The NHL's Board of Governors met on Tuesday, and one of the topics they discussed was the pending sale of the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Hoffmann Family from Fenway Sports Group.
The sale was put to a vote, and it passed unanimously.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed to reporters after the meeting that the sale should close before the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft on Friday.
Commissioner Bettman: Penguins sale to Hoffman family should close before the draft
Shortly after the sale was approved, the Penguins released a statement stating that Geoff Hoffmann will serve as the team's Governor, while the alternate governors will be Greg Hoffmann, David Hoffmann, and Kyle Dubas.
"This is a defining moment for our family," Geoff Hoffmann said. "The Penguins represent everything Hoffmann Family of Companies stands for — community, excellence, and long-term thinking. We look forward to building on the team’s success by providing support and resources to both Kyle Dubas and the hockey operations team, as well as the established leadership group on the business side. We're proud to represent this storied franchise and are eager to become an active, invested part of the Pittsburgh community."
In addition to the Penguins, the Hoffmann Family owns the ECHL's Florida Everblades. The Everblades have now won the Kelly Cup five times after winning it this past season.
We've officially reached our 10th Pittsburgh Penguins draft profile with three days to go until the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft.
Tuesday's profile dives into winger Elton Hermansson, a dual-threat right-shot player from Sweden. He started the 2025-26 season with MoDo Hockey's U20 team, producing three goals and nine points in 13 games. He was so good that he earned a call to the men's pro MoDo team. He played in 38 games for them, compiling 11 goals and 21 points.
Hermansson also played for Sweden in the U18s, racking up four goals and 12 points in seven games.
This is a player who has a lot of skill, but the projections for when he could get drafted are all over the place. Some pundits have him as a sure-fire first-round pick, while others have him sliding to the second round.
Personally, I think it would be nuts if he didn't go in the first round, even though he needs to be a bit more consistent. However, he's a strong duel-threat winger with excellent passing and shooting capabilities.
His vision is absurd, and he has a great way of finding players, even when they don't look to be open. I saw him fit pucks through lanes with multiple sticks in the way, leading to strong scoring chances and goals.
Hermansson's release is a thing of beauty, especially from the left circle. He scored multiple goals from that area this past season, and the puck exploded off his stick each time. Even when he's not being set up with one-timers from that spot, he can score from anywhere in the offensive zone and also has a really nice wrist shot. He disguises it really well.
Don't forget about Hermansson's dangling ability, either. He's very silky and can make players miss on a dime. One of my favorite examples of this came during a game between Sweden and Czechia.
The game was tied with less than a minute to go in overtime when a teammate passed him the puck on the left side of the offensive zone. He skated up to the point for a brief moment before making his move, making one player miss before going around another player. He was one-on-one with the goaltender and made a nice move that ultimately led to a save. His teammate then corralled the loose puck and scored the OT winner right after. Even though Hermansson didn't score the goal, he still made it all happen.
His two-way game still needs some work, and I'd like to see his compete level be a bit more consistent, too. There were times during this season when he was going through the motions, but again, both of these qualities can be improved on when he spends the full 2026-27 season with Modo.
Hermansson is a tier below some of my top favorites in the Penguins' range (like Tommy Bleyl, J.P. Hurlbert, and Nikita Klepov), but he'd still be a solid pick if the Penguins opted to select him.
The first round of the 2026 NHL Draft will take place on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
We've officially reached our 10th Pittsburgh Penguins draft profile with three days to go until the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft.
Tuesday's profile dives into winger Elton Hermansson, a dual-threat right-shot player from Sweden. He started the 2025-26 season with MoDo Hockey's U20 team, producing three goals and nine points in 13 games. He was so good that he earned a call to the men's pro MoDo team. He played in 38 games for them, compiling 11 goals and 21 points.
Hermansson also played for Sweden in the U18s, racking up four goals and 12 points in seven games.
This is a player who has a lot of skill, but the projections for when he could get drafted are all over the place. Some pundits have him as a sure-fire first-round pick, while others have him sliding to the second round.
Personally, I think it would be nuts if he didn't go in the first round, even though he needs to be a bit more consistent. However, he's a strong duel-threat winger with excellent passing and shooting capabilities.
His vision is absurd, and he has a great way of finding players, even when they don't look to be open. I saw him fit pucks through lanes with multiple sticks in the way, leading to strong scoring chances and goals.
Hermansson's release is a thing of beauty, especially from the left circle. He scored multiple goals from that area this past season, and the puck exploded off his stick each time. Even when he's not being set up with one-timers from that spot, he can score from anywhere in the offensive zone and also has a really nice wrist shot. He disguises it really well.
Don't forget about Hermansson's dangling ability, either. He's very silky and can make players miss on a dime. One of my favorite examples of this came during a game between Sweden and Czechia.
The game was tied with less than a minute to go in overtime when a teammate passed him the puck on the left side of the offensive zone. He skated up to the point for a brief moment before making his move, making one player miss before going around another player. He was one-on-one with the goaltender and made a nice move that ultimately led to a save. His teammate then corralled the loose puck and scored the OT winner right after. Even though Hermansson didn't score the goal, he still made it all happen.
His two-way game still needs some work, and I'd like to see his compete level be a bit more consistent, too. There were times during this season when he was going through the motions, but again, both of these qualities can be improved on when he spends the full 2026-27 season with Modo.
Hermansson is a tier below some of my top favorites in the Penguins' range (like Tommy Bleyl, J.P. Hurlbert, and Nikita Klepov), but he'd still be a solid pick if the Penguins opted to select him.
The first round of the 2026 NHL Draft will take place on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
That, of course, makes life a little different for the club’s amateur scouting staff leading up to the 2026 NHL draft. Barring a trade, the Flyers will pick at 21st overall. It’s their lowest first-round spot since 2020.
So the Flyers know the draft is still critical to what they want to do, even when they’re lower in the order.
“We’ve said it for a long time, we wanted to build a team that was going to be here for a long time; not just to go for it for a year or two,” general manager Danny Briere said last month. “That’s still the same approach on my end.”
After the recent trade with the Maple Leafs, the Flyers have only four picks in this draft, which will be held June 26-27. The first round is Friday at 7 p.m. ET, while Rounds 2-7 are Saturday starting at 11 a.m. ET.
“I’ll tell you how I feel about drafts and I’ll be totally blunt with you,” TSN director of scouting Craig Button said June 2 in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I think it’s f—ing bulls–t when I hear about, ‘Oh, this draft isn’t as good.’ Here are the numbers. Approximately 45 players from any draft will play 350 games or more in the NHL. It might be 47 one year, 42 another year. That’s the number — you get 45 players that’ll play 350 games or more with varying degrees of success.
“And I know this about the draft. The teams that get good players from the draft say it was a good draft. The teams that don’t get good players from the draft say it wasn’t a good draft. So when people start telling me about a draft ahead of time, I call bulls–t.”
“What you’re trying to do is find a player that you feel has the potential to be an NHL player,” Button said. “That might be a third-line center, that might be a second-line scoring winger. Hey, listen, maybe you get David Pastrnak, who’s a superstar (drafted 25th overall in 2014).
“But the focus has to be on, ‘OK, what type of player do we like, what type of player do we think the guy can be?’ And then get after it and understand what the development path is, and then try to help that player be the best he can be. Put a stake in the ground and celebrate who you’re drafting.”
Before the draft arrives, we’re breaking down first-round targets for the Flyers.
Next up:
Mathis Preston
Position: Winger Height: 5-foot-11 Weight: 172 Shoots: Right Team: Vancouver
Scouting report
Preston is an ultra-talented prospect who had a difficult draft year. But his upside is abundantly clear.
He can do damage with an advanced shot and high-end speed.
The 17-year-old put up 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) through just 46 games this season in the WHL. He finished with Vancouver after being traded from Spokane in January. Not long after joining the Giants, he had to miss significant time because of a knee injury, according to The Province’s Steve Ewen.
“We didn’t get to see him really feel super comfortable for a guy that was kind of projected to be more of an offensive leader, like a 90-point guy heading into the season,” Ellis said. “And he wasn’t remotely close. Some of that was out of his control.”
Despite the injury and his season being split between two teams, Preston still recorded 4.3 shots per game.
“There are points where he pulls off these great moves and then they fall apart all of a sudden,” Ellis said. … “It feels like he has got all the tools to be a really good player, but then there are just points where it’s just not working. Is it a point of he’s snakebitten or is it a point of he’s just making some of the wrong plays in the end?”
Preston is the 22nd-ranked player on Ellis’ final top-120 draft board. His status possibly saw a boost at the 2026 IIHF U-18 World Junior Championship, a tournament that ended last month. He had six points (two goals, four assists) and 21 shots in five games for Team Canada.
“It almost feels like he’s a guy that will play better when he has got smarter guys around him to get the puck to,” Ellis said. “When you watch him at the under-18s, he was one of the better players on Canada in that tournament. It felt like he was the one that anytime Canada needed a goal, he was making something happen.”
Preston’s shot and speed should intrigue the Flyers. Those strengths are needs for the Flyers and they give Preston a ceiling of a top-six winger.
It’s not ideal, though, that he plays on the wing. The Flyers a pretty well-stocked with young wingers. Preston also hasn’t quite met the hype around his game, which may cause some reservation.
But the Flyers have shown a willingness to take swings on talent. Preston could be appealing talent at No. 21.
The NHL is exploring potential expansion to Texas with Houston and Austin among the possibilities, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The league’s Board of Governors had their annual post-Stanley Cup Final and pre-draft meeting on Tuesday in New York. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the expansion consideration had not been announced. ESPN and Sportsnet were first to report the move.
While there is no guarantee the NHL adds a 33rd team, it is a first step toward becoming the largest professional sports league in North America, surpassing the NFL. Commissioner Gary Bettman in recent years has been careful to say officials were listening to expressions of interest from prospective owners in places like Houston and Atlanta but not yet engaged in a formal path toward expansion.
The league last expanded to 32 with the Seattle Kraken beginning play in 2021 after the Vegas Golden Knights started in the 2017-18 season. Before that, there had been 30 teams since 2000, when Columbus and Minnesota entered.
The recent success stories, combined with booming franchise values across sports, spurred talk of expansion in hockey circles, especially because expansion fees could exceed $1 billion. Seattle paid $650 million and Las Vegas $500 million.
From Florida to Texas to California and places in between, the NHL has enjoyed strong popularity across the Sun Belt and non-traditional hockey markets over the past four decades. Teams were added in South Florida and Tampa in Florida, San Jose and Anaheim in California, Nashville, Tennessee, and Las Vegas while relocations put teams in Dallas and Raleigh, North Carolina, Denver and elsewhere.
Teams in those places have won the Stanley Cup the past seven years in a row and 13 times dating to Colorado’s championship run in 1995-96.
The NHL is exploring potential expansion to Texas with Houston and Austin among the possibilities, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The league’s Board of Governors had their annual post-Stanley Cup Final and pre-draft meeting on Tuesday in New York. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the expansion consideration had not been announced. ESPN and Sportsnet were first to report the move.
While there is no guarantee the NHL adds a 33rd team, it is a first step toward becoming the largest professional sports league in North America, surpassing the NFL. Commissioner Gary Bettman in recent years has been careful to say officials were listening to expressions of interest from prospective owners in places like Houston and Atlanta but not yet engaged in a formal path toward expansion.
The league last expanded to 32 with the Seattle Kraken beginning play in 2021 after the Vegas Golden Knights started in the 2017-18 season. Before that, there had been 30 teams since 2000, when Columbus and Minnesota entered.
The recent success stories, combined with booming franchise values across sports, spurred talk of expansion in hockey circles, especially because expansion fees could exceed $1 billion. Seattle paid $650 million and Las Vegas $500 million.
From Florida to Texas to California and places in between, the NHL has enjoyed strong popularity across the Sun Belt and non-traditional hockey markets over the past four decades. Teams were added in South Florida and Tampa in Florida, San Jose and Anaheim in California, Nashville, Tennessee, and Las Vegas while relocations put teams in Dallas and Raleigh, North Carolina, Denver and elsewhere.
Teams in those places have won the Stanley Cup the past seven years in a row and 13 times dating to Colorado’s championship run in 1995-96.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The New Jersey Devils traded Simon Nemec to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday, getting draft picks for the 22-year-old defenseman.
In new general manager Sunny Mehta’s first major roster transaction, the Devils received two future conditional first-round picks, as well as No. 35 overall this year and prospect Etienne Morin for Nemec and winger Maxim Tsyplakov.
There had been buzz in recent weeks that Nemec was interested in a change of scenery. The right-handed shooting Slovak is just 22 years old and 159 games into his NHL career since New Jersey selected him with the second pick in the draft in 2022.
The first-rounders are top-10 protected, with Calgary potentially parting ways with one in each in some combination of 2027, ‘28 and ’29.
Morin, 21, is a left shot defenseman who spent last season in the minors.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The New Jersey Devils traded Simon Nemec to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday, getting draft picks for the 22-year-old defenseman.
In new general manager Sunny Mehta’s first major roster transaction, the Devils received two future conditional first-round picks, as well as No. 35 overall this year and prospect Etienne Morin for Nemec and winger Maxim Tsyplakov.
There had been buzz in recent weeks that Nemec was interested in a change of scenery. The right-handed shooting Slovak is just 22 years old and 159 games into his NHL career since New Jersey selected him with the second pick in the draft in 2022.
The first-rounders are top-10 protected, with Calgary potentially parting ways with one in each in some combination of 2027, ‘28 and ’29.
Morin, 21, is a left shot defenseman who spent last season in the minors.
With the 2026 NHL Draft just a few days away, there appears to be more clarity regarding three prospects the New York Rangers could look to target at the fifth overall pick.
The 18-year-old defenseman was the youngest player at the 2026 Winter Olympics, representing Latvia and recording two assists in four games while averaging 18:44 minutes per game.
In 38 games for Jukurit in Liiga, Finland's top league, Šmits recorded six goals, seven assists, and 13 points.
The 17-year-old defenseman is coming off a season with the University of North Dakota, in which he posted 17 points through his first 22 collegiate games, but he had only three assists in his final 14 games.
Carels, a 6-foot-2, 198-pound defenseman, ranked third among all North American skaters in the NHL Central Scouting Rankings.
The 17-year-old defenseman is coming off a season with the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League, in which he recorded 20 goals, 53 assists, and 73 points in 58 games.
Despite some speculation regarding the Rangers’ interest in center Viggo Björck, Wheeler reports that he hasn’t gotten any indication that they’re going to be the team to take Björck.
There has also been talk of the Rangers moving back from the fifth overall pick, according to Wheeler, although it’s unclear exactly what the team would be seeking in return if they were to move down.
With the 2026 NHL Draft just a few days away, there appears to be more clarity regarding three prospects the New York Rangers could look to target at the fifth overall pick.
The 18-year-old defenseman was the youngest player at the 2026 Winter Olympics, representing Latvia and recording two assists in four games while averaging 18:44 minutes per game.
In 38 games for Jukurit in Liiga, Finland's top league, Šmits recorded six goals, seven assists, and 13 points.
The 17-year-old defenseman is coming off a season with the University of North Dakota, in which he posted 17 points through his first 22 collegiate games, but he had only three assists in his final 14 games.
Carels, a 6-foot-2, 198-pound defenseman, ranked third among all North American skaters in the NHL Central Scouting Rankings.
The 17-year-old defenseman is coming off a season with the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League, in which he recorded 20 goals, 53 assists, and 73 points in 58 games.
Despite some speculation regarding the Rangers’ interest in center Viggo Björck, Wheeler reports that he hasn’t gotten any indication that they’re going to be the team to take Björck.
There has also been talk of the Rangers moving back from the fifth overall pick, according to Wheeler, although it’s unclear exactly what the team would be seeking in return if they were to move down.
On Tuesday, the New Jersey Devils traded the Russian forward, along with defenseman Simon Nemec to the Calgary Flames, in exchange for the New York Rangers' 2026 second-round pick, the Vegas Golden Knights' 2027 first-round pick, the Colorado Avalanche's 2028 first-round pick and prospect Etienne Morin.
The Islanders traded Tsyplakov on Jan. 8 to the Devils in exchange for Ondrej Palat and their 2026 third-round pick before flipping that pick to the New York Rangers to acquire Carson Soucy.
Tsyplakov, who was in the first season of a two-year extension worth $2.25 million annually, recorded 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 126 games with Long Island.
With New Jersey, Tsyplakov recorded just one goal and one assist in 22 games.
Sunny Mehta has made his first trade as general manager of the New Jersey Devils.
On Tuesday afternoon, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the Devils were trading defenseman Simon Nemec to the Calgary Flames.
NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman quickly confirmed that Nemec and forward Maxim Tsyplakov would go to Calgary in exchange for a second-round pick this season, a first-round pick in 2027, a first-round pick in 2028 (both top 10 protected), and Etienne Morin
Nemec & Tsyplakov for 2nd (NYR) this year, Vegas 1st 2027, COL 1st 2028 (both top 10 protected) & Etienne Morin https://t.co/iJclSTQhWH
Per the team, the conditions of the picks are as follows:
* The first-round pick that is acquired by Calgary from the Vegas Golden Knights in either the 2027 or 2028 NHL Draft (whichever first-round pick Calgary receives from its January 18, 2026 trade with Vegas).
* The first-round pick that is acquired by Calgary from Colorado in either the 2028 or 2029 NHL Draft (whichever first-round pick Calgary receives from its March 6, 2026 trade with the Colorado Avalanche).
New Jersey now holds six picks in the 2026 NHL Draft (one first, two seconds including one from the New York Rangers, a fourth, fifth, and sixth).
Morin is a 21-year-old defenseman who spent last season with Calgary’s minor-league affiliates, the Calgary Wranglers (AHL) and the Rapid City Rush (ECHL).
Nemec was drafted second overall by New Jersey in 2022. He has appeared in 155 NHL games with the Devils and 112 in the American Hockey League with the Utica Comets. The 22-year-old appeared in 68 games for the Devils during the 2025-26 season, recording 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists).
New Jersey acquired Maxim Tsyplakov on January 27 from the New York Islanders for Ondrej Palat, a 3rd-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a 6th-round pick in 2027. In 22 games with the Devils, he scored one goal.
Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Islanders hired Stanley Cup winner Pascal Dupuis as director of player development, the team announced Tuesday.
Dupuis, 47, spent the past three seasons in the front office for the Shawinigan Cataractes in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League and has been with the team in various capacities the past six years since becoming a co-owner.
“Pascal is exactly the kind of person we want shaping the next generation of Islanders,” general manager Mathieu Darche said. “Pascal’s perspective will be invaluable for our developing players who are trying to find their way to the Islanders. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the organization.”
Dupuis played 15 years in the NHL and was part of Pittsburgh’s title team in 2009.
“His story is one every young player in our system can learn from as nothing was handed to him,” Darche said. “He was undrafted, found his way to the NHL through his tireless work ethic and built a career playing over 800 NHL games."
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Islanders hired Stanley Cup winner Pascal Dupuis as director of player development, the team announced Tuesday.
Dupuis, 47, spent the past three seasons in the front office for the Shawinigan Cataractes in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League and has been with the team in various capacities the past six years since becoming a co-owner.
“Pascal is exactly the kind of person we want shaping the next generation of Islanders,” general manager Mathieu Darche said. “Pascal’s perspective will be invaluable for our developing players who are trying to find their way to the Islanders. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the organization.”
Dupuis played 15 years in the NHL and was part of Pittsburgh’s title team in 2009.
“His story is one every young player in our system can learn from as nothing was handed to him,” Darche said. “He was undrafted, found his way to the NHL through his tireless work ethic and built a career playing over 800 NHL games."
The Buffalo Sabres announced on Tuesday their exhibition schedule for the 2026-27 season. The schedule has been reduced to four games, due to the new NHL - NHLPA collective bargaining agreement and the league moving to an 84-game regular season for the first time.
The club will play twice at KeyBank Center and twice on the road in late September, with the regular season slated to begin before the end of the month. The Sabres will open on the road in Pittsburgh against the Penguins on Monday, September 21, and will play at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, September 22. The final two games will be in Detroit against the Red Wings on Thursday, September 24, and against the Penguins in a Saturday matinee on Saturday, September 26th.
The chatter regarding Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram has become red-hot in the days leading up to the NHL Draft at KeyBank Center this weekend. The 26-year-old blueliner is in the second year of a two-year, $12.5 million bridge deal and Buffalo GM Jarmo Kekalainen indicated last month that he is interested in extending the 25-year-old, coming off a career-high 42-point season, but in the last week there have been indicators that Byram is either looking for a new deal well out of the Sabres price range or that he through agent Darren Ferris has communicated that he will to play out the final year of his deal and hit the free agent market next summer.
Sabres trade Michael Kesselring to the San Jose Sharks
Byram is listed only behind Detroit team captain Dylan Larkin on The Athletic’s Trade Board. Kekalainen earlier this month moved out RFA blueliner Michael Kesselring in a deal with the San Jose Sharks, but the big right-hander was not much of a factor witn Buffalo last season The Stanley Cup winner was a big part of the Sabres top four, along with Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, and Owen Power, and his departure would mark a significant downgrade of their defensive corps.
The Sabres do not have an obvious replacement for Byram on their roster, with 2025 first rounder Radim Mrtka likely starting his pro career in Rochester next season, veterans Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley heading for free agency, and righties Conor Timmins and Zach Metsa better suited for bottom-pairing duties. Kekalainen is in a difficult position, since the return for Byram will be mitigated by his contract status and the knowledge that whoever he is traded to will likely be a one-year rental.
Rochester goalie Devon Levi also appears on the list. The 24-year-old has played most of the last three seasons with the Amerks and will not be waiver exempt next season. With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon, and Colten Ellis on the NHL roster, the Sabres face the prospect of losing the youngster for nothing on waivers after training camp or moving him for a draft pick. With a number of clubs looking for inexpensive starters, tandem goalies and backups, Kekalainen should not have a problem finding a new home for Levi.
