Category: NHL

The St. Louis Blues have high expectations for Adam Jiricek, and although he may be entering his NHL career sooner than they anticipated, they aren't going to shelter him completely.

Practice lines indicate he'll start on the third pairing alongside veteran Cam Fowler, but given Jiricek's progress, it wouldn't be surprising to see him earn minutes alongside Philip Broberg.

One thing is certain: coach Jim Montgomery will give Jiricek the reins to run a power play.

"When you have a thoroughbred, you let'em out of the stable."

Jiricek is exactly that. Standing 6-foot-3, Jiricek has the size and skill to be a top defenseman in the NHL. At just 20 years old, Jiricek has proven at countless levels and tournaments that he has the offensive and defensive game of a modern-day NHLer, mixed with the skating and athletic ability to be a high-end player.

With Logan Mailloux out, the Blues need a defenseman to run a power play unit. Broberg will likely quarterback the top unit alongside Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud and Mason McTavish, but Jiricek should find himself with Jake Neighbours, Connor McMichael, Pavel Buchnevich, and Dalibor Dvorsky.

Last season in the OHL, Jiricek posted 19 goals and 59 points in 55 games. Of Jiricek's 19 goals and 59 points, nine goals and 31 points came on the power play. His 31 points led all OHL defensemen in 2025-26. 

Blues' Justin Barron Was Originally Brought In As Depth, Now There's An Opportunity For MoreOriginally considered a depth addition, long-term injuries to a pair of St. Louis Blues defensemen have made Justin Barron a more important piece of the roster than once thought.

With the vision to distribute the puck and a heavy enough shot to threaten a goaltender, Jiricek is a difference-maker on the man advantage. 

There may be parts of his game he'll have to refine in the NHL, and there will definitely be learning curves, but what Jiricek has shown throughout his hockey life is that he can be a threat offensively. 

Montgomery wants to see Jiricek play his game and be a difference maker. 

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Young NHL players continue to cash in with big contracts based on expectations.

The Ducks, who had to deal with another team's offer sheet this summer to Anaheim's top center, signed defenseman Tristan Luneau to a six-year contract extension on Thursday, Oct. 1. It's worth a reported $43.2 million or a $7.2 million average per year.

Luneau, 22, has played only 14 NHL games, totaling two goals and two assists.

He has spent nearly all of his two-plus-season professional career on the American Hockey League's San Diego Gulls and scored a goal in his lone NHL game last season.

Here are some reasons for such a big payday for a player who has such limited NHL experience:

The Ducks like his potential

"We see him as a top-four defenseman for years to come," general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement about the 2022 second-round pick.

During his time in the AHL, Luneau has 95 points in 135 games. Among all AHL defensemen the past two seasons, he ranked third in points (93), fourth in assists (74) and sixth in goals (19).

The Ducks need defensemen

Anaheim seems weaker on the blue line this season. Trade deadline acquisition John Carlson signed with Tampa Bay, Radko Gudas signed with Florida, Jacob Trouba signed with San Jose and Olen Zellweger was traded to Buffalo.

Jackson LaCombe and Pavel Mintyukov are signed long-term, but the remainder of the blue line was signed for two or fewer years.

If the 6-foot-1, 211-pound Luneau does develop into a top four defenseman, he's now signed until 2033. And $7.2 million will seem less significant with the salary cap continuing to rise. Plus, he gives up two years of restricted free agency.

The #FlyTogether signed 22 y/o D Tristan Luneau to a six year $7.2M cap hit contract

Yr 1: $1.75M Salary, $3M Signing Bonus
Yr 2: $4.75M
Yr 3-4: $7.813M
Yr 5-6: $9.038M

10 team M-NTC in Yr 5 & 6, covers 2 UFA seasons

Rep'd by Ian Pulver and Jonathan Lachance @WillSportsGroup…

— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) October 1, 2026

The Ducks learned their lesson

“Getting the deal done before the season started was a key part of our planning for now and the future," Verbeek said.

In other words, sign him before the potential of an offer sheet next July. That's probably the biggest key.

The Ducks' cap situation was thrown out of whack when the Philadelphia Flyers gave restricted free agent Leo Carlsson a five-year, $90 million offer sheet that makes him the highest-paid NHL player this season. Then, the Ducks matched it.

That forced the Ducks to pay more for Mintyukov ($7.2 million average) and bumped up the price for leading scorer Cutter Gauthier ($13.5 million). Luneau will be making the same at Mintyukov, also 22.

The Ducks had to cut ties with Chris Kreider to get under the cap limit.

Verbeek had played hardball in the past with some other restricted free agents who lacked arbitration rights. But the Luneau extension suggests a change in strategy.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Ducks' Tristan Luneau got $43.2 million deal after just 14 NHL games

Tristan Luneau is $43.2 million richer.

The Ducks defenseman scored a historic six-year NHL deal on Thursday worth an average of $7.2 million per year.

Luneau’s contract is the largest ever handed out to a player with just 14 games of NHL experience on their résumé.

“Signing Tristan to a long-term contract was a priority as we see him as a top-four defenseman for years to come,” GM Pat Verbeek said in a statement. “Getting the deal done before the season started was a key part of our planning for now and the future.”

It’s a big bet on the 22-year-old, a 2022 second-round pick in the final season of a three-year, $2.85 million entry-level deal, who has posted a pair of goals and four points in his three-year NHL career.

Over 135 games with AHL San Diego, Luneau has post 19 goals and 95 points while dealing with injuries. He’s set to start the season on the Ducks’ top pairing with Jackson LaCombe.

Anaheim, which snapped a seven-year playoff drought last season, is no stranger to handing out massive contracts to what it believes is rising young talent.

Lacombe, for instance, received an eight-year $72 million extension that kicked in this season, which was the largest deal ever handed out by the franchise at the time.

It was later eclipsed this past offseason by an offer sheet-induced five-year, $90 million deal for 21-year-old Leo Carlsson that, at an $18 million AAV, that will be the largest in the league — only to be outdone at the start of next season when Cale Makar’s eight-year, $163.2 million deal and Macklin Celebrini’s five-year, $94 million extension kick in.

Winger Cutter Gauthier is set to enter the first season of a six-year, $81 million deal when Anaheim kicks off its season on Friday in Vegas.

The Buffalo Sabres continue to proactive in getting their own players signed to long-term extensions prior to them getting close to becoming unrestricted free agents. Previously, GM Jarmo Kekalainen has done so with forwards Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Beck Malenstyn, and Noah Ostlund. On Thursday, prior to the regular season opener in Columbus, the club announced the signing of defenseman Louis Crevier to a four-year, $16 million contract extension. 

The big 25-year-old blueliner was obtained just prior to the NHL Draft from the Chicago Blackhawks along with the fourth overall pick (Daxon Rudolph), and a second round pick (later flipped to Anaheim for Olen Zellweger) for defenseman Bowen Byram. 

The 6’8” 236 lb. righty defenseman was entering the final year of a two-year, $1.8 million bridge deal ($900,000 AAV) after scoring 25 points (7 goals, 18 assists) in 78 games for the Hawks in a top four role, so the new deal with the Sabres will begin at the start of next season.

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Mrtka Looking To Take The Next Step Towards The NHL 

“(I’m) just really happy. I think it’s something I’ve worked for a while now, and I’m just super glad that it’s behind me. Just having stability is just going to help me a ton to play hockey.” Crevier said on Thursday. “At the end of the day, we are hockey players, I just want to play hockey. If a team wants me for five more years, I couldn’t really refuse it.”

Crevier had one more year of control before qualifying for unrestricted free agency in 2028, so the new deal buys three UFA years. 

The Sabres take on the Columbus Blue Jackets in their season opener at Nationwide Arena on Thursday. The club got some good news regarding the health of defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, who will start after being listed as week-to-week with a lower body injury during the preseason. 

Blueliner Olen Zellweger was placed on injured reserve on Thursday and Dennis Gilbert was recalled from AHL Rochester. Zellweger according to Ruff on Wednesday has still not cleared concussion protocol, but could be available as soon as Saturday for the home opener against Byram and the Crevier’s former team, the Blackhawks. 

Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo 

The Pittsburgh Penguins made a roster move after practice on Thursday. 

They assigned forward Rutger McGroarty to the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins after he was a healthy scratch for Wednesday's season opener against the Philadelphia Flyers. 

It also comes after forward Ben Kindel fully participated in Thursday's practice. Kindel is currently week-to-week with an injury that he aggravated during the Penguins' first pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres.

 

Forward Rutger McGroarty has been assigned to @WBSPenguins (AHL). pic.twitter.com/EnCtmNQTVg

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 1, 2026

McGroarty played in 24 games for the Penguins last year, compiling three goals and six points. He also played eight games in the 2024-25 season, scoring one goal and totaling three points. 

Overall, he has racked up four goals and nine points in 32 NHL games. 

He'll now go down to the AHL to help WBS get off to a strong start to its 2026-27 AHL season. He'll likely be back with the NHL club later this year, especially if he plays well or injuries pile up.

The Penguins will play the Montreal Canadiens in their home opener at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday. 

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Darcy Kuemper’s return to the Kings’ crease could hardly have gone worse.

In Wednesday night’s season opener at Ball Arena, Kuemper surrendered eight goals on 29 shots, including four on the power play, as Los Angeles was overwhelmed by a Colorado Avalanche team that has given it fits for quite some time.

Yes, the Kings didn’t do their goaltender many favors. There were defensive breakdowns throughout the night, and Colorado made them pay for virtually every mistake. But Kuemper’s preseason struggles followed him into the opener, raising an immediate question about head coach Peter Laviolette’s decision to hand him the start.

That decision looks even more puzzling given what happened the last time these teams met.

The Kings were swept by Colorado in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in April, but they were far more competitive than the final result might suggest. A big reason for that was Anton Forsberg, who repeatedly gave Los Angeles a chance to stay in games against a talented Avalanche roster.

Colorado’s power play, meanwhile, was hardly a factor during the regular season despite the Avalanche entering the postseason as the Presidents’ Trophy winners. That clearly wasn’t the case Wednesday.

Colorado scored four times with the man advantage, turning what was already a difficult night for the Kings into a rout.

And while it would be unfair to pin all eight goals on Kuemper, it’s also fair to question why Laviolette went back to him in the first place.

Kuemper struggled through the preseason, and Forsberg had already shown he could handle the pressure against Colorado. Yet when the regular season arrived, Laviolette opted for the more expensive, more established option.

The result was an eight-goal night and a very bad start to the season.

Here’s the bottom line: If you put Forsberg in net, the Kings at least give themselves a legitimate chance to win that game.

Look back at the four-game playoff series against Colorado. Forsberg allowed an average of 3.25 goals per game and, despite the Kings being swept, repeatedly gave them an opportunity to stay within striking distance. Mackenzie Blackwood, meanwhile, gave up four goals in his season debut Wednesday.

You can make the argument that Kuemper had to get the start because he’s the Kings’ $5.25 million goaltender while Forsberg makes $2.25 million. But if that’s the reasoning, fine.

Just understand that when your decision results in an eight-goal embarrassment on opening night, criticism is going to come with it.

Laviolette made the call. Now he has to own this. Either way, the Kings’ goaltending situation has suddenly become one of the biggest storylines of their young season.

The Kings don’t have much time to dwell on the loss. They’ll head to San Jose on Saturday to face Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks, giving Laviolette his first opportunity to respond to what happened in Colorado.

The San Jose Sharks continue to build something special on the ice in California's Silicon Valley. They're coming off the first winning season since 2019 and have established themselves as one of the younger, more promising teams in the NHL despite failing to make the postseason for a seventh consecutive year.

Macklin Celebrini has superstar written all over him and is projected to be an All-Star in the upcoming season. He signed a five-year, $94 million contract extension this offseason to see the organization's turnaround come to fruition. And he will do so as the youngest captain in Sharks history.

The Sharks have built their core through the draft over the years bringing in Celebrini, Will Smith, Michael Misa and Igor Chernyshov. They continued that blueprint in the 2026 NHL Draft with three first round picks selecting Ivar Stenberg with the No. 2 pick, Keaton Verhoeff at No. 9 and Ryan Lin at No. 21.

One of the areas of focus was their defense and the team's physicality. They added Kiefer Sherwood during the 2025-26 season and his impact was felt immediately. They kept on adding guys that fit that mold during the offseason, a necessary move especially after rugged Ryan Reaves announced he's retiring.

They added defenseman Darnell Nurse, Jacob Trouba and Michael Kesselring, but traded forward William Eklund. Collin Graf was another big re-signing over the offseason, inking a three-year extension in San Jose.

Head coach Ryan Warsofsky was signed to a multi-year contract extension with the Sharks, after last season's 34-point improvement. Sharks GM Mike Grier puts a formidable team together. The Sharks are ready to get rolling as the team begins play on Thursday, Oct. 1.

Here's a breakdown of the San Jose Sharks' offseason moves and what to expect from them heading into the 2026-27 NHL season:

San Jose Sharks offseason review

• Record last season: 39-35-8, 86 points (11th in Western Conference)
• Playoff finish: Did not qualify
• Coach: Ryan Warsofsky (3rd season)
• 2026-27 title odds: +3500 (per BetMGM)
• Projected record: 93 points, third in Pacific Division
• Offseason grade: B

Key roster additions during offseason

• LW Ivar Stenberg (No. 2 pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft)
• LW Mason Marchment (free agent)
• LW Tye Felhaber (free agent)
• LW Alex Barré-Boulet (free agent)
• RW Brett Leason (free agent)
• D Keaton Verhoeff (No. 9 pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft)
• D Darnell Nurse (trade with Edmonton Oilers)
• D Jacob Trouba (free agent)
• D Michael Kesselring (trade with Buffalo Sabres)
• D Phillip Sinn (EHC München, Germany)
• C Andre Gasseau (trade with Boston Bruins)
• G Eric Comrie (free agent)
• G Ilya Samsonov (Kontinental Hockey League)
• G Kyle Keyser (American Hockey League, ECHL)

Key roster losses during offseason

• LW William Eklund (Ottawa Senators)
• LW Pavol Regenda (Swedish Hockey League)
• LW Jeff Skinner (Switzerland)
• LW Yegor Afanasyev (Kontinental Hockey League)
• RW Ryan Reaves (retired)
• RW Colin White (New Jersey Devils)
• RW Kasper Halttunen (Ottawa Senators)
• D Mario Ferraro (Winnipeg Jets)
• D John Klingberg (retired)
• D Shakir Mukhamadullin (Edmonton Oilers)
• D Vincent Desharnais (Washington Capitals)
• G, Jakub Škarek (Deutsche Eishockey Liga)
• G, Gabriel Carriere (American Hockey League)
• G, Laurent Brossoit (Anaheim Ducks)

Biggest question entering season

Is the Sharks' young core ready to take the next step and make a postseason appearance?

• Sharks general manager Mike Grier has slowly, but surely rebuilt this roster into a team that looks like it can be competitive and make a postseason run. Hired in 2022, Grier has methodically drafted and made complementary moves, whether through free agency or trades, to help improve the roster. Entering the 2026-27 season, San Jose has a roster made up of young stars led by Macklin Celebrini. One of the youngest teams in the league, the Sharks' average age is 24. Veterans Darnell Nurse, Michael Kesselring and Jacob Trouba are ready to help support and guide the young group. The Sharks were in the mix for the wild card spot last season, now they are on everyone's radar to make the leap as a playoff contender.

Projected lines and defensive partners

#SJSharks practice lines, trending toward Dickinson sitting on opening night:

Marchment-Celebrini-Smith
Chernyshov-Misa-Toffoli
Stenberg-Wennberg-Graf
Goodrow-Ostapchuk-Sherwood

Nurse-Kesselring
Allan-Trouba
Orlov-Cagnoni

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) September 30, 2026

What to expect in 2026-27 season

The Sharks aren't a surprise team anymore. They have talent and it's known around the league. The Shark Tank will be rocking and it will feel like a playoff environment. This will fare well for the Sharks as they attempt to end a seven-year playoff drought. Macklin Celebrini will make his first NHL All-Star Game appearance and could even an MVP favorite if San Jose makes the playoffs.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: San Jose Sharks season preview, lineup and prediction

The Colorado Avalanche defeated the Los Angeles Kings by an 8-4 final score on Wednesday night, and former Montreal Canadiens forward Artturi Lehkonen certainly played a role in it.

Lehkonen scored two goals for the Avalanche in their season-opening win against the Kings. With this, there is no question that the former Canadiens forward has kicked off his 2026-27 campaign on the right foot for Colorado. 

Seeing Lehkonen have a strong opening night for the Avalanche is not too surprising. He has had plenty of success during his time with the Avalanche and has emerged as one of their key players because of it.

In 70 games during the 2025-26 season with the Central Division club, Lehkonen posted 21 goals, 27 assists, 48 points, and a plus-32 rating. This was after the former Canadiens forward had 27 goals, 18 assists, 45 points, and a plus-36 rating in 69 games for the Avs in 2024-25.

It will now be interesting to see how the former Canadiens forward builds off his strong start to the campaign from here. In 396 games over six seasons with Montreal from 2016-17 to 2021-22, he posted 74 goals, 75 assists, and 149 points.

The Vegas Golden Knights soundly beat the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night. This was the first of a three-game road trip to kick off their 2026-27 season. Chicago improved slightly as the game went on, but Vegas proved too strong that night. 

Now, Chicago’s second of three road games will be on Thursday against the Utah Mammoth. This is the first game of the season and the home opener for Utah. The Mammoth are another strong team trying to build on what was a fantastic 2025-26 season for them. 

Scouting Utah

The Utah Mammoth have a roster capable of challenging for a top-3 spot in the Central Division. Will they beat out one of the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, or Minnesota Wild for it? Can they bypass all of them and win the division? Everything is in play for them heading into the new season. 

Their captain, Clayton Keller, is the best player on the team. A Gold Medal winner with Team USA back in February, Keller has the tools to be a major contributor on a Stanley Cup-caliber team. It’s on the organization to keep building around him, which they have done a great job of since moving to Salt Lake City. 

Alongside Keller are a ton of forwards who are blossoming stars. Nick Schmaltz has been an established great player for a long time, but Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, and Barrett Hayton all help them have tremendous scoring depth. 

Utah also added veteran forwards Vincent Trochek and Anders Lee during the off-season. Each of them has been a great NHL leader for a long time in a big market like New York, and now they have the task of helping this young Utah group take that next step. 

On defense, it’s a mixed bag led by Mikhail Sergachev, who has Stanley Cup pedigree himself. Behind their defense is goalie Karel Vejmelka, whois projected to start against the Blackhawks. 

Their lineup as a whole in front of Vejmelka, based on practice, should look like this:

Keller - Schmaltz - Trocheck

Lee - Cooley - Guenther

Crouse - Hayton - McBain

O’Brien/Carcone - Stenlund - Yama/But

Sergachev - Weegar

Schmidt - Marino

Simashev - Peeke

Duda - DeSimone

Vejmelka

Cossa

Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago

The Blackhawks shook things up with their lines at practice on Wednesday. They reflect some of the adjustments that head coach Jeff Blashill made during the loss to Vegas on Tuesday. The most notable is placing Patrick Kane with Tyler Bertuzzi. Anton Frondell sits between them. 

There is no morning skate ahead of this Thursday night Utah match, so it will have to be assumed for now that they will roll with those changes that were made during practice:

Bertuzzi-Frondell-Kane

Teravainen-Kantserov-Lardis

Donato-Nazar-Moore

Smith-Greene-Greenway

Vlasic-Byram

Kaiser-Levshunov

Cole-Rinzel

Soderblom

Knight

For now, it is assumed that Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro will be the two defensemen scratched again. However, if they repeat their Tuesday night performance against the Vegas Golden Knights, there will be changes that follow. 

The Blackhawks are down to 12 healthy forwards with them on the trip as Andrew Mangiapane went back to Chicago for further evaluation on an injury. After all, Teuvo Teravainen will get his chance to play and possibly stick in the lineup. 

Teuvo Teravainen Will Get His Chance To Play For Blackhawks After AllIt took one game for Teuvo Teravainen's services to be needed back in the Chicago Blackhawks lineup.

Teravainen will play on what appears to be the second line with Roman Kantserov and Nick Lardis. He is known for being a playmaker, so these two snipers may help him get back on track. 

Arvid Soderblom is the projected starter based on the fact that Spencer Knight played in Game 1 and faced more than 30 shots. We won't know for sure, however, until warmups, which will also confirm the lines and pairs to start the game. 

How To Watch

The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. You can stream it on ESPN+, Hulu, and Disney+. The puck will drop shortly after 8:30 PM CT. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay up to date on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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It hasn’t always been easy for Arber Xhekaj to not only get into the Montreal Canadiens’ lineup but also to get some playing time once in it. In fact, in the last playoffs, after playing the seven games of the series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he only saw five games of action against the Buffalo Sabres and none in the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes. Worse, in his last playoff game against Buffalo, he got only 1:52 of ice time, so it was hardly surprising that it took him some time to sign a new contract with the Habs. At 25, he needs to think about his future and establish himself as an NHL regular.

On Tuesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, he played on the third pairing with Jayden Struble and got 12:20 of ice time, including 1:29 on the penalty kill. He hadn’t seen that much action since the last regular-season game, when Noah Dobson was unavailable and Kaiden Guhle was being rested. As for the penalty kill, that was very out of the ordinary for him, and Derek Lalonde now being in charge of that aspect of the game may explain why he's getting that new opportunity.

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In his 16 shifts, the 6-foot-4 and 240-pound blueliner didn’t land a single hit. The occasion didn’t present itself, and he didn’t go on the ice seeking the big hits. Xhekaj kept things simple and made the low-risk play whenever he was on the ice. At one point, first-overall pick Gavin McKenna pressured him in his own end, but Xhekaj turned the other way and easily escaped the highly touted prospect.

In the second frame, Brandon Duhaime rocked him with a big hit behind the Canadiens’ net, and he ended up down on the ice. Once upon a time, he would have gotten up and tried to avenge the hit right away, but he didn’t. He got back up and got right back to the task at hand: defending. The Habs led 2-1 at that point, and there was no time for extracurriculars. 

It wasn’t a spectacular game for Xhekaj and he didn’t even come close to dropping his gloves, there was one sequence during which Nick Suzuki was sent down to the ice after the play had been whistled and he looked frustrated, but Xhekaj was on the bench. The camera cut to hit, looking on intently and most probably noting the number of the guilty party, but with the Canadiens up by two goals at that point in the final frame, it wasn’t time to start anything up and he didn’t. The gritty blueliner has learned to pick his moments which can only help him stay in the lineup.

Of course, when Guhle is healthy, he’ll get back in the lineup and that means that one of Struble or Xhekaj will have to come out. It’s still early, but one game in, Xhekaj has the upper hand. If he can make himself useful enough on the penalty kill, that could be a deciding factor. Of course, there’s also the matter of Adam Engstrom. St-Louis said he was kept with the big club because he’s ready for the NHL. That’s just one more body to get into the lineup. The team won’t want him to sit for too long and once Guhle return, it will be interesting to see if the team decides to keep eight defensemen on the roster. Right now, they’ve also got 14 forwards which has allowed Florian Xhekaj to remain with the big club, but when Oliver Kapenen is ready to reintegrate the lineup, that will be two forwards to sit. When Guhle’s back, the Habs won’t be able to keep 14 forwards and 8 defensemen. Someone will have to go down.

For the sake of the older Xhekaj, Engstrom would be better. He’s still waiver-exempt, and it would make the blueline less busy. If that happens, it will mean Stuble and Xhekaj have won their three-way battle with the young Swede, at least for now. Up front, there’s no denying that the Canadiens could use some grit, especially when they take on teams who play a physical style of play, such as the Florida Panthers, who now have the Tkachuk brothers in their lineup, but the first duel between the two sides will only take place in early December.

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The preseason auditions are over. Now it counts for Maxim Shabanov.

The Minnesota Wild will open the 2026-27 regular season Thursday night against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena, and Shabanov will be one of the more intriguing players to watch as Minnesota begins a new season.

After signing with the Wild during the offseason, Shabanov spent much of training camp getting an opportunity alongside Kirill Kaprizov and Danila Yurov.

Now comes his first chance to show what that combination can do when the games count.

Shabanov steadily improved throughout training camp and started to look increasingly comfortable as the preseason progressed.

"He got better and better as the game went," Wild head coach John Hynes said during the preseason. "I think overall in camp, he's gotten better and better. He understands kind of what's going on."

Shabanov also found the back of the net during the preseason while creating several other scoring opportunities.

The 25-year-old made it clear during camp that the opportunity to play alongside Kaprizov is something he wants to earn.

"He a good player," Shabanov said of Kaprizov. "I happy to play with him. I need try everyday work to play with him. Such a good guy and good skill."

Shabanov also said one of the reasons he chose Minnesota was the opportunity to compete for a Stanley Cup.

"It's a good team," Shabanov said. "This team have chance to win [Stanley] Cup and I want help team win a Cup."

Thursday represents the first real test.

Playing alongside Kaprizov comes with an obvious opportunity, but Shabanov will have to show he can complement one of the NHL's top offensive players once the pace and intensity increase in the regular season.

Wild Teammate Sees ‘A Little Bit Of Kucherov’ In Maxim ShabanovYakov Trenin sees “a little bit of Kucherov” in Maxim Shabanov, who believes the Wild can contend for the Stanley Cup and is working to earn an opportunity alongside Kirill Kaprizov.

Watch how involved Shabanov is in creating offense, whether he can get himself into scoring areas and, perhaps most importantly, whether he can make plays with Kaprizov rather than simply looking to get him the puck.

Minnesota entered training camp with openings higher in its lineup following significant turnover on the wings during the offseason. Shabanov was given an opportunity to seize one of those spots and did enough throughout camp to remain there entering the regular season.

Now he gets the chance to prove he belongs.

The Wild won't learn everything about Shabanov from one night in Nashville. But after weeks of practices and preseason games, Thursday provides the first meaningful look at what Minnesota might have in its new winger.

And that makes Maxim Shabanov the Wild player to watch in Game 1.

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