The Buffalo Sabres could go a number of different ways as the NHL is in the midst of trade season following the NHL Draft and the opening of free agency on July 1. With the departure of winger Alex Tuch and defenseman Bowen Byram, GM Jarmo Kekalainen is expected to seek out offensive reinforcements to make up for the 44 goals lost by their departures.
Over the next few weeks, we will continue to look at potential options for the Sabres, now that veteran Patrick Kane has returned with Chicago. Some of the possibilities are not going to match Tuch’s stats, but any additions could provide some relief to the pressure that youngsters Konsta Helenius, Jiri Kulich, or Noah Ostlund will be under to make up the deficit.
Who will the Sabres bring in to provide some offensive jump?
Kekalainen ideally would like to make up as much of the 60-to-70 point production that he lost with Tuch, or someone who can fill the leadership gap and/or add some snarl and sandpaper to the middle-six.
Someone who became a free agent on July 1 and has extensive experience playing in the Atlantic Division is veteran winger James van Riemsdyk. The 37-year-old was a second overall selection after Patrick Kane in the 2007 NHL Draft, and spent his first 14 seasons with Philadelphia and Toronto. The last three seasons, the New Jersey native has become a journeyman, signing one-year deals with Boston, Columbus, and Detroit for just under or right at a $1 million AAV.
JVR’s skating has decreased significantly in his latter years, but he can still put the puck in the net, especially playing on the power play. With the Wings last season, van Riemsdyk 15 goals averaging under 12 minutes per game, and seven of those goals were on the man advantage. Similar to Patrik Laine, the veteran winger would slot in as a middle-six winger and specialist, and someone that Lindy Ruff would have to avoid using late in games, but he would be able to fill some of the offensive gap created by the departure of Tuch, especially on the power play.
If Kekalainen is reserving his available cap space for a potential Connor Hellebuyck deal, someone like van Riemsdyk, who would likely be willing to sign for a year around $1 million might be all that the Sabres could afford to sign.
The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, and the organization’s developmental model has begun to yield results, with 2023 first rounder Zach Benson making an impact in the playoffs, and 2024 top pick Konsta Helenius appearing as one of the AHL’s top prospects the last two seasons.
Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. These players are all 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 82 NHL games.
38 Norwin Panocha – Defense (Eisbaren Berlin - DEL)
Drafted 205th overall out of the junior level of Eisbaren Berlin of the DEL at the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville, the 6’2”, 190 lb. defenseman opted to come to North America and play for Chicoutimi in the QMJHL instead of staying in Germany. In his first season, Panocha finished with 15 assists in 52 regular-season games and had one assist in eight playoff games for the Sagueneens, but he was released after the season.
Sabres need to add offense, either via trade or free agency
After being selected in the CHL Import Draft by Prince Albert, Panocha moved to the Western Hockey League to play for the Raiders, but played only three games before he was dropped again. After a brief stop playing with Green Bay in the USHL and playing for Germany in his second straight WJC, Panocha returned home to play for Berlin, where he finished with two assists in 16 DEL games.
Last season, Panocha split time between Berlin and was loaned out to Lausitzer Füchse in the secondary level of the DEL. According to Elite Prospects, he will be playing for another DEL club, the Iserlohn Roosters, next season.
Panocha was at the Sabres Development Camp earlier this month, and the club has one year remaining of rights before they have to sign him.
All signs pointed toward future Hall of Fame forward Patrick Kane deciding to sign another contract extension with the Detroit Red Wings, despite having finished outside of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for what is now a franchise-record 10th straight year.
Kane spoke glowingly about his time with the Red Wings, pointed to his friendship with longtime teammate Alex DeBrincat, and said he'd love to be part of the solution that finally brings Stanley Cup Playoff hockey to Little Caesars Arena.
However, Red Wings fans won't get to see "Showtime" in playoff action wearing the Winged Wheel. Kane signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks, returning to the club he helped win the Stanley Cup three times.
So, what happened?
While making an appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast, Kane admitted that he thought he was coming back to the Red Wings, but as he put it, "things happen".
"If you would’ve asked me last year at the end of the season, I thought I would be going back to Detroit. And you know, things happen, and then it’s like, 'Okay, let’s just take our time, see what’s out there July 1st,'" he said. "And (Blackhawks) owner Danny Wirtz called me at, like, 11:03, as soon as free agency opened."
While Kane didn't get specific, it's not hard to guess as to exactly what he was referring to.
Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin requested to be traded, which became public in early June. Larkin and the Red Wings remain in a standoff, as he's still allegedly willing to be dealt to only three teams, greatly handicapping Detroit's ability to get an adequate trade package in return.
Not only that, but GM Steve Yzerman stepped down from his role in mid-July, stunning Red Wings fans and adding another layer of uncertainty to the franchise. As of July 28, the club has yet to name an official successor to Yzerman.
The departure of Kane, who recorded 57 points for the Red Wings last season, leaves a significant void in Detroit’s top-six forward group. Although the team added veteran winger Viktor Arvidsson, who scored 25 goals with the Boston Bruins in 2025-26, replacing Kane’s offensive production will be hard, barring another acquisition.
Additionally, if Larkin is also moved, the Red Wings’ chances of reaching the postseason next spring will take another major hit. Detroit would already face an uphill battle without Kane, but losing both key forwards would make their already slim playoff aspirations even more difficult.
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Former New York Rangers star Ron Duguay, who is being treated for Stage 4 colon cancer, has been hospitalized after collapsing at his home, his daughter announced.
Shay Thomas announced on Instagram on Monday, July 27, that Duguay, 69, had fainted on Friday, was unconscious and suffered facial injuries and lost some teeth. Her post showed Duguay being loaded into an ambulance and being wheeled on a gurney through a hospital corridor.
"After extensive testing, doctors found that he was extremely dehydrated and had been struggling to eat because of how sick he had been feeling," Thomas wrote. "They also discovered varices, portal hypertensive gastropathy, internal bleeding, and an ulcer.
"Because of the cancer in his liver, along with everything his liver has endured from surgery, chemotherapy, and the pump, pressure has built up inside the liver. That pressure can back up into the stomach and cause bleeding. The ulcer still needs further evaluation, but the bleeding and liver pressure are the major concerns right now."
We are now approaching a month since the beginning of the 2026 free agency, and several former Florida Panthers players are without a contract.
The Panthers' lineup is likely full, as the team currently has just $34,286 of cap space with 22 players signed to their NHL roster, according to puckpedia.com.
The Panthers may sign some AHL deals or possibly two-way deals before now and training camp, but for now, the roster is set, which means the players who played for the Panthers last season won’t be returning.
Those players are highlighted by Luke Kunin, Jeff Petry, and Tomas Nosek. Other former Panthers players who remain unsigned include Reilly Smith, Mike Reilly, Evgenii Dadonov, and Vladimir Tarasenko.
Luke Kunin, C
Kunin signed a one-year deal with the Panthers last off-season, hoping to win the role of the fourth-line center.
It didn't pan out for Kunin, as the 28-year-old skated in just 62 games, serving as a healthy scratch for a large part of the season. Kunin mustered just four goals and 10 points and averaged a career low in ice time at just 9:41.
Kunin will likely be required to sign a professional tryout prior to pre-season and will aim to earn a league-minimum contract. He has previously shown he can be a viable player, but the 2025-26 campaign has hurt his stock. With 496 games of NHL experience, Kunin should find an NHL home.
Petry also signed a one-year deal with the Panthers last off-season, looking to serve as the Panthers' sixth defenseman. Unfortunately, Petry couldn't really find his footing with the Panthers and was traded to the Minnesota Wild at the trade deadline.
At 38 years old, Petry is no spring chicken. Petry was once a solid offensive defenseman, but he doesn’t have the foot speed to be reliable and a difference-maker offensively. There is a real possibility that Petry is unable to find a team next season.
Nosek served valiantly for the Panthers in their second Stanley Cup victory, but a knee injury knocked the 33-year-old out for most of the 2025-26 season, and the Panthers ultimately decided to move on.
Lars Eller and Cole Schwindt are expected to take over the roles Nosek and Kunin occupied last season.
Nosek has accumulated 514 games of NHL experience, proving to be an effective fourth-line center. Like Kunin, if Nosek is hoping to continue his NHL career, he'll be required to sign a PTO.
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Along with the Maple Leafs and Jets, Hutchinson also featured in the crease for the Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings. He played a total of 154 NHL games across appearances in 11 different campaigns, playing his final game in the league with Detroit in 2023-24.
As for his time with the Maple Leafs, that's where Hutchinson saw the most action in his career following his early stint with the Jets.
Hutchinson, a Barrie, Ont., native, featured in parts of four years with Toronto, making 30 appearances along the way, 25 of which were starts. In that span, he earned a 10-15-2 record, averaged an .898 save percentage and a 3.18 goals-against average, as well as three shutouts.
His time with the Maple Leafs was divided into two separate tenures. Hutchinson was first acquired by Toronto in December 2018 from Florida in exchange for a 2020 fifth-round draft pick.
After two seasons with the Leafs, he was traded to the Avalanche in return for Calle Rosen. Hutchinson stepped up for Colorado in the 2019-20 playoffs, when he made four appearances, won two games, and posted a .910 SP with a 2.75 GAA.
Once that campaign was complete, he re-joined the Maple Leafs as a free agent for 2020-21 and played another two seasons in Toronto.
Hutchinson's busiest campaign with the Leafs was in 2019-20, when he played 15 games, finishing with an .886 SP and a 3.66 GAA.
The goaltender also played multiple seasons for the Toronto Marlies, appearing in 57 regular-season games and two playoff games over those four years with the Maple Leafs organization.
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Jun 11, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Vegas Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella after the first period against the Carolina Hurricanes in game five of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
James Guillory/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
John Tortorella hasn’t closed the door on coaching at age 68, some two months after his latest, brief stint ended two wins short of a Stanley Cup and not being rehired by the Vegas Golden Knights.
“Oh, I want to coach,” Tortorella told The Athletic. “I want to coach now. I’m not sure if that happens, and that’s where I am in my career. But I wanted to coach that Vegas team. I told (general manager Kelly McCrimmon) that.”
Tortorella’s tenure in Vegas began with him replacing the fired Bruce Cassidy with eight games left in the regular season. And it ended in mid-June with the Golden Knights losing the Stanley Cup Final in six games to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Though Tortorella pushed for his return, he said he respected McCrimmon’s decision to promote minor-league coach Ryan Craig.
“They’ve been developing (Craig) for a number of years there,” he said. “He’s a good coach and a good man.”
Tortorella has 24 seasons of NHL head-coaching experience, with the Golden Knights representing his seventh stop — including two separate tenures with the New York Rangers. He enjoyed his longest stint with Tampa Bay, spanning 2000-01 to 2007-08, during which he won his only Stanley Cup in 2004. He also coached in Columbus, Philadelphia and Vancouver.
From Boston, Tortorella is sixth on the NHL list and first among U.S.-born coaches with 1,628 games coached. Tortorella’s 777 career wins rank second among U.S.-born coaches behind Peter Laviolette’s 846. With a 70-72 career playoff record, he’s 20th on the NHL list in wins.
Tortorella lamented coming up short on winning a second Cup.
“I guess the word I’d use is disappointed,” Tortorella said.
“We didn’t finish the job, and I wanted some more time with that club to try to finish the job. That’s not my call. That’s the general manager and president’s call,” he added. “You just get about your business after that.”
It’s quite clear that the Atlantic Division will be the toughest decision in hockey this season. The Florida Panthers will be back at full strength after a campaign lost to injuries, the Tampa Bay Lightning will remain a top team, the Buffalo Sabres will want to prove that last season wasn’t a one off, the Boston Bruins will be holding on for dear life not to slip out of the playoffs picture, just like the Ottawa Senators while the Toronto Maple Leafs will want to prove that last year was a one off. Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens will hope to keep moving forward and remain near the top of the division and the league as well, of course.
In a recent article, THN’s Ryan Lambert has given his top-three goalies in what he calls the league’s best goaltending division, the Atlantic. Nobody will argue with his top choice: Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Bolts netminder has got nothing left to prove and has a couple of Stanley Cups to his name already. Last season, he posted a 2.27 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage with a 39-15-4 record. However, in the playoffs, he was 3-2-2 with a 2.18 GAA and a.897 save percentage; the Habs’ Jakub Dobes outdueled him, and Vasilevskiy fell in the first round.
In second place, he has Jeremy Swayman, who finished third in voting for the Vezina Trophy with a 31-18-4 record, a 2.69 GAA and a .908 SV. The Bruins performed much better than most people hoped, and Lambert sees Swayman as one of the main reasons why. It’s hard to argue with that when most believed they would be out of the playoff picture. Of course, Swayman did have that one miserable season in 2024-25 when he was stuck in a contract dispute early on, which led to him missing the preseason, and he never really caught up. He ended the year with a 22-29-7 record, a 3.11 GAA, and a .892. He bounced back perfectly last season and put that year squarely in the rearview mirror.
Finally, Lambert gives the third spot to Swayman’s former partner in Boston and now main guy in Ottawa: Linus Ullmark. The Sens’ masked man ended the season with a 28-12-8 record with a 2.73 GAA and a .891 SV. He helped the Senators scrape into the playoffs but was swiftly dispatched in four games by the champions-to-be Carolina Hurricanes. That wasn’t on him, though; he lost the four games, but he posted a 2.03 GAA and a .932 SV. Ullmark couldn’t have done any better in the postseason.
Meanwhile, Dobes had a 29-10-4 record with a 2.78 GAA and a .901 SV. While he finished the year with respectable numbers, it has to be said that he had some tough stretches during the season as the Canadiens kept trying to get Samuel Montembeault back on track without regard to what going back to the Quebecer time and time again would do to the Czech netminder’s confidence. Once the Canadiens put their chips on Dobes, though, he rose to the occasion and was also great in the playoffs, finishing with a 9-6-4 record, a 2.66 GAA and a .908 SV.
What Dobes did from the moment he was given the reins of the team was enough to convince the Canadiens to sign him to a three-year contract extension even though he still had a year left on his contract. However, it wasn’t enough to convince the rest of the league of what kind of goaltender he would be in the future. That was his rookie season; he was still young and seen as an unproven commodity. He did catch a lot of people’s eyes, though, and if he can perform out of the gate this season as he did at the tail end of last season, he may very well make his way into this top three next offseason.
Apr 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Detroit Red Wings right wing Patrick Kane (88) skates against the New York Rangers during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images
Danny Wild/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
CHICAGO — When the Chicago Blackhawks selected Patrick Kane No. 1 overall in the 2007 draft, they counted on the forward, then just 18, to give their rebuilding team and its sputtering offense an immediate boost.
Fast-forward 19 years: The Blackhawks again hope that Kane, now 37 and entering his 20th NHL season, will do the same after signing the all-time scoring leader among U.S.-born players to a two-year, $16 million deal.
“I mean that’s kind of always what I’ve been known to do is help produce,” Kane said at the Blackhawks practice facility. “I don’t think that’s going to change any time now. I’m excited to come back and try to produce and fit in with all these young players and guys that I can play with, help build chemistry, learn. So do all those things. Help the team win. Help the team score.”
Kane said he feels strong three years after undergoing a major hip resurfacing surgery and rehabbing his way back for three solid seasons with the Detroit Red Wings.
Kane has 1,400 points in 1,369 career NHL games (508 goals and 892 assists). He cranked out 16 goals and 41 assists in 67 games last season for Detroit and says he’s not slowing down.
The homecoming is nice but the Blackhawks need production
Kane had discussions with his hometown Buffalo Sabres after becoming a free agent on July 1. But it seems to have been an easy decision to return to Chicago, where he spent his first 15-plus NHL seasons and helped the Blackhawks win three Stanley Cup championships as one of the NHL’s most electrifying players.
Kane said there wasn’t one deciding factor in returning to Chicago, where he has spent his summers. He acknowledged the homecoming, but said his biggest focus is helping a team “that’s on the rise, a team that’s looking to make some big steps forward and trying to make the playoffs”
“It’s not like I’m just coming back home, to you know, ride off into the sunset or whatever it is,” Kane said “You know I want to be a big player here and help the team win.”
Kane is looking forward to skating with Connor Bedard
Part of that will be meshing with Chicago’s young forwards. That starts with center Connor Bedard, the Blackhawks only other No. 1 overall draft pick who was selected in 2023.
Bedard will miss the early part of the season after left shoulder surgery on July 8. Bedard, who signed a five-year, $75 million contract, got hurt skating with a group of NHL players near his home in suburban Vancouver. Once Bedard returns, Kane can’t wait to skate with him.
“He’s such a special player,” Kane said. “This will be my 20th year in the league and I’ll probably see passes I’ve never seen before playing with him. But I mean, wherever I fit in, I fit in. No matter who it is, I’m going to try to make the most of it.”
The statistical symmetry between the Blackhawks in 2006-07, the season before Kane entered as a rookie, and last year’s team is stunning.
The 2006-07 Blackhawks scored just 201 goals, second lowest in the NHL, as they went 31-42-9 for 71 points. With Kane in the lineup the following year — and posting 21 goals and 51 assists — Chicago jumped to 40-34-9 and 88 points. The Blackhawks scored 239 times and narrowly missed the playoffs.
In 2025-26, Chicago finished at 29-39-14 with 72 points, and scored just 213 goals, behind only Calgary (212).
Blackhawks GM says the timing was right
Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said it was time to bring Kane back after dealing him to the New York Rangers just before the March 2023 trade deadline.
Davidson was beginning a major overhaul of his roster then. In addition to focusing on prospects, he said the Blackhawks also needed to focus on building a new leadership core.
That process, with Bedard leading the way, already has started, Davidson said. Kane can only help now.
“They (Blackhawks young players) already know their way around the league a little bit,” Davidson said. “It’s the right time for him (Kane) to come, step in, join a group of of not all young players –- but a considerable group of young players -– and provide high-end play, but also high-end leadership and a lot of different things that he can impart on our young players.”
In another surprising development for the Anaheim Ducks in the 2026 offseason, the team announced on Saturday that they signed 2026 first-round pick Nikita Klepov to a three-year entry-level contract.
The Ducks drafted Klepov (18) with the 15th overall selection a month ago with a pick they acquired from the St. Louis Blues, along with the 29th overall pick (later to become the 28th pick, Marcus Nordmark), in exchange for Mason McTavish.
Following the first round, Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek stated that had Klepov not been available at 15, the Ducks would not have made the trade and that he felt Klepov had a “fast track” to the NHL.
After those comments, nobody anticipated that the fast track would be quite so fast, as Klepov had previously committed to Michigan State University for the 2026-27 season. That will no longer be an option, and neither will the AHL, as he will not be 19 years old at the start of the season. He’ll either play in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks or return to the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL.
In theory, he would be eligible to play AHL games with the San Diego Gulls on a conditioning stint should he be healthy scratched for five or more consecutive NHL games.
In 2025-26, Klepov led the OHL in scoring with 97 points (37-60=97) in 67 regular season games to earn OHL Rookie of the Year honors and added five points (1-4=5) in four playoff games. To some, that may suggest he has outgrown the OHL and should be in the NHL come autumn.
The Ducks’ newest Russian winger is listed at 6-foot and 186 pounds and stated that the decision to head to the NCAA was to fill out his frame and refine the details in his game. Modeling his game after Nikita Kucherov, Klepov is an offensive dynamo, as creative, skilled, intelligent, manipulative, slippery, and tenacious as anyone in his draft, with a nose for the back of the net.
Klepov sniffs out pucks in all three zones, but is at his best when leading a cycle in the offensive zone, working low-to-high and across the top of the circles, confident and deceptive, consistently scanning for high-percentage, dangerous plays.
The Deerfield Beach, Florida native, who grew up in Russia until 2023, is eligible to play in the 2027 World Junior Championship for the United States should the Ducks be willing to loan him out, much like the Seattle Kraken developed Shane Wright in 2022-23.
The Ducks could also map out a rookie season as they had with Leo Carlsson in 2023-24, utilizing selective healthy scratches to maximize his off-ice training and avoid a mid-season fatigue wall. They had planned a similar rookie season for Beckett Sennecke in 2025-26, but Sennecke’s immediate impact, for all intents and purposes, forced the Ducks to play him every night.
Ultimately, Klepov will likely have the same opportunity Sennecke had a year ago, where his games played and ice time will be in his control. If he plays well enough and is an instant success, the Ducks won’t have a choice but to play him every night.
The Ducks will likely have some surgery to perform on their depth chart before opening night, as Cutter Gauthier remains unsigned and their cap space is limited. Troy Terry will miss the first two or three months of the regular season, and the team may need to offload a veteran forward to free some cap space, potentially opening a depth chart spot, relatively high in the lineup, for Klepov or another young forward to seize.
Transitioning away from professional hockey is rarely a seamless process. For athletes who have defined their entire existence by the daily routine of rink visits, team travel, and game nights, stepping away from the sport often brings an abrupt, jarring shift in identity.
For former Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell, however, stepping off the ice hasn't meant stepping away from supporting athletes. Campbell is channeling his experiences into a brand-new calling as a mental wellness and performance coach—a career pivot that those who spent time sharing a dressing room with him say makes total sense.
Speaking at his annual charity golf tournament at Oakdale Golf & Country Club, Edmonton Oilers forward and former Maple Leafs teammate Zach Hyman offered high praise for Campbell's new venture. Having spent years alongside Campbell in Toronto, Hyman understands the challenge of leaving the game behind, but believes Campbell’s personal qualities make him uniquely qualified for the road ahead.
"Happy for him, excited for him," Hyman said when asked about Campbell’s career change. "It's not easy to transition from being a hockey player into doing something else. We live our whole life—since you're four years old, you put your skates on and you go play, and then oftentimes it's hard to find what your next passion is, right?"
It is precisely those real-life highs and lows that Hyman believes will resonate so strongly with athletes seeking Campbell's guidance today.
"I think it fits his bill," Hyman explained. "Like, he's a great guy to talk to. He loves to listen. He's caring, and I think that he'll be a great mental wellness coach. I think that's what he's going for. And he's experienced a lot of ups and downs in his career, and I think he can relate to a lot of players."
In modern professional sports, mental health and performance psychology are no longer relegated to the background; they are recognized as vital components of an athlete's overall health and longevity. Players are under more scrutiny than ever before, navigating social media noise, high-pressure contract years, and the mental toll of injuries.
"Playing in Toronto was the coolest thing in the world"
This morning on #FirstUp, former #LeafsForever goalie Jack Campbell shares what it was like to play in a Canadian market and if there was extra pressure that comes with it. pic.twitter.com/CvqxkylIWJ
While traditional sports psychologists offer crucial theoretical framework, Campbell brings something exceedingly rare to the table: authentic, battle-tested perspective from someone who has lived through the absolute highest peaks and lowest valleys of modern NHL goaltending.
As Campbell turns the page on his playing days, his transition represents a meaningful next chapter. He leaves behind a legacy as one of the most genuine teammates in recent Maple Leafs memory, taking those same empathetic traits into a field where they are needed most.
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With it now being roughly a month since NHL free agency started, we should see teams start signing remaining UFAs to professional tryout (PTO) agreements.
The Pittsburgh Penguins could be among the teams that add players to PTOs ahead of training camp. When looking at the current UFAs left, one player who could be interesting for the Penguins to bring in on a PTO is Matt Grzelcyk.
The Penguins know Grzelcyk well, of course, as he has spent the 2024-25 season with them. He proved to be a solid addition to their group, too, as he posted one goal and set career highs with 39 assists and 40 points. Due to his past success in Pittsburgh, there would be no harm in them taking a look at the former Penguin on a PTO.
The Penguins certainly could use more depth on the left side of their blueline, too. They traded Parker Wotherspoon to the Vegas Golden Knights and lost Ryan Shea to the Edmonton Oilers in free agency. With this, it would make sense if they gave Grzelcyk a PTO.
Grzelcyk appeared in 69 games last season for the Chicago Blackhawks, where he recorded 12 assists and 54 blocks.
When looking at the Buffalo Sabres' current roster, it is fair to wonder if they could consider bringing in a player on a professional tryout (PTO) agreement for training camp.
One specific UFA forward who could make sense for the Sabres to take a look at on a PTO is David Perron.
Perron is one of the top remaining UFAs still available for the taking, but he notably had a tough finish to the 2025-26 season after being traded back to the Detroit Red Wings. In 16 games with Detroit following the move, he scored three goals and did not record an assist.
However, before being traded to the Red Wings, Perron was having a solid 2025-26 season with the Ottawa Senators. In 49 games with Ottawa before the trade, he posted 10 goals, 15 assists, and 25 points. With numbers like these, he was producing offense like a solid top-nine winger.
With this and the Sabres needing more forward depth, it would not hurt for them to bring in a veteran forward like Perron on a PTO. If he impressed during training camp and earned himself a contract, he could be a solid pickup for the Sabres' bottom six. He could also be a great mentor for the Sabres' young players and give them a player who has won the Stanley Cup in the past.
The Philadelphia Flyers have had a busy off-season. Yet, when looking at their current roster, it is fair to wonder if they will consider inviting a player or two to training camp on a professional tryout (PTO) agreement.
When looking at the remaining UFAs still on the market, one player who would be an intriguing player for the Flyers to take a chance on with a PTO is defenseman Nick Blankenburg.
Blankenburg is a puck-moving defenseman who showed this season that he is capable of providing a bit of offense from the point. In 61 games split between the Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche, he set career highs with eight goals, 16 assists, and 24 points.
With the Flyers being in need of another offensive defenseman, there would be no harm in them taking a look at Blankenburg on a PTO. If he didn't stand out at training camp, they could simply not sign him to a contract. However, if he performed well and earned a deal, he could offer them another option for their bottom pairing or seventh defenseman role.
In 176 career NHL games over five seasons split between the Columbus Blue Jackets, Predators, and Avalanche, Blankenburg has posted 18 goals, 40 assists, and 58 points.
Welcome to this edition of "From The Archive". In this recurring series, we open The Hockey News' vault and display some of the top Vancouver Canucks related articles from the past. Today's article comes from Volume 78, Issue 12, where Ken Campbell wrote about the 2025 Calder Cup-winning Abbotsford Canucks.
All Aboard The Silovs Train: Volume 78, Issue 12, June 27, 2025
SHORTLY AFTER THE Abbotsford Canucks began celebrating their Calder Cup championship, a few of the players got to work. Their goalie was busy doing interviews – because he was the biggest reason they won the thing – so he didn’t see his teammates surreptitiously cutting the netting off the Canucks’ goal at Bojangles Coliseum. (Greatest arena name ever, by the way.)
By the time Arturs Silovs was finishing up his on-ice interview, his teammates had managed to remove the mesh from the iron and draped it over his shoulders. It was symbolic in a couple of ways. First, it reminded all who watched the Canucks’ playoff run that Silovs was so simpatico with his net that almost nothing got by him. Second, it was the affirmation that, as the Canucks knew all along, the net indisputably belonged to their 24-year-old Latvian goalie, who seems to have a penchant for playing out of his mind in big games.
Silovs started each of the Canucks’ 24 games during the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs, winning 16 while putting up a .931 save percentage and 2.01 goals-against average. He was also named playoff MVP. But that’s not the half of it. In the final series, the Canucks were outshot 229 to 147 by the Charlotte Checkers, an average of 13.7 shots per game over the six games. In Game 1 of the series, Silovs faced 54 shots. That’s not including the one that went past him when teammate Ty Mueller won a defensive-zone draw in overtime and pulled it directly into the Abbotsford net while Silovs was turning around after taking a drink of water. It was later ruled that Silovs was not set for the play, and the goal was called back before Danila Klimovich scored on the power play in double overtime.
More symbolism. It seemed the only time opponents could figure Silovs out was when he wasn’t ready. But when he was, his play was remarkable. Silovs posted a .934 SP in the final series. One of the key reasons the Canucks won the Calder Cup was that they never lost two straight games. They lost eight times in the playoffs, and in the games after a loss, Silovs went 8-0, tossed up two shutouts and recorded a .948 SP. “Arty’s play in those games was unbelievable,” said Canucks rookie coach Manny Malhotra.
And because of that, Silovs found himself at the top of the mountain, just months after struggling through a disastrous start to the NHL season. He entered the year having created high expectations for himself after getting the Vancouver Canucks to Game 7 of the second round of the playoffs in 2024. In 2023, all he did was lead Latvia, the little engine that could, to a bronze medal at the World Championship. For his efforts, Silovs was named the top goalie and MVP of the tournament. And when he was asked what the Calder Cup win means to him, he spoke like someone who doesn’t expect to be competing for it ever again. “You’re finishing a part of your career with a milestone,” Silovs said. “Not everyone can say they won a Calder Cup, right? I think it’s really special…and I think it’s going to help a lot in the future.”
Yeah, about that. Things are going to get interesting in Vancouver’s crease. The brilliant-but-injury-riddled Thatcher Demko has one year left on his current deal at $5 million, but while trade rumors were swirling, it appeared a contract extension was in the works. The Canucks signed 30-year-old Kevin Lankinen to a five-year, $22.5-million extension that kicks in next season. You’d have to wonder whether they would have done that if they’d known what Silovs was going to accomplish in Abbotsford. For his part, Silovs has one year left on a deal that will pay him $800,000 – whether he plays in the NHL or the minors – before he becomes an RFA with arbitration rights. But what makes all of this so intriguing is that in order to be sent to the minors in 2025-26, Silovs would have to go on waivers. That means the Canucks, if they stay status quo in net, would either have to go with a cumbersome three-goalie setup or risk losing Silovs for nothing. Hence, the Demko rumors that began circulating during the off-season.
We do know that Silovs can play. His body of work in the AHL, internationally and, at times, in the NHL has proven he’s ready to be a full-time NHL goalie. The fact that Latvia chose to name him among the first six players for their 2026 Olympic team is a testament to the faith they have in him to deliver on the world stage. And while he has had his peaks and valleys, he’s not unlike a lot of young goalies who take a few years – and in many cases, a few organizations – to find their places in the hockey world. Silovs is young for a goalie, but he’s also got a cross-section of experience and success that suggests he deserves a sustained shot at proving he can stay in the NHL.
Silovs was brilliant at times for the big club during the 2024 post-season. But when the NHL crease was his to start the regular season, he struggled – and he struggled mightily. He gave up five or more goals in three of his nine starts, and his only two wins of the season came against the Chicago Blackhawks, and we’re not even sure if those even count these days.
Brighter days are ahead, one would presume, for both Silovs and other Canucks prospects who made a push in the playoffs. For the short term, Silovs was intent on living in the moment and enjoying the accomplishment. “It’s so special,” he said. “Basically, I grew up with this team. We started with nearly everyone at the same time. We had some ups and downs, and to manage to win with the same guys is unbelievable.”
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