Category: Ice Hockey

The final full week of the NHL's pre-season is here, and it's time to discuss more rapid-fire topics on The Wraparound.

What Role Will Zayne Parekh Play On The Flames? by The Wraparoundundefined

Here's what Emma Lingan, Michael Augello and Adam Kierszenblat discussed in this episode:

0:00: Breaking down Mason McTavish’s extension with the Anaheim Ducks

4:05: Reflecting on the career of Marc-Andre Fleury

9:55: Can Cam Fowler be a strong contributor for the entirety of his new extension with the St. Louis Blues?

13:45: Could Zayne Parekh play a big role for the Calgary Flames this season?

18:20: Will Anthony Stolarz be one of the NHL’s most valuable goaltenders relative to cap hit?

22:20: How will the Toronto Maple Leafs sort out their bottom six forwards?

26:10: Could Braeden Cootes crack the Vancouver Canucks’ opening day lineup?

29:35: Who needs to step up for the Seattle Kraken in the absence of Kaapo Kakko?

31:30: Could Radim Mrtka make an early appearance for the Buffalo Sabres?

See below for where to subscribe to the show for future episodes.

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Podbean

iHeartRadio

Amazon

According to The Leafs Nation's Nick Alberga, former Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty is retiring and is now working for the University of Michigan, which is where he played his college hockey. 

Alberga also noted that Pacioretty received interest from multiple teams in free agency this off-season. 

Despite interest from multiple clubs over the summer, Max Pacioretty appears to be hanging up his skates.

He is now working with the University of Michigan.

— Nick Alberga (@thegoldenmuzzy) September 29, 2025

Pacioretty was one of the top unrestricted free agents (UFAs) on the market, but based on this report from Alberga, the former Canadiens star is retiring instead of signing elsewhere. 

Pacioretty played in 37 games this past season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he had five goals, 13 points, and a minus-2 rating. Yet, he ended his career on a solid note during the playoffs this spring, as he posted three goals, five assists, eight points, and a plus-1 rating in 11 post-season games for the Maple Leafs. 

Pacioretty was selected by the Canadiens with the 22nd overall pick of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. In 626 games over 10 seasons with the Habs, the 6-foot-2 forward recorded 226 goals, 222 assists, 448 points, 800 hits, and a plus-36 rating. He also served as the Canadiens' captain from 2015-16 to 2017-18 before being traded to the Vegas Golden Knights during the 2018 NHL off-season in exchange for current Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki, forward Tomas Tatar, and a 2019 second-round pick. 

NHL teams chip away at their camp rosters as they try to form the 23-man rosters they’ll ice on opening night next week.

While most of the cuts so far have been AHL and ECHL regulars or unpolished prospects who had little chance of making teams in the first place, there have been a few players with pedigree who have surprisingly been demoted this early. Here are four such examples.

Devon Levi, G, Buffalo Sabres

At just 23, Devon Levi has had a whirlwind career thus far.

Since his unlikely seventh-round pick by the Florida Panthers from the Jr. A CCHL, he’s gone on to backstop Team Canada to world junior silver, become a two-time NCAA goaltender of the year and one-time Hobey Baker finalist. He's even already been a member of Team Canada’s Olympic and World Championship teams.

However, he’s struggled to adapt to the NHL.

Across parts of three seasons, the Montreal native has picked up an .894 save percentage through 39 games, with performance declines in each NHL stint. 

After an .872 save percentage over nine games last season, the Buffalo Sabres brought in recent Detroit Red Wings tandem goaltender Alex Lyon and ex-Avalanche and Sharks starting netminder Alexandar Georgiev to battle for the backup job behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. As such, there wasn’t really an opportunity for the still revered prospect.

Should Lyon get the axe, too, he could very well get claimed, opening up an opportunity for Levi as the team’s injury relief call-up. But as of right now, Levi is on the outside looking in.

The real question now is whether the Sabres will explore the trade market on Levi and instead put their trust in goaltending prospects Topias Leinonen, Ryerson Leenders, Samuel Meloche and Scott Ratzlaff, or if they’ll continue to try and make something of Levi.

Ivan Fedotov, G, Columbus Blue Jackets

Once heralded as a high-end goalie prospect with the Philadelphia Flyers, Ivan Fedotov has seen a fall from grace since his delayed arrival to the NHL.

The towering 6-foot-7 netminder has only amassed an .874 career save percentage over parts of two NHL seasons.

It’s not hard to see why the Gagarin Cup champion has struggled in North America. He missed the 2022-23 season participating in mandatory military service in Russia and then delayed his NHL debut by playing another campaign in the KHL with CSKA Moscow despite being contracted to the Flyers.

A move to the Columbus Blue Jackets could have been the opportunity for the now 28-year-old goaltender to start anew. But it looks like the Finland-born Russian goaltender will begin his 2025-26 campaign with the team's AHL affiliate after clearing waivers.

The Jackets have instead opted for the younger and more red-hot Jet Greaves as the backup option to Elvis Merzlikins.

Fedotov is on the back-half of a two-year deal worth $3.275 million per season. 

Joshua Roy, C, Montreal Canadiens

There was a point in time where the consensus was that Joshua Roy would be the future No. 3 center for the new-era Montreal Canadiens. The two-time world junior gold medallist has done well when called up, notching 11 points in 35 games over the last two NHL seasons.

However, the 22-year-old isn’t going to start the season on the Habs' main roster, being among the recent wave of cuts. 

With the Habs roster being young and in flux, there’s no doubt that with injuries, Roy will get more opportunities at the NHL level. In the meantime, he’ll have to continue working on his craft in the minors, where he had 35 points in 47 games last season.

NHL Waivers: Canucks, Rangers, Wild Among Seven Teams To Make MovesSeven teams placed a combined 22 players on NHL waivers Monday.

Nicolas Aube-Kubel, RW, Minnesota Wild

While Aube-Kubel has never been an elite player, his pedigree speaks for itself.

He is a seven-year veteran, icing in 304 NHL games and amassing 80 points in the process, not to mention a Stanley Cup ring with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022.

Despite this, he’s always seemed to struggle with maintaining a full-time roster spot in the NHL, oftentimes having AHL stints, even during the best of his seasons.

After a 16-point campaign with the Washington Capitals in 2024, the Slave Lake, Alta., native secured a one-year $1.5-million  deal with the Buffalo Sabres. Since then, things have somewhat derailed.

Aube-Kubel netted just two-points with the Sabres while flip-flopping between the AHL and NHL before landing on the New York Rangers. They buried him in the minors for all but a three-game stint in late March.

The 29-year-old grabbed a league-minimum deal this off-season with the Minnesota Wild, but he already has found his way on the chopping block. The Wild placed him on waivers for assignment to the AHL’s Iowa Wild.

Aube-Kubel remains a physically engaged depth player who has shown decent offensive upside. However, when he’s not in form, he’s frankly struggled to remain in teams’ good graces.

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.

According to PuckPedia, former Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jordan Oesterle has been placed on waivers by the Nashville Predators. 

Oesterle, 33, split the 2024-25 season between the Boston Bruins and Predators. In 37 NHL games on the year between the two clubs, the left-shot defenseman recorded four goals, six assists, 10 points, 27 hits, and 57 blocks.

If Oesterle ends up clearing waivers, the Predators will then be able to send him down to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. However, it is fair to wonder if a team looking for a veteran depth defenseman could consider claiming Oesterle. 

Oesterle spent the 2017-18 season as a member of the Blackhawks. In 55 games with the Central Division club that campaign, the Dearborn Heights, Michigan native recorded five goals, 10 assists, 15 points, 62 hits, and 97 blocks. 

Oesterle's time with the Blackhawks ended during the 2018 NHL off-season when he was traded to the Arizona Coyotes. Since then, he has had stops with the Detroit Red Wings, Calgary Flames, Bruins, and Predators. 

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Milan Lucic was back on the ice for the St. Louis Blues on Monday, nearly a week after leaving practice early with a groin strain.

The 37-year-old veteran forward, in training camp on a professional tryout, was skating on a line with Dalibor Dvorsky and Aleksanteri Kaskimaki with no restrictions.

“He looked really good, looked really sharp,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “It was good to have him back out there, was making a lot of plays. Seems like his confidence has grown throughout camp, which is a good sign.”

Missing a week of camp did Lucic, who hasn’t played in the NHL since Oct. 21, 2023, has done no favors of Lucic, who is trying to earn an NHL contract, and there’s only a week remaining before NHL opening night rosters need to be set.

“Yes and no. He’s got to make an impression to make the team,” Montgomery said. “He understands that. Whether he plays the last three games or the last two, we want to put himself in the best advantage so we can evaluate him at his best.

“I don’t want to get into those specifics, but there’s ways to extend his time without having to sign a contract.”

Lucic has played in just one of the preseason games, Sept. 21 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“It looked like it had been a year and a half since he played a game,” Montgomery said. “But his third period was his best period, so he continued to get better throughout the game, which is good to see. The first period, it looked like he was struggling out there, but the third period, he looked like he was playing hockey.”

Also, defenseman Philip Broberg, who missed practice on Saturday, was on the ice in full on Monday.

- - -

The Blues reduced their training camp roster by two more on Monday when forward Matt Luff and defenseman Corey Schueneman were assigned to Springfield of the American Hockey League after each cleared waivers.

On Sunday, the Blues sent 18 to Springfield, which opened its camp on Monday, and sent 2025 first-round pick Justin Carbonneau and 2024 first-round pick Adam Jiricek to their respective junior squads.

“With Carbonneau, I want him to gain that next-play speed and what I mean by that is when the puck transitions from offense to defense that he gets above it,” Montgomery said. “Anyone that’s been a scorer all their life, they hang and hope for a turnover, so they’re in a better offensive position, but they’re also aren’t as good as a defensive position, and when you get above pucks, now you’re skating into the goalie instead of being at the same level of the goalie, especially in the offensive zone. So that’s kind of what we talked about. Watch McDavid, watch MacKinnon, watch Crosby, watch these guys … Aho, watch our players that just naturally, because when he was on the ice with our players, he naturally was the last guy coming back into our end every time, and that’s just next-play speed. It’s just getting used to playing at, ‘I’ve got to do this, I’ve got to do that,’ and it just happens.

“And then with Jiricek, both of them are elite players. Jiricek’s elite with the puck and he’s just got to learn how to move it so he doesn’t have to take as many hits as he does. And he’s got the mentality of, ‘I’m going to take a hit to make the play,’ but sometimes let the puck do the work and jump by the forechecker, and now to get the puck back, you have more time and space.

“Both of them are going to be elite, NHL power play players. We see all that, but to get into the NHL as soon as we would like them to be, they’ve got to improve in those areas.”

One of the most common frustrations for Ottawa Senators fans in recent seasons has been the inability to watch certain games on TV. You might settle in for a game, knowing you’re a TSN subscriber living in the Ottawa viewing region, only to see the dreaded message: The scheduled program is not available in your region. In other words, the Ottawa program you're paying for in Ottawa is not available to you in Ottawa.

The problem has already resurfaced this year, most recently during Tuesday night’s preseason game in Toronto. Ian Mendes, the Senators’ vice president of communications, addressed the issue in his website column on Monday.

The root of the problem, Mendes explained, comes from how internet providers register IP addresses. Some Ottawa residents are being mistakenly identified as living elsewhere in Ontario.

"Your internet cable provider thinks you’re trying to watch a TSN 5 game from out-of-market, even though you live within a stone’s throw of Canadian Tire Centre," Mendes wrote. "If you try and stream the game on your phone – using regular data – you’ll be fine because it will register that your device is in Ottawa. But try watching the game off Wi-Fi on that same phone and boom, you’re back to the same problem. It might think you’re in Kitchener."

Mendes said some fans have been able to work around the issue by contacting their internet service provider and asking them to ‘whitelist’ their IP address, or to watch the game using your cable provider’s app on your phone using data – and stream to your television."

That latter workaround, of course, only makes sense for fans with unlimited data plans.

No English Radio or TV in Quebec City on Sunday

Broadcast challenges also popped up during Sunday’s preseason Senators game in Quebec City, where fans had no access to English TV or radio coverage. With TSN’s Sunday lineup packed with big events — the Ryder Cup, NFL football, and baseball pennant races — the Senators’ preseason tilt against the New Jersey Devils’ split squad didn’t quite make the cut.

So that's what happened with the English TV coverage.

As for radio, because neither team had an English TV crew on site, TSN 1200’s radio broadcasters — who no longer travel for road games — had no easy access to a video feed to call the game back home in Ottawa.

Ottawa Senators Radio Play-By-Play Team Won't Travel To Road Games This SeasonThe sports broadcast industry has undergone significant changes over the past several years, and it now appears to have finally impacted the Ottawa Senators.

That left the Senators and the station trying to set up their own video feed, a plan that never came together.

"We faced a lot of glitches. Our on-site team and the technical team back at TSN 1200 probably spent the better part of six hours trying to figure out a solution on Sunday. Without getting into all the boring technical stuff, I will simply say we could not provide TSN 1200 with a feed they felt comfortable with having Dean and Gord call the game from back in Ottawa."

More potential trouble ahead Thursday in St. Louis

And the broadcast problems this week may not be over. On Thursday, the Senators play the Blues in St. Louis — and that game also isn’t being broadcast by TSN or any TV network. And in Ottawa, no video feed also means no English radio feed. But they're on it. So please do not adjust your set.

"We’ll try and find a solution that works, but please know we’re trying our best behind the scenes on this stuff," Mendes said.

With the Enterprise Center being a full NHL arena equipped with proven broadcast technology, maybe there’s hope that the hookup will be smoother than it was on Sunday. 

If they can set up a clean video feed, fans could get an English radio call on TSN 1200 and possibly simulcast with video on the Senators’ website, which would suit most fans just fine.

More Sens Headlines From The Hockey News Ottawa:
Former Senator Josh Norris Embraces New Opportunity To Prove Himself
Ottawa Senators Cut 17 Players Before Heading To Quebec City
Will This Be Shane Pinto's Breakout Year With The Senators?
Drake Batherson Joins Ottawa Senators List Of Preseason Injury Concerns
Pinto Plays Hero In Senators Preseason Overtime Win Over Leafs
After Two Broken Clavicles, Kaliyev Targets Capital Comeback

The Florida Panthers' “2025 Stanley Cup Championship Film,” which celebrates their repeat win, will premiere exclusively on ESPN on Thursday, Oct. 2 and Friday, Oct. 3.

The one-hour film debuts Oct. 2 on ESPN+ and Oct. 3 on ESPN2, and additional airings will include Sportsnet and Prime Video in Canada. The NHL’s YouTube channel will display the film in the coming weeks.

The film will allow Panthers fans and NHL fans to relive the Panthers' glory as they went on to win their second Stanley Cup. 

Per the Panthers' press release:

Produced by NHL Productions, the film unveils the emotional roller coaster, major in-season acquisitions and thrilling on-ice competition on the Panthers’ journey to becoming the seventh team in NHL history to win consecutive titles. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice gets the star treatment as he leads his team through the drama and intensity of a second straight Stanley Cup Final series against the Edmonton Oilers. With exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage, mic’d up moments throughout the rivalry and sit-down interviews with powerhouse players Seth Jones, Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, Sam Reinhart and more, the show gives fans a firsthand look at the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions.

The Panthers embark on chasing the coveted third consecutive Stanley Cup this season, with their regular season set to begin on Oct. 7 against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Panthers will start the season without Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, their top two forwards, which makes the challenge of repeating much harder. 

The NHL saw several players get placed on waivers on Sep. 29, and one of them is a former New Jersey Devils forward.

According to PuckPedia, the New York Rangers have placed former Devils forward Justin Dowling on waivers. 

Dowling's time with the Devils officially ended this off-season when he signed a two-year contract with the Rangers in free agency. Now, assuming he clears waivers, he should start the season down in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Dowling played in 52 games this past season with the Devils, where he recorded two goals, five assists, seven points, 51 hits, and a minus-6 rating. This was after he scored one goal in two games with the Devils during the 2023-24 season. 

In 152 career NHL games over seven seasons split between the Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, and Devils, Dowling has posted nine goals, 17 assists, and 26 points. 

In what is shaping up to be a race to the bottom in the battle for a roster spot on defense, injured Philadelphia Flyers prospect Oliver Bonk is, unfortunately, missing out on a big opportunity.

Players like Helge Grans and Noah Juulsen, two favorites for a roster spot due to their right-handedness, have largely flattered to deceive or played poorly outright in training camp and the preseason thus far.

Egor Zamula appears to have plateaued, and Emil Andrae has only appeared in one preseason game to this point; he'll play against Boston on Monday night.

An underwhelming roster battle has left the Flyers in a precarious position with only a few preseason games left on the schedule, and you have to wonder what a healthy Bonk could have done for himself going against this group.

Bonk, 20, was deemed day-to-day by the Flyers with an upper-body injury on Thursday, along with forwards Lane Pederson and Karsen Dorwart, and has technically been day-to-day since the Flyers' first announcement on Sept. 18.

Flyers Roster Battles Leaving Much to Be Desired Early in NHL PreseasonThrough three NHL preseason games, several Philadelphia Flyers roster battles look far from being decided any time soon.

The 2023 first-round pick was meant to play in the rookie series games against the New York Rangers, too, only to be held out of those before training camp started.

Considering Bonk was also left off the ice during development camp in July to recover from a long season, he's quietly missed a decent amount of on-ice development with NHL coaches and NHL-caliber players this year.

The timing of it all has been awful, frankly, as Rasmus Ristolainen is expected to miss time well into the start of the season (potentially as late as November as of now)

Given that Ristolainen will inevitably return at some point, this would have been an easy opportunity to see Bonk play a month or so's worth of NHL games and how he holds up doing so.

The same premise applied to Grans, in a way, where the 23-year-old is no longer waivers-exempt. If the Flyers want to get a real good look at Grans, there was no better time to do so than while Ristolainen can't play.

By all accounts, it would seem that Bonk is destined to start his 2025-26 campaign - his first as a professional player - in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Most likely, he would've spent most of the season there anyway, but you can't help but feel a healthy Bonk makes this Flyers team out of training camp to glean some valuable experience while Ristolainen is on the shelf.

Seven teams placed a combined 22 players on NHL waivers Monday.

The Vancouver Canucks placed Jiri Patera, MacKenzie MacEachern, Joe Labate and Jimmy Schuldt on waivers.

The New York Rangers' four are Anton Blidh, Justin Dowling, Trey Fix-Wolansky and Derrick Pouliot.

The Minnesota Wild waived Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Ben Gleason, Ben Jones and Matt Kiersted.

In Nashville, the Predators waived Kevin Gravel, Jake Lucchini, Matt Murray, Navrin Mutter and Jordan Oesterle.

The Hurricanes have Skyler Brind'Amour and Ronan Seeley on waivers as well, while the Philadelphia Flyers waived Helge Grans. The Winnipeg Jets round out the waiver action with Phillip Di Giuseppe and Mason Shaw.

PuckPedia reported the waiver wire news.

For each player, the other 31 NHL teams can put in a claim for them in the next 24 hours, by 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Patera, 26, was claimed off waivers twice last year. After signing a two-year contract worth $775,000 annually with the Canucks on July 1, 2024, the Boston Bruins claimed the goaltender in early October while they awaited a new contract for starter Jeremy Swayman. Five days later, the Canucks claimed him back.

Dowling, 34, has played 152 career NHL games, including 52 last season with the New Jersey Devils. The center put up seven points with them and 26 in his career.

Aube-Kubel, 29, is a Stanley Cup champion, playing 14 playoff games for the Avalanche when they won in 2022. The right winger has played 304 career NHL games, putting up 32 goals and 48 assists for 80 points. Last season, he played 22 games split between the Buffalo Sabres and Rangers, recording two points.

Gravel, 33, is in his fourth season with the Predators organization. The defenseman played 61 AHL games last year and six NHL contests, recording one point in the top level. He's been in 139 career NHL games, recording a goal and 15 points.

Brind'Amour, a 26-year-old center, played most of last season for the AHL's Chicago Wolves, scoring 24 points in 68 games. The son of Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour played his first two NHL games at the end of the regular season, scoring once.

Grans, 23, played his first six NHL games in 2024-25, recording an assist. The defenseman was a second-round pick in 2020 for the Los Angeles Kings, which traded him to Philadelphia in 2023.

Di Giuseppe, 31, played the last three seasons with the Canucks organization before signing a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Jets this summer. He has 28 goals and 53 assists for 81 points in 302 career NHL games, including a goal and six points in 20 games last year.

All 23 players who were placed on waivers on Sunday cleared, making them eligible to be sent to the minors. They include Montreal Canadiens prospect Sean Farrell, Columbus Blue Jackets veterans Hudson Fasching and Brendan Gaunce and Dallas Stars bubble defenseman Kyle Capobianco.

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.

The Vancouver Canucks have placed four players on waivers in order to send them down to the Abbotsford Canucks. The four players are goaltender Jiří Patera, defenceman Jimmy Schuldt, as well as forwards Joseph LaBate and MacKenzie MacEachern. In total, 22 players were placed on waivers across the NHL, including former Canucks forward Phillip Di Giuseppe, who was signed this off-season by the Winnipeg Jets. 

LaBate, MacEachern and Schuldt were all signed by Vancouver this past off-season. As for Patera, he joined the organization during the 2024 off-season. All four players were projected to be sent to the AHL and should play big roles for Abbotsford this season. 

Sending these four players down on Monday also ensures that they will be ready for the AHL Canucks' Training Camp. This year, Abbotsford will hold practices at the Abbotsford Centre from October 1 to 3, while a scrimmage will be played at the Chilliwack Coliseum on October 4. According to the Canucks, all Abbotsford Training Camp events will be open to the public.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site: 

Arshdeep Bains Reflects On Calder Cup Glory And Next Steps With The Vancouver Canucks

3 Standouts From The Vancouver Canucks' 4-3 2025 Pre-Season Loss To The Edmonton Oilers

Vancouver Canucks Fall 4-3 To The Edmonton Oilers In Fourth Game Of The 2025 Pre-Season

As for the NHL club, Vancouver has two more pre-season games before they kick off the 2025-26 season on October 9. The Canucks will take on the Calgary Flames on October 1 before playing their final pre-season game against the Edmonton Oilers on October 3. Game time for Wednesday is scheduled for 6:00 pm PT from the Scotiabank Saddledome. 

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.

Guessing what's gonna happen in the NHL is a precarious business but we do it every year because it's fan-type fun.

What makes it even more fun is when we're in a position to compare last year's genius picks with the ones our heavily-admired pollsters say this time around.

Here's what The Hockey News Yearbook forecasters wrote about our Met Area teams  at this time last year.

The Devils would finish on top of the Met Division with the Rangers right behind. The Islanders were tabbed for fourth in the Met.

The Panthers were tabbed to lead the Atlantic Division but not to win the 2025 Stanley Cup.

Edmonton and Dallas got the nods in the Pacific and Central Divisions. And The Hockey News projected a New Jersey-Dallas Final with a Stars Cup win.

Nice try all around, guys, and now we go to this season: Of the trio of Met teams, The Devils are placed second, Rangers fourth and Islanders – Yikes! – seventh!  Florida gets top billing again in the Atlantic while the Canes lead the Met. 

The Never Ending Issue of Officiating, What Else Is New?Altogether now – one, two, three – WE LOVE THE REFEREES! Dead silence. That's not fair.

On the other side, Dallas is slotted first in the Central Division with Edmonton rulers of the Pacific.

The Hockey News Yearbook has Vegas defeating Carolina in the Cup Final. The Maven's Off-The-Wall Predictions Come In The Adjoining Column: (Hint: You may not like all of them; neither do I!)

The Philadelphia Flyers have placed defenseman Helge Grans on waivers, NHL insider Frank Seravalli reports. 

Grans was one of the Flyers' prospects looking to earn a spot on the NHL roster out of training camp. However, now that Grans has been put on waivers, the rest of the league has the opportunity to claim him if they wish to. 

If Grans clears waivers, the Flyers will be able to assign him to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. However, with Grans being a big and still young right-shot defenseman, it is fair to wonder if another team could claim him. 

Grans played in his first six NHL games this past season with the Flyers, where he recorded one assist and two penalty minutes. In 66 games during the 2024-25 season with the Phantoms, he recorded eight goals, 15 assists, 23 points, and 42 penalty minutes. 

St. Louis Blues defensemen Cam Fowler and Colton Parayko played just over half of the NHL season together. Although their time together has been limited, they've shown excellent results and have the potential to be among the best defensive pairings in the NHL. 

Parayko, standing 6-foot-6, 228 pounds, is one of the best defensive defenseman in the NHL, but he quietly moves around the ice with efficiency, and is more than a capable puck-mover. The 32-year-old set a career-high in goals with 16 and points with 36, despite playing just 64 games.

The full package of Parayko was on display last year, averaging 23:45 while affecting the game on both sides of the puck. 

While Parayko's play was stellar even before Fowler joined the team, it skyrocketed when he began playing alongside the smooth-skating, offensive-minded Fowler. 

Fowler played 51 games with the Blues last year after he was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka and a second-round pick in 2027. In those 51 games, the 33-year-old notched nine goals and 36 points, including two goals and 10 points in seven playoff games, a Blues franchise record. 

Fowler and Parayko are both all-around defenseman, without many glaring weaknesses in their game, but their strengths improve their partners' game. 

Fowler stands 6-foot-2, 213 pounds; by no means is he small, but the physical aspect of his game isn't something he is looking to show all that frequently. Parayko, on the other hand, loves to be engaged physically, using his weight to move opponents away from his net and in puck battles around the boards.

Although Parayko showed more initiative to jump into the play, Fowler excels at it. He can kick-start transition opportunities or sneak in as the third or fourth player, firing a shot on goal or making a pass for a better chance. 

The duo quickly gelled, and the results followed. In 484 minutes together, the Blues' top pairing recorded an expected goals percentage of 55.5 percent, according to MoneyPuck.com. In the post-season, they clicked at 60.4 percent, playing 113 minutes together.

After Fowler's three-year, $6.1 million average annual value contract extension that he signed on Saturday, Fowler and Parayko will have four more seasons to continue to build chemistry and improve on their already very positive results. With youngsters like Logan Mailloux, Tyler Tucker, Adam Jiricek and Theo Lindstein all in the lineup or looking to crack through within the next couple of seasons, the duo might see their minutes diminish, but their value to the team won't.

“I’m going to have to give that (credit) to the coaches,” GM Doug Armstrong said of the Fowler Parayko pairing. “What I like about them is they both have excellent feet, they can both skate, they have a massive wind span, so they kill a lot of plays down low with their stick and then they have the ability to get to loose pucks. And then again, moving forward, you have the size of Broberg that can do that, and Mailloux can do that. I think having reach and skating ability is an asset, and now I think we have four guys, some of them under contract, and some of them restricted free agents, so we’re in a good spot.”

“Once it went together, the way they are able to shut down top lines and contribute offensively, I think both of them had almost career years in the sense of that,” assistant coach Steve Ott said. “The rebirth of ‘Fowls’ basically since he came on the trade and ‘Pary,’ he scored 15-16 goals last year, and they became a duo that played a 200-foot game. The trust level that we have as a coaching staff, we know when they go over the ice, the job gets done."

Fowler and Parayko will be a staple on the blueline for the Blues, and the organization is in great hands with those two at the helm. 

If he’s being honest, Ottawa Senators goalie Linus Ullmark probably would have preferred a tougher workload in his second preseason game. Ullmark and the Senators defeated the New Jersey Devils 2–0 on Sunday afternoon in Quebec City, and if you just looked at the scoreboard, you might assume Ullmark is already in mid-season form.

But you could almost place an asterisk beside this result. Ullmark faced only 14 shots from a Devils squad that, at a glance, barely met the league's preseason rule requiring a minimum of eight NHL veterans on the roster. Most of New Jersey’s opening-night roster was back home in Newark, playing the Capitals at the same time.

Still, Ullmark won’t ever complain about a shutout.

“I thought we did a pretty good job. Speaking about me, there are some things to clean up, but I’m not surprised that it’s like that as well. First (full) game of the season, you’re playing a team away, and here in Quebec as well. There were a lot of variables. But I’m always happy when I don’t have to look behind me and grab a puck and throw it up into the middle. And on top of that, you get a win.”

Ullmark admits it can be tough to stay sharp when he isn’t seeing much rubber, but he’s learned over the years how to handle it.

“Now I have a little bit easier time of relaxing when the play is not really in our zone. I’m better at dialling it in when things are actually coming my way. Because that’s something as well. You can’t just stand there and be on and on and on for 60 minutes. You have to find times to relax, breathe, and just kind of dial it in when it’s needed. And it’s easier when you get 30, 35 shots because you kind of constantly have a feel for it, you know all the pucks are.”

Halliday's Late Power Play Goal Leads Ottawa Senators Past Devils 2-0The Ottawa Senators improved their preseason record to 2–1 on Sunday afternoon with a 2–0 victory over a New Jersey Devils split-squad at the Videotron Centre in Quebec City.

Ulmark admits that his training camp has been a struggle, but he also says, surprisingly, he enjoys the struggle.

“It’s not fun to be struggling in a way, but the satisfaction of understanding yourself and getting to know yourself, and also realizing, 'Oh, this is what I’m doing wrong now, and this is not how I was supposed to do it.' When that clicks, it’s so satisfying.

"And we had one of those days on Saturday where I was not happy really with the practice. I just stayed out there and we just kept shooting, shooting, shooting. And then all of a sudden a light bulb turned on and you start feeling good about it. You get a little bit more swagger into your game and I kind of brought it into (Sunday’s game) as well.”

It was a much different feeling than Ullmark’s first preseason appearance, when he allowed three goals on eight shots in a 4–3 loss to Toronto. The Senators dominated the Leafs in shots, 35–20, but, as in last spring’s playoffs, they couldn’t recover from an early 3-0 hole.

Ullmark, as he does with most things in his life, has kept all of it in perspective.

Shifting Goaltending Picture

Ottawa’s goaltending setup will look a little different this season. Last year, Ullmark split duties with Anton Forsberg. Both are Swedes, both are 32, and both battled injuries last season. That opened the door for 22-year-old Finn, Leevi Meriläinen, to step in and impress. Meriläinen went 8-3-1 with three shutouts, a 1.99 goals-against average, and a .925 save percentage.

While nothing has been made official, Meriläinen is expected to be the full-time backup after Forsberg departed in free agency to sign with the Los Angeles Kings.

Much has been made of Ullmark never playing more than 49 games in a season, but most number one NHL goalies, on average, play roughly 55 games, and no one played more than 63. So he's really not that far off the pace.

Would a platoon situation, or something close to it, provide the best-case scenario? Ullmark thrived in Boston in a three-year timeshare with Jeremy Swayman, winning the 2023 Vezina Trophy in the process. Could a similar partnership with another promising young goaltender bring out the best in him again? Possibly, but at the same time, with Ullmark's new pay grade, you'd like to think you could rely on him to be mostly studly for 55-60 games a season.

Ullmark had stretches of brilliance last season, winning seven games in a row in December and going 9-2-1 in March. But he also dealt with stretches of inconsistency, which may have been influenced by a few bouts with injury. He finished 25-14-3 with a .910 save percentage and 2.70 GAA. Now that he's Ottawa’s second-highest paid player, the expectations are higher than ever. 

If the Senators are going to take another step forward this season, they’ll need Ullmark to do the same.

More Sens Headlines From The Hockey News Ottawa:
Former Senator Josh Norris Embraces New Opportunity To Prove Himself
Ottawa Senators Cut 17 Players Before Heading To Quebec City
Will This Be Shane Pinto's Breakout Year With The Senators?
Drake Batherson Joins Ottawa Senators List Of Preseason Injury Concerns
Pinto Plays Hero In Senators Preseason Overtime Win Over Leafs
After Two Broken Clavicles, Kaliyev Targets Capital Comeback