The Pittsburgh Penguins could use a bit more defensive depth before the start of next season. This is especially the case when it comes to their left side, as they lost Ryan Shea to the Edmonton Oilers and traded Parker Wotherspoon to the Vegas Golden Knights.
With it now being the middle of July, most of this year's top unrestricted free agent defensemen have been signed. However, there are some decent depth defensemen worth considering, and one of them is Mike Reilly.
If the Penguins signed Reilly, he could compete for a spot on their bottom pairing. However, he also could be useful for the Penguins to have as their seventh defenseman for when injuries arise during the season.
Reilly spent last season with the Carolina Hurricanes, where he recorded one goal, nine points, and a plus-11 rating. However, he also had six goals and 24 points in 59 games for the New York Islanders during the 2023-24 campaign.
Overall, on a cheap one-year deal, Reilly could be a decent depth pickup for the Penguins. He would give them another defenseman with a good amount of experience, which is never a bad thing. In 460 career NHL games over 12 seasons, he has recorded 19 goals, 114 assists, and 133 points.
Elliotte Friedman, the NHL's top insider who represents Sportsnet, woke the hockey world up with some news on Wednesday. The New Jersey Devils have signed forward Anthony Mantha.
According to Friedman, it is a two-year deal with an average annual value of $4.75 million per year. The Devils have since confirmed it.
In 2025-26, Mantha earned a nice payday for himself by staying healthy, scoring 33 goals, adding 31 assists for 64 points, and playing a key role in the Pittsburgh Penguins making it to the playoffs in somewhat surprising fashion.
Mantha had great success playing wing next to stars like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin at both even strength and on the power play, and now he'll move on to some younger centermen like Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier.
It would be a lot to expect Mantha to cross the 30-goal plateau again, but bringing in someone good for 20-plus on a two-year deal is brilliant work by Sunny Mehta. If Mantha stays healthy, he dramatically improves New Jersey's top-six.
New Jersey will be the sixth team that Mantha suits up for in his NHL career. He started his career with the Detroit Red Wings and played there for parts of six years. He followed that up with parts of four years with the Washington Capitals before cups of coffee with the Vegas Golden Knights, Calgary Flames, and Pittsburgh Penguins.
In Pittsburgh at 31, Mantha proved he is still a great contributor when he's healthy. New Jersey now has him on a safe two-year deal as he tries to build on that success.
Yeah, it’s a BIG deal. Anthony’s in Jersey for the next two years.
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SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 14: Ian Cole #28 of the Utah Mammoth scores a third-period goal during a game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Utah Mammoth at Delta Center on March 14, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Eli Rehmer/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Keeping some tabs on the comings and goings by former members of the Penguins this offseason.
We’ll start off with the most recent group of players that officially departed this offseason.
Noel Acciari (Flyers, 2 years, $2.8m cap hit): Acciari getting a better contract than Connor Dewar reinforces the notion the Pens got a good deal there.
Ryan Shea ($4.0m AAV, five years) is Edmonton bound to help fill in for Darnell Nurse.
Connor Clifton is shipping off to Boston, the organization he played for from 2017-23. They drop pretty decent coin to him in a two-year deal worth $2.25 million.
Stuart Skinner will be waiting in the wings for whatever happens with the Connor Hellebuyck situation to help provide depth to Winnipeg after signing a two-year contract with a $2.75 million cap hit.
—
For some others whose stints ended a while ago:
Ian Cole, 37, left the Penguins in 2018 after winning two Cups. He’s played for seven teams since then, well let’s make it eight. Chicago grabs Cole for a one-year deal worth $4 million. Shockingly long career for Cole, who keeps finding employment and plugging along.
Speaking of defensemen working on impressively long careers, Erik Gudbranson is sticking around with Columbus on a one-year deal for 2026-27 at $1,75 million. Similarly, Jamie Oleksiak jumps over to Vancouver for two years at a $5.0 million AAV (we sure that Jim Rutherford isn’t still in control there?)
Injuries limited Teddy Blueger to only 35 games last year, but a hot-streak helped him tie his career-high in goals (nine) when he did play. That plus a reputation for solid two-way play was enough to get a two-year contract with a $2.5 million AAV to help with whatever is going on in Toronto these days.
Veteran Conor Sheary is headed back to Buffalo, where he played from 2018-20 on a one-year deal for the minimum ($850k). Sheary is coming off a somewhat successful season with the Rangers (7G+11A in 62 games) after playing most of the previous season in the AHL.
Lars Eller is also at the ‘play for minimum’ stage of his career at age 37 and joined up with Florida.
Vladislav Kolyachonok might end up in the AHL making NHL money this year, but credit to him for getting a one-way contract from the Devils after only playing 13 NHL games last season.
Two-way contracts
The following players will be fighting for a roster spot and getting that NHL-level salary in their paycheck.
Jansen Harkins is taking his game to Tampa’s organization on a one-year deal. Harkins spent the last two seasons in Anaheim.
Acciari going to Philadelphia made some headlines, another former Penguin semi-cult hero will join him there, Zach Aston-Reese. Aston-Reese spent 27 games in the AHL last year and 27 with NHL Columbus, looks like he’ll have a chance to stick on the fringe of the Flyer roster or get some games as a potential injury call-up.
Like Aston-Reese, Vinnie Hinostroza got a two-year commitment, from the Colorado Avalanache in his case.
Phil Tomasino caught on with Ottawa with a one-year, two-way contract. Sam Lafferty and Boko Imama will bring their efforts in the same division to Florida.
Sam Poulin is headed back to Quebec with a one-year deal with the Canadiens that will likely have him playing for AHL Laval.
Still looking
These players are not yet signed and remain as free agents
Anthony Mantha, interestingly enough, is still out there on the free agent market awaiting to join up with a new team. So too is Michael Bunting, coming off a season where he scored 31 points in 61 games with Nashville, then didn’t make much of an impact on a deadline trade to Dallas (three points in 14 total games).
There was some talk that Detroit might re-sign David Perron, yet it hasn’t been finalized.
Matt Grzelcyk turned a tryout into a contract with Chicago last season, he might have to go that route again this fall with a new team.
Vegas announced they weren’t going to bring back Reilly Smith, the 35-year old will have to find a new spot or could be looking at the end of his playing days. Jeff Petry, 38, is another veteran who might be at the end of the line this cycle. The situation looks the same for 39-year old Ryan Reaves, who is just 38 games from getting to 1,000 in his career.
Danton Heinen, Kevin Hayes and Tanner Pearson are all out there too, as is P.O. Joseph who wasn’t qualified by Vancouver.
Andrew Agozzino has ventured onto play in Switzerland next season
One of the hot topics swirling around social media right now is the debate over the superiority between future Hall of Famers Patrick Kane and Evgeni Malkin.
Kane and Malkin are still active, but neither is in the prime of their careers, which is where they became legends of the game.
Most of Kane's stardom came as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, but he did have a couple of months with the New York Rangers before the last three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings.
Malkin has spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he was one of the most important pieces to a modern-day dynasty, which is also something that Kane can say about his career.
Each of these two stars won the Stanley Cup three times and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP once each.
Both Kane and Malkin had legendary supporting casts, including stars like Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Kristopher Letang, among many others.
As forwards, they drove their own lines. At even strength, Kane never played with Toews, and Malkin never played with Crosby. Plenty of damage was done as duos on the power play, but even-strength play-driving was all theirs.
Malkin is a center, and Kane is a wing, but playing on the wing never stopped Kane from driving play like a centerman who simply doesn't take face-offs. Nobody ever confused him with being the complementary piece on a line.
Looking at individual awards, Malkin has Kane beat. They each won the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) and the aforementioned Conn Smythe, along with three Cups, but Malkin has two Hart Trophies as league MVP to Kane's one. Malkin has also led the league in scoring (Art Ross Trophy) twice, whereas Kane has only once.
As far as production during the regular season, they have both been prolific. Kane has 508 goals and 892 assists for 1400 points in 1369 games played. That's an average of 1.02 points per game. Malkin has 1407 points in 1269 games played, good for 1.11 points per game on average.
When it comes to aging, both of them have been up and down with their production in recent years. Malkin did manage to have a point per game season in 2025-26 as he scored 19 goals with 42 assists for 61 points in 56 games played. He would have pushed for 90 points if he kept that pace over the full 82.
As for Kane, who also dealt with some missed time in 2025-26, he had 16 goals and 41 assists for 57 points in 67 games played. Kane was on a much worse team, but the production was certainly lower than that of Malkin.
Heading into 2026-27, both of them are expecting to have a similar level of production, coming within a couple of points of being a point-per-game player. Malkin will play center on a decent Pittsburgh team, while Kane is still deciding on his next hockey home, which could also impact his totals.
The Verdict:
There is no denying Patrick Kane's flashiness. His hands are as mesmerizing as any player in NHL history, especially in his prime. He had a swagger in his game unmatched by pretty much every other player in the league. Every kid playing hockey from 2010 to 2020 wanted to be like "Showtime".
If the question is based on legacy, Kane is the winner. He changed the way forwards who are undersized are viewed by scouts, and themselves. Young kids know they can make it if they are supremely skilled, like Kane was, regardless of their height or weight.
Patrick Kane also has the pedigree of being the greatest American-born player of all time. Part of that is the weaker history that USA Hockey has compared to Russian (Soviet Union) hockey, but part of it is Kane being an excellent product of the United States.
All of those kids who wanted to be like Kane respect and look up to him in a way that very few NHL players are ever viewed. The impact on the overall sport of hockey was greater for Kane.
Despite this, Evgeni Malkin has been the better overall player, despite the lesser legacy. Although Malkin never won any Selke Trophies, he was certainly better defensively than Kane. He also slightly outproduced him over the course of his career and edged him in awards, even if it was barely.
Still, neither the Chicago Blackhawks nor the Pittsburgh Penguins would make a trade one-for-one because they each got what they needed out of their superstars. Both Kane and Malkin will be Hall of Famers with their numbers retired by their respective organizations.
These silly summer arguments are fun to get into, but there is no denying that each of these players is among the best in NHL history, and only a few players during their era were even in the same stratosphere.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have been one of the most active teams this NHL off-season on the forward front, specifically on July 1, when the league's free agency period became live.
Leafs GM John Chayka signed five forwards and acquired another one in a trade, all on the same day. With the club looking to leave the disappointing 2025-26 campaign in the past, basically half of the team's forward group has been revamped.
Toronto looks to turn the page from this past year and get back to the post-season after missing the dance for the first time in a decade.
Of course, that won't be an easy task in the Atlantic Division, where every team is looking to be a playoff team. But in a division with eight teams, only a maximum of five can qualify.
On the topic of forwards, where do the Maple Leafs rank in that department on paper among their divisional peers?
Off-Season Subtractions And Additions
From the beginning of the 2025-26 season to now, the Maple Leafs' forward group has seen an overhaul to some degree.
Some of that change began when Brad Treliving was still running the operation as GM. At the trade deadline from this past year, Toronto moved three solid NHL roster forwards in exchange for future assets. They traded away centers Nicolas Roy and Scott Laughton, as well as left winger Bobby McMann.
It's also worth mentioning that David Kampf moved on from the Leafs after not earning any ice time with the team this past year. He joined the Vancouver Canucks in November as a free agent following his contract termination with Toronto.
At the end of this past season, the Maple Leafs parted ways with a couple of more forwards, including left wingers Matias Maccelli and Nick Robertson, as well as right winger Calle Jarnkrok.
Robertson was Chayka's first piece of business when the calendar flipped to July. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2028 fourth-round pick, reuniting with Kyle Dubas, the former GM of the Leafs who drafted Robertson 53rd overall in 2019.
For Jarnkrok, after some years of mediocrity and lacking influence on the ice, he remains a UFA as the four-year contract that he signed with Toronto in July 2022 has expired. All signs point to the 34-year-old turning to a new chapter of his hockey career outside of Toronto.
Of those six names, Paul was the only player who was acquired through a trade. The Maple Leafs received the 31-year-old from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for goaltender Dennis Hildeby, a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 third-round pick.
Sissons was the biggest signing in terms of the money he received on his new deal. The 32-year-old got a two-year contract at $4.25 million per year. In fact, Roslovic, Blueger and MacEwen all got two-year contracts.
Duhaime was the only forward that the Maple Leafs signed to get more than a two-year contract, getting a three-year deal with a $2.6-million cap hit.
And even though he isn't a UFA signing or off-season trade, Toronto still made a key addition by drafting Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft. He's a player who could instantly be given an opportunity in the Leafs' top six.
It's no secret that, to some extent, the Maple Leafs will go as far as captain Auston Matthews can take them. He hasn't been the same player in the past two seasons, but as he turns 29 for next season, he's still very much in the prime of his NHL career and capable of scoring at high rates again, especially with a new coaching staff behind the bench.
Nonetheless, the Leafs' forward group is capable of being a juggernaut in this league, and it will need to be in order to separate itself from the rest of the Atlantic.
On paper, the Maple Leafs' attack is certainly better than the Detroit Red Wings'. Toronto can match up player for player with Detroit, and the Wings might even lose their captain, Dylan Larkin, after his trade request earlier this summer.
Another team that the Leafs probably have the edge over up front is the Boston Bruins. Indeed, they brought in JJ Peterka, but he is counting on a bounce-back season after a dip in offensive production and no points in six playoff games with the Utah Mammoth.
In terms of center depth, Matthews and John Tavares on the top two lines overshadow Boston's Pavel Zacha and Elias Lindholm duo. And even superstar right winger David Pastrnak isn't far from William Nylander.
Looking at provincial rivals, the Ottawa Senators, they should perform better than they do. On paper, several individuals can turn the game around, including Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Dylan Cozens, Shane Pinto, and now William Eklund.
However, the loss of Brady Tkachuk sets the team back slightly, a team that couldn't earn a lead against the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs this past year.
The Maple Leafs don't dismantle the Senators in an on-paper comparison, but there are arguments to be made that Toronto can be given the edge.
Another team that the Leafs could earn the decision over is the Buffalo Sabres, but it's close, especially after clinching the Atlantic Division this past season. But again, on paper, why can't Toronto have the edge over Buffalo?
In terms of the Sabres' top-end talent, Tage Thompson stands alone as a true star player on the team. With Alex Tuch with the Washington Capitals, it's not hard for the Leafs' roster to match what the Sabres have now.
Moving on to the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto is not far from meeting their quality, but isn't quite there.
While any team will have circumstances that depend on how certain players perform next year, Montreal has very strong depth. Even without a true second-line center, Jake Evans and Phillip Danualt behind Nick Suzuki has its perks, and it's rare to find mistakes in their game.
Cole Caufield is now a 50-goal scorer, Juraj Slafkovsky is emerging as a star power forward who scored 73 points in 2025-26. Not to mention Suzuki, the reigning Selke Trophy winner, with likely more to come later in his career.
There's a world where Toronto outperforms Montreal's forward group next season, but on paper, with the depth, young talent, and performance from the past year, the Habs get a slight lead.
The teams from the Sunshine State remain, with Toronto not coming close to what the Florida Panthers have to offer next year. With the addition of Brady Tkachuk, alongside a healthy Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov, that team is ready to contend for a Stanley Cup again.
As for the Lightning, it's a much more realistic comparison.
The Leafs' bottom six gives a real fight, but the Bolts' top six, which includes Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli, is hard to beat.
It isn't egregious to say Toronto has the better forward group, and anything can happen during a season. But on paper, going into next year, Tampa look to be in a decent place, even with the loss of Oliver Bjorkstrand, Paul, and some other minor departures.
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“New Jersey Devils GM Sunny Mehta has been extremely active in his first off-season managing the team. While the roster is cheaper, deeper, and there are plenty of bodies to fill out a 23-man squad, it still feels like there is meat on the bone as far as movement goes. Let’s take a closer look at a few reasons why I believe more activity is to come.” [Infernal Access ($)]
“General manager Sunny Mehta has made some improvements to the roster. But he still has work to do if the Devils want to enter next season at the level of the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals. Let’s project the Devils’ roster as it stands today and see what else Mehta may have to do over the next few weeks.” [Devils on the Rush ($)]
“Matthew Tkachuk is genuinley sad to see his former teammates leave for the New Jersey Devils. The Florida Panthers star pulled no punches when reflecting on Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist during a recent episode of his podcast. As both forwards head to the Devils in the trade for goaltender Jacob Markstrom, Tkachuk made it clear just how much he values them—not only as players but as people. His words carry extra weight because they include a direct message he delivered to Jack Hughes about one of the new arrivals.” [New Jersey Hockey Now]
Hockey Links
Macklin Celebrini is the NHL 27 cover athlete:
The next generation is here. Macklin Celebrini is the youngest NHL cover athlete in history.
“Star center Macklin Celebrini said he has considered taking less than market value on a contract extension to give the San Jose Sharks more financial flexibility to build a winner. ‘Yeah, 100%. I mean, that’s why all of us play. We want to win. We’re competitive and we want to win,’ Celebrini told ESPN last week while promoting EA Sports’ ‘NHL 27’ reveal.” [ESPN]
If you’d like to weigh in on The Athletic’s NHL fan survey, which takes a look at the state of the league broadly, you can do so right here: [The Athletic ($)]
A good step for players post-retirement:
“Make tomorrow better than today”
That’s the motto of Glenn Healy, Executive Director & President of the NHL Alumni
Today at their golf tournament, Healy discussed the recent NHL/NHLPA CBA, where the league and union agreed to contribute north of $4M combined towards a… pic.twitter.com/vrCrFJbpbu
Every year, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler compiles a list of the players he deems the top 100 prospects who have been drafted but are not yet fully established in the NHL. To be considered, prospects must also be under 23 years old. Back in 2024, when Wheeler did this exercise, the Montreal Canadiens had five players on the list: Ivan Demidov in first place, David Reinbacher (24), Michael Hage (35), Logan Mailloux (58) and Joshua Roy (82). Last summer, the Habs had three players on the list: Ivan Demidov (3rd place), David Reinbacher (39th place) and Michael Hage (51st), and by the time Wheeler did the exercise again last April, Hage was number 11, Alexander Zharvosky had entered the ranking at 17, Reinbacher was 35th, and Bryce Pickford just made the cut at number 98.
Fast forward three months, and the Sainte-Flanelle now has three players in Wheeler’s ranking: Michael Hage is at number 21, a 30-place jump; Alexander Zharovsky is at number 33; and David Reinbacher has fallen to number 48. As for Pickford, he has fallen off the Top-100 but is mentioned as one of the final cuts.
Wheeler sees Hage as a second-tier prospect and notes that the youngster, once believed to be better suited to a wing role in the NHL, may stick at center. He describes him as having top-six potential and being gifted with the ability to be both a passing and a scoring threat. He wraps up the description by adding:
His blend of skating, skill, scoring, playmaking and sense is hard to come by and noticeable in every game he has played this year. I’m a big fan.
That’s a very fair assessment and represents everything Hage showed at development camp. Paired up with Logan Sawyer, the center created a lot of opportunities for his side but was often let down by his teammates' lack of finish. Still, he scored two goals and added an assist on a Sawyer goal before scoring with a nifty move in the shootout session.
Hage’s presence and performance at development camp are why Canadiens fans shouldn’t panic about Kent Hughes not yet finding a top-six center on the trade market. The organization clearly thinks very highly of Hage, and when his season is over in the NCAA, hopefully with a national title in his back pocket, all eyes will be on him to make his NHL debut.
Zharovsky lands in the third tier of Wheeler’s list, and the journalist’s main qualm about him seems to be that he is quite lean, although he concedes he has started to put on some weight and muscle. He mentions that he set a scoring record for an under-19 player in the KHL last season, overtaking the likes of Evgeny Kuznetsov, Vladimir Tarasenko and Kirill Kaprizov, which is no small feat.
Wheeler labels him a slick puck carrier with the skills to take it wherever he wants; he also calls him a decent skater despite his lack of strength and wraps his description by conceding that it’s rare to get such a talented player outside the first round.
There’s no arguing there; his hands definitely caught eyes at the training camp, and he made it clear that he can beat his man one-on-one and even make him look silly in the process. Another year in the KHL, adding some more strength and muscle, certainly won’t hurt and given Montreal’s shortcomings when it comes to size, one has to hope that he will have a bigger frame when he makes the jump to North America.
Finally, Reinbacher lands in the third tier, and while Wheeler notes he’s not convinced he’ll live up to his selection, he believes the right-shot defenseman will become a good second-pairing blueliner with a long NHL career.
He calls him a two-way defenseman and praises him for knowing when to pick his spots and not getting out of position to gamble on big plays. He also reports that the blueliner has good vision and that his head is always on a swivel, keeping an eye on everything going on at both ends of the ice.
Given the fact that the Canadiens have Noah Dobson locked up for years, if Reinbacher does become a reliable top-four defenseman, the organization should be satisfied. It will be interesting to see whether the blueliner makes the jump to the NHL this season and can finally leave Wheeler’s lists behind.
One of the Pittsburgh Penguins' top needs right now is another left-shot defenseman. The left side of their blueline needs improvement, as they traded Parker Wotherspoon and lost Ryan Shea to the Edmonton Oilers in free agency this off-season.
When looking at trade candidates around the NHL, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin is a player who immediately stands out as a potential target for the Penguins.
At 24 years old, Nikishin would have the potential to be a perfect fit on the Penguins' blueline. The 2020 third-round pick has great upside and just had a strong rookie season with the Hurricanes. In 81 games with Carolina this past season, he recorded 11 goals, 22 assists, and 33 points. With numbers like these, he has already proven that he can provide solid offense from the point.
If the Penguins acquired Nikishin, he would become their new top left-shot defenseman. With the Penguins being in a retool, Nikishin is exactly the kind of young defenseman that they should be making a push for. This is because he would have the potential to be a long-term part of their core.
It will be interesting to see if the Penguins try to acquire Nikishin, but the fit looks great on paper.
TORONTO, ON - May 13 - Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson during an optional practice at the Ford Performance Centre in Toronto, May 13, 2025. The Maple Leafs are tied 2-2 in their best-of-seven second-round matchup with the Florida Panthers Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star (Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star via Getty Images) | Toronto Star via Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Penguins and forward Nick Robertson have avoided the player’s upcoming arbitration hearing after agreeing to a two-year contract on Tuesday. The deal carries an average annual value of $3.25 million.
The new contract with his new team sees Robertson get quite the raise from the $1.82 million cap hit he had with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season.
General manager Kyle Dubas, who drafted Robertson in the second round of the 2019 NHL draft, clearly sees untapped potential with the 24-year-old, who recorded career highs last season with 16 goals and 16 assists for 32 points in 78 games.
In 234 career NHL games, Robertson has tallied 48 goals, 40 assists, and 88 points along with a career 12.5 shooting percentage. Yet he’s only averaged 11:52 of ice time over that span, in line with bottom-six deployment.
With this new contract in place, we have a better idea of what kind of player Dubas envisions Robertson to be: a top-nine forward and perhaps the latest successful reclamation project in Pittsburgh.
That kind of money won’t sit in the press box as the 13th forward, even with a skyrocketing salary cap.
Had the Penguins viewed Robertson as merely a depth winger, they could have sought a shorter or cheaper bridge contract. Instead, agreeing to terms before the hearing at that cap hit suggests Pittsburgh expects Robertson to play meaningful minutes.
Could this be another classic “change of scenery” trade that propels Robertson to new heights? He has been viewed as someone whose production hasn’t matched his opportunity.
His goals/60 at 5v5 was 0.96 last season, per Natural Stat Trick, an impressive rate given his average ice time, indicating his efficiency as a finisher.
Nick Robertson, acquired by PIT, is a depth scoring winger who has shown some finishing touch and 5v5 scoring efficiency but hasn't been able to establish himself higher in the lineup. pic.twitter.com/O6IuNLZb5O
However, he’s historically logged limited minutes, never getting consistent top-six ice time or looks on the power play. Robertson spent much of his career buried behind established wingers like Matthew Knies, William Nylander and Mitch Marner. Even after Marner’s departure, Gavin McKenna is expected to occupy a prominent role on the wing.
Robertson’s numbers may not jump off the page, but they become more compelling when viewed alongside his limited usage.
Dubas has repeatedly targeted players who possess NHL tools but haven’t found stable roles elsewhere.
Rather than paying premium prices in free agency, the Penguins have increasingly targeted younger players who have flashed NHL ability but lacked opportunity. Justin Brazeau arrived from Boston looking for a larger role, while Egor Chinakhov represented another gamble on a talented winger whose development had stalled in Ohio’s capital city.
As of this way-too-early off-season projection, Robertson figures to slot into the third line flanking Ben Kindel with Andrei Kuzmenko.
Whether Robertson ultimately becomes a 20-goal scorer or simply another depth forward remains to be seen. But Tuesday’s contract makes one thing clear: Dubas sees far more in Robertson than the role he was given in Toronto.
Across the street from the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh is the shell of the Consol Energy Center and you won’t find anybody there leaning on a shovel, no siree. There’s always noise and a whole bunch of guys in hard hats running around doing stuff. The steel girders are pretty much in place, and the way it’s coming up, it’s hard to fathom the Penguins still have to play another full season in their quaint but decrepit digs at Mellon, where minor hockey outfits from Ust-Kamenogorsk have better dressing room facilities than the visiting teams.
Not far from the cornerstone, the foundation of the franchise and the building hangs from the girders on the east side. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are not actually welding the steel together, but they might as well be. There is no doubt the new arena is The House That Sid and Geno Are Building, with a big assist from Mario Lemieux and the good folks at Majestic Star Casino.
If you look at the banner quickly enough and from a certain angle, it looks as though both heads are coming out of the same body. Sid and Geno – the two-headed monster with the steely resolve that is hugely responsible for both the steel that forms the Penguins’ future and the silver that defines their present.
When Crosby hoisted the Stanley Cup on a bad knee the night of June 12 in Detroit after a dramatic seven-game triumph, he became the youngest captain ever to do so in NHL history. When Malkin lifted the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP just minutes before, he became the second-youngest skater to win the trophy behind Bobby Orr – and the fourth-youngest player of all-time to take the bauble. He’s also the first Russian Conn man.
“They’re superstars and they’re 21 and 22 years old and we have them signed for a bunch more years,” gushed Penguins GM Ray Shero as the Penguins celebrated on the ice after Game 7. “It’s hard not to be excited. I’m glad I decided to come here.”
Those who follow the Penguins are thanking their lucky stars for the circumstances that landed two of the best players on the planet in their laps. In four successive drafts from 2003 through ’06, the Pens drafted Marc-Andre Fleury first overall (’03), Malkin second (’04), Crosby first (’05) and Jordan Staal second (’06). That’s four star-to-superstar players. (They also added Kris Letang, Tyler Kennedy and Alex Goligoski in those drafts.) It certainly does nothing to dispel the notion you have to be putrid before you can be great, as long as you’re all right with your team almost leaving town a couple of times and being plunged into Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
But those days are long behind the Penguins now. They’re preparing to move into their revenue-rich digs in the fall of 2010 and look every bit the perennial Stanley Cup contender with Crosby and Malkin leading the way. Ovechkin might have the Hart Trophy and the cover of NHL 2K10, but Crosby and Malkin have the Stanley Cup. And they don’t appear ready to give it back anytime soon.
The Penguins have their three top centers – all younger than 23 – under contract for the next four years and Fleury committed until 2015. This will afford the Penguins every opportunity to be a force for years to come.
“We went to the cap two years before we were supposed to without our revenues in the new building,” Shero said. “But we’ve got those two signed long term and I think that says something about our ownership. They want to win and it’s great for the city of Pittsburgh.”
On and off the ice, Crosby and Malkin are a study in contrasts. After living with Sergei Gonchar for two years, Malkin cut ties and moved into his own house this year. He’s all on his own, not with standing the extended visit from his parents Vladimir and Natalia, who became almost as famous as their son during the playoffs, when fans clamored to have autographs and pictures taken with “the Genos.” Crosby, on the other hand, continues to live at Lemieux’s house and there appears to be no signs the tenant will be evicted anytime soon.
“No, I think we’ll keep him around,” said Lemieux when asked whether it was time for Sid to, you know, maybe get his own space. “He’s great for our family and our four kids – they love him. He’s pretty easy to take care of. He sleeps and he plays hockey and that’s all. He eats once in a while, too.”
Both Malkin and Crosby are consumed by all things hockey. Malkin’s parents once said that when Evgeni was a youngster, they would often find him in bed wearing his skates and clutching his hockey stick.
“I knew when his dad brought him to the ice and put skates on him for the first time,” said Natalia Malkin the day her son was drafted. “At that moment, we both said to each other, ‘He’ll be a great player one day.’ We saw it right away.”
When Crosby played junior hockey for the Rimouski Oceanic, the team would often hide his skates to prevent him from going out at night and playing outdoor pick-up hockey with the neighborhood kids. Crosby’s father Troy relayed a story that once when Sidney was in midget hockey, a fierce snowstorm cancelled school for the day, but the local arena in Cole Harbour, N.S., stayed open. Crosby showed up in the morning to play pick-up hockey and all day players came and went, but Crosby was still there playing eight hours later.
“He’s competitive in everything he does,” said Troy Crosby of his son. “And he’s stubborn. When he goes fishing, he won’t stop fishing until he catches something. He could be out there for eight hours. When he plays tennis or golf, he won’t stop until he wins.”
Both are brilliant players in different ways – Crosby with the determination to match his skill and a player who displayed a penchant during the playoffs for making breathtaking plays in tight and with little time or space. Perhaps not exactly what was originally advertised, but dangerous nonetheless.
Malkin, on the other hand, has the ability to dominate with sheer physical skill. He swoops through the offensive zone with authority and while he’s more physical and less skilled, there are similarities to No. 66.
“I do see some of myself in the way he carries himself on the ice,” said Lemieux of Malkin. “The way he carries the puck and the way he dekes and sees the ice.”
The similarities certainly don’t end there, though. For starters, both Crosby and Malkin come from humble surroundings. And they’re both scheduled to make $9 million next season when Malkin’s 1,000-percent raise kicks in. They were both born to fathers who were good hockey players, but not quite good enough to make a living from it. Troy Crosby played two years as a goalie for the Verdun Jr. Canadiens and was drafted 240th by the Montreal Canadiens in 1984, 189 spots after the Habs selected Patrick Roy. Vladimir Malkin played one year as a winger with Magnitogorsk in the Soviet Elite League and claims that while he doesn’t possess his son’s physical skills, he likes to think Evgeni inherited his ability to read the play from his father.
Vladimir Malkin worked as a machine inspector for Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works, which has provided the mother country with much of its steel since it was established by Josef Stalin in 1929. Troy Crosby was a building superintendent for a local law firm and his wife, Trina, worked at a local newspaper until she stayed home to raise her children.
“We were below middle class when Sidney was growing up,” Troy Crosby said. “He had some tough times growing up and that’s why I think he appreciates everything, because of how hard it was when he was a kid. He didn’t go without anything, but it wasn’t easy. He had to work for it. He would deliver fliers on weekends to pay for skates and tournaments. We weren’t a well-to-do family by any means and we struggled at times.”
Perhaps it was the humble beginnings that have made Crosby the person he is. He is not perfect, to be sure, but there is no doubt he is remarkably grounded for a millionaire superstar. Yeah, he took too long to shake hands with the Red Wings while he celebrated on the ice after winning the Cup, but he’s 21, an age when many of us were too irresponsible to get to our college classes on time.
When Crosby was 16 and he won the Quebec League’s rookie-of-the-year award, he was so embarrassed about his lack of ability to speak French that he vowed to his agent he would accept his awards the next season in French.
He not only did it, but he now speaks the language with Maxime Talbot in the next stall when the two of them don’t want other people to know what they’re talking about.
When Crosby was just a wisp of a kid at Colby Elementary and later at Astral Drive Junior High in Cole Harbour, N.S., he forged a bond with another student by the name of Scottie Joseph. When Scottie was born, he weighed 1-½ pounds and bleeding on the right ventricle of his brain caused a series of strokes that left him developmentally handicapped. Doctors told his mother he would never walk or talk, but 23 years later, he does both incessantly.
Joseph and Crosby remain friends, years after Crosby began to look out for him at school. Scottie knows almost nothing about hockey and is vaguely aware that Crosby won the Stanley Cup, only because his mother went to his room to tell him the Penguins had won.
“Now he thinks because he won the Stanley Cup, Sid is finished with hockey forever and now he can come home,” said Scottie’s mother Becky. “We’ll have a Montreal-Toronto game on and Scottie will walk by the television and say, ‘Go, Sid.’ He doesn’t want anything from Sid and Sidney just thinks he’s a hoot.”
Just as Becky is speaking on the telephone about Crosby, Scottie comes into the house. Becky asks her son if he wants to say anything about Crosby.
“Just tell him I love him,” is the response.
For all we know, there could be stories just as heartwarming about Malkin. Maybe he helps old ladies across the street in his spare time. It’s just the language barrier makes it difficult for anyone to truly get to know Malkin very well. We do know Malkin can have quite a sense of humor, as he did after Game 3 of the final when he said of linemate and eventual Game 7 hero Talbot: “Little bit bad hands. He has lots of scoring chances, not score. Just empty net. It’s OK, he learns over the summer.”
We learned Malkin can play very, very well in crucial situations, unlike last spring when he essentially disappeared during the Stanley Cup final. We learned he is willing to get as goofy as most other players, as evidenced by the fight he started with Zetterberg late in Game 2 before his “automatic” one-game suspension was inexplicably rescinded and he responded with three assists in Game 3. If you look at him closely, you learn that he might just have the longest fingers in the history of the human race. We learned that Malkin at 22 is much more mature and battle-tested than he was at 21.
“‘Solid’ is the best word I can use for him,” said Bill Guerin, who came to Pittsburgh at the trade deadline. “He has gotten much better with his decision-making with the puck. He’s always great with the puck and he can try things, but he’s trying it at the right time now. He’s been more and more responsible as the playoffs have gone on.”
Back on Feb. 15, the Penguins were five points out of a playoff spot and seemed firmly ensconced in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. That’s when Shero fired coach Michel Therrien and replaced him with a relative unknown in Dan Bylsma. Both Crosby and Malkin bought into Bylsma’s north-south system, predicated on getting the puck at the defensive blueline and sending it back up the ice as soon as possible.
“There was risk in doing it,” said Shero of the coaching change. “But I always say there was more risk in not doing it.”
Crosby had 31 points down the stretch despite missing five games with a groin injury and Malkin had 33 points as the Penguins rattled off a record of 18-3-4 under Bylsma and entered the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the league. They became the first squad in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup after going down 2-0 in two playoff series and became the first team to win Game 7 on the road since the 1971 Montreal Canadiens. They also became the first team in any sport to do that since the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates.
“When (the coaching change) happened, the players had to look at themselves in the mirror and say, ‘You know what? We’re at fault here,’ ” said assistant coach Tom Fitzgerald, who also joined the coaching staff in February.
Included in that group were Crosby and Malkin, even though both were doing their parts offensively. By the time the playoffs came around, the Penguins’ two best players were, in hockey vernacular, their two best players. And it showed.
Crosby proved in the post-season that he could be more net-directed and selfish (in a good way) when necessary, while Malkin showed a continued maturity and an ability to play like a superstar in games that matter most.
The day before the pivotal seventh game, Malkin spoke about his dreams of winning hockey’s biggest prize.
“The Cup is all I want. I will give everything. One win, the Cup,” he said to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I think about it a lot, especially in these last weeks. It’s my dream. Me and Sid, just like that.”
Malkin pointed to a picture of Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr celebrating the Penguins’ 1992 Stanley Cup in the visitor’s dressing room at the old Chicago Stadium.
Seventeen years later, Crosby and Malkin are living the dream far earlier than they, or almost anyone else, expected they would. Now after watching them over the past two months, the big question is, who is going to be able to take it away from them?
It isn't exactly a secret that the Montreal Canadiens could use help at the center position. Their second-line center spot, in particular, is in need of an upgrade.
Because of this, the Canadiens are now being viewed as a potential fit for one of the NHL's most interesting center trade candidates.
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Lyle Richardson named the Canadiens among the potential landing spots for Seattle Kraken young center Shane Wright.
"The Canadiens have reportedly pursued wingers Matthew Knies of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Kirill Marchenko of the Columbus Blue Jackets" Richardson wrote. "Nevertheless, the Canadiens could change their minds if their pursuit of those wingers proves fruitless, perhaps enough to consider circling back on Wright after passing him over four years ago."
With the Canadiens needing help down the middle, it would be understandable if they made a push for Wright. While the 22-year-old has not broken out as a true top-six center at this point in his career, he is still plenty young enough where that could change.
Wright also already has a solid offensive NHL season on his resume. In 79 games during the 2024-25 season with the Kraken, he set career highs with 19 goals, 25 assists, and 44 points. While he followed that up by recording just 12 goals and 27 points in 74 games last season, he has the potential to turn things back around.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if the Canadiens make a run at Wright. He could be a great fit on a young, exciting team on the rise like the Habs.
The Atlantic Division is going to look a little different next season following a massive trade between the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators.
In the deal, Ottawa sent their now-former captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers in exchange for three first-round picks and a second-round pick.
Nearly a month has passed since news of the trade came down, with teams across the league now mostly settled into their rosters for next season following the NHL Draft and start of free agency.
We’ve heard plenty from the Tkachuk brothers in the time since, as Brady was formally introduced in South Florida a few days after the trade, and he and Matthew have said plenty on their Wingmen podcast about becoming NHL teammates.
Center Shane Pinto, who has played all six of his NHL seasons with Tkachuk and the Senators, said he was caught off-guard by the trade when the news broke on Father’s Day.
“It took everyone by surprise,” Pinto said during the interview. “He’s been such a big part of this organization, obviously the face of it, and he’s obviously one of my good buds too, so to see him go, it sucks. I think he just wanted to go down a different path, and I totally understand that. We have a bunch of guys here that have been here for a while, I think we’re all growing together. We just wish him all the best and I know we’ll see him down the road. He’s going to be in our division, so I’m sure we’re going to see him a lot.”
Ultimately, it became clear that Tkachuk wanted to continue his career outside of Ottawa, and playing in Florida with his brother was the ideal landing spot.
Pinto showed an understanding for Tkachuk’s position, which makes sense as players don’t often criticize one another on how they handle their respective careers.
“At the end of the day, you just want guys who want to try to win for the Ottawa Senators, and that’s that,” Pinto said. “You want everyone on the same page and everyone going for the same goal, and that’s all you want. On a personal level, he’s still going to by my bud. There’s always going to be a business side of hockey, so you just leave that out of it.”
As Pinto mentioned, he’s going to see plenty of his former captain when hockey season rolls around.
In addition to the likely extensive media coverage of the Tkachuk brothers, Florida and Ottawa will also face off four times during the season, as is customary for divisional opponents.
Considering the amount of fireworks we’ve seen in matchups between the Cats and Sens in recent years, Tkachuk switching sides should only spice things up even more.
Nov 28, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto (12) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the St. Louis Blues during the second period at Enterprise Center. (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)
Much of the dialgoue around the Vancouver Canucks as of late has been which players the team should trade. Veterans such as Jake DeBrusk, Elias Pettersson, and even Brock Boeser have been mentioned in trade talks throughout the 2026 off-season thus far, though it feels as though no one on the roster is truly safe from the rumours.
In a similar vein, Vancouver has also been named in recent trade talks surorunding players from other markets. Reports indicated that Seattle Kraken forward Shane Wright would welcome a trade to Vancouver, while Brendan Gallagher was connected to the Canucks for a while before being dealt to the team ahead of free agency opening. Whether they roll the dice on them or not would depend on what Vancouver has to give up.
But what counts as too much to give up?
As little a list as it may be, there are some players that the Canucks should not be trading under any circumstances for the time being. With the team entering a rebuild that will keep fans invested based on the future potential rather than current play, the Canucks will want to prioritize keeping the players that will likely be around, or even entering their prime, come the time Vancouver’s contention window opens. These five players are the ones that the Canucks should not trade under any circumstances.
Zeev Buium
One of four pieces acquired in the Quinn Hughes trade back in December, it’s looking more and more like Buium could be the cornerstone of Vancouver’s future blueline. The Canucks opted to select only one defenceman during this year’s draft — Samuel Eriksson in the sixth round — leaving their defensive prospect pool with little change. This could change come next year’s draft, of course, though at the current moment it appears that Buium will be a big part of the future.
Offensively, Buium showed some flashes of intrigue in his 45 games with the Canucks this year. Aside from the three goals and nine assists he scored, the defenceman gave fans things to cheer about when making the occasional slick play to advance offence for his team. Adding to this is the commitment Buium seems to have towards building a better future alongside his teammates — something that always helps a player’s case in staying.
From a rebuild perspective, Buium fits the Canucks’ timeline well. With the 2025–26 season being his first year in the NHL, the defenceman can now approach the next couple of seasons the way he should be able to — as a learning experience. Given Vancouver’s status as a rebuilding team, there will be more room for young players like Buium to make mistakes and learn from them.
Of course, there is still currently a timeline on Buium’s long-term future with the Canucks. The defenceman’s entry-level contract is set to expire after the 2026–27 season, with Buium becoming an RFA after that. If the Canucks are set on a long-term fit with Buium, they’ll want to lock him down as quickly as possible.
Tom Willander
Despite Vancouver’s dark moments this year, Willander has shown he wants to be part of a solution in Vancouver. Having been selected 11th-overall by the Canucks in 2023, Willander very quickly shot his way up Vancouver’s defensive depth chart after a call-up in October that lasted the remainder of the season. He finished the season with 21 points in 70 games.
A candid, calm competitor, Willander impressed this season with his offensive capabilities as well as his quick adjustment to the NHL level. Injuries, as well as changes to Vancouver’s roster as a whole, resulted in Willander averaging nearly 17 minutes per night throughout his rookie NHL season. While there will always be things to work on, as a whole, the defenceman took the season with stride — all while emphasizing his desire to continue improving.
There’s more to keeping a player like Willander around than just the on-ice element. While 2025–26 was still his rookie season, the defenceman showed a keen sense of responsibility and level of accountability that would make him a valuable leader in the long run. As it stands, he, along with good friend Buium, appear primed to headline the Canucks’ next young D-core.
Tom Willander vs. Zeev Buium. 🎳
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It’s still extremely early to tell how his career will pan out, but so far, things look very positive for Novotný. The 24th-overall pick in this year’s draft was highly-coveted by Vancouver and is already looking to be an important piece of the team’s offensive depth when looking towards the future.
At the heart of his game, Novotný is a goal-scorer. The forward can shoot — evidenced by his 34 goals in 58 games for the Peterborough Petes this season. He can play hard and throw his body around in order to help gain possession and create offence.
Braeden Cootes
While it could be bold to say that Cootes will be the future captain of the Canucks, it wouldn’t be surprising. The center seemed like a shoe-in to take on the role the minute Vancouver drafted him 15th-overall in 2025, especially given his pedigree as former captain of Canada’s U-18 national team (2024–25) and the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds.
What may make Cootes even more well-suited to be a future captain is his impressive work-ethic. He made such a strong impression at training camp in 2025 that he made his NHL debut soon after at the start of this season, and even continued that run of determined play during Vancouver’s development camp in 2026. While these camps aren’t always an indicator of a player’s strong performance in the long run, the fact that Cootes put in the effort and made it count in times that not every player needs to isn’t unnoticeable.
Cootes can play well on both sides of the ice but showed a particular surge in offence throughout 2025–26. Long-term, it’s likely the center would slot into Vancouver’s middle-six, assumedly behind the next player mentioned on this list. Center depth has been an issue for the Canucks as of late, though Cootes will be one of a couple to help negate that heading towards the future.
Oct 13, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Braeden Cootes (80) skates against the St. Louis Blues in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Caleb Malhotra
Malhotra immediately shot up to number-one on the Canucks’ prospect depth chart list the minute he was drafted third-overall back in June. The center will fill a gap that Vancouver has been looking to remedy since things fell-through after the team moved on from centers Bo Horvat, Elias Lindholm, and J.T. Miller.
An offensively-prolific season with the Brantford Bulldogs of the OHL in 2025–26 will likely only be a stepping-stone in Malhotra’s development. The center will be heading to Boston University for the 2026–27 season, with his play throughout then likely determining his fate for 2027–28.
Malhotra will be a key part of Vancouver’s future regardless of when he makes a full-time jump to the NHL.
Honourable mentions: Liam Öhgren, Elias Pettersson (D), Brooks Rogowski, and Niklas Aaram-Olsen
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Two Philadelphia Flyers prospects were among the players listed on Scott Wheeler's top 100 NHL drafted prospect rankings for The Athletic. This is because Porter Martone and David Jiricek both made the cut.
Martone was given the No. 3 spot on Wheeler's rankings. Seeing Martone be ranked so high is entirely understandable, as he has all the tools to become a star power forward in the NHL.
After posting 25 goals and 50 points in 35 games with Michigan State University as a freshman last season, Martone signed his entry-level contract with the Flyers. He made an immediate impact with the Flyers after this, posting four goals and 10 points in nine regular-season games.
Marte also had two goals and five points in 10 playoff games for Philadelphia. With numbers like these, he has already shown a lot of promise in the NHL and should only get better.
Jiricek, on the other hand, just made the cut at the No. 97 spot. The 2022 sixth-overall pick is still looking to break out and become a full-time NHL defenseman. It would not be surprising if he takes that next step with the Flyers next season.
Jiricek was excellent for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season after being acquired by the Flyers from the Minnesota Wild. In 15 games with the AHL club following the move, he posted two goals and 13 points. It will be interesting to see if he can translate some of this play over to the Flyers next season.
Now, it's not a free-for-all, upload-any-design kind of situation. Fans must use the available templates, as they have been approved by the league for trade marks and all that fun stuff.
Follow the link below to upload your creation:
A jersey made for the fans, designed by the fans.
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