Category: NHL

In the modern NHL, it isn’t uncommon for high draft picks to be given favourable chances in training camp to prove what they can do at the highest level.

It’s understandable. Organizations want these picks to succeed because failed development breeds criticism for management. Criticism creates pressure and eventually costs people jobs.

For a 21-year-old fourth-round pick who only has six games of professional experience under his belt, it is almost unheard of.

Yet, this is the reality Hoyt Stanley is living right now.

The defenceman was the Senators’ first pick, but a fourth-round selection (108th overall) from the 2023 NHL Draft. After three seasons at Cornell University, the 6’3”, 203 lb right-shot defenceman was enjoying his first main NHL training camp.

Early in camp, the Senators paired him with a third-year pro and regular, Tyler Kleven.

What was immediately noticeable in camp was Stanley’s blend of size and skating ability, and how he uses it effectively to disrupt offensive rushes. This combination has been a calling card for the Senators’ amateur scouts in recent years, but what separates Stanley from his prospect peers within the organization is how he limits mistakes.

For a prospect who has not played many professional games, it has been impressive to watch the simplicity and effectiveness of his game. And when he is handling the puck, there have been very few unforced errors.

Those traits have certainly caught the attention of the veteran defencemen on the team.

Following the Senators’ final split-squad game against the Montreal Canadiens, Thomas Chabot was asked about the quality performances of the young defencemen.

“The younger guys coming up, it's awesome to see (their development),” Chabot said enthusiastically. “You guys saw it last year. We had to use so many defencemen, unfortunately, but to see that there are so many guys down the pipeline who can come in and have a great impact and play good hockey, it makes everybody feel better.

“There are learning curves for everybody, but to see them go through training camp, step up and get the job done like that, all credit to them. The way Hoyt’s been playing, everybody notices, and it's good for him. It won't be long before we see him (in the NHL).”

We might even see it sooner than we expected.

Stanley was named to the Senators’ 23-man opening night roster on Monday.

When asked about the fact that he was still participating this late in training camp, Stanley still was not completely sure whether he was sticking with the club. Despite messages from friends, family and former teammates asking for clarity on his situation, Stanley admitted he was trying to take everything one day at a time.

“Yeah, definitely didn't know what to expect,” Stanley said while reflecting on his first training camp. “Coming into my first training camp, I don't want to say I’m super surprised, but I'm definitely grateful.

“I just put the work in all summer and wanted to work as hard as I could every day at camp and show what I could do, and control what I could control. I’m just grateful they've taken notice and that I'm still here. I’m just continuing to try to learn as much as I can for as long as I stick around.”

As grateful as Stanley is, he has the confidence to compete with the best players in the world.

“You want to have self-belief and believe that you can compete with the best players,” he explained. “In the summer, I'm working my tail off with some of the best players in the world too.

“Knowing that you can compete with these guys (helped), but also at the same time, I’m grateful. A lot of people probably wouldn't think that I would be at this point. So I’m happy to be here still.”

Injuries to Warren Foegele, Kurtis MacDermid and Artem Zub meant that the players were designated as injured, non-roster players. The Zub injury in particular helped open the door for Stanley to break camp with the team.

In two preseason games with the Senators, Stanley recorded a beautiful goal, two penalty minutes and two shots on goal. He finished the preseason with an even plus/minus rating. When Stanley was on the ice at five-on-five, the Senators generated 45.83 percent of the shots (CF%), 47.83 percent of the shots on goal (SF%), 50.00 percent of the total goals (GF%), and 43.93 percent of the expected goals (xGF%) per Natural Stat Trick. These numbers may seem unflattering, but the sample size is small and, relative to his peers, they were still among the better marks on the team.

Stanley is one of eight defencemen on the roster, but with Zub being out of the lineup for the immediate future, he’ll likely be competing with Carter Yakemchuk for those third-pairing minutes. It creates an interesting dynamic: on one hand, you have Stanley; on the other, Yakemchuk, who has the pedigree, offensive aptitude, and more professional experience, but also has defensive warts that will hopefully lessen with time and experience.

What helps Stanley is a belief that as the talent and competition around him improves, he has found ways to elevate his game as well.

“I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but it's definitely it's cool to take in,” he explained. “I've always thought that as the game gets faster and the players are elevated, that I also seem to rise to the occasion and play better with better players. I’m just fortunate that's the way my game's been since I was younger. I believe a lot in myself and the work I've put in.”

How it will unfold will be intriguing, but Stanley wants to make the most of this opportunity.

“Since I was a kid, like everyone else, I dreamed of playing in the NHL and playing my first game,” he stated. “If I got the opportunity, just going to try to make the most of it and show what I can do.”

By Graeme Nichols
The Hockey News

This article was published first at The Hockey News Ottawa Senators site. For more from THN, click on one of the latest headlines below:

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The Hockey News Presents: The Sens Nation Podcast With Steve Warne

The Post’s Mollie Walker, Ethan Sears and Andrew Crane make their picks for the 2026-27 NHL season:

Eastern Conference finals: Montreal over Carolina 

Western Conference finals: Colorado over Vegas 

Stanley Cup final: Colorado over Montreal 

Hart Trophy (MVP): Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado 

Norris Trophy (Defense): Quinn Hughes, Minnesota 

Vezina Trophy (Goaltender): Igor Shesterkin, Rangers

Calder Trophy (Rookie): Porter Martone, Philadelphia 

Adams Award (Coach): Martin St. Louis, Montreal 

First coach to be fired: Sheldon Keefe, New Jersey

The puck is about to drop on another NHL season, and the 2026-27 season is about to begin. Free agency and the draft are in the rearview; training camp and preseason are done — now we see if those moves paid off. It was a relatively quiet offseason, all things being equal. A soft free agent market meant that there weren’t a lot of established veterans available to improve teams, which led to the majority of the NHL either trusting their internal systems, or finding themselves out of luck for improvement.

As we await the beginning of the season, these are our opening night power rankings, as well as which tier each team slots into as it pertains to their chances to hoist Lord Stanley at the end of the season.

Tier 1: Avalanche, Hurricanes, Golden Knights

These are the teams that we call the Stanley Cup Favorites. They are organizations that have almost no discernible weaknesses, and only a significant injury or bad fortune would lead to them missing the playoffs. All these teams should make it into the postseason, and at least win one series — or it would be considered both a shock, and a failure of a year.

Tier 2: Canadiens, Stars, Sabres, Lightning, Wild, Panthers, Mammoth

We classify these, along with Tier 1, as the elite of the NHL. The key difference between this group and the three in the top rank is that there are a few issues with their roster construction or experience that mean we can’t define them as favorites quite yet. This is also the tier of teams who could be the most active at the NHL trade deadline, with a key acquisition or two pushing them into contention. There are similar playoff expectations, but winning a series or two would be defined as a successful campaign.

Tier 3: Sharks, Ducks, Bruins, Capitals, Oilers, Flyers, Penguins, Devils, Senators, Kings

Another step down we have teams that we could call “Dark Horses.” These are organizations who are better than fighting for a Wild Card spot, but could find themselves in that position. All of these teams have some really great qualities, but either lack the depth or the top-end talent to really favor them in a series against anyone above them. Still, what this tier has is ample potential to shock the hockey world. A player breakout, or a shift in fortunes coul easily make one of these teams into an organization that makes a Cinderella run in the playoffs.

Tier 4: Maple Leafs, Islanders, Rangers, Blues, Predators, Blue Jackets

Earning a Wild Card would be a successful campaign for a team in Tier 4. All are in some stage of flux or are so unproven it’s difficult to see them making a significant impact on the year. Never say never, but as the season begins we can expect these teams to simply work on improving their on-ice play, integrate new players, or implement a new locker room culture. The goal is to build, not complete — not yet.

Tier 5: Red Wings, Blackhawks, Jets, Kraken, Flames, Canucks

It is what it is. These organizations are all in a state of building or rebuilding which makes it unlikely they’ll really threaten the playoffs. It would take wide scale problems for numerous teams above them to enable a path forward, and the goal this season is improvement. If they can even fight for a Wild Card spot it would be a small miracle, and these are likely the teams that will be looking ahead to the 2027 NHL Draft in February.

The first and only big transaction the Philadelphia Flyers made this past offseason was the acquisition of backup goalie Joseph Woll, who arrived via trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs at a fairly low cost.

To bring in the 28-year-old Woll, a starting-caliber goalie with some durability questions, as well as rugged defenseman Simon Benoit, the Flyers only needed to pay up in the form of struggling goalie Sam Ersson, promising but small defenseman Emil Andrae, and a 2026 third-round pick, which was used to draft Juuso Alnasto 85th overall.

But, just over three months after the June 16 trade, Woll and Benoit remain with the Flyers, while Ersson and Andrae have already been shipped off to new teams before appearing in a regular season game for the Maple Leafs.

Ersson was traded by the Maple Leafs to the Atlantic Division rival Ottawa Senators for a 2027 fifth-round pick, with the once-promising Flyers goalie signing a two-year, $4.4 million ($2.2 million AAV) contract with the Sens and supplanting Leevi Merilainen as the backup to incumbent starter Linus Ullmark.

As for Andrae, the 24-year-old defenseman signed a two-year, $3.1 million ($1.55 AAV) contract with the Maple Leafs on July 4 and at one point had been practicing alongside top-pair defenseman Morgan Rielly, but Toronto didn't hesitate to flip him in pursuit of a better opportunity for the club.

Andrae included in big Kirill Marchenko trade

On Monday, the Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets completed a blockbuster trade that oversaw the exchange of wingers Matthew Knies and Kirill Marchenko, with Andrae heading to Columbus as one of the auxiliary pieces in the deal.

Knies, Andrae, Steven Lorentz, and a 2027 second-round pick were exchanged for Elvis Merzlikins, Miles Wood, and Marchenko, with the latter agreeing to a six-year, $75 million extension ($12.5 million AAV) with the Maple Leafs that will kick in on July 1 of next year.

In the end, Andrae was a fairly inconsequential piece included in the trade, with the former Flyers prospect in line to take on a depth role in Columbus.

He's one of six healthy defensemen on the Blue Jackets' roster, alongside Zach Werenski, Ivan Provorov, Erik Gudbranson, Jake Christiansen, and Denton Mateychuk.

Gudbranson is the only right-shot of the bunch, and Andrae and Christiansen figure to be the first men out of the lineup once Damon Severson (shoulder) and Dante Fabbro (hand) return from their respective injuries.

It's becoming clear already that Flyers GM Danny Briere got maximum value out of the Woll trade, adding an important understudy behind starter Dan Vladar, with the goalie depth tested once already in the 2026 preseason.

Benoit, a capable NHL defenseman, will take over the veteran No. 7 role previously filled by players like Marc Staal, Erik Johnson, and Noah Juulsen, and it helps that he was already once teammates with Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale in Anaheim.

Almost by default, the Woll trade is looking like another win in an increasingly long line of them for Briere, which surely includes the recent additions of Zegras and Vladar.

The big move hasn't come yet, of course, but the foundation is there for the Flyers to add a massive piece and immediately reap the rewards of such a deal in the future.

The hockey world was hit with a massive trade on Monday, as the Toronto Maple Leafs traded Matthew Knies, Emil Andrae, Steven Lorentz and a 2027 conditional second-round pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Kirill Marchenko, Miles Wood and Elvis Merzlikins (18 percent of his salary retained).

The main gist of this trade for Toronto was acquiring Marchenko and giving up Knies in the process. The Leafs lost a 23-year-old power forward who has the potential to grow and become a great player in the NHL.

Last year, Knies put up 23 goals and 66 points in 79 appearances for Toronto. But with this acquisition, here's what the Maple Leafs get in Marchenko.

Marchenko is an NHL star, first off. He registered similar numbers to Knies last year, putting up 27 goals and 67 points. The year before that, the Russian right winger notched a career-high 31 goals and 74 points in 79 games.

This is a player who can score, impose his will on a game, be a difference-maker for his team with the puck, and drive a line to some degree.

Knies could also be a difference-maker in certain situations, but if he played on the third line rather than with superstars like Auston Matthews, he wouldn't stand out nearly as much. He's a good NHL player, but more of a complementary one. Marchenko is more than that.

Maple Leafs Acquire Kirill Marchenko, Agrees To Six-Year Extension Following Massive Six-Player TradeThe Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired Kirill Marchenko in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins and Matthew Knies are involved in a six-player trade

Another massive difference between the two players is that Marchenko is a much better skater than Knies. In fact, Marchenko is actually one of the better skaters in the wide landscape of the NHL.

According to NHL Edge, in the 2025-26 season, the 26-year-old is in the 93rd percentile in skating speed, reaching a max skating speed of 37.60 kilometers per hour. He had 28 speed bursts at 35-plus kph (98th percentile). Marchenko is also a top-10 skater among NHL forwards in terms of speed bursts between 32 and 35 kph (273) and bursts between 29 and 32 kph (821).

Simply put, Marchenko is one of the quickest forwards in the league and utilizes his speed fairly regularly, rather than clocking a high speed sporadically throughout the year.

He also covers a lot of distance on the ice and doesn't just pick his spots when he wants to be effective. 

Marchenko finished last season in the 97th percentile for most kilometers travelled in a game at 6.79 km. Also, the average NHLer skated 198.82 km last year, whereas Marchenko reached 395.50 km with the Blue Jackets.

He'll fit in nicely with Toronto head coach Jim Hiller's playing style, where he can't stress enough the importance of his team being able to skate on both sides of the ice and fast. Marchenko was one of the best forwards in the NHL to do so last year.

Does Matthew Knies' Play Style Suit Jim Hiller's Maple Leafs System?Matthew Knies has had a slow start to training camp and pre-season. Does his play style suit Jim Hiller's system for the Toronto Maple Leafs?

As for Knies in that department, the narrative surrounding him throughout training camp and pre-season was that he appeared to be slow. And last season's numbers show Knies to be a fairly average skater for the role he carried on the Leafs.

One factor that might play a role in that is that Marchenko is much lighter than Knies. They both measure 6-foot-3, but Marchenko weighs about 200 pounds in comparison to Knies' 227 pounds.

this happened at the end of Knies' last shift

he left the bench early pic.twitter.com/ttWe3jVggl

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 23, 2025

However, even though Marchenko is significantly lighter than Knies, it doesn't mean he's not a physical or strong player. Toronto's newest addition is very capable of staying on his feet in the corners.

He doesn't throw as many hits as Knies (61 to 152), but that's a trade-off for the skill that Marchenko brings to the ice.

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Sidney Crosby is feeling the effects of the shortened preseason in his adjustment to playing with a new linemate.

Crosby mentioned having a week less to prepare for the season when talking about skating alongside Nick Robertson Monday in his annual appearance on Mark Madden’s radio show on 105.9 The X.

The NHL’s new labor agreement gave teams less than two weeks between the start of training camp and the start of the regular season.

In Crosby’s case, that has impacted his ability to adjust to Robertson taking over what was once Bryan Rust’s place on his wing opposite Rickard Rakell.

“It’s a shortened camp this year, so we have a lot less time to play together… but I think we’ve gotten better as it’s gone along,” Crosby said Monday about Robertson.

“He’s a guy that’s got a lot of speed, a really good shot, so just want to try to find him in good areas to get that shot off. And he works hard on both sides of the puck, so hopefully we can force some turnovers and he can create with his speed.”

Crosby wasn’t the only member of the Penguins mentioning the impact of the shortened preseason Monday. Kyle Dubas said in his season-opening press conference he felt Joel Blomqvist was hurt by the Penguins only having four preseason games to split between him, Artūrs Šilovs and Sergei Murashov.

Crosby also discussed his retirement timeline in his radio appearance. As he’s mentioned repeatedly this offseason, he said he’s hoping to play for multiple years.

The Penguins captain also said he sees the 2030 Olympics as too far ahead to think about, but considers the 2028 World Cup of Hockey a “great target.”

“When I say I don’t know, that’s the truth,” Crosby said about his career timeline. “I think, when you get to my age… it comes down to a lot of things. It’s how you feel physically, how you feel mentally. Just as far as loving it, and having the passion to compete and put what you need to put into it on a daily basis, that’s got to be there.

“Right now, it’s there. I feel great. I still love it just as much as I did coming into the league.”

Crosby is set to kick off his age-39 campaign Wednesday when the puck drops at 7:30 p.m. ET for a playoff rematch at the Philadelphia Flyers.

NHL season points projections are a tough task because there are so many unknowns.

A team might look great on paper and then fall apart because of injuries. Just look at the Florida Panthers last season. Their three-peat bid was nearly over before it began when Aleksander Barkov tore his ACL in training camp. But he's back this year.

A team might win the offseason but then struggle to find chemistry. Look at the Nashville Predators two seasons ago when they missed the playoffs after adding Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault.

The Toronto Maple Leafs led the league in offseason moves this year, adding a new general manager, coach, No. 1 goaltender, top defenseman and making changes to every offensive line. But with the shortened preseason, can they find the right combinations?

Here are our NHL points projections for the 2026-27 season.

Pacific Division

• Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are hoping new coach Mike Babcock will push the Oilers to greater success.
• The Golden Knights traded Pavel Dorofeyev (37 goals) to the Rangers. Can new coach Ryan Craig find a way to make up for that lost offense?
• New Sharks captain Macklin Celebrini will try to build on his team-record 2025-26 season. San Jose also added size and experience to the blue line.
• The Ducks had to move out players to accommodate big salaries for Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier. The defense seems weaker.
• The Kings start the post-Anze Kopitar era with coach Peter Laviolette, who's known for success in his first year with a team. He gets to work with Artemi Panarin again.
• Mackie Samoskevich, the Kraken's offseason acquisition, is hurt to begin the season.
• Flames goalie Dustin Wolf needs a huge season or Calgary's playoff drought will hit five seasons.
• The Canucks have a new coach, Manny Malhotra, but few other additions to 2025-26's last-place team. Thatcher Demko and Filip Chytil are hurt.

Central Division

• The Avalanche lost some forward depth but have the high-end talent to win the Presidents' Trophy again.
• The Stars bring back nearly all of the players for last year's 112-point team, except for promising forward Mavrik Bourque.
• The Wild, who need center depth, weren't able to swing a deal for Detroit's Dylan Larkin.
• The Mammoth could push for 100 points after adding Anders Lee and Vincent Trocheck to join their younger stars.
• The Blues came close to a playoff berth last season. They'll be in the mix again this season, especially if Mason McTavish thrives in his new city.
• New Predators GM Chris MacFarland had success with the Avalanche and brought some of that team's role players with him.
• The Jets must cope with Connor Hellebuyck's absence after the star goalie requested a trade. They struggled last season, even with Hellebuyck.
• The Blackhawksgot better in the offseason but they'll be without injured Connor Bedard until early November.

Atlantic Division

• The 2024 and 2025 champion Panthers are rested after missing the playoffs and they are mostly healthy. They'll be among the top teams again.
• The Canadiens, who went to the conference finals, added veteran power-play specialist Chris Kreider to their group of younger players
• Lightning captain Victor Hedman is back, and John Carlson will take the place of defenseman Darren Raddysh.
• The Sabres won't be as strong without Bowen Byram and Alex Tuch, but they should be a playoff team again.
• The Bruins will be without defenseman Charlie McAvoy for the first six games because of his playoff suspension, but new captain David Pastrnak and company remain a playoff threat.
• New GM John Chayka's trade for Kirill Marchenko continues a remake that affects the Maple Leafs from top to bottom.
• The Red Wings need to get defenseman Simon Edvinsson signed and figure out a solution to Larkin's trade request.
• Former captain Brady Tkachuk is in Florida with brother Matthew. That's a big loss for the Senators.

Metropolitan Division

• The defending champion Hurricanes are mostly the same and are a repeat threat. They'll certainly win the Metropolitan Division.
• The Capitals have multiple 30-goal scorers in newcomers Tuch and Jordan Kyrou, plus returning star Alex Ovechkin.
• The Devils were inconsistent last season on right wing and addressed it with Anthony Mantha and Luke Evangelista.
• The Penguins open the season with Bryan Rust and Ben Kindel on the injured list.
• Dorofeyev and Sean Durzi make the Rangers deeper, but it might not be enough for a playoff return.
• The Flyers raved about Matvei Michkov's training camp. The key will be Dan Vladar providing solid goaltending again.
• Matthew Knies is a nice return for Marchenko. The Blue Jackets need to play like they did when coach Rick Bowness joined the team rather how they did down the stretch.
• Coach Peter DeBoer gets a full season behind the Islanders bench. He'll need to coax more offense out of the team.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL point projections: How we see 2026-27 season unfolding

Yes, the Penguins are running it back with their biggest names, at least one more time. 

There was some doubt whether GM Kyle Dubas would bring future Hockey Hall of Fame center Evgeni Malkin back for another year at age 40, despite a resurgent campaign in which he scored 19 goals and totaled 61 points in just 56 games in 2025-26.

The two sides agreed to a one-year deal in May, though, that will give Malkin one more chance alongside long-time teammates Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang, with whom he’s hoisted the Stanley Cup three times. 

Required reading: Pittsburgh Penguins make big bet on Ville Koivunen despite lack of NHL production

Together, they’ll look to bounce back from a first-round playoff loss to the cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers. 

It was bitter in the sense that their most hated foe triumphed at their expense. It was sweet in the sense that no one knew whether the three stars would ever share a playoff stage again after bowing out in seven games against the New York Rangers at the end of the 2021-22 season. 

Now that they have, Dubas will once again attempt the high wire act of building the franchise’s future while the soul Crosby, Malkin and Letang represent remains intact. 

Pittsburgh Penguins offseason review

• Record last season: 41-25-16 (98 points)

• Playoff finish: Eliminated in six games vs Philadelphia Flyers
• Coach: Dan Muse (second season)
• 2026-27 title odds: +8000, per BetMGM
• Projected point total: 90
• Offseason grade: C

Key roster additions

• F Nick Robertson (free agent signing)
• D Trevor van Riemsdyk (free agent)
• D Kaedan Korczak (trade with Las Vegas)
• D Declan Carlile
• F Andrei Kuzmenko (free agent)

Key roster losses

• F Anthony Mantha (free agency)
• D Parker Wotherspoon (trade)
• F Noel Acciari (free agency)
• D Ryan Shea (free agency) 
• G Stuart Skinner (free agency)

Biggest question entering season

Did Kyle Dubas make the right moves with his blue line? 

Only one Eastern Conference team – the reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes – scored more goals than the Penguins last season. On the flip side, only two Eastern Conference teams allowed more. GM Kyle Dubas responded by trading established veteran defenseman Wotherspoon (three goals, 27 assists) to Las Vegas and letting counterpart Shea (six goals, 29 assists) walk in free agency to Edmonton. Korczak, van Riemsdyk and Declan Carlile – signed to a two-year contract in free agency – step into that void with lesser track records. 

One could argue it’s a nice blank slate to start over with after leaking so many goals in 2025-26. One could also argue it’s a risky strategy that flirts with disaster if these moves don’t work out. 

Expect all three acquisitions to be in the mix for major minutes. Prospects Harrison Brunicke and Owen Pickering could make bids to ascend to the active roster after promising seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton minor league affiliate last season. 

Letang will also be in the spotlight along the Penguins’ blue line. The three-time Stanley Cup champion scored just three goals in 74 games last season. It was his lowest total in a mostly healthy season since 2009-10. 

Erik Karlsson, meanwhile, will look to keep his renaissance from 2025-26 going. He had 15 goals and 51 assists for a total of 66 points. That’s the kind of puck mover the Penguins hoped they were getting when they acquired the then-reigning Norris Trophy winner coming off a 101-point season in the summer of 2023. They’ll hope for more of the same as he enters the final year of his contract with Pittsburgh. 

Projected forward lines (left to right)

• Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
• Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
• Andrei Kuzmenko – Ben Kindel – Nicholas Robertson
• Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Elmer Soderblom

Projected defense pairings (left to right)

• Trevor van Riemsdyk – Erik Karlsson
• Sam Girard – Kris Letang
• Declan Carlile – Kaedan Korczak

Projected goaltenders

• Arturs Silovs – Sergei Murashov

Potential disruptors

Ville Koivunen signed a lucrative eight-year contract extension with the club in the offseason despite a resume that includes just 14 points at the NHL level. The team has every incentive to find a spot for him as quickly as possible in the event of injury or struggles from anyone on the third line down. Rutger McGroarty is also a name worth watching after nine points during the Baby Penguins’ Calder Cup playoff run this past spring. Defensively, Brunicke seems best positioned to push for NHL minutes. 

What to expect in 2026-27 NHL season

Crosby and Letang are 39. Malkin is 40. Karlsson is the young gun member of the veteran core at … 36. Age could catch up to any of them at any time. 

Until then, it’s reasonable to assume that this team will continue to score consistently. Rakell and Rust have proven to be capable running mates for Crosby for years. Chinakhov was a pleasant surprise with 18 goals in 43 games after he was acquired at midseason from Columbus. He seems to have found a home within Muse’s system. And Ben Kindel has upside after a rookie season in which he tallied 17 goals. 

On the flip side, it’s unreasonable to assume much has been solved defensively until it is. Compounding that issue is uncertainty in net. Silovs is back after producing solidly alongside Skinner last season, but he’s still played less than a full season of NHL hockey with 56 career games. Murashov is the team’s top prospect, whom it’s been careful with on the development track. Blomqvist struggled when he got a cup of coffee with the big club two years ago but has kept the heat on Murashov in the minors. 

There’s a chance everything works out and this team nips at Carolina’s heels in the Metropolitan Division. It seems more likely to find itself in a dogfight to make the playoffs again. We’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and project another first-round playoff loss, but one rough patch over the winter could easily have them on the outside looking in. 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Penguins hope veteran core ushers in 2026 success with Crosby, Malkin in twilights

There just a little over 24 hours before the Pittsburgh Penguins begin their 2026-27 season and the final touches are starting to fall into place as they prepare to head east and take on the Philadelphia Flyers tomorrow evening. The official start to the season is today, beginning with the Carolina Hurricanes raising a Stanley Cup banner down in Raleigh along with a few rivalry showdowns between the Canadiens and Maple Leafs as well as the Rangers heading to Beantown to meet the Bruins on opening night.

Pens Points…

Hockey season returns in full force this week with NHL regular season action beginning on Tuesday. For the Penguins, their season opens on Wednesday in Philadelphia before the home opener scheduled for Saturday evening against Montreal. [Pensburgh]

On Monday afternoon, the Penguins announced their 2026-27 opening night roster that will hit the ice against the Flyers. Notable absences from the roster include Bryan Rust and Ben Kindel, both of whom will begin the new season on the injured list. [Penguins]

There isn’t much room to spare on the Penguins roster at the moment, but it never hurts to take a glance at the waiver wire to see who is available that could potentially help the Penguins. [Pensburgh]

After the opening night roster was announced, Kyle Dubas met with the media and discussed the state of the team heading into the new season. Dubas broke down some roster decisions and touched on some injuries that will effect the Penguins to start the season. [Penguins]

Early injuries are going to force the Penguins to reconfigure some of the lines from what we saw in training camp and the preseason. This presents the perfect opportunity for some younger players who were perhaps on the outside looking in of making the roster to prove themselves. [PPG]

One question surrounding the Penguins this offseason that remains unanswered as they prepare to drop the puck on the new season is the contract status of Sidney Crosby. This will be the final year of his current deal, but the captain isn’t showing too much concern. [NHL]

Former Penguins forward Matt Nieto announced his retirement from hockey on Monday after 12 NHL seasons. Nieto is the second former Penguin to announce he’s hanging up the skates along with Kevin Hayes who shared his news last week. [Yahoo! Sports]

NHL News and Notes…

Nothing like a blockbuster trade on the eve of a new season to get the juices flowing. Following a tense contract impasse with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Kirill Marchenko is headed to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Matthew Knies and other pieces. [NHL]

Early favorites to lift the Stanley Cup include many of the usual suspects, including the defending champions, the team who won it the two years prior, and the reigning President’s Trophy winners from a season ago. [ESPN]

The NHL returns Tuesday night to kick off the 2026-27 season with five games on the schedule, including a meeting of the Southeast contenders and last three Cup champs in the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers.

Before all that, there was a huge trade between Toronto and Columbus that included two second-tier stars and a bunch of contracts.

Islanders News

• Officially now, the season-opening roster which includes Kyle MacLean and Victor Eklund, one of whom will probably make room for Mat Barzal once he’s healthy. [Isles]
• Dan and Mike lament the summer as they return for another season of Islanders Anxiety, and you can also greet them at Zofia’s Hideout for the season opener or in section 101 during the home opener. [LHH]
• Island Ice podcast with Andrew Gross: Season preview. [Newsday]
• Apparently the Islanders are selling a small stake to a group of undisclosed investors, with the $3 billion full-franchise value reflecting a six-fold increase since when Malkin-Ledecky bought it. [Newsday | Post] Apparently the entity that reported this also owns our site??? [Yahoo Finance]
• I don’t know what the hell all this is but if it makes Schaefer and the kids happy then I’m good with it. [NHL]

Elsewhere

• The Maple Leafs and Blue Jackets completed a massive trade highlighted by a swap of Matthew Knies and Kirill Marchenko. [Sportsnet]
• Marchenko, who did not want to re-sign in Columbus, signed a six-year extension with the Leafs. [NHL]
• Watching the Canes raiser their Cup banner will be “extra motivation” for their opening night foes, the Panthers. [NHL]

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NHL season preview: Predicting where Bruins finish in 2026-27 standings originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Bruins defied expectations last season to make the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs just one year after finishing with the NHL’s fifth-worst record.

Can they surpass expectations again?

You won’t find too many people outside of Boston who are predicting the Bruins to reach the playoffs during the 2026-27 season, which starts Tuesday night when the B’s host the rival New York Rangers at TD Garden.

The Daily Faceoff views the Bruins as “playoff long shots.”The Athletic’s analytics model has the Bruins finishing 25th in the standings with just 87 points, as well as a mere 25 percent chance of reaching the playoffs. MoneyPuck’s model gives the B’s a 39.2 percent chance of playoff qualification — only four East teams have worse odds. HockeyStats predicts the Bruins to earn 94 points and barely miss the playoffs.

One of the most common arguments against the Bruins making the playoffs is the fact that the Atlantic Division includes so many good teams. And that’s definitely true. Many of these teams improved over the summer. You could make a legitimate argument for reaching the playoffs for all eight of the teams. The Maple Leafs finished last in the division a year ago, but a healthy Auston Matthews, plus the offseason additions of No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna, forward Kirill Marchenko, defenseman Darren Raddysh and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky suddenly have fans in Toronto feeling excited again.

The Florida Panthers finished seventh in the division last year, largely due to many of their best players missing a ton of games due to injuries. But with a healthy roster and the offseason addition of forward Brady Tkachuk, the Panthers are a popular pick to win the Stanley Cup for a third time this decade.

Despite the tough road ahead, my prediction for the Bruins ahead of the upcoming season is they make the playoffs as the second wild card team in the Eastern Conference.

The primary source of optimism for the Bruins is the goaltending. Jeremy Swayman consistently gives the B’s a chance to win. He was voted a Vezina Trophy finalist for the first time in his career last season, and after an impressive showing in the 2026 playoffs, there’s no reason to believe his performance will dip in a meaningful way going forward.

The combination of Swayman and Michael DiPietro might end up being one of the league’s top goalie duos. DiPietro played fantastic for the Providence Bruins each of the last three years and won the AHL’s MVP award in 2025-26. He could be a big upgrade over Boston’s previous backup netminder Joonas Korpisalo.

The acquisition of top-six forward JJ Peterka should pay immediate dividends for Boston, too. He has scored 25-plus goals in each of the last three seasons, and he should hit the 30-goal mark this season, especially if he plays alongside David Pastrnak. Peterka’s offensive skill and speed represent an upgrade over Viktor Arvidsson.

Pastrnak, if healthy, should be able to tally 100-plus points for the fifth straight year. His 71 assists last season ranked fifth in the league and were a new career high. His growth as a playmaker has been remarkable, especially when you consider the fact that the talent around him is less than what many other players of his caliber skate with every night. NHL Network recently ranked Pastrnak as the eighth-best player in the sport.

Morgan Geekie scored a career-high 39 goals last season. Some experts point to his high shooting percentages and claim he’s long overdue for a regression, but his shot is elite, and he’s more of a shot quality over shot quantity player. Pavel Zacha posted career highs in goals and points last season, but he’s also playing for a new contract. He has all the motivation needed to continue producing at a high level.

The Bruins ranked 10th in goals scored last season but found it difficult to score in the playoffs against the Buffalo Sabres. Boston averaged just 1.25 goals scored over the last four games of that first-round series. Many critics of the Bruins’ roster see a similar scoring regression coming in the 2026-27 regular season. One stat they point to is Boston ranking No. 2 in goals scored above expected last season.

A couple younger players will play a role in ensuring that regression either doesn’t happen or isn’t steep.

Top prospect James Hagens has an impressive offensive skill set and could even challenge for the Calder Trophy. He should provide a nice boost to the power play, too, with his playmaking ability and accurate shot. Fraser Minten had an impressive first full NHL campaign in 2025-26 and could hit the 25-goal mark this coming season. Marat Khusnutdinov should reach another level, too.

Frederic Brunet, who scored 12 goals for the AHL’s Providence Bruins last season, made the Opening Night roster. The 23-year-old defenseman’s offensive-minded skill set should help the B’s create more scoring chances from the blue line.

“Well, obviously just the skill set from Hagens. Hopefully that continues to grow and he becomes a point-producer in the game and has the details all dialed in,” Bruins president Cam Neely said at a press conference Monday. “Brunet, hopefully he can add a little bit more offensive punch on the blue line for us, be a steady defender, move the puck well, good first pass, get up in the play. Those are the things that I anticipate the growth of those two players.”

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Bruins have a better and deeper roster than they did last season. The three franchise pillars of Pastrnak, Swayman and top defenseman Charlie McAvoy are surrounded by a good mix of veterans and young players. The ceiling of this Bruins team likely will be decided by the growth and improvement of players such as Hagens and Minten. If they exceed expectations and become important pieces of the puzzle earlier than expected, the B’s could surprise a lot of people again.

Sure, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if the Bruins missed the playoffs. The division — and the East as a whole — is loaded with good teams. An injury to a key player or two could also prove very difficult to overcome. Losing McAvoy for the first six games due to suspension is a tough setback.

But there’s absolutely enough talent up and down the roster, combined with very good coaching from Marco Sturm, for the Bruins to be in the hunt for a wild card spot. Is this team capable of winning a round in the playoffs? Potentially. But getting into the tournament would be enough to grade the 2026-27 season as a success.

“We’re looking to see some of our players improve upon last year,” Neely said Monday. “All those things combined, some guys had a taste of playoffs for the first time. It’s a nice feeling to be in the playoffs, but obviously, you want to win the last game of the season.

“So, we’ve got some work to do in that regard, but as I mentioned earlier, I thought our group did a really nice job of laying a foundation to get back to where we want to be as an organization. It’s just got to be competing every night. You may not play well every night, but you’ve got to compete every night.” 

The message among the Rangers going into this season cannot be found in a catchy marketing motto or a slogan printed on the back of a shirt. 

In fact, there is no coined phrase for the first time since before November 2021. 

What the Blueshirts are hoping to establish is not so much a message as it is a mutual understanding. It can be found in the little habits of the day-to-day, the dedication to building a team game and the club’s push to adopt a collective mentality as one cohesive unit. 

No cutesy phrase or inspirational rallying cry is going to be the difference for this team as it embarks on a consequential season. 

After all, “There Was Some Quit In New York.” 

The Rangers tried to implement an “It Takes Everyone” mentality. It turned out that “Everyone Was Pissed.” 

And when the team donned “No BS” as its formal proclamation last year, quite a bit of BS followed. 

“We can put slogans and signs on T-shirts and hang things on the wall — which is great — but we have to believe it, and we have to live it every second of every day,” head coach Mike Sullivan said on the eve of the opening night matchup Tuesday in Boston. “If we do that, we’ve got something. We’re trying to build a belief in a process that we’re applying every day, where our players and coaches and everyone buys into it. We’ll see where that takes us.” 

Sullivan cited attitude and effort — two controllables — as key factors in the Rangers reaching their potential this season. 

Captain J.T. Miller won’t dwell on last season and won’t look past the first period of the first game against the Bruins. 

The usual pomp and circumstance at the start of a season is noticeably missing in New York, but it feels by design. It’s all business. Nothing can be said that hasn’t already been said a million times before. 

“We know what to expect of each other,” Miller told The Post. 

The Rangers were fortunate to have both rookie goalie Dylan Garand and veteran forward Taylor Raddysh clear waivers on their way to AHL Hartford to start the season. It fortified the organization’s depth, particularly at the goaltending position, which has been a hot commodity on the waiver wire this preseason. 

Alberts Smits bulldozing his way into the Rangers’ Opening Night lineup was beneficial for defensive depth as well. 

The Latvian blueliner looked poised to start the season with the Blueshirts very early on in training camp, but he proved his NHL-ready projection right with every exhibition game he played. 

Like he’s been since the start of preseason, Smits was nonchalant about becoming the first 18-year-old defenseman on the Rangers since Dave Maloney 52 years ago. Asked if he expected to make the team, the new No. 12 said it’s the reason he came to New York. 

“I don’t really care if you’re 18 or 30 or 60, job’s going to stay the same,” he said. “So yeah, I’m just trying to focus on the instructions that the coaches are giving us and trying to execute as best as I can.” 

The last time the Rangers carried eight defensemen out of training camp was the 2021-22 season, when they didn’t want to waive Nils Lundkvist and/or Libor Hajek out of fear of them being claimed. To give an idea of how much has changed since then, Adam Fox is the only holdover from that defense corps. 

It was a similar situation on defense this training camp. The Rangers opted to keep Scott Morrow around instead of exposing him on the waiver wire and potentially losing him for nothing. 

“We think Scott [Morrow] had a strong camp also,” Sullivan said. “Right now … our roster is the way it is. We feel like the guys that are here are deserving to be here, and that’s why they’re here. Both Scott and [Matthew Robertson], we feel have had pretty good training camps also, and so based on what we have — the roster, the business side of the game, all those things — the decisions were made accordingly.”

A certain energy has crackled in the air at City National Arena throughout training camp and the preseason. There is a hunger, a sense of urgency that has nothing to do with the shortened preseason. And everyone in the Vegas Golden Knights organization, from the players to the head coach to the general manager, speaks of unfinished business. 

By now, everyone knows the story of the 2025-26 Vegas Golden Knights. After a regular season full of struggles that led to a late-season coaching change, they went on an improbable Cinderella run in the playoffs. With John Tortorella at the helm, the Golden Knights dispatched the Utah Mammoth, breezed by the Anaheim Ducks, and swept the President’s Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche.

Winning their second Stanley Cup in franchise history would have been the perfect ending to an unbelievable story; ultimately, the Golden Knights fell just two wins short of the ultimate goal. 

“The belief of our organization is there’s unfinished business,” said first-year head coach Ryan Craig at the start of training camp. “When I use the words starting over, it’s because we don’t get back to that point without starting at zero again in the regular season and earning our way back to having that opportunity. 

“When I say we’re starting over, we are,” Craig continued. “We started over today. But the guys that were on this team last year have unfinished business; our organization has unfinished business in the sense of where our standards are and what we hope to accomplish.”

Summer is over now, and while the pain of losing is no longer raw, it left scars that can only be healed by the joy of winning. 

“Obviously, it was disappointing last year to go as far as we did and not come out victorious,” said Golden Knights captain Mark Stone on Monday. “It’s the first time I’ve been that far without winning.”

Monday morning marked the first official practice of the regular season, and the sense of urgency only increased. The Golden Knights host the Chicago Blackhawks for their home opener on Tuesday night, and they know that they have to start strong to reach the top of the summit once more.

“Every year is a new challenge, and this year’s no different,” Stone said following Monday’s practice. “We’ll have to try and dial in a good start to the season, to bank points, because they all matter at the end of the day. If you can get off to a good start, those lulls in the middle of the season that you’re gonna have are less magnified.”

Saying that players want to play games that matter isn’t anything new. But this year, for the Golden Knights, the start of the regular season isn’t just an end to meaningless preseason hockey. 

It’s a shot at redemption.

“We’re starting at game one,” said head coach Ryan Craig on Monday. “So, how are we going to build ourselves back to… an opportunity to take care of business? I want to see the group continue to play to their strengths and understand who they are. To figure that out, we’re gonna have to go through the highs and lows of the season. 

“There’s lots of stuff for us to figure out as a group,” Craig continued. “It’s a long journey that we’re excited about. We’re gonna learn a lot about each other individually and then as a group… I’m excited to see the urgency level rise from exhibition to game one. I think it’s gonna jump here quite a bit because, you know, even though we’ve only been in camp for 11 days, the guys are ready to play. I’m happy that we’re playing game one.”

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — After saying that Kirill Marchenko would be with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the start of the season, general manager Don Waddell dealt the forward as part of a major seven-player deal to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday as NHL teams were finalizing their opening week rosters.

The Blue Jackets also dealt goaltender Elvis Merzlikins and left wing Miles Wood to the Maple Leafs for left wing Matthew Knies, defenseman Emil Andrae, center Steven Lorentz and a conditional second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

Marchenko was in the last year of his contract, but agreed to a six-year $75 million extension with the Maple Leafs. He relayed to Columbus' front office before the draft in June that he didn't intend to sign an extension with the Blue Jackets.

Waddell said the situation with Marchenko and star defenseman Zach Werenski were not the same. The Norris Trophy winner also said during the offseason he wasn't ready to sign an extension, but also vetoed a trade to the Dallas Stars.

“I’ve had discussions with his agent, which we won’t discuss right now, but Marchenko’s going to be a Blue Jackets when the season starts,” Waddell said on July 2.

The 26-year old Russian was a second-round pick by the Blue Jackets in the 2018 draft. He didn't make his NHL debut until 2022, but tied or led the team in scoring the past three seasons.

Marchenko had a team-high 27 goals last season and was second in points with 67. He had 102 goals and 208 points during his four seasons in Columbus.

In Knies, the Blue Jackets get a forward who battled injuries last season, but still finished with a career-best 66 points, including 23 goals. He is expected to be on one of the top two scoring lines.

The 23-year-old Knies was previously viewed as an important piece of Toronto’s future. He had a career-high 29 goals and 58 points in 2024-25 playing on a line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.

“Matthew is a big, strong power forward who combines tough, hard-nosed physical play with outstanding offensive skills,” Waddell said in a statement after the trade was announced. “He is a young player with great character and work ethic and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the Blue Jackets family.”

Merzlikins is currently on long-term injured reserve with a shoulder injury. He had a 14-11-3 record with a 3.40 goals-against average and .993 save percentage in 30 appearances last season as a backup to Blue Jackets starter Jet Greaves.

Wood, recently put on waivers, has 99 goals and 97 assists in 567 career games with New Jersey, Colorado and Columbus.

Lorentz, a Stanley Cup winner with the Florida Panthers in 2024, had 15 goals and 22 assists over two seasons in Toronto.

Andrae ended a very short tenure in Toronto. He was acquired in a June trade with Philadelphia. Andrae had three goals and 17 assists over 107 games with the Flyers, who selected him in the second round of the 2020 NHL draft.

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See AP’s full NHL coverage here