And at the top of the list is Penguins' prospect Cruz Lucius.

Lucius, 22, was acquired as part of the trade that sent Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes before the 2024 trade deadline. He played two seasons at the University of Wisconsin before transferring to Arizona State University for his past two collegiate seasons. He had a breakout campaign in 2025-26, registering 15 goals and 46 points in 36 games, which was good enough for 11th overall in NCAA scoring. 

Unfortunately for the Penguins, Lucius has already informed the team that he does not plan to sign with them for "personal reasons," meaning he is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on the 15th so long as he completes the necessary paperwork. Had he opted to remain with Pittsburgh and sign, he would have joined a relatively crowded pool of forward prospects.

Koivunen Contract, For Better Or For Worse, Sets Precedent For Dubas And Penguins Moving ForwardKyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins came to terms with unproven young forward Ville Koivunen on an eight-year, $32 million contract Thursday, which could set a high precedent for future contracts involving the team's young talent.

Lucius was brought over from Carolina along with fellow forward prospects Ville Koivunen and Vasily Ponomarev - who is playing in the KHL - as well as NHL forward Michael Bunting and a second-round pick in the 2024 draft that turned into defenseman Harrison Brunicke, arguably Pittsburgh's top prospect. Bunting was then traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for forward Tommy Novak and defenseman Luke Schenn, who was flipped for a 2027 fourth and a 2026 second-round pick that became Markus Ruck.

Even if the Guentzel trade tree is still growing and still has fruit to bear, the eventual loss of Lucius is a small blow to the Penguins' forward depth as well as their payout from that trade. 

Lucius was a fourth-round selection (124th overall) by Carolina in 2022.

Revisiting The Jake Guentzel Trade TreeOn Thursday, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> will take on the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning">Tampa Bay Lightning</a> in Florida, as Pittsburgh looks to hold onto its playoff positioning and Tampa looks to extend its Atlantic Division lead.&nbsp;

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