BUFFALO, NY -- With the 13th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Islanders selected left-shot defenseman Malte Gustafsson from HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).
Last year, Gustafsson tallied three assists in 27 games among men with HV71.
Additionally, with HV71 U20, the 6’4”, 203-pound defenseman scored four goals with eight assists for 12 points in 19 games.
Gustafsson is a shutdown defender and a minutes eater.
Gustafsson’s game is well-rounded, but his calling card lies in his skating and athleticism. Possessing a long stride and excellent footwork, the big blueliner is effective in all three zones.
He can defend and shut down the rush, bring the puck up the ice in transition, as well as contribute offensively — with an occasional pop of elite skill, though inconsistent.
I think we are looking at a player who can be the next Adam Pelech for the franchise down the road. #Isleshttps://t.co/iAx25X3emp
The Väckelsång, Sweden native filled out his frame this season, and perhaps his most impressive showing occurred at the IIHF U18 tournament, where he ate impressive minutes for his country as a shutdown, do-it-all defenseman.
Gustafsson is slated to play for HV71 in the SHL next season, with no immediate plans to come to North America. He also joins a long list of Islanders left-shot defensive prospects, which includes Matthew Schaefer, Kashawn Aitcheson, Isaiah George, Marshall Warren, Jesse Pulkkinen, Xavier Veilleux, among others.
On Saturday, New York will make four draft selections in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds. Day 2 of the NHL Entry Draft will be available to watch on NHL Network, Sportsnet, and ESPN+.
Officially, the Philadelphia Flyers are down one more trade target at the center position to start the 2026 offseason.
On Friday, during the 2026 NHL Draft, we saw a number of surprises, with teams still continuing to wheel and deal draft picks.
That trend continued when the Anaheim Ducks finally traded potential Flyers target Mason McTavish, acquiring the 15th and 29th overall picks from the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft.
Previously, the Flyers had already missed out on Bowen Byram, which was understandable given the absolutely outrageous price paid for him by Chicago.
At center, Shane Wright could be an option, even with Seattle selecting defenseman Chase Reid at the top of the draft order.
It has also been reported that the Flyers are interested in Ottawa Senators centers Dylan Cozens, Shane Pinto, and Ridly Greig, though that chatter has subsequently died down since.
In any case, with McTavish off to the Blues, the Flyers will not be adding yet another Duck to the reunion party in Philadelphia with Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, and Simon Benoit.
McTavish, 23, has five years remaining on his contract at a $7 million cap hit, and in St. Louis, he'll join a young nucleus that includes trade acquisition Connor McMichael, Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud, Adam Jiricek, Dalibor Dvorsky, Robert Thomas, Philip Broberg, Justin Carbonneau, and more.
At the time of this writing, it is looking increasingly likely the Flyers will stand pat and make their pick at 21st overall, rather than trade it.
The New Jersey Devils selected Alexander Command with the 12th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Command is a center that comes from Örebro in Sweden.
For Sunny Mehta's first draft as a general manager in the National Hockey League, it is no surprise that he selected an analytical darling.
Alex Command led Sweden's U20 in nearly every single offensive stat. Those he didn't lead, he ranked second to Nordmark.
He is an analytical superstar. Not sure about the Hischier comp on the broadcast. I had McCann, Lindholm, Norris in my final ranks.#NJDevilspic.twitter.com/w8GOX66sJ4
The Devils are going to be a team that's analytically driven under Mehta, and Command fits that mold as someone who will impact the game whether the puck is on his stick or not. He is a strong prospect in all three zones, which is the type of player that Mehta will be searching for over the course of his tenure.
If Command were to reach the NHL and become a full-time player, he could slot in as the third guy behind Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier down the middle. In the long term, the Devils need that. He could also become a winger at the NHL level, which would likely see him in the middle six.
The scouting report suggests that Command is incredibly fast, has some size as a 6'1", 187 lbs forward, and can play a strong two-way game down the center of the ice. It is an incredibly fitting profile for a player selected by the Devils in 2026.
When the selection was announced, Command was surprised. The New Jersey Devils may have gone off the board to some people, including Command himself, but Mehta clearly has a system on how he and his scouts make selections.
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Alberts Smits, left, stands with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, right, after being drafted by the New York Rangers during the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 26, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y.
One of the more NHL-ready prospects available in this year’s draft is a Ranger.
The Blueshirts selected Alberts Šmits with the No. 5 pick in the NHL draft Friday night, adding the left-handed defenseman to a defensive prospect pool that is in need of some shoring up during this retool.
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“It’s kind of a relief that the Rangers took me,” Šmits said on a Zoom call after he heard his name called in Buffalo. “I’m really happy to go to New York.”
Equipped with two first-round picks as Friday began, the Rangers ended up trading the No. 26 selection to Vegas — as well as one of their four third-rounders (No. 92) plus a top-10 protected first-rounder in 2028 — in exchange for young sharpshooter Pavel Dorofeyev.
Hanging on to the fifth-overall pick and still landing Dorofeyev certainly was a win for the organization. Signing the 25-year-old Russian to a seven-year, $77 million contract put a bow on the deal.
Alberts Smits, left, stands with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, right, after being drafted by the New York Rangers during the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 26, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. AP Photo/Adrian Kraus
That fifth-overall pick was an important asset to utilize and the Rangers came away with a prospect who is believed to be the most NHL-ready defenseman available in this draft class.
The 18-year-old Šmits spent the last season playing professionally in Finland’s Liiga and for Munich in Germany’s DEL. Going up against grown men in Europe’s top professional leagues, the 6-foot-3 Latvian is said to have the build and defensive prowess to make the jump to the NHL.
It’s likely that Šmits will sign his entry-level contract sometime soon and report to New York for this upcoming training camp.
“Alberts is very competitive,” Rangers director of player personnel and director of amateur scouting John Lilley said on Zoom. “He’s a very good two-way defenseman, defends very hard, good shot, offensively moves the puck. He just has a very well-rounded game. In terms of when he’s ready to play, that’ll take care of itself. That’s not up to me. That’s something that Dru and [head coach Mike Sullivan] will figure out as we move forward, but we think he’s an excellent prospect and just thrilled to get him.
Šmits played a ton of hockey in 2025-26, participating in his first full pro season, the Olympics, World Juniors and World Championship.
Alberts Smits of Latvia in action during the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Switzerland game between Latvia and Finland at Swiss Life Arena on May 21, 2026 in Zurich, Zurich. Getty Images
At the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics this past February, Šmits made waves as the youngest player and lone draft-eligible prospect to compete in the tournament. He recorded two assists in four games for Latvia.
Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury, who served as assistant GM for Team USA at the Olympics, likely had a front-row seat to Šmits’ performance in Italy.
With Jukirit in the Finnish Liiga last season, Šmits posted 13 points (six goals and seven assists) in 38 games while averaging around 20 minutes per game.
“I’m a two-way defenseman,” Šmits said when asked to describe his game. “I’m trying to take care of the D-zone first. And then I also can create some offense and help the forwards in the offensive zone and create some offensive plays and try to create some chances for scoring.”
The maturity in Šmits’ game may put him on a faster track to the NHL level than some of the other prospects taken around him. There’s a hard-nosed edge to his game that the Rangers clearly covet on their back end.
Šmits, who is inspired by Detroit’s Moritz Seider, said he visited New York City last week.
The Rangers selected defenseman Alberts Smits with the No. 5 overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft on Friday.
Smits, 18, is a 6-foot-4 blue liner out of Latvia, who represented his country at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He played professionally with Jukurit in Finland's Liiga and for Municah in Germany's DEL.
He was the recipient of the E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence ahead of the draft, which is presented annually by the candidate who "best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness, and athleticism."
In 52 professional games over the past two seasons, he has seven goals and nine assists. Smits got a taste of playoff action with Munich and tallied six points (two goals, four assists) in 11 games.
Smits played four games for 10th-placed Latvia at the Olympics with two assists. And he is the highest-drafted player from that country in NHL history.
New York entered the night with another first-round selection, but packaged the No. 26 pick with the No. 92 pick and a 2028 first-round selection, but packaged them in a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights for winger Pavel Dorofeyev.
Gavin McKenna poses with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and singer Justin Bieber after being selected with the first pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs at KeyBank Center.
The NHL world waited in anticipation for the 2026 No. 1 overall pick to be announced Friday night.
As expected, it was Penn State’s Gavin McKenna selected by the Maple Leafs. But the bigger surprise was who announced the pick.
Fellow Canadian and devoted Maple Leafs fan Justin Bieber announced the selection in Buffalo on Friday night.
Before the draft commenced, the NHL shared that a special guest would be taking the stage to announce the pick.
Bieber’s presence brought on mixed reactions, however.
About halfway through Bieber’s nearly three-minute appearance, boos were heard spreading through Buffalo’s KeyBank Center.
Gavin McKenna poses with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and singer Justin Bieber after being selected with the first pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs at KeyBank Center. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Fans had opinions on social media as well, with many commenting on the length of Bieber’s opening spiel.
“CEASE YOUR SPEAKING BIEBER,” one fan wrote on X.
“Wow the Leafs made this cringy as hell with Bieber,” another griped.
Others had more well-thought-out opinions on the subject. One fan commented on how the biggest moment of McKenna’s life felt more centered around Bieber than McKenna.
“Really feel like the NHL dropped the emotional ball on this,” the tweet read.
Singer Justin Bieber of Canada looks on during day one of the 2026 NHL Draft on June 26, 2026 in Buffalo, New York. Getty Images
Immediately after the pick, McKenna posed for a picture with Bieber and sat down for an interview with ESPN and Sportsnet alongside the singer.
McKenna hails from Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. Bieber has a song named “Yukon” on his 2025 album “Swag.”
The scene was slightly awkward, considering the anticipation surrounding the pick. McKenna is a franchise-altering selection for a team in need of an immediate boost. The 18-year-old has been receiving attention from the media and fans since he started high school.
Now, he will take the biggest stage in hockey, in one of its biggest markets.
“Šmits is a tall defenseman with impressive mobility and smarts,” The Athletic’s Corey Pronman writes. “He can make a reliable first pass and has a big point shot, projecting to have quality amounts of offense at the top level. He isn't a super smart puck-mover, but there's enough touch in his game to project to be reliable with the puck in the NHL.
“He defends very well due to his length and feet, while also competing hard and being willing to play the body. He projects as a top-pairing defenseman.”
The 18-year-old defenseman was the youngest player at the 2026 Winter Olympics, representing Latvia and recording two assists in four games while averaging 18:44 minutes per game.
Many consider Šmits to be the most pro-ready defenseman in this year’s class.
In 38 games for Jukurit in Liiga, Finland's top league, Šmits recorded six goals, seven assists, and 13 points.
The Vegas Golden Knights never shy away from making bold, aggressive moves. And after coming up just short in the Stanley Cup Final, they were bound to take a swing.
On Friday, they began the offseason by doing just that. The Golden Knights traded 25-year-old RFA Pavel Dorofeyev, their leading goalscorer for the past two years, to the New York Rangers. In return, they receive two picks in the 2026 Entry Draft— the 26th and the 92nd overall picks— as well as a conditional pick in the 2028 Draft.
For years, the Golden Knights have traded their futures for proven NHL players to help them win now, leaving them with an empty cupboard. Trading Dorofeyev for picks either allows them to refill that cupboard or gives them ammunition to load up and take another big swing.
Earlier this month, Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon sang Dorofeyev’s praises during his Media Day availability ahead of the Stanley Cup Final.
“Pavel’s a goal scorer– that’s what our amateur staff saw in him when we drafted him out of Russia,” said McCrimmon. “For me, I’m a big believer that the playoffs make you better as a player. This playoff has been really good for Pavel, and not only in terms of his production. He’s really playing well; to me, his game is growing as a really good young player.
“He’s been able to play with some really good players. Our power play was a big part of his production this year, which he was a big part of himself. Now he’s playing on the right side of Jack Eichel, who’s a real good player to play with. So, he’s made the most of his opportunities, but he really continues to improve and he is a natural goalscorer.”
Dorofeyev went on to score just two goals during the Golden Knights’ six-game loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, both coming during their 4-2 Game 5 loss.
Elliotte Friedman just reported that the Rangers signed Dorofeyev to a seven-year, $11 million contract, and the Golden Knights are a team strapped for salary cap space. They couldn’t have given Dorofeyev that deal without some serious roster surgery.
Believe there is a long-term extension coming for Dorofeyev w/NYR.
However, the Golden Knights’ past two seasons ended in the exact same way: getting shut out. Trading a 25-year-old sniper who led the team in scoring for the past two years is just one more bold move in a nine-year history of bold moves.
Instead of becoming the hometown pick many envisioned, Carson Carels will now be a player the Winnipeg Jets have to game plan against for years to come.
The 18-year-old Manitoba product was selected sixth overall by the Calgary Flames in Friday night's 2026 NHL Draft, coming off the board before Winnipeg had the opportunity to make its selection.
The Jets had been heavily linked to Carels throughout the draft process and would have loved the opportunity to bring the Cypress River native home, but Calgary ensured that wouldn't happen.
Carels celebrated the biggest moment of his hockey career surrounded by family and friends back on his family's farm in Cypress River, Manitoba, making for a fitting backdrop as one of the province's brightest young stars officially became an NHL player.
The smooth-skating defenseman earned his lofty draft status after a sensational season with the Prince George Cougars. After recording 35 points the previous year, Carels exploded for 20 goals and 53 assists for 73 points in just 58 games, vaulting himself into the conversation as one of the top prospects in the 2026 class.
Some scouting services ranked him as high as third overall, while Elite Prospects' consolidated rankings placed him around sixth.
Carels also represented Canada at the World Junior Championship, recording an assist and a plus-three rating in five games while helping the team capture a bronze medal, further cementing his reputation as one of the premier defensemen available.
Instead of adding one of Manitoba's brightest young talents to their blue line, the Jets will now have to face him as a member of a division rival.
What could have been a storybook homecoming has instead become another compelling chapter in the rivalry between Winnipeg and Calgary.
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The Calgary Flames bolstered their blue line by selecting Carson Carels with the sixth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
Carels plays for the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and posted 20 goals and 73 points in his second season in 2025-26.
The Cypress River, Manitoba product projects as a cornerstone defenceman and will continue his development at the University of North Dakota next season, a path that should allow him to round out his game before making the jump to the professional ranks.
Carels has all the tools to emerge as one of the biggest steals in the top 10. Viewed as a future top-pairing defenceman, he possesses the skating, hockey sense, and all-around game to log heavy minutes.
Paired alongside Zayne Parekh in Calgary’s future top four, Carels could help form a dynamic defensive duo capable of driving play at both ends of the ice.
On the night of the 2026 NHL Draft, the Rangers acquired a veteran forward.
The Blueshirts added winger Pavel Dorofeyev in a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Rangers will send out a first-round selection (No. 26) and a third-round selection (No. 92) in the 2026 draft and a top-10 protected 2028 first-round selection.
Dorofeyev, who turns 26 in late October, is an impending restricted free agent the Rangers will now have to work out a deal with. And he is coming off a solid season after he scored 38 goals with 27 assists in 82 games and was a minus-3 while averaging 17:36 time on the ice. It was his second-straight year of 30 goals, after scoring 35 in 82 games in 2024-25 to go along with 17 assists in 16:32 average ice time.
The Russian skater should really help New York in the power play. He scored 33 power-play goals with the Golden Knights over the past two seasons.
He also comes to the Rangers with a bit of playoff experience, with 31 games under his belt, including 22 last campaign during Vegas' trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. During that run, which came up short to Carolina, Dorofeyev had 16 points (12 goals, four assists) and was a plus-4 while averaging 17:04 time on the ice. He led the playoffs with his five power-play goals and his 58 shots on goal.
A third-round selection by Vegas in 2019, the lefty shooter has 92 goals and 57 assists (149 points) in his first 231 NHL games and is a career plus-11.
When the Chicago Blackhawks were handed the 4th overall pick as a result of the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery, there was a lot of discourse about Ivar Stenberg falling to them with that pick.
However, a couple of NHL trades and transactions that took place made it clear that it wasn't a likely scenario. So much so that the Blackhawks traded the 4th pick to the Buffalo Sabres in a deal for Bowen Byram.
When it came down to it, the San Jose Sharks selected Stenberg second overall, meaning the Blackhawks read the room properly when they decided to move the pick. Kyle Davidson wouldn't have appreciated it if Stenberg fell to the Sabres at 4.
With the fourth overall pick, the Sabres selected Daxon Rudolph, who was a surprise based on how most boards looked going into the draft. A majority of scouts had three or four defenders ahead of him, but Buffalo took him at four.
DAXON RUDOLPH IS A BUFFALO SABRE ⚔️
We have selected defenseman Daxon Rudolph 4th overall in the 2026 NHL Draft.
After a big year for the Sabres, they took the chance with a pick that they weren't originally supposed to have. The sky is the limit for Rudolph, but it wasn't the name that most were expecting to hear at that point in the night.
For the Blackhawks, they are happy with Bowen Byram, who is going to be their number one defenseman. They needed to make a move to make themselves better going into Connor Bedard's fourth season, and they did that.
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The New York Rangers have acquired Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for the 26th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, a 2026 third-round pick (92 overall), and a 2028 top-10 protected first-round pick.
Shortly upon the trade was finalized, the Rangers and Dorofeyev agreed to a seven-year, $77 million contract extension worth $11 million AAV.
Over the past two seasons, Dorofeyev has scored over 30 goals, while he’s coming off a career high of 64 points in 82 games.
Through the Golden Knights’ run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2026, the 25-year-old forward played a substantial role, recording 12 goals, four assists, and 16 points.
It was heavily speculated that the Rangers were targeting a young forward who could instantly contribute to their lineup and now make a big splash with Dorofeyev.
Pavel Dorofeyev of the Vegas Golden Knights skates with the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period in Game Six of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on June 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada
The Rangers added a young premier talent during the NHL draft, and they also made their fifth overall selection.
Dealing the Nos. 26 and 92 picks they would have made over Friday and Saturday to Vegas, as well as a top 10 protected first-rounder in 2028, the Blueshirts acquired a high-end goal scorer in Pavel Dorofeyev and subsequently locked the 25-year-old restricted free agent into a seven-year deal with an average annual value of $11 million.
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Dorofeyev is one of just 12 NHL players to score 35-plus goals in each of the last two seasons, a testament to his ability to bring production to the Rangers top six and power play.
The move came after an offer the Rangers put in for the Ducks’ Mason McTavish lost traction as the first round of the draft approached Friday. It reportedly was one of two offers, and St. Louis ultimately landed the 23-year-old center in exchange for the Nos. 15 and 29 picks.
President and general manager Chris Drury continues to seek ways to add youth and skill to the Rangers lineup.
Pavel Dorofeyev of the Vegas Golden Knights skates with the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period in Game Six of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on June 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada Getty Images
Dorofeyev is exactly the type of player Drury assured he would target in the Letter 2.0.
Coming off a career-best season in which he recorded 37 goals and 64 points, Dorofeyev played a key role in Vegas reaching the Stanley Cup Final this season. The left wing’s impact carried over into the playoffs, where his 12 goals in 22 games were second only to Brett Howden (14).
After breaking out during the 2024-25 season with 35 goals, the Russian sharpshooter has been Vegas’ leading goal scorer in each of the last two campaigns. The 20 power-play goals he scored last season were also good for the second most in the NHL.
Before acquiring Dorofeyev and selecting left-handed defenseman Alberts Šmits fifth overall, the Rangers started their draft day with a prospect swap.
Trudeau, 23, is a 2021 fourth-round pick who has spent the last four seasons in the AHL. The left-handed blueliner has yet to make his NHL debut.
A fifth-round pick in 2020 (134th overall) under the Jeff Gorton regime, Berard appeared in 48 games for the Rangers over the last two seasons. Despite an encouraging 2024-25 campaign in which he posted six goals and 10 points in 35 games with the Rangers, Berard was the last cut from training camp this past season.
Pavel Dorofeyev of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates after scoring a goal against the Anaheim Ducks in overtime of Game Five of the Second Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on May 12, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images
After returning from the Rangers team bonding trip in Rhode Island to a Hartford assignment, Berard went without a goal through his first 14 games of the AHL season. When he was recalled by the Rangers at the end of November, Berard didn’t do much with his opportunity.
The 23-year-old wasn’t able to record a single point through 13 games.
Montreal drafted Trudeau 113th overall out of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, where the young Canadian collected 90 points (20 goals, 70 assists) over three seasons with the Charlottetown Islanders.
The Rangers are pleased with the forward prospects who emerged as options despite the lost 2025-26 season. Berard had fallen down the depth chart amid strong showings from Gabe Perreault, Noah Laba, Jaroslav Chmelar and Adam Sykora.
Acquiring Dorofeyev and trading Berard were moves that threaded the needle on Drury’s initiative to reshape the roster and prospect pool.
And the Rangers did it without forfeiting the chance to draft Šmits.
After lots of speculation, the Vancouver Canucks have selected Caleb Malhotra third-overall at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
The forward is the first center off the board and the third forward after the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Gavin McKenna first-overall and the San Jose Sharks picked Ivar Stenberg with the second-overall selection.
Malhotra, a six-foot-two two-way centerman, spent the 2025–26 season with the Brantford Bulldogs of the OHL. In his first OHL season, the center scored 29 goals and 55 assists in 67 games, finishing the season tied with fellow Canucks prospect Riley Patterson with the 11th-most points in the league. He dominated during the OHL post-season, finishing within the league’s top-five in points with 26 in 15 games.
For his efforts this season, Malhotra was named to the OHL’s First All-Rookie team.
Prior to his time in the OHL, Malhotra spent one season with the Chilliwack Chiefs of the BCHL. During this span of time, he scored eight goals and 18 assists in 44 games, before racking up 17 points in 21 playoff games.
Malhotra has committed to Boston University in the NCAA for the 2026–27 season.
The Hockey News’ Ryan Kennedy had Malhotra sixth on his final draft ranking, while fellow correspondent Tony Ferrari had Malhotra ranked second among all centers in this year’s draft class.
Photo Credit: @OHLHockey - X
The most widely-discussed element of Malhotra being drafted by the Canucks organization is the fact that he is the son of new Vancouver head coach Manny Malhotra. In the lead-up to the draft, both Caleb and Manny have emphasized that, in the event that Caleb were drafted by Vancouver, both would maintain a level of professionalism around the rink despite being father and son.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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