The NHL’s 2025-26 season is at the quarter mark, so it’s a great time to look at positive surprises and disappointments at this point in the year.

We began this process by examining the teams that have surprised positively. In this file, we’re focusing on teams that have been disappointments up to this point. Here are five teams in alphabetical order.

Edmonton Oilers

After falling short in back-to-back duels in the Stanley Cup finals, the Edmonton Oilers had sky-high expectations entering this season. To say they’ve failed to live up to them so far is a major understatement.

In 23 games, Edmonton has posted a thoroughly mediocre 9-9-5 record and sank to 12th place in the Western Conference.

Their offense hasn’t been terrific, but their defense has been a serious issue, as their goals-against average is fifth-worst in the league at 3.57 per game. Even for this offense-heavy Oilers team, that is a lot.

The Oilers don’t have much in the way of salary cap space, but they made multiple moves this past summer, and it feels like GM Stan Bowman is locked in with this current group.

It would still shock many if they failed to make the playoffs. However, their performance roughly 25 percent into the season suggests that’s not nearly as far-fetched a situation as once thought.  

New York Rangers

The New York Rangers re-jigged their defense corps and made some calculated changes up front in the off-season, but the Blueshirts came out of the gate poorly. To add to that, they own the worst home record in the NHL at 1-7-1.

It’s no wonder that the Rangers sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference with a 10-10-2 record. Getting just one win at Madison Square Garden is certainly a factor.

Defense and goaltending have been relative bright spots for this Rangers team, but offense has been another story.

New York's 2.50 goals-per-game average is third-worst in the league, ahead of only the Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators. When you compare where the Flames and Preds are in the standings to the Rangers, it makes sense that the Blueshirts are where they are in the standings.

St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues were an inspiration last year with a late-season charge and a memorable playoff appearance against the Winnipeg Jets in the first round. 

However, this season, they’ve been dreadful, owning the league’s worst goals-against average of 3.76 and currently sitting in 13th in the West with a 6-9-6 record.

Some believe the Blues will be selling off talent as they balance the need between staying competitive and shipping off some of their veteran players.

Blues Place Alexandre Texier On Waivers To Terminate ContractAlexandre Texier's time with the St. Louis Blues is officially coming to an end, and it looks like he already has options to sign with another team.

For the long haul, making some trades is the right thing to do for St. Louis. Better that than being a "mushy middle" team that comes close, but ultimately fails to make the playoffs.

Toronto Maple Leafs

When the Toronto Maple Leafs were winning a lot of the time – as they were last year, and many regular seasons before that – there was never any question they’d be a playoff team.

But suddenly, there are plenty of questions after 21 games. Only the Buffalo Sabres are lower in the Eastern Conference standings than Toronto, and its 9-9-3 record. That’s about as bad a start as anyone could have forecast for the Leafs.

The injury bug has bitten hard into the Maple Leafs' lineup, but their poor defense, among other inconsistencies, has resulted in their drop in the standings.

Do The Maple Leafs Have 'Too Much Vanilla' Or Not Enough Marner?Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving said the solution to dealing with the team's bad start is not to point fingers and dig in together. But they seriously need Marner's two-way play right now.

They’re going to get some of their injured players back soon enough, but it’s getting later and later to turn their season around, and before they know it, it will be too late. 

Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks had an all-around miserable season last year, and this season, the misery looks to be continuing. Vancouver has a 9-11-2 record, which puts them in 14th place in the West.

While it’s currently a close race where only four points separate the Canucks from the Winnipeg Jets in the second wild-card spot, there are a lot of hungry playoff contenders for Vancouver to leap over.

Thus, the Canucks need a reversal of fortune sooner rather than later. First-year coach Adam Foote has a tough task ahead of him, and who knows – Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin may supervise some roster changes.

“I’d Probably Say Wing Right Now”: Canucks Head Coach Adam Foote Speaks On What Position He Believes Best Fits Lukas ReichelLukas Reichel has reportedly been made available for trade; here's where Canucks Head Coach Adam Foote believes he fits into the lineup.

But two straight seasons without playoff hockey in Vancouver would be a disaster, so there’s real pressure to turn things around. Only time will tell whether this group responds well to the challenge.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Brayden Schenn and Pius Suter scored goals and the St. Louis Blues snapped a four-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders on Saturday.

Jordan Binnington finished with 28 saves for the Blues, whose four straight losses included three in either overtime or a shootout.

Anders Lee scored for the Islanders and Ilya Sorokin made 20 saves, but the Islanders fell in the opening game of a seven-game homestand following a successful seven-game road trip in which they went 6-1-0.

Schenn gave St. Louis the lead just 42 seconds into the game when he buried a pass from Pavel Buchnevich to deflate the home crowd at UBS Arena.

Sorokin made a sprawling glove save in the final two minutes of the first period to preserve the one-goal deficit, but the stop did not jump-start the Islanders’ offense.

Suter extended the Blues’ lead to 2-0 when he scored on a rebound with 2:09 remaining in the second period.

Lee cut the Islanders' deficit in half with 3:20 remaining in the third period.

Blues defenseman Justin Faulk left the game late in the third period.

It was only the second time this season the Islanders failed to score more than one goal.

Up Next

Blues: Visit New York Rangers on Monday night.

Islanders: Host Seattle Kraken on Sunday.

Follow Michael Whitaker On X

The Detroit Red Wings managed to seize victory from the jaws of defeat on Saturday afternoon, wrestling two points away from the Columbus Blue Jackets thanks to a two-goal third period comeback that was capped by the overtime game-winner from Alex DeBrincat. 

DeBrincat cut down the wing and roofed a shot into the upper corner of the net past goaltender Jet Greaves, guaranteeing the extra point for the Red Wings and giving them the victory in the wake of what was a disappointing 5-0 shutout loss to the New York Islanders on Thursday evening. 

It was DeBrincat’s seventh goal of the season, and he scored it in true goal-scorer’s fashion, finding a sliver of open net from a sharp angle, just as he has throughout his entire NHL career.

ALEX DEBRINCAT COMPLETES THE COMEBACK IN @ENERGIZER OT 🫨 pic.twitter.com/GIl4tRplsK

— NHL (@NHL) November 22, 2025

Afterward, head coach Todd McLellan said DeBrincat is one of the few players he’d want to have the puck on his stick in that moment.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

"That's a tough spot for goaltenders to cover," McLellan said. "You see a lot of shots even going in off helmets, the goaltender's mask or helmet. That's what Cat does. We pay him to make that shot. He's done it his whole career. I can't think of, maybe another one or two guys I'd want in that situation, but Cat would certainly be one of them." 

DeBrincat himself chalked it up to a bit of luck on his part. 

"I saw him down on the post as I was going by that guy (Blue Jackets defenseman) and I feel a lot of goalies do that nowadays and you just have to hopefully find your spot," DeBrincat said of his goal. "Maybe a little lucky there, but at that point in overtime, it's probably my last rush to create something and just lucky enough to put it in."

However, it’s easy to argue that for a player like DeBrincat—who has twice scored 40 goals and added 39 more last season—a shot like that was pure talent, not luck.

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For the better part of the season, the Florida Panthers have hung around the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings, despite not being separated by many points.

But, a recent strong stretch with more consistent performances has reintroduced the Panthers back into the division race, and now they sit just four points back of the division-leading Detroit Red Wings with two games in hand. 

There are still teams between the Panthers and Red Wings. The Boston Bruins sit in second with 26 points, three more than the Panthers, but the Panthers have three games in hand. The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Ottawa Senators sit one point ahead of the Panthers with the same number of games played. 

The Montreal Canadiens are currently tied with the Panthers for 23 points, and the Toronto Maple Leafs sit two points back. The Buffalo Sabres sit in last in the Atlantic with 20 points. 

The division is very tight, and there has been plenty of movement in the standings through the first 20 games or so, but the Panthers have the experience to take advantage of the opportunities given to them. 

The Panthers are about to enter a stretch of games against teams on the outside looking in, when referring to the playoffs, and it's time they go on a run. It all starts tonight with a rematch against the Edmonton Oilers before matchups with the Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames, Maple Leafs, Predators and Columbus Blue Jackets. 

Sergei Bobrovsky will be in between the pipes tonight when the Panthers host Connor McDavid and the Oilers. 

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"Probably one of the best days of my life."

That's how Jonathan Aspirot described his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins on October 28th, following a 5-2 comeback win over the New York Islanders.

A few weeks earlier, Aspirot had been having a fine 2025 training camp with the Bruins after signing with the organization over the summer. Some observers even felt he was a decent bet to make the team, but when the final cuts came, Aspirot was sent to the American Hockey League for his seventh straight season there.

But as he got to work again in Providence, Rhode Island, with the odds starting to stack against him at age 26, he was still hopeful that providence would smile on him.

"I try to believe in myself all the time, just trying to keep up positive thinking and just keep working and keep believing in my dream," Aspirot told the media after his debut

The NHL dream started to take shape back in his days with the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats, where he was teammates with future Senator Jordan Spence. That's where the Sens noticed Aspirot for the first time, and while he was passed over in the NHL Draft, the Sens did sign him to a two-year AHL contract with Belleville ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.

GM Pierre Dorion liked what he saw that season and signed him to a three-year entry-level agreement with Ottawa. Aspirot spent the next three years in the organization without getting a sniff in Ottawa, and in 2023, the Sens chose not to sign him to a qualifying offer.

The same thing then happened in Aspirot's next stop.

He signed yet another AHL deal, this time with the Calgary Wranglers. The Flames liked what they saw and gave him an NHL deal for 2024-25. Last spring, they chose not to sign him to a qualifying offer.

Rinse and repeat.

But this year in Boston, Aspirot's solid performance at camp was still fresh on the mind of GM Don Sweeney, a man who spent 15 years patrolling Boston's blue line. Sweeney has been pulling his hair out with injuries this season, including the one to Charlie McAvoy, who took a puck to the face and had facial surgery this week.

But even before that, fellow defensemen Hampus Lindholm and Jordan Harris both went down in October, and Harris is still on LTIR with a right ankle fracture. When Lindholm was briefly placed on injured reserve on October 26th, Sweeney called on Aspirot to make his NHL debut.

As Aspirot can now attest, making the NHL is extremely hard. But staying in the NHL is even harder.

241 men have come and gone in NHL history with only one career game to their credit. As they lived out their dream in a perfect, glorious moment, they had no idea their first game would also be their last. Given how long it took to get here, Aspirot was certainly a candidate to join the NHL's one-and-done club.

But his debut was almost a month ago, and he's played in 10 of the club's last 12 games. He looks right at home in the show..

"He never really has chances against," Bruins head coach Marco Sturm told the media. "That's where I look a lot of times. He never really shows up in a bad way, again, because of his skating mobility and his core, because he's very, very strong and thick.

"He closes a lot quicker than other guys, and he competes. Given that he competes hard, he fights for his job every day, and that's something I really like about him."

As the Senators went shopping this week for a decent NHL defenseman who could add to their left-shot depth, it turns out they may have had a pretty good future option in Aspirot a couple of years ago. That's not to scold the team for letting him walk. He was here for four years, and at some point, you have to turn the page and take a look at other prospects.

What raises an eyebrow? He was here for the very darkest years of the Senators' long rebuild, as they rostered some very fringe NHL veterans, and they didn't bring him up for a single NHL shift in four years.

Aspirot's accomplishment is not only a fine tale of perseverance, but it's a good reminder that so-called 'older' hockey prospects who haven't made it yet aren't necessarily washed up in their mid-20s.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

This article was originally published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Read more:

Without His Wingman, Sens Top Gun Tim Stützle Continues Relentless Drive To Improve
Report: Ottawa Senators Place Swedish Winger On Waivers
NHL Insider Says Senators Are 'Looking To Hit A Home Run' On The Trade Market
Former Senator Returns To Ottawa In Monday Trade With Philadelphia
Senators Have Big UFA Contract Decisions In Next Few Years (Who Stays And Who Goes?)
Four More Years: Shane Pinto Signs Four-Year Extension

Flyers rip off three goals in 26 seconds to run away from Devils originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

So much for those slow starts.

The Flyers erupted for four first-period goals Saturday night en route to a resounding 6-3 win over the Devils at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Their second, third and fourth goals all came within a span of 26 seconds, sending the crowd into an absolute frenzy, perhaps the loudest it has been here this season.

According to Flyers media information, it marked the franchise’s fastest three-goal spurt ever.

“I’ve lived it here, this crowd,” Rick Tocchet said. “When they get something to cheer about, it’s loud.”

Prior to Saturday night, the Flyers had been outscored 9-1 in the first period over their last six games.

Tyson Foerster took the roof off the building with back-to-back goals in 17 seconds to make it 4-1. The 23-year-old winger was asked if that was the loudest he had heard the building in his time here.

“Yeah,” Foerster said, “and when Anaheim came to town [last season].”

Noah Cates started the onslaught with a game-tying 1-1 goal. Matvei Michkov then gave the Flyers the lead 3:06 minutes later on a breakaway.

“Some good shots, some nice plays,” Tocchet said. “It was a good start.”

Bobby Brink added a goal in the second period. Trevor Zegras put New Jersey away with a third-period goal.

“It was nice to have that killer instinct,” Tocchet said.

Cates (one goal, two assists), Foerster (two goals) and Sean Couturier (two assists) finished with multi-point games.

“I think we worked pretty well on the forecheck and created chances off of that,” Couturier said.

The Flyers (11-6-3) have picked up at least a point in 12 of their last 16 games (10-4-2).

This was the first of three matchups between the Flyers and Devils (13-7-1) this season. New Jersey was without star forward Jack Hughes, who’s recovering from finger surgery.

• The offense was nice for the Flyers, who have struggled to score in parts of the season.

But through 20 games, the Flyers have given up just 2.80 goals per game.

“We’re hungry to learn and keep building,” Cates said. “That’s the best part about it.”

Last season, the Flyers were 8-10-2 through 20 games and had surrendered 3.50 goals per game.

The efforts defensively and in net have been huge.

“I’ve seen some really good things,” Tocchet said. “Obviously the goalies have been really good for us.

“If we can continue to play well without the puck, give our goalies sight lines, let them play half the net, then we can work on other stuff. I do like the play without the puck.”

• Dan Vladar converted 32 saves on 35 shots.

He made an excellent third-period stop to deny a 2-on-1 opportunity for the Devils. It was a big save because a goal there would have provided New Jersey some life. But Vladar kept it a 5-2 game.

“Just timely saves with him has been this whole season,” Cates said. “He has just been huge for us — in the locker room, on the ice. Just stability for us to play our game.”

The Devils scored their third goal later in the final stanza, but it came with just 6:35 minutes left. Zegras then padded the Flyers’ lead back to three.

New Jersey opened the scoring with a power play goal. It didn’t score again until the second period when the Flyers had a commanding 5-1 lead.

Devils netminder Jake Allen had a rough first period. He stopped 23 of 29 shots on the night.

• Nikita Grebenkin was a healthy scratch for the fourth time in the last five games. More on that here.

Egor Zamula entered the lineup for Noah Juulsen, who sat for the first time this season. Playing alongside Nick Seeler, Zamula was on the ice for five of the Flyers’ goals. He finished as a plus-5 and so did Seeler.

“Overall, the team played very good,” Zamula said. … “Vladdy was outstanding, some key saves.”

• After holding a celebration of life Friday night for Bernie Parent, the Flyers saluted their legendary goaltender before Saturday night’s game.

A video tribute was played and a replica of Parent’s iconic white mask was placed on the Flyers’ net.

The Hockey Hall of Famer died Sept. 21 at the age of 80.

A “Bernie” chant as Flyers honor the late Bernie Parent with a white mask on the net. pic.twitter.com/kZTQCfrQPi

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) November 23, 2025

• Next up for the Flyers is a four-game road trip, which starts Monday against the Lightning (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

The Buffalo Sabres have a lengthy list of injured players and got one back in their lineup on Friday with Jason Zucker returning after missing three weeks due to a virus, but early in the second period of their 9-3 victory over Chicago, it appeared that that list would get larger. Defenseman Bowen Byram, who had scored his fourth goal of the season in the first period, fell awkwardly into the boards after checking Hawks forward Frank Nazar.

Byram had trouble getting back to his skates, and was favoring his right shoulder when he skated off the ice and down the tunnel to the Sabres locker room, but surprisingly returned after five minutes of game time and played a regular shift the rest of the game, finishing with 18:01 on the night. 

 "It didn't look good initially. I was pretty worried that was a guy we weren't see come back," Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said. 

Other Sabres Stories

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Ruff said that he was cautiously optimistic that Byram was fine, saying that it was a positive sign that he returned and finished the game, but also said that they would see what tomorrow would bring. The club cancelled a scheduled practice on Saturday and will complete their four-game homestand on Sunday afternoon against Carolina, 

Buffalo may get another injured forward back against the Hurricanes, as Ruff said on Friday that winger Zach Benson could return Sunday. The injured forward has been out since October 30 with a lower-body injury, but took part in the morning skate. Ruff considered the possibility of Benson returning against the Hawks, but opted to keep him out another game. 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram  @MikeInBuffalo

A battle for first place in the Pacific Division commences on Saturday, with the Ducks taking on the Vegas Golden Knights. The Ducks were victorious in the previous matchup in Las Vegas, beating the Golden Knights 4-3 in overtime.

That loss for Vegas was in the midst of an eventual four-game losing streak, but they have won three of their last four games since then and have collected seven points out of a possible eight in that stretch. The Ducks are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday and are looking to get back into the win column.

“(Vegas is) a good hockey team,” Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said. “The third period there, they really had us in our end there. They do a lot of good things. They're very quick, they're very skilled and they're talented. They see plays, make plays 
and they’ve got structure. They’re well-rounded in all areas, very meaningful game for us as well.”

“(Their) transition game is excellent,” Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “A lot of speed, attack-oriented. 
I thought we played well that night. It was a good hockey game, could have went either way. And now what they're going through is they're not sneaking up on teams anymore, right? 
People are aware of (Leo) Carlsson and some of their younger players. So, that's their challenge they have in front of them, and we'll be one of those teams now that we've seen them once, right? So hopefully we're up to the task.”

“They defend well,” Frank Vatrano said. “They're a team that thrives off transition. So, for us, don't be stubborn at lines getting in behind them, and try to create offense from below the goal line.”

“Playing hard the first 10 minutes of the game will be huge for us,” Carlsson said. “Shoot everything from the start, too.”

Defenseman Pavel Mintyukov draws back into the lineup after being a healthy scratch for three consecutive games. Rookie Ian Moore will replace him in the press box.

Report: Defenseman Pavel Mintyukov "Would Like to be Moved if He's Not Going to Play"

“You’ve got seven (defensemen) over a course of the year, everybody's gonna get stretches where you're playing and not playing. 
You’ve got to make some tough decisions sometimes, and that's where it is. I thought he was making some progress in the start of the year to where you're at today. He was killing penalties, coming off a good game in that area. I just think that offensively, there's something there 
I think he can add to our game and his game. I think he's been okay.”

Ducks forward Ryan Poehling (upper-body) participated in morning skate for the first time since his injury on Nov. 13. Quenneville said that Poehling could return by next weekend at the earliest. Mikael Granlund remains out with a lower-body injury, he has not yet skated again since re-aggravating his injury against the Detroit Red Wings on Nov. 13.

Since the last Ducks-Golden Knights matchup, the Golden Knights have lost both forward William Karlsson and defenseman Jérémy Lauzon to injury. Karlsson left that game early with an undisclosed injury and is currently week-to-week. Lauzon is also suffering from an undisclosed injury and was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday.

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Ducks Projected Lines

Cutter Gauthier - Leo Carlsson - Beckett Sennecke
Chris Kreider - Mason McTavish - Troy Terry
Frank Vatrano - Ryan Strome - Alex Killorn
Ross Johnston - Jansen Harkins - Nikita Nesterenko

Jackson LaCombe - Drew Helleson
Olen Zellweger - Jacob Trouba
Pavel Mintyukov - Radko Gudas

Lukáš Dostál (confirmed)

Golden Knights Projected Lines

Ivan Barbashev - Jack Eichel - Braeden Bowman
Pavel Dorofeyev - Tomáš Hertl - Mitch Marner
Brandon Saad - Brett Howden - Reilly Smith
Cole Reinhardt - Colton Sissons - Keegan Kolesar

Brayden McNabb - Shea Theodore
Noah Hanifin - Zach Whitecloud
Ben Hutton - Kaedan Korczak

Akira Schmid (confirmed)

The Buffalo Sabres continued to display their Jekyll and Hyde-like levels of performance in the third game of their four-game homestand against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday. The Sabres gave up four third-period goals in a 6-2 loss to Calgary on Wednesday, who were playing in the second of back--to-back games with a backup goalie between the pipes, but against Chicago backup Arvid Soderblom, the Sabres dropped a nine-spot on the tired Hawks squad in a 9-3 victory at Key Bank Center.  

Alex Tuch led the Sabres with four points, Joah Doan had a pair of goals, and Jason Zucker, in his first game since November 1, had a goal and two assists.  Buffalo equaled the NHL’s season-high for goals in a single game, tying the Colorado Avalanche’s output in a 9-1 romp over the Edmonton Oilers. 

Other Sabres Stories

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

Norris Out Eight Weeks At Least

"I thought it was a great response (to Wednesday's loss). We weren't happy with our game," Sabres leading scorer Tage Thompson said. "It's just keeping things simple. I thought we were hounding pucks on the forecheck, I thought our D zone was great, which which led to a lot of offense for us off the rush, and I think a great middle lane drive on entries, which opened up a lot of space once we entered the blue line there. So we were able to establish the O zone."

Even with an injury-depleted lineup, talent is not the issue with the Sabres, it has been establishing a level of consistency that enables them to earn points with regularity. Thus far, the Sabres have had one five-game losing skid and a pair of three-gamers, while going 4-1-0 in one stretch and 3-1-0 in another. This inconsistency has Buffalo in last spot in the Eastern Conference with an 8-9-4 record.

Buffalo finishes up their four-game homestand on Sunday afternoon against the East-leading Carolina Hurricanes.  

Follow Michael on X, Instagram  @MikeInBuffalo

The St. Louis Blues put Alexandre Texier on unconditional waivers with purpose to terminate his contract.

The #StLBlues put Alexandre Texier on unconditional waivers to terminate his contract.

— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) November 22, 2025

The 26-year-old was placed on waivers Thursday and went unclaimed, thus assigned to Springfield of the American Hockey League on Friday, but to no one's surprise, the forward would not report to the AHL and would look to terminate his contract and sign with a team of his own choosing.

The Blues went through a similar situation with Brandon Saad last season, and he signed a contract with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Texier, who had one assist in eight games with the Blues this season and played 39 games, including 31 last season (six goals, five assists), will thus earn a fresh start elsewhere.

“For ‘Tex,’ he's an outstanding young man and just didn't find any kind of path this year to consistently stay in the lineup,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said on Thursday.

Texier will forfeit the remainder of his two-year, $4.2 million contract he signed ($2.1 million average annual value) after being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 2025 fourth-round pick on June 28, 2024.

* In a separate move announced earlier on Saturday, the Blues recalled defenseman Logan Mailloux from Springfield after assigning Hunter Skinner on Friday.

Mailloux scored two goals in five games with the Thunderbirds.

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Canadian defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk, 28, has signed a contract to play the remainder of the current season with the Shanghai Dragons, the KHL club announced on Saturday.

Shanghai will be Kalynuk’s third KHL team already this season. He spent the 2024-25 season playing for the Lahti Pelicans in Finland following four seasons of pro hockey in North America.

“A mobile defenseman who can play on the power play, moves the puck well, and supports the attack,” is how Dragons GM Igor Varitsky described Kalynuk. “He showed solid performance both in the AHL and in Finland, where he collected 36 points, including 10 goals. Wyatt is already familiar with the KHL after stints in Kazan and Ufa, and he’ll fit into a system he knows well. He’ll bring speed and offensive potential to our blue line.”

Kalynuk was a seventh-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2017 and then spent the next three seasons playing for the University of Wisconsin Badgers, serving as team captain his last season.

Vitali Kravtsov Signs Multi-Year KHL DealKravtsov returns to his KHL roots for a multi-year deal, aiming to recapture his prolific scoring touch with a powerhouse Traktor squad.

Over the next two seasons, Kalynuk played 26 NHL games for the Chicago Blackhawks, recording nine points and six penalty minutes. He’s also spent time in the minor-league systems of the Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues, and went to the training camp of the Arizona Coyotes in 2023.

Kalynuk started this season playing for Ak Bars Kazan, but was traded after just two games to Salavat Yulayev Ufa for another ex-NHLer, Alexander Chmelevski.

“We wish Wyatt Kalynuk the best of luck,” Kazan GM Marat Valiullin said about Kalynuk at the time of the trade. “He’s a good player that we were interested in, but the market dictates its own terms.”

Brendan Leipsic Finds New KHL TeamLeipsic returns to SKA St. Petersburg, rejoining former NHLers and Hall-of-Fame coach Larionov for the KHL playoff push.

In 20 KHL games this season combined, Kalynuk as one goal, four assists, two penalty minutes and is a minus-9.

Through 27 games this season, Shanghai sits seventh in the KHL’s 11-team Western Conference. That marks a significant improvement for the franchise that has missed the playoffs eight straight seasons, when it was known as Kunlun Red Star.

In addition to the rebranding, the team has made significant personnel changes this season, including the hiring of head coach Gerard Gallant and the acquisition of ng Slovak Olympic bronze-medal-winning goaltender Patrik Rybar and ex-NHLers Ryan Spooner. Nick Merkley, Kevin Labanc, Borna Rendulić and Alexander Burmistrov.

Gerard Gallant Takes Over KHL’s Shanghai Dragons Gerard Gallant is the new head coach of the Shanghai Dragons, the KHL club announced on Wednesday.

Nov 16, 2025; Stockholm, SWEDEN; Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Sergei Murashov (1) is presented with a watch after defeating the Nashville Predators in a Global Series ice hockey game at Avicii Arena. Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

After nearly a week off following their trip to Stockholm, Sweden, for the 2025 NHL Global Series, the Nashville Predators return to action Saturday night as they host the Colorado Avalanche at Bridgestone Arena.

The Preds earned a split with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the two-game Global Series. Nashville scored a comeback 2-1 overtime victory Nov. 14 but suffered a disappointing 4-0 shutout loss to the Penguins two days later.

Filip Forsberg scored the game-tying goal in his home country in the Nov. 14 contest, then skated in his 800th career NHL game in the Nov. 16 loss.

With their 6-10-4 record, speculation and rumors that a coaching change might be made during the Preds’ six-day rest period were quashed by general manager Barry Trotz, who said in an interview on 102.5 The Game he has no intention of replacing head coach Andrew Brunette.

The Preds must put their problems and the outside noise behind them as they get back to work. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Saturday night’s game with the Avalanche.

Game Day

Who: Colorado Avalanche (14-1-5) at Nashville Predators (6-10-4)

Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.

When: 7 Pm CST

TV: FanDuel Sports Network South

Radio: 102.5 The Game

Betting line (via BetMGM):

Avalanche

-1.5 (+110)

O 6 (-115)

-220

Predators

+1.5 (-135)

U 6 (-105)

+180

Roman Returns

The Preds got some good news following Saturday morning skate. Head coach Andrew Brunette announced that captain Roman Josi would be back in the lineup for the Avs game.

Josi has been on injured reserve after suffering an upper-body injury. He practiced with the team earlier in the week and was paired with defenseman Nicolas Hague. The two will be paired together for the game.

Cole Smith (upper body) is currently on injured reserve.

Hockey Fights Cancer Night

Saturday’s game is the first of two Hockey Fights Cancer nights the Predators will host this season. Last year, the Nashville Predators Foundation raised $229,365.25 for the 365 Pediatric Cancer Fund.

This game will feature six patient ambassadors from Monroe Carell who will take part in various in-game activities. Preds goalie Juuse Saros will be wearing a specially-designed goalie mask to mark the occasion, which fans can bid on in an auction during the game.

Preds Leaders

Forsberg leads the team with eight goals and 15 points, followed by Ryan O’Reilly with six goals and 13 points. Rookie Matthew Wood also has six goals, and he, along with Michael Bunting (4g-6a), Erik Haula (3g-7a) and Luke Evangelista (2g-8a) all have 10 points each.

Goalie Juuse Saros is 6-7-3 for the season with a 2.97 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage. He has recorded the fifth-most saves in the NHL this season (389); of those, 101 have been classified as high-danger, tied for the fifth-most of any goalie in the League.

Justus Annunen is 0-3-1 with a 3.98 GAA and .849 SP.

Nashville’s power play is 10-for-62 (16.1%), ranking them 25th in the NHL. The penalty kill is 14th at 81.4% (11-of-59).

Scouting The Avalanche

Colorado is atop the NHL standings coming into Saturday with a 14-1-5 mark. The Avs began this season 5-0-3 in their first eight games, tied for the second-longest point streak to begin a season in franchise history.

The 2000-01 team started 9-0-2 in their first 11 contests and the 2019-20 squad also recorded points in its first eight outings (7-0-1).

Nathan MacKinnon leads the team with 36 points (16-20-36). Cale Makar is second with 28 points (8-20-28), followed by Martin Necas (13-15-28).

Former Preds goaltender Scott Wedgewood is 12-1-2 with a 2.23 GAA and .913 SP. Wedgewood led the NHL with seven wins (7-1-2) in the month of October, which matched the second most October victories in franchise history behind only Craig Anderson’s 10 in 2009.

Mackenzie Blackwood is 2-0-1, 3.28 and .870.

On the power play, the Avs rank 23rd in the NHL at 16.7% (13-for-78). The PK is 9-of-64 (85.9), good for fourth overall.

On Thursday, Oscar Fisker Molgaard was recalled to the NHL after playing just 14 games in the AHL with the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Not only would he be joining the big club, but he would be making his NHL debut that night when the Seattle Kraken took on the Chicago Blackhawks.

“When I got the call yesterday, yeah, pure excitement and joy and looking forward to today,” said Fisker Molgaard after Thursday’s morning skate. “Ron told me I’ve been doing a good job and had to get on the plane in a couple hours. It’s been a bit hectic ... just excited to get going. I’m really happy to be here.”

The 20-year-old didn't play a whole lot in his NHL debut, but like he's done at every level, he found a way to make an impact. He skated in just 6:50 of ice time, but he notched his first career NHL point with an assist on the Kraken's first goal of the game. 

The play started with Fisker Molgaard supporting a board battle and being first to the loose puck. Following the scrum, the young center worked to the front of the net where he deflected a puck before it hit off of Tye Kartye, picking up a primary assist. 

it's partye time in chicago! 🥳

and with the primary assist on Tye Kartye's tally, that's @NHL point no. ☝️ for Oscar Fisker Molgaard! pic.twitter.com/agAxMoxdTE

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) November 21, 2025

There wouldn't be many people who would have agreed that Molgaard would be the first player from their 2023 draft class to make his NHL debut, but since arriving in North America this summer, all he's done is impress the Kraken organization.

It began when he was a standout performer in rookie camp and in the rookie showcase. He constantly demonstrated a strong two-way ability and then carried the momentum. The 52nd overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft was one of the final cuts in training camp after playing in five pre-season games. 

The momentum continued as he started his AHL career in top form, showing no issues translating his game. In 14 games, he's recorded three goals and 10 points, tied for fourth in points. 

The Kraken spoke openly about wanting to trust their youth and allow them to shine. So far, they've done that. Berkly Catton remains in the NHL, Jani Nyman and Ryan Winterton are also up with the big club, and now Fisker Molgaard has seemingly skipped several steps in his development. 

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Kraken Prospect Oscar Fisker Molgaard Is Looking To Bring Previous Experience Into AHL Rookie SeasonOscar Fisker Molgaard is gearing up for his first Seattle Kraken training camp and season in the <a href="http://thn.com/ahl">AHL</a>, and he'll be looking to use past experiences to help him.

Every week in the NHL delivers goals, chaos, and occasionally, absolute gems on the microphone. Our “Say What?” series features some of the strangest, funniest, and most telling quotes from players, coaches, and executives around the league. 

This week, the quotes cover everything from existential goaltending philosophies to GMs calling out their own teams, and one player praising his “warrior wife.”

Here are the lines that made us stop scrolling and say… what?

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“Nothing matters, nobody cares, we’re all going to die.” - Devin Cooley

Calgary Flames backup goalie Devin Cooley offered one of the most shockingly honest quotes of the season, saying he calms himself by repeating his quote about nothing mattering.

It sounds dark, but for Cooley, it’s grounding. He says it keeps him from getting too excited, which leads to “stupid stuff” and bad goals. It’s bizarre, a little morbid, and yet somehow very on-brand for a player who might become one of the most quotable characters in the NHL. It also shines an even brighter light on the theory that goaltenders are generally just a little weird.

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“My warrior of a wife had our third daughter while we were on the ice.” - Dylan Strome

Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome announced the birth of his daughter, Sutton Kimberly Strome, on Friday night to reporters. Because it happened earlier than expected, he was unable to make it back to be with his wife, Tayler, in time, and he appeared emotional when discussing it.

“Really proud of her. It’s tough – you obviously want to be there for the birth of your children,” Strome said. “Didn’t know it was coming this soon, but can’t wait to go see her.”

It’s rare to hear a player express something so raw and family-focused during a hectic season, but Strome nailed it. Emotional, honest, and a reminder that hockey players are humans first.

"There was nothing I could do to get back," he said. “Just really proud of her. It’s not easy… For her to do that herself, it’s unbelievable."

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“Next question… sorry, I don’t want to be rude, but I’m not going to say it.” Connor Bedard

After snapping at officials over a missed call, Connor Bedard was asked what he said that earned him a penalty for abuse of officials.

“Next question,” he responded. Realizing that there was probably a better way to word it, he then apologized for being rude to the person who asked the question.

“I have to control my emotions… I put our team in a vulnerable spot,” Bedard said.

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“We don’t expect him to be the best defensive player out there, but everyone’s required to play defense.” - Mike Sullivan

New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan didn’t sugarcoat it when asked about Artemi Panarin’s willingness (or lack thereof) to play defense.

“We don’t expect him to be the best defensive player out there, but everyone’s required to play defense – and that’s the conversation that we have,” he told reporters after the Rangers’ 6-3 defeat to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.

“Everybody knows he drives offense, he’s a talented player. But I think he’s also capable of defending when he’s committed,” Sullivan added.

Coaches rarely call out stars this directly, and it’s intriguing that he’s choosing to do so with so much speculation surrounding the star, as he is a pending UFA on a team outside of a playoff spot.

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“Everyone smells like a brewery.” - Brady Tkachuk

Not long ago, Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk started up their own podcast, called Wingmen. In a recent episode, the brothers shared what it’s like for NHL players returning to their teams after the Christmas break. 

They discussed the NHL’s mandate that no team travels on Dec. 26th, which forces players to report to their teams early on the 27th, while they recover from their holiday festivities.

“It is the worst pre-game skate of the year, by far,” Matthew said. “The good thing is, everyone is in the same boat. Everyone’s a lot heavier, everyone’s a little sluggish.

“Everyone smells like a brewery,” Brady chimed in.

---

“It’s as though we went back 14 months.” - Martin St-Louis

Martin St-Louis has not been thrilled with the effort of his team over the past several games. He actually walked off during practice on Friday. 

After an 8-4 loss against Washington on Thursday, St-Louis told reporters the way the team is playing defense reminds him of what he saw before the team was good.

He also acknowledged that Sam Montembeault and Jakub Dobes can be better in net, but the team has to get the job done in front of them as well, instead of just pointing the finger at them.

“Put pucks in deep, fewer turnovers, defend better, get the puck out when it’s around the blueline, take fewer penalties, block shots, put the puck on the sticks in front of the net,” St-Louis said. “Do you want more?”

That’s as close to frustrated as St-Louis gets.

“I’m disappointed because it’s as if we went back in time a little bit tonight,” St-Louis said. “Our good was good, but we shot ourselves in the foot. It’s as though we went back 14 months.”

---

“Don’t take it for granted because it's not normal everywhere.” - Gabriel Landeskog

Gabriel Landeskog dropped a fun quote, reflecting on how lucky everyone is to watch the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Martin Necas and how fun it is to see talented players play hockey. While fans get to see how dynamic top stars can be, in Colorado, he’s got a front-row seat. 

“You’re just blessed to get to watch on a daily basis,” Landeskog told reporters. I feel like you guys should probably feel the same way and don't take it for granted because it's not normal everywhere.”

While MacKinnon leads the league in scoring with 36 points, Makar and Necas are tied for fifth in the NHL scoring race with 28 points each.

“You have very elite players that are fully bought into what we're trying to do, and obviously they're special hockey minds and the talent and the hard work that they put in is exceptional,” the Avalanche’s captain said.

---

"In hockey, I always say you either win or you learn.” - Andre Tourigny

Utah Mammoth head coach Andre Tourigny doesn’t believe in losing without growth. After their loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, he called out his team’s response to the emotion of the game.

“We cannot lose our focus like that because a call, or a goal, or a hit, or whatever,” Tourigny told reporters. “We cannot lose our temper and start to run around.”

In an outing where Utah’s bench boss believed his players could have controlled themselves a bit better, he wants them to learn a lesson from that defeat.

"In hockey, I always say you either win or you learn. If you just lose instead of learning, that doesn't work. You stay still, so we need to learn from what happened."

---

“I haven’t heard a single conversation about the Blue Jackets.” - sports media personality Bill Simmons

The Ringer CEO, Bill Simmons, was asked what the most irrelevant franchise in professional sports on a Nov. 18 episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast.

The commenter said they assumed it is their Columbus Blue Jackets, which have a total of 15 franchise playoff wins in 26 seasons so far. Simmons agreed.

"Now, granted, I don't have a ton of hockey fans in my life, but I've never heard a convo about them," Simmons added.

Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski shrugged it off. 

“Yeah, it doesn’t matter,” Werenski told reporters. “It is what it is, I guess, right? I’m not going to lose sleep over it. I like Columbus, I like playing there, and I don’t care what Bill Simmons has to say.”

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“I don’t see myself in another jersey, not in Florida, not in Colorado, anywhere” - Evgeni Malkin

Evgeni Malkin is having a tremendous start to his season, and with that, there has been trade speculation surrounding him. However, the long-time Penguins center made it clear that his intentions are to stay in Pittsburgh, even though he understands that some decisions are out of his control

“There are many details,” Malkin said. “What if the team struggles or misses the playoffs, and big trades start? Of course, I don’t see myself in another jersey – not in Florida, not in Colorado, anywhere.

“I’ve played my whole life in Pittsburgh. I love the fans, I love the city. I want to finish here. But there are always details. And of course, I want to fight for another Cup,” he concluded.

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“I think there’s been too much vanilla with our team.” - Brad Treliving

The Toronto Maple Leafs GM didn’t hide from accountability when he spoke with the Toronto media on Tuesday. Brad Treliving admitted that the Leafs are not where they “envisioned to be” at this point in the season.

“I take full responsibility,” Treliving told reporters. “I’m in charge of the hockey department. I've put the people in place on the ice, off the ice. So the responsibility lies with myself.” 

He reflected on the team’s identity and the way they’ve played in the first quarter of this campaign.

“I think there’s been too much vanilla with our team," he said. "You can count on one hand how many complete games we’ve had.”

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When defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo was injured in Thursday night's 3-2 victory in Anaheim on Thursday night, attention immediately turned to the idea of Lassi Thomson. After being called up to travel with Ottawa in case of injury, the Sens' 2019 first-round draft pick seemed like the logical replacement option if Matinpalo couldn't play on Saturday night in San Jose.

Not only will Thomson not get that opportunity, but he's heading back to Belleville. The Senators loaned him to the B-Sens on Saturday morning.

The Senators still have a long way to go on this road trip, so that means Ottawa's blue line is about to add at least one defenseman. It's most likely going to be an injured player who's now healthy again.

If it were only Matinpalo, then nothing would have changed, and Thomson would still be with Ottawa as the seventh defenseman. So either Thomas Chabot or Dennis Gilbert must be ready to join the team in California, bumping Thomson even further down the depth chart.

Chabot and Gilbert have both been close to a return from injury, but Gilbert is on Belleville's roster and hasn't played in almost a month, so the assumption is that he'll get some games in Belleville before joining Ottawa.

In all likelihood, Chabot has rejoined the Senators in San Jose. Assuming he dresses against the Sharks, that would restore Ottawa's blue line balance with three lefties and three righties, and Travis Green can go back to rotating Jordan Spence and Nikolas Matinpalo (if he's healthy) in the six hole.

Chabot was injured in a November 11th game against the Dallas Stars, possibly from a hard hit against the boards by Stars forward Colin Blackwell. The bodycheck occurred at the Stars' bench, where there's no glass, and it looked like Chabot's lower back or left rib area took the brunt of the hit, colliding with the hard edge at the top of the boards.

Among Sens defensemen, Chabot is tied with Artem Zub for second in scoring with 10 points this season. 

As for Thomson, his second act in the NHL will have to wait. He will rejoin the B-Sens, who are 4-0-1 in their last five games. In 15 games with Belleville this season, Thomson has three goals, one assist and 32 shots.

The Senators are in San Jose on Saturday at 7 p.m. EST.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa

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