The Buffalo Sabres have 23 days before the NHL’s trade deadline arrives on March 6. And other than goaltending (which has the most depth), the Sabres can make trades to address their two areas of need – at forward, and on ‘D’.
Trading one of Alex Lyon or Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen would clear up the logjam between the pipes, but goalie depth is important, so Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen might decide to hold on to his netminding depth.
"The Big Show"
But Kekalain has to add a strong, experienced and capable defenseman. For instance, would Winnipeg Jets blueliner Luke Schenn be an option? It says here he absolutely should. Schenn is a no-nonsense, physical defenseman who still has stuff left in the tank. There could be other options on ‘D’, but Schenn fits the mold of the type of player Sabres coach Lindy Ruff likes. Oh, and he won’t cost an arm and a leg to trade for.
Meanwhile, up front, there’s also a need Kekalainen should address on the trade market. A veteran winger for Buffalo’s second line would be ideal. And given that Buffalo will have $8.5-million in salary cap space, Kekalainen can and should be able to pluck someone to give his team a different look.
For instance, would Vancouver Canucks winger Jake DeBrusk be a target for the Sabres? DeBrusk does have a full no-trade clause in his contract, but it’s not working out for him in Vancouver, and he looks like a change of scenery will do him good.
Or what about taking a run at another Canuck – winger Kiefer Sherwood? He’s a far less-expensive gamble at $1.5 million, and he’s a UFA at the end of the season, so he could be a pure rental, or you could sign him to an extension.
In any case, we use these examples to show you there’s plenty of talent out there to bid on if you’re Kekalainen. And the boost the Sabres would get from adding one or two of these players would make it worth whatever Buffalo had to give up to get them.
The Sabres are far from a perfect team, and they’ll still have their issues regardless of what happens to them trade-wise. But Kekalainen can send his group of players a message – that message being, “I believe in you, and here’s a gift of a talented player to make the team even better.”
Kekalainen has to act soon, lest he miss out on trades he should’ve been in on. Being proactive is going to get Buffalo the experienced hands they need to make a Stanley Cup playoff push. And if Kekalainen can pull that off, he’s going to get the gratitude of Sabres fans desperate to see this team make it to the post-season.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin continued to climb the NHL's all-time goals list on Tuesday night.
His tying goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning was the 524th goal of his career, good for 38th all-time alongside Bryan Trottier, who won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 1991 and 1992.
Malkin's goal was a perfect shot and it came after a lot of hard work in the offensive zone with the goaltender pulled. The goal secured the Penguins a point before they lost 2-1 in a shootout.
Malkin's next goal would be his 525th and would put him in a tie with Marian Hossa for 37th on the NHL's all-time goals list. Malkin has two goals in his last four games, so it won't be long until he passes Hossa on this list.
Malkin also has three points in his last four games and will try to help the Penguins break their three-game losing streak on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that goaltender Dan Vladar is out for the remainder of the club's matchup against the Buffalo Sabres due to an injury.
The Flyers also shared that Vladar will be re-evaluated following the team's contest against the Sabres.
Vladar exiting early due to injury against the Sabres is undoubtedly concerning for the Flyers. The 28-year-old netminder has been a notable reason for the Flyers' success so far this season, as he has proven to be an excellent addition to their roster. As a result of this, the Flyers will be hoping that Vladar's injury is not serious.
Vladar has appeared in 27 games so far this season with the Flyers, where he has recorded a 16-7-4 record, a 2.42 goals-against average, and a .907 save percentage. With numbers like these, he has given the Flyers some much-needed stability between the pipes this campaign.
In 132 career NHL games split between the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, and Flyers, Vladar has a 65-41-20 record, a 2.88 goals-against average, a .897 save percentage, and four shutouts.
Injury update: Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar will not return to tonight’s #PHIvsBUF game due to injury. He will be re-evaluated after the game.
One of the most beloved former members of the Detroit Red Wings is goaltender Chris Osgood, who has his name on the Stanley Cup three times as a member of the club.
Not only did Osgood back up Conn Smythe Trophy winner Mike Vernon in 1997 despite getting the bulk of starts in the regular season, but Osgood then would lead the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup as a starter ten years apart, both in 1998 and 2008.
It was on this day in 1999 that Osgood picked up the 150th victory of his NHL career, which at that point had been played exclusively in Detroit. The Red Wings picked up a 2-1 win at Joe Louis Arena over the expansion Nashville Predators thanks to the game-winning tally scored by former Russian Five member Slava Kozlov.
In doing so, he became just the third goaltender in Red Wings history to achieve the feat.
Red Wings fans well remember the acquisition of Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek (acquired from the Buffalo Sabres for Kozlov) in the legendary summer of 2001, during which they also brought aboard Luc Robitaille and Brett Hull.
After initially participating in Training Camp and part of the pre-season with the Red Wings, Osgood was exposed on waivers and subsequently claimed by the New York Islanders, whom he would lead not only to the Stanley Cup Playoffs but within a victory of a first round upset of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Osgood, who would later play a stint with the rival St. Louis Blues, returned to the Red Wings as an unrestricted free-agent in 2005. He'd play the rest of his career with the Red Wings, which included not only winning the Stanley Cup in 2008 and coming within a victory of repeating in 2009, but the 400th victory of his NHL career in December 2010, which fittingly came against the Colorado Avalanche.
It's one of the more contested debates in hockey circles as to why Osgood, the second winningest goaltender in Red Wings history and who won the Stanley Cup twice as a starter, hasn't been yet inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Montreal Canadiens are in a good place right now. At the time of this writing, they have a 26-14-7 record and are third in the Atlantic Division standings. They are also only two points behind the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic.
With the Canadiens being one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, they should be buyers at the 2026 NHL trade deadline. One area that they could look to address is down the middle, as they could use a legitimate top-six center.
One name who has been floating around the rumor mill who would be an amazing addition to the Canadiens' roster is St. Louis Blues star center Robert Thomas.
The Blues are having a nightmare season, as evidenced by their 18-21-8 record. Due to this, several of their players have entered the rumor mill as trade candidates, with Thomas being the most notable. The 26-year-old was also recently included on NHL insider Chris Johnston's latest trade board for The Athletic.
With Thomas being on the right side of 30, a proven top-six center, and signed until the end of the 2030-31 season, the Canadiens would need to come up with a big trade offer to have any chance of landing him. Yet, he could very well be worth it when noting that he is a legitimate star and could make the Canadiens become top contenders.
Thomas is having a down year for his standards with the Blues in 2025-26, but he isn't getting much offensive support around him. In 42 games, he has a team-leading 22 assists and 33 points. His 11 goals also have him tied for first on the Blues with Justin Faulk and Jake Neighbours.
Thomas' recent seasons also show that he is capable of being a major difference-maker when playing at his best. During this past season with St. Louis, he had 21 goals, 60 assists, and 81 points. This was after he recorded 26 goals and a career-high 86 points in 82 games for the Blues in 2023-24.
With this, there is no question that Thomas would be a fantastic player for the Canadiens to bring in if they want to upgrade down the middle immediately. It will be intriguing to see if they target him from here.
New York Rangers prospect Gabe Perreault is a player who the Original Six club is expecting to be a big part of their future. It is understandable, as the 20-year-old forward undoubtedly has the potential to become a very good NHL player.
Now, Perreault's potential has led to him receiving some praise.
Perreault was the only Ranger who made Corey Pronman's latest NHL players and prospects under 23 rankings for The Athletic. Perreault was given the No. 120 spot on Pronman's list.
When noting that Perreault has the tools to become a top-six forward in the NHL, it makes sense that he has been ranked among the top young players in the sport.
Perreault has shown promise during his first full professional season in 2025-26. In 20 games with the Rangers' AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, he has recorded 10 goals, seven assists, and 17 points. With numbers like these, he has certainly demonstrated his offensive upside at the AHL level.
Perreault's success in the AHL has also allowed him to get chances on the Rangers' roster this season, too. In 14 games this season with the Rangers, the 2023 first-round pick has recorded one goal, four assists, five points, and an even plus/minus rating.
It will now be interesting to see how Perreault performs as the season rolls on. There is no question that he has a bright future with the Blueshirts.
This one felt like a perfect storm for the Flyers.
They lost their No. 1 goaltender to an injury and their losing streak hit a season-worst four games as they fell to the Sabres, 5-2, Wednesday night at KeyBank Center.
Dan Vladar exited after the first period with an undisclosed injury. The Flyers were down 2-0 when he departed and trailed 4-1 at second intermission.
Owen Tippett and Trevor Zegras provided the team’s goals.
The Flyers (22-15-8) are 0-3-1 on this skid and have been outscored 19-6.
Buffalo has won 14 of its last 16 games, a stretch that has included two victories over Rick Tocchet’s club. The Flyers went 1-2-0 in their regular-season series with the Sabres (25-16-4).
• Vladar allowed two goals on five shots in the first period.
The Flyers fell down 1-0 for the 31st time in 45 games. Cam York was whistled for crosschecking and Rasmus Dahlin took advantage 14 seconds later on Buffalo’s power play.
The Sabres made it 2-0 when Mattias Samuelsson scored seven seconds after Zegras committed a neutral-zone turnover.
“You can’t come back all the time,” Tocchet said Tuesday. “I know we’ve had one of the better records coming back, but it’s too hard to play that way, we don’t have the team to do that, so we’ve got to buckle down.”
Samuel Ersson took over at the start of the second period and converted six saves on eight shots. Buffalo’s final goal was an empty-netter.
It probably goes without saying that the Flyers are in trouble if Vladar has to miss time. He has been arguably the most important player to their playoff push, while Ersson is going through the toughest stretch in his NHL career.
Sabres netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 20 of the Flyers’ 22 shots. He robbed Nikita Grebenkin just 6:05 minutes into the game with a glove save, which allowed Buffalo to strike first about three and a half minutes later.
• Jamie Drysdale returned to the lineup after missing the last three games with an upper-body injury.
He played in place of Rasmus Ristolainen, who was a late scratch because of an upper-body injury. The Flyers are considering him day to day.
Bobby Brink missed a fourth straight game with an upper-body injury. Denver Barkey was also not in the lineup as the Flyers gave the 20-year-old rookie a night to watch.
• The Flyers are right back at it Thursday when they visit the Penguins (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
The Pittsburgh Penguins are in the middle of a retool. Due to this, they have many young players in their system who they are hoping will be big parts of their future.
Now, a handful of the Penguins' promising youngsters have earned some big praise.
In a recent article for The Athletic, Corey Pronman ranked the top NHL players and prospects who are under 23 years old. Five Penguins were featured on Pronman's rankings, as Benjamin Kindel (No. 18), Harrison Brunicke (No. 100), Will Horcoff (No. 105), Rutger McGroarty (No. 115), and Sergei Murashov (No. 136) all made the cut.
When noting that these five players are viewed as having good upside, it is not surprising in the slightest that they each have made Pronman's rankings. They each have the potential to be nice parts of the Penguins' roster in the future. In fact, Kindel is already cementing himself as just that, as the 18-year-old forward has recorded eight goals and 19 points in 42 games this season for Pittsburgh.
As for Brunicke, Horcoff, McGroarty, and Murashov, it is hard not to feel optimistic about their futures with the Penguins. Perhaps this group and Kindel could help make up Pittsburgh's future core later down the road.
As most Ottawa Senators fans are well aware, the 2020 NHL Draft has panned out quite well for their team. Of course, back then, the day belonged to the New York Rangers, who will host the Senators at MSG on Wednesday night.
After making the playoffs (or at least that weird COVID-induced qualifying round), the Rangers somehow won the 2020 draft lottery and the right to draft QMJHL superstar Alexis Lafreniere first overall.
Lafreniere was everybody's number one that year. The Senators had two lottery tickets, their own and San Jose's, so they had a good shot at number one. Sens fans had their fingers crossed, pleading with the hockey gods that the bingo balls would fall their way.
New Senators goalie James Reimer says he's pumped to get another opportunity in Ottawa.
But even though the Rangers finished 18th overall in the standings, with 17 more points than Ottawa, it was New York that defied their long odds to win the lottery. The Sens ended up "settling" for the third and fifth overall picks.
Now, five and a half years later, Sens fans are thankful for those unanswered 2020 prayers and that things worked out the way they did.
Lafreniere hasn't turned out to be the generational talent that everyone expected. In fact, given the chance, the Blueshirts would probably trade him without hesitation to Ottawa for either Tim Stützle or Jake Sanderson, the two players the Senators selected just minutes after Lafreniere was taken.
The late Alex Trebek made the Stutzle pick, not knowing the Sens were about to pull off a Daily Double.
Stützle has 46 points in 45 games for the Senators, while Jake Sanderson has 33 points and is now regarded as one of the very best defencemen in hockey. Meanwhile, Lafreniere has 24 points in 47 games in his sixth season as a Ranger.
Both Ottawa players are headed for the Olympics next month, while Lafreniere headed for the Rangers' third line on Monday. Head coach Mike Sullivan pulled him out of the top six for Monday's game against the Seattle Kraken, replacing him with a newer model: former Boston College star Gabriel Perreault, the club's 2023 first-rounder.
Sullivan, who's one win away from 500 victories in his head-coaching career, says he wants to see more from Lafreniere.
"Part of my job is trying to provide a pathway for players to thrive and succeed," Sullivan told the New York media on Monday morning. "Laf is an extremely talented player. He's a good player. We think he's capable of next-level play. We're trying to find a way to get him there, and that's part of this process that we're going through.
"Laf is another guy that cares a lot about what's going on here, and he also puts a lot of pressure on himself to contribute in a way that helps the team win. So we're trying to tweak the lineup in ways that we think give us the best chance to win and try to get the most out of certain guys."
Many Sens fans will recall how it was over 30 years ago when another QMJHL prospect named Alex was everybody's number one, a so-called can't-miss prospect. Instead, Alexandre Daigle had himself a good, average NHL career, nothing more. Lafreniere is having a very good career as well, and at 24, his story has only partially been written, but after five and a half seasons, we now have a pretty good sample size to judge his future trajectory.
But that's how it goes sometimes. And as long as the NHL is out here drafting unpredictable 18-year-olds, there are always going to be cases like these that turn draft lottery winners into losers... and vice versa.
Steve Warne The Hockey News Ottawa
This story is from The Hockey News Ottawa. You can visit the site here or click on one of their latest articles below:
The Detroit Red Wings fulfilled their need for a 13th forward on their roster after sending down John Leonard to the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins when they summoned forward Sheldon Dries.
Dries, who has yet to appear in a single NHL game for the Red Wings this season, has since been returned back to Grand Rapids.
A native of Macomb, Michigan, Dries played four seasons for the Western Michigan Broncos and has over 100 games of NHL experience with the Colorado Avalanche and the Vancouver Canucks.
Dries, who signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Red Wings in July 2024, has contributed to the record-breaking success of the Griffins this season. He's appeared in 26 games and tallied 11 goals while adding 14 assists.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Philadelphia Flyers are set to face off against the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 14. The Flyers will be looking to get back into the win column after losing each of their last three games.
The Flyers are certainly going up against a hot Sabres club, as Buffalo has won 13 out of their last 15 games. This included the Sabres defeating the Flyers by a 5-3 final score on Dec. 18.
However, ahead of their contest against the Sabres, the Flyers announced some good news. The Metropolitan Division club shared that defenseman Jamie Drysdale has been activated off injured reserve.
Drysdale has not played since receiving a dirty hit from Anaheim Ducks forward Ross Johnston on Jan. 6, which forced the Flyers blueliner to exit the game. Yet, with Drysdale now being activated off injured reserve, he is now available to play against Buffalo.
Drysdale being ready to return is excellent news for the Flyers, as he is a very important part of their blueline. The 23-year-old defenseman is in the middle of a solid year with Philadelphia, as he has posted three goals, 15 assists, 18 points, and a plus-1 rating in 41 games so far this season.
It took him a while to notch his first NHL goal, but since then, Berkly Catton has been on a tear, showing anyone who doubted he belonged in the NHL with the Seattle Kraken wrong.
In Catton’s 28th career NHL game, he finally notched his first career goal. He threw the monkey off his back and scored his second career goal in the same game. Since his first tally, the 20-year-old (turning 20 years old today) has scored four goals in his last four games.
Prior to scoring his first NHL goal, the belief was that Catton was doing a lot of things right on the ice, but it just wasn’t translating to production. His speed, skating, and creativity with the puck were evident every time he touched the ice, and the consensus was that a breakthrough was imminent.
We are now experiencing that breakthrough.
“Some of the other games, I thought I was even better than (I’ve been) in the games I’ve been scoring,” said Catton about his play as of late. “Sometimes that’s the way hockey works, and when they’re going in, they’re going in.”
Catton’s rookie totals now see him with four goals and nine points in 31 games. He’s played more so on the third line this year, averaging 12:58 of ice time. Catton’s strength is still something he needs to work on to become a high-end NHL player, but with the skillset he possesses, there’s no reason to believe that when that does come, he can be the Kraken’s top offensive threat.
“100 percent,” Catton said when asked about whether he’s improved on battling for pucks in front of the net and in the corners. “When you come in and those first couple games and those first couple months, it’s kind of an eye opener how strong guys are. How hard you have to compete, especially as maybe not the biggest guy on the ice, having to use your skating ability and edges.”
He’s been skating on a line with Shane Wright and Jared McCann recently, two offensievly gifted players but also two players with attentiveness to the defensive side of the game. They’ve helped Catton recently as much as he’s helped them.
The key for Catton is to keep the momentum going. The more he plays, the more he’ll learn, and right now, that’s all they can ask out of their rookie.
Additionally, Berkly Catton has not only burned a year on his entry-level contract but also accrued a season towards unrestricted free agency, having been on the NHL active roster for 40 games.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Flyers will hold their breath with Dan Vladar.
The 28-year-old goaltender exited Wednesday night’s game at KeyBank Center after the first period with an undisclosed injury. The team announced that he’ll be reevaluated after the game.
Samuel Ersson took over to start the second period as the Flyers trailed the Sabres, 2-0. They went on to lose their fourth straight, 5-2.
Vladar has been arguably the most important player to the Flyers’ playoff push over halfway through the season. He entered Wednesday night with a 2.42 goals-against average and .907 save percentage. He already has a career-high 16 wins.
Last season, the Flyers surrendered 3.45 goals per game and had an NHL-worst .872 save percentage. This season, they came into Wednesday night giving up 2.93 goals per game.
If Vladar has to miss any time, Aleksei Kolosov will likely be called up from AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.
The Flyers on Wednesday night started a stretch of three games in four days. They’re right back in action Thursday when they visit the Penguins (7 p.m. ET/ESPN) before returning home for a matchup Saturday with the Rangers (1 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
The Ottawa Senators are in New York to face the Rangers on Wednesday night, trying to build on Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.
The game will mark the official beginning of James Reimer's time in Ottawa, though it's not clear yet whether Reimer will start or back up against the Rangers. We do know that Hunter Shepard was sent back down to the AHL’s Belleville Senators on Wednesday morning, which leaves only Reimer and Leevi Merilainen on the NHL roster.
Merilainen played on Tuesday night in the victory over the Canucks and, if not for an awful, unforced giveaway by Dylan Cozens, he'd be savouring a shutout right now. But the last time the Sens tried to trot the young Finn out there in back-to-back games, he was part of an 8-2 shelling in Colorado.
James Reimer addresses the Ottawa media for the first time this week (Senators YouTube)
After previous stops in Toronto, San Jose, Florida, Carolina, Detroit, Buffalo, and Anaheim, this will be the eighth NHL jersey that Reimer has officially thrown on in his well-travelled career. He actually had two different stints in San Jose and also tried to return to Toronto back in the fall but didn't get a contract.
“I went to Toronto in case there was a need there, and it turned out there wasn’t something that would work out for both sides,” Reimer told the media this week. “But it was a good opportunity to go get some reps and work out.”
After that, Reimer went back home and kept his conditioning up by skating with some BCHL junior clubs.
Over the holidays, Reimer got an opportunity to play for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup, getting into two games. However, when the quarterfinals rolled around, Canada opted to go with former Carleton Place Canadian Connor Hughes.
Not long after he got home, opportunity knocked in Ottawa, which has a good young team but has struggled mightily in goal, especially since Linus Ullmark stepped away on a leave of absence over the holidays. So the 37-year-old signed a one-year contract with the Senators on Monday worth an AAV of $850,000. TSN's Darren Dreger reported yesterday that there's a chance Ullmark could be back as early as next week.
Since they played on Tuesday night, the Senators didn't skate on Wednesday morning, so we don't have any game day info yet from head coach Travis Green. But he seemed quite content with his club's performance versus the Canucks, so he's probably not going to change much against the Rangers, who've lost four in a row, including a 10-2 loss to Boston on Saturday.
The main question will be whether Green wants to push young Merilainen into a back-to-back or go with a rusty 37-year-old who just got here and hasn't played in nine months.
The latter option is certainly a much better storyline, especially since Ottawa's starter will be facing Jonathan Quick on Wednesday. If it's Reimer, this will go down as one of the oldest goalie matchups in Sens history because Quick is the league's oldest goalie at 39, and turns 40 next week. Reimer is now the third oldest at 37, while former Senator Cam Talbot stands second at 38.
The old-timers' meeting begins at 7:30 pm at MSG.
Steve Warne The Hockey News Ottawa
This story is from The Hockey News Ottawa. You can visit the site here or click on one of their latest articles below:
With the 2025-26 NHL season just over the halfway mark, it's time to look back at the Colorado Avalanche's 2025 NHL Entry Draft selections and see how they are doing in their first season after being drafted. Prospects haven't been the best area for the Avalanche, as they've either been traded in the past couple of seasons to try to compete or lower-end prospects with a tough climb to make the roster.
Looking back at the 2025 draft, the Avalanche selected only three players: in the third, fourth, and seventh round; the rest of their picks were traded before the draft. Let's take a brief look at how they are doing this season and how they are helping their team in their respective league.
Round 3: Francesco Dell’Elce (D) UMass (NCAA)
Coming off his rookie season with UMass, where he finished with seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points, the Avalanche, with their first selection of the draft, took Dell’Elce in the third round, 77th overall in the draft. Coming in at 6-foot-1 and 181 pounds, he is a puck-moving defenseman who shoots left-handed with some sneaky, explosive skating. Here is what EliteProspects said in their 2024 NHL Draft Guide:
“Dell’Elce’s an offensive-minded left-shot defender with NHL-level mobility and a projectable shot. His vision under pressure is absurd, connecting on long-bomb outlets with forecheckers only feet away. He will even go as far as baiting forecheckers deeper into the defensive zone just to explode past them”
In his second season, he currently has three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 20 games. He is third on the team in points, first by a defenseman, fifth in goals, and fourth in assists. All three of his goals are game-winning goals and are tied for the most on the team.
He is also third on the team in blocks with 24. Currently playing with notable top prospect Vaclav Nestrasil (Blackhawks), who was selected 25th overall in Round 1 of the 2025 draft, he has helped UMass to a 10-10-0 record halfway through the season
Round 4: Linus Funck (D) London Knights (OHL)
The Avalanche go back-to-back with defensemen in the draft, but this time lean toward a more physical, two-way defenseman with Funck. Playing in Sweden pre-draft with Lulea HF J20 in the J20 Nationell league, Funck finished with five goals and 23 assists for 28 points as a 17-year-old.
He led all defensemen in points and ranked fifth on the team. Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 194 pounds, he shoots right. Although moving his game to North America might affect his scoring, his strong defensive skills and height should help him transition more smoothly without relying heavily on scoring. Here is what EliteProspects said in their 2024 NHL Draft Guide:
“Funck uses his reach to kill rushes on top of the blue line and creates breakups along the wall with his physical presence. He is also highly effective on retrievals, mostly through smart first-touch passes.”
Now in North America with the London Knights after he was signed to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement, he has three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 39 games, including one power play goal and two power play assists.
While the Knights might have lost a lot of talented prospects, including four of their five top point producers from last season in Sam Dickinson (Sharks), Denver Barkey (Flyers), Easton Cowen (Leafs), and William Nicholl (Oilers), the Knights are still off to a solid start to the season, sitting fifth in the Western Conference at 23-15-3-0 (49 points).
As the youngest player selected by the Avalanche in the draft, at 18 years old, turning 19 on May 10, Funck will have plenty of time to work on his game with the Knights, who have an excellent reputation for development programs in the CHL and getting him more comfortable in the North American style and gameplay.
Nolan Roed (C/LW), St. Cloud State University (NCAA)
With their final pick in the draft, the Avalanche go with a forward in Roed that shows a lot of skill that has room to grow and develop. Finishing his second season with the Tri-City Storm in the United States Hockey League (USHL), he finished with 27 goals and 33 assists for 60 points, leading the team in goals, assists, and points heading into the 2025 draft.
Taken with the 11th last pick of the draft is questionable considering his skills and intangibles he can bring to a team. A player who can play both Center and Left-Wing confidently and shows excellent skills as a playmaker while having great hands as a puckhandler, who can also shoot the puck pretty well. Even EliteProspects has a good breakdown on what you can expect from his game.
“In sustained pressure, Roed is a force. He’s constantly moving without possession, dipping behind defenders and popping into space for chances. With possession, he has both shooting and passing skill, amplified by his ability to get off the wall and build downhill speed. Interchanging with his defencemen, he gets all of his teammates involved as he controls the game.”
Unfortunately, a significant factor affecting his game and how it translates to the NHL level is his height of 5-foot-11. Coming in at 185 pounds isn’t bad. Still, when you have that height difference and face off against centers and a defenseman standing over 6-foot-4 and taller, unless you can find separation to get your shot off or beat defenders with your skill, it's going to be hard to get the same level of production.
In his first season at St. Cloud State University, he has two goals and nine assists for 11 points in 22 games. A league that translates very differently from the WHL, and with Roed, who just turned 20 past October 25, it's probably going to be one or two more years to really either show off how much his skill has grown or show growth in other areas of his game before he signs his ELC and plays with the Eagles.
The Colorado Avalanche prospect pool is suffering because of their recent success in the NHL. Very rarely will you see an NHL team compete for the Stanley Cup every season while having a top-ranked prospect pool. Three picks in the last draft show a bit of promise in each player. We shall see what the Avalanche do at the trade deadline, as they have seven draft picks, but two are in the fourth round, three in the fifth round, and three in the seventh round.
Sabres Are Back On A Win Streak, But Buffalo GM Must Still Make Notable Additions Via TradesDespite the Buffalo Sabres getting a new win streak going, Buffalo GM Jarmo Kekalainen must acquire veteran talent before the trade deadline to solidify the Sabres' playoff aspirations and address the team's depth. Because standing pat would be a major mistake.
If Sabres Are Going To Trade Tuch, Rangers Star Forward Should Be Their TargetThe Buffalo Sabres may not want to give star winger Alex Tuch a lucrative contract extension, considering a Tuch trade instead. Could New York Rangers' forward Vincent Trocheck be the perfect acquisition for the Sabres?
