Milwaukee Admirals forward Joakim Kemell (25) fires a shot past Chicago Wolves defenseman Joel Nystrom (9) in a game Friday, April 18, 2025, at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. © Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Nashville Predators needed a serious shot in the arm to finish off a pre-season that had them in a bit of a tailspin.

Joakim Kemell provided it in a big way in Saturday’s 3-2 overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at Bridgestone Arena.

If there were any doubts as to whether the 5-foot-11, 182-pound Finnish winger has put himself on the Opening Night roster, he may have erased them with his performance Saturday. The Preds were in danger of falling into another lackluster spell until Kemell changed the game in a heartbeat.

The 21-year-old may not have scored a hat trick in terms of goals, but he did have a trio of big moments in the game: an overtime winning goal, a secondary assist on another, and a crunching hit on a player three inches taller that caused the Hurricanes to lose their composure.

After Carolina’s Sebastian Aho drew an unsportsmanlike misconduct penalty, Kemell got the puck at the blueline and passed to his right. Brady Skjei fed it back to Kemell, who tallied the golden goal on a one-timer at 4:44 of the extra frame. Skjei and Fedor Svechkov each picked up an assist.

Joakim Kemell speaks to the media following the 3-2 overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025 at Bridgestone Arena. Video Courtesy of the Nashville Predators

“I like to shoot, so I hit the net and I can score sometimes,” Kemell said after the game.

A modest assessment, to be sure. But it’s what Kemell did earlier that had everybody in Bridgestone Arena buzzing.

SMASHVILLE. pic.twitter.com/ir76hRoqh1

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) October 4, 2025

Kemell delivered a massive hit to 6-foot-2 Andrei Svechnikov at center ice, causing the Russian winger to lose his stick.

This obviously didn’t sit well with the Canes. Goalie Pyotr Kochetkov took a swipe at Jonathan Marchessault, and Aho’s unsportsmanlike misconduct set up a 4-on-3 man advantage for the Predators. Kemell made the most of the opportunity on the next shift.

“I mean, just a part of me,” Kemell said of his hit on Svechnikov after the game. “I like to play hard and I like to hit. I mean, that was good timing. I don’t know what to say… Good hit, good goal.”

Predators center Ryan O’Reilly is a 17-year NHL veteran, yet he was amazed by the intensity of Kemell’s hit.

“That’s one of the harder hits I’ve seen in hockey, to be honest with you,” O’Reilly said. “In overtime, you never really see that. That was pretty special.”

Kemell contributed to the Predators’ goal that put them ahead 2-1 at 4:59 of the second period, earning a secondary assist on Tyson Jost’s first unofficial goal as a Predator since being claimed on waivers Oct. 1.

Kemell played on a line with Jost and Svechkov, which had several quality shifts throughout the game.

"I've seen a lot of things, but I don't think I've seen a hit like that in 3-on-3," Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. "Then, to get a goal after they were trying to get at him, was pretty fun to be a part of."

Taken 17th overall by the Predators in the 2022 NHL Draft, Kemell provided the intensity when the team needed it the most. Whether it can carry over into the regular season remains to be seen, but it at least ended the pre-season on a positive note for the Predators, who have shown a propensity for lackluster play in their last three games.

“I hope we keep that feeling, because we worked really hard for that feeling (Saturday),” Brunette said.

A player is often judged by how he responds when something is on the line. In the case of Kemell, it's a final roster spot.

With Luke Evangelista now signed and ready to join the team, that could affect Kemell securing a top-six forward spot. But Matthew Wood being placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury may have kept the door open for Kemell. Saturday's performance could have made those final decisions easier for the Preds’ brass.

The St. Louis Blues closed out the preseason in impressive fashion with a 4-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center in Chicago on Saturday.

The Blues (2-3-1) used a half and half lineup, inserting a number of younger players they still wanted to get a look at along with a couple veterans fighting for spots.

One of those is Milan Lucic, in camp on a professional tryout who scored his first goal; Robert Thomas and Otto Stenberg each had a goal and an assist, Logan Mailloux had two assists, and Aleksanteri Kaskimaki also scored for the Blues, who scored three times in the second period, and Joel Hofer made eight saves through two periods before Colten Ellis cleaned up the third with nine stops.

The Blues will now work during the week starting on Sunday before opening the season Thursday at home against the Minnesota Wild.

Here are tonight’s observations:

* It’s going to come down to Lucic/Texier for the final roster spot – With Mathieu Joseph out of the lineup Saturday, one has to assume the Blues have seen enough from him to feel he’s earned his roster spot.

As for Lucic, this was the most noticeable he’s been since he’s arrived in St. Louis. His goal is a perfect example of how he has to play, work to keep a puck in the offensive zone, keep it it alive, find the open man, then move to the net and park his big, strong 6-foot-3, 235-pound body, getting a piece of Mailloux’s shot off the left circle at 13:13 of the second period to give the Blues a 2-0 lead:

Milan Lucic gets his first goal while wearing the 'Note. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/GDihYiSB5r

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) October 5, 2025

Lucic finished the game with a game-high eight hits in 14:35. He has to be making an impact with his body in order to have success. He did so in this game.

"Establishing the front of the net winning battles," Lucic said. "I felt like I could have done a better job of winning battles coming into this game. Our whole team, it was probably our best effort as far as winning battles, keeping pucks alive, playing in the O-zone. So not only myself, a lot of guys got rewarded for that tonight."

Texier had one really skilled play with roughly two minutes left when behind the net, he was deceitful in coming back against the grain with a pass to Pius Suter that was stopped in front, but this was his chance to really make some high-end plays against a AHL-type lineup and just didn’t do so playing on a line with Suter and Jordan Kyrou.

This is going to be a tough call for the Blues, who do have the luxury of extending Lucic’s PTO every 10 days if they feel like he needs more time to showcase himself and keep from putting Texier on waivers.

I just don’t have a sense where they will go with this at the moment. It’s literally a 50/50 call.

"That's a better question for management, but as far as for me, it's a tough bump in the road getting a groin injury there," Lucis said. "I know a lot of people are judgmental about my skating, but in order for me to be effective, I definitely need my legs and my speed to play the way that I do. To be able to battle through the last three games with a groin injury, I felt like I got better from Tuesday to Thursday to Saturday. Happy with what I was able to do this week."

* Stenberg, Kaskimaki will be full-time players starting next season – Otto Stenberg and Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, playing with Dalibor Dvorsky on Saturday, will almost certainly be full-time NHL players next season.

We’ve talked about Dvorsky enough, and I still think he starts the season in Springfield of the American Hockey League, as will Stenberg and Kaskimaki, but I feel like the latter two have had such impressive camps. They’re good, solid, responsible players who read the game well. And it was on display on Kaskimaki’s goal to open the scoring at 4:04 of the second period to make it 1-0:

Tyler Tucker reads a chance to move the puck in transition to Stenberg, who moved it up the lefthand side before reading a play to slide the puck in stride to Kaskimaki, whose deft redirection didn’t appear to be much but perhaps caught Arvid Soderblom off guard just enough for the puck to squirt through the Blackhawks goalie:

Kaskimakgoal. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/fJ2WEvho28

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) October 5, 2025

They’re both hard workers, and I think the coaching staff has most certainly taken notice of their work and smart abilities, whether with or without pucks.

Blues coach Jim Montgomery spoke of Stenberg’s camp on Saturday morning.

Neither of them will make the roster out of training camp, but they have each put his stake in the ground, and firmly implanted it in the ground. It won’t be too long. Kaskimaki-Dvorsky-Stenberg will be a solid line in Springfield this year.

* Hunter Skinner will be a good insurance policy – Skinner, acquired in the Vladimir Tarasenko trade Feb. 9, 2023 with the New York Rangers, was quietly having himself a strong camp and nipping at the heels of Matthew Kessel for the seventh defenseman on this squad.

He didn’t do anything to squash his resume in this game either. He had an assist in the game when he funneled a puck towards the goal that Thomas tipped in for a 3-0 lead at 18:10 of the second period and was a plus-2 in 16:53:

This Robert Thomas tip was a beauty. #stlbluespic.twitter.com/DLJVGvxXwP

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) October 5, 2025

But I liked Skinner’s physical nature in this game, and he made a solid defensive play with roughly eight minutes left in the second when he hustled back and broke up a play that started off as a 2-on-1 for Chicago.

Skinner had five shot attempts and three hits but it sure seemed like more than that. He will be one of the first call-ups should the Blues need a defenseman.

As for Kessel, this was his best preseason game, playing a team-high 21:08 with six hits. He was engaged and playing like a player that knew someone was looking for his job. But I thought Kessel did a nice job of breaking up a number of Chicago rushes and moving pucks quickly back out of the zone.

I think he cinched his place on this roster.

* Thomas, Snuggerud are going to make magic – If there was any doubt that two of the Blues' top forwards are already in sync, just watch not only tonight's game but the ones they've played previously. Forget about Snuggerud's ability to shoot, this kid can make plays; we already know Thomas can. But if they can make plays for each other and complement each other, watch out. That's all I'm going to say. And for Pavel Buchnevich, who will start on that line, you better take advantage of the elite playmaking provided by two skilled players.

"It helps when you're playing with such good players," Snuggerud said. "I feel like it's something I've been trying to improve a lot because it's needed in the game of hockey. Being able to work on things like that makes the game more fun."

* Quick hitters – Mailloux, who finished the preseason with four points, will be in the starting lineup on Thursday, undoubtedly. He played 20:52 and was on the penalty kill again, something the Blues want to work with him on and again used his long body and stick to disrupt plays. I think he makes a good option, if needed, as a quarterback power play with his alert play to Thomas that resulted in Stenberg’s goal at 4:24 of the third period that made it 4-0:

A Man Called Otto pic.twitter.com/btNCNp9xcN

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) October 5, 2025

Theo Lindstein, who had an assist on the Thomas goal, had his best game of the preseason playing 17:55 with three shots on goal. He will benefit greatly from a full season in Springfield. This is a project that the Blues will be patient with, and I thought Leo Loof asserted himself much better in this game than his last one last Tuesday. He played 18:42 and also had six hits.

That’ll do it for the preseason. The opening night 23-man roster deadline is 4 p.m. (CT) on Monday. It all starts for real on Thursday.

The Chicago Blackhawks finished their preseason slate of games with a match against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night. 

Chicago ran with a mostly-AHL lineup against the Blues, who played a large number of players who will be on their opening night roster. 

The Blackhawks kept it close in the first period, to the point where they reached the intermission 0-0. St. Louis outshot Chicago 9-6. 

It was in the second period that the Blackhawks looked like the lesser team with the lesser lineup. They were outshot 11-2 and outscored 3-0. Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, Milan Lucic, and Robert Thomas scored for the Blues. 

In the third period, the Blackhawks kept pace with the Blues again (outshot 11-10), but the Blues added an Otto Stenberg power play goal for the 4-0 lead. That would hold as the final score. 

Arvid Soderblom took the net for the Blackhawks. The team was outmatched in front of him, which led to him giving up four goals on 31 shots. From his earlier games in the preseason with better lineups involved, he proved that he's ready to be Spencer Knight's primary backup. 

It is fair to assume that none of the players who played in this game forced the hand of the coaching staff when it comes to making the opening night roster. Anything they believed going into this game likely still stands. 

Outside of Soderblom, one defenseman and one forward, every player who appeared in this game is going to be sent back down to the Rockford IceHogs. 

That's it. Next time, they count. The Blackhawks will make decisions and have their roster ready for the NHL's first day of the season. Chicago will be in the first game on the first day (Tuesday), as they will take on the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. 

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

The Nashville Predators preseason has officially come to a close. 

For the second time this preseason, the Predators needed overtime, tied 2-2, with the Carolina Hurricanes. It was a big hit by Joakim Kemell and a one-timer goal by the Finn the following shift that proved to be the difference in a 3-2 victory.

Jonathan Marchessault scored on the power play to give the Predators a 1-0 lead in the first, and Tyson Jost scored his first unofficial goal as a Nashville Predator to make it 2-1 in the second period.

Nashville wraps up the preseason with a 3-2-1 record. It's their first winning preseason record since 2022.

Here are three things we saw in the Predators final game of the preseason against the Hurricanes.

Kemell steps up in overtime 

KEMMY WITH THE OTGWG pic.twitter.com/wJwu9FcZLO

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) October 4, 2025

The Predators' third period and early parts of overtime were lackluster to say the least. Nashville was struggling to generate any offense and was getting sloppy with its play. 

It was a blind, backhanded pass attempt from Marchessault along the boards that led to Carolina scoring the game-tying goal with five minutes left in the third period. In overtime, Nashville was again struggling to generate chances until Joakim Kemell hit the ice. 

He delivered a booming hit to Carolina's Andrei Svechnikov at center ice, causing Sebastian Aho to react and commit an unsportsmanlike misconduct penalty.

14 seconds into the power play, with 16 seconds left in overtime, Kemell got a pass from Brady Skjei and let a one-time shot go from the right side of the face-off circle that beat goalie Pyotr Kochetkov high glove-side for the OT winner. 

"It's just a part of me. I like to play hard and I like to hit," Kemell said. "Good hit. Good goal. I like to shoot, so I hit the net and I can score sometimes." 

Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said that there are going to be some "hard decisions" to make regarding which wingers Nashville wants to keep on the roster. Kemell's overtime performance may have just cemented him a roster spot. 

"It was a heck of an overtime. I don't know how many seconds he played, but they were pretty impactful," Brunette said about Kemell. "I've seen a lot of things, but I don't think I've seen a hit like that in 3-on-3. Then, to get a goal after they were trying to get at him, was pretty fun to be a part of." 

Brady Martin centers first line; O'Reilly plays on wing 

More and more trust is being instilled in the Predators' 2025 fifth overall pick, Brady Martin, as he centers the first line alongside Filip Forsberg and Ryan O'Reilly. 

"He does so many things well," O'Reilly said about Martin. "The way he reads the game, the plays he makes, his vision out there finding guys. It's exciting to see, especially him being a young kid coming in and not having played at this level very long." 

"Every day he's getting more comfortable making things happen." 

The trio didn't score, but logged the second most ice time of the night at 11:37 minutes. 

O'Reilly also talked about Martin's abilities at the face-off circle and said he did a solid job. He even went as far as saying that O'Reilly could've helped Martin get a higher face-off percentage in the game. 

Martin won 37.5 of his face-offs as the Predators won nearly 60% of the overall face-offs on the night. 

"I lost a lot of draws for him on those 50/50 pucks that I normally win," O'Reilly said. "He would've been better in the circle if I had helped him out a little bit more. I'm still getting used to the wing, so I'll blame it on that."

Predators lost edge in third period

National TV star scores nasty goal 🚨 pic.twitter.com/4pV7QRlXXK

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) October 4, 2025

Slopiness was abundant for the Predators in the third period as they gave away the puck 13 times for a total of 24 times on the night. The Hurricanes ' game-tying goal was scored off a Marchessault turnover in the Predators' zone.

Not long after that, Marchessault turned over the puck again, which led to a Carolina rush going the other way. Roman Josi and Adam Wilsby gave away the puck six combined times. 

While the Predators were able to make up for it in overtime, this could've been costly. The preseason results don't count, but establishing good habits is beneficial to put in place ahead of the regular season. 

Still, the Predators found a way to win against the Hurricanes squad that brought most of its talent to Nashville. The Predators have not seen a lot of that at Bridgestone Arena this preseason as the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning brought depleted rosters in their matchups. 

"It's hard to put a whole lot of stock in exhibition games, but that was an NHL team that we played and a good one," Brunette said. "It was a fast team that was going to test us in a bunch of different areas, and I thought we handled the test. There are some things we can definitely clean up a little bit, but lots of good." 

The Buffalo Sabres tried to return the favor after the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated them at home on Wednesday, but the clu surrendered a 4-2 lead in the third period, allowing power plays goals from Rickard Rakell and Sidney Crosby to tie the game, and Crosby to give Pittsburgh a 5-4 victory with his second of the game nine seconds into overtime. 

Jiri Kulich scored twice, Tage Thompson and Jason Zucker added singles for Buffalo, and Alex Tuch had a pair of assists in the contest. Alex Lyon allowed two goals on 13 shots in the opening 40 minutes, but Alexandar Georgiev relieved Lyon in the third period and faced 17 shots. The Sabres end the preseason with a record of 3-2-1 and will have to cut down to 23 players by Monday afternoon. 

Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, defenseman Michael Kesselring, and winger Jordan Greenway will likely not be available for the season opener against the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center on Thursday, and could be placed on injured reserve to help get the Sabres down to 23. 

Other Sabres Stories

Projecting Sabres Trade Cost - Lawson Crouse 

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

In other news, the Philadelphia Flyers placed Buffalo native and former Sabre Dennis Gilbert on waivers on Saturday. The 28-year-old played 25 games for the Sabres last season before being included in the Josh Norris - Dylan Cozens trade with Ottawa. Other former Buffalo players that have been on the waiver wire and cleared are Casey Fitzgerald (NY Rangers) and Kale Clague (Winnipeg).

Ex-Sabre forward Tyson Jost was claimed by the Nashville Predators earlier in the week after being placed on waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes.   

Follow Michael on X, Instagram  @MikeInBuffalo

Several players hit waivers on Oct. 4 around the NHL. No current Chicago Blackhawks players have been placed on waivers, but a former one has been. 

This is because former Blackhawks defenseman Dennis Gilbert has been placed on waivers by the Philadelphia Flyers. 

Gilbert signed a one-year, $875,000 contract with the Philadelphia Flyers this off-season. This was after the 28-year-old defenseman posted six assists, 36 blocks, 50 penalty minutes, 63 hits, and a minus-3 rating in 29 games split between the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators this past season. 

Gilbert started his professional career with the Blackhawks organization, as he was selected by the Original Six club with the 91st overall pick of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. From there, he played his first two NHL seasons with the Blackhawks during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 campaigns, where he recorded one goal, two assists, three points, 40 penalty minutes, 80 hits, and minus-8 rating. 

Gilbert's time with the Blackhawks ended when he was traded with forward Brandon Saad to the Colorado Avalanche in October of 2020. Since then, he has had stops with the Avalanche, Calgary Flames, Sabres, and Senators. 

Big deals in the modern NHL are becoming the norm. That will force some key players into even more crucial decisions. Should they prioritize earnings as they lock into massive extensions or winning?

Not every star is driven by the same motivation. Players like Alex Ovechkin and Kirill Kaprizov have set precedents of signing monster deals that heavily favor individual wealth, while Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid seem happy to settle for slightly lower average annual values (AAVs) to prolong their teams' championship windows. 

In 2008, Ovechkin negotiated his 13-year, $124 million contract extension —the largest NHL contract at the time —without an agent. His deal was less about a negotiation and more about him walking into the office of the Capitals and putting a number on the table. They gave it to him. 

It was a monster deal that worked out for both sides, but it took the Capitals a decade to finally win a Stanley Cup. 

Ovechkin had already become a Washington Capitals legend, and the team wasn’t about to let him walk away knowing he was the sole reason fans bought tickets. He was invaluable to their market, even if there was a chance the team would be less competitive because it would be harder to build around him.

Ovechkin understandably knew to chase high numbers. His value in that market was undeniable. But anyone who argues he was thinking team first is probably fooling themselves. 

Fast forward to this summer, where Kirill Kaprizov's new eight-year, $136-million contract with the Minnesota Wild guarantees he will earn the most money ever handed out in the NHL. This is a good player, but he’s likely not as good as Ovechkin was in his prime. Like the Capitals’ great, Kaprizov understands how important he is to the Minnesota market. He played that hand, leveraging another $1 million per season after reportedly turning down $16 million per year.  The challenge for Wild GM Bill Guerin is how to build around a $17 million winger. 

Which Pending NHL UFAs Will Kaprizov's Major Contract Extension Affect?Minnesota Wild left winger Kirill Kaprizov reset the market this week, signing an eight-year, $136 million extension that carries a $17 million average annual value. 

Contrast that to Crosby and McDavid. 

Both have already established their legacies to some degree — Crosby with three Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh, McDavid as Edmonton's face man and a perennial MVP candidate — but their contract decisions suggest an even greater commitment to putting the team in a position to win.

Crosby infamously signed extensions below the maximum amount he could have negotiated, insisting that he wanted the Penguins to be able to retain other star players and remain competitive.

McDavid, who is reportedly negotiating his next contract and has expressed a desire to sign a deal that allows the Oilers to build around him and become legitimate contenders for the next several seasons (which includes adding more impact players), could theoretically take less than Kaprizov. 

Both have been and appear willing to forfeit prime earnings in exchange for the possibility of contending for the Cup in his prime years.

Why Connor McDavid Shouldn't Consider An Oilers Discount After Kaprizov SigningNews that Minnesota Wild superstar left winger Kirill Kaprizov signed an eight-year contract extension Tuesday sent ripple effects throughout the NHL – most notably, in Edmonton, where Oilers dynamo Connor McDavid is in need of a contract extension.

Which Is The Right Direction For a Player To Take?

This is not to suggest that the different mindset among top players means there’s a right and a wrong. Financial security is essential for any athlete. There’s no knowing how long a career will last, and if the money is available, the popular move might be to take it.

For Ovechkin and Kaprizov, they knew their value and each took the money the team was willing to pay. They left it in the hands of their respective GMs to figure out the rest. In Ovechkin’s case, it eventually worked. 

The mentality of franchise pillars like Crosby and McDavid might actually be rarer. The new McDavid deal hasn’t been announced, and there is a chance it's higher than people expect; however, insiders believe he’ll sign a lower AAV that will surprise most fans. Perhaps following Crosby’s lead, many players wouldn’t go this route, even if it’s ultimately best for the team. 

These two stars have asked their teams to build competitive rosters with the money left on the table. That doesn’t always work either. In McDavid’s case, his rumored shorter-term deal might be a way for him to continue applying pressure on the Edmonton Oilers to get it right. 

Ultimately, the NHL's stars are motivated by money and championships. The question becomes, which takes priority?

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.

Mike Sullivan made a big decision regarding the makeup of the New York Rangers’ opening-night roster by sending Gabe Perreault and Scott Morrow down to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League. 

The play of Perreault and Morrow was a constant storyline throughout training camp for the Rangers. 

Despite showing out throughout the course of training camp, Sullivan ultimately decided it was best for these two young players to start the season in the AHL.

“They are two young players that we are extremely excited about,” Sullivan said of Perreault and Morrow. “These guys are in our opinion NHL players in the making. Our job is to try and create a pathway to help them grow and develop to become what we hope will be the impact players that we think they are capable of being. 

“We are really excited about both of those guys. We think they had terrific training camps, certainly made an impression on everybody. These guys have the potential to leave a lasting impact on the Rangers. We are trying to make the best decisions we can to try and help that process and get these guys as close to pushing their way to the roster as they can.”

There was some hope that Perreault could have cracked the Rangers’ opening-night roster after he played five NHL games last season.

The 20-year-old came into training camp more prepared and confident than he was last year, and it translated to his play on the ice. 

Sullivan gave Perreault a chance both to play with some of the Rangers’ top established veteran players and serve a role on the power play. 

Over the past few weeks, Perreault has demonstrated his lethal offensive threat, showcasing his potential at the highest level of competition. 

Rangers Intend To ‘Err On The Side Of Caution’ Regarding J.T. Miller And Artemi Panarin Injuries The New York Rangers are not planning on taking any risks with J.T. Miller and Artemi Panarin as training camp comes to a close. 

When the Rangers completed a sign-and-trade with the Carolina Hurricanes involving K’Andre Miller, the team specifically sought out to acquire Morrow.

Morrow’s skating and puck-handling abilities were on full display during training camp in the preseason, specifically on the power play, in which Morrow quarterbacked the second unit. 

The 22-year-old defenseman is arguably the best skater the Rangers have in their defensive pipeline, as the proof is in the putting from training camp. 

Both Perreault and Morrow should play critical roles for the Wolf Pack and may very well make their way up to the NHL at some point this season.

The talk of the town in Pittsburgh right now might be 11th overall pick Ben Kindel, as he appears primed to make the final cut on the Penguins' NHL roster.

But there is another Penguins' 2025 first-round pick who is garnering some attention early on in his season as well.

Center Will Horcoff - selected 24th overall by the Penguins in this year's draft - got off to a roaring start for the University of Michigan Friday night. Horcoff recorded a natural hat trick during an 11-1 win against Mercyhurst, and he did it in style.

Natural hatty for Horcoff pic.twitter.com/InkrYeOeBu

— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) October 4, 2025

The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Horcoff, 19, is playing in his first full season with Michigan. He joined the team mid-season last year and was the youngest player in the NCAA, compiling four goals and 10 points in 18 games. 

The big centerman is expected to take a step forward with the Wolverines this season playing on the team's first line alongside TJ Hughes and Jayden Perron. Other notable players suiting up for Michigan this season include Malcolm Spence - selected 43rd by the New York Rangers in 2025 - and Michael Hage, who was selected in the first round (21st overall) by the Montreal Canadiens in 2024.

Horcoff - the son of NHL alumni Shawn Horcoff - was one of three first-round selections by the Penguins this season, with the others being Kindel and forward Bill Zonnon (22nd overall). 

'We’re Thrilled With The Players That We Have': 3 Takeaways From Penguins' Day One DraftDay One of the 2025 NHL Draft is officially wrapped, and the Pittsburgh Penguins were certainly one of the more active teams in the first round.

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Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab  to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!    

Entering training camp, there weren't many spots available on the New Jersey Devils roster. When healthy, the group was expected to look something like this, with defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic out for an extended time with a knee injury. 

Evgenii Dadonov - Jack Hughes - Jesper Bratt

Timo Meier - Nico Hischier -Stefan Noesen 

Ondrej Palat - Dawson Mercer - Connor Brown 

Paul Cotter - Cody Glass - Arseny Gritsyuk

Jonas Siegenthaler - Dougie Hamilton 

Luke Hughes - Brett Pesce 

Brenden Dillon - Simon Nemec 

Jacob Markstrom

Jake Allen 

In the early days of camp, the Devils announced that Noesen would miss time with a groin injury. That news forced head coach Sheldon Keefe to move Mercer to Hischier's wing and Glass to the third-line center position. In doing that, players like Luke Glendening, Kevin Rooney, and Juho Lammikko had the opportunity to fight for fourth-line center. 

For the forwards who spent the majority of the 2024-25 season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Utica Comets, it was a steep hill to climb to crack the Devils' opening night roster. 

For Nathan Légaré, he has a pragmatic approach to camp that accompanies his goal of transitioning his game to become a full-time NHL player. 

"Everybody wants to make the New Jersey Devils, but at the same time, I think you have to be realistic," he told The Hockey News in August. "It is not the end of the world if you go back to Utica. You work hard, and you never know what can happen."

Over the last couple of weeks in New Jersey, Légaré has stayed true to his identity and embraced his role, catching the eye of the Devils' coaching staff. 

"He is a guy we are talking about daily because of the work that he has done, and this goes back to the games he played for us last season," Keefe said. "I have been really happy with him." 

In four preseason games, Légaré has two points (one goal, one assist), two fights, and 10 penalty minutes. In his final appearance, he had a team-leading nine hits. 

NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) on XNathan Legare - New Jersey Devils (1)*

"There is no doubt that he has played to his strengths," Keefe said. "You talk about understanding who you are, understanding what your role is or might be, and then owning and being a star in that role, I think he has done that. 

"Now he (plays) a game that is hard working, gritty, competitive, and is up and down the ice," Keefe continued. "It is a little bit easier, quite frankly, to be that in this type of setting, where you are just working and skating. If you are a goal scorer and a playmaker, it is a little bit harder in a smaller sample to really make yourself known. You have got to keep that in perspective a little bit when you are assessing other players."

Légaré is coming off a season in which he earned a career high of 25 points in the AHL over 69 games. He made his NHL debut at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 2, 2024, playing three games with the Devils. 

"There is more confidence about my game now," the versatile forward explained. "Especially, now that I have played a couple of games in the NHL. That is a check mark, but the next one is to stay in the NHL and be a full-time NHLer."

The likelihood of the 24-year-old making New Jersey's roster out of camp appears slim, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see him at some point, considering the trust Keefe has in him. 

"Whether he starts here with us or not, we are confident he can play games for us." 

Make sure you bookmark THN's New Jersey Devils site for THN's latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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After a grueling training camp that included a successful 5-1-1 pre-season, the Pittsburgh Penguins' roster appears to be set for the 2025-26 season.

And it will more than likely include two of their top prospects.

Defenseman Harrison Brunicke, 19, and center Ben Kindel, 18, remain on the 23-man roster as of Saturday. With final rosters due Monday at 5:00 p.m., it's safe to say that both players have likely earned at least a nine-game trial at the NHL level. 

Brunicke - selected 44th overall by the Penguins in 2024 - turned heads last pre-season with his smooth skating, high hockey-IQ, and great instincts. He stayed through the end of training camp as one of the final two prospects - the other being Rutger McGroarty - but the Penguins opted to keep McGroarty and elected for 14 forwards on their roster. 

He managed to do the same in this pre-season, registering a goal and two points in four games and showcasing a more refined game. 

The 6-foot-3, 202-pound defenseman will be just the second South African-born player to play in the NHL, with the other being former NHL goaltender Olaf Kolzig. In 51 games split between the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins of the AHL last season, Brunicke registered five goals and 32 points - and he also put up a goal and two points in the AHL playoffs. 

Kindel, 18, was the surprise of training camp this season, as most didn't expect the 11th overall pick in this year's draft to make as much noise as he did. Kindel played in a team-high six pre-season games, recording a goal and three points - and he did not look out of place in the slightest.

Penguins' Pre-Season: Pens Storm Back Again, Take Down Sabres In OT To Cap Off Solid Pre-SeasonIf you're a Pittsburgh Penguins' fan, it's probably hard to come away from this pre-season disappointed.

The 5-foot-11, 181-pound center proved he could keep up with - and, at times, outplay - NHL competition, and his hockey smarts were on full display at both ends of the ice. In 65 WHL games with the Calgary Hitmen last season, Kindel put up 35 goals and 99 points. He was the first of three first-round selections by the Penguins in the 2025 NHL Draft.

"It's really cool," Kindel said. "Really grateful to still be here and have this opportunity to continue being in this environment, so I'm just grateful for every day."

Head coach Dan Muse was impressed with both youngsters throughout camp, and he thought they kept showing more and more as the pre-season went on.

"We didn't go into this camp - by any means - having things etched in stone," Muse said. "Or, even putting guys up on a board and saying, 'This is what it's going to look like' on day one. There's still things that we're going to factor. We still have another practice, we still have time even before there's rosters being submitted. But, there wasn't any of that. 

"As we went through this process, they had opportunities. We were looking for things, and they continued to check boxes that we were looking for. And they've continued based on their play and their actions in both practices and games to tell us, 'You're gonna need to put us in another game. And you're gonna need to see us again. And you're gonna need to continue to consider us.' And they've done that on a consistent basis. So, we get to today, and this is where we're at. They checked those boxes, and they moved on to be at this point."

BRUNICKE GOES SHORT SIDE HIGH! 🎯

Elite move, elite shot to bring the @penguins within one 👀 pic.twitter.com/BGfcjGox5r

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) October 4, 2025

In addition to Kindel and Brunicke, Ville Koivunen and Filip Hallander appear to have secured NHL roster spots. Koivunen, 22, put up seven points in an eight-game sample at the end of the 2024-25 season, and he was a standout in camp. He has worked alongside Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell for the past several practices as well as in the Penguins' 5-4 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres in their final pre-season game on Friday.

Hallander, 25, got his second chance with the organization after a standout campaign in the SHL, where he recorded 26 goals and 53 points in 51 games with Timra HK last season. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound forward felt good about his camp and is glad he was able to refine his game in Sweden.

"It feels good," Hallander said. "Obviously, when I went back to Sweden last time, it was always the goal to come back. And it worked out good going back there. I got what I wanted to, and I feel like a better player coming back and feel more mature off the ice, too. So, everything worked out good going back, and looking forward to the season starting here."

Penguins Forward Takes Big Step In Recovery On FridayPittsburgh Penguins forward Rutger McGroarty has missed all of training camp and the preseason with an upper-body injury. 

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Beyond Brunicke and Kindel, however, there were some surprises as far as roster cuts and the waiver wire. 

Forward prospects Tristan Broz and Avery Hayes - both of whom put together solid camps - were among the names of players being re-assigned to WBS's AHL camp. Another name on that list was left defensive prospect Owen Pickering, who many assumed had a path to the NHL roster because of the Penguins' dire situation on left defense.

But the biggest name omitted from the NHL roster was defenseman Ryan Graves, who was signed to a six-year, $27 million contract ahead of the 2023-24 season. The 30-year-old defenseman has had a hard time finding his footing in Pittsburgh, and he was in and out of the lineup during the 2024-25 season. In 61 games last season, Graves registered one goal and four points and posted a minus-15.

In addition to Graves and the others, forward Robby Fabbri was released from his paid tryout (PTO) contract.

The following players have been assigned to @WBSPenguins (AHL) training camp:
- Tristan Broz
- Avery Hayes
- Sergei Murashov
- Owen Pickering
Alexander Alexeyev, Ryan Graves, Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Boko Imama and Sam Poulin will be placed on waivers at 2:00 PM and will be assigned…

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 4, 2025

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Here is the full list of roster cuts and players placed on waivers Saturday:

Assigned to WBS's training camp:
- F Tristan Broz
- F Avery Hayes
- D Owen Pickering
- G Sergei Murashov

Placed on waivers:
- F Rafael Harvey-Pinard
- F Boko Imama
- F Sam Poulin
- D Alexander Alexeyev
- D Ryan Graves

Opinion: If Penguins Don't Go Young With Roster, They're Doing It WrongJust prior to the onset of training camp, Pittsburgh Penguins' general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas took to the podium and made a declaration of sorts. 

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Once those players either clear waivers or are claimed, the 23 players remaining on the Penguins' roster will be:

Forwards (13)
Sidney Crosby
Ville Koivunen
Rickard Rakell
Justin Brazeau
Evgeni Malkin
Anthony Mantha
Tommy Novak
Ben Kindel
Philip Tomasino
Connor Dewar
Blake Lizotte
Noel Acciari
Filip Hallander

Defensemen (8)
Erik Karlsson
Kris Letang
Parker Wotherspoon
Matt Dumba
Connor Clifton
Harrison Brunicke
Caleb Jones
Ryan Shea

Goaltenders (2)
Tristan Jarry
Arturs Silovs

NHL Waivers: Leafs' Kampf Clears As Graves And 16 Others Hit The Wire On Oct. 4The Toronto Maple Leafs and the six other teams that placed players on the waiver wire can now assign them to their AHL affiliates, as all 12 players have cleared waivers.

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The Penguins will have a day off Sunday before practicing Monday ahead of the 5:00 p.m. NHL roster deadline. They open the season Oct. 7 against former head coach Mike Sullivan and the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

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Defenseman Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens is the latest young star to win a Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year. He became the seventh Canadiens player ever to win the award, and the first to win it since goaltender Ken Dryden in 1972.

With that, more history could be coming to Montreal involving the Calder Trophy. According to sportsbook BetMGM, Canadiens right winger Ivan Demidov is the favorite to win the Calder at 2.75 odds (+175). Closest to Demidov is Minnesota Wild D-man Zeev Buium at 14.00 (+1300).

The odds suggest that the Canadiens could see their players win back-to-back Calder Trophies, something that hasn’t been accomplished in quite some time.

The last time a team owned two consecutive Calder Trophy titles was the 1967 and 1968 Boston Bruins. In 1967, legendary defenseman Bobby Orr won the Calder, followed by center Derek Sanderson in 1968.

The Bruins duo went on to win two Stanley Cups together. In fact, Sanderson and Orr combined on the famous 1970 Cup-clinching overtime-winner against the St. Louis Blues, which saw Orr catch air time after scoring past goaltender Glen Hall.

To this day, Orr is one of the best defensemen of all time, with his name gracing the Hockey Hall of Fame since he was inducted in 1979. As for Sanderson, he went on to play almost 600 career regular-season games, mostly for Boston.

It’s way too early, and a long shot, to say that Hutson and Demidov will turn out to be like that old Bruins pair.

However, Hutson has shown signs of brilliance on the blueline as a real offensive threat from the back end, like Orr was. With 66 points in 82 games, he led all rookies in scoring last season and tied Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedam with the sixth-most points among all blueliners.

As for Demidov, he made his NHL debut with the Habs late last season, playing the final two games of the 2024-25 regular season. He recorded a goal and an assist in his first game against the Chicago Blackhawks, while going point-less in the following outing against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Later in the post-season, Montreal took on the Washington Capitals in the first round, and Demidov recorded two assists in five games.

The 19-year-old has shown bright spots in his play that could hint at him being a star in this league. Ultimately, the chances that Montreal will claim back-to-back Calder Trophies are high.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs and the six other teams that placed players on the waiver wire can now assign them to their AHL affiliates, as all 12 players have cleared waivers.

The Maple Leafs took the biggest risk, sending veteran center David Kampf and his $2.4 million cap hit to their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. The Boston Bruins accounted for five of the 12 players on waivers, sending Victor Soderstrom, Michael Callahan, Riley Tufte, Geogrii Merkulov and Patrick Brown to the Providence Bruins.

PuckPedia reported the news.

Seven NHL teams also placed a combined 17 players on waivers, according to PuckPedia. Here's that list.

• Dallas: Cameron Hughes, Vladislav Kolyachonok
• Florida: Tobias Bjornfot, Brandon Bussi
• New Jersey: Thomas Bordeleau, Angus Crookshank, Brian Halonen, Zack MacEwen, Colton White
• Philadelphia: Dennis Gilbert
• Pittsburgh: Alexander Alexeyev, Ryan Graves, Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Bokondji Imama, Samuel Poulin
• San Jose: Colin White
• Utah: Cameron Hebig

Graves hits the waiver wire on year three of a six-year contract carrying a $4.5 million cap hit. The 30-year-old has struggled in his time with the Peguins, recording just one goal and four points in 61 games last season. Once a prominent figure on the bluelines of the Colorado Avalanche and the New Jersey Devils could be on his way to the AHL.

Bordeleau, 23, was a second-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2020 but has struggled to break through into the NHL. In the off-season, the Sharks sent Bordeleau to the Devils in exchange for Shane Bowers. 

MacEwen, another Devils player to hit the waiver wire, was involved in a trade just yesterday, as he was moved from the Ottawa Senators to the Devils in exchange for Curtis MacDermid. The 29-year-old enforcer played 21 games with the Senators last year.

Bjornfot was a first-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2019 but has yet to lock down a role on an NHL club. He's with his third franchise and will likely spend the season in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers, the Florida Panthers' AHL affiliate. The 24-year-old has 134 games in his NHL career.

For each player, the 31 other NHL teams can submit a claim for them by 2 p.m. ET on Saturday. Otherwise, their teams can assign them to the minors. And if any of the squads that did claim a player places them back on waivers, their initial team can still claim them.

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.